ã€ŠThe Most Loving Marriage In History: Master Mu&#x27;s Pampered Wifeã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Such A High Quality Man

    <h4>Chapter 1: Such A High Quality Man</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Spring was approaching, so it was inevitably a little chilly. Perhaps because the new year was arriving, the entire City Z was immersed in bustling excitement. Despite the cold wind attacking this flourishing city, it did not dampen everyone¡¯s spirits.

    The evening sky was hazy as it started to drizzle. The lively city seemed to suddenly have a hint of indistinct tranquility to it too.

    A ck Volkswagen Passat slowly drove out from the underground parking lot of a tall building in City Z¡¯s northern district. It passed through the long and wide road and made its way straight to the city center.

    The streets seemed very bleak at night. entuated by the fall of the hazy drizzle, it made the streetlights on both sides seem a little dimmer.

    In the driver¡¯s seat, Xi Xiaye was steadily maneuvering the steering wheel with one hand while her other hand was propped up beside the opened car window. Frigid wind continuously streamed in through the window, ruffling her shoulder-length hair into a mess.

    She wore a ck blouse and ck trousers on the inside. Outside, she wore a bright pink windbreaker with ck high heels. This was how Xi Xiaye usually dressed as she did not have many clothes. Apart from the dull, all-year-round, ck professional suit, she did not have many other apparel.

    ...

    City Z¡¯s downtown restaurant was currently filled with guests.

    Xi Xiaye walked in with graceful strides, her cold gaze briefly examining the entire restaurant. Then, finally, her sharp eyes settled on a certain corner with a table.

    Xi Xiaye picked up her pace and walked over. The man who had been sitting there, waiting for quite a while put his phone away. He looked up at Xi Xiaye and when he had a closer look at Xi Xiaye, an intense light shone in his eyes quickly.

    ¡°Mr. Wang Hong?¡±

    Her hostile and slightly raspy voice rang out, and Xi Xiaye¡¯s unwavering gaze indifferently swept across the man before her.

    The man looked about 30-odd years old. He wore a suit and had an ordinary appearance. One could not call him handsome. When he saw Xi Xiaye, there was a small smile on his face, but Xi Xiaye thought it looked a little garish.

    The man nodded and quickly stood up. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Wang Hong. Are you Miss Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Xi Xiaye acknowledged, then she pulled the chair opposite him out and sat down. ¡°Apologies for making you wait.¡±

    Wang Hong sat down too. His voice sounded a little pompous. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s only right and proper for men to wait on women, but it¡¯s fine as long as there isn¡¯t a next time. I¡¯m sure you know about my situation, Miss Xi. I¡¯m not too sure about your story though. It¡¯s best if you could introduce yourself first.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded indifferently. ¡°Let¡¯s order first.¡±

    Then, she gestured for the waiter to take their orders.

    ¡°I¡¯m Xi Xiaye. I work at Glory World Corporation and I¡¯m 26.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pulled the ck gloves on her hand off and tossed them aside as she spoke nonchntly.

    ¡°Mmm, I recall that Aunty Liu has introduced you to me before. I heard that you attended the military academy and graduated from military business school.¡±

    Wang Hong suddenly remembered something. He paused here, then he looked profoundly towards Xi Xiaye again, and continued after a while, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m in the military myself, but I don¡¯t want to find someone who shares the same identity as me, but I¡¯m quite happy with your current upation. I think that women should run a household well and be a good wife, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful, twinkling eyes suddenly revealed a stern coldness. While her expression did not change as she looked heartlessly at this arrogant man before her, she remained silent.

    ¡°How many times have you been in a rtionship before this? Are you still a virgin?¡± The man asked once again, not finding it awkward at all.

    When Xi Xiaye heard him, she instantly frowned and could not help but start disliking him.

    ¡°By the looks of it, you should be. I don¡¯t date innocent girls. They have too few life experiences and usually don¡¯t know what they want. In fact, they are usually very easily tempted and find it hard to be loyal. Rather than being cheated on after marriage, I¡¯d prefer to find an experienced woman,¡± Wang Hong spoke without hesitation, appearing as if he had experienced a lot.

    ¡°I¡¯m a man who prioritizes being practical. I¡¯ve been through too much. You could say that I¡¯ve done everything a man can, and have gone through everything a man can experience. I want to find an experienced woman to spend the rest of my life with me. I won¡¯t be thoroughly in touch with innocent women like you. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t dare to; it¡¯s that we won¡¯t be suitable, the reason being that simple women are unstable,¡± continued Wang Hong when he saw Xi Xiaye keeping quiet.

    ¡°How can one be so sure that an imperfect woman would definitely have plenty of experience? And where did you get this theory that innocent women don¡¯t have experience, and won¡¯t be able to resist temptation?¡± After a long while, Xi Xiaye finally smiled coldly and said with hostility, ¡°Aren¡¯t your views a little too extreme?¡±

    ¡°Then let me tell you, I¡¯ve had one night stands, I still have a lover now. Can you ept a man like me as your husband?¡± Wang Hong looked arrogantly at Xi Xiaye as if such a thing was to be proud of.

    ¡°What is marriage to you?¡± Xi Xiaye asked in reply.

    ¡°Responsibility, loyalty, and trust.¡±

    ¡°Then, what are you trying to imply right now? Are you trying to boast to me that you¡¯re huge in demand? Does your so-called ¡®loyalty¡¯ and ¡®trust¡¯ allow you to go on a blind date with another woman while having one-night stands and having a lover? Mr. Wang, I can only say that you¡¯re really the military¡¯s best quality [1]. <sup>1</sup> Later on, I should get yourmanding officer to award you with a medal and record these praises.¡±

    Xi Xiaye spoke without much emotion, but her hostile tone was akin to loose ice on the surface of ake at the beginning of spring. It was piercing cold.

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for simple women. This is my pre-requisite for marriage. They are pure on the surface when in reality, they aren¡¯t stable at all, so they find it hard to be loyal.¡±

    Wang Hong seemed to be determined. His eyes seemed to be filled with resolve as he looked at Xi Xiaye, yet Xiaye caught a sh of hidden light in his eyes.

    ¡°Then, you can continue slowly finding your socially experienced woman.¡± Xi Xiaye nonchntly smiled.

    At this moment, the waiter had already served the dishes. Xi Xiaye was not reserved at all. She picked up her chopsticks as if the man across her did not exist.

    ¡°Are you angry, Ms. Xi? I can¡¯t deny that the things you said earlier make some sense too, but this is just the universal pattern. My life experiences tell me that many simple women are just no good.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Wang, I think that you don¡¯t have to exin these things to me right now. Since the second I sat down, I¡¯ve already noticed that you aren¡¯t someone I¡¯m looking for. The husband I want should be at least 1.8 meters tall. If he was a serviceman, his military post must be above regiment level and his rank should be at least Lieutenant Colonel. He must be the ssic Mr. Perfect [2] <sup>2</sup> . I¡¯m very sorry that you didn¡¯t match up to any of my standards. That means you, Mr. Wang Hong, your qualifications cannot match up to me, Xi Xiaye. Eating with people like you, I can always save on my meals. I¡¯m done here. Enjoy your meal!¡±

 Chapter 2 - Theyre Back

    <h4>Chapter 2: They¡¯re Back</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye ignored the man¡¯s darkened expression as she spoke coldly, ¡°You¡¯re definitely an exotic one in your regiment. It¡¯s best if you resign when you get back. Don¡¯t dishonor the uniform!¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned begrudgingly as she took out a few hundred yuan notes and put it on the table. Then, she picked her gloves up from the chair and swiftly stood up before leaving.

    Such a high-quality man of really exceptional quality.

    She had had enough!

    In this past year, she had gone on tens of blind dates practically every day. Sometimes, she even had to rush for a few dates in a day. It was the kind of rhythm that could make one break down!

    Xi Xiaye dragged her fatigued body back to her apartment.

    Her apartment was located by the riverside. Xi Xiaye had only bought itst year. The unit was not big at just 90 square meters with two rooms and two living rooms. It looked a little narrow, but she lived alone, so it sufficed.

    The entire house used light gold as its main color scheme. With nuances of Roman design and modernitybined, it was decorated slightlyvishly and stylishly, yet it did not spill with extravagance and luxury. Instead, one could feel that there was an added warmth.

    Xi Xiaye poured herself a ss of water and then slowly sat down on the sofa before her tensed heart started to ease a little. She looked around to examine the empty house, and suddenly in her twinkling eyes, there were some hints of mncholy.

    She sipped on her water, switched on the television, and was about to pass time for a little when at this moment, her phone buzzed from the table.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously stopped what she was doing as she picked her phone up. When she saw who it was, the mncholy in her clear eyes became more intense.

    ¡°Hello? Grandfather, it¡¯s me.¡±

    Her cold voice was infected with mild warmth.

    On the other end, there was first some coughing before the familiar aged yet concerned voice was heard. ¡°Xiaye, have you had dinner?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I did. I just returned to my apartment. It¡¯s already quitete, Grandfather. Why aren¡¯t you resting yet?¡± Xi Xiaye turned down the television volume as she asked.

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t have the habit of sleeping early. I just drank a few cups of tea, so I can¡¯t sleep anyway. There¡¯s something I need to tell you. You must execute it for me,¡± the worn voice continued, but this time, his resounding tone brought with it a firmness.

    ¡°My health isn¡¯t getting better by the year. Your mother is so focused on her work, and I¡¯m most worried about you. I¡¯ve told you that I¡¯ll definitely find you the best. I don¡¯t frequently admire anyone much, so I haven¡¯t been willing to rmend anyone for you because I keep feeling like they don¡¯t suit you.¡±

    When he said this, the aged voice suddenly paused, then he continued, ¡°But today, I want to rmend someone to you. He¡¯s a pretty decent and responsible person. He¡¯s just returned from New York. Since there¡¯s a chance of you getting along, you two should meet. I¡¯ve already arranged the venue for you this Saturday at 3:30 in the afternoon. It¡¯s at the First Suite [1] of the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern. Remember, don¡¯t bete. Regardless of how he is, you can get to know him yourself. I think that the both of you might be very suitable for each other.¡±

    When he finished, he immediately hung up. Xi Xiaye did not even get to respond before the phone¡¯s busy signal was heard.

    Xi Xiaye stared nkly at the screen that had already dimmed before she started tough bitterly and helplessly.

    Now, even her grandfather was starting to worry about her marriage. What could she say to him?

    Her ears started to ring with Shen Wenna¡¯s gentle voice again.

    <i>Xiaye, you¡¯re already 26, not 16...</i>

    ...

    It was Saturday morning. Weekends were hard toe by when Xi Xiaye did not need to go to work, but she still woke up very early, tidied up her room, and had a simple breakfast before leaving the house.

    The weather was chilly outside. When she headed out, the sky was gray and hazy. It was still drizzling and the cold winds kept attacking, brushing everyone¡¯s faces till it hurt.

    Xi Xiaye was a very low-profile person. Apart from the usual interactions at work, she did not have contact with anyone else. Usually, when she was free, she would read or have some tea and listen to some music.

    She was a huge tea lover, so in a certain secluded location in the northern area of this bustling city, she opened a tea house called the Bamboo Teahouse.

    She usually retreated to behind-the-scenes as well. The boss that acted as her proxy was an extremely cultured and refined middle-aged man named Lin Xuanyu. She heard that he used to be a university professor, and at the same time, he was a researcher of China¡¯s ancient civilization. He was very well versed with the country¡¯s art of tea and musical instruments.

    When Xi Xiaye had first opened the tea house, he woulde almost every day to have tea and y some chess. Later on, the two chatted pleasantly, and Xi Xiaye let him manage the tea house. Of course, at the same time, it was a conducive ce for him to write.

    The entire tea house was almost concealed in the huge bamboo forest. It was not huge. The ce was 400 square feet with two floors and the whole decor bore a charm of antiquity that of a poetic ink painting.

    When Xi Xiaye entered the Bamboo Teahouse with the huge pile of books she had just bought from the bookstore, there were already faint but clear sounds of the <i>guqin. </i> Business here was brisk on the weekends.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, you¡¯re here!¡±

    All of the tea house waiters were very familiar with Xi Xiaye because she would go over almost every weekend, but very few people knew that the real owner of this tea house was actually thisdy who seemed very young and beautiful. They had always thought she was just Professor Lin¡¯s student and was just very close friends with Professor Lin.

    Xi Xiaye nodded before she arranged the books neatly on the bookshelf that was already filled with books while the waiters swiftly served the Maojian tea she always drank. Xi Xiaye sighed a breath of relief and sat down. She picked up her tea to take a sip, then at this moment, her phone buzzed.

    Xiaye picked up the phone and flipped it open, not seeing who it was before picking up the call. Quickly, from the other end of the phone came her best friend, Su Nan¡¯s sweet voice. ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me! I¡¯ve already reached City XX. I¡¯m transiting, so in less than eight hours, you¡¯ll be able to see Lady Su Nan that you¡¯ve been thinking of day and night!¡±

    Xiaye lowered her head and took a sip of the tea. A smile spread across her beautiful and fair face. She said softly, ¡°Lady Su Nan, we only haven¡¯t seen each other for a few days, yet your narcissism has grown.¡±

    From the other end immediately came Su Nan¡¯s candidughter, yet after thatugh, Su Nan suddenly fell silent for quite a while and Xiaye did not say anything either. A long whileter, suddenly came Su Nan¡¯s hesitant voice, ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s tone sounded a little serious. It came with a bit of bitterness that she seemed to have endured.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Xiaye put down the teacup in her hand, then she took a book introducing the art of flower arranging and started to casually browse through it. She could hear that Su Nan¡¯s tone was a little off, so she continued to ask, ¡°What is it?¡±

    From the other end, Su Nan took a deep breath as if she was setting her mind on something. She said in a lowered voice, ¡°I just saw Han Yifeng... with Xi Xinyi... Both of them are on the same flight as me...¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re back, Xiaye...¡±

    The instant Su Nan¡¯s voice fell, Xiaye¡¯s face instantly turned nk. Both her hands suddenly turned stiff and her hand that held the phone had unconsciously tightened too.

    That lowered and stifled voice of Su Nan¡¯s kept echoing in her ear.

    <i>I just saw Han Yifeng... with Xi Xinyi... Both of them are on the same flight as me...</i>

 Chapter 3 - Meeting For The First Time

    <h4>Chapter 3: Meeting For The First Time</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Both ends of the phone suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Even Su Nan, who was far away in City XX, could vaguely feel the suffocating repress of emotions and gloom through the silence of the phone, making it hard to breathe.

    She suddenly regretted telling her this news, but there were some things that she still needed to face.

    ¡°Xiaye... are you okay?¡±

    From the other end came Su Nan¡¯s worried voice that conveyed how sorry she felt for her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have told you this, but if you wait till they appear in front of you all smiling, that¡¯d be even more painful for you and you¡¯ll be sadder. I¡¯d rather you find out about it now.¡±

    After staying silent for a while, Xiaye suddenly slowly closed the book in her hand and gently shut her eyes. Then, she opened them. A dim glow shone in her twinkling eyes indifferently and distantly. Her exceptionally calm voice came through. ¡°Mmm, got it. Thank you, Su Nan.¡±

    Su Nan took a deep breath. Her voice had a hint of sympathy as she suffered silently with her. ¡°Xiaye, are you okay? Don¡¯t be upset... That kind of person really isn¡¯t worth it...¡±

    Xiaye lowered her head and stared at the tea cup between her fingers. She said with much difficulty and hoarseness in her tone, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why don¡¯t you rest first? I¡¯ll pick you up in the evening.¡±

    Then, before Su Nan could respond, she abruptly hung up.

    Three years, it had been three years!

    Xiaye felt the temperature from her fingertips gradually fade away until atst, they turned cold amidst the cool breeze. A sneer suddenly appeared on her elegant and beautiful face as she mocked herself.

    It turned out that a rtionship, which she thought was steady after going through the ups and downs in the sea of time, would still fade in the end. It still turned cool just like this cup of tea. All of the warmth would slowly turn cold in the midst of this cool breeze.

    <i>Give yourself a chance to be free, Xi Xiaye. You aren¡¯t young anymore!</i>

    She sat there in silence for an unknown amount of time. It was so long that she felt like she had lived a whole decade to the next. Before she returned to her senses, she bitterly lifted her head and drank the cup of cold tea.

    As the tea swirled into her mouth, the bitter and cold taste reached her chest very quickly. It was so cold that it made her feel rigid all over, and there was a sting in her chest.

    What pulled her out from that suffocating whirlpool of despair was her grandfather¡¯s unexpected call.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s Grandfather. Where are you now? Have you left? It¡¯s cold outside. Remember to put on more clothes, and remember, don¡¯t bete!¡± Her grandfather¡¯s loving and concerned voice reminded, ¡°It¡¯s the First Suite in the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern. Don¡¯t go the wrong way!¡±

    At that moment, Xiaye remembered what she had talked to her grandfather about, then she felt a headache starting.

    Xiaye breathed in, slowly got up, and then put the book back onto the shelf as she answered softly, ¡°Got it. I¡¯m hanging about outside. I¡¯ll reach there on time. Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, make a trip home tonight. Your mother¡¯s coincidentally on a break. I¡¯ll get her to cook some delicious dishes for you! I heard that you¡¯ve been working quite hard recently,¡± sighed Shen Yue.

    ¡°I¡¯ve to go and pick a friend up from the airport in the evening. At night, I¡¯ll also be weing her back. I¡¯ll go see you and Mother in a few more days. At the same time, I¡¯ll bring you some quality Pu¡¯er [1] <sup>1</sup> ,¡± Xiaye exined gently.

    From the other end of the phone came Shen Yue¡¯s unhappy and jealous voice. ¡°Are your grandfather and your mother not as important as your friend?¡±

    Xiaye could not help butugh. After a while, she said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll apany both of you for a whole day tomorrow. How about that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s much better!¡±

    ...

    When she put her phone away, Xiaye took a look at the time and realized that it was still quite early, so she decided to get her grandfather, Shen Yue, and her mother, Shen Wenna, some gifts first. She had not gone back for quite some time now and she did miss them quite a bit.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye had a strong sense of time; she was always very punctual and would rarely bete.

    When she reached the appointed venue, the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern, it was 3:30 p.m. on the dot. Although it was time for tea, because this ce was remote, and it was a very high-ss venue, there were not many people at this hour.

    Xi Xiaye soon found the meeting ce, the First Suite of the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern.

    She politely knocked on the door before pushing it to enter. A whiff of light and refined tea fragrance reached her nostrils. She looked up and what entered her line of sight was the silhouette of a man.

    He wore an all-white tailored suit. In his seat, he steeped the tea with a rxedposure as he was on the phone. From afar, one would unexpectedly pick up hints of hostility from his back.

    Xi Xiaye inhaled slightly, then finally broke her stare and picked up her pace as she walked over. She sat down on the soft cushion opposite the man. She pushed the things aside and was about to look up when unexpectedly, the man across her nced up at that instant too...

    He was extremely handsome with profound eyes that were like the ocean, carrying an immense depth and wisdom in them. He also had a pointed nose, thin lips, and an extraordinarily noble aura around him, yet it was quite low-profile and not disyed ostentatiously. He seemed reserved and he bore hints of gentleness and apathy.

    For a heartbeat, they shared a moment of absent-mindedness...

    Xi Xiaye very quickly returned to her senses. Her beautiful and slightly blushing face was stunned for a moment as pure admiration shed in her clear eyes.

    This man was rather charismatic.

    Mu Yuchen took one look at Xi Xiaye, and something also shed briefly in his unfathomable eyes. He nodded slightly at Xiaye as he said inly to the person on the phone. ¡°As for how to resolve it, do as you see fits.¡±

    That low voice of his was like a cello; it was distant, extremely charming, and very soothing to the ears.

    With that one sentence, he ended his call.

    Actually, after he had just finished lunch earlier, Mu Yuchen¡¯s grandmother kept nagging him at home. Every three to five minutes, she would remind him about this meeting. Initially, he wanted to get out for a breather, but the phone beside him had not stopped ringing. Helplessly, he could only attend this appointment to stop his grandmother, Wang Hui, from pestering him further.

    He looked up and calmly looked at Xiaye who sat before him.

    She wore a light cream mid-length coat and had a delicate and elegant appearance. Her beautiful, long hair was already done up, while a few thin strands fell across her forehead in an unruly manner. She had clear eyes and seemed quite charming.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Xi Xiaye.¡±

    Only when she saw him keeping his phone away did Xi Xiaye speak up calmly. A hint of dry raspiness tinted her refreshing voice.

    Her grandfather had only simply said that the person he arranged for her to meet was the grandson of his oldrade-in-arms. He informed her that he looked pretty decent and had a good temperament too. In fact, he had previously mingled in the armed forces, and just like her, had gone to the military academy. Sadly, she did not finish her studies there. Instead, she had transferred to study abroad while the man before her seemed to have stayed in the force for quite a few years before retiring and moving abroad for quite a few years.

    Mu Yuchen politely served Xi Xiaye a cup of tea. His handsome face was at ease as he replied, ¡°Hello, Ms. Xi.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. She picked up her cup, took a sip, and then asked, ¡°Did you wait for long?¡±

    ¡°I just reached as well,¡± Mu Yuchen answered simply. Then, his long fingers pointed at the menu beside them. ¡°Want to order something to eat? The desserts here are popr.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a nce at the dessert menu that was flipped open and disyed all sorts of desserts. She lightly shook her head and said softly, ¡°No need. I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like to eat sweet stuff?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her curiously. Even though his low voice held a questioning tone, his eyes were filled with confidence.

 Chapter 4 - Scalded

    <h4>Chapter 4: Scalded</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly as she lowered her gaze and took another sip of tea. She thought for a moment before she decided to inly exin, ¡°When I was younger, because she was worried about my teeth, my mother limited my intake of sweet foods. When I grew older, I became used to it and my taste has always veered that way.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. Just as he was about to say something, his handphone by his side suddenly buzzed again. He looked apologetically at Xi Xiaye before picking it up to answer the call.

    The call was from Wang Hui, who was asking Mu Yuchen whether he had made it on time for the appointment.

    When he heard Wang Hui¡¯s anxious tone, Mu Yuchen could not help but frown. He listened to Wang Hui grumble for a while before he answered exhaustedly and indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m already meeting her. We¡¯ll talk again when I get back.¡±

    He silently hung up and then looked at the person opposite him. He watched her with her teacup in a hand as her apathetic eyes gazed at the gloomy sky outside the window. The speakers started to y some familiar tunes ¡ª

    <i>Maybe love blinds us;</i>

    <i>It¡¯s a passion that </i><i>makes one undaunted by dangers...</i>

    <i>Who did love captivate?</i>

    <i>Who surrendered to love, invading a loneliness besieged by the ze?</i>

    <i>If the warmth of a kiss can conquer resentment...</i>

    A cool wind blew in from the window, the chilliness abruptly invading their moment of silence. Xiaye could not help but shiver slightly. She subconsciously sped both her hands together, but just as she released them, she heard a loud crash. A scorching heat burned the back of her hand. In an instant, she felt her wrist being pulled away by arge hand.

    ¡°Careful.¡±

    His concerned tone revealed sensitivity.

    At that moment, Xiaye also retrieved her gaze. Then, she realized that the back of her hand was scalded a little by the spilled tea. A dimness shed in her still eyes as she felt embarrassed. She wanted to hide her hands, but before she could move, a pure white handkerchief was slowly extended to her.

    She hesitated for a moment, then slowly epted it. She lightly wiped the tea that stained the back of her hand.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Once again, she thanked him softly and an apologetic smile spread across her beautiful little face.

    ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± He frowned and looked at her slightly reddened hand as he asked.

    Xiaye lightly shook her head. The light in her eyes seemed to be quite faint, yet she smiled and responded with some difficulty, ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll just go back and ice it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about the sky, so much so that it made you this absent-minded?¡±

    There was a glow in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he nonchntly looked outside the window that Xiaye had gazed out of earlier. What entered his line of sight was the murky sky. It was boundlessly gray. The cold breeze that entered through the window seemed to bring some humidity, and one could vaguely see the drizzle that fell.

    ¡°I actually don¡¯t like to watch this kind of sky. The dripping rain makes me a little ufortable.¡± Xiaye lightly covered her scorched hand and then followed his gaze and sighed softly, ¡°It seemed like spring for City Z hase especially early this year. It isn¡¯t even Spring Festival yet and the weather¡¯s already like this.¡±

    ¡°Mmm... Earlier, when I passed by the za, I heard them say that Spring is beginning in another two days,¡± Mu Yuchen responded, and then abruptly turned away. He was about to pick his teacup up when he saw her still holding the back of her hand. His huge hand suddenly crossed over and pulled her other hand that was trying to cover up. He immediately caught sight of her angry red skin on her hand...

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows furrowed even further. He was silent for a while, then finally he smoothly stood up and picked up her bag that she had put aside.

    Xiaye was stunned. There was some suspicion in her eyes and she was about to say something when his low voice was heard ¡ª

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look at the hospital. Otherwise, it¡¯d be you who suffers.¡±

    Then, without waiting for Xiaye to agree, he started to walk out.

    He had just walked out of the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern when his subordinate, Ah Mo, had driven his car over. Although it did not look like a luxury car, it was rather simr to her Passat; it was a Phaeton.

    It was the kind of car that was luxurious on the inside while being low-profile and reserved on the outside just like its owner, who was reserved in a way that made him hard to fathom.

    ¡°Master!¡± Ah Mo quickly stopped the car and swiftly got down to respectfully greet him.

    However, when he saw Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen, his eyes lit up. He could not help but show hints of a stifled smile on his face. Remaining calm, he carefully took a sidelong nce at his Master, yet he realized that his Master still looked apathetic and downcast as usual.

    He pointed at Ah Mo. ¡°This is Ah Mo.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Xi Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Ms. Xi!¡±

    Ah Mo smiled in response as he opened the car door.

    Mu Yuchen pointed inside nonchntly, indicating for Xi Xiaye to enter.

    Xiaye remembered that her car was parked in the parking lot, so she said softly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble you. I drove over myself.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes and looked at her hand that was already red and swollen. He skirted the car and rumbled in his low voice, ¡°You sure you can still drive right now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked down at her hand. The searing pain made her frown involuntarily. When she saw that Ah Mo had already put her things into the back seat before getting into the driver¡¯s seat, she thought about it for a moment prior to getting into the car.

    Ah Mo immediately started the car.

    ¡°Master, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Hospital T,¡± Mu Yuchen inly said before he picked up a magazine from the side pocket and started flipping through it.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything either. She just shrunk slightly into her seat and gently put her injured hand on her knee while her other hand lightly held it down. Then, she leaned her head against the window and looked outside.

    Outside was foggy and drizzling. On the wet streets, the pedestrians that scurried to and fro held umbres as they rushed past the sidewalks. The wind that poured in from the car window that was wound down halfway was a little chilly, yet there was a simple warmth that flowed in the car, repelling the coldness that came from behind her.

    ¡°City Z¡¯s changed a lot.¡±

    Suddenly, the man¡¯s low voice entered her ears. Xi Xiaye abruptly turned her head and realized that Mu Yuchen had looked up from his magazine and was looking calmly out of the car window.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that he had been living abroad for the past few years, so she smiled and said, ¡°Yep, especially these past few years, after the new five-year n was released, this ce became the new development area. The people of City Z were determined to create another flourishing city like the one in the north of the city.¡±

    Glory World Corporation had quite a few projects there too, and she was in charge of one of therger projects, so Xiaye was quite well-versed with the situation there.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard them mention it.¡±

    He suddenly retrieved his gaze and took a look at her. He saw her frowning slightly and he looked down, his attention falling on her hands. Indeed, he saw that the back of her hand was bing even more inmed, so he frowned and said to Ah Mo up front, ¡°Reach Hospital T in ten minutes.¡±

    Issued the urgent order, Ah Mo nodded and then elerated.

    It was a weekend. Despite the fog and drizzle, the streets were not as congested as it was on a typical working day, so the car swiftly passed through several highways before quickly arriving at Hospital T.

 Chapter 5 - Accompany Her To The Hospital

    <h4>Chapter 5: Apany Her To The Hospital</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside Hospital T¡¯s spacious and neat consulting room.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky it isn¡¯t blistering yet, otherwise it¡¯d be tricky. Take some medication home to apply and use it on time to avoid your wound from bing inmed. Also, for the next few days, don¡¯t let the wound get wet.¡±

    After the doctor helped Xi Xiaye apply some medication on the back of her hand, he issued her a prescription as he reminded her about of all this.

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you, Doctor.¡±

    ¡°No worries, just be careful the next time. Take the prescription and pay, then you may get your medication.¡±

    The doctor handed the prescription over. Just as Xi Xiaye was about to take it, the man beside her was quicker and his long fingers confidently grasped the doctor¡¯s prescription. Nonchntly skimming it, he then gave it to Ah Mo who was behind him as he said, ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡±

    Ah Mo obediently epted it and nodded. ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯ll go right away!¡±

    Then, his tall figure walked out and he vanished in an instant.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked down at Xi Xiaye who was still sitting on the stool. Soon, he walked out of the consulting room first. Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment, then she took her bag, got up, and slowly followed after him.

    The sound of their footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. Two shadows were cast across the floor. She walked in front while he followed right behind her. Their rhythmic footsteps sounded exceptionally distinct in this empty walkway.

    The two of them did not say anything.

    When they walked out of the hospital, it was still raining, and the sky had already turned dark. The streetlights by the sidewalk were turned on too.

    ¡°Thank you so much for today.¡± Xi Xiaye raised up her bound hand and her elegant face shed with a grateful smile.

    Mu Yuchen nodded before he responded softly, ¡°You¡¯re already said thank you to me more than five times along the way.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked embarrassed and wanted to exin herself when suddenly her handphone buzzed. She looked apologetically at Mu Yuchen before taking her phone out...

    The phone blinked with Su Nan¡¯s number. That was when Xi Xiaye realized that it was alreadyte. Initially, she meant to pick Su Nan up from the airport right after meeting this man, but she did not expect such a thing to happen. Now, she started to frown from being upset with herself.

    ¡°Hello? Xi Xiaye! I justnded. Are you driving over right now? Are youte again, or did you forget?¡±

    The call was just picked up when Su Nan¡¯s sweet and high-pitched voice immediately came through. Xi Xiaye had to move the phone slightly further away and even beside her, Mu Yuchen could hear everything clearly.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and then softly answered, ¡°I¡¯m going over right away. Wait for me a while.¡±

    Then, she hung up because knowing Su Nan¡¯s temperament, she would definitely grumble again.

    She looked up at the rain that kept pouring while she thought about how her car was still at the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern. It was about half an hour¡¯s drive away from where she was. She definitely would not be able to make it if she went back to get her car right then. Besides, she could not really drive given the state of her hand anyway, so Xi Xiaye could only ponder over whether she should g a cab.

    ¡°Rushing?¡± Suddenly, Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice came from the side.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly looked up and her eyes met his concerned gaze. She could only nod. ¡°I said that I¡¯d go pick Su Nan up from the airport in the evening, but I forgot all about the time. Thank you for today. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal the next time, but I¡¯ve got some urgent matter, so I¡¯ll go first!¡±

    She could not care further. Xi Xiaye just uttered these words and then picked up her bag to provide shelter for her head before running into the rain...

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s indifferent gaze looked past the gloomy drizzle and stared as that delicate figure swiftly got into a cab. Something shed in his eyes.

    He quickly retrieved his gaze and walked into the drizzle, getting into the car.

    After Ah Mo paid and walked to the car with the bag of medication, he noticed that only his Master was in the car. Suddenly, he was curious. With the bag in his hand, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Ms. Xi, Master?¡±

    ¡°She left.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was focused on checking something on theptop across hisp. The blue light from his screenplemented his extremely handsome face, making him seem even more mysterious.

    Ah Mo was stunned. He hesitated for a moment and then waved the bag of medication in his hand. ¡°She forgot her medication!¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up. Upon seeing the medication in Ah Mo¡¯s hand, his handsome face frowned. Then, he said with a lowered voice, ¡°Find a time. y by ear.¡±

    Then, Mu Yuchen looked away and continued to study theptop in front of him.

    Ah Mo was shocked. He pondered for a long while and was still not sure what the Master meant. However, seeing his Master¡¯s focused expression, he dared not ask. He thought about it and could only nod in response, then he got into the car.

    ¡°Master, are we going home right away now?¡± Ah Mo asked softly.

    ¡°Return to Maple Residence,¡± Mu Yuchen said simply. Then, he slowly closed hisptop and gently massaged the fatigue between his brows away before he leaned back and shut his eyes to rest.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    When he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s behavior, Ah Mo did not dare say more. He started the car instantly and the car slowly drove into the drizzle...

    Even though Hospital T was quite far from the airport, by using the bustling city¡¯s highway, it would only be a 40-minute journey.

    When Xi Xiaye reached the airport, it was already night time and many people milled around the airport, especially at the arrival gates. It was crowded with people from all over the city. Many were representatives from travel agencies or hugepanies who hade to pick their guests up. They all held huge boards and squeezed in the crowd. Xi Xiaye wore huge dark brown shades and stood far away behind because there was no way she could squeeze in.

    Tourists kept walking out from the airport. Soon, the people who gathered at the arrival gates had started to slowly disperse too. It was not long before only a few people were left.

    When she did not see Su Nane out for a long while, Xi Xiaye had to pull out her phone to call her, yet no one answered for a long time. As she was hesitating about whether or not to go in to look for her, suddenly Su Nan¡¯s sweet shout came from behind her ¡ª

    ¡°Xiaye, Xiaye! I¡¯m here!¡±

    When she heard her voice, Xi Xiaye turned around and looked towards the source of the voice. Quickly, she could see the familiar figure amidst the crowd.

    Su Nan held her luggage high above her head on one hand while her slim yet extremely nimble body squeezed through the crowd towards Xi Xiaye.

    The elegant face hiding underneath the huge shades smiled with warmth. She adjusted her shades slightly and then walked towards the departure gate.

    Bam!

    Once she rushed up to Xi Xiaye, Su Nan threw her luggage and backpack aside before rushing up to give Xi Xiaye a hug. She could not help but sound a little raspy as she said into Xiaye¡¯s ear, ¡°Wonderful! We haven¡¯t seen each other for a few months and I realize that the person I miss the most is still you!¡±

    Then, she tightened her grip on Xiaye¡¯s waist. Her force made Xiaye think that she was about to be snapped into half!

    Underneath the shades, her twinkling eyes shed with a tender helplessness. She reached out and patted Su Nan¡¯s shoulder, yet she did not say anything. She just let Su Nan hug her.

 Chapter 6 - Best Friend Su Nan

    <h4>Chapter 6: Best Friend Su Nan</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A long whileter, Su Nan finally inhaled and let go of Xi Xiaye.

    At the same time, Xi Xiaye also lifted her hand to slowly take her shades off and put it into her pocket.

    ¡°What happened to your hand?¡±

    Su Nan sharp eyes noticed that Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand was bandaged. She quickly pulled her hand over to examine it closely. Apparently, there was concern and anxiousness in her eyes.

    Xiaye smiled cheerfully and lightly patted Su Nan on the shoulder as sheughed gently. ¡°No worries. I just got scalded by a little tea. I just got it bandaged at the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Scalded! Is it serious? Why are you so careless!?¡± Su Nan frowned and shot her an unhappy look, then she examined her hand in detail again. When she saw Xiaye¡¯s slightly pursed lips, she slowly let go and could not help but nag her once more.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and have some food first. I¡¯ve already made reservations for dinner. You¡¯ve had such a long flight. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pretended that she did not see Su Nan¡¯s glowering gaze. The corner of her mouth curved as she bent down to pick up the luggage that Su Nan had thrown to the floor. Then, she handed the little backpack to Su Nan.

    Su Nan nodded and took the backpack in Xiaye¡¯s hand. ¡°If you didn¡¯t mention it, I really didn¡¯t feel anything, but now that you have, I¡¯m starving. The fast food on the ne is inedible. Traveling with a group is boring! Luckily, I ran off alone halfway and toured France and all the other nearby countries by myself. A lot of pretty interesting things happened too. I got to know a few handsome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed guys. I¡¯ll tell you moreter, and at the same, introduce them to you. I¡¯ve specially chosen them for you and arranged them into a thick file!¡±

    As Su Nan said this, she took a thick notebook out of her backpack. ¡°I¡¯m telling you I¡¯ve arranged it very diligently. If you dare to trample on my good intentions again this time, I¡¯ll stop being your friend, you hear me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned over and casually looked at the thick notebook in Su Nan¡¯s hand. She could not help but feel her head ache. She said helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that in this period of time that you were away, you¡¯ve been preparing all these?¡±

    Su Nan shrugged matter-of-factly. She hugged the notebook as if it were her baby. ¡°Of course, this is rted to your future happiness. I must always keep it to heart. This is my heart¡¯s blood. If you dare to disrespect the fruits of mybor, you¡¯d better watch out!¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but bury her head in her hands. ¡°Su Nan, did you know that Ruan Heng is about to go mad from trying to look for you? He keeps calling me more than five times a day to ask about you, but you... I really don¡¯t know what to say to you.¡±

    As if in sync with Xi Xiaye, the instant she said that, the phone in her pocket immediately buzzed. She took it out and unlocked it, then she showed it to Su Nan. Her brows were raised as she said to Su Nan, ¡°You tell him yourself.¡±

    Su Nan pouted, then she took the phone. She had a look before hanging up and tossing the phone back to Xiaye with a grin. ¡°Forget about him. Just let him be all anxious himself. Tonight, I have a date. I¡¯m not answering anyone¡¯s calls!¡±

    Then, she picked her backpack up and walked ahead.

    Xiaye could only shake her head as she collected her luggage and followed her.

    They had just stepped out of the airport when a cold breeze harshly ruffled their clothes. Xiaye thrust out a hand to hail a cab, then she put the luggage into the car. When she was about to get in, Su Nan suddenly tugged her from behind and said softly, ¡°Xiaye, look over there!¡±

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xiaye turned over to look at Su Nan, yet she realized that her clear face had be pale and she was staring nkly ahead. When she noticed Xi Xiaye watching her, she turned to Xiaye and concern shed in her eyes.

    Xi Xiaye was confused, then she looked up and her nonchnt gaze swept towards the direction that Su Nan was focused on, past the cold rain.

    In that instant, the world seemed to have suddenly fallen into a gloomy silence.

    Su Nan quickly gripped Xiaye. Her face had also darkened as she turned to look over. Just ahead of them, less than ten meters away, beside a luxurious Rolls-Royce, a tall and lofty man had stopped to talk on the phone beside the car.

    The man had a stern face. Under his sharp brows were profound eyes, a pointed nose, and thin lips. He wore an elegant, silver-gray, branded suit. His every move showed off his extraordinary nobility.

    Beside him stood a girl wearing Chanel¡¯stest white spring outfit.

    Her beautiful light blonde and slightly curly, long hair fell on her shoulders. Her bright and animated little face held a hint of tenderness. Those long, shapely eyebrows and her eyes that shed with hints of soft lightplemented her thin lips that curved up ever so slightly, adding to herposed and elegant aura. At this moment, her hand gently pulled on the man¡¯s sleeve while the man gently gazed at her before he continued to speak on the phone.

    They made a very outstanding couple, and many people were already showering them with envious gazes from the side.

    ¡°Yifeng, my mother¡¯s already made reservations at Emperor. Uncle and Aunty Han should be there already, so we can just go straight there since it¡¯s already veryte.¡±

    Xi Xinyi lightly clung onto Han Yifeng¡¯s arm. Her gentle voice was just like water flowing gracefully under the bridge, slowly entering into one¡¯s ears.

    Han Yifeng put his phone away and turned to look at Xi Xinyi. Then, his handsome face revealed tenderness before he nodded slightly. ¡°Let Li Hai take the luggage back to the vi. We¡¯ll go straight over.¡±

    Xi Xinyi smiled cheerfully. ¡°Mmm, but we had such a long flight and I <i>am </i> quite tired. After dinner tonight, let¡¯s go home earlier to rest. Seeing you so exhausted, you know that I¡¯d worry.¡±

    Han Yifengughed softly as he reached out to hold Xi Xinyi by her slim waist and pulled her into his embrace. Xi Xinyi¡¯s face shed with a flirtatious smile and she lightly tiptoed to swiftly nt a kiss on Han Yifeng¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Sluts just love being pretentious!¡±

    The sound of a cold and sneer of disdain interrupted this rare romantic scene.

    It was a very familiar voice!

    Xi Xinyi was stunned. She quickly turned her head towards the source of the voice. What entered her sight was Su Nan¡¯s willowy figure with her hands crossed while her clean and fair face was filled with contempt. The mockery in her eyes was dense. She was nonchntly watching them with a gaze as if she was watching a clown put on a performance.

    ¡°Su Nan, it¡¯s you!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s gentle face was infected with a surprised expression. She was about to walk up when Su Nan¡¯s mocking expression stopped her in her footsteps. She could only look up at a loss and appear a little hurt by Han Yifeng who had stayed silent.

    While Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes had also locked onto Su Nan¡¯s cynicism-filled face, his hands around Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand tightened slightly.

    ¡°Su Nan, was that you on the ne earlier? I thought I recognized wrongly. We haven¡¯t seen each other in so long! How are you?¡± Xi Xinyi sucked it up, the bright smile on her face filled with a hint of darkness.

    Su Nan sneered with contempt. ¡°I¡¯m good. Of course, I¡¯m good. Without a certain disgusting fly flying around by my side, I¡¯ll undoubtedly be good.¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, I...¡±

    Xi Xinyi could not help but lower her head sadly.

 Chapter 7 - Trash Man and White Lotus

    <h4>Chapter 7: Trash Man and White Lotus</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    On the side, Han Yifeng, who had been silent, finally spoke up coldly. He pushed Xi Xinyi behind him to protect her and then angrily red at Su Nan. ¡°Su Nan, you cane to me if you¡¯re mad about anything. There¡¯s no need to attack Xinyi with such malicious talk.¡±

    When she heard him, Su Nan could not help butugh out loud with pity in her eyes. ¡°Attack her with malicious talk? Han Yifeng, I never would¡¯ve thought that you were actually such a heartless scumbag! How are you two treating Xiaye fairly by doing this?¡±

    Xiaye...

    When she heard the name, Xi Xinyi was stunned. Her body involuntarily stiffened.

    ¡°The thing between Xiaye and I has nothing to do with Xinyi. There¡¯s no need for you to target her.¡±

    Something gloomy shed across Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes. His low voice passed through the hazy drizzle, and when one heard it, it sounded particrly bitter and heartless.

    Xi Xinyi sniffed as she bit her lip and looked like she was steadfast in enduring the insult. It made sympathize with her as she held out her hand and pulled Han Yifeng¡¯s sleeve. She shook her head gently. ¡°Yifeng, that¡¯s enough. She¡¯s right to criticize me. It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯ve always felt very guilty...¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, this has nothing to do with you. There¡¯s no need for you to me yourself!¡±

    Su Nan sneered again with anguish. Her eyes could not hold back the tears welling up in them. She slowly lifted her hand and pointed to Xi Xinyi who was behind Han Yifeng and choked on her tears. ¡°Enough! You don¡¯t need to pretend anymore. What for?! Xiaye was blind back then to have known you two heartless scumbags. You¡¯ve stolen everything that belongs to Xiaye. Do you feel happy? I, Su Nan, have lived for close to 30 years, yet I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless and disgusting woman like you! All day, you pretend to be Virgin Mary like a pure-white lotus when you¡¯re actually filled with evil tricks. Whoever fancies you is blind. A slut deserves a cheating man!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s foul words kept firing like a machine gun. She wished that her stern gaze could sentence the two people before her to an endless cycle of death.

    ¡°Watch your manners, Su Nan!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s handsome brows furrowed into a knot. With such horrible words entering his ears, even if he were usually apathetic, he still felt the sting of them.

    ¡°The matter between Xiaye and I can¡¯t be exined in just a few words. Besides, that¡¯s something between her and I. I hope you won¡¯t intervene!¡±

    ¡°Manners? Do I need to care about manners when ites to horrible people like you? Do you think my words are hard to swallow? Wild chicken! She¡¯s a wild chicken! No matter how she dresses up, she can¡¯t be a real phoenix! Han Yifeng, you¡¯ll definitely regret this!¡±

    Su Nan was furious and her little face was beetroot at this point.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression darkened. His eyes turned hostile as his hand balled into fists and he shouted sternly, ¡°Su Nan! You dare say that again?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I say something wrong?¡±

    Su Nan shouted back with confidence, ¡°I¡¯m saying that Xi Xinyi is a wild chicken. No matter how she dresses up, she won¡¯t be a real phoenix. She¡¯s just a shameless white lotus that only knows how to use cheap tricks to climb her way up. Did I say anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    ¡°Yifeng... Forget it...¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, I¡¯m telling you the thing between Xi Xiaye and I has nothing to do with Xinyi. As for Xiaye, I can only say I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m very clear about who I hold dear in my heart. Why do you have to pester me here because of this?¡±

    ...

    Pester?

    So, it turns out that that was how it viewed it.

    There was an instant when she felt like she had seen herself from years ago again...

    That rainy night, she stood along the street with the glorious lights.

    She smiled and watched her past self after the damage was done...

    Xi Xiaye, who had been standing behind Su Nan, suddenly took a deep breath and slowly shut her eyes. Then, she opened them and turned around. She looked at Su Nan¡¯s slim figure and said inly with some fatigue in her voice, ¡°Get into the car, Su Nan.¡±

    Her unexpected feeble and hoarse voice rang out, startling the few of them.

    Han Yifeng slowly looked up and realized that beside the car not too far away behind Su Nan, Xi Xiaye, whose twinkling eyes had been silently watching all of this, stood holding an umbre in the drizzle.

    The freezing wind kept pping her clothes and the swaying windbreaker made her body seem even frailer, yet her exquisite face which was half-covered by her shades revealed stubbornness and apathy.

    ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s handsome face suddenly turned rigid. A mix of emotions quickly shed across his profound and silent eyes as his hands by his sides slowly tightened.

    Xi Xinyi had also sensed that the arm Han Yifeng circled around her waist had be unnaturally stiff. She immediately chewed on her pink lips slightly and slowly looked up Her beautiful eyes twinkled with light, reflecting weakness and longing in the way she looked at Xiaye.

    She sniffed slightly, and in that instant, her eyes started to water as she called out to Xi Xiaye with a raspy voice, ¡°Sis... I... I really miss you...¡±

    Sis?

    I really miss you?

    These words that echoed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears were akin to a sharp knife scraping against her wound that had not had the time to heal. A coldness started to recklessly invade her body...

    People said that time was the best healer, that with time, the worst wounds would heal eventually...

    They said that once you let go, you would realize that that person was never actually that important...

    They said that after breaking up and getting used to the loneliness, you would not love that person as deeply as you thought you did...

    At first, she thought that since it had been quite a few years, these things would lie in the past. She had gotten used to it too. Slowly, she could bear all of this, but hearsay was just hearsay. Who could prove that all of these were true?

    In that second, she could feel too many things at once. Her chest hurt and her breath shortened. She found it hard to breathe as dizziness struck her and her heart ached.

    However, as much as all the difort made her suffer, she could only just turn her head. She tightly shut her eyes and calmed herself down. Then, she opened her eyes and hiding beneath the shades, they had returned to its usual indifference.

    She inhaled a little and apathetically looked towards the two people before her, her thin lips faintly curving into a trace of nonchnce. She gently lifted her hand to pat Su Nan¡¯s shoulder lightly. Without so much as another look at the couple, she closed the umbre and lowered herself into the car. From the start till the end, she did not say a word to Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Xiaye, how are you? Are you okay?!¡±

    At this moment, Su Nan started to feel her eyes burning up as she turned to look at Xiaye who had already gotten into the car. When she saw that she was already leaning back with her head leaning one side, her heart ached. She could not help but cover half her face with her hand. Her furious gaze passed through the flickering bright colors towards Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi...

    ¡°Han Yifeng, you¡¯ll never know what you¡¯ve missed out on! I consider myself blind for having known the two of you heartless scumbags!¡±

    In a hoarse voice, Su Nan left these words before she got into the car.

    ¡°Xiaye, how are you? Say something!¡±

    In the car, she inched towards Xi Xiaye and both her hands gripped Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulders tightly. When she saw that she was not moving at all, she started to panic.

    Xi Xiaye pushed Su Nan¡¯s hands that were on her shoulders away and she turned away to look out of the car window. Calmly, she assured, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Driver, let¡¯s get going. Go to Emperor Entertainment City in the north.¡±

    The moment she said that, the driver upfront immediately started his engine.

 Chapter 8 - Xiaye, Dont Be Sad

    <h4>Chapter 8: Xiaye, Don¡¯t Be Sad</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As the car slowly drove past him, Han Yifeng could vaguely see Xi Xiaye, who sat in the car with her head turned the other way, looking out.

    He hesitated for a moment. He hesitated whether he should chase after, yet after a momentary contemtion, the mixed emotions in his eyes quieted down. Atst, everything returned to its previous calm state.

    Suddenly, by his ear came the soft sound of Xi Xinyi choking on her sobs.

    ¡°Yifeng, I... did I do something wrong? Sister, she...¡±

    Han Yifeng turned around and saw gloom written all over the delicate face of Xi Xinyi. Her beautiful eyes were teary, yet she still bit down hard on her lip, determined to force her tears to stay in. When he saw this face, it inevitably made his heart ache for her sake.

    He did know what to say. He could only tighten his grip around her waist and pull her further into his arms.

    Xi Xinyi then hugged him and leaned tightly in his embrace, her stifled cries muffled.

    He looked ahead pensively at the car that had already vanished into the hazy drizzle. Then, Han Yifeng coldly retrieved his gaze, focusing on Xi Xinyi who buried herself in his embrace to cry. His apathetic face started to ease and he said softly, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t cry now. We¡¯ll slowly exin these things to herter on. She¡¯s a very sensible person, so she¡¯ll see it and will understand.¡±

    ¡°But, but... when I saw her like that earlier, I was really devastated. Father says she hasn¡¯t been home for a long time already. She¡¯s definitely still ming Father and Mother because of us...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about these things first. Get into the car. Uncle and Aunty are waiting for us at Emperor.¡±

    Han Yifeng took out a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped away her tears. He opened the car door and coaxed, ¡°Get into the car first.¡±

    Xi Xinyi sniffed and swallowed the lump in her throat before she tearfully got into the car.

    ...

    The car sped towards the north city¡¯s Emperor Entertainment City. Along the way, Xi Xiaye did not say anything. The car was filled with an indescribable gloom. It was so stifling that Su Nan felt an acrid and bitter taste in her throat.

    She wanted to console her, yet she saw Xi Xiaye had already leaned back and maintained herposure of looking out the car window. Her cold lips were sealed tightly. Through the dim lights outside the car with various depths that kept reflecting her in their brightness, in that instant, if one looked over, she seemed particrly deste and distracted.

    ¡°Xiaye, don¡¯t be sad... I¡¯m sorry, I... I know I shouldn¡¯t have acted like that, but I really couldn¡¯t control myself. Seeing them in their cheap happiness, I just couldn¡¯t hold back. I was about to explode and go crazy! How could they still live so happily without feeling ashamed at all after hurting you?¡±

    Su Nan was furiously rambling on as both her hands held Xiaye¡¯s shoulders. She looked at Xiaye¡¯s fair and beautiful face before she asked anxiously and with worry, ¡°Tell me, Xiaye. Have you not let go? It¡¯s been so many years, but you haven¡¯t been willing to let go and try to ept another rtionship. Is it because you haven¡¯t let go of Han Yifeng? Is it? Tell me!¡±

    Su Nan shook Xi Xiaye by the shoulders and asked dejectedly.

    Xi Xiaye became dizzy from her shaking, so she could only lift a hand to hold down her hands that held her shoulders. Her crimson though slightly pale lips parted with a voice filled with fatigue and powerlessness. ¡°Su Nan, stop talking. Just let me be alone for a while, okay?¡±

    ¡°Is it that hard to answer this question? Xi Xiaye!¡±

    Su Nan fixed her stare on her.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She fell silent for a moment, then she suddenly put down her hand that was on Su Nan¡¯s arms. Turning over to Su Nan, she thought about it for quite a while before she finally said softly, ¡°He and I have long be the past...¡±

    Have long be the past...

    She already knew all of this from a long time ago. Her circumstances had already been marked with a full stop.

    ...

    At Emperor Entertainment City, City Z¡¯s highest-ss and the one and only consumption area.

    This was where many money-squandering establishments of rich people were at. Most of them were people of status.

    The Su family was also considered a literary family. Su Nan¡¯s father was the President of University A, while her mother was the city center¡¯s educational administration director. They did hold some status in City Z, so Su Nan could be considered the daughter of an eminent family too.

    Usually, Su Nan would frequent Emperor, not only because the dishes there were delicious, but even more so because of their one-stop service. She was also satisfied with the attendants¡¯ wless customer service.

    Every time Su Nan asked Xi Xiaye out for a meal, 8 out of 10 times would be at Emperor, so as time went on, Xiaye was used to it too. She immediately decided on Emperor for the homing dinner for Su Nan.

    After the food and drinks were served, Xiaye poured herself a drink and downed quite a few sses at a go. She looked quite pale. From the side, the watching Su Nan felt heartache and sadness seeing this.

    ¡°Drink a few with me. Tonight, I¡¯m weing you home. Aren¡¯t you going to drink a little?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she finished the drink in her ss. She turned to Su Nan who looked worried and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with that look that says ¡®I told you I¡¯m fine¡¯.¡±

    Then, she reached out and was about to pour herself another drink, yet Su Nan beat her to it. She took the bottle and filled up her ss. Only then did she pour Xiaye half a ss. In a husky voice, she said, ¡°You want to drink, so I¡¯ll drink with you, but you have a poor stomach. Drink less. Half a ss for you, one ss for me.¡±

    Su Nan held up her ss and downed a few drinks.

    There was a faint smile across Xi Xiaye¡¯s face. She suddenly looked down at the half-ss of drink in front of her. ¡°Thank you, Su Nan.¡±

    With Su Nan, Xi Xiaye would forever be grateful. Perhaps after so many years, it was only Su Nan who had apanied her. When the winds were strong, she would remind her to put on more clothes. When the times got hard, she would be the first to appear then and there. To drink with you and chat with you...

    Su Nan reached out to pulled at Xiaye¡¯s cold hand that was on the table, as she said softly, ¡°Silly, do we need to mention these things between us two? Xiaye, don¡¯t be sad now. There are many good men in this world. The Earth continues to orbit with one less trash man like Han Yifeng, for someone like that. It¡¯s really not worth it!¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not answer. She just breathed in, then she suddenly turned to look out the window. What entered her line of sight were the bright lights, the flickering neonmps that shone so much that her eyes started to hurt.

    Before she was caught in a daze, she suddenly remembered Han Yifeng¡¯s apathetic figure when he left back then. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how she had swallowed her pride to beg for him to turn back, she still did not get him back...

    <i>¡®Let go, Xiaye. You know that I love someone else now, and that person hasn¡¯t been you.¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®Let go of each other. You¡¯ll forget with time. I hope you will live well. I will do my best to make it up to you.¡¯</i>

    ...

    She remembered that when he had turned around to leave, the weather was like that day.

    She remembered that back then, she had wanted to chase after him, but when she saw the woman sitting in that car, she instantly lost all willpower.

    In the end, she still did not rush up to ask why, or let Han Yifeng give her a reason. Instead, she stood for a whole night under the pale yellow streetlight and endured the rain for the whole night. Until she saw dawn break did she feel stiff and numb all over. Sheughed in a daze at herself for all the damage that was done.

    Because of his indifference when turning back, all of her hopes had turned into a passing cloud. What was left was a heartwrenching pain. It was a pain that was felt in the bones, a pain that was numbing.

    She suddenly felt incredibly repressed and upset, the exhausted and numb heart of hers suppressed that piercing sore that had faint traces of being resuscitated. She finally could not hold it in anymore. She got up and said to Su Nan, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a breather.¡±

    Su Nan was startled. She wanted to get up and chase her when the phone in her bag suddenly rang...

 Chapter 9 - Fireworks Are Beautiful, But They Donâ€™t Last (1)

    <h4>Chapter 9: Fireworks Are Beautiful, But They Don¡¯t Last (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At the same time, in another luxurious VIP room within Emperor Entertainment City, a room was filled with joy.

    Dishes were served on the table. Aside from Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi being present, there were also two pairs of middle-aged couples.

    ¡°Is Yifeng going to settle down aftering back this time? Hopefully, he isn¡¯t traveling for another year or two again after this.¡± A middle-ageddy in a maroon dress sitting beside Xi Xinyi smiled.

    Thisdy was Yue Lingsi, Xi Xinyi¡¯s biological mother. She was about 50 years old, but her outward appearance was so well-maintained that she looked as if she was just about 30 years old.

    Sitting beside Yue Lingsi was a cold-looking man in a gray suit. The serious-looking man was Xi Mushan, the respectable mayor of City Z.

    Opposite them were Han Yu and Huang Ziyao, Han Yifeng¡¯s parents. While they were past their fifties, it was obvious that they had their heydays. If not, they would not have such a handsome and exceptional son.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve decided to settle down this time,¡± Han Yifeng replied.

    ¡°Our elder wanted Yifeng back this time to take over the business. After all, we¡¯re getting old and we need the youngsters to take the responsibilities off our shoulders. Yifeng¡¯s been doing pretty well abroad the past few years, so I discussed with his father to let Yifengpletely take over thepany. Then, both of us can step down and rx.¡±

    Huang Ziyao smiled. As she was exining, she put some food onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s te. ¡°Xinyi, it must¡¯ve been tough for you to take care of Yifeng abroad these past few years. Eat more. You¡¯re too skinny. Has this boy been bullying you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi blushed as she lowered her head and peeked at Han Yifeng. With a smile, she said, ¡°Thank you. Actually, Yifeng¡¯s the one taking care of me. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t bully me! Right, Yifeng?¡±

    Xi Xinyi turned to Han Yifeng who gave her a gentle look. He pursed his lips and did not say anything.

    Han Yu smiled warmly as he saw how loving Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi were towards each other. He turned to the silent Xi Mushan and said, ¡°It seems like you guys are doing pretty well abroad. After Yifeng takes over the Han Corporation and familiarizes himself with the work there, let¡¯s have them get engaged. What do you think, Mayor Xi?¡±

    Xi Mushan put down the wine ss and threw a sharp nce at Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi, his tensed up face rxed, he nodded, ¡°If you both have no objections I wouldn¡¯t disagree as well. Next week is the elder¡¯s birthday, pleasee over and we can talk about the engagement, is that alright?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face blushed even deeper when she heard her father¡¯s words. She gently bit her scarlet lips and looked at Han Yifeng.

    Han Yu and Huang Ziyao nodded and agreed with the n.

    ¡°How about Yifeng?¡±

    Xi Mushan looked at him with his sharp eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it as long as Xinyi is willing to be my bride.¡±

    Han Yifeng smiled and focused his eyes on Xi Xinyi. With her blushing face, she nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll follow Father¡¯s n.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s set then. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ...

    During the meal, Huang Ziyao kept serving Xi Xinyi food, and she shed smiles and thanked her constantly. Huang Ziyao was really satisfied with her attitude.

    ¡°Father, is Grandfather healthy? The first thing I want to do after Ie back this time is to spend more time with him. I¡¯ve always worried about his health the whole time I was overseas,¡± Xi Xinyi asked when she saw that Xi Mushan did not mention it. She looked like she really missed her grandfather.

    Xi Mushan looked at Xi Xinyi and then said in a regretful tone, ¡°He¡¯s still the same. He still misses your sister dearly. Next week is his birthday. Since you¡¯re back, tell your sister to go back just this once.¡±

    ¡°Sister? Father, just now, Yifeng and I met Sister at the airport, but she...¡± Xi Xinyi bit her lip and lowered her head sadly. ¡°She¡¯s still...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright, Xinyi. Don¡¯t be sad about your sister acting this way. Mother believes that she still cares a lot about you,¡± Yue Lingsiforted her daughter.

    ¡°Xiaye... in recent years... she really stepped over her boundaries, but just let her be. Don¡¯t worry about it, Xinyi. Yifeng, spend some time walking around with Xinyiter. There¡¯ve been quite some big changes in City Z in the past few years.¡± Huang Ziyao did not know what else to say, so she gave Han Yifeng some suggestions.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes widened slightly when Xi Xiaye was mentioned, yet he did not say anything and just nodded lightly.

    Afterward, while Xi Mushan and Han Yu started talking about business, Han Yifeng would sometimes voice out his opinions. Xi Xinyi went to the toilet after a while.

    ...

    Xiaye washed her face in the toilet. She had both her arms on the sink as she looked at her pale self in the mirror. She closed her eyes and calmed down. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly saw through the mirror that Xi Xinyi had just entered through the door.

    Her body trembled while her arms on the sink suddenly froze.

    Xi Xinyi saw Xiaye as well. She stopped in her tracks and stood behind Xiaye as she attempted to smile.

    ¡°Sister, I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d be here too.¡±

    Her voice sounded gentle and a little surprised, yet it sounded like screeching in Xiaye¡¯s ears. ¡°That¡¯s great. Father just mentioned you. It¡¯s been a really long time since you¡¯ve gone back. Father, Mother, and Grandfather really miss you. If it¡¯s because of Yifeng, I¡¯m willing to apologize, Sister... Yifeng and I... I¡¯d rather have you scold me and beat me up if you¡¯re feeling unhappy. Could you please forgive us?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression turned sorrowful and her eyes were filled with mixed emotions and struggle. ¡°It¡¯s already been some years. I thought time could wash those unpleasant moments in the past away, but I¡¯m really sad to see the current you, Sister. You told me before that a rtionship¡¯s worth is based on whether two people really love each other. Forcing a rtionship can never bring happiness, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt pain bloom in her chest as she heard Xi Xinyi¡¯s words. A suffocating pain intruded her entire being, yet she put on a smile and nced at the pitiful-looking Xi Xinyi in the mirror. Her tone sounded calm. ¡°Xi Xinyi, didn¡¯t you know that Han Yifeng was engaged to me?¡±

    ¡°Sister, I... I know it¡¯s my fault. In the beginning, I was just curious about what kind of person your fianc¨¨ was, so I got closer to him... I never expected to be attracted to him... and to fall so quickly for him...¡±

 Chapter 10 - Fireworks Are Beautiful, But They Donâ€™t Last (2)

    <h4>Chapter 10: Fireworks Are Beautiful, But They Don¡¯t Last (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi started to sob as she stared at Xiaye¡¯s stiff figure. She sniffed and then said, ¡°I¡¯ve constantly med myself, but Sister, I really love Yifeng, so please, please forgive us, okay? We can only be truly happy with your blessings.¡±

    ¡°Sister, you¡¯re really important to me. I really need your forgiveness and blessings, please?¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s sobs and fragile voice were like cold, sharp needles stabbing into Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart. It was so painful that she almost passed out.

    How cruel...

    The girl before her was her best friend. Then, suddenly, one day her father divorced her mother and the mother of this girl became her stepmother. Yue Xinyi became Xi Xinyi. She was her father¡¯s illegitimate child, so she became Xi Xiaye¡¯s younger sister and Xi Xinyi¡¯s mother took over her mother, Shen Wenna¡¯s ce.

    Xi Xinyi was really lovely. She was always so beautiful and kind as well as being smart and excellent at her studies. The moment she entered the Xi family, everyone loved her, including the grandmother who had always doted on Xi Xiaye.

    As for Xi Xiaye herself, she was quiet and low-profile. She did not like to talk and her studies were mediocre. Aside from talking to her grandfather from time to time, she was usually a loner. People started to forget about her existence in the Xi family, and Xi Xinyi became the precious jewel of the family.

    The engagement with Han Yifeng was a promise between Elder Xi and Elder Han; they were really good friends and hoped to build a deeper rtionship between their families and be better partners. Xi Xiaye had always been thought of as the default daughter-inw of the Han family, yet all of these evaporated with Xi Xinyi¡¯s arrival.

    What sounded the funniest to her was that this crying woman and her mother had destroyed her happy family. They took her father away, took her ce in the family away, and even took the love of her life away, yet now she was asking for her forgiveness...

    There was probably nothing more ironic than this in the whole world.

    She was reminded that a long time ago, Han Yifeng and her were a couple envied by many others. They shared some warm memories between them, and now it was all nothing but a joke.

    She thought she could still be happy even after losing the warmth of her family as long as she held onto her rtionship with Han Yifeng, but who would have expected that things would end this way?

    It was all just temporary fireworks. No matter how beautiful it was, they would just end up in the pitch ck sky.

    She looked up with a smile but her voice sounded extremely cold. ¡°Both of you stabbed me in the chest. My wound isn¡¯t even healed yet, and you want me to forgive you both. Xi Xinyi, you¡¯ve really widened my perspective.¡±

    ¡°Sister, I know I¡¯m wrong, I... I just don¡¯t want you to look so miserable. I feel really tortured inside, especially when I heard from Mother that you haven¡¯t been home in the past few years. Please... please don¡¯t act this way... You¡¯ll make everyone feel bad. Our grandparents and Father really miss you. They wish you¡¯d go home...¡±

    As tears started falling from Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes, she held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulders firmly, yet her sister rejected her gesture.

    ¡°Get lost! Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    Bang!

    Xi Xinyi fell backward and dragged the beads curtain down. Xi Xinyi identally stepped on some beads and tripped with a scream, falling down hard on the floor!

    A cold, angry voice rang out. ¡°Xi Xiaye, you¡¯re really too much!¡±

    In shock, Xi Xiaye slowly turned around and saw Han Yifeng¡¯s face. He looked so mad and disappointed.

    Those eyes were supposed to be like poisoned steel needles that caused excruciating pain to Xi Xiaye. However, the only thing she felt was just numbness.

    Han Yifeng went over and helped Xi Xinyi up. In anguish, he asked gently, ¡°Xinyi, are you alright?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face looked pale and hurt. She bit her lip as she sobbed. ¡°I... I¡¯m alright. I just slipped... It¡¯s not Sister¡¯s fault...¡±

    ¡°I saw everything, Xinyi! You did nothing wrong. you don¡¯t have to feel guilty.¡±

    Han Yifeng felt agony as he looked at Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale little face. Just as he was about to help Xi Xinyi up, Xi Xinyi screamed painfully when she tried to move. Her facial expression showed she was in great distress.

    ¡°It¡¯s really painful...¡±

    Sweat started to roll off Xi Xinyi¡¯s forehead as she held onto Han Yifeng tightly. She was still trying to exin, ¡°No, Yifeng, if it weren¡¯t for me... things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way. I¡¯ve always hoped for her to forgive me all along these years. If not, I¡¯d still feel uneasy even if we get married. I...¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, you...¡±

    Han Yifeng saw tears running down her cheeks. He squatted down and slowly held her up, but Xi Xinyi shoved him away and got up her own as she leaned against the wall. She walked over to Xi Xiaye in pain. Every step seemed to be causing her grave distress.

    ¡°Sister, I...¡±

    ¡°Be careful, Xinyi!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye did not say a thing. She just looked at what happened before her as she felt an iciness inside her. She could not help but look away.

    She did not feel the need to exin herself, so she turned around and walked right between the two of them. She wanted to leave and act as if she had not seen anything.

    As she passed by them, Xi Xinyi held onto her shoulder desperately. Tears were streaked all over her face while she begged, ¡°I know you hate me. I¡¯m really sorry... but next week is Grandfather¡¯s birthday. He¡¯s really concerned about you. Father, Mother, and Grandmother too... They are really worried since you¡¯ve never gone back...¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡±

    Before Xi Xinyi could finish her sentence, Xi Xiaye¡¯s icy cold aura spread throughout the area.

    ¡°Sister!¡±

    ¡°What did you do to me that could make me hate you so? Xi Xinyi, my mother Shen Wenna only gave birth to me, Xi Xiaye, so ¡ª¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her off and her eyes stared at Xi Xinyi was as if she was just looking at a stranger. Her voice sounded cold and strange. ¡°I don¡¯t have any siblings. Please stop putting up an act in front of me. You might not be tired, but I am, so that¡¯s enough.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s sudden gesture almost made Xi Xinyi fall again, but Han Yifeng went up swiftly to hold her.

 Chapter 11 - Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 11: Goodbye</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Xiaye, the person who let you down was me. There¡¯s no need for you to target Xinyi like this. If it makes you feel better, I¡¯m willing topensate you.¡±

    Han Yifeng was hostile as he hugged the tearfully weeping Xi Xinyi into his arms and stared coldly at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye looked up slightly. As she watched Han Yifeng¡¯s familiar yet strange handsome face, there was an instance when she felt a slight sorrow and a bunch of repressed emotions, especially when she saw the indifference and disappointment in his eyes.

    Sheughed bitterly to herself, yet that unyielding spirit and pride inside of her did not allow her to show any sign of weakness or pettiness, so she firmly met with his eyes and said calmly with not a single of warmth in her tone, ¡°Compensate? How do you n topensate? Apologize to me, beg for my forgiveness, and sincerely wish that you two live a long and happy life together?¡±

    A faint sneer shed across Xiaye¡¯s bright and exquisite face. ¡°Or like what you did back then ¡ª toss me a huge cheque?¡±

    When she said this, Han Yifeng¡¯s expression suddenly changed and he did not know what to say.

    ¡°Sis, Yifeng was just hoping that you¡¯d live better... We...¡±

    Seeing Han Yifeng rendered speechless, Xi Xinyi could only sniff and wriggle out of his embrace. She wanted to grab Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm again, but her sister did not appreciate the kindness and smacked her hand away.

    Xi Xinyi could not help but cry out with restraint again. Han Yifeng was about walk up when a figure in burgundy had beat him to it and held Xi Xinyi steady. At the same time, her hand pushed her hard.

    Bam!

    Xi Xiaye only felt her waist being shoved with force. Caught off-guard, she fell hard against the sink behind her. All she felt was a slight chill before her arm was suddenly electrified with pain too...

    ¡°Xiaye, even if you¡¯re resentful towards Xinyi for whatever reason, you can juste to me. Why do you have to hurt her like this? Can¡¯t you see that her leg¡¯s already hurt? You¡¯re beyond cruel!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s worried and disappointed voice came through as she protected Xi Xinyi in her arms. Her gaze towards Xi Xiaye inly showed anguish. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve resented me for recing your mother, but ask yourself if all these years, have I, Yue Lingsi, ever treated you unfairly?¡±

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry, Sister¡¯s already upset enough. Don¡¯t provoke her anymore. I¡¯m fine. I just sprained my ankle a little!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was worried as she stopped Yue Lingsi¡¯s wound-up fury. She was afraid that she would make everything worse.

    ¡°Xinyi, Mother knows that you feel bad for her, but look at her! She¡¯s not even appreciative of your kindness, so why do you want to torture yourself?¡± Yue Lingsi ncedmentably at Xi Xinyi, then she looked sorrowfully at her swelling ankle. ¡°Look at your leg. It¡¯s already swelling. Let me have a look at it.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I... It really hurts...¡±

    Xi Xinyi moved her leg a little. When a piercing pain attacked again, she could not help but cry out loud.

    ¡°Enough, Aunty. Xinyi¡¯s leg is quite badly hurt. Let¡¯s bring her to get it checked at the hospital first.¡±

    At this moment, Han Yifeng walked up and once again, bent down to carry Xi Xinyi. In a gentle tone, he advised, ¡°Hang in there. We¡¯ll go to the hospital first. It¡¯ll be fine!¡±

    Then, he carried Xi Xinyi and walked right out. As his gaze swept across Xi Xiaye, his expression be hostile instantly and was even filled with disgust!

    Yue Lingsi shot Xi Xiaye an angry look too before she followed right after them.

    Xi Xiaye watched indifferently as they left. Suddenly, hints of pained bewilderment rose in her eyes.

    After a long while, she could onlyugh bitterly and drag her fatigued body to walk out in a daze. Absent-mindedly, when she wanted to wipe the coldness on her face, a white handkerchief was suddenly handed to her.

    She was stunned for a moment. She slowly looked up.

    Then, she saw him...

    It was him...

    Mu Yuchen...

    In his all-white tailored suit, his calm and reserved eyes had a faint look of concern. That still expression remained frozen on his noble and handsome face.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    She looked up at him, and after a long silence, Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze. She turned away, not wanting to let anyone see the dismay and weakness in her eyes that she could not disguise.

    Unfortunately, her raspy and tired voice and that pale face of hers had already given away the fact that she had been enduring some kind of torture silently. She did not know that hidden underneath the calm stillness of the eyes of this man who stood before her, was a gaze so sharp that it could almost see through everything.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. His silent gaze focused on her bandaged hand. After quite a while, he said in a muffled voice, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    When these words tumbled out of his mouth, Xi Xiaye was startled for a moment. She turned around and looked at him, her lips parting slightly. She wanted to say something, but after a long while, she still did not utter a word. She just silently epted the handkerchief that he handed to her, and wiped the tears on her face away.

    Xi Xiaye gripped the handkerchief in her hand. A long whileter, she then took a deep breath and looked up. Pasted across her exquisitely beautiful face was a bitter smile. ¡°Do you also think that I¡¯m a sorry figure, very vicious, and unreasonable?¡±

    When he heard this, something in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes shifted. He then shook his head and his deep voice was very sensible. ¡°I¡¯ve never agreed with the concept of sacrificing to matchmake others. Everyone has the rights to control their own emotions. There¡¯s no need to sacrifice yourself for anyone.¡±

    Xi Xiaye silently retrieved her gaze. She turned to look ahead in the direction where it was already empty, her in tone holding hints of fatigue. ¡°If it were possible, who¡¯d be willing to sacrifice themselves to matchmake others?¡±

    Then, she could not help but take a deep breath and slowly turn around to look at him. She lifted up her hand that held the handkerchief andughed softly. ¡°I don¡¯t feelfortable letting you see me in a mess like this. You¡¯vee to my aid quite a few times now. I really don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a long, hard look at her. The flickering dimness in her eyes seemed to bring an unnamed appeal. As he stared, suddenly there was a shift from the depths of his eyes.

    He did not know why, but seeing her like this suddenly made him think of his past self...

    When she saw him keeping quiet, Xi Xiaye asked casually, ¡°Do youe here often too?¡±

    However, the moment she asked, she started tough at herself. ¡°I almost forgot that you¡¯ve just returned to the country.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s indifferent lips showed a faint curve. He modestly lifted his still eyes and looked at thevish and elegant walkway ahead. ¡°This is a pretty strategic recreational area.¡±

    Actually, after leaving the hospital earlier, Mu Yuchen wanted to return to the vi, but midway, he received a call from Su Chen.

 Chapter 12 - Lonely Fragrance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 12: Lonely Fragrance (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Emperor Entertainment City had been operating for quite a number of years. Back then, before Mu Yuchen left City Z, he was a regr customer there.

    Now, things were different. This ce was still the same and not much had changed, but what was distinctive were the people.

    ¡°It¡¯s a nice ce here. Su Nanes here frequently. I didn¡¯t know that you wereing here or I¡¯d have offered to buy you dinner.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. She turned around and opened the gold-lined curtains. Looking outside the window at the colorful scenery, the breeze gushed in and made the curtain sway lightly.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the scenery she was looking at, and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you invite me next time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised and stared at him, but he seemed indifferent and was not particrly expressing any emotions. She then replied him seriously, ¡°Let¡¯s set a time then. I haven¡¯t paid the money back either, so let me buy you a meal as a way of saying ¡®thank you¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Your medication is still in my car.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled when he noticed she was being serious. He pointed at her bandaged hand. ¡°The doctor said your hand can¡¯te into contact with water. You¡¯d better change the medication when you get back. I¡¯ll have Ah Mo get them.¡±

    He then took out his phone and made a call. He issued some orders to the man called Ah Mo and quickly ended the call.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a little burn. It¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was very grateful for his kindness and concern.

    Actually, Xi Xiaye was notfortable with people being so concerned about her. She was used to the days when no one cared about her, and due to theck of attention all these years, a tiny gesture of kindness could touch her heart easily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. People need to know how to love themselves.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled, his eyes appearing full of kindness. However, the way Xi Xiaye looked at him had an odd sense of distance.

    Ah Mo swiftly delivered the medicine, and he was surprised to see Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen. He greeted politely, ¡°Ms. Xi! I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d be here too. I was just wondering how I could deliver the medicine to you!¡±

    It was great that they had met in person, so he did not have to look around or deliver the medicine to her doorstep.

    ¡°Hello!¡± Xi Xiaye greeted back politely as well.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, these are your medication.¡± Ah Mo handed the medication over.

    Xi Xiaye took them and thanked him. She turned to Mu Yuchen and hesitated for a moment. ¡°Could you wait for me here for a moment? I¡¯ll go get my wallet... I forgot to pay you back for the medical bill...¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced over and blocked her way with hisrge body. His tone was filled with a conclusive firmness. ¡°Take it as you owe me a meal. Go home earlier.¡±

    He left her with those words. Xi Xiaye watched his back as he walked away.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, Master doesn¡¯t like people talking about these things. You have to be careful of your wound. Take care and goodbye!¡± Ah Mo smiled, then he quickly caught up with Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye was about to push the door open since she was right in front when she suddenly heard the sound of the door unlocking. It was opened from the inside and Su Nan¡¯s anxious face appeared.

    ¡°Xiaye, are you alright?¡±

    Su Nan went up and held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s already veryte and you must be tired. Let¡¯s go back earlier. I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Su Nan looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s posterior as she walked away. Bing even more anxious, she caught up and informed, ¡°Xiaye, I think I saw your father just now...¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s words halted Xi Xiaye midstep, her slender figure turning rigid all of a sudden.

    ¡°They are probably here to wee them back. Also, your father¡¯s secretary gave me a call just now and said that your grandfather¡¯s birthday is next week. They want you to go home then. He knows you won¡¯t take his call, which is why...¡±

    Su Nan went up to her when she saw Xi Xiaye stop. ¡°I¡¯m really worried seeing you like this.¡±

    ¡°Worried about what?¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned around and looked at her. With a smile, her eyes were indifferent like a calm water surface. ¡°There are some things that need to be endured. It¡¯ll be fine after getting used to it.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned back after saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯ste now.¡±

    At the moment, things were pretty lively inside the Emperor 808 Luxurious Presidential Suite.

    Dim yellow light mixed with some cold blue light covered the whole room. All kinds of food and snacks were served on the table. Empty bottles littered the side and a huge screen was ying karaoke songs.

    There were four people inside the room: three men and one woman.

    The woman was wearing formal attire in the form of a white shirt and a short ck skirt. She looked pretty and presentable while the tag in front of her chest indicated she was the serving manager of Emperor Entertainment City.

    She was serving wine for the few important guests at the moment.

    On the left side of the sofa was a man in a silver suit. He looked polite and was emitting a gentle aura around him. Everything he did seemed like a refined gesture. He was one of the dream lovers of all the girls in City Z, the top gun of the technology field in City Z. His name was Zhou Zimo, and people always referred to him as Mister Zhou.

    Opposite Mister Zhou was a handsome man. He was tall and looked pretty easy going, yet his eyes looked sharp. He was the respectable Master Su of City Z. Su Chen, the Vice Chief of the Traffic Control Bureau, the precious gem of the Su family, was 31 this year, a year older than Mister Zhou.

    In the middle, there was another handsome man in a white slim-fit suit. His eyes seemed as deep as the ocean, emitting a dim and cold light. With dark red lips and a graceful manner, he kept a low profile and carried himself with humility.

    He was the legendary Master Mu of City Z, also regarded as the truly cold, rich, and noble. Rumors had it that he graduated from the military business academy. He had served in the military for several years, but he came back to take over the Glory World Corporation as the elder of the Mu family was falling sick. After all, he had been expanding thepanies abroad in recent years.

    Master Mu was cold and low-profile. There were not many news or rumors about him, and not many had actually seen him too. To be fair, any news about the Mu family was rare. Apart from the event that shocked the whole of City Z back then, there was no notable news of the Mu family.

 Chapter 13 - Lonely Fragrance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 13: Lonely Fragrance (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Mus, the Sus, and the Zhous had been very good friends across several generations.

    Zhou Zimo, Su Chen, and Mu Yuchen were childhood friends. They had always been in the same ss in school, and even went to the same military school albeit specializing in different professions.

    The three of them were not just childhood ymates, but they were bosom friends and loyalrades.

    They were not interested in military school at all, but their parents insisted on them experiencing life in the military, and assumed that militarized management would boost their growth. After some discussion, their parents decided to send all three of them to military school.

    After they graduated, they served the military for several years. Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo retired to take over the family business while Su Chen was transferred to the Traffic Control Department and now he was one of the top brass. All of them were sessful young men.

    ¡°Coming back so suddenly? Have you finally decided to take over Glory World?¡±

    Su Chen finished up his whiskey and looked at the quiet Mu Yuchen who sat in the middle of the sofa.

    Zhou Zimo grinned as he said gently, ¡°I heard Elder Mu wasn¡¯t feeling very well, so I paid him a visit and realized that he seems very healthy and fine. I guessed he wanted a certain someone to return from abroad.¡±

    ¡°Every time you leave, it takes you a few years toe back. Last month, Zimo fully took over the Zhou Corporation, but the elder didn¡¯t seem very happy. He probably wanted you toe back quickly and take over thepany as soon as possible.¡±

    Su Chen smiled and then just looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen nced at the both of them. Seeming tired, he then said, ¡°I¡¯ve stayed abroad for a very long time. It¡¯s about time Ie back.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re really taking over Glory World? But it doesn¡¯t make much difference for you to take over now. The elder has already made preparations to control it in the dark.¡±

    Zhou Zimo grinned and gestured for the serving manager to leave. Obediently, the serving manager politely bowed to them and then left quietly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so easy for Grandfather to just step down. We just have to let him do what he wants this time,¡± Mu Yuchen replied inly.

    ¡°Of course, ever since your grandmother stepped down, your grandfather has been wanting to stay at home too. Everyone knows about your grandparents.¡± Zhou Zimoughed.

    ¡°As long as war doesn¡¯t break out at home, I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt a sudden headache when Mu Yinan and Wang Hui were mentioned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you stay at the Grand Waves Vi? It wouldn¡¯t involve you even if a war happened. Actually, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re back in City Z. At least, we can get you to join us when we drink. These past few years, I¡¯ve been drinking a lot with Zimo, but something¡¯s alwayscking without you around.¡±

    Su Chen then filled up Mu Yuchen¡¯s ss.

    Mu Yuchen looked aloof as the wine slowly filled his ss. His eyes glimmered slightly but he did not say anything and just emptied the ss in a few gulps.

    Some timeter, Su Chen became a little drunk and Zhou Zimo sent him back. Mu Yuchen drove back to the Grand Waves Vi alone. The Grand Waves Vi was a <i>fengshui </i>spot around the Grand Waves River, and it was one of the projects under the Glory World Corporation. Before it was open for sale, Mu Yuchen had already reserved one unit for himself.

    It was drizzling that night and a mild draft breezed through.

    Inside the luxurious yet elegant study room of the Grand Waves Vi, Mu Yuchen wore a ck sleeping robe as he just came out of the shower. He had just made himself a cup of tea and sat down when he received a call from Mu Yinan and Wang Hui. He did not even need to think and knew what it was about.

    ¡°Chen, how¡¯s the girl today? Did you meet her?¡± Wang Hui¡¯s voice came through the phone.

    Mu Yuchen had always been single, and because he was always overseas, his family could not do anything about it, from news ording to Ah Mo, there were never really any girls near Mu Yuchen, the elders of the Mu family were worried sick.

    ¡°Chen, you¡¯re not that young anymore. You¡¯re turning 31 next year and should really settle down. When your grandfather was your age, your father was already attending school. Don¡¯t always give me the same excuse of being busy with work. You still have to build your own family. This is what your grandfather and I want. Think about it for yourself.¡±

    Wang Hui¡¯s stern voice came through the phone. She was renowned as the ¡°Metal Grip¡± in the military field and her personality was headstrong. Even a powerful businessman like Mu Yinan fell for her, just as expected of the Metal Grip. Mu Yinan was a well-known Casanova in City Z back then, and now they had been married for 50 years. They never had any scandals before as he really loved his Metal Grip wife.

    Their love story was once envied by many in City Z.

    ¡°Chen, it¡¯s just a marriage. I don¡¯t really care about finding someone from family of our level. Just pick someone that you like and someone you think can live with, then it¡¯ll be fine. Look at your grandfather and I. We¡¯ve lived through this, haven¡¯t we? Even if two people were madly in love, it would still take time to adapt to life after marriage. Isn¡¯t the concept of marrying first then falling in love a trend now? Look for a girl that you like and has a clean family history...¡±

    Wang Hui could not help but ramble on and on with her speech. Mu Yuchen had already gotten used to speeches like this from two years ago.

    ¡°Chen? Are you listening?¡± Wang Hui demanded when Mu Yuchen kept silent the whole time.

    Mu Yuchen sipped some tea. He put the cup down on the table beside him and walked to the window, lifting the curtain. He then replied, ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to worry so much about me. Go and travel with Grandfather. Lingshi called me yesterday and said she¡¯ll being back soon. You guys can go to France and get her to bring you both around. It¡¯s pretty beautiful over there.¡±

    Obviously unwilling to talk about the matter again, Mu Yuchen frowned in exhaustion and his tone sounded aged and quiet. Of course, Wang Hui picked up the nuances in his voice.

    There was a long sigh over the phone. It was the voice of the old Mu Yinan, ¡°Chen, listen to your grandmother this time. Let the past stay in the past. Life goes on, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned.

    <i>That¡¯s right, life goes on...</i>

 Chapter 14 - Too Drunk To Drink (1)

    <h4>Chapter 14: Too Drunk To Drink (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though she knew they would meet again, Xiaye did not expect it to be so soon or so sudden.

    Approaching rush hour, people were milling around the New Era za. Everyone hurried slightly bent over and walked through the breeze, briskly going down the busy street.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s tall figure stood steadily within the crowd. His cold face was still handsome as ever. The only difference from three years ago was his newfound maturity.

    Xi Xiaye thought to herself, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal to act as if I don¡¯t know the person.¡±

    She tore her eyes away and focused on her documents. As she turned around and acted as if she did not see anyone, that certain someone called out to her and stopped her.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Xiaye paused and held onto her documents tightly. Her fingers became pale and she put on a bitter smile before continuing move forward. Her assistant saw what happened and did not say anything, just following loyally.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression darkened. He quickly tried to catch up and held Xiaye by the shoulder. ¡°Xiaye! Stop, let¡¯s talk!¡±

    Xiaye was then forced to stop. She looked up at him and put on a smile, but her voice sounded dry and hoarse. ¡°What else do we have to talk about?¡±

    Her voice sounded calm and peaceful. She moved her shoulder away as Han Yifeng looked at her. She closed the document and handed it over to her assistant.

    ¡°Be careful about thetter part of the operation. Do a fresh market research tomorrow morning and hand it to me next Monday. Also, send me the third phase of the Grand Waves Vi project to me. I need it by tomorrow morning,¡± Xi Xiaye instructed simply.

    ¡°Got it, Director Xi!¡±

    Assistant Xiao Mei nodded. ¡°Director Xi, just now, Xiao Song sent the data for Imperial Sky Entertainment City over. Please take a look at it!¡±

    Xiao Mei handed a blue folder to Xiaye.

    Xiaye took it and flipped through it. She scanned through it and nodded. ¡°Mmm, seems fine. That¡¯s all for today. Send the things back to the office and you can finish for the day. Get the car over here.¡±

    She closed the documents and handed the keys to Xiao Mei.

    ¡°Alright, Director Xi!¡±

    ...

    She had changed a lot in the past three years.

    The once-peaceful Xi Xiaye was nowhere to be found anymore. What reced her was the current distant and hostile Xiaye. She emitted the aura of someone detached yet capable and firm.

    Han Yifeng looked down at the cold streetmp, then nced up to the girl across him. After some thought, he went up to her.

    ¡°Xiaye, I admit that I betrayed you in the past...¡±

    He stopped behind her and then looked at the direction she was facing. The sky was dark outside with thick clouds covering it. It appeared all grayish. He blinked, then sighed, ¡°Sorry, Xiaye... If this can make you feel better, I hope you don¡¯t me it on anyone else... Just me it all on me...¡±

    For a brief moment, Xiaye felt a heavy pressure on her chest and she almost passed out.

    However, her proud and stubborn self would never allow her to show her weakness in front of everyone else. She chuckled without even looking at him as she gazed at the gray sky. ¡°I thought like many others you¡¯d ask me ¡®Hello, how are you?¡¯, but it seems...¡±

    She did not want to think about who was the traitor anymore. She did not want to relive the suffering she had experienced all these years. She did not want to know anything about them, yet her heart still felt like the gray clouds. Without a huge downpour or a violent tornado, it would not go away.

    <i>Xi Xiaye, you¡¯ve overestimated your determination.</i>

    <i>Why are you so sad?</i>

    <i>Because you never stopped caring.</i>

    <i>Why?</i>

    <i>I¡¯m not sure...</i>

    She took a breath and turned over to look at the cold shadows below and then realized the sky had grown dark. The street lights started to light up, the refracted and unbnced light seeming lonely on the ground.

    She watched the crowd walking about in the za and sighed, ¡°I really wished... we never knew each other... that I never met you. Then, at least, I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer.¡±

    She turned away and walked towards the row of streetlights. She did not look at him, her slender figure passing through the evening streets. ¡°I¡¯ve already let go. We¡¯re strangers from this point onwards, so please don¡¯t bother me ever again and I¡¯ll do the same...¡±

    She left him with these words and her figure disappeared among the lonely street lights like the wind.

    As Han Yifeng watched her slowly disappear from his vision, he felt something in his chest as if something was leaving him. He clenched his fists as if he was trying to grab onto that something, yet his hands were empty. He simply could not catch anything...

    He looked up at the lonely street lights and was suddenly reminded of many things ¡ª

    Many years ago, a girl with two movie tickets stood under these street lights and waited for him for an entire night just to invite him out for a movie.

    A long, long time ago, that girl would go a thousand miles through several cities just to get him Eason Chan¡¯s autographed CD.

    A long, long time ago...

    Back then, things were really simple. They were very innocent.

    He was grateful for everything she had done for him. During his time abroad, he would sometimes ask his friends to check up on her and was relieved to know that she was doing well.

    Gratitude was not love. Many people could spare gratitude for others, but not love. He could only apologize to Xi Xiaye.

    However, when he saw her turn her back on him and leave, he felt sorrow well up inside him as if he had just lost something important, something he could never get back again...

 Chapter 15 - Too Drunk To Drink (2)

    <h4>Chapter 15: Too Drunk To Drink (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car sped all the way. Xi Xiaye first brought the documents back to thepany. By the time she came out, it was already after working hours, and the sky had already turned dark outside.

    Downstairs, her assistant Xiao Mei bade her goodbye. ¡°Director Xi, I¡¯ll go home first. Drive safely!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up at the still night sky. She thought about it, then said, ¡°Get in my car. It¡¯s on the way. I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, Director Xi. There¡¯s still the town bus at this time anyway! It¡¯s too troublesome. I don¡¯t want to trouble you.¡± Xiao Mei smiled in gratitude.

    ¡°The town bus should be quite crowded at this hour. Coincidentally, I want to go to the tea shop near your ce for some tea leaves,¡± Xi Xiaye calmly said before taking out the car keys from her pocket and marching over to the driver¡¯s seat. She pulled the car door open and very quickly hopped in.

    Xiao Mei hesitated for a moment before she leaped into the front passenger seat. She put on her seatbelt and thanked her with a broad grin. ¡°Thank you, Director Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly before she casually put a CD into the yer before starting the car. Then, they were on their way.

    The songs that sted out of the speakers was the perfect music for speeding. Xiao Mei thought the music was familiar, yet she could not put her finger on their titles. She turned to look at Xi Xiaye, noticing that she was leaning her head in one hand while she draped the arm on the car window. The other hand gripped the steering wheel steadily as her weary eyes stared ahead. A cool breeze continued to pour in from the car window, riling up her beautiful hair...

    She somehow felt a faint air of repression and destion.

    Xiao Mei hesitated but she still could not help herself. ¡°Director Xi, have you been worn out recently? You seem very tired...¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was startled for a moment. Her calm eyes rested on Xiao Mei. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Director Xi, the colleagues in the office have actually been secretly talking about you...¡±

    Xiao Mei suddenly wanted to find a topic to chat about with the girl beside her. Even though Director Xi usually looked very distant, she understood that Director Xi was actually a very approachable and very kind person. She was very caring and considerate towards her subordinates.

    When her father had fallen sick and was hospitalized, the expensive medical costs had overwhelmed her. After Director Xi found out, she had immediately handed her $50,000 to help her resolve the emergency, and she had been immensely grateful towards Director Xi.

    She even heard that she frequently looked after the orphanage in the north of the city. She offered that orphanage a lot of help.

    ¡°What do they say?¡± Xi Xiaye asked inly, well aware that the employees of everypany would have some internal gossip, which was usually about the upper management, so she expected it.

    ¡°They say that you¡¯re talented and good-looking, yet you¡¯re very mysterious. They wonder whether you¡¯re single or not. A lot of the male colleagues in thepany want to court you, Director Xi, but they don¡¯t dare to... However, I think that the person that gets to marry you¡¯ll definitely be extraordinary. They¡¯d also be very lucky...¡±

    She felt that Xi Xiaye was in a rather mild mood, so Xiao Mei feltfortable saying these things.

    ¡°Lucky?¡±

    Xi Xiaye muttered softly, then sheughed coldly. Self-mockery shed across her eyes, then her gaze dimmed again.

    When she noticed that Xi Xiaye had suddenly fallen silent, Xiao Mei suddenly did not dare to say anything further and the car instantly fell into a silence again.

    She dropped Xiao Mei at the tea shop nearby and picked the tea leaves up. When she drove past a high-ss entertainment club under Emperor Entertainment City, she stopped.

    Even though the ce was not technically the center of the city, it was still crowded.

    Xi Xiaye walked in when it was bustling inside. The resident singer on stage was passionately singing a moving song, unlike the usual bars that always sted music when one entered. This entertainment club was quieterpared to other clubs.

    Xiaye had been here a few times although she did not frequent such ces. If it were not for the fact that she felt a stifled upset feeling in her heart, she would not havee.

    Xiaye sat down in a dark corner of the bar when the bartender smiled and asked her, ¡°Miss, what would you like to drink?¡±

    ¡°A bottle of whiskey please,¡± Xi Xiaye said softly. When she saw the bartender¡¯s slightly shocked reaction, she just shifted her gaze downwards.

    ¡°Miss, whiskey is pretty strong. I¡¯d suggest you get something else. Girls don¡¯t really order this.¡± The bartender was a very handsome fellow and was doing his job as he smiled and added, ¡°A lot of girls like to drink things like Tears of a Lover or what not. Do you want to try that?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Just get me the whiskey,¡± Xi Xiaye simply said and she lifted a hand to her hurting head.

    ¡°Miss, for your whiskey, do you need...¡±

    Before the bartender could finish, Xi Xiaye had already raised her hand to stop him from continuing, then she picked up the bottle and poured herself a drink. She frowned and pulled her attention back to her drink, downing the ss.

    Once she emptied the ss, the burn instantly spread down from her throat and then to her chest. In that instant, it seemed as if her entire being was being burnt away.

    The dazzling lights flickered and lit up this somber corner. On stage, the song changed one after another. Xi Xiaye did not know how many sses she had drunk, but no matter how many she downed, she could still vaguely feelclear-headed.

    There were some things that she would like to forget, yet she could not no matter what. Not only could she not forget them, but at this moment, the thoughts appeared incredibly clearly in her mind, swallowing whatever remaining self-control she had.

    Han Yifeng severing all rtions with her, Xi Xinyi¡¯s tearful look begging for her forgiveness, her father¡¯s hostility, her mother¡¯s indifference, and everyone¡¯s warmth gradually fading away...

    She had asked herself more than a thousand times if she could redeem herself and make all of her past stay, yet her answer always remained the same: cold air.

    How could she make it all stay, how should she move them?

    She had tried everything and put great effort in, but no matter what she did, she still could not change anything. She still could not get her parents to reconcile, and she could not force Han Yifeng to return to her side and love her deeply.

    Perhaps he had never belonged to Xi Xiaye. How could that count as getting him to return to her side then?

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head and chuckled at herself. Her slightly hazy line of sight passed through the swirling liquid in her ss and she looked in dismay at her unbearably haggard appearance. Suddenly, she felt exceptionally bitter.

    <i>Look at you, Xi Xiaye...</i>

    <i>Look at your battered self right now. You look just like a clown buried in stagnant water. When will you truly understand that once some things leave you, no matter how hard you try, they¡¯ll nevere back?</i>

    <i>Never evere back...</i>

 Chapter 16 - Too Drunk To Drink (3)

    <h4>Chapter 16: Too Drunk To Drink (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky turned dark. Not many cars were on the road now. Wind breezed through the streets and it started to drizzle. Soon after that, City Z was covered in a thin mist, and the dried-out roads became all wet again.

    Xi Xiaye staggered out of the club. While she could still think clearly, her whole body was swaying side to side and she could not even stand properly.

    She did not remember how much she drank. She just remembered that she felt the burn at first, and then was numbed by the sensation. Then, at one point, she felt nothing at all.

    She clung onto things around her to help stabilize her body. Doing her best to go over to her car, she took her car keys out and wanted to open the door, but her hands shivered uncontrobly and the keys fell to the ground.

    Cold rain and strong breeze passed through her. She felt like she was thrown into a burning fire at one point, then thrown into an icy cold world in the next second. The strong st of air was causing her a headache. She suddenly felt a searing pain in her chest and she lost all her strength, slumping onto the floor right beside her car.

    Her eyes started to burn. The pain in her chest and the suppressed feelings were almost breaking her.

    There were so many times that she wanted to just cry it out. She wanted to just get drunk and forget about everything, but her calm conscience forbade her from doing so.

    Her eyes were dry, so dry that no tears coulde out from it.

    Her tears had probably dried out many years ago, and there were no tears left to cry now.

    <i>Han Yifeng, you¡¯ll never know how much effort I put in to make you love me...</i>

    She thought that for every ounce of extra effort she put in, the warmth between them could umte and maybe one day, he would turn around and realize how good she was. After all, they had a marriage contract, didn¡¯t they?

    ...

    The rain infiltrated the cold and lonely city along with the cold wind. Maybe Xi Xiaye was not the only one feeling miserable in this cold rain, but this was the first time feeling the heart-wrenching pain so clearly.

    She had not even felt this sort of excruciating pain when Han Yifeng left her coldly. She thought it might be better if she just passed out. At least, she did not have to suffer.

    ...

    ¡°Master, that looks like Director Xi!¡± Assistant Li Si suddenly eximed as the car moved forward.

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he was scrutinizing the data in hisptop. He raised his head and looked at the direction Li Si pointed in. He saw a woman in a beige windbreaker squatting on the ground of the parking lot, seeming to look for something.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Ms. Xi!¡± Ah Mo, who was driving, recognized Xi Xiaye instantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s Director Xi, alright. She seems to be drunk and it¡¯s pouring outside!¡±

    Li Si was the assistant to the previous president of Glory World Corporation, Mu Yinan, and he was now the assistant to Mu Yuchen. He used to work in the head office and knew Xi Xiaye. He always had a favorable impression of the smart and beautiful Director Xi.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye had no idea how long she searched for. She could not find her keys. Waves and waves of dizziness hit her. Her outfit was all soaked through and she barely managed to stand by leaning on her car.

    She was very drunk when Mu Yuchen¡¯s car stopped beside her. Her eyes could not focus properly and she seemed a little surprised when Mu Yuchen appeared before her. Her soft lips opened slightly and she was about to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth. Before she could, she cked out.

    Mu Yuchen swiftly stepped forward and held her falling body.

    ¡°Master, it really is Ms. Xi. Her wound hasn¡¯t recovered yet!¡± Ah Mo frowned as he looked at the girl Mu Yuchen held. He did not miss her hand that was still bandaged. A strong stench of alcohol permeated the air and it was pretty ufortable.

    ¡°That¡¯s some strong alcohol I¡¯m smelling. Just how much did Director Xi drink?¡±

    Li Si was surprised to find the unconscious Xi Xiaye. He had no memory of Xi Xiaye being drunk, not even duringpany dinners.

    ¡°Master, let¡¯s get back into the car. The rain is getting heavier!¡± Ah Mo quickly opened the car door.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and looked at the girl in his arms. He nced at the ground and found the keys. Li Si picked it up as Mu Yuchen turned around and hurried towards the car.

    ¡°Where do you stay?¡± Mu Yuchen asked Xi Xiaye as he helped her into the car. However, Xi Xiaye was already sound asleep and did not hear him at all.

    ¡°Cough...¡±

    Xi Xiaye leaned towards the window ufortably after coughing for a little. Her body shivered and curled up. Her hair seemed pretty wet too.

    ¡°Master, where should we go?¡± Ah Mo asked from the driver¡¯s seat.

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and realized that they were at a crossroads. He turned and look at the drunk Xi Xiaye as he was silent for a second. Then, he said, ¡°Go back to Maple Residence.¡±

    At Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen¡¯s private vi in the Grand Waves Vi area.

    He then turned to take a nket from the back to cover Xi Xiaye¡¯s quivering body. Afterward, he took the documents beside him and continued reading.

    Noticing that, Ah Mo quietly raised the temperature in the car.

    The car passed through the rain and drove towards the north of the city. After they passed the long and wide highways, they finally reached the entrance of a high-ss housing area.

    ¡°Master!¡± The security guard recognized Mu Yuchen¡¯s car and greeted the quiet man politely. He then opened the gates and let the car in.

    After going through some winding roads, they arrived in front of a vi.

    Ah Mo quickly parked the car and opened the door.

    Mu Yuchen put his documents away and turned to the sleepingdy. He gave it some thought before exiting the car and carrying the girl in his arms.

    ¡°Get the documents into my study room.¡± He left with those words before walking into his vi.

 Chapter 17 - Too Heavy To Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 17: Too Heavy To Love (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master, do you want me to call Sis Wang over?¡± Ah Mo asked quietly after he ced the documents in the study room and saw Mu Yuchene out of the bedroom.

    Mu Yuchen nced over at the girl on the bed and nodded. ¡°Have her get some clothes too.¡±

    He then walked towards the study room.

    Ah Mo nodded and did not say anything else. It was not unusual for the Master to work untilte at night, and he disliked being disturbed while working.

    So, Ms. Xi was also an employee of Glory World Corporation and a very capable manager too. She seemed pretty young and beautiful. No wonder the old President had asked him to take note of her for his Master.

    Ah Mo shook his head helplessly as he remembered what the elder Madam asked her and heughed.

    Actually, his Master was probably like what rumors said. He had been a cold person four years ago. Today, in addition to his aloofness, he distanced himself from many others. He became even quieter than before and others found it difficult to approach him.

    Ah Mo thought to himself that it was probably impossible for someone to make the Master warm again.

    However, the Master was acting rather kindly towards Ms. Xi. Could she be an exception?

    Sis Wang quickly rushed over after receiving the call.

    Sis Wang was the exclusive caretaker for the Master. She was somewhat the housekeeper of the Maple Residence. As a multi-talented housekeeper of m., she was over forty years old.

    In her sleep, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time. Someone seemed to be feeding her medicine, and sleep beckoned to her like a drug. She also felt someone wiping the sweat off her, and sometimes dribble water into her parched throat...

    Ah Mo had already gone back as the night becameter, but the lights were still switched on in two rooms on the second floor of Maple Residence.

    Sis Wang knocked on the door of the study room, only opening it after she heard a voice. She saw the Master working diligently behind the table.

    ¡°Master, I just fed Ms. Xi some medicine. Her fever¡¯s gone down and I changed her clothes too. The bedsheet was all wet with her sweat, so I changed it as well,¡± Sis Wang said quietly.

    Mu Yuchen nodded silently without even raising his head. ¡°Mmm, thank you for your hard work. It¡¯ste already. You can go back first.¡±

    Sis Wang bowed and replied, ¡°Okay, Master, I¡¯ve made some porridge. Ms. Xi vomited a lot, so I¡¯m worried that she might be hungry when she wakes up...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply anything. Sis Wang then asked, ¡°Master, do you want some supper? I can make you some porridge too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it. There¡¯s no need,¡± Mu Yuchen replied inly as he flipped through the documents in his hands.

    ¡°Master, you should rest earlier too. I¡¯ll go back first,¡± Sis Wang said out of concern. She was worried that she might be disturbing the Master¡¯s work, so she left swiftly.

    Mu Yuchen raised his head as he heard the sound of the door closing. He pinched between his eyebrows as a wave of fatigue washed over him and he closed his eyes for a moment out of exhaustion.

    ...

    After a whole night of rain, it cleared up near dawn. The morning breeze passed and the ground started to dry out, leaving a sense of freshness in the air.

    A cool breeze came into the room through the small gap on the balcony, rustling the light-colored curtains. A pounding headache woke Xi Xiaye up from her slumber.

    She opened her heavy eyes and got her aching body up. What entered her eyes was a totally strange environment.

    This was not her room!

    She quickly looked around and realized that it was a huge room with a sunset yellow theme. In addition to that, it had a simr furnishing style to her house. However, it was full of expensive furniture with a simr color scheme, so she was sure this was not her room!

    She quickly sat up. Due to her sudden movement, her headache worsened. She rubbed her temples and tried to recall what happened yesterday.

    She remembered going to the New Era za for inspection with Xiao Mei. She met Han Yifeng there, then she went back to thepany. After sending Xiao Mei back, she went to a high-ss entertainment club under Emperor Entertainment City and drank a lot there, then...

    She had a little too much to drink, then she could not remember anything else...

    ¡°You¡¯re up.¡±

    A deep and calm voice came from in front of her. She saw Mu Yuchen in casual gray clothes, his beautiful face, calm eyes, and his in expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked and her eyes flew wide open. Her hair covered her slightly pale face and her voice sounded dry. ¡°Why am I here?¡±

    She then looked at herself and realized that she had been changed out of her clothes. Unconsciously, she covered herself up with the nket.

    Mu Yuchen saw her reaction as he looked at her. In his usual calm voice, he rified, ¡°You were drunk by the roadside and I coincidentally passed by. You caught a fever and Sis Wang took care of you for the whole night.¡±

    A simple exnation cleared all her doubts.

    Xi Xiaye was relieved, so she nodded and said, ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much!¡±

    She felt a whole lot of gratitude for this man before her as he kept helping her again and again.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as his facial expression softened a little. He pointed at the clothes on the chair beside the bed. ¡°The clothes are on the chair. Sis Wang prepared some sanitary items too. After you¡¯re done washing up, you cane out and have breakfast.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the direction he pointed and saw a set of neatly folded clothes. As she was about to say something, the man had already left.

    She endured the dizziness and got out of bed. Grabbing the clothes, she walked towards the bathroom.

    Twenty minutester, she walked down the stairs and saw Mu Yuchen flipping through the newspaper on the sofa.

    Breakfast was served on the table with steam wafting from the food.

 Chapter 18 - Too Heavy To Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 18: Too Heavy To Love (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he heard footsteps from upstairs, Mu Yuchen looked up from his newspaper to see Xi Xiaye walking down from upstairs.

    The clothes that Sis Wang prepared for her was a lc dress, which fit her well. Her waist-length hair was tied up, revealing a bright and beautiful little face. She looked very capable and healthy.

    Mu Yuchen tore his eyes away, his gaze sweeping across the dining table beside him. ¡°Have some breakfast first. Sis Wang rushed over especially early to cook you some soup for sobering up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m going to bete for work...¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to decline as she had a look at the time earlier, realizing that she was going to bete.

    Just as Xi Xiaye said that, a gentle and good-natured voice eximed, ¡°Miss Xi, you¡¯re awake!¡±

    The sudden voice startled Xi Xiaye. She looked over and realized that the person speaking was a very gentle-looking middle-ageddy holding a serving tray in her hand. She had just walked out from the kitchen.

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it before deciding to greet the neer.

    ¡°Just call me Sis Wang. How are you feeling, Miss Xi? Yesterday, you had a fever shortly after Master brought you home. You¡¯re a little weak, so it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t drink so much. Furthermore, you got caught in the rain, then you caught a fever and the flu. That did it.¡±

    Sis Wang transferred the porridge from her tray onto the table as she smiled and turned to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Master,e over and have breakfast.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put the newspapers away, got up and walked over. He took a look at Xi Xiaye and said in a deep, sensitive voice, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked your superior to give you the day off.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Xi. Your fever¡¯s just subsided. It¡¯s best if you rest for one or two days before going back to work. I¡¯ve just finished brewing the soup to help you sober up. I¡¯ve put some ginger in. Drink one or two bowls of it. It¡¯s good for you,¡± insisted Sis Wang with zeal.

    Across her, Mu Yuchen had already sat down. Listening to the sweet Sis Wang, Xi Xiaye nodded. Her throat was still a little dry and hoarse, but her eyes were filled with gratitude. ¡°Thank you forst night... for taking care of me the entire night.¡±

    She could still vaguely remember some parts of the night before. She had tossed from side to side almost the entire night, vomiting and shivering from the fever. Amidst her daze was the kind Sis Wang that had been tenderly taking care of her.

    Sis Wang smiled. ¡°No need to thank me. It was Master who carried you back. You should thank Master. I¡¯ll go water the flowers in the yard first. Have some breakfast. Otherwise, it¡¯s going to get cold.¡±

    Then, she took off her apron and walked outside.

    Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly, then pulled out the chair slowly before putting her handbag aside and sitting down.

    Mu Yuchen, who was across her, was quietly eating his breakfast. His movements were elegant like the inherent manner of an aristocrat. Noticing Xi Xiaye watching him, Mu Yuchen slowly looked up. When he saw that Xi Xiaye was still frozen, he said, ¡°Is there trouble with your hand?¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye remembered that the back of her hand was still bandaged, but that was not enough to affect her meal, so she shook her head. ¡°No, I just don¡¯t know what to say. I always let you...¡±

    Mu Yuchen obviously understood her. He looked into her eyes with a gaze that seemed to see through everything. ¡°You always let me see you so battered, and then you feel like there¡¯s nowhere to hide?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled. Suddenly, sheughed bitterly and quietly lowered her gaze...

    Mu Yuchen gently pushed the bowl of soup to her. In a very low voice, he said, ¡°Medicine can¡¯t cure fake illnesses, liquor cannot dispel real sorrow. After you get used to it, you won¡¯t find it too hard to swallow.¡±

    ¡°I know... but sometimes, you need a very, very long time before you can adapt, then adapting itself bes a habit, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye breathed in and she smiled calmly.

    ¡°Thinking that you need time to adapt just because you have hope in your heart that you can¡¯t let go of... Are you still mourning the past?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her sagely, his smile with a slight chill.

    ¡°As much as you mourn, you won¡¯t be able to go back to the past. Sometimes, I¡¯m just a little curious as to how did I fail so tragically.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed bitterly, then she lifted her hand slowly and lifted the bowl of soup. She quietly drank it. Just a gulp in, she suddenly remembered that her car was still at the entertainment club, so she looked up and asked, ¡°Right, my car...¡±

    She had turned her bag upside down and could not find the car keys.

    ¡°It¡¯s right outside. I let my assistant drive it over. The car keys are on the coffee table in the living room,¡± Mu Yuchen said, pointing in the direction of the living room.

    Her spoon stopped mid-way to her mouth. She thought about it for a while then decided to say, ¡°Thanks! You¡¯ve helped me out a few times now. Previously, I keep saying that I need to treat you to a meal. I still owe you one from thest time. I wonder if you¡¯re free today to let me do the honors if you¡¯re willing.¡±

    Her eyes were filled with faint gratitude and sincerity, and her slightly pale face had started to warm up too.

    This was out of courtesy. Having been in the business for quite a few years now, she obviously understood that one should know how to be grateful.

    ¡°That¡¯s such a sincere invitation. If I don¡¯t do you the honor, it¡¯ll seem a little rude.¡±

    This time, Mu Yuchen did not decline especially since he was still resting that day. The next day, he would go to Glory World and officially take office as the new chairman of Glory World Corporation. He had actually been secretly observing the entire Glory World Corporation operations these past few days, and he had heard that the woman before him had produced rather noteworthy results.

    Subconsciously, he had been paying some attention to her.

    When she heard his reply, Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips slowly curved into a faint smile. She said courteously, ¡°Thank you in advance. Have you thought about where you¡¯d like to go?¡±

    ¡°City Z¡¯s changed too much. You decide where to go,¡± Mu Yuchen inly answered.

    ¡°I decide? Are you sure that you¡¯ll like the dishes I order?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help butugh.

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s on the lighter side. However,e to think of it, your choice should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Then, I¡¯ll bring you to the ce I used to frequent. I think you¡¯ll quite like it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered the ce that she frequented to have a rare sumptuous meal [1]. She recalled it being quite decent.

    ¡°Okay. I haven¡¯t been back in a long while, so driving around is a pretty good idea. Take me around to see the changes in City Z today then.¡± An easiness shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm gaze when he looked at her.

    She hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s my privilege.¡±

    ¡°Have breakfast then. We¡¯ll go out in a bit.¡±

    After Mu Yuchen said that, the two of them continued to quietly have their meal...

 Chapter 19 - When The Wind Rises and Rain Stops (1)

    <h4>Chapter 19: When The Wind Rises and Rain Stops (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though Sis Wang¡¯s culinary skills were excellent, Xi Xiaye could not eat much. She did not have any appetite after a bowl of the soup and a piece of <i>dimsum </i>.

    Mu Yuchen picked up a call across her. Before he finished his breakfast, he got up and went upstairs.

    It was only after about over an hour that she saw him on the phone again as he walked downstairs. When he saw Xi Xiaye watching television on the sofa and waiting, he gently raised a hand to gesture to her. Xi Xiaye nodded and then walked over to take her keys from the coffee table.

    She had just stepped out of the vi entrance when Xi Xiaye saw her car parked by the roadside from afar while his low-profile Phaeton was parked behind her car.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She suddenly stopped and turned to look at the man behind her. When she saw him still on the phone and even flipping through the documents in his hand, she thought it must be something rted to work.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye stopping to watch him, Mu Yuchen looked up at her too. His hand reached into his pocket and took out a car key before passing it to Xi Xiaye.

    He was clearly implying for her to drive his car.

    What about her car?

    Xi Xiaye looked a little at lost at him, yet she saw that he had already tossed the car key to her. Still on the phone, he walked toward the front passenger seat of his car.

    She caught the car keys and could only helplessly slide into the driver¡¯s seat of the Phaeton. She pulled open the door to hop in and very quickly started the engine. With the ease of practice, she reversed the car and in the blink of an eye, the car was already steadily driving away from the Maple Residence Vi.

    ¡°Mmm,ter I¡¯ll go over to take a look. You guys just prepare the proposal. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be back at thepany. Send the proposal to my desk next Monday. Any questions?¡±

    Mu Yuchen flipped through the documents on hisp as he spoke on the phone.

    A while after, he hung up.

    ¡°Where¡¯re we going?¡±

    She could tell that he seemed to be quite busy. He had just hung up on a call when another one came after.

    ¡°Take the Express Ring. Go to the south of the city. South River bridge.¡± He mentioned a ce, then looked up at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Do you know the way?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded before she pointed at the car¡¯s GPS. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t, there¡¯s this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. He put his documents away and turned to look out the window. It was already close to noon time then. All around, he could see many cars zip by while on both sides of the sidewalk, pedestrians walked in a rush.

    He suddenly bent down, took a CD out and put it into the yer. A soft and rxing light tune started to pour out from the speakers.

    The tune was one that Xi Xiaye was very familiar with. It was a piano number that she also really liked¡ª ¡°Bade pour Adeline¡±.

    ¡°You like Richard yderman¡¯s music too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a little shocked as she looked over at him and asked softly.

    Mu Yuchen straightened his back before slowly leaning back. There was a faint ease on his handsome face. ¡°I listen to it sometimes. Do you know how to y the piano?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she then shook her head a little defeatedly. ¡°When I was younger, I envied those who could y the piano very much. I thought of learning when I started school, but maybe because I¡¯m born clueless about music... I remember when I was in university, I chose a piano course. Later on, my teacher asked me to choose another specialty. She was worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to score and wouldn¡¯t get my diploma.¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed softly and his voice was perceptive. ¡°I can tell that your teacher looked after you quite well. Had it been someone else, they¡¯d probably have let you repeat the course until you passed.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled defeatedly. There was a shift in her twinkling eyes as she held the steering wheel steadily while her other hand habitually leaned on the car window, propping up her head.

    ¡°Nah, it was because she couldn¡¯t see any hope of me passing. I was a famous underachiever in school, a student that caused teachers the most headaches, especially in high school. The school calling my parents was nothing out of the ordinary.¡±

    When she recalled those times, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt an unnamed nostalgia. They had really been innocent back then. She would always skip sses with Su Nan. Because Su Nan and Ruan Heng were on different campuses, Su Nan would always skip sses to see him, and even dragged Xi Xiaye along. Back then, schools did not allow dating publicly.

    As he listened, the curve on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face gradually widened and he chuckled softly. ¡°Underachiever?¡±

    He muttered, then turned over thoughtfully and examined Xi Xiaye closely, smiling. ¡°They always say that underachievers struggle, that underachievers are tired, that underachievers can¡¯t sleep before an exam. Are you sure you¡¯re one?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a glimpse at him. She thought about it and then nodded earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m the type that loses five kilograms for every exam. Two weeks before an exam, I¡¯d basically be in hustle mode, bute to think of it, I really lived an enriching life back then. What about you? By the looks of you, you probably belonged to the species of top students.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled without a word. He turned his head slightly and watched the way she focused on driving while looking ahead. ¡°Where did you go for senior high school?¡±

    Senior high school?

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly as she thought about it. ¡°City S High. I got in with connections and I made it into the elite ss. Later on, though, I couldn¡¯t catch up on the homework, so I got pushed back.¡±

    City S High School, City Z¡¯s first aristocratic high school, was where usually powerful and influential students or the children of rich families studied. It was not enough just relying on family background; one still needed to have excellent results before they could enter.

    City S High School?

    Mu Yuchen suddenly raised his brows as shock shed in his eyes. Xi Xiaye caught his expression andughed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you were also in City S High School before!¡±

    After he fell silent for a while, Mu Yuchen suddenly said casually, ¡°Go to City S High¡¯s library¡¯s XX year¡¯s graduation wall and have a look. My name should still be up there.¡± His profoundly handsome face rxed a little as he turned over and looked out of the window.

    Outside was already unlike the cloudy weather the day before. The sky was still misty and the cold breeze blew incessantly. He could vaguely see that on both sides of the sidewalk, some traders had already started to put out all sorts of merchandise for the Chinese New Year.

    However, when Mu Yuchen said this, Xi Xiaye was startled. She looked a little surprised at Mu Yuchen. She did not expect him to be a schoolmate of hers too, or they could even be senior and junior although he was older than her by a few years.

    As she thought about this, she suddenly remembered something. It had been so long, yet she did not know his name...

    She had not asked about it before and eventer on, he did not offer it either.

    She hesitated for quite a while before asking softly, ¡°You...¡±

    As if he could read her thoughts, before Xi Xiaye could finish, his deep and terse voice quietly rang out in the narrow space, ¡°Mu Yuchen.¡±

    Mu Yuchen?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s first reaction was that she thought it sounded a little familiar as if she had heard that name somewhere before.

    However, she did not give it much thought. They were about toe to a busy traffic junction ahead, so she pushed all her thoughts aside and focused on driving.

 Chapter 20 - When The Wind Rises and Rain Stops (2)

    <h4>Chapter 20: When The Wind Rises and Rain Stops (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car sped through the Express Ring and very quickly reached the South River bridge.

    Underneath the bridge by the roadside, Mu Yuchen let Xi Xiaye park the car. Then, they walked for quite a distance along the sidewalk by the river. Xi Xiaye realized that he wanted to inspect thendform at the same time.

    The South River had been developed pretty well. Previously, Glory World Corporation had also nned to develop an Economic Development Zone, butter on, because they had to intensely follow up on another project, it had been temporarily paused.

    This man seemed to have a very far-sighted vision. The poption there was quite dense, and transportation was rather convenient too. If one were to develop this ce, the future prospects should be quite bright.

    Currently, although many people were still not optimistic about the area, she, however, personally thought highly of the ce.

    He did not stay there for long. After some deep thought on his part, the two of them returned to the car. It was already close to the evening at this point, so Xi Xiaye decided to drive straight to their dinner location.

    The ce that Xi Xiaye brought Mu Yuchen for dinner was not some high-ss restaurant. Instead, it was an extremely unique South River restaurant. Built on the edge of a hot spring by the riverside was a fresh and elegant little Chinese restaurant.

    ¡°Just order anything you want. Don¡¯t be shy with me.¡± Xi Xiaye handed the menu over to Mu Yuchen across her. Her eyes shone brightly with hints of sincerity and gratitude.

    Mu Yuchen epted the menu and elegantly flipped in open.

    ¡°The game here isn¡¯t bad, especially for hotpot...¡±

    He had just flipped open the menu when Xi Xiaye¡¯s low and light voice suddenly came through indistinctly. He looked up to see her eyes shining ever so slightly like stars, seeming vaguely hopeful.

    Ease shed across his indifferent, handsome face. Eventually, he went with her suggestion and ordered the hotpot with game as side dishes, plus a warm pot of green bamboo snake liquor.

    When he handed the menu back to the waiter and was about to ask if she wanted to add on anything, he noticed that she was already gazing out of the window a little absent-mindedly with her chin resting in one hand.

    He gestured for the waiter to retreat. Following her distracted gaze, he vaguely heard amusedughter outside from the depths of the plum blossom forest by the riverside. The plum blossoms were blooming, their petals fluttering about and scattering across the ground. Many people held hands as they walked slowly on the green pavement in the plum blossom forest. They were either a pair of lovers or a family of three...

    The restaurant was very efficient, so it was only a short while before the food was served.

    Xi Xiaye picked up the pot of liquor and silently filled up two empty cups. She gently pushed one of it to Mu Yuchen, while she picked up the other. With a frown, she then pulled her head back to finish it in a few gulps.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes shifted, suddenly appearing a little distant as she poured herself another cup and took a small sip. ¡°I¡¯ve also drunk this liquor once by chance. At first, I didn¡¯t like its taste, but I don¡¯t know when I started to get used to it. Try it, though I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be used to it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen quietly listened to her speak as he picked up his cup of liquor. He took a small sip and found that it tasted pretty delicious. It had a smooth and sweet taste and was fragrant.

    She vaguely remembered that her grandmother had once said that if a woman could be like the green bamboo snake liquor, it would perhaps be the perfectbination ¡ª mellow, rich and elegantly fragrant like the wine, hidden, beautiful, yet possess a terrifying poison like the snake, and retained the fresh culture of tea.

    However, sadly...

    It was quite a while before she snapped back to her senses ¡ª

    When she saw Mu Yuchen silently watching her from across, she smiled slightly and sounded apologetic as she said, ¡°Are you not used to it? Should I change it for a bottle of red wine?¡±

    Mu Yuchen shook his head. He put down the cup in his hand gently and looked down at the boiling hotpot in front of him. In a lowered voice, he said, ¡°I was just thinking. If we just drink like this and don¡¯t start eating soon, would the food inside be cooked into a pile of junk soon?¡±

    When she heard his solemn question, Xi Xiaye looked down into the pot and saw that the contents were already intensely boiling in the pot. She thenughed softly and cheerfully picked up her chopsticks to deftly choose a meatball. ¡°Try this. The meatballs here are pretty good, especially the prawn balls.¡±

    She dipped it with a little sauce before slowly putting it into her mouth.

    Watching her, Mu Yuchen picked up his chopsticks too and elegantly picked something from the hotpot. He fished out a thin slice of meat and was pleased to find that it did taste quite delicious.

    Waves of cool breeze brushed past. There was a faint fragrance of plum blossoms floating about the air, refreshing the mind and lifting one¡¯s spirits.

    When they walked out of the restaurant, it was already dusk. The dazzling neon lights covered the entire City Z in a blurred fantasy-like way, the faint shadows of the dim streetlights seeming a little bleak.

    In the driver¡¯s seat, Xi Xiaye rested her chin on her hand as usual while propping it up on the open car window, the other steadily steering the wheel. Mu Yuchen was rxed and had shut his eyes to rest. The car was filled with a very natural tranquility.

    Two people who did not know each other well just quietly sat there. In theory, they should feel a little awkward, yet weirdly, there were no such feelings between the both of them. Instead, it was as if the two of them were friends who had known each other for a long time. When they sat together, even if they did not say anything, they did not find it odd.

    The car steadily sped across the wide roads. Because they were passing the suburbs, there were not many pedestrians on the road. Sometimes only one or two cars were ahead of them.

    Xiaye vaguely remembered that the road she was driving on was rather isted, yet it was closer to Mu Yuchen¡¯s Maple Residence. It was considered an ident-prone section because there were multiple bends along the way and many long tunnels passing through mountains with lots of turnings. The terrain was also steep andplicated. Because of that, people would not usually take this route, even more so on such a quiet night like this.

    No thanks to the challenge of the roads, this ce seemed to have be a haven for some young kids who would have night races with one another. A few days ago, the newspapers seemed to have just reported the news of many luxury cars racing in this area.

    Just as she thought about this, as if in agreement with Xiaye¡¯s thoughts, there was suddenly the whizzing of vehicles speeding up from behind. Several bright lights pierced from behind. Because of the blinding light reflected in the rearview mirror, Xiaye almost could not open her eyes. The hurricane-like cars swept past her, then came sharp sounds of whistling.

    ¡°Beautiful, if you don¡¯t hurry up, they¡¯re about to close the roads up front! Want to make a dash for it together?¡±

    Amid the reckless and brashughter, one of the cars beside started to keep pace with Xiaye. A young fellow wearing a pirate bandana stuck his head out of the window and looked at Xi Xiaye to challenge her.

    Xi Xiaye shot him a cold look. Her brows frowned slightly but she nned to ignore them.

    However, another car beside that car had already drifted over and almost bumped into Mu Yuchen¡¯s car that Xi Xiaye was driving. Thankfully, Xi Xiaye was quick to respond and she quickly turned the steering wheel, evading them by a close shave.

 Chapter 21 - Racing, Master Mus Might (1)

    <h4>Chapter 21: Racing, Master Mu¡¯s Might (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Before Xi Xiaye could breathe, a strong light shed from the right side of her rear mirror as another car attacked from the right. This was when Xi Xiaye realized that there seemed to be more than ten luxury cars chasing after one another behind her. In fact, they seemed determined to get her to join their game.

    ¡°Beautiful, since your skills aren¡¯t that bad, try it out. Our destination is the entrance near the Grand Waves Vi. If you win, there¡¯s a generous prize ¨C an exclusive membership to our racing club!¡±

    When she saw both left and right sides sandwiching her in between, Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes dimmed. Quickly, the curve of a cold smile formed on her lips and a sh gleamed in her eyes.

    Racing?

    This game was actually one of her hobbies from a few years ago. Especially three years ago, almost every two or three days, she would gather with her fellow racers and enjoy the insanity that came with the speed. To her, racing was also a very effective way of venting and releasing her pent-up emotions.

    She remembered back then that her skills were considered top-notch among her group of friends. After stopping for three years, she was not sure whether her boldness and skills from back then were still just as good. Even though she liked driving fast, when it came to racing, it was not something she had done even once in the past three years.

    However, now, what was the harm of indulging just once after rediscovering that feeling from her past?

    When she thought about this, she also forgot about the man in the front passenger seat. With a snort, her hand that was propped up on the car window suddenly gripped the steering wheel steady and her eyes were filled with an indescribable calm and sharpness. She red at the cars that provoked her and suddenly floored the elerator. The entire car instantly sped up and sprinted ahead like an arrow leaving the bow string.

    Immediately from behind, there came the intense sounds of howling and even whistling. Instantly, the cars behind increased in speed and rushed to catch up with her. Suddenly, the quiet road instantly turned raucous with more than ten cars tearing forward extremely dangerously.

    The wind that surged in violently was akin to the cries of dragons and tigers while the temperature of the air against her face instantly dropped. Her hair that had been tied up had swiftly turned messy from the strong winds as her hair tie had long been blown away. Her flowing hair was interweaved like dark clouds, as it whipped around. Xiaye¡¯s eyes were focused and sharp as she stepped the elerator underneath her feet to its limit.

    The Phaeton that Xi Xiaye drove belonged to the low-profile luxury category. It was the type of car with staid and for honored individuals. Being more of amercial car, it was a four-wheel drive and the control function was not of themon run. For someone like Xiaye who had pretty impressive skills, it was not hard to control, but this was not suitable for the sporty edge of racing.

    Thus, it was not a car for racing after all. Like a Mercedes Benz, Porsche race cars were more agile and lighter. Winding roads were basically a Porsche¡¯s haven, so when they tackled a few curves and rushed through a right angle bend, Xiaye very obviously fell behind.

    When she saw another Hummer speed past her on the left, Xi Xiaye finally started to frown. She suddenlymented her skills; she just had not trained for a few years, and indeed she was out of touch.

    ¡°Want to beat them?¡±

    At this moment, there was suddenly a deep voice from beside her, startling Xi Xiaye. This was when she was conscious about someone being beside her. She turned over to look and realized that the man who had been resting had suddenly opened his eyes and stared ahead calmly. In the depths of his eyes, there seemed to be a hidden incisiveness.

    ¡°Do you have a n?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows and asked softly, her beautiful eyes twinkling with a hopeful glimmer.

    Mu Yuchen looked down at the speedometer in front of her. Then, a faint smile shed across his honorable and handsome face as he said in a baritone voice, ¡°Scoot over here. Allow me!¡±

    When she saw the flickering glow in his eyes that were sharp and filled with confidence, there was an indescribable grandeur that engulfed him as if everything were within his control.

    She hesitated for a moment before dly nodding. She then slowly stabilized the car. When the car was traveling across the straight high-speed route, she exchanged a look with Mu Yuchen, who held onto the steering wheel. Sharing an unspoken chemistry, the two of them jumped and swiftly switched ces.

    Mu Yuchen held onto the steering wheel steadily as the slightly wavering car instantly stabilized. He took a nce at the rearview mirror and realized that behind them, two race cars were about to speed up and attack them from both sides. Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips instantly turned into a perfect curve. The glimmer in his eyes suddenly turned sharper. Ahead, they were about to meet a semicircle turning.

    ¡°Sit tight,¡±uttered Mu Yuchen while he smiled coldly. Immediately flooring the elerator and going all the way, he pushed the car to its maximum speed. His hand swiftly turned the steering wheel to half a loop, and the car very beautifully and rapidly drifted past the two Hummers that had sped past them earlier.

    That was insane!

    A huge curve was looming ahead, yet he dared to push the car to its fastest speed! Xi Xiaye could not help but nag him on the inside. However, even so, she did not feel afraid at all as she sat in the co-pilot seat. The crazy winds that poured in tangled her hair and that sudden eleration had also destabilized her.

    Whoosh!

    They whirled past like a hurricane and the steering wheel seemed to have suddenly be an extension of him. It allowed him to flexibly control it as he wished, especially when they drove through the huge bend ahead. Not even slowing down in the least, the car drifted beautifully and ditched the few race cars that were speeding like beasts behind.

    The piercing sound of car tyres screeching against the ground tore through the night as the cars flew past and before the leaves of the trees along the road could touch the ground, the cars behind quickly chased after them. In an instant, more than ten cars seemed to have sprinted forwards like crazy hurricanes. In the blink of an eye, they vanished.

    The man handled the car very well; his angles and direction were beyond urate. When she saw one of the luxury cars that was ahead earlier being ditched behind, Xi Xiaye could not help but feel admiration for the man beside her.

    Even though the car was key, the driver¡¯s handling skills was even more crucial. This man¡¯s driving skills were quite impressive. The way he used his talents and the way he urately judged and grasped the dynamics of the situation unexpectedly made up for what the carcked. Even at Xi Xiaye¡¯s peak before this, she could barely do it, yet he was now controlling the car with ease.

    The car passed through the dark tunnel ahead at lightning speed. Quite a number of streetlights needed repairing, so a good distance of it was pitch-dark. Sometimes, there would be flickers of weak light from the cars behind. Despite the tunnel also being filled with bends, he still drove the car very steadily.

    After the car sped out of the tunnel¡¯s long, steep road, there was one more 90-degree ben. Upon looking down, they realized that they were already going to reach the Grand Waves Vi area, so the finishing point should be right ahead. Meanwhile, up front there were still two cars, a Cayenne and a Ferrari, running neck to neck.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly. She subconsciously turned to look at the man beside her, noticing that he looked extremely call as his eyes stayed fixed on the right angle bend. The two cars ahead had already started to reduce in speed, yet...

 Chapter 22 - Racing, Master Mus Might (2)

    <h4>Chapter 22: Racing, Master Mu¡¯s Might (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Swoosh!

    His car did not slow down as he tore ahead like a sharp arrow, surpassing the Ferrari beside them at lightning speed.

    ¡°What the heck!? Nut cases! Do they want to die!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a steep road ahead. Are they trying to die going so fast?!¡±

    As the string of curses came, in that instant as they approached the curve, he stepped on the brake and the steering wheel in his hand retaliated with a powerful turn. The car unexpectedly did a terrifying drift at an extremely high speed. It was practically mid air as it flew up before instantly passing the bend and smoothly driving ahead to the straight road.

    ¡°Bloody hell, is that God?!¡±

    ¡°Goddamn, that was cool! Who¡¯s that man!? He¡¯s mad reckless!¡±

    ¡°F*ck! That worked!? Bloody hell!¡±

    ¡°So cool! Domineering enough, mighty enough, headstrong enough!¡±

    The few cars that rushed up from behind had all witnessed this shocking scene. They could not help but widen their eyes in disbelief and immediately blurt out curses!

    Swoosh!

    The urgent and piercing squeals of brakes broke the air. The ck Phaeton was the first to cross the finishing line. The young fellows who were waiting at the closed-off intersection ahead while leaning on their car doors were all stupefied as they watched the car that raced over.

    Mu Yuchen turned off the engine, then he turned to look at Xi Xiaye and saw that she was still a little dazed. His lips instantly turned into a faint curve and his concerned voice slowly entered her ears. ¡°Are you frightened?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then snapped out of her daze. She lifted a hand to rearrange her messy hair slightly before she shook her head at him. As if she still felt frightened, she said, ¡°I was just a little surprised that your driving skills are this insane. In fact, when you really get into it, you can be so...¡±

    ¡°Recklessly crazy?¡± Mu Yuchen finished her sentence, seeing her body shiver slightly in the night breeze. He suddenly opened the car door, took off his ck windbreaker and casually threw it onto her, then he walked away from the car.

    The cool breeze brought with it a faint fragrance. She merely felt a ck figure pass her. Then, there was a weight on herp. When she looked down, she realized that his ck windbreaker had already fallen into herp.

    Xi Xiaye was startled and her hands tightened slightly. She could still vaguely feel the slight warmth from his body with the windbreaker on herp. Hesitating for a moment, she quickly nced up at Mu Yuchen.

    He had already taken out a box of cigarettes from his pocket and casually pulled a stick out. Taking a light whiff, when he saw her looking, his deep and extremely attractive voice slowly floated through the night air.

    ¡°Put it on. It¡¯s a little cold outside.¡±

    That tone bore an insistence that was hard to resist.

    Then, not too far away, one of the few young fellows who were waiting had walked over still in shock. He was about to say something when Mu Yuchen nodded at them and tossed his box of cigarettes and lighter to them. Swiftly catching it, they all passed it around to take a cigarette out. They lit their sticks and smiled with friendliness as they nodded at Mu Yuchen.

    That was considered a greeting.

    When she saw him looking behind while casually smoking, Xi Xiaye looked down at the ck windbreaker on herp again. She breathed in slightly and did not resist putting it on. Then, she pushed the car door open and slowly got down too.

    The night breeze was indeed very chilly. She had just gotten down from the car when a gush of cold wind attacked. She could not help but shiver as she gently rubbed her slightly frozen and stiff hands together. Then, she slowly walked around the car and made her way towards Mu Yuchen. Stopping beside him, she followed his gaze to look over at the cars speeding from behind.

    The bleak night breeze floated with hints of the smell of tobo. Beside them, the yellowish streetlights emitted a dim light, making the shadows underneath their legs appear very long and faint.

    Very quickly, the other racers started to dash past the finishing point one after another. They slowly steadied and parked their cars. They got out of their cars and walked towards Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Nice one, buddy! It¡¯s fine if you just look handsome, but you¡¯ve also got crazy driving skills that are practically God-like. We bros are stunned just watching you. How did you even do it?¡±

    One of the tall, dashing guys in a blue tracksuit walked up to Mu Yuchen. His expression was filled with admiration and he could not help but exim, ¡°Exactly! I could see everything clearly from behind. All of your drifts were executed beautifully. Even if you¡¯re reckless, that¡¯s not how any of us would have driven, especially when you were getting at the bend earlier. That was crazy!¡±

    The shock on the crowd¡¯s faces did not fade. They fixed their gaze on Mu Yuchen¡¯s God-like handsome face, admiration filling their eyes. Soon, they noticed Xi Xiaye who was standing beside Mu Yuchen too, and they all gasped.

    ¡°A handsome man and a beautiful woman! What a perfect match!¡±

    ¡°No wonder he went all out! If I had such a beauty, I¡¯d go all out too!¡± The man in the blue tracksuit could not help butment and the crowdughed along.

    ¡°Is she your wife or your girlfriend? She¡¯s pretty fine! Here, this is your prize, your spoils of war!¡± The man handed over a gift box and smiled as he said.

    Wife?

    Girlfriend?

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly. She was about to exin, but she saw that Mu Yuchen had already stretched out a hand to take the gift box. Distantly but courteously, he said, ¡°Thank you. Your skills aren¡¯t too bad either.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re alright. Compared to you, we aren¡¯t on the same level. You wouldn¡¯t happen to be a professional racer, would you? From the disy of your skills, I¡¯m afraid a normal professional racer wouldn¡¯t have such capabilities either. In fact, given such a car model, it was really impressive!¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed the gift box to Xi Xiaye before he shook his head indifferently and said in a lowered voice, ¡°No.¡±

    epting the gift box, Xi Xiaye saw that it was wrapped really well. There was even a delicate and beautifully tied ribbon on it.

    ¡°Miss, aren¡¯t you going to open it to take a look? Initially, we thought that tonight¡¯s gift would be Master Cheng¡¯s for sure, but who¡¯d have thought that an unexpected winner such as your husband would appear? You snagged our expensive and meticulously prepared gift so easily just like that. Master Cheng, you¡¯ve got to try harder next time and please your woman.¡±

    When he said, the tall, handsome guy called Master Cheng could only shake his head from the side and admit defeat, ¡°My skills aren¡¯t as good as his . There¡¯s nothing I can do about it!¡±

    When the crowd heard his sportingeback, they instantly burst intoughter and teased Master Cheng for a bit.

    ¡°Miss, open it to take a look!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m also very curious about what¡¯s actually inside. Look at the way they¡¯re being so mysterious!¡±

    ¡°Take a look! Is it some treasured object? We¡¯re quite curious too.¡±

    Beside her, people started to egg her on.

    Xi Xiaye was startled. She subconsciously looked up to Mu Yuchen, yet his deep gaze just swept across her and then lowered to the gift in her hand. His thoughts were obvious. He wanted her to open the gift box and take a look at what was inside.

    After falling silent for a while, Xiaye could only nod and then slowly pull the ribbon on the box. With suspense, she opened the gift box little by little. What came into view was...

 Chapter 23 - Racing, Master Mus Might (3)

    <h4>Chapter 23: Racing, Master Mu¡¯s Might (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She was a beautiful Barbie doll with waist-length blonde hair, wrapped in a stunning and luxurious lc princess dress. While she was very attractive, what attracted the people even more was the golden rose in the Barbie princess¡¯s hand!

    Screaming with exquisite craftsmanship, a delicate stem propped up the rose in full bloom. Underneath the dim streetlights, one could still vaguely see that golden rose had hints of a flirtatious crimson. Its magnificence made it hard for one to tear their eyes away.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    Indeed, once the gift made its appearance, the crowd instantly cried out in surprise. Gasps were heard and everyone¡¯s eyes widened as they stared at the box in Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand. Many women had already covered their mouths on the spot as shrieks and whistles rang out.

    ¡°Such generosity! I say that the people at the club are too biased towards you! Good thing it was snagged by another master like you. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn¡¯t concede defeat!¡±

    On the side, a sweet and pure-looking girl smiled and said as she looked at Xi Xiaye with envy, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re so lucky! This was meticulously nned and prepared by our club. This flower is called ¡®The Peak of Romance Under Speed¡¯ and it¡¯s a token to wish you both happiness!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled and she felt a little awkward. She looked up to Mu Yuchen, only to meet an unfathomable gaze. Just as her thin lips started to part and exin herself to the crowd, he suddenly tossed away the cigarette butt in his hand.

    ¡°Keep it. You drive. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    With those simple words, he waved to the crowd and walked around the car to get into the front passenger seat.

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she saw that he had already gotten into the car while the crowd was still smiling and looking enviously at her. She inhaled slightly and put the gift box away. Gently pulling on the wide, ck windbreaker on her, she returned to the vehicle and started the car.

    The car started to drive steadily ahead again. The cold breeze continued to pour in from both sides of the car window and it was a little chilly. From the corner of her eye, she could see that he was gently covering his forehead with a hand and frowning as he lightly leaned back in the car seat.

    After some thought, Xi Xiaye closed the car windows and turned the temperature in the car up. In her calm voice were hints of concern. ¡°The wind is strong and might give one a slight headache.¡±

    Mu Yuchen calmly leaned back onto the seat and looked up gently. From the side, he quietly asked, ¡°How long have you not practiced?¡±

    He could tell that she had probably been wild once. Her movements just seemed a little out of practice.

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye paused. Her cold gaze greeted his knowing gaze and she fell silent for a while. Then, she suddenlyughed gently as if to mock herself. ¡°You could tell?¡±

    After a short pause, a soft sigh floating into his ear along with the thin air. ¡°Three years. It¡¯s been three years. I don¡¯t have any special abilities. I just thought that racing was a very good way of venting my worries until... Later on, I suddenly felt like I¡¯ve lost interest in everything. Then, I stopped going back. Indeed, there are some things that will slowly be unfamiliar after you¡¯ve neglected it for too long...¡±

    Mu Yuchen watched her silently, noticing that both her eyes were focused on staring ahead. Her slim body looked very frail and some undertones of loneliness and destion were apparent on the fair and delicate side of her face. He stayed silent for a moment, then finally nodded gently. He tore his gaze away and slowly shut his eyes.

    ¡°Many people are used to stubbornly use other people¡¯s mistakes or the past to hurt themselves. However, this is actually a very stupid way to do things. Xi Xiaye, do you think you are someone like that?¡±

    His voice suddenly calmly brushed past her ears...

    <i>Xi Xiaye, do you think you are someone like this?</i>

    <i>Are you?</i>

    In that instant, Xi Xiaye found that she did not have an answer, so she remained silent. The light in her twinkling eyes started to shift. While he did not say anything either, he just leaned back to rest. The car gradually flowed with a vaguely warm atmosphere and the quiet air did not seem stiff.

    The car steadily drove through the clean and long cement main street, making its way towards the Grand Waves Vi area. The guards at the entrance were already different from the one they had seen when they left that morning.

    However, once the guard saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s car and the man himself resting in the front passenger seat, he very respectfully bowed at the car and swiftly opened the gates. He even stole a few more careful nces at Xi Xiaye who was in the driver¡¯s seat before he smiled and waved to greet her.

    Xi Xiaye also nodded gently at him before driving the car in.

    At the entrance of Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye steadily parked the car. Mu Yuchen seemed a little tired beside her, so much so that when the car stopped, he was still leaning back with both eyes closed and his breath was even.

    She thought about it for a moment before looking at him to gently call out, ¡°We¡¯re here. Get down. Go home and sleep.¡±

    After she said that, she did not see him react for a long time, yet his brows were still furrowed deeply. He seemed like he was not veryfortable.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡± Xi Xiaye could only raise her voice a little.

    This was when Mu Yuchen opened his eyes which were heavy with fatigue. He took a look at Xi Xiaye, then pushed the car door open to get down.

    These past few days, he had been pulling all-nighters. Last night, he was even up all the way to daybreak, and they had gone out and about that entire day. His body, which was on the weaker side, could not quite hold up. Further affected by the cold winds, he suddenly felt quite drowsy.

    Xi Xiaye put the car keys on the gift box in her hands before handing the entire thing over to Mu Yuchen as she smiled and said, ¡°Go back and rest well. Thank you for today. I haven¡¯t been this happy in a long time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned his body sideways. Seeing her beautiful little face sh with a bright and contented smile while her beautiful eyes filled with currents of gratitude, his indifferent face shed with peace too. He nodded gently and lifted a hand to ept the gift and the car keys.

    ¡°The prize is yours,¡± he simply said before beaming. Before Xi Xiaye could answer, he had already turned around and walked into Maple Residence.

    Xi Xiaye was shocked and she quickly raised the gift box in her hand. ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen a man like a Barbie doll or a rose? It suits you quite well.¡± His deep voice indistinctly floated in the night breeze while his figure gradually vanished from her sight...

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. The light in her beautiful eyes shifted and she looked over at the direction in which his figure vanished for a long time. Only when she saw the lights on the second floor of the vi light up did she regain her senses. She fell silent for a while and finally sighed to herself before walking towards her own car.

    She put the gift box on the front passenger seat. Starting the car, she then left Maple Residence.

    Maple Residence was still quite a distance from where her apartment was. Xi Xiaye took a huge round before returning to the area she stayed at. By the time she lugged a huge bunch of her belongings back home, it was alreadyte at night. She had a quick shower, prepared the next day¡¯s meeting materials, and then fell asleep from exhaustion.

    She had just received a call from Vice President Liu. The next morning at 9 a.m., Glory World Corporation¡¯s new Chairman was taking over, so naturally, she needed to be well-prepared.

 Chapter 24 - Hes The New Chairman Mu? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 24: He¡¯s The New Chairman Mu? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, Xi Xiaye woke up as usual. She got ready and went out with a thick briefcase and her own handbag after having a light breakfast.

    As she went to get her car in the garage, she realized that the ck windbreaker Mu Yuchen had given her the day before was quietly sitting on the front passenger seat. She frowned and remembered that she had forgotten to return it to him.

    She hesitated for a bit, then put it in her bag. Putting her briefcase and handbag on the side, she started the car.

    The car moved towards the direction of Glory World Corporation swiftly. Along the way, Xi Xiaye looked around for aundry shop and finally found one.

    ¡°When can I get it back?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she took the receipt.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done tomorrow, Miss,¡± replied the shopkeeper.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯lle and pick it up tomorrow evening.¡±

    She kept the receipt and returned to her car. It had taken her quite some time to find aundry shop and she hoped that she could make it as she had never beente to work before.

    She sped up as she thought about it.

    At the moment, in the middle of the busy Tor Avenue in City Z, before the entrance of an enormous building, five men in ck suits and two simrly clothed women were standing there attentively as if they were waiting for someone.

    Every employee was surprised. The seven of them were the top elites of thepany: the three Vice Presidents and the four Directors. They were not usually seen in public, so it was surprising to see them all gathered at the entrance. Some big shot must be arriving that day.

    ¡°I heard the new Chairman Mu ising. Otherwise, there¡¯s no way that these Vice Presidents and Directors would wait here!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! The Master ising and so is his elite think tank from abroad. All of them are handsome blondes! I¡¯m really looking forward to it!¡±

    ¡°Right! I really want to see how the Master looks like. Everyone said that he¡¯s extraordinary... A handsome man approved by all of City Z. I wonder what kind of woman he likes...¡±

    ¡°Get lost! It¡¯s definitely not someone like you. Hmm, why are there only seven people? I don¡¯t see Director Xi...¡±

    ¡°Where is she? Could it be that she¡¯s not attending events like this too? Oops, the guards areing over. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ...

    The employees started gossiping and only left the scene when the security guards chased them away.

    ¡°Vice President Liu, isn¡¯t Director Xi really arrogant now? Doesn¡¯t she know that the new Chairman Mu ising today? How can she be sote?¡±

    An unhappy voice broke the silence. Among the group of the top brass at the entrance, a woman in a grey suit huffed impatiently.

    The woman had a good figure, a sharp chin, and even sharper eyes. She looked very capable. With light makeup on, she appeared around 30 years old, but she was actually nearly 40 and was one of the project directors of Glory World Corporation.

    Vice President Liu who she called out to was Vice President Liu Lingyu, a skinny, middle-aged man. The old Chairman had recognized his capabilities and appointed him as Vice President.

    Glory World Corporation had three Vice Presidents in total: Liu Lingyu, Wen Haiming, and Zhang Lan. They were all talented individuals in the field of business and had stayed in Glory World Corporation for over 20 years.

    Under the Vice Presidents were the Directors. Many of them were sent away to other subsidiarypanies. Including Xi Xiaye, there were currently five directors in the main branch of thepany.

    The woman who had spoken up just now was one of the directors. Her name was Liu Peilian and while she was a capable individual, she was not very popr with her colleagues. Nevertheless, she performed her job well, which was why she could reach the position of being a director.

    ¡°Director Xi requested leave from me yesterday. She¡¯s probably sick, so it¡¯s understandable that she might bete. Chairman Mu isn¡¯t here yet, is he?¡± Liu Lingyu nced at Liu Peilian unhappily.

    The person who had called him yesterday was Chairman Mu. Director Xi must have know Chairman Mu personally, but Xi Xiaye was always on time. Why was she runningte today?

    Liu Lingyu was worried about her.

    He was the one who had brought Xi Xiaye up ever since she joined thepany. The girl was smart and hardworking. As she was one of his best subordinates, of course, Liu Lingyu would be unhappy when Liu Peilian criticized her.

    Liu Peilian kept her mouth shut after being told off. She nced over at Vice President Wen Haiming who just red back at her unhappily without saying anything.

    The female Vice President Zhang Lan hesitated for a while before voicing out her thoughts, ¡°Vice President Liu, it¡¯s a big event that Chairman Mu ising for today. Would he feel disrespected with so few people weing him?¡±

    ¡°The Master doesn¡¯t like causing a big fuss. It¡¯s fine as it is. Just wait patiently!¡± Liu Lingyu replied and then rubbernecked into the distance. Finally, several ck luxurious cars slowly came closer.

    ¡°He¡¯s here!¡±

    They were surprised and quickly stepped forward.

    Four cars slowly stopped in front of the entrance of Glory World Corporation. The car up front stopped right beside the door and three cars followed right behind it.

    The doors of the three cars in the back opened quickly as four handsome, blonde, foreign men came out. Each of them was nked by two bodyguards in ck suits and sunsses.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve arrived!¡± Li Si got down from the car swiftly and opened the door of the passenger seat.

    Mu Yuchen who was still reading the meeting documents slowly closed the files. He handed them to Li Si and stepped out of the car.

    ¡°Congrattions for taking over Glory World Corporation, Master!¡± Under the lead of Liu Lingyu, the management team went up to congratte him.

    Mu Yuchen wore a casual, white suit that day. As he stood before the entrance of Glory World Corporation, he raised his head and took a long look at the tall building that almost reached the clouds. His eyes brightened a little, then they returned back to their usual calmness.

    He nodded and then walked right through the entrance. Abruptly, he said, ¡°Inform all the rted personnel that I¡¯d like to have a meeting now.¡±

    He disappeared after leaving the message with Li Si and Ah Mo quickly following him.

 Chapter 25 - Hes The New Chairman Mu? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 25: He¡¯s The New Chairman Mu? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Soon, the crowd at the entrance quickly caught up with the figure in white.

    Just several moments after the crowd left, Xi Xiaye rushed into the building with her thick briefcase.

    It was already past 9 a.m. and it was her first time beingte to work. Moreover, given that it was the first day of the new chairman arriving, hopefully, the new Chairman Mu would not give her trouble on this special day.

    She sighed and without giving much thought to it, she went straight up to the meeting room on the 57th floor.

    At this moment, inside the clean and neat meeting room on the 57th floor, the long tables were sandwiched by people, and the room was filled with a heavy atmosphere.

    As everyone was looking at the handsome but distant young man, he was studying several freshly submitted projects. With his face devoid of expression at the moment, he caused a certain degree of uneasiness for everyone.

    Most of them had heard about Chairman Mu¡¯s unorthodox method of expanding the business abroad, and everyone was worried misfortune would befall them as there were internal rumors about him intending to restructure the management level.

    Now, everyone was just staring at Mu Yuchen while trying to not make a sound.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen put the document down and raised his head to face everybody. His eyes nced over at an empty seat on his right side and he frowned.

    ¡°Is someone on leave today?¡±

    Li Si quickly responded when he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction, ¡°Chairman Mu, that¡¯s Director Xi¡¯s spot. She might¡¯ve been dyed by something since she¡¯s always on time. I¡¯ll give her a call now and check what happened to her.¡±

    A tall and cool man stood up anxiously. Just as he was about to call Xi Xiaye, hurried footsteps came right into the meeting room. Before anyone could react, the door to the meeting room was opened from the outside.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte!¡± Xi Xiaye halted in her tracks and apologized. Her face was slightly red due to her rushing.

    She caught her breath and scanned everyone over. As she was shuffling towards her ce, the man chairing the meeting gave her a shock.

    How could it be him!?

    Mu Yuchen...

    The new chairman of Glory World Corporation, her current boss!

    It took a while for Xi Xiaye toe back to her senses. It was no wonder that she thought his name was familiar when he told her yesterday...

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and looked at the girl who had just barged in. His eyes seemed calm as ever while some people were throwing mixed nces over at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Go back to your seat. There¡¯ll be no exceptions the next time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then turned away.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and went over to her seat. She quickly pulled the meeting documents out of her briefcase.

    The meeting room fell silent once again.

    After a moment, Mu Yuchen spoke in his deep and cold voice, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the project with the Wang Corporation in City S? Please report on the progress.¡±

    The manager-in-charge stood up nervously as he flipped through the documents and started giving an update.

    The manager endured through the pressure and reported the whole progress of the project clearly. Historically, it was impossible for a manager in Glory World Corporation to break under such a meager challenge.

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything and just sat there as he quietly listened to the manager¡¯s report. He just nodded and reminded him of several important pointers to take note at the end.

    Moving forward were the reports for several big projects which were handled by special teams and were not under Xi Xiaye, so she just listened and did not give any opinions.

    ¡°Director Xi, please tell us about the progress for New Era za.¡±

    Xi Xiaye just realized Liu Lingyu had already finished his report and it was now her turn.

    There was a short silence before she flipped her documents open.

    Her voice was cold and firm. ¡°The New Era za project is allpleted. Currently, we¡¯re in thetter phase of observation to monitor the business operations. I¡¯ve analyzed the data here. The oue is simr to our expectations. More detailed information will require further market research.¡±

    She then raised her head and looked at the cool Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. Li Si went towards Xi Xiaye and took the documents from her and handed them to him.

    He flipped through them and finally said something after being quiet for a long time, ¡°I¡¯ve gone to New Era za personally. It looks pretty good in general. Vice President Liu, get someone to follow up on it and it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    He slowly closed the documents as he spoke.

    ¡°I went to the South River Bridge yesterday and remembered that someone did a proposal about developing that area before. I¡¯ve discussed it with the Vice Presidents and we think it has potential although it¡¯s being put aside due to other projects like New Era za and Jewellery City.¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned around and looked at Li Si who quickly passed him another document.

    Looking through it, he gave Li Si an eye signal and thetter then handed some photocopies to the few Vice Presidents present.

    Liu Lingyu exined, ¡°Chairman Mu, this proposal was made by Director Xi and Director Chu, who¡¯s been stationed outside now. I feel that theirbined effort was bold and very fresh, so I handed the proposal to the old chairman.¡±

    ¡°Now that New Era za and Jewelry City are finishing up, I¡¯d like to try this proposal, but I¡¯ll need a more specific proposal. Is there anyone confident enough to take this project up?¡± Mu Yuchen said and then looked at everyone.

    They all nced at one another. After some whispering here and there, everyone coincidentally locked their eyes onto Xi Xiaye.

    The number of resources and materials required for such a big project would be unimaginable. Many people would love to try their hand at it but were afraid to.

    It was a super huge project with a shockingly enormous amount of investment. While she was the one who suggested it, it would still be a challenging task for her to carry it out.

    As Xi Xiaye was about to decline, the man at the front seemed to have already made his decision and took away her chances of rejecting it.

 Chapter 26 - Xi Xiaye, I Believe In You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 26: Xi Xiaye, I Believe In You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Since that is so, I hope that you¡¯ll take charge of this project, Director Xi. I¡¯ll give you a month¡¯s time and hopefully, you can present a sound proposal at the next monthly meeting. Any problems?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep and calm voice concluded.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly and looked at the documents Liu Lingyu had handed her. She hesitated for some time before looking up at Mu Yuchen who was reading through some documents. ¡°I...¡±

    He raised his head slightly when he heard her voice, his quiet, dark eyes meeting hers. He spoke up when he saw Xi Xiaye hesitating, ¡°You can tell me if you face any difficulties. I¡¯ll get two experienced assistants to help you. Aren¡¯t you confident in yourself, Director Xi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised by his tone as she realized that he had a lot of faith in her. Vice President Liu Lingyu kept signaling her with his eyes, so she helplessly nodded and said, ¡°Thank you for having faith in me, President Mu. I¡¯ll do my best and not let you down.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and then looked at everyone. ¡°I hope everybody can work on your delegated tasks. Talk less and do more. There¡¯ll be rewards if the quota is met every quarter. If there¡¯s a surplus of results, I¡¯ll take 5% of the pure profits from your department and give it as a bonus. How much you get depends on how hard you work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! We¡¯ll do our best!¡±

    Everyone was hyped up. Who would not be excited to know that they could get more money?

    It was unexpected for Chairman Mu to be so generous and use such reinforcements to encourage the employees. Would everyone not work hard in order to get the bonus? They would get more if they worked more!

    ¡°Any more problems?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Everyone shook their heads.

    ¡°Meeting adjourned.¡±

    Mu Yuchen stood up and left the meeting room with Li Si and Ah Mo swiftly following him.

    The others left the meeting room as well.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s office was on the 51st floor which had a simple and elegant design and was pretty spacious as well. Behind therge office table was a huge window. Outside the window, one could see the sea. Altogether, it was a very pleasant working environment.

    Tok-tok!

    There was a rap on her door moments after Xi Xiaye sat down.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Xi Xiaye had her eyes glued onto herputer screen and just reacted inly.

    The door opened and her assistant Xiao Mei came in, bowing politely. ¡°Director Xi, Chairman Mu¡¯s assistant Li Si called and said that Chairman Mu wants you to go to his office.¡±

    The Chairman¡¯s office?

    Xi Xiaye paused before raising her head and looking at Xiao Mei. She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. ¡°I got it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to work then!¡±

    Xiao Mei then left the room swiftly.

    Xi Xiaye felt a sudden headache as she was reminded of the new development project. It was difficult for her to handle such a huge project alone. She might need to gather a team and conduct a thorough analysis. Only then she mighte up with a moreplete proposal.

    She thought that she would have to share her sentiments to her supervisor.

    She was about to tell Liu Lingyu about it, but she remembered that it was Mu Yuchen who had appointed her directly and not through Liu Lingyu, so she probably had to tell him anyway.

    Xi Xiaye stood up and left the office with the documents on her table.

    The chairman¡¯s office was on the 58th floor, the top floor of the building.

    When Xi Xiaye arrived, she saw Ah Moe out of the room with a stack of documents in his hands. He greeted politely when he saw Xi Xiaye, ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    Xiaye nodded slightly and her fair face softened. She had a favorable impression of Ah Mo as he had helped her on several asions like when she burnt her hand.

    ¡°Hello, Assistant Ah Mo!¡± She replied.

    ¡°Please go in first. However, you might need to wait for a while because Master is talking to the Elder Madam!¡± Ah Mo made a phone calling gesture with his hand.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll wait inside. You can go on with your work.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she looked at the stack of thick documents in his hands.

    Ah Mo patted the stack of documents and passed by her as he smiled.

    Xi Xiaye knocked on the door, but the door opened by itself after knocking. It was not locked.

    She pushed the door and saw Mu Yuchen standing facing away from her while on a phone call.

    Mu Yuchen turned around when he heard footsteps. He nodded lightly at Xi Xiaye when he saw her enter before he pointed at the desk nearby.

    ¡°I know, you don¡¯t have to worry. I hope nothing simr happens in the future again.¡±

    Mu Yuchen spoke to Wang Hui with a slightly impatient tone. She was really desperate to find him a partner. Sometimes, it would be the granddaughter of an oldrade. Another time, it might be the daughter of some high-ranking official. He was really getting tired of her nagging these past few days.

    ¡°Chen, I¡¯m doing this for your own good. You said that you¡¯re busy working, so I¡¯ve filtered the girls for you, and you can look through them and marry one that you like. Isn¡¯t it great to kill two birds with one stone? You get a wife, we get a granddaughter-inw. Businessmen like win-win situations and this is a win-win deal. Your grandfather and I are really bored after retiring. If you don¡¯t get us something to do, of course, we¡¯ll bug you,¡± Wang Hui said forcefully.

    ¡°I told you that you can go to France to rx with Grandfather. Lingshi¡¯s over there now on a holiday. She¡¯ll onlye back after some time, so you guys can get her to apany you.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s indifferent tone came through the phone.

    However, Wang Hui was starting to get impatient. How could she let this brat avoid this issue after so long?

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want my granddaughter-inw. I want a great grandkid. Just you wait and see if I don¡¯t get them by next year. You¡¯re the same as your grandfather. You guys won¡¯t do it if I¡¯m not forceful enough!¡±

    Wang Hui¡¯s angry tone came through the phone, making Mu Yuchen frown. ¡°Grandmother...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m reaching thepany soon. I¡¯ll talk to youter. You¡¯d better watch out if you dare give me any more excuses again!¡±

    Before Mu Yuchen could say anything, Wang Hui hung up.

    The loud voice even reached Xi Xiaye who was silently flipping through the documents at the moment. She never expected that Chairman Mu of Glory World Corporation would face such a situation at home as well.

    However, Mu Yuchen and her had met through that silly game of blind dating too. Xi Xiaye could not help but smile as she suddenly thought about how funny it was.

 Chapter 27 - Xi Xiaye, I Believe In You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 27: Xi Xiaye, I Believe In You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen put his phone down. The moment he turned over, he saw Xi Xiaye trying to hide her simper as she looked down at the documents.

    He paused and then smiled. ¡°You canugh if you think it¡¯s funny. You don¡¯t have to hold it in.¡±

    He then walked past Xi Xiaye and sat in his chair.

    Xi Xiayeughed lightly and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s just... I didn¡¯t expect you to be the same as me...¡±

    ¡°I take it that you¡¯re always bothered by such problems as well?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows, his eyes brightening slightly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded in embarrassment. ¡°Su Nan and my mother are very worried about me, so...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I remember, like when we first met.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and raised up her scalded hand. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really grateful for your help again and again. I have no idea how to repay you.¡±

    Help again and again?

    Mu Yuchenughed as his tone was apanied by a sense of gentleness and rare humor. ¡°There are lots of ways to repay someone. One good example is to devote your heart to that person.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She felt awkward and did not know what to say.

    Mu Yuchen quickly covered up the awkward situation as he looked at her and pointed at the documents she was holding. ¡°This was the proposal you¡¯ve submitted before. I¡¯ve looked through it and made some revisions. Take them as a reference and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help you out on your workload.¡±

    Xi Xiaye opened the documents and scanned through them. Indeed, several details had been revised and he had written the words personally. His writing seemed powerful and charismatic just like the man himself.

    She was surprised and impressed. After a while, she looked at him calmly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll submit a thorough proposal to you a monthter.¡±

    ¡°You can let me know what you need. This project might be the main focus of next year, so we have to be meticulous in the initial phase of work.¡±

    ¡°I got it. I think I might need to set up a team to conduct a detailed analysis research toe up with a targeted n,¡± said Xi Xiaye after giving it some thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Ruiz and Casey help you. As for setting up a team, it¡¯s up to you. Thepany will coordinate with your ns. Right, there are a few images here that might be useful to you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then swiftly typed a bunch of words on hisptop. Then, he opened a folder with several design images inside.

    Xi Xiaye moved and stood beside him, focusing on the screen.

    ¡°This is the design for a project in France. It¡¯s going through a review at the moment, but it¡¯s simr to the project you¡¯re doing, so you can take it as a reference.¡±

    Going through a review?

    Was it not a top secret file of thepany then?

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise. Suddenly, she had no idea what to say.

    Without waiting for a reply, Mu Yuchen looked away from the screen and raised his head to see Xi Xiaye looking at him.

    He smiled as he suddenly thought of something. There was a short silence before he said, ¡°Xi Xiaye, I believe in you.¡±

    His words moved Xi Xiaye deeply.

    As a person so proud that she did not even bother to exin herself, it was so much like the previous version of her, which was what made him believe in her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand that was holding the document clenched slightly and her fingernails slowly turned white. Her eyes shifted with a distant light as she took a shallow breath and nodded after a while. Just as she was about to say something, there was a quick knock on the door.

    They both looked at each other and then looked at the door together while Li Si entered.

    ¡°Master, Elder Madam is already here. She...¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned when he heard Li Si¡¯s news.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back down first.¡± Xi Xiaye quickly packed her documents.

    ¡°There are copies of the design. If you want to look at them, juste over anytime,¡± Mu Yuchen assured.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then swiftly left the office.

    Time passed by quickly after a day of busy work. Soon, evening came. Xi Xiaye wanted to get home earlier to start preparing for the uing project, but she had an unexpected visitor at the entrance of Glory World Corporation.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    On top of the stairs, Xi Xiaye looked at the sad and gentle-looking Xi Xinyi. Her expression darkened and she put up a cold aura around her. Her icy reaction made Xi Xinyi pale.

    ¡°Sis...¡± Xi Xinyi called out to her feebly, ¡°Thepany is in trouble. Grandmother was too worried and suddenly fainted. I¡¯ve been calling you but couldn¡¯t get through, so I came here directly. Please go and take a look at her. Father is still in City B and can¡¯te back now. Mother is worried that Grandfather might overthink, so she did not tell him. She¡¯s waiting outside the operating room now. I don¡¯t know what to do and I¡¯m scared... Grandmother hasn¡¯t been well for some time... I¡¯m really worried, Sis...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were filled with fear as she just stared at Xi Xiaye.

    Thepany was in trouble?

    Xi Xiaye frowned. How was it that Yueying Culture Media under Grandmother was not doing well? She had seen from the television that they had just contracted several big projects and were really busy with it recently, so why was there suddenly an issue?

    ¡°Which hospital?¡± Xi Xiaye asked after a small pause.

    Xi Xinyi replied quickly.

    Xi Xiaye had mixed feelings regarding her grandmother Deng Wenwen. Before Xi Xinyi came to her family, her grandparents had really doted on her. Then, everything changed after Xi Xinyi arrived. She became the stranger at the corner, watching themugh together like a real family.

    ¡°Xiaye, your sister likes your room. Swap with her.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, Xinyi is attending a dinner with me. Let her wear the dress I bought for you before. You¡¯ve never worn it anyway.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, how could you let Xinyi into the water knowing she has a frail body? What have I taught you?¡±

    ¡°Since Han Yifeng and Xinyi like each other, why are you so stubborn? Wouldn¡¯t you be happier letting them be together?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the mayor¡¯s daughter. Don¡¯t you have all the men in City Z to pick from? You¡¯re making everyone uneasy. Your grandfather fell sick because of you as well. How can you be so selfish?! Why do you have to fight with Xinyi?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really childish. I¡¯m so disappointed in you!¡±

    Suddenly Deng Wenwen¡¯s words echoed clearly in her ears and she felt a pang of anguish in her chest.

    Sometimes when a person ran away from a certain something, fate would haunt the person with that same thing.

    When they arrived at Hospital T, Deng Wenwen had just finished her surgery and was on the way to the recovery ward.

    The doctor had said that it was a sudden stroke and that she would have died if she had not reached the hospital in time.

    Xi Xiaye stood by her bedside and looked at Deng Wenwen who was still unconscious. Yue Lingsi looked worried. When she looked at Xi Xiaye, her eyes seemed strange and she also frequently stole nces at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye asked coldly.

 Chapter 28 - Cold Kinship

    <h4>Chapter 28: Cold Kinship</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes lit up, but her expression darkened. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Yueying Culture Media contracted several big projects some time ago. Thepany was focused on them when suddenly, the investors backed out. The Vice President ran away after embezzling a huge sum of money from thepany, and now Yueying is facing a huge financial crisis. Your grandmother...¡±

    Backed out?

    Why did that happen so suddenly?

    Xi Xiaye looked at Yue Lingsi in doubt, her eyes filled with sorrow.

    ¡°It all started with Xinyi. The master of Qi Kai Group has been interested in Xinyi for a long time now and wanted to marry her, but you know Xinyi and Yifeng are inseparable, so, of course, she wouldn¡¯t agree to marry that person. Then, Qi Kai Group backed out in anger, and under such circumstances, the Vice President stole thepany¡¯s funds and ran away. Your grandmother was extremely shocked about it and passed out.¡±

    Yue Lingsi suddenly turned around and looked at Xi Xiaye. After a while of struggling, she finally mustered her courage and said, ¡°Xiaye, I know the whole thing about Han Yifeng is Xinyi¡¯s fault. All of us still can¡¯t get over it in the past few years, especially your grandparents. They¡¯re really worried about you.

    ¡°However, Han Yifeng and you are matters of the past. He¡¯s truly in love with Xinyi and I hope that you can move on and let them be. Your grandmother has been really worried about you. She¡¯s afraid that you might not be taking care of yourself well alone, so she¡¯s been trying to find you a good partner.¡±

    At this point, Yue Lingsi paused and her eyes held a very faint sense of insincerity. She bit her lip and said, ¡°Actually, the master of Qi Kai Group isn¡¯t bad at all. He¡¯s tall and handsome andes from a rich and prestigious family. All the women in City Z are dying to marry into the Qi family, which is pretty decent. I know thedy of the Qi family. They¡¯re an easygoing bunch...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes turned cold upon listening to her. Steeling herself, she put up an icy cold grin and asked, ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°So... so...¡±

    Yue Lingsi looked down.

    ¡°Let me say it.¡± An old and exhausted voice interrupted them.

    ¡°Are you awake now, Mother? How are you feeling? The doctor said you¡¯ve overexerted yourself. You can¡¯t get worked up...¡±

    Yue Lingsi seemed surprised and went up to her. Xi Xiaye realized that Deng Wenwen had already opened her eyes without anyone even noticing. Her old pair of eyes were still looking sharp.

    ¡°Help me get up.¡±

    While Deng Wenwen¡¯s voice sounded weak, her aura was still as strong as ever.

    Yue Lingsi helped her up and put two pillows behind her back while Xi Xiaye just stood there as she watched Deng Wenwen silently and calmly.

    ¡°Sit down!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s tone sounded a little frosty. Obviously, she was not very pleased with Xi Xiaye. ¡°Do you still know that you¡¯re a member of the Xi family? You don¡¯t evene back when your grandfather was sick or when your sister came back? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye maintained her cold grin as she epted the scolding. ¡°Why should I go back? I¡¯d go to a doctor if I was sick, I¡¯d go back home to eat. What can I do if I go back there?¡±

    Deng Wenwen did not anticipate Xi Xiaye to talk back to her. Back then, no matter how much she was criticized, Xi Xiaye would just keep quiet and now...

    Deng Wenwen frowned and her expression darkened. Yue Lingsi quickly eximed, ¡°Xiaye, how could you talk to your grandmother like that? Your grandmother can¡¯t take any more stress now! The doctor told us just now, didn¡¯t you hear?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s grin grew wider as she stood straight and turned to face the window. It was as if she did not hear Yue Lingsi¡¯s words.

    ¡°Yueying is the blood and flesh of the Xi family, so she¡¯s also my family. I never expected to face something like this and it¡¯s my fault. I know you¡¯ve been upset about Xinyi and Yifeng, but don¡¯t you forget that you¡¯re part of our family too. How can family members hold grudges against each other? Moreover, everyone can see that Xinyi has been really worried about you for the past few years.¡±

    Deng Wenwen softened after looking at Xi Xiaye for a while. ¡°It¡¯s not a critical moment for the Xi family. I just hope that we can unite together and ovee this challenge. We have to get those big projects from the Qi Kai Group. In the current industry, with Yueying facing such circumstances...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiaye. Yueying is the hard work of us Xi family. All of your grandmother¡¯s effort is in it. You have to save Yueying!¡± Yue Lingsi pleaded anxiously.

    ¡°I save Yueying? How? Did you guys appoint me to take a high position in Yueying? Or do you guys think I¡¯m some sort of ruler of Qi Kai Group?¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought it was a joke.

    ¡°You can save Yueying as long as you agree to marry the master of Qi Kai Group. If you¡¯d agree to marry him in ce of Xinyi, then it¡¯d solve all these problems. After all, you look quite simr to Xinyi, so the master of Qi Kai Group will surely be happy with your looks. The Qi family wanted a daughter-inw from a prestigious family and you¡¯re the mayor¡¯s daughter. So, with that fact and your looks, it¡¯ll definitely be enough!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes were brimming with confidence as she spoke.

    Xi Xiaye inherited the beauty features of Shen Wenna. Her looks and aura were a notch higherpared to Xi Xinyi¡¯s. If it were not for her personality, if it were not for... Deng Wenwen still willing to love her, unfortunately...

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. Very strong dark thoughts muddled her head as she stared at Deng Wenwen, thinking that she had misheard something. ¡°What did you say just now? Marry the master of Qi Kai Group in ce of Xi Xinyi?¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, the master of Qi Kai Group is great. Qi Lei is the only son of the Qi family. With their huge business and background, it¡¯s even bigger than the Han Corporation. With all that, you can forget about Han Yifeng soon, and maybe you can even get married on the same day as them!¡± Yue Lingsi exined excitedly.

    ¡°So, you guys can¡¯t wait to push me out and get me to rece Xi Xinyi as your bargaining chip to solve Yueying¡¯s crisis?¡± Xi Xiaye turned to look at Deng Wenwen with an air of indifference and a forced smile.

 Chapter 29 - Marriage? Dream On!

    <h4>Chapter 29: Marriage? Dream On!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye could not believe they had actually uttered those words to her.

    After all these years, they still thought of her as the little coward who would just obey whatever they said. As long as she was ever slightly useful, they would never let go of her!

    ¡°What do I have to do with Yueying? Because of the 10% of shares Grandfather said he¡¯d give me back then? What else? Just what does Yueying have to do with me aside from that virtual 10 % of shares I have?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were mocking them while she looked at them coldly.

    ¡°To be honest, I have no idea how both of you can still ask me of this. Aren¡¯t you always acting all high and mighty since you guys really think you¡¯ve given a lot for me? Why should I be the sacrificialmb of this marriage?¡±

    Her cold taunting made Deng Wenwen¡¯s sharp eyes cloud over with madness!

    Xi Xiaye had changed so much!

    She would never have said something like this before, but in just a few years, she had totally changed. Deng Wenwen looked horrified and even Yue Lingsi clenched her fists while staring at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xiaye, can you agree to this for Xinyi¡¯s sake? Qi Lei is much better than Han Yifeng.¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s tone softened and she started begging.

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you let Xi Xinyi marry him? He¡¯s that great anyway, maybe even better. Moreover, you said the master of Qi Kai Group is interested in Xi Xinyi, so why should I marry him in ce of her?¡±

    Xi Xiaye found Yue Lingsi ludicrous.

    Deng Wenwen red at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, don¡¯t you dare forget that Xinyi saved your life at the deep alley behind our old residence! That dagger would¡¯ve stabbed you if it weren¡¯t for her. Since then, her body has been frail and it¡¯s all because of you! How could you be so ungrateful?¡±

    <i>Xinyi saved your life!</i>

    Ungrateful?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s body frozen and her face went pale.

    She forgot?

    How could she forget about it?

    It was that night, that moment when Xi Xinyi jumped towards her that the Fates decided Xi Xiaye would lose everything!

    She could never forget the scene where Han Yifeng desperately grabbed Xi Xinyi and rushed out. She could never forget that p from Deng Wenwen which made her cheek sting. She also could never forget the cold and stern re from her father...

    What could she say? She actually did not need Xi Xinyi¡¯s help at all!

    What could she say? That she could have avoided it, but Xi Xinyi freaked out and grabbed her hands, making her unable to react quickly?

    Why had Han Yifeng been there? Where did the perpetratorse from? Did they not think of these things?

    Xi Xiaye suddenlyughed at herself wryly. ¡°I see... It seems that you guys resort to this same reason every time you want to force me to do something. I really had no idea that it¡¯d be so difficult to repay someone¡¯s debt.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. It¡¯s because of that incident that Xinyi¡¯s body is still frail now. Don¡¯t you think that you should be responsible?¡±

    Deng Wenwen stopped ying nice. Her tone became frigid. ¡°Your grandfather¡¯s birthday ising up soon. I don¡¯t want to argue with you right now. Juste home on that day and we¡¯ll talk it out with everyone else.¡±

    She almost forgot that Deng Wenwen was a headstrong person. The words from her mouth were like an order, forcing anyone to obey her.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled instead of getting angry. Looking at Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi indifferently, her thin lips formed a smile. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll go back since it¡¯s Grandfather¡¯s birthday, but to sacrifice myself for the sake of Xi Xinyi and you guys? Dream on! Also, I suddenly think that Yueying going downhill and even bing bankrupt might be the one thing I look forward to! Oh right! Isn¡¯t Xi Xinyi an international star? She might be able to save Yueying since she¡¯s a much bigger lifesaver than me!¡±

    Xi Xiaye took her sunsses out and put them after her speech. She spun on her heel coolly and walked right out.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s blood pressure nearly spiraled out of control again as she red at Xi Xiaye angrily as she left. If it were not for Yue Lingsi, she would have gone berserk.

    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! Great! She¡¯s all grown up now! What a nuisance!¡± Deng Wenwen was gasping for air as she shouted.

    ¡°Mother, what should we do now? With her being like this now, we can never convince her!¡± Yue Lingsi frowned and was feeling desperate. ¡°Mother! Xi Xiaye isn¡¯t taking the Xi family seriously anymore. I heard that she¡¯s climbing higher up the corporatedder of Glory World Corporation, so she¡¯s acting all high and mighty now. Unfortunately, Xinyi is still worried that she¡¯s not doing well.¡±

    ¡°What can she do? No matter what she bes, she¡¯s still the flesh and blood of the Xi family! I¡¯ll have my ways to make her sumb to me!¡± Deng Wenwen was no ordinary woman; her cocky stare reassured Yue Lingsi.

    ...

    Walking past the dark corridor in the hospital, the pathway suddenly felt infinitely long. There was no end no matter how far she walked...

    Xi Xiaye swallowed the bitterness and just smiled at herself. She found herself a pitiful wreck. Never expecting the people closest to her to rob her of her family and the love of her life, she could not believe that not only did they want her to forgive her. They even wanted to use her as a bargaining chip.

    It was not that she did not care. She just naively thought that things would still stay the same if she made somepromises, but sometimes, it would not matter how many sacrifices she made.

    ¡°Sis, are you going back? How¡¯s Grandmother?¡±

    Turning around the corner, she saw Xi Xinyiing up to her as she clung onto Han Yifeng intimately.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s frail beauty garnered people¡¯s sympathy easily. The moment she saw Xi Xiaye, she let go of Han Yifeng and went up to her, her expression appearing apologetic and sad.

    Xi Xiaye did not even look at them and just walked past them. Her eyes seemed as calm as ever like she was just walking past air...

    Her skinny figure soon disappeared under the dim light. Xi Xinyi started to tear up and Han Yifeng¡¯s heart sank slightly as well as he held Xi Xinyi in his arms.

 Chapter 30 - An Invitation Card

    <h4>Chapter 30: An Invitation Card</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Night soon fell and the busy city was still lively as ever.

    In the chairman¡¯s office on the 58th floor of Glory World Corporation.

    Mu Yuchen stood before the window and his watchful eyes were looking at the countless lights below with a calm expression. He had two-thirds of a cigarette butt left in between his fingers and there was a faint smell of tobo in the air.

    ¡°Master, Mayor Xi has just sent an invitation card over. It¡¯s Elder Xi¡¯s 70th birthday this weekend. Are we attending?¡± Assistant Li Si¡¯s voice came from behind him.

    ¡°Mayor Xi?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned a little as he wondered who the sender was.

    ¡°It¡¯s the mayor of City Z, Xi Mushan. Elder Xi Jiyang has stepped down from the government. He used to work in the same position as the one our old Master is in right now.¡±

    Li Si exined quietly, ¡°Back then, the old chairman would usually send gifts during Elder Xi¡¯s birthday, or he would attend it personally, but now Old Master has gone abroad and won¡¯t be back anytime soon. The current Mayor Xi is someone powerful. I heard he removed a huge group of people the moment he stepped up and several big enterprises fell because of this, so...¡±

    Mu Yuchen extinguished the cigarette as Li Si finished his sentence. Turning around and taking the invitation card from Li Si¡¯s hand, he opened it and took a nce, then he swiftly returned it back to Li Si.

    ¡°We¡¯ll send a gift to him then.¡±

    He then picked up his windbreaker and simply slung it over his shoulder, he then walked out.

    ¡°Got it, Master! I¡¯ll call Ah Mo over to drive.¡±

    Li Si picked his briefcase up and caught up with him.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Load the things into the car. I¡¯ll drive myself tonight.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s skinny figure disappeared out of the door after he issued his order.

    On the other hand...

    Xi Xiaye did not go back home after leaving Hospital T. Instead, she went back to thepany, exhausted.

    The weekend started the next day, but in her hurry, she had forgotten that she had left some documents in the office. Because she wanted to put in more effort since she was assigned to such a big project, she was going to use the weekend to arrange her thoughts.

    No matter what, life went on. She forced herself to endure the bitterness and did not want to think about it anymore.

    The office was empty when she returned. Except for the security guards and cleaners, she did not see anyone else.

    She swiftly left the office after retrieving the documents.

    Thepany was very quiet at night and she did not have to wait long for the lift as well.

    She was flipping through the documents while waiting for the lift when she heard the sound of a bell and the door opening. She walked in without looking at all.

    She did not notice that the closed lift door had caught the hem of her shirt. As a result, she tripped on her high heels after walking several steps inside.

    She screamed and all the documents in her hands scattered around. She thought that she was about to hit the ground, but a strong hand prevented that. Falling into a warm chest instead, the fresh scent of tobo filled her nose, then she heard a light chuckle.

    ¡°Be careful. Why are you always so clumsy?¡±

    It was a very familiar voice!

    Xi Xiaye raised her head and saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face along with his grin. His eyes looked like the stars in the skies and Xi Xiaye almost got lost in them. Fortunately, her strong willpower swooped her back to reality swiftly.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen! Why... no, Chairman Mu... Howe you¡¯re leaving thiste?¡± Xi Xiaye blushed slightly as she stepped back awkwardly and asked.

    ¡°There were several urgent documents to be taken care of. If everyone in thepany were as hardworking as you, I¡¯m sure thepany¡¯s revenue would be doubled within a year.¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned away from her beautiful face and focused on the documents she had dropped instead.

    ¡°I¡¯m just hardworking because I¡¯m stupid,¡± Xi Xiaye replied embarrassedly. She squatted down and started to pick up the stuff she dropped when another voice interrupted her, ¡°I¡¯ll get them, Director Xi.¡±

    A pair of huge hands started picking up the papers on the ground.

    ¡°Assistant Li?¡± Xi Xiaye just realized that someone else was in the lift.

    ¡°Director Xi, you really are a dedicated employee, only leaving work now.¡± Li Si smiled as he was arranging the messy documents.

    ¡°No, I just forgot some documents and came back to take them.¡± Xi Xiaye waved the documents in her hands. Suddenly, she saw that among the stuff she picked up, there was a red invitation card.

    It was the Xi family¡¯s invitation card!

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment when she saw the invitation card. Her movements faltered for a second as well, but she recovered after that and returned some of the documents to Li Si. Her expression went back to normal very quickly.

    However, the sharp Mu Yuchen saw everything as he stood there.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and also... well, thank you!¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen and thanked him after she was done picking up all her stuff.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned warm. ¡°Can¡¯t you say something else apart from these two words, Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was confused. ncing at his odd smile, she gave it some thought and then replied seriously, ¡°Thank you very much then, Chairman Mu!¡±

    Before Mu Yuchen could react, Li Si could not hold in hisughter. He was notughing at Xi Xiaye¡¯s ¡°thank you very much¡±, but Xi Xiaye¡¯s serious expression on her blushing little face was rather funny!

    Xi Xiaye felt embarrassed when she heard the chuckle. She turned around without looking at Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction and acted as if she had not seen or heard anything...

    At that moment, a voice that made her feel like sticking her head into the ground spoke up.

 Chapter 31 - Need A Marriage (1)

    <h4>Chapter 31: Need A Marriage (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Director Xi, your drawing of that pig is really good!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice floated into her ears followed by Li Si¡¯s cheerfulughter.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment before turning back. Li Si was staring at a certain direction on the ground. Following his line of sight, her whole body trembled and her face turned red!

    A drawing had fallen right beside Mu Yuchen¡¯s feet. On the paper, there was a pig, a snake, and a woman holding throwing knives. The pig seemed pretty realistic with a knife plunged right into its heart. The name ¡°Han Yifeng¡± was written right above it while the snake was cut into half with the name ¡°Xi Xinyi¡± scrawled above it. The woman who seemed like a queen was stepping on the snake and below her were the words ¡°Queen Xi Xiaye¡±.¡¯

    It had probably fallen out of her folder just now.

    It was true that she had drawn the pig, but the snake, the woman, and the names were all added by Su Nan who had flipped through her drawings the day she came back. On a whim, she just added all the extra stuff.

    Xi Xiaye really want to disappear at that moment. She quickly rushed over to pick up the drawing, but ¡ª

    Arge hand was quicker than hers and picked the drawing up first.

    ¡°Give it back!¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression turned flustered and regretful as Mu Yuchen took the drawing. She saw him shoot her a mischievous look and she started to get angry.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen! Give it back!¡±

    She tiptoed and tried to grab it, but he raised his hand and she could not reach it at all.

    Mu Yuchen was over 180cm tall while Xi Xiaye was just over 160cm. Her height barely reached his chin, so of course, she could not have reached the drawing if he raised his hand.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your drawing to be pretty good, Your Royal Highness? Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and shot a nce at Xi Xiaye; it was an odd and childish look.

    Xi Xiaye was really frustrated as she red at him and her face became even redder. Li Si¡¯sughter was not helping the situation. The perfect image she had been trying to hold up was going to be ruined!

    A sudden call saved her from this embarrassing situation.

    She took out her phone and saw the name ¡°Su Nan¡± appear on the screen.

    Xi Xiaye quickly tapped the phone and answered the call. Su Nan¡¯s sweet voice came through apanied by a slight tone of anger and worry. ¡°Xiaye! It¡¯s me!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she heard that Su Nan¡¯s tone did not sound right. ¡°Did Ruan Heng look for you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about him and me. Xi Xiaye, didn¡¯t you look at the messages I sent you? I¡¯ve been calling you and you didn¡¯t pick up. Where did you go?¡±

    Su Nan startedining and she sounded as if she had just eaten a bomb.

    ¡°What messages? I left my phone in the office. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I made an appointment for you tomorrow. He¡¯s pretty good overall. He¡¯s a son of my father¡¯s good friend who just came back from abroad and is a Masters degree holder. I used to y with him when we were kids. He¡¯s quite tall and good-looking... I don¡¯t care! You have toe out and meet him tomorrow!¡±

    Su Nan started to ramble on and on. Her loud voice was especially clear within the enclosed space and Xi Xiaye could not help but move the phone further away from her ears.

    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Su Nan asked when she did not hear any response from Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye put her palm over her forehead. Just as she was about to reply, Su Nan interrupted her, ¡°Xiaye, I just saw that cheating pair near Hospital T. I¡¯m really mad at their lovey-dovey acts. I overheard that they are getting engaged soon. Xiaye, don¡¯t you feel like turning the tables around? Get married to an exceptional man before their marriage! Show them how good you can be and reign at the top! I¡¯m just... so... frustrated!¡±

    Su Nan could not help but berate them as she thought of their faces.

    Engaged?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s chest felt weighed down and her facial expression froze as well.

    ¡°Right, Xiaye, are you going back for your grandfather¡¯s birthday this weekend? I think you shouldn¡¯t. You might get disgusted when you see their faces!¡± Su Nan huffed.

    Xi Xiaye took a light inhtion. As she remembered Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi¡¯s attitude back at the hospital, she put up a cold smile and her tone was chilly. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s Grandfather¡¯s birthday. Of course, I¡¯ll go back! They should be the one hiding, not me.¡±

    ¡°But... I¡¯m worried about you. Who knows what that witch will do?!¡± Su Nan¡¯s tone softened as she was genuinely worried.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and her voice became gentler as well. ¡°Thank you, Su Nan. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve gone back. I should go back even if it¡¯s just to take a look at Grandfather. I have to go back to the Chen residence tomorrow. I¡¯ve got something to do.¡±

    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll reschedule the appointment then. Please be careful on your own. Give me a call if there¡¯s anything. I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll feel upset when you saw that cheating couple!¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hung up and she unconsciously clenched the documents she was holding with a bitter smile on her face.

 Chapter 32 - Need A Marriage (2)

    <h4>Chapter 32: Need A Marriage (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ding!

    The sound of the lift rang and the door opened.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath, seeming a little out of it as she walked out of the lift. She appeared to have forgotten about Mu Yuchen and Li Si behind her.

    ¡°Di-¡±

    As Li Si was about to call out to Xi Xiaye, he stopped when he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s face.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes had darkened slightly as he looked in the direction Xi Xiaye left. He only exited the lift slowly after a short while.

    ¡°Master, Director Xi seems to be rted to Mayor Xi. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Xi Xinyi is the daughter of Mayor Xi and Han Yifeng is the master of Han Corporation. Both of them have just returned from abroad not too long ago. There¡¯s also news that the Xis and the Hans are going to be connected through their marriage. Han Yifeng is probably getting engaged to Xi Xinyi. As for Director Xi...¡±

    Li Si felt doubtful. Actually, the whole of Glory World Corporation was not very familiar with Director Xi¡¯s background. She was rather secretive and never really talked to anybody aside from work-rted matters. It was near impossible to know her personal information.

    ¡°Oh right, Master, I¡¯m not sure if you remember Xi Xinyi. The Imperial Sky Jewelry City is finishing up soon and the Public Rtions Department was thinking about inviting her to be ourpany¡¯s jewelry ambassador. She¡¯s very popr now. After all, as a young girl with a very positive image, she¡¯s pretty great overall. The Public Rtions Department sent you the proposal several days ago and you gave the green light too,¡± Li Si exined when he saw that Mu Yuchen did not say anything.

    ¡°Imperial Sky Jewelry City? One of the projects within Imperial Sky Entertainment City?¡± Mu Yuchen asked after giving it some thought.

    Li Si nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, Master! It¡¯s one of the projects within Imperial Sky Entertainment City which is nearly done now. All the shops are filled and we¡¯ll be able to run it very soon. The nning Department and the Public Rtions Department are working on the opening ceremony. By estimates, we¡¯ll be able to have the opening ceremony by the Chinese New Year.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s handling this project?¡±

    ¡°Master, this project is handled by Director Xi and Director Chu. After Director Chu shifted away, all the nnings and execution were mostly done under Director Xi¡¯s supervision, including the phase to recruit businesses to join. After that, it¡¯s the nning Department and the Public Rtions Department¡¯s job to work on the opening ceremony. The old chairman was happy with her efficiency, which was why he appointed Director Xi to handle New Era za.

    ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve read the news in the past few days. Yueying Culture Media that¡¯s run by the Elder Madam of the Xi family initially contracted several big projects with Qi Kai, but Qi Kai suddenly backed out. Moreover, the Vice President of thepany embezzled thepany funds and ran away to another country. It seems to be in a bad state at the moment. Xi Xinyi is from Yueying. During the meeting with her about the contract, she briefly mentioned that she¡¯s interested in bing an actress. She¡¯s probably inviting us into the movie and television industry.¡±

    Li Si took a pause after reporting everything he knew about the situation to Mu Yuchen. Then, he asked, ¡°What do you think about the movie and television industry?¡±

    He knew that his boss avoided of such industries but still, he asked quietly and carefully, ¡°The old chairman had such thoughts before and wanted to give it a try to boost Glory World¡¯s image.¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly thought of something and a cold light passed through his eyes. He asked as he nced at the drawing in his hand, ¡°Did the Public Rtions Department sign the contract with the ambassador already?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I heard they signed the contract yesterday. They¡¯lle over and discuss the specifics in a few days¡¯ time. I heard about it from the people in the nning Department. However, this matter should be handled by Director Xi¡¯s subordinate, Vice Director Xu. He should know about all of that.¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly frowned and looked at the drawing again. After a while, he wordlessly handed the drawing to Li Si.

    Li Si quietly observed Mu Yuchen and noticed that his eyes seemedplicated, but he did not ask much and took the drawing carefully, keeping it in the folder in his hand before following him.

    ...

    The wind was chilly at night. By the roadside two kilometers away from Glory World Corporation building, Xi Xiaye frowned as she tried several times, but the car just would not start at all. She left the car feeling defeated as she realized that something was wrong with the car.

    A strong wind blew towards her the moment she stepped out of her car and her whole body shivered as her waist-length hair got riled up into a mess.

    She sighed helplessly and tried to fix her messy hair before popping her car bo up and looking around. There was a malfunctioned part but she did not have a toolbox even if she wanted to fix it. After some thought, she took her phone out and made a call to the car repairpany.

    The moment she found the number in her address book, a ssy, dark silver Porsche stopped before her. Before she could react, the window rolled down and a strong-willed voice called out to her, ¡°Get in the car!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised to see Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face and was not sure how to react.

    Mu Yuchen sighed helplessly. He pointed his long finger at Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°Xi Xiaye, get into the car!¡±

    Xi Xiaye finally reacted she heard her name being called. She hesitated and said, ¡°My car broke down. I don¡¯t want to get invited to the police station for a tea session.¡±

 Chapter 33 - Need A Marriage (3)

    <h4>Chapter 33: Need A Marriage (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes that were as deep as the ocean eyes skimmed Xi Xiaye as he took his phone to call Ah Mo toe over and handle this. Then, Xi Xiaye got into the car a little helplessly.

    After Xi Xiaye put on her safety belt, Mu Yuchen started the car and drove slowly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want your drawing anymore?¡±

    The sudden deep voice broke the silence in the car, also startling Xi Xiaye who had been leisurely leaning back in the car seat and looking out of the window at the nightscape.

    She unhurriedly turned over and watched him focus on driving. She hesitated for a moment and her silent eyes twinkled with a dim light as her thin and calm lips gently parted. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±

    He had already seen it anyway, so she did not mind anymore.

    ¡°I know those words aren¡¯t your handwriting.¡±

    He had thought about it before suddenly saying this. When he did, Xi Xiaye immediately raised her brows and looked at him in surprise.

    ¡°On the South River project proposal that you previously handed in, your signature and handwriting were there,¡± he exined.

    ¡°How do you know that I don¡¯t actually think this way? I¡¯m afraid that I really am that malicious!¡± Xi Xiayeughed a little bitterly and sighed disappointedly, ¡°Seeing them being happy together, I don¡¯t feel calm inside at all. I keep having the urge to destroy them, yet I hold myself back...¡±

    ¡°That means that you¡¯re a normal person. You should feel happy about that,¡± Mu Yuchen quietly replied. He paused, then suddenly said in a lowered voice, ¡°However, I don¡¯t deny that what your friend said made some sense. To let the past be the past, the most straightforward way would be to start a new life, turn the tables. Let everything go and then forget it.¡±

    When she heard his advice, Xi Xiaye suddenly fell silent. Su Nan¡¯s words from earlier still clearly echoed in her ear.

    <i>Get married to an exceptional man before their marriage. Show them how good you can be and reign at the top! Take your revenge...</i>

    The n sounded quite ideal but how many people could really find the guts to sumb to this madness of self-exile?

    Marriage was not racing. Would she find the courage?

    Besides, where was she going to find someone to be as crazy as her to be so unruly and be sent into exile too?

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye suddenly lowered her eyes a little sadly. She inhaled and helplessly propped a hand on the car window at the side, gently holding her head that was a little dizzy and tilting her gaze ever so slightly. Her eyes were a little dazed as she watched Mu Yuchen driving. Her light voice softly came through. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t bear the consequence. Besides, this would be extremely unfair to the person who¡¯s invested in the rtionship. I can¡¯t just create another tragedy because of a tragedy, can I?¡±

    ¡°How do you know that you¡¯d be creating a tragedy and not aedy? You can¡¯t just keep being so pessimistic about things. Otherwise, the only thing you¡¯re trapping is yourself.¡±

    He suddenly sighed lightly. With his extremely low voice, that way, he did not know whether he was talking to the girl beside him or to himself.

    It seemed like Mu Yinan¡¯s aged voice started to echo in his ears again.

    <i>Chen, let the past be the past. Life still has to go on...</i>

    Suddenly, he felt a little tired.

    Yes...

    He felt tired...

    These days, people who were stranded in time wandered about for years in this lonely and sad city, filled with the damage done from years ago. Only time could wipe away all of the memories, so maybe, he shoulde to some sort of realization too.

    He felt a mix of emotions and he thought about it for a long when suddenly his heart skipped a beat. He did not know what prompted him to suddenly step on the brake. The Porsche that had been moving forward at the speed of light abruptly stopped. He suddenly turned his head and looked at the girl who held her head with her eyes shut.

    Her beautiful little face looked a little gloomy under the dim lights. It looked as if there was a light, an indescribable air of mncholy around her. She seemed a little worn out too and he suddenly realized that she was actually very thin. Her body shrunk underneath the windbreaker and appeared very frail.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye... I think, maybe you¡¯re the same as me. You need a marriage too.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Xi Xiaye who had been resting on the side suddenly felt herself stiffen. She slowly opened her eyes and quietly turned her head to gaze at the slightly distracted man beside her. What met her sight was his jet-ck eyes that were as dark as the night sky. His pupils condensed with a shifting light. She could not see through him at all, yet she seemed to pick something up from it.

    Such as sincerity.

    Or say, fatigue and pity.

    Was he taking pity on her? Or on himself?

    She knew that he should be someone with a story too, but she did not want to ask too much. After all, other people¡¯s rtionships had nothing to do with her. Even if she knew about it, it was meaningless.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Her twinkling eyes started to turn misty as she looked at him in astonishment. Her head had not yet wrapped around what he just said.

    Mu Yuchen saw her looking a little dazed, then his calm lips suddenly turned into a shallow curve. His deep voice had a rare tenderness in it. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, marry me. Be my wife, be the headdy of Glory World. That way, you should be able toe out ahead.¡±

    His words were blunt and straightforward like a sudden p of thunder that shed across the pitch-ck night sky, instantly turning Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind temporarily nk. She was so shocked by his words that she was stunned.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye astonished for quite a while without responding, he smiled calmly. He was always the kind of person to immediately n and act whenever he had a thought.

    Many years of his military life and business experience had formed the decisiveness he had today, further settling his calm and cool personality.

    As a businessman, he would always prioritize pursuing a win-win situation. If he married this girl beside him, perhaps it would be a good thing for both of them, would it not?

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to sleep on it. Let me know your answer in three days, hmm?¡±

    He gazed at her quietly. His low voice was gentle while carrying an indescribable charm...

 Chapter 34 - His Tyranny

    <h4>Chapter 34: His Tyranny</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye kept silent. Her usually clear eyes that were looking at him gradually zoned out into a daze. Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze that could see through everything could very quickly catch on to the mixed feelings she felt.

    Startled...

    Helpless...

    Even a faint, uneasy mncholy...

    ¡°What does your silence mean?¡±

    When he saw her keeping silent for quite a while, he suddenly smiled. His tone was resounding and did not allow defiance. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to say anything, then I¡¯m just going to take it that you agree.¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    When she heard his words, Xi Xiaye then returned to her senses. Just as she was about to say something, she was stopped by Mu Yuchen. His profound eyes looked at Xi Xiaye with a gaze that made Xi Xiaye feel like she had nowhere to escape.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your answer right now without having you considered it. Sleep on it when you get back. I trust that you¡¯re a smart person. You should know what kind of answer to give me.¡±

    The man¡¯s tone was low yet firm, stopping the words that were about toe out of Xi Xiaye¡¯s mouth.

    Her clear eyes looked at him for quite some time before her light-colored lips gently parted. She thought about it and then asked, ¡°Why? With your qualities, I¡¯m afraid the entire pool of City Z¡¯s women would be yours to pick.¡±

    When he heard her question, Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze paused. He suddenly lowered his gaze silently and seemed to contemte for a moment before he abrupted looked up. ¡°There doesn¡¯t need to be a reason for everything. If you really want an answer...¡±

    As he said this, he paused and silently looked at Xi Xiaye. His voice was muffled while being sincere. ¡°I still need a wife... and I don¡¯t repel you. Don¡¯t worry. Marry me and I¡¯ll do my best to satisfy all of your needs. I just need your loyalty.¡±

    He suddenly turned his head over and took in a shallow breath. He looked indifferently out of the window at the dim streetlights. ¡°Are you satisfied with this answer?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a little startled. Her confused eyes stared at him for quite a while before she quietly tightened her fists and lowered her head without a word.

    ¡°Remember my words. Now, I¡¯ll bring you for dinner.¡± Mu Yuchen had already retrieved his gaze and nced at her before starting the car once again.

    He was blunt and decisive,pletely ignoring whether or not Xi Xiaye could handle it. Xi Xiaye looked up at him and saw that he was already focused on the road ahead as he continued to drive. She could only frown a little...

    The dark silver Porsche had swiftly driven through the cold, hazy night, going past a few busy traffic ports, shuttling past the flickering lights of brilliant colors, andstly stopping in front of a high-ss Western restaurant.

    ¡°If you have any more questions, think about it when you get back. Now, get down from the car to eat.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked towards Xi Xiaye who was still a little absent-minded on his side. He could not help but chuckle before pushing the car door open to get down.

    Xi Xiaye then reacted. When she saw that his tall figure had already bypassed the car, she followed him.

    ¡°Hello, Master!¡±

    When the valet at the entrance saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure, he quickly walked up to greet him enthusiastically.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and tossed his car keys over to the valet who very knowingly caught them. However, when he turned around, he almost bumped into Xi Xiaye. It was fortunate that Mu Yuchen pulled Xi Xiaye away in time.

    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡±

    The valet apologized in panic, especially when he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s gently furrowed brows. He was afraid that he was going to get fired just like that.

    ¡°No worries. Be more careful next time.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled, then she looked up at Mu Yuchen.

    Obviously, he understood that gaze and did not say anything. He just slowly let go of his hand that had cuffed onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s wrist before walking into the restaurant while the valet retreated gratefully.

    They followed the restaurant manager and found a private room. Mu Yuchen casually flipped open the menu that the manager had delivered.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    His deep and perceptive voice was heard.

    ¡°The most expensive one,¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly said, seemingly acting in a fit of pique. When she thought about how he stopped her words right away earlier, she felt a little unhappy, and of course, there was the thing about the pig drawing too.

    When she said this, the man opposite her paused. He looked up from the menu with astonishment and the light in his dark eyes shifted. Studying her with some interest, he then very admiringly nodded and smiled. ¡°Very good. I didn¡¯t expect your ss-consciousness to be this high.¡±

    When he said that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face instantly blushed. She shot him a re unhappily. Then, seeing the restaurant manager holding hisughter back too, she instantly felt a little embarrassed. She could only turn her head away and silently look at the row of unevenly decorated little light decorations that were emitting a soft light, not saying another word.

    Mu Yuchen did not trouble her either. He gently turned to look at the restaurant manager and quickly ordered two sets of steak, a bottle of red wine, and some dishes.

    The restaurant was highly efficient and it was only a short while before the food was served.

    A gentle and pleasant piano tune started to y. Underneath the soft yellow lights, Xi Xiaye could very clearly feel the chill around her break up bit by bit. As she silently watched the man opposite her who was elegantly pouring her a ss of wine, there was suddenly mixed emotions in her eyes.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry? Why are you watching me?¡±

    He noticed that she had not moved, so Mu Yuchen thenughed softly. ¡°To answer you, it is the most expensive dish, so you can enjoy it to the fullest.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then awkwardly retrieved her gaze. She looked down and picked up the knife and fork before her clear voice was finally heard. ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m not just letting you order the most expensive thing and then pay for it to thank you for helping me out tonight?¡± She asked while sulking.

    Mu Yuchen looked up a little astoundedly at her. He thought about it and then said softly, ¡°You¡¯ve already treated me to a meal before this, so I don¡¯t mind you thanking me in a different way.¡±

    When she saw that meaningful look in his eyes, Xi Xiaye immediately thought of his words in the office today. Taken by surprise, she then replied after a while, ¡°But I like thanking through treating people to meals.¡±

    ¡°Did you learn all of that from being in the business world all these years?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as his long arms reached over to help her slice her steak with familiarity while Xi Xiaye just thought about it a little distractedly. When she saw what he was doing, she turned nk at that moment, and then sighed softly, ¡°Maybe... actually, I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d have such thoughts too.¡±

    He retrieved his hands and said, ¡°Where are all of your thoughtsing from? Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Mu Yuchen, you¡¯re pretty good at slicing,¡± Xi Xiayeplimented as she took a look at the steak on her te.

    ¡°It should be on the same level as your drawing skills.¡± The man did not know what humility was.

    ¡°Can the two even bepared?¡±

    ...

 Chapter 35 - Returning Late

    <h4>Chapter 35: Returning Late</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they were done with dinner and finally left the restaurant, the streetlights were gloriously shining outside. The wind was very strong and very cold while the night sky seemed to be a little depressing, and the air wafted with humidity.

    It was already the beginning of spring. City Z was a city close to the south, so every year after spring began, there would always be a period of time when the weather was like this. This year, spring had arrived earlier than the past years. In particr, this season was not one that Xi Xiaye liked.

    She looked up a little helplessly at the drizzle outside the car window. After a while, Xi Xiaye suddenly turned to look at the man who was driving with concentration. The car was very quiet, so quiet that they could almost hear the sound of them breathing.

    ¡°y some music,¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly said.

    ¡°The CDs are in the hiddenpartment below,¡± replied Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye bent down, opened the hiddenpartment, and casually picked a CD out. She reached out to turn on the yer and put the CD in. Soon, some distant singing crooned.

    The song was a very familiar one. It was a very, very old song, Zhang Guorong¡¯s ¡°There Is Only You In My Heart¡±.

    <i>Looking back slowly at the night when we belonged to each other.</i>

    <i>You are still the red sunshine that keeps my heart warm.</i>

    <i>If I am silly enough to shed my tears, please be considerate and forgive me,</i>

    <i>After parting with you tomorrow morning, the road may be lonely and long,</i>

    ...

    <i>Even though there were thousands of romantic encounters</i>

    <i>On my way ahead,</i>

    <i>Even though there were thousands of night stars</i>

    <i>That are brighter than the moonlit tonight,</i>

    <i>At least, let them bepared to the deep affection between us...</i>

    ...

    She was not sure why as she listened to this singing, Xi Xiaye vaguely felt an unnamed sorrow. As the song was about to end, she suddenly could not hold herself back and reached out to click on the repeat button.

    ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re a nostalgic person too. It¡¯s just a song, but you already rte?¡±

    After a long while, Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep and perceptive voice was suddenly heard from the side. His tone sounded vaguely warm like the wind that blew past underneath the dim, yellow streetlights, appearing a little surreal.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this CD yours?¡± Xi Xiaye asked softly.

    Mu Yuchen smiled but did not respond. Instead, a dim light glowed in his silent and starry eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that this seems quite rtable to us?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly looked at him.

    Aa faint smile shed across his honorable and handsome face. His deep and intoxicating singing was very warm and sentimental.

    ¡°Even though there were thousands of night stars that are brighter than the moonlit tonight,

    at least let them bepared to the deep affection between us... Never would I appreciate them, because tonight you sing with me...¡±

    His low singing voice entered her ears and she felt a slight warmth in her heart. She could not help but be intoxicated by his singing.

    She would not have expected him to know this song and to even sing it so well.

    She pursed her lips slightly and smiled as she turned to quietly look out of the window. The two of them said nothing, yet the car was floating with an indescribable warmth. On this rainy night, it felt a little magical.

    She was not sure how long had passed when the car finally cruised through a traffic port and slowly stopped before an apartment. Then, the lights in the car were switched on.

    Xi Xiaye quietly undid her safety belt and her body reached over to take the things from the back seat.

    She was about to take her handphone and handbag when she noticed that the man had already casually picked up her phone.

    He looked down at the lit-up screen and asked in a whisper, ¡°What¡¯s your password?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a while, wondering about whether or not to take her phone away. She struggled for a while, then seeing the look he gave her, she could only softly spell it out.

    Mu Yuchen very quickly unlocked the phone. His fingers elegantly clicked around, then there was the melodious sound of the phone¡¯s ringtone. After that, he locked the phone and tossed it into Xi Xiaye¡¯s handbag.

    He leaned over to help Xi Xiaye open the car door as he asked, ¡°What floor do you live on?¡±

    ¡°The seventh floor,¡± Xi Xiaye answered.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. When he saw the drizzle continued outside, he suddenly got down from the car.

    Before Xi Xiaye could react, she unexpectedly heard footsteps from beside her. She picked up her things and was about to get down from the car when she realized that the falling rain before her was cut off.

    ¡°Go home and take a hot shower. Rest earlier. Remember to think about what I suggested. I¡¯ll be waiting for your answer.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice had a determination that could not be resisted. He handed the umbre in his hand to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye looked up at him without a word. In the end, she inhaled, nodded slightly and epted therge, ck umbre in his hand. Her slim and frail body passed him.

    She had just taken two steps when she suddenly thought of something. She abruptly stopped in her steps and turned around, her calm eyes falling onto the man that remained standing by the side of the car. ¡°You go home earlier too. No matter what my answer is, because you asked, I, Xi Xiaye will always feel grateful towards you. Thank you for being there when I¡¯m at my worst...¡±

    In the end, she did not finish her sentence. Xi Xiaye just smiled at him before turning around to enter the apartment.

    Her slim figure very quickly disappeared in the hazy drizzle.

    Seeing the calm and elegant figure gradually vanish from his line of sight, Mu Yuchen tore his eyes away. The cold wind and rain continuously attacked him but he stayed silent for a long while before reaching into his pocket to take a box of cigarettes out. He casually pulled a stick out...

    Lighting it, he took a whiff...

    Amidst the faintly discernible mist that shifted, one could only hear him suddenly coughing lightly a few times. It was quite a while before he finally tossed his cigarette butt into the rubbish bin beside him. He subconsciously looked up at the apartment and saw the light on a certain floor suddenly being switched on. Then, he got into the car and started it.

 Chapter 36 - The Feast Begins

    <h4>Chapter 36: The Feast Begins</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the weekend came, Xi Xiaye did not wake up early because she had worked hard until the wee hours of 3 to 4 a.m. of the night before, preparing and arranging the details for the South River project. Once she got busy, she lost track of time.

    By the time she woke up, it was already close to noon. Her phone that had been on silent showed that there were quite a few miss calls. They were from Su Nan, but she already knew what she had called for. Pondering for a while, she decided not to call back.

    After she washed up and had breakfast, she changed and prepared to leave.

    She dressed up as usual in her ck top and ck pants. On the outside, she wore a ck mid-length windbreaker. With her jet-ck head of shiny hair tumbling onto her shoulders, she looked very thin and frail as a whole.

    When she left the house, it was a rare cloudy day and the wind was dry.

    It was the 70th birthday of her grandfather, Xi Jiyang, so she had to go.

    If anything in that huge house was worth her recalling fondly even just a little bit, it would be her grandfather.

    Xi Jiyang loved her rather dearly. She had not been back to see him for quite a few years. Even though she knew she should not have done that, she had no choice. There were too many memories that she did not want to remember in that huge residence.

    Yes, Xi Jiyang¡¯s birthday banquet would be held in that huge house: West Park.

    West Park was the Xi family¡¯s old residence, upying a vast space. It was the kind of noble andvish European-styled house that seemed like a castle.

    At this moment, West Park was already lively. There was a beautiful arch at the entrance, a luxurious red carpet stretched from the door and into West Park while both sides were filled with gorgeous flower baskets.

    Inside the residence, where the hall was decorated majestically, all sorts of dishes, desserts, and drinks were spread out on the tables that were neatly arranged while the seats on both sides were fully seated with people.

    Well wishes kept oning.

    The banquet had not yet started. Up front greeting the guests were Yue Lingsi, Xi Xinyi, and the rest.

    ¡°Congrattions! May the Elder enjoy boundless longevity!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Director Wang!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s sweet-tempered face had on a courteous smile as she gently thanked the guests who offered their well wishes.

    ¡°Miss Xi is really bing prettier and prettier. The Xi family is very blessed to have such a beautiful and kind daughter. I just wonder who¡¯ll be able to get married to such a lovely wife.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s even a popr celebrity in the movies and television industry. Look at that charisma! How impressive! She is indeed Mayor Xi¡¯s daughter. She just looks extraordinary!¡±

    When they watched Xi Xinyi greeting the guests, many of the wives from wealthy families were privately discussing her while Yue Lingsi felt very proud on the inside as she listened.

    This daughter of hers had always been Yue Lingsi¡¯s pride and joy. Not only was she smart and capable, but she was especially understanding of others and she was pretty too!

    ¡°I wonder if Miss Xi already has a partner. I¡¯d really like to introduce my son to her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! I heard that she¡¯s going to be engaged to Han Corporation¡¯s new CEO, Han Yifeng. That CEO Han is a fine young man. I¡¯m afraid your son won¡¯t have that chance...¡±

    ¡°Sigh, what a pity!¡±

    ...

    Yue Lingsi smiled as she walked up to Xi Xinyi.

    She had looked for a long time and still did not see any signs of Han Yifeng, so Yue Lingsi suddenly asked, ¡°Xinyi, where¡¯s Yifeng? Why isn¡¯t he here yet?¡±

    ¡°Yifeng came a while ago. He¡¯s probably discussing something with Father in the study room. He should being over with Father soon, but earlier, Grandfather called Father over too. Maybe they¡¯re a bit dyed,¡± Xi Xinyi exined with a smile.

    ¡°Your grandfather called your father over?¡± Yue Lingsi was a little surprised.

    ¡°Yes, Mother, entertain the guests first. I¡¯ll go upstairs to take a look.¡±

    Then, with a smile, she turned to walk up the stairs beside her.

    At this moment, on the wide cemented road that led towards the West Park¡¯s back entrance, a ck Volkswagen Passat sped over. The brakes squealed before the car steadily parked beside the back entrance.

    Xi Xiaye stopped the car and took the present beside her before swiftly getting down from the car. She walked towards the back entrance and was about to ring the doorbell when suddenly, the door opened from the inside.

    A slightly chubby middle-aged man walked out. When he saw Xi Xiaye, he was suddenly stunned.

    ¡°Miss!¡±

    His cry out loud was filled with pleasant surprise. ¡°Why are you back?¡±

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye instantly frowned slightly. She looked coolly at the middle-aged man before her.

    She obviously remembered that this person was West Park¡¯s butler, Guo Fu, who had been working in West Park for quite a few years. Back then, he seemed to have been Deng Wenwen¡¯s subordinate.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye looking oddly at him, Guo Fu seemed to have realized something and smiled a little unnaturally. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. What I meant is that you haven¡¯t been home in a long time. I didn¡¯t expect you toe back for the Elder¡¯s brithday. For the past few years you...¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a look at him indifferently before she walked in as she said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve troubled you, Butler Guo.¡±

    Guo Fu suddenly remembered something and turned around to catch up with Xi Xiaye. ¡°Miss, I remember now. Elder Madam said that if I see you return, I should get you to make a trip to her study room. She has something to discuss with you!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to say between her and I. If there¡¯s anything, just let her get Xi Xinyi,¡± she said this with indifference, then she walked into the residence.

    The reason she had gone over today was simple. She just wanted to take a look at Grandfather, offer her gift, and then leave. She did not have the mood to join their banquet. Besides, based on what she knew, this entire function was probably not Grandfather¡¯s wishes too. Grandfather was always a very simple and low-profile person. Such a feast did not seem like his idea.

    It was probably Xi Mushan and the rest behind it.

    However, Xi Xiaye thought to herself that all of these had nothing to do with her anymore.

 Chapter 37 - Sign It, Hand Over The Right To Inheritance!

    <h4>Chapter 37: Sign It, Hand Over The Right To Inheritance!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s room was on the second floor. From her memory, Xi Xiaye found the room very quickly. When she went over, the few servants who saw her in the corridor were all shocked but she just ignored them.

    Outside Xi Jiyang¡¯s room, Xi Xiaye stood at the door for a long time before she finally lifted a hand to knock. However, quite a while after she knocked, there was no response, so she pushed the door open to enter.

    The entire room seemed a little dark.Xi Xiaye stood at the door to look for a long time before her eyes adapted to the darkness. Then, she skimmed the room and finally, her eyes fell on the recliner in front of the French windows.

    She pondered for a while before carefully walking over.

    Indeed, in the recliner, she found Xi Jiyang who was fast asleep with his eyes closed.

    His gaunt figure and grizzly hair made him look a little wan and sallow. His breathing also did not sound very smooth. His entire being was akin to a burning candle in the wind; it was sometimes alight, sometimes extinguished as if there was a possibility of dying out anytime.

    When she saw him like that, she instantly felt a little sad as a bitter taste rose from her throat. Her chest hurt and she could only turn away and blink the bitterness back.

    A while after that, she put the item in her hand down and took a nket from the sofa, covering him with it. However, just as she was about to get up, Xi Jiyang¡¯s worn voice suddenly rang in her ears.

    ¡°I thought that you wouldn¡¯t be back this time.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was slightly startled. She looked up at Xi Jiyang, paused, and then forced a smile. ¡°I just wanted toe back and have a look at you. Happy birthday, Grandfather!¡±

    ¡°I already have one foot in the grave. I don¡¯t care about these things anymore. These past few years, I¡¯ve just been missing you. It¡¯s good you didn¡¯te back too...¡±

    Xi Jiyang gripped onto the arm of the recliner and trembled as he got up with much strain. When Xi Xiaye saw his feeble attempt, she quickly held him up. The granddaughter and grandfather duo then sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her head bitterly. Before this elder that truly loved her, she yielded defeat with her head down.

    ¡°I don¡¯t me you. Those things aren¡¯t even your fault in the first ce. Do you still me me for not helping you fight for Han Yifeng back then?¡± Xi Jiyang¡¯s gaze was suddenly fixated on Xi Xiaye who had lowered her head.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while, then her beautiful face forced a smile as she shook her head disappointedly. She bent down to pick up two empty cups and filled them with water as she said, ¡°I know that you have your reasons. In fact, how could I rely on someone else to fight for my own happiness?¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye suddenly breathed in a little and handed one of the cups to Xi Jiyang. Taking a gulp, her twinkling eyes exposed a distant gloominess as shemented, ¡°I¡¯ve tried hard, Grandfather... but no matter how hard I try, if it isn¡¯t mine, it isn¡¯t mine. I could move someone else or even myself, but I couldn¡¯t move him.¡±

    As Xi Jiyang listened to her, pity and love were apparent in his eyes. He said very lovingly, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Xiaye! You are so much like your mother from back then. Listen to me. You deserve much better.¡±

    Then, he gently patted the back of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and sipped on the water. As if he suddenly remembered something, he looked at Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°Right, I¡¯ve heard about Yueying. Your grandmother told me that this issue is a little tricky...¡±

    When he said this, Xi Jiyang suddenly paused as he found some difficulty to continue. After contemting it for a long time, he said, ¡°Your grandmother said that the Han Corporation might be willing to help handle this mess, but the precondition is that we must let your sister inherit Yueying, which means that they hope that you could hand your right to the inheritance over.¡±

    When he told her this, Xi Xiaye instantly stiffened. She turned to look at Xi Jiyang, her eyes filled with too many emotions. Shock, disappointment, sadness, and even pain...

    ¡°Well then, what do you think? Do you hope for me to hand the right to inherit over, or do you hope that I¡¯ll be firm and not concede? I remember back then when Father and Mother got a divorce, topensate Mother, she received 20 percent of Yueying¡¯s shares even though she never cared for it. Until today, that contract had never been brought up. Grandmother should be very clear about that herself, shouldn¡¯t she?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Xiaye, actually I hope that you won¡¯t be involved with this mess. Now that Yueying¡¯s already in shambles, you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it even if it¡¯s handed to you. Giving up isn¡¯t bad. I know that you don¡¯t care about these things either. I was just hoping that you could live...¡±

    Bam!

    Before Xi Jiyang could finish, the closed door was suddenly flung open. Deng Wenwen walked over in a stern and imposing manner, and behind her, Xi Xinyi followed.

    ¡°Did you forget how to knock too?¡± Xi Jiyang frowned a little unhappily, yet Deng Wenwen just looked past him and walked over in a few huge strides.

    ¡°Sis, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s delighted and gentle voice was heard. A beautiful woman in pink had very quickly zoomed over. There was a light fragrance, and before Xi Xiaye could react, Xi Xinyi had already clung onto her arm.

    ¡°I was really worried that you wouldn¡¯te. Today is a rare day for the whole family to have a reunion. If you didn¡¯te, then Grandfather would feel that this birthday would be meaningless too. Right, Grandfather?¡±

    Xi Xinyiughed gently as a lovely smile enhanced her sweet-tempered face.

    Xi Xiaye shot her a cold look from the side. Apathetically, she pulled her arm away, not even bothering to respond to her. At this moment, Deng Wenwen had already sat across her with a document in her hands too.

    ¡°Regarding Yueying, I¡¯m sure your grandfather has just exined it to you. Xiaye, I hope that you can be a little rational. Sign it. As long as you sign this, we¡¯llpensate you ordingly. Otherwise, even if you insist, Yueying wouldn¡¯t be yours. With those shares that you¡¯ll inherit, it¡¯s far from enough. In fact, you might even need to take on a huge amount of debt. We¡¯re just doing this for your benefit.¡±

    Deng Wenwen tossed the document and a pen to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Sign what? Grandmother, about Yueying...¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked puzzled at Deng Wenwen, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

    ¡°Xin Er, this has nothing to do with you. I need to discuss something with Xiaye. The banquet downstairs is going to begin soon. Yifeng is probably downstairs. You go down first, I heard that Yifeng has a surprise for youter.¡±

    Deng Wenwen smiled lovingly towards Xi Xinyi.

    When she heard, Xi Xinyi¡¯s face instantly showed an understanding smile, so she nodded and said, ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll go out first. Grandmother, Sis,e down quickly. In fact, Grandfather, you¡¯re the man of tonight, okay?!¡±

 Chapter 38 - Han Yifengs Proposal

    <h4>Chapter 38: Han Yifeng¡¯s Proposal</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sound of the door closing clicked and the entire study room instantly fell silent once again. A terrifying, stifling atmosphere quietly assaulted the space.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s pair of sharp and threatening eyes kept staring straight at Xi Xiaye who was sitting still. Her tone was very stern. ¡°This is the only way to resolve Yueying¡¯s issue. Now, Yueying¡¯s funding gap is widening. It¡¯s the heart and blood of the Xi family. Do you really wish to see it destroyed just like that?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just say things nicely? What¡¯s wrong with you, being so overbearing? Cough, cough...¡±

    On the side, Xi Jiyang could not stand Deng Wenwen¡¯s tone, so he could not help but reprimand her. In his fury, he started coughing intensely.

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. Otherwise, what better way do we have right now? I can¡¯t just let half my life¡¯s work be destroyed in a day. Xi Jiyang, are you able to just sit and watch Yueying be toppled? In this period, I¡¯ve been running all around for Yueying. Can one of you be considerate for me? And you still me me for being overbearing?¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s fury had just calmed down when it surged again and her tone rose. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯ve agreed to this too! Otherwise, Xiaye, you can ask him!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye had been staring at the documents in front of her. Her eyes were nk for a long time. A while after that, she slowly lifted her head to look at Deng Wenwen across her. As her pale lips parted slightly, she finally asked, ¡°Does Father know about this?¡±

    ¡°Your mother has already told him about it and he epted it. Xiaye, you¡¯re a smart child. You should know how to choose. Besides, your interest isn¡¯t even in movies and television, so this is beneficial to you.¡±

    Deng Wenwen finally eased her tone at this point.

    However, just as she said this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s chest instantly tightened. She seemed to have just heard the sound of her heart smashing to pieces after it had just been pieced together. After quite some time, she took the documents in a daze...

    ¡°$5 million inpensation...¡±

    She muttered to herself, then chuckled at herself, ¡°I never knew that this thing in my hand was actually this valuable. If I did, I should¡¯ve just sold it off right away...¡±

    After staying silent for a long while, she slowly turned to look beside her. Then, she realized that Xi Jiyang had already stood up with his figure stooped and his back towards her. He looked out of the window with indifference and loneliness.

    Her eyes started to burn, the feeling of pain and sadness suddenly surging in her akin to a drowning flood, instantly submerging her entirely, yet she was helpless...

    Finally, she felt how weak and defenseless she was.

    Unsure how much time had passed, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed like ashes that burned once more. She reached out to retrieve the pen and her hand trembled as she wrote her name down.

    Pop!

    She tossed the pen in her hand away...

    Deng Wenwen then nodded, feeling satisfied as she picked the documents up. ¡°Okay, everyone, go down to join the banquet. The guests have been waiting for a long time!¡±

    Then, she smiled and walked out with the documents.

    Xi Xiaye stood up in a daze too. She knew that perhaps, from today onwards, this family might have nothing to do with her anymore.

    She sighed disappointedly. Even though she felt pained, this was to her, perhaps, a good thing.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Take care.¡±

    She left with detachment, about to walk out of the door.

    ¡°Child, Grandfather will leave better things for you. Don¡¯t be sad!¡±

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s aged voice was heard and a helpless sigh came with it.

    Xi Xiaye was startled. Stopping in her steps, she thought about it, then smiled and said, ¡°No need. I¡¯ve never thought of getting anything from you guys. I never would¡¯ve expected that today...¡±

    In the end, she did not continue. She just pulled the door open with ack of regard and walked out.

    She had just stepped out of the room when she heard the bustling mor and the soft, melodious dance music. Lighthearted peals ofughter came wave after wave.

    This liveliness only belonged to them. All she had at that moment was just dismal sorrow...

    Xi Xiaye took in a deep breath, blinked, and then pushed back all of those emotions that were about to leak out. She wanted to turn around and leave immediately, yet upon doing so, she saw Deng Wenwen¡¯s familiar figure walking towards her. Beside her was a tall, gentle-looking man apanied by two ck-clothed bodyguards.

    She smiled coldly before just turning around and walking towards a different direction.

    From this end, it was straight to the banquet hall below. She had just walked to the end of the staircase when she heard cheers from below. The dance music suddenly changed to a romantic and soothing light bad.

    Her gaze followed the sounds of the crowd¡¯s cheers. This was when she noticed that the crowd that was initially lingering on the dance floor had stopped. At this moment, in the center of the dance floor stood a pair of very dazzling couple ¡ª Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi!

    Underneath the soft lights, Han Yifeng looked tenderly at Xi Xinyi. He slowly reached into his pocket and took out a small, red box. He opened it and bright rainbow rays instantly flickered. He pulled Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand with his and suddenly knelt down on one knee. He said lovingly, ¡°Xinyi, will you marry me?¡±

    The second Han Yifeng said that, the crowd instantly celebrated and they all shouted with jubnce, ¡°Say yes! Say yes!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was surprised. She could not help but lift a hand to cover her face in disbelief. Her beautiful face was brimming with happiness at this moment as she nodded dly and was so moved that she wept on the spot.

    Han Yifeng then smiled and put the ring on Xi Xinyi¡¯s finger. Then, he got up to pull her into his embrace. Immediately, the crowd downstairs erupted into a thunderous apuse. Han Yifeng could not help but lower his head to nt a kiss on Xi Xinyi¡¯s lips. Xi Xinyi dly epted it as her arms gently held onto his neck.

    When Xi Xiaye saw the way their faces brimmed with happiness...

    In that instant, she felt too much. She suddenly felt like her eyes had been stabbed with needles. It actually hurt a little and her twinkling eyes immediately dimmed.

    However, it was in just that one instance that she took a deep breath and her gaze returned to its usual calmness. She coldly tore her eyes away and abruptly turned around to walk ahead.

    ¡°Sis!¡±

    Right at this moment, there was suddenly a surprised cry from below. She already knew whose voice it was without having to hear it.

    A cold smile shed in the corner of Xi Xiaye¡¯s mouth. Neither did she slow down her footsteps, nor did she see the people walking over. She just lowered her head to walk past everyone in huge strides.

 Chapter 39 - Knife Through The Shoulder, Paying You Back! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 39: Knife Through The Shoulder, Paying You Back! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Sis! Sister!¡±

    Xi Xinyi quickly shoved Han Yifeng away, lifting her skirt and running upstairs.

    When the crowd saw this, they were all instantly shocked.

    They had only heard of Mayor Xi¡¯s daughter, Xi Xinyi, yet she had just called that woman in ck ¡°sister¡±? In fact, she had called her out loud and ran over without caring for her image.

    What was happening?

    The crowd all looked up in surprise as their gaze followed the direction that Xi Xinyi had ran towards. They only vaguely saw a slim, ck figure on the second-floor corridor.

    When Han Yifeng saw this, he frowned slightly. After a split second of thinking, he finally followed her upstairs too. The entire hall instantly became quite chaotic as whispers erupted all around. The crowd all stared in astonishment at the second floor.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just walked past her shortly when Deng Wenwen¡¯s stern voice was instantly heard. She wanted to ignore it, yet the two ck-clothed men behind Deng Wenwen had also followed her and instantly blocked her way. She was forced to stop.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already gotten what you want. What else do you want from me now? Director Deng?¡±

    Her cold tone did not have any hints of warmth.

    ¡°What attitude is this?¡± Deng Wenwen frowned very unhappily.

    ¡°This should be the legendary heiress of the Xi family, Miss Xi Xiaye, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    There was suddenly the evilughter of a man. Xi Xiaye looked past the man from the corner of her eyes, noticing that slightly feminine but charming face which was very familiar. If she remembered correctly, he should be the young master of Qi Kai, Qi Lei!

    When she saw that Xi Xiaye did not respond, Deng Wenwen shouted, ¡°Xiaye, quicklye over and greet Master Qi.¡±

    She had invited Qi Lei over with quite some difficulty. Obviously, Deng Wenwen did not want to ruin things just like that. If Qi Lei could take a fancy toXi Xiaye, it would definitely be a fantastic thing. Not only would it perfectly resolve Yueying¡¯s crisis, but Xiaye would also be able to marry into a prestigious family and get a decent home.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes fell onto Xi Xiaye. When her stubborn and indifferent look entered his eyes, there was suddenly a light that glowed in his eyes. It was the kind of flickering gaze a beast had when it discovered a prey.

    They had let Xi Xinyi show up a few days ago since they thought that he was interested in the woman and wanted Qi Kai to consider investing in some things. However, since it was the mayor¡¯s daughter, what was wrong with having some fun?

    Now, very clearly, the Xi Xiaye in front of him at the moment was even more attractive to him. It was not only because of her cold and exquisite appearance but more so because she was Glory World Corporation¡¯s nning Director. At such a young age, there were not many women who had both beauty and brawns. Fascinated, he was already rather interested in her.

    Qi Lei¡¯s reaction was picked up by Deng Wenwen and she smiled, well aware of what was going on.

    Deng Wenwen gave Qi Lei a look and suddenly softened her tone to say, ¡°Xiaye, Master Qi is our Xi family¡¯s special guest. Take Master Qi out for a walk. There¡¯re many people inside. Master Qi doesn¡¯t quite like crowds like you. Maybe you can visit Master Qi¡¯s residence. That¡¯d be good too since your mother is very close to Uncle and Aunty Qi.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if I have the honor? Miss Xi?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s in and evilughter rang out.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve got the wrong person, Master Qi. There¡¯s only one Miss Xi in the Xi family and that¡¯s Xi Xinyi.¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly turned around to stare straight at Deng Wenwen with an incredibly calm gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve told you... If you want to use me as a chip in your marriage transactions, dream on!¡±

    ¡°Move away!¡± She coldly barked. As Xi Xiaye wanted to shove the two men in ck who were blocking her way, she had just lifted a hand when she felt her head be dizzy. She suddenly felt like all of the energy in her was gradually draining...

    She stumbled and Qi Lei immediately went up to hold her by her slim waist.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Xi Xiaye subconsciously struggled. Propping herself up with a hand on the wall and panting, she shook her head and tried hard to stay clear-headed.

    Something was not right!

    Her heart sank. She suddenly felt that there was something amiss. She abruptly looked up at Deng Wenwen, but she noticed that the woman had exchanged a knowing look with Qi Lei.

    Scenes started to swiftly rey in Xi Xiaye¡¯s head ¡ª

    That cup of water in Grandfather¡¯s study room!

    But Grandfather had drank it then too...

    Her body felt stiff and weak as she leaned against the wall. Her dimmed eyes stared quietly at Deng Wenwen and her eyes that firmly endured this were still flickering with a mixed light ¡ª

    Destion, disappointment, gloom, sadness, and even pain...

    Seeing that gaze, even Qi Lei could not help but feel something on the inside while Deng Wenwen just turned away and pretended that she had not seen that.

    ¡°W-why?¡± Xi Xiaye held both her hands and asked with a ton of effort.

    Deng Wenwen did not answer as Qi Lei just looked at her and smiled faintly. Then, he moved closer towards Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Sis! Are you leaving when you¡¯ve just arrived?¡±

    At this moment, Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice suddenly came. Before the crowd could react, the little figure instantly rushed over and when she saw Qi Lei and Deng Wenwen, something shed in her eyes. Then, she looked at Xi Xiaye...

    ¡°Xinyi!¡±

    Han Yifeng trailed after her.

    ¡°Sis, are you okay? Why do you look so pale?¡±

    Xi Xinyi went over and wanted to hold onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm, she just took a step back, evading her with a gaze that was both hostile and distant. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±

    ¡°Sis, are you okay? You look really pale. I¡¯m really worried about you! Don¡¯t be like that, alright? I... seeing you like this, I... I feel really pained...¡±

    Xi Xinyi stiffened as she bit her scarlet lips and teared up. She turned pale too. ¡°If it¡¯s still because of Yifeng that you... worstes to worst... worste to worst, I can just return him to you...¡±

    Three voices were heard at the same time.

    ¡°Xinyi! What are you saying?!¡±

    ¡°Xin Er, you¡¯re crazy!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

 Chapter 40 - Knife Through The Shoulder, Paying You Back! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 40: Knife Through The Shoulder, Paying You Back! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They were voices of Han Yifeng, Deng Wenwen, and Yue Lingsi.

    Xi Xiaye was having difficulty breathing. The hand that was supporting her against the wall was slowly losing strength. She raised her head and looked at Deng Wenwen in disbelief, yet she suddenly could not say anything.

    Xi Xinyi started crying all of a sudden, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t ept a marriage without Sister¡¯s blessing especially when I... I just want your forgiveness, Sis... Xiaye, how do I make you feel better? Would you forgive me, forgive everyone else if I let go?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m willing to let go...¡±

    ¡°Xinyi!¡± Han Yifeng frowned as he dragged Xi Xinyi over anxiously.

    ¡°Xinyi, what are you saying?!¡±

    Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xinyi in horror. Finally, she looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, Yifeng and Xinyi are getting engaged soon. You know for yourself how Xinyi has treated you all these years. Why do you still cling onto the past when they are both in love with each other? Back then, Xinyi went out of her way to save your life. Is it so difficult to ask for your forgiveness now?¡±

    ¡°Mother, stop it!¡± Xi Xinyi shouted at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. Isn¡¯t it all because of her that our family has be like this today? Your body is still weak because of that incident, yet now she¡¯s being ungrateful and isn¡¯t even willing to forgive you? Xinyi, you¡¯re too kind. You care about her and the peace within the Xi family. Don¡¯t you know that she doesn¡¯t appreciate all of these!¡±

    Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xiaye with disappointment.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face looked drained. Did they actually say that she was the one who had messed the Xi family up?

    What about her family?

    Who messed <i>her </i>family up?

    Many years ago, this woman had ruined her happy family, yet now the perpetrator was ming her for it!

    She lowered her head and tried to breathe. Her burning eyes blinked but no tears fell from her pair of dry eyes. Her voice at the moment was as calm as the surface of the quiet water.

    ¡°I messed up the Xi family and ruined the peace in your family? Don¡¯t you think you destroyed someone¡¯s family when you took my father away from us back then? Was Xi Xinyi guilty when she approached Han Yifeng with other intentions?¡±

    Her calm criticism made the expressions of Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi freeze.

    ¡°Among the whole family, you two have no right to talk about this. Forgiveness? I wouldn¡¯t forgive both of you even if I died. If you guys really think I owe Xi Xinyi my life...¡±

    Xi Xiaye pushed Xi Xinyi away and rushed towards a dining cart before tripping because of her unstable steps. Qi Lei tried to help her, but she pushed him away and grabbed onto the cart.

    A bright reflection shed in everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Thud!

    Everyone could hear the sound of a steel knife stabbing into flesh.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± Han Yifeng was stunned as he gaped at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Sis!¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s body trembled as she saw a fruit knife go right into Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder. Bright red blood dripped from the wound...

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi were in shock as well. They never expected the quiet Xi Xiaye to do something like this when she was being stubborn.

    A cold and sharp pain surfaced, helping her to stay conscious. Her eyes were as cold as ice. She forced herself to pry the knife out of her shoulder while the strong, metallic smell of blood wafted in the air.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi, this is me paying you back. From now onwards, I don¡¯t owe any of you...¡±

    She threw the knife away and blood suddenly came gushing out of her shoulder. She pressed on the wound as she used herrge, ck windbreaker to cover her shoulder that was drenched in red.

    Miraculously, she had never felt so clear-headed before. She could even walk away calmly as everyone looked at her with an aghast expression.

    There was a trail of blood in the direction that Xi Xiaye left.

    As she reached the turning corner of the stairs, she heard the loud sound of a p followed by Xi Xinyi crying, yet Xi Xiaye did not have the mood to care anymore.

    From now onward, she had nothing to do with the Xi family anymore.

    ...

    On the other hand ¡ª

    ¡°Father! How could you hit Mother?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes flew wide as she looked at the angry Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi¡¯s face swelled.

    She could not believe that his usually calm and collected father would hit somebody and even did so in front of Han Yifeng and Qi Lei.

    ¡°Are you not embarrassing enough? The guests are all waiting downstairs. Why don¡¯t you get Father already?¡±

    Xi Mushan red at Deng Wenwen, then he turned around and looked at Qi Lei. ¡°CEO Qi, the banquet is downstairs. Please forgive us for any inconvenience caused.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and took a nce at everyone before he nodded and went downstairs with his bodyguard.

    ¡°Xi Mushan! How dare you hit me?¡±

    Yue Lingsi teared up as she looked at Xi Mushan, unable to believe what had just happened.

    Xi Mushan threw her a cold and frightening gaze before heading downstairs. ¡°Today is the Elder¡¯s birthday. Don¡¯t me me for being merciless if anyone causes any more trouble.¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, go and get your grandfather downstairs!¡±

    He then proceeded downstairs as his assistant Ah Hui caught up with him.

    ¡°Go and take a look. Make sure to send her to the hospital.¡± Xi Mushan sighed quietly.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Ah Hui replied and went down swiftly, quickly rushing towards the direction of the backyard.

 Chapter 41 - Mu Yuchen, Lets Get Married?

    <h4>Chapter 41: Mu Yuchen, Let¡¯s Get Married?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The clouds in the morning sky were nowhere to be seen. Sunshine shone down and a cool breeze passed by. A ck car slowly ambled up the cement road and soon stopped by the roadside.

    The car door opened and a prestigious-looking man alighted from the passenger seat. He wore a silver suit with a long, ck coat.

    He took a nce at the warm sun in the sky and then sat down on a bench by the road.

    ¡°Get me the documents on South River. I¡¯ll wait for here for you to deliver the gift.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Ah Mo swiftly brought Mu Yuchen the documents from his briefcase. Then, he picked the gift up and went towards the back door of West Park.

    They still had to go back to the office after this.

    As he just crossed the road, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± Ah Mo was shocked.

    The sudden voice startled Xi Xiaye as well. She raised her head and saw Ah Mo standing in front of her. After a short moment of being absent-minded, she acknowledged him, ¡°Hello!¡±

    ¡°Director Xi, what happened? Why do you look so pale?¡±

    Xi Xuaye shook her head. As she wanted to just walk past without saying anything, a thought went through her murky mind. She looked at Ah Mo and asked, ¡°Is Mu Yuchen here as well?¡±

    Surprised, he nodded after a while then he turned around and looked in a certain direction. Xi Xiaye looked where he was facing and saw Mu Yuchen sitting on the bench, reading some documents.

    The golden sun added a tint of tenderness around him. At that moment, he looked extremely distant and unreal.

    Xi Xiaye was pressing her painful wound tightly under her windbreaker as she crossed the road without any hesitation.

    She hoped that she could find someone who could help to protect this fragile pride of hers and to bring her away safely before she fell.

    Mu Yuchen noticed a faint shadow slowly approaching him and blocking the sunlight that fell on his documents. The sound of footsteps was getting closer, so he raised his head a little and saw a pair of feeting closer.

    Xi Xiaye halted several steps before Mu Yuchen as her hand tightened around her wounded arm slightly. Her eyes stared intently at him...

    A faint memory went through her mind as she recalled what he had said to her the other day.

    <i>If you don¡¯t mind, marry me. Be my wife. Be the headdy of Glory World. That way, you should be able toe out ahead.</i>

    <i>¡°Sign it. As long as you sign this, we¡¯llpensate you ordingly...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Your mother has already told him about it and he¡¯s epted it. </i>

    <i>¡°Xinyi, will you marry me?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Xiaye, Master Qi is a special guest of the Xi family. Take Master Qi out for a walk,¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. Isn¡¯t it all because of her that our family has be like this today?¡±</i>

    The scenes reyed in her mind like a movie reel. She felt suffocated and finally closed her tired eyes. Inhaling a deep breath, she then opened her eyes again and looked at Mu Yuchen who was still focused on the documents.

    She gave it some thought before saying in her exhausted voice, ¡°Mu Yuchen, let¡¯s get married?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was surprised when he heard her hoarse voice. He did not look at her immediately, but his hands that were holding onto the documents clenched slightly.

    Xi Xiaye was looking at him firmly, noticing that his already dark eyes slowly turned darker. Her face became paler as she suppressed the ache in her chest and the excruciating pain on her shoulder as she put on a bitter smile and was about to leave.

    Suddenly, the silent Mu Yuchen took his eyes off the documents and gazed at her. Closing the documents, he walked towards her and passed them to her.

    Xi Xiaye was confused. She turned around and asked him as she held the documents in her hands. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at the setting sun and his deep voice sounded warm. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The civil affairs bureau is closing soon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart stopped when she heard him. She was only able toprehend what he said after a while.

    She felt a warmth blossom in her chest as she looked at him and found herself at a loss for words. Suddenly, she felt a sense of relief from all the pain she experienced. However, she might not be able to hold up long enough for them to reach the civil affairs bureau in time.

    Her vision cked out and she almost hit the ground. It was at that moment that Mu Yuchen felt something odd was brewing. He threw a sharp nce at Xi Xiaye and instantly noticed that something was not right with her.

    Xi Xiaye, who had been holding up with just her will alone, was copsing.

    Mu Yuchen held onto her limp body and asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye let go of her hand that was pressing her wound. Looking at Mu Yuchen, her bloody hand clutched his cor as her voice sounded frail and hoarse. Instinctively, her eyes started to tear up a little and she blinked in order to focus on his eyes.

    ¡°Remember... what you said... I¡¯ll marry you. Right now... marry... right now...¡±

    She uttered those words before being engulfed by the dark. Finally, unable to endure it anymore, she passed out.

 Chapter 42 - Hospitalized

    <h4>Chapter 42: Hospitalized</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was only then that Mu Yuchen noticed that the ck top hidden underneath her ck windbreaker waspletely soaked in blood and that she was terrifyingly pale. The wound on her left shoulder was very deep and it was still bleeding.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze instantly darkened. A mix of emotions shed in his eyes. There was gloominess, a sense of loss, and a faint hint of sympathy. Finally, he pulled her into his arms and carried her up.

    ¡°Master! What¡¯s wrong with Director Xi? How did she get hurt?¡±

    At this moment, Ah Mo had a feeling that things were odd, so he retreated and witnessed Xi Xiaye falling. Caught in shock, he recalled noticing that she seemed very pale earlier.

    Mu Yuchen lifted Xi Xiaye and walked right up to the car ahead. His deep voice was clearly tinted with some distress. ¡°Immediately drive to Hospital T, and at the same time, check on what happened tonight.¡±

    Ah Mo ran to open the car door as he hastily answered, ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    The car revved very quickly, speeding all the way to Hospital T.

    ¡°Master, do we have to call Li Si over and send Elder Xi¡¯s present over?¡±

    At the driver¡¯s seat, Ah Mo carefully looked at his master in the back seat through the rearview mirror. When he saw the Master seeming a little pensive, he immediately regretted asking that.

    Mu Yuchen held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s wound with one hand while he casually took a nket from the side to cover her with it, he said calmly, ¡°No need, let him check on what happened tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    In a certain upgraded ward in Hospital T.

    ¡°Why¡¯s the wound so deep? I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯ll leave a scar. In fact, there are traces of drugs that could temporarily make a person lose their consciousness. Such a drug is alsomonly known as knockout drops. What happened to you guys?¡±

    The middle-aged doctor stood in front of the sick bed in his pristine white coat and studied the medical record while saying this all professionally.

    Knockout drops?

    Mu Yuchen instantly frowned and a cold light shed in his eyes. He shot Ah Mo a look and thetter nodded very carefully.

    She had probably met some incident in West Park earlier.

    However, recalling Director Xi¡¯s dazed and absent-minded manner, she must have had a negative encounter. When he saw the Master¡¯splicated gaze, Ah Mo did not dare to ask further.

    Mu Yuchen turned to look at Xi Xiaye who was as white as a sheet on the sick bed. When he saw her brows furrowed almost into a knot, he then asked in a lowered tone, ¡°How¡¯s she right now?¡±

    ¡°The de sliced through her shoulder. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t heal very quickly. As for the knockout drops, don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll be fine once she wakes up. The wound has already been handled and bandaged. After this, she just needs to change the dressing on time and be careful not to let it be in contact with water, and it should be just fine. However, for safety purposes, I rmend that you let her stay hospitalized for another day or two. Wait till the wound is stabilized before she¡¯s discharged.¡±

    He could see that this person before him was someone extraordinary, so the doctor started to speak more courteously too.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as his gaze slowly moved away from Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°You guys go out and handle the hospitalization procedures first. Get the medication from the pharmacy, and when she wakes up, immediately let her take the medicine.¡±

    The doctor handed over a list to Mu Yuchen. When Ah Mo saw it, he quickly took it. ¡°Just leave that to me, doctor. When will our Director Xi be able to wake up?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be up in a bit. She¡¯s probably usually overworked. In fact, she has a minor gastric problem. Her health is in a poor condition and if she still doesn¡¯t rest and take care of herself, sooner orter she¡¯ll topple. Sigh, you young people really go all out with work. When you get older, you¡¯ll suffer!¡±

    The doctor sighed and frowned at Xi Xiaye on the bed. Then, he turned to the IV tube at the side. When he saw Mu Yuchen rooted there, he could not help but say again, ¡°You¡¯d better not treat this lightly. She¡¯s your wife, isn¡¯t she? She can¡¯t go on like this in the long term. She¡¯s already so thin!¡±

    ¡°Doctor, Director Xi...¡±

    Ah Mo wanted to exin, yet he did not expect his Master to already reply, ¡°I will be more aware of that.¡±

    The doctor nodded, appeased. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll go out first. If you need anything, just press the bell. Right, when she wakes up, it¡¯s best to cook some light porridge for her to eat first. That knockout drop was quite strong and she¡¯ll probably be dizzy for a short while when she wakes up, but it¡¯s not much of an issue.¡±

    The doctor then retreated after leaving his advice.

    Ah Mo nced at Xi Xiaye on the sick bed and said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go handle the hospitalization procedures then!¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not respond. Without a squeak, Ah Mo just quietly left.

    The sky was already dark outside and the lighting in the ward was dim too. The pale yellow light from the bedhead shone onto her face and seemed a little hazy. She did not sleep calmly as her brows remained in a knot. He looked at the hands by her sides kept tightly into fists. Her fair and thin wrists were tensed up like she was struggling in some nightmare...

    Then, he saw that at the corner of her eye was a huge teardrop that flowed down her temples and onto the pillow. Soon, the white pillow was soaked with moisture.

    It was quite hard to imagine that someone who looked as strong as her would actually...

    He quietly watched her and fell silent for quite a while. A mix of emotions shed across his profound eyes. After some thought, he finally bent down slightly to wipe the moisture at the corner of her eyes. He helped her fix her nket and checked the IV tube. When he looked away, he saw that she seemed to be shivering from the cold, so he took off his coat and put it over her nket.

    ¡°Sleep well. Tomorrow when you wake up, it¡¯ll be a new beginning. You must believe in yourself, Xi Xiaye...¡±

    After he did all of this, he switched off the lights at the bed head and walked over to the French windows. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he then made a call.

 Chapter 43 - Marriage Contract

    <h4>Chapter 43: Marriage Contract</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sleeping Xiaye felt like she was engulfed in terrifying darkness. Sruggling and suffocating, she felt cold and pain all over her body, especially the anguish buried deep within her chest.

    She curled up and huge droplets of sweat appeared all over her forehead.

    However, she could feel someone wiping her sweat off from time to time. Her hand was even gripping onto that person¡¯s big, cool hand, and she could feel a slight human warmth from the palm...

    She struggled and finally opened her eyes. Through her blurry vision, she saw the orange wash of the sunset.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± His deep voice was filled with concern.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s head was still feeling heavy with pain as she looked around after realizing that it was Mu Yuchen beside her. ¡°Where am I?¡±

    Her voice sounded dry and frail.

    ¡°This is Hospital T. You¡¯ve been injured. How¡¯re you feeling?¡±

    Mu Yuchen helped her sit up and handed her a ss of water.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly found herself drained of strength as well as a sharp pain piercing her left shoulder. Everything that happened earlier instantly yed back in her mind and her whole body froze and her face went extremely pale.

    She thought she would never be sad again, but when those memories kept reying in her mind, her chest tightened.

    She had lost almost everything. How could they still ask her to sign the contract? How could they still sacrifice her to marry someone?

    She ran her fingers through her dark hair as she curled up her body and buried her head into her knees, wrapping both her arms around them as if she was trying to ball herself up in the safety of herself. She remained frozen that way.

    Mu Yuchen just looked at her without saying anything.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered something. She looked up at him and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were getting married?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned for a moment. His deep eyes studied the girl with the pale face who still braced herself with a strong-willed gaze. Her expression was not as lost as before and she had her usual calmness.

    ¡°Have some water first.¡± Mu Yuchen handed her the ss of water in his hand again.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him with her dark eyes as she took the ss and thenughed, ¡°Are you regretting it?¡±

    As she just finished her sentence, there was a knock on the door before Mu Yuchen could reply. A middle-aged man in a formal suit walked in with something in his hand. Behind him was a middle-ageddy who was probably his assistant.

    ¡°Master Mu!¡±

    The middle-aged man noticed the two of them and walked over to bow respectfully and greet him. He stole an extra nces at Xi Xiaye on the bed, appearing slightly surprised and impressed.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and looked at him indifferently. Then, he replied the greeting in his usual calm voice.

    The middle-aged man nodded and quickly pulled a document out of his briefcase. ¡°I immediately came over with the stuff after I got your call.¡±

    He then handed the document to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen took it with his long fingers swiftly. He scanned through it and nodded before taking a pen from the middle-aged man. After signing it, he handed the document to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Take a look at it. If there¡¯s no problem, then sign it and we¡¯ll be married.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned as she stared at him quietly. After a while, she took the document and saw it was a marriage contract. He eyes were drawn to his powerful signature at the bottom.

    She hesitated for a moment when she lifted her hand. Raising her head and looking at him with unease, she was unsure how to proceed.

    Mu Yuchen smiled with a mesmerizing express before chuckling. ¡°Sign it, Mrs. Mu. I, Mu Yuchen, am a good guy. You won¡¯t suffer any loss by marrying him.¡±

    Hisughter was filled with warmth and it made Xi Xiaye giggle. However, her movement identally pulled at her wound and she frowned.

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Mu Yuchen leaned over to hold her.

    Xi Xiaye sat up and looked at him in the eyes with a smile. Without any hesitation, she swiftly signed her name beside his and handed the document back to him.

    Mu Yuchen took it back and studied both their signatures before handing it to the middle-aged man. ¡°Would you be able to send us the marriage certificate by tomorrow morning?¡±

    The middle-aged man nodded. ¡°No problem. Leave it to me, Master Mu! Oh, right, we might need a picture of you both. I got Xiao Zheng toe over to take one!¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned. Then, he nced at Xi Xiaye and she nodded. ¡°Just take one. That¡¯ll do.¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯ll be quick, Master Mu, Mrs. Mu!¡± The middle-aged man smiled and then spoke to his assistant, ¡°Be quick, Xiao Zheng.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    After a moment¡¯s preparation, they took a photo for Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye as quickly as possible. The whole process took less than five minutes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Mu. I¡¯ll make sure to deliver the marriage certificate to you by tomorrow morning. We won¡¯t bother you both anymore. Congrattions!¡±

    The middle-aged man then left the room silently with his assistant.

 Chapter 44 - Red Book (1)

    <h4>Chapter 44: Red Book (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Silence returned to the room once again.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the closed door and her mind went fuzzy. She only came back to her senses when Mu Yuchen unpacked the medicine and handed the pills to her.

    ¡°They¡¯ve left. What are you looking at? They¡¯ll send the marriage certificate over by tomorrow morning. Take this medicine. You¡¯ll get better soon.¡±

    His deep voice was filled with warmth. Xi Xiaye raised her head and stared at him nkly. His ck eyes looked at her worriedly, and she paused for a bit before taking the pills.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me what happened?¡± She asked as she looked at him in the eye.

    Mu Yuchen hesitated for a moment, then heughed as he handed a ss of water to her. ¡°A knife pierced through your shoulder. Do you want me to ask you if you were brave? Or if I feel that you¡¯re powerful?¡±

    She froze when she heard him. ¡°You know all about it already?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say a thing. He subtly tossed a piece of paper into the dustbin.

    Actually, when she was unconscious, Li Si had told him all about what he discovered. Mu Yuchen more or less knew what had happened during the banquet.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze when he stayed silent. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the pills in her hand with some water to wash away the bitter taste. ¡°I never expected you to agree even under those circumstances. I...¡±

    She had mixed feelings within her, but she was grateful for him alwaysing to her rescue during her time in need.

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± He asked as he took the empty ss from her. ¡°I told you that I need a marriage, and that if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll naturally ept you as my wife.¡±

    Suddenly, Mu Yuchen swivelled his head around. His eyes were as dark as the night as he looked at her. His voice sounded genuine. ¡°The moment you signed your name on the marriage contract, you¡¯re my wife. There¡¯s no chance of regretting it.¡±

    No chance of regretting?

    Would she even regret it?

    Regret what?

    There was nothing bad about it though. It was a clean cut with the past, forcing herself not to go back anymore. Maybe this was a chance for her to seek a new path in her life.

    She was really tired of struggling with the same issue for so many year. Maybe, marrying someone would allow her to escape the suffocating feeling every time she returned to her empty house.

    At least, she was able to triumph and get married before them. She supposed she could protect her stubborn pride.

    Everything would be a new start. It had to be...

    Xi Xiaye suddenly raised her head as a smile appeared across her beautiful face. Her eyes looked at him with genuine gratitude while she said quietly, ¡°Thank you, Mu Yuchen. I¡¯ll do my best to be your wife.¡±

    A sense of warmth passed through Mu Yuchen¡¯s elegant face as he saw her smile. His eyes seemed serious as he smiled back at her and his rare sense of humor surfaced. ¡°I believe in my wife¡¯s determination.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not hold in herughter upon hearing his words. ¡°Thank you for having faith in me, Mr. Mu, however I¡¯m feeling hungry right now, can Mr. Mu go do some hunting and get some food for me? Just water isn¡¯t able to satisfy me.¡±

    She also pointed at the empty ss by the bedside table.

    After a whole day with whatever that happened, she had not eaten anything at all. It was already midnight and naturally she felt hungry.

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows and looked at her, his thin lips forming a grin. ¡°I got Ah Mo to get you some porridge just now. The doctor said your wound is deep and you have to be careful in the next few days.¡±

    A knock rapped on the door as soon as he finished his sentence, Ah Mo came in with two huge bags in his hands.

    ¡°Master! Director Xi, you¡¯re awake! Master, the porridge is done. I also got some food for you. You haven¡¯t had dinner too. Please eat something!¡±

    Ah Mo ced the bags on the table opposite the bed. He took a thermal container out and walked towards the bedside. Producing a bowl, he poured the porridge into it.

    ¡°Thank you, Ah Mo!¡±

    Xi Xiaye thanked Ah Mo and then tilted her head to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°I want to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow since it¡¯s just a small wound. It¡¯ll be fine if I take care of it.¡±

    She disliked the antiseptic smell of the hospital. Every time she was sick, she would endure it. She would never enter a hospital unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Hospitals always gave her an unusual sense of suffocation, which made her afraid like how she had been back then...

    ¡°The doctor said you need to stay for a or two day and only leave when your wound is alright. You cane straight to Maple Residence by then. I¡¯ll get Ah Mo to pack up all your stuff and move in.¡±

    The man¡¯s voice was gentle yet firm. His piercing eyes made Xi Xiaye feel dazed with an unusual feeling in her heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m really alright. I want to go back to the apartment and I don¡¯t want to stay here. I still have to go to work tomorrow...¡±

    She felt her head ache again the moment she thought of the South River project. She would rather find something to do instead of just eating and sleeping in the hospital. After all, her wound was not critical anyway, so there should not be any issue.

 Chapter 45 - Red Book (2)

    <h4>Chapter 45: Red Book (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to say it¡¯s because of the South River project, then I¡¯ll get someone else to be in charge. In this period, you¡¯ll just be in charge of getting healed in Maple Residence. I¡¯m approving your leave for the next month.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly and took the porridge from Ah Mo.

    ¡°I¡¯m really fine. It¡¯s no problem for me to be discharged immediately. I proposed the South River project. I want to finish what I started and do it well. It¡¯s just a small injury anyway. You¡¯ve been busy for the entire day too. Go home and rest earlier. I¡¯ll be fine alone.¡±

    When she found out that it was alreadyte at night from the dark sky outside, Xi Xiaye naturally was not willing to dy him any further, especially because there was still a very important meeting tomorrow morning. As the newly appointed Chairman, he would, of course, be busy with official business.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows furrowed further. Before he could respond, Xi Xiaye had already reached over to take the porridge. ¡°I¡¯m fine alone. You go home and rest. Tomorrow morning¡¯s meeting is going to be quite intense...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, she heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s in and helpless voice. ¡°Xiaye, you seem to have forgotten the meaning of the document you signed earlier. If you still don¡¯t understand the meaning of marriage, I don¡¯t mind exining it to you. Marriage is a responsibility and duty built between the two of us together. You are now my wife. Taking care of you is a responsibility and a duty that I can¡¯t avoid. Can¡¯t you be more self-aware? Can¡¯t you demand just a little from me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye, who was enduring her pain while holding the bowl, was startled to hear his stern reprimand. She then looked up at him. Seeing the vaguely afflicted gloominess in his eyes, she suddenly could not help but feel her heart soften.

    Quite a while after that, she quietly lowered her gaze. Staying silent for a moment, she suddenly raised a hand and said very justly in her raspy voice, ¡°Then, Mr. Mu, I have a demand! I demand that you don¡¯t tear me away from my South River project. I¡¯d like to demand being discharged from the hospital tomorrow!¡±

    Once Xi Xiaye did this and indignantly said those justified words, Ah Mo, who was still shocked by Mu Yuchen¡¯s words earlier, suddenly could not help butugh out loud. Immediately, he was greeted by his Master¡¯s dark cold gaze. Then, he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go ask the doctor about the Missus¡¯ situation!¡±

    It turned out that his old friend from the civil affairs bureau hade earlier to help the Master and Director Xi settle their marriage certificate. It was no wonder they were so secretive. When he had first heard about the union, he had wondered which divinity was the Missus that could make Master Mu willing to bind her by marriage. At first, he thought it was random, but now he understood!

    Ah Mo ran off like a bunny, not daring to disturb the Master and Director Xi. Oh, no wait. Now, she should be called the Missus. He could not disturb their joyful asion.

    Previously, he had really thought that the Master would notmit to a marriage for any woman, but who would have thought...

    It looks like Director Xi was indeed extraordinary. At least, to the Master, she was very special...

    ¡°You keep climbing up thisdder, Xi Xiaye. How capable are you!?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not help but feel helpless. He did not expect this woman to react so quickly, using his words to trap him. Shooting her a side look, he then took over the bowl that she was struggling with and handed her the spoon.

    Xi Xiaye did not care about being courteous anymore. Since he had already seen her at her worst, she did not mind and took it, scooping out a heap of porridge and blowing air over it before carefully eating it. She said matter-of-factly, ¡°It was you who said I didn¡¯t have any demands. Now that I¡¯ve made a demand, you don¡¯t seem very willing.¡±

    ¡°What a clever mouth!¡± Mu Yuchen softly scolded, then he slowly brought the bowl to her lips. He thought about it before saying softly, ¡°If your demand is as such, I will grant it to you. Tomorrow morning, you¡¯ll be discharged, but you must go straight home with me to Maple Residence. As for your stuff in the apartment, I¡¯ll get Ah Mo to pack it and bring it over. Stay at home for a week, then I¡¯ll consider letting you continue to be in charge of the South River project.¡±

    Since Maple Residence already had a family doctor, Uncle Zhong, he would just have to trouble him to make a few trips.

    Maple Residence was where he stayed...

    It was in the Grand Waves Vi area, the ce where she had stayed the night after getting drunk.

    From now on, would she be living with this man?

    Such endless decades ahead...

    Xi Xiaye suddenly felt a little uneasy and she could not help but frown slightly. Mixed emotions stirred in her twinkling eyes as she looked at Mu Yuchen. Her mind suddenly shed to the scene when she had signed the marriage contract...

    Right, they were already married. From the moment she signed the contract, there was already no turning back. It was not all bad to just be reckless and unruly for once.

    No matter what the oue was, whether it would turn out to be a tragedy oredy, she would calmly ept it. Marriage <i>was </i> a grand gamble of life and she, Xi Xiaye, had put her bet down!

    As she thought this, she nodded slightly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll also do as you wish.¡±

    ...

    Early in the morning, the runner from the civil affairs bureau had indeed delivered the marriage certificate. Xi Xiaye held the little red book in her hand and casually flipped it open. She could not help but feel that the two people in the picture were clearly not in harmony. Mu Yuchen was obviously honorable and handsome as always, while she was disheveled, pale, and looked a little wan and sallow...

    Quite a whileter, she slowly closed the red book in her hand and inhaled. Gazing up towards the golden rays that poured in at an angle from the window, her beautiful face suddenly broke into a faint smile...

    ¡°What happy thoughts have you been thinking about? Tell me about it. I want to be cheered up too.¡±

    The red book was suddenly pulled out of her hands as a low and melodious voice slowly brushed past her ears.

    She retrieved her gaze and noticed the man had appeared by her bedside with the red book in his hands. He casually flipped it open to look at its contents before he handed it to Ah Mo beside him.

 Chapter 46 - Moving To Maple Residence (1)

    <h4>Chapter 46: Moving To Maple Residence (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze after staring at him in the eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to work? It¡¯s almost time for the morning meeting. Ah Mo can send me back to the apartment to pick up the stuffter.¡±

    The sun was already up outside, so she knew that it was not early anymore.

    The man ran his fingers through her messy hair almost intimately. ¡°I dyed it till tomorrow. We¡¯ll settle our matters today. Put on a coat. We¡¯ll leave if there are no problems at the final checkupter.¡±

    He then took the coat he had draped on the chair and covered her.

    Xi Xiaye could not argue with him, so she just nodded.

    There were a lot of people in the hospital in the morning time. It was nearly noon when the checkup was done.

    After lunch, the doctor came over and told Xi Xiaye that she could go home.

    ¡°Be careful that your wound doesn¡¯t get into contact with water, and remember to reapply the medicine frequently. Rest well for two weeks and you¡¯ll be fine. Remember not to do extreme sports to avoid the wound from opening up,¡± advised the doctor as she closed her medical records.

    ¡°I got it. Thank you!¡± Xi Xiaye thanked him in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Maple Residence immediately then.¡± Mu Yuchen nodded slightly to the doctor but his eyes were gazing at Xi Xiaye. Ah Mo who had gone to settle the discharge procedure had returned as well.

    Xi Xiaye carefully got out of bed. ¡°You¡¯re done with the discharge procedure so quickly!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, can you walk on your own?¡±

    Mu Yuchen kept all the medicine on the table and nced at her.

    Xi Xiaye nodded.¡±I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Ah Mo quickly went over to help Mu Yuchen with the packing. ¡°Master, you should hold Director Xi. I¡¯ll take care of these.¡±

    He then put all the medicine into the bag as quickly as possible.

    The weather was great outside. The warm sun greeted them the moment they walked out of the hospital. Xi Xiaye almost could not open her eyes. She squinted as she took a nce at the warm sun, suddenly feeling the dark mist in her mind thin out a lot.

    After a while, Ah Mo drove the car over and stopped beside them.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Mu Yuchen opened the door and signalled to Xi Xiaye to get in while she was looking around nkly.

    The car manoeuvred through the busy roads and quickly headed towards Maple Residence.

    At Maple Residence, Sis Wang received a call from Ah Mo and got word that the Master was bringing the Lady home, so she worked throughout the morning. Not only did she bring tons of clothes and shoes, but she even redecorated the yard. She really gave it her all.

    The car entered the Grand Waves Vi area, and after passing through some winding roads, they stopped in front of Maple Residence.

    ¡°Master and Direc... Missus... are home!¡±

    Mu Yuchen came out of the car, then he extended hisrge hand to Xi Xiaye who was still in the car.

    Xi Xiaye was dazed. She went silent as she looked at therge hand that appeared in front of her. Then, she ced her cold hand in the palm and therge hand clenched hers. Both the cold handsing in contact with each other gradually produced some warmth.

    The entrance door slowly opened. Sis Wang and three maids stood right there in a row. They politely bowed and greeted when they saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. ¡°Hello, Master. Hello, Lady! Lady, wee to Maple Residence!¡±

    The few of them then opened up the way to a straight and clean cemented path from the entrance right up to the door of the vi. It was just like what she saw thest time. However, there was something different this time. Huge blooming roses were draped on the streetmps along the side as long stripes ofce were waving along with the gentle breeze. She also heard calming music apanied by the trickling of water.

    Xi Xiaye turned towards the direction of the music and saw a musical fountain hidden within thewn ringing out joyously as the cool wind blew. There was also an indescribable fragrance in the air.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart warmed when she saw the charmed expression of Sis Wang¡¯s group. She went towards one of the streetmps after some thought and cupped the rose on it to sniff it. She smiled and waved the flower in her hands as she looked at the man before her.

    ¡°Thank you for your weing ceremony, Mr. Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows, then he walked over. ¡°I¡¯m d that you like it. They prepared all this for a long time. Let¡¯s get inside. It¡¯s cold out here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded before she shot Sis Wang¡¯s group a smile of gratitude, and they returned her the widest smiles on their faces.

    Following Mu Yuchen¡¯s lead, Xi Xiaye went into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Sis Wang then served them some water.

    Mu Yuchen took a ss and handed it to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lady. We¡¯ll be careful with your wound. Also, your clothes and other items have been prepared. Have a look at what else you need and just let us know what¡¯s missing.¡±

    Sis Wang smiled gently. They stayed at an apartment near the Grand Waves Vi area, it was pretty convenient to summon them over.

    The Master was someone who liked tranquility. He did not want anyone walking around his private property, so they usually would not go over except for the weekly cleaning or when the Master summoned them.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, ¡°Mmm, thank you, Sis Wang.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Lady. Master, we¡¯ll head back for now if there¡¯s nothing else. Please let us know if there¡¯s anything you need.¡±

    Sis Wang left quietly after Mu Yuchen nodded.

    The vi fell into a silent state. The newlyweds just sat there quietly and no one said anything, yet the atmosphere was not awkward at all. Instead, it was pretty peaceful.

    ¡°I want to go back to my apartmentter. My things and thepany documents are still there,¡± Xi Xiaye said as the many on the sofa and leisurely read a magazine.

 Chapter 47 - Moving To Maple Residence (2)

    <h4>Chapter 47: Moving To Maple Residence (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen averted his eyes from the magazine to her as she spoke. He frowned slightly and asked after a short pause, ¡°Where are the keys to your apartment?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled for a bit. Without a word, she took out a bunch of keys from her shirt pocket. ¡°Room number 704. The entrance door might be a little difficult to open. Just lift it up a little and it¡¯ll be fine. All the documents are inside the ck briefcase on the table in my study room. Bring the whole thing over. There¡¯s also myptop and my hard disk on the table in my bedroom. Just get me these things first and I¡¯ll go back to get the rest on my own a few dayster.¡±

    Her things were pretty messy and she guessed that he probably had no idea how to tidy up when he got there.

    Mu Yuchen nced at her and took the keys from her hand. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing else to get?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head as her pale face blushed slightly. She took a sip from her ss. ¡°Nope. It¡¯ll be fine if you get me those. My stuff is kind of messy and sometimes I don¡¯t even know where I put my important stuff. My memory¡¯s getting a little weaktely...¡±

    ¡°People might think I¡¯m bullying you as your superior. You¡¯re so miserable to be on holiday. I¡¯ve never seen anyone as dedicated to their job as you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her oddly. She was injured and weak, yet she was still thinking about work. It was not hard to understand how she had climbed to the position of Director from a tiny employee in just a span of five years. She must have put in an unimaginable amount of effort behind everyone¡¯s back.

    ¡°Then, you can promote me as a token of appreciation.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him seriously.

    ¡°Dream on! Didn¡¯t I just make you a nning Director? Glory World doesn¡¯t encourage nepotism. You should know this better than me, Director Xi.¡± Mu Yuchen nced at her as he closed the magazine. Then, he opened the drawer of the coffee table and took out a controller to put on the table in front of Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°You promoted me? Wasn¡¯t it the Human Resources Department...¡±

    ¡°Do you think you really sat on a rocket and reached all the way to be a nning Director in Glory World¡¯s headquarters? You¡¯vepleted your projects magnificently. I¡¯m fully aware of what¡¯s happening in the headquarters even when I¡¯m abroad, which is why I made an exception and promoted you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen poured himself a ss of water as he spoke. He took a sip and looked at Xi Xiaye earnestly.

    Xi Xiaye was startled. No wonder thepany had promoted her so quickly. It had taken her a very long time to get to the position of a Director, but in just half a year, she was promoted to nning Director...

    ¡°However, what surprises me is how you impress me. It seems that I have to spend more time getting to know my employees better in the future.¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood what he meant. She replied, ¡°Many bigpanies like to look at past experiences and age, but I feel that motivated young people might not be worth any lesser than people with relevant experience. I believe you aren¡¯t that shallow, Chairman Mu.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°If I were shallow, how could I have found you?¡±

    He suddenly stood up and then pointed at the controller. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get your stuff. If you feel bored, you can watch some TV. If you¡¯re tired, then get some rest in the bedroom.¡±

    ¡°Okay. sure. Oh, right, please get me a couple of books by my bedside too,¡± Xi Xiaye added on.

    ¡°Mmm, wait for me.¡± He then left the house after that.

    Xi Xiaye turned over slightly and looked outside of therge window, watching his figure disappear outside the entrance after a while...

    Her apartment was not that far away from Maple Residence. It was about half an hour¡¯s journey if one drove quickly.

    Ah Mo got the keys from Mu Yuchen and opened the door to Xi Xiaye¡¯s luxurious-looking yet cozy little house.

    The whole ce had a light golden theme and was decorated with a mishmash of furniture with Roman and modern elements, giving it an elegant character instead of just being a in deluxe ce. It added some warmth to the quiet space and was generally quite simr to the interior of Maple Residence.

    A myriad of impressed thoughts passed through his mind as he walked in.

    ¡°Master, the study room is over here.¡±

    Ah Mo opened the study room to see a tall shelf full of books and a clean table by therge window. With just a slight turn of one¡¯s head from the table, one would be able to look outside at the world.

    Simple and neat, just like her style.

    Mu Yuchen walked in and looked at the shelf of books. He grabbed one and flipped through it before putting it back.

    He nced at the table and saw several documents opened. They were documents on the South River project. She had made many detailed remarks andments on the documents, highlighting how serious a worker she was.

    He quickly kept all the documents and put all of them into the ck briefcase.

    As he was leaving the study room with the briefcase, he noticed a small photo frame on the table. Halting mid-step, he took a closer look at it.

    It was her in the photo. With her waist-leg dark hair, she was leaning back slightly as she put the back of her hand on her forehead and looked up into the sky with squinting eyes. The portrait seemed peaceful as though she was truly enjoying herself outdoors.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and took the photo after giving it some thought...

 Chapter 48 - Pampered Foodie (1)

    <h4>Chapter 48: Pampered Foodie (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her bedroom was right opposite her study room and it shared a simrly simple and neat style.

    Herptop was on the shelf by her bedside. Ah Mo took the briefcase from Mu Yuchen who went in to take theptop and the books she mentioned. Before he left, he opened the wardrobe and took several sets of outfits as well.

    ¡°Master, Missus¡¯ apartment is pretty simr to Maple Residence¡¯s style.¡± Ah Moughed after he took a good look at the whole ce. He took the bag from Mu Yuchen. ¡°However, renovations like this give people a perception of home.¡±

    ¡°Since when did you study renovation and decoration?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as he narrowed his eyes at Ah Mo.

    Ah Mo looked down and lightly covered his mouth sheepishly. After a short pause, he asked, ¡°Master, is there anything else we should take? Are these all?¡±

    He nced at the stuff he held doubtfully.

    Mu Yuchen fell silent as he looked around and walked towards the kitchen. Then, he opened the fridge and noticed that it was rather empty inside. After closer inspection, he saw some tomatoes and eggs at the bottom tray, but there was nothing else, not even a bottle of juice.

    He frowned slightly at what he saw. Turning around, he noticed the cooking utensils and how clean they were. She probably had not cooked for the past week.

    He wondered how she survived.

    A cold light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. He closed the fridge after a while and walked out of the kitchen.

    ¡°Put the things into the car. We¡¯ll head to the market first,¡± he ordered as he walked outside the house.

    Ah Mo nodded and caught up with him. ¡°Okay, Master. Sis Wang mentioned that there¡¯s no more food in the fridge, so we probably have to buy some. It¡¯s quitete now and I don¡¯t think the Missus ate anything since the afternoon.¡±

    Knowing Mu Yuchen¡¯s rules, the Master was a man who liked to stay in. During his free time, he would usually cook on his own with his unusually impressive cooking skills.

    When he was free, he would y golf or cards with his friends. Sometimes, he also yed some tennis or went swimming. Without any overwhelming activities, he preferred a simpler way of life.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and went towards the lift.

    ...

    After Mu Yuchen left, Xi Xiaye watched some TV in the living room. Soon, she fell asleep. It was warm inside, so she slept for several hours with just a thin nket over her.

    Mu Yuchen was not back yet when she woke up. The sky had turned dark and the whole vi was silent. The entire living room was dark as well while dim lights came from the streetmps on the cement path outside.

    She rubbed her eyes as she tried to adapt to the dark environment. She wanted to switch the lights on, but she did not know where the switches were. Helpless, she stood rooted and gave it some thought. In the end, she took the phone from her shirt pocket out and called Mu Yuchen.

    Suddenly, she remembered that she had never noted down his phone number. However, when she opened her contact list, the name ¡°Mu Yuchen¡± was in it.

    She then remembered the day when he had taken her phone and asked her for her password. He must have saved his number into her phone at that time.

    She was startled and went nk. Just as she was thinking about whether she should call, the phone started ringing as if it had a sensor on it. It was Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment before answering the call.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± The call connected and Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice came through.

    ¡°Where are you? The sky turned dark and I can¡¯t find the switch for the lights,¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she asked.

    ¡°Did you just wake up?¡± Mu Yuchenughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be home in about ten minutes. Stay where you are and don¡¯t move around. You might injure your wound.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, be quick. It¡¯s all dark here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then hung up. However, the moment she hung up, her phone rang again. It was her grandpa calling.

    She gave it some thought before answering it.

    ¡°Hello? Grandpa...¡± Xi Xiaye greeted quietly.

    ¡°You still know that you have a grandpa? Why was your phone turned off yesterday? What happened at the Xi family banquet? Where did you go? Couldn¡¯t you have given us a call? Did something happen?¡±

    Chen Yue¡¯s old voice sounded cross, but he sounded concerned as well.

    ¡°Grandpa...¡±

    Xi Xiaye had no idea how to answer the questions he fired at her.

 Chapter 49 - Pampered Foodie (2)

    <h4>Chapter 49: Pampered Foodie (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her grandpa, Chen Yue, obviously knew that Xi Xiaye had gone to West Park. Every time the topic of Xi family was brought up, Xi Xiaye would act peculiarly. Most likely, he had already more or less heard about the incident of the day before.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m doing pretty well. I¡¯ll go home to see you in another two days. I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa.¡±

    She fell silent for a moment before quietly replying.

    From the other end, there was suddenly the heart-wrenching sound of Chen Yue coughing, then there was amenting sigh. Quite a while after that, that loving and deep voice of her grandfather¡¯s entered her ear again. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t mean to me. It¡¯s just that when you turn your phone off like that, it¡¯s very worrying. Your mother¡¯s justpleted an academic report and returned homest night. She was worried about you the entire day. If you have some time in the next two days,e home for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. I¡¯ll see if I can go back on the weekend. I¡¯m a little busy for the next few days.¡±

    She contemted for a bit before answering. Her injury had not recovered yet. Naturally, she could not let them know about it. Otherwise, with Grandpa¡¯s temperament, he would not leave the matter at that.

    Then again, between her and the Xi family, there might not need to be a reason for them to keep in contact anymore. To frankly break off some things was not necessarily a bad thing.

    She was just afraid that some things might not go as she wished.

    Chen Yue continued to say a few more heartfelt words to Xi Xiaye, yet she did not remember any of it. She sat in the darkness for a long while and did not move. She did not forget that her impulsive actions would need to be exined to Chen Yue and her mother, Chen Wenna.

    How would she exin it?

    Would she really let Mu Yuchen follow her back to the Chen residence in another two days?

    Xi Xiaye watched as the phone screen in her hand gradually dimmed and she was suddenly daze. There was an instant when she could not believe that everything right now was real until she heard footsteps from outside. Then, the living room instantly lit up...

    She subconsciously turned to look at the door. Indeed, the man was walking in with some bags in his hands.

    ¡°I made ast minute trip to the supermarket. Are you hungry?¡±

    He put the bags down on the table and then brought Xi Xiaye¡¯s things over. ¡°See if I left out anything.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s mostly here. Why is it just you who¡¯s back?¡±

    Xi Xiaye remembered that earlier, Ah Mo had gone out with him, so she looked around as she asked.

    ¡°Ah Mo doesn¡¯t live here,¡± Mu Yuchen simply answered, then poured himself a cup water. He drank it, then shot her a look. He saw that she was a little absent-minded with her pale face slightly scarlet. It was the look of someone who had just woken up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go sleep in the bedroom?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I could fall asleep like that too. It seems quitete, dinner...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes fell onto the bags on the table. It seemed to be some fresh ingredients that had just been bought. It must be for cooking at home, but Sis Wang and the rest had already gone back, while her culinary skills...

    Would he be impressed?

    She frowned and thought about it. Before he could answer, she got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go cook.¡±

    She had just said that when he frowned and shot her a look from the side. That gaze seemed pretty pressuring to Xi Xiaye, and she subtly stopped moving.

    ¡°Are you sure you can do that now? Just sit down. There¡¯s a cook with Maple Residence, so you can eat within an hour.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then gently got up, took off his zer and pulled his sleeves up before carrying the ingredients towards the kitchen.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised. She only returned to her senses after quite a while. She had not really expected that the magnificent Chairman Mu of Glory World, and the Master Mu that ruled City Z, actually know how to cook...

    Quickly, there were sounds of water swishing from the kitchen.

    She hesitated for a moment, then she could not help but get up and slowly walk towards the kitchen.

    She had just reached the door when she saw that in the spacious and stylish well-equipped kitchen, a tall man was focused on washing the ingredients in front of the sink with his back towards her. The rice cooker the stoves was already started up.

    However, Mu Yuchen, who was quietly washing the ingredients, suddenly felt someone watching him from behind. He instantly turned to the door and saw that Xi Xiaye was standing there, watching him silently.

    He paused for a moment. Not saying anything, he just averted his gaze before continuing what he was doing.

    ¡±

    When he kept quiet, Xi Xiaye softly mumbled, ¡°Let... let me wash the ingredients.¡±

    She really felt bad for letting this honorable man cook. In fact, this man was her superior. She really could not get over the freeloading.

    Before Mu Yuchen could answer, her hand had already reached into the sink, but a huge hand had very quickly held her wrist above and ahead of her.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re the one who¡¯ll suffer if water touches your wound. Can¡¯t you be less restless?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned, then he softly scolded her and took his phone. ¡°Help me take this out to charge. The cable¡¯s beside the sofa. y some music. The remote control is in the coffee table drawer.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled, seeing that there was some unhappiness between his brows, she pulled her hand back and quietly turned around to leave the kitchen.

    However, it was only a short while before her voice came from the outside. ¡°There seem to be quite a few cables here. Which one is for your phone?¡±

    ¡°Anyone of it is fine,¡± he replied inly.

    Xi Xiaye then casually took one of it to plug in, then she bent down to pull open the coffee table drawer and saw the remote control inside.

    She thoughtfully examined it, then clicked on the switch.

    Above her head, there were suddenly several rays of magnificent light that flickered as an alluring music started to pour out. It was a very charming German song...

 Chapter 50 - Pampered Foodie (3)

    <h4>Chapter 50: Pampered Foodie (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A short whileter, dinner was ready.

    The dishes were not considered sumptuous. They were just four simple dishes with a soup, but it looked very delicious and its fragrance whet the appetite.

    Xi Xiaye who sat far away on the sofa could already faintly smell the whiff of the tempting fragrance.

    ¡°Have some fruit juice. With your injury, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t drink.¡±

    The man across her poured her a ss of fruit juice and elegantly ced it in front of her. When he saw her twinkling eyes in a daze and wanted to say something but stopped herself. He asked, ¡°What are you thinking about so deeply?¡±

    ¡°Nothing...¡± Xi Xiaye subconsciously sighed, then she quickly picked up her chopsticks. After some consideration, before she finally met his concerned eyes and said, ¡°I just feel like all of this is happening too quickly. It feels like a dream.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you someone who¡¯s quick to adapt?¡± Mu Yuchen inly replied, and then pushed the bowl of rice to her, while he elegantly held up the fruit juice to take a sip, ¡°Or are you trying to tell me right now that you¡¯re regretting it?¡±

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye fell silent. Then, she shook her head lightly and lowered her gaze quietly as she silently looked at the chopsticks in her hand. After quite a while, she answered, ¡°No, I¡¯m just afraid that if we reyed the moment, I¡¯ll still make this choice, but...¡±

    She seemed to have made some decision as she abruptly looked up steadfastly at Mu Yuchen, her twinkling eyes filled with bright splendor. She suddenly put her chopsticks down and took the ss of fruit juice. In a voice that was filled with a rare tenderness and no shyness at all, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to say anymore thank you¡¯s to you. I just wanted to tell you that I¡¯ll definitely do my best to be your good wife. We¡¯ll definitely live a happy life, right, Mr. Mu?¡±

    Mu Yuchen quietly looked up. His eyes that were still as the ocean met her bright, twinkling ones. His quiet, handsome face faintly eased as he responded to her expression and gently held up his ss too. Sentimentally, he agreed, ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll live a happy life and being a good Mrs. Mu would be the best way for you to thank me.¡±

    The husband and wife clinked their sses to that toast.

    ¡°Earlier, Grandpa called me. My mother¡¯s just returned frompleting an academic report and they want me to make time to visit the Chen residence in another two days. Do you want toe along?¡±

    Since they decided to let nature take its course and continue this journey, Xi Xiaye did not n to hide anything. While she understood very clearly that if she really wanted to let her grandpa and mother stop worrying, she would need to tell them about this marriage.

    No matter what, they had already reached this point, so they should at least be loyal towards this marriage journey that was about to begin.

    ¡°When are you nning to go back?¡±

    Mu Yuchen now more or less understood her situation. He knew that her grandpa had beenrades with his grandmother when they were younger.

    ¡°This weekend,¡± she answered before she picking her chopsticks up again.

    ¡°We should visit them, and at the same time, discuss the wedding. Have you ever thought about the kind of wedding you want?¡± He said as he scooped food into her bowl.

    Xi Xiaye was startled. She seemed like she was at a loss with the extra food in her bowl. If she remembered correctly, no one had ever taken food for her ever since she had grown older, yet today...

    There was suddenly a faint warmth that blossomed in her heart. As she thought about his words, she felt her heart tighten. She thought about it for a long while and finally said, ¡°Let¡¯s set the wedding aside. It¡¯s about to be Chinese New Year soon and thepany has been very busy. Besides, now¡¯s not a good time to have a wedding. I don¡¯t care about those things either...¡±

    As she said this, she suddenlyughed at herself. There was a moment when she suddenly realized that she had actually been holding on for so long and just needed a reason to feel relieved. Now, she seemed to have found her reason, so everything else did not matter anymore.

    Now, how many people would be willing to share her happiness, her anger, sorrow, and joy with her?

    So, all those things did not seem to matter anymore.

    ¡°Grandpa is a very loving person. Oh, did you already know my grandpa from before?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that previously when their blind date was arranged, her grandpa had aggressively rmended him, so they should know each other. However, the man across her thought about it and shook his head.¡±I¡¯ve heard about him, but I¡¯ve never met him.¡±

    ¡°But Grandpa had nothing but high praises for you. Are you sure you¡¯ve never met my grandpa?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked a little suspiciously at him, but when she saw that he looked serious and thoughtful, she could not help but say, ¡°I still feel like there¡¯s something odd about you two.¡±

    ¡°If you really insist on some sort of connection, then I can tell you that previously in France, I did have some business rtions with your grandpa. Although I¡¯ve never met the man himself, now he seems to have be my grandpa too. This rtionship would clearly be more of substance then,¡± Mu Yuchen answered.

    He thought about it and added, ¡°Wait till your injury has recovered further, then I¡¯ll bring you back to the old Mu residence. I¡¯m sure they will be very satisfied with you. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s fair little face was vaguely surprised. She analyzed him from the side before silently lowering her head to eat.

    Xi Xiaye never would have thought that a man¡¯s culinary skills could be this impressive. She had just taken a bite of the scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes when she could not help but gobble it all up. Across her, Mu Yuchen kept adding food to her bowl. but she did not even pretend and just epted it all.

    When the meal was over, she had guzzled more than half of the food. She had eaten two whole bowls ¨C an amount shocking even to herself.

    ¡°Did you specialize in culinary?¡± Xi Xiaye put her chopsticks down with satisfaction and asked.

    She felt that his skills were even better than her mother, Chen Wenna¡¯s. Realizing how almost all the tes on the table were cleaned by her, her elegant face could not help but reveal two faint clouds of scarlet spots.

    Mu Yuchen thoughtfully looked at the tes and then turned to her. He did not miss the way she looked all embarrassed and heughed softly. ¡°When I¡¯m free, I sometimes try my hand at it to pass the time, but I couldn¡¯t tell that you actually had the potential to upgrade to a foodie.¡±

 Chapter 51 - Pampered Foodie (4)

    <h4>Chapter 51: Pampered Foodie (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he remarked about her appetite, Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment and her expression instantly darkened. She shot him a look and then stood up slightly ashamedly to tidy up the bowls and tes before her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll put the bowls and chopsticks away...¡±

    However, she seemed to have forgotten about how injured her shoulder was. She had just lifted her left arm and picked the tes up when a sharp pain immediately seared, making her hand subconsciously let go.

    nk!

    The crisp sound of the ceramic shattering rang out. A beautiful te had just announced its death.

    Xi Xiaye immediately frowned to see the ceramic pieces that had shattered all over her feet. She squatted down and awkwardly started to clean it up, yet just as a finger touched the sharp ceramic shard, she felt a sting and before she could react, a drop of blood had dripped down her finger.

    ¡°How foolish!¡±

    A soft scolding was heard followed by a whiff of fragrant air and in the next instant, a huge hand had already wrapped her cut finger with a towel. Then, he lifted her up by the waist and walked towards the sofa.

    ¡°Tighten your grip on it. I¡¯ll go get the first aid kit.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put her down on the sofa and then quickly dug out a first aid kit from the drawer of the coffee table. Swiftly, he took a bottle of medicine out to stop the bleeding and a waterproof ster. Then, he very promptly treated Xi Xiaye¡¯s wound.

    Xi Xiaye drew in a breath. Quietly lowering her head, she saw him efficiently cleaning her wound and her brows almost furrowed into a knot.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly looked up at her and seeing the way she endured the pain, he said, ¡°This disinfectant is pretty effective. It¡¯ll be a little painful. Endure it. You don¡¯t look like the kind of pampered foodie.¡±

    ¡°How about youe to try too? I¡¯m quite scared of the pain. Just be gentler and it¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s no need to put so much,¡± Xi Xiaye responded a little grumpily, the fiery pain on her finger feeling a little hard to bear.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply to her. Instead, he had applied the medicinal power at the quickest speed. Then, after he put the ster on, he quietly put away the first aid kit.

    ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t have to care about this anymore. Go upstairs and wash up first, but be careful not to get your wound in contact with water.¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned to the mess and nodded. She felt like she seemed to be making things worse and she could not help but bury her forehead in her hands. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll go upstairs first.¡±

    Then, she lifted the bag up at her side and walked towards the staircase.

    Even though Maple Residence was really huge, the entire vi only had one bedroom. The whole of the second floor consisted of a suite, a huge bedroom, and a huge side hall. After the hallway was Mu Yuchen¡¯s super enormous study room, which adopted the floor within a floor concept. It had rows and rows of shelves filled with all sorts of books and could beparable to a library.

    The entire Maple Residence¡¯s style was quite simr to her apartment¡¯s. They were bothvish and stylish without losing its elegance. Xi Xiaye surveyed the ce before slowly walking towards the bedroom.

    She opened up the closet and wanted to hang her clothes when she realized that there was a huge wardrobe that took up an entire wall. It was filled with women¡¯s clothes all in her size. Her clothes were on the left while Mu Yuchen¡¯s was on the right. In the middle was a row of nightgowns for the both of them.

    She put her things away and took out a ck nightgown before walking to the bathroom.

    Half an hourter, Xi Xiaye finally finished her bath and got out. However, the bedroom remained quiet and the main light was not switched on. A faint light came from the dim wallmp at the bedhead.

    She brushed her slightly damp fringe and looked towards the door, noticing that the hallway lights were still very dim. Frowning slightly, a faint light shed in her eyes, then she walked towards the door.

    When she walked out of the bedroom, she still could not see any sign of Mu Yuchen, so she wanted to go downstairs to take a look. However, just as she reached the entrance of the hallway, suddenly¡ª

    There was a tter!

    The door before her suddenly opened and Mu Yuchen¡¯s tall figure abruptly greeted her just like that. Unable to stop in time, Xi Xiaye was frightened and almost knocked into him. Thankfully, she reacted quickly and held onto the door frame, yet the result of this was an instant pain shooting up her shoulder.

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly reached out to hold her.

    ¡°Do you tread so quietly all the time?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to lightly hold her chest in fright.

    ¡°Did you hurt your wound?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned as he helped her to sit down on the sofa.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve just changed my dressing earlier. You go wash up first. I¡¯ve filled the bath up for you. I forgot to take myptop earlier...¡±

    She noticed that he had helped her bring up her briefcase andptop. She gratefully looked at him and was about to reach out to take theptop from him.

    There were a few important groups of data that needed to be analyzed in the next two days for the Commerce Department, yet two days had already passed just like that. Without a doubt, she needed to rush it.

    ¡°It¡¯s not early anymore. You were just discharged from the hospital. Get proper rest. If it¡¯s work-rted matters, then put it aside for now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t. It¡¯s pretty important data. I said that I was going to send it to the Commerce Department today, yet I¡¯ve dyed it till now. It won¡¯t be good if it affects their work progress. It¡¯s the project for City S and the developer is rushing.¡±

    Once she said this, Mu Yuchen instantly frowned and fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°You go rest first. I¡¯ll take a lookter.¡±

    Then, before Xi Xiaye could say anything, he took the items and walked towards the bedroom.

 Chapter 52 - Wedding Night

    <h4>Chapter 52: Wedding Night</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye returned to the bedroom, there were already no signs of him. The room was still cloaked in darkness, while the bathroom was brightly lit.

    Xi Xiaye stood at the door and struggled for quite a while before she finally walked over to the bedside. In a nce, she saw that the needle on the clock showed 10 p.m. It waste. However, to someone like her who always pulled all-nighters, it was still very early.

    The bed was huge and it would not be a problem fitting five to six people. With a cozy, simple and elegant light color and the dim yellow light shining down from the wall, it gave anyone a snug and warm feeling.

    She walked over to pull up the curtains, then turned back to sit down quietly by the bed. She could not help but feel a little nervous.

    As it would be her first time sharing a room with a man that she did not know very well, she now suddenly thought of many things she would have never considered before.

    <i>Do I kick away the nkets when I sleep? Will I sleep talk in the middle of the night?</i>

    After the endless stream of thoughts ran through her head for a long time, she snapped back to reality when she heard the bathroom door open. She turned to look and noticed that Mu Yuchen had walked out in a ck robe. With a towel in his hand, he was ruffling it through his slightly damp, dark hair.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye staring nkly at him from the bedside, he stopped what he was doing and looked at her. Picking up the uneasiness in her eyes, he noticed that her fingers that hooked onto the bedside were also turning a little pale...

    He did not say anything and just walked over in huge strides, pulling out the chair from the bedhead and sitting down. He took Xi Xiaye¡¯sptop and briefcase from the short side table. Then, he casually opened theptop and asked softly, ¡°Where¡¯s the City S project?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then reacted, quickly moving and sitting closer. She looked at theptop screen and reached out to point at the hard drive that he had clicked open. She replied softly, ¡°It¡¯s in this drive. It¡¯s the seventh document. The password is XXX. You can look for it...¡±

    Mu Yuchen had very quickly found the document and opened it to see the project details of City S.

    ¡°Why did the Commerce Department reach out to you? These data analyses are quiteplex. Can you handle it?¡± His profound eyes stared at theputer screen as he asked.

    ¡°The expatriate, Director Chu from Externals previously asked me to watch their Commerce Department. Besides, I¡¯ve dealt with this project before, so I understand it a little. It¡¯s only right that I help out too,¡± said Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Your work on the South River project is quite extensive. From now on, let the other departments resolve them internally. I can¡¯t be paying a bunch of good-for-nothings,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he swiftly typed a long line of alphabets on the keyboard. Then, the chosen data very quickly appeared in a diagram, below which disyed a string of results.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything either. She just watched as he skillfully maneuvered,pared the analysis from the diagrams, and then begin writing the conclusions. Sometimes, she would ask about some results.

    The time passed and in the blink of an eye, the clock on the cab showed that it was midnight, yet the two of them who were immersed in the work were totally unaware. Quite a while passed and upon Mu Yuchen¡¯s final typing in of an alphabet, the data was generated. Ease covered Xi Xiaye¡¯s tensed expression.

    ¡°When you get to work tomorrow, help me print it out and hand it to Assistant Director Wang of the Commerce Department, please.¡±

    Xi Xiaye found a USB sh drive from her briefcase, handed it to him, and indicated for him to copy the item over.

    ¡°Be good and stay at home to rest for a few days. Consider it as thepany giving you a break. Your body is your temple. If you ruin it, the person who¡¯ll suffer is you,¡± advised Mu Yuchen as he turned off theptop. He put the things on the table aside, and then suddenly got up to walk out. Soon, he returned with a ss of water and her medicine.

    ¡°It¡¯ste. Take the medicine and quickly get some sleep, okay?¡±

    He handed the water to Xi Xiaye, his deep voice sounding very gentle. His silent eyes held a hint of concern. She could not help but nod before she took the medicine and swallowed it.

    After that, she lifted the nket on the bed nervously. Mu Yuchen took his coat from the chair and put it around his shoulders before walking out.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Xi Xiaye propped herself up and looked at him, puzzled.

    ¡°You go to sleep first. I¡¯ll go to the study room to send some documents to the French office,¡± he said before his tall and thin figure vanished outside the door, leaving with a shadow.

    Quite a while after that, Xi Xiaye tore her twinkling eyes away, mixed emotions swirling in them. She pulled on her nket and slowly closed her eyes, yet she could not sleep. Helplessly, she just opened her eyes again and quietly watched the wallmp at the bedhead giving out a faint light.

    She stared and stared, then suddenly drowsiness engulfed her. She did not know when slumber imed her.

    Later on, after some time had passed, she vaguely heard the sound of the door opening. Then, she faintly heard rustling beside her as if someone had lifted the nket beside her andid down.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to open her eyes to take a look at her side, yet her eyelids felt extremely heavy. A faint fragrance rxed her as all of the suppressed fatigue from the past few days could not be held in anymore. Finally, she fell into a deep sleep.

    Before the darkness surrounded her, she was still silently telling herself¡ª

    <i>Sleep. When you wake up, it¡¯ll all be a new beginning.</i>

 Chapter 53 - Engagement Invitation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 53: Engagement Invitation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, when Xi Xiaye woke up, the man beside her had already gone. The temperature underneath the nket had cooled down, but the air seemed to still linger with that faint smell of his.

    She had slept without dreaming, and it had been quite some time since she had slept so soundly. When she woke up, she felt much more rxed. Upon waking, she slowly walked out of the room.

    She had just reached the stairs when she saw Sis Wang tidying up the living room. Breakfast was already served on the dining table and steam billowed from it.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously took a look around the entire living room. There were no signs of Mu Yuchen either, while Sis Wang who was working had alertly noticed Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re awake!¡± Sis Wang gentle voice was heard.

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly and said softly, ¡°Good morning!¡±

    Then, she slowly walked downstairs.

    ¡°Missus, have breakfast first. Otherwise, it¡¯ll turn coldter.¡±

    Sis Wang tidied up some messy newspapers on the table and walked over. ¡°Are you feeling much better? The Master said to remind you to take your medicine after breakfast. I¡¯ll go bring the medicine over first.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had searched for quite a while, yet she did not see a certain someone, so she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s he?¡±

    ¡°Missus, do you mean the Master?¡±

    Sis Wang beamed as she looked at Xi Xiaye to say with a gentleugh, ¡°Master went to work early in the morning. There seems to be something important at the office. Assistant Ah Mo came over very early, so Master didn¡¯t even have much of a breakfast before he left, but before he left, he made sure I remembered to remind you about breakfast and to take your medicine.¡±

    Had he gone to the office?

    The night before, he had gone to bed sote and now he had left to the office so early. She could tell that he was no more rxed than she was.

    After falling silent for a moment, Xi Xiaye sat down at the table.

    Sis Wang, who had walked to get the medicine from the coffee table, suddenly remembered something. She turned to say this to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Right, Missus, Master seems to have left you a letter on the table.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, her gaze subconsciously swept across the table and saw that indeed on the corner was an envelope with no address. She reached out to open it and a credit card slid out from the inside. A note came out together with it. On it was only one line in bold strokes ¡ª

    <i>If you want to go out, let Sis Wang go with you. She can drive. The pin number is XXXXXX.</i>

    She was startled as she quietly looked at the credit card that reflected a faint golden radiance. Her beautiful face suddenly shed with a smile. Then, she kept the note and card back into the envelope and continued having breakfast.

    After she finished her breakfast and had taken her medicine, she wanted to go out. If she was going to return to the Chen residence this weekend, she would need to prepare some gifts. Coincidentally, she had not gone out for quite a while now. Since it was a rare holiday, she might as well just go out for a walk.

    Initially, Xi Xiaye wanted to drive herself, but Sis Wang was not assured and insisted on apanying her. Helplessly, she just let Sis Wang go with her.

    When the Bentley steadily drove out of the Grand Waves Vi area, Sis Wang who sat in the driver¡¯s seat suddenly asked softly, ¡°Missus, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to New Era za.¡±

    New Era za was a project under Glory World. It had already been functioning for quite a while now, yet she had not properly done a site walk around there. She heard that Imperial Sky Entertainment City was preparing to do aunch, so New Era za would probably have some promotions too. It should be quite lively and she wanted to go over to have a look while treating it as an inspection at the same time.

    ¡°Okay, !¡±

    When they reached New Era za, it was close to noon and it was bustling all around the za. The two of them found a temporary parking lot near the za after much difficulty.

    ¡°Missus, where do you want to look around first?¡±

    There were many consumer areas near New Era za, from mid-range to the higher range. Anything that one could think of was there. It was considered a densely popted area. Even if it was not a holiday, the ce was still very lively.

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go straight to the gifts and health care section to take a look.¡±

    Chen Wenna was someone who paid attention to maintaining her health. Compared to precious pearls and jewels, she preferred some nourishing health care products such as nourishing scented tea and supplements.

    As for Chen Yue, he preferred to collect antiques. Xi Xiaye also had a hobby of collecting herself. These few years, she had been collecting some gems, so this was not a problem for her.

    Because it was close to the New Year, many people had started shopping for New Year items, so on the way, the streets were quite crowded. Sis Wang had hurled out her arms all the way to fend off the people that came close in fear that they would identally bump into Xi Xiaye¡¯s injury.

    They had walked around quite a few higher end stores at a go, but she did not find anything that she particrly liked. They made a huge round before she finally locked onto a stump of thousand-year ginseng.

    ¡°Missus, we¡¯ve walked for so long. You¡¯re tired too. Let¡¯s go over to sit down a while. I¡¯ll just go and pay for it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, then she closed the box and handed the ginseng to Sis Wang before sitting down on the sofa.

    ¡°It¡¯s right here! Xinyi, it¡¯s right here! I remember thest time I found a thousand-year ginseng here. Eh, it¡¯s this one. Xinyi, look!¡±

    Sis Wang could not react in time when the item in her hand had already been snatched. Startled, she quickly turned to look.

    What greeted her eyes were two youngdies who were dressed fashionably. One looked very pretty and charming in a light daffodil trendy spring outfit.

    The other wore a white Chanel dress with a long, pink coat on the outside and a white scarf around her neck. On her head, she wore a cowl-like hat that was pulled very low, but Sis Wang could vaguely see how she looked and she seemed familiar like a certain popr star from television. However, Sis Wang was not too surprised. Earlier, when she was at the old Mu residence, she had seen all the famous film stars and singers, so she was quite calm about it.

    As they moved closer, their strong fragrant perfume filled the air. It seemed like a high-end kind of perfume.

    At this moment, the girl in light yellow was holding the brocade box that she had just snatched from Sis Wang¡¯s hands. With a delighted smile, she looked at the girl beside her.

    One could tell that they hade just for this thousand-year ginseng.

 Chapter 54 - Engagement Invitation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 54: Engagement Invitation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s indeed a good tonic. Just buy it then. Give it to Aunty Han as a gift to nourish her health. It¡¯ll definitely be very useful,¡± said the girl in the white dress as she smiled gently.

    The girl in yellow nodded. ¡°Then, this is it. I¡¯ll go pay right away.¡±

    As she said this, she closed the brocade box and was about to go pay for it when Sis Wang blocked her way. She quickly grabbed the brocade box back from the woman. ¡°Apologies,dies. I already picked this ginseng. In fact, I¡¯ve been issued the receipt. I just haven¡¯t paid, so my apologies!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you picked it? I saw it two days ago. Besides, you haven¡¯t paid, have you? This ginseng is very important to us. We¡¯ve been looking for it for a very long time. Today, we¡¯vee just to buy it, so it should be ours!¡±

    The girl in yellow immediately looked irritated as she shot Sis Wang a re and reached out to snatch the brocade box back. However, Sis Wang very quickly reacted and evaded whileining, ¡°Why are you like this? I¡¯ve already said that we¡¯ve taken this. Do you know what ¡®firste first serve¡¯ means? Why are you being so unreasonable?¡±

    ¡°Unreasonable? Right now, haven¡¯t you not paid for it yet? Boss, we can buy this ginseng for twice the price. Quickly pack it up for us!¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    The shop assistant at the front desk looked at the girl in yellow, seeming a little troubled. She said softly, ¡°Excuse me, Miss. Thisdy was indeed about to buy this ginseng and I was preparing to pack it up for her. How about you look around the store to see if there¡¯s anything else that you might fancy?¡±

    The girl did not want to give up. She frowned and shot Sis Wang a mean look, then she said to the person at the front desk, ¡°We¡¯ve locked onto this ginseng, boss. Three times! Three times the price. That should do it, right?¡±

    The girl in the white dress who had not said anything gently pulled on her friend. ¡°Shanshan, don¡¯t be like this. They did see it first and this is a public ce. Let¡¯s not gossip for people to talk behind our backs, got it?¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, we¡¯ve looked for it for a long time. Besides, my aunt likes to drink tea with ginseng. If you present her with this ginseng, she¡¯ll definitely feel that his future daughter-inw is considerate and thoughtful. Also, Aunt has been worried about you these past few days about you and Cousin¡¯s engagement. She¡¯s definitely very worn out. Giving this to her would be just perfect!¡± Huang Shanshan said to Xi Xinyi anxiously.

    Xi Xinyi nodded and smiled with tenderness. Gratefully, she said, ¡°Thank you, Shanshan. I know you¡¯re doing this in the best of my interests.¡±

    As she said this, she suddnely turned around and a very elegant smile appeared on her face. She said softly, ¡°Excuse me, older sis, I know that you saw this ginseng first, but it¡¯s very important to us. Could you please let us have it? We can buy it from you for five times the price. How about that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. Even if you offer me a hundred times the price in exchange for it, I won¡¯t let you have it. We bought this first.¡±

    Sis Wang looked repelled by the two people, then she turned around to pay. She insisted as she passed the brocade box to the shop assistant, ¡°Quickly pack this up. We¡¯re in a rush.¡±

    ¡°Hey, how can you be like that?!¡± Huang Shanshan immediately walked up to the cashier angrily but Xi Xinyi held her back.

    Across her, Xi Xiaye, who had been reading the magazine on the sofa, had taken everything in. She watched as they frowned at Sis Wang like two clowns. Then, in the corner of her mouth, a cold sneer of disdain curved downward.

    She naturally knew the girl in yellow. It was Han Yifeng¡¯s cousin, Huang Shanshan, who was a slightly famous jewelry designer, called Han Yifeng¡¯s mother, Huang Ziyao ¡®Aunty¡¯. She had always disliked Xi Xiaye and always told tales about her in front of Han Yifeng. However, she got along with Xi Xinyi extremely well and the two of them were the best of friends.

    Huang Shanshan had always found Xi Xiaye cold and uninteresting besides being very unfriendly towards Xi Xinyi. Many times, she had fought with her about Xi Xinyi¡¯s things. She had even said that if she ever saw her making Xi Xinyi sad again, Xi Xiaye would get it from her. In fact, Xi Xiaye vaguely remembered that Huang Shanshan¡¯s older brother, Huang Jiancheng, had always adored Xi Xinyi. Sadly, the love went unrequited.

    She did not want to spoil her mood by looking at the two of them, so she put the magazine in her hand down, stood up, and was about to walk out to wait for Sis Wang.

    However, the sharp-eyed Xi Xinyi noticed her.

    ¡°Sis, why are you here too!?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s surprised voice entered her ear. Before she could react, Xi Xinyi had already walked swiftly right up to her. Her sweet-tempered voice was filled with concern. ¡°How¡¯s your injury? We really didn¡¯t mean that, Sis. You¡¯re just being too serious. That day...¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! It¡¯s you!¡±

    Before Xi Xinyi could finish, Huang Shanshan had rushed right up and tugged Xi Xinyi behind her as if afraid that Xi Xiaye would hurt her. ¡°Xinyi, how many times have I told you that you should stop being so nice to a cold person? Did you forget that it was she who pushed you until you sprained your leg? Don¡¯t forget the pain just because the scars are gone!¡±

    ¡°No, Shanshan, my sister didn¡¯t do it on purpose. She¡¯s still hurt. I won¡¯t allow you to talk about her like this! Do you hear me!?¡± When Xi Xinyi saw this, she frowned and quickly exined to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Sis, don¡¯t me Shanshan. She¡¯s just frankly worried about me. I know that you didn¡¯t do it on purpose. How are you now? The other day, when I saw you leaving wounded, we were all very worried about you. Grandmother even sent people out to look for you, but we couldn¡¯t find you anywhere...¡±

    Before she could even finish, the phone in Xi Xiaye¡¯s pocket suddenly rang. Xi Xiaye looked down nonchntly and took out her phone. When she saw who was calling, she answered the call.

 Chapter 55 - Engagement Invitation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 55: Engagement Invitation (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Hello, Xiaye? It¡¯s me!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s sweet yet worried voice came through the phone the moment the call connected. ¡°Where have you been in the past two days? I called you and no one picked up. I went to yourpany to look for you and they told me you¡¯re on leave. What¡¯s happened? Where are you now?¡±

    A whole bunch of questions was fired at her. Xi Xiaye could imagine that Su Nan was probably very frustrated.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯ve just not been feeling very well, so I¡¯m taking a few days off. Don¡¯t worry about me. Didn¡¯t you already go back to work? Why did you go to mypany to look for me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to walk away from her spot, yet Xi Xinyi was holding onto her sleeve and preventing her from escaping. Huang Shanshan felt sorry to see the dejected expression on Xi Xinyi¡¯s face and she red at Xi Xiaye coldly.

    Su Nan was concerned about her, she finally asked after a short silence, ¡°I was supposed to go back two days ago, but I was worried about you... So, was everything alright at West Park the other day?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at Xi Xinyi who was beside her. After some thought, she then said, ¡°Nan Nan, I have something to deal with right now and I¡¯ll talk to youter. I have something to tell you too.¡±

    She hung up before Su Nan could reply. Then, she red at Xi Xinyi icily and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want things to turn out like thest time, then let go of me!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale as the cold voice struck her. Her whole body froze and she met Xi Xiaye¡¯s icy gaze, trembling a little before letting go of her hand. She then mumbled, ¡°S-sorry... Please don¡¯t be angry... I¡¯m just... I¡¯m just...¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, don¡¯t always use such a soft tone when talking to her. She doesn¡¯t deserve it! Don¡¯t be so considerate about her personality. You¡¯ve done enough throughout all these years! You and my cousin love each other, and she¡¯s the one bothering the both of you. Moreover, it was never mentioned that she had to be part of the marriage proposal. You¡¯re also a daughter of the Xi family!¡±

    Huang Shanshan could not stand it anymore. She dragged Xi Xinyi and stepped forward herself, ring at Xi Xiaye angrily.

    ¡°Stop it, Shanshan. I want to solve my problems myself. I don¡¯t want you guys to always do it for me. Besides, it¡¯s my fault after all. I have my own opinions, so can you please leave this to me?¡±

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and pushed Huang Shanshan back, her little face filled with determination. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to be like this every time. In the end, it makes things worse, Shanshan!¡±

    Then, she looked up with her doe eyes begging, ¡°Sis, this is between us. Please don¡¯t me her. About the other day... I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t know that the Han family would make that kind of decision. I also didn¡¯t know that Grandmother would do that... Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll surely convince them in the end. What¡¯s yours will be yours. I just hope you can live better. I don¡¯t mind even if I don¡¯t get anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xinyi! You don¡¯t have to exin so much to her now that things are at this point. Just give her the invitation card to your engagement. It¡¯s her business whether she¡¯s going to attend or not. We¡¯ve all tried our best and that¡¯s that.¡±

    Huang Shanshan was displeased that Xi Xiaye¡¯s face looked distant as ever although Xi Xinyi was nearly begging her. With a grin, she looked at Xi Xinyi as if she was a clown. Then, she went forward and grabbed the red invitation card from Xi Xinyi¡¯s handbag.

    ¡°Shanshan! You...¡±

    Xi Xinyi frowned as she looked at the invitation card in Huang Shanshan¡¯s hand. Grabbing it back and staring at Huang Shanshan, she then bit her lip and hesitated when she looked at Xi Xiaye. She apologetically handed the invitation card to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m getting engaged to Yifeng next Friday. I... I hope you can make it... Sorry... I really don¡¯t know how to apologize to you... but I¡¯m really in love with Yifeng. I hope you can give us your blessing... Your blessing is the most important thing to us...¡±

    The huge, ring word ¡°happiness¡± that was imprinted in gold foil acted as a sharp de. Her heavily injured heart bled once again.

    Concerned?

    Worried?

    She would not have to listen to these words today if she were concerned or worried. She also would not have found Mu Yuchen after being severely injured and realize that no one had chased after her.

    At this point, she had to admit that she, Xi Xiaye, was pathetic. She was always ying the unimportant role.

    How did things turn out like this?

    She had no idea.

    What else could she do?

    Should she question her sister angrily or argue with her out of frustration?

    There was no need anymore. Being cared for was something that had toe from deep within the heart. People would care about you if they thought you were important. Otherwise, you were nothing to them.

    The proud version of herself would never lower her head to beg for their attention anymore. She had tried to get them to be concerned about her by leaving them for several years, but unfortunately, she had utterly failed!

    She sighed softly as she took out her sunsses from her pocket and put them on. Her long fingers gently took the red invitation from Xi Xinyi. In just a nce, she saw the names of Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng inside.

    ¡°Missus, I¡¯m done paying. Let¡¯s go.¡± Sis Wang¡¯s voice came from behind.

    As the wise Sis Wang went over, she had heard their conversation and somewhat grasped the situation. These two women were obviously putting on a show. However, she was impressed by the Missus¡¯ calm and collected attitude.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and handed the invitation card over to Sis Wang who grasped it as her Missus walked out of the store, not bothering to look at them again.

    Xi Xiaye and Huang Shanshan were stunned.

 Chapter 56 - Mr. Mu Is A Narcissist (1)

    <h4>Chapter 56: Mr. Mu Is A Narcissist (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The two of them gaped at each other. They had no idea what was happening!

    Who was that woman calling Xi Xiaye ¡°Missus¡± just now?

    Xi Xinyi thought about something and her pale face started to have an odd expression. Her eyes looked as if she had just witnessed something impossible. Without caring much, she started chasing her sister.

    Huang Shanshan quickly caught up and they felt as if they had just experienced an auditory hallucination.

    However, Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen. The crowd almost drowned them as they tried to look around and still could not find her in the end. It was as if whatever had happened earlier was just a figment of their fantasy.

    Huang Shanshan halted in her steps and asked as she was panting, ¡°Xinyi, did you hear what that woman called Xi Xiaye? She seemed to have called her Missus, didn¡¯t she?¡± She turned around and looked at Xi Xinyi with flushed cheeks.

    Xi Xinyi nodded and frowned, then she said doubtfully, ¡°What¡¯s happening? When did Xiaye be a Missus? Whose Missus? And who¡¯s that woman?¡±

    Huang Shanshan shook her head, full of doubt as well. ¡°Could it be that she¡¯s married? But... I¡¯ve never heard of it. Maybe that woman was just trying to help her out of the situation. She didn¡¯t seem like any ordinary woman after all!¡±

    She could not forget what had happened in the store just now. The woman had snatched the ginseng away. Obviously, Huang Shanshan did not have a good impression of Sis Wang at all.

    Xi Xinyi lowered her gaze and thought for a while. She could only think of this possibility, so she nodded and sighed as she looked at Huang Shanshan, feeling guilty. ¡°It¡¯s all because of me. All these years, I¡¯ve been paying attention to her and she was never close to any man aside from Yifeng, so it¡¯spletely possible that she¡¯d do that out of spite towards me. I understand her all too well...¡±

    ¡°Okay, stop ming yourself. She¡¯s the one who can¡¯t let go and it¡¯s not your problem. You don¡¯t have to take everything upon yourself. Don¡¯t mind her. You¡¯re getting engaged in a few days and there are a lot of things you need to prepare. Your dress should arrive soon as well! Rest well and just be a beautiful fiancee.¡± Huang Shanshan smiled kindly at Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi smiled back and pulled her cap down as she moved forward. However, a few young people who walked past recognized her.

    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t that Xi Xinyi!?¡±

    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s her! Oh my God, she¡¯s so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°My goddess! Let¡¯s go and get her autograph!¡±

    Soon, a crowd gathered and were seeking autographs from Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi nodded with a smile on her face as she greeted them and smiled gently as she autographed whatever her fans passed to her.

    Suddenly, arger group of fans surrounded her and maniacally snapped photos of her. It was a pretty chaotic scene.

    ...

    On the other hand, Xi Xiaye did not go home after leaving the gifts and healthcare section. Instead, she went to the market and bought a lot of stationeries for children as well as a variety of snacks.

    There were several big bags with them when they came out of the market. Besides holding a few herself, Sis Wang¡¯s hands were also full.

    ¡°Missus, we¡¯ve bought so many items for children,¡± Sis Wang said as she stuffed the items into the trunk.

    Xi Xiaye walked to the driver¡¯s seat. Turning to Sis Wang, she said, ¡°Thank you, Sis Wang. You must be tired. You can go back first and I¡¯ll drive on my own, I have somewhere to go.¡±

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯ve not recovered yet. Master asked me to...¡±

    Sis Wang was trying to insist, but Xi Xiaye smiled and said with a tone of determination, ¡°I¡¯m not that weak and I¡¯ll be fine alone. Go back now. You might get caught in a jamter.¡± She then started the car.

    After almost an hour¡¯s drive, Xi Xiaye¡¯s car slowly went towards the northern area with the old residences. She parked her car beside a run-down courtyard.

    The old courtyard seemed to have been a primary school once. The steel fences were rusty and through them, there were two old buildings in front of which was a sports field.

    On the field, dozens of children were ying around gaily. Many other much younger children also gathered around the field as they watched the others y happily.

    A middle-aged woman in simple clothes stood under arge banyan tree beside the sports field as she looked at the children with a kind smile on her face.

    Xi Xiaye just stood outside the steel fence. Without taking off her sunsses, she watched the amusing children quietly, not even moving an inch for quite some time.

    The middle-aged woman under the tree noticed Xi Xiaye. She went towards her but the focused Xi Xiaye did not notice her presence until she called out to her with a gentle voice, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here again today!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the kind-lookingdy beside her and nodded. ¡°Hello, Teacher Li... I was just passing by. Are the children doing okay?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re alright. Look at them. Aren¡¯t they ying around joyfully right now?¡±

    Teacher Li looked towards the direction of the sports field with a gentle smile on her face.

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s great. I bought the children some stuff. The New Year ising soon. Take this money to get them some new clothes and buy some stuff too. I¡¯m going to be busy by the end of the year and I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯te myself,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke as she handed a thick paper bag to Teacher Li, then pointed at the huge number of items beside her.

 Chapter 57 - Mr. Mu Is A Narcissist (2)

    <h4>Chapter 57: Mr. Mu Is A Narcissist (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Teacher Li was stunned and she subconsciously declined, ¡°This won¡¯t do. I can¡¯t always take your money after you¡¯ve always bought us so many things...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Xi Xiaye stuffed the money into her hands. ¡°Just take them as pocket money for the children.¡±

    Teacher Li sighed helplessly. She always had no grounds for rejection.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a look at the kids? At least, they¡¯ll know you¡¯ve been sponsoring them quietly for the past few years, so they can learn to be grateful when they grow up...¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head as she looked at the fun-filled children and her smile widened on her beautiful face. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m good as long as I see them happy. Every child deserves to have a happy childhood.¡± She smiled at Teacher Li before she left.

    Teacher Li stood there and looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s. Her eyes were grateful as they were fixated on Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaunt figure moving further away from her.

    In the past four years, she woulde almost every month with either money or items for the children. However, she would just stay outside the fence and watch the children y every time. Never once had she walked inside or told them her name...

    Even if Teacher Li wanted to tell the children about this kind-hearted donor, she had no idea where to start.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye walked beside the fence and went past under arge tree. The cold wind breezed through and leaves fell along the path, but her gaze did not budge away from the sports field one bit. All of a sudden, she almost walked into a wall and a familiar smell reached her nose. She halted her steps and averted her gaze.

    Arge hand swiftly held her by her shoulders, his scolding filled with tenderness. ¡°You¡¯re always so careless. You¡¯d probably walk right into a trap too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes widened when she saw the man who had suddenly appeared before her. Her voice shuddered slightly. ¡°M-Mu Yuchen, why are you here?¡±

    Mu Yuchen let go of her shoulders, then his starry-night eyes looked over in the direction Xi Xiaye was looking. ¡°Sis Wang gave me a call when your assistant sent the documents to the Commerce Department. Your assistant guessed that you should be here and I was around this area, so I came here to take a look.¡±

    Xiao Mei?

    Several times when she had gone there before, Xiao Mei was in her car. It must be...

    ¡°Work hasn¡¯t ended yet. Why are you...¡± Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at him, suddenly realizing that he was really tall. It felt unreal when he was standing right before her.

    ¡°I left early since I was done with work today. Why? Are you going to report me for leaving work early?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her amusedly and grinned.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and smiled back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to report you. You¡¯re the top boss after all. Your words are the rules to the whole of Glory World.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re aware fo that. How¡¯re you feeling?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her left shoulder.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a tiny injury. I¡¯ll be fine after several days,¡± Xi Xiaye replied quietly and looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s still pretty early. Follow me somewhere,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he nced at the warm sun in the sky.

    ¡°Where?¡± Xi Xiaye asked doubtfully.

    A mysterious smile appeared on his calm face as he looked at her. ¡°You¡¯ll know when we reach there.¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and became quiet for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s smile softened as he put a hand into his pocket and draped the other over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not selling you away.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned as she felt slightly ufortable when he put his arms over her shoulders. She gave it some thought before turning her head and replying him seriously, ¡°I¡¯m not worth anything, Mr. Mu.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned instantly and his eyes darkened. Throwing a sharp nce as he spoke with an immense pressure around him, ¡°Who dares to say that my wife isn¡¯t worth anything? Get him here and I¡¯ll bury him in money!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked by his sudden outburst, then she chuckled, turning away and continuing tough.

    Mu Yuchenughed as well. Xi Xiaye¡¯s moody spirit actually lightened up when she saw his warm smile.

    ¡°You really behave like an upstart person, or someone who¡¯s unexpectedly received arge sum of money,¡± Xi Xiaye replied after a light cough.

    The man did not seem to be concerned as he nced at her. ¡°Have you seen any upstart who¡¯s as charismatic and handsome as I am? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°You... Mu Yuchen, I never knew that you were pretty narcissistic...¡± Xi Xiaye stared at him as if she had just discovered newnd on Earth.

    ¡°A certain magazine did a poll for the top seven highest worth of single men in City Z. I¡¯m ranked number one,¡± Mu Yuchen boasted calmly as he looked at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°However, that¡¯s for singles. Are you still single now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? I forgot about that. I won¡¯t let them write about it again the next time.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, just who else on the list is as mysterious as you? You¡¯re always driving the media crazy just to catch a glimpse of you...¡±

 Chapter 58 - Wedding Ring (1)

    <h4>Chapter 58: Wedding Ring (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    When they walked to the car, Ah Mo was already waiting.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She took a glimpse at the Bentley and the Porsche beside him. Just as she was thinking about whether to let Ah Mo drive one of the cars back first, the man beside her spoke up.

    ¡°Pass the car keys to Ah Mo.¡±

    As he said that, he already reached out to open the car door beside her. Looking pointedly at her, he was hinting her to get in. Then, he went around and got into the driver¡¯s seat.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment before handing the car keys to Ah Mo. She said calmly, ¡°When you reach home, please help me shift the things from the car to the living room too. Thanks!¡±

    ¡°No worries, Missus!¡±

    Ah Moughed out loud and took the keys. Then, Xi Xiaye walked over to get into the front passenger seat.

    Mu Yuchen leaned over and his long fingers deftly pulled the seat belt over her, quickly helping her buckle up before he started the car.

    This ce was not too far away from the north of the bustling city. In just a little over 20 minutes, they entered the city center. He skillfully steered the wheel as he maneuvered through one busy road after another.

    In the car, the husband and wife did not say much either. Instead, he picked up quite a few calls in a row, seeming very busy.

    The atmosphere in the car suddenly turned pin-drop silent. The two of them did not say anything until Xi Xiaye leaned forward to switch the music yer on. His deep voice suddenly entered her ears.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    He noticed that whenever she sat in cars, she loved to wind the windows down. Her thin and frail body shrunk in the rustling cold winds and seemed even weaker just as it did now. The winds that poured in from the outside made her beautiful hair incredibly messy.

    His sudden voice made Xi Xiaye absent-minded for a moment. She reacted after a while and raised her hand to straighten her clothes and subconsciously shook her head.

    Next to her, he had brought the car to a halt since it was a red light ahead. He quickly took his windbreaker off him and tossed it onto herp, making his intentions clear.

    Xi Xiaye took a look at him, thought about it, and did not argue before putting his windbreaker on.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we there yet? It¡¯ste.¡±

    She saw that the sky outside had already turned dark. Being after work hours, the cars on the road had increased as well and they were about to arrive in the eastern suburbs by this point.

    ¡°It¡¯s right in front.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye realized that their car had driven into the parking lot of a ssy, majestic club.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Get down. I¡¯m getting some things and taking you for dinner at the same time. We¡¯re a littlete today, so I won¡¯t cook at home.¡± Mu Yuchen reached over to unbuckle her seat belt and then swiftly got down from the car.

    ¡°Master Mu, you¡¯re here!¡±

    The couple had just walked in when a formally dressed young woman walked up to greet them. When she saw Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen, she naturally could not help but take a few more side nces.

    Mu Yuchen slowed down and waited until Xi Xiaye had walked up to his side before he asked, ¡°Have the things been sent over?¡±

    ¡°They just arrived. Manager Chen was just about to call you, but you suddenly called. Please wait here for a moment. I¡¯ll go get Manager Chen right away.¡±

    Then, the young woman quickly brought them to sit on a sofa. Soon, tea and light refreshments were served.

    Manager Chen arrived very quickly, holding a delicate bag in his hand.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re here. This is what you want. I know that you need it urgently. Coincidentally, the great master was still in City Z and he spent a few nights working on it. It was just sent over. Thankfully, it got here in time.¡±

    Manager Chen passed the bag in his hand as he exined. His gaze skimmed them and when he saw Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen, a light shed in his eyes. He could not help but ask softly, ¡°Is this the Missus?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled. She slowly turned to look at Mu Yuchen, who took the bag and nodded calmly. He turned and met Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes, introducing softly, ¡°This is Manager Chen. He used to be by grandfather¡¯s side for many years. Later on, he followed me to France. I assigned him to return and work on the expansion of the jewelry business. He¡¯s good friends with the famous jewelry designer, Williamson.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Manager Chen,¡± Xi Xiaye greeted politely.

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re too courteous!¡±

    Manager Chen started to look at them oddly, thinking about what the Master had asked him to arrange. However, earlier when the Elder Madam had gone over to y mahjong with a few friends, she was still grumbling about how the Master had not yet found her a granddaughter-inw. What was going on?

    The Master had already said that this girl before him was the Missus. That was enough to exin everything. Could it be that the Elder Madam and the rest still did not know?

    He thought about it before reminding, ¡°Master, the Elder Madam was here to y mahjong with some friends earlier this afternoon. Something unexpected came up before she left. I think the Elder Master has some urgent matters...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, let her be. I¡¯ll be going back in a few days,¡± Mu Yuchen said and gently got up. He looked at Xi Xiaye, then taking the hint, she got up too. She caught up with his pace and walked out of the door.

    However, they had just passed through the walkway ahead and were about to walk to the car when suddenly, two ckmercial cars slowly came to a halt on the cement road. A few people got down from inside, all of them wearing ck tuxedos. Two figures alighted from the car in front too.

    They were two middle-aged men who looked very familiar, but they were not sure where they had met them before. The couple watched as the men stood on the roadside to look at the vast industrial development zone across them. It seemed like they were leading an inspection.

    As they talked, they walked towards them.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously hesitated in her steps, but suddenly the man gripped her hand thaty by her side. The slightly chilly temperature passed through both their palms. Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She quickly turned her head and looked up at him.

    Stonily, he just looked calmly at the people who stopped before him...

 Chapter 59 - Wedding Ring (2)

    <h4>Chapter 59: Wedding Ring (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was doubtful as she looked towards the direction he was staring at and saw two middle-aged men. One of them seemed to be around 50 years old. He was slightly chubby and looked rather energetic.

    The other one...

    Xi Xiaye looked closely and realized that he looked familiar.

    With an average figure with a cold face, he emitted a calm and gracious aura. He was charismatic in his own way together with his pair of keen, eagle-like eyes. This man seemed around 40 years old and his handsome face was especially simr to a certain someone beside her!

    The man nced at Mu Yuchen for a brief moment, then he averted his gaze and focused on Xi Xiaye for quite a while. His pair of sharp eyes which were simr to Mu Yuchen¡¯s made Xi Xiaye feel uneasy.

    She paused for a moment while Mu Yuchen clenched his fists as he held her hand. He nodded slightly at the man in front by way of greeting. Out of the blue, he was already dragging her towards the car before she could even react.

    The middle-aged man turned around and looked at them. She noticed his piercing eyes soften for a moment. He even nodded and smiled kindly at her when their eyes met.

    After a while, he turned his head around and continued the discussion with the other man beside him.

    ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll bring you for dinner!¡± Mu Yuchen ordered when he saw Xi Xiaye staring at the several people.

    Xi Xiaye came back to her senses and realized that he had already opened the door for her before he headed towards the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, that person just now was your...¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled a question as she stared at him when she got into the car, her eyebrows raised.

    ¡°You might be able to see him when we return to the Mu Residence in a few days.¡± Mu Yuchen was about to start the car as he finished her sentence.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and felt that something was not right with him. There was an odd sense of coldness from him and his expression seemed tired as well. She said quietly to him, ¡°Maybe I should drive.¡±

    Mu Yuchen tilted his head and nced at her, his eyes fixed on her left shoulder.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine...¡±

    Heughed and straightened her messy windbreaker. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to force yourself. Do you want to go anywhere in particr for dinner?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was distracted for a moment, but she shook her head after a while. ¡°The ones I usually visit are pretty far from here. It¡¯s prettyte already, so let¡¯s go home earlier. There¡¯s probably some ingredients left in the fridge which should be enough to whip up some noodles.¡±

    She was feeling tired after a long day and was not really fond of food outside. However, her cooking skills were not something she was proud of. The only thing she could cook well was...

    ¡°T-the instant noodles I cook are pretty tasty...¡±

    She thought that he did not want to cook when he frowned, so she had forced that sentence out of her. Instantly, she regretted it!

    Because Mu Yuchen was looking at her oddly with a strange grin which made her felt embarrassed, she took a peek at him and felt her cheeks getting warm. She turned her head away and looked outside the window.

    ¡°I see... My wife is trying to make us instant noodles for dinner.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice carried a certain charm as dark rays spread across his calm eyes. He looked over at her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll satisfy your request and give you a chance to prove yourself tonight. I¡¯ll be your assistant.¡±

    He then turned on the music yer before starting the car.

    ¡°But I think there¡¯re no more noodles at home...¡±

    Xi Xiaye realized she was contradicting her own words. She should have just named him a restaurant and things would not have be this awkward...

    ¡°There¡¯s a market around the vi area.¡± Mu Yuchen never really went to the market, but he noticed it since he drove past the area every day.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath helplessly and put a hand on her forehead in regret.

    After around 40 minutes, they bought all the ingredients at a supermarket around the Grand Waves Vi area. Xi Xiaye had also bought quite some fruits before the both of them went back to Maple Residence.

    it was pitch ck by the time they reached home. The clock on the wall showed that it was 8 p.m.

    Xi Xiaye changed her shoes and tied her hair into a bun with a hairpin she took out from her handbag. Then, she walked towards the kitchen with the stuff.

    Mu Yuchen came in with numerous bags in his hands. When he saw the clothes she had tossed on the sofa, he put the things away ordingly and hung her clothes.

    ...

    In the kitchen, Xi Xiaye washed the tomatoes and vegetables. Just as she was about to cut the vegetables, she smelled a refreshing fragrance behind her. Arge hand swiftly held her wrist and stopped her.

    ¡°You can boil the water first. I¡¯ll prepare the ingredients.¡±

    He cheekily poked her finger with the band-aid on. The light pain made her frown. She struggled and moved her hand away.

 Chapter 60 - Wedding Ring (3)

    <h4>Chapter 60: Wedding Ring (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The man¡¯srge hand was like the w of an eagletching onto its prey. He locked her wrist down and looked at her in the eyes. He moved his other hand towards his pocket when she looked back at him in shock.

    Xi Xiaye faintly saw a gentle flow of light passing right in front of her. In the next moment, she noticed that there were two rings gleaming neatly in his palm. Their design seemed special, but there was no doubt they were a pair of wedding rings.

    The female variant had the shape of a star on top and was filled with diamonds. While it looked simple, it seemed elegant. The male variant looked simr, but the only difference was that it had no diamonds on it.

    He calmly took the female variant and slid it onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s ring finger. It fit her perfectly. The faint glimmer made Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand seemed even prettier.

    A grin appeared on his face. Heughed and looked at Xi Xiaye out of admiration. ¡°It seems that my taste is pretty good. It suits us well! Missus, your hand looks much better with a wedding ring on it.¡±

    Afterward, he handed the other ring to Xi Xiaye and raised his hand before her. His intent was crystal clear.

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows, not taking the ring immediately. Instead, she took her time and studied the ring he put on for her. Her eyes were shining and she pursed her lips when she saw him smile.

    ¡°Hmm, the design looks pretty, but the diamond seems a little too small. It might make you look stingy...¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused, then heughed helplessly. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like being an upstart? If you want, there are many more rings in Glory World Jewelry City. You can just go and pick one yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t really like jewelry anyway. I shall leave them for girls who appreciate them, I quite like this myself, I¡¯m satisfied.¡±

    A wide grin appeared on Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face. Her stirred feelings as a result of his sweet gesture were reflected in his eyes. She gently fiddled with the ring on her finger and looked at the flickering glimmer as indescribable feelings rose within her.

    Bitterness, grateful, and a gentle warmth...

    Actually, this was pretty great. She did not have to think if someone would belong to her. Being together with him like this was something she had hoped for all along, was it not?

    After a brief moment of silence, she took the other ring from his palm and slid it onto his ring finger earnestly. She raised her head and looked into his deep, sea-like eyes.

    ¡°No matter what your initial intention was...¡±

    Her eyes were filled with gentleness and appreciation. She slowly lifted her hand with the ring and smiled happily. ¡°Because of that, I¡¯ll forever remember this moment. Thank you, Mu Yuchen.¡±

    What a silly, easily pleased girl!

    Mu Yuchen nodded his head lightly, then he patted her head and looked at the ring on his hand. After a while, he said, ¡°Never take it off, alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s body trembled as she looked at her hand again before taking a deep breath. ¡°It looks so beautiful that I wouldn¡¯t be willing to take it off.¡±

    ¡°As long as you like it,¡± Mu Yuchen said gently.

    ¡°Did you go to the club today just to get it?¡± Xi Xiaye finally realized.

    ¡°Why else would I have been there? I was still worried that it might not fit you, but it seems like I was overthinking. It suits you very much.¡± Mu Yuchen withdrew his hand slowly to admire her ring.

    Xi Xiaye smiled happily. ¡°Of course, Su Nan always said that my hands look great and that I have a ir for natural beauty. They pair well with any jewelry.¡±

    ¡°Natural beauty? You?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows and looked at her questioningly.

    ¡°Mmm, me indeed.¡± Xi Xiaye nodded with stars shining in her eyes.

    ¡°What a rare scene! A foodie realizing her inner potential... Hmm... Okay, stop messing around. The water is still cold. Start boiling the water or we might not get to eat by the time it¡¯s midnight...¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to rify again... I¡¯m not a foodie!¡±

    ¡°However, the facts prove that you are one. It¡¯s not a derogatory term, my Missus.¡±

    ...

    A simple dinner of instant noodles was sessfully dished up as a result of the couple¡¯s efforts. The house was filled with a delicious fragrance when they opened the pot.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the pot of mixture before him. He dared to say that this was the simplest and cheapest-looking meal he ever had in the past 31 years of his life!

    The woman opposite him was watching him, full of expectations. He felt that it would be a crime if he did not finish the noodles right there and then.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Xi Xiaye suggested quietly as she handed a pair of chopsticks to him. ¡°I think you¡¯ll like it. I¡¯ve tried dinners like this many times before, so I¡¯ve mastered this dish a long time ago. Trust me... It tastes good...¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced over at her before taking the chopsticks. He shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Missus, looking at you now reminds me of someone who tried to sell me insurance many years ago...¡±

 Chapter 61 - Mu Familys Queen Mother Has Arrived (1)

    <h4>Chapter 61: Mu Family¡¯s Queen Mother Has Arrived (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°If I have the patience and willpower of an insurance salesperson, I would¡¯ve been in the Commerce Department instead of the nning Department.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re doing pretty well. After a few years of hard work, you¡¯ll probably be the Vice President.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her as he slurped some noodles from the bowl, his voice sounding gentle.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, can¡¯t you give me extra benefits since I¡¯m already your wife now? For example, give me a promotion a yearter, or raise my sry now,¡± Xi Xiaye rested her chin on her hand as she looked at him seriously with stars flickering in her eyes.

    ¡°I can satisfy both your requests now, but are you willing to transfer over and be my special assistant?¡± Mu Yuchen put on an evil grin, his eyes hiding other intentions behind them.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just stay back as nning Director. How is it? How does it taste?¡± Xi Xiaye asked when he had already eaten some of the noodles.

    ¡°Mmm... Passing grade. It¡¯s not as uneptable as I thought.¡± Mu Yuchen gave her an honest review, then he continued working on his bowl of noodles. At the same time, he pointed at the big bowl of noodles before Xi Xiaye and stared at her with an obvious gesture.

    Xi Xiaye was satisfied with hisment, so she picked her chopsticks up and took a slice of tomato. ¡°I didn¡¯t have sses on the weekends when I was younger. I went back to the Shen Residence sometimes. Grandfather was always busy with business and Mother was always overseas, so I always cooked myself a big bowl of noodles for a meal. Mother didn¡¯t want to teach me how to cook because she didn¡¯t want me to be like her, so...¡±

    ¡°Is your mother a very virtuous woman?¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly asked. Then, he noticed that her fair face looked oddly cold and a little helpless.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as her eyes darkened slightly. ¡°She¡¯s cold on the outside, but very kind and considerate inside. She¡¯s always an elegant woman in my impression. She was so decisive even towards my father¡¯s cheating on her unlike normal people... but after that, I realized that she isn¡¯t as strong as I thought. She could break down too...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue. She always had mixed feelings towards Shen Wenna. A part of her loved and respected her. On the other hand, she med her for not fighting for what she deserved. If Shen Wenna had tried to fight back then, her father might not have given up on them and chosen Yue Lingsi.

    However, she gave it some thought and concluded that she would have probably made the same decision as Shen Wenna if she were in her ce. They were too proud to beg...

    ¡°Like you?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his head and nced at her. He then averted his gaze to the few books on the table.

    She had bought those books from New Era za that day, but she knew he was not looking at the books. Instead, he was focused on the red invitation card under them.

    It was the invitation card to Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s engagement!

    She froze. She wanted to get the invitation card, but Mu Yuchen¡¯srge hands were faster. He picked the card up and flipped through it. Then, he looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s next Friday. Have you decided if you want to go?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head and closed her eyes when he looked at her. As she shook her head, her freshly closed wound started to sting again and the pain in her chest which stopped some time ago rpsed almost instantly.

    She wanted to think that it had never happened before, but the deeply carved memories in her mind constantly reminded her. Had she not stabbed herself that day, would she have done so now?

    She suddenlyughed at herself and her smile turned cold. Even he could feel the chill as he sat right opposite her.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need anymore. Having a clean-cut separation is better. If we meet again, it would cause a lot of trouble. It still depends on whether I can make it easy,¡± Xi Xiaye said after a short silence.

    Actually, she thought she should fight back and take back her pride, but she gave it some thought and decided that it was not necessary anymore. After struggling so hard, in the end, she just needed a reason for her to let go of everything.

    ¡°I think that the best way to solve these problems is to reset everything. Act as if we never knew each other. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. What do you think?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen and asked.

    ¡°However, in order to do that, you¡¯d need a much stronger willpower than others. You¡¯d have to take more burden too. I hope that you can trade an eye for an eye, my Missus.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°An eye for an eye? Just to feel good at the moment?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°Mmm, they made you feel unhappy, so you shouldn¡¯t let them befortable too. You should do whatever you want to do to make yourself feel better. A woman shouldn¡¯t care about being a gentleman.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, are you teaching me to be an evil woman?¡± Xi Xiaye opened her eyes wide and stared at him after he said those words straightforwardly.

    He smiled and his tone was filled with warmth. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy, I¡¯m never a fan of the idea of sacrificing someone to benefit others. I wouldn¡¯t be happy if I need to put up an act and still take on the criticism.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m tired.¡± Obviously, she was exhausted after so many years, trapped within the cold rtionship and her family...

 Chapter 62 - Mu Familys Queen Mother Has Arrived (2)

    <h4>Chapter 62: Mu Family¡¯s Queen Mother Has Arrived (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After that, Mu Yuchen did not say much. He just calmly tossed the invitation aside. ¡°Don¡¯t go then. Just get someone to send a gift over.¡±

    Then, he lowered his head and continued to enjoy his dinner.

    They had just finished dinner when Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone rang. It seemed to be a call from France. Xi Xiaye only heard him converse with the other end in very fluent French. Of course, she could not understand a word of it.

    After that, he went upstairs while Xi Xiaye washed the dishes, but he had very courteously finished the big bowl of noodles.

    She finished tidying up and put the gifts she bought that day away before going upstairs.

    Just as she walked into the room, Mu Yuchen walked out of the bathroom, freshly bathed. His soft, ck hair still had some moisture and his ck nightgown hung on him very casually. The belt at his waist was just pulled into a simple knot, revealing a small part of his strong and sturdy chest. His tall posture regaled his honorable and elegant handsome face and highlighted the low-profile, reserved aura of his. Such graceful charm startled Xi Xiaye for some reason and her twinkling eyes were dazed in that instant. However, she very quickly snapped back to her senses.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye stop by the door, Mu Yuchen said, ¡°I¡¯ve filled up the bath for you. Go in and bathe, then rest earlier. Watch out for your injury.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, right, the study room...¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to ask if she could use the study room as she was not quite used to working anywhere else. Earlier, she had bought quite a few books. Unfortunately, when she returned to Maple Residence then she remembered that this was not her apartment and she did not have her study room...

    ¡°You can use it as you please. Go bathe first. When you¡¯re done, thene to the study room,¡± Mu Yuchen said before stuffing his bath towel into her hands. His tall figure strode over to take the new books in her arms before he made his way towards the study room.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She regained her senses quite a while after, and when she turned to look at him, she saw that he had already entered the study room. Then, she held her forehead, feeling at a loss. She looked at the slightly damp towel that he had passed to her and could only force herself to walk into the bathroom.

    When she was done bathing and changing her dressing, she then put on afortable nightgown before knocking on the study room¡¯s door, almost an hour had passed.

    She knocked a few times, and when no one answered from inside, she pushed the door open to enter.

    She had just taken a few steps when the sight of Mu Yuchen reading documents at his desk greeted her. Perhaps because he heard the door opening, he instantly looked up. Seeing that the woman had changed into a light champagne nightgown with her waist-length hair hanging down like interweaving dark clouds, his quiet eyes could not help but be stunned by her demure beauty. Her delicate and fairplexion revealed a faint blush, yet in the next second, he concealed his emotions.

    ¡°Come here!¡±

    He put the documents in his hand down and indicated for Xi Xiaye to go over.

    Xi Xiaye then picked up her steps and walked over leisurely, stopping beside him.

    He pulled open the drawer by the side and took out a bunch of keys before handing them to her. ¡°This is the house keys. Sis Wang and the rest won¡¯t alwayse over. The keys to the cars in the garage are all in the drawer below the television in the living room. I¡¯ve already gotten Ah Mo to send your less-than-presentable car to the salvage yard.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye instantly frowned and looked a little sorrowfully at Mu Yuchen. ¡°What!? I just changed my carst year! I used up almost half a year¡¯s sry...¡±

    ¡°The engine won¡¯t do anymore. If you werepeting with those young people that night, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d embarrass me, mdy.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I want to be like them. They are energetic, young people.¡± Xi Xiaye grumbled as she reached out to take over the keys that he handed to her.

    He suddenly raised his brows and looked at her to ask, ¡°How young are you this year?¡±

    ¡°26. Why?¡± Xi Xiaye looked a little surprised at him, but she answered very honestly.

    ¡°26? Xi Xiaye, I thought you were 62! All day, you only think about work, then you eat and sleep. Apart from that, what else do you do?¡± Mu Yuchen asked a little helplessly.

    Xi Xiaye was startled, then she answered, ¡°Actually, I do know how to do quite a few more things. I read, drink tea, race... Right, I was even an athletest time. Even though I wasn¡¯t great in my studies in senior high, my basketball skills were pretty good. In fact, I was the school¡¯s team captain...¡±

    When she rattled on about this, Xi Xiaye suddenly did not continue because she noticed that the man was looking at her very weirdly, making her feel a little embarrassed.

    ¡°Athlete? School team? Mdy, have you never heard of the saying, ¡®you no longer possess your former glory¡¯? If you really want to talk about these, then I was also a very quiet, good-looking boy in school back then. And now?¡±

    ¡°Now, Mr. Mu, you¡¯re still a very quiet, good-looking man,¡± Xi Xiaye had very quickly continued.

    Mu Yuchen was startled. He looked at her for a long while before the husband and wife could not help but look at each other andugh.

    ¡°Okay, stop trying to find loopholes in my words. I just wanted to let you rx a little. Don¡¯t treat yourself so unfairly, okay?¡±

    His soft and soothing voice was like a teacher gently scolding a disobedient child. Xi Xiaye felt giddy just listening to it. Upon seeing his serious ways, she finally could not help but turn her head away and softly startughing.

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Then, I won¡¯t be courteous. Actually, I quite like that Porsche.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ¡°What are you looking at? Mmm... Let me see... Emperor Entertainment City¡¯s project oue. Isn¡¯t this the wrap-up report that I just handed in? Why did you make that annotation? Is there a problem?¡±

    Xi Xiaye bent over slightly and gently took the document in front of him.

    Mu Yuchen leaned over to pull her into his arms with one hand. He was about to just let her sit down, but at that moment ¡ª

    Bam!

    There was a sound of someone bumping into the door from outside!

 Chapter 63 - Mu Familys Queen Mother Has Arrived (3)

    <h4>Chapter 63: Mu Family¡¯s Queen Mother Has Arrived (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The couple was shocked and looked at each other. Xi Xiaye quickly straightened her back and looked outside the door, astonished.

    Thump thump thump!

    Sounds of quick footsteps echoed and she frowned. ¡°There¡¯s someone outside!¡±

    Mu Yuchen had already stood up, his deep eyes shining slightly, but his expression was as calm as ever. He just walked outside and Xi Xiaye caught up to him when he left the room.

    There was a grey figure that disappeared into their bedroom as they just walked out of the study room. Feeling odd, Xi Xiaye went on to take a look. She stood outside the bedroom and saw an old, bespectacleddy wearing a grey coat scrummaging through their cupboards.

    Swoosh!

    The olddy opened their wardrobe and rifled through them. She fixed her sharp gaze on Xi Xiaye¡¯s clothes, then she studied the spacious bed. After that, she quickly took a look at the bathroom...

    Xi Xiaye was stunned and was not sure what was happening. The olddy seemed just like a disciplinary teacher. ncing at the man beside her, she realized that he had already sat down on the sofa.

    He turned the television on and was taking out some tea leaves casually as if he did not notice the olddy messing up their bedroom.

    She pointed her finger at the bedroom and stammered out of astonishment, ¡°Mu Yuchen... She...¡±

    ¡°Sit down. She¡¯lle out after going through the room,¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he poured the tea elegantly.

    She was stunned for quite a while. Turning to the messy bedroom and then at the calm man, she thought about it before sitting beside him on the sofa.

    Xi Xiaye epted the tea he handed to her. She sipped on it as she threw him a question, ¡°Is that your grandmother?¡±

    ¡°Who else would be this daring aside from her? Get used to it. They usually won¡¯te to Maple Residence. Probably Father told them.¡±

    ¡°Father? The middle-aged man we saw this evening?¡± She had noticed that the man¡¯s facial features seemed simr to Mu Yuchen¡¯s, and at that time...

    Before she could think any further about it, sounds of swift footsteps closed in. A shadow went past before her speedily and before she could evene back to her senses, someone had already sat down beside her.

    She raised her head. It was the olddy from just now ¡ª

    With silver-white hair and a pair of foxy eyes glimmering with light, she looked skinny but seemed energetic. Her face was slightly tensed up and was staring straight at Xi Xiaye, who was starting to feel embarrassed, so she tugged on the sleeves of the man beside her.

    ¡°You rushed over thiste at night. You¡¯ve seen her now, so it¡¯s time for you to go back and rest easy.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at his grandmother, Wang Hui, and evenly poured her a cup of tea.

    Wang Hui stared at him without a change in expression. Her face bloomed into a wide smile and the look in her eyes became gentle as well. She asked kindly, ¡°You look pretty familiar. What¡¯s your name? How old are you? Where do you stay? Who else is in your family? How long have you been together with Chen? When are you guys getting married?¡±

    A whole bunch of questions was fired and Xi Xiaye was unable to react.

    ¡°I...¡± Xi Xiaye felt a chill running down her spine. She turned her head over to Mu Yuchen, yet he was not paying attention to her. Instead, he was watching NBA on the television.

    ¡°Hi... I¡¯m Xi Xiaye... We... We...¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye? Why¡¯s that name so familiar?¡± Wang Hui squinted her eyes and stared at Xi Xiaye¡¯s pretty little face. After a while, her eyes were glinting and then she shouted, ¡°Are you the one the elder said performed very well in Glory World? Director Xi who looks pretty good, Shen Yue¡¯s granddaughter?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. The scene of her first meeting with Mu Yuchen shed through her mind.

    The blind date!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s cheeks heated up. Suddenly, her face reddened and she nodded. ¡°Hello. So, you know my grandfather as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we were goodrades back then. I heard that old fe mention that he has a treasured granddaughter. He told me about it... Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I¡¯m Grandmother... Mu Yuchen is my grandson!¡±

    Wang Hui was running her mouth, but her eyes became sharp when she red at Mu Yuchen. ¡°If your father and Manager Chen hadn¡¯t mentioned it to me, we¡¯d still have no idea about it! How long have you been together?¡±

    Mu Yuchen then turned to lock eyes with Wang Hui. ¡°We¡¯re already married. She¡¯s now your granddaughter-inw and we¡¯re staying together legally. Xiaye, greet her formally.¡±

    <i>Married!</i>

    <i>Granddaughter-inw!</i>

    <i>Staying together legally!</i>

    These phrases made the olddy¡¯s blood pressure rocket sky-high!

    Wang Hui widened her eyes and looked at the young couple before her. In her astoundment, her eyes rolled around before she came back to her senses, locking her gaze onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s pretty little face. ¡°Chen mentioned that you guys are married?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and smiled shyly. She replied politely, ¡°Hello, Grandmother! I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t visit you earlier...¡±

 Chapter 64 - An Accident?

    <h4>Chapter 64: An ident?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s reply made the usually quick-witted Wang Hui stunned for some time. Her eyes darted between the two of them repeatedly as her body seemed to have frozen.

    Not knowing what to say, the sudden news indeed shocked the elder. Moreover, she was the one who had mentioned getting married first. Xi Xiaye then realized that her rash decision had caused such a big uproar, so she was now worried about her grandpa and her mother¡¯s side. Would they...

    She looked at Mu Yuchen uneasily, her eyes screaming for help. He noticed her intention and then smiled at her before he set his gaze on Wang Hui.

    Wang Hui finally came back to her senses. An odd expression appeared on her face as a light shed through her sharp eyes and she grinned at the two of them. Staring at Mu Yuchen squarely in the eyes, she quipped, ¡°I¡¯m not a very traditional person. I¡¯ll ept it since you both are already married. However, since you guys got married in such a hurry, could it be...?¡±

    The olddy¡¯s sharp eyes were focused onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s stomach as she grinned like a cunning fox. ¡°Did you guys not take safety precautions and had an ident?¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was drinking some tea, but upon hearing the spection, she started coughing and tea spurted out of her mouth. As a result of her shock, her wound on her shoulder was jolted slightly. Mu Yuchen reacted quickly by grabbing several tissues for her to avoid the mess from worsening.

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Don¡¯t you have anything else in your mind?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned towards Wang Hui. At the same time, he ced a hand behind Xi Xiaye¡¯s back protectively. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her hand slightly to indicate that she was fine, but her little face was all red. All of a sudden, she felt that it was very hot. She red at Mu Yuchen awkwardly and wanted him to exin!

    Wang Hui thought that her assumption was correct when she saw Mu Yuchen being so concerned about Xi Xiaye. After all, otherwise, they would not have gotten married in such a rush.

    However, it did not seem right. The timing did not match up. They had just gone on their blind date not too long ago, and Chen had just returned recently...

    What was happening?

    The Mu family was very strict with their reputation, especially since they were a prestigious family. Wang Hui was a respectable icon within the military while Mu Yuchen¡¯s father, Mu Tangchuan, was a top brass in the government sector. His mother, Zhuang Shurong, sat among the ranks of the Procuratorate management. Therefore, they had to be very careful with everything they did.

    Problems rted to principles or negative issues were something they should avoid, which made them more sensitive towards matters that might hurt their family¡¯s reputation.

    Within the upper ranks of the society, smart people would never make such silly mistakes, unlike those yboys who would get into trouble everywhere and be victims of the mass media.

    Being born under such family circumstances and having studied in a military school, Mu Yuchen had extraordinary self-control. He was disciplined, humble, and responsible.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen knew exactly what Wang Hui was thinking as she stared at them.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. Didn¡¯t you guys always want me to get married and live a new life? You guys are happy with her, and so am I,¡± Mu Yuchen took a pause and nced at the shiny ring on Xi Xiaye¡¯s finger, then he continued, ¡°Xiaye studied in City S High School too. I¡¯ve met her many years ago and liked her ever since. A senior marrying his junior... Isn¡¯t that pretty good?¡±

    As he finished his sentence, the man nced at the blushing Xi Xiaye with an odd smile.

    Liked her ever since high school?

    A senior marrying his junior?

    That was impressive of him. He did not even need to practice lying. However, it seemed to be believable. In fact, they really did study at the same high school and were truly having the rtionship between a senior and a junior!

    However, their high school phase was over ten years ago and they had no idea who each other was then! Moreover, he was several years older than her. When she enrolled at the school, he had already graduated!

    Xi Xiaye nced at the man who looked calm as ever and did not show any hint of being nervous. She was impressed by how he could remain so calm.

    His performance was able to trick the cunning old fox. Furthermore, the couple¡¯s intimate behavior proved that Mu Yuchen¡¯s words were not a lie, so Wang Hui then truly believed him.

    She looked at Xi Xiaye and smiled. ¡°I see you both knew each other before... Well, that¡¯s great! Great, senior and junior, not bad at all! His parents, who are your parents now as well, are from the same school too.¡±

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, my child. It¡¯s easier now that things are clear. I¡¯m pretty close to your grandpa Shen Yue, your mother Shen Wenna and his parents are on friendly terms as well. There¡¯s nothing wrong with knowing each other. I hope that our family gets to know each other better. Haha, this is fantastic...¡±

    Wang Hui grinned like a cunning fox, her smile even seeming slightly evil.

    <i>See now, Shen Yue, back then, my son wasn¡¯t able to marry your daughter. However, now your granddaughter has be one of my family members. Suck it up! The fact is that my grandson is really charming!</i>

 Chapter 65 - Not A Bad Move

    <h4>Chapter 65: Not A Bad Move</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye felt goosebumps when she saw Wang Hui¡¯s grin. A cold wind blew behind her and made her shiver.

    Why did she feel like she had just fallen into a wolf¡¯s den?

    Wang Hui quickly erased her smile when she noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s uneasiness. A kind smile returned to her face once again and she gently patted Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands which were resting on herp. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just overjoyed to have a pretty granddaughter-inw! You¡¯re really quick-handed, aren¡¯t you? But that¡¯s how a soldier should do it! Attack when you have the chance. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being decisive, is there?¡±

    Wang Hui was really satisfied with Xi Xiaye. Although she had browsed through Xi Xiaye¡¯s profile before she sent Mu Yuchen on the blind date, now that she saw her in person, she thought that she seemed very simr to her mother, Shen Wenna. Even their personalities were simr: quiet, humble, and elegant. Moreover, she was a high achiever. Where else could she look for a granddaughter-inw like this?

    As expected of his impable taste, Chen was spot-on this time!

    ¡°Chen, you¡¯re much more charming than your father!¡± Wang Huiughed happily as she took a sip from her cup of tea. She exercised restraint when she received a cold warning stare from Mu Yuchen. ncing at the time and realizing that it was prettyte already, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t really mean anything. I just heard your father mention you two, and Manager Chen gave me a call too, so I was curious and came over...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already decided to bring her home in a few days. There are quite a lot of things to work on. Isn¡¯t my mothering back in a few days from her inspection trip in City B?¡± Mu Yuchen said indifferently.

    ¡°She called your father today. She¡¯sing back tomorrow afternoon.¡± Wang Hui nced at Mu Yuchen secretly.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got it, I¡¯ll go back the day after tomorrow. We¡¯ll chat again tomorrow if there¡¯s anything else. It¡¯s prettyte already. Decide for yourself if you want to go back or stay over for the night.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back, I¡¯ll go back. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t interrupt you guys! Okay, it¡¯s set then. Come back on the morning of the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ll get them to be prepared. Right, Granddaughter-inw, what do you like to eat?¡± Wang Hui seemed pleased. Her smile was really warm and did not feel distant at all.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She then replied with a polite smile, ¡°I¡¯m not very picky. My taste is pretty close to his.¡±

    She dragged Mu Yuchen into the conversation shamelessly because she had no idea how to answer her. Moreover, she had had several meals with him before and she noticed they both preferred more light-tasting food.

    Wang Hui¡¯s smile was growing wider with each word just like a chrysanthemum in full bloom. She nodded and then stood up. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ve got it. I¡¯ll go back now. Remember toe by earlier then. I hope I didn¡¯t scare you tonight!¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head gently, feeling rather shy under Wang Hui¡¯s gentle and passionate stare. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s my fault for not visiting first. I hope you can forgive me.¡±

    Wang Hui nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking grains on the ground. ¡°I understand! I really understand! I was young and in love once. As long as you guys are in love with each other, you¡¯ve gotten the marriage certificate anyway, so you can do whatever you like. Acting on impulse isn¡¯t bad. On the other hand, acting irresponsibly on impulse is a bad move. Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s nothing wrong with moving in together as a married couple. It isn¡¯t a bad move at all. We elders are pretty open-minded and can ept it.¡±

    She then touched all her pockets, unable to find anything. She smiled at Xi Xiaye awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my child. I rushed over here and didn¡¯t bring you anything. I even forgot to get you a red packet. My bad.¡±

    After some thinking, she took off the green jade bracelet from her hand before she pulled Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender hand and put it on with a smile. ¡°Alright, take this as a first meeting gift from me. His grandfather gave this jade bracelet to me back then as our token of love. It¡¯s pretty troublesome to wear it around although I just felt like putting it on these few days. You look really great with it!¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, I... It¡¯s okay...¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to decline and was about to take it off, but the man threw her a nce and then spoke up, ¡°Bring her a few more next time. I know there¡¯s a lot of stuff like this among the dowry Grandfather gave you.¡±

    ¡°You cheeky brat, you¡¯re just like your grandfather. Devious chap! Do you think I¡¯ll treat my granddaughter-inw poorly? We¡¯ll talk again once youe back. It¡¯s alreadyte. I¡¯ll go back now. You two rest earlier as well! Remember to bring her back! Or you¡¯ll face the consequences!¡±

    While Maple Residence was pretty spacious, there was only one bedroom. Wang Hui would not disturb the newlyweds, so she quickly left. After all, there were many more chances in the future to talk and she did not want to ruin the youngsters¡¯ fun!

    ...

    Xi Xiaye slowly drew the curtains in a daze after Wang Hui got into the car hastily. When she came back to her senses, she noticed that the man was already lying on the bed and flipping through one of the books she had bought.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell me something?¡± Xi Xiaye went over and sat down on the edge of the bed as she looked at him with her quiet eyes.

    ¡°About?¡± He raised his head and looked at her in doubt. Then, he took his coat off and passed it to her.

    Xi Xiaye frowned, taking the coat and putting it on the chair beside the bed as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about your family. Shouldn¡¯t I be prepared if I¡¯m going back with you?¡±

    She suddenly felt a headache as she mentioned it.

    Mu Yuchen gave her a meaningful look when he saw her eyes glower and heughed. ¡°Are you nervous?¡±

    ¡°Which part of me looks nervous? I just feel like we didn¡¯t consider a bit more before making our decision.¡± Xi Xiaye seemed troubled.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote to think about that now?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her funnily.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who said to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau immediately!¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but to give him a re.

 Chapter 66 - Shocked Su Nan

    <h4>Chapter 66: Shocked Su Nan</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen chuckled without a word. He let her frown and sit quietly for a while before he said softly, ¡°Fine, I really didn¡¯t consider it much. You¡¯ve justmitted a crime by being attached to a rebel. They¡¯re not monsters, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    As he said this, he tore his eyes away and looked down at the page in his hand before he continued, ¡°Grandfather and Grandmother are quite loving. They won¡¯t trouble you. Father is amiable and gentle too, so it won¡¯t be too hard tomunicate with him. Mother looks a little serious and indifferent. She doesn¡¯t talk much, but she¡¯s actually kind at heart and isn¡¯t hard to get along with. If you feel that it¡¯s hard tomunicate with them, you can just ignore them. You just have to remember these few people. As for the rest, you don¡¯t even have to care.

    ¡°Even though it sounds like the Mu family is quite huge on the outside, these few years, the rtionships have faded quite a bit. You don¡¯t have to be too pressured. I¡¯ll let you know when the timees. Then, I¡¯ll tell you what you need to take note of. With me here, what¡¯s there for you to be worried about?¡±

    If he had not shared this, Xi Xiaye really would not have known anything about the Mu family. She never did pay attention to such things.

    She thought about it, then nodded. She ceased her questions. ¡°You should prepare that gift by yourself. I¡¯m not too sure about what they¡¯ll like.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Mu Yuchen just answered.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye then lifted the nket and slowly got into bed, lying down on her side.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze was quiet as he watched the way shey down with her back against him. On this huge bed that could easily fit five to six people, shey at the side and only took up less than a tenth of the space.

    His silent and profound eyes flickered slightly, then he said softly, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye¡¯s frail body was startled for some reason and she instantly stiffened. Mu Yuchen could see that her fingers clutched onto the nket tightly, turning pale.

    ¡°N-no...¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s clear voice was heard.

    However, just as she said this, she heard the rustling of the nket being lifted, and before she could react, a huge hand gripped her waist and pulled her in, delicately avoiding the injury on her shoulder.

    She could not help but cry out in rm. The faint warmth that suddenly came behind her made her turn rigid and she dared not move. The quiet and elegant fragrance that came close to her nose made her fall into a daze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go to the point of disregarding your injury. I¡¯ll give you time, but I hope it won¡¯t be too long.¡± His deep voice rang out with a depth and some raspiness, warming Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart when she heard it for some reason.

    She fell silent for a moment, then after a long while she turned her head slightly. She looked towards him and met his deep eyes. She thought about it before lightly breathing in, then she answered softly, ¡°I know. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear those two words anymore from now on. Alright, it¡¯ste. Go to sleep,¡± said the man before his grip on her waist slowly loosened.

    Xi Xiaye then eased up while he did not move anymore. The vague warmth from his chest traveled through the narrow of her back. The air was filled with his elegant and cold aura, and the sound of his faint breathing was audible.

    She subconsciously opened her eyes and turned to look at him, realizing that his eyes were already closed. His long eyshes and his noble and elegant handsome face that was showered with the dim yet warm wallmp made him look somewhat distant and out of this world.

    She suddenly smiled, tearing her gaze away. Suddenly, she felt rxed as she was engulfed by an unprecedented warmth. A while after, she fell asleep again...

    ...

    The next day when she woke up, the man beside her was nowhere in sight. After Xi Xiaye finished washing up and went downstairs, she realized that the entire vi was empty, but the dining table did have breakfast prepared.

    Xi Xiaye had just sat down and had a few mouthfuls of the porridge when Su Nan called. She then remembered that she had made ns to meet Su Nanst night.

    ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯ve already reached Bamboo Teahouse. When are you reaching? Don¡¯t tell me that you haven¡¯t woken up and have run off somewhere. Earlier, I went to your apartment and rang the doorbell for a long time, no one answered!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s impatient voice came through. Xi Xiaye then put the spoon in her hand down.

    ¡°Order some food first. I¡¯m rushing over right now.¡±

    Then, she took the ss of water at the side and had a few gulps. She did not even have the time to tidy up as she had just gone to the drawer to get the car keys and rush out.

    By the time she sped all the way to Bamboo Teahouse, nearly an hour had passed. Su Nan who was waiting in the private room was already very impatient.

    When she saw Su Nan¡¯s angry yet worried look, Xi Xiaye served her tea while her twinkling eyes shed with a light as her beautiful face forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for letting you worry, Su Nan. I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ve been living pretty well these past few days too.¡±

    ¡°Where did you go these past few days? I couldn¡¯t find you at your apartment, nor at thepany. I¡¯ve heard all about what happened at the banquet. It¡¯s just that shameless thing getting engaged right? Do you have to go the point of being so disheartened that you hid away to mourn, or be upset alone?¡±

    Su Nan shot Xi Xiaye a look for failing to meet her expectations of staying strong. She chided, ¡°Xi Xiaye, to be honest, I really can¡¯t stand you. You¡¯re just so stubborn. Don¡¯t try to correct your mistakes! Xi Xinyi, that pretentious slut, seeing her pretend to be all innocent makes me want to rush up and rip her apart! How dare she be so shameless to send me an engagement invitation? What the hell? She even pitifully said that she just wants you to live better, that she¡¯d rather return Han Yifeng to you. That bitch! Now, isn¡¯t she still getting engaged to Han Yifeng?! You don¡¯t know this, but when I came over, I even saw them try on their formal attires... I¡¯m so pissed off...¡±

    When she saw Su Nan all furious and getting angrier as she spoke, Xi Xiaye who quietly listened to her angry venting suddenly said calmly, ¡°Su Nan, I¡¯m married.¡±

    ¡°What? What do you mean ¡®married¡¯?¡±

    Interrupted by Xi Xiaye, Su Nan looked very unhappily at her. However, seeing that Xi Xiaye was drinking her tea, her brain suddenly understood and realized what Xi Xiaye had just said!

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, what did you just say? Married? Did you say you were married?¡±

    Su Nan widened her eyes and looked at Xi Xiaye, stunned.

 Chapter 67 - Hes A Very Good Person

    <h4>Chapter 67: He¡¯s A Very Good Person</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Under Su Nan¡¯s shocked gaze, Xi Xiaye looked up slightly. When she saw Su Nan¡¯s stunned face, she could not help but purse her lips and chuckle. Her tone was very calm as she affirmed, ¡°You heard me right. I am indeed married.¡±

    Su Nan only snapped back to her senses after quite a while. She held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and fixed her gaze on her, her beautiful eyes still filled with disbelief as her little face was tensed up. ¡°Who¡¯s that man? It definitely isn¡¯t Han Yifeng, is it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lifted her hand gently and patted the back of Su Nan¡¯s hand. Shaking her head lightly, she slowly lowered her gaze and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, Han Yifeng... and I... is already in the past...¡±

    ¡°Then, who¡¯s that man to whom you¡¯re married? Why did you suddenly get married to him? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being fooled? Have you really gone crazy?¡±

    Su Nan knew Xi Xiaye well. These past few years she had almost always been with her, she had never seen her date anyone. Therefore, now that such a jaw-dropping piece of news had suddenly popped up, she could not help but be shocked!

    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Mu. He¡¯s a very sweet person and is very considerate. He¡¯s very good at looking after me too. I think... I don¡¯t have any reason not to get married to him, especially now that everything is really quite smooth-sailing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that these past two days when you vanished, it was because... you went to get married right away!¡±

    Xi Xiaye kept silent, yet Su Nan already knew her answer. She felt a headacheing on as she lectured, ¡°Xiaye, marriage is one of the most important things in life. How could you be so careless? Do you understand him? Understand his family situation? Sigh, what¡¯s wrong with you? I¡¯m most afraid of seeing you unhappy, alright? Don¡¯t tell me that you suddenly got married just to take revenge!¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t care anymore. Since you¡¯re already married, just bring this man out to meet me before we talk any further. I won¡¯t say anything anymore. If he isn¡¯t a good person, Xi Xiaye, don¡¯t me me for killing you! Then, immediately break off rtions with your fool. That way, I can live for a few more years!¡±

    It was just like Su Nan to say that. Clearly, she was incredibly worried, but her words were also very mean.

    Xi Xiaye listened to Su Nan¡¯s lecture quietly, then she smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. His family knows my mother and my family. Let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s find a time to have him treat you to a meal. You and Ruan Heng cane together.¡±

    As she said this, she elegantly served her some tea. ¡°How are you and Ruan Heng?¡±

    She recalled that it had been quite a while since Ruan Heng called her every day, so the two lovers must have reconciled.

    ¡°Just the same. He¡¯s just too naive and slow. He¡¯s so one-track minded everywhere he goes! I¡¯ve decided to bring him back to meet my parents in a few days. I feel like we¡¯re both not young anymore. Now, you¡¯re married as well, and I¡¯m even older than you by a year. I¡¯m 27 this year and I¡¯ll be 28 when the New Yeares. My parents are already getting worried.¡±

    Su Nan sighed in distress.

    ¡°Did Ruan Heng propose to you?¡± Xi Xiaye took a sip of tea and asked.

    ¡°He has mentioned it before. He wanted me to follow him home to meet his parents, but thest time that incident happened, so it was dyed. We¡¯ll discuss it again another day. His parents and mine are both into literature and arts. Plus, they¡¯re all sensible people, so it should be easy for them to get along.¡±

    When Su Nan said this, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered the incidentst night. She and Mu Yuchen had already decided that she would be meeting his family the next day.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Let¡¯s talk about you. When are you bringing him out to let me examine?¡±

    Su Nan restrained her train of thoughts. She drank a mouthful tea and frowned at Xi Xiaye, sticking her tongue out in disdain. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s so bitter! I really don¡¯t know why you like drinking this tea. I still prefer to drink milk tea.¡±

    ¡°Wait till we¡¯re done with being busy in the next few days,¡± Xi Xiaye responded to her question earlier.

    Su Nan nodded. ¡°Okay then. Are you going for Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s engagement ceremony? Initially, I was worried about you. If you go, then I¡¯ll go. If you¡¯re not going, then I¡¯m toozy to give a damn either.¡±

    ¡°I might not be able to go as I should be at work at that time. It¡¯s always a little busy end of the year and those few days will be just before New Year¡¯s Eve, so there¡¯ll be quite a lot for me to rush before going on holiday.¡±

    When she thought about the South River project, Xi Xiaye could not help but feel a headachee on. There were still so many things that needed to be prepared and it would be the holidays soon. She wondered whether she should request Mu Yuchen so that she could hand her proposal in slightlyter. Otherwise, with such a short amount of time, she was really worried that she would not be able toplete it.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. They¡¯re just some unimportant people. Who do they think they are that I have to care just for anyone? Huh, and what was it they even said? That I need your blessings the most? How pretentious! Han Yifeng must¡¯ve gone blind, actually liking such a fake woman... Never mind. Forget it! Once I talk about them, I¡¯ll get angry! I haven¡¯t shopped in so long. Since the sun is pretty warm today, let¡¯s go out and walk around.¡±

    Xi Xiaye followed Su Nan¡¯s gaze and looked out of the window too. She noticed that outside, the sun shone magnificently and warm, golden rays nketed the whole ce.

    Everything seemed so beautiful.

    She thought about it before nodding dly. ¡°Mmm, I should get some New Year goodies for Father Su and Mother Su too. Just nice then, since you can help me bring them back.¡±

    ¡°Save it! You have to send your own New Year¡¯s gifts by yourself. My parents miss you! They haven¡¯t seen youe to the house for quite a few months now. Once I return, you¡¯re all they ask me about,¡± Su Nan said as she stood up. ¡°Right, I didn¡¯t drive today, so I can carpool with you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she took her handbag on the side. ¡°Let¡¯s go then. I¡¯ll definitely be responsible and send you home safely.¡±

    However, momentster, when Su Nan saw the Cayenne parked in front of her, she became speechless with shock. Turning to look at Xi Xiaye, she pointed at the car and asked, ¡°Are you saying that this car belongs to your mysterious husband?¡±

    When she saw Su Nan¡¯s expression, Xi Xiaye could not help butugh. She just helped her open the door to the front passenger seat. Then, she walked around the car and got into the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re even living off a rich man! Dang, don¡¯t tell me that the man you¡¯re married to is a short fatty. Oh, maybe he¡¯s a horny, bald man!¡±

    Su Nan got into the car and buckled up. Her rich imagination started to expand as she imagined how Xi Xiaye¡¯s new husband looked like.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so nonsensically. He¡¯s a pretty charming person. His looks... shouldn¡¯t lose out to Han Yifeng¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t lose out to Han Yifeng¡¯s?! Han Yifeng is already quite a rare, handsome catch. Could the man you¡¯ve found actually beat him? No way! I¡¯m really getting more and more curious...¡±

    Xi Xiaye ignored Su Nan¡¯s crazy look as she switched the music yer on and started the engine.

 Chapter 68 - Flowers For Mr. Mu

    <h4>Chapter 68: Flowers For Mr. Mu</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They had shopped for almost the entire day and amassed a huge pile of clothes and shoes, which were all Su Nan¡¯s. By the time she sent her friend back to the Su residence, it was already close to evening.

    Xi Xiaye did not stay any longer. After she dropped Su Nan off, she swung by her old apartment and packed some things to bring back to Maple Residence.

    When the car traversed through the city downtown, she suddenly remembered about what she needed to discuss with Mu Yuchen. She kept thinking about it, fretting about how to ask him.

    Even though he seemed pretty easy going, he was very firm and decisive about for certain things. He did not allow resistance, so she was afraid that getting him to yield would not be that easy a task. When she thought about this, she suddenly parked her car by the roadside and pondered how to ask himter.

    She frowned a little distressedly. Just as she wanted to lean back and contemte, her eyes looked outside and suddenly saw a flower shop by the roadside...

    She thought about it, then a vibrance shed across her twinkling eyes. She then pushed open the car door and got down.

    ¡°Hello, Miss! Want to buy some flowers?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just stepped into the shop when thedy boss very enthusiastically greeted her.

    She nodded gently as her bright eyes started to look around at all the various fresh flowers in full bloom around her. Quickly, her gaze fell onto a flower basket with blue roses.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have this one then. It¡¯s quite pretty. Help me pack a bouquet. Please wrap it up nicely.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pointed at the huge basket of blue roses with her fair fingertips as she said to thedy boss.

    Thedy boss smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, Miss. Please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll get it ready right away!¡±

    Actually, Xi Xiaye did not know the meaning these flowers carried. She just thought that they looked pretty and that the profound ocean-blue color was quite suitable for a man with Mu Yuchen¡¯s low-profile and reserved demeanor. She thought that he would appreciate these flowers.

    Earlier, when she saw the blue roses, her eyes lit up ever so slightly. However, she barely recalled receiving any fresh flowers before.

    The only flowers she had ever received would be the prize that Mu Yuchen had won from the race that night, that stalk of blooming red rose and a very beautiful Barbie princess doll.

    When she thought about this, she suddenly smiled. Even though she felt a little bleak, at the same time, a warmth expanded in her heart. She felt like a beam of sunshine had suddenly shone into the haze at the bottom of her heart without her even noticing.

    Thedy boss was very quick. A short whileter, she had delivered the beautiful bouquet of blue roses to Xi Xiaye. The huge bouquet almost covered her.

    Xi Xiaye looked down at the blue flowers that were elegantly beautiful and so unfathomable that it almost brought tears to her eyes. The faint fragrance entered her nose as she breathed in slightly. Nodding in satisfaction, she paid and then left.

    At this moment, Mu Yuchen who had been busy the entire day returned to Maple Residence and realized that the whole vi was in darkness. The only faint light that flickered asionally came from the dim streetlight beyond the yard.

    When he turned the living room lights on and looked around, he instantly saw the dishes that Xi Xiaye had left behind that morning on the dining table. Earlier, when he had parked his car in the garage and noticed that the Porsche was missing, he had already guessed that she must have gone out.

    He did not think too much. Taking his coat off to reveal a ck top, he turned the temperature higher, then leisurely made his way to the kitchen.

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence, she realized that the lights inside were already switched on. She rushed down from the car with that huge bouquet, and the moment she entered the vi, a warmth engulfed her.

    She looked around the whole living room and her gaze went to the kitchen where the lights were turned on. She then carried the humongous bouquet towards the kitchen.

    Slowly pushing the ss door to the kitchen open, a tantalizing aroma assailed her nostrils and a tall, ck figure standing before the stove greeted her sight.

    He was skillfully stirring the food in the pan with his sleeves rolled up halfway, revealing his fair and thin wrists. His handsome and quiet face looked a little surreal underneath the dazzling lights.

    Xi Xiaye studied him and could not help but be absent-minded for quite a while. Moments after, she snapped back.

    She looked down at the flowers she held in front of her, then looked up at him again. Suddenly, she felt a little shy and quite embarrassed. She had never presented anyone with flowers before, what more a man...

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye could not help but scold herself on the inside. She had really gone crazy. What was wrong with giving him something else? Yet, she had chosen flowers of all things! She was pondering about whether or not to just forget it and give up when the man who was busy suddenly turned around and looked at her.

    Immediately, his eyes fell onto the bouquet of blue roses that almost covered her. Her starry eyes met his unfathomable eyes too and she was startled...

    ¡°Who sent you those?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes shed with a cold light that betrayed his calm tone.

    Xi Xiaye struggled on the inside. Her beautiful face shed with a mix of emotions for a while. Finally, she decided to just go for it. After all, she had already bought the flowers!

    She slowly walked over and stopped before him. Just as she turned to look at what he was stirring in the pan, she handed him the huge bouquet in her arms. Her voice was soft and gentle. ¡°When I passed by the florist, I thought they bloomed quite beautifully, so I bought them. They¡¯re for you... What are you cooking? It smells so divine!¡±

    Once hisdy said this, Mu Yuchen was stunned. His eyes that were as bottomless as the sea shed with surprise. He stared at Xiaye¡¯s fair and beautiful face and sharply noticed that two faint splotches were slowly crawling up her cheeks...

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s usual calm and indifferent gaze had, for some reason, turned gentle. This was the first time someone had presented him with flowers, and the person that had done so was this woman who had just be his wife.

    There was suddenly a mixed light in his eyes, yet he looked down at the bouquet, then at the side of her face. She was pretending to look into the pan. He suddenly chuckled, his soft tone a little tender. ¡°One who¡¯s unountably solicitous is hiding some evil intentions, eh? What did you do now? Or do you want me to satisfy any requests of yours?¡±

    She almost forgot that this man always had a vignce that could see through everything. He instantly saw through her thoughts and she felt defeated.

    She turned around and leaned on the countertop, watching him get busy from the side. Her brows were furrowed into a knot as she thought about it and decided that she should not hide it. She should just be frank.

 Chapter 69 - Silly Foodie

    <h4>Chapter 69: Silly Foodie</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I think my injury is better now. It¡¯s close to the year end and thepany¡¯s going to go on a break. A lot of work has piled up in the office so I want to go back to work tomorrow. May I submit the proposal for the South River projectter?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned and looked at him as he remained silent. She then said, ¡°The year-end holiday runs for about half a month and the team is still in a mess at the moment...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply to her immediately. He transferred the fried eggs with tomatoes from the pan to a te. As he did not look at her the whole time, Xi Xiaye only got more and more anxious.

    Apart from being worried about the piling up work, she really disliked always staying at home. It made her feel empty and she had an odd sense of suffocation.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    Xi Xiaye rapped her knuckles on the cool kitchen counter when he did not reply. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that yourpany has such a dedicated employee like me?¡±

    ¡°The South River project can be dyed, but are you sure that you¡¯ll be fine?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her. He knew what she was thinking about. ¡°You can stay at home to prepare the project. I¡¯ve asked Vice President Liu to take care of your work for now, so you don¡¯t have to worry. If you push further, then I¡¯ll take the South River project back from you.¡±

    Directly, he was declining Xi Xiaye¡¯s request.

    Xi Xiaye felt defeated when he left no room for discussion. She red at him unhappily as the smell of the food entered her nostrils. Without caring about elegance, she pinched a piece of the omelet with her fingers and chomped it down.

    Mu Yuchen threw her an odd look.

    ¡°What are you looking at? It¡¯s in and not tasty at all!¡± She then picked up a slice of tomato and ate it while looking pointedly at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen was unfazed. This woman would be unreasonable when she started to get mad. She would definitely mess with anyone if one got serious with her.

    He just shot her a nce and then continued making the second dish.

    ¡°I met Su Nan today. She¡¯s my best friend and has always taken care of me. I told her about us being married. Do find some time so you two can meet.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped making a fuss when he did not say anything. In her head, she did not forget about Su Nan¡¯s reminder which she had repeated over and over again.

    ¡°Does she want to see who¡¯s so unlucky to have married to a silly foodie?¡±

    Mu Yuchen threw her a nce as he continued to fry the potato slices in the pan.

    Xi Xiaye sulked when she heard him. ¡°Why¡¯re you making it sound like a bad deal marrying me? I¡¯m a moderndy... A fair, rich, and beautiful woman! Who are you calling a silly foodie?¡±

    ¡°You need to train longer to lure me into your trap, but it won¡¯t ever work on me.¡± Mu Yuchen scanned Xi Xiaye with his eyes as if he was looking at an idiot.

    He was the one who would trap others. Whoever could trap him?

    A fair, rich, and beautiful woman?

    Well, if she was serious, she was pretty cute.

    ¡°I¡¯m stating a fact. I was the school idol back then, and now I have a stable job with ie of over a million. I¡¯m a strong woman who doesn¡¯t depend on others...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue any further because the man was staring at her with a surprised gaze. She felt creeped out and stopped talking.

    ¡°Missus, I think you¡¯re very much alike something when you feel very good about yourself. Do you want to know what?¡± Mu Yuchen gave it some thought and then said calmly.

    ¡°Like what?¡± Xi Xiaye became curious.

    ¡°An idiot.¡± Mu Yuchen averted his gaze back to the potato slices after the short reply. A grin appeared on his face and he was stifling hisughter.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression froze. She reacted after a slight dy and could not hold in her anger anymore. In her temper, she flung the bouquet of flowers in her hand towards Mu Yuchen. ¡°You¡¯re the idiot! You¡¯re the foodie! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be afraid of you just because you¡¯re the Chairman...¡±

    Mu Yuchen shook his head at her wild behavior. He smiled and then held onto the bouquet she had thrown at him. Grabbing her body and holding her in his arms, he restrained her against himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. If you continue to mess around, our dinner won¡¯t even be ready when midnightes. You can arrange a meeting with your friend. Isn¡¯t Emperor Entertainment City open to the public already? Bring her there for some shopping. Put all your spending under my name... On second thought, I¡¯ll get you a supplementary cardter, so you can get whatever you want with it.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you want to meet Su Nan? We can have a meal. She¡¯s probably getting married to her boyfriend soon and they¡¯re both good friends of mine. We¡¯re bound to meet sooner orter,¡± Xi Xiaye raised her head from his arms and looked at him as she asked.

    ¡°Mmm, you can go ahead and arrange it. Let¡¯s have dinner with them in the next two days or so,¡± Mu Yuchen replied after giving it some thought.

    ¡°Alright then. I know you¡¯re busy with several projects in City S. We¡¯ll do it this Saturday then. What do you think?¡± She tilted her head and suggested a time.

    ¡°Sure, I have time this weekend.¡± Mu Yuchen nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give Su Nan a call now then. Also, I think these flowers look pretty and I¡¯ll give them to you now. I¡¯ll take the dishes out! Be quick with the rest. I¡¯m really hungry!¡±

    She then backed away from Mu Yuchen and left the kitchen with the two dishes he had prepared.

    Mu Yuchen stared at the bouquet of blue roses after she left the kitchen. Several blue petals had fallen onto the floor because of her aggressive movement just now...

 Chapter 70 - Meeting Parents (1)

    <h4>Chapter 70: Meeting Parents (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After dinner, Xi Xiaye offered to do the dishes, so Mu Yuchen went upstairs in a rxed manner.

    Upon finishing the dishes, she went upstairs and saw a vase that had suddenly appeared. It was full of the blue roses, and they were actually arranged pretty delicately.

    She was surprised as she did not expect him to know about flower arrangement.

    She stared at the flowers for quite a while before entering the bedroom, holding the big bag of things she had gotten back from her apartment in her hands.

    Only a dimmp on the dressing table was switched on. Within the dark bedroom, the light from the bathroom seemed very bright and the sound of water flowing was heard.

    She gently closed the door and turned on the bedroom light. Walking towards the wardrobe with her luggage, she then opened it and started to put her things into the wardrobe.

    When she had just hung her first piece of garment up, she heard a ringtone. Looking around, she saw the phone on the bedside table ringing.

    She ignored it and continued arranging her stuff. About ten seconds after the ringtone stopped, the phone rang again. It seemed urgent.

    After a brief moment of silence, she raised her head and nced over at the bathroom. The sound of the water stopped and she spoke loudly, ¡°Mu Yuchen, your phone keeps on ringing!¡±

    A brief reply came. ¡°You answer it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She got up and started walking towards it as she was fiddling around with the golden rose Mu Yuchen had won thest time. Without seeing who the caller was she picked up the call.

    The calm and quiet voice of ady came through as soon as the call was connected. ¡°Hello? Chen, my flight¡¯s been dyed. I¡¯ll probably reach the airport by 8.30 a.m. tomorrow. Pleasee and pick me up. It¡¯s more convenient from your ce to the airport since it¡¯s connected through the highway.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not react quickly. Instead, she replied quietly, ¡°Hello...¡±

    There was a short pause on the other hand when Xi Xiaye spoke. ¡°Hello, are you Xi Xiaye?¡±

    There was a tad bit more warmth in her voice.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m Xi Xiaye. And you are...?¡±

    Xi Xiaye somewhat guessed who she was when thedy was able to address her name urately. ¡°I¡¯m Zhuang Shurong, Chen¡¯s mother. His grandmother told me about you. Please tell Chen to pick me up at the airport at 8.30 a.m. tomorrow. Alright, it¡¯s prettyte now. Rest earlier and don¡¯t forget to tell him.¡±

    The call ended before Xi Xiaye could even reply,

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank a little and her eyes darkened as the phone screen dimmed. Her expression seemed odd. When she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, she turned around.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who called?¡± Mu Yuchen was drying his wet hair as he walked towards the bedside. He nced at his phone in her hand when he noticed her odd expression.

    Xi Xiaye handed his phone back to him and looked at him with a troubled expression. With a hand on her forehead, she informed him, ¡°Your mother called. She said her flight¡¯s been dyed and that she¡¯ll only arrive at 8.30 a.m. She asked you to go and pick her up from the airport.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Mu Yuchen put his phone on the bedside table then went and sat down before the dressing table.

    ¡°Hey... From your mother¡¯s tone, she sounded... Would she not like me?¡± Xi Xiaye was looking at Mu Yuchen helplessly. Zhuang Shurong¡¯s tone seemed especially cold just now and it freaked her out. She felt oddly nervous.

    Mu Yuchen nced at her. He smiled as she gave him a very troubled look. ¡°She¡¯s just like that. Her tone always sounds cold and distant. Father said ites with her upation, so don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t get along well with her since we don¡¯t stay together anyway.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s your mother!¡± Xi Xiaye was shocked to hear his indifferent tone.

    ¡°She and Father are in a sort of special position. Communicating can be difficult at times. Sometimes, she doesn¡¯t have anyone tomunicate to. Just get used to it and don¡¯t worry so much. If you really can¡¯t deal with it, you can just nod or shake your head to whatever she says.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked downwards as he spoke as if he was reminded of something. Xi Xiaye noticed he was still and became quiet. However, she did not ask about it as he looked rather sad, so she just handed the golden rose to him and said gently, ¡°Mmm, got it... How about we put this in the study room? There¡¯s an empty spot on the bookshelf beside the window. I think it¡¯s just right to put this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze back up and saw the golden rose in her hand. He raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°You went back to your apartment?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I had something to take, but I don¡¯t really have much anyway. They didn¡¯t even fill up one luggage case and most of them are documents.¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish then. Unpack your stuffter. Go and take a bath first. I¡¯ve filled the tub for you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you take over then. I¡¯m almost done.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave him the rose and went back to arrange her stuff. ¡°Right, the flowers in the living room look amazing! Have you learned how to arrange flowers before?¡±

    ¡°A person with good sense of aesthetics doesn¡¯t need to learn. Just being exposed to it is enough.¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked over to her and took the clothes from her before putting them into the upper shelf of the wardrobe. The wardrobe lined the entire wall, so it was pretty tall. Given that she was not that tall, it was pretty difficult for her to reach the upper shelf.

    ¡°I realize you have no idea what being humble means.¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s meant for hypocrites. I don¡¯t need it. Go and take a bath now.¡± Mu Yuchen casually handed her a sleeping gown.

    Xi Xiaye was speechless as she took the gown and went into the bathroom after arranging her stuff.

 Chapter 71 - Meeting Parents (2)

    <h4>Chapter 71: Meeting Parents (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, Xi Xiaye had woken up snuggled in a bundle of warmth. She noticed the night before that when she was falling asleep, she was engulfed with a source of warmth from the back. Out of habit, she ruffled her hair and turned over slightly to see that the man still had his eyes closed and was sleeping very peacefully.

    She took a deep breath, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and after a while, she gently moved his hands that held her by the waist away. Then, she carefully got down from the bed.

    For the past two days, he had been sleepingte and waking up early, so he was pretty worn out. Xi Xiaye took a look at the time by the bedside and realized that it was 6.30 a.m. on the dot, so she did not wake him up.

    After she washed up, she walked downstairs to make breakfast.

    When it came to breakfast, Xi Xiaye¡¯s culinary skills were so-so. She did not know how to make that much. All those Western breakfasts or whatnot were tooplicated and she had no idea know how to prepare all those.

    She only knew how to cook porridge and fry some eggs or cook some simple salted vegetables.

    When she was done preparing breakfast, it was past 7 a.m. By the time she returned to the bedroom and wanted to wake Mu Yuchen up, the man had already made the bed and was about to go downstairs. He saw Xiaye fidgeting in front of the wardrobe, so he reached out to pick a light beige spring outfit out for her.

    ¡°This one.¡±

    ¡°This one? Is it suitable?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took it and tried to see how it looked on her. She noticed that he had dressed as usual that day in a silver-grey casual suit.

    Mu Yuchen took a look at her gaunt body and nodded gently.

    ¡°Actually, I quite like this color too. This is it then.¡± Xi Xiaye was quite straightforward as she picked the clothes up and walked towards the bathroom.

    A while after that, she changed and walked downstairs. Mu Yuchen was already sitting rxed by the dining table, reading the newspapers as he ate his breakfast.

    Xi Xiaye, who was having her porridge, suddenly looked up at him and asked softly, ¡°Have you prepared everything?¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo has already prepared them yesterday and put them in the car. Anyway, they don¡¯t care about those things, so you don¡¯t have to be nervous. The ones that should be nervous are them. Plus, with me around, what are you so worried about?¡± Mu Yuchen did not even look up as he said inly.

    ¡°Who says I¡¯m nervous? I¡¯m not. If there¡¯s anything that¡¯s inappropriate, you¡¯ll be the embarrassed one,¡± Xi Xiaye replied a little sulkily.

    Mu Yuchen looked up at her, the smile on his face a little freaky. ¡°If you really think so, then that means that your self-consciousness is rather high.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shot him a side look. She was toozy to argue with him.

    After breakfast, the husband and wife duo left the house. Xiaye drove his Porsche.

    Initially, Mu Yuchen had already sat in the driver¡¯s seat, but she had pushed him to sit in the front passenger seat instead. Heplied since he knew that even though this woman looked gentle and indifferent, she was actually quite ambitious and unwilling to admit defeat.

    The car sped out of the Grand Waves Vi area and drove on the highway that led straight to the airport.

    In the car, Mu Yuchen leaned backfortably while listening to the music as his well-manicured nails tapped on his knees to the beat. He seemed to be in a pretty jovial mood.

    ¡°When¡¯s thepany going on a break this year? The New Year this year seems to have been pushed backter than the ones in the past. It¡¯s best to decide when the break is earlier. After all, the employees need to make their travel arrangements,¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly piped up.

    ¡°Next week, we¡¯ll have work for another week. The Publicity Department has already made the announcements. After the New Year, we¡¯ll be doing some staff restructuring. Do prepare your department for it,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded inly.

    ¡°Restructuring? Didn¡¯t we just do that?¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a questioning look.

    ¡°Thepany has had quite a few projects after the New Year and I¡¯ve already brought people back from France to assign to those projects. Naturally, some people need to be redeployed.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it. I¡¯ll just wait for the arrangements from the human resources department.¡±

    ...

    When the car ambled into the carpark, the time was 8.30 a.m. on the dot.

    They got down from the car, then the husband and wife walked towards the arrival gate.

    On that cold morning, many people hade to greet others at the airport.

    However, both of them had taken the specialne for VIPs. They had just taken a few steps when Zhuang Shurong called Mu Yuchen, saying that she had alreadynded and was making her way out.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything along the way. She just followed Mu Yuchen.

    They walked for about 10 meters when they could vaguely hear the urgent and resounding pad of footsteps on the walkway. Xi Xiaye subconsciously looked up and saw that ahead, there were a few figures walking very quickly towards them.

    At a closer look, she could see clearly the people who were directly across them.

    The leading person was a middle-aged woman in a ck power suit. Her elegant and exquisite face vaguely held hints of a strict vigor and between her brows a firm heroic spirit was revealed. Her every move revealed an indescribable calm and dignity while her gaze was very incisive and threatening.

    She was very breathtaking with an extraordinary grace. You could tell that when she was younger, she must have been a beauty. In fact, her looks seemed to be quite simr to the man beside Xi Xiaye who could almost immediately figure out the identity of this middle-aged woman.

    Behind her, she was followed by some younger men and women. Their mannerisms showed that they were her subordinates.

    When she saw the woman marching towards him resolutely, Mu Yuchen stopped mid-step and held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand.

    ¡°This case has to be done in order. There¡¯s no way of me amodating from my end. Let him understand the situation from Bureau Chief Zhao. Just reply him like that. If he¡¯s got any problems, ask him to speak to me personally,¡±manded the woman. Then, she closed the document before handing it to the man beside her. ¡°Okay, all of you go home first. We¡¯ll discuss anything else tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Chief Zhuang!¡±

    The few people behind her responded respectfully, then they very quickly held back their steps to let Zhuang Shurong go first.

 Chapter 72 - Meeting Parents (3)

    <h4>Chapter 72: Meeting Parents (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Have you been waiting for long?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong took huge strides towards Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. When her sharp eyes saw the two of them, she seemed to have eased a little from earlier. She took a look at Mu Yuchen, then her gaze stopped on Xi Xiaye who was beside Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye was startled. Mu Yuchen could feel that her hand that he held in his was trembling slightly. He turned to look at her then to Zhuang Shurong and said softly, ¡°We¡¯ve just arrived too. Xiaye, this is Mother.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then bent over slightly to bow. She said softly, ¡°Mother, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Xi Xiaye.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s keen eyes sized Xi Xiaye up twice as her expression remained calm. After quite a while, something shed in her eyes. She then asked, ¡°Xi Xiaye? You¡¯re Shen Wenna¡¯s daughter, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. Previously, Wang Hui had mentioned that her mother seemed to have had met Mu Yuchen¡¯s father before, so she did not find this odd.

    ¡°Mmm, you do look quite like her,¡± Zhuang Shurongmented in a tone that seemed to carry hints ofment. She looked at Xi Xiaye for quite a while again before she continued, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home first. You take this.¡±

    Something red shed before Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes and a huge red packet appeared before her. She was stunned and almost did not react. It was Mu Yuchen who gently squeezed her cold hand before she snapped back to her senses.

    ¡°Thank you, Mother!¡± Xi Xiaye epted it.

    While Zhuang Shurong just nodded, and then walked ahead.

    She inhaled a little before carefully turning to look at Mu Yuchen. She noticed that he seemed to look at her in a way like he was ready to watch her embarrass herself. Shooting him a mean look, she then flung his hand away.

    ¡°Right, Ah Chen, your father ¡ª¡±

    Precisely at this moment, Zhuang Shurong who was walking ahead suddenly turned around, frightening Xi Xiaye. Her mind caught up with the scenario and she quickly grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s huge hand¡ª

    Hopefully, Zhuang Shurong did not see anything!

    To her chagrin, Zhuang Shurong¡¯s intelligent eyes had quickly swept over Xi Xiaye. At that instant, Xi Xiaye had also lowered her head guiltily.

    After that, Zhuang Shurong did not continue. She just looked up and fixed her eyes on Mu Yuchen for quite a while before she finally turned back around and walked ahead.

    At that moment, Xi Xiaye felt a slight sense of relief. However, she could not help but feel upset.

    ¡°Enough, it¡¯s best if you just expose your true self, so as to avoid frightening them in the future when you suddenly bare your fangs and brandish your ws! I¡¯m guessing that your attack abilities aren¡¯t too weak either! You don¡¯t need to pretend to be such an obedient little wife. Mother¡¯s a smart person. She can see through you with one look.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s teasing voice suddenly appeared by her ear.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it all a result of your provocation? You clearly look like you¡¯re waiting for me to be aughing stock,¡± Xi Xiayeined.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled to himself, ¡°I¡¯m just observing your ability to adapt. My family¡¯s temperament is all a little weird, so you have to adapt. As long as it¡¯s not a matter of principle, it should be quite easy for you to get along with them.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Mu Yuchen, you and your mother...¡±

    ¡°Again, when ites to themunication barriers, speaking less is best. Understand?¡± Mu Yuchen said casually, coping with the ever-shifting events by sticking to a fundamental principle. That was always his best trick.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly looked at him with interest. She lowered her voice and said softly, ¡°Were you very afraid of your parents when you were younger and were always controlled?¡±

    Seeing Zhuang Shurong¡¯s imposing manner, she seemed like a strict disciplinarian from senior high school, the very kind that was hard to talk to.

    ¡°Father and Mother are very open-minded people. You¡¯ll slowly notice thatter. There¡¯s no need to be too worried.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, then she dragged Mu Yuchen to catch up with Zhuang Shurong¡¯s pace.

    On the way back to the Mu residence, Mu Yuchen took the driver¡¯s seat while Xi Xiaye sat in the back with Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°Has your mother been well recently? I haven¡¯t been in touch with her for quite some years now.¡±

    It was silent for quite a while. Then, Zhuang Shurong spoke up to break the silence first. She turned to look at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Pretty good. These few years, she¡¯s been all around writing up her academic reports, so she¡¯s just a little busy,¡± answered Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Mmm, a few years ago when I went to Universty A to speak, I went to herb. This matter of you two getting married is very sudden. Is your mother still not aware of it?¡± Zhuang Shurong suddenly thought of this. She frowned as she looked Xi Xiaye, her beautiful eyes shing. Her gaze fell onto Mu Yuchen who was driving up front.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was instantly stunned. She subconsciously looked up at Mu Yuchen in front too.

    ¡°Initially, we were nning to go and meet them over the weekend, then inform you guys, but Grandmother came over to Maple Residence in the middle of the night, so we had to change our ns.¡±

    ¡°Marriage is such a huge matter. You two should¡¯ve discussed it with the family first, Chen Er,¡± Zhuang Shurong chided as she frowned.

 Chapter 73 - Mu Residence

    <h4>Chapter 73: Mu Residence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The atmosphere in the car turned heavy. Even Xi Xiaye had no idea how to reply.

    ¡°I¡¯m the one getting married and I¡¯m afraid that she might change her mind. Whether we discuss it or not, the end result will be the same.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice came from the front after a brief moment.

    Zhuang Shurong pinched the space between her eyebrows. ¡°Chen, even if you¡¯re not considerate about your parents and grandparents, I feel that you need to respect her family.¡±

    ¡°Mother, my grandpa and mother are pretty open-minded and I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t make things difficult for us. It¡¯s I who...¡±

    Xi Xiaye tried to defend Mu Yuchen, but he interrupted before she could finish her sentence, ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯re already married and that isn¡¯t something we should be thinking of right now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was a person that ced a heavy focus on the future. He rarely thought about useless matters like looking into whose fault it was that caused past failures.

    ¡°Whatever. I can¡¯t intervene your matters anyway, so do as you wish.¡± Zhuang Shurong seemed to have a headache when she looked at Mu Yuchen. She took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat as she closed her eyes to rest, seeming rather exhausted.

    Things did not seem pleasant and Xi Xiaye could tell that Mu Yuchen¡¯s rtionship with his parents seemed odd.

    It was the distance caused by being too modest with each other.

    She looked at Mu Yuchen who was driving and found it ufortable when she saw a tint of coldness on his face.

    She forced herself not to put too much thought into it. She turned over to Zhuang Shurong who had fallen asleep in exhaustion. For some reason, she saw a shadow of her mother Shen Wenna within her.

    In her impression, her mother, Shen Wenna, was ady that seemed strong and cold on the outside, but deep inside she was...

    Zhuang Shurong pulled on her outfit unconsciously. Xi Xiaye silently bent over and pulled a thin nket out from the drawer in front. Shey it open and covered Zhuang Shurong.

    The sudden warmth made Zhuang Shurong open her eyes out of cautiousness.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned and she froze, not saying anything and just pointing at the thin nket. She then looked downwards and continued reading the fashion magazine on herp.

    Zhuang Shurong nced at Xi Xiaye, her waist-length hair covering her pretty little face like a ck waterfall. She seemed like a quiet and gentle girl.

    In the end, she did not say anything and continued resting with her eyes closed.

    The car traveled swiftly on the broad roads, going straight towards the mansion area in the north. Soon, they arrived before a grand mansion.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Get down,¡± Mu Yuchen parked the car and told Xi Xiaye in the back before stepping out of the car.

    Zhuang Shurong woke up and disembarked quickly as well.

    Mu Yuchen was already beside her when Xi Xiaye just came out of the car. He put a hand into his pocket and slung the other over Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaunt shoulder.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned by the sudden weight over her shoulder. She nced at therge hand and then stared at him, just letting him be when his expression seemed indifferent.

    The Mu residence was a manor vi. However, it seemed to be quite old with a ssic fusion of royal design from China and Europe. The light-colored fence was full of vines and one could see the beautiful house just by standing outside of the fence.

    The entrance door was already open. Several servants by the door came and greeted them as they stepped out of the car.

    ¡°Madam! Master, Missus, wee home!¡±

    ¡°Are they back?¡± Wang Hui¡¯s familiar voice mixed with the servants¡¯ passionate greeting. Before Xi Xiaye could react, his figure emerged from the house and behind him was the ex-chairman of Glory World Corporation, Mu Yinan. He seemed to be in a positive state. The man beside him was the one she had seen at the club the other day who looked very much like Mu Yuchen and seemed elegant. He was Mu Yuchen¡¯s father, Mu Tangchuan.

    The three of them stood by the entrance and looked at each other. They then turned to the couple with a smile on their faces.

    Zhuang Shurong went to Mu Tangchuan¡¯s side as he nced at the housekeeper Uncle Fu who quickly went over and took the heavy briefcase from Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°This is Grandfather whom you already know, and you¡¯ve seen Grandmother before as well.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice reminded Xi Xiaye to greet them.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face blushed as she bowed slightly and called out, ¡°Hello, Grandfather and Grandmother!¡±

    ¡°Great! You finally brought her back. Look at how obedient this girl is! They look just like us back then, don¡¯t they?¡± Wang Hui said cheerfully.

    Mu Yinan smiled at Xi Xiaye kindly. He was no stranger to her. This young and beautiful girl was always a high performer and he recognized her abilities. He was fond of her personality as well and had longed for her to be his granddaughter-inw for quite some time.

    Now that he saw both of them standing next to each other, he really felt that they were fated to be together and he was very pleased about it. He thenmented on his wife¡¯s statement, ¡°Given how you look back then you weren¡¯t even half of what our granddaughter-inw looks like. With your two pigtails and the way you were unsophisticated with such a scary personality, how can you still im that you were on the same level as her?¡±

    Mu Yinan seemed tock the strictness he used to have in the office, shocking Xi Xiaye a little.

    Wang Hui was almost triggered, but she endured it as Xi Xiaye was right there. She threw Mu Yinan a warning re, then she smiled as she handed a red packet to Xi Xiaye. ¡°I forgot about it thest time, so I¡¯m making sure I give it to you this time. You both have to live together happily from now onwards, alright?¡±

    She held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands gently, making the young girl feel bashful. Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen and saw him casually raising his brows, so she turned back and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Grandmother. We will.¡±

 Chapter 74 - The Man Is A Top Student (1)

    <h4>Chapter 74: The Man Is A Top Student (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Father thest time, and this is Mother here. Say hi to them!¡±

    ¡°Father, Mother...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye? That¡¯s a nice name. Did your Mother give you that name?¡± Mu Tangchuan¡¯s gentle voice reached her as she greeted them. There was a kind smile in his eye. He looked at Zhuang Shurong beside him and she nodded back to him.

    ¡°Mmm, Mother said she hoped for me to be like the clear night sky during the summer, so she gave me this name, ¡°Xi Xiaye replied.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong looked each other, then he smiled. ¡°It sure sounds like your mother who¡¯d say that.¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s cold out here. Let¡¯s get inside. We¡¯re preparing lunch and it¡¯ll be ready soon. Your grandfather and I are cooking today. Lucky you!¡± Wang Hui nagged with a smile when she noticed the frigid wind breezing from outside.

    The old couple had a lot of free time to spend after their retirement. They always stayed in the kitchen to hone their culinary skills, argue with each other from time to time, garden in the backyard, or just find someone to y a game of chess with.

    With their practice day after day, their cooking soon reached another level and they were experts at it now.

    The group walked into the residence.

    Worried that Xi Xiaye might be bored, Wang Hui had Zhuang Shurong bring her upstairs after having a cup of tea in the living room. On the other hand, Mu Tangchuan summoned Mu Yuchen to the study room.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s room was the first room on the right across the big living room on the second floor.

    A fragrant scent assaulted their nostrils as Zhuang Shurong opened the door. Xi Xiaye nced inside and noticed that the style was simr to Maple Residence. It was a small room and the design was pretty much the same.

    ¡°Chen never liked people in his room, so we never changed the room style. It should be more celebrative, but I guess you youngsters don¡¯t really care.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong indicated for Xi Xiaye to go in and continued, ¡°Take a look inside for yourself. You¡¯ll be staying here whenever youe back in the future. They¡¯ve prepared clothing for you and some daily necessities inside the wardrobe. Just tell the servants if there¡¯s anything else you need. You¡¯re married into the Mu family and we¡¯re all with you, so you don¡¯t have to be too modest.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s tone softened and she suddenly turned her head to the silent Xi Xiaye. ¡°Since Chen picked you himself, we don¡¯t have anything to say. We just hope that the both of you live together happily. As his wife, you have to be concerned and take care of him. We never usually gave him a lot of attention and he¡¯s...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong suddenly stopped talking. Then, she took a nce at Xi Xiaye before leaving.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Zhuang Shurong as she walked away, staying silent and giving it some thought before entering the room.

    She could felt his presence as she stepped into the room. The ss doors leading to the balcony were unlocked and the cold wind blew into the room. There was also an unknown fragrance in the air.

    She went back to the living room. Opening the semi-opened door on the right, she found arge study room. Three tall bookshelves were filled with books. However, it was unlike the ones at Maple Residence that needed a staircase to reach the top shelf. Nevertheless, the number of books still shocked Xi Xiaye.

    She walked into it and looked around, noticing that one of the bookshelves was simr to the one at Maple Residence. The books were arranged by categories. The differencey in the fact that there were some military-rted books there, which waspletely absent from Maple Residence.

    She took one of those books out and sat by a table and started flipping through the book.

    After several nces, she noticed that writing would appear sporadically in the book to scrawl some notes. It was a simr habit she had.

    It was one of the books among the Er Yuehe Collection.

    She was not particrly interested in history. When she was in school, she fared absolutely terribly in her art and literature subjects. Shen Wenna was thinking of turning her into an elegant and knowledgeabledy, so she might be able to take after her career path and be a university lecturer.

    However, Xi Xiaye was influenced by her grandpa Shen Yue and decided to go into a military business academy. Unfortunately, not long after she went in...

    Afterward, she went overseas and specialized in business management. Then, she joined Glory World Corporation after she returned up until now...

    She smiled helplessly before putting the book back. Just as she was about to look for another book, she noticed a hidden drawer among the bookshelves containing numerous award certificates and trophies.

    In her surprise, she quickly went over and took a closer look at a few of them. All of them were evidence of the excellent achievements of that man.

    There was a first-ss schrship award, a national top student award, and all kinds of awards frompetitions besides many other certificates in English, which she could not really tell what they were for.

    He sure was a top student alright!

    Xi Xiaye was feeling more and more astounded as she saw stacks of these certificates and awards. She was nearly drowned by her own sense of inferiority as she had always been bad at studies. The only certificate she had ever received before was a certificate of excellence in a club, and that certificate was meant to encourage!

    ¡°What¡¯s with your expression smiling and frowning at the same time? Just what¡¯s so interesting about these things that your eyes are glued to them?¡±

    The man himself suddenly appeared behind Xi Xiaye, his voice making Xi Xiaye jump and she dropped the red-covered certificate on the floor.

    She turned around in shock and became angry when she saw Mu Yuchen standing behind her. ¡°You walk without any sound at all! You¡¯ve scared me countless times!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. He picked the certificate on the ground up and walked past her. Then, he sat down on a chair nearby. ¡°Are you guilty of something? Why are you so jumpy?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who walks like a ghost scaring people everywhere.¡± Xi Xiaye red at him and grabbed the certificate back from him. She opened it and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to get this award too. Were you the one my ss teacher mentioned broke the record of the Creative Competition? I hear no one has yet to surpass that result!¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m several batches before you. If that¡¯s true, then the younger generation needs to buck up.¡± Mu Yuchen was not being humble at all as he looked at her with interest.

    ¡°There are specializations in academics. I¡¯m strong in other areas. I didn¡¯t know you back then anyway. How excellent you were doesn¡¯t affect me at all.¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but talk back to him.

 Chapter 75 - The Man Is A Top Student (2)

    <h4>Chapter 75: The Man Is A Top Student (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchenughed when he heard her. He suddenly grabbed onto her shoulder and dragged her nearer to him.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned and could not react. By the time she could, she was already in front of him and the certificate was taken from her hands. His voice was mixed with a tint of gentleness. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s all in the past. Had I been just several years younger, we might¡¯ve known each other back then.¡±

    ¡°That might not be the case. After all, I never mingle with top students,¡± Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before replying seriously.

    He raised his eyebrows in shock. ¡°Why? I¡¯m a top student. Shouldn¡¯t you feel proud instead? What¡¯s with your expression?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t think they belong to the same world as me,¡± Xi Xiaye replied honestly.

    Mu Yuchen was speechless for a moment. He patted her little head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. Back then, my good friends andrades were all like you. They were bad at their studies and had bad grades. Every parent-teacher meeting, their names would surely be mentioned like Su Chen, Zhou Zimo...¡±

    ¡°Su Chen? Zhou Zimo?¡±

    Xi Xiaye dragged his big hand away from her head. She gaped at Mu Yuchen in surprise with a sparkle in her eyes as she asked, ¡°Are you talking about the Vice Chief of the Traffic Control Bureau, Su Chen? The young and handsome looking Master Su of City Z? And Zhou Zimo... He¡¯s the top gun in the technology field, isn¡¯t he? Mister Zhou?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of them before?¡± Mu Yuchen spoke in a quiet voice as he stared at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Of course, they are popr icons in City Z! Many colleagues always talk about them. Even I heard they¡¯re your close friends. They¡¯re quite notable public figures. Some time ago, I saw Mister Zhou at a charity dinner and I think he¡¯s pretty nice.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll surely be overjoyed if they knew you had such good impressions of them. I¡¯ll introduce you to them one day. By then, you¡¯ll find out what kind of people they really are.¡±

    ¡°Did they go to school with you too?¡± Xi Xiaye asked curiously.

    ¡°Mmm, we¡¯re childhood friends. We¡¯ve always been in the same ss from kindergarten to high school. After graduating from high school, we all went to the same military school. They can be pretty rowdy at times, but if you can¡¯t handle it, then just ignore them when the timees.¡±

    Mu Yuchen understood both Su Chen and Zhou Zimo well. If they found out that he got married, they would surely be shocked, so he decided to not reveal it at the moment. He would find the right time to tell them.

    Xi Xiaye nodded after giving it some thought. ¡°Right, are you going back to the office in the afternoon? Are we staying here tonight?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back to Maple Residence at night. We¡¯ll leave after lunch. I¡¯ll only go back to the office tomorrow. Imperial Sky Entertainment City is already opened for a trial run, so I¡¯ll go over and take a look,¡± Mu Yuchen replied indifferently.

    ¡°Imperial Sky Entertainment City? The project I was in charge of? I think all the phases are done, and the slots for merchants are filled up as well. Imperial Sky Jewellery City is opening during the New Year as well... Hmm, can I join you too?¡±

    She was not very focused on this project because she had not taken care of the New Era za. After she was done with the big issues, she had delegated the rest of the tasks to others.

    ¡°Are you ok in your condition?¡± Mu Yuchen nced at her.

    She quickly stood firmly to indicate that she was fine.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Do as you wish then.¡±

    A servant knocked on the door. ¡°Master, Missus, lunch is ready. Elder Madam asked you both toe down!¡±

    They both went downstairs together.

    The lunch seemed extravagant. All the dishes did not look very different from a hotel banquet. It was apparent that both Mu Yinan and Wang Hui spent everyst ounce of their cooking skills.

    Xi Xiaye was starting to feel nervous when she saw the grand spread before her.

    ¡°Come and have a seat. It¡¯s your first time here and I know you¡¯re not very fond of strange things, but you¡¯ll get used to it after some time. Chen¡¯s always busy working, so you don¡¯t have to mind him. It¡¯s our ownpany after all, so it¡¯s alright to leave early from work or take a break sometimes. Come back and visit us,¡± Mu Yinan said gently.

    Xi Xiaye had no idea that the serious-looking old chairman was such an easygoing person, very much simr to his grandpa who was always kind and gentle.

    She nodded. ¡°I got it. I will, Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, listen to your grandfather. There¡¯s no point for a girl to work so hard. It¡¯s the man¡¯s job to earn money and support the family. You just need to learn how to enjoy. The Mu family doesn¡¯t need thedies to work hard outside. If you¡¯re free,e here and y some mahjong with me or help me with my nts. Isn¡¯t that right, Grandfather?¡± Wang Hui said with a big smile on her face.

    ¡°Mmm, I agree with your grandmother on this. Chuan, Rong, what do you guys think?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong looked at each other, then he said gently, ¡°Let the kids make their own decisions. We won¡¯t know what the youngsters might be thinking.¡±

    ¡°Also, Chen, you have to give your marriage ceremony with Xiaye serious consideration. Find a time as soon as possible and visit the Shen Residence. We need to talk about it. We don¡¯t mind your sudden marriage, but we have to fulfill the basic courtesies. These are the thoughts of your grandparents, your father, and mine altogether.¡±

    It was Zhuang Shurong who had spoken up.

    Marriage ceremony...

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She tilted her head and nced at Mu Yuchen, who was using a handkerchief the servant had handed to him to wipe his hands. There was a short pause before he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll visit them thising Saturday. Don¡¯t worry about the marriage ceremony for now. I¡¯ll discuss with Xiaye and decide on the specificster.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, get on it. Alright, the dishes are getting cold. Let¡¯s eat,¡± Mu Yinan said.

    The whole family grabbed their wine sses and gently clinked against each other¡¯s sses before drinking.

    ¡°Granddaughter-inw, I made this for you. Give it a try! It¡¯s really fresh!¡±

    ¡°Eat more, your grandfather made this. He said it¡¯s nearly as fantastic a standard as a hotel dish, and he¡¯s not embarrassed at all!¡±

    Wang Hui kept spooning food for Xi Xiaye. In just a moment, a tiny mountain had appeared on her bowl.

    Xi Xiaye was bad at handling them. As she looked at the pile of food before her and wondered how to deal with it, the man beside her took her bowl and pushed half of the food into his bowl.

    ¡°Eat.¡±

    He then continued on with his meal elegantly...

 Chapter 76 - Brief Encounter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 76: Brief Encounter (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Some time after lunch, Ah Mo and Li Si arrived before the young couple got to finish their cup of tea on the sofa.

    Ah Mo was a handsome, young man. He had stayed by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side for many years as his bodyguard and driver with pretty impressive skills. He had grown up in the Mu family because he was an orphan back then and Mu Yinan had picked him up from the orphanage and raised him under Mu Tangchuan. Mu Yinan even arranged for him to stay in his own ce when he grew up and moved out.

    Mu Yuchen treated Ah Mo like his brother and even the servants from Mu Residence called him Master Ah Mo.

    ¡°Master Ah Mo, Elder Madam asked you to take these into the car first.¡±

    The housekeeper led the servants to transfer a bunch of gifts into the car. The gifts were meant for the Shen family and there were also some for Xi Xiaye.

    Ah Mo opened the trunk and put the gifts inside. Soon, the whole trunk was filled up.

    ¡°It¡¯s done. Are the Master and Missus here?¡± Ah Mo asked the housekeeper as he was done putting the stuff into the trunk. He then heard voices from the front.

    ¡°Xiaye, Chen,e and visit when you have the time. I know you youngsters would like to spend time with each other since you¡¯ve just gotten married. I don¡¯t expect you two to move back here. I just hope that you guys can visit us more. After all, we¡¯re not that far away from Maple Residence, so you guys can even drop by for dinner after work before going home.¡±

    Wang Hui seemed to miss them already and she always felt a little lonely after retiring. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were busy and usually not home. Sometimes, they would also work outstation and have even lesser time to spend with the elders. Mu Yuchen had been abroad only until recently, and he had just taken over Glory World, making him very busy. Most of the time, he was quiet at home anyway.

    Their only hope now was Xi Xiaye, to whom the elders were not strangers anymore, especially Mu Yinan. Mu Yinan also happened to know that Xi Xiaye was talented at Chinese chess and knew a thing or two about tea as well, so it would be great if she could visit them often.

    Xi Xiaye halted her steps at the entrance. She nced to the side at Mu Yinan and the bunch that had ushered them out. She felt immensely grateful that they had really genuinely epted her. An unexinable warmth swelled within her.

    She nodded lightly and said in a soft tone, ¡°We will. It¡¯s pretty cold outside. Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, please go back in.¡±

    Mu Yinan nodded with a smile as Mu Tangchuan said kindly, ¡°Come back whenever you have the time. Chen is busy. Just let him be.¡±

    ¡°Be good. Don¡¯t forget about what I said before,¡± Zhuang Shurong reminded.

    Xi Xiaye nodded with a smile. As she wanted to bid them farewell, the man beside her pulled her impatiently into the car.

    ¡°Drive,¡± he told Ah Mo as he just sat down and thetter quickly started the car.

    The car traveled swiftly on the street with the couple at the back staying silent. As usual, Mu Yuchen turned on hisptop and was looking at somepany documents. Beside him, Xi Xiaye was flipping through a magazine.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡± After a while, Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice broke the peaceful silence within the car.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± Mu Yuchen replied without looking away from theptop, his fingers still typing away on the keyboard.

    ¡°I feel that Grandfather, Grandmother, and your parents are all pretty nice...¡± Xi Xiaye paused before saying. She tilted her head and looked at him with envy in her eyes.

    ¡°They¡¯re your family as well. If you don¡¯t dislike them, you can go back anytime to visit.¡±

    ¡°Do you rarely go back to the Mu Residence?¡±

    She suddenly felt that he was slightly simr to her. Although she missed Shen Yue and the others dearly, she rarely went back to the Shen Residence especially earlier when her rtionship with Shen Wenna was severely strained. At that time, she would feel pressured every time she went back. Preferring to live a more carefree life, she avoided them.

    ¡°I was abroad for the past several years and rarely came back. Right now, I¡¯m busy too. If you have the time, go and visit them more. Take it as helping me do my part too. As for work, you can stop if you want to and do as you wish.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re their son and grandson. Why should I do your part for you? I¡¯m just their granddaughter-inw. There¡¯s a big difference!¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him in disagreement.

    Mu Yuchen stared at her and said, ¡°Xi Xiaye, I really think you have some problems. You do get it that you¡¯re their granddaughter-inw, don¡¯t you? Your actions count as my actions. Otherwise, what do you think I married you for?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened as she red at him and asked in a cold voice, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re treating me like a cheap maid to take care of these things for you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows and looked at her infuriated face quietly, not replying.

    On the other hand, she thought that Mu Yuchen was the kind of man who gave silence as an affirmative answer. She red at him for a moment and then turned her head away angrily. Looking outside the window, she ignored him.

    Mu Yuchen was surprised. After he gave it some thought, he noticed her breathing getting shallower and her shoulder shivering slightly, so he leaned over and looked at her face. He then asked, ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    Xi Xiaye ignored him.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Still no answer.

    ¡°Missus?¡± Mu Yuchen called out to her again, but he soonughed when he saw her little red face. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that I¡¯m giving you full authority of my internal affairs? You¡¯re the granddaughter-inw of the Mu family, Mu Yuchen¡¯s wife, and thendy of Maple Residence. How could you be a cheap maid? If you¡¯re still angry, when I visit the Shen family, you can call for a sky-high betrothal gift. You¡¯d surely be happy then.¡±

    ¡°Who cares about your gifts? Why don¡¯t I give you some betrothal gifts and you do my part for me towards my mother and grandpa?¡± Xi Xiaye retorted tersely.

    Mu Yuchenughed and continued to tease her, ¡°Then, how much do you think I¡¯m worth?¡±

    ¡°A cent!¡± Xi Xiaye dered with a huge smirk on her face.

 Chapter 77 - Brief Encounter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 77: Brief Encounter (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Nevertheless, Xi Xiaye was not able to see the man¡¯s glum expression as she expected. On the contrary, Mu Yuchen¡¯s smile was ever so charming.

    ¡°That¡¯s too cheap. I decided not to sell.¡± Heughed.

    ¡°Sell it! I¡¯m a nice person. You won¡¯t lose out if you follow me.¡±

    ¡°That should be my line, shouldn¡¯t it? When did you steal it from me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡±

    ...

    The married couple kept on talking until the car arrived at Imperial Sky Entertainment City.

    Imperial Sky Entertainment City was actually arge area consisting of various services avable to consumers. It was separated into middle and high consumption areas. Located at the north of City Z, it was bing one of thergest high-ss areas in the city.

    There were several projects under Imperial Sky Entertainment City such as Imperial Sky Jewellery City, Imperial Sky Club, and others. It was a huge project under Glory World Corporation in recent years and Xi Xiaye was in charge of the business nning. She was responsible for recruitment nning and handling the vendors that joined them.

    The two of them went towards Clothing City as they stepped down from the car.

    Mu Yuchen always acted low-profile. Most of the time, he was only with one assistant who was Ah Mo. Currently apanied by a beautiful girl like Xi Xiaye beside him, in addition to his extraordinary facial features, almost a hundred percent of people turned their heads to look at them.

    They walked past the za in the open, then they saw a wide and clean path before them, on a signboard in front it clearly indicated ¡°Imperial Sky Fashion Clothing City¡±.

    It was the end of the year, so many people were shopping for new clothes. With Imperial Sky Entertainment City opened for a trial business run, there were already many customers. Just standing at the za, they could see arge crowd in front of the mall which seemed very lively.

    ¡°Things seem quite happening. Let¡¯s walk around too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye seemed pleased, probably because she was happy and proud as an employee under Glory World Corporation when she saw how positive the customers¡¯ reactions were to the trial run.

    Mu Yuchen stayed silent when he saw her joyous expression. He nodded and put a hand into his pocket as he casually followed her.

    Behind them, Ah Mo and Li Si had no idea whether they should follow them. After giving it some thought, they kept a 10-meter distance behind them and followed the couple carefully.

    ¡°This is the high-end shopping area. All the vendors are well-known international brands. I¡¯ve researched before and these brands are adored by young girls who pursue fashion trends. In our ongoing ns, there¡¯ll be a fashion show next April organized by these vendors. The scale will beparable to international fashion shows. If you have some time,e and take a look then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye exined her work to Mu Yuchen as they walked along.

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re the one in charge of recruiting vendors,¡± Mu Yuchen nced at the row of shops and remarked.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and replied, ¡°Actually, this should be handled by Director Chu from the Commerce Department, but he was suddenly summoned to shift away somewhere else. I¡¯ve worked with him frequently and we both worked under Vice President Liu, so I¡¯m familiar with his work, which is why I took it on.¡±

    ¡°The results are better than expected. You did great,¡± Mu Yuchen left a simplement.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. She turned around and looked at him with a smile on her face. ¡°Then, Chairman Mu, since I did my job so spectacrly, shouldn¡¯t you be rewarding me with something? Back then, the old chairman would reward us materialistically. It was a very direct encouragement to us employees.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows too when he heard her. After a short pause, he chuckled. ¡°I took out so much extra profit to reward you all every season, but you¡¯re still not satisfied? You really hate to lose out, don¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°Only idiots would lose out. Do I look so stupid to you?¡± Xi Xiaye walked backward several steps as she spoke.

    Mu Yuchen shook his head helplessly. The smile with that perfect curve was still apparent on his face as he took a ck card with some gold engraving on it out and handed it to her. ¡°Here¡¯s the card I told you about yesterday. Get anything you like with this.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just give me a credit card?¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at the rectangr thing in his hand but did not take it. She just stared at him in surprise.

    ¡°This is a moving pass under Glory World Entertainment. Are you sure you don¡¯t want it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her questioningly and acted as if he was going to take it back when Xi Xiaye quickly grabbed it.

    Only idiots would not want it!

    She would never reject it. This was fantastic stuff! With this, she could enjoy the best offer on these branded clothes and even go to hotels or clubs under Glory World Corporation for free.

    She was not merely trying to get free perks, but it would make her work easier. It was as if the ancient emperor had just given his subordinate the authority to carry out important missions.

    Mu Yuchen smiled when he saw her slide the card into her bag like a piece of treasure. They then continued forward.

    She walked in front with him right behind her. Probably because of his aura, people opened up a path wherever they went and gaped at them in awe.

    After a long stroll, Xi Xiaye noticed the people around them throwing them weird nces. Then, she turned around and looked at the man behind her.

    She realized the man constantly wore a gentle smile on his face and followed behind her like a gentleman. He was like a loyal knight in fairytales, protecting his princess.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He halted his steps when she stopped.

    Xi Xuaye looked downwards and did some thinking. After that, she looked around and said, ¡°I think that we should... go back out...¡±

    Mu Yuchen held her hand and dragged her to his side before she could finish her sentence. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He then pulled her forward.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously tried to struggle from his grasp. When she looked up at him, she saw two familiar figures from the reflection of the store windows from the corner of her eye.

 Chapter 78 - Brief Encounter (3)

    <h4>Chapter 78: Brief Encounter (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi!

    She was very familiar with how Han Yifeng looked. With just theteral view of his face, she could urately recognize him.

    The girl beside him, who wore a pair of sunsses and dressed in a light blue spring outfit with an elegant light cotton scarf, was no doubt Xi Xinyi.

    They seemed to be picking out wedding dresses. Xi Xinyi looked on delightedly at the wedding dresses on the mannequins through the store windows. She picked up the hem of a gown with one hand, her bright and animated face brimming with a sweet smile.

    While Han Yifeng beside her looked on dotingly, his eyes were filled with a tenderness that Xi Xiaye had never seen before as he watched Xi Xinyi choose her wedding dress.

    She could not help but admit that seeing them standing there by the disy window, she did feel that they were a solid match. The smiles that were sshed across their faces made her inevitably feel upset again.

    Although the distance between them was just a thin and transparent disy window, they still seemed like they were so very far away from her.

    She had never dared to wish for anything she did not work hard to earn because she cared and desired it, so she would never mind how much effort she had to put in. As long as she could fight for it with hard work, she was willing to give it her all.

    However, no matter how hard she tried, she still could not move Han Yifeng or force him to fall in love with her even if she had been quietly fighting for it, giving it her all as the identity of his fianc¨¨...

    Yes, a rtionship could never be one-sided.

    She sighed with disappointment, gently closed her eyes, and then opened them. Trying hard to push the bitterness in her chest down, she turned her head away and did not want to think about it or look at them anymore.

    Mu Yuchen who was pulling her up front had acutely noticed that her mood had experienced a sudden change. The hand that he held had suddenly be cold, so he then turned to look at her just in time to see the way her eyes dimmed and how she turned her head away.

    His eyes shifted and he quickly noticed the couple that was smiling happily at the disy window Instantly, he frowned as he thought about it. Then, he suddenly reached out to hold Xi Xiaye across her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace. His perceptive and low voice slowly brushed past Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears. ¡°Enough! With the way you¡¯re behaving right now, aren¡¯t you worried that my heart won¡¯t be at ease?!¡±

    The sudden sturdy warmth startled Xi Xiaye. After quite a while, she came to her senses. With his long arms domineeringly pulling her into his embrace, he looked down at her with reproach and disagreement. Of course, there were vague hints of pity too...

    The sound of that soft reprimand sounded very tender and sensitive. On the contrary, it did not seem like he was chiding her.

    Xi Xiaye inhaled sharply, feeling a little upset. However, upon hearing the way he spoke so sensitively, she suddenly became weak and her raspy voice sounded a little gloomy when she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re at ease or not. The point is I¡¯m not at ease right now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at how her twinkling eyes had dimmed. After he gave it some thought, he said, ¡°You should be happy. If that didn¡¯t happen, how could you¡¯ve met someone as excellent as me? I, Mu Yuchen, am way better than Han Yifeng! You¡¯ve thrown a sesame seed away and picked up a watermelon! It¡¯s a good thing you can¡¯t even pray for even if you burnt incense for eight life cycles.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was initially quite upset, but hearing him say all of this...

    She really could not help but roll her eyes at this man whose confidence was off the charts. ¡°Even if he was just a sesame seed, are you really a watermelon?¡±

    ¡°Am I not? Even among City Z¡¯s most eligible bachelor ranks, he seems to be all the way at the back. Even though I¡¯m also off the ranks now, before him there was still Su Chen and Zhou Zimo, pushing him down until he couldn¡¯t move at all.¡±

    The man shot Han Yifeng a look of disdain through the disy window, his nonchnt gaze as icy as the wind.

    Xi Xiaye could not help but look at him with amusement as she smiled. ¡°Mu Yuchen, just the way you look right now, my mind can only think of a term.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as he held her and walked unhurriedly forward.

    ¡°You¡¯re eating vinegar [1]!¡± Xi Xiaye answered mischievously.

    ¡°Vinegar? What brand?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Then, you tell me first. Earlier, you said you were a watermelon. What brand of watermelon are you? Hey, Mu Yuchen, are you really better than him?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°Can you prove that?¡±

    ¡°Mdy, you¡¯ll have to slowly see it for yourself.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Yifeng, what are you looking at?¡±

    Inside the bridal house, in the midst of admiring the gowns on disy, Xi Xinyi saw that Han Yifeng was frowning as he looked out the disy window, so she could not help but ask and look up at the same time, following Han Yifeng¡¯s gaze.

    What greeted her eyes was ¡ª

    The instant that Mu Yuchen lightly embraced Xi Xiaye and was turning to walk away!

    ¡°It¡¯s Sister!¡±

    Xi Xiaye widened her eyes. Her face that hid underneath the sunsses had instantly turned rigid before she subconsciously took off her sunsses. Her gaze showed a mix of emotions as she watched Han Yifeng who was frozen in a daze.

    Quite a while after that, she suddenly pulled at Han Yifeng and bit her plump, scarlet lips. She could not help but say with concern, ¡°Yifeng, was it Sister? It¡¯s definitely her, isn¡¯t it? She... Who¡¯s that walking with her? Did you take a good look?¡±

    When he noticed that Xi Xinyi was pulling at his sleeves, Han Yifeng snapped back to reality. His cold face seemed to have turned weird.

    He was very sure that when Xi Xiaye turned, she had seen him, but her gaze had turned distant and apathetic...

    As if, like she said, from that day onwards, they would pretend to be strangers who had never met before.

    This feeling...

    Did not seem to be asforting as he had imagined it would be!

    He did not get a good look of the man who had embraced her as they walked away. However, seeing that man¡¯s figure, it had unexpectedly stifled him for some reason...

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Beside him, Xi Xinyi could not help but call out for him again.

    Now, Han Yifeng shook his head as he looked at Xinyi and asked softly, ¡°No, I just noticed when they were about to leave. Didn¡¯t Grandmother say that she¡¯ll arrange something for her?¡±

    He knew that he owed Xi Xiaye, so he wanted topensate her. He knew that her grandmother, Deng Wenwen had nned to find her a suitable partner. In his heart, he had also been wishing for the matchmaking to work out¡ª

    At least, that way it could perhaps reduce the guilt he felt for her.

    ¡°But there¡¯s no way that that was Qi Lei! No, I must go over to take a look. I¡¯m really worried about her. Thest time when I sent her the invitation, I just knew that she¡¯d be very upset, Yifeng, I...¡± Xi Xinyi spoke as she suddenly choked on her emotions. She could not help but cover her face and run out in the direction that Xi Xiaye had just left!

 Chapter 79 - Apathetic (1)

    <h4>Chapter 79: Apathetic (1)</h4>

    When Xi Xinyi caught up, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had already walked out of the exit, so all she could catch were the two departing figures from behind.

    ¡°Xinyi!¡±

    Han Yifeng caught up too. However, Xi Xinyi had already put on her sunsses and was running towards the exit ahead, her anxious look worrying Han Yifeng.

    Because Xi Xinyi had recently signed on to be Glory World Corporation¡¯s jewelry spokesperson, Imperial Sky Jewellery City that she was under was in Imperial Sky Entertainment City.

    Xi Xinyi initially wanted to go over for a spin, but she did not expect that some of the wedding dresses that Imperial Sky had brought in would be that beautiful, so she had just dragged him along to take a look. Unexpectedly, they bumped into Xi Xiaye there and even saw her seeming very intimate with a man they did not recognize.

    Xi Xinyi kept chasing and searching. Finally, she saw Xi Xiaye standing by the car on the side of the open za and she quickly rushed up...

    Xi Xiaye closed the document in her hands and looked at Li Si as she nodded. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s this one. Thanks for your trouble.¡±

    It was some data rted to Imperial Sky Entertainment City that her assistant, Xiao Mei, had sent over at thest minute. It had all the data that she had spent days and nights and hard work arranging.

    ¡°Director Xi... No, it¡¯s Missus... You¡¯re too courteous!¡± Li Si was still trying to adapt to the change in address.

    Xi Xiaye smiled before she waved. ¡°Assistant Li, whether it¡¯s at thepany or at work, just address me as you used to.

    To be honest, she was not too used to being addressed as Missus too. She kept feeling like she had aged just with people calling her that.

    ¡°Okay, Director Xi!¡± Li Si smiled candidly, as he looked towards the car. ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯d better get into the car, it¡¯s quite cold out. The weather looks pretty gloomy too. It¡¯s probably the rain rushing toe before the New Year.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, she looked up towards the sky. Indeed, she noticed that there seemed to be hints of the haze. The weather in the past few days had been pretty kind, so she did not expect it to be like that now.

    When she tore her gaze away, she noticed that Mu Yuchen was already sitting steadily in the car driver¡¯s seat. She then nodded, ¡°Okay, right, please help me reply to the Commerce Department that I¡¯ll get someone to retrieve the documents in another two days.¡±

    It was the data analysis that she had let Mu Yuchen bring straight to the Commerce Department. The Commerce Department¡¯s efficiency was very high. They had very quickly amended the parts that needed corrections and handed it back to her for review.

    ¡°Okay, Director Xi!¡± As Li Si answered, she opened the car door for Xi Xiaye, who nodded politely as she bent down and was about to enter. However, suddenly Xi Xinyi¡¯s rushed and concerned voice was heard from behind.

    ¡°Hold on, Sis!¡±

    This sudden voice had startled Xi Xiaye in that second. The fingers that held onto the documents had subconsciously tightened as her entire body stiffened. She remained in that posture, and after a few blinks, she eased.

    She thought about it and did not know what else she could say at this point, so she might as well pretend she did not see them. Maybe it would be better for her. Just as she was about to get into the car, Han Yifeng¡¯s voice suddenly rang out too.

    ¡°Xiaye! Xinyi¡¯s just worried about whether you¡¯re doing well. There are some things that we should find a ce to sit down and talk about it. That¡¯d be best for everyone, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Han Yifeng had suddenly caught up too and he was holding onto Xi Xinyi who was panting. Seeing Xi Xinyi¡¯s beautiful eyes filled with guilt, unease, concern, and pain, he felt sorry for her. He turned to see Xi Xiaye¡¯s slightly angled body unmoving, and he felt an indescribable feeling again.

    The fact that things have turned out this way was not his intention. He only hoped that Xiaye could be frank and ept everything. That way, they might not need to feel so miserable and guilty.

    Sometimes, people were like that, always hoping that others could be forgiving, yet very seldom standing in the other person¡¯s shoes to think about all the pain that other person had endured and swallowed to let them be. They never thought of how much strength and courage were needed.

    He, Han Yifeng, had no doubt made this mistake too.

    Xi Xiayeughed bitterly. She fell silent for a moment before she straightened up, turned over, and her eyes looked indifferently at them. Although her gaze was still, her slightly raspy voice was very calm, ¡°All that should¡¯ve been said, I¡¯ve said. All that should¡¯ve been returned, I¡¯ve returned. I¡¯m doing very well right now. As for all your concerns, forget it.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xinyi turned pale. ¡°Sis, I really didn¡¯t know that that would happen, I didn¡¯t know that Grandmother and the rest... Now, even Grandfather is very angry too. He¡¯s not feeling too well. Won¡¯t you go back to visit him? It¡¯s because of your matter that he hasn¡¯t spoken to us in many days. Grandmother¡¯s not doing too well either. The doctor said that she can¡¯t be provoked again...¡±

    ¡°So? You want me to satisfy your requests and present myself as a toy to Master Qi. Otherwise, where have you nned to stuff me? Or do you want me to be charitable and forgive you, smile and wish you the best, and then present you with a generous engagement gift?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly, yet her twinkling eyes were filled with ridicule. ¡°Years ago, you guys also used the same card to force my mother to yield voluntarily. Have you forgotten? So many yearster, I didn¡¯t think that the same move would be used on me again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Sis. Listen to me. Mother has felt very ashamed towards Aunt. She often goes to University A to look for Aunt, but she¡¯s always unwilling...¡±

    Xi Xinyi ran up and wanted to exin.

    ¡°Mother¡¯s naturally apathetic and gentle. She already yield everything, so what else do you want from her? All these years, haven¡¯t you guys thought of letting her go?¡±

    ¡°Enough, Xinyi! Enough, Xiaye! When Xinyi and I get engaged, we hope you cane even if it¡¯s not for the sake of our past, we¡¯re now still considered as people in the same circle just as you wished. Let¡¯s just treat it as getting to know each other once again!¡±

    When Han Yifeng saw Xi Xinyi looking extremely miserable, he instantly stopped the topic from continuing.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips curled apathetically. She was made of unyielding character, stubborn and unwilling to concede. ¡°CEO Han, those who know me, Xi Xiaye, would know that I¡¯m not someone who¡¯s willing to befriend just anyone. You two are a Mayor¡¯s heiress, Xi family¡¯s beloved daughter, and Han Corporation¡¯s CEO Han. I¡¯m just amon wage earner, so... I appreciate your good intentions. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Then, she bent down and got into the car, the car had very quickly driven away, gradually vanishing from Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s line of sight...

 Chapter 80 - Apathetic (2)

    <h4>Chapter 80: Apathetic (2)</h4>

    The car steadily traveled on as the husband and wife maintained a quiet understanding. Xi Xiaye looked out the car window while Mu Yuchen focused on driving.

    Unlike the past few journeys, there was no music, so it was currently pin-drop silent.

    ¡°Is there anything you want to say to me?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice suddenly broke the stifling silence.

    Then, Xi Xiaye tore her gaze away from the world outside the car window and turned to look at him. She lowered her gaze and fell silent for a while before she said in a bitter and raspy voice, ¡°It¡¯s just some past grudges. There¡¯s nothing to talk about. When the timeses... When I¡¯m in the mood, I¡¯ll tell you more.¡±

    ¡°How many years have you thought about that person?¡± He did not look at her as his gaze remained focused on the road ahead, yet his question seemed significantly important.

    How many years had she thought about him?

    Xi Xiaye obviously knew who he was referring to.

    She did not know how many years she had kept Han Yifeng in her heart either. Ever since the day she could understand things, she had been fed the idea that she had to be a filial daughter-inw to the Han family. When she was younger, they would always say to her ¡ª

    ¡°Xiaye, go y with Bro Yifeng!¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, you have to think of a way to cheer Bro Yifeng up.¡±

    ¡°We heard that Yifeng fought with someone else for you. What happened?¡±

    However, she had to admit that in that long period of time, Yifeng was indeed like a brother to her. He protected her, treated her well, and cared for her very much.

    So, why had it all changed after that?

    There was a time when Han Yifeng¡¯s emotions became hers too. She was used to him being around, and when all of this was shattered, all of his habits and memories were forcefully removed from her life. The oppression from before made her feel a little suffocated.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a very long time now... The Xi family and the Han family are family friends. Back then, it was decided that Han Yifeng and I were to get engaged even before we were born. From what I recall, Father and Mother had always been very loving, so I really couldn¡¯t believe that Father would¡¯ve cheated on Mother...¡±

    She sighed sorrowfully, her twinkling eyes holding loneliness and bleakness that was hard to hide. ¡°Xi Xinyi¡¯s mother and my mother were very good friends back then. I¡¯ll never forget the way Mother looked like she was about to break down when she found out about all of this... On the other hand, I never would¡¯ve thought that many yearster, I¡¯d find myself on the same path as my mother. Xi Xinyi used to be called Yue Xinyi. She was very good friends with Su Nan and me...¡±

    ¡°So, sometimes, you really can¡¯t help butment about how fate just likes to mess with people. Mother said that it felt like she had fallen from heaven to hell. At that time, because I was young, I didn¡¯t understand, but when I grew up and experienced the same thing, I immediately knew how she felt.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had never mentioned this to anyone. Even with Su Nan, she was not willing to talk about these things. These memories were a wound that just formed a scab and would still hurt when touched.

    ¡°Mmm, understood. Someone as naive as you will believe lies rather easily. You aren¡¯t vignt at all.¡± He listened for quite a while beforeing to this conclusion.

    ¡°You¡¯re not me. You don¡¯t understand how it was either. You can¡¯t just rashly make such a judgment,¡± Xi Xiaye disagreed.

    ¡°I won¡¯t argue with you. From now on, you¡¯re with me. Let me teach you how to judge a person. There are some investments which worth you must first measure. Just knowing how to give your all without knowing how to demand isn¡¯t very wise.¡±

    Mu Yuchen shot her a side look. He waszy to argue with her.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to talk about these unhappy things too, but with whatever you need to face, you¡¯ll still have to face them. You can¡¯t just ignore it. I¡¯ve heard about Yueying¡¯s matter. Glory World currently doesn¡¯t have any asset in the aspect of showbiz. Yesterday, a few Vice Presidents handed me a document. They hoped that if it was possible, Glory World could take over Yueying, making it a stepping stone for Glory World to enter the showbiz industry. I want to hear your thoughts.¡±

    Then, he gradually slowed the car down and finally stopped by a street. He turned to fix his eyes on Xi Xiaye, his deep eyes sunken with an indescribable look.

    She looked up at Mu Yuchen, stunned. ¡°Is thepany nning to advance into showbiz?¡±

    She was very shocked, especially since she had heard that he particrly disliked showbiz. In fact, she remembered that previously, Vice President Liu had suggested entering the industry too. While the old Chairman, Mu Yinan, had wavered slightly, it was the Master¡¯s single vote from abroad that vetoed it. Subsequently, no one had raised it again.

    ¡°Even though I don¡¯t quite like getting into this line of work, it¡¯s still not wrong for thepany to diversify our development.¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed to be able to tell that Xi Xiaye was hesitating. Heughed and said softly, ¡°I know about your rtionship with Yueying. If you want, I can put Yueying under Glory World and then let you be the Executive Director there, killing two birds with one stone.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye raised her brows slightly. So, it turned out that he had said all of this because he had a selfish motive?

    She thought about it for quite a while and then shook her head lightly. ¡°I don¡¯t quite agree. Based on what I know, the Han Corporation is already nning to help Yueying resolve their crisis. The several projects from Qi Kai¡¯s end should probably be allocated to Yueying already. If thepany were to make a move now, it¡¯d incur too much cost. You know how it is.

    ¡°Besides, the management for the movies and television industry is all Greek to me. I can¡¯t be your Executive Director. I¡¯m still interested in the South River project, so it¡¯s best if I stay and be a good nning Director,¡± Xi Xiaye answered honestly. Her strengthy in business nning. Showbiz wasplicated and she did not have any experience at all, so how could she do it?

    ¡°I¡¯m giving you the chance to take revenge, yet you don¡¯t want it? Do you still want to hold onto this South River project?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her and said with a faint smile.

    What an easily satisfied woman!

    ¡°No, I just know what¡¯s appropriate. I know my own capabilities. In fact, going steady and striking hard is very important. Do you think that I made it from a small employer to my current position overnight?¡±

    ¡°Are you preaching to me? Hmm?¡± Mu Yuchen could not help but chuckle as he watched her little face brimming with seriousness and determination. He reached out to pat her head, but she frowned and pushed his hand away, upset.

    She realized that he seemed to like patting her head as if he was a teacher teaching his student or a brother teaching his younger sister.

    Whatever it was, it just felt weird!

 Chapter 81 - Grandpa Shen Yue

    <h4>Chapter 81: Grandpa Shen Yue</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m sharing my experience with you here!¡± She insisted with conviction as she shot him a look, then stared at the steering wheel before him. Her silent eyes suddenly flickered. ¡°Let me drive!¡±

    Then, before Mu Yuchen could agree, she reached out to grip the steering wheel before unhurriedly getting up to move over.

    Mu Yuchen pulled his hands away and took a look at her, then shook his head. Without resisting her, he held his hands up and moved to the front passenger seat.

    However, just when Xi Xiaye was about to start the car, her phone suddenly buzzed. She frowned and picked it up.

    The call had just gotten through when her grandpa, Shen Yue¡¯s aged voice came through.

    ¡°I¡¯m at your apartment right now. Come home right away!¡±

    When she heard his order, Xi Xiaye was startled. Her beautiful brows furrowed even further and her expression instantly turned stiff. She could vaguely feel that something was amiss on Shen Yue¡¯s end.

    At that moment, Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice suddenly asked urgently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The person from the other end clearly heard it. Before Xi Xiaye could say anything, Shen Yue¡¯s voice rang once again, ¡°Bring that man beside you home too. How outrageous! How could you¡¯ve done such a huge thing without telling anyone? Am I still your grandpa? Come home right away!¡±

    Then, Shen Yue hung up angrily before Xi Xiaye could even respond. She looked at the screen that had dimmed and then stayed absent-minded for a long while before she turned to Mu Yuchen and said, feeling stunned. ¡°Mu Yuchen, I think we¡¯re dead meat. Grandpa seems to have found out about us getting married. He¡¯s very angry...¡±

    ¡°Grandpa?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes squinted. In the next instant, he seemed to have guessed something. He could not help but bury his head in his hands as he groaned with a headache, ¡°It¡¯s probably Grandmother and the rest of them that leaked the news out.¡±

    ¡°What do we do now? He¡¯s in my apartment right now, telling us to go back right away!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked helplessly at Mu Yuchen and exined, ¡°Back then, my parents registered their marriage behind my grandpa¡¯s back. After that, my grandpa has always brooded over it. Plus, the thing between Father and Mother... So, Mu Yuchen, you¡¯ve to be mentally prepared... When Grandpa gets angry, he can be very mean.¡±

    ¡°Worried that I can¡¯t handle him?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his brows and smiled faintly at her.

    ¡°Even though he previously said that he thought highly of you, now that we¡¯ve done this... I¡¯m quite worried that he won¡¯t be able to ept it. Whatever it is, just be goodter. Let him know that we¡¯re doing well. Also, you need to...¡±

    ¡°Got it. I know where you¡¯re going with this. With me around, you don¡¯t need to worry. Just drive.¡±

    When he saw that she was obviously quite nervous, Mu Yuchen interrupted her and took his phone out to call Ah Mo.

    ¡°Bring that weiqi [1] in the office to Missus¡¯ apartment.¡±

    He hung up right after saying that.

    Xi Xiaye sped the ck Cayenne all the way, rushing to the apartment like a hurricane.

    Ah Mo was quick too. When they reached the apartment and had just gotten down from the car, he was already there. Apart from the ancient jade chessboard that Mu Yuchen had mentioned, he also brought quite a few gifts.

    Xi Xiaye urgently pulled Mu Yuchen by his shirt sleeve and rushed into the apartment. She had just reached the door when she saw that her door was already wide open. A middle-aged man in a ck suit and ck-framed spectacles was anxiously waiting at the door.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure, the middle-aged man walked up and subconsciously sized up Mu Yuchen who was being dragged by Xi Xiaye. ¡°Miss Sun, you guys are finally back. The Elder CEO... He has already been furious the whole afternoon. He didn¡¯t even have lunch after he stormed off angrily from thepany meeting, and now...¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Lan! Grandpa¡¯s inside, isn¡¯t he?¡± Xi Xiaye looked apologetically at Lan Zng and asked softly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say any more. The old CEO is inside. This should be the grandson-inw, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯s a good man, but the old CEO¡¯s temper is like that. When he¡¯s done venting, only then you can speak to him.¡±

    Lan Zng was Shen Yue¡¯s secretary and personal assistant. He had been by Shen Yue¡¯s side for many years and knew Shen Yue¡¯s temper well. At the moment, he was looking at Mu Yuchen with concern. Of course, there was also some admiration in his gaze.

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly. ¡°We know, Uncle Lan. Go in and have a seat too. It¡¯s quite cold outside.¡±

    Then, she looked up at Mu Yuchen, pursing her lips before bracing herself and pulling him into the house.

    Indeed, the moment they stepped into the living room, she could immediately feel an extraordinary air of something stifled. Looking up, they were greeted by the white-haired elder who sat on the sofa with his back straight and his staff in his hands.

    It was Shen Yue, Xi Xiaye¡¯s grandpa.

    He was over 70 years old. His weather-beaten face had the profound understanding of someone who knew his way around the world and his eagle eyes were sharp. He carried an indescribable vigor despite his age.

    He was the CEO of Fuhua Real Estate, and he was a brilliant and well-known figure in City Z. However, this old CEO was always reclusive. Despite his well-known reputation, not many knew about his background.

    Even the Xi family did not know that Shen Yue was Shen Wenna¡¯s biological father. Back then, Shen Wenna did not care for Shen Yue¡¯s objections and insisted on marrying Xi Mushan. There was a time when she had severed father-daughter ties with Shen Yue. Due to Shen Wenna¡¯s extremely cold and proud nature, she had never mentioned him to anyone before.

    It was not until Xi Mushan¡¯s betrayal that caused Shen Wenna to be heartbroken and leave the marriage with nothing that Shen Yue suddenly appeared to bring her back to the Shen residence. While Shen Yue had never liked Xi Mushan, all these years, apart from getting in touch with Xi Xiaye, he did not care for the Xi family at all.

    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Shen Yue¡¯s dismal, aged face and called out softly. At the same time, she pulled on Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeve, hinting at him to greet the old man.

    Shen Yue¡¯s sharp gaze pierced through Xi Xiaye, then his sight shifted and immediately locked onto Mu Yuchen who was beside her.

 Chapter 82 - I Want To Be Responsible For Her

    <h4>Chapter 82: I Want To Be Responsible For Her</h4>

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze followed Shen Yue¡¯s line of sight towards Mu Yuchen, yet she noticed that he remained calm andposed, standing neither servile nor overbearing. He simply allowed Shen Yue to stare, re, and size him up.

    ¡°Are you Mu Yuchen? The grandson of those two old folks, Wang Hui and Mu Yinan?¡± A while after, Shen Yue¡¯s aged and gloomy voice finally rang out, thickening the vaguely stifling and threatening vibe in the air quite a bit.

    Xi Xiaye became even more nervous as she quickly went up and said, ¡°Grandpa, this is our fault. We...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re at fault? What did you do wrong?¡± Shen Yue¡¯s voice became even more stern. It was not at all like his usually loving, gentle self. She knew well that the matter this time had made him very upset. After some thought, she let go of Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeve and walked towards Shen Yue. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s our fault for getting married without informing you guys, but all of this was my idea...¡±

    ¡°Did I ask you? You stand aside. I¡¯m asking him!¡± Shen Yue did not care and looked past Xi Xiaye, his sharp eyes falling onto Mu Yuchen again.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm. He did not bat an eyelid as he sized Shen Yue up in response. His vigor did not lose out to Shen Yue¡¯s as he very coolly pulled Xi Xiaye over. Under Shen Yue¡¯s de-sharp threatening gaze, he pulled Xi Xiaye to sit down.

    ¡°This was rather sudden. We¡¯ve already received our marriage certificate, and now we¡¯re also a right and proper married couple. We don¡¯t want to exin too much. Grandpa, if you¡¯re unhappy, pleasee and talk to me. It has nothing to do with this silly one. I bewitched her into signing the marriage contract.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was the kind of person who was not eloquent at exining. Being in the business circle for a long time now, he cared more about the oue instead of the process.

    His tone was deep and calm while his pitch-ck eyes were filled with sincerity and a reserved manner. With his graceful and gentle demeanor, hisposure amidst the tense situation unexpectedly made Shen Yue feel like he did not know how to vent his fury.

    As he kept reflecting about it, Shen Yue angrily said, ¡°Do we still exist to you two? Is marriage child¡¯s y? If it were not for your grandmother and the rest mentioning it, I¡¯d still be in the dark right now.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, we were nning to go back to the Shen residence this weekend...¡± Xi Xiaye quickly tried to exin as she turned to look at Mu Yuchen. Her beautiful brows frowned slightly. ¡°He¡¯s a very kind person. I just wanted to give myself a chance to start a new life.¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s face sank. He fell silent for a while before he suddenly asked, ¡°Why so sudden?¡±

    His gaze went back and forth between Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. When Wang Hui had called, he had told her not to trouble the children. Previously, he had also heard some things from the Xi family, so he knew about the news of Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s engagement.

    Even though Shen Yue did not pay much attention to the Xi family matters, he loved Xi Xiaye dearly. As for Xi Xiaye and Han Yifeng¡¯s situation, he more or less knew about it.

    As she listened, Xi Xiaye suddenly fell silent and the incidents that had happened reyed very clearly in her head again. From the way Deng Wenwen looked like a bully making her sign those papers, Grandfather¡¯s cold figure by the window, Han Yifeng kneeling down to propose to Xi Xinyi, and the way Deng Wenwen had sent her right into Qi Lei¡¯s arms...

    As she thought about all of these, her beautiful face instantly turned pale. The wound on her shoulder that had already formed a scab seemed to begin vaguely heating up and hurting again.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly turned to her. When he saw her pained expression, there was a sh in his eyes. ¡°Because someone needs to assume responsibility for some things. At this point, I just want to be responsible for her. If it can make everyone more at ease, I¡¯m willing to assume all responsibility.¡±

    While Xi Xiaye obviously understood the meaning of Mu Yuchen¡¯s words, Shen Yue did not. As he listened, his heart sank. He had very easily started to think otherwise, and his aged expression started to turn dark.

    He stared at Mu Yuchen for quite a while before he said through gritted teeth, ¡°How dare you bring this up? Can¡¯t you just hold it in? Wait till you¡¯ve met the parents and settled marriage matters! Can¡¯t you young people just be as crazy as you wish after that?¡±

    When Shen Yue said this, Xi Xiaye was startled and could not react immediately. She was stunned for a long while and did not understand what he meant. She subconsciously turned to look at Mu Yuchen. Noticing that Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression remained as usual and that there was a sh of rity in his eyes, she wanted to ask something, yet Shen Yue¡¯s dissatisfied voice once again stuttered to ask, ¡°You¡¯ve got... news?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes very quickly zed as he looked meaningfully to the dazed Xi Xiaye beside him and fell silent for a moment. He frankly answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m worried that after we get the news, it¡¯d be harder to exin, so we wanted to quickly get it done.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re so responsible. I¡¯m a man too and I¡¯ve been young and reckless but I wouldn¡¯t have made such a mistake!¡± Shen Yue looked irritatedly at Mu Yuchen.

    While Mu Yuchen just looked at Shen Yue calmly, the two of them exchanged a look. It was a look that only could be understood between men.

    Shen Yue red at Mu Yuchen, then he turned his head the other way. ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Xi Xiaye reacted a little slowly as she looked at Shen Yue, then to the man beside her again. She did not know what they were talking about; they seemed to be speaking in code. She frowned for a while, then reached out to lightly touch Mu Yuchen¡¯srge hand, while he just lifted a hand to hold down her hand without even looking at her.

    ¡°Please, Grandpa, believe in my sincerity. Since I¡¯ve married her, I will bepletely responsible for her. Grandfather, Grandmother, and my parents admire Xiaye very much. Now, we just hope to get Grandpa and Mother-inw¡¯s affirmation,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a deep and sincere voice.

    ¡°Grandpa, I sincerely wanted to marry him. It was also me who made him marry me immediately. We¡¯ve been doing very well these past few days. I wasn¡¯t intentionally hiding it from you and you don¡¯t have to me him. I¡¯m the main culprit. He¡¯s just guilty by association.¡± Xiaye was worried that Shen Yue would say something that made things difficult for him, so she quickly said all of this. She did not know when she began to speak like Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°You¡¯re grown-up now. It¡¯s only been a few days and already you¡¯re defending him. Xiaye, when did you mature?¡±

    When Shen Yue saw the way Xi Xiaye was so protective over Mu Yuchen, he did feel slightly d on the inside. Then, for some reason, he felt jealousy, regret, and at a loss.

    With regards to Mu Yuchen, Shen Yue obviously knew him well. Back then, when Wang Hui had mentioned him, he had paid special attention to him.

 Chapter 83 - Mu Shen Family Dinner (1)

    <h4>Chapter 83: Mu Shen Family Dinner (1)</h4>

    Speaking of Mu Yuchen, he was no stranger to him at all.

    Shen Yue had crossed paths with Mu Yuchen in business before. Personally, he had always admired Mu Yuchen who was a promising, young man.

    He had the brains for business, was wise, farsighted, and strategic. Besides that, he had rather good capabilities and a very positive character. In fact, he was handsome too. He did match his beloved granddaughter from all aspects.

    Back then, after understanding a bit about Mu Yuchen, he had hoped for Xi Xiaye to end up with him since a marriage connection between the Mus and the Shens would do no harm. Anyway, they knew them through and through. At that time, the Mu family wanted to be connected by marriage with the Shen family, so he intended to wed Shen Wenna to Mu Tangchuan. Therefore, he had strongly objected to Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan¡¯s marriage. Later on, when it did not happen, both the families had only regret left.

    When Shen Wenna had married into the Xi family, because her health was not too good, she had only got pregnant with Xi Xiaye a few years after that. Mu Tangchuan of the Mu family married Zhuang Shurong, and the two families lost touch until recently when he unexpectedly bumped into Wang Hui and the rest at a banquet.

    Now that they had made this happen, it was considered a happy incident to everyone¡¯s delight too. However, he just felt like the beloved granddaughter he had loved dearly for many years had suddenly be another young man¡¯s wife. This was quite an upsetting feeling. He felt like his beloved was abruptly stolen away just like that.

    Shen Yue felt quite sorrowful especially when he heard Wang Hui and Mu Yinan¡¯s cunningughter. The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt.

    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m just telling the truth. Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, and Father are all very good to me. They knew that we were nning to return to the Shen residence this weekend, so they even prepared a bunch of things. In fact, aren¡¯t Grandpa and Mother familiar with them? Mu Yuchen and I were even previously from the same school. He was my senior,¡± Xi Xiaye tried to exin.

    Shen Yue replied quite unhappily, ¡°Enough! Stop talking now. At this point, what can I say? I¡¯m old and I can¡¯t control you guys. This weekend, coincidentally, your mother will be back since the school is on holiday. You two had better make a visit home.¡±

    As he said this, he stood up with the help of his staff and looked at them. ¡°What are you still standing there for? I¡¯ve already been mad for the whole day. Do you still want to make me starve as I lecture you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled. She looked at Shen Yue, then there were signs of cheer on her face. She was about to remind Mu Yuchen, but he already helped her up and answered modestly, ¡°I¡¯ve already told the people at Maple Residence to prepare some food and drinks. At the same time, I¡¯ve asked Grandfather, Grandmother and my parents toe over. Ah Mo should be on the way to pick Mother-inw up from University A right now.¡±

    What a highly efficient person indeed!

    When she heard his updates, Xi Xiaye stared in shock at Mu Yuchen while Shen Yue snorted, ¡°At least you¡¯re tactful and can show some sincerity.¡±

    As he said this, he walked out of the door, and Lan Zng who had been silent on the side followed him out.

    ¡°Hey, when did you invite Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, and Mother over? And my mother? I didn¡¯t see you make a call earlier either. Also, why didn¡¯t you just call all of them to Maple Residence?¡± Xi Xiaye looked doubtfully at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows as he bent down slightly and whispered softly in her ear, ¡°This is tactic. Grandfather and Grandmother can obviously take your grandpa down. As for your mother, leaving it to Father and Mother to handle should be just right. Us? We¡¯ll just watch the fires burn from across the river. Sit back and enjoy the fruits of this war. Learn more from me, my dear. Isn¡¯t your husband just terribly smart?¡±

    When she heard this, there was ag on Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face. A while after that, she snapped back to her senses. She could not help but look up and watch him in astonishment, her pink lips slightly parted. ¡°Mu Yuchen, you¡¯re really... really bad! Really evil!¡±

    Mu Yuchen was smug. ¡°This can even help them improve their friendship. Killing two birds with a stone is perfect. What argument could you possibly have against it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t win an argument with you, but now I realize that you have a huge potential to be an unscrupulous businessman. I won¡¯t allow you to use these tactics against me in the future,¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she red at him and said.

    ¡°Fine, if you really fell for it, it will only reveal your self-awareness. You need to make up for that incredibly low IQ and EQ of yours that raises one¡¯s hackles, mdy.¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen walked away.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, you¡¯re not allowed to indirectly call me stupid, you hear me?¡± Xi Xiaye pulled a long face and followed him.

    ¡°But if I directly call you stupid, can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°You...!¡±

    ...

    When they returned to Maple Residence, Wang Hui and the rest had already rushed over. They had just reached the door when they saw that it was all lit up inside. Wang Hui was directing Sis Wang and the rest of the servants to decorate Maple Residence for the festivities and had even invited a hotel chef toplement Zhuang Shurong¡¯s cooking in the kitchen.

    When he saw Shen Yue enter, Mu Yinan and Mu Tangchuan went up to greet him. They pulled Shen Yue to the sofa for an idle chat and tea right away, so there was basically nothing for Xi Xiaye to do.

    She saw Mu Yuchen take his zer off and push his sleeves up while she walked around the living room and did not know what to do, so she called out to him, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was wearing a tight ck shirt at the moment. He unbuttoned his shirt sleeve as he rolled his sleeves up neatly and walked towards the kitchen. He answered, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look in the kitchen. Ah Mo just called. There¡¯s heavy traffic on the way, so your mother will probably only reachter. You go y yourself or maybe chat with them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be your second fiddle.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not know what to converse with them about, so she followed Mu Yuchen and entered the kitchen.

    At that moment, the four chefs in the kitchen were busily preparing several main dishes, while Zhuang Shurong was busy attending to some home-cooked specialties. When the married couple went in, the initially spacious kitchen suddenly seemed ustrophobic.

    When Zhuang Shurong, who was about to start on another dish, saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye who followed behind him, she asked, ¡°Why are you two here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mother. Go out and apany Father to chat with Grandpa. Leave this to me,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he reached out to take the spat in her hand.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll just follow him. You go on out and have a seat.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded at Zhuang Shurong.

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s sharp gaze went back and forth the husband and wife, her eyes flickering a few times before she nodded. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll leave this to you two.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, then Zhuang Shurong undid her apron before walking out.

    When she saw Zhuang Shurong¡¯s figure disappear at the door, Xi Xiaye breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and saw that Mu Yuchen had already begun cutting the vegetables.

    ¡°Grandpa and Mother both prefer less heavy vors, so it¡¯ll be enough to make them some tasty side dishes. There¡¯s no need for them to be so sumptuous, but I know that your culinary skills are better than Mother¡¯s. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have a great impression of you.¡±

 Chapter 84 - Mu Shen Family Dinner (2)

    <h4>Chapter 84: Mu Shen Family Dinner (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he heard Xi Xiaye, Mu Yuchen smiled as he passed the potatoes to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Does my cooking have anything to do with their impression of me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the potatoes, then carefully peeled the skins and washed them. ¡°Of course, back then Mother wanted me to be prestigious housewife material, being talented at cooking and learning to be a quiet and gentledy, yet Grandfather said every girl should be a princess. Cooking shouldn¡¯t only be a woman¡¯s task.¡±

    She finished working on one potato and put it before Mu Yuchen as she started working on another. ¡°Mother thought it made sense, so she asked me to get married to someone who can cook in the future. She also said a man who¡¯s willing to cook wouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡±

    ¡°So, are you feeling lucky that you¡¯re married to me or are you praising me, or both?¡± The man went along and acted usually without any humility. Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly called out to him.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he was slicing the potatoes. His swift knife work did not slow down at all even when he was talking.

    ¡°I think you dropped something. Don¡¯t you want it?¡± Xi Xiaye stopped her movement and looked at him seriously.

    He nced at her serious face and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Your dignity! Don¡¯t you want it anymore?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows, then she smiled when she heard an inconsistency in someone¡¯s cutting. She made a victorious pose cheerfully and then continued washing the potatoes.

    ¡°What a cheeky, naughty girl!¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned at the thick slice of potato caused by his mistake earlier. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty powerful attack.¡±

    ¡°Do you y games too?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes lit up and she turned around to stare at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°World of Warcraft or StarCraft? Or CrossFire?¡± Xi Xiaye asked excitedly.

    ¡°I y a little of all of them. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re addicted to things like these. A little girl like you had better not touch stuff like those. Oh, I forgot to mention that Grandmother likes CrossFire, Landlord Fight, and Mix Match quite a bit. She¡¯s an expert at those. Ask her to bring you along to y these games.¡±

    ¡°Stop looking down on me. Do I look like a little girl who¡¯d y Mix Match? Right, Mu Yuchen, well...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°There seems to be a match at the racing club this weekend night... Wanna go for a spin?¡±

    ¡°You really can¡¯t stay put, can you? Is your injury fine now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was speechless.

    As all the dishes were about to be done, the rumble of a car¡¯s engine came from outside. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went out to greet the guest. The slender-looking Shen Wenna got out of the car.

    Shen Wenna had been a real beauty when she was young. She was the renowned Ice Beauty of University A. She had once been the perfect match with the most popr guy in University A, Xi Mushan. Shen Wenna did not change much from back then except for a few wrinkles beside her eyes.

    Shen Wenna wore a khaki mid-length windbreaker with a beige shirt inside along with long dark pants. Her ck hair wasbed into a beautiful coiffure. With her facial features nearly identical to Xi Xiaye¡¯s, her cold aura made her seem elegant. She seemed like someone who had gone through a lot in life as heavy concernsy behind her quiet-looking eyes.

    She actually seemed more like Xi Xiaye¡¯s sister than her mother.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Xi Xiaye went up and called out to her as she dipped her head slightly.

    Shen Wenna stood there and nodded as she looked at Xi Xiaye. Her eyes soon averted to Mu Yuchen beside her daughter. She took a hard, long look at him before looking away.

    ¡°Hello, Mother. I¡¯m Mu Yuchen,¡± Mu Yuchen greeted politely.

    Shen Wenna went silent for a moment and looked at the both of them. Her face softened and she nodded as she spoke in her calm voice, ¡°On the way here, I heard about you from Mr. Ah Mo. Since it¡¯s already happened, I don¡¯t want to intervene too much either. You¡¯ve both made the choice, so only you two can bear the consequences. I just hope that you guys will be happy.¡±

    Shen Wenna was an open-minded person, so when she found out about Shen Yue trying to arrange a blind date for Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen, she thought that it was alright as long as Xi Xiaye was happy.

    She had been betrayed before. As someone who had gone through a failed marriage, she was pretty indifferent towards marriage now since it was all unpleasant memories for her. However, as a mother, she never taught Xi Xiaye to distrust men or to never believe in marriage again because she hoped that her daughter would not suffer like her.

    The world was vast and she could not just deny everything because of her own bad experience. All unpleasant things were merely temporary or were just a tiny part of life. There were many more happy memories to be made and remembered.

    Shen Wenna then took out a red packet and handed it to Mu Yuchen. ¡°My wish as a mother is simple. I just want you to be good and loyal to her, got it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at the quiet Xi Xiaye, then he nodded seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I¡¯ll take care of her forever.¡±

    Shen Wenna blinked her eyes and nodded. ¡°Keep this. Take it as a lucky token.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mother!¡± Mu Yuchen epted the red packet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get in. It¡¯s pretty cold outside,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke quietly.

    Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan came out and thetter called out to her when she saw Shen Wenna outside. ¡°Wenna!¡±

    ¡°Ah Rong, Tangchuan! I see you guys are here as well.¡± Shen Wenna smiled as she looked at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye with her gentle eyes and nodded before greeting the other married couple.

    ¡°Long time no see! You still look pretty young.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled and held Shen Wenna¡¯s hand. Her voice softened. ¡°Unexpectedly, we¡¯ve be inws. Suddenly, we¡¯ve turned so old almost overnight.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re over 50 years old now. Do you both still think you¡¯re young?¡± Mu Tangchuanughed.

 Chapter 85 - Mu Shen Family Dinner (3)

    <h4>Chapter 85: Mu Shen Family Dinner (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The families adjourned to the dinner table after cleaning their hands with the wet towels handed by the servants.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re both already set, we¡¯re not going to interfere much. It¡¯s your life after all. However, the wedding should be arranged as soon as possible. What do the both of you think?¡± Mu Yinan spoke up after a toast.

    The marriage between the Mus and the Shens was no small matter. It would surely cause a big ruckus throughout City Z if people found out about it. Of course, it was not something to be taken lightly since they were prestigious families after all.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She tilted her head and looked at him, only to see him gazing back at her. ¡°It depends on you. What kind of wedding would you like? A wedding by the sea or a wedding in a yard? You decide.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused. Although she had been engaged to Han Yifeng before, she had never imagined what sort of wedding she would have. She somewhat felt that it was a very faraway concept for her...

    She gave it some thought and said, ¡°It¡¯s near the year-end and a lot of things are happening. There are several projects that need to be handled after the new year as well. I suggest that we don¡¯t rush. We can have the wedding during the long holiday in May or November next year. Since we¡¯ve signed the marriage certificate, this is just a formality anyway.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong...¡±

    <i>You guys just might not be able to wait until then!</i>

    As Wang Hui spoke, she nced at Xi Xiaye¡¯s stomach. Even Zhuang Shurong and Shen Wenna looked over as well.

    Xi Xiaye would really be an idiot if she did not understand what those gazes meant. She suddenly felt her cheeks getting heated as they stared at her, her fair little face quickly turning red.

    ¡°I agree with Xiaye. May ising in a few months, so we¡¯ll arrange it by then.¡± Mu Yuchen came in at the perfect timing. She still had injuries and preparing for a wedding was very taxing. He definitely did not want her injured body to go through that.

    ¡°Seems like it. After the new year will be about April anyway. It¡¯s gonna be soon!¡±

    Wang Hui then said, ¡°Indeed, there¡¯re a lot of events approaching the year-end, and your marriage was quite sudden! Alright, we¡¯ll discuss it in detailter on. The point is we can¡¯t take it lightly. Shen Yue, Wenna, what do you guys think?¡±

    Shen Yue thought it was fine as well since it was the end of the year and thepany was getting busy. Moreover, how proper would a hasty wedding be? Having itter was fine since they were already married anyway.

    He nced at Shen Wenna who nodded and replied, ¡°Sure, it¡¯s up to them.¡±

    ¡°Chen, Xiaye, how about you guys?¡±

    The couple nodded together.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s set then. We¡¯ll work on it after the new year. It doesn¡¯t have to be in May. We can still decide on the actual dateter. We¡¯ll prepare for the wedding. You guys work on your stuff. I know you all don¡¯t have much time anyway.¡±

    Wang Hui smiled. Finally, she found something to spend her time on.

    Soon, their discussion came to an end with the problem solved rather efficiently.

    After dinner, Shen Yue was enjoying some tea with Wang Hui and Mu Yinan while Shen Wenna was sitting on the sofa in the living room on the second floor.

    ¡°Have some water.¡± Xi Xiaye bent over and handed a ss of water to Shen Wenna. She then just stood there and gazed at her quietly.

    Shen Wenna epted it and took a sip as she looked at Xi Xiaye. Her cold eyes seemed to turn gentle. ¡°Has work been tough in the past few months? You seem much skinnier than thest time. I got quite a number of tonics from abroad this time around. Come over to the Shen Residence and take them.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused, then she shook her head and sat down on the sofa opposite Shen Wenna. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Work is always slightly busier near the year-end.¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s expression darkened slightly. She did not press on the issue and changed the topic instead. ¡°I know you went for your grandfather¡¯s birthday. I also know that Han Yifeng proposed to Xi Xinyi during the banquet. Did... Did they make things difficult for you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. How can they still make things difficult for me? I¡¯ve nothing to do with the Xis anymore.¡±

    This time, it should be a clean cut and the whole world could cool down.

    Shen Wenna spoke after thinking for some time, ¡°Xiaye, I admit that I¡¯m a failure in my marriage with your father, but no matter what, your father¡¯s blood flows in you. I can¡¯t teach you to hate your father or to hate anyone from the Xi family. Hating a person takes a big toll on you. I just hope that you can do better than I did. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I get it. You don¡¯t have to tell me this.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get what I mean, Xiaye. I want you not to hate, but I didn¡¯t want you to just ept whatever thates to you, alright? If you can let go of this and ept a new rtionship or marriage, that¡¯s spectacr. You should always look forward and not let your past blind you.¡±

    Shen Wenna felt deeply rtable. She wished that her daughter would not be like her.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop saying this useless stuff. Focus on your marriage since you¡¯re already married to Chen. You both need topromise and understand each other. A marriage thatsts a lifetime isn¡¯t about grand promises or a passionate love story. It¡¯s about not leaving the person you chose behind, got it?¡±

    A faint light appeared in Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes. She quietly looked at Xiaye whose hair had already grown until her waist. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°I just want you to be happy.¡±

    Her tone sounded different than usual. Xi Xiaye raised her head and saw Shen Wenna avert her eyes away. After a brief silence, she nodded. ¡°I will. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Great. Remember what I told you tonight. It¡¯s gettingte now and we should probably leave.¡±

    Shen Wenna put the ss down and stood up. Before Xi Xiaye could react, she was already heading towards the door.

    It took Xi Xiaye some seconds toe back to her senses. Then, she followed her.

    The merry bunch chatting downstairs saw Shen Wenna go down and nce at the clock on the wall. Then, they noticed that it was about time to leave.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye sent them off together.

 Chapter 86 - Promise (1)

    <h4>Chapter 86: Promise (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye stood there as she watched the cars move further and further away before they eventually disappeared in the dark. She did not move and just stared into the empty darkness mindlessly, suddenly feeling a sense of sorrow within her.

    After some time, there was a humid chill in the air. Lifting her head, she noticed the dark sky starting to drizzle. The lights from the streetmps started to look blurry.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back. If you miss them, you can visit them anytime.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached her ears as he stood up straight with a hand in his pocket and the other on her shoulder. When she turned to him, his eyes were focused on the dim yellow street lights amidst the rain.

    She nodded and then said, ¡°I suddenly realized Grandpa has really grown old. Even Mother... She would¡¯ve never told me those things, yet now...¡±

    The chilly breeze was freezing. His arm over her shoulder tensed slightly as he asked, ¡°What did she tell you?¡±

    ¡°She said she just wants me to be happy,¡± Xi Xiaye replied. Going along with Mu Yuchen¡¯s force of direction, she turned around and the married couple went back into the house. The dim and blurry lights from the streetmp made their shadows extremely long.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡± She called out to him when he did not say anything.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Do you think we will?¡±

    She halted in her steps, her clear eyes staring at the brightly-lit Maple Residence. Her tone sounded light.

    Mu Yuchen looked at her before averting his eyes following the direction of her gaze. He gave it some thought before nodding. ¡°We will.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure? We were just strangers a month ago,¡± she said.

    ¡°The amazing part of a marriage is that it can make two totally unrted people be the most intimate pair ever. That¡¯s fate, my wife,¡± he said with a smile, then he continued walking with her back into the house.

    ...

    After staying together for a number of days, Xi Xiaye realized that Mu Yuchen was a valuable house husband. He usually came back from work rather early, and since he was a disciplined person, he would finish all his work on that day before going to sleep no matter how tired he was. She often found him staying upte.

    Xi Xiaye stayed in Maple Residence all the while and did not take a step outside. She used Mu Yuchen¡¯s study room and she did not let herself rx as she prepared for the South River project so that she could get right to work after the New Year.

    Sis Wang had gone over to prepare meals for Xi Xiaye the past few days. Mu Yuchen did not go home in the afternoon, thinking that she would be toozy to cook for just herself, so he asked Sis Wang to take care of her.

    That night, after they had dinner, Mu Yuchen went upstairs as usual while Xi Xiaye took care of the dishes. After cleaning up, she had a luxurious bath and afterwards, she got a call from Su Nan.

    ¡°Hey, Xiaye, don¡¯t forget tomorrow. Come over earlier with that guy in your home, okay?¡±

    Su Nan had been burning with curiosity for several days and the weekend had finally arrived. She was extremely curious to see what kind of person would Xi Xiaye have suddenly married.

    Xi Xiaye used arge towel to dry off her long, wet hair as she replied, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll go and get you guys in the afternoon. We¡¯ll go straight to Imperial Sky Entertainment City. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s free in the afternoon. I¡¯ll ask himter, but he arranged dinner for us at the Imperial Sky Hotel. He¡¯ll definitely being for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, okay. Then, we won¡¯t drive tomorrow and we¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, rest well. See you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Sure, see you!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath after the phone call ended. She walked out of the bedroom and saw that it was empty.

    When she wandered out, she saw the man was in the living room watching television as he lounged on the sofa. There was a pot of flower tea beside him, emitting a pleasant fragrance in the air.

    Mu Yuchen turned his head when he heard the sound of footsteps.

    She was wearing a beige sleeping robe. Her elegant face appeared slightly pink as she had juste out from the bath. She was shrouded in a thin mist and his dormant eyes widened. A rare yet subtle stunned expression crossed his face.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a hair dryer in the cupboard?¡±

    Mu Yuchen poured her a cup of flower tea when she went over. He shifted slightly and made space for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s better to let it dry naturally. What are you watching?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat beside him and took a sip of the tea. She rubbed her palms around the teacup as she looked at the television screen. A live NBA match was on.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly picked her towel up and started to help her dry her hair. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have washed it tomorrow? Your long hair¡¯s already reached your waist...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when she noticed his behavior. After a while, she got used to his gentle movements. She chuckled at his focused expression. ¡°My hair¡¯s long enough to reach my waist already. Isn¡¯t it the right time for you to marry me?¡±

    ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t have waist-length hair, I¡¯d have already married you anyway,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t understand why people always like to talk about waist-length hair, men seem to really like girls with long hair. Mu Yuchen, do you like girls with long hair as well?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Mu Yuchen gave it some thought before answering, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they have short or long hair. What matters is you have long hair.¡±

    It was a cold and straightforward answer. He would never have thought about people unrted to him or about what kind of women he preferred.

    ¡°Tomorrow...¡± She started to ask.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there by the evening. I¡¯m going to City B in the morning and will only be back in the afternoon. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t stand you up,¡± Mu Yuchen assured without slowing down the stroking movements of his hands.

    Xi Xiaye took another sip of tea and then nodded. ¡°Okay, the holidays are in a few days¡¯ time. About the annual general meeting...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s next Thursday and the holidays start after the meeting. You have to attend it too. Otherwise, your reward will be given to someone else.¡±

    ¡°Reward? I have a reward?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Chairman Mu, can you give me a hint what kind of reward it is?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out on that day. I don¡¯t know what they prepared either. I just know that you¡¯re in the list. Good on you to help me gain some reputation!¡± Mu Yuchenughed.

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt ted and her expression seemed joyous.

 Chapter 87 - Promise (2)

    <h4>Chapter 87: Promise (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, Xi Xiaye noticed that Mu Yuchen was already not around when she woke up. She did not even feel the slightest of his warmth under the sheets. He must have woken up pretty early.

    After cleaning up and going downstairs, she realized it was nearly noon. She had actually slept until thatte!

    Xi Xiaye ced her hand on her forehead. As she sat down and ate her breakfast, Su Nan called. She quickly grabbed a few bites, then rushed out.

    Su Nan¡¯s apartment was located in the east side of the city and Xi Xiaye had to make a big round to get to her. Su Nan and Ruan Heng had probably waited for her for quite some time under the cold rain when she finally arrived.

    Ruan Heng was a handsome and gentle-looking man. He seemed like an honest man and he wore a pair of ck-framed sses. Judging by his appearance, he looked like a knowledgeable academic. He was actually a software engineer for apany.

    ¡°Been waiting for very long?¡± Xi Xiaye said apologetically when she saw Su Nan¡¯s ruddy face. ¡°I wanted to take the quick way, but who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d be stuck in a traffic jam?¡±

    ¡°Luckily, I wore quite a lot today or I¡¯d have frozen to death. The weather was still fine several days ago, but now it just keeps on raining with such chilly weather. Man, I¡¯m not in the mood!¡± Su Nanined as she put her umbre into the trunk, then she got into the car with Ruan Heng.

    ¡°Stopining. It¡¯s tough enough for Xiaye toe here all the way from the north. Here, wipe the water off.¡± Ruan Heng looked at Su Nan helplessly before epting the tissue Xi Xiaye passed.

    Su Nan cleaned up her face with the tissue. She scanned around the car and noticed only Xi Xiaye was there, so she asked, ¡°Hey, why is it just you? Isn¡¯t that husband of yoursing?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s gone to City B and will only be back in the afternoon, but he¡¯ll join us for dinner,¡± Xi Xiaye replied as she started the car.

    ¡°Right, Xiaye, Ruan Heng and I went to see my parents yesterday and we decided to go and get a marriage certificate in a few days¡¯ time. The wedding will be on the 15th this month. I thought you could be my bridesmaid, but then you suddenly got married earlier than me,¡± Su Nan grumbled from the back.

    ¡°Congrattions, Su Nan and Ruan Heng!¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt really ecstatic to receive the news and she congratted them from the bottom of her heart. ¡°It¡¯s about time your long-term rtionship got some results. Are you nning to get your marriage certificate before the new year?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm. Ruan Heng was rushing to get the marriage certificate before the year-end when he heard that you got married. Anyway, our parents were pretty supportive too, so it¡¯s decided.¡±

    ¡°Marriage is good, Nannan. I wanted to marry you earlier and my parents have been longing for a grandchild. What should I do if you run away abroad when you get angry again the next time?¡± Ruan Heng spoke up. He always got soft on Su Nan who was always the dominant one. Hopefully, he could marry her soon as he believed that she would behave herself once she got pregnant and became a mother.

    ¡°Then, try making me angry again. See if I¡¯ll fly to Africa to cool down!¡± Su Nan red at him before turning to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, what about your wedding? When are you guys having it? If possible, let¡¯s try out wedding dresses and take wedding pictures together! Ruan Heng has a friend who owns a wedding boutique. They¡¯re really professional! We can take a package there together and make him give us a big discount!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not in a hurry. The year-end is getting busy, so we dyed our wedding. 15th this month? That¡¯s pretty close. There are quite a few pretty wedding dress boutiques in Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Let¡¯s go and take a lookter.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I thought of that too. I heard that the trial business run has started and things are getting lively. I want to visit Imperial Sky Jewellery Cityter as well. We haven¡¯t bought a wedding ring. We¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything gorgeouster!¡±

    Su Nan was smiling gaily as she looked at Ruan Heng. ¡°Ruan Heng, I¡¯m telling you now. If the diamond is too small, I¡¯m not marrying you. Get it?¡±

    Ruan Heng dotingly held the fist Su Nan threw at him. He replied gently, ¡°I got it, my princess! I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s blinding. Is that fine with you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw the smiles of Su Nan and Ruan Heng from the rear-view mirror and her heart softened as well.

    Now, everything seemed fine, did it not?

    She nced over at the ring on her finger as Mu Yuchen¡¯s face shed through her mind all of a sudden.

    As she was thinking about him, just as if they had a connection, her phone suddenly rang. Xi Xiaye slowed her car down and took a look at her phone. Mu Yuchen was calling her.

    She picked up the call and a deep voice soon answered from the other end. ¡°Where are you now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Are you back? If you are, juste over to Entertainment City.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a look at the time. It was around 2 o¡¯clock and he was probably already done with work.

    ¡°I¡¯m still in City B and will be back around 5. Imperial Sky Hotel Room 808. Ah Mo has already gone over already and he¡¯ll call youter. I¡¯ll switch off my phone when I board the ne.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Give me a callter and be careful on your way back. I¡¯m driving. Talk to you soon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hung up after Mu Yuchen gave her an affirmation.

 Chapter 88 - Master Mu Is What? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 88: Master Mu Is What? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car went on the broad, straight road swiftly heading towards Imperial Sky Entertainment City. They parked by the outdoor za and got out of the car.

    When the three of them entered Entertainment City, there was already arge crowd inside.

    Su Nan dragged Xi Xiaye and ran around the ce while Ruan Heng was like an assistant trying his best to keep up with them while holding their things.

    They walked around the wedding dress boutiques before going to Jewellery City.

    Su Nan was an impatient person who would want things to be done immediately whenever she thought of it, for example, choosing a ring.

    The bunch went towards Jewellery City and Su Nan¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw a shelf full of diamond rings.

    When she saw Su Nan¡¯s sparkling eyes and her delighted expression, Xi Xiaye then realized the myth that many women indulged in the bright lights of diamonds was true.

    Perhaps amidst the bright glitter hid the princess dreams of every girl, and it held the image of happiness all girls were searching for.

    ¡°How is it? How is it? Xiaye, does this look pretty?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye was watching how excited her friend was, Su Nan quickly showed her a ring she put on. She eximed, ¡°It seems pretty intricate. I like it!¡±

    Xi Xiaye gazed down at the diamond ring on Su Nan¡¯s ring finger. It had a curled up heart-shaped petal design and seemed beautiful on Su Nan¡¯s hand.

    She raised her eyebrows and nodded. ¡°It looks great. As long as you like it!¡±

    ¡°Nannan, you look great with all of them. Which one do you like the most?¡± Ruan Heng showed several other diamond rings to Su Nan and asked in a very gentle tone.

    ¡°Xiaye, which one should I get? Hmm, hey let me see yours!¡±

    Su Nan grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and her eyes brightened when she saw the ring on her hand. It was not shy, yet oddly nice. Basically, it was low-profile and elegant.

    ¡°Where did you get this? It looks fabulous!¡± Su Nan was surprised.

    Xi Xiaye retracted her hand ufortably and smiled. ¡°Just pick this one. He gave it to me, so I have no idea.¡±

    Su Nan nodded but she suddenly frowned after taking a look at the price. She turned to Ruan Heng and said hesitantly, ¡°It¡¯s pretty expensive...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s once in a lifetime! As long as you like it.¡± Ruan Heng smiled, then he took out a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to the saledy. In his gentle tone, he said, ¡°We¡¯ll have this. Please pack it up for us.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Sir!¡±

    The saledy epted his card with two hands and a big smile on her face. Xi Xiaye then handed her a ck card with a dark gold imprint on it. ¡°There should be some discount with this.¡±

    It was the card Mu Yuchen had given her, the all-pass to Glory World.

    Su Nan chuckled in surprise. ¡°I almost forgot you¡¯re a top brass in Glory World... Haha, aren¡¯t we taking advantage of you right now?¡±

    ¡°Why not when you can?¡± Xi Xiaye grinned. She exined to the saledy as she seemed unclear, ¡°Just key in the number on the card and the discount should pop up.¡±

    The saledy then took her card to try it out.

    The sky darkened slightly when they came out from Jewellery City and a light drizzle started to fall from the gray sky.

    It was around 5 p.m. and with such weather, the sky had already darkened.

    Ah Mo was waiting for Xi Xiaye at the entrance of Jewellery City. He quickly went up to her when he saw her figure.

    ¡°Missus!¡± Ah Mo bowed politely to Su Nan and Ruan Heng. Then, he said to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Master asked me to bring you all over. It¡¯s already prettyte and I¡¯m worried that you guys might be hungry.¡±

    ¡°Has he gotten off the ne?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she nced at Ruan Heng who was holding a lot of bags at the moment.

    Ah Mo went up to Ruan Heng and took the bags from him. With a smile, he said apologetically, ¡°Li Si called me and said they are rushing over, but Master¡¯s phone has run out of battery.¡±

    He probably forgot to charge his phonest night!

    Xi Xiaye nodded before she turned around and looked at a stunned Su Nan. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll have dinner first. He¡¯ll be here soon. I know you guys have a lot of questions, but you guys will your answerter when you see him.¡±

    She then swiftly went forward.

    Su Nan swallowed her words that reached her throat as Ruan Heng and she looked at each other before catching up with Xi Xiaye.

    Imperial Sky Hotel, one of the projects under Imperial Sky Entertainment City, was the first to bepleted among all the projects.

    Following Xi Xiaye through the long corridor, Su Nan was impressed by the grand internal decoration of the hotel. ¡°Xiaye, I really think Glory World Corporation is pretty amazing. In fact, it feels very luxurious. Oh right, back then, I heard Glory World¡¯s Master has fully taken over the business. Tell us about the internal gossip. Is that rarely-seen Master Mu really suffering from frigidity?¡± Su Nan suppressed her voice and asked next to Xi Xiaye¡¯s ear.

    Su Nan¡¯s words made Xi Xiaye halt in her steps. She unexpectedly looked at Su Nan in surprise. ¡°Who did you say suffers from frigidity?¡±

    ¡°The well-known Master Mu of Glory World Corporation. Didn¡¯t you know?¡±

    Su Nan could not help but raise her pitch as she looked at Xi Xiaye with dramatic wide eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you really don¡¯t know about it! The media and magazines are all discussing this in private, but you actually don¡¯t know?¡±

    As a frence fashion designer, Su Nan would frequently flip through fashion magazines and had a certain level of understanding towards the gossip in town.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Su Nan in shock.

    Was Mu Yuchen really suffering from frigidity?

    ¡°For someone of his position, avoiding social events, being overly low-profile, and not being seen near women, isn¡¯t that the only viable exnation? Let me tell you. Someone saw him making a big fuss just because a woman touched his arm, and that woman was from a pretty prestigious family,¡± Su Nan said carefully.

    ¡°Those are just gossip made up by the reporters. He wouldn¡¯t be...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d best believe it. I think Master Mu must have some kind of problem. Let me tell you, men of his caliber usually have some top secret of their own!¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen wouldn¡¯t be...¡±

    ¡°Cough!¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye was trying to say something, Ah Mo coughed several times. Stunned, she stopped her sentence halfway with an odd expression on her face.

    As she took a deep breath and was about to continue walking, a certain person¡¯s voice came from the back.

 Chapter 89 - Master Mu Is What? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 89: Master Mu Is What? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be what?¡±

    His deep voice was simr to that of a cello. It was very pleasant to the ears and all of them stopped walking and turned towards the source of the voice.

    They saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face and his tall figure. He was wearing a casual gray suit and his beautiful eyes looked like stars in the sky, emitting an elegant aura around him.

    Even Su Nan, who was usually immune to handsome guys, was shocked. Her eyes went numb for a second as she was enchanted.

    Mu Yuchen walked towards Xi Xiaye slowly with Li Si and several men in ck suits behind him. They all nodded to Ah Mo when they saw him.

    ¡°I¡¯m right on time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at him as he stopped right beside her. She then turned around and looked at Su Nan and Ruan Heng who were still stunned at the sight of Mu Yuchen. She introduced them to him, ¡°This is Su Nan whom I¡¯ve been telling you about, and this is Ruan Heng. They are my really good friends. Nannan, Ruan Heng, this is the guy you guys have been so curious about.¡±

    She then looked at Mu Yuchen with a beautiful smile on her face.

    His face softened when he saw her smile. He then nodded lightly to Su Nan and Ruan Heng. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mu Yuchen.¡±

    Mu Yuchen!

    Master Mu!

    Both Su Nan and Ruan Heng were shocked once again when they heard his name.

    Among the upper ss in City Z, the name Mu Yuchen would not be foreign to anyone. They could recognize him just by judging the aura he emitted.

    The two of them recovered from the shock after a while. They gaped at Xi Xiaye with disbelief, then took a good look at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Xiaye... You... You¡¯re kidding me... The one you¡¯re married to... is Master Mu?¡± Su Nan gasped and she asked carefully before turning over and looking at Ruan Heng who was extremely surprised as well.

    Xi Xiaye smirked when she saw their reaction. She traded nces with Mu Yuchen before nodding to Su Nan and Ruan Heng. ¡°You guys must¡¯ve heard about him.¡±

    ¡°Hello... Master Mu...¡± Ruan Heng came back to his senses and quickly greeted him.

    Mu Yuchen nodded humbly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Su Nan, Ruan Heng, let¡¯s go in. You guys must be hungry after walking around the whole afternoon.¡±

    The group then went into Room 808.

    It was a high-ss VIP room with a cozy environment and a luxurious and elegant design. It was a full-service room.

    The waiter served the dishes moments after they sat down.

    ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m still feeling surreal right now. Are you sure we¡¯re not dreaming? When were you affiliated with Master Mu?¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s eyes switched between Mu Yuchen then Xi Xiaye again and again. Then, she asked Xi Xiaye quietly, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Nannan. Don¡¯t doubt what you see right now. I¡¯m... really married to him, and some days ago, we met each other¡¯s parents.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed when she saw Su Nan¡¯s blushing face. Of course, she knew why she was embarrassed. It was a rare sight to see the usually bold Su Nan be awkward.

    ¡°Do you think he heard what I said just now?¡± Su Nan mumbled quietly and stole a quick nce at Mu Yuchen who was wiping his hand with a wet towel at the moment. She felt uneasy when he seemed to be acting coldly.

    ¡°Xiaye, did I just embarrass you?¡± The uneasiness in her tone made Xi Xiayeugh.

    ¡°What are you guys talking about? Why don¡¯t you share it with me and let me have augh too?¡± Mu Yuchen turned over when he heard her giggling. He took another wet towel and handed it to her.

    ¡°We¡¯d find it funny, but you might get angry, so I¡¯ve decided to not tell you.¡± Xi Xiaye took the towel and wiped her hands as she replied.

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as his eyes brightened slightly and he looked at her quietly. ¡°What kind of nonsense did you say about me now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shrugged and looked at him innocently with a secretive smile. Mu Yuchen nced at her and did not continue asking. Instead, he carefully served everyone wine.

    Ruan Heng and Su Nan felt slightly overwhelmed being served by him.

    In just a short time, theypletely sumbed to Mu Yuchen¡¯s aura. The way he behaved so caringly towards Xi Xiaye did not seem like he was faking it at all.

    ¡°You guys are Xiaye¡¯s friends, which makes you guys my friends as well. Cheers! Thank you for taking care of this silly one for so many years!¡± Mu Yuchen elegantly raised his wine ss, his deep voice sounding maic. His eyes were filled with sincerity as he looked at both Su Nan and Ruan Heng calmly.

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng quickly raised their wine sses as well. ¡°You¡¯re more than wee, Master Mu. Xiaye is our good friend. It¡¯s a given that we¡¯re concerned for her.¡±

    ¡°I never expected Master Mu to be the one married to Xiaye, but now that I look at it, you guys are a perfect match. I have nothing more to say. I just hope that you¡¯ll treat Xiaye well, Master Mu. She¡¯s really a silly girl. Although she always looks headstrong, she¡¯s just pretending to be tough on the outside. She was easily bullied when she was little back then. Please protect her since you¡¯ve married her. Don¡¯t let her get hurt anymore. In any case, please be happy. Be better than that witch...¡± Su Nan¡¯s heart softened when she saw the way Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye smiled at each other. She started sobbing and spoke sentimentally, unable to continue.

    Ruan Heng gently patted the back of her hand.

    Su Nan quickly put on a smile. At that moment, she suddenly felt fulfilled. She always had Xi Xiaye on her mind and worried that she might not be doing well!

    ¡°Sure, let me worry about her in the future.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled and gave his promise.

    Xi Xiaye felt a warmth blossom in her chest when he heard his words. She saw his deep gaze when she turned over and looked at him. The way he looked at her stunned her for a moment before she averted her gaze away.

    ¡°Nannan, Ruan Heng, thank you for always being by my side. The both of you are really important to me, so you guys have to live happily as well.¡± Xi Xiaye raised her wine ss in gratitude.

 Chapter 90 - Making Her Look Good

    <h4>Chapter 90: Making Her Look Good</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan nodded and raised her wine ss as well.

    Clink!

    The four sses met together and a beautiful arc of light reflected from the wine sses, signifying longsting friendships.

    As they emptied their sses, Xi Xiaye felt the coldness within her dissipate. Just as she wanted to get some food, the man beside her already spooned quite a bit of it into her bowl.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind you looking at me the whole time if that¡¯ll fill you up,¡± Mu Yuchen noticed her gaze and replied without even looking back.

    ¡°How¡¯d you know that I was looking at you if you weren¡¯t looking at me?¡± Xi Xiaye retorted quietly and then she started working on the food he scooped for her.

    ...

    During the meal, Mu Yuchen and Ruan Heng chatted a little. Su Nan was being really talkative and kept bringing up the embarrassing things Xi Xiaye did before, making things awkward for Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Master Mu, do you know that Xiaye loves to drawics? Her favorite thing to draw is a pig. During our first year in high school, there was aicpetition and she won the first prize by drawing that pig of hers. Our art teacher evenbeled the pig as the world¡¯s best pig!¡±

    ¡°Su Nan! Stop it!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face could not hide her blushing as her mind started reying the scene when Mu Yuchen had found her drawings in thepany elevator. There was even an image of her as the queen punishing Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi...

    Mu Yuchen then gave it some thought before solemnly reminding her, ¡°I almost forgot. You left your pig with me.¡±

    Su Nan then went on talking all about Xi Xiaye, and Mu Yuchen more or less captured the gist of it ¡ª she was actually a very simple person.

    ...

    The meal went on for about two hours. Su Nan was feeling happy and had drunk a little too much, She started saying that she wanted to go singing and bathe in a hot spring. In the meanwhile, Ruan Heng helplessly supported her out of the room.

    ¡°Ah Mo, please send them back home safely! Oh, also, get them some hangover remedy on the way back too. Nannan drank a lot tonight...¡± Xi Xiaye watched Ruan Heng guide Su Nan into the car as she instructed Ah Mo.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Missus, I will,¡± Ah Mo got into the driver¡¯s seat.

    Mu Yuchen should have sent them back, but after a long day, he seemed tired and he had also had quite a bit to drink just now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back too.¡± Mu Yuchen put his hand on his forehead as the car left. He turned to the Cayenne beside him and opened the door to the front passenger seat to get in.

    When Xi Xiaye got into the car, he was resting with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Are you very tired?¡± Xi Xiaye strapped her seatbelt on and a faint light shone in her eyes.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m alright. You can drive now. Your friends drink like fish. I drank in the afternoon too, so it was pretty tough for me just now.¡±

    Without even opening his eyes, his voice sounded tired and hoarse unlike the calmness he disyed just now.

    Xi Xiaye suddenlyughed. ¡°I never told you to outdrink them! Su Nan can probably hold her liquor better than me. You don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make you look good, alright? How many points do I get?¡± He asked quietly.

    ¡°Thank you for making me look good, Mr. Mu! Well, I guess I¡¯ll give you 90 points!¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him as she helped him to fasten his seatbelt.

    ¡°Is 100 the full marks I can get?¡± Mu Yuchen opened his eyes slightly and squinted at her. Was she trying to trap him again?

    Xi Xiaye was impressed by how alert this man was. Ever since thest time she had won him in the kitchen, she never found other chances to mock him. It was as expected of Mu Yuchen!

    ¡°I¡¯ll close the windows. The breeze might make you more ufortable when you¡¯re drunk.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not reply his question on the full marks. She closed the windows and turned on the music in the car before starting the car.

    ¡°How was your trip to City B? Thepany we worked with in City B has dyed their submission of the proposal for a very long time. The old chairman got Vice President Liu to meet them once before. For some reason, it got dyed again,¡± Xi Xiaye asked out of concern as she watched his tired face.

    Mu Yuchen shifted his body slightly. ¡°It¡¯s almost solved. We changed to work with anotherpany and they want to add on another project.¡±

    ¡°What project?¡±

    ¡°Start a new Movie City.¡±

    ¡°A new Movie City?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gaped at him in surprise. ¡°Is that why you asked my opinion about getting Yueying the other day?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the other Vice Presidents think it¡¯s a brilliant opportunity,¡± Mu Yuchen replied absent-mindedly.

    ¡°I remember Qi Kai deciding to withdraw their investment in Yueying. If it were not for Han Corporation, then Yueying... Well, if you want to get Yueying, maybe you can start working on Qi Kai¡¯s side,¡± Xi Xiaye suggested quietly after a brief moment of silence.

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes with a faint light in his gaze. He was surprised. ¡°You agree to get Yueying as well?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to mind me. As long as we can get the most benefit out of it, do it. It means nothing to me anymore...¡±

 Chapter 91 - Childhood Friends

    <h4>Chapter 91: Childhood Friends</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She did not want to think about it too much. After struggling for so many years, she was very clear about it. In the end, what did she gain from all of this?

    She had lost everything a long time ago!

    All her endurance had only resulted in false hope, so she could only remain silent and face it head on indifferently.

    She did not know if she would explode in her silence, but she knew that she was really exhausted. If she continued to struggle, she might not be the same Xi Xiaye anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with Yueying, but I do know that most of the artistes under them are pretty popr, so even if they are facing this issue, they won¡¯t fall so easily. Maybe we can try to ask for an alliance and then try to find a way to take over it,¡± Xi Xiaye voiced out her opinion after a short pause.

    ¡°So, should we go for a peaceful resolution before resorting to using force?¡± Mu Yuchen was surprised by how clear her judgment was.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I guess so. Thepany is mostly managed by Grandmother and the Elder Madam of the Xi family and Yue Lingsi. As for Grandfather and Mayor Xi, they are usually uninvolved, so...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Mu Yuchen replied after she went silent. Then, he closed his eyes and rested as well.

    The car fell silent as no one said anything while it traveled through the drizzle straight towards Maple Residence.

    After some time, Xi Xiaye, who had been focusing on the road, took a nce at the man beside her. He still had his eyes closed with a slight frown on his face. He did not seem to be sleepingfortably. Then, she asked quietly, ¡°Is there any hangover remedy back at home?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned over to face her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you walk around today? Did you find anything you liked?¡±

    ¡°I just went to help Su Nan pick their wedding rings. They are registering their marriage in the next few days. Their wedding is on the 15th this month, so we¡¯d better prepare gifts beforehand.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but have a joyful smile on her face. ¡°Finally, they¡¯re marrying each other. Back when we were still students, they were doing fine. I¡¯m quite envious of them having a long-term rtionship. It felt like a fairytale story came true since they¡¯vee a really long way from being childhood friends to a married couple.¡±

    Evidently, she was touched by the series of events.

    The man seemed indifferent about it, however. ¡°Romantic fairytale? Just how old are you? Do you still believe in fairytales? I don¡¯t like the idea of marrying childhood friends.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when she heard him. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity as she looked at the man. With a grin, she asked, ¡°Do you have a childhood friend as well?¡±

    ¡°You mean you?¡± Mu Yuchen replied Xi Xiaye¡¯s question almost instantly, ¡°You might have a chance if we rewound time twenty years back.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shrugged andughed. ¡°That¡¯s possible. I was quite pretty back then and many boys liked to befriend me when I was little. They often liked to share their food with me, so I saved quite some money since I didn¡¯t need to spend on food.¡±

    ¡°How old were you back then? You were already using your charm already! I never knew that you were such a person, mdy.¡± Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then, he admitted, ¡°Indeed you¡¯re quite a beauty...¡±

    ¡°Do you really not have any childhood friends? Why don¡¯t you like the idea of it?¡± Xi Xiaye did not forget what he said just now and she tried to probe further.

    ¡°The Mu family is very strict. Grandmother forbade me from getting into a rtionship too early. Moreover, little girls are annoying,¡± Mu Yuchen said straightforwardly.

    Little girls were annoying?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. Then, she was reminded about what Su Nan said just now. ¡°Mu Yuchen, you...¡±

    As if he knew what she was going to say, Mu Yuchen nced at her oddly and said, ¡°Delete whatever that shouldn¡¯t exist in your mind. Are you nning to drive along the sidewalk?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Xi Xiaye then realized that she was in the middle of driving. The car had almost gone up onto the sidewalk, so she quickly braked. Her expression became slightly rmed although the man beside her was calm as usual.

    ...

    It was alreadyte at night when they arrived back at Maple Residence.

    Mu Yuchen was really tired, so he went straight to bed after a shower.

    Xi Xiaye stayed in the study room for one and a half hours to look up on Yueying Culture Media Company. When she noticed the time, it was already midnight. She tidied up her stuff and went out of the study room.

    It was dark when she entered the bedroom. A faint yellow light came from the wallmp beside the window, and from where she stood at the entrance, she saw the man sleeping on his side.

    Xi Xiaye did not turn on the lights. She padded over softly under the faint light before picking up the dirty clothes he left on the dressing table and went into the bathroom.

    ...

    She quietly took a shower and started cleaning her wound.

    Her wound was closing up perfectly. Although it still felt painful at times, it was much betterpared to several days ago when it bled asionally. She wondered if it would leave a scar...

    Xi Xiaye studied the wound on her shoulder for some time and then sighed. She put on her sleeping robe, tied the sash and then left the bathroom quietly.

    As she lifted the nket to lie down, the man rolled over and grabbed her by her arm to pull her closer. His deep and slightly hoarse voice reached her ears. ¡°The doctor reminded us that we¡¯ve to go and check up on the wound these few days.¡±

    ¡°Are you going with me?¡± Xi Xiaye nced at him and asked since he reminded her about it.

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go take a look tomorrow after breakfast. It¡¯s the weekend anyway,¡± he said quietly.

    Looking into his indifferent eyes along with his unique, pleasant scent around her, Xi Xiaye felt odd. To be exact, she felt oddly ufortable and her face was starting to get flushed...

    Their bodies were starting to emit their natural heat that seeped through their sleeping robes. Xi Xiaye felt some warmth from him and involuntarily, her stiff body started to rx.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she replied after a while, looking downwards uncontrobly to avoid looking at him...

 Chapter 92 - Plans For Yueying

    <h4>Chapter 92: ns For Yueying</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He did not speak anymore as his arms around her waist tightened slightly. After a while, she could hear his steady yet light breathing.

    She was suddenly in a trance. Carefully turning to take a look at him, she realized that he had already fallen asleep. He seemed to be lost in his slumber very gently and peacefully.

    She watched him for quite a while. Then, she breathed in calmly and reached out to pull up his nket that had slid down his shoulders before tearing her eyes away. Feeling the warmth from her back, she suddenly felt awkward. She stared at the faint light that shone from the wallmp by the window with clear eyes.

    There was an instance when she suddenly felt a little a fondness for such warmth.

    However, if she let go of everything and restarted by guarding and maintaining this sudden marriage in her pursuit for his affection, would she always be able to safeguard this warmth?

    She stared on and on until her eyes suddenly turned misty. Soon, she fell into a deep sleep too...

    The weather outside was still a tranquil pitter-patter of the drizzle, yet inside the room, the warmth was dense. The dim street lights enveloped the entire Maple Residence.

    For the first time, the usually cold Maple Residence seemed to have gained a sliver of liveliness.

    ...

    The night felt extremely short. Xi Xiaye felt that she had not slept for long when the sky started to light up.

    When the song of dawn had just lifted its curtains, she woke up. The man beside her was still in a deep slumber. She knew that he had not been getting enough sleep in the past few days, so she did not wake him up either. Carefully moving from the bed, she washed up, and then went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

    Xi Xiaye had woken up quite early and was still thinking about the work she had notpleted from the night before, so she boiled some congee before heading straight to the study room to continue what she had not finished the night before.

    Early in the morning, she worked for more than two hours straight, and she finally managed to make sense of the scattered and messy information. By the time she was done, she arranged them neatly into a ck folder.

    When she saw that the short hand of the clock was almost pointing at 10, she returned to the bedroom to see whether Mu Yuchen had woken up. Just as she walked out of the study room, she felt a cool breeze attack her. Subconsciously, she turned and noticed that there was a gap in the French windows leading to the balcony.

    She was puzzled and quickly made her way there. To her surprise, she saw Mu Yuchen standing tall in the wind by the railing as he looked up at the sky outside.

    When he heard footsteps behind him, Mu Yuchen unhurriedly turned around. Upon seeing Xi Xiaye who stood by the window watching him, he thought about something. Then, he hurled out a hand to her while saying, ¡°Come over here!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows raised slightly. She quietly looked at the hand that he extended to her. After quite a while, she finally walked over to Mu Yuchen¡¯s side and followed wherever he pulled her. Then, she stopped by his side.

    ¡°Such good weather¡¯s hard toe by. Normally, neither can you see this kind of skyline in the city, nor is the air this fresh.¡±

    He was in a pretty good mood.

    Xi Xiaye looked up at the azure horizon to see a soft, golden light pouring down from the sky. She could not help but nod gently and answer calmly, ¡°Seeing such a weather puts one in a pretty happy mood.¡±

    He shot her a side look as he lifted the hand holding his teacup and sipped his tea beforementing calmly, ¡°You slept sotest night and woke up early this morning, Still, I can see that you¡¯re in high spirits.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been resting too much the past few days. I suddenly felt like I¡¯ve slept enough, so I just woke up. Oh, right, this is for you. It should be useful for you. Take a look,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she handed the ck folder over to him.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her and asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you take a look. Whatever it is, I guarantee that you won¡¯t lose out by looking through it.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled cheerfully. Then, she reached out to take the emptied teacup in his hand and waved the folder in her hand.

    When he saw the way she was behaving so radiantly with delight and confidence, Mu Yuchen smiled. He reached out to take the file. ¡°You¡¯re being pretty mysterious. Did you wake up early in the morning to arrange this?¡±

    ¡°With such apetent employee like me, shouldn¡¯t you feel grateful, Chairman Mu?¡±

    ¡°That will depend on what you¡¯vee up with,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he started flipping through the folder in his hand. He lowered his head and quietly browsed through it.

    Moments after, Mu Yuchen looked up in surprise at Xiaye. ¡°Yueying? How do you have this information?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Glory World almost be partners with Qi Kai? This information was collected by Director Chu back then. Coincidentally, Vice President Liu let me assist Director Chu, so I copied a set of this information,plementing some of the things I already knew. I put this together. If this were to be sent to Qi Kai, I¡¯m sure that Qi Kai and Yueying¡¯s partnership wouldn¡¯t be that easy,¡± Xi Xiaye calmly exined.

    ¡°y by ear for whatever happens after that. I¡¯ve exhausted everything.¡±

    To be honest, she was really quite unfamiliar with Yueying. She had never worked there and seemed to have only been there once or twice. Her impression of that ce was blurry.

    Thus, she did not know much regarding Yueying.

    Mu Yuchen closed the folder. Then, he lowered his gaze and quietly watched her elegant and beautiful face. Seeing her eyes faintly dim when she said the words ¡°Yueying¡±, he fell quiet for a while. He reached out to pat her shoulder and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I know about them trying to get you to sign that thing.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Xi Xiaye was startled. She could not help but be surprised.

    ¡°I heard them mention this before. They were nning that when Xi Xiaye and CEO Han of the Han Corporation get engaged, they¡¯d let her familiarize with Yueying¡¯s work. They were probably nning to let them take over after they get married.¡±

    Previously, he had heard Li Si mention this, so it should be correct.

    Li Si had always found it very odd. Xi Xiaye was also Mayor Xi Mushan¡¯s daughter. In fact, she was the daughter of his first wife, so how had she fallen to this extent?

    It seemed like the whole Xi family did not quite like her, but he heard that the Elder Xi doted on her quite a bit. As for why that was the case, probably only those involved would know.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I never expected to get any more. If Glory World is really nning to advance into the showbiz industry, how about we begin from Yueying? Vice President Liu has been quite interested in this project, so maybe you can let him do it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was always someone who separated public and private matters. Also, she was used to the certainty of making decisive actions in aplex situation.

    When he heard her standpoint, Mu Yuchen nodded slightly. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll gather a few Vice Presidents to discuss this.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, go down and have breakfast. I¡¯ve already made an appointment with the hospital at 11.30 a.m. We have to make out way earlier to avoid getting stuck in a jam and wasting time,¡± Xi Xiaye said and then turned around to slowly make her way towards the room.

 Chapter 93 - Father Xi Mushan

    <h4>Chapter 93: Father Xi Mushan</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After breakfast, the husband and wife made their way to Hospital T.

    ¡°The wound¡¯s healing pretty well. You still need to change your dressing often when you get back. Just be careful and it¡¯ll bepletely healed soon,¡± the doctor said after checking Xi Xiaye¡¯s wound.

    Xi Xiaye stood up and fixed her shirt. ¡°Thank you, doctor. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll prescribe some more medication for you. Just apply it for another half a month and it should be healed, but you still have to be careful with your diet for now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She took the doctor¡¯s prescription list and walked out from behind the screen.

    Mu Yuchen who was waiting outside the screen very quickly went up to her to take the list. After a nce through, he then handed to Ah Mo behind him.

    Ah Mo immediately retreated to pay and get the medication.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home. When Ah Mo gets the medication, he¡¯ll send it over right away.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the weather¡¯s pretty good today. Mu Yuchen, let me bring you to my teahouse. How about that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frequently visited Bamboo Teahouse on the weekends. However, her usual visit did not happenst week because of the incident and this week she should drop by. In fact, it was near the year-end, so she should show her face and exin the vacation matters. Previously, she had asked Professor Lin to prepare New Year gifts to be posted to the teahouse employees during the holidays. She wondered how the preparations wereing along.

    ¡°Teahouse?¡±

    ¡°I was bored, so I opened one to pass the time. Mainly, it¡¯s because it¡¯s quite a good area. You can read, y chess, or enjoy zither music,¡± exined Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Since Mdy has made such a sincere invitation, as your husband, I obviously have to do you the honor.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled calmly and reached out to hold her by the shoulders to walk forward.

    ...

    Actually, by calction, Bamboo Teahouse was not too far from Maple Residence. Bothy north of the city. If one sped up while driving the distance, it would not even take half an hour to get there. The journey also took the same route where the car race was the other day, at the Ninth Crooked Bend.

    In a certain corner outside the main area of Bamboo Teahouse.

    Amidst the rxing and melodious sounds of the zither, Xi Xiaye was at ease as she brewed Mu Yuchen some tea. ¡°Drink some tea, or read a while. I¡¯ll go tidy up the bookshelf for a bit. Later on, I still need to talk to Professor Lin about some things. There¡¯s also dessert. See if there¡¯s anything you like and I¡¯ll have them make it for you.¡± Xi Xiaye picked up her tea and took a sip.

    Mu Yuchen sipped his tea, then he stood up too. ¡°I¡¯ll help you tidy it up. You sit here and rest. Your wound hasn¡¯t healed and already you¡¯re so restless.¡±

    With his tall and handsome body, he had already walked over as he said this. In just a fewrge strides, he went up to the bookshelf and started arranging it.

    Xi Xiaye watched his busy silhouette and pursed her lips. She smiled calmly to herself. After a while, she picked up her tea and drank it, her gaze unexpectedly sweeping past the entrance.

    When she saw who had lifted the beaded curtain and strolled over, she still could not help but be startled. Even the movement of her hands had suddenly frozen.

    ¡°I¡¯ve especiallye over to take a look. Aren¡¯t you going to invite me to have a seat?¡±

    He walked up to Xi Xiaye and seeing how startled she was to see him without uttering anything for quite a while, Xi Mushan¡¯s steadfast and stern expression eased a little as he spoke softly. His voice was a little cold and bore the usual seriousness in his speech and manner.

    Xi Xiaye slowly tore her eyes away and unhurriedly lowered her gaze. Soon, she then pulled Mu Yuchen¡¯s teacup towards her.

    Looking at her, Xi Mushan then moved and sat down across her.

    She casually found an empty cup and gracefully served Xi Mushan some tea as she asked, ¡°How did you find this ce?¡±

    Xi Mushan held up the tea and calmly took a sip, his sharp eyes piercing straight at Xi Xiaye. He examined her quite a few times before his gaze fell onto her left shoulder. The light in his eyes sparkled quite a bit, then his deep voice said in concern, ¡°Obviously, I have my ways of finding this ce. How¡¯s your injury?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye looked up slightly and gazed calmly at Xi Mushan. Her red and apathetic lips were pursed tightly, and she did not say anything.

    ¡°The other day, I got someone to run out to look for you, but unexpectedly they couldn¡¯t find you. I found out about what happened the other day. Do you me me for not appearing in time to save you?¡± Xi Mushan asked softly.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s indifferent and beautiful face suddenly shed with a sneer that seemed to mock herself. With a calm nce askance, she then lowered her head and said coldly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be used to all that by now? It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. No matter what happens, it has nothing to do with me now, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s movements stiffened as he gripped the teacup. He looked long and hard at her. After a long while, he took another sip and then sighed, ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to let people know about your rtionship with the Xi family, but you are my daughter. That is a fact.¡±

    He paused, then set the cup in his hand aside. His gaze instantly darkened as he suddenly lowered his head and looked at the light green tea that was still swishing slightly in the cup. ¡°Ever since I got a divorce from your mother, you haven¡¯t been willing toe home. Do you really hate me that much?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze, the corner of her lips curved into a sneer.

    ¡°This Friday is Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s engagement. I hope that you cane home. Your grandfather hasn¡¯t been in very good health recently, especially after his birthday thest time. Now, the person he misses most is you. As for Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s matters, however all of you want to handle it, I won¡¯t intervene.¡±

    Xi Mushan suddenly nced up at Xi Xiaye. He thought about it, and then added, ¡°As for the matter about Yueying, your grandmother really crossed the line...¡±

    Engagement...

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye slowly looked up. Her beautiful face had frozen for an instant, then it turned into an apathetic smile which disappeared at the corner of her lips.

    When he saw that Xi Xiaye had not uttered a sound, Xi Mushan suddenly asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Are you unwilling to speak to me either?¡±

    After a long pause, Xi Xiaye inly asked, ¡°What¡¯s there to say to you?¡± Her voice seemed to be fatigued and bleak.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words unexpectedly made Xi Mushan¡¯s heart sink. As he watched this expression that looked increasingly simr to her mother, Shen Wenna¡¯s coolness, Xi Mushan felt a pang of helplessness in his heart.

    ¡°Have you been doing well recently?¡± He thought about it before asking softly, not revealing any expression.

    ¡°If you guys appear less, I¡¯d naturally be doing good.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice sounded hostile and her gaze that was cold as the wind brushed past Xi Mushan¡¯s face. A stubborn determination and invisible sadness gathered at the corner of her eyes. ¡°I thought you¡¯d ask about whether my mother¡¯s doing well.¡±

    When he heard this, Xi Mushan was startled. He could not help but feel sorrowful. He thought about it before saying softly, ¡°As your father, I just hope that you can understand that there are some things whereby once they¡¯ve happened, you can never return to the past again.¡±

    Then, he unhurriedly got up, his sharp gaze meeting her cold stare. ¡°Come home this Friday.¡±

    He actually used a tone ofmand as a finale.

    Xi Xiaye watched his tall figure turn and vanish outside the beaded curtains, the corner of her lips curving into a faint sneer...

 Chapter 94 - Dont Mind

    <h4>Chapter 94: Don¡¯t Mind</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She quietly tore her gaze away, the smile on her face gradually fading too. Finally, it turned into tranquility, and even her twinkling eyes returned to usual.

    When she lowered her head to drink her tea, she saw that across her, someone had reached out to take the cup in her hand. When she looked up, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face greeted her sight.

    ¡°Be absent-minded again and your hand will have to suffer again.¡± His deep and sensitive voice floated into her ears.

    Xi Xiaye then slowly returned to her senses as she peered down at the cup in her hand. Indeed, she noticed that the tea inside was tilting, about to spill out.

    She unexpectedlyughed and suddenly let go.

    Bam!

    The sound of crisp ceramic shattering was heard. The teacup that was once in her hand instantly shattered into pieces and the light-colored tea had spilt all over the floor.

    ¡°He¡¯s my father. Tell me... Tell me, how did I get such a father?¡± Xi Xiayeughed bitterly. She gripped the side of the table with one hand, while the back of her other hand covered her nose as she started to choke with tears. Quietly looking down, her long hair fell and hid her beautiful little face. He could only see her shoulders gently tremble and hear her pained voice. ¡°I¡¯m always wondering... Was it something that my mother and I had done wrong? If one could predict today¡¯s oue, then... Then, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to choose to have not met right from the start?¡±

    Yes, if one could predict the unknown fate of the future, how many people would wish that they did not make the choice that they did?

    Unfortunately, there were no such ifs in life. Once a decision was made, there would not be a chance to turn back anymore...

    Mu Yuchen suddenly lowered his gaze and looked at the shattered pieces on the floor. His indifferent lips curved up slightly and his usual low and calm voice was heard. ¡°You¡¯re upset because you care.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just upset for my mother. Initially, they were a very loving couple. I don¡¯t know why they ended up here. I had a beautiful childhood...¡± Xi Xiaye said as her mind started to nostalgically sh with all the scenes from before.

    Back then, there was no Yue Lingsi or Xi Xinyi yet. It was just the three of them and they had been very happy.

    <i>However, Mother never would have expected that Father had long cheated on her...</i>

    Her and Xi Xinyi¡¯s birthdays were only a few days apart. Whilst all of the beautiful things were happening, it had actually been a continuation of her father¡¯s lies.

    When she recalled all those times from back then, Xi Xiaye could feel that her father should have loved her mother dearly, but why had it turned out like this?

    Was it because of time?

    No matter how deep love was, could it not handle the wearing down of time?

    To a man, was it not enough having one woman?

    What replied her was only the sound of Mu Yuchen pouring her a cup of tea...

    ¡°Mother has always been alone. Even though she looked very cold and apathetic... and very indifferent, I know that she¡¯s actually lonely too. I never dared to get close to her because I don¡¯t know how to face her.¡±

    When she thought about her mother, Shen Wenna, Xi Xiaye just felt anguish in her heart. Her mother was actually a very silly woman too.

    Back then, she had chosen to leave her marriage with nothing. It was just to protect what was left of her pride and self-respect. Apart from that, it was also for her father¡¯s career that she had chosen topromise and let him get what he wanted, but now?

    ¡°Okay, Xiaye, just let the past be the past. Don¡¯t think about it anymore. Drink your tea. If you don¡¯t want to go back, no one can force you to.¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly did not know how to console her, so he could only pour her some tea and pass it to her.

    Xi Xiaye who had been keeping her head down slowly looked up. He saw her determination and stubbornness from her dark eyes. She had turned slightly pale. Nevertheless, she nodded and inhaled before very quickly returning to her usual calm self. Her voice was a little raspy and dry. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry. If you want to go back, I¡¯ll obviously apany you,¡± he said softly and watched her with still eyes.

    Xi Xiaye just shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t go back. I don¡¯t want to make myself an actor because I cannot be as into the entire act as they are. I¡¯m fine. All of these misceneous matters have nothing to do with you, so you don¡¯t have to worry about them either. I¡¯ll go over to look for Professor Lin to handle some things. Have a seat for a while or continue helping me arrange the shelf.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye forced a smile as she stood up. That smile of hers appeared very bitter to Mu Yuchen.

    Before Mu Yuchen could respond, she had already walked over and left behind an elegant view of her back.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just taken two steps forward when Mu Yuchen instantly stood up as well. He held her by the arm and pulled her closer while his other hand held onto her right shoulder firmly. He looked down at her and said in disagreement, ¡°I want to know what our marriage means to you. What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? Exin what this means to me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone sounded unusually serious and was filled with a delicate scolding. ¡°I think you¡¯re not self-aware as my wife at all! If I don¡¯t worry about you, who should I be worrying about?¡±

    The man¡¯s deep and domineering voice announced his position and qualifications, his eyes filling with disagreement and reprimand as he looked Xi Xiaye. The way he looked at her was just like a strict senior brother lecturing his younger sister...

    ¡°I¡¯m serious about this marriage. Tell me that you feel the same, Xi Xiaye!¡±

    His deep gaze locked onto her slightly pale, little face. When he saw that she was looking worse and had fallen silent for a long time, he then eased his tone. ¡°Now, don¡¯t you have anything else to say to me?¡±

    ¡°What should I say to you? How do I exin to you? Do I exin how, as the first wife¡¯s daughter, I¡¯ve fallen to this state, or do I exin about how I¡¯ve endured it the past ten years and more?¡±

    She looked up, her calm eyes filled with stubbornness. Her face was unfriendly and was different from her usual calm and distant self.

    Seeing his pupils starting to gather with depth andplexity, it was easy to see hints of concern as well. She took a deep breath and calmed down herself. ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood. I don¡¯t want to pull you in and be angry with you, Mu Yuchen. Don¡¯t talk to me. I want some peace and quiet. I¡¯ll be fine very soon. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Mu.¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s darkened expression eased up a little. Since she had already turned her head away from him, he suddenly sighed, ¡°Fine, I didn¡¯t mean to reprimand you. If it makes you feel better, I don¡¯t mind you being angry at me either.¡±

    His deep voice held faint hints of sensitivity and tenderness. Xi Xiaye suddenly felt her heart tighten at hearing this and her throat started to choke.

    She had wished countless times to hear these words from Han Yifeng, yet she never saw the day it happened until now. When she heard it from Mu Yuchen, she suddenly realized something.

    Sometimes, as sad as she was, a string of simple, attentive words offort could reduce the grievance and bitterness in her heart by a lot...

 Chapter 95 - Speed and Passion (1)

    <h4>Chapter 95: Speed and Passion (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Observing her lower her head, Mu Yuchen then sighed to himself. His hand could not help but move to pat her head, gently pulling her into his embrace.

    ¡°How old are you now? I can¡¯t even say a few words to you. You¡¯ve got to fix this temper.¡± His voice came from above her head.

    Xi Xiaye replied in a raspy, indignant voice, ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t argue with you. However you feel at ease, then be it. Quickly tidy up a little and finish handling your matters. I¡¯ll take you out to pass some time,¡± Mu Yuchen said, and then he could not help but pat her head again before letting her go. He turned around and walked towards the shelves to continue arranging the books.

    Xi Xiaye watched the way his figure got busy. She could still feel the faint warmth his hand had left on her shoulder. She stood in the same spot quietly for a long while before she eased up, and did not say anything more. She just picked up her pace and walked forward.

    The teahouse holiday was initially nned to start from the next day onwards all the way until the 15th day of the month. Xi Xiaye told Professor Lin to give out all the New Year gifts prepared for the employees and then talked about some things to take note of during the celebrations. Then, she left with Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen drove and his driving skills were better than Xi Xiaye¡¯s. In fact, it seemed like he was also used to driving fast. He sped all the way and very quickly, they had entered the bustling city¡¯s north.

    When he brought her to a high-end beauty salon, Xi Xiaye still could not help but be startled. She did not expect that the way he wanted to help her pass time would be by getting her hair washed and trimmed.

    ¡°Give her a good wash and blow. Trim her hair a little too, but don¡¯t cut it short,¡± he instructed a hairdresser that looked respectful and enthusiastic. Then, he walked over to a sofa and took a magazine from the side before sitting down leisurely to flip through it.

    Before the shocked Xi Xiaye could return to her senses, the hairdresser had already agreed to the assigned task eagerly.

    Xi Xiaye was in a daze for quite a while. When she snapped back to the present, the hairdresser had already called out to her a few times. After some thought, she went with it in the end since she would not need to wash her long hair when she got back.

    The hairdresser was quick besides being very skilled and professional. It took a little over an hour to wash her hair, trim it, and give her a head massage. Xi Xiaye had even slept for a while.

    When the hairdresser was trimming her ends, Xi Xiaye kept sneaking peeks through the mirror from time to time at him on the sofa. She saw that he was reading a book with a lot of focus and he did not look impatient at all.

    She thought about it for a long time, before suddenly calling out to him, ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± He responded softly, not even looking up.

    Although he responded, she did not utter a sound more.

    When he did not hear her continue, Mu Yuchen looked up. Through the mirror, he examined for quite a while and was about to say something when the phone in his shirt pocket suddenly rang.

    It was his personal phone.

    Someone like him was usually busy with work, so he had quite a few numbers. On the weekends, he would only bring his personal phone with him. Even Xi Xiaye knew about this habit of his too.

    He took out the phone and his finger slid across the screen to answer the call. It was from the Mu residence.

    ¡°Ah Chen, it¡¯s the weekend today. Your grandmother and I have caught two carps. How about you bring your wife Xiaye back to the residence for dinner?¡±

    The person who spoke from the other end was Mu Yinan, yet Mu Yuchen¡¯s sharp ears could already hear Wang Hui pitter-pattering on the side, telling Mu Yinan to quickly tell him to bring Xiaye home for dinner.

    He could not help but bury his head in his hands before answering softly, ¡°We won¡¯t be going back today. Perhaps another day.¡±

    ¡°Why not? You¡¯re not working today, and we called Maple Residence for half a day but no one answered. Where did you guys go? I¡¯m not talking to you. Pass the phone to our granddaughter-inw. I want to talk to her. If you don¡¯te back, then I¡¯ll have here back. Oh, also, send your wife¡¯s number to us...¡± Wang Hui snatched the phone from Mu Yinan and just spoke to Mu Yuchen directly.

    After meeting Xi Xiaye twice, Wang Hui had taken a liking to Xi Xiaye just like how she quite liked Shen Wenna back then. Old people hated being lonely. Besides, she wanted to get to know Xi Xiaye better, so she had made this call.

    She obviously did not forget that Shen Yue had especially asked the Mu family to take good care of Xi Xiaye. She also knew about Xi Xiaye and the Xi family¡¯s rtionship. Apart from taking pity on Shen Wenna, she felt rather sorry for Xi Xiaye.

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye was already done. When she walked over, she saw that he was quiet and stared at the phone in his hand, so she could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who¡¯s calling?¡±

    Mu Yuchen just handed the phone to her. She frowned and was startled by his silence, but she took it. She put it to her ear while Wang Hui¡¯s voice continued, ¡°Since it¡¯s about time, then you should have a child. Chen Er, you¡¯re about to be 31 soon. You¡¯re not young anymore. Your wife¡¯s 27, isn¡¯t she? Prepare now, and in a few months¡¯ time when it¡¯s your wedding, it won¡¯t look like she¡¯s pregnant yet. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just worried about you young people¡¯s thoughts... You have to consider about your wife. In another two to three years, when she has a second child, she¡¯ll be a woman of advanced reproductive age...¡±

    Listening to all of this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s little face immediately blushed and she dared not utter a sound. She quickly stuffed the phone back in Mu Yuchen¡¯s hands as if she was throwing a hot potato.

    Mu Yuchen then softly said to the other person on the phone, ¡°If you want to have your wish fulfilled, then speak less. That¡¯s it for now. We¡¯ll go back when it¡¯s the holidays.¡±

    Then, he hung up.

    While Xi Xiaye was much more rxed than her state earlier, her beautiful face was still blushing from Wang Hui¡¯s words. She awkwardly looked at Mu Yuchen who was getting up.

    ¡°Grandmother¡¯s like this. You¡¯ll get used to it. If you don¡¯t like to hear anything, just block it out,¡± Mu Yuchen exined a little helplessly.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled and shook her head. ¡°No, actually it¡¯s really good that Grandmother¡¯s like this. She¡¯s very straightforward. In fact, she cares about us very much. Actually, we should be nicer to them the next time.¡±

    When she spoke about Wang Hui and the rest, Xi Xiaye always thought about her grandfather, Shen Yue...

    ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re teaching your husband to be grateful?¡± Mu Yuchen saw that she looked very serious, so he could not help but grin.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and feigned seriousness. She pretended to go with what he said. ¡°Of course, a person¡¯s priorities in responsibility, and in being grateful. Mr. Mu, you must remember this!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gained in wisdom! Is it because your hair¡¯s been trimmed short?¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to speak about me like that in a roundabout way!¡±

    ¡°What did I say about you?¡±

    ¡°You said I...¡±

 Chapter 96 - Speed and Passion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 96: Speed and Passion (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they left the salon, it was close to evening. The setting sun nketed the ground with a golden radiance, engulfing the entire City Z in an intoxicating softness.

    Xi Xiaye had rxed much more by then and the repressed corner in her heart had faded away quite a bit. When she walked to the car, she insisted on driving, so Mu Yuchen let her and he quietly moved to get into the front passenger seat.

    The husband and wife duo had gone to the restaurant that Xi Xiaye brought Mu Yuchen to before for dinner. After that, she drove unhurriedly back to the Grand Waves Vi area, going for a spin for some fresh air along the way.

    Xi Xiaye still chose to take the Ninth Crooked Bend because that route was closer to the Grand Waves Vi.

    The car sped all the way, passing through the hazy twilight and chasing the dusky light ahead. At night, the Ninth Crooked Bend was very quiet. Only one or two cars would assionally drive past their car. There was not a single person in sight along the way.

    Xi Xiaye rested her chin on one hand and leisurely steered the wheel, driving ahead steadily. However, just as they were nearing the Ninth Crooked Bend and were about to enter the tunnel ahead, there was suddenly a wave of hooting ahead. Before she could react, an intense light had immediately shone on her. It was harsh, so she subconsciously lifted a hand to block the light that was blinding her from the front.

    Woo!

    Whoosh!

    Almost in the blink of an eye, more than ten cars zoomed by her at lightning speed. Xi Xiaye vaguely nced to unexpectedly see that they were all luxury cars. The loud and clear whistling sounds rang out through the air just like the other night!

    As she watched the race cars speed past like hurricanes, Xi Xiaye immediately could not help but feel a fiery passion in her heart. Her calm twinkling eyes suddenly shed with sparks and almost in an instant, she had also slowed down before quickly turning the car. Then, she chased the cars ahead that whistled past.

    Whoosh!

    A light shed in her calm, clear eyes as she suddenly floored the elerator. The force of the entire car instantly increased sharply. She rushed forward like a rainstorm and with a whoosh, she sped ahead.

    The strong winds poured in through the car windows. The temperature in the car instantly dropped by a few degrees. The strong winds ran through her beautiful, long hair which had just beenbed neatly, instantly turning it extremely messy.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s starry eyes were calm and sharp while her two hands on the steering wheel were maneuvering the vehicle with agility. The car instantly soared madly and in a heartbeat, they had already caught up with the cars ahead.

    ¡°F*ck! Racing with me? I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    When the Cayenne overtook a Land Rover, a bald guy looked out from the car and cursed loudly at Xi Xiaye, then he picked up his speed too. The Cayenne had already joined the wave of racing cars.

    They could see that Xi Xiaye¡¯s Cayenne was not one of them. Nevertheless, because of the neer, the group of people seemed to suddenly go crazy. As they watched the ck Cayenne drive through them like a soaring dragon, the crowd¡¯s initially rxed mood immediately tensed up. They all subconsciously treated Xi Xiaye¡¯s Cayenne as a target to catch up with.

    Whoosh!

    The roar of the cars picking up speed whirled and hooted, breaking the silence of the night. With her quick wits, she executed a beautiful drift and evaded a Hummer that came bumping from the side. Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes revealed a rare glow as her gaze became increasingly sharp.

    The chilly winds continue to scrape at her face like arrows of ice, yet it could not cool the hearts of the group of people that chased the need for speed. The silent night had be unusually lively because of this frenzied racing.

    The Cayenne practically stuck to a fence as it sped past by a close shave. At the 90-degree turn ahead, the cars that dashed ahead all subconsciously slowed down while Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered her man¡¯s move that one time. Without wondering further, she stepped hard on the elerator and the Cayenne flew out like a hurricane, sprinting forward like an arrow.

    ¡°Bloody hell! It¡¯s a bend ahead and still, they increased their speed. Are they rushing to die?!¡±

    ¡°Driving when they don¡¯t how to drive!¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell!¡±

    The sound of intense, foul-mouthed hollering was heard. In the meantime, up ahead, Xi Xiaye did an emergency brake and did half-turn on the steering wheel as she was about to hit the fence. Then, there was a piercing racket of the car tires screeching on the ground while the back of the car swept up soaring dust.

    After that came the winding road with ups and downs. There were still quite a few race cars leading. The cars that were ditched behind had also started to go all out and pursue the Cayenne like angered beasts.

    Two Hummers attacked her from both sides and cooperated with each other in an attempt to squash Xi Xiaye in the middle, stopping her dead!

    It was not Xi Xiaye¡¯s first time joining such games. When she saw the Hummers that had been picking up speed from her rearview mirror, she instantly guessed their intention. Without caring that there was a precipitous slope ahead, she mmed on the elerator and with a loud rumbling, she drifted. The entire car leaped, drifting and flying out as it crossed troughs at lightning speed. At a breakneck increase in speed, she drove towards the straight main street ahead.

    When she saw the cars that had been ditched by her, there were vague sounds of people cursing out loud. Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face shed with a rare grin.

    When the car sped past the yellow line under the bridge ahead, Xi Xiaye then slowed down and parked the car by the roadside. When she subconsciously turned to look at the man beside her, she noticed that he was holding on to the handle above his head. His expression was calm as usual, yet astonishment was revealed in his eyes.

    Greeting her gaze, he had also caught her smile that had not yet faded. Mu Yuchen instantly chuckled softly, ¡°You learn pretty quickly. Have you already found that feeling again so quickly?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled cheerfully back at him. ¡°I was originally not that bad, okay?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and shook his head. When he saw her head of hair messily interweaving and cascading down her chest like dark clouds, he quietly turned to his side. His long, fair fingers weaved through her long, messy hair, helping herb it smooth. This sudden touch was unexpected and it made Xi Xiaye look up. Her eyes collided with his silent deep eyes that seemed to hold a million stars...

    Her gaze was clear and moving. The faint fragrance of her shampoo entered their noses with the bleak night breeze as he stared at her quietly for a long time. Seeing her bright, smiling little face, his handsome face revealed a tenderness too.

    Hisrge hand suddenly could not help but reach out and lightly touch her exquisite face. His thumb lightly brushed away her hair, and under Xi Xiaye¡¯s indefinitely flickering gaze, his tall figure leaned in. Her cold hand that was on the steering wheel was now gently held by his warm and dry hand...

    A quiet, manly fragrance that belonged exclusively to him entered her nostrils with the night breeze. When she felt him getting closer, the hand that she left by her side suddenly subconsciously tightened. In an instant, her starry eyes were already misty and dazzled...

 Chapter 97 - Master Mus Disregard (1)

    <h4>Chapter 97: Master Mu¡¯s Disregard (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He leaned over, nting a gentle and slightly warm kiss quietly on her forehead. His gentle movement seemed like he wasforting a most beloved angel.

    When he saw that she had already closed her eyes, while gripping his shirt tightly with the fingertips turning slightly pale, he then could not help but chuckle softly. He moved back slightly and then lightly patted her head beforeughing very perceptively, ¡°I¡¯m not a human-eating monster. What are you so nervous about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye almost instantly opened her vaguely misty eyes. Her forehead still held the residue of his faint warmth as she subconsciously blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m not nervous!¡±

    When he saw her looking so anxious to defend herself, the curve on Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips widened. His hand slid down her hair and gently embraced her shoulders. ¡°If you¡¯re not nervous, then how do you exin what your hand is doing right now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye followed his gaze and looked. That was when she realized that she was grasping tightly onto the front of his shirt...

    Her expression instantly flushed with scarlet as she let go of his shirt. His light gray top was already wrinkled from being grasped by her. She quietly looked down and arranged her messy windbreaker a little awkwardly.

    When he saw this, he could not help butugh softly. In the meantime, the cars that sped up from behind had already stopped beside them and the speed junkies all walked towards them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± Mu Yuchen took a look at the people who walked over. They did not seem like members of a race car club like the people from the other night. Instead, they looked more hostile.

    Then, before Xi Xiaye could react, he had already pulled her up while he moved over. The two of them had very quickly exchanged positions.

    Screech!

    Several squeals of cars braking were heard. A few cars from behind had alreadye up to surround them, and by the looks of it, they wanted to block them.

    Mu Yuchen was calm as usual as he quickly started the car. ¡°Sit tight!¡±

    With these two words, the car did a heart-stopping reverse maneuver, and then he very quickly and urately offset the steering wheel. They brushed past like an arrow between the two cars that had wanted to trap them in between. Before they could surround them, they had already sped out of the circle and left.

    ¡°It¡¯s best toe here less often. How are you going to handle it if you get into trouble?!¡±

    He increased the car speed rapidly and wound up the car windows before he shot her a look and had a strict tone.

    Xi Xiaye then pursed her lips slightly and subconsciously looked towards the cars behind. Indeed, those people were throwing things at their car...

    ¡°I thought it was the same asst time,¡± she softly exined.

    He thought about it and said, ¡°If you¡¯re really interested in doing it recreationally, I¡¯ll bring you to join a racing club another day.¡±

    Xi Xiaye inhaled slightly. ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll see. Probably when I get busy again, I won¡¯t have much time.¡±

    Usually, after New Year was when she was busy. When the entire year came down, she did not even have much time to rest. Usually, weekends or holidays were for tidying up and cleaning, and to treat herself. She would read or drink some tea. If she took over the South River project, it would only make her even busier.

    Seeing her brows furrowed into a knot, he then reminded, ¡°Say a few more nice things to me. If I¡¯m happy, then I¡¯ll obviously give you a holiday.¡±

    When she heard him, xXiaye¡¯s brows instantly raised. She quietly turned to her side and looked at him thoughtfully. ¡°Are you hinting me to brown nose you?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm and unfathomable gaze gave her a look.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful eyes shed and she said in shock, ¡°In my impression, you aren¡¯t this kind of person, Chairman Mu. The feeling you usually give people is very profound and not superficial!¡±

    ¡°My wife, you¡¯re wrong then. It¡¯s an affirmation for every man to be able to earn praises from his wife. This kind of affirmation is definitely the biggest encouragement and sense of achievement for him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked mysteriously at Xi Xiaye, the corner of his lips curved into an incredible smile.

    Xi Xiaye was puzzled by his words, and seeing his weird smile, she could only frown and try to figure out what he meant. After quite a while, she seemed to have understood something...

    When they reached Maple Residence, it was alreadyte at night. The couple was not busy with work tillte as usual, after bathing and washing up, they lied down to rest.

    The next day, Mu Yuchen still woke up very early. He prepared breakfast and simply had a few bites of it when Ah Mo and Li Si had already rushed over.

    ¡°Master, here¡¯s your schedule today. Morning: At 9 a.m., there¡¯s apany higher management meeting. At noon, CEO Wang of Wang Corporation has already made an appointment for lunch with you. At 2 p.m. you need to do an inspection at Car City. and at 4 p.m. City B¡¯s proposal will be sent to the office.¡±

    When they were about to reach thepany, Li Si started reporting about his schedule for the day to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen looked up from his documents, his profound eyes silent for a while. Then, he said calmly, ¡°Mmm, inform the few Vice Presidents toe to my office after the meeting.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Master!¡±

    Before Li Si could answer, Mu Yuchen had already continued to read the document in his hand. It was the information that Xi Xiaye had arranged and handed to him yesterday morning on Yueying and Qi Kai.

    He had to admit that when she worked, she was very serious. When she had any insights of thoughts on anything, she would make a note and raise it. Even though the entire n looked very diverse, as long as one carefully remove some of the hypothetical content, plus refine it a little, it could be a pretty solid proposal.

    As he read it, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes shed with admiration.

    That little woman still had a lot of aspects worth for him to admire!

    He closed the document. At that moment, the car slowly drove into Glory World Corporation.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve reached!¡± Up ahead, Li Si reminded as he quickly got down from the car to open the door for Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen got down very quickly. He took huge strides into thepany, but just as he had taken a few steps, suddenly came a gentle and sweet voice.

    ¡°Charmain Mu, hello!¡±

    The sudden voice made Mu Yuchen slowly stop in his steps. His quiet and unfathomable line of sight lifted and looked ahead. What greeted his sight was unexpectedly a familiar face...

    Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes, his indefinitely flickering gaze sweeping across this woman before him. He had a vague impression of this woman, yet he could not remember who she was until Li Si¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Miss Xi Xinyi!¡±

    Li Si, who followed Mu Yuchen, had immediately recognized this woman who stood before him!

 Chapter 98 - Master Mus Disregard (2)

    <h4>Chapter 98: Master Mu¡¯s Disregard (2)</h4>

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly when he heard Li Si. His eyes turned icy as he looked at Xi Xinyi who was walking towards him.

    Wearing a yellow spring Chanel outfit along with her wavy, light blonde hair and a scarf tied around her neck, a lovely smile spread across her beautiful face.

    ¡°Hello, Chairman Mu. I¡¯m Xi Xinyi, I¡¯ve been looking for an asion to visit you and coincidentally, we cross paths today.¡±

    Xi Xinyi kept her smile up as her manager also beamed widely. When Mu Yuchen still seemed aloof, she exined, ¡°Chairman Mu, the purpose of Ms. Xi¡¯s visit today is to know more about being the ambassador of Imperial Sky Jewellery City. The person-in-charge from yourpany gave us a call yesterday and asked Xinyi toe over to discuss it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Chairman Mu. It¡¯s really my pleasure to work with Glory World this time. I¡¯m so d to have this opportunity!¡±

    Xi Xinyi then extended her fair hand out. Apanied by the polished smile on her face, she simply looked lovely. Overall, she had a positive aura, especially her glittering eyes. She was the ideal image of a gentledy.

    Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand for a moment and then averted his gaze away. He nodded coldly, and before they could react, he moved and walked past her.

    Now, he finally knew why his woman at home would lose out to this woman. If Xi Xinyi¡¯s behavior was just a facade, she would be a really scary person. Furthermore, given Xiaye¡¯s personality, she particrly sucked at emotional situations like this.

    It seemed like he needs to put in more effort to groom her. If she were to deal with someone like this again, she would surely lose without fail.

    He would not allow her to always let others take advantage of her.

    As he thought of this, he had a subtle yet gentle smile on his face. He suddenly looked much more dignified with that smile. Xi Xinyi saw all of it and was shocked for a moment.

    When they came back to their senses, Mu Yuchen had already walked past them with his back facing them.

    Xi Xinyi felt a little awkward as she looked at her extended hand. She drew it back and shouted in Mu Yuchen¡¯s direction, ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Ms. Xi, Manager Zhang, the endorsement is now under the PR Department. You can head straight there. It¡¯s on the 38th floor. You should know that already.¡± Li Si left them with directions before catching up with Mu Yuchen, his hands full of things.

    Ah Mo frowned as he looked at Xi Xinyi and Manager Zhang. Luckily, the Master was not angry. Did they not know about Master¡¯s rules, so they just went up to him, trying to act friendly?

    During his investigation of the Missus¡¯ matters, Ah Mo, of course, found out about Xi Xinyi as well, which exined why he was not really fond of her. He nced at them coldly before catching up with Mu Yuchen as well.

    Xi Xinyi could feel the chill from Mu Yuchen just now. Watching the figure vanish into the elevator, her eyes went out of focus and she only came back to her senses after a moment.

    ¡°Xinyi, Master Mu always acts that way. He¡¯s cold towards everyone and it¡¯s not really a secret, so don¡¯t mind him,¡± exined Manager Zhang because she thought Xi Xinyi was unhappy about what had just happened.

    Xi Xinyi came back to her senses when she heard Zhang Xue¡¯s exnation. She still looked a little out of it as her eyes seemed surprised. ¡°So, the legendary Master Mu...¡±

    Zhang Xueughed. ¡°Unreal, isn¡¯t it? Master Mu is a very low-profile person. I heard he just returned not too long ago. Back then, he moved around New York and France. It was the old chairman¡¯s idea to have hime back and take over the business. We¡¯re lucky to bump into him. People like him feel so distant. I heard he¡¯s very good friends with Mister Zhou and Master Su. With just the two of them...¡±

    ¡°Sis Zhang, are you very familiar with Master Mu?¡± Xi Xinyi asked after giving it some thought.

    Sis Zhang shook her head. ¡°Nope, I just heard about him from people in the industry. Master Mu rarely appears before the mass media, so there¡¯s nearly no way to know about him. Glory World and the Mu family hardly have any scandals with that exception from four years ago. The Mu family...¡±

    Sis Zhang¡¯s voice suddenly hushed to the point that Xi Xinyi could not hear what she was saying.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Xinyi. We don¡¯t want to make them wait for too long!¡± Zhang Xue reminded Xi Xinyi. She had worked very hard to get this endorsement and she could not afford to let anything go wrong.

    Xi Xinyi nodded and then walked ahead.

    ...

    After the meeting, the Vice Presidents went into Mu Yuchen¡¯s office.

    ¡°I¡¯ve considered the proposal of Glory World stepping foot into the showbiz industry, and I¡¯ve decided to take on the proposal and try it out.¡±

    Inside the Chairman¡¯s office, Mu Yuchen was sittingfortably in his chair with his arms crossed and his elbows propped up on the table. He looked at the Vice Presidents. Besides the usual few Vice Presidents stationed at the headquarters, those who had been stationed outside had returned as well due to the looming annual meeting.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, Chairman Mu! If we¡¯re building a new Movie City together with thepany from City B, that¡¯d be awesome news for Glory World if we¡¯re able to reach the top in the industry!¡±

    Vice President Liu Lingyu could not hold in his excitement. He looked at the other Vice Presidents who seemed excited about the idea as well. All of them nodded enthusiastically.

    ¡°It seems like all of you are looking forward to it.¡± Mu Yuchen looked down at the documents before him. Then, he continued talking after a while, ¡°Since it¡¯s decided, we¡¯ll need a person to take charge of this new segment. As an unventured territory, the showbiz industry is something Glory World has never been involved with before. Be aware that the amount of workload will be huge, so who¡¯s willing to take the challenge?¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Vice President Liu has done his research before, and after our discussion, we all think that it¡¯d be great if Vice President Liu can handle this!¡± Several Vice Presidents rmended Liu Lingyu.

    Mu Yuchen went silent for a moment. He remembered that his woman back at home seemed to be impressed by Vice President Liu Lingyu as well. Knowing her, she would not be impressed without any solid reason, so he then nodded. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll pass this onto you. Are there any problems with that, Vice President Liu?¡±

 Chapter 99 - Han Yifengâ€™s Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 99: Han Yifeng¡¯s Invitation</h4>

    ¡°Thank you for cing your trust in me. I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    Liu Lingyu epted the job respectfully, staying true to Glory World¡¯s key values: confidence and sincerity. If one could take on the workload, then they would put in their best efforts instead of trying to ck off.

    Under Liu Lingyu¡¯s influence, people under him like Xi Xiaye shared simr values as well.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Vice President Liu, please stay back. Everyone else can leave for now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu!¡±

    The other Vice Presidents swiftly left the room.

    Mu Yuchen slowly raised his head when he heard the sound of the door closing. ¡°Director Xi mentioned to me that you¡¯re interested in the showbiz industry. I believe you¡¯ve done your research well, so I¡¯m confident leaving this in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for trusting me, Chairman Mu!¡± Liu Lingyu bowed humbly.

    Mu Yuchen gently lifted the ck folder before him and handed it to Liu Lingyu. ¡°These are some documents regarding Qi Kai and Yueying. Director Xi spent quite some effort arranging these and I made some simple edits on them. Take a look at it and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help you out a lot.¡±

    Liu Lingyu epted the folder, feeling a little odd. Did Chairman Mu skip the chain ofmand? Usually, he was the one issuing orders to Director Xi.

    Liu Lingyu paid it no mind and started flipping through the document. There were two different handwritings on it. The clean-looking script should be Xi Xiaye¡¯s, while the one with powerful strokes should be Chairman Mu¡¯s.

    ¡°Let me know if you need anything. You¡¯re one of the most senior ones around here. I believe in your capabilities and Grandfather often praises you too.¡±

    It was a rarepliment from Mu Yuchen.

    Liu Lingyu nodded out of gratitude as he closed the folder. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best. Chairman Mu, I hope that Director Xi can help out a little since she has experience dealing with Qi Kai before. Things will probably be easier with her around.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was his outstanding subordinate and they were always on good terms. He was sure that they would make a formidable pair.

    Liu Lingyu¡¯s words drew a frown on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face. He thought about it and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t she working on the South River project now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chairman Mu. I mean that I just need Director Xi to help out just a little and I promise it won¡¯t take up too much of her time. I¡¯ll make sure it won¡¯t affect the progress of the South River project too. I know Director Xi¡¯s capability well. She¡¯s a very dedicated person with high efficacy, so it would be great if she could help me out a little!¡± Liu Lingyu praised Xi Xiaye as he carefully observed the calm and stoic Mu Yuchen.

    Liu Lingyu was shocked to see an odd smile appearing on Mu Yuchen¡¯s poker face. His voice sounded at peace too. ¡°I can see that you have high hopes for Director Xi.¡±

    Liu Lingyu was stunned for a moment. He then replied with an awkwardugh, ¡°Well, Director Xi is a pleasant person, so...¡±

    Mu Yuchen sipped some tea before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll consider your request. You can go back to work now and I¡¯ll call you again when I need you.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Chairman Mu!¡± Liu Lingyu bowed at him and then left quietly.

    As Liu Lingyu just left, Li Si knocked and entered right before the door closed.

    ¡°Master!¡± Li Si carefully went before Mu Yuchen and quietly called out to him.

    Mu Yuchen continued looking at the documents in his hand. He replied without raising his head, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°The newly appointed CEO Han of Han Corporation got his assistant to send you an invitation card!¡± Li Si informed quietly, seemingly worried that he might be disturbing Mu Yuchen¡¯s focus. He then presented a red invitation card.

    Mu Yuchen took a pause and raised his head. The fiery-red card with words imprinted in gold on it came into his view. The bold and loud red made him ufortable.

    He had seen a simr invitation card on his bedside drawer!

    He inspected the invitation card, then he looked at Li Si. For a moment, his eyes turned icy.

    Li Si quickly exined, ¡°Master, this is the invitation to the engagement to CEO Han of Han Corporation and the daughter of Mayor Xi, Xi Xinyi. It¡¯s this Friday. Back then, Han Yu and Huang Ziyao were partners with us on several projects...¡±

    Mu Yuchen went silent. His aura seemed to flicker several times around him. After some time, he said, ¡°Leave it there.¡±

    A dark storm was brewing in his ocean-deep eyes. Li Si felt oddly ufortable, but he did not say anything. He quickly left the invitation there and got out of the room.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Before Li Sipletely exited the room, Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached his ears. Li Si halted his steps and then quickly turned around.

    ¡°Anything else, Master?¡± Li Si asked politely whilst feeling anxious.

    Mu Yuchen kept quiet for a brief moment. Then, he looked up at Li Si and said, ¡°Did the PR Department arrange some guests toe over during ourpany anniversary celebrations?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Ye-yes! They are mainly the ambassadors of Imperial Sky Jewellery City, and also several popr celebrities. Hopefully, it can help to create a more rxed environment and help smoothen the promotional work in the future,¡± Li Si quickly replied.

    Mu Yuchen pondered his words and then said, ¡°Help me get the PR manager toe up here.¡±

    PR manager?

    Was he worried about the anniversary?

    Master usually...

    However, he did not dare to question his Master¡¯s intentions, so he nodded and then went out of the room.

 Chapter 100 - So-called Compensation

    <h4>Chapter 100: So-called Compensation</h4>

    After the discussion about the endorsement for Imperial Sky Jewellery City, it was already noon when they walked out of Glory World Corporation. The sun was high up in the sky with the dry wind blowing through.

    Xi Xinyi took the expensive-looking coat her manager handed her and wore it. She turned around to gaze at the enormous building and was stunned for a moment.

    As expected of one of the leading businesses of City Z, even she felt tiny as she stood before such a huge building.

    The scene where Mu Yuchen passed her closely yed in her mind. As people said, he was not very friendly and cold towards other people.

    It was her first time experiencing something like this!

    She knew that even a prideful person like Han Yifeng was really impressed by that person as well.

    ¡°Xinyi, CEO Han is waiting over there!¡±

    Xi Xinyi came back to her senses when she heard Zhang Xue¡¯s voice. She looked at the direction Zhang Xue was facing and saw Han Yifeng¡¯s Rolls Royce parked at a za outside Glory World Corporation.

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath before ncing at the building again and walking towards the car.

    ¡°Ms. Xinyi!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s assistant quickly opened the door when Xi Xinyi went towards the car.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi sat in the car and called out to him. Han Yifeng had just finished a phone call and he grabbed her by the waist to squeeze her. He asked in a concerned tone, ¡°Done with work?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s just a discussion about the uing project. Why are you here?¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Han Yifeng doubtfully. She thought he hade here just to pick her up and her eyes were brimming with love.

    ¡°I just came by to drop an invitation card to invite Chairman Mu to our engagement. I know you¡¯re here as well, so I waited for you.¡± Han Yifeng then looked at the huge building and said, ¡°Invitation card... Did you give it to Xiaye personally?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s words stunned Xi Xinyi. She clenched her fists tightly as her expression turned pale. She nodded, her eyes unable to hide her sadness. She said gloomily, ¡°I gave it to her, but she...¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not continue and her beautiful eyes started to tear up. Her expression was in pain while she bit her lip and went quiet. Looking downwards, she quietly said, ¡°You know her personality. What happened recently must have hit her quite badly. Please don¡¯t me her, Yifeng. I¡¯ve always considered Sister as a really good person. Don¡¯t you think so too?¡±

    What did he think of Xi Xiaye?

    ...

    He was suddenly reminded of their past...

    ¡°I hope we can make up to her, Yifeng. About Yueying, I know your parents are doing it for my sake, but can we give her a token ofpensation? $5 million... Is it too little?¡±

    Xi Xinyi frowned as she looked at Han Yifeng. ¡°I don¡¯t care, even if Grandmother objects, I¡¯llpensate her myself. I¡¯d do anything to make her feel better.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Xinyi, I understand how you feel. I guess there¡¯s no other way since it¡¯se down to this. We didn¡¯t know that my parents and your grandmother would make that kind of decision as well. It¡¯s really cruel towards Xiaye. Moreover...¡±

    The scene when the knife plunged into her shoulder started ying in his mind. He could not believe that she would pull such an extreme stunt!

    ¡°Yifeng, do you think Sister will attend our engagement party? I wanted to look for her just now, but I was worried that she might be unhappy if she sees me, so in the end, I didn¡¯t...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were full of misery as her tone turned weak and worrisome. ¡°Father became cold towards Mother for quite some time because of what happened to Sister. I really don¡¯t understand, Yifeng. Does she not feelfortable with whatever we¡¯ve done for her so far? Why is Sister being like this?¡±

    ¡°Stop talking about it, Xinyi. I¡¯m the one who betrayed her. It¡¯s not your fault and you don¡¯t have to me yourself... Let¡¯s go now. Back to the vi!¡± Han Yifeng told the driver impatiently. He held Xi Xinyi¡¯s waist and looked outside the window, his gaze seemedplicated.

    He had never loved Xi Xiaye, but why did he felt such a heavy sense of guilt when he saw her extremely cold expression?

    The guilt made him feel an indescribable pressure. He would prefer her to scold him angrily instead of just walking away coldly. He might have felt better instead of feeling really troubled by it as he did now.

    ...

    The sun slowly went down and the sky turned red as thest of the soft golden rays bathed the city from the horizon. The whole town was shrouded in a gentle charm.

    Tiny rays of sunlight went past the window blinds. Xi Xiaye, who had been working on the living room sofa the whole afternoon, finally looked away from her documents. She nced at the sun through the windows and instinctively took a look at the clock. She noticed that it was already prettyte.

    Mu Yuchen was not back yet. Usually, he would already be preparing food in the kitchen. Maybe he was busy because the holidays wereing soon.

    He seemed to dislike people disturbing his life. ording to Sis Wang, Master Mu only allowed them toe and clean the house after he left. Looking at the huge Maple Residence, even though it was empty, it was a different feeling aspared to when she was living alone. It was at times like this that she felt lonely.

    Was he feeling the same way as her?

    Sheughed at her own thoughts. Inhaling a deep breath, she left all the documents on the table. As she started to stretch her body, she forgot about her shoulder injury and a sharp pain shot through her as she opened her arms. She frowned and quickly pressed her wound...

    She rested for a while before walking towards the kitchen slowly.

    Moments after she went into the kitchen, the door of Maple Residence opened. A tall and white figure entered the house.

    It was Mu Yuchen. He was talking to someone on the phone and Ah Mo was behind him, holding his briefcase quietly.

 Chapter 101 - Promise

    <h4>Chapter 101: Promise</h4>

    It was his good friend, Su Chen, on the call.

    ¡°I just called Zimo and he wants to hang out too. Why don¡¯t youe over to my ce for poker tonight? Or we could go to your house too. We can just stay there overnight. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve never slept together before. We can even just sleep around on the floor!¡±

    Su Chen was sitting in hisrge office chair with a cigarette in his mouth.

    Mu Yuchenughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you always hang out at Zimo¡¯s ce? Why did you suddenly think of me today?¡±

    Su Chen flicked away some cigarette ash as he grinned widely. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in such a long time and I miss you! So, my ce? Recently, I set a bar counter up at my house. Zimo said it helps set the tone...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with mypany¡¯s anniversarytely. We¡¯ll gather again someday. I¡¯ll ask Ah Mo to send you some rare whiskey. Let¡¯s meet in a few days.¡±

    ¡°You think a couple of bottles of whiskey are enough for us to let you off? Give me the red wine in your store room as well. I don¡¯t see you drinking it anyway.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Mu Yuchen hung up on the call after his brief reply. Then, he told Ah Mo behind him, ¡°Ah Mo, get the stuff in the living room, and then get some wine from the storeroom and send it to Su Chen¡¯s house. Invite them to Maple Residence this Friday. Tell them not toe if they haven¡¯t prepared any expensive gifts.¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned for a moment, but he soon came back to his senses and nodded. ¡°Got it, Master!¡±

    He then put the briefcase on the sofa and left quickly.

    The sky turned dark and there was only the living room was dimly lit by the light from the kitchen.

    He turned the lights in the living room on and scanned the ce. He then noticed that the table beside therge window was full of documents. There was also a runningptop and paper was strewn all over the table, some even littering the floor.

    As he went over to pick them up, he noticed that all of them were rted to the South River project. There were some data analysis and images which all seemedplicated.

    Now, herptop screen was disying a data chart with one-third of itplete. There were some folders opened as well.

    He casually picked up a document and read through it. Momentster, his long fingers started typing on the keyboard swiftly...

    Xi Xiaye was surprised to see the lights in the living room turned on when she came out of the kitchen with some dishes. She looked around and saw Mu Yuchen sitting in the ce she had sat at some time ago.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    Xi Xiaye put the dishes on the table and went over to Mu Yuchen, stopping beside him.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Mu Yuchen replied without averting his gaze away from theptop. His hand movements did not slow down either as his vi-like voice continued, ¡°You just had to make yourself busy, didn¡¯t you? Why are you like this even when you¡¯re on holiday?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty boring, so I might as well get some work done. Oh, right, the designs you showed me thest time, can I...?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s in theptop inside the study room. The password is the same as the one on the card I gave you. They should be in the D drive. Look around.¡±

    After saying that, apleted analysis chart appeared on theptop. He checked it and then saved it before turning off theptop. Turning his head around, he looked pointedly at her as she stared at theptop.

    ¡°Regarding Glory World being involved in the showbiz industry, I¡¯ve ced Vice President Liu in charge. He hopes that you can help him out a little. What do you think?¡± He asked quietly.

    Xi Xiaye went silent and gave it some thought. She then nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Can your frail body handle the workload?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her doubtfully.

    A gentle smile spread across Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face. ¡°It¡¯s alright, but I might trouble you to help me out a bit on the South River project.¡±

    He was familiar with the South River project anyway. The documents he had given her were analyzed in detail and he could not have done so without spending time studying it.

    ¡°You¡¯re really clever at utilizing your resources. By the way, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo are visiting this Friday.¡± Mu Yuchen casually straightened her crooked shirt as he said.

    ¡°Su Chen and Zhou Zimo?¡± Xiaye was stunned and just looked at him with a gleam in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The sly foxes took advantage of me. This Friday is an excellent chance to take it all back from them, so don¡¯t be nice to them. If they don¡¯t give you anything good, they can lose everything, but they can never lose face, especially before the woman of their best friend,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a casual tone as he started grinning.

    Xi Xiaye opened her eyes wide. A momentter, she started giggling. ¡°Mr. Mu, I realize you¡¯re pretty mean. How could you ask me to do something like that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m teaching you how to maximize the benefits you can reap. I can¡¯t guarantee that they won¡¯t take advantage of you since you¡¯re stupid. You¡¯ll understand once you speak to them.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°Then, do we need to prepare anything? Friday... Hmm, we¡¯re already on holiday...¡±

    ¡°Just stay put. I¡¯ll get Sis Wang to prepare something. Also, get ready for the annual meeting on Thursday.¡± Mu Yuchen stood up and his tall body blocked Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Prepare what? Isn¡¯t it just about receiving an award?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him, then she went towards the kitchen. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready. Let¡¯s eat first.¡±

    ...

    After a while, three dishes and a crockpot of soup were served on the table. The couple sat opposite each other.

    After drinking two bowls of soup, Mu Yuchen frowned as he looked at Xi Xiaye. He asked quietly, ¡°Missus, don¡¯t you think the soup tastes a little weird?¡±

    ¡°Does it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She spooned the soup into her mouth and did not find it odd, so she looked at him in doubt.

    ¡°Try more. Tell me again after drinking two more bowls. Here... Try it...¡±

 Chapter 102 - Temperature of The Lips

    <h4>Chapter 102: Temperature of The Lips</h4>

    Xi Xiaye drank two bowls of soup and still did not find anything odd. Just as she was about to voice her doubts out, the man opposite her already started devouring his dinner...

    After dinner, Mu Yuchen did the dishes. Xi Xiaye was done bathing after he was finished and she went upstairs. She also applied some medicine on her wound.

    ¡°Did you hurt your wound?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye was sitting on the soft sofa, watching TV in the living room, she turned around as she heard Mu Yuchen speaking to her. He wore a dark blue sleeping robe and was walking out of the bedroom as he was tying the sash.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not react in time and stared at him in shock. He stopped behind her with a frown on his face as he studied her left shoulder with his sharp eyes.

    ¡°I saw the disposed bandage in the bathroom trash bin,¡± he exined.

    ¡°Oh, I identally hurt it a little, but the wound did not open up. It just stings a little.¡±

    Xi Xiaye moved aside and opened up some space for him as she was going to pour him a cup of chrysanthemum tea.

    As her fingers touched the pot, Mu Yuchen¡¯s big hand swiftly went past her. She felt the spot beside her sink in while he sat down.

    ¡°Be careful. I¡¯ll get Uncle Zhong to take a look at it.¡±

    He sipped some tea and then picked up his phone on the table. Xi Xiaye quickly grabbed his arm and insisted, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m really fine. It¡¯ste already anyway.¡±

    Mu Yuchen stared at her for quite some time before putting his phone away.

    She slowly let go of his arm and looked away from his intense gaze. She curled up on the sofa before grabbing the remote control and started switching the channels randomly...

    Thud!

    Suddenly, the remote control in her hand slipped from her grip and fell onto the carpet.

    Frowning, she quickly bent over to pick it up, but just as her fingers were just about to reach the control, they reached a warm palm instead.

    He gently grabbed her hand and sighed. Then, he put the teacup away with his other hand and started picking up the control. His voice sounded maic. ¡°Do you think your Mr. Mu looks like a monster?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked and she looked at him seriously for some time before replying, ¡°Not at all.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Then, why do I always feel that you¡¯re afraid of me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I think you¡¯re a pretty easygoing person.¡± As Xi Xiaye gave her earnest reply, her face started blushing as she threw him odd nces. She gave it some thought before replying, ¡°I just... feel... a little not used to it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Mu Yuchen stared at her longer, then he asked, ¡°Are you being shy now? How old are you already? Do you think you¡¯re still a little girl?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! Do you think I¡¯m still a school girl who¡¯ll be shy? I¡¯ve graduated from university many years ago!¡±

    Xi Xiaye would never think of herself as an innocent little girl. She was a modern woman, so why would she be shy?

    ¡°Really?¡±

    His dark eyes squinted as he looked at her with an odd smile.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and nodded. Her little face looked even more charming as they basked under the faint yellow light.

    ¡°Do you dare to try?¡± His deep and sexy voice brought forth an overwhelming charm. The deep vortex in his eyes was inescapable.

    Xi Xiaye was a positive girl and her eyes brightened up as she looked at Mr. Mu with determination. ¡°How would you like to try, Mr. Mu?¡±

    She could feel the palm holding her hand start to tighten. While he advanced towards her, his pleasant fragrant was all over her. He lowered his body and their lips became closer to each other. Before she could even react, he left a cold kiss on her simrly chilly lips...

    She was shocked at that second.

    The man patted her head, the gap between their lips starting to infiltrate her territory. A warm and fresh breath entered her nasal passages, his unique smell feeling very clear and real, unlike his usual behavior. Even though he was nearby, it felt like he was far beyond her reach.

    Her eyes blurred and her brain went hazy. She could feel the warmth assaulting her cold hand as the kiss earlier chased the coldness away from her lips.

    As she came back to her senses, she tried to struggle but hisrge hand stopped her.

    They could hear each other¡¯s heartbeats. When he felt her struggling, he stopped his movements and just looked at her quietly.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath, her eyes still seeming blurry as she looked into his eyes. She was going to say something, parting her lips a little, yet after a while, she just looked at the TV screen quietly instead.

    Her beautiful face turned bright red while she clenched her fists.

    Mu Yuchen suddenlyughed and patted her head with his big hand again. He could still taste her fresh scent. It was far better than he imagined...

    She shook his hand off her head and narrowed her eyes at him. Angrily, she used, ¡°You¡¯re trying to trap me again!¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just admit that you¡¯re stupid?¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed indifferent now as he sat back normally and his eyes glimmered triumphantly.

    This man was a big, mean wolf even though he looked so calm and polite on the outside!

    Xi Xiaye frowned and stared at him coldly. Cracking her knuckles, her frown turned into a cold simper. ¡°Mu Yuchen, what did you say just now? I didn¡¯t hear it. Why don¡¯t you say it again?¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed shocked. He moved away slightly and squinted at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, my dear? Are you sure you¡¯re going to use violence against me now? You¡¯re revealing your ferocious nature...¡±

    How terrifying!

 Chapter 103 - Splashed All Over Her Face (1)

    <h4>Chapter 103: Sshed All Over Her Face (1)</h4>

    The next afternoon, the sun was shining brightly high up in the sky.

    Xi Xiaye nned to stay at home and continue working on the South River project when suddenly she received a phone call. After giving it thorough consideration, she stopped her work on hand and went out.

    The Cayenne soared through the cold wind and surged through fallen leaves as the car headed towards the busymercial area of the city and parked in front of a rustic cafe.

    Xi Xiaye wore a ck windbreaker. She let her hair down and pushing a pair ofrge sunsses on top of her head, she opened the door and got down. She locked the car and headed into the cafe.

    ¡°Miss, do you have a reservation?¡± A waitress went up to her as Xi Xiaye stepped into the cafe.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and replied, ¡°Table 15.¡±

    The waitress smiled. ¡°You must be Ms. Xi Xiaye, aren¡¯t you? Ms. Xi has been waiting for you! Please follow me!¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything. She followed the waitress and went past a huge lounge. Soon, they arrived at a quiet corner.

    ¡°Sis, you¡¯re here!¡±

    When she arrived, Xi Xinyi stood up with a smile. Her eyes were filled with genuine joy as she went up to Xi Xiaye to hold her arms, but Xi Xiaye¡¯s icy cold aura forced her back. She was stunned for a moment and bit on her lip before sitting back down with a pained expression.

    Xi Xiaye was observing Xi Xinyi carefully.

    Dressed in a white spring outfit with beautiful, wavy blonde hair over her shoulders, she had put some light makeup on which made her look gentle and charming. She was the ideal definition of a cute little girl. It was an interesting sight to watch her with the hidden pain in her eyes.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression seemed calm as ever without revealing an ounce of her emotions. She sat down opposite Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Do you want anything to drink?¡± The waitress asked.

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m fine,¡± Xi Xiaye replied indifferently, but her gaze was fixed onto the frail-looking Xi Xinyi.

    The waitress somewhat felt the odd tension, but she did not say much and quickly left.

    ¡°Sis, I thought you¡¯d nevere. I¡¯m really thrilled that you came!¡± Xi Xinyi smiled at Xi Xiaye, her smile sweet and innocent like that of a holy angel. It seemed so pure and beautiful that it could make anyone who saw her feel a need to protect that smile.

    Xi Xiaye grinned coldly. Under her dark sunsses were a pair of watchful eyes. Her voice sounded calm. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t Ie? Do you think I¡¯m silly like my mother? Where¡¯s the stuff?¡±

    ¡°Sis, Mother and Grandmother didn¡¯t do it on purpose. It¡¯s just that Yueying is in big trouble and we can only save it by doing that. You know Yueying is really important to Mother and Grandmother. They could never take it if they had to witness the downfall of Yueying! Can¡¯t you try to be more considerate about their feelings?¡±

    Xi Xinyi grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand on the table. ¡°I really have no intention of fighting with you to gain anything. Our parents¡¯ issues belong to them. Can¡¯t we let it go and face our future together?¡±

    ¡°Future? Then, tell me what I am tomorrow. Will I be the lover of Qi Kai¡¯s master and treat myself as a bargaining chip? Or will I give you and Han Yifeng my wishes with a big smile on my face, and sacrifice everything of my own for the Xi family, for Yueying, for you? Like what my mother did back then?¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed coldly at Xi Xinyi, her voice devoid of any temperature. ¡°If you were in my shoes, would you be willing to do it? Didn¡¯t you say that you want topensate me and you¡¯d be willing to do anything to get my forgiveness?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Sis, if you can let go of the past grudges, I¡¯d do anything!¡± Xi Xinyi was determined.

    The smile on her face grew wider. Xi Xiaye finally took her sunsses off and looked at Xi Xinyi with her icy cold eyes. ¡°Good, then I want you to marry Qi Kai¡¯s master and dere that you¡¯ll give up the right the inherit Yueying. Then, I¡¯ll forgive you. How does that sound?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was stunned as she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. She stared at Xi Xiaye with herrge doe eyes as she clenched her fists. The tears in her eyes were on the verge of falling.

    Xi Xiayeughed when she saw Xi Xinyi¡¯s reaction and she mocked her, ¡°See, even someone as kind and gentle as you can¡¯t ept it. How could someone as evil as me ept the terms?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression changed and she bit her lip as sadness shrouded her face. ¡°You just want to take revenge on me, don¡¯t you? Sis, Yifeng doesn¡¯t love you. Don¡¯t you understand? He¡¯d never love you even if I let him go. Why can¡¯t you just wake up?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m wide awake now. Didn¡¯t you guysbel me as an evil and stubborn person? I just think that I should do something deserving of thatbel. If I can see you guys being unhappy, then I might be able to feel better.¡±

    ¡°Sis! Why did you be like this?¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Xi Xiaye in despair as more tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Why?¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled quietly, her eyes suddenly turning cold. She stood up and walked to her to say quietly beside her ear, ¡°Xi Xinyi, now it¡¯s just the both of us. You don¡¯t have to put up an act anymore. When you were 16, I saw you use the lighter to burn the clothes in your wardrobe, including the expensive dress Grandmother bought for you from France... I remember that was your favorite outfit and you always felt it was too precious to wear out. Then, many things happened that summer, including me getting forced out of military school. Do you remember that? Do you want me to tell you one by one and find out exactly how much I remember?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale and her eyes were filled with doubts. ¡°Sis... I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about...¡±

    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something you really impress me with,¡± Xi Xiaye paused, then she continued, ¡°You¡¯re a born actress. It¡¯d be unfair not to award you with an Oscar for Best Actress!¡±

 Chapter 104 - Splashed All Over Her Face (2)

    <h4>Chapter 104: Sshed All Over Her Face (2)</h4>

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face went even paler and she almost chewed through her lip. Her tears were on the verge of falling. Comparing her innocent face with Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold expression, it seemed as if an angel was facing a witch.

    Xi Xiaye was used to this look of hers. She sat back down and looked at her indifferently, her shoulders shaking while she was trying hard to not let her tears fall. Even Xi Xiaye herself thought that she had transformed into an evil witch.

    Xi Xinyi blinked her eyes and forced her tears back. Looking at Xi Xiaye, she spoke in her gentle voice, ¡°I don¡¯t care how you see me. It doesn¡¯t matter what you¡¯ve misunderstood about me... I just hope that we can go back to how things were before. Can we, please?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was starting to lose interest. She turned away and looked outside the window, not even wanting to look at that woman anymore. ¡°Impossible! Give me the stuff. I¡¯m short on time.¡±

    ¡°Sis! I¡¯m already begging you. You... Do you really want me to kneel down? Do you know about Grandfather¡¯s condition now? He still forbids us to look for you. He loves you the most! Are you even ignoring Father¡¯s words now?¡± Xi Xinyi clenched her fists tightly.

    ¡°You know Father looked for me?¡± Xi Xiaye stared at Xi Xinyi with her narrowed eyes.

    Xi Xinyi bit her lip again and thought for a long time. She then replied, ¡°That day I noticed that Father wasn¡¯t in a good mood after he came back. I overheard his conversation with his secretary and I found out that he went to see you, so...¡±

    Xi Xinyi then grabbed her bag and took a folder out. She hesitated for a while and looked at Xi Xiaye, her eyes filled with aughable guilt and unease.

    ¡°Grandmother asked me to give you this. She hopes you can understand what she tried to do. It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t love you, but you¡¯re always like this...¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at Xi Xinyi and did not take the folder immediately. Instead, she asked coldly, ¡°Why isn¡¯t she giving this to me herself?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was stunned for a moment before she replied quietly, ¡°Grandmother¡¯s been busytely, and I was the one who offered to send you this. I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you, but you never gave me a chance, so I...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have anything else left to talk to you about. If it¡¯s about Han Yifeng, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve told him clearly. I kept my promise and didn¡¯t bother you both. On the other hand, you guys keep bothering me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the folder and a chilling light lit up in the depths of her eyes. ¡°Xi Xinyi, actually three years ago, I¡¯ve already decided that I¡¯ll never forgive the both of you the moment Han Yifeng betrayed me to be with you. Even if we aren¡¯t enemies, we can only be strangers. I stepped away and fulfilled your wish, so I hope we¡¯ll mind our own businesses. You¡¯re the one who forced me to say this.¡±

    ¡°No, Sis! You¡¯re Father¡¯s daughter. You can never erase this rtionship of yours. Who doesn¡¯t want to have a happy family? Yueying¡¯s problem isn¡¯t solved yet. Father wanted you toe back and have a talk. Mother even went to University A yesterday to have a word with your mother...¡± Xi Xinyi shook her head and exined.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s body tensed up and her eyes seemed morose. ¡°You guys went to University A to look for Mother? What for? What else do you guys want to take from her? She¡¯s been silent for so many years all because she wants a peaceful quiet life, and you guys still won¡¯t let go of her?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands clenched the folder tightly, her fingernails turning white from the pressure. She stared at Xi Xinyi as several shbacks appeared in her mind. Her eyes darkened as she put on a bitter smile. ¡°I understand now! It¡¯s about the 20% shares my mother has in Yueying, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Back then, when Shen Wenna had divorced Xi Mushan, he had transferred 20% of shares in Yueying over to her. Xi Mushan had signed his name on the document before she left, so the 20% of shares would belong to Shen Wenna the moment she signed the document.

    However, Shen Wenna was a prideful woman. She took the document but did not sign it right away. Nevertheless, the document was still legally recognized and there were records at the administrative office. Shen Wenna had to let them go willingly, otherwise...

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. She scoffed and then asked in a bitter tone, ¡°Does Father know about this? Is it Father who wants the 20% shares back, or is it someone else¡¯s idea?¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked downwards uneasily under Xi Xiaye¡¯s sharp re.

    ¡°You can choose to not answer me. I¡¯ll ask Father myself if it was his idea to do so!¡±

    She then took out her phone and was about to call Xi Mushan. However, Xi Xinyi grabbed her shoulder and stopped her!

    ¡°Sis, it¡¯s not Father¡¯s idea, it¡¯s Grandmother and...¡± Xi Xinyi tried to exin.

    ¡°It¡¯s her and your mother¡¯s idea?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Xi Xinyi threateningly, her voice sounding determined!

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not my mother. It¡¯s me. It¡¯s my idea. Yueying¡¯s shares are falling...¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s your idea?¡± Before Xi Xinyi could finish her sentence, Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s my idea, not my mother¡¯s...¡±

    Thud!

    ¡°Ah!!!¡±

    As Xi Xinyi was still talking, Xi Xiaye mmed the table and stood up. She grabbed the cup of coffee in front of Xi Xinyi and sshed it all over her face. Tossing the cup aside, she turned around and stormed off with the folder.

    As if she did not hear Xi Xinyi¡¯s shocked cry, her slender figure swiftly vanished outside.

 Chapter 105 - Stubborn!

    <h4>Chapter 105: Stubborn!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi freaked out and grabbed some tissue papers on the table to wipe the coffee off her face. The brown liquid had dripped down through her blonde hair. Her makeup was smeared and her white outfit was stained with coffee everywhere. She looked absolutely miserable.

    Fortunately, the coffee was not too hot. If not...

    She sobbed as she was cleaning herself up. Putting an arm on the table to support herself with the other covering her nose and mouth, her hand on the table clenched into a fist. She stared at the cup that was tossed aside and tears filled her eyes.

    After calming herself down, she looked outside the window and saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s back.

    Xi Xiaye walked past the street and went towards the parking lot but just as she reached her car, a luxurious Rolls Royce was parked in front of it.

    What surprised her was not the luxury car, but the man leaning on the car ¡ª it was Han Yifeng!

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression seemed frigid as he looked at Xi Xiaye with his quiet eyes. There were too manyplications between them. As he was focused on her, she still had her usual cold look on her face.

    Xi Xiaye halted in her steps and looked at Han Yifeng before turning her head towards Xi Xinyi who was still inside the caf¨¨ crying. She grinned coldly as she continued walking with the folder in her hand.

    Xi Xiaye walked past Han Yifeng without slowing down at all. She looked straight ahead at her ck Cayenne as she took out the car keys from the pocket of her windbreaker.

    ¡°Xiaye, let¡¯s talk!¡±

    A cold wind blew as he grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm and dragged her backward. Xi Xiaye did not expect him to seize both her arms and force her to turn around and face him.

    ¡°What about? Do you think we still have anything to talk about between us?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not struggle. She just raised her head and stared defiantly at Han Yifeng with her sheer cold eyes.

    ¡°Xiaye, things shouldn¡¯t be like this between us. Do you understand? I hope that we can go back to how it was before. I can be the brother who always protected you, and you can be the old Xiaye who¡¯d stay behind my back. Nothing needs to change. Wouldn¡¯t that be great?¡±

    Han Yifeng seemed disappointed and oddly frustrated while he looked straight at Xi Xiaye and his grip on her arms started to tighten until she felt a slight pain.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s smile grew wider on her beautiful face. Her eyes looked at Han Yifeng sharply and she said between gritted teeth, ¡°Han Yifeng, I gave you a chance three years ago to exin yourself. I¡¯ve also begged you to not leave me. You¡¯re the one who broke all our promises. You betrayed our engagement.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly gave a coldugh and her eyes turned even scarier. ¡°I admit that I did like you back then and hoped to marry you, but I only have that much feelings for you. They finished once they ran out. I earnestly gave them all to you, but not only did you not want it, you even stepped on them while telling me that you loved someone else. So, why would you think that I can still give you two my blessings with a huge smile? I genuinely wish that I could destroy the both of you!¡±

    She pped Han Yifeng¡¯s hand off her left shoulder.

    She could feel the pain on her wound electrify her when he applied pressure on it. If his vice grip had continued any further, the wound might have opened up.

    She took a step back after breaking free of his grip and looked at him calmly with a strong aura of determination around her.

    Ignoring Han Yifeng¡¯s silence, Xi Xiaye turned around. She did not want to waste time with him anymore. Her slender figure passed him under the warm sun. ¡°I¡¯ll get away from you guys and let everyone be at peace. If you guys still bother me and my mother, don¡¯t me me for being vicious. You¡¯ve overestimated yourself. You already meant nothing to me since three years ago...¡±

    She left those words along with the wind, her clear voice echoing in his ear. He was stunned as he watched her walk swiftly went towards the Cayenne and got in.

    Before he could react, the ck Cayenne tore through the streets like a dark tornado.

    Han Yifeng frowned, standing where the Cayenne was just now. His mind went nk until Xi Xinyi approaching him from behind and called his name sadly, ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    Han Yifeng came back to his senses when he heard Xi Xinyi¡¯s cry behind him. He looked at her and saw her terrible state.

    He witnessed the scene where Xi Xiaye mmed the table and poured the coffee all over Xi Xinyi¡¯s face...

    To be more exact, he had been observing them silently in his car the moment Xi Xiaye stepped into the caf¨¨. He never expected that Xi Xiaye would...

    He wanted to talk to her and hoped that she would not vent out her frustrations on Xi Xinyi while he was the one at fault. Moreover, he felt strange after hearing her words. His chest felt tight and ufortable!

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi called out to him again when he did not reply. Her usually beautiful and charming face was now left with a frail and sad expression. She seemed extremely pale and her figure seemed like a mimosa as if she would just shut herself out if a wind blew her.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Han Yifeng pulled her into his arms and asked.

    Xi Xinyi shook her head as she hugged him tightly. She said in a sad tone, ¡°We probably can¡¯t go back to how we were before. She said she¡¯ll never forgive us... Am I not doing enough? But I feel really exhausted, Yifeng... I don¡¯t know what to do anymore...¡±

    Han Yifeng took a deep breath. His cold face softened while heforted her, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop overthinking. We¡¯ve done whatever we need to do. We can only let her be if she insists.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that she won¡¯te to our engagement ceremony...¡±

    ¡°I hope she¡¯lle too, Xinyi. She¡¯d have probablye if it was back then, but now...¡±

 Chapter 106 - Shen Residence In The North

    <h4>Chapter 106: Shen Residence In The North</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car went through the broad highways. After passing several busy junctions, it headed towards the north of the city.

    She suddenly felt like going back to the Shen Residence. Coincidentally, the gifts for Shen Yue and Shen Wenna that she had taken from the Mu Residence were in her trunk. She gave the Shen Residence a call before heading over.

    The Shen Residence was located in the north and taking the train or bus was convenient. Furthermore, there was no need to worry about traffic jams. Based on the estimation that the distance between it and both the Mu Residence and Maple Residence was not really that far away, if one drove quickly, it would only take about 40 minutes to reach the Shen Residence from Maple Residence.

    The Shen Residence was hidden inside in a high-ss vi neighborhood in the outskirts of City Z. It was a big house, but not many people lived there. Aside from Shen Yue and Shen Wenna, there were the housekeeper Uncle Wang and the cook Aunt Xu, and not many other people. Xi Xiaye would only go back every once in a while.

    ¡°Ms. Xi is back!¡±

    Xi XIaye parked her car in front of the entrance. The first person she saw was the housekeeper, Uncle Wang.

    Xi Xiaye nodded with a smile, then she handed the items over to Uncle Wang.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back. Your grandpa and mother really miss you! He even asked me to give you a call just now to see where you are! Hmm? Your husband isn¡¯t with you?¡± Uncle Wang smiled kindly as he took the things from her and asked in a gentle tone.

    The people in the Shen Residence knew she had been married to Mu Yuchen already. Xi Xiaye¡¯s call made everyone think that she was going to bring Mu Yuchen over, so they had gone the extra mile to prepare themselves. Even Shen Yue had left work earlier to return home.

    Xi Xiayeughed. ¡°Mmm, there¡¯s some dy on the road. He¡¯s working today. Where¡¯s Grandpa and Mother?¡±

    ¡°The old CEO just came back and is now drinking tea in the living room. Your mother is cooking in the kitchen. She wanted to make some dishes for you and your husband. She also said that it¡¯s been some time since youst tasted her cooking...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment when she heard his words. Her eyes softened and she went silent before she nodded. ¡°I got it. You can get the things inside first.¡±

    She stopped walking and looked at the crimson red sunset. After moments of hesitation, she took her phone out and quickly found Mr. Mu¡¯s number to give him a call.

    Mu Yuchen was listening to the PR Department Manager reporting about the progress on the opening ceremony of Imperial Sky Jewellery City when his phone started ringing.

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he took a nce at his vibrating phone. His face softened slightly when he saw the word ¡°Missus¡± on the screen. He signaled to the PR Department Manager for her to pause.

    Xi Xiaye was almost going to hang up on the call because she did not expect it would connect. Suddenly, a certain person¡¯s deep voice came through the phone.

    ¡°Missus?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment, but she came back to her senses swiftly. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m at the Shen Residence now. I was just thinking that it¡¯s about time you got off work. Do you want to go back home to cook ore over to the Shen Residence for a meal? Uncle Wang said Mother is cooking today. By the way, her cooking is really delicious...¡±

    She slowly walked towards the vi.

    Mu Yuchen went silent for a moment, then he said, ¡°Send me the address. Please get Mother to prepare an extra pair of chopsticks for me...¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed. ¡°Mmm,e over here after work then. I¡¯ll text you the address in a bit.¡±

    She then hung up and swiftly texted him the address. He replied with an ¡®okay¡¯ in just a few seconds. Then, she went into the house.

    She nced over at the sofa when she went into the luxurious living room and saw Shen Yue¡¯s figure sitting right beside the coffee table.

    ¡°Miss....¡±

    Aunt Xu was holding a teapot when she saw Xi Xiaye. She beamed happily, but just when she was about to call out to her, Xi Xiaye stopped her.

    She kept her phone back into her pocket and nodded to Aunt Xu who smiled back at her before taking the tea from her. Then, she walked towards Shen Yue.

    Shen Yue was carefully studying a jade Chinese chess set beside the coffee table. He was admiring it as he nodded from time to time, seeming very satisfied.

    From the back, Xi Xiaye could recognize that the Chinese chess set was the one Mu Yuchen had gotten Ah Mo to send over and Shen Yue seemed to be very happy with it.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart warmed up when she saw the smile on Shen Yue¡¯s face. She went over and handed him the cup of tea as she smiled. ¡°Grandpa, you seem to be very interested in this Chinese chess set.¡±

    Her voice broke Shen Yue¡¯s train of thought. His eyes looked lovingly at her when he turned around and saw Xi Xiaye. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    He nced behind Xi Xiaye and did not see Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure. ¡°Are you alone?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat down on the sofa. ¡°I just came here on a whim. He¡¯s still in the office and will onlye overter.¡±

    After replying him, she gently picked a chess piece on the board up. A slight warmth came into contact through her fingertips and her eyes brightened as she looked at Shen Yue in surprise. ¡°Is that warm jade?¡±

    Shen Yue nced at her and quickly took the chess piece back. ¡°Of course, this set was auctioned in France and I was already interested in it back then. Who knew that that brat from the Mu family would have issued a higher bid? Anyway, it¡¯s mine now!¡±

    Xi Xiaye then remembered the man had told her before he was previously somewhat affiliated with Shen Yue. Was this one of their episodes?

    Xi Xiayeughed when she saw Shen Yue¡¯s scowl. ¡°Grandpa, you should¡¯ve given him more of a hard time back then. He might¡¯ve taken out even more treasures to please you.¡±

    Shen Yue stared at her coldly after he heard her words. He said grumpily, ¡°I wonder who¡¯s nervous about me giving him a hard time back then. Moreover, what treasure can be more precious than my granddaughter? The Mu family obviously got the better deal here, especially that brat!¡±

 Chapter 107 - Unsigned Document (1)

    <h4>Chapter 107: Unsigned Document (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she heard these words, the curve on Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face widened. She quietly watched Shen Yue for quite a while, then she slowly got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look in the kitchen.¡±

    She had just reached the kitchen entrance when she smelled a tempting aroma filling the air. She raised her head slightly and the view of Shen Wenna¡¯s narrow back greeted her.

    Even though she had passed 50 years of age, Shen Wenna had maintained herself well and she still looked attractive for an aging woman. Appearing rather young, she looked simr to Xi Xiaye. When the mother and daughter stood together, they looked like sisters.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    When she noticed Xiaye standing right behind her, Shen Wenna suddenly turned around. She studied her carefully and in her cold eyes, something shifted.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Xi Xiaye softly answered, then she slowly walked over to wash her hands.

    ¡°The school¡¯s been on holiday these past few days and your grandpa¡¯s less busy too. If you¡¯re free, you shoulde home more often to visit and apany your grandpa. He¡¯s been missing you.¡± Shen Wenna stirred the vegetables in the wok as she said this.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Xi Xiaye habitually answered.

    While when she heard this, Shen Wenna suddenly frowned slightly. She looked at Xi Xiaye who had turned on the tap beside her and was quietly washing her hands. Helplessly, she sighed on the inside.

    Her daughter was so much like her, equally apathetic and stubborn without wanting to admit defeat.

    She thought it before turning the tap off and suddenly saying softly.¡±The day before yesterday, he came looking for me.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Shen Wenna retrieved her gaze and asked as she stir-fried the hot and sour shredded potato.

    Xi Xiaye straightened up and slowly turned over, quietly staring at Shen Wenna¡¯s slim back. She fell silent for a long while and then said calmly, ¡°Father...¡±

    When she heard her daughter, Shen Wenna¡¯s body momentarily stiffened. Her movements stopped abruptly too as if some kind of motor in her was halted.

    ¡°He said that Friday is Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s engagement ceremony, so he wants me to attend and he even said that Grandfather¡¯s health is worsening...¡±

    ...

    ¡°Whatever you decide, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    A while after, Shen Wenna suddenly turned around, her slightly dim eyes gazing at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, the thing between your father and I happened only because we didn¡¯t know how to manage our marriage well, but this doesn¡¯t apply to everyone. No matter what, don¡¯t give up the right to fight for your happiness. You¡¯re a smart child. You should know what I mean.¡±

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for quite a while, then she nodded. ¡°I got it.¡±

    Shen Wenna sighed softly and fell silent for a moment. Then, she continued, ¡°I can see that Mu Yuchen¡¯s a pretty kind person. As for Han Yifeng, just forget him. No matter how many storms you¡¯ve gone through together, when a new rtionship surfaces, we have to believe in it. As strong as we can be, we¡¯re just women... If there¡¯s a pretty sweet person who¡¯s willing to give you love and care, why don¡¯t we ept it sincerely?¡±

    As she listened, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt a mix of emotions swell in her chest and she looked at Shen Wenna. She longed to ask her since she knew this principle, why had she been all by herself all these years?

    When those words were about to rush out, she stifled them. Now that things were like this, why would she want to open up old wounds again?

    She quietly watched Shen Wenna. Hesitating momentarily, she did not pursue this topic anymore. Instead, she remembered the reason why Xi Xinyi had looked for her earlier.

    ¡°Mother, back then when you got a divorce with Father, he gave 20% of his Yueying shares to you... That document... Is it still with you?¡±

    Once Xi Xiaye finished, Shen Wenna was startled. She abruptly turned to look at Xi Xiaye in surprise. ¡°Why would you suddenly ask about this?¡±

    She had almost forgotten all about it!

    ¡°Is it still with you?¡± Xi Xiaye softly asked again, her gaze had an unfathomable flicker which made it hard to guess her thoughts.

    Shen Wenna looked at her for quite a while, then she nodded. ¡°It¡¯s still with me.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I want the 20% of shares. Can you... sign it?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes glimmered with some anticipation as she silently looked at Shen Wenna.

    Shen Wenna paused, her eyes shing with a darkness, yet her expression remained indifferent. She looked at Xi Xiaye and seemed to have understood something. ¡°Did they go looking for you too?¡±

    ¡°Mother, you know about that?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Shen Wenna tossed the vegetables while her voice was calm. ¡°If they didn¡¯t go looking for you, you wouldn¡¯t have suddenly asked me about this.¡±

    ¡°Finish washing the vegetables first. Come to my study room after dinner,¡± Shen Wenna inly said, then the conversation between mother and daughter ended just like that.

    She assisted Shen Wenna and was busy in the kitchen for close to an hour. Finally, they finished preparing dinner. In fact, it looked pretty sumptuous.

    When Xi Xiaye walked out of the kitchen to serve the food, she could hear Shen Yue¡¯s joyfulughter from afar.

    ¡°Ah Chen, your chess is definitely much better than those two old fellows in the Mu family. How rare! I didn¡¯t expect you to know Chinese chess too. Not many young people do. Even Xiaye doesn¡¯t! I¡¯ve taught her many times, but every time she¡¯d withdraw her move halfway. In fact, her manners in chess aren¡¯t great, but that girl¡¯s game of Go is pretty decent. She¡¯s a master with some tricks up her sleeves. Even I¡¯m no match for her...¡±

    ¡°Does she always y chess with you, Grandpa?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep and calm voice was heard, then the crisp sound of the chess piece falling onto the board echoed. ¡°Your turn, Grandpa.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay, let me see... I don¡¯t have many hobbies. Just like your grandmother and them, I¡¯ll y chess sometimes. Thest time when your grandma was still around, I still had someone to y with, but when she left, I had no one, so Xiaye became my chess buddy...¡± Shen Yue said as he stared down at the chessboard.

    ¡°When you¡¯re free, you can go y cards or chess, and pass the time with Grandfather and Grandmother. Now that they¡¯ve retired, they don¡¯t have many programmes to pass time at home either.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Pack it up. Get ready for dinner!¡± Xi Xiaye put the dishes on the table and called out to the duo ying chess on the coffee table.

    When he heard her voice, Mu Yuchen slowly turned to take a look at her and he smiled calmly at her. Then, he extended a hand to help Shen Yue up. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first, Grandpa.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll continue again after dinner. Ah, no need to pack it up, no need!¡± Shen Yue said to Aunt Xu who was about to tidy up before he walked to the dining table.

    A while after, the whole family sat down together.

    Seeing Shen Yue beaming and getting Mu Yuchen to drink up like two buddies, Xi Xiaye could not help but lean to her side and said in a lowered voice into his ear, ¡°Grandpa seems to really like you. You¡¯re really good at pleasing people.¡±

 Chapter 108 - Unsigned Document (2)

    <h4>Chapter 108: Unsigned Document (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her clear voice brushed past his ears. When Mu Yuchen turned to look at her, she was holding up her chopsticks and raising her brows as she looked at him, bemused.

    ¡°Does it make my Missus feel threatened?¡± His calm voice was softly heard and it came with a sensitive depth.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him from the side, her calm expression shing with disregard. Then, she continued to eat her food while across her, Shen Yue had already continued to get Mu Yuchen to drink up.

    After dinner, Xi Xiaye tidied up and then went to Shen Wenna¡¯s study room while Mu Yuchen yed chess with Shen Yue.

    Knock knock!

    The rhythmic sound of the door being rapped was heard. Immediately from the study room came Shen Wenna¡¯s clear voice. ¡°Come in!¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached out to push open the door, walked in, and then looked up to see Shen Wenna who was currently sitting before the spacious and tidy study desk. She was currently looking down and writing at a tremendous speed. It looked like she was marking assignments...

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xiaye stood at the door and called out softly.

    Shen Wenna lifted her head unhurriedly to see Xi Xiaye who stood at the door. Quite a while after that, she set aside the pen in her hand and nodded to indicate for her to walk over. As she turned to pull a file out from the shelf, she took the document inside out.

    Xi Xiaye walked over and stopped by Shen Wenna¡¯s side, then she followed her mother¡¯s gaze and looked at the document in her hand. It was right. It was that document that Xi Mushen had given Shen Wenna back then...

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t bring this up, I would¡¯ve forgotten all about it.¡±

    Shen Wenna casually flipped the document in her hand, then looked up at Xi Xiaye. Her gaze was calm. ¡°Actually this should be yours. After all, I¡¯m not good in business. In fact, I hope that you won¡¯t be taken advantage of too.¡±

    Then, she picked up her pen and quickly signed her name on the inscription. She put it back into the folder and handed it to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye slowly epted it as she quietly watched her. She did not know what to say. She thought about it for a long time before finally finding a topic. ¡°Is the school about to go on break?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, there aren¡¯t many sses recently either. I¡¯m only taking on two sses, so it¡¯s much easier-going than the years before. Sit and have some tea.¡± Shen Wenna arranged the stack of documents on her desk and put them onto the shelf behind her. Then, she got up and walked towards the sofa.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for quite a while before following her. Shen Wenna had already very quickly brewed some tea. She picked a cup up and carefully took a sip. ¡°Fresh Pu Er?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, take some backter. I don¡¯t like tea,¡± Shen Wenna inly responded. After a moment of silent thought, she continued, ¡°Are you nning to stay in Glory World forever? Your grandpa¡¯s spirits aren¡¯t like the years before. A few months ago, he mentioned to me that he was nning to let you go abroad to advance your studies. You should know what he means.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused and lowered her eyes to stare at the swaying tea in her hands. Suddenly, she did not know what to say.

    ¡°Because of your father and me, we ruined your childhood. All these years we¡¯ve given you too little care. Xiaye, do you think that as your mother, I feel like a stranger to you?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes suddenly revealed a hint of darkness. Her hands slowly gripped the teacup tightly as she looked up at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was dazed for a moment, then she gently shook her head. ¡°No...¡±

    In her impression, her mother, Shen Wenna, was actually a very cold person. She always maintained her elegant and calm demeanor. Even if Father had cruelly betrayed her, she kept her sadness and disappointment to herself. After being dispirited for a while, she picked herself back up. Xiaye wanted to say that her mother had actually always been a very healthy role model to her.

    When she heard Xi Xiaye say that, Shen Wenna suddenly chuckled elegantly. Despite her age, her attractive face revealed a rare smile filled with warmth. ¡°When I look at you, I always think about my younger self. In the blink of an eye, I¡¯m old now. As beautiful as the memories were, they can¡¯t resist the fleeting time that passes by abundantly. In a sh, everything has be unadulterated.¡±

    She could vaguely feel the bleakness in Shen Wenna¡¯s words, so Xi Xiaye softly called out to her, ¡°Mother...¡±

    Still, Shen Wenna just calmly inhaled and lifted a hand to massage the fatigued space in between her brows and said with waning interest, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s veryte now. I¡¯m worried you guys aren¡¯t used to being out sote either, so it¡¯s best to go back earlier. Does Ah Chen still have to go to work tomorrow?¡±

    Shen Wenna had always kept a lot to herself and was not willing to talk about anything with anyone. Even if it were her daughter, Xi Xiaye, she would neverin in front of her.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that she seemed a little down, she consoled her, but noticing that she continued to keep silent, she left.

    Xi Xiaye drove back to Maple Residence. Mu Yuchen had drunk quite a bit with Shen Yue, so once he got into the car, he immediately leaned back to rest with his eyes closed.

    The car was very quiet. In fact, they could vaguely feel an out-of-the-ordinary stifled sort of quiet.

    After he felt more at ease, Mu Yuchen opened his eyes to look at the petite woman driving beside him. When he saw her calm expression and her intense focus on the road ahead with a cold aura all around her, he pondered for a moment, then said softly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Weren¡¯t you just fine earlier? Did your mother criticize you?¡±

    His sudden voice startled the driving Xi Xiaye. She looked at him from the side then shook her head. ¡°No, I just don¡¯t know whether what I¡¯m doing is right or wrong. She didn¡¯t even ask me what I wanted to do. I thought she wouldn¡¯t give it to me...¡±

    When he heard her, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes revealed that he was puzzled.

    Xi Xiaye could only sigh to herself. Holding the steering wheel steadily with one hand, she took the two files beside her to hand them to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Look for yourself.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took it and opened the first file. It was that document that Shen Wenna had signed while the second file was the copy of the document that Xi Xiaye had signed in West Park the other day, attached with a cheque for $5 million.

    His eyes suddenly revealed a cold light. It was hard to read emotions in his gaze as his expression remained very calm. His long fingers held onto the cheque and he turned to fix his eyes on Xi Xiaye. ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    ¡°This is the so-called pensation¡¯ that they¡¯re giving me. Xi Xinyi called me this afternoon to ask me out,¡± she answered inly.

    ¡°So, did you go?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned and subconsciously looked at her. He did not notice anything odd, so he said, ¡°You know that they will do this to you, yet you still went. Xi Xiaye, should I be praising you for your bravery?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have the guts to go? The person who¡¯s in the wrong isn¡¯t me. Do they think I¡¯m Mother? I¡¯ll take however much thepensation is! I¡¯d be a fool if I didn¡¯t!¡±

 Chapter 109 - Good Person and Profiteer

    <h4>Chapter 109: Good Person and Profiteer</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Screech!

    Feeling her heart weighed down, she drove the car to the side and stepped on the brake. She looked indignantly at the man beside her, the emotions that she had repressed for a long time finally urging to be vented.

    She raised her voice that was clearly filled with an endurance of pain and anger as it entered his ears. In that instance, he frowned slightly as well. He put the document aside and then looked at her calmly. To her surprise, he was not unhappy about her fury that burst out without a warning at all.

    Seeing her chest heaving and that tensed little face of hers, without saying anything, he just watched her like that. Her expression was very calm as he just let her afflicted, starry eyes re at him.

    The two pairs of eyes looked at each other. Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were filled with an irritation and heaviness from enduring her pain that could not be concealed while his eyes remained unaffected, calm and distant. His gaze seemed to be admiring her anger, making it hard for her to vent the feelings she had repressed in her chest.

    She red at him for a very long time, then finally furiously turned her head away and did not look at him.

    When he saw this, the frown on Mu Yuchen deepened. Indeed, as the legend went, women were always such unfathomable mysteries when they got angry...

    A while after that, he helplessly held his forehead and said softly, ¡°Okay, didn¡¯t I not say anything about you? I was just worried that getting in touch with them would make them take advantage of you. Look at how every time you encounter them, the one who loses out is you.¡±

    ¡°This time I didn¡¯t lose out. I was just a little mad that they¡¯re always racking their brains to plot to take Mother¡¯s 20% of shares. Initially, everyone should be taking a step back. Then, we can live a peaceful life. What¡¯s so bad about that?¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Mu Yuche raised his handsome brows and looked at her.

    ¡°So, I sshed her face with coffee. It felt awesome! I even said some mean things.¡± Xi Xiaye inhaled, then she turned her line of sight to the file on the side. She reached out to pick up the document that Shen Wenna had signed and handed to her. ¡°Thepany wants to take over Yueying, doesn¡¯t it? With this, wouldn¡¯t it be much simpler? I¡¯ve already thought of the reason. It¡¯s I who sold all of these shares to Glory World. Then, Glory World can enter Yueying with the identity of a shareholder. With your capabilities, once you¡¯ve got in, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard for you to purchase the other scattered shares in the dark.¡±

    Her gaze was as clear as autumn waters as she fixed her gaze on him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze instantly became incredibly distant as he silently studied the document she handed him, yet he did not immediately take it. He looked up and locked his sights onto that fair, delicate face and did not say anything for a long time.

    When she saw him not making a move, Xi Xiaye sighed softly and exined calmly, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to cower. Blindly backing down doesn¡¯t seem to get me what I want. Maybe changing my methods and controlling some things that they care for could hold them back instead.¡±

    She did not want to exin too much either. These past few days, she had been reflecting on herself. Perhaps, right from the start, the method she had chosen was wrong. People always said thatpromise would make a conflict much easier to resolve, but when these words were applied to her, it might not be applicable.

    ¡°Do you want Yueying?¡± He looked into her beautiful eyes and asked stoically.

    When he saw that his deep eyes were gathered with a dark whirlpool, she instantly became dazed. She lowered her eyes and muttered to herself momentarily, then met with his unwavering gaze. With a determined look, she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want it, but maybe having it would make me live a little better.¡±

    Hearing this, Mu Yuchen nodded knowingly and smiled. ¡°It looks like your IQ isn¡¯t so low that it¡¯s embarrassing after all. Since that is so, let¡¯s consider it a newlywed gift. What do you think?¡±

    As she listened, Xiaye raised her brows a little suspiciously as she looked at him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s honorable and handsome face had already been covered with a dark cloud. He squinted his dark eyes dangerously and said coldly between gritted teeth, ¡°Wanting to threaten Mu Yuchen¡¯s Missus with just $5 million? They really looked down on you! As your husband, I¡¯ll have to swing my fists in their face and fight them!¡±

    Xiaye was amused by his demeanor and could not help but purse her lips andugh. She shot him an amused look. ¡°Mr. Mu, your thoughts are very dangerous.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled, then he leaned over and took the document in her hand. His hand lightly held her by the shoulders and gently pulled her into his embrace. ¡°What nonsense are you thinking about? I¡¯m a good person that robs the rich and gives to the poor...¡±

    ¡°Does your face say that you¡¯re a good person? <i>You¡¯re </i> a good person? I take one look at you and just think that you¡¯re a huge profiteer through and through. With one ancient jade chess set and those awful chess skills, you could already amuse Grandpa.¡± She red at him unhappily, then started the car.

    Mr. Mu objected, his handsome brows raised as he said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t see the words ¡®profiteer¡¯ written on my face either. How did your discerning eyes just dere that I am one?¡±

    ¡°You look like a profiteer because I say so. You even want to fight with me over these words. You¡¯re no gentleman at all.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I should yield to you and silently ept it?¡±

    ¡°Profiteer is a word of positive connotations, Mr. Mu!¡±

    ¡°Even if ites with positive connations, what does this have to do with being a gentleman?¡±

    Mr. Mu was suddenly a little shocked by Xiaye¡¯s leaping thought process. Were all women like this?

    ...

    It was alreadyte at night when they returned to Maple Residence. Mu Yuchen had just walked out from the bathroom when he saw Xi Xiaye arranging the clothes in the wardrobe. She had just brought some of her clothing over from the Shen residence.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly thought of something, so he reminded her, ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll tell Sis Wang to apany you to Imperial Sky to choose some clothes that you like. The day after tomorrow is thepany anniversary celebration.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped what she was doing and shot him a look. She subconsciously looked over at the wardrobe that was filled with rows of clothes and finally, her gaze fell onto the ck professional suit that she always wore. ¡°It¡¯s not some grand event. Can¡¯t I just dress as usual?¡±

    The meetings that thepany had organized in the past were all coordinated by the Public Rtions department. Because she usually did not appear before the public, naturally she would not care about these things.

    ¡°In fact, I¡¯m not quite suited to wear any gown right now...¡±

    When she thought about how her shoulder had not yet recoveredpletely, Xi Xiaye could onlyugh bitterly.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes sank for a moment. He stared at her for quite a while, then walked over. ¡°When it¡¯s better, we¡¯ll go to the hospital and see if the scars can fade.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. The wound isn¡¯t considered too huge, so it¡¯ll be fine after some time,¡± Xi Xiaye answered calmly, then she continued to tidy her things, yet Mu Yuchen¡¯s initially still expression had be stormy. He watched her lower her head and continue to be busy. Internally, his heart could not hold back the faint feelings of pity for her.

 Chapter 110 - Glory World Anniversary (1)

    <h4>Chapter 110: Glory World Anniversary (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    From Wednesday onwards, Glory World Corporation¡¯s break had almoste to an end and the wholepany was anticipating the anniversary celebration on Thursday. The Public Rtions Department was busy running around coordinating the event.

    Glory World¡¯s anniversary banquet was located at Imperial Sky Hall on the seventh floor of Imperial Sky Hotel.

    This grand hall in Imperial Sky Hotel was especially used to organize grand banquets.

    On Thursday morning, after Mu Yuchen left the house, she drove to thepany as well.

    The anniversary even would only begin at 7 in the evening. Mu Yuchen had rushed to City B early in the morning. She heard that it was to discuss negotiating the development of a new movie city with the partnerpany. It was probably the same as the other day and he would only be able to rush back in the afternoon.

    ...

    It was a splendid afternoon. The warm sun scattered its dazzling golden rays throughout the blue sky. Bathing in the soft light, Glory World Corporation appeared even more extraordinary in grandeur.

    Inside the simple and elegant office, the nning Director, Xi Xiaye, was sitting before her desk and reading the documents that the Commerce Department had sent over. At that moment, there was suddenly a light knocking on the door.

    She frowned slightly, yet she did not look up and just answered, ¡°Come in!¡±

    Her assistant, Xiao Mei, then walked lightly over and bowed to say, ¡°Director Xi, Manager Fang from the Public Rtions Department just called to say that the Imperial Sky Hotel preparations are almost done. They asked if you¡¯d like to go over and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, tell them that I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed the document in her hand and got up to put the things on her desk into the folder. Then, she turned around to put on the windbreaker on the clothes rack. On the side, Xiao Mei had quickly walked up to take her briefcase too. The two of them then took huge strides out of the door.

    When walking through thepany¡¯s long corridor and waiting for the elevator, Xiao Mei suddenly carefully said to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Director Xi, I heard that Director Liu has gone over too. Her performance this year seemed pretty outstanding. I wonder if she¡¯d be as lucky asst year and get the race car again.¡±

    The Director Liu she was talking about was Liu Peilian, Xi Xiaye¡¯s rival. The fact that someone of Xi Xiaye¡¯s age could climb up to this position caused many people to be unconvinced and Liu Peilian was one of the skeptics. The previous Chairman had even taken some of her previous projects to appoint Xi Xiaye in-charge. Naturally, having her projects snatched away by Xi Xiaye, she disliked her.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t thepany get her to make arrangements for the anniversary with the Public Rtions Department?¡± Xi Xiaye indifferently looked at the moving numbers disyed at the elevator while she put one of her hands in her windbreaker pocket as she asked casually.

    Xiao Mei nodded and carefully looked at Xi Xiaye who did not show any emotions on her face. Softly, she informed her, ¡°Director, earlier, Manager Fang called to ask you to go over. It seemed like because they are in disagreement with Director Liu, they probably want you to go over earlier and get your opinion. In the past, Public Rtions has been going along with your insights. This year, if it were not for the new Chairman Mu taking office, Director Zhang wouldn¡¯t have let Director Liu help out.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean that Public Rtions is nning to do a weing party for Chairman Mu at the same time?¡± Xi Xiaye was a little surprised as she raised her brows.

    ¡°Yes, Director. In fact, I heard that Public Rtions has invited quite a few celebrities to join the banquet. They¡¯re all artistes signed on with Glory World such as that very popr new perfect female idol, the ambassador of public goodwill, Xi Xinyi. She even has the same surname as you, Director! It seems like Public Rtions has invited her!¡±

    Once Xiao Mei said this, Xi Xiaye instantly frowned. In shock, she turned to Xiao Mei. ¡°What did you say? Xi Xinyi? Does she have any coboration with Glory World?¡±

    Xiao Mei smiled and nodded, her eyes filled with anticipation. ¡°Yes! She and Glory World have agreed for her to be Imperial Sky Jewellery City¡¯s spokesperson. She looks great and we¡¯re all very excited about it. When the Public Rtions Department went looking for her, we knew that she would definitely agree. Based on Glory World¡¯s capabilities, so many artistes want to coborate with us. Right, Director, I heard that Xi Xinyi will be expanding in the country...¡±

    While her ears kept hearing Xiao Mei ramble on about matters rted to Xi Xinyi, just like when she heard about her and Han Yifeng¡¯s engagement, Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes shed with a coldness.

    When she saw the elevator door open, her apathetic figure walked in.

    Xiao Mei, who had always been an expert at reading bodynguage, could vaguely feel that Xi Xiaye did not seem pleased, so she did not continue.

    When the Cayenne drove into the Imperial Sky Hotel, it was already past 6 p.m. in the evening. She had just walked to the hotel entrance when she saw the festively decorated flower arch. The entire hotel had also closed for business temporarily because that night would just be to serve Glory World.

    Many guards and bodyguards were arranged in front of the entrance. Everyone needed to have thepany identity card or a guest invitation to enter. All reporters had been rejected at the door and security was very tight.

    The Imperial Sky Hall on the seventh floor of Imperial Sky Hotel was currently decorated impressively andvishly. Inside the hall that could fit up to thousands of people, hundreds of tables had been neatly arranged with fruits and exquisite desserts. There were even all sorts of drinks, and up front, right in the middle was a huge stage. Clearly, it was set up for performances.

    All around the hall one could see the busy figures of the waiters and Glory World staff. The lively and rxing banquet music filled the entire space. Listening to it made one feel an inevitable sense of anticipation.

    ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯re finally here! Manager Fang¡¯s waiting for you backstage. He¡¯s been anxious!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just stepped into the hall when the assistant to Manager Fang of the Public Rtions Department went to her, seeming quite worried.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned at her. She took a cup of water that the waiter had brought and handed it to her, indicating for her to calm down.

    ¡°Thank you, Director Xi! Director Xi, it¡¯s best if you go over and take a look.¡±

    ...

    She had just walked to the lounge backstage when she immediately heard amotion. As she approached, she noticed that Manager Fang seemed to be arguing about something with the Project Director, Liu Peilian. The two of them looked extremely agitated.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm voice was heard, interrupting their argument. Both of them stopped at the same time and looked towards the door.

    ¡°Director Xi, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re here. There¡¯s something that I¡¯d like your opinion on.¡± Manager Fang took a look at Liu Peilian, then walked over to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Xi Xiaye looked puzzledly at the two of them. When Liu Peilian saw Xi Xiaye, her face sank.

    ¡°There¡¯s a group of reporters surrounding the ce outside. I¡¯m thinking to let the media in to achieve some publicity. Imperial Sky Entertainment City is going tounch right after the New Year, so seizing the enthusiasm this time, maybe we could even add on to some of its poprity, but Director Liu thinks it¡¯s not too appropriate...¡±

 Chapter 111 - Glory World Anniversary (2)

    <h4>Chapter 111: Glory World Anniversary (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Once Manager Fang said this, Xi Xiaye frowned. ¡°Previously, when we were nning things, wasn¡¯t it already agreed that media and reporters would be rejected? What¡¯s the problem?¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood Liu Peilian¡¯s concern. The reason they rejected these people from entering was that they were worried the media would be reckless and simply write their stories. Previously, after organizing the anniversary celebrations for several years, the media had exaggerated about Glory World and that made the old Chairman Mu Yinan very unhappy. After that, the Public Rtions Department had canceled all invitations to the media.

    ¡°This time it¡¯s different. Thepany has invited several A-list celebrities to support the event. I think that with such an opportunity, we should use it properly,¡± exined Manager Fang.

    ¡°Even if we want to use it, we can¡¯t do it at this anniversary. You know that Chairman Mu doesn¡¯t like media and reporters. If we infuriate him, what¡¯s the point of organizing this anniversary?¡± Manager Fang had just finished when Liu Peilian could not help but speak up to refute.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly. She thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you choose one or two bigger media houses and let them do an exclusive report? When they¡¯re done drafting, let Chairman Mu personally review. If Chairman Mu approves, then they can publish it.¡±

    Manager Fang¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. ¡°But we have to guarantee that on Chairman Mu¡¯s end...¡±

    Before Manager Fang could finish, Xi Xiaye had already interrupted her and turned a blind eye to Liu Peilian¡¯s darkened gaze, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You guys just focus on contacting two trustworthy media houses, leave the rest to me.¡± She suddenly turned to leave, making Liu Peilian watch all this with gritted teeth.

    She walked around and simply checked the situation at the venue. When she returned to the hall, the seats were already almost filled. Apart from the few tables up front in the middle for the important guests, almost everyone else had arrived.

    The Vice Presidents and Directors under Glory World Corporation, and some of thepany¡¯s backbones including those who had been moved abroad had all rushed back. Some dashing blonde-haired, blue-eyed, handsome guys were sitting at the few tables in the middle. They were Glory World Corporation¡¯s elite think tank.

    ¡°Eh, Director Xi, why are you still here? Vice President Liu and Vice President Zhang have been looking all over for you! The guests have mostly arrived! The event is about to begin!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just returned to the hall when her assistant, Xiao Mei, panted as she rushed over.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Xi Xiaye already saw Liu Lingyu, Zhang Lan, and the rest chatting away with the upper management of Glory World, so she picked up her pace and walked over.

    ¡°Vice President Liu, Vice President Zhang!¡±

    ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯re here! We were just waiting for you. Let¡¯s take a seat.¡±

    Liu Lingyu saw that Xi Xiaye hade over and he immediately smiled kindly with an aura of friendliness. ¡°You¡¯ve been on leave for quite a few days. How¡¯s your health?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern. I¡¯m all good.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat down. Her seat was near Liu Lingyu.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. You looked quite pale too. I thought it was because you were too busy with work and had fallen ill. That would be bad. Right, the matter about thepany entering the showbiz industry...¡±

    Liu Lingyu was someone very passionate about work. At that moment, he did not forget about work.

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly at the waiter who had gone over to serve her water. Then, she turned to Liu Lingyu and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vice President Liu. Chairman Mu has informed me about this. Feel free to let me know whenever you need help. I¡¯ll definitely do my best.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I was frankly waiting to hear this! I was really worried that Chairman Mu wouldn¡¯t agree to this. After all, the South River project you¡¯re taking on isn¡¯t light.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we young people should be even more enthusiastic?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled.

    On the side, Vice President Zhang Lan smiled and echoed, ¡°Hearing your words, it really makes me feel like I¡¯m suddenly much younger. Your enthusiasm is infectious, Director Xi.¡±

    ¡°VP Zhang, we can¡¯t deny that we¡¯re old now and we can¡¯tpare with these brilliant youngsters. Haha...¡± Once Liu Lingyu said this, the table full of people instantlyughed along.

    ¡°Right, what time is Chairman Mu arriving?¡± Someone noticed that the main seat up front was still empty, so he could not help but ask.

    Glory World¡¯s number one person was considered the main highlight of the night, so naturally he attracted attention.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already called Assistant Li Si, but the phone¡¯s still switched off. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re still on the flight, but Chairman Mu called earlier to say that once it¡¯s time, we should start first. He¡¯ll rush over as soon as he can. He wouldn¡¯t miss the finale.¡±

    ...

    Once Zhang Lan said this, there were suddenly sounds of people crying out in surprise at the entrance behind them and some joyful cheering. Xi Xiaye and the rest subconsciously turned to look at the entrance of the grand hall.

    They saw that walking up front was an amorous woman dressed in a red bareback gown. Xi Xiaye did remember her a little. She was an A-list celebrity who was currently quite popr. Behind her, she was followed by several other A-list celebrities. When she saw that figure that was as fair as snowing inst, Xi Xiaye¡¯s entire figure was slightly startled at that second!

    It was Xi Xinyi!

    She saw that she was wearing a fresh, white, long dress with a beautiful, glittering shawl of the same shade. Her light golden, long hair fell down her shoulders and there were even some pink pearls or light-colored little flowers adorning her hair. Her skin was as white as jade and her gorgeous face only had light make up on with a sweet-tempered and generous smile. She wore a chunky pearl ne around her neck. With her graceful figure wrapped in that simple and elegant white dress, she looked like a gentle angel.

    If it were not for the fact that she had experienced all that she had, Xi Xiaye thought that she would probably be moved to see her enter in such a breathtaking way.

    When she saw her smile and gently wave to the crowd on both sides, it seemed like the people were like watching a concert as they shrieked delightedly.

    At that moment, Xi Xinyi had everyone¡¯s attention. Her every gaze and smile made everyone fall for her. This charm was something that she, Xi Xiaye, could not possess.

    She suddenly seemed to understand why Han Yifeng would abandon her and fall for Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi was currently the sun that shone ten thousand rays of light. She existed as the most beautiful goddess in everyone¡¯s hearts, while she, Xi Xiaye, seemed to be the furthest star in the lonely night sky. She could only watch this from afar, flickering with a dim light...

    However, it seemed that she and everyone else had already forgotten that the twinkling star in the night sky might actually be even more dazzling than the sun. It was just because it was too far away and hidden too deep, so others always neglected that glimmer that had to travel through many years before it could shine on Earth...

    She had not understood this reasoning until muchter when a certain someone had whispered into her ear, ¡°Missus, while there are many stars that are more dazzling than the sun in this vast universe, I discovered a star like you.

    As she recalled and thought about it, she could not help but realize that tears had welled up in her eyes...

 Chapter 112 - Glory World Anniversary (3)

    <h4>Chapter 112: Glory World Anniversary (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yet, such a moment of radiance was just for a split second. When all of the bright lights vanished, what remained would just be in. After all, who could possess an eternal splendor?

    Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly. Moments after, she returned to her usual indifference. Her calm eyes looked at Xi Xinyi and the other popr artistes quietly as they smiled and walked on the red carpet while waving.

    The Public Rtions Manager and Project Director, Liu Peilian, had also walked up to greet the several guests. The popr artistes had attended in their best clothes as they contended in beauty and fascination, adding magnificent colors to the banquet.

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    ¡°Thank you. We¡¯re very honored to have the chance to join Glory World¡¯s anniversary celebration.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. This must be the famous Director Liu!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Manager Fang, Director Liu!¡±

    ¡°Vice President Liu, Vice President Zhang!¡±

    A few of them walked up to Xi Xiaye¡¯s table and very courteously greeted everyone with gentle smiles on their faces.

    ¡°Who is this?¡±

    ¡°This is Director Xi of Glory World. Director Xi, this is Miss Kate. I believe you should have some impression of her. Last year, at Young Master Wang¡¯s wedding, the two of you had drinks together. Do you still remember?¡± Director Liu fervently introduced the sensuous woman who walked ahead in her long red gown.

    ¡°Hello, Director Xi. I¡¯m very honored that we meet again!¡±

    Miss Kate smiled and hurled out a hand to Xi Xiaye who also smiled and nodded. She very amiably shook her hand too. ¡°The honor is mine. I hope that we¡¯ll have a happy coboration.¡±

    ¡°Happy coborating!¡±

    After Xi Xinyi greeted the several upper management of Glory World, she subconsciously looked over to Xi Xiaye, yet someone had already ushered her to her seat as the banquet was about to begin.

    Xi Xinyi looked on with mixed emotions at Xi Xiaye¡¯s table, yet thetter pretended not to see her. She was chatting away with a certain Vice President who had moved away.

    She pursed her luscious lips and stared at Xi Xiaye for a long while. There was a faint smile that did not fade on her face. The table she sat at was for all of Glory World Corporation¡¯s invited guests; there were super popr A-list singers or special guests such as partners with Glory World.

    Apart from Mu Yuchen¡¯s seat that was still vacant, the entire banquet venue was already filled up. Up front, the host had asked for instructions from the Vice Presidents. The few Vice Presidents exchanged a look and then nodded slightly before the host walked up the stage.

    The upbeat and soothing piano music started to turn into a majestic opening symphony. The host held the microphone and begun his opening remarks that stirred everyone¡¯s spirits. Soon, a wave of cheers was heard as he announced the official opening ceremony of Glory World¡¯s anniversary celebration.

    First up was a very upbeat violin solo as the opening. The entire banquet atmosphere instantly livened up while everyone¡¯s ears were filled with the sound of a melodious violin piece that lifted one¡¯s spirits. Even Xi Xiaye¡¯s gloomy mood because of the incident earlier vanished.

    She was about to have a drink when she suddenly felt the handphone in her pocket buzz. Quickly taking it out to look, she saw that it was a text message from Mu Yuchen. He was rushing over and would reach soon. Xi Xiaye replied with an ¡°mmm¡± before keeping her phone away.

    After the opening violin solo was thepany¡¯s Vice President Liu Lingyu¡¯s speech. He roughly summarized Glory World Corporation¡¯s main achievements of the year and expressed his hopes for the next year. In addition to that, he especially introduced Glory World Corporation¡¯s main structure briefly.

    ¡°Director Xi¡¯s performance for the year seems pretty outstanding. A few days ago, at the annual meeting, Chairman Mu even personallymended you. Director Xi, are you also looking forward to seeing what award Chairman Mu will hand youter?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was drinking when Vice President Zhang Lan¡¯s friendly and gentle voice suddenly came from the side. She looked up at her and saw her watching her with anticipation.

    Had he personallymended her?

    Did he seem like the type of person to praise her in front of everyone?

    As she listened, Xi Xiaye could not help but raise her brows slightly. She looked a little shocked at Zhang Lang, yet Zhang Lan thought that even Xi Xiaye was very excited to know what award she would get. ¡°The Public Rtions Department hit it off pretty well. They wouldn¡¯t let me know no matter how I asked, but you¡¯ve been reaping quite a bit this year. Let¡¯s leave it as a surprise and wait for it to be revealed.¡±

    The name lists of the award winners were derived from the few Vice Presidents¡¯prehensive assessments based on the actual situation. They naturally knew everything and were just teasing her right now.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Zhang Lan¡¯s friendly and gentle smile, then she nodded gently and smiled. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s thanks to thepany¡¯s cultivation.¡±

    Zhang Lan liked Xi Xiaye. She was low-profile and not brash. When some people looked to her for help, she would almost never reject, especially the Commerce Department. Earlier, because Commerce Director Chu Feng was temporarily relocated, she had practically run both ends of the nning and Commerce Department. She kept up with both sides of the work and did not let thepany down. She persisted for more than a month until the sessor was in ce and she clearly looked frailer after that.

    To say that she was a workaholic was absolutely suitable. It was no wonder that the people that came under Liu Lingyu were almost all workaholics. The phrase ¡°heaven rewards the diligent¡± had always been one of the words of wisdom they motivated themselves with.

    Superiors also liked hardworking and intelligent subordinates just as teachers liked obedient, bright, and diligent students!

    A while after that, Liu Lingyu finally finished his speech and the sumptuous dishes of the banqyet began to be served. Several famous artistes that hade to support the event began to perform on stage.

    The first person to go on stage and perform an emotional song was Miss Kate who had greeted Xi Xiaye earlier. When she sang, a certain department manager behind Xi Xiaye was also talking about her. Xi Xiaye then knew that these few A-list artistes were specially invited by the Public Rtions Department as a warm-up for Imperial Sky Entertainment City¡¯sunch that was happening after the New Year.

    After a few performances, the atmosphere became even more exuberant. Xi Xiaye had been sitting in her own seat while all the other upper management kept finding opportunities to get closer to her and chat with her. She was easy-mannered and smiled in response, appearing elegant.

    Xi Xiaye spoke very little instead as she sat and admired the performances while leisurely sipping on some red wine once in a while or listening to them chat.

    Finally, after she finished another ss of wine, she suddenly heard amotion from behind. What followed after was a sudden silence. The host up on stage also looked incredibly excited. Xi Xiaye seemed to have noticed something as she turned around and followed the crowd¡¯s gaze towards the red carpet behind her.

 Chapter 113 - Glory World Anniversary (4)

    <h4>Chapter 113: Glory World Anniversary (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen appeared in the hall without anyone noticing. He walked over casually as he was talking on the phone. Behind him were Li Si and Ah Mo as well as several handsome guys with blonde hair and blue eyes. They were the elites that hade back with him from abroad.

    He looked no different than usual today in his casual white suit. His elegant face emitted a subtle cold aura as usual and he looked humble with indescribable tranquility around him.

    He was tooplicated to see through.

    No one noticed when he came in. It was only when Mu Yuchen¡¯s troupe reached the forefront seats when people started to notice them.

    Many people did not get the chance to take a glimpse at Chairman Mu¡¯s quiet and calm face as he passed by. Everyone felt a slight pang of regret. They hoped to see his face if he were to give a speech on stageter on.

    Mu Yuchen ended the call when he arrived at his table.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Master!¡±

    The top brass of thepany quickly stood up, unable to hide their excitement and feelings of admiration in their eyes as they looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye actually did not feel like standing up, but she sumbed to peer pressure when everyone else stood up. She nced at him and noticed that he looked over at her with his mysterious eyes as well.

    She was stunned for a moment and averted her gaze away.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep and calm voice echoed. Everyone sat down. He took a wet towel from the waiter nearby and wiped his hands. Then, he raised a wine ss, his elegant face softening as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve made everyone wait for me. This is for everyone!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Chairman Mu!¡±

    Liu Lingyu and the others raised their sses as well.

    Clink!

    The wine sses created a pleasant sound, and in just a moment, everyone emptied their sses.

    The emcee saw what happened and then quickly announced Chairman Mu¡¯s arrival on the mic.

    The crowd gave a loud cheer. Someone handed Mu Yuchen a mic with a genuine and respectful gesture. ¡°Chairman Mu, please say a few words to the crowd. They¡¯ve been looking forward to it.¡±

    This man was regarded like the existence of God in the eyes of many, especially to the people working in Glory World Corporation. If it were not for his low-profile attitude, he would not be any less popr than the current top male celebrities. In fact, he had always been influential; it was just that he hid well.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the podium in the center of the stage quietly. He took the mic from the emcee¡¯s hand, but instead of going onto the stage, he just stood up from his seat.

    The whole hall was dead silent. Only his vi-like deep voice echoed throughout the venue, calm and solid.

    ¡°The Glory World anniversary is organized every year, so I won¡¯t talk much. Glory World prioritizes capability and will provide you the stage you deserve. We¡¯re able to grow to this scale today all thanks to the results of everyone¡¯s hard work. Whether you¡¯re satisfied with whatever you¡¯ve achieved up until now or not, you have to thank yourself for the persistence and hard work you put in.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a pause as he took another ss of wine from a waiter passing by. He raised the ss and then continued, ¡°I hope everyone can keep it going and fight for a chance of a double win. I¡¯ve taken out a percentage ofpany¡¯s profit as a reward. How much you reap will depend on the work you sow. I look forward to the day everyone is able to make me regret my decision to reward a portion of thepany¡¯s profit. This one is to thank you and ask you to have high expectations of yourself. Also, an early Happy New Year to everyone!¡±

    Mu Yuchen then raised his ss while the crowd gave him a round of apuse along with some roaring cheers.

    This man was skilled at reading people¡¯s hearts. He knew what they were thinking. Just a simple few words were able to bring the dinner to another level. Everyone felt hot-blooded and believed that they could achieve their dreams by just following him, even to a height that scared them.

    The atmosphere heated up, and everyone could feel their fighting spirits emerging. The whole hall was cheering and screaming, mixing together with the noise of wine sses clinking each other.

    ¡°Thank yourselves! Anticipate yourselves! Happy New Year!¡±

    Such an elegant and aloof male figure had made many other men at the scene feel discouraged, yet his existence made most of the females blush for him. Even the female celebrities could not wait to have a toast with Mr. Mu.

    Liu Lingyu, Zhang Lan, and the others swiftly went around to have a toast with the employees from different departments. Only Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and a few other external managers were left at the table.

    Xi Xiaye sat right opposite of Mu Yuchen, so she could see him by just raising her head. She saw Ah Mo and two men in ck suits block the women trying to get near him. ncing at him, she murmured, ¡°Social butterfly...¡±

    She then stood up with her wine ss and was about to join Vice President Liu with his rounds of toasts when unexpectedly, the man opposite her smiled and went up to her.

    ¡°What bad things were you making up about me just now?¡± He whispered to her in a calm tone.

    Xi Xiaye nced at his eyes. She did not expect him to find out. ¡°How would I dare say bad things about you? I¡¯mplimenting you for being such a lovable social butterfly...¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. He squinted his eyes as they emitted a dangerous nce. However, as if to correspond with Xi Xiaye, a charming voice reached their ears¡ª

    ¡°Chairman Mu...¡±

    It was a familiar, gentle voice.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips formed a shallow smile as she nced at the man meaningfully. Then, she turned around and saw Xi Xinyi in her snow-white dress, looking just like an elegant angel as she stood before them.

 Chapter 114 - Glory World Anniversary (5)

    <h4>Chapter 114: Glory World Anniversary (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She was smiling with a ss of wine in her hand, but her eyes froze when she saw Xi Xiaye. Then, smiled. ¡°I see Sis. Director Xi is here as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at her indifferently with the intent of mocking her. Those eyes made Xi Xinyi feel a little ufortable.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, I wasn¡¯t able to give you a proper greeting thest time. I¡¯m d that we get to meet again. I¡¯m also honored to be invited to attend your anniversary. Here¡¯s a toast to you!¡±

    Xi Xinyi quickly averted her gaze towards Mu Yuchen on the side.

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly and looked at her sharply. Apparently, he reacted peculiarly and did not have any impression of her until Li Si came over and introduced, ¡°Master, she¡¯s Ms. Xi Xinyi. Do you still remember? We met once on the ground floor. She¡¯s one of our ambassadors for Imperial Sky Jewellery City, so the PR Department invited her as a guest.¡±

    Suddenly, Liu Lingyu and the others came back. Manager Fang of the Public Rtions Department piped up, ¡°That¡¯s right, Chairman Mu. Ms. Xi Xinyi is the newest star in the entertainment industry and she¡¯s extremely popr, that¡¯s why we decided to have her join us.¡±

    ¡°Vice President Liu, Manager Fang!¡± Xi Xinyi went up to them with a beautiful smile, charming the socks off everyone around her.

    ¡°I¡¯m really thankful for Manager Fang. I¡¯ve been looking forward to working with arge organization like Glory World. It¡¯s a really great opportunity for me. I also want to thank Chairman Mu for giving me this chance, so here¡¯s cheers to you, Chairman Mu!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes looked genuine and thankful as she turned to the distant Mu Yuchen with a wide smile on her face. Her elegance shone and everyone around nodded along.

    The quiet Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes and nced at Xi Xinyi. He turned around and faced Xi Xiaye who had been looking at him before he asked quietly, ¡°Director Xi, if I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re the one in charge of the Imperial Sky Entertainment City project, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned by his question and she nodded. ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu. I¡¯ve been overseeing it from the point Director Chu passed it to me until the end of the project together with the recruitment of business partners.¡±

    ¡°So, Director Xi is the one who worked the hardest here. Ms. Xi, you should thank our Director Xi instead of me. What does everyone think?¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave Xi Xiaye a meaningful nce, his voice calm, but there was an odd underlying tone in his words.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, Ms. Xinyi. Director Xi did work her hardest.¡± Liu Peilian went along with Mu Yuchen¡¯s words and nced at Xi Xiaye before looking at Xi Xinyi. Her eyes brightened up as she pointed out, ¡°Director Xi and Ms. Xinyi both have the surname Xi. You two...¡±

    Xi Xinyi seemed shocked when she heard Liu Peilian. Her eyes looked towards Xi Xiaye. The way she seemed to be suppressing her excitement was rather obvious.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled. Without even looking at Xi Xinyi and Liu Peilian, she looked at Liu Lingyu instead and in a respectful tone, she asked, ¡°Vice President Liu, you have the surname Liu too. So does our Director Liu. Are you guys rted in any way?¡±

    She then gave him a cheeky eye signal. Liu Lingyu smiled back and said, ¡°My family only had a single child for the past five generations. I¡¯ve never heard of any rtives...¡±

    Liu Peilian and Xi Xinyi were stunned and their expressions froze.

    ...

    After a while, Xi Xinyi came back to her senses and looked at Mu Yuchen who was looking downward at his sleeves. He did not even look at her. However, Xi Xiaye was looking at her expressionlessly.

    ¡°D-Director Xi, thank you for your hard work. Cheers!¡±

    Xi Xinyi bit her lip lightly and forced a smile on her face. Then, she returned to her elegant self and raised her ss to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not mind. She nced at Mu Yuchen as she raised her wine ss before emptying it in the next moment.

    Mu Yuchen nced at Ah Mo who nodded as he walked forward. A rare smile appeared on his handsome face, ¡°Master, since it¡¯s the time for gratitude, why not get Ms. Xi to sing for Director Xi on stage? I heard that Ms. Xi¡¯s voice is absolutely charming...¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s suggestion received nods of agreement from Liu Lingyu and his group. The people behind like Zhang Lan nodded as well.

    Mu Yuchen looked over at Xi Xiaye and he spoke quietly, ¡°What do you think, Missus? Remember you owe me one!¡±

    His voice was so hushed that only the two of them could hear what he said.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows as she stared at him. She did not reply.

    The man¡¯s eyes seemed as if they were smiling, but his face looked indifferent as usual. ¡°I¡¯d take your silence as a default yes then. Will you do it, Ms. Xi?¡±

    His expression softened as a warm smile appeared on his face. Even Xi Xinyi lost focus for a moment.

    ¡°Since Chairman Mu said so, it¡¯s my honor!¡± Xi Xinyi grinned. She handed the empty ss in her hand to the waiter beside her and lifted her skirts slightly before walking towards the stage.

    With the emcee¡¯s passionate introduction, the crowd gave a round of apuse as Xi Xinyi went up on stage.

    Xi Xinyi took the mic over from the emcee as a tiny smile appeared on her beautiful face. She told the emcee what song was she going to sing, and soon a beautiful melody started ying...

    When she noticed how odd things were, Xi Xiaye asked the man beside her quietly, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    The man did not reply. Instead, he threw her an innocent and doubtful look mysteriously.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She sat back down when he already took his seat calmly.

 Chapter 115 - Glory World Anniversary (6)

    <h4>Chapter 115: Glory World Anniversary (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    One must admit that Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice was really amazing. The crowd responded to the love song from her very well. They cheered and screamed for her.

    Even though she had seen Xi Xinyi appear on stage before, Xi Xiaye was still impressed by Xi Xinyi¡¯s presence on stage. Even the Vice Presidents and Directors were nodding their heads in approval too.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were as clear as the wind. She looked at the radiant Xi Xinyi on stage. After a while, she smiled as she chuckled to herself, then she sighed lightly and emptied her ss again.

    Thunderous screams and ps went throughout the hall as Xi Xinyi finished with a song. At the moment she thanked = the crowd with a smile.

    When the emcee was trying to say something, Ah Mo received the second eye signal from Mu Yuchen, so he swiftly went towards the stage.

    Xi Xinyi was about to pass the mic back to the emcee when Ah Mo¡¯s cheerful voice reached her. ¡°Ms. Xi, that¡¯s a great song, but it seems that our Director Xi prefers listening to French songs. Please sing a French song for us.¡±

    Xi XInyi was stunned when she heard the request. She looked flusteredly at Ah Mo before she turned towards the direction of Mu Yuchen, but his back was facing her.

    ¡°Well...¡± Xi Xinyi felt awkward and she seemed troubled by the request. A tiny blush appeared on her beautiful face as she bit her red lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I... I don¡¯t know how to sing French songs, so...¡±

    ¡°I see, then maybe you can sing one that you¡¯re familiar with then.¡±

    The crowd cheered with Ah Mo¡¯s words. Xi Xinyi nodded awkwardly and gave him a smile. ¡°Alright then!¡±

    Along with the gentle music ying, Xi Xinyi performed her second song on stage...

    At that second, Xi Xiaye started to feel odd. She looked at Xi Xinyi on stage, and then nced at the man opposite her.

    Who said that she listened to French songs?

    There were no French music CDs at her home!

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s second song was soon finished, and the emcee swiftly shushed the crowd to quiet down. Soon, there was a short silence in the hall.

    ¡°Again.¡± A deep voice broke the silence. The cold tone had the aura of an undeniable force and the crowd looked towards the source of the voice. They noticed Chairman Mu looking at Director Xi with a mysterious gaze, his expression calm as usual.

    Xi Xiaye noticed something happening when she was sipping her wine. Raising her head, she realized that the man was staring at her intently. The people around her were focused on her as well, and she could feel the atmosphere getting tense.

    As she was about to ask Liu Lingyu what happened, Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice continued, ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way, since you¡¯re the ambassador of Imperial Sky Jewellery City, if you can keep singing and make Director Xi happy, I¡¯ll reward you with $5 million.¡±

    Everyone was stunned when they heard Mu Yuchen. They thought they were hallucinating as they looked back and forth between Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye in disbelief...

    $5 million just to make Director Xi happy? What did he mean?

    That was a little too...

    Xi Xinyi never expected Mu Yuchen to say that. Her whole body froze up instantly and she stared at Xi Xiaye.

    She could sense it slightly...

    Mu Yuchen seemed not to like her. Just like when she met him at the entrance of Glory World thest time, he did not seem weing at all. She could not understand it. After all, she was pretty good at socializing, and she was never involved with Mu Yuchen before, so why would he...?

    Could it be just her imagination?

    Xi Xinyi had mixed feelings and her mind was full of doubts.

    Mu Yuchen pivoted his body slightly when Xi Xinyi did not give her reply from the stage. He saw a subtle unnatural expression on her face as her eyes darkened slightly while she looked at him and chewed on her lip.

    The crowd was silent. Everyone could feel a heavy atmosphere strangling them.

    His face was as calm as ever, but it was exactly at this moment that people felt an extreme iciness from him.

    ¡°Not happy with it? $10 million! As long as Director Xi is happy.¡±

    A cold smile appeared on his face as he looked at Xi Xinyi cruelly.

    Some people covered their mouths in surprise when his words reached their ears. They were utterly shocked.

    Xi Xinyi started to fluster. Anyone could understand that Mu Yuchen was just regarding her as a trivial singer there to perform for him.

    She was reminded of that time in the coffee shop.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s grip on the mic stiffened and her face started to look pale. Her eyes were getting slightly watery as she looked at Mu Yuchen with a pitiful expression and muttered, ¡°Chairman Mu, I... I¡¯ve already sung two songs...¡±

    ¡°$20 million?¡±

    Mu Yuchen grinned. He increased the amount decisively, his tone still cold. ¡°Ms. Xi, I¡¯m very unhappy with your attitude right now. You¡¯ve signed your contract with us, so you have to do your part.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, I... I¡¯m just... I...¡±

    ¡°Glory World cares a lot about attitude and quality. From the perspective of an ambassador, how many points do you think you deserve today, Ms. Xi?¡± Mu Yuchen continued viciously.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chairman Mu. I... I¡¯ll sing, I¡¯ll sing!¡±

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath. She looked at Xi Xiaye with aplicated gaze, but she was just looking downwards and sipping her wine as if what happened had nothing to do with her. Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned even paler than before.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone on the table vibrated. He nced at the screen for a moment, then stood up and walked towards the exit with his phone without even looking at Xi Xinyi. Ah Mo and the others followed him too.

    He was always like this. He would never spend a minute extra with any woman even if it was a well-loved celebrity.

    The sudden change of atmosphere caught people off-guard. Even the emcee had no idea what to do as the crowd watched Mu Yuchen disappear at the exit and they could not react.

    After a while, Chairman Mu¡¯s assistant, Li Si, came back quickly and took the mic from the emcee. He said in an apologetic tone, ¡°Sorry, Chairman Mu has been busy for the whole day and he was feeling a little tired, so he¡¯ll go back now first. Chairman Mu said that Vice President Liu will take over now. Everyone, please enjoy yourself, and as an apology, he has prepared a gift for everyone. Someone will hand it out at the end of the dinner.¡±

    The crowd came back to their senses when they heard Li Si¡¯s voice and they cheered loudly.

    A materialistic apology was easier to ept. Some people started to feel upset when they saw the pale and awkward-looking Xi Xinyi on stage...

    How dare this woman?! Chairman Mu was generous enough to reward her, and Director Xi was her superior in a sense, yet she dared to put on an attitude when she was just asked to sing a few songs! Great, now Chairman Mu had be unhappy!

 Chapter 116 - Actually, You Can Be A Bit More Mean (1)

    <h4>Chapter 116: Actually, You Can Be A Bit More Mean (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sudden change of events caught Liu Lingyu and the other top brass off-guard. Of course, they did not forget that the reason Chairman Mu caused a fuss was because of their nning Director, Xi Xiaye.

    They all looked at Xi Xiaye when they came back to their senses. Xi Xiaye was sipping her wine and enjoying her food calmly as if she was not involved in the matter.

    ¡°Director Xi, Chairman Mu...¡±

    As Liu Lingyu was about to ask her something, Li Si went towards her and stood beside her. He told her quietly, ¡°Director Xi, Master is waiting for you outside.¡±

    Xi Xiaye froze and thought about what the message, then she frowned. She replied, ¡°But the dinner isn¡¯t over yet. What about the awards ceremony?¡±

    Did he not mention she was going to receive a big prize?

    ¡°Master said the PR Department will keep it for you,¡± Li Si whispered.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated and nced at Xi Xinyi who was walking down from the stage with a ghastly face. Along with the odd gaze from everyone, she pressed a finger on her forehead in her thoughts...

    After a while, she took a deep breath before standing up. She grabbed her windbreaker from the back of her chair and went outside the hall.

    The crowd was shocked as Xi Xiaye left the venue.

    Director Xi had left right after Chairman Mu. Something was definitely going on!

    However, it was understandable. With someone of Chairman Mu¡¯s caliber, it was not unusual for a beautiful woman like Director Xi to be beside him.

    Moreover, they look really matching together just now!

    People started discussing it. Somehow, gossiping about their superiors peculiarly made them happy.

    Soon, all of them forgot about the singing incident that happened just moments ago. To them, it was more fun to gossip about people in theirpany.

    ...

    As for Xi Xiaye, the moment she walked out the entrance of Imperial Sky Hotel, she saw Mu Yuchen leaning against the Cayenne she had driven over as he was making a phone call.

    Mu Yuchen hung up on the call when he heard the terse sound of her high heels clicking on the floor. She walked past the dim streetlights and arrived behind him.

    ¡°Why are you so impatient to leave? I haven¡¯t eaten much yet. I¡¯ve been busy for the whole day and I didn¡¯t even get to receive my award. You left the wholepany behind. You don¡¯t really seem to be a proper chairman!¡± Xi Xiaye stopped before him and looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

    Mu Yuchen stared at her. He could not help but ask when he saw her indifferent expression, ¡°What a heartless woman! Who do you think I did it for and who told you to allow the media partners to join in?¡±

    ¡°I just think Manager Fang¡¯s proposal made sense, so...¡± Xi Xiaye stared at him cautiously as she spoke in a quiet tone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be involved with people of the mass media industry anymore. I¡¯ve gotten Ah Mo to remove them already.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him in doubt.

    ¡°There¡¯s no why.¡± Mu Yuchen did not give an exnation. He took her car keys and unlocked the car, then he opened the door. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. We¡¯ll talk in the car.¡±

    He sat in the front passenger seat. She went quiet for a while before going in the car as well.

    ¡°You did it on purpose just now, didn¡¯t you?¡± Xi Xiaye took the keys back from him as she asked him. He was casually resting with his eyes closed.

    ¡°On purpose? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he replied without opening his eyes.

    Xi Xiaye nced at him, then she moved over and strapped the safety seatbelt on for him. ¡°Stop pretending. Your move dragged me down as well. I bet the wholepany will think that there¡¯s something between us after what happened tonight.¡±

    ¡°What kind of something?¡± Mu Yuchen opened his eyes and he looked at Xi Xiaye calmly. ¡°We¡¯re a legally married couple now. What¡¯s wrong with that? Do you still want to ignore our rtionship and continue pretending to be an ordinary officedy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want people to misunderstand that I might be in my current position because of you,¡± Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before admitting to him in a genuine tone.

    Mu Yuchenughed, hisrge hand patting her head. ¡°So what if people misunderstand? You have to understand you¡¯d need a great deal of charm to do that. It¡¯s not a bad thing. You have no idea that you¡¯ve achieved something so many women would be jealous of, Missus. Why would you think of it the other way round?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t win this argument. Anyway, I¡¯m not close to you in thepany.¡± Xi Xiaye red at him as she pped his hand on her head. She exined, ¡°You¡¯ve never seen how the employees act when they see you...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not very close to me at home too. This request is not approved. Rejected,¡± he replied before she could finish her sentence.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen!¡± She put on a stern face as she red at him, but he just raised his eyebrows calmly. He then closed his eyes and continued to rest.

    ¡°I really want to hit you!¡± She mumbled angrily. Taking a deep breath, she then put on her own safety belt.

    Even though she was angry, she knew that he did what he had tonight for her. It would be a lie if she said she did not feel any sense of gratitude. Softening, she nced beside her. ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He replied in a neutral tone.

    ¡°To be able to see Xi Xinyi have a hard time tonight... I actually felt pretty good about it. Thanks...¡± Her voice reached him while genuine emotions of gratitude welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Then, have you thought about how to thank me?¡± The man opened his eyes again and looked at her cheekily, his deep-sounding voice as charming as ever.

    Xi Xiaye buried her forehead in her hands when she saw his smile. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed. ¡°Buy me a meal then, Missus.¡±

    ¡°Can I settle it with just a meal?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you want to do something special, but are you willing to?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s smart of you. If it weren¡¯t for you I¡¯d still be enjoying my meal inside!¡±

 Chapter 117 - Actually, You Can Be A Bit More Mean (2)

    <h4>Chapter 117: Actually, You Can Be A Bit More Mean (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye brought Mu Yuchen over to a hotpot shop near the New Era za.

    There was quite a crowd inside the shop. The couple sat in a corner. Looking outside the window beside them, they could see the big public square under the New Era za.

    She had quite an appetite that day. Most of the food they ordered went into her stomach while Mu Yuchen did not really eat much. Instead, he kept adding the ingredients into the pot for her.

    Xi Xiaye picked up a slice of lotus root and put it into her bowl. She suddenly looked at the man opposite her who lowered his head while drinking some tea. He had hardly touched his chopsticks. ¡°Do you not like it? I didn¡¯t really see you eat anything.¡±

    She scooped up a bunch of food and put them into his bowl.

    ¡°You eat yours. I want to see how much of a fight you can put up,¡± Mu Yuchen stopped her hand and replied, ncing at the empty te.

    Xi Xiaye looked over at what he was staring at. It seemed that her enormous appetite shocked the man.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never seen it before...¡± She retracted her hand and lowered her head.

    ¡°What expression is that? I¡¯m not dissing you. It¡¯s a blessing to be able to eat. Anyway, you¡¯re too skinny. You might be able to show more of your charming points if you eat a little more.¡± Mu Yuchen nced over at her, then he grabbed some tissues and handed them to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys like slender figures?¡± Xi Xiaye took the tissues from him and wiped her mouth daintily. She raised her ss as she looked at him. ¡°About what happened today, do you think we were being mean?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as her words reached his ears. He looked at her without replying.

    She frowned and gulped down some alcohol as a cold smile appeared on her face, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t mind being even meaner...¡±

    She suddenlyughed cheekily. ¡°Mr. Mu, I thought you¡¯d cancel the contract with her angrily and kick her out of Glory World.¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed when he saw the glitter in her eyes. He put his ss down and said, ¡°You wish! Do you think I¡¯m a dictator who¡¯d fire people without any reason?¡±

    ¡°You generously used $20 million to mock her. You probably wouldn¡¯t care about paying $10 million to terminate the contract,¡± Xi Xiaye pointed out.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Your IQ is tough to look at. You¡¯re her superior now. Isn¡¯t it easy to give her a hard time at any moment?¡± He said it so easily with a cold light in his eyes. Xi Xiaye was slightly stunned.

    Was that the right thing to tell anyone else?

    ¡°You... are way meaner!¡± Xi Xiaye replied after a while. She suddenly had a premonition. Birds of a feather flocked together. Being with this man for long would definitely corrupt her mind...

    There was a huge crowd outside when they left the hotpot shop. It was just a few days before the New Year¡¯s Eve andrgenterns were hung around the New Era za. The whole ce was brimming with festivity.

    Xi Xiaye felt a little bloated from all the food she just ate, so Mu Yuchen suggested walking around the za. Thinking about it, they had never taken walks together at night before.

    In the za, Mu Yuchen casually put his arm over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder as the two of them slowly walked past the dim streetlights. The wind blew past them and Mu Yuchen¡¯s windbreaker was now slung over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°The New Year ising soon. Don¡¯t we need to prepare some gifts? The Mu Residence...¡±

    After a while, Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped walking and looked at him doubtfully, she did not forget about the fact that she was married into the Mu family. Wang Hui had even called her this morning and asked her how she was doing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go back for a reunion dinner on New Year¡¯s Eve. We¡¯ll go back to Maple Residence two days after that.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen turned over to see her deep in thought, heughed. ¡°What now? Are you thinking about how to put up a good image in front of my parents and grandparents?¡±

    ¡°I always have an impressionable image to them, alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him with a light in her eyes. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m trying so hard to fit in, yet you never even praised me and there¡¯s no reward of any kind either.¡±

    He was really tall, so she still had to raise her head slightly to talk to himfortably even when she wore heels. Sometimes, she could even feel a slight pressure on her.

    Mu Yuchen was a little flustered when he heard her. His grip on her shoulder tightened slightly as he spoke in a gentle tone, ¡°Okay, thank you for your hard work, Missus. How¡¯d you like me to reward you? You¡¯re not a high school girl anymore. Why would you need a reward as an encouragement? Aren¡¯t you a self-proimed new era strong woman? Yet, you¡¯re worried about small things like these.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not know that Xi Xiaye acted that way because she felt that the people from the Mu family were treating her very well, especially Wang Hui. She would call her from time to time to check up on her. Such attention gave her an indescribable sense of warmth.

    She wanted to keep this warmth inside her.

    For some reason, when Xi Xiaye saw his indifferent eyes, she blurted out a question. ¡°Mu Yuchen, do you rarelymunicate with your family? I feel that your rtionship with them... is kind of... weak...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words stunned Mu Yuchen. She was looking at him in the eye and she caught the subtle glimpse of darkness, but it swiftly returned to normal.

    ¡°Mmm, I rarely stayed at home the past few years.¡±

    As he was talking, his arms over her shoulder pushed her forward slightly. ¡°I went to a boarding school since I was young. My parents were busy with work and we hardly got to chat with each other. They are very strict with their children, including Ling... Lingshi. While our family is quite well-off, I don¡¯t exactly have a rxed life.¡±

    ¡°Lingshi?¡± Xi Xiaye quickly caught the key point and she asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Mmm, Lingshi...she¡¯ll only return after the New Year. She¡¯s sweet. I guess you¡¯ll like her,¡± Mu Yuchen replied neutrally.

    ¡°Don¡¯t your parents... only have one son?¡±Xi Xiaye asked.

 Chapter 118 - Going Along!

    <h4>Chapter 118: Going Along!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She remembered that Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan only had one son, and now...

    ¡°Lingshi is my aunt¡¯s daughter. She¡¯s my cousin,¡± he replied quietly.

    ¡°Aunt?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked.

    She had never heard about Mu Yinan having a daughter. Did they not just have one son, Mu Tangchuan? Did they have a daughter?

    ¡°She¡¯s not with us anymore. Don¡¯t mention it. My parents took Lingshi in like their real daughter, so Lingshi calls them Father and Mother too since they don¡¯t want her to feel different from any other children.¡±

    He did not seem very willing to exin any further and stopped talking. Xi Xiaye realized his expression was calm, yet the silence in his eyes was somewhat different than usual.

    After giving it some thought, she did not ask anything else. She just pulled the corner of his shirt...

    He did not want to think about it, so she would not force it. After all, everyone needed their own space. Take her for example. He had never asked her about her past and she knew that the past did not matter to them. What mattered was the present and the future.

    Would they just go through their life inly?

    It was not a bad idea. Was it not usual for all the tumultuous loves and desires return to their initial calmness? Maybe what could stand through the trial of time was not the excitement that once happened; it was the gentle and slow calm of a rtionship.

    She realized that it was not her appearance, but her inside that starting to get old.

    The couple did not say a thing as they walked for a long distance. She could clearly feel the warmth from the man¡¯s hand on her shoulder, their shadows on the ground getting longer. At that moment, she suddenly felt that everything was not really important anymore...

    When she was deep in thought, there were voices of peopleughing in front, snapping her back to her senses. She noticed there was a young couple at the corner of the za, kissing each other passionately.

    Xi Xiaye saw them, then she halted her steps and dragged Mu Yuchen beside her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Yuchen looked around the za. He threw her a doubtful nce as she was dragging him around.

    ¡°Mmpph!¡±

    She used too much force and crashed into the streetlight on the roadside. Pain shot up her left shoulder as she let out a moan.

    ¡°What a klutz! How is it? Let me take a look!¡± Mu Yuchen scolded her. Before she could move, he grabbed her in his arms and lifted her coat slightly. He was relieved when he saw the wound had not opened up.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as he rubbed the spot she bumped. She then nced over at the young couple and they were still going at it. They were totally oblivious to what was happening around them.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s... Let¡¯s go back.¡± Xi Xiaye dragged him away awkwardly, not wanting to interrupt them.

    ¡°If they dare to do it, why are you afraid to look? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never done it before...¡±

    Mu Yuchen stood right there without moving. Hisrge hand grabbed onto her wrist as she tried to struggle out of his grip but failed.

    ¡°It¡¯s immoral to disturb others at a time like this, Mu Yuchen!¡± She frowned at Mu Yuchen, her thin lips like rosebuds swaying in the wind. Mu Yuchen¡¯s darkened eyes were suddenly filled with glittering light.

    ¡°If we do so, then we¡¯re not disturbing and just going along with them, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    His deep voice sounded charming. Before Xi Xiaye could react, he dragged her nearer to him and a cold kiss fell onto her in a tyrannic and irresistible manner...

    His scent flooded over her, his exploration bringing with it a faint temperature. After several attempts, he casually explored deeper into her mouth, taking her breath away.

    He held her hands tightly and a slightly warmyer of sweat formed between their palms. She was stunned for a moment but did not reject it. She did not say anything and just allowed him to do his thing.

    After some time, she could feel herself panting. She raised her other hand and waved it around behind him. In the end, she gently embraced his strong hips.

    His hands on her waist tightened to the point that she almost merged into him. Hisrge body covered her whole body and her figure was engulfed into his shadow under the streetlight.

    Suddenly, his rationality dragged him back. He pulled himself away from her lips and held her tight as he was panting. ¡°Missus, when will we be able to do what a married couple does? When¡¯s your wound going to heal? My self-constraint might not be as good as I thought...¡±

    Xi Xiaye, who just came back to her senses, was gasping as well. She could feel her face getting hot when she heard his words. She guessed that her face was totally red right then. He threw her a nce that flickered with fireworks and she looked away in embarrassment.

    ¡°You... It¡¯ll be soon. It¡¯s been so many days already, hasn¡¯t it? And aren¡¯t you...?¡± Xi Xiaye gave him an odd gaze.

    They had been married for quite some time and they shared the same bed every night. He always seemed so indifferent, so she thought he was really suffering from frigidity...

    ¡°Are you imagining me to be some abnormal man?¡± As if he could read her mind, Mu Yuchen looked back at her odd nce, a dangerous light kindling in his eyes.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and looked back at him with a chuckle.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened slightly. After a while, heughed instead of getting angry. His voice was calm., ¡°You¡¯ll pay for thinking of me that way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so scared, Mr. Mu!¡± Xi Xiaye shrugged and threw him a stare before walking forward.

 Chapter 119 - Visit

    <h4>Chapter 119: Visit</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day was a Friday. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye woke up early in the morning.

    The wholepany would go on holiday starting that afternoon. Just like most otherpanies, they would take a break until the eighth day of the New Year. Work would resume on the eighth day.

    There were some things that needed to be packed in the office. After some consideration, Xi Xiaye decided to go back to the office.

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were going over in the evening. Sis Wang and the others were on a break too, so they had to prepare dinner for themselves. These things were usually handled by Mu Yuchen who had a rather unusual way of living.

    Usually, people like him would have a lot of servants at home as things were in the Mu Residence. There were about a dozen of them including the housekeeper and the maids.

    Wang Hui suggested to shift several servants from Mu Residence over, but Mu Yuchen had rejected the notion. Xi Xiaye did not say anything since she was used to staying alone anyway.

    The building was somewhat empty when she arrived at the office. Most of the employees had left after they were done packing up their stuff.

    Inside the office, Xi Xiaye was reorganizing her documents on the table and putting them into her briefcase. Her assistant Xiao Mei knocked on the door and came in with a gift box.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± Xiao Mei smiled at her.

    Xi Xiaye raised her head and said in a calm tone, ¡°Haven¡¯t you gone back home yet?¡±

    Xiao Meiughed and then ced the item in her hands onto the table. ¡°Soon! I¡¯ve booked my ticket and will be leaving this afternoon. Director Xi, Manager Fang¡¯s assistant from the PR Department sent this over. It¡¯s a reward for you. Director, your reward has the top amount among all! When Vice President Liu announced your name, everyone was so excited. Director Liu was also stunned!¡±

    Reward?

    Xi Xiaye nced at the gift box on the table. She remembered what Mu Yuchen had told her the day before, so she nodded. ¡°Mmm, I got it. Please thank Manager Fang for me.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Director!¡± Xiao Mei replied with a smile. Suddenly, she nced at Xi Xiaye and saw she looked just like her usual self, so she asked carefully, ¡°Director Xi, did you take a look at the finance and entertainment papers today?¡±

    ¡°What finance and entertainment papers?¡± Xi Xiaye looked doubtful, but her hands did not stop working as she tidied all the books on the table into the bookshelf behind.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about what happenedst night... It seems to have caused a huge fuss. It took up a whole section and two popr weekly papers did several pages on it,¡± Xiao Mei replied with a frown. She seemed curious and asked, ¡°Director Xi, I think Xi Xinyi was pretty cocky. Chairman Mu asked her to sing and she gave so many excuses. Who does she think she is? Not only did she make Chairman Mu unhappy, but people like her have no right to even talk to him. Everyone knows that he dislikes dealing with models and celebrities, yet she thought she was different!¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned at Xiao Mei¡¯s words. Weekly newspapers? She thought the man said he had chased them away.

    What was happening?

    After a brief moment of silence, she sort of caught the gist of it, so she looked at Xiao Mei andughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you guys to be so loyal towards Chairman Mu.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the one who pays is our boss. Not only is Chairman Mu the boss of Glory World, but he¡¯s our Prince Charming. He¡¯s so elegant and charismatic. There¡¯s a saying...¡±

    ¡°Low-profile, luxurious, a true gentleman?¡±

    Xi Xiaye went along with her when she saw Xiao Mei¡¯s besotted expression.

    Xiao Mei quickly nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s it! All the female employees are in love with him. Xi Xinyi was almost killed by the mere sight of everyone after Chairman Mu left! Hmm, Director Xi, are you... rted to Chairman Mu? Well, everyone¡¯s been saying that he and you...¡±

    As expected, the way people looked at her today was somewhat different.

    She gave it some thought and simply said, ¡°Rtives.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then continued with what she was working on. Was that wrong? Being a married couple was a type of rtive rtionship, was it not?

    ¡°Rtives?¡± Xiao Mei looked at Xi Xiaye in shock, she then grinned. ¡°Director, is Chairman Mu your cousin?¡±

    Cousin?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She stared at Xiao Mei but did not reply. Xiao Mei thought she defaulted her answer by not saying anything. However, when she was about to leave the room, Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice reached her. ¡°Don¡¯t just guess randomly. Get me the magazines you mentioned just now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Director!¡± Xiao Mei stuck her tongue out cheekily. After a while, she came back with two newspapers.

    ¡°Alright, you should go back now. Happy New Year to you. This is a gift for you. We¡¯ve worked pretty hard, so go and rx for now. Things will get tougher after the holidays.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Director. You should go back home soon too. Happy New Year!¡± Xiao Mei thanked her and left the room with a big smile.

    Xi Xiaye sat down in her office chair and started reading the papers.

    A whole section discussed what happenedst night, but it was mostly about how Xi Xinyi put up such an atrocious attitude. There were also severalments from other celebrities revealing some gossip about Xi Xinyi.

    At the end, the article also spected that Glory World Corporation might decide to remove Xi Xinyi as the ambassador for Imperial Sky Jewellery City.

    Xi Xiaye could already guess where these negative news about Xi Xinyi came from. If not, why would all of them be targeted towards Xi Xinyi?

    There were also mentions of Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s matter. Xi Xiaye then remembered that today was their engagement ceremony!

    She went silent and threw the papers away into the dustbin. Just as she was about to leave with her briefcase, her office phone rang.

    ¡°Hello?¡± She picked it up swiftly.

    It was a call from the receptionist on the first floor.

    ¡°Hello? Is this Director Xi?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Xi Xiaye.¡±

    ¡°Hi, Director Xi. There¡¯s a Mr. Xi here asking for you. Would you be able to meet him?¡±

 Chapter 120 - Xi Xiayeâ€™s Wrath!

    <h4>Chapter 120: Xi Xiaye¡¯s Wrath!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she walked out of the building, she saw a ck car parked in the public parking space opposite. Xi Mushan was standing beside his car as he looked upwards at the enormous building.

    He averted his gaze away from the building when he noticed Xi Xiaye walking towards him and he looked at her calmly.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Xi Xiaye asked coldly as she arrived before him

    There were many people walking in and out of the building at the moment, so she walked to a nearby flowerbed.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we ask you toe back the other day? I was passing by, so I decided to drop by.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s voice sounded tranquil, yet his eyes were looking at Xi Xiaye sharply. A strong determination that could not be ignored lied in his eyes, forcing people to sumb to him as usual.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back,¡± she said indifferently.

    ¡°We want to take a full family photo during this asion. It¡¯s what everyone wishes for. Going back just for a little bit wouldn¡¯t take too much of your time.¡± Xi Mushan looked at her as he gave it some thought. He then said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s the New Year soon. I have something for your mother too...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My mother never wanted anything from you, so you can keep them for your wife and daughter. I just hope that you and the people from the Xi family can stop bothering me and my mother ever again. Can you please let Mother go?¡± Xi Xiaye looked squarely at Xi Mushan in the eyes.

    He almost forgot that although her daughter did not seem very close to her mother, she was actually very protective of Shen Wenna. Every time she was mentioned, she would get oddly worked up.

    Xi Mushan suddenly frowned before he asked Xi Xiaye, ¡°Did they go to look for your mother?¡±

    She nced at him coldly without replying.

    His eyes darkened for a brief moment when Xi Xiaye did not reply to him, but they swiftly returned to normal. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re noting back with me?¡±

    ¡°What for? To just smile and witness how happy they are, or do you want me to keep Qi Kai¡¯s Masterpany? Be his lover? And then marry him?¡± Xi Xiayeughed coldly as a headstrong aura shrouded her slim body. She took a deep breath and calmed her emotions down. ¡°You¡¯re my father who gave me life, so I respect you that much, but this doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll always sumb to the Xi family. I¡¯m tired. If you guys are going to treat me this way, don¡¯t think that all of you will have it any easier!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xiaye! Don¡¯t speak that way! You¡¯re the same as your mother. Can¡¯t you give in?¡± Xi Mushan frowned with a mixed expression. His deep eyes hid too many secrets. Xi Xiaye had never seen through him just like how she had never seen through what Shen Wenna was thinking.

    ¡°Give in? Give in to you marrying Yue Lingsi and letting Xi Xinyi into the Xi family? Have you forgotten how I pulled on your leg and begged you to not let Mother leave? I was forced to be dispelled from the military academy. Pray, rify, how did I beg you to help me again?¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed at herself and took another deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re my father. Please tell me why do I have a father like you? Ever since I was little, Xi Xinyi has taken away everything that should have been mine. What else did you do apart from looking on quietly? Whatever! There¡¯s no point talking to you about this anyway. I¡¯m sure I made my point clear. Go back. I really don¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Xi Mushan grabbed her and blocked her way when he saw her turn away from him. He looked downwards at her. ¡°I know you hate me as a father, but no matter what, it won¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re my daughter.¡±

    He stared deeply at Xi Xiaye, his tone of voice suddenly softening as he sighed, ¡°Come back with me. There¡¯s something I need you to hand to your mother. If you don¡¯t want me to look for her, please deliver it for me. With me there, you don¡¯t have to worry about them giving you a hard time.¡±

    He then gave his secretary behind him an eye signal, and the secretary quickly opened the car door.

    ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more like your mother... I remember that you¡¯re already 26, the age at which your mother gave birth to you...¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s seemed a little absent-minded when he looked at Xi Xiaye. He left her with those words before boarding his car.

    Xi Xiaye remained stationary for a long time and did not move. She just watched Xi Mushan in the car.

    ¡°Miss, please go back with the Mayor. Ms. Xinyi¡¯s engagement party is going to start soon. The Mayor actually came here just to take a look at you. If he didn¡¯te, Elder Madam would¡¯vee instead. Elder Madam was very angry after she found out about what happened to Ms. Xinyi at the Glory World anniversary celebration. The Mayor is leaving City Z this evening and he¡¯s worried that you can¡¯t handle it alone, so...¡± The secretary, Ah Hui, told her.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and grinned coldly. ¡°So, Xi Xinyi went and made up a story about how I gave her a hard time? You guys just can¡¯t wait to judge me already!¡±

    ¡°Miss, the Mayor doesn¡¯t mean any malice. He hopes that you can leave City Z with him for a few days, and then settle these matters afterward,¡± Ah Hui sighed.

    Xi Xiayeughed. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Why don¡¯t you tell me how Xi Xinyi acted delicate and cried about me bullying her? The papers are boosting her poprity now. She should really be thanking me...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish her sentence, her phone rang in her shirt pocket. She took it out and realized that Shen Wenna was calling her!

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    She picked up the call as she nced over at Xi Mushan in the car.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me...¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s cold voice came through the phone. ¡°Yesterday, your grandmother and Xi Xinyi looked for me at the school about the document in your hands. Tell your father about this if he visits you. You don¡¯t have to call him your father ever again if he can¡¯t settle this for you.¡±

    Shen Wenna hung up then.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. The keywords she caught on were that Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi had gone to look for Shen Wenna yesterday!

    The atmosphere around suddenly turned heavy as she held her phone tightly and her eyes darkened.

    Great!

    <i>Xi Xinyi, I¡¯ve been enduring this for a very long time!</i>

    She let out a coldugh and then got into Xi Mushan¡¯s car...

 Chapter 121 - Han Yifengâ€™s Engagement Party (1)

    <h4>Chapter 121: Han Yifeng¡¯s Engagement Party (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan¡¯s car soon left Glory World Corporation and headed straight for West Park.

    At nearly the same time, inside the Chairman¡¯s office at Glory World.

    Mu Yuchen stood beside therge window, looking outside at the sky peacefully.

    Ah Mo actually did not want to disturb the peaceful vibes, but he just had to after knowing what happened below. ¡°Master, I saw Missus get into Mayor Xi¡¯s car. They probably went to West Park. Out of consideration for Elder Xi, Han Yifeng¡¯s engagement party was set to be held at West Park.¡±

    After Ah Mo told Mu Yuchen, he did not seem to react.

    ¡°Master?¡± Ah Mo called out to him cautiously.

    Mu Yuchen then turned away from the scenery outside as he straightened his slightly creased sleeve with a frown. He sighed internally.

    ¡°Prepare the car.¡±

    He then walked towards his table, picked up his phone and then swiftly left his office.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Mo replied quickly as he took out his phone and grabbed the windbreaker on the clothes hanger. Then, he ran outside to catch up with his boss.

    ...

    West Park was very lively that day. A red carpet was ced from the entrance right up to therge hall inside the residence. On either side were all sorts of beautiful flowers. There were guests and sounds of greetings everywhere.

    At the second floor of the residence, in Xi Xinyi¡¯s room.

    ¡°Xinyi, oh my gosh! You¡¯re wearing this dress! It¡¯s so beautiful! My cousin will surely fall for you again!¡±

    Huang Shanshan was impressed when she saw Xi Xinyi in her pink wedding dress. Her eyes were filled with admiration as she was stunned to see the beauty.

    Xi Xinyi looked at herself in the mirror as an embarrassed smile appeared on her beautiful face. She stood up.

    She donned a pastel pink wedding dress that had a generous cutting which left her shoulders exposed, perfectly presenting Xi Xinyi¡¯s exquisite figure. There were even many shining pearls on the dress like stars in the sky.

    Her blonde hair was tied up and clipped with a diamond hair clip. She only put on light makeup but her appearance was that of a fairy. She seemed frail yet charming and very lovely.

    Even as a woman, Huang Shanshan was totally charmed.

    ¡°Xinyi, you¡¯re the goddess of the whole humankind. You¡¯re drop-dead gorgeous!¡± She was impressed.

    Xi Xinyi put on a lovely smile as she turned around and looked at Huang Shanshan. Her tone of voice was filled with gratitude. She dragged Huang Shanshan¡¯s hands and told her with tears in her eyes, ¡°Thank you, Shanshan! Without your support, Yifeng and I wouldn¡¯t be where we are today. I... I¡¯m really grateful for you. You¡¯ve always protected me just like my sister... Shanshan, you must soon find your own happiness too!¡±

    ¡°Xinyi! What are you talking about? We¡¯re best friends! Moreover, you¡¯re my cousin-inw now. What do you mean by that?¡±

    Huang Shanshan held onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s hands tightly.

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and blinked her eyes. She nodded. ¡°I just want to thank you. I hope that... Sister coulde too. You know, Yifeng and I were hoping to get her blessings...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice became quieter towards the end. Huang Shanshan was unhappy when she heard her suffering tone. ¡°Xinyi, why are you still thinking about that witch? If it wasn¡¯t for her, the weekly papers wouldn¡¯t have published news like that! People like her are the worst. Even if she doesn¡¯t care, out of consideration for the Xi family, she should have prevented news like that from spreading out. Isn¡¯t she a Director in Glory World? If she had intervened, things wouldn¡¯t have ended up that way!¡±

    ¡°Shanshan, don¡¯t talk about her like this. It¡¯s not because of her anyway. I probably made mistakes somewhere. Anyway, aren¡¯t things all dandy now?¡± Xi Xinyi stared at Huang Shanshan unhappily.

    ¡°Xinyi, you¡¯re too soft. If it¡¯s about what happened in the past, you¡¯vepensated for all of it. You¡¯ve endured for so many years and I think that¡¯s enough. Today is your engagement with my cousin. There¡¯s a huge group of reporters outside. Some of them probably came for what happenedst night. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s quite a negative impact on you?¡±

    Huang Shanshan frowned and looked at her with a stubborn expression.

    Xi Xinyi closed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I hope you won¡¯t be biased about Sister. She took care of me a lot when we were little. First and foremost, I owe her too much...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xinyi. Today is your big day. Don¡¯t think about these afflicted matters. Everyone knows that you mean well and it¡¯s her fault for not epting it. Let¡¯s wrap it up here. I think Yifeng is going to be here soon!¡±

    Before Xi Xinyi could reply, Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice came from outside the door. Xi Xinyi looked over and realized that Yue Lingsi was already there.

    ¡°Aunt Yue!¡± Huang Shanshan greeted her.

    ¡°Mmm, Shanshan, help her out a little. The banquet is starting soon. Don¡¯t think about it too much.¡± Yue Lingsi felt her heart ache when she saw Xi Xinyi¡¯s troubled expression.

    ¡°Okay, Aunt Yue!¡± Huang Shanshan replied before clinging onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s arm.

    Yue Lingsi nodded and left the room.

    ...

    Therge hall below was decorated extravagantly. It seemed very lively all around the ce while the host in frontpleted the mic check and started giving an opening speech. After a big round of apuse and cheering, everyone quieted down.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s invite one of our main characters for the day, CEO Han! Mr. Han Yifeng,e up here and join us!¡±

    Along with the host¡¯s voice, the guests looked towards the entrance and saw several figuresing in.

    Leading the group was Han Yifeng.

    He wore a dark silver suit and had a rare smile on his handsome face today. His movements and behavior were elegant and charismatic. There was an indescribable aura around him.

    The crowd could not move their eyes away from the eminent Han Yifeng. Most of them already knew that Han Yifeng had both looks and talent, but studying him that day surely impressed them even more.

 Chapter 122 - Han Yifengâ€™s Engagement Party (2)

    <h4>Chapter 122: Han Yifeng¡¯s Engagement Party (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    With an outstanding appearance and exceptional worth, Han Yifeng was one of perfect Prince Charmings most girls dreamt of. His presence simply took many people¡¯s breath away. A lot of girls started getting envious of Xi Xinyi.

    Being born in a prestigious family and now having be a popr superstar, she even got married to such a worthy man. Xi Xinyi had gotten hold of what a woman could dream of. How fortunate of her!

    The shutter clicks went on frantically as Han Yifeng stepped in. He smiled as he nodded to the guests, befitting of the image for a young man from a prestigious family.

    ¡°CEO Han, you¡¯re finally here! Everyone¡¯s ready and it¡¯s about time too.¡± Assistant Xiao Zhao came up to him.

    Han Yifeng looked ahead to see his parents Han Yu and Huang Ziyao as well as Yue Lingsi and Deng Wenwen. They were greeting the guests joyfully. Looking around, he could not find Xi Mushan anywhere, so he frowned slightly. ¡°Is Uncle Xi not back yet?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Xi gave him a call just now. He¡¯s on the way and should be here soon. CEO Han, Ms. Xi is just upstairs, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Xiao Zhao smiled. ¡°I heard Ms. Shanshan say that Ms. Xi is really stunning today. Coupled with you, CEO Han, you two are the perfect match! I¡¯m so excited for the both of you!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression softened. His eyes looked much gentler as well as he nodded and then looked towards the staircase area. As though he suddenly remembered something, he looked at Xiao Zhao and asked, ¡°Did you see Ms. Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, Ms. Xiaye...¡±

    Before Xiao Zhao could finish his sentence, there was somemotion at the back. Han Yifeng turned around as he heard someone yelling, ¡°It¡¯s Mayor Xi!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Who¡¯s the youngdy beside Mayor Xi?¡±

    ¡°Why does she seem a little familiar?¡±

    Looking at the entrance, Xi Mushan was walking slowly into the house, and beside him was a slimdy with waist-length hair wearing a ck windbreaker.

    It was Xi Xiaye!

    Han Yifeng¡¯s focus instantly locked on Xi Xiaye¡¯s unfriendly figure.

    ¡°Congrattions, Mayor Xi!¡± People started greeting Xi Mushan the moment he came in.

    Xi Xiaye nced at Xi Mushan coldly. As she ignored the odd gazes from everyone else, she paved a path for herself and walked straight ahead towards the staircase area with a dark aura around her.

    ¡°Xiaye, you...¡±

    Han Yifeng came up to her with a mixed expression, yet she totally ignored him and pushed him away coldly before proceeding upstairs.

    Because Xi Xiaye had used quite some force, Han Yifeng crashed onto the staircase handle. Luckily, he reacted quickly and clutched onto the handle, avoiding an embarrassing fall.

    Thump!

    Solid footsteps marched right upstairs. He was startled and had no idea what had happened. By the time he looked around for Xi Xiaye, she had already headed upstairs.

    ¡°Yifeng! Are you alright?¡± Yue Lingsi and the others came up to him quickly and looked at him worriedly. Han Yu and Huang Ziyao who were behind looked at each other with aplicated expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Han Yifeng pushed Xiao Zhao who was holding him away. He was starting to get impatient and then went upstairs as well. Yue Lingsi and the others seemed panicked.

    What had happened?

    Such a turn of events confused the crowd. They widened their eyes when they witnessed what just happened. So many questions needed to be answered.

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s Xiaye! Oh God, is something going to happen again?¡±

    Huang Ziyao looked troubled as Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure disappeared by the staircase. She held onto Han Yu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Today is a big day for Yifeng and Xinyi. Please don¡¯t let anything happen!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine. Let¡¯s go up and take a look!¡±

    Although Han Yu spoke those words, he was worried too. He felt a great sense of unease when he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold aura around her. Hopefully, nothing bad would happen!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it should be alright. I¡¯ll go up and take a look. Mother, please take care of things downstairs.¡±

    Yue Lingsi frowned with her heart worried sick. Then, she went upstairs as well.

    As for Xi Xiaye, she headed straight for Xi Xinyi¡¯s room as soon as she reached the second floor. After taking several steps, she saw the beautiful Xi Xinyiing towards her with a joyful expression along with Huang Shanshan beside her.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye!¡±

    Huang Shanshan raised her head when she heard the hasty sound of footsteps in front. The first thing she saw was Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold expression and her eyes were dark as if a ck typhoon was walking right towards them.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?!¡±

    Huang Shanshan trembled slightly and looked at Xi Xiaye cautiously. She unconsciously shielded Xi Xinyi behind her. However, before she could grab Xi Xinyi, Xi Xiaye dragged on her dress and pulled her behind her. Huang Shanshan fell against the wall behind and fell onto the floor.

    ¡°Sis, have you finally decided toe?¡±

    Xi Xinyi nced at Huang Shanshan and freaked out a little, but a smile appeared on her face. As she was about to cling onto Xi Xiaye, Xi Xiaye closed in on her and looked at her with a pair of icy cold eyes. In a cold and calm voice, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you this.¡±

    She squinted her eyes as they got colder. ¡°Did you go and look for my mother yesterday at University A?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was shocked and her expression changed when those words came out from Xi Xiaye¡¯s mouth. She stared nkly at her and mumbled, ¡°Sis, I just... I just wanted to give her an invitation. I...¡±

    Before she could finish, a wicked grin crossed Xi Xiaye¡¯s face. Her tiny figure went up swiftly. She moved so fast that behind, Han Yifeng could only catch a glimpse of a dark figure...

    As quickly as she could, she grabbed onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s hair and yanked her backwards. She raised her other hand and started pping that lovely face.

    ¡°Ah!!!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s heartbreaking scream came right after the resounding p, breaking the silence in the corridor.

 Chapter 123 - Han Yifengâ€™s Engagement Party (3)

    <h4>Chapter 123: Han Yifeng¡¯s Engagement Party (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s fair little face swelled up with the palm mark clearly visible. The fiery hot sensation of pain caused tears to fall from Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes, and her hair that Xi Xiaye had dragged was now in a huge mess.

    ¡°Xiaye! Stop!¡±

    Han Yifeng was shocked to see what unfolded before him. He almost could not react at all and he could not believe that this wicked woman before him was the Xi Xiaye he once knew.

    He went forward and wanted to separate them away, but Xi Xiaye threw him a cold, hard nce and forced him to stop.

    ¡°Shut up! This is a Xi family matter. We don¡¯t need an outsider to intervene!¡±

    Her harsh tone stabbed Han Yifeng¡¯s ears like ice needles and he could feel his ears in pain.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi!¡±

    Xi Xiayepletely ignored Han Yifeng and the sluggish Huang Shanshan. The hand that grabbed Xi Xinyi¡¯s hair tightened as she moaned in pain. Her head was now held against the wall.

    ¡°I gave you a chance and asked all of you to not bother my mother. We could¡¯ve minded our own business and live peacefully, but you forced me to do this! I¡¯ve endured all of you for the past decade. If you¡¯re not going to give me peace, I¡¯m going to give you hell. From now on, I¡¯ll take back every single thing you guys owe me and my mother! First off, these two ps are for me getting punished by you burning your own wardrobe!¡±

    The second pnded as soon as she finished her sentence!

    It much clearly much louder than the one before and Xi Xinyi¡¯s scream went several decibels higher!

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xiaye! Stop! If you¡¯re harboring so much hatred, let it out on me!¡±

    Han Yifeng rushed forward and grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder. She dodged him and pushed Han Yifeng away.

    ¡°Ah! Yifeng, save me!¡± Xi Xinyi shrieked in pain as her hair was dragged ruthlessly.

    ¡°I told you to get lost! This matter doesn¡¯t concern you!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! That¡¯s enough! Let go of Xi Xinyi. I knew there was nothing good about youing here today. You¡¯re just trying to ruin this, aren¡¯t you? No matter what you do, you can¡¯t stop my cousin¡¯s decision from marrying Xinyi. She has always spoken up for you even though you¡¯re such a wicked woman! My cousin will never marry you! Give up!¡± Huang Shanshan yelled at her as she rushed forward.

    Xi Xiaye put on a beautiful smile as she listened amusedly. ¡°Really?¡±

    She turned around and looked at Han Yifeng with a coldugh. ¡°Han Yifeng, do you think you¡¯re still worthy of marrying me?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression changed when he heard those words!

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, let go of Xinyi!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice reached them. Xi Xiaye still grabbed Xinyi¡¯s hair as she moaned and cried in pain.

    ¡°Stop it, Xiaye! How dare you?!¡±

    It was Deng Wenwen¡¯s voice!

    ¡°You¡¯re such a wicked person, Xiaye. Xinyi is your sister. How could you do that? Even if Yifeng...¡± Beside Deng Wenwen, Huang Ziyao looked at Xi Xiaye with disappointment.

    In just a brief moment, the corridor was filled with people.

    Judgmental voices reached her ears, but Xi Xiaye¡¯s face seemed as calm as ever. She raised her head and looked at the crowd before her with her cold eyes. Then, she tightened her grip on the fistful of hair in her hand and Xi Xinyi let out a painful wail again, making the crowd feel sick.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re all here already?¡± Xi Xiaye asked quietly and calmly. ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m going to say this here today. Don¡¯t you guys even think about getting the 20% shares from my mother. Give up! Mother has already signed the document and it¡¯s with me now. If you guys want it, thene for me! Why do you guys have to make her life so difficult?¡±

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi¡¯s expressions changed and they exchanged looks when they heard Xi Xiaye. They looked terrible!

    That witch Shen Wenna had actually signed the document and given it to Xi Xiaye!

    The tearful Xi Xinyi was stunned as well!

    Smug to see Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi¡¯s horrified expressions, Xi Xiaye tightened her grip once again and Xi Xinyi let out a few cries. Her face which was pristine and beautiful just moments ago was now swollen. The sharp pain made her lose control of her tears and her makeup was ruined.

    ¡°Xiaye, please let go of Xinyi first. We can talk this out. She¡¯s in so much pain now!¡± Yue Lingsi could feel her heart wrenching as she looked at Xi Xinyi. Whenever she took a step forward, Xi Xiaye pulled Xi Xinyi¡¯s hair harder and the screaming continued.

    ¡°If you have something to say, you¡¯d better say it now. Do you think there¡¯d be a better chance to talk to you guys? What did you guys tell my mother? What did you guys talk about!?¡± She red at Xi Xinyi with her stormy eyes as she questioned her. Xi Xinyi was in so much pain that she would rather be dead.

    Han Yifeng rushed over worriedly. ¡°Xiaye, let go of Xinyi. Can¡¯t we talk about this peacefully? Why do you need to do this?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at Han Yifeng coldly. Her pair of cold, and distant eyes seemed so strange to Han Yifeng. She averted her gaze back to Xi Xinyi. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you yed the victim and framed me, but if you guys are going to disturb my mother, we¡¯ll see who meets the maker first. Neither am I afraid of getting my name sullied nor am I afraid of death. Are you not afraid as well?¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood Shen Wenna the most. If these two women did not overstep their boundaries, with her indifferent personality, she would never have called Xi Xiaye!

    She tightened her grip again, so the screaming went on. The tears streamed down as Xi Xinyi sobbed, ¡°Sis, I really just went to give her an invitation card. I didn¡¯t mean anything else...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t mean anything else? If that¡¯s the case, why would you mention the 20% share to my mother? Xi Xinyi, aren¡¯t you tired of putting up a mask and ying out this act for the past decade? Do you really want me to gather up evidence to reveal your true self?¡±

    Xi Xiaye put up a mocking smile and stared at Xi Xinyi. ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys get me to sign the document? I wanted to leave you all alone, but the way things are now, I don¡¯t mind fighting until the very end!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s body trembled and she cried as she looked at Xi Xiaye without saying a thing.

 Chapter 124 - Man To The Rescue (1)

    <h4>Chapter 124: Man To The Rescue (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Themotion happening upstairs had already startled the crowd downstairs and all of them started to rush towards the staircase. Han Yu could only indicate for the bodyguard to block the staircase in order to stop them from rushing up.

    The reporters had begun to crowd in and the entire banquet instantly became quite chaotic. The host held onto the mic and kept urging everyone to return to their seats, yet the crowd was still hesitating as they kept trying to look up the staircase!

    They had all heard a woman¡¯s shrieks and crying earlier, but they were not sure what had happened!

    Who was the woman in ck earlier?

    She had walked in with Mayor Xi!

    When they thought about this, the crowd could not help but turn to look at Xi Mushan who was still greeting some of the guests, seemingly unaware about what had happened upstairs.

    However, right at this moment, there was a furor at the entrance that disrupted this odd atmosphere.

    Bam!

    The door to the hall that had been closed earlier was suddenly pushed open from the outside. The crowd subconsciously looked towards the sound. They saw that leading in front was a dashing and tall man impably attired in a ck tuxedo. He was followed by four well-built men dressed in ck tuxedos and looked like bodyguards.

    After the few of them pushed open the door, they made a path and then a tall and white figure greeted the crowd¡¯s sight...

    The crowd instantly fell silent as they stared nkly at the man who had suddenly appeared. Their eyes were stunned and filled with admiration.

    With his appearance, the entire banquet¡¯s splendor had very quickly diminished.

    He was extremely handsome and was dressed in an all-white casual suit. His deep eyes seemed to be an ocean that was covered in a myriad of stars and endless profound wisdom. He had a tall nose bridge, thin and indifferent lips, and an honorable and extraordinary reservedness. His aura was low-profile and not brash with an indescribable imposing manner.

    He did not care about everyone¡¯s gazes as he indifferently walked through the pathway that his bodyguards had paved and went towards the stairs.

    When he had passed Xi Mushan, he also swept him indifference without hesitating in his steps.

    ...

    ¡°Enough, Xi Xiaye! Don¡¯t make things hard. Today is Xinyi and cousin¡¯s big day. I think you¡¯vee with resentment just to disrupt things!¡± Huang Shanshan¡¯s furious voice was heard.

    She and Han Yifeng exchanged a look before the two of them quickly walked up to Xi Xiaye. Huang Shanshan reached out to grab her by the shoulders while Han Yifeng¡¯s target was her hand that was yanking onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s har.

    While she seemed to know they were going to do this, Xi Xiaye very quickly pushed Xi Xinyi towards them as they were about to rush up. Xi Xinyi screamed, then she crashed right into Han Yifeng. Because Huang Shanshan had held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm, she toppled over too.

    ¡°Xinyi, are you alright?¡±

    Han Yifeng quickly pulled Xi Xinyi into his arms as he worriedly checked up on her. He saw that her beautiful little face was already swollen to the point that it was unbearable to look at. Her beautiful eyes were red and swelling from all the crying, yet she held back her tears and did not want to let them fall. Her vulnerable demeanor made one¡¯s heart ache for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine... Don¡¯t me her... I just acted on my own... I¡¯m sorry... It wasn¡¯t intentional. Please believe me!¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Xi Xiaye with tear-stained eyes while Huang Shanshan currently pinned her down tightly by the arms.

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯ve crossed the line! Look at what day it is! If you¡¯re deliberately trying to ruin things, don¡¯t me me for being rude! I haven¡¯t questioned you about yesterday¡¯s incident, and today you want to do this! p her in front of me? You¡¯re really disrespectful of your elders! You wanton piece of trash!¡± Deng Wenwen walked over overbearingly at that moment with a threatening aura. Even Huang Shanshan could not help but tremble.

    Xi Xiaye shot her a look before ignoring her. She turned to look at Xi Xinyi¡¯s red and swollen face as she leaned into Han Yifeng¡¯s embrace. The trace of her p was particrly obvious on her tear-stained and extremely pitiful face.

    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m really sorry for hitting your face. When I saw your face, I really couldn¡¯t control my hand. You¡¯ll definitely understand where I¡¯ming from, won¡¯t you?¡± Xi Xiayeughed calmly, the sneer in her eyes clear.

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re too much! You have to make me hate you, don¡¯t you? Haven¡¯t I told you that if you have any anger, juste for me? Why won¡¯t you let go of Xinyi?¡±

    Xi Xinyi buried her face in Han Yifeng¡¯s arms and cried silently, making him feel an abrupt fury, especially with Xi Xiaye¡¯s mocking gaze.

    ¡°Enough! You don¡¯t have to say more to people like her. Grandma Xi, get someone to drag her out right now to avoid ruining things! Look at the assion today! She did this on purpose! Look at how she pped Xinyi. I have to give her a few tight ps!¡± Huang Shanshan said sternly as she pulled Xi Xiaye hard. Because of the strong force, Xi Xiaye staggered a little too. Deng Wenwen also hinted at the two guards behind her and the two of them rushed up at the same time.

    ¡°Is that so? Have you thought about how to give her a few ps?¡± A deep and apathetic voice suddenly came from behind.

    Yue Lingsi and the rest felt that they were pushed to the wall by a pair of strong arms as several dark shadows shed past them and the entire staircase corridor instantly became cramped.

    When she heard the familiar voice, Xi Xinyi instantly lifted her swollen face and looked towards the white figure that appeared. After she had a good look at who it was, she forgot about crying and then cried in rm, ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    The few of them were startled then and there. They looked on in shock at the dashing, honorable man that had suddenly appeared before them.

    Huang Shanshan was also stunned in that instance. The hand that she had lifted in the air abruptly stopped as she quietly stared at Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face. Her furious gaze became a little misty and she could not help but be absent-minded.

    The corridor suddenly had a momentary silence.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Chairman Mu... We didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d...¡± Deng Wenwen was experienced after all, so she could immediately react and quickly went up to greet him.

    While Mu Yuchen did not even look at her, his still and calm gaze swept Xi Xiaye, and then fell onto Huang Shanshan¡¯s raised hand. ¡°If you p her, it means you¡¯re pping me. Are you sure you want to do that?¡±

    ¡°It... It was her who hit Xinyi first... She crossed the line... This wicked woman! Look at how... how she hit Xinyi!¡±

    Because of Mu Yuchen¡¯s strong presence and his silent, apathetic gaze, Huang Shanshan¡¯s voice started to tremble a little.

    ¡°There are many who say she¡¯s wicked. Wait, you¡¯re person number what? It¡¯s her problem whoever she hits, but you can¡¯t hit her,¡± Mu Yuchen calmlymanded, then he reached out to pull Xi Xiaye, who had kept quiet, away. He suddenly turned around.

    Those who were familiar with Mu Yuchen would know that his temper was famous for justifying his shorings!

    Huang Shanshan¡¯s beautiful face had already turned extremely stiff! She never would have thought that Mu Yuchen would be so mean.

    She pulled Xi Xiaye back and unsteadily staggered a few steps. She subconsciously wriggled out of his grip, yet a stern warning gaze made her stop what she was doing.

    Her expression changed slightly as she looked towards Deng Wenwen and the rest. All of them were simply shocked.

 Chapter 125 - Man To The Rescue (2)

    <h4>Chapter 125: Man To The Rescue (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He held Xi Xiaye firmly by the wrist as he walked calmly and pulled her away as if he did not see the conflict earlier at all.

    ¡°Congrattions, CEO Han. I¡¯ve always thought that the woman in your arms was quite familiar. Now I remember, I seemed to have seen her at the evening show thest time in New York, but now that she¡¯s changed into such fashion, I didn¡¯t immediately recognize her. Your taste is quite unique.¡±

    When he passed Han Yifeng, the man suddenly stopped in his steps. His handsome face that was as calm as water curved into an elegant smile as he said with a deep and calm voice, ¡°Using force to bully others isn¡¯t something that only you people can do. It¡¯s also nothing out of the ordinary for me.¡±

    ¡°Could you be here to be disruptive too, Chairman Mu?¡± Han Yifeng could already hear the hostility in Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°How could I disrupt you matching pair? Someone who can denounce and criticize another woman on behalf a woman doesn¡¯t deserve to be called a man. CEO Han, do you think you deserve to be called a man?¡±

    Han Yifeng was startled, but before he could react, Mu Yuchen¡¯s smile had already faded and he returned to his usually calm and indifferent expression as he continued to pull Xi Xiaye forward.

    ¡°However, when I meet something like this, I usually make a move right away!¡± As Mu Yuchen said this, a scream was immediately heard!

    Reflexively, Ah Mo kicked Huang Shanshan who was trying to trip Xi Xiaye with her leg. She screamed miserably and fell to the ground embarrassingly before gripping her leg and crying out in pain!

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Sis!¡±

    ¡°Shanshan!¡±

    Yue Lingsi, Xi Xinyi, and the rest quickly chased after them, but they were stopped by Ah Mo and the rest. The two guards earlier were also blocked and the others could not get close at all.

    Han Yifeng looked horrible. He obviously could tell that Mu Yuchen was mocking him, implying that he did not deserve to be called a man!

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, let go...¡±

    Xi Xiaye tried hard to struggle free of hisrge hand. She could feel that her wrist started to hurt from his grip and she frowned at him. ¡°Why did youe over?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Mu Yuchen just took his hand back, his silent eyes locking onto her. She could easily tell that he was unhappy.

    Xi Xiaye met with his deep eyes and her thin lips parted slightly. She wanted to say something, yet she did not know how to say it. In the end, she looked away and then picked up her pace to walk ahead.

    Mu Yuchen looked at Xi Xiaye who had gone ahead and already reached the edge of the staircase. A gloom shed in his eyes, then he took huge strides and caught up with her. He reached her with a few wide steps and held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s wrist again.

    ¡°If you throw a fit again, you have to responsible for the consequences!¡±

    In that instant that Xi Xiaye struggled, he warned her softly. His tone had an imposing manner that could not be defied and it forcefully pushed Xi Xiaye¡¯s temper down.

    ¡°Ah Mo, I don¡¯t want to see any news that shouldn¡¯t be reported in tomorrow¡¯s newspapers,¡± he said. Then, he pulled Xi Xiaye to rush downstairs and immediately pass through the crowd. Before everyone could react, their figures had already vanished outside the door. Their movements were swift as if they were dreaming. The interlude shed past their minds and then vanished without a trace.

    The crowd caused amotion. They could not even react to what had just happened.

    With such a sudden appearance and quick departure, he was calm and collected as if he had just entered his own home.

    Even Xi Mushan looked a little puzzledly at the ck and white figure that had disappeared at the door. He turned to look towards the stairs and saw Deng Wenwen, Yue Lingsi, and the rest who had run down.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Such a weird and sudden change astonished Han Yu too. His mind shed with Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure and vaguely felt that it was a little familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen him before. He just knew that the person was definitely extraordinary!

    ¡°It¡¯s Chairman Mu! Why are he and Xiaye...?¡±

    The person who spoke was Huang Ziyao. At the moment, she looked shocked as well. She looked lost at Han Yu. When she thought about the scene that had just happened, it was easy to tell that he hade to get Xi Xiaye out of her predicament!

    Xi Mushan looked thoughtfully at the door again, then said, ¡°Enough. We¡¯ll discusster. Now, the banquet should continue!¡± However, he hinted something to his secretary, Ah Hui, who nodded knowingly and then retreated.

    On the second floor, in Xi Xinyi¡¯s room.

    Xi Xinyi was sitting before the mirror as she tearfully looked at her swollen face. It was so bad that she could not even see its original outline. Her hands that hit under her skirt had already be tight fists. The fiery pain almost made it unbearable. Until now, she could still feel the buzzing in her ears. Xi Xiaye had been vicious.

    When she heard the sound of footsteps behind her, she lowered her gaze and hid the dim light that shed in her eyes as her tight fists slowly rxed.

    She looked up into the mirror. Apart from her unbearably swollen face, there was also Han Yifeng¡¯s handsome and dashing figure.

    ¡°Xinyi, how are you?¡±

    Han Yifeng held an ice bag in his hand. He bent down to her side, his eyes filled with concern as he doted on her.

    Xi Xinyi weakly sniffed as she stubbornly held back the tears that welled up in her eyes, not letting them fall. Han Yifeng¡¯s hands had just closed in on her swollen face when tears the size of beads started to patter and fall onto the back of his hand.

    Han Yifeng felt his heart wrench, but he could only pull her into his embrace. She could not suppress her emotions anymore as she wept.

    ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯m really heartbroken. How could she do this to me? Does she hate me that much? Could it be that right from the start... we were wrong? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d rather not have known you right from the start...¡±

    She choked on her sobs as she said. A while after that, she just cried and her tears dampened Han Yifeng¡¯s shirt.

    ¡°Xinyi, from now on, it¡¯s best if you disturb her less just as she wishes...¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes were mixed with emotions, he looked down at Xi Xinyi who was crying in his arms. He did not forget the words that Xi Xiaye had said earlier.

    Xi Xinyi had gone to University A to look for Xiaye¡¯s mother and had even mentioned something about a 20% of shares. Even though he did not know what it meant for sure, he could tell that something was off.

    ¡°I just wanted to make everyone do better. I didn¡¯t think that Sister would be so determined. I didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d reallye and make us look so... so embarrassed. I¡¯m sorry, Yifeng. I didn¡¯t know that she¡¯d call Chairman Mu over too. Why would she...?¡±

    Xi Xinyi wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She sniffed and looked at Han Yifeng through tear-blurred eyes. Her voice was weak and raspy. ¡°Yifeng, tell me, at this point, what else can I do?¡±

 Chapter 126 - Man To The Rescue (3)

    <h4>Chapter 126: Man To The Rescue (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Yifeng softly consoled her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Xinyi. You have good intentions but it didn¡¯t work out. Xiaye always hated others disturbing her mother. I remember that day I already reminded you, but you didn¡¯t listen to me. Don¡¯t think too much. Now, tidy up a little and put on some fresh makeup. The people have already waited for very long downstairs.¡±

    When he saw Huang Shanshan appear at the door, Han Yifeng pulled Xi Xinyi away from his embrace and handed the ice bag to Huang Shanshan. ¡°Help her get it together. The people downstairs should be impatient now. I¡¯ll go change.¡±

    He looked down at the shirt that had already been wrinkled from Xi Xinyi crying into it. Helpless, he could only sigh on the inside.

    ¡°Okay, Cousin, you go first. Leave Cousin Sister-inw to me.¡±

    Huang Shanshan quickly took the ice bag.

    ¡°Xinyi, you said that the man earlier was Chairman Mu from Glory World? Is that the Master Mu who appears and disappears unpredictably?¡± Huang Shanshan closed in and as she helped Xi Xinyi ice her face, she asked a little preupiedly, ¡°How did that slut Xi Xiaye get connected to Master Mu?¡±

    Hearing Huang Shanshan, Xi Xinyi was a little stumped for words. She subconsciously turned to look at the absent-minded Huang Shanshan as something shed in her eyes. It was so quick that no one could catch it. She then nodded gently. ¡°He is Chairman Mu. At Glory World¡¯s anniversaryst night, I even saw him myself. I can¡¯t be wrong. As for Sister, she¡¯s a director at Glory World... It makes sense for Chairman Mu to defend her...¡±

    Even though Xi Xinyi said this, she still found it a little odd.

    Even if Xi Xiaye was a director at Glory World, the words that Chairman Mu said earlier was not courteous at all. That manner of his did not seem like it was purely a superior sticking out his neck for his subordinate!

    <i>Could it be that Glory World¡¯s Chairman Mu and Xi Xiaye were...?</i>

    When she thought about this possibility, Xi Xinyi¡¯s heart tightened. The pale hand that gripped onto her skirt subconsciously tensed up and her eyes shifted.

    ¡°That slut really lucked out. I can¡¯t believe she could even... but Master Mu was really...¡±

    As Huang Shanshan spoke, she thought about Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face again. He was really the highest of high-quality men!

    ...

    Outside West Park, Mu Yuchen immediately carried Xi Xiaye to his car. Evidently, he was not in too pleasant of a mood either.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, let go!¡± Xi Xiaye struggled hard. When they reached the car, Mu Yuchen let her go. His tall body turned, and in a sh, he pushed the top of the door open and circled her. His brooding gaze carried a constricting force as he towered over her.

    ¡°Exin what happened today! I remember that you said you wouldn¡¯te here again. Is it because you can¡¯t get over Han Yifeng? Exin to me, Missus!¡±

    His tone was very calm, yet Xi Xiaye could vaguely tell that there was an unusual air about it, especially when he emphasized the words ¡°Missus¡±. It came with a hint of warning.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think.¡± She looked away, not wanting to continue looking into his threatening eyes.

    ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m thinking? Look at me!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was very dismal as he stared at her beautiful and apathetic little face, yet she ignored him. She just reached out to massage her wrist that hurt from his grasp.

    ¡°You¡¯ve really be skilled! Can¡¯t I control you? Is it because you can¡¯t bear to see that Han Yifeng get engaged?¡±

    Mu Yuchen squinted as he watched her. He still used that calm tone, not showing his emotions.

    ¡°I said it¡¯s not because of him!¡± Xi Xiaye stubbornly replied.

    ¡°If that¡¯s not the case, why don¡¯t you dare to look at me? Feeling guilty?¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew how to provoke her. Once he said this calm sentence, he shot her a side look, causing her to raise her voice as she red at him. ¡°I¡¯ll look at you! Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you?¡±

    Seeing her gaze containing hurt, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes instantly darkened and he said softly, ¡°I rushed here to your rescue and you¡¯re going to act this way? Looking at me like that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not respond. She just looked down at her wrist that was about to break from his grasp. Mu Yuchen looked down and followed her gaze too. He then noticed that her wrist was bruised.

    No wonder she had struggled so hard earlier. He thought she had wanted to sever all rtions with him at such a moment!

    ¡°Are you a melon? Don¡¯t you know how to shout?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze then eased a little and he looked at her from the side. He was about to reach out when Xiaye shot him a look and said coldly, ¡°Did you give me a chance, Mr. Mu?¡±

    Then, she just ignored him and pulled the car door open to get in.

    ¡°Did I cover your mouth?¡± Mr. Mu coldly red at her too. Then, he walked towards the driver¡¯s seat, pulled the car door open and got in. As he helped her put on the seat belt, he said softly, ¡°You¡¯re quite bold, hitting that woman like that. However, I think for such a matter, that man should take on a few more ps to the face.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was slowly calming her uneven breaths down. She shot him a look and said without courtesy, ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re so enlightened! Xi Xinyi and Grandm-... CEO Deng went to look for my mother at University A for Yueying¡¯s 20% shares. Back then, my father wanted topensate Mother, so... as for the things Xi Xinyi did, do you think a few ps couldpensate for it? If she¡¯s going to be this dumb again, I dare to ssh acid on her!¡±

    As he listened, Mu Yuchen just calmly nced at her. He softlymented, ¡°How wicked!¡± Then, he stepped on the elerator and the car very quickly drove away from West Park.

    ¡°There are many who say I¡¯m wicked. You¡¯re person number what?¡± Xiaye shot him a nce with disdain, shamefully using his own words from earlier. ¡°As long as it can make me feel better, I can be even more wicked. I¡¯ve endured the hard times aplenty anyway.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve caught on pretty quickly! Fine, if you still don¡¯t feel better, then go look for them for revenge. You taking it out on me like this is harming the innocent.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t mind me taking out my fury on you? Back then, you even made a solemn vow and made yourself sound like a saint. Now, you¡¯re saying you¡¯re innocent!¡± Sheined unhappily.

    Mu Yuchen could not help butugh aloud. He reached over and patted her hand on herp. ¡°Okay, okay. Consider it a slip of the tongue. You can take it out on me as you wish. I didn¡¯t hear anything and I won¡¯t argue with you.¡±

    Seeing that she was fine, he was relieved. He would not care about the rest for now.

    Now, Xiaye finally eased a little. She turned on her side to look at him, thinking about something. Then, she asked softly, ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, earlier you said that you saw Xi Xinyi at some evening show in New York. Is that real or fake?¡±

    ¡°Why? What naughty things do you want to do now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows raised as he shot her a curious nce.

 Chapter 127 - Returning Late

    <h4>Chapter 127: Returning Late</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her eyes twinkled like the stars, and she shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that your Mr. Mu is the kind of person who goes to such ces?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her thoughtfully.

    ¡°Then, why did you say that you¡¯ve seen Xi Xinyi in a nightclub in New York?¡± She lifted a hand to gather her messy hair as she asked disapprovingly.

    ¡°I just said that I seemed to have. It¡¯s been so long. How would I remember whether I¡¯ve been there or if I¡¯ve seen her?¡±

    ¡°How despicable!¡±

    As she listened to him, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face could not help but sh with a faint ripple, yet her eyes filled with a warm light. She looked down at hisrge hand that cupped the back of her hand.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt your shoulder injury, did you?¡± Mu Yuchen did not bicker with her further. He just asked her softly as he leaned towards her, yet she just turned her head away and looked out the window. She answered inly, ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡±

    Heughed and without saying anything anymore, he just sped up.

    The car sped all the way to Grand Waves Vi area as Xi Xiaye stared out of the car window. The sky was also gradually turning dark outside. When they drove past the supermarket near the Grand Waves Vi area, Mu Yuchen finally stopped the car. She figured that she had to make a trip to the supermarket too.

    There were many people in the supermarket since everyone was preparing to purchase Chinese New Year goods. All the hampers and gifts on disy filled one¡¯s eyes with glitter. They had just walked through the supermarket entrance when piles of festive items greeted their sight.

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly as he watched Xiaye get the trolley. He fell silent for a moment before walking over.

    Xi Xiaye watched as he took the trolley over from her, his handsome brows furrowing. Then, he turned to look at her, his gaze as clear as autumn water. She could not help but ask, ¡°For someone as prestigious as you, is it your first time in the supermarket?¡±

    Nevertheless, Mu Yuchen gazed at her as if he wondered if she was a moron. ¡°Did you think that all the yummy food you ate at home before this had flown into the refrigerator by themselves?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I notice that you have a bad habit ¡ª you keep attacking me with your speech and your tone is very unfriendly like a military instructor treating his troops. In fact, don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know. Those ingredients were all bought by either Ah Mo or Li Si...¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she nced at him.

    His long arms circled and then held her by the shoulders. He pushed the trolley with one hand and smiled, not bothering to defend himself. ¡°If I really were a military instructor, I would¡¯ve removed you by now. With your attitude, I¡¯d give you 50 points at the most for your total assessment score.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give me 60? In fact, don¡¯t you know that giving 59 points is even more savage than giving 50?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows and looked puzzledly at him.

    ¡°Because 59 points will make you guys remember more. Did you think that this score was simply given out?¡±

    ...

    A while after, Xi Xiaye had already tossed a bunch of things into her trolley, but Mr. Mu had put a lot of things back from behind her. The reasoning was simple: no taking junk food that ayed one¡¯s hunger!

    No wonder this woman was so skinny.

    Now that he thought about it, if a person lived alone, they would usually be more carefree, especially the working ss. When they were usually hungry for a meal, they would eat the next meal. Sometimes if they were too tired when they reached home after work, they would lie on the bed and wake up to the start of a new day.

    Even though Mu Yuchen came from a prestigious family, it was obvious that Mu Tangchuan and the rest did not raise him like a prince. On the contrary, after he entered high school, the family did not give him anymore allowance. The old fellows from the Su family and the Zhou family had discussed and agreed to all do the same. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were raised like that too. After that, they were even sent off to a military academy where their days were pretty arduous.

    The three buddies had hustled for a livelihood before, so they knew the feeling extremely well.

    Now, all of it was different...

    ¡°Don¡¯t eat these things anymore. Otherwise, why do you think we got married for?¡±

    His deep yet sensitive voice suddenly echoed. Under Xiaye¡¯s shocked gaze, he reached out to take over the hardtack in her hand and put it back onto the shelf.

    Seeing her empty hands, Xi Xiaye was stumped and her twinkling eyes suddenly shed with a faint light. A sense of ease ran through her indifferent face as she looked at him, then quietly lowered her eyes.

    Yes, she was used to it...

    Every time she shopped at the supermarket, she would stop at these items out of habit ¡ª hardtack, instant noodles, or food like frozen dumplings...

    She fell silent for a moment. After thinking about it, she then suddenly felt a little pained in her heart. As she blinked, there was an instance when she could not help but be slightly moved by his attentive consideration.

    ¡°Have you eaten these things too, Mr. Mu?¡± She turned over and walked ahead as she calmly asked him.

    ¡°When I was serving in the army, I¡¯d always eatte at night with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo. Nothing feels more familiar than seeing them even though it doesn¡¯t taste great,¡± he answered very calmly.

    She always thought that he should be the same as Han Yifeng, or even lived better than Han Yifeng. Thetter had lived like a prince since he was young and was still living the way a master did. She did not expect him to be like her and she believed that he needed to be thrown into this cruel society to improve himself and settle...

    She suddenly remembered something that her grandpa, Shen Yue, had said to her.

    <i>Xiaye, true growth requires going through the grind of society and years of settling. A true rtionship is like that too. It needs to go through time¡¯s wear and tear, umting and settling, before it can truly blossom and bear fruit.</i>

    ...

    She thought about it, and then suddenly smiled. She abruptly turned to him. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t like to eat these things either.¡±

    Her bright and moving smiled entered his sight, making him suddenly feel soft in the heart. His usual apathy for everything seemed to carry some faint warmth. When he thought about the endless decades that he would continue to journey on with her, there was a faint joy in his eyes.

    This feeling felt pretty solid and he decided that he quite liked this new life.

    When they walked out of the supermarket with huge bags of groceries, it was already close to five in the evening. The warm sun on the horizon had gradually dimmed and it was not as warm as it had been earlier.

    They put the things in the back seat, and then the husband and wife got into the car.

    Mu Yuchen was about to start the car when suddenly he heard a little girl speak up in a crisp voice, ¡°Big brother, buy a bouquet of roses for Sister!¡±

    When he heard her, Mu Yuchen wound his car window down and looked out. Indeed, he saw a very adorable little girl holding a flower basket, standing not too far away from his car and smiling at him. The flower basket was filled with tender and alluring red roses which were very beautiful.

    He smiled, then waved to the girl, indicating for her to go over.

    The little girl ran over very quickly.

    He took out a few crimson notes from his wallet and handed it to the girl while saying softly, ¡°Is this enough to buy all your flowers?¡±

    The little girl nodded before she quickly put all the roses in her basket together and made a simple and imperfect huge bouquet. Then, she handed it to Mu Yuchen...

 Chapter 128 - Maple Residence Gathering (1)

    <h4>Chapter 128: Maple Residence Gathering (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°These flowers look pretty. Do all you women like these sort of things?¡± As he said this, he passed the bouquet to Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows raised. She took one look at the bouquet in full bloom, then her eyes fell onto his handsome face. ¡°I don¡¯t know about other people, but the more I look at it, I find that I do quite like it!¡±

    She epted the flowers and lowered her head to smell them. ¡°Coincidentally, the blue rose in the vase at home has withered. I¡¯ll put these in the vase when we get back. I keep feeling like the house feels livelier when we decorate it with little things like this. What do you think, Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°The Missus is right. Let¡¯s go home. The two of them are probably rushing over soon.¡± Then, he started the car.

    Soon, the car that was draped with a gentle golden radiance of the setting sun sped towards the Grand Waves Vi area, bringing with it the delight of returningte.

    Some things quietly changed just like that with the wash of time. Just as the sunset that gradually changed with the horizon, after the sunset, what came after would be the magnificent sky of stars...

    ...

    After they returned to Maple Residence, the husband and wife did not rest. Drinking a ss of water, Xi Xiaye followed Mu Yuchen into the kitchen and helped him out.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, is this little water enough for the rice?¡± She brought the pot over and asked Mu Yuchen who was busy cutting the vegetables.

    Mu Yuchen looked from the side and took over the pot to pour away some of the water. ¡°There¡¯s too much. Mmm, it¡¯s fine now. Go y some music.¡±

    Then, he plugged the pot in to cook.

    When the man cooked, he liked listening to rxing music. She had asked him about it before and he said that cooking was a rxing pleasure. Of course, he wanted to increase the quality of his pleasure.

    He had a bunch of nonsensical logic. Sometimes she felt like he was just used to living like an old man. He was also so unhurried. Cooking just one meal would always take him more than an hour such as that soup he had stewed a few days ago. Being in the mood and having the time, he stewed it for quite a few hours...

    ¡°Which CD to y?¡± She gave him a look and took the towel he handed to wipe her wet hands as she asked.

    ¡°You decide. They¡¯re all the same genre,¡± he just said and continued cutting his potato slices.

    She put the towel aside and walked out. A while after that, a piece of rxing and alluring music started floating throughout the vi.

    It was a very, very old Oscar hit which sounded pretty mellow and quite encouraging.

    <i>Say you, say me...</i>

    When she returned to the kitchen and saw his busy figure, she suddenly could not help request, ¡°Mr. Mu, can you make that steak with honey sauce? That one¡¯s quite nice.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll make it for youter,¡± he answered calmly, his soft and gentle tone like a father coaxing a gluttonous little girl. ¡°You¡¯ve been eating this dish for the past few days. Haven¡¯t you gotten tired of it?¡±

    She smiled cheerfully and walked over to say softly, ¡°This is my most honest approval of your culinary skills. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy?¡±

    ¡°Missus, your approval is too cheap.¡± He chuckled before putting the shredded potato on the te. At that moment, the doorbell outside buzzed.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously raised her brows and looked at him, thinking that it must be those two buddies he mentioned who had arrived. She could not help but be a little nervous. In the meanwhile, he just took the towel to wipe his hands, looking calm as usual.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably here. Let¡¯s go out to take a look.¡±

    Then, he walked towards the door as she quietly watched his back. A while after that, she followed him.

    The sky had already darkened outside at this point and the streetlights outside the vi had already automatically lit up. The dim yellow light warmly nketed the floor.

    Mu Yuchen switched the living room light on and the bright and warm lights instantly filled the whole house. He subconsciously slowed down to wait until Xi Xiaye had caught up, then he continued picking up his pace to walk ahead.

    ¡°The two of them are pretty easy to talk to. Since you¡¯re a woman, they can only let you be. If they ask you anything and you find them going overboard, just nod or shake your head. It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t be so dumb,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded hisdy Xiaye as he strolled slowly.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, are you worried that I¡¯m going to be taken advantage of?¡± Xi Xiaye who walked beside him suddenly turned to look at him and smiled calmly.

    ¡°I was just worried that not only will you be embarrassing, but that you¡¯ll embarrass me too.¡± Mu Yuchen shot her a look. ¡°Missus, your husband¡¯s image will rely on you to hold up today. I don¡¯t hope that you will be in high spirits or be a killer. Just be normal. What are you nervous for?¡±

    Just as Xiaye wanted to ask something, the man had already walked over with huge strides and pressed the switch at the door. With a click, the tightly closed door ahead finally opened slowly.

    What entered her sight was a domineering and shy Range Rover. With one look, she knew it was Su Chen¡¯s signature car. This fellow had been advised many times by the old revolutionaries at home about this car. They had even organized many sessions for criticizing him. Lastly, unable to handle being a traitor, he confessed that he had gotten it from Mu Yuchen and had even signed a letter of indebtedness with Mu Yuchen, causing thetter to be criticized by the Su family elders on an international call!

    Among the three buddies, Master Zhou Zimo and Mu Yuchen were both in the gentle and calm party. Their manners were graceful, and they preferred to be reserved and low-profile while Su Chen was the steadfast, domineering type. He looked a little imposing, but it could also be because of his profession.

    However, Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo knew Su Chen¡¯s personality. Among the buddies, the one who fooled around the most was him and Zhou Zimo second. If he wanted to go wild, he was not bad at all, but Mu Yuchen was quieter instead. He was mild-tempered, but he definitely would not make things awkward because his dry humor could quickly liven up the atmosphere.

    The three buddies had been ymates since they were young, so naturally, their rtionship was extraordinary.

    ¡°Master! Missus!¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice greeted. Xi Xiaye looked up and saw Ah Mo walking over wearing a ck tuxedo.

    Usually, the buddies¡¯ dinners did not leave Ah Mo out. To them, he was one of their good friends as well, so Mu Yuchen had let him attend.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. At that moment, Ah Mo handed a folder and a very nicely packaged gift box to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Missus, Mayor Xi made Li Si take this for you. Since I wasing over, I thought I¡¯d bring it along.¡±

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye was startled and she looked down at the items before her. Then, she remembered Xi Mushan¡¯s words. He did say that he had some things for her to take for her mother, Shen Wenna.

    That afternoon, after she left with Mu Yuchen, she did not think about it anymore. Now, she wondered what became of Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s engagement banquet in the end.

 Chapter 129 - Maple Residence Gathering (2)

    <h4>Chapter 129: Maple Residence Gathering (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo seemed to know what Xi Xiaye was thinking, so he continued, ¡°Missus, the engagement ceremony ended earlier with the reason that Xi Xinyi was unwell atst. Mayor Xi had already left City Z with a n tonight, so these...¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked on with mixed emotions in her eyes at the items. Just as she was hesitating about whether or not to take them, the man beside her suddenly said softly, ¡°Bring it to the study room.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    The instant Mu Yuchen said that, Ah Mo brought the items into the vi. Behind them came the sound of a car door closing.

    Xi Xiaye very quickly snapped out of it. She thought about how she was going to call the Shen residence after dinnerter, but now she had to receive her guests first.

    As she thought about this, she breathed in slightly, and then looked up at the sound. Two tall and lofty figures instantly entered their sight.

    One wore a tailored metallic grey tuxedo, while the other wore a silver-gray mid-length windbreaker. The two of them were elusive, handsome guys.

    The one in the metallic grey suit was elegant in aura besides being handsome and refined. He was Zhou Zimo and was no stranger to Xi Xiaye. Previously, at a certain banquet, she had seen him before.

    The other was steadfast and attractive. He looked quite easy-going as he carried an indescribable imposing manner. He should be the important and highly-positioned Master Su!

    The two of them walked in through the door one after another. When they saw Xi Xiaye before Mu Yuchen, the two of them stopped in their steps.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite hard to even see you. How many times have the both of us called you only to be told off by you? You even told Ah Mo to tell us to prepare generous gifts. What are you going on about?¡± Su Chen stood firm when he immediately frowned and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m very curious about what you mean by having us prepare generous gifts too. I asked Ah Mo, and even he was mysterious about it!¡± The instant Su Chen finished, Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice echoed.

    Mu Yuchen looked indifferent. Some light shifted in his eyes as he asked, ¡°Does that mean that you¡¯ve prepared your generous gifts?¡±

    ¡°That will depend on what you¡¯re up to... Whether it¡¯s befitting of the generous gifts that we¡¯ve put together with great care.¡± Su Chen and Zhou Zimo exchanged a look before they silently nodded and looked together at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. Suddenly turning to his side, he pulled Xiaye who stood behind him out. His long arms gently circled her shoulders and his deep and sensitive voice was heard. ¡°This is Su Chen. You should know him. This is Zhou Zimo, the Master Zhou that you guys always discuss.¡±

    Mu Yuchen pointed at the two of them and introduced them to Xi Xiaye.

    Then, he looked at Su Chen and Zhou Zimo to say, ¡°This is Xi Xiaye, my wife, your younger brother¡¯s wife or your sister-inw.¡±

    When he said this, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were stumped for words. The two instantly looked like they had been struck by lightning. Their eyes flew wide and they suddenly unknowingly looked around. A while after that, their eyes stopped on Xi Xiaye before them.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Xi Xiaye,¡± Xi Xiaye very amiably and appropriately greeted them as she spoke lightly.

    When they heard her voice, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo snapped back to reality as they stared at Xi Xiaye. Then, their eyes fell onto Mu Yuchen who remained calm.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nning to exin anything?¡± Su Chen frowned and asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to exin? We¡¯re married,¡± Mu Yuchen inly said and then turned to indicate for them to go in.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye? Director Xi? Glory World¡¯s Director Xi?¡±

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo vaguely recalled Xi Xiaye. He did remember her and seemed to have heard that she was a director at Glory World who Elder Mu recognized.

    ¡°Wow, Ah Chen! You¡¯ve be the hare that eats grass by its burrow [1]!¡±

    The buddies had been ying together since they were young. Just one look at each other and they easily knew what each other meant, so when Zhou Zimo said this, Su Chen immediately responded, ¡°Let¡¯s go in first. It¡¯s quite cold outside.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was unperturbed as he looked at the two of them. Then, he pulled Xi Xiaye along and turned to walk into the vi, quickly closing the door behind them.

    He had just walked into the vi when he let go of Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°Go to the store and choose a few bottles of wine.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up at him, then at Su Chen and Zhou Zimo who were still in shock. She thought about it, then nodded and quietly walked towards the storeroom.

    Mu Yuchen watched her figure vanish past the door. He turned to the duo who had already taken off their coats and changed their shoes. Without saying anything, he just returned to the kitchen.

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo exchanged a look, then they followed after him.

    In the spacious kitchen, Mu Yuchen was working on the steak with honey sauce that Xi Xiaye had requested. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were also helping out with the other dishes. Even though their culinary skills were not on par with Mu Yuchen¡¯s, they were usually used to being well-fed and clothed by themselves. Contrary to popr belief, they did not have any harmful habits of rich sons of capitalists or government officials.

    As Zhou Zimo washed the ingredients, he looked at Mu Yuchen from the side and could not help butment, ¡°Why did you get married so suddenly? Even if your family pressured you, you don¡¯t seem to be the kind that would simplypromise. It¡¯s been so many years. I haven¡¯t seen them really be able to control you.¡±

    ¡°He is definitely crazy, Zimo. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ve always thought that even when our two children can goof off together, he might not even be married. I mean, has he been interested in any women all these years? The bros don¡¯t even know how he got through all those years,¡± Su Chen voiced out.

    ¡°His brain was always filled with different thingspared to everyone else. Who knows what he¡¯s thinking about again?¡±

    Zhou Zimo shook his head as he looked at Mu Yuchen andughed. ¡°But this Xi Xiaye seems pretty impressive. She fits your taste in women. Even if you don¡¯t want to exin, we buddies are toozy to ask. As long as you¡¯re satisfied, you¡¯re the one who has to bear all of this anyway.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you keep saying you¡¯re busy. It turns out that you¡¯re busy with your wife at home! But what are you actually thinking? Why did you get married without saying a word? You¡¯re only 30, man. 30! We haven¡¯t even messed around enough and you¡¯re married. You¡¯ve really gone mad!¡±

    Su Chen handed the te to Mu Yuchen in a manner that seemed like he really wanted to advise him earnestly.

    ...

    The two of them kept bantering until finally, Mu Yuchen said casually, ¡°I wanted to change a different kind of lifestyle. What¡¯s so bad about that? Who told you that life after marriage would be duller than before?¡±

 Chapter 130 - Maple Residence Gathering (3)

    <h4>Chapter 130: Maple Residence Gathering (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he said this, Su Chen was startled. Then, he remembered that Mu Yuchen seemed to be just like that. With a mild-tempered life coupled with his personality, whether or not he got married did not seem to make any difference.

    ¡°Do you know all about Xi Xiaye¡¯s past? I have never heard of you interacting with her. It¡¯s no wonder when I asked Ah Mo, he just mumbled and didn¡¯t exin properly. It¡¯s fine if you want to marry a woman, but you must know her background well. Do you want me to help you investigate? The elder of your family and the rest might not know about her past either. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough...¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly interrupted him. He lifted his still eyes and looked at Su Chen and Zhou Zimo who stood side by side. His eyes were peaceful and distant. ¡°I have now set my heart on her and married her. Everything started anew from the moment we signed those marriage papers. I don¡¯t want to know about everything in the past anymore.¡±

    He then averted his gaze and silently turned around. Momentster, he added, ¡°She didn¡¯t ask about my past either, so what¡¯s so bad about it?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, the two of them were stunned.

    They saw that he had already continued attending to his cooking. Exchanging a look, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes could not help but force a smile.

    This was their first time seeing Mu Yuchen being so protective over a person. In fact, it was a woman, and one who did not look that outstanding.

    However, they seemed to vaguely feel that Xi Xiaye carried an aura simr to that of Mu Yuchen¡¯s. Her gaze was distant and she had a stubborn coldness. Could it be that they understood each other¡¯s burdens?

    What kind of girl was Xi Xiaye?

    Seeing that he did not want to continue talking about it, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo did not ask further. Silently, they thought about it and then nodded before sighing, ¡°Okay, since that¡¯s the case, what else can we say? We trust your choices and we only have well wishes left for you. We hope that this will actually be a good thing for you.¡±

    ¡°When are you nning to have the wedding?¡± Zhou Zimo finished cutting the shredded potatoes and handed them to Mu Yuchen as he asked.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s quiet and handsome face eased a little now. ¡°We¡¯ve been busy, so it won¡¯t be too soon, but we¡¯ll inform you when the timees.¡±

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye picked a few bottles of wine and returned to the living room, she realized that the few of them were still busy in the kitchen. She did not go over to join in the fun. Instead, she just looked at the bouquet of roses that Mu Yuchen had given her before picking up the scissors and vase...

    Her movements were swift. Soon, the blooming bouquet of red roses was trimmed and arranged in the vase. She was just about to clean up the fallen branches and leaves when suddenly the man¡¯s soft and gentle voice entered her ear.

    ¡°Stop being busy now. Tidy up a little and help us prepare the bowls and chopsticks.¡±

    Turning to look, she noticed that he had already brought the dishes out of the kitchen while Ah Mo was also opening a bottle.

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

    She stood up and very quickly swept the branches and leaves into the bin beside her. After she straightened the vase, she then walked over.

    When she reached his side, she asked softly and subconsciously looked at the kitchen, ¡°Can we eat already? I saw that you guys were chatting pretty happily, so I didn¡¯t want to disturb you. However, I¡¯m quite surprised that the two of them also would know how to...¡±

    ¡°When we were serving in the army, Su Chen made a mistake, so his old man sent him to the cooking shift for almost half a year. In that time, we¡¯d always run over to his cete at night to eat,¡± Mu Yuchen exined and walked over.

    A while after that, the dishes were done. The five of them sat around the table. Across the husband and wife were Su Chen and Zhou Zimo. Standing, Ah Mo poured the wine into their sses.

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo exchanged nces simultaneously as they started to examine the couple, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. In just one glimpse, they actually felt that there was underlying chemistry and they looked very fitting. In fact, they acted like a couple that had been married for years such as right now.

    Mu Yuchen took the bottle of wine that Ah Mo served and Xi Xiaye, who was looking down, had looked up in that instant. She exchanged a wet handkerchief with the wine in his hand.

    Then, he said, ¡°Here¡¯s some whiskey. This one isn¡¯t suitable for you, so you¡¯re only allowed to taste a little of it, hmm?¡±

    She looked at the ss that contained a wee bit of whiskey. After some thought, she then lightly nodded.

    ...

    Su Chen silently observed the married couple, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, across him for quite a while, before finally sighing to himself and announcing, ¡°Look at you two. Since the deed is done, Zimo and I don¡¯t know what else we can say. As your brothers, we can only sincerely wish you well. May you two live well and give birth to a chubby little one for us to y with next year!¡±

    As he said this, his eyes fell onto Xi Xiaye, his voice at ease. ¡°Sis-inw... Eh, I think it¡¯s better if I call you Xiaye. Otherwise, calling you Sis-inw feels a little too weird. Ah Chen is number two among the three of us, yet he¡¯s the one that¡¯scking love the most. Since you¡¯ve married him, you¡¯d better guard him well. He¡¯s a pretty steady fe. This one... You won¡¯t lose out by sticking to him.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Su Chen too, Sis-inw Xiaye. We¡¯ll hand Ah Chen to you now. You¡¯d better care for him well and give him warmth. We buddies wish you well. Come, let¡¯s drink to this!¡±

    Xi Xiaye listened and then quietly turned to gaze at him. She then smiled and nodded gently before cheerfully raising her ss and smiling. ¡°Thank you all.¡±

    Clink!

    The sound of the wine sses gently tinkling was heard. The beautiful light glided in a curve in the ss as they downed the wine.

    ¡°Right, is Lingshiing back for the New Year this year? That girl called mest month, telling me to get her a driving license. She¡¯s probably nning to return to the country.¡± Su Chen poured himself a drink as he turned to Mu Yuchen to ask.

    ¡°She¡¯s only returning after the New Year. Grandfather and Grandmother are worried about letting her live abroad alone for a long period of time,¡± Mu Yuchen answered. He fell silent for a moment, then continued, ¡°After Imperial Sky Entertainment City is up and running, we¡¯ll let her take over it.¡±

    ¡°That girl¡¯s been growing these few years. Do you really dare to let her take over? Aren¡¯t you worried she¡¯ll be taken advantage of?¡± Zhou Zimo lifted his ss of wine for a sip and smiled as he teased.

    ¡°Does she look like someone who¡¯s willing to make a loss? Just with her personality, others will be taken advantage of, but not her!¡±

    Su Chen looked disapprovingly at Zhou Zimo. Heughed, swiveling to Mu Yuchen. When he saw that he remained calm and Xi Xiaye seemed puzzled, he thought about it, and then set the topic aisde. He did not continue pursuing it any further...

    Xi Xiaye also felt that the atmosphere was a little odd. When she turned to Mu Yuchen and wanted to ask him something, she saw him drinking with his head lowered.

 Chapter 131 - Maple Residence Gathering (4)

    <h4>Chapter 131: Maple Residence Gathering (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It fell silent for quite a while.

    Seeing her puzzlement, Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice suddenly softly entered her ear as he simply exined, ¡°Lingshi grew up with us. All these years, she¡¯s been living abroad. She¡¯s a few years younger than you. She manages thepany¡¯s branch of entertainment nightclubs in France and is considered a pretty experienced DJ. She¡¯s a brat that¡¯s easy to get along with him. She¡¯s as dumb as you, but her personality is more like a boy¡¯s and she¡¯s very straightforward.¡±

    Her brows raised as she looked a little astonished at him. Mu Lingshi, entertainment nightclub, female DJ?

    She did not know why, but she vaguely felt that whenever Mu Lingshi was mentioned, the atmosphere became a little weird, but she was quite excited to meet this legendary sister-inw of hers.

    Yesterday or the day before, when the Mu residence called, she had vaguely heard Wang Huiin to Mu Yinan about Lingshi noting back to celebrate the New Year or something...

    Now that she heard them discuss her again, she started to be more curious.

    ...

    After dinner, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo walked straight to the living room. They steeped some tea and began to y some cards.

    When the few of them gathered together, they had quite a lot on the agenda. Usually, they would go golfing, wander around the horse ranch, drink tea and y cards, go to the club to pass time and so on.

    Initially, Xiaye was mulling over tidying up the dishes herself, yet just as she picked up one bowl, the man that had gone to brew the tea had returned.

    ¡°Let me. You go y with them.¡±

    When Xiaye saw him tidying up, she stopped him. ¡°If you do this yourself, you¡¯ll go on till midnight.¡±

    He ignored her and quickly cleaned it up himself. He brought the dishes to the kitchen. Stumped, Xi Xiaye followed him.

    The man had already begun to silently wash the dishes.

    He had drunk quite a lot earlier, so his exceptionally handsome face was faintly blushing. As she moved closer to him, she could even faintly smell the light scent of alcohol. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo had poured him quite a bit to drink.

    She stood behind him and watched him for quite a while, then she poured him a ss of water. ¡°Do you want to go upstairs for a shower first?¡± She said as she handed the ss of water to him.

    He looked at her from the side, then took the ss. He had two gulps before he said in his deep and slightly raspy voice, ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush. It¡¯s still early. Tonight, you have to work a little harder. We all drank quite a bit, so it¡¯s not good if we drive. Later on, you¡¯ll have to drive. We¡¯ll send them home together, okay?¡±

    She nodded and shifted her feet slightly. Her fair arms reached into the sink and she lowered her head to quietly wash the bowls.

    Quite a while after that, she suddenly remembered something and softly called out to him, ¡°Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What is it?¡± He answered, his hands not stopping what they were doing.

    ¡°Tomorrow afternoon, I want to make a trip back to the Shen residence. The day after tomorrow, I¡±ll follow you back to the Mu residence on the evening of New Year¡¯s Eve, okay?¡± Xi Xiaye said, then she slowly looked up at him, her eyes holding a hint of hope and even anticipation.

    The Shen residence seemed to have been always cold and cheerless. When the New Year came, Grandpa would let the servants go on holiday, so it would be even more deserted with only Grandpa, Shen Yue, and Shen Wenna. In the past, she would go home to celebrate the New Year, but now...

    ¡°Grandpa¡¯s old. Every year, I would go back to the Shen residence to celebrate with him... I hope that he can get through every New Year a little happier. Actually, he¡¯s someone who quite relishes the bustling of excitement. Grandma has left us for quite a few years now, so he¡¯s always been lonely. When Mother¡¯s not home, he¡¯d always stay in the office to work overtime.¡±

    When she said this, she suddenly paused. After quite a while, she then continued, ¡°But every time when I go back, he¡¯d always return from the office at the quickest speed. Since I have some free time now, I want to spend more time with him...¡±

    At this moment, she seemed to experience the feeling of being a daughter that had been married off.

    In fact, from just Shen Wenna¡¯s call that day, she could not help but admit that she did feel a little worried, yet she did not know how to console her mother. She kept thinking about it and decided to make a trip back to the Shen residence the next day and have a New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner the day after that with them before returning to the Mu residence.

    ¡°The New Year merchandise have been prepared. Tomorrow I¡¯ll apany you, then the night after that, I¡¯ll return to the Mu residence immediately,¡± he responded softly in a tone that sounded gentle. ¡°Are you considered enlightened now? Is it because you¡¯ve been married to me for so long that you know how to miss home now?¡±

    ¡°Do I have to tell you when I miss home?¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a look. Every time he spoke, he did not seem to have kind things to say.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled without a word.

    After the husband and wife were done tidying up and walked out of the kitchen, Su Chen and the rest were battling it out vigorously. They werecking one out of four yers, so they could only y Fight the Landlord!

    When they saw Mu Yuchen walk out, Su Chen immediately said, ¡°Ah Chen,e over to y cards with us. Quick! We¡¯ve waited on you for so long!¡±

    Mu Yuchen took the towel that Xi Xiaye handed to him and wiped his hands as he walked over. Su Chen and the rest had already begun to shuffle and distribute the cards.

    ¡°Let me steep you guys a pot of warm flower tea to help you sober up.¡±

    When she thought about how these men had downed quite a few bottles of whiskey, and noticing how red all their faces were, she could only helplessly bury her head in her hands.

    ¡°No need. Just sit. Do you know how to y cards?¡± Mu Yuchen pulled her down to the chair. Her body reflexively shifted and her hands already begun to pick up the cards.

    ¡°Not really,¡± she answered very honestly, not rejecting sitting down by his side.

    She found chess alright, but when it came to ying cards, she was really not too proficient at it. However, she did y it with Su Nan and Ruan Heng once in a while, so she knew one or two ways to y it, but by the looks of their game, it was clear that she was unfamiliar with it.

    ¡°Missus, just learn from the Master. His skills are out of this world! Even when Master Su and Master Zhou gang up, they can only end up in a tie at best,¡± Ah Mo smiled as he said.

    ¡°Why? Earlier, didn¡¯t you admit your role in helping him? Ah Mo, I notice that after you¡¯ve mixed with your Master Mu for such a long time, you¡¯ve picked up his personality too!¡± The moment Ah Mo finished, Su Chen looked at him, then his gaze stopped on Xi Xiaye. He shot Mu Yuchen a sidelong look as he was focused on arranging the cards.

    He teased, ¡°Ah Chen, how about you teach your wife some moves? Next time, when wee over, if we¡¯re down by one person, we could even let Xiaye take over. Actually, thinking about it further,ter on when all of us buddies are married like you, when wee out to y, the wives could even gather a table...¡±

    Once Su Chen said this, even Zhou Zimo raised his handsome brows and cheerfully agreed.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the two of them and grinned. ¡°Wait till you two get married before you discuss this with me.¡±

    Then, he began the game, casually tossing a card onto the table.

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d say this. You¡¯d bettere and hang out during the New Year. We buddies haven¡¯t gathered properly these past few years... I¡¯ll follow!¡± Zhou Zimo smiled gracefully and put a card down too...

 Chapter 132 - Lady Xiaye Is Masculine! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 132: Lady Xiaye Is Masculine! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After several rounds of cards, they gulped down a few more sses. The guys were starting to get drunk.

    ¡°It¡¯s prettyte now and I have to go back soon. The elders at home might think that I went somewhere to mess around again. They¡¯ve been pretty stricttely.¡±

    Su Chen put his wine ss down as he grabbed his car keys on the table, staggering to his feet.

    Zhou Zimo nodded as well, looking slightly shaky when he stood up.

    ¡°Master, let me send Master Su and Master Zhou back!¡± Ah Mo quickly helped the unsteady Su Chen stand, but Su Chen declined, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not drunk yet. Anyway, it¡¯s just driving! Let¡¯s go, Zimo!¡±

    He clung onto Zhou Zimo¡¯s shoulder and then walked outside.

    Mu Yuchen pressed his hand to his forehead as he was experiencing some light headache. ¡°Follow the rules. Don¡¯t get your office into trouble during the New Year. Even if you don¡¯t care about your own safety, be considerate to your subordinates.¡±

    He turned to his wife, Xi Xiaye. ¡°Missus, go and get the car in the garage. Please send them back. They¡¯re all along the same way.¡±

    He then passed his car keys to Xi Xiaye who grabbed the keys from him and went out swiftly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s footsteps still seemed solid as he stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll send you guys back personally. Oh, I¡¯ve prepared some gifts for your parents too.¡±

    ...

    The few of them were waiting outside the entrance as Xi Xiaye drove the car over.

    She rolled the windows down and looked at them.

    Zhou Zimo and Ah Mo went in the car after they helped Su Chen to get inside. As Mu Yuchen sat in the front passenger seat, Xi Xiaye quickly started the car.

    The car went through the streets swiftly under the night sky.

    ...

    At the same time, in a high-ss vi area in the east of City Z.

    Han Yifeng was wearing a sleeping robe as he watched the TV after he was done with showering. Suddenly, he heard some light footsteps behind him. Before he could turn around, a sweet fragrance bathed him, and a pair of gentle arms hugged his shoulders.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s gentle voice reached him as if a warm wind had passed by his ears. ¡°We¡¯re finally engaged! Although there were some ws at the engagement ceremony today, I don¡¯t care about anything else as long as I get to be with you.¡±

    Han Yifeng turned around to look at her. Her swollen face looked much better now despite her little face seeming frail and her eyes slightly red. It made Han Yifeng feel terrible. He patted her hands and consoled her, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about what happened today. Xiaye is... I¡¯ll give you a grand wedding in the future...¡±

    Xi Xinyiughed. ¡°I¡¯m alright, Yifeng! I don¡¯t mind going through these sufferings if Sister can feel better. Actually, I¡¯m very pleased that she coulde.¡±

    There was some regret in her tone of voice besides her obvious kindness.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s indifferent expression, as well as her stubborn look, shed through his mind, so he asked Xi Xinyi, ¡°By the way, what were the 20% shares Xiaye mentioned? What does that mean?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was slightly stunned. She closed her eyelids to cover up her tears on the verge of falling After a while, she replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure about it too. It¡¯s probably something between my parents. Yifeng, about what happened today... Sister was able to get Chairman Mu toe. Could it be...?¡± Xi Xinyi asked Han Yifeng with a weird look.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression changed when Mu Yuchen was mentioned. He did not forget about what Mu Yuchen had told him and he went silent for a moment before asking Xi Xinyi abruptly, ¡°Xinyi, have you been to nightclubs in New York before?¡±

    ¡°No! You have to believe me, Yifeng. Master Mu said that on purpose... It¡¯ste, Yifeng. Let¡¯s rest. I want to go out shopping together tomorrow. We need to pick out some clothes for you...¡±

    Xi Xinyi crawled into Han Yifeng¡¯s embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. Gazing at him lovingly, the next moment, her soft red lips met with Han Yifeng¡¯s thin lips...

    Han Yifeng hesitated for a moment when the sweet fragrance came right towards him. Xi Xinyi was sitting on hisp, teasing his naughty little thing to get all riled up. He hugged her and gave her a deeper kiss.

    ¡°Yifeng, it¡¯s been half a month... Half a month... Since you touched me... I want you...¡± Xi Xinyi moaned uncontrobly as she whispered.

    He felt empty inside, but he also felt a sense of being suffocated despite feeling empty. Even when he was enjoying acts of love with the woman he deeply loved, somehow it could not fill the void in his heart.

    Suddenly, their outfits were messed up. Han Yifeng could not hold it in anymore, so he held Xi Xinyi up and walked into the bedroom...

    Compared to the fun on Han Yifeng¡¯s side, Xi Xiaye was having a tough night.

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo stayed inrge mansions on the outskirts like the Mu Residence and they were pretty far away from Maple Residence. In addition to the traffic jam during the New Year season, it took about two hours for just one way!

    After sending them back, it was nearly 2 a.m. Xi Xiaye drove straight back to Maple Residence. However, the car suddenly stopped on its own just as she entered the city!

    Xi Xiaye tried restarting the car several times, but it did not work. She frowned and nced over at the front passenger seat. The man was already fast asleep.

    She sighed helplessly, staring at the dim street lights and lost in her thoughts. In the end, she walked out of the car...

    She went in front of the car and popped up the bo. Then, she noticed there was some smokeing out. Coughing profusely, she did a simple check-up. She then realized it was a problem with the engine.

    She sighed again. ncing around the quiet street, most of the cars that passed by sped right over. She thought of calling the car repair service, but it would take a long time for them to get there.

    Under the starry night, as she looked at the smoky engine under the dim street lights, she tapped her forehead with her hand and went towards the trunk.

 Chapter 133 - Lady Xiaye Is Masculine! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 133: Lady Xiaye Is Masculine! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In just the blink of an eye, Xi Xiaye returned to the front of the car with a toolbox. She took her windbreaker off and was just wearing a light-colored woolen sweater. Leaving her windbreaker on the driver¡¯s seat, she rolled her sleeves up and took out some tools before she started working on the engine.

    It was not a big issue and she was able to handle it. She had gotten these tips and tricks about cars from her experience of being an amateur racer. She could solve small issues like these easily. There were several times when Shen Wenna called for Xi Xiaye when her car broke down.

    She bent over slightly and her long hair hung over her shoulders as she worked on the car unnoticed...

    After a while, with the tinkering and nging of the metal from time to time, tiny parts started piling up on a towel on the ground. She whipped a scissors out and cut away a burnt wire, then...

    The streets in the wee hours were quiet. From time to time, one or two cars sped past and the cold wind blew. The shadows of the trees were trembling slightly whilst the dim, yellow streetlights gave the little girl a long shadow.

    ...

    After realizing that the car had been stationary for some time, Mu Yuchen finally opened his sleepy eyes. Following a brief moment of blurry vision before him, he looked beside at the driver¡¯s seat and frowned when he did not see the woman. Only her windbreaker was left there. His mind instantly sobered up. Just as he was about to look around, he heard the nking of metal, so he raised his head.

    He saw that the bo was popped up, and beside it was a slender figure busy working on the ground...

    He quickly opened the door and went out.

    Clink!

    Krr ¡ª

    He had to admit that even he felt his heart ache a little when this skinny woman was so focused on her work in the cold wind.

    She should not have needed to know these things, yet...

    As he thought about it, she was always someone like this. Although she was strong and stubborn, she was weak in rtionships. She had a pretty high IQ, but her EQ was speechlessly low. She could mess up the simplest of things.

    When he watched her, he saw something that made him feel warm. He did not know what that was called. Positivity, power, or just a light?

    He then felt that maybe this woman his heart ached for had something he had been looking for...

    Perhaps because the man¡¯s quiet eyes were staring at her for too long, her focus was broken and she could feel someone looking at her. She stared back at him as she brushed away the hair in front of her face.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows when she saw the man just standing on the side studying her. She thenined, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you left this car in the garage and didn¡¯t drive it. Get it checked soon.¡±

    She then looked down again and continued with her work. After some time, she was done. She slowly closed the bo and took the gloves off as she let out a sigh of relief. Sweat started shining on her forehead.

    As she was about to wipe it off with her forearm, the man went to her and handed her a piece of tissue paper. Her beautiful face had now turned into dirty. Heughed at her and spoke in a warm voice, ¡°It¡¯s a blessing for a man like me to have married you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows as she took the tissue from him with the elegance of a queen. She wiped the sweat off and her lips formed into a smile before she chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right! You can¡¯t even get someone like me even if you prayed for your whole life across several generations. I¡¯m a strong woman of the new era with wonderful virtues!¡±

    ¡°Did you really think I was praising you? Are you sure you¡¯re not a man disguised as a woman?¡± Mu Yuchenughed at her cheeky behavior. He took the tissue from her and wiped some of the oil stains from her face.

    ¡°Masculine women are true to themselves. All the girls who are called masculine actually wish to have someone to depend on. Most of them are forced to be independent because of life. I think they should earn men¡¯s respect more. I can¡¯t have you looking down on masculine women here.¡± Xi Xiaye just let him help her with the cleaning, her eyes brightening slightly as she came up with the odd reply that answered his unasked question.

    Mu Yuchen was stunned for a moment. His eyes told her that he was surprised. His gaze turned gentle as he looked at her and he sighed lightly as he embraced her into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on masculine women. Do you think I¡¯m disrespecting you? I¡¯m always respectful towards each and every woman who is independent and takes life seriously, for instance, someone like you.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed. She popped her head out from his embrace and looked at him with her glittering eyes. ¡°Was that a realpliment just now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded, looking at her in the eyes.

    ¡°Then, I have a question for you,¡± Xi Xiaye blurted out after giving it some thought.

    ¡°Please go ahead,¡± he said generously.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    She was in deep thought for a while before she asked quietly as her eyes met his, ¡°I want to know why don¡¯t men like women whoe off headstrong or masculine, and they prefer those frail-looking women? For example...¡±

    ¡°For example a woman like Xi Xinyi?¡± Mu Yuchen interrupted her before she could finish.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment and went silent. Then, she nodded.

    Mu Yuchen grasped the essence of what she wanted to say. He told her quietly, ¡°You want to know why you lost to Xi Xinyi, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was once again astonished.

    ¡°Frail women can call up the desire to protect them within men, letting them enjoy the pleasure of conquering. That¡¯d be themon exnation. The main reason is that the person doesn¡¯t actually care about you or love you. No matter whether you¡¯re headstrong or frail, it doesn¡¯t matter to him. Everyone has a partner suitable for him or her, so your question is invalid, Mrs. Mu.¡±

    The man¡¯s words reached her before she could react. She could feel his hug tighten as he finished his sentence.

    After giving it some thought, she somewhat understood what he was saying, so she nodded and hugged him back too.

 Chapter 134 - Get Near, Get Warm

    <h4>Chapter 134: Get Near, Get Warm</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At that moment, she did not want to think about anything else. Every time she got close to him, every time they hugged, she could feel a warmth seeping into her.

    Such feelings...

    She had never experienced them from Han Yifeng before whether it was long before Xi Xinyi came between them or after she was severely hurt.

    Everyone had a dark side to them, but Xi Xiaye suddenly felt a faint light shining into that dark corner in her heart. A weak flow of warmth traveled throughout her body and she was slowly recovering...

    She wanted to savor this feeling. She wanted to get ahold of it.

    She wondered if he felt the same way as well.

    ...

    After what felt like forever, Mu Yuchen got her back into the car. He took the car keys from her before putting a windbreaker over her, then he started the car.

    It was 4 a.m. when they arrived home. They showered one after another and went to sleep near dawn,pletely exhausted. When Mu Yuchen kissed her on the forehead, she was already asleep.

    ...

    The next day was a sunny day and the weather was great.

    When Han Yifeng woke up, Xi Xinyi was still sleeping beside him with half her breast tantalizingly exposed. There were some marks on her chest from what happened yesterday. The scratches on Han Yifeng¡¯s arm was obvious as well. They definitely had one wild night.

    After watching Xi Xinyi sleep for a while, Han Yifeng moved slightly and wanted to get up from the bed.

    ¡°Yifeng, you¡¯re awake!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s movements seemed to have woken Xi Xinyi up. She rolled her body under the sheets and her soft arms onto Han Yifeng¡¯s sturdy body as she stuffed her face into his chest.

    ¡°Mmm, morning!¡± Han Yifeng replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s still pretty early. Let¡¯s sleep in for a little more. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt this rxed. Let¡¯s go out shoppingter in the afternoon!¡± Xi Xinyi spoke as she drew circles on Han Yifeng¡¯s chest. She then kissed Han Yifeng¡¯s handsome face.

    ¡°You can continue sleeping. Last night was pretty tiring. I¡¯ll get them to send breakfast over! I¡¯m famished!¡±

    Han Yifeng held Xi Xinyi¡¯s tiny little hands and gently patted her head, then he got out of bed.

    Xi Xinyiid back down and smiledzily. ¡°Okay, I do feel hungry now after you mention it. I feel like eating a lovely Western breakfast. Please get me some!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, get a little bit more sleep. I¡¯ll call them to send it over.¡± Han Yifeng took his phone and dialed a number before entering the bathroom.

    After around an hour, Han Yifeng came out of the bathroom. He had changed into a silver tailor-made suit. Xi Xinyi climbed out of bed and noticed that the once-messy room had already been cleaned up by the servants.

    He suddenly felt a little tired as he opened the middle drawer of his wardrobe. A variety of ties were arranged inside, but they were a little messy. He went silent for some time before tying one around his neck. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he started daydreaming.

    Someone told him a long long time ago, ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯ve arranged all your ties in the middle drawer of your wardrobe, so it¡¯s easier for you to look through them.¡±

    ¡°You should have a mirror in front of your wardrobe. I¡¯ll have someone to install it for you tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    He went silent and only came back to his senses after a while After tidying the drawer of ties, he exited the room.

    Downstairs, Xi Xinyi had already changed into a warm-colored spring outfit. She let her light blonde hair down and looked beautiful. A scarf covered the marks on her neck as she sat by the table having breakfast.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    She turned around and smiled at Han Yifeng when she heard the sounds of footsteps. Suddenly, there was the sound of ss breaking ¡ª

    Pang!

    A beautiful ss had met its end!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was shocked and quickly stood up while Han Yifeng quickly rushed over. He looked down at the ss shards...

    There was some coldness in the air as Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale. She looked at the ss shards on the floor, and then looked at Han Yifeng. Then, she bent over and started picking the pieces up as she said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yifeng... I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. It looks nice, so... I¡¯ll get someone to make another one for you!¡±

    Han Yifeng could feel something leaving him when he looked at the pieces. He wanted to get ahold of his feelings, but he had no idea what it was that bothered him.

    He took a deep breath before he walked over and sat down in his seat. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s have breakfast.¡±

    It was not the same one anymore if another one was made. Out of the blue, he suddenly remembered that the ss belonged to a pair. Xi Xiaye must have had it custom made as his birthday present.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye had a dreamless sleep and it was way past noon when she woke up. The space beside her was already empty. Just as she was about to go and look for something to eat downstairs after freshening up, she heard some noisesing from the study room.

    She nced over and noticed that the door to the study room was open, so she walked over. She saw the man was on a call as he sat in the chair before the table. It seemed to be something rted to Imperial Sky Entertainment City.

    When he noticed Xi Xiaye was at the door, he turned theptop off before standing up and walking towards her.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± He hung up on the call, then he looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Go down and eat something.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, is it about the opening ceremony of Imperial Sky Entertainment City? What did Vice President Zhang say?¡±

    She found out a little about the conversation after listening to him speak on the phone.

    ¡°The PR Department has dyed the opening ceremony to the 7th day after the New Year. Coincidentally, it¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day, which is a pretty excellent marketing opportunity. What do you think?¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed his phone to her before he shifted the potted nt by the door a little.

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. We can have a Valentine¡¯s Day event. Most people would have gotten back from their hometowns by then. Plus, it¡¯s not a work day, so it should do well. Let¡¯s just set it on that day. We have to send out the invitations today since it¡¯s the New Year Eve tomorrow. We can¡¯t wait until after the New Year.¡±

 Chapter 135 - Back To Shen Residence

    <h4>Chapter 135: Back To Shen Residence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Agreed, but you¡¯re kind of busy after the New Year. Vice President Zhang mentioned that he wants you to monitor the event on that day. Can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°Does this count as overtime?¡± Xi Xiaye pinched between her eyebrows with her long fingers as she stared at him.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and slung his arm over her shoulder as they walked outside. ¡°They are worried you might be dissatisfied since you¡¯ll be the one doing the ribbon-cutting ceremony together with Vice President Zhang and several other guests.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re going to do it, we should have a reciprocal banquet together. We can promote the South River project. Since attracting more investors is beneficial to Glory World, I think it¡¯s better if you attend it personally. The opening ceremony this time is different from the anniversary celebration. You should realize its importance.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her pointedly.

    ¡°I can be the main person-in-charge for the opening ceremony if you¡¯re worried, that is. But you have to help me toplete the data analysis for the South River project, and you also have to show me the several designs you showed me back then,¡± Xi Xiaye requested.

    ¡°Fine, then. The stuff you need is on my workputer. You can take thisptop over. I¡¯ve been using yourptop, but because the data is tooplicated, I¡¯ll give it to you in two days.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it... Hey, Mr. Mu, did you wake up early to help me with the data analysis?¡±

    As she suddenly thought of something, Xi Xiaye halted her steps. She turned around and looked at him in surprise with glitter in her eyes.

    ¡°Did you think I was really a dictator that would only take from you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Chairman Mu, you¡¯re a very kind superior who¡¯s considerate of his subordinates.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Get something to eat. Ah Mo came over to prepare the stuff. After lunch, we¡¯ll go back to the Shen Residence after a short rest. I¡¯ve told Grandpa about it. Mother is probably preparing dinner now.¡±

    ...

    When they left for the Shen Residence after lunch, it was nearly 2 p.m. in the afternoon.

    The couple used a quiet shortcut. Evidently, the highway would experience severe traffic jam now, so while taking the shortcut was not the best route, they got to save a little bit of time.

    It was almost an hourter when the car entered the Shen Residence.

    The housekeeper, Uncle Wang, came up to them with a warm smile as they parked the car. ¡°Miss, Mr. Mu, you guys are back!¡±

    Xi Xiaye got down from the car and unloaded a lot of gifts from the passenger seat at the back as she asked, ¡°Uncle Wang, didn¡¯t you return to your hometown?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back this year. Neither did Aunt Xu. We went back not too long ago, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Uncle Wang replied with a smile.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised. She soon understood what he meant and nodded gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Wang! This is for you and Aunt Xu.¡± She then handed him two gift boxes.

    ¡°Miss, Mr. Mu...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Just call him by his name and I¡¯d like you guys to call me Xiaye as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye passed them to Uncle Wang, then she continued to unload stuff from the car. Mu Yuchen went over and helped as well.

    Uncle Wang smiled, shaking his head helplessly. He looked at the married couple with gratitude. All these years, Xi Xiaye had never forgotten to get him and Aunt Xu gifts every holiday season. They were...

    After some time, he came back to his senses and helped to transfer the things inside.

    Xi Xiaye poured two sses of water and handed one to Mu Yuchen. She took a few sips as she asked, ¡°Uncle Wang, where¡¯s Grandpa and Mother?¡±

    ¡°Madam went out with Aunt Xu to buy ingredients. Elder Master is writing some calligraphy couplets in the study room!¡±

    ¡°Calligraphy couplets?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes shed as she grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look! My grandpa¡¯s calligraphy is pretty amazing!¡±

    ...

    They could hear familiar ssical music ying from far away as they walked towards Shen Yue¡¯s study room. Mu Yuchen could not help but smile.

    <i>¡°As the flowers bloom all over the world, silk is flowing through the water streams. Katyusha is standing on the steep ground...¡±</i>

    ¡°What are youughing about? This is my grandma¡¯s favorite song. It was extremely trendy during their time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye caught the man¡¯s grin.

    Mu Yuchen put his arm over her shoulder andughed lightly. ¡°I¡¯m notughing about that. I was just thinking that Grandpa and Grandma might have an unforgettable past as well, so they feel nostalgic about this song and y it on repeat...¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, Grandpa and Grandma were very much in love. I learned what interdependence and mutual understanding are from them. Mother told me that Grandma married Grandpa when he still had nothing. He started struggling in the business world after retiring from the army and finally created Fuhua Corporation. Although he was on the verge of giving up halfway, she always supported him...¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, we have no choice but to admit the greatness of love. Under grandma¡¯s unwavering and determined support, Fuhua slowly became better and better. It wasn¡¯t called Fuhua in the past. Grandpa was so in love with Grandma that he changed thepany¡¯s name to hers...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly halted her steps and sighed lightly, ¡°You know, sometimes I¡¯m really envious of love like theirs. There aren¡¯t a lot of materialistic desires. Once they became a married couple, they gave each other their whole lives. Grandpa¡¯s personal worth became higher as the days went by. Although Grandma was getting older and older, he still loved her like he always did. He¡¯d never do anything to betray her. He told me that Grandma was always a young 18-year-old girl in his eyes.

    ¡°Love back then was really simple and pure. Once you set eyes on someone, they¡¯d follow each other forever, and now... the high rates of divorce were shocking. Maybe it was because they were bonded by moral principles, but perhaps, it was more about how they promised to give their partner their whole life when they decided to be together.¡±

    Mu Yuchen listened to her quietly. He tightened his grip on her shoulder slightly after she finished her sharing. Then, he said in a low voice, ¡°We¡¯ll be like them too.¡±

    ¡°Will we?¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled, her eyes seeming a little out of focus as she looked into his eyes.

    He nodded and gave a simple yet confident reply, ¡°Mmm!¡±

 Chapter 136 - Inviting Shen Yue

    <h4>Chapter 136: Inviting Shen Yue</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As they walked through the corridor and arrived at Shen Yue¡¯s study room, they looked inside and saw Shen Yue writing freely away. There were already severalpleted calligraphy couplets on the floor.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Shen Yue put his brush down and looked towards the door.

    Xi Xiaye let go of Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand and went over. She nced at the couplets on the floor and smiled, ¡°Grandpa, your calligraphy is looking great. They look very energetic.¡±

    ¡°I practiced a little... Just killing some time.¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s skinny figure walked past the table and went towards them.

    ¡°Grandpa,¡± Mu Yuchen greeted politely and Shen Yue nodded.

    ¡°I thought the both of you were going to just let me and your mother pass New Year¡¯s Eve alone. I¡¯m d to know that you have some conscience in you!¡± Shen Yue seemed d when he saw the matching couple before him. He stared at Xi Xiaye.

    Before Xi Xiaye could reply, Mu Yuchen replied, ¡°Grandpa, she¡¯s always missing you and Mother everywhere she goes. She¡¯s your favorite granddaughter after all. You¡¯re more important to her than anyone else, including me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned and she stared at him in shock. Not only were his words sweet, but he had also quickly conquered her grandpa, Shen Yue!

    As expected, Shen Yueughed happily when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s words and he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no way you could top me! I¡¯ve been taking care of her for almost the past twenty years. It¡¯s not something to be forgotten easily. Of course, I¡¯m more important! Let¡¯s go, Chen, we¡¯ll have a match of Go. I didn¡¯t y enough thest time!¡±

    Before the young couple could react, he walked outside the study room with his cane and continued, ¡°Xiaye, the Pu¡¯er tea your mother brought back this time was pretty fragrant. Take some back and try it with Chen. Aunt Xu, Aunt Xu! Get me that jade Go set. I¡¯m ying a match with Chen. Aunt Xu, where are you? Uncle Wang! Uncle Wang!¡±

    Towards the end, he started yelling instead. Xi Xiaye just shrugged as she looked at Mu Yuchen beside her.

    After a moment, Uncle Wang got the jade Go set out. Shen Yue sat down and started setting it up. Soon, he already started his first move using a white piece without asking Mu Yuchen. ¡°It¡¯s your turn. Let me test you out.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sat down casually opposite him and picked up a ck piece to put on the Go board. Xi Xiaye was boiling some water to prepare tea for them as she observed the match.

    Shen Yue was an expert in Go himself. Xi Xiaye had learned from him, and she soon got better and he was unable to defeat her anymore.

    Shen Wenna used to think about raising Xi Xiaye into a little princess that was fluent at multiple musical and artistic talents, yet Shen Yue disagreed. Xi Xiaye was not really fond of those things as well. The only thing she was somewhat interested in was Go. As for musical instruments, she did not really know anything else aside from a little bit of violin. Literature-wise, she barely received a passing grade, but at least, she readics...

    At one point, Shen Yue felt troubled. Back then, her mother Shen Wenna and Father Xi Mushan were the two top students of the school. They always held onto the first and second ce in the whole school. Although both of them were at the pinnacle with both their grades and appearance, this girl did not seem to inherit anything from her parents except her mother¡¯s beauty.

    Did things move back when they reached an extreme?

    After some time, Xi Xiaye was done boiling the tea and the war started. The two generals were fighting ferociously.

    Apparently, the man was pretty skilled at Go as well, so Shen Yue was unable to get an advantage ying against him. His expression looked calm as ever. On the other hand, Shen Yue face darkened slightly.

    ¡°Grandpa, have some tea.¡± Xi Xiaye handed a cup of tea to him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it. Don¡¯t interrupt me. I¡¯m thinking what should I do. Hmm... You,e here and take a look. What should I do?¡± Shen Yue waved his hand as he said.

    Xi Xiaye bent over slightly and nced at the board before pointing at one of the boxes, ¡°Here!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, right! Here then!¡± Shen Yue quickly ced one of his pieces there.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly thought of something. She turned towards Shen Yue and said, ¡°Grandpa, I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    She sat down beside Shen Yue and sipped some tea, then she continued, ¡°On the 7th day after the New Year, we are having an opening ceremony for Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Can you pleasee? Fuhua is still on holiday anyway.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been years since Ist attended events like this one,¡± Shen Yue gave a short reply to Xi Xiaye¡¯s request, and Mu Yuchen looked at her in shock.

    ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s a great opportunity. I think you¡¯ll be interested in a project under Glory World, but it¡¯d be unfair if I tell you about it, so you shoulde and take a look for yourself. I think you¡¯d be satisfied.¡± Xi Xiaye threw out a bait, causing Shen Yue to stop moving his hand that was holding a Go stone. He raised his gray eyebrows and nced at Xi Xiaye. ¡°What project?¡±

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and nced over at Mu Yuchen, smiling. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you for now. You¡¯ll find out on that day. Go and take a look. I¡¯m in charge of this project. I heard from Uncle Lan that you¡¯ve been pretty interested in South River recently.¡±

    ¡°So, does Glory World have some ideas on the South River too?¡±

    Shen Yue seemed interested now. He nced at Mu Yuchen, and then looked back at Xi Xiaye. Giving it some thought, he replied, ¡°You know, Han Corporation and Qikai contacted me recently. However, I am indeed interested in South River.¡±

    Qikai?

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she heard the name. Of course, she did not forget what happened. Although she had never dealt with Qikai before, she heard from Vice President Liu during the anniversary celebration that Glory World had conflicts with Qikai before when coborating with several otherpanies.

 Chapter 137 - Top Student And Bad Student! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 137: Top Student And Bad Student! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Anyway, Grandpa, you should juste. On that day, there¡¯ll be others aside from Qikai and Han Corporation attending. Also, can you convince Mother to attend along together with you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye actually hoped for Shen Wenna to put up a tough act since Deng Wenwen was shameless enough to look for her. She would not just give up so easily and she wanted Shen Wenna to portray a sturdy attitude, especially on this matter.

    ¡°Your mother?¡± Shen Yue became alert when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s request. He looked at Xi Xiaye, slightly shocked.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Xi Xiaye sighed before she nodded with a heavy expression as she sipped some tea.

    ¡°Forget about it. You know your mother dislikes events like these. I understand that you youngsters have fresh ideas, but let her live in peace and don¡¯t bother her. It¡¯s not been easy for her to keep on going after so many years. If something else happens to her again, I don¡¯t think I can be responsible and tell your dead grandma about it.¡±

    Shen Yue ced his Go piece down with a disappointed expression on his face. ¡°She has a knot in her heart, and you know exactly what that is. Let her forget all about the unhappy past. It¡¯s not a bad idea living a little more carefreely.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped her when she was about to continue. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xiaye. Listen to Grandpa. Grandpa, it¡¯s your turn now.¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s expression softened as he picked up another piece...

    At that moment, there were sounds of footsteps outside followed by Aunt Xu¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Madam, do I take all of these into the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, wash the vegetables. I¡¯ll handle the fish.¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s figure appeared before Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes.

    After receiving a call from Mu Yuchen in the morning and finding out that her daughter and son-inw were going toe for dinner, Shen Wenna had gone out after a light breakfast. Aside from buying ingredients for dinner, she had also bought some New Year goodies too.

    As usual, Xi Xiaye became Shen Wenna¡¯s helper in the kitchen. When she saw Shen Wenna¡¯s frosty expression, there seemed to be tension in the air. Xi Xiaye was not able to bring up the matter about Xi Xinyi going to look for her before.

    The atmosphere around the mother-daughter pair was getting awkward and no one said a thing.

    After some time passed while they prepared several dishes together, Xi Xiaye, who was preparing the seasoning, looked at Shen Wenna. She hesitated for a moment and then said quietly, ¡°Mother, Father made me bring you something. There¡¯s also a document...¡±

    Shen Wenna stopped her movements for a brief moment, then she continued, ¡°What document is it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t look at it. He asked me to pass it to you by hand. If not, he¡¯d look for you personally. Yesterday was Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s engagement... He came to Glory World and I followed him over. He didn¡¯t know about Xi Xinyi going to look for you. Ah Mo told me he left City Z after the engagement party and will only be back after the New Year,¡± Xi Xiaye observed her carefully as she spoke.

    She was expressionless as she gave it some thought.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll give them back to him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Bring them to my study roomter.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Her brief reply ended the conversation.

    The dinner was ready. It was a very sumptuous feast for just five people. They sat around the big table and things seemed much livelier than before.

    They opened several bottles of champagne. Xi Xiaye gulped a few sses down while Shen Yue chatted to Mu Yuchen from time to time about topics ranging from chess to geography to astronomy. Shen Wenna joined in the conversation sometimes and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

    On the other hand, Xi Xiaye did not really speak much and just listened. She would just eat whatever the man put into her bowl. When they were done, she noticed that she had eaten a little too much while the man barely ate.

    After dinner, the family sat in the living room and watched TV while enjoying some tea. Shen Yue went back to his room after watching some news. Xi Xiaye got Mu Yuchen to go and shower first, while she brought the stuff Xi Mushan had given her into Shen Wenna¡¯s room.

    After she knocked onto Shen Wenna¡¯s door, she saw that her mother had juste out of the shower and was sitting at a sofa in the corner doing some reading.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be considerate about me and your father¡¯s past. I just hope you can live a more carefree life than me.¡± Shen Wenna grabbed the document from Xi Xiaye as she looked at her calmly, her voice sounding gentle.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes met with hers as a part of her struggled deep inside. The words that were stuck in her throat finally came out of her mouth. ¡°Mother, have you always... been... missing Father? If not, you...¡±

    She would never have asked about what happened between Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan because she knew that it acted like a needle in her heart. Just touching the topic would hurt her.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes darkened like the stars in the skies suddenly hiding behind dark clouds when she heard her question.

    After some time, Shen Wenna still did not reply. Xi Xiaye struggled inside, and after a long silence, she ended the conversation between them like many times before. She stood up slowly.

    ¡°It¡¯s prettyte now. Get some rest soon.¡±

    She then exited the room.

    ¡°I only have these much feelings in my whole life, and I gave them all to your father. It doesn¡¯t matter if I miss him or not. You¡¯re all grown up, so you shouldn¡¯t always be worrying about me. Worry more about yourself. Your married life has just begun. Xiaye, I hope that you can treat yourself better. That¡¯d be great.¡±

    Shen Wenna stood up from the sofa and went into the study room. ¡°Help me close the door when you leave.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye was distracted for a moment. In the end, she nodded and left quietly.

    Mu Yuchen was done with his shower when she returned to her room. He was reading a stack of yellowish papers in his sleeping robe.

    Xi Xiaye noticed that something was not right and she went over with a frown on her face.

    He was looking through her test papers during high school!

    Where did he get them?

    She remembered that she had put all of them on the top shelf of her bookshelf. She did not expect him to find them so easily. As she was reminded of the pathetic marks on her papers, her face blushed as she dashed over.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you look at it. I¡¯m not letting you!¡±

 Chapter 138 - Top Student And Bad Student! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 138: Top Student And Bad Student! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A faint fresh scent wafted over as a tiny figure ran towards him. He raised his arms high and Xi Xiaye could not reach them. She almost fell down, but luckily she caught his sleeve.

    ¡°Give it back to me!¡±

    She frowned at him and her voice sounded angry. She grabbed his shoulder and jumped several times, but still could not reach them.

    He was pretty tall himself along with his long limbs. She could not do anything with her height, and she aggravated her injury slightly and felt pain re up near her wound. In the end, she red at him as she yanked on his sleeve.

    The man raised his left arm high, throwing her a nce as he grinned. Heughed when he saw her nearly exploding. ¡°You shamelessly got such a score but you¡¯re ashamed when people see it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was fed up with him. She red at him knowing that he would not give it back to her, so she plopped onto the sofa. ¡°Look all you want then...¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her as he flipped through the test papers, sitting down beside her. ¡°These scores are too pathetic to even look at. You can even make mistakes on spelling. Can¡¯t you even do well in memorizing?¡±

    ¡°I told you I was always bad at studies. I especially hated things that need memorizing. They wanted us to memorize countless articles and this section was only 5% of the exam. It¡¯s such a small portion throughout the three years of high school. Don¡¯t you think...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not finish her sentence because Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes made her feel that at that point in time, he seemed like a strict disciplinary teacher staring at her...

    He covered the test papers and looked at her. ¡°Really? That¡¯s unexpected.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at him as she snatched the test papers away. ¡°Super top students like you would never understand people who are never good at studies. Don¡¯t you dare mock me about this in the future.¡±

    Heughed and put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°What are you thinking about? Have you never heard about the phrase ¡®pair a top student with a bad student¡¯? Everyone has their advantages and disadvantages. I¡¯ll make anyone who mocks my wife suffer!¡±

    Xi Xiaye put on a grin, sheughed, ¡°That¡¯s right, being bad at studying doesn¡¯t mean a dark future is ahead right? You think...¡±

    She raised her head and looked at him. As she did, she gazed into his deep, dark eyes and could clearly see her reflection from his clear eyes, the hidden stars suddenly appearing so mysterious and distant.

    She suddenly realized ¡ª

    He was really dapper and very gentlemanly. She wanted to use the phrase ¡°very pleasant to look at¡± to describe his smile, but she had no idea whether if it was appropriate.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, has anyone told you that you¡¯re actually quite a beautiful man?¡±

    She was not sure why she said that. However, her words surprised Mu Yuchen.

    Was this little woman teasing him?

    Heughed delightedly. Being praised by his own woman as ¡°beautiful¡± was something to be happy about indeed. He raised hisrge, dry hand and patted her head before leaving a light kiss on her forehead. ¡°Missus, you¡¯re really beautiful as well. Okay, go and get washed up. I¡¯ve prepared the bath for you. Remember to change the dressing for your wound too. I¡¯ve brought it over and put it on the dressing table. Be careful.¡±

    He had not missed her frown caused by the pain from her injury just now and worried for her. He wanted her to stay safe and free from any injuries as she stayed by his side.

    He respected her and cared for her all because he wanted to have a decent start with her, especially because they had decades to walk together ahead of them.

    Him and her, safe and peaceful until the end of their lives. That would be ideal.

    However, could they be like many others? Could they be a family first before possessing feelings of love for each other?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment as she looked at him with a serious yet gentle expression. She thought about it and then said, ¡°Thank you for treating me so well, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my wife. Who else should I treat well if not you?¡± He replied almost instantly before grabbing the test papers in her hands and putting them back onto the bookshelf. She stood up when he turned around, her eyes seeming distracted. She was probably thinking about something else. In response, he opened the bathroom door and looked at her questioningly.

    ¡°Go in and take a bath. Get to sleep soon. We have a lot to do tomorrow, alright?¡±

    His gentle tone had a certain degree of firmness to it, so Xi Xiaye stopped her mind from wandering around as she nodded and then slowly walked into the bathroom under his supervision.

    ...

    When she came out of the bathroom, he was already in the bed lying on his side. The light was switched off and only a dim yellow light was left in the room.

    She looked at him as she stood beside the bed. Pulling the sheets aside when he did not give her any reaction, she turned off the lights and then slowly got into bed...

    After some time, she called his name out, ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He replied quietly.

    Her eyes hidden in the dark sparkled slightly and her lips hesitated a little. She turned her body around and looked at his back facing her. After thinking for a bit, she turned back again.

    Mu Yuchen turned around when he heard behind him. He called out to her and pulled her into his arms when her back faced him. A slightly humid and deep voice reached her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing... I just wanted to try calling... Mmm!¡±

    Before she could finish, the man¡¯s minty kiss came down from above her. His unique scent rushed towards her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too much for me to get a good night kiss, is it?¡±

    His voice sounded charismatic as ever and without waiting for her reply, he kissed her rosebud lips once again. At the same time, he carefully sent her the gentleness hidden deep within his heart.

    Afterwards, Mu Yuchen thought to himself: he asked for it!

    Although he usually had strong self-restraint, he had pulled off such a risky stunt. He took deep breaths as he prevented Xi Xiaye from moving, and then...

 Chapter 139 - New Yearâ€™s Eve (1)

    <h4>Chapter 139: New Year¡¯s Eve (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After breakfast the next day, the Shen Residence started getting lively. Shen Yue and Uncle Wang were taking care of the nts in the yard as Shen Wenna and Aunt Xu were making dumplings for the reunion dinner. While City Z was in the north, many families had the practice of eating dumplings for their reunion dinner, so Shen Wenna made some too.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were handling the calligraphy couplets andnterns.

    They worked until 6 p.m. in the evening before the family had their reunion dinner joyously. Because the couple needed to hurry back to the Mu Residence, Shen Yue and Shen Wenna sent them off.

    ¡°I got Uncle Wang to put some gifts into the trunk. Give them to your grandparents and parents. Take some time to visit us after the New Year.¡± Shen Yue stood by the door and was starting to miss Xi Xiaye already.

    In the end, the girl still had to go... Every time he thought about this, he felt like his treasure was being snatched away, and he felt empty and sour inside.

    ¡°Please be happy and well, Chen. Send my regards to your parents and grandparents,¡± Shen Wenna told him.

    The couple nodded. ¡°Grandpa, Mother, please get back in. It¡¯s pretty cold outside. I¡¯ll be sure to return with Xiaye after the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Okay, get in the car. It¡¯s gettingte soon. They¡¯re going to be worried!¡±

    A rare gentle smile broke across Shen Wenna¡¯s frigid face as she patted Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder before she guided Shen Yue back into the house.

    ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll go now. Grandpa and Mother, please go back inside too.¡± Xi Xiaye felt a little sullen as she sat on the front passenger seat and waved to them.

    ¡°Remember toe back frequently. Give us a call beforeing over. Grandpa will prepare your favorite dish at home. Maple Residence isn¡¯t that far away from here...¡±

    While Shen Yue¡¯s voice sounded old, it had a very strong intent in it. Xi Xiaye nodded obediently.

    The car started leaving the Shen Residence under the night sky.

    The whole City Z was very lively. They could hear the sound of firecrackers and fireworks and they passed through the streets. One by one, the fireworks went off in the night sky and Xi Xiaye stared at them with her clear eyes.

    Suddenly, her phone started vibrating at the side and she came back to her senses. Taking a glimpse, she noticed that it was Su Nan calling her.

    ¡°Su Nan?¡± She picked up the call.

    ¡°Xiaye? Happy New Year¡¯s Eve!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s sweet voice came over from the phone. ¡°It¡¯s the first day of the New Year tomorrow. Come out and rx tomorrow night!¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow night? Umm...¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen hesitantly while Su Nan just went on, ¡°I know you¡¯re a woman with a family right now, but aren¡¯t I too? You know what? Bring your man over as well. I¡¯ve booked a room at Emperor and invited a few good friends. You know some of them too! Consider it a celebration for both our marriages and also a New Year celebration...¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s voice bombarded her ears. Xi Xiaye hesitated before asking Mu Yuchen, ¡°Su Nan¡¯s inviting us for a gathering at Emperor. Do you...¡±

    ¡°You should go out and rx more. I won¡¯t bother your friends¡¯ gathering. Zhou Zimo has invited me to his ce for cards, so you decide for yourself whether you want to follow me or go with your friends,¡± he replied quietly.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly and after some consideration, she decided. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Su Nan then.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll send you over. Give me a call when you want to go back.¡±

    She nodded and then said to Su Nan on the phone, ¡°Su Nan, actually I just wanted to call you and invite both you and Ruan Heng over to the opening ceremony of Glory World Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Anyway, I¡¯ll talk to you about it tomorrow night then.¡±

    ¡°The opening ceremony for Imperial Sky Entertainment City?¡± Su Nan screamed, ¡°Really? Is it really okay for people like us to join such a significant event? I know that only big shots can join events like this.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I inviting you to be our guest now? Sometimeter, Fashion City under Imperial Sky is going to organize a fashion show and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be interested. Come over and take a look.¡±

    ...

    Su Nan dly epted Xi Xiaye¡¯s invitation.

    Xi Xiaye hung up on the call and turned around to the man who was focusing on driving. ¡°The PR Department is done sending out all the invitations, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°They were done with itst night. They move pretty quickly,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll hand the invitations to Su Nan tomorrow then. There should be some invitations left at home, shouldn¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°Just get Ah Mo to send them over tomorrow. You can take charge of the opening ceremony. Ah Mo will be helping you.¡± Suddenly, he turned his head to look at her as he ced his hand onto hers. ¡°There¡¯s something I have to inform you about.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± She looked at hisrge hand in doubt.

    He suddenly tightened his grip and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to City B right after the New Year, so I¡¯ll leave things here to you. Can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to City B?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised. No wonder he was leaving this matter in her hands. She frowned worriedly. ¡°Is there something wrong with the partnership?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s about the actual contract signing as well as sending an inspection team. Coincidentally, the daughter of Chairman Li from thepany we¡¯re working with is getting married, so I might stay over for a night or two,¡± he replied indifferently.

    ¡°Mmm, then you should bring Ah Mo over. I can handle things here on my own. The PR Department has done most of the preparations, so I¡¯m just overseeing things on that day.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vice President Zhang is around as well. I¡¯ll go to him for advice if anythinges up.¡±

    ¡°Wow, are you being a humble person now?¡± Mu Yuchenughed as he moved his hand away. He put his arm over her shoulder and she did not struggle this time. Scoffing, she looked at him. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a humble person. When are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go by the evening of the second day after the New Year. I¡¯ll be back in time for the opening ceremony.¡±

    She hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Mmm, get enough rest these two days then. It¡¯s going to be pretty tiring for you. After the opening ceremony, most of our projects will go into a more rxed phase.¡±

    ¡°Are you concerned about me?¡± A smile appeared on his handsome face as he heard her words, his grip on her shoulder tightening slightly.

    Xi Xiaye just stared at him without saying anything.

 Chapter 140 - New Yearâ€™s Eve (2)

    <h4>Chapter 140: New Year¡¯s Eve (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Things quieted down inside the car. Mu Yuchen was still driving and he nced over at her when the woman did not say anything for quite some while. He noticed something.

    She was staring at a number on her phone, seeming distracted as aplicated expression appeared on her face. It was as if she was struggling.

    ¡°Just call that number. Hesitating isn¡¯t going to help.¡± He nudged her as though he understood her inner struggles. Stunned, Xi Xiaye turned around and gaped at him in shock.

    ¡°You know who I wanted to call?¡± She blurted out.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± He replied calmly as he slowed the car down.

    Xi Xiaye sighed on the inside. She almost forgot that the man¡¯s eyes were all-seeing. Sometimes, she realized he could see through everything about her, yet until now she was unable to look at him openly...

    She hesitated for another brief moment before calling the number.

    The call went through quickly, but it was not Xi Jiyang who picked up the call. Instead, it was Xi Xinyi...

    She was way too familiar with Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice!

    ¡°Hello? Who are you looking for?¡± Xi Xinyi asked gently when no one spoke on the phone after she picked up the call. She then spoke to Yifeng beside her, ¡°Yifeng, why are you here? Oh, right, Grandfather actually liked your present a lot. It¡¯s been some time since Ist saw him so happy. We have toe back and visit him more in the future...¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye slowly put her hand down as she stared at her phone screen go dim. A self-mocking smile appeared on her beautiful face.

    Of course, she could hear the ted voices from the other end. Compared to the Shen Residence, West Park was much livelier and she even heard Xi Jiyang¡¯sughter as well.

    This call was probably not necessary.

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything when he saw her expression darken. He did not tell her that he had actually sent Ah Mo to West Park and handed a special gift to Xi Jiyang under her name.

    With her worrying EQ, she would never be able to beat the expert in acting.

    After some moments of silence, she tossed her phone aside and closed her eyes in fatigue. She said quietly, ¡°I want to take a nap.¡±

    He nodded and replied gently, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll wake you up when we reach.¡±

    He even grabbed a nket for her.

    ...

    At the same time, in West Park.

    The elder Xi Jiyang was sitting on the living room sofa while flipping through a thick and yellowish album. A precious cheerful expression was on his face and his hands were shaking slightly as he was not able to hide his excitement.

    Someone had sent the album over just now and said that it was a New Year¡¯s gift from Ms. Xiaye. Opening it, he noticed that the album recorded all his achievements when he was still active in politics as well as some of the important events involving him back in the day. There was a whole list of newspapers and magazine clippings all arranged in chronological order.

    He was suddenly reminded of his old days. Every image summoned a past memory deep inside him, making him feel like he had traveled back in time...

    Tears were on the verge of falling from his eyes. He flipped through the album again and again dearly with a fulfilled smile spreading across his wizened face. He did not even look at the well-prepared and expensive gifts Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi had bought for him. Instead, he praised Xi Xiaye, ¡°Your sister is really amazing. Just how much effort did she put into making this? She found me my precious old memories... How great! Xinyi, you¡¯d better learn from your sister.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was a little distracted when she heard Xi Jiyang¡¯s words. Nevertheless, after a while, she smiled gently as she nodded. ¡°Mmm, I got it. I told you so! Sister won¡¯t forget about you. She¡¯s even prepared such a meticulous gift for you. As long as you¡¯re happy!¡±

    Xi Jiyang glimpsed at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Grandfather, I...¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression froze.

    Before she could reply, Xi Jiyang mumbled to himself as he closed the album, ¡°It¡¯s not been very lively around here in the recent years. I wonder if she¡¯s gone back to her mother. It¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve had a reunion dinner with her.¡±

    ¡°Hering back here will just give us trouble. We¡¯ve indulged her too much and she¡¯s be extremely rude now! Lingsi was being considerate about Shen Wenna and just let her daughter do whatever she wanted. Now, look at her arrogance!¡± Deng Wenwen criticized unhappily when she heard Xi Jiyang.

    ...

    The New Year spirit got more and more fired up as fireworks shot up high into the sky everywhere. The car rumbled under the beautiful fireworks as they arrived into the Mu Residence. Xi Xiaye was already asleep on the man¡¯s shoulder.

    However, she was a light sleeper and she woke up the moment the car stopped moving.

    Wang Hui and the others had prepared the reunion dinner and were waiting for them to arrive.

    ¡°Come and sit down. I¡¯m worried the dishes might go cold, so I even started making themter.¡±

    Wang Hui looked at the young couple with a big smile, her tone kind. She felt that the more she looked at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye standing beside each other, the more she thought of them being a perfect couple. She was over the moon as she thought that she would be able to have a grandchild soon.

    Mu Yinan could not help but pat his wife¡¯s shoulder when he saw her face. ¡°Don¡¯t put on such a vulgar smile. You might frighten them.¡±

    ¡°Who has a vulgar smile now?¡± Wang Hui red at Mu Yinan, annoyed by what he said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that such words came from a vulgar person like you.¡±

    ¡°So, only you can talk about others and I can¡¯t talk about you? Can you be any more unreasonable?¡±

    Mu Yinan was not convinced.

    ¡°I¡¯m the reason here. Any problems?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk to you anymore!¡±

    ¡°Talk? My smile has nothing to do with you, alright? Am I disturbing you in any way?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Just ignore them. They¡¯lle and eat after they are done.¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his voice as he nced at the old couple fighting before them as he spoke to the slightly shocked Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong smiled at each other and shook their head helplessly. Then, they started serving everyone wine.

 Chapter 141 - Xiaye Went Crazy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 141: Xiaye Went Crazy (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because they just had a meal at the Shen Residence, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not really eat much. They just ate a little and drank half a bowl of soup.

    Things were getting lively after dinner as fireworks shot up into the sky everywhere. A tiny spark shot up high into the night sky, and boom! It lit up the town beautifully.

    Stars nketed the night sky and the cold wind seemed a little lonely, but that was not enough to stop the people from having fun...

    Mu Yuchen came out of the bathroom with a ck sleeping robe around him. He did not see the woman anywhere in the bedroom. After thinking for a while, he exited the bedroom after tying his sash.

    It was quiet in both the living room and the study room. She was probably downstairs mingling with the others or just watching television.

    He sat down on the sofa slowly. As he turned the television on, he saw a pack of cigarettes on the side table, so he casually took one out and lit it up.

    After several puffs of smoke, he heard the explosion of fireworks from downstairs. He turned his head over to the balcony, then he realized that someone was setting fireworks off right in the yard of his house. He could hear their voices all the way from outside.

    He flicked the cigarette on the ashtray before walking towards the balcony.

    He leaned against the balcony railing. As expected, he saw the servants and his family ying with fireworks happily. The colorful, sparkling fireworks went off one after another. Even he felt slightly cheered up inside.

    He looked around with his eyes and soon noticed the petite woman standing by the side above the staircase. She was gazing up at the fireworks quietly...

    She stood underneath the fireworks in silence and observed them with a peaceful smile. It was much different from the usual cold vibe she gave off.

    ¡°Missus,e over and y too!¡±

    A servant handed her a lit sparkler, but she smiled and shook her head. ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll just watch.¡±

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned around when she heard someone yell. She looked over and saw the man on the balcony.

    She saw the man casually smoking a cigarette there, and his eyes were definitely fixed on her.

    She hesitated for a moment before going back inside the house.

    When she went into the room, he was not on the balcony anymore. The curtains were closed and only a dim light by the side living room was switched on, emitting a weak yet warm light. A source of light came from the half-closed door of the study room as well.

    She closed the door and went into the study room quietly.

    She saw him reading casually beside the tall bookshelf when she pushed the door open. She observed quietly for a moment. Then, she turned around and poured a ss of water before entering the room.

    The man, who was focused on his book, was alerted when he heard the sound of footsteps. Lifting his head and looking towards the entrance, her tiny figure came into his vision. His dark eyes brightened up slightly.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you join them?¡± He asked gently.

    Xi Xiaye went over to him slowly and handed the ss of water to him, sighing, ¡°I feel that it¡¯s way past my age to y with fireworks now, and your family¡¯s ying mahjong...¡±

    Heughed and took a sip from the ss as he closed the book. ¡°Well, it¡¯s only usual for the New Year, so get used to it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s not bad this way. Grandpa and Mother are probably watching some New Year special programme on TV now too. Although they do more or less the same thing every year, they kind of usher in the New Year spirit.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandmother ask you to y and offer to be your strategist?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not forget that Wang Hui had mentioned that she would get Xi Xiaye to y mahjong that night and she would be her strategist in the back.

    Xi Xiaye was too embarrassed to admit that she had almost lost all of Wang Hui¡¯s money. Anxious, Wang Hui had interfered to y again in order to win back her money again.

    Mu Yuchen could guess what had happened judging from her disappointed look. He handed the book to her as he walked towards the table. ¡°They¡¯ve been ying for the past two decades. Of course, you¡¯re not going to win easily.¡±

    She put the book back onto the shelf and asked as she looked at the huge collection of books, ¡°Do you always spend time like this during the New Year?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve stayed abroad the past few years. I rarely celebrated it because I wasn¡¯t at home. Usually, I just rested at home.¡± He grabbed his phone on the table as he put his arm over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder and walked outside. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll watch TV with you.¡±

    ¡°The TV programmes are a little...¡±

    She followed his steps as she nced at him, reluctant to watch television. She thought about it for a bit and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s y chess. Don¡¯t you have a chessboard here?¡±

    She had not noticed it thest time she came, but this time there was a Go board beside the coffee table.

    ¡°What reward do I get if I win?¡±

    A certain businessman showed his true colors as soon as Xi Xiaye suggested her proposal. He stared at her in the eye.

    She halted her steps and wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯ll know after you defeat me!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be better if we make the terms clear now.¡±

    He stopped his steps as well and looked down at her from above with his height advantage. She seemed much smaller after she took her high heels off.

    She took a deep breath and shrugged. ¡°Alright then. Tell me what you want. I¡¯ll make sure to fulfill what you want as long as it¡¯s within my capabilities.¡±

    ¡°Anything? Including your kiss?¡± He said casually, his dark eyes brightening and looking at her with a smile.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. Her face blushed as she clenched her fists. She waved them before him. ¡°Including this as well!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows. It was not his first time seeing this side of hers. He went silent for a moment and then let out augh. ¡°Missus, actually when I saw you for the first time, I thought of you as a quiet and beautifuldy.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised to hear such high praise from him. She chuckled. ¡°Am I really as good as you thought?¡±

    ¡°Afterwards, I realized I still need to work on my vision. It¡¯s onlyplete if I can see through a person¡¯s true nature. Sadly, I can¡¯t return my goods now,¡± he mumbled as he patted her little head. A perfect curve of a smile appeared on his handsome face.

 Chapter 142 - Xiaye Went Crazy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 142: Xiaye Went Crazy (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After taking some time, Xi Xiaye finally understood what he meant. She squinted at him and said coldly, ¡°So, you¡¯re dissing me now, are you?¡±

    He turned around andughed before he grabbed her. Then, he sat down on the sofa as he teased her gently, ¡°Nope, how dare I diss my own wife?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t dare to or you don¡¯t know how to? You¡¯ve already said it out loud just now. Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡±

    Xi Xiaye started to set up the Go board. She ced a ck piece first. ¡°You¡¯ll have to let me get a three-piece advantage before you as a punishment.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he put a white piece on the board, staring at her in the eyes. ¡°If you¡¯re this smart and charismatic when you face other people, I¡¯m sure that you won¡¯t get taken advantage of.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She did not say anything and was just focused on the board.

    Mu Yuchen stopped talking as well. He poured her a ss of water, and the real fight between them started.

    Soon, even Mu Yuchen had to admit that the woman before her was a true expert at Go chess. He had finally found himself a worthy opponent!

    After a long war, he defeated her by half a piece and was genuinely surprised, but the expression on his face seemed calm as usual. He smiled at the defeated woman opposite him.

    ¡°Missus, it¡¯s time to fulfill your promise.¡±

    He pushed the board away as he looked at her with other intentions in his eyes.

    ¡°Can I owe you first, Mr. Mu?¡± She put her hand on her forehead and nced at him embarrassedly.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d let you owe me?¡± He said ever so calmly. He was separating the ck and white pieces on the board while saying something that made her so embarrassed, but he just acted very naturally.

    ¡°I knew that you¡¯d try to get away with it, Director Xi. You have to change this bad habit of yours. I might have to reconsider your future promotion.¡±

    Damn it!

    How was this rted to her work?

    She frowned at him and said, ¡°You can¡¯t use your position as Chairman Mu to bully me. I don¡¯t care how powerful you are in the office, but I get to have the final say at home. Otherwise, I¡¯d be at a serious disadvantage. Why do I have to listen to you both at work and at home? Where are my human rights?!¡± She voiced out her opinions unhappily.

    Mu Yuchen was shocked by her words. He leaned his body slightly as he looked at her andughed. As he ran his fingers through her long hair and patted her head, a rarely seen tenderness appeared in his eyes. ¡°The foodie has finally realized she has human rights too! Are you going to be the queen now?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to obey?¡± She raised her head from his arms and looked at him with her crystal-clear eyes.

    He did not reply and just looked at her with a gentle smile.

    After some silence, she pressed against him with a strained face. ¡°If you don¡¯t obey, I¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡± He asked quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat you up!¡± She yelled loudly as she jumped onto him. Mu Yuchen was pressed down on the sofa. Her eyes brightened as she looked at Mu Yuchen under her. ¡°I¡¯m being serious here. I¡¯ve thought about it thoroughly. We¡¯re purely colleagues in the office. You can¡¯t expose our true rtionship as I think I enjoy my current work life, and I don¡¯t want to change it. I want to be low-profile. You¡¯re the boss at thepany, so I¡¯ll listen to whatever you say, but after we get off work, I¡¯m the boss!¡±

    It weighed heavily on the next few decades of their life. She could not always be under him although he was the high and mighty Chairman Mu...

    Mu Yuchen grabbed her small waist as he covered her left shoulder. He observed the serious-looking woman on top of him with interest in his eyes. After some thought, he replied, ¡°Given that my basic rights are protected, this matter is negotiable.¡±

    ¡°So, does that mean you agree?¡±

    Her eyes brightened. She was overjoyed when he nodded, totally missing the mischievous look in his eyes.

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve made such a sacrifice, shouldn¡¯t you reward me?¡±

    His maic voice was extremely seductive as he narrowed his eyes at her.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    She lowered her body and her long hair fell onto him. She barely realized that she ignited fireworks inside someone¡¯s pants and he was very tempted tomit a crime now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it very well?¡± He said as his grip on her waist tightened. Anyone could get what he obviously meant, and Xi Xiaye was no exception. She was distracted for a moment while she looked into his deep eyes. She felt like she was being hypnotized. After hesitating for a while, she left a kiss on his lips.

    Mu Yuchen would never let this chance slip away. He locked her head down with hisrge hand while his other hand on her waist moved higher to support the left side of her body, afraid that he might injure her wound again.

    ...

    Suddenly, he felt that kissing her was addictive. He wanted to take more away from her.

    He never thought that there would be a day he could not suppress his own luscious desires. Suddenly, he could feel his restraint fading away. He had once regretted such feelings before.

    He would never look for any woman for two simple reasons: one was to not give him any chance to make such a cheap mistake since society would not let him off easily with these mistakes, and the second was that a woman that made him feelfortable had never appeared before him.

    For some reason, the above reasons did not apply to her. Of course, he would not push such feelings away since they were married anyway. He should be able to embrace all of her, and at the same time, he should belong to her as well.

    As they were getting intimate, she noticed him protecting her left shoulder and it warmed her heart. She put her hands onto his face and kissed him...

    The temperature in the room spiked up!

    Ka-chak¡ª

    After some time, the door suddenly creaked open, and the two of them had no idea at all.

 Chapter 143 - Xiaye Went Crazy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 143: Xiaye Went Crazy (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±

    A light cough was finally heard. Almost in an instant, Xi Xiaye rolled off of Mu Yuchen like a frightened cat and Mu Yuchen shot up very quickly too, reaching out to protect her.

    ¡°Mother! Father!¡±

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously looked at the door and noticed that at that moment, Zhuang Shurong was standing by the door looking awkward as she remainedposed and graceful. In fact, Mu Tangchuan was standing right behind her too!

    She had almost screamed out loud in shock. Her beautiful, delicate face was blushing all over as she turned to the man beside her at a loss. However, she noticed that he remained extremely calm and did not even take a glimpse at the door. His first reaction was to swiftly help her fix her clothes.

    She then noticed that amidst their affections earlier, the button at her chest had already been undone and her shoulder was also revealed. There was even a faintly discernible ckcy strap peeking out. Meanwhile, his robe was terribly messy and the sash at his waist had loosened, showing off his muscr chest...

    In this scene, Xi Xiaye wanted to go crazy and shriek, then bury herself into a crack in the ground. She could not care less about anything else, so she immediately hid behind him.

    After Mu Yuchen helped her button her shirt up, he unhurriedly fixed his sash, then turned to the door. Mu Tangchuan had already turned to walk away while Zhuang Shurong just looked away a little awkwardly towards the nt by the side.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you knock beforeing in?¡±

    He inhaled and his voice still had hints of raspiness. He seemed very upset that their moment had been interrupted. After so long, he had finally cultivated this moment of tenderness.

    Zhuang Shurong cleared her throat again. Seeing that they had already pulled themselves together, she said, ¡°Earlier, your father knocked for a long time, but we didn¡¯t hear your response. Chen Er, your father¡¯s looking for you. Go to the study room with him. Xiaye, tomorrow¡¯s the first day of the New Year. Your grandmother and I are going to the temple to pray tomorrow morning. Follow us. At the same time, we can pray for a child at the Guanyin Temple.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong had just finished when Mu Tangchuan¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s fine to talk about it tomorrow. Xiaye, follow your grandmother and mother tomorrow. We¡¯ll go down first. Your grandmother¡¯s cooked some supper downstairs. If you¡¯re hungry, thene down. Otherwise, you two can continue!¡±

    Before Xiaye could react, he had already dragged Zhuang Shurong out and closed the door.

    When she heard the door shut, she looked out from behind him at the door. Upon confirming that it was closed, she then could not help but wail, her hands covering her little face.

    Ruined!

    Her image was ruined just like that!

    What would Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan think of their daughter-inw?

    How embarrassing!

    All because of him!

    She angrily put her hands down and red up at him. However, she noticed that he was looking at her calmly, his deep eyes holding a trace of amusement.

    She buried her forehead in her hands. Blushing furiously, she panted and then could not help but pick up a bolster from the side to throw at him. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you! Return me my reputation!¡±

    Mu Yuchen caught the bolster she tossed with one hand and smiled. ¡°They¡¯ll just pretend they didn¡¯t see that. What are you nervous about? We aren¡¯t shy and young students. This is something that everyone knows about.¡±

    ¡°You, of course, don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything. The person that¡¯s embarrassed is me! Why did I do something so embarrassing?¡±

    She was even pushing him down as sheined, and the way it looked...

    ¡°Enough. I already said it¡¯s fine. If you still feel ufortable, just say that I forced you. Go and take a shower first. I¡¯ll go out to take a look.¡±

    He put the bolster down, patted her head, and softly consoled her. Seeing her little face that was exploding in humiliation, he could not help but reach out to touch her lightly.

    She angrily turned her head away and ignored him.

    Heughed helplessly before making his way past the sofa. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the bath for you. Take a bath first. They already saw it no matter how much you fuss about it. Let loose a little more. We aren¡¯t doing anything bad that we should feel guilty about.¡±

    ...

    After he left the room, Mu Yuchen went straight to Mu Tangchuan¡¯s study room.

    They were discussing work-rted matters and Mu Tangchuan¡¯s phone kept ringing. One could already guess what had happened. He was currently in a high and important position, so on festive days like this, many people would call and text him with greetings.

    Those in the political scene knew how Mu Tangchuan was like. He seemed gentle and cultivated, yet he was an iron fist through and through. He conducted himself honestly and maintained a great reputation in politics. Most of all, he was considered supported with love and respect by the people.

    Part of Mu Yuchen¡¯s personality had been inherited from him. He was gentle and profound with a pair of keen eyes that could see through everything.

    ¡°I know Glory World is also fighting for the project at the South River. I¡¯ve already discussed this with Mayor Xi. We won¡¯t side with any one of you. The government will make the assessments based on your proposals, ns, and all the other aspectsbined. Finally, they¡¯ll choose the best coborator. I can only urge you to pay attention to Qi Kai Corporation. Thispany should be Glory World¡¯s strongpetitor, and they might go into an alliance with a very strong partner from abroad...¡±

    ¡°Okay, Father, that¡¯s enough. Regarding the South River project, Glory World is determined to win. You don¡¯t need to break your rules for me. I know what to do.¡±

    Before Mu Tangchuan could finish, Mu Yuchen had already interrupted him. He lifted a hand elegantly to serve Mu Tangchuan tea as he said calmly, ¡± Theunch of Glory World¡¯s Imperial Entertainment City will be on the seventh day of the New Year. Will you and Mother being over?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan lowered his head to take a sip of tea as he answered, ¡°No, we probably haven¡¯t returned to City Z on the seventh day. There are many ces we need to visit in the New Year. Your mother¡¯s quite busy too. She needs to make a trip to City S on the sixth day of the New Year, so she probably won¡¯t be able to rush back by the seventh.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded, calmly sipping his tea. Then, he set the cup aside and got up unhurriedly. ¡°Got it. It¡¯s the New Year. Don¡¯t be so busy with these work matters now. Isn¡¯t Grandmother preparing supper downstairs?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, she cooked some light dishes. Go down and have a ss or two. By the time we finish eating, it should be time to count down to the New Year.¡± Mu Tangchuan got up too.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten Ah Mo to bring a few bottles of red wine over from Maple Residence. That wine tastes pretty excellent. You can try it. I¡¯ll go and call Xiaye.¡± Mu Yuchen moved over.

    When he heard Mu Yuchen mention Xiaye, Mu Tangchuan recalled the scene from earlier and unexpectedly teased his son,ughing, ¡°Chen Er, your wife is quite like your mother. Your mother... likes it like that too. That position... She doesn¡¯t like to be at the bottom...¡±

    When Mu Tangchuan said this, Mu Yuchen was instantly stunned. He looked a little bbergasted that his usuallyposed and stern father would talk about such things with him.

    Perhaps, because he noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction, Mu Tangchuan then smiled. ¡°We¡¯re all men. What¡¯s there to be awkward about? Your parents have been young once too. Didn¡¯t we make it through all these years?

 Chapter 144 - Father and Son Conversation

    <h4>Chapter 144: Father and Son Conversation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm, handsome face shed with a rare uneasiness. He thought about it, then replied, ¡°She lost at chess, and I...¡±

    He did not need to finish the rest of his sentence. The father and son exchanged a look, the kind of look that only men would understand.

    Mu Tangchuan then chuckled before sighing, ¡°You¡¯re not that young anymore either. You¡¯re going to be 31 soon. Before this, we¡¯ve been waiting for you to get married. Now, we¡¯re looking forward to you being a father. Chen Er, push away all those worldly possessions. There¡¯s isn¡¯t much a man can hold onto. Your grandparents and parents can¡¯t be with you until you¡¯re old. Even your children will leave you to lead their own lives in the future. The only person who can stay with you is the woman in your arms. So, you have to treat your wife, Xiaye, well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not quite know how to respond to Mu Tangchuan¡¯s words. In his impression, his father was not the sort to say such sentimental things to him.

    He fell silent for a moment, then calmly looked up at Mu Tangchuan and asked, ¡°Then, Father, how do you see Mother? I know that previously you didn¡¯t love each other.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was right. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had been forced into an arranged marriage by their parents. After getting married, the husband and wife continued to be busy with their own careers. They had been married for more than 30 years. Based on what Mu Yuchen recalled, he had never seen them argue.

    It was not that Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong did not have any conflict between them and were always this harmonious. It was just that every time a conflict happened, Mu Tangchuan wouldpromise. No matter how Zhuang Shurong flipped out, he would just pretend to be deaf and mute, or just hide. Then, he would appear again a few dayster, and it would all be fine.

    ¡°The term ¡®love each other¡¯ has a very deep meaning. Until now, I still can¡¯t differentiate whether I have a kinship of love for your mother. Just because you¡¯re all grown up, you should know her well too. I really can¡¯t get ahold of her. However, since I¡¯ve married her, and she¡¯s now your mother and my woman, I¡¯ve got to let her be. Sometimes, over these years I just treat her like my daughter. Would you make life difficult for your daughter?¡±

    When he spoke about Zhuang Shurong, Mu Tangchuan did not look quite indifferent. His extraordinarily dark eyes that were simr to Mu Yuchen¡¯s oozed with a faint tenderness.

    Observing Mu Tangchuan, Mu Yuchen seemed to be able to predict his days with Xi Xiaye in the future. He was afraid they would not be able to live so peacefully. They did not need to fuss about whether it was love, or whether they liked each other. The point was that as deep as one¡¯s love may be and as perfect as an ending could be, it seemed to just evolve into a familial love that was meant to be guarded for life.

    It was as simple as that.

    He fell silent for a while, then Mu Yuchen suddenly said, ¡°Actually, since I was young, I was most grateful for you and Mother. It wasn¡¯t so much about how great of a life you gave me, but the role models that you two have unintentionally been for me. You have influenced and encouraged me.¡±

    His tall figured shifted over and walked under the dim, yellow wallmp. ¡°I hope that Xiaye and I can be like the two of you. As for all the unhappiness in the past, it¡¯ll all be put to a full stop her. No more bringing it up... Can you fulfill this request of mine?¡±

    Then, before Mu Tangchuan could answer, he had already walked out the door and left.

    ¡°Chen Er...¡±

    He had just walked out the door when he saw Zhuang Shurong right before him. She had a peculiar expression on her face; she must have heard a lot of their conversation.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m going back to call Xiaye.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. The dishes are being prepared downstairs. I don¡¯t think she ate much tonight,¡± Zhuang Shurong responded, and Mu Yuchen picked up his pace to walk out.

    As she watched her son¡¯s fading shadow along the corridor, Zhuang Shurong could not help but sigh softly. When she turned over, she noticed that her husband had already walked over.

    ¡°Why did you say all of these things to your son? Who¡¯s your daughter?¡±

    A rare and suspicious blush crept across Zhuang Shurong¡¯sposed and beautiful face as she fixed her gaze on Mu Tangchuan.

    Mu Tangchuanughed gently. ¡°Aren¡¯t I just teaching our son to properly manage his marriage and family?¡±

    ¡°What Chen Er said... Do you think he¡¯s still ming me for it? With his intelligence, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s long figured out the whole thing. Watching him get along pretty well with Xiaye, I... I¡¯m guessing that the two of you are father and son indeed. Even your taste in women is the same. Years ago, your imagination also ran wild with Wenna. Now that your son¡¯s fancied Wenna¡¯s daughter... The mother and daughter have such remarkable resemnce...¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? What wild imagination? If I did, would I have had such a grown-up son with you? How is Shen Wenna as amazing as you, Chief Zhuang?¡± Mu Tangchuan smiled in amusement at his frowning wife.

    Zhuang Shurong shot him a side look. She breathed in and said, ¡°Do you think Wenna and Xi Mushan really ended just like that? Who¡¯s that Yue Lingsi anyway? During our schooling years, she was just part of Wenna¡¯s little posse just because of her family background! Xi Mushan has really gone and done it... Wenna¡¯s life has been ruined by the two of them...¡±

    ¡°What do we know about other¡¯s family matters? Let them be. We should just watch after ourselves.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan heaved a long sigh. ¡°I can tell that Wenna didn¡¯t get over Xi Mushan all these years. Sometimes, I really don¡¯t understand you women. Since he¡¯s already decided to leave, why should she still be so hung up?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong about this. Sometimes, it might not be about being hung up. It¡¯s about giving up. With Wenna¡¯s personality, it would be like that. However, if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t let go of them so easily! People who betray me must pay horribly. Then, I¡¯ll find the next good stop and relive my glory!¡± Zhuang Shurong¡¯s tone was resounding while her gaze flickered with determination.

    ¡°The way you are, you definitely won¡¯t lose out. Look at how you raised Chen Er and Lingsi. If Wenna had a bit of your vigor, she wouldn¡¯t have to live such a difficult life.¡±

    As Mu Tangchuan said this, he pulled her out the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s so bad about that? The children can only be at less of a disadvantage after they¡¯ve truly toughened up themselves. Otherwise, if we let them take after your personality, what benefit would they bring?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong had always been frank and clear-cut when she spoke. She was incisive and had a threatening manner. Even Mu Tangchuan, as the grand member of the provincial government, had now be a good-for-nothing before her.

    Mu Tangchuan waszy to argue with her, so he just followed after her and smiled gently.

    The entire provincial government knew that his wife was amazing. He suddenly remembered that there was once when she came to his office to look for him. Even the female secretary who was receiving her stuttered when she spoke in her imposing manner...

    However, only he knew her gentleness best...

 Chapter 145 - Happy New Year

    <h4>Chapter 145: Happy New Year</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Mu Yuchen returned to the room, Xi Xiaye had already finished her bath and was lying down. The main light in the bedroom was switched off too. Only a dim wallmp was left lit up.

    He used the dim yellow light to look at the slightly protruding nket. He picked up his pace and walked over, switching the tablemp on the side on. After staring at her sleeping for quite a while, he said, ¡°Mother and the rest made supper. Do you want to go downstairs?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve showered and I¡¯m not hungry.¡± She did not even open her eyes as she answered a little sleepily.

    Mu Yuchen did not bother her further either. He switched the light off and walked out of the bedroom.

    Xi Xiaye was dazed in her sleep. She seemed to vaguely remember that the man returned to the room after quite a long while.

    The next morning, the couple were still in their slumber when they were awoken by the knocking from outside.

    Xi Xiaye unhurriedly tied up her beautiful, waist-length hair and casuallybed it into a bun. Then, she opened the wardrobe and noticed that it was the same as the one in Maple Residence. The wardrobe was filled with clothes in all sorts of styles and colors in her size.

    She had also noticed that the clothes all leaned towards light warm colors. In the bottom drawer, balls of socks had also been prepared in the dozens. It was even more clothes than thest time they came back...

    She gaped at the clothes for quite a while before choosing mid-length <i>qipao</i> with lc floral prints. On the outside, she put on a pastel-colored coat, then strolled towards the bathroom.

    She had just reached the bathroom door when the man inside had already finished washing up. He changed into a silver-gray leisure suit and was drying his hands with a towel when he saw her walk over. Checking her out, he felt that she took his breath away.

    Quickly, he reacted and took her toothbrush to help her apply some toothpaste before handing it to her.

    Raising her brows, she walked over and took the toothbrush, silently watching the tall, dashing man in the mirror. She thought about it, then greeted calmly in that slightly raspy voice of hers, ¡°Happy New Year, Mr. Mu.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned. He took a look at the mirror before him. Then, his eyes scanned around before falling onto her again. He chuckled softly. ¡°Happy New Year, Missus.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled cheerfully too, then she started brushing her teeth.

    ¡°When you¡¯re done packing up, go downstairs for breakfast.¡±

    He lifted a hand to help fix the messy bangs on her forehead.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± She just vaguely responded and Mu Yuchen then could not help but pat her head before smiling as he walked out.

    After she was done washing and packing up, Xi Xiaye went downstairs.

    The whole family was already downstairs waiting for them for breakfast. Everyone seemed in high spirits. Politely, she said some auspicious greetings. Wang Hui and the rest handed huge red envelopes around, making her a little shy. She subconsciously turned to look at the man beside her and saw that beside his hand were a few huge red envelopes. She then smiled and epted them graciously.

    ¡°Thank you, Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother.¡±

    She still did not dare to look up Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong. When she thought about how they had walked in on themst night, she could not help but feel her face heat up.

    ¡°If you really want to thank us, then grant us a grandson soon.¡±

    When Zhuang Shurong saw Xi Xiaye blushing, she could not help butugh. ¡°Your grandparents wanting to have a grandson is not a matter of a day or two. By the end of this year, we hope that you can fulfill her wishes.¡±

    ¡°Haha, yeah, Xiaye, this is Grandmother¡¯s wish this year!¡±

    ...

    Everyone spoke one after another as if the matter of having a child had immediately been pushed up the agenda. However, she and Mu Yuchen ¡ª

    She still lowered her head a little bashfully, shooting him a look. She noticed that he was calmly taking the napkin on the side for her as if the matter being discussed had nothing to do with him.

    After they finished breakfast, Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong asked Xi Xiaye to go out with them. They made their way straight for the Buddhist temple in the east of the city. Mu Tangchuan and Mu Yinan had their own ns too. Everyone made their way out, so only Mu Yuchen was left alone in the Mu residence.

    In the afternoon, Ah Mo received Mu Yuchen¡¯s call. When he sent theptop that he had left behind in Maple Residence over, Mu Yuchen was sitting in the yard on a soft cushion and leisurely reading under the sun.

    It was rare to see his Master having such a rxed moment, so Ah Mo almost could not bear to disturb him, yet when he heard his hesitating footsteps, Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice was heard.

    ¡°Bring it over.¡±

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Ah Mo then delivered theptop in his hand and Mu Yuchen casually took it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go out to walk around?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nowhere I want to go anyway. I¡¯m used to being on call for your busy work matters,¡± responded Ah Mo with a smile.

    Mu Yuchen opened hisptop. ¡°Much earlier, Grandfather mentioned your thing to me again. You and Lingsi are ced in the care of Father¡¯s name, so we¡¯re considered brothers...¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen suddenly looked up and fixed his gaze on Ah Mo. ¡°I remember that you aren¡¯t that much younger than me. Grandfather and the other elders are saying that you should take note and see if there are any girls you fancy. The family can help you with proposing for marriage.¡±

    When he said this, Ah Mo was stunned. His handsome face turned scarlet and his eyes were filled with gratitude. ¡°Thank you so much for Elder Madam and the old Chairman¡¯s concern. Right now, I just want to serve by your side, Master.¡±

    ¡°The Mu family can¡¯t tie you down forever. You have to have your own life. All these years, you¡¯ve been by my side. You¡¯re very good at handling many of thepany matters. The seventh day of the New Year is theunch of Glory World¡¯s Imperial Sky Entertainment City. It¡¯s your sis-inw who¡¯s in charge. Tomorrow, I need to make a trip to City B, but you don¡¯t have toe with me. Help her out instead.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took the cup of tea from the side and took a sip. He then continued, ¡°After theunch, I¡¯m nning to let you take over the Project Manager position right away. You¡¯ll take charge of City B¡¯s partnership for the development of the showbiz base. I¡¯ll always be watching out for you. I just want to know whether you¡¯re confident to take this on.¡±

    His deep and all-knowing gaze fell onto Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face while his tone was very calm.

    ¡°Master, well...¡±

    Ah Mo was a little nervous and at a loss for words.

    ¡°Ah Mo, I can only provide you with the opportunity. Confidence is something only you can give yourself. I think highly of you. I¡¯m not willing for you to stay by my side and waste your talents. You should belong to a wider world, so I¡¯m hoping you can be Glory World¡¯s backbone.¡±

    When he said all of this, he suddenly closed hisptop with some waning interest. He got up and made his way towards the corridor. ¡°Since there¡¯s an opportunity, you should give it a try, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    His voice floated amidst the light, cool breeze, yet it sounded extremely kind to Ah Mo who quickly nodded and said to his back, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m willing to go with your arrangement, Master!¡±

 Chapter 146 - New Year Gathering (1)

    <h4>Chapter 146: New Year Gathering (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye and Wang Hui returned, it was already past five in the evening.

    There were many people in the temple. Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong had even especially asked a Great Master for a protective talisman for the couple, hoping for them to be safe and sound in the days toe. After that, the three of them went shopping for a while, so they returned a littlete.

    When they reached home, Mu Yuchen and Mu Yinan had already finished preparing dinner. They took their seats at the table.

    The table was full of dishes that were sumptuous. The dishes were all personally attended to by Mu Yuchen while Mu Yinan assisted. It was such a rare moment as it seemed to be his first time preparing for such a grand feast.

    Xi Xiaye seemed to have gotten used to the man¡¯s cooking in this period of time, especially when she saw the honey sauce pork ribs before her. She felt her appetite increase and she practically licked her te clean. She even inhaled all the vegetables that Mu Yuchen had served her.

    After dinner, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone seemed to ring at the same time.

    On his end, it was obviously Zhou Zimo calling to rush him, while for her, it was Su Nan.

    ¡°Hello? Xiaye, Happy New Year! May you have a prosperous New Year! Our guests are all almost here now. Are you on your way?¡±

    The call had just gotten through when Su Nan¡¯s voice came through.

    Xi Xiaye epted the water that Mu Yuchen handed her. She took a gulp and then answered, ¡°I¡¯ve just finished dinner and I¡¯m about to leave. You guys y first. I¡¯ll reach soon.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then hurry up, alright? We¡¯ll wait for you!¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± she simply answered before hanging up and getting up. The man beside had already packed up and was waiting for her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said.

    ¡°Go to the wardrobe and put on another overcoat. It¡¯s a little cold out there.¡±

    His deep voice held a firmness that did not allow defiance.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and looked at him. After thinking about it, she then obediently went back to get a windbreaker before picking the car keys up from the table.

    On the way to Zhou Zimo¡¯s ce, they coincidentally passed by Emperor. The one who drove was Mu Yuchen. City Z was not as crowded as it usually was, probably because many people were on holiday and had gone home to celebrate the New Year.

    However, the area around Emperor was livelier than it usually was.

    After the car turned at a busy traffic junction, it stopped steadily on a driveway before Emperor.

    Xi Xiaye unbuckled her seat belt. When she nced at the time, she noticed that it was only slightly past 7 p.m., so she then told him, ¡°I¡¯m getting down now. Drive safe. Right, don¡¯t drink so much if you¡¯re driving. At about half-past 10, I¡¯ll call you again.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, put on the windbreaker. Have you taken all of your things?¡± He handed the windbreaker to her and said softly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got everything.¡±

    She reached over to take the windbreaker he handed her and was about to get down the car when he pulled her in. Before she could react, he nted a cold kiss urately onto her forehead. By the time she could absorb it fully, he had already leaned over and helped her open the car door.

    She subconsciously lifted a hand to touch her forehead as she stared at him looking startled. Then, after a while, she got down from the car slowly and walked towards Emperor.

    While he watched her figure vanish at the entrance of Emperor, he took his phone to quickly make a call. After he hung up, he started the car again.

    Following the details of the chosen venue, Xi Xiaye followed the waiter straight to room 801.

    ¡°Miss Xi, this is room 801. Please enter. If you need anything, you can call for room service,¡± said the waiter very eagerly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Thanks!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡±

    As she watched the waiter walk down, Xi Xiaye ambled to the door. Before she entered, she could already hear the lively mor and peals ofughter.

    She reached out to push the door...

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re here!¡±

    The first one to notice her was Su Nan, who swiftly got up and walked over to her. However, she did not look too good.

    While Su Nan¡¯s sudden movement made the entire room instantly quiet down, everyone looked towards the door together ¡ª

    Xi Xiaye calmly looked around too and noticed that quite a few people were sitting on both sides of the sofa. They looked familiar and seemed to be junior high or senior high school ssmates. There were about more than 10 people, but what made Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darken was the one sitting in the middle of the sofa surrounded by several people. It was Xi Xinyi!

    <i>Why is she here?</i>

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes narrowed as she subconsciously looked to Su Nan who was extremely annoyed as she leaned into Xi Xiaye¡¯s ear. ¡°I don¡¯t why she came either. I invited Sun Mei who was at Wang Ziluo¡¯s ce. She came with Wang Ziluo and Sun Mei. I¡¯m guessing that Wang Ziluo told her... Right, do you still remember Wang Ziluo? He¡¯s the one who always wrote you love letters back then. He was the ss monitor in the third ss. He¡¯s just returned from abroad a few days ago. Do you remember?¡±

    Su Nan had just finished, and before Xi Xiaye could answer, there was already a bright and pleasantly surprised voice that rang out. ¡°Xiaye! It¡¯s really you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked to where the sound came from, and then she noticed that the few people beside Xi Xinyi had all gotten up. One of them was the familiar Wang Ziluo. He was tall, handsome and very cheerful.

    Wang Ziluo¡¯s family background was pretty decent. As the young master of the Wang Corporation, he was, of course, the most popr figure among this group of people. The people there were most probably chasing after Wang Ziluo!

    When he saw Xi Xiaye, Wang Ziluo¡¯s eyes lit up, his eyes could not hide how she took his breath away while Xi Xinyi who stood behind him just stared at her. Her expression had mixed emotions, and she looked like she wanted to say something, but was hesitating on whether or not to walk up to her.

    ¡°Xiaye, oh my God! I almost couldn¡¯t recognize you! You¡¯re getting prettier and prettier!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, she¡¯s indeed a beauty. I probably wouldn¡¯t recognize her on the streets!¡±

    ¡°I heard that she¡¯s even be a Director at Glory World. If therees a chance, be sure to look out for us!¡±

    ...

    The crowd¡¯s courteous voices were heard as their eyes were filled with envy.

    Xi Xiaye rarely joined such gatherings. Had she known that there would be so many people, she probably would have straight up rejected Su Nan. All these years, she had been reclusive. Apart from work, she usually would not go out and be in too much contact with anyone.

    Wang Ziluo picked up the two sses of wine from the table and walked towards Xi Xiaye, his face bright with a warm smile. ¡°I thought Su Nan was kidding, but you really are here. It¡¯s been so many years, yet you really haven¡¯t changed at all. Happy New Year!¡±

    Then, he handed a ss of wine to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye indifferently looked at him and nodded slightly. She epted the wine and thanked him before raising the ss slightly to say, ¡°Apologies for beingte. Here¡¯s wishing everyone a Happy New Year.¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year!¡±

    Everyone responded by lifting their sses too.

    She downed the ss in one go, then Xi Xiaye found a corner to sit down in. Su Nan sat right beside her while Ruan Heng was surrounded by several people and was forced to drink some more.

    Wang Ziluo had been crowded around by everyone when he went back to sit with Xi Xinyi.

 Chapter 147 - New Year Gathering (2)

    <h4>Chapter 147: New Year Gathering (2)</h4>

    Trantor: Daoist7 | Editor: chjean /EndlessFantasy Trantion

    While everyone forced them to down some drinks, Xi Xiaye could not really ward them off. They were all interested in Glory World matters.

    ¡°Right, Xiaye, I heard that Glory World Corporation¡¯s Imperial Sky Entertainment City is going tounch on the seventh day of the New Year on a pretty huge scale. I wonder if we have the honor to go over for a look?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, since you¡¯re a director at Glory World, this shouldn¡¯t be too hard, should it? We also want to go and witness the grandeur of theunch, but...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, which department are you managing in Glory World? Recently, I¡¯ve been wanting to change my job. I wonder if your ce has any vacancy...¡±

    Many more of such simr questions swarmed her. Xi Xiaye could not help but politely smile and say, ¡°It¡¯s the New Year. Don¡¯t worry about work now. We¡¯re hardly rxed. Tonight, we¡¯re only allowed to y and bond with each other, not talk about work.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, argh, are you guys intentionally making it hard for everyone to have fun? Work matters shall temporarily be set aside. Tonight, we¡¯re only going to eat, drink and be merry!¡± Su Nan helped Xi Xiaye round things up in time.

    With that said, the few people who surrounded them exercised restraint and retreated.

    ¡°Xiaye, why didn¡¯t Master Mue along with you?¡± Su Nan softly asked in her ear.

    ¡°He went to his friend¡¯s ce to y cards,¡± Xi Xiaye simply answered as she gazed up slightly and her eyes met Xi Xinyi¡¯s who sat in the middle seat and was throwing her mixed nces.

    Su Nan followed Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze and looked towards Xi Xinyi too. Her eyes pooled with disdain. She could not help but whisper mockingly to Xi Xiaye, ¡°This woman is really disgusting. Isn¡¯t she already engaged to Han Yifeng? When did she be so close to Wang Ziluo? Did you know? I just found out that previously, Wang Ziluo asked her to bring you lots of his love letters, but he¡¯s never seen her hand any of it to you. I told you that before this she must¡¯ve fancied Wang Ziluo!¡±

    Su Nan thought Xi Xinyi was annoying no matter how she looked now. The moment she thought about Xi Xiaye, she had the urge to go up to her and rip her face off.

    ¡°Annoying slut!¡±

    Seeing that Xi Xinyi had retrieved her gaze and was chatting away with Wang Ziluo again, Su Nan could not help but turn fiery-eyed and cursed, ¡°Wang Zi should be yours. Why is she still shamelessly seducing men after stealing Han Yifeng!?¡±

    Compared to Su Nan¡¯s anger, Xi Xiaye seemed much calmer. She turned to look at Su Nan and noticed that she was resentful about the injustice as she stabbed the fruits in front of her violently with a fork, her little face all tensed up.

    Seeing Su Nan like this, Xi Xiaye could not help butugh. She frowned and finished the drink in her ss before saying calmly, ¡°Miss Su Nan, you don¡¯t have to be so outraged over this injustice for me. I¡¯m already a married woman now. The way you act would make me misunderstand that you¡¯re persuading me to cheat. Mr. Mu probably wouldn¡¯t spare me.¡±

    When she heard Xi Xiaye say this, Su Nan¡¯s beautiful eyes instantly lit up. She then came to a realization. ¡°Right, I almost forgot! You¡¯re already married to Master Mu! That¡¯s the true Prince Charming... Do they know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough that you know. I¡¯m not close to them, so there¡¯s no need for them to know. Besides, I don¡¯t want to invite trouble,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she picked up the bottle of wine beside her and poured herself another ss.

    As she watched the crowd rush towards Wang Ziluo and Xi Xinyi, she could tell what Xi Xiaye meant.

    However, she still sulked. Initially, the two of them were going to have fun together, yet now it seemed to be Wang Ziluo and Xi Xinyi¡¯s show. The more she thought about it, the angrier she felt.

    They watched how in the middle of the room, the crowd started coaxing Wang Ziluo and Xi Xinyi to sing a duet, while the two of them very happily epted the request. They started to sing an affectionate duet.

    It was the same every time. No matter where Xi Xinyi went, she would be the center of attention. Su Nan still felt indignant about it, but Xi Xiaye was already used to it.

    Xi Xiaye downed two sses at a go, then suddenly remembered Imperial Sky¡¯s Entertainment Cityunch. She then reached for her handbag and took out a red invitation before handing it to Su Nan. ¡°Nan Nan, this is the invitation for theunch. Ask Ruan Heng toe together with you on that day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be there! I heard that there¡¯ll be many huge celebrities attending too. With all the big shots attending, it¡¯ll be an eye-opener for me!¡±

    Su Nan excitedly took the invitation and opened it to take a look. Indeed, it was an invitation personally written by Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°You can go to Imperial Sky Fashion City first to choose a gown. Just put it on my tab.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Su Nan happily epted the offer while Xi Xiaye took another sip of wine, seeming a little bored watching the group of people crowding around Wang Ziluo and Xi Xinyi. She thought about it and did not feel like she was in the mood, so she decided to leave.

    However, just as she wanted to get up, having finished singing two love songs with Xi Xinyi, Wang Ziluo suddenly got up and looked towards her. Before she could make her exit, people were beginning to coax them.

    ¡°Xiaye, you should sing a song with Ziluo too!¡± The young and beautiful Sun Mei said with a smile.

    All of them knew about Xi Xiaye and Xi Xinyi¡¯s rtionship, so when Sun Mei said this, everyone understood that she wanted to ease the slightly tensed atmosphere.

    A group of people echoed her while Wang Ziluo looked at Xi Xiaye with anticipation. Xi Xinyi¡¯s face had turned a little stiff and her gaze at Xi Xiaye seemed obscure.

    ¡°I can¡¯t sing, CEO Wang. It¡¯s best to let Miss Xi sing with you.¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could say anything, Xi Xinyi¡¯s sweet voice was heard. ¡°Sis, Ziluo knew you wereing, that¡¯s why he rushed over. From what I recall, you sing really well too. It¡¯s such a happy day. Isn¡¯t it great for everyone to have some fun?¡±

    Those who did not know would obviously think that Xi Xinyi was hinting at Xi Xiaye¡¯s humility. Yet, Su Nan knew that she was just making it hard for Xi Xiaye to say no. Before Xi Xiaye could answer, she scoffed, ¡°As great as she sings, she can¡¯tpare to you as a professional actress. Right, I heard that Miss Xi¡¯s just gotten engaged to Han Corporation¡¯s CEO Han a few days ago. It¡¯s almost 10 p.m. now. If you don¡¯t go home now, it wouldn¡¯t be too great, would it?¡±

    Su Nan had kept it in the whole night. The instant she saw Xi Xinyi walk in with Wang Ziluo, she almost wanted to kick the door down and leave. Had she not been too worried about Ruan Heng¡¯s image, she would have long done so!

    It was the New Year, but she had to endure this anger. How unlucky!

    ¡°Thanks for your concern. Yifeng said that he¡¯ll drive over to pick me upter. We can y to our hearts¡¯ content tonight. I¡¯ve already asked Yifeng toe to get the bill!¡± Xi Xinyi smiled with tenderness and elegance.

 Chapter 148 - New Year Gathering (3)

    <h4>Chapter 148: New Year Gathering (3)</h4>

    Trantor: Daoist7 | Editor: chjean /EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xinyi said this, quite a few girls could not help but look envious.

    ¡°Xinyi, you¡¯re so lucky! CEO Han is so sweet to you!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Not only is she outstandingly beautiful and is the Mayor¡¯s daughter, but she¡¯s also a celebrity loved by so many... Xinyi, we really admire you!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, guys. You¡¯ll find your own happiness too.¡±

    As she listened to the crowd¡¯s envious admirations, Xi Xinyi¡¯s sweet and charming face revealed a faint smile too. Her eyes were filled with sincerity and well wishes while she vaguely stole a nce at Xi Xiaye.

    Such a heartfelt wish instantly made everyone beam and all of them thanked her.

    ¡°Pretentious!¡± Su Nan scoffed as she subconsciously shot Ruan Heng a look beside her. He indicated his innocence and shrugged.

    Su Nan suddenly got up and walked over to grab the microphone on the table. She really did not want to hear this woman speak anymore. Increasing the music volume, she started to wail like q banshee and howl like a wolf into the microphone.

    One could tell that Su Nan was clearly targetting Xi Xinyi. They could not help but frown as they looked at Su Nan. In fact, they also noticed that Wang Ziluo looked a little down after being rejected by Xi Xiaye.

    While Xi Xinyi kept her bitter smile pasted on her face, she seemed quite pitiful. Sun Mei could not bear to watch, so she walked over to pat Xi Xinyi on the shoulder to console her. Then, she turned the music volume down a little and said something to Su Nan who then tossed the microphone onto the table with a darkened expression. She picked up the bottle on the table and downed it furiously.

    Ruan Heng wanted to stop her, yet her stern look pushed him away.

    Xi Xiaye could only helplessly try to stop whatever Su Nan was doing. She simply knew she was bad-tempered.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Nan Nan. Don¡¯t be angry with all these irrelevant people. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand her face! I really want to go up and rip it off. Her smile is so fake. Are they all blind? Look at the bitchy way she¡¯s unting her happiness. Yifeng this, Yifeng that. She¡¯s clearly trying to provoke you, you silly girl. Can¡¯t you see? She¡¯s egging you on!¡±

    The entire room¡¯s atmosphere turned a little weird. Xi Xiaye chuckled softly and did not say anything, yet a light shifted in her eyes.

    Now that she was not rushing to leave, she watched Xi Xinyi with interest who was ying the victim. She casually held up her drink and drank it sip by sip...

    Compared to the weird ambiance on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end, Mu Yuchen¡¯s side was extremely chilled out.

    Inside Zhou Zimo¡¯s private vi, the buddies were ying cards at the table: four men and one woman. Apart from the three buddies and Zhou Zimo¡¯s friends, Su Chen had also brought over a femalepanion.

    ¡°Ah Chen, why didn¡¯t you bring your wife over? Going out thiste at night... Wouldn¡¯t you get the me?¡± Su Chen looked at his cards, and then at the calm Mu Yuchen. He could not help but tease him.

    ¡°She has her own ns. It¡¯s already 10 p.m. I¡¯m done after this round,¡± said Mu Yuchen inly, not even looking at him, then he put his cards down.

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow !¡±

    As the next yer, Zhou Zimo yed his hand. He smiled and said, ¡°Are you worried that the sis-inw will check up on you? We¡¯ve always yed till 11 p.m., so what are you rushing for? Look at the way you¡¯re behaving. It seems like someone¡¯s used to pampering.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t pamper women too much, Ah Chen. You have to be careful. Otherwise, you¡¯re the one who¡¯ll suffer in the future. She¡¯ll control you no matter where you go. Being checked up on in the middle of the night ismon too, just like the queen in my house. It can definitely drive you crazy!¡± Su Chen seemed to remind him based on his personal experience.

    ¡°Master Mu, I think he makes sense too. You can¡¯t spoil women. You should ask the female friend beside Master Mu.¡±

    When she heard, thepanion beside Su Chen grinned. ¡°This depends on you men. Don¡¯t make us women sound so horrible. We¡¯re rational people too, so whether or not we can hold you back, that¡¯ll depend on the men¡¯s capabilities!¡±

    ...

    ¡°If she could check up on me, I¡¯d be pretty d.¡± Mu Yuchen grinned weirdly, then he put the final cards he had down. ¡°All of your luck tonight seems to be pretty bad. I¡¯m done. Calcte what you guys owe me and bank it into my ount. Also, don¡¯t forget the important stuff.¡±

    He had already gotten up to put on his windbreaker as he finished. Then, he grabbed the car keys at the corner of the table.

    Su Chen looked on in shock at Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure making his way to the door. He could not help but call out, ¡°Hey, are you going home just like that? I was just going to say let¡¯s get a few drinks!¡±

    ¡°Tonight, I drove by myself. I won¡¯t drink more, but if you want to drink, you cane to Maple Residence and drink as much as you want another day. Tomorrow, I have to make a trip to City B for work, so I¡¯ll leave first. Please send my greetings to the elders of your families.¡±

    Then, his cool figure vanished out of the door.

    When Han Yifeng followed the waiter to the private room, he found the room very lively. What shocked him even more was that Xi Xiaye was there too!

    ¡°Yifeng, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Han Yifeng had just walked into the room when Xi Xinyi smiled and walked up to greet him. She gently clung onto Han Yifeng¡¯s arm. They were an ideal couple that was match-made in heaven, killing all onlookers with envy.

    When she heard the crowd¡¯s gasps of admiration, Xi Xinyi¡¯s bright face was overflowing with joy. Her eyes turned to look at him. However, Xi Xiaye in the corner had nced away as Xi Xinyi said a little sorrowfully to Han Yifeng, ¡°Yifeng, Sister came too... but she seems to be...¡±

    Han Yifeng pat the back of her hand that clung onto his arm to console her. He took a drink and walked towards Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Xiaye!¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s deep voice greeted, his still eyes mixed with emotions as he raised his ss towards her.

    Xi Xiaye looked up indifferently at the wall of people before her. Her beautiful face shed with a faint trace of something, then she slowly got up, holding a ss while she smiled. ¡°Happy New Year, CEO Han! Seeing your fianc¨¨ croon away so happily with CEO Wang, I thought you wouldn¡¯te. If she switches her job to be in public rtions, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be great at what she does.¡±

    Then, with her lips curved, she raised her ss towards Han Yifeng and downed her drink in a go.

    When he heard this, Han Yifeng¡¯s face turned gloomy. His eyes shed and he subconsciously turned to look at Xi Xinyi who was at a loss as she bit her plump lower lip. She smiled bitterly and did not argue, but merely looked a little disappointedly and innocently at Xi Xiaye.

    Han Yifeng then tore his gaze away and observed Xi Xiaye before him. He lifted his head and downed the drink in his ss as well.

    At that moment, the crowd had rushed up and wanted to drink with Han Yifeng too. He politely returned the toasts while Xi Xinyi smiled with the elegantposure of a hostess and said, ¡°Thank you, everyone. Yifeng has to drive. Please don¡¯t make him drink too much. Tonight, everyone can have fun to your hearts¡¯ content. Yifeng will take care of all of the expenses!¡±

    The crowd instantly cheered, yet at that moment, the waiter, who walked in with Han Yifeng and had been silent all the while, suddenly spoke up, ¡°All of the expenses have already been paid for. CEO Han doesn¡¯t need to pay!¡±

 Chapter 149 - Kind Mr. Mu

    <h4>Chapter 149: Kind Mr. Mu</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the waiter announced that, the crowd was shocked. Some of them could not immediately react. The waiter already walked up to Xi Xiaye with the bill and whispered softly, ¡°Miss Xi, Master Mu says you can just sign the check.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment too. She gaped at the bill that the waiter had delivered and frowned, exchanging a look with Su Nan.

    <i>Mu Yuchen?</i>

    <i>Did he pay for the bill?</i>

    <i>When did hee over?</i>

    She was puzzled for quite a while before taking the pen and signing the bill.

    Having lost her reputation, the smile on Xi Xinyi¡¯s face became a little awkward. Han Yifeng and the rest were very confused too. They subconsciously turned to Xi Xiaye and noticed that she was saying something to the waiter as she handed something back to him.

    At that point, the soft light that flickered on her hand instantly shed past his sight. His still eyes seemed to feel a piercing pain and he could not help but turn stiff.

    If he saw it correctly, that intense light clearly sparkled from the ring on her ring finger.

    Before he could take a better look, she had already put her hand away and the sleeve of her long windbreaker covered the shine. He subconsciously frowned. Even Xi Xinyi could feel that he was behaving oddly, so she frowned and followed his line of sight. However, she saw that across them, the person picked her handbag up and stood up.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    A coldness shed in her eyes as she suddenly clung tightly onto Han Yifeng¡¯s arm.

    Xi Xiaye had just gotten up when the phone in her pocket buzzed. Whipping it out for a look, she saw that it was Mu Yuchen, so she answered it.

    ¡°I¡¯m where I dropped you off earlier.¡± His deep voice calmly came through.

    She adjusted her clothes and answered softly, ¡°Mmm, wait for me. I¡¯ming out now.¡±

    Then, she hung up the phone.

    ¡°Su Nan, I¡¯m going back now. Let¡¯s find another day to hang out properly. Remember toe on the seventh day of the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, Xiaye. I¡¯m leaving with you too!¡±

    Su Nan quickly got up, stumbling a little. She held onto Xi Xiaye and said to Ruan Heng, ¡°Ruan Heng, pack up. We¡¯re leaving too. It¡¯ste. I¡¯ll wait for you outside!¡±

    Then, she dragged Xi Xiaye and walked out. Her movements were so swift that no one could react in time.

    Ruan Heng muttered a few words apologetically to everyone before he left too.

    Her slim figure walked past Han Yifeng and vanished in an instant outside the door. He hesitated for a while before running out to chase her.

    urprised, Xi Xinyi called out to him and anxiously chased after them too, ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    ...

    When she walked out of the entrance of Emperor, the man had indeed stopped by the driveway. The windows were wound down. From afar, she could see that him in the driver¡¯s seat on the phone with someone.

    ¡°Master Mu, Master Mu! Over here! Over here!¡± Su Nan waved enthusiastically and shouted towards Mu Yuchen who was in the car.

    When he heard Su Nan¡¯s shouts, Mu Yuchen turned over to see where the sound wasing from as he hung up. Then, he opened the car door and got down.

    Mu Yuchen had just walked around his car and stood beside it when Su Nan had dragged Xi Xiaye energetically up to him and immediately started with auspicious greetings before asking for a red packet. ¡°Master Mu! Happy New Year! May you have a prosperous one! Oh, red packet, please!¡±

    Mu Yuchen did quite admire such a straightforward personality. He very politely nodded at her and his long fingers reached into his pocket to take two red packets out before handing it to Su Nan. He answered inly, ¡°Happy New Year.¡±

    Su Nan shrieked and immediately epted it, ¡°Thank you, Master Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen elegantly and politely smiled. His eyes fell onto Xi Xiaye, and when he realized that she did not look great, he asked softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have fun?¡±

    ¡°Initially, it should¡¯ve been pretty fun, but who would¡¯ve thought that Xi Xinyi woulde too? In fact, she called Han Yifeng over too. The way they brag so ostentatiously is extremely unbearable! Master Mu, Xi Xinyi that bitc-... That woman was doing it intentionally. She even wanted to make Xiaye sing with Wang Zi!¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could answer, Su Nan already began to spill everything that she held in without constraint. Her every sentenceined about Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Nan Nan, that¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t say any more. It¡¯s quitete. You guys go home first. Ruan Heng followed you out too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked on with a headache at Su Nan who was rambling on. Earlier, she had been provoked by Xi Xinyi and had downed quite a number of drinks, so she was starting to get tipsy. Clearly, she had drunk a little too much.

    ¡°Nan Nan!¡±

    At that moment, Ruan Heng came up and helplessly held Su Nan who was still going on incessantly as he nodded at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Master Mu!¡±

    ¡°Ruan Heng, she¡¯s had too much. It¡¯s fine inside, but it¡¯s windy out here. She¡¯ll easily get a headache when it¡¯s windy. You¡¯d better bring her home first.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and helped Ruan Heng support Su Nan.

    Ruan Heng nodded rather helplessly. ¡°Okay then. We¡¯ll go home now. Let¡¯s get together again another day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk, I¡¯m not drunk! I don¡¯t need you to hold me!¡±

    ¡°Okay, be careful on the road!¡±

    ...

    As he watched Ruan Heng hold Su Nan and move further away, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows raised. He suddenly looked down at Xi Xiaye who was still gazing ahead. The light in his eyes flickered as he chuckled softly, ¡°Sing with Wang Zi [1]? Missus, aren¡¯t I your prince?¡±

    When she heard him teasing her, Xi Xiaye then shot him a side re. She pulled the passenger car door open. ¡°Princes go with princesses. I, Xi Xiaye don¡¯t call myself a princess. Do you still think you¡¯re a prince? That person¡¯s name is coincidentally Wang Ziluo. Wang Zi for short. Drive, Mr. Mu!¡±

    By the time she said this, she had already gotten into the car.

    Mu Yuchenughed and did not say a word. He fell silent for a moment before getting into the driver¡¯s seat and reaching over to help her buckle up. ¡°Since you didn¡¯t have fun, next time, don¡¯t attend such gatherings so often. Then, you can avoid bringing home such a foul mood.¡±

    ¡°Initially, I was a little unhappy, but... did you know that Han Yifeng was going toe over? Otherwise, why did you pay the bill in advance and embarrass him and Xi Xinyi?¡±

    As she questioned him, she suddenly looked a little puzzledly at him.

    Mu Yuchen paused, then smiled. ¡°I thought it was just you and your two friends, and that I¡¯d embarrass you by not going with you.¡±

    She could not help but be moved by this man¡¯s low-profile attention to detail. Xi Xiaye suddenly felt her heart warm, and she breathed in slightly. ¡°Thank you, Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°Next time don¡¯t let me hear those two words anymore, you¡¯re so unaware, if you really want to thank me, then bring out some more substantial thing...¡±

    Before he could finish, her slim figure had already leaned forward and nted a gentle kiss on his handsome face. A light fragrance entered his nostrils, but before he could take it all in, she was done.

 Chapter 150 - Flaming Fireworks (1)

    <h4>Chapter 150: ming Fireworks (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Startled, he turned to look at her with a slight shock. When he saw that she was trying hard to hide the shyness on her beautiful face, he could not help butugh, and a rare hint of doting and tenderness appeared in his eyes.

    In this distracted moment, he actually felt that they were just like those young and inexperienced, naive couples. Nevertheless, he could deny that this actually felt pretty good.

    This feeling was something he had never experienced in more than 30 years. It made him feel contented.

    However, she performed so well, so he certainly would not let her suffer a loss. His hand reached out to cup her head. Then, he lowered his head to gently kiss her icy lips...

    He did not go too deep and stopped at a brief taste. Otherwise, he was worried that he would not be able to hold himself back. The only who would suffer would be him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± He breathed in, and then let go of her before starting the car.

    The two of them naturally did not know that this scene had all been taken in by Han Yifeng who had dashed out.

    The light in their car was turned off. Borrowing the dim yellow light from the streetlights, he could only see that Xi Xiaye was sitting in the car and kissing the man in the driver¡¯s seat, but who was he?

    The first name that popped into Han Yifeng¡¯s mind was Mu Yuchen.

    However, this answer was very quickly ruled out.

    He thought that just because of the Mu family¡¯s huge household and business, someone of Mu Yuchen¡¯s stature would have very high standards when choosing his partner. He heard that he did not fancy even the daughter of a military region member or the daughter of an important businessman from New York¡¯s Wall Street.

    Besides, Mu Yuchen was known to be low-profile, cold and distant from women in the circle. When it came to his sexuality, there were many spections too.

    Being a specially privileged person, Han Yifeng was used to applying his own judgment to examine other people, which was why some things were meant to only brush past him.

    ¡°Yifeng, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xinyi was panting when she chased Han Yifeng out. She saw that he was staring ahead at a far away car and her brows knotted together. ¡°Is it Sister?¡±

    Han Yifeng did not answer. There were too many emotions churning in his eyes. He was trying to see whether he had seen wrongly.

    When she saw that he looked out of ce, the hands underneath Xi Xinyi¡¯s sleeves tightened into balls. Quite a while after, she reached out to pull Han Yifeng¡¯s huge hand closer and leaned into his arms. She said disappointedly, ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯m a little tired. Let¡¯s go home too, okay?¡±

    Han Yifeng then inhaled vaguely and looked down at the woman in his embrace. Seeing her bright and beautiful face colored with a hurt and vulnerable expression, his handsome tensed up face eased, and then he nodded.

    ¡°Thank you, Yifeng! As a reward for you!¡± Xi Xinyi smiled and then tiptoed to kiss Han Yifeng¡¯s thin lips.

    Han Yifeng let her kiss him. Then, he looked at her with mixed emotions and thought about it. ¡°Xinyi, don¡¯t get to close to other irrelevant men anymore...¡±

    When Han Yifeng said this, Xi Xinyi turned stiff and her expression changed slightly. As she looked distractedly at Han Yifeng, she muttered, ¡°Yifeng, you don¡¯t believe me... Sister, she...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home!¡± Han Yifeng suddenly said exhaustedly...

    He needed to investigate what was happening on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end!

    ...

    He had to leavest minute for work tomorrow and all the information were in Maple Residence. In fact, some of the documents still needed to be arranged at thest minute, so Mu Yuchen just drove back to Maple Residence.

    When they reached home, Mu Yuchen went straight upstairs while Xiaye tidied up all the New Year gifts that his friends had sent over downstairs. Ah Mo had left them in the living room.

    When she was done and went upstairs, she did not see him in the side hall. The bedroom was empty too.

    She thought about it, and then she walked to the study room.

    Indeed, she had just walked to the door when she saw the man¡¯s figure sitting by the wide andfortable desk in his sleeping gown.

    ¡°Do you want some supper?¡± She said as she walked over and stopped by his side.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± he answered softly, his gaze shifting from the screen before him to her. He casually took the water and handed it to her. She shook her head and said that she did not want to drink. Her body leaned forward as she looked at the screen in front of him, asking softly, ¡°What are you working on? Hmm? Isn¡¯t this myptop?¡±

    He lowered his head to drink the water before setting the ss aside. Then, his long arms circled her waist and he pulled Xi Xiaye who steadily fell onto hisp.

    She was startled for a moment, and before she could react, he had already steadily held her down on hisp, his deep and calm voice came too, ¡°I¡¯m helping you arrange the data analysis.¡±

    Her body stiffened for a moment while her other hand subconsciously held onto his shoulder. Noticing his gaze glow with a faint tenderness, she only eased after quite a while. She let go of his shoulder in a daze and turned to look at the dense data analysis on theptop screen. A smile appeared on her beautiful face. ¡°You are the more considerate boss that I¡¯ve ever met, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m so considerate, shouldn¡¯t you give me some encouragement? Hmm?¡±

    His low voice had a hint of maic raspiness, appearing to sound like it carried a force of seduction. Especially when she gazed into his silent and starry eyes, she saw a ck whirlpool that she almost could not escape in them.

    She struggled for quite a while, and then under his meaningful gaze, her starry eyes twinkled for a few moments too. Then, her lips parted slightly and her brows raised. ¡°Haven¡¯t I praised you? In fact, earlier, didn¡¯t I just...?¡±

    As he listened, Mu Yuchen could not help but chuckle softly. The arm he circled around her waist tightened. ¡°Those are two different things. I¡¯m sacrificing my rest time on the first night of the New Year, sacrificing myself for you, yet this is how you¡¯re acting? I¡¯m not quite fond of the way you praised me.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, no matter how I look at you right now, you really look just like a profiteer who isn¡¯t willing to suffer a loss. Here I was usually thinking that you were a low-profile, profound, elegant man of nobility,¡± sheined with a frown.

    When he heard her grumbling, Mu Yuchen raised his handsome brows, his gaze rather thought-provoking. He smiled faintly as he looked at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that I had such a good image in my Missus¡¯ eyes! Then, do you want to know, in your husband¡¯s eyes, what kind of image you have?¡±

    ¡°What am I?¡±

    When she heard him, she started to be interested too. Her starry eyes twinkled as she fixed her eyes on him.

    The corner of his lips shed with a meaningful smile, then he leaned down slightly and murmured softly in her ear. Xi Xiaye listened and immediately could not help but be a little shocked. There was some light in her eyes. She was stunned as she looked at him, and her eyes were a little distracted.

    His idle hand had alreadybed through her beautiful ck waterfall hair, gently touching her exquisite face as he slowly lowered his head to capture her cold and calm lips...

    His familiar fragrance assailed her nostrils. She could feel the man stir up great waves in her mouth, and she trembled slightly for a moment. With no time to think, she involuntarily reached out her slender pair of hands and clutched his shirt, beginning to respond to him with inexperience.

 Chapter 151 - Flaming Fireworks (2)

    <h4>Chapter 151: ming Fireworks (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The air around them turned dense, the cold temperature that lingered now slowly rising.

    He naturally assumed an offensive stance when he noticed her awkward reply. His hand on her waist slowly inched upwards as she was being hugged tightly to his warm chest. His pleasant fragrance closed in, feeling an odd sense of emptiness in her chest at the moment.

    His long fingers soon traveled through her hair and rubbed her back. He was sort of hesitant and his movements were a little shaky as well.

    Her breathing started to get uneven. Her eyes were starting to turn dazed as she felt light-headed. She could not muster any strength to struggle. All she could do was grab onto his shirt as he did whatever he pleased.

    At first, he just wanted to give it a try. However, he had underestimated her charm.

    He started to feel that her influence over him was far more than what he imagined. The usual calmness and self-restraint he was proud of were now getting weaker and weaker.

    His hot kiss went south, and she was breathing heavily. She squinted at him and said weakly, ¡°No... Don¡¯t do that... I... I haven¡¯t showered yet... Wait until I... take a shower...¡±

    Her words sounded frail. He also caught the key point in her sentence and he raised his head, a bright spark lighting up in his dark eyes. He took a deep breath and asked her quietly, ¡°So, do you mean that you¡¯re fine with it?¡±

    She turned her head over without replying, not wanting to look into his burning eyes.

    Heughed, a rare gentle smile appearing on his handsome face. ¡°I¡¯m going to assume that you¡¯re alright with it if you don¡¯t say anything. I can¡¯t wait anymore. We¡¯re going to shower againter anyway.¡±

    As he was talking, he held her up and walked into their bedroom.

    Only the dim yellow table light was turned on inside thefortable bedroom. He grabbed the remote control and got the automatic curtains to cover up the windows, hiding their intimate moment just inside the room.

    Under the dim lights, one could barely see several garments being thrown out from inside the sheets, stacking onto each other in a messy manner beside the bed. Soon, some light moaning came from under the sheets...

    After his frequent and careful kisses, his scent shrouded her. His solid body was on top of her as he slowly passed his love to her.

    He was a little unsure in his movements, which made her feel awkward as well. She closed her eyes and was too afraid to move, so he stopped what he was doing andughed at her when he noticed it.

    Xi Xiaye opened her eyes when she heard his chuckle. The moment when she saw his smile, her heart warmed up, and it was different from the cold calmness from before.

    ¡°Are you nervous or are you praying?¡± He asked quietly when he saw her put both of her hands in front of her chest as her whole body trembled slightly.

    She was slightly embarrassed as she mumbled, ¡°I... I¡¯m not... Mr. M-... I... I¡¯m scared...¡±

    Heughed again as he looked into her eyes. He patted her head with hisrge hand and said gently, ¡°I¡¯m here. What are you afraid of?¡±

    ¡°I... I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Stay by my side and I¡¯m sure no one will bully you ever again. You¡¯ll be my wife forever, and I¡¯ll only belong to you forever. Understood?¡±

    His charismatic voice reached her ears and she felt something in her throat. Of course, she understood what he meant.

    As long as she was his wife, he belonged to her.

    He was also hinting his loyalty towards their marriage.

    Her eyes started to tear up and she blinked. Whether he was lying or not, at that moment, she would love to believe in his loyalty as she was truly touched by his words.

    After enduring through countless tragic moments without crying, she could not hold it in anymore. For the first time, she cried before someone else while being fully conscious.

    ¡°What are you crying for? I haven¡¯t started yet...¡±

    He wiped her tears away. Before he finished his sentence, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down, their lips meeting...

    He was stunned for a moment, rejoicing over her taking the initiative. He would not let this chance go, so he grabbed the bed sheets and covered them as he once againunched a head-on attack. They were both engulfed in the strong sh of waves.

    Xi Xiaye was getting muddle-headed. She barely remembered feeling pain and struggling, but hisrge hands held onto hers tightly as he called her name out beside her ears.

    Afterwards...

    He would not just let her go so easily...

    Bang! Bang!

    The fireworks celebrating the New Year were still going off, the bright and colorful lights shing through the light curtains along with the sound of fireworks. Things went on smoothly inside the bedroom.

    Was their life really going to begin from this moment onwards?

    A whole life was pretty long. How long was forever going tost?

    She did not know.

    She just knew that she had to be brave to ept it if someone was genuinely willing to treat her well.

    She was not that young anymore!

    When midnight reached, she became 27 and he became 31...

    If she missed her chance, she would just turn older and older!

    After several rounds, the war ceased. It was already prettyte as he helped her clean up and got her back to bed. The fireworks were still going on outside.

    He grabbed a clean and warm sheet to cover the sleeping girl. He chuckled softly as he looked at her. ¡°Good night, Xi Xiaye, my wife.¡±

    He then stood up slowly and grabbed his ck sleeping robe. He put it on and walked out of the bedroom.

    He went into the study room with theptop in standby mode. Sitting before the table, he turned theptop on. The screen was still showing theplicated-looking data from before.

    His fingers danced over the keyboards swiftly as he continued with his data analysis.

 Chapter 152 - Morning, Mrs. Mu (1)

    <h4>Chapter 152: Morning, Mrs. Mu (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, it was already noon when Xi Xiaye woke up.

    She rubbed her sore shoulder as the intimate moments fromst night yed back in her mind, making her blush in a matter of seconds.

    She did not feel any difort on her left shoulder and the bandages seemed to have been changed. Other than that, she did not feel any difort anywhere else. It must be...

    She felt embarrassed all of a sudden, so she pinched between her eyebrows. Then, she heard the man¡¯s voice as she was about to get up.

    ¡°Morning, Mrs. Mu.¡±

    In shock, she turned her head over and saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face.

    Why was he still in bed?

    He looked downward with a smile. Following his gaze and peering at herself, she then realized ¡ª

    She screamed and covered her chest with the nket, kicking at him. ¡°Get out! I want to change.¡±

    Heughed and put on a cheeky smile. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to hide. We¡¯ve done the deed. Mrs. Mu, you have a great body and I really like it, but it¡¯d be better if you¡¯re a little chubbier. I never knew that you were pretty into me either.¡±

    He slipped out of the nket and put his sleeping robe on casually.

    Damn it!

    She grabbed a pillow and flung it at him angrily as she spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°You wish! I was just fulfilling my duty as a wife!¡±

    ¡°Your duty as a wife?¡±

    He raised his eyebrows as he caught the pillow, his dark eyes smiling while he squinted at her. ¡°Should I be d that you¡¯ve been enlightened?¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him without replying. She pulled the nket over her head andy back on the bed again.

    She did not want to talk to him at that moment!

    Mu Yuchen covered his forehead with his hand. He could not help it, but he stopped teasing her. After that, he walked towards his wardrobe, grabbed an outfit and went into the bathroom.

    She took another short nap in the warm bed. When she came to her senses, Mu Yuchen had already left the bedroom. In her fuzzy stupor, she somewhat heard him telling her to freshen up...

    Xi Xiaye lifted the nket and she endured the soreness on her body as she walked towards the wardrobe, covered in the nket. She changed into a light-colored casual outfit before heading into the bathroom.

    When she saw the bedsheets in a tangled mess in the basket beside the dressing table, her face turned red again.

    She never expected for her to lose herself so easily!

    He was pretty seductive. Even with her usually being cool, she had been so easily...

    She was thinking about a lot of things. She felt emotional and a little warm. It was not as difficult to ept it as she thought. Sooner orter, it was bound to happen and because it had already happened, she could only ept it and go along with it.

    She suddenly felt that her rtionship started to feel more solid after conquering this level. They were probably just getting started from now onwards...

    After she was done and was on her way down, she noticed the mane out of the kitchen with a dish.

    Even though the cold wind was blowing outside, it was warm inside the house thanks to the heater. He just wore his usual ck shirt, appearing clean and sleek.

    He looked up when he heard a sound from the stairs. His eyes seemed tender when he saw her looking at him. ¡°Come and eat.¡±

    ¡°What did you make?¡± She made it down the stairs and walked towards the table to sit.

    ¡°We ate so much in the past two days, so I made something simple.¡± He pulled a chair out and sat across her before scooping some rice into a bowl for her.

    ¡°When are you going?¡± Xi Xiaye took the bowl from him as she nced at him and asked quietly.

    He handed her a pair of chopsticks as he replied, ¡°This evening on the 6 p.m. flight.¡±

    ¡°I think Ah Mo should go with you. Li Si isn¡¯t working during the holidays, but I can handle things around here, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll make preparations with Manager Fang from the PR Department tomorrow.¡±

    She drank some soup and then said, ¡°I insist on this!¡±

    Hepromised since she showed a rarely determined side of hers. ¡°Alright then. The PR Department is going to get busy the day after tomorrow. Offer them some greetings on behalf of thepany.¡±

    Of course, he recognized her dedication towards work. Although she was not a super elite in thepany, she was very serious and responsible. It was not easy for her toe this far.

    He would not restrict her freedom. Despite being married now, he still wanted her to have a goal and chase her dreams. He would just support her as much as he could.

    He added some food into her bowl.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not used to it, you can go and stay with Grandfather and Grandmother. Sis Wang will still be on her break,¡± he added after thinking for a little while.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t really have the time if things get busy, but I might go back to the Shen Residence for a bit.¡±

    Anyway, she would have to go back once after the New Year.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have the gifts prepared and I¡¯ll also go back with you after the opening ceremony.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and then continue eating quietly.

    She inhaled two and a half bowls of rice, two bowls of soup, and most of the dishes into her stomach. Even she was shocked by her appetite.

    She suddenly realized that she had started to eat much more after she married him. Sometimes, she would eat much, much more than he did...

    If this went on, then she...

    Women were very sensitive towards two things. One of it was their age, whilst the other was their weight!

    Xi Xiaye was the same. She put her hands on her waist and started to frown.

    The man observed her behavior, and he could not help butugh as he took the bowl away from her. ¡°Missus, you¡¯re already very skinny. You don¡¯t have to worry about your weight.¡±

    ¡°Really? I went and weighed myself some time ago. I¡¯m almost reaching triple digits soon...¡± She looked defeated as she admitted embarrassedly.

    Moreover, her height...

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯d be more charismatic if you put on a little more weight. You aren¡¯t working in the fashion or entertainment industry, so you don¡¯t have to pursue an unrealistic body image.¡± He cleaned up the dirty bowls as he spoke.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and said, ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll still pay attention to it. Please remind me to drink more soup and eat less high-calorie foods. Please do the dishes as well. I¡¯ll go upstairs and pack some stuff for you.¡±

 Chapter 153 - Morning, Mrs. Mu (2)

    <h4>Chapter 153: Morning, Mrs. Mu (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Most of the things were prepared, so what she needed to do was gather the contracts and some other materials.

    Xi Xiaye went straight into the study room. Just as she was about to grab some documents on the table, she noticed that theptop was still turned on and it was on standby mode.

    Her sharp eyes also noticed it was exactly like how she had seen it yesterday. It was herptop.

    After giving it some thought, she grabbed a chair and sat down. Moving the mouse and turning the screen on, she saw chunks ofplicated data before her. Upon taking a closer look, she realized that it was the proposal for her South River project.

    She looked through it and noticed the data analysis waspleted. Since he hadpleted some of the most challenging parts, all that was left for her to do was just to start writing the proposal itself.

    Even she felt a headache over the amount of workload on this, yet he...

    Could he have pulled an all-nighter after they were donest night?

    She skimmed through the document quietly. There was also a big pile of documents beside her. Her insides warmed and her eyes brightened up a little. Then, she took a deep breath before saving the file. She then turned theptop off and started to pack the documents up.

    Xi Xiaye was almost done when Mu Yuchen entered the study room. She was putting the documents back on the bookshelf ordingly.

    The bookshelf was pretty tall, and with her height, she could only reach the third column from the top. He held hisughter in when he saw her tip-toeing to put the stuff back onto the bookshelf.

    After spending some time by the door and watching her struggling, he went over to her and grabbed the documents from her to put back onto the bookshelf with ease. His fresh voice and helplessughter reached her ears. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have thought of any other way like getting a chair?¡±

    Swiveling around, she was stunned by his sudden appearance, clueless as to when he had appeared behind her.

    She frowned out of habit and replied, ¡°I was toozy to look for one.¡±

    He smirked as he looked at her. Then, he noticed some marks from their intimate moments that remained visible on her clean neck. They reminded him that the moments of pleasurest night did actually happen...

    He put in some effort to suppress his nearly uncontroble thoughts. Soon, his eyes went back to its usual calmness when he looked at her face.

    He adjusted her messy cor from her movements earlier while covering up the parts that made him feel likemitting a crime. Xi Xiaye blushed slightly as she looked at where he was staring moments ago. Reflexively, she quickly adjusted her cor too.

    ¡°Right, I have something for you. I almost forgot!¡±

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered what Zhuang Shurong had told her the night before.

    ¡°What is it?¡± He raised his eyebrows and asked when he saw her getting flustered.

    Xi Xiaye put her hand on her forehead andined, ¡°Look at me! I feel that my memory has been getting worsetely. Wait here!¡±

    Her skinny figure passed him after saying those words. She went outside swiftly and left Mu Yuchen standing in shock.

    After a short while, her lean figure reappeared again with an odd item in her hand.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a safety charm Grandmother and Mother got for you. Since you¡¯re always going abroad, it¡¯s better that you have it on you,¡± Xi Xiaye exined as she handed it to him. A safety charm was usually a yellow talisman sewn onto a red cloth, but to make it easier to bring around, she had put it on a silver pendant instead.

    ¡°You believe in these too?¡± Mu Yuchen showed interest in the item she handed over as he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s better than having nothing. You can even regard it as mental support. Don¡¯t waste their good intentions. They gave me one too.¡±

    She then grabbed his hand and stuffed the item into his hand. ¡°They are very concerned about you. I can sense it from their conversation yesterday...¡±

    ¡°Have the three of you been talking about me all day yesterday?¡±

    When he received the amulet, he went along with her motion and grabbed her cold hand, dragging her beside therge window and sitting on the chair nearby with Xi Xiaye standing beside him.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the best actor who¡¯s won the Oscars and we¡¯ll talk about you all day long?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but diss him a little. She looked downward at her hand on his knee. The ring on her finger was emitting a beautiful shine, and her vision turned slightly misty for a moment.

    ¡°It seems that your verbal attack level has gone up,¡± he remarked ambiguously, smiling. Then, he continued after a brief pause, ¡°What happened at Emperorst night? Aren¡¯t you telling me anything about it? Your friend was pretty angry for your sake. She¡¯s a really good friend.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened when he mentioned this. The faces of Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi crossed her mind, and she was also reminded of the scene whereby Su Nan had stood up for her...

    After a short moment of silence, she sighed, ¡°Nan Nan is always like that. Straightforward and very loyal. Thanks to her, I was never alone all these years. There were many times when she was always the first to stand up for me... I feel very lucky and happy to have a friend like her...¡±

    She paused, her eyes staying focused on the bright shine on her ring finger as if she was chasing some old memories. After some time, she said, ¡°Do you know? I daren¡¯t ask for too much in a friendship. In this world, there¡¯s no one else besides Su Nan that would go against everyone for me. Others might not know what I¡¯ve gone through, but Su Nan understands. She¡¯s the kind of friend whereby even though we might not have spoken for a very long time, every time we meet each other again, we¡¯d feel very close and I¡¯d be veryfortable talking to her...¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt emotional talking about it.

    <i>Time really passed by quickly. It was all just like a dream. All these years, who treated you really well? And who hated and rejected you?</i>

    Fake feelings and intentions created lie after lie, taking everything away from her, like Yue Lingsi or Xi Xinyi.

 Chapter 154 - Starting Anew

    <h4>Chapter 154: Starting Anew</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Speaking about Su Nan, her little face that was usually indifferent appeared emotional. From that alone, you could tell that this woman named Su Nan had a deep influence on her.

    He smiled faintly as he looked at her, a dim light hidden in his eyes shing.

    She was absent-minded for quite a while, then she snapped back from her memories. Gazing up, she said to him with a sincere and earnest gaze, ¡°So, you must respect my best friend from here on too.¡±

    ¡°Your friend is my friend. Obviously, I¡¯ll treat her well,¡± Mu Yuchen stated before pausing. Then, he continued, ¡°As for those gatherings, if you don¡¯t feelfortable the next time, just don¡¯t go. After the New Year, Vice President Liu will take on handling thepany¡¯s advancement into the showbiz industry. I¡¯ve also given him the file that you passed to me to arrange altogether. Are you sure you won¡¯t have any problems here?¡±

    The file...

    About Yueying¡¯s 20% of shares?

    When he mentioned this, her smiling face instantly darkened. Evidently, she did not forget all the unfortunate things that bubbled as a result of that. She just did not know if Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi would still go looking for Shen Wenna despite her vicious warning. She really hoped for Shen Wenna to live peacefully. If she could let go and move on from her rtionship with her father and start anew with someone else, Xi Xiaye would be extremely happy.

    However, Shen Wenna...

    When she thought about this, she felt her heart sink. She lowered her gaze and thought about it for a while before sighing softly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just leave it to me. You just do whatever you need to do. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    In reality, perhaps only by having Yueying in their control, they could hold them back. If that was really the case, she would not back off and give up on Yueying.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. Noticing her twinkling eyes dim, his gaze eased as his slender and fair hand gently reached over and pat her head like he was consoling her without a word. He gently pulled her into a hug as he turned to look out the window quietly with his profound gaze.

    She fell silent too and leaned into him without uttering a word. Her calm eyes followed his line of sight and looked out the window too. Then, she noticed that at that moment, the world was basking in the magnificent, warm sun.

    All of it was all so clear. As she watched the scenery, she suddenly felt something blossom in her heart. It was something that could be called hope.

    It was not sure how long passed before she felt that the frigidness all over her had beenpletely chased away by the faint warmth from his chest. Feeling much better, she retreated from his embrace and whipped her phone out to look at the time. After that, she did not hesitate to call Ah Mo toe right away.

    Not too long after they hung up, Ah Mo rushed over. By then, it was already almost half past four in the afternoon.

    At the entrance of Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye handed the heavy briefcase to the tall and handsome Ah Mo as she said, ¡°Ah Mo, check again whether all the documents areplete. I¡¯ve prepared an extra copy of the contract. They¡¯re all in the briefcase.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Ah Mo opened it to check everything another time, then he nodded. ¡°All here, Missus.¡±

    Even though Mu Yuchen just made Ah Mo call Xiaye ¡°sister-inw¡±, Ah Mo still addressed her as Missus. He was fond of this Missus very much although he did not know why. He just felt like when she and his Master stood side by side, they looked extremelypatible. In fact, it felt oddlyforting.

    ¡°Be careful on the road,¡± Xi Xiaye advised. Suddenly, there were sounds of footsteps from behind her. Subconsciously, she turned around and saw the man walking out from the inside in huge strides.

    When he reached Xi Xiaye¡¯s side, he suddenly stopped. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Go back in. I¡¯ve heated the food in the pot up. Eat by yourself and I¡¯ll call you when I arrive.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, okay. You get into the car too and be careful on the road. I¡¯ll go back inside now.¡±

    Just as she was about to turn around, he suddenly yelled her name in a hoarse tone, ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± She subconsciously responded, looking up at him in puzzlement.

    He did not say anything. His long fingers lifted and gently touched her fair face. Then, he smiled to himself and suddenly turned around to get into the car.

    Quickly, the car started and soon drove away from Maple Residence in the cold winds of the night.

    Xi Xiaye still had not quite reacted as she watched the car drive further and further away. When she thought about his odd smile, she realized that he really was hard to fathom.

    Without a certain person¡¯s presence, the huge Maple Residence instantly felt empty and became extremely quiet.

    When she went back, she made her way straight to the study room and continued to work on the South River project.

    Once she got busy, she forgot to have dinner until it waste at night when she received his call saying that he had reached City B. Only then, she got up exhaustedly to have a simple meal before washing up to go to sleep.

    The next morning, Xi Xiaye was woken up by a knock on the door. In a daze, she got up to open the door, and when she saw Wang Hui standing outside, she was extremely shocked!

    Xi Xiaye stared at her with a stunned expression at the loving Wang Hui before her and cried out involuntarily, ¡°Grandmother? Why are you here? And so early too?¡±

    Wang Hui beamed as she watched her, her smile filled with kindness. ¡°Did I wake you up? Last night, Ah Chen called me to say that I shoulde over to visit you if I have time. He was worried that you wouldn¡¯t be used to being alone, so I woke up early this morning and since I¡¯ve got nothing much to do, I decided toe over. I made you breakfast too. Oh, Grandfather ising over tooter to take a look at that vacant space in the backyard of Maple Residence and revamp it. In a few more days when the weather gets warmer, he¡¯ll sow some flower seeds and nt some flowers. You young people don¡¯t like doing all of those...¡±

    When she started talking, Wang Hui became a chatterbox that did not stop. She rambled on and then realized that she had awoken her granddaughter-inw. With a smile, she said, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll stop. You go and wash up first. Breakfast is ready, so when you¡¯re done you cane downstairs to eat.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then nodded and replied, ¡°Mmm, okay. I¡¯ll wash up ande down right away.¡±

    ¡°Go, go!¡± Wang Hui shooed with a smile before turning to leave the room.

    When she saw her figure disappear outside the door, Xi Xiaye then fixed her messy hair and went back to her bedroom.

    By the time she was done washing up and had gone downstairs, Wang Hui had already prepared the bowl and chopsticks. Mu Yinan hade over too, and he was busy doing something at the sofa.

    ¡°Good morning, Grandfather!¡± She greeted.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake? Morning!¡±

    Her sudden voice instantly startled Mu Yinan who was working on something and he stopped for a moment. He looked to where the sound came from and his face broke with a dear and kind smile. ¡°Are you getting used to living here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going pretty well. What¡¯s this?¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked over and looked a little puzzledly at the bag that Mu Yinan was fumbling with.

    ¡°Last year, I collected some flower seeds from the backyard of the old residence. The flowers that blossomed looked pretty nice. Your grandmother rather likes it, and since I¡¯ve got nothing to do, I¡¯m nning to help you revamp thend in your backyard. When it blossoms, the house will be livelier,¡± Mu Yinan enthused.

 Chapter 155 - Conflict (1)

    <h4>Chapter 155: Conflict (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Actually, Mu Yinan¡¯s work had been pretty idle in the past few years. He usually just sat in the headquarters while leaving most of the important decisions to Mu Yuchen who was abroad. He would spend his time doing what he really liked such as gardening or ying chess while enjoying some tea.

    ¡°I heard you¡¯re handling the opening ceremony for Imperial Sky Entertainment City.¡±

    It was a precious moment of Mu Yinan expressing his concern about apany event.

    Xi Xiaye nodded while pouring Mu Yinan a ss of water. She sat down and replied, ¡°Mmm, Director Chu would be more familiar about it, but he¡¯s been transferred this year. The PR Department isn¡¯t very familiar with the whole process of it, so I¡¯ll just help out. Grandfather, are youing with Grandmother on that day?¡±

    Mu Yinan waved his hand and shook his head with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll sit this one out. I¡¯m not worried about leaving thepany to Chen and you at all. I¡¯ve always wanted to retire after hustling all these years. As for your parents, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t have time to attend as well. I guess you¡¯d understand even if we don¡¯t say it out loud.¡±

    Mu Yinan¡¯s words stunned Xi Xiaye slightly. She then replied, ¡°Mmm, I understand.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go have your breakfast and just work on whatever you have to. Your grandmother is nning to revamp thend, so I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±

    He then started to walk outside.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye drove straight to thepany after having a light breakfast.

    It was still the holidays, so most of thepany was empty. Only the PR Department was busy with the opening ceremony. Hence, they had to give up their rest to work on this project.

    It was near noon after she finished revising the ns with Manager Fang. They locked down the details and established a general direction.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re set for now then. We can start decorating the ce tomorrow. I¡¯ve taken note of the details just now and most of them are done. We have three days, and I understand that it¡¯s a little rushed, but we have to do our best and make it as wless as possible.¡± Xi Xiaye closed the folder and handed it to Manager Fang.

    ¡°Noted, Director Xi. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re confident!¡± Manager Fang and the others gave her a confident smile.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Thank you for everyone¡¯s hard work. Sorry for taking away your New Year¡¯s holiday. Chairman Mu asked me to bring everyone some gifts which I¡¯ve left at the reception area on the first floor. Go and take them yourselfter. It¡¯s prettyte now, so grab some food and let¡¯s meet at the za in Entertainment City tomorrow.¡±

    Their expressions brightened when they heard her words, and they quickly expressed their gratitude, ¡°Thank you, Chairman Mu and Director Xi. We¡¯ll surely work hard on this!¡±

    After the meeting was dismissed, Xi Xiaye packed her stuff up and was nning to go back to the Shen Residence. Before she left, she made a call and realized that Shen Yue had gone over to Maple Residence while Shen Wenna had gone shopping at the New Era za with a colleague.

    After thinking about it, she went straight to the New Era za to look for Shen Wenna, intending to bring her over to Maple Residence for dinner.

    It was rare for Shen Wenna to go shopping, so Xi Xiaye was surprised to hear that.

    When Xi Xiaye found her, she was trying on some clothes with a colleague.

    ¡°Mother!¡± She quickly went up to Shen Wenna.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Shen Wenna seemed to be in a jovial mood. A precious smile appeared on her face when she saw Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Is this your daughter? Oh my God, she looks just like you, Teacher Shen! Both of you look like sisters!¡±

    The woman beside Shen Wenna was surprised when she saw the simrity between Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna. She observed the mother-daughter pair as her eyes twinkled. ¡°Both of you are really beautiful! Teacher Shen, I didn¡¯t expect your daughter to be this grown up already. If I hadn¡¯t seen your resum¨¨, I would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯ve only been married for a few years.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Teacher Wei. I¡¯m already over fifty years old. Xiaye, this is Teacher Wei, the lecturer for the students doing their Masters in chemical engineering,¡± Shen Wenna introduced.

    ¡°Hi, Teacher Wei. I¡¯m Xi Xiaye,¡± Xi Xiaye greeted politely with a slight bow.

    Teacher Wei was again surprised when she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s name. She gawked at her in doubt. ¡°Is your surname Xi as well? Teacher Shen, the girl that came to look for you the other day, Xi Xinyi... She seems to be pretty popr. Is she a rtive of your daughter¡¯s? Wait, but I remember she asked me for your phone number...¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s expression froze and Xi Xiaye frowned slightly as well...

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Teacher Wei looked at them apologetically when she realized that something was not right.

    After a while, Shen Wenna calmed down and said to her colleague before leaving, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just thinking about something else. It¡¯s prettyte already, Teacher Wei. I have to go back first.¡±

    Her depressed and sad expression was detected by Xi Xiaye whose heart sank a little. She turned around and told Teacher Wei, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My mother might be a little tired. We¡¯ll head back first.¡±

    She then caught up with her mother.

    The Xi family and her father had always been a thorn in her heart, one that would hurt every time someone touched it.

    On a long bench by the za, Xi Xiaye opened a bottle of water and handed it to Shen Wenna. ¡°Have some water.¡±

    She took a sip, raising her head and watching Xi Xiaye calmly. ¡°Did your father call you?¡±

    From what Xi Xiaye remembered, Shen Wenna hardly asked about her father. She nodded. ¡°On the first day of New Year, he called me while I was driving.¡±

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Shen Wenna asked quietly. However, Xi Xiaye could see her grip onto the bottle tighten whilst her eyes seemed a little odd.

    Xi Xiaye started to feel a little doubtful inside.

    To be honest, she could feel that her father still had feelings for her mother, and even though her mother seemed very cold on the outside, she could not forget about her father. Still, why would things turn out this way?

    Anyway, she answered honestly since Shen Wenna asked, ¡°Nothing much. Just New Year greetings and he asked me to keep youpany.¡±

    Shen Wenna suddenly went silent after she heard the reply. She just lowered her head and fell quiet and said nothing more...

 Chapter 156 - Conflict (2)

    <h4>Chapter 156: Conflict (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She stopped talking, so Xi Xiaye had no idea what to say either. Clueless as to what to do, she sat down beside her quietly.

    After some time, Shen Wenna took a deep breath and nced up at the warm sunset. ¡°That¡¯s great then.¡±

    It was a short reply. Xi Xiaye was confused. After hesitating for a moment, she said, ¡°Mother, Father actually...¡±

    She wanted to say that her father was actually pretty concerned about her too.

    However, she could not bring herself to say it. Her sentence just stopped midway. Just as she looked at Shen Wenna and was about to say someforting words, a cheerful ringtone yed.

    It was Shen Wenna¡¯s phone.

    Shen Wenna took out her phone slowly and slid the receive call button across the screen.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Her usual indifferent voice went through, yet the one who replied her was Yue Lingsi!

    ¡°Hello? Shen Wenna? It¡¯s Yue Lingsi.¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s cool expression froze up the moment she heard Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice. Xi Xiaye, who was beside her, could somewhat hear that it was Yue Lingsi as well.

    ¡°Come and meet me. I¡¯ll wait for you at the coffee shop right across the New Era za. I know you¡¯re nearby now. If you don¡¯t want things to get moreplicated, then we need to talk.¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s tone was not very friendly and Shen Wenna could sense the hostility, yet she just smiled coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have anything to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want Mother to look for you personally again, you¡¯d bettere right now. Plus, don¡¯t you want to know what happened to your daughter at Xinyi and Yifeng¡¯s engagement party? I believe Xiaye didn¡¯t tell you about it, did she?¡±

    Yue Lingsi hung up the call abruptly.

    Shen Wenna looked at her dimmed phone screen, her eyes seeming more depressed than before.

    ¡°Was that Yue Lingsi?¡± Xi Xiaye asked coldly before Shen Wenna could say anything.

    Shen Wenna slid her phone back into her shirt pocket as she put away the bottle of water. Standing up, she announced, ¡°You should go back first, Xiaye. I¡¯ll go over for a bit.¡±

    Without waiting for Xi Xiaye¡¯s reply, she walked towards the opposite of the za.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to catch up with her, but Shen Wenna walked swiftly through the crowd, vanishing from her vision in the blink of an eye.

    ...

    In the caf¨¦, Yue Lingsi had already ordered a cup of coffee when Shen Wenna arrived.

    She had already predicted that she would meet Yue Lingsi when Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi went to look for her back then, so she was not surprised at all when Yue Lingsi gave her a call.

    Shen Wenna coldly sat down opposite Yue Lingsi.

    She wore a brown, flowery, long dress. Together with a little white coat, she appeared simple and elegant, the outfit gracefully bringing out her aura of being a prestigiousdy.

    Ever since many years ago, she had never been fierce and powerful, but things around her just turned monochromatic when she sat down.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s gracefulness was something Yue Lingsi had always been envious of. She might have been jealous of her too. Despite her prestigious family background, or being the daughter of a high-ranking official, or even being the current wife of the mayor, no matter how much she dressed up, she felt like she could never be on par with the elegance of Shen Wenna.

    Sometimes, she would get really annoyed at the woman¡¯s cold expression.

    She had known Shen Wenna since high school. They became good friends, and eventually best friends. However, she felt that she would be left out wherever Shen Wenna existed.

    Shen Wenna became the goddess of many. Armed with both excellent grades and beautiful looks, she had this cold and mysterious aura around her too. Even the quiet Xi Mushan was crazy for her. It took him a very long time to get Shen Wenna to agree to be his girlfriend. Xi Mushan really loved her and they were an envied couple in their university. Everyone thought of them as the perfect couple.

    Yet, Yue Lingsi was always a little follower even though she was her family¡¯s treasure...

    In the end, they became enemies.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯dck the courage toe!¡± Yue Lingsi took a deep breath as she tried to suppress her emotions, forcing a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who shouldn¡¯t have the courage to face me. Why would I be a coward at a time like this?¡± Shen Wenna put on a cold smile. ¡°Is it about the 20% shares again?¡±

    ¡°Since you understand, I¡¯ll be straightforward about it. Back then, you didn¡¯t want the shares too, so leaving the document with you was useless, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression did not look very pleasant. Although she genuinely wanted to have a decent conversation with Shen Wenna, every time they met, she would feel the need to be superior as soon as she saw Shen Wenna¡¯s face. Now, she was giving her all to suppress her emotions.

    The smile on Shen Wenna¡¯s face grew wider. ¡°I changed my mind. Xi Mushan gave it to me willingly, so why should I let it go? You can talk to Xi Mushan if you want these shares back. Get him to ask for it from me.¡±

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯d want to see you? Shen Wenna, I don¡¯t owe you anything. I¡¯ve told you long ago that I liked Xi Mushan before he got close to you. You disregarded our friendship and took him away from me. Now, my daughter has taken your daughter¡¯s fianc¨¨ away. It¡¯s karma.¡± Yue Lingsi felt smug as a barely hidden sharpness tinted her voice.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s expression darkened and her eyes turned cold.

    ¡°I¡¯m being very kind by not unleashing my anger onto your daughter. I¡¯ve never mistreated your daughter all these years too, but your daughter? She¡¯s one crazy woman. How dare she hurt Xinyi? Xinyi¡¯s body was frail even up until now all because she shielded her back then, and what did your daughter do to repay her? She beat Xinyi up in public. Is this how you teach your daughter to treat others?¡±

    Yue Lingsi was really angry as she was reminded of how pathetic Xi Xinyi looked the other day. Yue Lingsi had asked Shen Wenna out for two reasons. One reason was for the 20% shares while the other was that she could not stand Xi Xiaye¡¯s behavior anymore.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re treating Xiaye genuinely, and not just trying to get on the good side of Xi Mushan and the elder?¡± Shen Wenna smiled as she asked quietly.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression changed and her eyes grew even darker.

 Chapter 157 - Conflict (3)

    <h4>Chapter 157: Conflict (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Calmly, Shen Wenna took a sip from her coffee elegantly. ¡°Now that I think about it, you got close to me and became my good friend... So, it was all because of Xi Mushan... If I remember correctly, I¡¯d already known Xi Mushan for three years by then...¡±

    ¡°So what? Didn¡¯t you always say self-righteously that it doesn¡¯t matter whoes first in love?¡± Yue Lingsi put on a mocking smile, her eyes getting more and more threatening.

    ¡°Love? Are you sure Xi Mushan loves you?¡± In contrast to Yue Lingsi¡¯s aggressiveness, Shen Wenna was calm and indifferent. Even her tone of voice sounded like a cold wind blowing through a maple forest.

    Yue Lingsi seemed extremely upset and her hands had clenched into fists under the table. ¡°He doesn¡¯t love me? Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m now Xi Mushan¡¯s legal wife. As for you, Shen Wenna, you¡¯re just his ex-wife.¡± She could feel her energy welling up inside as she sat upright with her back straight and stared right into Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never denied your position as the mayor¡¯s wife. I hope you don¡¯t drag my daughter in between our matters. I left and let you guys be because I wanted the war to stop. Didn¡¯t we live peacefully all these years? Why do you have to break the peace?¡±

    A cold light lingered in Shen Wenna¡¯s clear eyes as she looked back into Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes. ¡°I understand my daughter¡¯s personality well. She wouldn¡¯t have done anything if you guys didn¡¯t do anything that crossed the line. As for your daughter taking Han Yifeng away, it doesn¡¯t matter to her anymore. I hope that these things can end. Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind talking to Xi Mushan personally.¡±

    ¡°Look at how lightly you¡¯re taking this! On the day of Xinyi and Yifeng¡¯s engagement, your daughter came over and ruined their engagement party. She even injured Xinyi. How should I deal with this? Moreover, she said that you handed the document to her. Is that true?¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression was turning furious.

    Shen Wenna put her cup down and looked at Yue Lingsi like she was watching a clown performing. ¡°Xiaye is my only daughter. Whatever I own belongs to her, so what¡¯s wrong about that? You guys tried so hard to get back the 20% share. Isn¡¯t it meant to be Xi Xinyi¡¯s dowry? I don¡¯t know on what basis did youe to look for me. Even if Elder Madam Xi is here, I can only say that I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve sold the 20% shares off.¡±

    ¡°Who did you sell it to?¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression froze as she clenched her fists even tighter the moment she heard Shen Wenna¡¯s words.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough. I¡¯ve told you guys to not bother us again. I won¡¯t be this easy-going anymore if you leave me no choice!¡± A strong voice reached them before Shen Wenna could reply. They looked over to the source of the voice, then they noticed Xi Xiaye standing near their table.

    She had a cold aura all around her as her eyes were focused on both of them. She went up and stayed beside Shen Wenna.

    ¡°Why did youe?¡± Shen Wenna frowned. Apparently, she did not want to involve Xi Xiaye in their mess, but it seemed that things just would not go her way.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Shen Wenna without saying anything. Then, she averted her cold gaze to Yue Lingsi. ¡°You must be here because Xi Xinyi made stories up about me again several days back, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Make stories up about you? What was that? Xinyi and Yifeng are in love with each other, and all the years, don¡¯t you think that Xinyi has sacrificed a lot for you? Was there any time that she disobeyed your wishes? She misses you every time there¡¯s a festive season and she¡¯d always prepare gifts for you. What about you? Do you really think that stabbing a knife into your shoulder could repay all these back?¡±

    Yue Lingsi was really concerned about her daughter. Of course, she would be upset when Xi Xiaye badmouthed Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°If Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter made you unhappy,e to me. Why do you have to involve my mother? Moreover, that document is with me and I¡¯ve already sold it to someone, so it¡¯s futile for you to talk to my mother about it. Come to me if you have any problems. It¡¯s about time to settle the grudges from all these years.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was not exactly being calm now. She would get all defensive whenever she encountered matters like this. She suddenly took her phone out. ¡°I believe my father has no idea about you meeting my mother today, does he? Since the topic is out on the table now, I¡¯m going to ask my father if it¡¯s his intention to take the shares back from my mother.¡±

    Xi Xiaye scrolled through her contact list and dialed a number.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression froze and turned odd. Hesitating to speak, she seemed like she wanted to stop her, but the call had already gone through.

    ¡°Hello? Xiaye?¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s quiet voice came through the phone swiftly.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she nced at her mother Shen Wenna. Her expression was normal as usual and her eyes were calm as the sea. However, Yue Lingsi seemed anxious and uneasy.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Xi Xiaye replied quietly after a brief moment. She nced at Yue Lingsi who seemed to behave peculiarly now, then she continued into the phone, ¡°I¡¯m at a caf¨¦ with Mother right now. Yue Lingsi asked to meet Mother and she wants the 20% shares of Yueying back from her. We want to know if that¡¯s your intention.¡±

    Xi Mushan went quiet for a while, then he replied, ¡°That¡¯s already your mother¡¯s. Pass the phone to her.¡±

    Of course, Xi Xiaye understood who he meant by ¡°her¡±. She turned the loudspeaker on and ced the phone before Yue Lingsi who hesitated as she stared at the phone. After a while, she then mumbled, ¡°Mushan...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you promised me if you want to continue being the mayor¡¯s wife.¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s quiet voice sent shivers down Yue Lingsi¡¯s spine. She quickly exined, ¡°Mushan... Listen to me...¡±

    Before she could finish, Xi Mushan had already hung up.

 Chapter 158 - Mr. Mus Call (1)

    <h4>Chapter 158: Mr. Mu¡¯s Call (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye put her phone away as she looked mockingly at Yue Lingsi who was trying hard to hold her anger back. With a cold smile, she said, ¡°It seems like you guys really did all these on your own.¡±

    ¡°Tell me. How much money do you want?¡±

    Yue Lingsi thought about it for a moment, then forced all the fury down in her chest and looked up at Shen Wenna. ¡°How much will it take for you to hand the shares over? $20 million? $50 million?¡±

    ¡°If you really want it, I might consider $10 billion.¡± Xi Xiaye raised her beautiful brows as she smiled and looked nonchntly at Yue Lingsi.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, don¡¯t be too much!¡±

    When she heard this and saw the smirk on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face, Yue Lingsi, who was enduring all of this, finally exploded. She swiftly got up with her hands pressing the table firmly.

    ¡°Since you can¡¯t pay up, then don¡¯t speak to me with this attitude. What you want isn¡¯t with my mother anymore. If I see you people causing trouble again the next time, I won¡¯t be as kind as I am today. I¡¯ll just call my father. It¡¯s that simple.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she picked up Shen Wenna¡¯s handbag and handed it to her, indicating for her to get up and leave.

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Yue Lingsi demanded with wide eyes.

    Xi Xiaye did not hide it either. She nodded and smiled calmly. ¡°That¡¯s right. I<i>am </i> threatening you.¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you... You don¡¯t have the right to speak to me like this! You will hand the shares over obediently, or you...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait to see how you¡¯re going to make me hand the shares over obediently.¡± She yed it down with this sentence, and then her sullen gaze swept past Yue Lingsi before she turned to walk towards the door. Shen Wenna shot Yue Lingsi a cold look too before she followed her out.

    On the way back to Maple Residence in the car, Xi Xiaye did not say anything, while Shen Wenna who sat in the front passenger¡¯s seat remained calm. Her expression was a nk canvas; no one could tell how she currently felt.

    It was not sure how long had passed when the silent Xi Xiaye finally spoke up, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened between you, Father, and Yue Lingsi. Nevertheless, I respect you, so if you won¡¯t tell me, I won¡¯t interfere, but I know that in some situations, backing off and matchmaking someone else isn¡¯t the best way to end a war.¡±

    She suddenly turned to look at Shen Wenna. ¡°Mother, I can feel that Father still...¡±

    ¡°Enough, Xiaye. Don¡¯t mull over these things anymore. Your father and I have aplicated problem. There¡¯s no point in bringing up all these from the past. You work on your own things. I¡¯m fine, so you don¡¯t need to worry. Yue Lingsi said that you stabbed a knife into your shoulder? What happened?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s cold eyes suddenly turned a little sharp as she subconsciously looked towards Xi Xiaye shoulder.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the alternately flickering traffic light ahead indifferently. Soon, she parked the car, the long eyshes covering the darkness emanating from her eyes. She fell silent for a long while, and in the end, she did not answer. When the traffic light ahead turned green, she continued to speed all the way to Maple Residence.

    When they reached Maple Residence, it was already past six in the evening. Wang Hui had already prepared the food while Mu Yinan and Shen Yue were in the living room, drinking tea and ying chess. All of a sudden, Maple Residence seemed pretty lively.

    When the family sat around the table for dinner, Wang Hui who stared at Xi Xiaye for a long time finally could not help but ask, ¡°Xiaye, have you and Ah Chen discussed when you want to have a child? The other day, I went to check out the dates with your mother. The fifteenth of this month is a good day. If you quickly organize it, we can make it. Otherwise, ording to your birth dates, the best day wouldn¡¯t be until the first of October, which would be Mid Autumn Festival. Yep, that¡¯s the best for you.¡±

    The fifteenth of this month?

    The fifteenth of the first month of the Lunar New Year? Was that not Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s wedding day?

    ¡°I think the first of October [1] is pretty good. There¡¯ll be a lot of people, so it¡¯ll be lively. There¡¯s also enough time to prepare for the wedding...¡±

    When Wang Hui finished, Mu Yinan wanted to add on too, but before he could finish, he already received a cold look from his wife, so he swallowed the rest of his words.

    ¡°What if we can¡¯t hide it then? All the wedding photos wouldn¡¯t have been taken yet!¡± Wang Hui shot Mu Yinan a stern look and eximed.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we wait until Tangchuan was born before we had our wedding?¡± Mu Yinan softly answered, in a tone that clearly faltered because this matter was a thorn in Wang Hui¡¯s heart.

    Back then, Wang Hui did not n to have a child so soon, and the army had organized a special training. However, the night before they left, Mu Yinan went to the military district looking for her. At that time, he could hold back and did not take precautions either. In the end, when she went for the body checkup in the first month of her special training, she was informed that she was pregnant. After that...

    Shen Yue and Shen Wenna got the hint of what had happened. They could not help butugh, yet Xi Xiaye was stunned when Wang Hui said the words ¡°can¡¯t hide it¡±. She went nk for a while before she understood what it meant. She then blushed and responded, ¡°Grandmother, the fifteenth of this month is my best friend¡¯s wedding, so... let¡¯s push our wedding back to the first of October. Plus, he¡¯s just taken over thepany. In fact, we¡¯re quite busy in this period of time, so we might not start nning so soon... Before and after the first of October, we¡¯re rtively freer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too long. How about...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s temporarily settle on this date,¡± Xi Xiaye insisted. They would need to work on quite a few huge projects after the New Year, so he definitely would not be able to find any extra time. As for her, she would probably be busy to no end with the South River project too. By her calction of time, they should be freer by the first of October.

    Seeing that Xi Xiaye insisted, the few of them went with her wishes.

    Not too long after dinner, Shen Yue and Shen Wenna went back while Wang Hui prepared breakfast for the next day to put in the fridge so that Xi Xiaye could heat it up the next morning. She busied herself until past 9 p.m. before returning to the Mu residence with Mu Yinan.

    After she tidied up the living room downstairs, she returned to the bedroom to take an indulgent bath before she sat down before the desk in the study room. She was about to continue working on the South River project when Mu Yuchen called.

    Just as he heard her answer the phone, Mu Yuchen asked ¡°Where did you go today? When I called home, it was Grandfather who picked up.¡± On the other end of the phone, he was casually standing before a set of French windows and looking out at the glorious lights with a freshly lit cigarette in between his fingers.

    Xi Xiaye opened theptop before her as she answered, ¡°I went to the office. I¡¯ve just finished settling things with the person-in-charge from the PR department about theunch. Tomorrow, we can start preparing Entertainment City.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Have Grandfather and Grandmother went home?¡±

    Mu Yuchen casually took a drag on his cigarette as his handsome brows furrowed slightly.

    ¡°They just left not too long ago. Grandmother called Grandpa who came over too. Coincidentally, I was shopping with my mother in the afternoon, so she just came back with me to Maple Residence for dinner.¡±

 Chapter 159 - Mr. Mus Call (2)

    <h4>Chapter 159: Mr. Mu¡¯s Call (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was the first time Xi Xiaye had spoken on the phone for this long, talking about random matters. The man just listened quietly on the other end. After a while, she stopped when she noticed that she was the one doing all the talking and had not heard his voice at all.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡± She called out to him.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He replied casually.

    ¡°I thought you fell asleep. Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± She frowned slightly as sheined.

    He chortled. ¡°Aren¡¯t I listening to you? Grandmother is pretty free. She won¡¯t minding over to help.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was moving the mouse in her hand as she responded, ¡°Mmm, I get it. Grandmother mentioned our wedding tonight. I told them we¡¯ll set it for October the first because Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s wedding is on the fifteenth, so you think...¡±

    ¡°Up to you. I¡¯ll leave the decision to you to make as long as it¡¯s within this year. I don¡¯t have any opinions on it,¡± he said as he flicked the cigarette onto the ashtray.

    While he was not very fond of traditional ceremonies, he did not want to let her down, so he left the decisions up to her for the wedding as long as she was happy.

    Her eyes brightened, she asked mindlessly as she focused on herptop screen, ¡°Are you in the hotel right now? Why is it so quiet?¡±

    ¡°Where else do you think I¡¯d be?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? You might be having fun with your business partners somewhere,¡± she replied straightforwardly, familiar with how business talks went. She knew what could happen.

    Mu Yuchen was a little stunned by Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. He grinned under the dim yellow light, his eyes turning gentle. ¡°Are you trying to check on me now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    Mu Yuchen then noticed that this woman had been with him for too long and had started to get better with words.

    He put a hand on his forehead as he stopped teasing her. ¡°It¡¯s prettyte now. Go to bed and get some rest. I¡¯ve called Li Si and he¡¯ll go back to work tomorrow, so he¡¯ll be helping you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it.¡±

    ...

    She continued working after hanging up the call. By the point she noticed the time, it was nearly 11 p.m. already.

    When she turned herptop off, she finally realized that he really was not around and she suddenly felt that the vi was pretty empty. An unfamiliar silence awaited her. She turned off the lights and went to sleep.

    In contrast to the quiet Maple Residence, the atmosphere in West Park was gloomy.

    Yue Lingsi sat on the living room sofa with a clouded expression. All she thought about was Shen Wenna¡¯s beautiful face as well as Xi Mushan¡¯s unhappy voice...

    Xi Xinyi came back without her realizing. She asked out of concern when she noticed Yue Lingsi not seeming very well, ¡°Mother, why haven¡¯t you gone to sleep yet? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Yue Lingsi came back to her senses when she heard her daughter¡¯s voice. She turned around and saw Xi Xinyi was already beside her. ¡°Xinyi, you¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Yifeng sent me to the door. He¡¯s afraid that he might be bothering you since it¡¯s prettyte already. What¡¯s wrong? What happened when you met Aunt Shen today?¡±

    Xi Xinyi sat down beside Yue Lingsi, slowly holding Yue Lingsi¡¯s hands.

    Yue Lingsi sighed and expressed in a depressed tone, ¡°Shen Wenna didn¡¯t really change all these years. She seems even more... Her personality has be even more stubborn than before. It¡¯s not going to be easy for her to let go, but your grandmother...¡±

    ¡°Mother, I understand that you¡¯re unhappy about her. However, we¡¯re at fault here. Didn¡¯t I tell you to talk nicely to her?¡± Xi Xinyi frowned as she looked at Yue Lingsi helplessly.

    Yue Lingsi stubbornly retorted, ¡°I wanted to talk to Shen Wenna nicely too, but that witc-... but the way she looked just made me so angry! She even called Xi Xiaye over. Then, Xi Xiaye called your father there and then to ask about the shares. Your father...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes looked cold when Yue Lingsi mentioned it. ¡°What did you say? Sis called Father?¡±

    Yue Lingsi affirmed, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s not the Xi Xiaye we know anymore. She dared to threaten me. She threatened me right in front of Shen Wenna!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes had mixed emotions as she gave it some thought. ¡°Mother, let¡¯s give up on those shares. I¡¯m really fine. I don¡¯t want your rtionship with Aunt Shen to get worse. If Father gets upset about it, I wouldn¡¯t be happy even if we kept Yueying. I really don¡¯t care about these as long as I have my family. Moreover, I don¡¯t want Aunt Shen and Sis to bear such hostility against us...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Xinyi. Both your grandmother and I are already worried that the document is with Shen Wenna who has now given it to Xi Xiaye. Who knows what she¡¯s going to do with it? Just look at how she treats you! We¡¯re not going to be at peace if she continues being this impudent... Xinyi, you¡¯re too soft, and that¡¯s why...¡±

    Yue Lingsi did not agree to just let this matter go and neither would Deng Wenwen. The internal drama in Yueying was getting chaotic with so much happeningtely. Rumor has it that someone bought shares from the stakeholders at a high price. They would need some countermeasure for it.

    ¡°We¡¯re worried that if Shen Wenna¡¯s shares got into their hands, then Yueying...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. Let me think about how to convince Sis. Yueying is Grandmother¡¯s hard work, and it¡¯s also the legacy of the Xi family. I¡¯m sure Sis wouldn¡¯t betray us. We have to believe in her. It¡¯s prettyte already. Go and get some sleep.¡±

    Xi Xinyi held Yue Lingsi by the shoulder and supported her.

    Yue Lingsi nodded. ¡°Alright, you rest earlier too. I¡¯m going to think of another way.¡±

    She then walked towards the staircase.

    Xi Xinyi stared at the empty staircase. After some time, biting her lip as she hesitated, she took out her phone and swiftly dialed a number.

    The call connected quickly.

    ¡°Go and confirm how many times did Xi Xiaye go, especially this year. I need specific information,¡± Xi Xinyi ordered.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know in three days.¡± The call ended after a cold reply from the other side.

 Chapter 160 - Xi Xiaye Is Already Married!

    <h4>Chapter 160: Xi Xiaye Is Already Married!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The weather was pretty kind after the New Year; it was sunny for several days in a row.

    After Xi Xiaye confirmed the details of the opening ceremony with the PR Department on the third, she had been working tirelessly every day.

    The trial business run ended on the fifth. A clean upmenced in Entertainment City and Glory World¡¯s employees soon returned to help out.

    Xi Xiaye supervised the whole decoration process as well as the backstage work. She had no breaks at all.

    At that moment, Xi Xiaye was standing there at the za inside Entertainment City as the workers were changing a new,rge advertisement board. Manager Fang from PR Department suddenly asked, ¡°Director Xi, did you mention that Chairman Mu is going to make it back in time tomorrow?¡±

    Xi Xiaye averted her gaze and turned towards Manager Fang, nodding. ¡°That¡¯s what he said. Don¡¯t worry. There are some important guests that we need to call and invite again. I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±

    Manager Fang assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be done.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, things might be a little rough tonight. Let¡¯s set the stage set up first. There¡¯s still a lot to be done tomorrow. We¡¯ll handle the big stuff today and things will get a little easier tomorrow. I¡¯ll help everyone out tonight, and I¡¯ll treat everyone to dinner afterward as well. Hmm, but looking at the time, it might be supper instead.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the sun setting. It was getting prettyte.

    Manager Fang and several other employees were thrilled. ¡°Great! Everyone will be pumped up to work hard thanks to Director Xi¡¯s generosity. You guys go and tell everyone about it and get them to work more swiftly. Get the job done earlier and Director Xi will treat us to supperter.¡±

    ¡°Alright, got it!¡±

    They grinned as they went up to the busy bunch.

    ...

    While Xi Xiaye was busy working, Mu Yuchen did not have it any easier as well. He did not stay over after finishing the contract. He went straight to the airport.

    In the VIP room of the City B airport.

    ¡°Master, there¡¯s about 20 minutes until the flight. Rest here.¡±

    Ah Mo put the heavy briefcase on a sofa before he poured a cup of tea for Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand slightly to stop Ah Mo. As he sat down by the window, Ah Mo¡¯s phone rang.

    Ah Mo quickly picked up the call, but then he frowned after listening to several words from the person on the phone. He turned towards Mu Yuchen who was resting and said quietly, ¡°Master, it¡¯s for you. It¡¯s Bureau Chief Chen from the Civil Affairs Bureau...¡±

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes and he took the phone from Ah Mo.

    ¡°Yep.¡± His deep voice went through the phone.

    ¡°Hello, Master Mu! I¡¯m Chen Jingzhi. I have something to tell you,¡± a polite voice replied.

    Mu Yuchen held his fuzzy head with an arm. ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Mu! I received a call from my assistant, Xiao Zheng. Someone came to check on the Missus¡¯ marriage records, but Xiao Zheng stopped him and wanted to ask you about it,¡± Chen Jingzhi reported.

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly as a light appeared in his eyes. ¡°Who¡¯s the one checking?¡±

    ¡°I looked him up and it seems to be CEO Han from the Han Corporation. Han Yifeng...¡±

    Mu Yuchen grinned when he heard the name. ¡°You can tell him truthfully then that Xi Xiaye is married, and I am her husband.¡±

    He then hung up the call and passed the phone back to Ah Mo.

    ¡°Master, why would Han Yifeng check on Missus?¡± Ah Mo asked.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened a little, but his expression looked calm as ever. Nevertheless, he did not reply to Ah Mo¡¯s question. Instead, he kept quiet and walked towards the boarding lounge.

    Ah Mo did not push further. After a brief hesitation, he nced at the two bodyguards in ck suits as they caught up with him.

    As for Bureau Chief Chen, he called Xiao Zheng after receiving permission from Mu Yuchen.

    ...

    It was 9 p.m. at night when Han Yifeng received the news. He was watching TV in his living room when his phone rang.

    ¡°CEO Han, the investigation results are out,¡± Secretary Wang¡¯s voice came through the phone.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Han Yifeng asked quietly.

    ¡°It¡¯s confirmed that Ms. Xi Xiaye is already married. She registeredst year,¡± Secretary Wang reported, stunning Han Yifeng. His brain short wired for a moment, but he calmed his emotions down and went silent. He then asked, ¡°Did you find out who she married?¡±

    ¡°I asked as well. It¡¯s Mu Yuchen, the Chairman of Glory World Corporation, Ms. Xi Xiaye¡¯s superior.¡±

    Mu Yuchen...

    It really was him!

    Han Yifeng¡¯s hand clutching onto the phone lowered down as he was utterly shocked.

    Mu Yuchen and Xiaye?

    If his memory served him right, Mu Yuchen had just returned to City Z not too long ago, and Xi Xiaye did not really know him well. Although they both worked for Glory World Corporation, the one staying in headquarters was the old Chairman Mu Yinan.

    How did that happen?

    He could not believe it. He wanted to quickly call Xi Xiaye and ask her about it, but after searching his phone contacts, he realized he had lost her number a long time ago. The number he saved before was not in use anymore...

    After a long moment of silence, he stood up and walked towards the study room. He quickly turned theputer on and logged into his ount.

    After working on it for some time, he was shocked to discover that they had not been in contact for many years. Whether it was on WeChat, MSN, or QQ, he could not find any of her social media ounts.

    His mind was distracted and there was aplicated flow of light brewing in his dark eyes.

    Even if he knew it was impossible between him and her, he should at least be concerned about her since they were once...

    Back then, when he saw her turn away from him, it felt like he lost a part of him and that thing started to be clear to him. Quickly, he logged into his private email ount and searched through his old emails, hoping to find a way to contact her.

    However, nothing came up even after looking for a long time. He then remembered that he had never given her his email address even though she had asked for it before. Instead, most of the emails in his inbox were emails filled with warmth and concern from Xi Xinyi...

 Chapter 161 - Warmth In The Cold Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 161: Warmth In The Cold Night (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He sat before the table as he stared at the screen without moving. He was not sure what he was feeling, but he just felt that he had lost something important. However, he could not put a finger on what it was.

    The hole in his heart was growing wider and wider and his mind went nk until he clicked an email open. Those words of concern appeared before him and he started to soften.

    It was an email from Xi Xinyi, filled with caring words...

    He felt warm every time he received emails like this.

    He suddenly remembered that this was his private email address and nearly no one knew about it. Nevertheless, since Xi Xinyi was the woman he loved, of course, she knew about it.

    The void in his heart was instantly filled up. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. However, it was Xi Xiaye¡¯s skinny figure that came into his mind.

    <i>¡°I¡¯ve put the clothes in your car. It¡¯s cold over there. Keep it.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I¡¯m alright. Get some rest if you¡¯re tired. I can go back myself and you don¡¯t have to send me back.¡±</i>

    Another image shed in his mind and Xi Xinyi¡¯s cute and lovely image appeared.

    <i>¡°Yifeng, put on more clothes. I bought a new coat today. I¡¯ll wear it for you tomorrow!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Yifeng, can you go with me? I¡¯m scared to be alone...¡±</i>

    He had somewhat captured the difference between the two of them and wanted to make sure, but he understood that those were just random thoughts inside his head. They passed by so quickly that he could not grasp them. He suddenly shot to his feet.

    Bang!

    His movement was too sudden and his sleeve swiped the ss jar on the table. A loud crash reached his ears as the ss jar shattered on the floor, the folded stars scattering all over the ce. They very colorful and messy.

    He looked downward at the floor full of stars as a scene yed inside his head.

    <i>¡°I can¡¯t really think of anything to give you for your birthday, but I heard this is pretty good. I hope that all your wishese true.¡±</i>

    He already forgot which birthday it was, but she had cycled all the way to his house at midnight to call him out and give him this jar full of folded stars.

    ...

    He looked at those little stars quietly for a long time, recalling her slightly red fingertips when she handed the ss jar to him.

    <i>¡°Happy birthday. I¡¯m not going to give you a lot of gifts in the future because I¡¯m worried that you might not value my gifts that much anymore if I give them too frequently, so I¡¯m only giving you gifts on your birthday. I¡¯ll head back for now. Get some rest soon.¡±</i>

    She had always been like that.

    After some time, a sense of dread appeared in his quiet eyes. He squatted down and picked up the stars one by one, not stopping even when the ss stabbed his fingers...

    Back then, him and her...

    They were so young and innocent. Those memories were getting further and further away.

    They were getting so far away that he did not even remember how the weather was on that day.

    She had said, ¡°Yifeng, I don¡¯t know who you¡¯ve ever liked or who liked you all these years, but are you willing to hold your promise onto the marriage contract if I asked you to?¡±

    He had replied to her with a cold shoulder until she chased him and begged, and he...

    ...

    When they were done with the stage decorations, it was nearly 11 p.m. at night after they had supper. Xi Xiaye rushed back to Maple Residence and it was about midnight when she reached home.

    Unlike the several nights ago when she worked until near dawn, she took a bath and wanted to sleep earlier. After all, her man was expected toe home the next day too.

    After bathing, Xi Xiayey down on the bed after switching the bright lights off. She only left the dim wallmp on, leaving the gentle, yellow light illuminating the room.

    Stars filled up the sky that night, and the silent night seemed charming as ever. A cold wind breezed through as several lonely fallen leaves fell onto the ground, and with the sudden appearance of a car, the leaves took off once again.

    The car was heading into the Grand Waves Vi area. It was past midnight when it stopped in front of Maple Residence.

    Ah Mo opened the door and informed Mu Yuchen who was still working on hisptop, ¡°We¡¯re home, Master. Pack up your stuff. It seems that Missus isn¡¯t asleep yet!¡±

    Mu Yuchen shut down hisptop and handed it to Ah Mo before he got out of the car slowly. He frowned when he saw the dim light inside the room on the second floor.

    What time was it already? Was she not asleep yet?

    Ah Mo quickly packed the stuff and wanted to take it in for Mu Yuchen, yet thetter took the heavy briefcase and said, ¡°It¡¯ste already. Drive the car back ande over at 2 p.m. tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen then walked towards Maple Residence alone, taking the keycard out from his pocket and swiping it across the sensor before the door opened automatically.

    Themps at the front yard were photoreceptive. They would be switched on at night and would turn off at dawn.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lean figure passed through the yellow light as he walked into his home.

    Xi Xiaye was half-asleep and woke up when she heard the sound of the door opening from the outside. Vigntly, she switched the bedsidemp on and looked in the direction of the door.

    She heard some noise outside, and then the bedroom door opened. A certain someone came into her view.

    Why was he back?

    Midnight!

    She rubbed her eyes, thinking that she was mistaken, but his deep and slightly hoarse voice reached her. ¡°Did I wake you up?¡±

    ¡°Why are you back? Why didn¡¯t you give me a call first?¡± Xi Xiaye scratched the nape of her neck as she squinted her eyes and looked at him with her messy hair.

    Mu Yuchen took off his necktie and coat, then he unbuttoned his shirt and walked towards the wardrobe, appearing very tired.

    Xi Xiaye observed him quietly for a while, then she got down from the bed.

    She went forward and stopped beside him. Just as she was about to take the coat and necktie from him, he turned around when her fingers touched the corner of his shirt. He looked downward at her taking the garments away from his hand...

 Chapter 162 - Warmth In The Cold Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 162: Warmth In The Cold Night (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She silently looked up at him, her bright and clear face entering his sight. His heart suddenly softened, and his hand could not help but gently reach up tob through her beautiful waist-length hair. He bent and lowered his head, nting a cold kiss.

    His unique fragrance closed in, dazing her for a moment, but she did not reject it. She held onto his shirt tightly and just closed her eyes, allowing him to wordlessly demand as he wished.

    While he did not cross the lines with his demands, he just had a brief taste and held back, stopping before he got ahead of himself.

    He reluctantly peeled away from her lips, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her. His deep voice sounded so sentimental that it started to melt her heart.

    ¡°Did you think of me?¡± He asked.

    She paused, then reflexively pulled tighter onto his shirt. Thinking about it, she nced up at him calmly, her clear eyes filled with an earnest look as she answered softly, ¡°Compared to Mr. Mu yourself, I think I miss your cooking even more...¡±

    ¡°Such a foodie,¡± he reprimanded softly, and then his handsome face shed with a rare smile that was easy as a cool breeze. She noticed that the fatigue in his eyes faded away a little.

    Xi Xiaye struggled a little and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll go cook supper for you. You can eat it after washing up.¡±

    He then gently let her go and fixed her slightly messy hair at the same time as he answered, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten on the ne, so I¡¯m not hungry. Please go and prepare the bath water for me.¡±

    She nodded, then she tidied up the dirty clothes and walked towards the bathroom while he opened the wardrobe to look for clothes.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen put on a sleeping gown and simply brushed his air-dried hair. When he walked out of the bathroom, Xi Xiaye was leaning against the bedhead and flipping through the agenda for theunch the next day.

    When she felt a faint scent close in and the space beside her sink, she looked up from the documents.

    ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Why are you still looking at this? Put it away and quickly get to sleep.¡± He did not allow for exnations as he took the document in her hand away. He closed it and set it aside on the bedside cab.

    ¡°It¡¯s the agenda details for tomorrow. Today, I was busy the whole day and didn¡¯t get to look at it. Tomorrow morning, I still have to rush over very early, so I want to see if there¡¯s anything I missed out on.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more or less fine. It¡¯ste. Look at it tomorrow.¡±

    He pulled the nket aside while Xi Xiaye stretched in exhaustion and quietly scooted over to the other side of the bed. Before hey down, he reached over to switch the lights off and turned to pull her into his arms.

    ¡°Did you settle everything on the other side?¡± She suddenly asked.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll leave the rest of it to Vice President Zhang and Ah Mo. Generally, the problems have been resolved. What¡¯s next will be the concrete execution of things. On the other hand, the South River project might need more work on it.¡±

    His voice sounded tired. The year had just started and already he was beginning to be worn out; there were still more days ahead in the year.

    ¡°Mmm, I know. Many people are looking at it too, but I believe that Glory World will definitely be the one that seeds.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s determined tone was filled with certainty.

    ¡°Pretty confident, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    His calm voice brushed past her ear, while she just frowned and looked up from his embrace. Her starry eyes widened in the silent darkness as she gazed at him earnestly. ¡°Glory World is very capable. As long as we put a little more effort into the proposal, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not too good at other things, but I¡¯m pretty good at this. If I say we¡¯ll seed, then we will.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was amused by her brimming confidence. He patted her head and chuckled. ¡°My Missus is a heroine and she¡¯s looking more and more like a queen now.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± She answered without any humility at all. Having been with him for quite some time now, she seemed to be gradually influenced by him and started to be narcissistic like him too.

    A short while after, the even sound of his breathing was heard. He had not rested well for quite a few days in a row, so he was extremely exhausted. As time went on, he seemed to also have gotten used to sleeping beside her, and now hugged her to sleep as he felt more secure and safe enough to fall asleep.

    When she saw that he did not say anything for a long while, she softly called out to him, ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    Quite a while after, she still did not hear his answer, so she turned to look and saw that he had already fallen asleep.

    ¡°Fallen asleep so quickly... I wanted to get you to help me get a gown too...¡± Xi Xiaye muttered to herself before lying back down.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye clearly remembered that she had set an rm for 7 a.m.st night, yet the next day she did not hear the rm ring. When she woke up it was already past 9 a.m. and the man beside her was still sleeping.

    She climbed out of bed annoyed and did not wake him up. She washed up and changed at the quickest speed before packing the documents up and rushing downstairs. Not even having the time to eat, she simply cooked some porridge for Mu Yuchen before she rushed to Entertainment City.

    By the time she got there, everyone had already paused for lunch.

    ¡°Director Xi, have some food first. You rushed over so frantically...¡± Manager Fang handed a lunchbox to Xi Xiaye as he smiled andmented.

    ¡°No need. You eat. I just had some bread, so I¡¯m not too hungry. My rm didn¡¯t ring in the morning, so I was a littlete. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled sheepishly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve beening early and returningte every day. How terribly busy! You should get some proper rest,¡± Manager Fang said in concern.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, thank you. Later in the afternoon, Vice President Zhang and the rest will rush over. Is the venue almost done being decorated?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Director Xi. It¡¯s pretty much done and everyone¡¯s just packing up. I¡¯ve checked the stage too. It¡¯s all good. We¡¯ve also gone through everything on the agenda, and it¡¯s generally already done. All that¡¯s left is ourpany¡¯s promotional logo. They¡¯ve gone back to the office to send the gifts over, so it can definitely be done before 2 p.m.¡±

    As she listened to Manager Fang, Xi Xiaye took out her phone and checked the time. It was close to 1 p.m. and theunch would begin at half-past 3. There was also going to be a grand banquet tonight with programmes and the line up was strong. The entire event was quite extravagant.

    Because Imperial Sky Entertainment City was arge-scale entertainment city led by Glory World Corporation coupled with many coborations and investments from otherpanies, it was practically one of the superrge projects of City Z in the recent years. It drew a lot of attention from the city residents and the government.

    Xi Xiaye quietly put her phone away and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s move faster. We¡¯re a bit tight on time. It¡¯s already 1 p.m. now. In another two hours, the honored guests and the other guests will be here, so you need to watch things well. You should understand the significance of theunch. Be more careful. I¡¯ll go take a look at the venue. Check this side again and take note of anything that we¡¯ve missed out.¡±

    She left with these words, and then walked towards the International Exhibition Centre.

 Chapter 163 - Glamorous Appearance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 163: morous Appearance (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The opening ceremony was held in the International Exhibition Center inside Imperial Sky Entertainment City which could cater up to ten thousand people. The government had invested to build the exhibition center two years ago, and Imperial Sky Entertainment City was constructed around it.

    Manyrge-scale banquets were organized there such as annual dinners of bigpanies or City Z¡¯s New Year party.

    When Xi Xiaye went over, a huge arch made of flowers stood at the entrance. A long, red carpet ran all the way until the very center of the International Exhibition Center while numerous flower baskets graced the aisle. Arge number of greeting cards, all filled with words of congrattions, hung on a string, swaying as the wind breezed through.

    In one nce, the entire ce was red.

    The staff was busy running around, and some employees were packed with jobs to do on-site too. None of them were standing around leisurely.

    Xi Xiaye went towards the entrance as the employees at the receptionist table greeted her, ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Thanks for the hard work. We¡¯ll be able to get a good rest after today.¡±

    Everyone had sacrificed their break time and went back to work, so Xi Xiaye was really grateful to them.

    ¡°We¡¯d be very happy if you could ask Chairman Mu to give us more bonus in the next meeting, Director Xi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Director Xi. Get Chairman Mu to raise our sries!¡±

    ...

    They were getting excited as they mentioned about their remuneration package. Xi Xiaye smiled as she saw their eyes brighten up. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely convey your wishes to Chairman Mu.¡±

    ¡°Director, Director!¡±

    As Xi Xiaye was about to walk inside, Xiao Mei¡¯s voice reached her from the back. She turned around and saw Xiao Mei running towards her.

    ¡°Director, this is the programme agenda. Please check it and sign here if there¡¯s no issue. The PR Department is waiting for this. I¡¯ve been looking you this whole morning!¡±

    Xiao Mei handed a document to Xi Xiaye while panting. Xi Xiaye took it and went through it, then she took a pen from Xiao Mei and signed it after she found nothing wrong with it. She swiftly signed her name elegantly at the bottom right corner.

    Xi Xiaye handed the document and pen back to Xiao Mei as she asked, ¡°There¡¯s some dy. Is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Things are okay. You can take a break, Director Xi. The managers are having tea in the break room backstage. You must be tired after working for so long.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she looked inside. The stage decoration was extravagant and the guest seats were lined up perfectly. The waiters from Imperial Sky Hotel and the employees were busy working like clockwork, so Xi Xiaye felt relieved as everything seemed to be fine.

    ...

    The warm sun was high up in the beautiful afternoon, sprinkling light over the blue sky as the wind blew through.

    At Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen was reading magazines while enjoying some tea after a light breakfast. After a while, the door opened and Ah Mo entered the house.

    ¡°Master!¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice reached him.

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze away from the magazine and looked at Ah Mo. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve made a copy of Movie City here. I¡¯ll get you a copy too in a few days. Manager Xu is transferring after the New Year, so you¡¯ll be taking over Manager Xu¡¯s workload for the moment. I want to know your opinion on this matter.¡±

    Ah Mo had stayed beside Mu Yuchen for many years. He was an adopted son under Mu Tangchuan¡¯s name, and Mu Yuchen had always thought of him as a brother. He was very well-trained under Mu Yinan and Mu Yuchen. Overall, he was part of the Mu family.

    Yet, Ah Mo had always thought of himself as a servant in the Mu family. He followed Mu Yuchen¡¯s every order without anyints.

    Ah Mo went silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll follow whatever your arrangement is.¡±

    He closed the magazine and put it aside. Then, he sipped some tea as he nced at Ah Mo with an indifferent expression while an odd calm appeared in his eyes. ¡°Lingshi ising back soon after some time. She¡¯s closer to you among the three of us. There¡¯s something that I don¡¯t want to talk about again. I hope that we can all get a fresh start when shees back. I want you to work in thepany because I hope you can have your own life too. The same goes for Lingshi. I hope that everyone can live on well.¡±

    Ah Mo was startled, but he quickly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. We understand. Lingshi... We won¡¯t remind her about that again, and I won¡¯t let the Missus know either.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about her. I¡¯ll tell her about it if the timees. I thought you¡¯d understand how she¡¯d feel... Whatever, I¡¯ll leave it up to you guys when shees back.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not continue. He rubbed his fingers on his forehead as he sighed. Then, he stood up slowly. ¡°It¡¯s about time, let¡¯s go.¡±

    He walked outside.

    Ah Mo gave his words some thought. In the end, he walked out as well.

    He started the car after he got inside, he nced into the rearview mirror at Mu Yuchen and asked, ¡°Master, do we go straight to the International Exhibition Center?¡±

    ¡°Head over to Fashion City first. Sis Su¡¯s ce.¡±

    The woman¡¯s grumblingst night echoed in his ear again. She probably had not thought about it when she rushed out today, so she must be wearing apletely formal attire...

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡± Ah Mo replied and the car went forward.

    The car passed through some busy streets. After a while, they arrived at an extravagant clothing store. Ah Mo parked the car at a nearby parking spot before Mu Yuchen opened the door and got out of the car.

    ¡°Wee!¡± The receptionist at the door greeted with a big smile. She was a little stunned when she saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face, and her face blushed suddenly.

    As Mu Yuchen stepped inside the store, a cheerful voice rang out. ¡°Chen! How rare for you to be here!¡±

    He looked over at the source of the voice and saw the fashionable Su Yu looking at him in surprise!

    Su Yu, Su Chen¡¯s elder sister, who was also the owner of this clothing store, had married awyer several years ago and had a daughter. She was doing pretty well and had been running this store for quite some years, doing pretty decent business.

 Chapter 164 - Glamorous Appearance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 164: morous Appearance (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Happy New Year, Sis Su!¡± Mu Yuchen greeted.

    Su Yu shrugged and gave him a smile. ¡°Happy New Year! What brings you here? When I went back home, I heard the elders mention you.¡±

    His eyes turned away and locked onto the beautiful dresses in the front as he replied, ¡°What did they say?¡±

    Su Yu was startled when she saw his behavior. She asked in shock, ¡°Is the sun rising from the west? Master Mu is here to shop for women dresses? Who are you giving it to?¡±

    Mu Yuchen ignored her. He went over and soon locked his gaze onto a long, elegant, sapphire-colored dress decorated with silver stars on it.

    He tilted his head towards Su Yu behind him. ¡°I want this. Help me get a pair of shoes with this as well as some essories. It¡¯d be great if you can make it quick.¡±

    ¡°As expected of your taste, you found my store¡¯s treasure so soon. Who are you giving it to?¡±

    Su Yu was really bewildered. She was someone who had sort of grown up together with Mu Yuchen, and she had never seen anything like this before ¡ª Master Mu going around to shop for a woman personally?

    ¡°I thought Su Chen told you guys.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words reminded Su Yu of something. Her eyes flew wide and she gaped at Mu Yuchen in shock. ¡°Are you for real? Is it for your woman? Are you really married? I didn¡¯t believe him when he told me about it!¡±

    ¡°You can believe it now. Quick, I¡¯m short on time,¡± Mu Yuchen urged her as he walked towards a sofa nearby and sat down.

    Su Yu shrugged before she started barking orders to her employees to take the outfit down and pack it up.

    In just a brief moment, Su Yu had prepared the items and handed them to Mu Yuchen. ¡°It¡¯s done. Bring her over to our ce some time. Don¡¯t keep her hidden. Also, please help us counsel Su Chen. He said he isn¡¯t going to get married. He makes my elders at home really worried.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took the package from her and then handed it to Ah Mo as he replied, ¡°With the elders around, he can¡¯t run away from marriage forever. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ¡°I mean it, Chen!¡±

    Su Yu was confounded. Before she could finish her sentence, Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure was already nowhere to be found.

    At the same time, inside a high-ss spa center.

    Huang Shanshan wore a long, bright red dress along with an expensive-looking ruby ne on her neck. A makeup artist was doing her makeup in front of a mirror.

    Xi Xinyi sat down beside her while her makeup artist worked on her hair at the moment.

    ¡°Xinyi, I heard that Glory World¡¯s invited many guests to theirunch. They even invited some of your rivals too. I also heard that theirunch is nearly the scale of a movie festival! Glory World might be entering the showbiz industry, so they even invited many well-known directors this time along with some leaders within the entertainment industry. All of this sounds so exciting!¡±

    Huang Shanshan seemed really enthusiastic about it. This time, she was going to attend the event as her CEO¡¯s partner, so she had dressed up, hoping to attract some attention especially from...

    Xi Xinyi nodded. ¡°Mmm, I heard something along those lines too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you have to give it your all. Step on those witches. Make sure you get the top ambassador role for Glory World. If you can keep on a coborative rtionship with Glory World, they¡¯ll surely promote their group of top celebrities if they actually get into the entertainment industry. It¡¯s a rare chance that you¡¯ve got to take! I¡¯m rooting for you. People like Caitlin and Lin Ling are all a level lower than you!¡± Huang Shanshan said.

    Xi Xinyi gave her a smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop it there. They must have their own advantage for them to have so many fans. I¡¯m still a newbie since returning and I have a lot of things to learn from them. You don¡¯t have to be biased against them really. They take care of me sometimes. Sis Lin Ling even took on a role for me because I injured my foot back then, so I¡¯m really grateful for her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just too kind. I bet Lin Ling wasughing at you. You could¡¯ve taken the role on again after your foot healed, but she forced the project to hasten their progress. Obviously, she was aiming for your role from the beginning. Anyway, it¡¯s all Xi Xiaye¡¯s fault! If not for her, you wouldn¡¯t have injured your foot!¡±

    Huang Shanshan became really angry when she mentioned Xi Xiaye. She could not help but criticize her.

    Xi Xinyi frowned almost immediately and she shot Huang Shanshan a warning stare. Huang Shanshan pouted. ¡°Alright, alright! I know you¡¯ll defend your wicked sister. You¡¯re so silly. She never cared about you at all, yet you always defend her! Whatever. We¡¯ll not talk about her anymore! Where¡¯s my cousin? Is heing here to get youter?¡±

    Huang Shanshan changed the topic because she noticed Xi Xinyi bing unhappy.

    ¡°Mmm, he¡¯sing over hereter. Shanshan, don¡¯t say things like that again in the future, especially in front of your cousin. I believe that sister has a special spot in Yifeng¡¯s heart and I don¡¯t want everyone to have such a negative perception of her,¡± Xi Xinyi told her.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I got it! I won¡¯t talk about it anymore. Everyone knows anyway. Moreover, now that you¡¯re my cousin-inw, I¡¯m not really worried.¡±

    ¡°Shanshan, when will you find your special someone too? You¡¯re not that young anymore. Yifeng and I have found each other. I hope you can find your happiness too. There are a lot of outstanding guys around you. Don¡¯t you like any of them?¡± Xi Xinyi smiled, her eyes full of concern.

    Huang Shanshan was startled when she heard Xi Xinyi¡¯s words. Her smile froze and her mind went nk as a handsome face appeared in her mind...

    Xi Xinyiughed and asked quietly, ¡°Are you thinking of someone? The look on your face...¡±

    Huang Shanshan smiled embarrassedly. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you even if I¡¯m thinking of someone.¡±

    ¡°Tell me. Maybe Yifeng and I can help!¡± A gentle light glowed in Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes as sheughed.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll definitely tell you if there is one in the future. Wish me good luck tonight!¡± Huang Shanshan replied, but her eyes were already staring away somewhere nkly.

 Chapter 165 - Glamorous Appearance (3)

    <h4>Chapter 165: morous Appearance (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi looked at the reflection of Huang Shanshan¡¯s pretty little face in the mirror. She did not miss her nk stare as well. Although she thought of something to tell her, she refrained herself from doing so when she saw Huang Shanshan suddenly grin.

    After a while, the makeup artists were done with their makeup.

    Xi Xinyi only put on light makeup. As for Huang Shanshan, she put on rather heavy makeup to pair with the bright red dress on her. They looked pretty great.

    ¡°Xinyi, give Cousin a call. Mypany CEO will be here soon. I¡¯ll meet up with him first. I don¡¯t want to leave him waiting.¡± Huang Shanshan lifted her long dress up a little and gazed at herself in the mirror cheerfully as she spoke.

    Xi Xinyi nodded. ¡°Okay, you can go first. I¡¯ll call Yifeng now.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, see you thereter. I¡¯m looking forward to you topping all the otherdies there! Get your groove on!¡±

    Huang Shanshan grabbed her handbag and walked outside. Suddenly, Xi Xinyi called out to her, ¡°Shanshan, wait!¡±

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Huang Shanshan halted in her steps when Xi Xinyi called her. She looked in Xi Xinyi¡¯s direction in surprise.

    Xi Xinyi swiftly opened her handbag and took out a bright jade bracelet. Then, she went over to Huang Shanshan and grabbed her fair little hand, putting the bracelet on for her. The jade bracelet looked amazing on Huang Shanshan¡¯s snow-white skin.

    Xi Xinyi grabbed Huang Shanshan¡¯s hand lightly. ¡°What do you think? I think it looks great on you!¡±

    ¡°Xinyi...¡±

    Huang Shanshan was touched as she looked at the bracelet on her hand before turning to Xi Xinyi gratefully. ¡°This bracelet... Isn¡¯t it a birthday present from Cousin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you. It suits you more anyway and you look great! Pairing it with your outfit is just perfect!¡±

    Xi Xinyi smiled as she zipped her handbag up and gave Huang Shanshan another big smile as the girl did not seem to know what to do. ¡°It¡¯s really nothingpared to how well you treat me! Go and meet your CEO now and don¡¯t let him wait. Go!¡±

    She pushed Huang Shanshan out.

    Huang Shanshan expressed her gratitude profusely, ¡°Mmm, thank you, Xinyi! You¡¯re the bestest friend ever! I¡¯ll head out for now, and I¡¯ll look for you guyster!¡±

    She sniffed as she walked outside.

    Xi Xinyi sent Huang Shanshan away happily, then she took out her phone and swiftly called Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng was driving over to her when he received her call. He was stunned for a moment when he saw her all dressed up.

    She wore a neutral-colored toga evening dress with a V-shaped bareback design. The dress was studded with some silver beads and there were also silver crystals embedded at the waist area with plenty of delicate, twinkling pearls sprinkled all over the side of the dress.

    While she just put on light makeup, she still looked charming as ever with the slight curve of her eyebrows entuating her beautiful eyes, she was just one in a million.

    Her blonde hair was pulled up into a beautiful bun. Everything seemed so beautiful and charming, just as expected of a well-loved goddess.

    Even Han Yifeng lost his focus.

    Xi Xinyi seemed thrilled when she saw Han Yifeng staring nkly at her. She smiled and spoke in a gentle tone, ¡°You¡¯re looking at me, silly! Start the car quickly!¡±

    Han Yifeng came back to his senses when he heard her voice. Xi Xinyi went closer to him and left a kiss on his lips. ¡°How do I look today? You know I could really use your perception!¡±

    Han Yifeng doted on her and replied, ¡°Xinyi, you look beautiful...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s soft lips reached him once again before he could finish his sentence. He could not help it anymore and embraced her...

    ...

    Around 3 p.m. in the afternoon, guests flooded the entrance leading to the International Exhibition Center. Xi Xiaye and several other staff from the PR Department were standing by the flower-filled entrance while Vice President Zhang Lan was busy greeting the iing guests.

    The reception table was full of invitation cards that the guests brought back as well as many thick red packets filled with money.

    Vice President Zhang Lan did not wear her usual ck formal outfit and put on a dark-colored <i>qipao </i>instead, looking very elegant and beautiful. The other staff all changed into dresses as well, and Xi Xiaye still had her ck formal outfit on. She did not even have time to put on light makeup.

    She had been terribly busy working since the afternoon and did not even get to eat both breakfast and lunch. She only managed to grab a bun when she drove there, so she was barely hanging on now.

    She wanted to call Su Nan to get her a dress since Su Nan knew her size anyway, yet she had gotten so caught up in work and forgot all about it.

    ¡°Congrattions, Vice President Zhang, Director Xi! Glory World is indeed reaching its glory!¡±

    ¡°Thank you. We¡¯re d that you¡¯ve always supported us, Chairman Li! Hope that we get to work together again in the future!¡±

    ¡°Surely, surely!¡±

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, pleasee in!¡±

    Xi Xiaye could feel her legs getting numb, and she was getting tired of smiling.

    ¡°Director Xi, the banquet is starting soon. You¡¯ve been working the whole day and you should probably take a break. You look tired.¡± Vice President Zhang Lan nced at the worn out Xi Xiaye. She could not help but chuckle. ¡°Also, shouldn¡¯t you change your outfit too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at herself and then replied apologetically, ¡°I forgot all about it!¡±

    She then quickly took out her phone to give Su Nan a call with the intention of asking her to get her a dress, but Su Nan¡¯s voice reached her as she just opened her contact list ¡ª

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked over at the voice calling out to her.

    Su Nan was walking over with the tall and handsome Ruan Heng.

    It was a rare sight of Su Nan wearing something feminine ¡ª a pink dress with floral patternsy underneath a coat. She looked amazing tonight.

 Chapter 166 - Glamorous Appearance (4)

    <h4>Chapter 166: morous Appearance (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she stood beside Ruan Heng, they looked well matched with each other.

    In the blink of an eye, Su Nan had already let go of her hand clinging onto Ruan Heng¡¯s arm and walked up to Xi Xiaye. When she saw that Xi Xiaye was still in her ck formal suit, she immediately frowned. ¡°It¡¯s already this hour, but you¡¯re still dressed like that?¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed out loud and put her phone away on the side. Ruan Heng smiled and nodded at Xi Xiaye before walking over to greet Vice President Zhang.

    ¡°Are you going to just attend the event like this? Everyone knows tonight¡¯s practically apetition of who looks the best, and you¡¯re dressed like this! What would Master Mu think? Be careful of the beautifully dressed women waiting for their chance to get close to Master Mu. I heard that there¡¯ll even be a dance floorter!¡±

    Su Nan pulled Xi Xiaye aside as she showed her long gown off. ¡°Look at me. Even I changed into this. In fact, Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng areing over tonight as well, aren¡¯t they? Aren¡¯t you going to grab the opportunity to step on them and help me stave this anger off for me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then could not help but be slightly distracted. She fell silent for a moment then helplessly waved the phone in her hand and answered calmly, ¡°I was so busy that I forgot. I was just about to call you and ask for you to pick a dress for me, but time flew by pretty quickly. It¡¯s almost half past 3, and you and Ruan Heng are already here.¡±

    Su Nan was speechless. She could only scratch her head and could not help but be driven slightly mad. ¡°I¡¯m so done with you. You¡¯re so dense! Fine, fine, I¡¯ll apany you to go take a look now. Isn¡¯t Fashion City just nearby? Let¡¯s go over to take a look first. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    As she said this, she pulled Xi Xiaye along with her.

    ¡°Never mind. There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll just go myself. The banquet is going to start soon. You two go in first. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to find anyer. I¡¯ll have to go backstageter on as well. Xiao Mei, please bring Mr. Ruan and Miss Su in.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not wait for Su Nan to say anything further. She just waved for her assistant, Xiao Mei, to bring them in.

    ¡°Nan Nan, Ruan Heng, you two follow Xiao Mei in and find a good spot first. I¡¯ll look for youter.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Ruan, Miss Su, this way.¡± Xiao Mei smiled as she greeted them.

    ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Su Nan wanted to say something, but Ruan Heng held her back. ¡°Xiaye, then we¡¯ll go in first. See youter!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡±

    Ruan Heng dragged Su Nan and followed Xiao Mei in.

    As she watched their figures disappear past the door, Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly. She stole a nce at the time on her phone and habitually reached out to cover her forehead with her hand. She was thinking about whether or not to rush out to search for a gown when a voice interrupted her thoughts ¡ª

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± It was Li Si.

    His sudden voice made Xi Xiaye look up abruptly too. She looked at Li Si who was walking towards and could not help but be slightly shocked.

    Since Li Si was here, did that mean that Mu Yuchen hade too?

    ¡°Secretary Li?¡± Xi Xiaye responded, subconsciously peeking behind him, yet she did not see signs of the man. She could not help but feel puzzled when she turned to Li Si.

    ¡°Master is still in the hotel. He wants you to go over right away,¡± Li Si said softly to Xi Xiaye.

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye instantly frowned. She did not understand. ¡°The opening ceremony is going to start right away. Everything else after that...¡±

    ¡°Master¡¯s already called Manager Fang to ask him to take charge of all the matters afterward,¡± Li Si responded.

    ¡°Director Xi, since that¡¯s the case, you should make a trip there. It¡¯ll be fine with me here. Besides, you should change your outfit.¡± Vice President Zhang Lan smiled from the side.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to trouble you, VP Zhang. I¡¯ll go over for a bit.¡±

    Zhang Lan smiled in response.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xi Xiaye picked up her pace and walked to the stairs while Li Si politely nodded to VP Zhang and then followed after her.

    ...

    She followed Li Si to Emperor Hotel where Mu Yuchen was waiting in his VIP room.

    ¡°Missus, please go in. Master¡¯s right inside.¡±

    They had just walked past a long corridor, and when they reached the door, Ah Mo seemed to have been waiting for a long time. He respectfully opened the room door for her, indicating for her to enter.

    ¡°You¡¯re still here? The opening ceremony is about to start soon!¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows and took a look at Ah Mo and Li Si.

    Ah Mo smiled. ¡°We were waiting for you, Missus. Please go in!¡±

    Why were they being all mysterious?

    If she had known, then she would have called him and the gown problem could have been resolved earlier, but she had forgotten about that too.

    Xi Xiaye then picked up her pace and walked in before Ah Mo quickly closed the door.

    She had just stepped into the room when his handsome figure entered her sight. Standing there before the French windows with his hand sped behind his back, when he heard the sound of footsteps, the man instantly turned around and looked at the door.

    Just as he thought, he saw that the slender woman was still dressed in the ck formal suit. She looked very experienced and steady, yet to him, he felt that this woman was actually very delicate and frail. Furthermore, she was worried about her weight...

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful brows raised slightly when she saw that his gaze fell onto her without shifting for quite a while. Then, she looked down to see if there was anything wrong with her.

    When he heard her crisp voice, his noble and handsome face appearedfortable. The hands he set behind him lifted and reached out towards her and his voice was deep yet calm. ¡°Come over!¡±

    His smile was inviting and his deep voice sounded like there were hints of warmth too. For some reason, it eased her fatigue. She thought about it for quite a while, then she walked over.

    She had just walked up to him when her entire being was surrounded by him around the shoulders as he hugged her fiercely.

    ¡°Tired?¡±

    Hugging her, the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder. He still looked at her from his towering position, seeing that the tag on her chest had already titled to one side, so he reached out to help her straighten it.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. The opening ceremony is starting soon. I...¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to tell him that she had to rush to get a gown now, yet before she could say anything, Mu Yuchen continued, ¡°Oh, so you know it¡¯s going to start soon too.¡± Her beautiful brows furrowed even further as she looked up at him, her starry eyes flickering with puzzlement.

    He shot her a nce and patted her head like a punishment. Then, he pointed to the bag on the sofa. ¡°Quickly go in and change into it.¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye was stunned. She followed his line of sight and saw that there was indeed something on the sofa. She looked at him suspiciously as if realizing something. She then walked over...

    Indeed, it was a gorgeous gown in the bag.

    It turned out that he really did listen to herst night, yet he had not answered her. How annoying!

    Xi Xiaye red at him, not saying anything though. Then, she picked the gown up and walked to the bathroom.

 Chapter 167 - Grand Launch (1)

    <h4>Chapter 167: Grand Launch (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Once she entered the bathroom, she practically changed her clothes at the quickest speed.

    He had prepared rather sufficiently. Even the shoes and essories were paired and it did save her quite some time. She swiftly put on the clothes and essories, and casually tied her hair into a beautiful bun, holding it up with the chosen hairpin. Then, she put on simple and light makeup.

    She was very quick, and without any borate adornment either. Everything was settled within the blink of an eye.

    ...

    When she looked at herself in the mirror, Xi Xiaye was a little shocked. With this dress on her, she almost could not recognize herself. The gown was very suitable and with such delicate essories that matched it well, she looked gorgeous.

    She was dazed for a while, then she snapped back after a moment. When she saw the wound that was vaguely exposed on her shoulder, she instantly frowned again.

    Mu Yuchen had chosen a dress that covered her chest. However, even though the left side of it had been specially adjusted and it came with a shawl of the same color, it did not seem topletely cover up her wound.

    Just as her beautiful brows were knotted in her dilemma, the bathroom door suddenly swung open. She followed the source of the sound and noticed Mu Yuchen already walking in with huge strides.

    He examined her slightly and could not hide how she took his breath away. However, he very quickly returned to his senses, looked down, and quietly studied the wound on her left shoulder that could not be entirely hidden.

    There was some dimness in her eyes; it seemed to be a sadness that was hard to hold back. She fell silent for a while and then said sorrowfully, ¡°I think it¡¯s best I just wear my work suit. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to wear a dress like this for the rest of my life...¡±

    It was not a bad thing to be working so hard. The doctor had already told her very clearly then that the wound would leave a scar. Even though she did not pick at the healing pad, she knew that it must be just as the doctor said.

    When he saw her fatigued expression instantly go pale, it made his heart sink. His eyes held pity for her. He reached out with his arm and could not help but pull her into a hug into his embrace as he scolded softly, ¡°That¡¯s enough. How big of an issue is this? Isn¡¯t it just a little wound? There¡¯ll be a way to make it fade.¡±

    Even though he was scolding her, his tone did not sound reprimanding at all.

    As he said this, she suddenly saw him lift a hand. A cool and almost flirtatious sapphire blue rose entered her sight. It was a blossoming sapphire blue rose.

    He lowered his head and bent over slightly. Very carefully and earnestly, he put the blossoming blue rose in his hand to her chest, the blossoming and flirtatiously beautiful petals instantly covering the wound that showed.

    He meticulously arranged it for a while and fixed her shawl before straightening up and watching her in satisfaction. He chuckled. ¡°Just like that. Isn¡¯t it all good now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head slightly took and looked towards her left shoulder. The wound had beenpletely hidden whilst the cold and beautiful petals blended into the dress on her, appearing verypatible.

    Her twinkling eyes suddenly became distracted as she quietly looked on... and on...

    Then, her eyes suddenly heated up and she felt something in her throat. Faint flickering sparkles appeared in her vision and she could not help but turn her head away to blink hard.

    She did not say anything for quite a while.

    He thought she was still upset about the wound, so he went over to hold her by the shoulder and said calmly, ¡°Enough now. Moderation is key. If there¡¯ll be a scar, then let there be a scar especially since you just let me look while you strip when I didn¡¯t even say anything. So, what are you worried for?¡±

    Initially, she felt somewhat upset and moved, yet when he said this, she suddenly felt embarrassed and forgot all about being upset. She immediately turned her head and blinked her eyes with flickering sparkles of droplets in them. ring at him, she said angrily as she felt shameful, ¡°How vulgar!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes twinkled. He returned her re with an objection, his expression extremely calm and distant as he answered disapprovingly, ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. Don¡¯t you think it is?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked a little speechless and then she rolled her eyes.

    <i>This man is really able topletely turn my emotions upside down. Initially, I should¡¯ve been...</i>

    She could not be bothered with him. Unable to stand his sly and unfathomable gaze, she turned around and walked out of the door. ¡°It¡¯s about time. If we don¡¯t go now, we¡¯ll bete.¡±

    When he saw her walk out the door in a huff, he chuckled without a word. He stared at her slender figure for quite a while then slowly followed after.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    Once the door was opened, Ah Mo who was outside immediately walked up. When he saw Xi Xiaye walk out while holding the hem of her dress up, his eyes lit up. He subconsciously turned to look at Li Si who looked stunned as well. He turned nk.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice sounded, his eyes sweeping across Ah Mo and Li Si who could not help but feel a sudden chill down their backs. They then quietly lowered their heads...

    While at this moment, the International Exhibition Centre was already filled with guests, it was bustling all over the ce.

    Soothing and gentle music filled the venue while experienced waiters shuttled back and forth serving tea and finger food. The host up front was testing the microphone and on both sides of the super huge screens, they were ying a promotional video of the different departments in Glory World Corporation.

    Congrattory greetings went around the room.

    The several VIP tables up front were slowly filling with people. However, the one most important had yet to arrive though just like how big shot celebrities who were invited usually appearedst. The crowd did not forget that thisunch was meant to announce Glory World Corporation¡¯s determination in advancing into the showbiz industry as well.

    In the guest seats up front, there were many well-known directors and people-in-charge of movie and televisionpanies. The reporters had also gone through strict screening, and only several media houses earned the right to enter.

    Apetition among those in show business might happen right there really soon.

    As the time closed in, the atmosphere suddenly became exciting and everyone was looking forward to it. Even the venue music changed to slightly more upbeat Latin music.

    Outside the venue, many fans of movie stars and singers also knew about thisunch, so they rushed over and gathered outside. Unfortunately, they were stopped outside the protective fence next to the stairs by the security staff.

    Both sides of the carpark were filled with cars. There was a vast crowd on both sides of the staircase as many had gone over just to catch the excitement too.

    A silver luxury limousine sped in, slowly stopping in front of the stairs.

    The car door quickly opened.

    ¡°It¡¯s CEO Zhou. He¡¯s finally here!¡±

    Zhang Lan personally walked down the stairs to greet him respectfully.

    The person who came was Zhou Zimo, their Master¡¯s good friend. He was the young one in power of Zhou Corporation and he was very well-known in the business circle too.

 Chapter 168 - Grand Launch (2)

    <h4>Chapter 168: Grand Launch (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Simo smiled and nodded, gently shaking Zhang Lan¡¯s hand. The smile on his handsome face was particrly tender and it made everyone on the side screech. The few slightly famous female celebrities who followed behind his car also blushed and felt their hearts beat faster.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t your Chairman Mu arrived yet?¡± Zhou Simo smiled and asked.

    ¡°He should be here soon. Earlier, Assistant Li Si came over too. In fact, theunch is starting soon. CEO Zhou, let¡¯s go in first,¡± Zhang Lan greeted appropriately.

    Zhou Zimo nodded cheerfully. ¡°This guy is always rushing to enterst as if he¡¯s waiting for those few minutes. Let¡¯s go in first. I want to sit at the same table as him.¡±

    Before Zhang Lan could reply, he walked right in.

    Just as Zhang Lan smiled and was about to enter, there was amotion and loud cheering from behind. He turned and saw that at the staircase earlier, a white sports car had stopped. The person in the car was a famous movie star, Caitlin, while an equally popr singer, Lin Ling followed after in a limousine. There were even some super popr models and A-list celebrities. It was quite a spectacr scene.

    The moment all these big shots got down from the car, many of the fans who had waited for a long time rushed up recklessly, shrieking and shouting in excitement. They begged for a photo or an autograph. Even if all these personalities had brought along personal bodyguards, they could not hold back thisrge group of zealous fans.

    The fan groups held up their banners, waving signs to disy their love as they rushed up madly like a surging tide. Caitlin and the rest could only smile and take group photos with their respective fans or give them their autographs.

    Caitlin and Lin Ling were both spokespeople that Glory World Corporation had just signed on. Like Xi Xinyi, they were both very popr A-list celebrities and were loved by millions of fans.

    Today, they had also dressed morously, hungry to steal everyone¡¯s attention. Caitlin wore a brightly-colored, gorgeous Empress-style <i>cheongsam </i>, appearing rather charismatic.

    On the other hand, Lin Ling took thedy-like route. She wore a light-colored embroidered <i>qipao </i>that had doubleyers. Her bright and beautiful face was like a blooming lotus flower whilst her manners were elegant and enchanting.

    All three of the super A-list female stars, including Xi Xinyi who had not yet arrived, were all personalities of interest at thisunch because apart from thempeting to be Imperial Sky Jewellery City¡¯s main spokesperson, if they were lucky, they would be Glory World Corporation¡¯s face that would advance into the showbiz industry. All eyes would be on them and their future would be limitless.

    The security guards spent a lot of effort before they managed to calm the crowd down. The few celebrities finally stepped onto the red carpet and waved at their fans as they walked into the venue.

    The venue was pretty happening inside too. One could hear the shrieks and cheers at the entrance when the crowd looked over to the door and saw that Caitlin and the rest were walking on the red carpet in a high-profile manner as blinding photography shes from various media highlighted their presence. All of them had easy-mannered smiles.

    One after another, they disyed their gracefulness with all they had and the atmosphere suddenly turned livelier. The crowd was all staring intensely at the beautiful scene on the red carpet, their eyes filled with admiration.

    Even Su Nan could not help but excitedly shriek with her fists pumping in the air. ¡°It¡¯s Caitlin! Ruan Heng, it really is Caitlin! Oh my God, I really love her! And that man beside her, he¡¯s the remarkably popr best male lead actor, Ming Yu! Pinch me! Am I seeing this right?! It feels like I¡¯m dreaming!¡±

    As she eximed, she clutched onto Ruan Heng who thought that his arm was about to be bruised from her grasp.

    ¡°And that woman is Lin Ling! Drop-dead beautiful!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s eyes kept staring at the red carpet ahead, yet when she looked to the back and saw a sh of gaudy red, her face instantly sank. She could not help but say gloomily, ¡°Why is she here too? And dressed so sexily and provokingly! Why is she trying to get in on the action?!¡±

    Ruan Heng followed Su Nan¡¯s gaze and looked over to see Huang Shanshan clinging onto the CEO of theirpany, CEO Wang, and was walking on the red carpet. She was dressed in ming red and looked particrly attractive, oozing with sultriness.

    It made Su Nan unhappy and her face darkened. What made her even angrier came after, heralded by the excited shrieks from the entrance. She looked up and saw¡ª

    It was Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng!

    ¡°Wow, she thinks she¡¯s an Oscar-award winning best actress, wanting to act like a big shot, and even using bodyguards to opened up a pathway! This bitch is fronting again. Doesn¡¯t she know that fronting is short-lived while a bitch like her is forever?¡±

    Su Nan was harsh with her words. When she saw Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi walking with four bodyguards in ck surrounding them, her eyes were practically spitting fire. She did not care about her image.

    With the way she cursed, the people around could not help but throw odd nces at Su Nan. Ruan Heng could only pull on her arm and remind her, ¡°Nan Nan, watch yourself. We¡¯re in public.¡±

    ¡°So what if we¡¯re in public? Look at the way she smiles! Those who didn¡¯t know would think that she¡¯s so pure and kind, but she¡¯s actually just a hypocritical white lotus flower. How pretentious! Just watching her disgusts me!¡±

    Su Nan did not make an exception ¨C she was always like that. As long as she felt good about it, she could disregard whatever image she had. She did not know the others anyway, so she did not care what they thought.

    ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you that you should leave some face for Xiaye. We¡¯re specially invited guests of Xiaye. Don¡¯t embarrass her. Look, they¡¯re all watching you!¡± Ruan Heng said helplessly.

    Then, Su Nan started to restrain herself and turned to look at those people who stared at her. ring at them for a while, she then stopped herself.

    Amidst the upbeat opening music and the crowd¡¯s cheers, the round of contesting for attention finally slowed down. With the awaited personalities¡¯ arrival and after they sat in their respective seats, theunch was about to begin. The emcee upfront had already begun speaking to sustain the lively mood at the venue.

    At this moment, at the venue entrance.

    Passing through the gentle, warm light, the Bentley finally slowed down to a stop.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    When they saw the car stop, Liu Lingyu, Zhang Lan, Wen Haiming, and the other upper management leaders, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately rushed up to greet him.

    Before Ah Mo could open the door, Mu Yuchen had already pushed the door open and got down by himself. Just as he stood steadily, he reached into the car and asked Zhang Lan and the rest inly, ¡°Is everyone here?¡±

    ¡°Everything¡¯s in order. We¡¯re just waiting for you, Chairman Mu.¡± Just as Zhang Lan said this, the few of them saw Xi Xiaye swiftly get down from the car.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    They were practically dumbfounded. A second ago, they were still surprised by whoever had the honor to be their Chairman Mu¡¯s date. As they gaped at the elegant Xi Xiaye, they were stunned for a moment.

    They had never seen Director Xi dress this morously before!

    Usually, she would be dressed in her strict and low-profiled ck business suit!

 Chapter 169 - Grand Launch (3)

    <h4>Chapter 169: Grand Launch (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye smiled elegantly and nodded gently at everyone. ¡°Apologies for making everyone wait.¡±

    Zhang Lan grinned. ¡°Director Xi, I think the title of our Glory World¡¯s number one goddess should be awarded to you! When I saw those beautiful female celebrities earlier, everything looked like a blur. Looking at you now, I suddenly feel that you can probably be the finale personality for Glory World.¡±

    Once Zhang Lan said that, the few others could not help but beam and nod in agreement.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s delicate face started to get hot, then sheughed and said, ¡°The person who should be the finale isn¡¯t me, but...¡±

    As she said this, she turned to look at the man beside her willfully, drawingughter from them. ¡°Right! That¡¯s right!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡±

    He shot her a side look and was about to reach out to hold her hand, yet she turned to the side. Before he could reach her, she had already consciously and quietly moved to stand behind him and the few other Vice Presidents.

    He instantly frowned, his eyes focusing on her. The others seemed to have noticed something too, and they automatically opened up a path...

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. After a brief stare, she then quietly walked to his side.

    ...

    When they entered the venue, the ce was still bustling. The host who was giving an opening wee address to the guests offstage also did not realize that the Glory World leaders had entered.

    It was not until someone offstage shouted ¡®Chairman Mu¡¯ did the crowd snap back to attention. By the time they swiveled to look, Mu Yuchen and several of his subordinates had walked across the red carpet and sat calmly at the hosts¡¯ seating area.

    The honorable and graceful, low-profile and reserved Master Mu was always the center of everyone¡¯s attention. His presence could instantly silence an entire venue.

    Today, as usual, he was dressed in afortable, silver-gray casual suit. His handsome and indifferent face was quiet and distant as always, his gaze hidden in a gentle mystery. He looked calm and unfathomable without even needing to deliberately show off his aura. With just that poise and manner of his, he could immediately make the crowd perceive the meaning of an innate honorable grace.

    Something that was equally breathtaking was the woman beside him ¡ª

    In a low-profile, elegant <i>cheongsam, </i> the obscure and mysterious sapphire blue outfit greeted their sight. They could not help but feel their breaths taken away. The tiny diamond studs on the bodice and the floral print on the skirt coupled with the blooming blue roses that fit perfectly by the corner of the dress made this subtlyvish dress retain its elegance and beauty.

    Her delicate and exquisiteplexion was bright and glowing while her twinkling eyes held an air of indifference. Her expression that was calm as water seemed quite simr to Mu Yuchen¡¯s beside her.

    She did not deliberately put much makeup. Even that beautiful, long hair of hers was so casually tied into a bun with several thin strands of fringe still framing her forehead. Despite appearing a little messy, it looked rather charming. The faint smile on her face also made one feel that she possessed a sort of elegant and gentleness.

    Because of their appearance, it seemed as if everything else around them had instantly turned dull and colorless.

    They were a match made in heaven, the perfect pair!

    When everyone saw this scene, these words shed in their minds.

    You could vaguely hear the sound of a horrified gasp as the host onstage realized that he had forgotten to announce the arrival of Chairman Mu and the other leaders of Glory World Corporation.

    Han Yifeng had never witnessed such a gorgeously dazzling side of Xi Xiaye. In his impression of her, she had always been a character that existed quietly, never taking up the role of a princess. On the other hand, the one who always acted like a princess was Xi Xinyi...

    In his daze, he suddenly thought about how at almost every party, Xi Xinyi would always appear splendidly with the posture of a princess, while her sister, Xi Xiaye, would always be behaving as usual, busy helping the servants, or in a certain corner chatting away with an old friend. She would never be like them, mingling around in the middle of crowds while basking in everyone¡¯s praises and envy.

    Something shed in his mind. He could also vaguely remember ¡ª

    That New Year¡¯s Eve, he had stood beside her under the tree as they watched the sky full of flickering fireworks. She had asked him, ¡°Yifeng, after all of this dazzling beauty is gone, what do you think remains?¡±

    That year, she had been forced to quit the military academy to go abroad. Before she left, she had found him to tell him, ¡°Yifeng, wait for me to graduate from university. After I return from my studies, I¡¯ll be your assistant. That way, we won¡¯t be too tired.¡±

    That year, he had finally decided to rescind the marriage contract and choose Xi Xinyi. She had begged him, ¡°Yifeng, I don¡¯t know who you¡¯ve liked all these years, and I don¡¯t know how many people have liked you either. If I beg you to respect our marriage contract and not leave, would you be willing to?¡±

    ...

    He did not know why now that he saw her standing beside another man, he suddenly felt upset. He kept reminding himself that the woman he loved had always been Xi Xinyi.

    He did not know why at this very moment, he would so randomly reminisce all these past. Then, he suddenly felt a stifled feeling in his chest...

    Were all men like this?

    Even after separating, would they still think that the person was theirs and feel ufortable when someone else touched them?

    Han Yifeng had a mixed expression as he watched her slowly walk past him. Her resounding steps did not stop for a moment and her gaze did not deviate at all. Subconsciously, he clenched the cup in his hand tightly, and then as if he suddenly remembered something, he slowly let go...

    Seeing this, Xi Xinyi who was by Han Yifeng¡¯s side had an odd gaze. She was stunned for a moment, then she lowered her eyes to hide the emotions in them.

    She suddenly remembered that Yue Lingsi had been jealous of Shen Wenna¡¯s innate extraordinary elegant aura more than once. In the past, when she looked at Xi Xiaye, she could faintly feel that she always lived in Shen Wenna¡¯s shadow. Now, from the way she looked, that feeling was even more distinct.

    Her hand that rested on her knees balled slightly into a fist while she turned to look at Han Yifeng beside her. Seeing his stern, handsome face looking as usual, despite the mixed emotions on his face, her beautiful eyes instantly dimmed. She subconsciously bit her plump lips and reached out to hold Han Yifeng¡¯s hand tightly before she said in a daze, ¡°Sister is so beautiful... right? Yifeng?¡±

    When he heard her voice, Han Yifeng looked at her. Watching the flickering charm in her eyes, while a smile broke across her tender face and she silently looked at the beautiful blue silhouette ahead, he fell silent for a moment. Then, he answered, ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re very beautiful today too.¡±

    Xi Xinyi smiled dly. ¡°In my heart, the most beautiful person has always been her...¡±

    Then, infatuation blossomed clearly in her eyes again...

 Chapter 170 - Grand Launch (4)

    <h4>Chapter 170: Grand Launch (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The obscure sapphire blue carried a reserved mystery that he could not see through. The memories that had been set aside in the corner of his heart seemed to have suddenly been awakened. Then, it began to leave him slowly again...

    Upfront, the host had finally returned to his senses. He could not hold his excitement back as he announced the news regarding the arrival of Chairman Mu and the Glory World leaders. The venue then exploded into thunderous apuse and cheers.

    As the apuse went on, Mu Yuchen had already reached the side of the main seat. Zhou Zimo looked bemusedly at him, but when he saw Xi Xiaye by his side, his eyes could not help but reflect with astonishment. Then, he nodded slightly to greet her and Xi Xiaye pleasantly acknowledged in return.

    ¡°Chairman Mu is here!¡± The few business partners and government officials who sat at the table stood up too.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face had an easy expression as he said gently, ¡°Apologies for making everyone wait. Let¡¯s sit.¡±

    He then pulled out the seat beside him, inly gazing at Xi Xiaye. After that, he pulled another seat next to Zhou Zimo out and sat down.

    The implication was obvious and the row of people standing was bewildered when they saw Mu Yuchen do that. They could not help but be shocked.

    This woman could actually make Chairman Mu prepare a seat for her. In fact, it was to be right beside him. Nothing like this had ever happened before!

    Everyone knew that the usually low-profile and cold Chairman Mu had never had any female dates appear by his side. He was known for being distant from female charms. Even though he gave people a gentle and peaceful feeling, when one got closer to him, one could always feel his reservations and how he would always seem out-of-reach.

    However, now...

    They could tell that the woman was special. At least, she could receive Master Mu¡¯s special treatment.

    Many people who saw this scene were slightly envious of Xi Xiaye. They looked at her, their eyes filled with shock. Some were in admiration, but there were also envy and unhappinessing from people such as Huang Shanshan who was sitting a few tables away.

    When she saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s silver-gray figure, she was instantly stunned. Her entire being was in a daze and there was something that could not be disguised in her beautiful eyes. It was something that could be called infatuation.

    However, when she had a closer look and saw that the woman dressed in the gorgeous blue dress gracefully yet teasing the room with a flirtatious elegance was Xi Xiaye, she felt her entire body stiffen. Her sweet face turned a little tensed as she stared coldly at the sh of blue...

    Not too far away from Huang Shanshan, when Su Nan saw this scene, she was stupefied. She held onto Ruan Heng tightly and stared at Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure. Her beautiful eyes could not help but flicker with some emotional tears.

    Yes, in her dream scenario, Xi Xiaye had always been this elegant and enchanting. She was the real princess! As long as she was willing, she should be able to easily have everyone¡¯s eyes fixed on her just like that, and not like that cheap good who thought that she could be a beautiful princess just by putting on a beautiful gown.

    ¡°How wonderful! We can finally suppress that slut¡¯s limelight. I told you that our Xiaye¡¯s the most outstanding one, not at all like that arrogant peacock,¡± Su Nan could not help but chastise. She also did not miss the way Huang Shanshan seemed miserable. Smiling with disdain, she threw her a nce somewhat provokingly, angering Huang Shanshan whose little face reddened.

    ...

    The event took quite a while to quiet down but eventually, the crowd went back to their seats. Zhang Lan and the rest had spread out to sit with several important guests. The venue started to y a piece of upbeat opening music.

    Xi Xiaye sat beside Mu Yuchen right at that moment.

    The working crew rushed over to ask for instructions. ¡°Chairman Mu, can we begin theunch?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a handkerchief that the waiter delivered and handed it to Xi Xiaye as he nodded.

    Xi Xiaye took it and wiped her hands. When she turned to him, she saw that he was wiping his hands and speaking to Zhou Zimo as well as two other unfamiliar middle-aged men who were dressed impably.

    One of the middle-aged men had his gaze resting on Xi Xiaye. He finally could not help but ask, ¡°And this is...?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was about to speak up. However, Mu Yuchen, who was smiling and chatting away with the other two middle-aged men, was a step ahead of her. He lifted a hand to fix Xi Xiaye¡¯s slightly messy shawl, immediately announcing his ownership as he smiled and looked at the man who had asked. ¡°Bureau Chief Huang, you seem to be admiring my date, eh? Xiaye, this is Bureau Chief Huang from the city bureau.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded politely at the man. ¡°Nice to meet you, Bureau Chief Huang. I¡¯m Xi Xiaye.¡±

    The man smiled unnaturally and answered, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Director Xi! I¡¯ve admired your reputation for a long time...¡± Then, he did not continue.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and nced at Mu Yuchen. He was being rather frank, immediately announcing her as his date.

    Still, before she could ponder further, the host had already begun to announce theunch onstage. The popping of gun salutes was heard while paper flowers filled the sky, eddying down. The event was instantly jubnt with celebration as everyone raised their drinks and stood up, making toasts and reveling.

    Next up, Vice President Zhang Lan went up the stage to introduce Glory World¡¯s leadership team before thanking the guests foring, andstly, making a short report.

    The banquet¡¯s atmosphere very quickly became intense.

    There were sounds of wine sses clinking among the cheering while a joyous piano tune was yed. Amidst the rxing and gentle music, the host smiled onstage and said to everyone, ¡°Once again, we¡¯d like to wee and thank everyone foring. Next up, let¡¯s invite Glory World¡¯s nning Director, and the person-in-charge of the Imperial Sky Entertainment City project, Miss Xi Xiaye who will introduce Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Let¡¯s give our elegant and beautiful Director Xi a round of apuse!¡±

    The instant the host finished, the venue exploded into thunderous pping again and the crowd had already turned to look towards the main seat.

    When the spotlight instantly fell onto Xi Xiaye, the crowd¡¯s eyes followed too and the media photographed away, making her frown a little ufortable. She only got used to the attention after a brief moment.

    ¡°Where¡¯s our Director Xi?¡±

    Onstage, the host had very cleverly maintained the mood of the event and chuckled lightly. In the meantime, the crowd had already caught sight of Xi Xiaye who sat beside Mu Yuchen.

    When Xi Xiaye heard the host, she instantly smiled and slowly got up. Taking a look at the stage, she then lowered her head to whisper by the man¡¯s ear, ¡°Where¡¯s my script?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Li Si who had walked over in time. Li Si quickly handed a draft of a speech to Xi Xiaye. ¡°It¡¯s here, Director Xi.¡±

    Taking it, she flipped it and confirmed that it was her speech before she nodded and thanked him. She gently pulled at the shawl that slid down her shoulder before strolling towards the stage.

 Chapter 171 - Grand Launch (5)

    <h4>Chapter 171: Grand Launch (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye went up on stage calmly escorted by the apuse and cheering from the crowd. She did not seem flustered at all. Instead, the crowd quieted down when she went up on stage.

    Xi Xiaye looked at everyone with a calm expression as her sapphire blue figure packed a strong power within her. She seemed so wless and confident.

    She opened the draft of the speech and spoke, her calm voice reaching everyone.

    ¡°Thank you, everyone, for attending the opening night of Glory World¡¯s Imperial Sky Entertainment City. I hereby wee all our guests on behalf of our employees.¡±

    The crowd apuded again as everybody stared straight at the little sapphire figure. There was no doubt that Xi Xiaye had now be a beautiful view on stage.

    Su Nan kept on waving her hands at Xi Xiaye onstage. Ruan Heng was helpless as she was unable to hold her enthusiasm in and shouted loudly.

    ¡°Xiaye, all the best! Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Director Xi is so beautiful!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Imperial Sky Entertainment City was proposed on XX year XX month. We started developing it on XX year XX month, and we were done on XX year XX month. We¡¯ve received satisfactory results from our trial business run which spanned a total of four years. Long before I took over, Director Chu from the sales department had been working tirelessly on this project. I only took over after Director Chu was transferred away. Many employees have worked hard to achieve the great results today, and I¡¯d like to thank all of them for their hard work...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s confident speech made all the Glory World¡¯s employees feel proud of their work and they were really grateful.

    Everyone who had worked with Director Xi before would know that even though she seemed notably cold, she was actually very easygoing once you got to know her. They found that she was an amicable person to chat with as well.

    It wasmon to spot her at the canteen, eating the same food as the other employees. At the work site, she would not just stand there and order people around. Instead, she worked with the others, and during emergencies, she would give her all to help as well.

    Many people in thepany admired this young female director in theirpany. Arge number of male colleagues even thought of her as their goddess, and the female colleagues thought of her as their role model.

    Of course, they all cheered passionately as their goddess was giving a speech on stage. The nning Department and the working group for Imperial Sky Entertainment City were pping their hardest,s so much so that their faces went red. Director Xi had be their representative as she reported their progress.

    Xi Xiaye took a pause as she looked at the crowd below. Instinctively, she shot the working group a smile with the apuse still going on. She continued, ¡°Imperial Sky Entertainment City was built with Imperial Sky Hotel, Imperial Sky Fashion City, and also Imperial Sky Jewelry City, as well as Imperial Sky VIP Club. Imperial Sky Hotel started running over a year ago, and it¡¯s now a five-star hotel under Glory World. Imperial Sky Fashion City started running several years back with a total of...¡±

    Calm, elegant, and professional...

    Xi Xiaye left such a positive impression on everyone, unlike the female celebrities who liked to fight for the spotlight onstage. She did not seem like she would lose to them at all.

    There was a saying that a man was the most attractive when he was focused on work. At this very moment, to the crowd in the hall, a woman that was focused on reporting her work, more specifically, Xi Xiaye who was focused on her reports was truly shining. Everyone was attracted to her.

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and looked at the little figure onstage with a warm smile. It was the first time he had ever listened to a report so carefully and a rare gentleness appeared in his eyes.

    Zhou Zimo leaned over slightly with a wine ss in his hand as he spoke to Mu Yuchen quietly, ¡°Your wife seems to suit you a lot. I think you guys look more and more perfect together. I see it¡¯s not a bad idea to hunt your own employees. Now, I get why the rabbit would eat the grass near its burrow.¡±

    A teasing toney in his calm voice. While he was talking, he nced between Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye onstage with an ambiguous gaze.

    ¡°You can imitate me as well. Go and look for a female employee in yourpany,¡± Mu Yuchen took a sip and replied.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged as he chuckled. ¡°If there¡¯s someone like your woman in mypany, I don¡¯t mind, really. But most of the women in mypany look like women out here. They gaze at you like a predator every time you walk past them as if they¡¯re going to swallow you whole. Look there, just like that woman! She seems to be interested in you ¡ª¡±

    Zhou Zimo signaled Mu Yuchen, who turned towards the direction he was indicating, only to see Huang Shanshan making eyes at him with a flirtatious look. Her eyes brightened slightly when she was looking at Mu Yuchen, then she smiled shyly when she saw him returning her gaze. After she raised her wine ss slightly and gave him a toast from afar, she averted her sight.

    Mu Yuchen frowned the moment he saw her, unable to hide the coldness in his eyes. He thought that this woman was a little familiar, then he remembered that she had tried to p Xi Xiaye at Han Yifeng¡¯s engagement party.

    How could they let people like here in?

    Mu Yuchen stared at her coldly and deflected his gaze. The coldness in his eyes was obvious.

    The gentle and refined Zhou Zimo actually teased Mu Yuchen as he looked at him oddly, ¡°Although you¡¯re low-profile, it seems that you¡¯re still pretty popr now, but you¡¯re too anti-social. I wonder how many women would be heartbroken if they found out that you¡¯re married.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take the hit for me?¡± Mu Yuchen nced back at him and said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not blessed enough to enjoy these. However, it seems that your woman is in trouble. Look there, and there...¡±

    He nced around when he heard Zhou Zimo. He saw several predatory gazes glowering at Xi Xiaye, including Huang Shanshan just now, who was throwing her an unfriendly stare.

    His frown deepened as he raised his head slightly and looked at the petite woman who was still in the midst of her speech. Soon, his eyes darkened.

 Chapter 172 - Grand Launch (6)

    <h4>Chapter 172: Grand Launch (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At the same time, Han Yifeng was watching Xi Xiaye from below. The moment he saw her standing on the stage so calmly, he knew that the girl he had been familiar with many years ago no longer existed. She had changed a lot...

    It seemed that she had actually never changed one bit. He just never paid enough attention to her and he did not know her well enough.

    ¡°Ms. Xiaye is confirmed to have been married. She got registeredst year,¡± echoed the voice of his assistant, Secretary Wang in his ear. He found out that the man who married Xi Xiaye was actually Mu Yuchen.

    As he thought of it, he looked over at Mu Yuchen¡¯s direction who was chatting with people around him with a smile on his face while he nced over to the stage asionally...

    He felt conflicted and suppressed on the inside. In an attempt to hide it, he lowered his head and chugged down the ss of wine.

    Xi Xinyi carefully observed Han Yifeng¡¯s reaction as her eyebrows lowered slightly as she tried to hide her emotions under her eyes. She pursed her lip as her facial expression froze up and she nced up on stage from time to time to study the low-profile yet brightly shining Xi Xiaye...

    After Xi Xiaye was done with her introductions, next up was the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The people participating in this were the people from the government sector, Mu Yuchen, Zhang Lan, and the others.

    Following that, the atmosphere at the venue was really heated up. Waiters started serving dishes to each table, and performances went up one after another on stage. All of them were invited celebrities who marked the true opening of the banquet!

    Xi Xiaye sat back into her seat and was looking for something to drink when Mu Yuchen handed her a ss of warm water. ¡°Let¡¯s go back earlier tonight,¡± he said quietly when he saw the exhaustion in her eyes.

    Although she understood what he meant, as the supervisor, she had to wait until everything was finished and packed up before leaving.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Li Si to prepare some extra hands. We can go back after announcing the ambassador for Jewelry Cityter.¡±

    Only the rave party remained. Both Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were simr as they did not like parties like those.

    The world under the shy lights was not what they wanted; they could only be themselves after removing the fancy spotlights away from them.

    Xi Xiaye was deep in thought for a moment before nodding. Since she had not been resting well for the past few days, she felt pretty exhausted herself and wanted to get decent rest before going back to work the next day.

    People at the venue were getting more and more excited, especially when popr stars like Caitlyn and Lin Ling started singing. They gave their all for their audience, hoping that they could grab the spot as Glory World¡¯s main ambassador.

    When the host called Xi Xinyi¡¯s name out, the crowd cheered and she went up on stage like a beautiful and elegant princess. There was no doubt that many people liked her.

    Some of the important guests and movie directors were speaking with one another, exchanging their opinions andmenting on the celebrities onstage. At that moment, they were nodding as they looked at Xi Xinyi who was currently singing.

    ¡°Who do you think is suitable?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye was sipping some wine, she heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s quiet voice. A little startled, she raised her head and looked at him, then she nced over at Xi Xinyi who seemed to be struggling inside as her eyes held conflict. She went silent for a while before giving an objective opinion.

    ¡°Caitlyn is a truly talented person in the entertainment industry. She¡¯s pretty popr and has a strong character, plus her image is mature as well, so that¡¯s pretty good. Lin Ling became popr thanks to her unique quiet aura as well as her amazing voice. As for Xi Xinyi... She¡¯s more towards the pure and innocent type, a one-of-a-kind princess. Each of them has their own perks.¡±

    Heughed when she gave him such a serious reply. ¡°If I let you decide, who would you choose?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and peered at him. ¡°I get to decide?¡±

    He nced at her with an odd look as he said in an indifferent tone, ¡°Tell me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked over at Caitlyn and the others, then she watched Xi Xinyi. ¡°I¡¯d pick Caitlyn.¡±

    ¡°Caitlyn is pretty fantastic in the entertainment industry. Although she¡¯s now married, her poprity has increased instead. She and her husband are a pair of well-known models as a couple. They¡¯re really in love with each other. Her husband avoided appearing before media for her sake. I followed her in the news some time back. I prefer her because she¡¯s more mature. What do you think?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°No personal feelings included?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just telling the truth. But it seems that the PR Department and Vice President Zhang have already decided.¡±

    Seeing how she was just calmly sipping her wine, he smiled without saying anything. He waved his hand and Li Si came over swiftly. Then, he quietly gave some orders to Li Si who nodded and headed straight towards the host on stage.

    After Xi Xinyi¡¯s performance ended, there was a short silence. The guests were buzzing with conversation. After some time, the music changed into a cheerful tone as the host spoke into the mic full of energy and excitement.

    ¡°Dear guests,dies and gentlemen, we¡¯re now having another exciting event for tonight! Next up, let¡¯s have Director Xi up on stage. She¡¯ll be announcing the annual main ambassador. This lucky person will be the face and representative of Glory World. Please wee Director Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye put her hand on her forehead when she heard the host¡¯s voice. So, this was what a supervisor had to go through! She nced at the man beside her and said, ¡°Do you wanna go?¡±

    Mu Yuchen ignored her as he was talking to Zhou Zimo.

    Damn it!

    Xi Xiaye frowned. Inhaling a deep breath, she stood up. Once again, she headed towards the stage.

    She grabbed the mic from the host as she arrived at the center of the stage and an assistant swiftly handed her a prepared envelope. Everyone hushed down and the air turned tense all of a sudden.

    Xi Xiaye opened the envelope with her fingers and took the card out. Peeking at the name, her eyebrows raised and she nced over at Mu Yuchen¡¯s direction.

 Chapter 173 - Grand Launch (7)

    <h4>Chapter 173: Grand Launch (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen just looked back at her calmly as if he was enjoying a movie.

    Xi Xiaye went silent for a moment before she averted her gaze back to the card in her hand. Her cold and calm voice reached everyone through the microphone ¡ª

    ¡°I hereby announce the annual ambassador for Glory World: Ms. Caitlyn! Congrattions, Ms. Caitlyn!¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned to Caitlyn¡¯s direction with smiling eyes. Caitlyn stood up in disbelief, covering her mouth in surprise.

    The crowd gave her a big round of apuse while cries of approval and words of congrattions went around everywhere.

    After a while, Caitlyn came back to her senses and went up onstage amidst the crowd cheering. She soon arrived beside Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Congrattions! I hope we¡¯ll work well with each other.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she congratted Caitlyn, her eyes brightening up a little. She extended her hand towards Caitlyn.

    ¡°Thank you, Director Xi! I¡¯m really honored!¡±

    Although Caitlyn was already contracted with Glory World, she actually had the lowest chance of winning this race for the main ambassador role. It was a known fact within the industry, the news of a celebrity getting married at the peak of her career would lower her poprity. However, Caitlyn still gave it a try.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s smile gave Caitlyn a sense of peace. ¡°You deserve it. I hope we can work well in the future. I heard about you and your husband. I really admire you and am impressed by your courage. I wish you all the best!¡±

    ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m really thankful! This is surprising. I... I¡¯m a little...¡±

    Caitlyn looked at Xi Xiaye gratefully. Having seen her speaking with Chairman Mu quietly earlier, she realized that for her to be able to get this role, Xi Xiaye might have put in a great deal of help.

    Caitlyn suddenly started sobbing. Just how many people understood the hardships on the pathway to bing a star?

    For some reason, she felt at ease when she was with Xi Xiaye. She thought that maybe this elegantdy before her understood her.

    From the very first time she saw Xi Xiaye, Caitlyn wasfortable with her and felt that she might be someone that she could trust and be friends with.

    Suddenly, she could not help herself but engulf Xi Xiaye in a hug.

    Of course, Xi Xiaye had no idea what Caitlyn was thinking about, so she was stunned for a moment when she hugged her. Nevertheless, she smiled when she noticed the glitter in Caitlyn¡¯s eyes, and she embraced her back gracefully.

    And yet, this scene shocked everyone!

    While Caitlyn seemed very friendly and elegant, she was known for being prideful in the industry. No one had ever seen her being particrly close with anyone, but now...

    On the other hand, Director Xi Xiaye from Glory World seemed to have a cold personality. Upon witnessing these twodies hugging each other, it became a beautiful scene that touched many people who saw this heartwarming incident.

    Xi Xiaye patted Caitlyn¡¯s back lightly. ¡°All the best!¡± She then let go of Caitlyn and walked off the stage slowly.

    Caitlyn wiped the tears on the verge of her eyes away. Then, she gave a gratitude speech before singing a ssic old song, ¡°Apuse¡±.

    The atmosphere in the hall had reached its very peak. Many people were on the verge of tearing when they heard Caitlyn¡¯s gentle crooning.

    As Xi Xiaye went back to her seat, she was reminded of all the struggles she had faced along the way. She rted to them deeply, but felt a little sour inside as she turned towards the man beside her...

    His expression seemed indifferent and he was calm as usual. However, he put his hand on hers and rested them on her knee as if he wasforting her.

    She felt his warmthing from his palm. It was slowly reaching towards her core and she could feel her cold body temperature slowly rising.

    However, while such a scene could make someone happy, it caused a certain person to get infuriated as well!

    Several tables away, Huang Shanshan¡¯s face darkened. She almost could not suppress the anger within her as she red coldly at Caitlyn signing on stage. Switching her gaze to Xi Xiaye, she clenched her fists when she saw Xi Xiaye looking at Mu Yuchen.

    Beside her, Xi Xinyi looked pale, her eyes appearing frail and disappointed as if she was hurt. She bit her red lips and was trying her best to hide her pain.

    ¡°It must have been Xi Xiaye. She must have done something! It¡¯s her! Xinyi, did you see that? That woman is just wicked! Just who is Caitlyn? How dare she take away what belongs to you? It must be Xi Xiaye who pulled some strings from behind!¡± Huang Shanshan was enraged and she clenched her teeth hard.

    ¡°Did you see that, Yifeng? This is Xi Xiaye¡¯s doing. She¡¯s the supervisor for this project, so it was as easy as a snap of her finger to change the name. Xinyi should be the one to win this! And now Caitlyn has grabbed it away from her! Is this what she gets for treating Xi Xiaye like her sweet sister? That¡¯s great, Xinyi! Did you see that?¡±

    Huang Shanshan was oddly worked up about it. Furthermore, she felt terrible when she saw Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale and injured expression. In her state of anger and unhappiness, she could not help but burst out in rage when she saw Xi Xiaye still appearing calm.

    ¡°Sis... Yifeng... I...¡±

    Xi Xinyi seemed disappointed and hurt as she looked at Han Yifeng beside her and sniffed.

    Han Yifeng remained silent, his expression cold and his lips pursed. He looked at Caitlyn onstage quietly. Undoubtedly, her singing touched him slightly. He averted his gaze and looked towards Xi Xiaye¡¯s direction.

 Chapter 174 - Why Shouldnt I Marry Him? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 174: Why Shouldn¡¯t I Marry Him? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As the suave music floated in the air, Glory World¡¯s management team started to toast with the guests. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye got up and walked around too.

    They looked just like a couple who were match-made in heaven and became the entire banquet¡¯s center of attention.

    ¡°Xiaye, you look splendid tonight! You¡¯ve shocked me!¡±

    When she reached Su Nan¡¯s table, Su Nan could not help but walk up to give Xi Xiaye a hug. Xi Xiaye could only smile in response.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s slightly raspy voice said softly in her ear, ¡°Thank you, Su Nan.¡±

    Su Nan patted her back and let go of her. Then, she looked to Mu Yuchen on the side and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Master Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally knew what Su Nan meant. He gazed meaningfully at Xi Xiaye beside him, then turned to lift his ss towards Su Nan in response.

    All of a sudden, amotion broke out up front. A few bright figures entered their sight. When they looked up, they saw that Han Yifeng, Xi Xinyi, and Huang Shanshan had walked over.

    Leading the pack was Huang Shanshan who had on a smile on her charming face. Her beautiful eyes twinkled and her steps were light as they walked up to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. When she stopped, her gentle gaze did not even look at Xi Xiaye once. It stopped right on Mu Yuchen. She smiled and greeted, ¡°We meet again, Master Mu! Thest time, I didn¡¯t greet you properly, so I¡¯vee with my drink to apologize. Cheers!¡±

    Once Huang Shanshan finished, Xi Xiaye was stunned. Naturally, she did not miss Huang Shanshan¡¯s concealed admiration in her eyes which was unexpected to her. Then, she watched the man beside her in amusement, yet the man¡¯s expression remained as usual. His eyes were still as water, his gaze brushing past Huang Shanshan and looking ahead as if he did not see Huang Shanshan.

    Xi Xiaye followed his gaze and saw Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi walking over.

    Despite downing her drink, Huang Shanshan, who did not receive a response, saw how Mu Yuchen did not even take as much of a nce at her as if he did not hear her voice. The awkwardness could not be concealed from her beautiful face, especially when a few people shot her odd nces from the side...

    Her face could not help but sink. When she saw Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi walk over, she retreated, feeling upset and seeming embarrassed.

    Han Yifeng was a gentleman and he acknowledged as he walked up to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Congrattions, Chairman Mu.¡±

    ¡°Sis, you¡¯re really beautiful today! I knew that you were always...¡± Xi Xinyi still looked very pale, but there was a faint smile on her face. She looked so vulnerable that it made one feel sorry for her.

    When Xi Xinyi said this, Huang Shanshan¡¯s nce turned bitter. She was about to reach out to pull Xi Xinyi away, yet thetter had walked right up to Xi Xiaye. She took a ss of wine from the waiter¡¯s tray and handed it to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Sis, I want to make a toast to you to wish you a Happy New Year, and may Glory World take it to the next level!¡±

    Xi Xiaye observed at the wine that was handed to her and raised her brows before exchanging a look with Mu Yuchen beside her. After some thought, she then slowly reached out, yet before she could hold it steadily, there was an outcry ¡ª

    The sloshing of the wine was heard. At the same time, Su Nan¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Xiaye, watch out!¡±

    Xi Xiaye realized something almost at the same time. Her hand reached down at lightning speed and caught the ss that fell by a close shave as the wine that sshed out wet her hand.

    A sneer quickly appeared at the corner of her mouth as she looked meaningfully at Xi Xinyi who seemed rmed and apologetic. Then, she smiled wryly without uttering a word. She only looked at her indifferently, then peered down at the half-empty ss.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... It wasn¡¯t on purpose,¡± Xi Xinyi murmured apologetically with her head lowered.

    The moment Xi Xinyi said that, Su Nan refuted her, ¡°I think you were doing it on purpose. How repulsive!¡±

    ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying!¡± Huang Shanshan immediately rushed over defensively.

    Xi Xiaye was calm as usual though. Her smile faintly showed hints of ridicule, yet her twinkling eyes were dense with an indescribable gloominess and evenplication. She just inhaled and looked on apathetically at Xi Xinyi who feigned innocence, her cold voice as calm as autumn waters as shemented, ¡°Apart from using such tricks, can¡¯t you change to something else like ruin my gown? Or did you want the opportunity to tell whoever that I didn¡¯t give you face, intentionally not epting your ss? Toin before Grandfather and Grandmother about how I crossed the line? Did you forget? You¡¯ve already used this same trick at my 16th birthday banquet. Back then, I didn¡¯t seem to be like this right now. I took the ss you handed, but it shattered all over the floor and even hurt your foot...¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused and watched Xi Xinyi¡¯s face instantly freeze up. She then smiled and continued, ¡°After that, because of this incident, Grandmother punished me by making me face the wall. I knelt in her study room for a whole night. And that other time when the gown was burnt, remember? Xi Xinyi, it seems that every single time, you¡¯d only know how to... mmm, right... just like you are right now, looking very innocent and wronged. Tell us that you didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Don¡¯t you know that an excessive coincidence no longer bes a coincidence? That¡¯s just ingenuity. Do you think you¡¯re someone who could scheme like this?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s little face instantly turned pale. She was stumped for words and looked a little stiffly at Xi Xiaye.

    The people around could obviously hear Xi Xiaye too. All of them instantly turned around and looked over. Their gaze quickly fixated on Xi Xinyi who was biting her lips slightly while looking weak and at a loss.

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. You¡¯re like this every single time! How do I... How do I exin it to you? You don¡¯t even give me a chance to exin properly. When I try to be friendly to you, do you even give me a chance?¡±

    Out of the blue, Xi Xinyi suddenly found the courage to say this to Xi Xiaye while more and more people all around were peering over at the moment.

    When Huang Shanshan saw Xi Xinyi reacting like that, she found it difficult to bear. Just as she wanted to walk up to her, Su Nan blocked her and kept her at bay.

    Unable to go ahead, Huang Shanshan became exasperated. She red at Su Nan and snapped coldly, ¡°Su Nan, f*ck off!¡±

    Su Nan smiled in disdain. ¡°I¡¯ve grown to this age, but I still don¡¯t know how to write the words ¡®f*ck off¡¯. How about you demonstrate to me how to f*ck off?¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, I¡¯ll advise you that it¡¯s best not to cross the line.¡±

    Su Nan sneered without care. ¡°It¡¯s you guys who¡¯re crossing the line! You¡¯re deliberately trying to pick a fight, aren¡¯t you? Do you see what thisunch is? Is it a ce for you people to juste and put on a show?¡±

 Chapter 175 - Why Shouldnâ€™t I Marry Him? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 175: Why Shouldn¡¯t I Marry Him? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A short silence urred around Xi Xinyi after she finished her sentence. Xi Xiaye noticed the gazes from all around them and she frowned slightly. She nearly forgot what day it was today.

    ¡°What did you do to her? Or what is your aim? Why do you need to befriend her and have her give you a chance?¡± A quiet voice broke the silence. It was Mu Yuchen who had been silent this whole time.

    He spoke as he grabbed a paper towel from Ah Mo, handing it to Xi Xiaye while his eyes were staring at Xi Xinyi. Xi Xinyi felt like she had nowhere to run under his gaze. She looked downwards out of fear and avoided looking into his eyes.

    Due to Mu Yuchen¡¯s overpowering aura, Xi Xinyi could not stand it anymore and dragged Han Yifeng beside her. She mumbled, ¡°Chairman Mu, Sister and I just have... some misunderstandings, so...¡±

    ¡°Xinyi!¡± Han Yifeng suddenly called out to her and pulled her closer to him. His eyes met with Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze. Just as he was about to say something, Xi Xiaye emptied the half-filled ss and handed it to a waiter nearby. She told Mu Yuchen, ¡°I¡¯ll go and wash my hands.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced back at her, knowing that she was worried this might mess up the event¡¯s atmosphere. He nodded and adjusted the shawl on her shoulder. ¡°Come back quickly.¡±

    Her slender figure vanished in the crowd after a brief reply...

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what misunderstandings you¡¯ve had with Xiaye in the past, but you¡¯re the first one daring enough to pull such tricks right before me,¡± Mu Yuchen stated indifferently as he looked at Xi Xinyi,

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned even paler. Even though his tone of voice was calm, she could not take the strong aura radiating from his eyes. She fretted while trying to exin, ¡°That¡¯s not it, Chairman Mu, Sister and I...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not bother to listen to her exnation. He nced over at Han Yifeng and said quietly, ¡°CEO Han, I hope there¡¯s no more next time for what happened today.¡±

    Before Han Yifeng could react, Mu Yuchen walked past him.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression darkened as Mu Yuchen marched past him coldly. His dark eyes turned icy as he suddenly moved Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand onto his arm. He red at her sharply and made her panic.

    ¡°Yifeng, I didn¡¯t! You have to believe me!¡± Xi Xinyi grabbed onto his sleeve out of trepidation while tears appeared on the verge of her eyes. She seemed really frail and innocent.

    Han Yifeng stared at her for a long time. His eyes and emotions were getting more and moreplicated. After a while, he said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Get back to your seat.¡±

    ¡°Cousin!¡± Huang Shanshan caught up to them and studied Han Yifeng worriedly.

    ¡°Let her get some rest. I¡¯ll go out to take a breather.¡± Han Yifeng put the wine ss in his hand away before leaving.

    ...

    Inside the washroom, Xi Xiaye stood before the tap and washed her hands quietly. She raised her head and saw her somewhat exhausted face. Her eyes had dark rings around them. She sshed some water onto her face and felt refreshed when she looked at her face once again, letting out a sigh of relief.

    After she was done, she walked through the long corridor upon leaving the washroom. To her surprise, she saw Han Yifeng smoking in a corner. He seemed lonely as she watched hisrge figure from afar.

    Her steps faltered slightly, but she did not stop at all. She averted her gaze and pretended as if she did not see anything, intending to walk away quietly.

    Although that was what she thought, before she could even inch away, Han Yifeng had already turned to her and walked towards her.

    ¡°Xiaye...¡± He called out to her when her head was lowered and seemingly wanted to avoid him as he stepped forward.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, CEO Han?¡±

    She stopped before him, raising her head and glowering at him directly. ¡°If you¡¯re here to talk about Xi Xinyi, or to warn me not to harm her again, please go back and tell her that I wouldn¡¯t do anything against people who have done nothing to me. If I¡¯m threatened, I¡¯ll surely repay it the same way!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s heart clenched when he heard her words. The light in his eyes quieted down and after giving it some thought, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not about Xinyi. I have something to ask you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him coldly. He asked straight before she could even reply, ¡°You... Are you married... to Mu Yuchen?¡±

    His eyes moved downwards as he asked, focusing on her left ring finger. That silver shine was so obvious and bright, strong enough to hurt his eyes.

    Xi Xiaye smirked, not hiding anything at all before admitting, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We got married long before your engagement with Xi Xinyi, so you don¡¯t have to worry that I¡¯ll bother you ever again. Are you satisfied with this answer?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Han Yifeng looked into her eyes and asked quietly, ¡°If you¡¯re doing so out of spite...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s smile seemed a little empty, but her tone of voice was extremely determined. ¡°You think too highly of yourself, Han Yifeng. I want myself to know that I don¡¯t only belong to one person. Starting a new life isn¡¯t bad at all.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen isn¡¯t someone you can control, Xiaye! Do you even know him well? Does Uncle Xi know that you¡¯re married? As well as your grandfather and grandmother...¡±

    Xi Xiaye shut him up before he could finish his sentence. ¡°I have no more links to the Xi family anymore. If that makes it clearer to all of you, I don¡¯t mind changing my surname to Shen! I don¡¯t care who Mu Yuchen is. He¡¯s treating me absolutely well, so why shouldn¡¯t I marry him?¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t love him, do you?¡± Han Yifeng watched her closely and asked.

    Xi Xiaye was startled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath., ¡°One doesn¡¯t have to be in love to marry someone. If you don¡¯t understand what I want even now... Ah, of course, you wouldn¡¯t understand. What I want is very simple. If he can treat me well, I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±

    Her voice sounded bitter. Her tiny figure went past him as she spoke, ¡°We¡¯re back to our starting point now. Now, we can leave each other alone. I don¡¯t want to look back at our past anymore. However, the conflict between Xi Xinyi and I won¡¯t just stop all of a sudden. If you continue to support them, I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡±

    Her voice entered his ears like a sharp wind, stunning Han Yifeng.

 Chapter 176 - Suffocating Emptiness

    <h4>Chapter 176: Suffocating Emptiness</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She saw Mu Yuchen waiting at the staircase the moment she stepped out of the corridor.

    He turned around when he heard the sound of footsteps, ncing at her as he extended his arm towards her.

    She looked down as she went down the staircase, going straight towards him without any hesitation. He put his arms over her shoulders as she went near him. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. It¡¯ste.¡±

    She nodded, but after a while, she added, ¡°I don¡¯t think you ate anything. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back and cook something,¡± he replied quietly.

    ¡°Actually, I wanted to say that I¡¯m not exactly full as well...¡±

    ...

    When Yifeng chased after her, he saw Mu Yuchen walking along with her under the dim street lights. Ah Mo had already opened the car door without them needing to tell him.

    The car started moving through the night while the banquet still went on inside. The lights by the entrance shone in his eyes and the night breeze not only messed up his cor, but it also rifled his emotions as well.

    ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    After some time, suddenly Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice reached him from behind, Han Yifeng turned around and realized that she was standing right behind him without him noticing.

    ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯s cold outside...¡±

    Xi Xinyi was concerned about Han Yifeng, her pretty little face still appearing a little sickly.

    Han Yifeng nced at her with aplicated gaze. After a while, he went down the stairs. ¡°Get into the car. I¡¯ll send you back.¡±

    ¡°Yifeng, can you stay with me tonight?¡± Xi Xinyi caught up with him and grabbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯m... a little sad...¡±

    Naturally, he knew that it was about Xi Xiaye and what happened just now. Many people must have seen that and some people even started discussing it, especially after Mu Yuchen said something like that. Most of them had thrown odd nces at Xi Xinyi and she only managed to get out by giving an excuse of going to the washroom.

    ¡°I want some quiet time alone. Let me send you back to West Park,¡± Han Yifeng replied quietly. Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned even paler as her whole body shivered in shock at Han Yifeng¡¯s reply.

    It was the first time he had ever declined for her to stay over at his ce.

    ¡°Yifeng, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She confronted him in shock.

    Han Yifeng took a deep breath as he looked at Xi Xinyi before him, Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice echoing in his ear.

    He could not bear to see Xi Xinyi¡¯s morose face as she tried to hide her pain. He then said, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired. I...¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Xi Xinyi went forward and hugged him tightly. Her gentle voice was filled with unease. ¡°Yifeng, don¡¯t reject me... You know, I really need you right now. I¡¯m really sad...¡±

    Han Yifeng looked downwards at the sallow Xi Xinyi quietly. He could not bear to reject her and he nodded, dragging her away and taking his car keys out from his pocket as he walked towards the car.

    Xi Xinyi smiled and went along with him, gently holding onto Han Yifeng¡¯s hand...

    ...

    It was around 9 p.m. when they arrived at home.

    Han Yifeng took off his coat and tie as he walked into the bathroom in his bedroom. Xi Xinyi sat on the bedside, about to make a call back to West Park. However, her phone rang when she just took it out. Her eyes turned cold when she saw the number and she went out onto the balcony.

    She picked up the call swiftly. ¡°Hello? How¡¯s that matter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent the documents to your private email. Take a look at it.¡± The cold voice hung up on her after a short reply.

    Xi Xinyi frowned and stared at her phone. After a short silence, she deleted the number and went back into the room.

    She was tired after a long day. She left her phone on the bedside drawer and just as she was about to look for some clothes, she identally saw a ss jar full of stars in a corner...

    She was bewildered for a moment as memories shed back in her mind.

    If she was not mistaken, this was Xi Xiaye¡¯s birthday present to Han Yifeng back then!

    This was supposed to be on the bookshelf. Han Yifeng had ced it on the table when he was rearranging the bookshelf, so why did it change ces? And was the jar different now?

    Countless possibilities shed through her mind, each one of them giving her a grave sense of unease. Her hands clenched up and she just stared at the ss jar without moving an inch.

    After some time, she came back to her senses when she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. She peeped over. ¡°Yifeng, are you done already?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your turn,¡± Han Yifeng replied her as he sat down on one side of the bed wearily.

    Xi Xinyi got up and went into the bathroom.

    After she was done, Han Yifeng was already lying down on the bed.

    Xi Xinyi uncovered theforter and went in, snuggling beside Han Yifeng and suggestively touching his waist as she asked him gently, ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯ve decided on your engagement gift. Do you still want it?¡±

    A refreshing aroma reached his nostrils. Han Yifeng opened his eyes and Xi Xinyi¡¯s pretty little face was right before him. A seductive charm rose from her gentle-looking eyes as she kissed him before he could reply.

    For a brief moment, that familiar void came back to him. He was anxious to look for something to fill it up and his eyes started to go blurry when he looked at Xi Xinyi in front of him.

    ¡°Of course.¡± He grabbed Xi Xinyi and turned her around, reversing their positions. He watched Xi Xinyi below him quietly while a voice came from his mind clearly.

    The woman right here was the woman he loved dearly!

    He pressed down onto her anxiously and started his plunder like a tirade of fierce waves. He had zero consideration for Xi Xinyi at all as he took her violently and ferociously.

    The suffocating emptiness came in waves. The more he plundered, the worse he felt about the emptiness inside him. In the end, he stopped his movements and got off Xi Xinyi...

 Chapter 177 - He Warmed Her Up

    <h4>Chapter 177: He Warmed Her Up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At the same time, in Maple Residence.

    Xi Xiaye felt much better after taking a shower. Her exhaustion had melted away and by the time she went downstairs, Mu Yuchen was done cooking supper.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that there was a meeting the next day as she had porridge inside her mouth. She lifted her head and studied the man opposite her drinking his porridge elegantly as she asked, ¡°What time is the morning meeting tomorrow?¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed a napkin and cleaned his mouth before replying, ¡°9.30 in the morning.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, then she replied, ¡°We¡¯ll arrive at the office by 9 a.m. then. I¡¯m sure everyone will partyte tonight. I¡¯ve called Xiao Mei just now. They haven¡¯t ended yet. It¡¯s almost 10 p.m. now and they¡¯re just getting started.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done by 10.30p.m. Li Si and the others will take care of it. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly looked at her with his deep and serene eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll propose the matter about Yueying on the agenda tomorrow. Vice President Liu might pay Yueying a visit in a few days. In addition to your mother¡¯s 20% shares, Vice President Liu is confident in gathering 35% of Yueying¡¯s shares, making Glory World the secondrgest stakeholder.¡±

    He discussed Yueying¡¯s matter with her.

    Xi Xiaye went silent for some moments before nodding. Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly asked, ¡°35% shares? Are we going to make high-priced purchases? Qikai¡¯s group is interested in Yueying as well. Tell Vice President Liu to be wary.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not deny it. ¡°We¡¯re not the main party developing Movie City, but it¡¯s not a bad deal to try the showbiz industry now. I want to let Ah Mo handle this project. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo?¡± In shock, she slowly swallowed the food in her mouth. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ah Mo your personal assistant?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put a hand on his forehead and rubbed it as he said in a tired tone, ¡°Ah Mo has been a foster child under my father since we were young. He¡¯s my brother and he¡¯s not going to just follow me forever. He should have his own life.¡±

    Xi Xiaye went silent again. She then nodded before wiping her mouth with a napkin and replying, ¡°You¡¯re right. I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Compile a set of documents for Movie City and Yueying. Hand it to Ah Mo at work tomorrow.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped Mu Yuchen as he was about to do the dishes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do it. You go upstairs and take a shower.¡±

    She could not bear to see his exhausted expression as her heart softened. She then picked up the bowls quietly.

    Upon seeing her picking up the bowls and vanishing into the kitchen, he went upstairs.

    After doing the dishes, she prepared the documents for Ah Mo as well as the necessary documents for work the next day. By the time he was done showering, she entered the bedroom to see him calling someone by the bedside with his sleeping robe on. She heard phrases like ¡°media¡± in his conversation.

    His phone call ended when she reached beside him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest early.¡±

    He switched his phone off and put it on the bedside drawer. He walked to the other side of the bed andy down quietly.

    She switched off the lights and slipped into the bed too. Swiftly, he went closer to her and she could feel his body warmth. After some silence in the dark, she suddenly turned over and called out to him, ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He replied quietly, his grip on her waist tightening slightly.

    She took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°When I came out from the washroom just now, I bumped into Han Yifeng...¡±

    She had no idea who to tell these things. In the end, she decided to talk to him about it. For some reason, the things that she found frustrating andplicated would all be clear and simple after talking to him about it.

    She had to admit that sometimes she just wanted to talk to him without any definite reason at all.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± He asked as his body warmth seeped into her through his chest, slowly warming her up. She wanted to hold onto that temperature, so she slowly moved her body closer to him and soon found afortable position as shey down on his chest.

    ¡°He asked if I¡¯m married to you...¡± She told him quietly.

    ¡°Then, how did you reply?¡± He asked calmly.

    She took another deep breath, and then sighed, ¡°I told him we¡¯re indeed married, so I think the Xi family will find out very soon. I just wanted to let you know. I¡¯m afraid they might give you a hard timeter on...¡±

    She was well aware that if they found out about it, excluding Deng Wenwen, Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan might visit him for a talk, so she wanted to let him know beforehand.

    Heughed when he heard the concern in her voice. His slightly hoarse voice reached her ears. ¡°Then, how would you like me to coordinate with you?¡±

    As if he could see through her easily, just by mentioning it, he could already guess what she was thinking about. Xi Xiaye was not used to him always knowing what she was thinking.

    She was quiet in the dark for a long, long time. Soon, she put her hands on his around her waist. ¡°I hope they can see that we¡¯re really in love with each other. Grandfather... is worried about me... It¡¯s fine as long as he knows I¡¯m doing well. Also, if they request anything from you, you don¡¯t have to entertain any of them...¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we really in love right now? Just what are you thinking?¡± He asked quietly. Then, he continued as he was reminded of something, ¡°Xiaye, no matter what the reason you agreed to marry me back then, I just hope the both of us can now be loyal to this marriage. Time has proven that we¡¯repatible with each other. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    She was startled for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Good, the things that wille are bound toe. If you can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯m always here. Remember that, alright?¡±

    His words offort were working on her. Soon, the uneasiness in her heart disappeared.

    She nodded as he grabbed his hand. She could tell from his voice that he was exhausted. ¡°Mmm... Good... Go to sleep then. We have work tomorrow morning.¡±

    There was no reply from him. Only the sound of his light breathing answered her...

 Chapter 178 - Going To Work Together (1)

    <h4>Chapter 178: Going To Work Together (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night did not seem as indefinitely long as before. It was changing quietly and became shorter than before.

    Dawn came. People woke up as the gentle sunlight shone upon them and they started their day full of energy, facing new challenges and working hard.

    Xi Xiaye opened her eyes and things still seemed blurry for her. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, the other touched the empty side of the bed to find that the man was not there anymore, but some of his warmth remained.

    As she grabbed her phone on the bedside drawer, she switched it on and took a look at the time. When she realized it was already half past eight, she jolted with shock!

    Oh no!

    She needed to go to work today!

    She remembered that she had set the rm clock at eightst night. How did she oversleep?

    She left the bed as quickly as possible and put on an outfit. Then, she speedily went into the bathroom...

    After she was done and went downstairs with two ck briefcases, Mu Yuchen was already reading the newspaper on the sofa. There was also some breakfast on the table, and it seemed like he already had his.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Xi Xiayeined when she saw him. It was already nearly nine, and they would probably bete for work.

    He raised his head and looked at her when he heard her footstepsing down.

    Dressed in her usual ck formal outfit, her waist-long ck hair was left untied and she still seemed skinny as ever, but she looked rather well-rested.

    He folded the papers and sipped some tea before saying, ¡°I saw that you were sleeping so soundly, so I gave you some extra time. Have your breakfast.¡±

    She held the two briefcases with just one hand as she went towards the table and grabbed a slice of bread. Then, she quickly drank from the ss of milk and left it aside. She rushed outside and urged him anxiously, ¡°We¡¯re not going to make it. It¡¯s almost 9 soon! Hurry!¡±

    She had already disappeared outside before Mu Yuchen could reply.

    This woman was very dedicated to her work. Even he was impressed by her passion. Leaving his mug aside, he made a trip to the kitchen when he saw the half-drunk milk on the table.

    When he drove to the entrance, she was already waiting for him. She opened the door to the front passenger seat when the car stopped. Then, she put the briefcases aside before continuing to munch on her bread.

    He handed her a bottle of warm milk before starting the car.

    Xi Xiaye took it from him and gulped it with the bread still inside her mouth. While he was focused on driving at the moment, she informed him, ¡°I¡¯ve put in the documents for Ah Mo inside your briefcase. It¡¯s the one in blue. There are also some digital documents too. Give me his email address and I¡¯ll send it to him directly.¡±

    She grabbed another morsel from the bread.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him to go to your office after meetingter. Just copy it to him then,¡± he replied quietly before speeding up.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and swiftly finished the bread in her hand. She cleaned the crumbs up with a tissue paper before turning on the music yer. Then, she started flipping through the papers she had just picked up at the vi entrance.

    The moment she nced at the first page, she saw that it was filled with news about the opening ceremony of Glory World¡¯s Imperial Sky Entertainment City. There was also mentions about her conflict with Xi Xinyist night with a blown-up picture of Xi Xiaye extending her arm the second Xi Xinyi dropped the ss. However, there were no pictures of Mu Yuchen and herst night anywhere...

    She suddenly remembered his phone call the night before. It must be about this.

    She did not say anything about it, but she lost interest in reading after she saw the news. Instead, she started looking at the scenery outside the car window.

    ¡°Right, I forgot to tell you one thing.¡± After some time, she suddenly remembered that Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s wedding was on the fifteenth. Today was the eighth, so it was not very far away from now.

    He slowed the car down as the traffic light in front turned red before replying briefly, ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°Nan Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s wedding is on the fifteenth. I asked them about the venue yesterday and it seems that they haven¡¯t decided on it yet. Imperial Sky Hotel is just in the city and it¡¯s convenient, so can we let them organize their wedding in Imperial Sky Hotel?¡± She asked him.

    ¡°You can decide on small matters like this. Just show them the card I gave you and they¡¯ll understand.¡±

    He took a pause after replying, and then continued, ¡°These two friends of yours are really great people. You¡¯re really lucky to have friends like them. Get out more in the future and get to know more people, then you¡¯ll start to improve on your pitiful EQ. Don¡¯t always just let your life revolve around work. Shouldn¡¯t you women always hang out at ces like beauty shops or spas? Why do I have no recollection of you ever mentioning these ces?¡±

    He continued driving.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when she heard him.

    Women would be really sensitive towards terms like ¡°beauty¡± and ¡°spa¡±, but her first reaction was a frown on her face. She then touched her attractive face and looked at her hands. ¡°Do I look oldtely? Am I looking that bad? Is my skin getting worse?¡±

    As expected, it was a typical reaction from a woman. Even Zhuang Shurong would behave simrly whenever Mu Tangchuan mentioned something like that. She would immediately take some time off to visit a spa.

    And now his woman was the same too!

    He nced at her and noticed she was frowning like she was thinking hard about something. After a while, she turned to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to a spa this weekend. Why don¡¯t youe with me too? The masseuse there are pretty good and I know some of them well. We didn¡¯t really get to rest during the holidays anyway. It¡¯s not a bad idea to rx for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Masseuse? Man or woman?¡± He suddenly demanded.

    Xi Xiaye was a little taken aback and looked at him doubtfully. She then replied, ¡°There are a few pretty good-looking guys...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you somewhere else. You can go there in the future.¡± His tone sounded firm and determined.

 Chapter 179 - Going To Work Together (2)

    <h4>Chapter 179: Going To Work Together (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought and after hearing the firm tone in his voice, she mumbled, ¡°But I just upgraded to super VIP. It¡¯s pretty expensive...¡±

    He could not be bothered to give her a reply. Instead, he just stared at her, the pressure scaring her. She took a deep breath and then took out her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to Nan Nan then, and I¡¯ll tell her about the hotel too.¡±

    Swiftly, she dialed Su Nan¡¯s number.

    The call was on hold for some time and no one picked up. Just when she thought that she was probably still asleep, the call connected before she was about to hang up.

    ¡°Hello? Xia... Xiaye, what¡¯s up? This is super early... in the morning...¡± Su Nan was panting as if she was exhausted by something.

    Xi Xiaye frowned, noticing that this was not normal. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did it take you so long to answer?¡±

    She then heard some rustling and the voice of Ruan Heng before Su Nan¡¯s voice reached her again, ¡°Xiaye... We¡¯re in the midst of something. Ruan Heng, be more gentle... Xiaye... Ruan Heng, you bastard! What¡¯s up, Xiaye?¡±

    The intimate sounds came through the phone. In addition to Su Nan¡¯s gasping, Xi Xiaye would really be an idiot if she still could not figure out what ¡°in the midst of something¡± meant!

    Her face blushed as she coughed lightly and replied, ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s about the hotel for your wedding. Give me a callter after you¡¯re done or you can call me at night too.¡±

    She quickly hung up.

    Her face was bright red. Although it was not the first time she had encountered something like this when calling Su Nan and she had always been able to react calmly, things were different now because Mu Yuchen was right beside her. With Su Nan¡¯s loud voice, he must have heard everything they said.

    She turned towards him and saw that his expression was calm as usual, so she felt relieved because she thought he must have missed it because he was focused on driving. Suddenly, he said, ¡°Your friends are pretty intimate with each other.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face turned even redder ¡ª he had heard it after all!

    She went quiet for a moment before replying, ¡°Of course, they¡¯ve always been close, especially now that they¡¯re in their honeymoon period, so they...¡±

    Before she could finish, Mu Yuchen thought of something as he nced at her tomato-like face and he said gently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be envious of them. I¡¯ll satisfy you tonight.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned by his words. She only got what he meant after a moment and she stared at him. It was such a perverted phrase, yeting out from his mouth, it did not seem too flirty at all. In fact, it was almost natural.

    She did not respond to him and turned to face outside the window as hisughter reached her ears.

    The car was arriving in Glory World¡¯s parking lot. Mu Yuchen parked his car at his designated spot. Without hesitating, the woman beside him speedily got out of the car with her briefcase.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in first. Take your own briefcase.¡±

    She looked around and noticed that there were not many people, so she calmed down and walked into the building.

    Employees crowded the office elevators early in the morning since working hours had started. She took a nce at the time and decided to walk straight up to the meeting.

    Xi Xiaye felt a little helpless upon beingte on the first work day after the New Year. For the first time, she had broken her year-long streak of being on time for work

    ¡°Morning, Director Xi!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Director Xi!¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year, Director Xi!¡±

    ...

    Everyone seemed to be merry and many of them greeted Xi Xiaye along the way.

    Most of the employees remember this director now after she stood on stagest night. Moreover, she had attended the event as Mu Yuchen partner which was intriguing to some of them.

    Xi Xiaye arrived at the elevators and waited with everyone else.

    There were several elevators for the employees as well as one for the chairman exclusively. She was waiting in front of an employee lift.

    After waiting for a while, waves of greetings came from behind her.

    ¡°Hello, Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Morning, Chairman Mu!¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not turn around when she heard the greetings to Mu Yuchen. Instead, his exclusive scent reached up to her, announcing the arrival of a certain someone beside her. He handed a phone to her and said calmly without looking at her, ¡°You left your phone in the car.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned again. After a while, she came back to her senses after a while and quickly took the phone back before he stepped into his own exclusive lift.

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye noticed everyone looking at her oddly.

    They were doubtful, shocked, envious, and even ambiguous!

    It was obvious that everyone was specting about her rtionship with Mu Yuchen, especially after what happened recently. There were rumors in thepany that they were secret lovers, but of course, Xi Xiaye was totally unaware of this. She underestimated the gossip level of her subordinates.

    When she arrived at her office, she noticed that Xiao Mei had cleaned up her table and was watering the nts next to the window at the moment.

    Xiao Mei turned around to Xi Xiaye and greeted in excitement, ¡°Morning, Director! The PR Department has sent over red packets for the New Year!¡±

    She then pointed at the red packets on the table.

    Xi Xiaye nodded before cing her briefcase aside. Checking out where Xiao Mei pointed, she saw an exceptionallyrge red packet.

    ¡°Director, that red packet has the highest amountpared to all the previous years! Chairman Mu is really generous!¡± Xiao Mei beamed happily.

    ¡°Really?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows with a grin. She opened the red packet and saw several pieces of red notes inside!

    She smiled as she kept the red packet, then she asked, ¡°Did you guys go back verytest night?¡±

    ¡°Not really. Most of us reached home before midnight. Last night was such a st! We got to hang out with those big shot celebrities. Now, I kind of feel like they are as normal as we are, just that we¡¯ve headed into different career pathways,¡± Xiao Mei said straightforwardly with a wide smile on her face.

 Chapter 180 - Tenderness (1)

    <h4>Chapter 180: Tenderness (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was d to hear her reply, so she nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ve aplished our target if you realize that. After they¡¯ve reached certain heights in their career, they impress people. If you guys are willing to put in the effort, one day you¡¯ll reach a new height in your life, and you¡¯ll get closer to them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, Director!¡± Xiao Mei replied with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, you can go and work on your stuff after you¡¯re done here. I need to go upstairs for a meeting.¡± Xi Xiaye took out her folder and pen from the briefcase. Then, she opened her drawer and put on her badge before going out with her folder.

    Each of the top brass was already present when she arrived. Mu Yuchen was flipping through the documents in his seat as he was giving some orders to Vice President Zhang Lan beside him. Ah Mo was sitting in as well.

    After taking a look at the time, Vice President Liu Lingyu signaled everyone to be quiet. The whole meeting room went silent as the group all looked at Mu Yuchen who was still reading the documents.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen raised his head and nced at Xi Xiaye¡¯s direction. She opened her folder with her head facing down with a pen in her hand, ready for taking notes. His lowered eyelids concealed the slight tenderness for her.

    ¡°A new year of hard work starts today. Everyone¡¯s arduous effort earned extraordinary resultsst year and I¡¯m really grateful. I hope everyone can keep it up in this new year.¡± Mu Yuchen started talking in his calm voice.

    He took a pause and grabbed a document from Li Si, then he continued, ¡°Ourpany¡¯s mission this year is tougher as the projects are getting bigger. Aside from Car City which is already in progress, we have the South River Project and Movie City on our hands. These are two highly challenging projects...¡±

    The first meeting of the new year decided on thepany¡¯s direction for the entire year. It took quite some time to analyze their portfolio. After talking through several projects and concluding them, it was nearly noon when the meeting was adjourned.

    Later, when Xi Xiaye went back to her office on the 51st floor, Xiao Mei came in with arge pile of documents for her to sign.

    ¡°Director, it¡¯s lunchtime. Please go and have lunch,¡± reminded Xiao Mei as she left the documents on her table.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll goter. You can go first.¡±

    Xiao Mei left the room and Xi Xiaye sat down in her chair to open her folder and start organizing her meeting notes. Lunch break ended at 2 p.m., so she was not really in a rush.

    Usually, she would go to the office canteen at 12.30 p.m. for a quick meal, which left her an hour to rest and rx.

    It took her half an hour to finish organizing the notes. Then, Xi Xiaye left her office and went to the canteen. Unexpectedly, she found Li Si at the entrance.

    ¡°Director Xi! Are you here for lunch too?¡± Li Si greeted her with a smile.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. Not seeing Mu Yuchen with him, she asked, ¡°Where is he?¡±

    Naturally, Li Si understood who she was referring to, so he replied, ¡°Chairman Mu said he¡¯s not hungry. He¡¯s in the office discussing the project with Ah Mo. Oh, right, Director Xi, Chairman Mu wants you to visit himter. Your USB is still with him.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then remembered that she had handed him a USB this morning. She nodded. ¡°Mmm, got it.¡±

    She went to the counter and ordered two rice sets for takeaway and a pumpkin porridge for herself. Then, she left the canteen immediately.

    Mu Yuchen was discussing the details of Movie City with Ah Mo when they heard a knock on the door. He said briefly, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opened swiftly. Ah Mo raised his head to see Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure. He called out to her in surprise, ¡°Missus?¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s voice made the man¡¯s eyes avert away from hisptop screen as she went towards the coffee table and put the takeaway there.

    ¡°I met Li Si at the canteen and found out that you guys are still busy. Have lunch first. I came here for the USB, so I¡¯ll copy the files for Ah Mo too,¡± she spoke as she walked towards the office table. Ah Mo who was standing beside Mu Yuchen moved away as she smiled at him by way of greeting.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my USB?¡± She looked at the man who was still staring at the screen.

    Mu Yuchen closed the window on the screen as he opened a drawer beside him and handed her the USB but his eyes were fixed on Ah Mo. ¡°Your sister-inw will copy some digital files for youter. If you have any more issues, go and ask Vice President Liu about it and he¡¯ll walk you through them. Take these documents and familiarize yourself with them first. It¡¯ll take quite some effort. Can you do it?¡±

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I got it. I¡¯ll go back down first.¡±

    ¡°I bought some rice for you too. Have it here before you go,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°Thank you, Missus. I¡¯ll just eat it downstairs.¡±

    Ah Mo smiled at her. Of course, he would not want to be the third wheel, so he picked up one of the rice boxes and left the office swiftly.

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she saw Ah Mo vanish outside the door. After a while, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll copy the stuff first.¡±

    She then inserted the USB into hisputer and he was quick to help. ¡°Which folder?¡±

    ¡°This one titled ¡°ys¡±. The password is XXXXXX. Take a look at them and then copy it into yourputer. Then, give a copy of it to Ah Mo afterward.¡±

    He was soon finished with it and closed the window before handing back the USB drive to her. Just as she was about to take it, he suddenly grabbed her hand and she fell into his arms.

    ¡°What...? Mmm...¡± She yelled out of shock, but before she could utter any more, he lowered his head and blocked her speech with a kiss...

    His refreshing scent filled her. She could not help herself as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder. Tilting her head to one side, she willingly and gracefully embraced him.

 Chapter 181 - Tenderness (2)

    <h4>Chapter 181: Tenderness (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His long fingers ran through her ck hair over her shoulders as her faint fragrance smothered all over him, chipping away his weakening willpower. His arms around her were tightening uncontrobly as he hugged her in his arms...

    He had to admit that kissing her was addictive.

    His usually ascetic self was gradually falling apart before her charm. Suddenly, he felt defeated as he had always been proud of his well-trained discipline and self-restraint.

    After tasting several minutes of sweetness, he forcefully stopped himself and looked at her with sparks in his eyes. Her outfit seemed a little messy as several buttons before her chest hade undone and her eyes looked beautiful.

    She came back to her senses when she felt her chest area be chilly. Gazing downwards, she noticed that her shirt was open. In embarrassment, she quickly buttoned her shirt up.

    Heughed before helping her. ¡°I¡¯m too impatient, but don¡¯t worry as there¡¯s no one else in my office.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t simply touch me again during work the next time.¡± She nced at him frowning before she helped him to fix his slightly creased sleeve.

    ¡°You mean I can touch you anytime whenever we¡¯re not at work? Do you mean it that way?¡± Mu Yuchen tidied up her long, messy hair with his fingers as he chuckled.

    Xi Xiaye slid off from hisp and stood up, ring at him without saying anything as she walked towards the sofa beside the coffee table. ¡°I bought some rice for you as well. Eat it yourself. I¡¯ll go down first. I¡¯ll be waiting for you beside your car in the evening.¡±

    She grabbed her pumpkin porridge and went towards the exit so quickly that he could not see her figure at all.

    He could still feel the remains of her temperature in his arms as the door closed. Smiling, he felt gleeful and suddenly, he thought to himself that this was not bad at all.

    Perhaps a life like this was what he had been hoping for. He wished this could continue especially since it seemed pretty awesome.

    After a while, he stood up and went towards the sofa opposite...

    ...

    On the other hand, in Han Yifeng¡¯s private vi.

    Things had gone crazyst night and ended when Xi Xinyi begged him to stop.

    It was nearly noon when Han Yifeng woke up. The servants had already prepared his lunch downstairs, so Han Yifeng took a cold shower and then dressed up before heading down to eat.

    After a while, Xi Xinyi went downstairs too. By then, Han Yifeng was already eating his meal silently.

    ¡°Yifeng, are you going to the officeter?¡± Xi Xinyi gracefully got Han Yifeng a bowl of soup as she asked him gently.

    ¡°Mmm, work¡¯s starting today. There¡¯s a meeting at 3 p.m.ter. You should go back on your own after lunch. I can¡¯t make it.¡± Han Yifeng raised his head and looked at her, noticing some marks of their intimate moments fromst night. For a moment, he found them irritating.

    He took a deep breath and grabbed the newspaper, flipping through it casually. However, his expression darkened when he saw a certain piece of news and some photos in it.

    Xi Xinyi noticed something was not right with Han Yifeng, so she asked out of concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yifeng? Why do you look so unwell?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes darkened and he threw the newspaper before Xi Xinyi.

    In confusion, she picked the newspaper up and took a look at it. Her face went pale when she saw a blown-up photo of the moment when she had handed Xi Xiaye the ss of wine. She continued reading it and gasped when she realized that the entire article was negative towards her. This was indeed bad news for her.

    ¡°How... How is this possible?!¡± She mumbled to herself as she went absent-minded. Freaking out, she quickly looked at Han Yifeng opposite her. ¡°Yifeng, this isn¡¯t true! They are defaming me...¡±

    Han Yifeng looked downwards silently.

    He heard that Mu Yuchen had an odd habit. He disliked the media, and in recent years, he would not appear in the eye of the public at all except for banquets that he absolutely needed to attend. Also, he would reject any media¡¯s request to enter these banquets unless he explicitly gave them the permission to do so.

    This time, there was no news about him and Xi Xiaye at all. Even when it came to the conflict with Xi Xinyi, Xi Xiaye¡¯s name was reced with the phrase ¡°a certaindy¡± instead. These tabloids must be working under his orders.

    However, was Mu Yuchen really capable of all this?

    Did he really order them to write up on Xi Xinyi? What was happening?

    ¡°Yifeng, what should I do? The media really loves to exploit things like this. They¡¯ll magnify every single thing I do. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose back then. You know that I¡¯m really respectful towards my sister. But now, the media...¡± Xi Xinyi rambled frustratedly. She switched her phone on and was about to call her manager to find out what was happening.

    The second she switched her phone on, message notifications came in one after another. Some were from Yue Lingsi and Deng Wenwen while her manager had sent her several messages too. They must be about the newspaper.

    Han Yifeng gave it some thought before replying, ¡°It¡¯s toote to stop it now since it¡¯s already on the news. We can only observe how things go for some time, or hold a press conference if there¡¯s a need to rify it. Also, attend more charity events, which you¡¯ve been doing, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    His eyes seemedplicated as he looked at the extrarge close-up photo.

    He did not want to imagine the possibility!

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face was getting paler. She hesitated for a moment before nodding. As she was about to call her manager, her phone rang. ncing at the screen, she saw Deng Wenwen calling her!

    She was startled for a while before picking up the call. ¡°Grandmother?¡±

    ¡°Xin Er? What¡¯s with the matter on the news? Why is your phone switched off? Where are you right now?¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s anxious and worried voice came through the moment the call was connected.

 Chapter 182 - Solution

    <h4>Chapter 182: Solution</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi simply exined what happened, and then headed straight for Yueying after lunch.

    Inside Yueying¡¯s CEO office, Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi were already waiting.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression was stormy and the aura around her was unapproachable. Yue Lingsi seemed really worried and anxious as she paced up and down the office.

    She quickly went up to Xi Xinyi as soon as she came in. ¡°Xinyi, what happened? Yesterday didn¡¯t you and Yifeng...?¡±

    Xi Xinyi put her bag onto the sofa and saw several newspapers Yue Lingsi had put aside. Her beautiful face went ashen as she looked at them and picked one up. She flipped through it as sadness overflowed in her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening? And what about the ambassador? Aren¡¯t you already contracted and confirmed?¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s face looked tensed and stared at Xi Xinyi when she saw her acting so oddly.

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and looked at Deng Wenwen, hidden pain in her eyes. She toughened herself up and was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandmother, Mother. Don¡¯t ask me about this anymore. It¡¯s all my fault. Let¡¯s just ignore this scandal for now. Give it some time and people will soon forget about it.¡± Her voice sounded disappointed as she sat down onto the sofa quietly.

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi traded nces at each other after they heard her. They came to the same conclusion. Deng Wenwen asked her coldly, ¡°Your sister did it again, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Mother, it must be her! Xi Xiaye is the Director of Glory World Corporation and Chairman Mu is her superior. How could Xi Xinyi have a good impression if she just slips in criticism to the top brass? And these newspapers might be her work too! Just who¡¯s that Caitlyn? She¡¯s just an old celebrity hag who¡¯s past her prime. She¡¯s nowhere as popr as Xinyi now. If not for someone¡¯s help, how could she have beaten Xinyi?¡±

    Yue Lingsi was getting angry as she spoke, her dissatisfaction towards Xi Xiaye growingrger, especially after what had happened at the meeting with Shen Wenna thest time. Besides giving her a hard time in front of Shen Wenna by calling Xi Mushan, Xi Mushan¡¯s attitude towards her after that was just...

    She had exhausted everything to keep Xi Mushan beside her, and finally became the mayor¡¯s wife, yet now Xi Xiaye made her embarrass herself in front of her past rival, Xi Mushan¡¯s ex-wife. How could she take this?

    ¡°Xinyi should¡¯ve been guaranteed to be the ambassador! I¡¯ve spoken to several directors and they all agreed to put in good words for her at different levels, so how did things turn out this way? They were really fond of Xinyi too!¡±

    Yue Lingsi frowned intensely and looked at Deng Wenwen. ¡°Also there¡¯s the matter about Yueying¡¯s shares, Mother. If not for Xi Xiaye, there¡¯s no way Shen Wenna wouldn¡¯t have given it back to you if you confronted her. She¡¯s now targeting Xinyi. Just how many times has it been? I really don¡¯t want to talk about it. I¡¯m worried people mightment on me mistreating my stepdaughter, but you¡¯ve witnessed it all along the years. Just how many years have I been in the Xi family? Have I ever mistreated her? Have I not thought of her first whenever there¡¯s something good?¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression darkened when she heard Yue Lingsi¡¯s words. If Xi Xiaye heard these words, she wondered how she would react.

    <i>Thought of her first whenever there was something good?</i>

    <i>Was there even once that whatever that ¡°something good¡± was had not been taken away by Xi Xinyi for various reasons?</i>

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s frail voice broke the silence.

    She looked at Yue Lingsi helplessly with an underlying tone of criticism in her voice. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t go to meet Aunt Shen on your own. Grandmother should be the one to meet her instead. We¡¯re the one at fault here. Aunt Shen and Sister had it rough all these years, and we¡¯re doing pretty fine. Can¡¯t we be more understanding towards them? After all, you¡¯re Aunt Shen¡¯s good friend, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    These ufortable words worked its effects on Yue Lingsi. She raised her head and looked at Xi Xinyi with inexplicable helplessness in her expression. ¡°Xinyi, you¡¯re only saying that because you don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening between us. Shen Wenna was nearly identical like her daughter. She was cold and distant. Do you think I¡¯ve done nothing all these years?¡±

    ¡°But, Mother...¡±

    Xi Xinyi was about to continue, but the once-silent Deng Wenwen voiced out, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough! Stop bringing up the past. If this is really Xi Xiaye¡¯s doing, she¡¯s overdone it this time! She shouldn¡¯t give her own family such a hard time. I know she¡¯s angry with me for forcing her to sign on the contract as well as over the matter with Xinyi and Yifeng, but what else does she want after things have turned out this way?¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s voice was strict and firm. The elder¡¯s eyes looked sharp as she said coldly, ¡°If I don¡¯t do so, how should we solve the crisis for Yueying? The Han family aren¡¯t idiots either. Why would they help us out for nothing in return? They¡¯ll only help if I say Yueying will be your dowry in the future! But the shares in Shen Wenna¡¯s hands are like a ticking bomb for us. It could explode anytime, so we have to get that document!¡±

    ¡°Mother, what do you want to do?¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes brightened and she quickly turned over to Deng Wenwen.

    Deng Wenwen stood up from her chair and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go with the old way for Xinyi¡¯s matter. We¡¯ll let the scandal die down on its own. Xinyi, you don¡¯t have to do give an exnation to the public. Thepany will arrange more events with other partners to wash the negative news away. You have to be careful as well. Try not to be involved in these matters again. Thepany is in deep trouble right now, so avoid umting more issues.¡±

    ¡°Then, about the shares...¡± Yue Lingsi asked quietly.

    ¡°I have my ns. Leave it for now. We can start preparing on the projects with Qikai. The stakeholder meeting is near and there will be drastic changes. Be wary!¡± Deng Wenwen cautioned seriously.

    Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi exchanged nces before nodding.

 Chapter 183 - Mu Yuchen, Profiteer! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 183: Mu Yuchen, Profiteer! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Glory World Corporation¡¯s working hours ended exactly at 6 p.m.

    The sky turned dark as people streamed out of the office building. Unlike the long days and short nights in the summer, the wind in the evening was dry and cold. It really started to get chilly after the sun set.

    Xi Xiaye arrived next to the car with her briefcase and noticed that the man was already inside the car making a call. It seemed to be a call from Su Chen.

    She walked toward the driver¡¯s seat. Mu Yuchen moved over to the front passenger seat as he was still talking to Su Chen on the phone.

    ¡°We¡¯ll meet on the weekend. Come straight to the Imperial Sky Club. That¡¯s all for now.¡± He hung up the call and put his phone aside.

    ¡°Did they ask you out for a drink and to y cards?¡± Xi Xiaye asked casually as she put on the seatbelt and started the car.

    He nced over at her without replying as he leaned back in the seat. He was looking at the crowd outside the car window with his cid eyes.

    She did not ask further since he did not reply. Then, she drove the car out of the parking lot and headed straight onto the broad streets. Her clear voice reached him. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s okay for you to meet them from time to time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you over during the weekend,¡± he replied almost instantly to her statement.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I might be bothering you guys?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and nced at him with an interested look.

    He turned his head and faced her to reply without answering her question, ¡°You should go out more. You rarely go out on your rest days.¡±

    ¡°Work is pretty tiring. Who doesn¡¯t want to sleep well on a weekend, or read books while enjoying some tea?¡± She replied casually.

    ¡°There you go with your reasons. I saw your gym club member card in your drawer. You started half a year ago, but I doubt you¡¯ve gone more than three times. What a typical attitude, I suppose.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was then reminded that she decided to train half a year ago, so she made up her mind to get a gym club membership. In the beginning, Su Nan would go with her, but after a few times, she stopped going out ofziness.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you work out before. Moreover, you¡¯re not really the muscr type...¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him and was about to refute him, but before she could finish, she felt a dangerous gazeing from the man, making her shiver.

    He squinted his eyes and focused on her as he asked quietly, ¡°So, do you like big and muscr men?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She held onto the steering wheel with a grin on her face, but she did not say anything. However, Mu Yuchen took it as an affirmative reply from her.

    He stared at her for a while before suddenly smiling and spouting a creepy line, ¡°You¡¯ll regret what you said today.¡±

    Xi Xiaye just shrugged, then sped up the car.

    It was rush hour and they were stuck in traffic for some time. It was around 7 p.m. when they arrived at Maple Residence. The married couple left their briefcases aside. Mu Yuchen went into the kitchen as usual while Xi Xiaye arranged the flowers they had just bought in a vase.

    It was arge bouquet of champagne roses. When their car passed by the entrance of a supermarket in the neighborhood, there was a child selling flowers. They remembered that it was Valentine¡¯s Day today; the whole world was celebrating it.

    Xi Xiaye then made a casual remark about the flowers being pretty and how the flowers at home were wilting, so Mu Yuchen got down from the car and bought arge bouquet.

    It was not avish dinner with three dishes and a soup, but Xi Xiaye really loved them, so in the end, she had two and a half bowls of rice. Eventually, the two of them finished all the dishes.

    After dinner, she could not help but rub her slim waist, afraid that she might grow fat, but she thought to herself that her mother and grandmother were not the types to gain weight easily. She would not get fat easily as well, would she?

    She gave it some thought, and then decided she would measure her weight at the spa this weekend.

    ...

    She went out of the bedroom with her slightly messy hair to see him sitting on the sofa watching television. He had even made a pot of tea, the fragrance filling the ce.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you watching sports matches?¡± She nced at the television screen before sitting down beside him.

    He casually poured her a cup of tea and then handed her the remote control.

    As she grabbed it and was about to change the channel, her phone at the corner of the table started ringing, so she passed the remote control back to him and picked up her phone.

    It was a call from Su Nan!

    It must be because of Xi Xiaye¡¯s morning call to her that morning.

    ¡°Xiaye? It¡¯s me! What¡¯s up? I hope I¡¯m not bothering you and your man calling you thiste at night. Why did you call me this morning? I read the papers today. Xi Xinyi...¡±

    Su Nan rattled like a bullet train non-stop when the call connected. Xi Xiaye was at a loss.

    ¡°Nan Nan!¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and yelled at her. Su Nan then stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before saying, ¡°I want to tell you about your wedding dinner. Ruan Heng and you haven¡¯t decided on a venue, have you? I spoke to Mu Yuchen and he agreed on letting you guys organize it at Imperial Sky Hotel. They still have a slot open.¡±

    Su Nan screamed in excitement on the other end. ¡°Really? Imperial Sky Hotel? Oh my God, I¡¯ve forgotten your man is Master Mu. I¡¯ll take up your offer then! We¡¯ll do it at Imperial Sky Hotel. I was just discussing the wedding invitation with Ruan Heng. You guys are my saviors!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s excited voice had an unmistakable tone of gratitude in it.

    ¡°I won¡¯t decline your kind offer then. I¡¯ll send you guys an invitation the day after tomorrow. Please be sure toe. Also, please thank Master Mu for me. Remember to please him well tonight!¡±

    Su Nan then let out a viciousugh and Xi Xiaye blushed. Su Nan continued talking just as she was about to retort something back. ¡°By the way, Xiaye, is Master Mu really like what the rumors say?¡±

    ¡°What rumor?¡±

    Unaware, Xi Xiaye looked downward and sipped some tea as she asked in doubt.

    Su Nan continued with her wickedugh. She coughed lightly and then asked in a quiet voice.

 Chapter 184 - Mu Yuchen, Profiteer! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 184: Mu Yuchen, Profiteer! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Is Master Mu really frigid like the rumors say?¡±

    The few words at the end were too soft to be heard!

    Xi Xiaye caught up with the conversation and understood what Su Nan meant. Her pretty little face turned red as she nced over at the man.

    He was pouring some tea with his head lowered. She only saw the handsome side profile of his, which gave her a sense of tranquility. She was suddenly reminded that she had once called him a quiet beautiful man. It was a perfect description of him right now.

    However, she had no idea how to answer Su Nan¡¯s question since she was not really sure because...

    ¡°So, is he?¡± Su Nan asked again.

    Xi Xiaye averted her gaze away from him unnaturally and said to Su Nan, ¡°Of course not! Go rest earlier. I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    She hung up on the call and left her phone aside before unconsciously taking another nce at him oddly.

    He noticed an odd gaze focused on him, so he sipped some tea and turned over. She was staring right at him with her pink lips pursed as if she wanted to say something but was hesitant.

    She had juste out of the shower and only had a loose pastel-colored sleeping robe on. Her neckline was slightly open, revealing her corbones and her fair skin hiding under her long, ck hair. They seemed to glisten under the dim lights, and he could smell the refreshing fragrance from her, fueling the beast inside his blood.

    He took a deep breath before putting his arm over her shoulder while he asked quietly, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    Her long eyshes twitched a little. She leaned onto his chest as her eyes met his gaze. Thinking about it, she raised her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°I just suddenly thought about how you¡¯re quite good-looking.¡±

    It was a rarepliment from her. Seeing her warm smile softened his heart, and he grabbed onto her cold hand with his long fingers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say something like this to other men...¡±

    He lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. Before she could react, he captured her pink lips as well.

    She could not control herself as she grabbed his cor in front of his chest...

    He was going strong on her, not giving her any opening at all. His hand snaking around her waist was starting to get naughty as he started exploring her waist through her long hair.

    His refreshing scent was everywhere. In just a brief, intimate moment, the temperature around rose. She was put down onto the sofa without even being aware of it.

    She then realized their sleeping robes were ruffled. His robe sash was in her hand. As for her, her chest was exposed and since she was just done with her shower, inside was...

    With herst ounce of willpower, she grabbed onto her falling robe, but the moment her fingertips reached the fabric, hisrge hand locked down her wrist. He looked at her with sparks in his eyes, his raspy voice sounding maic. ¡°Missus, time to fulfill our obligations of husband and wife!¡±

    He hugged her tightly as if he wanted to merge her into him. His sparkling eyes did not look away from her at all.

    She turned her head away, embarrassed. Suddenly, Su Nan¡¯s words echoed in her mind and she could not help but mumble, ¡°Aren¡¯t you frigid?¡±

    Frigid?

    Mu Yuchen could not wait but to prove her wrong right there and then!

    The temperature was still on the rise when she noticed his grip tightened. He wasing onto her ferociously and she could feel a sense of danger when she looked into his eyes.

    ¡°The newspapers said so, and also... You¡¯re not really... very intimate... with me.¡± Her voice was so quiet that it was barely audible while her pretty little face was bright red.

    ¡°Frigid... I see... Good...¡± He stared at her and an odd smile appeared on his handsome face. He said quietly, ¡°Do you want to find out now?¡±

    Before waiting for her to react, he lifted her up and went into the bedroom.

    The curtains rolled down and two ck figures flew out from inside the semi-transparent veil. They fell onto the ground, and soon there was the sound of her voiceining, ¡°Gentler¡ª¡±

    Heughed quietly before he stopped for a bit and looked at her lying down under him. ¡°No woman would ask that.¡±

    A smile appeared across his handsome face again. It was very different than usual. In fact, it was much more seductive!

    ...

    The truth was that even though he acted coldly towards people, he could be a wild beast in bed, so wild like a general that had never lost before.

    After three rounds, Xi Xiaye could not stand it anymore. Amidst the panting, he said, ¡°Can those muscr men measure up to me? I told you you¡¯d regret what you said.¡±

    Her breathing was getting uneven as she stared at him. He was acting cheeky, so she talked back stubbornly, ¡°How do you know they can¡¯t? Mu Yuchen, in your older days...¡±

    Before she could finish, the man started his fourth round of attack. He was determined to make her admit defeat!

    At that brief moment, Xi Xiaye realized her fault. She should have listened to Su Nan¡¯s reminder¡ª never provoke a man who was in heat; the woman would be at the short end of the stick.

    Unfortunately, she experienced it firsthand, so...

    The night still had a long way to go. The cold wind breezed through the window gap and it was very dark inside the bedroom. The only source of light was from themp beside therge window. In the meantime, an intimate game was happening behind the curtain veils. There were asionally short moans in the quiet darkness, and it only stopped briefly after midnight...

 Chapter 185 - Mu Yuchen, Profiteer! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 185: Mu Yuchen, Profiteer! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, Xi Xiaye woke up feeling sore all over.

    She opened her eyes slowly after rubbing them a little. Then, she turned her head over at the position beside her ¡ª it was empty.

    She took a deep breath. Their intimate moments fromst night rushed back into her mind. Her little face started to get red.

    Although she had asked him to forgive her, he would not just let her go so easily.

    Damn it!

    She started to get angry. As she was struggling to get out of bed, she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps and she instantly grabbed the nket to cover her chest. She looked over at the source of the footsteps.

    Mu Yuchen was brimming with vigor as he came out from the bathroom, having changed from his sleeping robe into his usual ck shirt.

    ¡°You¡¯re up?¡±

    He saw her frustrated eyes, but he just went towards the wardrobe calmly with a meaningful grin on his face.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, you liar! Profiteer!¡±

    She angrily grabbed a pillow and threw it at him!

    He easily caught the pillow threw at him. Raising his eyebrows, he grabbed an outfit for her as well. He walked towards the bed and handed her clothes to her. ¡°Get washed up. Grandmother hase over in the morning and is preparing breakfast for us downstairs. If you don¡¯t want to bete again, you¡¯d better be quick.¡±

    She red at him before turning away from him.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± He nced at her and asked, holding the clothes right in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re really petty, aren¡¯t you? I admit that I lost control for a little. It¡¯s my fault. If this makes you feel better, I apologize. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°How insincere!¡± She stared at him and grabbed the clothes. as she was about to pick up her sleeping robe on the floor¡ª

    Ka¡ª

    The door opened.

    They both looked towards the door to see Wang Hui¡¯s beaming face.

    ¡°Grandmother!¡±

    In shock, Xi Xiaye unconsciously grabbed the nket and covered herself up.

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t see anything. I didn¡¯t see anything at all!¡±

    Although Wang Hui said that, her sharp eyes scanned the whole room. She did not miss Xi Xiaye¡¯s naked shoulder along with the rumpled clothing on the floor...

    It was obvious what had happened therest night. These youthful things!

    ¡°I just came in to take a look since you guys haven¡¯t gone downstairs yet. The door was open as well. That¡¯s alright, Xiaye. Grandmother didn¡¯t see anything at all. Go wash up ande downstairs. I¡¯ll head back down first!¡±

    Wang Hui left the room swiftly with a big smile stered across her face.

    Xi Xiaye was relieved when she heard the sound of the door closing. The man beside her was casually knotting his tie. She was impressed by his calm expression. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the meaning of embarrassment?¡±

    ¡°Can I make Grandmother forget what she saw if I feel embarrassed?¡±

    He frowned slightly and looked at her. Then, he grabbed her clothes and passed them to her. ¡°If you can get better at handling yourself socially, Xi Xinyi couldn¡¯t have taken advantage of you every time. Her acting is genuine, but what about yours?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an actress anyway. I don¡¯t need to act for a living like her,¡± she defended herself, but her eyes obviously darkened.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the phrase ¡®life¡¯s like a movie; it¡¯s all about your acting¡¯? You don¡¯t have to put up an act with people close to you, but it¡¯s not a bad thing to put on a show once in a while to avoid being taken advantage of.¡±

    He patted her head andughed. ¡°Oh, well, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled. She raised her eyebrows and nced at him in astonishment. ¡°Mr. Mu, are you trying to sell your loyalty to me this early in the morning?¡±

    She blinked several times as she asked seriously while looking at him in the eye, ¡°Do you wish for me to be a woman like Xi Xinyi?¡±

    ¡°As long as you know how to differentiate the circumstances, I don¡¯t mind.¡± He stood up and looked at her from above. ¡°Alright, go and wash up. I¡¯ll pack up the stuff and bring them downstairs.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was quiet for some time before nodding without fully understanding it. She grabbed her clothes as she dragged the nket together with her and walked into the bathroom.

    Mu Yuchen started picking up their clothes from the floor as her figure vanished into the bathroom...

    After she was done and went downstairs, Mu Yuchen was having his breakfast at the table. Wang Hui was unpacking the stuff she had brought for them from the Mu Residence.

    ¡°Remember to get Sis Wang and the others to water the seeds I nted in the backyard. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll grow once the climate gets warmer. The flowers will surely be beautiful during summer.¡±

    Wang Hui suddenly remembered what the elder at home had reminded her about. She woulde over these few days to water the flowers as well as make some food for the kids.

    ¡°Got it, Grandmother,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    ¡°At the opening ceremony of Imperial Sky Entertainment City a few days ago, your grandfather went for a while, but he lost interest when he found out you both left early. I checked with Ah Mo and realized someone gave you trouble. Are you alright?¡± Wang Hui had heard something regarding Xi Xiaye and the Xi family.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Grandmother,¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Wang Hui gratefully as she replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s great then. By the way, I wanted to shop at the New Era za this afternoon to buy something for your grandfather. Xiaye,e and apany me. Uncle Xu took leave this afternoon. Chen,e back to the Mu Residence for dinner as well. Your parents areing back tonight too.¡±

    Uncle Xu was the chauffeur at the Mu Residence and he was on leave that day. Mainly, she also wanted to go shopping with Xiaye...

 Chapter 186 - Trick (1)

    <h4>Chapter 186: Trick (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She replied Wang Hui and promised to meet her at the New Era za at 3 p.m.ter.

    After breakfast, Xi Xiaye told Mu Yuchen when they were preparing to get to work, ¡°Maybe you should drive a car yourself. I¡¯ll go back to the Mu Residence with Grandmother.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed the car keys on the table and replied, ¡°Ah Mo wille and pick me up. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He went over beside her and a refreshing scent passed her. She went out of it for a moment. By the time she turned her head back at the sofa and wanted to take her briefcase, she realized that he was already holding it.

    At the garage, she took the keys from him and opened the car door to get in. She then drove the car out and stopped for Mu Yuchen to swiftly sit in the front passenger seat.

    She thought about it before suggesting, ¡°Since Ah Mo has be a project manager, you only have Li Si with you now. Do you need another assistant? Things might get really busy after some time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve notified our branch in France. There¡¯ll be a new assistanting in a few days.¡± After he replied, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at her. ¡°The stakeholders meeting for Yueying is happening in several days. Vice President Liu will attend as the secondrgest stakeholder. You...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with him,¡± Xi Xiaye answered before he even finished his sentence with a clear gaze at his handsome face. Her eyes looked determined. ¡°I should go for both work and personal reasons. I¡¯m responsible for this project as well and I cannot back off.¡±

    His eyes were glowing as he threw her a meaningful nce. He smiled and nodded, recognizing her determined expression. Sighing, he lectured, ¡°That¡¯s the right mindset. Sometimes, the idea of sacrificing for others doesn¡¯t work well. Life wouldn¡¯t be so tough if you lived a little more selfishly, and I hope you can do so.¡±

    She did not reply to him. Instead, she elerated the car quietly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything with the document you gave me about the 20% of Yueying¡¯s shares. It¡¯s still under Mother¡¯s name. I think we should give it back to her. After all, it¡¯s something Father left for her. Maybe it means something significant to her,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke up after a brief moment of silence.

    Xi Xiaye was a little shaken up when Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were mentioned. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as her eyes clouded over.

    Xi Xiaye struggled for a while before finally opening up as she slowed the car down. ¡°Mu Yuchen... I feel that my parents still have feelings for each other. Do you know that my father still misses my mother every New Year? After their divorce, my mother was enraged on several asions due to some Xi family matter. In the end, my father wouldpromise... but I don¡¯t understand why...¡±

    ¡°During the year I was expelled from the military academy, Mother looked for Father and asked him to deal with it for me, but... that was the first time I saw my mother cry. I then realized she¡¯s not as strong as I imagined. In fact, she was fragile. Her pride and coldness was just her protective barrier. I asked her the other day if she still misses my father, and she told me she¡¯s given all her feelings to Father, so she can¡¯t love anyone else anymore...¡±

    It was just like Shen Wenna to always feel very distant to others. The rtionship between the mother-daughter pair seemed cold, but only people close to them understood that Xi Xiaye was very protective and loving towards her mother, Shen Wenna.

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. He looked at her quietly and yed the role of a loyal listener.

    ¡°And Father... I want to know what happened between them, so I want to test them a little...¡± She mumbled at the end, refocusing on the road in front again as her clear eyes glittered.

    Mu Yuchen was quiet for some time before saying quietly, ¡°Everything will get better. You don¡¯t have to be unhappy about this.¡±

    She did not respond to him again and just looked ahead silently, speeding the car steadily.

    Just as she sat down inside her office, her assistant, Xiao Mei, came in with several documents.

    ¡°Director Xi, these two documents need your signature.¡± Xiao Mei opened the documents and put them before Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye took them and looked through it. After that, she swiftly signed her name at the corner. When she handed them back, she said, ¡°Xiao Mei, please get me some stationery and toys like thest time I asked you to. Send it to me here tomorrow at noon.¡±

    Xiao Mei nodded. She had been with Xi Xiaye for a long while after all, and she understood what she meant. She must be visiting the orphanage up in the north...

    ¡°Noted, Director. I¡¯ll get it der. It¡¯ll be here quickly!¡±

    Assistant Xiao Mei put on a smile as she closed the documents. Then, she asked out of concern when she saw Xi Xiaye did not seem well, ¡°Director Xi, what¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look very well!¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stiffened.

    After her business with Mu Yuchen till midnight, she still had to wake up early for work today, so she kind of felt exhausted as she thought about those unhappy moments.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Xi Xiaye replied indifferently.

    ¡°Director, you don¡¯t look very well. Remember to take a break if you¡¯re tired. You must be exhausted working for the opening ceremony of Imperial Sky Entertainment City. By the way, Director, did you see the papers? The female star, Xi Xinyi, is being discussed right now because of her pouring wine onto you that night. It¡¯s all over Weibo! Many of our staff followed Xi Xinyi¡¯s Weibo to get updates on the news. It seems that she hired many keyboard warriors to defend her and push the me onto you! Fortunately, people weren¡¯t sure if you¡¯re the one that¡¯s in conflict with Xi Xinyi... However, her fans seem to be pretty aggressive...¡±

    Xiao Mei was suddenly reminded of this matter, so she reported it to Xi Xiaye.

    She had found out about what happened after reading the entertainment magazines yesterday. Initially, she thought that things would just die out after several days like usual. However, the matter snowballed into a much bigger issue and caused a big fuss on Weibo. Someone even posted the close-up photo there and it was gaining a lot of attention.

 Chapter 187 - Trick (2)

    <h4>Chapter 187: Trick (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she heard Xiao Mei¡¯s words. A cold light shed through her eyes and she went silent for a moment before asking, ¡°How do you guys know that she did it on purpose?¡±

    Xiao Meiughed. ¡°It¡¯s so obvious in the close-up photo! We aren¡¯t blind. If it were not for your quick reaction, your dress would¡¯ve been ruined but, Director Xi, you were really beautiful that night. Some of our colleagues took pictures of you and saved it as their phone wallpaper. You¡¯re really inspirational! Also, we know how your personality is... We¡¯ll all support you till the end. Now, no one knows that was you anyway...¡±

    Xi Xiaye listened quietly as Xiao Mei bbered on. Soon, she apologetically stopped talking after realizing she had been talking non-stop.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to work then, Director. Whatever you asked me to do will bepleted soon!¡± Xiao Mei left the room then.

    Xi Xiaye switched on herptop after Xiao Mei left and logged onto Weibo...

    After looking through her work for a while, her frown grew deeper. Following a moment of hesitation, she grabbed her phone and gave Mu Yuchen a call.

    Mu Yuchen was monitoring the share market when he received Xi Xiaye¡¯s call.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± His calm voice reached her ears.

    ¡°Did you see the official Weibo of ourpany? Xi Xinyi¡¯s incident seems to have caused a big stir. There are manyments on our Weibo now. I¡¯m worried that thepany¡¯s image will be affected. It¡¯s possible that she might use this news to raise her poprity. After all, it¡¯s a prettymon trick within the entertainment industry,¡± Xi Xiaye replied him with a slightly grim tone.

    ¡°What are you worried about? Thepany¡¯s image isn¡¯t going to break so easily because of a minor character. Wait until people see our results in the new share market. Everyone will understand.¡± Mu Yuchen was calm as usual. He was not anxious about it at all. Sometimes even she had to admit hisposed attitude was really impressive.

    ¡°But if they...¡± Just as Xi Xiaye still wanted to say something else, Mu Yuchen interrupted her, ¡°Ignore it. Do whatever is your responsibility, alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was at a loss for words when she heard his indifferent tone of voice. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Okay, then. I¡¯m just reminding you about it. I hope we don¡¯t make any loss out of this.¡±

    ¡°A person that can outwit me hasn¡¯t appeared yet. Just wait and see if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± He let out a quietugh before hanging up the call.

    Xi Xiaye put her hand on her forehead as she looked at the dark screen. With the doubts in her mind cleared away, she closed the Weibo window and opened the documents on the South River Project, starting another new work day.

    At the same time, in the CEO office of Yueying.

    Deng Wenwen was sitting before her desk with Yue Lingsi standing beside her. The two of them were looking at theputer screen together, their expressions terrible.

    ¡°Mother, what should we do? Look at thements on Weibo and these newspapers! This matter is getting more and more out of hand. Some mediapanies have called us to ask for rification on what happened. I didn¡¯t let Xinyie to the office this morning.¡±

    Yue Lingsi looked at the newspaper in her hand and read through its contents, her eyebrows furrowing as her face seemed distressed. ¡°If Mushan finds out about this, he¡¯ll be furious. I asked Xinyi about what happened, but she refused to tell me. Just by looking at the Weibo and the photo, it¡¯s obvious that that witch Xi Xiaye was trying to defame Xinyi! And yet, Xinyi refuses to defend herself!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was enraged and anxious at the same time.

    Xi Mushan hated scandalous news like these. He had been strongly against Xi Xinyi¡¯s decision to enter the entertainment industry back then, but in the end, he remained silent because of Deng Wenwen. As she said, Yueying was in the entertainment industry after all.

    If this matter got out of hand, not only would it affect Xi Xinyi and Yueying, but even Xi Mushan...

    Xi Mushan¡¯s patience had been wearing thin recently because of Xi Xiaye and her mother¡¯s matter. Sometimes, he might even get violent with Yue Lingsi if...

    Yue Lingsi suddenly felt this matter was extremelyplex. Xi Mushan was someone who would not open up easily. Even after staying by his side for over 20 years, she never really knew what he was thinking about. She had to admit that she was afraid of Xi Mushan.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression was dark and strained while her eyes were sharp.

    Yue Lingsi got more anxious when Deng Wenwen did not react at all. She could not help but voice out, ¡°Mother, please say something. Isn¡¯t Xinyi your favorite? If this ends badly, I¡¯m really afraid that Mushan will get angry, and the image Xinyi has built up over so many years will be ruined. Look at this news. They even revealed news from several years ago and tried to make things difficult for Xinyi. That witch Lin Ling made things even worse. She kept spreading bad rumors about Xinyi! Even Caitlyn joined in the fray as well. Have you forgotten that Xinyi mentioned Xiaye is on good terms with Caitlyn?¡±

    ¡°This matter is quite tricky. We can only observe the situation for some time. Isn¡¯t there a charity dinner at the Wang Corporation tomorrow? Send Xinyi over. Ignore these scandals for now and go about as usual. I hope you can focus on the stakeholder meeting for now. I called CEO He yesterday and found out that he sold his shares to someone already. We have to find out who¡¯s behind this to avoid any loss on our end.¡±

    Deng Wenwen closed the Weibo page, her expression grim. ¡°I have a feeling that something¡¯s not right. We have to get that document back from Shen Wenna as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°But Mushan won¡¯t agree to it. That¡¯s Mushan¡¯spensation to her when they got divorced. Mother, have you forgotten that Mushan almost broke off rtions with you thest time. If we do it now, he¡¯ll surely...¡± Yue Lingsi reminded with a frown.

    Deng Wenwen suddenly let out a cold snicker. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll have to agree to it. Yueying is the Xi family business. How can we let an outsider take charge of it? I have my way of getting him to agree.¡±

 Chapter 188 - Trick (3)

    <h4>Chapter 188: Trick (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s uneasy thoughts died down after hearing Deng Wenwen¡¯s words. She gave it some thought before replying, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll leave this to Mother then. I¡¯m going back to the Yue Residenceter. Qikai and the Han Corporation are both interested in the South River project. They were thinking of developing it together, and Xinyi mentioned it to me. I¡¯ll go and talk to my brother and see if things can be worked out.¡±

    Deng Wenwen nodded. ¡°Go then. Ask Xinyi to pay them a visit as well. Send my regards to Elder Yue, I¡¯ll visit some timeter. Things are a little hectic recently, it¡¯s been a long time since Ist visited him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother, I will!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, by the way, send him the gifts I have inside my car.¡±

    Yue Lingsi nodded before leaving Deng Wenwen¡¯s office.

    The Yue family in City Z was one of the prestigious families as well. Yue Lingsi¡¯s father was once a top ranking official in the government sector, and now Yue Lingsi¡¯s eldest brother followed in his footsteps, holding a high position in the same sector as well. Her second brother was the Vice President at Qikai and held a fair amount of Qikai shares. As the youngest in the family, Yue Lingsi grew up receiving lots of love and attention from her powerful family.

    This was also why Deng Wenwen had been happy for Yue Lingsi to be her daughter-inw back then. Shen Wenna seemed to have nothing at all. When she married into the Xi family, there was not even a wedding, but Xi Mushan insisted on marrying her, so Deng Wenwen had topromise with Xi Jiyang supporting the decision.

    Elder Yue loved Xi Xinyi very much. It was not an exaggeration to say she was the treasure everyone loved.

    Soon after Yue Lingsi left, there was a knock on Deng Wenwen¡¯s door.

    Deng Wenwen called out her permission to enter. The person who came in was Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Grandmother!¡± Xi Xinyi entered with a smile.

    ¡°Xin Er? Why are you here? Your mother has just left and she said she¡¯s going back to pay your grandfather a visit.¡± Deng Wenwen was surprised to see Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi smiled, still appearing slightly pale. There was also faint signs of distress in her expression, but her tone of voice was oddly carefree. It was the kind of nonchnt tone one forced to put on a tough act. ¡°I received Mother¡¯s call when I arrived here, but I still wanted toe up and take a look. I¡¯ll leave through the back doorter. There are quite some reporters at the entrance.¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s attitude became loving and tender towards her as she sighed, ¡°Xin Er, we¡¯ll just stay put and observe this scandal for now. I know that it¡¯s been tough for you. Your sister really overdid it this time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. She has her own issues and unhappy moments as well, so I hope everyone can go easy on her. By the way, Grandmother, I know you¡¯re struggling with the document that¡¯s in Aunt Shen¡¯s hand recently. This is Yifeng¡¯s engagement present for me. Take a look at it. It might help if you go to sister with this.¡±

    Xi Xinyi took out a document from her bag and handed it to Deng Wenwen.

    ¡°What is this? Engagement present?¡±

    Deng Wenwen looked at Xi Xinyi curiously when Xi Xinyi handed her the document, she did not take it from her immediately.

    A weak smile appeared on Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look first? Although I understand it might be a little tough on Sister, I really feel horrible seeing you and Mother struggle about this. Sister¡¯s impression of me has never been best anyway. Adding this incident doesn¡¯t really matter much.¡±

    Xi Xinyiughed bitterly, then she continued, ¡°Grandmother, can just say that I told you to do so? And, Grandmother, I hope you can promise me one thing. After you get back the 20% of shares, can you give it to Sister in the future as her dowry so that I can feel better?¡±

    Deng Wenwen foundfort in Xi Xinyi¡¯s words. She smiled and sighed, ¡°Xin Er, you¡¯re just too kind. I wouldn¡¯t have to go through this hard time if your sister was half as nice as you. Don¡¯t worry, Yueying will only belong to you in the future. As for Xiaye, Yueying will only fall if she handles it. I¡¯ve put in my all into Yueying. It¡¯s like my life now. I can only rest easy if I leave it in your hands. As for Xiaye, it¡¯s good enough to give her something aspensation.¡±

    After that, she took the document from Xi Xinyi and opened it. Upon taking a nce at it, a doubtful look appeared on her face. She averted her gaze towards Xi Xinyi and asked, ¡°What does this mean? What can this do?¡±

    Xi Xinyi smiled. With an emotional tone, she said, ¡°Grandmother, it... You¡¯ll figure it out if you think it through. It should be very important to Sister. She¡¯ll understand once she sees it.¡±

    Deng Wenwen frowned. After a moment of silence, a sharp light shed through her eyes as she remembered something. When she was about to ask something else, Xi Xinyi had already turned around.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head out first. Mother must¡¯ve been waiting for long. Grandmother, I really hope Sister won¡¯t be sad anymore, but it seems that she won¡¯t forgive me no matter what I do. I don¡¯t me her even if she keeps pushing me back, but I still have to work hard for myself. You guys understand me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    As she reached the door, Xi Xinyi suddenly halted in her steps and turned around to look at Deng Wenwen.

    Deng Wenwen felt sorry when she saw Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale and sorrowful expression. She took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Xin Er, you¡¯re a good child. Grandmother will always take your side. You¡¯ve always been my treasure since you were little., I can never stand seeing you being hurt. Just be a happy little princess like you¡¯ve always been!¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked at Deng Wenwen with glitter in her eyes and gave her a nod before leaving the office.

    ...

    Around noon, Xi Xiaye suddenly thought about going back to the Shen Residence. She had promised Wang Hui to meet at the New Era za at 3 p.m., so there was still some time.

    She sent Mu Yuchen a message and told him she was going back to the Shen Residence. Then, she went downstairs after packing her stuff up.

    Unexpectedly, he was waiting for her beside the car when she went to the parking lot.

    ¡°Are you going back with me?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him in apprehension as she took out the car keys from her bag and unlocked the car.

    ¡°I promised to go back with you after the New Year.¡±

    He then grabbed the car keys from her and slid into the driver¡¯s seat, smoothly and sleekly.

 Chapter 189 - Meeting The Right Person (1)

    <h4>Chapter 189: Meeting The Right Person (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw that he had already started the car, Xi Xiaye was startled for a moment. Then, she got in too.

    ¡°Are you still working in the afternoon then? Or are you going to apany Grandmother and I to shop?¡± She peered down at his long fingers helping her to put the safety belt on as she asked.

    ¡°Later, Li Si wille over to fetch me. I still have to make a trip to the city council in the afternoon, so I won¡¯t be with you guys,¡± he softly answered before handing his phone to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye knowingly took his phone and switched it on. Indeed, the phone was going to be out of battery soon, so she found a cable from the storage drawer to charge it.

    ¡°Is it about the South River project?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she leaned her head on her hand.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s about Car City. We¡¯re nning to import a batch of new cars, so we need to sign some documents. At the same time, I¡¯ll visit some friends. Su Chen¡¯s Traffic Control Bureau is right there,¡± he answered softly, then turned to see that her beautiful face looked faintly worn out. Her twinkling eyes were absent-minded too. Chuckling, he reached over to hold her by the shoulders, letting her lean on his shoulder. ¡°Last night, we barely did much and already you¡¯re this tired. You need to train this body of yours more.¡±

    When he said this, it immediately provoked Xiaye¡¯s cold re. Subsequently, he mmed up, but the curve on his thin lips widened.

    The car stopped steadily outside the Shen residence. By then, Xi Xiaye was leaning on his shoulder and sleeping soundly until Mu Yuchen had to wake her up. She woke up from her sleep in a daze. Although she had only slept for a short while, her spirits were much better now.

    Before Xi Xiaye went home, she had called the Shen residence, so when they entered, Shen Wenna and the rest had already prepared the dishes.

    University A would only re-open after the fifteenth of the first month of the lunar year, so right now it was still a holiday and she was free.

    Shen Yue knew that the husband and wife wereing back, so he had obviously rushed home from work for the meal too.

    ¡°Mother, Su Nan and Ruan Heng are organizing their wedding at Imperial Sky Hotel on the fifteenth. Do you want toe? You and Uncle Su are good friends too. I¡¯m sure Uncle Su will send you an invitation,¡± asked Xi Xiaye as she stood up to serve Shen Wenna soup.

    When she heard this, Shen Wenna hesitated for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°Naturally, this is inevitable. Last year, when Nan Nan went to school, she came over to my office to visit too. It is indeed lovely to see her and Ruan Heng¡¯s rtionship be a fruitful one.¡±

    Shen Wenna and Su Nan¡¯s parents were quite close. In fact, she also knew that Su Nan was her daughter, Xiaye¡¯s best friend, so she adored her too.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll juste over to pick you up on that day. Grandpa, do you want toe along as well?¡±

    Xi Xiaye put the bowl of soup down before Shen Wenna, and then started serving another bowl for Mu Yuchen who was speaking to Shen Yue.

    ¡°Such lively events are for you young people. I don¡¯t think this old man will join in the fun. But Ah Chen¡¯s not going with you guys. He¡¯s going to y golf with me. Coincidentally, I have some old friendsing over and I want them to meet my grandson-inw. Let them know that I, Shen Yue, have a good fortune like them too.¡±

    As Shen Yue said this, he held up his ss and clinked it with Mu Yuchen before drinking it.

    One could tell that he was in a pretty jovial mood. This time upon returning, they could see that he was smiling widely. Compared to before, he was much happier now.

    Even on Shen Wenna¡¯s cold face, there would asionally be a smile.

    Of course, Xi Xiaye knew very well that she had to credit all of this to the man beside her. If it were not for him, she would not be sitting around and feeling this rxed as she did right now.

    ¡°Ah Chen, has Glory World thought of expanding into estate and construction?¡±

    Shen Yue downed the drink in his ss, then he suddenly turned to Mu Yuchen and asked thoughtfully.

    ¡°There are many industries under Glory World, but the estate and construction industry is on hold for now,¡± Mu Yuchen answered simply.

    ¡°You guys can learn more about it in the next few years. I¡¯m old and while I¡¯m still quite healthy now, I can hold on for a few more years. In another few more years, no matter what, it¡¯ll be time for me to step back. I don¡¯t have a son. Your grandma only had your mother while your mother only has one daughter. Xiaye, all of these mere worldly possessions of mine will naturally be left to you two.¡±

    When Shen Yue said all of this, his tone was a little heavy. ¡°Initially, if you two hadn¡¯t gotten married, I wasn¡¯t nning on letting Xiaye stay on with Glory World either. Instead, I was nning on letting her further studies abroad or stay by my side and get familiarized with Fuhua with me. Then, in another year or two, I¡¯d let her take over Fuhua... Now, since you two are married, all these will be up to you two to discuss. Your mother¡¯s just an academician, so she doesn¡¯t quite understand all of this...¡±

    Shen Yue was a pretty optimistic person, so when he said all of this, Xi Xiaye could not help but worry.

    She slowly looked up at Shen Yue who was already snowy-haired and she suddenly felt her heart faintly tug.

    It seemed as if she had never tried to understand Shen Yue, while he had never demanded anything from her. Perhaps it was because what happened with Shen Wenna had been too traumatizing for him, so what he wanted to see the most was the children living a carefree and happy life.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand that was under the table suddenly reached over to gently hold her cold hand that was on her knee as he answered Shen Yue in a lowered voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. We will do our best to take on whatever that we should.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could tell that Shen Yue was really quite satisfied with Mu Yuchen. After marrying him, she felt that she had been living prettyfortably, while Grandpa and Mother were quite happy, and the Mu family had been really kind to her too...

    Was this not everything that she had been pursuing?

    After lunch, Mu Yuchen apanied Shen Yue in the living room to drink tea and chat on the sofa while Xiaye apanied Shen Wenna to sort out the nts in the backyard.

    Shen Wenna did not have many hobbies. Whenever she was free, she liked to work on the nts, so the Shen residence backyard was filled with a lot of rare nts.

    The plum blossom forest in the backyard was fluttering in the cold breeze akin to snow falling from the sky. She inhaled the cool fragrance as Xi Xiaye walked through the blossoming trees with flowers that fluttered and scattered all around. Soon, she saw the end of the corridor where Shen Wenna was watering the potted flowers.

    Watching the busy Shen Wenna from the top of the staircase made Xi Xiaye get momentarily misty-eyed as she watched her frail figure. Many of the things she wanted to say had reached the tip of her tongue, yet she did not know how to start.

    Only until Shen Wenna suddenly looked up at her did she return to her senses...

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you want to say, just say it. We mother and daughter don¡¯t need to be this courteous,¡± Shen Wenna just said, her tone rather gentle and calm.

    <h4>Comment (1)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 190: Meeting The Right Person (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Startled for a moment, Xi Xiaye looked down in deep thought. Shen Wenna was already back to work by the time she lifted her head.

    After a moment of hesitation, she went over and stopped right behind Shen Wenna, watching her being busy with work for some time before saying, ¡°Nothing... I¡¯m just taking a look.¡±

    Shen Wenna stared at her as her eyes darkened slightly. She did not say anything and went back to tending the flowers.

    ¡°Come by earlier on the fifteenth. We¡¯ll head to the beauty salon first. I want to get my hair done.¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s voice reached her again after some time. ¡°Are you doing alright with Chen Er? I can see that he¡¯s pretty caring towards you. Your grandpa is very satisfied with him as well.¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s gazended on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face, a loving tone hidden in her voice.

    Xi Xiaye nced at her in the eyes as she gave it some thought before nodding. ¡°We¡¯re doing okay. He¡¯s really good and caring towards me.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I really hope that you¡¯ve met the right person this time. You don¡¯t have to act tough on your own anymore in the future. When you reach my age, you¡¯ll start to realize that things you once thought were important will be insignificant. The most important thing is that he¡¯s good to you.¡±

    Shen Wenna suddenly felt sentimental. A sense of loss shed through her eyes for a split second, and then they returned to rity.

    ¡°Mother... How did Father treat you?¡± Xi Xiaye clenched her fists slightly and looked at her mother as she asked carefully. Her voice was filled with obvious pain.

    As if she had foreseen Xi Xiaye¡¯s question, Shen Wenna did not seem surprised at all. Her cold face looked calm as ever while she looked down at a freshly sprouted nt and let out a sigh before looking at Xi Xiaye peacefully.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been longing to know what happened between your father and me... Well, you have the right to ask anyway...¡±

    Shen Wenna suddenly put the watering can down and put the pot back to its original position. Then, she grabbed a clean towel and wiped her hands before standing back up, appearing a little sad when she saw the scattered flower petals on the staircase.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubt his feelings for me. He¡¯s really good to me... Actually, he has never given me an exnation about Yue Lingsi and her daughter. I¡¯m the one who suggested a divorce back then because I couldn¡¯t stand it. Being betrayed by my own husband and good friend isn¡¯t a proud thing to announce, so I don¡¯t really want to talk about it.¡±

    Shen Wenna let out another sigh. ¡°I just feel sorry for you. If I had insisted just like the typical character in those television drama series, and treated Yue Lingsi harshly and forbade them to enter the Xi family, maybe you might not have needed to suffer this much, but I can¡¯t forget about your father. To me, he should be a prideful existence. He¡¯d never be stopped by such trivial matters of feelings.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m willing to grant his wish. Xiaye, every man has his own pride. Had I insisted back then, your father¡¯s career might¡¯ve been ruined. I can already foresee how life would be afterward. I chose to back off, but I¡¯ve grabbed onto his heart forever. There might be a lot of ways to keep a man¡¯s feelings for you, but nothing works better than guilt... I¡¯m not willing to tell you this because I don¡¯t want you to be like me. Xiaye, your mother has a dark side of hers. She¡¯s not as perfect as you see on the surface...¡±

    A cold wind blew through, turning the air around chilly. As Xi Xiaye was looking at her mother, she saw a tint of sadness and fragile on her usual cold expression. She felt irritated and distressed.

    ¡°Xiaye, forgive my prideful self for not giving you an enjoyable childhood...¡± Shen Wenna said as she watched a petal slowly fall onto her toe.

    Xi Xiaye looked at her and waited, yet she did not seem to continue.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind started to wander as the scent of the plum blossom wafted all around as well as the pink rain of petals caused by the gust of wind.

    Suddenly, Shen Wenna looked at the plum blossom Xi Xiaye was focusing on and smiled. ¡°The first time I met your father was under the peach blossom garden in the school... Back then, we...¡±

    She stopped halfway and remained silent for a moment before turning around and heading back into the hallway. Xi Xiaye then slowly followed behind her too. It made Xi Xiaye feel sour on the inside when she saw her gaunt figure walking under the breeze mixed with flower petals.

    After walking for some time, she suddenly sighed, ¡°Your father and I must be a failure to you, but if I had a choice again, I would definitely still have married your father and given birth to you whether or not things still end up the same today.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked at her words. Her face turned pale and she tried to think but could note up with a reply.

    The mother-daughter pair just kept quiet as they walked through the corridor. The cold wind kept delivering the fragrance of the flowers to them while some remains of pink petals danced around. Xi Xiaye¡¯s long hair rose up slightly as her clothes fluttered around her. It seemed unreal...

    It was already 2 p.m. when they arrived back in the living room.

    After an hour of chatting with Shen Yue, Mu Yuchen was short on time to leave. He got ready to go when he saw Xi Xiaye return, and Shen Yue sent them off with a big smile.

    Outside the Shen Residence, the chauffeur Li Si had arranged was already waiting outside.

    Xi Xiaye handed the briefcase to him as her voice brushed against his ears. ¡°Come home earlier after you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll go back with Grandmother after shopping.¡±

    He nodded and ran his fingers through her slightly messy hair before walking towards the car.

 Chapter 190 - Meeting The Right Person (2)

    <h4>Chapter 190: Meeting The Right Person (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Startled for a moment, Xi Xiaye looked down in deep thought. Shen Wenna was already back to work by the time she lifted her head.

    After a moment of hesitation, she went over and stopped right behind Shen Wenna, watching her being busy with work for some time before saying, ¡°Nothing... I¡¯m just taking a look.¡±

    Shen Wenna stared at her as her eyes darkened slightly. She did not say anything and went back to tending the flowers.

    ¡°Come by earlier on the fifteenth. We¡¯ll head to the beauty salon first. I want to get my hair done.¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s voice reached her again after some time. ¡°Are you doing alright with Chen Er? I can see that he¡¯s pretty caring towards you. Your grandpa is very satisfied with him as well.¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s gazended on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face, a loving tone hidden in her voice.

    Xi Xiaye nced at her in the eyes as she gave it some thought before nodding. ¡°We¡¯re doing okay. He¡¯s really good and caring towards me.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I really hope that you¡¯ve met the right person this time. You don¡¯t have to act tough on your own anymore in the future. When you reach my age, you¡¯ll start to realize that things you once thought were important will be insignificant. The most important thing is that he¡¯s good to you.¡±

    Shen Wenna suddenly felt sentimental. A sense of loss shed through her eyes for a split second, and then they returned to rity.

    ¡°Mother... How did Father treat you?¡± Xi Xiaye clenched her fists slightly and looked at her mother as she asked carefully. Her voice was filled with obvious pain.

    As if she had foreseen Xi Xiaye¡¯s question, Shen Wenna did not seem surprised at all. Her cold face looked calm as ever while she looked down at a freshly sprouted nt and let out a sigh before looking at Xi Xiaye peacefully.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been longing to know what happened between your father and me... Well, you have the right to ask anyway...¡±

    Shen Wenna suddenly put the watering can down and put the pot back to its original position. Then, she grabbed a clean towel and wiped her hands before standing back up, appearing a little sad when she saw the scattered flower petals on the staircase.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubt his feelings for me. He¡¯s really good to me... Actually, he has never given me an exnation about Yue Lingsi and her daughter. I¡¯m the one who suggested a divorce back then because I couldn¡¯t stand it. Being betrayed by my own husband and good friend isn¡¯t a proud thing to announce, so I don¡¯t really want to talk about it.¡±

    Shen Wenna let out another sigh. ¡°I just feel sorry for you. If I had insisted just like the typical character in those television drama series, and treated Yue Lingsi harshly and forbade them to enter the Xi family, maybe you might not have needed to suffer this much, but I can¡¯t forget about your father. To me, he should be a prideful existence. He¡¯d never be stopped by such trivial matters of feelings.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m willing to grant his wish. Xiaye, every man has his own pride. Had I insisted back then, your father¡¯s career might¡¯ve been ruined. I can already foresee how life would be afterward. I chose to back off, but I¡¯ve grabbed onto his heart forever. There might be a lot of ways to keep a man¡¯s feelings for you, but nothing works better than guilt... I¡¯m not willing to tell you this because I don¡¯t want you to be like me. Xiaye, your mother has a dark side of hers. She¡¯s not as perfect as you see on the surface...¡±

    A cold wind blew through, turning the air around chilly. As Xi Xiaye was looking at her mother, she saw a tint of sadness and fragile on her usual cold expression. She felt irritated and distressed.

    ¡°Xiaye, forgive my prideful self for not giving you an enjoyable childhood...¡± Shen Wenna said as she watched a petal slowly fall onto her toe.

    Xi Xiaye looked at her and waited, yet she did not seem to continue.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind started to wander as the scent of the plum blossom wafted all around as well as the pink rain of petals caused by the gust of wind.

    Suddenly, Shen Wenna looked at the plum blossom Xi Xiaye was focusing on and smiled. ¡°The first time I met your father was under the peach blossom garden in the school... Back then, we...¡±

    She stopped halfway and remained silent for a moment before turning around and heading back into the hallway. Xi Xiaye then slowly followed behind her too. It made Xi Xiaye feel sour on the inside when she saw her gaunt figure walking under the breeze mixed with flower petals.

    After walking for some time, she suddenly sighed, ¡°Your father and I must be a failure to you, but if I had a choice again, I would definitely still have married your father and given birth to you whether or not things still end up the same today.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked at her words. Her face turned pale and she tried to think but could note up with a reply.

    The mother-daughter pair just kept quiet as they walked through the corridor. The cold wind kept delivering the fragrance of the flowers to them while some remains of pink petals danced around. Xi Xiaye¡¯s long hair rose up slightly as her clothes fluttered around her. It seemed unreal...

    It was already 2 p.m. when they arrived back in the living room.

    After an hour of chatting with Shen Yue, Mu Yuchen was short on time to leave. He got ready to go when he saw Xi Xiaye return, and Shen Yue sent them off with a big smile.

    Outside the Shen Residence, the chauffeur Li Si had arranged was already waiting outside.

    Xi Xiaye handed the briefcase to him as her voice brushed against his ears. ¡°Come home earlier after you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll go back with Grandmother after shopping.¡±

    He nodded and ran his fingers through her slightly messy hair before walking towards the car.

 Chapter 191 - Sprouting Doubts (1)

    Chapter 191 Sprouting Doubts (1)

    Trantor: Daoist7 | Editor: chjean /EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye watched the car until it disappeared at the end of the road. Just as she was about to get into her car, the phone inside her pocket started ringing.

    It was Wang Hui calling. She was urging Xi Xiaye to go over soon, so Xi Xiaye gave her a brief reply before hanging up and rushing over.

    Wang Hui was sitting on a long bench beside the public square waiting when Xi Xiaye arrived at the New Era za. What surprised Xi Xiaye was that Mu Yinan hade over as well.

    ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother! Have you guys been waiting for a long time?¡± Xi Xiaye called out to the old couple who were chatting to each other as she went over to them.

    The old couple stopped talking and looked towards the direction of the voice calling out to them. When they saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s face flushed from rushing over, Wang Hui and Mu Yinan traded nces andughed. ¡°Not really. Have you had lunch?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I went back to the Shen Residence with Mu Yuchen. My mother made lunch for us.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about Chen Er? Where is he?¡± Wang Hui looked around but Mu Yuchen was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°He said he needs to be at the council office and he¡¯ll head straight back to the Mu Residence at night. Where do you two want to walk around?¡± Xi Xiaye handed Mu Yinan his walking cane as she asked.

    Mu Yinan took the cane from her with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never really had the time to visit after this ce started running. I heard from your grandmother that this ce is doing well, so I decided to tag along to take a look.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he saw President Elder Wang looking pretty suave in a Tang suit several days ago and wanted one himself, so he came along to shop today. Just how old are you already? Still not changing that side of you! Yet you try to make yourself sound cool!¡± Wang Hui rolled her eyes at Mu Yinan and grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand as she mocked him.

    Mu Yinan was unhappy when his wife made fun of him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you too? Didn¡¯t you think about getting some custom-made qipaosas well? Xiaye, your grandmother¡¯s mind is going dull. She¡¯s even going to sign up for a Latin dance sster. Trying to flirt around even at such an old age! Do you know that at Elder Wu¡¯s birthday banquet, they were both dancing so happily? He was your grandma¡¯srade fromst time and he wrote a disgusting love letter to her before. I can still remember it now!¡±

    Mu Yinan was suddenly triggered and ignored Wang Hui¡¯s clouded expression as he recited the content of the love letter from his memory.

    ¡°You¡¯re the wind that passes through flowers like the sunset of that spring evening, bringing along the elegant fragrance, gently moving through my metal gun. Oh mydy, you¡¯re...¡±

    Before Mu Yinan could finish, Wang Hui jumped onto Mu Yinan, blushing furiously. ¡°Mu Yinan! Shut up! You think you¡¯re the only one good at picking up girls! Do you want me to reveal everything about you in front of our granddaughter-inw?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m good at it anyway!¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye stood aside as she watched the old bickering couple with a smile. She did not stop them and just observed quietly.

    After a while, they stopped.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you anymore!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    The two of them looked away angrily.

    Finding herself in such a funny situation, Xi Xiaye had no idea which side she should be on. After a brief moment, she tried to smooth things over. ¡°Alright, Grandfather and Grandmother, this is actually pretty easy. Since Grandmother likes to dance, why don¡¯t you be her partner, Grandfather? I remember that you dance pretty well, and with this, you can train yourself too, so why not?¡±

    The old couple found the suggestion eptable, and the war ceased. The three of them walked around together.

    They went into a retro shop and the owner weed them passionately when he saw Mu Yinan. With Wang Hui¡¯s encouragement Xi Xiaye tried on several qipaos.

    While she looked skinny, she had a nice figure. Everyone thought she looked great as she put on the qipaos, and Wang Hui got the salesperson to pack it up immediately.

    ¡°Grandfather, this section consists mostly of foreign brands. It¡¯s one of the higher spending areas, kind of simr to Imperial Sky Fashion City, but this isn¡¯t thepany¡¯s main focus this year anymore...¡± Xi Xiaye walked forward as she briefed Mu Yinan.

    Mu Yinan nodded from time to time in satisfaction. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s pretty good. I¡¯m not worried about leaving thepany to you two at all.¡±

    ...

    At 6 p.m. in the evening, the sky turned dark and the three of them came out from the shopping area. There were also several servants behind them who were called from home on short notice to help carry the things they had bought.

    When they arrived at the public square, Xi Xiaye told Wang Hui and Mu Yinan to rest on the long bench while she went to get the car. Unexpectedly, she ran into two people she was not pleased to meet.

    They were Han Yifeng¡¯s mother, Huang Ziyao, and Huang Shanshan.

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s impression of Xi Xiaye had always been quite positive before. She also knew that Xi Xiaye treated her son very well, but she seemed to be fonder of Xi Xinyi after finding out what had happened between them.

    For some reason, Xi Xinyi just fit her standard of a daughter-inw better. Also, her son liked her more.

    However, she felt mixed emotions when she saw Xi Xiaye, especially after reading the news on the papers for the past few days. She gave it some thought before walking over to Xi Xiaye who was getting her car.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mrs. Han?¡± Xi Xiaye was pretty calm herself because she did not really have any feelings towards Huang Ziyao.

    ¡°You really overdid it, Xi Xiaye. You¡¯re even attacking your own sister! Just who is that Caitlyn? You chose her! What exactly did she give you?¡±

    Huang Shanshan was really angry, ignoring the fact that Huang Ziyao was there, she already started yelling at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye nced at her andughed coldly. ¡°Do you think that the ambassadorship was already decided for Xi Xinyi? If that¡¯s what you think, then I can tell you that you¡¯re right. I did it based on my personal feelings. I didn¡¯t want Xi Xinyi to get it, so what?¡±

    ¡°You! Witch! Aunt, look at her!¡± Huang Shanshan red at Xi Xiaye before turning to Huang Ziyao.

 Chapter 192 - Sprouting Doubts (2)

    Chapter 192 Sprouting Doubts (2)

    Trantor: Daoist7 | Editor: chjean /EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s eyes seemed to have mixed feelings as she looked at Xi Xiaye in disappointment. ¡°Xiaye, why won¡¯t you let it go? I¡¯m not really willing to intervene between you youngsters, but your behavior is really disappointing. No matter what, it¡¯s impossible between you and Yifeng anymore. Why do you have to take revenge...?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Han!¡± Before Huang Ziyao could finish her words, Xi Xiaye interrupted her. ¡°I think I¡¯ve made it clear to Han Yifeng that from the moment he chose Xi Xinyi, it was over between us. As for whether I¡¯m taking revenge or not, it¡¯s between the Xi family and me. It has nothing to do with you. I hope you don¡¯t interfere, or else, you might be affected as well.¡±

    Her tone was cold and unfriendly. Huang Shanshan had been enduring her many times, and she could not hold it in anymore since she kept attacking them offensively.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! How dare you!?¡± Huang Shanshan¡¯s tone was stern while she red at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xiaye, how could you say that? I don¡¯t remember you being like this in the past!¡± Huang Ziyao frowned as she looked at the aloof Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°How was I like in the past? Listening to whatever everyone says? Or what? If Xi Xinyi wants to get back at me, ask her toe by herself. I¡¯ll deal with her personally.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone sounded condescending as she nced at both of them. ¡°If you guys still think that I¡¯m clinging onto Han Yifeng, you two can go back and ask him if he¡¯s still qualified. Why does he feel so great about himself?¡±

    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Huang Shanshan¡¯s face turned ferocious when she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that you, Huang Shanshan, think you¡¯re pretty smart, but you don¡¯t even know when you¡¯ve been used.¡± Xi Xiaye smirked with a faint light in her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like Wang Ziluo before? You¡¯ve written quite a few love letters to him as well, haven¡¯t you? But Wang Ziluo gave you no reaction at all, yet you treated me like a sore thumb because of this matter... Moreover, did you know that he¡¯s back already?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bet that Xi Xinyi didn¡¯t tell you. Do you want to know why Wang Ziluo didn¡¯t respond to you at all?¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her body slightly and whispered into Huang Shanshan¡¯s ears.

    Huang Shanshan¡¯s expression froze. She seemed embarrassed, but at the same time, she was curious as well. Her eyes darkened as she stared at Xi Xiaye, expecting her answer.

    ¡°Because the letters you sent to Wang Ziluo were simr to the letters Wang Ziluo gave me. They turned into ashes at the hands of someone. Wang Ziluo never received your letters. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can give him a call now...¡±

    ¡°Impossible! This is impossible!¡± Huang Shanshan¡¯s expression darkened as she yelled before Xi Xiaye could finish her sentence. She red at Xi Xiaye angrily.

    Xi Xiaye stood up straight with satisfaction when she saw Huang Shanshan¡¯s frustrated expression, and she smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Okay, I remember another thing as well. On your twentieth birthday party, the diamond ne your cousin gave you vanished. Then, Xi Xinyi gave you her ne, didn¡¯t she? Don¡¯t you want to know where your ne went? Go back and ask your best friend. Maybe she might identally tell you... Haven¡¯t you realized that she seems toe to your aid ever so conveniently every single time?¡±

    Huang Shanshan¡¯s expression turned odd and Xi Xiaye smiled. She then went into her car without looking at the two of them.

    The moment her car arrived in the public square, the servant¡¯s voice reached her from outside. ¡°Missus, it¡¯s a call from Master!¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned around to see the servant running towards her with a phone in her hand.

    Her phone battery had died and Mu Yuchen had probably called Wang Hui to reach her. Xi Xiaye took the phone after she got out of the car to answer the call. ¡°Hello...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice came from the other end. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to the Mu Residence tonight. There¡¯s something I need to attend to. I¡¯ll go right back to Maple Residenceter. I¡¯m just letting you know, so you can go home earlier after dinnerter.¡±

    Su Chen and some others had dragged Mu Yuchen along for drinks. Even Zhou Zimo joined them as well. He was probably in a room with them right now as Xi Xiaye could hear the noise of sses over the call.

    Xi Xiaye went silent for a moment before replying, ¡°Mmm got it. Don¡¯t drink too much. There¡¯s a meeting early tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    On the other hand, Huang Shanshan was still beyond herself after she heard what Xi Xiaye said. She was doubtful even long after Xi Xiaye¡¯s car vanished. Only after Huang Ziyao called out to her several times did she came back to her senses.

    Huang Ziyao was a little shocked to see Huang Shanshan¡¯s haunted expression and asked, ¡°Shanshan, what did Xiaye mean? Why do you look so unwell? Are you alright?¡±

    Huang Shanshan tried to shake it off, her eyes returning back to normal.

    Xi Xiaye must be trying to weaken her rtionship with Xi Xinyi, but she, Huang Shanshan, would not fall into the trap!

    That must be what was happening!

    Huang Shanshan clenched her fists as she told herself even though there was a hint of uncertainty that shed through her mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, Aunt! Let¡¯s go!¡± Huang Shanshan said after a while as she suppressed her emotions. She clung onto Huang Ziyao¡¯s arm and walked ahead together.

    ...

    At night, in the Mu Residence.

    Wang Hui was sending Xi Xiaye off at the entrance. The butler had tucked several big bags of stuff inside the car. She held onto Xi Xiaye hands and said kindly, ¡°Xiaye, remember what Grandmother told you tonight. Have more of these tonics that I gave you. Otherwise, you¡¯ll suffer much more when you be pregnant. When your mother-inw had Chen Er back then, she almost lost him because she overexerted herself. Your father-inw forced her to rest at home for half a year and atst, she gave birth safely. The red bag is for you, the blue bag is for Chen Er. I know the both of you are busy with work and don¡¯t really care about these things, so I¡¯ve prepared them for you guys.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a little embarrassed when she heard Wang Hui¡¯s words. The topic throughout the night did not move away from having kids at all; it was obvious that she was desperate for grandchildren.

    ¡°Also, don¡¯t let Chen Er drink and smoke...¡±

    ¡°I got it, Grandmother. I¡¯ll let him know!¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not stand it anymore, so she quickly nodded as she stepped into the car. ¡°I¡¯ll head back now. Grandmother, you should go back too. Goodbye!¡±

    ¡°Okay. Come back whenever you¡¯re free...¡±

 Chapter 193 - Incident (1)

    <h4>Chapter 193: Incident (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she returned to Maple Residence, it was already past 9 p.m. at night, and the vi was still quiet while the streetlights in the front yard were automatically switched on.

    Mu Yuchen was not back yet.

    Xi Xiaye dragged her exhausted self into the house, casually setting the big bags onto the table before walking upstairs. She took a simple shower and felt a wave of fatigue, so she did not have the mood to persist looking through documents as she usually did.

    Because of theunch, she had not had proper rest for the past few days. In the afternoon, after apanying Wang Hui to shop for quite a few hours, she was quite worn out.

    After lying down for a short while, she fell asleep right away.

    On the other end, in a luxurious private room of a certain high-ss entertainment club, things were getting lively.

    There were a total of 12 people in the room: seven men and five women. A man and a woman were happily singing away as Mu Yuchen, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were ying cards at the bar while two fresh and beautiful girls were blushing as they watched them.

    ¡°Again, Ah Chen, how many cards do you have?¡± Zhou Zimo tossed out one of his cards as he squinted at the cards Mu Yuchen held.

    Mu Yuchen followed up with a card as he said inly, ¡°I still have three. I think the two of you should start counting how much money you should be banking in to me this time.¡±

    Then, he straightened up and leaned gently against the wall behind him, casually tossing out thest three cards in his hand.

    ¡°Master Mu, you¡¯re so amazing! How about you teach us how to y!¡± One of the girls smiled and leaned closer, her eyes twinkling with adoration and admiration as she handed the drink in her hand to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen just raised his hand slightly to stop her. He said as he got up to pick up the windbreaker beside him, ¡°It¡¯s not early anymore, so I¡¯m going home now. I still have an early meeting tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not even 10 p.m. and already you want to go? Master Mu, what a party pooper!¡± The rejected girl leaned over and threw a little tantrum dejectedly.

    Mu Yuchen pushed the girl that closed in to him away with one hand as his gaze fell onto Su Chen and Zhou Zimo. ¡°You guys should go back too. Otherwise, the elders are going to call me.¡±

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo then sulkily tossed their cards away, picked up their coats, and got up too.

    Mu Yuchen bade a few other people farewell and paid the bill before the three buddies walked out of the club...

    ¡°What do you think? Do you feel like you¡¯re especially tied down after marriage? Usually, at this hour, we buddies would be happily having fun. Now, you just miss your woman at home.¡±

    Outside the club, Su Chen took a cigarette out and lit it. Then, he handed the cigarette box to Mu Yuchen who slide one out for himself and took a light drag. He looked up slightly at the neon lights that flickered from the tall building across.

    ¡°I find it pretty good actually, so you guys should try it too.¡±

    He took a few puffs before picking up his pace and walking down the stairs. His clear and eye-pleasing tall figure quietly passed under the dim streetlights. Quickly, he got into his car and drove off.

    As they watched the car drive further away, Su Chen shrugged. He turned a little helplessly to Zhou Zimo and said with puzzlement, ¡°Bro, he¡¯s gone. We haven¡¯t even had enough fun yet. I think we¡¯ll talk about this marriage thing in another few more years!¡±

    When he heard this, Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face instantly shed with a smile. ¡°You really can¡¯t tell with such things. Didn¡¯t this fe just say two months ago that he¡¯ll be pursuing the singlehood ideology? But, look at him now!¡±

    Then, he put on the coat that was on his shoulder and walked down the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m leaving too. I still have work tomorrow morning. Come over to my ce this weekend for drinks!¡±

    ...

    It was gettingte in the night, and the French window on the side did not seem to have been closed tightly, so one could faintly hear the sound of the night breeze brushing through the treetops.

    Xi Xiaye did not know how long she had slept for either. She just knew that while she was deep in her sleep, she seemed to have heard the door open and then the sound of water bubbling.

    After what seemed like a decade had passed, she felt the nket beside her being pulled open. She then woke up in a daze from her deep sleep while at this moment, the man beside her had already pulled her into an embrace and turned to pin her under him. The familiar fresh fragrance came to her as a cold kiss had already fallen like dense raindrops on her lips.

    She struggled for a little before opening her eyes. She saw through the blurriness and borrowed the weak light to see him restlessly messing around.

    ¡°Why are you sote? I¡¯m really tired... Let¡¯s not do this tonight...¡±

    Before she could finish, the sleeping gown on her hade undone. His raspy and sexy voice came through. ¡°It was all pretty close buddies and friends. I couldn¡¯t leave so early... Let¡¯s just do it once tonight... Hmm?¡±

    Then, without waiting for her response, he started on his own. When Xiaye finally reacted, she already could not reject him, and then she thought about the big pile of things on the table downstairs. She sighed to herself because she could only tell him after they were done.

    The temperature in the air suddenly burned up and she could not resist his increasingly skilled teasing. Helplessly, she could only quietly ept and respond...

    After the sex, she panted slightly while being engulfed in his embrace. Looking up with unsteady breath at him looking pleased as punch, after calming down, she said with a raspy voice, ¡°Did you see the pile of things on the table downstairs?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what things?¡± He hugged her tightly and asked softly. His eyes closed gently to rest, and he looked like he had enjoyed the session.

    ¡°It¡¯s what Grandmother prepared. She said... She said it¡¯s for us to have... Uhh... that sooner...¡± Xi Xiaye turned scarlet and started to feel a little shy as she spoke.

    Could she ask him if they could have a childter on? Now, they still had so many things to do. They should wait until they were more stable, so it would be better for everyone. However, this time, they did not seem to have any protection...

    When he heard her tone, he suddenly squinted and fixated his gaze on her beautiful face as he asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you willing?¡±

    ¡°I... It¡¯s not that... I was just thinking about waiting until we¡¯re more stable before...¡±

    She did not finish her sentence because she realized that his gaze made her feel a little uneasy. She looked at him for quite a while, then suppressed what she wanted to say after that. She let go of his arm in a daze, quietly turning around so that her back faced him.

    Hisrge hand reached out and instantly pulled her into his arms again, turning her around and making her face him. His jet ck eyes condensed with a profound light as he looked at her. ¡°Or do you think that I¡¯m not as good as him? You can¡¯t forget him, so you aren¡¯t willing. Is that so?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried that if we aren¡¯t stable, our child will be like me in the future...¡± She could not help but sigh and did not mind spilling her guts for him to listen.

 Chapter 194 - Incident (2)

    <h4>Chapter 194: Incident (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen squinted as she finished her sentence, and she felt a little uneasy as he stared at her. She could tell that her words made him unhappy.

    She could not move away from his grip, so she averted her gaze away from his sharp eyes.

    ¡°So, you think we¡¯re still unstable?¡±

    His deep tone was afflicted and Xi Xiaye was feeling really anxious about it.

    ¡°Look at me, and answer the question!¡± Mu Yuchen was not letting her get away with this. His hand around her waist tightened.

    Xi Xiaye felt pain with the strength he was exerting. She frowned and stared at him, unable to give him an answer.

    ¡°We¡¯ll continue stabilizing it then!¡± His eyes darkened as he saw the hesitation in her eyes. He turned over and covered them up. Soon, the war began once again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this... Mmm!¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to say no, but Mu Yuchen shushed her and forbade her from continuing to talk.

    Xi Xiaye went along with him helplessly. After that, she just passed out into slumbend right away.

    Mu Yuchen hugged her with a clear mind. While he watched her withplicated feelings inside him, his eyes suddenly turned blur as well.

    She was very frail and did not feel very solid in his arms even after what they just did...

    ¡°We¡¯ll be stable...¡± He murmured after some time as a lonesome sadness appeared in his quiet eyes. He hugged her tightly and felt some of her body warmth, still feeling that what happened between them was real.

    ...

    Afterward, as if they understood each other, no one brought up that topic at all.

    Xi Xiaye only remembered that the morning after, Mu Yuchen told her they should just let things proceed naturally and that there was no harm having another person to care and miss.

    She did not know how to answer, but then she thought to herself that since things had turned out like this, why should she not just make more changes?

    She gave it some thought before nodding silently in agreement.

    They were married anyway, so what else could they do? That was bound toe sooner orter. Was this not a sign of them getting along?

    After the New Year, they were busy for quite a few days. The next day was the weekend, and they finally had some time to rx.

    It was already 4 p.m. after Xi Xiaye handed the stack of documents she signed back. After she gulped some water from the ss, she then started packing up.

    ¡°Director Xi, are you going to the north of the city?¡± Assistant Xiao Mei knew about Xi Xiaye¡¯s habit, so she asked with a smile.

    Xi Xiaye grabbed her windbreaker from the clothes hanger and nodded. ¡°I want to go and have a look.¡±

    ¡°Director, you seem to really like those children, but I feel happy when I see they are having fun too.¡±

    Xiao Mei helped Xi Xiaye take the things out from the cupboard that she had been instructed to prepare before. There were two full bags of them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you get to your car, Director Xi!¡± Xiao Mei offered when she saw Xi Xiaye holding her briefcase in hand.

    Xi Xiaye nced at the two big bags, then looked at the briefcase she was holding before she nodded. ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Most of the things are done anyway. Please rest well during the weekend, Director Xi. You must be exhausted working on the South River project for the past few days.¡±

    She picked up the bags and walked outside. Xi Xiaye smiled as she grabbed her stuff and followed her.

    The sun was setting by the time they walked out of the office. It dragged their shadows really long across the pavement and it was a little chilly as the cold wind breezed through.

    Xi Xiaye walked forward as she took the car keys out from her pocket. Xiao Mei followed behind her as she went towards the parking lot.

    Xi Xiaye unlocked the car and opened the door to the passenger seat. Just as she was about to retrieve the stuff from Xiao Mei, she noticed her assistant staring at her with wide eyes.

    Was this not Chairman Mu¡¯s car?

    Xiao Mei¡¯s eyes glittered and looked at her boss in surprise as she asked, ¡°Director Xi, isn¡¯t this...?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then realized her mistake. She answered after a brief moment of silence, ¡°I borrowed it from him.¡±

    She then took the bags from Xiao Mei and stuffed them on the passenger seat.

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    As if Xiao Mei understood something, she nced at Xi Xiaye ambiguously with a smile. ¡°Director Xi, actually you look great with Chairman Mu. It¡¯s fine if you two aren¡¯t really close rtives! Everyone in the office feels that the both of you are a matching pair!¡±

    ¡°Why do you guys think we¡¯re a pair?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and asked.

    She remembered Su Nan having said something simr before as well, but she thought that Mu Yuchen and her just happened to be together. They respected and understood each other. Aside from the rtionship between an employee and employer, they were just room buddies...

    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m not sure! We just kind of feelfortable watching the both of you together! Director, if you really be the chairman¡¯s wife, then our departments will be inws. Will we be considered first when there are any benefits?¡± Xiao Mei voiced out her cheeky thoughts as her eyes lit up.

    Xi Xiayeughed. ¡°Always thinking of such things! I¡¯m leaving now. You can go back first.¡±

    She then quickly got into the car and drove away, heading towards the road up front.

    Xi Xiaye gave Mu Yuchen a call after she was on the road. She told him she might be back a littleter tonight.

    Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo went to the location of the developing Movie City for inspection. He had left Maple Residence early in the morning and did not drop by the office at all.

    It was not time for everyone else to leave work yet, so there was no traffic. Xi Xiaye arrived at the north of the city about an hourter. She stopped the car beside the rundown and deste orphanage.

    She got down from the car and nced inside through the rusty steel bars. The yground was unusually empty and the whole ce seemed quiet.

    After staying silent for some time, Xi Xiaye grabbed the two bags and went inside after locking the car.

 Chapter 195 - Incident (3)

    Chapter 195 Incident (3)

    Trantor: Daoist7 | Editor: chjean /EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Miss... It¡¯s you!¡±

    There was a surprised voice as Xi Xiaye walked past the cemented path. She raised her head and saw the elder chief of the orphanage, Lady Wang, as well as Teacher Li.

    ¡°It¡¯s Ms. Xi!¡± The old chief put on a smile and greeted her.

    The chief only knew Xi Xiaye¡¯s surname. Although she wanted to get her name in the orphanage to thank her for all the donations she had given, Xi Xiaye had declined her.

    Every time she came over, she would just leave the items aside and watch the children outside for a while before leaving.

    ¡°Happy New Year! I was working nearby so I came over to take a look.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s face softened and she greeted them respectfully before she handed the things to Teacher Li. ¡°These are some gifts for the children. Are they doing alright?¡±

    Teacher Li was startled for a moment before epting the two bags with a smile. There was some warmth in her voice. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Xi! The children are doing well. Don¡¯t worry, but...¡±

    Suddenly, Teacher Li stopped talking. She turned around hesitantly and looked at Lady Wang. There was an unspeakable sorrow in her eyes.

    Lady Wang seemed depressed as well and her weary eyes darkened as she let out a long sigh. ¡°Ms. Xi, you should go and take a look at those children. This ce is going to be demolished in a few days...¡±

    ¡°Demolished?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned after she heard Lady Wang¡¯s words. Her eyes turned dull and she asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°This is an old area, after all. Long ago, the government had ns to rebuild the area. We thought the official paperwork would only be approved several yearster and I¡¯ve been working hard on upkeeping this ce recently. However, the document was approved before I could get any results from my efforts. This ce has been bought and we need to move away by next month...¡± Lady Wang shared in a depressed tone. Raising her head and looking at her familiar surroundings, she felt like she missed this ce already.

    It had been several decades!

    In the end, they were still going to lose it!

    ¡°Then, what will happen to the children?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank and her eyes seemed concerned.

    ¡°We¡¯re having trouble with that too. If we can¡¯t keep this ce, we don¡¯t really know what to do as well. We can only send them to welfare agencies temporarily and think of an alternativeter on. The chief gathered some people to ask around and see if there are any families willing to adopt some children. At least, we can still do something...¡±

    Teacher Li said in a worried tone, ¡°Some of the children are still young. Xiao Hu and Xiao Qing have rather poor health conditions, so I¡¯m really worried about sending them to the welfare agencies...¡±

    Xi Xiaye grimaced. After a moment of silence, she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t there any other way? Can we keep the ce?¡±

    ¡°The buyer is almost done getting all the approval from the government. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no other way. This old area was going to be reconstructed anyway. I was thinking of using my savings and getting a new house for the children. In the end...¡±

    Lady Wang sighed to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Thank you for your love and care for the children over the years. I thank you on behalf of the kids. You¡¯re a good Samaritan and you¡¯ll surely be blessed. Go in and take a look at the children. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll all be separated in a few more days...¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt pain blossom in her chest when she heard Lady Wang¡¯s words. She rted too much to these children because they reminded her of her lonely self back when she was still studying at boarding school.

    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before asking, ¡°Who bought this ce?¡±

    Lady Wang shook her head. ¡°There was no information. It was so sudden that we still aren¡¯t sure what happened! Go take a look at the kids, Ms. Xi. They are in ss now. We started preparing them for sses earlier...¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and followed Lady Wang to the school building.

    As they went nearer, the voices of the children¡¯s reading reached their ears.

    ¡®The sun beyond mountains glow, the Yellow River seawards flow; to enjoy grander sights, climb to greater heights¡ª¡¯

    She felt sad as she stood near the back door and watched the children focus in ss and make notes!

    All these innocent and happy faces should be living with a happy family, but now...

    Some of them had been abandoned by their parents because of birth defects while some of them lost their parents because of idents, and some were children who wandered off and got lost...

    How could someone be so cruel to make them lose a permanent home once again, and take away their ce to stay?

    Xi Xiaye never thought of herself as a kind person. She could watch a poor beggar die of hunger at the end of the street, or watch a crazy gambling addict be pushed to their wit¡¯s end.

    However, there were some things she still had to do.

    She had no idea if it was right or wrong, but if something touched her, she was strongly convinced that she needed to do something about it.

    She went back to her car depressed. The sky was already dark when she was about to return to Maple Residence and the streetmps were lit up.

    She took her phone out from the pocket and gave Shen Yue a call.

    Shen Yue was on the way back home from his office when he received Xi Xiaye¡¯s call.

    ¡°CEO, it¡¯s Ms. Grandaughter¡¯s call!¡±

    Lan Zng handed the phone to Shen Yue in the back with a smile. ¡°It seems that Ms. Granddaughter has been contacting home a lot ever since she got married. She misses both you and Miss a lot more than before.¡±

    Shen Yue beamed as well. He nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, I guess it¡¯s all to Chen¡¯s credit. I¡¯d better reward him sometime, haha...¡±

    He pressed a button and answered the call. ¡°Hello? Xiaye?¡± Shen Yue¡¯s loving voice came through.

    Xi Xiaye guided the steering wheel with one hand and slowed down. Her eyes were focused in front while her voice softened slightly. ¡°It¡¯s me... Grandpa...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you call me at this time? Are youing home? I¡¯ll ask your mother to prepare some dishes for you...¡±

    ¡°No, Grandpa... I need to ask you for a favor,¡± Xi Xiaye interrupted Shen Yue.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Shen Yue asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s an orphanage in the north called Ning An Orphanage. A mysterious buyer bought it and is going to demolish it. I want you to check who bought it...¡±

 Chapter 196 - Compel (1)

    Chapter 196 Compel (1)

    Trantor: Daoist7 | Editor: chjean /EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Yue¡¯s face appeared tense after he hung up on the call with Xi Xiaye. He looked at Lan Zng in front and said quietly, ¡°Ask them who bought thend Ning An Orphanage is sitting on in the old area of the north of the city.¡±

    ¡°Got it, CEO!¡± Lan Zng immediately made a call.

    After the call, Lan Zng suddenly thought of a matter and asked, ¡°CEO, I heard that Mr. Mu is interested in the South River project, and this project is handled by Ms. Granddaughter. Are you considering it?¡±

    Shen Yue raised his hand to stop him, only replying after a while, ¡°Let her do it herself. She¡¯s still young and needs to be trained. If not, she might get crushed if I hand Fuhua over to her. Although Chen is good, I still hope that she can be more independent.¡±

    ¡°CEO, I¡¯ve heard that Ms. Granddaughter took the document from Miss, and Miss signed it too. It seems that Ms. Granddaughter wants to get Yueying...¡± Lan Zng hesitated for a moment before reporting.

    Shen Yue paused and sighed asfort passed in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m happy that they realized it. Wenna never actually walked away from her past trauma. Her mother doted on her too much and just let her do whatever she wanted. If not, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way. However, it¡¯s great now that she¡¯s staying by my side.¡±

    ¡°What about Yueying then?¡±

    ¡°Let the youngsters do their own thing. We can¡¯t break their wings, so let them fly freely and just look after them a little.¡±

    Lan Zng could hear the exhaustion andfort in his voice. He understood that Shen Yue was probably reflecting on himself from Shen Wenna¡¯s incident.

    One might lose something more easily by gripping onto it too tightly just like the sand in one¡¯s hand...

    Mu Yuchen was not back yet when she arrived at Maple Residence. Thinking that he was still busy, Xi Xiaye put her stuff away and went into the kitchen.

    She did not know to cook many dishes, so she just made some simple ones and a pot of soup.

    She was cing the pot on the dining table when Mu Yuchen came back. ¡°Scoot over a little... It¡¯s hot...¡±

    Mu Yuchen dodged her rushing towards him and he also pulled a chair out for her.

    ¡°What delicious dishes have you made?¡± Mu Yuchen grabbed a wet handkerchief and wiped his hands as he looked at the dishes on the table. While the presentation could have been better, the aroma was tantalizing. He sat down on a chair while she scooped the soup into bowls.

    ¡°I simply made them. Tell me if they are good but don¡¯t say anything if it¡¯s not nice. I like to be praised and not criticized. Otherwise, I won¡¯t make any meals ever again,¡± she said straightforwardly as she put a bowl of fresh, piping hot soup in front of him.

    Heughed quietly and epted the bowl of soup. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hear my praises?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that shallow.¡±

    She got herself a bowl of soup as well before sitting down and handing him a pair of chopsticks. ¡°It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow and we¡¯ve promised to rx. Su Nan has sent the invitation card to thepany today. Here it is. What gifts do you think we should get her?¡±

    She put her bowl down and then took out a red invitation card from her bag to hand it to him.

    Mu Yuchen grabbed it and studied it. ¡°Can¡¯t we just give them a big red packet?¡±

    ¡°What poor taste!¡± She rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°Then, you tell me what¡¯s a gift of good taste? Isn¡¯t something solid better?¡± He replied as he took some food and put it into his mouth elegantly.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. ¡°Well, giving a red packet with a prosperous number seems like a good idea as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Li Si to prepare it. Check if you still need anything prepared. I have no idea what women like, but I can go shopping with you tomorrow.¡± He then continued eating quietly.

    She gave him a brief reply before she grabbed her bowl and started eating.

    After the dinner and a shower, the couple sat on the sofa together with the television turned on and a pot of tea beside them. He was reading a book while she was watching television beside him.

    Suddenly, Shen Yue called her. it must be about the orphanage.

    Xi Xiaye saw the caller ID and her eyes brightened. Immediately, she sat up straight before answering the call. Before Shen Yue could say anything, she asked worriedly, ¡°Hello? Grandpa? How is it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s questions got a heavy sigh in return. After a while, Shen Yue replied, ¡°I¡¯ve found out about it. Zng called me and said the Han Corporation bought it. It was Han Yifeng... Have you been in trouble with himtely?¡±

    Han Corporation...

    Han Yifeng had bought it!

    Xi Xiaye was shocked when she heard that name. Her hand froze up and she started to miss out on what Shen Yue was saying as his voice faded in her ears. She could feel her heart sink and a sense of pain throbbed inside while her eyes darkened.

    Why would it be Han Yifeng?

    After a while, she came back to her senses when she heard Shen Yue¡¯s voice. She replied quietly, ¡°Okay, I got it, Grandpa. It¡¯s alright. It¡¯ste now and you should go and rest. Goodnight!¡±

    The man beside her with sharp senses could feel something was not right. He took his eyes off the book and nced at her, his eyebrows furrowing when he noticed she was frowning as well. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly put her hand on her forehead and ced the teacup on the table. She took a deep breath in. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just about the orphanage... I¡¯ll tell you once I find out more about it.¡±

    She then quickly made a call. ¡°Hello? Senior Chu? It¡¯s me, Xi Xiaye...¡±

    ¡°Can you please help me check at which stage has the paperwork been processed with the orphanagend in the north of the city that¡¯s been bought by the Han Corporation? Yes... It¡¯s there. I just found out they bought it, but the documents still need the approval from the government. Please help me check who¡¯s handling it. I need the people from both sides, yes...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s frown got deeper as he heard her conversation. He could somewhat piece the information together and he asked after she hung up on the call, ¡°Is Han Yifeng messing with you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye put her phone away and mumbled, ¡°The Han Corporation bought the orphanagend. While it¡¯s known that the ce will be demolished and will be redeveloped into a new housing area or a new supermarket, the Han Corporation isn¡¯t involved in these areas, so why would they suddenly buy that ce?¡±

 Chapter 197 - Compel (2)

    <h4>Chapter 197: Compel (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This really was an enigma to Xi Xiaye.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he lowered his head and pondered thoughtfully while Xi Xiaye said with slight waning enthusiasm, ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not think too much about it. I¡¯ll see if Senior Chu can get a clearer picture on this tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Senior Chu?¡± Mu Yuchen very quickly caught onto the keywords.

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly. ¡°Director Chu from ourpany. He used to be from downtown too. He¡¯s three years older than Su Nan and I, and he¡¯s very good friends with Ruan Heng. Previously, I wasn¡¯t close with him either. Later on, after he joined Glory World, he¡¯s been following VP Liu and we¡¯ve coborated quite a few times, so we started to get close.¡±

    ¡°I can see that you¡¯re pretty close to him.¡± The man meaningfully narrowed his eyes at her and smiled faintly.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it earnestly, then dly nodded. ¡°I guess. Senior Chu does look out for me. Back then, when I just joined thepany, I had him to thank for all the help.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell. You¡¯re pretty wanted in the market! And there¡¯s that Wang Ziluo...¡± Heughed and his gaze started to look at her with interest.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged as she raised her brows. ¡°Wang Ziluo is from a few centuries ago! In fact, I heard that he already has a fianc¨¨. As for Senior Chu, VP Chen from our department is going after him rather eagerly...¡±

    ...

    The next day, when Xi Xiaye woke up it was already close to 10 a.m., so the husband and wife simply tidied up the room a little. After lunch, just as they were about to leave the house, Xi Xiaye unexpectedly received someone¡¯s call. It was Deng Wenwen!

    ¡°Take a trip out. There¡¯s something you should be quite interested in. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the New Era za. Otherwise, I can also go look for you at Glory World Corporation!¡±

    Deng Wenwen still sounded so powerful and high and mighty when she said this. Without waiting for Xi Xiaye to answer, she hung up.

    Xi Xiaye stared at the screen that dimmed as her starry eyes went cold. She suddenly tightened her grip on the phone and hostility appeared on her beautiful face.

    She took in a deep breath and put on an icy smile. Then, she tossed the phone aside and then started the car. ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip to the New Era za first.¡±

    ¡°Did something came up from the other side again?¡± Mu Yuchen, who was reading a magazine on the front passenger¡¯s seat, saw that she looked upset, so he asked as he casually flipped another page.

    Xi Xiaye did not answer and just calmly sped up.

    When they reached the New Era za, Xi Xiaye found a parking spot underneath the coffee shop. Unbuckling her safety belt, she then turned to say to him, ¡°I¡¯ll be going up for a bit, but I¡¯ll be back down very quickly. Just wait for me here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen, who was closing his eyes to rest, slowly opened his eyes. His deep eyes took a look around and looked towards the coffee shop outside the car window. Then, he nodded. ¡°Go then.¡±

    When she found Deng Wenwen, the woman was leisurely drinking her coffee. It seemed that she had waited for quite a while.

    ¡°Why did you take so long?¡± When she saw Xi Xiaye, Deng Wenwen did not look too pleased. Xi Xinyi¡¯s scandal was now worsening and everything had stemmed from Xi Xiaye before her. Naturally, she was resentful.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not happy with waiting for so long, you didn¡¯t have to keep waiting.¡± Xi Xiaye was not courteous as well. She just sat right across her, and facing Deng Wenwen with a threatening aura, she remained extremely calm as she usually did.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything, just spit it out. I¡¯d like to hear what important thing you have to tell me.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re not very happy about me looking for your mother to ask for that document back. If that document is with you, I hope that you can hand it over. Otherwise, it would just be useless with you.¡± Deng Wenwen did not mind getting right to the point either.

    Indeed, it was about this again!

    ¡°Yueying¡¯s 20% of shares... That waspensation for my mother from Father. Why should you be asking us for this? I don¡¯t mind telling you either that the document has already been signed and is in effect. In fact, I¡¯ve already sold it to someone else.¡±

    ¡°Sold it to someone else? Who did you sell it to? Yueying is our Xi family¡¯s property. How dare you sell it as you wish? I hope that you can hand it over yourself. I canpensate you. Just give me a copy. For the sake of you mother and daughter both, I, Deng Wenwen won¡¯t treat you unfairly! No matter what, the 20% of shares can¡¯t be sold! You should remember that this is enough to waver the foundation of my Yueying!¡± Deng Wenwen demanded with a stern voice and a hardened expression on her aged face.

    ¡°Previously, I seem to have mentioned to Yue Lingsi the price: one billion. If you can, then show me this sum of money and maybe I¡¯ll consider it, CEO Deng.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re really asking for a lot. You¡¯re all grown up now but you even dare to say such things to me! You¡¯re too much!¡±

    Deng Wenwen felt her blood pressure rise hearing Xi Xiaye. Her eyes leaped with fireworks and fury was apparent in her entire bodynguage.

    ¡°Back then, when you forced me to sign the document, weren¡¯t you even worse?¡± Xi Xiaye was not moved and she retorted coldly.

    ¡°Okay! Okay! Initially, I didn¡¯t want to make things this miserable, but since you won¡¯t understand my earnest efforts, don¡¯t me me for being rude! Yueying is my life¡¯s work. It¡¯s my life! Whoever dares to touch it means that they¡¯re asking for my life, and whoever wants my life, I won¡¯t be courteous with! Whoever that may be!¡±

    As Deng Wenwen asserted this, she tossed a document to Xi Xiaye. ¡°This should hold enough weight!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s starry eyes squinted. She shot an indifferent look at Deng Wenwen, then calmly took the file and opened it. She pulled the document out from within and casually flipped it to skim through.

    However, she had only taken a few nces when her beautiful face sank. Her eyes were instantly condensed with gloominess and bitterness. She quickly flipped through it a few more times before she looked up with hostility, staring in disbelief at Deng Wenwen.

    As if she was very satisfied with Xi Xiaye¡¯s reaction, Deng Wenwen¡¯s aged face shed with a victorious and delighted smile. ¡°I know that you care quite a bit about that orphanage. All these years, you¡¯ve been sponsoring them too, so it should be quite special to you. Coincidentally, it¡¯s about time for its demolishment. If you¡¯re willing to hand over the document you have in exchange for it, then thisnd will be yours. Now, this should be quite worth it, shouldn¡¯t it? If you still think it¡¯s not enough, I can add on another five million, but this is as far as my kindness goes!¡±

    Xi Xiaye clenched onto the document until the tips of her fingers turned pale and she trembled slightly. Then, she suddenly breathed in and there was a tight pain in her chest that could not be suppressed. Despair and pain appeared in her twinkling eyes that had endured so much while she red in disbelief at Deng Wenwen who smiled with suchck of regard...

    It was not sure how long passed before she suddenly lowered her head. Her beautiful, long hair had already covered her pale little face as an indescribable feeling of repressed emotions started to expand.

    It seemed like despair and sorrow, but even more so, it seemed like coldness...

 Chapter 198 - Xiayes Trick!

    <h4>Chapter 198: Xiaye¡¯s Trick!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Deng Wenwen stared at Xi Xiaye before her with a hard expression. When she saw the despair that could not be disguised in her eyes, her heart seemed to calm down. She thought about it before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t forget. You¡¯re part of the Xi family too! Regarding Xin Er, I know you¡¯re doing something from the inside. I also know that about the matter with Yifeng and Xin Er, they did do you wrong, but if you¡¯re going to go against Yueying because of these things, then I definitely won¡¯t let you go so easily! Xiaye, you and Xin Er are sisters. No matter what, you shouldn¡¯t treat her like that!¡±

    ¡°Do you know how she has treated me then? You¡¯ve always been ying the role of an aplice. Obviously, you wouldn¡¯t understand. If I guess correctly, this thing you brought for me today must have been handed to you by her, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised the document in her hand and red coldly at Deng Wenwen.

    When she heard her question her like that, Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression changed slightly, yet her gaze on Xi Xiaye did not turn less imposing.

    When she saw Deng Wenwen¡¯s reaction, the answer was obvious. Xi Xiaye straightened up slightly and smiled. ¡°To achieve your goals, you really have used all sorts of tricks up your sleeves. I really don¡¯t understand. How can such a kind and innocent Xi Xinyi do such a thing? Doesn¡¯t she know that once the orphanage is demolished, all the children from the orphanage would have no ce to stay? Could all of her kindness and understanding previously be lies?¡±

    When she said this, Deng Wenwen instantly looked upset. ¡°Xin Er¡¯s just trying to help me get Yueying through this tough time. You don¡¯t have to criticize her!¡±

    ¡°Then, you can justifiably bring me these things to threaten me, so that I will obediently hand the document over to you?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes shed with mockery as her thin lips faintly sneered. ¡°Did you guys forget how evil of a person I am? For such a program, the roles should be reversed. Why do you think I¡¯d bring this document to exchange with you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye waved the document in her hand and her tone instantly turned cold as ice. ¡°If you want to make me hand the shares over, it¡¯d be quicker to dream on. Initially, I didn¡¯t want to take Yueying down, but you forced me to. Now, you will watch for yourself how I destroy Yueying!¡±

    There was a ripping sound.

    She tore the document in her hand apart, turning it into paper shreds in her hands, andstly tossing them before Deng Wenwen coldly. The fluttering paper shreds fell like snow.

    ¡°You! Very well then, you... You have guts!¡±

    Deng Wenwen did not expect Xi Xiaye to do this at all. Suddenly, she could only widen her eyes and fix her gaze onto Xi Xiaye. Her wizened face turned red from anger while her clenched hands trembled.

    ¡°Whether or not I have the guts, it¡¯s not the first time you¡¯re witnessing it, isn¡¯t it? Oh, right, I heard that Father and the government are organizing some charity event for children, aren¡¯t they? It sounds pretty huge. There¡¯s a lot of attention from the media. What do you think the Han Corporation would do if I made a call to the media or to the government? What would Xi Xinyi do?¡±

    After Xi Xiaye spoke, she disregarded Deng Wenwen¡¯s worn face that continued to sink and she made a call right away.

    ¡°Hello? Is this Director Zhang of Time Magazine? Mmm, hello, I have a news that I¡¯d like to report to you. The Ning An Orphanage north of our city...¡±

    Before Deng Wenwen could react, she had already calmly finished a phone call. After that, when Deng Wenwen realized what was happening, it was already toote for her to stop her!

    Xi Xiaye calmly put her phone away and smiled at Deng Wenwen. ¡°Great! Now, what¡¯s left is for you guys to do. I¡¯d like to see how much longer your brilliant image can be maintained. I know that you¡¯ve been recently rushing to arrange for Xi Xinyi to join all sorts of charity banquets to wash away all those scandals, haven¡¯t you? This time, I¡¯ve given her another excellent opportunity. I wonder how she¡¯ll thank me.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye! You¡¯re really vicious! You... You...¡±

    Deng Wenwen felt her chest tighten. Suddenly, she could not breathe and she quickly dug out her medication from the bag in a panic. She poured out a few pills to swallow and then calmed down after a while.

    Across her, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were filled with darkness and ridicule. She got up with an indifferent expression and scattered the paper shreds in her hand. She looked down at Deng Wenwen and said extremely firmly, ¡°I¡¯ve told you. If you won¡¯t let me live, don¡¯t expect me to let you guys either! Whatever Yue Lingsi and her daughter have stolen from my mother, I¡¯ll surely make them pay back in double to me.¡±

    When she said this, she suddenly bent over and lowered her voice to say, ¡°As for Xi Xinyi, you can go back and tell her that she can bring out whatever tricks she has. To fight with someone as mean and as ruthless as me, she should raise her tricks a bar higher!

    ¡°I¡¯ve given you guys the chance, but you just didn¡¯t want it... You¡¯ll see how Yueying will end up in your hands. Just wait and see, CEO Deng!¡±

    Xi Xiaye stormed off with these words. She was very satisfied to see Deng Wenwen tense up and tremble in anger, and she could not help but feel smug. She could already guess that within a few hours, the news regarding the orphanage would spread with all sorts of versions.

    Their attacks would all point to the Han Corporation. She was sure that those reporters must have used their gossip skills and dug pretty interesting inside stories.

    <i>Xi Xinyi, since you want to y, let¡¯s go big. I¡¯d like to see how you can calm this storm this time around!</i>

    As for Han Yifeng, the other day she had already very clearly warned him. Since he had chosen to support Xi Xinyi, she would not be kind for old time¡¯s sake.

    Coincidentally, harping on the public opinion and media¡¯s power this time, she could get Glory World acimed and seize the opportunity to set up a Glory World foundation to be used in the future as an aid for these orphans and grabbing the attention of the whole society. That way, there would be an evenrger benefit for these orphanages. At least, they would not be helpless when they faced a crisis as they did right now.

    In fact, the next time, she was sure that Xi Xinyi would not be able to use such tricks against her again!

    Once this incident was exposed, no matter the oue, Xi Xinyi¡¯s image would suffer a huge loss on top of her recent continuous scandals. Let her have a taste of one disaster on top of another!

    Xi Xiaye was not afraid of any rumor or nder, but could Xi Xinyi pretend not to care?

    She made her way towards the staircase step by step with a resounding gait, her thin and slender figure very quickly vanishing downstairs. Deng Wenwen had yet to calm down, her rising blood pressure almost making her faint from anger.

    Quite a while after, she suppressed the anger inside and forced herself to calm down. Then, she quickly took out her phone to make a call. Otherwise, everything would turn worse if she was toote!

 Chapter 199 - Scandal Crisis (1)

    <h4>Chapter 199: Scandal Crisis (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she returned to the car, the man was still leaningfortably in the seat with his eyes closed to rest. He faintly felt that there was a stifling air after she got in, so he slowly opened his eyes to look at her.

    Her beautiful, fair face had a faint blush while her gaze looked a little cold and indifferent. He could tell that she seemed down and rather enraged.

    ¡°Did she make you angry? Why do you look so angry?¡± The soft voice came through and before she could calm down, he had already handed her the Thermos of water prepared in the car. His dark eyes were intertwined with a faint gentleness.

    Xi Xiaye just took it to open it and drink a few gulps before handing the bottle back to him. As she started the car, she frowned. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s about the orphanage. I have an idea that I want to share with you, but I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d be interested.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it,¡± Mu Yuchen set the Thermos aside and answered calmly.

    Xi Xiaye slowly drove the car out of the parking and then said, ¡°Riding on the rumors at this moment, how about we set up a charity foundation? With ourpany¡¯s influence, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for us to raise funds for the foundation. The collected donations will be used for aiding ces like orphanages. This should bring quite a lot of benefits to ourpany¡¯s image...¡±

    ¡°Are you saying you want to set up a Glory World Foundation?¡± Mu Yuchen immediately saw through her.

    She nodded gently. ¡°Mmm, actually setting up the Glory World Foundation would bring us quite a lot of benefits. In fact, I¡¯m sure you know this yourself. I remember previously before you returned to the country, Grandfather did mention such an idea at a higher management meeting. However, because everyone was quite busy with the projects then, it was set aside. Now, if we can seize the opportunity and pass the agenda, it should turn out pretty well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll mention it to Director Wen. Since you¡¯re in charge of the South River project, you don¡¯t have to worry about these things. Aren¡¯t you nning on letting me know what just happened?¡± He watched her clear, unsympathetic, little face and asked softly.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and pondered momentarily, then she could not help but sigh. She looked calmly at the road ahead. ¡°It¡¯s about the orphanage. Han Yifeng bought thend where the orphanage is. Previously, the government nned to demolish and rebuild that ce. Initially, Chief Wang was nning to fight for it again...¡±

    ¡°Then, did they use thisnd to make an exchange with you and make you hand over the document for Yueying¡¯s shares?¡±

    She did not need to continue. Being the wise and profound man who could see through everything, he had caught onto the heart of the matter. A dim light appeared in his dark eyes, yet his handsome face was calm as usual.

    Xi Xiaye was startled for a moment. She inhaled slightly and nodded as shemented, ¡°I don¡¯t know how else to handle this. I keep thinking about this matter. In the end, I could only call Time Magazine, hoping that this time through the storm of public opinion, I can make them give it up on their own...¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her in shock. Then, there was instantly a sh of admiration in his eyes. He agreed with her actions dly. Noticing an endurance of mncholy in between her brows, he fell silent for a moment. His long and slightly chilly hands reached out, gently holding onto her hand that was on the gear.

    His low yet sensitive voice slowly entered her ears. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s not too huge of an issue. They weren¡¯t courteous with you, so there¡¯s no need for you to be kind and think twice. You¡¯ve already done it anyway, so is there any use regretting now? Isn¡¯t it better this way?¡±

    Listening to his low and gentle voice carry a hint of constion, she suddenly felt worse. Again, she breathed in and blinked her slightly heated eyes. Then, her beautiful face suddenly shed with a faint smile. She sounded like she was sighing as she asked, ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m quite mean and malicious?¡±

    As she said this, she turned to look at him, yet he did not answer. He only looked at her with quiet and calm eyes.

    Seeing that he did not answer, she quietly looked away and turned towards the alternately flickering traffic light ahead, and casually said, ¡°I heard Grandpa say that when Mother was young, Grandma always liked to talk about intellectual elegance. She said that an intellectually elegant woman mustn¡¯tck four things ¡ª the confidence on her face, the kindness deep in her heart, the guts in her blood, and the resilience that is carved into her life. I suddenly realize that I haven¡¯t been able to do a single one of these things. I¡¯m quite terrible.¡±

    When she finished, he instantly chuckled softly. His hand reached up and could not help but gently hug her shoulders. ¡°Nobody¡¯s perfect, so what¡¯s the point of mulling over it too much?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the traffic light that turned green ahead. She stepped on the elerator as the corner of her indifferent lips shed with a faint smile of self-mockery. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to be like this either. I wanted to study properly and get good grades. I wanted to be an obedient, kind, and likable child too, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t perform in my studies. No matter how I tried to get close and blend in with them, I was just that uninteresting. They all didn¡¯t like me...¡±

    Her voice suddenly dropped and she quietly blinked at the road ahead. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and did not continue.

    Witnessing her vulnerability like this, something suddenly shifted in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. There was a pity that could not be concealed as the hand around her shoulder tightened a little, and he chuckled softly, ¡°Okay now. How old are you already, still sadly asking about why people don¡¯t like you as if you¡¯re a little girl? Just think of them as people with terribly low EQ and IQ that it raises people¡¯s hackles. Their aesthetic point of view is a little weird, and their standards of distinguishing people didn¡¯t evolve well, that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t realize the splendor of the pearl that you are...¡±

    Hearing him say this, the sad spell in Xiaye¡¯s heart broke. She suddenly could not help but shoot him a side look and ask a little gloomily, ¡°Do people really console others like that?¡±

    Heughed out loud, the smile on his handsome face entering her sight and making her heart feel warm all of a sudden. She shot him a side look, then forced herself to avert her gaze, not forgetting that she was still driving at the moment.

    The ce that Mu Yuchen mentioned was a luxury hot spring center. It was local in the secluded outskirts of the north of the city and was in the same direction as the Grand Waves Vi area.

    Xi Xiaye followed Mu Yuchen¡¯s directions and they soon steadily stopped the car outside the center.

    They had just stepped into the center when someone walked out to receive them.

    ¡°Master Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded slightly, indicating for him to lead the way.

    The husband and wife quickly followed him to a private changing room.

    A bath, a change of clothes, and they got into the <i>hanjeungmak </i>[1] <i>...</i>

    When Xi Xiaye walked out of the sauna sweating all over with her moist hair, she noticed that he was reading a magazine on the sofa in the corner.

    The husband and wife were both wearing bathrobes.

    ¡°Master Mu, I¡¯ll look for two of our...¡±

    When she saw Xi Xiayee out, the attendant was about to suggest getting two skilled masseurs, yet before she could finish her sentence, Mu Yuchen, who was reading the magazine with his head bowed, spoke up, ¡°Just get one for her.¡±

 Chapter 200 - Scandal Crisis (2)

    <h4>Chapter 200: Scandal Crisis (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the other end, after Xi Xiaye left, Deng Wenwen had quickly called Yue Lingsi and the rest, telling them to suppress the news.

    However, did she even realize what a huge media house like Time magazine was?

    As long as it was worthy news, they would not let it go. Right after Xi Xiaye hung up, the people from the magazine begun working on it. They were so quick that one could not react soon enough!

    When Deng Wenwen arrived the orphanage, the reporters had already swarmed into the orphanage. They wanted to stop them, but it was toote.

    At this moment, inside Han Yifeng¡¯s vi, Xi Xinyi was nning to make a loving dinner for Han Yifeng. However, just as she was washing her hands and getting ready to cut the ingredients, Yue Lingsi suddenly called.

    ¡°Mother? What is it?¡± Xi Xinyi picked up the phone.

    From the other end came Yue Lingsi¡¯s panicked and anxious voice right away. ¡°Xinyi? Where are you right now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at Yifeng¡¯s ce. What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Xi Xinyi could obviously hear Yue Lingsi¡¯s panic, so she instantly asked with puzzlement.

    ¡°Xinyi, bad news! Something has happened! Your grandmother just went looking for Xi Xiaye that witch. Initially, she wanted to use the orphanage documents to trade with her, yet unexpectedly, not only did she not take it, but she even called Time magazine and some of the media, saying that it was your idea. Now, the media has already rushed straight to the orphanage. We wanted to stop them, but it was toote. What do we do?¡±

    Yue Lingsi was nervous with worry. At that moment, she was at home in the living room, pacing back and forth restlessly before she called Xi Xinyi in a moment of desperation.

    In the meantime, Deng Wenwen had gone to the office, afraid that something was going to change.

    ¡°What did you say? She called the media?¡± When she heard Yue Lingsi, Xi Xinyi was immediately stunned and could not react right away. Her beautiful eyes flickered with disbelief.

    ¡°Yes, Xinyi! Xi Xiaye this witch is evil! She knew that right now you are at your lowest, yet she still wanted to hit you below the belt! If she wasn¡¯t willing, she could¡¯ve just said that she wasn¡¯t. Why did she have to hurt you further!? Do you see now? She¡¯s just that cruel! I heard from your grandmother that thepany¡¯s already been holding off many calls from the media. Many of the reporters are waiting for you near the office, so you mustn¡¯t go to the office!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice through her gritted teeth sounded uneasy. ¡°Also, I¡¯m afraid Yifeng will be in trouble too. You two must be careful. I¡¯m discussing with your grandmother on whether there¡¯s a way to manage this news. The orphanage is being clogged by the media. I¡¯m afraid this matter can¡¯t be concealed. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid us Yueying would have to suffer another storm. Xinyi, I¡¯m panicking right now. I don¡¯t know what to do! It¡¯s all Xi Xiaye¡¯s fault! All her fault!¡±

    Xi Xinyi naturally knew the reason Yue Lingsi was worried. Apart from all the reasons she had mentioned, there was also her father, Xi Mushan¡¯s side, and her grandfather¡¯s side. If they found out about this, that would truly be disastrous!

    Xi Xiaye had actually called the media!

    This oue was far beyond her expectations. At first, she thought that even if it was useless, she would just be angry and talk tough, yet this time...

    Xi Xinyi felt her entire body tense up and her delicate face looked miserable. Her beautiful eyes flickered with a downcast light as the hand that gripped onto the phone trembled lightly, Quite a while after that, she answered, ¡°I got it, Mother! Don¡¯t worry first. Don¡¯t panic. We¡¯ll see the situation with Grandmother and the media¡¯s end. Let¡¯s do that first. I¡¯ll be home soon.¡±

    Then, she hung up because she heard the footsteps from outside. Han Yifeng should being downstairs.

    Taking this document from Han Yifeng was initially the engagement gift that she had asked for from him. Back then, she had unintentionally found out that Xi Xiaye seemed to have special feelings for this orphanage, so...

    Han Yifeng did not know about this. If he found out that she had taken this document to make Xi Xiaye hand the document for Yueying over, what should she do?

    When she thought about this, Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes instantly dimmed. She hesitated for a moment, then turned around to walk out of the kitchen. She wanted to discuss it with Han Yifeng, yet just as she walked out of the kitchen, she saw that he was already downstairs. As he walked towards the sofa, his phone in his hand was ringing.

    Xi Xinyi realized something, so she quickly rushed over and wanted to stop him from answering the call. However, Han Yifeng was pretty swift, and with a slide of his thumb, the call was through.

    It was from his personal secretary.

    Once the call got through, Secretary Wang¡¯s strained voice immediately came through. ¡°CEO Han, we have a problem!¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Han Yifeng slowly sat down on the sofa and poured himself a ss of water as he asked.

    ...

    Xi Xinyi watched as Han Yifeng quietly listened to the person on the other end of the phone. His handsome face sank bit by bit. Finally, his handsome brows turned into a knot and he unknowingly clenched the ss tightly in his hand as his dark eyes flickered with an uncertain light.

    A century passed before Han Yifeng finally hung up on the call. His entire being was also covered with a cold hostility that made her feel very uneasy. She walked over with light footsteps, slowly going over, and calling out softly, ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    When he heard Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice, Han Yifeng then took a look at the phone that he already hung up. Then, he turned his head unhurriedly before fixing his gaze on Xi Xinyi. There was a mix of emotions that could not be concealed in his eyes. ¡°Xinyi, where¡¯s the engagement gift that you made me give you?¡±

    Indeed!

    Xi Xinyi was stumped. She subconsciously halted in her steps as her charming face instantly paled. There were gloominess and sadness that could not be hidden in her eyes while she bit onto her plump lips out of habit and she met Han Yifeng¡¯s deep eyes. After a long while, shemented, ¡°Don¡¯t you already know? I¡¯m sorry, Yifeng! I saw that Grandmother and Mother kept fretting over this issue, so I wanted to help them out a little. Initially, I thought that document could be used topensate Sister, yet I didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d immediately call the media without caring about family¡¯s sake...¡±

    ¡°How did you know if the document was important to Xiaye or not? That it could even be used as something topensate her?¡± Han Yifeng frowned, his gaze locked onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale little face.

    ¡°I...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression changed. Unexpectedly, she did not know how to answer, so she bit onto her plump lips until they almost cracked. ¡°Yifeng... I¡¯m sorry... I didn¡¯t know that Sister would do that. Now, even the media knows... Yifeng, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I... I just wanted to find the best way to resolve the issue. I never would¡¯ve thought that it would turn out like this, Yifeng...¡±

 Chapter 201 - Scandal Crisis (3)

    <h4>Chapter 201: Scandal Crisis (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As he listened to Xi Xinyi, the light in Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes darkened and he stared at Xi Xinyi. ¡°That means you <i>did </i> n to use the engagement gift I gave you to force Xiaye to hand over that document! Is that so?¡±

    ¡°No! No! I initially wanted to give it to her. If she could hand the shares over, that would¡¯ve been great, but if she didn¡¯t, I really didn¡¯t n to force her to. I just wanted to use this opportunity to let Grandmother have a proper chat with her to see if there¡¯s a way... Yifeng, you have to believe me...¡± Xi Xinyi quickly exined, her pale face hinting at her vulnerability.

    ¡°Those children are so pitiful. There¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve done such a thing. Initially, I already nned to purchase thatnd to give it to Sister, but I thought that maybe it¡¯d be better if you did it. After all, it¡¯s us who wronged her... You know Yueying¡¯s current situation as well. I was so worried that she would really sell those shares off. If that happens, Grandmother and Mother... So, as long as she¡¯s willing to yield, everything can be discussed, Yifeng... I really didn¡¯t think of...¡±

    She sounded guilty in between her sobs. Soon, she could not help but reach out to hold onto Han Yifeng¡¯s arm as tears started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Han Yifeng, her pale and weak little face drawing sympathy from anyone who saw her.

    ¡°Now that Sister has just called the media, she¡¯s nning to make this thing huge. Yifeng, you know I¡¯m having a precarious time right now. No matter what, I wouldn¡¯t dare use my reputation to risk it again, and you know that there¡¯s nothing I hate more than seeing you troubled.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s words made Han Yifeng¡¯s grave expression ease a little. He stared at her for quite a while, then said in a lowered voice, ¡°Whether or not you intended for it to, the matter¡¯s already at this stage. It¡¯s a little sticky. I¡¯ll go upstairs and see if there¡¯s any way of suppressing the rumors.¡±

    Han Yifeng still did not look happy as he lifted a hand to massage the fatigue between his brows, and gently pulled away from Xi Xinyi hand before making his way to the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ve told you that you can stop messing around about things with Xiaye. Whatever your intentions are, she has already cut off all ties with us, so why do you have to be so untactful?¡±

    ¡°Well, now she¡¯s... Times are different...¡± Xi Xinyi said bleakly before his tall and lean figure vanished at the top of the stairs.

    As she watched Han Yifeng¡¯s figure disappear, Xi Xinyi unconsciously clenched both her fists with all her might. Amidst her thoughts, there was a hazy pain on her palms.

    ...

    When they exited the center, it was already evening. The husband and wife made a trip to the supermarket to buy quite a few ingredients and then made their way straight back to Maple Residence. When they reached the door, Li Si was coincidentally sending a document over.

    Soon, the sky had darkened and Maple Residence was engulfed in splendid lights.

    Xi Xiaye arranged the flowers carefully in the vase and briefly tidied up the living room. She could not help but feel her stomach rumble in hunger.

    When she reached the entrance of the kitchen, she looked through the ss door and meant to ask him when they could eat. Then, she saw that he was still casually testing the ingredients, seeming very rxed.

    She instantly looked like she was about to break down. Pushing the door to enter, she could not help but ask, ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯d like to know when will this meal be ready? You¡¯ve been attending to it from evening till now and it has already been close to three hours.¡±

    When he heard her voice, Mu Yuchen turned over slightly to look at her and smiled indifferently. ¡°Hungry?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned and did not answer.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done soon,¡± he answered, then handed over a te of food. ¡°Bring this out first. I¡¯ll have a look at whether it¡¯s done yet.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then took the te and shot a side look at the pot that was stewing with a slow fire on the stove. Catching a tempting aroma, the hunger in her was further ignited.

    Cooking seemed to have be an art when it came to him. He would always work on it unhurriedly with leisure and tranquility. Sometimes, she really had to admire his patience.

    ...

    Finally, a sumptuous dinner was ready. There were her favorite honey sauce steak and wine, but it was not a candlelight dinner.

    She picked up her knife and fork and was about to begin eating when she suddenly thought of something and could not help but look up to him. ¡°Next time, we should eat mainly vegetables.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was leisurely serving the both of them some wine. He handed her a ss and calmly studied her, his dark eyes flickering with a bright light. ¡°How much did you gain?¡±

    Earlier, when he had seen her standing before the weighing scale, looking all dispirited and upset, he could not help but want tough.

    When she heard him, Xiaye¡¯s little face instantly flushed with scarlet. She took the wine he handed her and took a sip before she mumbled, ¡°The point is it didn¡¯t go past three digits...¡±

    He chuckled, and then his long arms reached over to help her slice her steak. ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t advocate that being thin is beautiful. You¡¯re not a model or a dancer or an actress. Isn¡¯t it enough that you¡¯re healthy?¡±

    As he said this, he picked up a piece of sliced meat and put it to her mouth. She was stumped for a moment, then she opened her mouth to eat it. She watched as he begun continuing to slice her steak. Taking a deep breath, she said, ¡°Mmm... Don¡¯t give me that nonsense. Actually, most people judge others by their looks just like us. If our first impression hadn¡¯t been positive, we definitely wouldn¡¯t have the chance to be where we are right now...¡±

    ¡°Based on what you¡¯re saying, are you hinting to me that the first time you saw me, you already thought I was pretty good? That I met the standards of your ideal Prince Charming and was husband material?¡±

    The man was far from humble as he nced up at her. His eyes flowered with a faint tenderness and he stuffed a piece of steak into her mouth again as his smile shed gently.

    She rolled her eyes at him, chewing with gusto, and then washing it down with some wine. She said disapprovingly, ¡°My ideal Prince Charming should be cultured, speak humorously and be knowledgeable, low-profile and reserved, mature and steady, knows everything in the heavens above and the earth underneath our feet, tall and dashing, valiant in presence, always appearing when I need him the most, forever thinks that I¡¯m the most beautiful goddess to him, treats me better than he treats himself, and apart from me, he definitely wouldn¡¯t take a second look at another woman... Do you think you can do all of these, Mr. Mu?¡±

    It was almost as if every woman who asked such a question would have such yearnings and hopes. At this moment, Xiaye¡¯s delicate face shed with a faint vibrance.

    ¡°But you¡¯re already great, Mr. Mu. I¡¯m quite satisfied with the life I have right now.¡± She sincerely lifted her drink, and offered a toast to him.

    He smiled and dly reciprocated the toast. He thought about it, then said, ¡°Missus, even though your Mr. Mu isn¡¯t perfect, he¡¯s really a good person. Prince Charmings aren¡¯t real, but he¡¯s the real dea.

    You definitely won¡¯t lose out by going with him.¡±

 Chapter 202 - His Wedding Gift To Her

    <h4>Chapter 202: His Wedding Gift To Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She calmly looked at the gorgeous curve of light that swayed in his wine ss. His bright and smiling handsome face that entered her eyes looked a little bedazzling.

    Quite a while after, she nodded with a peaceful and light tone, unlike her usual hostile self. ¡°I will.¡±

    Ding!

    Then, she closed in with the ss in her hand.

    He picked up the wine bottle and poured her more as he asked, ¡°How are you nning to resolve the issue with the orphanage?¡±

    Xi Xiaye drank a spoonful of soup, her starry eyes twinkling for a moment. Then, she answered calmly, ¡°Just set it aside for now. I¡¯ll see how Xi Xinyi¡¯s end responds. I quite understand Xi Xinyi¡¯s tricks. For the storm this time, if she can¡¯t hold on till the end, she¡¯ll definitely just toss away thatnd and pretend to do it in the name of charity. I don¡¯t want this storm to just subside like that. That would be too easy on her. In the end, all I¡¯ll be doing is let her win with a good reputation instead.¡±

    Then, she could not help but look up at him. ¡°Do you have a way of making her suffer a double loss after trying to trick the enemy? Make me feel good too?¡±

    He was always so low-profile and reserved. The way he looked so calm and undisturbed made it hard for her to see through him. She just felt like he was an unfathomable mystery. In fact, he seemed to have his own issues but he had never mentioned it to her.

    ¡°If I can let you ruthlessly take revenge, what¡¯s in it for me?¡±

    Hearing her question, he suddenly looked up at her with interest, yet he soon allowed his silent eyes to settle on the super huge television screen in the living room. It seemed to be reporting some news on Xi Xinyi and the rest joining some sort of charity event.

    Today¡¯s news had yet to be reported and she wondered how the situation was.

    Indeed, he did not change his inherent quality of a profiteer!

    Xi Xiaye ignored him and shot him an annoyed look. Then, she lowered her head and continued to quietly eat the steak that he had helped her slice up.

    After dinner, she feltzy, so she pushed the cleanly picked tes to Mu Yuchen for him to wash, then she went upstairs.

    She did not deliberately pay attention to the situation on Xi Xinyi¡¯s end and went straight to take a bath after going upstairs. Coincidentally, Su Nan called, then she started chatting with her.

    When Mu Yuchen went upstairs, she was still in the bathroom chatting happily away with Su Nan, so he did not disturb her and went straight to the study room.

    He had just sat down before the desk when Ah Mo¡¯s call came through.

    ¡°Hello?¡± He answered with a lowered voice.

    ¡°Master, I found out that Xi Xinyi did get someone to investigate the Missus many times. It¡¯s an international number. Xi Xinyi and Wang Zilou met on a ne to Balist year. After that, they kept in touch. Xi Xinyi¡¯s friend, Huang Shanshan, has always liked Wang Ziluo. Last autumn, Huang Shanshan had specially flown over to visit Wang Ziluo, but he seemed to fancy Missus. Previously, he tried to find out news about the Missus...¡±

    Mu Yuchen listened to Ah Mo report as his long fingers habitually propped up his forehead. After he contemted for a moment, he answered with a gentle but muffled voice, ¡°Anonymously e-mail theplete details of Xi Xinyi investigating your sis-inw to Han Yifeng. Get someone to tell Huang Shanshan. Just say that not too long ago, Wang Ziluo and Xi Xinyi had a great time together in Bali.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master! Right, Master, earlier I got news that Yue Lingsi¡¯s returned to the Yue residence. I think it must be because of Xi Xinyi¡¯s scandal. The government¡¯s process of signing the documents have yet to bepleted. Thankfully, they just want to retract and straight up deny that it ever happened.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t let the scandal subside just like that. Think of a way to let that document get through tomorrow itself, and let the media have a trace to follow,¡± Mu Yuchen said before hanging up. At this moment, coincidentally, the study room door was pushed open. Xi Xiaye walked in with a ss of water in her hand.

    ¡°You go bathe too. I¡¯ve prepared the water for you.¡±

    She put the ss of water beside his hand, then bent over to pull open a drawer and take out a USB from inside. It had the South River project documents on it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at them now. Rest well these next two days.¡±

    He reached over to take the USB from her and tossed it back into the drawer as he slowly got her to get up with his arms around her.

    ¡°I wanted to finish the few graphs...¡± Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment and protested.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same if you do it during working hours. I have something for you.¡± His deep voice brushed past her ears. He held her by her slender shoulders and his hand reached over to the tall bookshelf behind. Then, he took a folder down and casually handed it to her.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She looked up in puzzlement at him and asked softly.

    His handsome brows raised and he grinned. ¡°Won¡¯t you know once you open it?¡±

    ¡°How mysterious!¡± Xi Xiaye softly nagged before opening the folder. When she pulled the document out, she saw the details of Yueying Culture Media Company!

    Her eyes lit up and she quickly flipped through the document and roughly examined it. A while after that, her beautiful face shed with a radiant smile. She could not help but look at him with admiration. ¡°How did you get it so quickly?¡±

    He smiled without a word. Obviously, he would not tell her that actually sincest year, he had already begun attending to this matter.

    ¡°37%? With this, you can already be Yueying¡¯s secondrgest shareholder! But why is this 17% assigned to my name?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked a little shocked as she waved the document in her hand. She could not hide the pleasant surprise in her eyes.

    He smiled calmly and lowered his eyes. Gesturing at the document in her hand, his gaze fell onto her delicate little face. ¡°It¡¯s my wedding gift to you. Do you like it?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was stunned. She quietly looked at the document in her hand and peeked at that familiar bold and flowy signature at the bottom of the page. A warmth suddenly shed across her heart and she started to turn misty-eyed.

    Quite a while after that, she looked up at him and happily nodded. She said in a slightly raspy voice, ¡°I like it. I... I thought that it would never return to me ever again...¡±

    ¡°Even without that, I could obviously help you fight for it. How would it have never returned to you?¡±

    His sentimental and tender voice spoke, bringing a hint of constion with it, yet it made her choke up for some reason. Her chest suddenly felt stifled and upset.

    Finally, she could not hold back and reached out to gently surround his waist with her arms, submitting into his embrace. She clenched the document tightly in her hand and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I won¡¯t thank you now...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted to hear those two words from you.¡± He gently patted her head and consoled her, ¡°Next Wednesday is Yueying¡¯s general shareholders¡¯ meeting. It¡¯s best if you attend as Glory World¡¯s executive director. I¡¯ll get VP Liu to apany you, hmm?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she softly answered, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    He smiled dly and then suddenly squeezed her tightly.

 Chapter 203 - Be Good To Him With All Shes Got

    <h4>Chapter 203: Be Good To Him With All She¡¯s Got</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She leaned on his slightly warm chest closely. Her cold fingers that were behind his back suddenly felt a little warmer. It was not sure how long had passed before he finally pulled away from her slowly and lowered his head to watch her. He saw that her eyes had reddened, so he teased a little helplessly, ¡°I only gave you a little gift, but you¡¯re already so touched? Is your heart made from water?¡±

    Xi Xiaye blinked as she gripped the document in her hand tightly. Her starry eyes appeared like crystal light as she looked up quietly at him and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m touched because of you. Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±

    He smiled dly and objected, ¡°So, you always get hurt easily. Sensitive people are like this. When someone does something nice for you, you think they¡¯re a good person. It¡¯s not really a good thing to be so easily moved, Missus...¡±

    ¡°Are you a good person then?¡± She blinked and asked.

    ¡°Only I am the exception. You just have to remember this.¡± His tone was unquestionable while his noble and handsome face instantly turned serious, yet she could not help but giggle out loud seeing him. She then responded in her raspy voice, ¡°Okay then, the entire world¡¯s only left with one good person and that¡¯s you. Everyone else is bad...¡±

    He happily raised his brows, seemingly quite satisfied with her awareness. ¡°Missus, I realize that you¡¯re really getting better and better at judgment! Okay, keep the document properly, then go back to the room and rest well. I¡¯ll go and take a bath.¡±

    He patted her head again, and then let go of her before walking out of the door.

    Xi Xiaye watched his tall figure disappear in the doorway, yet she felt a little distracted. She looked down at the document in hand for a long time before looking up in the direction that he had just vanished...

    She had to admit that when he smiled calmly and handed it to her, something indescribable in her heart was moved and softened. Her neglected heart that was riddled with scars had been swayed too.

    She did not know how to tell him that apart from feeling moved, she actually felt a faint joy and maybe a little bit of something else too, something she had not had the time to look into.

    Sometimes, it was just as he said ¡ª she was easily moved.

    A very, very long time ago, she seemed to have encountered such soft and fragile feelings before. However, the roles had been reversed. The one giving out love had been her, while the one being loved then had been Han Yifeng...

    She already stopped probing all the past that she could not bear. Now, she did not know whether she really loved Han Yifeng and how deeply she had loved him. Ever since she could understand and feel so deeply, she was used to it.

    She was used to being good to Han Yifeng, used to loving him...

    Later on, she realized that because she was used to loving, once someone else was kind to her, she would not be able to handle it and was easily satisfied, easily moved...

    So, if he continued to be this good to her, then should she not also be kind to him with all she had?

    She took a deep breath, looked down at the document for a long time, and then quietly put it away.

    When she returned to the bedroom, the main light in the bedroom was not switched on. The dim, warm light came from the wallmp beside the French windows and the faint light from the bathroom.

    She walked towards the bedside and switched on the light. When she saw the clock on the nightstand, she noticed that it was only slightly past 8 p.m. She did not have the habit of sleeping so early. After some thought, she then took out a tablet from the drawer and was nning to watch a movie.

    However, she found all the movies not very interesting. It was a long search before she found an inspiring movie that had prettymendable reviews. It was a very, very old movie that she remembered watching when she was in university, ¡°Forrest Gump¡±.

    Only a few minutes into the movie, the nket beside was lifted and a certain person¡¯s familiar fragrance entered her nostrils. Before she could react, he had already pulled her into his embrace. His calm and raspy voice asked, ¡°What are you watching?¡±

    Then, he looked at the tablet in her hand, ¡°This movie? Shouldn¡¯t you women be watching ¡®Titanic¡¯ or something new and romantic?¡±

    ¡°Who said so? I like this... Hmm, right, I heard that quite a fewtest movies are pretty good. When you¡¯re free, let¡¯s go watch some of them.¡±

    She suddenly remembered that previously when she drove past a cinema on the way back, she had seen the promotional signs in front of the cinema, and the crowd of young lovers lingering around the entrance.

    They all looked very young, pure and simple, yet him and her...

    ¡°We¡¯ll go when we¡¯re free next weekend,¡± he answered pretty quickly with a hug. He leaned against the bedhead. ¡°This movie is pretty good. Watch a few more times and you¡¯ll feel quite deeply moved.¡±

    ¡°Really? I always don¡¯t finish it...¡±

    ¡°Watch it then...¡±

    ¡°Mmm... Hey, Mu Yuchen...¡±

    ¡°Do you think we¡¯re old? Would it be a little weird for people like us to go and watch movies in the cinema? That ce seems to be filled with young couples who are passionately in love...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether you¡¯re old or not. I just know that I¡¯m in my prime...¡±

    ¡°Ugh, annoying!¡±

    ...

    After resting well for two days, Xi Xiaye felt recovered. On Monday, she was in much higher spirits at work.

    Yet, right after she walked into thepany, she found out that the matter with the orphanage had caused quite a huge crisis. Xiao Mei and the rest told her that it seemed as if the reporters had been crowding outside Yueying and the Han Corporation building for the past two days.

    The results of the matter she asked Chu Qi to investigate had already been returned yesterday morning. He said that the government¡¯s signed documents had gone through. At this moment, the orphanagend was indeed bought by Han Yifeng and then passed on to Xi Xinyi. It seemed to be some kind of engagement gift.

    Xi Xiaye was thinking of a better n, yet before she could do anything, the media reporters had already found out about this. They had swarmed Yueying and the Han Corporation with the intention of asking them to issue a statement to the orphanage.

    Initially, Xi Xiaye was prepared to expose herself, but her issues seemed to have been suppressed. The media still did not seem to know about the conflict between her and Deng Wenwen.

    ¡°Director Xi, it¡¯s really unexpected that this Xi Xinyi is so... The orphanage has so many poor children who are homeless. How could she bear to let the kids...? Sigh, and yet she¡¯s some charity and public welfare ambassador. I¡¯m speechless!¡±

    Bringing in some documents, when Xiao Mei saw that Xi Xiaye was checking on that piece of news too, she could not help butment, ¡°Previously, so many of thepany¡¯s colleagues liked her. Unexpectedly, she¡¯s this kind of person. She¡¯s even hired a lot of trolls to curse and make a scene on ourpany¡¯s Weibo, attacking us! Thankfully our Chairman Mu is calm. He told us to ignore them and not respond at all. Now, they look like they¡¯re doing a one-man show, pping themselves on the face! It looks extremely ironic!¡±

    After this incident, Glory World employees had a poor impression of Xi Xinyi. Since she had signed a contract with Glory World, she was considered a partner or employee of Glory World, yet she had hired trolls to smear thepany¡¯s reputation. Such action made everyone incredibly angry!

 Chapter 204 - Chance Encounter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 204: Chance Encounter (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye held her forehead with a hand and calmly shut herptop down. She took the document Xiao Mei delivered and got up. ¡°Mmm, everyone should just obey Chairman Mu¡¯s instructions. Pack up. We¡¯re making a trip to the South River.¡±

    There were some detailed questions that she needed to still inspect there before handling them. Because she would need to submit the proposal for the project next week, there was not enough time. With such a tight timeline, Xi Xiaye did not dare to dy.

    ¡°Okay, Director Xi!¡± Xiao Mei answered, then swiftly left to prepare.

    Xi Xiaye quickly tidied up the documents on the table, stuffed them into her briefcase, and then took the windbreaker from the side as she walked out of the door.

    She had just stepped out of Glory World Corporation when she faintly felt a chilly humidity in her face. Looking up at the sky, she saw that the horizon was filled with a haze. The boundlessly drab sky was drizzling, unlike the splendid sunshine before this.

    When Xiao Mei came out with the things, she cried out, ¡°Eh? It¡¯s raining! Director!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not too heavy. Bring an umbre along!¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her eyes and sighed to herself. She could not care much about the cold that came attacking them. She took the briefcase in Xiao Mei¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the car. Go and get an umbre from the reception.¡±

    Then, she took huge strides into the rain.

    As Xiao Mei panted and rushed out with the umbre, Xi Xiaye had already driven out of the car park and parked by the roadside.

    Xiao Mei got into the car hastily and her keen eye noticed that in the passenger¡¯s seat up front, Chairman Mu¡¯s windbreaker and briefcase seemed to be there. Like the other colleagues in thepany, they paid special attention to their Chairman Mu. Naturally, she would be familiar with his things.

    Someone seemed to have seen Director Xi and Chairman Mu get down from the same car this morning, so now the entirepany was buzzing around with rumors about the two of them...

    Before Xiao Mei could not hold it in further, she stared at Xi Xiaye through the rearview mirror in front and asked carefully, ¡°Director, people in thepany are saying that you and Chairman Mu... are living together... Is that true? In fact, the ring on your finger... Director, are you married?¡±

    When she heard this question, Xi Xiaye was astonished for a moment. She subconsciously looked at the ring on her finger.

    Right, deliberately hiding it now would not work when there was something this obvious.

    She thought about it and finally nodded. ¡°I¡¯m married.¡±

    ¡°Oh my God, is it Chairman Mu? Director? It must be Chairman Mu, right? I knew it! The way Chairman Mu looks at you is different from the way he looks at other women! That¡¯s awesome! Even just thinking about it feels exciting!¡±

    Once Xi Xiaye said that, Xiao Mei could not hold back and cried out in joy. She stared at Xi Xiaye in admiration. ¡°Director, how did you... How did you two end up together?¡±

    Xiao Mei was a little curious about this bit of juicy gossip.

    To them, someone like Chairman Mu was someone out of reach, yet unexpectedly, he had been spoken for by their Director Xi. If she told the others this, it would make her look good! She could be elevated in front of the colleagues from the other departments!

    ¡°I¡¯ll just tell you for you to know. We don¡¯t need to end up having the wholepany knowing. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be thepany¡¯s hot topic. Understood?¡±

    Xiao Mei was her personal secretary. In the future, she would need to be in contact with a lot of things, so Xi Xiaye treated her like one of her own.

    ¡°Is that so? Okay then, I understand. I won¡¯t breath a word!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not saying don¡¯t let everyone know, but maybeter on.¡±

    ...

    The two of them chatted and it felt like time flew by pretty quickly. Soon, they reached the south of the city, and at this moment it was still drizzling outside. The entire South River was engulfed in mist.

    Xi Xiaye drove through some slightly narrow cemented trails, immediately driving up to highernd ahead. There they could get a bird¡¯s eye view of the scenery around the South River.

    At the end of the trail was a small viewing deck. Xi Xiaye parked the car on the side and Xiao Mei immediately got down from the car with the umbre before walking over to Xi Xiaye¡¯s side.

    ¡°Director!¡± Xiao Mei opened the umbre and walked over while Xi Xiaye took out a folder and pen from her briefcase before getting down from the car too.

    The rain was not heavy, but if they stood like that in the drizzle, their shoulders would be drenched in a short while.

    The two of them followed the trail and walked to the deck. The cool, rustling breeze that came was very bitterly cold and they could not help but shiver a little.

    ¡°The scenery here is pretty beautiful. The South River runs for miles, Director Xi, look! It¡¯s quite amazing!¡±

    The sound of Xiao Mei¡¯s cries came. Xi Xiaye followed the direction of her finger to look and saw that the South River below them was hidden amidst the hazy rain, seeming rather dreamy and surreal, lingering in the clouds and mist.

    The huge plot of opennd beside the South River was Xi Xiaye¡¯s target for the day. She nodded slightly and then opened the folder in her hand as she nced up to carefully examine the surroundings of thend below...

    Xiao Mei stood behind her while holding the umbre, watching the way Xi Xiaye focused on sketching with not a hair out of ce. She wanted to ask her to put on anotheryer, but after that, she did not dare speak up to disturb her.

    They walked along the viewing deck. Some time had passed when Xiao Mei felt herself shiver. In fact, her legs were a little numb from standing, but when she looked at Xi Xiaye, she saw that she seemed to be thinking about something. Her expression was calm and the document in her hand was filled with notes.

    Finally, when Xiao Mei¡¯s stomach made a rumbling sound, Xi Xiaye closed the document and turned to look at her assistant who was blushing from the awkwardness. She smiled. ¡°It should be about time. Are you hungry already?¡±

    ¡°Director Xi...¡± Xiao Mei looked down feeling embarrassed.

    ¡°How about this? You go down and eat first, then go straight back to the office. Just go down and get a taxi. I¡¯ll be fine by myself here. When you go back, make a trip to the Marketing Department. Tell them to get me a copy of the South River¡¯s market research. I need it in the afternoon when I get back to the office.¡±

    ¡°Then, Director Xi, you...¡± Xiao Mei hesitated.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back in the afternoon. There¡¯s an umbre in the car that you can take,¡± Xi Xiaye said and then took the umbre in Xiao Mei¡¯s hand.

    Xiao Mei did not dare to question her boss. She turned around and left.

    Xi Xiaye continued to be busy. Not too long after Xiao Mei left, she was about to continue walking ahead when she suddenly heard the sound of a car honking from behind. She turned around and followed the source of the sound to look.

    A gorgeous Rolls-Royce slowly entered her sight and she noticed that the car slowly stopped beside her car that she had parked by the roadside.

    The driver¡¯s door quickly opened, and a tall man in a ck suit walked to the back seat with an umbre. He respectfully opened the car door before a tall figure stepped out of the car...

 Chapter 205 - Chance Encounter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 205: Chance Encounter (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A familiar handsome face entered her sight, making her absent-minded in that instance.

    Han Yifeng?

    How could it be him?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand that held onto the ck umbre unconsciously tightened. Her bright eyes were momentarily in a daze before it returned to rity. Then, she watched on with an indifferent expression through the hazy rain.

    While Han Yifeng seemed to have sensed the car. He frowned and looked at the Porsche that was parked in front, his dim gaze flickering for a moment, and then subconsciously looking up to search for something. Quickly, he noticed Xi Xiaye who was standing on the viewing deck, watching him apathetically...

    Today, she was dressed as usual in a ck work suit. On the outside, there was a mid-length windbreaker and her beautiful, long hair fell onto her shoulders like always. Her thin and slender figure towered in the rain, and it looked like there was something more to her than how it used to be.

    He suddenly felt that the two of them had not met for a very, very long time.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s stern face seemed to ease a little. His dark eyes were still dense with an indescribableplexity as he stood where he was and hesitated for a long time, unmoving.

    Only when his assistant, secretary Wang called out for him did he snap back to his senses. ¡°CEO Han!¡±

    He took a deep breath and saw that up ahead, Xi Xiaye had already looked away and continued to look downward. Han Yifeng then nodded and took the umbre in secretary Wang¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll go over by myself. Wait for me in the car.¡±

    Then, he walked over.

    ...

    Han Yifeng stopped behind Xi Xiaye, his profound eyes looked quietly at her slender figure as he asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be here? Maybe the Han Corporation is interested in this project too?¡± Xi Xiaye looked up coldly from the document, turning to look indifferently at him. Her twinkling eyes were filled with obvious hostility and distance.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s handsome face fell silent for a moment. He did not answer, yet he moved a slight step forward and stood by her side. He looked up at the vast emptynd before them.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that he did not respond, she coldly retrieved her gaze and was about to walk away. At this moment, Han Yifeng suddenlymented, ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    He looked on with mixed emotions at the drizzle from the sky. Then, he thought about it before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s quite cold here.¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d question me about the orphanage scandal.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold voice came through as she closed her document and looked at him inly.

    When he heard this, Han Yifeng¡¯s expression shifted. He gazed at her deeply. Ironically, Xi Xiaye saw a rare sign of apology in his eyes!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Xinyi would go looking for you with the document. She only told me to give her that as an engagement gift, so... I wasn¡¯t intentionally going against you. I hope you won¡¯t misunderstand.¡±

    Han Yifeng spoke in a lowered tone, ¡°Did she bring you that document to negotiate terms with you and to make you hand over Yueying¡¯s shares? I found out about it...¡±

    When she heard this, XI Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face shed with a faint smile before she answered calmly, ¡°How could that be? To let so many children from the orphanage go homeless, someone as kind and beautiful as Xi Xinyi would definitely not do such an utterly heartless thing. Only someone as despicable and vicious as I would. In fact, she¡¯s been so good to me. I really don¡¯t know how I should thank her. Do you think she¡¯s the kind of person who would use an orphanage to coerce me into doing something?¡±

    ¡°Xiaye...¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s handsome brows furrowed. ¡°Xinyi might not have done it on purpose, so can you please...¡±

    ¡°Forgive her, right?¡± Before Han Yifeng could finish, Xi Xiaye had already indifferently cut him off. She smiled radiantly and casually but it looked harsh to Han Yifeng whose heart sank for some reason.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll forgive her. I know that she¡¯s always been so good to me. I¡¯m just blind for not seeing it. Other than that, I¡¯ll also have to thank her mother for being so great at giving birth to her and raising her to be so pure and kind. Usually, in TV dramas, the third party would be trampled on by the first wife. Then, the stepmother would torture the first wife¡¯s daughter to death. The fact that I, Xi Xiaye can live healthily right now, and be provided with the basic necessities, I feel that I should indeed be deeply grateful to the mother and daughter pair. What do you think?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was indifferent and calm as if she had just said nothing out of the ordinary. Her expression cold as the wind...

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant? Xiaye...¡±

    Her apathetic and distant expression greeted his sight. That calm and unwavering tone was not how she was before when you could vaguely feel her anger. Now, all that was left seemed to be an endless destion and coldness.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that if you decide to take on a united front with them, I don¡¯t care for the sake of any old times. Whatever they¡¯ve taken from my mother, I will make them pay back in double. Even if it¡¯s Yueying, if I don¡¯t get it, I¡¯ll ruin it! You and I have long decided to go our separate ways. If you insist on helping them toe for me, then go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t the two of you resolve this in a different way? Does it have to be like this?¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s voice sounded a little helpless and disappointed.

    ¡°Do you think that apart frompeting with each other to death, there¡¯s another way to resolve things in this situation? Can you make the mother and daughter willing to leave the Xi family and leave West Park just like how my mother did back then? Can you make Xi Xinyi give up on the right to inherit Yueying? Can you make Xi Xinyi break off her marriage with you and swear on her life that she will never ever marry into the Han family again?¡±

    Her cold tone of disdain blurted out, sounding quite harsh.

    ¡°I...¡± Han Yifeng suddenly did not know how to answer her.

    She had already turned away and looked up at him with the umbre in her hand. Her beautiful face shed with a smile that was mixed with a stillness.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t, then please just move aside to watch the good show. I, Xi Xiaye will use my own way to take them on right to the end. Of course, I won¡¯t mind if you join in too. I¡¯ll just have to spend a little more thought.¡±

    ¡°Do you hate me, Xiaye? How did Mu Yuchen... I want to hear you tell the truth.¡±

    Han Yifeng suddenly turned to look at her. From the depths of his eyes was a sadness. Even he did not know why he would ask such a weird question.

    ¡°I used to hate you,¡± she admitted calmly while her gaze was still as water, ¡°After that, I felt like it was meaningless, so I got toozy to hate you.¡±

    He faintly heard her sigh. Before he could react, she had already looked away and continued walking ahead. ¡°I ept the fact that you¡¯ve never liked me. I also know that the Han family has actually never been satisfied with me being your fianc¨¦... Just as how they looked down on my mother back then. Actually, it¡¯s not just Xi Xinyi who has a strong background... I¡¯m very lucky. He¡¯s not like you guys... All these years, I don¡¯t think anyone has been as kind to me as he has...¡±

 Chapter 206 - Jealousy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 206: Jealousy (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She left him with that and then stopped bothering about Han Yifeng behind her, continuing to walk ahead along the handrail.

    Han Yifeng felt his heart suffocate. Amidst this dazed feeling, he suddenly felt a mix of feelings welling up in his heart. It made him clutch his chest tightly as he felt upset.

    He could tell from her tone that she seemed to be quite satisfied with Mu Yuchen. As he listened to her, he suddenly felt stifled and wretched.

    He did not continue chasing after her, and just watched her figure gradually move further away.

    ...

    When she was about done handling the matters, Xi Xiaye felt slightly starving. She had been in the cold wind for so long that she felt chilly all over. Taking a look at the time, she noticed that it was already past 1 p.m. in the afternoon. She needed to rush back to the office.

    She hastily returned to her car and warmed herself up. When she felt that her hands and legs were not that numb from the cold anymore, she started the car.

    However, she had only driven a short distance when from afar, she saw that a Rolls-Royce had blocked the road ahead ¡ª it was Han Yifeng¡¯s car!

    She thought that he had already left a while ago.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and waited for quite a while. When she saw that the car in front did not seem to be moving, she honked.

    At the din, the car door in front suddenly opened and Han Yifeng walked out of the car. She did not see the assistant that hade with him earlier.

    Xi Xiaye honked again, making Han Yifeng turn around and look to her.

    From the looks of his expression and movement, Xi Xiaye could already guess that his car had probably broken down.

    She looked at the time on her phone again. Hesitating for a moment, she frowned and alighted from the car.

    Han Yifeng saw that she looked quite anxious, so he exined, ¡°The car engine has died. I¡¯ve already gotten people toe over. You...¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up at the gloomy weather. The drizzle had not stopped since earlier. In fact, it felt like it was getting heavier. Her brows furrowed into a tight knot as she looked at her car behind them, and then gloomily lowered her eyes. Without even ncing at him, she just walked right to the driver¡¯s seat of his car, immediately fiddling with something below.

    A while after that, her cold voice came through. ¡°Do you have a toolbox in your car?¡±

    When she asked that, Han Yifeng was stunned for a while. He reacted after seconds. ¡°Yes!¡±

    Then, he walked towards the car boot and very quickly took out a toolbox, handing it to her.

    Xi Xiaye put on a pair of gloves and skillfully opened the car bo, starting to examine and sort things out...

    Watching her busy figure, Han Yifeng¡¯s heart beat fast for an instant. His eyes held shock and a mix of emotions.

    This incredibly adept and confident action seems... But when did she learn all of these?

    With a practiced hand, she unscrewed a screw using a wrench and then cut off a wire. She seemed to be extremely familiar with these problems. Increasingly heavy rain started to fall, intertwining her figure into the haziness. He found it surreal watching her. As keen as his sight could be, he could not see through the engulfing rain to get a clearer look of her.

    He struggled for a while before he finally returned to his senses. With mixed feelings, he took out an umbre from his car and walked towards her, shielding her from the falling rain.

    When she sensed that the wet coldness falling on her face had faded away and the sttering rain was cut off, Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She turned to look up at him, thought about it, and her twinkling eyes dimmed. Then, she lifted a hand to brush away the umbre in his hand.

    She swiftly fastened the screw back on and said calmly, ¡°No need. It¡¯ll be done soon. Get into the car to try. I¡¯m in a rush.¡±

    Han Yifeng quietly watched the umbre that fell aside after being brushed away by her. His eyes darkened. He saw her turn away to keep the tools without even looking at him, and he immediately looked dejected. A while after that, he snapped out of it.

    He did not say anything though and just turned around to get into his car.

    The car did manage to start!

    Xi Xiaye quickly returned to her car, and after his car moved slightly aside for her to overtake his car without a moment of hesitation. Soon, her car was quickly engulfed by the rain ahead.

    While Han Yifeng just stayed in his car and watched quietly in the direction where her car had vanished, the stifled disappointment in his chest and the feelings that he could not fathom started to interweave disorderly in his mind again...

    She returned to thepany and worked for the whole afternoon. When she finished work at night, Xi Xiaye left thepany alone. Mu Yuchen was not in the office, but when she reached home, he was almost done with preparing dinner.

    After dinner, when the husband and wife duo sat on the sofa watching television, Xi Xiaye suddenly thought of something and suggested, ¡°Today, I went to South River for a look. I¡¯vepared the rough details on-site. Since it¡¯s a recreational venue by the river, maybe we could bring in some more distinguishing things. For instance, I think that if we want to attract the public¡¯s attention, we could think about coborating with the government to build arge-scale musical fountain on the water. The scenery there is pretty, plus the government¡¯s just released their five-year n and the key focus is to develop that ce. If we can make a breakthrough in new constructive ideas, we¡¯d haverge odds of sess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about work at this time. Can¡¯t we talk about something else, hmm?¡± He handed some tea to her and looked at her indifferently.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She remembered that he did not seem to like talking about work matters during moments of rare leisure, so she breathed in and sighed. After some thought about it, she then added, ¡°I also bumped into Han Yifeng at the South River. In fact, he seemed quite interested in the South River project too...¡±

    When she said this, Mu Yuchen was startled by how she took the initiative to exin. He lifted his lowered gaze and looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°What did you guys talk about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just about the orphanage issue and Xi Xinyi...¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her head to sip her tea, then she continued, ¡°He also asked me if I hated him...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, only such a boring man would ask such a question. In fact, it demonstrates such low IQ and EQ. The next time you see him, you shouldn¡¯t say a single word to him. Just turn around and leave! I¡¯ve finally raised your EQ. Don¡¯t be wrecked by a few words from him again. If you do, then all my hard work from before would be wasted!¡±

    He nodded and responded casually as the corner of his lips curved into a weird smile. His honorable and handsome face did not look pleased while his dark eyes reflected the dim light.

    Xi Xiaye stole a secret nce at him. She could faintly hear in his tone that there seemed to be jealousy, so she immediately raised her brows, and then lowered her head to sip the tea again while she continued watching him secretly.

    She was about to say something when he seemed to have noticed her staring at him too. He instantly shot her a side look and said in a lowered voice, ¡°What¡¯s with that look of yours? I¡¯m just telling the truth...¡±

 Chapter 207 - Jealousy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 207: Jealousy (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows raised even further, her fair and delicate face blossoming with a rare smile of delight. The stillness in her twinkling eyes was akin to the night sky after the dark clouds had cleared away, multifarious starlight pouring out in torrents.

    ¡°How valid are your words of truth? In fact, I seem to be smelling something from you right now...¡± She slowly smiled and looked at him bemusedly.

    He acted calmly as ever and nced at her. If he made the right guess, then he would not fall into her trap. He answered in a lowered voice, ¡°The smell of manliness that captivates you.¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She then looked at him earnestly and said calmly, ¡°No, it¡¯s a sour smell [1]...¡±

    ¡°Purely your imagination, Missus. Do you think that a man as excellent as me would be jealous over a lowly man? Preposterous!¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not care about Xi Xiaye¡¯s meaningful gaze at all. Suddenly, he set his teacup aside and circled her waist with an arm, pulling her into his embrace. He slowly looked down and urately caught her Japanese rose petal-like soft lips. After a few moments of caressing them, he continued softly, ¡°Can he do this to you? He might be hiding in some corner, observing a moment of silence...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stupefied. With the help of the faint light, she saw sparks that seemed eager to prove something in his eyes. She thought about it, then her face shed a smile. With her arms around his shoulders, she said, ¡°Mr. Mu, exining means that you¡¯re trying to cover something up.¡±

    ¡°And silence can be construed as agreeing tacitly...¡± Mu Yuchen said, unaffected. His arms steadied her body that leaned over as his tall body leaned to one side and thenfortablyy down on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯ve put the details that VP Liu sent over into your briefcase. Just work on Yueying¡¯s general shareholders¡¯ meeting for the next two days. The South River project can be set aside for now.¡±

    As he said this, his long arms that circled around her waist were strong. She could only follow his lead and lean against him. In the blink of an eye, the two of them were bundled up tightly. She pressed against his chest and could even clearly hear the sound of his heartbeat.

    Her gaze was still for a moment, then she looked at him. ¡°Did you buy those shares at a high price? How about...?¡±

    ¡°As long as we get it, the other parts of the process is unimportant. Don¡¯t you like it?¡±

    He carelessly cut her off. Then, he thought about it and sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to give you. The fact that you married me just like that... Do you feel like you¡¯re losing out?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart suddenly felt touched. A flow of warmth was spreading all over from the chest while her expression looked calm as usual. She quietly watched him andughed gently. ¡°Surprisingly, you can be quite self-conscious, but for real, when we really have the wedding, if the dowry isn¡¯t enough, I¡¯m not marrying you...¡±

    ¡°Can you really not marry me at that point?¡± He suddenly lifted her hand and frowned at her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked innocently.

    The moment she said that, he had already held her by the back of her head, catching her off-guard by meeting his cold, thin lips...

    ¡°Tonight, I¡¯ll let you be a queen for once. Do you want to, hmm?¡±

    After an entangled kiss, his deep, extremely maic and incredibly sexy voice suddenly rang beside her ear, her breathing quickened and her heart beat extremely quickly. Her starry eyes could not help but twinkle, yet her beautiful face blushed shyly. She looked into his dark eyes in a daze and could easily catch the ming desire in his eyes.

    ¡°I... You...¡± She was a little too shy and did not know how to answer either. Even though she admitted that when she was pinned down under him, she had thought about when she could turn around and pin him down too.

    When Mu Yuchen saw her blushing, he did quite enjoy the sight and admired with interest with one hand on the back of his head. ¡°Are you being shy right now?¡±

    ¡°I am not! Mu Yuchen, how did I not know you liked these sort of things before this?¡± Xi Xiaye was a little humiliated as she red at him and justified.

    He looked at her earnestly and said, ¡°Injustice, Missus! Look at how your husband is such an honorable person. Do I look like that kind of person? Missus, you have to think of it like this. I¡¯m only doing all of this for your own good. Think about it. If you can even pin me down, then who else could be your match? I¡¯m raising your confidence here, can¡¯t you see?¡±

    XI Xiaye had to admire his quick reaction, but she could not help but feel annoyed. ¡°What does confidence have to do with this?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you know once you try? Are you unwilling or are you afraid?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! If you dare to mention it, then why would I be afraid?¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back right now...¡±

    Once he said that, a certain person had already swiftly got up, carried her with ease, and walked in huge strides towards the bedroom...

    Compared to the cozy stillness of the Maple Residence, in Han Yifeng¡¯s vi, there seemed to be a stifling air.

    On therge, luxurious and snug bed, Han Yifeng was leaning against the bedhead and looking through his phone. Xi Xinyi walked out of the bathroom wearing a sexy, pure silk nightgown. She pulled the nket open and leaned towards Han Yifeng. ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    Han Yifeng put his phone away and turned slightly to his side, his expression quiet as he said, ¡°Sleep earlier.¡±

    His voice was filled with fatigue that could not be described.

    He finally managed to suppress the reporters by the entrance of his office with much effort. Now that the government had that document, he could not help but feel a pounding headache from all the drama.

    ¡°Yifeng, are you angry at me? I really didn¡¯t think of taking that thing to coerce Sister into anything. I didn¡¯t know that it would turn out like this too. I also didn¡¯t know it would bring trouble to the Han Corporation. Grandmother and Mother are already thinking of a n to counter this. Tomorrow, they¡¯ll hold a press conference and rify this matter on our behalf... Don¡¯t me me anymore, okay? Yifeng...¡±

    As Xi Xinyi spoke, her charming face could not hide how it looked weak and pale. Her gentle voice sounded sad as she reached out and gently pulled at Han Yifeng¡¯s sleeve.

    Han Yifeng had his back facing her when he was slightly startled by her actions. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not ming you. I¡¯m a little tired today. Rest earlier. Tomorrow, I still have work. There¡¯s some follow-up that I still need to handle.¡±

    Seeing his cold attitude, Xi Xinyi expression changed. The light in her eyes dimmed. She thought about it before gently leaning her whole body forward and nting a kiss on Han Yifeng¡¯s lips. Her little hand reached for his belt...

    However, before she could do anything, Han Yifeng had already caught her hand and gently pushed her away. He slowly got down from the bed and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to work on one more document. Sleep first.¡±

    Then, his tall figure walked towards the door...

 Chapter 208 - Gradual Estrangement

    <h4>Chapter 208: Gradual Estrangement</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Bam!

    There was a heavy sound of the door closing akin to a massive hammer knocking right on Xi Xinyi¡¯s heart, and she could not help but shudder.

    She stared nkly at the door that was closed in a daze. A long while after that, she lowered her gaze and hid the loneliness expressed by her eyes. She sped both hands tightly before thinking about it, then peered down at the sexy nightgown she had changed into and sighed. Finally, she pulled the nket away and got down from the bed.

    She quickly took her own clothes out from the wardrobe and swiftly put them on. Then, she left the bedroom.

    When she reached the entrance of the study room, she saw that the light in the room was still switched on. Peeking through the gap of the door and seeing him sitting by the desk and smoking, he seemed lonely. Her beautiful eyes dimmed and she could not help but bite on her lips out of habit. Then, she said to Han Yifeng inside, ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯m going home now. Don¡¯t sleep toote. I¡¯ll worry.¡±

    She turned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°How are you going back thiste? It¡¯s quite far to go back from here.¡± Han Yifeng looked up, exhaling a puff of smoke and looking at Xi Xinyi by the door. His silent eyes were filled with conflict.

    Xi Xinyi sniffed a little, her voice remaining gentle yet carrying a hint of her choking on her sobs. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll go by myself. You should rest earlier too.¡±

    ¡°Xinyi!¡± Han Yifeng frowned. He then abruptly stood up and walked quickly toward her. He held her by the hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s already sote right now. You should wait till tomorrow morning even if you want to go home!¡±

    Xi Xinyi struggled for a while before she gazed up with her tearful eyes and stared at him stubbornly. ¡°I¡¯m going home right now. I don¡¯t want to stay here and suffocate you, making you unhappy!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not unhappy. I¡¯m just a little tired,¡± Han Yifeng exined weakly, ¡°If you think it¡¯s because of all these scandals, I¡¯m already used to it. Xinyi, why don¡¯t you quit the entertainment industry? Just be a good Mrs. Han. Wouldn¡¯t that be great?

    ¡°The showbiz is mixed with the good and bad. There are a lot of troubles too. Why don¡¯t quit? You don¡¯t have to be associated with these wicked people anymore. After we¡¯re married, you can just help Grandmother manage Yueying.¡±

    As Han Yifeng said this, his hand on Xi Xinyi tightened. There was a hope that could not be concealed in his eyes.

    This was not his first time mentioning this, but every time he did, Xi Xinyi would immediately reject him, he wondered if this time, it would be the same as all the times before?

    When Han Yifeng said all of that, Xi Xinyi instantly turned nervous. Her pale and weak face held a hint of darkness. Suddenly, she turned to her side and her little hand gripped onto Han Yifeng¡¯s hand tightly too. ¡°Yifeng, you know that taking the path of stardom and bing a superstar is my dream since I was young. Now, I¡¯m already so close to it, so why shouldn¡¯t I persist? I promise you that the instance I achieve my dreams, I¡¯ll go all out and be your good Mrs. Han, okay?¡±

    Her beautiful eyes begged him. ¡°When you proposed to me, didn¡¯t you already promise me this?¡±

    ¡°But now is a precarious time. You might as well quit now during this storm. Xinyi, I¡¯ve always gone with your wishes. Can¡¯t you just go with mine for once?¡±

    ¡°Yifeng! Don¡¯t you know how much I¡¯ve given up to take on this path to stardom? Now that I¡¯m finally here, you want me to give up? Why should I give up? You don¡¯t understand how important it is to me just like how the Han Corporation is important to you. I¡¯ve persisted till now. I really don¡¯t want to give up... I don¡¯t want to see all my years of hard work be destroyed just like that! I¡¯m begging you, I¡¯m begging you, okay, Yifeng? I really need you to be marching on with me...¡±

    As she said this, Xi Xinyi was suddenly tearful. Her voice had also be raspy from her crying and her fingers on the hand that held onto Han Yifeng turned slightly pale.

    ¡°I know that this time, it was my carelessness, but I can guarantee you that I really wasn¡¯t intentional. I¡¯ve never thought about threatening Sister even if she treats me this cruelly. I¡¯ve never med her. I¡¯m begging you to not tell me to give up. I¡¯m really afraid that I won¡¯t be able to hold on alone. I really need you, Yifeng... Don¡¯t be mad at me, okay?¡±

    Teardrops started to fall, making her beautiful face appear pitiful with the glistening tears. Even if she seemed like she tried her best to hold them back, but she could not seem to stop the surge of tears.

    She could no longer resist and leaned into his arms as her hot tears instantly soaked the front of his shirt. Momentarily dazed, he looked down at Xi Xinyi who was hugging him sadly. Her hands around his waist seemed as if she was clutching onto life-saving straws; it was that tight.

    Quite a while after that, he finally sighed disappointed and worriedly lifted a hand to hug her by the shoulders before consoling, ¡°I¡¯ve always let you be. When can you amodate me in return? Xinyi, I can be tired too. This thing has already made Grandfather and our parents a little upset. If we don¡¯t quickly think of a way to calm things down, it¡¯ll be bad for everyone.¡±

    Xi Xinyi wiped away her tears and sniffed with reddened eyes. ¡°I know, but... who would¡¯ve thought that the document would go through so quickly? Initially, Mother went looking for my uncles to see if they could retract it, but unexpectedly, Sister... She... Why did she do this to me? Did I notpensate her enough?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye was mentioned, Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes shifted in a turmoil. The scene by the South River earlier that day started to sh in his mind again, her words echoing in his ear.

    ¡°As for Xiaye¡¯s matter, can¡¯t we just let it pass? Whether or not she forgives us wouldn¡¯t really affect our lives just like the years we spent abroad. Didn¡¯t everyone live in harmony? Is there something you can¡¯t let go of right now?¡±

    As if he was a little worn out, Han Yifeng¡¯s tone sounded quite frustrated and helpless.

    ¡°It¡¯s not me who won¡¯t let go right now. It¡¯s she who won¡¯t let go of me. She wants to take revenge on Mother and me. All these years, she¡¯s been resentful of my mother and me for taking away what was originally hers! I¡¯m also the daughter of the Xi family and Father¡¯s daughter too, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    Xi Xinyi took in a deep breath and blinked her moist eyes. She continued, ¡°As for Sister, I¡¯ve always respected her. If she forces me to my wits¡¯ end, I wouldn¡¯t... wouldn¡¯t...¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not continue after that, but from her eyes, Han Yifeng could understand what she was trying to say.

    ¡°If taking a step back can resolve this quarrel and grudge, then take a step back, Xinyi,¡± Han Yifeng softly said, then he slowly let go and suddenly turned to walk into the study room.

 Chapter 209 - Yueying Stakeholders Meeting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 209: Yueying Stakeholders¡¯ Meeting (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The scandal did not die down. Instead, it was gaining more and more traction.

    The media started reporting it.

    Due to City Z paying attention to the development of healthy childrentely, words like ¡°orphanage¡± had be seemingly sensitive. Needless to say, the whole matter turned into a pretty big deal.

    Huge crowds of reporters flooded the entrance of Yueying Culture Media Company. Everyone wanted an exnation from Xi Xinyi, including the Han Corporation as well.

    Deng Wenwen sumbed under the pressure and held a press conference to give an exnation regarding this matter. It was the stakeholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow, after all, and she needed to be cautious.

    Yueying¡¯s current situation was like a ship sailing in a storm. One morerge wave and it would sink, and since Yueying was Deng Wenwen¡¯s heart and soul, she could not just let it go down.

    Naturally, Xi Xinyi attended the press conference, and as Xi Xiaye predicted before, she gave up on the ownership of thend.

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye was standing on the edge of the New Era za. She raised her head and looked at the enormous television screen on the wall, which was live-streaming Xi Xinyi¡¯s press conference.

    Under the pressure of countless shlights, Xi Xinyi was still able to remainposed as she gave her exnation to the crowd. Of course, she was just following a perfectly edited speech.

    ¡°I genuinely apologize for causing many doubts and misunderstanding. I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the orphanage for a long time and have mentioned it to CEO Han several times. He was concerned as well. Recently, the government has been very active in charity work for children with a purpose to encourage everyone to pay attention to the children in our city and be concerned about their development. I think that I should do my part as well, and the decision to buy the orphanagend was made after a long discussion with CEO Han. It was to help them protect their home...¡±

    ...

    In the end, Xi Xinyi was forced to donate thend to the orphanage as well as $3 million as renovation fees.

    Xi Xiaye herself was shocked by how valuable that piece ofnd was. Xi Xinyi did not have a choice now but to let go of this extremely valuablend.

    Impressed by Xi Xinyi¡¯s decisiveness, Xi Xiaye had a sarcastic grin on her face as her eyes were filled with interest.

    <i>Xi Xinyi, how did it feel like to suffer a double loss after trying to trick me?</i>

    Naturally, it was a rare urrence for such arge donation in City Z. Even with a top star like Xi Xinyi, it was unnatural for her to just give it away, especially when Yueying Culture Media Company was infamous for being stingy in the industry.

    Doubts starteding from the reporters.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, Ning An Orphanage mentioned there was neither any discussion about the purchase of the orphanage nor any donations at all, yet you told us about this today. Are you just doing it out of guilt?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Xi, please exin!¡±

    ...

    The reporters were asking tough questions. Xi Xinyi¡¯s reasoning did not seem convincing enough. Of course, she dared not mention Xi Xiaye¡¯s name in public because not only would this make things difficult with Xi Mushan, but it would also be a much worse mess than this.

    Xi Xinyi just wanted this matter to end as soon as possible.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye stopped watching. She turned around and walked through the crowd focused on the enormous screen, arriving beside her car after a while.

    The moment she reached the car, Mu Yuchen opened the door for her from the inside.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± He asked quietly as she got into the car.

    She buckled her seatbelt and started the car as she replied, ¡°I took a look at Xi Xinyi¡¯s press conference. As I imagined, she gave up on the orphanage. I¡¯m really impressed though. She¡¯s really generous.¡±

    ¡°You made her do that, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Heughed as he grabbed a document and put it inside her briefcase. ¡°Vice President Liu will be waiting for you at the office tomorrow. Get these documents to him.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, by the way, Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s wedding is the day after tomorrow. I picked a set of jewelry out for them and I gave it to them under our name in case I¡¯m alone that day... Are you really going to y golf with Grandpa that day?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I have something to talk to him about. Attend the wedding with Mother.¡±

    ¡°What is it about?¡± She frowned in doubt as she could tell that something was up.

    ¡°You probably guessed it. It¡¯s rted to the South River project.¡± He ced the briefcase back.

    ¡°So, it really is about the South River project... I remember that Qikai and the Han Corporation are interested in this as well. Grandpa mentioned it before, remember? Qikai is pretty capable. Didn¡¯t I give you some information on Qikai before? Qikai¡¯s Master, Qi Lei, had just taken on the role of the Vice CEO, and he seemed very confident about this project. Did you check them out?¡±

    He was startled for a moment. An obscure light appeared under his eyes and he did not reply as he was in deep thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Hello?¡± Xi Xiaye nced at him and saw the coldness in his quiet eyes unlike the silence from before, which was why she asked.

    Mu Yuchen snapped out of his thoughts quickly and ced a finger on his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I know our chances of winning are surely much higher with Fuhua backing us up. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll check Qikai out in these few days. They seem to be working with a foreignpany. Our city has been encouraging forging bonds with external forces. Qikai¡¯s power is nearly the same as us Glory World, so we have to be careful about them doing something behind our back. They are known for pulling tricks.¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly remembered that Mu Tangchuan had reminded him about this before as well.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve asked Vice President Zhang to take note. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She was doubtful as she could feel that he was not really paying attention. While she tilted her head over and was about to ask something, he looked outside with a lonely expression.

    After some hesitation, she averted her gaze away and did not say anything. She focused forward and sped the car up.

 Chapter 210 - Yueying Stakeholders Meeting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 210: Yueying Stakeholders Meeting (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After returning to Maple Residence, he went upstairs after dinner as usual. Xi Xiaye only went up after she was done with the dishes.

    It was prettyte at night when she came out of the bathroom with her half-dried hair. She noticed that the bedroom and the living room were dark. She could see the faint light from the study room. After giving it some thought, she grabbed a ss of water and walked towards the study room.

    As she arrived at the door of the study room, she looked inside and he was nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, she could smell the scent of a cigarette in the wind as question marks filled her head.

    She looked over at the windows and saw the man smoking right beside the tall bookshelf.

    ¡°Don¡¯t always smoke. It¡¯s bad for your health.¡± She went over and grabbed his half-burnt cigarette before handing him the ss of water.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the frowning little woman before him. He smiled when she took his cigarette away. ¡°I¡¯m just a little bored... Pack up your things for tomorrow and go to bed soon.¡±

    ¡°Is something troubling you?¡± She could not help but ask as she extinguished the cigarette in her hand.

    ¡°What can trouble me?¡± He took a sip from the ss of water. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. I¡¯m just a little tired.¡±

    ¡°The year has just started and you¡¯re already tired. There¡¯s still a long way to go.¡± Xi Xiayeughed, sweeping the cigarette ash on his cor off. ¡°I used to think that people at the top only know how to order their subordinates around and ignore everyone¡¯s feelings, but now that I¡¯m at a higher position, I realize that the higher-ups sometimes might have much more pressure like when I just entered thepany...¡±

    ¡°So, people like me are like the devil in your eyes?¡± He grinned and gave her an odd smile.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. ¡°I was in the Sales Department when I just entered thepany. My manager was a very old-fashioned person. She was strict towards all her subordinates and wanted us to be independent. Every time something happened, she would ask us to solve it ourselves while she just watched. All of us were very unhappy with her. We secretly gave her a nickname, ¡®The Stern Lady¡¯.

    ¡°Afterward, we got used to it. I was transferred to be under Vice President Liu as my performance was pretty good. I faced more and more challenges but overcame each and every one of them, so I¡¯m actually pretty grateful to her. She was my first supervisor since I started working and she had a great influence over me... She¡¯s actually very nice...¡±

    She suddenly took a pause and looked up at him with her pair of serious eyes. ¡°You too, be yourself and you¡¯ll be able to influence us, your subordinates, no matter work or life.¡±

    ¡°Are you lecturing me, Director Xi?¡± His eyes were getting cheeky as he patted her head with hisrge hands again as if he wereforting a little child. Xi Xiaye sulkily pushed his hand away.

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious right now!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking you seriously right now too!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever pat my head again!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just measuring the EQ in your brain... Mmm!¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen! Stay there! You watch out! Damn it!¡±

    Two little shadows chased each otherte at night as peals ofughter burst out from time to time and vanished along with the wind.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye was out of breath and shey down on the bed. The man put on a big smile. ¡°I¡¯m not my usual self today. I haven¡¯t been trainingtely. I used to actually be pretty good at running and represented our school... I¡¯m serious! Don¡¯t look at me like that! I¡¯ll prove it to you one day!¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed and handed a towel to her. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Wipe your sweat and take a shower.¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed the towel and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She then handed the towel back to him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to shower. I just took one. I¡¯ll go to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Go and shower. Don¡¯t bezy...¡±

    Before he could finish, Xi Xiaye already hid beneath the nket. He put a finger onto his temple and just let her be. Soon, he started picking up the bolster and towel from the floor.

    After he was done, she was already fast asleep. She justy down quietly and he could hear the faint sound of her breathing. He pulled her into his arms to escape from the loneliness.

    Suddenly, hugging her felt real and solid to him, unlike the vagueness he felt before...

    ...

    The next day, when she arrived at Vice President Liu¡¯s office, Liu Lingyu and his secretary were already waiting for her.

    ¡°Vice President Liu!¡±

    Xi Xiaye bowed down apologetically and smiled. ¡°Have you waited for long?¡±

    Liu Lingyu took a nce at his watch on the wrist and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. The time is right. The stakeholders¡¯ meeting is at 9.30, so there¡¯s another hour to go. We can go over now.¡±

    He then stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and handed her document to Xiao Mei behind her before catching up with Liu Lingyu.

    ¡°I might need you to help out on this for a while. Chairman Mu told me about you. I never expected you have such rtionships with Yueying, and you¡¯ve already married to...¡±

    Liu Lingyu suddenly turned his head back and looked at Xi Xiaye.

    Startled, Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and said, ¡°Mmm, thank you for your concern, Vice President Liu. I¡¯m just the owner of the shares. Most of the operational matter still rely on you. I¡¯m not really sure how things work here. Don¡¯t mind me. Just do whatever you need to do and prioritize thepany¡¯s benefits.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it must be tough for you, Director Xi. You might need to take care of both sides. I hope the South River project is going well. Please take care of yourself.¡± Liu Lingyu was evidently concerned.

    ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry, Vice President Liu, Chairman Mu has arranged several capable assistants for me. I¡¯m just analyzing the data, so there isn¡¯t much pressure. I¡¯ll be in your care on matters regarding Yueying. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to do much in the future,¡± Xi Xiaye replied genuinely. She had always been respectful and grateful towards a mentor such as Liu Lingyu.

 Chapter 211 - Yueying Stakeholders Meeting (3)

    <h4>Chapter 211: Yueying Stakeholders Meeting (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yueying Culture Media Company fell into an anxious state.

    After the press conference yesterday, the crowd of annoying reporters vanished, but because of the stakeholders¡¯ meeting that very day, there was no time to rest at all.

    At the moment, inside the CEO office of Yueying.

    Deng Wenwen was sifting through the documents for the meeting prepared by her secretary while Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi were sitting on the sofa, drinking coffee.

    Yue Lingsi looked at the tablet in her hand. There were still all sorts ofments on Weibo, so she reminded Xi Xinyi worriedly, ¡°Xinyi,y low for a while. Try not to garner too much attention to yourself. We¡¯re not totally safe from the news yet. Be careful. Xiaye really got us this time.¡±

    Xi Xinyi stopped her movements to turn over to Yue Lingsi and nod. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve taken on several big projects this year, in which Qikai and the Han Corporation invested, and arge portion at that. Your poprity will surely shoot up, and you¡¯ve never let us down before, have you?¡±

    Yue Lingsiforted Xi Xinyi when she saw the sadness in her eyes.

    Thatnd was Han Yifeng¡¯s engagement gift to Xi Xinyi. Besides being highly valuable, it meant a lot to her as well. She wanted to make a trade with Xi Xiaye, but in the end, thetter made her hand it out without getting anything in return. Furthermore, she even had to spend another few million on it.

    She really suffered a huge loss this time while Xi Xiaye remained triumphant!

    ¡°Mmm, I know. I won¡¯t let everyone down. It¡¯ll be fine, Mother!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she turned toward Deng Wenwen. ¡°Grandmother, haven¡¯t you found out who¡¯s been stocking up our shares in secret yet?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, those cunning old foxes! I only know someone bought if off from them, but I still haven¡¯t found out who the person is. Nevertheless, we¡¯ll know very soon!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression darkened when this matter was mentioned.

    ¡°Well... Then, if the person really has Sister¡¯s documents, what should we do?¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Deng Wenwen worriedly.

    Deng Wenwen paled. The recent bout of incidents had been nothing short of chaos. She never expected Xi Xiaye would be like this. In the past, she would just ept whatever was thrown at her, but her temperament got sharper after working for several years.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to figure it out.¡± Deng Wenwen took a deep breath, her eyes seemed sharp as ever. ¡°I cannot let her threaten Yueying with that document.¡±

    ¡°Actually, Grandmother can try to convince Grandfather to talk to Sister. She has always listened to Grandfather. Besides, she can have a nice, long talk with Grandfather. Wouldn¡¯t that make things easier? I believe Grandfather won¡¯t let Sister sell it to just anyone, so, Grandmother, we...¡± Xi Xinyi said cautiously.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression froze before she sighed, ¡°Your grandfather¡¯s still ming me for that matter. How can I convince him? Plus, the documentst time... Xinyi, don¡¯t bother your Grandfather on this. We had an agreement before.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Xi Xinyi still wanted to say something, but Yue Lingsi stopped her. It was obvious that the elder did not seem pleased.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Most of the stakeholders should be present already. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Deng Wenwen closed the document in her hand and then walked out while Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi followed her.

    Inside the huge meeting room, most of the seats were upied except for several seats in front.

    Deng Wenwen went up to the CEO¡¯s seat and sat down as Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi sat beside her.

    The higher-ups who were whispering with the other stakeholders stopped talking as soon as they saw Deng Wenwen. Everyone focused on her.

    Deng Wenwen opened the document in her hands and nced around with her sharp eyes. She then focused on the vacant seats on the left and right, especially the empty seat on the right. She frowned when she looked at them.

    ¡°CEO Deng, that¡¯s the seat for Qikai¡¯s Master. I spoke to their secretary earlier and Master Qi is on his way. Here¡¯s CEO Wang¡¯s seat. He didn¡¯t pick up the call...¡± The secretary quickly exined the situation to her.

    There was the sound of footsteps after the secretary made her report. The crowd looked toward the entrance just as Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face came into view...

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    The crowd was shocked. They were all familiar with Qi Lei, especially when Yueying had been facing so much troubletely. They still managed to have several projects with Qikai, and today Qi Lei was actually attending the stakeholders meeting?

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression softened when she saw Qi Lei. Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi traded nces with each other before putting on warm smiles.

    ¡°It seems that I¡¯m not thest one to arrive!¡± Qi Lei grinned as he nced at the empty seat nearby.

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯ve arrived right on time. We were just about to start. Please have a seat!¡± Deng Wenwen pointed at the seat on her left as she smiled.

    Qi Lei nodded and then nced at his secretary. He then went toward the seat Deng Wenwen pointed at and sat down. ncing at the still empty seat as he raised his eyebrows in surprise, he remarked, ¡°Is someone not here yet? Is that someone even more important than me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s CEO Wang. He¡¯s been really cockytely. He told me that he got his hands on some fortune, but he didn¡¯t reveal what it was. I heard that he¡¯s going to work on his own business.¡±

    ¡°I heard about that too. No wonder he had such an arrogant vibe around him! How dare he bete for the stakeholders meeting!?¡±

    People started whispering and discussing as Deng Wenwen¡¯s face darkened again. She gave a signal to Yue Lingsi, who quickly grabbed her phone and gave CEO Wang a call.

    After a while, Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression looked terrible because no one was picking up the call, and the discussions were getting louder by the second...

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mother?¡± Xi Xinyi asked quietly while the crowd was starting to make a fuss.

    The moment that she asked this and before Yue Lingsi could reply, the door to the meeting room opened.

 Chapter 212 - Yueying Stakeholders Meeting (4)

    <h4>Chapter 212: Yueying Stakeholders Meeting (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Suddenly, everyone turned to the entrance. The door was now opened and a slender figure appeared before their eyes.

    In her usual smart, ck, professional outfit with her long, ck hair as well as the stern face, who else could it be aside from Xi Xiaye?

    The person beside her was the Vice President of Glory World, Liu Lingyu. People knew him well. There were also two assistants behind them, each of them carrying a thick and heavy briefcase.

    Xi Xinyi was shocked when Xi Xiaye appeared. Instantly, she turned pale.

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi widened their eyes and could not react at all. They just looked on as Xi Xiaye and Liu Lingyu strolled in silently.

    Xi Xiaye scanned around and then traded nces with Liu Lingyu. The two of them sat down in the empty seats after Liu Lingyu nodded.

    Everyone was shocked. Most of them had heard about someone secretly buying Yueying¡¯s shares, so was it Glory World¡¯s doing all along?

    ¡°How could it be them? That man looks like Vice President Liu Lingyu from Glory World. Who¡¯s thatdy?¡±

    ¡°Why are they sitting in CEO Wang¡¯s seat? Could CEO Wang have sold his shares to Glory World?¡±

    ...

    ¡°I see... It¡¯s Vice President Liu and Director Xi. Long time no see! I wonder if you still remember me, Director Xi?¡± A wicked humor-filled voice rang out. Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the source of that voice.

    Xi Xiaye casually sat in a vacant seat. That sudden voice made her lift her head and she saw Qi Lei¡¯s wicked expression. Almost immediately, her eyes turned cold!

    She had never forgotten how Deng Wenwen had nearly sent her to him back then!

    Xi Xiaye took a nce at Liu Lingyu, who replied with a smile, ¡°Long time no see, President Qi.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Yue Lingsi demanded with a grim expression.

    Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi came back to their senses, observing the calm Xi Xiaye. Deng Wenwen could guess what had happened as she stared at Xi Xiaye with her sharp eyes.

    Xi Xiaye red back at Deng Wenwen with a tint of sadness in her eyes. In the end, her eyes fell onto Yue Lingyu, her voice calm. ¡°Vice President Yue¡¯s question sounded odd. Please be mindful of your tone.¡±

    ¡°This is not somewhere you can mess with. It¡¯s Yueying¡¯s stakeholders¡¯ meeting! What are you guys thinking?¡± Deng Wenwen stared at Xi Xiaye coldly, her tone sounding harsh.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised by President Deng¡¯s attitude. Since this is Yueying¡¯s stakeholders¡¯ meeting, as a shareholder, shouldn¡¯t I be attending?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave Deng Wenwen a wry smile as if she did not see the anger on her face. She looked over to Xi Xinyi. ¡°Well, Ms. Xi Xinyi is here. This is the stakeholders¡¯ meeting. Your scandal is still well-discussed outside, so why are you here instead of hiding elsewhere? Don¡¯t you think thepany has had enough trouble? I even heard that President Deng was feeling unwell because of you. Shouldn¡¯t you exin yourself to everyone here?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned paler as Xi Xiaye finished her sentence. She looked at Deng Wenwen helplessly with a pained expression, not knowing what to say.

    ¡°What do you mean by that? Since when did you be a shareholder of Yueying?¡±

    Deng Wenwen caught the keywords in Xi Xiaye¡¯s sentence, and her whole body tensed up as she threw knife-sharp nces at her.

    ¡°Glory World purchased Yueying¡¯s shares from CEO Wang and several other people. We Glory World are now interested in the showbiz industry. Director Xi is attending this meeting on behalf of Glory World as the Operating Vice President of Yueying. I hope we can coborate well in the future!¡± Liu Lingyu¡¯s timely reply erased everyone¡¯s doubts.

    What!?

    Operating Vice President?

    The secret buyer was actually Glory World?

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes flew open as her whole body trembled while she suddenly thought of something!

    So, did Xi Xiaye sell the 20% shares Shen Wenna held to Glory World?

    Deng Wenwen stared at Xi Xiaye in disbelief. ¡°You... Did you... That document... You... You gave it to Glory World...¡±

    Yue Lingsi was shocked as well. She nced at Deng Wenwen beside her with unease.

    Xi Xiaye seemed pleased to see them freaked out. She felt much better as they looked more anxious and afraid. She remembered how Shen Wenna had left and was forced to sign the document. She even had to stab herself on the shoulder. Upon recalling all this, coldness gathered in her eyes.

    As they were still in disbelief, she extended her arm to her assistant, Xiao Mei, behind her. Xiao Mei quickly handed a document to her.

    She grabbed it and flipped through it, then tossed it onto the table and pointed at the top of the document. ¡°Do you mean this document?¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been putting in a lot of effort for this documenttely, I¡¯ll let you take a look today.¡±

    Xi Xiaye left them with a casual remark as Xiao Mei sent the document to Deng Wenwen. ¡°We also have a share transfer contract here. Please take a look, everyone. We Glory World now have 37% of shares. That means we¡¯re eligible to participate in Yueying¡¯s decision as the secondrgest stakeholder.¡±

    Liu Lingyu also signaled his assistant to distribute the documents to everyone.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s body shuddered as she looked at the document Xiao Mei handed over. Flipping it open, she could not believe what she saw. She red at Xi Xiaye with bulging eyes.

    ¡°You... You...¡±

    Suddenly, she cked out, and her hands let go of the document and it fell onto the floor.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    ¡°Grandmother!¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, are you alright?¡±

    Xi Xinyi grabbed Deng Wenwen who almost fell off the chair while Yue Lingsi quickly took out the bottle of medicine from Deng Wenwen¡¯s pocket. She grabbed several tablets and popped them into her mouth.

    This scene shocked most of the people in the meeting room. Many of them stood up and looked around, trying to figure out what was happening.

 Chapter 213 - Born Actress

    <h4>Chapter 213: Born Actress</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei squinted and just observed the room. His eyes quickly locked onto the aloof and calm Xi Xiaye, staring at her with interest.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s heart rate calmed down after taking her medicine. She panted while she slowly came back to consciousness as Xi Xinyi held her, unable to say anything.

    ¡°Grandmother, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Mother, are you okay?¡±

    Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi¡¯s anxious voices reached her.

    Xi Xinyi could not stand it anymore. A cold light shed through her eyes as she looked at Xi Xiaye, and there was anger in her tone. ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re too much! She¡¯s your grandmother!¡±

    Everyone was once again shocked when they heard Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice. There were some people in the room who had no idea about the rtionship between them, which was why Xi Xinyi¡¯s words astounded them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you attacked me. I won¡¯t say anything about it, but aren¡¯t you too much to be treating Grandmother like this? Don¡¯t you know that Grandmother fell sick because of your behavior this time? Juste at me if you¡¯re angry! Why are you involving her? No matter what I do, you¡¯ll feel that I owe you anyway!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯sposure seemed as if she was bearing all the burden and responsibilities. She acted very protective of Deng Wenwen, and even Xi Xiaye was impressed by her ster performance.

    ¡°Ms. Xi Xinyi, I wonder what you mean by that. I¡¯m attending this stakeholders¡¯ meeting on behalf of Glory World, so what¡¯s the problem here? Glory World has been nning to enter the showbiz industry sincest year. We chose Yueying and really hoped that we could work together. I don¡¯t understand what you mean...¡± Xi Xiaye put on a doubtful look, her expression seeming innocent.

    ¡°Moreover, I remember that back then, when you signed the contract with Glory World, I heard from Manager Fang of the PR Department that you mentioned you hoped Glory World and Yueying could work well together, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was stunned and her face looked very pale, but just as she was about to say something ¡ª

    ¡°Impossible! This is not possible! 17%? How could you have 17% of our shares? Where did you get them from? How are they under your name? You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re lying!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s sharp voice screeched through the meeting room. She finally understood why Deng Wenwen was so stirred up after she saw the document!

    It clearly stated that the 17% of shares from CEO Wang and the others were now under Xi Xiaye¡¯s name. In addition to Shen Wenna¡¯s 20% portion, it meant that Xi Xiaye had a total of 37% shares. If she were to release all these shares in the market, Yueying would not be able to take the blow!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it written clearly there? Or else you can call and ask CEO Wang or CEO Zhao. We purchased their shares at a high price. Oh, I forgot to tell you that they¡¯re both enjoying their vacation in Bali. I think you won¡¯t be able to reach them at the moment.¡± Xi Xiaye nced indifferently at the tensed up Yue Lingsi. She did not miss the animosity that shed through Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes, but she smiled as she flipped through the document in her hand. ¡°Can we start the meeting now, CEO Deng? I have to report back to thepany about the situation here.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting, CEO Deng. My time is precious too. We¡¯ve wasted too much time!¡± Qi Lei voiced out with a wicked smile, yet his eyes were locked onto Xi Xiaye. His nces carried more intent than they seemed!

    The others nodded their heads. They could not care less for the ashen Deng Wenwen and the rest.

    Deng Wenwen took a deep breath while her tightened chest felt a little relieved. She looked defeated as a coldness shed through her eyes, but with her strong willpower, she flipped open the document before her.

    Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi traded nces with each other before ring angrily at Xi Xiaye. They then kept their rage within and sat back down.

    They started talking about Yueying¡¯s uing projects as well as severalrge productions they were involved in.

    Xi Xiaye remained silent and did not say anything. She did not give anyment at all, but on the opposite end, Qi Lei voiced out his doubts from time to time.

    Finally, Xi Xiaye started talking when they were deciding on the female lead role. ¡°I don¡¯t agree with your decision, CEO Deng. Xi Xinyi follows the style of a gentle and sweet beauty, but the role in this movie requires a woman with a strong and independent nature. I don¡¯t have any problems if you want her to change her style, but I really don¡¯t agree with trying it out on such a big project. It¡¯s too risky to experiment using most of thepany¡¯s resources. Moreover, does anyone still think she¡¯s suitable to be the female lead judging by her reputationtely? I personally think the neer Zhang Zilin is pretty good. Her appearance and vibe fit the role, so I¡¯m rmending her!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, don¡¯t you dare!¡± Yue Lingsi could not hold it in anymore and shot to her feet, staring at Xi Xiaye angrily. ¡°We¡¯ve discussed that the female lead role is Xinyi¡¯s. What do you mean by that? Do you want to change the female lead role now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just voicing out my own opinions here. Vice President Yue, why are you so worked up? Has the matter been decided already?¡± Xi Xiaye seemed much calmerpared to the enraged Yue Lingsi.

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad then. We¡¯ve signed the contract yesterday, and the female lead role has been finalized. Moreover, we¡¯ve discussed it before, mostly among the experienced personnel in the industry, so I guess an amateur like you, Director Xi, doesn¡¯t have to worry about this matter.¡± Xi Xinyi reacted, seeming angry with Xi Xiaye¡¯s attitude.

    After saying that, several other stakeholders who had an opinion remained silent. Of course, they did not want to go back on their words since they had given their support during the decision to finalize Xi Xinyi as the female lead.

    Xi Xiaye was not upset about Xi Xinyi¡¯s counter-argument at all. In fact, she was looking forward to it!

    <i>I¡¯m going to see how far you can go!</i>

    ¡°Director Xi, maybe stay in this industry for another few years and learn from Ms. Xinyi. Then, you¡¯ll be able to be a veteran soon enough!¡± Qi Lei went along with Xi Xinyi¡¯s words.

    ¡°I have no intention of going into acting. Wearing a mask for too long makes it difficult to take off. Xi Xinyi is naturally talented. She¡¯s a born actress. I¡¯m really impressed by her.¡± Xi Xiaye did not waver at all.

 Chapter 214 - Argument

    <h4>Chapter 214: Argument</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the meeting adjourned, Liu Lingyu spoke with Deng Wenwen about the shares transfer. Xi Xiaye stood by the corridor and browsed through Yueying¡¯spany policies and some advertisements on the notice board.

    After taking just a few nces, there was the sound of footsteps right behind her. A familiar perfume scent lingered as well, and she did not even need to guess who exactly hade up to her.

    ¡°I have nothing to say even if you want to embarrass me, but isn¡¯t it too much to do that to Grandmother? You know that her body isn¡¯t very well, so why do you have to get her so worked up?¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw an angry-looking Xi Xinyi when she turned around. Her beautiful face was now filled with rage as her pretty eyes glimmered with sharpness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you¡¯re the goddess of justice. You should¡¯ve expected what happened today when you went to my mother for this document. You nned to use the orphanage and threaten me to hand the document over, so you should know very well if you have other intentions,¡± Xi Xiaye looked at her and spoke calmly.

    ¡°What other intentions could I possibly have? It¡¯s just you who thinks that I¡¯m a terrible person...¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice was sad. ¡°That gift was supposed to bepensation for you...¡±

    ¡°Really? Compensation? You¡¯d send mypensation into the hands of CEO Deng? Knowing that you can use this to threaten me? I¡¯m really impressed by your persistence, Xi Xinyi. You never let go of anything that might control me.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandmother say she wouldpensate you? Those things are useless in your hands anyway. Grandmother wanted that document back because she was afraid that you¡¯d sell it to someone else. Yueying can¡¯t take on any more blows. Don¡¯t you know how much effort Grandmother and Mother have put in all these years? How could you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi almost could not hold in her anger when she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s indifferent expression. ¡°Just what do you want? Did you do all this just to take revenge on me? Tell me!¡±

    ¡°I want Yueying. Give it up,¡± Xi Xiaye demanded coldly before Xi Xinyi could finish her sentence. She threw her a quiet nce. ¡°It isn¡¯t a tough request, is it? I¡¯m sure you can do that. Didn¡¯t you say that you owed me and wanted topensate me?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale as she stared at Xi Xiaye, not knowing what to say.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a generous person. You could even donate Han Yifeng¡¯s engagement present to you, so this shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. I know you never minded these things, and now I¡¯m willing to take it from you in order to lessen your burden. You should really thank me for it.¡±

    She looked at Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale, little face. Of course, she did not miss her clenched fists. Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Your endurance and acting probably need to level up. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that you might not be able to keep it up with what¡¯s going to happen next. By the way,st time, I sort of mentioned to Huang Shanshan about Wang Ziluo not receiving her love letter. I wonder if she¡¯s asked you about it...¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! You... You¡¯re trying to make us go against each other!¡± Xi Xinyi was shocked. Her body froze up slightly with a massive change in expression.

    Xi Xiaye smiled sweetly. ¡°Why are you so nervous? Didn¡¯t you use the same way to destroy my rtionships with my friends? Moreover, I was just telling the truth... Don¡¯t look at me with such angry eyes. I know that you hate me very much. Of course, I feel the same as well, so... you can act in front of the others, but there¡¯s no need to do so when we¡¯re alone.¡±

    She did not say anything for a while, but her eyes definitely changed. Xi Xiaye smiled and then turned around, preparing to leave.

    ¡°What did you tell her? Don¡¯t you go before we talk this out!¡±

    Before she could take her first step after turning around, Xi Xinyi went forward and swiftly grabbed her by her shoulder. Her grip was so powerful that she could feel a sharp paining from her shoulder. Flinging her arm and locking it back onto her, she pressed her shoulder to the wall.

    ¡°Are you using this trick to let people see me pushing you again?¡± Xi Xiaye put on a cold grin as she looked at the pale Xi Xinyi. She nced at the end of the corridor at the corner of her eye. As expected, Liu Lingyu and Deng Wenwen were walking towards them.

    Before Xi Xinyi could say anything, Xi Xiaye¡¯s mocking voice reached her. It was not particrly loud, but just enough for thoseing near to them to hear her. ¡°Ms. Xinyi, next time be careful when you walk. There won¡¯t be someone to help you every time.¡±

    She then let go of Xi Xinyi and rolled up her sleeve, ncing at her arm. There was now an obvious bruise on it.

    ¡°You sure have a strong grip.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at her, rolling her sleeve back down. ¡°Luckily, I¡¯m good at enduring pain. If I were to push you away again like thest time, people might think that I did it on purpose, and you¡¯ll be just so darn innocent...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression froze as she clenched her fists. However, she reacted quickly and forced a smile on her face. She looked at Xi Xiaye quietly before looking downward and did not say anything at all.

    The group walking over, feeling odd upon seeing what happened. Liu Lingyu went up to ask, ¡°Director Xi, are you alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Without taking another look at Xi Xinyi, she turned around and left.

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi¡¯s expressions darkened. The two of them traded nces before looking at the pale and morose Xi Xinyi, whose shoulders were trembling slightly. Yue Lingsi asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xinyi? Did she hurt you again? Where? Just now, what happened with her arm?¡±

    Xi Xinyi sniffed and took a deep breath. Then, she raised her head as sadness welled up in her eyes. She said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m just... Grandmother, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s reply was weak as if she had turned 10 years older all of a sudden. She seemed exhausted.

 Chapter 215 - Shocking News (1)

    <h4>Chapter 215: Shocking News (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi nced at Deng Wenwen before looking at Yue Lingsi¡¯s concerned gaze. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists slightly. ¡°What should we do now? Sister seems like she¡¯s not going to let it go. She...¡±

    ¡°How did that 17% of shares go under her name? That¡¯s one heck of arge sum of money. It¡¯s impossible for her to have just bought it! Where did her moneye from? Mother, I think something fishy is going on!¡± Yue Lingsi gave it some thought and then voiced out her opinions.

    ¡°She probably had some unknown deal with Glory World. Didn¡¯t you see Liu Lingyu¡¯s behavior just now? We can only wait and see now that things havee down to this. Our top priority now is to coborate closely with Qi Kai. Lingsi, Xin Er, you guys have to put more effort into that,¡± Deng Wenwen concluded in exhaustion as anxiety was written all over her face.

    Yue Lingsi nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I¡¯ll talk to my second brother about it. I didn¡¯t expect that witch Xi Xiaye to be so wicked. She even tried to mess up Xinyi¡¯s role just now. Everyone has to be careful now that she has her hands in Yueying!¡±

    ¡°Your mother is right, Xin Er. She¡¯s not going to let us off. She¡¯sing right at us because of her past grudges, so be alert as well. Your scandal hasn¡¯t died down yet and you need to take extra precaution about that. Don¡¯t reveal yourself in public too much. We¡¯ll decide on what to do next after things calm down.¡± Deng Wenwen looked in the direction Xi Xiaye left, her tone heavy.

    ¡°Yes, Grandmother, Mother. I understand. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Xi Xinyi replied with her head bowed downward. Her closed eyelids hid the icy gleam under her eyes. ¡°However, I won¡¯t just suck it up anymore if she forces me. I¡¯ve got noments about Grandmother forgiving her for what she did today. I don¡¯t care how she treats me, but if she continues to hurt you both, I won¡¯t just let her be anymore!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice was determined while her pale expression seemed much more willful than before as Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯d be great if your sister was half as understanding as you. Then, we won¡¯t be where we are today. I¡¯m really worried about leaving Yueying in her hands with that personality of hers. If Yueying goes down, then I...¡± Deng Wenwen sighed and did not finish her sentence.

    On the other end, Xi Xiaye walked out of Yueying without any particr expression on her face. She just seemed a little down and her eyes held a tinge of anger.

    ¡°Get in the car, Director Xi. The rain is pretty heavy outside,¡± Liu Lingyu spoke up as the car came around the corner.

    Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at the sky. She then only realized that the cloudy sky had finally started to pour.

    Without them noticing, the rainy season had arrived just like the sadness within her. However, she wondered if it wouldst very long this time.

    After some time, she took a deep breath before nodding and got into the car.

    The car slowly left Yueying and went on the broad highway. Xi Xiaye leaned onto the window in exhaustion after she got into the car and soon, she started to lose focus as well. She did not even notice her phone ringing and only came back to her senses when Xiao Mei reminded her.

    She took out her phone and realized it was a call from West Park...

    After a moment of hesitation, Xi Xiaye picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Her hoarse voice reached the other side.

    ¡°Is this Xiaye?¡± Xi Jiyang¡¯s old voice responded to her. ¡°I¡¯m Grandfather. Are you free now? I want to meet up with you.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Stop the car,¡± Xi Xiaye said quietly after hanging up on the call with Xi Jiyang. ¡°Xiao Mei, you go back with Vice President Liu first. I¡¯ll go backter.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Director.¡± Xiao Mei observed Xi Xiaye from the rear-view mirror and could sense that her emotions were a little odd. Nevertheless, she did not say much and just got down the car after it stopped by the roadside.

    ¡°Go to Bamboo Teahouse in the north,¡± Xi Xiaye told the driver after Xiao Mei got down from the car.

    ...

    It was past noon when she arrived at Bamboo Teahouse. There were many customers enjoying tea and ying Chinese chess inside.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, you¡¯re here!¡± The waiter greeted Xi Xiaye passionately.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and went right inside. As expected, she saw Xi Jiyang¡¯s gaunt figure at a corner beside the window. From afar, he looked like a candle about to be blown out as his hands holding onto the teapot trembled slightly.

    Xi Xiaye started to feel sorrowful. She walked over and grabbed the teapot from him, pouring a cup for him.

    ¡°You¡¯re here. Sit down.¡±

    Xi Jiyang withdrew his hand. His eyes were not as sharp as before. All that was left now was just calmness and an indescribable sense of loss.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and then sat down. ¡°Grandfather, how did you find out about this ce?¡±

    ¡°Your father told me about it. I¡¯ve been itching to visit here myself. How have you been?¡± Xi Jiyang¡¯s voice was filled with care and concern while his eyes were kind. ¡°Are you still angry about me making you sign the document before?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked down as she grabbed a cup and poured some tea for herself. She replied, ¡°Nope, I know you weren¡¯t involved...¡±

    She sipped some tea as she took a deep breath. ¡°Besides, I know about your situation as well. I¡¯ve never med you.¡±

    Xi Jiyang still treated her very well. Every time something happened, it would usually end uping under his influence, and for that, she was grateful for him.

    Xi Xiaye knew well that even though Xi Jiyang was the head of the family, Deng Wenwen was the one in power of Yueying. Aside from having some of Yueying¡¯s shares, he did not have any authority. Just like Xi Mushan, they were focused on their political careers and rarely had any concern for Yueying.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. I know that it must¡¯ve been tough for you. I¡¯m really alright, but as for your father, it¡¯s been really difficult for him all these years.¡± Xi Jiyang took a deep breath as he sounded remorseful.

 Chapter 216 - Shocking News (2)

    <h4>Chapter 216: Shocking News (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was startled to hear his words and a flickering light appeared in her eyes. He seemed to be out of himself too as if he was wandering through his old memories. He continued after some silence.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been starting to feel weaker since a while ago. I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t have much time left. My body isn¡¯t recovering well and my only wish left is that you can make up with your father. Actually, you should be able to sense that he¡¯s never forgotten your mother all these years.¡±

    Xi Jiyang suddenly let out a long sigh. ¡°Amidst this whole conflict, if we were to find someone to me, I¡¯m afraid it was my fault back then...¡±

    Xi Xiaye studied Xi Jiyang with her quiet eyes, noticing that his old face was starting to show signs of loneliness. She felt sad just by looking at him. After some thought, she replied, ¡°Nope, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll live much longer.¡±

    ¡°As for Father and Mother, they aren¡¯t willing to tell me about it. Anyway, it¡¯s actually pretty good right now. There¡¯s no need to reopen old wounds again. Moreover, Father...¡±

    ¡°Actually, your father thought about retiring several years back, but I stopped him...¡±

    Retiring?

    Xi Xiaye remembered that her father, Xi Mushan¡¯s political career was sailing smoothly, and he had the opportunity to go even further. Although he was not really the best father or husband, Xi Xiaye knew that Xi Mushan was an honest person and a strong-willed man in the political field as well. Even Shen Yue gave him high praise when making an objectivement about him.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She looked downward without saying anything.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened between you with Xinyi and your grandmother. She really crossed the line this time. Your father found out about it even though he wasn¡¯t around and he gave me a call, so I came to take a look at you.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to defend Xi Xinyi, Grandfather?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand on the teacup tightened as she raised her head slightly and looked at Xi Jiyang.

    Xi Jiyang had a bitter smile. ¡°We¡¯re family. Of course, I don¡¯t hope for both of you to have such a strained rtionship and go against each other. I have a hard time deciding who to side with...¡±

    ¡°So, I don¡¯t want you to be troubled by this as well. I just hope that you can stay out of this and not be involved, Grandfather. Can you promise me this?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s darkened eyes lit up with a gleam as she looked at Xi Jiyang. ¡°Grandfather, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about what happened at Yueying¡¯s stakeholders¡¯ meeting today. I just want Mother to be at peace. I wouldn¡¯t have given them such a hard time if it weren¡¯t for their repeated attempts to bother Mother. I gave them chances over and over again and they threw it away, so don¡¯t me me for doing this...¡±

    Xi Jiyang went silent for a moment, then he said, ¡°I won¡¯t ask about Yueying at all... I don¡¯t care about these conflicts. I just hope that you can support your father no matter what happens in the future. After all, he lost his biological mother... I... I feel sorry for him...¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s words stunned Xi Xiaye and she gaped at Xi Jiyang in shock.

    <i>Was Father not Deng Wenwen¡¯s son?</i>

    <i>How was that possible?</i>

    Xi Xiaye could not believe it. She looked at Xi Jiyang nkly. This was a piece of shocking news!

    ¡°Surprised?¡± Xi Jiyang seemed to have expected Xi Xiaye¡¯s reaction. Smiling, he then sipped some tea and continued, ¡°His biological mother passed away after giving birth to him. I married your current grandmother when he was 6 months old. Aside from the intent of giving him aplete family, it was also because...¡±

    Xi Jiyang did not continue. It was difficult for him to say what came next.

    ¡°It¡¯s because the Deng family helped you to rise faster at that time, so...¡± Xi Xiaye finished his sentence.

    Xi Jiyang took a pause before nodding. ¡°I admit that because of my eagerness to go higher, I was a little...¡±

    ¡°Does Father know this?¡±

    She clenched her fists as her heart sank. Then, she took a deep breath and looked at the teacup before her.

    ¡°Your father knew it all along. When I married her back then, your great-grandmother gave Yueying to her as a gift. She just left your father and I some shares, and just agreed on one condition with her...¡±

    At that moment, there was the sound of the beaded curtains behind them swaying. Xi Jiyang took a pause and looked at that direction cautiously, and Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure came into his sight.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Xi Xiaye almost screamed before he walked nearer to her.

    Mu Yuchen put his phone away and looked at Xi Jiyang who was sitting before Xi Xiaye. Slightly surprised, he then replied to her, ¡°I couldn¡¯t reach your phone, so I called the driver and happened to be nearby.¡±

    He stopped beside Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xiaye, he is...¡±

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s sharp gaze noticed that there was something more to their rtionship. Moreover, this elegant, charismatic, and seemingly familiar man before him was not an ordinary person.

    Xi Xiaye then moved aside and made space for Mu Yuchen. Hesitating for a moment, she said, ¡°Grandfather, he¡¯s Mu Yuchen.... We... got married at the end ofst year...¡±

    ¡°What?! You... You¡¯re married to him?¡± In utter shock, a light shed through his old eyes. He nced at Xi Xiaye and then turned his eyes to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen soon calmed down and greeted politely, ¡°Hello, Grandfather. I¡¯m Mu Yuchen.¡±

    Xi Jiyang was a man who had gone through a lot. He soon suppressed the shock within him and asked, ¡°This...what¡¯s happening? Why do I not know about this at all? Does your father know?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not reply. Instead, she looked down silently. The answer was obvious!

    ¡°We wanted to visit home, but we got dyed because we found out that Father has gone outstation. Please forgive us, Grandfather,¡± Mu Yuchen replied quietly as he sat down beside Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen... You... Are you Mu Tangchuan¡¯s son?¡±

    Xi Jiyang felt that Mu Yuchen¡¯s face seemed familiar. Soon after jogging his memory, he got his answer. Mu Tangchuan had worked with him before and took over his job after he retired.

 Chapter 217 - Shocking News (3)

    <h4>Chapter 217: Shocking News (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The corner of Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips lifted slightly, curving into an elegant smile. She dly answered, ¡°Father has always praised you highly. Grandfather, we should have visited you sooner.¡±

    As he listened, Xi Jiyang paused, his old face shing with a smile. ¡°You <i>are</i> Tangchuan¡¯s son... Then, how did you two... How did you end up together?¡±

    Xi Jiyang remembered that back then at his birthday banquet, Xi Xiaye had still been...

    ¡°He¡¯s my senior and my superior.¡± The person who answered was Xi Xiaye as she shot Mu Yuchen a look. Then, she took a cup for him and poured him some tea. ¡°He¡¯s very good to me, so we got married. Grandfather, you don¡¯t have to ask anything. Just wish us well.¡±

    Pausing as she looked up to Xi Jiyang, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well. I wanted to go back and visit you before the New Year. Mother mentioned it too, but after we thought about...¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye did not continue, but Xi Jiyang already understood her. He fell silent for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯ve put it this way, I won¡¯t say too much either. You¡¯ve found a good home for yourself. Obviously, I¡¯m happy. By the looks of it, your father doesn¡¯t know either, I suppose?¡±

    Xi Jiyang was no stranger to the name Mu Yuchen at all. In fact, he was Mu Tangchuan¡¯s son. Their family background was celebrated and worthy of admiration. Besides that, he had previously heard of the Mu family¡¯s young master being a rare talent. At today¡¯s meeting, he could see that he was outstanding indeed!

    He really never would have thought that Xi Xiaye would be able to get attached to such an important person. In fact, to marry into a prominent family like the Mu family was not easy.

    Xi Jiyang could not hide the puzzlement in his eyes as he examined Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen for quite a while, yet he could not notice anything unusual. Instead, he could tell that Mu Yuchen seemed to be quite caring and considerate about Xi Xiaye. In fact, he looked at her with a different kind of gaze. As a man himself, Xi Jiyang naturally understood what that gaze implied.

    He waited for quite a while and yet did not hear Xi Xiaye answer. Mu Yuchen then reached out and gently held her cold hand that was perched on her knee under the table, and he answered Xi Jiyang, ¡°When Father returns, I wonder if you¡¯d be willing toe for a meal with him. It¡¯d be good for both sides of the family to meet. As for the rest, if it¡¯s too rushed, we might need to arrange it nearer to the wedding.¡±

    Now that he thought about it, they could only do it like that. Initially, after Han Yifeng found out, Mu Yuchen had already made ns that they would eventually need to meet Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan, but she had not said anything and he was not willing to probe at her wound, so the matter was temporarily set aside.

    Xi Jiyang hesitated for a moment, then he said, ¡°Your father might only return to City Z in another two days...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll arrange everything. Thank you, Grandfather, for taking care of Xiaye. She¡¯s always been very grateful for you.¡± Mu Yuchen tone was genuine and his eyes were dense with sincerity and gratitude. His elegant manner naturally won him Xi Jiyang¡¯s approval.

    Whether a person was cultured or not would usually be revealed through their words and actions. Xi Jiyang had rolled in the business world of mutual deception before and he could judge people well. From a simple meeting like this, he was already in admiration of Mu Yuchen.

    With Xi Xiaye¡¯s personality, she was a little like her father too. In Xi Jiyang¡¯s heart, he actually favored Xi Xiaye more because she was more like Xi Mushan, while thetter was a scar in his heart that he could never erase...

    How was he supposed to admit that back then, when the old fellow from the Han family locked Han Yifeng and Xi Xiaye¡¯s marriage down, he had thought it was a mistake?

    Xi Xiaye was too amodating to Han Yifeng, while Han Yifeng was such a privileged brat. He was fairly arrogant and did not suit with Xi Xiaye¡¯s stubborn yet sensitive personality.

    Maybe she should have matched with a better man.

    Now, it seemed that everything was falling into ce as he wished. That was great then since it was Xi Jiyang¡¯s wish to see the children happy within his lifetime.

    Xi Jiyang squinted his aged eyes towards this couple before him. Suddenly, there was a light of happiness in his eyes. He unexpectedly recalled how back then, Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna seemed to have been like this too. They had sat before him, looking well-matched and hoping that he could give them his blessings.

    Now, it was all just destiny making fools out of people.

    Quite a while after, he sighed and said softly with a mix of happiness and mncholy, ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I can say. I can only wish the both of you to be loving till your old age and be happy forever.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently as she said hoarsely, ¡°Thank you...¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s leave it at that. We¡¯ll chat again when we meet. I know that the both of you are busy, so I won¡¯t disturb you two anymore. I¡¯m leaving now. When your father returns, I¡¯ll give you a call.¡±

    Xi Jiyang sighed deeply, then he slowly stood up and staggered a bit. Mu Yuchen swiftly held him up. ¡°Be careful, Grandfather!¡±

    Xi Jiyang held onto his staff tightly andmented, ¡°I¡¯m old and no good now.¡±

    Then, he gently patted Mu Yuchen¡¯s arm and said by his ear in a lowered voice, ¡°Be good to Xiaye. This child has been suffering quite a lot since she was young. Since you¡¯re married to her now, you have a responsibility to care for her well... I¡¯ll leave her in your good hands...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather, I will.¡± Mu Yuchen steadied Xi Jiyang while his deep tone had a hint of determination.

    Xi Jiyang nodded. Although he wanted Mu Yuchen to let go of him, Mu Yuchen helped him walk all the way out of the door and into his car while Xi Xiaye just sat in her seat and silently watched this scene.

    Moments after that, Mu Yuchen returned casually.

    When he saw her in a daze and not snapping back to her senses, Mu Yuchen then reached out and helped her fix her slightly messy hair that tumbled onto her chest as he asked softly, ¡°What are you thinking about that you¡¯re so entranced?¡±

    When his voice entered her ear, she slowly regained her senses. Her eyes suddenly revealed a tinge of loneliness as she said in a hoarse and gloomy voice, ¡°Nothing. I just suddenly felt that my heart being heavy... There are some things that I clearly want to do, yet I don¡¯t know how to start. Grandfather just told me that Father has never forgotten Mother, yet now, what use is there in saying all of that?¡±

    As he listened, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes hardened. Then, he held up his tea and casually sipped it. Calmly, he said, ¡°There are some things that you¡¯ll realize aren¡¯t actually hard at all only when you do it. There are always many possible oues to things, so one of them will definitely be the oue that you want. So, don¡¯t be sad. No one can tell the future for sure.¡±

    As she listened to such emotional words, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt sad.

 Chapter 218 - The Pursuit of Romance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 218: The Pursuit of Romance (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She quietly lowered her head, her slender fingers stroking the teacup in her hand. Rubbing and rubbing the delicate ceramic, she then suddenly stopped. Her long eyshes fluttered a few times. As Mu Yuchen lowered his head and closed in, he could see her being absent-minded and dazed.

    He fell silent for a moment, then sighed helplessly. Softly nagging her entwined with some warmth, he teased, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you could be this emotional. This isn¡¯t a good thing. You should fix that...¡±

    She then slowly lifted her head to look at him, a hoarse voiceing through. ¡°Am I bothering you by feeling rueful and wanting to vent for a little? What¡¯s wrong with being emotional?¡±

    Clearly, she was upset and approaching at him with such rage. Nevertheless, he was used to it, so he just looked down and chuckled. Without arguing with her, he poured her some tea as he said in a low voice, ¡°How was the situation on the other side today?¡±

    Initially, the moment she spoke, Xi Xiaye had already realized that she was wrong. She wanted to take her words back, but she could not. When she looked up at him, what greeted her sight was his calm, smiling, handsome face. Instinctively, she eased off a little.

    She bowed her head and sipped her tea, then said inly, ¡°I checkmated Xi Xinyi, yet she still wanted to use her old tricks to get back at me. Had Vice President Liu not been around, I would¡¯ve wanted to give her a few ps like a King Kong¡¯s finger. I almost wanted to pinch her bones to pieces.¡±

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye could not help but frown. There were still faint twinges of pain from her arm. Meanwhile, the moment she said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes instantly hardened across her.

    ¡°Where did she hurt you now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye reflexively pulled up the sleeves on her left arm, a wed bruise on her fair arm greeting his sight with a shock. If it were not for the twoyers of clothes in between, there would probably have been bloodshed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to resist?¡± He frowned and held her by the wrist to take a better look. ¡°Put some medicine on that when we get back. Next time, be smarter. When you see her with that Han Yifeng, maintain a 10-meter distance.¡±

    When he said this, loathing shed through his eyes. He had a very bad impression of Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She didn¡¯t get to scratch me. In a few more days, the bruise will go away on its own.¡±

    She pulled down her sleeve and drank more tea before she stuffed a piece of dessert into her mouth. ¡°Have you eaten? Looking at the time, there seems to be another hour before it¡¯s time for work...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have too much of an appetite. I¡¯ll make some good food when we get home tonight. Let¡¯s not work in the afternoon. Let me bring you somewhere.¡± As he said this, without even waiting for her answer, he already pulled her to get up.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Xi Xiaye quickly emptied her cup to wash the dessert down. She set aside the cup in a hurry. ¡°It¡¯s not good to just skip work for no reason.¡±

    She did not want to leave a bad record at work.

    ¡°You are now apanying the Chairman to do an on-site inspection. Obviously, it doesn¡¯t count as skipping work,¡± he answered matter-of-factly.

    Xi Xiaye could not help but shoot him a sidelong look. In the end, she could only follow his lead and walk ahead.

    ...

    On the way, it was him who drove because the driver who had sent her over earlier had already gone back.

    She asked him where he was bringing her, but he did not answer. He just returned a very mysterious smile to her. Finally, Xi Xiaye gotzy to keep asking him after that.

    She turned the music yer up, then leaned against the car window and closed her eyes to rest.

    While the weather was still gloomy outside, it was not raining as it had been earlier. There were only the assional drops falling from the sky as the cool breeze blew, showing signs of drying the ground.

    The car sped along the main street, passing through the misty rain as they drove towards a certain direction in the city center.

    As Xi Xiaye was sleeping soundly, she faintly felt the care to a stop. Then, she heard the sound of a car door opening and closing.

    She opened her drowsy eyes and pulled at the nket. She was not sure when it had covered her. Turning to look at the seat beside her, she realized that the man had already gotten down from the car.

    She lifted a hand to rub her blurry eyes and sit upright. When she looked out of the car window, she saw his tall and handsome figure standing outside.

    She looked around and vaguely felt that the surroundings were quite familiar. After some thinking, she pulled the nket on her away and fixed her slightly messy, long hair. Then, she pushed the car door open and got down too.

    ¡°Why are we here?¡± She reached his side and cried out. Her voice had a joy that could not be disguised.

    Mu Yuchen turned to look at her, his eyes reflecting a warm light. When he saw her walk over, he gently hugged her by the shoulders and said in a low and sentimental voice, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning toe back and take a look. I haven¡¯t been back for quite a long while now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up at him and saw that he looked rather rxed and happy. His face had a calm smile too. Following his line of sight ahead, what entered her sight was a wide, green area. There were quite a lot of mango trees and peach trees nted. At the moment, the peach trees were in full bloom with bright, vivid colors...

    Past the green area were school buildings that had just been freshly painted and were surrounded by several tall water banyans. The students would only be back to school after the 15th day of the lunar year, thus at the moment, the entire schoolpound was silent.

    Therge and small cemented paths towards the school buildings were very clean. They looked like they had just been swept. As it was engulfed in the misty rain, the scene before them looked a little surreal.

    There was a faint fragrance of the peach blossoms in the air, mixed with the soil. The earthly scent seemed to rx her depressed mood quite a bit.

    She let him hug her, and then lifted a slender finger to point towards one of the school buildings. ¡°I was in the eighth ss. Our ss is right there. The hostel I stayed in was in that block over there, just right across the boys¡¯ hostel. The two blocks that were called ¡®mandarin ducks building¡¯...¡±

    When she said this, she suddenly remembered some rather happy memories and the smile on her face became increasingly radiant. Abruptly, she turned to him and asked, ¡°Which ss were you in?¡±

    ¡°The first ss.¡± He chuckled and walked towards the clean pathway ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. Suddenly, she felt that she should not have asked this question. A top student like him would obviously be in the best ss.

    The mango trees that were nted all those years ago on both sides of the pathway towards the multi-function building had grown to be very tall. The flowerbeds below were even nted with delicate, unnamed flowers.

    Xi Xiaye remember that the year she had graduated, these mango trees were not very tall yet. When it was the season, the trees would bear a few mangoes. Then, a lot of students would toss stones at the mangoes to get them down. The head teacher could never catch them all, especially those mischievous boys...

 Chapter 219 - The Pursuit of Romance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 219: The Pursuit of Romance (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She looked a little nostalgically at the mango trees, feeling rueful.

    Unexpectedly, all these years had passed by in such a hurry. It had been so quick that one had not even had the time to reminisce. It felt like the graduation ceremony had been just yesterday. Who could have imagined that the next ten years and more would have flown by just like that?

    He looked up slightly and followed her gaze to inspect the trees on both sides. His face suddenly shed with a faint smile as he said very calmly, ¡°These trees were nted during my year, but now they¡¯ve grown pretty tall. Still, everything here still feels quite familiar. It¡¯s not that different from how it was. The campus¡¯ reforestation just looks a little nicer now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, dly agreeing. ¡°It¡¯s the west side that seems to have had quite a few new blocks of school buildings...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look at the field.¡±

    Then, with his arm around her, they continued to walk ahead through the multi-purpose building and towards the little gate to the field. After passing a small area of withered peach blossom forest, the fieldy ahead.

    Under the lights on the side of the field, Xi Xiaye could see two very young and innocent students ying basketball on the field. Their lively figures and rare skills attracted her.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen went to the sink at the side to wash his hands. When he returned, he noticed that she was already nowhere to be seen. He looked around and then noticed that she had somehow made her way to the field. At the moment, she was casually dribbling the ball and happily shooting hoops...

    It was a rare sight to see her this rxed. Her thin and slender figure traveled through the faint mist,pleting one sweet move after another. With her flexible and practiced skill highlighted by her valiant posture, this was the first time he noticed that women looked pretty cool ying basketball.

    When she realized he was looking, she stopped what she was doing. Holding onto the ball, she looked at him, her twinkling eyes still flickering with light. She thought about it, then tossed the ball in her hand to him. ¡°Come over and shoot a few hoops.¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out to catch the ball. He strolled over unhurriedly, and subconsciously looked down at her shoulder. She immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s fine already. It was just a small injury. Come on, I¡¯ll block and you shoot.¡±

    Then, before he could say anything, she was already prepared in her stance.

    When Mu Yuchen saw her little face brimming with radiance, he raised his handsome brows. ¡°Are you that confident that you¡¯ll be able to block me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll try and see. If you win then, tonight I¡¯ll treat you to dinner. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be treating me to dinner. Oh, tonight I want French...¡±

    ¡°Well then, for you to treat me, Missus, I¡¯d have to win no matter what!¡±

    Then, his long hands moved and the basketball in her hand fell to the ground. His tall figure jumped, his speed so quick that one failed to react, and then after dodging like a phantom, an urate m dunk was beautifullypleted.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned as she watched the empty space before. Dazed for a while, she suddenly turned around and only managed to see the scene where the ball fell into the basket while he already stood on the side and grinned at her.

    She frowned. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t count! This doesn¡¯t count! I wasn¡¯t even ready! Come again!¡±

    Mu Yuchen caught the ball and did as she wished, yet after a few times, she still was not able to block him. In the end, she said angrily, ¡°The ones before don¡¯t count. Let¡¯s change to me shooting and you blocking. I used to be the frontline shooter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen went with her wishes. He leaned forward slightly as both his eyes stared ahead vigntly at Xi Xiaye who was skilled and ready to make her shot.

    Xi Xiaye did not expect his defense to be so tight either. She paced back and forth, finding it hard to even find a path through, especially with the height difference. There seemed to be slight difficulties if she wanted tounch a surprise attack.

    At this moment, little droplets started following slowly from the hazy horizon. The field that had not dried thoroughly yet gradually began to be soaking wet.

    Amidst the mild rain, the husband and wife were in a game of pursuit. The misty rain engulfed their figures in ayer of tranquility and peace.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, aren¡¯t you nning to yield?¡± Xi Xiaye dribbled the ball skillfully as she looked at him, squinting.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled. The vignce in his eyes did not diminish at all. ¡°Well, it¡¯s rare that you¡¯re in the mood to treat me, so I¡¯ve decided to go all out for this candlelight dinner that¡¯s worth the anticipation.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled, her beautiful and elegant face akin to a blossoming orchid. Her eyes were brimming with a gentle light. Seeing her smile, he could not help but feel his cold heart waver as feelings of tenderness grew in his heart.

    How was he to say that he actually did not want to probe the increasing effect she had on him?

    He heard that happiness was not about how much whoever invested, but about tolerance and understanding, and bickering less...

    She suddenly lowered her body, and in the midst of his puzzlement, she gently nted a kiss on his lips. He was suddenly distracted for a moment. However, Xi Xiaye had also seized this very moment. Her slender figure made a swift spin and passed him almost phantom-like, leaving only a faint, elegant fragrance...

    When he realized he had been tricked, Mu Yuchen quickly reacted and abruptly turned around to look. However, she had long passed him and with a swift and cool movement, she tossed the basketball into the basket.

    The ball had very urately fallen into the basket and bounced on the ground. He looked up slightly towards her in the rain to see her looking smug with herself. His eyes revealed a hint of that had not faded as if what she had just broken through earlier was not just his defense against her, but maybe a little bit of something else too...

    He snapped back after quite a while. His expression quickly returned to normal as he looked up at the drizzle that was bing increasingly heavy, reaching out a hand to her. ¡°Come here!¡±

    She raised her brows and looked up at the sky too. Then, she abided and went over.

    ¡°The rain¡¯s getting heavy. Let¡¯s go home, but tonight it¡¯s your treat... Mmm!¡±

    Before she could finish, he had already lowered his head and shut her up with a kiss, pushing back all the words she wanted to say.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She only felt his breath fill the air, and before she had time to really indulge in it, he had already backed away. Flirting and then stopping...

    ¡°I approve of you using more of such tricks against me the next time.¡± He lowered his head and stared at her confused face, smiling. Before she could respond, he pulled away and walked to the side.

    After a long while, Xi Xiaye realized what he meant and she instantly grinned. ¡°Well then, Mr. Mu, you¡¯re saying that with my good looks, I can sugar-coat the bullets that attack you. Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Do you understand the meaning of ¡®good looks¡¯?¡± He turned to her and looked at her disapprovingly.

    Xi Xiaye...

 Chapter 220 - Wedding

    <h4>Chapter 220: Wedding</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, was Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s wedding day.

    She knew that there were many things to work on, so Xi Xiaye woke up bright and early and made the makeup artist bring along the gown straight to the Su residence first. Then, she called the hotel as well to instruct them about what they needed to take note of.

    She worked busily the whole morning. After lunch, she went to the Shen residence with Mu Ycuhen.

    At the Shen residence, Shen Wenna had long been waiting for Xi Xiaye. Initially, they were going to make a trip to the beauty salon, but seeing that time was pretty tight, the moment Xi Xiaye reached the entrance of the Shen residence, Shen Wenna had already brought her handbag out with her.

    ¡°You apany Grandpa. Tonight, I still have to send Mother back, so you can tell Driver Wang to pick you up,¡± said Xi Xiaye as she handed him his handphone.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, pushing the door open. ¡°Call me if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Xi Xiaye responded. Across them, Shen Wenna had already walked over to greet Mu Yuchen, and then she got into the car. After confirming that she had buckled up, Xi Xiaye started the car.

    Shen Wenna wore an elegant and fashionable hand-embroidered dress in a Western style with crane motifs. It matched a light blue scarf around her neck. She looked simple yet graceful and carried good taste. Her manner was elegant and moving.

    Even Xi Xiaye could not help but be stunned when she saw this.

    She had always been taken pride in Shen Wenna¡¯s elegant and gentle aura. Although she was clearly already 50 years old, she still looked so bright and attractive. She recalled how her father¡¯s eyes would always shift when her mother was mentioned. In fact...

    When she remembered what had happened yesterday, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes suddenly dimmed. She hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, ¡°Mother, yesterday Grandfather came looking for me... He knows about Mu Yuchen and me...¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± When Shen Wenna heard her, she looked up at Xi Xiaye. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen said when Father returns tomorrow, the two families should have a meal together. From the other side, it might only just be Grandfather and Father, so I wanted to ask if you and Grandpa would like toe along too,¡± Xi Xiaye said in a low voice.

    Shen Wenna was startled and she lowered her gaze. She wanted to speak up after quite a while, but Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice came through once again.

    ¡°I hope that you cane too. Yesterday, at Yueying¡¯s general shareholders¡¯ meeting, it was announced that 20% of shares still in your name. Mu Yuchen said that that was something from Father, so... He kept feeling like it might be better to inform Father. What do you think?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes clouded over while she seemed a little distracted, and she fell silent for a long time without answering Xi Xiaye. She just turned to look out the car window, looking faintly lonely.

    ¡°Mother, whatever happened between you and Father is the past. Now, Father... Why should you care about him so much? No matter what, life goes on. I really don¡¯t wish to see you get upset every time Father is mentioned. Otherwise, you should work hard to fight and get Father back...¡±

    Shen Wenna was slightly shocked. There was a rueful coldness across her expression. ¡°With all those things between your father and I, how could we start over just like that? Even though some things have passed, it doesn¡¯t mean that they have really ended. Otherwise, Yue Lingsi and the rest wouldn¡¯t havee knocking on our door.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she turned slightly stiff and breathed in. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let them be so arrogant next time. If they still dare toe to bother us, I¡¯ll destroy Yueying right away... But you and Father...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, just think for yourself. You don¡¯t have to care about me,¡± Shen Wenna inly answered. ¡°Back then, your father and I were very in love. I thought we could be together forever. He doted on me like I was a rare gem. Then, because of your grandpa¡¯s objections, I was stubborn and would rather run away from home and sever ties with my parents just to be with him...¡±

    ¡°While you should know the Xi family, I joined the family with nothing. Finally, I paid a disastrous price for my unruliness. I... I didn¡¯t want to believe that your father would actually cheat on me, and it was even with... I couldn¡¯t forget the moment when your grandpa and grandma begged me to let go. Your father was in a crucial phase at that point too.¡±

    ¡°But, if you put it like that, with such a piece of obvious evidence like Xi Xinyi, if the higher-ups found out, they could topple Father anytime.¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but be suspicious.

    ¡°Back then, Yue Lingsi ran away abroad after realizing she was pregnant, and she only returned to the country after Xi Xinyi was all grown up. Xi Xinyi didn¡¯t return to the Xi family as your father¡¯s biological daughter. Instead, she joined the family with Yue Lingsi. From a legal perspective, your father is rightfully her stepfather,¡± Shen Wenna answered.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a moment. She could not help but ask, ¡°Well then, Mother, is Xi Xinyi really Father¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    ¡°Mmm... By the time Yue Lingsi had been pregnant for two months, she had already done a DNA test. You and Xi Xinyi¡¯s birthdays are pretty close. Back then, you... Mother almost couldn¡¯t keep you. When I gave birth to you, it was tormenting. Your father was so worried back then...¡±

    As if realizing that this topic was a little heavy, Shen Wenna suddenly changed the topic.

    Xi Xiaye understood Shen Wenna too, so she did not ask further.

    ...

    After the mother and daughter duo were done at the salon, they went straight to the Imperial Sky Hotel. When they reached, it was already the evening. At the wedding reception hall on the seventh floor, they could see from afar that Su Nan and Ruan Heng were standing underneath the floral arch and weing guests.

    Su Nan wore a beautiful, snow-white wedding gown, looking absolutely charming. Ruan Heng wore a swallow-tailed suit and appeared extraordinarily dashing. Their faces were brimming with happiness and smiles that infected Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye shot a look at Shen Wenna who was also smiling by her side. Then, she gently clung onto her arm and walked towards Su Nan and the rest.

    ¡°Xiaye, Aunty Shen! You¡¯re finally here. We¡¯ve waited for you for a long time! You didn¡¯t answer your phone either!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was not even close when Su Nan had already walked right up, ring at Xi Xiaye. Then, she smiled at Shen Wenna. ¡°Aunty Shen, you look really young and beautiful today!¡±

    Shen Wenna gave a rare smile. ¡°Oh, you, you¡¯re still so sweet with your words. I just love listening to what you have to say, but you¡¯re even more beautiful as the bride! I wish the two of you evesting happiness!¡±

    Then, she took out a huge red packet from her handbag to hand it to Su Nan.

    Su Nan epted it gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Aunty Shen! Very soon, Xi Xiaye will have such a day too. She¡¯s probably the world¡¯s most beautiful bride. Even just thinking about it makes me proud. Haha...¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Aunty Shen!¡±

    On the side, Ruan Heng smiled and thanked her too.

 Chapter 221 - Xiayeâ€™s Unbearable Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 221: Xiaye¡¯s Unbearable Past (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan looked excitedly at Xi Xiaye, while she just smiled calmly at her. She took out the red packet that Mu Yuchen had prepared and handed it to Su Nan. ¡°Nan Nan, Ruan Heng, congrattions. You must be happy forever!¡±

    When she reached out to take over the red packet, Su Nan suddenly asked softly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t your mane with you?¡±

    ¡°I came with my mother. He won¡¯t being to join the fun, but he did prepare this red packet!¡± Xi Xiayeughed softly.

    ¡°Master Mu prepared it?¡± Su Nan widened her eyes. She did not care for anything and immediately ripped the red packet open to gape at the cheque and greeting card. She immediately cried out, ¡°Six nines! How generous! Xiaye, when you go back, please tell Master Mu that my respect for him is as endless as uninterrupted torrential rivers!¡±

    As she said this, she hugged the red packet and said softly, ¡°Xiaye, I think I¡¯m getting rich from organizing this wedding. You and Master Mu should quickly have yours. With Master Mu¡¯s influence, there¡¯ll be so many cash gifts for sure. Keep all of them to yourself and have it as pocket money... Just thinking about it makes me shiver. I¡¯m telling you, for today¡¯s wedding, Ruan Heng and I¡¯ve already discussed that all of the cash gifts will go to me. His sry will be managed by me too, haha...¡±

    Su Nan seemed to be a pretty jovial mood today. The smile on her face was extremely radiant. On the side, Ruan Heng looked at her dotingly too. Xi Xiaye was genuinely happy for them from the bottom of her heart, yet she could not help but think, if she and Mu Yuchen would really organize their wedding in October, how would their wedding be like?

    Every girl would have their own dreams of a beautiful wedding dress, and she was no different. She did not have reasons to fantasize back then, but now, had everything changed? Could she start looking forward to it again?

    When they walked into the banquet hall, it was already almost fully seated. Xi Xiaye was Su Nan¡¯s best friend. In fact, because of her and Shen Wenna¡¯s status, they were guests of honor and their seats were arranged right beside Su Nan¡¯s table.

    The wedding started soon. As she watched Ruan Heng put the ring on Su Nan¡¯s finger, and how Su Nan looked so happy that tears fell from her face, Xi Xiaye seemed to empathize with the same feelings. There was an indescribable feeling in her heart.

    She stood up to hold the teacup up and wanted to sip her tea when she noticed the faintly flickering splendor on her hand too. Suddenly, a warmth crossed her heart.

    After the wedding reception ended, the banquet began.

    Many guests attended the wedding. Most of them were teachers from University A. Earlier, they had just sat down when Shen Wenna started chatting away with some teachers beside her, and when they found out that Xi Xiaye was Shen Wenna¡¯s daughter, everyone was in the same disbelief.

    ¡°No way! Professor Shen looks just slightly over 30! How unexpected of your daughter to be this grown!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! I¡¯ve never seen Professor Shen talk about her family. I thought she wasn¡¯t married!¡±

    ¡°I heard that her daughter is a director at Glory World. That¡¯s pretty amazing!¡±

    One by one, voices of envy were heard. Shen Wenna only smiled in response while Xi Xiaye did not say much either. She just drank a sip or two of wine once in a while as she watched Shen Wenna chat away with them.

    A while after, when Su Nan had changed out of her wedding dress and returned to the hall with Ruan Heng, Su Nan dragged her alone to drink.

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng had invited quite a lot of old ssmates as well. Just like the previous gathering, Wang Zilou and Sun Mei hade as well.

    ¡°Xiaye, let¡¯s go over. The old ssmates are there, and so are several university mates. Previously, I¡¯ve said I¡¯ll go greet them. Let¡¯s go!¡± Su Nan pointed at the table near the balcony and smiled.

    Before Xi Xiaye could answer, she was already dragged over to that table.

    ¡°Oh, our bride and groom areing over!¡±

    They had just gone closer when the sounds of teasing were heard. The table full of people instantly stood up. Even the ssmates and friends from the neighboring table all swarmed up to them too.

    It was Wang Ziluo and Sun Mei. However, what shocked Xi Xiaye was the fact that Xi Xinyi was unexpectedly there too! She was sitting right beside Wang Ziluo!

    ¡°Oh my God! Why is she here? Did we invite her?¡± When Su Nan saw Xi Xinyi¡¯s face, she instantly looked pissed off and turned to re at Ruan Heng!

    Ruan Heng shrugged innocently as he said gloomily, ¡°I did follow your orders and only invited Wang Ziluo, but who would¡¯ve thought that Sun Mei and the rest would¡¯vee too? Earlier, I didn¡¯t even see them at the entrance!¡±

    As if they sensed the confusion, the group already walked over to greet them with their drinks in hand. They smiled and said, ¡°The two of you are horrible, only inviting Wang Ziluo for your wedding and leaving us behind! Is ouring uninvited troubling you guys?¡±

    ¡°Haha, how could that be? Ruan Heng and I thought that you guys won¡¯t be in City Z anymore after the New Year, so we just invited Wang Zi, but of course, I¡¯d wee you to witness our happiness. Haha, you¡¯re very wee!¡± Su Nan forced augh and answered.

    ¡°Your wedding¡¯s pretty grand. You even did it here! Earlier, everyone was saying how jealous they were, but we actually came over to sincerely wish you well!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, everyone. Cheers!¡±

    ¡°Wishing the both of you happiness! Cheers!¡±

    After they downed the drinks, and before Su Nan and the rest could ease over, someone suddenly cried out from the side, ¡°Eh, isn¡¯t that Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Everyone¡¯s gaze very quickly fell onto Xi Xiaye who was behind Su Nan and Ruan Heng.

    They were all familiar faces, but Xi Xiaye did not seem to be able to recall their names. Some of them had even yed ball together with her back in senior high.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s fair face shed withfort as she nodded slightly. ¡°Hello, everyone. Long time no see. I hope everyone¡¯s well.¡±

    ¡°Rather well. Wait, Xi Xiaye, didn¡¯t you go to the military academy back then? Where are you working now? I haven¡¯t heard news about you in years now!¡±

    A girl beside Wang Ziluo looked a little shocked at Xi Xiaye. She vaguely remembered this girl was called Lin Xueli or something. She had been themisary in charge of studies for the ss next door back then.

    ¡°Back then, for the entrance exam, you just did as usual. Usually, your grades were alright but you were unexpectedly amazing in the exams, and even got into that pretty good military academy. You must probably be a military officer, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    When Lin Xueli finished, a voice of disdain came softly from behind. ¡°Pfft, what military officer? Back then, she broke the rules in the military academy and was immediately ordered to be expelled. Don¡¯t you guys know?¡±

    Once this voice was heard, many people around were stunned. They looked a little shocked towards the source of the voice.

    The person who had spoken was a girl beside Xi Xinyi. Su Nan remembered that this girl was part of Xi Xinyi¡¯s little posse from back then!

 Chapter 222 - Xiayes Unbearable Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 222: Xiaye¡¯s Unbearable Past (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She saw that the woman was currently looking at Xi Xiaye with contempt, while Xi Xinyi who was beside her just frowned and pulled at the girl¡¯s sleeve, softly whispering, ¡°Xiao Ling, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    ¡°What happened? Yu Lingling, what did you say earlier? What do you mean by breaking school rules and being ordered to be expelled? What happened? Wasn¡¯t she doing well in the school?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, tell us what happened. I thought it was weird back then when she suddenly went abroad instead of studying at the military academy!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, but now she seems to be doing very well as a director at Glory World. It¡¯s not a role just anyone can take on...¡±

    Everyone had not been in much contact with Xi Xiaye, but they had always taken note of her. One reason was that of her extraordinarily good looks. Another was because her family background was considered pretty celebrated in school back then. Now, she was even the mayor¡¯s daughter and sisters with the celebrity, Xi Xinyi, so naturally, she received a lot of attention.

    ¡°Yu Lingling, what nonsense are you spewing? You watch what you say!¡±

    When Su Nan heard her, she instantly frowned and looked worriedly at Xi Xiaye. She saw that Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold and indifferent face had turned slightly pale while her eyes had swiftly dimmed too. Instantly anxious, she stared coldly at Yu Lingling to warn her.

    ¡°How am I spewing nonsense? Just ask her yourself. Ask her why she suddenly stopped studying at the great military academy, and why she suddenly went abroad. See how she¡¯ll answer you guys!¡±

    Yu Lingling gave Xi Xinyi a look, the corner of her lips curving with an insulting smile. Her eyes looked sharply at Xi Xiaye as if she was watching a show.

    ¡°Yu Lingling! If you want to cause trouble, get out right now. Don¡¯t babble crazy things. I know you don¡¯t like me. Then,e for me! Why are you spewing nonsense about someone else?¡± Su Nan¡¯s eyes darkened as she red sharply at Yu Lingling. She really did not expect to let such peoplee in.

    <i>Look at Xi Xinyi that slut¡¯s fake manners. I¡¯m sure that Yu Lingling was incited by her!</i>

    Yu Lingling had always been on bad terms with Su Nan. Back when they were in school, she liked to rat on her to the teacher and had always made life difficult for Su Nan. After Xi Xiaye dealt with her, she had always born hard feelings against Xi Xiaye. Since she became part of Xi Xinyi¡¯s little posse, she started to drive a wedge between Xi Xiaye and the other ssmates.

    ¡°All of those who havee are guests, Su Nan. Your temper hasn¡¯t changed much since school!¡± Yu Lingling sneered with disdain. ¡°In fact, I was just telling the truth. How is that called spewing nonsense? Don¡¯t you know better than anyone else? Xi Xiaye <i>was </i> expelled by the military academy because they were afraid of causing a huge ruckus. She couldn¡¯t stay in City Z, so she then epted her family¡¯s arrangement to go abroad!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Nonsense! Shut up! If you spew more nonsense, I¡¯m getting someone to chase you all out!¡± Su Nan¡¯s expression changed drastically. Her eyes turned cold and she shot a mean re at Xi Xinyi who was feigning gentleness, pretending to be worried and pulling at Yu Lingling. She shouted, ¡°Xi Xinyi, this is you seeding things on the sly again, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, what are you trying to say?¡± Xi Xinyi frowned and feigned innocence.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening? Lingling, what happened with Xi Xiaye?¡±

    While watching the few people¡¯s performances, the crowd became even more curious. Even Wang Zilou looked puzzledly towards Yu Lingling. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Huh, if you dare to do it, won¡¯t you let others talk about it? Just look at her and you¡¯d know she¡¯s not some good person. What¡¯s she being so arrogant for!?¡±

    Yu Lingling received the signals that Xi Xinyi gave her. She looked tauntingly and her eyes were filled with loathing and contempt. ¡°She... Well, she¡¯s a thief! When she was in military school, she stole the diamond ne that her military instructor was going to give his wife. Later on, she was found out by the instructor, and even... Well, since she failed to steal it, she made an unreasonable scene and beat up the instructor until he was heavily injured. One of the instructors eyes was blinded. It¡¯s disgusting. I¡¯ve never seen someone like this...¡±

    Before Yu Lingling could finish, Su Nan had already tossed the wine ss in her hand onto the floor. Her body had tensed up and she could help but be worried as she turned to look at Xi Xiaye beside her. ¡°Yu Lingling, you damned b*tch, shut up! You¡¯re the thief! Someone, security! Drag this crazy woman out! Quickly! Get out!¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt that her entire spirit was suddenly emptied. Her chest felt extremely heavy and even her shallow breathing made her aware of the pain in her chest.

    Her mind turned nk as her mind started to interweave with numerous choppy fragments...

    Her beautiful face was already so pale that blood had drained from her face. As her chest was in pain and her breaths became short, her body gave way and then she staggered, clutching onto Su Nan¡¯s arm like she was holding onto a buoy. She started to inhale huge breaths, and her dazed eyes were gloomy and filled with a fear that could not be disguised. Even though she looked a little panicked, the rationality in her head kept her clear-headed...

    ¡°No way! How¡¯s this possible?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s impossible? How could she be a thief? And even be so brutal with the beatings?¡±

    ¡°No way! How could she have been expelled by the military academy? In fact, her father was probably already the deputy mayor back then. If even such a high-up official had been unfair, you can tell how bad the situation must¡¯ve been!¡±

    ¡°I think so too. Otherwise, how could she have been expelled? In fact, I heard that she¡¯s a director at Glory World Corporation. Who knows? Maybe she slept with someone!¡±

    ¡°Right? I heard that she and her superior, some Vice President, have been getting very close recently! Yesterday, they even attended the Yueying shareholders¡¯ meeting together. Earlier, I heard Xinyi mention...¡±

    Some people had already begun to whisper to one another and discuss this.

    All of her unbearable past was opened up right before her in dripping blood. In her absent-mindedness, she suddenly remembered that scene ¡ª

    <i>¡°Teacher, I didn¡¯t! I really didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t steal anything and I didn¡¯t seduce him...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Father, I really didn¡¯t. Please believe me. I don¡¯t want to quit, Father...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I really didn¡¯t do it. He¡¯s framing me. I really didn¡¯t! It¡¯s him who has feelings for me...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Xi Xiaye, because you have severely vited the school rules, the circumstances are severe. After an investigation, the school has decided to take disciplinary action by expelling you from the school. You¡¯re on your own now. Go back and pack up your things to leave the academy right away...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Why don¡¯t you do well? Why did you have to be a thief and even do something so shameless? We are utterly humiliated by her! Can¡¯t she just give this family fewer problems? Back then, her father had put in so much effort to let her enter the military academy?¡±</i>

    ...

    That day, she had been just like she was right now. Under the mocking looks from her ssmates andrades looking down on her, she was forced to pack her bags and quit against her will.

    ¡°Xiaye, Xiaye, are you okay? Xiaye!¡±

    Su Nan held her up as she had turned weak. She was so worried that her eyes started to redden.

 Chapter 223 - Master Mu Is Angry! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 223: Master Mu Is Angry! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A long while after, Xi Xiaye jolted slightly, then her dazed eyes managed to clear up. The horrible sneers entered her ears as if she was poked with needles made from ice and snow. It was so cold that it numbed her.

    She looked up stunned at Xi Xinyi who pretended to be all innocent and worried before her, yet there was a sh of cold light in her eyes.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Beside her ear, Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s worried voice kept calling her. The guests by the side seemed to have noticed this too. All of them looked over, and even the hotel manager who was directing all the tasks was rmed.

    Sun Mei pulled at Yu Lingling to make her stop, yet she just red at Sun Mei. She did not feel remorse at all. Instead, seeing Xi Xiaye this humiliated and stuck in a difficult situation,bined with how pale she looked, she even felt very smug, especially when she found out from Xi Xinyi that she was currently a director at Glory World.

    ¡°Stop pulling at me, Sun Mei! I¡¯m just telling the truth. If you don¡¯t believe me, go ask Zhang Yan. He was in the same school as this disgusting thief back then. At the ss reunion a few years ago, he even talked about this! He asked if we were in the same ss, but I didn¡¯t know how to answer him back then. How embarrassing...¡±

    Su Nan reached over to hold Xi Xiaye by the shoulders as she shouted to the oing security, ¡°Security, drag this woman out for me! Throw her out right now! Quick!¡±

    Sun Mei and the rest looked a little troubled at Su Nan and Ruan Heng. Even Wang Zilou kept looking at Xi Xiaye in a daze. Quite a few people had already crowded around from the side, wanting to advise Su Nan to calm down.

    ¡°Su Nan, don¡¯t be rash!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being rash right now Doesn¡¯t she know what she¡¯s saying? I think you two witches have intentionallye here to cause trouble! Xi Xinyi, that¡¯s enough! I¡¯ve never seen a more disgusting woman than you. Your own mother¡¯s be a nauseating third party. Forget that you don¡¯t feel ashamed enough, but you even want to use your mother as a role model and steal your sister¡¯s fianc¨¨. If I were you, I would¡¯ve been so ashamed that I¡¯d retreat into the forest, but why do you have such a thick face? Could it be because of how you¡¯ve be an actress in recent years, so evilness has seeped into your bone marrow?¡± Su Nan cursed at Xi Xinyi in a rage.

    She was seething in anger with no reason whatsoever. ¡°I¡¯ve been tolerating you for a very long time! Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯ve incited this! I think that your poprity today is the one that¡¯s been gained through sleeping with I-don¡¯t-know-how-many directors!¡±

    Sun Mei could not bear to listen anymore. She could not help but reprimand, ¡°Su Nan! What are you saying? Don¡¯t cross the line!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand that hid in her sleeve was balled into a tight fist. The wine ss in her hand trembled slightly as she stared straight at Xi Xinyi. In an instant, her gaze became gloomy, ice-cold and bone-chilling.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    At that moment, Shen Wenna¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind. Everyone looked to the source of the voice.

    ¡°Aunty Shen! Xiaye, she...¡± Su Nan looked worriedly at Shen Wenna, then she looked down too.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s cold face shed with a puzzlement. Looking ahead, she immediately saw Xi Xinyi who sat on the side and her gaze instantly hardened whilst her expression changed!

    In a sh, Shen Wenna also noticed that Xi Xiaye looked pale and miserable. She appeared deste and icy-cold, so she walked over and at this moment, the whispers started to enter Shen Wenna¡¯s ears.

    ¡°She¡¯s here. She looks like a professor from University A. She looks very cultured. The mother and daughter pair are quite alike. Her daughter doesn¡¯t look like a thief, but she is indeed quite beautiful. She has the means to seduce...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she looks like it, but she <i>was </i> expelled by the military academy, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°It seems like she¡¯s even the mayor¡¯s daughter... Could she be the mayor¡¯s ex-wife then?¡±

    ¡°Mayor Xi¡¯s ex-wife? No way! She¡¯s so young and beautiful!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye spent a lot of effort to hold back the anger that she was about to recklessly vent. She quietly averted her gaze and looked drained and weakly at Shen Wenna who had also stiffened on the spot. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mother, let me send you back. Su Nan, we¡¯re leaving now. I¡¯m really sorry about tonight.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye! I¡¯m worried about you! Ruan Heng, arrange for someone to send Aunty Shen home right away. Xiaye, you shouldn¡¯t be driving like this... Xiaye...¡±

    Before Su Nan could finish, Xi Xiaye had already pulled Shen Wenna and abruptly turned away. Her figure looked bleak and lonely. Just by watching her, Su Nan could feel the powerlessness in her steps.

    She could not care much and quickly chased after them. There was an uproar at the wedding banquet as everyone looked towards Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna¡¯s figures as they left in a hurry...

    She had just stepped out when Su Nan finally managed to catch up and gripped onto Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye! Stop! I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re not suited to drive right now! I¡¯ll send you home! Ruan Heng, you send Aunty Shen back!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Today¡¯s your wedding day. Go back. It¡¯s such a happy day. Please don¡¯t let it be ruined by me...¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice was exceptionally calm as her expression was tranquil too. Her eyes had already turned grey and were silent as still water. There was no light in them at all.

    Su Nan felt her heart ache. She did not know how much strength Xi Xiaye needed to hold back all of her anger and grievances, but she knew that Xi Xiaye had done so, not just for Shen Wenna, but also for her and Ruan Heng.

    When they saw quite a few people following after them, Ruan Heng could only gloomily say in concern, ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯ve already arranged for someone toe pick up Aunty Shen. Su Nan, you apany Xiaye to rest in the VIP room.¡±

    Yet, just as his voice fell, the hotel manager had already brought a few people and rushed over, until they reached Xi Xiaye, ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, turning to look at the distracted Shen Wenna and say softly, ¡°Please send my mother back to the Shen residence.¡±

    ¡°Mother, you...¡±

    Shen Wenna looked miserable as she muttered before turning to leave, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s fine if they know. I am your father¡¯s ex-wife... Okay, I¡¯ll leave now. I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry. Don¡¯t mind their words either. We all believe you...¡±

    ¡°Director Xi?¡± The hotel manager softly called out for Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She nodded and then the hotel manager followed Shen Wenna out.

    As she watched Shen Wenna¡¯s figure gradually move further away, Xi Xiaye calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m going home too. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± Before Su Nan and the rest could react, she had already picked up her pace and walked ahead.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± Su Nan wanted to follow after her, yet she was pulled back by Ruan Heng. ¡°Enough, Nan Nan. Let her have some time alone!¡±

    ¡°I want to go settle scores with those two witches!¡±

    Su Nan stormed right back in a rage.

 Chapter 224 - Master Mu Is Angry! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 224: Master Mu Is Angry! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye plodded through the corridor with heavy footsteps. Suddenly, she thought that this corridor felt endless. It was very, very long. All around her were walls and it was so stifling that she almost could not breathe.

    She was not sure how long had passed until she found the entrance...

    When she walked out of the hotel, it had already turned dark outside. The streetlights were lit up, yet the faint light could not seem to pass through the vast, gloomy twilight. The night wind kept blowing, bringing a bone-chilling humidity into the air while the moist ground refracted varying lights and shadows because of the light shining down. The scene looked so deste that it brought pain to one.

    Her thin and lonesome figure passed through the gloomy, misty rain. When she walked under a dim streetlight, she finally took out her phone from her pocket and made a call. The person on the other end picked up very quickly.

    ¡°Hello? Detective Zhang? It¡¯s me, Xi Xiaye... I wanted to ask about that thing. When will we get the results?¡±

    ¡°Earlier, I just checked Yang Jianfeng¡¯s ount. Another $200,000 was banked into him again three months ago, but I can¡¯t be sure if it was from that person. It¡¯ll probably be very hard to get evidence on this. Your father and grandfather personally erased all of the information about this, so it¡¯s not that easy to open up the investigation again...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it. Don¡¯t rm them... Thank you, Detective Zhang,¡± she softly said.

    ...

    After hanging up, Xi Xiaye got into the car. Upon closing the door, all of her strength and endurance instantly broke down like the dam of a sea had burst. The dry and burning rim of her eyes could not hold back her tears and they started to turn moist.

    She tossed her phone aside, intending to wipe the chill on her face away. She wiped and wiped at the tears, then suddenly buried her face into her icy palms. For a long time, she did not move.

    <i>¡°I really didn¡¯t do it. He framed me. Why won¡¯t you guys believe me?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Father, I¡¯m not afraid of going to jail. I¡¯m only begging you to help me. I¡¯m not a thief. I didn¡¯t seduce him...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Grandfather, can you please talk to them? I really don¡¯t want to quit. I finally... I admit that I did hurt him, but I really didn¡¯t steal anything. It was him who told me to go over and get information...¡±</i>

    That year, she had just joined the military academy. Just when she thought that her career in the army could begin, this tragedy had once again stolen all of her dreams and hopes away.

    After the incident, even Xi Mushan could not protect her while Shen Wenna had apanied Shen Yue for his eye surgery abroad. When they returned, the school¡¯s decision had already been set.

    She had to be expelled bearing a ckened name, and Deng Wenwen was even more ashamed by her. As a result, she made her spend a long time in the study room to reflect on her mistakes, and Xi Xinyi ran to her every day to tell her about Han Yifeng...

    Back then, she felt that her world had never been that gray before. No matter how hard she tried, she could not walk out of that deadlocked haze.

    After that, Shen Wenna went looking for Xi Mushan. Following their discussion, they decided to send her straight abroad, and then coboratively suppress the news about this. Xi Jiyang had also dered that no one was to ever raise this matter again.

    In the period that she had just gone abroad, because he was worried that she would take things too hard, Shen Yue had even cast aside thepany matters and apanied her there for a long time. When she felt better, he then returned to the country.

    Before he left, Shen Yue had advised her, ¡°What¡¯s happened has already happened. As much as you cry or feel wronged, it¡¯ll be useless. There are many things that you still need to do. You aren¡¯t just living for this one thing. There are always many unlucky people. Once you get through it, you¡¯ll realize that it was actually not such a big deal after all.¡±

    Yes, it really would not be a big deal if she could get through it, but what if she could not?

    ...

    She was not sure how long had passed. She just felt warm moisture in her palm as one by one, teardrops fell through her fingers and her shoulders trembled slightly.

    Suddenly, she did not know why she was this upset. She thought she had already walked out of that darkness. Even if she faced all those mean rumors, she thought that she should be able to face them calmly, yet what she thought was different from reality...

    Just as her sleeves were about to bepletely soaked by her hot tears, the car door beside her was suddenly opened and a strong gust of cold wind instantly poured in!

    She was shocked and looked up reflexively. Quickly, she wiped away the moisture on her face and looked out of the car.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tall and handsome figure greeted her sight. His expression was unusually grave and his eyes were immersed in gloom, yet the depths of his eyes also contained theplexities of his love and worry for her.

    She looked at him, startled. She was quite surprised, but after a while, she regained her senses and turned her head away. Wiping the tears at the corner of her eyes, she asked softly, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Her voice was a little hoarse and raspy from the crying. Her pale face looked so weak that it pained him to look at her, yet the thing that he still could not help but be angry about was how she could instantly return to her usual calm.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be here? You¡¯ve be quite capable. Why wouldn¡¯t Ie to see the show? It hasn¡¯t even begun and already you¡¯re hiding here crying? Tell me what happened.¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt that as even-tempered as he was, he could not suppress the rage in his heart. He had carefully watched over her, afraid that she would not be able to handle it. He had worried that the bunch of people would easily invoke problems, so he had ordered the hotel manager to look after her. However, unexpectedly when he was on the home to Maple Residence from the Shen residence, he had received the hotel manager¡¯s call. After that, Shen Wenna had worriedly given him a call too, so he then rushed over.

    While she, on the other hand, forgot about even calling him. Despite calling her numerous times, she did not pick up...

    His deep voice brought a hint of sternness as his deep gaze locked onto her. He could not care less about the drizzle that fell from the sky as he just fixed his eyes on her.

    She silently looked down, her hands resting on her knees clenched slightly without saying a word.

    When he saw that she did not say anything for a long time, the sound of his soft scolding carried an order that was determined and did not allow defying, unlike his usual calm and gentleness at all. ¡°Speak!¡±

    Clearly, he was extremely angry.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you don¡¯t dare to speak up now?¡± He coldly called out her name and held the car door with one hand while looking down at her.

    Forced by his strong presence, she finally could not bear it and looked up. Her silent and dim gaze met his deep eyes. She raised her voice and shouted at him as if she was giving up in moments of hopelessness, ¡°Say what?! What do you want me to say? Would all of you believe me if I spoke up? All of you think I¡¯m a thief, that I¡¯m a shameless person who would seduce her own instructor... Everyone is resolute about the idea that I¡¯m someone like that, so what do you want me to say? If exining myself worked, I wouldn¡¯t mind exining it a thousand or a million times!¡±

 Chapter 225 - Ban Xi Xinyi (1)

    <h4>Chapter 225: Ban Xi Xinyi (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She clenched her teeth, and then her clear eyes were very quickly covered with gloom. She continued coldly, ¡°If I said that it was the man who framed me, asking me to be with him, that he couldn¡¯t seduce me, so he forced himself onto me, and after that in the middle of the ordeal, I got hold of a pen and stabbed his eye blind, would you believe me? He got the title as an excellent instructor every year while I¡¯m just a bad student who got in through connections. Who¡¯d believe me?¡±

    When she said this, Mu Yuchen was shocked for a moment. Suddenly, there was a cold sharpness that shed in his eyes.

    ¡°After that, I was expelled by the academy, and was even almost sent to jail. My father used his connections to erase all of my records whilst my mother used Grandfather¡¯s money to shut that man up. On the day that I left the academy, the ss teacher used me as a bad example in front of my whole ss. What do you want me to say? How do I exin? Tell me! How can I prove my innocence?¡±

    All of the anger and suffering she had endured instantly could not help but show in her eyes that heated up. The instant her tears were about to fall, she turned her head away stubbornly. She sniffed with both her hands clenched into tight fists. Choking on her sobs for a moment, she continued to stammer in a raspy voice, ¡°All of them say that I¡¯m a thief, that I¡¯m a shameless woman. Even my grandfather and grandmother didn¡¯t believe me...¡±

    Then, she lowered her head and covered her pale face in her hands again. She was so hurt. All of her grievances and unbearable past beingpletely exposed in the open was something hard for her to ept.

    ¡°That¡¯s just them being stupid and not knowing right from wrong. You didn¡¯t even seduce me. What would that man have to make you think so highly of him? Who brought this up tonight?¡± He still could not hold back his anger.

    She sniffed and looked up at him with her red eyes, not saying anything.

    ¡°Was it that Xi Xinyi again, or that stepmother of yours?¡±

    From the way she looked, Mu Yuchen could already guess the answer.

    ¡°Are you a fool? Are you so stupid that you don¡¯t know how to attack her back? The best way to handle a woman like her is to give her a taste of her own medicine. If that doesn¡¯t work, then y dirty!¡±

    When he said this, his tone was far from the stern scolding like before. Instead, there was a tone of evil influence and smugness now.

    She was triggered by his words. This was the first time someone had called her stupid. She immediately straightened her back and refuted angrily with justification, ¡°If I were so invincible, why would I need you for?!¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Mu Yuchen felt that she had the ability to anger him to death. He really did not know what else to say after that rebuttal, so he just inhaled, nodded, and nced at her helplessly. ¡°If you had acknowledged this earlier, I might¡¯ve still been praising you right now, but now, with this attitude of yours, I...¡±

    Xi Xiaye widened her reddened eyes and red at him coldly. When she was about to say something, the sound of footsteps from the side interrupted them. What followed was a huge ck umbre shading Mu Yuchen¡¯s head from the sky above as Ah Mo¡¯s voice came through.

    ¡°Master, this is what you wanted.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Xi Xiaye, then turned around and took the thick stack of papers from Ah Mo¡¯s hands.

    He casually flipped through it, then nodded and handed it back to Ah Mo. He said calmly, ¡°The banquet¡¯s about to end soon, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, the guests have started to leave, but they¡¯re not out yet. Manager Liang has already exined the matter to me,¡± Ah Mo said softly.

    ¡°This is your forte, so just go with the usual and y by ear,¡± instructed Mu Yuchen, yet he looked at Xi Xiaye as he did. ¡°Do you want to take revenge?¡±

    When she heard him, her eyes that were a little misty from the tears suddenly brightened up. She stared at him and muttered, ¡°Do you have a n?¡±

    His gaze was as still as water. Noticing a sliver of hope in her eyes like a bullied little girl looking for her parents to help her take revenge, her eyes twinkled with a light that flickered akin to scattered diamonds. He could not help but feel sorry for her. Quite a while after that, he lifted a hand to wipe away her tears...

    Xi Xiaye followed his slightly cold fingers, rubbing her tears away, feeling embarrassed. Her eyes were still focused on his extraordinarily handsome face.

    His hand lifted slightly and patted her head as his tone became soft and gentle. ¡°Get down from the car. Follow me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked, but she nodded and followed him out of the car...

    At this moment, it was already past 9 p.m. and the banquet was about toe to a close.

    When Su Nan returned to the banquet hall, she had rushed over angrily, intending to settle the score with Xi Xinyi and Yu Lingling, but she was stopped by her parents. Just like that, the storm that erupted at the banquet was finally suppressed.

    After Xi Xiaye left, Xi Xinyi and Yu Lingling continued chatting away happily as usual to everyone, but when everyone mentioned Xi Xiaye¡¯s matter, Xi Xinyi would just smile in response and notment. However, it was exactly because of this reaction that everyone was afraid of the high probability of the matter being true.

    When it was past 9 p.m., a group of people finally decided to leave.

    Outside the hotel, Xi Xinyi and Wang Zilou¡¯s group bade goodbye to each other at the stairs.

    ¡°Hey, Xinyi, was that true about Xiaye? To be honest, I also thought it was weird back then that she would suddenly go abroad despite doing well in the military academy,¡± Sun Mei could not help but ask Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Xiaye¡¯s not like that, Sun Mei. Even if it was as Lingling said, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something else,¡± Wang Ziluo hesitated for a moment, then said.

    ¡°I think Sister wouldn¡¯t too, but... I¡¯m really sorry, my grandfather and father don¡¯t let me talk about this matter, so...¡± Xi Xinyi very innocently stated, yet the awkwardness on her face had set the usation against Xi Xiaye in stone!

    Everyone exchanged nces knowingly. Even Wang Ziluo¡¯s expression darkened.

    Xi Xinyi lowered her head, seeming a little upset as she sighed, ¡°Sister has been having it hard all this while, so I hope that everyone won¡¯t see her differently because of these things. She¡¯s a very good person and I¡¯ve always admired her, so please, everyone, don¡¯t bring this up again anymore, okay? I¡¯m begging you...¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice trembled slightly. She sounded like she was being considerate towards Xi Xiaye, yet, the moment she said that, a motorcycle had swiftly driven towards them and stopped before them.

    On the motorcycle was a tall man with a helmet on. He got down from the bike and held a thick stack of documents before walking up to the few of them and asked politely, ¡°May I know who Miss Xi Xinyi is?¡±

 Chapter 226 - Ban Xi Xinyi (2)

    <h4>Chapter 226: Ban Xi Xinyi (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The tone of the man was polite and humble whilst he looked at them at the bottom of the staircase.

    Such attitude rarely alerted cautiousness, so the crowd all looked at Xi Xinyi who put on a smile and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Xi Xinyi, and you... Ah! Ah! Ah!¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, the tall man¡¯s eyes turned cold and he grabbed Xi Xinyi¡¯s shoulder, pping the thick pile of document papers in his hand on Xi Xinyi¡¯s beautiful face!

    The sound of paper pping her reached everyone¡¯s ears.

    Xi Xinyi screamed in agony. She felt her head go light as her foot tripped and she fell onto the ground. The man then threw the stack of papers onto Xi Xinyi, making the papers rain everywhere. Meanwhile, the other pillion rider on the motorbike threw another stack of papers towards Xi Xinyi as well. The sharp edge of the papers actually caused thin bloodlines to appear on her face!

    ¡°Be careful in the future. Don¡¯t always stab people in the back. I¡¯ve seen too many people like you. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll have a hard time if I see you do it again. Bro Mo doesn¡¯t have to even lift his finger!¡± The first man threatened her coldly and then left on the bike.

    Everything happened too quickly. The crowd came back to their senses a while after Xi Xinyi started screaming. At that moment, the papers almost covered up Xi Xinyi. Some people started picking the papers up to take a closer look.

    They were some inappropriate photos of Xi Xinyi and they even included specific captions of when, where, and who the photos were taken with.

    In addition to that, conflicts between Xi Xinyi and other celebrities, and any tricks used were included. For example, there was one about how soon after Xi Xinyi¡¯s debut, the female lead suffered severe injuries from falling off a hanging wire due to a system failure. The circumstantial evidence suggested that Xi Xinyi was guilty. There were many other simr cases whereby anyone who was found to be going against Xi Xinyi would somehow be involved in an ident, and every single time, Xi Xinyi was found at the scene!

    The detailed information was all avable. There was even a close-up photo of Xi Xinyi secretly vandalizing a certain celebrity¡¯s dress!

    Many things were listed down. From the time Xi Xinyi debuted until now, her whole career had been recorded and those unknown events were now fully presented to everyone.

    Sun Mei and the others stared at the photos with their scandalized eyes wide and because the wedding was ending, many guests came out from the hotel as well. Fueled by the breeze, many of the papers flew inside and most of the guests grabbed one unconsciously!

    Xi Xinyi felt that something was wrong when Sun Mei and the others were looking at her with shock, so she quickly grabbed one of the papers.

    It was all about the conflict between her, Caitlyn, Lin Ling, and...

    She yelled as she crawled up from the ground, ¡°These aren¡¯t true! They aren¡¯t true!¡±

    She was trembling uncontrobly. No matter how hard she tried to keep herselfposed, the fear in her heart made her feel light-headed.

    Her first reaction was that someone had to be messing with her!

    If these went out, her reputation in the entertainment industry...

    Suddenly, many people surrounded her. Some of them quickly snapped photos and posted it on their Weibo!

    This was some hot news!

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face went pale as her mind turned nk. She wanted to do something but she could not move, totally freaked out.

    ...

    Beside the car somewhere nearby, Xi Xiaye witnessed what happened with her cold eyes. Her hand was still holding the paper Mu Yuchen had handed her.

    ¡°Master, this is the video they took. Take a look!¡± Ah Mo passed his phone over and Mu Yuchen flicked his cigarette on the ashtray as he took it. ncing at it, he then gave it to Xi Xiaye beside him. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she grabbed it and saw a video of Yu Lingling talking.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I was triggered by Xi Xinyi! She told me that it was Xi Xiaye who locked me up in the school toilet and even asked Su Nan to remove my name from the student council... That¡¯s why I... I¡¯ve told you the truth. Please don¡¯t hurt me...¡±

    ¡°You had people...¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him, startled.

    ¡°You use odd ways against odd people. Sometimes, it¡¯s better to be direct.¡±

    He took the phone back from Xi Xiaye and gave it to Ah Mo. After a brief moment of silence, he said, ¡°Send it to Han Yifeng together with that thing.¡±

    Ah Mo took his phone back and nodded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the battered up Xi Xinyi. She seemed lost as Sun Mei and the others tried to drag her out of the crowd. She suddenly lost interest in watching and felt tired, so she opened the car door and sat inside.

    Mu Yuchen turned his head over when he heard the sound of the door close. When he saw she had her eyes closed and her hands resting on her forehead, his eyes darkened and there was worry nestled between his brows.

    ¡°Master, next up...¡± Ah Mo mumbled quietly.

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he threw the cigarette away and said, ¡°You decide.¡± He then opened the car door and sat inside as well.

    ¡°Start the car,¡± Mu Yuchen told the driver in front as he got in. His eyes looked over at Xi Xiaye beside him. She seemed a little sad, so after some thought, he asked, ¡°Are you worried about Father? Or Mother?¡±

    He was always very observant, easily guessing what she thought.

    She remained quiet after some time. Then, she took a deep breath and said in a bitter tone, ¡°I feel like many feelings seem to be insignificant when ites to conflicts and grudges. Humans are really insignificant. It doesn¡¯t mean that problems will just disappear if you care less.

    ¡°I¡¯m really afraid that the things I try to protect will all just turn into a ridiculous joke...¡±

 Chapter 227 - Ban Xi Xinyi (3)

    <h4>Chapter 227: Ban Xi Xinyi (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the way back to Maple Residence, she did not say anything at all and Mu Yuchen did not bother her. He just put a nket over her when she got tired and slept as she leaned against the window.

    It waste at night and there were fewer cars on the road. The shadows of the trees from the streetlights shed past her face, appearing cold and depressing.

    She could see her own fragility as she closed her eyes. She could also still feel the sadness as a lump in her throat. Opening her eyes a little and looking at the cold drizzle outside, as well as the streetlights that passed by, her expression suddenly turned calm and tranquil.

    She let out a light cough and pulled the nket around her tightly. Her dry throat sounded awful and Mu Yuchen quickly got her a tissue.

    ¡°When I was 5, Father had just started working in the government office. Because of the shift in his work, there was a two-week break. He brought Mother and me to stay by the seaside,¡± Xi Xiaye grabbed the tissue from him and said quietly, her eyes filled with sadness.

    He was listening to her while looking at her. He waited for a bit but she did not continue.

    After a long time, she touched her forehead, as if she was reminded of some fond memories. A smile appeared on her face. ¡°Mother was really caring towards Father back then. She said she wanted to experience how it was like providing for the family, so at that time, our expenses were covered by the earnings we got from selling Mother¡¯s paintings. Father would cook at home, awaiting my mother¡¯s return, and I helped her to sell the paintings. Most of the people that came to the beach were kind, young people. They really liked Mother¡¯s paintings...¡±

    Suddenly, her expression changed. After some time, she sighed, ¡°Those days... We were really happy as a family, and now... They¡¯re just memories.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened, but he did not say anything at all.

    The car slowly went towards Maple Residence and parked right in front of the house. Xi Xiaye swiftly got down from the car and walked into the house, then went upstairs.

    When Mu Yuchen went into the house, she had just disappeared around the corner of the staircase. He took a deep breath and took off his coat before going into the kitchen.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone kept on ringing after she took a quick shower. When she browsed through her history, she saw many missed calls, mostly from Shen Wenna and Su Nan. She gave them a brief reply before switching off her phone.

    She then saw the man taking a bowl of something inside when she was about to leave the bedroom.

    ¡°Eat something. Leave the worries for tomorrow.¡±

    He put the bowl on the coffee table beside the sofa. Xi Xiaye nced over at the contents of the bowl. It was noodles with an egg.

    He turned over his head and handed her a pair of chopsticks. Although she wanted to say that she was not hungry, she did not want to reject his kindness, so she took the chopsticks and sat down.

    ¡°You go and wash up as well. I¡¯ve prepared the water for you.¡±

    She picked up a tomato and was about to put it into her mouth, but she saw that he was still watching her. Stopping mid-way to her mouth, she then changed directions to feed him instead.

    He was startled for a moment, but he did not reject and ate it. At the same time, he patted her head with a warm smile on his handsome face. Without saying anything, he went out of the bedroom.

    ...

    The next morning, as Xi Xiaye was done washing up and was going downstairs for breakfast, her phone started ringing. She picked up the call as soon as she saw that it was Su Nan.

    The moment the call connected, Su Nan¡¯s eager voice reached her through the phone. ¡°Xiaye, Xiaye, look at the TV and Weibo! Hurry! It¡¯s super big news!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She walked towards the living room and found the man reading the papers on the sofa. She grabbed the remote on the coffee table and switched the television on.

    The screen showed a crowd of reporters flooding the entrance to Yueying Media Culture Company, many of them holding papers and photos fromst night. Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi were surrounded and the reporters were all asking about Xi Xinyi.

    It was chaos on Weibo as well. Many fans of the female celebrities whom Xi Xinyi had sabotaged before were outraged, but there were also a lot of fans defending her.

    She grabbed the papers from Mu Yuchen and scanned through it. A big portion covered Xi Xinyi. After some additionalmentary by the writers, it seemed even more severe than it should be.

    Was he trying to end Xi Xinyi¡¯s career?

    Just a few intimate photos of Xi Xinyi going to a resort with someone was enough to cause a big stir. However, the news about causing severe harm to a female celebrity was much worse.

    ¡°Vice President Liu just called. The advertisement shoot for Imperial Sky Jewellery City was about to start, but the PR Department has decided to swap people and revoke the contract with Xi Xinyi. Manager Fang isn¡¯t in thepany now, so they need you to sign the contract and pay a visit to Yueying. What do you say?¡± Mu Yuchen sipped some tea and looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye was reminded about what had happened at the opening ceremony. The PR Department had found out that Mu Yuchen was unhappy with Xi Xinyi, so they already had ns to remove her. The circumstances now made things easy.

    After a brief moment of silence, Xi Xiaye nodded, her long eyshes flickering a little. ¡°I¡¯ll go in ce of Manager Fang this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Forget about those unhappy memories. No matter what, you¡¯re my Mrs. Mu that impressed me,¡± he said so as he took the papers away from her, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to stand your ground if you¡¯re too kind. This saying works well in any circumstances.¡±

    She was slightly wavered by his words, and she nodded a little.

    ...

    After Ah Mo clocked in, he went straight to Mu Yuchen¡¯s office.

    As he knocked on the office door, Mu Yuchen was watering the nts on the rack. He continued even when he heard the sound of the door opening.

    Ah Mo went to Mu Yuchen and called out to him respectfully, ¡°Master!

    Mu Yuchen stood up straight and left the watering can, grabbing a towel to clean his hands as he said, ¡°I have something that I need you to do personally.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his head slightly and looked pointedly at Ah Mo.

    ¡°Please tell me, Master!¡± Ah Mo replied quietly.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and walked towards his table slowly. Then, he took a folder out from the bookshelf in the back, opened it and then nced at the document inside before handing it to Ah Mo.

 Chapter 228 - Driven Mad (1)

    <h4>Chapter 228: Driven Mad (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo very swiftly took it, looking puzzledly at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°These are some details of your sis-inw at the military academy. Because it¡¯s been too long and some people intentionally erased some things, it¡¯s clearly iplete,¡± Mu Yuchen said. As he slowly sat down, he looked calmly at Ah Mo. ¡°I need you to help me investigate the truth of your sis-inw getting expelled from the military academy years ago. Before you¡¯ve gotten all the necessary evidence, you must keep this matter a secret. However you want to do that, you can consider it yourself.¡±

    Ah Mo listened, and then opened the document in hand. He took a good look before nodding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯ll personally attend to this.¡±

    He seemed to have noticed that this matter was important, so Ah Mo dared not to be careless. From the information of the contents, it looked like things were not that simple. Otherwise, how could Xi Xiaye have been living alright after stabbing that person¡¯s eye? Clearly, someone was suppressing this, and who that was, he could guess.

    ¡°When you investigate that man¡¯s background, you mighte across some unexpected findings,¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly warned.

    ¡°Yes, Master! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle this well. Right, Master, as for Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter, I¡¯ve already...¡±

    Mu Yuchen propped his head up with a hand and answered softly, ¡°You handled this Xi Xinyi matter well. Riding on this wave, just settle her once and for all.¡±

    Ah Mo thought about it, and then said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve just received a call. Quite a few advertisingpanies have already canceled their contracts with Yueying just as we predicted. Even if Qi Kai and the Han Corporation try to save them at all costs, I¡¯m afraid this won¡¯t be an easy feat, so...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just leave this matter at that for now. This storm won¡¯t subside so quickly. That¡¯s enough from you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally understood what Ah Mo was implying. Previously, Xi Xinyi¡¯s incident with the orphanage had yet to die down, and now such a horrible scandal had been exposed. It would not take long before she would be infamous within the entertainment industry. One or two scandals could be used to hype suspicion, but if numerous negative coverage with real evidence, he could only mercilessly tell her that she was probably done for in the show business this time around.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Mo answered and retreated.

    ...

    The situation was worse than they had imagined. Inside the Yueying Culture Media office, Yue Lingsi was extremely panicked and anxious as she kept exining to the person on the phone.

    ¡°CEO Fu, listen to me! This time, the rumors aren¡¯t real. Someone¡¯s intentionally smearing Xinyi. CEO Fu, please don¡¯t be misled by the nder. Those were all nonsense reported by the media... CEO Fu! CEO Fu! Listen to me, CEO Fu!¡±

    Unfortunately, before Yue Lingsi could finish, the person on the other end had already heartlessly hung up.

    Yue Lingsi felt restlessly defeated. She was about to anxiously call the person back, yet before she could, another call came in. She quickly picked it up and forced a smile on her face. ¡°Hello, CEO Fang...¡±

    The person¡¯s tone on the other end of the phone was extremely upset. He just said a few things and Yue Lingsi¡¯s forced smile stiffened before she quickly exined, ¡°CEO Fang, it¡¯s not like that. They¡¯re just smearing Xinyi on purpose. CEO Fang, our contract¡¯s still...¡±

    Another person hung up!

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression was unusually dispirited. Her entire body turned rigid as she slowly put the phone in her hand down and looked up at Xi Xinyi, who was sitting on the sofa looking absent-minded, nervous, and anxious.

    At that moment, she was scrolling through Weibo.

    ¡°Mother, what can we do? What can we do? I...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s body trembled as she looked up at Yue Lingsi, her beautiful eyes filled with an rm that could not be disguised. She was so anxious that she started to tear up. Flustered, she took the phone from the side and called Han Yifeng, yet on the other end, she still only heard the dead tone of Han Yifeng¡¯s phone being switched off.

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not like that. Someone¡¯s intentionally smearing me, Mother. Tell them not to cancel the contract. Yifeng¡¯s not picking up my calls either...¡±

    Xi Xinyi choked on her sobs, she looked pale and weak as she clung onto Yue Lingsi¡¯s arm. She could not help but cry aloud. Having worried for the whole night, now she just looked pitiful and dejected. The thin paper cuts on her beautiful face could still be seen and they looked slightly scary.

    Yue Lingsi hugged Xi Xinyi gently. Just as worried, she patted her back and advised, ¡°Xinyi, don¡¯t be worried first. Yifeng might still be busy with something. What happened? Exin to me properly. Why would there suddenly be so many negative news about you? I don¡¯t control what you usually do, but what happened? All these information and pictures...¡±

    As Yue Lingsi said this, she frowned at Xi Xinyi. Reading all these detailed information, she started to feel concerned.

    ¡°Mother, all these aren¡¯t true. Someone must be messing with me! Mother, you have to believe me!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s grip on Yue Lingsi arm suddenly tightened, as if she was holding onto a life-saving final straw.

    Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xinyi with mixed emotions. ¡°Then, can you guess who it could be? Xinyi, I¡¯m afraid your grandmother cannot bear it anymore. Previously, you¡¯ve signed with a lot ofpanies and all of them are requesting to cancel contracts! I¡¯ve already reminded you before that it¡¯s a precarious time for you right now, but you didn¡¯t listen to me, and now such a huge ruckus has been caused. Thepany doesn¡¯t know how to handle those reporters!¡±

    Yue Lingsi sighed heavily. She let go of Xi Xinyi and lifted the curtains to take a look. They were still being surrounded by arge group of reporters downstairs.

    ¡°I think you should prepare a bit. Pack up your bags and go abroad to lie low until things die down. Just treat it as a vacation. When this dies down, we¡¯ll make other ns. This just can¡¯t go on!¡±

    ¡°But, Mother, for this year¡¯s Gold Star Awards, I...¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, I know that you¡¯ve persisted this path because you want to reach the peak of your stardom, but you have to look at the circumstances. Right now, thepanys¡¯s in trouble because of your problem. Your grandmother¡¯s already very unhappy. You should know that to her, nothing¡¯s more important than Yueying. Even if thepany puts in more effort, it would be hard for us to suppress all the negative coverage. We can only secretly investigate the truth. Wait until this dies down. Thepany will naturally use you again, so don¡¯t worry. Thispany will be yours in the future!¡±

    Yue Lingsi held up her forehead with a slight headache, appearing upset.

    ¡°Mother, I... I¡¯m sorry. I was just...¡±

    Xi Xinyi wanted to say something else when at this moment, the door was suddenly flung opened as the secretary entered.

    ¡°CEO Yue, the people from Glory World Corporation are here. They¡¯re at the visitor¡¯s lounge and they said there¡¯s something they want to discuss with Miss Xinyi!¡±

 Chapter 229 - Driven Mad (2)

    <h4>Chapter 229: Driven Mad (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside the visitor lounge at Yueying, Xi Xiaye¡¯s rigid figure sat on the sofa. She was flipping through the document in her hand while Xiao Mei stood by her side.

    The patter of rushed footsteps came and Xiao Mei very quickly looked up at the entrance as Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi entered.

    ¡°Why is it you!?¡± When Yue Lingsi saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure, her face sank.

    Xi Xiaye was toozy to look at her. She just handed the document to Xiao Mei who understood and passed them to Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Regarding the contract termination, I¡¯m sure Manager Fang has already mentioned it to you. I¡¯ve already signed the termination contract, so you guys need to sign it too. Glory World will choose another person in Yueying to rece you. Also, earlier, a few other shareholders came and discussed Yueying¡¯s current situation with me. We¡¯ve all decided unanimously to remove Xi Xinyi¡¯s right to be an artiste with focused training this year. Besides that, we¡¯d like to strongly rmending changing the main female lead for shows such as ¡®Starlight¡¯, ¡®Love Song¡¯ and several others. This is the statement that I¡¯ve petitioned for the other shareholders to sign. Please take a look.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s indifferent voice read out as Xiao Mei then delivered the two documents to them.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you witch, how dare you hit us while we¡¯re down?!¡±

    Yue Lingsi just took a quick nce at the document before instantly ring at Xi Xiaye through clenched teeth. She could not keep her angry shout down. Then, she tossed the documents onto the ground in a rage.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Xiao Mei who quickly picked the documents up again and handed the contract termination papers to Xi Xinyi who looked deathly pale and bleak. ¡°Miss Xinyi, please sign this!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not even hitting you when you¡¯re down. I¡¯m just representing thepany to execute thepany¡¯s decisions. All of the shareholders¡¯ benefits can¡¯t just suffer a loss from someone who¡¯s not what they seem. CEO Yue, you¡¯re a businesswoman too. Why can¡¯t you think from the standpoint of fellow shareholders and do what¡¯s best for them? If you have any opinions, how about exining them to me? Getting angry at me won¡¯t solve the problem.¡±

    Then, as if toplement Xi Xiaye, amotion came from outside.

    ¡°CEO Yue, CEO Zhang, and the rest are here. They said they want to see you! I couldn¡¯t hold them off!¡± The secretary pushed open the door, looking extremely anxious.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression changed slightly. She then red at Xi Xiaye before going outside.

    Seeing Yue Lingsi¡¯s figure vanish out the door, Xi Xiaye got up too. Her intense gaze fell onto Xi Xinyi. ¡°Sign it. I¡¯m still rushing to report back to thepany.¡±

    Xi Xinyi trembled slightly as she stared at the document in front of her for quite a while. Then, she looked up at Xi Xiaye, her beautiful eyes shing with a coldness that could not be disguised. Her fists that hid underneath her sleeves tightened.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to act like this. I think there were probably many people who came this morning, asking for you to sign the same document too. If you don¡¯t want Yueying to fall into the wave of being on the verge of closing down again, it¡¯s best that you sign it. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that I won¡¯t sell my shares to Jinyi Media, and all the other shareholders seem to have the same thoughts too. When that happens, Yueying will cease to exist very soon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed the pen in her hand to Xi Xinyi whose chest heaved. You could see that she was trying very hard to keep her anger down as her eyes instantly shed with cold hostility.

    However, Xi Xinyi knew very well herself that Xi Xiaye was telling the truth. Yueying could not ovee such a huge surge of problems. Because Xiao Mei was present, in addition to the shareholders outside, she took in quite a few deep breaths before finally choosing topromise!

    She took Xi Xiaye¡¯s pen with gritted teeth and swiftly signed her name!

    When Xi Xinyi signed the final stroke, Xi Xiaye suddenly leaned forward and whispered softly into her ear, ¡°Your situation is worse than I¡¯d thought. Looking at how sorry you are, I suddenly feel much lighter in my heart.¡±

    ¡°Were you the one who did this this time, Xi Xiaye!?¡±

    When she tossed the pen aside, Xi Xinyi suddenly widened her eyes and red at Xi Xiaye coldly. The anger that she was suppressing was close to the point of erupting while she looked at Xi Xiaye with hostility.

    Xi Xiaye signaled to Xiao Mei on the side. She very immediately understood and put the document that Xi Xinyi had signed away before packing up the briefcase and retreating outside.

    ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it!?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not answer, yet her lips had curved into a sneer, the answer abundantly clear.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression started to change. Her beautiful eyes were filled with an indescribable fury as both her hands pressed down on the table before her. She glowered at Xi Xiaye and said coldly, ¡°You want to ruin me! I¡¯ve finally gotten to where I am, and you want to ruin me? How evil can you be?¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d still feign innocence and wail usingly like before, but from the looks of it, the incident this time really has angered you and you can¡¯t seem to ept it...¡±

    Xi Xiaye squinted, her frigid gaze falling onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s face that was almost twisted from the rage. ¡°Compared to all the things you¡¯ve done to me, all of these was just child¡¯s y. You put on that hypocritical mask of yours and plotted for me to fall into all sorts of horrible situations, stealing everything that belongs to me, and even framing me. Aren¡¯t you eviler? I¡¯m just imitating you right now!¡±

    When she heard Xi Xiaye, Xi Xinyi¡¯s face instantly darkened. The sharpness that hid in the depths of her eyes suddenly broke the ice and she fixed her gaze on Xi Xiaye. Her usual gentle voice was enamored in a hint of biting chill as she took in a deep breath and said softly in Xi Xiaye¡¯s ear, ¡°So, you want me to be in this sorry state? Trying to ruin my path to stardom, taking revenge on me? You¡¯ve grown in capabilities now! So what? Weren¡¯t you still expelled by the military academy?¡±

    ¡°I can sue you in court for trying to frame me without evidence! I admit that if it were for the thing with Han Yifeng, I owe you that and I¡¯m willing topensate you. Yueying¡¯s matter was Grandmother¡¯s decision, yet you took it out on me. Why? Where did you get all this information? It¡¯s all fake! I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s all fake! You¡¯re falsely using me and setting me up!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was extremely mad. Even though she tried very hard to control her emotions, she could not hold her fury back. Her face was red with anger and just when she thought about how she was about to be banned forever, she started to lose control.

    Xi Xiayeughed coldly, responding carelessly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will find the evidence. I heard that back then, Yang Jianfeng who framed me seem to have some kind of rtionship with your mother and the Yue family. If I count it correctly, he should be considered your distant cousin. Three days before the incident, someone saw you looking for him at the military academy...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Xi Xinyi instantly cried out in rm to deny it, ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re spewing nonsense! I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t!¡±

 Chapter 230 - Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 230: Exposed</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi realized that she lost control in the instant she screamed. She then took a deep breath in, trying to calm down. However, Xi Xiaye was not giving her any room to catch her breath.

    ¡°I also found out someone transferred $200,000 into his ount several months ago. I wonder if it¡¯s rted to you. Well, we¡¯ll know soon enough!¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye finished her sentence, her phone started ringing. She grinned coldly as she took it. Then, her mouth formed an ¡°O¡± when she saw who was calling. She shot Xi Xinyi a meaningful nce before waving her phone at her. ¡°See...¡±

    She then answered the call and turned on the loudspeaker.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, it¡¯s me. I¡¯ve confirmed that Huang Shanshan transferred $200,000 into Yang Jianfeng¡¯s ount, and the next day, Xi Xinyi transferred $200,000 to Huang Shanshan.¡± Detective Zhang¡¯s deep voice came through the phone.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and nced at Xi Xinyi whose expression froze up instantly while her whole body was tensed.

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Xi Xiaye then hung up on the call.

    ¡°I even found out that you¡¯ll transfer money into Yang Jianfeng¡¯s ount every three months. Before the New Year, he looked for you and you guys had a fight. It must¡¯ve been because of a money issue, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No! No! He¡¯s never looked for me. He¡¯s my cousin and I¡¯m just giving him some money out of pity. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Xi Xinyi tried her best to defend herself, her eyes turning red. ¡°You framed me! You¡¯re a thief and even seduced my cousin shamelessly. Now, you¡¯re trying to frame me for it! You were expelled by the military academy back then! If it wasn¡¯t for Father, you¡¯d be in jail already. Father almost got demoted because of you. He would¡¯ve been done for if Mother hadn¡¯t asked for help from Grandfather and Uncle. How dare a shameless thief like you use me?! I won¡¯t let you get away with it, Xi Xiaye. If you want to ruin me, I won¡¯t just let you be!¡±

    ¡°You can deny it, but I can tell you that I¡¯ve found the few gangsters in the small alley from back then. Unfortunately, they told me that you ordered them to put on an act with you. After that, you gave them $20,000 each, but they were smart enough to make you write a rification letter to avoid them from being held responsible. Your handwriting was just like before. There¡¯s been no improvement at all,¡± Xi Xiaye said in a in tone as she grabbed a paper from her bag and put it in front of Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to expose you this soon. I nned to find out the whole truth about the military academy incident and talk to you again, but you forced my hand. I don¡¯t really have the patience anymore. I told you, don¡¯t think that I wouldn¡¯t have the evidence to expose you.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was out of mind as her whole body froze. Xi Xiaye did not care at all and just left that piece of paper on the table.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take back whatever belongs to me... I¡¯ll get both Yueying and Father back. Yueying will be mine, and Father will belong to only my mother!¡±

    Xi Xiaye shed a disturbing smile, and a sharp gleam shone through her eyes. That depressed vibe earlier was now gone and her strong willpower was disyed!

    Xi Xinyi was startled by Xi Xiaye¡¯s powerful aura. She mmed the table and grabbed the paper, skimming through the contents swiftly!

    Her expression changed all of a sudden!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t write this! Where did you get this to frame me?! I didn¡¯t write this!¡±

    Xi Xinyi tore the paper up like crazy. It almost became flecks before she flung them all onto the ground.

    ¡°We¡¯ll find out if you wrote it after wepare the handwriting and fingerprints with yours. You can tear them up all you like. It¡¯s just a photocopy anyway. I have a whole stack of it back in my drawer. Xi Xinyi, you¡¯re so smart that you risked yourself to make me owe you, and you mentioned your injury everytime you tried to bully me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked coldly at the paper scraps Xi Xinyi had thrown onto the floor. Xi Xinyi was panting and her eyes seemed odd. Xi Xiaye smiled before losing interest to look at her anymore.

    She turned around without so much as a nce and went towards the door. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to send these to the people in West Park and Han Yifeng. Let them know what kind of person the princess they have been proud of actually is...¡±

    When she arrived at the door, someone opened it.

    At the same time, Xi Xinyi suddenly screamed, ¡°Xi Xiaye! You witch! How dare you!?¡±

    She grabbed the teacup on the table and flung it straight towards Xi Xiaye!

    As she felt somethinging from behind quickly, Xi Xiaye shifted her body and the teacup flew straight.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    With a painful scream, the teacup fell on the floor and broke, the ceramic pieces scattering everywhere!

    Amidst the scream, Xi Xinyi looked over and saw Yue Lingsi yell in agony while covering her face. The slightly hot tea had sshed all over her face, her whole body and hair had be wet as well. A big red lump was appearing on her forehead.

    ¡°Mother! Why were you there!?¡± Xi Xinyi panicked and yelled.

    ¡°Mother, how are you? Are you alright?¡± After a while, Xi Xinyi went up to her anxiously.

    Yue Lingsi kept on yelling as she breathed heavily and rubbed her face with both hands. ¡°Xinyi, what¡¯s happening!? Ah!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced over at Yue Lingsi and then turned towards Xi Xinyi, smiling. ¡°You¡¯re really something. You can even attack your own mother now. That¡¯s a really good aim though.¡±

    She went through the door before Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi could react. Walking away, she left them with just the view of her back.

 Chapter 231 - Disappointment and Frustration (1)

    <h4>Chapter 231: Disappointment and Frustration (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye arrived at the bottom of the building, there was still arge group of reporters trying to force their way inside Yueying. The Yueying security guards used up all their forces and could barely hold them back.

    She did not halt in her steps as she walked through and stopped at the car beside the crowd.

    ¡°Director Xi, are we going straight back to thepany?¡± Xiao Mei asked carefully as Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression seemed cold. She seemed to be even cooler than her usual self.

    Xi Xiaye opened the door and sat inside. Buckling up, she said, ¡°Help me send this to the Han Corporation first, and then send the document back to the PR Department.¡±

    She then handed a thick leather-bound envelope to Xiao Mei.

    Xiao Mei closed the door and took the item from her. Studying it in doubt, she was then surprised to see the address printed on it. As she was about to ask Xi Xiaye something, she changed her mind after she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold face.

    Director Xi never liked people discussing her private life, and earlier, she seemed to have had a glimpse of it. Actually, after being by her side for so many years, Xiao Mei had never seen this side of her. Apart from being more headstrong when facing otherpetitors, she was usually easygoing and gentle.

    ¡°Got it, Director!¡± Xiao Mei replied and then kept the envelope.

    ...

    It was near evening. The sky was turning dark and rain was expected toe soon although the wet roads from the morning were now dried up.

    After dropping Xiao Mei off, Xi Xiaye left.

    ...

    Traveling on the road, Xi Xiaye did not really feel right inside.

    Mr. Mu had helped her a lot in this matter, so she felt that she needed to thank him properly and with something instant too.

    After a while, she had no idea how to thank him. A gift? Flowers? She did not really know what he liked.

    She parked her car at a temporary spot and had some quiet time to herself. After that, she grabbed her phone and sent him a message.

    <i>Mr. Mu, what do you like?</i>

    He was discussing with partneringpanies when he received her message. When he took out his phone and saw her one-liner, his face suddenly softened.

    Was this girl that free now to find out about him?

    He smiled and then replied: <i> I¡¯ll tell you at night.</i>

    She replied: <i>Can¡¯t you tell me now?</i>

    <i>I¡¯m busy now. I¡¯ll cook you some nice food tonight.</i>

    <i>Oh... I want to treat you to a meal tonight...</i>

    <i>Sure.</i>

    <i>After that, I want to treat you to a movie too.</i>

    <i>Mmm.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ll go first and tell you the locationter.</i>

    ...

    It was the first time Li Si saw Mu Yuchen use his phone when he was at work. He did not even notice when CEO Lu called out to him. After a while, he put his phone aside and his usual calmness returned to his face.

    ¡°Master, CEO Lu said...¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, can you consider ourpany¡¯s proposal?¡± The middle-aged man spoke up as soon as he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s attention return.

    He sipped some tea as he flipped through the document in his hand. ¡°CEO Lu, I¡¯m just a businessman that focuses on the end results. I don¡¯t really mind the process. You just have to focus on your current project. We¡¯ll definitely give you a chance if you provide us with satisfactory results. It all just depends on you.¡±

    The middle-aged man seemed grateful. ¡°Thank you, Chairman Mu. We¡¯ll do our best to achieve perfection!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and closed the folder in his hand., ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m confident in both you and yourpany. We¡¯ll stop here today. Look for Vice President Wen if you need anything else.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Chairman Mu!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye was thinking hard on her own since she did not get an answer from Mu Yuchen. Without realizing it, she had driven to the New Era za.

    It was pretty crowded at night. There were people dancing in the public square and the streemps were already lit up at 5.30 p.m. since the sky had turned pretty dark. The dim lights shrouded the whole square with a hazy vibe.

    Xi Xiaye got down, locked her car, and then went towards the busy streets.

    ...

    At the same time, inside the CEO office of the Han Corporation.

    Han Yifeng, who had just returned from City C, was now sitting in front of his table. He was looking at the entertainment news on his screen with a hardened expression as if he was shrouded in ice. He seemed really scary and Secretary Wang beside him shivered a little.

    In the few days that CEO Han had left City Z, chaos had ensued. As the orphanage matter was still a popr topic, there was no turning back for Ms. Xinyi now with what had just happened.

    Pa!

    Han Yifeng mmed the mouse down, seeming all gloomy. Secretary Wang was shocked.

    ¡°CEO Han, someone¡¯s probably defaming Ms. Xinyi on purpose. I¡¯ve heard that Ms. Xinyi was attacked the moment she walked out of the hotel, and these incidents...¡± Secretary Wang tried to exin.

    ¡°Just what happened? I remember I wanted you to tell her to appear less in public. What exactly did you tell her?¡± Han Yifeng red at Secretary Wang coldly.

    ¡°CEO Han, Ms. Xinyi said it was the wedding of Ms. Su Nan and Mr. Ruan Heng, so she wanted to wish them in person. She was just trying to be nice. Unexpectedly, they ran into Ms. Xiaye and things escted quickly,¡± Secretary Wang exined.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes darkened and a cold light shed through his pupils. ¡°Xiaye? How is she rted to this?¡±

    ¡°No, CEO Han... It¡¯s not rted to Ms. Xiaye. Yu Lingling exposed that Ms. Xiaye was expelled from the military academy, and Ms. Xiaye... She left before the banquet ended. Ms. Su Nan thought that Ms. Xinyi...¡±

    Secretary Wang did not continue because he noticed Han Yifeng¡¯s face getting colder and colder. He could feel the chill even though he was standing quite a distance away from him.

    ¡°About Xiaye getting expelled from military school? Wasn¡¯t this matter erased? How did they find out?¡± Han Yifeng demanded.

    Secretary Wang shook his head. ¡°Maybe they found out after talking to their friends. What should we do now, CEO Han? Ms. Xinyi has called you many times, and Yueying is now flooded with reporters. I also heard that all of Ms. Xinyi¡¯s films are being halted. Her lead roles in several big films have been removed as well. She gave me a call just now...¡±

 Chapter 232 - Disappointment and Frustration (2)

    <h4>Chapter 232: Disappointment and Frustration (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Before Secretary Wang could finish, someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°CEO Han, a girl said she¡¯s the assistant of Director Xi from Glory World and she brought a letter for you. Would you like to take a look?¡±

    The female personal assistant put a thick envelope right on Han Yifeng¡¯s table.

    Director Xi from Glory World?

    Xi Xiaye?

    Han Yifeng squinted his eyes and then picked the envelope up. He opened it and took out the document inside. There was a very thick pile of it, so he flipped through them slowly.

    After just reading several pages, his expression darkened quickly. Everything listed inside was about all the bad deeds Xi Xinyi had done, including the incident when she had been stabbed many years ago as well as the disappearance of Huang Shanshan¡¯s ne, and many others...

    He studied the documents with darkened eyes. Soon, he grasped the documents tightly as his breathing became short and his aloof face seemed pale.

    <i>Impossible!</i>

    This word shed through his mind.

    However, the rification letter that was written by Xi Xinyi brutally reminded him that all of these were true. It was not a forgery at all!

    Bang!

    Just as he was about to grab the coffee beside him, in a sh, the freshly-made coffee was now spilled all over the floor along with the broken ss.

    He then suddenly remembered that it seemed...

    The information that someone had sent to his email before was all true...

    Naturally, he had not believed it when he first received it. Due to the recent stress, he wanted to take a break during his trip abroad this time around in order to reorganize his thoughts. However, in just two days, a disastrous wave hadnded upon him.

    Xi Xinyi...

    So, she had been lying to him all these years?

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression changed slightly. Unable to believe it, his whole body froze on his chair as he did not move an inch as if the whole world had gone quiet.

    ¡°CEO Han? CEO Han? Are you okay?¡± Secretary Wang seemed a little worried upon seeing Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s mind went nk for a moment. He stared at Secretary Wang nkly when he called out to him. After a while, he signaled for them to leave.

    Secretary Wang traded nces with the female personal assistant out of confusion. They left anxiously. After that, Secretary Wang gave Xi Xinyi a call out of concern.

    The office became quiet again after they left. It was so quiet that it was difficult to breathe. He could feel a pain stemming from deep inside every time he inhaled. That pain was usually subtle, but it was amplified several times stronger every time he quieted himself down.

    After some time, he took a deep breath before roughly pushing the thick pile of papers away. They scattered everywhere and covered the whole office.

    He lit up a cigarette and let out a big puff, using up almost all his energy just to force himself to stand up.

    Going towards therge window and grabbing onto the curtain tightly, he looked at the city lights outside. For some reason, all he could think of now was not Xi Xinyi¡¯s bad deeds or all the lying she had done. Instead, he was reminded of Xi Xiaye¡¯s pretty little face under the streetlights.

    <i>¡°Happy birthday. I¡¯m not going to give you a lot of gifts in the future because I¡¯m worried that you might not value my gifts that much anymore if I give them too frequently, so I¡¯m only giving you gifts on your birthday. I¡¯ll head back for now. Get some rest soon.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Yifeng, I don¡¯t know who you¡¯ve ever liked or who liked you all these years, but are you willing to hold your promise onto the marriage contract if I asked you to?¡±</i>

    ...

    Now that she had sent these things to him, was it...

    These past memories were supposed to be hazy, yet they became crystal clear at this moment, and he felt extremely horrible.

    Bang! The door was suddenly mmed open as the cking of high heels on the floor came close.

    Xi Xinyi panicked when she saw all the papers on the floor. Her pale, white face became anxious, and she could not control her tears anymore when she saw Han Yifeng standing beside therge window facing outside. She rushed over and hugged Han Yifeng from the back as she cried.

    ¡°Yifeng, where have you been? Why is your phone always switched off? I¡¯m really scared and I don¡¯t know what to do now... Sister did this on purpose. She put me into this difficult situation. What should I do now, Yifeng?¡±

    She cried uncontrobly, her tears soon soaking his shirt.

    Still, Han Yifeng did not do or say anything and just let her hug him.

    ¡°Yifeng...¡± Xi Xinyi called out to his name as she sobbed.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you exin to me about what happened first? Are these the truth?¡± After some time, Han Yifeng¡¯s disappointed tone reached her.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned as she suddenly held onto Han Yifeng with all her might as she continued crying, ¡°No, Yifeng, I... I just really love you... but at that time, you only saw Sister. It was... too much suffering for me. I just want you, Yifeng. I can lose everything but you. Please don¡¯t leave me now... Please...¡±

    Xi Xinyi was sobbing so badly that she was almost out of breath. She stuttered and her usual elegant self was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her current self looked absolutely pathetic.

    ¡°So, because of your so-called love for me, you did all this to get me?¡±

    Han Yifeng turned around and looked at Xi Xinyi who had tears all over her face. He frowned in anguish.

    Xi Xinyi covered her face with both hands and cried out loud, ¡°I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t... but I didn¡¯t have any other choice, Yifeng. If I didn¡¯t fight for you, you¡¯d be with Sister already. Grandfather nned to get Sister to be engaged to you at 15 years old. I really love you. I¡¯ve been longing to know more about you since the first time we met, so I... Everyone has the right to fight for their love. I...¡±

 Chapter 233 - The Dashing Mr. Mu (1)

    <h4>Chapter 233: The Dashing Mr. Mu (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi choked on her sobs, her pale and haggard little face appearing very pitiful. Han Yifeng fixed his eyes on her, yet his gaze was cold.

    He vaguely recalled that Xi Xinyi was indeed telling the truth. When Xi Xiaye was 15 years old, Xi Jiyang and Elder Han had asked for him and Xi Xiaye to get engaged first, and then wait till Xi Xiaye was 20 years old before settling their marriage.

    While he had always only treated Xi Xiaye as a younger sister back then, he had been conflicted about the engagement as well. After that...

    If it were not for the incident when Xi Xinyi was stabbed, would he have already been engaged to Xi Xiaye and probably married by now?

    It seemed as if that incident was a turning point for many things.

    Han Yifeng felt something indescribable swell in his heart. After a long while, he then closed his eyes and breathed in a little disappointedly and frustratedly. He turned around casually, pulling Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand that hugged him by the waist away, and walked towards his desk.

    His tone was low as he said, ¡°I want to be alone for a while. Go home first. I¡¯ll try my best to handle this matter. Go home and pack your bags. I¡¯ll ask Shanshan to apany you to lie low abroad.¡±

    ¡°Yifeng, I really need you right now. I...¡± Xi Xinyi cried until her voice was hoarse and her eyes were red and tearful as she looked at Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng just pressed a button on his phone to say, ¡°Secretary Wang,e in and send Xinyi back first.¡± Then, Secretary Wang came in very quickly.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s cheeks were streaming with tears. Dejected, she looked at Han Yifeng who had already turned back to look at hisptop screen. Suddenly, she did not say anything further and turned to walk outside.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen followed the address Xi Xiaye sent, and when he arrived, she had already waited for a long time. What surprised him was that the newlyweds, Ruan Heng and Su Nan were there too. The location they had chosen was a hotpot restaurant which looked pretty tantalizing.

    ¡°Why did you take so long?¡±

    He had just reached the table when Xi Xiaye, who had been waiting for a long time, could not help butin. As she put his windbreaker on the stool on the side, she moved aside to vacate a spot for him, and then handed him a set of clean cutlery.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a lot of traffic on the roads?¡±

    He sat near her.

    Across them, Su Nan¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw Mu Yuchen and she immediatelyughed. ¡°Master Mu, thank you for your huge red packet yesterday. Last night, I almost couldn¡¯t fall asleep after getting back, but what was even more delightful was Xi Xinyi being exposed...¡±

    Mu Yuchen just nodded and said humbly, ¡°Congrattions on your wedding.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it was fun for all of us. Master Mu, when are you and Xiaye going to have your wedding? I think Xiaye said yesterday that she likes a seaside wedding. Oh, imagine that moment, underneath the setting sun, on the soft beach, facing the sea with such a sense of belonging... Just imagining it is a kind of happiness... If I had known that, I¡¯d have had a seaside wedding too... Ah! Why are you kicking me?¡±

    Su Nan had not finished when Xi Xiaye had already kicked her from across and red at her.

    Mu Yuchen almost instantly turned to the little woman beside her. He did not miss the way she quickly retrieved her leg. When she realized that he was looking at her, her delicate little face instantly blushed too. She cleared her throat before taking a gulp of her fruit juice.

    ¡°The food¡¯s ready. Let¡¯s eat!¡± Ruan Heng said. It was only then that Su Nan picked up her chopsticks and shot Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye a sidelong look before chuckling to herself.

    ¡°Eat your food. Why are you looking at me?¡± She conveniently scooped a hugedle of food and stuffed it into his bowl, ncing at him embarrassed

    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to tell me when I asked you. The person marrying you is me,¡± he softly said and then calmly took the wet handkerchief to wipe his hands.

    ¡°Master Mu, do you want to have a drink or two? Ruan Heng can drink with you.¡±

    Su Nan suddenly looked up at him, yet before she could extend a ss to him, Xi Xiaye had already spoken up from the side, ¡°He won¡¯t drink. He has to driveter.¡±

    He had probably drunk a lot with Grandfather and his group of old friends. That morning, he still looked like he had a slight headache, so she just helped him reject.

    ¡°Look at the way you¡¯re so worried! A few drinks will be fine!¡± Su Nan rolled her eyes at Xi Xiaye to tease her.

    Ruan Heng shook his head and looked at Su Nan as he said a little helplessly, ¡°You¡¯d better watch out for yourself. Every time we gather, you¡¯re always going home drunk. Master Mu, please don¡¯t mind her...¡±

    ...

    Over the course of the meal, he did not seem to eat much. Xi Xiaye noticed that the man was probably not used to eating hotpot with them. After all, someone like him was probably more used to higher-end restaurants.

    She was a little annoyed at herself for not being more considerate.

    However, Ruan Heng and Su Nan were grazing happily. Since the three of them always came out to gather anyway, the few of them ate and chatted happily.

    When they left the hotpot restaurant, it was lively outside. Ruan Heng and Su Nan left first. Then, Xi Xiaye then took out two movie tickets and said that she wanted him to watch a movie with her.

    While he was shocked that the movie she had chosen was one that had been recently released in theatres, he took note that this horror movie was one with quite a lot of rave reviews too.

    Xi Xiaye obviously would not tell him that these movie tickets had been mischieviously bought by Su Nan. ording to her unique dating experience, lovers who watched horror movies together once in a while could enhance a rtionship because usually, this would trigger the man¡¯s need to protect the girl, instantly satisfying their male chauvinism.

    However, this trick was not suitable for Xi Xiaye at all because not even halfway through the movie, she already could not hold back her sleepiness. She leaned on Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder and fell asleep...

    She was awoken by Mu Yuchen only went the movie had ended. Rubbing her eyes in a daze, she got up slowly. Sheined that the movie was too boring and that she would note anymore.

    At the moment, it was already quitete and there were fewer people hanging around the za. When they walked to the side of the za, they could still see that some small hawkers were working hard. The air was floating with the faint aroma of chestnuts roasted with sugar.

    The two of them walked side by side without so much of a word. With his windbreaker on her shoulder, she reached out to tug at his long fingers.

    A while after that, she suddenly spoke softly and even took out an envelope from her pocket before handing it to him. ¡°Actually, I really wanted to properly reward you today after helping me take revenge. Then, I got Su Nan¡¯s call that she wanted to have dinner together, so...¡±

    Next, she turned away a little awkwardly and said, ¡°For you!¡±

 Chapter 234 - The Dashing Mr. Mu (2)

    <h4>Chapter 234: The Dashing Mr. Mu (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he saw her handing him something, Mu Yuchen instantly stopped and looked a little surprised at her little face blushing. Seeing how shy she was, he could not help butugh. He squinted his eyes and looked at her. Then, he unhurriedly took the envelope while saying meaningfully, ¡°Is this a love letter?¡±

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes. ¡°Do I look like someone so tacky?¡±

    He smiled and then reached out his long fingers to take the envelope. Opening it, he pulled out what was inside.

    What greeted his eyes was unexpectedly a drawing of him reading whileying on the couch. It was drawn very life-like except that he was shrunk into the size of a palm and drawn onto a little card.

    She had drawn him so nicely?

    Mu Yuchen stared at the card for a long while. For the first time, he noticed that he was actually so dashing!

    ¡°Why does this quiet, handsome man look kinda familiar? He looks quite dashing too like I¡¯ve seen him somewhere before...¡±

    His eyes shed with a faint light as he looked up slowly at her. His mouth turned into a faint curve, while one hand held her by the shoulders.

    She could not hold back and yfully punched his torso with a fist. ¡°Stop acting! I don¡¯t usually draw people.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye finished, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face shed a smile, and then he remembered thatic hidden in the folder on his shelf. ¡°I know. You only draw pigs...¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye instantly straightened up in rm and squinted. She nced at him coldly. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be beating around the bush to curse me now, would you?¡±

    After being with someone like him for a long time, she felt that her awareness to be on guard had increased. Otherwise, she would be easily taken advantage of.

    He blinked in amusement and smiled without a word.

    ¡°How annoying! You¡¯re making insinuations about me!¡± She looked at the smile on his lips and could not help but jump on him. ¡°Return that to me!¡±

    He immediately raised an arm and said, ¡°Do I look like someone like that? I was just telling the truth, but thank you, Missus, for making me look so dashing in your drawing.¡±

    Then, he gently hugged her. After some thought, he softly asked, ¡°Do you think he looks more handsome, or do I?¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye was stunned. She looked up in shock at him, her twinkling eyes flickering with a gentle light. She stared at that handsome face of his for a very long time in earnest, and then said with a serious expression, ¡°He¡¯s more handsome than you.¡±

    Hearing her reply, his tranquil, dark eyes instantly started to ignite with a glimmer. He seemed quite satisfied. ¡°Good. Your standards are the same as mine.¡±

    Had he done all of that just to disguise self-praise?

    Xi Xiaye ignored him. Seeing that it was alreadyte, she was about to say that she wanted to go home when suddenly the phone in her pocket buzzed. She quickly took it out to look.

    It was Xi Mushan!

    Her eyes reflexively shed with a cold light that contained mixed emotions. She looked up at Mu Yuchen to see that he was looking at her phone screen.

    ¡°It¡¯s Father...¡±

    Could it be about Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter?

    ¡°Answer it,¡± he said softly and tightened his hug around her shoulders.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and sliding to answer.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me, Father...¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s deep and raspy voice came from the other end very quickly. She could vaguely hear him lightly coughing. He seemed to be sick and sounded a little weak.

    ¡°Mmm...¡± Xi Xiaye answered. She struggled for a while, and finally could not help but ask, ¡°Are... Are you okay?¡± Her beautiful brows frowned slightly.

    She was not sure why but when she heard his voice, Xi Xinyi¡¯s words suddenly echoed clearly by her ear, making her feel something indescribable.

    <i>¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Father, you¡¯d be in jail already. Father almost got demoted because of you. He would¡¯ve been done for if Mother didn¡¯t ask for help from Grandfather and Uncle!¡±</i>

    She remembered that back then, she had even cried in front of Xi Mushan, begging him to ask the school not to expel her.

    At that time, the answer he gave her was the cold view of his back.

    After that...

    The on-and-off coughing kepting from the other end. On such a cold and silent night as this, it sounded particrly lonely.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a little cold. I just got off the ne. Your father¡¯s told me about you and Mu Yuchen¡¯s thing. Tomorrow, if you¡¯re free, let¡¯s meet.¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye instantly looked up and sought Mu Yuchen¡¯s opinion. She saw Mu Yuchen nodding gently. ¡°Mmm, okay.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, can you... Can you... ask your mother toe along as well?¡± Xi Xiaye was about to hang up when Xi Mushan¡¯s weak voice seemed to sound a little rushed. ¡°Call your mother toe along too. Let¡¯s consider it a reunion dinner...¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment and did not answer for a long time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will just be me and your grandfather. I know that you don¡¯t want to see them,¡± Xi Mushan exined.

    She could hear the hope in Xi Mushan¡¯s voice. In fact, it seemed like he had not found out about Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter yet.

    After a long while, Xi Xiaye just said, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Then, she hung up, her twinkling eyes unable to hold back the extremely mixed feelings she felt.

    ¡°What are you thinking about that you¡¯re so entranced?¡± Mu Yuchen called out to her quite a few times, but she did not react. He just took her phone and then called the Mu residence as he said, ¡°It¡¯s good to meet up too. Haven¡¯t you been wanting to matchmake your parents again?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know if back then... Also, Father¡¯s already...¡± Xi Xiaye muttered, concern between her brows.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never supported the spirit of sacrificing yourself for others. Since someone else has stolen what¡¯s yours, why can¡¯t you steal it back? If you like it, then you¡¯ve got to have it. Why should you see them be happy while you suffer all of this?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her disapprovingly, then the call to Mu residence got through. It was Wang Hui who picked up. When she saw who called, she did not even wait for Mu Yuchen to speak and quickly called out sweetly for her granddaughter-inw.

    ¡°Have you eaten all those things? There¡¯s still more at home if you¡¯ve finished them. Come home with Chen Er. The strawberries in our yard are ready for picking. They¡¯re pretty good...¡±

    Wang Hui rambled on before noticing that no one had spoken on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end, so she then stopped.

    ¡°Tomorrow, call Grandfather, Father, and Mother to make a trip to Maple Residence. Xiaye¡¯s grandfather and father areing over from her end.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice was heard.

    ¡°Chen Er? What? Grandfather and Father? Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan, right?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s meet tomorrow. Rest well.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen hung up, then turned to look at her. When he saw her frown, he breathed in and patted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯ll persuade Mother...¡±

    She then nodded and looked at him gratefully.

 Chapter 235 - Itâ€™s Fine As Long As Sheâ€™s Fine With Him (1)

    <h4>Chapter 235: It¡¯s Fine As Long As She¡¯s Fine With Him (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was alreadyte at night when they arrived back at Maple Residence. It was hazy outside with cold weather and it actually hurt a little when the icy cold breeze assaulted their faces.

    Xi Xiaye closed the half-opened window before she checked through the fridge and storeroom to see what they needed. After that, she called Sis Wang to get them to go over earlier to clean up and only went upstairs after finishing all of that.

    The man was ying Starcraft after he showered. She could hear the theme music of the game from far away. Upon seeing the focused look on his face, she decided to leave him alone and went into the bathroom for a bath instead.

    As usual, he had prepared the water for her after he finished.

    When Mu Yuchen went back into the bedroom, she was done bathing and was flipping through some blueprint-like documents on the bed. He switched off the lights and the bedroom went dim. Her focus broken, Xi Xiaye suddenly lifted her head.

    He went beside her and grabbed the blueprints from her to study them with the dim wall light. They were documents of the South River project. He sighed before leaving them on the chair aside. ¡°You must be really motivated to read these in the middle of the night.¡±

    He slipped beneath the nket. Before Xi Xiaye could react, his long arms wrapped around her and his hoarse voice reached her. ¡°Since you¡¯re so motivated, why don¡¯t we have some fun ourselves?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. His pleasant fragrance made her lose herself again. Suddenly, her restraints were removed as he pressed down onto her. His cold kiss uratelynded on her corbone...

    She took a deep breath and wanted to say something before, but she now forgot all about it. She noticed that she had be less and less resistant to him. Unable to help herself, she was getting more and more used to him sleeping beside her.

    Sometimes, when she woke up during the night, without even looking, she would unconsciously reach out to the side until she touched his body, and her tightened chest would rx after she knew that he was still beside her. Then, she would continue sleeping as she held his hand.

    Xi Xiaye did not realize that Mu Yuchen was like a drug to her. As days went by, she was slowly getting more and more addicted to him, and it would be toote to stop when she recognized it.

    After a while, she rxed and took off his clothes with her slender arms. She then asked quietly beside his ears, ¡°Have you called Mother?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call her tomorrow. Focus now, Missus!¡± He said with an uneven tone, then...

    ...

    They only stopped around midnight and she slept away soon afterward. It was near noon when she woke up the next day. Things were pretty happening downstairs when she came down after washing up. Mu Yinan, Wang Hui, Mu Tangchuang, and Zhuang Shurong were all present. However, what surprised Xi Xiaye was that even Shen Yue was there. To her disappointment, Shen Wenna was nowhere to be seen.

    Shen Yue was talking to Mu Yuchen on the veranda and he nodded from time to time, appearing to be in agreement with what Mu Yuchen was saying.

    Sis Wang and the others were working in the kitchen while Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong were looking at a piece of traditional watercolor art together. It seemed like Wang Hui had painted it herself.

    ¡°Xiaye, I heard from Chen that you¡¯re handling the South River project. Is that true?¡± Mu Tangchuang asked Xi Xiaye as she sat down on the sofa.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Yes, Father.¡±

    ¡°The documents from the government should be ready sometime in the middle of next month. You have to make good use of your time now, especially since there¡¯s pretty fiercepetition this time.¡± Mu Tangchuan beamed.

    ¡°I got it, Father.¡± She already knew that Qikai was very capable, and they would probably be their toppetitor this time.

    Mu Tangchuan wanted to say something again, but as his eyes nced over to Mu Yinan beside him, he stopped and just nodded.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye went outside when she heard the sound of a car engine. Mu Yuchen, who was chatting with Shen Yue, followed Xi Xiaye outside as well.

    ¡°Mother?¡± Xi Xiaye was surprised to see Shen Wenna. She did not expect Mu Yuchen to actually able to convince her toe.

    She then looked at the man beside her in surprise. ¡°How did you convince Mother? I¡¯ve mentioned it to Mother before, but she didn¡¯t answer me. I thought...¡±

    ¡°I have my ways.¡± Mu Yuchen did not answer her directly and just gave her a mysterious smile instead. He then walked in front and greeted Shen Wenna, ¡°Mother.¡±

    Shen Wenna nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m notte, am I?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. My parents are here, and Father-inw should be here soon,¡± Mu Yuchen replied humbly.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. She then drew a deep breath. ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go in for now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything at all as her eyes were focused on observing Shen Wenna¡¯s beautiful face. She did not miss the brief moment of sorrow on her face.

    ¡°Xiaye, you go in with Mother first. I need to call Ah Mo. Pass me the phone.¡± Mu Yuchen turned around and looked at Xi Xiaye.

    She was startled for a moment before nodding and handing him the phone before going towards Shen Wenna.

    ¡°Is the school going to start the new semester soon?¡± Xi Xiaye found a topic to talk to her mother about.

    ¡°Mmm, I just came over from the school. We are nning to hire several more lecturers this year, so I shouldn¡¯t be as busy as I wasst year. I can be more focused on supervising my thesis students,¡± Shen Wenna replied.

    ...

    The mother-daughter pair then went into the house.

    As Mu Yuchen was about to call Ah Mo, another car arrived and he raised his head to take a look.

    It was Ah Mo and the others!

    Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna halted in their steps and looked back when they heard the cars arriving.

    The car slowed down and stopped near Mu Yuchen. There was another ck car right behind it and Xi Xiaye recognized the person driving as Xi Mushan¡¯s secretary, Ah Hui!

    <i>Xi Mushan and Xi Jiyang are here!</i>

    Xi Xiaye had this thought in her mind.

 Chapter 236 - Itâ€™s Fine As Long As Sheâ€™s Fine With Him (2)

    <h4>Chapter 236: It¡¯s Fine As Long As She¡¯s Fine With Him (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye looked back at Shen Wenna worriedly. Her mother did not seem very at ease and her eyes darkened a little before taking a deep breath as she looked at the car.

    Xi Mushan came out first. His sharp eyes darted over the moment his feet touched the ground. Beside him, Mu Yuchen could feel Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes soften when he looked at Shen Wenna. They then hardened a little and went back to their usual calm in the end.

    ¡°Chen!¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, Father,¡± Mu Yuchen greeted politely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Shen Wenna went into Maple Residence without so much as a nce at Xi Mushan and Xi Jiyang.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s expression darkened when he noticed that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in now. It¡¯s pretty cold outside,¡± Mu Yuchen said, signaling Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan to go in. Ah Mo, Ah Hui, and two bodyguards in ck suits were holding a bunch of stuff as they plodded over.

    As they went into Maple Residence, because Mu Tangchuan had worked with both Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan before, they greeted each other. Also, Wang Hui and Mu Yinan had contacted Xi Jiyang before, so they were not exactly strangers.

    Still, Xi Jiyang was surprised when he saw Shen Yue!

    How was he Shen Wenna¡¯s father? Was he the grandpa Xiaye mentioned before?

    Xi Jiyang was lost in his thoughts for a while as he stared at Shen Yue in disbelief. Shen Yue just gave him a cold smile.

    Xi Jiyang quickly turned over to Xi Mushan. Seeing that he was not surprised at all, he asked, ¡°You knew about this long ago, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Mushan did not answer him. Instead, he averted his gaze with an unpleasant expression, especially because of the fact that Shen Wenna did not look at him again since he came in.

    Shen Yue, of course, seemed displeased about him being there as well.

    Mu Tangchuan and Mu Yinan tried to soften the atmosphere to make things go more smoothly.

    After a while, lunch was ready and the whole family sat down together. Xi Mushan sat beside Shen Wenna, but the both of them did not look veryfortable. Since everyone knew what had happened, they purposely avoided some sensitive topics.

    Xi Xiaye would really love to know how Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan would react after they found out about what happened to Xi Xinyi, but they seemed pretty distant, so she could not deduce anything from their expressions.

    The man beside her would try to join in the conversation from time to time. He could obviously feel that Shen Yue was being pretty harsh towards Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan, but he restrained himself for Xi Xiaye¡¯s sake.

    After lunch, Xi Xiaye felt like the atmosphere in the living room was suffocating, so she went out to the veranda for some fresh air. Unexpectedly, Xi Mushan went out with her as well.

    ¡°Today must be tough for you, Xiaye.¡± Xi Mushan coughed a little, his voice sounding hoarse.

    Xi Xiaye held onto the railing and looked at Xi Mushan, his expression clouded as he went silent for a moment. He did not say anything and just shut his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened to Xinyi. I have no right to ask you to forgive her. I¡¯m just going to let you guys be. Your grandmother experienced high blood pressure yesterday and she¡¯s now resting at home. She¡¯s thinking about letting Xinyi take over Yueying. She asked her to retire from the entertainment industry after all that has happenedtely and just focus on running Yueying.¡±

    Xi Mushan sounded sorrowful when he spoke. ¡°As for the things you sent to West Park, your grandfather and I looked through them. I¡¯m sorry for what you¡¯ve gone through all over the years. I know that you don¡¯t have a good impression of the Xi family, but you can never erase the fact that we¡¯re rted by blood... So,e back often if you have the time...¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d ask me to let go of Xi Xinyi. Father, actually I¡¯ve been longing to know did you separate with Mother back then because of the power of the Yue family?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened when she spoke as she observed Xi Mushan¡¯s face quietly.

    Xi Mushan was stunned for a while. His eyes lookedplicated, and Xi Xiaye seemed to sense a resentful vibe from him.

    Hidden under his sleeves, his hands clenched into fists.

    After some time, Xi Xiaye smiled before he could reply. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of you as someone like that, but what if I told you Mother told me that she has reserved all her feelings for you even until now... Would you feel guilty about it?¡±

    ¡°She would never let me me you, but, Father, isn¡¯t it enough having one woman that loves you? Why did you betray her, and betray our happy family? No, you betrayed Mother much earlier... Xi Xinyi¡¯s birthday isn¡¯t that far away from mine...¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s face froze up as he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s question, he felt horrible when he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s mocking expression, he wanted to say something back, but it seemed as if everything he said would be just a pathetic excuse.

    Noticing that he kept quiet, Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and went back into the living room. She saw Shen Wenna standing beside the door just as she turned around.

    She was a little startled, but did not say anything and went on her way.

    ¡°Wenna...¡±

    The two of them looked at each other for some time. Shen Wenna had aplicated and painful expression on her face. She wanted to leave right away, but after some thought, she still went towards him.

    ¡°Long time no see. You seem pretty good just like... just like before...¡±

    Xi Mushan looked at Shen Wenna who was beside him now. His deep voice was uneasy, and even a little nervous.

    No one would ever guess that even he, a seemingly powerful politician, could act like an inexperienced and fearful teenager before her. Had it not been for that single mistake, could they still be happily married right now?

    ¡°Have you been doing well all these years?¡± Xi Mushan asked her another question when she did not reply to his previous one. He asked her ever so carefully, afraid that he might have made her unhappy after going as far as to ask Xi Xiaye to invite her over.

    Shen Wenna did not reply. She turned around and looked at him as he stopped talking after his questions. Then, she said coldly in a distant tone, ¡°I came here today for the sake of Xiaye and Chen. I don¡¯t want the children to worry about me. Are you just going to do nothing about Xi Xinyi mocking your daughter in public during Su Nan¡¯s wedding? You know that incident had nothing to do with Xiaye, yet you still allowed people to continue spreading this nonsense. Do you know it has be a traumatic experience in your daughter¡¯s heart?¡±

 Chapter 237 - Itâ€™s Fine As Long As Sheâ€™s Fine With Him (3)

    <h4>Chapter 237: It¡¯s Fine As Long As She¡¯s Fine With Him (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan was startled when Shen Wenna questioned him. Instantly, he put up an apologetic expression on his handsome face, but he did not defend himself. After all, he was at fault in this matter...

    ¡°I understand that it¡¯s a difficult situation for you, but you should know your daughter well. I don¡¯t care how you and Yue Lingsi betrayed me back then. I also don¡¯t care how Xi Xinyi imitated her mother and attacked Xiaye, but I just hope that you can protect this peace Xiaye has found after marrying Chen. This is something you can do, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Shen Wenna looked at Xi Mushan straight in the eye.e, ¡°Xiaye has always been concerned about us. I have to say that I¡¯m not a responsible mother to her...¡±

    ¡°Wenna, I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯ve always felt guilty towards you all these years. Every time I see Xiaye, I¡¯d... I went to look for you at the school before... I wanted to talk to you. If... If...¡±

    ¡°What for? Can¡¯t you give me some peace alone? You know very well that Yue Lingsi came and looked for me thest time. Moreover, things are over between us. Please don¡¯t be like this,¡± Shen Wenna sighed.

    ¡°Wenna, we¡¯re not young anymore. I wish to live for myself,¡± Xi Mushan said quietly.

    ¡°Please stop saying that. I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t want to argue with you on this anymore. Since you said so, then please go back to your wife and live happily ever after with her. I¡¯m not interested in interfering at all. I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry. Things are great for me now. Didn¡¯t we live peacefully all this time? Why do you have to break the peace now?¡± Shen Wenna raised her head and looked at Xi Mushan.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you go, Wenna...¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s expression changed and she had a mocking smile on her face when she heard Xi Mushan¡¯s words. ¡°So? Who do you think I am? Don¡¯t forget that you have your own family now. Don¡¯t make me look down on you!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never touched her except that night! Wenna, you knew that I thought she was you, so...¡± Xi Mushan looked guilty and his eyes were cold. ¡°Who knew she would go overseas in secret, and even give birth to Xinyi?¡±

    Shen Wennaughed coldly at him. Having lost interest, she was about to head back into the house. ¡°There¡¯s no meaning to your words now. No matter how good your reasons are, you can¡¯t erase the fact that you¡¯ve betrayed me, Xi Mushan. I hope that you can be responsible and bear your faults. At least, that can still impress me.¡±

    ¡°Wenna!¡± Xi Mushan coughed lightly as he grabbed Shen Wenna¡¯s hand, but she swiftly avoided him.

    Xi Mushan closed his eyes in agony after he saw Shen Wenna step back into the house. He took a deep breath as the pain seeped deep into his heart. Depression shrouded him.

    There were some mistakes that could never be corrected. No matter how hard he tried, there was nothing he could do.

    After some time, Shen Wenna went back to school and the Mu Tangchuan couple had something to work on as well. Shen Yue and Mu Yinan were going to y golf. Xi Jiyang invited Mu Yuchen to visit West Park some time, but Xi Xiaye rejected. She really did not want to see people that would make her upset.

    Mu Yuchen just let her be.

    After they went back into the living room after sending them off, Xi Xiaye sat down tiredly as she epted the cup of tea he handed her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Mother told Father, but from the way he looks, he seemed pretty sad...¡±

    ¡°Father should still have feelings for Mother. His eyes say it all,¡± he replied indifferently.

    She gave it some thought before nodding. She then sighed, ¡°There seems to be an uncrossable realm between them. There¡¯s nothing I can do to help.¡±

    She ced the cup down and then looked at the man beside her. She stared at him for some time before asking, ¡°Will you make the same mistake in the future?¡±

    He looked up from the newspaper and nced at her. After a brief moment, he replied, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s anyone else that can satisfy me besides you?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you be more serious? I¡¯m not joking around here!¡± Xi Xiaye grabbed a pillow nearby and threw it at him as her face blushed.

    He blocked the pillow she threw with one hand, and then replied to her with a serious expression, ¡°Do I not look serious to you right now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye red at him before cleaning up the table. All of them were items Wang Hui had brought over from the Mu Residence. She moved the bags a little and she saw their contents.

    Velvet antler?

    Velvet antler wine?

    Those words reminded her of the aphrodisiac qualities of the contents!

    However, did he really need it?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She nced at him and saw that he had already gone back to reading his papers. She then packed the stuff up swiftly, but her sudden movements actually alerted him.

    He raised his head and saw her flushed face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡± He put down the newspaper and wanted to help.

    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll do it. You sit down!¡± She moved around and continued to work on packing.

    He had better not touch these things. She remembered that Wang Hui made her ate some supplements and she had felt odd after that.

    Mu Yuchen looked at her in doubt. He suddenly grabbed the bag she packed and she quickly seized his hand. ¡°These are mine...¡±

    ¡°Let me see what¡¯s inside!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Just a look!¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t move!¡±

    She hugged the bag in front of her, and at that moment, someone¡¯s phone rang. Mu Yuchen gripped her arm with one hand and took out the phone with another to answer the call.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me...¡±

    A deep voice reached his ear, sounding a little familiar. Mu Yuchen took a small pause as frigidity surfaced on his face.

    Xi Xiaye soon noticed that something was not right. She tilted her head over and looked at the phone screen curiously.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

 Chapter 238 - Itâ€™s Fine As Long As Sheâ€™s Fine With Him (4)

    <h4>Chapter 238: It¡¯s Fine As Long As She¡¯s Fine With Him (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    An unknown number greeted her sight. She was about to ask who it was, but he handed the phone to her and said softly, ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows raised, then she muttered, ¡°You¡¯re acting crazy.¡±

    She reached out to take over the phone and answer, it.¡±Hello?¡±

    When he heard her voice, a muffled voice which was affected by gloom mumbled quickly, ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me...¡±

    Recognizing his voice, Xi Xiaye frowned. Her body tensed up and a while after, she said, ¡°Why are you calling?¡±

    ¡°The thing that you got someone to bring me... I¡¯ve seen it... I want to talk to you...¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s low voice came through with a hint of disappointment and frustration.

    Xi Xiaye leaned against Mu Yuchen and sat down. ¡°The things I brought you have no other meaning. I just wanted to do it for myself. Besides, however you see them is your problem.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I also...¡±

    ¡°Enough, CEO Han. I¡¯m not interested in chatting with you. For now, you should be thinking about how to help your fianc¨¨ with those rumors.¡±

    Xi Xiaye indifferently lowered her gaze and then slowly hung up. Just as she was about to continue tidying up, she suddenly felt that the energy from the man beside her was off, so she then turned to look at him. Indeed, he did not look right. His deep eyes flickered with a cold light that she could not fathom as they stared right at her.

    Xi Xiaye immediately frowned and looked up at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    ¡°You delivered something to him?¡± He asked in a deep voice, his eyes narrowed.

    When she heard him, she vaguely felt that his tone was not right, and from the way he looked, she thought about something. Then, her lips curled up as she pulled at his arm and her body leaned forward. ¡°Why do I smell something sour here? You wouldn¡¯t be jealous, would you?¡±

    His handsome brows furrowed. The light in his eyes was sly and bewitching. Quite a while after that, he said, ¡°What brand is the vinegar? Who would have such power? That person isn¡¯t on the same level as I am. Would I be jealous of him?¡±

    Xi Xiaye immediately giggled gently. She went up to him with her slender body. ¡°You smell sour from head to toe, and you¡¯re still denying it? Quicklye up with a new term called ¡®proud and pampered¡¯!¡±

    He reached out to hug her body that had shimmied up to him. When she threw himself onto him, the both of them ended up lying down. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Defending yourself is tantamount to covering up!¡±

    She pinned him down below her, and stared at him like she was discovering him with the curiosity of finding a New World, yet he was franklyzy to exin and lowered his gaze. He reached up tob his fingers through her beautiful hair.

    When she saw him keeping mum, Xi Xiaye lifted her fair and slightly cold fingers to touch his handsome face. She looked down at him and said softly, ¡°I just got Xiao Mei to send the evidence I collected about Xi Xinyi¡¯s crimes to his office. I wanted to expose Xi Xinyi... Do you think I¡¯m a bad woman?¡±

    His tensed handsome face eased a little while he just let her hold his face. He pondered thoughtfully for a while, then he nodded and said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re pretty wicked... If this were a fairytale, you¡¯d have to y the role of a witch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Young witches are usually very beautiful, capable, and can even make you envious...¡± She merely turned his words into apliment, a rare joke.

    ¡°Missus, actually I think that the prince and the witch are actually the most suitable pair. As long as they have each other in their hearts, they¡¯ll also live a peaceful and happy life. No matter what, they¡¯ll be the most beautiful in each other¡¯s hearts, and that would be enough.¡±

    He chuckled softly and his long arms hugged her tightly.

    He and she could actually be very simple.

    As long as he thought she was good, and vice versa, that would be enough!

    ¡°Why are you the prince and I the witch when you¡¯re actually worse than me and sinister too!?¡± Sheined unhappily.

    ¡°I¡¯m not as bad as you say. I¡¯m a good person, that person¡¯s the bad one, don¡¯t be confusing right from wrong now, someone like him could only be fit with a hypocritical princess, they wouldn¡¯t know how good you are, only I have the eye to discern...¡±

    Mr. Mu decided that he must instill a beautiful and glorious image of him in her, making Han Yifeng¡¯s image worse and worse to her.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly squinted her starry eyes and watched him speak. A while after that, when he stopped, he looked at her weirdly too. Then, sheughed and the hand that gently held his arm suddenly slid down, pulling his long fingers with some warmth seeping through her palms. Under his puzzled and shocked gaze, she lowered her head and inched nearer to his lips...

    The faint fragrance closed in. She could not help but be stunned by his proximity for a moment. He was a little shocked by this little girl¡¯s initiative, but he very quickly responded. Naturally, he would not let go of this, so he very generously let her take the lead, letting her take over him.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, I¡¯ve never told you this before, but I¡¯ve always thought you were a good person. Of all the men I¡¯ve met, you are the most handsome, dashing, and good-tempered man. Many female colleagues at thepany like you too. They all say you don¡¯t look like a boss, but even more like a Prince Charming that¡¯s out of this world. Mmm... like that Piano Prince... So unlike usmon mortals...¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly rambled to him, ¡°The people in our department don¡¯t know about us, and even want me to chase after you and tackle you!¡±

    When he heard her revtion, he chuckled and could not help but hold her up by the shoulders. He beamed and said, ¡°Unlike youmon mortals? Wouldn¡¯t that make me an immortal then? Prince Charming? But you chasing me, that we can consider!¡±

    ¡°You wish! Why is it not you chasing me? I¡¯m the goddess among ourpany¡¯s male colleagues, alright?¡±

    ¡°I never chase after women... but, Missus, you¡¯re definitely an exception. Mmm!¡±

    ¡°If you dare to not make me an exception, I¡¯ll send a p right across... Mr. Mu, do you think I¡¯ve be thicker?¡±

    ¡°How so? Missus, you¡¯re still very slim!¡±

    ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ve be thicker?¡±

    ¡°Let me feel you... It does feel like so... Mmm!¡±

    Before he could finish, a fist of hers fell again. He could not help but feel helpless ¡ª it turned out that telling the truth was wrong too!

    However,pared to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s happiness on this end of town, Han Yifeng¡¯s side had clouds of worry and a dismal tone.

    On the sofa in the living room of the vi, Han Yifeng was looking gloomily at the entertainment news reported on hisputer screen. Beside him, Secretary Wang had delivered a huge pile of newspapers to him. Huge piles of papers messily scattered the table, all reporting thetest update about Xi Xinyi.

    Quite a few days had passed, yet this incident still had not fizzled out. Instead, it seemed to have be worse. The entire entertainment industry was still abuzz with rumors as all sorts of scandals about Xi Xinyi surfaced.

    Naturally, it included many suspicions that people had decided to hit her with while she was down!

 Chapter 239 - Crack (1)

    <h4>Chapter 239: Crack (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression looked increasingly morose. Huang Ziyao and Han Yu had also kept calling to ask about the progress on the whole ordeal, yet he did not know how to answer them.

    He studied the phone screen that had already dimmed on his table, his eyes dark. He sat there for a long time without moving until he heard Secretary Wang call out to him, ¡°CEO Han, what do we do? These scandals cannot be suppressed anymore. Yueying is being forced to make Miss Xinyi temporarily leave thepany. I heard that CEO Deng even copsed from being angered by this...¡±

    Secretary Wang looked a little uneasily at Han Yifeng. ¡°The old Chairman and Madam have already called many times to ask about the situation and Xinyi, but your phone has been switched off. They¡¯re very worried.¡±

    Han Yifeng fell silent for a long time before finally answering, ¡°Go home first. I¡¯d like to be alone.¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, but Miss Xinyi... She...¡±

    ¡°You go home first. I¡¯ll call you if I need anything.¡± Han Yifeng propped his head up with one hand with waning interest. Then, he picked up the remote control and switched the television off. When Secretary Wang saw his boss react that way, he dared not speak further and retreated.

    However, Secretary Wang had just walked to the entrance of the vi when he saw Xi Xinyi rushing in.

    ¡°Miss Xinyi!¡± Secretary Wang greeted nervously.

    Xi Xinyi rushed up and said anxiously, ¡°Secretary Wang? Where¡¯s Yifeng? Is Yifeng inside?¡±

    ¡°CEO Han is in the living room, Miss Xinyi...¡±

    Before Secretary Wang could finish, Xi Xinyi had already rushed in.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    Indeed, she saw Yifeng in the living room, sitting on the sofa looking down. His expression was grim. Xi Xinyi paused, then she walked over with moist eyes. ¡°Are you angry at me? I¡¯ve called you, but your phone was switched off. I...¡±

    ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    Xi Xinyi sat down beside Han Yifeng, her eyes blinking with tears. She reached out to hold Han Yifeng¡¯s arm, her charming face now seeming haggard. She shook Han Yifeng¡¯s arm, but when she saw that Han Yifeng was still frowning, she finally could not help but droop her head down, feeling upset and heartbroken. She started to cry.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry... I didn¡¯t know that things would turn out like this, Yifeng... I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose, Yifeng, I... I just cared for you too much. That¡¯s why I fell so deep into it and couldn¡¯t pull myself out. It makes me really sad that you¡¯d switch off your phone and not pick up my calls... I¡¯ll listen to you and quite the entertainment industry, okay? Yifeng...¡±

    Xi Xinyi choked on her sobs as her tears started to fall, and very soon it soaked her shirt. All of the agony she had endured suddenly erupted. ¡°Yifeng, don¡¯t just keep quiet. Don¡¯t be mad at me! I¡¯ll just change after this, Yifeng...¡±

    Her unbearably vulnerable face entered Han Yifeng¡¯s sight, yet it annoyed him somehow. He did not know how to answer her. In the name of love, she had not spared using so many tricks. He could feel that maybe Xi Xinyi did love him deeply, but could he really just turn a blind eye to all of this?

    ¡°I really love you... I really regretted it after that, just so you know. All these years, I¡¯ve been trying to make it up to her. I¡¯ve been working hard and doing my best, but, Yifeng, ever since we returned to the country, you¡¯ve been slowly changing. You haven¡¯t been doting on me as you did. In this house, you treasure everything that she gave you like that bottle of stars by your nightstand... Do you know how it makes me panic?¡±

    Xi Xinyi cried like she had been very wronged. Her initially gentle voice had be raspy from the weeping and her hand that held onto Han Yifeng could not help but tremble.

    He stayed silent for some time before Han Yifeng finally took a deep breath, and then an expression of mixed emotions shed across his face. He turned to Xi Xinyi who was sobbing heartbreakingly and he felt his heart sink. He struggled for a while before answering, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xinyi. I know how you feel about me, but I didn¡¯t think that you... Since I¡¯ve already chosen you and we¡¯re already engaged, why do you still have to worry? You even didn¡¯t spare getting Yu Lingling to re-open Xiaye¡¯s old scars. You <i>know </i>how it¡¯s Xiaye¡¯s fatal weakness. Xinyi, what do you want me to say? Now, the scandals are the talk of the town. When can you be considerate toward me? I¡¯ve already said that you should retire...¡±

    Han Yifeng had not finished when the phone on his table suddenly vibrated. At one nce, he could tell that, of course, it was Huang Ziyao. He could only massage between his brows. Shooting a look at Xi Xinyi, he saw the shock on Xi Xinyi¡¯s face. He lowered his head sadly, inhaled, and picked up his phone. ¡°Hello? Mother?¡±

    ¡°Yifeng? You¡¯ve finally picked up! How are you? What¡¯s the deal with Xinyi? I¡¯ve called Yueying, but the line¡¯s always busy. I called West Park and no one picked up too. What¡¯s happening? Your grandfather saw the news and almost got a heart attack. You know that your grandfather has always been against Xinyi entering the showbiz, saying that a lot of people are mixed in it and how there¡¯re lots of scandals too. Nevertheless, it was you two who say that it¡¯d be fine, and now that all these scandals have surfaced, how are you going to exin to your grandfather and everyone else?¡±

    Han Yifeng had just picked up the call when Huang Ziyao¡¯s pressing and questioning tone assaulted his ears. Even Xi Xinyi could hear it clearly from the side and her little face instantly stiffened.

    ¡°How are you two nning to handle this? The reporters¡¯ calls have already reached the Han family. What¡¯s up with that?¡±

    ...

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s every word was a like a heavy hammer, viciously knocking onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s heart. Xi Xinyi could not stop herself from trembling. Feeling a deep sorrow, she started to be absent-minded and could not stop choking on her sobs as her eyes turned bloodshot from all the crying.

    ¡°Mother! That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll handle this. Just tell Grandfather that. That¡¯s all for now!¡± Han Yifeng felt annoyed and then hung up.

    ¡°Yifeng...¡± Xi Xinyi looked sick with worry at Han Yifeng.

    ¡°Leave City Z for a while first. Where¡¯s Shanshan? Why haven¡¯t I been seeing her?¡± Han Yifeng looked puzzledly at Xi Xinyi who was dumbstruck once again.

    Should Huang Shanshan not be very worried and be by her side at such a moment? Why did it seem like she had been rarely appearing recently?

    Neither had she not seen Huang Shanshan for many days now nor did she pick up her calls. She was not sure whether Huang Shanshan was really busy, but before this, no matter what, she would not ignore her calls, especially at such a crucial time. She would always be the first to appear, but now...

    Xi Xinyi did not dare to think about it anymore. She was afraid that...

    She hesitated for a moment and finally did not know how to answer. Sniffing, she bit her lip and dropped her head down without answering.

 Chapter 240 - Crack (2)

    <h4>Chapter 240: Crack (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Yifeng¡¯s still eyes observed Xi Xinyi. He fell silent for a moment, then finally he suppressed how gloomy and annoyed he felt. He picked up his phone and called Secretary Wang. ¡°I¡¯ll get Secretary Wang to book flight tickets for you two. Let him personally send you two abroad and wait till the storm has calmed down here before returning. Don¡¯t return to Yueying now. As you said earlier, just retire and quit the showbiz.¡±

    ¡°No, Yifeng! I can¡¯t leave City Z. Grandmother¡¯s already copsed from being angered by my problem. All these were done by Sister. She¡¯s determined to ruin me, Yifeng. I can¡¯t leave now. What do I do? What do I do?¡±

    Xi Xinyi reached out to hold Han Yifeng¡¯s arm, stopping him. Her face was tearful as she begged, ¡°I¡¯m worried about Grandmother... After all, she only fell sick because of me, Yifeng...¡±

    ¡°Then, what else do you think we can do? Can you suppress these scandals? I¡¯m afraid Yueying has now fallen into deep trouble too!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know that too, but I really can¡¯t leave. I can¡¯t leave Yueying and Grandmother behind right now. My grandmother is mentally and physically worn out. Thepany¡¯s her life¡¯s work... You and Master Qi have a pretty steady rtionship. Can we ask them to not cancel those few movies? I¡¯ll agree to change the female lead, Yifeng...¡±

    Xi Xinyi begged while choking on her tears, ¡°Sister must¡¯ve wanted to seize this incident to make Yueying fall into difficulty again. She¡¯s always harbored hard feelings towards me. Even though I know that it was I who wronged her, but she forced me. She wants to ruin Yueying! She knows that it¡¯s Grandmother¡¯s life¡¯s work, yet she still...¡±

    ¡°Enough! Xinyi, stop talking!¡±

    As he listened to Xi Xinyi¡¯s baseless and extremely contradicting defense, Han Yifeng suddenly could not keep listening. He found it a little hard to ept that this person with whom he had spent numerous good times and shared a bed would be such an unscrupulous woman. If the evidence that Xiaye collected were true, then all these years, he, Han Yifeng had actually been yed within herplete control, and he had let her lead him by the nose!

    He suddenly felt that he could not ept this truth!

    Now, she was still trying hard to defend herself? Had she never thought about how he felt?

    ¡°You keep saying that it¡¯s for Yueying, for Grandmother... Then, when can you think for me? What about me? How are you going to exin yourself to my parents and my grandfather? Xinyi, if you were willing to listen to me back then and leave the scandalous world of showbiz, then all this wouldn¡¯t have happened today! Every time, every single time, I would go along with your wishes andpromise for you, but you¡¯ve never been considerate about me! And now, you¡¯re still thinking about Yueying? Thinking about inheriting Yueying, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Han Yifeng was suddenly enraged. He coldly turned to fix his gaze on Xi Xinyi as his tone turned cold.

    ¡°Xinyi, do you not realize that you¡¯re a little selfish? What we have between us should be mutually giving in. I¡¯ve amodated you many times, yet you¡¯ve never thought of putting yourself in my shoes and amodating me just once! I¡¯m a little tired now. If you really want to stay in City Z, then do as you wish!¡±

    As Han Yifeng concluded with this, he stood up icily and his handsome face revealed fatigue that he had kept in for a long time.

    Recently because of Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter, he was also mentally and physically worn out. He felt extraordinarily exhausted. When he really calmed down to think to himself, he realized that there had actually been more and more distance between him and Xinyi. He did not know when the end woulde.

    Every time, when they discussed her quitting, he actually wanted to be angry, but seeing the way she pleaded so delicately, he could not bear to. This thing repeated many times until now and it seemed to have reached a point of eruption. He could not hold back in the end.

    However, as he thought about these scenes, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face suddenly shed across his mind. It was as if a very long time ago, when she had still been with him, she had been in his current situation, repeatedly putting up with him, repeatedlypromising, but he...

    He finally sympathized and understood her sadness back then. The one who gave out love would always be the one that hurt most easily, yet they kept holding on to that love. Even if they were bruised all over, they still wanted to persist...

    As he thought about, he did not know why, but suddenly he felt his heart ache. The stifling feeling suffocated him a little.

    If everything had not changed because of that one incident back then, if he had been willing to sincerely ept his grandfather¡¯s arrangements and get engaged to Xi Xiaye, would everything be different right now?

    Still, he knew that he loved Xi Xinyi. Back then, he seemed to have wanted a love that was pure and simple. Xi Xinyi was charming, gentle and considerate. Furthermore, she brought far more joy than Xi Xiaye who was always by-the-book, apathetic, and dull.

    ¡°Yifeng! Don¡¯t leave, Yifeng!¡±

    Han Yifeng had just walked past her when Xi Xinyi had already stood up quickly and was flustered as she hugged him tightly from behind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... This is thest time! Please! This will be thest time, okay?¡±

    Han Yifeng looked down at stared at her hands wrapped around his waist as he said coldly, ¡°Last time? How many times have you said that it¡¯d be thest? Xinyi, I¡¯m tired of hearing these words. If you really do love me as you say, then sacrifice a little for me for once and let Yueying go for now. Leave the scandalous world. When the storm has calmed, then we¡¯ll make ns again.¡±

    ¡°This will really be thest time. I¡¯m begging you, Yifeng! After this time...¡± Xi Xinyi sniffed in her voice that was raspy from the crying.

    Yet, before she could finish, Han Yifeng had already coolly pulled her hands away and stormed off in huge strides. ¡°There¡¯s nost time. This time, I insist. If you¡¯re willing to consider, then ept my arrangements. Otherwise, let¡¯s separate for a while to figure things out!¡± Han Yifeng concluded indifferently and then took a deep breath, feeling worn out. He did not care about Xi Xinyi behind him anymore and walked up the stairs.

    ¡°Yifeng! Don¡¯t! Yifeng, listen to me! This will really be thest time! Don¡¯t do this to me, Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi tearfully chased him, and she wanted to tug on Han Yifeng¡¯s hand, yet he just leaned to one side and evaded her. In turn, Xi Xinyi missed him.

    ¡°I want to be alone for a while. I¡¯ll wait for your answer tomorrow. I¡¯ll tell Secretary Wang to book a flight for San Francisco tomorrow. However you choose, I will respect your decision.¡±

    ¡°No, Yifeng, don¡¯t force me to choose. Please don¡¯t do this! Yifeng!¡±

    No matter how Xi Xinyi wept and screamed, Han Yifeng did not pay her any attention. His stiff figure vanished at the top of the stairs very quickly.

 Chapter 241 - Crack (3)

    <h4>Chapter 241: Crack (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi cried until both her eyes swelled. She lifted a hand to cover her face as she watched Han Yifeng disappear, leaving behind an empty staircase. Some time had passed before she turned to leave in a daze.

    However, just as she stepped out of Han Yifeng¡¯s vi, her red eyes suddenly shed with a coldness. Her face was gloomy as the sky before a storm and she whipped her phone out to swiftly made a call.

    ...

    On the other end, Han Yifeng had booked Xi Xinyi a flight ticket at 9 a.m. the next day to San Francisco. When Secretary Wang delivered the San Francisco vi keys to West Park, he saw a huge group of reporters outside, so he entered from the back door.

    Secretary Wang handed the keys to Xi Xinyi as he said in a heavy tone, ¡°Miss Xinyi, these are the keys to the vi in San Francisco that CEO Han is handing to you. We¡¯ve already prepared everything over there. CEO Han would like you to stay there for a period of time until things subside here before you return. He has called Miss Shanshan, and she¡¯ll apany you to go over tomorrow. Just treat it as a rxing vacation! CEO Han will send someone to fetch you tomorrow. He also told me to pass you a message that he hopes that you can think about him... If you can¡¯t let go of Yueying, he will help you out onest time for the sake of friendship, Miss Xinyi, but...¡±

    Xi Xinyi felt herself stiffen. Gaping stunned at the keys that Secretary Wang handed her, her face was exceptionally pale with mixed emotions. She did not reach out to take the keys for a long while.

    When Secretary Wang saw her reaction, he breathed in and then put the keys onto the table beside Xi Xinyi. ¡°Miss Xinyi, actually, CEO Han has beenpletely worn out mentally and physically over your issues recently. I really hope that you can consider it for his sake. It¡¯s not easy to have reached this stage. CEO Han says he¡¯s very tired...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back now and I¡¯ll leave the keys here. I hope that I¡¯ll see you at the airport tomorrow morning at half-past 8 in the evening. Miss Shanshan and I will be waiting for you there!¡± Secretary Wang confirmed before turning to leave the room.

    Bam!

    When she heard the door close, Xi Xinyi snapped back to her senses. She stared at the keys before her and her eyes instantly shifted as she clenched her hands into fists. Her face struggled with indecision.

    Han Yifeng was forcing her to choose!

    Him or Yueying?

    In such a period of turmoil, Grandmother had already decided to let her take over Yueying. If she could pull Qi Kai and the Han Corporation in, then all those shareholders would have to give in to her. Xi Xiaye could forget about taking advantage of this loophole in Yueying. Furthermore, she might even beat Xi Xiaye. However, if she just left Yueying behind, how would she know if those shareholders would rebel? When that happened, they might even need to choose a new CEO under pressure...

    How can she just give up at such a time?

    Xi Xinyi hesitated.

    ...

    It seemed as if this was within Han Yifeng¡¯s expectations. When she received Secretary Wang¡¯s call after 9 p.m., he could not hold back the bitter smile on his face.

    ¡°CEO Han, Miss Shanshan and I kept waiting for Miss Xinyi here. Sadly, she didn¡¯te and the flight has taken off...¡± Secretary Wang¡¯s tone was heavy on the other end as he revealed disappointment that could not be disguised.

    He hesitated for a moment before suggesting, ¡°CEO Han, how about we book the next flight out? Miss Shanshan and I can personally pick her up.¡±

    Sitting before his desk, Han Yifeng sighed. Then, he chuckled a little pained and disappointedly before he said indifferently, ¡°No need. I know what her answer will be. How about you twoe back first? Right, please tell Shanshan toe to me.¡±

    ¡°Miss Shanshan is right beside me, CEO Han. I¡¯ll let her answer the phone,¡± Secretary Wang answered from the other end.

    ¡°Cousin?¡±

    Huang Shanshan¡¯s voice sounded down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think that Xinyi, she... I¡¯ve always treated her like my best friend, my own sister. I don¡¯t want to argue for the sake of what friendship we had, but unexpectedly...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Come over first. I have some things to say to you,¡± Han Yifeng said, then he hung up and shut his eyes, feeling exhausted.

    ...

    The storm did not pass as easily as they thought. When Xi Xiaye received Su Nan¡¯s foul-mouthed call, she realized that Xi Xinyi had still disclosed everything. In fact, the news had spread so fast that she could not stop them in time.

    Her slender fingers slid across the tablet screen. Under Glory World Corporation¡¯s officialwork, there were already a bunch of mean discussions and they were all about her!

    ¡®The inside story of Glory World¡¯s female director Xi Xiaye?¡¯

    ¡®The truth about Xi Xiaye getting expelled from the military academy?¡¯

    ¡®Xi Xiaye stealing...¡¯

    All of the unbearable headlines were incredibly eye-grabbing and harsh. She flipped open her Weibo and saw that there was already a war of words underneath. There were even questioning words...

    Her beautiful face darkened a little as a sharp coldness shed in her eyes. She could already guess who had disclosed all of these and had even hired a huge group of trolls to curse and attack her online with words.

    Xi Xinyi was really pushed to the edge this time. She knew that she had something to do with this incident, yet she had still recklessly make this information public. Was she so sure that she would not be able to get hold of evidence?

    She breathed in. Even though there was a mncholic sorrow that she could not suppress in her chest, she did not suffer as she had back then. Now, she could only patiently wait for the news from Detective Zhang.

    She massaged the space between her brows. All of a sudden, the tablet in her hand was taken away by a slender hand. She subconciously looked up and noticed that the man had suddenly appeared by her side.

    He looked down at the news on the tablet and his handsome face darkened. His eyes shed with a shadow that could not be disguised. He turned to her, his tone calm as usual, yet it held a hint of coldness. ¡°Her again?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She hesitated before saying, ¡°Who would¡¯ve so much hatred for me?¡±

    Then, she suddenly stood up from the sofa slowly. She walked to the table to pour herself some water and drank a few gulps before continuing, ¡°She won¡¯t let go of me so easily, but that¡¯s good too. The hole that she dug herself would naturally be to bury herself too.¡±

    ¡°Have you thought of a n already?¡± Mu Yuchen asked softly, setting the tablet aside.

    Xi Xiaye inhaled and did not answer. She just drank another gulp of water and poured him a ss as well. She sat down leaning beside him and said, ¡°Previously, I¡¯ve been getting someone to investigate it. It¡¯s been so long and it¡¯s hard to get hold of any evidence. In fact, you know what I¡¯m worried about...¡±

    ¡°Worried about your father, aren¡¯t you?¡± He easily knew the answer.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°You know, once this matter is exposed, Father will be implicated too. Back then, it was him who erased the criminal records for me. I never would¡¯ve thought that Xi Xinyi would...¡±

 Chapter 242 - Love No Longer (1)

    <h4>Chapter 242: Love No Longer (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She did not continue, but Mu Yuchen naturally understood what she meant.

    Then, Xi Xiaye said determinedly, ¡°So, we must investigate this matter properly. No matter how hard it is, I can¡¯t let go.¡± She could not just keep bearing this usation. Now, she was afraid that back at thepany it would be abuzz with this.

    He did not answer, but his gaze dimmed. After a while, he drank his water and his long fingers caressed the ss.

    ¡°How about you stay at home tomorrow?¡± He suddenly looked up and asked.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while, then she shook her head. Her expression was calm as she answered, ¡°If I don¡¯t go, wouldn¡¯t it mean that I¡¯ve confirmed the usations? In fact, I can¡¯t keep hiding. I believe that one day, the truth wille to light.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he looked thoughtfully at her for a long while, then he inhaled, nodding gently. He said a little dly, ¡°Missus, why have I suddenly realized that you seem to have matured quite a bit in the past few days?¡±

    She immediately rolled her eyes at him, pursing her pink, rosebud-like lips. ¡°Don¡¯t keep pretending to be the adult. You¡¯re not my older brother or my father, so why do you keep lecturing me? You¡¯re just a few years older than me. How annoying!¡±

    He did not defend himself. Instead, he chuckled and teased, ¡°Yesterday, you said I was good. How have I be annoying today? Are all you women so fickle?¡±

    ¡°I am me. I can¡¯t represent all the women of the world, so you can¡¯t just generalize.¡± Xi Xiaye red at him, and before he could finish, she had already refuted him. Her eyes shifted as she suddenly thought about Yueying¡¯s matter. ¡°Father says that Xi Xinyi might be taking over Yueying. She unexpectedly didn¡¯t leave to seek refuge which is pretty bold.¡±

    ¡°You should say that she has huge ambitions. You don¡¯t have to care about matters over there. Leave it to VP Liu. Now, you just have to perfect your South River project proposal. In the middle of next month, we¡¯ll wait for the government¡¯s decision. The bidding process will probably be in thest week of the next month. We¡¯ll know the exact date in another few days, so all the work needs to be done ahead of time. I¡¯ll be going to survey with them in the next few days. Come along and see if there are any other problems. Then, we¡¯ll have to hand in the papers along with the proposal you have,¡± he said calmly, setting his cup aside.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry. Now, all of the work is on track. In fact, it¡¯s actually almost done.¡±

    The reason they could finish so quickly was also that of his help. Otherwise, she would probably only be done with half of it.

    ¡°About all those rumors...¡± He still could not help but look at her with concern as he listened. Xi Xiaye slowly lowered her gaze. She fell silent for a moment, then tightened her fists. Breathing in lightly, she nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Maybe when the truthes to light, they¡¯ll even have to give you a public apology.¡±

    ¡°All those don¡¯t matter. I just want to prove my innocence. I don¡¯t want to cause an uproar because of all the things in the past, and even implicate others.¡±

    She could not help but sigh andment, ¡°Sometimes, wanting to live a few days of peace seems to be a kind of luxury.¡±

    As he listened, he could not help butugh. ¡°How much of a storm is this? We should be grateful that we¡¯re not living in war times, though fighting and scheming between people might not be easier than fighting in a war. I can understand how you feel too.¡±

    When she heard this, she did not say anything. Instead, she lowered her head silently.

    At work the next day, as expected, Xi Xiaye received all sorts of weird looks from fellow colleagues on the way to work. The people who interacted with her were obviously clear-sighted, while those who stayed away looked on with doubt.

    To say that she was not affected at all would be a lie, especially when she heard all of them secretly discussing her. In fact, when she logged onto Weibo, she noticed that under the official Weibo feed, the news had been blocked. She did not seem to see any negative news about her in the newspapers today either.

    She breathed in and rxed in her chair, staring inly at the screen that had already turned nk while an indescribable warmth crossed her heart.

    He had quietly handled it all for her!

    ...

    Mu Yuchen did not go straight to the office this morning. Instead, he made a trip to Mu Tangchuan. There seemed to be some sort of emergency, and when he was done and went back to the office, it was already afternoon.

    When they walked to the elevator, Li Si suddenly asked, ¡°Chairman Mu, don¡¯t you want to have lunch first?¡±

    ¡°No need. Please send the details to VP Wen,¡± Mu Yuchen said and walked towards the elevator. However, just as he was about to enter, he heard several employees who were waiting for the elevator, whispering.

    ¡°Do you think the thing about Director Xi is true? Even our Glory World official Weibo blocked it!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Director Xi doesn¡¯t seem like that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t really tell with something like this. It¡¯s impossible to judge one¡¯s heart from their face. I think that Director Xi has some tricks up her sleeves. Didn¡¯t you see how her rtionship with Chairman Mu was so ambiguous shortly after he returned?¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen listened to all of them and started to frown. Li Si cleared his throat, and then everyone snapped back. When they saw Mu Yuchen standing behind them, their expressions changed drastically. They quickly said in a panic ¡ª

    ¡°Hello, Chairman Mu... We... We were just talking nonsense...¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, please...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s mysterious eyes shot them a cold look. Before they could finish, he already said indifferently to Li Si, ¡°Ask them to go to the finance department to settle their wages. They don¡¯t have toe to work tomorrow.¡±

    Then, he walked right into the elevator, leaving behind a cold air.

    The few of them widened their eyes and only reacted after a while, yet the elevator door had closed.

    Li Si looked at them sharply too and reprimanded, ¡°Didn¡¯t thepany already ban discussions on this? Still, you knowingly did it! Pack up and go to the finance department to settle your wages.¡±

    ¡°Assistant Li, we didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Assistant Li...¡±

    ¡°Assistant Li, please help us tell Chairman Mu...¡±

    They wanted to beg for forgiveness, yet Li Si already walked into the elevator with his documents.

    This morning, he could already detect that Master was not in a very good mood, and now he had to hear such gossip too. Naturally, he would be unhappy. Furthermore, they were discussing Missus¡¯s matters...

 Chapter 243 - Love No More (2)

    <h4>Chapter 243: Love No More (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The news of Mu Yuchen firing several employees in a fit of fury spread. For quite a few days, the entire Glory World was shrouded in stifling repression. Everyone did not dare to simply discuss any gossip, afraid that the next one to be fired would be themselves.

    While the same thing about Xi Xinyi continued to be worse, they recently even heard that Deng Wenwen had fallen sick from being worn out mentally and physically while Yueying was getting ready to be taken over by Xi Xinyi.

    This news shocked the entire entertainment industry. Now that Yueying was on the verge of copsing, Xi Xinyi still dare to take on as Yueying¡¯s CEO! Could she be so confident to help Yueying safely survive this threat again?

    This issue did start because of her, yet not only did she not lie low, but instead she appeared so high-profile. This was outrageous to everyone.

    For quite a few days, Xi Xinyi held press conferences, at which she beat around the bush. Neither did she directly admit that she had done all those things, nor did she deny them. She only apologized, and the way she looked all weak and pitiful while weeping made everyone suspect whether that news had been fake.

    On the other hand, some people also noticed that they did not seem to see the appearance of Xi Xinyi¡¯s fianc¨¨, Han Yifeng. Some reporters managed to get pictures of Han Yifeng, who seemed to be keeping to himself without any pictures of him with Xi Xinyi. At such a time, should Han Yifeng not be by her side?

    What followed was the news of Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s breakup.

    While all of Xi Xiaye¡¯s scandals seemed to have been suppressed, the crowd¡¯s attention was all on Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng.

    Xi Xiaye had been focused on the South River project. After she surveyed the area with Mu Yuchen and the government, she started to pour herself into her work day and night. She did not have time to rest as the proposals underwent changes again and again. Then, it was given to Mu Yuchen and several Vice Presidents for examination and approval.

    Today, the weather was pretty enjoyable. The warm sun was dim. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had once again gone to the South River viewing deck to survey the area. They verified their thoughts byparing the proposal content that Xi Xiaye and her elite team had poured their hearts into coting, amending, andpleting to see whether there were still any oversights.

    On the long walkway of the South River viewing deck, the husband and wife walked slowly side by side. The folder was opened up in Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand and Xi Xiaye was by his side. The gentle and warm sun shone on them while they looked extremely harmonious.

    ¡°This is the leisure area. The north council will be right here. What do you think?¡± Xi Xiaye said as she reached out to point at a certain area below while referring to the blueprint in his hand.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, then he slowly closed the document and handed it to Li Si behind him. Li Si knowingly received it as he stopped and did not follow them.

    Mu Yuchen turned to look at her, seeing the fatigue that could not be hidden in her eyes. He said with concern, ¡°Let¡¯s stop right here for now. You¡¯ve been worn out with work recently. It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow, so rest well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to massage between her brows and answered, ¡°I <i>have</i> been a little tired, and the team especially, so today when I left in the afternoon, I let them leave work earlier to have a good weekend.¡±

    The dusk with the setting sun was just beautiful. The husband and wife were in sync as they did not n to go home so early. Mu Yuchen reached out with his long arm and circled Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulders, he walked ahead slowly as he asked her softly, ¡°A good weekend? Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°Grandmother wants us to go back to the Mu residence, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just going home for a meal.¡±

    When she heard him say this, Xi Xiaye breathed in. She looked up at the golden-bright, dazzling warm sun. After a while, she was about to say something when her phone suddenly vibrated. She quickly took it out to see a text from Su Nan!

    She raised her brows and opened the text. It was another of Su Nan¡¯s long ramblings, yet at the start of the sentence, Xi Xiaye was stunned.

    <i>Xiaye, I¡¯m pregnant. This time, I¡¯m really going to be a mother! Bloody hell! Ruan Heng, the bastard, said that we¡¯d only have children a year after we get married, yet we just conceived with one try! I don¡¯t want you to be my child¡¯s godmother. We¡¯ll just arrange for our children to get married. How romantic does that sound!? Right, aren¡¯t you going to check whether you¡¯re pregnant? I¡¯ve been dizzy recently, so I went to get checked at the hospital. The doctor immediately sent me to the gynecology and obstetrics department. Didn¡¯t youin feeling very tired too recently?</i>

    Su Nan was pregnant!

    Xi Xiaye was shocked. With Su Nan¡¯s carefree personality, it was really hard to imagine how she would be like with a child!

    Ruan Heng would probably baby her so much! Knowing Su Nan, she would probably be more intense.

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye could not help but smile as she quietly kept her phone.

    When he saw her grinning away, Mu Yuchen asked, ¡°What are youughing about? You¡¯re looking pretty happy.¡±

    She then looked up and smiled at him, herughter intertwined with well wishes. ¡°Su Nan¡¯s pregnant, so tomorrow I want to go see her.¡±

    Pregnant?

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s mysterious eyes shed with a faint light. He stared at her bright and beautiful face for quite a while, then his gaze looked down subconsciously at her belly with a gaze that seemed a little wistful.

    Yet, Xi Xiaye could see through what he thought. She instantly blushed and reached out to cover her belly, trying to block his gaze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m not pregnant yet!¡±

    Her period had just passed. How could it be so soon?

    ¡°I know, I¡¯m not working hard enough.¡± He very calmly averted his gaze, and her blush started to intensify. Suddenly, heughed, ¡°We don¡¯t have to rush with these things. Just go with the flow.¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt that he was not ready to be a decent father either. He also could not imagine how it would be like to have a little monster wandering around them and calling them Father and Mother.

    ¡°Don¡¯t eat those things Grandmother gave you if you don¡¯t want to... as long as you¡¯re healthy.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then remembered that he had found out about the things that she stuffed into the storeroom. Wang Hui and Mu Yinan both wanted grandchildren. The Mu family had passed three generations, and now it was his turn...

    She fell silent for a while, then she could not care less about blushing. She muttered, ¡°I heard that you have to quit smoking and drinking... That way... Your child can be smart and healthy...¡±

    When he heard this from her, Mu Yuchen turned to look at her with interest. He was about to say something when suddenly they vaguely felt that there was someone ahead. At this moment, a voice came through.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡±

    The husband and wife both stopped in their steps. They looked up to where the sound came from, and by the stairs was Han Yifeng¡¯s figure greeting their sight.

 Chapter 244 - Love No More (3)

    <h4>Chapter 244: Love No More (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes seemed deste as he nced at Mu Yuchen for a moment before averting his gaze to Xi Xiaye beside him.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s sudden appearance startled Xi Xiaye a little. She turned towards the man beside her subconsciously. Mu Yuchen seemed calm although his grip over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder tightened slightly as he stared at Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression changed when he saw Mu Yuchen in casual wear. After a while, he said in a high and mighty tone, ¡°d to meet you here, Chairman Mu!¡±

    He then looked back at Xi Xiaye and spoke in a slightly softer tone, ¡°Xiaye, I didn¡¯t expect to bump into you here!¡±

    Mu Yuchen put on a smile on his handsome face. ¡°d to meet me? I¡¯m not very d to see you...¡±

    He then looked at Xi Xiaye with a dark expression. Han Yifeng¡¯s expression seemedplicated as well. After some thought, he suddenly let go of Xi Xiaye and whispered beside her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡±

    He turned around, but Xi Xiaye grabbed his hand. A light shed through her eyes as she stared at him.

    He looked at her beautiful face for a while before ncing over at Han Yifeng. Sighing, he said quietly, ¡°Make it clear with him. I¡¯m not giving you any more chances in the future. Remember that you¡¯re Mrs. Mu.¡±

    He pushed her hand away gently as he went off.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye turned back and looked at the man quietly, her eyes hardening. She closed her eyes after a while.

    ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Han Yifeng finally came down from the staircase and reached Xi Xiaye. He called out to her quietly. ¡°How are you?¡±

    Ever since she hung up on his call thest time, Han Yifeng tried calling back again several times, but she did not pick up any of them. Xi Xinyi¡¯s issue did not stop at all, so Xi Xiaye thought that Han Yifeng¡¯s motive of calling her was probably because of Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xiaye did not reply. After some time, she raised her head and looked at the river below, leaning her arms onto the cold railing.

    She gave a short and cold reply, ¡°Pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you see me?¡± Han Yifeng went over beside her and asked.

    Xi Xiaye grinned coldly when she heard his question. ¡°Why should I?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to tell me something by sending me the documents about Xinyi?¡± Han Yifeng looked at her. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t keeping me in the dark be a better punishment from your perspective?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not reply Han Yifeng immediately. She took a deep breath and felt the cold breeze from the river brushing past her cheeks as she clenched her fists slightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t send those documents to you for your sake. It¡¯s for mine. I want to ridicule Xi Xinyi and rub salt into your wound. I want you guys to feel the pain. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°You still hate me don¡¯t you, Xiaye?¡± Han Yifeng stared at her deeply and a depressed vibe shrouded him. ¡°I admit that it¡¯s my fault for abandoning you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye just smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to cancel my marriage with Xi Xinyi...¡± Han Yifeng continued when she did not say anything.

    ¡°You¡¯re still the same. Weren¡¯t you very in love with Xi Xinyi before? I thought that the both of you both can¡¯t leave each other. And now it seems like you¡¯ve thrown away your heavy baggage. Han Yifeng, I¡¯m d that you¡¯re not the person I¡¯ve chosen. If not, I¡¯d end up the same as Xi Xinyi, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Han Yifeng mockingly, her eyes gleaming with annoyance. ¡°I never knew that you were someone like this!¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I know the military academy incident isn¡¯t like what they said... I believe you!¡± Han Yifeng exined with his eyebrows knotted.

    Xi Xiayeughed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe it or not. It¡¯s not important.¡±

    She suddenly took a deep breath and focused on the warm sunset. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten all about the past already. I just hope this matter can pass by quickly. Everyone can go on and live their own peaceful lives. Let everything go back to the times when you two weren¡¯t back.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to see you, so please don¡¯t contact me again. Just act as if we never knew each other. I don¡¯t want us to be involved in any way. Moreover, it¡¯s unfair to him as well.¡±

    Her distant words and her gaze when she turned around and looked at him felt as if she was just looking at a stranger.

    Those eyes and those words made him felt chilly.

    ¡°Just like how you wanted me to let go of you and Xi Xinyi... Maybe she¡¯s being truthful with you. You don¡¯t have to cancel your marriage with her. You told me yourself that your love for Xi Xinyi is true love...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, you don¡¯t have to mock me with those words. I know that I¡¯ve let you down. My young self is all there is to me.¡± Han Yifeng could not stand listening to Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now. I don¡¯t want to go deep into it. All these years, I¡¯ve been...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all in the past...¡± Xi Xiaye agreed with him. She averted her gaze and turned away from him. ¡°I won¡¯t be angry at you because of Xi Xinyi, but regarding the orphanage, I¡¯m really... As for Xi Xinyi¡¯s scandal, I owe up to them.¡±

    She was being honest. ¡°She breached my bottom line again and again, so I can¡¯t just let her be anymore. I know that you might still help Yueying this time, but I won¡¯t just stop here. Watch out.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± He wanted to grab her hand as she walked past him, but her cold eyes forced him away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me again, CEO Han. I don¡¯t want to change my number again. Also, regarding the South River project, Glory World isn¡¯t going to back off.¡±

    She left those words with a powerful stance before departing.

 Chapter 245 - Pregnant (1)

    <h4>Chapter 245: Pregnant (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She walked away under the warm sunset. The whole sky appeared to have lost its color due to her departure and even the fresh scent in the air disappeared as well.

    Han Yifeng clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. Finally, he moved away and walked up the staircase, leaving a long and lonely shadow.

    When she arrived back at the car, Mu Yuchen was reading some documents in the front passenger seat, while Li Si and the bodyguard were sitting in the car behind.

    ¡°Where else are we going?¡± She asked as she started the car.

    ¡°Go home straight.¡± He put the documents away and stared at her, but he started frowning when he saw the dull expression on her face. ¡°What did you guys talk about just now? Weren¡¯t you alright just a moment ago?¡±

    He was very upset with Han Yifeng. He was protecting her so carefully and trying to make her happy, but now the man had made her sad. Was he trying to make all his effort futile?

    He was angry, but he suppressed it when he saw her expression.

    Naturally, Xi Xiaye knew how he felt. She sighed, ¡°Nothing much. He told me that he¡¯s canceling his marriage with Xi Xinyi, just like how he did with me back then. He just did it on a whim and never thought about how others would feel... as if he just threw away a heavy suitcase. I suddenly feel really sad for myself...¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not getting married anymore?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows and grinned coldly. ¡°Has he found a new pair of eyes? Does he finally know how to differentiate between good and bad people? Missus, although I really don¡¯t want to put it this way, this man is really an idiot. Why did you even like him back then? Is he handsome? Is he smart? Just what did you like about him?¡±

    His tone was full of sarcasm.

    Xi Xiaye turned her head over in surprise. She looked at the irate Mr. Mu now who was usually calm andposed. She did not expect that he would act like this.

    His expression changed when he noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s surprised expression, so he turned away and looked out the window.

    ¡°He¡¯s not handsome, not smart, and not as good as you. That¡¯s why I married you instead of him...¡± Xi Xiaye replied him seriously, letting go of the clutch, and the car started moving slowly.

    He seemed to look better after he heard her reply. Returning to his usual cool, he nced at her. ¡°As long as you know it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to visit Su Nan tomorrow. Are youing with me?¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed, then she remembered what Su Nan had told her the other day.

    <i>A woman needs to know how to deal with her husband. You need to provide him with all the ego in the whole world. Let him feel the pride and respect as a man. Let him feel that he cannot live without you anymore. Xiaye, go and conquer him. Take him down and you could be the real queen...</i>

    Xi Xiaye could not help but to chuckle out loud when she thought about Su Nan¡¯s behavior back then. She nced over at the man beside her who was looking at her with rm. His eyes sent shivers down Xi Xiaye¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Are you tricking me or something? Why the oddugh?¡± He squinted his eyes and looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Even if I was, I wouldn¡¯t tell you anyway! Don¡¯t touch me. I¡¯m driving! I¡¯m asking if you¡¯reing with me...¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s answer was a ¡°no¡± because Su Chen and Zhou Zimo came over early in the morning after they had breakfast. They had promised to y cards and have a drink together before going out somewhere.

    Mu Yuchan handed the car keys to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Come home earlier tonight. We¡¯re going back to the Mu Residence for a bit.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took it from him and nodded. ¡°Please don¡¯t drink too much. I¡¯ve asked Sis Wang toe and cook for you guys. Goodbye!¡±

    She then went outside as Mu Yuchen turned away and walked towards Su Chen and Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°This is for you. It¡¯s Lingshi¡¯s license!¡±

    Su Chen gave him something the moment Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°She called me several days ago and urged me for it. She always bothers me or Zimo when she needs help and not you as expected. You¡¯re her brother after all!¡± Su Chenined.

    Zhou Zimo picked up the license and took a look, guffawing when he saw the photo. ¡°This girl has never changed. It¡¯s been quite a few years!¡±

    ¡°Please give it to her. Qingming ising soon. She¡¯ll surelye back to visit his grave, so you can give it to her then,¡± Su Chen said quietly as he sipped some wine.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly went quiet and had a depressed vibe around him for a while. Afterward, he grabbed the license and nced at it before putting it into the coffee table drawer.

    ¡°Chen, it¡¯s all in the past now. You don¡¯t have to be so sensitive about it. He¡¯s already dead. He can¡¯t be revived no matter how sad we are. If it¡¯s about Lingshi, all these years, she didn¡¯t me you at all, did she? There¡¯s no use if we need to have a moment of silence every time we mention this, right?¡± Su Chen could not help but nudge Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Chen, I think Su Chen makes sense...¡± Zhou Zimo joined in as well, trading nces with Su Chen as they both looked at Mu Yuchen worriedly.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes seemed quiet. After a brief moment, he ced his fingers on his forehead. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°He¡¯s dead, but there are some things... that can never be forgotten. There¡¯s a lot that needs to be done. I can¡¯t let the case rest when the two are still not found.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned cold suddenly.

    ¡°What are you going to do about it? Are you going to search the whole world?¡± Zhou Zimo frowned.

    ¡°The reason I came back this time was to investigate this matter, and find out the reason for his behavior back then.¡± Mu Yuchen took a sip of his wine and added, ¡°It¡¯s also for Lingshi¡¯s sake.¡±

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo just nodded. ¡°Suit yourself then. Let us know if you need us. We¡¯re here for you.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 246 - Pregnant (2)

    <h4>Chapter 246: Pregnant (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s apartment.

    Su Nan was sitting on the sofa in the living room,fortably munching on some sunflower seeds while watching television. Xi Xiaye was peeling apples beside her and Ruan Heng was busy cooking in the kitchen.

    ¡°Is Han Yifeng really canceling his marriage with that witch Xi Xinyi?¡± Su Nan asked Xi Xiaye again, with a grin on her face that rejoiced in someone else¡¯s misfortune. She startedughing before Xi Xiaye could reply, ¡°Karma! Great! Let¡¯s see if she can still show us that cocky face of her again! Karma has finally pped her hard! That witch is so fake, yet some people are too blind to see through her!¡± Su Nan could not help but curse her in relief.

    ¡°She deserves it! Xiaye, you should¡¯ve acted sooner. There¡¯s also Huang Shanshan and Yu Lingling. Who do they think they are? Who else could¡¯ve made Yu Lingling say what she did that night?¡± Su Nan mocked, ¡°Xi Xinyi is doomed now. Most of the contracts she had are now canceled. If Han Yifeng¡¯s canceling his marriage with her, I¡¯m interested to see what she¡¯ll do next. So what if she¡¯s going to take over Yueying? Sell the 37% shares you have now and Yueying will be done for! Even your grandmother will need to listen to you!¡±

    Su Nan was feeling really smug at the moment.

    ¡°Their marriage might not be called off anyway. Xi Xinyi isn¡¯t like the past me. Even if she agreed to it, the Xi family and Yue family might not give in,¡± Xi Xiaye handed a freshly peeled apple to Su Nan and said.

    Su Nan frowned as she took the apple from Xi Xiaye. Taking a big bite and then said, ¡°That¡¯s true. If that happened, then it would really benefit Xi Xinyi, but since Han Yifeng suggested not marrying her, he must be getting tired of Xi Xinyi already. Getting them to hate each other seems like a good idea as well!¡±

    Su Nan shrugged with a sadistic expression on her face. ¡°Xiaye, if that¡¯s what happens, it would be nice to see Huang Shanshan and Xi Xinyi fight with each other! Please don¡¯t look at me like that. I know that I¡¯m pretty mean, but with what you did, we¡¯re not really that different. Hahaha...¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed a tissue to wipe her hands and drank some water. ¡°This matter is far from over. The Xi Xinyi I know wouldn¡¯t just let me get away like this...¡±

    ¡°You mean your expulsion from the military academy? Isn¡¯t that news suppressed by your man already? What are you worried about? You didn¡¯t do it anyway. Don¡¯t suffer for it anymore. It¡¯s all in the past and we live in the present. Put your hopes in tomorrow, okay?¡± Su Nan voiced out as she saw the clearly worried expression on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and looked at Su Nan. ¡°Since when did you start giving life advice to people?¡±

    Su Nan shrugged and nced at her with a smile. ¡°I mean it. You¡¯re always too serious. Let go of some burden in you and you¡¯ll be free. After being with Ruan Heng for so many years, the one thing I¡¯m still worried about is you, Xiaye. You always keep a lot to yourself and we¡¯re both worried about you. Luckily, you met a man like Master Mu and we¡¯re really relieved about that. Just let him worry about those things... Why else would you need a man for?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt warm inside as Su Nan¡¯s words reached her ears. She looked down at the ss in her hands, a gentle light appearing in her eyes.

    She was not really expecting much. The fact that he could trust her and protect her unconditionally, and even settled the matter for her despite her ugly past being thrust right in his face was really touching. Of course, there was Su Nan and Ruan Heng as well...

    Suddenly, she felt that luck was still on her side. If all the suffering she experienced before was for the sake of the happiness she was feeling right now, she would still believe that the world was a beautiful ce.

    If love could happen between him and her, she would believe it and ept it...

    However, could he really give it to her?

    A crack appeared on the surface of her locked up heart. It seemed like from this moment onward, she started to look forward again.

    Still, at the same time, she was worried. What should she do if she could not stay with him till the end?

    ...

    At the Xi Residence at West Park.

    Xi Xinyi opened the envelope and took the items inside out.

    There were several photos of Han Yifeng and Xi Xiaye by the bank of the South River, and they seemed intimate!

    Her expression darkened and her eyebrows frowned. She quickly went through the stack of photos, her body started trembling.

    Pa!

    Tssssk ¡ª

    A coldness enveloped her face, and she ripped the photos apart crazily before throwing them onto the ground angrily to stomp on them!

    Suddenly, the door opened and Yue Lingsi came inside. She was shocked to see Xi Xinyi¡¯s maniacal behavior and cold expression!

    ¡°Xinyi, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xinyi withplicated eyes. She felt that her daughter had totally transformed into another person, especially after her scandal. She also felt odd about the documents Xi Xiaye had sent them.

    She felt that she had never really understood her own daughter well.

    She looked at the photos on the ground, some of which were torn into pieces. Yue Lingsi was stunned for a moment before picking one of them up. Her expression changed when she saw what was on them!

    ¡°Xinyi, what¡¯s happening?¡± Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xinyi with her eyes wide.

    Xi Xinyi clenched her fists while her expression was horrible. She suddenly covered her face as she broke down and cried, ¡°Mother, what should I do? Yifeng doesn¡¯t want me anymore... He doesn¡¯t want me anymore... He¡¯s going back to Sister... I did all of it just to get him, but he mes me...¡±

    ¡°Mother, I know I¡¯m wrong... I just love him too much. All these years, I felt guilty about what I did to Sister, and I tried to make it up to her. In the end, they still treat me this way...¡±

    Xi Xinyi was crying as she broke down.

 Chapter 247 - Pregnant (3)

    <h4>Chapter 247: Pregnant (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi felt pained looking Xi Xinyi. She was reminded of her past self when she saw the happily married Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna. Xi Xinyi was still her daughter after all. She was not wrong to fight for her own happiness since everyone had that right, did they not?

    Xi Xinyi was really exhausted. Her face looked pale and her bright self was nowhere to be seen. Moreover, Yue Lingsi noticed that Han Yifeng had not been at West Parktely!

    She could already sense that something was not right between Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng, so she hade over to ask her about it. However, she did not expect to bump into such a scene here. Looking at these photos, Xi Xiaye and Han Yifeng...

    ¡°This...¡±

    Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xinyi in doubt and was surprised about the photos.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice became hoarse from all the crying. As she was about to exin, suddenly the door opened from the outside.

    Yue Lingsi turned over to the door as Xi Xinyi sniffed and raised her head. The person who appeared before them was Han Yifeng¡¯s personal assistant, Secretary Wang!

    ¡°Mrs. Xi, Ms. Xinyi!¡±

    Secretary Wang came inside with arge envelope in his hand.

    ¡°Secretary Wang? Why are you here? Where¡¯s CEO Han?¡± Yue Lingsi asked.

    Secretary Wang greeted Yue Lingsi with a smile, but he then stopped before Xi Xinyi. Stealing a nce at the photos on the ground, he frowned when he saw the people in the photos, but he quickly averted his gaze.

    ¡°Secretary Wang, Yifeng...¡± Xi Xinyi wiped off the tears on her face and trailed off.

    Secretary Wang bowed slightly and handed the envelope to Xi Xinyi as he said quietly, ¡°Ms. Xinyi, CEO Han went overseas to work and will only be back in a few days. He asked me to hand you this document. He¡¯ll discuss the marriage contract with you again when he returns...¡±

    ¡°What? What does he mean by that? Discuss the marriage contract? What is Yifeng trying to do?¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes widened when she heard Secretary Wang, she stared at him, ¡°You¡¯re saying that Yifeng is trying to cancel the marriage contract?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Xi, CEO Han will do his best topensate Ms. Xinyi. It¡¯s chaotic all over right now. The Han Corporation¡¯s share price is going down. This might be a temporary solution. Please understand! CEO Han is really worn out from what happenedtely. It¡¯s already tough enough to help Ms. Xinyi secure the coboration with Qikai,¡± Secretary Wang exined.

    ¡°Did you say that Han Yifeng has secured the coboration with Qikai? They¡¯re not going to withdraw?¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened!

    Secretary Wang nodded. ¡°CEO Han put in his best effort for Ms. Xinyi¡¯s sake. Ms. Xinyi, CEO Han said he gave you a choice, and since you made your choice, he¡¯ll respect it. He hopes that you can be well on your own in the future. This document is a contract with Qikai. The filming can start anytime after they change the female lead role!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s tears started to flow again. She dragged Secretary Wang¡¯s arm as he was about to leave after giving her the document. She cried, ¡°Wait! Secretary Wang! Yifeng wouldn¡¯t do this to me. Please tell him that this is really thest time, alright? He¡¯s not answering my calls and he¡¯s not at home. I don¡¯t know where he is. Secretary Wang, can you please tell him for me? I don¡¯t want to cancel our marriage contract. I don¡¯t want to...¡±

    ¡°Ms. Xinyi, you¡¯ve made your choice. Why do you have to give CEO Han such a hard time? All these years, CEO Han has put up with you, yet you... I¡¯m afraid CEO Han has made up his mind this time. He also hopes that you can hand back the key to his vi... If you¡¯re unhappy, he can give you an amount of money aspensation.¡±

    Secretary Wang looked at Xi Xinyi in disappointment as he sighed, ¡°Ms. Xinyi, CEO Han has always thought of you. The Han Corporation was deeply affected because of you. Why can¡¯t you put yourself in his shoes? Ms. Shanshan and I waited for you the whole morning at the airport the other day. We were really disappointed that you didn¡¯te. Ms. Shanshan wanted to forgive you if you were willing to let go of everything and just obey CEO Han. Unfortunately, you gave up on that choice, so don¡¯t me anyone else.¡±

    He wanted to pull her hand away, but she gripped on tightly with tears in her eyes. ¡°No, Secretary Wang, can you tell me where Yifeng is? I¡¯ll talk to him myself! I really can¡¯t leave City Z. Why does he have to force me like this? Can¡¯t he put it up with me onest time? Does he hate me because of Xi Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that either, Ms. Xinyi! I¡¯m just here to pass you his message. I hope you can understand.¡±

    ¡°I understand you, but please tell me where Yifeng is! You must know where he is, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi tossed the envelope aside and stood up. Suddenly, she got hit by a dizzy spell. Before she could react, she stumbled and fell down.

    ¡°Ms. Xinyi!¡±

    ¡°Xinyi!¡±

    Secretary Wang quickly grabbed her hand and she did not hit the ground, but she was now unconscious.

    ¡°Ms. Xinyi, how are you?¡±

    ¡°Xinyi! Xinyi! What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ...

    No matter how they called her name, Xi Xinyi did not respond at all. Yue Lingsi panicked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Xi. Call the ambnce now!¡±

    Secretary Wang calmed down quickly. He held Xi Xinyi in his arms and walked out swiftly.

    Yue Lingsi recovered from her panic and quickly grabbed her phone to call an ambnce.

    Secretary Wang rushed down the staircase and then bumped into Deng Wenwen with her servants.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Deng Wenwen had recovered a little after resting for several days. Although she was very exhausted with what had happened to Yueying, she had no idea how to clean up this mess, so she could only rely on the Yue family and the Han Corporation for now.

    ¡°Ms. Xinyi suddenly fell unconscious! I¡¯m sending her to the hospital!¡±

    Deng Wenwen finally saw who Secretary Wang was holding. ¡°What? Xin Er? What happened to Xin Er?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll find out at the hospital!¡±

    Yue Lingsi also caught up with them as she appeared behind.

 Chapter 248 - Pregnant (4)

    <h4>Chapter 248: Pregnant (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression darkened when she saw Secretary Wang march outside quickly. She grabbed Yue Lingsi and asked her anxiously, ¡°Lingsi, what happened?!¡±

    Yue Lingsi looked at Deng Wenwen with worry in her eyes. ¡°Han Yifeng wants to annul his marriage contract with Xinyi. She was too shocked and fell unconscious! Mother, I thought it was odd that Han Yifeng hasn¡¯t been visiting ustely. He was having a conflict with Xinyi, and he might even have had the thought of abandoning her for some time already. What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Mother, look at these pictures... It¡¯s Han Yifeng and that witch! How can Xinyi take it after seeing these photos?¡±

    Yue Lingsi handed the photos to Deng Wenwen with a murderous expression, coldness appearing in her eyes. ¡°I knew she wouldn¡¯t just give up! She must be thinking of getting Han Yifeng back using this opportunity to mess with Xinyi! That must be it! What a wicked person!¡±

    Deng Wenwen took a nce at the photos and her expression darkened as well. A glint shed in her eyes as she yelled, ¡°Nonsense! What¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t he engaged to Xin Er? And he still went out with Xi Xiaye? That fool!¡±

    Deng Wenwen was furious, especially after Xi Xiaye had released a series of scandals about Xi Xinyi andnded Yueying in chaos. Before the dust had even settled, now this happened!

    ¡°Mother, that witch Xi Xiaye is messing with us! She turned Yueying into this state today and she¡¯s still not happy with it. She just had to meddle with Han Yifeng and Xinyi! She nned to give us a hard time all along. Xinyi was already pitiful enough, and she¡¯s still not going to let go of her...¡±

    Yue Lingsi was enraged, fuelling Deng Wenwen¡¯s anger. A cold aura spread around her.

    ¡°What should we do now? How should we handle this matter? I¡¯m afraid the Han family...¡± Yue Lingsi felt really anxious and frowned.

    ¡°How can they just cancel the marriage just like that? Do they think it¡¯s a joke? We¡¯ll discuss it. Go and take a look at Xin Er¡¯s condition now!¡±

    Deng Wenwen calmed down quickly after she tossed the photos in her hand away. ¡°What bullsh*t!¡±

    Yue Lingsi nodded before going out. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll look after Xin Er. Mother, you should stay at home and wait for my call.¡±

    Inside a premium ward in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Hospital T.

    The doctor wearing a white coat did a thorough check-up for Xi Xinyi. Then, he closed his document and told Yue Lingsi, ¡°Mrs. Xi, Ms. Xi has already been pregnant for a month plus. Congrattions!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was stunned by the doctor¡¯s words. Unable to grasp what was happening, she stared at the doctor nkly and mumbled, ¡°What did you say? Xinyi is pregnant?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been slightly over a month. She fell unconscious because of her weak body and she¡¯s overexerted herself recently. I¡¯ll give her some tocolytics. Her condition isn¡¯t fully stable now and she needs to be hospitalized for a day or two. The nurse will exin what to take note ofter. You can go and start the hospitalization procedure first!¡± The doctor said with a smile.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s worrisome expression softened when the doctor gave her such a confident response. She started smiling and even chuckled happily. ¡°Great! Just amazing! Xinyi, you did well! I have to tell your grandmother about this right away. Oh, and your inws!¡±

    Yue Lingsi took her phone out and dialed West Park swiftly.

    On the other side of the bed, the silent Secretary Wang frowned slightly.

    Things just got more troublesome now!

    Did CEO Han want to annul the marriage?

    They had a child now. How could it be done? With the rtionship between the Xis and the Hans, it was already difficult to annul the marriage contract in the first ce. Now with this child in the equation, not only was it nearly impossible to void the marriage contract, but they might even be forced to get married immediately!

    After some thought, Secretary Wang told Yue Lingsi, ¡°Mrs. Xi, I¡¯ll work on the hospitalization procedure!¡±

    Yue Lingsi nodded with a smile. ¡°Sure! Thank you, Secretary Wang!¡±

    Secretary Wang nodded with a heavy expression. He took his phone out and called Han Yifeng the moment he stepped out of the room.

    ¡°CEO Han, I have two items to report to you.¡± Secretary Wang¡¯s slightly uneasy tone reached Han Yifeng¡¯s ears.

    On the balcony of the hotel room, Han Yifeng was leaning on the fence and gazing at the gloomy sky as he answered, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Just now, when I delivered the document, I saw the photos of you and Ms. Xiaye in Ms. Xinyi¡¯s room. They look like candid photos that were secretly taken! Ms. Xinyi¡¯s emotions were really unstable and she fell unconscious just now, so I sent her to the hospital. The results came out and the doctor said that Ms. Xinyi is...¡±

    Secretary Wang took a solemn pause at this point.

    ¡°She¡¯s what?¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s face was expressionless as he asked coldly.

    Secretary Wang took a deep breath before he replied quietly, ¡°The doctor said that Ms. Xinyi has already been pregnant for a month. She needs to be hospitalized for a few days due to her frail body and unstable emotions...¡±

    <i>Pregnant!</i>

    He was stunned when he heard this word. Instantly, he could not react at all!

    <i>How could Xi Xinyi be pregnant?</i>

    <i>At this time?</i>

    He remembered that she would take medication every time after they did it. She mentioned she would not consider a child for the next one to two years because of her acting career!

    <i>What¡¯s happening?</i>

    Han Yifeng clenched his fists, irritation blooming on his cold face.

    ¡°CEO Han, what do we now? Mrs. Xi called CEO Deng and also the Han family. I¡¯m sure your parents wille over very soon. You do realize that they were really looking forward to a grandchild, and with the rtionship between the Hans and the Xis, they might still force you two to get married despite Ms. Xinyi¡¯s current circumstances...¡±

    Han Yifeng had a headache after hearing Secretary Han¡¯s update. He pinched the space between his eyebrows and went silent. After a while, he replied, ¡°I got it. We¡¯ll talk about it again when I get back. Take care of things over there.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Han!¡±

    Han Yifeng hung up on the call, feeling irritated deep down. He was not sure if he should feel delighted or troubled!

 Chapter 249 - The World Changes No Matter What (1)

    <h4>Chapter 249: The World Changes No Matter What (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was near evening when Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence. Because they were going back to the Mu Residenceter, she went to a mall to get some vases after leaving Su Nan¡¯s ce since Wang Hui mentioned that she had broken a few at home.

    As she stepped into the living room, she could detect a strong alcohol scent from afar. Frowning, she looked towards the sofa. There was no one, so she approached nearer and saw several empty bottles. There was another half-empty one, and sses were strewn everywhere while cigarette butts filled up the ashtray.

    She scowled. After some hesitation, she opened the window and then went upstairs.

    As she guessed, she found the man knocked out on the bed.

    She went over and could smell the stench of alcohol emanating from him. Several buttons on his ck shirt were undone and his bare chest was exposed. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

    However, it was not the time for her to appreciate how he looked when he was asleep. She took a deep breath before trying to shake him up even though he did not budge at all.

    ¡°Wake up! Mu Yuchen, just how much did you drink?¡±

    After a while, he opened his eyes with a scowl and red at her briefly before covering himself up with the nket and going back to sleep again.

    ¡°You said that we¡¯re going back to the Mu Residence. How do we do that now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye pped a hand to her forehead. She tucked him in and stared at him, feeling a headacheing on. Then, she grabbed a wet towel from the bathroom and wiped him down a little. She gave the Mu Residence a call. It was her mother-inw, Zhuang Shurong, who picked up.

    ¡°Mother, Chen had a gathering with his friends. He got drunk and is asleep now, so I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be going over tonight. We¡¯ll go back some other time.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong stayed silent for a moment before sighing, ¡°Okay, please take care of him. Make sure he doesn¡¯t drink too much the next time. We¡¯ve made quite a number of both your favorite dishes. Since you guys aren¡¯ting back, I¡¯ll get your grandmother to send them to your ce tomorrow.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, thank you, Mother!¡±

    ¡°Alright then. Call us if you need anything else.¡±

    ...

    After ending the call with Zhuang Shurong, Xi Xiaye went downstairs. After some thought, she then went to cook some porridge before she cleaned up the scattered sses in the living room.

    The sky darkened before Xi Xiaye took a shower and went straight to the study room without any dinner.

    She was still working on the South River proposal which had already been altered countless times. Because she would need to submit it to the government soon, she was trying to make it even moreprehensive than it was.

    She turned on the tablemp and focused on theptop as she referred to the notes she had taken during the visit to the South River with Mu Yuchen yesterday.

    It was quiet inside the room. All one could hear was the constant tapping on the keyboard until a ringtone broke the silence.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not look at the screen and just picked it up, her eyes still glued to the screen.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, it¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Detective Zhang?¡±

    Xi Xiaye immediately recognized whose voice it was. ¡°What is it? Do you have any good news for me?¡±

    ¡°No, Ms. Xi. I¡¯m afraid that this is bad news for you...¡± Detective Zhang¡¯s tone sounded a little morose.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yang Jianfeng is missing! I¡¯ve been looking for him the past few days. I suspect that he¡¯s in hiding. Several days ago, I noticed he was acting oddly. He¡¯s probably hiding because he found out about my presence.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped her work. Although she was slightly startled, she was still calm and her eyes seemed clear. ¡°Can you find him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for him for a few days, but I¡¯ve got no clue yet. Hopefully, he didn¡¯t go abroad. I¡¯ll check the Immigration Department.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath, then she gave it some thought and said, ¡°Maybe you can check what¡¯s going on with Xi Xinyi. He probably took action under her orders. I tested Xi Xinyi the other day with the intention of forcing her to make a move. Keep track of Yang Jianfeng¡¯s bank ount and see if he took or spent any money anywhere. You should be able to find him quickly that way.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s a good idea. He probably doesn¡¯t have much cash on himself if he¡¯s going alone. He¡¯ll surely need money. I¡¯ll investigate tomorrow. Wait for my good news.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Detective Zhang!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Goodbye!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and remained silent for some time after hanging up. She then continued to work on her proposal.

    It was nearly 11 p.m. when Mu Yuchen woke up. He crawled out of bed without turning the lights on. When he nced around and saw just the wallmps turned on, highlighting her windbreaker in the shadows, he knew that she was back. He could also see some lights from outside the room. Then, he washed up.

    When her stomach growled in protest, Xi Xiaye noticed that she had not had dinner yet. As she was going downstairs for some porridge, she saw several dishes on the table.

    <i>Did he wake up?</i>

    She raised her eyebrows as she walked into the kitchen.

    Before she could go in, he came out with two bowls in his hands.

    ¡°Why did you drink so much?¡± She took the porridge from him and stated, ¡°Also, I found the license of the girl, Lingshi, that you mentioned before inside the drawer...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, she asked Su Chen for it, so he delivered it to me today. She should being back in a week or two. There¡¯s something I need to arrange. When shees back, I¡¯ll need you to liaise with the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Don¡¯t they still need a supervisor? Let her handle it,¡± he said indifferently, but a faint worry line betrayed his face.

    The Imperial Sky Entertainment Club?

    Xi Xiaye went quiet. After a moment, she looked at him and asked quietly, ¡°Isn¡¯t Ah Mo taking care of that ce now?¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo is handling the project at City B right now. Things are a little...plicated between him and Lingshi. You¡¯ll understand in the future,¡± Mu Yuchen admitted. He took a pause before continuing, ¡°Ah Mo was adopted by Grandfather and was put under my parents¡¯ name. Lingshi was adopted under my parents¡¯ name as well after my aunt passed away, so you¡¯re their sister-inw. If possible, help them out whenever they need it.¡±

 Chapter 250 - The World Changes No Matter What (2)

    <h4>Chapter 250: The World Changes No Matter What (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Suddenly, his face darkened and he stopped talking.

    Xi Xiaye did not want to force him, so she just nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    She lowered her head and ate the meal in silence. His quiet eyes stared at her face as if he could feel a sense of distance between them. Holding her cold hands, he said quietly, ¡°Xiaye, I will tell you about it once I figure out how to tell you...¡±

    She was stunned for a moment when she heard him. She raised her head slightly and looked at his hand holding hers. After a while, she said, ¡°Everyone has memories they aren¡¯t willing to talk about. I won¡¯t force you to tell me about it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll respect your wishes.¡±

    It seemed that she did not understand him. He had never told her anything he was troubled by as well. Even though she did not ask about them, she still cared about him, after all...

    A whileter, she withdrew her hands quietly and continued with her meal without looking at him.

    His eyes dimmed and he just stared at her for a long while.

    ...

    They did not say anything at all. After they cleaned up and went to bed, it was past midnight.

    Xi Xiaye went to bed first. She was sleeping with her back facing Mu Yuchen¡¯s usual spot.

    Mu Yuchen frowned a little as he looked at her beside him on the bed. After a while, he went under the quilt and then put his arms over her waist. She struggled a little as his deep voice reached her ears. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°I want to sleep.¡± She red at him.

    He tightened his arm and locked her down, staring at her for some time before taking a deep breath. ¡°Sleep then.¡±

    ¡°How do I sleep like this?¡±

    ¡°Shut up. If you¡¯re not happy, then do something else!¡± He said quietly.

    Of course, Xi Xiaye knew what this something else he mentioned was. Her ring eyes were nearly zing as she punched him several times out of anger, but he just let her do whatever she wanted.

    ¡°Dead pigs don¡¯t feel pain... Mmm!¡±

    ¡°You asked for it. I wanted to let you off, but you just had to make me do it!¡±

    The man finally pounced onto her and drowned her in an instant.

    ...

    The next morning, at Hospital T.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s room was remarkably crowded early in the morning. Someone had spread the news of her pregnancy and many reporters waited outside the room to ask about Xi Xinyi¡¯s condition.

    When Huang Ziyao brought gifts over, they almost could not make it inside the room. The crowd assumed that Xi Xinyi¡¯s baby was Han Yifeng¡¯s child when they saw Huang Ziyao.

    Thanks to the hospital¡¯s security team, the crowd soon dispersed.

    Inside Xi Xinyi¡¯s superior patient room, she was resting while Yue Lingsi was taking care of her.

    Huang Ziyao ordered her servant to put the stuff on the bedside drawer. She stood on the other end of the bed with a gleaming face, but at the same time, her eyes looked conflicted.

    ¡°Xinyi, those scandals...¡± Huang Ziyao started to ask her. This issue was not yet resolved and there were still reporters around. She had been calling Xi Xinyi for a long time, but always could not get through, usibly to avoid theseplications.

    Han Yifeng avoided her questions as well. After looking through the news and reports, she gave it some thought. Although she did not know if they were true, there had to be a certain degree of truth to it. What actually happened must be reallyplicated.

    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. It¡¯s all my fault, Mother. I really can¡¯t live without Yifeng. I can¡¯t stop loving him... but because of Xi Xiaye, if he had to do this, the only thing I¡¯ve left to do is to abort this child and walk away from this war.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes started tearing up again as she held her belly with a hand. Her expression seemed really pitiful while her cries sounded frail, and she looked so sad that one could not help but take pity on her.

    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Yue Lingsi yelled at her.

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s heart softened. Although she was very upset about the whole scandal, she understood that there would be some drama here and there in the entertainment industry. If her son loved her, then she was fine with it.

    After years of knowing her, Xi Xinyi had always been very nice and understanding. She already thought of her as a daughter and loved her, even more so than Xi Xiaye back then. Although she could not believe she was what people made her out to be, how could she exin the evidence?

    Huang Ziyao was having mixed thoughts at the moment.

    She stared at Xi Xinyi for some time before asking, ¡°Xinyi, I want you to answer me honestly. Is that child really Yifeng¡¯s?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s sobs stopped and her eyes widened as she heard Huang Ziyao¡¯s question. She could not believe what she just heard. In shock and sadness, she whispered, ¡°Mother... You...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Yue Lingsi stared at Huang Ziyao, anger brewing in her eyes. ¡°Are you saying that Xinyi is carrying someone else¡¯s child? They¡¯ve been living together in Yifeng¡¯s vi ever since they came back. Shouldn¡¯t Yifeng know if it¡¯s his child?¡±

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s expression changed after Yue Lingsi exploded. ¡°I¡¯m just asking. I just hope that nothing will go wrong.¡±

    Xi Xinyi could not help but cry, ¡°You guys can go back now. I¡¯ll just abort the child.¡±

    ¡°Xinyi! What are you saying!? We want the child even if they don¡¯t. The Xi family can still afford to raise a child. Ziyao, your words are really hurtful!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression darkened as she nced at Huang Ziyao furiously whileforting the crying Xi Xinyi. ¡°Do you know that Yifeng is really horrible? He really shouldn¡¯t be with Xi Xiaye anymore after being engaged with Xinyi. Look at these!¡±

    She then threw a stack of photos on the table to Huang Ziyao. They were candid photos of Han Yifeng and Xi Xiaye taken by the South River!

    Huang Ziyao was stunned for a moment. She grabbed the photos and studied them as she frowned.

    <i>Why was Yifeng with Xi Xiaye? How did they get these photos?</i>

 Chapter 251 - The World Changes No Matter What (3)

    <h4>Chapter 251: The World Changes No Matter What (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Huang Ziyao could only react after a while. Looking at Yue Lingsi, she asked, ¡°What is this? You guys had people follow Yifeng?¡±

    Sadness filled Xi Xinyi¡¯s face and she looked at Huang Ziyao with teary eyes. ¡°Someone sent it to us... Mother, Yifeng...¡±

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s expression darkened. She calmed down before looking at Xi Xinyi. ¡°This matter is still unclear at the moment, so I¡¯ll talk to Yifeng about it. As for you, the elder is really unhappy with you regarding the scandal. You know that our elder at home ces a lot of importance on reputation. I gave him my word and convinced him to let Yifeng be with you, but look at what has happened now?¡±

    Huang Ziyao seemed unsatisfied and she sighed in disappointment. ¡°Xinyi, please note that I¡¯ve always thought of you as my own daughter, and I¡¯ve assumed that you¡¯re already my daughter-inw. I went against our elder and agreed to let Yifeng be with you. I gave up on your sister, Xi Xiaye. You¡¯ve really let me down!¡±

    ¡°Mother! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll change, I promise! Yifeng is really angry with me as well. Please ask him to stop being angry with me., I don¡¯t know what to do... We¡¯ve gone through so much to be together. If he gives up on me now... I¡¯ll suffer a fate even worse than death. Mother, please... I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I can¡¯t live without Yifeng... My child and I can¡¯t live without him...¡±

    Xi Xinyi suddenly started crying again as she grabbed Huang Ziyao¡¯s hand. When her warm tears sshed on the back of her hands, Huang Ziyao felt pity for her.

    Huang Ziyao sighed after a while and patted the weeping girl¡¯s hand. ¡°Please stop crying. I¡¯m not really sure what I can do now. If this child is really Yifeng¡¯s, the elder wants both of you to get married as soon as possible, but you¡¯ll have to quit the entertainment industry immediately due to your current circumstances. Let this ongoing issue fade on its own. The Han Corporation can¡¯t take this anymore. I hope you can understand!¡±

    ¡°But what about Yueying? Grandmother¡¯s been sick...¡±

    ¡°Let Yifeng handle Yueying for now now. Stay low for a period of time. We can arrange a secret wedding, or we can have the wedding after things have calmed down.¡±

    ¡°I hope that you can be considerate about Yifeng. I¡¯m sure you understand how much pressure Yifeng has to take on because of you. You know how much the Han Corporation has tried to help you. Your utmost priority right now is to take care of yourself. You don¡¯t have to go abroad. I have a vi in the west outskirts. I suppose you can move there in secret after leaving the hospital. It¡¯s pretty hidden, so no one should be able to find out. Be at ease and rest there.¡±

    Huang Ziyao then looked at Xi Xinyi questioningly. ¡°What do you guys think?¡±

    <i>Let Yifeng handle Yueying for now?</i>

    Xi Xinyi was stunned for a moment. So, Huang Ziyao meant...

    She raised her head and looked at Huang Ziyao as she mumbled, ¡°Mother, you mean...¡±

    Huang Ziyao sighed again, ¡°What else can we do right now? The elder wants both of you to get married quickly. We¡¯ll decide on what to do nextter on. Most importantly, don¡¯t get involved in the entertainment industry ever again...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale when she heard Huang Ziyao. As she looked at Yue Lingsi, she was frowning in deep thought. After a while, she suddenly asked, ¡°Mother, can you let me think about it?¡±

    ¡°As you wish. That¡¯s what we¡¯vee up with. We¡¯ll talk to Yifeng about it as well. I¡¯ll head back for now. Later on, I¡¯ll send someone over to look after you. Please think it through.¡±

    Huang Ziyao sighed after her sentence. She then turned around and left the room.

    ¡°Mother, you¡¯ve been busy this whole morning. Go back and rest. I¡¯m really alright. I just want to spend some time alone,¡± Xi Xinyi turned over and told Yue Lingsi.

    Yue Lingsi nodded. ¡°Okay, I have something to discuss with your grandmother as well. Don¡¯t worry, things will be fine. I¡¯ll go talk to your grandfather...¡±

    ...

    After Yue Lingsi left, Xi Xinyi quieted down and the look in her eyes changed several times!

    Her gazended on the photos by the bedside. She bit her lip as she clenched her fists and her pale face started to seem frigid.

    ...

    As <i>Qingming </i>approached, the sky seemed dark and several bouts of drizzle came. The whole City Z was shrouded in a hazy atmosphere.

    Inside the Chairman¡¯s office of Glory World Corporation.

    ¡°Master, Director Xi isn¡¯t here. Someone said she applied for a half day¡¯s leave this afternoon from Vice President Liu.¡±

    Li Si wanted to retrieve a document from Xi Xiaye, but someone from the nning Department had told him about this.

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze away from theptop towards Li Si. ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡±

    Li Si shook his head. ¡°They said she left swiftly after receiving a phone call...¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned. When he opened the drawer and took out his phone, he then realized it was switched off, so he quickly switched it back on.

    Before he could even blink, the phone started ringing.

    He picked up the call. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Master, things are bad. Take a look at Weibo and the Economy Times. It¡¯s full of articles about Missus!¡± Ah Mo sounded anxious.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned serious when he heard Ah Mo and he quickly opened Weibo.

    As expected, there were articles directed towards Xi Xiaye.

    His face darkened and a storm was brewing in his eyes. He shoved a ss nearby away in rage.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    The ss broke into pieces on the floor.

    ¡°Master...¡±

    Even Ah Mo on the other end of the phone could feel his wrath, so Li Si did not dare to make a sound.

    Mu Yuchen put his hand on the table as he took a deep breath. He calmed his anger after a while. ¡°How¡¯s your investigation going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve found Yang Jianfeng and I¡¯m heading over now, but I noticed that Missus¡¯ car is nearby. I¡¯m not sure if I should go look for him right away.¡± Ah Mo sounded hesitant.

    ¡°Be on standby. Send the address to me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then hung up as he stood up coldly and walked out of the room.

    ¡°Master, where are you going?¡± Li Si asked as he grabbed their windbreaker before catching up with him.

    <h4>Comments (10)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 252: Xiaye¡¯s Merciless (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In a field in the northern suburbs of the city, Xi Xiaye was dressed in a ck windbreaker as she stood on the side of the field. Both her hands leaned onto the ice-cold railing before her while she looked up at the distant horizon. The sky was nketed in mist and the cold breeze was incessant. With the dark clouds hovering, it looked like it was going to rain soon.

    Quite a while after that, she retrieved her gaze and looked down at the field at the bottom of the hill which was currently filled with vigor and vitality.

    The rustling cold wind blew her beautiful hair as the corner of her clothes swayed in the wind. There was a beautiful curve carved on her face.

    It was not sure how long had passed when she heard the sound of a car approaching behind her. Indifferently, she then turned around to look toward the sound.

    A ck car greeted her sight.

    The car stopped by the roadside very quickly and the car door was opened. Three people got down. The one leading was a very thin middle-aged man who wore sunsses. He walked up in huge strides to Xi Xiaye, while the two people behind him waited by the car. It looked like one person was being controlled by another.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the middle <i>¨C </i>aged man who gradually closed in, and she calmly greeted him, ¡°Long time no see, Detective Zhang.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always so punctual. Have you waited for long?¡±

    Detective Zhang took his sunsses off with a smile. His sharp gaze swept across Xi Xiaye and he stopped beside her. ¡°Your situation doesn¡¯t look too fantastic. Take a look for yourself.¡±

    Then, he handed a newspaper to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye took it. Although she saw that it was all filled with writings about her so-called scandal at the military academy, she was surprisingly calm. She did not even frown before she casually closed it.

    She breathed in lightly and then looked down at the scenery below as she asked softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you found him?¡±

    ¡°I did find him, but I couldn¡¯t make him talk. He¡¯s pretty tough, if he won¡¯t talk, then that evidence can¡¯tpletely convict him either. In other words, that evidence isn¡¯t enough to clear your name.¡±

    Detective Zhang nced at her meaningfully, then turned to wave at the car below. Quickly another person was being dragged over.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought him for you. See if you¡¯ve got a way of making him talk.¡± By the time Detective Zhang said that, the man was already in front of her while they quietly backed away.

    The man was tall and one of his eyes was blind. Inside, a fake eye rolled backwards, appearing a little sinister in disharmony. He looked like he was more than 40 years old.

    It was Yang Jianfeng!

    ¡°So, it <i>is </i>you!¡±

    When Yang Jianfeng saw Xi Xiaye, his expression instantly looked sinister and he stared coldly at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Witch, how dare you ruin me!? You still daree looking for me? Do you see this? My eye was ruined by your pen!¡± Yang Jianfeng said through gritted teeth. His fierce demeanor made him look as if he wanted to swallow Xi Xiaye alive.

    One got exceptionally infuriated meeting an enemy. When she thought about all these horrid years, Xi Xiaye felt a surge of rage in her too. Her fingers that grasped onto the railing turned pale from holding on tight. Her starry eyes studied Yang Jianfeng as she sneered, ¡°I really regret not immediately stabbing your other eye blind back then.¡±

    ¡°You b*tch!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it thanks to you that I was expelled from the military academy? Yang Jianfeng, I know that Xi Xinyi made you do it. How much money did she give you? Are you so willing to sacrifice yourself for her like this?¡± Xi Xiaye said coolly.

    Yang Jianfeng¡¯s gaze shed as he answered very quickly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Xi Xiaye turned slightly and looked at him from the side. A faint smile shed on her delicate and fair face. She really yed it down as she spoke.

    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t know what nonsense you¡¯re spewing. You ruined me. I haven¡¯t even settled this score with you! Today would be perfect!¡± Yang Jianfeng gritted his teeth and looked at Xi Xiaye, his eyes filled with anger and hatred. He suddenly clenched his fists and was about to hit when ¡ª

    Xi Xiaye quietly looked away as her hand holding onto the railing tightened. She scoffed. ¡°Is that so? Then, let¡¯s settle it today!¡±

    By that time, she already could not hold back and abruptly turned around to grab Yang Jianfeng¡¯s cor. She was swifter than him, and in the next second a p came forth!

    Pa!

    Before Yang Jianfeng could react, a p came and then he felt a sharp pain on his shin! The loud and clear sound broke the silence in the field and everything happened very quickly.

    Yang Jianfeng was stunned by the blow. When he finally reacted, he was furious.¡±B*tch! How dare you attack me!?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Back then, Xi Xinyi wanted you to use the ne to frame me, didn¡¯t she? And you even thought ofing onto me? With looks like yours, do you think that¡¯d work?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face was cold as ice. Both her hands quickly pushed Yang Jianfeng¡¯s shoulder down. She lifted her leg and viciously kicked him a few times angrily again. It hurt so much that Yang Jianfeng could not help but cry out in pain.

    ¡°Who do you think you are? Forget that you¡¯re ugly, you¡¯re so dumb too, a whole man used by a woman, getting yourself a lifelong deformity, now you¡¯re just miserable, if I were a useless toad like you, I would¡¯ve long ended my life, where do I find the dignity to be a man?¡±

    Xi Xiaye kicked him viciously a few times before she pushed Yang Jianfeng away. She looked down on him in disdain!

    Yang Jianfeng was immediately infuriated by her words. Propping himself up on the railing and looking at Xi Xiaye sinisterly, how could he hold back anymore? He pounced forward immediately and shouted, ¡°You b*tch! I¡¯m only like this because of you, you evil b*tch! It¡¯s your luck that I fancied you. Who do you think you are? If I knew that you were so hard to manage, I should¡¯ve used the drugs and kill you then and there! Let the sexy pictures of you make headlines on all the media!¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You finally admit your dirty and disgusting motives!¡± Xi Xiaye evaded him and said coldly.

    ¡°I just fancied a little of your good looks. Huh, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t yed around before, so why do you have to pretend? Han Yifeng¡¯s heart isn¡¯t with you. Given your little identity, are you a match for my cousin? Even an idiot wouldn¡¯t choose you. You¡¯re just like your father back then, so stupid that he gave up an instant boost in his career!¡±

    Yang Jianfeng¡¯s hands clenched into fists while his eyes were filled with viciousness and disdain.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t n to let go of this chance and want to help Xi Xinyi ruin me? Back then, Xi Xinyi sessfully made Han Yifeng dislike me and look down on me. Why does she have to push me to the edge before she¡¯s happy?¡± The corner of Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips curled up slightly as she asked coldly.

    ¡°Huh, obviously it¡¯s to make sure you can never make aeback! To make sure you¡¯ll never be able to enter the Han family! That¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll really feel assured. I¡¯ve told my cousin that¡¯s the only way you wouldn¡¯t be a threat to her!¡±

 Chapter 252 - Xiayes Merciless (1)

    <h4>Chapter 252: Xiaye¡¯s Merciless (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In a field in the northern suburbs of the city, Xi Xiaye was dressed in a ck windbreaker as she stood on the side of the field. Both her hands leaned onto the ice-cold railing before her while she looked up at the distant horizon. The sky was nketed in mist and the cold breeze was incessant. With the dark clouds hovering, it looked like it was going to rain soon.

    Quite a while after that, she retrieved her gaze and looked down at the field at the bottom of the hill which was currently filled with vigor and vitality.

    The rustling cold wind blew her beautiful hair as the corner of her clothes swayed in the wind. There was a beautiful curve carved on her face.

    It was not sure how long had passed when she heard the sound of a car approaching behind her. Indifferently, she then turned around to look toward the sound.

    A ck car greeted her sight.

    The car stopped by the roadside very quickly and the car door was opened. Three people got down. The one leading was a very thin middle-aged man who wore sunsses. He walked up in huge strides to Xi Xiaye, while the two people behind him waited by the car. It looked like one person was being controlled by another.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the middle <i>¨C </i>aged man who gradually closed in, and she calmly greeted him, ¡°Long time no see, Detective Zhang.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always so punctual. Have you waited for long?¡±

    Detective Zhang took his sunsses off with a smile. His sharp gaze swept across Xi Xiaye and he stopped beside her. ¡°Your situation doesn¡¯t look too fantastic. Take a look for yourself.¡±

    Then, he handed a newspaper to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye took it. Although she saw that it was all filled with writings about her so-called scandal at the military academy, she was surprisingly calm. She did not even frown before she casually closed it.

    She breathed in lightly and then looked down at the scenery below as she asked softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you found him?¡±

    ¡°I did find him, but I couldn¡¯t make him talk. He¡¯s pretty tough, if he won¡¯t talk, then that evidence can¡¯tpletely convict him either. In other words, that evidence isn¡¯t enough to clear your name.¡±

    Detective Zhang nced at her meaningfully, then turned to wave at the car below. Quickly another person was being dragged over.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought him for you. See if you¡¯ve got a way of making him talk.¡± By the time Detective Zhang said that, the man was already in front of her while they quietly backed away.

    The man was tall and one of his eyes was blind. Inside, a fake eye rolled backwards, appearing a little sinister in disharmony. He looked like he was more than 40 years old.

    It was Yang Jianfeng!

    ¡°So, it <i>is </i>you!¡±

    When Yang Jianfeng saw Xi Xiaye, his expression instantly looked sinister and he stared coldly at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Witch, how dare you ruin me!? You still daree looking for me? Do you see this? My eye was ruined by your pen!¡± Yang Jianfeng said through gritted teeth. His fierce demeanor made him look as if he wanted to swallow Xi Xiaye alive.

    One got exceptionally infuriated meeting an enemy. When she thought about all these horrid years, Xi Xiaye felt a surge of rage in her too. Her fingers that grasped onto the railing turned pale from holding on tight. Her starry eyes studied Yang Jianfeng as she sneered, ¡°I really regret not immediately stabbing your other eye blind back then.¡±

    ¡°You b*tch!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it thanks to you that I was expelled from the military academy? Yang Jianfeng, I know that Xi Xinyi made you do it. How much money did she give you? Are you so willing to sacrifice yourself for her like this?¡± Xi Xiaye said coolly.

    Yang Jianfeng¡¯s gaze shed as he answered very quickly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Xi Xiaye turned slightly and looked at him from the side. A faint smile shed on her delicate and fair face. She really yed it down as she spoke.

    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t know what nonsense you¡¯re spewing. You ruined me. I haven¡¯t even settled this score with you! Today would be perfect!¡± Yang Jianfeng gritted his teeth and looked at Xi Xiaye, his eyes filled with anger and hatred. He suddenly clenched his fists and was about to hit when ¡ª

    Xi Xiaye quietly looked away as her hand holding onto the railing tightened. She scoffed. ¡°Is that so? Then, let¡¯s settle it today!¡±

    By that time, she already could not hold back and abruptly turned around to grab Yang Jianfeng¡¯s cor. She was swifter than him, and in the next second a p came forth!

    Pa!

    Before Yang Jianfeng could react, a p came and then he felt a sharp pain on his shin! The loud and clear sound broke the silence in the field and everything happened very quickly.

    Yang Jianfeng was stunned by the blow. When he finally reacted, he was furious.¡±B*tch! How dare you attack me!?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Back then, Xi Xinyi wanted you to use the ne to frame me, didn¡¯t she? And you even thought ofing onto me? With looks like yours, do you think that¡¯d work?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face was cold as ice. Both her hands quickly pushed Yang Jianfeng¡¯s shoulder down. She lifted her leg and viciously kicked him a few times angrily again. It hurt so much that Yang Jianfeng could not help but cry out in pain.

    ¡°Who do you think you are? Forget that you¡¯re ugly, you¡¯re so dumb too, a whole man used by a woman, getting yourself a lifelong deformity, now you¡¯re just miserable, if I were a useless toad like you, I would¡¯ve long ended my life, where do I find the dignity to be a man?¡±

    Xi Xiaye kicked him viciously a few times before she pushed Yang Jianfeng away. She looked down on him in disdain!

    Yang Jianfeng was immediately infuriated by her words. Propping himself up on the railing and looking at Xi Xiaye sinisterly, how could he hold back anymore? He pounced forward immediately and shouted, ¡°You b*tch! I¡¯m only like this because of you, you evil b*tch! It¡¯s your luck that I fancied you. Who do you think you are? If I knew that you were so hard to manage, I should¡¯ve used the drugs and kill you then and there! Let the sexy pictures of you make headlines on all the media!¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You finally admit your dirty and disgusting motives!¡± Xi Xiaye evaded him and said coldly.

    ¡°I just fancied a little of your good looks. Huh, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t yed around before, so why do you have to pretend? Han Yifeng¡¯s heart isn¡¯t with you. Given your little identity, are you a match for my cousin? Even an idiot wouldn¡¯t choose you. You¡¯re just like your father back then, so stupid that he gave up an instant boost in his career!¡±

    Yang Jianfeng¡¯s hands clenched into fists while his eyes were filled with viciousness and disdain.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t n to let go of this chance and want to help Xi Xinyi ruin me? Back then, Xi Xinyi sessfully made Han Yifeng dislike me and look down on me. Why does she have to push me to the edge before she¡¯s happy?¡± The corner of Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips curled up slightly as she asked coldly.

    ¡°Huh, obviously it¡¯s to make sure you can never make aeback! To make sure you¡¯ll never be able to enter the Han family! That¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll really feel assured. I¡¯ve told my cousin that¡¯s the only way you wouldn¡¯t be a threat to her!¡±

 Chapter 253 - Xiayes Merciless (2)

    <h4>Chapter 253: Xiaye¡¯s Merciless (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this point, Yang Jianfeng did not bother to hide anything. He was practically ruined after that incident anyway.

    For a very long time after that, he experienced significant contempt and mockery, and this was all thanks to Xi Xiaye who stood before him. If it were not for her, he would not have been in this sorry state today!

    Initially, he was not nning on letting go of Xi Xiaye, but Xi Xinyi...

    Under immense pressure, he could only endure all of this suffering by himself.

    ¡°Huh, indeed! Han Yifeng chose to dump you in the end, slut! This is karma! How dare you p me? I¡¯ll beat you to death this time!¡±

    Still strong and agile, Yang Jianfeng pounced like an enraged beast once again. Xi Xiaye quickly backed down two steps, but she still suffered two punches from him. Her arm throbbed with pain, yet she sneered as if she had things her way.

    At this moment, when Detective Zhang and the rest saw that things were going downhill, they walked up to calm the situation.

    ¡°Mr. Yang, please don¡¯t act on impulse. That won¡¯t solve anything. I hope that you can exin everything from years ago. We already have enough evidence in our hands. If this goes to court, at least...¡±

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t fool me! It was exactly like that years ago. She wanted to steal something and I found out about it. Because she couldn¡¯t seduce me, she was angered and blinded me. Her father had all the power to help her cover it up. This b*tch then went abroad without needing to suffer any legal repercussions! That¡¯s the truth!¡±

    Yang Jianfeng sneered cruelly while he looked at Xi Xiaye with eyes that were filled with dense hatred as if he was anticipating a good show. ¡°While I have fallen to this miserable state because of her! Say, don¡¯t you think she should bepensating me with a little something?¡±

    ¡°One million! Xi Xiaye, if you don¡¯t give me a million dors today, wait for me to sue you in court! Don¡¯t think that just because your father could protect you back then, you can continue getting away with it. I¡¯ll show proof of my disability...¡±

    ¡°Then, go ahead and do it. What a coincidence! I want to clear the air about this matter too. Going through the court¡¯s judgment seems to be a pretty brilliant idea!¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not wait for him to finish. She already pulled out a few pieces of paper from her pocket and showed them to him. ¡°This is the receipt that I managed to find for that diamond ne years ago. A diamond ne worth almost more than $700,000? Just with your meager sry from the military academy, how could you have afforded such a ne for your wife? How shocking!

    ¡°This is evidence of your ie in the past few years, and this is a background check on your family from those years ago. Here¡¯s evidence of Xi Xinyi¡¯s friends banking money into your ount after that incident.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smirked, her rose-bud lips curving with disdain. ¡°You can sue me, I¡¯ll also show the court this evidence. You want a million? I haven¡¯t demandedpensation for my psychological trauma!¡±

    Yang Jianfeng grabbed the documents to have a closer look. His expression instantly changed and he was about to explode with fury when Xi Xiaye turned away. Her unforgiving voice said, ¡°I¡¯ve been burdened and tainted with these for no reason all these years. If I had a choice, I don¡¯t n on both sides suffering. If I hadn¡¯t realized it back then and had fallen into your trap as the both of you intended, wouldn¡¯t I have been ruined by the both of you today?¡±

    As she said this, she suddenly turned around to re coldly at Yang Jianfeng. ¡°Xi Xinyi racked her brains to go against me, so I definitely won¡¯t just leave things at that. I¡¯ll get back at her so bad that she begs on her knees for forgiveness!¡±

    ¡°You! You...¡±

    ¡°Detective Zhang, thank you for your hard work. Let him go. I¡¯ll be waiting for the letter from hiswyer!¡±

    ...

    In the meantime, right behind Xi Xiaye¡¯s parked car, a ck car slowly stopped by the side.

    The car door opened and a tall and handsome Mu Yuchen got down from the car.

    Ah Mo, who had been waiting by the car for a long time, quickly walked up to Mu Yuchen the moment he saw him. Facing the figures by the field, he exined, ¡°Master, look! Missus is right there! That person is Yang Jianfeng. The one wearing the shades is Detective Zhang, the private detective that Missus hired.¡±

    Mu Yuchen steadied his steps and looked up slowly following Ah Mo¡¯s gaze. Indeed, he saw the figures ahead. His expression was calm while his eyes looked like he was contemting something. When he saw Detective Zhang and the others leave, he thought about it, then picked up his pace and walked ahead.

    ¡°Do your work first. You don¡¯t have to follow me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Mo then turned to get into the car and quickly drove off.

    On Xi Xiaye¡¯s end, as she watched Detective Zhang and everyone else gradually leave, she abruptly retrieved her gaze. Then, she turned and gazed up at the streetmp beside her.

    There was a handphone fastened to the top of themp post.

    She smiled coldly and walked over. Just as she was about to step on the railing to get her phone from themp post, a long hand grabbed the phone a step ahead of her.

    In shock, she tried to grab it back as a reflex and fell forward!

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    A deep voice growled and a pair of strong arms steadied her.

    When she saw him, the darkness in her eyes faded slowly. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not that dumb. You knew to use this?¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped the recording in his hand and yed the video. A smile of admiration was stered across his handsome face. He could not help but say, ¡°But if you publicize this, your image...¡±

    ¡°My image is long gone. I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±

    She sighed a little sadly and turned around to lean against the railing as she looked down at the dark green field below. She said softly, ¡°Detective Zhang couldn¡¯t find any conclusive evidence, so this is all I could do.¡±

    Mu Yuchen studied her before suddenly handing the phone to her. ¡°Who says there isn¡¯t conclusive evidence?¡±

    ¡°Do you have a way?¡±

    She squinted her starry eyes and stared at him as she took her phone.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were filled with a faint light. Appearing sly and mysterious, when he noticed the way she was full of anticipation, the corner of his mouths slowly lifted. He lowered his head and chuckled. Just as he was about to say something, a piece of newspaper on the ground greeted his sight.

    His face suddenly sank. Gloom shed in his eyes as he looked up at her. ¡°So, you found out about it.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard him, she took a look at the newspaper that she had tossed to the ground and said indifferently, ¡°I told you she wouldn¡¯t let go of me so easily.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I still need to get this!¡± Xi Xiaye waved the phone in her hand as a bitter smile shed across her face. ¡°Did she think that she¡¯d be safe by marrying into the Han family as she wished?¡±

 Chapter 254 - Ill Protect You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 254: I¡¯ll Protect You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The cold breeze continued to brush past them, making the hem of their clothes flutter. She breathed in slightly and closed her eyes, then she opened them again. Gazing down calmly at the green fields, her clear eyes suddenly became a little dazed. A smile blossomed on her elegant face and she looked a little lonely.

    ¡°It¡¯s been more than 10 years. Every time I recall these things, I feel like I¡¯ve been cursed. You don¡¯t know how inexperienced I was back then and had to face all of this, powerless. The kind of helplessness I felt almost made me fall apart. I even thought of jumping off the top of the military academy just to prove my innocence...¡±

    When she said this, she suddenly looked at him, her eyes holding a gloomy and hopeless light. ¡°But I told myself I couldn¡¯t die. If I died, wouldn¡¯t she get away with it then? What would my mother do? I even thought of all sorts of extreme ways back then...

    ¡°Who says that caring less would grant me happiness? I don¡¯t know why she hates me so much. She¡¯s not content with taking everything away from me by scheming. She even wants to push me off the edge. If it were because she was unhappy due to her identity as an illegitimate daughter from before, what about my mother? Aren¡¯t we wronged and innocent? Yet, she still...¡± The sound of her cough interrupted her monologue.

    The crisp breeze poured in and dried her throat, so she could not help but start coughing. Her emotional tone weakened and her body subconsciously trembled lightly.

    He quickly reached out to steady her while her hand that gripped onto the railing subconsciously tightened too. ¡°He was usually someone who was easy to talk to. He received tons of love and respect from the students. That afternoon, the school was on holiday. He knew that I didn¡¯t usually like going out on holidays, so he made me get some documents from his private living quarters outside to distribute to my ssmates. At the same time, I had to send over the details filled up by my ssmates from the week before...

    ¡°When I went over, it was just him alone. I took the documents and was about to leave. Then, he took a diamond ne out and asked me if I liked it. I said it looked pretty. After that, he said he wanted to gift it to me. He said that he had always admired and liked me. I immediately rejected him... Amidst the struggling, I...¡±

    She gasped in short breaths and closed her eyes slightly. The tips of her fingers were unusually pale as she clutched the railing as if in agony.

    It had been so many years, yet this was her first timepletely recalling this unbearable past of hers in front of someone else. She still could not control her emotions.

    ¡°Initially, I didn¡¯t want to remember all these things too. Those who live in resentment usually suffer. I just want to live more peacefully...¡±

    She touched the handphone in her pocket and inhaled deeply. A cold light shifted in her eyes. ¡°Say, why can¡¯t people just live a little more simply?¡±

    When she asked this, she nced up silently at him.

    His eyes darkened for a moment. Then, he reached out to put his arms around her frail shoulders, saying softly, ¡°Where did all this sorrowe from? Because everyone has different desires, they¡¯d want different things too. You have such pure thoughts like a silly girl. Others might not be like you.¡±

    She reached out and gently put her arms around his strong waist as she muttered, ¡°No, actually I¡¯m not that simple...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    He looked down puzzled at her, yet before he could react, he felt a sharp pinch on his waist!

    ¡°I told you to stop calling me silly. This is an insult to my IQ. Hmm!¡±

    She raised her brows to provoke him. Seeing the way he tried so hard to endure the pain, she suddenly could not help but giggle as she pranced away. The smile on her face was as magnificent as a rainbow.

    He lifted a hand to rub the part of his waist where she had painfully pinched him, yet he beamed and looked at her. As he watched her figure leave in the swaying wind, he stood unmoving for a long time.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home. It¡¯s going to rain soon!¡±

    She walked ahead for quite a bit, then she looked up to the misty sky and saw that it was starting to drizzle already, so she turned to him.

    When she saw that he was still silently standing there, she frowned and thought about it before she hurled out a hand to him.

    His calm face very quickly shed with a satisfied smile. Then, he picked up his pace and walked over.

    The slightly icy touch between their palms flowed into their bodies. In a heartbeat, she could feel a faint warmth instead: him.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, I want to ask if this thing really bes huge, would Father be implicated very badly? After all, he did actually...¡±

    She held onto his hand tightly and suddenly stopped walking to look up to ask. Her clear eyes faintly contained struggle and concern.

    ¡°What do you think? How would he be implicated?¡± He shot her a side look with interest.

    She shook her head honestly. After thinking about it, she then answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m ignorant about thew.¡±

    When he heard this, he immediately chuckled and said happily, ¡°That¡¯s one thing we both have inmon. I don¡¯t know about thew either. You can ask around. Even Mother can be upright and stubborn, but she¡¯s very sensible.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful brows immediately knotted tightly. Quite a while after that, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s best if you ask.¡±

    ¡°Are you a little afraid of Mother?¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly looked at her meaningfully.

    She was stunned for a moment, then she took a deep breath. ¡°Not that afraid. When I first met her, I felt like her presence was too strong and that it was quite stressful to talk to her, but now I think it¡¯s pretty peaceful and she¡¯s a great conversationalist.¡±

    ¡°As overwhelming as someone¡¯s aura might be, they¡¯re still just a little girl before their father. Don¡¯t you think so too? Mother is still pretty easy to talk to. Besides, they¡¯re all friends of many years, so they¡¯d know what to do.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her helplessly from the side. She was not worried about herself right now. Instead, she was worried about the others. When it came to these things, her EQ seemed to be able to instantly drop to negative.

    ¡°So, do you promise me then? To ask Mother about it?¡± Xi Xiaye squinted her eyes at him and asked softly.

    He looked at her from the side and did not answer.

    ¡°Say something.¡± She frowned and red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s just not convenient for me to speak up just in case Mother thinks I¡¯m trying to pull strings for myself. I¡¯m still trying hard to maintain this rtionship between grandmother and daughter-inw.¡±

    Mu Yuchen almost burst out withughter from herme excuse. ¡°How do you think Mother would react if she heard you say this?¡±

    However, just as Mu Yuchen said this, without waiting for Xi Xiaye¡¯s answer, the phone in his pocket finally buzzed. When he took it out, it was indeed from the Mu residence!

    His handsome brows raised, then he handed the phone to Xi Xiaye. Her expression stiffened, her neat brows frowned. She did not reach her hand out either.

 Chapter 255 - Ill Protect You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 255: I¡¯ll Protect You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Xiaye expected, it was Wang Hui who called. It was because of what appeared in the papers, and it seemed that things were much worse than she thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t particrly mean anything. Come back tonight. Tell my granddaughter-inw not to stress herself out. We¡¯ll face this together as a family!¡± Wang Hui¡¯s gentle voice reached them, warming Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll head back now.¡± Mu Yuchen then hung up and looked at the quiet Xi Xiaye. ¡°Let¡¯s go back now so they don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She nodded and did not say anything. Instead, she just let him drag her ahead.

    ...

    It was near evening when they reached the Mu Residence. Because it was drizzling outside, the air was humid.

    Dinner was already served, so the couple went straight to the dining table upon entering the house.

    Mu Yinan and Wang Hui were both around. However, Zhuang Shurong was on leave today while Mu Tangchuang had matters to attend to.

    ¡°Xiaye, we won¡¯t ask you what exactly happened. Your grandpa called us just now and told us about it. You really are a silly girl. We¡¯ve discussed it and have decided to do a thorough investigation. Otherwise, your father might face a hard time.¡±

    Wang Hui studied Xi Xiaye preciously.

    How could she believe that a strong-willed woman like Xi Xiaye would do something like that? It was obvious that she was framed!

    Moreover, judging from the fact that she was the future heiress to Fuhua Properties was enough to shut everyone up. However, Shen Yue¡¯s made an odd decision to publicize her identity as his granddaughter only after her 28th birthday, and it was exactly because of this that Shen Wenna...

    With Shen Wenna¡¯s pride as well as her undying love for Xi Mushan, she would never talk about that which eventually caused the tragedy after that.

    Shen Yue had also been brooding over this matter, which was why he did not want to talk about it either.

    Wang Hui truly understood the reason behind Shen Yue¡¯s actions. An experienced businessman like Shen Yue had seen too many kinds of people. He just wanted to protect his children regardless of whether his actions were right or wrong. It was obvious that he did not really care much about a person¡¯s family background; he preferred a man that would treat his granddaughter well.

    Precisely because of this, Wang Hui investigated more about Xi Xiaye after knowing about her. The findings were satisfactory. She had always longed for a strong, kind, and positive girl as her grandson¡¯s partner.

    ¡°I heard that this matter has caused quite a negative effect, especially on your father. If it isn¡¯t handled properly, there might be an investigation into him. Recently, they¡¯ve been pretty strict on governors¡¯ behavior. Your father was already pretty stressed out because of the orphanage issue, and now...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong paused, her eyes showing concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t be a big issue if we¡¯re able to find out the truth. It¡¯s just that on your father¡¯s end...¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood what Zhuang Shurong was trying to say. No matter what the end results were, her father Xi Mushan would still be affected one way or another, especially if she and Xi Xinyi were exposed. Including Shen Wenna and Yue Lingsi, it would cause a massive chain reaction! Throw Shen Yue and the current Mu family into the equation and things would be chaotic!

    Xi Xiaye felt heavy inside. Suddenly, she had no idea what to reply.

    Suddenly, the quiet Mu Yuchen spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You guys don¡¯t have to do anything. Things will be clear soon enough. Let¡¯s just be as low-profile as possible and not overdo it. We¡¯ll just exin what happened to them. Ah Mo will be sending the documents to the court in a few days. After things are made clear, I¡¯ll request for a public apology from the people who handled this case in the military academy back then as well as demand punishment for the perpetrator.¡±

    As he put his chopsticks down and grabbed a napkin to gracefully wipe his mouth, he grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone and stood up slowly. ¡°I¡¯m done. You guys enjoy.¡±

    He then left the dining table swiftly after saying those words.

    Zhuang Shurong and Wang Hui seemed a little gloomy when they saw Mu Yuchen left to sit on the sofa as if they remembered something from the past. Their eyes seemedplicated and they traded nces with each other before continuing with their meal in silence.

    While Xi Xiaye was curious, she did not ask anything.

    At almost 11 p.m., they went back to Maple Residence.

    After a shower, she handed an envelope to him with her half-dried hair. ¡°I¡¯ll give you these documents. I don¡¯t think I can handle them.¡±

    He looked up and nced at her before taking the envelope. When he opened it, he saw that it was full of evidence gathered by Detective Zhang.

    He slipped it back in and wrapped his arm around her slender waist, pulling her down on hisp. ¡°Leave this matter to me in the future. Are you worried about me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed as she closed her eyes, ¡°No...¡±

    ¡°Then, why?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you to know about these... I kind of feel like... I¡¯m disgraceful...¡± Her voice was no louder than a whisper.

    He took a deep breath and hugged her tightly. ¡°Who cares? You¡¯re mine. I¡¯ll protect you. So many people want this, yet you¡¯re not appreciating it.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll let you handle this matter then?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    She hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t trouble Father and Mother. I just want to remove the stains on me...¡±

    No matter what, she could not just leave Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan alone. There was not much that she could hold onto anyway and she was afraid that she would have nothing left if she lost anymore.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯d be best if we can take Xi Xinyi down, but it seems like there isn¡¯t enough evidence. And the Yue family... about Han Yifeng and her...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a good idea if we give these to them as their wedding gift? Also, I¡¯m putting in so much effort for you. Can you not mention that person¡¯s name in front of me? Mmm!¡±

    He grumbled unhappily, but before he could finish his sentence, her cold, pink lips met his!

 Chapter 256 - Struggle (1)

    <h4>Chapter 256: Struggle (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The drizzle went on and shrouded the whole of City Z in a mist, putting everyone in a sullen mood.

    Inside a quiet vi in the outskirts.

    Xi Xinyi had moved into the vi ever since she was discharged from the hospital. It had been some time since then. Yue Lingsi and the Hans would visit often, but Han Yifeng never appeared there. His phone was almost always switched off. She wanted to look for him at the Han Corporation, but she was worried about getting caught by reporters. In the end, she could not do anything but coup herself up inside the vi.

    Today, she thought she would be passing another boring day all by herself. Unexpectedly, Huang Ziyao and Yue Lingsi went over in the afternoon with a marriage contract!

    ¡°Xinyi, sign this. I¡¯ve talked to Yifeng about it. We¡¯ll take it to thepany for him to sign after you do. Then, you two will be an official pair after we send this to the Civil Affairs Bureau. The elder and the others wille over tonight to celebrate your marriage.¡±

    Huang Ziyao handed the contract to Xi Xinyi as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve ordered the servants to prepare dinner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xinyi. Sign it quickly. We¡¯ll then send it to Yifeng. Hurry, we might not make it before the Civil Affairs Bureau gets off work!¡±

    Yue Lingsi gleefully grabbed the contract from Huang Ziyao and presented it to Xi Xinyi who was startled for a moment before she came back to her senses and quickly signed it.

    ¡°Great! I¡¯ve been looking forward to this day! Your grandfather asked me about your marriage with Yifeng several days ago. I gave it some thought and decided to bring your grandparents over as well, so we can celebrate together.¡±

    Yue Lingsi took the document back from Yue Lingsi and gave to Huang Ziyao who epted it with a mixed expression on her face.

    ¡°Mother, will Yifeng being tonight? The baby and I miss him... Is he still angry with me? He never picks up my call...¡±

    Xi Xinyi watched Huang Ziyao carefully with a pair of eyes full of anticipation. Her beautiful facecked the paleness she had before, and she now seemed much better.

    ¡°He¡¯s been busy with Yueying¡¯s matters. Please understand Yifeng. Everyone is exhausted. It¡¯s really not easy for him to hold the fort down,¡± answered Yue Lingsi.

    Han Yifeng respected the decision of Huang Ziyao and the others. In fact, he was handling Yueying on behalf of Xi Xinyi, and it was not easy for him to keep thepany running.

    Han Yifeng still had a trick or two up his sleeves. He took back several movies that were previously canceled back as well as some huge advertisements. Besides that, he swapped Xi Xinyi out and delivered a public apology on behalf of her. On the other hand, he also managed to keep their biggest investor Qikai. With all his hard work, he barely kept Yueling alive.

    During this period, as the secondrgest stakeholder, Xi Xiaye never appeared. Everything was handled by the Vice President of Glory World, Liu Lingyu. In addition to that, Glory World put in a lot of effort as well. They removed Xi Xinyi and selected another artiste as the new ambassador for Imperial Sky Jewellery City with many stakeholders in favor of the decision.

    Xi Xinyi bit her lip when she heard Yue Lingsi. She then replied, ¡°I got it. I¡¯m sorry, Mother. Things must¡¯ve been tough. I¡¯ll make sure to correct my own mistakes and do my best to be Yifeng¡¯s best aide!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were filled with confidence when she spoke. Having graduated as a business major back in university, she had also been learning a lot about business after shadowing Han Yifeng around for the past few years.

    She believed that she would not be any worse even after she left the entertainment industry, definitely no lesser than Xi Xiaye anyway. She had never lost to Xi Xiaye in anything ever since they were children. Whether it was studies or rtionships with others, she had always been way, way ahead of Xi Xiaye.

    After doing some thinking on her own, she decided she would quit her acting career and pick up her business management knowledge again. She wanted to be Han Yifeng¡¯s best aide so that she could win his heart again.

    If she could take him away from Xi Xiaye many years ago, she could make Han Yifeng let go of this negative rut and ept her again now. After all, they still had feelings for each other, did they not?

    It was slightly past lunch time when Huang Ziyao got someone to deliver the marriage contract to the Han Corporation. Secretary Wang knocked on the door moments after Han Yifeng sat in his chair.

    ¡°CEO Han, Madam sent this over. Ms. Xinyi has signed it. Madam wants you to sign it as soon as possible so that I can submit it to the Civil Affairs Bureau today.¡±

    Secretary Wangy the document open right before Han Yifeng.

    A marriage contract...

    Han Yifeng narrowed his eyes and then nced at Secretary Wang coldly. His gaze then stopped on the document right in front of him. He was suddenly reminded about what Huang Ziyao had spoken to him about before.

    ¡°CEO Han, Madam asked the elder to have dinner at the vi in the south tonight. CEO Deng and the others will be going as well. They¡¯ll all be there to celebrate your marriage with Ms. Xinyi, so...¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s head felt heavy as he kept on listening. Before taking the document, he took a deep breath.

    After a while, Han Yifeng said quietly, ¡°How¡¯s the thing I asked you about going?¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, we can¡¯t check the DNA for now, but I¡¯ve checked Ms. Xinyi¡¯s whereabouts during that period of time. Ms. Xinyi is really... I¡¯m sure you know it best, CEO Han. Ms. Xinyi has been very pale in the past few days. It¡¯s pretty obvious that she cares about you, CEO Han,¡± Secretary Wang said carefully.

    Han Yifeng pinched the space between his eyebrows, feeling immensely exhausted. He put the document away. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this in the future.¡±

    ¡°But what should we do about the dinner tonight?¡± Secretary Wang looked at Han Yifeng hesitantly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head over after I¡¯m done with work. You should pay Qikai a visit. The proposal for the South River project needs to be submitted soon. Hand these to Vice President Qi, and say that Yueying has decided to swap Xinyi out.¡± Han Yifeng handed Secretary Wang a set of documents impatiently.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Han!¡± Secretary Wang did not want to stay any further as he noticed that Han Yifeng did not seem pleased. Taking the document, he quickly turned around just as he was about to leave, but Han Yifeng suddenly called out to him, ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°CEO Han?¡±

    ¡°Have you investigated Xiaye¡¯s news on the Economy Times? Who released them?¡± Han Yifeng suddenly demanded.

 Chapter 257 - Struggle (2)

    <h4>Chapter 257: Struggle (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because the issue caused such a huge ruckus, naturally Han Yifeng followed it closely too.

    Back then, not many people knew about the incident. Had it been someone without malicious intentions, they would not have dug this matter up. When he made Secretary Wang investigate this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s face had actually been shing through his mind from time to time.

    He remembered that back then, Xi Xiaye had also tried very hard to exin to him, but he had merely responded with silence. He could not exin how he felt then. He did not know whether he should believe her or not!

    However, now, if he was asked whether Xi Xiaye would do such a thing, he would definitely say frankly that she would not!

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, CEO Han. We haven¡¯t found out for now. The people at the Economy Times aren¡¯t willing to reveal anything. This matter has already been suppressed by Chairman Mu, while this incident has also affected Mayor Xi, so I didn¡¯t dare ask too much,¡± Secretary Wang answered softly, studying the brooding Han Yifeng. He could not help but say again, ¡°CEO Han, I¡¯m not sure if I should inform you about something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Han Yifeng asked gruffly.

    ¡°Miss Xinyi has been asking me to get her books on management these past few days. She says she wants to start fresh and return to your side with a new identity. She¡¯s decided to quit the showbiz industry and will let you manage Yueying. She wants to be your helpful assistant just like Chairman Mu and Miss Xiaye.

    ¡°She cried and begged me that she didn¡¯t want anything. She just hopes that you can give her one more chance. CEO Han, forgive me for speaking up. Actually, I can tell that Miss Xinyi really loves you. If she can really changes for you this time, maybe you should give her a chance. After all, it¡¯s very hard to meet someone that matches you in this world. All these years, haven¡¯t you been living happily with Miss Xinyi, CEO Han?¡±

    Secretary Wang could not bear to see Xi Xinyi so weak and pitiful. After he thought about it, he decided to say a few kind words in the end.

    When he heard this, Han Yifeng was stunned too.

    Indeed, these past few years they <i>had </i> been living happily together, and he was contented too, so why was it that everything had changed once they returned?

    <i>¡®What I want is very simple. If he can treat me well, I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®We¡¯re back to our starting point now. Now, we can leave each other alone. I don¡¯t want to look back at our past anymore.¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®Just like how you wanted me to let go of you and Xi Xinyi... You told me yourself that your love for Xi Xinyi is true love...¡¯</i>

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s every word suddenly seemed to harshly knock on his heart like a heavy mallet. He could not help but feel a numbing pain as his head was filled with her condescending and mocking gaze at the South River that day.

    True love?

    ...

    As if the air all around him was instantly sucked away, he suddenly felt a little suffocated. A while after that, he waved his hand for Secretary Wang to leave.

    Secretary Wang then retreated quietly.

    ...

    Inside the Chairman¡¯s office of Glory World Corporation.

    When he received Ah Mo¡¯s call, Mu Yuchen was sitting leisurely on the recliner under the book shelf, he was flipping through a book, his fingers even casually had half a cigarette.

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve finished arranging the information. This time, we can definitely make Yang Jianfeng pay the price and return Missus her innocence!¡±

    Mu Yuchen had always felt assured by Ah Mo¡¯s work. As someone who shadowed him by his side, Ah Mo¡¯s capabilities were ster.

    As he listened, Mu Yuchen¡¯s still eyes turned slightly cold. He casually released a puff of smoke and said calmly, ¡°Just send it straight to the court. I¡¯ve already handled it over there.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Mo answered in a low voice, ¡°Right, Master, I have news.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I heard that Han Yifeng¡¯s mother, Huang Ziyao, has already made Xi Xinyi sign the marriage contract, and then it was sent straight the Han Corporation for Han Yifeng to sign in the afternoon. However, Han Yifeng seems to be hesitating...¡±

    ¡°Hesitating? Why¡¯s he hesitating?¡±

    The corner of Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips curled up with disdain, yet his eyes were gloomy. ¡°Find a way to make him sign it. Does he have no right to stay out of this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master, I¡¯ll get it done. Now that he¡¯s temporarily handling Yueying, I¡¯m worried that on Missus¡¯ end...¡±

    ¡°I already knew that they¡¯d do that. Your sis-inw isn¡¯t managing Yueying now. She¡¯s only handling the South River matters.¡±

    ¡°Master, you are wise.¡± Ah Mo could not help but smile. No wonder he had given all the South River project work to Missus, allowing her no time for other things. In fact, when Vice President Liu wanted her to go to Yueying, Master had rejected without hesitation. He was too obvious.

    He did not want to let the Missus and Han Yifeng have any chance of bumping into each other!

    Now, he was even...

    Really going to let Han Yifeng get married to Xi Xinyi?

    ¡°Master, wouldn¡¯t this be too convenient for Xi Xinyi?¡±

    ¡°Convenient?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smirked, calmly extinguishing the cigarette in his hand. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t get married, how can I send out the gift I prepared?¡±

    ¡°I want to take over the entire Yueying and give it to your sis-inw as dowry, and not an empty rack. Han Yifeng¡¯s pretty capable, so I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how he recovers Yueying. That¡¯ll save us a lot of effort too.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Ah Mo already understood the meaning behind his words. He then grinned. ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯ll find a way to make him sign it.¡±

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye brought the documents over, Mu Yuchen had just hung up on the call with Ah Mo. His face was still infected with a smile and he looked a little mysterious.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Smiling so evilly?¡±

    Xi Xiaye squinted and looked at him with her in eyes. She handed the documents over. ¡°This is all the material about Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Take a look. If there¡¯re no problems, then sign it for me.¡±

    He stopped smiling and reached out to take it. Flipping the document open, he said, ¡°Missus, do you have any particr prejudice against me recently? Do I look like the kind of person who¡¯d smile evilly?¡±

    She shot him a side look and handed him a pen. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    He took the pen and then swiftly penned down his exuberant signature. Then, he closed it and handed it back to her. ¡°Leave work earlier this evening. Send the document back and then pack up. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs.¡±

    She nced seriously at the signature, then asked casually, ¡°What are we doing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Su Chen¡¯s birthday. He¡¯s booked a private room at Imperial Sky. You should change before we go,¡± he said as he examined her uptight work outfit.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a birthday party, is it?¡± Xi Xiaye closed the document and asked calmly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a gathering among a few buddies.¡±

    ¡°Family is allowed for a buddies¡¯ gathering? Hmm, Su Chen is quite reasonable. Fine, I got it. I¡¯ll go downstairs first,¡± Xi Xiaye said with a smile. Before he could reply, she had already turned to leave the office.

 Chapter 258 - Choice (1)

    <h4>Chapter 258: Choice (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo were not the kind of people who liked crowds. During birthdays, they would just gather around and drink together.

    They were having fun when Mu Yuchen brought Xi Xiaye into the room.

    Not many people were inside; there were only seven of them including Su Chen.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for ages. Didn¡¯t I ask you toe earlier?¡± Su Chen went up to them as they came in.

    Mu Yuchen halted his steps and nced at Xi Xiaye behind him. She quickly presented the gift in her hand as she responded apologetically, ¡°We werete because we rushed to buy some stuff. Happy birthday!¡±

    ¡°Since when do you do things like this? I¡¯d be happier if you transferred a good amount into my ount. But seriously, when was thest time you gave me a gift? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not your idea!¡± Su Chen epted the gift from Xi Xiaye with a grin. ¡°Thanks, Xiaye!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Come and sit. Everyone¡¯s been waiting. Take a look at the menu and order anything you like. It¡¯s gonna be a fabulous night!¡±

    Su Chen seemed delighted as he waved his hand to the waiter to serve them wine. Everyone then raised their sses in unison.

    They sat down after a round of toast.

    ¡°Is your wife alright? I heard about some news and looked around for a bit. Things seemplicated, but I never believed that Xiaye would do something like that,¡± Su Chen said quietly after he sat down close to Mu Yuchen. ncing at Xi Xiaye who was sipping her wine, he noticed that she was still her cool usual self. Two other girls went up to talk to her and she gave them a warm smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Someone¡¯s just messing with her,¡± Mu Yuchen replied straightforwardly.

    ¡°Who exactly wants to mess with her? Matters like this aren¡¯t a joke! What the heck!?¡± Su Chen¡¯s eyes turned icy.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be over soon. Just wait and see.¡±

    ¡°Same old thing. Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can help with.¡± Su Chen did not press on the matter. He nced at Mu Yuchen and they had another drink again.

    The men started smoking and ying cards together while the girls sang karaoke. From time to time, Xi Xiaye nced at Mu Yuchen who was focused on the cards. After a while, her phone started ringing. It was a call from the Shen Residence.

    She frowned a little before she stood up and went outside.

    It was Shen Yue calling. He was mainly concerned about the same matter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯m alright. Mu Yuchen said he¡¯ll take care of it, so things will be okay.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, since things havee down to this, take better care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I got it, Grandpa. Rest earlier. I¡¯ll visit you soon.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath after hanging up on the call. She grabbed the cold railing with one hand and held her phone tightly with the other.

    Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps behind her, and the whiff of cologne surrounded her. Before Xi Xiaye could turn around, that person¡¯s nefarious voice reached her ears. ¡°Long time no see. Nice to see you, Ms. Xiaye!¡±

    With a deep frown, she turned around to the voice calling out to her. It was Qi Lei!

    Armed with a wicked smile on his handsome face, a light shed through his eyes as he stared straight at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Vice President Qi! Nice to see you.¡± After a while, Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and looked at him on alert. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been working hard for Yueying recently. The person who asked you for help must be a big shot.¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, look at your tone of voice... I did help you out after all. If youe to me, I might help you out again. I¡¯ve always admired you, Ms. Xiaye.¡±

    Qi Lei put on his creepy smile and teased her, ¡°However, I think you¡¯re even more of a big shot here., Mu Yuchen actually sent you to Yueying. I can see that he thinks highly of you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him coldly before she went on her way.

    Before Xi Xiaye could walk past him, Qi Lei¡¯s voice echoed in her ears. ¡°But it seems that the newstely hasn¡¯t been very favorable for you, Ms. Xiaye...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped and squinted suspiciously at him. ¡°What now? Are you trying to tell me that you helped Xi Xinyi do that?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Ms. Xiaye! Do I look like I¡¯d do that?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged and looked at Xi Xiaye innocently, relishing in Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold and strained expression. ¡°Xi Xinyi isn¡¯t really my type, so I don¡¯t care about her, but she did look for me several times. Do you want to know what she told me?¡± Qi Lei spoke seductively.

    ¡°If I want to know, would you just tell me obediently?¡±

    Xi Xiaye just smiled wryly although she did not feel like talking to him anymore. ¡°I know that Qikai is aiming for the South River project as well, but Glory World will fight hard for it. I¡¯m looking forward to our next meeting. Goodbye, Vice President Qi.¡±

    ¡°If you tell me, I might consider telling you about it. As for the South River project, Qikai is definitely getting it. I¡¯m afraid Glory World stands no chance.¡±

    A tint of cruelty shed in his eyes when he spoke in a determined tone and he gave Xi Xiaye a meaningful smile.

    ¡°Really?¡± Xi Xiaye narrowed her eyes and gazed back at him with a confident smile. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll wait and see then.¡±

    ¡°Is there no one else in Glory World? How could Mu Yuchen have handed such a huge project to a woman?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was cold, his eyes darkening slightly.

    Xi Xiaye was boiling mad about Qi Lei¡¯s remark, so sheunched an attack back at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with letting a woman handle it? Vice President Qi, you seem to be belittling women. Were you not born from your mother? Isn¡¯t your mother a woman too?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression suddenly changed and his features hardened.

    She looked away and continued on her way, her slender figure going further and further away.

    Qi Lei turned around and looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s back. An odd smile soon appeared on his face.

    <i>What a cheeky and interesting little woman!</i>

 Chapter 259 - Choice (2)

    <h4>Chapter 259: Choice (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The dinner turned into an unhappy event because Han Yifeng did not sign the contract on time. It was already 7 p.m. when Han Yifeng arrived and everyone had been waiting for a while at the dining table.

    Xi Jiyang and Deng Wenwen went over, but Xi Mushan was busy, so he was absent.

    The dinner did not go well. As a result, the Yue family left angrily soon after dinner. Upon seeing their reaction, Elder Han was enraged as well and he swiftly left after that too.

    ¡°Yifeng, didn¡¯t we talk about it already? Why aren¡¯t you signing it now?¡±

    On the staircase outside of the vi, Huang Ziyao who was on her way back could not hold back her curiosity and asked Han Yifeng, concern in her eyes, ¡°Be honest with me. Are you doubting the legitimacy of the child? I saw Secretary Wang going to visit a doctor the other day. I could feel that something wasn¡¯t right in addition to the chaos recently... but Xinyi insists that it¡¯s yours...¡±

    Han Yifeng took a deep breath and looked at Huang Ziyao, his cold face softening slightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. That¡¯s my child, but things are a bitplicated between Xinyi and I. There¡¯re a lot of things I need to consider. Mother, please give me some time. I hope I can have a marriage like yours and father¡¯s... a one-and-only kind of marriage.¡±

    Huang Ziyao was stunned for a moment. After giving it some thought, she nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re exhausted by all the things happeningtely. Sigh, was I wrong to support you and Xinyi back then? Now that I think about it, Xiaye might have suited you better. Plus, your grandfather likes Xiaye more. He cares a lot about reputation. If it weren¡¯t for the incident in the military school, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed so quickly. Well, since you¡¯re sure the child inside Xinyi is yours, then you have to bear the responsibility.¡±

    Huang Ziyao sounded a little depressed. She stopped when she saw Han Yifeng not being very pleased. ¡°No matter what, the Han family needs to be responsible. Moreover, the Han family doesn¡¯t have many descendants. Do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother, I understand.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, think hard about it then, I¡¯ll head back now. I¡¯ve left several servants here to help, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Huang Ziyao then turned around and went back.

    Han Yifeng watched her figure disappear in the dark. He was staring out nkly with aplex expression on his face until Xi Xinyi called out to him from behind, ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    Han Yifeng swiveled to see Xi Xinyi in a loose white dress. She was about five steps away from him, and the cold wind blew her dress as her tiny frame stood there, making her seem so frail.

    Under the dim light, he saw her familiar face once again, realizing that she looked haggard.

    She stood there quietly as she caressed her still t stomach. She bit her lip and seemed hesitant to speak as Han Yifeng¡¯s quiet eyes lookedplicated. He gave it some thought but he was not sure what to say.

    As if trying to prove something, Xi Xinyi stepped forward and grabbed Han Yifeng¡¯s hand. She clutched him tightly as she exined, ¡°I know my ways have hurt Xiaye, and it made you fed up as well, but I just want to beg you for a chance. I¡¯m willing to stand beside you anew. I¡¯m sorry, Yifeng... I love you too much. I¡¯ve been in love with you for over a decade and we¡¯ve shared numerous pleasant memories together. Are they not enough to touch your heart? Let the past stay in the past. I¡¯ll change in the future. I will!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it a lot in the past few days. Sister is just amazing. Although she always seemed cold, distant, and stubborn, once you¡¯re attracted to her, it¡¯ll be very difficult to pull yourself away. Yifeng, I¡¯m a woman. I understand a woman¡¯s charm well, just like how Father has been missing Aunt Shen all these years. Everyone thinks that Father and Mother are a couple with mutual respect, but I know very well that he never once forgot about Aunt Shen... and Sister is so simr to her...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s tone sounded frail and hurt. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that one day, you¡¯ll be like Father and only set your eyes on Sister. If you leave me, I¡¯ll surely break down, so I...¡±

    Her beautiful face darkened as she apologized to Han Yifeng genuinely.

    Han Yifeng was startled after listening to Xi Xinyi¡¯s words. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them and said, ¡°Go back in now. Your body isn¡¯t very well.¡±

    He then started walking back into the vi slowly.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s strained body softened when she noticed his calm expression. She released her clenched fists and grabbed onto Han Yifeng¡¯s arm.

    ...

    It was alreadyte night when they left Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.

    ¡°Zimo, let Su Chen stay over at your ce tonight. He¡¯s drunk a lot. Send me a text when you get home.¡± Mu Yuchen tugged Xi Xiaye with one hand, while he handed Su Chen¡¯s jacket to Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo grabbed the jacket as he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You guys should head back now too. It¡¯ste!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and went to the car with Xi Xiaye, waving to them.

    ¡°Give me the car keys,¡± Xi Xiaye said as they arrived at the car. Her hand went straight into his shirt pocket, and she soon found the car keys and unlocked the car.

    ¡°Are you really going to the racecourse with them tomorrow?¡± She asked as she was putting on the seatbelt.

    ¡°Mmm, Zimo wanted to talk about something. I¡¯m just taking this chance to go take a look there.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go with you then. I need to go back to the Shen Residence. Grandpa and Mother are quite worried about me. Can you help me ask your mother how¡¯s the situation with my father?¡±

    ¡°What are you worried about? We can apply for a private trial. They¡¯ll consider it and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath before nodding. ¡°We¡¯ll see then.¡±

    She was thinking whether she should tell him about meeting Qi Lei, but a shback suddenly went through her mind. In the end, she did not mention it.

 Chapter 260 - Choice (3)

    <h4>Chapter 260: Choice (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Yifeng wanted to have a few peaceful days to reevaluate his feelings for Xi Xinyi. He wanted to think things through on his own. However, it seemed that he did not have the chance to.

    When he arrived at his office early in the morning, Secretary Wang came up to him with some newspapers in his hand.

    ¡°CEO Han, things are bad. Look at this!¡± Secretary Wang quickly handed the newspapers to Han Yifeng who frowned as he took the papers and had a closer look.

    It was filled with the news of Xi Xinyi¡¯s pregnancy. The articles also assumed Han Yifeng was the father. They even wrote that Han Yifeng might abandon her. All kinds of conspiracies were examined by the articles!

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression darkened as his grip on the papers tightened. He suddenly raised his head and told Secretary Wang in a cold tone, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, I just found out about it myself. I¡¯m trying to suppress these negative news, but if... The Han Corporation and Yueying might be in trouble again.¡±

    Han Yifeng understood what Secretary Wang meant very well. The stock of the Han Corporation had finally stabilized, and Yueying was on the path to recovery. With this round of newsing out now, there would be another spate of chaos waiting to happen.

    ¡°What should we do, CEO Han?¡± Secretary Wang asked anxiously.

    Han Yifeng tensed up as he pinched the space between his eyebrows before asking, ¡°Can we find out who¡¯s behind this?¡±

    ¡°The Han Corporation has been growing rapidly in recent years. Plus, we¡¯ve made quite some enemies, so it¡¯s not easy to find out who did this,¡± Secretary Wang said in a worried tone, ¡°CEO Han, we shoulde up with a solution now before things get worse. Otherwise, it might develop into something like the orphanage matterst time!¡±

    Han Yifeng leaned against the backrest of the chair as he switched on theputer and surfed online.

    His face was strained. After that, he suddenly took a deep breath. His eyes seemed broody and hesitant. Then, he opened the drawer beside him and took the marriage contract out to flip through.

    He scanned each and every word slowly, his eyes in torment and his hands trembled. After mustering enough courage, he picked a pen up and swiftly signed his name before giving it to Secretary Wang.

    ¡°Send it to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and announce to the public that I¡¯m married to Xinyi already. I suppose this can mp things down.¡±

    Secretary Wang epted the contract from Han Yifeng and stared at him in shock. ¡°CEO Han, I hope you know that once this matter goes public, Ms. Xinyi and you...¡±

    Han Yifeng closed his eyes with a depressed expression. ¡°Just go. We¡¯ve decided to get married anyway. With this deration, I won¡¯t be abandoning her...¡±

    True love...

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s slightly aloof, smiling face appeared in his mind instead whilst herugh echoed in his ears.

    Secretary Wang paused before he nced through the document and nodded. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll head over to the Civil Affairs Bureau right now. Should I inform Madam and the others to get together for dinner? Everyone wasn¡¯t really happy about what happened the other day. Well, they should be pleased about this,¡± Secretary Wang suggested.

    Han Yifeng inhaled deeply. ¡°Mmm, inform them. I¡¯m heading out this afternoon and will be back prettyte. Tell them to not wait for me.¡±

    ¡°CEO Han...¡±

    ¡°You can go now.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye went to the office early in the morning while Mu Yuchen went straight to Zhou Zimo¡¯s ce.

    In the evening, she received a call from the court and was told that her case was going to be on trial soon. Yang Jianfeng should have been notified as well.

    Xi Xiaye knew that Zhuang Shurong must have helped to expedite the process.

    She did not know what Mu Yuchen had done to suppress the news. She only saw trending news or news from the entertainment industry in the papers. Xi Xiaye was not really a famous person. With the exception of her rtionship with Glory World and Xi Mushan, she was pretty ordinary, so it was not really difficult to let things pass on its own. However, Xi Mushan might be facing a bit more trouble.

    Xi Xiaye was thinking about giving Xi Mushan a call after she hung up on the call from the court, but her phone starting ringing before she could punch the number in. It was Su Nan!

    ¡°Damn, Xiaye, have you seen the news? Big news! Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi are married! They got registered at the Civil Affairs Bureau today. It¡¯s all over the news now! Han Yifeng actually still decided to marry Xi Xinyi after her reputation fell to rock bottom. Now, everyone is praising Han Yifeng¡¯s generosity. Some even said that this is true love...¡± Su Nan let her mouth run wild as soon as the call was connected.

    Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi were married?

    She was startled for a moment when she heard the news. Secondster, she raised her eyebrows. So, they were really married! Did he not say he wanted to cancel their marriage contract?

    Was it because of the child? Or...

    ¡°Xiaye, do you know that Han Yifeng has now be a role model as a good man?! Damn, he¡¯s sure not worthy of it! He¡¯s the worst among the worst. Ugh, this is so frustrating! True love? And society epts this? I can¡¯t stand this!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s enraged voice was so loud that Xi Xiaye had to put a distance between her ear and the receiver.

    ¡°They were already preparing to get married anyway. Do you really need to be this angry? Be careful with your own baby.¡± Xi Xiayeughed.

    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot that I have a little thing inside my womb! My bad, I was just talking about prenatal education yesterday!¡± Su Nan realized that her emotions were going awry.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. So what if she¡¯s married? Aren¡¯t we married as well? You don¡¯t have to follow their news and trouble yourself anymore., I still have some documents to work on. Talk to you soon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head with a smile as she hung up on the call.

    ...

    At night, in a vi on the outskirts.

    Xi Xinyi felt revitalized when she found out that Han Yifeng had signed his name on the marriage contract. A blissful smile appeared on her pale face.

    Caressing the red marriage certificate she had received from Secretary Wang gave her a peace of mind.

 Chapter 261 - Pick Her Up From Work (1)

    <h4>Chapter 261: Pick Her Up From Work (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi, Huang Ziyao and the rest had been attending to things at the vi since the afternoon. They remembered how everyone was so unhappy from thest time, so this time, they nned to make it grander. Firstly, to celebrate and secondly, to convey an apology.

    The crowd seemed to be pretty delighted. Even Deng Wenwen who had been down for the past few days was exceptionally happy. She was chatting away with Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Xin Er, I won¡¯t look into all the things have passed anymore. Now that you¡¯re married Yifeng, you¡¯ve be the Head Lady of the Han Corporation. I feel assured to leave Yueying to you too. It¡¯s all thanks to Yifeng for calming things down this time. Finally, the storm has passed. You should quit the showbiz too. All these years, the scandals havee and gone. Everyone¡¯s been troubled by them too...¡±

    Deng Wenwen sighed as she said this, studying Xi Xinyi for a quite while. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve always wanted to be a star since you were young, but you understand how it is now too, so you have to...¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯vee round now. For Yifeng, I can give up on everything, including my dreams. I¡¯ll definitely manage Yueying well, so, Grandmother, you must have confidence in me too!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re been smart since you were little. You pick up everything so quickly. Of course, I have confidence in you,¡± Deng Wenwen said with a smile.

    ¡°But, Grandmother, Sister... She¡¯s at Yueying...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye was mentioned, Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression instantly changed. Naturally, she did not forget the things that Xi Xiaye had sent to West Park for her to look at. Her eyes narrowed at Xi Xinyi and she said coldly, ¡°Xin Er, if all the things that Xiaye said were true, you have indeed let me down. I hope that you won¡¯t do such things anymore. I hate being used by others. Understand?¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s tone was rather severe as she looked at Xi Xinyi with an exceptionally incisive gaze that startled Xi Xinyi who nodded. ¡°Grandmother, I know that I¡¯m wrong now. I¡¯ll change! I¡¯ll change for the better! I just love Yifeng too much, so I...

    ¡°But all these years, I¡¯ve been trying to make up for it, Grandmother. No, I <i>have</i>been making up for it. I¡¯ve been feeling guilty, so I hoped to wait for her forgiveness, but not only did she not let me off, she even went against Yueying and spread those rumors. Could I have watched her destroy Yueying just like that? Now that she¡¯s managed to ruin me, I just...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s words softened Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about these things anymore. Let¡¯s not damage a healthy rtionship. Now that things havee to this, we can only take things one step at a time. Your mother has been working hard for thepany all these years. Initially, I was already nning to let her take over thepany, but she insists on passing it to you. I hope you won¡¯t let me down.¡±

    When she heard Deng Wewene to this gentle truce, Xi Xinyi¡¯s tightened hands eased a little. ¡°Grandmother, please don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely bring Yueying to greater heights.¡±

    At this moment, Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind. ¡°Mother, Xinyi, what are you two talking about? It¡¯s pretty cold outside. It¡¯s best to go in and have a seat!¡±

    The two of them instantly turned their heads and saw Yue Lingsi walking towards them.

    Deng Wenwen looked at Yue Lingsi and suddenly asked, ¡°Any news from Mushan¡¯s end?¡±

    Immediately, Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes darkened. After quite a while, she answered, ¡°He said he has a dinner thing tonight, so he won¡¯t being over.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell him that Xin Er got married today?¡±

    Deng Wenwen frowned. She looked a little disappointedly at Yue Lingsi. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. You didn¡¯t... Never mind. Forget it. I¡¯ll call him.¡±

    As Deng Wewen said this, she took out her phone to call Xi Mushan. Unfortunately, his number was engaged, so she could only just let it be.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Yifeng back yet?¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, Yifeng says he has to make a trip to the suburbs. He¡¯ll be backter on. Let¡¯s go sit in the living room first. I¡¯ll give him a call to see what time he¡¯ll be back...¡±

    ...

    The sky gradually darkened and the end of the office hours had long passed. Still, Xi Xiaye was busy in the office. Since it was a rest day the next day, she might as well finish the work on hand first.

    Earlier, she had called the Shen residence. Initially, she wanted to go home to visit, but then Shen Yue went outstation at thest minute while Shen Wenna was busy handling her students¡¯ final thesis. After some thought, Xi Xiaye changed her ns.

    It was already early in the evening outside. The neon lights flickered and interweaved, enveloping the entire City Z in a fascinating haziness.

    A ck Cayenne sped past the wide street and stopped in front of a florist.

    Mu Yuchen had just stepped into the store when thedy boss very enthusiastically greeted him, ¡°Sir, would you like to buy some flowers?¡± Seeing such an outstandingly handsome man, she could not help but steal an extra nce.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze swept across the abundant fresh flowers. A while after that, his eyes stopped on a bunch of champagne roses. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he then pointed at them and smiled elegantly. ¡°Give me a bouquet of these.¡±

    He did not actually know what these flowers meant. He just thought they looked gorgeous, so he decided to get them for her.

    ¡°Alright, please wait a moment, Sir!¡±

    ...

    A while after that, the bouquet of beautiful bouquet roses was finally ready. When Mu Yuchen took it from thedy, he stared at the fully bloomed flowers with satisfaction and suddenly seemed to understand why women liked flowers.

    He drove straight to Glory World Corporation.

    ¡°Hello, Chairman Mu!¡±

    When the guard by the entrance saw Mu Yuchen enter thepany with a huge bouquet of flowers, he was shocked. Naturally, he did not forget to greet him.

    Mu Yuchen just nodded indifferently, not stopping for a moment, and went straight up to the 51st floor.

    At this moment, in the nning director¡¯s office.

    Xi Xiaye was fully focused on herptop, checking on the materials that the marketing department had just sent over as she opened her notebook to make notes.

    There was suddenly a knock on the door.

    Xi Xiaye did not look up at all. She simply replied with her eyes still focused on theptop screen, ¡°Come in!¡±

    The door opened and Xi Xiaye vaguely heard the sound of footsteps. She reacted when a certain someone¡¯s unique scent closed in. With that scent came a faint fragrance of flowers.

    Huh?

    She subconsciously looked up. What greeted her sight was the man walking towards her with a huge bouquet.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± She asked in shock while he handed her the bouquet.

    She looked at it and raised her brows in puzzlement. ¡°Why are you suddenly giving me flowers?¡± She questioned, yet she reached out to take them.

 Chapter 262 - Pick Her Up From Work (2)

    <h4>Chapter 262: Pick Her Up From Work (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen beamed, his dark eyes filled with glitter as he spoke in his deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There isn¡¯t any special meaning behind it. I¡¯m just feeling great today.¡±

    He pulled her up and sat down on her chair. Then, he slid his arms around her waist. She did not reject him and just sat down on hisp, holding onto the bouquet of flowers tightly.

    ¡°Did you close a big deal?¡± She was grinning happily as she gave the fresh flowers a deep sniff.

    He gave her a secretive smile. Instead of answering, he took the flowers away and held her tightly.

    Of course, he would not tell her that Ah Mo had informed him about Han Yifeng signing on the marriage contract obediently and was now drinking alone in a quiet bar!

    He had finally got rid of this risk. How could he not be pleased?

    Xi Xiaye put her arms around his shoulder and asked, ¡°How did you know that I was still in the office?¡±

    ¡°I called the Shen Residence. Your phone is on silent again, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    As if he knew every little thing about her, Xi Xiaye noticed that she had nothing to hide before him. However, he was like a deep ocean, and she could only reach his shallow pool.

    Slightly troubled, she squinted at him as she thought to herself, ¡®Is it time to finally get to know him better?¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s an off day tomorrow. Shall we visit University A together? I heard the cherry blossoms are really beautiful there and I¡¯ve been longing to go check them out. Back then, Mother actually disagreed with my admittance into the military school and wanted me to study at University A instead. She once thought of me bing a lecturer with her in University A as well. Well, who knew?¡±

    Suddenly, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes turned skeptical.

    ¡°Why did you choose to attend the military academy back then?¡± He became curious, his eyes sparkling with interest and he seemed to look forward to her answer.

    Xi Xiaye just shrugged and gave him an indifferent reply, ¡°It was nothing very special actually. You know that my grandpa used to serve in the army. He¡¯s still keeping some of the habits he got from serving the army, and I actually quite like the idea of arming myself on a battlefield. I have a dream to be a hero...¡±

    ¡°A hero? You?¡± He raised his eyebrows and nced at her teasingly.

    Xi Xiaye straightened her back as she sensed the doubt in his eyes as if he was trying to prove something. ¡°Yes, me! A hero!¡±

    Heughed and did not say anything, but Xi Xiaye was annoyed at him. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? I¡¯m serious!¡±

    ¡°Nothing...¡±

    ¡°Damn you!¡±

    ¡°Alright, pack your things and go. We¡¯ll go to a restaurant tonight. It¡¯s already prettyte.¡±

    ¡°Then, I want to have French.¡±

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

    Mu Yuchen left a kiss on her forehead before helping her to pack up. After a while, the couple left the office together.

    All the other staff had already gone home, so the building was empty. Mu Yuchen was holding her heavy ck briefcase with one hand and had his other hand over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder as they walked together. At the same time, Xi Xiaye was cradling the bouquet of flowers in her arms.

    It was a peaceful and beautiful moment, yet Xi Xiaye was not used to it. She struggled away from his arm when they passed the guard on the ground floor.

    Mu Yuchen locked his grip onto her shoulder, not letting her go. He nced over and saw her blushing face, but he decided to not say anything.

    Unbeknownst to both of them, photos of them were being taken right then by cameras from outside the building, capturing each and every scene and expression of theirs.

    ¡°Let me drive.¡±

    When they arrived at the car, Xi Xiaye handed the flowers to him before grabbing the car keys from his shirt pocket.

    ...

    Han Yifeng had drunk quite a fair bit, but he sumbed under the pressure of Elder Han after receiving a call from him, so he still went back to the vi in the end.

    Things were already lively when he reached the vi. Everyone was chatting happily as they tucked into the meal on the dining table and watched the press conference regarding the public announcement of the marriage between the Han family and the Xi family.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s sudden decision to sign the marriage contract sessfully suppressed the negative news about Xi Xinyi. Most news sites were talking about their marriage instead and some magazines even made up stories about a ¡°10-year promise¡±.

    Suddenly, they became everyone¡¯s sweethearts. Han Yifeng¡¯s actions of supporting Xi Xinyi was well-epted by everyone. Naturally, he became the role model as an ideal man.

    ¡°Yifeng, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Xi Xinyi went up to Han Yifeng with a smile the moment he came into the vi. She took the jacket from his hand with a slight blush on her beautiful face. Her eyes brimmed with happiness.

    ¡°This is great, Yifeng! We¡¯re finally married! I knew it. You¡¯d never... You¡¯d never really abandon me... I love you, Yifeng!¡±

    Touched, she quickly wrapped her arms around Han Yifeng¡¯s waist, hugging him with a frail, but overjoyed expression. ¡°Thank you, Yifeng.¡±

    Han Yifeng patted on her shoulder lightly and said, ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Xi Xinyi nodded and sat down happily beside him. Her blush deepened when she saw the grin on everyone¡¯s face.

    ¡°Look how matching they are. Yifeng, Xinyi, the two of you are finally a married couple now. Xinyi¡¯s been spoilt too much since she was little, so please be lenient with her. Elder Han, Ziyao, we¡¯ll leave Xinyi in your care!¡±

    Yue Lingsi could not help but feel a little blue even though she had a pleased expression on her face when she saw how happy Xi Xinyi was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve always thought of Xinyi like our own daughter and we¡¯re very happy that she¡¯s now married to Yifeng.¡±

    Huang Ziyao smiled. ¡°Now that they are married, we¡¯re now officially inws. Here¡¯s to peace between our families. Let¡¯s toast to Yifeng and Xinyi living happily forever from now on!¡±

 Chapter 263 - Heavy Bomb! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 263: Heavy Bomb! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Clink!

    The sound of sses tinkling marked the end of the toast.

    ¡°Since the both of you are married and Xinyi is bearing a Han descendant, stop being involved in scandals anymore. Us Han family, your maternal grandfather¡¯s Yue family, as well as your Xi family, are close friends. I hope that there¡¯ll be no more scandals in the future. Leave your current career, Xinyi. You can go back to Yueying, or even work in the Han Corporation after you¡¯ve given birth.¡±

    It was Elder Han who spoke up. While he was almost 80 years old, he still seemed energetic and had a pair of sharp eyes as if he could see through people. His outward appearance seemed rather stern and overbearing.

    ¡°Grandfather, I... I know. I will...¡±

    Xi Xinyi trembled a little when speaking to Elder Han. She grabbed onto Han Yifeng¡¯s hand anxiously, gazing at Han Yifeng with her frail and gentle eyes when she replied Elder Han.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elder Han. Xinyi has already decided to retire. She¡¯ll be staying by Yifeng¡¯s side in the future. Hopefully, she¡¯ll be of help to Yifeng.¡±

    Yue Lingsi helped Xi Xinyi out when she saw her anxious look.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s fine then. Yifeng, Xin Er is the Yue family¡¯s precious baby. You can¡¯t make her sad, understood?¡±

    Elder Yue loved Xi Xinyi very much, so he became a little protective when he saw Xi Xinyi being pressured.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, everyone. Yifeng and Xin Er are a perfect couple. I believe that Yifeng will take care of her well. Things wouldn¡¯t have be like this if it weren¡¯t for Xiaye and whatever happened on Yueying¡¯s side... but now, Yueying is all fine thanks to Yifeng!¡± Deng Wenwen voiced out.

    ¡°True, things have been hectic recently. Xiaye really overdid it this time. I heard that she even...¡±

    The quiet Xi Jiyang finally spoke up, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about someone else when it¡¯s Yifeng and Xinyi¡¯s big day. We¡¯ll go on with our peaceful lives. Don¡¯t bother the others.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her that¡¯s bothering us. Elder Xi, why do I feel a little irritated by your words? I heard that Xi Mushan is in a bit of a rut because of this. Is it true that the Discipline Inspection Department isunching an investigation?¡± Elder Yue mocked Xi Jiyang¡¯s words.

    Xi Jiyang and Elder Yue were never really friendly with each other. Because of what had happened back then with Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi, the Xis and the Yues were never really happy with each other. This still held true even until today.

    Deng Wenwen nudged Xi Jiyang with her elbow as she threw him a frown.

    ¡°I find it weird as well. Why isn¡¯t Mushan here tonight? How can he, as Xinyi¡¯s father, miss out on their big day?¡±

    Elder Han started to question, ¡°Is he really in trouble because of Xiaye?¡±

    Yue Lingsi and Deng Wenwen started to look uneasy. The atmosphere around the dining table suddenly turned stiff as everyone went silent.

    ¡°I¡¯m full. Please continue enjoying the meal.¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s deep voice broke the silence as he put his bowl and chopsticks down as he stood up.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi pulled on him, her eyes begging. ¡°Eat a little more. You¡¯ve hardly touched the food...¡±

    She was feeling scared and worried inside. The whole time she was just focused on Han Yifeng, she could sense that things were strained between them. Although their marriage should be a happy event, he felt more distant than ever.

    Han Yifeng took a deep breath to soothe the suffocation in his chest. ¡°I¡¯m not really hungry. I¡¯ll have some tea over there.¡±

    Before anyone could react, he went towards the sofa.

    Elder Yue was really displeased with Han Yifeng¡¯s attitude. He could not help but m the table when he saw Han Yifeng sitting down on the sofa!

    The first time, Han Yifeng did not sign the marriage contract and was absent from the dinner. Now, he still had the same attitude for the second time? How dare he?

    ¡°Grandfather! Yifeng¡¯s been busy recently and I¡¯m sure he¡¯s tired. Let him be. Let¡¯s continue. Here¡¯s your favourite!¡±

    Shocked, Xi Xinyi swiftlyforted Elder Yue. Huang Ziyao shot Han Yifeng a frowning re. As she was about to say something, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside.

    ¡°Master, someone gave you and Missus a gift. It¡¯s said to be a wedding gift for you and Missus!¡± The servant brought Han Yifeng a gift box.

    Everyone seemed doubtful. Not many people knew about Xi Xinyi staying here, so who could it be?

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes were alert. He hesitated for a moment before taking it.

    It was a nicely wrapped gift. There was even a pretty card on it. When he opened the card, there was no signature on it, just a single sentence.

 Chapter 264 - Heavy Bomb (2)

    <h4>Chapter 264: Heavy Bomb (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    <i>A gift for Mr. Han and Ms. Xi!</i>

    Han Yifeng squinted as he nced through the card. It did not look like anything special, so he put it aside before opening the box.

    It was a VCD inside and there seemed to be something else underneath it.

    Han Yifeng picked up the VCD curiously. He went towards the video yer machine after a moment of hesitation. Then, he retreated to the sofa and grabbed the remote control and started ying the disc.

    After some buffering, Xi Xinyi appeared on the screen. There was another man with her and they were in a corner of a coffee shop.

    The video seemed pretty dated. Xi Xinyi was still in her teenage years while the graphic was a little blurry and the audio was weak. Xi Xinyi could be heard addressing that man as her cousin.

    This person seemed a little familiar. Han Yifeng felt like he had seen him before!

    His eyes stared right at the screen. He then saw that Xi Xinyi handed a cheque-like paper and a thick envelope to the man.

    The audio was not exactly clear. However, Han Yifeng could only hear fragments of conversation.

    ¡°This is the cheque... and $ 30,000. After it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll make sure to reward you better.¡±

    The man quickly took the package. Xi Xinyi seemed like she was hesitating. After some struggle, she grabbed a bag of pills from her bag and gave it to the man. ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you want to use it or not... as long as... you can make her leave on her own...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just one Xi Xiaye! I¡¯ll make sure to get it done. Han Yifeng and the Han family will be yours when the timees...¡±

    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t forget about you. Wait for a few days before doing it.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ...

    The next scene showed Xi Xiaye¡¯s conversation with Yang Jianfeng at the field the other day.

    <i>¡°If I¡¯d known that you were so hard to manage, I should¡¯ve used the drugs and kill you then and there! Let the sexy pictures of you ssh across the headlines on all the media!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I just fancied your good looks. Ha! It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t yed around before, so why do you have to pretend? Han Yifeng¡¯s heart isn¡¯t with you. Given your little identity, are you even a match for my cousin? Even an idiot wouldn¡¯t choose you. You¡¯re just like your father back then, so stupid that he gave up an instant boost in his career!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°So, you don¡¯t n to let go of this chance to help Xi Xinyi ruin me? Back then, Xi Xinyi sessfully made Han Yifeng dislike me and look down on me. Why does she have to push me to the edge before she¡¯s happy?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Ha, obviously, it¡¯s to make sure you can never make aeback! To make sure you¡¯ll never be able to enter the Han family! That¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll be really assured. I¡¯ve told my cousin that¡¯s the only way you wouldn¡¯t be a threat to her!¡±</i>

    ...

    Han Yifeng¡¯s body tensed up. He stared at Yang Jianfeng who was blind in one eye. He was the reason why Xi Xiaye had been expelled back then in the first ce!

    nk!

    Han Yifeng¡¯s grip loosened on the ss. As a result, it fell and shattered into pieces on the floor. At that moment, Xi Xinyi and the others all turned around towards the screen when they heard the ferocious voice of Yang Jianfeng from the television.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned upon watching the clip. Her expression changed drastically after a moment and she screamed before rushing over to Han Yifeng¡¯s side frantically.

    ¡°Yifeng! Yifeng! That¡¯s not true! It¡¯s not true! Listen to me! Please listen to me!¡±

    In her panic, Xi Xinyi grabbed Han Yifeng¡¯s shirt as she was trying to exin herself. Han Yifeng shook her hands off before looking into the deeperyer of the gift box. He turned it upside down and poured everything out. It consisted of photos of Xi Xinyi meeting Yang Jianfeng as well as the transaction records between them.

    Swoosh!

    Han Yifeng flipped through the photos and papers until he was absolutely bbergasted.

    ¡°Yifeng... Yifeng, listen to me. These aren¡¯t real...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale as she was defending herself frically, but she could note up with a valid excuse. Hernguage and expression only amplified her helplessness.

    Did she not arrange Yang Jianfeng to go abroad? Why was this video here?

    Han Yifeng turned towards Xi Xinyi in disgust. He still could not believe it. His eyes were filled with shock, disappointment, anger, and even heartbreak.

    All his emotions were mixed up as he fell into a gloomy dejection. He stared at Xi Xinyi straight for some time before closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. He opened his eyes again and looked at Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale face, thrusting the photos and papers right in front of her. ¡°What are these? Exin to me what the videos mean!¡±

    ¡°Yifeng... I... I...¡±

    Trembling, she looked at Han Yifeng in fear as she was tongue-tied.

    Han Yifeng stared at her. After a while, he had on a cold, sad smile on his face. He took a deep breath before letting go of the photos and papers slowly. ¡°Cruel... So cruel, Xinyi. To make sure she doesn¡¯t make aeback ever again? To make it impossible for her to get in the Han family? How could you?¡±

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not it, Yifeng! I didn¡¯t expect something like that would happen. I just wanted Sister to back off on her own. I just wanted to make her feel inadequate with you and hope that she¡¯d leave. I never thought of hurting her ever! Yifeng, you have to believe me! You have to!¡± Xi Xinyi exined frantically as tears fell. She seemed exhausted but still held onto Han Yifeng¡¯s sleeve tightly.

    ¡°Believe you?¡±

    Han Yifengughed maniacally at himself before suddenly staring at her fragile little face. Her teary expression was really pitiful. ¡°I trusted you too much and you threw it all away, lying to me again and again!¡±

 Chapter 265 - Heavy Bomb! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 265: Heavy Bomb! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not it, Yifeng! Listen to me! Please listen to me!¡±

    ¡°Listen to you? What else do you have to say about this? If I¡¯m not wrong, the exposure of Xiaye¡¯s expulsion was done by you, wasn¡¯t it? Only you and know it the best. What more do you have to say for yourself?¡±

    Han Yifeng grabbed the papers and flung them towards Xi Xinyi angrily. His eyes were burning with rage as he stared at her coldly. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been treating me like a toy and ying with me ever since? Using my trust and lying to me?¡±

    The papers hit Xi Xinyi like a heavy hammer, thudding a heavy impact on her heart. She shed endless tears and felt remorseful as she held onto Han Yifeng. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yifeng! I really am... I¡¯ll change. I¡¯ll change all of my bad habits! I¡¯m too in love with you. If I don¡¯t fight for you, are you asking me to suffer in pain to death?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to give up everything and start anew. I want to be your good wife, so please, let the past stay in the past. We¡¯ll start over again, okay? Please...¡±

    Xi Xinyi could not care less about the tears all over her face. She grabbed Han Yifeng¡¯s arm tightly, refusing to let him leave.

    ¡°Let go of me! Married? This is the most ironic word in this world right now!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s chest almost burst. If he did not control himself, he could be strangling this woman to death at that moment.

    He had treated her preciously, was willing to take on the traitor¡¯s role for her and hurt his fianc¨¨e back then. However, what he got in return was a decade-long lie!

    Was this karma?

    After putting up with her selfish decisions, again and again, he struggled for a long time before epting her again and was even willing to marry her and start their life anew for the child inside her.

    But now?

    How could she!?

    If it was about the stabbing incident, he could still tolerate it and let it go because Han Yifeng himself liked Xi Xinyi before then as well. However, as more and more bits of truth were revealed to him, how could he believe that the woman he had been protecting was someone like this?

    Most unfortunately, he just got married to her!

    ¡°No! No! Yifeng, please don¡¯t be like this...¡±

    Xi Xinyi flung her arms around Han Yifeng¡¯s waist, her loud wail making Yue Lingsi, Huang Ziyao, and the others return to their senses.

    ¡°Xinyi, I think we need some time apart. Let go of me!¡±

    Exhausted, Han Yifeng pulled Xi Xinyi¡¯s hands away coldly and was about to leave.

    ¡°No! Yifeng, don¡¯t go! No...¡±

    ¡°Stop right there! Stop!¡±

    What happened next was unexpected. No one could react as they saw what unfolded before them, especially Huang Ziyao and the others!

    Elder Yue yelled at them as he mmed the table once again, ¡°What do you mean now? Do you still treat us as your elders with that attitude of yours?¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, you... Yifeng, don¡¯t be rash. Everyone, let¡¯s calm down. This is not solving anything!¡± Han Yu finally spoke up, ncing over at Elder Han¡¯s darkened expression with his knitted brows. He looked at Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi. ¡°What¡¯s happening? About Xiaye...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the disc and those documents. Take a look at them yourself. I need some time alone. I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression went cold as he pushed Xi Xinyi¡¯s hands away once again, ignoring her pathetic cries he walked out of the vi.

    His behavior infuriated Elder Yue!

    Deng Wenwen looked terrible as well as Yue Lingsi stared nkly at Elder Yue. Xi Jiyang seemed calm while Elder Han¡¯s eyes stayed wide.

    Elder Han stood up angrily and hissed, ¡°I don¡¯t care. Since Yifeng is married to Xin Er now, he shouldn¡¯t have acted that way. Xin Er still has the Han family¡¯s baby in her womb. Don¡¯t me me for taking action if she¡¯s saddened in any way! Damn it!¡±

    Elder Yue could not stay there anymore with the drama that just happened. He huffed before leaving angrily.

    ¡°Xinyi, what¡¯s happening? Did you really do that to Xiaye?¡± Huang Ziyao looked at Xi Xinyi in disbelief.

    That was really cruel!

    Did she not know that was basically ruining Xiaye¡¯s life?

    ¡°Mother, Yifeng... Yifeng doesn¡¯t want me anymore. He¡¯s angry with me...¡±

    Xi Xinyi suddenly felt weak as she went limp and passed out. In shock, Huang Ziyao quickly held Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Xinyi, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Xinyi!¡±

    ¡°Xin Er!¡±

    Several voices echoed together as everybody rushed over.

    In the end, Xi Xinyi was sent into Hospital T. Once again, the celebratory dinner had an unhappy conclusion.

    Han Yifeng was driving around like a madman on an empty highway. The cold wind crept in from the window, slicing his face painfully. He could feel knives going through his heart. It was so painful that he almost fainted.

    He was not sure if the agony was for Xi Xiaye who had been bearing these scars, or for Xi Xinyi whom he loved so much. When the truth was presented right before him, he did not have the courage to face it.

    Unable to take it anymore, he parked his car and rested his head on the steering while panting heavily. What had he been working for all this while?

    ...

    In Maple Residence, at the Grand Waves Vi area.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went home after dinner. While he was in a jovial mood, he was pretty tired after spending a whole day with Zhou Zimo and the others, so he went straight to bed after a shower. He was flipping through a book casually and from time to time, nced at the woman who was tidying the wardrobe.

 Chapter 266 - Heavy Bomb! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 266: Heavy Bomb! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°By the way, the court called me today and told me that they took the case on. Are we going to get the results soon?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered when she was tidying up the wardrobe.

    Mu Yuchen looked up from the book and focused on her. He replied her after some thought, ¡°With enough evidence, the results wille quickly.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I really hope we can get the results as soon as possible. Father...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish her sentence, her phone by the bedside started ringing. She took a deep breath and went over slowly to pick the call up. It was an unknown number.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, I just want to ask you. Did you do it? No matter how Xinyi is, don¡¯t you know that today¡¯s her big day with Yifeng? Did you send those stuff to ruin them? Just what were you thinking? Can¡¯t we talk about it at ater date? How dare you?!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s stern, aged voice reached her with a questioning tone. ¡°Do you know that Xin Er is now in the emergency ward!? I don¡¯t care what happened between you two, but if you¡¯re going to create chaos for the Xi family and Yueying, I¡¯m going to disagree with that!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s berating confused Xi Xiaye.

    What was that about?

    Xi Xinyi was in the hospital?

    What did she mean?

    She remembered that Su Nan had called her today and told her that Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi were married today, so they should be having a celebratory dinner at home.

    But how was this rted to her? Deng Wenwen¡¯s unreasonable criticism made Xi Xiaye upset and her voice turned cold. ¡°Elder Madam Xi, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act innocent! Didn¡¯t you send those videos over? You still aren¡¯t admitting it? You¡¯re just trying to belittle us in front of the two families! Are you trying to destroy Yueying?¡±

    Deng Wenwen sounded furious. Even on the other end of the phone, Xi Xiaye could imagine how she was yelling into the phone. As she was about to reply, the man beside her closed his book and grabbed the phone away from her.

    Deng Wenwen still went on with her angry rant, her fiery tone making Mu Yuchen frown. He nced at Xi Xiaye. What a difference in treatment! Just how did she survive in the Xi family?

    The truth had been exposed, yet they could still be so protective of Xi Xinyi. So, they still thought of Xi Xinyi as one of their own. What about Xi Xiaye then?

    After listening to her irritating voice, it was the first time in Mu Yuchen¡¯s life that he had the urge to punch someone. Aside from feeling sorry for her, he felt disgusted by these people.

    ¡°Elder Madam Xi, I, Mu Yuchen got someone to send the stuff over. It has nothing to do with my wife. If you have a problem with that, you can look for me. Xi Xinyi was really rude to my wife during the wedding dinner. Do you think I¡¯d just let her go easily?¡±

    Mu Yuchen grinned coldly. On the other end of the phone, Deng Wenwen still could not react. He hung up and switched the phone off before handing it back to the confused Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°What did you do? I heard her mention about some video, and that Xi Xinyi is hospitalized?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows in surprise as she took her phone back from him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s angry eyes softened when he heard her voice. He grabbed the nket andy down on the bed. He took the book back up and continued reading again. ¡°It¡¯s just a unique little gift. They just have a low tolerance.¡±

    His tone held a hint of humor.

    ¡°What kind of unique little gift?¡± She asked doubtfully as she stared at him.

    He did not reply. After a while, he raised his head and saw her still staring at him. ¡°It¡¯s something that proves your innocence about the military academy matter. I just wanted Xi Xinyi to enjoy the feeling tonight when their family gathered around. Who did I do this for? What kind of eyes are you looking at me with?¡±

    ¡°I never knew that you were the big bad wolf all along.¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him, but of course, her heart was touched. She held onto her phone tightly as she looked at him.

    Hey down on his side and rest his head on his hand, shaking withughter quietly. ¡°If my enemy respects me, I¡¯ll respect him. If my enemy hurts me, I¡¯ll do the same.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re speaking as if you¡¯re an assassin from the ancient times.¡±

    She left her phone on the table and then sat down on the bed, her eyes meeting his. She wanted to say something but she could not find the right words. She did not want to say any more words of gratitude, but the way he treated her...

    After a long while, she sighed, ¡°Sometimes, I feel like I be much weaker when I¡¯m with you. I¡¯ve totally changed roles from being a protector all along.¡±

    ¡°Protector? Who did you protect? Mother?¡±

    He chuckled when he saw her downcast expression. Patting her head, she sighed, ¡°Missus, have I ever told you that you¡¯re the silliest woman I¡¯ve ever met?¡±

    Silly. So silly of her to always try to protect others when she could not even protect herself. She always seemed strong and cold on the outside but was extremely soft on the inside.

    ¡°I¡¯m just tired of these, alright? I already have to deal with tricks in the world of business. It¡¯d be really exhausting if I have to be wary in my daily life too. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± She defended herself.

    His patting hand stopped suddenly as he gave her a meaningful nce, ¡°Do you think God sent you to the world just to enjoy?¡±

    ¡°A certain someone told me some time ago that life should be enjoyed and asked me to visit the spa centers more often. I wonder who it was!¡± Xi Xiaye red at him as she spoke.

    He raised his eyebrows. ¡°Who said that? Did I say that? My dear, you¡¯re a natural beauty. You¡¯re always gorgeous without even needing any beauty services¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish, Mrs. Mu threw a pillow at him. ¡°Trying to fake amnesia? I¡¯m talking about you. Don¡¯t move!¡±

 Chapter 267 - Heavy Bomb! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 267: Heavy Bomb! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In contrast to the harmonious vibe at Maple Residence, things were hectic at the emergency ward in Hospital T.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes flew wide open as she stared at her darkened phone screen. Her eyes stared at it still as her body froze as if she had lost all her senses. Yue Lingsi was worried.

    ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong? Mother!¡±

    Deng Wenwen did not react even after calling out to her several times. Shaking her head a little, Yue Lingsi nudged her back to her senses. She stared at Yue Lingsi nkly and murmured, ¡°Wife? Mu Yuchen... Lingsi, what¡¯s happening? Mu Yuchen... Master Mu sent those things... and did he say ¡®wife¡¯? He said Xi Xiaye is his wife. What¡¯s happening?¡±

    Deng Wenwen still had not recovered from the shock of the call moments ago. She could only remember a man snatching the phone away from Xi Xiaye and saying that he was Mu Yuchen. He also mentioned Xi Xiaye being his wife. She must not have heard him wrong, did she?

    Mu Yuchen?

    It should not be anyone else except the President of Glory World Corporation, Mu Yuchen, should it?

    Earlier on, she could already sense that his rtionship with Xi Xiaye was not ordinary. Could Xi Xiaye have gotten together with him? Did she be his lover or something?

    ¡°Mother, what are you talking about? What about Master Mu and his wife?¡±

    Yue Lingsi had no idea what Deng Wenwen was talking about. ¡°Mother, did that witch Xi Xiaye do it? This is absurd! I guessed it must have been her! No matter what, she should¡¯ve considered the asion today. Now, my father... and Xinyi... What should we do? She¡¯s just trying to give us a hard time! Xiaye is so arrogant! Can¡¯t we talk it out? All those happened in the past. No matter what, she shouldn¡¯t have done it on a day like this! I¡¯m just terribly frustrated! And now we don¡¯t know how Xinyi is! If something bad happens to her baby, I¡¯m going to make Xiaye take responsibility for it!¡±

    Yue Lingsi could not hold her feelings in and started eximing, ¡°We¡¯ve waited for so long, and now she¡¯s be like this. Yifeng...¡±

    ¡°Okay, Xiao Ling, calm down and let¡¯s just wait and see how Xinyi is doing,¡± Huang Ziyaoforted her with a frown. She was not pleased. Of course, she did not forget how angry Elder Han was before they left!

    Not forgetting Elder Yue¡¯s reaction from before and Han Yifeng¡¯s absence right now!

    Huang Ziyao was having a headache just thinking about it. Xi Xinyi¡¯s condition was still unknown and things had be chaotic once again!

    Today was supposed to be a happy day since the young couple got married, but it turned out like this!

    What Huang Ziyao could not ept was that she could not believe Xi Xinyi whom she had been looking after ever since she was a little child would do something like that. In her impression, Xi Xinyi had always been a nice and kind girl.

    Could it be that she really loved Yifeng too much that she resorted to those tricks?

    ¡°How can I calm down now? How can I? Xinyi is really exhausted, and now... I really don¡¯t know what to say...¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes turned downcast. She had seen the video content as well. Of course, she was shocked and could not believe Xi Xinyi would did those things as well, but as she thought about how Xi Xinyi felt towards Han Yifeng, she understood it very well. In fact, no one could understand it better than her!

    Back then, in order to get Xi Mushan, she too had...

    When she saw Xi Xinyi now, she could feel her heart aching. Seeing Xi Xinyi reminded her of her past self ¡ª her wicked and pathetic self!

    Fortunately, Han Yifeng loved her in the end!

    Things had turned out better for her, unlike for herself.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll wait for the doctor¡¯s reportter. Don¡¯t worry about it for now.¡±

    Huang Ziyao did not know what else to say. She felt as if something was stuck in her throat and she could not swallow or spit it out, much to her irritation!

    ¡°Ziyao, I¡¯m sorry. As for my father, he just loves Xinyi too much. I...¡±

    There were tears in Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes and she seemed worried. ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    ¡°Let him be alone for some time. This must be a huge impact on him. Sigh!¡±Huang Ziyao could onlyment.

    ¡°Mother, what should we do now? Father went back quietly just now. Should we just let this be?¡± Yue Lingsi turned to face Deng Wenwen and asked.

    Deng Wenwen took a deep breath. Although she had finally recovered fully, there were some doubts in her eyes. After a while, she looked at Yue Lingsi and replied, ¡°Your father¡¯s health isn¡¯t great. Let¡¯s not bother him about it.¡±

    Ever since the incident of forcing Xi Xiaye signing the contract thest time, Xi Jiyang had explicitly warned that he would not be involved in their matters again. He could not take it by standing in between them especially since he understood Deng Wenwen¡¯s personality very well. If he acted kindly towards Xiaye, she would just suffer more.

    Deng Wenwen kept quiet, a sharp light glimmering in her eyes.

    ¡°Lingsi, don¡¯t you know a lot of people? Get people to investigate Master Mu from Glory World Corporation, Mu Yuchen, and his rtionship with Xi Xiaye. Mu Yuchen said he sent those stuff over tonight!¡± Deng Wenwen told Yue Lingsi.

    Yue Lingsi and Huang Ziyao were both shocked!

    ¡°What? That video was sent by Mu Yuchen? Master Mu from Glory World?¡±

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s eyes almost popped out as she turned to Yue Lingsi in disbelief.

    Yue Lingsi was stunned, but she realized something when she heard Deng Wenwen¡¯s words!

    Master Mu had defended Xi Xiaye several times before, and it was him again this time. Was his this determined to protect Xi Xiaye?

 Chapter 268 - To Dote On (1)

    <h4>Chapter 268: To Dote On (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s face sank as her eyes held mixed emotions and disbelief. She thought about it for a while before answering, ¡°It should be him. Earlier, when I called Xiaye, he answered the phone halfway!¡±

    ¡°He answered the phone?¡±

    Yue Lingsi very quickly caught onto something. She immediately lifted her wrist to take a look at the time. It was close to midnight, which meant...

    ¡°Xi Xiaye is with Master Mu?¡± he could not help but blurt out as she stared at Deng Wenwen with wide eyes.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s aged face started to look uncertain. Although she did not answer, the answer seemed obvious!

    ¡°Go ask around in the next few days. I keep feeling that things aren¡¯t that simple. Earlier, your father even warned me not to mess with Xiaye, but with that personality of his, when has he ever not protected Xiaye? Huh, he even said that we can save trouble for ourselves? Just with tonight¡¯s incident, if it were not for her provocation, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this.¡±

    As Yue Lingsi listened, she frowned and thought about it for a while. Then, she nodded with a heavy expression. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go ask around. Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I¡¯ll talk to Father. About Xinyi, I...¡±

    ¡°Now that things havee to this point, sigh, I think it¡¯s best if we see how Xin Er is first. Most importantly, we have to consider the Han family...¡±

    Deng Wenwen now felt a huge headache too, especially with the way Elder Han had furiously rushed to leave earlier and the way Han Yifeng left without turning back. Even she could not bear the humiliation, what more...

    ¡°If it really is true, then Xin Er has really gone overboard. Even your father was... If Mushan finds out about this, he¡¯ll be angry again. You must know that once this matter is dug out again, even he¡¯s implicated. Xin Er¡¯s too rash with her actions...¡±

    Deng Wenwen frowned and red at Yue Lingsi who was stunned. She quickly said with a pale expression, ¡°Mother, Xinyi was only provoked by the recent incidents. Now that she¡¯s like this, I hope...¡±

    ¡°Enough, the key problem isn¡¯t with me. You¡¯d better think about how to keep the Han family calm. Yueying is finally stable again, so I hope that there wouldn¡¯t be another surge of trouble after this.¡±

    Yue Lingsi was also worn out, so she could only console her, ¡°Yes, Mother, I understand. I¡¯ll think of a way. Yueying will be fine. Let¡¯s take a look at how Xinyi is first.¡±

    ...

    A while after, the door to the emergency ward finally opened and Xi Xinyi was wheeled out from inside.

    ¡°How is it, Doctor? My daughter, how is she?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Xinyi? Doctor?¡±

    Yue Lingsi and Huang Ziyao went up together.

    The doctor pushed his mask down and looked at Xi Xinyi who was still unconscious on the sick bed. He responded with a heavy tone, ¡°She¡¯s a little weak. Her fetus isn¡¯t very stable. Trigger her less and take care of her well. Make sure she has a bnced diet and keep her happy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Doctor. We will. Thank you!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prescribe some meds to stabilize the pregnancy. Later, the nurse will exin what needs to be taken note of. The patient needs to rest right now and she¡¯s not very emotionally stable, so it¡¯s best if she¡¯s not disturbed now. Just leave one person to watch her.¡±

    Soon, the entourage consisting of the doctor and the nurses sent Xi Xinyi to her ward while the few of them followed them.

    As she watched Xi Xinyi who slept soundly on the sick bed, Yue Lingsi breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Huang Ziyao beside her and said, ¡°Thankfully, it¡¯s alright. Ziyao, you¡¯re worn out from the day. Go home first. I can watch her. And, Mother, you should go home too. You¡¯ve just recovered. It¡¯s won¡¯t do you any good to be tired out. It¡¯s alright with just me here!¡±

    Huang Ziyao nced at Xi Xinyi on the sick bed, then nodded after thinking about it. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll go home first. I¡¯ll exin what happened here to the elder. As for...¡±

    ¡°Ziyao, I¡¯ll be sure to talk to Xinyi. No matter what, her heart is with Yifeng. If it weren¡¯t for... Sigh, now that they¡¯re already married and with a child, what else can they do? I hope that your family can...¡±

    When she heard Yue Lingsi¡¯s words, Huang Ziyao suppressed the heaviness in her heart with much effort. She responded helplessly, ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll do my best. I¡¯ll leave things here to you then.¡±

    Then, she turned to leave.

    Apart from Xi Xinyi on the sick bed, only Yue Lingsi and Deng Wenwen remained in the ward.

    When she saw Huang Ziyao turn to leave with an odd expression, Yue Lingsi¡¯s heart sank. She quickly turned to look at Deng Wenwen, who looked pensive, and asked a little anxiously, ¡°Mother, what should we do? I¡¯m afraid that on the Han family¡¯s end...¡±

    ¡°What are you worried about? No matter what, Xin Er still has Yifeng¡¯s child right now and they just got married!¡±

    Deng Wenwen was rather calm now, her sharp eyes twinkling. Then, she continued, ¡°Regardless, I still believe that Yifeng and Xin Er still have feelings for each other. Otherwise, Yifeng wouldn¡¯t have signed the papers so quickly. We¡¯ll wait and see.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, we can only do that now! Alright, Mother, go home first. It¡¯s already veryte. Just leave things here to me. Right, about tonight, can we not tell Mushan?¡± Yue Lingsi looked worriedly at Deng Wenwen.

    ¡°Mmm, I know what to do. Quickly settle the thing I told you to do,¡± Deng Wenwen responded and left the ward.

    When the door shut, Yue Lingsi rxed a little. She took a deep breath and turned to look at Xi Xinyi whoy on the sick bed. Upon seeing that she slept rather soundly, her tensed heart then eased.

    She thought to herself that the fate of her and her daughter seemed to be extraordinarily simr. Many years ago, she had been deeply in love with Xi Mushan. Because of him, she had also been in so much pain that she wanted to die. To get Xi Mushan, she did not spare using all sorts of tricks, forcing Shen Wenna to let go.

    However, many yearster, her daughter fancied Shen Wenna¡¯s daughter¡¯s fianc¨¨, and she also did not spare using tricks to win Han Yifeng¡¯s heart.

    In fact, now Han Yifeng and Xinyi were already married. Furthermore, Xinyi was carrying Han Yifeng¡¯s child too.

    When she thought about this, Yue Lingsi could not suppress the smugness in her.

    <i>Shen Wenna, oh Shen Wenna! So what if I couldn¡¯t win Mushan¡¯s heart? The person who can stand honorably by his side and be the Mayor¡¯s wife is me. In fact, didn¡¯t your daughterpletely lose to my daughter?</i>

    Now, no matter what, Xi Xinyi was the Han family¡¯s youngdy of the house. This was a fact set in stone. Even if all the scandals caused arger ruckus, as long as her child could be healthily born, then all of those things would be irrelevant!

    This child hade at the perfect time!

 Chapter 269 - To Dote On (2)

    <h4>Chapter 269: To Dote On (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was gettingter at night. Maple Residence was quiet, and the lights had already gone out in the vi. A cold wind brushed past and the wavering trees seemed bleak.

    Inside thefortable bedroom, Xi Xiaye was sleeping peacefully. However, as she was deep in her slumber, she suddenly felt the man beside her acting oddly. His fingers seized tightly onto her wrist. The grip was so tight that he almost was hurting her. His arms around her waist were also contracting, and she was starting to feel pressured.

    At the same time, she could hear his heavy breathing in the dark and his palm was getting sweaty. Xi Xiaye then noticed something was wrong. Struggling, she switched the tablemp on and turned towards him and then realized ¡ª

    He was frowning, and his handsome face was getting pale as sweat bathed his forehead and his sleeping robe was drenched. His breathing was heavy...

    His strained expression looked like he was having a nightmare. She got especially worried seeing him.

    Xi Xiaye panicked and quickly tried to wake him up, her hoarse voice filled with a concerned tone, ¡°Mu Yuchen, wake up! Mu Yuchen...¡±

    She called out to him as she reached for his forehead, but before her hand could touch him, she was suddenly pushed away as he sat up almost instantly. His force was so strong that Xi Xiaye almost fell off the bed.

    He soon came back to his senses and quickly grabbed Xi Xiaye who almost lost her bnce. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and sat by the bedside. Her eyes were evidently worried while she studied him. He still looked pale with sweat all over him. After a while, she shook her head and asked, ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡±

    Mu Yuchen closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Soon, he opened his eyes. There was still traces of his suppressed unease from before, but they soon returned to his usual calmness.

    He took a deep breath before looking at her and apologized, ¡°Sorry for waking you up!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at him quietly for a while before grabbing a handkerchief from the bedside drawer and handed it to him.¡±Wipe yourself. I¡¯ll get you another sleeping robe. Go and wash up. You¡¯re all drenched now.¡±

    He nodded. When he took the handkerchief from her, his sharp eyes noticed the bruises on her wrist. However, she went towards the wardrobe before he could say anything.

    After watching her for a while, he went towards her, taking the towel from her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself. You can sleep first.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him hesitantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Be good and go back to sleep. I¡¯ll take a shower first.¡±

    He patted her head before heading into the bathroom. His silhouette seemed rather lonely and she suddenly felt uneasy about it. After pondering for some time, she sighed and then left the bedroom.

    Mu Yuchen took a cold shower and then changed into a clean sleeping robe. When he came out of the bathroom, Xi Xiaye was nowhere to be seen.

    After looking around, he put his hand on his aching forehead before leaving the bedroom as well.

    Xi Xiaye came back to the bedroom with a ss of iced water. She did not see Mu Yuchen anywhere, but she then heard some noises by the balcony, so she headed over.

    There was the smell of cigarette smoke in the air. She saw him leaning against the railing by the balcony.

    ¡°Where did you go just now?¡± He threw the cigarette away when he saw her.

    Xi Xiaye stopped before him and handed the ss of iced water to him. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Were you frightened?¡± He grabbed the ss of water, his eyes locked onto the bruise on her wrist. His eyes seemed gloomy andplicated.

    Xi Xiaye rubbed the bruise and looked into his eyes with a smile and shook her head. After a brief moment of silence, she asked, ¡°You have something on your mind, hence the nightmare...¡±

    His darkened eyes softened when he noticed her asking him carefully. He took a few sips from the ss and did not reply immediately.

    She stared at him for some time, but he did not seem to be answering her question, so she averted her gaze and took a deep breath as she ced both her hands on the railing. She looked downwards at the dim streetmps and did not push him for an answer.

    The atmosphere became a little uneasy as the cold wind blew and messed up their outfits. Her hair was starting to get messy as well.

    The two of them stood there silently and no one said a thing, yet his gaze never left her.

    After some time, she could not stand the cold anymore and shuddered slightly. She turned to him and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s cold here. Let¡¯s head back in...¡±

    His heart softened when he saw her frown. He held her into his arms and his hoarse voice reached her ears. ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± She turned her head away. She would never admit that she was a little upset that he did not reply to her question.

    ¡°So, you <i>are </i>then. You always avoid my eye contact when you¡¯re not telling the truth, Xiaye...¡± He suddenly sighed, his fingers grabbing onto her struggling hands. ¡°It¡¯s going to be Qingming in a few days. I¡¯ll have nightmares whenever it¡¯s this time of the year, but I don¡¯t want you to be scared...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± She gave him a brief reply, raising her head from his arms. ¡°But I just want you to know that... if you need anything, I... I¡¯ll do my best to protect you. I know that I¡¯m still weak, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Her eyes were filled with determination, and her tone was firm.

 Chapter 270 - To Dote On (3)

    <h4>Chapter 270: To Dote On (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her genuine expression made him feel warm inside and his heart softened for her.

    It was the first time someone said they would protect him, and this wasing from a frail little woman he had to constantly worry about.

    He smiled, an odd light shing in his eyes before he held her in his arms and said quietly, ¡°Thank you, Xiaye. How I wish that I could have met you earlier. I wouldn¡¯t have needed to waste so much time before...¡±

    Stunned, she raised her eyebrows and looked at him as she stammered ¡°Mr. Mu, judging from your words... Could it be... Am I... I¡¯m that to you?¡±

    ¡°That?¡± He asked back.

    ¡°Am I... your... first love?¡± She looked at him carefully and asked with a quiet tone.

    Mu Yuchen took a pause, his dark eyes shooting her a meaningful nce. Instead of answering her, he turned his head away and barked out several coughs.

    ¡°So, am I?¡± She was persistent in getting her answer this time. ¡°Am I? Am I... Mmm!¡±

    In the end, instead of replying her, he kissed her passionately. How would Xi Xiaye still remember her question at this point?

    She drowned in his breathy kisses for a long time. He picked her up effortlessly and they went back into the bedroom to continue sleeping.

    However, they were both not really sleepy. They started chatting on the bed instead, talking about all sorts of topics, mostly consisting of Xi Xiaye firing questions and Mr. Mu answering them. For example ¡ª

    She asked, ¡°Mr. Mu, what colors do you like?¡±

    He replied, ¡°ck and white.¡±

    ...

    She ranted, ¡°Mr. Mu, do you still remember the Deputy Head of Department Wei? I heard he¡¯s the Deputy Headmaster now. He caught both me and Su Nan so many times in the past.¡±

    He gave it some thought before replying, ¡°That fatty with the sses? The one handling student recruitment now?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I saw him a few days ago at the New Era za. I almost couldn¡¯t recognize him. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t know his lover is our... Mu Yuchen? Are you asleep? Hello...?¡±

    ...

    The next morning, it was nearly 10 a.m. when she woke up. After Xi Xiaye washed up and went downstairs, Mu Yuchen had already prepared breakfast.

    They went to University A after a light breakfast. Shen Wenna called them beforehand and said she had bought the ingredients and wanted them to head over earlier.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s hostel in University A consisted of two rooms and a living room. While it was a decade-old house, it was decoratedfortably. She would usually stay there when work piled up.

    When Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen arrived, several students were talking to Shen Wenna about their thesis, so the couple took on the job of preparing lunch.

    When the students saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, they addressed them as ¡°Sis Xiaye¡± and ¡°brother-inw¡±. It was really music to Mu Yuchen ears, and he even invited them to stay for lunch before heading back, but the students were shy and quickly left after their discussion. They did not want to bother them.

    ¡°Mother, set your things aside. Lunch is going to be ready soon,¡± Xi Xiaye said to her mother as she wasing out of the kitchen with a dish in her hands. Shen Wenna was still busy working in her study room.

    Shen Wenna nodded, quickly packing her things before walking out of the study room.

    ¡°I thought you were only guiding thesis students now. Why do you still have these big stacks of assignments?¡± Xi Xiaye put the dish on the table as she asked.

    ¡°Teacher Zhang in the department went overseas for a course on short notice, so I¡¯m recing him for a semester,¡± Shen Wenna replied indifferently. Before she could finish, Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone started ringing in her shirt pocket. She looked at it and saw that it was her father, Xi Mushan!

    Xi Xiaye unconsciously nced over at Shen Wenna¡¯s direction. Naturally, she saw her slightly darkened eyes. As she was hesitating whether to pick up the call or not, Shen Wenna spoke, ¡°Pick it up. I¡¯m going to take a look in the kitchen.¡± She swiftly disappeared into the kitchen.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and her expression turnedplicated. She only picked up the call after a while.

    ¡°Hello, Father?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me, Xiaye.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s deep voice reached her ears. ¡°I know you¡¯re at your mother¡¯s ce. Can youe down for a moment? Help me pass something to your mother. I¡¯m right downstairs.¡±

    Downstairs?

    Startled, Xi Xiaye walked over the the window and raised the curtain. She then saw Xi Mushan standing right under the tree opposite the house in his usual suit.

    After staying quiet for a while, Xi Xiaye turned back to the kitchen. She could hear Shen Wenna and Mu Yuchen talking. Upon debating internally for some time, she grabbed the keys and went downstairs quietly.

    As she walked down from the staircase, Xi Mushan was standing right there. He seemed much skinnier than before and the serious vibes around him were much weaker. He seemed quiet, dead quiet.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother ask you to note?¡± Xi Xiaye stopped right beside him and looked at him with aplicated gaze.

    It was the Peach Blossom Festival at University A tomorrow. Xi Mushan would send Shen Wenna gifts every year on this day. Xi Xiaye also knew that today was their wedding anniversary.

    Xi Mushan did not reply to her. He just looked at Xi Xiaye in the eyes silently as he handed a bag to her. ¡°Please hand it to her for me.¡±

    After giving it some thought, Xi Xiaye did not take the bag. She looked at Xi Mushan and asked him a question instead, ¡°Mother is just upstairs. Why don¡¯t you give it to her yourself?¡±

    Xi Mushan stayed quiet. After a while, he sighed before stuffing the bag into Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands. He seemed defeated. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to see me... I don¡¯t want to ruin her mood either.¡±

    ¡°You can go back now. Help me pass her the items. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Xi Xiaye. He did not want to say anything else, so he turned around and left.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to call out to him. However, the words could note out of her mouth.

    She thought he might ask her about Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter, yet he was just here to give her mother something.

    At the same time, she had no idea how to phrase it well. Since a very long time ago, he had no more rtionship with her mother. Apart from being connected by a daughter they conceived together, they did not seem to be rted anymore.

 Chapter 271 - Lose Control

    <h4>Chapter 271: Lose Control</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye stood under the tree and watched Xi Mushan gradually move further away. Suddenly, a lump formed in her throat. She only managed to push the feeling back with a ton of effort.

    She looked down at the gift in her hand. Without needing to open it, she already knew what Xi Mushan had given her mother: a peach blossom hairpin!

    Shen Wenna loved peach blossom hairpins. She collected tens of them in her drawer, but she had never let her daughter see them. However, Xi Xiaye unintentionally discovered them when she helped her pack up.

    She also knew that of all those peach blossom hairpins were mostly gifts from Father to Mother.

    She remained silent for a very, very long time before she turned to walk up the staircase with the gift in her hand. When she returned to the room, the dishes were already prepared and they were waiting for her to begin eating.

    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Mu Yuchen handed her a handkerchief.

    Xi Xiaye tightened her grip on the paper bag in hand. ncing at Mu Yuchen, she then looked at Shen Wenna beside him. Then, she hesitated before handing the gift over. ¡°Father gave this to you. He was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be happy, so he didn¡¯te up...¡±

    Startled, Shen Wenna looked up at Xi Xiaye for a long time. Then, she stared indifferently at the gift in front of her and said in a calm tone, ¡°I remember telling you not to send his gifts over.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m just...¡±

    ¡°If ever there¡¯s a next time, tell him to take it back with him,¡± Shen Wenna said coldly. She took the gift and casually set it aside. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not mind. Last time, she seemed to have said this too, so...

    ¡°Sit.¡± Mu Yuchen did not say anything either. He just pulled a chair out for Xi Xiaye and whispered softly into her ear, ¡°Next time, be frank. Just bring him up.¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She ignored him and picked up her bowl to get some soup.

    Throughout the meal, Shen Wenna seemed to eat without tasting the food. She only had a few bites before she dered that she was done. She left her seat early and went to the study room, seeming very lonely.

    When she heard the study room door shut, Xi Xiaye sighed sorrowfully. She looked to Mu Yuchen and said, ¡°Don¡¯t take offense. Whenever it¡¯s this time of the year, Mother will be like this.¡±

    As she said this, she put the chopsticks in her hand down and stared at the paper bag. Finally, she reached out to open it and very quickly took a delicate box out. She casually opened it.

    Insidey an exquisite, blush-colored peach blossom hairpin. The light-colored petals enveloped the light tassels. It was very beautiful and very worthy of a second look.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look at her. You eat first.¡±

    Then, she took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the peach blossom hairpin before quickly getting up and making her way to the study room.

    At this moment, Shen Wenna, who was in the study room, was sitting quietly before her study table, looking out of the window past the muslin curtains without a word.

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached Shen Wenna¡¯s sides in a few steps. She handed the hairpin to her. ¡°This year¡¯s hairpin seems to be prettier thanst year¡¯s...¡±

    Shen Wenna turned to look at Xi Xiaye. A while after that, her gaze then moved down to the hairpin she handed her. Breathing in, she slowly took it.

    ¡°It¡¯s all already in the past. What¡¯s the point of sending these gifts?¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s slightly raspy voice rang out. One could vaguely hear the sadness in it. ¡°He¡¯s forever so self-righteous... Still thinking that I¡¯m still the same as I was!¡±

    ¡°Mother, if you really can¡¯t forget Father, can we...?¡±

    ¡°Who says I can¡¯t forget him? He¡¯s so sure that I won¡¯t be able to let him, is he? He, Xi Mushan, is so sure that I, Shen Wenna, wouldn¡¯t be able to live without him in this lifetime, eh?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Shen Wenna¡¯s expression suddenly tensed up and she tightened her grip onto the hairpin in her hand. ¡°The oath of eternal love we once had has now all be a preposterous joke because of his betrayal. Does he think I¡¯d forgive him just like that? Impossible! Xiaye, I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ll <i>never </i>forgive him!¡±

    Shen Wenna was suddenly very emotional. Her whole body trembled as her clear eyes revealed sparkles of tears that she had long endured. The scar that had fallen silent in her heart was brought back up to the surface again. It was so painful that she felt like she was suffocating.

    ¡°Back then, I gave up on everything. For him, I even severed ties with your grandfather. We were self-indulgent and unruly with our love... and then, in the end, I still had to pay a heavy price for this unruly banishment. Xiaye, I haven¡¯t been willing to tell you about my unbearable past because I hope that you won¡¯t know about all these ugly things... because you don¡¯t need to be burdened by these. I hope that you won¡¯t be affected by my misfortune too. I just want you to know that even though your father and I are divorced, we still care about you as we always did. That is all. Do you understand?¡±

    When she said this, Shen Wenna suddenly inhaled and suppressed the emotions that she was about to divulge. She paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°I¡¯m afraid your father and I will never be able to go back to how we were. I know that you¡¯ve been holding onto a sliver of hope for us, but I¡¯m telling you that there¡¯s no way.¡±

    ¡°Why not? If Yue Lingsi can steal Father from you, can¡¯t you get him back? Why can Xi Xinyi justifiably hog Father¡¯s love, hog the fancy of Grandfather and Grandmother, while I¡¯m left with nothing?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly could not stop herself from self-mockery as she said, ¡°Do you know that every time, every single time Xi Xinyi spread rumors about me, I¡¯d ask why? When bullied, she can go looking for Grandfather, Grandmother, and her parents. And me? Who can I go to?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye burst out about this, Shen Wenna instantly turned pale. Her hand that held the hairpin started to tremble slightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Consider it a slip of the tongue...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye saw Shen Wenna¡¯s expression darken, she felt her heart ache. With a deep breath, she pushed all of the bitterness in her throat back, then she said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m not ming you for anything. I¡¯ve already gotten used to it all these years anyway... When I see someone else¡¯s harmonious family, I just feel a little envious. That¡¯s all...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always respected you, Mother, and I¡¯ve always been proud of having a mother like you, but I hope that you can be braver for the things that you should fight for. You should... You and Father aren¡¯t young anymore...¡± Xi Xiayemented.

    Actually, for a long time, she had not dared to tell Shen Wenna that she hoped she could help her get her father back. She wanted to give Shen Wenna the courage as well, but at that time, she did not even have the courage herself, so how could she offer it to Shen Wenna?

    Shen Wenna did not say anything. She just watched Xi Xiaye silently, the hairpin clutched tightly in her hand. Xi Xiaye could seem to see her struggle in her eyes.

 Chapter 272 - Because of Love? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 272: Because of Love? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye watched Shen Wenna who had fallen silent for a long time. Finally, she did not say anything anymore and turned to leave the study room.

    Outside, Mu Yuchen had already kept all the dishes away and was watching the television on the sofa.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a walk outside.¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed him a cup of tea as she said, ¡°It¡¯s the weekend. The students have all gone out, so there aren¡¯t many people around...¡±

    He reached out to take the tea before lowering his head to sip it. Then, he nodded after seeing the sorrow that gathered between her brows. He set the cup aside and got up. ¡°Go put on your windbreaker.¡±

    Xi Xiaye responded, peering hesitantly at the study room. She lowered her gaze to think, then stood at the door to announce, ¡°Mother, we want to take a walk around the school.¡±

    After she said this, Shen Wenna did not answer either. Xi Xiaye stayed silent for a while, then whirled around to grab the windbreaker on the rack.

    At this moment, Shen Wenna¡¯s voice finally came from behind. ¡°The car keys are on the shelf by the door.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    University A was huge and it would take almost an hour to walk from the south entrance to the north entrance. Apart from the Nissan downstairs, there were also the tram and bike. The tram was usually the best choice for going to sses. Shen Wenna had bought the bike, especially for Xi Xiaye. Whenever Xi Xiaye came over with Su Nan, the two of them used to roam around the university grounds on the bike.

    Downstairs, Mu Yuchen stared at the car keys Xi Xiaye handed him, not taking it after a long time.

    When she saw him not moving for a long while, Xi Xiaye suddenly raised her brows and looked at him in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know how to ride a bike.¡±

    Without a word, he just squinted and looked at her thoughtfully. Just as he was about to say something, Xi Xiaye had already taken the keys back and sighed as she volunteered, ¡°Alright, so there¡¯s finally something that you can¡¯t do. I¡¯ll drive you...¡±

    Before she could finish, he had already taken the keys back and swiftly started the bike, he shot her a side nce, then she shrugged and walked over too.

    ¡°Later, I¡¯ll ask them to prepare a mountain bike for you. Every weekend, in the evening, we¡¯ll go around the vi. You still need more practice,¡± he said, then he quickly took control of the bike and turned to look at her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I think I already have had tons of training.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she responded. After that, she got into the backseat, while she held onto his shirt by his waist.

    The entire university was rather empty. The pathway that led to the third teaching building was covered in peach blossom petals. Once in a while, they could see young couples taking pictures underneath the peach blossom trees, or riding their bicycles under the trees like them. The tinkle of light, cheerfulughter could be heard from time to time.

    Xi Xiaye watched them and suddenly felt a little envious. Involuntarily, she tightened her grip onto the man¡¯s shirt and could not help but say, ¡°Do you feel like, in this phase of theirs, it feels like love is really simple and really... There just isn¡¯t that many restrictions and overthinking... Just two people together... All because they like each other...¡±

    He hesitated for a long while, before saying, ¡°It¡¯s very simple and pure, but feelings like these will always lose to reality, so you don¡¯t have to envy them. People like us are the best. How many people have actually built their happiness based on other people¡¯s perceptions? So, Missus, you have to turn this envy into action. No one else can give us these things; we can only fight for it ourselves.¡±

    She listened and understood what he meant. However, she did not answer. Instead, her hand that was curled around his waist tightened, and she fell silent for a while. Then, she suddenly remembered that a very, very long time ago she had heard of this one song. Somehow, she could not recall its name.

    <i>Everyone couldn¡¯t find this despair and gave up, but you¡¯d always arrive right when I¡¯m in danger. I just don¡¯t know much, but that justice is guided by you...</i>

    Of all times, apart from the role of a husband and lover, she felt like she rted to him more like a teacher and a friend. She could not question every word he uttered to her. Even she did not know why when it came to him, she could be so willing to trust without rejecting at all.

    The feeling was actually horrible if you thought about it because it would create a sense of reliance, and once this thing you were reliant on was lost, one would not be able to bear it.

    Su Nan had said, ¡°Xiaye, quickly bear a child for Mu Yuchen and tie him down. You won¡¯t have to worry about him running off then. That way, his heart will settle down. If a woman is willing to bear children for that man, then she¡¯s definitely nning to spend the rest of her life with him.¡±

    She did not know whether this was right. She just suddenly remembered Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan. As their daughter, would she not be able to tie them to each other?

    As she thought about this, she suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She could not help but ask him, ¡°Mu Yuchen, if we have children in the future...¡±

    As she said this, her voice gradually dropped as she looked down at the peach blossom petals that were scattered all over the floor and did not continue.

    Mu Yuchen nced down at her hand that was around his waist. He waited for a long while, yet she did not continue.

    He could not stand her words that seemed to tease him, so he pleaded, ¡°Finish what you were saying.¡±

    ¡°I said, if we have children in the future, you must treat them better just like how you¡¯re treating me now. You have to be a loving father, and you must have a good reputation. Apart from a father and child bond, you have to be good friends and good buddies. You also have to be like their teacher...¡±

    Mu Yuchen listened and was stunned for a while. Frozen, he thought about it, then chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s so hard to be your child¡¯s father, but if the person I¡¯m having a child with is you, I don¡¯t mind working a little harder.¡±

    As he said this, his still eyes brightened up a little. Unexpectedly, he felt excited for some reason.

    ¡°Did you think it¡¯d be easy?¡± She just answered matter-of-factly.

    ...

    The husband and wife naturally did not know that as they were passing under the peach blossom tree, Xi Mushan was taking everything in.

    ¡°Mayor, actually Master Mu and Miss Xiaye look pretty well-matched,¡± Secretary Ah Hui suddenlymented softly from the side. ¡°In fact, Master Mu seems to treat Miss Xiaye well, so, Mayor, you don¡¯t have to worry so much.¡±

    As Xi Mushan listened to his secretary, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he nodded. Watching them, he suddenly remembered being with Shen Wenna back then. Years ago, they had also once...

    Yet, he did stay on. Atst, he just looked ahead at the figures that gradually moved away. All of a sudden, he closed his eyes, breathed in, and rxed a little. Then, he opened his eyes before getting into the car.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s make a trip to Hospital T,¡± he dered, then leaned back to close his eyes and rest, feeling exhausted.

 Chapter 273 - Because of Love? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 273: Because of Love? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Hui nodded. Initially, he wanted to say some more, but since Xi Mushan had already closed his eyes, he fell silent. Furthermore, he did not have the heart to disturb him, so he just let it be.

    He quietly got into the car and drove straight to Hospital T.

    At this very moment, inside the superior ward, Xi Xinyi had already woken up. She looked very pale and haggard. Generally, she looked much weaker and her chin had sharpened drastically. You could tell that she was not doing well recently. In fact, now she looked beaten.

    Leaning against the bed head, she held onto her handphone and called Han Yifeng over and over again, yet it kept showing her that Han Yifeng¡¯s handphone was switched off. She was exceptionally worried and restless. Her beautiful eyes could not help but redden as she looked dazed too.

    On the side, Yue Lingsi was peeling an apple. When she noticed her looking like this, she was concerned. ¡°Xinyi, don¡¯t be so anxious. Yifeng might have something going on. Let him have some time alone first. The incident yesterday was just too...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be worried? Mother, how can I not be worried? He¡¯s never treated me this way! He must be angry. Mother, would he not want me and the baby? Mother...¡±

    Xi Xinyi turned around with a dazed expression as she gripped her phone tightly and looked at Yue Lingsi with teary eyes. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m really heartbroken...¡±

    When she saw how frail Xi Xinyi was, Yue Lingsi felt her heart ache too, so she quickly consoled her, ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild, Xinyi. You are carrying his child now. He wouldn¡¯t abandon you, so don¡¯t worry. On the Han family¡¯s end, they wouldn¡¯t agree either. Besides, the two of you just got married. There¡¯s still a long journey ahead of you, so don¡¯t say such silly things.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose... But if I hadn¡¯t done that, Yifeng would¡¯ve never seen my good side. Now he hates me and doesn¡¯t want me anymore, Mother...¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s tearful eyes widened while she sniffed, and tried calling Han Yifeng again as she said, ¡°No, I must talk to him... There¡¯s no one else in this world that loves him more than me. He can¡¯t just abandon me and the baby!¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, rest for a while. You¡¯ve been making calls ever since you woke up in the morning. As much as you want to reach him, Yifeng¡¯s phone is still switched off. Even Ziyao and the rest can¡¯t find him right now. Just let him have some time alone. The two of you are already married anyway, and now that you bear his child too, you don¡¯t have to worry about him running off.¡±

    Yue Lingsi reached out and wanted to stop Xi Xinyi, yet she persistently made another call which still went to voicemail. She finally broke down and tossed her phone to the ground.

    Bang!

    With a crash, the brand new phone announced the end of its life.

    ¡°He¡¯s doing this on purpose. He¡¯s purposely avoiding me! Mother, what should I do? What should I do?!¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, calm down! Don¡¯t hurt yourself. The doctor says you can¡¯t get too emotional! Do you want there to be any mishap with your child?¡±

    ¡°Then, make Yifenge. I must talk to him. I really didn¡¯t hurt Xiaye on purpose! I didn¡¯t think that things would¡¯ve turned out to be so severe back then. I just wanted Cousin to frighten her a little, make her back out herself, or make Yifeng change his mind about her. I really didn¡¯t think she would be expelled by the military academy. Otherwise, what could I have done? Grandfather was going to let her get engaged with Yifeng. That was the only way to break them apart. Mother, after the incident, I really med myself... I suffered too...¡±

    Xi Xinyi buried her face in her hands and wept, her light golden long hair tumbling down in a mess. Her usual beauty was no longer apparent. There was just haggardness and dullness left.

    ¡°Enough. Don¡¯t cry anymore. I know you¡¯ve suffered too, but these things... Xinyi, what do you want me to say to you?¡± Yue Lingsi could not help but sigh sorrowfully. Who else but her could understand this feeling?

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xinyi was incredibly sad. She leaned into her embrace, looking for a sliver offort.

    However, right at this moment, there was suddenly a knock on the door. Xi Xinyi then wiped her tears away and looked at the door.

    ¡°Madam, Miss Xinyi!¡±

    It was Xi Mushan¡¯s secretary, Ah Hui, who pushed the door open.

    The mother and daughter were shocked. Their eyes shed with apprehensiveness and then they saw Xi Mushan walk in. He carried his usual heavy aura. His stern expression was all tensed in seriousness, exuding an imposing and cold air.

    ¡°Father!¡± Xi Xinyi was stunned as panic crossed her eyes. She subconsciously looked to Yue Lingsi, who had stood up a little uneasily.

    Xi Mushan red at the two of them and walked over.

    ¡°Father, why are you here? Are you okay?¡±

    Xi Xinyi naturally did not forget that because of Xi Xiaye¡¯s matter, the government seemed to have had some news that was bad for Xi Mushan. In fact, in this period, Xi Mushan seemed to be extremely busy with work, so much so that he almost could not find the time to handle his family matters.

    ¡°Mushan, the doctor says that Xinyi¡¯s pregnancy isn¡¯t very stable. She can¡¯t be overworked and get provoked. Xiaye went overboardst night. Despite all that, she should consider the assion too. She clearly didn¡¯t want everyone to have peace! Mother¡¯s high blood pressure was almost triggered, and my father, he¡¯s furious too. She¡¯s just doing this so our family will look bad in front of the Yues and the Hans! If word gets out about this, where can we put our face? She really doesn¡¯t know her ce!¡± Yue Lingsi could not help but begin ranting.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s not Sister¡¯s fault. I deserve all of this. It was I who hurt her first, so I can understand how she feels. She¡¯s always been deeply in love with Yifeng. I...¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not finish because she noticed Xi Mushan ring at her with an exceptionally stern and sharp gaze. She stopped and nced a little uneasily at Xi Mushan.

    ¡°So, does that mean that you¡¯re the culprit behind Xiaye¡¯s drama?¡± Xi Mushan demanded in a low voice, his gaze fixated on Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi trembled as she quietly lowered her head and bit her lip. Her shoulders trembled slightly and she was softly sobbing.

    ¡°Mushan, Xinyi she...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Yue Lingsi wanted to say something, but she was sternly pushed back by Xi Mushan. His sharp gaze even frightened Yue Lingsi.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯ve frightened Mother!¡± Xi Xinyi quickly lifted a hand to hold Yue Lingsi steady.

    ¡°This is the good daughter that you¡¯ve raised. Just like you, to achieve your goals, you¡¯d scheme and spare no tricks.¡± Xi Mushan sneered as he looked at the two of them.

    ¡°Father, this was all me. It has nothing to do with Mother. You don¡¯t have to criticize her like that!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was protective of her mother. She pushed Yue Lingsi to the back and looked at Xi Mushan stubbornly.

 Chapter 274 - Because of Love? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 274: Because of Love? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi was pale and she balled fists as she looked at Xi Mushan, muttering, ¡°Mushan, Xinyi wasn¡¯t sensible. She¡¯s still young. Don¡¯t me her...¡±

    ¡°Still young? She was only in her teens and she¡¯s already learned such evil tricks to frame her own sister. How¡¯s she considered still young? The student bes the master after she was taught by you.¡±

    ¡°Father, I already said that I really didn¡¯t do that on purpose!¡±

    Xi Mushan shot Xi Xinyi a side look. Quickly, his gaze fell onto Yue Lingsi with a coldness that could not be hidden in his still eyes. ¡°If you still want to keep your position as the mayor¡¯s wife, I hope you¡¯ll buck up and y your role well.¡±

    ¡°Mushan, listen to me...¡± Yue Lingsi shivered slightly. She immediately went up to him and was about to hold onto his arm, yet he just lifted a hand and turned around indifferently. Consequently, he reached out to nothing.

    ¡°I hope that this can stop where it is right now. You two, stop disturbing Shen Wenna and Xiaye. As for Xiaye getting expelled from the military academy, Xinyi, you¡¯d better be able to persuade your cousin to exin it clearly. Otherwise, when the court sends a letter to us, if I find out that you two stirred trouble up, you¡¯d better be prepared to leave the Xi family.¡±

    Xi Mushan then coldly left the ward, refusing to stay for another second.

    His words left Yue Lingsi in panic and shock. Her gaze was fixed on the doorway ahead that was already empty as she muttered, ¡°What? What does he mean by leave the Xi family? Xinyi, did your father say something about leaving the Xi family? Who¡¯s leaving the Xi family?¡±

    ¡°Mother, Father¡¯s just saying those out of anger. Don¡¯t take them seriously...¡± Xi Xinyi looked at the empty doorway ahead, yet her gaze had already instantly turned bitter.

    ¡°He wants to divorce me? He wants to chase us out of the Xi family, does he? Is that so? Huh, Xinyi?¡± Yue Lingsi clutched onto Xinyi¡¯s sleeves and asked with a worried expression.

    ¡°He wants to bring Shen Wenna and her daughter back... He must be thinking of bringing them back... No way! I¡¯m telling you, no way! Even if I die, I wouldn¡¯t let Shen Wenna that b*tch have her way! Xi Mushan can only be mine. He¡¯s mine! I¡¯m the Mayor¡¯s wife., <i>I¡¯m </i> the daughter-inw of the Xi family! Shen Wenna is nothing. She¡¯s just an abandoned woman. What does she have to deserve to fight with me? What?!¡±

    Yue Lingsi could not calm down.

    ¡°Mother! Calm down! There¡¯s no way Father would divorce you. Grandfather and Grandmother wouldn¡¯t agree, and there¡¯s Grandfather [1] and the rest too, so what are you worried about?¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked worriedly at Yue Lingsi with mixed emotions in her eyes.

    How could she say that she actually really hated how Yue Lingsi would look all lowly in front of Xi Mushan every time?

    Why could she not be like Shen Wenna and look icily arrogant too?

    She knew that Xi Mushan hated the way she looked meek and always tried to win his favor, yet she would continue to act just like that!

    As Yue Lingsi listened to her daughter, she rxed a little and quickly nodded. ¡°Right, right... Your father can¡¯t divorce me. Right, how did I forget? Even if Shen Wenna¡¯s dead, she¡¯ll never get your father!¡±

    ...

    Two dayster, Han Yifeng still did not reveal himself and he did not go to the office either. No one knew where he had gone. Huang Ziyao, Xi Xinyi and the rest were worried sick. In fact, at the same time, a letter from the court had been sent to Xi Xinyi, causing everyone to go into an rm.

    Naturally, it was about Xi Xiaye getting expelled from the military academy.

    The next afternoon, after mobilizing discussions all around and Xi Xinyi had received the court¡¯s letter, Yang Jianfeng had unexpectedly gone to the court himself toe clean about the truth, taking on all the criminal charges. Because there was no direct evidence, Xi Xinyi had dodged a bullet.

    She was secretly d. Thankfully, Yang Jianfeng had not used those drugs back then. Otherwise, she...

    As for Yang Jianfeng bing the ck sheep, it was something within Xi Xiaye¡¯s expectations. Even though she was a little unhappy about it, at least this could prove her innocence. In fact, everyone had always been clear about the whole incident, so she could only reluctantly ept this result.

    It was Zhuang Shurong who called herself to exin the whole situation. Xi Xiaye knew what she was about to say, so her reaction was very calm. ¡°Mother, I understand. I agree to drop thewsuit.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong fell silent for a moment on the other end of the phone before she continued, ¡°Mmm, this implicates a lot. If we continue to hold on to it, they might want to look into your self-defense with excessive force. Xiaye, if you want to continue, I won¡¯t stop you...¡±

    Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly and shook her head. ¡°No need, Mother, just let it be. I agree to drop it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, the court will adjust the charges. They¡¯ll let you publicly rify this matter. Don¡¯t worry and don¡¯t be too pressured.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, thanks, Mother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin the situation to Chen Er too. That¡¯s that then.¡±

    ...

    Just as Zhuang Shurong was about to hang up, Xi Xiaye suddenly asked, ¡°Hold on, Mother. How¡¯s Father?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing happened. Don¡¯t fret too much. Leave work earlier today to rest. You¡¯ve been too tensed these past few days. Don¡¯t overburden yourself...¡±

    ...

    After she hung up on Zhuang Shurong, Xi Xiaye felt more rxed. She slowly stood up and turned to look out the window behind her. This was when she noticed that the sky was clear outside. It was the kind of sky after the rain had cleared.

    Knock knock!

    Right at that moment, there was suddenly a knock from outside.

    Xi Xiaye did not turn to look and just responded, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opened very quickly as her assistant, Xiao Mei, brought in a young fellow who walked in with a huge bouquet of yellow roses in his arms.

    ¡°Director Xi, this young man says someone sent you flowers!¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye slowly turned around and looked suspiciously at the man.

    The young man smiled and walked up to her while holding the bouquet up to take a closer look at the card. ¡°Are you Miss Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows and did not answer, but the delivery boy was already sure it was her and handed her the bouquet. ¡°Miss Xi, these are flowers a mister has bought for you. Please sign for them!¡±

    Who sent her flowers?

    Was it Mu Yuchen?

    The first name Xi Xiaye thought of was Mu Yuchen. She swiftly took the delivery order and wrote her name down. Then, she took the flowers as Xiao Mei and the fellow swiftly exited.

    She peered down at the bouquet in her hands and very quickly noticed the envelope stuck in the flowers. Holding it up to read, she unexpectedly realized that it was Han Yifeng¡¯s handwriting!

    A line of messy scrawling appeared in her sight.

    <i>Xiaye, I¡¯m sorry. Thank you for the love you once granted me. I should have cherished it!</i>

    When she saw these words, Xi Xiaye felt a sourness in her heart for some reason and her eyes suddenly started to turn hot.

 Chapter 275 - Those In Eternal Slumber (1)

    <h4>Chapter 275: Those In Eternal Slumber (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She suddenly went absent-minded.

    As she blinked and tried to force the lukewarm feeling in her eyes back, she lifted her head and gazed outside at the blue sky once again. The card in her hand gradually fell into the dustbin.

    She took a deep breath while she rested an arm on the chilly window pane before her. Then, she returned to her usualposure after a while.

    She was not feeling sad. Instead, she was relieved.

    After putting in so much effort, she just wanted a word of recognition. Whether it was worth it or not, putting an end to it could lead to a new beginning.

    She told herself that all the unhappiness in the past were just stepping stones. No matter what, her own happiness woulde one day.

    Suddenly, she turned her head around and looked at the blooming yellow roses on her table. A rare smile appeared on her face.

    If only everything could just end here. Unfortunately, one could not win against fate...

    ...

    That night, it was the birthday of Vice Director Xu from the nning Department. His lover had booked a room to host a party. At first, Xi Xiaye did not want to go, but since Vice Director Xu insisted, she was forced to go.

    Mu Yuchen went to the neighboring city early in the morning. He went over the development of Movie City with Ah Mo. His phone had been switched off the whole day. He was probably busy with work, so she just left him a text message before heading over to the venue.

    Things were getting started in the room. Most of the guests consisted of people from the nning Department, most of whom she knew, so they started chatting. Xi Xiaye did not drink since she needed to driveter. Throughout the night, she just sat around and chatted.

    However, she seemed a little uneasy that night. She nced over at her phone several times and did not see any calls or message replies from Mu Yuchen. After some hesitation, she decided to leave earlier and gave Ah Mo a call.

    Near the entrance, as she walked down the staircase, Xi Xiaye was heading towards her car with a frown on her face and was about to call Ah Mo when she bumped into someone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Xi Xiaye gasped subconsciously with her eyes still glued onto the phone screen. An arm helped her up as she seemed like she was about to trip, followed by the faint scent of cologne which made her frown.

    ¡°We meet again, Ms. Xiaye!¡±

    There was a tint of cheekiness in his tone. When Xi Xiaye raised her head, Qi Lei¡¯s face was right before her eyes. He seemed d about their encounter.

    ¡°Why are you here!?¡± Xi Xiaye grabbed onto her phone tightly and stared at him alertly.

    ¡°Fate, I guess! We seem to bump into each other everywhere.¡± Qi Lei grinned, his eyes deep and dark like the abyss.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Xi Xiaye struggled in his grip and put on an unweing attitude towards him. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fate at all. We¡¯re just enemies that happen to bump into each other.¡±

    ¡°Why would you say so? There¡¯s no way a beauty like you is an enemy to me. It¡¯s a fateful meeting between us!¡± Qi Lei leered. While his words were frivolous in nature, his eyes seemed judgmental and interested instead.

    Xi Xiayeughed coldly. She averted her gaze away and was about to leave. Unexpectedly, Qi Lei stepped forward and smiled beside her ear. ¡°You seem to be on guard against me. Do I look like a bad person to you?¡±

    ¡°Nope, because I know you are one! Can you move away, Vice President Qi?¡± Xi Xiaye stopped struggling and red into his smiling eyes.

    ¡°I heard about your recent victory. Did Mu Yuchen help you out? That gift of his just revealed everything about your sister. What a smart move! Oh, I almost forgot, he¡¯s always this vicious...¡±

    Qi Lei let out an evilugh as his eyes turned icy. He smiled again when he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s frigid expression. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I might misunderstand... Mu Yuchen isn¡¯t a nice person. You can considering over to Qikai where I can give you a position as Vice President. What do you think?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly had a wry smile on her face as she looked at Qi Lei. ¡°So, you mean you¡¯re a nice person then? It¡¯s not impossible for me to go over to Qi Kai. I¡¯ve never been a CEO before. Why don¡¯t you ask your father to quit and let me be the CEO of Qi Kai instead? Then, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Qi Lei was not angry at all. In fact, heughed wholeheartedly. ¡°Ms. Xiaye, you¡¯re so much more fun than your pitiful sister. Is Han Yifeng crazy? He didn¡¯t know he had such a precious one by his side all this time!¡±

    Xi Xiaye remained silent and just stared at Qi Lei coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean any ill, Ms. Xiaye. I¡¯m genuinely inviting you over to Qi Kai. I¡¯m sure we can offer a much better package than Glory World. Please give it some thought. I really admire you. I heard the proposal for the South River project this time was your work. I¡¯m really looking forward to Mu Yuchen¡¯s overconfidence that he¡¯ll get this project.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask him yourself then. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not getting anything out of me.¡± Xi Xiaye grinned. ¡°I heard that Qi Kai has put a lot of effort into this project as well. I remember that Vice President Qi told me thest time that you¡¯re determined to get this project. Are you trying to get information from me in a roundabout way now?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled before shrugging. ¡°Do I look like a spy to you, Ms. Xiaye? I¡¯m a straightforward and upright person. Mu Yuchen is better at these things. What? You don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Qi Lei, trying to belittle another person and seemingly make yourself seem better is a really low and stupid move. So, you¡¯re a man like that?¡± Xi Xiaye gave Qi Lei a meaningful nce.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression froze for a moment, but it soon returned to usual. His eyes glittered as he looked at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye let out a coldugh when he did not reply. She clutched her phone tightly and walked past him.

 Chapter 276 - Those In Eternal Slumber (2)

    <h4>Chapter 276: Those In Eternal Slumber (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not a man like that, Ms. Xiaye!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s yful voice reached Xi Xiaye again when she arrived beside her car!

    Xi Xiaye frowned, staring at Qi Lei with her cold eyes. For some reason, she had a very bad feeling about this man.

    When it came to the South River project, Glory World and Qi Kai were opponents and it was inevitable for some friction to exist between them.

    Glory World and Qi Kai were not involved with each other at all. Aside from the conflict that happened in the past coborations, those matters were resolved peacefully and there were no leftover issues afterward. However, given Qi Lei¡¯s tone of voice just now, it seemed that he was very unhappy with Mu Yuchen.

    What had happened?

    Xi Xiaye did not give it much thought. She got into the car and gave Ah Mo a call as she put the gear into reverse.

    The call went on for some time without anyone picking up. Just as Xi Xiaye was about to give up, the call connected.

    ¡°Hello, Missus?¡± It was Ah Mo¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Ah Mo? It¡¯s me... Is Mu Yuchen still with you?¡± Xi Xiaye asked with a frown.

    ¡°Master? Nope, Master went back to Maple Residence after getting off the ne in the evening. Is he still not home yet?¡± Ah Mo was a little anxious and his tone sounded worried.

    ¡°I¡¯m still outside. His phone was switched off the whole time, and no one¡¯s picking up the phone at home. Never mind. I¡¯ll head back now, but I might call you again.¡±

    She hung up before Ah Mo could say anything. Revving the engine, she headed right back to Maple Residence, rushing the whole way through.

    Half an hourter, the car entered the Grand Waves vi area. The car brought forth a gush of wind and after several swift turns, it suddenly braked as it stopped right before Maple Residence.

    Xi Xiaye got out of the car quickly and went into the house.

    Looking from afar, the vi was still pitch ck. The only lights were from the streetmps by the front yard.

    Xi Xiaye soon went into the vi. She switched the lights in the living room on, yet it was empty.

    She left her briefcase aside and started searching everywhere. Despite calling his phone again, it was still switched off!

    There was no one in the living room or in the kitchen. She looked everywhere downstairs and he was nowhere to be found. The uneasiness inside her grew stronger. Her chest tightened as she rushed upstairs.

    The room was dark as well. She switched the lights in the bedroom on.

    Empty!

    No one on the balcony too!

    Ah, the study room?

    She turned around and went inside the study room.

    Bang!

    She flipped the switch on and the lights lit up the whole room, chasing away the darkness.

    She could smell the faint smell of tobo. Her eyes searched around and saw him lying on the soft chair beside the tall bookshelf.

    His eyes were closed and he was giving off a cold vibe around him. The ashtray was already full of stubs.

    Not used to the sudden light, he took a deep breath and blocked the light with one hand while he squinted his eyes and looked over at the door. She was panting with her face red. He then groaned, ¡°You¡¯re back...¡±

    He dragged the curtain beside him open and pushed the window outward. A strong gust of wind came inside and soon blew the cigarette smell away.

    His voice sounded dry and hoarse while his face seemed exhausted as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is your phone switched off? You didn¡¯t pick up the phone when I called home too!¡± Xi Xiaye went to the coffee table and poured a ss of water before going near him.

    He pinched the space between his eyebrows before grabbing his phone. He then put it back when he saw that it was still turned off.

    ¡°Drink some water. How are you? Why do you look so terrible?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she handed him the ss of water.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m just tired and I didn¡¯t get to rest well,¡± Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply as he took the ss of water and sipped it a little. His voice sounded really hoarse.

    She seemed worried and could not help but put her hand on his forehead.

    It was burning!

    Her eyes darkened. She quickly grabbed his hand and as she expected, it was nearly the same temperature as his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re having a fever. Can¡¯t you feel it?¡±

    A fever?

    No wonder he felt out of strength and dizzy...

    Mu Yuchen frowned, his breathing getting heavier. ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was starting to get a headache. She took a deep breath, and before he could say anything, she called Dr. Zhong and asked him toe over immediately. She was so quick that he could not stop her.

    After hanging up, she helped him up. ¡°Let me get you to bed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a small fever. I don¡¯t want to sleep. I¡¯ll be fine by just lying down for a bit,¡± he replied as he breathed heavily. He did not seem very well.

    ¡°Is a fever a small matter? I¡¯ll get you some medicine first...¡± Xi Xiaye felt like a mess inside. She was worried and freaked out at the same time when he was feeling terrible. Back then, when she was like this alone, she would just take some medicine herself and went back to sleep. Only she would know how it felt.

    She found the medicine and took out the tablets for him. Surprisingly, he took them obediently.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook you something...¡± She was about to get up and cook him something to eat, but as she just got up, he grabbed her wrist. ¡°No, don¡¯t go. Just sit here.¡±

    As he dragged her back to him, Xi Xiaye could almost feel her wrist being crushed. She looked at his heavy-lidded eyes and sighed after a while. She put her other hand on his. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. Sleep for a bit.¡±

    He nodded and let go of her wrist before closing his eyes slowly...

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯ll be fine after a good night¡¯s sleep. Don¡¯t worry,¡± he added before he fell asleep.

    Xi Xiaye did not move even after he fell asleep. She just sat there quietly and looked at him with the dim lights shadowing him. It felt like he had not been feeling very well during this period. In addition to that, he had been having nightmares the past few nights.

 Chapter 277 - Those In Eternal Slumber (3)

    <h4>Chapter 277: Those In Eternal Slumber (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After some time, she came back to her senses when she felt her arm getting a little numb. He seemed slightly better when she heard the sound of the doorbell chiming downstairs.

    It should be Dr. Zhong.

    Xi Xiaye stood up and spent some time trying to pry her hand out of his grip. She ced her hand on his forehead again. It was still pretty hot, so she sighed worriedly.

    When she went downstairs, Ah Mo came over with Dr. Zhong.

    ¡°Missus! How¡¯s Master?¡± Ah Mo asked anxiously, his eyebrows knitted together.

    Xi Xiaye moved aside and let the two of them in. ¡°I just gave him some medicine for the fever, but it hasn¡¯t gone down. Let¡¯s go up first.¡±

    ¡°Master stayed in the breeze for quite some time during the inspection today. I think he caught a cold. Dr. Zhong, please take a look at him quickly.¡± Ah Mo followed Xi Xiaye to the second floor.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped at the entrance of the study room and turned around to tell them, ¡°He wasn¡¯t able to rest well in the past few nights. He¡¯s just fallen asleep. Be careful.¡±

    Dr. Zhong nodded and walked more quietly after that. Ah Mo¡¯s expression seemedplicated as he looked at Xi Xiaye as if he wanted to say something. However, he was not able to say it. They then went in.

    The man suddenly woke up as Dr. Zhong went near him. A dim light appeared in his eyes when he saw the other person before him. ¡°Why are you guys here?¡±

    ¡°Master! How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡±

    Ah Mo and Dr. Zhong spoke at the same time, both concerned.

    Mu Yuchen put a hand on his forehead as he nced over at the quiet Xi Xiaye. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little cold and fever. She¡¯s just overreacting.¡±

    ¡°Your body temperature is very high now. A fever is no small matter. It¡¯s your own body. You¡¯re the one who¡¯ll suffer.¡± Xi Xiaye did not want to argue with him any further. She dragged the stool in between them away and held his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the bedroom. Dr. Zhong, please check his condition there.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her deeply in the eyes. Her expression was saying that there was no room for negotiation. A faint smile appeared on his pale, handsome face. He did not say anything and just let her drag him along with all her might.

    Ah Mo wanted to help, but Mu Yuchen stopped him.

    She grabbed a clean sleeping robe and made him change into it after they got into the bedroom. She wiped his face clean before Dr. Zhong gave him a checkup and gave him a flu shot.

    Xi Xiaye went downstairs and made some porridge. It was already 1 a.m. when Dr. Zhong was done.

    ¡°Go back and rest earlier. He¡¯ll be fine with me here. Remember not to tell Grandfather and Grandmother. I don¡¯t want them to be worried,¡± Xi Xiaye told Ah Mo as she sent them off.

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. Please take care of Master then. Dr. Zhong gave Master a shot, so his fever is slowly going away. It¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry, Missus.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, then she added, ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem very well these few days. I¡¯m not sure what to do...¡±

    Stunned, Ah Mo looked downwards as he quieted down. After a moment, he said quietly, ¡°Missus, please spend more time with Master these few days. His mood isn¡¯t usually very good during this time of the year, and Qingming is alsoing...¡±

    Ah Mo did not continue. He raised his head and looked upstairs with a depressed expression and his eyes were cloudy as well.

    Xi Xiaye could see the pain and struggle in his eyes. She could not imagine that the usually cool and calm Ah Mo would have such a side to him.

    She kind of knew what was happening. Xi Xiaye did not press on the issue and just nodded. ¡°Mmm, I will.¡±

    Ah Mo took a deep breath before turning around as he left the vi.

    When she went back to the room with a bowl of porridge, she noticed that he was not in bed. Instead, he was just sitting in the living room after a shower, on a call with someone. He gave some brief instructions before hanging up.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you lying down?¡±

    She handed the bowl of porridge to him and took the phone away from him. ¡°Eat something. Has your fever subsided? Let me take a look...¡±

    ¡°Almost. Sit down. You¡¯ve been busy the whole night.¡± He grabbed her hand on his forehead and made her sit. He also put the bowl of porridge on the table beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Ah Mo is pretty worried about you.¡±

    He sat down beside her and she was relieved when she could feel that his temperature was not as high as it was earlier. She poured a ss of water and was going to give it to him, but he did not want it, so she drank it herself.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    Heughed at her. While his tone still sounded weak, there was a tint of gentleness in his voice.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and stared at him without saying anything. She then looked at the bowl of porridge before averting her gaze back to him again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go to work tomorrow. I¡¯ve asked Ah Mo not to tell your grandparents about you. I don¡¯t want them to worry,¡± she sighed before starting to clean up the messy desk.

    His eyes darkened slightly as he looked at her cleaning up. After a while, he said quietly, ¡°Mother called me today regarding that matter. If...¡±

    She took a pause before raising her head and looking into his deep, dark eyes. ¡°Just let it be. I just wanted to prove my own innocence. It¡¯s fine now. If things go on peacefully from now onwards, it¡¯s going to be alright.¡±

    He looked downward and went quiet for a moment before nodding. ¡°Sure. By the way, I heard someone gave you some flowers this afternoon. Who was it?¡±

    His sudden question caught Xi Xiaye off guard. A cloud of doubt went past her eyes.

    <i>How did he find out?</i>

    After a brief moment of silence, she admitted honestly, ¡°It¡¯s Han Yifeng... He apologized to me...¡±

    His hands clenched into fists and his eyes turnedplicated. He was not able to say anything.

    She looked at him when she noticed the atmosphere turning odd. He did not look very well and she suddenly put her hand on top of his.

    ¡°Things are long over between me and him, so...¡±

 Chapter 278 - Those In Eternal Slumber (4)

    <h4>Chapter 278: Those In Eternal Slumber (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After she said this, she did not continue. Her lips pursed together and she paused. Then, she leaned towards him, and as if to prove her intention with her actions, she gave him a light kiss on his cold, thin lips.

    Initially, she wanted to move away right after kissing. However, as if he knew how she was like, just as she was about to move away, his arms thaty idly urately caught her slender waist, and he used a hand to hold her back, pulling her towards his chest...

    His familiar and vague fragrance rushed in as she was hugged in his tight embrace. She could even hear his heartbeat clearly.

    ¡°You and he are over while we¡¯ve just... we¡¯ve just begun... The fact that he can keep you thinking about him for so many years, to be honest, it really doesn¡¯t make me feel good sometimes... Mmm...¡±

    She did not let him continue, nting a cold kiss that immediately stopped all of his words.

    He dly epted it since she rarely took the initiative. Someone like him would not reject such things!

    They wanted to stop after that little tease, yet the more they went in, the faster the fiery passion escted. He struggled for a final strand of rationality before he remembered his condition, and said with a lot of effort in a raspy voice, ¡°Don¡¯t... Xiaye... I¡¯ll infect you...¡±

    The restraint he had been proud of was slowly weakening as he withstood the temptation. Previously, when he had not felt how amazing she was, he could still force himself to hold back, but now...

    Once she teased him, he would not be able to stand it. He even started to feel frustrated.

    <i>Mu Yuchen, who would have thought that you who had cleanse your heart and limit your desires would have such a day too!?</i>

    Was it her overwhelming charm or his weakened skill?

    ...

    The next day, Xi Xiaye woke up in a bout of dizziness. Unfortunately, she had caught a cold too.

    Mu Yuchen applied sick leave for her while Sis Wang came over early in the morning to prepare breakfast for the two of them. The husband and wife were indeed the kinds that shared trials and tribtions together. After a simple breakfast and taking some medication, they rested for a bit before gradually feeling much better.

    In the afternoon, Ah Mo followed Mu Yuchen¡¯s orders and delivered the documents, but he did not see Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. There was only Sis Wang and the two maids cleaning up in the vi, so he asked while feeling puzzled, ¡°Where¡¯s Master and the Missus?¡±

    The busy Sis Wang thought for a while, then answered, ¡°Master and Missus went out after breakfast.¡±

    <i>Went out?</i>

    <i>They are sick, have they rested enough?</i>

    Ah Mo frowned. After a short hesitation, he was about to say something. Then, he suddenly heard the howling of the strong, cold breeze brushing past. Next came the maid¡¯s cries.

    ¡°It¡¯s raining. Quickly close the windows!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the rainy season during Qingming... I¡¯m afraid the weather¡¯s going to be like this for the next few days!¡±

    When he heard this, Ah Mo was suddenly stunned. His expression suddenly changed and his eyes darkened.

    It was the fourth of May, which was Qing Ming, the day to offer sacrifices to the dead...

    On the path that was sandwiched by weeping willows towards Qingshan cemetery, a ck Cayenne drove past underneath the trees before steadily stopping by a florist by the roadside.

    The car door opened very quickly as Mu Yuchen got down from the car first, followed closely by Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the flower bouquets before him, then said calmly, ¡°Boss, can I have two bouquets of ca lilies?¡±

    The boss nodded and promptly wrapped up two bouquets of beautiful white lilies. In the middle of the bouquets were even several little purple flowers as decoration.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He gave her one of the bouquets and they walked towards the staircase that led up the hills. The hazy rain very quickly hid the sight of him.

    Xi Xiaye turned over to silently gaze at his back that had already walked ahead. Her heart sank a little when she saw bleakness and loneliness in his silhouette. Her eyes darkened while the hand that held the umbre tightened. With a light huff, she breathed in lightly and followed him.

    These few days, people celebrated Qingming. It was a time to offer sacrifices to the dead and sweep their ancestors¡¯ tombs, remembering those who had passed away.

    When they walked through the hill of tombstones, they noticed that in front of many tombstones were bouquets of fresh flowers. People must havee to pay respects earlier.

    The sky was gloomy as the misty rain engulfed the entire cemetery in glum darkness.

    They walked past a long staircase, and then through a small path before the two of them finally reached two tombstones.

    Up front, he stopped first. Since she was not walking that quickly, she stopped in that instant too. She took a step forward and raised the ck umbre in her hand a little higher his head. Then, she followed his line of sight towards the tombstones,

    The picture on the tombstone was a very young girl oozing with charisma, and she was very beautiful, yet she looked quite familiar. Xi Xiaye kept feeling like she had seen this girl before...

    She looked down and saw the girl¡¯s name ¡ª Mu Zixi!

    Looking at her age...

    ¡°Is she¡¯s your aunt?¡± Xi Xiaye turned to ask Mu Yuchen, yet her tone was certain.

    One could vaguely see the simrities between the girl and Wang Hui¡¯s brows.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. His gaze just fell on the tombstone in front of him as puzzlement surfaced in Xi Xiaye¡¯s starry eyes. She looked over at the tombstone following his gaze.

    Unexpectedly, it was a very young man. He looked dashing and seemed to exude sunshine. He was probably just over 20 years old in the picture.

    Born on XX of the month XX in the year XX, he had passed away on XX of the month XX in the year XX.

    She calcted the difference. Had he lived until now, he would have been 28 years old!

    He had only been 23 when he died.

    His name was Mu Lingtian!

    Was he someone from the Mu family?

    His younger brother?

    But Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong only had him as their only son, so who was this Mu Lingtian?

    From the looks of his picture, he really did not look like Mu Tangchuan and Mu Yuche.

    He silently stared at the person in the picture for a long time. Then, he reached over to the bouquet in her hands, putting a bouquet on the two tombstones respectively. She was puzzled upon seeing his sad expression. She wanted to ask something, yet she held back.

    Quite a while after, his deep voice suddenly came. ¡°She¡¯s my aunty. I think you wouldn¡¯t be unfamiliar with her. Do you think she looks a little familiar?¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned to look at him, yet his gaze remained fixed on the tombstones. She paused and looked to the tombstones too. Momentster, she nodded. ¡°I do think she¡¯s quite familiar. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve seen her somewhere before.¡±

    He sighed softly, ¡°My aunt was an extremely popr artiste in the entertainment industry back then. You should¡¯ve heard of her stage name. It¡¯s Mu Zi...¡±

    Mu Zi?

    Xi Xiaye was dumbfounded!

    Of course, she had heard of this name!

    Back when she was still young, Mu Zi was an A-list artiste that was extremely well-known!

 Chapter 279 - Those In Eternal Slumber (5)

    <h4>Chapter 279: Those In Eternal Slumber (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, Mu Zi had only been popr for a few years. Rumor had it that after that she could not cope with the pressure and fell into depression, she jumped off a building to end her life.

    After that, her name slowly left the attention of the public.

    Even though Xi Xiaye did not follow celebrity news, it had been huge news. Back then, it had been quite shocking too. However, everything that came after was hearsay, and she had been quite young then, so she obviously did not remember anything.

    How unexpected that Mu Zi would turn out to be Mu Zixi, his aunt!

    ¡°Aunty left us not too long after giving birth to Lingshi. Just like that, so many years have passed and some memories have even faded. I can¡¯t remember much either.¡±

    He reacted rather calmly. Of course, when he looked at the other picture beside Mu Zixi, his handsome face darkened. His eyes held an unfathomable gloominess which seemed to be mixed with emotions. She saw that he could not help but cough several times, and a bleakness colored between his brows.

    When he saw the questions in her eyes, he calmly exined, ¡°He is Aunty¡¯s son, Lingshi¡¯s brother. He was a few years younger than me. He grew up with Lingshi, Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and I.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned at him as she asked softly, ¡°Mu Lingtian... Mu Lingshi... Then, their father...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Aunty herself has never mentioned him to anyone. Grandfather, Grandmother and my parents spent so much effort but they couldn¡¯t find out who their father was. Nevertheless, it¡¯s true that Lingtian and Lingshi are biological siblings,¡± he inly responded. After a pause, he continued, ¡°When Aunty was younger, she was very rebellious. She was determined to go down the path of acting, but you know that taking this path...¡±

    When he said this, he suddenly sighed, ¡°Now you know why I¡¯ve never been impressed by show business. My father said that Aunty fell in love with a man that couldn¡¯t marry her... In the few years before she passed away, she fell into severe depression after she gave birth to Lingshi.

    ¡°Grandfather and Grandmother are strict with their upbringing. When such a thing happened, they were furious. They even wanted to kick my aunt out of the house. It was Father who persuaded them topromise, and then she fell pregnant with Lingshi again. Grandfather and Grandmother... Aunty was already in a bad situation then. Even if they didn¡¯t forgive her, she was still their daughter, so... Unexpectedly, not long after Aunty gave birth to Lingshi, she ended her life. Grandfather and Grandmother were heartbroken. While Aunty never mentioned who the father of Lingtian and Lingshi was, she only told Father that they share the same father.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he suddenly leaned a hand against the cold tombstone. His long fingers picked up a yellow leaf that had fallen on the tombstone as he smiled sadly. ¡°Remember I told you before that my family has strict demands of us children? Actually, a part of it was also because of my aunt. They all think that Grandfather adopted Ah Mo from the orphanage for me... but actually, that¡¯s not the case. It was because of Lingtian... Lingtian was a reserved person who didn¡¯t like to talk. He could not seem to blend in with us, that¡¯s why Grandfather found Ah Mo, and let Ah Mo be Lingtian¡¯s ymate. So, Ah Mo and the siblings, Lingtian and Lingshi, are very close.¡±

    After he said this, he suddenly fell silent. He took out a cigarette box from his pocket and lit three sticks, putting them on Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone.

    Xi Xiaye quietly listened to him in a daze.

    Who would have thought that the Mu family would have had such a sad past?

    She fell silent for a really long time before she finally could not help but ask, ¡°What about him? How did he pass away?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was startled. His dark eyes shed with a cold light that seemed odd andplicated. An unfathomable bitter smile graced the corner of his lips, and even his gaze darkened.

    ¡°Because of that car ident,¡± he inly answered word for word, ¡°Four years... No, five years, the car ident was five years ago.¡±

    A car ident?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She could not wrap her head around it, yet he did not wait for her to return from the shock. He had already turned around and no longer looked at the two tombstones. Then, he coldly walked past her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. It¡¯s very cold here. You shouldn¡¯t be getting cold too. Whatever I¡¯ve told you today, never mention it in front of my grandparents.¡±

    Then, he started making his way down the stairs. His handsome and tall figure disappeared in the bleak, misty rain just like that. As she watched him, there seemed to be an indescribable sadness and distance.

    She quietly watched his figure that walked away gradually for a long time. Then, she could not help but sigh. Atst, she looked to the two pictures on the tombstones, then caught up with him.

    However, they did not know that just as their figures vanished in the rain, a tall man in a ck outfit had walked up to Mu Zixi and Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstones. The man wore ck sunsses and his face could not be seen clearly.

    He held an umbre in his hand, and in his arms were two bouquets of the same beautiful lilies.

    He walked up to the tombstones. Stopping, he stared at the bouquets in front of the tombstones and seemed to smile bitterly. He picked up the two bouquets and tossed them away. Then, he swept the three cigarettes that were still lit on Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone away before he put the bouquets in his arms onto the tombstone...

    On the way home, it was Xi Xiaye who drove. Sitting shotgun, Mu Yuchen kept coughing from time to time. It felt a little bleak listening to him hacking in the narrow space.

    Xi Xiaye still felt a little dizzy, probably because they stood in the cold rain earlier and braved the cold winds. Now, she felt quite sick.

    Qingshan Cemetery was in the suburbs of the west of the city. It was very far from their Maple Residence and a one-way trip toook more than an hour. Xi Xiaye did not dare to drive quickly either. Furthermore, now that it was close to 5 p.m. on the outskirts, the roads started to get busy too.

    Many cars were driving towards Qingshan Cemetery too. When she slowly drove past the weeping willow path, she noticed that the weeping willows had turned green, and many people walked past them with fresh flowers in hand. Those in-colored bouquets looked fresh in their arms...

    She took a nce at the many still tombstones above, and then at the green weeping willows that they were leaving behind. In that instance, she felt that ¡ª

    It turned out that life and death were just that distinct. As she remembered the ck and white of death and then observed this lively abundance, the difference was striking and distinct, so distinct that it made her feel a little pained...

    She turned to look at him seeming so lonely and remained silent. Suddenly, she reached out without thinking and gently clutched his slightly cold hand thaty by his side.

    He breathed in and suddenly looked at her.

 Chapter 280 - Already Have What I Seek (1)

    <h4>Chapter 280: Already Have What I Seek (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    While she just stared ahead, silent yet focused, her calm little face looked a little pale. A while after that, his fingers tightened and he silently held her hand.

    He coughed and took a tissue to cover his mouth. With a deep inhtion, he suddenly said softly, ¡°There are some things that are taboo to bring up to the Mu family. No one has ever mentioned Aunty¡¯s name all these years. Everyone feels that time can conceal all this unhappiness.¡±

    As he said this, there was a faint smile on his lips. He turned to look at the green weeping willows that they left behind and said lightly, ¡°There¡¯ll be some things you want to forget, but it¡¯s hard, especially when you¡¯ve experienced it personally...¡±

    After he said this, the two of them remained silent for a very, very long time. His handsome face was unfathomable in the dim lights as Xi Xiaye quietly drove without speaking. Suddenly, she heard him sigh, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about these unhappy things anymore. Don¡¯t tell them that we came here when we get back. Just talk about things that are worth being happy about.¡±

    He did not n to continue, so he bent down and took out a CD to y. Soon, upbeat music quickly poured out of the speakers, flushing out the depressing mood in the car.

    Seeing that he was not in a dreary mood, she thought about it and suggested, ¡°These two days, thepany is on holiday. There are still some things I left in the office. Now that it¡¯s after working hours, let¡¯s go get it on the way. Since we don¡¯t have to work tomorrow, let¡¯s go out tonight to rx. How about that?¡±

    He frowned slightly and looked at her slightly pale face in disagreement. ¡°Those two days are your sick days off. How do you still have the enthusiasm?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shrugged, peering innocently at him. She struggled for a while before saying frustratedly, ¡°Mr. Mu, don¡¯t you think that the way we go home to have dinner and rest after work every day without any leisure ns, doesn¡¯t feel like the life of newlyweds? Even I feel like I¡¯ve been married to you for years! Other people who¡¯ve been married for years still can hold hands and go dancing. You¡¯re not exciting at all. I¡¯ve never seen you ask me out...¡±

    When she pointed this out, Mu Yuchen raised his brows in shock at her. Quite a while after that, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Missus, excitement, is it? Didn¡¯t I just satisfy youst night? It was you begged for me to stop...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that! Don¡¯t you dare change the topic. I was saying that we aren¡¯t like other newlywed couples... Other people are so happy and sweet,¡± Xi Xiayeined, shooting him a displeased look.

    Mu Yuchen looked at her, understanding dawning in his eyes as heughed. ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times, your happiness is built in the eyes of others... Can¡¯t you just tell me that you want to go for a honeymoon with me?¡±

    She red at him, yet she did not deny it.

    ¡°We can only wait for the first of May. Once the South River project is done, then we can rx. We¡¯ll have tons of time to rx afterward. Where do you want to go? Bali? Or France? Your husband will definitely satisfy you.¡±

    As he spoke, the gloominess around him faded away too. Now, he was looking at with a faint smile.

    Even though she was not a humorous person either, yet behaving foolishly with her and talking to her was a very delightful thing.

    ¡°I want to travel the world. Can you satisfy me?¡± She shot him a sour look and demanded unhappily.

    He thought about it, and answered seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the city right now to buy you a globe.¡±

    ¡°Annoying! Can you not take advantage of my words?¡±

    ¡°Then, how can I take advantage of you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take advantage of <i>you </i>! I¡¯ll let you take it! Take it!¡±

    ¡°Ouch! Missus, is this the finger of a King Kong? How painful!¡±

    When the car slowly made its way to the lobby of Glory World Corporation, the sky had darkened and most of the employees have gotten off work.

    The husband and wife just stopped the car at the za before the entrance. Then, they made their way up together to pack their things from their offices. Xi Xiaye was pretty quick. She swiftly put all her things into her briefcase and read through two documents that needed her review. Then, she brought them up to the 58th floor.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t the government decided on the actual time for the tender meeting? The new policies seemed to have been released. Previously, it was said to be the middle of this month. Why isn¡¯t there any news yet?¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed the document to him as he sat at his desk. She remembered bumping into Qi Leist night and could not help but frown. Truthfully, she was not sure whether or not to tell him.

    ¡°I just got off the phone with someone from the other end. It¡¯s scheduled to be on the 12th this month, a few days earlier than the initially decided date, so we have to rush a little. Otherpanies should¡¯ve finished handing the documents over in the next few days. Today I also asked Li Si to send the additional materials over, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    He took the document and flipped it open before briefly looking through it. Then, he signed his name.

    She nodded and hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°Right, on Yueying¡¯s end, VP Liu might need to go to City B with Ah Mo for the whole of next month. He wants to let me take over the other side, and he asked me to ask you...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, as you wish. If you don¡¯t want to go, I can arrange for someone else to take over. I¡¯m sure you know that Elder Madam Xi is nning to hand thepany to Xi Xinyi to handle. Because she left the industry just like that, I think she¡¯ll let Xi Xinyi take over Yueying as quickly as possible. That way, the Yue family will step in, and then they can stabilize the Han family for now.¡± Mu Yuchen had already analyzed everything clearly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and sighed, ¡°I almost forgot about the Yue family. With the Yue family, even Grandfather and Father can¡¯t curry their favor. Besides, the Yues and the Qis do have a very subtle rtionship. Xi Xinyi can¡¯t count on Han Yifeng, so the Yue family is still her strong backup in the end just like this time. If it weren¡¯t for them, Yang Jianfeng wouldn¡¯t have taken the fall so quickly...¡±

    Now that she thought about it, she really was reluctant, but well she had no other choice. It was true that she did stab Yang Jianfeng¡¯s eye until he went blind.

    He looked at the way she was so dejected, and could not help but grin. ¡°Giving up so quickly already?¡±

    She lifted her head a little defeatedly andmented, ¡°What else can I do then? I¡¯ve finally made a breakthrough, but... Forget it. This time, I¡¯ll just consider her lucky. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯ll be more friction after this.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the other side. Just let VP Liu handle it. Okay, let¡¯s go home. Tonight I¡¯ll watch a movie with you.¡±

    ¡°Have you bought the tickets already?¡±

    ¡°Who says we have to go to the cinema to watch movies?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, why aren¡¯t you romantic at all?¡±

    ¡°Shall I have a candlelight dinner with you?¡±

    ¡°Tacky!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 281 - Already Have What I Seek (2)

    <h4>Chapter 281: Already Have What I Seek (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was Qingming. Drizzle fell and after a few light showers, the entire City Z was engulfed in haziness. The cold winds continued and it was so gloomy that even the skies feel depressing.

    Inside the CEO¡¯s office of the Han Corporation, Han Yifeng who had vanished for several days was currently leaning against the sofa in his office and downing ss after ss of spirit.

    His usually stern and dashing face was no longer that charming. Now, it was only left with loneliness and desteness. He lookedpletely dispirited.

    The office was on a break, so the entirepany was empty. There was no one at all. Engulfed in the gloomy rain, it was so still and quiet that one felt suffocated.

    On the table beside him was a handphone that kept buzzing. It did not seem to stop, yet its owner did not pick up a single call. The sweet-sounding ringtone flowed in the silent and stifling space, seeming particrly eerie.

    It was not sure how long passed before the ringtone finally fell silent again, yet there came a knocking from outside the door. Before he could respond, the person outside had already pushed the door to enter.

    As expected, the person who came was Han Yu!

    Han Yu had just entered when the strong smell of alcohol assailed his nostrils. He immediately frowned and looked ahead to see the inebriated Han Yifeng.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    Frowning, Han Yu walked up to Han Yifeng is a few huge strides. He snatched the wine ss from his hand and then noticed that on the table, quite a few empty bottles were toppled all over while cigarette butts littered the floor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drink anymore. Look at how you are now! How unreasonable!¡±

    Han Yu¡¯s face sank as he pulled Han Yifeng up, yet he was shoved away with a feeble struggle of the hand. He looked at Han Yu with blur, bloodshot eyes. He pulled at the tie on his chest and spoke hoarsely, ¡°Father, don¡¯t stop me. I want to be alone.¡±

    ¡°Yifeng, that¡¯s enough! Everyone couldn¡¯t find you these past few days. What do you want? Your grandfather¡¯s very angry. You should get home by now!¡±

    Han Yu was furious! He knew his son too well. Since he was young, he had always been treasured. He always prided himself upon his abilities and was insufferably arrogant, especially since he had never been sharpened on the grindstone or down. Now with something like this, he knew that he would not be able to ept it, just like how he was now; he had be a drunkard!

    ¡°You¡¯re a man! How can you disappoint us, your grandfather, and your mother and I? You let our expectations of you down by turning yourself into this useless sack because of this little problem?¡± Han Yu was extremely disappointed as he looked sadly and worriedly at Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng breathed in heavily and sat on the sofa weakly. He said, feeling worn out and with a raspy voice, ¡°Then, what do you think I should do? The woman I thought I¡¯d been loving deeply has been treating me like a fool and toying with me. Because of her, I didn¡¯t spare bearing the usation of being a heartless rat by abandoning my initial fianc¨¨. Because of her, I was willing to leave the country for a few years just to settle the resentment between Xiaye and I. Because of her, I endured unfair treatment time and time again, tolerating her, amodating her, and in the end? What did I get?¡±

    When Han Yifeng rambled on about this, he suddenly stopped to sweep a hand across the table filled with empty ss bottles that fell to the ground and shattered loudly.

    ¡°What I got were lies from her! Can you imagine that the woman you share a bed with every night would turn out to be that kind of woman? If you were me, wouldn¡¯t you find it hard to ept? Wouldn¡¯t you feel pain?¡±

    ¡°She did lie to you, but what else can you do now? Do you think you can change reality by beingpletely drunk? You two are already married! And Xinyi has your child! Your grandfather is hoping that you can recover quickly. Everyone can¡¯t talk about this incident anymore. We¡¯ll discuss it again once the child is born. In fact, Yueying and the Han Corporation have just settled down. Whatever it is, you have to get back up. Do you understand?¡± Han Yu held onto Han Yifeng tightly and said earnestly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Father. I want to be alone for a while. Is that so hard? Can¡¯t you guys just pause for a while and let me be myself for a while?¡±

    Han Yifeng pulled the part of his shirt that Han Yu held onto back, staring at Han Yu with bloodshot eyes. His gloomy face almost could not contain his anger and because of his huge movements, Han Yu stumbled.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Han Yu widened his eyes and looked at Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng just picked up the car keys on the table and turned to walk outside!

    Bam!

    The loud sound of the door mming came, shocking Han Yu again.

    ...

    Han Yifeng held his car keys and walked out unsteadily, yet he did not expect that as soon as he walked out of his office, he would find a frail Xi Xinyi standing in the empty corridor ahead.

    Dressed in a flowy, white dress, she seemed thinnerpared to the past few days. She looked haggard and her face was pale. She was so weak that she seemed like a crystal between one¡¯s fingers. One tap could shatter her...

    Looking at her made one pity her.

    She stood there silently and covered half her face with one hand, the other lightly holding onto her belly that was still t. She looked tearfully at Han Yifeng and called out to him in a raspy voice softly, ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    Han Yifeng leaned a hand onto the cold wall. He also stopped walking in that instant as he looked up with exhausted, bloodshot eyes at Xi Xinyi who suddenly appeared. His dispirited face sank slightly and his eyes shifted with aplicated look.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry... It¡¯s all my fault, but I¡¯m begging you to not be like this... I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I was just too afraid of losing you... If I can make it up to you, I¡¯m willing to do anything... Just don¡¯t abandon me and the baby, okay?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was worn out mentally and physically. Her tears were about to run dry, and now her eyes were tearful and red, yet not a single tear fell. Even her voice sounded weak too.

    She sniffed, her body trembling as she looked at Han Yifeng. Underneath the dim lights, she already looked extremely frail and almost could not bear another oing gust of cold wind.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sad and I¡¯m suffering too... It wasn¡¯t easy for us to reach this point, so I¡¯m begging you not to give up just like that, okay? I know that I have a lot of weaknesses, and a lot of things you can¡¯t stand, but I promise you, I will change from now on. I will... Just give me one more chance... Don¡¯t give up just like that, alright, Yifeng?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice shook weakly, mixed with a trace of anxiousness. Her frail body trembled slightly too, but she feigned strength as she looked at Han Yifeng.

 Chapter 282 - Already Have What I Seek (3)

    <h4>Chapter 282: Already Have What I Seek (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Yifeng did not answer. He just widened his eyes that felt hot with anger and disappointment and looked at Xi Xinyi in front of him.

    Almost every time he saw her like this, he would not be able to help but feel his heart ache, yet now he seemed to feel numb.

    He breathed in deeply, and suddenly closed his eyes to calm down for a while before slowly opening them again. The emotions in his eyes seemed to have been tamped back as they returned to be still and clear.

    He looked at Xi Xinyi and was about to say something, yet when the words reached his lips, he did not know what else he could say. He fell silent for a moment, then finally lowered his gaze and decided to just silently walked over with his head lowered.

    He desperately needed a quiet space to arrange his messy emotions. He needed to let his heart that felt so tense that it could break down to finally have a chance for a momentary rest.

    However, Xi Xinyi seemed like she could not wait. As Han Yifeng walked past her indifferently, her heart that had already been emptied suddenly felt sliced. She seemed to be able to envision a sharp knife stabbing into her heart, fresh blood starting to drip down. She felt her body go weak, and she could not bear it anymore. Her vision turned ck as she fell to the ground.

    ¡°Xinyi!¡±

    Han Yu who had followed Han Yifeng out saw this scene, so he cried out in rm immediately. The sharp-sighted Han Yifeng also ran to hold Xi Xinyi as she fell.

    Han Yi frowned, his expression tensed as he walked up and quickly said, ¡°Quick! Quickly go to the hospital! Why did shee?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression darkened while he looked gloomily at the weak Xi Xinyi in his arms. He breathed in deeply and had to carry her before rushing to the elevator.

    ...

    The festive holidays went on for three days, and Xi Xiaye waszy for once. Last night, she watched movies with Mr. Mu till midnight. They had watched quite a few newly released Western blockbusters in a row all the way until they could not open their eyes any longer. Then, they were happy to go to sleep.

    They slept all the way until 10 a.m. When she woke up, the man was no longer beside her. His warm spot in the bed had also cooled, but his smell was still faintly in the air.

    Xi Xiaye got up unhurriedly. She pulled at her messy head of hair, changed into a simple home outfit from the wardrobe, and then walked to the bathroom.

    A short while after, she was done washing up and walked out with her tidilybed, waist-length hair, she looked around the corridors upstairs and did not see him. She was to go downstairs when she heard thepping of water.

    She raised her brows and hesitated. Then, she turned to walk to the balcony.

    She had just pushed open the ss door when the cold wind poured in, causing the muslin curtains to rustle and sway gently in the air. A light, cold moistness met her face. Before her was still the gloomy sky engulfed in clouds and mist amid the drizzle as the light rain fell...

    She walked to the railing and looked down. Indeed, in the wide swimming pool, she saw the man swimming. On the soft couch underneath the beach umbre by the side were his clothes and a book.

    Was he crazy?

    It was a cold, rainy day and he was swimming?

    In fact, he had not even fully recovered. Last night, she vaguely heard him suppressing his cough, and now...

    Xi Xiaye frowned in silence for a while. Then, she looked up at the gloomy, hazy sky and the drizzle that kept falling. A long while after that, she finally could not help but sigh softly, and abruptly turned to leave the balcony.

    After another solidp, he heard the sshing of water. He emerged from the water, breaking the momentary silence on the surface.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to wipe the water droplets on his face away. He breathed in, turned around, and leaned against the cold wall of the pool to catch his breath. His long and delicateshes fluttered for a while, and silently watched the ripples that continued before him.

    ¡°Going swimming so early in the morning on a cold rainy spring day. You sure have pretty good hobbies.¡±

    Suddenly, Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm and peaceful voice came from behind. It sounded a little raspy because she had not recovered from her cold yet.

    He blinked and looked toward the source of the sound. He then noticed that she had already stopped behind him and was handing him a clean towel, watching him from above.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

    His low and husky voice blurted out these two words and before Xi Xiaye could answer, he dove into the pool once again, creating a ssh.

    After ap, he then unhurriedly climbed up to the side and took the towel she handed him. He put it over him and looked at her pale little face to say softly, ¡°I thought you¡¯d sleep into the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I was woken up by hunger. Let¡¯s go back. You¡¯re swimming when you haven¡¯t recovered. You really treat your body like nothing.¡±

    She looked calmly at him. Without waiting for his answer, she already bent over to pick up the things on the table.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a way of training. Today, I¡¯ll go out with you,¡± he answered softly, then put an arm around her shoulder and walked into the vi with her.

    Xi Xiaye carried his clothes and followed his lead as she answered, ¡°I¡¯m not going to be tormented anymore. We¡¯ll stay home to rest well the next two days...¡±

    Yet, before she could finish, the sound of the phone suddenly rang. It wasing from the clothes in her arms.

    ¡°Answer it,¡± he said as he dried his wet hair with a towel.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly took out the phone, and without even looking, she answered it casually while carrying the clothes in her arms. Before she could say anything, a clear voice hade from the other end.

    It was a girl¡¯s voice, and it sounded very sweet. ¡°Bro, I¡¯m arriving at City Z¡¯s XX airport tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. Come pick me up.¡±

    When the voice finished, Xi Xiaye was stunned. She subconsciously raised a brow and turned to the man who was drying his hair...

    Had the person on the phone called him her brother?

    Then, she must be...

    She must be the legendary sister-inw. No, no wait. It should be his cousin... Mu Lingshi?

    ¡°Bro?¡±

    When the person on the other end did not get an answer, she started to call out in confusion. Then, Xi Xiaye handed the phone to him and softly, ¡°I think it¡¯s...¡±

    He nced at her and noticed her odd expression, so he took the phone.

    ¡°Hello?¡± His low, raspy voice was heard very quickly.

    ¡°Is there someone beside you? Why didn¡¯t you answer for such a long time? I¡¯m arriving in City Z tomorrow at 4 p.m. Pick me up,¡± Mu Lingshi said very quickly.

    ¡°Have you told Grandfather and Grandmother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face darkened slightly although his raspy voice sounded like it contained gentleness.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll give them a surprise, I guess. Right, you shoulde back to the Mu residence tomorrow night too. Bring Sis-inw along! I¡¯m quite interested to know the kind of woman that made you willing to get married...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you¡¯ll meet her.¡± When Mu Yuchen said this, he nced at the woman beside him.

 Chapter 283 - Im Also A Good Person (1)

    <h4>Chapter 283: I¡¯m Also A Good Person (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The call ended very quickly. He handed the phone to her in exchange for the clothes. He said softly, ¡°Tomorrow, follow me to go pick her up from the airport then.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± She looked at him and tried to probe.

    ¡°It¡¯s Lingshi. She¡¯s a pretty great girl. You¡¯ll probably like her,¡± he simply said, yet his gaze darkened. He sighed and suddenly stopped in his steps. ¡°Call Ah Mo. Tell him toe home tomorrow night.¡±

    Then, he let go of Xi Xiaye and walked into the vi.

    This sudden stifling feeling made Xi Xiaye sad for some reason. As she watched his figure vanish through the door, she sighed. She could only do as he said.

    Half an hourter, it was close to noon. Xi Xiaye was nning to cook, but just as she was about to start, Zhou Zimo urgently called Mu Yuchen over.

    Xi Xiaye could only just put up with making breakfast.

    In the afternoon, the hazy rain outside showed signs ofing to a stop. Since she was free, Xi Xiaye decided to make a trip back to her apartment. There were some things that she still needed to pack up, including certain books that were quite important to her. In fact, she was not living there anymore, she should really tidy it up properly.

    ...

    On this same gloomy afternoon, a luxury ck car was driving steadily on the pathway leading to the Linjiang Bridge.

    The driver in front was focused on driving. The person in the passenger¡¯s seat beside him was a middle-aged man that looked thin and sly with a pair of sunsses on. Behind him was the tall and dashing young master of Qi Kai with demonic charm, Qi Lei.

    ¡°Master Qi, these are the general details that you had me find out about Xi Xiaye. She¡¯s 27 this year and is the daughter of Mayor Xi Mushan and ex-wife Shen Wenna. Her parents had a divorce since she was young. She used to live with her father, Xi Mushan and used to study in the city center. After the college entrance exam following Xi Mushan¡¯s arrangements, she entered XX military college. Not long after that, because of... she was expelled by the school. After that, she went to Italy. Since she returned, she¡¯s been working in Glory World. She¡¯s apetent subordinate of Vice President Liu.

    ¡°Her mother, Shen Wenna, is a professor at University A. Through the current investigations, she and Mu Yuchen should be lovers, but there are rumors that they¡¯re married. I¡¯ll go check it out at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow.¡± The assistant, Yang Sheng, reported to Qi Lei as he handed the information over.

    However, before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei had already lifted a hand to stop him. A smile shed on his handsome face as he reached out to take the information and a light shifted in his eyes. He said softly, ¡°No need. Whether or not they¡¯re married isn¡¯t important to me. I would like to see what a woman he¡¯s interested in is like.¡±

    As he said this, he flipped through the information in his hand. Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face greeted his sight and Qi Lei¡¯s mind immediately shed to when he bumped into her at the entrance of Imperial Sky. He recalled the way she looked tensed up and alert like a warrior.

    He could not help but chuckle. A very interesting woman, was she not?

    Linjiang XX Apartment?

    Qi Lei examined the information all the way. When he saw these words, he paused and subconsciously looked out of the window. He thought about it, then said, ¡°Take that road ahead. I want to go take a look.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, the CEO and Madam have asked you to return earlier today. Tonight, Miss Xien Er will being over...¡± Yang Sheng softly and carefully reminded.

    The moment Yang Sheng finished, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face instantly sank. His voice clearly contained unhappiness. ¡°Coming with such zeal! Does she really want to be my stepmother? You tell them that I don¡¯t mind having another one...¡±

    Yang Sheng was rendered speechless by Qi Lei!

    <i>Master Qi, that¡¯ </i><i>s someone the CEO and Madam have found for you, not some stepmother!</i>

    ...

    Inside the Linjiang Apartment, Xi Xiaye tidied up the packed books and put them into a paper bag. Then, she took a cloth out to cover everything up before lugging the heavy bag out of the door.

    When she walked out of the apartment, it was already evening. The weather remained gloomy and the rain that had stopped earlier continued again. In fact, it was even heavier than this morning. The chilly wind had be particrly strong. All the nts in the flowerbed started to sway violently.

    Xi Xiaye did not bring an umbre, but she had parked the car by the roadside outside the apartment, so it would only take her three to five minutes to get to it.

    Standing downstairs, she looked up and frowned at the hazy weather. In fact, the rain seemed to be getting heavier. Seeing that it was getting darker, she could not care less, so she just carried the bag of items and rushed out into the rain.

    When she rushed to the car, her clothes were already damp and her beautiful hair was blown messy by the strong winds, interweaving on her chest like dark clouds.

    She quietly unlocked the car and tossed the things into the back seat. Then, she walked around the car to the driver¡¯s seat. Just as she was about to get in, there was suddenly the heavy sound of creaking. She looked up subconsciously and noticed something.

    In front of her was an olddy struggling to tread on with her shabby tricycle which was filled with collected junk. Several stray dogs were following the tricycle. Its wheels were stuck in a pothole, and she could not get it out. The dirty water from the pothole kept sttering everywhere. Many people that walked past her kept cursing and moved away to avoid her.

    The elderlydy seemed pretty worried as the few stray dogs beside her were anxiously howling. They surrounded the tricycle with their paws on the wheels and wanted to help, but to no avail.

    The rain started getting heavier and she was almostpletely wet. Still, Xi Xiaye frowned slightly at this scene. Without hesitating, she walked over and reached behind the tricycle. Both her hands held onto the dirty tricycle, and then she helped to push it ahead with all her might...

    The tricycle was clearly very heavy. Even when Xi Xiaye had used up all her strength, it was still stuck, and the dirty water that sshed up from the pothole instantly dirtied her clothes.

    The wind and rain were getting stronger, and she was drenched.

    She tried quite a few times, yet it did not seem to be working. The elderlydy looked grateful yet apologetically at her. She could only smile and nod at her, then she turned to the passersby, nning on asking for someone to help.

    At this moment, arge hand suddenly appeared before her. Before she could react, the man already gave the tricycle a hard shove!

    Therge hand that suddenly appeared startled Xi Xiaye. In fact, she noticed that the rain that fell on her head was suddenly cut off. Her brows then raised and she looked up at the person beside her...

 Chapter 284 - Im Also A Good Person (2)

    <h4>Chapter 284: I¡¯m Also A Good Person (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was him! It was Qi Kai¡¯s young master, Qi Lei!

    <i>How could it be him?</i>

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes very quickly shed with shock. Currently, Qi Lei was using one hand to push, while the other hand held up the huge, ck umbre, providing her half of the narrow shelter.

    Stunned, she very quickly she returned to her senses and abruptly averted her gaze. She pushed the front hard, and then they heard a squelch of relief as the tricycle finally made it up. The dirty water that sshed up reached her fair and delicate face once again.

    The elderlydy expressed surprise as she spoke to them, her eyes filled with gratitude. Xi Xiaye only nodded slightly, pointing ahead with her slender fingers and indicating for her to go home earlier. The elderlydy smiled before she left.

    Xi Xiaye watched her cycle gradually away, then she was about to reflexively lift a hand to wipe away the moisture on her face when she noticed that both her hands were filthy, so she could only just let it be.

    She quietly put her hands down and was about to turn around when unexpectedly, a white handkerchief was handed to her from the side. Xi Xiaye raised her brows and narrowed her starry eyes at the handkerchief. She saw that Qi Lei was smiling as he stood there.

    His dashing and demonically charming handsome face brimmed with ease. The corner of his lips curled upwards and in those bottomless eyes were a flickering light as he smiled faintly and watched her.

    Xi Xiaye did not take it. She just looked at him weirdly and while her tone was not filled with the guardedness and gunpowder from before, her sarcasm was not weak either. ¡°How rare that you would lend a hand too.¡±

    When he heard this, Qi Lei grinned wider. His hand held tightly onto the umbre and he stuffed the handkerchief to her, amused. ¡°Why? Are you the only one allowed to learn how to be a selfless model citizen? Won¡¯t you let me do some good? It¡¯s not just you who¡¯s a good person. So am I!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s lightly colored lips curled up. She smiled faintly at him, her cold voice holding a trace of raspiness. ¡°Those who say they¡¯re good are usually sinister bad people with ill intentions, and very unfortunately, Vice President Qi, you¡¯re such a person to me.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Qi Lei was not angry. The amusement in his eyes just deepened as he locked his gaze onto her beautiful face and said delightedly, ¡°How can that be? As bad as I am, I couldn¡¯t be as bad as you. I¡¯ve always been sincere towards you, but I¡¯m a little regretful that you have too deep prejudice against me, so you always can¡¯t see my sincerity, Miss Xiaye! I¡¯m much more sincere than a certain person. You wouldn¡¯t lose out by trusting me!¡±

    Then, he raised his handsome brows slightly again, looking meaningfully at her. As she backed away, the umbre in his hand followed her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes that squinted shed with a light. She stared at him for a quite a while, then said, ¡°Do you and Mu Yuchen have grudges with each other? Otherwise, why would you always be making insinuations about him every time?¡±

    As she said this, she clutched the handkerchief tightly and stared at him without moving.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei shrugged innocently. He smiled, looking rxed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Who says I have grudges with him? I just don¡¯t like that he¡¯s not as handsome or charming as me, yet he could win your fancy, Miss Xiaye... You aren¡¯t even willing to job-hop. It¡¯s the first time I try to poach someone and yet failed. This makes me very hurt...¡±

    Xi Xiaye waszy to argue with him. She scoffed and looked away, then tossed the handkerchief to him. ¡°It¡¯s best if you leave these tricks to use on those other girls.¡±

    Then, her slim body gracefully walked past him.

    ¡°Miss Xiaye, you are a young girl to me...¡± Qi Lei said from behind with a chuckle that seemed rather delighted. ¡°In fact, Xiaye, I¡¯m really a good person. You¡¯ll believe me!¡±

    ¡°Vice President Qi, there¡¯s a piece of vegetable in your teeth!¡± Her cold voice came through the falling rain, sounding quite serious. When she said that, Qi Lei subconsciously snapped his mouth shut. Moments after that, he realized he had fallen for a trick and he immediately chortled!

    Holding the umbre and watching her slender figure gradually walk in the rain ahead, heughed and said quite a while after to her back, ¡°I didn¡¯t eat vegetables today!¡±

    By the time he said that, Xi Xiaye had already gotten into her car and ignored him.

    She quickly took a tissue to wipe away the water on her face, and her dirty hands, before she started the car.

    The ck Cayenne very quickly vanished in the hazy rain, it did not stay for another moment...

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze darkened. He silently stared ahead as the car vanished in the bleak rain, yet the smile on his handsome face never left. He then quietly averted his gaze and looked at the handkerchief she had tossed back to him. Unable to help himself, he chuckled out loud again.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± His assistant, Yang Sheng¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind, Qi Lei then turned to look at him. ¡°Master Qi, the CEO called and is rushing for you to quickly return. Miss Xian Er is already there... The Madam is worried sick!¡±

    Yang Sheng was like a cat on a hot tin roof, but he had to say this carefully to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei shot him a side look and reached out to him Yang Sheng very quickly understood and took out a tissue from his pocket as he took the umbre in Qi Lei¡¯s hand.

    Qi Lei put the handkerchief away and took the tissue to wipe his hand as heughed coldly. ¡°Just let them be anxious then. They have to suffer the evil consequences for acting on their own wishes. Do they think I¡¯m the same as that idiot, free to be ordered about as they wish?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, CEO and the Madam are just worried about you. If they knew that you said this, they¡¯d definitely be very sad... Miss Xian Er is prim and proper, good-looking and intelligent. In fact, she¡¯s a rare beauty who¡¯s very matching with you, Master Qi...¡± Yang Sheng braced himself as he said this carefully.

    However, Qi Lei ignored him. He just looked at him indifferently, then walked to the car.

    When Yang Sheng saw this, he instantly felt a headache and helplessly followed.

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence, the vi was still empty and bathed in darkness!

    Mu Yuchen was not back yet.

    With a frown, she hesitated, then tidied up the things before she showered and changed into clean clothes. At the moment, the clock on the wall showed that it was 8 p.m., yet Mu Yuchen was still nowhere in sight. There was not a single call from him too.

    As she was thinking about whether to call him, there was the vague sound of a car stopping outside. She walked over to the tightly shut door that suddenly flung open. His figure slowly appeared, and the person behind who followed after him was unexpectedly...

 Chapter 285 - Gradually Stronger Feelings (1)

    <h4>Chapter 285: Gradually Stronger Feelings (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the two who slowly walked in in shock. She remembered that this morning when she had called Ah Mo, he was still in City B. Did he not say he would return tomorrow?

    The two of them walked in one after another. Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was in as usual, but it looked like there was something on his mind.

    ¡°Where did you go?¡± She took over his windbreaker and frowned to ask. When she touched the windbreaker, it felt wet.

    ¡°Took a trip to the outskirts. Have you had dinner yet?¡± He casually put his arm around her shoulders and walked into the vi. Ah Mo greeted Xi Xiaye too, ¡°Missus!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded at Ah Mo. Seeing that they looked travel-worn, she said, ¡°I just returned and showered too... I¡¯ll go make some food for us.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he turned to look at Ah Mo. ¡°Have a seat. Go home after dinner. Have a cup of tea with me.¡±

    Ah Mo nodded when he heard the invitation. He forced a smile on his downcast face and looked gratefully at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Missus.¡±

    ¡°No worries...¡±

    ¡°Just cook some egg noodles. It¡¯s prettyte,¡± Mu Yuchen said before walking to the living room, trailed by Ah Mo.

    While Xi Xiaye just looked thoughtfully at the two of them, she hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the kitchen.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen sat for a while on the sofa as he brewed the tea while Ah Mo sat across him.

    ¡°Lingshi¡¯s flight is arriving at 4 p.m. tomorrow. Your sis-inw should have told you. What do you think? Don¡¯t you have any thoughts to tell me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen leisurely took out the tea leaves from the bottom drawer. As the tea was brewing, he looked to Ah Mo with a still gaze. Upon seeing Ah Mo¡¯s deste expression, he silently lowered his gaze and continued, ¡°It¡¯s been about five years... There are some things that we should still face. Do you me me for it too?¡±

    When Ah Mo heard that, he was stunned. He looked up and fixed his eyes on Mu Yuchen, then he shook his head. ¡°No... I would never me you, Master.¡±

    When he heard this, a faint smile surfaced on Mu Yuchen¡¯s extraordinarily handsome face instantly. He kept the tea leaves away and said calmly, ¡°I remember that on the first night Grandfather brought you home from the orphanage to the Mu residence, Lingtian rejected you. He pushed you down from the balcony, and you hurt your head. You had to get five stitches... Because of this, Lingtian always felt very guilty and med himself. After that, he was very careful with you. I never thought that you and he would be such good brothers and friends...¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen suddenly stopped what he was doing. There were some tranquility and distance in his eyes. He fell silent for a while and finally inhaled. ¡°Actually, I always knew that the reason Grandfather brought you back to the Mu family was mostly because of him. When we were young, you, Lingtian, and Lingshi were closer.¡±

    As Ah Mo listened to Mu Yuchen, he could vaguely feel the faint bleakness in his tone, so he reassured, ¡°Master, you will forever be the Master that I vow my loyalty to!¡±

    With a calm smile, Mu Yuchen slowly leaned over and picked up the boiled water. He leisurely steeped the tea as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep treating yourself as a servant of the Mu family. The name you are registered with is Mu Lingmo. You and Father are father and son, so legally we are brothers. This is not something that can be changed.

    ¡°A person can¡¯t choose where theye from, so you don¡¯t have to feel sad. Your parents might have gone through some trouble so they had to give you up, but when there¡¯s a new life ced before you, what reason do you have to not ept it?¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he finished brewing the tea. He handed Ah Mo a cup. Noticing Ah Mo remaining silent without a word, his handsome brows raised. ¡°Otherwise, why do you think I went to such great lengths of moving you away from me and letting you be in charge of Movie City? With Lingshi¡¯s personality, she said she¡¯s respectful and fearful of me, yet when ites to you, shepletely trusts you. I hope that you can help herying the ghost of the past to rest. Of course, this would be considered doing me a favor too...¡±

    ¡°Master, I...¡± Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face stiffened as he looked at Mu Yuchen at a loss.

    Mu Yuchen looked warningly at him. He did not want to continue, so he picked up his tea and sipped lightly before changing the topic. ¡°After Qingming, the meeting to bid for the South River project will take ce. Qi Kai will be our strongest opponent. Your sis-inw has put in a lot of effort for this. In the next few days, Father¡¯s end will be getting in touch a lot with Qi Kai¡¯s people too.¡±

    Qi Kai...

    When he heard this, Ah Mo¡¯s eyes instantly darkened and his gaze turned cold. He clenched his fists and said, ¡°Master, then do we want to...¡±

    Before Ah Mo could finish, Mu Yuchen had already lifted a hand to stop him from continuing. He said, ¡°We¡¯ll see how it goes first. We must get the South River project. This time, Qi Kai¡¯s coborated with severalpanies around. I seemed to sense something odd... I want you to pay attention to the movements of the Qi family.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Ah Mo¡¯s expression suddenly froze. Vignce shed in his eyes while he looked in shock at Mu Yuchen and asked softly, ¡°Master, you¡¯re saying...¡±

    ¡°After so many years of lying low, I¡¯ve been racking my brains to look for them all these years, yet I couldn¡¯t find them. If I don¡¯t get this matter straight, I wouldn¡¯t be happy. In fact, they¡¯ve been silent for so many years. Did you think they were nning to let bygones be bygones? They are nning to trick me. I¡¯ll have to let them die first.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was rather calm just as his expression was still. No emotions could be seen, yet Ah Mo could sense a sharpness from his tone akin to the chilliness of cold metal striking each other. The thin and unperturbed curtains were pulled down over his master, revealing a motley and towering heart.

    Surprised, Ah Mo hesitated for a moment before responding, ¡°Yes, Master, I know what to do. And I don¡¯t me you about that. It was Lingtian who first...¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Give it some thoughts first.¡±

    When he saw Xi Xiaye walk out the kitchen with the dishes, Mu Yuchen finished his tea and cut Ah Mo short. He set the teacup aside and stood up unhurriedly.

    Noticing that, Ah Mo turned to where Mu Yuchen was looking. When he saw that Xi Xiaye had already set the dining table, he nodded. ¡°Okay, I got it, Master.¡±

    ...

    On the other end, Xi Xiaye had just finished preparing the cutleries when Mu Yuchen walked over leisurely. The tempting aroma assaulted his nostrils, so he then pulled out a chair and sat down.

    ¡°Come over and eat some. I just quickly prepared some noodles.¡± As Xi Xiaye said that, she pushed the bowl of noodles to Ah Mo.

 Chapter 286 - Gradually Stronger Feelings (2)

    <h4>Chapter 286: Gradually Stronger Feelings (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo smiled and thanked her. When he turned to look, his Master had already picked up a bowl and was elegantly enjoying it. He then stuffed the noodles into his mouth.

    Just as the noodles touched his tongue, Ah Mo¡¯s reaction was ¡ª

    Ugh, so salty!

    He reflexively frowned, and could not help but turn to look at his Master, yet his Master was...

    With a gulp, Ah Mo gulped. A while after that, he braved himself and continued to pick up the noodles and eat silently. However, after a few torturous bites, he could not handle it anymore. ¡°Missus, do you have juice?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Ah Mo and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it for you.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Ah Mo asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I had tea.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled, then she went to get some fruit juice for Ah Mo from the kitchen.

    After he quickly finished the meal, Ah Mo went home, and Mu Yuchen went upstairs to shower. When Xi Xiaye was done tidying up and returned to the bedroom, he was just done showering.

    Mu Yuchen stood by the bedside and watched her organizing the clothes into the wardrobe. He thought about it and could not help but say, ¡°Missus, your culinary skills seem to have worsened.¡±

    She was busy tidying up the wardrobe when she heard his remark. She stopped what she was doing and turned to him to ask in puzzlement, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it delicious?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows raised. The answer was obvious.

    She then frowned. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t good, then why did you two wipe your tes clean?¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled without answering. He walked over in a few huge strides and took the clothes in her hands to put on the shelf above them. ¡°Did you go back to Linjiang Apartment today?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, since no one¡¯s living there, I had to tidy it up a little and at the same time, bring some things back.¡±

    As she said this, she turned to walk to the bed and rub her slightly sore shoulders. She recalled the little interlude this evening, then frowned. After thinking about it for a long time, she finally decided to just tell him to avoid mulling over it herself and getting a headache.

    ¡°Right, today when I came out of Linjiang Apartment, I bumped into the young master of Qi Kai, Qi Lei. I keep thinking that he¡¯s always acting weird. He¡¯s prejudiced against you. Did you guys have some friction before? But I remember that Glory World and Qi Kai have always been minding each other¡¯s business. Although from the way he speaks, he keeps insinuating a target against you...¡±

    This was how she was like. If she had a doubt, she would just ask frankly. Otherwise, if she kept mulling over it and letting her imagination run wild, it would drain her brain juice dry.

    Mu Yuchen walked to the bed and stopped in front of her. Looking down at her from above and seeing her clear eyes ask in such an honest and matter-of-fact manner, his silent eyes flickered a while. That gaze of his was unfathomable...

    A while after he asked, ¡°What did he say to you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed and met with hisplicated gaze, ¡°Actually, it was nothing. He just said... said there are some unbearable things about you.¡±

    He did not mind and chuckled before he asked, ¡°How did you answer him then?¡±

    ¡°I said that he wasn¡¯t a good person...¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen chuckled softly and could not help but pat her head, pulling her towards him.

    They were silent for a moment, then Xi Xiaye suddenly heard him sigh, ¡°He said that I¡¯m a little unbearable... You don¡¯t seem too happy.¡±

    When he said that, Xiaye immediately answered very certainly, ¡°Well, of course, which woman would want to hear their man be criticized?!¡±

    When she said this, the smile on Mu Yuchen became even more bedazzling now. He hugged her tighter. ¡°Missus, I find that you¡¯re learning how to be protective over me now. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m a good person or not, but I know that you definitely are.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows and looked at him, bemused.

    The smile on Mu Yuchen brimmed with warmth. ¡°Because in my heart, anyone that¡¯s protective over me is a good person.¡±

    ¡°Why do I suddenly find that the way you think is a little dangerous? Is that how you differentiate between good and bad?¡±

    She looked up at him, a little shocked.

    He did not object, but he said softly, ¡°That¡¯s the most realistic way of thinking... I really hope that when we¡¯re old and gray, you¡¯ll always be like this. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to live happier. I didn¡¯t marry you for nothing then...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. Her starry eyes twinkled before she asked, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, why won¡¯t you tell me about your story? In fact, now it¡¯s I who married you for nothing. You haven¡¯t even sent the betrothal gifts...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯ll be organizing the wedding on the first of October? And about Qi Kai ¡ª¡±

    Before she could finish, he already cut her off as a lonely smile appeared on his face. ¡°He and I have some personal grudges. It¡¯s because of Lingtian and Lingshi... Xiaye, I don¡¯t intentionally keep some things secret from you and a lot of things might happen in the future... but I just wanted to tell you that since you¡¯ve chosen to be with me, even if I hurt myself, I would never hurt you...¡±

    He paused, then suddenly smiled at her. ¡°So, Missus Mu will always be you, no matter what happens in the future. I won¡¯t have any requests. I just hope that you can trust me just as how I will believe you. If you¡¯ve got any questions, you can just ask me. That way, we can take fewer roundabouts, and have more time to enjoy these simple and beautiful times.¡±

    When she heard him say this, she was stunned. She stared at the smile on his face and felt her heart suddenly soften. Hearing him say that he trusted her made her feel immense joy in her heart.

    She was suddenly grateful that he had set clear boundaries. With someone as farsighted as him, she kept feeling that she had be much franker too.

    <i>If you like it, then go have it. If you hate it, then abandon it!</i>

    <i>If the enemy respects me, I¡¯ll respect them. If the enemy attacks me, there will be blood!</i>

    <i>They are good people if they are good </i>to <i>you. They are bad if they are bad to you...</i>

    However, as she thought about this, why did she feel that she was being badly influenced by him?

    She fell silent for a quite while, then looked at him. He nodded dly too and said softly, ¡°Okay, I will, but now I have something to ask you about.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What is it?¡± Hefortably hugged her to sit and answered openly.

    Receiving his answer, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful bright face suddenly blushed and she pursed her light pink lips. She stared at him for quite a while, then asked softly, ¡°Do you have that... that thing right now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Have what?¡± Seeing her that way, he raised his handsome brows sneakily as he watched her silently.

 Chapter 287 - Gradually Stronger Feelings (3)

    <h4>Chapter 287: Gradually Stronger Feelings (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw his sly and unfathomable gaze, which seemed to illuminate her, the blush on her face deepened.

    She winced and cleared her throat. Then, she continued and just went all out with a serious expression. ¡°Right now, do you... like... me even a little bit?¡±

    When she said thest few words, she was barely audible.

    The instance she asked that, Mu Yuchen was stunned. His gaze at her suddenly flickered indefinitely and the curve on his lips widened, yet he did not answer her.

    When she noticed that he did not answer after a long while, Xi Xiaye frowned. She stared at him without moving. Her expression also shifted as she waited. After that, she just pulled a long face and pushed away his long arms that were wrapped around her shoulders, pulling the nket to herself and lying down on the bed.

    Clearly, she was unhappy!

    Mu Yuchen then chuckled. He turned to pull her closer andughed. ¡°Does anyone ask about that this way?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me to be straightforward earlier?¡± She rightfully used his words against him.

    ¡°There¡¯s this thing called restraint...¡± He inched over with a tight embrace, his deep and sexy voice brushing past her ear.

    ¡°Restraint... Why didn¡¯t you tell me to restrain the night before?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Was this considered sinning? She was getting cleverer with her words!

    ...

    Night gradually fell, and the patter of the rain outside continued apanied by the rustling cold wind.

    Outside a certain superior ward in Hospital T.

    Han Yifeng leaned against the cold wall. He did not know how long he had stood there. It was only when he felt his legs turn unbearably numb that he turned to sit on a stool on the side.

    Xi Xinyi was inside the ward. She came around after being sent there after her fainting spell. She went through a long torment before she fell asleep again. Yue Lingsi and Huang Ziyao had gone home, so now only he was left on-guard together with Secretary Wang who was at his beck and call.

    Secretary Wang, who also stood for quite a while on the side, looked a little worriedly at Han Yifeng. He hesitated before speaking up, ¡°CEO Han, do you want to go home to rest first? I¡¯ll watch over here. You haven¡¯t been resting well for quite a few days now.¡±

    Han Yifeng looked up at him indifferently, then shook his head with a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You should go home.¡±

    ¡°But CEO Han...¡± Secretary Wang looked hesitantly at Han Yifeng, unconvinced.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You go home first. I want to be alone for a while.¡± Han Yifeng was extremely exhausted and his raspy voice sounded weak. Without waiting for Secretary Wang¡¯s response, he leaned forward with both arms on his knees. Exasperated, he pulled at his hair and held up his heavy head.

    Secretary Wang watched him silently for quite a while. He could not help but sigh on the inside. In the end, he quietly left.

    The corridor was instantly empty. It was so quiet that there was an indescribable sensation of the air being stifled.

    He was silent for a long while before finally gathering the courage to get up and push open the door to the ward that was tightly shut.

    Just as he entered, he saw that Xi Xinyi was staring at the door with a dazed expression on her face.

    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te in!¡± When she saw Han Yifeng¡¯s figure, Xi Xinyi¡¯s hoarse voice came through as she looked hurt at Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng slowly walked over. He took a careful look at her, then turned around to pour her a ss of water. His deep voice seemed to have currently calmed down a lot more. ¡°Drink some water first.¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not take the ss. She just looked up silently at him, her eyes still glittering with tears as her beautiful eyes were swollen.

    ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯ll listen to you from now on. I¡¯ll quietly stay behind you to be a good wife. We¡¯ll be happy, and we have our baby. This time, let it past. Let¡¯s start fresh. Everything will be better, okay?¡±

    Xi Xinyi seemed to be exhausted too. She even sounded weak when she spoke and her eyes were carefully begging him.

    Han Yifeng breathed in deeply. When he saw that she did not continue, he responded, ¡°Xinyi, once some things have happened, no matter what, we can¡¯t just pretend it never happened... You know, I¡¯ve never agreed to wishful thinking, so every time after your headstrong act, I admit that I be more unhappy with you by the day. I also didn¡¯t know how long I could endure it. Every time after I forgive you, I¡¯d tell myself, ¡®This is definitely thest time¡¯, but it always seemed as if thisst time would always be far in the indefinite future...¡±

    When he said this, he paused and lowered his gaze. He looked at the ring on his hand as a faint light greeted his sight. In that instant, he suddenly felt like a dimmed out lightbulb. After a while, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired of my one-sided efforts, Xinyi... No matter how many times I put up with you, I know that it would never be thest time. I think I might not be as tolerant as I thought. In the end, I can¡¯t protect you. Perhaps, you actually don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s protection...¡±

    ¡°No! No! Yifeng, you can protect me. You can protect me forever. Please don¡¯t say such things! The way you¡¯re acting right now feels so foreign to me. I don¡¯t know what to do... I also don¡¯t know how to make it up to you. I really love you. Don¡¯t do this. Please! Don¡¯t give up so easily. We¡¯ve gone through the worst of times together.¡±

    When she heard Han Yifeng say that, Xi Xinyi¡¯s body trembled. She reached out to pull Han Yifeng¡¯s sleeve in a panic. ¡°Back then, you could¡¯ve chosen me without a second thought and give up on Sister. Why are you brooding over these things now? Isn¡¯t Sister fine now? We don¡¯t have to feel so guilty. Even though we did get lucky, this shows that God is watching over us and we didn¡¯t cause too huge of a problem. This means that God still hopes that we can be together with a clear conscience...¡±

    When he heard this, Han Yifeng instantly felt his head throb. He stared at how Xi Xinyi looked so pitiful yet still speak with such justification. He could not help but feel a tight pain in his chest slowly spread.

    What else could he say to that?

    Heughed bitterly, thenmented, ¡°Xinyi, do you know what disappointed me the most?¡±

    ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    ¡°The most disappointing about everything is that after the dust settled down, you always feel so matter-of-factly that it¡¯s all in the past! For instance, about Xiaye¡¯s matter, what if your cousin got away with it back then? What about Xiaye? And what about us? Haven¡¯t you considered all these problems before?¡±

    Han Yifeng rubbed the space between his brows, his voice sounding a little heavy.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned...

 Chapter 288 - Decision (1)

    <h4>Chapter 288: Decision (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The ward instantly fell silent. It was so silent that there was an indescribable stillness, a suffocating feeling. Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression had turned pale and stiff underneath Han Yifeng¡¯s disappointed and dim gaze.

    Han Yifeng stared at Xi Xinyi, catching all her reactions. A while passed before he continued, ¡°By this point, I¡¯ve been organizing and analyzing everything between us from the start till now. I admit that we did have many happy times in between, but, Xinyi, the journey in the future is much longer. I had to reevaluate and reorientate our rtionship after everything that has happened.¡±

    ¡°Yifeng, that¡¯s enough. Please don¡¯t continue...¡±

    As if knowing what Han Yifeng was about to say next, Xi Xinyi clung onto Han Yifeng in panic. She wanted to reach out to cover Han Yifeng¡¯s mouth, preventing him from continuing.

    While Han Yifeng was determined to settle things once and for all, he reached out to catch her hand, and say in an extremely heavy tone, ¡°Xinyi, let me finish.¡±

    ¡°I cannot just pretend that all of this didn¡¯t happen. Rather than force ourselves to go on like this, we should just be frank. Given your current situation, I won¡¯t be irresponsible. When Yueying and the Han Corporation is steady, and all of these rumors have passed, we will settle this thing between us too. This child... I hope that you can get an abortion. I¡¯ll do my best topensate you. Another choice is to give birth to this child, but after one year, I¡¯ll hand you the divorce papers and give you a hugepensation.¡±

    Han Yifeng had been struggling for the past few days. When he had to make such a decision, he also felt very extremely pained, yet now after the words came out of his mouth, he unexpectedly felt very calm and he seemed to be relieved too.

    ¡°What...? Yifeng, you... What are you saying? You want me to abort our child? You want to divorce me?¡± Xi Xinyi widened her swollen eyes in disbelief and fixed them on Han Yifeng. Her eyes were filled with shock and her whole body turned stiff. ¡°You want me to abort our child? Is it...¡±

    When he saw that Xi Xinyi was about to have a breakdown, Han Yifeng felt indescribable anguish in his heart, but he still answered firmly, ¡°I just hope that these things won¡¯t be even messier in the future. Making things as simple as possible if the best ending for the two of us.¡±

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to! I don¡¯t want to!¡±

    Bam!

    Witnessing Han Yifeng¡¯s firmness, Xi Xinyi instantly went mad. She iled her hands around and swept them across the cab. The things on the cab fell to the ground. She even picked up one of the sses and hurled it at Han Yifeng as she held her belly in panic and cried amidst what seemed like a meltdown. ¡°I won¡¯t abort him! He¡¯s our child! You¡¯re so cruel! Get out! Get out! I will <i>never</i>abort him...¡±

    Han Yifeng did not dodge, so he was hit by the ss and the warm wet liquid sshed all over him. The ss shattered in front of him...

    He stood where he was and watched Xi Xinyi who was weeping out loud into the nket. His eyes darkened as he fell silent for a moment before finally sighing and turning to leave.

    Before he walked to the door, Han Yifeng suddenly stopped and said, ¡°You can choose one of the choices between the two. I¡¯m still giving you a choice and I will respect it.¡±

    ¡°Do you have to make me abort the child and divorce you because of that small thing with Xiaye? I already said that those things are in the past. Isn¡¯t everyone alright now? Why do you have to keep holding onto to it? Yifeng, everyone¡¯s tired. If we can just let go of all of this and start again, we¡¯ll be very happy. Do you think that even when we¡¯ve parted, you and Xiaye can return to how you were?¡±

    Xi Xinyi wept and looked at Han Yifeng, her hoarse voice now colored with brimming anger.

    With regards to such unreasonable criticism, Han Yifeng felt powerless once again. His back against her, he said without even turning to look, ¡°Whatever that¡¯s happened between you and me is just because of our problems. It has nothing to do with anyone else. You don¡¯t have to drag Xiaye in. There were already too many problems between us, and you know this yourself.¡±

    ¡°Nothing to do with her? Is defending her all you know now? Then, let me ask you, what is this? What is this!?¡±

    As Xi Xinyi¡¯s questioning hammered at him, there was a flutter and suddenly pictures rained all around Han Yifeng out of nowhere!

    There were pictures of Han Yifeng and Xi Xiaye from the other day at the riverside. The pictures had been taken from all sorts of angles, so it looked like they were very close, as if the two were having a lovers¡¯ rendezvous.

    Pa!

    With the angry sound of that, those pictures flew all around and fell messily about Han Yifeng. He frowned and subconsciously looked down at the pictures.

    Unexpectedly, he saw pictures of him and Xi Xiaye!

    Stunned, he suddenly seemed to think of something and his face sank. His stern face shed with coldness as he looked up abruptly at the tearful and angry Xi Xinyi. Coldly, he demanded, ¡°You hired someone to follow me?¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not answer Han Yifeng¡¯s question. She just silently cried as she looked at Han Yifeng with a fury that could not be concealed in her swollen eyes.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s face fell. He looked down apathetically and bent over to pick up the pictures that had fallen to the ground.

    All of them were indeed shot very clearly and looked intimate. Suddenly, the scene of him meeting Xi Xiaye the other day shed through his mind...

    That day, Mu Yuchen had been there too!

    Suddenly, Han Yifeng had aplicated expression. His chest started to feel an indescribable tightness.

    A memorable love...

    These words shed through his mind all of a sudden. Instantly, they suddenly became like ice needles, piercing into his body. All he felt was coldness, pain, numbness...

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you and her are a thing of the past? Then, tell me, what are these? Yifeng... I¡¯ve always believed that you loved me deeply and wouldn¡¯t cause such a huge ruckus over these things, but this time, why...? You¡¯ve already forgiven me so many times. Would this one time make a difference? I just need this once! Is it because of this? Is this why you¡¯re treating me this way?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s hands sped tightly around him as she stared at Han Yifeng questioningly.

    Han Yifeng suddenly shut his eyes with fatigue. He inhaled sharply and opened his eyes after a while. Casually tossing the pictures aside, he did not bother with Xi Xinyi any further and continued walking away.

    ¡°Xiaye and Mu Yuchen already got married before the New Year. Don¡¯t you think that all of this is such a joke?¡±

    With that said, the tall figure vanished out of the door...

 Chapter 289 - Decision (2)

    <h4>Chapter 289: Decision (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    <i>What!?</i>

    <i>Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen were married!?</i>

    <i>Before the New Year!?</i>

    Xi Xinyi was shocked. Her eyes momentarily went out of focus. It was as if all of her energy and emotions were sucked away. Her body fell limp and she copsed onto the bed.

    <i>How could this be...?</i>

    <i>How could she be married?</i>

    If Xi Xiaye really was married to Mu Yuchen, how could there not have been any news at all? With the Mu family¡¯s background of being a well-known family, how could they have epted a daughter-inw like Xi Xiaye? And with a man like Mu Yuchen...

    Previously, she had guessed that there was something more between Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen. She thought that there must have been more than just a rtionship between a superior and subordinate, yet she never would have guessed that they would be husband and wife!

    They were actually husband and wife!

    Well, then all the disdain and trouble that Mu Yuchen had directed towards her finally seemed to make perfect sense!

    Xi Xinyi started to tremble.

    <i>This is impossible!</i>

    <i>Why is Xi Xiaye so lucky every time?</i>

    She could not ept this fact, but hearing it from Han Yifeng, it had to be real...

    Still, why would there be no news at all? It was such a huge thing! The Mu family should have some sort of indication somehow. She had never seen them propose marriage to the Xi family. How could Xi Xiaye have married Mu Yuchen?

    Maybe they were still keeping it a secret from the Xi family. If Grandfather and Father found out that Xi Xiaye had done that, it only proved her disregard for the Xi family.

    Xi Xinyi suddenly clenched the nket in her hand tightly. Her stunned eyes slowly returned to normal. She shifted uncertainly for a while and her expression changed. She could not reveal how she currently felt!

    This was extremelyplicated!

    She was terribly frustrated!

    ...

    The silent night gradually lifted. Heralded by the pitter-patter of the rain and the rustling of the cool breeze, the gloomy curtain that covered the sky was soon blown away and a new day began.

    A rainy day was indeed a good reason to dawdle in bed.

    Yet, Xi Xiaye did not find that sleep came easily.

    She slept until the middle of the night when she felt incredibly miserable. Her throat was itching and she kept coughing. Clearly, her cold had be worse! Initially, she had been infected by Mr. Mu. In addition to that, she got caught in the rain yesterday, so how could it not get worse?

    Mu Yuchen got up in the middle of the night to get her some medicine. She then finally eased a little. Overall, both husband and wife did not have a good night¡¯s sleep.

    Xi Xiaye had a bad habit. When she was not sleepingfortably, she would habitually roll around, kick the nket away, pull it away, then cover herself again. She would be very irritable, disturbing Mu Yuchen in the process too.

    He could only increase the temperature in the room and was tormented until it was close to dawn. When he finally saw her fall asleep, he did not feel sleepy anymore, so he got up.

    When Xi Xiaye woke up it was already close to noon. She felt her head spinning and when she opened her eyes in a daze, a soft voice filled with concern entered her ears.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake? How are you feeling?¡±

    Before she could say anything, a slightly warm hand touched her forehead. ¡°You don¡¯t have a fever...¡±

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously lifted a hand to check her forehead too. She coughed quite a few times, and then sat up all sickly. When she turned to look at her caregiver, Mu Yuchen¡¯s extraordinarily handsome face greeted her sight.

    ¡°It feels pretty horrible...¡±

    Meeting his concerned and warm gaze, she could not help but lift a hand to tap her dizzy head. Her voice was particrly raspy and dry and her beautiful face was faintly scarlet too.

    Mu Yuchen pulled her nket away and said in a deep voice, ¡°Get up and wash up, then eat your medicine. It¡¯s no harm catching a cold once or twice in a year. Later, remember to train your body more. Yesterday, I¡¯ve told Ah Mo to bring a motorcycle over. From now on, every Friday night, I¡¯ll ride one round around the vi with you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then remembered in a stupor that he had mentioned that in University A, but he was really putting it into action now!

    ¡°Where am I going to find the patience? It¡¯ll already be sote after work, and the vi area is so huge...¡±

    She thought about it and sighed as she whined with a raspy voice. Her body felt like mush all over and she could not get her energy levels up.

    ¡°I¡¯m allowing you to leave work one hour earlier every Friday,¡± he casually said, then handed her clothes. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Quickly go wash up. Take your medicine, thene down to eat.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but scratch her messy hair and frown. ¡°Then, quickly prepare the water for me. Just put the clothes on the rack... Why are you looking at me? Shoo, go...¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows at her meaningfuly, then he took the clothes and walked to the bathroom without a word.

    Half an hourter, she finally stepped out.

    ¡°Is it okay? Like this?¡±

    She stood in front of the dressing mirror and studied her reflection as she asked the man who was talking on the phone by the bedside.

    Mu Yuchen hung up as he looked up and then nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Anything looks good on a stunning figure like yours.¡±

    When she heard this, her beautiful face immediately shed with a happy smile as she replied, ¡°Of course! Even Su Nan who has the reputation of a devillish figure says that I¡¯m a natural clothes hanger...¡±

    ¡°Better not jinx it... I pray that in another few years, you can still maintain this.¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled, then got up and walked over too.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I maintain this? Even if I¡¯ve had children, I can maintain it. Look at our mothers. They are both over 50 years old, yet they still look very young and beautiful. When I shop with my mother, people think that she¡¯s my sister. It¡¯s either saying that I¡¯m aging or that Mother¡¯s young...¡±

    ¡°Young and beautiful? Maintanenance... Well, Mother goes to the spa almost every week. Have you been going? Last year, on a sudden impulse, she asked someone to buy some skincare products that are still sitting in the car. Last week when I said I¡¯d go with you, you didn¡¯t respond. You¡¯re justzy!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like me now?¡± She frowned and suddenly turned to look at him with an upset gaze.

    When she said this, Mu Yuchen could not help but press his hand to his forehead and sigh softly, ¡°Pretend I didn¡¯t say anything. You¡¯re naturally beautiful and you don¡¯t need those things... Missus, I¡¯m sincerely encouraging you to enjoy your rights and privileges as a woman. I¡¯ve never seen a woman more foolish than you.¡±

    ...

    Because of Mu Yuchen¡¯s words, there was a knot in Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart. After lunch, she could not hep but call her best friend, Su Nan, and say to her, ¡°Nannan, Mu Yuchen keeps telling me to go to the spa or something. Do you think he feels I look worn out or am showing signs of aging?¡±

    After Su Nan heard her description and confusion from the other end, she giggled and answered after a long while, ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m so done with you! So, you¡¯ve actually started to care about your looks? Don¡¯t worry. As long as you act coquettishly with Master Mu, you¡¯ll be the world¡¯s most beautiful goddess to him. You¡¯ve always been a goddess to me, so how could you be that bad? In fact, Master Mu¡¯s personally going with you... Pfft, that dude Ruan Heng¡¯s toozy to even go with me!¡±

 Chapter 290 - Lingshiâ€™s Return (1)

    <h4>Chapter 290: Lingshi¡¯s Return (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon being enlightened by Su Nan, Xi Xiaye felt much better.

    She found a book from the study room to pass some time while he busied himself with reviewing data from the New York branch office and talk on the phone with the people there. He spoke fluent English.

    Xi Xiaye vaguely paid attention to his conversation. It sounded like a secretary was being moved over, then she recalled that previously when Ah Mo had been transferred, he said that the branch office would send an assistant over. She seemed to have asked him about this before.

    When he hung up, she closed the book in her hand and put it back onto the shelf. She walked to his side picked up a ss of water to drink her voice was still vaguely hoarse. ¡°Are you nning to hire a man or a woman as your secretary?¡±

    He put his phone aside, then reached around her waist and chuckled. ¡°Li Si¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t need one for now. Whether it¡¯s a man or a woman, they¡¯re the same to me.¡±

    She shot him a nce of disagreement, pulled open the drawer and took her own phone out. ¡°How can it be the same? Don¡¯t you know that office romance has always been a hot topic?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯d dare to think of the great Director Xi¡¯s Mr. Mu? I think she¡¯s too tired of living!¡±

    When she heard this, she smiled and shrugged mischievously. She looked at the time on her phone. It was already 3 p.m. in the afternoon.

    ¡°Tidy up and get ready to leave. It¡¯s already 3 p.m. It¡¯ll be just right if we go now.¡±

    ...

    Maple Residence was not too far to the airport with the highway. When they reached the airport, it was 4 p.m. on the dot. The husband and wife parked outside and made their way to the entrance of the airport.

    There were not many people at the airport departure gate, so they could see very clearly from the outside.

    The husband and wife had just stood there for a short while when Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone rang. It was Mu Lingshi telling them that she was about toe out.

    ¡°Lingshi studied and worked part-time in France. She¡¯s been there for quite a few years now. She managed the night clubs for the branch over there. Besides being quitepetent, she¡¯s also considered an experienced DJ. Previously, she was rebellious like my aunt. She¡¯s changed quite a bit in recent years. Later, when you meet her, don¡¯t be too shocked. She¡¯s a pretty great girl, just as straightforward as you and pretty silly too...¡±

    When they were waiting, Mu Yuchen did his best to describe Mu Lingshi to Xi Xiaye, yet she could vaguely pick up some sorrow in his voice although his expression gave nothing away.

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows and shot him a nce. She was about to say something when there was amotion ahead. They looked up and saw that tourists had begun to walk over.

    A stream of people quickly rushed up toward them. Xi Xiaye watched from afar. She subconsciously turned to look at the man beside her, yet he was just staring at a certain direction ahead. A bright sh of silver-gray greeted their sight.

    With a petite and slender figure, she had trendy dark purple hair that went past her shoulders and a ck hat worn tilted on her head. She wore silver-gray androgynous pants and a coat. Inside, she wore a long, white blouse and she had on a pair of sneakers. Her skin was as white as jade, and she donned huge sunsses that covered almost her whole face. She also had earphones on as she strolled with a trolley case in one hand, and the other in her pocket.

    While Xi Xiaye was checking her out, the girl had also seen them. She casually shrugged at them and then walked over in huge strides.

    ¡°Bro!¡±

    Mu Lingshi stopped in front of Mu Yuchen and put her earphones away. She looked at Mu Yuchen before turning her gaze to the side and stopped abruptly on Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Mmm. This is your sis-inw, Xiaye. She¡¯s Lingshi.¡± Mu Yuchen nodded as he introduced inly.

    The instant Mu Yuchen finished, Mu Lingshi examined Xi Xiaye for quite a while through her lenses. She looked up and down several times before slowly lifting her sunsses.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s sunsses had just been taken off when Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened while she still examined her.

    Unexpectedly, on Mu Lingshi¡¯s delicate face was a scar that crossed from her right forehead all the way to her cheek. It was a very long scar. Even though the wound seemed to have faded from surgery, it still looked vaguely scary.

    From the outline of her face, she should be a stunning girl, but with that scar on her face, she looked...

    Her eyes were bright. Xi Xiaye seemed to be able to see the stillness from the grind she had been through all those years. She looked very peaceful.

    Xi Xiaye took a few more nces at her and suddenly felt pity for her. Perhaps, it was because of the introduction Mu Yuchen had given her earlier.

    No wonder every time Mu Lingshi was mentioned, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes would reveal an odd emotion. It must be because...

    Moments after that, Mu Lingshi shed a friendly smile at Xi Xiaye, then put on her sunsses. Her voice was melodious, but she only spoke to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Bro, I think I know why you haven¡¯t fancied other girls before this. So, it turns out that you like this type? Mmm... A beauty with a ssic charisma... Exquisitely hipster! Bro, your taste is so unique!¡±

    Mu Lingshi did not hide and immediately told Mu Yuchen her first impression of Xi Xiaye. As she said this, there was also a teasing smile on the corner of her lips. ¡°At first, when I got Grandmother¡¯s call, I didn¡¯t quite believe it. I wanted to immediatelye home to see which divinity my brother has fancied, but since you¡¯re willing to marry her and she received the confidence of the family, I thought that you must be a pretty great person, Sis-inw!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Sis-inw! I¡¯m Mu Lingshi. It¡¯s our first time meeting today. Please watch over me after this!¡±

    As Mu Lingshi spoke, her gaze turned to Xi Xiaye. She hurled a hand out sincerely to Xi Xiaye. The few rings she wore on her fingers flickered in the brilliant light.

    When she heard Mu Lingshi say this, Xi Xiaye was confused.

    A few secondster, she slowly reached out her hand and gently shook Mu Lingshi¡¯s equally slender hand. Her beautiful face revealed a sincere smile. ¡°Hello, just call me Xiaye.¡±

    Mu Lingshi smiled dly, a faint curve appearing on the corner of her pink lips. ¡°I can call you that in private, but etiquette still needs to be observed. You¡¯re my sis-inw. You can call me Ah Shi.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded. She had quite a good impression of Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Yuchen took Mu Lingshi¡¯s trolley and put his other hand around Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home first. Grandmother and the rest are anxiously waiting. They¡¯ve prepared food and drinks to wee you home. Spend the next two days getting over your jeg. The day after tomorrow, Su Chen and the rest want to meet up.¡±

 Chapter 291 - Lingshiâ€™s Return (2)

    <h4>Chapter 291: Lingshi¡¯s Return (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Outside the airport, after they loaded the luggage, Xi Xiaye drove while the siblings sat in the back.

    Xi Xiaye rolled steadily out of the carpark. The Mu residence had called to check if they had fetched her. Mu Lingshi answered the phone and spoke for a while before hanging up.

    ¡°Right, Bro, previously I told Bro Su Chen to get me a driving license. Has he done it? I heard that in the past two years, it¡¯s been quite hard to get a driving license. The new rules have reduced in integrity, but I¡¯mzy to take the exams.¡±

    Mu Lingshi saw Xi Xiaye drive skillfully up front and immediately remembered about her driving license.

    Mu Yuchen who was browsing on his tablet then looked up at her. He thought about it and asked Xi Xiaye who was driving, ¡°Where did I ask you to keep it the other day?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in the second drawer on the left of your work desk. I¡¯ve also helped you keep your cardholder. I¡¯ll get it for you tomorrow, Ah Shi!¡± Xi Xiaye was quick to get used to the term of endearment.

    Mu Lingshi nodded and slowly took the sunsses off to reveal her face. Her scar looked even clearer in the dim space. When Xi Xiaye unexpectedly looked through the rearview mirror, her long eyshes fluttered a little. Although she looked quite gentle, that scar...

    It ruined her beauty...

    ¡°I¡¯ll go over to Maple Residence tomorrow. You don¡¯t have to send it around. Mmm... And about my work...¡± Mu Lingshi spoke as she turned to Mu Yuchen again.

    ¡°Let your sis-inw arrange it. We still need someone for the entertainment club at Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Previously, it was Ah Mo handling it. I¡¯m letting him handle the development of Movie City and you¡¯ll be the perfect substitute. Rest for a few days first, then let your sis-inw organize things for you. She¡¯s more well-versed with matters there,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly answered, yet there was a light that shifted in his still eyes as he looked at Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s gaze darkened in that instant too. She sighed and rubbed her temples. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll go along with your arrangements then. Just don¡¯t let me idle around.¡±

    The instant Mu Lingshi finished, Xi Xiaye smiled and answered her, ¡°You probably won¡¯t be free for long. The club¡¯s just opened for a short while. A lot of things aren¡¯t on track yet. I was going to get an experienced person to manage it for a while, and then let you handle it when everything¡¯s on course. Your brother says you¡¯re pretty adept at this, so the best person to handle this would be you.¡±

    When she heard this, Mu Lingshi shrugged and shot a side nce at the expressionless Mu Yuchen. ¡°Sufficiently and reasonably utilizing resources. That¡¯s so like my brother. I¡¯m used to it as well. I don¡¯t need much rest. Arrange for me to go to work the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ve rested for a few days earlier when I was there, so I¡¯m not that tired. Just give me a day to adjust tomorrow. There isn¡¯t much jeg to get over anyway.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was also a workaholic. She was a DJ. In fact, her work of handling the club turned her days and nights upside down, so the time difference here worked out well for her.

    ¡°As you wish. If you don¡¯t want to stay in the old residence, I did leave you a vi on Ah Mo¡¯s side. You can redecorate it ording to the Mediterranean style that you like so much. Ah Mo will be overseeing it, so it can probably fit your fancy. Do you want to move over and see how it goes?¡± Mu Yuchen responded softly, his line of sight never leaving the tablet in front of him.

    Once Mu Yuchen said that, Mu Lingshi instantly fell silent again. Her lowered gaze seemedplicated. Then, she suddenly turned to look out the window and did not answer.

    The considerably harmonious atmosphere in the car instantly vanished, and gloominess hung in the narrow space, filling it with a suffocating stillness.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything either. She nced at the two people behind from time to time through the rearview mirror. She saw that Mu Yuchen was expressionless as always while Mu Lingshi looked down. She seemed rather lonely, paired with that scar. She actually looked a little...

    Xi Xiaye silently averted her gaze and continued to focus on driving. She wanted to say something, yet she did not know how she could break the ice.

    After a pregnant pause, she suddenly heard Mu Lingshi sigh softly, her clear voice colored with a sorrow that she had endured, ¡°Brother, I know you¡¯re doing this for my own good, but I hope that you can stay out of whatever¡¯s between him and I. Once some things have happened, they can never return to the way it was before. Why do you have to care about it so much?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t return to how it was before, but I know very well what you¡¯re really thinking. Ah Mo has never given up on you. You should know this better than anyone else.¡± Mu Lingshi had just finished when Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice came through. His eyes that were deep as the ocean suddenly shed with a cold light as he looked at Mu Lingshi.

    Startled, the gleam in Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes twinkled. She could not help but put her hand to her forehead and sigh deeply. She then turned to look out the window again, without uttering another word.

    ¡°Go visit Lingtian and Aunty tomorrow. You¡¯ve been abroad for the past few years. Every year, Ah Mo returns to mourn and offer prayers to them. Yesterday, I noticed that he was at Lingyuan Cemetery, but he didn¡¯t go up. I think he wanted to wait for you,¡± said Mu Yuchen softly as he looked at her.

    A mocking, bitter smile suddenly shed at the corner of her lips. She put her sunsses on again and muttered coldly, ¡°What¡¯s there to mourn about? If they¡¯re dead, they¡¯re dead...¡±

    ¡°Lingshi!¡±

    Upon Lingshi¡¯s brash attitude, Mu Yuchen immediately frowned. His gaze held a gleam of sternness as he silently stared at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m justying the facts out.¡± Mu Lingshi lowered her voice now as she just replied with that single sentence.

    Xi Xiaye could vaguely understand something. She thought that it should be about Lingtian. When she noticed the iciness between them, she spoke after some thought, ¡°Ah Shi, is there anything you need? There¡¯s a supermarket up front.¡±

    Mu Lingshi then eased a little and looked at Xi Xiaye, shaking her head. ¡°No, thanks. Everything should be prepared back home.¡±

    ...

    The mood was still a little awkward, and the stifled air remained all the way until they reached the Mu residence. The joy of reuniting with the whole family flushed away the bitterness.

    Inside the Mu residence, Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong were pretty much done preparing dinner. When they saw Mu Lingshi, everyone¡¯s faces shone with rare happiness.

    Wang Hui pulled at Mu Lingshi and started to nag, her eyes filled with deep concern. ¡°It¡¯s marvelous that you¡¯re back! Rest for a while and just let your brother arrange everything. What¡¯s so great about a girl who keeps running abroad? You don¡¯t even have anyone to take care of you when you¡¯re sick. You are the one who ends up suffering.¡±

 Chapter 292 - Lingshis Return (3)

    <h4>Chapter 292: Lingshi¡¯s Return (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi smiled. She sat down near Wang Hui and responded, ¡°When Brother first returned, I wanted toe back with him, but my matters over there weren¡¯t settled yet, so I had to stay a while longer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time you came back. Your grandmother and I have retired. We¡¯ve been idle and you shouldn¡¯t rush to get to work too. Apany us for a few days. Your grandmother¡¯s missed you for a long time.¡± The person who spoke was Mu Yinan.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told Sis-inw to arrange for some work for me the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ve been rxing for the past few days over there, so I¡¯ve rested enough. I¡¯ll apany the two of you a lot more after this. Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather and Grandmother!¡±

    Mu Lingshi shrugged and beamed. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to see what delicious things Mother has cooked.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was about to get up, yet she had not taken a step when someone at the door called out, startling her. ¡°Hello, Master Ah Mo!¡± She subconsciously turned to look at the door, and indeed, Ah Mo who was dressed in a ck, well-ironed suit was walking in as he greeted the servants.

    Maybe it was because he noticed Mu Lingshi¡¯s gaze that Ah Mo instantly nced up at her too. Their eyes met and it was as if the air suddenly froze.

    Despite her shock, she eased back after a while. Ah Mo had regained his senses and said softly, ¡°Everyone,e out to take a picture. The Master and Missus are already waiting outside.¡±

    Wang Hui and Mu Yinan wanted to have a family picture. After all, it had been quite a few years since the whole family gathered, and Xi Xiaye had just joined the family, so a photograph of the whole family was very much needed.

    ¡°Okay,ing!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a picture!¡±

    Wang Hui and the rest beamed and stood up as they pulled Mu Lingshi to go out.

    At the moment, on the dark greenwn of the Mu residence¡¯s front yard, the servants had already prepared a row of stools. Mu Yuchen was standing underneath a tree on the side and flipping through the document that Ah Mo had just delivered while Xi Xiaye stood by his side.

    When Xi Xiaye saw him frown, she did not steal a look and just asked in concern, ¡°Is it about Movie City?¡±

    Mu Yuchen slowly closed the document and handed it to her, raising her brows and staring at him in shock. Her eyes flickered with a dazzling gleam. They sparkled incisively.

    Mu Yuchen sighed, his extraordinarily handsome face revealing a rare smile as he chortled. ¡°Thepany¡¯s matters are no secret to you. In fact, this isn¡¯t rted to thepany either.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she felt her heart warm although she did not take the document. She could not help but chuckle softly. ¡°Then, what about things apart frompany matters?¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen shot her a side look. This little girl seemed to be trying to trap him a lot recently.

    Noticing how she seemed to suddenly turn stiff, he suddenly reached out and put his arm around her. He leaned over and nted a gentle kiss on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you to get to know me better.¡±

    Startled, Xi Xiaye slowly looked up at him and was about to say something when she suddenly felt a sh before them.

    She was dazed for a moment, then she turned to see Wang Hui and the rest were grinning as they watched them. When she thought about what just happened, Xi Xiaye felt her face turn hot. Her delicate fair face could not suppress the blush as she turned away shyly and red at him.

    ¡°Bro, Sis-inw, don¡¯t just hide aside and disy your affections to each other. Come over and join the picture!¡± Mu Lingshi winked at them, then put on her sunsses and smirked.

    Wang Hui, Mu Yinan and the rest sat down on the seats in front. Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan sat too. With Ah Mo, Mu Lingshi, the butler, and all of the Mu residence servants, there were close to 30 people altogether. In one look, you could see that thewn was filled with people.

    Mu Yuchen then smiled and released his long arms around her shoulders. He tugged her to walk over and stood on the side while he looked straight at the camera in a rxed and calm posture with his arms around her. Xi Xiaye smiled gently, silently going along with it.

    After the photographer started counting, there were several sounds of the shutter, then the family photo was done.

    At this moment, the sky was about to turn dark and the background looked a little dull.

    The dinner was rather harmonious. Itt was clear that everyone doted on Mu Lingshi, yet Xi Xiaye did not fail to notice that Ah Mo, who was made to sit beside Mu Lingshi, seemed absent-minded. His gaze fell onto Mu Lingshi from time to time. His intense gaze kept jumping about and Xi Xiaye could tell that something was going on.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not stay over at the Mu residence. She could vaguely tell that he did not seem to quite like staying at the old residence.

    At that moment, the car was speeding back to Maple Residence, with him in the driver¡¯s seat.

    She sat silently beside him for a long time before she suddenly turned to him to ask, ¡°Does Ah Mo like Ah Shi?¡±

    He turned to her and said calmly, ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, muttering, ¡°I can see that Ah Mo looks at her in a different way. Anyone can tell...¡±

    ¡°You could even tell just from his gaze?¡± He chuckled.

    ¡°The way he looked at Ah Shi was just like how Father looks at Mother, so...¡± Xi Xiaye said softly, unable to help a smile from spreading across her face. ¡°Do you ever realize that even though Father and Mother usually look quite imposing, I keep finding the way they interact to be very magical. To say that they have mutual respect in their marriage seems to be very appropriate.¡±

    As he listened, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression eased too. ¡°Father <i>is </i> a very steady and practical person. Back then, Mother fancied Father because of his refined charisma, his humorous speech, and his versatile abilities. I heard that back then, Father was once Prince Charming to Mother. You know how Mother¡¯s like too. Only Father can make her surrender. Perhaps, this is the key to maintaining the rtionship between them.¡±

    ¡°Prince Charming to her? No wonder I keep feeling like they... Su Nan told me that all women hope that the man they like will be someone that they or a lot of people can look up to...¡± She muttered softly.

    ¡°Someone you can look up to? Your friend really has thought it through. She definitely has the potential to be a rtionship consultant,¡± Mu Yuchen replied with a chuckle.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I said this to her before this too... but, what actually happened between Ah Mo and Ah Shi? I can tell that Ah Mo really likes Ah Shi while Ah Shi... It doesn¡¯t look as simple as it does on the surface. In fact, during dinner, Grandfather and Grandmother keep intentionally mentioning the two of them together...¡±

 Chapter 293 - Brief Partings (1)

    <h4>Chapter 293: Brief Partings (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As she said this, she turned to look at the man beside her, her eyes gleaming with the light of diamonds.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he slowed the car down then responded, ¡°Ah Mo has liked Lingshi ever since we were young, my family¡¯s not some trite family either. If they can get together, everyone would agree. Grandfather and Grandmother even nned to renovate a ce for them in the Jinn Vi area. After Lingshi graduates from university, they¡¯d let them get married.¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened.

    ¡°Could it because of Ah Shi¡¯s scar? How did she...?¡±

    ¡°It was the same scar from the car ident with Lingtian. Apart from the scar on her face, she suffered terrible burns on her back. Even with surgery, there¡¯s no way of making it recover to how it originally was,¡± he answered, then suddenly reached out to hold her hand that was on her thigh. The slightly cold temperature of her skin was transferred through his palms too. ¡°Ah Mo said he doesn¡¯t mind, but Lingshi doesn¡¯t have the courage to face it.¡±

    To a girl like Mu Lingshi, it would be hard to ept. She must have been a very proud girl, yet unexpectedly...

    Xi Xiaye sighed as she looked down at her hand that he held and thought about it. Then, she lifted her other idle hand to hold his. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. They¡¯ll recover once she lets go.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, just arrange things for her for the day after tomorrow. I have to make a trip to New York with Zimo tomorrow and I might only be back after a week or so. I¡¯ve already told Vice President Liu and the rest to handle matters at the office. I¡¯ll rush back in time before the big meeting.¡±

    ¡°Why so sudden? Was it the document that Ah Mo handed you earlier?¡± Xi Xiaye asked in confusion.

    He nodded. ¡°Zimo¡¯s branch over there met some issues which are quite tricky, so I¡¯ll apany him for the trip and at the same time, take a look at the branch.¡±

    ...

    When they returned to Maple Residence, it was alreadyte at night. After the husband and wife took turns to shower, Xi Xiaye started to pack the documents for him while he sat before the desk and continued the work he had yet to finish that afternoon.

    She kept all the documents into a ck briefcase, and set it aside on the table. She watched his busy figure and her vaguely raspy voice said, ¡°Rest earlier. Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s an 8 a.m. flight tomorrow?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s long fingers typed a long row of form very quickly on the keyboard, then with a ¡®ding¡¯, the data was automatically generated. After he saved it, he shut theputer down and turned his head, his distant eyes calmly resting on her face. He did not say anything for a long time.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± She felt shy under his intense stare and then she subconsciously touched her face, thinking that there was some dirt on it.

    When he saw this, he suddenly roared withughter and there were fireworks in his eyes. He slowly got up and walked over to look down at her.

    The difference in height forced her to peer up before she could meet his eyes. Seeing that his dark eyes were fluctuating like burning fireworks, she immediately felt stifled and her heart beat faster. She subconsciously took a step back, and her back met the shelf that was filled with books. As she lowered her head to avert her gaze, she blushed and whispered softly, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that...¡±

    When he heard this, a faint smile shed across his face. He leaned a hand against the shelf and asked, ¡°How should I look at you then?¡±

    ¡°I... Mmm!¡±

    Before she could say anything, he had already lowered his head and gone in for a kiss. ¡°I haven¡¯t been around for so long. Satisfy me tonight, would you?¡±

    He buried his face in her delicate corbones as he spoke softly. His gravelly voice was maic and incredibly sexy.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we just... Mmm... The day before yesterday... Didn¡¯t we just...?¡±

    With the way he teased her, she could not hold back too, but...

    ¡°That was you who was satisfied. It doesn¡¯t mean that I... If I don¡¯t work harder, there wouldn¡¯t be any news from you...¡±

    Then, without caring if she understood what he meant, he suddenly lifted her up by the waist, eliciting a cry of surprise from her. Then, he subconsciously put her arms around his shoulders.

    ...

    There was a huge storm inside the bedroom.

    After two rounds of battling, she weakly lifted a hand to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. Her starry eyes were still in a daze as she looked at him quietly for a long time. Then, she suddenly asked softly, ¡°Mr. Mu, do you think that we¡¯re trying to love each other right now?¡±

    He inhaled slightly, the fireworks in his eyes flickering. He hugged her tightly and said tenderly, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    She shook her head. There was a glint of twinkling light in her eyes akin to little diamonds while she looked seriously at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know... I just feel that ever since I got married to you, I¡¯ve been very happy, but sometimes when I think about it, it feels like I¡¯m dreaming. I¡¯m worried that once I wake up from my dream, all of this would be fake...¡±

    ¡°Worrying about your personal gains and losses? Are you worried that I¡¯ll run off?¡± He grinned. ¡°Actually there¡¯s a good way to get rid of all your worries. Do you want to know what it is?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Her eyes shed as she fixed them on him.

    ¡°Be the mother of my child. Tie me down with a child!¡± He growled and then fell onto her again.

    After he sank into his vices, she fell into a deep sleep while he was oddly awake. He turned to look at her asleep with her messy hair. His arm that was around her waist suddenly tightened as he pulled her towards his chest and sighed softly, ¡°All of this is real. You will always be my Missus...¡±

    If she wanted it, at this point, he did not mind giving all his love to her even though he was not sure whether he even had it in him or not.

    The next day, when Xi Xiaye woke up, the space beside her was already empty. Even the temperature of the bedsheets was cold. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and looked at the time. It was almost 10 a.m.

    After she got up and washed up, she went downstairs to look for some food and saw that a spread of Western breakfast had been prepared on the dining table, apanied by a note he left.

    <i>Remember to take your medicine after breakfast. Take care of yourself. ¡ª Chen</i>

    She was obviously familiar with that bold and cursive handwriting of his. With a deep breath, she then quietly put it away.

    It was rare that she had idle time, so she nned to rest at home. Unexpectedly, the Shen residence called to say that Shen Yue was back from work abroad. After some thought, she decided to pack up and return to the Shen residence for a bit.

    However, when she left Maple Residence, she did not forget to bring Mu Lingshi¡¯s driving license along. She probably had to make a trip to the Mu residence in the afternoon. Although Mu Lingshi was staying at home for now, Mu Yuchen had asked herst night whether she wanted to stay in the same vi area as Ah Mo.

 Chapter 294 - Brief Partings (2)

    <h4>Chapter 294: Brief Partings (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The weather was not as gloomy as it had been two days ago. It looked like it was starting to clear up as the cold breeze blew lightly, filling the air with freshness.

    At Qingshan Cemetery.

    Mu Lingshi put the lillies in her hand on Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone. The huge sunsses hid the mncholy in her eyes while Ah Mo stood right behind her.

    ¡°It¡¯s been almost five years... Time flies so quickly. All of this keeps feeling like it just happened yesterday,¡± Mu Lingshi sighed, her clear voiceing through.

    ¡°Lingtian¡¯s soul might have already been reborn. Ah Shi, don¡¯t be too sad about it.¡± Ah Mo turned to look at her, catching all the grief in her eyes. He could not help but advise, ¡°It¡¯s been quite a few years now. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t want you to be like this too.¡±

    Mu Lingshi fixed her gaze onto the ck and white picture on the tombstone as a bitter smile graced her lips. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why he would have done that... Was brother not good to him? Why did he do that?¡±

    As Ah Mo listened, he could not help but sigh. He thought about it for a long time, then answered, ¡°Master has always wanted to know too... Back then, if it were not because he secretly helped him, it might not have all turned out like this...¡±

    Mu Lingshi lowered her gaze, watching the lilies sway in the wind. Her eyes underneath the sunsses suddenly started to blur. She could only vaguely feel the moisture that graced the corner of her eyes. A while after that, she softly said, ¡°If it didn¡¯t? Sadly, all of this can only be guesswork. It¡¯s already happened, so all we can do is just ept it.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always wanted to know... He and my brother seemed to have quite a huge gap. From what I remember, Big Brother has always been very protective of the three of us, so to me, I only have Big Brother. All of us are just Brother¡¯s sidekicks. When we were younger and got hurt, he would always stand up for us.

    ¡°I remember, once, Lingtian fought with his ssmates. He injured the other ssmate¡¯s head and didn¡¯t go home because he was worried about being scolded by Grandfather and Grandmother. It was Brother who found him in the abandoned factory in the middle of the night. He carried him and walked a long way before they reached home. In fact, he assumed all responsibility. That night, mother punished Brother by making him copy a whole night¡¯s worth of school rules.¡±

    As Mu Lingshi spoke, her hands that fell by her side suddenly tightened slightly and her tone suddenly turned cold. ¡°But look at how he treated Brother!¡±

    Ah Mo did not know what to say, so he only offered, ¡°Ah Shi, I think Lingtian might have had his own reasons.¡±

    While Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression had turned cold, the scar that could not be concealed looked particrly clear under the faint sunlight. Sheughed bitterly. ¡°Whenever someone does something wrong, they always use some secret trouble and said they did it against their will. Can that make up for the hurt they caused? Did he think of Brother then? Did he consider the Mu family? Once the news is spread, what would others think of Brother and the Mu family?¡±

    ¡°This is a matter of the past, Ah Shi! Master¡¯s more worried about you! These past few years, Master has been trying to find out where they are too. There hasn¡¯t been any news from the Qi and the Gu families. Apart from working on the Movie City project in City B, I¡¯ve been constantly watching out for any movement from the Gu family, yet I still haven¡¯t noticed them reveal anything at all.¡±

    Ah Mo frowned slightly as he added with a deep voice, ¡°But I still don¡¯t dare to raise this to the Master. In fact, recently, the South River project that the Missus is handling is coincidentally going up against Qi Kai. Master is actually very worried that Missus will be taken advantage of. He¡¯s been worried about the South River project recently, and spending a lot of time on it.¡±

    ¡°Qi Kai!? Isn¡¯t that the Qi family¡¯spany?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression turned colder now. Hostility shed in her eyes as she looked at Ah Mo through the sunsses and said, ¡°Glory World and Qi Kai have never had any business dealings with each other. Grandfather has even particrly stated it before. What is Bro thinking?¡±

    ¡°Ah Shi, you know Master¡¯s rules too. He definitely won¡¯t yield if it¡¯s within the boundaries of his capabilities. In fact, I seem to be able to guess the reason behind Master¡¯s actions. He knew long ago that Qi Kai¡¯s very interested in this project too. Besides, Missus has been previously looking into this project too. Grandfather did agree to this project, but it was dyed after that because of the Imperial Sky and New Era za matters.

    ¡°Master has always been very interested in the South River. When he arranged the documents, he found the proposal that Missus had written, so after some discussion with the Vice Presidents, it was decided.¡±

    When Ah Mo said this, Mu Lingshi was startled. She fell silent for a while, then she said, ¡°Can Sis-inw handle those people? Who¡¯s the one handling this project on their side?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Qi Lei. He¡¯s currently the Vice President of Qi Kai.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei? How could it be him!?¡± Mu Lingshi instantly frowned and he could not help but feel his head ache.

    Ah Mo hesitated, then answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Master won¡¯t let Missus fight alone. He¡¯s personally getting involved in this project. The new ns from the government should be released soon and the tender meeting is probably going be on the 12th or 14th this month. It¡¯ll be inevitable for everyone to meet then.¡±

    ¡°Is Brother outstation for work now? Earlier, I called him and his phone was still switched off.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll probably rush back in time before the tender. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s already told Missus to take care of you. Previously, I handled all the things at the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re unsure of, you can ask me. I might have to leave City Z for City B in a few more days, so you...¡±

    With Mu Lingshi, Ah Mo did not dare to talk about whatever between them or mention their past. Just like their conversation now, it was the only way Mu Lingshi would speak to him calmly.

    ¡°Go, Sis-inw seems pretty great. She should be able to do it well,¡± Mu Lingshi answered calmly, reaching up to fix her sunsses. ¡°When did she and Bro begin? I¡¯ve never heard Bro mention her before. When the family called me to tell me about this, I was so shocked.¡±

    ¡°Missus has always been working at the Glory World headquarters. Grandfather admires her very much. In fact, Grandmother was an oldrade-in-arms with her Grandpa. Missus is a pretty great person. After they got married, Master has been smiling much more, Ah Shi. This marriage is a good thing.¡±

    When she heard Ah Mo, Mu Lingshi hesitated before she nodded. ¡°Mmm, they look pretty well-matched. Whatever it is, as long as Brother likes her, I¡¯m happy for him.¡±

    Then, Mu Lingshi looked at the ck and white photo on the tombstone again, and at Mu Zixi beside them. She breathed in deeply, then suddenly turned around.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back,¡± she said with finality, then walked away.

 Chapter 295 - Brief Partings (3)

    <h4>Chapter 295: Brief Partings (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi still was not willing to rest much. When she went to work the next day, she appeared at the samepany building as Ah Mo. The two of them waited on the side of the road as they chatted about something.

    Mu Lingshi was staying at the Mu residence temporarily so that she could spend more time with Wang Hui and the rest. Ah Mo had returned to the Mu residence these past few days too. The attention that he had put in was worth mulling over.

    Xi Xiaye parked her car, then took her briefcase and got down before walking towards them.

    ¡°Morning, Sis-inw!¡±

    ¡°Morning, Missus!¡±

    She had just gotten nearer when the two of them called out at the same time.

    Ah Mo was still wearing a ck, well-fitted suit while Mu Lingshi was dressed the same as when she had returned the other day. The only difference was her inner white blouse had been changed to a ck one, while the coat outside was swapped for a white one. Her dark purple hair tumbled down her shoulders, and she still donned the huge sunsses, almost covering her little face. She looked reserved.

    Previously, Mu Yuchen did say that Mu Lingshi had been the one watching over the night clubs in France. She was still wondering how a girl like her could hold down such massive crowds, but now that she thought about it, she realized she had worried unnecessarily.

    Actually, when she looked at the two of them, she thought that they matched each other quite well. If they really loved each other, it would be brilliant if they got together, but...

    Xi Xiaye sighed to herself. When she went even closer, a faint ripple shed across her delicate face. She nodded dly and smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two go in first? It¡¯s pretty cold out here.¡±

    As she said this, she looked up at the sky. Some sunlight was shining down from the horizon, but the cold winds kepting. It was still quite chilly.

    ¡°We just reached too. We knew that you weren¡¯t here yet, so we waited,¡± Mu Lingshi answered.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in first. I¡¯ve previously arranged a document about the situation over there for your brother. How about this? Ah Mo, bring Ah Shi to your brother¡¯s office first. I¡¯ll go take my things to my office before I go over. The document is in the drawer of his desk.¡±

    ...

    Then, they walked into the building.

    Xi Xiaye went straight to her own office. After putting the things down, she went straight up to the 58th floor. Outside Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were already waiting.

    Xi Xiaye quickly unlocked the door with the keycard in her pocket.

    ¡°This is the situation over there, and this is the list of names for the people-in-charge and their contact numbers. It¡¯s been pretty happening there recently and business is booming. I¡¯ve also made them close for a while during the holidays. Tonight, we¡¯ll be open for business again.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took out the document from the drawer and handed it to Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°How¡¯s business?¡± Mu Lingshi reached out to take it and casually asked.

    ¡°After the openingunch, all of the departments are pretty much on track. It¡¯s been going pretty well. Now, the few people-in-charge are all experienced, so you don¡¯t have to feel too pressured either.¡± The person who had spoken was Ah Mo.

    Mu Lingshi shrugged indifferently as she flipped the document open and briefly read through it. Quite a while after that, she lifted a hand to fix her sunsses, then she looked up at Xi Xiaye and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sis-inw. The problem shouldn¡¯t be that huge. Can I go over to take a look now?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve already called the managers-in-charge. They should be waiting there already. Ah Mo, you can go along with her since you¡¯re more familiar with the ce.¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed the drawer, then walked out with the two of them following closely behind.

    The Imperial Sky Entertainment Club was part of Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Naturally, it would not be open in the day. The theme was a diverse nightlife, a ce for people to forget their worries.

    When they reached Imperial Sky Entertainment Club, Su Chen called Ah Mo and said that they wanted to gather at night, mainly to wee Mu Lingshi home, but the venue they decided upon was Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. You could tell that he was just looking for people to drink and hang out with him.

    From the sound of his tone, one could guess that Mu Lingshi should be quite close to them.

    ¡°Ah Shi, this is Xiao Yu, a temporary assistant for you. There¡¯s more work here. He¡¯s more familiar with the situation here. Xiao Yu, this is Manager Mu. Thepany sent her over to rece Manager Ah Mo. You¡¯ll assist Manager Mu in familiarizing herself with the work here.¡±

    Afortable and elegant office had been prepared for Mu Lingshi at Imperial Entertainment Club. Xi Xiaye reached out to pull open the curtains, letting the faint light pour in through the half-opaque ss window. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she introduced Mu Lingshi to the handsome and experienced Xiao Yu.

    ¡°Hello, Manager Mu, I¡¯m Xiao Yu!¡± Xiao Yu quickly smiled and said.

    Mu Lingshi turned and followed Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze to look at Xiao Yu, then she nodded and greeted, ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡±

    ¡°This will be your office. Previously, it was left to be your brother¡¯s temporary office, but he doesn¡¯t reallye here that many times in a year. Let me know if you¡¯re happy with the style of decor.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said that, Mu Lingshi waved her hand, a rare ease gracing the corner of her lips. ¡°Okay, Sis-inw. I don¡¯t care much for these things as long they¡¯re provided.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and responded, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you won¡¯t be used to this ce since you just returned.¡±

    Then, she took out the keys and the driving license from her pocket before handing it to Mu Lingshi. ¡°These are the office keys and your driver¡¯s license. Keep them properly. Later, Ah Mo will get your car with you.¡±

    Of course, Xi Xiaye was not nning on being their lightbulb. She introduced all the other people-in-charge briefly, exined the work scope, then let Ah Mo bring her around to familiarize while she left first.

    After she left Imperial Sky Entertainment City, Xi Xiaye went back to Glory World, but she had gone straight up to Vice President Liu¡¯s office to discuss matters about Yueying.

    Vice President Liu had been quite busy recently with Ah Mo¡¯s work on developing Movie City, and also the previous ruckus caused by Xi Xinyi at Yueying. He had spent a lot of effort on negotiating deals for quite a few movies, then spent time promoting the rookies. Only then did the rumors start to dissipate. Naturally, she was concerned about this.

    When she knocked on his office door, Liu Lingyu was reviewing some documents.

    When Liu Lingyu saw Xi Xiaye, he immediately set the documents in his hand aside and stood up. ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯re here! I was just going to get my secretary to get you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded slightly with a smile. ¡°I just came up to take a look. I heard that you¡¯ve been so busy that even your rest time¡¯s been shaved. Coincidentally, the South River project documents have been handed in. I¡¯m free for a few days, so I came to see if there¡¯s anything I can help out with.¡±

 Chapter 296 - Brief Partings (4)

    <h4>Chapter 296: Brief Partings (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Liu Lingyu smiled, walking around his desk and pointing at the sofa on the side. He said humbly, ¡°Have a seat first. I just wanted to talk to you about this too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat down and the secretary swiftly brought two cups of tea over.

    ¡°Is it about Yueying? Chairman Mu told me about it. Recently, you and Ah Mo have been busy with Movie City matters, so I wanted toe over and check how it is now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye picked up the tea and sipped it a little, her clear gaze falling onto Liu Lingyu¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll be making a trip to City B with Manager Ah Mo in two days. I might have to stay there for quite a while, so I probably need your help to watch over Yueying for a while. There¡¯s a monthly meeting this afternoon and I want you to attend that.¡±

    As Liu Lingyu said this, he drank his tea, then continued, ¡°Recently, Yueying¡¯s matters have caused quite a lot of unhappiness among the shareholders. ording to Chairman Mu¡¯s intentions, we will continue to work hard, promote the new artistes, and align them with our brand. In fact, the few movies that we previously negotiated have been under Glory World¡¯s name, so we just have to wait for the right time...¡±

    When he said this, Liu Lingyu did not continue, but Xi Xiaye understood what he meant. She thought about it, then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a brilliant idea too. Right, hasn¡¯t Caitlin been quite popr recently? In fact, I heard that her time¡¯s almost up with thepany she¡¯s previously signed to. Maybe we can fight for her. She¡¯s been having a great coboration with Glory World, and I think highly of her.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, yes, that¡¯s a good idea too. There are several artistes that look like they have the potential.¡±

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while then asked, ¡°Just leave this to me. I¡¯ll go look for Caitlin for a chat. What time¡¯s the meeting in the afternoon?¡±

    ¡°3 p.m.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. Just pass me the details.¡±

    Liu Lingyu thought about it, then he could not help but remind, ¡°Okay. Right, Director Xi, I notice that Qi Kai seems to be quite interested in Yueying recently as well, so you have to watch out for any movements from them.¡±

    Qi Kai again?

    When Liu Lingyu mentioned this, Xi Xiaye remembered that Qi Lei <i>was </i> one of Yueying¡¯s bigger partners. In fact, because of the South River project...

    Personal grudges...

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered the things Mu Yuchen had said to her previously. Her heart sank a little and she frowned.

    ...

    After she left Liu Lingyu¡¯s office, Xi Xiaye returned to her own office. Although it was already time for a break in the afternoon now, she did not feel hungry, so she did not go to the canteen. Instead, she brewed some tea and sat down leisurely, listening to some songs. At this moment, the phone on her table buzzed. She picked it up to look. It was a certain person¡¯s message from across the Pacific Ocean.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously looked at the time on the corner of herptop screen. It was probably past midnight and near dawn over there. With an inhale, she clicked on the message. There was only a simple sentence: <i>Put whatever is in your hands down now and go eat.</i>

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows at the tea in her hand and remembered that all this while, she had been packing food and going straight to his office to eat with him, so...

    She held her handphone gently and stared at the screen for a long time until it dimmed. She smiled and put the cup in her hand down to respond to him: <i>Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?</i>

    He responded: <i>Just came back.</i>

    She thought about it and replied: <i>Where did you go?</i>

    <i>Had a dinner thing.</i>

    ...

    They kept responding to each other in short sentences, and Xi Xiaye felt slightly riled up because Mr. Mu was not replying her in seconds. She struggled for a while, hesitating about whether she should just call him.

    However, at this moment, Mu Yuchen who was in a certain hotel room in New York was sitting leisurely on the sofa. He bent over slightly and was focused, working on hisptop.

    Beside him, Zhou Zimo wore dark blue pajamas. He held a cup to Mu Yuchen with freshly poured whiskey with a grin. ¡°When this thing¡¯s resolved, I¡¯ll have to thank you properly.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up and took the drink from him. The lights in the room were very dim and the blue light from theptopplimented his handsome face in a way that made him look even more extraordinarily dashing.

    Mu Yuchen took a light sip and said raspily, ¡°If you really want to thank me, get me a younger sister-inw. The elder called me two days ago, telling me to get you going.¡±

    Zhou Zimo lifted a hand to rub his nose as a smile shed across his handsome face. He sat down near Mu Yuchen and smiled. ¡°I see you¡¯ve plunged right in and forget all your duties. Su Chen said that he¡¯s been asking you out recently, but you didn¡¯t show up. Don¡¯t dote on women too much. Otherwise, you should see the pair in my home. My old man has no status as a man at all!¡±

    When Zhou Zimo¡¯s weird parents were mentioned, even Mu Yuchen could not help but chuckle. The Zhou family was a typical case of women managing external matters while the men handled domestic matters!

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s grandmother¡¯s and mother¡¯s words were the imperial edict. On the other hand, Zhou Zimo¡¯s grandfather and father were the ssic ves to their wives. Both of them deemed their wives above all else as a philosophy and way of life.

    ¡°She¡¯s not as ferocious as the queens in your family,¡± Mu Yuchen inly said, then he closed hisptop and sipped his drink.

    ¡°Is she that great? Previously, I¡¯ve seen women who are more beautiful and more charismatic than her. There were so many, yet you didn¡¯t seem to care. Su Chen was still bewildered. How can your taste be like this? For someone like you, usually, everyone thinks that you should find someoneplementary to you...¡±

    Zhou Zimo narrowed his eyes and shot him a bemused look. ¡°In fact, I was thinking, how do you two even date? It¡¯s like matching a block of wood with an ice cube...¡±

    ¡°When the ice melts, it can then seep into the wood and be as one.¡±

    He put hisptop away and looked at Zhou Zimo, the dim lights reflecting on his face. He looked like he had eased a little. A while after that, he peered down at he drink that swayed in his ss and sighed, ¡°All these years, I have indeed met many girls who were much more excellent than her. Their looks and talents aren¡¯t inferior to hers either...¡±

    He breathed in and sipped his drink again before he continued, ¡°Fate. All of this can only be called fate. Obviously, those girls were great whilst she¡¯s very ordinary... but those girls might not be pleasing to the eye. <i>She¡¯s </i> pleasing to the eye...¡±

    Zhou Zimo was stunned as his eyes were fixed on Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°She¡¯s very suitable for me, so I chose her.¡±

    His tone was calm and his wise eyes were filled with certainty as he downed the drink in his ss.

    Zhou Zimo looked at him for a long time, then he nodded. ¡°Okay then, buddy, congrattions. You¡¯ve finally given away your pure first love!¡±

 Chapter 297 - Indication (1)

    <h4>Chapter 297: Indication (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen looked at Zhou Zimo coldly as he trembled slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me that way. Am I wrong about that? Xi Xiaye is really lucky that she could meet such a special man like you... Oof!¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Mu Yuchen grabbed his shoulder so hard that Zhou Zimo yelled out in pain. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing.

    The two of them froze before Mu Yuchen clutched his phone and looked at it. It was a call from Xi Xiaye. He handed the ss to Zhou Zimo. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s prettyte already. Go get some rest. We¡¯ll head over early tomorrow.¡±

    Zhou Zimo squinted his eyes as he took a peek at Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone. Then, he exploded into teasingughter. ¡°Sure, I won¡¯t bother you two now. It¡¯s just two days. Do you guys have to... Ah! I¡¯ll go now! I¡¯ll go!¡±

    Mu Yuchen picked up the call after Zhou Zimo scurried away.

    ¡°Why did you take so long to pick up the call? Your message replies were slow too.¡± The woman¡¯s unhappyins reached him the moment the call connected. His expression softened.

    ¡°Zimo was around just now. Have you had your lunch?¡± He spoke as he walked to the balcony and leaned against the railing to look downward at the busy streets.

    ¡°I had ate breakfast, so I¡¯m not really hungry now. I¡¯ve made arrangements for Lingshi this morning. What about you? Not sleeping yet?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice sounded a little hoarse.

    ¡°I just got back to the hotel. Things are kind of troublesome here, but I¡¯ll get back in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, take care of yourself. By the way, I¡¯m using yourptop in the study room. Myputer is getting slow. Help me reboot the system after youe back. You know I¡¯m not really familiar withputers and stuff. I¡¯m worried that...¡±

    She had yed games throughout the whole ofst night and noticed that herputer was reallyggy, so she had used his. How typical of her.

    ¡°Sure, remember to back up your files and documents,¡± he replied casually as his long fingers were tapping on the cold railing. ¡°Are you feeling better today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright...¡±

    ¡°Go eat something and take a break. You have the key card to the office. Ask them to change office for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just go to your office. You... Don¡¯t drink so much when you¡¯re there. Also, be careful.¡±

    He chuckled at her before she could finish as if he already knew what she was going to say next. ¡°You¡¯re wee to check on me any time of the day.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of time. If you really wanted to, I can¡¯t stop you anyway... Regarding the South River project, I don¡¯t think I can handle it alone. Qikai...¡± She replied after a short silence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll be back once I¡¯m done here. Now, go and eat something and rest for a while. Go home earlier if you¡¯re feeling tired. I¡¯ve told Ah Mo to ask Sis Wang to take care of you these few days.¡±

    ...

    After hanging up, Mu Yuchen leaned on the railing for quite some time before finally washing up and getting ready to sleep.

    Midnight in New York was quiet. He felt exhausted after working the whole day, so he fell asleep not long after hey down. As usual, he would reach his arms to the side, but he suddenly woke up with a start when he was not able to reach what he expected to be there...

    Sleep did note so easily after that.

    ...

    At the same time, Xi Xiaye was in the Yueying office, joining their monthly meetings.

    Xi Xiaye was not surprised to see Han Yifeng. However, in just a few days, he looked much paler than before.

    After the meeting was adjourned, Xi Xiaye was about to leave when he went up to her.

    ¡°Did you receive my flowers?¡± Han Yifeng stopped beside her and asked quietly.

    Xi Xiaye froze and looked at him. His eyes darkened. After a moment, she nodded and said, ¡°I got them, and I ept your apology as well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I can say to you now. Xiaye, I¡¯m sorry...¡± Han Yifeng took a deep breath, strife as well as a huge amount of exhaustion clear in his eyes.

    Xi Xiaye put the documents inside her briefcase. Without looking at him, she said, ¡°Then, don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m grateful for what you¡¯ve once done for me. You can think of this as my appreciation toward you, so it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯ve done something wrong before. If something truly belongs to you, no matter how far it goes, it¡¯lle back to you in the end.

    ¡°As for us, I¡¯ve tried my best before. Maybe you tried too, but we didn¡¯t work out, so we¡¯re not meant for each other, and I epted that fact,¡± Xi Xiaye sighed as she picked up her heavy briefcase and looked at the lonely man in front of her. ¡°We can¡¯t force things to happen. I understand you very well. When I was reflecting on past matters, I don¡¯t like to me others first. I¡¯d start from looking for ws within myself. You can¡¯t love me and it just means that I¡¯m not good enough for you. I can¡¯t move your heart. Forcing you would just make me no different than a robber...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, please don¡¯t say that. Actually, you¡¯re really good... I¡¯m the bad one. I¡¯m not worthy of you!¡±

    For some reason, his heart was in agony when he heard her words. He would rather she criticize him; at least, that would make him feel better.

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as being worthy or not. It¡¯s just a matter ofpatibility or willingness. We can¡¯t make choices about a lot of matters, but we can work through it with effort. Although I failed to achieve my initial target, I ended up with some other rewards.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was calm like the tranquil surface of the sea.

    Han Yifeng took a deep breath as he put a bitter smile on his face. ¡°Maybe this is fate...¡±

    ¡°It might be. No one knows who the person that will walk with them till the end of life is. Things can change even with your soulmate. There are things that we need to maintain, and we need fate to work in favor of us for that to happen.¡±

    Han Yifeng immediately thought of himself and Xi Xinyi...

    Soulmate...

    At this point in time, was it toote to go back in time now?

 Chapter 298 - Indication (2)

    <h4>Chapter 298: Indication (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A saddened vice shrouded all around Han Yifeng. His expression seemed worn out and lonely as the sharp eyes he used to have were now dull and dark.

    It was obvious that he was not doing well right now.

    Xi Xiaye lost interest in continuing this conversation, so she turned around and left.

    Han Yifeng raised his head and just looked at her retreating back. He wanted to catch up with her, but as he took his first step, he stopped.

    What else could he say even if he went up to her?

    He had nothing else left to say...

    ...

    It was 5 p.m. when she left Yueying.

    The sun was setting in the west and the orange light warmed the whole of City Z, giving everything a cozy vibe.

    The breeze was not very strong, and it still felt a little warm walking under the sunset as Xi Xiaye walked slowly towards her car.

    As she was about to get inside her car, a faint fragrance came near, and before she could react, a big bouquet of bright red roses appeared before her eyes.

    She tensed up and quickly looked at who it was. Unexpectedly, Qi Lei¡¯s face was right before hers.

    ¡°This is for you.¡± Qi Lei grinned. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m giving a woman flowers. Xiaye, you¡¯d ept it for my sake, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him as she narrowed her eyes.

    Back in the office just now, Qi Lei¡¯s reaction had been really odd. He was quiet most of the time but would voice out his agreement whenever she made any suggestions. His attitude made Xi Xiaye wary of him.

    She put her briefcase into the car before turning around to face Qi Lei. ¡°There must be something you want for you to do this, Vice President Qi. I feel that you¡¯re quite a dangerous person.¡±

    Qi Lei guffawed, his eyes smiling as he threw Xi Xiaye a meaningful nce. ¡°Do I really look like a bad person? What if I say I¡¯ve taken a liking to you for quite some time? Can you ept my flowers? Let¡¯s be friends.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what a heartless woman! I tried so hard to support you in the meeting and even gave you my first time of flower gifting, but this is how you repay me?¡± Qi Lei smiled wryly.

    Xi Xiaye squinted her eyes at him. As she was about to get inside her car, Qi Lei grabbed her wrist and tucked the bouquet of flowers in her arms. ¡°No woman can ever reject anything that I give!¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    He was so forceful that Xi Xiaye stumbled into the driver¡¯s seat. Her face clouded over when she looked at the bouquet of flowers. Standing back up, she grabbed the bouquet and threw it back at the man outside. ¡°Who do you think you are that I have to ept whatever you give? Don¡¯t you know that I only take roses made of gold?¡±

    The bouquet of roses smacked Qi Lei directly.

    Qi Lei took the flowers she tossed at him, not seeming to be angry. Instead, he looked at her in surprise. ¡°So, you have the same hobby as me? I¡¯m noticing more and more simrities between us...¡±

    ¡°Vice President Qi, I¡¯m going to be straightforward with you. I don¡¯t care what happened between you and Mu Yuchen. I hope that you don¡¯te near me again. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what¡¯s going to happen to you.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s face and voice turned cold. ¡°Moreover, I have a family. I believe you¡¯re a cultured person. At least, you won¡¯t be giving other people trouble, will you?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t like you. No matter which angle I look at you, you look just like a pervert!¡± Xi Xiaye enunciated thest few words angrily before sitting back into the car and starting it.

    Qi Lei was not sore at all. He flung the bouquet of flowers away and just watched Xi Xiaye¡¯s car drive away as he folded his arms.

    ¡°Are you close to Xi Xiaye?¡± A voice came from behind him. Qi Lei turned around and noticed Han Yifeng standing behind him.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Qi Leiughed.

    Han Yifeng had seen him throwing the bouquet of roses away. He gave it some thought before looking at Qi Lei. ¡°Do you like her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful and pretty amazing, isn¡¯t she?¡± Qi Lei shrugged as he gave Han Yifeng a smiling nce. ¡°My taste is different from yours. She suits me well. Can¡¯t I like her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s already married to Mu Yuchen!¡± Han Yifeng pointed out coldly with a frown.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen... One can still get divorced after marriage. I¡¯m not like you. I¡¯m a person who¡¯s brave enough to pursue true love. Moreover, the Xi family initially thought of making her marry me. In a way, Mu Yuchen¡¯s the one that snatched my woman away, so why can¡¯t I take her back!?¡± Qi Lei smirked before turning around and going toward his car.

    Han Yifeng remained silent as his expression changed.

    Qi Lei¡¯s words reminded him of what had happened at West Park the other day...

    ...

    Outrageous!

    Xi Xiaye was scowling as she drove along the highway.

    Of course, she did not take what Qi Lei said seriously!

    She suddenly felt like she was on the verge of a vortex, and would get sucked right in if she was not careful. At the same time, she was worried about Mu Yuchen. She wondered if he was aware of the odd things happening.

    Should she tell him about her concerns?

    After giving it some thought, she stopped her car on the side and took her phone out to swiftly dial a number.

    The call was connected very quickly.

    ¡°Ms. Xiaye?¡± It was a very familiar voice.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me, Inspector Zhang. I have something to trouble you about... Can you meet me now?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°Right now?¡± Inspector Zhang responded.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Yeah, right now. It¡¯s just past working hours. Let¡¯s meet at the Bamboo Teahouse. I¡¯ll wait for you there.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll head over now,¡± Inspector Zhang answered quickly and then hung up.

    Xi Xiaye turned around and headed towards the Bamboo Teahouse.

 Chapter 299 - Indication (3)

    <h4>Chapter 299: Indication (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the evening, the Bamboo Teahouse was rather quiet. Xi Xiaye sat down in a hidden corner and made a pot of tea before flipping through a magazine about flowers as she listened to the soothing traditional <i>guzheng </i>music.

    Inspector Zhang arrived shortly after.

    ¡°Sorry for troubling you to make this trip.¡± Xi Xiaye pointed at the seat opposite her as she spoke to Inspector Zhang. ¡°Please have a seat!¡±

    Inspector Zhang put his jacket aside and sat down. ¡°No worries. You¡¯re good friends with Lao Lin, so you¡¯re my friend too. Where is he? Not here today?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she poured him some tea. ¡°Professor Lin is on a break these few days. He highly rmended you to me back then. The military academy matter is all thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°You should be thankful for your lover. Without him, things wouldn¡¯t have ended so quickly. By the way, what happened afterward?¡± Inspector Zhang drank the tea and asked.

    ¡°They apologized to me publicly and proved my innocence, so I let the matter go. Otherwise, I might get in trouble as well,¡± Xi Xiaye replied calmly as she sipped some tea.

    Inspector Zhang smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s great. I heard that things are kind of hectic with the Hans the and Xis. I guess that¡¯s karma for them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. That¡¯s all in the past now. I wanted to see you today for something else.¡± Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and stopped her hand movements as she looked at Inspector Zhang calmly.

    Inspector Zhang¡¯s expression turned serious as he gazed at her. ¡°Sure, tell me what it¡¯s about and I¡¯ll see if I can help.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, taking another sip again before she continued, ¡°Inspector Zhang, I want to know whether you know anything about Qi Kai and the Qi family?¡±

    Inspector Zhang frowned the moment he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s inquiry. ¡°Qi Kai... I don¡¯t follow up on them a lot, but I can only tell you that their background is very deep. The Qi family is one of the most prestigious families in City Z. They are on nearly the same level as the Mu family. Is there some conflict between you guys?¡± Inspector Zhang¡¯s tone sounded worried.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head before putting the teacup down. ¡°Not really. I¡¯m just a little doubtful. Inspector Zhang, I want to know more about the Qi family, especially their past. At the same time, please keep an eye on Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°You want me to help you to investigate the Qi family?¡± Inspector Zhang said quietly, his sharp eyes staring at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye looked into his eyes, full of determination, and nodded. ¡°Yes, can you help me out on this, Inspector Zhang?¡±

    Inspector Zhang took a deep breath as he peered downward at his cup of tea. His expression turned serious after some time. ¡°Okay, I can try, but I hope this matter is only kept between you and me. I¡¯ll send you the information anonymously. You aren¡¯t really rushing to know about them, are you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood what he meant. He was worried about getting into trouble, and she was grateful for his gesture. ¡°Mmm, I understand. You can take your time. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go back now. Wait for my news.¡± Inspector Zhang then stood up.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to send him off, but he stopped her. Before he went off, he reminded, ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t get involved with the Qi family. Otherwise, you¡¯re going to be in trouble. The Qi family have a very dark background. They only cleared their name after some incident. You must be very careful with them.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Thank you!¡± Inspector Zhang then waved before leaving.

    ...

    The sky turned dark when she left the Bamboo Teahouse. The night breeze was pretty strong and the trees around were swaying roughly. Xi Xiaye did not stay for long and she drove straight back to Maple Residence.

    Mu Lingshi called and asked her to go to Imperial Sky Entertainment City today. However, Xi Xiaye did not want to bother them. It would have been okay if Mu Yuchen was there, but...

    She switched the lights on as soon as she arrived back at Maple Residence. Warm lights filled up the whole house, yet the big vi was empty as it could be

    Xi Xiaye did not make dinner since she had some snacks at the teahouse just now, so she was not really hungry. She went straight upstairs.

    She left her briefcase aside as she entered her room. Exhausted, shey down on the sofa and said reflexively, ¡°Mr. Mu, please get me a ss of water...¡±

    Before she finished her sentence, she was reminded of the fact that the man was not around.

    After a huge sigh, she got up and poured herself a ss of water before heading into the bathroom.

    Half an hourter, she came out of the shower. She wanted to y some games in the study room, but she suddenly lost her interest when she switched theputer on.

    However, she was not used to sleeping early. She tried lying on the bed, but could not sleep. As she flipped through a book, her gaze kept getting distracted by the phone on the bedside table.

    After some struggle, she grabbed the phone and dialed a number, but it was not to that person. She called Su Nan instead.

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng were ying games together when the phone call went through.

    Su Nan saw the iing call on her phone. She left her joystick and grabbed her phone. ¡°It¡¯s a call from Xiaye. You y on your own!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this first. It¡¯s a critical moment! Two minutes!¡± Ruan Heng eximed as he was still staring at the screen.

    ¡°I¡¯m not ying anymore. You go on your own!¡± Su Nan left him alone and picked the call up.

    ¡°Xiaye? What¡¯s up? Not having some fun with Master Mu at night? I¡¯m surprised that you still have time to call me.¡± Su Nan¡¯s voice came through the phone.

    ¡°He went outstation, so I¡¯m calling you for a chat now. Am I bothering you?¡± Xi Xiayeughed.

    Su Nan then waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re kind of bored as well. So, you only call me when your man goes outstation. I can see that you have the tendency to forget about your friends when your man is around.¡±

    ¡°Nannan, I just gave you a call several days ago.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. I wanted to talk to you about something too. The weather has been pretty good these few days. Ruan Heng and I are going to have a barbeque this weekend with just a few of us. Do you think Master Mu wants to join us?¡±

 Chapter 300 - Memories (1)

    <h4>Chapter 300: Memories (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I¡¯ve been pretty bored staying at home all day recently. I¡¯m almost getting depressed! I used to wonder where prenatal and post-partum depressione from. It sounded so ridiculous back then, yet now I¡¯m experiencing it first-hand! I want to go out. I want to have fun...¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed when she heard Su Nan. ¡°You can visit University A. You¡¯re not really far from there anyway. Pay my mother a visit. Mu Yuchen went abroad and will only be back after a few days, so he won¡¯t be going.¡±

    Worried, Ruan Heng asked Su Nan to stop going to work and just stay at home for the baby¡¯s sake.

    When women gathered, their topics mostly revolved around clothes and body figures, that included Su Nan as well. Xi Xiaye was supposed to initiate the conversation, but once Su Nan started talking, she could not stop anymore.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, I¡¯ve gained weight! My waist now looks like a lifebuoy. You have to be careful in the future. Don¡¯t eat too much like me...¡±

    ...

    After about an hour, Su Nan finally ended the call. Xi Xiaye was starting to get sleepy, so she switched her phone off and left it on the table.

    Xi Xiaye stayed at the Shen Residence for the next few days. Coincidentally, Shen Yue was taking a break for several days as well. She wanted to spend some time with him.

    Shen Yue had obviously gotten older in the past two years, he was past seventy and should be retired already, and yet he was still working on the frontline.

    Several years ago, he suggested that Shen Wenna join Fuhua so that he could hand it down to her. Unfortunately, Shen Wenna was not interested because she wanted to focus on her education career, so Shen Yue had to continue working until today.

    In the afternoon, the sun lit up the vast sky.

    Inside Shen Yue¡¯s study room, a beautiful tune was ying. Xi Xiaye was holding a bowl of snow fungus porridge on a tray as she passed along the corridor. She could hear the tune clearly when she was getting closer.

    Shen Yue should be ying the ordion again...

    As she went into the room, Shen Yue was sitting on a tall stool right beside the balcony window. He was ying the ordion alone as a cool breeze passed by and rustled the curtains. Looking at this scenery, she felt...

    His white hair and skinny figure...

    Xi Xiaye stood by the door for some time. She did not go over and just watched his back in silence, starting to feel morose inside. Time was so cruel to take things and people away slowly.

    The grandpa that used to y Go chess with her had turned old. It was so old that he seemed to struggle to even hold the ordion.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. She blinked her eyes and calmed herself down. Then, she went forward and arrived behind him.

    Shen Yue froze, then he put the ordion on the table beside as he panted slightly.

    ¡°Grandpa, your ordion is getting better and better.¡± Xi Xiaye helped him in.

    Shen Yue massaged his own shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not that good now. I¡¯m already panting after just one song. It must be the age.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°You¡¯re still pretty strong, Grandpa. You train yourself regrly. I just made this porridge. Have some! Mother is worried that you didn¡¯t eat much during lunch just now.¡± She then handed the bowl of porridge to Shen Yue.

    Shen Yue raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Leave it there first. I¡¯m not really hungry. Where¡¯s your mother?¡±

    ¡°Mother went back to school. She said she¡¯ll onlye back tomorrow.¡± Xi Xiaye sat down at the empty spot beside Shen Yue, then she opened the swaying curtains.

    Shen Yue nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve been with me for a few days. Go back to the Mu Residence tonight. Have you been well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m great. They treat me superbly and so does he. Grandpa, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I really like my current life... Actually, maybe I should¡¯ve listened to your advice sooner. Then, everyone wouldn¡¯t have needed to suffer all these years.¡±

    There was glitter in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes as she looked at Shen Yue quietly.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point saying all this now. It¡¯s alright as long as you¡¯re doing fine at the moment. What¡¯s the point of thinking about the past? I¡¯m really d that you¡¯ve settled down. My body is gradually getting weaker. I nned to let both of you take over Fuhua after your wedding, and you¡¯ll be 28 after the New Year...¡± Shen Yue sounded relieved. ¡°Let me rx for a few years. The two oldies in the Mu family are really free.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned, then she put on a smile. ¡°I wanted to say that you¡¯re tough enough to work for another few years, but your words put me at a loss as to what to say.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything then. I¡¯ve talked to Chen about it. Familiarize yourself with the property industry through the South River project, so you guys can take over Fuhua better.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I understand. By the way, Grandpa, you mentioned that someone from Qikai approached you before. Are you familiar with them?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered this. She also got Inspector Zhang to investigate it several days ago.

    Shen Yue frowned when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s question. After a while, he replied quietly, ¡°Qikai is a really strong opponent. The Qi family is one of the prestigious families in City Z as well. I¡¯m not really involved with them. I¡¯d just sometimes bump into Qi Qiming at banquets and have some small talk with him.¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming? Is that the CEO of Qikai?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was no stranger to this name. Qikai was the leading giant in the showbiz industry. Everyone knew him.

    Shen Yue nodded. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s him. He¡¯s been really low-profile in the past few years. He¡¯s slowly letting his youngest son, Qi Lei, take over thepany...¡±

    Youngest son?

    Qi Lei?

    Xi Xiaye was shocked to hear this!

    ¡°Qi Lei is Qi Qiming¡¯s youngest son? Doesn¡¯t Qi Qiming only have one son?¡± Xi Xiaye asked Shen Yue in surprise with doubt in her eyes. She was curious!

 Chapter 301 - Memories (2)

    <h4>Chapter 301: Memories (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Yue shook his head. ¡°Of course not. Qi Qiming has two sons. His eldest son is Qi Feng. He had him with a lover before he got married. His youngest son, Qi Lei, was conceived with his current wife. I heard that Qi Qiming was very loving towards his eldest son.¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng?¡± Xi Xiaye repeated the name. Then, she looked at Shen Yue again and went on with more questions. ¡°Then, why has there not been any news about this Qi Feng now?¡±

    ¡°He died a few years ago, I think, from an ident. I¡¯m not so sure what happened. He died when they didn¡¯t make it in time to save him. I¡¯ve seen him one or two times before. He was a handsome, young man. It¡¯s a shame that he passed away so early.¡± Shen Yue tried to recall the memories.

    Xi Xiaye took a pause as a light went up in her eyes. As she felt that something was not right, Xi Xiaye continued asking, ¡°Dead? ident? Grandpa, do you remember when this happened?¡±

    After giving it some thought, Shen Yue replied, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. It¡¯s been a number of years, probably four or five years ago. I didn¡¯t really follow up on the news. I only heard about it from the others afterward, but it seems that Qi Qiming was severely impacted by this, and ever since then, he started being low-profile. Most of Qikai¡¯s matters are now handled by his youngest son.¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s words sprouted doubt in Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart.

    <i>Qi Feng had died in an ident a few years ago?</i>

    <i>And Mu Lingtian...</i>

    After some hesitation, Xi Xiaye suddenly looked at Shen Yue as her hand tightened. ¡°Then, Grandpa, do you know about the rtionship between the Mus and the Qis?¡±

    After giving it some thought, he replied, ¡°The Mus and the Qis? What rtionship do they have? They are mostly uninvolved with each other. They don¡¯t seem to have any business-rted matters either. I remember some time back, there was a huge project that everyone thought would be a coboration between Glory World and Qikai. That¡¯s how huge the potential of the project was. Oddly, in the end, both parties rejected it. Maybe they didn¡¯t want to break the peaceful bnce they¡¯re having now.¡±

    Shen Yue was not really familiar with bothpanies since he had never worked with either before. All of them specialized in different fields, so it was not unusual for them to not be involved with each other.

    Of course, she knew about what Shen Yue had just mentioned, but were things really just as simple as he said?

    What about the personal grudges Mu Yuchen mentioned?

    Xi Xiaye was buried deep in thought for some time. She could not think of an idea. Then, she took a deep breath and started to pinch the space between her eyebrows. ¡°Not being involved with each other? I guess that¡¯s not going to happen in the future. They¡¯re the toppetitors of this South River project. I have to be well-prepared in order not to waste the efforts we¡¯ve put in.¡±

    Shen Yue nodded. ¡°Mmm, being well-prepared is fantastic to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.¡±

    After some struggle, Xi Xiaye could not help but ask, ¡°Grandpa, have you heard of Mu Lingtian before?¡±

    ¡°Mu Lingtian?¡± Shen Yue was startled for a little. He frowned and thought about it., ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of this name before. Mu Lingtian... Mu Lingtian...¡±

    After a while, he recalled that he had heard of this name somewhere, but he could not remember anything else.

    Xi Xiaye did not press on this issue. It seemed that she could only wait for the results from Inspector Zhang, or ask Mu Yuchen about it when he came back. Qi Lei¡¯s behavior made her feel that something was wrong.

    It had been a number of days, and it was the weekend tomorrow. When would he being back?

    A few days had passed just like that...

    Xi Xiaye sighed before standing up. She leaned against the cold window as she looked outside. The sun was out with some clouds in the sky. It was warm and cozy. She turned around and looked at Shen Yue. ¡°Grandpa, the weather is great today. Let¡¯s go out for a walk together.¡±

    Shen Yue thought that it was a brilliant idea, so he nodded.

    ...

    At the same time, in the busy Chinatown in New York, it waste at night.

    Cars passed through the bustling area. As it was heading toward the hotel, the man who had his eyes closed in the passenger seat suddenly spoke up, ¡°Stop for a little here.¡±

    The driver turned around. Then, he noticed the man open his eyes, looking outside the window.

    It was a pricey-looking jewelry store.

    He did not ask any questions and parked the car at the parking spot outside the jewelry store.

    Mu Yuchen got out of the car immediately after the car stopped.

    He was already thinking of getting her a gift when he arrived, but after thinking about it for a long time, he had no idea what to give her. After all, he got people to buy her quite a few apparels in the past few days, and they were now sitting in the hotel.

    ¡°Mister, what jewelry would you like to see?¡±

    As Mu Yuchen stopped before a counter, a beautiful saledy came up to him with a wide smile. She was distracted by Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face and came back to her senses after a while as her smile got wider.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes scanned through the disy items. Soon, his gaze locked onto a sapphire gleaming and sitting inside a ss box.

    He walked over and stopped right before it, it was a pair of sapphire earrings, it adapted the shape of a blue rose, he had his eyes glued to it.

    <i>She must look great in these.</i>

    Mr. Mu was confident in his taste.

    He remembered that she had her ears pierced, but he had never seen her wearing any essories, even the ones Grandmother had given her. She had also never used the card he passed her as well.

    Mu Yuchen pointed at the sapphire earrings and said quietly, ¡°I want this. Please pack it up for me.¡±

    ¡°Sir, this is made using all-natural...¡± Before the saledy could finish, Mu Yuchan handed her a card.

    When he came out of the jewelry store, he saw Zhou Zimo heading over. He seemed to be on a call with an anxious expression.

    Zhou Zimo hung up on the call when he saw Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Chen, why didn¡¯t you pick up your phone? Something seems to have happened!¡± Zhou Zimo told Mu Yuchen urgently.

 Chapter 302 - Memories (3)

    <h4>Chapter 302: Memories (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen took his phone out and noticed that he had put it on silent mode. There were dozens of missed calls, all from City Z.

    ¡°They even called me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm as he looked at Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°From what I heard, Qi Lei found out that Lingshi came back. He had people keep an eye on Imperial Sky Entertainment Club for the past few days, and there¡¯s news that Qi Lei is sending a bouquet of red roses almost every day to Glory World for your woman. Is he trying to go for Xiaye?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression darkened while he looked at Mu Yuchen worriedly.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face clouded as well when he heard Zhou Zimo. A flickering cold light appeared in his eyes and he seemed a little depressed.

    ¡°Is he trying to take revenge on you? I feel that his motive isn¡¯t that simple. He must know that Xiaye is your woman and he¡¯s trying to provoke you.¡± Zhou Zimo gave it some thought before voicing out his analysis.

    Mu Yuchen held onto the item in his hand tightly, his eyes turning cold and his expression changing. A chilly vibe shrouded him and he just stood there not moving an inch. After a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to suppress his emotions. Briefly thereafter, he opened his eyes and they returned to the usual calmness.

    ¡°What do you n to do? You know about all the dirty tricks the Qi family can pull. Aren¡¯t you worried about your woman? From what I know, Qi Lei is a well-known Casanova. He¡¯s pretty infamous for being undefeated in this sort of stuff. There¡¯s never been a woman he couldn¡¯t get. He¡¯s not a foe to be taken lightly,¡± Zhou Zimo quickly reminded when he saw how rxed Mu Yuchen seemed.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him and said quietly, ¡°He¡¯s not the type that Xiaye likes. I¡¯m confident about that.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was still worried, so he suggested, ¡°You speak as if you know your woman very well, but what can we do now? Things can go awry if he meets Lingshi. I think you should head back tomorrow. After all, things are pretty alright here now and I can handle the rest myself.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes twinkled a little before he went down the stairs. ¡°Give Su Chen a call. Ask him to take care of Lingshi.¡± He then walked towards the car.

    Zhou Zimo was startled for a moment. When he came back to his senses, Mu Yuchen was already inside the car and it soon slowly drove out of the parking spot.

    After arriving back at the hotel, he sorted the data out for Zhou Zimo before taking a bath. It was already 3 a.m. in the morning. Mu Yuchen finallyy down on thefortable bed.

    Grasping the cold phone in his hand, he could see his own handsome face reflecting against the ck screen under the dim wall light. He seemed deste and his eyes were not as calm as before. Obviously,plicated emotions were mixed in them.

    After some hesitation, he took a deep breath, turned around and was about to put his phone down. However, his eyes passed over the gifts he had just brought back.

    He did not want to know too much about something. Ignorance was bliss, after all. He assumed that things were settling down and he wanted it to go on naturally. However, he had to admit that something was progressing with the flow of time and changing gradually...

    After all this time, he seemed to have gotten used to her existence around him. Now, without her, he was struggling to fall asleep.

    He was missing her. More urately speaking, it had been like this for the past few nights.

    Getting used to something was pretty scary.

    Now, he was used to having her around. In just two months, he found the rate of this change unbelievable for someone who had always had strong self-control!

    Maybe that was supposed to happen between a man and a woman. He possessed her, and at the same time, so did she. They then started a mutually loyal rtionship together. Now, they worked together and lived together.

    After some thoughts, her slender silhouette jumped out in his mind. He picked his phone up again and dialed a number swiftly.

    The phone started ringing when Xi Xiaye was on her way to the Mu Residence. She had promised Wang Hui that she would go back for dinner tonight. Wang Hui had also prepared some tonic for Mu Yuchen and insisted on her taking them back.

    Xi Xiaye felt a chill travel down her spine when she thought about it!

    She grabbed her phone as she slowed the car down. A smile appeared on her beautiful face when she saw who was calling. She parked the car by the roadside, but suddenly frowned when she remembered something.

    ¡°Hello? Why are you still awake at this time?¡± That was the first thing she asked when the call went through.

    ¡°I just finished with work. Are you still at the Shen Residence?¡±

    This married couple was still like a fresh, young couple. Their phone calls couldst at least half an hour to an hour.

    Mu Yuchen never thought it was possible for a phone call tost more than half an hour. He was shocked when Mrs. Mu actually talked with Su Nan on the phone for over half an hour a few days ago in Maple Residence.

    He never expected it to happen to himself several days after that.

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m heading over to the Mu Residence. Can you please tell Grandmother not to prepare those tonics for us anymore? We¡¯re fine and don¡¯t need those. Plus, the smell is just too strong!¡± She ranted.

    He chuckled. ¡°Be more understanding about their desperation for a great-grandchild. Just put up an act.¡±

    ¡°Put up an act? I¡¯ve never seen you drink them before. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s suffering now. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ve prepared several bowls waiting for me when I go back...¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll talk to Grandmother about it... So, I heard that someone¡¯s been sending you flowers daily the past few days?¡± He asked carefully.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. ¡°How do you know about that?¡±

    ¡°So, am I right then?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I was nning to tell you about it once you get back.¡± Xi Xiaye was not hiding anything. After hearing those things from his grandpa at the Shen Residence today, she had a lot of doubts, so she wanted to let him know.

    ¡°Did you ept the flowers?¡± Instead of replying her, he asked another question in an unnatural tone.

 Chapter 303 - I Miss You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 303: I Miss You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was taken aback. After a while, she frowned and replied, ¡°The florist delivered it, and someone else epted it on behalf of me.¡±

    After Xi Xiaye replied, there was no sound from the other end. She could feel that the man was getting unhappy, so after some hesitation, she asked, ¡°Are you... angry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± replied the man immediately, but she could hear the slightly grumpy tone in his voice.

    His face instantly appeared in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind. Was he frowning with a strained face? Or was he suppressing his emotions and acting calm as usual?

    There was an awkward silence between them. Xi Xiaye felt a little guilty when he did not say anything, then she tried to speak in a gentle and quiet tone, ¡°You¡¯re not really angry, are you? I... I know that he¡¯s not a good person...¡±

    ¡°And you ept gifts from him knowing that he¡¯s not a good person?¡± He sounded upset. ¡°Has your judgment gotten clouded with me being away just for a few days? Don¡¯t ept it if it¡¯s not gold or diamond roses. Giving cheap flowers like this just shows how much of a cheapskate he is!¡±

    His tone was very demeaning and was very different from his usual self.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes as a smile appeared on her face. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll ask for two diamond roses from him next time. One for me and one for you, hmm?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it!¡± He replied.

    ¡°Fine, I got it. I won¡¯t take anything from him in the future then. When are youing back? I went to the flower market and bought two hanging orchids. They seem pretty. I¡¯m putting one in your office. I think it¡¯ll start to bloom around June or July. Also, I think the curtains in your office look too depressing, so I¡¯ve asked people to change them to a brighter color. Go take a look in the morning. There are several nice colors avable like light beige and champagne. There are also some other options. What do you like?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then kept rambling on since she had spent quite some time in his office for the past few days. She was not really satisfied and thought that his taste was too dark, giving his office a downcast vibe all around, so she decided to give it a makeover since she was rather free anyway.

    She thought he was despondent again when he did not say anything. ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t you like it?¡±

    Mrs. Mu did not notice that she was entering into Mr. Mu¡¯s life like a realdy boss. Of course, Mr. Mu was pleased about it. Although he had just scolded her moments ago, he was now feeling much better.

    A grin spread across his strained face as he replied quietly, ¡°Up to you. I¡¯m fine as long as it¡¯s not that kind of girlish pink.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll decide then?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    Considering that he wasing back in two days, she needed to get this done quickly. As soon as she hung up on the call with Mr. Mu, she quickly called the renovationpany and asked them to be there the next day at 8 in the morning.

    It was almost evening when she arrived at the Mu Residence.

    Wang Hui and Mu Yinan were gardening in the backyard. Wang Hui loved flowers, and there was a greenhouse in the backyard just for her to take care of her flowers. Some time ago, she wanted to give Xi Xiaye some rare species and nt them in Maple Residence, but gardening would be a real challenge for someone like her.

    Moreover, she had never really liked flowers that required too much care. Instead, she admired flowers like chrysanthemums and plum blossoms which could still bloom despite the cold and were really inspirational to her.

    ¡°Chen¡¯s not home these few days. If you feel bored, you can stay here. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re not used to being alone,¡± Wang Hui said kindly to Xi Xiaye who was busy trimming the nts.

    Xi Xiaye stopped her work at hand as she turned around and asked Wang Hui, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I went back to stay with Grandpa for the past few days. It¡¯s been some time since Ist went back. By the way, was Ah Shi on break yesterday? Grandfather said that she isn¡¯t home...¡±

    ¡°She went out after lunch. It seems like something happened at the club. She asked your grandfather to prepare some soup for her before she left. She should being back soon.¡±

    Wang Hui then started putting the tools away. ¡°Alright, you stop working too. Go back inside. Let me go take a look at what your grandfather made for us tonight. He¡¯s been busy this whole afternoon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and Wang Hui walked back into the house while Xi Xiaye packed the stuff up. As she was about to go back into the house, the chime of a ringtone suddenly reached her ears.

    It was not hers!

    As she searched around for the source, Mu Lingshi came into her view.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes darkened as she nced at the phone screen. She hesitated, but in the end, she ignored the call and even switched her phone off.

    ¡°Is that Ah Mo?¡± Xi Xiaye went up to her and asked quietly when she saw Mu Lingshi¡¯s dour expression and how she seemed to have a lot welled up inside.

    Mu Lingshi raised her head and looked at Xi Xiaye, putting her phone back into her pocket. She was not wearing the pair ofrge sunsses now, and the scar on her face was obvious.

    ¡°Sister-inw!¡± She called Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and answered in a gentle tone. ¡°Have you gotten used to your life here? I went to the club several days ago. I didn¡¯t bother you since you seemed busy. I couldn¡¯t really imagine it when your brother told me, a girl like you actually being a DJ, and even being capable of managing a night club so well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat down on the long bench beside the railing. She raised her head and looked at Mu Lingshi who smiled and leaned on the nearby pole. She ran her fingers through her dark purple hair as she replied, ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing once you get used to it. It¡¯s hard for me to imagine that you¡¯re a director in Glory World as well.¡±

    After a brief moment, she gave it some thought before speaking to Mu Lingshi, ¡°I just feel that girls with a career like this will require a lot more courage and tenacity. Your brother... He¡¯s really worried about you...¡±

 Chapter 304 - I Miss You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 304: I Miss You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes becameplicated when she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. She sighed, ¡°Brother mes himself too much for this...¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw, you and my brother... I know that you both knew each other under my grandmother¡¯s arrangement, but I really think you guys are a perfect match for each other. To be honest, you¡¯re the first person I know that my brother has taken a liking to. Brother... While he seems pretty cold, he¡¯s a good man.¡±

    Mu Lingshi could feel her heart aching when talking about Mu Yuchen. Things had been tough for everyone all these years because of what had happened in the past. The wounds had not healed even though she had gone abroad for several years.

    ¡°Brother¡¯s sense of love is still like a nk canvas, so I hope you can treat him well and look after him. He¡¯ll be sure to bring you happiness.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised that Mu Lingshi suddenly uttered this to her. She wanted to talk to her about Ah Mo, but now the topic had shifted to Mu Yuchen and her.

    <i>His sense of love is like a nk canvas?</i>

    <i>Then, it meant...</i>

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Lingshi in surprise.

    ¡°Ah Mo told me that Brother has been smiling more frequently after he got married to you. We should be thankful for you. I heard about what happened to you. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll always support you as long as you treat Brother well.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone sounded determined, and her eyes seemed genuine as she had a wide grin on her face. ¡°I really like you. Brother hopes that we can be good friends. Do I have that honor?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my honor.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s smile grew wider, and her scar did not seem so obvious anymore. She took a deep breath as she leaned back onto the cold pole behind. ¡°Thank you! Aside from Bro Su Chen and the others, I don¡¯t really have many friends, and I¡¯m delighted to have someone that I can talk to.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was taken aback. Suddenly, she did not know what to say, but after some thought, she assured, ¡°You can talk to me if you are troubled by anything. Someday, I¡¯ll introduce you to Su Nan. She¡¯s a sweet person, and the only best friend I can talk to.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could rte well to Mu Lingshi¡¯s situation. Her mother had passed away and she did not even know who her father was, and her brother... Moreover, she was currently in such a state.

    Xi Xiaye could understand her circumstances. Although Mu Lingshi and her were both hanging in there, how could they not feel lonely like this?

    Now, she finally understood why Mu Yuchen was so sure that she would like Mu Lingshi. He probably predicted she would rte to her situation and that they could click with each other since they shared simr past experiences.

    She was relieved that she pulled herself together. No matter how tired she was all this year, she had never abandoned her true self. Otherwise, she would have ended her life long ago because of the military school incident, or she might even have pulled off an act of violent revenge on Xi Xinyi, then everything she had today would be non-existent.

    <i>Xi Xiaye, you¡¯re still one lucky girl. Fate didn¡¯t abandon you. What you¡¯ve gone through before brought forth what you have today. Maybe you should still be thankful for fate!</i>

    Mu Lingshi startedughing when she heard Xi Xiaye. ¡°No wonder my brother said you¡¯re silly. You don¡¯t even know me well and you want to introduce me to your best friend? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I might be a bad person who¡¯s just skilled at acting?¡±

    Startled for a moment, Xi Xiaye then replied, ¡°I believe that people he regards highly must be exceptional, and they must be good people.¡± Her tone was serious.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯sughter got louder. ¡°Sister-inw, I noticed that you sure are pretty cute. I bet my brother must always tease you. However, he should be impressed by how trusting you are!¡±

    ¡°What about you? And Ah Mo...?¡± Xi Xiaye tried to slip in the question.

    The smile on Mu Lingshi¡¯s face faded slightly after Xi Xiaye asked her that. However, it was unlike the bleak tone she had before. ¡°Things can¡¯t go back to what it was like in the past for us anymore. I know what you guys are thinking about. What¡¯s happened has happened. Just like the scar on my face, it¡¯ll be with me forever and I¡¯ll never be able to wipe it off.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank when she heard Mu Lingshi.

    Undeniably, that was the truth, just like how she had been unable to move on from her past back then.

    ¡°I know how you feel, but I can see that Ah Mo really cares about you. Sometimes, it¡¯s not so bad changing to a new lifestyle. Back then, when I just got married to your brother, my mother told me that at this point in my life, I should ept it when the feelingse...¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a pause and a deep breath. ¡°It was really tough to find someone who you like and who will treat you well at the same time. External factors aren¡¯t what¡¯s limiting you. It¡¯s your own concern that¡¯s limiting you. Life is short. We¡¯re going to get old if we don¡¯t love now. Be brave and wild.¡±

    ¡°Just like how I¡¯d say to my mother. I¡¯m sure you know about her condition with my father. I really hope you and Ah Mo don¡¯t miss out on each other. It¡¯s up to you whether you want to lead a good life.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then suddenly stood up, turning her head around to look at Mu Lingshi who had a mixed expression on her face at the moment. She smiled.

    ¡°I told your brother that the way Ah Mo looked at you is like how Father looks at Mother. I think that he must really love you. If you¡¯re willing to let go of your past and ept him, I¡¯m sure many yearster, you two will be like Father and Mother.¡±

    Xi Xiaye left those words for her as she walked past her in the sunset. Her words were like the wind that breezed through the bamboo forest, revealing a dark spot within Mu Lingshi¡¯s heart.

    <i>Life is short. We¡¯re going to get old if we don¡¯t love now. Be brave and wild.</i>

    Mu Lingshi repeated this sentence to herself. For a brief moment, she could feel her eyes tearing up while her chest felt heavy, and a bitterness surfaced.

    She blinked hard and sucked a deep breath. In the end, she just suppressed all the feelings she had.

 Chapter 305 - I Miss You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 305: I Miss You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Xiaye walked past the corridor, she looked at her own shadow. Suddenly, she was reminded of something. Halting in her steps, she then turned around and raised her head.

    The sun was setting in the west, emitting warm and gentle rays. The faint glow was enchanting, and she stared at it for some time when the man¡¯s face suddenly appeared in her mind.

    After a silent moment, she took out her phone, looked for that man¡¯s number and sent him a text.

    <i>Mu Yuchen, I miss you.</i>

    She sent it without any hesitation.

    The man finally fell asleep after having some difficulty, but the message woke him up. He was wide awake after he saw the message. He stared at it for a long time, a faint gleam appearing in his dark eyes.

    With a smile on his face, he replied: <i>Me too.</i>

    She smiled when she received his text. Her heart softened, and she could feel sweetness all around her.

    She did not reply afterward. Instead, she put her phone away and walked into the Mu Residence.

    ...

    Naturally, Xi Xiaye went back to Maple Residence at night. It had been quite a few days since she had gone back and she missed their home. She felt more at ease staying at Maple Residence now.

    She woke up early morning the second day. Of course, she did not forget about the renovation for Mu Yuchen¡¯s office.

    It was 8 a.m. when she arrived at Glory World. The workers from the renovationpany were already waiting at the entrance, and all of them went up to her the moment Xi Xiaye arrived.

    Inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, Xi Xiaye acted like thedy boss as she discussed with the workers. ¡°We¡¯ll put this painting here. Yeap, right there! It feels broader there. That¡¯s not bad!¡±

    Xi Xiaye pointed at the wall right opposite the office desk as she instructed them to hang the oil painting there. She had had these in her collection for some time. Instead of leaving them unused in the Shen Residence, she had brought them over.

    The curtains were brand new. There was also a hanging orchid on the tall stool beside the window. Its green leaves seemed fresh and made the whole office looked livelier. Overall, it was much more rxing now.

    After finishing the work and cleaning up the office, it was around noon. There was no one around in thepany during the weekend, so Xi Xiaye locked the office up before leaving.

    She nned to visit Su Nan today. It had been some time since shest saw her, and she just wanted to see how was she doing. As she went toward her car, she heard a honk. When she looked around, she saw Xi Mushan¡¯s car.

    Startled, she then saw Xi Mushan¡¯s secretary waving at her from the driver¡¯s seat.

    After giving it some thought, Xi Xiaye walked over slowly.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Xi Xiaye entered the car and saw Xi Mushan¡¯s serious face.

    Xi Mushan looked at her before saying, ¡°You haven¡¯t had lunch, have you? Let¡¯s eat something. We¡¯ll talk while we eat.¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to drive on her own, but the driver had already started the car, so she just stayed quiet.

    They went to a restaurant nearby for lunch. Xi Mushan seemed to still remember the dishes Xi Xiaye liked. Everything he ordered was her favorite.

    Xi Xiaye just sat there as she watched Xi Mushan pour some wine. After a while, she grabbed the bottle from Xi Mushan and said, ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    She then poured the wine into Xi Mushan¡¯s empty ss before pouring some for herself as well.

    ¡°I just passed by University A and saw your mother¡¯s car leave. I called you and your phone was switched off, so I just looked around and happened to bump into you,¡± said Xi Mushan quietly as he looked at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother refuse to see you? Why do you...?¡±

    She raised her head and looked at Xi Mushan while she was still pouring the wine. Her eyes seemed confused. ¡°Mother said that it¡¯s impossible to return to the past with you anymore. Although I admit I wanted that to happen...¡±

    What else could she say?

    Xi Mushan had built another family with Yue Lingsi. Shen Wenna and her were just history.

    ¡°I¡¯m just here to have a look at you guys. You don¡¯t have to be so pressured... Have Mu Yuchen and the others been treating you well?¡±

    Xi Mushan was not really a caring person, so his question surprised Xi Xiaye, but she soon came back to her senses. She shot Xi Mushan a doubtful look before nodding. ¡°They treat me very well.¡±

    Xi Mushan sipped his wine and replied quietly, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    Xi Mushan seemed quite crestfallen. Xi Xiaye could see the defeated vibe and helplessness of Han Yifeng around Xi Mushan at that moment.

    ¡°I believe you¡¯re aware of what happened between us Xi family and the Han family. Han Yifeng is married to Xinyi, and due to health reasons, thepany is now under Yifeng¡¯s care.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m aware. I met him a few days ago at the Yueying meeting.¡±

    After giving it some thought, Xi Mushan said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Han Yifeng and Xinyi¡¯s situation is already set in stone. I know you¡¯re handling the South River project for Glory World. There are several leaders from the government evaluating this project. Aside from me, there¡¯s Mu Tangchuan and several people from the Yue family. Furthermore, the Qi family have a great rtionship with the Hans and the Yues, so you have to be careful.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and stayed silent. After a while, she replied, ¡°Mmm, will do.¡±

    Xi Xiaye never expected Xi Mushan to tell her this. She had no idea how to reply, so she just gave a terse one.

    ¡°Father, are the Qis and the Yues long-time friends?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that someone from the Yue family was the Vice President of Qikai. Would she sh with them this time? However, if Qikai were to get things done through the Yue family, Glory World would be in deep trouble.

    She had not forgotten that he had put a lot of effort into this project as well.

 Chapter 306 - Uncrossable Realm (1)

    <h4>Chapter 306: Uncrossable Realm (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan put his empty ss down when Xi Xiaye asked him the question. He looked at Xi Xiaye and nodded. ¡°Kind of. It¡¯s simr to the Xi family and the Han family. They are both big families in City Z.¡±

    Xi Xiate poured more wine for Xi Mushan while he went on.

    When she was reminded about what Shen Yue had told her, Xi Xiaye thought that Xi Mushan might know a bit more, so she asked straightforwardly, ¡°I heard that Qikai had some **** background before, and they cleansed their name afterward. Is the current Qikai the product after their cleansing?¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s face was strained for a moment when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s question. He drank from the ss again before replying, ¡°That¡¯s true, but it¡¯s been decades. Back then, **** was popr, but afterward, the government became strict with thew. Consequently,panies like Qikai were found out, but of course, the government could not get rid of all of them, so Qikai survived.¡±

    Xi Mushan paused, then went on, ¡°Your grandfather was involved in this case back then. He was the head of the Inspection Department. All these years, Qikai had been working with Yueying. I¡¯m not really sure about what¡¯s going on with the Qi family, but your grandfather should know more.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Now that Glory World is challenging Qikai, aren¡¯t you guys confident?¡± Xi Mushan asked quietly, ¡°The tender should be on the day after tomorrow. You guys don¡¯t have to be that nervous.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ve done what I could, and I did my best, so I¡¯ll let him handle the rest.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sipped some wine and asked. ¡°Father, have you heard about the car ident involving the Qi family¡¯s eldest son, Qi Feng, that happened five years ago? I heard the current Master Qi is actually the second son of the Qi family...¡±

    ¡°The second son of the Qi family?¡±

    Xi Mushan repeated the name and squinted his eyes. He swigged a bit of wine as a faint light shed in his eyes. ¡°Qi Feng... I¡¯ve seen him before. Although he¡¯s Qi Qiming¡¯s illegitimate son, he held great importance in the Qi family, even higher than the current Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Even higher than Qi Lei? Then, why didn¡¯t Qi Qiming marry Qi Feng¡¯s mother?¡± Xi Xiaye was puzzled.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that. I only know that Qi Qiming treated Qi Feng very well. Some years ago, he had already decided to let Qi Feng take over Qikai. I heard Qi Feng was heavily injured after the ident, then I never heard about him anymore. I think he didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not ask any further questions. She downed her ss and looked at Xi Mushan opposite her, her hands clenched into fists as she ced them on her legs. She was struggling about whether she should say something.

    Xi Mushan noticed that she was troubled and seemed to want to say something, but was holding herself back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Speak if you have something to say. Don¡¯t keep it in.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and looked at Xi Mushan quietly. ¡°Father, is it... really impossible for you and Mother to go back to before? I don¡¯t understand. You still love Mother, and Mother loves you too. How did this happen? Every time I see Mother¡¯s lonely expression, I...¡±

    ¡°She told you that she still loves me?¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s grip around the ss tightened whilst a light flickered in his dark eyes as he stared at Xi Xiaye. She looked at him quietly, having caught the hope in his eyes that was slowly reviving.

    After some time, Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mother wouldn¡¯t have stayed like this for so many years. Otherwise, she was just over 30 when she divorced you, and so many people were after her. Grandpa also introduced her to many sessful entrepreneurs. They were all excellent, yet Mother¡¯s heart never moved. I think she¡¯s still hopeful.¡±

    Was she still feeling hopeful?

    Xi Mushan¡¯s expression changed as he gripped his ss tightly and emptied it. He closed his eyes to calm himself down.

    ¡°I¡¯ve betrayed her and you... I¡¯ve made my mistake, Xiaye... I won¡¯t deny it, but your mother is the only woman that I¡¯ve ever loved in my life. I¡¯ve spent my past twenty or so years in loneliness to punish myself and in the end...

    ¡°Throughout all these years, I¡¯ve thought of ming you, but Mother always told me that the marriage failed because both you and she didn¡¯t know how to keep the rtionship going. She hoped I wouldn¡¯t me you or the Xi family. Now that I think about it, no one loved you as much as Mother, if Mother insisted years ago, like how Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi did now, what would¡¯ve happened to you?¡±

    ¡°Mother has sacrificed so much that she¡¯s almost left with nothing. Why can¡¯t you put yourself in her shoe? Xi Xinyi has the Xi family and the Han family. Even Yueying is theirs, but Mother has nothing, she never mentioned anything about it, and now you¡¯re telling me that you only love Mother...F Father, just what is showing your love for her? If you love her, shouldn¡¯t you treat her well, give her everything, and satisfy all her needs while protecting her by her side?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt a pang of pain in her chest as a lump formed in her throat, and her eyes were starting to tear up. She sniffed as she lowered her head, her long hair falling over her shoulders and covering her beautiful face. Her voice was starting to get hoarse. ¡°If that¡¯s how it is... Father, your love is worthless. You¡¯re not worthy of my mother...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Her words made Xi Mushan¡¯s face go pale as he was stunned!

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath, blinking her eyes before raising her head. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve wanted to tell you. The next move is all up to you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be eating with you today, so I¡¯ll head back no. You don¡¯t have to send me.¡±

    She felt relieved after saying those words. However, she did not want to stay any longer, so she stood up slowly and was about to leave.

 Chapter 307 - Uncrossable Realm (2)

    <h4>Chapter 307: Uncrossable Realm (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Xiaye, please sit down and finish this meal with me before heading back.¡±

    Xi Mushan raised his head and looked at Xi Xiaye. There was a great deal of struggle andplication in his eyes. Although Xi Xiaye could not see through him, she could sense that he was feeling sad and lonely. In the end, she sat back down.

    Xi Mushan refilled her ss with a smile even though he seemed sad and cold. His voice was quiet. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been longing for us to get back together, but between us...¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her head slightly and studied him. She waited, but Xi Mushan did not finish the sentence.

    She looked at her wine ss. His face appeared inverted as she gazed through the ss. She could sense an unspoken terrible feeling.

    She seemed to understand. There was an uncrossable realm between Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan. The presence of Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi constantly reminded Shen Wenna about Xi Mushan¡¯s betrayal. After all, she was a prideful person!

    She stopped talking and just ate in silence, oblivious of how the food tasted. All the wine she drank could not push the sour feeling down her throat.

    It was 1 p.m. when they left the restaurant. The sun was warm and it was crowded outside.

    Xi Mushan offered to send Xi Xiaye back to the office, but she rejected. She was nning to walk back since it was not that far away. He hesitated for a moment before folding his arms and following her.

    The father-daughter pair walked through the park. It was windy and there was a family in front of them. The daughter was riding on the father¡¯s shoulder while the mother was holding a bag as she followed behind them with a gentle smile. Theirughter reached Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears.

    She felt a heartache as she heard them.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly halted her steps and looked at the family in front of them slowly walking away, she sighed, ¡°Father, if we¡¯re still a family, if we can be like them, that¡¯d be great.¡±

    She seemed sad and nostalgic. ¡°Unfortunately, there are things that we¡¯re unable to protect.¡±

    Her words stunned Xi Mushan. He could not find the right words to reply.

    They went forward. As they approached near the za in front of Glory World Corporation, Secretary Ah Hui¡¯s voice came from the back. ¡°Mayor, Madam and Ms. Xinyi are here!¡±

    They stopped and then turned around to see a luxury car parked by the roadside. The door opened and a pale Xi Xinyi came out, followed by Yue Lingsi.

    The mother-daughter pair advanced towards them.

    Xi Xiaye red at them and then nced over at Xi Mushan. His expression and eyes were dark. She then turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll head back first.¡±

    She walked forward.

    Xi Mushan turned his head around and saw that Xi Xiaye had already walked past themp post beside him. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he kept quiet and just watched her walk away.

    However, someone was not going to let her go so easily. Just as Xi Xiaye just walked past themp post, Yue Lingsi¡¯s scathing voice reached her.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, stop right there! I¡¯m here for you!¡±

    Her sharp tone had Xi Xiaye smiling coldly. She wanted to ignore her and continue forward, but a figure overtook her and blocked her path.

    It was Yue Lingsi.

    Xi Xiaye raised her head slightly and red warningly at her. ¡°Move away.¡±

    ¡°You just want to create chaos for everyone, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re just causing trouble for the whole world. Your grandmother almost died because of you!¡±

    With Xi Mushan there, Yue Lingsi tried to suppress her voice.

    ¡°She¡¯s still alive, isn¡¯t she?¡± Xi Xiaye was calm as she gave a brief reply.

    ¡°You!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression hardened. As she was about to continue, Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice came from the back¡ª

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Her tone was raspy and soft as she dragged Yue Lingsi aside, her pale face seeming a little strained. Her gaze towards Xi Xiaye wasplicated. Xi Xiaye looked at her coldly and noticed some mixed feelings in her eyes.

    She seemed to be angry but was trying to suppress it, and there was a fit of hidden jealousy within her!

    Was she mistaken?

    Xi Xiaye squinted her eyes as she looked at Xi Xinyi¡¯s. At that moment, Xi Xinyi closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her stomach. ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t be like this. I deserved it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just about you, Xinyi. She¡¯s just disgracing the whole Xi family!¡± Yue Lingsi said sternly.

    Xi Xinyi stopped Yue Lingsi from going forward. She nced at Xi Xiaye, enraged to see her calm expression and her acting like she was enjoying making fun of them. Her hands balled up. It was not easy for her to endure her anger.

    <i>¡°Xiaye and Mu Yuchen got married at the end ofst year. Don¡¯t you think that this is all a joke?¡±</i>

    Han Yifeng¡¯s words echoed in her ears, and her face turned pale all of a sudden.

    Who would expect things to turn out this way?

    Xi Xiaye had gotten close to Mu Yuchen... A man like that...

    No wonder she could easily get 70% of Yueying¡¯s shares!

    Xi Xinyi was not a stupid person. Nothing good would happen if she just let Yue Lingsi enrage Xi Xiaye now.

    ¡°Xiaye, you should head back for now.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s rock-solid voice came towards them as he walked forward and stood before Yue Lingsi.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she went forward and ignored them.

    ¡°Mushan, she...!¡±

    As Yue Lingsi was about to say something else, Xi Mushan said coldly, ¡°Be careful of what you say. Don¡¯t tamper your own image, Mayoress!¡±

    ¡°Father! How can you speak to Mother like that?!¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes widened and she stared at Xi Mushan unhappily.

    Xi Mushan nced over at Xi Xiaye who was getting into the car. He closed his eyes and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back now. This is not a ce to cause trouble.¡± He then walked towards his car.

    ¡°Mushan!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression changed as she tried to catch up with him.

    ¡°Mother, let¡¯s talk when we get back!¡± Xi Xinyi held Yue Lingsi back with a deep frown on her face.

 Chapter 308 - Shocked

    <h4>Chapter 308: Shocked</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On a splendid afternoon, the Xi family were in West Park.

    ¡°What did you say? Xiaye¡¯s married? To Mu Yuchen? Glory World¡¯s Mu Yuchen?¡±

    In the living room, Deng Wenwen widened her eyes at Xi Xinyi. Her aged face stiffened with disbelief. ¡°Tell me again! Who did she marry?¡±

    When Xi Xinyi saw Deng Wenwen reacting like this, she panicked and quickly walked over. Holding Deng Wenwen, she advised, ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t get too emotional. Xiaye¡¯s married to Mu Yuchen. This happened before the New Year. Yifeng told me this himself. It shouldn¡¯t be wrong.¡±

    ¡°Married... to Mu Yuchen? Glory World? This is impossible! There¡¯s no news of their marriage at all since before the New Year till now. This is not possible! How could she get married without letting us know? How could this be? Where does she put the Xi family? It would be a joke if people heard about this!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression looked particrly rigid. She stared at Xi Xinyi in shock, and it was as if all her energy had left her. She copsed onto the sofa behind her in a daze.

    ¡°What¡¯s impossible? The truth is so. They were already married before the New Year.¡±

    The instant Deng Wenwen expressed her disbelief, Xi Jiyang¡¯s calm, weathered voice rang out. Xi Xinyi turned to the source of the sound and noticed Xi Jiyang standing on the stairs.

    ¡°Grandfather!¡± Xi Xinyi called out softly.

    Xi Jiyang nodded before he slowly walked down with the help of the railings. His body that turned thinner and frailer by the day looked like a flickering candle in the wind. His aged face was wan and sallow from illness.

    When Xi Jiyang spoke, Deng Wenwen instantly looked up at him. Her sharp eyes contained some iciness. ¡°What? Did you already know about this?¡±

    Xi Jiyang made his way down the stairs slowly as he looked at them. ¡°Xi Mushan and I have met them. We¡¯ve met the Mu family, so it¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t inform the family.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?! You and Mushan have met the Mus? Does that mean this is real?¡±

    When Deng Wenwen heard his revtion, her expression turned cold as she looked at Xi Jiyang. The gleam in her eyes dimmed while she stared angrily at Xi Jiyang. ¡°You mean you and Mushan already knew about this! Xi Xiaye just told the two of you and left us out. She didn¡¯t even think of her grandmother?¡±

    You could hear the fury in her sharp voice. Even Yue Lingsi, who listened from the side, had a change in expression. They were all upset.

    ¡°Mother, if that really is the case, then Xiaye¡¯s really gone overboard. She...¡±

    On the side, Yue Lingsi did not forget to make things worse, yet when she saw Xi Jiyang frown, she immediately held her tongue again.

    Xi Jiyang did not answer and just ambled over slowly.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression began to look like the rolling of dark clouds. The cold light in her eyes shifted while her hands were already clenched into fists. Finally, she could not help but flip the coffee table in front of her. As if she exploded, she got up swiftly!

    There was a deafening crash as the entire coffee table was overturned. The teacups and teapots on it shattered all over the ground, frightening Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Great... Just great! You two kept it a secret from me. You both hid it from me! You don¡¯t think it¡¯s important to tell me! Great!¡± Deng Wenwen started to tremble. She was shrouded in gloom as she red at Xi Jiyang. ¡°You two treat me like an outsider!¡±

    ¡°Mother, calm down. Have a seat first. Be wary of your health!¡±

    Yue Lingsi went up worriedly, yet Deng Wenwen pushed her away before walking up to re at Xi Jiyang. ¡°I, Deng Wenwen have ved hard for decades now. How much have I sacrificed for the Xi family? Yet, Xi Jiyang, you still treat me like an outsider! Xi Xiaye left me outpletely and didn¡¯t attach a single ounce of importance to me as a grandmother. You and Mushan have even agreed to it? How great! You two are great! Both denying my existence! How outrageous! Simply outrageous!¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, calm down. The doctor says you can¡¯t get too emotional. Be careful with your health. Let¡¯s just hear what Grandfather has to say about what actually happened.¡± Xi Xinyi frowned and held Deng Wenwen. When she saw that her grandmother was on the verge of losing control, she felt worried.

    ¡°So what if we told you? Should I let you go and stir trouble? Because of Yueying¡¯s matters, you and Xiaye have been at conflict with each other. You yourself know to what extent! Would you only be happy if you messed everything up?¡± Xi Jiyang burst out as he looked at the shattered mess on the ground. His expression darkened.

    ¡°Are you ming me now? Xi Jiyang, you¡¯d better watch your conscience. I do all of this for the Xi family! Otherwise, would you just watch helplessly as Yueying copses? Now, Yueying is in an unstable position. The 20% shares Shen Wenna is holding is like a time bomb. Xiaye now even controls 70% of the shares. If she sells all of these shares, Yueying might just copse immediately!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s aged face sank as she turned her furious eyes to Xi Jiyang. ¡°Now, it¡¯s just perfect. You¡¯re turning around to me me, aren¡¯t you? Recently, I¡¯ve been worried over so many things, yet have you said anything? Xi Jiyang, ever since the day I married you, have I ever treated the Xi family poorly? Now, you and Xi Mushan are going to do a bank run on me like this, aren¡¯t you? Tell me! Tell me!¡±

    The more Deng Wenwen spoke, the angrier she got and the more she felt wronged. She flung the magazine in hand at Xi Jiyang as her breath started to quicken.

    Xi Jiyang fended off the magazine she hurled at him. He narrowed his eyes at Deng Wenwen as he spoke coldly, ¡°I told you that since Yueying is the Xi family¡¯s property, what¡¯s wrong with giving half to Xiaye and the other half to Xinyi? It¡¯s you lot who are making things soplicated, wanting to have it all for yourself, so what else can I say? Whoever wants to get the role of CEO can just do so with their own capabilities.¡±

    ¡°Half for each of them? You might as well just demolish it all! With Xiaye¡¯s conduct, do you think she can keep Yueying safe? Do you want to let the two sisters fight to their death? I told you Yueying is my life. Whoever wants to touch it will have to do so over my dead body!¡±

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s your problem then! When you made me hand the shares over, you should¡¯ve thought about this oue. In fact, now Xiaye doesn¡¯t care for your Yueying. She...¡±

    Xi Jiyang suddenly thought of Shen Yue.

    ¡°I hope that you lot will behave. Avoid the painful consequences that you¡¯ll have to suffer yourselves in the end. Don¡¯t be a joke. Stop causing trouble and let the Xi family have some peaceful days. You won¡¯t get anything good out of offending the Mu family, including the Yues!¡±

    When Xi Jiyang said this, he could not help but feel worn out. Then, he turned to walk upstairs.

 Chapter 309 - Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (1)

    <h4>Chapter 309: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The conversation stunned Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi. They exchanged nces at each other as their eyes darkened. Xi Jiyang disappeared around the staircase and there was an odd atmosphere in the air.

    ¡°Grandmother, are you okay?¡± Xi Xinyi asked as she noticed Deng Wenwen seeming unwell.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s breathing hastened. She stared at the staircase without saying anything and her face looked terrible. Xi Xinyi was startled by her reaction.

    ¡°Get her the medicine!¡± Yue Lingsi responded quickly.

    Xi Xinyi heard her and quickly grabbed the medicine while Yue Lingsi poured a ss of water for Deng Wenwen to swallow her medicine.

    They helped Deng Wenwen to sit on the sofa, and she recovered after some time.

    ¡°Mother, are you feeling better now?¡± Yue Lingsiforted her, ¡°Father hasn¡¯t really been in a good mood these past few days. You don¡¯t have to take what he said personally. Xiaye really stepped over her boundaries this time. Not only did she hide it from us, but she didn¡¯t even tell you about it. How disrespectful and cold! Even if Xinyi... Well, she shouldn¡¯t have done that anyway...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Grandmother. She¡¯s penalizing me. If it weren¡¯t for me, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way. Grandfather is right. Since things have turned out like this, we should bothpromise. After all, the 37% of shares have already been set. Sister is now the Operating President on behalf of Glory World in Yueying, so we can only hope for peace in the future.¡±

    Xi Xinyi gave it some thought before she closed her eyes and said solemnly, ¡°I never expected things to turn out this way. It¡¯s all my fault, but don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. Sister is a member of the Xi family. I believe she wouldn¡¯t betray us. Let¡¯s forget this happened and take it as mypensation towards her.¡±

    Yue Lingsi totally agreed with what Xi Xinyi said. ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Xi Xiaye is the same as Shen Wenna. Not many people can stand them. Father isn¡¯t penalizing you. It must be Xi Xiaye who begged them to keep it a secret. Yueying is still fine now, especially since we still have Yifeng managing it!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Grandmother. I¡¯ve decided to go back to Yueying once I get better to help Yifeng out. I¡¯ll manage Yueying well and I¡¯ll learn from him. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll make Yueying even better! Mother is around too. Along with Yifeng and my uncle helping out, Yueying will be fine. You should just focus on recovering your health at this moment.¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression softened when she heard Xi Xinyi¡¯s persuading. She drank some water and looked at Xi Xinyi, her face still in shock. ¡°Xinyi, you mentioned that Xiaye really married into the Mu family. Glory World Corporation¡¯s Mu family? That Mu family...¡±

    A cold light shed through Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes as she nodded and replied quietly, ¡°Mmm, that should be the truth. With the 37% of shares under Xi Xiaye¡¯s control, and 17% of that directly under her, it¡¯s pretty obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. I won¡¯t let Yueying fall. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    Xi Xinyi turned her head to Yue Lingsi and said, ¡°Mother, you should help Grandmother back to her room to get some rest. It¡¯s getting prettyte and I should go back soon. Yifeng will being back at night.¡±

    Yue Lingsi nodded. ¡°Okay, by the way, remember to take those tonic!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xinyi never gave Han Yifeng a proper reply ever since he offered her two options, but she moved into Han Yifeng¡¯s vi and had stayed with him after she was discharged several days ago.

    Han Yifeng did not go back to the vi in the past few days. He went back to the Han Residence instead, so Xi Xinyi only met him once during this period of time. Obviously, he was trying to avoid her.

    However, Xi Xinyi did not care because she had already decided that by the time her body recovered, the negative news would have gone away. Then, she would return to Yueying and learn from Han Yifeng and take control of Yueying.

    She believed that it was impossible for their rtionship to vanish just like that. She wanted to get Han Yifeng back, so she tried to dy the pressing matter and slowly get back into his heart.

    She believed she could do it.

    After all, Xi Xinyi was not any inferiorpared to Xi Xiaye. If Han Yifeng noticed her good side again, she would be able to win him back!

    ...

    After parting with Xi Mushan, Xi Xiaye went to Su Nan¡¯s ce and brought her some tonic. Su Nan seemed chubbier than before. She appeared to be in good health.

    ¡°Looks like Ruan Heng takes care of you very well.¡±

    On their apartment balcony, they sat opposite each other. Su Nan was flipping through a children¡¯s artbook while Xi Xiaye was making some honey for her.

    ¡°Of course, look at me now. I¡¯m his queen! He has to listen to whatever I say. I¡¯m that precious!¡± Su Nan replied straightforwardly.

    ¡°You¡¯re happy now, huh? Poor Ruan Heng. I never knew you were such an expert at controlling your man.¡± Xi Xiayeughed as she handed her the ss of honey.

    Su Nan took a few sips as she squinted her eyes and looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°What now? Do you want to learn from me? I can tell you my secret, and I¡¯m sure Master Mu will forever listen to whatever you say!¡± She looked at Xi Xiaye with a seductive gaze as she wore a sly smile on her face.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and shrugged. She drank her tea and said, ¡°Do you have a secret? Mu Yuchen told me before that you have the potential to be a rtionship counselor.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that your man gave me such high praise. My impression of Master Mu is getting better!¡± Su Nan giggled. ¡°However, I¡¯m still going to tell you this secret whether you want to hear it or not because I want you to always be happy. Maybe it¡¯ll be useful for you too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She closed her eyes and tried to hide the eagerness in her eyes.

 Chapter 310 - Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (2)

    <h4>Chapter 310: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan cleared her throat as she put on a smile and said to Xi Xiaye quietly, ¡°First and foremost, you need to go to people in the Mu family like his grandparents and parents. Get them on your side. Creating a good rtionship with them is the very first step. I¡¯m now practically sisters with Ruan Heng¡¯s mother. If Ruan Heng were to say something bad about me, his mother would be angry for my sake!¡±

    <i>Hmm, the mother-inw, huh?</i>

    Xi Xiaye then frowned as she thought about Zhuang Shurong...

    She did not need to do that, did she? She felt that Zhuang Shurong was an understanding and easygoing person. Even though she seemed pretty strict, she treated her very well. Moreover, Mu Yuchen and her were not staying with them, so it was not really much of an issue.

    ¡°Also, I think you¡¯re a really honest person. You¡¯ll always keep quiet when you¡¯re unhappy. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re the same when you¡¯re with Master Mu, am I right?¡± Su Nan¡¯s eyes saw through Xi Xiaye and teased her.

    Xi Xiaye stared at her. ¡°So, you¡¯re smart enough to guess how I¡¯d react now, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course, how long do you think I¡¯ve known you for? But let me tell you, no words can be as effective as ¡®you naughty thing!¡¯. Believe me, this is the conclusion I¡¯ve gotten after trying so many times. You need to learn how to act all coquettish. Women who know how to do that have the best lives!¡± Su Nan said with a grin. She did not forget to turn around and peek at Ruan Heng who was busy at the moment, afraid that he might hear her.

    Xi Xiaye choked because of what she said!

    After some coughing, her eyes locked onto Su Nan. ¡°You naughty thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes! What? It¡¯s the truth! If you tell Master Mu that and assume the position of a foxy, little woman, I¡¯m sure his heart will melt instantly! Try it!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± She was too embarrassed to say that to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Really! I¡¯ve tried it with Ruan Heng so many times before!¡±

    ...

    It was 10 p.m. when Xi Xiaye arrived back at Maple Residence after leaving Su Nan¡¯s ce. She had dinner back at Su Nan ce since her friend did not want her to eat alone at home.

    She had been going to bed pretty early in the past few days. Since she felt pretty tired, she fell asleep very quickly.

    The whole vi was quiet as stars filled up the ck sky outside. The breeze was light and the night seemed beautiful.

    The curtain inside the room was not closed, so the light from the stars scattered all over the floor while the scent of the flowers from the backyard floated all around the room.

    She had quite some free time these few days, but without the man around, she felt a little odd like something was missing since she was used to having him sleep beside her for months. She could not sleep well without him, but after several days, she gave in to exhaustion and finally fell into a good, deep sleep.

    After some time, as she was still in her deep slumber, she unconsciously heard the sound of the door opening. She somehow saw the man watching her beside the bed. After a while, the figure went missing, and then she heard the sound of watering from the bathroom...

    She thought she was dreaming again since she had been dreaming about him for the past few days.

    Not too long after that, she could feel the nket being pulled away, and his exclusive scent was all over her. She woke up instantly, and before she could react, she was already inside his arms.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± She could not help but shriek after realizing it was not a dream. Her eyes flew open wide.

    With the help of the dim wallmp, she saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s face before her eyes like the quiet, dark sky with stars inside them.

    ¡°I saw you were asleep, so I didn¡¯t call you, but the way you slept was reallyparable to some animals.¡± He tugged at the nket a little as he spoke softly, seeming tired.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been sleeping well. When did youe back? You should¡¯ve called me first...¡±

    She rubbed her eyes and fell into his arms. The familiar smell was back, and she could feel the odd void inside her heart being filled.

    He hugged her and left a kiss on her forehead. ¡°I rushed back after I was done with stuff over there. Why don¡¯t you seem excited? Someone sent me a message and told me that she misses me...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were like the stars in the sky as she raised her eyebrows and replied him cheekily, ¡°Who sent you that? Your admirer?¡±

    ¡°What a heartless woman!¡± He ranted helplessly as he ran his fingers through her long, silky hair. He tucked her hair behind her ears, then touched her beautiful face. ¡°You seem to be pretty used to my absence. Are you?¡±

    Her eyes darkened when she heard him. Her tone was soft as she looked at him in the eye. ¡°Nope, I ate bread and instant noodles for breakfast and dinner. No one would prepare the bath water for me... and the house is empty. I¡¯m actually a little scared...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask Sis Wang toe over? Did she note?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned.

    ¡°I asked her to go back. She caught a cold and needed more rest,¡± she replied softly.

    ¡°Mmm? Let me see... Did you lose weight? It was tough for me to fatten you up.¡±

    He wrapped his hand around her waist, but she backed off slightly and stared at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t lose any weight! The weight I put on some time ago didn¡¯t go away. Summer ising soon., I don¡¯t think I can wear my <i>qipao </i>now and it¡¯s all your fault! I think we should start going vegetarian...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wear it if you can¡¯t then. It doesn¡¯t matter to others if you have curves or not. I¡¯ve brought back a lot of clothes this time. Li Si will be sending them over tomorrow, so you can take a look and see if there¡¯s anything you like.¡±

    Before she could react, he untied her sash and went down on her. His cold lips met hers.

    ¡°You... don¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long. Don¡¯t you miss me?¡± He raised his head a little and looked at her.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye... I don¡¯t care if you miss me or not. I missed you...¡±

    He then ignored her and went down on her!

    Xi Xiaye was helpless against this pervert! She was not even done talking yet!

 Chapter 311 - Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (3)

    <h4>Chapter 311: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Their affectionate battlested till it was close to dawn before the husband and wife fell asleep.

    Absence makes the heart grow fonder. He had spent the past few days missing her with a burning longing in his chest. Naturally, he would not let go of her so easily. This was the only way he could fill up the empty void he had felt for the past few days.

    Initially, Xiaye was nning to speak to him after resting a while, but after his demands that knew no limits, she had forgotten all about it.

    The silent night was very quickly chased away by the first rays of the morning sun. It felt like they had not slept for long before the sky started to turn bright outside. The warm beams of the morning light poured in through the window, and then slowly it moved. The soft, scattered light came in through the light-colored cotton curtains on the side...

    A long while after morning arrived, the two of them were still curled up and asleep in bed.

    It felt as if a century had passed before she slowly turned around in his embrace. He immediately subconsciously reached out to pull her in as he called out softly, ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    When she heard his low, raspy voice, she seemed to be awakened from her sleepy daze. She answered softly and opened her eyes, rubbing them before she looked at him. Then, he noticed that he was still in deep sleep.

    Adjusting to a different timezone, he had said!

    At first, she was already quite tired, andst night, they had tossed and turned around sleeplessly. Although she had said no quite a few times, he did not let her go. How could she not have immediately distinguished that he was a pervert hiding beneath his cold and distant appearance?

    She breathed in deeply and watched him deep in his slumber. Then, she carefully moved his hand on her waist away. She got out of bed to pick up the clothes on the side and scratched her messy head of hair. After that, she walked unhurriedly to the bathroom.

    Because he was sleeping pretty soundly, Xi Xiaye went straight downstairs to prepare breakfast after she was done washing up.

    These past few days, she had learned two simple home-cooked dishes that they both liked from Shen Wenna. When she let Shen Wenna try it, she had dered her approval, so Xi Xiaye decided that if she were to cook in the future, she would only cook those two dishes.

    She cooked chicken soup which was made with ingredients that she brought back from the Mu residence. Then, she cooked another two more side dishes, and that was about it. When she served the dishes, the man was still nowhere to be found in the living room. She was thinking about whether to go upstairs and call him down when suddenly there was the sound of footsteps from upstairs. She looked up and saw him walking down, still dressed in his pajamas although his messy ck hair was still a little wet.

    ¡°Come over to eat.¡± Xi Xiaye wiped her hands, then handed the towel to him.

    ¡°What yummy food did you make?¡± Mu Yuchen took the towel and wiped his hands. He sat across her and looked at the dishes on the table. They all looked quite appetizing. Then, he stared at her in shock. ¡°Did you sign up for cooking sses while I was gone?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye could not help butugh as she raised her brows. ¡°I¡¯m taking this as apliment from you!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been learning how to cook some dishes from Mother at the Shen residence. Even though this is a product of a lot of effort, I swear that I¡¯ve worked very hard to learn. God knows I don¡¯t have talents in such aspects, so it¡¯s best for you to handle our future meals, Mr. Mu.¡±

    He frowned and hesitated when he heard this. ¡°No one¡¯s asking you to be a good trophy wife and a loving mother. Just get two maids from the Mu residence.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. We can do it ourselves.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the soup he served as she answered, ¡°Right, Ah Mo and Vice President Liu have already flown to City B. Ah Shi¡¯s pretty much adapted to the entertainment club. If you¡¯re free tonight, you should go over to take a look. Su Chen¡¯s beening over to help out these past few days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go over to take a look tonight. Are youing along too?¡± He answered, then continued drinking his soup.

    She nodded. ¡°Initially, I was nning to go take a look tonight, but there¡¯s a tender meeting tomorrow, so I need to prepare for it. I¡¯ve been getting people to check on the situation over at Qi Kai, and they seem to be quite confident. Qi Lei¡¯s always socializing with the people from the government. I wanted to raise this to Father...¡±

    ¡°No need to tell him about this. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± He suddenly looked up at her and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell them about thepany matters.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She knew how he was like; he would not tell Mu Tangchuan anything, just as how she would not open up to Xi Mushan.

    ¡°Yesterday, my father came looking for me. I had lunch with him. Unexpectedly, when we returned, I bumped into Xi Xinyi and her mother again.¡± She could not help but whine to him, ¡°Every time I see them, I just don¡¯t feel happy, especially when I see them with my father!¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What¡¯s wrong? Are they causing trouble and making you angry again?¡± Mu Yuchen stopped what he was doing as he frowned slightly and demanded in a cold tone.

    ¡°Well, no. Yue Lingsi said that she came to look for me. I think it must be because of Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter, but Father stopped them. Okay, let¡¯s eat.¡± Xi Xiaye breathed in, then picked up her bowl.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t let yourself be taken advantage of. Don¡¯t be nice to them. If anything happens, just let me take it on.¡±

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

    ¡°Eat more. Later, I have something to show you!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Finish this up. I¡¯ll consider it a reward for you.¡±

    ¡°How insincere of you...¡±

    ...

    Not long after lunch, Li Si and two ck-clothed bodyguards came over. They brought all the things that he liked over there and had bought for her.

    When she saw the sofa piled up with bags, she was dumbfounded.

    She flipped through quite a few items and picked one up to put it against her body. She also wore a delicate jade bracelet on her wrist. Then, she looked up at him while he was going through some documents. She said calmly, ¡°Mr. Mu, don¡¯t you think that if I wear this color and match it with this bracelet, I¡¯ll look a little mature?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced up at her from his documents and nodded happily. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Then, he continued looking down at his documents.

    ¡°What about this?¡± She picked up another apparel and gestured it about.

    ¡°Mmm, not bad too.¡± He looked up again and replied, ¡°How bad can my wife¡¯s judgment be?¡±

    Then, he closed his document and took a brocade box out from the drawer of the coffee table and handed it to her. ¡°Come here. I¡¯ll put it on for you to try.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡±

    Admiring her casually pinned-up hair and the shine of the sapphire blue flickering about by her ear, he nodded with satisfaction. He looked at her with a profound gaze and suddenly said in a lowered voice, ¡°Missus, let¡¯s take wedding pictures on the first of May, and then we have our wedding in June. I don¡¯t want to take too long.¡±

    He wanted to marry her grandly. That way, he could kill the intentions of those annoying admirers.

 Chapter 312 - Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (4)

    <h4>Chapter 312: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he said this, she was startled and she peered up at him. Her eyes twinkled like the stars as they brimmed with a faint glimmer. A while after that, she muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t we decide on October first? We¡¯ll have more time then.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait too long. It¡¯s not a bad thing to have our wedding. Just let Grandmother handle it, hmm?¡±

    He held her hand, the faint gleam on her ring finger flickering gently. He gazed down, then held her tightly. ¡°I want to marry you sooner. I want to let other people know that you¡¯re mine.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, her heart trembled. She slowly gazed down and let him hold her hands tightly till they hurt, but she did not say anything.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯m going to take it as a yes,¡± he said, lifting his hands to hold her frail shoulders and pulling her gently into his embrace. He nted an emotional kiss on her forehead before he breathed in and said in a lowered voice, ¡°That way, we can save the trouble. We have to do it sooner orter anyway, so it might as well be sooner.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts. You just have to be a bride when the timees. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. Hmm?¡± His voice was sensitive and gentle. It even carried a fatal seductiveness. His wise eyes that could see through everything were filled with a distant vortex. As she watched them, she found it hard to pull away. Instead, she fell deeply into his gaze bit by bit, and was extremely attracted to him.

    He locked onto the gleam in her eyes and said tenderly, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a grand wedding. After the magnificent curtain call, our lives will return to this peace. Whatever anyone else has, you can have too.¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye felt her heart soften. She felt touched in a way that could not be described. With a deep inhale, she stared at him in contemtion. A while after that, she asked softly, ¡°Why are you so...?¡±

    ¡°Because you are Missus Mu, the only official genuine one, the only one Mr. Mu acknowledges.¡±

    She did not finish what she said when he answered. She could not deny that he could immediately see through her thoughts.

    Even he did not know that they had such excellent chemistry between them.

    Xi Xiaye almostughed out loud at his words. She could not help but purse her lips and chuckle. All of a sudden, she threw herself onto him. ¡°Only official genuine one? There must be a lot of pirated ones then. Say, did you womanize around on your trip this time? I heard that the women there are very enthusiastic. In fact, they¡¯re all very pretty!¡±

    ¡°Mmm!¡±

    When she threw herself onto him, he groaned and quickly reached out to catch her. ¡°No, I returned to the hotel when I was done with work, Missus. Mr. Mu is one with his wife. He¡¯s a good man that¡¯s loyal to his MIssus. Why would he go and provoke thosemonce women?¡±

    ¡°Do people really praise themselves like this?¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She thought about it and said, ¡°Would it be too rushed? If we have our wedding shoot in May, where should we take it?¡±

    ¡°Where do you want to go? Maldives or Bali? We can just go for a breather and rx. There¡¯ll still be one to two months till the wedding, which will be enough time for preparation.¡±

    He tilted his head casually to the side andy down with his arm supporting his head as a pillow.

    She lowered her body too as she looked at him and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll tell Grandpa and Mother.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± he responded, and his arm around her shoulder tightened.

    ...

    The setting sun was dragging the faint twilight by the horizon as evening came around. Xi Xiaye was going to read a book, yet he dragged her off the sofa. He insisted on riding around the vi area.

    Helpless, Xi Xiaye could only do as he wished. After one round, she was almost out of breath and her face dripped with sweat.

    When the husband and wife returned to Maple Residence, the sky had darkened slightly. The world was a dull gray as the evening breeze blew gently and the streetlights had been switched on.

    When they got home, the two of them swiftly took a shower and had a simple meal before they rushed out to Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.

    The car sped all the way and rushed toward Imperial Sky Entertainment City with Xi Xiaye at the wheel.

    Xi Xiaye who was focused on driving suddenly spoke up, ¡°I talked to Ah Shi about her and Ah Mo. After that, I heard Ah Mo say that Ah Shi did call him. I think that she cares about him. When I spoke to her the other day, I saw that when I mentioned Ah Mo, she was moved. I think that they must have been a pretty loving couple back then.¡±

    ¡°They were already thinking about getting engaged.¡±

    His mood seemed to turn gloomy. ¡°She¡¯s a stubborn person too. Ah Mo didn¡¯t have the heart to force her. All these years, I¡¯ve taken everything in.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, but she¡¯s quite a strong girl. When I see her, I think of myself,¡± Xi Xiaye sighed, ¡°Such a good girl, yet she has to suffer all of this. I feel quite sad to witness this.¡±

    As she said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. When she unexpectedly turned to look at him, she caught his moody expression and her heart tightened. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It¡¯ll all get better. No matter what, life goes on.¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out to hold his forehead as he sighed, ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°As long as the two of them can get back together again, everything might get better. There are many times when we make things worse because we are miserable, and even more so when we just can¡¯t let go of some things ourselves. Take myself for example, I could¡¯ve been more forgiving and not care too much. Then, I would¡¯ve lived more peacefully and happily even though... Anyway, I still believe that there are many kind people who are still contented, such as us, Ah Mo, or Ah Shi...¡±

    He could not help but admit that when it came to this woman, listening to her speak felt like a sort of delight. If he had not found the reasons he admired her or wanted her, then at this moment, he could clearly tell himself that her unyielding strength and optimistic must be a very important reason as to why he had been attracted to her.

    She was clearly just a woman who had been pushed around in life, yet she wanted to use her little strength to influence and help others. Sometimes, he really did not know whether to call her silly or say that she was too ambitious!

    She had bizarre energy around her, the kind that could make one more forgiving and optimistic when they saw her. All of this seemed to be what he needed. It was hard to imagine that after going round and round, he would find all of this within a little woman like her.

    Nevertheless, whether it was out of habit or whether his admiration for her, he hoped that they could peacefully spend the rest of their lives together, work together, live together, get married, have children, and quietly wait for time to pass as they grew old together.

 Chapter 313 - Bump Into (1)

    <h4>Chapter 313: Bump Into (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was 8 p.m. when they arrived at the parking lot of Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. The lively nightlife was just about to begin. The multiple neon lights outside enveloped the city in a reverie.

    The Entertainment Club was actually two clubs facing opposite each other. It was something simr to a street full of bars, but this street only had two super huge clubs.

    It was crowded when Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went into the club, and loud music was ring from the speakers. Many waiters were walking around serving guests. There were also three people writhing on the stage in front.

    Many youngsters were shuffling on the dance floor.

    The club had two floors. The top floor consisted mostly of rooms which were all equipped with an impressive soundproof system. The music outside would not be able to reach inside the room, but one could still see what was happening below through the ss window. The setting of the room was simr to a karaoke room.

    When the couple arrived at the room, Su Chen was already waiting inside. Su Chen¡¯s cousin and his wife, Su Hai and Xiaoying, were also there. They seemed to be pretty close to Mu Yuchen, addressing him ¡°Bro Chen¡± and ¡°Sis-inw Chen¡± when they went in. It made Xi Xiaye feel a little embarrassed.

    Su Chen dragged Mu Yuchen aside and started singing while Xi Xiaye just sat there and listened to Xiaoying¡¯s singing. Her voice was pretty melodious and she was really into the performance.

    Xi Xiaye was not really fond of visiting ces like this. Although she hade with Su Nan before, listening to Su Nan and Ruan Heng singing love bads to each other was pretty interesting, but now, several men were drinking together and she was not really familiar with Xiaoying, so...

    She tilted her body a little and looked down. Beside the stage, Mu Lingshi was working with the other DJ and the dancers, spinning some songs from time to time.

    Mu Lingshi dressed as usual with her long, white shirt on the inside and a silver and ck coat on top. Donningrge, dark sunsses and a ck cap, she seemed pretty young and trendy.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes shone as she suddenly stood up and went outside after giving it some thought. Mu Yuchen instantly noticed her getting to her feet, so he quickly looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye pointed downstairs and Mu Yuchen gave her an understanding nod.

    After a while, she walked past the long corridor and reached downstairs. The beats were really intense whilst colorful lights crisscrossed and rippled everywhere.

    When Xi Xiaye found Mu Lingshi, she was standing aside and speaking with two managers on something. She waved to Xi Xiaye when she saw her. ¡°That¡¯s that then. You guys can go work on it now.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Manager Mu!¡±

    The two people nodded before leaving. When they saw Xi Xiaye, they greeted her respectfully, ¡°Hello, Director Xi!¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± Xi Xiaye replied them briefly.

    ¡°Sister-inw? Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Lingshi looked at her in surprise before waving her hands at the waitress beside the bar. Soon, someone quickly sent two sses of wine over.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty bored, so I just came here to take a look.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the wine from Mu Lingsi. ¡°Your brother came backtest night. He¡¯s here today too. Are you used to the work here?¡±

    ¡°Is Brother back?¡± Mu Lingshi took off her sses and seemed thrilled. ¡°No wonder Bro Su Chen brought some people over. I¡¯m fine. Things are alright here. It¡¯s much more structured than when I was in France, and the managers here are very capable. I only need to give them minimal instructions. Where¡¯s my brother?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s drinking with Su Chen and the others. I just came over to check on you. Do you want to join us?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Mu Lingshi then went forward on her own.

    When they arrived at the room, the men were all drinking happily.

    ¡°Lingshi,e here!¡± Su Chen greeted when he saw Mu Lingsi.

    Mu Lingshi nodded as she nced through the whole room. She swiftly found Mu Yuchen sitting on the sofa with some cards in front of him. She rolled her eyes at them. ¡°Can you guys not always drink and y cards when you gather?¡±

    Mu Lingshi went over and sat down beside Su Chen. On the other side, Xi Xiaye sat down beside Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°We were just talking about you and you¡¯re here! Lingshi, I remember that you sing very well. During the singingpetitions in high school, you always came out at the top among all the contestants, didn¡¯t you? Even Xiaoying had to admit defeat.¡±

    It was Su Hai talking. He was from the same batch of students as Mu Lingshi and Mo Xiaoying, and because of Su Chen¡¯s rtionship with Mu Yuchen, he was close to Mu Yuchen as well.

    Knowing them well, Mu Lingshi offered a suggestion. ¡°I¡¯ll give you guys a chance here. Doesn¡¯t Bro Su Chen have a marvelous voice as well? You guys can ask him to sing some songs, or you guys can y cards and whoever loses will sing. I¡¯m sure you guys have done that a lot before, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°With what¡¯s going on, do we want to y truth or dare?¡± Su Chen touched his nose and chuckled. His eyes nced over at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°I...¡± Xi Xiaye wanted to decline, but before she could answer, Su Hai and the others already started distributing the cards. She frowned as she looked at the man beside her.

    He seemed calm as he nced back at her and took a look at his card. The others were checking out their cards as well.

    Feeling helpless, Xi Xiaye was forced to join the game.

    For several games, it was always Su Hai and Su Chen. The questions everyone threw were odd and peculiar, and Xi Xiaye found out that Mu Lingshi could be pretty wild if she wanted to.

    After another round, Mu Lingshi asked Su Hai who had lost, ¡°Did you give your first time to your left hand or the right?¡±

    Su Hai¡¯s face blushed as he coughed lightly. After a long hesitation, even his wife Xiaoying startedughing. ¡°Be quick and tell us! We¡¯re going for another round!¡±

    Su Chen stared at her with his sharp eyes. Su Hai was a little scared and quickly responded, ¡°Left hand!¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Mu Lingshi spat some of her drink out!

    ¡°So, you really rubbed it out yourself?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi, you¡¯re messing with me aren¡¯t you!¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡±

 Chapter 314 - Bump Into (2)

    <h4>Chapter 314: Bump Into (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was surprised and almost could not react. After a while, she looked over to Mu Yuchen, who was still sitting there calmly with a smile on his face.

    The next round, Xi Xiaye was ¡°it¡± and it was Mu Yuchen¡¯s turn to make a request.

    ¡°Bro Chen, make her kiss you right here!¡±

    ¡°No, Bro Chen, make Sister-inw confess to you!¡±

    ¡°Chen, I think you should just ask Xiaye to give you a kiss!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face looked a little strained as she looked at the man beside her, shooting him a warning re.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was gentle. He grinned as he flicked the card with his finger. Then, he looked into Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes and asked in his deep voice, ¡°Truth or dare?¡±

    Stunned, she could not find the right words to say as she stared at him squarely in the eyes. After a while, she replied, ¡°Truth...¡±

    ¡°Up until this point, who do you think¡¯s better: him or me?¡± He asked quietly.

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re better!¡± Naturally, Xi Xiaye knew what he was asking about. It was not a difficult question at all. He was the one who treated her better anyway, so she replied almost instantly.

    Mu Yuchen was satisfied with her answer. He nodded as the smile on his face grew wider. It was a pass.

    Su Chen and the others were horrified.

    ¡°What? That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s obviously cheating, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No way. Do it again! Again! We¡¯ll make sure they get it again!¡±

    The whole bunch then started penalizing the couple. They used all sorts of tricks to catch Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, and tried to ask her all kinds of embarrassing questions.

    ¡°How many times did you guys do it the first time with my brother?¡±

    ¡°I think it was two times.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s three!¡±

    ...

    They were really having fun until an urgent knocking rapped on the door. The crowd froze and looked over at the door.

    The one who came in was Mu Lingshi¡¯s temporary assistant, Xiao Yu! He seemed fric and nervous when he came in.

    ¡°Director Xi, Manager Mu!¡±

    Xiao Yu could only recognize Xi Xiaye and Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Lingshi noticed that something was not right with Xiao Yu, so she asked with a frown while she still held the cards in her hands.

    Xiao Yu stopped beside her as he quietly said, ¡°Something¡¯s happened outside. A new waiter bumped into Master Qi¡¯s female partner and poured drinks all over her. Moreover, they even broke his partner¡¯s ne, so he wants someone topensate them and he wants to see our manager now.¡±

    Mu Lingshi frowned as her eyes darkened. She put the cards in her hands down and stood up. Then, she took the sunsses out from her pocket and put them on before heading outside.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head over for a bit. You guys have fun.¡±

    She left the room after saying that. Xiao Yu made an apologetic bow to Xiaye and the others before leaving and catching up with her.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Su Hai frowned after Mu Lingshi left the room. He nced at the door and quickly looked at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Is someone causing trouble? Things seemed pretty okay this few days. I didn¡¯t see any conflict taking ce.¡±

    ¡°That person just now seemed pretty anxious. It must be quite important. Should we go and take a look?¡± Mo Xiaoying asked in a worried tone.

    Su Chen¡¯s expression was calm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The current Lingshi isn¡¯t the same Lingshi as before anymore. She¡¯s not an easy opponent to deal with.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s gaze locked onto Mu Yuchen when he was talking. He gave it some thought before continuing, ¡°I kept watch for the past few days. Some people were causing trouble, but Lingshi dealt with all of them wlessly. I can only say that I¡¯m seeing her in a new light.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put his cards down and his expression darkened slightly. After a brief moment, he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to keep watch on Qi Lei? Did he and his people do anything odd?¡±

    Su Chen tensed up after Mu Yuchen spoke. His hands gripped the cards tighter before he threw them on the table and looked at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Qi Lei has beening here very frequently. After Zimo called me, I came here almost every night, and I bumped into him every single time. He probably came tonight as well.¡±

    Suddenly, Su Chen remembered something as he went over to the ss window. He opened the curtains and looked down as he continued, ¡°I think Zimo¡¯s analysis is right. He¡¯s probably targeting Lingshi. His motive is questionable!¡±

    Su Chen was watching outside, and he saw the situation underneath. Before Mu Yuchen could even reply, he called out to him quietly, ¡°Chen,e over here and see what¡¯s happening!¡± His voice sounded doubtful.

    There were several people standing near the corridor beside the overly crowded dance floor. Ady in a pink dress with heavy makeup seemed to be scolding the waiter before her. She was even poking the waiter¡¯s chest as she spoke.

    The waiter was blocked by two bodyguards in ck suits while he lowered his head and apologized. There was a man in a gray suit beside thedy.

    With that evil-looking face and an odd grin, apanied by a wicked aura all around him, who else could it be aside from the Master of Qi Kai, Qi Lei?

    Another manager was trying to help out, but he was dragged aside by another bodyguard.

    ¡°Chen, isn¡¯t that Qi Lei from Qi Kai? Tell me if that¡¯s him!¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s face started to frown and his face turned cold. A harsh light shed in his sharp eyes as he turned over and looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen looked downstairs, cold light gathering in his eyes as they started to harden.

 Chapter 315 - Bump Into (3)

    <h4>Chapter 315: Bump Into (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, Mu Lingshi swiftly headed downstairs.

    ¡°Manager Mu, that woman was really angry. Manager Liang said that he¡¯ll take care of it, but that woman is persistent. She seems to be Master Qi¡¯s fianc¨¨e. Manager Liang was afraid of offending Master Qi, so he asked me to talk to you,¡± Xiao Yu exined to Mu Lingshi as he walked behind her. ¡°That woman demanded that all the managers of our club apologize to her. She¡¯s being super unreasonable!¡± Xiao Yu seemed infuriated.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression darkened. Her eyes behind the pair ofrge sunsses turned cold as she put on a chilly smile. ¡°She¡¯d better not be messing with us. If not, I¡¯ll make sure she knows what I¡¯m made of!¡±

    ¡°Manager Mu, that¡¯s Master Qi¡¯s woman!¡± Xiao Yu pointed out worriedly. Mu Lingshi hastened forward.

    ¡°What now? Are you not happy? Do you know how precious this dress is? Lei bought it for me. Does everyone here have the same attitude as you? Do you think you can reallypensate for this? Where¡¯s your manager? I want to speak to your bosses!¡±

    Enraged, the woman kept prodding the waiter¡¯s chest. She looked like she was about to explode any second. Her trendy pink dress was drenched in alcohol and she looked kind of awkward.

    The waiter before her kept on apologizing profusely, but it was not enough to ease the woman¡¯s rage.

    She had spent so much time and effort dressing herself up for a date, and with what just happened, her mood was absolutely ruined!

    The woman was still berating the waiter. Mu Lingshi could not stand it anymore, so she went forward and grabbed the woman¡¯s hand as the irate woman pushed the waiter away. Then, Mu Lingshi pushed her hand away fiercely.

    ¡°Who are you!? How dare you touch me? Get lost!¡±

    The woman stumbled slightly and grabbed onto Qi Lei after Mu Lingshi flung her hand away. She barely managed to bnce herself.

    ¡°We¡¯llpensate you however much your clothes cost, but do you really need to run your mouth and be this mean?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s frigid voice reached the woman¡¯s ears like a sharp needle. ¡°Look for me if you have any issues. How much does your outfit cost? Name me your price.¡± She snapped in a cold and emotionless, official tone.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s attitude towards people varied. She would never go soft on someone like her. Otherwise, the woman would just be more and more aggressive.

    ¡°Long time no see, Ms. Mu! Do you still remember me?¡±

    Suddenly, Qi Lei, who had been watching the whole thing, spoke up. He sounded cheeky and he did not put on any particr expression.

    Mu Lingshi lifted her head, noticing Qi Lei when she walked over. She had seen him around for the past few nights as well. Every time he came here, he would be with a big group of people, so it would be odd if she did not notice him.

    ¡°The well-known Master Qi, how could I forget you?¡±

    Mu Lingshiughed coldly before ncing at the woman beside her. ¡°Your taste in women seems to have gotten worse. Are you okay being with a woman like her? You sure have a unique taste!¡±

    ¡°What now? After so long, you still speak so sarcastically, huh?¡±

    ¡°Lei, if she doesn¡¯t know how to speak properly, then we¡¯ll have to educate her well. Wearing such huge sunsses at night, does she think she¡¯s being mysterious? I can¡¯t stand people like her...¡±

    The woman was already offended by Mu Lingshi, and the degradingment about her made her extremely ufortable.

    Mu Lingshi red at her before averting her gaze to Qi Lei. ¡°What happened tonight is just a mistake from my employee. We¡¯llpensate you. Plus, we¡¯ve apologized anyway. If you want to cause trouble, I¡¯ll y along.¡±

    ¡°How dare you talk like that?!¡± The woman yelled coldly as two bodyguards in ck suits stepped forward.

    ¡°That¡¯s how I talk! What now?¡± Mu Lingshi stared at her coldly when the woman approached her. She raised her hand at the back as several club bouncers came near.

    ¡°Master Qi, do you really want to cause trouble at our ce tonight?¡±

    Mu Lingshi had an intense vibe around her. She was not at a disadvantage at all when facing Qi Lei. Instead, she pulled her sunsses down slightly as she looked at Qi Lei with a cold smile.

    A cold light shed through Qi Lei¡¯s eyes when Mu Lingshi pulled her sunsses down. He put on a grin. ¡°It seems like it¡¯s not just a certain someone who has had it tough all along these years. I actually feel much better when I see you guys not doing so well. I wonder if Mu Yuchen could still remain calm when he sees your face?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression changed as he shot Qi Lei an icy stare. ¡°These things have nothing to do with my brother. You don¡¯t have to me him. Those two idiots took it upon themselves!¡±

    ¡°Brother? Haha... Ms. Mu, I remember your brother¡¯s name is Mu Lingtian, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s your real brother, and now you¡¯re calling Mu Yuchen your brother like he actually is. Don¡¯t you guys feel any sense of regret for Mu Lingtian¡¯s death?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t control life and death. Someone else should be regretful instead. Death doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re able to avoid an issue. Furthermore, aren¡¯t you happy that Qi Feng died? You didn¡¯t really like him, did you? I¡¯m sure you hoped that he¡¯d disappear and the whole of Qi Kai will be yours! From what I understand, you should be really grateful for that ident. Why act like you¡¯re hurt about it? It¡¯s terribly fake,¡± said Mu Lingshi as she slid her sunsses back up.

    Qi Lei¡¯s smiling face darkened when he heard Mu Lingshi. His eyes turned sharp as he red at her and his voice sounded chilly as well. ¡°You¡¯d better not let me hear something like that again! Just how much people do you think Mu Yuchen has troubled?¡±

    ¡°If you still intend to cause trouble here, I don¡¯t mind saying even harsher things. I heard you¡¯re the Vice President of Qi Kai now. I almost forgot to congratte you! It¡¯s really unfortunate. If Qi Feng was still alive, your father would¡¯ve let him inherit the President¡¯s position already, wouldn¡¯t he? Sometimes, I really doubt that you¡¯re your father¡¯s biological child. Have you guys taken any DNA test?¡± Mu Lingshi was delighted to see the terrible expression on Qi Lei¡¯s face!

 Chapter 316 - Thank You, Missus (1)

    <h4>Chapter 316: Thank You, Missus (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s demonically handsome face turned cold. All over him, there was a hostility that shrouded him. Even his date could feel it clearly. She could not help but tremble and look worriedly at him.

    ¡°Hey, watch your mouth!¡±

    That woman then red at Mu Lingshi as she clung onto Qi Lei, yet he shook the girl¡¯s hand off. Icily, he walked up to Mu Lingshi and looked down at her while she remained fearless with her back straightened, staring right back at him.

    A while after, Qi Lei was not angry andughed instead. The bitterness on his face was instantly concealed as he sneered and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re one with a gift of the gab!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m like that to certain types of people. Master Qi, if you¡¯re just here to whittle the time away and support this ce, I, Mu Lingshi would wee you very much, but if you¡¯re here to cause trouble, then don¡¯t me me if I¡¯m not courteous!¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone was resounding. When she said this, the few bodyguards behind him came up. Even Qi Lei¡¯s date could not help but pull at his sleeve, hinting at him. Then, she nced down at her dress that was already turned to shreds.

    ¡°Cause trouble? You sure it¡¯s us looking for trouble and not your people who are useless? Otherwise, how would you exin this tonight? This dress is a limited edition. You might not be able to buy it even if you had the money! Hmph!¡±

    The woman finally became so mad that she shot Mu Lingshi a look. Her tone was very sharp while her eyes were filled with disdain and condescension. She took a nce at the scar on Mu Lingshi¡¯s face that could not be hidden by the sunsses, and her bright red lips curled up.

    When Mu Lingshi heard that, her gaze darkened. She subconsciously examined the dress on the girl, and when she saw her disgusted eyes, her hands that hid under her sleeves clenched slightly tighter.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Unhappy? Is there no one else in your club? How did they get someone so hideous to rouse the crowd? Aren¡¯t they worried that you¡¯ll scare the customers?¡±

    When the woman saw Mu Lingshi¡¯s face that hardened, sheughed out loud delightedly. ¡°How dare you talk about others? You should take a look at yourself!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to die?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s fists clenched tighter. Her beautiful eyes that hid beneath her sunsses were already colored with a sh of coldness. She was worried that she would not be able to hold back her punch!

    At this moment, Xiao Yu¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Director Xi!¡± Manager Liang¡¯s voice came through too.

    Mu Lingshi subconsciously turned to look too. Then, she realized that Xi Xiaye was walking over, still on the phone.

    ¡°Okay, please send it over right away. Mmm, right away.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye nodded to Manager Liang and the rest. Her gaze very quickly fell onto the woman beside Qi Lei as she said inly, ¡°I¡¯ve got thetest spring dress from Dior¡¯s XX series. Even though it¡¯s limited edition, that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t afford topensate you. The dress is being sent over right away. Miss, I¡¯m sure you must be an honorable daughter of a prestigious family, but the way you bully others is a little overboard. Besides, I think Master Qi should know whose turf this is.¡±

    When Qi Lei saw Xi Xiaye, his faintly cold face suddenly shed with a smile. He called out rather intimately, ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she looked at Mu Lingshi whose expression could not be fathomed. She then reached out to gently hold one of her fists that was clenched tightly underneath her sleeve. Subsequently, Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and eased a little.

    When Qi Lei saw that Xi Xiaye did not reply, he was not angry. Instead, he grinned and asked again, ¡°Did you like the flowers I sent?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Master Qi, for the kind thought. The flowers were too low quality, so I just gave them to the janitor of our nning Department. I told you that I only ept roses that are made of gold or embedded with diamonds. Didn¡¯t you hear me right?¡± Xi Xiaye answered rather calmly.

    ¡°Who are you?! You¡¯re so...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye responded that way, the woman¡¯s face instantly sank. She was about to say something more when Qi Lei pulled her away and walked up to Xi Xiaye. He stared at Xi Xiaye through squinted eyes for a long time, then smiled demonically as he whispered into her ear, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked such tacky things. I like them too. Very well. I like that very much. If you¡¯re friendlier to me, I¡¯ll just forget about tonight. How about that?¡±

    ¡°I can get the bouncers to chase you two out. I can try if you don¡¯t believe me!¡± Xi Xiaye turned over slightly and said calmly.

    ¡°What a heartless woman! I came all the way here just to see you. I even dreamt of you every night! Why? Don¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not wait for Qi Lei to finish. She just said, ¡°Manager Liang, please see Master Qi out. I¡¯ll send thisdy¡¯s dress overter on.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so...?¡±

    The woman¡¯s expression darkened. She wanted to curse her more when Xi Xiaye¡¯s resounding voice came through. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Send them out!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi!¡±

    Manager Liang and the rest were then shocked. They realized that quite a lot of people had started to pay attention to themotion, surrounding them. In turn, they quickly responded.

    ¡°Master Qi, this way!¡±

    Manager Liang braced himself as he walked up and indicated for Qi Lei to leave.

    The smile on Qi Lei¡¯s face became wider, yet it looked rather sly. He lowered his body slightly and whispered into Xi Xiaye¡¯s ear, ¡°Are you just going to embarrass me like that? To be honest, this is the first time I¡¯m being this patient with a woman. Why can¡¯t you just see my sincerity?¡±

    Xi Xiaye scoffed, turning away and not even bothering to take a look at him.

    When he saw that Xi Xiaye did not respond, Qi Lei rubbed his nose andughed demonically. ¡°Okay, today I brought a vase out and caused trouble. Don¡¯t be angry. I won¡¯t do this next time, but don¡¯t you dare doubt my sincerity.¡±

    Then, Qi Lei straightened and faintly smiled toward a certain direction behind Xi Xiaye. Then, he abruptly turned and left.

    When the woman saw Qi Lei leave, she groaned and then followed the ck-suited bodyguards.

    When she saw Qi Lei¡¯s figure vanish at the end of the walkway, Mu Lingshi turned to Xi Xiaye and asked softly, ¡°Sis-inw, do you know Qi Lei?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze as it turned sharp. ¡°We have some grudges.¡±

    Hearing this, Mu Lingshi nodded gently, pushing her sunsses that slid down slightly up and contemted for a moment. Then, she said, ¡°If that is so, Sis-inw, I hope that you won¡¯t get too close to someone like him. The Qi family goes deep... In fact, they have grievances with us Mu family...¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was startled. When she was about to ask something, there were already footsteps from behind.

    ¡°Bro!¡±

    The two of them turned to look and saw that Mu Yuchen, Su Chen and the rest were walking over.

    Before they got closer, Su Chen¡¯s voice was heard and it held a hint of hostile sharpness. ¡°Have they left?

 Chapter 317 - Thank You, Missus (2)

    <h4>Chapter 317: Thank You, Missus (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°They¡¯ve left!¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression quickly returned to normal. She shrugged and looked toward the empty walkway. ¡°He¡¯s be even weirder and unfathomablepared to a few years ago. I can¡¯t tell what his motives are.¡±

    Su Chen stopped in front of her and said, ¡°If you could tell, he wouldn¡¯t be Qi Lei. Even I can¡¯t guess what he¡¯s thinking.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, I think he might be here to target you. You should be more careful yourself. I¡¯ve already been watching his entry and exit movements, hoping to find any hints.¡±

    Then, she turned to look at Mu Yuchen whose expression was calm as usual while his eyes shifted mysteriously. ¡°Actually, that incident never ended. Once you returned, they could not hold back either. Okay, it¡¯ste. I¡¯ll be going back first. Same thing, if you need your bro, just let me know,¡± Su Chen said, then lifted a hand to pat Mu Yuchen shoulder before he walked ahead.

    ...

    After Su Chen left, the husband and wife returned to Maple Residence. Along the way, they did not talk much until they reached home and had a simple shower. Xi Xiaye began to prepare the documents for the tender meeting the next day.

    ¡°Actually, Qi Kai¡¯s quite confident about this project too. They¡¯ve spent tonnes of effort this time. They maintained a good partnership with the Han Corporation, which has been doing quite well in developing this ce and they have a good reputation. The coboration of those twopanies is quite a huge pressure on us.¡±

    Xi Xiaye kept the documents in the briefcase as she looked up at him casually lying on the couch in front of the shelves and reading.

    ¡°In fact, in terms of materials, Qi Kai seems to fare better than otherpanies, so I was thinking that even if we get this project, when ites to project materials, the government might still consider Qi Kai. Take Qi Kai¡¯s Lighting City for example. Almost a third of the entire City Z includes them. If they n to develop ording to the proposal, I can¡¯t guarantee the government will immediately ept the musical fountain...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue, but Mu Yuchen understood what she meant.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see what happens at tomorrow¡¯s meeting. Even if that is so, that¡¯s just a small part of it. Give that part of the proposal to them and let them squander it.¡±

    Then, he closed the book in his hand and slowly stood up before walking towards her.

    Xi Xiaye, who was tidying up, saw him standing by her side and looking at her with a darkened gaze, so she asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Pack these things up tomorrow. We only start at 9.30 a.m. tomorrow, so let¡¯s rest earlier tonight, hmm?¡±

    He took the documents in her hand and set it aside on the table. Before Xi Xiaye could react, he had already grabbed her by the waist and was walking towards the bedroom.

    The husband and wifey underneath the nket. Suddenly, Xi Xiaye asked while watching the muslin curtains that swayed gently above, ¡°Are you unhappy? Because of Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± He answered very quickly.

    ¡°Because you¡¯ve been frowning ever since we left the club. All the way you didn¡¯t talk to me either. I want to know what happened... Why would Qi Lei have such prejudice against you, and...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she turned to look at him, yet she saw that he had already closed his eyes and did not respond.

    When she noticed this, she could not help but feel a coldness sh through her. She sighed and did not continue as she watched him for a while, then turned away with her back facing him.

    Quite a while after that, when Mu Yuchen did not hear her continue, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. When he saw that she had his back towards him, his eyes hardened. Without hesitation, he reached out and rolled her over, then pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    Xi Xiaye ignored him. She just struggled and pulled her nket, yet he had locked her down firmly. ¡°This isn¡¯t a good habit. You¡¯re not allowed to turn your back towards me...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you,¡± she said, her tone clearly sounding upset and unhappy. Mu Yuchen could not help but chuckle at this. He slowly reached up to touch her head, and said softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I won¡¯t tell you. Some things are too remote. You¡¯ve got to let me think about how I should tell you about it.¡±

    ¡°Then, why won¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s up?¡± She nced up at him from his embrace.

    ¡°It¡¯s all unhappy things... I remember that I told you about Lingtian¡¯s ident before. Do you remember?¡± He said softly, his still eyes seeming vaguely sorrowful and dazed.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s Lingshi¡¯s brother. You said that he passed away in a car ident...¡±

    ¡°That night was a rainy night, and the roads were slippery. After the car brushed past a truck, it skidded straight down the steep slope. Lingtian passed away right away. As for the other two people in the car, one of them is Qi Kai¡¯s eldest son and Qi Lei¡¯s elder brother, Qi Feng. You might not have heard about him. He was a new performer in the business world and was pretty talented. He joined the business world a few years before me while I¡¯d just retired from the military quite recently then. Grandfather arranged for me to further my studies in New York, and I was tasked to handle the branchpany over there...¡±

    Qi Feng!

    When she heard this name, Xi Xiaye was startled. She had been paying attention to this name for the past few days. To say that he was the Prince Charming among the many youngdies who were from prestigious families in City Z would not be an exaggeration!

    Just like how Mu Yuchen was right now!

    Not only did he have an outstanding appearance, but he was also brimming with talent and was all-powerful in the business world.

    ¡°When we rushed over, we could only see that Lingtian had died horribly. He was lifted out by the police from the car while Qi Feng had gone missing. We heard that the Qi family had arrived in time and saved him. They said that Qi Feng was very severely hurt. After that, the Qi family just locked down all the news from being leaked outside, and then we didn¡¯t hear much after that. There are many rumors that said Qi Feng didn¡¯t make it back then. When the car ident happened, Lingshi and Ah Mo were in the car chasing them. After the truck smashed into Lingtian¡¯s car, it crashed into Lingshi¡¯s car, so...¡±

    ¡°You said that there were two other people in Lingtian¡¯s car. One was Qi Feng, so who was the other person? How¡¯s that person now? Did they pass away too?¡± Xi Xiaye very quickly caught onto the keyword.

    When Xi Xiaye asked this question, Mu Yuchen¡¯s arm around her waist froze. He was immediately shrouded in chilly air, and there was a gloominess that could not be concealed in his eyes.

 Chapter 318 - Thank You, Missus (3)

    <h4>Chapter 318: Thank You, Missus (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye felt doubtful when she saw him like this. She just looked at him quietly as a warm light crossed her eyes.

    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a while, he opened them and returned to his usual calmness.

    ¡°It was a woman,¡± he said quietly as he looked at her genuinely. ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m not looking into who¡¯s at fault here, I won¡¯t deny what I¡¯ve done in the past as well. If telling you these can help you understand the truth better, I¡¯m more than willing to tell you...¡±

    She was stunned for a moment as she blinked several times. After giving it some thought, she seemed to understand something. ¡°A woman? You liked that woman before? Or was she someone who loved you?¡±

    He suddenlyughed as he studied her with his quiet eyes when he patted her head. He shook his head and said, ¡°Nope, we¡¯ve just met a few times. How could that happen?¡±

    She narrowed her eyes at him and said, ¡°Who knows? It might be love at first sight!¡±

    ¡°She likes Qi Feng, and if I¡¯m not mistaken, Qi Lei was making advances at me most probably because of her. Qi Lei¡¯s feelings for her were no lesser than Qi Feng. Back then, Qi Feng and Lingtian were good friends...¡±

    As he was reminded about the tough past, his eyes darkened and he suddenly stopped talking.

    After a moment of silence, Xi Xiaye said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t ask about this anymore. Whether you¡¯re right or wrong about this, I¡¯ll fully support you...¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± He asked as he looked at her smiling face.

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down. She left a soft kiss on his lips before whispering beside into ears, ¡°Because what I want is very simple. As long as you¡¯re good to me, I¡¯d do anything for you.¡±

    Her words were clear and her straightforwardness melted his heart. He hugged her tightly, his vision bing clear as he looked at her. His voice turned gentle. ¡°Thank you, Missus.¡±

    Those words were enough for him. There was a moment that he hoped he could have met her much earlier. Then, he would not have had to feel so lonely all this while.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we talk about not saying those two words again?¡±

    She smiled and poked his forehead yfully. ¡°Don¡¯t be unhappy, Mr. Mu. You¡¯re always the undefeatable god in my heart. You¡¯re my faith...¡±

    Her words turned his heart even softer. He feltforted and touched.

    It might be hard to believe, but he was not a person to feel easily touched, yet he had experienced this several times with her. Somehow, he discovered a lot of new emotions that were brought forth by her.

    ¡°Undefeatable god? Your faith, huh?¡± He repeated her words, yet his eyes never moved away from her pretty little face.

    She nodded and looked at him seriously. ¡°I hope that our life can be simpler and braver unlike my parents¡¯. I told Lingshi not to let things wait too long and fight for the present, so I believe that being with you isn¡¯t wrong.¡±

    With just these words, it was more than enough for him to offer everything he had to treat her well. He should tell her that he would love her forever.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not wrong. I won¡¯t let you feel that it¡¯s wrong,¡± he mumbled quietly as he embraced her, and they stayed like that for quite some time.

    He could not verbalize it, but at this moment, he felt sweetness rise inside. How he wished he could merge together with her!

    After a while, she mumbled under him, ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m finding it a little difficult to breathe.¡±

    He swiftly came back to his senses and let go of her. He asked gently, ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± He felt guilty when he saw her rubbing her arms.

    She did not reply his question and said instead, ¡°I said that you¡¯re my god...¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°I know, Missus.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows as she looked at him intently.

    Mu Yuchen was startled as he looked at her in doubt. ¡°Then, what?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you say that I¡¯m your goddess?¡± She stood straight up and looked at him with a pout, putting up a tough front.

    ¡°Huh? Is that how it works... Ah!¡±

    ¡°Are you saying it or not?¡±

    ¡°Yes! You¡¯re my goddess! Goddess...¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    ¡°Missus, your strength has reached another level. Let¡¯s not y this ever again.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Can I ask you onest question?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Is that woman prettier than me?¡± She was still feeling insecure.

    ¡°She has a very long way to gopared to you!¡± He replied almost instantly.

    Xi Xiaye was finally at ease with his answer. After giving it some thought, ¡°Mr. Mu, I have onest question. Is that woman your childhood friend?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any young childhood friend. I have a super close friend though.¡±

    He looked at her with a wicked smile on his face. ¡°Who?¡±

    Her face was strained as her eyes darkened. ¡°You!¡±

    ...

    It was 7 a.m. when the man woke up the next day. He woke up half an hour earlier than Xi Xiaye to go down to make breakfast after washing up while she continued sleeping.

    She would let him handle all the kitchen work whenever he was at home since her cooking skills were mediocre anyway.

    She changed into a in-colored dress today, tying her long hair up. Unlike her usual days when she wore her business suit, she looked much more elegant.

    He was satisfied with his own taste, d to see that she looked great in the outfit he had bought for her.

    When she came downstairs for breakfast, Mu Yuchen¡¯s quiet eyes glittered upon seeing her.

 Chapter 319 - Tender Meeting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 319: Tender Meeting (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What are you looking at? Do I look good in this?¡± Xi Xiaye put her briefcase on the chair as she did a turn in front of him. He handed her a napkin with a smile on his face.

    ¡°It looks good. The colors are great.¡± He sat down.

    Xi Xiayeid open the napkin and started eating her breakfast.

    Li Si appeared on time as the couple was done with their breakfast. There were also two bodyguards in ck suits behind him.

    ¡°Good morning, Master, Missus!¡± They greeted respectfully.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. He turned around and looked at Xi Xiaye who was checking on the documents again. ¡°We¡¯ll head right over there. We¡¯re not going to the office.¡±

    ¡°Noted, President Mu!¡± Li Si replied.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s briefcase and handed it to Li Si before heading outside.

    The car went straight to their destination. Even though they had done plenty of analysis and preparation, Xi Xiaye still could not help but feel anxious at this moment.

    It was her first time handling such a tremendous project, after all. The huge amount of estimated tender she calcted gave herself a big shock.

    Needless to say, a lot of money would be involved since it was a priority project from the government, but inside City Z, only the huge, capablepanies would be able to take on this project. She saw the project listings. The total funds involved was eight hundred billion dors, and the South River project took up nearly half of it.

    The South River project she was handling was only a small part known as South River 1. The whole theme was to ¡°build a new city in the south¡±.

    Many industries were involved. Even after the proposal phase was over, there would still be a lot of work to do after that. They needed to invite partners and carry out many other misceneous processes, which was partly why Xi Xiaye wanted to dy their wedding.

    However, since he did not want to, she did not have any objections as well as long as they were happy.

    It was a quarter past nine when they arrived at their destination. They reached right on time.

    The parking lot was full, and the entrance was heavily secured. They could only enter after a thorough identity check.

    The tender was happening in the meeting hall on the 17th floor. There were several other big projects simr to South River 1 happening together, so a huge crowd was gathered.

    The meeting hall was fully seated. The screen in front disyed the topic for the day while many important leaders from the government sat in front, including Xi Mushan. When he saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, he gave them a curt nod, and Xi Xiaye smiled back at him.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s seats were at the very front. As they sat down, they noticed the seats beside theirs were for Qikai, and that Qi Lei was right there!

    Qi Lei gave Xi Xiaye a wide grin when he saw her.

    Mu Yuchen did not see Qi Lei. Instead, he lowered his head and was looking through some documents Li Si had just handed him.

    Soon, it was 9.30 a.m. Xi Mushan and the others on the stage stopped talking as the tender officially began.

    The host started off with a round of greeting and introduction of the guests, eliciting a loud round of apuse from the crowd.

    ¡°The one on your left is Wang Ziluo from the Wang Corporation. He just took over thepany not long ago. They are pretty good. When the New Era za justunched, Grandfather thought they were quite reliable, but for some reason, we didn¡¯t really get to work with each other in the end.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced over at the person beside Mu Yuchen as she told Mu Yuchen quietly.

    ¡°The Wang Corporation? Wang Ziluo? The guy who had a crush on you for many years?¡± He demanded.

    Mu Yuchen only noticed the person beside him when she mentioned him. He saw Wang Ziluo was leering at Xi Xiaye and it made him displeased. He put his arms over her shoulder, exerting his dominance on the spot.

    Xi Xiaye red at him and pushed his hand away. ¡°It¡¯s a public venue. Be more serious.¡±

    ¡°What now? I¡¯m very serious and calm right now. Smiling at you like that seemed silly. I hope you don¡¯t like him...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that! I¡¯m reminding you to keep an eye on them. We need to look for partners in the future. They can be an excellent choice.¡±

    ¡°I notice that you¡¯re really a man ma, aren¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t you tell them that we¡¯re married? The ring on your hand is just for show, huh?¡±

    Mr. Mu was really irritated with Wang Ziluo. As he wanted to shoot daggers at him, the host finished with the introductions. Coming up was the South River 1 project.

    The host spoke through the mic, ¡°Bidders, please confirm your documents once again. Check if it¡¯s undamaged, and sign it before submitting it to us. Otherwise, we¡¯ll assume that it¡¯s fine by default. All the bidders for the South River 1 project, pleasee forward!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xiaye, who nodded at him and went forward. At the same time, Qi Lei went together with her.

    It only took Qi Lei a few steps to catch up with Xiaye. The two of them walked beside each other for a couple of seconds when Qi Lei asked quietly, ¡°Do you think Qi Kai or Glory World will win this time, Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you know when the results are revealed?¡± Xi Xiaye replied coldly.

    ¡°Xiaye, you have a huge misunderstanding towards me. Because of you, that woman nagged me throughoutst night, and I endured all of it. Geez, can¡¯t you be friendlier to me?¡±

    Qi Lei grinned. When he looked at her serious face with her pink cheeks, he thought that she was really cute.

    Xi Xiaye stared at him. ¡°I can¡¯t be friendly to people that I hate, Vice President Qi. I notice that you¡¯re quite a narcissistic person!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s smile grew even wider and Xi Xiaye looked away. She checked the document again before signing it.

    Without looking at Qi Lei again, she turned around and went back.

    As she passed him coldly, Qi Lei touched his nose. He turned around and looked at her back. Instead, he caught sight of Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep, dark eyes.

 Chapter 320 - Bid Meeting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 320: Bid Meeting (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There was suddenly the smell of gunpowder in the air, especially with Qi Lei¡¯s eyes that suddenly turned cold and sharp. Xi Xiaye was startled by this sight too. She looked at Mu Yuchen, and he seemed calm. He only took one look at Qi Lei before he lowered his gaze and continued flipping through the documents in his hand.

    Xi Xiaye quickly returned to her seat.

    The bidders upfront promptly finished confirming the documents and signing them. Then, the host announced that all of the bidders¡¯ documents were valid.

    ¡°Next up, I¡¯ll invite the staff to open the bidders¡¯ documents ording to the time that they handed it in, and then deliver it to the notary office for inspection.¡±

    The moment the host finished, those tightly sealed documents were opened and delivered to the rostrum upfront for the leaders to browse and examine.

    Xi Mushan was very seriously browsing through the documents in his hand. From time to time, he discussed something with the people beside him.

    ¡°There are manypanies joining the tender this time. Over there is Kang Wei Co. I heard that they had a very close working rtionship with Qi Kai previously, but because of a project, they fell out, so now the twopanies seem to have a very fragile rtionship.¡±

    Being observant was a necessity for them in the business world, so Xi Xiaye was very sensitive to such information.

    Mu Yuchen looked up from the documents and said inly, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as enemies forever in the business world. Neither is there anything such as friends forever. Only interest is forever.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong; such as how Glory World has had many close partners in business all these years, but we¡¯ve also be a thorn in the side of manypanies.¡±

    Mu Yuchen understood what Xi Xiaye was implying. She turned to look at him and saw that Qi Lei was saying something to his assistant, yet his gaze kept looking over to them.

    ¡°Master Qi, Mu Yuchen returned yesterday night. I¡¯ve confirmed that he is indeed married to Xi Xiaye. This morning, I called the Civil Affairs Bureau to confirm that. In fact, this South River 1 project has been left in Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands throughout and I heard that she had made the proposal very early on. Mu Yuchen appreciated her very much.¡± Assistant Yang Sheng was ncing over at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye at the moment as he reported.

    ¡°Such difference in treatment!¡± Qi Lei watched them, yet he faintly smiled as he rubbed his nose.

    Yang Sheng hesitated and could not help but express his opinion, ¡°Master Qi, they¡¯ve registered for their marriage at the end ofst year. If I calcte the time, it should be after Han Yifeng proposed to Xi Xinyi. I remember it back then... Do you think that there¡¯s an inside story to their marriage?¡±

    ¡°Inside story? What inside story could there be?¡± Qi Lei listened and immediately squinted at Yang Sheng. ¡°I can see that this Mu Yuchen is very sweet to her, but...¡±

    This woman was quite interesting. She was very different from all the women he had met before.

    When Qi Lei thought about this, he could not help but stare contemtively at Xi Xiaye again.

    ¡°Master Qi, if we can get the South River project this time, it¡¯ll be a p in Mu Yuchen¡¯s face. Glory World and the Li Corporation developing a Movie City has made the President very upset. The Li Corporation doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate favors. Previously, the President has tried to meet up with them quite a few times, but they vaguely rejected, and now they are unexpectedly coborating with Glory World.¡± As Yang Sheng spoke, he started to look sour too.

    ¡°The Li Corporation and Glory World do have a pretty solid rtionship. It¡¯s the old man who¡¯s indulging in his wild imaginations, so it¡¯ll do him good to be a little angry.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, do you think Glory World...?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask too much. Just watch and you¡¯ll know.¡±

    Qi Lei saw that Mu Yuchen did not even care about them. He remained casual and calm, yet he could not help but feel angry although he concealed it well. His grip tightened onto the table before him and he lowered his gaze to conceal that sh of coldness. There was even hatred!

    Before they could have any further thoughts, the host began the fifth agenda of the meeting.

    ¡°Now, we will begin to call for bids. We have our first bidder, Kang Wei Co. Their bid is XXXX million with an estimatedpletion date of XXX days. The quality of the project qualifies.¡±

    ¡°The second bidder is Zhongyu Huaxin Group. Their bid is XXXX million...¡±

    ...

    When the host read such huge amounts of bids, everyone gasped. After all, with such a huge project, the funds that needed to be allocated would be a surmountable number.

    With quite a fewpanies down, their bids did not vary much, so the difference was not very drastic.

    Xi Xiaye watched the data and information on the electronic screens. From time to time, she would discuss with Mu Yuchen beside her. ¡°It looks like the bids are about the same. So are the projectpletion dates too. Zhongyu Huaxin Group was still a medium-sized firm a few years ago. Unexpectedly, they¡¯ve been developing rather quickly in recent years.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been going through intense reforms in the past few years. They are specialized in developing, so they¡¯re pretty stable.¡±

    ...

    ¡°The seventh bidder, Glory World Corporation with a bid of...¡±

    ¡°The eight bidder, Qi Kai Corporation with a bid of...¡±

    When the host finished reading out the final twopanies, the whole ce fell silent!

    When she heard the announced figures, Xi Xiaye could not help but raise her brows in surprise. She looked at Mu Yuchen. ¡°This is not the proposal I prepared. Did you...¡±

    ¡°I made some slight changes. Let¡¯s see the results.¡± Mu Yuchen was calm as usual.

    When they confirmed the signatures once again, it was time to review the bids. The crowd fell silent for a while, then everyone began to whisper to one another.

    Quite a while passed before the host began to speak again. ¡°This time, we¡¯re using the average scores to review the bids. The judging will be based on the bids, skills and capability, and the promise of service. We will run the average score, and the scoring rules are as shown on screen. Ladies and gentlemen, the final results are out. Announcing from the highest to the lowest score, in first ce is Glory World Corporation with an overall score of 98.2. Second ce goes to Qi Kai, with an overall score of 98. In third ce...¡±

    When the host read out the scores and she heard Glory World was first, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. She could not help but grin and turn to Mu Yuchen, who smiled calmly at her.

    ¡°How wonderful, Mr. Mu!¡±

    She smiled in delight and her eyes looked at him, filled with an admiration that could not be concealed. ¡°How did you know? Did you make some changes? Previously, didn¡¯t you hand in that document? This sounds like the data we came up with at first. You...¡±

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯ve worked hard, but I still trust in my first instincts.¡±

 Chapter 321 - Bid Meeting (3)

    <h4>Chapter 321: Bid Meeting (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The moment she heard this, Xi Xiaye could not help but be stumped. She gasped. ¡°You¡¯re so daring! The documents after that were data that everyone got from detailed analysis, but you changed it by yourself. Wouldn¡¯t all our hard work from before be...?¡±

    ¡°Every choice we make is a gamble. I¡¯m willing to go with my gut feeling, but naturally, all of your hard work won¡¯t go to waste either,¡± Mu Yuchen responded mysteriously, his gaze subconsciously looking at Qi Lei. Xi Xiaye was startled as she followed his gaze and looked over too. Indeed, she saw Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face that had darkened!

    ¡°You were guarding it against him?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then came to a realization. She thought about the document from before. Indeed, if they had used that, then...

    Because of the fact that he could be so calm with such high stakes, she could not help but admire him.

    After the announcement of the bidders, there were soon congrattory wishes. Even Xi Mushan smiled and nodded at them from up front.

    Next up, there were several other project tenders that continued. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye listened intensely, privately taking note of certainpanies.

    When the tender meeting ended, it was already close to noon, and it was time for a break.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye waited until almost everyone left before they got up to pack up. They still had to discuss the concrete matters in the afternoon, so the husband and wife decided to go straight to Imperial Sky Hotel which was not far away for lunch. It was easy to get to and it was in the city centre.

    ¡°Master, Missus, I¡¯ve already gotten them to prepare the dishes. Miss Lingshi is at the Mu residence, not the club.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was initially going to call Mu Lingshi along too.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he took over the documents in Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and handed it to Li Si to arrange. Then, he took Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and said softly, ¡°Just let them send it straight to the room. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had an exclusive suite for himself over there.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    With this response, the husband and wife vanished out of the door.

    However, just as they walked out of the meeting hall and turned at a corner on the way to the elevator, they bumped into Qi Lei who was waiting at the walkway!

    Mu Yuchen slowed down as he nced up slightly and indifferently at Qi Lei who was leaning against the wall. His still eyes were shifting with a mixed light. It looked vaguely sharp with a dim light.

    Xi Xiaye could feel his fingers that were interlocked with hers tighten. When she looked up at him, she noticed that he seemed quiet. His eyes squinted and he was watching Qi Lei calmly. You could not tell if he felt anything else.

    ¡°Long time no see, Master Mu!¡±

    Leaning against the wall, Qi Lei grinned with a demonic charm. He leisurely pulled up his sleeve a little and caressed the cufflinks on them before he flicked his fingers. ¡°I was wondering how much longer were you nning on hiding. How is it? Have the nightmares been difficult to get rid of these past few years? Have you been dreaming of your life beingmanded?¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face turned frigid. A cold light shed through his narrowed eyes. Moments after that, he chuckled calmly, ¡°Second Master Qi? Long time no see. Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯ve never believed in the supernatural?¡±

    Qi Lei instantly raised his brows, lifting a hand to brush his brows, yet his gaze that swept across Mu Yuchen was cold as ice. He could not help butugh. ¡°It looks like you have a clear conscience and no guilt at all. Your little sister... Oh no, it should be your cousin, whom I¡¯ve met. With such a huge scar on her face, she¡¯s considered ruined. Gee, how could you be this calm?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be calm? Back then it was your brother, Qi Feng that provoked me first. I gave them a chance eight years ago, but they didn¡¯t want it themselves. You knew very well what the Gu family was nning. They wanted to plot against me, Mu Yuchen, so I had to make them pay a price,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly. His still eyes were condensed with silence, making him unfathomable.

    ¡°How vicious of you, Mu Yuchen!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes shed with a crisp light as his gaze fixated on Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face.

    Mu Yuchen did not object and smiled nonchntly. ¡°Vicious? If I had trampled on all of you, and you let me seed, would you all be willing? I would never have provoked anyone. Years ago, for Lingtian¡¯s sake, I was willing to let your brother, Qi Feng, be with Gu Lingsha. The Gu family had given up Gu Lingsha to coborate with the Qi family. When the deed was done, you¡¯d have disposed of me. Aren¡¯t you guys the vicious ones?¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, don¡¯t forget that Shasha is...¡±

    ¡°Is what? Did you think that I would be a fool? Or did all of you overestimate Gu Lingsha?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled naturally, ying it down as he looked at Qi Lei. Then, he held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and walked over.

    ¡°But if it weren¡¯t for you, they would¡¯ve been fine. Mu Lingtian wouldn¡¯t have died, and Mu Lingshi wouldn¡¯t have been disfigured all because you said that you¡¯d look into it and not let go, Mu Yuchen!¡±

    Seeing Mu Yuchen pass by, Qi Lei turned around and quickly ran up. His eyes were hidden with surging emotions, and his gaze bright as lightning!

    ¡°In fact, did you know that Shasha was already... All of these weren¡¯t her real intentions!¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t her real intentions? If I¡¯d just ended you, and then said it wasn¡¯t my real intention, how would you feel? Second Master Qi, I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t someone that naive. You¡¯ve been around in the business field for so many years now. Don¡¯t you know that someone like me would only see the oue and not care about the process?¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned. He looked at Mu Yuchen gloomily and did not answer.

    Mu Yuchen still confidently looked at him, then continued walking ahead with Xi Xiaye, ignoring him.

    Xi Xiaye just let him pull her away, without saying anything at all. She was just confused.

    <i>Gu Lingsha?</i>

    <i>This should be that woman he had mentioned before!</i>

    He pulled her into the elevator, feeling dazed. Downstairs, when they walked out of the office building, Xi Xiaye finally could not help but long to ask him about it. However, unexpectedly, she just looked up when she saw that the two leaders were chatting with Xi Mushan downstairs.

    Xi Mushan quickly noticed Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, so he said to the two people before him, ¡°Let¡¯s just do that first. If there are any issues, just call my office.¡± The two of them very quickly nodded and left.

    ¡°Xiaye, Ah Chen!¡± Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had just walked down the stairs when Xi Mushan waved to them.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, pulling herself free from Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand, and walked two steps ahead. She calmly answered, ¡°Father.¡±

    Behind her, Mu Yuchen greeted as well, ¡°Father.¡±

 Chapter 322 - Wedding (1)

    <h4>Chapter 322: Wedding (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan nodded while Li Si and the others behind Mu Yuchen greeted him as well.

    ¡°How is it? You guys got the project! Everyone¡¯s very satisfied with the capability of yourpany. Don¡¯t let us down,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best since we got it,¡± Xi Xiaye answered.

    ¡°It was a close win against Qi Kai this time, but well, you guys got it in the end.¡± There was a slight softness in Xi Mushan¡¯s words as his usually serious expression rxed and there was an unexinable emotion in his eyes. No one could tell whether it was kindness or concern.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the sky. The sun was dazzling as he said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s lunch. We¡¯ve made preparations at Imperial Sky Hotel. Father should go over with us as well.¡±

    Xi Mushan waved his hand and smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t go with you guys then. I promised to visit the South River with a few others. They¡¯re probably waiting for me now. You guys can go ahead without me.¡±

    Xi Mushan turned away slightly and waved at his secretary Ah Hui, who quickly drove the car over.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded. ¡°Okay then, take care, Father.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re free,e home sometime. Your grandfather hasn¡¯t been feeling well the past few days. He was put on drips yesterday. You can give me a call first before going back. Alright, I¡¯ll be leaving now!¡±

    Xi Mushan then went into his car.

    Thud!

    The door closed and the car swiftly went away.

    ¡°Get into the car!¡± Mu Yuchen said gently after a while. Xi Xiaye came back to her senses. Li Si and the others were already there with the car.

    ...

    It was not that far away between the building and Imperial Sky Hotel; it was just about ten minutes away.

    When they arrived at the room, the hotel manager had the dishes ready, after they had lunch, Xi Xiayeid down on the sofa to watch television, while Mu Yuchen spoke to Vice President Zhang Lan on the phone.

    ¡°We¡¯ll head back to the Mu Residence tonight. We have to tell them about the wedding. You need to get some rest in the next few days. Think about where you¡¯d like to take our wedding photos. Li Si has already found a photographer for us.¡±

    He went to her after hanging up on the phone call. Sitting beside her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and made her lie down on hisp.

    ¡°So quickly? I haven¡¯t even picked a wedding dress...¡±

    She averted her gaze away from the television screen towards him. At the same time, she picked a grape and put it into his mouth.

    He was startled for a moment as he raised his eyebrows. Then, he looked downward at her and opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡±

    After eating a grape, he grabbed the handkerchief on the table and wiped his mouth. ¡°The designer wille and get our sizes soon. We¡¯ll just make several sets. For now, let¡¯s just make the outfits for our wedding day.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a few days of vacation. I don¡¯t want to go very far. Actually, we could just take the wedding photos at home. The sceneries at Maple Residence are pretty beautiful. We¡¯ll go to the other ces during our honeymoon. What do you think? We can always retake another set in the future if we want to.¡±

    She gave it some thought before voicing out her opinion because she did not want to make things troublesome.

    ¡°We can enjoy a few days of extra holiday by then.¡± He smiled as he ran his fingers through her long hair, a pleasant scent lingering around his nose. Her scent was absolutely mesmerizing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ve decided that we¡¯ll take the photos around the Grand Waves Vi area. The scenery there is pretty, and getting our photos near our home feels quite intimate. Mmm... We¡¯ll pick a day with glorious weather, and get a set of sunset-themed wedding photos.¡±

    It was still about time. He had been pretty busytely and he should be rxing at home during the holidays. They still had plenty of chances to travel anyway.

    He saw her determined face and just nodded. ¡°Up to you then. We¡¯ll get some extra sets done when we¡¯re on our honeymoon.¡±

    She nodded as she grabbed her phone. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll call Grandmother now. We can get off work earlier today. Shall we go back earlier and make everyone dinner?¡± Her eyes brightened up as she gazed at him for permission. Her eyes were like the stars in the sky.

    Heughed. ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re going to make dinner, and not just me?¡±

    ring at him, Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I can at least help out, right? And I¡¯m doing this for your sake. Your grandparents and parents care about us so much. What¡¯s wrong with us doing something for them? Shouldn¡¯t we be grateful for what they do for us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled again. He could feel her gentleness and sensitivity. She always protected these things so carefully, and she cared a lot about rtionship with family.

    As she suddenly remembered something, she looked at him withplexity in her eyes. ¡°Right, I also...¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go back to visit your grandfather?¡± He could guess what she thought just by looking at her. It felt like he could always see right through her.

    Xi Xiaye turned her head over and looked back at the television screen. ¡°I¡¯m a little uneasy. Either way, I should head back and take a look.¡±

    She had actually listened to what Xi Mushan said just now. ¡°Can youe with me? I don¡¯t want to be alone...¡±

    She would surely bump into Deng Wenwen and the others if she went back. She did not want to see their faces and just want to meet Xi Jiyang and Xi Jishan only. Now, since they were having their wedding soon, she should not make Mu Yuchen feel like a secret lover.

    She looked at him and said quietly, ¡°I¡¯ll get Li Si to prepare some gifts in a few days. We¡¯ll visit them this weekend. At the same time, we¡¯ll inform Father of our wedding, okay?¡±

    A beautiful smile appeared on her face and she nodded before calling the Mu Residence.

 Chapter 323 - Wedding (2)

    <h4>Chapter 323: Wedding (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the Mu Residence received the call from Xi Xiaye and knew that they wereing back home, Wang Hui was overjoyed, especially when she heard Xi Xiaye say Mu Yuchen was going to cook. A wide smile appeared on her face.

    Naturally, Wang Hui knew Mu Yuchen¡¯s personality. He was quiet even at home and had always used a distant tone when talking to them. Therefore, of course, she would be thrilled when Xi Xiaye told her he would be cooking for the whole family.

    She quickly asked the chauffeur to get ready after she hung up on the call. She wanted to get the ingredients herself. Rousing Mu Yinan up, the two of them went out together.

    They even called Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong, informing them to head back earlier tonight.

    On the way towards a supermarket near the Mu Residence, the old couple got down from the car halfway. Wang Hui noticed that the weather was pretty great, so she wanted to take a stroll. Mu Yinan went with her.

    They walked side by side under the warm sun.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think there¡¯re some huge changes happening to Chen Ertely? I heard from Lingshi that his mood is much better than before now. At least he smiles from time to time, so I guess he has finally let it go,¡± Wang Hui suddenly said quietly as they were strolling. There was some disappointment in her voice. ¡°I hope the kids can really get past it. Look at Ah Mo and Lingshi. I¡¯m so worried about them!¡±

    ¡°Let the children work out their issues. Do you think they¡¯ll listen to your nagging? They can solve their own problems. I¡¯ve never even seen you worrying about me.¡±

    Mu Yinan stared at her and said, ¡°I think we¡¯re getting really old and we don¡¯t know how the kids think. In their words, our thoughts are outdated. There¡¯s just too much of a barrier between us, right?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Times were much simpler back then. I like you, you like me, then I ask for an engagement, and that¡¯s it. We get used to things after going through it after a while. Who cares that much about love?¡±

    He nced at his old wife and she shot him a cold stare. ¡°I¡¯m going to make this clear. I only married you because you seemed okay. You swore that you¡¯d love me with all your life! What¡¯s this barrier now? I don¡¯t think we have any issuesmunicating with our children. I know perfectly what they are thinking about.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! How could I have said something like that? You were dreaming, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Mu Yinan was not going to admit it, but he blushed a little. ¡°However, don¡¯t you think Xiaye is really a superb granddaughter-inw? I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on her when you mentioned that she¡¯s the granddaughter of an oldrade of yours. Luckily, she didn¡¯t let us down. I knew all along that she¡¯d be great!¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure whatever. If it weren¡¯t for you, there wouldn¡¯t have been so many issues in this family. Remember that you caused the problem with the Gu family, and Ah Rong almost went against yo. Don¡¯t you cause any trouble again. If Chen Er hadn¡¯t been there for you, we¡¯d have been done for!¡±

    Wang Hui sighed, ¡°Now, I¡¯m just worried about Ah Mo and Lingshi. Just when can they let go of the past?¡±

    ¡°About Ah Shi, it¡¯s going to be difficult for her to ovee Lingtian¡¯s incident...¡±

    Mu Yinan¡¯s gray eyebrows frowned as an indescribable gloom appeared in his eyes. Just as he was about to say something, Wang Hui stopped him. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about these things anymore. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Mu Yinan halted his steps. He raised his head and as expected, he saw Wang Hui¡¯s clouded expression, he felt heartache and a terrible feeling welled up inside him.

    ...

    It was evening and the sun was hanging on the west side of the sky. The whole city was brightened by the warm light, and everything was peaceful along with the evening breeze.

    A car was driving towards the Mu Residence. When they arrived home, Wang Hui had already ordered the servants to get the ingredients prepared. They were just waiting for them to show off their skills.

    Xi Xiaye was washing her hands when she saw Wang Hui still in the kitchen. She gently pushed her out as she nagged, ¡°Grandmother, go rx with Grandfather. I¡¯ll help Ah Chen out here.¡±

    ¡°I can help out too. Are you guys really okay? There are so many dishes!¡± Wang Hui sounded worried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry and leave it to us. He does it most of the time at Maple Residence. It¡¯s still pretty early. You can go have some tea or y chess with Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    After she finally sent Wang Hui out, she turned around and saw the man was already preparing the steaks. Xi Xiaye watched quietly beside him and noticed that it was quite a pleasant scene to look upon.

    The man turned around and looked at her as he spoke quietly, ¡°What are you looking at? Do I have flowers growing out of my head? Get me two tes.¡±

    With a smile, she said, ¡°Actually, I think you¡¯re much more attractive than flowers, Mr. Mu. You¡¯re a good househusband.¡±

    ¡°You only realize that now? You¡¯ve eaten so many of my meals before up until now. This is really tough for me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes at her before going back to cooking.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want topliment you too much. By the way, as I predicted, the music fountain and outdoor lighting decorations for the South River project have been handed over to Qi Kai, what should we do? We probably have to deal with them in the future.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was suddenly reminded of what happened this afternoon when talking to the government personnel.

    ¡°What else can we do? They should be the ones who are worried, not us. They¡¯ll need us to verify their work after their done. Don¡¯t you think they should be the ones who are anxious?¡±

    He was pretty calm, but she...

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think Qi Lei is really weird? He looks like he¡¯s hiding a lot. I don¡¯t like to deal with people like him.¡± She grabbed two tes from the cupboard when she spoke, handing them over.

    ¡°There¡¯s me to watch over it, isn¡¯t there? What can he do anyway? If you don¡¯t like him, just don¡¯t get involved with him then. Let your subordinates do it.¡±

    ¡°You act like it¡¯s none of your business. I¡¯m the one worrying here...¡± She stared at him.

    ¡°Just be yourself and face any changes as theye. Don¡¯t panic. There will always be a solution to every problem. You strain yourself too much, and in the end, you¡¯ll be the only one who suffers.¡±

 Chapter 324 - Wedding (3)

    <h4>Chapter 324: Wedding (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As they were just done with preparing dinner, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong stepped into the house. Mu Lingshi came back as well, and the family soon gathered around the dining table.

    Before Mu Yuchen mentioned the wedding, Mu Tangchuan asked about the tender meeting. Mu Yinan joined the conversation from time to time as well. All in all, the atmosphere was peaceful.

    After dinner, the family watched television together. Mu Lingshi grabbed some of the fruits Xi Xiaye handed her as she teased, ¡°Sister-inw, I noticed that after Brother married you, he became much friendlier. He wasn¡¯t like this before.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she put the te of fruits onto the table. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get him toe home to make dinner more often.¡±

    She looked over at the man as he was doing the same as well. He lowered his voice and said beside her ear, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about how you enved me at home. Are you turning me into my whole family¡¯s ve? Are you really my Mrs. Mu?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and nodded firmly. ¡°Of course, don¡¯t you see that your grandparents and parents are very happy? What¡¯s wrong with doing a little more on your end? In my heart, you¡¯re always an elegant gentleman.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had no words to respond with. He sipped some tea and calmed down. ¡°The happiness of everyone here is built with my effort, huh?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Ah Shi, are you familiar with things around the club now? Ah Mo called us to remind you not to exhaust yourself too much.¡± Mu Yinan¡¯s kind voice reached her, and everyone looked over at Mu Lingshi. Inevitably, Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes darkened while the long scar on her facey dormant.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Sister-inw is looking after me. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Mu Lingshi replied briefly after a while.

    Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan exchanged nces. After some hesitation, she said, ¡°Ah Shi, your father and I aren¡¯t going to say anything, but we hope that you can reconsider, and not leave any room for regrets.¡±

    Mu Lingshi nodded as she turned back at Xi Xiaye with a smile. Xi Xiaye smiled back. ¡°I know, Father, Mother. You guys don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll reconsider things between Ah Mo and me.¡±

    Wang Hui nodded. ¡°Good then. We won¡¯t interfere with you young people¡¯s affairs. The idea of freedom is dominating now. It¡¯s still the same for me. As long as it¡¯s not viting any of our core values, you can do anything you want.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that won¡¯t happen. We¡¯re all honest people here.¡± Mu Lingshiughed and shrugged when she replied.

    ¡°Honest people! You? You made the most trouble when you were little! Was there any time your brothers didn¡¯t help you to clean up the mess? You made us worry the most. I¡¯m much more at ease with your brother and Ah Mo!¡± Wang Hui threw a pillow at Mu Lingshi, and she artfully dodged it with a smile.

    Suddenly, Mu Yuchen put down his teacup and looked at everyone. ¡°I have something to tell everyone.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± They stopped what they were doing and stared at Mu Yuchen as he looked serious.

    ¡°We¡¯re nning to take our wedding photos next month, and organize our wedding in June.¡±

    ¡°Wedding in June? Wasn¡¯t it November?¡± Wang Hui looked at them in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get this done soon. It shouldn¡¯t wait that long,¡± Mu Yuchen replied indifferently.

    Suddenly, Wang Hui and the others quickly turned their heads and looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s abdomen immediately!

    ¡°Are you pregnant?¡±

    Wang Hui could not hide the happiness in her eyes as she asked Xi Xiaye carefully. Xi Xiaye¡¯s face started to blush while she looked at the man beside him in embarrassment. ¡°What are you guys thinking about? I just think the time is right.¡±

    Mu Yuchen said defensively, ¡°I looked at the calendar. The 6th of June seems alright. We¡¯ll set it on this day then. There¡¯s still more than a month to go. It should be enough time to prepare.¡±

    ¡°The 6th of June? Would it be too soon?¡±

    ¡°I remember this date as well. It¡¯s one of the dates we picked before. We¡¯ll just go with this then. I don¡¯t have any objections. What about you guys?¡± Mu Yinan looked at Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any issues either, but since we¡¯ve decided on it, we need to get things done quickly. There are a lot of things to be done. It¡¯s been a long time since our Mu family had such a huge celebratory event. We have to do this well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought and said, ¡°We can actually make it simpler. Just gather some friends and families around. I¡¯m fine, really...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It doesn¡¯t matter if you guys want to have a secret wedding or a church wedding. It doesn¡¯t matter, but we still need to invite guests. Many people have been looking forward to this wedding. When I went back to visit the military base, all of them asked me about it!¡±

    ¡°We need to be serious for this. Let¡¯s have a more in-depth discussion.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, we also have to consider the betrothal gift.¡±

    ¡°Give more thought to the guest list too.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys give me the list of names you want to invite? I¡¯ll work on it. I¡¯ll get Uncle Fu to help me as well. He¡¯s good at things like this. Uncle Fu! Uncle Fu!¡±

    ...

    They started discussing and taking actions among themselves, so there was nothing left for Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye to do there.

    ¡°This is great, Brother, Sister-inw. I¡¯ve been worried that I might not be able to make it to the wedding before! I suggest that you have your wedding abroad and go on for a honeymoon trip. For the guests, we can just have a banquet at the Imperial Sky Hotel after that.¡±

    ¡°I like Ah Shi¡¯s idea!¡±

    ...

    They were so excited that no one noticed that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had gone back.

    It was alreadyte at night when they arrived back at Maple Residence.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Shen Residence this Friday night. We have to tell Grandpa about the wedding as well. At the same time, we need to inform Mother about our return to West Park next weekend.¡±

    Xi Xiaye still thought it might be better to let Shen Wenna know first. She closed the book in her hand as she looked at the man reading documents beside her.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you,¡± he replied briefly as his eyes were still glued to the screen. His fingers were typing on the keyboard swiftly, entering long strings of input.

 Chapter 325 - Numb Coldness

    <h4>Chapter 325: Numb Coldness</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw this, she put the book back onto the shelf and took another one as she said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s leave these things to tomorrow then. Rest earlier. There¡¯s still an early meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. It¡¯s about the South River project. There are still quite a number of things we have to settle. I¡¯ve already called Li Si to inform Vice President Liu and the rest to gather in the meeting room at half past eight. We¡¯ll briefly straighten some things out and then exin it to the rest.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen nodded slightly. He could not help but praise, ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯re getting better at understanding me when you do things. I want to make you my special assistant.¡±

    ¡°Please! No thanks! I¡¯m doing just fine in the nning Department. You¡¯re not allowed to change my position as you wish,¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a look and said coldly.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see youing over to my office often. Two days ago, Vice President Wen was nning on getting me a secretary. He introduced a pretty and young woman to me, and she was quite good...¡±

    ¡°Then, try her.¡±

    She shot him a re sulkily. When she saw that he had straightened his back and leaned against the chair, she went for the mouse, saved the document, then closed theptop.

    He looked at her poker face and asked, ¡°Unhappy?¡±

    He liked her like this. At home, all of her worries would be written on her face, and he did not need to guess with much effort. If they were outside, unless it was an extraordinary situation, she was usually smooth and slick, it was better this way.

    ¡°I mean that I want to make it so that we don¡¯t have to intentionally keep our rtionship a secret. Previously, I heard people say that the two of us are underground lovers. I want to set our rtionship straight, to tell the world that we are rightful husband and wife.¡±

    He exined softly, ¡°The wedding matters will be settled very soon. Once the news of our marriage is out, the entire City Z will know that you¡¯re Missus Mu.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye breathed in sharply. She could not help but gasp, ¡°As you wish since it¡¯se to this point anyway. Right, next week on the 20th, there¡¯s a fashion press conference at Imperial Sky Clothing City. You remember this, right?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye reminded him about this, Mu Yuchen thought about it, then nodded and responded, ¡°It seems to be quite a huge event. Vice President Zhang mentioned this to me before.¡±

    ¡°Jewellery City has only just begun business. In terms of poprity, it¡¯s doing alright. I¡¯m hoping that we could do a press conference with Clothing City too since it¡¯s under the samebel. It would also achieve a really excellent promotional effect. Our nning Department has prepared a concrete n which I¡¯ll let you take a look at.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered the document that Xiao Mei had shown her the day before.

    After she said that, she quickly looked through her briefcase for it, and then took it out for him.

    Taking it, he casually flipped through it. Then, he fell silent for a moment and nodded. ¡°Just let Vice President Wen take over. You don¡¯t have to exhaust yourself now. Take it easy. We have more to do next month.¡±

    Then, he got up.

    ¡°And I want to invite Su Nan.¡±

    ¡°You can decide on these trivial things. Let¡¯s go and rest!¡±

    He set the document aside on the table, then gently carried her as he walked to the bedroom leisurely.

    ...

    The night was gettingte. The cold moon silently hung above in the silent night sky and the cool breeze rustled.

    Han Yifeng dragged his worn out body and switched the vi light on. As he was about to walk upstairs, a gentle voice suddenly rang out. ¡°Yifeng, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Han Yifeng subconsciously stopped in the midst his footsteps. He followed the sound of it and noticed that Xi Xinyi was slowly pushing herself up from the sofa.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    A light shed through Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes, focusing on Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi was sleepy-eyed. The white, silk sleeping gown hung on her gaunt figure. Her long, golden hair drooped across her pale face that was still wan and sallow. She looked so weak that one could not help but feel pity for her.

    ¡°I was afraid of being alone over there, so... Where have you been these past few days? Why... I¡¯ll make you supper,¡± Xi Xinyi said gently as she walked up to take the coat in Han Yifeng¡¯s hand.

    Han Yifeng lowered his gaze at her, and then lifted a hand to rub between his brows. He said with a low voice, ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m not hungry. It¡¯s best if you return to that vi in the north tomorrow. There¡¯s no one to take care of you here, so it¡¯s not very convenient.¡±

    Then, he was about to walk upstairs.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    When Xi Xinyi saw him leaving, she was nervous. She quickly reached out to pull him, hugging him from behind and sticking herself to him. Her arms hugged him tightly. She was strong and seemed afraid that Han Yifeng would run off.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, Yifeng... Don¡¯t be so cruel to me. You¡¯ve been cold to me for so long! Are you still angry? I know that it¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯ve been stubborn, but apart from that, I didn¡¯t have any other way. I¡¯ll change all the bad parts of me, I will change it all... The way you treat me is making me very miserable. What do I do with our child? Yifeng, he is the product of our love. Haven¡¯t you always hoped that we could have a child? Now, all of your wishes cane true, yet you want to give up just like that!¡±

    Xi Xinyi spilled all of her grievances that she had been umting for the past few days. ¡°Sister¡¯s in the past now. She¡¯s married to Mu Yuchen, Yifeng. I know that Sister has always had a special ce in your heart. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have kept all those things she gave you. In fact, it¡¯s been so many years, yet you¡¯ve still kept a lot of the habits you had when you were with her... but, we can¡¯t go back to how it was. Yifeng, we can¡¯t go back anymore. I¡¯m the one who loves you the most in this world. If you leave me, I¡¯ll suffer a breakdown. Must you make me so miserable that I¡¯d want to die?¡±

    <i>Can¡¯t go back to how it was...</i>

    These words were etched into Han Yifeng¡¯s mind. He suddenly a re of pain that could not be stifled. In that instant, his head felt immense pain.

    ¡°We love each other deeply. As long as we let go of everything, we can be happy too. The more you are like this, the happier Xi Xiaye will be. She¡¯s trying to take revenge on us. She¡¯s hoping for us to live miserably. Previously, she wasn¡¯t even close to Mu Yuchen. She might only be acting like this to vent her anger.¡± Xi Xinyi sniffed as she expressed her thoughts.

    Han Yifeng was startled by this outburst. His eyes started to shift with an unfathomable light, and he did not see the hazy-eyed Xi Xinyi behind him.

    ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯ve decided that from next week onwards, I¡¯m returning to Yueying to learn the ropes. My parents have agreed for me to learn by your side asionally. I¡¯ll definitely work hard to be your great assistant. We can definitely return to how we were.¡±

 Chapter 326 - Curled Up Warmth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 326: Curled Up Warmth (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Xinyi spoke, she clung onto him and hugged Han Yifeng tightly. Her little face stuck to his broad back as she breathed in and said in a raspy voice, ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t let go, Yifeng. I know you¡¯re still angry. This is all my fault, so I don¡¯t me you. You can do whatever you want, but you can¡¯t deter my determination to follow you!¡±

    Xi Xinyi spoke with deep loving whilst her eyes glistened with tears. Her arms were wrapped around Han Yifeng¡¯s waist and her body moved carefully until it was in front of him. She looked at him tearfully and said lovingly, ¡°You¡¯ve always tolerated me in the past. Next time, just let me amodate you. Let me follow you to the ends of the earth. I¡¯ll definitely be with you till the end. I just hope that you don¡¯t give up on all that we have between us. I love you more than anything, Yifeng...¡±

    Han Yifeng did not say anything throughout her monologue. He just watched Xi Xinyi say everything that was on her mind. When she reached thest few sentences, the hidden light in his eyes became enigmatic.

    At this moment, he was unexpectedly still hesitant. Was Xi Xinyi telling the truth right then, or did he think he was the male lead in a show?

    He could not see through Xi Xinyi. He already could not differentiate which side of her was truly her.

    However, Xi Xinyi did not let him think further. When she saw that his expression had eased a little, she tiptoed and kissed on his thin lips. Her hands had let go of his waist and made their way up to his neck. Using her soft lips, she daringly pried open his gently shut cold lips...

    ¡°Yifeng, don¡¯t push me away... Don¡¯t push me away... I really need you. Don¡¯t abandon me. Let everything stay in the past and we¡¯ll get better.¡±

    As Xi Xinyi said while choking on her sobs, her weak voice contained sadness. She leaned into him as hard as she could to take in all of his warmth. When she kissed him, her hands restlessly moved toward his shirt. In a few movements, she had unbuttoned his shirts, revealing his strong chest.

    Han Yifeng stood silently, not moving. He just let Xi Xinyi tease him as his hands that fell to his sides tightened slightly. He was not sure how much strength he mustered before he slowly lifted them up, and gently put them around her slender waist.

    When Xi Xinyi saw this, her hand shifted to his waist too. Just as she was about to remove his belt, he stopped her movements stopped in time.

    ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    Startled, she looked at him, her eyes mixed with indescribable suffering that she had repressed.

    Han Yifeng breathed in deeply and said in a lowered voice, ¡°It¡¯s not suitable with your current situation. Rest earlier. I¡¯m going to take a bath.¡±

    Xi Xinyi then bit on her plump and pink lips as she looked at him. Quite a while after that, she sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just missed you too much. Go upstairs and take your bath then while I prepare some food for you. You look quite tired.¡±

    Han Yifeng nodded, not bothering to reject anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t exhaust yourself. Watch your health,¡± he said, then walked upstairs.

    When she heard this, Xi Xinyi smiled a little. Her gloomy heart was finally brightening a little.

    He still knew how to care for her. He still cared for her! Earlier, he had a slight reaction, did he not?

    As she watched his figure gradually vanish before her eyes, Xi Xinyi inhaled, then turned to the kitchen.

    ...

    Han Yifeng took off all his clothes the moment he was upstairs. He took a set of clean pajamas and walked straight to the bathroom. After filling the bath with water, he submerged his whole self in.

    The water was cold.

    It had been quite a few days, but it was only at this moment that he felt clear-headed and empty. He was rxed.

    <i>We cannot return to the past...</i>

    <i>Cannot return to how it was...</i>

    Whether it was him and Xiaye, or him and Xi Xinyi right now, once the cracks showed, the gaps could not be filled again. The funny thing was that between him and Xi aye...

    She did not seem to give him a chance to grieve, and she had already turned to leave, free and at ease.

    Maybe that was how rtionships were. No matter how much someone loved deeply, that person would not stay waiting for you at the same spot forever, whether it was to wait for you to turn around, for your regret, or for your apology!

    Han Yifeng suddenly felt depressed. He did not know why he was like this all the time recently. Whenever he recalled this past, he would feel terrible, so terrible that it felt like he was suffocating.

    What else could he say? What should he do?

    He did not have the answers.

    He kept telling himself in his heart to stay strong.

    <i>Han Yifeng, the past can only stay in the past. You should let go of everything and be forgiving once again. After all, you¡¯ve married Xinyi, and she has your child... In fact, Xiaye¡¯s already married to Mu Yuchen. They¡¯re doing very well, and are very loving. Between the two of them, they can only be like two parallel lines that never intersect forever.</i>

    However, every time he himself this, his chest would tighten. His heart felt so tightened with sorrow that it suffocated him, and it was extremely hard to bear.

    Happiness. These words were simple and easy to write. He had been hoping to fight for it with his hard work. He told himself many times that he loved Xi Xinyi, so no matter how she was, he should tolerate and be understanding toward her. They were married and were going to have a child, so he should be really delighted.

    Still, now, everything had changed. Even he did not know how the way things were, and all the scenes from the past had be so meaningless.

    ...

    How far was happiness?

    No one knew, but definitely not too far!

    Mu Yuchen believed that firmly!

    The two of them curled up against each other and created warmth. He was reluctant to let go of her warmth. Upon letting go slightly, he immediately felt some emptiness.

    There were many things that could get someone addicted. To him, her aura and her temperature might be two of the things. Every day that they got closer and more familiar with each other was another day she infiltrated deeper into his heart. He had to admit that her influence on him was far beyond his imagination.

    He turned to his side and borrowed the warm rays of twilight to silently watch her sleep. A long while after that, he lifted a hand to lovingly caress her head, mumbling softly, ¡°Goodnight, my witch!¡±

    He then gently pulled open the nket and got down from the bed slowly. He picked up the pajamas on the ground and put them on. Then, he carefully patted the nket before he left for the study room.

    There were some news that Ah Mo had delivered from City B which required him to settle as soon as possible. He soon noticed that if he did not sleep, she would apany him. Sometimes, she would sit on the sofa and stare at that same page for half an hour while dozing off, yet she was stubborn on persevering. On the other hand, he was the kind of person who was used to sleepingte. Before he met her, working till two or three in the morning was amon urence, but ever since he married her, he rarely stayed upte.

 Chapter 327 - Curled Up Warmth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 327: Curled Up Warmth (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Some things did not need to be said. Just an unconscious detail or habit was enough to tell how the other person treated you.

    She was like that. She would quietly do things, going to the extent of doing much more than she said she would. Her warmth and care would stop at nothing such as it did right now. A pot of green ivy had suddenly appeared on his desk, and hisputer screensaver had been changed to a dark green prairie that looked refreshing. Across the peaceful image, she had even written a graceful line of flowing words: <i>Simplicity to prove high ideals, quietude to reach far horizons, cheering you on, Mr. Mu!</i>

    There was even a drawing of a pig that she had drawn in the document on the side. Because it looked very cute, he could not help but chuckle.

    <i>This little girl was actually very cute, but no one knew just how cute!</i>

    He stared at the screen for a long while, then exhaled before he opened a folder and continued the work he had not finished earlier.

    He worked for almost an hour before he finally finished organizing the details. Then, he sent it to Ah Mo and was about to shut down hisptop when Ah Mo unexpectedly responded. After some thought, he called Ah Mo.

    ¡°Master, why aren¡¯t you resting at such ate hour? Didn¡¯t the sis-inwin?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s mellow and rich voice came through the phone, and you could tell that he was still quite awake.

    Mu Yuchen took his cup from the side and drew a sip before answering calmly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you sleeping either? She¡¯s asleep.¡±

    Ah Mo immediatelyughed from the other end. It was in the middle of the night, so this call between the brothers was not like the usual professional ones of a superior and subordinate. It was more just a heart-to-heart chat.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going? Are you getting used to things over there?¡± Mu Yuchen asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten used to it. Right, Master, how did the tender meeting go today?¡±

    ¡°We got it. It was quite a close win,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly. His still eyes flickered for a moment before he continued, ¡°Your sis-inw and I are nning to do our wedding photoshoot in May, then have our wedding in June. You should settle the matters over there as soon as possible. There are some things I only trust you to do for me.¡±

    ¡°Wedding in June? It¡¯s been brought forward quite a few months. Did something happen, Master?¡±

    Ah Mo had been with Mu Yuchen for many years, so he more or less understood how Mu Yuchen was like. He usually would not change his decision unless there was a reason that left him with no choice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Qi Lei. He keeps getting close to your sis-inw recently. I¡¯m worried. Besides, the wedding will have to happen soon orter, and I¡¯d feel better doing it earlier,¡± Mu Yuchen answered in a lowered voice, gently setting the cup in his hands aside. ¡°My wish is for her stand by my side rightfully sooner.¡±

    When Ah Mo heard this, he smiled. ¡°Master, you aren¡¯t minding those rumors and gossip in the office, are you? They¡¯re all secretly saying that you and Sister-inw are underground lovers. This does seem quite unfair to Sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s unfair, she¡¯s notining to me,¡± Mu Yuchen grumbled unhappily.

    ¡°Master, Sister-inw just doesn¡¯t want to make things harder for you. She¡¯s a smart one... I¡¯ve already gotten someone to watch the Qi family. If anything happens, I¡¯ll inform you immediately.¡±

    He did not forget how Mu Lingshi had acted tonight, so Mu Yuchen just asked, ¡°Mmm, you can make the decision. Has Lingshi called you?¡±

    Ah Mo fell silent on the other end. After quite a while, he responded, ¡°She called once. We¡¯re doing pretty good, Master. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    ¡°Whether you guys are doing good or not, I can see for myself... Lingshi¡¯s like that. You know her well, I have no love strategies to let you reference, but I believe that she will be able to see your sincerity and care for her.¡±

    Ah Mo fell momentarily silent, then he said thankfully, ¡°I got it. Thank you for your concern, Brother.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re brothers, no need for such formalities, rest earlier, I¡¯m going back to sleep too, your sister-inw might have woken up...¡±

    A faint smile shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face, he said this, then hung up on the call.

    He tidied the desk a little before he returned to the room, he had just walked to the side of the bed when he noticed that the little woman was indeed staring up ahead at the bed canopy, her eyes was vaguely misty and she was drowsy-eyed.

    ¡°Where did you go?¡±

    She rubbed her eyes and looked to him through squinted eyes.

    ¡°I sent some things to Ah Mo, and we chatted on the phone.¡±

    He responded softly and gently, without waiting for her to respond, he walked outside, in a blink of an eye, he walked in with another cup of water.

    She reached out to take over the water he handed, she drank a few gulps before handing it back, ¡°Were you talking about Ah Shi¡¯s matter again?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, after our wedding, I¡¯m guessing that the family will probably be worried for them.¡±

    He set the cup aside on the table, then sat down by the bed as he lowered his gaze.

    Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly. She crossed her legs and sat up straight. ¡°Actually, they both have each other in their hearts, but they just can¡¯t find a point to get to each other. The other day, when I spoke to Ah Shi, I could tell that she was struggling internally. The sorrow and hopefulness in her voice was a clear struggle. There was leeway for hesitation and a choice. On the other hand...¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo is not domineering at all. If he were a little stronger in imposing his manliness, maybe... What? I¡¯m telling the truth! For a girl like Ah Shi, she should be matched with a slightly more dominant man who is protective. Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    Mu Yuchen shot her a nce and quietly climbed into bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking seriously now. If I were Ah Mo, I would...¡±

    He pulled open the nket and pulled her into an embrace as he cut her off. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t be Ah Mo. What¡¯s the use of all the ¡®what ifs¡¯? What¡¯s between them is not as simple as what we have.¡±

    ¡°I wonder who it was that said what¡¯s between a man and a woman is pretty straightforward...¡± Sheined unhappily.

    ¡°You just like to find loopholes in my words...¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    ...

    The next day, the husband and wife punctually reached the office. They had an early meeting to discuss the South River project tender from the day before, and they began to organize the early stages of the initial arrangements.

    The entire project would see Xi Xiaye be in-charge under Vice President Zhang Lan¡¯s supervision, and all the departments would need to cooperate.

    Theter part of the meeting was mainly about delegating tasks and getting funding and partners. There was a lot to talk about and it wasplicated, so the entire meetingsted till noon. Because there were still some things that had to be discussed at length, they had to continue again the next morning.

    With the whole thing weighed down, Xi Xiaye felt burdened. Thankfully, Mu Yuchen arranged an elite group to work under her and agreed to give her special attention in private. Otherwise, she definitely would not be able to handle everything.

    Because Vice President Liu was not in thepany in this period of time, she had to watch over Yueying¡¯s matters too. In fact, some things could not be dragged on anymore.

    After a brisk lunch, Xi Xiaye left the office by car to meet someone.

 Chapter 328 - Curled Up Warmth (3)

    <h4>Chapter 328: Curled Up Warmth (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside a coffee shop on the outskirts of City Z.

    When Xi Xiaye arrived, Caitlyn was already waiting for her at a table. She quickly stood up when she saw Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± Caitlyn called out to her and Xi Xiaye nodded as she nced over at Caitlyn¡ª

    Dressed in a sporty gray outfit with a snapback on her head, she also wore a pair of sunsses. She was sitting in a quiet corner of the coffee shop.

    Xi Xiaye sat down as she gestured to her to order from the waiter who had turned up beside them. ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll have a mocha please, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, please wait for a little while!¡± The waiter went away swiftly.

    Caitlyn sat down as she put on a warm smile. ¡°Thank you foring.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled back at her. ¡°Of course I¡¯de since you invited me. Has it been busy for you working with Jewellery City?¡±

    Caitlyn shook her head. Recently, she had risen to fame, mainly because of her contract with Glory World. She was really grateful for Glory World, especially Xi Xiaye because she clearly knew thatpared to other more popr stars, she did not stand much of a chance.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s a lot of time to rest as well, so I can still manage.¡±

    Caitlyn took a sip of her coffee. After a moment, she raised her head and looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°About what you told me...¡±

    The waiter served Xi Xiaye¡¯s mocha on the table.

    ¡°Mmm? What do you think about it?¡± Xi Xiaye took a sip from her drink as her eyes met Caitlyn¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve thought through this. We need a top artiste of our own if Glory World wants to take a big step in the showbiz industry. Of course, we¡¯ll consider you first since we¡¯re coborating now. Chairman Mu and I hope that Glory World can find its distinction within the industry... and it starts with you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s attitude was genuine as her eyes were staring straight at her, and Caitlyn had this unknown favorable impression of her.

    Unlike many high-ranking personnel in bigpanies who were always acting all high and mighty, she was really friendly and genuine. Herck of airs just made her feelfortable, and she did not have to put her guard up when talking.

    Caitlyn was reminded of the incident back then as well as the rumors she heard in Glory World. Shyly, she looked at Xi Xiaye as she asked quietly, ¡°Director Xi, this mighte off as a little odd, but I wonder if you and Chairman Mu...¡±

    Caitlyn¡¯s expression was starting to look a little awkward, but she still finished her sentence, ¡°There are rumors... that you and Chairman Mu... Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Forget about what I¡¯ve just said.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. Noticing Caitlyn¡¯s awkward expression, she smiled mysteriously. ¡°What about us? That I¡¯m his secret lover?¡±

    ¡°Director Xi, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m just a little curious about the both of you although I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m such a busybody about this either.¡±

    Caitlyn was relieved when Xi Xiaye did not seem offended.

    ¡°I know that¡¯s what everyone guessing. Actually, we¡¯re married. We were marriedst year.¡± It was the first time ever that Xi Xiaye was admitting her rtionship with Mu Yuchen before someone else. She raised her hand slightly and showed Caitlyn the ring on her finger.

    Caitlyn¡¯s eyes widened as she covered her mouth with both hands. She gaped at Xi Xiaye for some time. ¡°I was right!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye grinned without saying anything, then she tasted some of her mocha before getting back to the topic. ¡°Could you tell me your answer right now?¡±

    She looked at Caitlyn with her crystal-clear eyes. There was a strong sense of determination in them.

    ¡°If I say yes, then...¡± Caitlyn looked at Xi Xiaye hesitantly. ¡°Yueying is pretty unhappy with me, and I heard that Xi Xinyi ns to take over Yueying soon. If that¡¯s the case...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that Ms. Caitlyn. Glory World is now the secondrgest stakeholder of Yueying. After putting in some effort, some other stakeholders are getting on our side. Your presence in Yueying will be taken care of on Glory World¡¯s behalf. We have picked up several big titles this year and filming will start very soon. However, we haven¡¯t confirmed the leads because we want to cultivate new stars to be the sharp edge in the future of the industry.¡±

    ¡°So, I believe that you, Ms. Caitlyn, are smart enough to understand the gist of it. I¡¯ll won¡¯t speak further now.¡± Xi Xiaye stopped there and let her ponder it.

    Caitlyn still seemed hesitant for some time, but in the end, she nodded. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll take the gamble!¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I hope this will work out well for us. You cane over to Yueying in the next few days to discuss the contract details. Deputy Director Xu will be in charge there. Do contact me if there¡¯s anything else.¡±

    ¡°Alright, noted.¡±

    ...

    It was 5 p.m. when she arrived back at the office. The workday was ending, but Xi Xiaye was toozy to go up, so she just sat down on the long bench in the little za beside the office building. She waited for Mu Yuchen while flipping through a magazine that she had grabbed from the car.

    The golden sunset shrouded the whole of City Z in a radiant mist. It also dragged a long shadow from the slender figure sitting on the long bench.

    The evening wind breezed through her hair as a figure closed in slowly and stood in between her and the sun.

    As she could feel someone nearby, she raised her head and saw him standing right before her.

    He had a hand inside his pocket as well as a rarely seen gentle expression on his handsome face. His eyes were deep and vast like the starry sky, and they were looking at her tenderly at the moment.

    She thought that he was getting more and morefortable to look at. Everyone else only saw the cool side of him, and no one knew how he acted at home.

    Suddenly, the young Mrs. Mu¡¯s heart softened, and a slight blush appeared across her smiling face.

 Chapter 329 - Curled Up Warmth (4)

    <h4>Chapter 329: Curled Up Warmth (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She watched him for quite a while. Then, she took a deep breath before turning around. As she was about to say something, he spoke, ¡°What are you looking at? With a sunset like this, we should cycle around the vi.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression crumbled as she stared at him andined, ¡°I thought you¡¯d say we should go take a stroll in this gorgeous sunset or go on a date...¡±

    How unromantic!

    ¡°Cycling is a date too, alright? Let¡¯s go home.¡± He reached his arm out towards her.

    Xi Xiaye covered her face with both hands. ¡°Mr. Mu, can I bezy for this one day? It¡¯s not a weekend. Why are we going cycling?¡±

    ¡°Nope, you have too many opinions.¡±

    Before she was done, he dragged her up and Xi Xiaye helplessly allowed him to.

    It was roughly the end of the workday, and more people wereing out of the office building. Upon seeing them, many of them halted their steps and stared.

    It was already toote when she noticed the crowd¡¯s gaze. Xi Xiaye knew that she had been crowned with the title as his secret lover, or to phrase it better, that they were in a rtionship.

    However, Xi Xiaye did not care. The news of their marriage would be announced soon and all the rumors would just end on its own.

    As they were on their way to go cycling in the Grand Waves Vi area, Su Nan called her and said that she was bored at home since Ruan Heng had gone abroad. Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before deciding to invite her over to Maple Residence, and Su Nan was d to oblige.

    They went to the supermarket near the vi area to get some ingredients. Mu Yuchen went straight to the kitchen when they arrived home while Xi Xiaye cleaned up the living room. Soon thereafter, the doorbell rung. Su Nan was standing outside when she went to open the door.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± Su Nan had a wide grin as soon as she saw Xi Xiaye. She also had a lot of stuff with her.

    ¡°Why did you buy so much stuff to bring here?¡± Xi Xiaye nced at her, taking the bags of items from her as she dragged her into the house.

    ¡°So that I have more chances toe over for free delicious food!¡± Su Nan beamed.

    ¡°Come in first.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at her helplessly as she brought her into the vi.

    She poured her a cup of flower tea and sat opposite her. ¡°Coincidentally, I was thinking of meeting you as well. Imperial Sky Fashion City is having abined press conference with Imperial Sky Jewellery City. It¡¯sing up very soon. I¡¯ve told Mu Yuchen, so you and Ruan Heng cane over together. I think he should be back by then.¡±

    Su Nan nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll make sure to be there. Hmm... Why are you alone? Where¡¯s Mr. Mu? It¡¯s prettyte already. Haven¡¯t your servants started making dinner yet? Or are you cooking dinner for me?¡±

    Su Nan raised her eyebrows and looked at Xi Xiaye questionably.

    Naturally, Su Nan knew how good her cooking was. It was apletely doubtful gesture!

    ¡°Wait, did you just invite me over here to cook dinner for you?¡± Su Nan stared at Xi Xiaye helplessly when there was no reply. She shrugged and stood up. ¡°The kitchen¡¯s there, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and quickly stopped Su Nan. ¡°Alright, Nannan. Mu Yuchen is making dinner. He¡¯s cooking in the kitchen now, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like his cooking.¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s eyes brightened up as she threw Xi Xiaye a meaningful nce. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re doing a pretty good job training him! So, I¡¯m really lucky tonight to be able to taste his cooking, am I not?¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at her, ignoring her teasing. She then said, ¡°Getting back to the press conference, Manager Mo from yourpany contacted me several times, and I told him I¡¯d ask you what you thought about it.¡±

    Su Nan drank some tea and nodded. ¡°Manager Mo told me about it. I¡¯m not going to work right now, so they found someone to rece me, but I still had to go take a look over there from time to time. Wait until I give birth to my baby. I want to change a new working environment. I might just be a fashion designer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s up to you. It¡¯s nice to have a change of working environment, but I¡¯m just worried that you might have your hands full.¡± Xi Xiaye then nced at Su Nan¡¯s belly.

    Su Nan¡¯s expression saddened. ¡°That¡¯s true. Ruan Heng said that I¡¯ve been a lot more irritable than before. I¡¯ll probably be really ferocious after giving birth to my baby. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll make me angry! Xiaye, do you think I¡¯ve changed a lot? Especially after marriage...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. I think you¡¯re fine. You¡¯re not as crazy and yful as before.¡±

    ¡°Well, I have a baby inside me now after all! By the way, Xiaye, I heard Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi are having their wedding soon. Two days ago, I saw Han Yifeng¡¯s mother and your wicked stepmother, and they were discussing this matter. I really don¡¯t know what that bastard Han Yifeng is thinking. I¡¯ve never seen a person faker than Xi Xinyi in my life before...¡±

    ¡°Wedding? Xi Xinyi¡¯s in deep trouble now, and they are having their wedding soon?¡± Xi Xiaye was surprised.

    Su Nan shrugged and let out a scoff. ¡°What else can they do? Xi Xinyi¡¯s belly will bloat up like a balloon in a few months¡¯ time. Their families care so much about their reputation. I¡¯m guessing that they¡¯ll arrange the wedding immediately when things calm down a little.¡±

    ¡°I also think that the Yue family pressured the Han family into this, but I heard that Han Yifeng looks worn outtely. I wonder if he became like that because of Xi Xinyi.¡±

    A sense of glee over someone else¡¯s misfortune shed in Su Nan¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s great that they are married. They can make each other suffer. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be done for once Han Yifeng starts to realize what¡¯s wrong!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when she heard Su Nan¡¯s words. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s already realized it now.¡± She closed her eyes, recalling their conversation at Yueying the other day.

 Chapter 330 - Back To West Park (1)

    <h4>Chapter 330: Back To West Park (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The atmosphere went quiet suddenly. Su Nan could sense that something was not right with Xi Xiaye¡¯s emotions. When she looked at her, her expression seemed normal, but there was a flickering light in her eyes.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and turned to look in the direction of the kitchen as she spoke, ¡°While I definitely know how it all started, I never expected things to turn out this way. Sometimes, you really have to just let fate handle things on its own.¡±

    Inside the kitchen was the man she promised to be with all her life, and he was cooking dinner.

    She had not even known him several months ago and never expected to be involved with him in any way. However, because of their loyalty toward their marriage, they became the closest couple ever.

    As for Han Yifeng and her, although they had known each other for decades, their rtionship had crumbled so easily.

    The end of one journey was to make way for another.

    Giving up was not always a pessimistic ordeal; it might actually be for the better.

    The two of them went silent. Xi Xiaye just looked at the cup in her hand while Su Nan just stared at her. They did not talk for a long while until the man called out to her from inside the kitchen, ¡°Xiaye, get the tes ready!¡±

    Her senses then returned to her. ¡°Oh!¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a brief reply. She took a deep breath and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get ready first. Sit around for a little while and it¡¯ll be done soon.¡±

    Su Nan nodded.

    In the kitchen, Mr. Mu saw his wife¡¯s depressed expression and frowned. He asked her about it without stopping his hand movements, ¡°What did you guys talk about? You don¡¯t look very well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Nothing, I just think that Mr. Mu is a good person.¡±

    ¡°Only a good person can make good food. Who knows if you wereining about me on the inside when I told you to go cycling just now?¡± He chuckled as he was stir frying the ingredients.

    ¡°Do I look like someone who¡¯d do that? By the way, I gave Ah Shi a call and asked her toe over for dinner. Give her the things you got a few days ago for her to bring back to the Mu Residence. She¡¯s on a break today.¡±

    Xi Xiaye prepared the bowls and tes. ¡°I want to introduce Ah Shi to Su Nan. Su Nan likes to sing karaoke with friends. They might be really good friends. It¡¯s almost time for the fashion announcement. Then, Ah Shi can look after Su Nan for a bit as well. You know, I¡¯m a little worried about her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really worried about you girls. You can decide what to do on your own. I¡¯m not going to interfere.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Someone deleted some photos in myputer a few days ago. Do you think I won¡¯t notice?¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to make space for our wedding photos. I really don¡¯t mean anything else. You¡¯re overthinking, Missus!¡±

    Xi Xiaye red at him, speechless.

    Those were photos of her high school years, taken together with Su Nan, Han Yifeng, and Ruan Heng. Some of them held significant sentimental value, and he had just deleted them for such a trivial reason!

    Mu Lingshi arrived when they served the dishes on the table. Since she loved singing a lot, she befriended Su Nan very quickly. Every time they went for karaoke, Su Nan always dominated the mic in her hand. She had quite some knowledge about music and dancing as well.

    During dinner, Mu Lingshi and Su Nan talked about everything from ssical music to current jazz music, tango, and even the trendier and more popr dance style...

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye merely yed the role of listeners.

    Xi Xiaye was a little surprised. Maybe because of Su Nan¡¯s straightforward personality, it was very easy to talk to her. Even though she could be a bit blunt sometimes, she was very talkative.

    Mu Lingshi was simr to Su Nan. When she saw Su Nan¡¯s genuine and straightforward attitude, she found it very familiar, and as they talked about music and dancing, they realized they had very simr hobbies!

    It was an unexpected find for Mu Lingshi!

    Naturally, the two of them became close friends.

    Since she was a person that her sister-inw and brother trusted, it could not go wrong!

    After dinner, Mu Lingshi hesitated for a while before asking as she saw Xi Xiaye about to send Su Nan back, ¡°Bro, are you sending me back? I came here by taxi.¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned to the empty tes and bowls on the table. ¡°Let your sister-inw send you back. It¡¯s on the way anyway, and I just had some wine so I shouldn¡¯t drive.¡±

    He then turned over to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, send Lingshi back as well. I¡¯ve loaded the stuff inside the car.¡±

    Xi Xiaye swiftly took the car keys from inside the drawer as she nodded. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll send you back to the Mu Residence first. Your brother brought back quite a lot of stuff. Give them to Grandfather and Grandmother.¡±

    Mu Lingshi nodded, then stood up and went to get her jacket.

    The threedies walked out of the vi, and Mr. Mu cleaned up alone.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen stood at the entrance as he watched the three small figures walking under the street lights. A smile appeared on his handsome face.

    Deep inside, he knew what was she trying to do. If knowing more friends like Su Nan could make Mu Lingshi happier, that would be great.

    Xi Xiaye sent Mu Lingshi back to the Mu Residence quickly. Wang Hui and the others were not asleep yet, and they were surprised to see Mu Lingshi return with a whole bunch of things. They then found out that Xi Xiaye had sent her back, so they chatted with her for a while.

    Su Nan saw all of that.

    Su Nan looked at the tiny figure beside the door as she sighed, ¡°Xiaye, the Mu family treats you really well, and Master Mu¡¯s grandparents seem very kind. I guess you¡¯ve earned it. I¡¯m really d for you.¡±

 Chapter 331 - Back To West Park (2)

    <h4>Chapter 331: Back To West Park (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye nodded. She was focused on looking ahead as she said, ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother as well as Father and Mother are all very kind to me, and he looks after me in every possible way.¡±

    ¡°So, you just have to appreciate what you have right now. As for the rest, you don¡¯t have to think too much about it.¡± Su Nan smiled.

    ¡°Mmm, I know.¡±

    ¡°From the looks of your rtionship right now, you don¡¯t lose out to anyone else. Master Mu¡¯s quite gentle with you. You¡¯ve caught such a good man for yourself, so you¡¯re not unlucky all the way. Mm-hmm, you¡¯re pretty lucky too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not bad either, alright? The fact that he got to marry me is his twist of luck too!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright! Whoever marries Your Highness is their good fortune! Happy? I¡¯m going to take this matter about Ah Shi to heart. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m free anyway. I¡¯ll look for her to go out more often. At the same time, give her some food for thought. I¡¯ll do my best, so you don¡¯t have to be too worried.¡±

    ...

    Every time she had trouble, she would look for Su Nan. In this whole world, only Su Nan would treat her this well. She would practicallye as soon as she needed her. Needless to say, she had always been very grateful for her. All these years, if it were not for her, she would have suffered a lot more pain.

    She was content with having one close friend in this lifetime.

    ...

    The next day, the morning meeting continued with the South River project matters that still had to be discussed. Just like the day before, it went on till lunch break at noon. They finally managed to finish delegating the initial tasks. Knowing that the work after that would be much easier to carry out, Xi Xiaye let out a sigh of relief.

    Lunch was still the same as before. Xi Xiaye just packed food from the canteen and brought it up to the 15th floor.

    She had just walked to the door when Li Si, who was in the secretary office, and William, who was Mu Yuchen¡¯s assistant that had just been transferred over, smiled at her. Xi Xiaye politely smiled in response.

    She knocked on the door symbolically. Without waiting for the person inside to answer, she already pushed the door to enter, yet just as she took one step in, she heard the sound of a conversation from inside. Then, she noticed that apart from Mu Yuchen, there were two other blonde-haired, blue-eyed, beautifuldies in the office. One of them had short hair and looked like she was in her 40s. She had a smile on her face and had great charisma while the other girl looked like the former¡¯s assistant.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye, Mu Yuchen waved for Xi Xiaye to go over. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the two girls, puzzled. Then, she walked over and put the food in her hands down onto the table. She was about to ask who they were when the middle-aged woman had already begun gushing, ¡°This must be the Missus, isn¡¯t she, Master Mu? Very beautiful!¡±

    She spoke in fluent French, and Xi Xiaye could vaguely understand her a little.

    Mu Yuchen nodded slightly, then turned to Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°They¡¯re here to get your measurements for the wedding gown. Just cooperate for a while.¡±

    ¡°So quickly?¡± Xi Xiaye then remembered that he did mention something about getting measurements today.

    ¡°Now, we can only rush out a few sets of gowns for the wedding photoshoot. The gown for the wedding day will be der on,¡± he exined, then fluently conversed with the middle-aged woman for a while. After that, the two of them smiled and walked up to measure Xi Xiaye.

    They were done very swiftly. They then swiftly retreated, and the husband and wife sat down for their meal.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye had begun to get busy the next two days. She was mostly running to the government¡¯s end since the person-in-charge over there had begun discussing the concrete details of the South River project, and they had begun to look for business partners.

    It was the evening and Xi Xiaye had just finished discussing with the person-in-charge. She was about to drive back to Maple Residence when she received Xi Mushan¡¯s call.

    The father and daughter decided to meet at the carpark.

    After she hung up, Xi Xiaye waited for less than five minutes before Xi Mushan appeared.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told Mu Yuchen toe to West Park tomorrow to meet Grandfather. I¡¯m just letting you know, but if you¡¯re free tomorrow,e home too,¡± said Xi Xiaye as she looked at Xi Mushan.

    When Xi Mushan heard her invitation, his steadfast and imposing expression started to show signs of ease. He nodded, his deep voice unusually calm. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make myself free and be home tomorrow. What time are youing back? I¡¯ll ask them to prepare some dishes.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to eat. We¡¯ll go over in the afternoon because we have a social gathering at night to celebrate our sessful tender,¡± Xi Xiaye responded calmly. Subconsciously, she obviously was not willing to eat with Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi. In reality, even she could not recall how many years it had been since they had a meal together.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes darkened at Xi Xiaye, and he could roughly guess what she was thinking. He fell silent for a moment, then nodded and answered, ¡°That¡¯s good too. Your mother, she... What did she say?¡±

    He struggled for a while. Still, he could not help but ask about her mother.

    ¡°I was nning to visit the Shen residence tonight. Mother didn¡¯t quite object at first. She didn¡¯t... didn¡¯t ask me to distance myself from you. How¡¯s Grandfather?¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°You know that he¡¯s already in a bad state. Sometimes, he seems well. Sometimes, he takes a bad turn. A few days ago, he even fought with your grandmother. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to get past the next two years. His body is already not suited for medication. We can only hope for his health to improve.¡± When he said this, his tone was heavy.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened too. She felt her chest suddenly tighten and she had to calm herself for a while. Then, she suddenly remembered that Xi Jiyang had previously looked for her. She recalled their conversation at the Bamboo Teahouse.

    ¡°But he seemed quite healthy quite a few days ago, was he not?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly felt mncholic. An indescribable sorrow appeared in her heart and she suddenly found it hard to take in.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t be sad. Leave life and death in the hands of fate. No one can stop it. Isn¡¯t he still alright now?¡± When Xi Mushan saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s face instantly turn pale and upset, he sighed. Then, he consoled, ¡°Your grandfather hopes for you to live well too. He knows about your wedding with Ah Chen and he¡¯s overjoyed. Live your days well. As for the rest, don¡¯t overthink.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she did not answer and just silently lowered her head.

    ¡°When you¡¯re free,e home to visit. Whether you eat with us or not, it¡¯s fine. Alright, it¡¯s not early anymore. Go home earlier. Your mother will be waiting too. Come over earlier tomorrow. I¡¯ll be home the whole day,¡± said Xi Mushan, then he subconsciously lifted a hand to pat Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder. He had just touched her shoulder when he suddenly turned rigid. He paused for a while and did not continue. Instead, he silently pulled his hand away...

 Chapter 332 - Back To West Park (3)

    <h4>Chapter 332: Back To West Park (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye slowly turned her head to look up at the sky which had darkened. She then nodded. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll go home then. See you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Xi Mushan answered in a lowered voice.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything anymore. She just turned to open her car door and get in.

    In the evening, when the husband and wife reached the Shen residence, Shen Wenna was just about done preparing dinner. Shen Yue had also returned rather early too.

    Mu Yuchen only discussed the wedding matters with Shen Yue and Shen Wenna after the meal. However, Xi Xiaye did not know what they talked about. She went to her room to pack her things. She picked a few books and was nning to bring them back to Maple Residence.

    When she was done and went downstairs, they were finishing up the discussion. They sat on the sofa leisurely and drank tea while they chatted idly. In fact, Xi Xiaye noticed that Shen Yue seemed to be rather interested in the South River project, having learned more about it through Mu Yuchen. It appeared that he was interested to coborate.

    When she sent the couple out, Shen Wenna suddenly said to Xi Xiaye, ¡°If you have time, go back and visit him.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xiaye muttered softly.

    ¡°We¡¯ve done all that we should, all just to live with a clear conscience. Just ignore all the idle gossip. If you¡¯ve done it, other people will be able to see it. Go home and rest this weekend. You¡¯ve been looking better recently,¡± said Shen Wenna indistinctly with a smile.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously touched her little face as her rosebud pink lips pursed gently. She smiled at Shen Wenna. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a lot of those things that are good for my health.¡±

    ¡°Eat more. Your body is quite weak. Once you¡¯re better, you should have a child. You¡¯re already 27. In a few more years, you¡¯ll be at an advanced maternal age. Don¡¯t worry about the trouble. It¡¯s best to have two of them. Anything else can be discussed. Plus, their childhood will be less lonely.¡±

    Shen Wenna unexpectedly rattled on a list of advice to Xi Xiaye. As she spoke, her beautiful eyes flickered with a gentle ray of light as if she was reminiscing something. The corners of her lips curled up. ¡°Back then, your father and I wanted to give you a younger brother or sister, but he was worried that my body wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it, so I only had you...¡±

    Xi Xiaye quietly listened and did not say anything. For some reason, as she listened to Shen Wenna say all of this, her heart felt heavy.

    Perhaps it was fortunate that they did not have another one. Such suffering was enough for her to go through alone, so why would she let a younger brother or sister suffer too?

    ...

    On the way back, in the front passenger seat, Xi Xiaye did not say anything. Her mind kept shing with the intertwining faces of Xi Jiyang, Xi Mushan, and Shen Wenna. Their words kept echoing in her ears.

    Mu Yuchen, who had been focused on driving, did not disturb her. Instead, he let her have some peace and quiet.

    As she pondered, she soon fell asleep and did not even know that they had reached home until Mu Yuchen came to open the door and was about to carry her down. She woke up with a start and got down from the car by herself.

    They had just shut the door when the sound of car honking came from behind. Xi Xiaye turned her head subconsciously and saw that it was Li Si and the rest. They were probably bringing the prepared gifts over.

    ¡°Master, Missus, I hope you¡¯re having a good night!¡± Li Si got down from the car and greeted them. ¡°Master, the items are prepared.¡±

    ¡°Just put them into the car,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then tossed his car keys to him. Li Si urately caught them.

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡±

    Then, he immediately ordered the two bodyguards in ck suits to move the things from one car to the other.

    Li Si hesitated and suddenly said softly, ¡°Right, Master, I have some news...¡±

    ¡°Speak,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly replied.

    Li Si subconsciously looked at Xi Xiaye, then continued, ¡°Xi Xinyi went to Yueying this afternoon. She went with Han Yifeng, in fact. The Vice President of Qi Kai, Qi Lei, went over too. The three of them just went to Pearl Lake for dinner and Xi Xinyi is getting familiar with Yueying¡¯s affairs. She¡¯s straight up taking on the role as CEO of Yueying.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, his eyes dimmed. Xi Xiaye turned to look at him and vaguely caught a sh of cold light that went past his eyes.

    Naturally, hearing such news, Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression turned rigid too. When he saw this, he reached out to put an arm around her shoulders and chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you exceptionally unhappy?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s long eyshes fluttered for a few moments and she sighed, ¡°Why do I feel like Xi Xinyi and I are like cat and mouse?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows raised up. He looked at her in bemusement and his eyes were filled with admiration as he said dly, ¡°Missus, yourparison is extremely fitting! Xi Xinyi¡¯s a smart mouse while you¡¯re a dumb cat! Every time the cat catches the mouse, they keep thinking about adding some seasoning to enjoy happily. Unexpectedly the mouse escapes every time...¡±

    ¡°What kind of analysis is that? But, to be honest, don¡¯t you think most people in the world are like me? The rtionship between stepmother and stepsister is always like a cat and mouse. Are we just naturally-born enemies?¡±

    ¡°Human rtionships need to be managed too. Do you think it¡¯s all so simple? Okay, let¡¯s go home. It won¡¯t take too long before that position is yours,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke rather nonchntly and confidently.

    ...

    The next day, the Xi family were at West Park.

    Xi Mushan did not go out as he always did. Usually, whether it was a rest day or not, he would not be home. When Yue Lingsi saw him around, she was shocked.

    A few days ago, she had briefly discussed Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s marriage matters with Huang Ziyao. It was hard to meet him, so she wanted to chat a little, yet she had just walked to the door when Xi Mushan, who had just finished his call inside, walked out.

    Yue Lingsi stopped in her steps.

    ¡°Mushan...¡± Yue Lingsi softly called out for Xi Mushan.

    Xi Mushan turned around and closed the door. He looked indifferently at Yue Lingsi, calm and distant as always. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Later, the Han family and Xinyi will being back for lunch. At the same, we want to discuss Yifeng and Xinyi¡¯s wedding. My father has finally persuaded Elder Han. The Xi family hasn¡¯t had a happy assion for a long time. Now that there is one, we have to make it grand! What do you think?¡±

    As Yue Lingsi spoke, her eyes swelled with anticipation and she looked at Xi Mushan silently.

    However, Xi Mushan just frowned. The people from the Han family wereing over? Han Yifeng and Xinyi?

    What about Xiaye and Ah Chen? Would they not feel ufortable?

    As he pondered about this, Xi Mushan¡¯s expression darkened and his features sank.

 Chapter 333 - Incited Conflict (1)

    <h4>Chapter 333: Incited Conflict (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi could obviously tell that Xi Mushan did not seem right. She hesitated and thought that he was unhappy about Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter. In fact, Xi Mushan had been quite busy recently. He left the house early and returnedte, so even if she wanted to tell him anything, she never had the chance...

    ¡°Mushan, Xinyi knows she¡¯s wrong. She¡¯s already repented many times. Have you seen how wan and sallow she looks now? Even I can¡¯t bear to see it. She <i>is</i>still our child,¡± Yue Lingsi spoke as her heart ached. She was her daughter after all. No matter what it was, could she really me her? In fact, the way Xi Xinyi was right now was so simr to how she was years ago.

    ¡°This is the good daughter that you raised. She would plot to frame even her own sister! Compared to you, she¡¯s really outperformed her master. Why? Have I hit the nail on the head?¡± Xi Mushan red at Yue Lingsi coldly. His sharp eagle eyes had a cold light although his tone was extremely calm.

    ¡°Mushan, I... Those things are in the past. Now, we...¡±

    Before Yue Lingsi could finish, Xi Mushan already cut her off. ¡°We? Only you would acknowledge that there¡¯s a ¡®we¡¯. You and I are only maintaining a rtionship based on that marriage certificate. I¡¯ve wasted more than 20 years. You¡¯d better enjoy the taste of this.

    ¡°Do you think that by forcing Wenna to leave me, I would fancy you? How preposterous! As amazing as you may be, you wouldn¡¯tpare to a finger of hers. Do you understand?¡±

    When Xi Mushan said this, Yue Lingsi was stunned. Her whole body began to tremble involuntarily.

    No matter how it was, he had never spoken to her like this. Recently, he seemed to be bing more and more like this.

    ¡°Wenna... Wenna, Wenna, Wenna! You only have her in your heart, don¡¯t you? Which part of my love for you loses out to hers? I¡¯m willing to go against my father wishes, willing to go far to another country, willing to let others curse me of being shameless! All of this, who do I do it for? I thought that after being burdened with so much and quietly persevering for so many years, I thought I could move you and finally get some sort of constion from you! But now? How do I, Yue Lingsi, lose to Shen Wenna? Tell me!¡±

    Yue Lingsi still carried her princess attitude when she was criticized by Xi Mushan. She was obviously miserable. All of the recent grievances that she had suppressed immediately rushed up and the scenes of her conversation with Shen Wenna started to sh past her mind. She could not help but lose control as she scowled at Xi Mushan with red eyes.

    Sadly, Xi Mushan just sneered indifferently. His cold heart never melted. He lowered his body and looked mockingly at Yue Lingsi as he said icily, ¡°Are you asking how you lose to Wenna? To me, you¡¯re nothing like her at all because the person I care about will forever be her while you...¡±

    Suddenly, Xi Mushan¡¯s tall figure walked past her and left a distant shadow behind.

    As she watched Xi Mushan¡¯s figure vanish out of the doorway, from the corner of Yue Lingsi¡¯s swollen eyes, she could not hold back her tears. After a very long while, she turned to leave the room. However, she had just walked out when she bumped into Deng Wenwen in the hallway.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression was calm as she watched Xi Mushan walk downstairs. There was still a crisp, indistinct light in her still eyes. It was hard to tell what she was thinking about.

    When she heard footsteps behind her, Deng Wenwen turned around. Indeed, she saw Yue Lingsi who looked down behind her. She frowned and her aged voice came through with a stern manner that could not be concealed, ¡°What happened? Did you two fight?¡±

    When Yue Lingsi heard Deng Wenwen demand the truth, she suddenly felt like crying. The tears that welled up in her eyes were about to fall, so she covered her face and kept on breathing deeply. After a while, she finally eased and she looked at Deng Wenwen squarely. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    However, when Deng Wenwen saw her like this, and she turned to watch Xi Mushan¡¯s indifferent figure walk away, her grey brows furrowed further. ¡°Enough! When can you spend more thought on Mushan? I can still watch out for you now, but what if you¡¯re alone after this? What are you nning to do? Your mother hasn¡¯t stopped worrying about you. Earlier, when I went to the Yue family, she kept harping on you and Xin Er. Work harder! It¡¯s already been more than 20 years. Even a heart of stone can be softened!¡±

    Yue Lingsi felt incredibly upset, so she could not help but whine, ¡°Mother, I know, but Mushan keeps ming me for what happened years ago. I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s so hard for him to forget Shen Wenna, that slut!¡±

    Deng Wenwen just scoffed coldly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he forgets or not. As long as you hold on tight to your position as the mayor¡¯s wife, stand your ground. Shen Wenna is still the one without a rightful title, so what if he loves you or not? You can still push her down. The person who can rightfully stand by Mushan¡¯s side is you. You¡¯re the rightful wife. You just have to remember this!¡±

    Deng Wenwen spoke quite justifiedly, ¡°Just like how I can control Yueying now. Controlling these is the one true skill. Even when ites to Xin Er, I always teach her to do so.¡±

    ¡°Mother, but I can¡¯t let Yifeng and Xinyi break up either. I heard that Han Yifeng hasn¡¯t gone back to the vi for the past few days! I¡¯m worried. If it were not for Xiaye that little slut, it wouldn¡¯t have broken them up. What do we do?¡±

    As Yue Lingsi spoke, her eyes were filled with worry.

    When Xi Xiaye was mentioned, Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression changed. Her gaze started to be unfathomable. Obviously, she did not forget the fact that Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen¡¯s marriage was real.

    A mix of emotions surged in her heart, and she could not help but be concerned. In fact, she was still a little shocked. She pondered for a moment before saying wisely, ¡°About Xiaye¡¯s matter, don¡¯t do anything rash first. Avoid bringing trouble to yourself.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I got it. She¡¯s now the phoenix. That slut Shen Wenna is probably stillughing at us. I really don¡¯t know how she got so lucky!¡± As Yue Lingsi spoke, an indescribable chilly light flickered in her eyes.

    ¡°Enough, stop talking like this. No matter what, she¡¯s still from the Xi family. When you go out the next time, don¡¯t say such things that demean our family.¡± Deng Wenwen shot her a look unhappily. Only then did Yue Lingsi lower her head slightly.

    ¡°But, Mother, look at Xiaye! She¡¯s treating you as an outsider. She only called on Father and Mushan. Clearly, she did it intentionally. How presumptuous! Many people will be talking behind your back if the word gets out!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression inevitably turned hostile once again!

    <h4>Comments (2)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 334: Incited Conflict (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The warm sun was high up in the sky as its gentle rays shrouded the quiet Maple Residence in its holy glory. The cold ground was covered with long shadows.

    At noon, Mu Yuchen made lunch after he washed up. Xi Xiaye had requested for sliced chicken porridge for lunch. As he was cooking the porridge slowly, he took some time to clean up the forbidden ces: the bedroom and the study room.

    Inside the bedroom, Mu Yuchen dragged open the thick curtains and pushed the ss windows open. Glittering sunlight streamed into the room as a strong wind breezed through. Then, there were some movements from under the nket on the huge,fortable bed.

    Xi Xiaye sat up with her messy hair, rubbing her eyes and looking over to where the noises came from. She saw Mr. Mu watering the nts. ¡°What time is it now? Why are you up so early?¡± Her voice sounded a little hoarse.

    Mr. Mu turned around when he heard her voice. Seeing that she was sitting inside the nket, his expression softened. ¡°You¡¯re up? It¡¯s not early now. It¡¯s almost 11 a.m. Go and wash up and then we can eat.¡±

    He put the ss of water in his hand away as he grabbed the remote control and switched on the music yer in the room. Soothing music started to y. It was a ssic, ¡°My Heart Will Go On¡±.

    Xi Xiaye was in a jovial mood when she heard the song. She got out of bed and brushed her own hair, humming along to the tune as she walked towards the wardrobe. She then went into the bathroom after grabbing an outfit.

    Mu Yuchen had already cleaned the bedroom when she came out of the bathroom. He had even tidied up her messy wardrobe.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head out earlierter. I want to fix my hair. Are youing with me?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at her long hair in front of the dressing table while talking to him as he adjusted his tie.

    She went over to him and took the tie, helping him to put it on. Although she was not the best person to do it, it was alright.

    ¡°Mmm, cut it shorter. It¡¯s difficult for you to dry your hair after you¡¯ve showered at night.¡± He ran his fingers through her hair as he looked downward, enjoying the unique scent on her.

    She looked up and asked him, ¡°Don¡¯t you like me this way? It won¡¯t look nice anymore if I cut it short.¡±

    ¡°You look good in anything.¡± He smiled.

    ¡°Really?¡± She had a big smile on her face and her eyes could not help but glitter. Women tended to like it when their menplimented them, and Xi Xiaye was no exception.

    He just smiled and looked at her happy face. He was feeling her joy too. In response, he lowered his head and kissed her.

    She just let him do whatever he wanted.

    With his strong self-restraint, he suppressed the wild instincts inside him and just stopped at just a kiss.

    Suddenly, he felt that he was losing himself pretty quickly. He actually could not control his thoughts for a moment!

    He scolded himself on the inside. Where did his discipline go?

    ...

    After lunch, they made some tea and yed chess together. Li Si and the bodyguards only arrived after they finished two games, so they left at around 1 p.m. It was pretty far away and it was about the right time to arrive after she had fixed her hair.

    When they were arriving at West Park, Xi Xiaye called Xi Mushan who was on his way downstairs. Deng Wenwen, Xi Xinyi, Han Yifeng and his family were in the living room discussing Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s wedding.

    Xi Xinyi was smiling while Han Yifeng was just drinking his tea in silence. His expression seemed pretty bleak.

    When they heard the sound of footsteps on the staircase, they turned around. ¡°Father!¡± Xi Xinyi called out to him. Xi Mushan nced at her as he picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Father. We¡¯ll be there in 10 minutes. You¡¯re home, aren¡¯t you?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice reached him.

    ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hung up as Xi Mushen put his phone away and spoke to Xi Xinyi downstairs, ¡°Your sister and brother-inw are arriving. Tidy the ce up.¡± He then went downstairs and walked outside.

    However, Xi Mushan¡¯s words shocked them! They were all stunned!

    Sister and brother-inw?

    The Han family were dumbfounded because they still did not know Xi Xiaye was already married. Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi were shocked because they knew the person that married Xi Xiaye was Mu Yuchen!

    Even the quiet Han Yifeng straightened his posture all of a sudden.

    ¡°What does he mean? Lingsi, is Xiaye really married? When did this happen? What brother-inw?¡±

    Huang Ziyao looked at Yue Lingshi in doubt. She had never heard anything about Xi Xiaye¡¯s marriage. What was happening now?

    She suddenly remembered some time ago, she had met Xi Xiaye in the New Era za when she was with Huang Shanshan.

    Han Yu looked at Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi. Finally, his eyes stopped at the aloof Han Yifeng. After a while, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingshi traded nces. They both did not look veryfortable. Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes were filled with mixed emotions, and it was hard to tell what she was thinking about.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression turned pale as she just sat there, stunned. Her gaze was locked onto Han Yifeng beside her.

    She never expected Xi Xiaye to bring Mu Yuchen back to West Park!

    How could this be!?

    Yue Lingsi could not hide the anger in her eyes, which were burning with jealousy, especially when she thought about how arrogant Xi Xiaye had been back at the caf¨¨ and how she had embarrassed her right in front of Shen Wenna!

    Deng Wenwen suppressed the wild emotions running inside her as she spoke, ¡°It¡¯s Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen. They were married at the end ofst year. We didn¡¯t tell you guys about it because we were busy preparing for Yifeng and Xinyi, so...¡±

 Chapter 334 - Incited Conflict (2)

    <h4>Chapter 334: Incited Conflict (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The warm sun was high up in the sky as its gentle rays shrouded the quiet Maple Residence in its holy glory. The cold ground was covered with long shadows.

    At noon, Mu Yuchen made lunch after he washed up. Xi Xiaye had requested for sliced chicken porridge for lunch. As he was cooking the porridge slowly, he took some time to clean up the forbidden ces: the bedroom and the study room.

    Inside the bedroom, Mu Yuchen dragged open the thick curtains and pushed the ss windows open. Glittering sunlight streamed into the room as a strong wind breezed through. Then, there were some movements from under the nket on the huge,fortable bed.

    Xi Xiaye sat up with her messy hair, rubbing her eyes and looking over to where the noises came from. She saw Mr. Mu watering the nts. ¡°What time is it now? Why are you up so early?¡± Her voice sounded a little hoarse.

    Mr. Mu turned around when he heard her voice. Seeing that she was sitting inside the nket, his expression softened. ¡°You¡¯re up? It¡¯s not early now. It¡¯s almost 11 a.m. Go and wash up and then we can eat.¡±

    He put the ss of water in his hand away as he grabbed the remote control and switched on the music yer in the room. Soothing music started to y. It was a ssic, ¡°My Heart Will Go On¡±.

    Xi Xiaye was in a jovial mood when she heard the song. She got out of bed and brushed her own hair, humming along to the tune as she walked towards the wardrobe. She then went into the bathroom after grabbing an outfit.

    Mu Yuchen had already cleaned the bedroom when she came out of the bathroom. He had even tidied up her messy wardrobe.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head out earlierter. I want to fix my hair. Are youing with me?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at her long hair in front of the dressing table while talking to him as he adjusted his tie.

    She went over to him and took the tie, helping him to put it on. Although she was not the best person to do it, it was alright.

    ¡°Mmm, cut it shorter. It¡¯s difficult for you to dry your hair after you¡¯ve showered at night.¡± He ran his fingers through her hair as he looked downward, enjoying the unique scent on her.

    She looked up and asked him, ¡°Don¡¯t you like me this way? It won¡¯t look nice anymore if I cut it short.¡±

    ¡°You look good in anything.¡± He smiled.

    ¡°Really?¡± She had a big smile on her face and her eyes could not help but glitter. Women tended to like it when their menplimented them, and Xi Xiaye was no exception.

    He just smiled and looked at her happy face. He was feeling her joy too. In response, he lowered his head and kissed her.

    She just let him do whatever he wanted.

    With his strong self-restraint, he suppressed the wild instincts inside him and just stopped at just a kiss.

    Suddenly, he felt that he was losing himself pretty quickly. He actually could not control his thoughts for a moment!

    He scolded himself on the inside. Where did his discipline go?

    ...

    After lunch, they made some tea and yed chess together. Li Si and the bodyguards only arrived after they finished two games, so they left at around 1 p.m. It was pretty far away and it was about the right time to arrive after she had fixed her hair.

    When they were arriving at West Park, Xi Xiaye called Xi Mushan who was on his way downstairs. Deng Wenwen, Xi Xinyi, Han Yifeng and his family were in the living room discussing Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s wedding.

    Xi Xinyi was smiling while Han Yifeng was just drinking his tea in silence. His expression seemed pretty bleak.

    When they heard the sound of footsteps on the staircase, they turned around. ¡°Father!¡± Xi Xinyi called out to him. Xi Mushan nced at her as he picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Father. We¡¯ll be there in 10 minutes. You¡¯re home, aren¡¯t you?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice reached him.

    ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hung up as Xi Mushen put his phone away and spoke to Xi Xinyi downstairs, ¡°Your sister and brother-inw are arriving. Tidy the ce up.¡± He then went downstairs and walked outside.

    However, Xi Mushan¡¯s words shocked them! They were all stunned!

    Sister and brother-inw?

    The Han family were dumbfounded because they still did not know Xi Xiaye was already married. Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi were shocked because they knew the person that married Xi Xiaye was Mu Yuchen!

    Even the quiet Han Yifeng straightened his posture all of a sudden.

    ¡°What does he mean? Lingsi, is Xiaye really married? When did this happen? What brother-inw?¡±

    Huang Ziyao looked at Yue Lingshi in doubt. She had never heard anything about Xi Xiaye¡¯s marriage. What was happening now?

    She suddenly remembered some time ago, she had met Xi Xiaye in the New Era za when she was with Huang Shanshan.

    Han Yu looked at Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi. Finally, his eyes stopped at the aloof Han Yifeng. After a while, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingshi traded nces. They both did not look veryfortable. Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes were filled with mixed emotions, and it was hard to tell what she was thinking about.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression turned pale as she just sat there, stunned. Her gaze was locked onto Han Yifeng beside her.

    She never expected Xi Xiaye to bring Mu Yuchen back to West Park!

    How could this be!?

    Yue Lingsi could not hide the anger in her eyes, which were burning with jealousy, especially when she thought about how arrogant Xi Xiaye had been back at the caf¨¨ and how she had embarrassed her right in front of Shen Wenna!

    Deng Wenwen suppressed the wild emotions running inside her as she spoke, ¡°It¡¯s Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen. They were married at the end ofst year. We didn¡¯t tell you guys about it because we were busy preparing for Yifeng and Xinyi, so...¡±

 Chapter 335 - Incited Conflict (3)

    <h4>Chapter 335: Incited Conflict (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Huang Ziyao and the others were shocked to hear that huge piece of news. They could not believe it, so they just gaped at Deng Wenwen¡¯s aged face, in just a brief moment of time, many expressions shed past. There were worries and frustrations, but it was also difficult to tell.

    ¡°Grandmother...¡± Xi Xinyi called out to Deng Wenwen when she saw her reaction. There was a slight grievance in her tone, and her pale face made her seem much more fragile.

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi both looked at Xi Xinyi. ¡°Alright, the guests areing. Don¡¯t say anything. Just wait and see.¡±

    ¡°I will speak properly with Sister... since Sister and brother-inw areing over...¡± Xi Xinyi nced over at Han Yifeng¡¯s direction when she spoke. She noticed theplex expression on his face as well as his eyes staring at her.

    Startled, she swiftly averted her gaze away. No one else in the living room spoke another word and the atmosphere suddenly turned heavy as everyone had their own thoughts.

    ...

    The sunlight at noon was very bright. It was remarkably warm standing under it. Xi Mushan stood at the entrance for a few minutes before he heard the sound of a car engineing closer. He then raised his head.

    As expected, two ck cars were on the way over to him, driving pretty slowly.

    After a while, the cars stopped on the road nearby. The door was opened from inside and Li Si came out swiftly. Just as he was about to open the door for the car in front, someone opened it from inside.

    Mu Yuchen came out casually. Looking up, he saw Xi Mushan in front. Xi Mushan looked at him as his facial expression softened and he gave Xi Mushan a nod. Xi Mushan smiled and nodded back at him.

    Mu Yuchen then grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand as she got out of the car.

    Xi Xiaye wore a spring-themed <i>qipao </i> with calligraphy designs apanied by a shawl on her shoulders. Beside her, Mu Yuchen wore a casual, dark silver suit. They looked really matching together.

    Xi Xiaye was startled for a little while when she saw Xi Mushen in front of the door. She came back to her senses when she heard Li Si giving orders to the bodyguards to bring out the gifts they had brought.

    Xi Mushan went to them. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you guys for a while. Come inside.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s deep voice reached her.

    ¡°Father...¡± Xi Xiaye called out to him quietly. She raised her head and looked at therge house behind him before her hand that clung onto his arm stiffened. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside. It¡¯s pretty warm out here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then nodded before turning over to Li Si. ¡°Assistant Li, please bring the gifts inside.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡± Li Si and the others started moving the items after he gave a brief reply.

    At the same time, there were some footstepsing from the door. Xi Xiaye looked over to see Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsiing outside together with Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi.

    When they saw the matching Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, they were blown away for quite a while before they were able to react.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s face went stiff. After putting in some effort, she forced a smile and went up to them, stopping beside Xi Mushan and speaking in a very gentle tone, ¡°Xiaye¡¯s back! Chairman Mu... or I should say, Ah Chen...¡±

    Her tone was very unnatural, highlighting the awkwardness between them.

    Yue Lingsi forced a smile and stood beside Xi Mushan.

    Xi Xinyi hid the faint light in her eyes as she looked at the couple before her. She pasted a smile on her pale face and dragged Han Yifeng over. ¡°Chairman Mu... I mean, Brother-inw and Sister, wee back to West Park!¡±

    There was a joyous tone in her gentle voice as if she had been looking forward to Xi Xiaye¡¯s return for ages. ¡°Father has been expecting this day for a very long time! Why don¡¯t you guys join us for lunch? Yifeng¡¯s parents are here too! We can gather around and have a meal together.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything and just looked at them coldly while Mu Yuchen gave them a slight nod.

    No one said anything after Xi Xinyi. The air around turned rigid and there was an invisible pressure around them.

    After a while, Xi Mushan turned around and started walking into the house. ¡°Let¡¯s all head back inside. Don¡¯t just stand around here.¡±

    Deng Wenwen nodded, still trying hard to keep the smile on her face. Xi Xiaye turned her head over as she put on a chilly smile.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s head back inside. I¡¯ve prepared some dishes. Since Xin Er and Yifeng are around, it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve all gathered around. Come inside quickly.¡± Deng Wenwen smiled.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be joining the meal. My mother is teaching at University A now. How is this a gathering? We¡¯re just here to take a look at Grandfather and will leave very soon. You guys can just go on with whatever you¡¯re doing.¡± Completely devoid of an ounce of friendliness, she turned her head over to the man beside her. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he nced over at Deng Wenwen¡¯s group. When his eyes met Han Yifeng¡¯s, there was a faint, meaningful glimpse in his eyes. He did not say anything as Xi Xiaye pulled him into West Park.

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen went past them as if they were invisible. The rage inside Deng Wenwen nearly exploded, and Xi Xinyi looked pale and cold. Her eyes darkened as she watched the two of them enter the house.

    ¡°Mother, look at that! Just what was that attitude!?¡± Yue Lingsi could not help but start whining. Her eyes burned with anger as she looked watched their backs.

    Deng Wenwen took several deep breaths and calmed down as she held onto Yue Lingsi. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. Let¡¯s go back in for now!¡±

    They then went back inside.

 Chapter 336 - To Frame Or To Be Framed! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 336: To Frame Or To Be Framed! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they walked towards the door, Huang Ziyao and Han Yu were on their way out. The shock on their faces intensified when they saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye together.

    ¡°Chairman Mu! Xiaye!¡± Han Yu reacted after a brief moment and called out to them loudly. Huang Ziyao was still lost in the moment.

    ¡°CEO Han? Long time no see!¡± Mu Yuchen replied casually.

    Huang Ziyao came back to her senses and asked, ¡°Chairman Mu, you and Xiaye...¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Han, you know my wife too?¡±

    He outrightly informed them about their rtionship with that sentence. Without staying for long, Xi Xiaye pulled him away.

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± They traded nces with each other in doubt as the two of them walked past them. They were confused and turned their heads around when they heard the sound of footsteps from behind.

    Deng Wenwen came inside with a cloudy expression while Yue Lingsi seemed angry. It was not hard to guess that they were pissed off.

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t be angry! Your health is going to get worse!¡± Xi Xinyi let go of Han Yifeng¡¯s arm and held onto Deng Wenwen.

    Han Yu and Huang Ziyao noticed that something was wrong, so they then asked, ¡°What exactly happened? Xiaye and Chairman Mu...¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression turned even colder and she did not answer. Instead, Yue Lingsi replied vindictively, ¡°They¡¯re doing this on purpose!¡±

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t put it that way!¡± Xi Xinyi tugged at Yue Lingsi¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°What now? Just what is that attitude of hers? Is that how Shen Wenna taught her daughter to behave?¡± Yue Lingsi was still furious about what Xi Mushan had said to her that morning. She was really frustrated!

    However, only she herself knew that there was something else brewing aside from her anger!

    She thought that after Xi Xinyi got together with Han Yifeng, and since she was Xi Mushan¡¯s wife, she was a level above Shen Wenna no matter what. Every time she thought about Shen Wenna¡¯s cold expression, she was really mad and she just wanted to best her in everything.

    However, Xi Mushan could not forget Shen Wenna, and with Xi Xiaye involving herself with a legendary figure such as Mu Yuchen, how could she be not angry about this?

    She was starting to me God. Why was it even with such excellent traits, she still lost to Shen Wenna?

    With just her background, she was leaps and bounds above Shen Wenna!

    Speaking of appearances and talents, just what could a lecturer do? Moreover, Yue Lingsi had been one of the top beauties when she had still been in university!

    As for their mannerisms, she was raised in a prestigious family since she was young. There was no way Shen Wenna could be better than her!

    She never expected that their conflict would reach their daughters as well. She had gone through so much just to be Xi Mushan¡¯s wife, and when she thought she could finally step on her...

    Actually, she never really got anything. Aside from securing the title of the Mayor¡¯s wife, Xi Mushan had never entered her room after their marriage, and he would never touch a single drop of alcohol at home. He prepared a single bed in his study room which was where he slept.

    It was hard to believe, but it was the truth.

    Others thought they were a model couple that respected each other, but only they themselves knew the truth. For more than twenty years, they treated each other coldly, and she clearly understood that Xi Mushan hated her.

    It was very rare for someone like Xi Mushan to hate someone, but once he started resenting someone, it was nearly impossible to forgive. Yue Lingsi was a sound example.

    Their rtionship had been in the same horrible state for the past twenty years. The gap was getting wider and wider with the hatred growing more and more gradually.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye pulled Mu Yuchen along the corridor as she led the way in.

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s room had been moved to a quiet corner. Xi Jiyang¡¯s private doctor, Dr. Li, was on his way out with his medical box when they arrived in front of the room. The nurse behind him had a tray with three empty liquid vials: onerge and two small.

    ¡°Mayor!¡± Dr. Li greeted respectfully when he saw Xi Mushan while the nurse behind him bowed courteously.

    ¡°Mmm, what¡¯s the situation? Did he wake up?¡± Xi Mushan nodded and asked quietly.

    Dr. Li nodded and replied, ¡°He just woke up. You can ask your servants to prepare some porridge for him. He¡¯s in a jolly mood today. If he keeps this up, it¡¯s going to be helpful for his recovery.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, thank you.¡± Xi Mushan moved away to let Dr. Li pass.

    Dr. Li smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the hospital now. Give me a call if you need anything. I¡¯lle over tomorrow morning and check up on him.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Ah Hui, send Dr. Li off.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mayor!¡±

    Dr. Li¡¯s smile faded away. He was stunned for a moment when he walked past Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. Before he could react, Xi Xiaye and Xi Mushan went inside the room.

    ...

    ¡°You guys are back!¡±

    Xi Jiyang could hear Xi Mushan¡¯s voice from inside the room as a rare smile appeared on his face when he saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. Undeniably, he was in a good mood.

    They went beside Xi Jiyang¡¯s bed and called out to him, ¡°Grandfather.¡±

    Xi Jiyang struggled to get up. ¡°Have a seat. Don¡¯t just stand there. Have some tea and y chess with me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened slightly. Xi Jiyang was well aware of his own condition, yet he did not want them to worry. These happy moments were rare and precious to him now.

    Xi Xiaye did not move an inch as Mu Yuchen bent over and helped Xi Jiyang to get up. Xi Mushan was getting the tea ready on the coffee table.

    Seeing Mu Yuchen help Xi Jiyang walk slowly towards the sofa, it was difficult for Xi Xiaye to watch. She considered what to say before going over.

    Mu Yuchen helped Xi Jiyang sit down. He put a pillow behind him as he asked quietly, ¡°How do you feeltely?¡±

    Xi Jiyang nodded with a smile. ¡°Pretty good. I¡¯m just a little tired, but I should be able to recover in a few days. You guys should sit down too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and sat down opposite Xi Jiyang while Xi Xiaye sat down beside him.

 Chapter 337 - To Frame Or To Be Framed! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 337: To Frame Or To Be Framed! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s frail hands trembled slightly as he took the tea that Xi Mushan handed him. He took a sip, then pointed to the Chinese chess set beside him and looked to Mu Yuchen to say, ¡°Let¡¯s have a game, shall we?¡±

    Mu Yuchen set the cup in his hand aside and nodded.

    Xi Xiaye watched a smile surface underneath Xi Jiyang¡¯s aged face, yet she could feel a sense of loss and lonelinessing from him. With a sigh, she arranged the chess set for them while Xi Mushan sat down beside Xi Jiyang and watched them y.

    Xi Xiaye was not very skilled at chess, so she would not be able to give Mu Yuchen any suggestion even if she watched them. Instead, it was Xi Mushan across her who clearly had more knowledge about chess, so he became Xi Jiyang¡¯s strategist.

    After one round, Mu Yuchen¡¯s great skills were showcased. He kept on getting into a tie with Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan, so they ended the session as such.

    ¡°If you¡¯re busy and can¡¯te back often, it¡¯s fine. Wait for me to recover, then perhaps I can go over to visit you two.¡± Xi Jiyang sipped his tea as he looked at the husband and wife across him. He could not help but smile.

    ¡°We¡¯re not busy on the weekends. Besides, Mother has been hoping for us toe home and visit. There are some things that we obviously cannot overlook.¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head to separate the chess pieces on the board, her clear voice was like a cool breeze making its way around the maple forest, it was calm, no emotions could be heard.

    At the same moment Shen Wenna was brought up, Xi Mushan who was beside Xi Jiyang immediately shifted in expression. He abruptly paused and then continued what he was doing.

    When Xi Jiyang heard this, his expression turned stiff and there was dimness in his eyes. He could not help but sigh, ¡°Your mother is a person who understands the big picture. It¡¯s us Xis that let her down... Had we known...¡±

    Xi Jiyang let his sentence trail off. Instead, he sighed sadly and put the cup in hand down.

    Hearing Xi Jiyang, Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand that held one of the chess pieces froze. Without looking up at him, she just said calmly, ¡°Mother¡¯s quite a forgiving person. She didn¡¯t me you guys all these years. Furthermore, she could continue living her life peacefully and there¡¯s nothing bad about that. She likes the peace and quiet.¡±

    Xi Jiyang thought about it and said softly, ¡°I know. You¡¯ve been unhappy because of all the things Xinyi has done in the past. All these years that you haven¡¯t really been home either is because you resent us...¡±

    Xi Xiaye put the chess pieces on the board one by one back into their box. When she heard Xi Jiyang¡¯s admission, she fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan. Her gaze was as clear as water and her voice was very gentle. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the past anymore. I¡¯ve already forgotten all of those things. Grandfather, just recover at ease. When you¡¯re better, you cane by Maple Residence often to visit us.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always hoped for everyone to live more simply, and I¡¯ve never really med you all. After I¡¯ve exined it to you guys, I hope you won¡¯t continue to brood over it. I¡¯m doing really good right now, and I hope that you two can live well too. It¡¯s just that simple.¡±

    These words were the result of all the mature reflection she had naturally gone through on her end. In her heart, no matter what, she shared the same blood as them. They were her closest kin. That was a fact that could not be erased. After all, they had once protected her and she was grateful. Naturally, she would hope for them to live a decent life.

    She had always believed that no one in this world was expected to be kind to you. If you wanted to receive care and respect from someone else, you had to first be the person that freely gave love out.

    She did not know whether doing this was right or not. She just knew that certain emotions in her were moved, so she told herself that if she cared about something, she had to work hard to protect it.

    She thought about it and added, ¡°When ites to some grudges, you two can just stay out of it. That way, everyone will fare better.¡±

    She could be very forgiving, but there were some things that she still could not let go of.

    When she said this, the few of them fell silent. Since no one spoke, the atmosphere felt a little stifled.

    Mu Yuchen turned to look at her and saw that she was silently arranging the chess pieces neatly. His eyes that were as deep and distant as the sea flickered for a while. Finally, he turned to Xi Mushan and Xi Jiyang. His tone was low yet calm. ¡°Grandfather, Father, about Xi Xiaye¡¯s past. Neither do I want to know, nor have it mentioned. As she said, let¡¯s forget it.

    ¡°We¡¯re nning to have our wedding in June. Next month, the Mu family will send the betrothal gifts to the Shen residence and West Park simultaneously. I hope that we can have your blessings. Allow us to have an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime wedding.¡±

    ¡°Wedding? So soon?¡± Xi Mushan and Xi Jiyang were both shocked. Previously, they heard that they nned to have the wedding in October.

    ¡°I wanted to rightfully take her as my wife earlier.¡± Facing their shocked expressions, Mu Yuchenughed casually. ¡°So, this time, we¡¯ve mainlye to see Grandfather, and at the same time, tell you about this.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded. Naturally, he was satisfied with the way Mu Yuchen did things. He was humble and did not forget etiquette, executing things steadily and rigorously. Of course, Xi Mushan knew that the reason they would send the bethrotal gifts to West Park at the same time was to give Xi Mushan the honor.

    Quite a while after that, Xi Mushan said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get people to attend to it. If you need anything, just let me know.¡±

    ¡°Just leave the wedding stuff to the Mu family, you are the VIP, we will just have your blessings.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled calmly and humbly.

    ...

    The men were still chatting while Xi Xiaye had already left the room. She was nning on going to her previous room for a look, especially since she had not stepped foot into it for so long.

    Xi Mushan had said the servants would frequently sweep it, so the room was still very clean. Actually, there were not many things that belonged to her in there. Back then, when she had moved out, she had pretty much brought everything she could with her. As for those that she could not, she just threw them away.

    On the empty bed and along the windowsill on the right, there were still all the numerous plushies that Han Yifeng had given her. She always wanted to tell him that she was not a little girl anymore and did not like these things anymore, but when he gave them to her, she still felt thrilled about it for a very long time.

    However, all of it had now be the past. When the wind blew, the feelings faded and there was nothing much left in the end.

    She walked over and pulled open the tightly shut curtains as the chime of a bell was heard. She looked up and noticed that the little doll hanging by her bed was gently swaying.

    It looked like something that Han Yifeng had given her for a certain festival.

    She stared at it quietly for a long time, then touched the little doll¡¯s head with her fingertips. Her beautiful face shed with a faint smile as she said softly, ¡°Goodbye, little fellow!¡±

    Then, she took it down and threw it into the dustbin on the side. When she turned her head, she saw Xi Xinyi standing by the door.

 Chapter 338 - To Frame Or To Be Framed! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 338: To Frame Or To Be Framed! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye looked at her, then looked away indifferently.

    Still, Xi Xinyi walked in and after a while, she was behind her. She looked at the doll that she had tossed into the dustbin. Upon seeing that Xi Xiaye had already turned away without so much of a second look at her, her expression instantly turned cold.

    ¡°I know you did those things! You¡¯ve managed to take your revenge, Xi Xiaye!¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice was frigid, inevitably mixed with some sharpness. Xi Xiaye did not even need to look when she could already feel the iciness attacking from behind.

    The corner of Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips curled into a sneer. She picked up the rag doll on the windowsill before her and fiddled with it for a while before saying inly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Stop acting dumb! You¡¯ve managed to push me out of showbiz. Do you feel satisfied? Everything that has happened right now is all thanks to you! In order to pummel me down, you didn¡¯t spare iming a connection to Mu Yuchen. I¡¯ve really underestimated you.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s chest was filled with anger that could not be pushed down.

    Yes, anger!

    Anger from all the bitter experiences she had gone through so far!

    Her initially brilliant road to stardom had been destroyed overnight, and the deep love that she and Han Yifeng had when they were joined by the hip was now a mess. All the many problems she was going through seemed to befall her at once. She almost could not bear it and was close to a breakdown, yet the cause of these disasters lived sofortably. She could not stand such a contrast!

    ¡°To pummel you down, I connected with Mu Yuchen?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard Xi Xinyi, she almostughed out loud. She calmly turned around and looked apathetically at Xi Xinyi with a calm gaze looked as if she was watching an amusing clown. ¡°You think too highly of yourself! Now, with all of these things added up, it¡¯s not even enough topensate for all the things you¡¯ve done to me, even if I add interest in! Especially with your high-quality mother who¡¯s a daughter from a prestigious family. She wrecked her own best friend¡¯s family and was willing to be a third party. How can someonecking inner quality and awareness continue to live on this Earth? If I were her, I¡¯d have long killed myself bymitting seppuku.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice was very calm like still water. There was not a hint of her feeling wavered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make yourself seem all high and mighty! Didn¡¯t you still offer yourself as part of a business deal? Don¡¯t tell me that you really married Mu Yuchen for so-called love? Weren¡¯t you still terribly in love with Yifeng a while ago? Yet, you immediately turned around and fell in love with another man. Xi Xiaye, I never knew you were so phnthropic!¡±

    She could not me Xi Xinyi for thinking like that. When she thought about how things had unfolded, there was no way Xi Xiaye could have married Mu Yuchen for love. She had already learned a bit about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s situation. Mu Yuchen only returned from New York close to the end ofst year and they did not know each other before that.

    If that was the case, then Xi Xinyi deduced that there must be some sort of serendipity that brought them together, or maybe Xi Xiaye had gone to Mu Yuchen and the two of them had a secret deal between them such as an agreement or something. After all, even though Mu Yuchen was low-profile and cold, the rumors about him in the circle were mysterious.

    Obviously, her acting had gotten into her head, so she could only think of such reasons!

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was not enraged. Instead, she smiled faintly at Xi Xinyi. The light in her eyes looked like she was mulling it over. ¡°Offer myself as part of a business deal? You can go ask Mu Yuchen and see what kind of answer he¡¯ll give you. Even if that is so, that proves that I¡¯m charming. Otherwise, why didn¡¯t he fancy you instead? I remember that at the Glory World annual meeting and the opening ceremony of Imperial Sky Entertainment City, you fawned over him quite a bit. Did he take one look at you, celebrity Xi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye realized that her ability for a wickedeback had grown since being with that man.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you always boasted about yourself having both talent and looks? You have a strong background and the status to go with it. As a princess with the world revolving around you, how did you fall to this sorry state? Do you have a very deep understanding of the words ¡®it serves you right¡¯ now?¡±

    As she watched Xi Xinyi¡¯s little face be increasingly stormy and unfathomable as well as that cold light that gathered and leaped in her eyes, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt particrly satisfied. The fact that she could make her mask fail and cause her to act this way was not that easy toe by. Should she be giving Mu Yuchen¡¯s hard work a ¡®like¡¯?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so flustered. From what I remember, you are someone who doesn¡¯t panic easily. The show has just begun, so don¡¯t show your cards so quickly. Otherwise, how are we going to keep ying? Do you feel especially unhappy? If you do, then cry, put on an act again in front of the whole family, squeeze a few more drop of tears out. Isn¡¯t that your master skill?¡±

    ¡°Slut!¡± Xi Xinyi was finally triggered to the point that she could not help but curse out loud with clenched fists. The hostility in her eyes showed and she suddenly could not care about anything else as she shouted, ¡°Stop trying to use me! You¡¯re the fickle slut. You and your mother¡¯s noble and virtuous appearances are annoying! So what if I¡¯m an illegitimate daughter? Haven¡¯t I bested you? Your fianc¨¦ still fell in love with me, didn¡¯t he?

    ¡°Now, almost everyone knows that in the Xi family, I, Xi Xinyi, am the true heiress. You, Xi Xiaye, can¡¯tpare to me! I hate it the most when people are discussing whether I¡¯m an illegitimate daughter behind my back. You and Su Nanugh at my misfortune, witch! And you gave me all those toys you no longer wanted. Who do you think you are? Who wants to be your charity case?¡±

    When she burst out, Xi Xiaye finally knew the reason why Xi Xinyi resented her.

    Illegitimate daughter?

    Charity case?

    She did remember that she had given quite a few princess dolls to Xi Xinyi previously because they were both children then. They had gotten along well and Xi Xinyi really liked them too, so she had given them to her unexpectedly.

    When she thought about this, she could not help but chuckle at herself, feeling a little sorry for her.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi, you¡¯re so sad. I never knew you were so narrow-minded! As such a vile character, you should at least have some remorse, but unexpectedly, you¡¯re proud of it.¡±

    ¡°What rights do you have to be lecturing me? How much higher and mightier than me do you think you could be? If I bring these things up to Mu Yuchen, what do you think he¡¯ll think of you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression was cold. Suddenly, a stack of photos appeared in her hands. Her eyes were filled with an insulting light as she waved the photos.

    Frowning, she squinted and her eyes were hostile as she looked at the pictures in Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand. Then, she looked at the sinister-looking Xi Xinyi before she reached out to take those photos.

 Chapter 339 - To Frame Or To Be Framed! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 339: To Frame Or To Be Framed! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She looked down and saw that she and Han Yifeng were in the photos she held. This scene seemed very familiar!

    After sifting through her memories, she remembered that this was taken when she bumped into Han Yifeng near the South River, and Mu Yuchen had been present at the time too!

    How did she get these photos? They were taken from various angles, and each of them was positioned in a way that made it seem Han Yifeng and her were intimate. Anyone would think that they were dating each other in secret.

    Xi Xiaye looked through each and every one of the photos. She then raised her head and studied Xi Xinyi with a faint light in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand with the photos and smiled. ¡°So? You sent people to tail Han Yifeng? Or were you keeping an eye on me? These photos... Do you want to threaten me with them?¡±

    ¡°You started this first. Don¡¯t me me for doing this.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that in order to take revenge on me, you¡¯re using Han Yifeng as a tool as well? So, is this proof of your love for him, Xi Xinyi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye squinted as a faint cold light shed past her eyes and she pasted a cold grin across her face.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes turned sharp as she balled her fists tightly. ¡°I¡¯m just warning you. Don¡¯t make me do this, especially when I¡¯m about to take over Yueying soon. Do you think I don¡¯t know what the other stakeholders were doing? You¡¯ve already destroyed me once, Xi Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve done anything lesser that destroyed me. Didn¡¯t the person who take these pictures tell you that Mu Yuchen was there as well? You¡¯re dead wrong if you think you can threaten me with these photos, Xi Xinyi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smirked as she let go of the photos, allowing them to flutter all over the floor. ¡°I might be considerate about keeping things together before, but now, I won¡¯t tolerate it and will fight for whatever I deserve. I can¡¯t stand seeing people like you live happily ever after.¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you wicked witch! I should¡¯ve gotten my cousin to fully destroy you. You¡¯d have no dignity to live till today and to even seduce Mu Yuchen!¡±

    Xi Xinyi lost control and almostshed out with her fists. Her eyes were chilly as her whole body was straining with tension.

    ¡°Wow, are you already admitting that was how wicked were you back then? Didn¡¯t you tell Han Yifeng and the others that you wanted to make it up to me? You can only do so much. Who else can be better at being wicked than you? In order to take revenge on me, you ignored your father and your husband¡¯s reputations. Shouldn¡¯t you go straight down the path to hell immediately?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then flung thest photo at her. ¡°And you¡¯re trying to pull stupid tricks like this!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wicked! Stupid! You¡¯re arrogant! So arrogant!¡± Xi Xinyi could not hold herself back after being berated. All the anger and grudge umted inside her heart exploded, and she had an emotional broke down when she thought about what had happened to her recently. She just wanted to split Xi Xiaye into two and stomp on her. Hopefully, she would nevere back again!

    She started moving, rushing forward with her hand raised up. She was so quick that Xi Xiaye almost could not react. Trying to block her with her arm, a painful sensation suddenly red from her arm. When she looked at it, she noticed several blood traces on the back of her hand!

    It was caused by Xi Xinyi¡¯s sharp nails! The foolish woman!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes shed angrily as her expression turned dark. Xi Xinyi was stilling at her. For the first time ever, she revealed a ferocious expression in front of Xi Xiaye!

    Blinded by anger, she grabbed onto her cor and moved sideways quickly, smashing Xi Xinyi onto the wall beside the window like a rocket!

    There was a loud and audible crash along with a screech!

    Xi Xiaye nced over at Xi Xinyi quickly. As she expected, her hand was smashed against the wall, and the impact was so strong that it seemed like her arm was dislocated. Her wrist area was swollen and bruised.

    Her expression was twisted in pain and her face was pale. She slowly sat down as she leaned against the wall while screaming in agony. Xi Xiaye started to be alert when she saw Xi Xinyi clutching her belly.

    A lightning-fast gleam went past Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. She had gone through this many times before, and she could hear the sound of footsteps from outside.

    She leaned against the window behind her and desperately gripped her belly as she lowered her head and moaned, ¡°It hurts...¡±

    Suddenly, Xi Xinyi looked at her in horror!

    At this very moment, the footsteps arrived at the room.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    It was Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice!

    Yue Lingsi started to fret when she saw Xi Xinyi on the floor, and then she saw Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

    Han Yu and the others came over right after Yue Lingsi did.

    Xi Xinyi turned to the door to see Yue Lingsi and the others including Mu Yuchen and Han Yifeng,ing in. Her eyes shed as she red at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± Before Xi Xinyi could react, a tall figure crossed past her.

    Xi Xiaye still had her head lowered. Her face seemed pale and she was frowning as if she was enduring a great deal amount of pain as she held her belly. She took several deep breaths when she saw Mu Yuchen, and her voice was trembling slightly. ¡°My... My stomach... is very painful... Xi Xinyi showed me these photos and warned me that she will show these to you... Remember we bumped into CEO Han by the South River thest time? She sent people to tail us... She said she was going to destroy me...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was gulping deep breaths and seemed to be suffering badly as she looked at the photos scattered everywhere on the floor.

 Chapter 340 - To Frame Or To Be Framed? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 340: To Frame Or To Be Framed? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen held her as he looked around the floor and saw all the photos of Xi Xiaye and Han Yifeng. He remembered the day they bumped into Han Yifeng near the South River.

    His quiet eyes darkened and he seemed hopeless.

    He turned his head towards Xi Xinyi. His icy eyes freaked her out a little. She started trembling and even her voice trembled due to his powerful presence there.

    ¡°N-no... She framed me... She framed me. My hand... She did this to me and my child...¡±

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze away from her. He grabbed Xi Xiaye in his arms as he frowned and his voice sounded concerned. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let¡¯s head to the hospital now.¡±

    Han Yifeng and the others arrived in time. They looked at Xi Xiaye in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms, then at Xi Xinyi, and finally at the photos on the floor.

    ¡°Yifeng, it hurts... She framed me! My hand... My child... My belly hurts very much! Xi Xiaye framed me! You guys have to believe me!¡± Xi Xinyi was shedding tears as she looked at Han Yifeng with her pair of pitiful eyes.

    However, Xi Xinyi¡¯s words were not convincing at all. The scratch marks on the back of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand were really obvious.

    Mu Yuchen nced at Han Yifeng, his eyes turning sharp when he looked at Xi Xinyi as if he could see right through her. His voice was so stern that even Han Yifeng could feel the pressure. ¡°Please use your brain before trying to frame someone the next time. You¡¯re a pregnantdy, but you¡¯re wearing high heels over ten centimeters. Are you sure you care about your child? Or did you n this from the start?¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, I hope you guys can give me an exnation about what happened today. I¡¯ve already given her a chance about the military academy incident. If she continues to do this, I don¡¯t mind letting her taste her own medicine. I believe the Han family wouldn¡¯t want to see that as well. If anything happens to my wife...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not finish his sentence and just red at everyone as he walked outside with Xi Xiaye in his arms.

    Xi Xinyi struggled to get up before roaring at Mu Yuchen, ¡°No! It¡¯s not me! Master Mu, that witch Xi Xiaye framed me. Ouch! My hand! My hand! Master Mu, please listen to me! Xi Xiaye is a wicked woman! Don¡¯t be tricked by her!¡±

    ¡°Xinyi! That¡¯s enough! He¡¯s already gone. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked like she was about to break down any second. Both Han Yu and Huang Ziyao looked very upset while Yue Lingsi quickly went up to her and gave her eye signals.

    After a while, Han Yu sucked a deep breath in as he looked at the photos on the floor before leaving. ¡°Xinyi, I¡¯m so disappointed in you!¡±

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s expression darkened. She thought about what Mu Yuchen said just now and nced at Xi Xinyi. Soon, the umted frustration inside her exploded. ¡°Xinyi, you didn¡¯t listen to me at all! Can you stop causing more trouble when it¡¯s already so chaotic? Will you only be happy when you drag everyone down with you? Are you trying to affect Yifeng by showing these photos to Mu Yuchen? I really... How do I tell the elder about this? Ugh, how annoying!¡±

    Huang Ziyao was having a headache. Her eyes seemed impatient as she swiveled around and left.

    ¡°Ziyao! Han Yu! Listen to me, Ziyao! Ziyao!¡± Yue Lingsi was anxious as she wanted to catch up to them together with Xi Xinyi. However, they had already disappeared.

    ¡°Father! Mother!¡± Xi Xinyi panicked and looked at Han Yifeng beside her. At that moment, Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes looked like they were dead as he kept quiet. Xi Xinyi felt like she was looking at a stranger and started to freak out, going towards him while ignoring the pain ring from her hand.

    ¡°Yifeng, Yifeng, you have to listen to me! It¡¯s not like what Xi Xiaye said. She framed me! She really did! She pushed me and was trying to kill our child! Yifeng, I beg you to please believe me. It¡¯s her. She¡¯s trying to hurt me...¡± She grabbed onto Han Yifeng¡¯s sleeve and sobbed, seeming so pathetic right then.

    Han Yifeng just let her be while heughed pathetically at himself. He nced at Xi Xinyi¡¯s high heels before averting his gaze to one of the photos on the floor.

    He went quiet for a moment before squatting down and picking a photo up. Studying it seriously, he put on a bitter smile. ¡°Xinyi, what else do you think I can say? I believe that I hold some of the responsibility for what happened to you... I pampered you too much... I can¡¯t do this anymore. I¡¯m really tired. You can decide for yourself whether you want to keep the child or not. I¡¯ll make sure topensate you a huge amount of alimony.¡±

    Xi Xinyi grabbed onto Han Yifeng tightly and exined, ¡°No! No! Yifeng, don¡¯t be like this. I¡¯m just trying to scare her off, but I never thought of exposing this. I¡¯m scaring her, hoping that she will practice some restraint. She wouldn¡¯t let me take over Yueying so easily, Yifeng!¡±

    ¡°Chances? Again and again? There are no more chances, Xinyi. Let¡¯s face it. I can¡¯t give you the future that you want. Let¡¯s not waste each other¡¯s time anymore.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want this. I don¡¯t want it. I¡¯ll never agree with it. We just got married! How could you say that?¡±

    Before she could finish, Han Yifeng pulled her hands away from his arm.

    ¡°Yifeng, don¡¯t be rash. We can talk about it. Let¡¯s just talk it out, alright? Think about what¡¯s going to happen to both our family¡¯s reputations? Just how many days have you guys been married? Do you think it¡¯s just a little game?¡±

    Yue Lingsi scowled and supported the pathetic-looking Xi Xinyi.

    Han Yifeng ignored them and went towards the door, but not before leaving an order to Secretary Wang, ¡°Secretary Wang, send her to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Yifeng! Yifeng! Listen to me. Xi Xiaye really framed me! Why won¡¯t you believe me? Why?!¡±

    Xi Xinyi sat down in defeat with the double blow she just received. Wailing loudly, she covered her face with both hands.

 Chapter 341 - Date And Never Break Up (1)

    <h4>Chapter 341: Date And Never Break Up (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi wanted to run after Han Yifeng, yet seeing how Xi Xinyi was at the moment, she could not bear to leave her, so she waited for her to cry a while longer before she helped her up. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough crying now. Let¡¯s go to the hospital to check on your hand first.¡±

    Then, Secretary Wang walked over and helped Yue Lingsi to support Xi Xinyi out too.

    They had just reached the staircase when they saw Deng Wenwen walking over.

    Deng Wenwen narrowed her eyes at Xi Xinyi¡¯s swollen wrist and asked coldly, ¡°What happened? How did things turn out like this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of Xi Xiaye that slut! Every time shees home, she turns the whole house upside down! If anything happens to Xinyi, I won¡¯t let her off that easily!¡± Yue Lingsi face sank and her tone became unusually sharp. ¡°She clearly came back to cause trouble. She did it on purpose! Mother, the Han family even said that Xinyi is carrying their flesh and blood. How could they be so heartless? Han Yifeng even wants her to abort the child! What is he saying? It¡¯s all Xi Xiaye¡¯s fault! She did this on purpose. On purpose!¡±

    ¡°Are you done? I could even hear all your hooting from downstairs!¡± When Yue Lingsi finished, Xi Mushan¡¯s gloomy voice came from ahead. They looked to the source of the voice and saw that he was standing in the walkway ahead.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye hurt Xinyi. Xinyi¡¯s been afraid of pain since she was young. Look how Shen Wenna raised her daughter. Just look! This is the good daughter that your kind Wenna raised!¡±

    An indescribable fury rose from Yue Lingsi¡¯s heart as she pulled Xi Xinyi¡¯s arm and walked up to Xi Mushan. Struggling, Xi Xinyi screamed from the sharp pain.

    The moment Shen Wenna was mentioned, Xi Mushan turned even more bitter. ¡°You know well enough how you are yourself. I¡¯m telling you again, don¡¯t stir trouble up. Now, you¡¯ve caused a greatmotion. It looks like you¡¯re done being the Mayoress, hmm?¡±

    ¡°Xi Mushan, you get it right! Right now, Xi Xiaye has hurt Xinyi. Are you blind? Don¡¯t you see how Xinyi has been hurt by Xi Xiaye? If anything happens to her hand, I¡¯ll make Xi Xiaye return a hand to Xinyi!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was blinded by rage. She could not hold herself back and shouted angrily at Xi Mushan, ¡°In fact, whether or not I¡¯m done with being a Mayoress is not up to you, Xi Mushan!¡±

    ¡°If something bad happens to Xiaye, your good days are up too. Did you get that? Fool! Mu Yuchen¡¯sing next week to West Park to propose marriage!¡±

    When Xi Mushan hade over, he coincidentally saw Mu Yuchen carrying Xi Xiaye and rushing downstairs. In fact, Xi Xiaye did not look very well as she clutched her belly, and he pondered the reason for a wedding that was initially nned for October suddenly be moved ahead. The only usible exnation was that Xi Xiaye must be pregnant!

    That was the most logical exnation.

    When Xi Mushan said this, Deng Wenwen was stunned. A light shed through her old eyes. Just as Yue Lingsi was about to say something, she suddenly went up and said, ¡°Enough! Stop arguing. Send her to the hospital first. Otherwise, this hand will be done for!¡±

    At Deng Wenwen¡¯s words, Xi Mushan shot the few of them a sharp look, then coolly walked downstairs.

    ¡°Mother, look at him! He¡¯s clearly biased towards Shen Wenna and her daughter. How are we suppose to go on with our days!?¡±

    Yue Lingsi watched as Xi Mushan vanished out of the door downstairs. Her eyes instantly reddened and her tears could not help but trickle down her face.

    ¡°Xin Er, you¡¯re too rash. Why don¡¯t you think about the consequences? You really disappoint me more and more! At such a crucial phase, you have to consider the oue before doing things! What do I usually teach you? You know that it¡¯s a special day today. Can¡¯t you just leave the Xi family with some honor? Do you have to make things so awfully awkward?¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s tone came with a reprimanding tone.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t scold her anymore. Look at how Xinyi is now!¡±

    ¡°Quickly go to the hospital!¡±

    ...

    On the other end, Mu Yuchen carried Xi Xiaye and rushed out from West Park. Meanwhile, Li Si and the rest who were waiting in the car immediately got down with heavy expressions when they saw them. They quickly opened the door for Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Missus, Master?¡± Li Si asked anxiously with concern.

    ¡°Get in the car first.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows were furrowed as he hurried into the car.

    ¡°Does it hurt very badly?¡± Xi Xiaye had just sat in the seat steadily when his deep and sexy voice entered her ears. He was not anxious like he had been earlier at all. Now, he seemed quite calm.

    Frowning slightly, Xi Xiaye tilted her head and squinted at him. She saw that he was smiling casually as he looked at her.

    Then, she moved her hand away from her belly, lifting her fingertips to massage her forehead as she asked, a little bewildered, ¡°How could you tell?¡±

    He grinned as he took the handkerchief from his shirt pocket, and took her hand that was wounded from the scratches. He said softly, ¡°Your acting was so bad. If I didn¡¯t quickly carry you and run off, you¡¯d probably have been exposed.¡±

    Then, he carefully helped her wipe away the blood stains on the back of her hand. As he looked at those clear traces of scratches, there was a gloom between his brows. ¡°We should still make a trip to the hospital and get this wound cleaned. At the same time, check whether you need to be vinated.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was pleased to hear his concern. She retrieved her hand and studied the bloody scratches on the back of her hand was quite obvious, but they were not serious to the point of...

    She reached out to take the handkerchief from his hand as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Don¡¯t you know that you only need to be vinated when you¡¯re scratched by an animal? Besides, was my acting truly that bad?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? To me, she¡¯s no different from an animal. Also, your acting is unbearable,¡± he said justifiedly. Then, he reached out to hold her hand again as he got Li Si to retrieve the first aid kit from the car before he began to help her clean the wound. When the medicine touched her wound, the fiery pain made Xi Xiaye inevitably gasp.

    ¡°Can you hurry up? It kind of hurts!¡± She hissed softly.

    He was focused on cleaning the wound when he looked up at her. Without an ounce of pity, he said very calmly, ¡°It¡¯s good to experience a little hurt. Once it hurts, you¡¯ll remember better. Next time, you can suffer less.¡±

    ¡°Have I been suffering at all this time? In fact, I sessfully made Xi Xinyi fly into a rage and break her facade. In fact, her hand seemed to have...¡± She could not help but defend herself. To her, she felt that she had performed quite well this time, so he should be praising her.

    He casually nced at her, then said calmly, ¡°Do you want me to praise you? For being very good, very cool, very strong? Missus, did you know that you¡¯re starting to look more and more like a certain thing?¡±

 Chapter 342 - Date And Never Break Up (2)

    <h4>Chapter 342: Date And Never Break Up (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not immediately understand his meaning, She immediately turned to him and ask, yet just as she said that, she immediately realized that she had fallen for a trick. Quickly, she waved her fist at him. ¡°You look like a thing! No, wait, you¡¯re a nobody!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯m applying the medicine!¡± Mr. Mu held her down and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll consider that you have self-awareness this time. Your IQ and response rate can still be saved, but your tricks...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just my tricks that were a little despicable and shameless, right?¡± When she heard him say this, she suddenly fell silent and slowly pulled back her hand. She slowly lowered her gaze and suddenly did not speak anymore.

    Mu Yuchen who was applying the medication for her quickly noticed her silence. He abruptly looked up at her. When he saw that her calm expression was mixed with loneliness, he immediately sighed softly as he lifted a hand and gently touched her head. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t make such a face. Did I say anything? So what if it was despicable and shameless? I¡¯m not all that upright either. You¡¯ve returned victoriously, and this is something worth celebrating. Tonight, we¡¯ll go home and celebrate with champagne.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not because of this. I just feel a little sad.¡± Xi Xiaye let him pat her head. She shrugged and looked up silently at Mu Yuchen, her gaze clear. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Xi Xinyi would have such weird thoughts. Shouldn¡¯t she be happy when someone helps her and treats her as a good friend, treating her well? Why...?¡±

    He carefully covered her wound with gauze and said softly, ¡°I know that you¡¯re very willing to help others, but you have to see who the other person is too. Do you think that it¡¯s so easy to be a good Samaritan? Like you, helping such a dangerous person like Xi Xinyi isn¡¯t called doing a kind deed. It¡¯s called taking the side of the evil-doer, endangering society.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to listen to you preach.¡± She shot him a look, and could not help but sigh. She said a little self-mockingly, ¡°I feel that confronting them like this, even I¡¯ve be mean. Mr. Mu, do you also think I¡¯m quite malicious right now?¡±

    When he heard her ask that, Mu Yuchen immediatelyughed gently. He slowly held her frail shoulders. ¡°So what? As long as you don¡¯t suffer, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re malicious or not.¡±

    His deep and sensitive voice reached her ears, stunning her for a moment. A while after that, she smiled. ¡°Xi Xinyi said that to defeat her. I didn¡¯t spare seducing you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, that means that you have charm. Otherwise, why couldn¡¯t she have done the same?¡± Mu Yuchen said without any humility. In fact, these words were unexpectedly exactly the same as what Xi Xiaye had said to Xi Xinyi!

    Even she was shocked at their thought-provoking chemistry.

    ¡°You really aren¡¯t humble at all!¡± She softly reprimanded him. When she reached into his pocket to take a look at the time on the phone, she saw that it was close to 6 p.m. in the evening. Turning to look out of the window, she noticed that the sky outside had already darkened.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go over to take a look. Then, we¡¯ll go home earlier. We¡¯ve been quite busy for the past few days, so it¡¯s a rare time for rest. Aren¡¯t you going to City B for a few days next week? I saw the itinerary from Assistant Li. How¡¯re things on Ah Mo¡¯s end?¡±

    Then, she handed the phone to him.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s alright. The other side is getting ready to start work. Assistant Li and the rest are nning to have a press conference. I¡¯ll go over to take a look,¡± Mu Yuchen answered.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting busy on the other side too. I¡¯m guessing the groundbreaking ceremony isn¡¯t far away either. Now that the South River project is about done with arrangements, I¡¯ll just supervise. You¡¯ll need to spend more time on Ah Mo¡¯s end. I can handle whatever¡¯s on my end,¡± said Xi Xiaye said after thinking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be quite busy during this phase. I¡¯ll gather everything to handle them. When it¡¯s our wedding, you can be more rxed. Grandmother and the rest have begun nning, so you just have to work on your own things.¡±

    ¡°Are you still going to send bethrothal gifts to the Xi family?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered what he had said to Xi Jiyang and she frowned at him. ¡°If we do, wouldn¡¯t that be letting them off lightly even though I know you are being thoughtful towards Grandfather and Father¡¯s honor?¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t forgo the betrothal gifts. Some traditions are still needed.¡±

    ¡°You care about traditions too?¡± She chuckled and turned to look out the car window. At this moment, all the lights looked splendid. The streetlights on both sides were lit up too, and the faint light kept streaming into the car.

    Without answering her, he just slowly let go of her and pulled at his slightly wrinkled sleeves. His handsome face brimmed with a faint gentleness.

    It was a while when Xi Xiaye suddenly spoke up after staring out at the streetlights that passed them by. ¡°This time during our visit, I saw that Grandfather has aged quite a bit. In fact, he¡¯s in terrible health. Earlier, when I went to my room, I overheard Father on the phone with the hospital personnel. From what I remember, after Father divorced Mother, Father and Grandfather¡¯s rtionship very quickly turned to indifference. Father lost his mother since he was young. Actually, Grandfather loved him very much once upon a time...¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, I really wished that I grew up in a simple family, such as having parents who are simple teachers, having them understand and support each other... How great would that be? I remember my supervisor for my final thesis in university was married to another lecturer in our university. Their professions were very simr. When I did my thesis, if my supervisor wasn¡¯t around, I could still look for her... I¡¯ve always been envious of such a life...¡±

    When she said this, her beautiful face suddenly shed with a smile that looked radiant and moving. She turned to him. ¡°Will we always be like this, Mr. Mu?¡±

    The earnest in her eyes startled him. A perfect curve instantly shed in the corner of his mouth as he stared at her and nodded happily. His tone was filled with certainty. ¡°We will.¡±

    She then lowered her gaze and smiled. Then, she leaned on his shoulder, gently leaning against him as her long fingernails casually fiddled with his tie. She fell silent for a while, then as if she mustered a lot of effort, she said to him softly, ¡°Mu Yuchen, I want to date you and never break up. Are you in this with me?¡±

    When she said this, Mu Yuchen instantly turned stiff. He looked at her and gently held her hand that kept messing around with him. After a while, a huge and joyous smile appeared on his handsome face as he said softly, ¡°Those who don¡¯t know would think you¡¯re proposing to me, Missus. But, when ites to such things, I¡¯ve always felt that it shoulde from us men.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, you didn¡¯t even propose. Why should I agree to have a wedding with you?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly raised her brows and finally realized what a huge problem she had.

 Chapter 343 - Ran Out of Fate (1)

    <h4>Chapter 343: Ran Out of Fate (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he looked at her in amusement. ¡°You¡¯re already mine. Why should I be proposing for? We¡¯re married anyway.¡±

    Scowling, she could not help but pull at his tie. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you romantic at all!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already given you flowers. Isn¡¯t that romantic enough?¡±

    Recently, he had been sending her a huge bouquet of flowers almost every day. It would usually be blue enchantress hydrangeas or champagne roses. When he thought about how her face brimmed with a huge smile when she received them, even he was infected.

    He was just like a little girl!

    Did all women like it when men gave them flowers?

    Mr. Mu did not know either, but as long she was happy and liked it, he would continue sending them.

    When he challenged her to answer, Xi Xiaye was rendered speechless. She had nothing to refute!

    Alright, in terms of being romantic, she admitted that she had exceedingly high hopes of him.

    ...

    When they reached the hotel, it was just in time for the banquet for all those who participated in the South River project.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not continue avoiding any taboos. They publicly appeared before everyone holding hands, deliberately not keeping their rtionship a secret anymore.

    This news was like a nuclear bomb that exploded, especially when it was time for a toast and everyone saw the same wedding ring design glinting on their fingers...

    The couple ignored all sorts of guesses and peculiar gazes from everyone. They went around the ce before they went home.

    They both did not like bustling scenes. Mr. Mu thought that instead of socializing, he might as well go home and apany his wife to read some books or watch some movies.

    In the next few days, Mu Yuchen stayed at home and did not go to the office. Instead, it was Xi Xiaye who continued to leave early and returnte every day.

    One early morning a few dayster, Mu Yuchen went to City B while Xi Xiaye went to the office as usual.

    The South River project proposal had been approved and the general work had also been delegated. Earlier, there were lots of preparation work, so Xi Xiaye was very busy.

    Knock knock!

    Inside the office, Xi Xiaye was focused on reading the document in hand when there was a sudden knock on her door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± she answered simply, her eyes never leaving the document in her hand.

    ¡°Director Xi, these are the documents you need.¡± Assistant Xiao Mei delivered a stack of thick documents.

    Xi Xiaye looked up from the document and said inly, ¡°Put it aside. Help me make an appointment with Manager Chen from Qi Kai. I¡¯ll make a trip over there in the afternoon. Ask them to prepare the materials I need.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Director Xi! Qi Kai is terribly arrogant. It¡¯s already been a few days, yet they¡¯ve been dying handing over their proposal. Everyone¡¯s saying that they¡¯re doing this on purpose,¡± Xiao Mei responded. With all the tension in the workce, she could not help but grumble.

    When she heard herment, Xi Xiaye frowned too. She could not deny that there was a slight possibility in what Xiao Mei said, but she did quite admire Qi Kai¡¯s capabilities herself. Of course, the government¡¯s judgment was vicious. If they set aside their personal grudges and coborated well, they should be able to achieve a win-win situation.

    ¡°The proposal still needs more time to be made perfect. You can go out first. Just inform the other side, hmm, 3 p.m. in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Director Xi!¡±

    ...

    In the afternoon, the sun was still glorious. It was almost May and the weather was bing increasingly warmer. Many people came out to enjoy the sun in the afternoon.

    Standing at the entrance of Hospital T and watching from afar, Han Yifeng could see quite a few patients sitting on the long benches on both sides, sunbathing.

    He walked over and sat down on one end of a bench and looked up at Secretary Wang. ¡°Give me the document.¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, have you considered it thoroughly?¡± Secretary Wang looked hesitantly at Han Yifeng as he held the document in his hand tightly. ¡°Miss Xinyi isn¡¯t emotionally stable right now. The doctor says she can¡¯t be provoked. Otherwise, the child...¡±

    Han Yifeng did not wait for Secretary Wang to finish. He already got up and pulled the document away himself before he sat back down and flipped it open. It was the divorce papers.

    ¡°CEO Han...¡± Secretary Wang carefully called out to him, still appearing uncertain.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s gaze was as still as a deepke. His handsome face could not conceal his disappointment and mix of emotions. After a while, he took out a pen from his pocket and when he pulled the pen cover off, he seemed to have a hint of hesitation, yet it was in that precise moment that he still signed it.

    ¡°Some things are best to be resolved as quickly as possible. I don¡¯t want to drag it on anymore.¡± Han Yifeng put his pen away and looked at the document again. Then, he handed it back to Secretary Wang while looking a little heartbroken. His voice was detached and hoarse. ¡°Bring it in. Let her sign it. I¡¯ll do my best topensate whatever I should. We¡¯ve both loved each other once, so we should part on good terms.¡±

    Looking at Han Yifeng¡¯s expression, Secretary Wang felt suffocated.

    He actually understood Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s journey well. He had to admit that many times, it was Han Yifeng who was forgiving and tolerating. Apart from taking a lot from him, Xi Xinyi seemed to rarely genuinely be understanding toward him.

    When he thought about this, Secretary Wang started to sigh with sorrow to himself. Now, they had unexpectedly reached this stage. They did love each other very much back then and had even said that they wouldst forever.

    <i>Yes, forever.</i>

    Xi Xinyi had said, ¡°Yifeng, I¡¯ll definitely cherish you forever, be with you forever, be your good wife for a lifetime.¡±

    <i>How long does foreverst?</i>

    <i>If you can¡¯t know what the future holds, how can you believe the pledge of undying love?</i>

    Han Yifeng suddenly felt his heart clench in pain. He had to squeeze his eyes shut and take a few deep breaths before he managed to calm the indescribable sorrow and heaviness in his heart.

    When he thought about Xinyi, he felt pained and disappointed, yet when he thought of Xi Xiaye, he felt sad too. Now, he felt empty.

    Secretary Wang took the document from Han Yifeng, his expression downcast too. He looked down for a while and saw that Han Yifeng¡¯s expression suddenly looked lonely. His eyes filled with a determination as he thought about it and then nodded. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll bring it in for Miss Xinyi right now!¡±

    ¡°Just let her sign it. If she¡¯s not happy with any of the conditions, she can let me know,¡± Han Yifeng said.

    Secretary Wang looked at him for a moment then said, ¡°But, CEO Han, do we have to discuss this with Madam and the rest first? After all, this seems a little sudden. If word gets out, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t look good for the Han Corporation. In fact, Miss Xinyi is about to takeover Yueying soon. If we do this right now...¡±

    ¡°After we¡¯re divorced, she can choose to still keep the title of Mrs. Han until the child is born,¡± Han Yifeng inly exined.

    Secretary Wang sighed, then nodded. ¡°Okay then, CEO Han, I¡¯ll go right away!¡± He then walked into the hospital.

 Chapter 344 - Ran Out of Fate (2)

    <h4>Chapter 344: Ran Out of Fate (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi was sitting on her bed, exhausted when Secretary Wang walked inside the room. She was on the phone with someone as she twirled the cord anxiously. At the moment, she was alone in the room.

    She was calling Han Yifeng, but his phone was switched off and she could not get through at all.

    ¡°Miss Xinyi!¡± Secretary Wang knocked on the door before heading towards the bed.

    ¡°Secretary Wang! Why are you here? Where¡¯s Yifeng? Is he here too?¡± Xi Xinyi turned around when she heard Secretary Wang¡¯s voice. Her dull eyes brightened up when she saw him. As she wanted to lift her nket up and get out of bed, a piercing pain shot through her hand and she cried out in agony!

    It was the aftermath of the sh with Xi Xiaye the other day. Her shoulder had been dislocated and her muscles were injured. It had been pretty tough for her these past few days.

    ¡°Be careful, Miss Xinyi!¡± Secretary Wang went over and held her quickly.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yifeng? Is he here too? Secretary Wang, you must know where he is, don¡¯t you? He¡¯s switched his phone off and I can¡¯t find him anywhere. I want to exin to him! I can¡¯t lose him, Secretary Wang. Please tell me, please...¡± Xi Xinyi ignored the pain and dragged Secretary Wang¡¯s clothes as she begged anxiously.

    ¡°Miss Xinyi, don¡¯t get so worked up and please lie down first. CEO Han asked me toe. He went abroad, so he sent me over. He has something for you.¡±

    Secretary Wang felt a little cruel when he saw the current state of Xi Xinyi, but he was not sure if this was her true personality. After all, he did witness what had happened at West Park the other day.

    ¡°What is this? I don¡¯t want it! I want to see Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi was startled as she heard Secretary Wang. Sensing that something was not right, she struggled and pushed Secretary Wang aside.

    ¡°Miss Xinyi, you can save your effort. CEO Han will not see you. He doesn¡¯t want to see anyone right now. He asked me to hand you this and he hopes that you can consider it. CEO Han... He feels terrible. He doesn¡¯t suffer any lesser than you, so I hope that you can sign this and let go of CEO Han as well as give yourself another chance.¡±

    Secretary Wang sighed and handed the document to her.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned when she heard this revtion. She stared at him for a while before lowering her head and staring at the document he handed her. Her whole body trembled when she finally saw what was printed on the document. Shey back down on the bed, ignoring the document. Her expression went numb!

    ¡°No... This is impossible! Impossible! Yifeng wouldn¡¯t do this. He wouldn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t!¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Secretary Wang in disbelief, her hoarse voice quivering.

    ¡°CEO Han has already signed it. He said he¡¯s okay if you want to keep the child. You can also decide whether the child should be raised by you or him in the future. So as not to make thingsplicated, CEO Han said you can still act as Mrs. Han until the child is born. He¡¯ll make sure topensate you handsomely and will also continue to help out in Yueying until you can handle things alone.¡± Secretary Wang delivered Han Yifeng¡¯s message dutifully.

    ¡°CEO Han has madepromises, Ms. Xinyi. He pities you, but the fate between the both of you has run out, so you might as well let go right now.¡±

    Xi Xinyi covered her nose and mouth as she sobbed, ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to sign this! I want to talk to Yifeng. I won¡¯t sign this. He can¡¯t do this to me! He can¡¯t! Please tell me, where¡¯s Yifeng? Where is he? Where?¡±

    ¡°CEO Han went abroad, Miss Xinyi!¡± Secretary Wang insisted once again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me! Do you think I don¡¯t know he¡¯s avoiding me on purpose? He¡¯s doing it on purpose! Why doesn¡¯t he believe me? Didn¡¯t he say that he loved me and would always believe me? It¡¯s Xi Xiaye! That witch Xi Xiaye framed me! Why doesn¡¯t anyone believe me? She put on an act. She¡¯s totally fine and she injured my hand. Why won¡¯t anyone believe me!¡±

    Xi Xinyi broke down into weeping, her hoarse voice sounding dry. She must have truly suffered these past few days.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want a divorce! Go and tell Yifeng that we can¡¯t be tricked by that witch Xi Xiaye! She did it so there would be a conflict between us. She¡¯s a wicked woman. You guys have to believe me!¡±

    Secretary Wang sighed when Xi Xinyi started crying even louder. ¡°Miss Xinyi, I suggest you sign this. Wouldn¡¯t it be great to give each other some space? CEO Han has been worried about you this whole time. If you really love him, why can¡¯t you let him go and be free?¡±

    ¡°Let him be free? What about me? What should I do?¡± Tears fell down her cheeks as she stared at Secretary Wang. ¡°What will happen to me and the child? Why can¡¯t he be more considerate about us? I won¡¯t sign this. Tell Han Yifeng to talk to me personally!¡±

    Xi Xinyi grabbed the document from Secretary Wang. In the blink of an eye, she tore the document up into tiny pieces!

    ¡°Miss Xinyi!¡± Stunned, Secretary Wang¡¯s eyes widened as the document turned into little shreds right before him.

    ¡°Go back and tell him that I won¡¯t sign it no matter what. How dare he ask me of such a thing for the sake of Xi Xiaye? Can he really admit that he has nothing to do with Xi Xiaye at all? He¡¯s betrayed me and the child! I¡¯ve been silently protecting our rtionship, and in the end, Xi Xiaye has ruined it. Back then, he was the one who said that he wanted to be together, and now it¡¯s also him who¡¯s asking for a divorce. Ha, who does he think I am? Has he ever really loved me at all?¡±

    Every sentence from Xi Xinyi was filled with mourning and injustice. Toward the end, her anger was gradually revealed.

    ¡°Get out! Get out! Tell him what I¡¯ve just said to you. Go!¡± She pointed towards the door and chased Secretary Wang out.

    Secretary Wang¡¯s expression froze. He sighed when he saw Xi Xinyi break down, and he looked sadly at the torn up pieces of paper on the ground before he left.

    After she heard the door close, Xi Xinyi covered herself in the nket and cried her heart out.

 Chapter 345 - Danger (1)

    <h4>Chapter 345: Danger (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Without realizing how long she had cried for, she could feel her eyes dry up as there were no more tears anymore. She raised her head with a sob, and her phone suddenly started vibrating.

    She quickly grabbed it, thinking it was Han Yifeng. Instead, it was an unknown number.

    Xi Xinyi wiped her tears away and picked up the call after a moment of hesitation.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Her hoarse voice was still trembling slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± A cold and quiet voice came through the phone.

    Xi Xinyi was startled when she heard that voice. Instantly, she sat up straight like a ramrod as a faint light shed past her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you! Why are you only contacting me now? My career is totally ruined by that witch Xi Xiaye, and Yifeng wants to divorce me now! What should I do? Everything is a mess!¡± She cried anxiously while holding her phone tightly as if she was desperately holding onto her veryst sliver of a chance. ¡°You have to find a way to make Yifeng not be angry at me. I don¡¯t want to get a divorce!¡±

    ¡°What are you freaking out about?! I¡¯ve heard about everything. I was busy some time ago and wasn¡¯t able to take care of it. You can¡¯t win against Mu Yuchen. He prepared those things. I got people to look into it. If I¡¯m not mistaken, his target should be Yueying. You have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°How? You know how powerful Glory World is, and Xi Xiaye is holding onto a lot of Yueying¡¯s shares right now. She has already dered war on me and Glory World is backing her up. I can¡¯t do anything right now, and Yifeng¡¯s going to divorce me! What should I do? What should I do? Tell me!¡± Xi Xinyi looked exhausted and uneasy. Her eyes were swollen as she talked into the phone anxiously. She covered her face as she sobbed.

    ¡°You can dy the Han family for now. Han Yifeng can¡¯t do anything as long as you say no. What you need to do now is to get in control of Yueying as soon as possible. Don¡¯t be reckless and follow my instructions. I¡¯ll make sure Yueying will be yourspletely. As for Xi Xiaye, you can do whatever you want with her by then.¡±

    The firmness in that person¡¯s voice had a mocking tone. ¡°You have to find a way to get back up from the Yue family. They are the key here. From now on, you have to put yourself out there and take over Yueying before doing anything else.¡±

    Xi Xinyi nodded, understanding what the man meant. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. I will. You... When are you...?¡±

    Before Xi Xinyi could finish her sentence, the call ended.

    ...

    ¡°CEO Han, Ms. Xinyi refused to sign the document and insisted on seeing you,¡± Secretary Wang went to Han Yifeng and reported carefully, ¡°She tore the document into pieces. CEO Han, actually, the two of you have only been married for several days. If news gets out that the both of you are divorced now, it might cause another slump in our stocks again.¡±

    ¡°There are some things that can¡¯t be avoided forever. We might as well be prepared to ept it.¡± Han Yifeng gazed at the warm sun in the sky with his lonesome eyes. ¡°Let it be. Send her another one in a few days, but I¡¯ve decided on this. If my parents ask, you just tell them that it¡¯s my decision. Tell them not to interfere with my matters.¡± Han Yifeng left with those words before going into his car.

    Secretary Wang could not find the right words to say. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed and got into the car as well.

    ...

    The Xi family had not been peaceful recently. Yue Lingsi had another fight with Xi Mushan yesterday, and it was about Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye.

    Oddly enough, Deng Wenwen helped to cease their fight this time. Usually, Deng Wenwen would be on Yue Lingsi¡¯s side whenever a fight broke out between them, so Yue Lingsi felt terrible.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Lingsi. There¡¯s nothing you can do by justining. We probably can¡¯t convince the Han family right now. The videos already made them very unhappy thest time. With what has just happened, especially when the Mu family is involved, do you think it¡¯s a small matter?¡±

    ¡°So, are we just going to let Xi Xiaye do whatever she wants? Xinyi is still in the hospital now!¡± Yue Lingsi said anxiously, ¡°And Yifeng... I¡¯m really worried. I don¡¯t know what to do now!¡±

    Deng Wenwen winced as she sat down on the sofa. ¡°What good can worrying do?¡±

    ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening. Mushan told me about a divorce yesterday. I know that he has never forgotten about Shen Wenna all these years. Some time ago, he sent that witch a hair ornament. What have I been doing for the past two decades?¡± The aggrieved Yue Lingsi sat down opposite Deng Wenwen, frustrated.

    Deng Wenwen frowned and looked at her. ¡°So, you¡¯re ming me now? Didn¡¯t I promise to give you Yueying? You¡¯ve put in so much to chase Shen Wenna away. If it weren¡¯t for me, do you think you could be the Mayoress today? Do you think you can be above Shen Wenna now?¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression changed after hearing Deng Wenwen¡¯s reply. ¡°I don¡¯t mean it that way, Mother. I just feel that... Please don¡¯t misunderstand!¡±

    ¡°Lingsi, you should know how I¡¯ve been treating you and your daughter all these years. I really think of you as my own daughter. Moreover, I¡¯m like a biological sister to your mother. Who else would I care for if not the both of you?¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression softened while her old voice was filled with sentiment.

    ¡°Mother, actually why don¡¯t you have a child with Father? Maybe now...¡±

    This question bothered Yue Lingsi for a very long time and she had never dared to ask Deng Wenwen. Carefully, she slipped the question in as she caught a glimpse of Deng Wenwen¡¯s softened expression.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression froze up the instant she popped the question. After a while, she replied quietly, ¡°Before I married your father, I made a promise to his mother that I¡¯d never have a child with him. She said she¡¯ll give Yueying to me aspensation. My mother-inw loves Mushan very much. She did so because she¡¯s worried I might mistreat Mushan. Moreover, after being with your father for so many years, I¡¯ve never touched his heart... but I got used to it. I still have Yueying after all.¡±

    Yue Lingsi finally understood the importance of Yueying to Deng Wenwen. She could not have her own child and got Yueying in return, hence in a sense, Yueying was the equivalent of her child.

    It seemed to be a very cruel punishment to a woman!

 Chapter 346 - Danger (2)

    <h4>Chapter 346: Danger (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye did not expect to meet someone other than Manager Chen. It turned out to be Qi Lei instead.

    Xi Xiaye was prepared to face some trouble when she entered his office. Unexpectedly, Qi Lei signed the document very quickly and handed her a proposal that he had just finished.

    ¡°If you¡¯re suggesting any changes, please add your remarks in here. It¡¯s getting prettyte now. You can add the remarks right now, then I¡¯ll get my people to work on it tonight. I¡¯ll make sure to send it over by tomorrow afternoon. We should be able to make the given deadline.¡±

    Qi Lei coughed several times and seemed a little pale. His voice was also hoarse. It was obvious that he was having a pretty bad flu. Above all, his usual wickedness was nowhere to be seen as well.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated briefly before she took it from him. She extended her hand towards Xiao Mei beside her who quickly handed a pen over.

    She sat on the sofa and flipped through the document. She ticked the sections that needed correcting, taking the task very seriously.

    The office was quiet and there was the faint scent of cologne in the air. From time to time, there was rustling of the curtains interspersed with Qi Lei¡¯s coughing.

    Xi Xiaye did not pay much attention to the distractions and just focused on the document while Xiao Mei helped her handle some data.

    After some time, Xi Xiaye could feel her shoulder going numb when she finally went through the thick stack of documents. She massaged her shoulder and looked over at Xiao Mei who quickly reorganized the documents and starting picking the briefcase up.

    ¡°I¡¯m done, Director. Oh, it¡¯s already 6 p.m! That¡¯ste!¡± Xiao Mei was shocked when she nced at her watch.

    Xi Xiaye pinched the space between her eyebrows. ¡°My back is starting to hurt after sitting down for two hours. Pack up and we can go back now.¡± She stood up as she flipped through the documents again while walking towards Qi Lei¡¯s table.

    As she went near him, she noticed that his face was pale as he breathed heavily. He was grimacing deeply and seemed really ufortable.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. After a brief moment of silence, she called out to him, ¡°Vice President Qi, I¡¯m done.¡±

    He did not respond as his whole body tensed up and his lips were trembling slightly as if he was in the middle of a nightmare.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it on the table. I hope you can deliver it back to Glory World by tomorrow afternoon. I¡¯m going to submit it the morning after tomorrow.¡± As she was about to leave after cing the document on the table, a long arm reached out to her before she could even take a step further.

    He grabbed onto her hand as his hoarse voice reached her. ¡°Sha Sha! Sha Sha... Don¡¯t go! Why... Why it isn¡¯t me?¡±

    His burning hand shocked Xi Xiaye, and she did not miss the nameing out of Qi Lei¡¯s mouth.

    <i>Sha Sha?</i>

    <i>Did he mean Gu Lingsha?</i>

    Qi Lei hugged her before she could react. His tall body was like a huge mountain and he almost pushed Xi Xiaye down as she quickly grabbed the table beside her. ¡°Xiao Mei,e quickly!¡±

    Xiao Mei swiftly rushed over and helped to hold Qi Lei up.

    ¡°Director, he seems to be having a fever! His skin is extremely hot! Gosh! No wonder he looked abnormal just now. His expression seemed so odd! We have to send him to the hospital now!¡± Xiao Mei eximed in horror.

    Xi Xiaye frowned even deeper. After a moment of hesitation, she said, ¡°Help him sit down. I¡¯ll get someone from outside.¡±

    She was trying to pull Qi Lei¡¯s grip away from her wrist. He was holding her so tightly that Xi Xiaye thought her wrist was going to break.

    ¡°Let go...¡±

    ¡°Sha Sha... Sha Sha... Don¡¯t go...¡±

    ¡°Director, you help him sit down. I¡¯ll go get someone.¡±

    ...

    Working hours were long over. The whole office was empty and no one was able to help out. Xiao Mei rushed downstairs and finally led a security guard up to help.

    They needed to submit this proposal very soon. What should they do now? She did not want toe back here again.

    Xi Xiaye was rather frustrated.

    ¡°Director Xi, the hospital is just nearby. Why don¡¯t you send Vice President Qi over? Calling the ambnce now seems inefficient. We¡¯re on the way anyway!¡± Xiao Mei felt sorry for the security guard piggybacking Qi Lei.

    Xi Xiaye put a hand on her forehead. She still needed him to finish the proposal when he woke up. Otherwise, they would not have enough time!

    ...

    The group hurried to the hospital.

    The sky turned dark. There were not a lot of people in the hospital, so a doctor came shortly to attend to Qi Lei. He was put on drips.

    The security guard and Xiao Mei went to work on the paperwork for his hospital admittance.

    ¡°Be careful the next time. You only sent him here after he got this serious. Are you really doing your job as a wife? His lungs are slightly infected. Don¡¯t take these little bouts of flu and fevers lightly. Why can¡¯t you youngsters take care of your own health? Look after him and give him the medicine after he wakes up. He should be on a light diet in the next few days.¡± The old female doctor stared at Xi Xiaye chidingly before she left.

    Xi Xiaye red back at him as she retaliated quietly, ¡°He¡¯s your husband! You¡¯re his wife!¡±

    She turned her head to Qi Lei on the bed after the doctor left. His face was slightly red from the fever, but he was not frowning anymore. Still, he seemed really frail right now.

    Gu Lingsha?

    Like what Mu Yuchen said, Qi Lei really loved Gu Lingsha.

    She felt like there was a lot of mystery around this Gu Lingsha and she could not figure it out. It did not help that Mu Yuchen did not really exin the past much to her.

    Her expression suddenly turnedplicated. Taking a deep breath before looking away, she went over and adjusted his nket after some thought. She took out the document and ced it beside his pillow.

    ¡°I hope you can give it to me by tomorrow. Love is a reallyplicated matter. Don¡¯t be too caught up in it. I hope you¡¯ll get better soon.¡±

    She sighed as she switched the bright lights by the bed off and just left a tiny nighmp on. Before she left, she poured him a ss of hot water.

 Chapter 347 - Danger (3)

    <h4>Chapter 347: Danger (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye bumped into Xiao Mei as she walked out of the room.

    ¡°Director Xi, how¡¯s Vice President Qi?¡± Xiao Mei asked out of concern.

    ¡°He¡¯s okay now. Find a way to contact his family or assistant, but look after him for now. I¡¯m giving you a day off tomorrow. Is that alright?¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Xiao Mei nodded. ¡°Director, you can head back first if you¡¯re busy. Xiao Qin should know how to contact his assistant. Plus, you seem pretty tired after a long day.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, please take care of things here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone started ringing. It was a call from Mu Lingshi!

    Back inside the room, Qi Lei opened his eyes the moment Xi Xiaye left the room. He looked sideways and saw the hot water that she had poured for him as a subtle warmth appeared on his pale face.

    He slowly sat up and switched on the mainmp and the room brightened up. Grabbing the ss of water as well as the document she had left beside his pillow, he was soon slowly flipping through it.

    Her writing was very fluid just like her. How elegant...

    The sky was dark and colorful lights were lit up on the streets. Xi Xiaye was on her way to the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.

    Su Nan and Mu Lingshi were together and they had asked her to meet them.

    In the faraway City B, Mu Yuchen walked past a streetmp as he was waiting for Ah Mo to drive the car over. As he halted in his steps, he took his phone out and dialed Mrs. Mu¡¯s number.

    Xi Xiaye was driving when he called, so she slipped her earphones on before answering the call.

    ¡°Missus...¡± His voice reached her,ced with his intense longing for her.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m meeting Ah Shi and Nan Nan in a bit. Have you had dinner? How¡¯s your day?¡± As usual, Mrs. Mu started by requesting for a daily report.

    ¡°Went to Movie City with CEO Li and the others, then went to the Entertainment Business City in the afternoon. I bought some gifts for you and Mother, and I¡¯ll be back in two days.¡± He coughed a little, his voice sounding hoarse.

    ¡°Did you catch a cold? It was so cold a few days ago and you still went swimming.¡± She frowned when she heard him coughing.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a small matter. Mrs. Mu...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Do you miss someone?¡±

    Someone?

    Xi Xiaye grinned and she asked back, ¡°Who might this someone be?¡±

    He smiled quietly at her cheekiness. He raised his head and noticed it was drizzling.

    He did not call her to tell her anything specific. He just wanted to listen to her voice. Since he had been busy the past few days, they had very little time to talk to each other.

    Without him noticing, there was a concern in his heart some time ago. Back then, he would not have worried much no matter where he went, but the other day, he stopped when he stepped outside of Maple Residence, reluctant to take another step forward.

    ¡°Missus, it¡¯s raining in City B right now, but it¡¯s just a drizzle. The first of May ising soon. The weather should improve. We¡¯ll wait for a nice evening and...¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at the reflection from the building on the opposite as a smile appeared on his face. However, before he could finish his sentence, a blinding light came right towards him!

    Ah Mo¡¯s shriek broke the peaceful vibe. ¡°Master! Careful!¡±

    ¡°Master! Move away!¡±

    Bang!

    Xi Xiaye heard a loud crash before the call ended abruptly.

    <i>What happened?</i>

    <i>Did I just hear Ah Mo¡¯s shriek?!</i>

    <i>And Li Si!</i>

    <i>An ident?!</i>

    This word instantly came up in her mind. She felt a sharp pain in her chest and she braked the car suddenly!

    Screech!

    The loud screech broke the silence in the area. Her face turned pale as horrifying thoughts raced through her mind.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡± She mumbled before calling back again. The line was busy.

    Suffocating darkness overcame her while the pain in her chest was getting worse. Her eyes looked empty as she quickly turned the car around, ignoring all the angry honks and she headed straight towards the airport.

    Did something happen to him?

    She drove at top speed. The burning in her chest was not fading at all and she was shaking uncontrobly out of fear.

    <i>Please be alright!</i>

    Fear, nervousness, anxiety, heartbreak... All these emotions struggled and surged upon her all at once, almost suffocating her.

    <i>Mu Yuchen, please be alright! What do I do if something were to happen to you?</i>

    She tried to keep calm and strong, yet the anxiety from her throbbing heart made her eyes tear up.

    She was so afraid that she almost could not breathe. Even after several deep breaths, she barely regained control of her trembling hands.

    On the way to the airport, her memories of him in the past two months started reying in her mind on a loop. After all the time they had spent together, she had to admit that she had gotten used to his care and concern. He was really precious to her.

    <i>What if... if...?</i>

    <i>What should I do?</i>

    <i>Our life has just begun...</i>

    The car sped all the way to the airport. The moment she parked, she swiftly left the car, her ear glued to the phone as she kept attempting to call while rushing in.

 Chapter 348 - Not Allowed To Be Sad (1)

    <h4>Chapter 348: Not Allowed To Be Sad (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was not sure how she even got to City B. Li Si just told her the hospital they were at when she called, and she quickly hopped into a taxi after hanging up.

    The drizzle in City B turned into a heavy downpour. Therge droplets were assaulting the car windows loudly, and the sound of the strong wind was audible even inside the car.

    ¡°Miss, where are you going?¡±

    It was 2 a.m. but it was still pretty busy outside the airport. The driver looked at the wan Xi Xiaye from the rear-view mirror. Because she was shivering slightly, drenched from the rain, he kindly raised the temperature of the air-conditioning.

    ¡°Townsperson Hospital, please hurry!¡±

    Xi Xiaye wiped the rain off her cheeks. She seemed battered with her drenched hair stuck to her face as she clenched her fists to the point that her nails turned white.

    The driver could guess something had happened just by looking at her. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry and keep calm. It will be alright.¡±

    ¡°Thank you... Thank you...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not feel like talking and just wanted to head over as soon as possible. The sound of the droplets hitting against the car window scared her. Her entire body was shaking. The dim streetmps were barely visible under the rain, simr to how she was helpless at the moment.

    She clenched her fists tighter and forced herself to not let the tears fall. Covering her cold face, she did not look up for a long time...

    The heavy downpour continued when she arrived at the hospital. It was quiet inside during the wee hours while she walked past the empty corridors which felt neverending.

    After what felt like an eternity to her, she arrived before the operation room. The light was still lit up and there was no one outside.

    When she had just reached, the door opened from the inside and nurses came out swiftly. Right away, Xi Xiaye went up to one of them.

    ¡°How¡¯s my husband?¡±

    The nurse looked at her oddly. ¡°Are you the patient¡¯s family?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded.

    ¡°So young!¡±

    The nurse nced over at Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°The patient is in a critical state now. Be mentally prepared. We¡¯ll also need B type blood!¡±

    The nurse then rushed along the corridor.

    Xi Xiaye felt a sharp pain sear in her heart as she finally broke down. Her body went limp and all her strength was sucked away while she leaned against the icy cold wall behind her and squatted down slowly. Her head hung downwards.

    Her eyes could not hold in the tears anymore. Soon, the floor was wet with her tears, and her thin shoulders were trembling violently.

    What about their happiness?

    He...

    She was doused in fear like a huge wave was crashing over her, flooding her instantly.

    She cried helplessly as her throat dried up and her eyes were blurry like the rainy season in autumn. Her long wet hair stuck to her back.

    It was cold enough during May. Now, with the huge downpour, she was already numb to the cold, and her warm tears never stopped falling.

    They had not taken their wedding photos. They had not had their wedding or their honeymoon, and she still had not given birth to their child...

    She had not told him that she missed him. She had not told him that it was a struggle without him around.

    What should she do if he left?

    As she thought about life ahead without him, the pain in her chest started to suffocate her. How could the happiness she had been longing for vanish so quickly?

    ...

    After an eternity¡ª

    ¡°Alright, stop crying. The hospital is going to flood...¡±

    As she was crying on the floor with her head on her knees, a gentle voice with a slight tone of helplessness reached her.

    In shock, she instantly forgot about crying and quickly looked up. That man¡¯s handsome face appeared right before her eyes.

    He was wearing the clothes she had picked out for him. He slung a simple coat over his shoulder and wore a ck shirt inside. There was ayer of bandages on his left shoulder as he looked at her with his gentle, dark eyes.

    She thought she was mistaken and quickly wiped her tears away. After blinking several times and making sure the man was right in front of her, she stood up and jumped into his arms.

    He embraced her softly, dragging his coat around and putting it over her shoulders. Meanwhile, she was weeping her heart out.

    Her tears soon soaked his shirt, and the warmth was getting to his heart. While feeling distressed, he felt heartbroken to see her feeling so sad.

    ¡°Alright, stop crying now. Let me see...¡±

    Master Mu felt helpless for the first time as he had never consoled anyone before. He lowered his head and noticed her eyes had reddened, so he quickly wiped the tears from her face.

    She sniffed and looked at him while she sobbed, still unable to stop her tears from falling.

    ¡°I thought something happened to you. The nurse told me... to be mentally prepared...¡±

    ¡°Of course it wouldn¡¯t be that bad. I, Mr. Mu, am a good person, and God takes care of good people, so stop crying. I¡¯m not allowing you to be sad anymore. You¡¯re so silly that you just rushed over without even hearing the full story on the phone call.¡±

    While he was scolding her, he used a very gentle tone.

    Xi Xiaye just let him wipe the tears on her face. ¡°I was just too scared and worried... I drove past many red lights along the way, and some traffic police was following me too... but you¡¯re okay, right?¡±

    She widened her swollen eyes and nced over at him, seeing some bandages on his left shoulder and no other visible injuries.

 Chapter 349 - Not Allowed To Be Sad (2)

    <h4>Chapter 349: Not Allowed To Be Sad (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She just let him watch her. In his eyes, there was a tenderness that was hard to exin.

    As he watched, the wet hot tears that welled up in her eyes fell once again right into his palms. The scorching fireworks instantly made him feel burning pain.

    He pulled her into his arms, letting her feel his beating heart and warm temperature even more clearly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s just a scratch on my arm. This time, I really have to thank Ah Mo. It was him who was quick-witted and stepped on the elerator, stopping the car that came my way. Otherwise, your Mr. Mu might be in heaven right now. But Ah Mo was hurt quite badly. Let¡¯s go take a look, then we¡¯ll go back to the hotel so you can get a good shower. Be careful not to catch a cold. I¡¯ve called Lingshi. She¡¯ll probably be rushing over tomorrow morning since there aren¡¯t any more flights toe here right now.¡±

    Ah Mo was hurt quite badly!?

    When she heard these words, she suddenly stopped sobbing and nced up at him tearfully. Her voice was raspy as she asked, ¡°How is Ah Mo?¡±

    ¡°He had a slight concussion. There¡¯s a bone fracture on his left hand and some scratches on his arm. Come, let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±

    Then, he lowered his head to kiss her forehead before he held her and walked towards the wards.

    ¡°Sis-inw? Why are you here?¡±

    When Ah Mo who was on the sick bed saw the sorry-looking Xi Xiaye, he could not help but cry out in surprise. He widened his eyes and looked at his Master who was embracing her with extreme gentleness. Then, he could not help but smile again in understanding.

    Ah Mo was hurt more severely. His head was even wrapped in a bandage, and his left hand was covered in thick dressing too.

    ¡°Ah Mo, how are you feeling?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Ah Mo through her misty eyes.

    ¡°No worries. It¡¯s just a small injury as long as Master is alright. Master, I¡¯m fine over here since Li Si is around. Sister-inw is drenched. You two should go back for a shower at the hotel and rest well,¡± Ah Mo assured.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Rest well. I¡¯ll investigate this matter. As for work, I¡¯ll get someone to take over temporarily for now. You just rest at ease.¡±

    When an investigation was mentioned, Ah Mo thought about it, then suddenly said, ¡°Master, I actually think that that person wasn¡¯t nning on hitting anyone. Maybe they were only trying to scare us because I noticed that they did slow down. In fact, they were turning the steering wheel sideways. Coincidentally, I crashed into him, so that person couldn¡¯t escape in time...¡±

    As he listened to his ount, Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze. One could not quite tell what his emotions were from his handsome face. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this. Rest well.¡±

    As soon as he finished, Li Si had returned from getting the medications. ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    ¡°Li Si, I¡¯ll let you look after this end. If there¡¯s anything, let me know.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Master, take Missus back to the hotel soon. The car¡¯s right outside.¡±

    ...

    When they walked out of the hospital, the downpour outside had not stopped, so the ground was covered in puddles. The ck-suited bodyguard had been waiting at the entrance for quite a while.

    The husband and wife dashed straight for the hotel once they got into the car.

    Since it was already past 4 a.m. in the morning, Li Si had already called for the hotel to prepare supper.

    With his arm around her, they entered the room and the bodyguards outside very respectfully closed the door.

    Bam!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender body made a turn and she very quickly broke free from his arm that was on her shoulder. Blocking his way and looking up at him with her twinkling eyes, there were still faint glimmers in her vaguely teary eyes. Her fair and beautiful face was slightly crimson. Her long interweaved seaweed-like hair had been half-dried by him in the car.

    Seeing her like that, he was startled. He silently lowered his head to study her too.

    As she looked on, the glimmer in her eyes flickered for a moment. Her beautiful face was filled with a vulnerable gentleness. When she saw his eyes seeping with tenderness, she felt the urge to cry, yet she did not say anything. Instead, she just suddenly closed in on him, her slender arms gently hugging his shoulders, and pulling him down hard.

    Her cool, rose pink lips immediately met with his lips for a kiss, while he returned the passion. As she did all of that, he instantly reached to circle her slender waist with his arms. In just one turn, he quickly pushed her against the back of the door behind him and pulled his coat that was on her shoulders off before he tossed it aside...

    They closed in tightly to each other. He let her explore his turf with some difficulty and unfamiliarity. After days of drifting and tossing about this lonesome city, her faint warmth infected him too.

    Her slightly cold hand passed through his thin clothes, allowing him to feel her meticulous and soft touch. In an instant, he could not help but tremble.

    What an alluring woman!

    He was increasingly poisoned. No matter how those other women had teased him in the past, he did not seem to be interested, but when it came to her teasing him, he seemed to lose all rationality.

    Xi Xiaye could not care about restraint anymore. He had seen her at her worst anyway.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to shower? You got caught in the rain...¡±

    He panted slightly whilst his hand gripped onto her wrist tightly. His dark eyes were mixed with a ze and fireworks that could not be concealed, yet with a final strand of rationality, he was concerned for her even if their clothes were already so rumpled.

    ¡°Hold on... I think... I...¡±

    As her raspy voice spoke, her little hands began to explore around.

    Before she could finish, he had already leaned in for a kiss and took control, pushing back the rest of the words she had wanted to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s just the same if we shower togetherter.¡±

    Then, he just carried her up by the waist and took huge strides towards the bedroom.

    ...

    Their affectionate ordealsted till the morning before the battle finally ceased.

    After they showered, Xi Xiaye could not care about supper or breakfast anymore. Mu Yuchen forced her to drink a bowl of hot ginger soup before she drowsily fell asleep.

    She was already long exhausted from a whole day of running around, and to top it off, hepletely wiped out her energy. Still, when she fell asleep, she was hugging his arm tightly while he slept sideways beside her, calmly watching her sleep with the dim lights from the tablemp.

    A long while after that, there was a smile on the corner of his lips. He closed his eyes with satisfaction and fell asleep too.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    He had just shut his eyes when he heard her call out his name and even felt her hand looking for him. He then pulled the nket tighter around them and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Sleep, Missus... Xiaye...¡±

    Earlier, when he had seen her break down to weep in hopelessness, his entire heart had melted. He felt his heart ache with her. Because of her sudden appearance, he was touched, happy, and even felt warm.

    Such a silly girl...

    He did not know what to say to her.

    He had already decided on her, so it had to be her.

    All things beautiful about her was his life. He knew he should appreciate them because his future definitely belonged to her.

 Chapter 350 - Not Allowed To Be Sad (3)

    <h4>Chapter 350: Not Allowed To Be Sad (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, when dawn arrived, it was still raining outside. The entire City B was shrouded in a misty atmosphere.

    The weather seemed depressing. It was so depressing that it felt suffocating. Mu Lingshi felt that way as she was on her way towards Townsperson Hospital in City B.

    With a nurse¡¯s help, she soon found Ah Mo¡¯s room.

    As she stood by the door, she saw Ah Mo sitting on the bed and flipping through a document with just one hand while cing it on hisp.

    Mu Lingshi did not go in. Instead, she turned around and leaned back on the cold wall. She stood on one foot with the other leg bent and her foot resting on the wall. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The strained feeling in her chest was finally gone. She had worried for the whole night before taking the earliest flight over just to see how he was doing.

    At ease after knowing that he was alright, she let out a sigh of relief before tilting her head inside and stealing a look at the patient on the bed. She pushed her sunsses up her nose bridge as she turned around and was about to leave.

    At that moment, Ah Mo noticed her.

    ¡°Shi Shi!¡±

    He quickly put the document down and was about to get up, but he felt agony the moment he tried to do so. He fell back down onto the bed again as the pain amplified and a tortured expression appeared on his handsome face. The documents fell all over the floor.

    Mu Lingshi stopped and turned around to look at Ah Mo. After some internal struggle, she went over.

    She stopped beside the bed and helped him pick the documents up.

    ¡°Let me do it. You sit down.¡±

    A gentle smile spread across Ah Mo¡¯s face as he was about to get down from the bed.

    ¡°Lie down. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Mu Lingshi picked the documents up and ced them on the bedside table. She then took off her big sunsses and exposed her tired eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m just here to take a look. I¡¯m d to know that you¡¯re fine.¡±

    Her voice sounded a little hoarse. Undeniably, she had mixed feelings and even she had no idea how to sort out them out.

    She could not deny that her lonely heart opened up a little after the chat with Xi Xiaye. The gate she had forcefully locked was now shaken up.

    <i>Life is short. We¡¯re going to get old if we don¡¯t love now. Be brave and wild.</i>

    However, she...

    They were deeply in love. Love had been really simple back then, but at the same time, it had been unforgettable.

    ¡°Shi Shi, I¡¯ve always been waiting for you. I¡¯ll wait for you no matter how long it takes. I believe that we can go back to how things were before.¡±

    He looked downward with a lonely expression. The usually quiet Ah Mo had actually expressed his feelings deep down inside. After a few seconds, he peered up at Mu Lingshi in silence.

    Mu Lingshi was startled and did not say anything. Awkwardly, she looked at the sunsses in her hand. She did not know what to say...

    ¡°When the car crashedst night, I wished that I would have several permanent scars on my face. If that can get you toe back to me, I¡¯m willing to ept it,¡± Ah Mo looked at Mu Lingshi and said calmly.

    His words stunned Mu Lingshi for a moment as she felt her heart ache. She raised her head angrily. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense, Shi Shi. I really thought about thatst night... You and Master are the people I want to protect the most. I don¡¯t really mind anything as long as the two of you are safe.¡±

    Ah Mo rarely expressed his feelings. After being by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side for so many years, they were really simr and they hardly opened up to anyone.

    ¡°I told you a long time ago, I don¡¯t care... So, if you still think that you can¡¯t get over it, I¡¯ll continue waiting,¡± Ah Mo spoke very quietly with a strong determination in his tone.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re like this not just because of the scar on your face, but also because of Lingtian. You think we¡¯re responsible for his death... Maybe we don¡¯t deserve happiness, so you¡¯re trying to repent to Lingtian...¡±

    No one understood Mu Lingshi better than Ah Mo. Of course, he knew what her concerns were.

    ¡°But that was just an ident. No one¡¯s at fault here. Some things are just inevitable. Are we going to keep living under its shadow forever?¡±

    ¡°Master is living under much more pressure than us. After Lingtian passed away, there¡¯s still us...¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s sigh reached Mu Lingshi¡¯s ear and she started to wonder. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance that Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha aren¡¯t dead, and Master suspected that this ident might not just be a coincidence...¡±

    A flickering light appeared in Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes. ¡°So, you mean the Qi family or the Gu family...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility.¡±

    ...

    A light shed past Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes as she clenched her fists and took several deep breaths. As if she had just made an important decision, she looked right at Ah Mo with a newfound determination. Ah Mo unconsciously grabbed onto the bed sheet.

    ¡°When you return to City Z, I¡¯ll move into your ce,¡± Mu Lingshi said calmly. Only she herself knew how much effort and struggle she went through to say that.

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes suddenly glittered when he heard her. He looked at her in disbelief and thought he misheard something. ¡°Shi Shi, what did you just say?¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯ll move into your ce. You¡¯re going to provide food and shelter for me, aren¡¯t you?¡± u Lingshi replied swiftly.

    <i>If someone could attack Brother, who knew if we could be in danger as well?</i>

    <i>We were the ones chasing from behind back then, and we were supportive of Mu Yuchen giving the search order as well.</i>

    <i>If anything, we will take it on together.</i>

 Chapter 351 - Change of Strategy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 351: Change of Strategy (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the afternoon, the rain continued. The happy tune from the rain droplets dancing reached their ears. On the sofa beside therge window, Xi Xiaye used Mu Yuchen¡¯sp as her pillow as she watched the hazy world outside.

    Mu Yuchen was on a call with Vice President Zhang Lan.

    ¡°Please take care of the South River project. Director Xi is taking leave for several days. She¡¯ll send you a list of things to take note of and the work to bepletedter on. Remember to submit the proposal tomorrow. Call me directly if there are any issues.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Chairman Mu. I¡¯ve been following up on this project as well. I¡¯ll take care of it. Have fun with Director Xi.¡± Zhang Lanughed.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply before hanging up.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little too much? I should be handling the project... It feels like I¡¯mzy at work.¡± Xi Xiaye turned her head around and looked at him.

    He put his phone aside. ¡°Bezy then. We¡¯re taking our wedding photos soon. I¡¯ve always wanted you to rest more. You should only get back to it after our wedding. Things should be on track by then and you don¡¯t need to feel so tired.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to go on a strike, but I¡¯m also worried that I¡¯ll degenerate fromziness.¡±

    ¡°Nothing wrong with a woman handling the household. What¡¯s the point of you working so hard?¡± He chuckled as he ran his fingers through her beautiful, long hair.

    ¡°Because I hadn¡¯t met the strong Mr. Mu back then... Who wouldn¡¯t want to be a little woman who¡¯s loved and cared for? Well, most women are really amazing now. They can be a strong, tough woman on the outside, and transform into a little woman back at home. All the strong and kind people should receive blessings from above.¡±

    She was looking at him with her beautiful eyes as she said this calmly. She grabbed his hand on her waist and held them. Through their palms, they could feel each other¡¯s temperatures, enabling them to feel each other more deeply.

    ¡°When I found out that an ident had happened and I couldn¡¯t call you, I was really afraid... So I...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart softened as he smiled. ¡°I never knew you were such a klutz. You didn¡¯t listen to everything Li Si said and hung up... How can anything happen to me before I marry you officially into the Mu family?¡±

    ¡°My phone drowned in the rain. It can¡¯t be used now...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked them to get you a new one. It¡¯ll arrive soon.¡±

    ¡°The Pu Er tea here is pretty good. Don¡¯t you like this tea nowadays? I¡¯m heading to the tea shop tomorrow. Do you want toe with me?¡±

    He nodded with a smile. He had never told her that he changed all the tea at home to Pu Er or flower tea because he found out she had a little stomach infection. Pu Er was known to be good for gastrointestinal conditions.

    Xi Xiaye never noticed that ever since she stayed with him, she had proper meals at appropriate times and stopped having gastric ever since.

    ...

    Inside the Vice President of Glory World¡¯s office in City Z.

    Qi Lei came over to deliver thepleted proposal personally. However, he frowned when he did not see Xi Xiaye. He hesitated for a moment when he saw Zhang Lan. ¡°Isn¡¯t Director Xi in charge of this project?¡±

    Zhang Lan gave him a business-appropriate smile. ¡°Director Xi is on leave for a while. She¡¯s probably busy preparing for her wedding photoshoot with Chairman Mu, so I¡¯ve been assigned to take over this project temporarily. Please doe to me if you have any questions regarding this project, Vice President Qi. I¡¯ll be handling it for now.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard Zhang Lan¡¯s update. He was getting ufortable inside. He wanted to ask her out for dinner as a token of appreciation. Of course, this time was just to thank her.

    She had done almost all the preparations for them in order to get the proposal done as soon as possible while he had only spent less than half a day to get itpleted.

    He never expected her to be such a meticulous and serious person unlike how he saw her on the surface, cold and rigid.

    After giving it some thought, Qi Lei could not help but ask, ¡°When is sheing back to work?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Director Xi is pretty exhausted from working on this project, so Chairman Mu would probably want her to rest longer.¡±

    Zhang Lan smiled as she looked at the document in Qi Lei¡¯s hand. ¡°Vice President Qi, you must be here to deliver the proposal, aren¡¯t you? Director Xi told me about it. You can just pass it to me.¡±

    Qi Lei then decided to give it to Zhang Lan. He extended his arm to his assistant, Yang Sheng at the back, who handed him a gift box.

    ¡°This is my gift for Director Xi as a token of appreciation for her helpst night. Please thank her for me.¡±

    Her helpst night?

    Was Director Xi not in City B right now?

    Zhang Lan was doubtful as she looked at the gift box Qi Lei handed over. After some hesitation, she did not take it and replied instead, ¡°Since it¡¯s a token of appreciation, wouldn¡¯t it be better if you handed it to her personally when she returns to work?

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll leave it to you. I don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll be back. It might take a long time, no?¡±

    Qi Lei let out a wickedugh before leaving the box on Zhang Lan¡¯s office table. He then proceeded to turn around and leave.

    Zhang Lan put on a bitter smile as she looked at the gift box, then she sat down and started looking through the documents.

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi, Chairman Mu and Xi Xiaye aren¡¯t really going to have their wedding, are they? I heard the Mu family is starting to make preparations recently.¡±

    The assistant, Yang Sheng, asked when they walked out of the Glory World Corporation office, ¡°Could it be the first of May? It¡¯sing up in a few days, but there¡¯s been no news about it at all!¡±

    Qi Lei did not reply immediately as his eyes darkened. ¡°I haven¡¯t been back there for several days. How¡¯s the situation?¡±

    Yang Sheng instantly understood what Qi Lei meant by ¡°there¡±. It was the Qi Residence!

    ¡°Master Qi, CEO boarded a ne to Los Angeles this morning. Your mother hopes that you can go back. Ms. Xian Er has been apanying her for the past few days and she likes her a lot. Ms. Xian Er is quite sweet. Everyone says she¡¯s rather easygoing.¡±

    ¡°Just how much benefit did you get from my mother to help her convince me right now? That Xian Er is not my type at all. Tell my mother to send her away before anything happens!¡± Qi Le huffed impatiently.

 Chapter 352 - Change of Strategy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 352: Change of Strategy (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng was startled when he noticed Qi Lei getting into a bad mood, but he still tried to persuade him, ¡°Master Qi, Elder Madam is just worried and anxious for you. She¡¯s very uneasy that CEO still hasn¡¯t handed over thepany to you. Ms. Xian Eres from a well-known family and she¡¯s pretty. On top of that, she has liked you since a long time ago. This marriage is nothing but beneficial for you!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression turned cold.

    ¡°Master Qi, I know you don¡¯t like to listen to this, but I¡¯m just stating the truth. Elder Madam doesn¡¯t like Ms. Gu, and it¡¯s impossible between you and Ms. Gu, so why do you still cling onto her?¡±

    Yang Sheng was familiar with Qi Lei¡¯s mother. He had been assigned to help Qi Lei when Qi Lei first entered Qi Kai. After working with him for so many years, he was well-informed about Qi Lei¡¯s circumstances.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether she likes her or not. I hope all of you can shut up regarding anything between me and Sha Sha. I don¡¯t want anyone talking about her.¡±

    Qi Lei was getting irritated, and a pain started to blossom in his chest everytime this was mentioned. All of this heartache originated from a woman called Gu Lingsha!

    ¡°Then, Master Qi, Ms. Xiaye...¡± Yang Sheng asked carefully.

    ¡°Observe Mu Yuchen¡¯s actions. He seems to be investigating my old man. I want to know what he finds out. Even I don¡¯t know what my own father is doing! Mu Yuchen has spent several years and doesn¡¯t seem to have achieved much as well.¡± Qi Leiughed coldly.

    ¡°Master Qi, do you think First Master and Ms. Gu are still alive? Was it really CEO who saved them back then? Elder Madam suspected it was the Gu family and that CEO is just bait. If that was not the case, the Gu family wouldn¡¯t have kept quiet all along! Elder Madam hinted to CEO for you to take over thepany for so many years, yet he did not respond...¡± Yang Sheng analyzed and voiced out his thoughts.

    Qi Kai¡¯s CEO Qi Qiming loved his eldest son, Qi Feng, and was cold towards his wife¡¯s son, Qi Lei. It was a well-known fact in the circle, yet Qi Lei¡¯s mother held arge amount of Qi Kai¡¯s stock.

    Qi Qiming nned to leave Qi Kai to his eldest son, Qi Feng, to take over. Qi Lei¡¯s mother, Wang Qin, obviously disagreed, so Qi Feng and Wang Qin had a rough fight back then, and Yang Sheng had witnessed all of it.

    Qi Feng had put a lot of effort in to take down Wang Qin, but she was not a weakling. She was powerful and very experienced in the business world.

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re actually smarter than First Master. If you can change your personality slightly, CEO might favor you. You know he likes obedient people...¡±

    As Yang Sheng kept on with his persuasion, Qi Lei chuckled at him coldly. ¡°Do you think I need to be a dog like him and bow down to the old man? He thought he was talented, but he¡¯s nothing without the old man!¡±

    After saying those words coldly, he headed into the car.

    Yang Sheng watched from the back and sighed.

    Qi Lei would be oddly frustrated whenever these topics were brought into conversation. For the whole day, he would be in a bad mood, and most of it was because of Gu Lingsha.

    ...

    At the same time, in West Park, there was another equally frustrated Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi had been discharged that morning, but she did not go back to Han Yifeng¡¯s vi and went back to West Park instead. She did not mention a word about what happened between her and Han Yifeng.

    ¡°Xin Er, you haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. Are you sure you can start working now?¡± Deng Wenwen looked at Xi Xinyi hesitantly.

    ¡°I can do it, Grandmother. I don¡¯t really have much to do now anyway. I¡¯ll just start working and learning now so that I¡¯ll have an easier time in the future. There¡¯s still Mother and Yifeng around to help me out. I¡¯ll move back for this period of time. Firstly, it¡¯s to spend more time with you and Grandfather. Secondly, I can report on work to you daily. I think I¡¯ll be able to catch up very soon.¡± Xi Xinyi gave a humble reply while her exhausted expression seemed very pitiful. She tried to put on a calm act, which worked because Deng Wenwen seemed much better when she saw Xi Xinyi holding up.

    ¡°I¡¯m d that you can think this way. We can¡¯t really do anything about the Han family, so focus on your career for now. I don¡¯t think they can still ignore you after you give birth. I know Elder Han very well. He¡¯ll never abandon the offspring of the Han family, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes still looked sharp as sheughed coldly. ¡°What we need to do now is keep calm and not do anything reckless. Lingsi, I know your friction with Mushan has been getting worsetely, but don¡¯t go and look for Shen Wenna because of this. It might trigger Xiaye and things will get even worse. As for Xinyi, be careful, I hope nothing simr will happen again.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Grandmother. I won¡¯t make those mistakes again. I promise to make Yueying better since it¡¯s the result of hard work from you and Mother. Please believe in me! I¡¯ll put in all my effort into Yueying. I can do it with the help of Yifeng and Mother as well as my maternal grandfather!¡± Xi Xinyi sounded very confident. Her eyes seemed determined as well.

    After all, she had a trump card!

    Even if Xi Xiaye had Mu Yuchen guarding her back, she believed that if they had the will, there would be a way to break her.

    ¡°Mmm, as long as you¡¯re aware. Go to work tomorrow with your mother. I¡¯ve informed the stakeholders beforehand, so they are still behaving now, but you still need to be careful yourself.¡±

    Deng Wenwen let out a long sigh, sounding tired. ¡°Thispany will still be handled by you two in the future. I hope I won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±

    After putting in so much for Yueying, in the end...

    For a brief moment, Deng Wenwen had an odd feeling. She was doubting her decision back then! She had traded her whole life for Yueying, and now Yueying was being handed to Xinyi. What did she really get in the end?

    She could not get Xi Jiyang¡¯s love or children of her own...

    She did not get anything a woman should. What had she been doing all these years?

    She started to feel empty inside...

 Chapter 353 - Change of Strategy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 353: Change of Strategy (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As she thought about it, Deng Wenwen halted, and suddenly in a daze, without hearing what Yue Lingsi had said, she slumped onto the sofa!

    ¡°Grandmother! Grandmother! Are you okay?!¡±

    ¡°Mother! Are you okay?!¡±

    Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi were instantly shocked. They quickly helped Deng Wenwen up together.

    ¡°Quickly get her medication!¡± Xi Xinyi urged.

    Yue Lingsi quickly took the medication from the drawer on the side and got several pills out for Deng Wenwen to swallow.

    Shey down on the sofa to ease for quite a while before Deng Wenwen finally broke free of her dizziness. When they saw her eyes open, Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi were relieved.

    ¡°Grandmother, you scared me! You¡¯ve been worried about my problems recently. Now, you should start to recover yourself. Leave Yueying to me and Mother,¡± Xi Xinyi said gently as she sat down near Deng Wenwen.

    Deng Wenwen caught her breath. Her health really was not been how it had been in recent days, especially after she was hospitalized thest time. Now, being disturbed by Xi Xiaye and Xi Xinyi¡¯s drama, she felt extremely worn out.

    ¡°Mother, find time to rx with Grandmother. Everyone¡¯s been quite down recently, so it¡¯s good to go out for walks too. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll get tickets for a recent concert. When you¡¯ve got the time, bring Grandmother out.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be going to any concerts. Help me upstairs to rest first,¡± Deng Wenwen said, clearly fatigued. Then, she struggled to get up.

    Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi exchanged a look before nodding. ¡°Okay then...¡±

    ...

    After they helped Deng Wenwen to her room, the mother and daughter returned to the living room once again and sat down close to each other.

    ¡°Your grandmother makes sense. Just leave the Han family be for now. This time, when you join thepany, you must win over everyone¡¯s hearts as quickly as you can. There are already quite some people leaning towards Xiaye that witch, and some directors and actors have also been in touch with her. Caitlin that witch has already signed on with Yueying. She came over under Glory World and became someone under Xi Xiaye. Especially now that thepany has begun to unearth new talents, Xi Xiaye and their end have been grooming quite a number of neers. In fact, with a veteran artiste like Caitlin to keep things up, they are really making things quite dazzling.¡±

    When this was brought up, Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression was gloomy as the dark sky nketed with dark clouds. Her gaze was extremely cold too. ¡°If this continues, she¡¯s going to be ahead of us very soon. When ites to many of the important decisions in thepany, it might reach a point where they make the decisions. They¡¯re already getting above our heads! They might even be doing it on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be too worried. I¡¯ll take note of it. When I join thepany, we should introduce some neers ourselves. We have the Han Corporation and Qi Kai supporting us on our end. There¡¯s no way Xi Xiaye can turn everything on its head and get ahead of us. The connections that we¡¯ve worked hard to build aren¡¯t something that Xi Xiaye can easily ruin as she wishes, so don¡¯t be too worried. I have my ways, Mother, trust me!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were filled with confidence, yet, even so, Yue Lingsi could notice that after she was discharged from the hospital, Xi Xinyi had a change in personality. She seemed to have be a whole different person, yet she could not put her finger on what had changed.

    Yue Lingsi thought about it, then nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll go with what your grandmother said then. We¡¯ll stabilize them for now, and not provoke that witch, Xiaye, but we won¡¯t let go of this so easily!¡±

    ¡°Of course, and that goes for Shen Wenna, Mother. I¡¯ll definitely help you get back at them.¡±

    ...

    Xi Mushan had not gone home for the past two days, but he always came back to see Xi Jiyang before he left again. It was as if he was very busy. He had always spoken very little to them, so Yue Lingsi was already used to it. After their huge argument a few days ago, the husband and wife did not exchange another word, not even a word of greeting. Yue Lingsi could feel that apart from being hostile, Xi Mushan seemed to have be more resentful towards her.

    They had been married for over 20 years now, but it seemed as if their hearts had never touched. Forget about touching, they did not even have the chance to brush shoulders!

    When she thought about this, Yue Lingsi could not help but feel aggrieved and sorrowful. She sat down quietly and did not hear what Xi Xinyi said.

    ...

    The mother and daughter sat just like that. After a while, the sound of a car from the outside was heard, then the maid¡¯s voice followed. ¡°Mayor, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Xi Mushan was back!

    The mother and daughter subconsciously looked at the door. Indeed they saw Xi Mushan walking in from outside. He even held a green bonsai. Inside the pot, a little sapling was growing with a lot of vitality. The tender green leaves swayed gently with Xi Mushan¡¯s steps.

    At this moment, there was rare tranquility on Xi Mushan¡¯s face.

    When Xi Xinyi saw Xi Mushane in, she could not help but call out to him, ¡°Father!¡±

    Xi Mushan then looked up. When he saw Xi Xinyi get up, his expression turned slightly rigid and he nodded. ¡°Rest well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Father, I will. What nt is this? It looks very vibrant. Is it for Grandfather?¡± Xi Xinyi very quickly walked up.

    ¡°Your grandfather¡¯s not been in very good health, so I bought him a pot of nt to make things livelier.¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s stern and handsome face looked indifferent. He took a nce at Yue Lingsi who seemed like she was about to walk up to him too. Then, he coldly averted his gaze and walked toward the stairs.

    Xi Xinyi blocked his path as she quickly said to Xi Mushan, ¡°Father, Mother says that it¡¯s a good day because I was discharged today, so she¡¯s nning on cooking. Stay home for dinner tonight.¡±

    ¡°No thanks, I have dinner ns, you two celebrate yourselves,¡± Xi Mushan said apathetically, then he walked upstairs without as much of a second look at Yue Lingsi.

    When she saw Xi Mushan gradually walk up the stairs, Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression turned extremely gloomy. Her teeth almost turned to powder from grinding. She had to use up a lot of will to suppress the anger that surged up in her chest. Breathing heavily, she red at Xi Mushan¡¯s figure.

    Xi Xinyi frowned and watched Yue Lingshi who seemed like she was about to explode. She advised softly, ¡°Mother! Don¡¯t be angry! Don¡¯t be like this. Otherwise, you¡¯ll wake Grandfather and Grandmother up!¡±

    ¡°What does he mean? Huh? What does he mean?! Is he not willing to even just share a meal together?¡± Yue Lingsi growled with clenched fists.

    ¡°Okay, Mother! Don¡¯t be angry! Take it slow!¡± Xi Xinyi looked helplessly at Yue Lingsi.

 Chapter 354 - How Can Love Be Explained? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 354: How Can Love Be Exined? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Mushan brought the bonsai to Xi Jiyang¡¯s room, Xi Jiyang was about to sit down on the sofa with the help of a maid.

    He was put on IV drips almost every day for the past few days and seemed out of energy and quite weak. He did not even have the strength to get up by himself.

    Xi Mushan had already gotten on the phone with Doctor Li earlier to understand the situation. Xi Jiyang was in a bad way, or maybe it was also because of his bad mood that the effect of his recovery was minimal.

    Xi Jiyang did not like hospitals and would not go to the hospital unless it was hisst resort. Xi Mushan knew why this was the case. He heard that his mother had passed away during a difficult birth at the hospital, so Xi Jiyang resented the hospital a lot.

    ¡°Are you feeling better today?¡± Xi Mushan put the bonsai onto Xi Jiyang¡¯s bedside cab so that he would be able to see it whenever he looked up.

    Xi Jiyang sat down on the sofa. He inhaled strenuously, then said a little weakly as he waved for the maid to retreat, ¡°Feeling much better. If you¡¯re busy, you don¡¯t have toe back. I know you don¡¯t like how the atmosphere at home is like either.¡±

    The maid knowingly bowed and then retreated, closing the door.

    Xi Mushan walked up to Xi Jiyang and sat down on the sofa across him. He poured Xi Jiyang a cup of water.

    Seeing the lonely expression on Xi Jiyang¡¯s aged face, Xi Mushan felt bad too. He said with a frown, ¡°Work is alright. You should let the maids bring you out to walk around more. The scenery in the backyard is quite good and will be helpful for your recovery. Breathe in some fresh air and maintain a brighter mood.¡±

    ¡°I know my body well. I¡¯m afraid that after my fall this time, I won¡¯t be able to keep holding on. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Life and death are up to fate. I¡¯m happy to be able to reach this age of mine,¡± Xi Jiyang said calmly. Although his aged voice sounded very rxed and there was not much struggle or sadness, the more he acted like this, the sadder it made Xi Mushan feel.

    He did not know what he could say to console him. After some thought, Xi Mushan said, ¡°You will live long.¡±

    Xi Jiyang smiled as his trembling hand reached up to the table and lifted the cup. However, just as he picked it up, he spilled the water all over himself. He could not even hold the cup steady.

    Xi Mushan quickly got up and walked over, helping him to lift the cup and bringing it to his parched lips. Xi Jiyang held the cup with two hands before he could steady it and drink some water with much difficulty.

    When Xi Mushan saw this, an aching surfaced from his still heart. He looked at the bonsai that he had just put on the bedside cab, and then at Xi Jiyang, who was like a flickering candle in the wind.

    ¡°I know my own body. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to hold on for long. When I leave, you might be able to live better. I know that all these years, you¡¯ve been very considerate about me,¡± Xi Jiyang sighed and passed Xi Mushan the cup to put back onto the table. He looked at him with dimmed eyes., ¡°Haven¡¯t you been resentful of me all these years?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Xi Mushan sat back down.

    ¡°I can see for myself the love between you and Wenna. Both of you are such stubborn people. Now, maybe it was my fault, so you should resent me,¡± Xi Jiyangmented. The heaviness that had umted for a long time in his heart was suddenly relieved at that moment. ¡°All these years, you¡¯ve been tired out from your persistence. If you want to be freed of that right now, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    When he heard Xi Jiyang, irony crossed Xi Mushan¡¯s steadfast expression. He looked like he wasughing at himself. ¡°How do I be freed? I¡¯ve long fallen into a ghost town and have no way out. This life has just been wasted away. How else can I be freed?¡±

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s expression darkened while his aged eyes were looked apologetic. ¡°I should¡¯ve stopped them back then. I thought that they didn¡¯t have any ill intentions, but after the thing happened, I noticed that something was not quite right, so I made up for it.¡±

    When he said this, Xi Jiyang suddenly sighed. Then, he calmed himself down for a while before slowly reaching into his pocket and taking out a bunch of keys. Gently, he put them on the table in front of him.

    ¡°Inside the safe is the roll of film I managed to get. The password is you and your mother¡¯s birthday. Your mother should have none of it. Destroy it, then they won¡¯t be able to threaten you anymore. As for what you want to do after this, do as you wish. I¡¯lle up with a way to help you divorce Yue Lingsi. If you want to go look for Shen Wenna, then go.¡±

    Xi Jiyang closed his eyes weakly. Even speaking for a while made him feel weak and worn out. He breathed in and then continued, ¡°I know you¡¯ve been spending a lot of effort looking for this thing all these years. Now that you have it, the threat¡¯s removed too. How you should redeem yourself after this, I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    When he heard Xi Jiyang, Xi Mushan¡¯s sharp gaze fell onto the bunch of keys before Xi Jiyang. Surprise lit his eyes. ¡°How did you get it?¡±

    Xi Mushan knew how well Deng Wenwen had hidden these things. He had looked for 20 years but still could not get it.

    ¡°After Xiaye signed that contract to transfer her shares, I hired someone to follow her. Earlier, I managed to get the password to her safe, and indeed, I found those things as well as the proof of yours and Xinyi¡¯s DNApatibility back then.¡±

    When this was mentioned, Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes darkened.

    How could he forget that between them there was still a shred of evidence that could not be erased? Xi Xinyi!

    He lowered his head sadly as he stared defeatedly at the bunch of keys. There was a sudden sorrow in his heart. Many times, he had imagined how their lives could have been, yet he still dared not imagine the hope of having her again. He dared not fantasize the scene of the three of them happily together again.

    Xi Mushan did not say anything, but the loneliness and bleakness could not be concealed on his handsome face. He lowered his head silently and let the heartache spread all over him as he closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened them and returned to his previous calm.

    ¡°Now that the children are all grown up, you two should n for yourselves. You can¡¯t just live the rest of your life like this. I¡¯ve also endured till this moment before... before I understood... that life is short. I just... I just hope that you can live well. Otherwise, I won¡¯t pass on peacefully...¡±

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s aged voice held a helpless sigh. ¡°If only back then, if the two of us had persisted, maybe everything would¡¯ve been much more peaceful... Otherwise...¡±

    Xi Jiyang did not continue. When he saw Xi Mushan remain silently, his energy waned and he muttered something about being tired.

 Chapter 355 - How Can Love Be Explained? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 355: How Can Love Be Exined? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan left the room after helping Xi Jiyang lie down, taking the set of keys Xi Jiyang had given him.

    He saw Yue Lingsi lying on the sofa while Xi Xinyiforted her as he went downstairs. When they heard the sound of his footsteps, they raised their heads.

    ¡°Father, are you heading out again? Tonight¡¯s dinner...¡± Xi Xinyi asked carefully.

    ¡°I have an appointment tonight. You guys have fun with the celebrations.¡± Xi Mushan nced at Xi Xinyi without slowing down as he walked toward the door.

    ¡°Xi Mushan, you¡¯re neglecting both of us right now! Do you have an appointment or are you meeting that witch, Shen Wenna? Xinyi was discharged today and we can¡¯t even have dinner together? You bastard!¡± Yue Lingsi could not stand Xi Mushan¡¯s attitude anymore. As he was leaving the house, she grabbed the ashtray on the table and hurled it towards him!

    Pa!

    Bam!

    In defense, Xi Mushan raised his arm and the ashtray made contact with his arm. It was such a loud crash that Xi Xinyi was shocked.

    The ashtray then shattered on the floor and Xi Mushan¡¯s expression darkened with pain. However, it just stopped him for a few moments before he proceeded on his way out quietly.

    ¡°Mother! What¡¯s wrong with you?! Are you trying to make Father dislike you even more?¡± Xi Xinyi could not believe what Yue Lingsi had just done. Every time she had a fight with Xi Mushan, her logic just vanished out of the window. Not only would she yell, but she could also be violent as well. The usual elegance that was present in her daily life was nowhere to be seen. Xi Xinyi was irritated by her irrationality.

    ¡°Father will just dislike you even more if you keep doing this. If you learn more to be like Shen Wenna, maybe Father would change his mind,¡± Xi Xinyi mumbled.

    However, before she could finish her sentence, Yue Lingsi could not stand it anymore and red at Xi Xinyi irately. ¡°What did you say? So, even you think I¡¯m not on par with that witch Shen Wenna? Just what¡¯s so good about Shen Wenna? What¡¯s so good about her? Huh? Each and every one of you speak of her like a holy maiden. I¡¯m ten thousand times better than her. Just who does she think she is? Is she better than me? Why should I learn from her? I hate her self-righteous and cold attitude, always acting all high and mighty. Hmph, witch... Even her daughter is the same!¡± Yue Lingsi started criticizing andshing out with all her inner anger. If she still kept it inside, she might very well go insane.

    Xi Xinyi frowned quietly and just let her rant.

    Night fell and the lights nketed the whole city again, making it look beautiful and mesmerizing.

    At around half past nine, the night sses at University A were ending. The bell rang and Shen Wenna started packing up her stuff before she switched theputer off.

    ¡°Alright, ss ends here today. See you guys in the next ss.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, Teacher!¡±

    Shen Wenna was now teaching a second-year general elective subject, so night sses weremon. She would usually stay over at the school whenever there were night sses instead of heading back to the Shen Residence.

    It was still pretty lively around when the ss just ended. Shen Wenna did not drive today, so she walked toward her apartment after packing up and found herself an unexpected guest.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Shen Wenna frowned as her expression turned cold when she saw Xi Mushan.

    Xi Mushan looked at her without saying anything. The strong reek of alcoholing from him made Shen Wenna frown even deeper. His eyes seemed empty. He was very drunk indeed!

    Shen Wenna ignored him as he kept quiet. She took her keys out and went past him to open the door. Just as she was about to close it, Xi Mushan stopped the door from closing with his hand.

    ¡°Wenna...¡± Xi Mushan called out to her in his hoarse voice, trying to force himself in.

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡±

    Xi Mushan shut the door, the strong alcohol smell from him almost making Shen Wenna pass out. Looking at her with his red eyes, he mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not getting out, not getting out, Wenna... I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯ll stay here... Here... Not going anywhere...¡±

    After that nonsensical sentence, he stumbled toward the sofa nearby and copsed on it.

    Shen Wenna was startled for a moment and only came back to her senses after a while. She turned around and saw him fast asleep on the sofa, totally ignoring how she felt. She stormed over angrily. ¡°Get up, Xi Mushan. Get out! Go back to West Park! Get up! Get up right now!¡±

    Xi Muhan was dizzy as she shook him. At the same time, he struggled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m not going back to West Park... Don¡¯t leave me, Wenna...¡±

    He curled up on the sofa and was determined to stay, agitating Shen Wenna.

    ¡°You¡¯re a real bastard! I¡¯d have called the police already if not for our daughter! Bastard!¡± Shen Wenna nudged him roughly several times before taking a deep breath. Then, she sat down on the sofa beside him, exhausted.

    Xi Mushan mumbled as he continued sleeping with a frown. He seemed to be in a lot of pain and his face seemed much skinnier than thest time she had seen him.

    She heard that Xi Jiyang was very sick right now, so he must be really worried. Xi Xiaye had mentioned it thest time she came. Things did not look well for Xi Jiyang.

    Shen Wenna rarely followed up on the Xi family because she hardly had any contact with them. With the exception when Xi Mushan sent her some gifts sometimes, there was nomunication between them.

    While Yue Lingsi looked for her a lot of times, she hardly entertained her.

    However, her peaceful life was still disrupted. If Yue Lingsi found out that Xi Mushan was at her ce, it was going to be chaos.

    She heard passing whispers about what had happenedtely. The Xi family was having some conflict with the Han family. Shen Yue had mentioned that Xi Mushan had had a fight with the Yue family; it must be because of Xi Xinyi.

    The Yues and the Xis...

    She was starting to get a headache and decided to stop thinking about it. Grabbing her bag, she went into the study room.

 Chapter 356 - How Can Love Be Explained? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 356: How Can Love Be Exined? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As the lights illuminated the city, beside the railing in a certain Movie City in City B.

    Mu Yuchen stood beside Xi Xiaye. There were still a lot of people who were busy shooting at night.

    Xi Xiaye gripped the cold railing with both her hands as her eyes glittered. She looked down for a long time without saying anything. Suddenly, she felt a warm weight on her shoulder before she came back to her senses.

    She turned around and noticed that he had put his jacket over her. He only wore a ck shirt in the windy weather. With the dim light shining on him, he looked very peaceful.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cold out here,¡± he said quietly with warmth in his tone.

    She smiled at him as she closed her eyes and pulled the coat snugly around her. After a while, she continued looking downward and sighed, ¡°People only see what happens in front of the camera, and rarely know how much effort is put into making it work. It seems really tough.¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed as he grabbed her shoulder gently with one arm. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s tough. Everyone has their own worries. Alright, it¡¯s prettyte now and we should go back. If you want to see more, we¡¯lle again tomorrow.¡±

    They then walked away.

    After cruising around for the whole afternoon and taking a tour around Movie City, because Xi Xiaye was wearing a thin-soled shoe, her legs were about to give out. She frowned when Mu Yuchen moved forward.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He turned around when he noticed that she did not move.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and squinted at him. Suddenly, she lowered her voice. ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m going to do something inelegant now. Are you going to judge me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen narrowed his eyes as well as he looked at her little face, not saying anything.

    Without waiting for his reply, she took off her shoes and revealed her pretty little pair of feet. Then, she picked her shoes up and walked over to him to hold his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Only then did he notice that she was actually rather short. She could barely reach his chin after taking off her shoes. Like she mentioned before, she really did seem like a beautiful, petite woman, but the scene of her did not really fit the atmosphere at the moment.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cold on the ground. Hop on.¡± He took her shoes and squatted down. His intention was obvious.

    Xi Xiaye had a wide smile and she quickly hopped onto his back. ¡°You only realize you should do it now. Tsk tsk, Mr. Mu, you¡¯ve failed as a guardian.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re taking me for granted now, huh?¡± He ranted, but there was no anger in his tone at all.

    She crossed her arms in front of his chest and he started piggybacking her. As they walked past the gentle sunset, their long shadows were cast on the ground.

    After a while, she suggested by his ears, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sing something? You sang really wellst time, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one singing now?¡±

    After some hesitation, she looked at the light in front, and then her beautiful warbling brushed past his ears.

    <i>¡°As evening fell, a maiden stood at the edge of the woods.</i>

    <i>In her handsy the reins of a stallion.</i>

    <i>And ne¡¯er had I seen a girl as fair, nor heard a gentler voice anywhere.¡±</i>

    ...

    His heart softened like mush. After she sang for some time, she suddenly said, ¡°Mr. Mu, I think I know where we should go for our honeymoon.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± He replied quietly, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I want to go to South America. I want to see therge fields there and ride a horse through the fields with a rifle in my hand. It¡¯d be great if Ah Shi and Ah Mo coulde with us too,¡± she said hopefully.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have our wedding there,¡± he replied without any hesitation.

    ¡°Great!¡± She grinned happily as she rested her face on his warm back.

    Happiness came upon her. She told herself she should embrace it with her arms opened wide. <i>Xi Xiaye, you have to persist and not give up. These things are never far away from you...</i>

    Mr. Mu carried Mrs. Mu all the way back. He did not know how long they walked for, but it was near midnight when they arrived back at the hotel, and she was already asleep on his back.

    Fortunately, she was not really heavy. She would always talk about maintaining her weight halfway through a meal.

    Mr. Mu had been keeping himself fit. Together with Zhou Zimo and Su Chen, all of them had strapping bodies even long after they retired from the army. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo would participate in five-kilometer runs from time to time. Some time ago, they invited him to join them and even prepared a camouge suit for him.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Li Si who had been waiting for Mu Yuchen at the hotel entrance quickly came up to him, noticing that Xi Xiaye was asleep on Mu Yuchen¡¯s back. As he was about to say something Mu Yuchen stopped him. ¡°She¡¯s asleep. Don¡¯t wake her up. We¡¯ll talk upstairs.¡±

    They then went into the hotel.

    Inside the room, Mu Yuchen carefully put Xi Xiaye on the bed, he put her under the nket before leaving the room.

    Li Si had been waiting for quite a while outside, and he quickly prepared a cup of tea when Mu Yuchen came out.

    Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa and took the tea from Li Si. He took a sip from it and pointed at the seat opposite him, signaling Li Si to sit down. ¡°Update me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si sat down and reported, ¡°We¡¯ve started the investigations. Information from the hospital stated that the truck driver is in the final stage of liver cancer. He didn¡¯t really suffer heavy injuries, just some bruises, but we¡¯re still investigating whether he was directed to do so.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he ced the cup of tea on the table. He continued, ¡°How are Ah Mo and Lingshi?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Lingshi came over early in the morning. She¡¯s in the hospital taking care of Ah Mo right now. When she heard that the incident this time wasn¡¯t a light ident, she decided to move into Ah Mo¡¯s vi after he returns to City Z. She should¡¯ve some thoughts of her own about that,¡± Li Si rted quietly.

 Chapter 357 - How Can Love Be Explained? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 357: How Can Love Be Exined? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Mu Yuchen processed the information Li Si had given him, he said, ¡°Charter the private jet and arrange for them to return tomorrow afternoon. Get Ah Mo a smart servant. Give my grandparents a heads-up as well and let them be prepared.¡±

    Master Mu was always an action-oriented person. He did not wait at all and made action ns immediately.

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Got it, Master! I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± He stood up from his seat and started walking toward the door.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly stopped him.

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Li Si stopped instantly and turned around. Mu Yuchen seemed to be thinking.

    ¡°Before heading back, get Ah Mo toe to see me,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    ¡°Noted, Master! By the way, Master, Master Su Chen called your mobile today. He seems to be in City B as well and will be meeting youter.¡±

    Before Li Si could finish his sentence, a knock came on the door. He went to open it. Coincidentally, it was Su Chen standing outside casually.

    ¡°Master Su Chen!¡± Li Si greeted. Su Chen entered as Li Si went out understandingly and closed the door.

    ...

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    As Su Chen sat downfortably on the sofa, Mu Yuchen grabbed a bottle of wine and poured them a ss each.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for work. I just wanted to drop by to see how you¡¯re doing since I heard you were involved in an ident, but you seem fine now. Is everything alright?¡±

    Su Chen took the ss from Mu Yuchen and emptied it in one swig.

    ¡°Luckily, we¡¯re fine, but Ah Mo suffered quite a serious injury.¡± Mu Yuchen took a small sip. ¡°Lingshi came as well. Do you want to go and visit? I¡¯m arranging for them to go back on a private jet tomorrow noon.¡±

    ¡°I heard about that. I¡¯ll go take a look at him after we return. I¡¯ve called Ah Mo. Zimo came back and asked me to visit you after finding out that you met an ident, but I¡¯m d that you¡¯re fine.¡±

    Su Chen let out a sigh of relief as the strain in his chest faded. As he looked at Mu Yuchen who was filling up his ss, he said, ¡°Since Lingshi rushed over here, does this mean that there¡¯s still something going on between them? They¡¯ve been dyed for so many years!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll have to grab their chances. Of course, it¡¯d be great if they got back together.¡± Mu Yuchen put down the bottle and smiled. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you and Zimo start settling down?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush? You yourself said to wait for the chance. We¡¯re still young.¡± Su Chen smiled as they clinked their sses. The two of them emptied their sses before continuing. ¡°I hope they can leap past this barrier so that you¡¯ll be less pressured. You deserve to be punished being so stubborn. Do you think anyone can stop karma from happening?¡±

    He nced at Mu Yuchen sharply as he picked up the bottle. ¡°The person is already dead. They brought it upon themselves. Would there have been any survivors? They are lucky that you didn¡¯t press on the issue. If the crash this time wasn¡¯t just an ident, it must¡¯ve been them trying to take you down. You have to be careful. It¡¯s difficult to defend against an enemy in the dark.

    ¡°There¡¯s also that sly fox Qi Qiming. You have to be wary of him. If my calctions aren¡¯t wrong, he¡¯s even using Qi Lei as his pawn., I¡¯ve never seen him treating his youngest son, Qi Lei, well, and suddenly he¡¯s made Qi Lei the Vice President of Qi Kai. He was always on bad terms with his wife and usually wouldn¡¯t give in. If it weren¡¯t for their identical facial features, I seriously doubt if Qi Lei is his son at all.

    ¡°However, his behavior suggests that Qi Feng is still probably alive and that he¡¯s carving a path for him,¡± Su Chen squinted his eyes and analyzed.

    Mu Yuchen started to think more about it. He sipped some wine and said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m sure Qi Feng is still alive.¡±

    ¡°I think so too. Gu Lingsha and he should still be alive. I spoke to Ah Mo before and he said the Gu family haven¡¯t done anything at all, but things seems to have been shaken up after you came back. Maybe they are taking action.¡±

    Su Chen frowned and looked at the calm Mu Yuchen opposite of him. ¡°A certain someone seems to be not worried at all. Aren¡¯t you afraid that history will repeat itself?¡±

    ¡°If you have time to tease me, you could really help out by checking where Qi Qiming has gone. Help me track his travel path.¡± Mu Yuchen put on a smile, seemingckadaisical.

    ¡°I have people working on it. Hopefully, we¡¯ll get something this time. We¡¯ve been doing this for the past few years and still couldn¡¯t get anything. Is that old fox too cunning or are we too...¡±

    Thud!

    There was a sound from inside the room as Su Chen was talking. He looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise and noticed that he had gone to grab a ss of water.

    ¡°Is there someone else in the room? Is it a chick?¡± Su Chen was shocked as he stared at the bedroom door, frowning. ¡°Are you serious, dude? Aren¡¯t you afraid of your wife finding out?¡±

    Mu Yuchen stared at him. ¡°It¡¯s Xiaye. She rushed overst night because she thought I was in trouble. Have a seat first and I¡¯ll go take a look at her.¡±

    Su Chen raised his eyebrows and shrugged. He waved at him and flipped through some magazines by the side.

    Mu Yuchen went to her and saw that her phone had dropped onto the floor due to the vibration. She was still sleeping soundly. He put the ss of water down quietly and took a look at the screen. It was Su Nan calling.

    When the call ended, several missed call notifications were shown on the screen. He unlocked the phone and saw that they were all from Su Nan.

    He guessed it was probably about Fashion City. In coboration with the jewelry exhibition, the PR Department had made it into a talk showpetition. It was about time for it to happen.

    He sent Su Nan a brief reply: <i>She¡¯s in City B. Will call you back after she¡¯s awake.</i>

    ...

    He switched off the phone after sending the message. He did not want anyone to bother her when she was terribly exhausted.

 Chapter 358 - How Can Love Be Explained? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 358: How Can Love Be Exined? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he went back to sit on the sofa, Su Chen had already downed quite a few sses of drinks.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more careful. Even Zi Mo said you caved in,¡± Su Chen looked at Mu Yuchen, and could not help but sigh, ¡°Suddenly, I feel like this whole rtionship thing is quite hard to talk about.¡±

    Mu Yuchen picked up his drink and guzzled it before he revealed a smile. ¡°You can get someone to try starting one too. Elder Su is worried. You¡¯re 32. You¡¯re not young anymore.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking about worrying about these things only when I¡¯m 40.¡± Su Chen shot Mu Yuchen a look. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about my issues anymore. Let¡¯s talk about you. What are you nning to do? If the car ident this time wasn¡¯t an ident, what are you nning to do?¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened and he said with a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten someone to be on watch. Find a time to probe them. Xiaye and I are going to have our wedding photoshoot in another few days. Next month, we¡¯ll be going abroad for our wedding and we¡¯ll get you guys the invitations when the timees.¡±

    ¡°That means we have to prepare gifts, right?¡± Su Chen raised his handsome brows and smirked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need toe if your gifts aren¡¯t generous enough.¡±

    ¡°How mean of you! Okay, I got it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll watch over for you. There¡¯ll be no more hups.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Then, the two buddies started drinking leisurely.

    ...

    The two of them drank till midnight before Su Chen went back. When he left, he could not even walk straight. Coincidentally, he had arranged to stay in the same hotel too, so he did not need to worry.

    Having drunk a lot as well, after a simple wash up, Mu Yuchen climbed into bed and habitually pulled his sound asleep wife into his arms.

    It felt quite wonderful. Somehow, along their journey, when he had her in his arms, he would find that he had a peace of mind and felt especially warmed.

    Ever since he got together with her, Mu Yuchen had rxed much more, unlike how he was before when he lived in stifled ways.

    This marriage had been wonderful to him. He went from trying hard to adapt to epting it fully, then thoroughly possessing it. It was a process that went through a fundamental change. Curiously, he did not whether all marriages were like that.

    At least, theirs was.

    Between them, there were still many things to look forward too like numerous tranquil nights like this...

    He thought to himself that this was enough.

    ...

    The next day when they woke up, the warm sun hung high outside while the cold breeze blew gently, brushing the curtains by the windows and causing the light-colored curtains to rustle.

    Xi Mushan inhaled deeply. Suddenly, he felt that he had not slept this soundly for a very, very long time. He slowly pushed himself up and that was when he noticed that he was lying down on a narrow sofa with a nket on him too.

    He was stunned. In the midst of his daze, he could vaguely smell a faint fragrance. It was a familiar one that he missed. He looked up again at his surroundings, andst night¡¯s scenes very quickly shed through his mind.

    He had been at a dinner gathering and seemed to have drunk too much. Because he felt unbearably depressed, when he ordered Ah Hui to drive over to the university, he had drunk a lot more again.

    Of course, he would not tell Shen Wenna that there had been many nights when he would drive to her residence, and watch until the lights to her apartment went off before he fell asleep. Last night, he could not control himself and came right up.

    He looked down at the nket on him, her familiar scent bing increasingly clear. Xi Mushan¡¯s vaguely stern face faintly rxed as he carefully pulled the nket away. He was about to fold it when he realized that his arm ached terribly, drawing a frown from him.

    He had been hit by the ashtray that Yue Lingsi had thrown at him yesterday. Now, it hurt terribly and swelled.

    His eyes darkened for a moment. Then, he endured the pain to fold the nket. As he was about to get up, he suddenly noticed that there was a bottle of tincture to reduce swelling and pain on the coffee table beside him.

    There were many new towels and appliances for washing up on the bathroom shelf. Xi Mushan naturally used them to clean up. The apartment was quiet and her room was empty. He thought to himself, ¡®She must¡¯ve gone to ss.¡¯

    After Xi Mushan finished washing up, he noticed that the breakfast on the dining table had not turned cold.

    A tenderness shed on his face. Then, he sat down leisurely and began enjoying his breakfast, yet just as he had a few spoonfuls of the congee, there were of footsteps from the door. He subconsciously turned to look.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s slender figure greeted his sight. She wore an ink-colored <i>qipao</i> that outlined her figure while her long hair was tied up into a refreshing yet elegant bun. The air of her elegant beauty was evident.

    He had asked himself why he could not forget her and had loved her all these years. This love grew with each passing day and showed no signs of reducing. He simply could not exin it or express that.

    It was exactly because he loved the way she was right now.

    He had never told her that she, Shen Wenna, would forever be a beautiful, holy goddess to him.

    However, every time after he had such thoughts, he would snap back to reality and suddenly realize that the only thing he could give himself was an unforgettable ache.

    Heartache...

    ¡°Go home after you¡¯re done with breakfast. Don¡¯te over again. We¡¯re not rted anymore. Even if you don¡¯t care about your status, at least be considerate of my reputation. I don¡¯t want others to be talking about me behind my back, and I don¡¯t want Yue Lingsi to knock on my door.¡±

    Shen Wenna set aside her bag onto the sofa, then turned around and red at Xi Mushan.

    Indeed, the moment Shen Wenna said this, Xi Mushan was stunned. His movements froze as he looked up at Shen Wenna, his gaze stormy.

    Moments after that, he did not say anything. He just looked at her, then continued to lower his head and enjoy his breakfast.

    The way he looked right now was quite indescribably lonely and bleak. Shen Wenna did not continue and just turned to walk to her study room.

    Just as her figure was about to vanish through the door, he suddenly called out to her, ¡°Na Na...¡±

    When Shen Wenna heard him, her footsteps froze.

    ¡°If...¡± Xi Mushan looked up at her back that faced him and softly said. Whatever he wanted to say after that seemed to stop before his lips. He did not know how to say them.

    Shen Wenna just sighed and walked into the room.

    Then came the sound of the door closing, making Xi Mushan¡¯s heart sink. His hand that held the chopsticks subconsciously tightened as his eyes dimmed and hot tears welled in them.

    How could they return to how they were?

    How could he redeem her love once more?

    ...

    Why had their love be sacrificed in the fight for benefit?

 Chapter 359 - Present For Mr. Mu (1)

    <h4>Chapter 359: Present For Mr. Mu (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After he was done with breakfast and had put the dishes away, Xi Mushan left. Ah Hui had been waiting downstairs early in the morning. When he saw Xi Mushane out, he quickly opened the car door for him.

    Only when the sound of the engine purr did Shen Wenna slowly lift the curtains to look down. She noticed that the ck car was slowly driving towards the main street.

    After a while, she closed the curtains and shut her eyes before taking a deep inhtion.

    She rxed for a while and was about to get up and leave the study room when her phone vibrated. When she picked it up to look, she saw that it was Su Nan.

    This was when she remembered that Imperial Sky Fashion City seemed to be hosting a fashion and jewelry show. Previously, Xi Xiaye had mentioned it and Shen Wenna was somewhat interested in fashion. At that point in time, she thought that she would go over for a look if she had the time.

    Now that she pondered about it, it should be almost time for the finals of thepetition.

    A few days ago, she even received Zhuang Shurong¡¯s call, asking her if she wanted to go over to watch it together. When women gathered, the usual topics would revolve around clothes, beauty, and health maintenance. Shen Wenna and Zhuang Shurong were the same.

    After Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye got married, Shen Wenna¡¯s rtionship with Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had gone from being distant to being friendly. Zhuang Shurong would always invite Shen Wenna to go to the spa and have girly meet-ups.

    Even though Shen Wenna had been divorced from Xi Mushan for many years, she had her own social circles. Women should go after a quality lifestyle and that she did. When it came to this point, Xi Xiaye was rather different from her as she was a workaholic.

    ¡°Aunty Shen, tomorrow¡¯s the finals. Shall I go over to pick you up in the evening? Xiaye and Master Mu are in City B and will probably only be back in a few days!¡± Su Nan¡¯s voice came from the phone.

    ¡°Okay... Did you say that Xiaye and Ah Chen are in City B?¡± Shen Wenna asked, shocked.

    ¡°Yeah, I think there was some emergency. Don¡¯t worry. Xiaye can¡¯t apany you, but there¡¯s always me. My mother and the rest will be going over for a look too. Aunty Shen, you like qipao, don¡¯t you? I heard that there¡¯ll also be a qipao show. If there¡¯s any that you like, we¡¯ll get it customized for youter on. Aunty, you maintain your figure so well, and you look young and beautiful. In fact, you look just like a young girl in her 20¡¯s, unlike my mother! With her figure and charisma, she wouldn¡¯t be able to pull it off even if she wanted to!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s cheerfulughter infected Shen Wenna who could not help but giggle. ¡°How am I a girl in my 20¡¯s? Even my daughter¡¯s close to 30!¡±

    ¡°No way, Xiaye¡¯s only 27 this year, she¡¯s still young. Okay, Aunty, I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. I¡¯ll go over to fetch you on time tomorrow.¡±

    Su Nan was a zealous youngdy, and she was amusing too. Every time she went over with Xi Xiaye, the house would be lively, often helping Shen Wenna and Xiaye whittle away the estrangement between them.

    It would be good to go over for a look too. She could get Xi Xiaye a few outfits. Previously, because of the misunderstandings between them, she had not been able to help her daughter dress up, but now finally their rtionship was turning for the better, it should not be toote to do so.

    ...

    In City B, the warm sunlight filled the entire city. When they woke up early in the morning, the sky was clear and blue whilst the air was particrly fresh. The breeze was gentle, so when they opened the windows partially, the curtains rustled mildly.

    Mu Yuchen was sitting leisurely on the recliner at the balcony, reading his book and sunbathing. Next to his hand was freshly steeped Pu Er tea with the fragrant scent of tea wafting in the air. It was slightly intoxicating.

    Swoosh!

    Suddenly, there was the sound of the curtains being pulled from behind. Light footsteps approached him. When he turned to look, he saw that she was wearing the white bathrobe and was walking out with hair that had not yet dried. There was still arge towel in her hand to dry it.

    She had been exhausted when they returnedst night and did not even bother with a shower. Before she took off his coat, she rubbed her eyes and was knocked out for the entire night. After a whole day out, her hair was messy and dirty as well, so this morning, she woke up early and freshened up properly.

    ¡°Are you done? Come over for breakfast.¡± A faint tenderness shed on his handsome face. He pulled the chair beside him open before he poured her a cup of fragrant Pu Er.

    She obeyed and walked over, sitting down beside him. She handed her towel to him and said, ¡°How does it taste?¡±

    epting the tea he handed, she carefully took a sip while he gently helped her towel dry her hair that was still damp.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. We can bring more home,¡± he answered softly.

    ¡°Mmm, then bring some home for the grandparents and our parents. Oh, right, Mr. Mu, I have a present for you.¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered what she had secretly bought for him. With a mysterious smile, her bright eyes were as dazzling as the stars. As he watched her, Mr. Mu felt like he was looking at a sparkling ck onyx. Everything made him want to recklessly have all of her.

    ¡°What present?¡± he asked in amusement and interest as he raised his brows, yet his hands did not stop tousling her hair.

    She lowered her head and took a sip of tea before she got up and grinned mischievously. ¡°Wait here!¡±

    Then, she quickly went to one of the rooms. When she returned, there was already a gift box in her hands.

    ¡°Here, it¡¯s for you. Open it up and see.¡±

    ¡°What is this? You¡¯re being so mysterious.¡±

    The curve at the corner of his lips was bewitching. He reached out to take the gift box, then he noticed an exquisite, milky white Hetian jade Guanyin pendant nestled in it. Just by looking at it, he could feel slow warmth, meticulous gentleness, and fresh charm.

    There was a slight surprise in his eyes when he picked it up to take a closer look. A line of Sutra verse was carved clearly at the back.

    ¡°It¡¯s just been blessed. I heard that jade is good for protection, so I got you this one. It¡¯s no harm for you to carry it along with you anyway. Do you like it? I spent half my savings on it,¡± she looked at him in anticipation and said softly.

    When he heard her intentions, he smiled and hugged her happily. ¡°You gave it to me. Of course, I like it.¡±

    ¡°Then, let me help you put it on. I think my judgment¡¯s pretty good.¡±

    She did not wait for his answer. Taking the ne, she put it around his neck. When it came into contact with his skin, Mu Yuchen could already vaguely feel warmth filling him up. It was the kind of warmth that indulged and intoxicated him.

    He did not like wearing such essories. The only thing he had on him was the low-profile wedding band that she had put on his left ring finger.

    However, now, upon seeing her put this thing around his neck, he thought that essories were pretty alright.

 Chapter 360 - Present For Mr. Mu (2)

    <h4>Chapter 360: Present For Mr. Mu (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    No wonder she suddenly disappeared when they had gone shopping yesterday. He had been very worried then, but after that, she returned rather mysteriously.

    ¡°This is my wedding present to you. I¡¯m very poor, so...¡±

    When he heard her feeble exnation, he could not help but chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll hand over all the financial authority for you to handle, Missus.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±

    She looked at him very seriously and stubbornly. Her flickering eyes still held the naivety and pureness that had not yet faded. Watching her like this, Mu Yuchen suddenly felt like he had returned to his younger and simpler days. Things had been much simpler and lessplicated back then, just like she was right now.

    He had really gotten a gem. Clearly, she was a capable, matured and sessful career woman in the office, so why did she look like a little girl who had just grown up right now?

    ...

    When the husband and wife sat down to enjoy their breakfast quietly, Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi came over. They had breakfast together, and of course, Su Chen was included.

    Su Chen drank quite a lotst night and was still a little drunk. His head pounded even at breakfast. When he heard that Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were going back that afternoon, he was shocked. ¡°Going home so quickly? I was going to invite you guys to have fun by the beach, but I guess with Ah Mo¡¯s injuries, we should forget it.¡±

    ¡°We have people watching over things on the other side. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mu Yuchen answered with a in expression as he served Xi Xiaye and Mu Lingsi some milk.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Ah Mo, go home and rest well then. You¡¯ve worked hard for a while now. You must be tired. Furthermore, Zimo must¡¯ve brought back quite a lot of decent stock too. Tomorrow, you can make a surprise visit to his home. See if you can steal some of his fancy bottles of wine. This fellow is the sneakiest. Every time, it¡¯s Ah Chen and I who have to y the role of a strict parent.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Bro Su Chen, hearing you mention this, I suddenly recall that that year, my bro, you, and Zho Zimo were punished for pranking that old witch at the educational administrative office. Your allowance was cut off by three months, and then you and my bro went to get protection fees. Zimo would always say, ¡®We shouldn¡¯t be doing this, should we? This isn¡¯t right, is it? It¡¯s not right to bully juniors¡¯, yet in the end, he would be the quickest to grab the money!¡±

    When she recalled these things, Mu Lingshi could not help butugh. Instantly, the atmosphere became joyous.

    ¡°After that, this thing was exposed as well. This bastard immediately betrayed us and said to the parents, ¡®Listen to me, Su Chen and Ah Chen did this and that. Ah Chen is the nner, Su Chen the executor. I didn¡¯t do anything. I just watched out from the alley¡¯. That son of a b*tch, Ah Chen and I were so pissed! After that, we beat him up, then the fellow became well-behaved after that.¡±

    Su Chen howled and continued the story as Mu Lingshi convulsed withughter while Ah Mo could not hold back too. Instead, it was Mu Yuchen that remained calm in expression, but when Xi Xiaye looked at him with pursed lips and a slight smile, she could see the sparkling expression in his eyes.

    ¡°How dare you say you¡¯re a good person? Looks like you¡¯re a pretty dishonest ass...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s clear voice brushed past his ear and Mr. Mu smiled. Clearing his throat, he said softly, ¡°I was wild in my younger days, but I¡¯m an awesome person now.¡±

    ¡°Those who say they¡¯re an awesome person are usually not an awesome person.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯m a bad person then?¡±

    ¡°Do you admit yourself that you¡¯re a bad person?¡±

    ¡°Missus, why do I feel like your logic isn¡¯t right? Hmm...¡±

    ...

    After breakfast, Su Chen left to attend to matters. Mu Lingshi and Xi Xiaye went out to shop. They said they were going to buy some souvenirs home for Wang Hui and the rest.

    On the balcony, only Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo were left. The waiters had also tidied up and departed.

    ¡°Rest well when you get back. It¡¯s good that Lingshi has loosened up. Put in more effort. Hopefully, not too long after this, I can hear good news from you two. Coincidentally, your sis-inw says she wants to see the fields in South America. We¡¯ll go over before the wedding. You and Lingshi shoulde along. Treat it as a holiday to rx. I¡¯ve already gotten the people over there to start preparing.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen spoke, he put his phone down on the table, then turned to look at Ah Mo who sat beside him. He leisurely took a cigarette out and lit it.

    Ah Mo¡¯s left hand was fractured and cast in a sling, so he could not move much. Kindly, Mu Yuchen lit one up for him too.

    Ah Mo nodded and blew out a cloud of smoke before he said in a low voice, ¡°I will. Right, Master, what about City Z then?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just organize a banquet when we return. Grandmother and the rest have begun getting themselves busy with it. We don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m nning to let you and Lingshi go over first. There will be people putting things in order over there, but I¡¯ll feel better with you guys there.¡±

    Obviously, he knew what Mu Yuchen meant. It would be a terrific opportunity for him and Mu Lingshi to be together.

    Ah Mo suddenly felt so lucky to be able to receive such a sincere gesture from him.

    He hesitated for a moment, then nodded and replied, ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll go with your arrangements, Master.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he tossed his half-done stub into the ashtray. His eyes turned still for a while, then he said, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I want you to do for me too.¡±

    ¡°Do tell, Master.¡± Ah Mo¡¯s expression turned solemn.

    ¡°I¡¯ve analyzed the time and locations whenever Qi Qiming goes abroad for the past few years and I noticed that he¡¯d always be around the few cities near Los Angeles. Su Chen has just sent over the route map. Take a look,¡± Mu Yuchen said this as he picked up the blueprint on the side and handed it to Ah Mo.

    Ah Mo studied it in detail for a while, then quickly locked onto one of the points on the route. It was Los Angeles!

    ¡°Master, are you saying that perhaps Qi Feng isn¡¯t dead, and he might very well be living somewhere in Los Angeles?¡± Ah Mo stared at the marked location on the blueprint and asked.

    Mu Yuchen sighed, sipping some tea before he said, ¡°Based on Qi Qiming¡¯s route map, it¡¯s mainly nearby this open area. I¡¯ve already ordered someone over there to investigate. You just have to go over to keep watch.¡±

    When he heard this, Ah Mo nodded. He kept the sheet away. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, Master. If they¡¯re in Los Angeles, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to find them!¡±

    ¡°Be on guard against Qi Qiming. He¡¯s very vignt. If Qi Feng is still alive, why would he work so hard to hide their tracks? This is very suspicious. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the internal conflicts in the Qi family, so we don¡¯t want to startle them either. We¡¯ll y by ear,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded.

    ¡°Okay, Master, don¡¯t worry. I know what to do!¡±

 Chapter 361 - Waves (1)

    <h4>Chapter 361: Waves (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nodded in agreement with Ah Mo. ¡°Take a few days off. That¡¯s it for mid-May. Contact Ah Bo directly and make some preparations when you get back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, as for Lingshi, your sister-inw will help you out.¡±

    Several days were still needed for things to settle down here. With Ah Mo going back, he would need to handle matters here, but it was really nothing. She was here anyway, so he did not need to be too concerned.

    Moreover, bringing her to meetings was pretty fun.

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Lingshi had lunch outside. They shopped around for two hours and bought a lot. It was 2 p.m. when they arrived back at the hotel.

    Xi Xiaye packed the shopping up for them to bring back.

    ¡°Ah Shi, wait!¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly called out to Mu Lingshi as she sent her off. She had a huge smile on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sister-inw?¡± Mu Lingshi walked towards Xi Xiaye with a doubtful look.

    With a bright smile, she nced at Ah Mo and Li Si who were talking at the moment. ¡°Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you that Ah Mo is a really sweet guy.¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned her head back to Mu Lingshi. ¡°Happiness is something you give each other, so... Be brave to love...¡±

    Mu Lingshi was stunned for a moment as warmth flowed through her heart. She looked over at Ah Mo with a smile before putting on her sunsses. Then, she faced Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°Thank you, Sister-inw!¡±

    Xi Xiaye responded genuinely, ¡°I truly wish for you to be happy. That¡¯s your brother¡¯s wish as well.¡±

    Mu Lingshi smiled without saying anything. After a moment, she said, ¡°I hope that my brother will be with you forever as well, Sister-inw. My brother is a nice person. Please treat him well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I will. It¡¯s about time now. Get into the car and you should be able to make it back for dinner. Grandfather and Grandmother should be busy preparing by now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, pleasee back soon after Brother¡¯s work is done here as well. Just in time to take your wedding photos! The wedding dresses will be here in about two days. As a matter of fact, the dress for the wedding day itself is still in the works.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ...

    Mu Lingshi went into the car after a brief reply while Xi Xiaye stood there as she looked at the car drive further and further away from her. She was daydreaming until the man called out to her teasingly from behind, ¡°How do you know that Ah Mo is a sweet guy?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not notice him standing behind her. When she turned around, he was looking at her with a cheeky expression.

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before replying, ¡°Because I notice a gentle aura around him when he¡¯s talking to Ah Shi. Mmm... Just like... You and me...¡±

    ¡°So, is Mr. Mu a sweet guy to you?¡± He squinted his dark eyes as a faint light glowed from them.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips with a bubble of tinyughter. ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know or are you pretending to not know?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know... Ah!¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, he carried her on his shoulder as he went back inside the hotel.

    ...

    After Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi went back, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye got busy. They received a phone call for an appointment the moment they arrived in their room. After they made some preparations, they went out immediately. At night, they even had a dinner appointment and their schedule was fully packed. Mu Yuchen wanted to rush back to City Z in two days since the first of May wasing up and there were some matters back at thepany for him to attend to.

    Back in City Z, they were really d that Mu Lingshi was moving in to stay with Ah Mo. They quickly prepared Mu Lingshi¡¯s stuff and bought her new clothes and shoes in bulk, even providing several servants.

    They already thought of Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi as a pair. Moreover, they had been taking care of Ah Mo since he was little, so they felt at ease to leave her in his hands.

    Wang Hui stood in the vi corridor and ordered the servants around as she spoke to Mu Yinan who was tending to the nts, ¡°Luckily, they¡¯re alright. I was shocked when I got the call, but well, it¡¯s great that this helped Lingshi let go of the past. I can¡¯t help but tremble when I hear the word ¡®ident¡¯...¡±

    ¡°They are fine, aren¡¯t they? Why are you trembling?¡± Mu Yinan replied.

    ¡°Thank God! I¡¯m going to visit the temple more often and hope that it¡¯s really just an ident this time. Otherwise, it¡¯d be really unfair to the children. It¡¯s all your fault. Things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way.¡±

    Wang Hui could not help but scold Mu Yinan, ¡°The children didn¡¯t really say anything, but... sigh...¡± She sighed as she felt a little depressed. She was probably recalling some unpleasant past memories.

    Pausing, Mu Yinan¡¯s eyes stayed still for a moment. ¡°Stop mentioning the past and don¡¯t add trouble for yourself. Whatever happened has happened. What else can we do about it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to let the children be troubled while you can rx, huh? Oh, well, it¡¯s in the past now. Our family is getting livelier ever since Xiaye joined us, and now Lingshi and Ah Mo... We can feel more at ease in the future.¡±

    As they spoke, they heard the rumble of a car engine stopping outside. Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo had arrived.

    ¡°Ah Mo! How are you? Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere else?¡± Wang Hui went up to him, concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. They¡¯re just minor injuries. Master only had some scratches as well. It¡¯s no big deal, so everyone can rx. Missus rushed over and she¡¯ll return with Master a few dayster. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ah Mo smiled as he replied.

    ¡°She rushed over in the middle of the night and never told us anything! That child...¡± Wang Hui¡¯s eyes seemed gentle. Xi Xiaye was really worried about Chen Er. Otherwise, she would not have rushed over on a stormy night.

    Of course, they were aware of Xi Xiaye¡¯s actions. The traffic police had sent the speeding ticket to their house the next day after all.

 Chapter 362 - Waves (2)

    <h4>Chapter 362: Waves (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The fashion show at Imperial Sky Fashion City was not organized by Glory World Corporation. Glory World was just one of the bigger sponsors, so the fashion show and a jewelry exhibition werebined together.

    Most participants were brands in Imperial Sky Fashion City and Jewelry City as well as some external fashionbels and jewelry brands.

    When this idea was first proposed, the intent was just to promote Fashion City since it was the main focus of Imperial Sky Entertainment City. They wanted to make it popr and encourage more brands to join them. This might indirectly affect the South River project as well.

    However, after Xi Xiaye¡¯s suggestion, Glory World decided to increase its sponsorship and added the jewelry section as well. Although it was decided rather suddenly, every unit reacted well, so things went well in the end.

    Thepetition started yesterday and the finals were today. The judges consisted of renowned fashion designers and jewelry designers. Su Nan¡¯spany was invited as well. She would never give up a chance like this.

    Below Shen Wenna¡¯s apartment in University A, Su Nan waved to Shen Wenna when she saw her. ¡°Aunt Shen, I¡¯m here!¡±

    Shen Wenna soon found Su Nan¡¯s car parked by the roadside, so she went over and got into the car. Su Nan was not driving; it was herpany car.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t your parents going?¡± Shen Wenna put up a gentle smile as usual and asked.

    ¡°My mother went to visit some schools with my father. They¡¯ll try to make itter if they still have time. Xiaye just sent me a message to fetch you earlier. By the way, Aunt Shen, I think I saw Mayor Xi leaving just when I arrived.¡± Su Nan gave Shen Wenna a brief nce.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s expression froze for a moment. He somehow found out that Mu Yuchen had met with an ident, and that Xi Xiaye had rushed over to City Bte at night. Xi Xiaye switched her phone off and he could not get through, so he asked her about it instead. However, Shen Wenna was not well-informed about what had happened either.

    Xi Xiaye must not want her to worry, hence keeping her in the dark.

    Su Nan did not press on the matter when she noticed that Shen Wenna did not seemfortable. She knew that things wereplicated between Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan, and Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression would darken every time she mentioned it.

    After dinner, they arrived at Imperial Sky Entertainment City right after sunset.

    Thepetition stage was set up right in front of the exhibition center. They could see many flowers from far away, and huge promotional posters were stered everywhere. With the enormous crowd milling around, the parking lot was already filled a long time ago.

    ¡°There are so many people! So lively!¡± Su Nan looked downstairs at the crowd.

    ¡°The jewelry exhibition is attractive enough with its huge scale. There are many people who¡¯re just here for fun anyway. That exins the crowd today.¡± Shen Wenna smiled. ¡°I think your designs are pretty. Why don¡¯t you enter thepetition this time?¡±

    Shrugging, Su Nan touched the slight bump on her stomach. ¡°With this little thing inside me, I feel like I can¡¯t really do much.¡±

    ¡°Do you have strong reactions?¡± Shen Wenna smiled. ¡°It was the same thest time when I had Xiaye. It¡¯s quite tiring. Give it another two or three months and you¡¯ll feel it acting up more. Till then, you¡¯ll truly feel that it¡¯s going to take your life away.¡±

    ¡°Now, I know how tough it is to be a mother. Some time ago, I still argued with my own mother. and now...¡±

    Su Nan sighed before going upstairs with Shen Wenna. They handed their invitation cards to the staff who quickly gave them a smile. ¡°Madam Shen, Ms. Su, please follow me this way. I¡¯ll bring you to your seats.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you!¡±

    It was especially crowded inside the hall when they went in. Countless beams of neon lights shed everywhere and a grandly decorated T-stage was spread at the front. The whole ce gave off a romantic and exclusive vibe, befitting the theme of this event: Flowing Light!

    Many important guests attended the event as well. When Shen Wenna and Su Nan sat down at their seats, the seats around them seemed to be upied with people of power. Before she could take a better look around, a slightly strange voice reached them.

    ¡°Aunt Shen, long time no see!¡±

    Shen Wenna was stunned for a moment before looking over at the source of the voice. She then noticed that Han Yifeng was standing right before her!

    Although she rarely interacted with Han Yifeng, she saw him pretty frequently on the TV. With all the things that had happened recently, Shen Wenna was no stranger to Han Yifeng¡¯s face!

    Before Shen Wenna could reply Su Nan said something first, ¡°Han Yifeng! Why are you here?¡±

    She noticed that Han Yifeng was visibly much skinnier than before. He also seemed tired and pathetic while his exhausted expression looked bleak, and his eyes were even quieter than before.

    ¡°Su Nan,¡± Han Yifeng greeted quietly when he saw Su Nan beside Shen Wenna, but his eyes never moved away from thetter.

    After a while, Shen Wenna nodded back at him. ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    Han Yifeng smiled and sat down two seats beside Shen Wenna.

    Shen Wenna did not have a good impression of him. He was supposed to be Xiaye¡¯s husband, and in the end, he had chosen Yue Lingsi¡¯s daughter, Xi Xinyi. As a result, he had abandoned Xiaye and thrown her into depression for several years until Mu Yuchen¡¯s appearance.

    Even though Han Yifeng decided to divorce Xi Xinyi, he did not release any news at all yet. Therefore, everyone still thought they remained a happy couple. To them, Han Yifeng was a good man who loved his wife very much.

    Naturally, Su Nan thought so too. She was reminded about all the hardships Xi Xiaye had gone through. Her anger towards Han Yifeng never subsided at all.

    ¡°Aunt Shen, I heard that Master Mu and Xiaye are taking their wedding photos soon. I think they can take an extra set at University A, especially since the flowers are blooming there. When I went there today, I could smell the lovely fragrance.¡± Su Nan was talking to Shen Wenna cheerfully, but she was stealing nces at Han Yifeng.

 Chapter 363 - Waves (3)

    <h4>Chapter 363: Waves (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan¡¯s crisp voice rang out. As expected, Han Yifeng was stunned when he heard her voice, and his expression darkened.

    ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to their wedding. With the sunset and beaches, it must be great! Xiaye said a scene like that really feels like home. I really hope they can be together forever.¡±

    Shen Wenna was quick to catch that Su Nan uttered those words to trigger Han Yifeng. She looked at Su Nan before ncing over at him, noticing his darkened expression. Just as she was about to say something, there was a familiar voice from the back.

    ¡°Mother, here, our seats are here!¡±

    It was a soft, gentle voice which was apanied by a faint smell of perfume in the air.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    ...

    Su Nan instantly knew who it was when she heard such a fake voice.

    She turned around, and as she expected, Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi were seated nearby on Han Yifeng¡¯s left.

    Xi Xinyi looked over as she noticed Su Nan¡¯s gaze. She saw Su Nan and Shen Wenna together, and her expression changed as her eyes turned cold. Subconsciously, she turned towards Yue Lingsi beside her.

    Of course, when Yue Lingsi saw the fresh-looking Shen Wenna, her expression turned into a dark storm while her gaze became freezing cold.

    Shen Wenna just nced at her ever so calmly like how one would look at a silly clown. Yue Lingsi was a flicker of existence to her. The fire of rage inside her started burning furiously.

    She also heard from someone that Xi Mushan had just gone to University A. He must have gone to meet this old hag! Look at that face of hers! How Yue Lingsi wished she could go up and destroy that face!

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t get worked up. Look at where we are right now!¡±

    Xi Xinyi threw in a reminder when she noticed her mother about to explode. Obviously, she was displeased about it.

    Yue Lingsi had been very easily triggered recently. After she threw the ashtray at Xi Mushan some time ago, Xi Mushan had not said a thing to her ever since. Even his greetings to Xi Xinyi were as frigid as ice.

    If Yue Lingsi could be calmer like Shen Wenna, Xi Xinyi believed she would not need to suffer as much right now.

    The rtionship between the Han family and the Xi family was strained at the moment, yet Xi Mushan did not do anything and just let them be. Even Xi Jiyang said nothing about it. As he said after letting Xi Xiaye sign the paper, he would not intervene between them anymore.

    If Xi Mushan was willing to do something, the Han family would not have acted this way. Huang Ziyao and Han Yu did not even give their daughter-inw a call and barely seemed concerned at all. Upset about it, there were several instances when Yue Lingsi almost wanted to go over to the Han Residence, but Xi Xinyi stopped her every time.

    Yue Lingsi took several deep breaths after Xi Xinyi¡¯s reminder and suppressed her own emotions. Shen Wenna did not seem to be bothered. It was as if she did not see her.

    ¡°Sit down, Mother!¡± Xi Xinyi dragged Yue Lingsi to her seat right behind Han Yifeng.

    ¡°Aunt Shen, be careful if theye to you for trouble. Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes don¡¯t seem right. She looks mad!¡± Su Nan said quietly.

    Shen Wenna smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She can¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°Yue Lingsi really gave Xiaye a lot of trouble. She tried to put a kind stepmother act on, and now, that she¡¯s dropped her mask... Ugh, what a wicked person!¡±

    Su Nan nced at Yue Lingsi with a mocking gaze. Yue Lingsi was almost reaching her boiling point!

    However, she could notsh out. The music in the venue suddenly changed as the lights faded. A faint, gentle light centered onto the stage and the sound of a soothing violin started ying.

    The opening act had begun.

    The crowd went quiet as stylish models gradually went up on stage. The hall gave a big round of apuse!

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be rash.¡±

    ¡°Look at how arrogant she is. She¡¯s taking me lightly! Who does she think she is?¡± Yue Lingsi lowered her voice as she hissed angrily.

    Yue Lingsi was obviously jealous of her rival, but Shen Wenna totally ignored her and she was on her own.

    Xi Xinyi sighed, ¡°Mother, why are you always like this when you¡¯re up against Aunt Shen? She did this on purpose to provoke you. Don¡¯t fall into her trap.¡±

    Yue Lingsi was stunned for a moment and thought it made a lot of sense, so she quickly nodded. ¡°Right! You¡¯re right! She must be trying to do that. I can¡¯t fall into her trap!¡±

    As they were discussing quietly, Shen Wenna was not looking at them at all. Instead, she wasmenting on the outfits on stage with Su Nan.

    ¡°Aunt Shen, I think you have the potential to be a fashion designer. You can definitely make it, working for celebrities... Ah, Aunt Shen, my manager is calling me. I¡¯ll head over for a while.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go to the washroom.¡±

    ...

    When she came out from the washroom, she saw Yue Lingsi waiting by the staircase outside. Shen Wenna was not surprised at all. In fact, she anticipated that Yue Lingsi would try to pull something like this off tonight.

    ¡°Shen Wenna, what a shameless woman you are! Why did Xi Mushan go looking for you this evening? Did you ask him to go over again? Your daughter kept saying that she wants to break off her rtionship with the Xi family. Then, why does she still hold onto the surname Xi now? She even brought her man home to show off. So, she¡¯s very tough now, huh!? She hid her marriage from her family. She¡¯s really as arrogant as you are. Pfft, as expected of your daughter!¡±

    Yue Lingsished her anger out with her tongue. She was reminded about all her unfortunate encounters recently, from Xi Xinyi¡¯s misfortune to Xi Mushan¡¯s coldness to her sorrow.

    She felt that the cause of all these was Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye. It would be a miracle if she was able to control her anger when Shen Wenna was standing right in front of her!

    Shen Wenna looked at Yue Lingsi like a hen ready for battle as she chuckled.

 Chapter 364 - Waves (4)

    <h4>Chapter 364: Waves (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What are youughing about, witch!? Xi Xiaye is always outraged over the injustice for you! Was it you who told her to be so cruel to Xinyi? She even shamelessly climbed onto the Mu family. You must be intentionally...¡±

    ¡°Yue Lingsi!¡±

    Before Yue Lingsi could finish, Shen Wenna had already cut her short. She smiled coldly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid no one¡¯s more shameless than you and your daughter. Xi Mushan is my, Shen Wenna¡¯s husband. You got close to him in the name of friendship and stole him from me! Your daughter even shamelessly stole her older sister¡¯s fianc¨¨. Aren¡¯t you two even worse?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand how you two can be shameless to this extent. You¡¯ve made mistakes yourselves, so why do you keep ming it on others? Your daughter keeps trying to hurt Xiaye and almost killed her. Is she not evil? I¡¯ve always been on the university campus. Have I gone knocking on your door to cause trouble? Instead, it was you two that keeping to my door for trouble. My daughter <i>is </i> from the Xi family. Whether she wants to bear the surname Shen or Xi is up to her. Don¡¯t you think the way you just spoke sounded really dumb to others?¡±

    As even-tempered as Shen Wenna was, she was pissed off by Yue Lingsi twisting the facts.

    ¡°Well, she can¡¯t be so malicious and ruin Xinyi¡¯s future either, and use such despicable ways of distancing Yifeng and Xinyi. You¡¯ve been divorced from Mushan for many years too. Why do you keep looking for him? She is my husband, my man, don¡¯t you know that?!¡±

    Lunatic!

    This word shed in Shen Wenna¡¯s mind as she watched Yue Lingsi with her red, tearful eyes and was about to explode from anger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong with Xiaye wanting to clear her name from being framed by your daughter. Don¡¯t tell me that you think she should have her name ckened for the rest of her life because your daughter framed her. Yue Lingsi, if you continue to be such a menace, don¡¯t me me when I¡¯m not so courteous! Besides, Xi Mushan is your husband. That¡¯s right. You are also the mayoress, true, but has he touched you? Apart from that night, has he ever touched you, Yue Lingsi?¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s cold voice was mixed with a sharp, imposing tone.

    ¡°Would he be touching you if he wasn¡¯t touching me?! Slut! You¡¯re clearly divorced! Why are you still going after him, Shen Wenna? Are you that thirsty? Slut!¡±

    Yue Lingsi angrily shoved Shen Wenna and forced her in the corner between two walls. Caught off guard, Shen Wenna stumbled, but she managed to steady herself with the wall.

    ¡°You¡¯re really crazy!¡± Shen Wenna frowned and red coldly at Yue Lingsi.

    ¡°I¡¯m crazy! I¡¯m crazy because of Xi Mushan! Shen Wenna! How am I lesser than you? I don¡¯t love Mushan any lesser than you do, so why are you still entangled with him until now? Don¡¯t you feel shameless to be seducing someone else¡¯s husband?¡±

    ¡°You should be saying this to yourself! Watch your own reputation, Yue Lingsi! If you want to cause a scene, please do it at home. Don¡¯te to me! You can¡¯t me anyone else for not watching your own man! This is what you said to me back then!¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s elegant face was infected with rage and her tone was as cold as ice. ¡°If we want topare shamelessness and menace, no one can beat you and your daughter. Up to this point, you two have just been living...¡±

    Pa!

    Before Shen Wenna could finish, Yue Lingsi had already pped her. Subconsciously, Shen Wenna turned her head and that pnded on her fair neck. Those sharp nails of hers had very quickly gored a few bloody lines on Shen Wenna¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Slut! Say more! Say more! Watch me tear your mouth off!¡±

    When she cursed, she had already lost all her rationality. She rushed up and held Shen Wenna by the cor, and pped her again. Shen Wenna lifted a hand to block the blow. With a swoosh, Shen Wenna¡¯s clothes were already ripped apart by Yue Lingsi. Furious, Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes instantly hardened. She was about to pull Yue Lingsi¡¯s hair when a figure was one step ahead of her!

    ¡°Hey! Old slut, how dare you be a bully! I¡¯m going to beat you up!¡±

    Su Nan appeared out of nowhere, rushing up like a tornado and pulling Yue Lingsi¡¯s hair. She yanked back and then pped Yue Lingsi quite a few times.

    ¡°Bully now, are you?! Bullying, huh?! I¡¯ve long hated you pretentious, old woman! Why does the Yue family keep producing scum like you?!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s ps were hard and vicious. A few strikes in, Yue Lingsi¡¯s face had begun to swell, and it waspletely red!

    ¡°How dare you hit me? Who are you to hit me? How dare you?!¡±

    Yue Lingsi had fallen into aplete breakdown and lunacy. She rushed up recklessly and started to scuffle. Shen Wenna rushed up to pull them apart, getting the back of her hands scratched in the process!

    ¡°Su Nan! How dare you fight my mother?! Mother!¡± From behind came Xi Xinyi¡¯s rushed footsteps as she rushed up too.

    ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death! Slut! Why won¡¯t you and daughter die? I wouldn¡¯t let you steal Mushan even if I died. He¡¯s mine, he¡¯s mine!¡±

    ¡°Stop hitting now, Su Nan. Be careful!¡±

    Shen Wenna pulled Su Nan away, yet Su Nan red at Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi with bloodshot eyes as she said sternly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Want to fight, do you? Come on then! I hate those who bully others! Who do you think you are? One of you stole someone¡¯s husband, and your own daughter stole her sister¡¯s man. Who gave you such courage to live in this world? The daughter of a mayor and province governor, my ass! Even I understand this logic as amoner, so why don¡¯t you heiresses understand? Do you know how to write the words ¡®lowly¡¯ and ¡®shameless¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to let everyone see the Mayoress shouting abuse in the street like a fishmonger¡¯s wife? Unhappy, are you? If you¡¯re unhappy, thene for me! I¡¯ll watch you die from the indignance. That way, I would even give you guys a thumbs-up!¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, shut up!¡± Xi Xinyi could not bear to continue listening to her, so she shouted for her to stop.

    ¡°Are you upset because the words are hurtful? Only blind men would fancy women like you with the heart of a devil and shameless...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you run your mouth! Go on!¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, be careful!¡±

    As Yue Lingsi rushed up, Shen Wenna reflexively went up to block her. There were stairs behind and the floor was slippery too.

    However, before Shen Wenna could finish, she felt her shoulder hit a wall of softness. Then, she slipped, and Su Nan¡¯s screams pierced the air.

    ¡°Aunty Shen, careful!¡±

 Chapter 365 - Heartbroken (1)

    <h4>Chapter 365: Heartbroken (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A cold breeze attacked, and before she could react, she slipped on her heel. Although she wanted to grab hold onto something, nothing was within reach and she fell down the staircase.

    Her slender figure instantly vanished as there was a sound of rushed tumbling...

    Su Nan was stupefied!

    Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi were staring in horror at the staircase.

    ¡°Aunty Shen!¡± A while passed before Su Nan reacted. Trembling, she walked to the stairs.

    Shen Wenna already fell unconscious weakly on the floor below. Her head had swelled up, and there was a pool of dark red blood the floor beneath her head. The jade hairpin that held her bun up high had also smashed into two as shey fallen on the floor.

    Su Nan trembled as she stood at the staircase. Her eyes were lifeless as she looked at Shen Wenna in shock. After a while, she cried out in panic, ¡°Aunty Shen! Aunty Shen!¡±

    She rushed downstairs, yet a ck figure was a step ahead of her. That person pulled her aside. Before she could react, he had already rushed downward.

    ¡°Na Na! Na Na!¡±

    His low and panicked shouts were heard, snapping Su Nan back from her dazed state, and she realized that it was Xi Mushan who had rushed down to hold Shen Wenna. He looked terrified and helpless.

    ¡°Are you okay? Huh? Are you okay? Na Na...¡±

    The instant he held Shen Wenna, he realized that she was much thinner and frailer than before. Her beautiful face was pale as Xi Mushan held her head. His hand was filled with warmth while the coppery smell of blood filled the air.

    ¡°Na Na, wake up... Wake up...¡±

    As he shook her, Shen Wenna, who was already dizzy, opened her eyes with a lot of effort to look at him. After a long while, she said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t... Don¡¯t tell Xiaye and my father first...¡±

    Xi Mushan immediately felt a suffocating ache in his chest as he hugged her tightly in his arms. ¡°We¡¯re going to the hospital. I¡¯m sending you there right away. Na Na, don¡¯t be afraid...¡±

    Sadness was concealed in his chest. He held back the surge of feelings that threatened to drown him although his eyes could not help but be teary. He quickly carried Shen Wenna and rushed up the stairs. At this moment, many people hade to surround the stage. Some reporters even came up and their cameras were snapping away at this scene!

    ¡°Mushan! Where are you going?!¡±

    ¡°Father!¡±

    When Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi saw this, they quickly went up to him and blocked him because at this moment, if he left just like that, he might never belong to them ever again!

    ¡°Mushan, stop right there!¡±

    Yue Lingsi wanted to reach out and hold Xi Mushan by the sleeve. Her red eyes glittered with tears. ¡°Mushan, don¡¯t leave... Don¡¯t... I just didn¡¯t want her to block my way. It was the floor that was too slippery...¡±

    ¡°Move away! All of you, move away!¡±

    Xi Mushan dodged them, and with bloodshot eyes, he red at Yue Lingsi angrily. ¡°If anything happens to her, you will pay the price. Just watch out!¡±

    After he left with this remark, he rushed outside with Shen Wenna in his arms.

    Yue Lingsi was shocked to hear this!

    ¡°Father! Father!¡± Xi Xinyi was anxious and wanted to chase after him, yet she was worried about leaving Yue Lingsi, who looked dazed, behind.

    ¡°Aunty Shen!¡±

    When Su Nan finally regained her senses, she could not care less and quickly picked Shen Wenna¡¯s things up before she chased after them in a panic.

    ...

    When Han Yifeng rushed over, he only saw the ghastly sight of blood on the bottom floor. Yue Lingsi was currently weeping in Xi Xinyi¡¯s arms while Xi Xinyi slowly moved outward with the protection of bodyguards. The camera shes kepting, and it was only a moment before everyone around knew that Yue Lingsi had pushed Shen Wenna down the stairs and made the Mayor very angry.

    It looked like tomorrow¡¯s news was going to be hot!

    Han Yifeng looked in the direction where Xi Mushan had left, worry surfacing in his eyes. He looked around, and when he saw Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi, he suddenly felt gloomy and a mix of emotions rose up within him.

    When she saw Han Yifeng¡¯s cold and sharp gaze, Xi Xinyi wanted to exin, yet his hostile voice chilled her heart that it hurt. ¡°Yifeng, Mother didn¡¯t do it on purpose... She just wanted Su Nan to...¡±

    ¡°Unintentional again? If Su Nan was the one, then I¡¯m afraid the oue would¡¯ve been worse!¡± Han Yifeng said and left, yet Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi were surrounded by the media. Xi Xinyi could not go after him even if she wanted to.

    ...

    On the other end, when Xi Mushan rushed out with Shen Wenna in his arms, Ah Hui had already driven over. He got into the car quickly and dashed to Hospital T.

    They sped all the way and reached Hospital T within half an hour. Xi Mushan anxiously carried the unconscious Shen Wenna and rushed into the hospital.

    ¡°Doctor! Doctor! Save her!¡±

    The doctor and nurse quickly settled Shen Wenna onto a sickbed and rushed for the operation theatre. Xi Mushan followed them too, both his hands gripping Shen Wenna¡¯s slender and pale hands tightly. Seeing her shut her eyes tightly and looking weak and pale, he suddenly felt his eyes hot and blurred. He could not help but let a cold tear fall, and it plopped exactly on her arm!

    In her daze, Shen Wenna seemed to only feel that there was a scorching and scalding sensation on her arm. With whatever energy that was left in her, she opened her heavy eyelids and in her blurry vision, she saw Xi Mushan¡¯s moist and red eyes.

    Then, she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s bright little face and Shen Yue¡¯s aged expression. Those lights flickered and then blurred. She wanted to reach out to catch them, so she lifted a hand with much difficulty. It trembled, yet she could not catch anything...

    She felt her head spin, then she finally could not hold on any longer. Those bright shadows faded and she slowly lost consciousness.

    She suddenly wanted to see Xiaye...

    When Xi Mushan saw this, he felt his heart wrench. He said with a raspy voice, ¡°Na Na, this time, I¡¯m not letting go. If anything happens to you, I... I...¡±

    ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t go in! Please wait outside. Trust the doctors!¡±

    At the door, Xi Mushan was stopped outside.

    The operation room door was shut tightly. Xi Mushan looked up at the lit up light in a daze. Then, his whole body fell limp!

    ¡°Mayor!¡±

    When Ah Hui, who had rushed over, saw that, he quickly went up to hold him. ¡°Mayor, don¡¯t worry. It will be fine!¡±

    Ah Hui helped Xi Mushan to a bench on the right. He saw that Xi Mushan was covered in blood, especially his white blouse that was almostpletely crimson.

    Xi Mushan lowered his head in a daze and stared at his hands that were covered in blood. Suddenly, he muttered to himself, ¡°She will be fine, won¡¯t she?¡±

 Chapter 366 - Heartbroken (2)

    <h4>Chapter 366: Heartbroken (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At night in City B.

    Inside the hotel room of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    nk!

    Xi Xiaye looked at her hand which identally knocked a cup of tea over. The hot tea scalded her hand and she was starting to feel jittery...

    ¡°What a klutz! Be more careful!¡±

    Mu Yuchen swiftly grabbed her hand and dabbed it with his handkerchief. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright... Just feeling a little uneasy... Maybe I¡¯m just tired.¡± Xi Xiaye took the handkerchief from him and wiped the leftover tea on her hand. Meanwhile, he went into the shower to grab a wet towel and covered her hand.

    ¡°Go to bed earlier tonight and stay in the hotel tomorrow. I¡¯ll finish my work early and try to head back tomorrow afternoon, alright?¡±

    He unfolded the wet towel carefully and was relieved to see that there were no blisters on her hand. Raising his head, he looked at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, it¡¯s fine. Ah Mo isn¡¯t around and you only have Li Si with you. There¡¯s going to be a lot of documents to work on.¡±

    She just let him hold her hand as he looked past her at the stack of documents. There were two more groups of data to be analyzed.

    ¡°I can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m holding you back, so you¡¯re not bringing me?¡±

    She looked at him as he just sighed and put his hand onto his forehead helplessly, pinching the space between his eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s up to you then.¡±

    She grabbed a document and flipped through it as she said, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll rest after analyzing these two sets of data. We both drank quite a lot today. My head feels a little heavy now. By the way, Mr. Mu, don¡¯t you think CEO Liang¡¯s daughter is a bit too friendly with you?¡±

    ¡°Which one? I thought there was only one woman throughout the dinner... You,¡± replied Mu Yuchen as he put the towel back calmly.

    Xi Xiaye looked up from the document and narrowed her eyes at him. She pursed her pink lips with a smile. ¡°Really?¡±

    Mu Yuchen poured her another cup of tea as a warm smile popped on his face. ¡°Mmm, of course.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I feel a little hungry now. I feel like having some of the chicken porridge from the restaurant next door. Go and order two portions from them. We only drank throughout dinner.¡±

    ¡°Do you want anything else?¡± He was nning on ordering something already since they hardly had anything to eat that night.

    ¡°I just want some porridge.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen called the reception, and after around 20 minutes, room service delivered their meal.

    Xi Xiaye had just finished analyzing the data, so she handed it to him to sign it while he was on the phone.

    She tasted the chicken porridge as she asked him, ¡°I just called Vice President Zhang and have sent over all the documents. We can probably start working on it after a short while. Theunching ceremony should be right after our wedding and we¡¯ll use this period of time to select brands that we¡¯ll recruit. The amount of money to be invested is huge. Together with the development of Movie City, our cash flow might be restricted... Didn¡¯t you have a discussion with Grandpa¡¯spanies a few days ago? How was it?¡±

    He put his phone away and flipped through the document that she handed him as he replied, ¡°I told him to decide after observing the initial phase of the project.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem very worried. Actually, if you just voice it out, I¡¯m sure Grandpa will agree. He trusts you anyway. What¡¯s wrong with helping one another? Grandpa asked me to send some information over to Fu Hua and to take a look around there. In the end, I still asked Deputy Director Xu to go. I think it¡¯s better for you to talk to him.¡± Xi Xiaye had half a spoon full of porridge hovering right beside his mouth as she spoke.

    He ate it and replied quietly, ¡°Grandpa has his own rules as well. Please take care of me once you¡¯ve taken over Fu Hua. Glory World still has a long way to gopared to Fu Hua in the field of property development.¡±

    Of course, she knew what he was thinking. He had been reading up on property development, so he must be trying to know more about this field.

    ¡°Oh, please, you know I just want to be a nameless director. My shoulders are too weak for that kind of burden.¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to push the responsibility away. She then continued after another bite, ¡°I¡¯m not suitable to be a person in power. Maybe I¡¯ll do fine as an assistant. Grandpa said that I¡¯m not decisive enough, so the purpose of getting me into military school was to toughen up my willpower. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t make it in the end and I went abroad afterward.¡±

    ¡°This sort of training seems tiring. You don¡¯t have to work so hard, you know. Mr. Mu has more than enough to take care of you. What¡¯s so bad about being a simple and happy Mrs. Mu?¡±

    He swiftly signed his name at the bottom and closed the document. Then, he looked at her and once again, ate another spoonful of porridge from her.

    She was stunned for a moment. After some hesitation, she said, ¡°I think my life is simple and happy enough right now. Mmm... I go to work and leave work on time, rx during the weekend, and asionally head back home to take a look at Mother and Grandpa. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a fulfilling life?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say some time back that youck excitement in your life?¡± He looked at her and asked quietly.

    She stared at him and ranted, ¡°That¡¯s because sometimes being with you doesn¡¯t feel romantic at all!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a teenager anymore. Do you still want me to put a banner up outside ourpany and confess my feelings to you every day? Or light up a heart-shaped candle at home and have a nice dinner together? Howme.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Let me tell you something. Back then, when I graduated from university, a guy from the dorm next door confessed to a girl staying at the opposite dorm. He lit up 999 candles and gave her 999 roses. That girl was overjoyed and agreed to be that guy¡¯s girlfriend instantly. Can you guess what happened in the end?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave him a doubtful nce.

    ¡°That girl married the guy who cleaned up the candles the next day. He was a hardworking and ordinary guy,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke as a faint light emitted from his dark eyes. He seemed to be rting himself to the guy.

    She thought about the story and seemed to have understood something. Then, she held his hand.

 Chapter 367 - Heartbroken (3)

    <h4>Chapter 367: Heartbroken (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The couple enjoying their moment had no idea that currently, in Hospital T in City Z, someone dear to them was suffering.

    On the bench outside the operating theatre, Xi Mushan was staring at the door. His usual dark eyes turned slightly gray and he looked exhausted.

    Ah Hui stayed beside him in silence while still holding onto the wet towel. The blood stains on Xi Mushan had dried up. Although he wanted to help him, as he saw his expression...

    Su Nan was waiting right beside him. Her eyes were red and filled with fear.

    She knew that Shen Wenna was trying to protect her and that was how Yue Lingsi pushed her off, then fell down the stairs. She med herself.

    Xi Xiaye asked her to look after her mother, yet she ended up hospitalized. Furthermore, she seemed to be in a really bad condition!

    That was a steep staircase made up of wood, steel, and bricks, and the side corners were rather sharp, so...

    Su Nan was really afraid when she saw Shen Wenna lying in her own blood. She was stunned and could not think at all.

    She took a deep breath before squatting down and covering her pale face with her hands. She could not hold her tears back and started crying again.

    The May nights had a cold breeze blowing. Su Nan was shivering in cold as she only had a thin woolen shirt on. She shrunk into a tiny ball.

    ¡°Ms. Su, it¡¯s cold tonight. Put this coat on.¡± Ah Hui could not help but hand over his coat to Su Nan.

    Su Nan sniffed and looked at him with her blurry eyes. She wiped off the tears on her face. ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Put it on.¡± Ah Hui left his coat beside her. He took a deep breath before heading into the washroom. After a while, he came out with a warm, wet towel.

    ¡°Mayor, clean up the blood stains on your hands. Teacher Shen is going to be alright. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Ah Hui then handed the towel over to Xi Mushan.

    The extremely tensed up Xi Mushan seemed like he did not hear Ah Hui¡¯s voice. He just stared at the operating theatre without moving an inch.

    ¡°Mayor!¡± Ah Hui did not miss the fear inside Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes. He felt really terrible inside when he saw his current condition.

    Xi Mushan finally came back to his senses and stared at Ah Hui nkly.

    ¡°Mayor, Teacher Shen will be fine. Pull yourself together!¡±

    Ah Hui knew what happened between Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna. He was the only person Xi Mushan trusted. No one knew how much Xi Mushan missed Shen Wenna all these years better than him.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes darkened. After some time, he nodded and wiped the bloodstains on his hand. The white towel quickly turned red.

    He stopped halfway through, staring at the red towel and his heart sank. He started to feel pain, the sudden wave of horror almost drowning him.

    After some time, he suddenly made some sort of decision to himself. He looked at Ah Hui as he suppressed the feeling of loss inside, his eyes returning to its usual sharpness. However, there was some hidden pain within them.

    ¡°Ah Hui, help me submit the document on my office desk tomorrow. Also, ask Lawyer Wang to see me. I need him to do something for me. Ask him to call me.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s voice sounded like he was in agony. Even Su Nan felt bitter listening to his voice.

    Xi Xiaye rarely spoke about Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan, but every time they were mentioned, she would try tough it off. However, when Xi Mushan rushed towards Shen Wenna madly,pletely ignoring his wife and even said those words to Yue Lingsi right in front of the reporters...

    It was obvious who he really cared about.

    Xi Mushan still cared about Shen Wenna. Su Nan had seen that kind of fearful expression in Ruan Heng before. There was once when she threw a tantrum and left for several months. It was the same expression when Ruan Heng finally found her.

    How should she tell Xi Xiaye about what happened tonight?

    The image of Shen Wenna in a pool of blood resurfaced in Su Nan¡¯s mind. She felt more hurt inside. Inhaling a deep breath before taking out her phone, she was about to give Xiaye a call. However, Xi Mushan¡¯s depressed voice reached her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call Xiaye first, Ms. Su Nan. You must be tired, and it¡¯s cold tonight. You¡¯re pregnant. You should head back first.¡±

    Su Nan looked at Xi Mushan and saw his clouded eyes. She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to wait for Aunty Shen here. Xiaye asked me to take care of her, and now... I¡¯m the one to me for what happened...¡±

    She sounded apologetic. ¡°I didn¡¯t protect her well. Xiaye has always been afraid Aunty Shen will be hurt, but I... I don¡¯t know how to face her...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. It¡¯s not your fault. You don¡¯t have to feel bad over it. Na Na is a kind person and she would never even hurt a tiny flower. Don¡¯t tell Xiaye about this first. Things are still unclear on her end with Mu Yuchen. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

    Xi Mushan then continued looking at the operating theatre and stopped talking to Su Nan. He ordered Ah Hui, ¡°Ah Hui, it¡¯s veryte already. Send Ms. Su Nan back, and remember to do what I told you just now.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Mayor! Ms. Su Nan, let¡¯s...¡±

    Before Ah Hui could finish his sentence, the light above the operating theatre was switched off.

    Stunned, Xi Mushan quickly stood up and went forward!

    Suddenly, two young nurses opened the door from inside and Shen Wenna was wheeled out.

 Chapter 368 - Heartbroken (4)

    <h4>Chapter 368: Heartbroken (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan immediately rushed forward. What greeted his sight was Shen Wenna¡¯s pale and bloodless face. Her beautiful hair was messy and she looked lifeless. Even her breaths were weak.

    Xi Mushan felt his heart ache. His expression instantly turned rigid and pale as he quickly reached out to hold Shen Wenna¡¯s slender hand. He could feel her cold temperature through her palm.

    His body involuntarily trembled at that coldness. It was like his heart was being clutched by sharp ws and it hurt. That frigid temperature reached him and those sharp ws tightened a little too!

    He could barely breathe with that kind of pain in him. Drawing a deep breath in, he tamped down the bitterness that was about to leak from his chest. That pain, that indescribable sorrow... He had all sorts of mixed emotions. He held Shen Wenna¡¯s cold hand tightly to his warm chest as he looked at her tenderly and said with a soft, raspy voice, ¡°Na Na, Na Na... How are you? How are you? Wake up...¡±

    ¡°Sir, please don¡¯t be too emotional. The patient needs to rest. Please calm down.¡±

    The doctor quickly stopped him. He looked at Su Nan and Ah Hui as the two of them reflexively held him back.

    Still, Xi Mushan broke free of their restraint. He looked up at the doctor, and managed to maintain a final strand of calmness as he asked, ¡°How is she? What¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°Let the nurse send the patient to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) first.¡±

    ...

    Shen Wenna was sent to a premium ICU.

    ¡°Ah Hui, go handle the hospitalization procedure first, then send Ms. Su Nan home. It¡¯ll be fine with just me here. Remember to watch out so that no news is leaked,¡± ordered Xi Mushan as he handed the paper in his hand to Ah Hui.

    ¡°Got it, Mayor! What about the incident at the fashion show tonight? How do we handle that?¡±

    Ah Hui suddenly thought about it. Many people had seen that scene earlier. If the news were to report it, it would not be beneficial for Xi Mushan¡¯s reputation after all.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m tired anyway. There¡¯s no way to block what¡¯s toe. Just y by ear,¡± Xi Mushan sighed out of exhaustion, then turned to Su Nan. ¡°Ms. Su Nan, go down too. Let Ah Hui send you home after the procedure is done. It¡¯ll be fine with just me here.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Xi, I want to stay here too. I...¡± Su Nan looked hesitant and worriedly at Shen Wenna whoy on the sickbed.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re pregnant. Look after yourself. I want to apany her for a while.¡±

    When she heard this, Su Nan nodded. She took a deep breath and blinked her slightly moist eyes before she sniffed. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯lle over tomorrow!¡±

    Then, Ah Hui left the ward.

    Inside the ward, apart from Shen Wenna whoy lifelessly on the sickbed, there was Xi Mushan. Also, the head physician was checking on her situation together with two young nurses who were busy.

    At this moment, Xi Mushan had controlled his own emotions, so he did not lose control as he had done earlier. Instead, he had calmed down as he studied Shen Wenna on the sickbed and asked softly, ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡±

    The doctor bowed slightly to Xi Mushan, his expression solemn.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down over there to talk.¡±

    When he noticed that the doctor did not look quite right, his heart sank. He gestured to the sofa by the window and walked over.

    The two of them sat down on the sofa very quickly.

    ¡°Just tell me what the situation is.¡± Xi Mushan took a deep breath and looked at the doctor, his tone calm.

    The doctor nodded with a heavy expression. ¡°Mayor Xi, you have to prepare for the worst. Madam Shen¡¯s head received severe injuries. Her brain has suffered damages. She¡¯ll only be able to wake up tomorrow at the earliest. Even if she does, she might lose her sight...¡±

    Lose her sight!?

    When Xi Mushan heard the report, his whole body went into shock. He looked up at the doctor in disbelief. ¡°What did you say? Lose her sight? Are you saying Na Na might be blind?¡±

    The doctor nodded with a solemn expression. ¡°Yes, Mayor Xi! If the blood clot in Madam Shen¡¯s brain doesn¡¯t go away, then it will repress the visual nerve and cause her to lose her sight, so I hope you can be prepared. When that happens, you¡¯ll also need to console the patient.¡±

    ...

    When Xi Mushan heard this, he was stupefied! He did not hear what the doctor said afterward. The words just circled in his mind.

    Lose her sight!?

    Na Na will lose her sight...

    When the doctor saw Xi Mushan¡¯s dazed expression, he only sighed to himself and shook his head, then silently left.

    He would just let the nurses go over to take a lookter and remind him about the important matters.

    The sound of the door closed. Only Shen Wenna on the sickbed and Xi Mushan on the sofa were left. The room was instantly terrifying silent as the beeping sound from the machine sounded eerily clear.

    As if a decade had passed, Xi Mushan snapped out of his dazed state. He slowly stood up and walked to Shen Wenna, pulling the chair on the side out and sitting down.

    His hands reached into her nket and found her cold hands. He held them tightly and looked at Shen Wenna who was asleep with the help of the dim light. His still eyes instantly turned gentle.

    ¡°Na Na, no matter what, I will be by your side this time. I won¡¯t let go again. Nothing¡¯s more important than you and my daughter. As long as I can return to your side again, I will do anything.¡±

    ¡°Wake up soon. I¡¯m right here. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    He finally made the decision. He thought that maybe he had been wrong right from the start. No matter what, he should not have let go back then, and let everyone suffer for nothing all these years!

    Right from the start, he should have lived for himself. All of the time that remained in his life should belong to her. He should be making up to her for all these years.

    He tried hard to redeem himself, tried hard to reignite what they once had, tried hard to wait...

    He believed that they could start over!

    As he thought about this, he suddenly pulled Shen Wenna¡¯s hand tightly and put it to his warm chest.

    Xi Mushan looked down at Shen Wenna¡¯s cold hand that he held tighyly as he said softly, ¡°Actually, you¡¯ve been wanting for us to start over again, haven¡¯t you, Na Na? We have a daughter that makes us proud. How can this tie between us be erased? You told Xiaye not to resent me. Is it because you¡¯ve also been looking forward to the day that we can return to how we were and live those simple, happy days again?¡±

 Chapter 369 - Unbearable (1)

    <h4>Chapter 369: Unbearable (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because it happened so suddenly, and there were many members of the media present, one can only imagine how quickly the news of the incident spread!

    In just one night, the facade of the loving couple, Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi, was shattered. Rumors sprang everywhere!

    Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna¡¯s rtionship was unearthed.

    At the vi, Ah Mo had just finished breakfast when his phone vibrated. It was a call from a subordinate!

    ¡°Bro Mo, quickly take a look at the newspaper. Something¡¯s happened to Mayor Xi and Teacher Shen!¡±

    When Ah Mo heard the urgent voice, he instantly frowned and quickly flipped through the newspapers that had just been delivered. Sttered across the headlines were reports about the incident with Xi Mushan, Shen Wenna, and Yue Lingsi.

    Condition of injury unknown?

    When Ah Mo saw these words, his brows furrowed further and his expression turned unusually heavy. Mu Lingsi saw this when she walked over, so she immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why don¡¯t you look so well?¡±

    Ah Mo breathed in sharply and handed the newspaper to Mu Lingsi. ¡°Look. I¡¯m afraid Master and Missus...¡±

    Mu Lingshi took it with a puzzled expression. She flipped through them, and after a while, she turned solemn too.

    ¡°Yue Lingsi? This woman is a lunatic!¡± Mu Lingshi cursed softly as concern colored her eyes. ¡°With this, what about Bro and Sis-inw?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll survey the situation first,¡± said Ah Mo before making a call. The other person quickly picked up.

    ¡°Ah Pao, find out more about the situation of the fashion show incident involving Mayor Xi and Teacher Shen, and immediately send me the address where Teacher Shen is hospitalized. Hurry! Try your best to suppress the news!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Bro Mo!¡± The person on the other end of the phone answered, then rushed to hang up.

    ¡°What do we do? This happened at such a pivotal time. I wonder how Teacher Shen is right now. Sis-inw must be very anxious.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be worried first. We¡¯ll see what Ah Bao can find out,¡± Ah Mo consoled, then he turned to look at the newspaper beside him again. After a while, he sighed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid this time it¡¯ll be a little more troublesome.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu Lingshi was obviously unclear about all these things. She only knew that Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were Xi Xiaye¡¯s parents. She felt that Shen Wenna¡¯s identity was extraordinary. Having met her a few times, she quite liked her aura. Thest time when she went to look for Zhuang Shurong, she coincidentally saw her at the spa with Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°The grudges and grievances between the three of them aren¡¯t simple. Things at the Xi family¡¯s end is quiteplicated too. You should know Xi Xinyi, don¡¯t you? This woman is ratherplicated. She¡¯s taken advantage of Missus many times. It was only recently that Master managed to suppress all of it. Yue Lingsi is Xi Xinyi¡¯s mother. The mother and daughter... Sigh!¡±

    Ah Mo suddenly did not know how to continue, so he could only groan.

    Mu Lingshi fell silent too. The two of them did not speak but after a few moments, Ah Mo¡¯s phone suddenly chimed with an address sent by Ah Bao.

    Ah Mo took a look at it, then got up and turned to Mu Lingshi. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit Stay at home and rest.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to go out like this?¡± Mu Lingshi frowned and looked at Ah Mo.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There are some things that I need to handle by myself to feel assured. I won¡¯t rush into this. When I¡¯ve understood the whole situation, I¡¯ll let Master know,¡± said Ah Mo.

    Mu Yuchen probably had not found out about the news. Otherwise, he would have made a move by now.

    Before Mu Lingshi could answer, he made his way out.

    ...

    The Xi family, including Xi Xinyi and the rest, had also seen the news.

    The phone had just rung when Xi Xinyi immediately asked anxiously, ¡°How is it? Did you find out anything?¡± The person who was calling was Han Yifeng¡¯s assistant, Secretary Wang. Xi Xinyi had ordered him to help find out about Shen Wenna¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Mayor Xi put aplete lockdown on the news. For now, I haven¡¯t been able to find out about anything, but by the looks of it, it¡¯s probably not very optimistic,¡± Secretary Wang reported.

    ¡°What about Yifeng? What did he say? Can he...?¡± Xi Xinyi probed, yet before she could finish, Secretary Wang had already spoken, ¡°Ms. Xinyi, CEO Han didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he¡¯d like to sign the divorce papers as soon as possible. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Let him tell me this himself.¡± When she heard the final words, Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression immediately turned cold and she just hung up.

    She had just hung up when Deng Wenwen immediately asked with concern from the side, ¡°What is it? Xin Er?¡±

    Xi Xinyi then turned around to look at Deng Wenwen. Her gaze shifted, and it fell onto Yue Lingsi who remained silent without a word. When she saw her dazed expression, she hesitated and shook her head. ¡°Father did aplete lockdown on all information. We still don¡¯t know what the situation is. Secretary Wang says it doesn¡¯t look very optimistic.¡±

    It was a pretty high staircase, and she had fallen like that.

    ¡°Good if she¡¯s dead! B*tch, it serves you right!¡±

    As Xi Xinyi finished, Yue Lingsi immediatelyughed coldly. ¡°Does Shen Wenna have the right tough at me too? I¡¯m Xi Mushan¡¯s actual wife. What was Shen Wenna? She¡¯s just a woman that¡¯s fallen from that position. How capable did she think she was? I¡¯ll never lose to Shen Wenna, ever! Just watch how I stomp her to death!¡±

    When Yue Lingsi spat these out, Deng Wenwen was startled. Then, she frowned and looked at Yue Lingsi warningly. ¡°Speak less of such things, Lingsi. You¡¯ve really gone overboard this time! Don¡¯t you know what the consequences will be once this incident gets out? You caused this trouble. Do you think the situation isn¡¯t as terrible as it already is? We don¡¯t even know what the Han family thinks of us now!¡±

    Deng Wenwen looked at Yue Lingsi sourly. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been wronged all these years, and you¡¯ve put in so much effort for this household. I take all of this into consideration, but every time when Shen Wenna¡¯s mentioned, you turn extremely irrational. How did you step over her all those years ago? Can¡¯t you have the tiniest bit of backbone?¡±

    Deng Wenwen had been physically and mentally exhausted by all the incidents recently. Now, she felt a headache as she spoke about all of this. Her heart tightened so much that it was hard to breathe.

    ¡°Grandmother, you can¡¯t me Mother about this incident too. The situation then... Aunty Shen and Su Nan didn¡¯t leave any dignity for Mother at all! They intentionally provoked her. Besides, Mother didn¡¯t do it intentionally. Who would¡¯ve thought that Father would be there too?¡± Xi Xinyi pointed out in a rather far-fetched manner before she sighed to herself.

    Recently, they seemed to be having bad luck. Unfortunate bouts of events happened one after another while Xi Xiaye was flushed with sess on her end. Now that Shen Wenna had turned out like this, they had finally managed to get back at them. However, she wondered if Yue Lingsi would be implicated.

 Chapter 370 - Unbearable (2)

    <h4>Chapter 370: Unbearable (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After giving it some thought, Xi Xinyi seemed to recall that what had happened then was Shen Wenna rushing forward and bumping into Yue Lingsi. She then slipped on the wet floor and fell down. It was her own fault. She deserved it!

    She tried to be nice and took it upon herself. Even Xi Xinyi could not stand Su Nan¡¯s arrogant face!

    Xi Xiaye was really close to Su Nan. Xi Xinyi heard a lot of harsh words from her before. She almost could not control herselfst night, thus giving her several ps!

    ¡°This matter has gone out of hand. You two, solve this. I can¡¯t do this anymore. I just hope this matter won¡¯t affect Yueying.¡±

    A light shed past Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes. She did not want to offend both sides. The Mu family was not someone they could mess with, yet the Yue family was a pain to deal with as well. She could only stand back and be an onlooker for now.

    Knowing Xi Xiaye¡¯s personality, she might be furious after finding out about the conflict between Shen Wenna and Yue Lingsi. By then, would Mu Yuchen not back her up?

    She needed to handle this matter with care because she could not afford to offend both sides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry and let us handle this. The media always exaggerates anyway. No matter what, Mother is Father¡¯s official wife and Shen Wenna is just his ex-wife. My mother¡¯s the righteous one. No worries,¡± Xi Xinyi exined after giving it some thought.

    ¡°If they continue this, they are going to find out all about the past. They might even know about your rtionship with Shen Wenna. What else can we do then?¡± Deng Wenwen was starting to get a headache.

    Stunned, Yue Lingsi raised her head and looked at Deng Wenwen. ¡°Mother, what do you mean?¡±

    Deng Wenwen looked downward although her intense aura did not diminish at all. She told Yue Lingsi sharply, ¡°Lingsi, I¡¯m just reminding you. Do you understand? We¡¯ve had enough bad newstely. Several days ago, your brother looked for Mushan. If we don¡¯t handle this matter delicately, you can guess what Mushan might do!¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t happen, Mother. Didn¡¯t you say you have ways to make himpromise?¡± Yue Lingsi looked at Deng Wenwen with unease.

    Deng Wenwen then replied, ¡°Lingsi, you need to settle things yourself with Mushan, and not just rely on me every time you guys have fights. What if I¡¯m not around anymore one day? What are you going to do? Is this house going to fall apart?¡±

    ¡°Mother, I know, but that witch Shen Wenna is really too much. You don¡¯t know what she said. She ran towards me on her own. It¡¯d be best if she just died!¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Xi Xinyi noticed Deng Wenwen¡¯s dark expression and quickly threw Yue Lingsi a nce, appearing miserable.

    ¡°Just think about Xi Xiaye. She has the Mu family backing her up. Didn¡¯t you guys think about it? Did you just do it on a whim? Do you realize how severe this issue is? Give it some thought on your own!¡± Deng Wenwen red at Yue Lingsi angrily.

    Yue Lingsi was making her more and more dissatisfied!

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Grandmother. Mother didn¡¯t mean it. They really overdid it. Even I almost lost control at that moment. Su Nan was hitting Mother. Should we have not done anything?¡± Xi Xinyi tried to exin, yet Deng Wenwen was already hobbling upstairs with her walking stick.

    ¡°Mother! What are you saying in front of Grandmother? You know recently... You know what? Whatever! We¡¯ll just wait and see what happens, and you¡¯d better visit Grandfather. He just called me and asked what happened, but I don¡¯t know how to answer him. A few days ago, Uncle met Father and their meeting ended on a bitter note. It¡¯s no wonder that Father has been in a foul mood!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it all Xi Xiaye¡¯s fault? Why else would things have ended up like this?¡± Yue Lingshi clenched her fist and growled, ¡°Shen Wenna deserved it this time! Even God agrees with me. How can Shen Wenna fight me?¡±

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath. Yue Lingsi could not act calmly right now. Yesterday, she cried like a baby as she hugged her, feeling pity for her.

    Actually, she knew all about Yue Lingsi¡¯s feelings for Xi Mushan. Yue Lingsi¡¯s love for Xi Mushan was almost maniacal!

    Feelings that had been suppressed inside for decades... Just how strong would they be? Xi Xinyi had no idea, but one thing she was sure of was that Xi Mushan was everything to Yue Lingsi. When Xi Mushan had Shen Wenna in her arms as he roared at her, just how much of a shock would it be?

    No one would know aside from her.

    ¡°Mother, the more you behave this way, the more Father will... It¡¯s been over twenty years. Don¡¯t you understand Father by now?¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Yue Lingsi and sat down beside her helplessly.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes teared up and she started sobbing. ¡°I really love your Father. You don¡¯t know how long have I been in love with him! I¡¯ve been attracted to him since the first time I saw him...¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s red eyes seemed lost. The faint light came from the deepest recesses of her eyes, indicating that she was thinking of a faraway past.

    ¡°The first time I met your father was under the Camphor tree. I bumped into him and he dropped the textbooks in his hands... By the way, you have to know that I was pretty popr in school back then, and many people would pretend to bump into me in order to talk to me, but your father was different. He didn¡¯t even look at me and just left after picking up his textbooks, but I picked his bookmark up. There¡¯s a quote he wrote on it.

    ¡°Your father was really cool. He was humble and quiet too. Plus, he was the most handsome guy in the school, and his grades were good. He was the dream man of countless girls, and that included me. However, he hardly talked to people. The only girl he interacted with was Shen Wenna. I tried to invite him out several times and he declined all of my invitations. There¡¯s a saying: ¡®as something bes more unattainable, the desire to attain it grows stronger¡¯. I totally fell for him and lost myself.¡±

    Yue Lingsi suppressed the pain in her chest and told Xi Xinyi about her painful past for the first time because she could not stand the pain anymore. Talking about her feelings could somehow reduce some of the heartbreak she was feeling.

 Chapter 371 - Unbearable (3)

    <h4>Chapter 371: Unbearable (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    From what Xi Xinyi remembered, Yue Lingsi rarely told her about her past with Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna because ever since she was little, she knew that she was an illegitimate child who did not even know who her father was.

    Deng Wenwen visited them frequently abroad. When they came back, Deng Wenwen would bring her over to West Park to y, and that was when she got to know Xi Xiaye.

    At that time, she often saw Xi Mushan. Xi Xiaye was living in a happy family and she was really envious and hoped that she and Yue Lingsi would somehow take Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna¡¯s ce.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to put myself down for him and be friends with Shen Wenna. Shen Wenna was so cold and arrogant. She was usually alone and no one knew about her family. She seems to be pretty poor, so she kind of isted herself. Some also said that her aura seems to be that of a daughter of a prestigious family, yet she dressed normally. She wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d let people get close easily. I spent around half a year just to barely befriend her.¡±

    Yue Lingsi sighed, her tone sounding unfortunate, ¡°Her grades were outstanding and we wereparable. Sometimes, she was even better than me. Usually, her name was right behind your father¡¯s, but she didn¡¯t socialize much, so I usually scored higher in terms of overall grading. However, your father never noticed me...

    ¡°Maybe you couldn¡¯t understand the pain. I felt my heart getting sliced up whenever I saw them having fun chatting with each other! That witch Shen Wenna! I was so nice to her andpromised so much with her. I even told her that I liked your father, yet she still went for him. Initially, she did not even think about going out with your father.¡±

    Yue Lingsi inhaled before she lowered her head and blinked her eyes. Her throat felt bitter. ¡°My family didn¡¯t approve of me going out with your father back then, but I wasn¡¯t attracted to any other man except him. In the end...¡±

    She did not continue. These memories were a sad story to her. They had been sealed deep inside her for a very long time.

    Who else would stoop for love lower than Yue Lingsi?

    Who else would be stupider for love than Yue Lingsi?

    Every time she felt a grievance, she told herself that she would be able to make it. If she continued to be by his side and care for him for 5 years, 10 years, 20 years... One day, she would be able to move his heart!

    However, the truth proved otherwise. Her idea of changing Xi Mushan was wrong! Because Xi Mushan had toughened his heart, no matter how much time she spent, it would just be futile.

    Maybe he had lost his heart from the very beginning after he had given all his feelings to Shen Wenna and never spared any for Yue Lingsi!

    Suddenly, a pang of immense sadness and agony flooded her head. Her whole body was in pain as she covered her face and could not help but start crying again.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s heart broke when she saw her. She patted her back sympathetically. ¡°Mother, you¡¯re so silly!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m silly, but I¡¯ve never regretted it. At least, he¡¯s been staying by my side for the past 20 years, right? It¡¯s enough for him to stay by my side. What can Shen Wenna do? I don¡¯t want her to keep the man she wanted. I don¡¯t want to let them be together. I just want to keep your father beside me...¡± Yue Lingsi sounded determined as her eyes were brimming with confidence.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll support you no matter what you do!¡±

    ...

    The warm sun hung high in the clear sky. Several clouds were floating around the vast blue sky.

    In the afternoon, at XX airport in City Z.

    Mu Yuchen was holding Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands as they walked outside through the VIP route. Li Si and a couple of bodyguards in ck suits were right behind them.

    After handling the matters over there, they had left the remaining work to Vice President Liu Lingyu, finally relieved.

    ¡°Master, Ah Mo¡¯s calling!¡± On their way out, Li Si handed Mu Yuchen his phone.

    Mu Yuchen grabbed it while he slung another arm over her shoulder. He said into the other end of the phone, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Master! You finally picked up!¡±

    Outside Shen Wenna¡¯s room in Hospital T, Ah Mo¡¯s strained expression finally softened slightly when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Yuchen could sense the anxiety in his voice.

    Ah Mo took a deep breath and said, ¡°Master, it¡¯s bad. Something¡¯s happened to Teacher Shen. I know you and Missus justnded. Pleasee to Hospital T immediately.¡±

    Before Ah Mo could finish his sentence or even before Mu Yuchen could reply, Xi Xiaye snatched the phone away.

    ¡°Did you say something happened to my mother? What do you mean?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice reached him fervently.

    ¡°Missus...¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s sudden voice stunned Ah Mo for a moment. ¡°Yesterday, Teacher Shen identally slipped down the staircase. She was rushed to the hospital and she¡¯s just woken up, but... she¡¯s... lost her sight...¡±

    Bang!

    Xi Xiaye felt her soul leave her body when she heard thatst few words. She froze as her face turned pale, and she dropped the phone onto the floor.

    The world around her started spinning while a strong torrent just gushed all over her. Her whole body was getting weak.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± Mu Yuchen held her in time. Worried about her, he had heard what Ah Mo just said as well.

    ¡°Hospital... Quickly go to the hospital!¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled before quickly rushing forward.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± Mu Yuchen tried to catch up to her.

    ¡°Quick! Follow them!¡±

    ...

    Inside Shen Wenna¡¯s room.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s calmness shocked Xi Mushan. Not long after she had woken up, she realized the fact that she had lost her sight. Her face went pale as her body shook violently. She tried to erge her empty eyes, yet she was not able to see the slightest sliver of light.

    Her body stiffened as Xi Mushan was calling out to her anxiously. After a wait that felt like an eternity, she curled up and hugged her own knees as she sat on the bed without saying anything. Her long, messy hair interweaved before her chest. She seemed so fragile at that moment.

    Xi Mushan felt like knives were piercing through his heart when he saw her that way.

 Chapter 372 - Be Strong To Live On (1)

    <h4>Chapter 372: Be Strong To Live On (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He took a deep breath as he pulled the nket that was falling off from her. ¡°Na Na, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s me... It¡¯s my fault!¡±

    Shen Wenna came back to her senses when she felt the warm touch of his fingers. She raised her head and blinked her eyes several times. All she could see was pitch ck.

    ¡°Get me a ss of water and you can go back.¡± After some time, Shen Wenna finally said something again. Her tone was calm, so calm that he could not hear any emotions in them.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get you some...¡± Xi Mushan endured the pain in his chest and quickly poured her a ss of water. He carefully held it in front of her. ¡°Here, Na Na, it¡¯s hot.¡±

    Xi Mushan took her hand and guided her to hold the ss.

    Shen Wenna took the ss, her face still as beautiful as ever. She carefully took a sip before asking, ¡°Am I going to be blind forever?¡±

    Xi Mushan felt a sharp pang in his heart and he quickly grabbed her cold hands. ¡°No, Wenna. You¡¯ll get better. You¡¯ll be able to see. I¡¯ll stay by your side. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t see anymore. I¡¯ll be your eyes. Na Na, don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯m your eyes.¡±

    A in smile appeared on Shen Wenna¡¯s pale face and she shook her head morosely. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Thank you, Xi Mushan. You can go back now. We¡¯re not rted any longer, so you don¡¯t have to do this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving, Wenna. This time, I¡¯ve decided that I won¡¯t let go of you again no matter what. It¡¯s been twenty over years. It¡¯s more than enough. I just want to be selfish for once. I just want to be with you. You can repel me, hate me, or even look down on me, but that isn¡¯t enough to diminish my determination. If doing all that can help you feel better, I¡¯ll ept them. At least, I can be happier.¡±

    A bitter taste filled his throat. All the worry, unease, and pain in his chest... They poured out like a sh flood, unstoppable.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t reject me, Na Na. I¡¯ll take care of the other matters. I¡¯ll protect you and you alone, so please don¡¯t reject me. All these years, the only person I can¡¯t get over is you. I thought you¡¯d be better if I left, but I...¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. He could not finish his sentence as he saw a self-mocking expression on Shen Wenna¡¯s face as he turned his head away.

    ¡°What good are your words now? We¡¯re not rted anymore. Please leave. I don¡¯t need your pity.¡±

    Shen Wenna grabbed the sses as she lowered her head. ¡°Yue Lingsi should be happy now. I really can¡¯t bother you guys anymore. Isn¡¯t it time for you guys to stop bothering me?¡±

    ¡°Na Na, please don¡¯t say that... I¡¯m the one who kept bothering you, not the other way round. I can¡¯t get over you. I know it¡¯s just going to bring pain and hurt to you, but I can¡¯t control myself. I thought I could forget everything by staying far away, but I¡¯d miss you whenever I quieted down. If I¡¯d been braver back then, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way.¡±

    Xi Mushan held onto Shen Wenna¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Why is being together so tough for us?¡±

    ¡°I just want to stay with you, Na Na. I want to make up to you for the past twenty years. I can still bring you to the peach blossoms even if you can¡¯t see. I can still bring you to the sea. I¡¯ll describe the sceneries for you. We don¡¯t have to be bothered by anything else.¡±

    ¡°Okay, stop it, please go back. I want to be alone for a while. Can you grant this request of mine?¡±

    Xi Mushan stared at her for a while before he took the ss from her and put it back. He then left the room without saying anything.

    The tears that gathered in Shen Wenna¡¯s eye started falling when she heard the sound of the door shut. The tears fell right onto her palm, and in a short while, her palms were all wet.

    The feelings she had been suppressing all this while all came out.

    Was she going to be blind forever?

    Did she have to bid farewell to the wonderful world, and only have eternal darkness awaiting her?

    She had so many things that she had not aplished yet. She had not seen Xiaye and Ah Chen get married. She had not seen her grandchildren yet. She had not finished consulting the kids in school about their thesis. How could she just go blind like this?

    Shen Wenna was sobbing in anguish. The pain and suffering she endured in the past twenty years gushed out all at once.

    She was just trying to live a quiet and simple life. Why did she face such a cruel fate?

    Some said that love was blind. It could make one do whatever it took.

    Did this just describe the rtionship between her, Xi Mushan, and Yue Lingsi?

    Just how many people were suffering endless sadness for many years because of love? Just like her right now.

    They had been struggling in this vortex for twenty over years. They were trapped and no one could get out.

    Was it a mistake to just stay strong along all these years?

    Maybe she should have found an exit herself.

    The more Shen Wenna thought about it, the more tears fell. Xi Mushan¡¯s vision became blur with tears as he watched Shen Wenna through the small window on the door.

    Xi Xiaye, who rushed over behind him, teared up as well. She watched Shen Wenna on the bed as well as Xi Mushan who had lowered his head and covered his eyes.

    After a long moment of silence, she walked past him and opened the door.

    Shen Wenna swiftly wiped away her tears when she heard the sound of the door opening. She stopped crying as she turned her head away, and blinked the tears away.

 Chapter 373 - Be Strong To Live On (2)

    <h4>Chapter 373: Be Strong To Live On (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In his daze, Xi Mushan snapped back and saw that Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure had glided past him. He called out softly to her with a raspy voice, ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    He was about to follow her when he noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s tall figure appear beside him.

    ¡°Ah Chen? How did you two...?¡±

    Xi Mushan took a deep breath and tried hard to push the tears that welled in his eyes back. He turned to Mu Yuchen who stood silently beside him.

    How did they find out? Were they not still in City B?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s still expression focused on Xi Mushan who looked wan and sallow, and he fell silent for a moment. Then, he said inly, ¡°We justnded. Ah Mo informed me about the general situation.¡±

    After he said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s tall frame walked over. ¡°We can talk better once I go in and take a look.¡±

    Then, he walked into the ward.

    ¡°Xiaye, Ah Chen, are you guys back?¡± Shen Wenna obviously could hear what Xi Mushan had shouted earlier. With her heightened sense, she could vaguely feel that a pair of light footsteps had stopped by the side of her bed.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡±

    Shen Wenna tried to open her beautiful yet empty eyes and turned to a certain direction beside her. Trying her hardest to look, all she saw was pitch ck. She could not see the faintest hint of light at all.

    When she could not hear any voices, Shen Wenna started to panic and quickly reached out. ¡°Is it Xiaye?¡±

    Did she really lose her sight?

    When she saw the frail and slender hands that reached out to her, the tears that welled up in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes flickered, she slowly reached out with her cold hands, and hold Shen Wenna¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you two in City B? Why did you suddenlye back?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes were still slightly red, yet her little face had returned to its usual calm. She was soposed that Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart wrenched in hurt.

    ¡°We justnded and heard that you... so we rushed over... How are you? They said you... lost your sight,¡± Xi Xiaye sniffed. Through her misty eyes, she looked at Shen Wenna. With a deep breath, she tried to ease the bitterness that filled her throat, yet she still could not push down that sadness in her voice.

    She waved her slightly trembling hand in front of her and realized that Shen Wenna did not react at all. She just calmly answered her, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xiaye tightened her grip, silently lowering her head. A drop of tear instantly slid down her long eyshes and fell onto Shen Wenna¡¯s wrist, burning her slightly.

    She sniffed and quickly wiped away the tears in the corner of her eyes. Blinking at Shen Wenna with teary eyes, she asked, ¡°What did the doctor say? Can it be cured? When can it be cured? Did they say?¡±

    ¡°Father, can Mother¡¯s eyes be cured? Who did this? She was just fine before we left! What happened? Why would she fall down the stairs? Why?¡±

    Xi Xiaye abruptly turned to look at Xi Mushan who walked in after Mu Yuchen. Confronted by this question, Xi Mushan was startled.

    When the two of them did not respond, Xi Xiaye whipped her phone out from her pocket. ¡°You won¡¯t say? I¡¯ll call Su Nan!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call Su Nan, Xiaye. She just went home. This incident has nothing to do with your father. I just slipped and fell by myself...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi again!¡± Before Shen Wenna could finish, Xi Xiaye loud, insistent shouts were heard, and her initially misty eyes turned cold and stern.

    ¡°Xiaye, calm down!¡± Mu Yuchen frowned slightly. As he watched Xi Xiaye filled with hostility, he could not conceal the concern in his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s look for the doctor and understand Mother¡¯s condition first, Li Si!¡± Mu Yuchen said, hinting at Li Si.

    Li Si immediately nodded in understanding and said, ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll go get the doctor right away!¡±

    ¡°Is it them?¡± Xi Xiaye fixed her gaze on Xi Mushan. Her cold face was covered with ayer of ice and the gaze in her eyes was firm.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s disprited face revealed some sorrow, yet Xi Xiaye had already called Su Nan and turned to walk out.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure brush past him like the cold wind, Xi Mushan anxiously called out, ¡°Xiaye, where are you going?¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned slightly and saw that she was already heading out of the door. He could only helplessly sigh and signal Ah Mo with his eyes.

    Ah Mo nodded inprehension, then he followed her with two bodyguards in ck suits.

    Shen Wenna felt the momentary heaviness and silence in the room too, so she immediately demanded, ¡°Xiaye! Ah Chen, what did Xiaye do?¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked over in two steps. He helped Shen Wenna up slowly and put a pillow behind for her to lean on. Xi Mushan came over to support her too.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve gotten Ah Mo to follow her. Don¡¯t worry. How are you feeling?¡± Mu Yuchen asked softly.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine... Just can¡¯t see anything...¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s beautiful face forced a bitter smile. ¡°Sorry to bother you and Xiaye, making you rush here. Quickly bring Xiaye back. This child is one-track minded sometimes. She gets impulsive easily.¡±

    When he saw Xi Mushan at a loss on the side, Mu Yuchen spoke up calmly, ¡°Ah Mo¡¯s following her, so don¡¯t worry. Father, pour Mother a ss of water.¡±

    Nodding, Xi Mushan very quickly poured a fresh ss of water for Shen Wenna. When he pulled Shen Wenna¡¯s hand, she refused to budge. In fact, she wanted to immediately chase him out, yet because Mu Yuchen, her son-inw, was there, she did not act up and just epted it.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find a way to cure your eyes. Medicine is now flourishing. As long as it¡¯s not a damaged organ, it shouldn¡¯t be hard to heal.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not know how to console her. Even though Shen Wenna currently looked very strong and fearless, earlier when they had stood outside the door and seen her crying with her head lowered, it made him feel an indescribable sadness.

    Especially when he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s tears being shed.

    With a single drop of tear of hers, he could see the entire ocean in her heart...

    Were these not the things that she had been wanting to protect wholeheartedly?

    However, there were some things that you would lose quicker, the more you wanted to protect them. One would also feel more agony watching her depression when they cared too much.

    As she listened to Mu Yuchen¡¯s words of constion, Shen Wenna smiled carelessly. Her pale face was still as if she was already used to such sudden predicaments.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. We have to be strong to live on. Besides, I¡¯m already used to it.¡±

    <i>Used to it...</i>

    Shen Wenna¡¯s single sentence instantly caused a heartwrenching feeling in Xi Mushan. He could barely breathe.

 Chapter 374 - Be Vicious, Dont Think Twice! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 374: Be Vicious, Don¡¯t Think Twice! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, when he heard Shen Wenna say this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart sank. He silently watched Shen Wenna for a while, then slowly sighed and nodded gently.

    He suddenly seemed to understand something, like why Xi Xiaye always hid such a strength that made him want to dote on her. Maybe it was influenced by this maternal figure before him that looked cold and indifferent. It was an umtive effect over a long period of time. With this imperceptible influence, such a manner had seeped through into their bones.

    Now that he thought about it, Xi Xiaye had once said that even if Shen Wenna divorced Xi Mushan in such a situation, Shen Wenna had never taught her to resent the Xi family. She had never infected others with her displeasure or made others unhappy with her because of her unfortunate encounters.

    Shen Wenna served as a model to others. Undoubtedly, she was extremely understanding, and a very wise and kind-hearted mother.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly felt lucky. For Xiaye to have a mother like her, he suddenly understood why she had been burying Shen Wenna¡¯s love deep in her heart.

    After a while, the doctor was called over. Outside the ward, Mu Yuchen immediately got to know better about the situation from the doctor.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Madam Shen¡¯s condition doesn¡¯t seem very optimistic. Earlier, we just did a checkup on her. The blood clot in her head is huge. It¡¯s already suppressing the visual nerve. This is the most direct cause of her loss of sight because the blood clot is positioned at a key position of the skull where the nerves are densest, so even if we want to do a surgery to take the blood clot out, it¡¯ll be exceptionally difficult and very risky.¡±

    As the doctor went on, he could not help butment again, ¡°We¡¯ve even especially researched it earlier. Everyone suggests keeping her in recovery for now. Let¡¯s see if medication and injections can make the blood clot dissolve. Chairman Mu, you don¡¯t have to be too worried. We¡¯ll do our best. Previously, we¡¯ve had past cases of natural recovery. Even though the blood clot in Madam Shen¡¯s head is quiterge, if she can maintain a positive mood and cooperate with the healing process, there could be a possibility of recovery!¡±

    After the doctor finished, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened slightly. There was a touch of concern between his brows. He thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Are there any other ways?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re currently still researching a recovery n for Madam Shen. We¡¯ll discuss the best concrete n. Please rest assured, Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°We are willing, at all costs, to let her see light again. As for how it¡¯ll be done, make the arrangements and we will cooperate,¡± said Mu Yuchen before returning to the ward.

    At this moment, inside the ward, the atmosphere was stiff. Xi Mushan sat by Shen Wenna¡¯s bedside while Shen Wenna turned with her back facing him.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s steadfast face showed prominent loneliness and bleakness, making Mu Yuchen feel sad.

    He did not have any rights to criticize Xi Mushan because he had not understood the situation back then. Although he could see that he really loved Shen Wenna, perhaps back then, it might not have been a sincere union with Yue Lingsi.

    Mu Yuchen did not like to dig up other people¡¯s past because he felt that some grudges should be left in the past and not be raised again. It might not be beneficial if the past that one still hung on to was usually the fuse that continued the sorrow.

    Just like him, he did not want to ask Xiaye about her past because he hoped that Xiaye and he could belong to each other now and in the future from the moment they signed up for marriage.

    Such a way of thinking was undoubtedly a sensible one. The logic behind it was understandable, but to actually obey it was not easy. In fact, it might even be tough.

    He sighed to himself and studied the lonely and dispirited Xi Mushan. Then, he stopped in his steps.

    When he heard the sound of footsteps, Xi Mushan looked up at the door and saw Mu Yuchen nodding to him from the door, indicating for him toe out. He thought about it before he got up too.

    However, he did not forget to fix Shen Wenna¡¯s nket for her.

    In front of the ss window outside the corridor of the ward, Mu Yuchen stood indifferently. He gazed at the sky outside and the floating clouds left behind by the wind. His expression was calm.

    Xi Mushan stopped beside him and followed Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze to look out.

    After a while, Xi Mushan suddenly said softly, ¡°Sometimes, life is like these clouds. It¡¯s ups and downs cannot be predicted. We don¡¯t know where it¡¯ll be blown to by the wind, and we don¡¯t know when it¡¯ll scatter.

    ¡°But there¡¯ll be a time when the clouds gather again. When they¡¯ve settled, they¡¯ll turn to rain and turn to water when it reaches the ground. The sunlight will continue to shine, and soon it¡¯ll be a cloud in the sky again. Father, you seem a little pessimistic unlike Xiaye...¡± continued Mu Yuchen as he suddenly swiveled around. His exceptionally handsome face bloomed with faint gentleness.

    When he heard this, Xi Mushan turned his head and suddenly smiled. There was some sadness in his smile. ¡°They are both stronger than me. I¡¯m not as good as them.¡±

    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to pessimistic. Life is like that. In order to get some things, we have to lose some things. I don¡¯t what happened between you, Mother and Yue Lingsi, but I know that as a man, doing your best to protect your woman is an incumbent duty,¡± Mu Yuchen said softly.

    ¡°Xiaye wishes for you and Mother to reunite again. I think that she has long forgiven you in her heart. Mother has been alone all these years. I don¡¯t know how she managed to stay strong all these while, but I think that what¡¯s supporting her conviction must be you or Xiaye.¡±

    When he heard Mu Yuchen, Xi Mushan was startled. As he looked at Mu Yuchen, his eyes were momentarily bewildered. He struggled for a long while, then forced himself to gather his thoughts again.

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t protect them well, but they¡¯ve been using their own ways to be tolerant and understanding. I owe them too much,¡± Xi Mushan sighed disappointedly.

    Mu Yuchen just shook his head. ¡°Maybe they have never expected your protection or care. Besides, it¡¯s not about who¡¯s born to protect who. If you¡¯re willing to protect her, that¡¯s on you, but she should also know that she needs to know how to protect themselves more.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was clear in his meaning.

    The reason why he had hoped for Xi Xiaye to be firmer, swifter and more decisive was that he hoped that she could truly protect herself. That would be the most effective way of protecting someone.

    ¡°As for the so-called falling short in protecting them, maybe that¡¯s just about willingness. Whether you are their husband or father, they¡¯ll still be people who are sensitive and value rtionships. You should know this well yourself,¡± said Mu Yuchen as he suddenly peered up at Xi Mushan. His eyes flickered with a light that seemed quite profound.

 Chapter 375 - Be Vicious, Dont Think Twice! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 375: Be Vicious, Don¡¯t Think Twice! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As he heard Mu Yuchen say this, Xi Mushan¡¯s gloomy expression suddenly turned odd. The light in his eyes had turned from being dazed to shadowy.

    ¡°Many times, when some things happen, we won¡¯t be able to return to the past. As much as you try to make up for it, you won¡¯t be able to resolve those cracks. I think that I¡¯m roughly like that right now,¡± sighed Xi Mushan frustratedly. There was in grief in his eyes as a cold light flickered in them. He looked exceptionally lonely.

    ¡°The two of them are pure-hearted and indifferent in nature. I remember that I once swore my eternal love to her, but who would have thought...? Usually, many things change original intentions, change hearts, yet things are very rarely changed by original intentions and hope. I think this should be the work of fate.¡± His low voice was filled with an indescribable bitterness that sounded bleak to Mu Yuchen.

    It was hard to imagine that the Mayor, who had always been all-powerful in the political world, could now be troubled by love too.

    All things on Earth could not escape from ¡®love¡¯, and neither could she and him. They were all victims of love.

    ¡°Speaking of fate, humans always find themselves weak and small. Father, I think you¡¯re not someone like that. You¡¯ve gone through the ups and downs in the world of bureaucracy for decades, so you understand these principles better than I do. If your heart isn¡¯t hard, you won¡¯t stand tall. We men shouldn¡¯t let fate be the excuse for our weakness,¡± said Mu Yuchen after some thought.

    ¡°I know that the Xi family¡¯s rtionships are aplete mess itself. If you want to handle everything well, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be easy. No matter what, I just hope that you¡¯ll know some things can¡¯t wait. Mother¡¯s eyes...¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll take care of her for the rest of her life whether or not she can see. This is something I¡¯ve been waiting to do. No one else wishes to stand by her side more than I do, Ah Chen.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Father, I hope that you and Mother canst forever too. Xiaye hasn¡¯t been willing to give up, yet she hasn¡¯t dared to say anything. You two couldn¡¯t give her the courage, but you¡¯ve got to give her some hope. It¡¯s exhausting for her to hold on all by herself. Even I... When I see her this way, I can¡¯t help but feel my heart ache. While she¡¯s your daughter, you and Mother love each other deeply. Shouldn¡¯t you do your best to cherish her and love her more dearly?¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt unhappy about the injustice for that little woman. When they spoke about these things, Xiaye¡¯s bright, smiling face would sh in his mind. Every time they spoke about Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan, there would be a sorrow that colored the space between her brows.

    Xi Mushan dimmed with sadness, suddenly he was speechless.

    Mu Yuchen could only sigh after that. He did not continue. Instead, he just lifted his head slightly and looked out at the clouds that continued to float in the sky. His expression was as indifferent as the wind, yet in his eyes, there was a ck vortex that one could not see through.

    Some time passed before he averted his gaze and looked at Xi Mushan who was still deep in thought. Then, he suddenly walked towards the ward.

    Inside the ward, Shen Wenna was holding a ss gently with both hands as she leaned quietly against the bedhead. When she heard the sound of footsteps, she called out softly, ¡°Ah Chen?¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied, ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me.¡±

    Then, he sat down by the side of the bed. ¡°I¡¯ve just spoken to the doctor earlier. They said that there¡¯s a possibility for your eyes to heal, so I hope that you can maintain a positive mood and cooperate with the doctor¡¯s treatments.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, even if I can¡¯t see, I can still listen with my ears. All of you don¡¯t have to worry. It will be the end of the month soon, and you two should be taking your wedding phot. I¡¯m just a little sad that I won¡¯t be able to see them. The way Xiaye looks wearing a wedding dress... It must be much more beautiful than I can ever imagine...¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s beautiful, pale face blossomed with a faint smile. Xi Mushan felt exceptional distress in his heart when he watched this scene from the door.

    ¡°You <i>will </i> see her in a wedding dress, Mother,¡± Mu Yuchen consoled in his soft and sensitive voice. ¡°Xiaye and I were nning on having a wedding abroad. Xiaye likes the South American fields, so we were nning to have our wedding there, and at the same time, have our honeymoon. When that happens, Father and you shoulde along too.¡±

    ¡°You two newlyweds will be having your honeymoon. We shouldn¡¯t be disturbing you.¡±

    Shen Wenna lowered her head and took a sip of water, then she smiled. ¡°Ah Chen, can you help me tell the school that I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to supervise the children¡¯s thesis in my current state? It¡¯s going to be time for them to defend their dissertations soon. I¡¯ve already finished reviewing the thesis they handed in and was about to return them. There were just some smaller issues that I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to give them directions for.¡±

    Shen Wenna was still thinking of work matters. When she spoke about them, she forced a helpless smile. ¡°I¡¯m quite worried about them defending their dissertations. There¡¯ll surely be a lot of questionster on too. I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ll dy them.¡±

    When Shen Wenna finished, Xi Mushan answered, ¡°I¡¯ve already called the school, Wenna. Rest well and focus on recovery. You don¡¯t have to worry about these things anymore.¡±

    When she heard Xi Mushan¡¯s voice, Shen Wenna reflexively frowned. Mu Yuchen turned to look at Xi Mushan and saw that he also looked incredibly exhausted. He hesitated momentarily, then said, ¡°Father, you should go home to rest first. You¡¯ve been up for so long.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡±

    ¡°Go home. Don¡¯t give others have reason to gossip,¡± chided Shen Wenna inly as she lowered her head.

    When he heard this, Xi Mushan stiffened. He thought about it, then nodded. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll be leaving first. I¡¯lle over again at night. Don¡¯t worry. I will help you handle all those matters. Na Na, just let me worry for you from now on.¡±

    With these words, Xi Mushan left. When he turned around, he looked gratefully at Mu Yuchen, who just nodded gently.

    When she heard the door close, Shen Wenna subconsciously trembled a little and the ss of warm water in her hands was about to spill.

    ¡°Be careful, Mother.¡± Mu Yuchen quickly reached out to steady her ss.

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to have bothered you guys,¡± Shen Wenna said apologetically.

    ¡°Mother, do you always have to be so courteous with us? Xiaye has always loved you very much. I think you should be able to feel it too. She¡¯s very protective of you, but...¡± Mu Yuchen probed and looked at Shen Wenna calmly.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s expression instantly turned rigid and she sighed softly, ¡°Xiaye is rather like me. I know... I know that... All these years, she has suffered a lot. Not only could I not help her, but I even held her back. She¡¯s my daughter. I know what she¡¯s thinking.¡±

    Then, Shen Wenna suddenly remembered the conversation they had in the study room that one time during University A¡¯s Peach Blossom Festival.

 Chapter 376 - Be Vicious, Dont Think Twice! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 376: Be Vicious, Don¡¯t Think Twice! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It seemed that Xi Xiaye had never given up on her and Xi Mushan. Otherwise, she would not have obediently helped Xi Mushan deliver the items to Shen Wenna.

    Maybe this was the bond between them. No matter what, how could she ignore what was inside her?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart sank and his eyes darkened when he saw Shen Wenna¡¯s condition. ¡°She¡¯s really silly, so... I hope... she can stop getting hurt. She¡¯s always been protecting something all these years, but who actually cared about her? Mother, you¡¯re a smart and strong woman. I believe I don¡¯t have to say the rest.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and looked into Shen Wenna¡¯s empty eyes that seemed to hold hope in them. ¡°She told me she was envious of her lecturers abroad. They were a married couple and treated her very well. The two of them learned from each other and understood each other. She wished that for you and Father because you both live in each other¡¯s hearts, yet both of you are suffering from loneliness.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words made Shen Wenna turned rigid and her pale lips trembled a little. She wanted to say something but nothing came out in the end.

    Mu Yuchen did not continue. He decided to not bother her any longer when he saw her hesitant expression. ¡°Love might not be asplicated as we think. It might just be an understanding or a generous thought. It depends on whether you can ovee the barrier within you. Possess what you like. Otherwise, you¡¯re the one that¡¯s going to be trapped, no one else.¡±

    ...

    The room became silent for a long while. Afterward, Mu Yuchen helped Shen Wenna lie down to rest before he left the room quietly.

    ¡°Master, is Teacher Shen alright?¡± Li Si went up to Mu Yuchen as he left the room, appearing concerned.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him before sitting down on a bench. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°Things don¡¯t seem very well. We need to wait for the results of the doctors¡¯ discussion.¡±

    Li Si sighed, his tone heavy. ¡°It feels like Teacher Shen and Missus both have gone through many hardships in their lives. It¡¯s so rare for them to enjoy peaceful days. It¡¯s said that people should be forgiven, but those who are forgiven sometimes don¡¯t appreciate it, so it might not always be a good thing.¡±

    Li Si had been with Mu Yuchen for the past few days, so he had some idea about what was happening to Xi Xiaye. He shared his thoughts on recent events.

    ¡°Master, I just spoke to Ah Mo. He said there seems to be an argument whereby Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi started a conflict. If not for that, Teacher Shen wouldn¡¯t have fought back. Ms. Su Nan tried to help Teacher Shen, but Yue Lingsi was trying to harm Ms. Su Nan, so Teacher Shen shielded her. Unfortunately, she stepped on the slippery floor and bumped into Yue Lingsi. After that, she fell down the staircase,¡± Li Si exined the situation to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°How have things between Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng beentely? I thought the situation got pretty strained with the Han family.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I felt odd as well. Considering what they had done in the past, they wouldn¡¯t just not do anything when Han Yifeng is ignoring them. Some time ago, Yue Lingsi¡¯s brother went to Mayor Xi and had a fight with him about not helping Xi Xinyi. I also heard that Han Yifeng handed Xi Xinyi a divorce contract, but I¡¯m not sure what happened afterward.¡±

    Li Si frowned as he continued, ¡°Now that Xi Xinyi isn¡¯t bothered by Han Yifeng¡¯s matter anymore, she¡¯s up to take over Yueying. She¡¯s been pretty busy working for Yueyingtely as well. I feel that something isn¡¯t right. Are they trying to do something?¡±

    ¡°Master, Xi Xinyi really has a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Do we want to keep her monitored in secret?¡±

    Mu Yuchen pinched between his eyebrows and took a pause. ¡°Just keep an eye on her. I told you to investigate Yue Lingsi in secret before. Gather the information and report to me tonight. Then, investigate what happened more than twenty years ago. Be quick about this and get me the results as soon as possible. Don¡¯t let Missus or anyone else know. Send it to me as soon as you get the results.¡±

    ¡°Master, Yue Lingsi and Mayor Xi, and Teacher Shen...¡±

    It happened so many years ago. Rumor had it that Mayor Xi betrayed Teacher Shen and that was the reason their marriage fell apart. Soon after their divorce, Xi Mushan married Yue Lingsi.

    Mu Yuchen had told Li Si to investigate Yue Lingsi after he met Xi Jiyangst time. He must be trying to find out who she really was in order to get ahold of her weakness.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply and just nced at Li Si without saying anything after that.

    ¡°Master, what about Yueying then? Do we proceed as nned? After Xi Xinyi took over Yueying, she started to gather the power from both the Han Corporation and Qi Kai.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not time yet. We don¡¯t have a solid foundation. They wouldn¡¯t dare to try anything. After we¡¯ve confirmed the development of Movie City, Glory World will have a realpany in the showbiz industry. That¡¯s why Vice President Liu is working hard on that right now. Leave Yueying for now and just proceed as nned.¡±

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Mmm, got it, Master!¡±

    ¡°By the way, Master, Elder CEO Shen doesn¡¯t know about Teacher Shen¡¯s condition right now. Teacher Shen said not to tell Elder CEO and Missus so as not to worry them, but now, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t hide it for long. Do you want to... let him know?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not help but start worrying.

    How could he forget about Shen Yue?

    If he found out that Shen Wenna had lost her sight because of Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi, he would despise Xi Mushan even more. Back then when they had gathered at Maple Residence, he worked very hard to suppress his anger so that he would not cause a conflict with Xi Mushan and Xi Jiyang, yet now...

    After some time, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Let me tell him then. Just do the work I¡¯ve told you to. Hire a smart private nurse.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll do it now!¡± Li Si then turned around and left.

 Chapter 377 - Be Vicious, Dont Think Twice! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 377: Be Vicious, Don¡¯t Think Twice! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the evening, the sunset shrouded the whole of City Z, casting a dreamy atmosphere on the city.

    A ck car drove towards Yueying Culture Media rather quickly.

    Whoosh!

    A loud screech came as a result of the sudden braking as the car stopped right in front of the entrance of Yueying. The guards were shocked and they advanced nearer as the door opened.

    A woman with long hair wearing a ck windbreaker and a pair of sunsses walked out of the car.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± The guards quickly greeted when they saw who it was.

    Xi Xiaye closed the door as she held the car keys in her hands. She walked inside and asked coldly, ¡°Is CEO Yue in?¡±

    The guards nodded. ¡°Yes, Director Xi, CEO Yue just came back not too long ago.¡±

    Xi Xiaye went straight in, leaving a gust of wind trail behind her. She took the elevator and went right up to the top floor. Working hours had just ended as she walked out of the elevator, and many employees breezed past her.

    She rarely visited, so most people did not know about her. They were stunned when she walked out of the elevator with an icy cold aura around her.

    Xi Xiaye walked forward swiftly.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s office was right ahead. The warm sun lit up the corridor and the cool wind breezed past the curtains. Beside her was the employees working area, but only several people remained at the moment.

    Xi Xiaye took a pause as she stared coldly at Yue Lingsi who was speaking to someone in front of her office. She continued forward after a while as Yue Lingsi went back into her office.

    There was a moment when she felt that this long walk through the corridor was extremely chilly. Even though the warm sun was right outside, it could not chase the anger and coldness inside her away.

    Su Nan cried on the phone as she told her about what happened. A frigid aura shrouded Xi Xiaye after she heard her story.

    The wrath inside her raged!

    Shen Wenna had lost her sight!

    As she had those thoughts in her mind, she could not control herself! She would go mad if she did notsh it out, so¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stopped by Yue Lingsi¡¯s secretary the moment she arrived before her office. The secretary studied Xi Xiaye doubtfully. Although her little face was covered by therge sunsses, the secretary felt this person was a little familiar.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to look for Yue Lingsi,¡± announced Xi Xiaye coldly before pushing the door to Yue Lingsi¡¯s office. The secretary then realized who Xi Xiaye was, so she kept quiet.

    Bang!

    Xi Xiaye mmed the door, the loud noise shocked Yue Lingsi who was on a phone call, she frowned and was about to start yelling as she turned around, she then saw the cold-looking Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! It¡¯s you!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was stunned when she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression. Gripping onto her phone tightly, her whole body strained as she stared right at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye slowly took her sunsses off and put them inside her pocket. She closed in slowly as Yue Lingsi backed away carefully until her back came into contact with the cold office desk.

    ¡°You little witch, what are you trying to do!?¡±

    Yue Lingsi was suddenly terrified, but she forced herself to keep calm. Sheughed coldly. ¡°Look at you! Did Shen Wenna really die from that fall?¡±

    ¡°Haha, if that¡¯s the case, she really deserved it! She bumped into me herself. It¡¯s karma! Both of you should just die already after causing so much trouble! She totally deserved it¡ª Ah! Ah!¡±

    Before Yue Lingsi could finish her sentence, her cor was grabbed as furious fists pummeled her face!

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Consecutive violent punchesnded on her as she screamed. However, Xi Xiaye had locked the door so that Yue Lingsi¡¯s secretary could note in to help.

    Furious, Xi Xiaye dragged Yue Lingsi by the hair to the desk. She could not move as Xi Xiaye attacked her. Yue Lingsi¡¯s face was already swollen and she was bleeding from the corner of her mouth.

    Pig-like squeals filled the whole office.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you witch! How dare you hit me!? I¡¯m not going to let you get away with this! Ah!¡±

    ¡°I gave you chances to back off and you gave them up. I¡¯m not afraid of losing anything, and I¡¯m not afraid of death as well. Are you not afraid too? You guys forced me to do this!¡±

    ¡°Witch! That old witch Shen Wenna gave birth to a useless daughter whose man got snatched away! You two are just inferior to me and my daughter! Shen Wenna should just die already!¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t die before you!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you just assaulted me. I¡¯m suing you! Witch!¡±

    ¡°Sue me then. We¡¯ll settle everything in the past twenty years altogether. Let everyone see what kind of person the daughter of the Yue family is, the current Mayoress!¡±

    ...

    After a while, Yue Lingsi¡¯s secretary saw Xi Xiaye put her sunsses back on and tugged on her creased sleeves as she walked out of the office.

    There was no more sound from inside the office. As she tried to stop Xi Xiaye, Xi Xiaye just brushed her arm off and left smugly.

    ...

    ¡°CEO Yue? CEO Yue? Where are you?¡±

    The secretary quickly rushed in to look for Yue Lingsi. In the end, she found her in a terrible state under the desk.

    Her beautiful face that had been done up in the morning had turned swollen. Her hair was messy and her former elegant self was nowhere to be seen!

    As the secretary dragged her out, Yue Lingsi spit out some blood. There was some white stuff mixed with the blood!

    The secretary was shocked to find two teeth lying on the cold floor in the tiny pool of blood.

 Chapter 378 - Master Mu Cleaning Up (1)

    <h4>Chapter 378: Master Mu Cleaning Up (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The secretary was shocked as her expression changed drastically. She quickly helped Yue Lingsi up. ¡°CEO Yue? CEO Yue? Are you alright?¡±

    Yue Lingsi felt pain all over her body as her secretary helped her sit down on the sofa.

    The secretary handed her a tissue as she was groaning from the agony as she grabbed it. Tears were streaming down her face. ¡°Xi Xiaye, you witch, just wait and see!¡±

    Bang!

    Suddenly, there was a loud noise of the door mming shut. Yue Lingsi¡¯s face went taut for a moment as she quickly nced over at the door. Then, she noticed Xi Xinyi rushing in.

    ¡°Mother? What happened? I saw Xi Xiaye just storm off furiously!¡± Xi Xinyi rushed inside as she asked.

    She quickly went over and took a closer look when she heard Yue Lingsi groaning. Upon seeing the terrible state of Yue Lingsi, she was dumbfounded!

    ¡°Mother! What happened?¡± Xi Xinyi shrieked as she hurried over. With a stern nce at the secretary, thetter quickly left the room.

    Yue Lingsi then started sobbing loudly as she hugged Xi Xinyi. ¡°It¡¯s that witch, Xi Xiaye! She just attacked me right away! She must be here to avenge Shen Wenna. Xinyi, you have to take revenge for me! Is Shen Wenna dead? She¡¯d better be dead so that your father won¡¯t miss her ever again!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was bearing double the pain. She bawled her eyes out as tear stains remained on her swollen face, making her appear very much different from her usual elegance.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Xi Xinyi gently wiped the blood from her mouth. ¡°Are you alright? Your teeth... Mother, she actually used so much force on you!¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked at Yue Lingsi¡¯s teeth as a cold light shed past her eyes. Even her tone turned bitter.

    ¡°Is Shen Wenna dead?¡± Yue Lingsi asked as she wiped some more blood off her face.

    Xi Xinyi looked downward and saw the hope in Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes. After a while, she replied, ¡°I just received a call from Secretary Wang. Shen Wenna woke up, but she¡¯s lost her sight.¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression turned grim for a moment, but she started giggling towards the end. ¡°Haha! She deserves it! Blind! Shen Wenna, I¡¯d like to see you fight me now! Shen Wenna is blind!¡±

    With the maniacalughing from her swollen face, she looked pretty hideous while she indulged in the pleasure of getting revenge.

    ¡°Mother, you¡¯d better get your injuries checked at the hospital to avoid an infection. How dare Xi Xiaye do this to you? We¡¯ll have the hospital prove it and we¡¯ll hold a press conference! Then, we¡¯ll see how arrogant she can be this time!¡±

    Xi Xinyi emitted a cold aura around her. The newspapers everywhere were still talking about how Yue Lingsi had pushed Shen Wenna down the stairs. If it was not handled well, they might be in trouble!

    It was Shen Wenna¡¯s fault in the first ce. Not only did she drag Yue Lingsi down with her, but no matter what, Xi Xinyi felt how unfair it was because Su Nan was still safe and sound.

    If she were to talk about someone she hated, it would be Su Nan. After all, she had badmouthed her a lot back then and Xi Xinyi still remembered it until today!

    It would be great if Su Nan fell off the staircase and suffer a miscarriage. Then, she would be hurt and it would leave a huge impact on Xi Xiaye as well!

    As for Shen Wenna, Xi Xinyi did not really despise her. Sometimes, she would even be envious of Xi Xiaye for having a mother like her. When she thought about that, she then nced at the outraged Yue Lingsi.

    Whenever rtionship issues were involved, Yue Lingsi always acted rashly. In the past two decades, she had no idea how to make Xi Mushan happy. She could either beg or throw tantrums like thest time. Sometimes, she evenshed out at Xi Mushan directly.

    She had seen it too frequently over the years. Xi Mushan would ignore her and treat her coldly, then she could not stand it and would start a fight with him. They would stop talking to each other for several days, and Xi Mushan would oftene home veryte.

    Sometimes, she wished she could have a mother like Shen Wenna and have Xi Mushan as her father. That would be really perfect.

    If Shen Wenna and Yue Lingsi swapped ces, her life would not be so tough now, would it?

    Unfortunately, Shen Wenna did not have the Yue family backing her up.

    Xi Xinyi chuckled to herself. Was she mad?

    This terrible-looking woman in front of her right now was her own mother. Why would she have thoughts like that?

    Yue Lingsi, who was still overjoyed after she heard the news from Xi Xinyi, nodded. ¡°Right, proof from the hospital! I¡¯m not going to let Xi Xiaye get away after she did this to me. Just wait!¡±

    ¡°Mother, all the newspapers are talking about how you pushed Shen Wenna down the staircase. I¡¯ve gotten people to suppress the news, so I had to reveal Shen Wenna¡¯s rtionship with Father. So please, you need to act like you¡¯ve always been the victim. It¡¯s all Shen Wenna¡¯s fault. Do you understand?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were aloof as she spoke and a chilly smile appeared on her face.

    Yue Lingsi understood her immediately. ¡°I get it. Shen Wenna is a shameless woman who keeps bothering your father. She¡¯s a wicked witch! Moreover, Xi Xiaye beat me up like this. Everyone needs to be clear what happened.¡±

    The smile on Xi Xinyi¡¯s face grew even wider. ¡°That¡¯s right. I know that Father been visiting Shen Wenna¡¯s ce frequentlytely. These words should be convincing. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be able to resolve the issue this time.¡±

    ¡°But what about your father? Many people heard what he said the other day and I¡¯m worried.¡± Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xinyi hesitantly.

    ¡°Father will just have topromise if he can¡¯t take the pressure. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be able to stand it if you ask Uncle to pressure him more. What else can he do? He¡¯ll have to be considerate about Shen Wenna after everything is revealed.¡± Xi Xinyi sounded very calm.

    Her words worked like a charm for Yue Lingsi who finally calmed down.

 Chapter 379 - Master Mu Cleaning Up (2)

    <h4>Chapter 379: Master Mu Cleaning Up (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she walked out from Yueying, the sky outside had darkened and the rows of streetlights had lit up. The city was aze with glorious lights.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly got into the car and drove away.

    Ah Mo, who was not too far away behind her, signaled the bodyguard in a ck suit beside him. Immediately, the bodyguard drove after her while Ah Mo remained seated in another car as he fixed his gaze on the entrance of Yueying.

    At this moment, his phone suddenly began ringing, so Ah Mo quickly answered it.

    ¡°Bro Mo, it¡¯s me. Someone anonymously sent something to us Time Magazine through email. I¡¯m afraid the other magazine publishers have received them too. It¡¯s about Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan all these years...¡±

    Ah Mo already understood what hisst sentence meant.

    ¡°Can you find out who sent it?¡± asked Ah Mo calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked the IP. It¡¯s from abroad, so I think it¡¯s quite odd.¡±

    ¡°Try your best not to let these things be reported. Check who else received the same things.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ...

    He had just hung up when he saw Xi Xinyi support Yue Lingsi to walk out from Yueying. The car that was on standby drove over. When the two of them were about to get into the car, a figure suddenly rushed to their side, knocking Yue Lingsi down. Consequently, the bag in her hand fell to the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Sorry! I¡¯m in a rush. I¡¯m really sorry for bumping into you!¡± The person who bumped into her quickly apologized as he helped Yue Lingsi pick her bag up.

    Yue Lingsi red at that person with her swollen face, then she took back her bag, got into the car, and left.

    The person who bumped into her got back into the car before Ah Mo asked very calmly, ¡°Did you install it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When have I, Ah Bao, ever slipped up? Try it. See if you can hear clearly.¡± The young and handsome Ah Bao chuckled as he put the earphones on to listen. Then, he raised his brows and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s done! Look!¡±

    He handed the earphones to Ah Mo who took it to try listening. Indeed...

    ¡°Well done! You¡¯ll be rewarded!¡± Ah Moughed brightly.

    Ah Bao looked at the car ahead that was submerged in the light with suspicion. He could not help but ask, ¡°That¡¯s great as long as there¡¯s a reward! Is there a problem with this woman? Yesterday, at the Kowloon New City riverside, I think I saw her. She seems to go there every month. I live there and I¡¯ve seen her quite a few times. No wonder she looked quite familiar earlier. Ugh, even her tone is menacing.¡±

    The moment Ah Bao said this, Ah Mo immediately squinted vigntly. He stared at Ah Bao. ¡°Ah Bao, what did you just say? Are you saying that you¡¯ve seen Yue Lingsi in Kowloon New City? Does she always appear there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen her quite a few times. She dresses all glitzy in jewelry at the small bungalow near our apartment, but she alwayses in the morning and leaves in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the owner of that bungalow?¡± Ah Mo asked.

    Ah Bao thought about it, then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The bungalow seems empty like no one¡¯s living there.

    ¡°Bring me there right away!¡±

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye rushed back to the hospital, she saw Mu Yuchen who was standing in the corridor outside Shen Wenna¡¯s ward from a distance. He was looking down at the city aze with lights as he stood by the window with his hands behind his back.

    She stood at the door and watched Shen Wenna who was resting. Of course, she did not neglect her father, Xi Mushan who sat on the side. After a while, she walked over to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Cooled down yet?¡±

    When he felt her stop beside him, he calmly averted his gaze and turned to lower his head at her. His eyes contained a faint light that seemed quite gentle. ¡°Do you know what I did?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up at him, her clear eyes meeting his.

    With a smile, he could not help but pat her head out of habit. His fingersbed through her hair that was messed up by the wind. Soon, his low and sensitive voice came through. ¡°I know that you¡¯re not happy, so I didn¡¯t stop you, but if you hadn¡¯t nned it well, a lot of trouble will arise. Do you know that?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you let Ah Mo follow me?¡± She responded quite justifiably, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll let you deal with the aftermath. I was too angry, so no matter what, I had to teach her a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Well, you sure were jolly. The mother and daughter pair are now nning to go to the hospital for proof, forcing you to bear the consequences. As for how to resolve this, your husband is rather troubled.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her helplessly, yet there was a glimmer in his eyes.

    ¡°At the most, I¡¯ll just be jailed for a while. It would be worth it for beating her up,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke quite carelessly. When she thought about how Yue Lingsi wept and sobbed from her beatings earlier, she finally managed to put out some of the fire of fury in her heart.

    ¡°How¡¯s Mother? What did the doctor say? Can it be healed?¡±

    She took a deep breath and finally asked the thing that had been weighing on her. The moment Shen Wenna was brought up, her beautiful face dimmed a little.

    ¡°She¡¯s still under observation. They said a blood clot in Mother¡¯s head is repressing the visual nerve, which is why she lost her sight. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll see what the doctors think. If their ideas really won¡¯t work, then we¡¯ll go abroad and see. Medical technology abroad might be a little bit more advanced. We can¡¯t tell whether or not it can be healed for now, so don¡¯t think too much, okay?¡±

    When he saw the sadness and gloom between her brows, he lowered his body slightly andbed the messy hair that twisted on her chest while she leaned into his embrace. Both hands gently circled his waist as she sniffed and blinked hard, forcing the hot tears that welled in her eyes down. She said in a raspy voice, ¡°If she¡¯s blind forever, what do we do?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± he softly consoled.

    ¡°What if it does?¡± She choked on her sobs. In that instant, her long eyshes caught glittering tears. The bitterness in her heart could not be swallowed and she had to breathe in quite a few times before she managed to push down all the sadness in her.

    ¡°Then, fetch her and Grandfather to live with us in Maple Residence. We¡¯ll take care of them together. We have quite a number of servants at home anyway. Maple Residence is quite quiet and tranquil, so it¡¯s not a bad thing to have a livelier house,¡± he advised calmly as his long arms circled tightly around her, hugging her trembling body.

    ¡°You said that you like the quiet and that you don¡¯t like to be with other people.¡± Her voice sounded uncertain. Of course, there was also a faint joy that could not be hidden.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t other people, Missus. If it¡¯s for your sake, I will dly ept it because your Mr. Mu is a good guy.¡±

 Chapter 380 - Master Mu Cleaning Up (3)

    <h4>Chapter 380: Master Mu Cleaning Up (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing his sensitive and deep words, she instantly turned teary-eyed, yet she forced the tears back and hugged him tightly. Her hands clutched his shirt from behind as she leaned into him as if she was holding on to herst straw.

    Only when she felt the temperature from his chest did she feel the chill inside fade away bit by bit. At such a moment, this felt quite heartwarming. No matter what happened, she knew that she could rely on him.

    Then again, maybe they could rely on each other too.

    ¡°Su Nan mes herself and I don¡¯t know how to console her.¡±

    After some thought, she said softly, ¡°But if it were me, I¡¯d definitely make the same choice as Mother. She has always treated Su Nan like her own daughter.¡±

    ¡°She did juste over earlier. She waited for you quite a while but didn¡¯t get to see you. When I saw that she wasn¡¯t in a stable state of emotion, plus the fact that she¡¯s pregnant, I got someone to send her back first,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then patted her head as he put an arm around her shoulders. He sat down on the long bench beside her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Su Nan¡¯s is a very candid and optimistic person. She¡¯ll feel better. Now, we just have to focus on caring for Mother well.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Father, he...¡± Xi Xiaye turned to look at him and ask with mixed emotions.

    ¡°He¡¯s suffering more than anyone. He came over in the evening because he was worried,¡± answered Mu Yuchen so softly that you could hear ament in his tone. ¡°They clearly care for each other. Why don¡¯t they just talk things out? Once things are cleared up and exined, things will be much simpler.¡±

    ¡°If they could think like you, they wouldn¡¯t be like how they are right now, torturing one another.¡±

    Xi Xiaye silently lowered her head. She looked at her hand that was interlocked with his and fell silent for a long while. Then, she looked up gently, shut her eyes, and sighed, ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m still angry. If my mother really loses her sight, I definitely won¡¯t let go of Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi just like that, so...¡±

    When she said this, she suddenly opened her eyes and fixed her sight on him. ¡°I want to let them have a taste of this excruciating pain.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just hit her earlier? I think you¡¯re quite addicted to beating people up now.¡±

    He looked at her, then his gaze quickly fell onto her little hand that was slightly swollen and red.

    ¡°How¡¯s that enough? I only made her pay a bit of interest. In fact, didn¡¯t you just say that they won¡¯t let me off easily? Aren¡¯t you going to help me take revenge!?¡±

    She red at him unhappily. ¡°Other men would immediately rush to help when their women are being bullied, immediately be caring and warm, yet you look so calm and not worried at all.¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen immediately raised his brows. Studying the way she looked so upset and indignant at the injustice, he could not help but chuckle. ¡°Their women? That¡¯s other people. I¡¯ll obviously watch over my woman.¡±

    ¡°Then, why won¡¯t you help me stomp them to the ground? You know that I can¡¯t beat them. Otherwise, what did I marry you for?¡± She was upset and refuted him with his own words.

    ¡°Angry now, are you? Okay, how big of an issue is it? If I were like you and brought a brick to someone¡¯s door to set the record straight, who¡¯s going to help you settle the aftermath? When they¡¯ve sued us both?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not help but hold his forehead with his long fingers. His handsome face had a helpless smile on, yet his eyes oozed with a faint warmth. ¡°What did you marry me for? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°You said that you wouldn¡¯t let me be taken advantage of when I married you.¡± She looked up, her eyes filled with a calm light as she looked at him earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m being taken advantage of now, Mr. Mu! You figure it out yourself!¡±

    Her starry eyes shed while she red at him, then she turned away and looked at the curtains.

    Why did this girl seem to remember every word he said!?

    ¡°When did I let you be taken advantage of? Even if everyone else suffers, I wouldn¡¯t let you suffer. Can¡¯t you just be a little bit more patient?¡± Mu Yuchen scolded gently, yet his tone did not sound like he was ming her at all. It remained as warm as the wind. While he spoke, his long arms that circled her shoulders subconsciously tightened, making her turn toward him.

    However, at this moment, as if in tandem with Mu Yuchen, his phone in his shirt pocket started buzzing. Mu Yuchen took the phone out. In one nce, he saw that it was Ah Mo, so he answered the call.

    ¡°Hello? Master?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice came very quickly from the other end of the phone.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me,¡± Mu Yuchen answered.

    ¡°Master, there¡¯s an important discovery! We just managed to find out that Yue Lingsi has a private home. It¡¯s somewhere she meets up with her lover! We couldn¡¯t find any rted news about that man in the vi, but we did get a good look at the man¡¯s face from the CCTV in the vi area. He¡¯s a certain male celebrity that¡¯s currently very popr in Yueying.¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice sounded like there was an indescribable glee.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, his handsome brows shot up and he looked at Xi Xiaye. At this moment, Xi Xiaye was evidently extremely shocked too!

    Yue Lingsi had a lover? And it was a certain popr celebrity in Yueying?

    This was simply outrageous, was it not?

    Was it not always the male boss who would cross the line with the female stars? Were there instances when the female boss slept with the male stars instead?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes flew wide open. She was dazed for quite a while and she stared at Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone with a stunned expression.

    ¡°Get concrete proof of the situation. We must get the evidence,¡± ordered Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Yes, Master, don¡¯t worry. This woman is really sly. She meets up with her lover in secret in the name of work. We¡¯ve found some things such as scripts all around the vi, yet we found stuff in the trash can that they forgot to get rid of... Ahem... Condoms... We¡¯ve already sent it for examination. I believe we¡¯ll be getting the results very soon,¡± said Ah Mo, clearing his throat a few times.

    ¡°Mmm, find more ways of getting more substantial evidence. Quickly stop them before they make a move. Just act as you see fits.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Mo answered, then Mu Yuchen hung up.

    As he watched his phone screen dim, Mu Yuchen turned his head over and looked at the woman who still had a stupefied expression on her face. He smiled proudly. ¡°How¡¯s this? This is called the light at the end of a tunnel, and it¡¯s how things will always turn around. Shouldn¡¯t you feel a little happier now?¡±

    When she heard him, she slowly came to her senses. There was still some shock in her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her either. Doesn¡¯t she love Father a lot? How could she be doing this behind Father¡¯s back?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen grinned. ¡°Maybe it was provoked by loneliness. Not everyone can be like Mother. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 381 - Master Mu Cleaning Up (4)

    <h4>Chapter 381: Master Mu Cleaning Up (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye did not reply. She lowered her head and looked at him holding her slightly swollen hand as he clenched them a little.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± he asked gently.

    ¡°A little...¡± she replied quietly with a pitiful tone in her voice. She thought he wouldfort her. Instead, he stared at her and said coldly, ¡°You deserved it.¡±

    While he answered with those mean words, his hand that clenched her hands gently did not stop. ¡°Next time, let the others do this. While the skin on your hands is pretty thick, it¡¯s not going to be tougher than their fists. You¡¯re not suited to teach people a lesson. You acted like a gangster. You need to be more civilized even when fighting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always a gangster anyway. Why should I be civilized with someone like that? Do you think they¡¯ll listen to me just because I spoke? Yue Lingsi is mad! Deal with her any longer and I¡¯ll be put at a disadvantage.¡± Xi Xiaye stared back at him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, did I? I¡¯m just worried that they tricked you again, my dear.¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever they throw at me. I¡¯m not afraid at all.¡±

    He smiled and stopped saying anything. He would just have to watch over her then.

    Shen Wenna was asleep when they returned to the ward while Xi Mushan seemed exhausted.

    Not only did he need to take care of Xi Jiyang at home, but he also had to be in the office in the afternoon, and now...

    Xi Xiaye stood behind him and saw his worn out expression. She could not bear to see him like this. After a while she turned around and gave Mu Yuchen a nce, she only turned away again when he nodded slightly.

    After some internal struggle, she gently patted Xi Mushan¡¯s shoulder. He woke up with a start and looked at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Father, you should go back and rest. You seem pretty tired. Mu Yuchen and I will be here,¡± said Xi Xiaye to him.

    Xi Mushan took a deep breath. The exhaustion in his eyes decreased a little as he nced at Shen Wenna on the bed and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll look after her. You and Ah Chen just rushed back here, so you guys should go back. Besides, I want to spend more time with your mother. We never really had the chance before.¡±

    ¡°But you look like you¡¯ll fall any moment, and Grandfather needs you to take care of him too. Just leave this to me.¡± Xi Xiaye tried to convince Xi Mushan, but he did not move an inch from the chair.

    Xi Mushan turned towards the silent Mu Yuchen and said, ¡°Ah Chen, bring Xiaye back tomorrow. I¡¯ll stay here tonight.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Shen Wenna from the back. He nced over at the woman by his side before he nodded. ¡°Okay, please take care of Mother for tonight. We¡¯lle over tomorrow. I¡¯ll have some people to stay on guard outside.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded in appreciation., ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll call you if anything happens. Hurry up and go back now.¡±

    He seemed like he did not want to talk anymore. He just looked away and adjusted Shen Wenna¡¯s nket.

    Mu Yuchen pulled Xi Xiaye out as she stared on nkly.

    The two of them did not say anything on the way back. Mu Yuchen was driving while Xi Xiaye rested with her eyes closed.

    After some time, she asked quietly with her eyes still closed, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible for Father and Mother to get back together again?¡±

    He nced at her while driving. His deep voice soundedforting, ¡°It depends on them. They will if they can let go of the past. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be impossible. Father intends to make amends and is now trying to do so, but if Mother insists, then...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not continue, but Xi Xiaye knew what he was going to say.

    She sighed, ¡°Mother was deeply hurt by Father back then. Xi Xinyi is almost the same age as me. How can a proud woman like my mother ept it? Moreover, it¡¯s someone whom she thought was her best friend.¡±

    ¡°Mother is just like you... Kind, straightforward, and never wary of people around her. If someone who usually never contacts you suddenly came close and started treating you nicely, they mostly have other intentions. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I was still a child back then. How would I have known who was good and who was bad? It wasn¡¯t written on their faces.¡± Xi Xiaye opened her eyes and looked at him, her expression drowned in sorrow. ¡°Mother is having another check up in two days. If her condition doesn¡¯t change, I... I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The doctors haven¡¯te to a conclusion yet, have they? You¡¯re too pessimistic sometimes. Who knows if she might get back together with Father because of this? Just like Ah Mo and Lingshi, they might appreciate someone they¡¯ve lost before. They¡¯re not children anymore and should know better than us.¡±

    Mu Yuchen continued gently, ¡°It¡¯s their business whether they get back together or not, and we can¡¯t intervene at all. We can only give them courage and hope.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the first thing is to make Father divorce Yue Lingsi. Only then can he regain the right to get back with Mother. They seized Father for so many years and it¡¯s time to take him back.¡± Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and said, ¡°And then I¡¯ll take back whatever that belongs to me and my mother. I want them to experience how it feels like to lose something.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop worrying about this now. Focus on taking care of Mother. You don¡¯t have to go to work for the time being. The wedding dresses should be here soon. We¡¯ll bring Mother over and take a family photo together. Grandpa mentioned this to me before.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa... I just called him. He¡¯s outside City Z now, so I didn¡¯t tell him about Mother¡¯s condition. I¡¯m afraid that he might not be able to take it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank. She wondered what would happen if Shen Yue came back and found out about what had happened to Shen Wenna.

    ¡°Grandpa is a strong person. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s always thinking about you and Mother. Why else do you think he never interfered between you two and the Xi family? It¡¯s for you and your mother¡¯s sake. If anything happened to Father, the first person to be sad would be you or your mother, understand?¡±

 Chapter 382 - Master Mu Cleaning Up (5)

    <h4>Chapter 382: Master Mu Cleaning Up (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, Xi Xiaye went to the hospital early in the morning. She bumped into Su Nan when she arrived at the hospital. Her friend looked exhausted and apologetic.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiaye, I didn¡¯t protect Aunt Shen. She became like this because of me. I was too reckless, I shouldn¡¯t have triggered those two mad women! It¡¯s all my fault, Xiaye. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re going to beat me up or scold me. I won¡¯t say anything about it.¡±

    At the corner of the corridor, Su Nan¡¯s eyes became teary. She had been worrying and ming herself for the past few days and was struggling to face them again.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly as she looked at Su Nan who was on the verge of crying. She put on a bitter smile and hugged her. ¡°What are you talking about? How is this your fault? You wouldn¡¯t have spoken up for her if you didn¡¯t think of her like your mother. She mentioned it to mest night and was worried that you might be overthinking. Cheer up! There¡¯s still a baby inside you.¡±

    Su Nan sniffed and sobbed. ¡°Yue Lingsi is really horrible! Not only did she destroy your parents¡¯ rtionship, but now she¡¯s even saying otherwise. I¡¯ve never seen anyone this shameless in my whole life.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed, ¡°You should already know what they¡¯re capable of, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Xiaye...¡± Su Nan called out to her softly.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and gave Su Nan¡¯s shoulder a pat as aforting smile appeared on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Their happy days are numbered. Maybe it¡¯s karma, so you don¡¯t have to worry so much now. Alright, let¡¯s go in. Mu Yuchen and my father are there. I think my mother just woke up too. She¡¯ll be very happy if you visit her.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then turned around and headed into Shen Wenna¡¯s room. Su Nan remained stationary for a moment. Although she did not know what Xi Xiaye meant, she did not give it much thought and followed her.

    In Shen Wenna¡¯s room, the doctor had just finished another checkup on Shen Wenna. Mu Yuchen was talking to the doctor while Xi Mushan was helping the nurse to change Shen Wenna¡¯s drip.

    Although Shen Wenna was usually pretty distant, she was afraid of needles, so she frowned the moment she heard that the nurse was bringing the needles over. Xi Mushan held her and grabbed her hand as the nurse did her job.

    The young little nurse smiled enviously. ¡°Teacher Shen, you¡¯re like a little girl. Needles aren¡¯t painful. You don¡¯t have to be afraid.¡±

    ¡°She has a slight phobia of blood,¡± replied Xi Mushan to the nurse for her. His eyes darkened as he realized something. After a while, he said, ¡°Be careful. She¡¯s afraid of the pain.¡±

    The nurse chuckled a little. Despite her putting Shen Wenna on the drip, the Mayor was the one getting nervous.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯ll be done very soon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw this exact scene when she came into the room. Xi Mushan was holding Shen Wenna tenderly in his arms. She smiled and traded nces with Su Nan behind her before they both chuckled.

    Their giggles alerted the patient, and Shen Wenna quickly pushed Xi Mushan away as her face blushed. She kept her usual poker face, but it did not seem very natural.

    Shen Wenna listened to the chuckle from the door as she asked, ¡°Is that Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Mother! And Nan Nan is here to visit you as well!¡±

    Xi Xiaye came to her bedside. The nurse was already done and was now adjusting the tubing.

    ¡°Aunt Shen, are you feeling better?¡±

    Su Nan put a Thermos on the table and came nearer as Xi Mushan helped Shen Wenna to lie on her back before heading to Mu Yuchen on the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯m much better. Don¡¯t worry, you silly girl. It¡¯s not your fault. I¡¯m the one who wasn¡¯t careful, so don¡¯t overthink.¡±

    Shen Wenna put on a smile as a faint light shed in her eyes as if her loss of sight did not affect her at all.

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I can take this as early retirement.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t see anymore! I... I really...¡± Su Nan sobbed, gripping Shen Wenna¡¯s hand with both her hands.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see, but I can still hear. Alright, I¡¯m fine. Isn¡¯t everything okay right now?¡± Shen Wenna patted Su Nan¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯ll be discharged in a few days after my condition has stabilized. I¡¯m not veryfortable here. Who knows if I¡¯ll feel better at home and I can start seeing again?¡±

    ¡°Aunt Shen...¡±

    Xi Xiaye stood aside quietly, staring at Shen Wenna¡¯s calm face. She felt pressured when she saw her rxed manner.

    She turned away and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. The bitter feelinging up her throat was hard to suppress.

    After a while, she poured a ss of water for Shen Wenna and handed it to Su Nan.

    ¡°Aunt Shen, have some water. Your lips seem a little dry.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye bent over and adjusted her nket a little before heading toward Mu Yuchen.

    The doctor flipped through the record file as he said, ¡°If the patient insists, she can be discharged in a few days. Remember to bring her out for walks frequently. She might feel better in a different environment and it could possibly help with her sight. We¡¯ll observe her for a few weeks and see if there are any changes in the blood clot inside her brain, then we¡¯ll analyze it again.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll list some things to be noted down. The hospital can send an experienced nurse to take care of her too. Mayor Xi, Chairman Mu, don¡¯t worry. It might not be as bad as we thought. More importantly, we¡¯ll have to take a look at her condition in theter stages.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded. ¡°What¡¯s the result of the checkup?¡±

    ¡°Aside from the blood clot, she had a slight concussion and might experience a headache from time to time. Try to refrain from doing any extreme physical activities, always maintain a positive mood, and take the medication and treatment on time. It¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡±

 Chapter 383 - Angered (1)

    <h4>Chapter 383: Angered (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the doctor finished, he left.

    ¡°Mother, do you want to be discharged already?¡± asked Xi Xiaye softly as she sat down on the sofa on the side.

    ¡°She said she doesn¡¯t like the hospital, and it¡¯s quite boring staying here, so she wants to be discharged,¡± Xi Mushan said with a dim expression. There was a frustration that could not be concealed in his tone.

    Xi Xiaye paused before she subconsciously turned to look at Mu Yuchen. When he saw him looking to Xi Mushan thoughtfully, she was about to say something. However, a light knocking on the door suddenly interrupted her.

    The few of them quickly looked toward the door and saw Ah Mo whose arms were still tucked across his chest.

    Ah Mo bowed slightly and called out softly, ¡°Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked out unhurriedly.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen sat down on the bench in the corridor. Ah Mo quickly handed him a leather folder. ¡°Master, these are the information we¡¯ve got. We have Li Si¡¯s one too. Some other things are still being investigated.¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out and took it. Opening it, he then casually pulled the document out. He briefly looked through it as well as the attached pictures, then nodded and put it back.

    ¡°Good job! This is an unexpected oue. I¡¯ve been considering how to shut the Yue family¡¯s mouth so that they won¡¯t be able to refute. This is here just in time.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows lifted as he looked thoughtfully at Ah Mo.

    A smile instantly surfaced on Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face. ¡°This is all to Ah Bao¡¯s credit. Unexpectedly, he lives in Kowloon New City and saw Yue Lingsi. He even remembered her. This might be God¡¯s will.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze instantly stopped on Ah Mo¡¯s arm as he asked in a low voice, ¡°How has your hand been feeling these two days?¡±

    Ah Mo lowered his gaze and looked at his arm that was still bandaged. He then broke out into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal! It¡¯ll be fine in a few more days. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°How is it on Grandfather and Grandmother¡¯s end?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had not really called home in this period of time. He had just told them about Ah Mo¡¯s situation the other day.

    ¡°They sent over some servants to my ce. They bought Lingshi¡¯s clothes and shoes in the dozens! They even hired a pretty skilled footman for her. I¡¯m sure they must be worried. Since the matters at Movie City have been handed over to VP Liu for now, I¡¯ve been nning to go around the club every day with Lingshi. That way, I¡¯d feel more assured.¡±

    When he spoke about this, Ah Mo¡¯s tone seemed to have turned slightly heavy. ¡°Master, have you investigated the other end¡¯s matter clearly? Since we can prove that the driver was a cancer patient, I keep thinking there¡¯s more to it. If you follow the clues, you might find something.

    ¡°Also, Master, previously I¡¯ve been taking notes on the Gu family. After that incident, they¡¯ve been close business dealings, but Qi Qiming never let Qi Lei get involved with Qi Kai and the Gu family coborations. This is quite unbelievable.¡±

    Ah Mo revealed his doubt as his eyes were dense with depth. ¡°I¡¯m very worried that if this incident wasn¡¯t an ident, then...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t confuse yourself first. If it wasn¡¯t an ident, it¡¯d actually be good for us. This means that someone is secretly going against us. As long as they make a move, then we won¡¯t be far from the truth. I do hope that it was really Qi Feng. I¡¯ve looked for them for quite a few years now. It isn¡¯t him who needs to settle the score with me, but it is I who have scores to settle with him,¡± Mu Yuchen responded with a cold expression. His eyes hid a faint gloom.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯ve already gotten people to inspect it. As long as they are in Los Angeles, we¡¯ll turn the entire city upside down and find them.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s tone was certain and his eyes concealed a hint of stern coldness. ¡°That way, we can get Shi Shi her justice. We must rify what happened years ago. Why would Lingtian have done that? His death is still so suspicious...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened while his fingers were propped against his forehead heavily. He shut his eyes to ease his mind for a while, then said in a deep voice, ¡°Perhaps only Qi Feng or Gu Lingsha can give you the answer to this, so we must find them.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Master, please don¡¯t worry. As long as they¡¯re still alive, we¡¯ll definitely be able to find them.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. He looked down at the leather folder in his hand, then suddenly said, ¡°Could you suppress the news from the media?¡±

    ¡°Xi Xinyi wanted to use the current rtionship between Teacher Shen and him to cause huge news. Yesterday, someone even anonymously sent a lot of scandals rted to Teacher Shen. It¡¯s from an IP address abroad. I¡¯ve managed to push things down for now, but there¡¯s not much we can do about it. Suppressing things like that isn¡¯t a solution. We must find a way to resolve it as soon as possible.¡±

    As he listened to Ah Mo, Mu Yuchen suddenly frowned slightly. ¡°Abroad? Could you find out from where exactly?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t. I¡¯ve tried.¡± As Ah Mo admitted this, he could not help but sound defeated. ¡°Master, then now...¡±

    ¡°Resolve the thorny issues first. It¡¯s time for these old affairs to stop too.¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his head contemtively, studying the folder in his hand for a long while before continuing, ¡°You rest well. We can set out on our journey after a few days of rest after the first of May. Just leave the matters here to Li Si and the rest.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master! Right, Master, do we want to take note of the Yue family¡¯s tendencies? I¡¯m worried about them doing something to Mayor Xi. Previously, the elder from the Yue family had an unhappy encounter with Mayor Xi because of Xi Xinyi¡¯s matters. The Han family refuses to confront the problems. I heard that Han Yifeng did ask Xi Xinyi for a divorce, but there hasn¡¯t been an oue until now.¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t be able to get divorced so easily. You don¡¯t have to care about that.¡±

    Bam!

    Mu Yuchen had not finished yet when suddenly there was a loud collision. The two of them reflexively turned to look and noticed that Shen Yue¡¯s frail body had appeared at the entrance of Shen Wenna¡¯s ward. He pressed the walking stick in his hand stiffly against the door and before Mu Yuchen could react, he had already gone in!

    That was bad news!

    rmed, Mu Yuchen quickly walked over to the ward in huge strides.

    However, he was indeed toote. He had just reached the door when he saw Shen Yue¡¯s walking stick in his hand that was about to fix Shen Wenna¡¯s nket. His aged and stern voice sounded extremely clear and imposing in therge ward. ¡°Who allowed you toe here?! Get lost!¡±

    The tapping that came as a result of the walking stick hitting his finger bone startled Xi Xiaye. She then quickly rushed over to hold Shen Yue.

 Chapter 384 - Angered (2)

    <h4>Chapter 384: Angered (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye stopped Shen Yue who was about to swing his walking stick again, crying out in rm, ¡°Grandpa!¡±

    As she shouted, she reflexively looked toward Xi Mushan and saw that his left hand was already swollen. His entire hand trembled with pain. The walking stick had hit him right on his finger. It must have hurt very much.

    However, Xi Mushan¡¯s expression remained calm. There were only signs of enduring the pain between his brows, and he was looking straight up at Shen Yue whose expression had hardened.

    Shen Wenna reacted at this moment too. She quickly sat up straight and widened her eyes. She struggled to hurl both her hands out. ¡°Father!¡±

    ¡°How dare youe here? Do you think I¡¯m dead?¡±

    Shen Yue gripped his walking stick tightly as his old eagle eyes were dense with a sharp coldness. He looked bitterly at Xi Mushan.

    ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t be so worked up. Sit and talk.¡± Xi Xiaye blocked Shen Yue, afraid that he was going to beat Xi Mushan up again. Knowing Shen Yue¡¯s temper, it was very likely that he would. In fact, Xi Mushan definitely would not evade him too.

    ¡°How can I not be worked up? Look at the kind of woman he married?¡±

    ¡°My daughter was willing to desert me to go with you, and look how you¡¯ve treated her! How did the Xi family treat her? I have never liked you. If it weren¡¯t for my child¡¯s dignity, do you think I wouldn¡¯t dare to give you a lesson?¡±

    Shen Yue flew into a rage, pointing at Xi Mushan with his walking stick and cursing, ¡°You¡¯ve got it going great for you! Xi Jiyang¡¯s not a good person either. He¡¯s been doing pretty steadily as a government official all these years, letting the two women ride on his neck. You two have really benefitted from them! Why did youe over? Do you deserve toe?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, Grandpa, that¡¯s enough! Father¡¯s just here to take care of Mother...¡±

    ¡°Does he deserve to be your father? Do you still call him your father? He¡¯s the husband and father of those two women in the Xi family. Who¡¯s your father? Did you forget about the hurt now that your scar¡¯s healed? You, get out! Immediately! We can¡¯t fit the Buddha in here. Don¡¯t tarnish my daughter¡¯s reputation!¡± Shen Yue fiercelyshed out at Xi Mushan, tossing the rolled up newspapers in his hand at Xi Mushan.

    Xi Mushan reflexively reached out to catch it. What greeted his sight was a headline about him and Shen Wenna!

    ¡°Father, I...¡±

    ¡°Father? Who¡¯s your father? Don¡¯t call me father. Your father is Xi Jiyang, that shameless, old fellow! Go! Don¡¯te and harm my daughter. Isn¡¯t it all because of you that things are what they are today? If you¡¯re a man, then take responsibility.¡± Shen Yue¡¯s tone was hostile as though his words were his daggers. He did not leave Xi Mushan any dignity at all!

    Xi Mushan was not angry either because it was his fault that they were where they are today. As long as he could fight for Shen Wenna again, he would do anything. This little lesson was nothing. He had long prepared to receive Shen Yue¡¯s lecture.

    ¡°Father, I know this is my fault, so I will take responsibility. I will take care of Na Na with my whole heart from now on. Please believe me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense with me here. Do you think I¡¯m the foolish Wenna from years ago? That I¡¯ll just believe whatever you say? Come talk to me when you¡¯ve settled all your matters at home, you bastard!¡±

    Shen Yue was getting angrier as he spoke. Clutching his walking stick, he wanted to walk over, so Xi Xiaye had to stop him herself. Mu Yuchen walked over in huge strides as well and saw that the back of Xi Mushan¡¯s hand was already swollen. His gaze darkened a little.

    ¡°Father, Father! Don¡¯t be impulsive!¡±

    Shen Wenna hurled out her hands in panic toward the source of the voices.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Shen Wenna almost fell off the bed. Thankfully, Xi Xiaye was quick enough and Mu Yuchen was a step ahead, so the husband and wife managed to support Shen Wenna from her left and her right.

    ¡°Everyone, calm down. The doctor says Mother can¡¯t be provoked.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned and said, ¡°Father, go home first. You¡¯ve already stayed here for so long. You must be tired too.¡±

    Then, her clear gaze looked at Mu Yuchen as she said softly, ¡°Send Father out. Grandpa¡¯s a little emotional. Don¡¯t make him worry further.¡±

    Nodding, Mu Yuchen turned to look at Shen Wenna and he could vaguely see that she had mixed emotions in her expression. It was not the same stillness from before.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll let Mu Yuchen send Father back first.¡±

    When Shen Wenna heard her, she nodded. ¡°Go then. Sorry for troubling you, Ah Chen.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Father,e out for a while. I have some things I wanted to talk to you about too,¡± said Mu Yuchen, then he walked out of the door. Throwing a look at the furious Shen Yue, Xi Mushan shifted his gaze towards Shen Wenna on the sick bed. ¡°Na Na, I¡¯lle over again at night.¡±

    Shen Wenna did not answer. She just turned her head to the side. When Xi Mushan saw that, his expression darkened, and he could only turn away and leave sadly.

    Xi Xiaye looked calmly at that figure moving further away. She felt a bleakness in her heart, yet she could only quietly avert her gaze.

    ...

    Following Mu Yuchen outside, Mu Yuchen who walked ahead only stopped when he reached a turning corner. Then, he turned to look at Xi Mushan who also halted behind him.

    When he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face burdened with an indescribable heaviness, Xi Mushan called out softly, ¡°Ah Chen?¡±

    The current Xi Mushan still had some gloominess in between his brows while the back of his left hand was scarily swollen. He thought about it, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk as we walk. Let¡¯s go over and get the doctor to help you fix your hand up first.¡±

    Then, before Xi Mushan could say anything, he had already walked ahead, still holding the leather folder that Ah Mo had passed to him earlier.

    When they reached the nurses¡¯ station, he let the nurse apply some medication for Xi Mushan, and then bandage it up before Mu Yuchen personally sent Xi Mushan downstairs.

    Upon reaching the car, Mu Yuchen, who had not really said anything all the way, finally spoke up softly, ¡°Grandpa¡¯s temper is like that. Because he¡¯s worried about Mother, you don¡¯t have to take it to heart, Father. Xiaye is quite worried about you.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded gently. ¡°Mmm, I know. I don¡¯t me him too. This is what I deserve. I¡¯m really sorry for making you two worry!¡±

    At this moment, Xi Mushan did not have his all-powerful imposing manner and sharpness as he usually did in the political world. All that remained seemed to be a shell of fatigue and humility. It looked like he had been emptied out and his expression seemed a little dazed.

    Seeing this, Mu Yuchen felt an unnamed gloominess in his heart. He looked down at his bandaged left hand. When Shen Yue hit him, he did not even make a sound which was enough to conclude that...

    ¡°The incident this time has actually impacted Mother a lot. She only pretends to be strong because of Xiaye and you, and Grandpa, Father. Now that the matter hase to this, you shouldn¡¯t me yourself so much.¡±

 Chapter 385 - Angered (3)

    <h4>Chapter 385: Angered (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen was quiet, his eyes indicating his concern when he looked at Xi Mushan.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s expression darkened as he sighed, ¡°That¡¯s how your mother is. I¡¯m used to it already, but I owe the two of them so much that I don¡¯t know how I can ever make amends.¡±

    ¡°What is Father nning to do? Mother is going to be discharged in a few days. With her current condition...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s question put Xi Mushan on the spot!

    What now?

    What could he do?

    Shen Wenna would surely head back to the Shen Residence after she was discharged. What about him?

    Could he still go back now?

    With all the messy rtionships around him now, how could he protect her? What was the ¡°forever¡± he talked about!?

    Was he making empty promises again?

    Xi Mushan clenched his fists as his eyes started to water.

    ¡°Since things havee down to this, I suppose you aren¡¯t afraid to lose anything else, are you? You should pursue what feels the most important to you. You might lose it the next moment.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at him calmly and said, ¡°I know that you¡¯re afraid to lose. You¡¯re afraid that Mother will reject you, so you¡¯re hesitant. I don¡¯t want to add anything on. I just want to let you know that Xiaye and I will always treat you as our father. Be it for you or Mother, we¡¯ll always be here.¡±

    Xi Mushan was stunned and he stared at Mu Yuchen in shock. After a while, he mumbled, ¡°What you just said... Did Xiaye tell you that she¡¯s willing to forgive me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he looked down at Xi Mushan¡¯s bandaged hand. ¡°I think that she never really med you. What she always longed for is the love and care from you both. She can even forgive someone like Xi Xinyi, so why can¡¯t she forgive the man who gave life to her?¡±

    Hope sparked in his eyes as he spoke and he looked at Xi Mushan genuinely. ¡°Father, I hope you can make up for theck of paternal love in the past twenty years. I beg you to be fair to her, to be fair to Mother, and to be fair to yourself. At your age, you should really fight for what you really want.¡±

    A bitter taste rushed towards Xi Mushan¡¯s throat as he felt a pain in his chest and he could not keep a calm expression like earlier anymore. His expression seemed a little cold and lonely.

    ¡°Father, be strong. Xiaye and I will help you however we can. It might be a rough path but as long as you don¡¯t give up, I¡¯m sure things will work out!¡±

    As Mu Yuchen saw the wavering in Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes, he took a deep breath and handed him the stuff in his hands. ¡°I think you¡¯ll really appreciate these right now.¡±

    Xi Mushan nced at Mu Yuchen before taking it from him. He opened it and flipped through the documents inside.

    Suddenly, his expression turned from being cold and lonely to bing unbelievably surprised!

    He looked at Mu Yuchen in bewilderment. ¡°These... These... How did you get them?¡±

    He was aware that Yue Lingsi was cheating on him, so he tried to find out more but there was no result.

    He never touched her ever since that night. Instead, he put all his focus onto his political career. Moreover, he did not find any woman more attractive than Shen Wenna. He felt that he could only be deemed aplete man when he was with Shen Wenna.

    That was also why he missed and loved her even until now.

    Throughout his political career, many women tried toy him honey traps, but no matter how seductive they were, he just could not forget about Shen Wenna.

    He then realized that he lost himself to her when he signed his name on the divorce contract. He had always been there, so how could he not go back to her to look for himself?

    ¡°I just happened to find out. It must be God¡¯s will.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    He had asked Li Si to investigate Yue Lingsi but had only gotten some trivial information. They would probably have missed this piece of important information if Ah Mo and Ah Bao had not been alert enough!

    Li Si had mentioned before that lonely people were prone to making mistakes. Not everyone could go through the loneliness. At least, Yue Lingsi did not feel like she could. Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were each other¡¯s first love, so...

    Mu Yuchen thought Li Si was just talking nonsense, yet now...

    ¡°With these, you can start your negotiations with Yue Lingsi. I know you¡¯re being pressured by the Yue family. I will...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ah Chen. Thank you! I think these are enough! I¡¯ve handed in my resignation letter. Now that I¡¯ve spent half of my life in the political field, it¡¯s enough. I just want to spend the rest of my time with the two of them.¡±

    Xi Mushan smiled, seeming much more rxed now. ¡°Don¡¯t tell them about this and wait until I¡¯m done settling everything. I¡¯ll head back for now. Please take care of your mother!¡±

    Xi Mushan kept the documents and went into his car, driving away swiftly.

    Mu Yuchen was caught off-guard.

    Resigned?

    He should be at the peak of his career now. Furthermore, his achievements were great and many people loved him. If he stayed for another year or two, he would rise even higher!

    Even Mu Tangchuan was impressed.

    Did he not care now?

    Xi Mushan¡¯s words shocked Mu Yuchen. He never expected such action from him!

    However, things might be better like this. If Xi Mushan could take care of Shen Wenna personally under such circumstances, maybe they could go back to how they were!

    Mu Yuchen was starting to look forward to it.

    ...

    In contrast to the peace on Mu Yuchen¡¯s end, a storm was brewing in Shen Wenna¡¯s room!

    ¡°How dare they!? How dare they!? Do they think us Shen family can be easily bullied? Ridiculous!¡±

    Mu Yuchen heard Shen Yue¡¯s furious voice roaring from inside as he arrived at the door.

 Chapter 386 - First Child Surnamed Shen? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 386: First Child Surnamed Shen? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As expected, the first thing he saw after he went in was Shen Yue walking to the side of Shen Wenna¡¯s bed angrily. The wrath inside him was spiraling out of control.

    ¡°What did I tell you back then? Huh? You didn¡¯t believe me! The Xi family is abnormal. They are a prideful political family. I told you to not marry him, yet you insisted on going to Xi Mushan! Huh?¡± Shen Yue was scolding Shen Wenna. The anger inside him burst out all at once, highlighting his hatred towards Xi Mushan and the Xi family!

    ¡°I disagreed to the both of you being together, and you dare to threaten to renounce your rtionship with me. Look what¡¯s happened now! What¡¯s happening? Mu Tangchuan is doing just fine, and a thousand times better than Xi Mushan, so just what¡¯s wrong? Is he not as handsome as Xi Mushan? Is he not smart enough? Look at how happy their family is now? Do you see how handsome Ah Chen is?¡±

    Suddenly, he noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s odd expression and then realized the logical w in his sentence. He then continued, ¡°Luckily, I¡¯m quick enough to grab Ah Chen. Xiaye, you¡¯re much wiser than your mother! If you married Han Yifeng, you¡¯d surely have led a hard life! A man like that needs a wife to serve him forever. How could you be happy marrying a man like that?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s face turned pale as Shen Yue scolded her. A faint light shed in her beautiful eyes, hinting at her aggrieved and sad emotions.

    ¡°Alright, Grandpa, stop it! If that happened, there wouldn¡¯t be Mu Yuchen and me anymore. Moreover, don¡¯t you see I¡¯m pretty stupid as Father and Mother¡¯s child? Though Mu Yuchen is quite smart...¡±

    Xi Xiaye tried to help Shen Wenna out when she noticed her evident difort.

    Shen Yue calmed down drastically. He took a short pause before saying, ¡°Well, there¡¯s that! At least we won¡¯t have such a messy life right now! Look at you now, what are you going to do in the future? Don¡¯t say that you don¡¯t care, you¡¯re my daughter, do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking?¡±

    Shen Wenna took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll just take it as early retirement.¡±

    ¡°Retirement?! You¡¯re just over 50 years old, right smack in your mid-life, and you¡¯re going to spend thetter half in total darkness! Do you think it¡¯s going to be easy?¡± Shen Yue red at Shen Wenna on the bed.

    Stunned, she looked downward silently and did not say anything.

    Xi Xiaye frowned worriedly. ¡°Grandpa, Mother, don¡¯t be so pessimistic. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a cure for this!¡±

    ¡°Whether there¡¯s a cure or not, I¡¯m going to get this matter sorted out!¡± Shen Yue narrowed his eyes as a cold light lit up in them. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be considerate about you and Xiaye, so I never said anything in the past twenty years. I ignored it all these years when the two of you were handling them by yourselves, but with the recent incidents, I can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing!¡±

    ¡°Grandpa,¡± Mu Yuchen finally said something as he walked over.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Shen Yue¡¯s anger and coldness toned down when he saw Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I¡¯ll discuss sorting things outter with you. Mother needs more rest. Let¡¯s not worry about this for now.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s neutral tone was effective.

    Xi Xiaye quickly nodded and went along. ¡°Grandpa, I just wanted to talk about this too. It¡¯s difficult for us to judge their rtionship, and we can¡¯t really me anyone for this either. It¡¯s all in the past now.¡±

    ¡°Your grandpa is right. I was too headstrong and this is the price I have to pay. I deserve it, alright?¡± Shen Wenna mocked herself.

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xiaye looked Shen Wenna¡¯s pale and exhausted face. She looked like she was in deep sorrow, and her heart sank.

    ¡°This is just too frustrating! I don¡¯t care anymore. I¡¯m just so angry whenever I see Xi Mushan! He keeps going on about protecting you, but he was never there when you needed him the most! I can still keep an eye on you guys as I¡¯m still alive now, but what happens after I¡¯m gone?¡± Shen Yue¡¯s voice softened.

    ¡°Those two women from the Xi family did a lot of work to track you both down. They are aiming for the Yueying shares in your hands. If it weren¡¯t for me, they¡¯d have gone straight to your door! Do you still think you can enjoy such peaceful lives?¡±

    Shen Yue sat down on the sofa as Mu Yuchen poured him a cup of tea.

    ¡°Father will take care of the problems over there. Don¡¯t be too quick to get angry now, Grandpa. We¡¯re not just going to let this matter go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. He knew that Shen Yue had a pretty short temper seeing how hard he hit Xi Mushan just now. Xi Mushan¡¯s left hand was probably out of action for the next few days.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s violent temper probably came from him. She had gone right up to Yue Lingsi¡¯s office and beat her up, putting Yue Lingsi in a terrible state when she was sent to the hospital. Oh, how she wished she could slice Xi Xiaye up into pieces!

    ¡°If he¡¯s actually useful and can solve this issue, the two of them wouldn¡¯t need to suffer like this!¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s impression of Xi Mushan was the worst and he had no hopes for him at all.

    ¡°Do you not have any confidence in Father?¡± Mu Yuchen gave Shen Yue an odd smile as he nced at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re smiling like a sly fox! You look just like a wicked businessman trying to lure me into a trap.¡± Shen Yue was an old, cunning fox himself. After all, it took one to know one.

    ¡°I¡¯m always a businessman, and businessmen are all wicked. I want to make a bet with you. Are you nervous about it?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as he looked at Shen Yue.

    Shen Yue drank some tea and stared at Mu Yuchen sharply. ¡°Bet on what? If you lose, is your first child with Xiaye going to carry the family name ¡®Shen¡¯?¡±

 Chapter 387 - First Child Surnamed Shen? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 387: First Child Surnamed Shen? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Yue shot him a sour look, then he averted his gaze.

    In response to Shen Yue¡¯s words, Mu Yuchen only thought about it a little more before he very graciously nodded and responded with a single word, ¡°Okay.¡±

    While Mu Yuchen¡¯s response immediately made Shen Yue stop what he was doing, he looked at Mu Yuchen in shock. ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled calmly and gentleness spread over his handsome face. He nodded happily. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa!¡±

    The two men had discussed all of this as if she was not there. Were they not too much? Besides, she did not even know when they would have a child!

    When they heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s unexpected voice, the two men slowly turned to look and noticed that Shen Wenna was smiling slightly with her lips pursed while Xi Xiaye¡¯s fair face was already blushing. She widened her starry eyes and red at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you two about this. While you¡¯re still young, quickly make one or two little ones. One would be too lonely. If there were a few siblings, it would be good for banter, wouldn¡¯t it? Ah Chen, I¡¯m taking you seriously when ites to this. Tell me, what do you want to bet on?¡±

    Obviously, Shen Yue would not let go of such an excellent opportunity.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his voice and said softly to Shen Yue, ¡°I bet that in one week, Father will be able to get a divorce with Yue Lingsi. If I lose, then I will go with the condition that you have raised. If I win, then I hope that you won¡¯t intervene with Father trying to go after Mother again. Are you willing to take this bet on?¡±

    When he heard this, Shen Yue¡¯s aged eyes immediately squinted and his old face tensed. There was a coldness that seeped into his gaze. You could tell that he did not seem very happy with this conversation.

    Yet, Mu Yuchen remained calm. He looked at Shen Yue quietly and did not look nervous at all.

    Shen Yue then lowered his gaze. As if after some careful deliberation, he said, ¡°Okay, if I don¡¯t agree, then you all would think that I¡¯m unreasonable. If he really has the heart, he wouldn¡¯t have waited until now! I¡¯ll agree with you right now. If the situation is still the same after a week, then please let him know that he doesn¡¯t even have the right to see Wenna!¡± He was not sloppy either. He ended it with a firm conclusion.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a deal, then?¡±

    ¡°I, Shen Yue, will always honor my words. Since I¡¯ve said it, then I¡¯ll just have to see if he¡¯ll help himself seed. What does the Xi family think they have? Us Shens have never cared for any of their things. Those few women are just too savage. It¡¯s not just these one or two days that I¡¯ve been itching to teach them a lesson. Even though a real man doesn¡¯t fight women, they have been mean and menacing. If I don¡¯t give them a warning, they won¡¯t know how to exercise restraint!¡±

    When Yue Lingsi was mentioned, Shen Yue became furious again. He almost could not control the anger in his heart.

    Mu Yuchen leisurely poured him some tea and said slowly, ¡°Grandpa, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯m guessing that it¡¯ll be very hard for them to make aeback this time. Please just wait and see.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re hitting on Yueying. If I hadn¡¯t known that your people would¡¯ve intervened, I would¡¯vebined with either Jin Yi Movies or Hua Dong Movies to swallow them whole. Then, there wouldn¡¯t be so many problems like they are right now. It¡¯s better to benefit others than them!¡±

    Shen Yue was upset as he spoke, peering up at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Glory World Movie City seems to be developing quite well in City B. Wenna and Xiaye still have shares with Yueying, that¡¯s why I held back and haven¡¯t made a move. Otherwise, did you really think I could have tolerated them?¡±

    ¡°Yueying has a pretty good foundation in the showbiz industry. If we can get it, then that would obviously be the best. Besides, I¡¯ve always wanted to take over it and give it to her as a wedding gift,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke about his intentions honestly. ¡°It will be soon. Once the time is right, I¡¯ll be able to empty the entire Yueying, then there wouldn¡¯t be any reason for its existence any longer.¡±

    In response, Shen Yue nodded. ¡°Since you already have such consideration and guarantee, then I won¡¯t intervene. They are relying on just that, aren¡¯t they? I¡¯ve heard from the Yue family¡¯s end that they recently have had some unhappy dealings with Xi Mushan. Wasn¡¯t it you who suppressed all those news?¡±

    As Shen Yue spoke, his sharp gaze immediately stopped on Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face and his gaze was filled with confidence.

    Mu Yuchen breathed in slightly and lowered his head to take a sip of the tea before he said, ¡°It¡¯s a bad influence, so I can only suppress the news for a while, as much as I can. If you have any difficulties, they¡¯d be worried too.¡±

    ¡°You really have considered things quite a lot. I¡¯ve read the newspapers too. Aren¡¯t those media just spewing nonsense?¡±

    Shen Yue felt rather repelled by the media. He lived reclusively, never epted any media interviews, and very rarely appeared in public asions or before the media, so he had a legendary existence in the world. Many people did not actually know his background, and most of them even guessed that he was not local, that he was an estate tycoon from abroad who got rich. Only when Fu Hua made it big did hee over to develop thend while his home was not in this city.

    Naturally, Shen Yue ignored all the media guesses and continued to do things his own way.

    When it came to this, he was quite simr to Mu Yuchen. Because of Mu Zi, Mu Yuchen¡¯s aunt who was named Mu Zixi, he was influenced and personally avoided the show business industry. Now that Glory World was advancing into showbiz, almost all matters were pushed to VP Liu Lingyu to handle. He did not like to interact much with those in the entertainment business although there was no particr reason why. He simply rejected them in his heart.

    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything more about this. Just y by ear. Aren¡¯t you and Xiaye going to be taking wedding photos in the next two days? If you¡¯re busy in the next two days, then you don¡¯t have toe. I¡¯m fine watching over here.¡±

    When the wedding was mentioned, the fury in Shen Yue¡¯s heart finally calmed down. ¡°We can¡¯t dy it anymore no matter what. Your grandparents were discussing the guest list with me a few days ago. They said that you two were nning on organizing your wedding abroad. Is that right?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Xiaye says she wants to see South America. The scenery is pretty amazing there, and it would also be good to rx at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Go then. Young people should go out more. Having some fun is fine. Don¡¯t wait till you¡¯re old and want to walk more but by then it¡¯s too hard. Last time, when your grandma was still around, she said that she¡¯d wait till we were old before letting me bring her out to explore the world. I just went with her. I decided to wait until we were no longer busy and were retired. Then, I¡¯d go with her... Sadly, she still could not wait. By the time I was no longer busy, she was long gone...¡± Shen Yue suddenlymented, and could not help but sigh.

 Chapter 388 - First Child Surnamed Shen? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 388: First Child Surnamed Shen? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When his love was brought up, Shen Yue¡¯s calm face could not help but be colored with gentleness, yet it looked a little sad and bleak.

    Mu Yuchen had heard Xiaye mention Shen Yue and Liang Fuhua¡¯s affairs. He also knew that Liang Fuhua was Shen Yue¡¯s only love. When Xi Xiaye talked about it, she was even filled with admiration and felt contented.

    ¡°Grandma must be living in good health and happiness on the other side. Grandpa, you don¡¯t have to be concerned about her. Instead, you should be taking good care of yourself.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not know how to console him, but Xi Xiaye¡¯s clear voice rang out. When he looked up, he noticed that she had already walked to his side.

    Because Shen Wenna¡¯s head was rather muddled and the drip made her drowsy, when Xi Xiaye helped her to lie down, she had fallen asleep very quickly.

    Xi Xiaye sat down near the man who very leisurely poured her some tea.

    ¡°When one is old, we easily think of the past. How do I not miss it? Xiaye, after the wedding,e over to walk around Fuhua more. I¡¯ve already decided to join the South River project. That way, you cane over more, and I can get you familiarized with thepany. Let Ah Chen be the lead. Then, you won¡¯t have too much pressure. Plus, your Uncle Lan and I will teach you, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Shen Yue had previously waited for the wedding to take ce in October first before getting Xi Xiaye to familiarize herself with Fu Hua. He was nning to wait till the end of the year when he could hand over Fuhua to the children to hustle. However, now that the wedding was brought forward, it could work out just as well. She could spend more time familiarizing, and then it would be easier to take the reins.

    In fact, now that Shen Wenna was in such a state, Shen Yue felt beyond fatigued. He was already over 70 years old, and he did not know how many more years he had left. He just wanted to have some idle days to live his life.

    Xi Xiaye naturally understood Shen Yue¡¯s intentions too. She slowly looked up at Shen Wenna who had fallen asleep on the sickbed, then averted her gaze and turned to Mu Yuchen. Upon lending her his gaze that was as gentle as the warm breeze and held faint hints of constion and encouragement, he nodded gently at her.

    She then breathed in, and looked to Shen Yue before she dly nodded and answered, ¡°Okay, after the wedding, I will be by your side more to familiarize myself and learn, Grandpa.¡±

    Shen Yue nodded dly. ¡°It would be good for me to rx too. I¡¯ve worked so hard all my life. In the end, I just want to have some idle days, so right now, you two had best get proper rest. Don¡¯t worry too much about your mother¡¯s matter. I¡¯ve understood the situation from the doctor. He didn¡¯t say that recovery is impossible.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye did not notice what else Shen Yue said after that. Tuning out, she just watched this frail, old man standing before her. It was as if in an instant, he had aged tremendously. Almost all of his hair was white, and his expression was mellowed by time too.

    Time and tide waited for no man. He had been busy for his whole life, yet in the end, he was just waiting for some days of simple idleness.

    ...

    In the afternoon, Shen Yue and Mu Yuchen left the hospital together. They said it was because they had some things to discuss. It seemed like Shen Yue wanted Mu Yuchen to make a trip to Fuhua with him.

    In the meantime, Xi Xiaye stayed to apany Shen Wenna in the hospital. The doctor went over in the afternoon to say that her condition was not considered stable just yet. Shen Wenna often felt a severe headache, so she probably needed to stay hospitalized for a few more days of observation.

    It was close to the evening and the sun was marvelous. It was not harsh and scorching like the afternoon light. In fact, since Shen Wenna hadid down for a whole day, Xi Xiaye decided to wheel her downstairs for a walk and bask in the sunset for a bit.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there to have a sit. The breeze is pretty nice.¡±

    Xi Xiaye wheeled Shen Wenna to a bench by the corridor that was decorated with flowers and nts. When they found a cozy spot, she helped her sit down on the bench.

    Shen Wenna reached her hand out to feel the warmth of the sun. She could vaguely smell the faint fragrance of the nts too. ¡°It smells like jasmine?¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned to look at the corridor of flowers, and saw that in the corner were several pink jasmines blossoming. They faced the sunset and swayed in the wind.

    ¡°Mmm, there are a few jasmines blossoming in the corner.¡±

    Shen Wenna turned her head slightly and heard the noises ahead, so she asked softly, ¡°How rare to have such a quiet moment. Is there someone ying football ahead?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked ahead. Indeed, in the field far ahead, several children were ying football. Their cheerful peals ofughter mixed with the cool evening breeze which blew gently. From where the mother and daughter sat, they could vaguely feel their joy too.

    After quite a while, Xi Xiaye turned to look at Shen Wenna. When she saw that she was still trying to listen with her head cocked, she could not help but sigh on the inside. ¡°Yes, there are three children ying football in the field ahead. People are sitting on the benches around the field. Some of them are ying chess, some are listening to music. They all looked like seniors in their 60s and 70s.¡±

    Xi Xiaye endured the sadness in her heart, and described the scene ahead for Shen Wenna.

    Her mother smiled and nodded. She could not help but spread her hands to feel the warmth of the sun. ¡°Today¡¯s weather is great for doing all that. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve sat around like this too.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye felt the pain in her heart abruptly intensify. Just as she thought it was about to spill out, the phone in her pocket buzzed.

    She then took a deep breath and quickly took it out to see. It was Mu Lingshi. She answered it very quickly as she turned to look at Shen Wenna who was sighing a little. Concernedly, she could not help but notice that her lips were a little dry.

    ¡°Mother, sit right here and don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll go get you a bottle of water from the kiosk,¡± Xi Xiaye said softly.

    ¡°Okay, I was just feeling a little thirsty too.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, sit here and don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll be back very quickly. It¡¯s just a few steps ahead.¡± Xi Xiaye worriedly reminded her not to go anywhere a few times before she walked ahead as she answered the phone.

    ¡°Hello? Mmm? Sis-inw?¡± It was Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me,¡± answered Xi Xiaye calmly.

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this my brother¡¯s phone?¡± From the other end of the phone came Mu Lingshi¡¯s surprised voice.

    ¡°My phone ran out of battery, so I took his. My phone is with him. It¡¯s probably charging in the car. If you want to look for him, just call my number.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it, Sis-inw! Is Aunty Shen alright? I heard from Ah Mo... Well, don¡¯t worry too much. Aunty Shen will definitely see again, Sis-inw.¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s consoling voice came through the receiver.

    Xi Xiaye smiled warmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. So is my mother. We will find a way to heal her eyes.¡±

    ¡°You will! Right, I might as well let you know that yours and my brother¡¯s outfits for the wedding shoot have arrived. I¡¯ve already sent them over for you. Grandma just came by earlier and made some food for you two, and boiled some soup for Aunty Shen. I¡¯m on my way to the hospital.¡±

 Chapter 389 - Rejoicing In Someone Elseâ€™s Misfortune (1)

    <h4>Chapter 389: Rejoicing In Someone Else¡¯s Misfortune (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Mu family must have already found out about Shen Wenna.

    Previously, the newspapers made the entire incident the talk of the town. It would be hard not to find out.

    Why was it so hard to just have a few peaceful days? Xi Xiaye sighed as she kept her phone away after hanging up. Then, she continued toward the kiosk ahead.

    Shen Wenna sat quietly on the bench, still holding the phone that Xi Xiaye had just stuffed into her hand earlier while the warm sun faintly shone on her.

    Today, she was not dressed in her usual chic attire. The huge patient¡¯s dressing gown on her made her seem particrly frail, highlighting the gentleness and elegance on her beautiful face.

    She lowered her head and tried her hardest to blink her eyes that could not see. She wanted to try and see if she could look at the phone in her hands. As she tried to fumble about, she had just touched some buttons when the phone slipped from her hands and ttered to the ground.

    Immediately frowning, she then bent down and was about to feel around her leg. She looked for it for a long while, yet she could not feel anything. She could only get up and squat down to slowly find it. After spending a lot of effort before she finally found it, she straightened up and was about to sit back down. Unexpectedly, she had just taken a step when she seemed to kick something!

    Pa!

    Shen Wenna staggered a few steps and fell down to the ground. The phone in her hand slipped away from her once more.

    At this moment, a sadistic burst ofughter that rejoiced in her misfortune suddenly erupted.

    ¡°Haha... How hrious! You really became blind! Haha... How pitiful, Shen Wenna! How unexpected, isn¡¯t it? You would face this day too! Blind as a bat!¡±

    Who else¡¯s hooting could this be if not Yue Lingsi?

    The sharpughter entered her ear, making her instantly turn cold. Her hands clenched tightly into fists, and her whole body tensed up for quite a while before she continued to look for the phone she dropped.

    She felt around for a while before she managed to find the phone, yet a foot wearing high heels stepped on the phone in that instant. Feeling around desperately with her trembling fingers, Shen Wenna then she felt the foot.

    ¡°Move your foot away!¡± Shen Wenna demanded coldly.

    ¡°Shen Wenna, oh, Shen Wenna, you really are quite calm. You¡¯re already at this point, and still, you look all indifferent and nonchnt. Sometimes, I really want to rip your face off and see when you¡¯ll break down. Did you know that I actually hate this expression of yours the most!?¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression was icy cold. Today was the day that she coincidentally brought that examination report as evidence. She found out that Shen Wenna was at this hospital too, so she had especiallye over to witness Shen Wenna in her tragic state!

    At that moment, the swell on Yue Lingsi¡¯s face could still be vaguely seen. The two teeth that had been knocked out had been fixed, but it had hurt so badly. She already thought about getting back at Xi Xiaye the moment she received the examination report!

    ¡°If I¡¯m not this calm, then should I be acting pitiful like you?¡± answered Shen Wenna coldly. She savagely pushed the foot that stepped on the phone away, catching Yue Lingsi off-guard. Yue Lingsi staggered, almost falling down, but thankfully, she managed to hold onto the bench in time and steadied herself.

    ¡°Stay pleased with yourself then! Wait till I expose this thing in my hand. I¡¯d like to see how Xi Xiaye will exin herself!¡±

    Yue Lingsi delightedly waved the document in her hand and even swung it in front of Shen Wenna¡¯s face. ¡°How about I show you what it is? Oh, I almost forgot! You¡¯re blind now, so you can¡¯t see anything. Haha... Shen Wenna, how sad! Even God¡¯s not helping you and He knows how to get back at you for me. This is because you deserve it! Do you know that? You. Deserve. It!¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Yue, don¡¯t you want to watch your image a little in broad daylight? If someone else saw the way you¡¯re bullying a patient so disrespectfully, if you just shouted a little louder, you would lose all dignity!¡±

    Just as Shen Wenna¡¯s expression turned hostile, her fists clenched and she almost could not bear it, there was suddenly a burst of demonicughter.

    That was a very familiar voice!

    Yue Lingsi quickly turned to look where the sound came from, and then noticed that opposite the bench was Qi Lei gazing at herzily!

    Yue Lingsi was shocked to see Qi Lei, so she cried out in rm, ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei smiled faintly when he saw Yue Lingsi¡¯s swollen face. ¡°Mrs. Yue, you¡¯ve really disappointed me. Based on my impression of you, you aren¡¯t someone like this, are you? Madam Shen¡¯s in an inconvenient state, isn¡¯t she? Shouldn¡¯t you be helping her out? You are our city¡¯s mayoress after all.¡±

    Yue Lingsi could hear the sarcasm in Qi Lei¡¯s tone, and her gaze immediately sank. Then, she forced a smile on that swollen face of hers. ¡°Master Qi, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°If I weren¡¯t, could I have had the chance to see such an exciting side of you, Mrs. Yue?¡± Qi Lei did not give her any face as he retorted.

    Yue Lingsi started to look awkward as if something had been stuffed into her mouth. She could not utter a single word for a long time until she finally said, ¡°Master Qi, this is Xi Xiaye, that slut¡¯s mother. Back then, if it weren¡¯t for...¡±

    Yue Lingsi was initially going to curse, but when she saw Qi Lei squint with those demonic eyes of his, she did not dare continue.

    Qi Lei was still a patron that Yueying relied on. If she made him unhappy, that would be troublesome! As for Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye, just wait until she exposed this thing in her hand!

    ¡°Master Qi, I still have some work at the office. I¡¯ll make a move first. I¡¯ll visit you again when I have the time,¡± said Yue Lingsi after a pause.

    She was about to turn and leave, yet Qi Lei snatched the thing in her hand away.

    ¡°You can leave now. I¡¯d like to take a look at this.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    When she saw this, Yue Lingsi was worried, but Qi Lei evaded her. ¡°Mrs. Yue, I heard that the filming conditions for the recent films that have begun shooting aren¡¯t great. I was just considering where I should make some rectifications...¡±

    Qi Lei tightened his grip onto the paper in his hand as he smiled at Yue Lingsi with narrowed eyes.

    Indeed, when she heard this, Yue Lingsi¡¯s swollen face immediately sank slightly, ¡°Master Qi...¡¯

    ¡°Mmm? What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you have something going on? Why aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s unrestrained and demonic tone held hints of hostility. Yue Lingsi had no choice but to re at Shen Wenna, then leave unwillingly.

    As he watched Yue Lingsi gradually move further away, Qi Lei abruptly averted his gaze and subconsciously looked down. He saw that Shen Wenna had begun to scramble to look for the phone on ground again.

    He walked over in a few huge strides, then bent down to pick the phone up from the ground before handing it to Shen Wenna.

    When Shen Wenna touched the phone, she was startled. After a while, she took it.

    ¡°Thank you, young man.¡±

    ¡°No worries, Aunty Shen!¡± Qi Lei spoke as if he was very familiar with her. He reached out to help her up, then guided her back to the bench.

 Chapter 390 - Rejoicing In Someone Elses Misfortune (2)

    <h4>Chapter 390: Rejoicing In Someone Else¡¯s Misfortune (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Wenna sat down carefully, shocked that Qi Lei knew her surname. ¡°How do you know that my surname is Shen?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled as he sat down beside her. He nced at the quiet and elegant Shen Wenna, recognizing Xi Xiaye¡¯s shadow on her. He chuckled a little. ¡°I saw what happened just now. Xiaye and I are good friends. She even saved mest time. I¡¯ve been looking for a chance to thank her, but I never found it, and fortunately, today I bumped into you, Aunty Shen!¡±

    Shen Wenna was caught off-guard. She tilted her head slightly and asked in a surprised tone, ¡°Are you Xiaye¡¯s friend?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°We¡¯re friends. I¡¯m Qi Lei. Aunty Shen, just call me by my name.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei?¡± Shen Wenna repeated it quietly. ¡°Thank you for today.¡± That woman might have kept on annoying her if he had not interfered.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Did you hurt yourself anywhere just now?¡±

    Of course, Qi Lei knew about Shen Wenna. It was stered all over the newspapers. However, there had not been any new updates these past two days, so it was obvious who was behind it.

    Mu Yuchen must have locked the news down. He heard that the Yue family had been making a lot of noise about this. It was pretty unclear how things were going right now.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m not hurt.¡± Shen Wenna shot him a thankful smile.

    Qi Lei opened the paper in his hand. It was documented proof of an injury, a light concussion, missing teeth... He was then reminded about Yue Lingsi¡¯s swollen face and her words just now. It only meant one thing ¡ª Xi Xiaye had beaten her up!

    What a fearsome woman! Yue Lingsi probably suffered quite a painful beating, and it must have been all because of Shen Wenna.

    Qi Lei averted his gaze and looked at Shen Wenna beside him. As he was putting the stuff in his hand away, Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold voice came from the front, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Qi Lei looked up and saw Xi Xiaye with a bottle of water in one hand, her phone in the other. She threw him a cold stare.

    Qi Lei put on a cheerful smile and called out to her, ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at Qi Lei distantly while she opened the bottle of water and handed it to Shen Wenna without giving Qi Lei any reaction. ¡°Mother, have some water.¡±

    Shen Wenna took it carefully as she put on a smile. ¡°Xiaye, so Mr. Qi is your friend. We have to thank him for just now, he was really helpful.¡±

    ¡°Thank him for what?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt that something was amiss. She turned over and red at Qi Lei with her eyes in slits. Her tone was unfriendly. ¡°What did you do to my mother?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged innocently as he put on a hurt expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m the good guy here. You can ask Aunty Shen what happened!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood him, Xiaye. Yue Lingsi came over just now and Mr. Qi here helped me out,¡± exined Shen Wenna quickly when she felt the atmosphere was not right.

    ¡°What is she doing here? Did she not have enough yesterday?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s body strained when she heard the name Yue Lingsi. Immediately, she emitted a cold aura around her.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Don¡¯t worry. Mr. Qi made her go away.¡±

    Shen Wenna smiled and extended her hand towards Xi Xiaye who sat beside her. Meanwhile, Qi Lei stood aside.

    ¡°See, I told you I¡¯m the good guy here. Why do you always have such bias towards me? I went to Glory World several times to look for you. I wanted to thank you for saving mest time, but you weren¡¯t in the office all the time. Where have you been?¡±

    Qi Lei put his hands into his pocket and looked at Xi Xiaye from above.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect CEO Qi to be such a thankful person. It¡¯s no big deal. You helped my mother today, so we¡¯re even now.¡± Xi Xiaye rxed a little when she heard Shen Wenna¡¯s exnation. Even her tone softened as well.

    ¡°Even? I¡¯m afraid not. You might need to thank me instead. Take a look at these. If these reach the editors, you¡¯re going to get in trouble.¡±

    Qi Lei handed the proof of injury he had just received from Yue Lingsi.

    Xi XIaye nced at it andughed coldly. ¡°It¡¯s just a small trick. Did I really beat her up just because she said so? Who witnessed it? Can¡¯t I say she¡¯s an evil stepmother trying to force me to give her the shares in my hands? She tried to harm me when I said no. It could¡¯ve just been in self-defense.¡±

    ¡°You do have some serious quibbling skills. I heard Xi Xinyi just took over Yueying and that Glory World has gone through a lot of changes recently. She was thinking of some ways to pressure you. Don¡¯t you want to know what is she going to do?¡± Qi Lei gave Xi Xiaye a meaningful nce.

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for her! Tell her what I said.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Xiaye. I¡¯m not one of them. I might be on your side!¡± Qi Lei was trying to be ambiguous with his words, and Xi Xiaye was exhausted simply listening to him.

    She looked at him coldly for some time before saying, ¡°On my side? I remember that Qi Kai is her pir of support in Yueying. Don¡¯t tell me this wasn¡¯t your idea.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really not my idea. I¡¯m just executing whatever my council of presidents is saying. It¡¯s not something that I can decide on alone. I can even not help her for you. Do you think I¡¯d help a woman like her genuinely?¡± Qi Lei chuckled since he never really liked Xi Xinyi anyway. What a stupid woman! She thought she was really something when she was just a pretty little thing. She tried to do some little tricks in front of him, yet Qi Lei hated women like her the most!

    ¡°I sound like a big shot now.¡± Xi Xiayeughed as she left the piece of paper on the long bench. ¡°But I don¡¯t need your help.¡±

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s gettingte now. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Xi Xiaye then stood up.

 Chapter 391 - Till Death Do Us Apart (1)

    <h4>Chapter 391: Till Death Do Us Apart (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Wenna could feel that the vibe between the two of them was odd, so she did not say anything. When Xi Xiaye helped her up, her empty nce turned to Qi Lei, and naturally, she did not see anything.

    As he watched the mother and daughter move further away, Qi Lei did not chase them. He remained with both hands in his pocket as he silently looked on... and on...

    After a while, just as he was about to turn around and leave, he noticed a booklet on the bench. He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and picked it up to look.

    Unexpectedly, it was a very delicate drawing booklet.

    He casually flipped it open, and what greeted his sight was a cartoon pig!

    It was drawn quite well and seemed veryical. There was even that familiar graceful and flowing handwriting at the bottom.

    <i>If love tells me to continue on this journey, then I will continue to chase it till the end of my life.</i>

    He continued to flip to another page and saw another cartoon pig. However, its form was different from thest one. This was very silly and cute, and there was also a line written at the bottom.

    <i>A certain person¡¯s dishes taste like Father¡¯s cooking...</i>

    He continued to flip.

    <i>What should be let go will never be urged to stay. What should be urged to stay will never be let go!</i>

    ...

    Every word and sentence was so encouraging. This thick book just had a few drawings in front, and theics were probably all drawn impromptu.

    Could these exhibits of strength be how she managed to get through everything?

    A smile suddenly shed across Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face. How unexpected! She looked so cold and unfriendly, yet she would draw such cute... pigs.

    This little woman seemed to be a gem. With a little digging, you would find unexpected surprises!

    No wonder Mu Yuchen so quickly put her under his wing. However, whether or not he could keep her forever did not seem to be certain!

    Soon, Qi Lei slowly closed the drawing book. With a faint smile still on his face, he looked toward the direction that the mother and daughter pair had left, but any traces of them had long vanished.

    ...

    Back at the ward, she had just helped Shen Wenna to lie down on the bed when Mu Lingshi came over with a Thermos.

    It was the soup that Wang Hui had specially brewed for Shen Wenna. Because it tasted quite delicious, Shen Wenna drank more than two bowls at a go.

    Mu Lingshi and Shen Wenna were not distant either. They chatted quite happily, and she stayed for a long while before she left.

    At this moment, the sky outside had darkened. The streemps that flickered shone in through the window from the side and the night breeze felt slightly cool too.

    There was only one dim light in the ward. After Xi Xiaye carefully helped Shen Wenna with her shower, Shen Wenna fell asleepfortably, while Xi Xiayey down sleepily on the bedside, feeling slightly worn out.

    It was only when the special care nurses came over to call her that she woke up in a daze.

    When she picked up her phone to check the time, she realized that Mu Yuchen had called her five or six times in a row, but she had not heard the calls.

    She rubbed the space between her brows a little exhaustedly, then called him back. When he picked up, Mu Yuchen was already rushing over to the hospital.

    ¡°Has the nurse that we hired gone over?¡± Mu Yuchen soft voice came through.

    ¡°Mmm, they¡¯re here. Mother¡¯s asleep too. You should go home first. I¡¯m going to apany Mother tonight.¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye finished speaking to Mu Yuchen, Shen Wenna who was in a light slumber had awoken and quickly insisted, ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t move around. You¡¯ve been tired the whole day too. You looked quite pale. Go home, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s alright with the nurses here. You won¡¯t be able to keep up if you strain yourself like this every day!¡±

    ¡°Go home, Mrs. Mu. Just leave things here to me. Master Mu especially asked you to go home to rest earlier. I will take good care of Teacher Shen.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Go home. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to chase you out!¡± Shen Wenna spoke quite frankly, then she pushed Xi Xiaye away.

    Xi Xiaye then stood up helplessly. She hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go home first.¡±

    ¡°Go!¡±

    ¡°Sis Fu, I¡¯ll leave my mother in your good hands then. Call me if there¡¯s anything, or call Mu Yuchen. Our phones are switched on 24/7,¡± reminded Xi Xiaye worriedly.

    ¡°Got it. Go home. it¡¯s quitete!¡±

    ...

    Then, Xi Xiaye picked her handbag up and slowly walked out of the door. Mu Yuchen still had not hung up on the other end of the phone.

    ¡°Just wait for me at the hospital entrance.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve arrived. Come down quickly.¡±

    ...

    Soon, Xi Xiaye reached the entrance of the hospital. From afar, she could already see the Porsche that was parked underneath the streemps by the roadside. She had just reached the car when Mu Yuchen opened the car door to the front passenger seat from inside.

    Xi Xiaye sat inside, closed the car door, and quickly buckled up as she took the wet towel he handed to wipe her face and hands. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s gone home, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Mu Yuchen saw her gaze and could already tell what she was thinking, so he consoled her while reaching out to fix her hair that had been messed up by the wind as he spoke, ¡°Mmm, I sent him back to the Shen residence before I came over. He¡¯s quite a strong-willed person too.¡±

    ¡°Tired?¡± he asked softly when he saw the fatigue between her brows.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Today, I woke up quite early. I¡¯ll wake upter tomorrow.¡± She could not help but hold her forehead and sigh, ¡°I hope that Mother¡¯s condition can be stabilized soon. I¡¯m quite worried.¡±

    ¡°The doctor has said it¡¯s fine, so it¡¯ll be fine. What are you worried about? Sleep for a while. I¡¯ll wake you up when we reach home.¡±

    Then, he gently nudged her forehead and let her lean on his shoulder before he started the car.

    ¡°Mmm... Remember to wake me up when we get home.¡± Xi Xiaye did not reject and gently leaned on him as she closed her dry and tired eyes.

    ...

    After a while, she suddenly called out to him, ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What is it?¡± he responded as he looked down at her.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to help me handle Yue Lingsi? Today, she came looking for trouble with my mother again. It was Qi Lei who managed to stop her in time. Yue Lingsi was even nning to get back at me with a medical document to prove her injuries were a result of me beating her up,¡± she could not help butin.

    Qi Lei?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened slightly, but he reacted very quickly. ¡°Be patient. When Father¡¯s end is done, then I¡¯ll help you get back at her, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mmm? I remember now. Today, you were betting on something with Grandpa. Is it about Father?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly thought about this. She looked at him as she squinted her starry eyes.

    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± he asked softly as he smiled at her.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± she responded, her slender arms subconsciously looped around his arm. ¡°I knew that it¡¯d definitely be rted to Father. When Grandpa talks about Father, he would get angry, but he actually has mix feelings about it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°Regarding this suspenseful story, you¡¯ll find out in a few more days.¡±

 Chapter 392 - Till Death Do Us Apart (2)

    <h4>Chapter 392: Till Death Do Us Apart (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they returned to Maple Residence, it was close to 10 p.m. There was still food in the pot that Wang Hui had left to keep warm on the stove.

    Xi Xiaye did not quite have an appetite, yet because Mu Yuchen insisted, she drank two and a half bowls of soup before going upstairs for a bath.

    When Mu Yuchen finished tidying up and went upstairs, more than half an hour had passed. The bedroom was quiet while the bathroom light was still switched on, yet there was no sound of water running.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡± He called out quite a few times, but there was no answer from her. Concern surfaced between his brows as he immediately walked towards the bathroom without a second thought.

    He pushed the bathroom door open, and a dense mist came towards him. The hazy mist brought a faint scent with it. He squinted through the haziness and quickly saw the petite woman who was soaking in the bathtub.

    Her petite figure hid underneath the bath towel that was hung up whilst her face was covered with another towel. Clearly, she had fallen asleep.

    He shook his head helplessly and sighed. Then, he walked over, grabbing a towel from the rack. Just as he was about to carry her up, unexpectedly, Xi Xiaye awoke at that moment. Her long eyshes fluttered for a few moments, and she opened her eyes in a stupor. In the midst of her absent-mindedness, she saw the man standing by her side.

    With a towel in his hand...

    She rubbed her eyes distractedly. Upon taking a clearer look at him, she then asked with her raspy voice, ¡°Are you done tidying up?¡±

    She did not react to her current state. With just a slight movement, the figure beneath the hovering towel would be revealed. When she looked at the man, she swiftly caught the fireworks that ignited in his eyes but were quickly concealed. He was staring at her.

    She reflexively followed his gaze towards herself and realized...

    ¡°Ah!¡± She cried out, then quickly caught the towel and pulled it towards her chest, ring at him as she blurted out, ¡°Immoral!¡±

    She softly reprimanded him as she held the towel tightly around her. Her brows furrowed into a knot.

    Hmm?

    Immoral?

    Master Mu seemed to be quite fascinated by this adjective of hers. This was the first time someone called him immoral!

    When she saw her starry eyes glower at him and her beautiful face colored in blush, he could not help but chuckle softly. Then, he put the towel in his hand back onto the rack. He was at ease and peered down upon her.

    ¡°Immoral? You didn¡¯t say that the night before yesterday, Missus.¡±

    The night before yesterday...

    As Xi Xiaye tried to recall what happened, she could not help but cover her face and angrily re at him. ¡°Go out for a while. I want to put on my clothes. Also, next time, you aren¡¯t allowed to scorn me. I¡¯m a person with much integrity.¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen could not help butugh out softly again. He had always known that his wife was quite an interesting girl. Unexpectedly, when she uttered this, it was really quite hrious.

    ¡°Score? Exin to me what this word means. Also, what is integrity? Do you think that these things still exist between us? Hmm?¡±

    He suddenly lowered his body and his deep and maic voice came silently like the warm breeze. When his breath brushed past her eyes, she could not help but tremble slightly. Before she could react, Mr. Mu had already picked that wet towel up with his fingertips, and consequently, the scene beneath the towel was inly visible...

    Swoosh!

    ¡°Give that back to me!¡±

    She waved a hand and pped the surface of the water. When it sshed everywhere, she pulled him into the bathtub, then took the bath towel from the side and quickly wrapped herself up. Although she wanted to escape, the man was quicker than her. His long arms extended toward her and in the next instant, he urately circled his arms around her waist. His tall figure instantly blocked her like a wall.

    He instantly trapped the tiny Xi Xiaye against the wall.

    ¡°Initially, I was thinking about letting you go, but you asked for it, especially since I think you look quite energetic now.¡±

    His ck shirt was soaked while his eyes were kindling with fireworks as he fixed his gaze onto her, and his hand locked her hands that were going haywire down.

    As she was about to be burned by his gaze, she could not help but tremble and softly chide, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had the potential to be a pervert!¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t wearing anything. If I can still stay cool, Missus, your happiness in life from now on should be worrying, understood?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand... The night before yesterday, didn¡¯t we just...?¡± she muttered.

    ¡°If you ate the night before yesterday, would you still eat today?¡± he answered rather justifiably.

    ¡°I only drank soup tonight. Okay, fine. My rtive is visiting, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they just leavest week?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very tired...¡±

    ¡°I think you look quite energetic!¡±

    ¡°I... Mmm!¡±

    This man was great when he was usually serious, but when it came to these restless moments, she could never reject him, so she could only reciprocate.

    Without waiting for her to react, she was already put onto the bed. The bedroom lights were not turned on. Even the wallmp was switched off. The only faint light came from the bathroom and the streemps from the yard outside.

    ¡°Ah Shi... Ah Shi said... The wedding dresses are here...¡±

    Her breath was unsteady as her hands trembled while they unbuttoned his shirt, and he continued to be busy taking her temperature and scent from her corbones in.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the closet. We¡¯ll try them on tomorrow,¡± said his raspy voice briefly, then he quickly pulled the towel on her away

    In the darkness, you could only see several shadows thrown on the ground near the bed. After a while, the low melodious sounds of lovemaking were heard.

    She was increasingly irresistible to him. Even after every mad indulgence, he still felt an indescribable feeling. He wished he could absorb her into his bloodstream and have them flow as one.

    He cared more and more about her, to the point that he did not want to see her frown at all. It was so much that he wanted to share her every emotion. He thought that she should be feeling the same.

    Otherwise, she would not have recklessly rushed straight to City B because she was worried about him. When she thought that he was hurt, she had wept sadly.

    He should keep the sweet parts of her in his heart and cherish her.

    After his few rounds of torment, and when they were resting from the battle, she asked, ¡°Mu Yuchen, will we always be like this?¡±

    He subconsciously tightened his arms around her and answered with certainty, ¡°We will.¡±

    She smiled happily and quickly nted a light kiss on his cheek. She was in a pleasant mood as she pulled his hand and opened his palm. Mysteriously, she scrawled a few words on his palm.

    ¡°Till death do us apart?¡±

    She had just finished writing when the man immediately read the words out loud. As he watched her bright little face underneath the faint light, his heart melted.

 Chapter 393 - Till Death Do Us Apart (3)

    <h4>Chapter 393: Till Death Do Us Apart (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After waiting for a while, she did not continue writing, and his eyes were staring at the pendant she had given him.

    ¡°What¡¯s after that?¡± he asked as he put his other arm on her back, hugging her closer.

    ¡°After that... I don¡¯t remember. I¡¯ll tell you again when I recall it.¡± She looked at him cheekily, her eyes like the stars in the sky, shining brightly.

    ¡°Really? You really forgot?¡± He squinted his dangerous eyes while his fingers on her back stopped moving suddenly.

    ¡°Of course...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you to remember!¡± A wicked smile appeared on his face, and in the next moment, he was on her again.

    ¡°No more...¡±

    Mu Yuchen would not let her get away. While their sex life was generally pretty satisfying, he never felt like he had enough of her. Even though he thought he did not have much of a lustful drive, ever since he married her, he realized it was not what he thought. Previously, it was only because he had not met the right person before.

    And she must be that right person.

    Xi Xiaye did not really remember what happened afterward. She almost lost to the man¡¯s stamina every time, but before she fell asleep, she heard something unimaginableing from him that sounded like sweet talk.

    ¡°My dear, I suddenly feel that happiness is like cats eating fish, dogs eating meat, and Mr. and Mrs. Mu staying in bed, weing the next dawn tomorrow.¡±

    After she was sound asleep, he got out of bed and went into the shower after grabbing a sleeping robe.

    Ten minutes passed before he came out. Suddenly, a call came in for him.

    ¡°Hello, Master, it¡¯s me!¡± It was Li Si¡¯s voice.

    Mu Yuchen sat down before the study table with an envelope in his hand as he asked, ¡°Mmm, how¡¯s the progress?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m donepiling them. Do I send it to the Yue family right away?¡± Li Si asked for further action ns.

    Mu Yuchen pinched between his eyebrows as he took a deep breath. ¡°Send it.¡±

    ¡°Master, do I send the information Ah Mo found along?¡± Li Si asked.

    ¡°Mmm, just keep them quiet and don¡¯t let interfere with what Xi Mushan is about to do. Wait until Xi Mushan gets his divorce contract before taking any further action,¡± Mu Yuchen gave his orders firmly.

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ¡°Be quick on the other thing that I told you to do as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    The next morning, the sunrise was as bright as ever.

    Yue Lingsi woke up early with her face still swollen. She just wished to break Xi Xiaye into pieces especially when she saw her face in the mirror for the past two days.

    The report about the proof of injury she received yesterday was snatched away by Qi Lei unexpectedly. If not, she could have given Xi Xiaye a harsh blow at the press conference today.

    Qi Lei was an unpredictable person. She could never guess what he was nning. After giving it some thought, Yue Lingsi decided to exchange opinions with Xi Xinyi who was smarter than her after all. Maybe she could get the report back with Han Yifeng¡¯s help. That would be really great.

    ¡°You said Qi Lei took the report away?¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Yue Lingsi in surprise. She was still wearing all-white outfits, and her belly was starting to seem visibly bigger.

    Yue Lingsi nodded. ¡°I went to the hospital yesterday to check whether the old witch really became blind. Haha, she totally deserved it! It¡¯s her karma that she¡¯ll spend the rest of her life in darkness. Karma!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s arrogantugh did not hide any of the joy she was feeling at the moment. She felt so smug when she saw Shen Wenna. A blind person could never go after Xi Mushan again!

    ¡°You went to see Shen Wenna yesterday?¡± Xi Xinyi was shocked.

    ¡°Yes, I knew Shen Wenna was at that hospital as well. If it weren¡¯t for Qi Lei¡¯s sudden appearance, I¡¯d have given that old witch a lesson. Xi Xiaye dared to go against me. I won¡¯t just let this matter pass!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s hatred was strong and her eyes turned cold.

    ¡°Qi Lei and Xi Xiaye don¡¯t know each other well and they hardly met each other before. In my impression, he¡¯s the kind of person who likes to be a bystander. Why would he interfere? Could it be because of Xi Xiaye?¡± Xi Xinyi went straight to the point.

    Yue Lingsi shook her head. ¡°That came across oddly to me as well. Some time ago, I heard Qi Kai and Glory World werepeting in the South River project. Glory World took it up and Qi Kai became one of the partners. The Han Corporation is nning on joining as well. It might be because of this. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be...¡±

    Xi Xinyi frowned and gave her mother a stern reminder, ¡°Mother, Qi Lei is no ordinary man. Be careful when you see him next time.¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, weren¡¯t you pretty close to him before? Can you get that report back for me? I feel like he was trying to help that witch Xi Xiaye, and he seemed to be pretty friendly to Shen Wenna. Could he be into Xi Xiaye?¡± Yue Lingsi tried to think about it and that was the conclusion she came to.

    ¡°Qi Lei likes Xi Xiaye?¡± Xi Xinyi repeated her words beforeughing out loud. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Xi Xiaye is Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman. No matter what, Qi Lei wouldn¡¯t mess with someone¡¯s wife, would he?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t say that for sure. How¡¯d you exin Qi Lei¡¯s behavior otherwise? He was rather rude to me!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei is always an oddball anyway. Who knows what he¡¯s going to do? Where¡¯s Father? Did you see him when you were there? Thest time he came home was two days ago!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression changed when Xi Mushan was mentioned. Her swollen face became rather scary. ¡°Hmph, he must be staying with Shen Wenna!¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what Father is thinking. It¡¯s chaos all over right now. Isn¡¯t he worried about his own image? Grandfather was really angry. If it weren¡¯t for Grandmother, Uncle would¡¯ve gone to the hospital!¡±

    ¡°He needs to face some consequences to realize our importance. If your grandfather and uncle didn¡¯t help him out, do you think he¡¯d be where he is today? Just who is Shen Wenna? He shamed me for that witch! I can¡¯t let this pass! And Xi Xiaye! I won¡¯t just let it end here!¡±

 Chapter 394 - Divorce Papers (1)

    <h4>Chapter 394: Divorce Papers (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi was starting to boil with anger. Just how much had she given for the Xi family and for Xi Mushan?

    How could Shen Wennapare to Yue Lingsi?

    What had she ever done for Xi Mushan?

    Just what did Shen Wenna do to deserve all of Xi Mushan¡¯s love while her efforts were all ignored by him?

    She could not ept this!

    ¡°Please don¡¯t get angry, Mother... Father... He...¡±

    Xi Xinyi still had something else to say, but there was a noiseing from the door. They both looked over and saw Xi Mushan storming in with Ah Hui right behind him.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re back!¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Xu Mushan, but he just nced at her and then went upstairs indifferently. He did not even bother to look at Yue Lingsi.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression darkened as she got even madder.

    ¡°Father, Sister beat Mother up. She overdid it! It¡¯s unfortunate that Aunt Shen fell down the stairs, but that¡¯s not Mother¡¯s fault. She...¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Do you think you two are not responsible for Wenna¡¯s injury at all? You still want to avoid the responsibility?¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s bitter words interrupted her halfway.

    Xi Xinyi shivered when she saw Xi Mushan¡¯s sharp, cold eyes.

    She rarely saw Xi Mushan get angry at her. Even though Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi were on bad terms, he had never gotten her involved. The changes in Xi Mushan started ever since Xi Jiyang¡¯s birthday.

    It was Xi Xiaye¡¯s first visit back home in several years, but Xi Mushan had pped Yue Lingsi then.

    After that, their conflict got worse and worse.

    Xi Xinyi did not utter another word. Xi Mushan¡¯s sharp look made her afraid, and she felt very uneasy.

    ¡°Madam, Mayor wants you to go to the study room,¡± Ah Hui told Yue Lingsi after Xi Mushan went upstairs.

    ...

    Yue Lingsi arrived at his study room with a stormy expression. He was standing with his back facing her as he watched the servants work in the garden downstairs.

    Only Yue Lingsi and Xi Mushan were in the room while Ah Hui stayed outside to guard the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s been twenty years. It¡¯s time to put an end to this thing between you, me, and Wenna. Too many people have been involved. Do you have anything to say?¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s cool voice reached her.

    Yue Lingsi stood by the table behind him, watching his back as she felt a pain in her chest. She snickered coldly. ¡°What can I say? Shen Wenna deserves what happened to her! If it weren¡¯t for her, things wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this today! Why didn¡¯t she marry someone else after her divorce? She¡¯s just trying to cling onto you, Mushan. Shen Wenna is a wicked woman. Why won¡¯t you give up on her? How is she better than me? Why do you always ignore me for her?¡±

    ¡°No matter what, thirty years ago when I married her, I told her that I¡¯d love her and her alone my whole life. If it weren¡¯t for Deng Wenwen and you, we¡¯d be living a happy life as aplete family.¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s tone was calm. He turned around and stared at Yue Lingsi with his cold eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve been tormenting each other for twenty years. Do you feel happy about it? You got your wish granted and came into the Xi family. Do you think this is the life you really wanted? You forcefully broke Wenna and me apart and destroyed me. Do you really feel pleased about that?¡±

    ¡°Mushan, I...¡±

    ¡°Wenna thought of you as her best friend. When she was with me, she would leave me without any hesitation if you gave her a call. She was genuine towards you, yet you treat her this way? This is your so-called friendship?

    Xi Mushan put on an icy cold smile. ¡°You stepped all over her genuine friendship and worked with Deng Wenwen to drug her husband. You ruined her happy family and thought you could rece her!¡±

    ¡°Mushan, listen to me. I didn¡¯t think too much about it back then because I loved you so much and I just wanted you... You wouldn¡¯t know my pain seeing her by your side every day! I fell in love with you first. I also told her that I loved you, yet she still butted in! How can I ept that? If she really thought of me as her best friend, she should¡¯ve refused your proposal and given you to me!¡± Yue Lingsi roared angrily and self-righteously.

    ¡°Given to you? Then, why don¡¯t you grant her wish? You¡¯re really scary. Your mind is toxic and Xinyi is bing like you. I feel nothing but disgust when I see you. How could I ever fall in love with a scary woman like you? I¡¯ve never seen anyone as ugly and wicked as you. You¡¯re willing to sacrifice anyone to achieve your goals!¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s sharp eyes and cutting words extinguished all of Yue Lingsi¡¯s hope instantly!

    He said she was disgusting?

    She was ugly and wicked?

    Unable to believe it, she forgot to cry and just stared at Xi Mushan nkly. ¡°What did you say? I¡¯m disgusting? I¡¯m ugly and wicked?¡±

    Xi Mushan did not reply. His eyes looked at her so angrily that she could not help but shiver.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I do all of these for your sake? I don¡¯t care about my reputation. I¡¯m not afraid if people call me a mistress. I brought Xinyi up, and I told my father to ask my brother to look after you and even help your father. Who do you think I did all these for? Now, you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m disgusting? The whole world can criticize me for anything, but you don¡¯t have the right to say so, Xi Mushan!¡± Yue Lingsi cried uncontrobly.

    ¡°I can do anything to love you, but I¡¯ve never thought that I¡¯d be so worthless to you! I tried to be obedient and thought of you as my everything. I kept this charade up for more than twenty years. I thought I¡¯d somehow warm your heart and maybe get a little bit offort from you, but now you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m disgusting?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your everything? But you tried to suppress me and think about how to hurt Wenna and Xiaye? How could I possibly fall in love with someone as wicked as you? Do you think I¡¯d love you just because you took Wenna away from me?¡±

 Chapter 395 - Divorce Papers (2)

    <h4>Chapter 395: Divorce Papers (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Mushan as tears covered her face.

    Xi Mushan suddenlyughed as his eyes stared at her coldly. ¡°Dream on! I wouldn¡¯t like a woman like you even if I had to die!¡±

    ¡°I, Xi Mushan, only belong to Shen Wenna! As for you, you can¡¯t evenpare up to a mere finger of hers!¡± Each and every word stabbed her heart like tiny needles. The cold and pain almost suffocated her!

    ¡°So what? I¡¯m still your woman right now, and Shen Wenna is just a divorceddy, a blind woman! I¡¯m your wife! Xi Mushan¡¯s official wife! How is she better than me now? She can never make aeback ever again. What can she do?¡±

    Yue Lingsi was furious. ¡°I saw that blind witch yesterday! How pitiful! She¡¯s truly turned into a useless person and can¡¯t even take care of herself. She is now such a burden to the world. You might as well let her die!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re the useless person! A wicked person like you should¡¯ve died instead!¡±

    Xi Mushan was triggered by Yue Lingsi¡¯s words. The grudge he had been holding in for the past twenty years exploded. How he wished he could kill Yue Lingsi right this instance! Yue Lingsi clenched her fists and nearly broke down.

    ¡°My woman? My official wife? Do you think you¡¯re worthy of that title? I¡¯ve not touched you even once in the past twenty years, and you think you deserve that title? All this should end right now!¡± Xi Mushan went to his table to grab a document and threw onto the table before Yue Lingsi. ¡°This is the divorce papers. Sign it.¡±

    Divorce papers?

    Yue Lingsi widened her eyes and could not believe what she saw on the document. Her body trembled as she shook her head vehemently. ¡°I-Impossible! You¡¯re divorcing me? Impossible! This is impossible... My father...¡±

    ¡°If you still want to use your father and brother, I¡¯m telling you now that I¡¯ve resigned as the mayor. I¡¯m just a civilian, and you¡¯re not the mayoress anymore.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy!? Why did you resign!? Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re going to be promoted soon!?¡± Yue Lingsi stared at Xi Mushan nkly. She could not believe what Xi Mushan just did!

    ¡°Crazy? I¡¯m not crazy at all! You¡¯re the crazy one! I have nothing right now and can¡¯t give you any fancy titles anymore. You¡¯ve taken away whatever you could from the Xi family. I just hope that you can be quick and sign here. Then, we can end our miserable marriage. It¡¯s the best decision for everyone.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re giving up your career for that witch Shen Wenna? Xi Mushan! Just what curse did that witch put on you that you¡¯re willing to do this for her!? Dream on if you think I¡¯m going to divorce you and let you be with her! Impossible! I won¡¯t divorce you no matter what! I¡¯ll never let her get you. I¡¯ll never let her stand by your side!¡±

    Yue Lingsi flung the document back at Xi Mushan.

    A maniacalugh echoed inside the room. ¡°Haha! If I can¡¯t get it, then I¡¯ll make everyone suffer. Why should I suffer alone and watch you two be happy? No way!¡±

    ¡°As expected of a wicked woman! It¡¯s not up to you. If you don¡¯t agree, then I¡¯ll do it another way. The court will surely grant us a divorce, and the Yue family¡¯s reputation will go up in mes as well.¡±

    Xi Mushan grabbed a document folder from the table, he took out several photos and a document, ¡°My wife? Look at what you did behind my back! These should be enough to destroy your reputation!¡±

    Yue Lingsi wiped her tears off and lifted the document. The photos fell onto the floor, so she bent over and picked them up. Her swollen face turned pale!

    They were photos of her acting intimately with her date, and some were even taken in the car...

    ¡°You... Where did you get these?¡±

    Yue Lingsi flipped through the document in panic. It was a DNA report!

    ¡°You guys found Kowloon New City!¡± After Yue Lingsi eximed that, she realized she made a mistake, but it was already toote!

    ¡°It seems like you can¡¯t deny it. If you¡¯re smart, you should sign right now. Otherwise, these things will be exposed right away. The result will end up the same. You should know which one to choose.¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s hands were shaking as her body weakened fell onto the floor and her eyes went nk.

    ¡°Impossible... This is impossible...¡± Yue Lingsi thought no one would know. Xi Mushan did not touch her at all, and she was a woman who needed love.

    She could still resist the urge in the earlier years because she thought even if Xi Mushan was angry, it would not persist for long. However, ever since they got married, he never entered her room or get into the same bed as her.

    Once, she got drunk abroad and then did it with a director.

    So...

    She started to get addicted, but she hid it well and would only do it when she went abroad. She would not dare do it in the city.

    Except some time back, she kept having arguments with Xi Mushan and could not help but look forfort. Aside from fulfilling her needs, she was doing it to vent out her anger.

    Since Xi Mushan ignored her, there were a lot of people who adored her. All the male artistes were handsome and cool; any one of them was better than Xi Mushan!

    Every time after she did it, the emotions that remained inside her were resentment and unhappiness toward Xi Mushan, as well as the excitement and guilt of betraying him.

    All the mixed up emotions twisted her.

    ¡°Mushan, listen to me...¡± Yue Lingsi stared at the photos and documents on the floor nkly while tears started falling freely.

    ¡°No, Mushan, please. Don¡¯t divorce me. I¡¯m not going to look for them or Shen Wenna anymore, please...¡± Her ugly side was totally exposed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure I get this divorce done! Sign it! My patience is limited. Otherwise, I¡¯ll expose these right away. By that time, it¡¯s not just you. Even Yueying might go down. You understand how important Yueying is to Deng Wenwen. How would she treat you then? How would the Yue family treat you? You know the answer very well!¡±

 Chapter 396 - Divorce Papers (3)

    <h4>Chapter 396: Divorce Papers (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Mushan spoke, he took his phone out and was about to make a call.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t! Please don¡¯t do that! Don¡¯t!¡± Yue Lingsi quickly threw herself at him, half-kneeling and crawling as she held onto Xi Mushan¡¯s leg, stopping him from making the call.

    ¡°Mushan, don¡¯t! Mushan, don¡¯t make the call. Don¡¯t!¡±

    Yue Lingsi turned pale out of fright. She reached out and wanted to snatch the phone from Xi Mushan¡¯s hand, yet he evaded it and looked coldly at her. ¡°Sign it or make the call. Choose one yourself!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, Mushan! I don¡¯t want to choose either one! I really do love you, I really do! Why do you have to treat me this way? Why!?¡±

    She broke down and fell to the ground as her cheeks streamed with tears. Her swollen face appeared even more miserable and her hands trembled as she picked the divorce papers that had fallen to the ground up.

    ¡°Mushan, I¡¯ll change. I¡¯ll listen to you from now on as long as we don¡¯t get divorced, okay? I¡¯m begging you... I don¡¯t want to get a divorce...¡±

    Yue Lingsi wanted to make a final attempt to struggle, yet Xi Mushan had already made the call.

    ¡°Hello? Lawyer Wang...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t! Mushan! No! Don¡¯t make the call! I¡¯ll sign! I¡¯ll sign! I¡¯ll sign...¡± Yue Lingsi quickly picked up the pen that fell to the ground in a panic, and she messily signed the papers.

    ¡°I¡¯ve signed it, Mushan. I¡¯ve signed it. Don¡¯t make the call. I¡¯ve signed it...¡±

    With a tter, the pen in Yue Lingsi¡¯s hand fell to the ground. She remained sitting limply on the ground, crying as she was close to a breakdown.

    Xi Mushan hung up, then he slowly bent down and picked up the divorce papers. When he saw that Yue Lingsi had signed them, the coldness in his eyes faded away a little.

    It had been more than 20 years!

    More than 20 years!

    His bruised heart had long turned into ashes in the midst of this battle of resentment. Now that he was free, if he turned around to chase it all back, would his heart rise from the ashes?

    His heart was a stalk of grass. The roots were with Shen Wenna. If she let him live, he lived. If she let him die, he would die!

    <i>Na Na, I am back now, and I am have nothing at all. Would you still love me?</i>

    <i>Whether or not you are willing to ept me, this time, I¡¯ll definitely fulfill my promise...</i>

    Xi Mushan kept the document and put it back into the folder. Then, he turned to look at Yue Lingsi who had slumped limply onto the floor. ¡°When all¡¯s done, I will get Ah Hui to pass you the pictures. Also, if I could get these shots the first time, I can definitely get them a second time. If you don¡¯t want your reputation ruined, I hope that you will behave! You¡¯d better watch out!¡± he warned before turning to leave the room.

    His hostile and heartless retreat hurt Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes. She wanted to quickly and frantically chase after him, yet his figure had vanished out of the door.

    ¡°Mushan! Don¡¯t leave!¡± Yue Lingsi cried out until her voice was hoarse as she tried to make him stay. To her chagrin, what answered her was only the breeze that rustled from the window.

    ¡°Mayor!¡±

    Xi Mushan had just opened the door when Ah Hui called out. Before he could react, Xi Xinyi and Deng Wenwen had appeared before him.

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi could hear Yue Lingsi sobbing from outside the door, so she quickly walked in. A charred smell immediately filled the air while at this moment, Yue Lingsi ran up to her in rm.

    ¡°Xinyi, Xinyi, quickly get your father back! He made me sign the divorce papers for Shen Wenna, that slut! He¡¯s even giving up his position as mayor, and he wants to divorce me!¡± She held Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand tightly as if she was her final hope while her whole body trembled.

    ¡°What? You¡¯ve signed divorce papers?¡± When she heard Yue Lingsi say that, Xi Xinyi was astounded!

    At that second, Deng Wenwen, who was outside, immediately blocked Xi Mushan. ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    Deng Wenwen spoke sternly, ¡°Divorce? You don¡¯t even want to be mayor anymore? What is the meaning of this? You¡¯d better exin it to me!¡±

    Xi Mushan abruptly halted his steps as he looked coldly at Deng Wenwen. Years ago, this woman he called his stepmother did not facilitate in making today happen any less. If he had known this years ago, he would not have let Yue Lingsi keep Xi Xinyi, and give rise to the circumstances they were in today. This woman was also one of the masterminds!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already exin it very clearly? I¡¯ve sent my resignation letter to the council. Yue Lingsi has signed these divorce papers too. That is what I mean.¡± Xi Mushan mockingly challenged Deng Wenwen with his stare. Many years ago when Shen Wenna was so determined to ask for a divorce, this woman had no less mocked and ridiculed Shen Wenna. Just thinking about someone as proud as Shen Wenna, after bearing the pain of his betrayal, how could she also bear insinuations of the criticisms?

    Xi Mushan understood Deng Wenwen too well. This woman put benefit above all else!

    ¡°Nonsense! This is such a huge matter! Are you trying to shock the family? I don¡¯t agree to this. You can¡¯t. Immediately get your resignation letter back and nullify the divorce papers too!¡± ordered the iron-willed elderlydy immediately.

    Yet, Xi Mushan justughed coldly. ¡°No one can change my decision. I¡¯ve already handed my resignation in and I¡¯m determined on getting divorced!¡±

    ¡°Do you really insist on doing so?¡±

    When Deng Wenwen saw Xi Mushan¡¯s set attitude, she felt her whole body tense up as if she was entering into battle mode. Her aged face turned stiff, then she looked furious.

    ¡°What? Do you want to use those things to threaten me again? This trick has lost its effect. Your safe has already been cracked open. Everything is with me. Your so-called evidence has already been burned to ruins by me, so all of this should end now.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s deep voice came through. He reached out to take the papers that were half-burned and handed them to Deng Wenwen.

    ¡°What did you say!?¡± In shock, Deng Wenwen quickly snatched the remaining papers from Xi Mushan¡¯s hand. Upon closer look, she was startled!

    It was the contents of her safe!

    How could he have known the existence of the safe, and even get ess to the safe key and password?

    Deng Wenwen kept thinking about it, but she could not figure it out!

    However, the only person who could get hold of the key was only Xi Jiyang!

    When she thought about this possibility, Deng Wenwen could not help but grind her teeth. She took a few steps back until her back bumped into the cold railing. She then held onto the railing and steadied herself!

    Bam!

    ¡°Grandmother! Be careful!¡± Xi Xinyi instantly went over to help hold Deng Wenwen.

    ¡°I hope these things wille to an end now. When I¡¯ve settled things in my apartment, I¡¯lle over to bring Father over. From now on, this ce will have nothing to do with me. Don¡¯t go disturbing Wenna and the rest anymore. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that there won¡¯t be a second batch of news delivered to you.¡±

    Xi Mushan nced indifferently at Yue Lingshi who cried her eyes out and was pale. A sneer of disdain twisted at the corner of his mouth before he then turned and walked downstairs.

 Chapter 397 - The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (1)

    <h4>Chapter 397: The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The warm sun rose high, pushing the faint mist down and soon, the entire Maple Residence was engulfed in an intoxicating softness.

    The cool breeze gently brushed past, slowly streaming in through the numerous gaps. The hanging curtains gently swayed whilst the air was filled with a faint fragrance of orchids.

    The husband and wife were still sound asleep in bed.

    Xiaye naturally would not have noticed that ever since she was fond of Mu Yuchen¡¯s hugs, her sleeping position was devoid of any reservedness, just like how it was right now. Her sleeping posture was no different from an octopus.

    Every time he woke up first, he would have to spend a lot of effort to pull her away without waking her up.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I want to have tomato omelet today, ooh, and hot and sour shredded potato!¡± She propped her head up on one hand and watched the man with misty eyes as he put his clothes on.

    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Mu Yuchen turned to look at her. His hair was still damp from the shower he just had, but overall, he looked quite spirited and very dashing.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s fine. I feel like I¡¯ve slept for too long. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve slept sofortably. Geez, it¡¯s already past 10 a.m.¡±

    Xiaye reached up to scratch her messy head of hair as her beautiful eyes twinkled like the stars. They steeped with a misty yet moving splendor. Her beautiful face was even colored in a faint blush and her delicate shoulders and corbones were faintly discernible underneath the warm nket, appearing quite seductive.

    ¡°You can sleep for a while more. I¡¯m going down to cook. In the afternoon, a photographer wille over to take our wedding pictures. The makeup artist wille earlier. The sunlight today is quite warm, so the pictures wille out lovely too.¡±

    As he spoke, he bent down and leaned over to nt a kiss on her forehead, then he moved towards the side of her lips.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t washed up...¡± She instantly wanted to cover her face, yet he caught her hand. A chilly kiss fell on her lips as the familiar fragrance that belonged to him closed in. She could not help but feel intoxicated, then her slender arms reached out and circled around his shoulders.

    After a long, silky kiss, their breaths became a little unsteady. He had to use quite some effort before he managed to pull himself away from her lips. After holding her long hair back and fixing it, then he covered her up with the warm nket again.

    ¡°Sleep a while more. I¡¯ll call you when the food¡¯s done. Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get up and help you.¡± She wanted to get up, yet he held her down by the shoulders. The scar on her left shoulder could still vaguely be seen. He took a brief but thoughtful look at it. The light in his eyes flickered with gloom in the depths of them.

    When she saw him suddenly stop, she followed his gaze and turned to his line of sight. Her slightly obvious and ugly scar entered her sight, and she reflexively reached out to cover it. Then, she lowered her gaze and hesitated before looking up at him again.

    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± he asked softly.

    She shook her head gently. When she met his concerned gaze, she said inly, ¡°It hasn¡¯t hurt for a while now. I just feel a little sad that I can¡¯t wear strapless dresses anymore. More importantly, I can¡¯t wear a strapless wedding dress. Su Nan said that I¡¯d definitely look really good in a strapless wedding dress.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful. You¡¯d look amazing wearing anything. Of course, you look just as fantastic not wearing anything too,¡± he consoled.

    ¡°Horrible!¡± She scooped a pillow up and tossed it at him. ¡°You look fantastic not wearing anything!¡±

    Then, she suddenly thought that did not sound right, so she red at him and got up to hug the warm nket. ¡°I almost forgot. I want to see our wedding outfits.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same even if you see themter. You don¡¯t look too sleepy anyway, so it¡¯s fine if you want to wake up a little earlier. I¡¯ve prepared the water for you. Go take a bath.¡±

    ...

    After she was done with her bath and washing up, Mu Yuchen had already finished cooking when she went downstairs.

    Xi Xiaye called Shen Wenna who was still at the hospital, which was when she found out that Shen Yue was apanying her, so she felt more assured.

    ¡°You two work on your own things. Take gorgeous wedding photos. As for the family photo, well, we can take a group picture on your wedding day. Everyone will definitely be there then. Doll yourself up. You must look like a proper bride!¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s joyful voice could be heard through the phone. He knew that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had decided to take wedding photos while the weather was pleasant today, so he was thrilled.

    He did not have many wishes as a man in his old age. He just wished for the children to live happily and peacefully while he could have some idle days for himself. That would be enough for this lifetime.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯m a natural beauty? Besides, Mother and Grandma are both so outstanding, so I wouldn¡¯t be too bad, would I?¡±

    ¡°Shameless! Okay, go have your meal. I¡¯ll be here with your mother. Go snap some nice photographs. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡±

    Shen Yue then hung up.

    As Xi Xiaye watched the phone screen gradually darken, a faint smile could not help but surface on her beautiful face. She stood at the door and watched the warm sun pouring in from outside, she felt a tenderness in her heart.

    <i>It all gets better...</i>

    <i>Mother¡¯s eyes will definitely be able to see the light again!</i>

    ¡°What are you thinking about? Time to eat!¡± Suddenly the man¡¯s gentle voice came from behind. She subconsciously turned and saw him busy serving soup and rice at the table. While she watched him for quite a while, a barrage of images of him suddenly shed through her mind.

    He, who was all-powerful in business, high-spirited on the basketball court, calm and carefree when he was rxed, was now being all domestic and warm.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    When he looked up, he unexpectedly met her eyes that were clear as the moon¡¯s splendor, and then he smiled. There was an indescribable, faint doting in his eyes.

    She thought about it, then suddenly called out softly, ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What is it?¡± He pulled open a chair, yet his gaze remained on her.

    ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to say your name.¡±

    She smiled, then walked over. Sitting down, she picked up the bowl to drink the soup. ¡°I notice that your culinary skills have been improving. I still think that I¡¯m more at ease eating your cooking at home.¡±

    It had been quite a few days since she ate his cooking. Now that she spooned it into her mouth, she felt like she missed it.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that you¡¯ll gain weight if you ate too much?¡± He chuckled.

    ¡°I¡¯ve suddenly lost 5 kilograms recently. I can just eat as I like. I can even eat honey sauce steak tonight.¡±

    ¡°When I¡¯m not around, you don¡¯t seem to be living well, huh?¡±

    His smile was like a warm light passing through the dusk. It came faintly, and she could not help but be increasingly fond of it. She even wanted to possess his smile. No, she wanted to possess even more.

    Such as him...

    Would they be like this forever?

    She looked at him for quite a while, then lowered her gaze. ¡°Without you around, I wasn¡¯t really used to it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not hide how her thoughts, so she admitted it.

    Yes, getting used to something was a terrifying thing. If one were not careful, it could turn into a slow poison. When you realized it, it would already have seeped into your bones.

 Chapter 398 - The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (2)

    <h4>Chapter 398: The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The makeup artist arrived after lunch. Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo went over as well. Mu Lingshi dragged her aside to try on the wedding dresses as Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo had tea in the living room while they talked business.

    All the dresses were custom-made and there were over twenty of them in various colors such as sapphire, light purple, beige, and white.

    There was even a long casual dress which she could wear when attending a banquet.

    Xi Xiaye only had light makeup on when she sat before the dressing table. There was a whole bunch of essories that Mu Yuchen had brought back for her in the wardrobe, but he was still worried they might not match well, so he got Jewelry City to send over several sets as well.

    Her ck hair was tied up into a bun with a violet flower hairpin, which gave her a ssic vibe, especially when it apanied the beige dress on her.

    ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯re so beautiful! I think that Brother must be very blessed.¡±

    Impressed, Mu Lingshi, she looked around and then said, ¡°My brother really has an amazing taste. He must have been captivated by your beauty. No wonder you two got together so fast.¡±

    ¡°Well, when we first met I thought he was really handsome too.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she looked over at Mu Lingshi. Just as she wanted to say something about her and Ah Mo, she noticed Mu Lingshi staring at her corbone area oddly. She quickly looked into the mirror and saw the incriminating evidence someone had left therest night.

    She covered it awkwardly as Mu Lingshi chuckled. ¡°Sister-inw, I want to ask you something. My brother always seemed so upright and proper. How is he like when doing that, ahem...¡±

    Xi Xiaye blushed a little, then she coughed and replied quietly, ¡°You have to ask him about that.¡±

    ¡°If I could ask him, I wouldn¡¯t have asked you.¡± Mu Lingshi shrugged and put on a cool smile.

    ¡°If you really want to know, why don¡¯t you try it with Ah Mo? He always looks very upright too. He¡¯s probably just like your brother, not romantic at all.¡±

    ¡°Romantic? They don¡¯t know anything about it! My brother is probably better. Look at Bro Su Chen. He¡¯s the epitome of an unromantic person!¡±

    ....

    Downstairs, Mu Yuchen put on a white suit and looked dapper as he sat back down on the sofa. Ah Mo was drinking some tea while he looked at the photographer busy setting up.

    ¡°How are things with Lingshi?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Ah Mo and asked.

    Ah Mo turned his head over when he heard the abrupt question. Mu Yuchen was already sitting opposite him and he smiled shyly. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    Mu Yuchen adjusted his sleeves a little. ¡°I hope I can hear good news from both of you this time. It¡¯d be great if you can get past this hurdle.¡±

    ¡°We will get past it, Master.¡± Ah Mo smiled and drank some more tea. ¡°How¡¯s Teacher Shen¡¯s condition? Do we need to contact Ah Bo and ask him to look for doctors abroad?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not in a positive state, but we need more observation to know more, so we¡¯ll stay put for now.¡±

    It should be a critical period of time for Xi Mushan right now. He could just wait for the results from him since he had already done all he could from holding down the Yue family as well as easing Shen Yue¡¯s anger.

    ¡°Master, can we take action on Yueying now? Vice President Liu called and said things are almost done on his end. Are we going to give the newpany the Imperial Sky brand? Or are we putting Glory World¡¯s name in directly?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll decideter. Don¡¯t spread the news just yet. I want to give your sister-inw a special wedding gift. However, I¡¯ll need some help from you guys.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sipped some tea as a rarely seen warmth appeared on his face. His eyes seemed gentle as well.

    The power of love was so great that Ah Mo hardly felt the usual distant and cold vibe from him anymore.

    So, Master had changed a lot. Although he never noticed it before, he fully felt it now that he thought about it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master! Besides the special wedding gift, you and Missus will surely enjoy an unforgettable wedding.¡± Ah Mo smiled.

    At the same time, there were sound of footstepsing from the staircase. They both looked up at the same time and saw Xi Xiaye walk down carefully as she held her long dress. Mu Lingshi and the others were right behind her.

    Only light makeup was applied on her beautiful face. With her hair tied up and wearing an elegant long beige dress, she was indeed a ssic beauty.

    She was much more captivating than he imagined.

    Princess...

    No, she should be a witch, his own personal witch. That was how it should be.

    ¡°Does it look weird? It doesn¡¯t feel very natural.¡±

    She noticed that he was a little out of himself when she went up to him. Peering down at her outfit without confidence, she seemed to be regretting it.

    It was her first time wearing a wedding dress, so it was natural for her to feel a little odd and excited, but she was also worried that he might not be satisfied.

    ¡°It¡¯s tailor-made for you. Of course, you¡¯d wear it the best.¡± He smiled as he held her hand.

    ¡°Really?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s mood lightened up when he praised her and her confidence instantly shot up.

    ¡°Even the best actress at the Oscars isn¡¯t half as good as you.¡±

    Sheughed when he said that. Then, she helped to adjust his tie and said quietly, ¡°Mr. Mu, today you look much more handsome than usual too.¡±

    He had a sudden urge to see her on the wedding day, specifically the scene where she married him in a real wedding dress. He suddenly understood why so many couples longed for a unique wedding. Seeing each other¡¯s happy smile was such enjoymen;, it did not matter to anyone else but them.

    ¡°Brother, Sister-inw, the photographer is ready. Go over quickly. We might have a tight schedule in the eveningter.¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes softened as they were filled with happy wishes for the couple. She smiled as she took out a pair of sunsses from her pocket to cover her scar.

    Ah Mo beamed as well, ncing at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye before averting his gaze to Mu Lingshi.

 Chapter 399 - The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (3)

    <h4>Chapter 399: The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The weather was great since the sun was not overbearingly hot. May wasing soon which meant that it was not cold like winter or extremely hot like in June or July.

    The breeze brought along the fragrance of orchids with it from the orchid shrubs by the roadside.

    Apart from working on Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi¡¯s matter, Wang Hui came over and instructed Sis Wang and the other servants to decorate the whole ce after knowing they would be taking their wedding photos. Roses were entwined on the streetmps on both sides.

    They had gone over and decorated it this morning without waking the couple up.

    Xi Xiaye was reminded about when she had just gotten married to Mu Yuchen and entered Maple Residence as itsndy for the first time. Sis Wang had done something simr too.

    She felt a warmth inside her as she thought about it.

    She chuckled at her thoughts until she felt something block her front. She raised her head and saw the man standing before the light. His eyes were looking at her with a warm gaze.

    They did not need to prepare for a pose because no matter how anyone looked at them, they were perfect for each other. They were absolutely beautiful and romantic.

    ...

    Under the setting sun, he held her hand as they walked past the Grand Waves Vi area. The gentle sunset embraced them as the light evening breeze lifted her beautiful veil. He suddenly stopped going forward and turned toward her.

    His eyes glittered when he saw her pretty little face. He left a kiss on her forehead, and then went for her pink lips...

    Behind them were their long shadows.

    The scenery came to a halt and the photographer did not miss a single beautiful moment, capturing everything.

    Somewhere nearby, Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo were standing next to each other.

    Watching them, Mu Lingshi took a deep breath. Her eyes behind the pair of huge sunsses softened and she had a smile on her face too.

    ¡°At least, Brother finally found his soulmate. I used to worry that he might be lonely without anyone around him. This is great.¡± Mu Lingshi was relieved.

    ¡°Missus is a nice person. Master really loves her,¡± Ah Mo replied.

    ¡°Mmm, after knowing her for a while, she might not be the best woman Brother has met so far, but she suits him the most. She has this power that can give others strength. She encouraged me.¡± Mu Lingshi was feeling grateful when she said these words.

    Yes, she encouraged her.

    When someone was stuck in a difficult ce and found it hard to go on, simple words of encouragement could help a person to be strong amidst the hardship.

    That day, on the way back to City Z from City B, Xi Xiaye had whispered something to her. She told her that she liked an encouraging poem from Pushkin.

    <i>If life deceives you, do not grieve or burn with anger,e what may; give in to the unhappy days and times of joy wille: believe!</i>

    She also said that she would rather be a silly woman than be calctive about every little thing. It was better that way.

    Now that she thought about it, she was really simr to Mu Yuchen. Their inner thoughts were very close together, and that was how they epted each other.

    Suddenly, Mu Lingshi took a deep breath in. ¡°Fate is sometimes a peculiar thing. I remember when I visited him in New Yorkst year, I told him to find me a sister-inw. He red at me that time, and now...¡±

    ¡°The first time Master saw Missus was at the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern. Grandmother and Grandfather arranged for them to meet. Afterward, Missus was scalded, so Master sent her to the hospital... I think Master thought of Missus as a special person ever since then. He never really cared about other women,¡± Ah Mo said firmly.

    Mu Lingshi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure Sister-inw must have something that attracted him. Brother probably didn¡¯t realize it. After all, fate is really hard to grasp.¡±

    ¡°Will we be like them too, Ah Shi?¡±

    Ah Mo was envious of them. He suddenly turned over and looked at Mu Lingshi, his eyes filled with expectations and love. ¡°While we are envious of them, we could do the same too, couldn¡¯t we?¡±

    Mu Lingshi was slightly stunned. She had no idea what to say.

    She seemed to be struggling and she clenched her fists too. Then, he took a deep breath and summoned some courage inside him, carefully holding her hand.

    His movement was subtle and careful as if he was afraid of scaring her.

    Mu Lingshi almost wanted to move away from the warm touch, but Ah Mo quickly grasped her hand.

    She did not struggle much because she was being considerate of his bandaged arm. Instead, she let him hold her hand as her eyes behind her sunsses started to tear up.

    The warmth on her palm was so familiar to her as if it had been several centuries since shest experienced this. She realized she missed this feeling.

    If she really did what Xi Xiaye told her to and not mind so much about the trivial matters, would she really be happier?

    All these years that she had trapped herself in her lonely castle, she was not the only one who was in sorrow about it.

    After giving it some thought, she took a deep breath and told him, ¡°Give me some time, Ah Mo.¡±

    In surprise, he looked at her and saw the faint tears in the corner of her eyes, so he nodded. ¡°Sure, no matter how long it takes, I¡¯ll wait for you forever.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll be back... Alright, pack up the stuff and let¡¯s not bother them.¡±

    ...

    The photographer went back satisfied. Xi Xiaye was exhausted after the shoot, especially since she was wearing high heels the whole time. She quickly took her heels off when everyone started leaving, then she looked at the man beside her with her pitiful eyes.

    The man squinted his eyes at her and shook his head helplessly. he lowered down and said quietly, ¡°You can wear sandals if you want. The dress is too long for anyone to notice anyway.¡±

    Xi Xiaye climbed onto his back and replied, ¡°You¡¯re too tall. We won¡¯t look matching if I stand beside you without it.¡±

 Chapter 400 - The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (4)

    <h4>Chapter 400: The Most Beautiful Wedding Photos (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She circled her arms tightly around his shoulders, and answered rather matter-of-factly, ¡°The most matching couple in this world is us. Who dares to say otherwise?¡±

    He brazenly retorted, ¡°Can you be any more shameless? Have you ever seen someone pair a wedding dress with sandals?¡±

    ...

    When they returned to Maple Residence, Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were already done packing up. Mu Yuchen asked them to stay for dinner, but both of them did not stay. Obviously, they did not want to disturb the couple spending time with each other.

    After dinner, Mu Yuchen went to answer a call. It was from Su Chen.

    There was suddenly a strong gust of wind outside. It looked like it was about to rain, and there were lightning bolts from time to time in the night sky too. Xi Xiaye was worried, so she made a trip to the hospital. Shen Yue had already gone back while Xi Mushan had gone over earlier.

    After Xi Xiaye helped Shen Wenna with her shower, she helped Shen Wenna lie down again.

    When Shen Wennay down, she suddenly said to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Go home. It¡¯s fine with Sis Fu watching me here. I just can¡¯t see. It¡¯s not like I have some illness and can¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°When did Fathere over?¡± Xi Xiaye helped fix Shen Wenna¡¯s nket as she asked.

    ¡°He came over in the afternoon. Your grandpa even...¡± Shen Wenna sighed, not wanting to continue. ¡°Okay, go home. You¡¯ve been tired the entire day. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯te. I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t have the habit of sleeping early either. There might be a thunderstorm tonight, so I came over to take a look, and at the same time, talk to the doctor. Otherwise, I¡¯d be worried. Go to sleep earlier then. You can be discharged when your condition stabilizes in another two days.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯te over in the next two days. It¡¯s going to be the first of May soon. You have to be busy delegating work. Ah Chen¡¯s busy too. Don¡¯t keep dragging him over. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Shen Wenna obviously did not want to be a burden to them. They had a lot of things to worry about, and she heard that Shen Yue was even nning to get Xiaye to familiarize herself with Fuhua¡¯s business. When that happened, she would have even less time and she would need to adapt eventually.

    As Shen Yue¡¯s daughter, truthfully, she had not done much for Shen Yue. Instead, she made him worry for her his entire life.

    And now...

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t think too much. You are the mother that I respect. Taking care of you is what I should do, just as how you raised me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped what she was doing and silently looked at Shen Wenna whose eyes were hollow. She struggled for a while, before she said softly, ¡°Mother, do you... still love Father?¡±

    When she heard this, Shen Wenna was startled. After a long while, she muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t I answer this before?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to ask if you still love Father now. Not if you once loved him.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes lit up with hope. She fixed her gaze onto Shen Wenna, not wanting to miss any changes in her expression. ¡°Father has always loved you deeply. I have always hoped that the two of you could get back together again and that Father could return to our side.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been hurt by what Father did, but... but...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue in the end because she realized that every time she spoke about this, tears would form at the corner of Shen Wenna¡¯s gently shut eyes. Her hands had also clutched onto the nket tightly.

    She could only sigh and finally got up to quietly leave.

    When she left the ward, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were moist. She leaned against the cold wall and took a few deep breaths before she forced the numbing pain in her chest away. She was about to wipe the tears at the corner of her eyes away when a white handkerchief was handed to her.

    Still in a stupor, she reflexively took it and wiped the corner of her eyes as she looked up to see who it was. Then, she realized that the person before her was unexpectedly Qi Lei!

    ¡°Why is it you again?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was about to cry out, but Qi Lei lifted a hand to shush and stop her. She then realized that it waste at night and that she was at the hospital.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± asked, Xi Xiaye frowning as her movements stopped too.

    ¡°My friend was hospitalized. I know that Aunty Shen is here, so I wanted toe over to take a look. What? Why are you looking at me like that? I¡¯m telling the truth. Even though I do have that bit of grudge with Mu Yuchen, I¡¯ve always had protective feelings over the fairer sex. I wouldn¡¯t attack you. Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Qi Lei was not like before this. He was always the oddball, but now he seemed much more normal instead.

    ¡°Qi Lei, I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t think about going for my mother!¡± Xi Xiaye scowled and red at him.

    ¡°What are you saying? I don¡¯t like older women. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t think of going for Teacher Shen, but there is an extremely high possibility of me going for you. I might now be getting in touch with my future mother-inw right now. Everyone could get to know each other better first. What¡¯s so bad about that?¡±

    The bedazzling smile on Qi Lei¡¯s face blossomed like a flower as he admired Xi Xiaye¡¯s face that darkened.

    She looked so cute even when she was angry!

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. I¡¯m taken now. You¡¯d better stay far away from me. You are the most shameless man I¡¯ve ever met!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t get women if you aren¡¯t shameless! Would Mu Yuchen have been able to get you if he wasn¡¯t shameless?¡± Qi Leiughed.

    Xi Xiaye was speechless. She really wanted to hit him in the head. Instead, she red at him, then turned around to leave as she cursed, ¡°Lunatic!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy! Xiaye! Also, hey, you dropped something, do you still want it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye only stopped walking when he pointed this out. She turned to look and noticed him swaying a pen at her.

    A very familiar pen!

    It looked like hers!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows perked up. She then remembered the book she had lost and this pen. It seemed like she had forgotten to bring it back after apanying Shen Wenna on that walk.

    She did not say anything, just picking up her pace and continuing to walk ahead.

    When she walked out of the hospital, it was already raining cats and dogs outside. By the time Xi Xiaye quickly ran to the car and got in, she was half-drenched.

    The sky continued to flicker with lightning as Xi Xiaye quickly drove away from the car park. As she was about to step on the elerator and speed ahead, she saw that Qi Lei had caught up with her. He knocked on her car window.

    ¡°Give me a ride too. I stay in the Grand Lake Vi area. It¡¯s on the way anyway and my car can¡¯t seem to start,¡± spoke Qi Lei with a deep frown through the half-opened car window. She could see that his clothes were practically soaked while his car tires seemed to have been punctured.

    As Xi Xiaye watched him in his sorry state, she suddenlyughed, rejoicing in his misfortune. She shrugged helplessly and stepped on the elerator. The car sped ahead and left him stranded.

 Chapter 401 - Making Fun

    <h4>Chapter 401: Making Fun</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei ran after the car for a few steps. When he saw the car slowly driving further away and finally vanishing at the turn ahead, he felt annoyed and cursed, ¡°Vile woman!¡±

    He bent over with hands on his knees as he panted. Qi Lei really wanted to run up and strangle this woman. He had never seen a woman like her who dared to embarrass him!

    Yet, just as he was panting with his head lowered, suddenly¡ª

    Screech!

    Swoosh!

    With the sound of brakes squealing, water sshed and sttered on him, making him dirty!

    His eyes darkened. He was just about to see who was this annoying and arrogant person was when he looked up and saw that the car had unexpectedly stopped beside him. Xi Xiaye was rolling her window down as she squinted at him. Then, she tilted her head, indicating for him to get into the car.

    The burning fury in Qi Lei¡¯s heart extinguished a little as he red at her and walked around the car. He was about to open the front passenger door beside Xi Xiaye, yet she said coldly, ¡°Sit behind!¡±

    ¡°I like to sit shotgun!¡±

    Qi Lei was angry and wanted to open the car door, yet he could not. After that, he walked behind, feeling all flustered, and opened the car door to get in.

    Xi Xiaye casually threw him a towel before starting the car.

    The car was very warm. Qi Lei was all wet, so he took the towel to wipe his face as he looked at Xi Xiaye through the rearview mirror. ¡°You¡¯re really heartless! Do you think it¡¯s very fun to make fun of me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s actually quite fun.¡± Xi Xiaye grinned without hiding it. ¡°I don¡¯t care what grudges you have with Mu Yuchen in the past. If you¡¯re capable, then go look for a fight with him. Don¡¯te bothering me and my mother. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for not being courteous.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What are you going to do? Why are you so certain that I¡¯m doing this because of Mu Yuchen? Also, you¡¯re so protective of him, but do you know everything about him?¡± objected Qi Lei. His handsome face curved with a cold, demonic smile.

    ¡°He¡¯s my husband. If I don¡¯t protect him, who else do I protect? You?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a pretty tough temper!¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed coldly as she sped up, and the car drove through the rain at lightning speed.

    She had chosen to take the Ninth Crooked Bend. It was the secluded road towards the Grand Waves Vi. Since it was the weekend, plus it was a rainy night, she believed it would probably be very lively over there. Perfect timing! She could make this lecher suffer a little!

    She did not want to speak to him either, so she turned some upbeat music on, and then sped up the car which pierced through the rain like a sharp arrow.

    Her adept driving skills shocked even Qi Lei as he watched her. There was a faint cold scent that filled the air in the car which should belong to her. Her hair that fell on her shoulders were rather wet from the rain earlier too.

    Qi Lei kept quiet. He just watched her drive with narrowed eyes.

    Screech!

    He was not sure how long had passed when suddenly there was the sound of a car braking ahead, then a strong pair of light came from the front. Qi Lei subconsciously turned to look out of the window and noticed two race cars by his side. The rain outside had stopped a little.

    Screech!

    There was the sound of brakes squealing.

    Ka!

    Xi Xiaye had quickly changed gears ahead, and the car suddenly elerated.

    Bam!

    The sudden increase in speed caught Qi Lei off-guard, so he fell hard against the seat!

    Swoosh!

    There was another fierce and sudden turn before Qi Lei could react. His head mmed against the car window on the side!

    He then realized that the woman was racing with this group of lunatics. They roared past and the honkings were extremely piercing!

    Xi Xiaye had almost stepped all the way down on the elerator while both her hands skillfully handled the steering wheel. With a beautiful drift, she cut the Hummer in front. She did not even hear the bumps that came from the back seat!

    She had done this on purpose!

    This annoying woman was definitely doing it on purpose!

    Qi Lei finally understood it now! No wonder she smiled so evilly earlier!

    After the car made seven or eight turns, Qi Lei rocked from left to right till his head hurt. His whole body hurt too. He managed to hold onto the car handle above and steady himself, yet his body still rocked with the car. After a while, he felt dizzy and his chest was distressed as he thought about how miserable he felt.

    He gritted his teeth as he watched Xi Xiaye, who kept pursing her lips into a smile while looking at him through the rearview mirror from time to time. He wanted to just jump at her and hit sense into her.

    This was the first time Qi Lei had fallen for a woman¡¯s trick. He just knew that she would not be so kind!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s bright eyes looked at the ashen and angry Qi Lei through the rearview mirror and felt much better. Her chest instantly lightened.

    Screech!

    Just as Qi Lei almost could not bear it and was about to vomit, Xi Xiaye finally stepped on the brake!

    Bam!

    Ugh!

    With a loud bump, a grunt came. Qi Lei almost had not had time to feel the pain when he immediately got down from the car miserably.

    The sound of vomiting was heard. When Xi Xiaye turned to look, Qi Lei was holding onto the car door and throwing up on the ground. His brows were furrowed into a knot.

    ¡°We¡¯ve reached your Grand Lake Vi area. Please close the car door!¡±

    ¡°You did this on purpose! Annoying woman!¡±

    Qi Lei threw up until his legs felt weak. He wiped his mouth and then red at Xi Xiaye furiously.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged, smiling innocently. ¡°VP Qi, I was just kindly giving you a ride home. What do you mean by doing things on purpose? People frequently race on this road. Mr. Mu and I alwayse here to race. I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯d have car sickness. How weak!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye!¡± Qi Lei shouted through gritted teeth. Then, he kept onughing coldly. ¡°You¡¯re not mad. Your driving skills are pretty good!¡±

    Before Qi Lei could finish, a sick feeling came up from the pits of his stomach again, and he could not help but walk over and clutch the streetmp as he vomited into the rubbish bin again!

    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re not the only one who has said that. Bye!¡± chirped Xi Xiaye as she smiled. She quickly moved over to the other seat and reached out to close the car door before she drove away.

    When Qi Lei turned to look, the signs of the Porsche had long been swallowed by the rain ahead. He lifted a hand to wipe away the rainwater on his face while squinting at the empty direction. He did not regain his senses after a long while.

    ¡°Master Qi! Are you okay?¡±

    It was not sure how long had passed, but Yang Sheng appeared behind him with an umbre as he helped him put a winter coat on.

    ¡°Master Qi, dry yourself!¡±

    Qi Lei took over the handkerchief Yang Sheng handed, and wiped the moisture on his face as he pulled at the coat on his shoulder.

    ¡°Madam has waited for you for very long. I was about to go out and look for you. Quickly get into the car. The rain¡¯s heavy and it¡¯s quite cold!¡±

 Chapter 402 - Passed Away (1)

    <h4>Chapter 402: Passed Away (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen was already back home when she arrived. He frowned and gave her an earful before preparing the bath water for her.

    After they switched the lights off, the two of themy down on the bed. Mu Yuchen was suddenly reminded about something and he looked at Xi Xiaye. After some hesitation, he said, ¡°Xiaye, I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What¡¯s up?¡± Xi Xiaye opened her eyes that were bright like glittering stars.

    ¡°I just heard that Father has resigned,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Resigned!

    ¡°You mean he quit his position as Mayor?¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly sat up in shock and opened her eyes wide as she stared at him nkly.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°This is the second time. Father told me that he was rejected the first time, but this time...¡±

    ¡°Why did he do that?¡± Xi Xiaye was at a loss. While she did not understand what was going on with Xi Mushan much, she knew that citizens had positive reactions towards him being the Mayor, and rumors said he would be promoted very soon. It was his prime time right now, so why would he quit?

    ¡°Why? You know the answer yourself,¡± Mu Yuchen sighed, covering himself with the nket and went to sleep. Xi Xiaye was still looking at him nkly. After some time, she mumbled, ¡°You mean he did this for Mother?¡±

    ¡°He must¡¯ve been struggling all these years. What would you have done if you were in his shoes?¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and gave it a long thought. In the end, she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±

    ¡°I think he wanted to escape, or maybe he just wants a fresh start. However, it seems pretty difficult on Mother¡¯s end.¡±

    He used one arm as a pillow for his head while his other hand yed with her long hair.

    ¡°A fresh start? Father and Yue Lingsi are still married. Moreover, there¡¯s Xi Xinyi between them. How can he get a fresh start now?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Father will be able to divorce Yue Lingsi these few days. He quit his career. Apart from for Mother¡¯s sake, it¡¯s also to avoid being threatened again. From what I know, they should have some kind of secret against Father. There¡¯s no way else he would¡¯ve endured it through all these years. He¡¯s not the kind of person who lusts for power,¡± Mu Yuchen analyzed, his eyes turning cold.

    ¡°These few days? You guys found evidence of Yue Lingsi cheating and gave it to Father?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened up as she realized what must have happened!

    A wry smile appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Can¡¯t you let me say it to satisfy my manly pride?¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She did not reply and asked instead, ¡°What secret do they have against Father? If that¡¯s the case, can Father still divorce Yue Lingsi sessfully?¡±

    ¡°That depends on him, but I have faith in him.¡±

    ¡°How do you know he can? Even I have no faith in him... Of course, it¡¯d be best if he can divorce Yue Lingsi. I just asked Mother in the hospital if she still loves him. She closed her eyes and didn¡¯t give me a reply, but I saw the tears in the corner of her eyes... So, I think she still misses Father, even when he...¡±

    She lowered her head and went silent. Suddenly, she turned around and looked at him while looking a little lost. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to end up like them, right?¡±

    He was helpless against her words. He quickly grabbed her over as his sensual voice reached her ears. ¡°Stop overthinking!¡±

    ¡°If you happen to do that, I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡±

    ¡°Missus, Mr. Mu only belongs to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±

    In the next two days, they were busy preparing before the holidays. Work had piled up in the office. Fortunately, Vice President Zhang Lan was handling the South River project now. She would not have been able to handle it at the moment.

    Mu Yuchen transferred two projects under her to other managers, so she was mainly taking care of the handover. They would need to start preparing for their wedding soon, but they could not just leave their work, hence the handover work must be done now.

    Working hours had ended, and most employees had left, so the whole ce was quiet.

    Inside Xi Xiaye¡¯s office, Xi Xiaye took the documents from Xiao Mei. ¡°You can go back now. Happy holidays!¡±

    ¡°Alright, happy holidays too, Director Xi! Please head back earlier!¡± Xiao Mei left with a smile. When she was at the door, she almost bumped into Mu Yuchen!

    ¡°Good evening, Chairman Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded slightly before walking past.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go for inspection in Car City? You¡¯re back so soon!¡± Xi Xiaye kept the documents inside her briefcase before she looked at him and asked.

    ¡°Ah Mo drove the car back. I have a document to get, so I just came over here to take a look, knowing you¡¯d still be here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed a document to her, which she slipped into her briefcase as well. ¡°Good timing. Let¡¯s visit Mother at the hospital. The doctor just called me and said they gave her a full body checkup today. She can be discharged in two days.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed her briefcase and put his arm over her shoulders when they walked out.

    As they arrived at the hospital, the sky turned dark. The private nurse, Sis Fu, was there. Shen Wenna just had dinner and Sis Fu updated them that Xi Mushan had not been here for the past two days. He seemed to be busy with something.

    Inside the room, Xi Xiaye just helped Shen Wenna wash up when Li Si came knocking on the door. He looked at Mu Yuchen with a grim expression. ¡°Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen helped Shen Wenna lie down before turning over to look at Li Si. He frowned when he noticed something not right with Li Si¡¯s expression, so he told Xi Xiaye, ¡°Stay here with Mother for a while. I¡¯ll go take a look outside.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Mu Yuchen vanished from the room. Only Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna were left, and it was quiet in there.

    Xi Xiaye covered Shen Wenna with a nket as she said softly, ¡°Mother, the doctor said your condition is now stable and you can be discharged the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ve discussed with Mu Yuchen and we decided to have you stay over at Maple Residence. It¡¯s easier for us to take care of you.¡±

 Chapter 403 - Passed Away (2)

    <h4>Chapter 403: Passed Away (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Aforting smile appeared on Shen Wenna¡¯s face when she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words, yet she shook her head. ¡°Ah Chen and you just got married. Why would I stay with you now? Moreover, there are servants in the Shen Residence too. They can take care of me. You guys should focus on what you need to do.¡±

    Shen Wenna suddenly extended her arm to Xi Xiaye and held her hand.

    ¡°Your wedding in June ising up soon. You guys must be busy preparing for it now. Xiaye, I hope you guys can have an unforgettable wedding to fill up the emptiness inside me. Maybe I won¡¯t be able to see now, but I¡¯m sure that Ah Chen won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    Shen Wenna looked rather mncholy despite her calm appearance. Even her eyes seemed lonely as well.

    ¡°Mother, yours and Father¡¯s wedding back then...¡± Xi Xiaye pried.

    Shen Wenna took a deep breath. She blinked and seemed to be recollecting her memories of the past. After some time, she replied, ¡°Back then, your father and I were in a hurry to marry. The wedding wasn¡¯t much. I just put on a veil and married him. We only invited several of our close friends. I was too headstrong back then and only cared about marrying your father. I even tried to break off my rtionship with your grandpa... I really...¡±

    ¡°Mother, you were young once! You loved fiercely and courageously. Sometimes, I¡¯m really envious of you. You can do everything for love. I told Mu Yuchen that love back then was really much simpler, and a pure form of happiness.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled.

    ¡°However, it¡¯s all in the past now. You have to understand this, Xiaye. Promises always sound better when you¡¯re in love.¡± Shen Wenna sighed. She had had a taste of it herself, experiencing all kinds of people and matters in life. Who knew what would happen in the end?

    No matter how close a rtionship was, it could not go up against the fight for benefits, and her love with Xi Mushan died for the sake of this said benefit.

    ¡°Mother, Mu Yuchen told me that Father quit his career and has been busy handling divorce with Yue Lingsi.¡± Xi Xiaye was suddenly reminded about this recent development and told Shen Wenna about it, wanting to see her reaction.

    Shen Wenna did not say anything, but Xi Xiaye could feel her mother¡¯s hand freeze up as she was holding it.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye continued, ¡°If Father can do all of that ande back to you, are you still willing to ept him?¡±

    ...

    In the hospital corridor, Mu Yuchen stood by the railing and looked at the city lights outside.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Behind him, Li Si nodded. ¡°Master, Elder Xi is in grave condition and might leave us any moment. He¡¯s been sent to Townsperson Hospital. I just had a call with Mayor Xi¡¯s secretary and found out that Mayor Xi has been taking care of Elder Xi for the past two days. The situation seems dire.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face darkened when he heard Li Si¡¯s report.

    Some time ago when he visited them with Xiaye, he still seemed alright even though he was unable to walk very well. It was happening all too soon.

    ¡°Do you know the exact condition?¡± he asked quietly.

    ¡°The doctors have already concluded he can¡¯t live past this year, and with the conflicts in the Xi family, he¡¯s probably been exhausted by it all already. Especially if Yue Lingsi¡¯s matter is exposed, we don¡¯t know if he can take the impact.¡±

    Of course, Mu Yuchen was aware of what Li Si just said. He was worried about this and held back his thoughts. He wanted to wait until Xi Mushan¡¯s divorce before deciding to use this trump card or not.

    ¡°Master, on the other hand, Mayor Xi and Yue Lingsi are now officially divorced effectively starting today.¡±

    Li Si had gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau to investigate and confirm that Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi were divorced. It seemed like the documents were a big impact on Yue Lingsi!

    The Yue family did not interfere throughout the whole process because when Xi Mushan received the evidence of Yue Lingsi cheating, the exact same document was delivered to Elder Yue!

    The Yue family was not stupid. If this was exposed, not only would the reputation of the Xi family be affected, but the Yue family would also be implicated as well! So, they chose to be quiet and hoped for this to be handled carefully.

    A faint light shed past Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes.

    Was he free now?

    What about Shen Wenna?

    Mu Yuchen understood Xi Mushan¡¯s behavior very well. He was trying to escape from this huge vortex of conflicts.

    ¡°Mmm, good,¡± Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply as he looked at the city lights downward. ¡°How about the thing I asked you to investigate? Are there any results yet?¡±

    ¡°There is, Master! I was just about to tell you.¡± Li Si replied as he handed a document to Mu Yuchen. ¡°This is what happened...¡±

    ¡°Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi¡¯s mother are best friends. Yue Lingsi fell in love with Mayor Xi, but Mayor Xi was madly in love with Teacher Shen. In order to force Teacher Shen away, they... When that happened, Elder Xi was aware of what was happening, but it was during the time of his potential promotion, and the person above him was Elder Yue, so...¡± Li Si sighed before Mu Yuchen took the document from him and looked through it.

    ¡°Elder Xi would probably never know the amount of trouble it brought Mayor Xi. Mayor Xi isn¡¯t Deng Wenwen¡¯s child, and in the Xi family, Deng Wenwen wasn¡¯t as powerful as she is now since Elder Xi was still above her. Coincidentally, because of her fault, Yueying faced a crisis, so in order to gain power, she... took photos of Mayor Xi and Yue Lingsi when they were in the act. It seems like Yue Lingsi herself was unaware. It must be a way to guard against Yue Lingsi and the Yue family. This olddy really cunning!¡± Li Si frowned as he spoke.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m sure Mayor Xi sumbed to the pressure all these years. With the Yue family backing him up, Yueying was able to get through the crisis and went on to be sessful.¡±

 Chapter 404 - Passed Away (3)

    <h4>Chapter 404: Passed Away (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen quickly looked through the documents as he listened to Li Si¡¯s analysis. He closed the document and gave it back to him after that.

    ¡°Soon, after that, Yue Lingsi went abroad because she got pregnant that night and had been in contact with Deng Wenwen,¡± Li Si continued.

    ¡°How did Deng Wenwen confirm that the child in Yue Lingsi¡¯s womb was Xi Mushan¡¯s?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes and looked at Li Si.

    ¡°They did a DNA test when Yue Lingsi was two months pregnant and confirmed it was Xi Mushan¡¯s child, so she let Yue Lingsi keep the child and then we know what happened after that. Teacher Shen was kept in the dark. Xi Mushan probably had no idea about that night until Yue Lingsi brought Xi Xinyi back.¡±

    Li Si flipped through the document and took a look. ¡°To confirm it, I¡¯ve sent someone over to the hospital who did the DNA test back then, but it was too long ago and the hospital has moved many times. That information might have been lost already. However, since Deng Wenwen treated them so well, there¡¯s probably no error here.¡±

    If that was the case, why did Deng Wenwen not stand up for her when Xi Mushan wanted a divorce this time?

    Was there any other reason?

    From what he knew, Xi Mushan did not publicize those records. First of all, he was being considerate about Elder Xi. Secondly, being cheated on was not something to boast about, andstly, if he gave too much pressure, he might get a counteraction instead.

    Could he have gotten the things from Deng Wenwen, or did she decide to be a bystander because of some other factor?

    Suddenly, Mu Yuchen put on a cold smile.

    If he exposed this right now and Yueying fell, how would this old woman feel?

    ¡°Master, what should we do now?¡± Li Si put the documents away and asked.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm as usual, yet there was a hidden coldness in his eyes. The temperature in his tone dropped as well. ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°Wait? Master... This...¡±

    ¡°Make a call and find out more about Xi Jiyang¡¯s condition now.¡± Mu Yuchen did not exin and gave his next instructions. Then, he turned around and went back toward the room.

    Just before he arrived in the room, Xi Xiaye walked out and closed the door carefully.

    ¡°Mother has fallen asleep. Let¡¯s head back too,¡± Xi Xiaye said quietly as she saw him walking over.

    With a nod, Mu Yuchen put an arm over her shoulder as they went out.

    ...

    As they walked towards the car, Xi Xiaye went to the front passenger seat. Mu Yuchen was driving.

    She let him fasten her seatbelt as she said tiredly, ¡°I want to visit Grandfather in West Park soon. I feel kind of uneasy this few days, but there¡¯s so much work to do, so I dyed it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes went nk. He paused and looked at her for a while before agreeing, ¡°Let¡¯s go tomorrow. I heard he¡¯s not doing very well. He¡¯s been sent to the hospital. Father didn¡¯te because he¡¯s taking care of him.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather has been hospitalized?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and her face was strained when she heard Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Li Si just told me. Grandfather¡¯s situation doesn¡¯t seem very good.¡±

    ¡°He even called me several days ago. How could it be...?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was getting anxious. Just as she was about to say something else, the phone inside her pocket started vibrating. She took her phone out and saw it was Xi Mushan calling, so she quickly answered the call.

    ¡°Father?¡± Her voice sounded anxious as she had a bad premonition.

    As expected, Xi Mushan¡¯s grim voice came through the phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Xiaye! Are you with Ah Chen right now?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right beside me,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    ¡°Mmm,e over to Townsperson Hospital now. Block 4, 18th floor, room 4. We¡¯re losing your grandfather. He wants to see you and Ah Chen before he leaves!¡±

    Xi Mushan hung up after telling her toe.

    Those words were imprinted onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind. Her whole body froze and her hand started trembling as she dropped her phone the moment Xi Mushan hung up on the call.

    Pa!

    The phone fell and Mu Yuchen turned to look at her. He was shocked to see her face turn so pale all of a sudden. He quickly grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him worriedly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Hmm? Why do you look so pale?¡±

    Xi Xiaye seemed lost. She just let him shake her for a bit before she came back to her senses. Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw his concerned look while her throat started to tighten as she spoke, ¡°Father said we¡¯re losing Grandfather. He told us to go to Townsperson Hospital now.¡±

    ...

    In room 4 on the 18th floor of Townsperson Hospital in City Z.

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s room.

    Only Xi Mushan was beside Xi Jiyang when Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen arrived.

    Xi Jiyang was on the bed with numerous tubes connected to various parts of his body.

    His breathing was very weak and he must be in a lot of pain as he was frowning the whole time. Evidently, his body was really frail.

    ¡°Father...¡± Xi Xiaye covered her nose slightly as she called out to Xi Mushan. She noticed that Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes were red as well and he looked exhausted.

    ¡°Father,¡± Mu Yuchen greeted him too.

    Xi Mushan nodded and then looked towards Xi Jiyang on the bed. ¡°He¡¯s still conscious now. He kept on saying that he wants to see you two. Go see him.¡±

    Xi Mushan then walked to the balcony.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat by the bedside. She held Xi Jiyang¡¯s gaunt hands and started to tear up. She sobbed a little. ¡°How are you feeling? Mu Yuchen and I are here.¡±

    Xi Jiyang¡¯s eyelids flickered slightly when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice. He struggled to open his eyes to look at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye before him.

 Chapter 405 - Passed Away (4)

    <h4>Chapter 405: Passed Away (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He struggled to take the oxygen mask off his face.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡±

    Xi Xiaye sniffled and held his hand while Mu Yuchen held his body up slightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me... I... I just want to... See you both again.¡± Xi Jiyang¡¯s voice was weak. It seemed tough for him to even speak as his throat was dry.

    Mu Yuchen took the ss of water by the table and carefully helped him to wet his lips. Xi Jiyang rxed a little after that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand around. Take a seat...¡±

    Xi Xiaye got a warm wet towel and wiped Xi Jiyang¡¯s hand while he whispered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t make it this time. Your father has been taking care of me for a long while...¡±

    ¡°No, Grandfather, you will live over a hundred years old. You haven¡¯t seen our wedding yet. How can you not make it? Mu Yuchen said he¡¯s going to West Park for an official proposal soon, Grandfather. Get well soon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held onto Xi Jiyang¡¯s hand as she tried to suppress the bitterness in her throat. Her eyes started to tear up again.

    Xi Mushan had drowned himself in work ever since his divorce with Shen Wenna, ignoring her. It was Xi Jiyang who guarded her whenever she was bullied. No matter what, she was grateful for her grandfather. She should have cared about him more, but she just felt grief in her chest whenever she stepped into West Park.

    She felt like an outsider in West Park, which was why she did not bother to go back. She felt extremely terrible when she saw Xi Jiyang in his current state.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t make it to your wedding. It¡¯s enough that... I see you two live happily... Ah Chen... Make her happy. She¡¯s a nice girl,¡± Xi Jiyang looked at Mu Yuchen and said weakly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather. I will,¡± Mu Yuchen closed in and told him with a serious tone.

    Xi Jiyang gulped as his thin hands grabbed Xi Xiaye tightly. The light in his old eyes was slowly fading. He looked at Xi Xiaye as his lips moved a little. After a while, he said, ¡°Xiaye... All these years... We Xi family have owed you and your mother a lot. Your mother is a good woman... I didn¡¯t expect that my greed at the moment back then would destroy your whole family... Don¡¯t hate your father... Throughout the years, he¡¯s lived more miserably than anyone...¡±

    Xi Jiyang was quite out of himself, but he struggled to finish his sentence. After several hacking coughs, Mu Yuchen put the oxygen mask back on him.

    ¡°I get it, Grandfather. Don¡¯t talk anymore. I get it. I¡¯ve never hated Father... You don¡¯t have to tell me. Rest well. You¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡± Tears rolled down Xi Xiaye¡¯s cheeks as she saw Xi Jiyang struggling to breathe. Her fat tears dropped on her own hands as she held his hands.

    Xi Jiyang was on the verge of death, but he took the oxygen mask away again. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Death is just part of the cycle of life... Your wedding... I don¡¯t think I can attend it, but I¡¯ve left you a dowry... Ah Chen, the drawer... Inside the drawer...¡±

    Xi Jiyang pointed at the drawer beside him with his trembling finger. Mu Yuchen opened it and saw a folder inside which he quickly took out and gave it to him.

    Xi Jiyang took it while his hands were shaking, then he handed it to Xi Xiaye. ¡°This is my dowry for you... I know that Yueying will eventually fall one day. I made you sign your name just to help your father find those evidence... Your grandmother is a smart woman... She tricked your father and took those pictures back then... If those are exposed, your father... I hope you can understand me as a father. That¡¯s why I advised your mother to divorce your father...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked! She could not believe it...

    ¡°I, I... hope you can apologize to your mother for me... I¡¯m sorry. My selfishness caused all of this to happen... Xiaye, Ah Chen...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here, Grandfather...¡± Xi Xiaye wiped her tears away and then clenched Xi Jiyang¡¯s hands tightly.

    ¡°Promise me... one thing... Be well. Help your father get back to your mother¡¯s side... Okay...?¡± He started coughing again before he could finish his sentence. Soon, his eyes were starting to lose focus.

    Xi Xiaye started crying again as she nodded vigorously. ¡°Okay, okay, I promise you, Grandfather. I¡¯ll promise you anything if you can get well. Anything...¡±

    Xi Jiyang had a smile on his face when he heard her. ¡°Great... That¡¯s great...¡±

    He then drew hisst breath.

    As Xi Xiaye was crying, she could feel Xi Jiyang¡¯s hand turn limp. She raised her head and saw Xi Jiyang close his eyes, so she quickly shouted, ¡°Grandfather! Grandfather!¡±

    ¡°Doctor!¡± Mu Yuchen called the doctors as he put a hand on Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder.

    Xi Mushan quickly rushed back inside when he heard their voices. Xi Jiyang had stopped breathing! The doctors and nurses rushed inside, but then they shook their head after a quick checkup.

    ¡°Mayor Xi, the Elder has left us,¡± said the doctor in a grim tone.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes started to turn red with tears as he rubbed his eyes and turned around with a nod. He gave them a wave and the doctors left swiftly.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡± Xi Xiaye could not control herself anymore and started bawling her eyes out as she leaned into Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms.

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything and just hugged her. His eyes darkened as he looked at the lifeless Xi Jiyang on the bed.

    Xi Mushan was blinking his swollen eyes. He carefully put Xi Jiyang¡¯s exposed hand back under the nket.

    ¡°Rest in peace, Father. Neither have I med you, nor have I hated you.¡±

    Xi Mushan rubbed his eyes again and Mu Yuchen noticed some tiny wet spots on his palm.

    Mu Yuchen was still holding Xi Xiaye in his embrace when he spoke to Xi Mushan, ¡°There¡¯s no pain on the other side. Grandfather will be able to rest in peace. Don¡¯t be too sad, Father. That¡¯s just how life works. We¡¯ll all remember him.¡±

 Chapter 406 - Funeral (1)

    <h4>Chapter 406: Funeral (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He then handed Xi Mushan a handkerchief.

    Nodding quietly, Xi Mushan took the handkerchief and wiped his face. He suppressed the grief inside after several deep breaths. Eventually, he calmed down and barely managed the sorrow he was feeling.

    ¡°You must be exhausted. Take a good rest. I¡¯ll handle Grandfather¡¯s funeral arrangements. Mother might be a little worried about you since you haven¡¯t been there for a few days.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen was talking, Li Si, who stood by the door, walked in.

    He nodded at Xi Jiyang before raising his head and speaking to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Mayor Xi, Master, Missus, my condolences.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath before he gave the document Xi Jiyang handed him earlier to Li Si. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Li Si, get someone to make the arrangements for Grandfather¡¯s funeral, but don¡¯t make the news public yet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si gave a brief reply and left quietly after taking the document with him.

    Just as Li Si left, the sound of several people¡¯s footsteps came from the corridor outside. Someone barged in.

    ¡°Grandfather!¡±

    ¡°Father!¡±

    It was Xi Xinyi, Yue Lingsi, and Deng Wenwen with Han Yifeng behind them.

    Xi Xinyi rushed in and started crying hysterically by the bed while tears welled up in Yue Lingsi and Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes.

    When they saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye in the room, Deng Wenwen had aplicated expression and Yue Lingsi looked at them nkly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡± As if he did not see them, Mu Yuchen dragged Xi Xiaye outside.

    When they walked past Han Yifeng, he saw her swollen eyes and pale face. Although he wanted to say a few words offort, he did not get the chance to.

    Mu Yuchen made her sit down on the long bench when they got out. They could still hear the crying from inside the room.

    ¡°Alright, stop crying now. Just pray that he¡¯s well on the other side. Don¡¯t forget what you promised him just now.¡± He squatted down and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Although he wanted tofort her, he had no idea how to.

    That was just how life worked. Nothingsted forever in the world. Perhaps, only death remained forever.

    He thought he could get past it. While asions like these saddened him, he could still ept it calmly. However, his heart was in anguish when he saw her cry in sorrow.

    He felt hurt because of her sadness. Her emotions slowly caught up with him and seeped into him, gradually reaching his heart as well as bing a part that controlled his emotions.

    She would never see her grandfather anymore. That feeling gushed up into her throat as a huge lump.

    She did not want to put any me on him because what could be worse than not being able to see each other forever?

    ¡°Grandfather is gone...¡± After a long time of crying, she sniffled and looked at him. Her eyes were red and her voice had turned hoarse from all the weeping.

    ¡°I know. Calm down, Xiaye,¡± he replied quietly with his eyes locked onto her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never see him anymore... How am I supposed to calm down?¡± She then covered her face with both hands, unable to push down the sudden waves of sadness that ran over her.

    He sighed helplessly, ¡°Go on if this can help you feel better, but it¡¯s pretty cold here. You have to follow me home right now.¡±

    Without giving her a chance to say no, he lifted her up in his arms and walked towards the other end of the corridor.

    ¡°Master! Elder Xi...¡±

    After taking several steps, he saw Ah Mo with some other people rushing over. Their expressions darkened when they saw Xi Xiaye in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone. Help Li Si out with the funeral arrangements, and please take care of Father as well. He doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s coping very well. Do what you should. Let the Elder rest in peace,¡± Mu Yuchen sighed as he gave his orders.

    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± Ah Mo lowered his head.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Your sister-inw isn¡¯t feeling well, so I¡¯m bringing her back now and will leave things here to you guys.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen then went forward.

    ...

    On the way back to Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye did not seem to be herself. Mu Yuchen made her take a shower. Afterward, she fell asleep from exhaustion without eating dinner.

    Mu Yuchen did not bother her and just covered her with a nket. He raised the temperature of the air conditioner slightly before leaving the room.

    At the hospital, Xi Jiyang¡¯s body had been taken to the funeral parlor while Xi Xinyi and the others were packing his personal effects.

    ¡°Did your father say anything?¡± Deng Wenwen asked Xi Mushan with her eyes teary.

    Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi turned over and looked at Xi Mushan when Deng Wenwen asked the question.

    Xi Mushan looked at the women before him coldly. Then, he let out a bitterugh. ¡°What could he have said? He never mentioned any of you up until his death. What do you think he¡¯d say?¡±

    ¡°Why was Xi Xiaye here?¡± Deng Wenwen was alert.

    ¡°Father wanted to see Xiaye and Ah Chen before he left. If you want to argue about it, wait until the funeral is over.¡± Xi Mushan left the room after saying that.

    ¡°Mushan!¡±

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi realized something was wrong, so they chased after him. Yue Lingsi grabbed Xi Mushan¡¯s sleeve, but he brushed her off!

    ¡°Let me go!¡±

    Bang!

    Yue Lingsi crashed into a nearby bed. Fortunately, Xi Xinyi was there to help her, so she did not fall.

    ¡°Ah Hui should¡¯ve sent you our divorce papers. From now on, we¡¯re no longer rted!¡±

    ¡°Mushan!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was fearful when he mentioned it. Although she had burned all those photos, she was not sure if Xi Mushan still had leftovers of the evidence.

    ¡°Stop right there, Mushan!¡± Deng Wenwen called out to him.

    However, Xi Mushan did not stop.

 Chapter 407 - Funeral (2)

    <h4>Chapter 407: Funeral (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Deng Wenwen wanted to chase him, but she was stopped by Ah Mo and his people.

    ¡°Elder Madam Xi, let¡¯s respect the deceased. If there¡¯s anything, it can be discussed after the funeral,¡± said Ah Mo, then he nodded to the ck-clothed bodyguards beside him who followed Xi Mushan.

    As she watched Xi Mushan move further away, Deng Wenwen looked particrly gloomy while Yue Lingsi¡¯s face was as white as a sheet. Xi Xinyi still had an inconsbly sorrowful expression, yet her eyes flickered with a dim light.

    ¡°Grandmother, Grandfather still called Sister over in the end!¡± Xi Xinyi suddenly cried with a sense of loss. ¡°We didn¡¯t get to see Grandfather in the end... And Father...¡±

    ¡°He must¡¯ve said something to that witch, Mother. Don¡¯t forget that the property rights to West Park and thend in the east of the city still belong to Father,¡± Yue Lingsi spoke softly, pushing the panic in her heart down.

    Deng Wenwen inhaled sharply. ¡°We¡¯ll get awyer to make sense of all of it after your father¡¯s funeral. It should still be there,¡± she said this before leaving the ward too.

    ...

    For the next few days, Xi Xiaye was in a terrible mood. She seemed to have turned wan and sallow very quickly.

    The funeral matters had been left to Li Si and Ah Mo. The service was held three days after Xi Jiyang¡¯s passing, and Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen attended it too.

    Xi Jiyang held quite a high position in the government before his passing, so many people came for his wake. Even when Li Si and the rest had asked for everything to be handled in a low-profile manner, many of Xi Jiyang¡¯srades, friends, and colleagues came to pay their respects.

    Mu Tangchuan was one of them.

    ...

    When Shen Wenna found out about Xi Jiyang¡¯s passing, it was the day of Xi Jiyang¡¯s burial. Shen Yue had told her about it.

    ¡°Alright, he¡¯s already gone. There¡¯s nothing to be sad about. I already know about him making you divorce Xi Mushan years ago. If it weren¡¯t for your stubbornness, things wouldn¡¯t need to turn out this way.¡± Shen Yue watched Shen Wenna, who sat on the sofa with her unfocused eyes, as he sighed.

    ¡°Right, Xi Mushan and that woman from the Yue family have divorced. The other day, Ah Chen talked to me. I know that all these years, you haven¡¯t been willing to ept a new man. It was actually because you¡¯ve been missing this bastard, Wenna! Right now, I¡¯m just resentful because I¡¯m impatient to see things turn for the better. Do you know that?!

    ¡°Well, death can end all of Xi Jiyang¡¯ss troubles, but how are they going to make up for all these years? I know that Ah Chen was still considerate about Xi Jiyang, but now that he¡¯s dead and Xi Mushan is divorced, there shouldn¡¯t be anything holding us back anymore. These women should be taught a lesson. I can¡¯t tolerate this anymore!¡±

    Shen Yue looked at Shen Wenna¡¯s hollow eyes and felt his heart ache. Fury could not help but rise in his chest!

    Shen Wenna did not say anything. Her beautiful face faintly twisted with bitter ridicule and disappointment. Naturally, Shen Yue took in this scene.

    A while passed before Shen Wenna calmly asked, ¡°How are Xiaye and Ah Chen?¡±

    ¡°That old man did treat Xiaye quite well before this. Obviously, Xiaye is devastated. I heard Zng say that she¡¯s turned wan and sallow. She¡¯s in a terrible mood too. I hope that Ah Chen can apany her out of this haze.¡±

    Shen Yue sighed. He could not help butment, ¡°Earlier, when I met him, he still looked quite healthy and energetic. He¡¯s gone just like that quite suddenly. I¡¯m worried that Xiaye will be extremely depressed. In fact, they are supposed to have their wedding next month.¡±

    Shen Wenna fell silent for a moment, then she asked, ¡°With Ah Chen around, she will be fine... Is Xi Jiyang¡¯s funeral today?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s today. Otherwise, I could¡¯ve rushed over to see you sooner.¡±

    ¡°Where is he buried?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    When he heard Shen Wenna ask this, Shen Yue could not help but be surprised.

    Shen Wenna sighed andmented, ¡°He¡¯s dead. Perhaps our grudges can be resolved once and for all. Reasonably, I think I should pay my respects. Father, get Zng to prepare the car for me. I want to go see Xiaye too. I¡¯m worried.¡±

    As Shen Wenna said this, she already gripped her walking stick and was slowly getting up.

    Shen Yue groaned as he looked at Shen Wenna with aplicated expression. He understood his daughter too well. Apart from paying her respects and seeing Xiaye, it was very likely because she wanted to see that man.

    She was already covered in ck and blue. Why did she not give up and still wanted to get close?

    ...

    Xi Jiyang was buried in West Hill Cemetery, on the day of the funeral, it was not raining heavily, but it was a pitter-patter kind of drizzle. If one did not have an umbre, they would still get their shoulders soaked from standing in the rain for quite a while.

    At the parking spot below the cemetery, Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen slowly got down from the car donned in ck outfits. Li Si and another bodyguard in ck immediately walked up to them with two huge ck umbres.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    Li Si handed Xi Xiaye a bouquet of daisies. She slowly took it while the sunsses on her face concealed her faintly swollen eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen held her and walked up the staircase. Behind them, Li Si and the bodyguards followed.

    This was a huge cemetery, numerous departed spirits have been buried peacefully here.

    No matter how honorable one was in life, in death, one would just be buried forever in the ground. Life was such.

    They walked up along the tall staircase and passed through those gloomy ck tombstones until the husband and wife reached Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone.

    At that moment, Deng Wenwen, Yue Lingsi, and the rest were already standing before it. Of course, there was also the people from the Han family. Xi Xinyi cried her eyes out as she leaned against Han Yifeng while Yue Lingsi held Deng Wenwen.

    When they saw Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and the otherse, Deng Wenwen immediately turned to look subconsciously while Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen had already stopped before the tombstone.

    Xi Xiaye silently looked at Xi Jiyang¡¯s ash-colored photograph on the tombstone. Underneath those sunsses, her eyes started to well up with hot tears again. She stared at it for a long time before she sighed softly, and bent down to put those white daisies on the tombstone.

    Yue Lingsi averted her gaze. She took one look at Xi Jiyang¡¯s photograph and saw that Deng Wenwen had turned pale. Then, she spoke up and held Deng Wenwen to turn around, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s go home first.¡±

    Han Yifeng took a look at Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen from the side. Although his tightly pursed lips started, he did not say anything. He sighed and turned around to leave too. Secretary Wang, who held the umbre behind him, quickly followed suit.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi sniffed and wiped her tears. She could not care less and chased Han Yifeng too.

 Chapter 408 - Funeral (3)

    <h4>Chapter 408: Funeral (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a while, apart from Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and their people, only Xi Mushan and Ah Hui, who held the umbre for him, were left.

    ¡°Grandfather, rest in peace. I pray that you will feel no pain on the other side and that you¡¯ll live happily.¡±

    Xi Xiaye slowly stood up and reached out to wipe away the rainwater on the tombstone photograph, yet as she was wiping it, she suddenly stopped.

    ¡°Xiaye, Father, Grandfather will rest in peace. Don¡¯t grieve too much now. He is gone now, but the living must continue going on,¡± Mu Yuchen sighed and said a few words before going up to help Xi Xiaye up. With a sad sigh, she slowly took her sunsses off, revealing faintly swollen and misty eyes. She shut her eyes and after easing for a while, she opened them.

    ¡°When I was younger, I¡¯d always go out to y with Grandfather when he was still very healthy and young then. He loved horseriding. One time, he brought me to the ranch, but because he had something on at thest minute, we had to go back. I was reluctant and cried for the whole afternoon. Later on, Grandfather had to pretend to be a horse for me and even sprained his waist...¡±

    Her slightly hoarse voice was softly heard while her hazy eyes were still fixed on the photograph on the tombstone.

    ¡°When I was three years old, the very first numbers that I learned were also taught by Grandfather. When I went to kindergarten and learned how to write, I¡¯d always sit with bad posture. To correct me, Grandfather would watch me do my homework almost every night. Even Mother says that Grandfather was more like a strict teacher...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye brought these up, Xi Mushan suddenly sighed, ¡°Your grandfather... has always treated you as the Xi family¡¯s little princess.¡±

    ¡°I always knew that... Now that Grandfather¡¯s left just like that, my heart feels empty, but now that I think about it, perhaps it¡¯s for the best. At least, for Grandfather, it¡¯s a form of release. Now that he¡¯s left, everything¡¯s be simpler. We no longer have to worry about those concerning matters.¡±

    As she said this, Xi Xiaye looked up at the sky that continued to drizzle. ¡°Grandfather has told us all about the past... All these years, because he felt sorry towards Mother and I, you didn¡¯t dare toe looking for us, and you were even more afraid of seeing Mother, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, she suddenly turned to look at Xi Mushan whose expression looked bleak and sad. He did not hide it and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye suddenlyughed bitterly. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°If the curtains can be closed for all of these grudges with Grandfather¡¯s passing, what are your ns after this?¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s resignation had been concluded. Mu Yuchen also told her that Xi Mushan had already divorced Yue Lingsi. In fact, Shen Wenna still could not see. All of these were somewhat a closing of a chapter, yet what they were about to face was another terrible situation.

    Xi Mushan did not know how he should answer this because his mind was empty at the moment.

    All these problems hade one after another recently, overwhelming him immensely.

    Unfortunately, Shen Wenna had lost her sight and he had firmly resigned. Then, there was Yue Lingsi¡¯s cheating, the divorce, and now Xi Jiyang¡¯s sudden passing. With all of these stacked together, he felt quite worn out from holding on.

    Seeing that he did not answer and that the weariness was clear between his brows, she suddenly felt a bitterness rise in her heart. She thought about it, then reached into her pocket and took out a bunch of keys before handing it to Xi Mushan.

    ¡°These are my keys to my Linjiang apartment. I¡¯ve just tidied it up, so it¡¯s quite clean. If you¡¯re unhappy staying in West Park, you can go there and stay for a while.¡±

    Xi Mushan looked down at the keys Xi Xiaye handed him and there was dness in his still eyes, yet he did not ept it. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ve already arranged an apartment for myself.¡±

    Startled, Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment, then quietly put the keys away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not harp on the past anymore. Mu Yuchen has already told me about your divorce from Yue Lingsi. Grandfather also said before he passed that he hopes you can get Mother back. Now that she¡¯s been discharged and has returned to the Shen residence...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye spoke, Xi Mushan¡¯s expression darkened.

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen took all of this in, exchanging a look. Then, seeing Mu Yuchen nod gently, Xi Xiaye sighed and took a card out from her pocket before tossing it to Xi Mushan.

    Xi Mushan subconsciously caught it and looked down at the key card in his hand before peering up puzzledly at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°This is the Shen residence key card. Grandpa usually reaches home in the evening past 6 p.m. If I don¡¯t go back, he usually won¡¯t go back at noon either. This month, because of Fuhua¡¯s new project discussion with Glory World on the South River project, Mu Yuchen and I will be going over to Fuhua quite frequently. Grandpa has left Mother in the hands of Aunty Wu. I¡¯ve told Aunty Wu to let you in, so I¡¯ll leave Mother¡¯s lunch to you in this period of time,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke with a calm expression.

    Deep in her heart, she wished that Shen Wenna could reconcile with Xi Mushan. Their hearts were tied to each other, and it had been dyed for so many years now. If he did not fight for it now, there would not be any more chances in the future.

    If a single mistake in the past trapped two people, who clearly loved each other, in their own lonely castle of sadness, licking their own wounds while living in loneliness and passing away with regret, then she would much rather do her best to bring them both together and break that wall of barrier between them.

    The reason there were so many tragedies in this world was that many people were unwilling to give in, forgive, and feel relieved due to their ego and pride, so they put up a wall and trapped themselves.

    The reasoning could be understood, but not many could do it.

    She once heard that happiness was like water sometimes. The tighter you held on it, the less you would get, yet if you opened up your hands, you would receive gentleness and abundance.

    Xi Mushan quietly watched Xi Xiaye.

    She looked quite like her mother. Watching her would always remind him of Shen Wenna, so sometimes he would rather not see her.

    Yet, he suddenly realized that even though she was simr in personality to her mother, they had widely different frames of mind. This daughter of his seemed to be even more optimistic and genuine in expressing herself.

    Xi Mushan looked down at the key card in hand and asked softly, ¡°Why do you still help me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye let out a sigh of relief and fixed her gaze onto the tombstone before her. After a while, she looked up at him. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I help you? You¡¯re my father... Besides, I¡¯ve also promised Grandfather, even though there was a time when I really didn¡¯t like you, but just as you said, we are father and daughter, and that¡¯s a fact.¡±

 Chapter 409 - Dowry For Xiaye (1)

    <h4>Chapter 409: Dowry For Xiaye (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan took a deep breath and looked at Xi Xiaye apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to you and your mother. I¡¯ve made too many mistakes.¡±

    He remembered what Mu Yuchen told him before, ¡°I know you are afraid to lose. You¡¯re afraid that Mother will reject you, so you don¡¯t dare to...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye and I will always treat you as our father, whether ites to you or mother, we¡¯ll have your back.¡±

    ¡°Father, I hope you canpensate the paternal love she¡¯s beencking in the past twenty years...¡±

    His wandering heart finally found a ce tond. He nced over at Mu Yuchen beside Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen, who was holding an umbre, nodded at him with a smile. His eyes were filled with encouragement and kindness.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve done what we can. The rest is up to you.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she took the white flower off her chest and ced it onto Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone. She then turned to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded before ncing at Xi Mushan who tipped his chin. He then went back down with Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped as she reached the end of the stairs. she turned back and looked at the huge tombstone as she mumbled, ¡°I hope Grandfather¡¯s soul can rest in peace and forget about all the mistakes in the past.¡± Her eyes teared up a little.

    ¡°Alright, let the past stay in the past. He¡¯ll rest right here and we¡¯ll move forward. You¡¯ve been a real a crybaby recently...¡± His tone sounded gentle. It did not feel like he was nagging her at all.

    Xi Xiaye sniffled and then nodded. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after today.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll head back early, have a shower and take a good rest. You must be exhausted from the past few days. I¡¯ll make you a nice dinner tonight.¡±

    ¡°A candlelight dinner?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have candles at home!¡±

    ...

    The two of them arrived at their car and quickly got in.

    They did not know that soon after they left, a car from Shen Residence parked at the spot they had just been moments ago.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived West Hill Cemetery. Be careful. I¡¯ll help you to get down!¡±

    As the car just stopped, Aunt Wu opened the door and carefully helped Shen Wenna get out of the car.

    ¡°Miss, these are the chrysanthemums you wanted.¡± Lan Zng handed a bouquet of chrysanthemums to Shen Wenna.

    ¡°Thank you! Help me get up there,¡± Shen Wenna said with the bouquet of flowers in her hand.

    ¡°Alright, be careful. Slowly. It¡¯s the staircase in front...¡±

    After some hard work, with Lan Zng and Aunt Wu¡¯s guidance, Shen Wenna finally reached Xi Jiyang¡¯s grave. However, Lan Zng and Aunt Wu¡¯s subsequent greeting made her feel uneasy.

    ¡°Hi, Sir!¡±

    ¡°Sir, you¡¯re still here?¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen had told Aunt Wu and Lan Zng beforehand, so they were fully aware of Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna¡¯s situation. They were really supportive when Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen told them to help Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan reconcile.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s sacrifices and hardships throughout the years were obvious. She was such a strong woman. If her happiness could only be provided by Xi Mushan, why would they not work with Xi Xiaye to help this couple out?

    ¡°Hello!¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s voice reached them. His gaze was set on Shen Wenna since a long time ago. He could already hear her voice when she was just halfway up the staircase.

    ¡°Wenna, I thought you wouldn¡¯te.¡±

    Xi Mushan quickly took the flowers from her as she seemed to be struggling about where to put the bouquet. He gently put them before Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone and then he held Shen Wenna.

    She struggled slightly, but he held her tightly, as if afraid that she might escape.

    ¡°Let go...¡±

    ¡°Wenna...¡± Xi Mushan called out to her gently, but he let go of her hesitantly. It took him a long time to reach this stage, and he did not want her to hate him right now.

    Shen Wenna clenched the walking stick she was holding tightly. Her empty eyes were facing Xi Jiyang¡¯s grave while she had aplicated expression on her face.

    ¡°Father told me to apologize to you for him...¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s voice sounded sad. His depressed tone stunned Shen Wenna for a moment, yet she quickly put on a self-mocking smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of saying it now? Can it turn back time?¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s voice was like the wind dispersing in the air. ¡°Many times, many grudges end up this way. They leave with the person when they are gone. I don¡¯t want to talk about the past anymore and you don¡¯t have to bring it up either.¡±

    ¡°I know about your resignation too. It¡¯s a lot of hard work getting there.Why did you quit so suddenly?¡± Shen Wenna asked.

    Xi Mushan closed his eyes. ¡°I was worried about Father, and I don¡¯t want to work in the political field anymore. I just want to be what we nned a long time ago: a lecturer in University A... It¡¯s nothing bad. I just want to take care of you for the rest of my life, Wenna.¡±

    Shen Wenna remained stationary. After a while, glitter appeared in her empty eyes. She took a deep breath and turned around quietly, about to leave.

    ¡°Na Na...¡± Xu Mushan called out to her, ¡°I¡¯ve divorced Yue Lingsi...¡±

    Shen Wenna trembled slightly.

    ¡°Are you still willing to ept me who has nothing, like how I was in the past?¡± Xi Mushan asked quietly.

    Shen Wenna paused and did not reply to him. Instead, she just followed Aunt Wu and Lan Zng to head back.

    After she took several steps slowly, Shen Wenna felt a breeze from behind. Before she could react, Xi Mushan lifted her up in his arms.

    ¡°It¡¯s easier for me to just carry you down. Even if you hate me, you have to take care of yourself.¡± Xi Mushan interrupted whatever Shen Wenna was about to say and just walked down the staircase.

 Chapter 410 - Dowry For Xiaye (2)

    <h4>Chapter 410: Dowry For Xiaye (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky turned dark very quickly. Even amidst the cold rain, Maple Residence was shrouded in a gentle aura. The faint light came from the streetmps by the front yard.

    Ever since Xi Xiaye was ordered by Mu Yuchen to take a shower when they arrived home in the afternoon, she went to bed and slept soundly. She was still asleep when Mu Yuchen was done preparing dinner.

    In the living room of Maple Residence, Li Si arrived when Mu Yuchen was done cooking dinner.

    ¡°Master, this is Elder Xi¡¯s dowry for Missus. Take a look at it.¡± Li Si handed the document to Mu Yuchen. It was the document Xi Jiyang had given Xi Xiaye before he left. Because they were so busy handling Xi Jiyang¡¯s funeral in the past few days, this had been ignored.

    Mu Yuchen was suddenly reminded about this when Li Si mentioned it. He opened it and took the documents out.

    It was the right to inherit West Park as well as severalnds in the east of the city.

    ¡°It¡¯s the ownership of West Park and somends. I¡¯ve made a rough calction and it¡¯s worth around $300 million. With just the Xi Residence, West Park alone has very high potential value. It has been the Xi family¡¯s property for a very long time. Xi Jiyang also sold thend in the west of the city to buy thends in the east. Given the rapid development in the east, thosends became extremely valuable,¡± Li Si reported his findings.

    Mu Yuchen was surprised. Xi Jiyang had hidden something like this?

    He did not give them to Xi Mushan and gave Xiaye instead?

    ¡°Master, Elder Shen seems to be pretty interested in thisnd.¡±

    Li Si pointed at one of it and said, ¡°It¡¯s quite surprising that Elder Xi handed all these to Missus, even the ownership of West Park. It doesn¡¯t seem like he left anything for Deng Wenwen and the others...¡±

    Mu Yuchen searched through his memory and was reminded of Xi Jiyang¡¯sst words. He was probably trying to make amends to Xiaye and her mother!

    ¡°Elder Xi made his will a long time ago, so we just need to get these signed by hiswyer and it¡¯ll be done. No wonder Deng Wenwen seemed like she was busy looking for something. She tried to ask something from Mayor Xi. She¡¯s probably looking for these.¡±

    Li Si remembered those women¡¯s anxious faces and heughed inside. How would they feel when they found out that whatever they had been trying to find was already in his Missus¡¯ possession?

    ¡°Does Father know?¡± asked Mu Yuchen after he read through all the documents. While he was keeping them away, a letter from inside the envelope fell onto the floor.

    Mu Yuchen frowned. He picked it up and took a nce at it. It was a letter to Shen Wenna!

    ¡°Mayor Xi knew. He¡¯s not questioning the Elder¡¯s decision. Lawyer Wang was the one who drafted the divorce contract for Mayor Xi and Yue Lingsi. Mayor Xi should be fully aware of this,¡± Li Si replied.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he put the documents back inside the envelope. His eyes quieted down. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any more concerns after this. Ask Vice President Liu to make some preparations. Our showbizpany will be called Glory World Chen Ye Movies and Televisions. Let people who are holding Yueying¡¯s stock release them and have them join Chen Ye. Give them even better benefits. Besides, it¡¯s about time to expose Yue Lingsi.¡±

    With Mu Yuchen¡¯s order, Li Si knew that Yueying was probably done for. Under Vice President Liu¡¯s control in the dark, all thepanies that worked with Yueying were targeting Glory World all along, If Glory World suddenly left, they would leave together as well. The benefits Glory World could offer was so much better than Yueying. It wasmon sense for people to choose what was more beneficial. With this, they could turn Yueying into an empty shell.

    ¡°Yes, Master! Ah Mo just asked me when we¡¯re going to do it. Qi Kai has been taking Xi Xinyi¡¯s side, which Ah Mo feels seems odd. With this move, we can also gauge Qi Kai¡¯s power. The second brother of the Yue family has a considerable amount of influence in Qi Kai. It¡¯s Qi Qiming¡¯s trustworthy subordinate who was on bad terms with Qi Lei. We might be able to find out somethingter on.¡±

    Ah Mo had worked alongside Mu Yuchen for many years, so he understood how Mu Yuchen functioned. With his analysis, Li Si understood more than half of it.

    ¡°Good, be careful with this. We might cause unnecessary attention if it¡¯s done wrong. Yue Lingsi¡¯s news was leaked from within the Yue family who knew about it a long time ago and they covered it up for her. The Xi family were kept in the dark. Do you understand?¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    Li Si smiled. ¡°As expected of Master! Putting the Yue family and Deng Wenwen in conflict! Let¡¯s see what kind of war they¡¯ll spark this time while we watch on as spectators.¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo is leaving City Z in a few days. I¡¯ll need you to work more on this. We will remove ourselves from it once there are any counteractions. Qi Qiming isn¡¯t an easy opponent, so be careful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I know what to do,¡± Li Si replied.

    At this moment, the soft sound of footsteps came from above. Li Si raised his head and saw Xi Xiayeing down slowly.

    ¡°Hello, Missus!¡±

    ¡°Assistant Li!¡± Xi Xiaye smiled politely.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head back now, Master, Missus. I¡¯ll make sure to get the job done. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Li Si did not want to bother them and stood up with a smile.

    Xi Xiaye saw that dinner was ready when she was downstairs. She tried to make him stay. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have dinner with us first? It¡¯s ready.¡±

    Li Si gave her a grateful smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Missus. I need to go back home to cook for my baby. The elders went for a vacation and she¡¯s having a night shift today, so there¡¯s no one at home. Goodbye, Master, Missus!¡± He then left swiftly with his briefcase.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised. ¡°His baby? Since when did Assistant Li have a wife? Didn¡¯t he say that he was single a while ago? He even asked me to introduce him to some girls.¡± She blinked while she gave the man a doubtful look.

 Chapter 411 - Dowry For Xiaye (3)

    <h4>Chapter 411: Dowry For Xiaye (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Who told you that his baby at home is his wife?¡±

    Mu Yuchen pulled a chair out for her, and she sat down as she let her long, ck hair down casually. She looked just like an ordinary girl when she was in her casual clothes.

    She had recovered considerablypared to her gloominess several days ago.

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the baby in our house. The baby in his house is a Persian cat.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sat down opposite her, extending his arm over and slicing the steak up for her. She was pleasantly surprised when he delivered a piece of steak right into her mouth.

    She ate it without any resistance.

    ¡°Grandfather¡¯s matter is settled now. Li Si just came over and delivered the folder Grandfather gave you thest time. Inside it is the dowry he prepared for you,¡± spoke Mu Yuchen as he continued cutting the steak up.

    Xi Xiaye was suddenly reminded that Xi Jiyang had mentioned leaving her some dowry since he was unable to attend her wedding.

    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked.

    Mu Yuchen heard the sorrow in her tone, so he raised his head and looked at her. He fed her another piece of the steak. ¡°It¡¯s the ownership of West Park, as well as severalnds in the east of the city. They are all pretty valuable. Grandfather made some arrangements with Lawyer Wang and those are all yours now. Sign your name on the document and Li Si will get stuff done for you.¡±

    Ownership of West Park!

    Stunned, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes turned nk as she looked at Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes in shock.

    ¡°This is hispensation for you. Just take it and let him rest easy. Sign your name on itter. Those women are hunting for it. Ha, they think these are with Father now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen poured her a ss of wine after he finished cutting up the steak.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡± Xi Xiaye wanted to say something. However, as the words were teetering on the verge of her lips, she did not know what else she could say. Instead, she clenched her grip on the fork and then nodded slightly after a while.

    ¡°I¡¯ll sign itter. Please get Li Si and the others to work on it.¡± She then sipped some wine.

    ¡°Grandfather also left Mother a letter. Give it to her when you¡¯re heading back to the Shen Residence. It¡¯s inside the folder.¡±

    ¡°A letter?¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a doubtful look.

    Mu Yuchen could already guess what it was about without reading it. It must be about the past, and with Li Si¡¯s investigation, he already knew exactly what had happened. Because of it, he felt that it would be best if Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan could get back together.

    As for Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi, he did not want toment on it. Being a man himself, he could only say that he respected Xi Mushan like a father. Like Xiaye, he wished for Shen Wenna and him to be happy.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the Shen Residence tomorrow then. I¡¯ll head to the office in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you. We¡¯ve delegated all the work in the office anyway. Li Si will be busy working with Vice President Liu for the next few days. Please be my temporary personal assistant.¡± Heughed as he handed her a napkin.

    Xi Xiaye stared at him, taking the napkin. ¡°Why me? Didn¡¯t you just get two new secretaries?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not used to the job yet. Our wedding ising up soon. What¡¯s wrong with usmunicating more? Aren¡¯t you happy to be working with me?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted, analyzing her with his dangerous gaze.

    While her expression seemed gentle, she rolled her eyes at him. After a while, she said, ¡°Mr. Mu, people say that distance can create more sweetness.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that unhealthy nonsense. Distance creates a third party. A rtionship will only be stronger if the couple is always together,¡± he replied self-righteously.

    ¡°A third party? Are you someone like that, Mr. Mu?¡± She narrowed her eyes this time with a warning gaze. ¡°If you dare to do so, I¡¯ll end you, and then pour acid all over the woman¡¯s face. Afterwards, I¡¯ll get someone to curse you both!¡±

    ¡°That wicked?¡± Smiling, he gave her a very sweet gaze.

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m a wicked witch.¡± She then went on enjoying the steak.

    Mu Yuchen stopped his movements and just looked at her quietly for a while. His long fingers snuck nearer and pushed the hair that got stuck on her face away. His tone of voice was sensual and serious. ¡°Mr. Mu belongs exclusively to this witch. Don¡¯t ask such silly questions anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a serious question. Why do you think it¡¯s silly?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows before she raised her wine ss.

    He raised his wine ss at the same time as well. ¡°Because it sounded silly...¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye did the dishes after dinner while Mu Yuchen went upstairs for a shower. He came out of the bedroom in his sleeping robe by the time she was done.

    ¡°Come and take a look. Sign it,¡± he said as he walked into the study room.

    Xi Xiaye dried her hands and then went into the study room as well.

    He stood beside the tall bookshelf and grabbed the folder. Then, he pointed at the table and she understood, so she went over.

    ¡°Take a look by yourself. I¡¯ll give it to Li Si tomorrow after you¡¯ve signed it. Are you okay going back to the Shen Residence alone?¡± He handed her the documents.

    ¡°Are youing to the Shen Residence for lunch?¡± she asked as she took the documents from the folder.

    ¡°It depends. I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised again when she read through the documents. She never expected Xi Jiyang to...

    She signed it after some hesitation.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the letter for some time before asking, ¡°What do you think Grandfather wrote to Mother?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you read it to her tomorrow.¡±

    She kept all the documents into her briefcase. Then, he continued, ¡°Ah Mo is going abroad in two days. Lingshi just mentioned that she wants to hang out with you and Su Nan.¡±

 Chapter 412 - Start Over (1)

    <h4>Chapter 412: Start Over (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Shi and Nan Nan?

    When he mentioned this, she then remembered that because of Shen Wenna and Xi Jiyang¡¯s recent matter, she had been mentally and physically exhausted, so she almost did not have time to meet up with them.

    Su Nan seemed to have fallen ill with a cold and fever recently. Thankfully, Ruan Heng came back in time. Otherwise, Xi Xiaye would have been quite worried too.

    Su Nan still med herself for Shen Wenna¡¯s incident. On the day Shen Wenna was discharged from the hospital, she went over even though she was sick. After that, Shen Wenna had to get Lan Zng to personally send her home.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to meet up with her to chat too. Given Su Nan¡¯s personality, even though she was usually quite carefree, if she were to m up because of her problems, she could be quite a headache to deal with.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go see them tomorrow evening. You drive yourself to work then. Tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, how have Ah Shi and Ah Mo recently been? Did she really go with Ah Mo?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly thought about this.

    Mu Lingshi seemed to be in a rather good mood recently. In fact, she did not seem quite as distant from Ah Mo as before. Naturally, she was delighted for them when she saw this.

    Nevertheless, when this was mentioned, his eyes dimmed a little despite a gentleness on his face. ¡°Ah Mo still needs to work harder.¡±

    When she noticed that him being rather down, she could not help but softly console him, ¡°Ah Shi is actually a very sensitive and meticulous girl. As long as Ah Mo works a little harder, he¡¯ll be able to warm her heart and move her. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Suddenly, she remembered what she had asked Detective Zhang to investigate. It seemed to have been quite a long time now, yet she had not heard any news from Detective Zhang.

    In regards to the Qi family and Qi Lei, every time she thought about it, she felt like she was in a weird and unpredictable position, so she felt worried, though she was more concerned about him.

    She fell silent for a while, then she suddenly looked up at him. She watched him take a book down from the shelf with a calm expression. As he was flipping through it, he did not answer her.

    She sighed to herself, then abruptly got up and took the book in his hand. She put it back onto the shelf and frowned to say, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s rest earlier tonight. I haven¡¯t been seeing you rest for these past few nights when I woke up in the middle of the night.¡±

    He raised his brows and looked meaningfully at her, then he chuckled. ¡°Feeling sorry for me?¡±

    Ignoring him, she just hurled out her arms and pushed him out. He then grinned and bent over to pick her up. ¡°Can you satisfy me tonight then?¡±

    ¡°Why do I find you more and more indecent now? Like a pervert!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re on the receiving end, I¡¯ll ept the title.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t done it for quite a few days now. Aren¡¯t you worried that our lives will be in disharmony?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that we¡¯re <i>too </i> much in harmony...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, Missus!¡±

    ...

    When they woke up the next morning, it was already past 10 a.m. The man had already left early for work. When Xi Xiaye finished washing up and went downstairs, breakfast was already waiting on the table.

    After she rushed to finish breakfast, she made her way to the Shen residence.

    The weather was not great. It was drizzling and the ground was wet.

    When she reached the Shen residence, Shen Wenna was sitting on the sofa in front of the window and feeling through a notebook. Upon going over to look, Xi Xiaye realized that it was a book in Braille.

    Shen Wenna felt one word at a time very seriously. Her expression was still and elegant as always, and she seemed very peaceful, not like someone who had gone through a lot of suffering and was wallowing in self-pity.

    When Xi Xiaye saw this, she wanted to cherish her mother even more.

    She stood and watched her for a long time before she walked over and helped her pick the notebook by her feet up. As she took the book, she said, ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have to read these. We will find a way to heal your eyes. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Shen Wenna lifted her head in surprise. Her unfocused eyes flickered for a while as she tried hard to get a clear look of Xi Xiaye, yet all she could see was still darkness.

    ¡°Why are you back here? Aren¡¯t you working? Today?¡±

    Shen Wenna subconsciously moved over, while Xi Xiaye slowly sat down close to her, she flipped the book in her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be going to work in the afternoon, our wedding is getting near, Mu Yuchen didn¡¯t let me take charge of any projects, so I¡¯m quite free actually.¡±

    The moment Xi Xiaye finished, a familiar voice suddenly came from the kitchen. ¡°Na Na, do you want tomatoes in your soup or do you want an omelet?¡±

    That voice!

    Father!

    Xi Xiaye widened her eyes, turning reflexively to where the voice came from. She realized that Xi Mushan was standing at the kitchen door with a spat!

    ¡°Father! You...¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Xi Mushan in disbelief. She had just given him the key card yesterday and today he was here. Was he not a little too impatient!?

    Thankfully, she just heard that Mu Yuchen and Shen Yue had gone to the South River. Otherwise, if he had known that she was going to be back, Shen Yue would havee home for lunch, then they would have bumped into each other, would they not?

    His hand that was swollen from Shen Yue¡¯s hit a few days ago had started to heal slightly.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye, warmth clearly surfaced in Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Xiaye? You¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°I came back to see Mother.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye spoke, she subconsciously turned to look at Shen Wenna, yet she saw that her expression remained calm as she ignored Xi Mushan.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips, then she said to Xi Mushan, ¡°Father, make tomato egg soup. Drinking more soup will do Mother good.¡±

    That was how she managed to resolve Xi Mushan¡¯s awkwardness. Xi Mushan nodded, then went back into the kitchen.

    ¡°Mother, when did Fathere over?¡± Xi Xiaye probed to ask.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s elegant little face turned poker straight as she said coldly, ¡°Early in the morning after your grandpa left the house, he came over. How shameless! And I couldn¡¯t chase him away. Aunt Wu coincidentally had some matters too, so she left and he stayed to make lunch.¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s tone was hostile, yet Xi Xiaye could not help butugh to herself at this sight. After she calmed down, she said, ¡°Father wouldn¡¯t have been guarding outside the door and then sneaked in when Grandpa left, did he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just the same as before. Shameless! Wait till your grandpa gets back. He¡¯ll really get it then!¡± Shen Wenna had a cold expression on her face and she looked rather annoyed.

    Xi Xiaye cleared her throat as her smiling face brimmed with a rare gentleness. She softly said to Shen Wenna and then set the book aside on the table, ¡°Mother, actually it¡¯s great for Father toe over too. You¡¯d be pretty bored staying alone at home. When hees over, he can cook for you and pass the time with you. What¡¯s so bad about that?¡±

 Chapter 413 - Start Over (2)

    <h4>Chapter 413: Start Over (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Shen Wenna could vaguely hear the joy that could not be concealed in her voice. She wanted to say something, but she did not continue.

    ¡°Mother, actually, sometimes when I see Mu Yuchen cook at home, I remember the time when the three of us were by the beach. He reminds me of Father.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye turned to look at the kitchen, she could vaguely see Xi Mushan¡¯s busy shadow inside, her heart was warmed, and she immediately thought of Mu Yuchen, she could not help but voice out her thoughts.

    As Shen Wenna heard this, she smiled. Obviously, she could hear the tenderness in her voice.

    In fact, it seemed to be the first time that Xi Xiaye spoke about such matters of the heart in front of Shen Wenna.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that quite good then? Your husband is a man that loves you deeply, can be your mentor, and can love you like a brother or father. This is what every woman yearns for.¡±

    When the topic of the matters in her daughter¡¯s heart came up, Shen Wenna became gentle. She seemed to have a deep understanding of it.

    ¡°When I was younger, I was proud and arrogant too. I thought that when I chose a husband, he should be an optimistic person. Not only would he have the schrly manner of a philosopher and would be multitalented, but he would also have the extraordinary attitude of a gentleman. In work and life, he would interact with me like a close friend. He would understand me, and I would understand him. We¡¯d help each other in simple circumstances. That was my dream husband.¡±

    When Shen Wenna said this, she suddenly chuckled softly. She reached out to search for a while before she found Xi Xiaye¡¯s slightly cold hands which she held gently. ¡°Back then when I saw Mu Yuchen, he gave me such a feeling, so I¡¯d always thought positively of your rtionship. A man like that might know how to care for you better.¡±

    ¡°Father seems to have been like that too back then, was he not? I heard that the two of you were University A¡¯s perfect pair, an ideal couple. Father also had a schrly charisma and was multitalented.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared stunned at Shen Wenna. As she spoke, she could not help but tug at her long hair a little defeatedly. ¡°Mother, Grandpa always told me that she really suspected whether I was your biological daughter. You and Father clearly excelled at your studies. How did you give birth to a daughter so terrible at studies? Even Mu Yuchen is good at studies.¡±

    ¡°Just treat it as an example of how once a certain limit is reached, a reverse is inevitable. If you aren¡¯t my daughter, would you look exactly like me?¡± Shen Wenna smiled as some warm light slowly surfaced in her hollow eyes. ¡°When I had you, you were the most tormenting child in the womb ever. I needed to constantly visit the hospital for checkups. Your father thought we almost couldn¡¯t keep you. Your movements never stopped.¡±

    ¡°I know about that. I¡¯ve troubled you, Mother. After that, Father never agreed for me to have another younger brother or sister, so it was only me.¡±

    ¡°You and Ah Chen can have one or two little ones. The Mu family also only has one heir. Who wouldn¡¯t hope for their families to flourish with more children? With Ah Chen¡¯s personality and the Mu family, if you got pregnant, you¡¯d be cherished carefully and doted on from the bottom of their hearts.¡±

    As Shen Wenna spoke, she gently patted Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ve been married for almost three months now. Why hasn¡¯t there been any news?¡±

    When this was brought up, two clouds of pink blush colored Xi Xiaye¡¯s fair cheeks. She reached out to caress her t bell while she pursed her lips and did not answer.

    ¡°Eat more tonics for your health. You¡¯re quite stressed too and you¡¯ve been working so hard. You have to know how to take care and love yourself.¡±

    The mother and daughter rarely spoke with such calmness and without barriers. Xi Xiaye suddenly felt like Shen Wenna seemed to have changed in temperament after she lost her sight. She was never like that before. She used to be a little cold and distant, and hard to get close to.

    ¡°Mmm, I will, don¡¯t worry, Mother. Have some water. I¡¯ll go take a look at what Father has cooked. Later, I¡¯ll get Mu Yuchen toe back for a meal.¡±

    Xi Xiaye poured Shen Wenna a cup of water and handed it to her, then she walked to the kitchen.

    In the kitchen, Xi Mushan was moving about in front of the stove. When he saw Xi Xiaye walk in, he asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you chatting with your mother? There¡¯s quite a lot of smoke in the kitchen. Why did youe in?¡±

    ¡°Father, you... Are you really determined on getting Mother back?¡± Xi Xiaye leaned against a cupboard and fixed her eyes on Xi Mushan who was stir frying a dish.

    When he heard his daughter¡¯s question, Xi Mushan paused. He turned to look at Xi Xiaye and sighed as he said, ¡°Obviously, I am. Even if she won¡¯t ept it, I should be taking care of her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can feel that Mother still has feelings for you, so you have to persevere. On Grandpa¡¯s side, Mu Yuchen previously suppressed his fury temporarily, so he won¡¯t interfere between you and Mother... Actually, I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d reallye over. When Mu Yuchen and I discussed this, we were quite uncertain.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed, lowering her gaze and thinking for a moment.

    Then, she continued again, ¡°Actually, long before Grandfather left us, he came looking for me and told me not to me you... Now that Grandfather¡¯s gone, I realized that many grudges aren¡¯t actually that important. After you and Mother got divorced, I¡¯ve always hoped that you two can get together again. Mother has never been able to forget you.¡±

    ¡°Did she tell you that?¡± When he heard Xi Xiaye say this, Xi Mushan¡¯s eyes suddenly ignited with some hope, he turned and fixed his eyes on her.

    ¡°She said that she¡¯s given you all of her...¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s a good woman, so good that sometimes I don¡¯t think I match her.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed bitterly. She pursed her lips. Seeing his deste expression, she said, ¡°I heard that in rtionships, there¡¯s no such thing aspatible or not. Ites down to willingness.¡±

    ¡°No matter what, I hope that you two can get back together again because I know that all these years, Mother has actually been very lonely too.¡±

    She suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a little too heavy. Reluctant to continue, she changed the topic.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Grandfather gave the property rights to West Park and somend in the east of the city to me. I know that they must have gone to look for you for the past few days, so you can just tell them that I¡¯ve already signed the document and acknowledged it. If there¡¯s anything they are unhappy about, they cane to look for me. They don¡¯t have to bother you or continuetching onto you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had already expected that if Deng Wenwen and the rest knew about this, they were going to explode in fury again. She could even imagine all the women¡¯s expressions when they found out.

 Chapter 414 - Start Over (3)

    <h4>Chapter 414: Start Over (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Xi Mushan finished preparing the dishes, Xi Xiaye called Mu Yuchen and found out that he had lunch with Shen Yue outside, so the three of them enjoyed the lunch instead.

    From what she recalled, thest time the three of them had shared a meal like this was almost more than 20 years ago.

    That was already such a distant memory.

    Now that they could relive such moments again, she felt quite emotionally stirred.

    Throughout it all, Xi Mushan had carefully taken care of Shen Wenna, picking out the fish bones, spooning the food for her, wiping away the residue of soup at the corner of her mouth...

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything. She silently watched Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna across her. She took in all their movements that were full of chemistry and could not help but feel a pang of sadness and tenderness.

    It was not sure whether it was because Xi Xiaye, their daughter was present, but Shen Wenna did not reject Xi Mushan serving her, she silently lowered her head and ate the food in her bowl, but she did not say anything to Xi Mushan, instead, Xi Mushan spoke up from time to time.

    After lunch, Xi Xiaye went straight back to the office while Xi Mushan remained in the Shen residence to apany Shen Wenna. Of course, before she left, she handed the letter that Xi Jiyang gave her to Shen Wenna, but Shen Wenna did not open it. She just quietly kept it away.

    The afternoon sky was still gloomy. The horizons held hints of rain whilst both sides of the walkway were filled with pedestrians rushing through with their umbres.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s car drove underneath the cold rain and went to the parking spot before the Glory World Corporation za.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye had just reached her office and sat down when Xiao Mei walked in.

    ¡°Director Xi, Qi Kai¡¯s Vice President Qi came over. There¡¯s a document that needs to be discussed for amendment. VP Zhang Lan and Chairman Mu are doing inspections at the South River, so they asked you to review it on behalf of them.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly and subconsciously looked up to see Qi Lei standing casually behind Xiao Mei. However, his handsome face seemed a little pale.

    She hesitated momentarily before pointing to the sofa on the side. ¡°Have a seat!¡±

    Xiao Mei knowingly came up to steep the tea while Qi Lei sat down on the sofa. Xi Xiaye sat leisurely across him too.

    Her assistant, Xiao Mei, left after steeping the tea.

    ¡°What document is it? Let me take a look,¡± Xi Xiaye said inly.

    Cough cough!

    Just as Xi Xiaye said this, Qi Lei suddenly coughed severely. His eyes filled with a demonic air and contained some fury as he red at Xi Xiaye.

    It was all because of this annoying woman!

    Initially, his cold had not been getting better. After being caught in the rain that day and being tormented by her like that, he suffered a high fever for quite a few days upon his return. Following that, his cold became more severe. He had been staying at home for quite a while, yet his throat still hurt like it was on fire. He almost could not speak!

    He coughed for quite a while, causing his demonically charming face to redden. He was clearly holding back his urge to cough with a lot of effort.

    Xi Xiaye held her teacup and looked at him calmly with raised eyebrows. An amused smile could not help but surface on her fair face.

    He held back, sipped some tea, and managed to suppress his frustration. Then, he frowned and cleared his throat to softly speak with a raspy and dry voice, ¡°What are you smiling for? It¡¯s all because of you. I¡¯ve never seen a woman as annoying as you!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard hisment, she raised her brows even more and casually had a sip of tea. As she recalled the scene of tricking this lecher in the rain, she felt smug on the inside. She pursed her lips and smiled wider. ¡°I think you¡¯re quiteical and funny. Besides, I don¡¯t need you to like me. Whether or not I¡¯m annoying is none of your business.¡±

    Qi Lei coughed a few times again. He took a few deep breaths, then gasped. ¡°You¡¯re really one to talk! Women who mess with me receive a p and be handicapped if I go easy. In a worse case, you should be grateful that I¡¯ve been happy to be a good person recently, so I won¡¯t be bickering with you. Otherwise, you would¡¯ve been done for¡ª Cough cough... Cough cough!¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he drank some tea and then with a scarlet face, he turned to take a document out from his briefcase. He flipped through it before handing it to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°This is the rough n. It¡¯s already been amended ording to yourpany¡¯sments. Take a look... Cough cough! Cough cough...¡±

    Qi Lei hacked quite badly and his handsome face turned red from trying to suppress the coughs down. When Xi Xiaye saw his agony, she reached out to take a tissue and handed it to him as she smiled coldly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that you¡¯re quite dedicated to your work, VP Qi. You¡¯re already this sick and still, you insist on working. The award for the model employee of the year should just be given to you.¡±

    As Qi Lei took the tissue Xi Xiaye handed, he covered his mouth and coughed quite a few times again before he calmed down after a while.

    ¡°You speak with such harshness. Every time I talk to you, it¡¯s quite upsetting! Take the things and look for yourself!¡± Qi Lei flushed red as he breathed in and then tossed the document to Xi Xiaye who squinted at him before picking it up and looking through it.

    It was the n for the water pce surrounding the music fountain. This was what Glory World had requested for before, and Qi Kai had very cooperatively made amendments. Because Xi Xiaye was personally in charge of this project, she naturally had a very clear grasp of it.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this part supposed to be supported by rhombus jades? Why... is it like this now?¡± Xi Xiaye squinted at the sketch and asked in puzzlement.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly, then slowly got up to lean in and look. In one look, he replied, ¡°A triangr shape would have higher stability and be steadier for support. Don¡¯t these two look quite good joined together? Do you even know anything about construction?¡± He rolled his eyes at her.

    Xi Xiaye then slowly looked up and red at him. She then recalled that Qi Lei seemed to have been an outstanding student who had graduated from a certain prestigious school in construction!

    Previously, she seemed to have heard VP Zhang Lan mention this before!

    Would that then mean that this blueprint was personally designed by him?

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows and looked at him. ¡°Did you personally n and design this yourself?¡±

    She remembered that back then when Mu Yuchen suggested having a water pce and musical fountain, he had been hesitant because not manypanies in City Z were well-versed with this aspect, yet thisnd required extreme perfection. It was a very important highlight in the entire South River project, so you could tell how important it was.

    Now, by the looks of Qi Lei¡¯s blueprint design, it looked pretty impressive.

    However, Xi Xiaye obviously did not know much about these. Perhaps she would need to bring it home to discuss with Mu Yuchen first.

    ¡°Do you think this little project will require my personal involvement? Hmm!¡±

    Qi Lei shot Xi Xiaye a side look of disdain. He lowered his head and sipped his tea. However, he could not help but cough quite a few times again.

    Xi Xiaye abruptly looked up and looked contemtively at him. She did not say anything and just got up to return to her desk. Then, she pulled open a drawer and took out a pen.

 Chapter 415 - Start Over (4)

    <h4>Chapter 415: Start Over (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She was about to close the drawer after taking out a pen, but then she noticed that in the corner of the drawer, there was the medicine for flu and sore throat Ah Mo had brought herst time.

    She took it out as well.

    Thud!

    As Qi Lei was coughing non-stop, Xi Xiaye tossed a tiny metal box to him. He stared at her in surprise while she was already reading the document on hand.

    Qi Lei picked the metal box up and realized there were pills for flu and sore throat inside. A faint light appeared in his eyes as he nced at her for a while before popping a pill into his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass this document back to you in a few days. There are several parts that need to be discussed,¡± Xi Xiaye told him after a while.

    Qi Lei coughed again before pointing to the blueprint to say in his hoarse voice, ¡°Here¡¯s the part you guys requested for amendments. The effect graph is over here.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. I¡¯ll take a look at it and leave feedbackter.¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed the document and stood up. ¡°Vice President Qi, you should head back now. Thank you foring all the way here.¡± She used a clipped, business tone.

    Qi Lei¡¯s scarlet face was sweaty and he looked pretty ufortable. He grabbed the pen from Xi Xiaye and wrote a bunch of numbers in the empty corner of the document.

    ¡°Give me a call after you¡¯re done.¡± Without staying any longer, he left after he packed up his stuff, taking the pills along with him too.

    When he arrived at the door, Qi Lei suddenly turned back and looked at Xi Xiaye. He waved the little metal box in his hand, but his eyes did not have the usual wickedness he had before.

    ¡°I know you guys have been gunning for Yueying, but my advice to you is to back off a little. Things have been rather chaotictely. Glory World isn¡¯t the only one aiming for it. Well, I¡¯m taking this aspensation to my reminder. That¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Qi Lei left after saying that to Xi Xiaye. She stood there, listening to the sound of his coughing in the corridor.

    Xi Xiaye clenched the document in her hand after he left. Her eyes quieted down before they became clear again.

    In his words, was he telling her that Qi Kai was gunning for Yueying too?

    She remembered that he was the representative of Qi Kai who was handling Yueying, as well as one of Xi Xinyi¡¯s strongest back-ups, so he should not be telling her this.

    Xi Xiaye was getting more and more confused as she thought about it.

    Inspector Zhang¡¯s words shed in her mind. Qi Lei and his father Qi Qiming were not on good terms.

    Qi Qiming obviously favored his eldest son Qi Feng more and was not very pleased with this other son of his.

    Having investigated deeper on her own, Xi Xiaye found out that Qi Qiming and Qi Lei¡¯s mother, Huang Qin, were just purely connected by marriage. Currently, Wang Qin held most of Qi Kai¡¯s stock, thus Qi Qiming could not just do anything he wanted.

    Wang Qin was being considerate about her own son. It had been forever since she wanted Qi Lei to be CEO of Qi Kai, but Qi Qiming never agreed. The couple was cold to each other, and apparently, it was not really a secret.

    However, she felt something was wrong with what Qi Lei said.

    Could Qi Qiming want Yueying as well?

    ...

    She was troubled for quite some time until the end of the workday. Finally, she kept her thoughts to herself and went to meet Mu Lingshi and Su Nan.

    Back in Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen arrived home in the evening. Together with Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and Ah Mo, they were nning to go Imperial Sky initially, but Su Chen would not let this chance slip by.

    He missed the excellent wine in Mu Yuchen¡¯s cer, so the few of them went to Maple Residence as well.

    Mu Yuchen was busy cooking in the kitchen while the three of them were ying cards in the living room. Afterward, they felt a little uneasy, so they went to help Mu Yuchen.

    Su Chen was peeling the potato skins as he asked, ¡°I don¡¯t see your wife around. Is she still at work?¡±

    ¡°She went out with Lingshi and mighte backte tonight,¡± Mu Yuchen replied while he was concentrating on mixing some spices.

    ¡°Regarding your father-inw, Xi Mushan, is that just going to happen? I heard about it during the meeting today. It felt...¡± Su Chen frowned as he looked at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Father doesn¡¯t want to work in the political field anymore. It¡¯s enough that he stayed in the field for decades, so he¡¯s decided to quit now and spend time with Mother, which isn¡¯t a bad idea,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°How about your mother-inw? The media went crazy about her a while ago. I know Shen Yue and you suppressed the news, plus the government helped out a bit as well. Now that it¡¯s in the past and with Xi Jiyang left, you wouldn¡¯t just let those women go, would you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hunt them until the very end.¡±

    His tone was firm, ¡°At the same time I want to see what Qi Kai will do. I have a feeling that we¡¯ll find something out after this storm is over.¡±

    ¡°I heard you¡¯re sending Ah Mo and Lingshi over to Los Angeles?¡±

    Su Chen gave Mu Yuchen a meaningful stare, ¡°Are you thinking that someone might be there?¡±

    ¡°Xiaye said she wants to visit South America, the view is nice over there, it¡¯d be good to have our wedding there too, Ah Mo and Lingshi are back together now, I¡¯m letting them take a short vacation together while they scout the ce.¡±

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°I had a talk with Zimo yesterday. Every time Qi Qiming went abroad, he¡¯d always pass Los Angeles. I think we can leak this information to Qi Lei or Wang Qin to test them.¡±

    ¡°It might be better if we let them struggle among themselves while we take action only when needed.¡±

    ...

    Su Chen had put a lot of effort into thistely. It was evident that he worked hard to track Qi Qiming down.

    ¡°Zimo purposely went to a hotel in San Francisco that Qi Qiming has stayed in before. He found out that he actually went there for business. Nothing seemed odd.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened, but his hands did not stop at all.

 Chapter 416 - Happy Times (1)

    <h4>Chapter 416: Happy Times (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen¡¯s expression darkened as he hesitated for a moment. ¡°Get Ah Mo to investigate it thoroughly when he¡¯s over there this time. We might be able to find something out.¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming is really skilled at anti-spying. His background has made him really sensitive about it. I tried sending people to follow him, but all of them lost him somewhere. He must be really vignt.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned serious as well while a cold light was emitted from his deep, dark eyes.

    Su Chen suddenly thought about it and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the investigation on the ident in City B? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s really just an ident. It doesn¡¯t add up. That¡¯s the Gu family¡¯s turf. You might¡¯ve been watched the whole time you were there. Moreover, it¡¯s such massive news that you came back to take over Glory World. They must have been aware.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put aside the spices he just mixed, then he took the potatoes Su Chen washed and started slicing them up. His expression returned to his usual calmness.

    ¡°The driver is in thest stage of lung cancer and he¡¯s unconscious now. Before that, his lover suddenly received a transaction of $200,000. After some investigation, we found out the driver transferred it to her, but the clues ended right there.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was calm, but Su Chen frowned. ¡°So, the driver might have something about that person? Didn¡¯t you check his ount?¡±

    ¡°The driver banked the cash in. We couldn¡¯t get any useful information about it unless the driver can talk.¡±

    Su Chen held his forehead. ¡°This seems really tricky. I think you should be more careful as I¡¯m feeling quite uneasy about this. If someone were behind this, they¡¯d being for you. You should be more alert from now on. Assign more bodyguards with you. You¡¯ve got many anyway.¡±

    He continued, apparently worried about it, ¡°I¡¯m worried that the Gu family or the Qi family might be behind this. You¡¯ll be in a very passive position. Be careful before we¡¯re clear what¡¯s happening. The enemy is in the dark, after all, so be cautious.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They need to reevaluate themselves if they really want toe at me.¡±

    Su Chen shrugged when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s rxed tone. ¡°You¡¯re really not worried at all, huh? You¡¯d better take care of yourself. If something happens to you, your wife might just go down with you. I know it¡¯s not something nice to hear, but I don¡¯t think she can take a second blow now. I heard from Lingshi that Xiaye almost broke down when Elder Xi passed away.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye was mentioned, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was not as cool as before. He paused his a little. ¡°She¡¯s just like that. She¡¯s very fragile emotionally. Although she¡¯s a totally different person than when she¡¯s at work, I¡¯m used to it already.¡±

    Su Chenughed and teased him, ¡°Look at you caring about her. Are you really a man?¡±

    ¡°A real man cares about his woman. Smart men should be like me. Find someone and settle down. Zhou Zimo and you are like the clouds in the sky floating casually. I feel lonely for you guys up there.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s serious words made Su Chen roll his eyes at him. ¡°Although I don¡¯t agree with people saying that women are tools to warm the bed up, don¡¯t you think that marriage is really like a cage?¡±

    ¡°A cage? That¡¯s how they see it. I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t want to know. Only people who know how to appreciate it can be happy, wise, and epting, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    While Mu Yuchen felt it was rtable, his tone started to be low. ¡°If you feel that you can live better after marrying someone, that means you¡¯ve made the right choice, and now I¡¯m feeling it.¡±

    Su Chen sighed as he looked at Mu Yuchen with an envious smile. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to have met the right person. My father always tells me and Zimo to follow your example, but they don¡¯t understand how hard it is to find true love in this world.¡±

    ¡°When I just met Xiaye, I just admired her and didn¡¯t dislike her. Thinking back now, I¡¯m surprised that I suggested marrying her.¡± Mu Yuchen stopped his hand movements and looked at Su Chen.

    Su Chen gave him a wry smile while he patted Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know you? You must be lusting after her beauty. The way you call Xiaye is so flirtatious... Ah!¡±

    Before Su Chen could finish his sentence Mu Yuchen gave him an uppercut. Su Chen groaned and then shut up, swallowing the blood that came from biting his tongue.

    ¡°That was harsh! Are we really friends?¡± Su Chen groaned again as he gave Mu Yuchen a frown.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you transferred the money to me thest time we yed cards, did you?¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and see what they are up to!¡± Su Chen swiftly ducked away.

    The dinner was a feast. It had been a long time since they gathered, so they drank a lot right until midnight, then Su Chen and Zhou Zimo went back drunk.

    After sending Zhou Zimo to his car, Ah Mo turned around and told Mu Yuchen, ¡°Master, Vice President Liu has started taking action. More than half of Yueying¡¯s stakeholders are willing to join Chenye Movies and Televisions. I¡¯m sure the directors, as well as the actors, will support us too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your good news then. After the preparation isplete over there, you can start spreading the news. Let them struggle after that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, Li Si is working on it already. I¡¯ll bring you positive news in a few days¡¯ time. After everything is settled here, I¡¯m sure you can have a peaceful wedding with Missus.¡± Ah Mo smiled genuinely.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s prettyte now. You should go back. Ask the chauffeur to send them home. Your sister-inw and Lingshi should be heading back as well.¡±

 Chapter 417 - Happy Times (2)

    <h4>Chapter 417: Happy Times (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Ah Mo¡¯s car left and Mu Yuchen turned around, he heard the sound of a car engineing closer. He looked over and saw a pair of headlights advancing nearer.

    He then saw the woman in the driver¡¯s seat.

    The car was quickly parked and Xi Xiaye got down. Mu Yuchen remained stationary and watched her with a smile. His gaze was warm and gentle, even sweet.

    Xi Xiaye closed the door and locked the car. She held a bag in her hand as she swiftly went over to Mu Yuchen.

    He saw a bright smile on her face as he closed in and put his arm over her shoulder. ¡°Did you have fun?¡±

    ¡°It was alright. I thought you haven¡¯t had dinner, so I bought you some wantons. I tried it with Su Nanst time and thought they were nice. I didn¡¯t know you guys had a party at home.¡± She waved the bag around in front of him.

    ¡°Just in time for supper. I drank quite a bit today. The food I ate just now doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s there anymore,¡± he said while grabbing the bag.

    ¡°No wonder there¡¯s such a strong stench from you. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to drink so much? You can¡¯t drink as much as you think you can.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that much. Besides, Su Chen and Zimo drank more. Come, let¡¯s head in.¡± He dragged her inside.

    ...

    He unpacked the still warm wantons and started munching on them as she sat opposite him and rested her chin on her arms, watching him eat with a quiet gaze.

    Mu Yuchen looked at her intensely. He took a wanton and dangled it right in front of her mouth. Mercilessly, she chomped on it.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Did I be more handsometely?¡± Heughed after she ate the wanton.

    Xi Xiaye swallowed the food before she pursed her lips and looked at him with interest. She then replied with a serious tone, ¡°Mr. Mu, I noticed something very important.¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He looked at her as he ate a wanton elegantly.

    ¡°I noticed... You. Have. Gotten. Fatter!¡± Xi Xiaye enunciated slowly and clearly while shooting him a teasing look.

    As expected!

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Mu Yuchen was shocked by her words before he got to swallow his food. He choked as he red at her, coughing hard.

    Xi Xiaye quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to him. She chuckled when she saw him react so horrified. Being the caring wife she was, she also got him a ss of water.

    His face turned a little red from all the coughing, Xi Xiaye stoppedughing and asked him in concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Mu Yuchen red at her as he took the tissue and wiped his mouth. He cleared his throat and spoke as a faint light shed in his eyes, ¡°Not at all!¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned her head away and started chuckling again.

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m not, am I? It¡¯s not fat unless you can see my double chin...¡± Mr. Mu who had been confident about his body went to check his waistline and jowl for the first time after his woman made such ament.

    Xi Xiaye roared withughter when she saw what he was doing. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. Look at you! You¡¯re even more concerned about body size than I am!¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped and pinched her little face. ¡°You trickster!¡±

    Xi Xiaye pushed his w away andughed more. ¡°Actually, you¡¯ll look amazing even if you get fatter. You being bigger makes me feel safer when I¡¯m around you.¡±

    ¡°So, are you saying that I¡¯m not giving you enough sense of security now?¡± He nced at her warningly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that I¡¯m keeping such a trim figure?¡±

    She giggled again and handed him the ss of water. ¡°Mother even praised you today. Of course, I¡¯m happy.¡±

    He took a sip of water before asking, ¡°What did she say?¡±

    ¡°She said you have an elegant vibe around you, smart and very gentlemanly... I think she mentioned it before!¡± Her eyes were like the sun, emitting a warm gaze. ¡°From what she said, it sounded like you¡¯re everyone¡¯s baby instead.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t do. No one can be even more precious than you, my dear. You¡¯re my baby!¡±

    It was difficult to judge whether he was lying from his serious tone, but the warmth in his eyes was almost drowning her.

    ¡°Really?¡± She beamed. His recognition made her really delighted.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± His heart turned into a fluffy marshmallow when he saw her beautiful smile. He could not help but pat her head lovingly. ¡°You¡¯re everyone¡¯s baby because everyone likes the silly you.¡±

    She was stunned for a moment before she pushed his hand away. She scowled at him in disagreement. ¡°I¡¯m not silly! I just never disyed my intelligence!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not silly, just a little low in EQ. Usually, people who are stupid won¡¯t admit they are stupid.¡±

    ¡°How can you say that!? I even praised you just now! Hey! What are you doing!? I¡¯m not done talking...¡±

    ¡°Clean this up. I¡¯ll take a shower, but of course, I don¡¯t mind if you want to join me!¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ...

    He was done showering when Xi Xiaye went upstairs. When it was her turn to shower, he read a book casually. After that, she got into bed as well.

    ¡°What are you reading?¡± She dragged the nket over a little and poked her head over.

    It was an architecture-rted book, She felt a headache after several nces at it, but he just dragged her closer without looking at her.

    He finished about a third of the book in that one session. He had been reading simr types of books in the past few days.

    It must be because of Shen Yue! Xi Xiaye remembered that Shen Yue had given him a few books as well as some documents to read.

    ¡°Several more pages, hmm?¡± He flipped another page.

    ¡°Can you really go on reading this?¡± She looked at him with a frown.

    ¡°Why not? You have to put something in your brain if you need it. You can read it if you quiet your mind down,¡± he replied.

 Chapter 418 - Happy Times (3)

    <h4>Chapter 418: Happy Times (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She breathed in, and with one hand propping up her head, her clear gaze looked towards the page in her hand. When she saw those diagrams, she immediately recalled the document that Qi Lei had sent over that afternoon.

    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot!¡± she cried out and got up.

    ¡°What is it?¡± He looked up to her, yet saw that she had already put on her shoes and was rushing towards the door. A whileter, she brought a document back.

    ¡°This! Take a look! Qi Lei delivered it this afternoon. It¡¯s amended based on our requests. I¡¯m not too well-versed with this. We should get the opinion of the discussion group, so I brought it back.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei? When has he be so proactive? He even sent it over personally?¡± he asked with a deep voice as he squinted at her.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. ¡°Who knows? But based on this blueprint, it should be his work. I heard that he¡¯s an outstanding student in a certain prestigious university abroad for construction, and even did his Masters in management. He sounds like he¡¯s pretty clever.¡±

    ¡°You are also a graduate of a prestigious university abroad,¡± he simply answered, and then flipped the document open. ¡°He¡¯s quite talented at barely 30 and he¡¯s already gotten quite a few awards. I do quite admire him personally. He has high potential. If he was seriously unearthed, he¡¯d be far better than Qi Feng...¡±

    As he mentioned Qi Feng towards the end, he subconsciously stopped talking. His movements abruptly paused too while his still eyes dimmed. After that, he did not go on either.

    Xi Xiaye naturally took in all his reactions. After thinking about it, she then clung onto his arm. ¡°But to me, no matter how excellent he may be, he¡¯s far from beingpared to you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really getting more and more self-aware now.¡± He then smiled.

    ¡°Of course, no matter how good someone else may be, they wouldn¡¯t be mine. Only your kindness to me is real. However, he said unkind things about you in front of me, yet you said you admire him to me. Based on this alone, Mr. Mu, you trump him.¡±

    When he heard her dere so, his gaze turned gentle. To be able to hear praises from her obviously made him very pleased.

    ...

    The husband and wife couple patiently and meticulously went through the whole design blueprint and made notes where minor amendments were needed. When they were done, it was close to midnight. Xi Xiaye was quite tired that she almost could not keep her eyes open. Mu Yuchen had just kept the things away when she had already fallen asleep.

    Mu Yuchen got up to put the documents away in the study room, then heid back down.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    He had justid down when she subconsciously reached out to search for him. Nowadays, it was almost a routine every night. When she could not sleep soundly, she would call out to him and reach out to see if he was still by her side.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± He would also respond by routine naturally and without waiting for her to answer, he would pull her tightly into his embrace.

    Every time at this second, his heart would melt and he could not help but feel a slight ache because he wanted to possess her even more.

    He was not sure when he had actually begun to have such vulnerable and tender feelings.

    On calm and warm days, he got used to her presence. Now, he unexpectedly willingly became addicted to her.

    All of these wonderful things would continue on...

    Meanwhile, in this dead of the same night, that in a certain luxurious vi in the Grand Lakes Area.

    As usual, Qi Lei habitually stood in the breeze on the second-floor balcony in his pajamas after a shower and watched the flickering light on theke across.

    Cough cough! Cough cough!

    In the cold wind, his coughs came from time to time.

    This time it really was quite bad. He had not recovered after resting at home for a few days. Earlier on, he even had to be put on drips.

    It was all because of that woman!

    If it were not for being caught in the rain that day, he would have recovered from his cold by now. She had even tricked and tormented him, upsetting him thoroughly!

    Qi Lei covered his mouth and coughed harshly a few times. He subconsciously reached into his pocket to get a handkerchief, yet he found a little metal box instead. When he took it out to look, he realized that it was the cough drops he had gotten from Xi Xiaye in the afternoon.

    He gazed down at it for quite a while, then his handsome face rxed. It was not the usual demonic charm on him. Instead, he looked much more gentle right now.

    He fell silent for a while, then suddenly turned to walk towards the bedroom behind him. Taking huge strides to the side of his bed, he pulled the drawer open. Inside was a sketchbook.

    It was Xi Xiaye¡¯s sketchbook that he had picked up from the hospital the other day.

    He put the little metal box inside, and then closed the drawer before heid downfortably on the huge bed.

    However, just as heid down, his phone vibrated. Looking at the screen, he saw that it was Assistant Yang Sheng.

    He stared for a while before he answered it.

    The phone call had just gotten through when Yang Sheng¡¯s anxious voice came through.

    ¡°Master Qi, the butler at Qi Park just called. He said that the CEO is back and had a huge argument with the Madam who left the house angrily in the dead of the night. She drove by herself. Madam cut her hand when she made dinner for you the other night and it still hasn¡¯t healed...¡±

    When he heard this, Qi Lei instantly frowned. An incredulous look crossed his handsome face. ¡°These arguments aremon. Mother¡¯s not a child either. What are you worried about?¡±

    Qi Lei was quite calm since he was already used to all of these and did not find it out of the ordinary.

    ¡°But, Master Qi, it¡¯s already past midnight right now. Madam, she...¡±

    Yang Sheng still could not help but want to say something more¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She has an apartment in Century City. She should be there. Get someone to take a look,¡± Qi Lei said quite calmly. Then before Yang Sheng could respond, he hung up.

    As he watched his phone screen dim, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face slowly curved with a sneer.

    Pa!

    In the darkness, a ck shadow cut through the air and shot straight towards the wall across. Then, with a resounding smash, the phone that had been in his hand earlier shattered into pieces on the ground...

    The brand new phone was turned to scrap.

    He took a deep breath as he took the pillow beside him and covered his face with it. Immediately, intense sounds of coughs could be heard in every corner of the room!

    He was done dealing with these conflicts for all these years. Initially, he thought that maybe it would get better once he moved out, but who would have thought...?

 Chapter 419 - The Beautiful Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 419: The Beautiful Past (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, the husband and wife woke up quite early. After they leisurely finished their breakfast, they went straight to work.

    They brought the blueprint that they had amended together the day before. Xi Xiaye called for an early morning meeting and exined everything to get a consensus from everyone¡¯s opinions. After the whole morning, they finally managed to settle everything.

    These few days, she had been mainly assisting Mu Yuchen in the office while Li Si was busy helping Vice President Liu Lingyu. Mu Yuchen had delegated all the work on her hands, so she now really became an idle person.

    Inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, he was sitting at his desk and discussing something with Vice President Wen Hai. Xi Xiaye stood by the side of the table as she put a stack of documents into a folder while he was still on the phone.

    She hesitated momentarily, then decided not to disturb him and just go over herself. However, just as she picked up the folder, the man hung up.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Seeing her about to turn around, he suddenly reached out to pull her back.

    ¡°Send these documents over to Qi Kai. There are some little details that still need to be exined to them. It¡¯s now a little over 10 a.m. By the time I¡¯m done, it should be noon, just in time for a break. I won¡¯t be back for lunch then, so get your secretary to get you lunch. I should be able to rush back for work in the afternoon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached over to pull the drawer beside him open before taking a car key out. ¡°You aren¡¯t going out at noon, are you? I¡¯m going to drive over...¡±

    ¡°Come back sooner. I have to make a trip to the South River in the afternoon,¡± he said and handed his phone to her.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, bye.¡±

    ...

    When she reached Qi Kai, the person who greeted her was Qi Lei. He looked much better than the day before. Although his voice was still raspy and dry, he did not cough as badly as yesterday.

    ¡°We¡¯ve roughly approved it on our side. There are just some minor details that we hope you could pay a little more attention to. Here¡¯s the amended blueprint. Take a look to see if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat on the sofa and spoke seriously as her slender and fair fingers gently pushed the opened document towards Qi Lei. ¡°Here, I hope that you can change it to Glory World¡¯s logo. This area will be one of the main recreational centers for the people of the South River. This part that Qi Kai is in charge of is extremely important.¡±

    ¡°Did Mu Yuchen say he wanted to change it to your logo? It doesn¡¯t say so up there.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s raspy voice was heard as he frowned at the document and pointed out the details that were noted at the top of the document.

    ¡°No, I just thought of it,¡± Xi Xiaye answered quite frankly.

    Qi Lei could not help but roll his eyes at her. ring at her, he said coldly, ¡°You really know how to bargain. Two logos aren¡¯t easy to handle.¡±

    ¡°Then, just ditch Qi Kai¡¯s logo and change to Glory World¡¯s. The actual people in charge of this project is Glory World anyway.¡±

    She did not tolerate it further and packed her things up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m done exining and you¡¯re clear about everything, so just follow this n. I¡¯m leaving now. If there¡¯s anything, you can just contact our Vice President Zhang Lan.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time for lunch. Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡±

    Qi Lei packed the documents and slowly got up.

    With lifted eyebrows, Xi Xiaye was about to reject him, yet Qi Lei spoke up, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t reject me on this, would you? Of course, you can first ask Mu Yuchen for permission based on the way you look all obedient to him...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not like to hear these words Qi Lei just uttered.

    What did he mean by that, implying Mu Yuchen had tamed her to be all docile?

    They just got along well and lived in harmony!

    However, since he had made it sound that way, she would obviously not reject him!

    She squinted slightly and took a look at him. A faint ripple appeared across her elegant and beautiful face. She did not reject him and nodded dly. ¡°Okay, Vice President Qi, since you¡¯re so sincere, if I don¡¯t agree to this invitation, then it won¡¯t be very nice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my utmost honor!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face brimmed with a smile, then he caught up with Xi Xiaye¡¯s stride.

    After 20 minutes, they were at Emperor Hotel, City Z¡¯s most luxurious and deluxe hotel.

    Xi Xiaye ordered a whole table of food that were all extremely expensive. After aplete meal, it was probably...

    Qi Lei who sat across her was looking at Xi Xiaye who was looking down at the menu. When he heard her order all those food, he tried to hold back augh.

    ¡°That¡¯s just it. Right, for the first five dishes, I¡¯d like to also take one set of it away. Thank you.¡± Xi Xiaye closed the menu and handed it to the server.

    When Qi Lei heard the words that came after that, he was slightly stunned. ¡°You really didn¡¯t let go of an opportunity to butcher me.¡± With a smile, he rather chivalrously handed the wet handkerchief to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that I¡¯ve given you so much face?¡± Xi Xiaye reached out to take it, then inly answered.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried I have ulterior motives right now?¡± Qi Lei obviously did not forget that this woman seemed to have been quite on-guard against him many times previously.

    ¡°If I am, will you stop having ulterior motives? Actually, I¡¯ve always been wanting to know what kind of grudges made you dislike Mu Yuchen. He even told mest night that he admires you. Instead, it¡¯s you who keeps talking bad about him. Don¡¯t you know that doing so will make you seem very narrow-minded?¡±

    She squinted her twinkling eyes while her eyes were filled with judgment.

    ¡°I thought you were really not curious!¡±

    When this was raised, Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze and looked coldly at the teacup in front of her. Her tone was quite calm as she pointed out, ¡°The other day, when Xiao Mei and I sent you to the hospital, you kept calling out for ¡®Sha Sha¡¯. That should be Gu Lingsha, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    When Gu Lingsha¡¯s name was mentioned, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes instantly turned silent. The light in his eyes turned stagnant as his grip on the handkerchief abruptly tightened.

    ¡°She must be the person that you¡¯ve always been missing, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    She took in all of his reactions. Then, Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment before she continued to ask.

    Previously, she had heard the name Gu Lingsha from Mu Yuchen too. However, she vaguely felt that the situation was not as simple as he made it out to be. The Mu family seemed to treat this as a taboo and never mentioned it.

    Even that one time when she identally probed Mu Lingshi, she seemed to be very unwilling to recall these things, so she could only just let it be.

    Well, it was no wonder. She was sure that those memories were a scar that could not be touched in Mu Lingshi¡¯s heart forever. Not even Mu Yuchen could approach them.

    After that, she did not continue asking about it. She could only put all her hope onto Detective Zhang, praying that he would be able to find out more.

    Yet, Detective Zhang did not have any news.

    Now that Qi Lei had brought it up, she wanted to probe further. From the way Ah Mo and the rest brought up the incident in City B, perhaps there would be some clues.

 Chapter 420 - The Beautiful Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 420: The Beautiful Past (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye finished, Qi Lei did not seem to respond for a long while.

    The two of them suddenly fell silent, and there was a faint repressive atmosphere that filled the air.

    When he did not answer, Xi Xiaye obviously did not continue questioning. She just quietly lowered her head to sip her tea, then she felt her phone buzz in her pocket, so she took it out.

    It was a certain someone¡¯s text message reply.

    Thest message she sent was: <i>Mr. Mu I¡¯m bringing food back for you. Someone treated me to lunch, so I¡¯ll get you a set.</i>

    He asked: <i>Whose treat?</i>

    She responded: <i>Qi Lei.</i>

    Now, his new reply was: <i>C </i><i>hoose the most expensive dishes.</i>

    ...

    When she read this, she really wanted to giggle as she pursed her lips. After a while, she calmed down. At this moment, the waiter had already brought the dishes.

    Qi Lei finally snapped back to his senses as well.

    When the waiter was done serving them and had retreated, Qi Lei softly asked, ¡°Did Mu Yuchen tell you about Sha Sha?¡± His tone could not conceal his disappointment.

    Xi Xiaye looked up slightly and saw the dim light that flowed in his eyes. She lowered her gaze momentarily and then picked her drink up. ¡°He mentioned her. I know that she and your brother, Qi Feng, were very close, but I think that for her to make someone like you miss her, this Gu Lingsha must be pretty amazing.¡± She then continued sipping on her drink.

    When he heard this, a smile surfaced on Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face immediately. He looked down at the swaying liquid in his ss, then looked up at her after a while.

    ¡°She is quite excellent. She¡¯s about your age and is quitepetitive. Sometimes, I do see hints of her in you. However, I know that she doesn¡¯t share your frame of mind.¡±

    Qi Lei seemed to be chasing some faraway memory as there was a listlessness in his eyes. His tone was soft as he spoke, ¡°But she¡¯s probably more exceptionally intelligent than you.¡±

    When she heard Qi Lei say that without any apprehension, Xi Xiaye did not quite care. She shrugged and said calmly, ¡°Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I won¡¯t argue with you on that.¡±

    She did not care how she looked to other men. As long as Mu Yuchen liked her, she was fine.

    When she thought this, even she herself was not sure when she had be so open-minded and generous, yet she could also be quite petty!

    Just as how he had said it the other day¡ª

    <i>I thought the only woman at this banquet is you!</i>

    Seeing her indifferent and calm little face, the light in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment and he suddenly asked softly, ¡°I heard that you used to love Han Yifeng very much... Is that true?¡±

    However, when he said this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s movements stopped. Her clear gaze slowly looked at him. As her expression was calm, you could not tell how she truly felt.

    In regard to Xi Xiaye¡¯s matters, Qi Lei was quite familiar with them. He had long heard about how Han Yifeng used to have a fianc¨¨. In fact, the marriage had been determined since young, but sadly and unexpectedly, Han Yifeng fell for Xi Xinyi after that and rejected the marriage contract. Otherwise, Xi Xiaye and Han Yifeng should have been engaged more than a decade ago.

    In fact, he remembered that scene at Elder Xi¡¯s birthday banquet.

    This woman did not seem to know how to protect herself. As he recalled that scene, he could not help but tense up too.

    ¡°That¡¯s already the past,¡± Xi Xiaye answered apathetically. She frowned slightly and finished the drink in her ss before she continued, ¡°If we could all meet sooner and love each other sooner, then we wouldn¡¯t need to have gone through so many tragic incidents.¡±

    ¡°Meet sooner? Love each other sooner? Are you referring to yourself and Mu Yuchen, and Han Yifeng with Xi Xinyi?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded gently as her hair fell on her shoulders in an unruly manner. It interweaved like dark clouds on her chest while she casually twirled it. ¡°But sometimes, it¡¯s when the heart is hopeful and can¡¯t let go that the one who¡¯s hurt will always be the one that gives. Are you that person too?¡±

    She looked at him whilst a hint of a smile floated in her eyes.

    As Qi Lei listened, his handsome face shed with a bitter smile. ¡°Do you suddenly feel like you¡¯ve found a lot to resonate with me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye spread her arms and said, ¡°If it were in the past, maybe, but now, I¡¯m only left withment and no resonance.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi seem to be getting a divorce. If Han Yifeng goes back to you, would you turn around? After all, you once cared that much about him and you did have a beautiful past.¡±

    The fact that the two of them could sit down so calmly and chat about these things was probably unimaginable to them.

    Nevertheless, when she heard Qi Lei ask this, Xi Xiaye instantly frowned. She responded after a pause, ¡°As much as I cared for him, that was before. As beautiful as things were, it¡¯s just the past. No one should live in the past. I¡¯ve chased him for more than 20 years now. I only realized afterward that I¡¯ve been going after the wrong person. He doesn¡¯t belong to me, and I don¡¯t belong to him either.

    ¡°However, I still hope that he can live better. After all, no matter what happens, he was once a dream and hope that I chased after. Now that I think about it, he¡¯s actually not all that great because I hadn¡¯t met <i>him </i> back then...¡± Xi Xiaye inly said, then poured him more drink. Qi Lei¡¯s still gaze started to flicker uncertainly in that instant as he fixed his eyes on her beautiful face.

    Obviously, he could hear that the former andtter ¡®him¡¯ were two different people, so he suddenly smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not any worse than the two of them, but why am I the bad person to you?¡±

    ¡°Because a good person wouldn¡¯t keep calling themselves a good person all day.¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a nce.

    ¡°Then, what if I call myself a bad person? Will we be able to chat so nicely next time?¡± Qi Lei raised his brows with a smirk. Then, he took the wine bottle from her and poured her a drink too as he teased.

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t,¡± she rejected frankly and swiftly.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that? I think that it¡¯s quite amusing to chat with you. I¡¯ve never befriended anyone simply, especially women!¡± He raised her brows in surprise at her.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m a married woman.¡± She unted her hand that had her wedding ring.

    ¡°Is Mu Yuchen so stingy that he doesn¡¯t even have the money to get you a huge diamond ring? He let you wear such a little thing! No matter what, arger one should suit you better.¡±

    ¡°Only tacky people like you would have such thoughts.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be going after you. You¡¯re not my type. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re far from my taste.¡±

    ¡°Why... I¡¯m a good...¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re a good person, you¡¯re not as dashing as he is!¡±

 Chapter 421 - The Beautiful Past (3)

    <h4>Chapter 421: The Beautiful Past (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The two of them then chatted casually.

    However, Xi Xiaye finished her meal quickly and then left just when the waiter brought the food she had ordered for takeaway.

    It was 1 p.m. when she arrived back at the office. As break time was not over yet, it was still pretty quiet as Xi Xiaye made her way up to the top floor.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    She bumped into Mu Yuchen¡¯s secretary at the door.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Is Chairman Mu inside?¡±

    The secretary smiled. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s in there.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then walked in to see him working hard as she strolled in. The sound of him typing in the quiet space was loud and clear.

    She turned over and closed the door. The noise broke his concentration.

    Mu Yuchen looked over at the door and saw hering over. She put the stuff she was carrying down on the table.

    She walked towards him and said, ¡°What are you working on? Come and eat.¡±

    He naturally wrapped his arm around her waist as she came closer. Sitting down on hisp, his deep voice reached her ears. ¡°The numbers submitted by the Finance Department. How are you back so quickly?¡±

    ¡°I brought you lunch...¡± She then nced over at the food on the table.

    ¡°Still worried that I¡¯m hungry?¡± He chuckled happily as he tightened his grip slightly on her waist. His unique scent filled up the space around them and her mind went nk for a while. She turned around and saw his warm gaze.

    They looked at each other and love filled the air as if something was quickly bringing them closer to each other. She could not control herself as she tilted her head and kissed his lips.

    He would never push such a rare initiative from her away, so he went along with her and just let her do whatever she wanted until he felt himself heating up. Struggling, he tried to suppress the building intimacy.

    ¡°Xiaye...¡± He pressed onto the hand on his chest as he said quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t go any lower. I can¡¯t control myself...¡±

    She narrowed her eyes at him with a cheeky smile. ¡°I thought you could always keep your calm, you pervert.¡±

    ¡°If I can still keep calm from all that teasing, that¡¯d be really dangerous.¡±

    He nced at her. ¡°You really like to tease metely, should I consider making my stand as the man of the house again?¡±

    Sheughed. ¡°It¡¯s useless to me. Alright, go and eat first. I¡¯ve ordered all the most expensive food, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing to someone like Qi Lei. He actually seemed pretty easy to talk to.¡±

    ¡°He bought you over with just one meal?¡± He stood up and squinted his eyes at her. ¡°Last night, you said that he¡¯s not a gentleman, but after just one meal, you have such a change of perspective on him. I cook for you every day and you¡¯ve never evenplimented me!¡±

    She was surprised. ¡°Mr. Mu, are you being jealous right now?¡±

    ¡°You think a gentleman like me would get jealous over him? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯d lower my standards?¡±

    The darkness on his face vanished instantly. She almost forgot this man had a nasty tongue. She just smiled without saying anything as she started browsing through the data on theptop.

    ¡°Thend Grandfather left for you is now officially yours. The documents are inside the second drawer on your left. The West Park documents will be done in two days. What are you going to do?¡± he asked as he sat down on the sofa opposite her.

    Xi Xiaye then remembered Xi Jiyang¡¯sst words. She hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Lawyer Wang called me yesterday and told me he¡¯ll head over to West Park this few days. It must be about this. I¡¯ll wait for his call before deciding whether I¡¯ll go over or not.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was obviously not really interested in such things. She did not have many fond memories of West Park, but that ce was her grandfather and father¡¯s home. It had been passed down through the Xi family and it might mean a lot to Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan, so she should protect it for them.

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought and asked, ¡°Maybe Grandfather left West Park to me because he foresaw something. Mr. Mu, Grandfather is a very smart person. Apart frompensating, don¡¯t you think there might be something else?¡±

    ¡°He probably hopes that you can protect West Park. It¡¯s also the only thing he can give you. You have to know that the house is worth quite a lot. If Yueying were to fall into a financial crisis, it could be put up to use.¡± Mu Yuchen was straightforward about this matter.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and sighed, ¡°It will just be an empty house even if I kept it safe. Father has no son. He only has me and Xi Xinyi. The house will be empty once we¡¯re married, like Grandpa¡¯s house. Fortunately, Mother apanied Grandpa along the years so that he wouldn¡¯t be lonely. I can¡¯t ask Father to return to West Park after all this.¡±

    ¡°Let it be then. If he can amodate Mother well, he can just stay at the Shen Residence. I know Father is pretty good at chess and likes fishing. He shares the same interest with Grandpa.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember that Grandpa almost killed Father thest time? I know how he is. Father will need to put a lot more effort in to be forgiven.¡± Xi Xiaye felt a headacheing on.

    ¡°Father isn¡¯t as weak as you think. He must be well-equipped to climb this high in the political scene. You need to understand him better.¡±

    ¡°Well, Father did go to the Shen Residence yesterday. Mother said that he¡¯s shameless and she couldn¡¯t chase him out no matter what.¡± Xi Xiaye seemed helpless.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. A man can¡¯t get his woman without being a little shameless. You can expect a positive oue from them.¡±

    ¡°What is that!? They are almost 50 years old! I didn¡¯t see you being shameless to court me anyway. How did I marry you again?¡±

    Wait, why did these words sound so familiar?

 Chapter 422 - Harmonious Family (1)

    <h4>Chapter 422: Harmonious Family (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the next few days, the couple was busy at work. They left the house early and returnedte. Xi Xiaye reced Li Si as Mu Yuchen¡¯s personal assistant for the whole week, so they were always together.

    In contrast to their harmonious lives, the show business scene in City Z was not as peaceful.

    First off, when Chenye Movies and Television was announced, many higher management staff from Yueying Culture Media Company moved over. All the major stakeholders shifted over to Chenye Movies and Television as well as some of the popr artistes under Glory World.

    Many artistes under Caitlyn¡¯s lead announced their joining Chenye Movies and Television and most of Yueying¡¯s resources were brought over as well. Consequently, Yueying now faced a crisis. Their funds were siphoned empty and the ongoing big projects were halted. Needless to say, the downfall of Yueying shocked the whole industry!

    Xi Xiaye had not paid much attention to the newstely, and she hardly followed the entertainment news. Because she fully immersed herself in her job, she only found out what happened to Yueying a week after it happened.

    Mu Yuchen had been right beside her for the past few days, but he covered the news up from her. He did not want her to be affected by these negative news which was why he constantly kept her by his side.

    In the evening, inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s office at Glory World Corporation.

    Mu Yuchen was standing beside the tall bookshelf as he was reading a book. The evening breeze blew past the half-opened window and lifted the curtains slightly.

    Li Si stood before the office table and called out to him politely, ¡°Master!¡±

    His voice was soft as he was worried that he might be bothering Mu Yuchen. However, his timid voice was heard rather clearly in the quiet office.

    Mu Yuchen raised his head from the book and nced at him. Then, he flipped a page and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°Master, the newpany has now settled down. The filmings we arranged beforehand have now started rolling and there are two new movies under discussion. We¡¯re nning to have a new artiste to be the female lead while Caitlyn is willing to be the female co-lead,¡± Li Si reported.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Get Vice President Liu to take care of things over there now. When everything is on track, find someone to take over the management. Make sure to get this done before the end of next month.¡±

    ¡°Yes, no worries, Master!¡±

    Li Si then continued, ¡°By the way, Yueying... I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to survive much longer. All of their partners have left. If they still can¡¯t solve their funding issue, then they¡¯ll need to dere bankruptcy. Deng Wenwen came here several times saying that she wants to meet Missus, but the guards stopped her and said both you and Missus have gone abroad.¡±

    ¡°Did Qi Kai do anything?¡± Mu Yuchen closed the book and put it back on the shelf before he walked toward therge window and looked out at the vast evening sky outside. His expression was calm.

    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to have taken any actions yet, Master. The newspapers are saying that Missus is taking revenge and destroying Yueying without any consideration. Should we do something about this news?¡± Li Si looked at Mu Yuchen hesitantly. ¡°They said something along the lines of ¡®daughters from different mothers act against each other¡¯. I¡¯m worried that it will affect you and Missus. Also, I heard Elder Yue went toin to Mayor Xi, so...¡±

    ¡°Daughters from different mothers act against each other?¡± Mu Yuchen mumbled to himself as a cold smile appeared on his face. ¡°What else can the media do aside from degrading others?¡±

    He never had a good impression of the media and entertainment industry, especially regarding his aunt, Mu Zi. Li Si knew about this very well, so he did not say anything else.

    ¡°So, what should we do now?¡± Li Si asked for further instructions.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to release the news about Yue Lingsi.¡± Mu Yuchen sat down on his chair and pinched between his eyebrows tiredly. ¡°The Yue family has been getting on my nervestely. Vice President Zhang Lan went over to Qi Kai for business yesterday and the second brother from the Yue family gave her some trouble. I¡¯m very upset with that.¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming already thinks of us as a threat. If it weren¡¯t for the Elder Chairman¡¯s orders to avoid conflict, I¡¯m sure there¡¯d already be chaos by now. Please be careful, Master.¡± Li Si looked at Mu Yuchen with concern.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply, so Li Si went on after a short pause, ¡°Master, Lawyer Wang has announced Elder Xi¡¯s will to Deng Wenwen and the others a few days ago. I heard Deng Wenwen got so angry that her blood pressure skyrocketed up and she was sent to the hospital. I guess she¡¯ll keeping to see Missus.¡±

    ¡°Let her be. If shees, ask the security guards to send her away. Also, get someone to keep an eye on Qi Kai,¡± Mu Yuchen said coldly.

    ¡°Yes, Master! By the way, should we let Missus know about Chenye Movies and Television? Things are already settled on this end. Yesterday, Caitlyn said she wanted to congratte Missus, but I stopped her. The poprity of our news is on the rise, so it¡¯s just a matter of time before Missus finds out...¡±

    Before Li Si could finish, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing. He looked to see that it was Shen Wenna!

    Mu Yuchen frowned and quickly answered the call.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye never expected to bump into Deng Wenwen in Hospital T.

    She had taken some time off to apany Shen Wenna for her checkup at the hospital. Unexpectedly, just as she helped Shen Wenna into the car, she heard Deng Wenwen calling out to her from behind.

    Inside a coffee shop near Hospital T.

    Xi Xiaye and Deng Wenwen sat opposite each other. The waiter soon served the coffee they ordered.

    Deng Wenwen looked exhausted and her appearance seemed as if she was almost a decade older. She was watching Xi Xiaye flip through the newspapers and magazines with aplicated expression on her face.

    After reading through the news, Xi Xiaye was surprised at first, but towards the end, she stopped revealing her emotions and calmed herself down.

    She put the newspapers and magazines down and looked at Deng Wenwen with a cold smile. Then, she gave Deng Wenwen the newspapers and magazines back. ¡°So? You¡¯re just here today to show me this news? I didn¡¯t know it caused such a big ruckus, but this is really amazing news to me.¡±

 Chapter 423 - Harmonious Family (2)

    <h4>Chapter 423: Harmonious Family (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression darkened and her eyes suddenly turned cold.

    However, she suppressed herself!

    From her cloudy expression, she could feel that this olddy almost lost control and wanted to punch her in the face.

    ¡°Lawyer Wang told me your grandfather gave you West Park and thends located in the east of the city.¡± Deng Wenwen endured the anger burning inside her. If Yueying had not been in such a dire crisis now, she would not have left the hospital to meet Xi Xiaye here!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Lawyer Wang make things clear to you? Good thing that you came to me. You guys can move out since it¡¯s my ce now.¡± Xi Xiaye red at Deng Wenwen with an icy cold tone in her voice.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression soured even further! She never expected that bastard Xi Jiyang to give all these to Xi Xiaye, and only leave her a measly savings of only $ 500,000!

    When Lawyer Wang approached her, West Park was already under Xi Xiaye¡¯s name, so they would need to move out as long as Xi Xiaye wished so!

    She never expected this sneaky move from Xi Jiyang.

    Although she knew Xi Jiyang did not love her, he had never mistreated her either. He should have at least left West Park to her after his death, yet he had given it to Xi Xiaye!

    ¡°Dream on if you think I¡¯ll move out of West Park! No matter what, I¡¯m still the head of the family. As long as I¡¯m alive, I¡¯ll never move out of West Park. Sure, that old bastard gave it to you, but you know how the rules work! Unless you want the whole world tough at your father for chasing his 70-year-old mother out of the house, I doubt you can be that shameless!¡±

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s tone turned bitter. ¡°You made Mu Yuchen do that to Yueying, didn¡¯t you? How can you be such a wicked witch? Aren¡¯t you part of the Xi family? Why do you have to destroy the Xi family like this? That old bastard Xi Jiyang actually left West Park to you! You ungrateful brat!¡±

    Yueying was Deng Wenwen¡¯s life. She had promised Elder Madam Xi to give up on having a child. After she aborted her first child, she and went for a ligation surgery before marrying Xi Jiyang.

    In return, she got Yueying. Elder Madam Xi had only given Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan a small portion of the shares while the rest was parked under her name.

    She put all her time and effort into Yueying after marrying Xi Jiyang. Although she treated Xi Mushan fairly, Xi Mushan was not close to her and was just indifferent. He thought of her as a guest who was staying permanently in the Xi family.

    She was not really happy about Xi Mushan¡¯s treatment, but she never made a big fuss out of it.

    After that, due to her mistake, Yueying almost went bankrupt. At that time, her good friend, Yue Lingsi¡¯s mother told her that Yue Lingsi had a crush on Xi Mushan since a long time ago, so in order to save Yueying, she tricked Xi Mushan.

    However, Xi Mushan and Shen Weena were deeply in love then, and it was not an easy task to separate them, so she had to pull some underhanded tricks.

    Shen Wenna was a prideful person and rarelymunicated with her. She offered her a position in Yueying, but she insisted on being a lecturer and refused. Moreover, she heard that Shen Wenna broke ties with her family to marry Xi Mushan. She had no idea what Xi Jiyang was thinking about to agree to their marriage!

    ...

    She started having a headache as these past memories flooded her mind!

    After giving it a long, hard thought, she finally realized she had made a mistake back then!

    Just how smart was Elder Madam Xi?

    Even if she gave Yueying to her, Deng Wenwen would grow old and die one day. Then, she could not bring it with her to her deathbed, so would it not return to the Xi family after that?

    After a whole life of effort, what had she gotten in the end?

    Nothing!

    ...

    ¡°Ungrateful?¡± Xi Xiaye snorted as she took a sip from the cup of coffee before looking into Deng Wenwen¡¯s enraged eyes. She said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s because of you that Yueying was led to its demise today? If you didn¡¯t force me to sign that document or try to take away my mother¡¯s shares, all of these wouldn¡¯t have happened! Someone from the Xi family? Have any of you actually thought of me as part of the family?¡±

    ¡°Xi Xinyi is your family. You know very well how she treated me all these years. You sacrificed me and my mother to protect them. All that was just to get the Yue family to back you up, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were sharp and frigid while she stared straight at Deng Wenwen.

    As expected, Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression darkened right after that. The cold aura around her felt like poisonous, cold needles.

    ¡°Grandfather told me about you. You gave up being a mother for power. I don¡¯t even need to guess. The culprit of my parents¡¯ broken rtionship is you!¡± Xi Xiaye sounded stern as her cold gaze almost coated Deng Wenwen with ayer of ice.

    Nevertheless, Deng Wenwen just shivered slightly. Her stubbornness would not allow her to back off, so she straightened her back and faced her straight-on.

    Xi Xiaye was impressed by this olddy¡¯s demeanor. She could still be so self-righteous even at this point. With a scoff, she gently put her coffee cup down to close in and speak beside Deng Wenwen¡¯s ears, ¡°So, do you think I¡¯ll just let you get away with this?¡±

    ¡°What do you want then? Will you only stop after you totally destroy Yueying? Do you know that¡¯s the Xi family¡¯s? The Xi family! You¡¯re still using the surname Xi now! I never expected you to backstab us like this! How can you do that? Chenye Movies and Televisions? You¡¯re happy now, aren¡¯t you?!¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes were burning with rage. Her tone of voice was fierce as she clenched her fists and red at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°The Xi family¡¯s? Can you guarantee that it¡¯s still the Xi family¡¯s property after you die? As for West Park, are you sure if you have West Park now, you won¡¯t sell it to fulfill Yueying¡¯s financial needs?¡± Xi Xiaye had a mocking grin on her face.

 Chapter 424 - Harmonious Family (3)

    <h4>Chapter 424: Harmonious Family (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye expressed this, Deng Wenwen paused and her expression looked worse. The fury in her eyes almost shot out.

    Xi Xiaye sat back down slowly. ¡°To only care for your self-interest, you can go look for Yue Lingsi and her daughter. Isn¡¯t the Yue family your strong support system?¡±

    ¡°Go home. I already told you long before that I¡¯ll snatch back what belongs to me. I won¡¯t give you West Park and I¡¯ll also y around with Yueying first. I¡¯d like to see how the Yue family saves you this time. Back then, you could use Father as your bargaining chip. A while ago, your target was me, but now I¡¯d really like to see who else you can sacrifice.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was quite calm and her expression was indifferent as she watched Deng Wenwen whose lips were clearly trembling from suppressing her anger. Evidently, she was not nning to concede on this.

    ¡°That means that you¡¯re determined to topple Yueying, aren¡¯t you?¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s hands turned into tight balls. She mmed the table hard, and her fierce gaze fixed on Xi Xiaye with a re that was as sharp as a knife.

    Just as Xi Xiaye was about to respond with certainty and Deng Wenwen¡¯s fist was about to swing toward her, a sweet-tempered voice suddenly came from behind. It was obvious whose voice that belonged to.

    ¡°Grandmother! Why did youe here!?¡±

    Indeed, in the next instant, Xi Xinyi rushed to Deng Wenwen¡¯s side with a hand on her belly. Her face was filled with anxiety, and she looked rather wan and sallow.

    ¡°Xin Er!¡±

    When she saw Xi Xinyi, Deng Wenwen¡¯s tensed and furious expression eased a little. She turned to look worriedly at Xi Xinyi as she asked coldly, ¡°How¡¯s thepany doing?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xinyi¡¯s charming little face immediately became sullen. She bit on her lip slightly while her eyes were filled with a cold light as she looked toward Xi Xiaye.

    After a while, she said, ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t worry about thepany matters anymore, mother and I will handle it, don¡¯t worry, go to the hospital first, the doctor says that you shouldn¡¯t be working too hard.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice was filled with concern, yet she looked at Xi Xiaye with an exceptionally stern gaze.

    ¡°How can I not be worried about Yueying¡¯s current state? Yueying is about to be toppled by this vicious, ungrateful wretch! I just knew that she would do this. She has sinister intentions. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have thought about asking for those shares back. Now, she¡¯s proven that my predictions were right back then!¡±

    Deng Wenwen was in a rage. Suddenly, she was suddenly very upset about letting Shen Wenna take that document with her back then. When she remembered her arrogant expression then, she felt that if she had made her leave it behind, she would have done so.

    ¡°The shares were thepensation from Father to my mother anyway. What reasons did you have to ask for it back? How these shares are to be handled was up to my mother!¡±

    Deng Wenwen was about to explode in fury from Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. She was losing control of her anger as she panted slightly while ring at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Hmph, now you know your mother has the final say. Wasn¡¯t Shen Wenna quite arrogant back then? She dered that she left the marriage with nothing and did not take anything from the Xi family. Now, she suddenly values it, huh? I¡¯m still suspicious about whether she had ulterior motives when she first joined the Xi family!¡±

    ¡°Enough! Grandmother¡¯s already like this. Do you want to anger her to death?¡± On the side, Xi Xinyi could not bear it any longer, she red at Xi Xiaye in a reprimanding manner. ¡°Even if you want to go against us, you don¡¯t have to provoke Grandmother like this. The doctor says she can¡¯t be provoked anymore. She was just hospitalized!¡±

    ¡°The person who¡¯s provoking her isn¡¯t me. It¡¯s her who¡¯s looking to be provoked. If I don¡¯t satisfy her, wouldn¡¯t that be disrespectful of her dignity?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled wryly. ¡°Since you have the time toe looking for me, why don¡¯t you try toe up with ways to save your Yueying?! Do you really think Mother wants Yueying? Just a little rustle of the leaves and Yueying¡¯s on the verge of copsing. On the outside, it¡¯s arge-scale moviepany, but in reality, it has be an empty rack of scrap after being managed by you lot all these years. Every time there¡¯s a problem, Yueying faces the threat of copsing!¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not bother being courteous. A mocking sneer curved on the corner of her lips. ¡°The real reason Yueying is being pushed to its extinction is you fools. If you¡¯re not good at managing apany, then don¡¯t pretend to be ady boss. Perhaps this is karma. You should just ept your fate.¡±

    Even though Xi Xiaye had not been in touch with Yueying much, she began to understand Yueying internally in recent times. Yueying looked like arge-scale, grandpany on the outside, yet in reality, they almost could not fill up all of the financial loopholes within. They still had billions of debt with the bank which Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi had been fussing over. In addition to theck of unity within thepany¡¯s upper management, they differed a lot in opinions, so it was extremely hard to manage everything.

    Liu Lingyu had settled on exactly this aspect. He spent effort taking those people in and putting them under him. Now that he had left, those people would naturally leave with him too. After all, Chenye Movies and Televisions¡¯ support system was World Corporation which had wealth in abundance, so they did not have to worry about any financial woes. In fact, the benefits that Chenye Movies offered was far great than Yueying!

    Water flowed down in nature. On the contrary, humans strived to move up in life. The huge group of people just left with Liu Lingyu. Now that Chen Ye Movies was set up to do things on arger scale, they had a branch there and stationed their headquarters in City B. They also developed a movie and television operations base with otherrge corporations, so they became really popr on the news recently!

    Xi Xiaye naturally did not know about all of this since she had been spending time with Mu Yuchen these past few days and did not pay attention to this news. She had been focused on arranging documents, handling data, or preparing simple analysis reports for Mu Yuchen in the office. Where would she find time to care about all of this?

    Now, she knew that Yueying¡¯s matters had reached such a state. In fact, by the looks of it, it was quite bad!

    When Xi Xiaye ridiculed her that way, Deng Wenwen could not hold back her anger anymore. She mmed the table, and then with the sound of the cup startling, the coffee in the cup sshed out.

    ¡°Who are you calling fools? You little wench! Is this how Shen Wenna taught you to speak? You dare to insult me? What kind of horrible upbringing! You only taint the Xi family name!¡±

    ¡°You keep saying that you¡¯re from the Xi family, but don¡¯t forget your surname! It¡¯s not Xi! You didn¡¯t even bear a child for the Xi family. Do you really think you¡¯re the headdy of the Xi family? Grandfather left West Park to me before he left, not you! Wake up! Even I feel sorry for you right now!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up right now!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words were like sharp knives that pierced Deng Wenwen¡¯s heart. She finally lost control and shouted, even picking up the coffee before her and¡ª

 Chapter 425 - Harmonious Family (4)

    <h4>Chapter 425: Harmonious Family (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Swoosh!

    A cup of boiling hot coffee sshed toward her, yet Xi Xiaye quickly swiveled to the side.

    At the same time, a cold breeze came by and a familiar whiff brushed past her. Before she could react, the coffee that sshed had fallen onto the magazine that blocked her side...

    The coffee turned into a brown pool of liquid on the table.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡± Xi Xinyi blurted out in that instant.

    Xi Xiaye took a tissue and wiped the coffee that had sttered on her hand. She subconsciously turned to look and saw Mu Yuchen was standing by her side.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± His deep voice that contained a tone of concern was heard, yet his handsome face remained calm and indifferent. His gaze darkened as he looked at Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi across them.

    Xi Xiaye got up unhurriedly as she fixed her clothes a little and answered inly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Across them, when Deng Wenwen saw Mu Yuchen who suddenly appeared, her expression turned rigid. She exchanged a look with Xi Xinyi. Suddenly, the cold light in her eyes glimmered and she red coldly at Xi Xiaye.

    It must be this witch who called Mu Yuchen over too!

    Mu Yuchen did a take at Xi Xiaye. Seeing that she was fine, the darkness in his eyes dissipated a little. He looked at the two women. His refined face remained calm, yet his tone was low and cold. ¡°Initially, I was thinking about leaving you two a way out, but you¡¯ve thrown it away yourself. Don¡¯t me me then.¡±

    Stunned, Xi Xinyi subconsciously called out, ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    However, Mu Yuchen had already announced calmly to Li Si who came up from behind him, ¡°Li Si, bring some people to get their things out of West Park. If necessary, you can get assistance from the authorities. Do it by tomorrow morning. I don¡¯t want to see any of their things left in West Park.¡±

    ¡°Are you chasing me out of the Xi family¡¯s West Park?¡± Deng Wenwen stared at Mu Yuchen in shock as she swiftly stood up and widened her eyes in disbelief.

    No matter how it was, Xi Xiaye would not dare to brazenly chase her out of West Park. After all, she still held the title of Elder Madam Xi, yet now this man...

    ¡°Lawyer Wang should have informed you that West Park is now under Xiaye¡¯s name. She¡¯s the owner of West Park and you lot have nothing to do with her, so you can move out.¡±

    ¡°In your dream! Your dreams! I¡¯m the headdy of the Xi family. I¡¯m Xi Jiyang¡¯swfully wedded wife. I¡¯m West Park¡¯s real owner! Whoever dares to chase me out, I¡¯ll sue them in court! She¡¯s just a little wench. With what reason can she chase me out? What? No way!¡± Deng Wenwen furiously howled again. Her sharp and unkind face looked quite sinister when shrouded with fury! She was yelling like she was on the verge of desperate straits.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, do you have to indulge Sister and force us to such dreadful circumstances?¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes had reddened as she bit her lip and looked at Mu Yuchen pitifully. ¡°She even said that she¡¯ll ruin Yueying, but still you won¡¯t let us go? How cruel! This kind of woman is most vicious. Don¡¯t be tricked by her!¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not even look at her. He just held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Instead of hooting about her, why don¡¯t you return to the hospital and prepare a few more instant cardio-reliever pills to prevent any misfortunester? The Xi family has just wrapped up a funeral. I¡¯m sure Grandfather wouldn¡¯t want you to follow after his footsteps just as he¡¯s left. After all, with you following him, he wouldn¡¯t rest in peace either.¡±

    Then, he tugged on Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand to leave. Li Si and another bodyguard in a ck suit bowed slightly, then blocked Deng Wenwen and Xi Xinyi¡¯s path. They stopped Xi Xinyi who wanted to chase them.

    After a while, Deng Wenwen realized that Mu Yuchen was cursing her to die sooner. She was so mad that she had to steady herself with both arms on the table. With the heightened drama, she then fell limp and dizzy that she almost fainted.

    Nheless, would Li Si just let her pass so easily?

    He slowly walked up and smiled formally. ¡°CEO Deng, Miss Xi, you heard our Chairman Mu earlier. I will get Lawyer Wang toe to West Park right away. Please rush back and see if there¡¯s anything you need to pack up before you should leave quickly. We... Hmm, let me see... It¡¯s past 5 p.m now. Our people should be able to clear the ce at about 7 p.m. If anything¡¯s lost then, you¡¯ll have to just find it yourself from the garbage heap!¡±

    When he saw the two women turn pale, Li Si felt smug on the inside. He heard all of their yelling earlier. It really was his first time meeting such an odd woman.

    Her heart was probably twisted. How sad that she had worked hard for so many years, but in the end hade down to this! It must be just as Missus said ¨C karma!

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s knees gave way. Her fury could not be expressed and it all umted in her chest. She turned as white as a sheet. Instantly, she felt her chest be heavy and her breath shorten. Suddenly, she felt the world spinning around her and then she crumpled to the side!

    ¡°Grandmother! Grandmother! Are you okay?¡± Xi Xinyi was shocked as she quickly held Deng Wenwen up.

    With Li Si¡¯s signal, the bodyguards walked over and helped Deng Wenwen up. They quickly escorted her out. Xi Xinyi was about to follow them, yet she was caught off-guard when Li Si stopped her.

    ¡°Miss Xi Xinyi, you can return to West Park and pack up your things now. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for any of your losses!¡±

    Xi Xinyi turned pale as she staggered.

    However, this was not the end yet. Xi Xinyi and Deng Wenwen obviously did not know that just as they were in the coffee shop, the entire City Z was shaken again.

    In the afternoon, Weibo had exposed several highly ambiguous intimate pictures. The person in the photographs was unexpectedly Yueying¡¯s popr male star with the Vice President of Yueying, Yue Lingsi!

    This post was shared millions of times in just a few hours. At the same time, someone else exposed that a cleaner had unexpectedly found simr pictures in the garbage can near the Yue family. Some of the pictures were burned, and there was another examination report burned halfway too.

    You could tell that that someone must have wanted to destroy these things.

    Unfortunately for that person, these items were intercepted by the reporters in time, and when theypared the pictures of the ones exposed on Weibo, they were exactly the same!

    The entire City Z was buzzing about it.

    Because that popr male star received a lot of attention from the entertainment media, with this new expos¨¨, everyone naturally gave the news more attention. In just one evening, almost the entire City Z found out that this male star hadmitted adultery with hispany¡¯s Vice President, Yue Lingsi!

 Chapter 426 - Loss of Reputation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 426: Loss of Reputation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi did not know what happened. It waste at night when she just disembarked from the ne.

    She had been working hard for Yueying in the past few days, so she was exhausted.

    She got the driver to send her to Hospital T as she got into the car because she had something for Deng Wenwen to review. Although Xi Xinyi and her were in charge of Yueying now, they still needed to report back to Deng Wenwen. Otherwise, they would be in for a harsh scolding if there were any mistakes.

    Yue Lingsi was quite dismayed by it. While Deng Wenwen said she was handing the business over, she would not allow them to make many decisions. Yueying was still Deng Wenwen¡¯s turf now, so Yue Lingsi probably would not even have the right to speak if she was not from the Yue family!

    This stubborn olddy had been suppressing her since forever. Although she treated her quite decently, Yue Lingsi was notfortable being ordered around by her every day, especially when Xi Xinyi still had to report back to her every night even though she dered that she was handing Yueying over to Xi Xinyi. From her perspective, the two of them had be Deng Wenwen¡¯s puppets!

    Unbeknownst to Yue Lingsi, a powerful storm was brewing right inside Deng Wenwen¡¯s room in Hospital T!

    Deng Wenwen was sitting on her bed with a tablet in her hand. Her face was strained and she could not believe what she was seeing. Her eyes widened as her hands trembled.

    Her assistant beside her was feeling afraid, and even uneasy.

    ¡°What should we do now, CEO Deng? This has evolved into quite big news. I can¡¯t reach Mrs. Yue and Miss Xinyi isn¡¯t picking up my calls as well. All the stakeholders are panicking. If this goes on, then Yueying will really be done for!¡±

    The assistant looked at Deng Wenwen anxiously.

    She was here to deliver the news to Deng Wenwen. The news had spread lightning fast after it was released on Weibo, and it was toote to stop it. Several directors close to Yue Lingsi had called her office number, but she was abroad. Upon realizing the severity of the situation, the assistant rushed over to find Deng Wenwen, hoping to find a solution and stop it. Otherwise, things would totally spiral out of control!

    No doubt this was another huge blow to worsen Yueying¡¯s current situation. With the departure of Yueying¡¯s secondrgest stakeholder and half of the higher management staff leaving together, it was already nearly lethal for them. Now, with Yue Lingsi¡¯s scandal...

    Deng Wenwen stared at the news on the screen and her eyes turned nk as she continued reading further down whilst her whole body trembled uncontrobly.

    Thud!

    The tablet fell out of her trembling hands and crashed onto the floor.

    ¡°Impossible... Impossible... This is impossible! Not possible! Impossible!¡± Deng Wenwen mumbled to herself. She seemed out of it as she could not believe what she just read. She gaped at the assistant nkly and went on muttering.

    ¡°This is impossible. She worked by my side closely for many years. How could she do something like that? Impossible! Impossible! Investigate quickly who used these to defame Lingsi and is trying to strike a final blow at Yueying? I don¡¯t believe it. Lingsi would never do this! Never!¡±

    Deng Wenwen trusted Yue Lingsi a lot, so she could not ept it.

    ¡°CEO Deng, are you alright?¡± The assistant bent over to pick the tablet up as she looked at Deng Wenwen with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright! Go investigate who is trying to defame her! What about the Yue family? What did they say? I should call them right now. Quick, give me the phone! The phone!¡± Deng Wenwen grabbed her nket tightly and struggled to sit up as she frantically searched the bedside table.

    The assistant went up and handed the phone to her.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s hands were quivering slightly as she was a little short of breath. She anxiously looked through her contact list and then gave a call to the Yue family.

    After just several beeps, the call was ended!

    In shock, Deng Wenwen called again and got the same result!

    No one was picking up!

    Deng Wenwen could feel that something was not right. Feeling suffocated, she pressed her chest when she found it hard to breathe. She calmed herself down after a while and continued calling the Yue family, but no one picked up again...

    Her eyes darkened as the uneasiness inside her grew stronger by the second.

    Could Yue Lingsi really have done all these behind her back?

    Deng Wenwen then remembered how Xi Mushan forced Yue Lingsi to divorce with him. Maybe...

    She then forced herself to calm down.

    ¡°CEO Deng, is no one picking up?¡± asked the assistant carefully when she saw Deng Wenwen¡¯s expression cloud over. She was freaking out as well. She was worried and afraid to see Deng Wenwen like this!

    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s face changed as she grabbed the tablet back from the assistant. She stared nkly at the indecent photos on the screen.

    While the photos were dark, it was clearly Yue Lingsi¡¯s face. The man she was with had sunsses on, but at first nce at his stature, Deng Wenwen recognized it was Arthur, the artiste they were cultivating right now. Back then, Yue Lingsi was the one who had rmended him!

    After staring at it for a while, Deng Wenwen suppressed her emotions and tried her best to keep calm. She demanded, ¡°Where¡¯s Arthur? Where is he now?¡±

    ¡°CEO Deng, we¡¯ve contacted Arthur, but his phone is switched off. Even his manager doesn¡¯t know where is he right now. We can¡¯t find him at all! Maybe CEO Yue might know where he is,¡± the assistant replied with a frown.

 Chapter 427 - Loss of Reputation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 427: Loss of Reputation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The long night dragged on.

    It was quiet around the Grand Waves Vi area. Inside the warm Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye came out of the bathroom after taking a shower. She saw the man sitting in the living room watching TV while drinking some tea.

    ¡°What are you watching?¡±

    She sat down beside him as he poured her a cup of tea and handed her the remote control. ¡°Nothing really interesting.¡±

    ¡°Caitlyn¡¯s new movie is pretty impressive. I heard it did very well at the box office. Want to take a look?¡± Xi Xiaye then searched for the movie.

    ¡°Li Si cleared out West Park. You didn¡¯t really talk to me about it the whole night. Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± Mu Yuchen sipped some tea, then he put his cup down and nced over at her. His eyes were looking right at her adorable little face.

    She looked down at her cup and toyed with it for a little while before letting out a sigh. Turning to face him, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the news. I didn¡¯t know things would escte this way. Many people say that we¡¯re...¡±

    ¡°Just let them be. People have freedom of speech. We can¡¯t just block their mouths, can we? You worry too much, always being too considerate about everything. That¡¯s why you¡¯re always so restricted.¡± He put his arm over her shoulder as his tone sounded a little helpless. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m wrong?¡±

    She shook her head and took a deep breath before pursing her lips. ¡°I just feel thatpared to your decisiveness, I¡¯m just very inferior. I can only regain a little bit of confidence whenever you stand up to them for my sake.¡±

    She then peered at him with her beautiful eyes. ¡°Mu Yuchen, do you think I¡¯m too weak? Though I¡¯ve been trying to change...¡±

    Heughed and just embraced her in his arms while he ran his fingers through her silky, long hair and chuckled. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know you enough by now? You¡¯re not yourself anymore if you change. You are you and you don¡¯t need to change anything. I think you¡¯re fine as you are. It¡¯d be unreal if you be too perfect, understand?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she replied seriously.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand then. You just have to know that I fell in love with you simply because there¡¯s a feeling. I felt that you were the right person and I married you. The end.¡±

    He smiled as there was a warm light in his eyes. Xi Xiaye felt like she was wrapped inyers of warm light every time she saw him like this. It was as if she would never feel cold anymore even in the middle of the cold rain and strong breeze.

    Was she feeling more and more inseparable from him?

    She would feel empty if she woke up in the middle of the night and found him not sleeping beside her.

    Someone once said many marriages skipped the bonding of love and went straight into a family bond. She did not know if they would be like that, but she did think about it when they first got married. However, she wanted more now...

    ¡°Sometimes, I wish I would¡¯ve met you earlier, then... I¡¯d be able to live happier, and I wouldn¡¯t have had to endure everything by myself.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°Of course, Mr. Mu, you are an extraordinary person from head to toe. If you met me earlier, not only would you have had a wonderful childhood, but I¡¯d have made sure all your seasons were memorable.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d make us childhood friends then. I don¡¯t want to be your childhood friend.¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°Why? I was pretty good looking even back then. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d like guys who are good-looking, tall, talented in basketball and are top students? I¡¯m that guy! What¡¯s wrong with being my childhood friend?¡± Mr. Mu narrowed his eyes at her in doubt.

    ¡°We¡¯d know too much about each other, so the mysterious element would be gone.¡±

    ¡°Mysterious? What can you hide about yourself? I can see through you with just a nce. Anyway, Ah Mo and Lingshi went to Los Angeles. Our wedding is getting near. I¡¯ll be heading over to the Shen Residence to officially propose for marriage. You don¡¯t have to go to work next week. Rest up at home and do whatever you have to. I don¡¯t want to see an exhausted bride beside me.¡± Mu Yuchen was looking forward to his uing wedding.

    ¡°Bride, huh? Now that I think about it, we¡¯ve been married for several months.¡±

    ¡°Do you think time will wait for you? As for Yueying, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything and you should just leave it to me. Just focus on being my bride, alright?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, so I¡¯ll leave itpletely to you then?¡± She was more than delighted that someone was willing to clean up the mess for her. Most of the things regarding Yueying was handled by Vice President Liu anyway, and she also found out about Chenye Movies and Televisions muchter.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered what Su Nan told her yesterday evening. ¡°By the way, Yue Lingsi¡¯s news on Weibo... Did you...¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t hide from you, huh? I have something to work on, so I used her. At the same time, I avenged Mother. Do you think I¡¯m despicable?¡±

    He put on a gentle smile. His methods were cruel despite his gentle appearance, but she liked how he was.

    ¡°A little, but I...¡± She suddenly lowered herself and whispered thetter half of the sentence beside his ears, ¡°I like this side of you...¡±

    He smiled and hugged her closely.

    On the other end, Yue Lingsi took around an hour to reach the hospital after getting off the ne. She went straight to Deng Wenwen¡¯s room. Despite calling Xi Xinyi several times on the way there, no one picked up.

    Slightly uneasy, Yue Lingsi hastened her steps.

    As she arrived at Deng Wenwen¡¯s room and was about to head in, the door suddenly opened from inside. She quickly stopped and raised her head.

    It was Deng Wenwen¡¯s assistant!

    Why was she here?

    Yue Lingsi frowned and nced at the woman before her suspiciously.

    ¡°CEO Yue, you¡¯re finally back! I¡¯ve been calling your phone, but it was switched off!¡±

    The assistant was slightly relieved to see Yue Lingsi. ¡°Come in quickly, Mrs. Yue. Things are bad! CEO Deng, she...¡±

 Chapter 428 - Loss of Reputation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 428: Loss of Reputation (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The assistant had not finished when Yue Lingsi already heard the sound of things being thrown from inside the room followed by Deng Wenwen¡¯s cold and odd tone.

    ¡°Let here in!¡±

    The assistant trembled and quickly bowed slightly to Yue Lingsi whose expression was strange. She stared at her with aplicated gaze before she said softly, ¡°Mrs. Yue, best you go in quick. Thepany...¡±

    When she saw the assistant hesitate, Yue Lingsi realized that the matter did not seem to be a simple one. Then, she picked up her pace and went into the room.

    Inside the ward, Deng Wenwen was leaning against the headboard while her hand clutched a tablet as she flipped through it. The light above the headboard shone on her and Yue Lingsi could already fell the coldness from afar, especially after she heard her footsteps. In that instant, Deng Wenwen looked up and Yue Lingsi could see the anger and hostility that shed in her eyes.

    Stunned, Yue Lingsi quickly walked over to her bedside. ¡°Mother? What¡¯s wrong? Why don¡¯t you look so good?¡± she asked in concern.

    The moment she opened her mouth, Deng Wenwen¡¯s pair of old eyes cut through her like cold, sharp des. She stared coldly at Yue Lingsi and could see the shock in her eyes.

    ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Yue Lingsi asked uneasily.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s gaze became even colder as she handed the tablet to Yue Lingsi. Her sharp voice which was mixed with an icy, biting-cold wind entered her ear. Unable to bear the piercing cold, Yue Lingsi immediately tensed up and took the tablet nervously.

    Yue Lingsi looked down at the tablet. The picture on the screen immediately greeted her eyes, that familiar face, that ambiguous entanglement of shadows...

    She immediately turned pale and her whole body shivered as her hands trembled without control. Her legs even stiffly took a step back while her eyes instantly turned dull.

    This scene was taken all in by Deng Wenwen¡¯s sharp eyes.

    Without a doubt, from such a reaction, this must all be true!

    Her aged eyes instantly turned chilly as ice. Her gaze was sharp as she red at the pale Yue Lingsi. She ground her teeth till they almost turned to powder, feeling extremely disappointed and angry. Her tone was exceptionally hostile as she said, ¡°Look at you. Does that mean all this must be real then? Am I right? Tell me! Is this all real!? Tell me!¡±

    The fury that Deng Wenwen held back in her chest finally exploded at this point. She picked the cup by her side up and flung it at Yue Lingsi. ¡°I had such high expectations of you, yet you went and did such shameless things, bringing shame to the Xi family. Furthermore, it¡¯s with a male star that thepany signed on! How great of you! Do you know how to write the words ¡®no sense of shame¡¯?¡±

    Yue Lingsi trembled in panic at once. She did not evade the cup Deng Wenwen had thrown in time, and with a whoosh, the cup smacked Yue Lingsi urately. The pain blossomed before Yue Lingsi could even snap back.

    ¡°Mother, I...¡±

    Yue Lingsi was disconcerted. She trembled as she read the things on the tablet and her heart immediately felt like a hand had furiously grabbed and squeezed it. The sharp ws made her heart sting!

    Xi Mushan had used this to threaten her for the divorce back then. She remembered that they had clearly been burnt to dust, so how did these things surface to be exposed?

    Could Xi Mushan have lied to her?

    Was it Xi Mushan who exposed these?

    That was impossible. If it were Xi Mushan, he did not have reason to do so since they were divorced now. He had achieved his goals. Based on how he was like, he probably would not have done this.

    Still, Yue Lingsi could not ponder further at this point. Deng Wenwen¡¯s stern scoldings were just beginning to enter her ears.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mother! I¡¯m not your mother! How dare you do such things? Where is the Xi family supposed to put our dignity? Tell me what all of this is about!¡±

    ¡°Mother, I... I really didn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°If I guess correctly, back then, you agreed to sign the divorce papers so quickly because of this.¡± Deng Wenwen¡¯s cold tone did not have a hint of mercy as she fixed her gaze on Yue Lingsi with hostility.

    She remembered back then that she had asked Yue Lingsi why had she signed the papers, but she did not say anything. She just wept. Back then, she thought that Yue Lingsi was just done being wronged, so she let go. Who would have thought that it would be because of this!?

    Yue Lingsi panicked as she felt a suffocating pain surge up, and she almost fell limp.

    ¡°Hmm, now that things havee to this point, what else do you have to say? I¡¯ve already gotten thepany to call Arthur, but his phone is switched off right now. Who knows where he¡¯s hiding?! I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯d do such a thing! You¡¯ve really disappointed me! I¡¯ve treated you so well all this while! And you... You¡¯re trying to destroy Yueying! You¡¯re a Mayoress. How can do such shameless things? How embarrassing!¡±

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not like that. Let me exin!¡± Yue Lingsi walked up and wanted to calm Deng Wenwen down, yet she smacked her hand that reached out away.

    ¡°Get lost! Shameless, lowly thing! I always trusted you, yet you did such disgusting, lowly things. Now, Yueying¡¯s going to be destroyed by you! Fool!¡± Deng Wenwen started to rain down with curses again. Her old face had turned beetroot at this point.

    Yue Lingsi shuddered slightly, enduring the pain that suddenly arose in her chest as her eyes began to redden. Immediately, they welled up with tears and she held the hand that Deng Wenwen had struck as she stared in horror at Deng Wenwen. ¡°Mother, what are you saying? How could you curse me like that?¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong? Did you forget how you promised and guaranteed me back then?¡± Deng Wenwen spoke sternly.

    ¡°Mother! You don¡¯t even know how Mushan and I are like! I¡¯ve married him for over 20 years now. Apart from that night, he¡¯s never so much as touch me. I¡¯m a woman too. Why do I have to be a grass widow all my life? I¡¯ve put my whole heart in for the Xi family, quietly loved him for so many years, and what did I get? He hates me! His hatred for me has been increasing. He said I was disgusting and malicious! In the end, he just used divorce papers to kick me aside. All the things I¡¯ve done all these years, what were they all for?¡±

    As Yue Lingsished out, the anger and unhappiness in her heart could not help but be released too. Her eyes were hot, and in the blink of an eye, they turned misty with tears.

 Chapter 429 - Loss of Reputation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 429: Loss of Reputation (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Yue Lingsi finished, Deng Wenwen sneered instead. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. You made this choice yourself back then. You told me that as long as you can be by Mushan¡¯s side, you¡¯d do anything and were willing to suffer anything. How are you learning to bargain now? Did you forget all your promises back then?¡±

    To Deng Wenwen, Yue Lingsi was actually in the same situation as her.

    Back then, Deng Wenwen did not love Xi Jiyang, but for Yueying, she was willing to sacrifice her marriage and even her right to be a mother. On the contrary, Yue Lingsi had sacrificed her dignity and even integrity for so-called love.

    For the sake of her good rtionship with her mother, Deng Wenwen admitted that she did pity Yue Lingsi a little. In Yue Lingsi, she even found the kind of unspoken ways they rted to each other, which was why she regarded her so highly.

    Unexpectedly, Yue Lingsi had done such a thing which turned out to be the fatal blow to Yueying that was already swaying fiercely amidst the storm!

    When she heard Deng Wenwen, the tears that gathered in Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes fell. She blinked her wet eyes and looked at Deng Wenwen. ¡°Back then, I thought that as long as I persevered and worked hard to give, one day he would be moved, but you can see how has he treated me all these years. In front of others, we are husband and wife with mutual respect. Behind closed doors, he is cold as ice. I didn¡¯t mind bearing the bad name of a homewrecker and went abroad for him. I even left my father and the Yue family behind for him. I was willing to endure everything for over 20 years, and what did I get? All the while, he only missed Shen Wenna with all his heart! I just can¡¯tpare to that witch, Shen Wenna!¡±

    The more Yue Lingsi spoke, the more she felt wronged. She covered her face as she spoke with a raspy voice and choked on her sobs.

    Nevertheless, her words did not gain any pity from Deng Wenwen. Instead, she felt repelled by them. ¡°Back then, you were willing, and now you use this exact reason to do something so shameful. You¡¯ve really let me down! How humiliating! And now you¡¯re trying to argue for injustice here! Quickly think of a way to settle this matter! Your Yue family isn¡¯t even picking up the phone now. I¡¯ve called quite a few times and couldn¡¯t get through! Weibo said that these things were leads from the Yue family. Could they know about the shameful things you¡¯ve done all these years? Am I the only one who¡¯s been kept in the dark?¡±

    Her questioning tone was exceptionally stern. The fire of fury in her chest was growing vigorously and she could feel a heaviness in her chest and shortness in breath. In the madness, she almost could not catch her breath.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that, Mother! I... I didn¡¯t want to keep it a secret. We¡¯ve only done it a few times. After I divorced Mushan, I didn¡¯t go looking for him anymore. Mother, you have to believe me. It¡¯s true. Don¡¯t say it like that. I never thought of hiding it.¡± Yue Lingsi wanted to exin herself, yet Deng Wenwen did not give her a chance.

    ¡°How can you say such things at this point!? Only a few times!? You didn¡¯t clean your tracks properly after cheating and you still try to look all wronged now. Yueying¡¯s on the verge of being toppled by Xi Xiaye¡¯s reckless revenge. With your scandal out now, you¡¯re just asking for my life! Are you willing to just degrade yourself like that? If Yueying falls, think about how you¡¯re going to make it up to me!¡± Deng Wenwen spoke very harshly. When she remembered the things her assistant said, she became so angry that she gnashed her teeth.

    ¡°Enough! Stop scolding me!¡± Yue Lingsi finally could not bear it anymore. She gripped the tablet in her hand tightly and wiped her tears away as she stopped her crying. She looked at Deng Wenwen with slightly red eyes. ¡°Yueying <i>was</i> about to fall anyway. I¡¯ve been running around these past few days to save just anything, and now you¡¯re hereshing out at me. Are you not responsible for it at all? If it wasn¡¯t for you wanting to get the shares back from Shen Wenna, all of this wouldn¡¯t have happened!¡±

    ¡°You agreed and persuaded me to get the shares back at that time too, so why are you ming me instead now?¡± Deng Wenwen looked at Yue Lingsi with a rigid gaze. Because of Yue Lingsi¡¯s words, she was even angrier now.

    ¡°Yueying was already on the verge of toppling before I joined. All these years, if it weren¡¯t for me running around and getting connections everywhere, it would have long fallen! Degrade myself? Back then when you begged me, why didn¡¯t you say I was degrading myself? You even suggested I drugged Mushan. The fact that I¡¯m where I am today is all thanks to you! You want to make my daughter and I your puppet! All these years, you¡¯ve been trying to suppress me and put your guard up against me. If it weren¡¯t for thepany at such a desperate juncture, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t have been willing to handover Yueying, would you? Even if you did hand it over, I don¡¯t see you truly letting go of your authority. Don¡¯t we still have to report thepany¡¯s situation to you every day?¡± Yue Lingsi breathed in deeply as the way she red at Deng Wenwen instantly turned bitter.

    ¡°Compared to you who seeks nothing for profit, I think I¡¯m much nobler! Back then, weren¡¯t you unhappy with Shen Wenna because she married into the Xi family with nothing? Instead, you were so friendly to me. You really think I¡¯m a fool, huh? Do you think that I really thought that you sincerely wanted to matchmake Mushan and me? All these years, apart from being a little more courteous when you ever needed something from the Yue family, you have always been stepping all over me arrogantly. I am the Yue family heiress, but you pushed me around!¡±

    When she recalled all the things she had suffered through the years, Yue Lingsi was filled with rage. Now that the matter had reached this point, everything was exposed, so she did not have to endure this in silence anymore. All the resentment that she had suppressed for a long time erupted like a volcano.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes immediately flew wide and her hands clenched the nket tightly as she looked in disbelief at Yue Lingsi. ¡°What did you say? What did you say? Say that again!¡±

    ¡°Even if I say it twice, it¡¯ll still be the same! It was you who was bad at managing thepany. You¡¯ve caused the once wealthy Yueying to suffer losses by the day. If it weren¡¯t for me working so hard to save it all these years, it would¡¯ve long been done for! Now, you¡¯re really going to me me! How hrious! Instead of pushing all the responsibility onto me, why don¡¯t you just say that you¡¯re not that capable?! Yueying¡¯s highest authority is in your hands. The reason that it has fallen today is all because of you! You don¡¯t have anyone else to me for it!¡± blurted Yue Lingsi out harshly after she took a deep breath in and stared at Deng Wenwen.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s chest tightened with anger and she immediately inhaledrge gulps of air without control.

    Not capable? Not capable!

    This was the second time she had heard such words today. A while ago, Xi Xiaye had said that about her too! If Deng Wenwen was not capable, could she have managed to bring Yueying to where it was today? Only she herself knew the hardships, blood, and tears involved!

 Chapter 430 - Loss of Reputation (5)

    <h4>Chapter 430: Loss of Reputation (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She was willing to give up everything for Yueying, yet this woman was saying that she was useless and med her for not running Yueying well.

    She even intended to leave Yueying to her and Xi Xinyi. How could she not be fed up when she heard something like that?

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s face turned pale as her breath was running short. She red at Yue Lingsi and pointed a finger at her as her tone started to turn uneven. ¡°You... You... Great! You¡¯re so shameless being the Mayoress... and even...¡±

    Yue Lingsi cackled, throwing the tablet in front of Deng Wenwen. ¡°What about me now? Yes, I have another man with me. So what? So what if I¡¯m the Mayoress? There are many men that want to be with me even if Xi Mushan doesn¡¯t, I can and I have found someone who¡¯s younger and better looking than him. Why should I keep myself lonely while he has always only thought about that witch Shen Wenna? Has he ever appreciated it? Shouldn¡¯t you be grateful that I helped you to manage Yueying? Yet, you¡¯re ming me now. You¡¯ve never been concerned for me even when I had to rush everywhere. You scolded me instead! Who do you think you are? You¡¯re just an olddy lying on the bed that needs someone to take care of you!¡±

    Her usual elegance was nowhere to be seen as her face was filled with disgust and scorn.

    She was still so arrogant even when she had to stay in bed. Did she think she was still the all-powerful CEO Deng?

    Deng Wenwen trembled after she heard Yue Lingsi¡¯s words. Her eyes stretched even bigger as she panted. ¡°You... You witch... Witch... What are you saying?¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, her face turned beetroot and she fell back onto the bed.

    At this moment, there was a knock on the door. The nurse came in and was shocked to see the exact moment Deng Wenwen copsed back on the bed!

    ¡°The patient can¡¯t be provoked anymore. What did you say to her!?¡±

    The nurse rushed over and pressed the emergency bell located behind the bed. She had been nearby when she heard the argument, so she had gone over to check.

    ...

    Doctors rushed over quickly and gave Deng Wenwen a checkup, then they sent her into the operation room.

    Yue Lingsi did not say a thing. She wanted to just leave when the doctors pushed Deng Wenwen away, but Xi Xinyi was right there when she walked out of the room.

    Xi Xinyi stared nkly at Deng Wenwen as she was wheeled away by the doctors. She had her phone in her hand, and when Deng Wenwen was pushed around the corner, she turned towards Yue Lingsi. Her eyes were filled withplication and doubt, and even some disappointment and anger.

    ¡°Xinyi...¡± Yue Lingsi called out to her as she went forward.

    However, Xi Xinyi backed away. ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡±

    Xi Xinyi then asked, ¡°The news on Weibo is fake, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, I...¡±

    ¡°Are they? Tell me! I want to know the truth!¡± Xi Xinyi started to tear up. She stared straight at Yue Lingsi as she clenched her phone tightly and her body froze.

    ¡°Xinyi, listen to me. I have my reasons...¡± Yue Lingsi became anxious, so she grabbed Xi Xinyi who flung her arms away!

    ¡°Let go of me! So, those are real? You¡¯re cheating with Arthur? You had sex with him and that¡¯s why you rmended him?¡± Xi Xinyi clutched her hand with her phone as she red at Yue Lingsi coldly.

    Arthur had only be the male lead for several films before, and thepany was not really fond of him. When they suggested discovering new talent, Yue Lingsi highly rmended him. Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi almost fought with each other because of this decision!

    ¡°Listen to me, Xinyi. It was only a few times, really... Your father... You won¡¯t understand. You have to trust me, Xinyi!¡± Yue Lingsi felt bitter inside as she remembered all those miserable moments. She felt a lot of pain apart from the sense of being defeated.

    ¡°A few times? Mother, haven¡¯t you thought about the consequences if this is exposed? Look at Weibo now. It¡¯s such a gigantic scandal! Grandfather doesn¡¯t even dare to pick up calls at the moment. Don¡¯t you feel shameless? Why do I have a mother like you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi felt helpless as she leaned onto the wall and barely remained standing. ¡°Xi Xiaye forced us out of West Park, so I can only put our things at Han Yifeng¡¯s vi now before working on Yueying¡¯s issue again. I didn¡¯t expect this scandal to just totally destroy Yueying. Even Manager Zhang and Manager Liang have left. Yueying¡¯s only left with us now. It¡¯s an empty shell with countless issues. Are you happy now?¡±

    Yue Lingsi was shocked to hear Xi Xinyi. ¡°What did you say? Xi Xiaye forced us out of West Park?¡±

    Xi Xinyi put on a bitter smile. ¡°We can¡¯t go back to West Park anymore. A big bunch of reporters has surrounded West Park and the entertainment circle on Weibo are all talking about it, about you... Mother, Yueying is destroyed, and you... You¡¯d better think of a way to deal with the reporters. I just called Uncle. Grandfather was furious and even said that the Yue family doesn¡¯t have a shameless daughter like you!¡±

    Thud!

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s legs gave way as she slumped onto the long bench on the side.

    ¡°Impossible... This is impossible...¡±

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath. ¡°Grandmother met Xi Xiaye this afternoon, and she called Mu Yuchen over. They looked for Lawyer Wang and forced us out of West Park! Not only did they destroy Yueying, but they even gave us a hard time. The wicked witch!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were icy cold when she reported about this. She held her phone tightly as she spoke in an icy-cold tone, ¡°I will not let things end like this, Xi Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Xinyi, what are you going to do?¡± Yue Lingsi looked at Xi Xinyi with swollen eyes. However, Xi Xinyi nced at her in revulsion without saying a thing as she turned around and left.

 Chapter 431 - Personal Gift For You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 431: Personal Gift For You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    News spread through the media like wildfire. In just one night, the news about Yue Lingsi was broadcasted throughout the city.

    Some of the old stakeholders who were on Xi Xinyi¡¯s side could not take it anymore. In just a few days, Yueying was on the brink of bankruptcy.

    None of the people from the Yue family showed up ever since Yue Lingsi¡¯s scandal was exposed. The paparazzi camped around the Yue family while Yue Lingsi hid inside Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s vi. Xi Xinyi still did not want to give up on Yueying and was trying to do whatever she could to salvage it.

    Compared to the storm outside, things were peaceful in the Maple Residence.

    After two busy weeks, they were finally done with all the work at the office and could enjoy a day of decent rest.

    With their wedding getting near, the two of them started preparations as well.

    Early in the morning, inside the study room of Maple Residence of the second floor, Mu Yuchen woke up early while Xi Xiaye was still asleep.

    ¡°Master, things are almost done. Chenye Movies and Televisions is on track now and Vice President Liu came backst night. Also, I visited the hospital once since Deng Wenwen had a stroke. It happened the night we leaked the news. Yue Lingsi had a fierce argument with her and she fell unconscious after that. After an operation, she can¡¯t control her limbs well now, and couldn¡¯t even speak properly. Yue Lingsi is hiding from the media and no one has seen her yet while Xi Xinyi is still going around trying to save Yueying. I bet she¡¯s trying to get the Han Corporation involved,¡± Li Si reported to Mu Yuchen who was standing beside the window.

    The morning breeze lifted the curtain beside Mu Yuchen and the whole room was quiet as Li Si¡¯s voice left an echo, but Mu Yuchen had not said anything.

    After some hesitation, Li Si continued, ¡°Master, we¡¯ve cleaned up West Park. We followed your instructions and moved everything belonging to Deng Wenwen and the others out. We didn¡¯t touch anything else. We¡¯ve also changed a new lock and gave Mayor Xi one of the key cards. The rest are here with the document from Lawyer Wang.¡± He then handed a folder over.

    Mu Yuchen then turned his head and nced at the folder before pointing at the table behind him.

    Li Si nodded and put the folder onto the table.

    ¡°Is there anything happening with Yueying now?¡± Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa casually and started making tea. Then, he signaled Li Si to sit as well.

    ¡°Not yet. We¡¯re keeping an eye on the Yue family and Xi Xinyi. I¡¯ll report to you if they do anything.¡± Li Si sat down as Mu Yuchen handed him a cup of tea. ¡°These are the Pu Er your Missus brought back from City Bst time. Have a taste. Take some back if you like it. I remember that your parents are very fond of tea.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Li Si gave Mu Yuchen a grateful nce as thetter closed his eyes. ¡°Be careful about this. It¡¯ll be tougher on you since Ah Mo isn¡¯t around, but you can ask for help from Ah Bao and the others. Your Missus and I will be heading over on the 27th this month. I¡¯ll leave things here to you and you cane to our wedding after that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, Master!¡± Li Si replied, ¡°By the way Master, Deng Wenwen... Mayor Xi visited her yesterday. Yue Lingsi... Mayor Xi hired a long-term caretaker for her. She might be transferred to a rehabilitative center after her condition has stabilized. Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi were really cruel. In this situation...¡±

    He then sighed as he remembered when he saw Deng Wenwen¡ª

    How pitiful and sad!

    It was karma. She was now conscious but could not move or take care of herself. It must be really tough for her.

    ¡°Also, Xi Xinyi went to look for Han Yifeng several times, but he didn¡¯t meet her. He¡¯s probably avoiding her. Yueying can¡¯t hold on any longer and the banks are urging for payments already. If they can¡¯t pay up, they can only dere bankruptcy and it¡¯s not a small amount!¡±

    Mu Yuchen sipped some tea as he put on an indifferent smile. ¡°Han Yifeng... I didn¡¯t know he was such a person...¡±

    Naturally, Li Si understood what he meant. No matter what, they were still married and Han Yifeng¡¯s child was still inside Xi Xinyi, yet he just ignored all of these. A man like this...

    ¡°Master, next up...?¡± Li Si asked for further instructions.

    ¡°Just keep a close eye on them. The South River project is going to beunched soon and Vice President Zhang Lan is focusing on it. You should help out a little.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll head back now. I think Missus is awake. Just now...¡±

    Before Li Si could finish his sentence, the half-closed door was pushed open and Xi Xiaye poked her head inside as she nced around and saw the two of them on the sofa.

    ¡°Assistant Li? I heard someone talking from outside. You¡¯re early!¡± Xi Xiaye brushed her messy hair as she spoke.

    Li Si stood up and smiled. ¡°Morning, Missus! I¡¯m just here to deliver some documents to Master. I¡¯m heading back now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going back now? You can have breakfast with us first. Chairman Mu just finished cooking breakfast.¡± Xi Xiaye was pretty easygoing and would try to make them stay for meals whenever they came over. Needless to say, Li Si and the others were grateful for her gesture.

    Li Si declined politely with a smile and he left the two of them alone.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye lifted the curtains as she watched Li Si leave slowly. She voiced out her doubts to the man drinking his tea casually on the sofa, ¡°Why is Assistant Li here so early in the morning? It¡¯s the weekend, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s here to deliver something. The folder on the table contains the documents from Lawyer Wang as well as the new keycards to West Park. Keep them,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xiaye paused for a moment. She went toward the table after a while and opened the folder. As she looked through the contents, he started talking again, ¡°West Park has been cleared now. Li Si left Father a keycard. You can think about what you want to do with itter on.¡±

 Chapter 432 - Personal Gift For You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 432: Personal Gift For You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye looked at the documents for some time before putting them back. ¡°It¡¯s just an empty house. I never expected the Xi family to go this path.¡±

    Thinking back, the Xi family was quite a famous one with Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan being the top brass in the political scene along with Yueying, yet it had fallen to such a state today.

    Internal conflicts could be more lethal than enemies; they had proven that themselves.

    Xi Xiaye put on a self-mocking cold smile as she kept the folder on the bookshelf, her tone sounding cold. ¡°No matter how much glory one has, it¡¯ll fade away someday just like the wind.¡±

    ¡°Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi should be staying in Han Yifeng¡¯s vi now. Deng Wenwen had a stroke and her condition doesn¡¯t seem very promising. She was left in the hospital and Father hired a long-term caretaker for her. He¡¯ll transfer her to a rehabilitation center after her condition has stabilized,¡± Mu Yuchen told her what happened.

    A stroke?

    Xi Xiaye turned around and looked at Mu Yuchen to find him watching her calmly. No one said a thing for a while, then she went towards the window and pulled the curtains open. The morning sun streamed into the room, showing off the great weather.

    ¡°Yueying won¡¯tst much longer, huh?¡± she asked without showing her emotions.

    While they received their karma, she was not really that thrilled about it. A lot of thoughts and some inexpressible emotions ran through her mind.

    ¡°They can only dere bankruptcy if they can¡¯t pay back the debts. The banks are urging them to pay up and you know that¡¯s quite arge sum. Xi Xinyi might get Han Yifeng to help if she truly wants to save Yueying.¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood it very well. With Glory World¡¯s sudden retreat, Yueying was almost emptied and their whole working system was moved over to Chenye Movies and Televisions. Given Yue Lingsi¡¯s scandal, Yueying would probably fall.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy? Now that I see your face, I¡¯m not sure if what I¡¯ve done has value.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye stayed quiet, Mu Yuchen went beside her and put his arm around her waist. He embraced her so closely that she could smell his familiar scent and feel his body temperature through his chest. Instinctively, she put her hands on his.

    ¡°Nothing really. I just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the right thing to do. The Xi family is ruined. I don¡¯t know what Father thinks, and if Grandfather would feel sad if he were still around,¡± she told him how she felt as she looked at him squarely with her clear eyes.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote to think about this now? You¡¯re overthinking. Being too considerate can put you in a mess.¡± He sighed helplessly as he ran his fingers through her messy hair. ¡°If it makes you feel better, I¡¯ll bear everything. Just take it as me, the devil, who did all of it.¡±

    She chuckled as heforted her. Then, she yfully poked his face with her finger. ¡°You finally admit that you¡¯re the devil?¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed and grabbed her hand. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to feel uneasy about any of this. Even if we didn¡¯t do anything, Yueying wouldn¡¯tst long as well. Wait, I have something for you.¡±

    He then pulled her toward the table and opened the drawer to take a document out and give her. ¡°Take a look. You¡¯ll like it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She arched her eyebrows and only epted it after a few moments. She studied it carefully.

    It was 90% of Chenye Movies and Televisions shares, as well as the shares he had for the developing movies and television studio. They were now all under her name.

    She was dumbfounded to see the document. After a while, she looked at him, speechless.

    ¡°I know Yueying might be special to you, but in order to make you forget about the unhappy memories, I changed it to our name. It was Yueying before and it¡¯ll be yours now. No one can take it away from you. Moreover, it has a studio of its own and I know it¡¯ll be even bigger in your hands.¡± His voice reached her as he patted her head.

    ¡°Why... Why are you so sweet to me?¡± She nced at him. During moments like these, her headstrong self crumbled in front of him.

    She had gone through so much pain before, thus she would find herself on the verge of crying if someone was being absolutely kind to her. She sniffled and turned away, refusing to look at him.

    He smiled and his heart softened when he saw her this way. He hugged her firmly. ¡°It¡¯s a personal gift for you. Do you like it?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± She nodded and hugged him back, trying to take in his warmth. ¡°I like it...¡±

    ¡°You like it? You¡¯re crying and smiling. What does that mean?¡± He looked at her and wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes away.

    Sniffling again, she wrapped her hands around his shoulders and pulled him down. Her soft lips met with his and he could smell her fragrance as they kissed. She gave him a slight peck, but when she went lower and they were absorbed in the headiness of their passionate kissing, he started to feel a slight pain on the lips.

    As he came back to his senses, she backed off.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I meant!¡± She shed a bright and cheerful smile while her eyes were like that of a little girl pulling a prank on somebody.

    ¡°Co-existence of happiness and pain, huh?¡±

    He nced at her from above. Xi Xiaye could feel his dangerous gaze as she reacted and backed off. However, he was bigger and quicker, and he grabbed her wrist in just a moment.

    Before she could react, she was pinned down against the wall behind her, so she yelled, ¡°Please let me go, good Sir!¡±

 Chapter 433 - Memories Are All Thatâ€™s Left of The Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 433: Memories Are All That¡¯s Left of The Past (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a simple lunch, Shen Yue called Mu Yuchen to go golfing with him, to which thetter agreed, knowing that they probably had things to discuss. Xi Xiaye did not tag along, so she went to West Park instead.

    So many things had happened, and they were all handled by Mu Yuchen. She did not get involved with the storm at all. Now that West Park was empty, she wanted to go back and take a look.

    The weather was sunny. When she drove by the back entrance to West Park, she noticed that there was already a new lock in ce. The whole mansion looked very still and quiet.

    Xi Xiaye never would have thought that she would bump into her father, Xi Mushan, here. From afar, she could see him standing with his hands behind his back underneath a streemp. As he gazed up at this mansion before him, his expression seemed a little solemn. With his frail and tall body bathed in the faint sunlight, he seemed somewhat deste.

    Xi Xiaye stopped at a parking spot on the side. When he heard the sound of a car, Xi Mushan slowly returned to his senses in that instant.

    Xi Xiaye pushed the car door open and walked over, stopping by his side and looking up with her twinkling eyes. Her calm gaze silently watched the quiet mansion before her.

    Xi Mushan glimpsed at her and did not say anything. He followed her gaze and looked over as well.

    After a while, his deep and calm voice was heard. ¡°Why are you here too?¡±

    A faint smile shed across Xi Xiaye¡¯s face as her gaze remained calm while she stared at this mansion before her. Her tone was quiet. ¡°Li Si sent the key card over early this morning. He said this ce was cleared out, so I came over to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen said you went to see her, and that she¡¯s not doing too well.¡±

    Xi Mushan obviously knew who she was referring too and his gaze dimmed. ¡°She¡¯s paralyzed on one side, so it¡¯s hard for her to move around. The doctor said that it¡¯s probably going to always be like this. This might be her karma.¡±

    He did not seem to have any sympathy for her. Before he married Shen Wenna, Deng Wenwen still treated him fine, but after Shen Wenna married him followed by all those things that happened subsequently, he was only left with hatred for her.

    If it were not for her, perhaps all of this misfortune would not have happened.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t treat Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi too badly. I¡¯m afraid she never would¡¯ve thought they would treat her this way in the end.¡± As Xi Xiaye said this, a mocking smile appeared on her face, yet apart from such emotions, she felt a hint ofment.

    ¡°Yueying¡¯s about to fall, Father. Do you me me?¡± When she said this, Xi Xiaye abruptly turned to him and fixed her gaze on Xi Mushan. Her eyes were dense with a flickering light. ¡°The Xi family was once so glorious, and now it¡¯s...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Xi Mushan sighed softly. He suddenly shut his eyes and tried to ease himself for quite a while, then he opened his eyes and the still light in them had returned to the usual calm, he said gently, ¡°Why would I me you? This family has long been ruined... Ever since the moment your mother and I divorced, I never found that so-called family again.¡±

    When she heard these, Xi Xiaye suddenly did not know how to answer, she thought about it, then smiled wryly, ¡°When you and Mother just got divorced, I¡¯d actually always fantasize about the day you¡¯d chase Yue Lingsi and her daughter out, then bring Mother back. Unfortunately, now that they¡¯ve finally been chased out, we can never return to how it was.¡±

    ¡°There were some good memories here. If you want to look for them again, you can have West Park,¡± Xi Xiaye said very calmly as she looked at Xi Mushan with clear eyes.

    ¡°This is what your grandfather left you. Keep it well. I don¡¯t need such a huge ce all to myself.¡±

    ¡°I know that Xi Xinyi went looking for you. I¡¯m very grateful that you could maintain neutral in the midst of our fight. That way, at least, it wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for everyone.¡±

    Xi Mushan smiled sadly without saying anything.

    ¡°How are you and Mother doing?¡±

    Recently, she had been busy with work and did not have much time to care for her mother. When she recently returned to the Shen residence, she heard from Aunt Wu that Xi Mushan had gone over almost every day. In fact, it seemed like he was nning to lecture at University A.

    When Shen Wenna was mentioned, Xi Mushan¡¯s faintly steadfast face darkened.

    Shen Wenna was very hostile to him. Sometimes, she would not even say a word to him for the whole day.

    Xi Xiaye took in all of Xi Mushan¡¯s expressions. She could not help but feel her heart sink. ¡°Mother¡¯s like that. She¡¯ll only be amenable to coaxing but not coercion. Father, you need to have some patience.¡±

    ¡°I know, I just feel guilty towards your mother. The fact that she¡¯s in her current state yet presents herself as strong makes me worried.¡±

    As Xi Mushan spoke, Shen Wenna¡¯s cold and stubborn expression shed in his mind. He could not help but feel his heart ache.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When I brought Mother for a check up a few days ago, the doctor said that there are traces of the blood clot slowly dissipating. I think that as long as we let Mother rest well and recuperate, she¡¯ll definitely see the light again. So, Father, now whether or not you feel tormented, I hope that you can be by Mother¡¯s side. She looks strong now, but actually, this is also the time when Mother is most vulnerable and helpless.¡±

    Xi Xiaye said softly.

    Actually, she quite understood her own mother. Her own personality was more or less influenced by her. Now that she had Mu Yuchen, of course, she hoped that Shen Wenna could find her own happiness too, yet only Xi Mushan could provide that happiness.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze fell onto Xi Mushan¡¯s calm face and she could not help but ask, ¡°I heard Aunt Wu say that you¡¯re nning to lecture at University A. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve spent more than half my life in bureaucracy. Now, I just want to live a different kind of simple and calm life, just as your mother said. To be a teacher with students everywhere is great too. Back then, when I joined politics, your mother didn¡¯t agree either, but after that, shepromised. Now, it¡¯s time that Ipromised for her. For once, I want to get her back.¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s tone was sincere, yet Xi Xiaye could hear the bitterness in it.

    When he finished, Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and nodded gently. She blinked her suddenly hot eyes and turned to continue looking at the mansion before them. ¡°Does Mother know about Yue Lingsi¡¯s matter?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell her, you know, this name to your mother. It might be...¡± Xi Mushan did not continue. He just let out a sigh and stared ahead too.

    ¡°Okay, since things havee to this point, let¡¯s not think too much now. No matter what, I hope that you and Mother can regain your love, and revive your beautiful memories.¡±

 Chapter 434 - Memories Are All Thatâ€™s Left of The Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 434: Memories Are All That¡¯s Left of The Past (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye just said this, the sound of a car honking came from afar. The mother and daughter looked toward the source of the sound.

    A Rolls-Royce slowly stopped behind Xi Xiaye¡¯s car.

    The car door opened, and the person who got down was Han Yifeng who had not been seen for many days now.

    <i>Why is he here?</i>

    Xi Xiaye frowned in puzzlement as her gaze moved together with Han Yifeng¡¯s figure.

    Han Yifeng stopped right behind Xi Mushan and greeted with his deep voice, ¡°Father, Xiaye!

    With a nod, Xi Mushan turned to look at Han Yifeng and handed the key to him. ¡°The things that have been cleared out from West Park are in the servants¡¯ room outside West Park. Here¡¯s the key. Get someone to bring the things to Xinyi.¡±

    Han Yifeng took the keys and looked at Xi Mushan withplicated feelings, then he looked ahead at the empty West Park. He was about to say something, yet Xi Mushan had turned away. ¡°Okay, Xiaye, you should go home earlier too. We need to draw the guest list up in the next few days. Ah Chen mentioned it to me yesterday. I don¡¯t need any guests from my end. Just let him know that. I¡¯m going to go back first. Since it¡¯s just an empty mansion, there¡¯s nothing much to see. It¡¯s not that early anymore anyway.¡±

    As Xi Mushan spoke, he took a look at Xi Xiaye and Han Yifeng, then with a solemn expression, he left.

    Xi Xiaye turned to watch Xi Mushan¡¯s back all the way until he drove his car beyond what she could see. Only then did she retrieve her gaze and was about to leave, yet Han Yifeng called out to her, ¡°Xiaye, hold on!¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused, but she did not n to stop as she continued walking.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    She felt like a cold breeze had blown in from behind. Then, she felt her wrist being tightly held by him who chased her from behind.

    Forced to stop, she looked up indifferently at the person who stopped her with a calm and distant gaze which was hostile. The sight of this made Han Yifeng¡¯s heart sink, so he could only dully let go of her hand.

    ¡°Do you need something?¡± Xi Xiaye asked calmly and then subconsciously took a step back as she looked up at him.

    ¡°Must you have Yueying?¡± Han Yifeng fixed his eyes on her as he asked softly.

    When she heard this, a hint of a sneer surfaced on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face. She looked quite calmly at him and said, ¡°Yes, I must have Yueying. It¡¯s not doing very well now, is it? If you¡¯re willing to help Xi Xinyi, I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°I have no intentions of reprimanding you. I just wanted to let you know that even if I don¡¯t do anything, Xinyi might be able to find someone who can spend.¡±

    When Han Yifeng said this, Xi Xiaye immediately became slightly vignt. ¡°Do you mean the Yue family?¡±

    He did not answer.

    Xi Xiaye looked on and did not continue asking. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll just wait and watch how she makes hereback, but Yueying definitely won¡¯t be able to get through this.¡±

    With their reputation in a mess and such huge loopholes in the finances, she did not see how Xi Xinyi could persevere. Even if someone helped them out, what could that do?

    ¡°This series of grudges have gone on for so many years now. It doesn¡¯t matter who started it. I hope that it cane to an end right now. Anyway, you take care too,¡± she said, feeling weary. Then, she walked toward her car. After a while, the car engine started, and when he looked up, Xi Xiaye had already driven away.

    As he watched the car slowly vanish amidst the warm sun ahead, Han Yifeng stared ahead for a very, very long time until Secretary Wang¡¯s voice came from behind.

    ¡°CEO Han, she¡¯s long gone. Let¡¯s go back too!¡±

    Han Yifeng rushed over after receiving Xi Mushan¡¯s call. Yue Lingsi was now living in the vi under his name. Even though he was not on good terms with Xi Xinyi, ever since Xi Jiyang¡¯s passing, the two of them maintained a very vague husband and wife rtionship. Xi Xinyi was still Han Yifeng¡¯s wife, living in his vi.

    While he had often been resting in his own office or at the hotel to evade all of these worries, he seldom went home. The divorce with Xi Xinyi kept on getting dyed.

    Xi Xinyi would not agree to get a divorce just like that, plus his elder would not agree to it too, especially because Xi Xinyi was still pregnant with Han Yifeng¡¯s child. It had been quite a few months now and her belly was starting to show. Even though Huang Ziyao was unhappy with Xi Xinyi because of the previous matters, she still forced herself to send someone to take care of Xi Xinyi who kept parading her belly about. She clearly announced to the public that she was pregnant, so whatever it was, the Han family could not just push her aside.

    While Han Yifeng was looking wan and sallow from being restricted by all these issues, he became gaunt. Only Secretary Wang knew the torment that he had been dealing with.

    Han Yifeng did not respond to Secretary Wang. He just looked away and turned to look at this mansion before him. Some dusty memories of the past slowly crossed his mind. However, of the many images that shed past, almost all of them were rted to Xi Xiaye...

    He tried hard to recall again, and images of Xi Xinyi appeared after that. It was all the happy times from the few years that they spent abroad.

    He did not know why but he suddenly felt very mncholy. As he looked at West Park that was now empty and quiet, he increasingly felt like some things were leaving him and moving further and further away. He wanted to grasp onto something, yet he could not catch anything.

    Many images reyed from start to end. He suddenly realized that most of the memories he had of his youth were of Xi Xiaye, and not Xi Xinyi.

    He suddenly felt his heart ache. The gloominess drowned him out, and almost swallowed him whole. The only that saved him was the sound of a phone ringing from Secretary Wang¡¯s pocket.

    Secretary Wang took out his phone very quickly, and answered the call, a while after he covered the phone and looked to Han Yifeng, he said softly¡ª

    ¡°CEO Han, it¡¯s Miss Xinyi!¡±

    Xi Xinyi had been looking for Han Yifeng for a long time now. Han Yifeng had been going abroad for work or was busy discussing new projects recently. He avoided Xi Xinyi as much as possible, especially after he heard the guard say that she hade looking for him many times.

    When he heard this, Han Yifeng sighed and thought about it, then finally said, ¡°Let her wait for me at my office. There are some things that are best resolved as quickly as possible.¡±

    Upon receiving Han Yifeng¡¯s answer, Secretary Wang nodded, then answered the phone. ¡°Miss Xinyi, CEO Han asks for you to please wait for him at his office.¡±

    When he hung up, Han Yifeng had already walked up to the car and quietly got in.

 Chapter 435 - Negotiation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 435: Negotiation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The cold evening breeze crushed the faint, mottled shadow in the golden twilight while a dark paper-cut silhouette drove slowly towards the Maple Residence.

    Xi Xiaye parked her car and then got down.

    When she reached home, she could hear the music ying in the living room from afar. The man must be cooking in the kitchen.

    She set her things aside and then walked straight to the kitchen. Indeed, she saw a man in casual home clothes leisurely seasoning as the stove on the side was brewing something on a low fire to. She stood at the door and could smell a tempting aroma. Unable to help herself, she gulped.

    Her starry eyes twinkled, and she subconsciously looked around. Unexpectedly, she found Shen Yue handling a fish on the sink.

    Mu Yuchen set aside the seasoning he had prepared and took the fish from Shen Yue as he asked softly, ¡°Sweet and sour fish or steamed in broth?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make sweet and sour fish. It¡¯ll go great with rice! Ah Chen, I realize that your culinary skills are better than your mother¡¯s. That girl Xiaye isn¡¯t good with this too. Your mother used to always talk about that, worried that she would be disliked because of it when she gets married.¡±

    Shen Yue took over the ginger and started washing it.

    While upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°Who dares to dislike her? It¡¯s not such a bad thing that she can¡¯t master it. Some women are meant to be protected. To me, she and Mother are like that.¡±

    ¡°You are quite open-minded and tolerant. Back then, when your grandmother told me about you, I took a look and you and immediately liked you. One look and I felt like you would be quite suitable with Xiaye. After that, your grandmother didn¡¯t even need to introduce you much. You were just a fellow that I had my eye on,¡± Shen Yuemented.

    ¡°That means I¡¯ll have to thank Grandpa for having such a good first impression of me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve always trusted my judgment of others.¡± Shen Yue was not very humble.

    ¡°Grandpa, he¡¯s not as angelic as you say he is. A certain someone has admitted to me himself that he is an evil man.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s light voice that contained a smile suddenly came from behind. The two of them quickly turned around and saw Xi Xiaye standing at the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s soft and gentle voice was immediately heard.

    Shen Yue¡¯s sharp eyes looked at the two of them, then he very knowingly tossed aside the things in his hands. ¡°You two handle it. I¡¯ll go to the backyard and see what other flowers I can nt for you.¡±

    Then, before the two of them could respond, he walked out of the kitchen.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged and watched Shen Yue¡¯s shadow walk away, then she walked to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Why¡¯s Grandpa here? Weren¡¯t you two going to y golf?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t get to go, so he came over to take some materials on the South River project, and send the wedding guest list over too. We¡¯ve been fishing an entire afternoon by theke. Mm-hmm, this is our loot.¡± Mu Yuchen pointed at the fish in his hand and smiled.

    ¡°Why do I find that you¡¯ve been asking Grandpa out quite frequently recently, like two brothers? If it¡¯s not fishing, then it¡¯s golf, or else some chess game. I don¡¯t see you bringing <i>me </i> out often... Also, you haven¡¯t sent me flowers for a long while now,¡± Lady Xiayeined unhappily through ring eyes.

    He was stunned, but moments after that, he chuckled. ¡°You... Are you being jealous of Grandpa? If I don¡¯t ask him out, how would Father have any chances to get close to Mother? Who am I doing all of this for? I don¡¯t see you being considerate about me.¡±

    ¡°You can call me up too.¡±

    ¡°If I call you toe as well, then it¡¯d be obvious. Can¡¯t you think a little? Grandpa¡¯s such a smart person. Do you think he can be easily fooled?¡± He helplessly shot her a side look.

    She then eased a little and rolled her eyes before she began to help him wash the vegetables. ¡°I¡¯ve just gone to West Park. I bumped into Father and Han Yifeng.¡±

    ¡°Han Yifeng? Was he repenting to you or what?¡± When Han Yifeng was mentioned, Mu Yuchen¡¯s low tone was faintly colored with disdain.

    Xi Xiaye washed the vegetables with her head lowered as she spoke, ¡°No, Father called him over. He seems to have be thin and much frailer. It must be because of him worrying over Xi Xinyi¡¯s problems. I thought that he wanted to tell me to have mercy on Xi Xinyi, but then he said to me that even if he doesn¡¯t help them out, someone else would. I suddenly found it quite odd. I think it might be the Yue family, so I wanted to give you a heads-up.¡±

    However, when Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Yuchen paused what he was doing for a moment as a cold light surfaced in his dark eyes.

    Moments after, he continued what he was doing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Yue family won¡¯t be able to do much. Yue Lingsi¡¯s problems are enough to cause them a headache. You don¡¯t have to worry about these things, okay?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡±

    ...

    At the same time, when Han Yifeng reached the office, working hours had long passed and the entire building was quiet.

    Secretary Wang looked at Han Yifeng with concern as he softly suggested, ¡°CEO Han, Miss Xinyi is still waiting upstairs. It¡¯s about time for dinner. How about you talk over food? Two days ago, you still had gastritis.¡±

    Han Yifeng sat in the car and slowly wound the window down to look at the empty office building, nodding. ¡°Call her to get her toe down then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, CEO Han.¡±

    Secretary Wang then called Xi Xinyi. He had just hung up for less than five minutes when Xi Xinyi had very quickly appeared at the lobby.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    When she saw the car parked up front, Xi Xinyi immediately walked up anxiously. Her gentle and beautiful face looked pale and worn out. When she saw Han Yifeng in the car, her beautiful eyes instantly welled up with tears as she stared at him.

    Han Yifeng just slowly closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°Get in. Let¡¯s go eat first.¡±

    Xi Xinyi bit her lip and nodded, then she walked around the car to get in through the other side. She opened the car door and got in.

    Once Xi Xinyi got into the car, she started to speak and choked on her sobs as she did. She subconsciously held her showing belly and looked helplessly at Han Yifeng. ¡°Yifeng, where did you go these past few days? I¡¯ve looked all over for you... My mother...¡±

    However, before she could finish, Han Yifeng had already responded, ¡°I know about everything. You don¡¯t have to tell me anymore. We can talk after dinner.¡±

    He stopped her from continuing, then lifted a hand to massage his heavy head. Feeling weary, he quietly shut his eyes, clearly not wanting to talk.

    The light in her eyes sank as her eyes became hot with tears. She bit down hard on her lips and covered her face with both hands as she looked down.

 Chapter 436 - Negotiation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 436: Negotiation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car started with a rumble.

    ¡°Go to Emperor,¡± Han Yifeng said coldly without even opening his eyes.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s quiet sobbing reached him, making him irritated.

    He opened his eyes after a while and nced at Xi Xinyi. He noticed that she was crying helplessly, so he took a deep breath before tossing a piece of tissue onto herp. Then, he turned to face the window.

    The sky turned dark as the streetmps were starting to light up. With the lights streaming into the car, their shadows kept shing backward as crowds were swarming both sides of the street. However, Han Yifeng felt lonely when he saw this scene.

    Xi Xinyi finally lifted her head after crying for a long time. She took the tissue Han Yifeng handed her and wiped the tears on her face away. He was still looking outside the window when she turned towards him, sniffling again before calling out, ¡°Yifeng...¡±

    ¡°Save your cheap tears, Xinyi. It¡¯s not good for the child inside you,¡± Han Yifeng said quietly after a while. He did not know what else he could say and his words became weak.

    Xi Xinyi unconsciously touched her stomach, sniffling again and looking at Han Yifeng with her teary eyes. ¡°Yifeng, you still care about our child, don¡¯t you? I know you¡¯re not this cruel. I don¡¯t believe them when they say you don¡¯t want to see me. You¡¯re the only one I¡¯ve left now. You¡¯re the only one. Sister not only ruined Yueying, but she also chased all of us out of West Park. Are you really going to do nothing and watch us struggle?¡± She looked like she was in deep pain and sorrow as her eyes reddened.

    ¡°I¡¯m your wife and I¡¯m bearing your child right now. I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯d be cruel to me and our baby. Didn¡¯t we say we¡¯ll be with each other forever? We¡¯vested so long, we got married, and even have a child now. What will I do if you¡¯re abandoning us now? Yifeng, what should I do?¡±

    She then started crying as she covered her face. She had been enduring the circumstances for so long that she needed a ce to express herself. The recent incidents almost suffocated her. Although her numerous crying sessions did not help relieve her pain and depression, she just could not stop crying.

    Han Yifeng just sat there quietly as he was still looking outside without saying a thing.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s tears never stopped as the car moved forward. After some time, the car finally stopped.

    ¡°CEO Han, we¡¯ve arrived!¡± Secretary Wang said quietly. He saw what happened in the back from the rearview mirror. Xi Xinyi kept on weeping while Han Yifeng just stared outside the window with a frown. It was his first time being in such an awkward situation.

    They were still a pair of loving couple not so long ago. They would usually hug each other or kiss passionately during a time like this, but who would have expected this today?

    Secretary Wang was really quiet, fearing that he would step on andmine and make Han Yifeng angry. Han Yifeng¡¯s temper was getting worse as well, and he was on edgetely.

    Han Yifeng left the car swiftly while Xi Xinyi wiped her tears away and followed him as well.

    The waiter brought them to the reserved room and they sat down opposite each other. The atmosphere in the room was pretty tense. Secretary Wang could feel it even when he was guarding the door outside. Han Yifeng had probably agreed to meet Xi Xinyi this time because he wanted to talk about the divorce again.

    The dishes were served quickly. It was French that night. They ordered these dishes pretty frequently when they came before.

    Han Yifeng drank some wine and then said quietly, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened. Glory World left and the whole of Yueying has been emptied out. Combined with the debts umted along the years, the situation was still in control with the support from both Glory World and Qi Kai, but with Glory World¡¯s sudden retreat, Qi Kai hasn¡¯t said anything. It¡¯s just a matter of time till Yueying deres bankruptcy.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression darkened as she sniffled and nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what Yueying is facing right now. The bank gave us a final notice saying that we¡¯ll be forced into bankruptcy if we can¡¯t pay up. Several movies were stopped, Yifeng. If we can continue filming those movies, Yueying will be saved! Trust me, Yifeng. I¡¯m confident about it!¡±

    She grabbed Han Yifeng¡¯s arms as he was herst hope while she begged helplessly, ¡°I can¡¯t let Yueying fall. I¡¯ve invested so much. Help me, Yifeng.¡±

    Han Yifeng felt a slight pain because she was grabbing his arm so tightly. It took him a while to struggle away from her grip. ¡°Xinyi, Yueying was already on the verge of falling anyway. I think it¡¯s pretty good for it to fall now. You cane to the Han Corporation to work after that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it! I don¡¯t want Yueying to go bankrupt. I¡¯ve lost everything and I can¡¯t lose Yueying now! Yifeng, if it weren¡¯t for Xi Xiaye, I¡¯d still be popr and Yueying wouldn¡¯t be reduced to such a state. She even took West Park away. Isn¡¯t all that enough already? Is she trying to end me?¡±

    Xi Xinyi felt aggrieved. She peered at Han Yifeng with red eyes. ¡°She¡¯s happy now, huh? Yueying has be like this, and Grandmother had a stroke. Everything that¡¯s happened right now is her fault! Mother is breaking down as well! Why can¡¯t you be considerate towards me as my husband?¡±

    ¡°Yueying will fall because of the inability of you lot. If you had a powerful internal structure, there¡¯s no way people could¡¯ve just torn it apart! About Mother, those scandals are the truth. She should be able to take responsibility for what she has done and not me others. As for how those things came to light, the Yue family should be clear about that!¡±

 Chapter 437 - Negotiation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 437: Negotiation (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi felt anguish when she heard Han Yifeng¡¯s cold tone. She looked at Han Yifeng with her swollen eyes. ¡°You¡¯re on Xi Xiaye¡¯s side, aren¡¯t you? Han Yifeng, you¡¯ve changed! Don¡¯t forget just how much you hated her before. Are you regretting your choices back then?¡±

    Hernguage was harsh as she bit her lip and all her sorrow shone through her eyes. She clenched her fists angrily.

    Regret his choices back then?

    This question hit Han Yifeng like an enormous rock. Emotions crashed through his mind as he closed his eyes and barely contained himself.

    He did not reply as she observed him carefully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you were the one who said to leave together. You were the one who rejected Xi Xiaye. Don¡¯t tell me that you regret being with me now! Have you really forgotten all the pleasant memories we had together because of these?¡±

    Han Yifeng felt a pain in his chest. He had to admit that he was responsible for causing what had happened today.

    If he had followed the nned path back then, would today be any different?

    After a while, Han Yifeng finally replied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to make anyments regarding the past. I¡¯m sure you yourself know why Yueying arrived at such a state today. If you want me to save Yueying, I can help you.¡±

    ¡°Yifeng! Really? Are you really going to help me save Yueying?¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes flew wide open and her whole body was strained as she stared at Han Yifeng with an electric current of thrill in her eyes.

    ¡°But I have one condition. If you agree to it, I¡¯ll purchase Yueying and then help it to get back on track before giving it back to you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s heart sank when she heard Han Yifeng¡¯s suggestion. It was as if she already knew what was he going to say, so her body tensed up.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t sign the divorce papers Secretary Wang sent to you before and wanted me to talk to you.¡± Han Yifeng drank some wine. He thought for a moment and then continued without being considerate toward Xi Xinyi¡¯s whose face already turned pale. ¡°I told you I can¡¯t give you the future that you want. Our love has ended in this conflict, so it¡¯s the best for both of us to let go earlier. I¡¯ll follow all the terms listed in the contract. You can let me take care of the child after you¡¯ve given birth. If you agree to sign the divorce papers, I¡¯ll help you save Yueying.¡±

    Han Yifeng listed his conditions calmly as he searched inside his briefcase and took out a drafted divorce contract to put before Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Think about it. I won¡¯t make anypromise on this. I¡¯m firm on getting divorced.¡±

    His words stabbed her heart like a cold, sharp needle.

    Xi Xinyi looked at the divorce contract in front of her and then raised her head to face Han Yifeng. She could not believe what he just said.

    ¡°Do you really have to divorce me for Xi Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°This issue is only between us. Don¡¯t involve others into this. Do you think you can erase all the lies you¡¯ve told me before with just some tears? Xinyi! You always think that it doesn¡¯t matter and you always need everyone to be considerate about you! You only me other people. You¡¯re so wicked for wanting to destroy your own sister! Do you think you can cover the whole truth by just saying ¡®I didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡¯? You¡¯re ridiculous!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now! Isn¡¯t she still living fine and alive right now? I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so obsessed about what happened in the past! Do you think you can turn back time by taking her side now? Impossible! She¡¯ll never go back to you again! She¡¯s so happy staying by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side. Remember how she said she loved you? She¡¯s a fake! She turned to another man in the blink of an eye! Only me, Han Yifeng! I¡¯m the only woman who loves you the most in this world! Do you understand?!¡± Xi Xinyi could not hold her anger in anymore and her rage burned like a pyre!

    ¡°Love? If you really loved me, you should¡¯ve quitted your acting career when I asked you to do so and stayed by my side three years ago! If you loved me, you wouldn¡¯t have hidden so many things and treated me like your ything!¡±

    Han Yifeng put on a bitter smile as he looked at the angry Xi Xinyi with her face all puffy and red. ¡°I can¡¯t ept how you always act all regretful after you¡¯ve made mistakes, and you even pretend like nothing has happened when you¡¯re exposed. You just me it all onto others. You don¡¯t repent at all. I¡¯m afraid of your behavior. No matter what, one must find fault in themselves after a mistake is done. Only then do you start to see what else went wrong. Didn¡¯t you tell me this before? Why can¡¯t you do it yourself?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s words made Xi Xinyi freeze. She stared at Han Yifeng nkly as a cold light shed in her eyes.

    ¡°So, now you¡¯ll only help me if I agree to divorce you?¡± Xi Xinyi grabbed the document before her, crumpling the paper in just an instant.

    ¡°Yes, this is the only condition. You can choose to do so or not.¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s voice turned bitter. He looked at Xi Xinyi firmly. ¡°Please know that Yueying is only left with problems right now. The huge amount of debt will clear Yueying out in no time. Even if it were me, it¡¯d be tough. Think about it yourself.¡±

    Han Yifeng stood up as he finished his sentence. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your answer.¡± He then left the room.

    Secretary Wang peered into the room with concern before leaving with Han Yifeng.

    Whoosh!

    With the sound of their footsteps moving further away, Xi Xinyi tossed the divorce papers away and stood up furiously as she flipped the table.

 Chapter 438 - Mystery Person? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 438: Mystery Person? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    With a whoosh, everything fell from the table and the floor was scattered with shattered pieces.

    ¡°Han Yifeng, don¡¯t even think about ditching me just like that! I will make youe back to my side! And, Xi Xiaye, if you won¡¯t let me live, then I won¡¯t just let you go either!¡±

    Her voice as she spoke through gritted teeth was as cold as bone-chilling ice while her reddened eyes instantly turned sharp and exceptionally chilly. Her clenched fists were trembling from anger too.

    She took a few deep breaths in and forced the anger surging in her chest down because Han Yifeng heartlessly and coldly turned away. Her chest felt suffocated. After a few breaths, her swollen eyes could not help but turn teary. After a while, she picked her handbag up and left too.

    When she walked out of Emperor, it was bustling outside. She walked in a daze to the roadside and was about to g a taxi when a ck car suddenly stopped slowly beside her. Xi Xinyi subconsciously stopped her steps and peered vigntly at the car beside her.

    The car window whirred down very quickly. Under the dim streetlights, she could see that the man in the driver¡¯s seat was a man wearing sunsses.

    ¡°Are you Miss Xi Xinyi?¡± The man¡¯s deep and cold voice was heard.

    Xi Xinyi took a step back as her eyes were fixed on the man with the sunsses. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The man just smiled coldly as he whipped his phone out and made a call as he said, ¡°Mr. Wen wants to meet you.¡±

    Mr. Wen?

    She did not know any Mr. Wen!

    Xi Xinyi continued to be on guard against this man. ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t know any Mr. Wen!¡¯

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know him as long as he knows you. With him as your guarantor, you should believe me, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    The man quickly dialed a number and then handed the phone to Xi Xinyi who was startled. Then, she took the phone and probed uncertainly, ¡°Hello?¡±

    As she said that, a familiar yet cold voice came from the other end. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    When she heard his voice, Xi Xinyi was shocked and a wild joy erupted in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    ¡°Mmm. Get into the car now and follow him. If you still want to save Yueying, then do as I say. Mr. Wen is my man and he will help you handle Yueying¡¯s affairs. If there¡¯s anything, I¡¯ll contact you.¡±

    Without waiting for Xi Xinyi¡¯s answer, the call ended.

    Stunned for quite a while, Xi Xinyi did not return to her senses until the man with the sunsses took the phone in her hand.

    ¡°Get in, Miss Xi!¡±

    Then, Xi Xinyi nodded and pulled the car door open before quietly getting in. Without a hitch, the car started and sped ahead like the wind.

    However, just as the car left, a ck car followed behind too. In the car was Ah Bao who followed Yue Lingsi with Ah Mo the other day!

    As soon as Ah Bao saw the car weave into the traffic, he quickly ordered, ¡°Quick, follow them!¡±

    The car instantly followed them.

    After they made several rounds, the people in the car felt that something was not right.

    ¡°Bro Bao, I think they saw us. Look at his route. He¡¯s speeding up again!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s the secondhand car marketce ahead and there¡¯re a lot of intersections!¡±

    ¡°Watch the car closely! Quick!¡±

    To their chagrin, the car ahead quickly made a turn and vanished into a little alley ahead. Although Ah Bao and the rest wanted to chase after them, arge truck from the opposite direction forced them to stop.

    ¡°We lost them!¡±

    ¡°They already saw us. Forget it. Ask the brothers to watch out for the alley exits nearby. Let me call Bro Mo.¡±

    ...

    It was close to midnight and the breeze was cold. Faint moonlight shone down on the Maple Residence, making it looked exceptionally quiet.

    After dinner, Shen Yue and Mu Yuchen discussed for a long while in the study room again. By the time he left, it was already 9 p.m. Xi Xiaye drove him home, so only Mu Yuchen was left in the Maple Residence.

    He leisurely showered, and then went straight to read something in the study room while waiting for Xi Xiaye. He had just taken a book and flipped it open on the lounge when his phone suddenly buzzed. He picked it up.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s me! I just received a call from Ah Bao saying that Xi Xinyi got into a ck car, but they lost the car.¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice came through the phone.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s indifferent, handsome face darkened and an unfathomable cold light shed in his eyes although his tone remained calm as always. ¡°Can you find out who owns the car?¡±

    ¡°The car¡¯s number te is fake. Ah Bao checked it out. They went towards the east toward the old city area,¡± Ah Mo continued to report.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand and gently massaged between his brows. He fell momentarily silent before calmly instructing, ¡°Get everyone to retreat. There¡¯s no need to follow anymore.¡±

    ¡°Master, Ah Bao and the rest will definitely be able to find them.¡±

    Anxiously, Ah Mo said, ¡°Recently, there¡¯s been problems with Yue Lingsi and Yueying, yet things have been exceptionally peaceful. Master, I think there¡¯s something odd about it. It makes me suddenly feel like this is the calm before the storm. You and Missus have to be a little more careful. Maybe we¡¯ll find some clues by watching them closely.¡±

    ¡°No need. Just get everyone to retreat. If they¡¯re going to make a move, we¡¯ll definitely know. We can¡¯t be so easily affected. I have a feeling that this peace is going to be interrupted very soon.¡± A sneer shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Well, then, Master... What should we do next? Is the Yue family really not nning on doing anything about Yue Lingsi? In fact, I feel like this time should be someone from Qi Kai. Will it be Qi Lei or Qi Qiming?¡± Ah Mo asked.

    ¡°The Xi family has already lost all their worth of being rescued. Whether or not they make a move will depend on Han Yifeng¡¯s response. Meanwhile, the Han family is also waiting to see the Yue family¡¯s response. We¡¯ll just let them wear each other out,¡± Mu Yuchen responded evenly as the knot in his furrowed brows started to smoothen out. ¡°Qi Qiming¡¯s very good at avoiding investigation If it were him, our people wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch him, so just get our people to retreat.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Yueying won¡¯t be able tost more than a few days at this point. Master, we¡¯ll just have to watch how things y out. Based on what I heard, Qi Qiming and Wang Qin recently had a bad fight, yet Qi Lei hasn¡¯t done anything.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. Quickly check on the situation on your end. If there¡¯s any news about Qi Feng, inform me immediately.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ...

    He hung up the call before apathetically tossing his phone to the side. His expression remained calm and solemn as it did before.

 Chapter 439 - Mystery Person? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 439: Mystery Person? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Porsche passed through the Fatong Avenue, bathed in the dim yellow streetlights as it drove towards the Shen residence.

    Inside the car was Xi Xiaye and Shen Yue, the granddaughter and grandfather duo.

    Shen Yue sat in the front passenger seat while Xi Xiaye drove. Along the way, because she was considerate about Shen Yue, she dared not to drive fast. Instead, she controlled the car rather steadily.

    As the car moved forward, she saw that Shen Yue leaned back against his seat and shut his eyes to rest, or sometimes he would look out at the street views that kept streaming past behind him. Xi Xiaye suddenly chuckled.

    ¡°Grandpa, you seem to be in quite a jolly mood today.¡±

    When he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice, Shen Yue opened his eyes a little and squinted at her. Suddenly, there was a kind and loving smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m now happier and happier with Ah Chen. Seeing him reminds me of myself and your grandma back then! When your grandma was younger, she was just like you, but she had a sweet-tempered shoulder-length hairstyle that curled inwards.¡±

    When her grandma, Liang Fuhua, was brought up Shen Yue would seem to be in a pretty happy mood. Xi Xiaye could not help but smile through pursed lips upon hearing this. ¡°Grandpa, you and grandma were really a married couple that was so in love. I¡¯ve talked about it with Mu Yuchen, and we both admire your love back then. It feels so simple and honest. Once you¡¯ve decided on one person, then it¡¯dst forever unlike now when the divorce rates are so high.¡±

    ¡°That depends on the environment too. Your grandmother and I had a difficult life back then. We went through a lot of hardships together as a married couple. Obviously, it would be a little different now. You all justck experience. Rtionships require going through things together, settling down and umtion of such experiences,¡± Shen Yue seemed to speak from experience as hemented.

    ¡°Grandpa, have you ever told Grandma that you really love her? I just felt that back then, the both of you were very... um...¡±

    Xi Xiaye liked listening to Shen Yue talk about her grandma and she loved listening to stories about them going through hardships hand-in-hand.

    Some beautiful stories could inspire. Furthermore, they could allow oneself to deeply reflect upon ourselves and make us feel encouraged from within.

    Xi Xiaye was someone like that. She was a simple and very easily satisfied person.

    When she mentioned this, Shen Yue¡¯s aged face immediately colored with a blush, yet he stillughed heartily. ¡°We aren¡¯t like you youngsters now, saying ¡®I love you¡¯ eventually. I¡¯ve never said any sweet words of ttery to your grandma.¡±

    ¡°Even though Grandma didn¡¯t say much to you, Mother says you aren¡¯t romantic at all, I remember once, Grandma told me that the first time you gave her flowers, it was a single stic peony stalk!¡±

    ¡°How did you find out about these things?¡±

    Having this awkward incident exposed, Shen Yue started to be embarrassed. He cleared his throat a bit and then turned to look outside.

    ¡°I just know. Grandpa, do you really dislike my father?¡±

    She hesitated for a moment before deciding to just brace herself and probe with this question.

    As soon as Xi Xiaye asked that, Shen Yue¡¯s face immediately turned into a scowl. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t like him! Back then, your mother broke off her rtionship with me for him, and then we have what happened today. He¡¯s the main culprit! Years ago, after your mother severed ties with me, I went looking for her. If they sincerely want to be together, I can¡¯t disagree either. I just hoped that your mother could leave him for a while and go abroad to further her studies. Your grandma¡¯s health was poor back then and I couldn¡¯t care too much either. I just wished for your mother to take over Fuhua, but who would have thought...?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, Mother was also just young and frivolous back then, so you shouldn¡¯t think too much about it. Now, everything¡¯s in the past, but, Grandpa, I feel like Mother can¡¯t just go on like this, can she? Her heart is still with Father. All those unhappy incidents... It can be a weapon to punish each other, or it could also manifest into a deeper rtionship after forgiveness. I remember once upon a time, I heard someone say that sometimes love with some guilt mightst much longer.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, her calm face suddenly shed with a wry smile. ¡°Now that Mother is in such a state, I... I just hope that she can have happier days. Grandpa, you¡¯re much more experienced than I am, and you¡¯ve gone through more than I have, so...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue after that. She just smiled calmly and her gaze remained fixated ahead.

    The car was already rolling on the cement road towards the Shen residence.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye sent Shen Yue straight to the doorstep of the Shen residence and then went back. Mu Yuchen said thatter on, they would take a look at the guest list.

    She did not have many people that need to be invited, just Su Nan and Ruan Heng.

    These past few years, she had seldom been in contact with those old schoolmates and friends of hers. She had studied abroad for university too, thus many things had faded when she returned. Especially after she was expelled from the military academy, she basically kept to herself and was unsociable, so as time went on, she was only left with Su Nan in the end.

    When she returned to the Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen left the lights on for her in the living room downstairs. After her shower, she then went to the study room, yet she did not find Mu Yuchen. His phone was tossed on the coffee table beside the lounge as well.

    Where was he?

    She looked around puzzled for a while, and when she did not see him, she called out his name, ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    She called out for quite a few times, yet he did not respond. The book that had been flipped open on the side was not closed either. He had probably run off somewhere at thest minute.

    With a sigh, she then put a bookmark in the book before putting it back onto the shelf. When she reached the desk, she saw that there was a huge pile of red invitations and a guest list. She flipped through it for a while, then sat down before beginning to write.

    However, before she could even finish writing several of them, there was the sound of footsteps from the door. She looked up subconsciously and saw that the man was carrying something like a huge frame and was walking in.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the thing in his hand in confusion, and then asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She stopped what she was doing.

    ¡°Come over to take a look. It¡¯s our wedding photo. I¡¯ve just printed one. See if you¡¯re happy with it. If not, then I¡¯ll ask them to make a new one.¡±

    He looked up at her, his handsome face brimming with a heartwarming smile.

    Wedding photo?

    When Xi Xiaye heard his announcement, a joyous smile surfaced on her face. She quickly got up and walked over. ¡°It¡¯s printed so soon?¡±

    ¡°I just called to ask. The photographer said that he was just done with this picture. I wanted to see how it looked, so I just went to retrieve it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gently put the picture frame on the short table on the side as she went over. She helped to tear the wrapping off. ¡°You can get them to send it all over when they¡¯re done with everything. I was busy a few days ago, so I didn¡¯t get time to choose the photos either, but I trust our photographer¡¯s judgment.¡±

 Chapter 440 - Mystery Person? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 440: Mystery Person? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A huge photo appeared after they removed the wrappings. It was him holding her hand as they walked beneath the sunset.

    ¡°Mmm... Pretty good. You look a little skinny though. It seems like the wind can blow you away at any time. I like this wedding dress the most too,¡± Mu Yuchen offered hispliments.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. ¡°Who¡¯s going be blown away so easily? But I think you look more handsome in real life. In the photo, you look like a fairy. It¡¯s too unrealistic. Oh, well, overall I¡¯m happy with it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another one behind. Shall we put this by the bedhead? Or the study room?¡± he asked for her opinion.

    ¡°Mmm, the bedroom, I guess. I don¡¯t think anyone will put their wedding photo in the study room. I¡¯m thinking about putting an inspirational quote there.¡± She smiled.

    ¡°Inspirational quote? What inspirational quote?¡± He held the photo frame with one arm while he slung the other over her shoulder as they walked into the bedroom.

    ¡°Stay oriented in one¡¯s pursuit through austerity. Achievesting sess by leading a quiet life.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, how tacky!¡±

    ¡°How is it tacky? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a good quote?¡±

    ¡°A good quote can¡¯t help you with your EQ. I have no idea how you survived all these years being so stupid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid!¡±

    Their voices faded inside the bedroom.

    ...

    The night was gettingte and the car had been turning everywhere for so long that Xi Xinyi could not recognize any of the roads anymore. She just knew they had made a lot of turns in the dark. Finally, they stopped right in front of a decrepit house.

    After waiting in the car for about an hour, the man in the sunsses sitting in the front finally let her out of the car.

    ¡°Come down, Miss Xi!¡± The man opened the door and alighted from the car.

    As she got out of the car, she noticed that it was quiet around the area and there was another ck car parked by the yard.

    ¡°Mr. Wen is in the car. Please head over.¡± The man started walking towards the car and Xi Xinyi followed behind anxiously.

    The man with the sunsses knocked on the front passenger¡¯s window and spoke softly, ¡°Mr. Wen, she¡¯s here.¡±

    The window rolled down and the person inside pointed towards the back. With a nod, the man with the sunsses let Xi Xinyi get into the rear passenger seat.

    The lights were switched off inside the car. Only a faint light came from the streetmp in front, so Xi Xinyi could not see who was there. He seemed mysterious and dull, and he was wearing sunsses as well. She was afraid to move around as she sat there anxiously.

    Xi Xinyi clenched her fists and looked at the person in front as she asked, ¡°Who are you? Why do you want to see me?¡±

    ¡°Who I am isn¡¯t important. Most importantly, Yueying is going to be finished soon,¡± the man replied Xi Xinyi, his voice sounding hoarse.

    Xi Xinyi straightened her back and looked right in front. ¡°He said that you can help me. Are you going to help me save Yueying?¡±

    She sounded desperate and nervous. She did not care about anything else now except for the survival of Yueying. If it fell, she would really have nothing left. Not only would the Han family look at her coldly, but that witch Xi Xiaye would also definitelyugh at her!

    ¡°Yueying is a mess right now. Saving it won¡¯t be easy,¡± the man in front spoke in a suspicious tone. Xi Xinyi could almost hear the coldughter from deep inside him.

    She shivered slightly. After calming down, she looked at the man¡¯s back and tried to keep her cool. She clenched her fists and asked quietly, ¡°I know it¡¯s difficult. You can state your terms. I¡¯ll be very grateful if you¡¯re willing to help me. I can¡¯t let Yueying fall!¡±

    While she did try to keep calm, she could not hide the intention to beg in her voice.

    There was no reply from the front after she made her request. Instead, there was an odd, palpable atmosphere in the car that made her feel uneasy. She then continued, ¡°He said that you¡¯re with him and you can help me. I think you wanted to see me tonight is because of this, didn¡¯t you? Did he ask you to help me?¡±

    Xi Xinyi sounded determined. The person before her was really concerned about Yueying as well. Since the previous scandals were known throughout City Z, after the craze went off and she wanted to expose Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna, he was the one that provided her with help.

    That person seemed to be aiming at Xi Xiaye, or was it at Glory World?

    Naturally, Xi Xinyi did not care. As long as their goals matched, they could berades.

    After a while, the personughed coldly. ¡°It¡¯s Yueying¡¯s misfortune to step on Glory World¡¯s tail. That person has always been this cruel. He likes to make sure there¡¯s no way out for his opponents. Yueying being emptied out this time is part of his usual practice.¡±

    That person?

    He?

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s heart jolted as a name quickly shed past her mind and her eyes darkened. ¡°Do you mean Mu Yuchen?¡±

    The man in front did not reply to the name mentioned. Instead, he just snickered coldly. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to save Yueying, but it¡¯s not impossible. It just depends on whether you¡¯re willing to do it.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes brightened up at the man¡¯s words as she stared at him. ¡°How?¡±

    The man let out another coldugh again. ¡°Theck of funds in Yueying right now is huge. I¡¯ll tell you what to doter, but for you... You need to make a sacrifice. I wonder if you¡¯re willing to do so.¡±

    ¡°What sacrifice? Tell me how. I¡¯m willing to do anything to save Yueying!¡± Xi Xinyi took a deep breath as her eyes shone determinedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure now, but your personality is really simr to Deng Wenwen. You two prioritize benefits. I like to deal with people like you. You¡¯ve got clear goals.¡±

    The man¡¯s voice sounded bitter and Xi Xinyi could feel that he was mocking her.

 Chapter 441 - Mystery Person? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 441: Mystery Person? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi was ufortable with his mocking, but she endured it for the sake of Yueying.

    She took a deep breath to calm herself down and then asked once again, ¡°Then, you can tell me your terms and your methods. If this is a good deal, naturally, I¡¯ll work with you.¡±

    ¡°Miss Xi, you¡¯re smart and very sly at mind tricks, but your little tricks are only enough to fool idiots like Deng Wenwen. If you don¡¯t put more thought into it, you can¡¯t beat Mu Yuchen. That man isn¡¯t an idiot, and unfortunately, your sister is married to him right now. I can only pity you,¡± the man said indifferently.

    ¡°Are you familiar with Mu Yuchen?¡± Xi Xinyi was doubtful as she stared right at the man in front and tried to get a glimpse of his face. The man did not move at all and remained stationary like a sculpture.

    The man chuckled coldly. ¡°Familiar? Not quite. I know him, but that person should be quite close to him. For the safety of Yueying, you¡¯d better not pry too much into it.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be stating your terms by now?¡± Xi Xinyi was wary at the moment. She had no idea what his intention was, and the uneasiness inside her was almost suffocating, but the man was obviously trying to create this stifling atmosphere.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the terms. I¡¯m only in charge of solving Yueying¡¯s crisis for you. Ask that person about what¡¯s going to happen afterward,¡± the man clearly stated his own mission.

    Xi Xinyi was impatient to know the so-called method, so she urged again, ¡°What did you mean by sacrifice then? What do you want me to do? Why don¡¯t you just tell me straightaway already?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite impatient, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    The mysterious man smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous. I won¡¯t let you down since I¡¯m here already. I¡¯m quite looking forward to seeing Yueying being revived, and someone¡¯s reaction... It¡¯s not impossible to save Yueying. You have a very solid betting chip on you right now!¡±

    Xi Xinyi felt a chill travel down her spine. As she was about to ask questions, the man continued, ¡°I know you just met Han Yifeng at the Han Corporation. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he probably asked you to divorce him before he saved Yueying, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale all of a sudden. Han Yifeng¡¯s cold and cruel expression shed past her mind, breaking her heart all over again.

    How could she endure such heartbreak?

    They were so in love. How did they suddenly be even more distant than a pair of strangers?

    ¡°You¡¯re really pitiful. You tried so hard to get Han Yifeng, and now without Xi Xiaye doing much, Han Yifeng...¡±

    ¡°Enough! You don¡¯t have to say that. It¡¯s none of your business! What betting chip are you talking about?¡± Xi Xinyi took a deep breath, obviously unwilling to continue this topic that made her feel pain and anger.

    The manughed bitterly before he said in a quiet tone, ¡°It¡¯s the baby inside your womb!¡±

    Her child!

    Xi Xinyi unconsciously covered her stomach on alert. ¡°What are you saying? What baby?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m you and want to save Yueying, I wouldn¡¯t look for Han Yifeng at all. You know that Han Yifeng intended to divorce you long ago. Asking help from him now would just let him get what he wants, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°What can I do then?¡± Xi Xinyi bit her lips as her eyes turned icy. She looked at the man for an answer.

    The man grinned as his voice was cold and clear. ¡°You can go to Elder Han. The Han family doesn¡¯t have many offsprings. Although recent incidents did make their reputation suffer, it¡¯s nothing more important than the baby in you. Do you understand what to do now?¡± He did not say anything else.

    Elder Han?

    Grandfather?

    Xi Xinyi pressed her stomach as a faint light shed past her eyes and she gave it some thought. She remembered him mentioning something about sacrifice, then she understood what he meant.

    Her face went pale. Could he want her to...

    The man saw through Xi Xinyi¡¯s struggle and grinned wider. ¡°Miss Xi, I¡¯ve said before that I believe that you¡¯re a smart woman. This is actually the best way to keep both your child and Yueying safe. It¡¯s just a marriage certificate. Moreover, Elder Yue truly favors you. As long as the Han family is willing to do something, the Yue family will help as well and Yueying¡¯s crisis will be solved, killing several birds with one stone.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve told you the method now. Decide for yourself if you¡¯re willing to make the sacrifice. You can get out of the car now.¡±

    His hoarse voice was cold as he waved his hand at the man with the sunsses outside who quickly came to open the door.

    ¡°Miss Xi, you can get out now!¡± His voice broke Xi Xinyi¡¯s train of thought. She came back to her senses and noticed the man with the sunsses already opening the door for her. With a slight nod, she left the car with an unwell expression.

    As she left the car quietly, her eyes were still staring at the man in the car.

    ¡°Give it some thought, but don¡¯t let it be too long. Yueying can¡¯t hold on for more than a few days!¡± the man said as his chauffeur went into the car and wound up the windows. Then, the car rumbled away.

    Xi Xinyi stared nkly at the car driving into the dark, lost in her own thoughts.

    ¡°Get in the car, Miss Xi! I have to send you back. Mr. Wen is really busy. You should be honored that he came to see you today!¡± The man with the sunsses walked towards the car.

 Chapter 442 - Betrothal (1)

    <h4>Chapter 442: Betrothal (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was near the end of the month and their wedding was getting nearer. The couple was now on holiday mode after they finished passing on their work at that moment.

    The two of them woke up early that day. Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong went over early in the morning to work on the wedding invitation, and they nned to announce their betrothal at the Shen Residence on that day.

    Initially, they nned to do it in the middle of the month with the Xi family as well, but...

    June was getting warmer, so Xi Xiaye put on a blue dress. Her usual long hair was tied up into a bun, and she was now busy writing invitations to Su Nan and some of her close colleagues in thepany.

    Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong were giving instructions to the servants about the betrothal gift, all ording to their traditions. Naturally, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not know any of it, so they were totally in charge.

    The whole of the Maple Residence became unusually lively as Wang Hui and the servants¡¯ voices were clearly heard.

    Xi Xiaye was still busy writing the invitations in the living room while Mu Yuchen was flipping through the newspapers as he enjoyed some freshly brewed tea.

    ¡°Are we sending out the invitations tomorrow? Isn¡¯t our flight tomorrow as well?¡± After finishing thest one, Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at the man who was focused on the newspapers.

    ¡°Grandmother will arrange to deliver it to them. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he replied without even averting his gaze.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll give it to Su Nan myself tonight.¡± She then took out one of the invitations and waved it in the air.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m heading over to Su Chen¡¯s ce tonight as well. Have you got any ideas about your bridesmaids yet?¡± he raised his head and asked.

    Bridesmaids!

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she heard the word. She really did not think too much about it since she always thought that Su Nan and her could be bridesmaids for one another. Unexpectedly, she got married before Su Nan, but Su Nan¡¯s wedding was held before hers, so they missed it.

    Not only was Su Nan married, but she was also pregnant and it seemed pretty impossible for her to be her bridesmaid now. She needed to find another one, but most of the friends she was close to were married. She was not that young after all, and most of her high school mates had already gotten married, so...

    Mu Yuchen shook his head with a sigh as he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s frown. ¡°I told you to get out more and meet more people, yet you always like to stay a headstrong woman.¡±

    ¡°You never give me any holidays for that.¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him as she kept the red invitation card into her bag, staring at him. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°When we¡¯re back on the 9th for the banquet, we¡¯ll need more bridesmaids and groomsmen. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo will surely be there. If you have no one else, just leave it to Grandmother then. By the way, your friend Su Nan... She can head over one or two days earlier. Let her tag along with my parents. Although Lingshi is there as well, I¡¯m worried that she can¡¯t help you out much if things get busy.¡± He thought about a usible arrangement.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll check with Su Nan if she has time then. She seems to be very upset about Mother¡¯s incident. She only felt slightly better after I told her what¡¯s happening in the Shen Residence now. When I called Mother, she told me that Su Nan visited her several times at the Shen Residence.¡±

    ¡°Su Nan didn¡¯t know about Grandpa before?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her in surprise.

    Xi Xiaye just shrugged. ¡°Su Nan is a smart girl. I can¡¯t hide it from her. The Su family are pretty close to my mother, but she didn¡¯t pry too much. She probably figured it out.¡±

    Su Nan had always been considerate, always trying to care for Xi Xiaye whenever they were together. Xi Xiaye was always grateful for this trait of hers.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Check with her then. If she¡¯s able to, invite her to dinner with us as well.¡±

    ¡°No, she¡¯s pregnant now and can¡¯t do anything too wild at the moment. I¡¯ll eat at her ce this evening so you can go to your gathering with them.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then arranged the messy invitations on the table as Zhuang Shurong walked over at that moment.

    ¡°Are you guys done? We¡¯re almost ready now. Pack up and get ready to go. Leave these invitations to me.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong took therge stack of invitations from Xi Xiaye. The usual strictness on her expression was gone and reced by a more casual smile. ¡°A colleague of mine got some healthcare supplements for the eyes and liver from abroad. I¡¯ve put it in the car, so please give them to your mother. Don¡¯t let her always stay at home. She should spend some time outside whenever possible, do a spa or anything.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Thank you, Mother.¡±

    The Mu family treated her really well. Wang Hui would frequently deliver food over to the Maple Residence, and even took care of their yard for them. However, they recently hardly went back to the Mu Residence.

    ...

    It was afternoon when they arrived at the Shen Residence and things were lively. Shen Yue did not go to work and he wore a Tang suit, appearing in the pink of health. Shen Wenna had a big smile pasted on her face too.

    Shen Yue asked Mu Yuchen to y chess with him just a while after he took a seat while Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna were talking inside Xi Xiaye¡¯s room.

    Shen Wenna wore a light-colored dress as she sat on Xi Xiaye¡¯s bed, holding her hand. A gentle smile appeared on her face. ¡°You¡¯re finally getting married. Your room here will always be yours. Aunt Wu will still cleans it every day. Come back anytime you want to.¡±

    Shen Wenna sounded a little dejected. ¡°I¡¯ve always looked forward to seeing you get married and wear a wedding dress. Although I can¡¯t see it in the end, I can imagine...¡±

    Shen Wenna could not control the tears in her hollow eyes. She blinked several times as her grip on Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand tightened. With all her might, she was trying to see what was in front of her and break through the darkness, but no matter what she did, it was futile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I¡¯ve spoken to Mu Yuchen and got him to contact some doctors abroad. We¡¯ll ask the doctors over there to take a look at you while we¡¯re there.¡±

 Chapter 443 - Betrothal (2)

    <h4>Chapter 443: Betrothal (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing Shen Wenna¡¯s tone, she took in the way she struggled. Xi Xiaye suddenly felt a faint ache in her heart. As her slightly cold hand immediately covered her mother¡¯s frail ones, she softly consoled, ¡°Previously, when I went to the checkup with you, didn¡¯t the doctor say that you were recovering quite well and that the blood clot seems to be dissipating too? Who knows? Maybe after some time, you¡¯ll be able to see again.¡±

    Shen Wenna smiled dly with an optimistic air. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s been so long, so I¡¯m used to it now. At first, I couldn¡¯t quite adapt to it, but now I¡¯m alright. You two just keep busy with your wedding matters and don¡¯t worry about us over here. Your grandpa will be getting some specialists toe to see me in another two days. We¡¯ll see how it goes. Your wedding¡¯s getting nearer. Don¡¯t worry about these ominous matters.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ominous? I don¡¯t trust those superstitions. Healing your eyes is the most important thing. Wedding or not, we¡¯ve already gotten our marriage certificate and are a married couple.¡±

    Xi Xiaye got up and walked to the table to pour Shen Wenna a cup of water before she handed it to her. ¡°Right, Mother, let me tell you something.¡±

    Shen Wenna took two sips and calmly replied, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°A few days ago, Mu Yuchen got Li Si and the rest to clear out West Park and change the locks. I went back to take a look and bumped into Father who probably stood outside West Park for quite a while. I didn¡¯t feel quite happy then. Father probably told you everything that happened recently, didn¡¯t he?¡± Xi Xiaye softly asked, her clear gaze falling onto Shen Wenna¡¯s calm face.

    Shen Wenna paused, yet she did not reveal too many emotions, seeming very calm. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me, but I do know about these things. Aunt Wu told me about it.¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Mother?¡±

    Shen Wenna sighed. She felt around and wanted to set her cup aside. Xi Xiaye helped her get it when she saw that.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that Yue Lingsi would actually do such a thing. From what I remember, she loved your father deeply. She even once said that your father was the world to her.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s hard to decide what¡¯s right in the matter of rtionships. Yue Lingsi¡¯s obsession with your father is a kind of problem. The more you can¡¯t get some things, the more you want it and would like to possess it. Sometimes. I can¡¯t deny that she has love for your father and I daren¡¯t say that she hasn¡¯t loved deeply enough, but back then when your father and I got a divorce, even though I felt very unhappy, I just hoped for you and your father to live well. I was too arrogant, Xiaye. Sometimes, I even hate myself back then, if I could care less back then and fuss less, worked hard to fight for myself instead, would things be different right now?¡±

    As Shen Wenna spoke, she suddenly sighed and got up. ¡°However, now that things havee to this, what¡¯s the use of talking about it all? You don¡¯t have to worry about your father and me anymore. I know how I should make this choice.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I hope that you won¡¯t treat yourself unfairly so I won¡¯t need to see a tragedy, Mother.¡±

    ¡°I know that you want to y matchmaker for your father and me, and have us reconcile. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you corresponded with Aunt Wu and the rest. I know just what you¡¯re thinking. I¡¯ve been thinking a lot recently about your father too. I might forgive him, or I could continue being stubborn. I haven¡¯t quite decided yet, but right now I just want to go with the flow.¡±

    Go with the flow?

    This seemed to be a pretty decent option as well.

    Since her mother concluded that way, Xi Xiaye obviously could not continue to demand insistently, so she could only say, ¡°I got it, Mother. Father says he wants to teach in University A... If your eyes can be healed, then it¡¯d be good for the two of you to watch over each other too. I won¡¯t let anyone else disturb your peaceful days.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I hear your well-intentioned thoughts, but we don¡¯t know if my eyes can be healed. We¡¯ll just talk about it when it happens.¡±

    ¡°Mother, aren¡¯t you attracted to Father who¡¯s still so handsome and dashing right now? Sometimes, I even think that Mu Yuchen is not as good-looking as Father. In your words, Father¡¯s already a man that has years on his shoulder, mmm... At 50-odd years old, he¡¯s like a bottle of beautifully aged wine.¡±

    ¡°You like to keep saying nice things about him. You¡¯re already bing his spy. Has he been seeing you often recently?¡± Shen Wenna softly reprimanded Xi Xiaye although her tone remained gentle.

    ¡°No, after Grandfather passed away, he hasn¡¯te to look for me. He¡¯s living alone in Donghu City apartment area near University A. I hear of his news from Mu Yuchen. He seems to have bought that apartment for several years now and is staying there alone. Sometimes, I worry. After all, Father...¡±

    Shen Wenna already knew what Xi Xiaye was going to say, so she did not continue because she also saw traces of surprise on her mother¡¯s face.

    ...

    When she left the Shen residence, it was close to evening. The husband and wife did not go straight to the Maple Residence. Instead, they went straight for their appointments. Of course, they did not forget to get Li Si to send some candies to the orphanage for the wedding. After what happened thest time, they had renovated and refurbished the orphanage so it looked splendid now. Xi Mushan had especially looked after it, attracting the attention of many charity organizations.

    Given this situation, Xi Xiaye felt quite assured as long as she knew that they lived well, so she seldom went over too.

    However, after the head of the orphanage found out about everything, they called her to thank her quite a few times. Although they wanted to publicly thank her, she just dismissed it with augh.

    The car quickly made its way towards Su Nan and Ruan Heng. The driver right now was Mu Yuchen while Xi Xiaye fell soundly asleep leaning on the car window in the front passenger seat. The music yer was still ying very soothing music.

    The Shen residence to Su Nan¡¯s ce was slightly far. In fact, they were caught up by after-work traffic, so the road was quite congested.

    Mu Yuchen was not worried. After all, he had a lot of time. In fact, he had woken up quite early this morning and had not rested from a whole day of being busy. However, she was so sleepy that she could not keep her eyes open, so he just let her sleep a while longer.

    They spent almost two hours before he managed to send her to Su Nan¡¯s apartment. The streetlights were lit up at the moment. From afar, they could already see Su Nan propping up her belly and standing by the side, waiting underneath the streetlight.

    The car had just stopped when Su Nan immediately walked up to them. ¡°Xiaye! Master Mu!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve waited for you for quite long. Was it very congested on the road? You took quite a while.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pushed the door open and swiftly got down while Mu Yuchen nodded to greet Su Nan. He handed her handbag to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Make sure you¡¯ve got your phone. I¡¯ll pick you up again around 10 p.m. Come down when I call you, okay?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she closed the car door. ¡°Got it. Go on now.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 444 - Hidden Storm (1)

    <h4>Chapter 444: Hidden Storm (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw the car gradually vanish into the hazy twilight ahead, Xi Xiaye slowly averted her gaze and looked at Su Nan.

    ¡°It was after working hours, so the congestion was quite bad. That¡¯s why I¡¯m a littlete.¡±

    ¡°Why did Master Mu go back? I¡¯ve told Ruan Heng to prepare a lot of delightful dishes. He could¡¯ve had dinner before going back,¡± Su Nan asked softly in puzzlement as she watched the car drive away.

    Xi Xiaye clung onto her arm and walked towards the apartment as she smiled. ¡°He has some gathering with his bros. Let¡¯s have fun ourselves. He¡¯lle to fetch meter on.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go in first. It¡¯s a little cold out, brr!¡± Then, Su Nan pulled Xi Xiaye and walked ahead.

    When they entered, the tempting aroma of food could already be detected from miles away. When she looked up at the kitchen, she could vaguely see Ruan Heng¡¯s busy silhouette.

    The two of them sat down at the sofa. Just as Su Nan was about to pour Xi Xiaye a cup of water, she was stopped. ¡°Let me do it. You should be careful and rest more.¡±

    ¡°Why do I feel like you two keep treating me like I¡¯m an immobile, old person? It¡¯s just serving some water or tea. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t do it. Ruan Heng also hasn¡¯t me letting me do or touch anything. Ugh, so annoying! I haven¡¯t gone online for a really long time too. This feels like I¡¯m stuck in prison, and all those supplements! Xiaye, look, I have a double chin now! See this? Is it... When can I be done with this prison? I can¡¯t stand it any longer!¡± Su Nan could not help but moan.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled when she saw this dramatic act. She handed the water to her. ¡°You have Ruan Heng to take care of you every day like a national treasure, yet you stillin.¡±

    ¡°You get pregnant and try it too. I guarantee that you¡¯ll be having more than a national treasure level of treatment.¡± Su Nan shot her a look, then lowered her head to take two sips.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled without a word. She took out the fiery-red invitation from her handbag and handed it to Su Nan. ¡°Here¡¯s the wedding invitation. I told you about it before on the phone. Since you won¡¯t be quite mobile, just wait two days before the wedding prior going over with Ruan Heng. Otherwise, I¡¯d be worried.¡±

    Su Nan took the invitation and flipped through it as a happy smile immediately spread across her face. She looked up at Xi Xiaye and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great! My silly girl is finally getting married! Now, I can finally be relieved!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the silly one!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at her and suddenlymented, ¡°I keep thinking that one of us could at least be the other person¡¯s bridesmaid. Unexpectedly... Ah, as long as we¡¯re living well.¡±

    Su Nan nodded, setting the cup in her hand aside and closing the invitation to put away carefully. ¡°That¡¯s natural. As for you right now, I can stop worrying too. Actually, to find a man that¡¯s sincerely kind to us is really not easy. Now that you¡¯ve found out, cherish it. There are more days toe. All those unhappy things have long be the past.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she beamed. ¡°Yes, I know. Right now, it looks like I¡¯ve gotten back the things that I should¡¯ve been demanding for. I don¡¯t quite feel any negativity anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard all about Yueying and the Xi family matters. The newspapers reported it too. You don¡¯t have to think too much either. Those people are clearly just making things up. There are so many versions that they don¡¯t even care to know the truth, so you don¡¯t have to fuss about these people. Just be yourself. Right, it looks Yueying is going bankrupt soon, aren¡¯t they? Last night, when I saw the news it looked like...¡±

    When Su Nan mentioned this, a smug smirk that revealed her delight over someone else¡¯s misfortune clearly shed on her face. ¡°I just knew that these people would be given a lesson. Now, I¡¯m really satisfied! Your man really gave you face. He had to do this to them. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be aware of their own abilities or theck thereof.¡±

    ¡°You quite like to set an excellent example here. Do you think it¡¯s just a little fight like when we were still in school?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but shoot her a look.

    ¡°This is nothing. I just think it¡¯s quite good. I¡¯d like to see the way Xi Xinyi cry and beg to you. I want to see her pretending to be pitiful and weak. Ugh, I just can¡¯t stand it. I think even she herself doesn¡¯t know which side of her is the real her. This show has been staged for far too long. I¡¯m afraid only she knows this well.

    ¡°But, Xiaye, I do think it¡¯s quite weird. Do you think the Han family would help out? And the Yue family... Could they be worried by Yue Lingsi¡¯s scandals? Maybe that¡¯s why they y deaf and daren¡¯t show their faces.¡±

    When Su Nan said this, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered the scene when she bumped into Han Yifeng at West Park. She lowered her gaze and did not say anything.

    ¡°Such a huge thing has happened. I thought that Han Yifeng would divorce Xi Xinyi, but unexpectedly he¡¯s quite loyal. How lucky of Xi Xinyi to be pregnant right now of all times! I think that even if the Han family is upset with her, they can¡¯t really do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just see how it goes. I¡¯ve left some things to Mu Yuchen and let him worry. Instead, I¡¯m worried about my parents.¡± Xi Xiaye pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed.

    ¡°How¡¯s Aunty Shen? I haven¡¯t seen her in the past two days.¡±

    When Shen Wenna was brought up, Su Nan could not hide the dullness that colored her face. Her eyes still showed that she faulted herself, and Xi Xiaye felt helpless at this sight. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nan Nan. You can¡¯t keep on being like this. I¡¯m not happy seeing this. Mother¡¯s fine. Thest time at the checkup, the doctor said that her recovery was going quite well, so don¡¯t worry. Mu Yuchen and I, as well as Grandfather, will get the best doctors to see her.¡±

    ¡°I know. I just keep feeling like Aunty Shen was... Eh! Is Aunty Shen going for your international wedding this time as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m hoping she¡¯d go. She said she wanted to see at my wedding and see the way I look in a wedding dress, but now that she¡¯s like this, how could she? She said she won¡¯t go, and I don¡¯t know how to get her to either.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed.

    ¡°Yes, Aunty Shen¡¯s temperament is just like that. She¡¯s set on whatever she¡¯s decided upon. I just hope that she¡¯ll reconcile with your father soon. About your father... A few days ago, when I went home, my father mentioned to me that he¡¯s nning to lecture at University A!¡±

    Su Nan frowned slightly as she inquired, ¡°He was doing just fine as a mayor previously. He has a pretty stable reputation among the public too. If he had persevered, there was a huge chance that he would¡¯ve been promoted, so why did he just give up? Even my parents think it¡¯s quite a pity.¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her darkened gaze as she said calmly, ¡°Father says that he¡¯s tired. All these years, he¡¯s been in a state of mental and physical exhaustion.¡±

 Chapter 445 - Hidden Storm (2)

    <h4>Chapter 445: Hidden Storm (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I know. Aunt Shen¡¯s incident had a huge impact on him as well as Xi Xinyi¡¯s drama, and now, the whole Yue Lingsi scandal along with the death of your grandfather... It must¡¯ve been tough for him. I¡¯d probably have broken down if I were him taking all of these in alone.¡±

    ¡°Father cares about Mother a lot. As for Mother¡¯s attitude towards him, she did feel his loneliness,¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled quietly as she looked up. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. I¡¯ll go and see what Ruan Heng¡¯s cooking.¡±

    ¡°I asked him to make some of your favorites. Come, let¡¯s go and take a look! But I bet this man isn¡¯t anywhere as good as your husband at home.¡±

    ¡°As long as he¡¯s cooking, it¡¯s great!¡±

    ...

    When Mu Yuchen arrived at Imperial Sky Entertainment City, Zhou Zimo and Su Chen were already waiting for him inside the room.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Su Chen asked as he poured Mu Yuchen some wine.

    ¡°Xiaye went to her friend¡¯s ce and I sent her over.¡± Mu Yuchen put his coat aside and then sat down beside Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°Professional nanny now, huh? I¡¯ve never seen you be this nice to us before. What a huge difference in treatment!¡± Su Chen started teasing him.

    ¡°Su Chen, how can youpare yourself with Xiaye? She¡¯s his wife. Are you? You¡¯ve always beenining a lot. I suggest that you should get married as well. I thought you¡¯d be the first to get married among us, and now Mu Yuchen has topped you!¡± Zhou Zimo teased Su Chen back. He lowered his body and told Mu Yuchen quietly, ¡°Did you know that when I picked him up from his ce just now, his father was telling him off to find someone to get married quickly? His family found him a lot of blind dates, stewardess, teachers, models, and more, yet he didn¡¯t like any of them. Don¡¯t you think his standards are too high? I think there are several that suit him! Elder Su said he¡¯sining that their hair isn¡¯t long enough, that they don¡¯t have that gentleness of silky, long hair...¡± Zhou Zimo could not help butugh.

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows and looked at Su Chen with a grin.

    ¡°The stewardess is pretty good. Don¡¯t you like girls in uniform? The model is great too. She¡¯s got a nice body and is the only daughter...¡±

    ¡°Zhou Zimo, if you say another word, I¡¯ll do this to you!¡± Before Zhou Zimo could finish, Su Chen picked up the knife and fork on the table and stabbed the sd viciously!

    Zhou Zimo backed away slightly as he exchanged nces with Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth here and just giving you a reminder. I¡¯m being forced as well. My parents are arranging something for me soon. This is all Chen¡¯s fault. With you suddenly getting married, our parents are freaking out. They were never this desperate before. You¡¯re at fault here!¡±

    ¡°You guys just aren¡¯t determined enough. You two have been diving in the sea for many years. Don¡¯t you guys have someone in mind? And now I¡¯ve overtaken both of you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen sipped some wine calmly as he looked at them. ¡°I remember that you two have always had better luck than me. If I can be this lucky, what makes both of you think you¡¯d do worse?¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t really worried before, but suddenly we¡¯ve turned 30! Actually, we¡¯re not that old, are we? I¡¯m only 32 years old. It¡¯s the prime of my life! The elder made it sound so serious. If he really makes me angry, I might just get married to a random woman just to shut their mouths up!¡±

    Su Chen was really frustrated. His elders at home were spreading the news, so now all his colleagues knew he was 32 and did not even have a girlfriend!

    Besides feeling pretty angry about it, he felt very embarrassed! He wanted to protest, but it would be futile.

    His elders were not easy to deal with. He might get by with just a scolding, or it might escte into a good beating.

    Su Chen felt that although the elder was a leader in high position during work, he acted like a caveman at home. He would use violence frequently at home, and if he resisted, the elder would say he was having high blood pressure and a hard time breathing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a reckless young man!¡±

    Zhou Zimo smiled. ¡°Who knows if you might meet your true love in a few days?¡±

    When he spoke, his eyes looked at Mu Yuchen who seemed pretty calm and did not really show any emotions.

    ¡°How do you feel? I heard you¡¯re flying off tomorrow. An early honeymoon?¡± Zhou Zimo put on a grin. ¡°After messing everything up here, you¡¯re going abroad to have fun. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re the only one who can do this. You¡¯re not leaving them any chances at all. Aren¡¯t you worried that the Yues and the Hans will go after you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about to ask what Zimo just asked as well. There are too many obvious shreds of evidence that you went straight for Yueying this time. With Yueying almost done for now, I heard Qi Kai and Yueying have been working together from some time ago, so why aren¡¯t they doing anything? Is there some kind of mistake?¡± Su Chen voiced out his doubts.

    ¡°There should be some action soon, no?¡± Zhou Zimo nced at Mu Yuchen andughed. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Ah Mo given you any news? Su Chen and I made sure it¡¯s around Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we still can¡¯t catch Qi Qiming yet.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put his ss down slowly while Su Chen offered him a cigarette. As he was about to take it, he suddenly waved his hand and declined.

    ¡°We can only investigate. Qi Qiming was the one who encouraged the bond between Qi Kai and Yueying, and Qi Lei was in-charge. I don¡¯t know what intentions they have or what they¡¯re trying to achieve, but I want to find out.¡±

    ¡°I find it unbelievable as well. Even if Yueying is rted to Glory World, I¡¯d feel that it¡¯s normal if he uses Yueying to threaten you, but after what you did, Yueying has be an empty shell. Why are you so sure that they¡¯ll do something?¡± Su Chen nced at Mu Yuchen doubtfully as he asked quietly.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just bait.¡± Zhou Zimo frowned slightly.

 Chapter 446 - Hidden Storm (3)

    <h4>Chapter 446: Hidden Storm (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen went quiet for a while, then his eyes brightened up as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about their internal conflict. Who can be sure that Qi Qiming isn¡¯t trying to get help from the Yues and the Hans to remove his powerful wife, Wang Qin? I¡¯ve analyzed it with Chen thest time. The possibility of this happening is very high.¡±

    ¡°Right, the Han Corporation and the Yue family are already working with Qi Kai. Qi Qiming working with them in order to go against his wife is highly probable. With Xi Xinyi going against your wife, he can use Xi Xinyi as a pawn. On the other hand, that matter was never made clear, so who knows what the truth is?¡± Zhou Zimo agreed with Su Chen¡¯s opinion.

    Mu Yuchen was quiet. The light in his eyes changed so rapidly that you could not tell what he was thinking about.

    ¡°Wait and see,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke up after a while before he grabbed his ss casually.

    ¡°How are you not anxious at all? So calm and collected, and we¡¯re the ones worrying here! Whatever! We¡¯ll just wait and see then!¡± Su Chen shrugged as the three of them raised their sses and gave a toast. Just as they were about to empty their sses, someone knocked on the door. The three of them looked over and saw Li Si entering!

    ¡°Master, Master Su, Master Mo!¡± Li Si greeted politely.

    They nodded and Mu Yuchen froze.

    ¡°Master, something¡¯s happening at Yueying,¡± Li Si reported quietly.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening? Are they actually trying to save it?¡±

    Su Chen looked at Li Si doubtfully. Zhou Zimo straightened his back as he waited for the rest of Li Si¡¯s news. ( Boxno vel. co m )

    ¡°I¡¯ve received news that Yue Hai went to Yueying with Qi Qiming¡¯s secretary today. I think it¡¯s quite unusual, so...¡±

    ¡°The second brother of the Yue family?¡± Su Chen mumbled after he heard Li Si. He nced over at Mu Yuchen. ¡°What now, brother? They are really taking action. Isn¡¯t Yue Hai the second brother of the Yue family? He¡¯s quite high up in Qi Kai. He¡¯s right under Qi Qiming and Wang Qin.¡±

    ¡°Could he want to buy Yueying? What does he want to do?¡±

    ¡°Master, we...¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and looked at Li Si. ¡°Just ignore it. You may head back for now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Seems like you have to keep an eye on them. I have a feeling this thing isn¡¯t as simple as it looks! The Han family is going to be dragged into this.¡± Zhou Zimo frowned as he put the ss down on his hand. He looked worriedly at Mu Yuchen, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°The more Qi Qiming struggles to go against Wang Qin, the more it only proves something. Can you guys guess what it is?¡± Mu Yuchen did not look anxious at all, and he even put on a smile.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo traded nces before looking at Mu Yuchen in confusion.

    With a coldugh, he looked down and adjusted his sleeves a little. ¡°Qi Feng is alive, and Qi Qiming is trying to pave a path for him. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to see him in the near future.¡±

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo¡¯s expressions suddenly darkened.

    ...

    The night was gettingte. Xi Xiaye was watching the television with Su Nan when she received Mu Yuchen¡¯s call. She quickly packed up and went downstairs to see him making a call in the car from afar. She got into the car and instantly could smell him reek of alcohol.

    With a frown, Xi Xiaye got down the car when he hung up on the call. She walked over to his side and he went along with her to sit in the front passenger seat.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy drinking? Why don¡¯t you look like you¡¯re happy at all?¡±

    He had his hand on his forehead and seemed quite ufortable. She rolled his eyes at him as she rifled the drawer for some pills to cure a hangover. She handed him two tablets and some water.

    ¡°Just got a little too much to drink. Since when did you prepare these things in the car?¡± He looked at her in surprise as he took them from her.

    ¡°Do I have to report to you when I prepare things? It¡¯smon sense to get these prepared when you¡¯re meeting people frequently. It¡¯s just inside the drawer.¡±

    She put it back and did not rush to start the car. Instead, she looked at him.

    ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± He covered the Thermos as he stared at her in the eye.

    She looked away and started the car. ¡°Nothing much. I just noticed that you can have weaknesses too.¡±

    He chuckled, but his eyes narrowed. ¡°Do you mean this or that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not what you¡¯re thinking about!¡± She rolled her eyes at him and stepped on the elerator.

    ...

    He went upstairs after arriving home. Wang Hui and the others cleaned up the whole ce after working around for a day. All the curtains were now brand new, and there were also several empty invites on the table. What surprised Xi Xiaye were a few cute oil paintings of babies in the living room. Even the bolsters on the sofa were turned into baby bolsters.

    When she went back to the bedroom, the man was already done showering and had gone to bed. Xi Xiaye took a shower and started packing their luggage since they were leaving the next morning.

    Halfway through, someone suddenly hugged her from behind.

    She screamed, but before she could react, the man lifted her onto the bed.

    ¡°Pack it tomorrow. We don¡¯t really need anything there aside from ourselves.¡±

    He locked her down under him as he ran his fingers through her hair. He took her hair clip out, her pleasant scent washing him all over. His body was strained for a moment but his mind was unrestrained. ¡°I think you¡¯ve never really pleased me before, have you?¡±

    There were some sparks in his eyes. Xi Xiaye would never know that what sparked him was the difference in her outfit tonight. She was wearing sexy pajamas tonight, so when he woke up and saw her packing, he...

    It was about time for the seasons to change. Wang Hui had revamped their wardrobe, so...

    ¡°How to please you? You seem veryfortable every time... Mmm... You still need me... to please you?¡±

    ¡°Are you hinting that you have unlimited charm?¡±

 Chapter 447 - Good Times (1)

    <h4>Chapter 447: Good Times (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, Wang Hui and the others rushed over from the Mu Residence early in the morning. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were still in bed. They only woke up when they heard sounds from the yard below. When they went downstairs after washing up, Wang Hui had already prepared breakfast for them.

    Mu Yinan came with Wang Hui. When Xi Xiaye came down, Mu Yinan was reading the newspapers on the sofa.

    ¡°Good morning, Grandfather, Grandmother!¡± Xi Xiaye greeted politely.

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re awake! Your grandmother said you guys are going to be flying today. She dragged me over to instruct you two about some of the traditions, and also to take a look at the guest list and see if anyone got left out. Let me know if you forgot anybody. I¡¯ll send the person an invitation right away,¡± Mu Yinan said kindly as he picked the list in front of him up and handed to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye took it from him with a smile. After looking through it, she asked, ¡°This is the guest list? There weren¡¯t so many yesterday. Why...?¡±

    Mu Yinan put on a gentle smile when he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s slight frown. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since the Mu family had a celebration. Of course, we¡¯re going to make it a big one. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll handle this for you. Just go abroad, finish your wedding ceremony and enjoy your honeymoon. The banquet is on the 9th anyway, which is ten dayster. Take it as a holiday for yourself. You guys have been working really hardtely.¡±

    ¡°Your grandfather is right. Where¡¯s Chen Er? Is he still asleep?¡±

    Wang Hui handed Xi Xiaye a ss of warm water, pleased with this granddaughter-inw of hers because she was easygoing, and most importantly, she could make her grandson happy, that was all they wanted to see.

    ¡°He¡¯s in the shower. He went drinking with Su Chen and Zhou Zimost night. Although he took some pills to cure his hangover, he was still feeling a little dizzy this morning. It¡¯s probably just some after-effects of drinking.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thanked her and then epted the water. ¡°It¡¯d be better to have a simpler wedding dinner. The guest list yesterday seemed fine,¡± she could not help butment.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯re done preparing it, so you guys don¡¯t have to worry about it. You two will just walk around and greet some people then. Your grandfather wants you to meet more people as well. Moreover, the elders from the Su and the Zhou families hope they can find a girl for Su Chen and Zhou Zimo.¡± Wang Hui smiled.

    ¡°Right, look at Su Chen. He¡¯s a year older than Ah Chen. When I sent the invitation over yesterday, he had time to be fussy and bicker like, ¡®Aren¡¯t you good at matchmaking? Why don¡¯t you find one for Su Chen?¡¯

    ¡°What do you mean by that? It took me so many years to find Xiaye for Chen Er. Otherwise, we¡¯d still be worried right now. Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this. Xiaye, you can have breakfast first. I have something to talk to you aboutter.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and gave her a nod, then she went over to the table for breakfast.

    ¡°Have you two had breakfast?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve had it earlier. Go ahead and enjoy yours. Don¡¯t mind us,¡± Wang Hui replied briefly and then continued her conversation with Mu Yinan about the invitations.

    Mu Yuchen appeared at the staircase after Xi Xiaye had a few bites.

    ¡°Morning, Grandfather, Grandmother.¡± He sat down by the dining table after a brief greeting while Xi Xiaye poured him some milk.

    ¡°Morning!¡±

    Wang Hui and Mu Yinan traded nces at each other as they watched the two of them have breakfast. Suddenly, they spoke quietly, ¡°Did you notice that Chen Er has been feeling much bettertely? That¡¯s a rare smile early in the morning right there.¡±

    ¡°I bet he¡¯s happy thinking about something pleasant,¡± Mu Yinan replied with a smile.

    He took the ss of milk from her and said, ¡°I¡¯m done packing. Take a look and see what else you need. We¡¯ll only be back at night on the 8th. Don¡¯t bother packing clothes. We have it over there.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we taking the flight at 11 a.m.?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Li Si wille and pick us upter.¡±

    She nced at the clock. ¡°It¡¯s not even nine yet. It¡¯s still pretty early. I¡¯ll give Father a call before boarding the ne. You tell him about it. I should¡¯ve visited him yesterday as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already toote for you to remember this. I visited him two days ago. He¡¯ll be heading over with my parents, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at this little woman with a peculiar expression. She had been hesitating whether to call Xi Mushan over when she was at the Shen Residence yesterday, but she gave up when she thought about Shen Yue.

    ¡°What should we do about Mother¡¯s eyes?¡±

    ¡°I know a doctor who specializes in the optics-rted field. Coincidentally, he¡¯s in City C now. I¡¯ve contacted him and he¡¯lle over in two days. Grandfather knows about it, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I just feel a little regretful that Mother won¡¯t be able to witness the moment of our marriage, and she can¡¯t see me in a wedding dress.¡± She sighed.

    ¡°If it makes you feel better, I don¡¯t mind doing it again after her eyes have recovered.¡±

    She nced at him. ¡°Marriage is not a game. Doing it once is more than enough.¡±

    ...

    After breakfast, Wang Hui began to list down the things Xi Xiaye should look out for. There were many mundane matters, but luckily, Wang Hui listed them all out on a piece of paper.

    It was 10 a.m. when Li Si arrived. The distance from Maple Residence to the airport was not that far, so they were not in a rush.

    Li Si looked at Mu Yuchen who was still reading casually on the sofa and asked, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve put all the luggage into the car. Are we going now? It¡¯s about time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze from the book and looked over at the staircase to see Xi Xiayeing down with her handbag. He then closed his book and stood up slowly.

    ¡°Be careful with the tasks I¡¯ve given you. Report to me if anything happens and be sure to keep a close eye on Yueying,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    Li Si nodded, ¡°I will, Master!¡±

 Chapter 448 - Good Times (2)

    <h4>Chapter 448: Good Times (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They reached the airport just in time. The husband and wife walked hand in hand through the VIPne and waited for a short while in the VIP waiting room before they boarded the ne directly.

    The ne was flying toward a certain city in West America.

    The two of them were seated in the first-ss cabin. The ne had taken off for a short while before Xi Xiaye started to feel sleepy. She looked through narrowed eyes at the man beside her and saw that he was leisurely flipping through a magazine. The side profile of his handsome face looked very still.

    Noticing her gaze, Mu Yuchen looked up at her too. His soft and gentle voice brushed past her ear. ¡°What is it? If you¡¯re feeling bored, you can sleep first. I know that you didn¡¯t sleep too wellst night either.¡±

    As he said this, he had already helped her adjust her seat as he took the nket from the side and handed it to her.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him, then pulled the nket and slowlyy down. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep for a while then.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, sleep. I¡¯m right beside you,¡± he said and lifted a hand to massage her head. When he saw that she had closed her eyes, he averted his gaze.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡± She suddenly called out his name softly.

    His gaze remained on the magazine, yet he answered calmly, ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡±

    She shut her eyes gently, and her pink lips moved. After a while, she blurted out, ¡°I feel a little nervous. When we got our marriage certificates, I wasn¡¯t even this nervous.¡± Her long eyshes fluttered a little.

    When he heard this, he suddenly turned to look at her. His handsome face shed with a heartwarming smile while his soft and gentle tone was colored with a hint of happiness. ¡°Why are you nervous? What is there to be nervous about? You¡¯re just marrying me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just nervous, alright? I suddenly feel like all of this seems too surreal. I¡¯m afraid that if I wake up, it¡¯ll just be another dream.¡±

    She did not open her eyes to look at him, yet you could hear how gentle she sounded from her clear voice.

    His rxed and warm hand reached over as it gently held her hand thaty by her side. ¡°All of this is real, so there¡¯s no need to be nervous. Just calmly wee this happiness. That¡¯ll be enough.¡±

    She did not speak anymore and silently fell asleep while he quietly watched her for a long while without letting go of her hand.

    ...

    The flight was quite long. When they reached the destination, it was already close to the evening at destination time.

    They had just stepped out at the arrival hall when they saw Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi waiting for them.

    ¡°Bro, Sis-inw!¡±

    Mu Lingshi had already changed into a fresh look. Her low-waisted denim shorts were paired with an oversized light-colored blouse. She also wore ck stockings and t canvas shoes. With her sunsses, she also had a hat tilted on her head, looking quite like a Western cowgirl.

    Standing by her side, Ah Mo had also changed from his usual ck suit. He was currently wearing casual clothes. His tall figure towering over Mu Lingshi¡¯s side made her look petite, but they looked quite matching.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡± When they saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, the two tall and muscr bodyguards behind Ah Mo walked up as well, they helped them get their things.

    Mu Yuchen held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand as he looked to them and nodded. ¡°Have you waited for long?¡±

    ¡°Not that long. The ne arrived on time, so we didn¡¯t have to wait too long. You¡¯ve taken such a long flight. You must be tired. Everything¡¯s been prepared at the manor. Let¡¯s go!¡± Mu Lingshi said with a grin. ¡°By the looks of Sis-inw¡¯s weariness, the meals on the ne must¡¯ve been horrible. We¡¯ll go back and rest for a while. Tonight we¡¯ll bring you to visit the night market. Even though their town over here isn¡¯t very huge, it¡¯s very lively at night and now that it¡¯s May, it¡¯s no longer the travel peak season so it won¡¯t be that crowded. Also, there¡¯s a lot of good food!¡±

    When she finished, she had already reached out to hook Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Really? I¡¯ve always admired this ce, especially at such a time. It feels very rxing and makes one yearn for it, but I never had the chance toe. Fortunately, I could make it this time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face brimmed with a faint smile as her twinkling eyes were filled with anticipation. ¡°Su Nan and Ruan Heng dide over once and they liked the ce as well as all the very unique delicacies.¡±

    ¡°In the few days that I¡¯ve been here, I¡¯ve almost walked all around the nearby ces which are quite lovely. I know all the delicious ces, bro. You have to thank me for being your vanguard. Next up, I can bring you to have fun around here. You two will definitely have a sweet and memorable honeymoon and wedding.¡± As Mu Lingshi said this, she subconsciously pulled down her sunsses and wiggled her eyebrows at Ah Mo.

    ¡°Foodie! Great! Now, you can apany your sis-inw!¡±

    Mu Lingshi shot Xi Xiaye and Mu Lingshi a nce, then chuckled before he continued to walk ahead with her in hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and have a good shower. After we rest for a while, we¡¯ll talk about this.¡±

    Mu Lingshi shrugged as she put her sunsses on again and followed them.

    The car was parked right outside the airport, and it drove over the moment they stepped out.

    Xi Xiaye could not distinguish where ce this was anymore. When she sat in the car and looked out at the roads, although she felt the people and culture in this city were very different from the one she lived in, it did feel quite rxing to take in all of this new sceneries.

    The car drove straight for the suburbs. Because she slept for quite a long on the ne, she was not quite affected by the difference in the timezone. Along the journey, she admired all her surroundings.

    The car went on the road for a while. Xi Xiaye only knew that after the car left the periphery of the city, it started to turn onto a straight, wide road towards the savanna. A lot of local country music red from the speakers, which was quite fitting for the scenery.

    Xi Xiaye felt rarely entirely free from worries. The car window next to her was wound down, and she just leaned against the window frame, leisurely admiring the scenery along the way.

    Along the vast, dark green field, once in a while, you could still see some people riding bicycles. Ahead of them was the straight and boundless road. There was a snaking brook that crossed the road from the meadows. From time to time, they could see umbres, and underneath the umbres might be a soft and simple recliner or a little stool. On it would be some old man in gaudy, short-sleeved shirts leisurely reading newspapers or fishing.

    At this moment, the sun had long set and the world was slowly sinking into a grayness. The people underneath umbres had mostly cleared out. Along the way, they could still see many people walking on foot.

    Compared to the bustling City Z, this ce seemed much more rxed as it did not have the fast pace that felt suffocating. Perhaps this was the difference between a tourist city and a city that was a business hub.

 Chapter 449 - Good Times (3)

    <h4>Chapter 449: Good Times (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the car slowly rolled through the vast savanna and passed by a quiet and beautiful town, the sky was already gray. As they passed through the streets, Xi Xiaye could already hear the joyous sounds of drums from both sides or some music yed by the wandering country band from afar. It sounded very energetic and put one in a festive mood.

    Mu Lingshi was leisurely pping along to the beats behind. You could tell that she was in high spirits.

    After a while, they passed through the lively streets. The car drove into a quiet and beautiful manor and they soon stopped in front of a neat and pretty residence.

    ¡°Master, Missus, we¡¯re here!¡± The car was just parked when the ck-clothed bodyguards that had waited for a long time before the entrance immediately walked up to open the car door for them.

    ¡°We¡¯re here! Sis-inw, get down and take a look. Doesn¡¯t it look amazing?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could get down, Mu Lingshi had alreadye up to her and stand by Xi Xiaye¡¯s side. She looked up unhurriedly at the house before them and smiled.

    Xi Xiaye steadied her feet on the ground before she slowly gazed up, following Mu Lingshi¡¯s gaze and looking calmly at the residence in front of them.

    It was a ssic wooden vi engulfed by the warm yellow streetlights. In front of it was a pleasing little fountain while both sides were covered in blooming unnamed flowers. Some were purple while some were red, and they were surrounded by a short, white fence. The whole scenery looked extremely beautiful. ( Boxno vel. co m )

    ¡°There¡¯s even a swimming pool at the back! The savanna lies on the other side and there¡¯s also a horse range over there too! And the sea¡¯s over there...¡± Mu Lingshi introduced.

    Xi Xiaye nodded dly. She was very satisfied. ¡°It¡¯s quite nice. Thank you both.¡±

    As she said this, she turned to look at Mu Yuchen. He just smiled at her, then picked up his pace to stroll inside.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    ...

    The residence was huge. There were two floors in total, and there were many rooms too. There were more than 20 rooms on both floors. It was a private vacation manor which was enough to house Wang Hui and the rest who would being over in a few days.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s room was on the side near the sea so they could see the sea across them while standing on the balcony. The wind brought the faint taste of the sea breeze with it, and they could hear the faint sounds of the waves crashing.

    After dinner, Xi Xiaye wanted to have fun at the night market with Mu Lingshi, yet the man stopped her. ¡°Rest well tonight and fix the jeg. I¡¯ll bring you out tomorrow. Have a shower right now and rest earlier.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was about to leave the house with her handbag enthusiastically when Mu Yuchen handed her a sleeping gown instead.

    She frowned and shot him a nce. ¡°Ah Shi and I have decided on going out tonight.¡±

    ¡°Be good for just one night and rest well. You¡¯ll still have time in the next few days. I¡¯ve already told Lingshi and Ah Mo to rest earlier. If you¡¯re not worried about losing your way when returning, you can go ahead.¡± He did not allow any dissent as he stuffed the clothes in her arms.

    Xiaye then unhappily red at him. ¡°Why are you like this?¡±

    ¡°Like what? I¡¯m worried about you, yet the way you look at me... Does anyone else worry this much about you?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted at her as he took the handbag from her. ¡°Such a merciless woman!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean what look? It¡¯s a look of condescension!¡± Xiaye red unhappily at him and rolled her eyes, then walked to the bathroom.

    Mu Yuchen watched as her figure gradually vanished into the bathroom before he chuckled helplessly to himself as he shook his head. Then, he turned around to close the door.

    ...

    It was currentlyte in the night in this small town, yet it was still very lively outside. The manor that Mu Yuchen and the rest stayed at was not very far from the small town so they could see the waning lights from the streets from their second-floor balcony. They could also hear the joyous din from below.

    Mu Lingshi wore a light pair of shorts and a t-shirt as she stood on the balcony and watched the flickering lights from there. She was also leisurely holding a ss of red wine.

    ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Suddenly, a clear and melodious voice came from behind her. Mu Lingshi subconsciously turned to look. She was not sure when Mu Yuchen had stood behind her, but he looked at herposedly. The light in his eyes looked unusually deep.

    Mu Lingshi was a little shocked to see Mu Yuchen all rxed and calm. She called out softly to him, ¡°Bro!¡±

    ¡°Has Sis-inw fallen sleep? You¡¯re quite worn out today. Why don¡¯t you rest earlier?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still in the bath. I came over to see you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked to Mu Lingshi¡¯s side, following her gaze and peering downward. His deep voice sounded a little distant. ¡°How is it? You¡¯ve been here with Ah Mo for quite a few days now. I can see that he¡¯s in quite a good mood.¡±

    When she heard this, Mu Lingshi just raised her brows and took a sip of her wine. ¡°He¡¯s happy because of you and Sis-inw¡¯s wedding. He keeps running over to Los Angeles these past few days. Sometimes, I can¡¯t even find him when I want to.¡±

    Mu Yuchen quietly looked at the gently swaying shadows in front of him as he said calmly, ¡°As long as you two are getting along happily, that¡¯s awesome. I hope that the two of you can settle your matters soon. That way, everyone can be at ease.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m older now. You guys don¡¯t have to be so concerned. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve thought a lot about it recently. There are some things that I need to let go of, to let myself live better, so I will try. Bro, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I won¡¯t stay stagnant and refuse to move on.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s clear gaze looked at Mu Yuchen. The long scar on her face remained. One could not see it clearly with the faint reflection of the streetlights, yet Mu Yuchen understood that this scar had long been imprinted into Mu Lingshi¡¯s memory. Even as time passed, it still could not be erasedpletely.

    Just like with Mu Lingtian¡¯s incident...

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, but I¡¯m very thankful for you and father, and more. You¡¯ve always protected me. When I came over a few days ago, I was tidying some things up when I found some pictures of my mother. I looked at it for a very long time, yet I have no recollection at all.¡±

    ¡°Aunt was a very gentle and beautiful woman. When I look at you, I sometimes see her in you. She passed away not too long after she gave birth to you. Everything happened so suddenly. Grandmother and grandfather couldn¡¯t ept this for a very long time.¡±

    All those memories seemed very far away. Now that Mu Yuchen recalled them, he could only recall fragments of them. He suddenly averted his sight and turned to Mu Lingshi, his gaze distant and profound. His voice was also very soft. ¡°Have you ever thought of looking for your father?¡±

    Father?

    She did not know who her biological father was. Ever since she could remember, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had been parents to her and Lingtian. That way, it seemed like they were no different from the other children.

 Chapter 450 - Good Times (4)

    <h4>Chapter 450: Good Times (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Perhaps, that way, they were even luckier than the other children because Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had taken in she and Mu Lingtian as their own. Furthermore, their love and care for them had even surpassed that for Mu Yuchen.

    To them, Mu Yuchen was more like an elder brother that needed to protect them.

    The Mu family was very strict with their chidren. When they studied, no one had given them special treatment for their statuses.

    However, in these past few years, they all understood in their hearts that Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were actually just their biological uncle and aunt, and not their parents.

    Had she ever thought of looking for her father?

    To be honest, she had. Even when Mu Lingtian was still around, she had.

    Mu Lingtian¡¯s expression looked rather gloomy and held mixed emotions. This matter could not be raised in the Mu family, so she had just kept it buried. No one wanted to break the peace they had, but there were some things that some people just wanted to get to the bottom of, at least, to put themselves at ease or just to understand.

    Mu Lingshi was one of them.

    ( Boxno vel. co m ) ¡°I¡¯ve heard Ah Mo mention that you¡¯ve asked about Aunt from Caitlin¡¯s manager,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke softly. His profound gaze remained fixed on her dim little face.

    Upon hearing this, Mu Lingshi did not deny it. She just nodded very frankly. ¡°Yes, I wanted to know what happened to my mother years ago. Why would she fall into depression, and why did that man not marry her? She already gave birth to Lingtian, but that man wasn¡¯t willing to marry her and love her? Why did she still want to give birth to me?

    ¡°Caitlin¡¯s manager¡¯s mentor seemed to have worked with my mother before. She was my mother¡¯s manager for quite a long time, so I thought that maybe she¡¯d know something. Bro, I¡¯m not doing this because of anything. You, Father and Mother have been very kind to me, but I want some answers for myself. At least, I¡¯d like to know, who my biological parents are.¡±

    When she finished, Mu Yuchen nodded calmly. ¡°I understand. Father and Mother have previously tried to investigate too, but Aunt didn¡¯t leave behind any hints at all. In the few years that she was in the showbiz, she kept her private life very low-profile. Apart from the usual work, she rarely left the house and not many people were in touch with her too. Before I returned, I had them investigate this matter thoroughly again, but until now, it hasn¡¯t been fruitful. Aunt didn¡¯t leave any information about that person behind at all.

    ¡°Mmm, and it¡¯s been years now, so it¡¯s not easy to investigate it again. We can only rely on those fragmented information to sift through slowly bit by bit. Bro, just let me do this. I believe that I¡¯ll be able to find that person. I¡¯ve already narrowed Mother¡¯s social circle down back then. I¡¯ll make a deduction of them one by one. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find him.¡±

    ¡°You are quite the same as your sis-inw. Sometimes, you just like to try to be brave. Okay, I¡¯ll think about this. Rest earlier and don¡¯t think too much,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then unhurriedly lifted a hand to pat Mu Lingshi on the shoulder. He said empathetically, ¡°Some things will be clear one day. I hope that you can have a happier life. As for anything other than that, they aren¡¯t that important,¡± he said before his tall figure walked in and he quickly disappeared out of the door.

    ...

    Through a dreamless night, she saw that the man was gone when she woke up. Xi Xiaye got up in a daze and saw the light-colored muslin dress and the ts prepared on the table beside her.

    She swiftly got up to wash up, then changed. The clothes and shoes were the right size. The weather was not very hot; it was not the scorching kind of hot weather, so wearing these were perfectly refreshing and suitable.

    The morning breeze was very refreshing. It carried the faint smell of the sea breeze with it. When the room quieted down, you could even hear the wavespping against the shores. Xi Xiaye reached out to draw the curtains that were swaying in the cool breeze. She wanted to see the scenery outside, but she was caught off-guard when Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure greeted her sight as he sat leisurely on the rattan chair drinking tea on the balcony.

    When he heard the sound from behind him, he turned around in that instant to look at her.¡±Awake?¡±

    He had changed into a casual gray outfit. Apart from looking exceptionally handsome, he also seemed somewhat more cheerful.

    ¡°Morning!¡± she softly responded. She walked over, then very casually took the flower tea from him and finished it in a few gulps. ¡°Where are we going today? Didn¡¯t Ah Shi say she was going to be our guide?¡±

    ¡°She has to make a trip to Los Angeles with Ah Mo today. I¡¯ll bring you outter, and we¡¯ll walk around this little town. Then, in the afternoon, we¡¯ll go around the periphery. We just have to be back on the fifth, okay?¡±

    She handed the cup back to him and asked, ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯ll just be the two of us driving ourselves around?¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled without a word. His gaze that contained tenderness and doting already answered her.

    When she saw this, she smiled happily. ¡°Mr. Mu, you know me so well!¡±

    ¡°Obviously? You¡¯re my wife. Of course, I know you. Otherwise, why would people describe couples as two hearts as one and in perfect harmony?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, annoying!¡±

    ...

    After a simple breakfast, the husband and wife went straight to the little town market and prepared the things for their holiday.

    Initially, Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo were going to prepare it for them, but Mu Yuchen disagreed. After he arranged the matters, he had made them retreat. Now, only he and Xiaye were left.

    After walking around the market with her, Xi Xiaye suddenly realized this guy seemed to be very well versed with living in the wild. All the maps, Swiss knives, and some medication were all sufficiently prepared. In fact, when he prepared them, he had very patiently exined it all to her. Now, he seemed more like an earnest teacher, teaching her a course on survival skills.

    Ah Mo had already prepared an SUV for them. When everything was prepared, they departed.

    Their first destination was an ancient historical city in the depths of the savanna. The ancient city was built from beautiful castles. In fact, it was halfway up a mountain too.

    ¡°Get in.¡± Mu Yuchen got into the car and knocked on the car window to signal Xi Xiaye to get in too. She was outside looking at the map.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and sat in the front passenger seat unhurriedly. There were more than 10 SUVs behind them as everyone made their way to the same ce. They were a fleet of cars all with skilled drivers behind the wheels.

 Chapter 451 - Good Times (5)

    <h4>Chapter 451: Good Times (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car drove on the broad highway while some drum tunes, as well as some pleasant singing, could be heard from the car behind.

    As they went further, the road started to get a little rocky. When cars sped past them, sand and dust flew up everywhere. However, Mu Yuchen maneuvered the car expertly and Xi Xiaye was having fun in the front passenger seat with a camera. She took some photos of the scenery from time to time.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, look over here!¡± she called out to him. Mu Yuchen turned his head over, and in that instant, she pressed the button on the camera.

    He smiled. ¡°You can get some rest now. I¡¯ll wake you up when we¡¯ve arrived. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to take a nap just now? The scenery there will be much better. Save up your energy for the surprises there.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and put her camera away. ¡°I¡¯ll take a nap then. Wake me up after an hour and I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He patted her head before she went to sleep.

    In contrast to their rxed journey, a storm was brewing in City Z.

    In the Grand Waves vi area, Qi Lei was sitting by the dining table having his breakfast quietly while an elegantdy was sitting right opposite him.

    She wore a luxurious-looking <i>qipao </i>with her hair tied into a bun. With a sharp chin and fair skin, her eyes seemed sharp and her lips were pink and tiny. She looked around 30 years of age. There was a special aura around her even when she was just casually sitting down.

    She was Qi Lei¡¯s biological mother, Wang Qin, the current Vice CEO of Qi Kai Corporation. She possessed a third of all Qi Kai¡¯s stock and was well-known throughout the industry for strategizing the firm¡¯s business tactics. Needless to say, she held an important position in the Qi Kai Corporation. Even the CEO of Qi Kai, Qi Qiming, had to be wary of her.

    Qi Lei¡¯s appearance was mostly inherited from her. However, he did not get any of the threatening aura.

    The two of them sat opposite each other without saying anything. They were just eating breakfast in silence.

    Qi Lei swallowed the food in his mouth as he looked at Wang Qin and spoke indifferently, ¡°When are you going back home? You¡¯ve been staying over here for quite some days. Aren¡¯t you worried that that man will bring those women back and take you out of your position?¡±

    Wang Qin suddenly raised her head and looked at Qi Lei with a cold smile. ¡°He can keep bringing them back if he¡¯s not worried about what I¡¯ll do to those women! Do you think I¡¯ve never dealt with this before? Which one of them can stand before me?¡± She sounded like she did not care.

    ¡°He won¡¯t give you Qi Kai until his death if you keep on fighting with him like this. Isn¡¯t your n going to fail then? He¡¯s really against the both of us, you know. Just look at how he treated me all these years,¡± Qi Lei answered with a wicked grin.

    Wang Qin¡¯s expression darkened as she grabbed a tissue and cleaned her mouth. After drinking some milk, she looked at Qi Lei. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, but you talk to me like this? Xiao Lei, can¡¯t you put in more effort and let Qi Qiming see what you¡¯re made of? I believe you¡¯re definitely better than Qi Feng. You¡¯re Qi Kai¡¯s true sessor. Qi Feng is just an illegitimate child. He knew how to make Qi Qiming happy. Can¡¯t you do it?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged andughed. ¡°My dear mother, you¡¯ve overestimated your son. This is the real me. I don¡¯t know anything except some simple architecture design. Look, you¡¯re brother¡¯s stepmother. It¡¯d be bad if someone heard what you said, wouldn¡¯t it? Brother is better and cooler than me. How can I measure up to him?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei, don¡¯t ever tell me this again! You¡¯re the only legitimate sessor of the Qi family. I don¡¯t care how well Qi Qiming treated Qi Feng. I¡¯m his wife, so everything in the Qi family belongs to you. I¡¯m telling you now, Xiao Lei. They won¡¯t be grateful even if you don¡¯t fight for it. You don¡¯t have to be considerate about people like them, understand?¡±

    Wang Qin looked at Qi Lei with concern. A rage started burning inside her when she saw Qi Lei acting indifferently to what she said.

    ¡°Understand what? I don¡¯t understand. I¡¯m not interested in thepany anyway. Let him give whoever he wants. What are you worrying about? Moreover, Brother is long gone, isn¡¯t he? I¡¯m the only son in this family now. Who else can he pass it on to?¡± When Qi Lei was talking, he was staring right at Wang Qin.

    Wang Qin¡¯s expression darkened as her tone of voice turned cold and sharp. ¡°Have you seen Qi Feng¡¯s corpse? How are you so sure that he¡¯s dead? Xiao Lei, are you still ming Mother for not letting you and Gu Lingsha get together? You were never like this before, Xiao Lei! I¡¯m your mother and I did all of these for your sake! Why can¡¯t you understand me? Why do you insist on wearing me out?¡±

    She sounded helpless at the end of her rant. ¡°You don¡¯t understand Qi Feng at all, Xiao Lei. That person is just like his mother, full of tricks. You¡¯re a kind person and that¡¯s good, but you have to be wary of others! A woman like Gu Lingsha doesn¡¯t suit you!¡±

    ¡°The person who¡¯s going to fall in love and get married is me. I have thest say on whether it suits or not. You don¡¯t have to worry about it, Mother.¡± Qi Leiughed coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think. I¡¯ll never let Gu Lingsha marry into the Qi family. Although she seemed like a near perfect woman, she looked severely wed to me. Xiao Lei, I¡¯m a woman and I know women better than you!¡±

    Wang Qin did not want to continue further, so she stood up and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you agree with me or not. As your mother, I¡¯d never hurt my son. Whether you understand or not, I¡¯ll get Qi Kai for you as long as I¡¯m here. Qi Qiming took Yue Hai¡¯s advice and decided to help Yueying and make it be apany under Qi Kai. What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 452 - Good Times (6)

    <h4>Chapter 452: Good Times (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What do I think? What can I think about it? Don¡¯t you guys have the ultimate say over thepany matters? I just hold the empty title of a Vice President. That old man can just put me wherever he wants. Does my opinion matter?¡± Qi Lei pasted an ironic smile on his face before drinking his milk.

    ¡°If you know that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you perform better in front of Qi Qiming? There are a lot of things you need to fight for yourself. Do you think Qi Qiming will just give it to you if you don¡¯t fight for it? He won¡¯t! I¡¯m suspecting that Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha didn¡¯t really die in that ident, but I couldn¡¯t find anything at all and there¡¯s no news from the Gu family as well.¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s expression seemed grave. ¡°I believe that Qi Feng is still alive, and I can feel that Qi Qiming is about to do something soon. If you¡¯re not careful, you might be attacked from the back! Do you still remember that you were framed when you first entered thepany? I¡¯m sure you know what¡¯s happening. I¡¯m not going to say any further, but be careful on your own.¡±

    Wang Qin then picked her handbag up and left.

    Qi Lei was still sitting there. His eyes shifted for a moment as some emotions roiled within them, but he smiled sinisterly after that.

    If Qi Feng was not dead, then...

    Was she alive as well?

    Just what happened to them all these years? Why was there no news at all?

    Qi Lei clenched his ss as his expression turned sad for a moment.

    ...

    The car traveled into the small town in the evening. Xi Xiaye woke up when they arrived in the town. When she heard him opening the door, she opened her eyes and noticed that he had already driven halfway up the hill.

    ¡°Come and take a look!¡± He reached out his arms to her, signaling her to go over.

    Xi Xiaye stopped beside him and looked toward the direction he was facing to see numerous castles built around the mountain. It was a grand view with the sunset.

    The evening breeze gently lifted her hair as she looked over the small town in awe. Around them was a huge green patch of field and amidst the empty surroundings, only this town existed here, just like how she met him after struggling for many years. From that moment onwards, her fate had been altered.

    She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the moment, only opening them a whileter. She turned toward him to see him still enjoying the view of this small town. He had a peaceful expression on his face as the evening breeze messed up his hair a little. With a light giggle, she smoothened it down for him. However, his hand grabbed hers suddenly.

    She reacted quickly and retracted her hand as she narrowed her eyes at him.

    He looked at his empty hands andughed, sneaking up on her before she could react.

    Xi Xiaye backed off and smiled. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go and find lodging. The sun is going to set!¡±

    He stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s toote for you to think about that already, slowpoke!¡±

    The ce they stayed in was not a five-star hotel. It was just a simple homestay located at the back of the town, simr to the one they had stayed in before. There was a short white fence around the house as well as many exotic flowers surrounding it.

    The owners of the homestay was a local, old married couple who seemed kind and friendly. When the two of them arrived, they weed them wholeheartedly.

    Uncle Sam gave them a cheerful violin performance whilst several old neighbors started ying hand drums and the harmonica.

    Aunt Susan could dance wildly and they dragged Xi Xiaye along to burst out into a crazy rabbit dance.

    The sky turned darkpletely and the town was lit up. Beautiful lights shrouded the meadows with a mysterious vibe. As Aunt Susan delivered some food over, several other young travelers started preparing the barbeque tools.

    Mu Yuchen stood aside and watched as the little woman who was dragged into the dance. The genuinely delighted expression on her face was encoded into his mind, softening his heart.

    He had never seen her happier. It was the right decision to go there.

    A lot of woe had piled up recently, especially for her.

    The dance was still ongoing, so with a smile, he went forward and took over the violin from Uncle Sam. Then, he started ying along with the upbeat tempo.

    The crowd gave him a round of apuse. Even Xi Xiaye turned toward him in surprise.

    He could y the violin!

    Just how many more secrets could she find out about him?

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows, but before she could give it some thought, the crowd joined in as the dance went on.

    After a long time¡ª

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat down on a bench as she panted. Mu Yuchen, who had been waiting for her, handed her a ss of wine. ¡°Tired?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a few sips before she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I feel like living here is so peaceful and happy.¡±

    ¡°Their lives are simple, so there isn¡¯t much stress, and it might be because of their personalities as well,¡± he replied with a smile as his quiet eyes still studied the merry bunch.

    ¡°Mmm, sometimes I wish I could be like them, but like you said, your happiness is always seen in the eyes of others. We¡¯ll be like them, won¡¯t we, Mr. Mu?¡± Her pink lips formed a beautiful arc as she raised her wine ss slightly.

    He put on a gentle smile and spoke softly, ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll be even happier than them!¡±

 Chapter 453 - Wedding (1)

    <h4>Chapter 453: Wedding (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Things went on tillte night and Xi Xiaye soon got drunk. After wandering around for a bit, she did not know how she got back to the room, but she vaguely remembered Mu Yuchen wiping her face and changing her clothes for her. After that, she had no idea what happened.

    Her head felt heavy when she woke up the next morning. Although Mu Yuchen was not with her, she saw that he had prepared a white outfit right beside her. She left the room after washing up.

    A cool breeze weed her while the grassy scent in the air felt fresh. She walked toward the veranda and lifted the curtains when she heardughter outside. Outside, she saw some people ying tennis. They were two pairs of very young couples on the court, attracting a crowd around them.

    Xi Xiaye slowly went to the staircase and watched from afar as she leaned against the railing.

    In a nearby field, there was the sound of galloping advancing nearer. When she nced over, she saw people riding horses.

    ...( Boxno vel. co m )

    She once wished to do the same things as them such as y tennis, ride a horse across a huge field, or walk through a crowded street with their hands held tightly together. She thought she would never have the chance to experience what was lost in the past ever again.

    Unexpectedly, she was able to revisit the past and have such a pleasant moment, so she took the time to enjoy it.

    Running, ying around the soft grassy field...

    Walking through a narrow and crowded alley with their hands sped tight, reminiscing the past...

    Racing across the field on a horse while they watched the sunset...

    These were too beautiful to be true.

    Time passed quickly. They gave up their original n to walk around several towns. Instead, they just stayed there to visit all the nearby attractions.

    Night fell. They were heading back to the city they came from soon as it was their wedding tomorrow. The lodge owners had called them several times already, worried that they would miss their wedding with all the fun. Xi Xiaye went back to their room to pack up after dinner. Mu Yuchen had been missing since afternoon, having gone out with Uncle Sam. He told her to get some rest before heading back at night.

    Someone knocked on the door when Xi Xiaye was packing up. When she opened the door, she saw Aunt Susan standing outside. Aunt Susan seemed to be very close to Mu Yuchen. After Xi Xiaye asked about it, she found out that she had been in City Z for quite a number of years before and had taught English in a school, but she was fluent in Mandarin as well. Much to her relief, Xi Xiaye did not have to speak English to her.

    ¡°Aunt Susan?¡± Xi Xiaye was surprised to see the kind and gentle Susan outside her door.

    ¡°May Ie in?¡± Susan asked politely.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and moved away. ¡°Of course, please have a seat!¡± She then poured a ss of water for Susan.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Susan epted the ss of water with a smile on her face. She nced at Xi Xiaye as her smile got wider. ¡°You¡¯re really beautiful, Miss Xiaye.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xi Xiaye replied as she sat down on the sofa opposite her.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that Ah Chen brought you here, but we¡¯re really happy to see you guys together.¡± Susan smiled as her eyes softened. ¡°I know you two are here to have your wedding. You have my blessings.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Aunt Susan. Did you know Mu Yuchen from before?¡± Xi Xiaye voiced out her doubt.

    ¡°Haha, I guess you don¡¯t know that I was a teacher in City S and I¡¯ve taught Ah Chen before. After that, he came to New York and we bumped into each other at Wall Street. We¡¯ve kept in touch ever since. Aside from being teacher and student, we¡¯re friends as well. He¡¯s a very responsible and diligent man, so you¡¯re not making any mistakes marrying him. Back in school, many girls went after him. However, I¡¯m surprised he likes a girl like you!¡± Susan teased.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m thankful to fate for leading me to him.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re a good girl. I hope you can continue to have faith in him and love him. I¡¯ve never seen him treat any girl like this before. You¡¯re very lucky, and of course, he¡¯s lucky to have met you as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Thank you, Aunt Susan. I hope Uncle Sam and you will stay happy and forever in love as well!¡±

    ¡°Love is just a word, but it contains many things that need the both of you to realize together.¡± As Susan ended her sentence, there was the sound of a car stopping outside.

    Stunned, Xi Xiaye just nodded and grabbed her luggage as she looked at Susan gratefully., ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. Will you and Uncle Same to our wedding?¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t be attending your wedding since we¡¯ve witnessed your happiness here. Alright, it¡¯s prettyte now. Time for you to go back. Just in time to sleep when you arrive! Be the prettiest and happiest bride tomorrow!¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen was already waiting for her beside the car when she walked out with the luggage. After bidding farewell, the two of them left swiftly.

    She was quiet on the way back, so he asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye came out of her deep thoughts and mumbled, ¡°Aunt Susan chatted with me just now and she told me she was your teacher. Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?¡±

    Heughed. ¡°I forgot to tell you after all the fun we had. Aunt Susan was a very important teacher of mine. She taught me in City S. She¡¯s a kind and passionate woman. I hope you can be as happy as you were in the past few days. Didn¡¯t you exchange contacts with Teacher Susan? Talk to her more often. You¡¯ll learn a lot from her. You have too few friends and too poor EQ. I¡¯m worried that you can¡¯t differentiate the good people from the bad, so I¡¯ll be there for you.¡±

    He wanted her to have more friends, but at the same time, he was worried. After giving it some thought, Mu Yuchen decided he would filter through the friends that she was going to make in the future, then he need not worry about her.

 Chapter 454 - Wedding (2)

    <h4>Chapter 454: Wedding (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He obviously did not realize that he had already unknowingly let her slip into his life and his social circles.

    Some things evolved and silently influenced things with time, settling in without a sound. When one came to realize it, the subtle changes would already have happened. Perhaps, the amount of change would even have umted to bing a fundamental change in effect.

    Yet, upon hearing him, Xiaye immediately frowned unhappily. She narrowed her twinkling eyes at him and said begrudgingly, ¡°Is my EQ really that low?¡±

    He nodded calmly. ¡°Yes, very!¡± he answered swiftly and certainly. Immediately, her beautiful face crumpled.

    When he saw that she was unhappy, he cleared his throat and added on, ¡°However, you¡¯re a good woman. That Ipletely agree with.¡±

    Then, her darkened expression started to look less miserable. She looked radiantly with delight at him. ¡°Obviously! In fact, Aunt Susan called me beautiful. The reason you liked me so quickly back then must have been because of my angelic looks!¡±

    He rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Do you even know what the standards of your Mr. Mu¡¯s dream lover were?¡±

    ¡°What standards?¡±

    This was the first time she heard him mention something like this. Her twinkling eyes could not help but flicker with some interest as she fixed her gaze on him.

    Nheless, Mu Yuchen continued to drive leisurely and calmly with a faint smile on his handsome face. He spoke calmly, ¡°She should be about 160 meters in height, reaching right below my chin when we¡¯re standing. She should have long, ck hair that reaches her waist. Her figure should be moderate with fair skin, starry, bright eyes, likes tomato fried eggs and hot and sour shredded potatoes. When she¡¯s angry, she won¡¯t speak to me and will roll her eyes at me. When she doesn¡¯t get past a game level, she will m the mouse to pieces, a 34B...¡±

    When he finished, Xiaye immediatelypared his description to herself.

    About 160 meters in height?

    She was a match!

    Long, ck and beautiful hair that reaches the waist?

    She was a match!

    A medium figure, fair skin, and starry bright eyes?

    She should qualify too!

    Tomato fried eggs, hot and sour shredded potatoes?

    She definitely fit this one!

    ...

    Lastly, 34B?

    Her first reaction was to look down at her own chest, then she frowned and punched him.

    ¡°How dare you mess with me!? Aren¡¯t you just describing me?¡±

    ¡°Be careful, Missus. You seem to have an inclination of bing a barbarous wife!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you what domestic abuse is too!¡±

    ...

    The husband and wife couple bickered all the way to the manor, yet at this moment, the people at the manor were beyond anxious.

    Wang Hui, Su Nan and the rest had reached the manor since yesterday. They started to decorate the wedding venue without getting any rest. The wedding dress was directly delivered from France. That morning, Shen Yue and the rest rushed over too.

    ¡°Quick, quick, continue calling your brother. Why aren¡¯t they back yet? They¡¯ll make it back in time for tonight, won¡¯t they?¡± Wang Hui looked down at the busy crowd as she urged Mu Lingshi to call them.

    Mu Lingshi shrugged helplessly. ¡°Grandmother, I¡¯ve called brother an hour ago. They¡¯re still on the way back and will only be back at 10 p.m. It¡¯s only 8 p.m. now. Just calm down and don¡¯t worry too much, okay? Bro and Sis-inw aren¡¯t even worried. You¡¯re not the one getting married. Why do you seem more anxious than them?¡±

    ¡°What do you know? How long has it been since the Mu family had a happy asion? We finally have this! Can¡¯t you just act with the times and let me be happy? Is it wrong for me to be worried?¡± Wang Hui rolled her eyes at Mu Lingshi. ¡°Also with you and Ah Mo, once your bro and your sis-inw¡¯s affairs are done, the next one¡¯s going to be you and him. You should work hard for yourself and maybe do something now. When some time has passed, you can just get your certificate. You young people don¡¯t care about those things anyway.¡±

    ¡°We were talking about my bro and sis-inw. How did the topic turn to me? How about you just look forward to Bro and Sis-inw¡¯s great grandchild for you?¡±

    As Mu Lingshi spoke, she could not help but feel a headache. Ever since she moved to live with Ah Mo, they had already set their mind on them. In fact, they subtly hinted for her to have a shotgun-wedding. She had never seen a grandmother like this, who was not worried about her being taken advantage of at all. It was as if they were sure Ah Mo was an honest, good person while she, Mu Lingshi, was not reliable at all.

    ¡°I want to have some great-grandchildren too. Your grandfather and I are free with nothing to do anyway. One or two children would make the house livelier. We don¡¯t ask for much. Why can¡¯t you just satisfy us sooner?¡±

    ¡°Forget it. You won¡¯t understand what I mean. These things should let nature take its course. There¡¯s no use for you to be anxious about it. I¡¯m done here. I¡¯m going to look for Su Nan. She was quite airsick yesterday and Ruan Heng is quite worried. I¡¯ve been busy, so I didn¡¯t get to ask how she is today. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s feeling better already.¡±

    Then, before Wang Hui could answer, she already turned to walk back into the vi, annoying Wang Hui. She wanted to chase after her and lecture her a bit more when Mu Yinan and Shen Yue¡¯s voice came from below.

    ¡°Do you have any more friends to invite from your end? This time, to go with Ah Chen and Xiaye¡¯s request, we¡¯ve already done our best to make things simple, but we can¡¯t be careless either,¡± said Mu Yinan to Shen Yue beside him as they slowly walked towards the vi.

    Shen Yue was currently walking towards the vi with his hands sped behind him. His aged face showed a rare expression of happiness. ¡°We¡¯re almost done. You¡¯ve all worked tirelessly these past few days. After this wedding, it¡¯s time I retire. This time, I wanted to use this chance for them to meet more people in the circle. The two of you are much more fortunate than I am. You live such idle days.¡±

    ¡°Yours areing soon too, aren¡¯t they? Just leave everything to the couple, and then you can have idle days too. These things are mere worldly possessions anyway. It¡¯s not much once you see it indifferently. Anyway, let¡¯s not care about how things should be, and let the children work hard themselves. Right, how¡¯re Wenna¡¯s eyes? What did the doctors say? Is there any way of healing it?¡±

    ¡°The blood clots are gradually dissipating. Perhaps it¡¯ll soon be gonepletely, but we can¡¯t be sure if she¡¯ll see again. In fact, we don¡¯t how soon it will be, so...,¡± Shen Yue sighed, ¡°Initially, I wanted to bring her with me this time to visit some prestigious hospitals, but she was worried that if anything came up, it would make the children unhappy instead, so she didn¡¯te. You know how Wenna¡¯s like.¡±

    ¡°Wenna didn¡¯te? Didn¡¯t she say..?¡±

    When Mu Yinan previously called Mu Tangchuan and the rest, they said that Shen Wenna would probablye, but now...

    If Shen Wenna could not make it, would Xi Mushan being instead?

 Chapter 455 - Wedding (3)

    <h4>Chapter 455: Wedding (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night breeze was as gentle as water that flowed uninterrupted. The night¡¯s stars were bright and splendid as the car drove through the little town underneath the nket of stars and past the gentle, dim yellow streetlights before it slowly drove into the manor.

    The car had just stopped when Ah Mo, who had waited for quite a while, came to greet them and opened the car door.

    ¡°Master, Missus...¡±

    Before Ah Mo could finish greeting them, in the driver¡¯s seat, Mu Yuchen already reached out to stop him as he slowly got down from the car.

    ¡°Master, the two of you are finally back! Grandfather and Grandmother have been anxious.¡±

    Ah Mo carefully looked at the front passenger seat. Indeed, he saw Xi Xiaye sleeping soundly against her seat, covered with Mu Yuchen¡¯s jacket.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°The scenery was great over there, so we stayed a day or two longer. Is everyone here?¡±

    Ah Mo went up to take the things from the car, softly answering, ¡°Mmm, Master Su and Master Mo are here too. Now, we¡¯re only waiting for Mayor Xi and Teacher Shen who aren¡¯t here yet.¡±

    When he finished, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face sank and his brows furrowed. He turned to look at Ah Mo. ¡°Did you try contacting them?¡±

    ¡°I did, but both their phones are switched off. When Elder CEO Shen came over, he said that because of Teacher Shen¡¯s eyes, she was worried that the atmosphere of the wedding would be affected, so she didn¡¯te over. After that, I called them, but I couldn¡¯t get through,¡± said Ah Mo with a frown.

    Mu Yuchen walked slowly to the front passenger seat. ¡°Did you call the Shen residence?¡±

    ¡°I did, but no one picked up.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows knotted even more. He fell silent for a moment, then returned to his usual calmness. ¡°I got it. Don¡¯t tell your sis-inw first. Okay, go and rest earlier. Just let them know we¡¯re back.¡±

    Then, he opened the car door and gently carried Xi Xiaye in. The sudden movement awoken Xi Xiaye and his voice softly whispered by her ear, ¡°Sleep when we get to the room, Xiaye.¡±

    Then, he took huge strides towards the residence.

    When he reached the room, he settled her on the bed and then did a simple wipe down of her face and hands before tucking her in with a nket as she continued sleeping. He took a shower before slipping into bed to rest.

    He looked forward to the arrival of the next day, but...

    Sleepiness engulfed him. Just when he was about to hug her and fall asleep, there was a knock from the outside. He got up in his sleeping gown to open the door and saw Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong standing outside.

    ¡°Grandmother, Mother, why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Mu Yuchen asked when Wang Hui reached out to pull him outside. He staggered a little and almost fell, just managing to steady himself by holding the wall on the side. He looked puzzledly at Wang Hui.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he frowned and asked.

    ¡°Sleep with Su Chen and the rest tonight. You¡¯re going to be a groom tomorrow, so rest earlier tonight,¡± Wang Hui instructed.

    ¡°They¡¯re already asleep. Plus, without me around, Xiaye will wake up in the middle of the night.¡±

    ¡°Chen Er, be good. Just endure one night. This is tradition anyway. You hope to have a good wedding, don¡¯t you? Go. Su Chen and the rest aren¡¯t asleep yet. They¡¯re still ying cards with Ah Mo, but tonight you¡¯ll have to rest earlier since you have to wake up early tomorrow.¡± Zhuang Shurong¡¯s voice came with a gentleness that was unlike her usual self.

    What did they mean by enduring one night? And tradition? He had already slept with her so many times!

    He frowned and turned to peer into the room. The light in his eyes flickered from dark to light.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lingshi and Su Nan wille over to apany her. Just go! When you wake up early tomorrow, don¡¯te over too. You¡¯ll have to get up and prepare in a few more hours. Su Chen¡¯s at the Will Grand Hotel. Quickly go over. The driver downstairs will send you over directly.¡±

    When he heard Wang Hui, Mu Yuchen could not help but hold his forehead, and then sigh helplessly. ¡°Why are there so many rules to follow? We¡¯re already married!¡±

    ¡°Enough with the nonsense. Hurry! It¡¯s already veryte!¡±

    Mu Yuchen then turned to walk into the room. ¡°I¡¯m getting my phone. You guys had better take good care of her.¡±

    ...

    When he returned to the room, Xi Xiaye was half-asleep. She saw him fiddling by the bedside and looked up at him through half-opened eyes. Her voice was a little raspy from the drowsiness. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Upon hearing her voice, he turned to her. She propped herself up halfway to look at him with misty, twinkling eyes. He sat down by the bedside and reached out to pat her head. ¡°Tonight, Su Nan and Lingshi are going to be with you. I¡¯m going over to Su Chen¡¯s ce. We have to wake up early tomorrow, so take care of yourself and rest earlier, hmm?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Now, Xi Xiaye was more awake. She subconsciously reached out to pull his hand and quickly sat up.

    ¡°They say it¡¯s tradition. We¡¯ll see each other tomorrow. Rest well. Be my beautiful bride, alright?¡±

    Then, he lowered his head and nted a kiss on her forehead before he got up and took the phone from the table. ¡°I¡¯ve already charged your phone. Remember to bring it with you. We¡¯ll talk again tomorrow. Rest now.¡±

    Xiaye just watched him take his phone, and then his jacket on the side before she nodded with her starry eyes ¡°You rest earlier too then. Is the hotel he¡¯s staying at nearby?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little far, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll text you when I reach and I¡¯ll get them to prepare something for you to eat. I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    ¡°Mmm...¡± She lowered her head to answer, yet she did not let go of his hand.

    He looked down as well, and then he reached out with his arm to hold her by the shoulders. His soft voice was very tender. ¡°Can¡¯t bear to see me go?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± She went along and circled her arms around his strong waist while peering up at him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s look forward to tomorrow then.¡±

    He finally used a kiss to console the timid girl before he left.

    ...

    At this moment, Su Nan and Mu Lingshi entered the room.

    ¡°Xiaye! Why did you take so long toe back? We¡¯ve already been here for two days. The scenery here is quite lovely and is very suitable for your wedding and honeymoon. Did you have a lot of fun these few days?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just finished her shower when she saw Su Nan sitting on the bed, flipping through her and Mu Yuchen¡¯s wedding photos. Beside her was Mu Lingshi in shorts and a t-shirt.

    Xi Xiaye casually tousled her dry hair, and theny down on the bed. ¡°It was alright. Initially, we wanted to return sooner, and bring you around.¡±

    ¡°No need for that. Ah Shi already brought us around the past two days. In fact, I think managing your wedding is more fun. Also, let me secretly tell you that Master Mu seems to want to give you a very different wedding. Do you want to know what kind of wedding it is?¡±

 Chapter 456 - Wedding (4)

    <h4>Chapter 456: Wedding (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye smiled when she saw Su Nan¡¯s curious expression. ¡°You¡¯ll find out what kind of wedding it¡¯ll be tomorrow.¡±

    Actually, she was looking forward to the wedding, but she felt that it was not really that important anymore since she was contented with just the trip in the past few days.

    ¡°My brother designed the wedding himself. He¡¯s not really a romantic person, but he really gave it his all for this wedding. All of it was just to give you an unforgettable wedding. What do you think? Is my brother an awesome man now?¡±

    Mu Lingshi took the photo album back. ¡°Alright, my brother just called me and said he just arrived. He told you guys to rest earlier. The makeup artist will be here at 8 a.m. tomorrow. It¡¯s almost midnight now. Su Nan, you should head to bed earlier too. There¡¯s a little one inside you!¡±

    The three of them theny down on the bed.

    ¡°Xiaye, this is yourst night being single. Cherish it.¡± Su Nan sighed as she snuggled down beside Xiaye.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ve been married for a while now. There¡¯s no such thing as a single night anymore.¡±

    ...

    The night quieted down and it was silent all around. Under the ambient yellow light, everyone was excited for tomorrow toe.

    It was a day to look forward to. However, it was a sleepless night for someone.

    As the first ray of the sunrise crept into the room through the window, Mu Yuchen had already woken up. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo woke up early as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s with standing out in the cold this early in the morning? Nervous about your big day?¡± Zhou Zimo noticed Mu Yuchen standing on the balcony as he watched the sunrise while still in his ck sleeping robe. He handed him a cup of tea that he just brewed. ( B oxnovel.c om )

    Mu Yuchen turned over and saw Zhou Zimo smiling. His expression softened as he took a sip of the tea. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be nervous about. She¡¯s mine even without the wedding. She¡¯s not going anywhere.¡±

    Zhou Zimo chuckled as he walked beside Mu Yuchen and rested his arms on the railing. He looked out at the sunrise as well. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy, bro. You¡¯ve been struggling alone for a long time and now you¡¯ve finally met someone you love. We¡¯ve already given you all the words of blessings that can be said, so I won¡¯t add on much here. Be happy, both of you. You chose Xiaye yourself, and I believe in your choice. You must have picked the right person.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded in agreement to Zhou Zimo¡¯s words. ¡°Whether she¡¯s the right person or not, it¡¯s her and her only.¡±

    His eyes were filled with persistence and kindness. As of now, he felt something different whenever he talked about her and he simply could not keep himself calm.

    Zhou Zimo nodded back and shot him a smile. ¡°Great! Wash up and have breakfast before changing into your suit!¡±

    Mu Yuchen drank some of the tea again before heading back into the room.

    After a simple breakfast, he had a shower before putting on his suit.

    On the other end, it was not easy for Xi Xiaye. Su Nan and the others woke her up early in the morning when she was still having sweet dreams. The makeup artist arrived right after she washed up and had breakfast. Xi Xiaye put on the wedding dress Mu Yuchen tailor-made for her, and then Su Nan pinned her down right in front of the dressing table to put on her makeup.

    Mu Lingshi was helping her adjust the dress.

    ¡°You look so beautiful, Sister-inw!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiaye! You¡¯re the most beautiful bride I¡¯ve ever seen!¡±

    Mu Lingshi and Su Nan were looking at Xi Xiaye who had just finished her makeup. Impressed, they started giving endlesspliments.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure my brother will fall head over heels for you again!¡± Mu Lingshi smiled while she took her sunsses off. Looking at her now, the scar did not really matter.

    Su Nan grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands as she started to tear up. She gripped her hands tightly and took a deep breath as she looked into Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. ¡°Xiaye, in case anything happens, you don¡¯t have to face everything alone anymore from now on. You have to treasure this happiness of yours. You have to be happy, alright?¡±

    She smiled when she saw the tears in Su Nan¡¯s eyes. Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart softened as she put her hand on the back of Su Nan¡¯s hands. A faint light shed past her eyes. ¡°I will. Su Nan, actually, I think I¡¯ve always been lucky. You were with me through the darkest parts of my life. You¡¯ll always be in my heart. Whenever I was unhappy, you were always the first one to be by my side. I...¡±

    ( B oxnovel.c om ) ¡°Silly, you¡¯re the first one to be with me whenever I¡¯m sad as well! You¡¯d leave your work at hand ande to me whenever I needed you. If we¡¯re talking about gratitude here, I should be the one thanking you.¡±

    Su Nan sniffled. She was touched and her tears fell unabashedly. She handed Xi Xiaye a pair of whiteced-gloves. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s all in the past now. Someone will be by your side now. No matter what happens, someone will be protecting you. No one will bully you anymore. You¡¯re so silly, but everyone will be relieved that Mu Yuchen is taking care of you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Su Nan quietly as she took the gloves from her. She wiped her tears away and nodded with her eyes closed, then she replied, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m relieved that I married him too, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye! What should I do? I suddenly feel that I¡¯ll miss you. Are you going to leave me after you have your man and a child? All these years of friendship are going to end here!¡±

    Su Nan felt conflicted and she hugged Xi Xiaye dearly as her voice turned hoarse. Even Mu Lingshi started to feel warmth and pressure behind her eyes.

    Maybe affection like this could only be thoroughly felt by them.

 Chapter 457 - Wedding (5)

    <h4>Chapter 457: Wedding (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye hugged Su Nan and took a deep breath, then patted Su Nan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. Why are you making this so sad? No matter what, our friendship willst forever. Nothing will ever change it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Su Nan, you¡¯re overthinking. Husbands and friends don¡¯t conflict with each other. My brother is quite an open person. He never limits Sister-inw¡¯s freedom even after they got married anyway, so you can always call her up and have fun together.¡±

    Mu Lingshi patted Su Nan¡¯s shoulder as well.

    Su Nan sniffled and looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°That¡¯s a promise then. I don¡¯t mind not being your top priority anymore, but remember that I¡¯m forever a good friend of yours. If you ever feel sad, I¡¯ll always wee you! But I guess Master Mu won¡¯t let something like this happen, will he?¡±

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and nodded.

    Su Nan let go of her as she wiped the tears of joy away.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s about time. Where¡¯s the wedding veil? The wedding veil...¡±

    The bunch started to get busy again.

    Xi Xiaye was barely ready when Mu Yuchen¡¯s car arrived outside. The bridesmaids were ready and raring to go as well.

    Li Si and Ah Mo knocked on the door.

    ¡°Congrattions, Missus! The car is here. Let¡¯s have the bride board quickly. Everyone¡¯s waiting!¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked out of the door slowly with the help of Mu Lingshi and her two other bridesmaids.

    The sun shone upon her as she walked down the staircase. With amazing weather, the breeze was cool and gentle, apanied by a pleasant fragrance in the air. She could also hear the soft susurration of the fountain in front.

    The beautifully wedding-decorated car was parked right in front of the fountain with arge fleet of cars escorting behind.

    All of this seemed too good to be true.

    ¡°Get in, Sister-inw. It¡¯s quite a long way there! Everyone¡¯s waiting for the most beautiful bride in the world!¡±

    After seeing Xi Xiaye remaining stationary for a while, Mu Lingshi grabbed her hand with a grin.

    With a curt nod, Xi Xiaye lifted her long dress and walked slowly to the car. Su Nan and the others got into the car together. Behind them were the bridesmaids, some rtives, and friends.

    The car started moving towards their destination.

    Soon after the car started moving, Xi Xiaye noticed that she was starting to get nervous. Her palms in the white gloves were sweating as her face started to blush as well.

    Mu Lingshi and Su Nan smiled on the inside when they saw her. Su Nan handed Xi Xiaye her phone. Taking it, she then nced at the both of them before she lowered her head and struggled for quite a while before calling Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen was on the way to their destination when he received Xi Xiaye¡¯s call. His best men Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were sitting beside him.

    They were looking dapper in their cool, ck suits with a boutonniere in their chest pockets, furtherplimenting their looks!

    Mu Yuchen took his vibrating phone out. When he saw the iing call, his expression turned gentle as he picked up the call. ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s anxiety eased a little when she heard the familiar voice. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re on the way there. What about you?¡±

    ¡°Arriving soon,¡± he replied.

    She frowned slightly and held her chest as she took a deep breath and mumbled, ¡°Mu Yuchen... I... I feel nervous... It feels like I can¡¯t breathe...¡±

    He startedughing. ¡°What¡¯s there to be nervous about? I¡¯m not even nervous about marrying you. It¡¯s just a wedding, alright?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help being nervous. I¡¯m not even this nervous when meeting a big client for the first time!¡± Xi Xiaye ranted, then she took a deep breath and tried to slow her quick heart rate down.

    Su Nan and Mu Lingshi could not hold in theirughter anymore. They covered their mouths and looked at Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchenughed as well while heforted her, ¡°Your Mr. Mu is a good man. He can be presentable on the outside as well as perform well at household tasks too. You won¡¯t lose anything marrying him. Just remember that. What you need to do next is to hold onto him without letting go. Use all your charm to keep him in check and that¡¯ll be enough. Got it?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Okay, stop being nervous. We¡¯ll see each other soon, alright?¡±

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

    Xi Xiaye calmed down a little after the phone call although Su Nan and Mu Lingshi were still giggling.

    On Mu Yuchen¡¯s end, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo smiled as well. They could not imagine that the usual cold Mu Yuchen would be this gentle to a woman.

    Could love really change a person so much?

    Su Chen thought about the question seriously. He squinted and looked at Mu Yuchen who was still smiling dreamily as he exchanged nces with Zhou Zimo who just gave him a shrug.

    Naturally, Mu Yuchen noticed their reactions and he nced at them. ¡°What are the two of you looking at?¡±

    ¡°What? We found something unimaginable! Did love really just transform you into such a gentle man, Ah Chen?¡±

    Su Chen sounded doubtful. ¡°Are you really so in love with her? Why don¡¯t you tell us what¡¯s so fantastic about her that has made you fall head over heels for her?¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded as well. ¡°I¡¯m quite curious myself. Maybe your sharing with us can be a reliable reference to us. Looking for a partner can be easier if there¡¯s a target.

    Mu Yuchenughed and shook his head. ¡°Maybe love isn¡¯t about how good that person is. It¡¯s about getting used to that person, so you just like the feeling of being with her. You just want to stay by her side. That¡¯s it.¡±

 Chapter 458 - Wedding (6)

    <h4>Chapter 458: Wedding (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Mu Yuchen said this, the two of them instantly fell silent. They exchanged a look and seemed to somewhat understand what he meant.

    Su Chen felt something flutter inside his heart.

    Was it really all that rare?

    He was not sure why, but he suddenly felt a little excited for his own love story to unfold. Then again, would it really happen to him?

    For many people, things like true love were something that one could onlye across and not beg for. Even if he was Su Chen, he dared not lightly greet it, but now since this fellow, Mu Yuchen, had it too, then he and Zhou Zimo should not fare too badly, should they?

    They were both good people. Oh no, they were both good men!

    ¡°Right, Chen, I heard that your parents-inw didn¡¯t make it. What are you going to tell your wife?¡± Zhou Zimo suddenly remembered this. This morning, he saw that Ah Mo was secretly anxious, trying to find a way to contact them, yet there was no news. They were not sure if something had happened, and they dared not tell Xi Xiaye.

    When he asked this, Mu Yuchen paused for a moment, then abruptly put his phone away.

    ¡°I believe that they love Xiaye. If they really want us to have a perfect wedding with no regrets, they woulde,¡± he calmly said and did not continue.

    ( B oxnovel.c om ) At this moment, the car slowly drove into the car park at their destination.

    The wedding ceremony was going to take ce at a church by the seaside of this quiet and beautiful small town. It was a very antique church that had towered silently by the seaside for centuries now, having weathered through wind and storms and great changes. It had also witnessed numerous asions of joys and happiness.

    The road towards the church unwound through the old street of the small town called West Street. Both sides of West Street had extremely unique architecture. The road stretched out straight ahead. In the evenings, when you stood on one end of the street, you could see the sunlight glinting on the surface of theke at the other end of the street, especially the sunset. When that happened, the entire street would be engulfed in soft, golden light. It looked just like an old street from ancient times, bearing numerous happiness andughter.

    This was also a very famous scenic spot in the small town. The locals called it the hope of dusk.

    Sunset, an afterglow, the church, the sea, the ancient town, and long streets...

    Walking the streets amidst the afterglow of sunset was a scene that no doubt gave one a huge sense of belonging.

    The wedding that he wanted to give her included all of this!

    At that moment, a beautiful red carpet extended from one end of West Street to the other while the streetlights that stood on both sides were tied with champagne roses that swayed willfully in the cold breeze. There were red and yellow ribbons that decorated the ce too. Both sides of the street were filled with people standing to offer their blessings and attend the wedding.

    The car steadily stopped at the carpark and the door opened quickly. Su Chen, Mu Yuchen and the buddies slowly alighted.

    ¡°Wow, there are quite a lot of people! Tonight, the entire town¡¯s bustling with celebration! It¡¯s a castle banquet!¡± Su Chen raised his brows and looked at Mu Yuchen beside him in delight.

    Still, Mu Yuchen remained calm as he took a careful look at him. With one hand casually stuck into his pocket, he walked over to the red carpet and calmly walked past under the floral arch. He walked to the other end of West Street while Su Chen and Zhou Zimo stopped at the start of the red carpet.

    With Mu Yuchen¡¯s appearance, the crowd could not help but cry out in surprise with hands over their mouths.

    Dressed in an all-white tuxedo with golden embroidered corners, the borders of his bow tie carried a ssic style. His fine ck hair went with his handsome face that was colored with a rarely seen gentleness. He looked extraordinarily honorable and graceful, reserved and profound, and coolly distant as he usually was.

    ( B oxnovel.c om ) When he reached the end of the red carpet, he stopped. The sun was gradually setting, stretching his tall shadow. Not too far away, the surface of theke refracted golden light of varying depths. Apanied by the swaying ribbons, it all seemed to look dream-like and surreal.

    The Mu family was waiting at the end of the walkway. With the halt of Mu Yuchen¡¯s steps, the crowd started to gaze at the other end of the red carpet in anticipation, awaiting the bride¡¯s appearance.

    When the car drove into the street, it was already close to sunset.

    ¡°The car¡¯s here! The bride is here!¡±

    With the rise of exmations, the crowd swiveled to look. Indeed, the car had already stopped on the other end of the walkway.

    The door opened very quickly, and Mu Lingshi swiftly got down. She subconsciously studied at the crowd and could not hide the joyous smile on her face. She turned to Xi Xiaye and said cheerfully, ¡°Sister-inw, we¡¯re here! Get down.¡±

    Yet, Xi Xiaye did not move in the car. Instead, she looked down at the phone in her hand, her exquisite and beautiful face holding a mix of emotions. Her eyes shifted uneasily too. She looked up at Mu Lingshi and asked sadly, ¡°Did my father and mother note?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Lingshi instantly fell silent.

    ¡°Xiaye, Aunty Shen¡¯s eyes made it inconvenient for her. Mayor Xi was worried too, so he stayed to look after her. Don¡¯t worry, your grandpa came!¡± Su Nan coaxed her as she gently held her.

    Xi Xiaye gently frowned. Sadness could not help but color between her brows as disappointment graced her expression. Then, she fell silent.

    There was no movement from the car for a while. The waiting crowd started to find it a little odd, and puzzled voices could be heard. Even Mu Lingshi could not help but be worried.

    ¡°Alright, Sister-inw, aren¡¯t we all here? My brother¡¯s still waiting for you. Don¡¯t think too much. We...¡±

    Before Mu Lingshi could finish, a familiar and deep voice was suddenly heard.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Startled, she subconsciously looked up towards the sound of the voice and saw Xi Mushan in a ck tuxedo as he stood behind Mu Lingshi. Beside him was Shen Wenna in a Qinghua porcin patterned <i>qipao </i>!

    They seemed travel-worn!

    Shen Wenna currently wore a pair of sunsses as Zhuang Shurong guided her. The few of them looked toward her.

    All of them had smiles pasted on their faces as they silently watched her.

    Xi Xiaye then jolted back from her shock and quickly got down from the car as she lifted her dress.

    She walked up to Shen Wenna, suddenly feeling bitterness in her throat. She softly called out to them, ¡°Father, Mother!¡±

    ¡°Xiaye...¡± Shen Wenna called out her name too as she subconsciously reached her arms out. Xi Xiaye quickly went up and gently held both her hands. ¡°Mother!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t say too much now. I hope that you can be good to yourself. From now on, you have to learn how to be a good wife. Ah Chen¡¯s not bad, so you must be happy with him, got it?¡±

    As Shen Wenna said this, her hands that held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands suddenly tightened.

 Chapter 459 - Wedding (7)

    <h4>Chapter 459: Wedding (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Shen Wenna dished her advice out, Xi Xiaye felt her eyes turn hot. She held her hand tightly and nodded. In a raspy voice, she said, ¡°Mmm, I will, Mother! You and Father... must be happy too.¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye turned to look at Xi Mushan who just watched the two of them with a sunken expression. His eyes that had gone through so much in these years were mixed with too many emotions.

    There were all sorts of emotions such as regret, a reluctance to part, and cherish.

    Shen Wenna did not answer her. She just patted the back of her hand and said, ¡°Go and get your happiness, Xiaye!¡±

    She tugged Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and handed it to Xi Mushan.

    Xi Mushan then reached into his pocket for a white glove before he put it on, and then held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand to walk toward the red carpet.

    With Xi Xiaye¡¯s appearance, the crowd eximed once again?

    Dressed in a strapless wedding dress that was as white as snow with a blossoming rose on her left bosom designed to conceal her wound, her beautiful long hair was pulled into a bun. Pink pearls adorned her locks and a diamond crown perched atop her head. The ne on her chest and her veil draped down, merging with the long train behind her. Itplemented her and entuated her slender and elegant figure, highlighting her pure and beautiful akin to an out-of-reach goddess.

    She had just stepped on the red carpet when the melodious sound of the violin began the prologue of the ritual. Amidst the gentle and beautiful sound of the piano, someone was softly crooning along to it. With the sound of salvo, colorful confetti flickered and swayed as it fell gently from the ceiling.

    Gasps of surprise heralded many familiar faces that appeared on the multimedia screen on the side.

    Her assistant, Xiao Mei, was waving to her from the screen and smiling. ¡°Chairman Mu is a great person, Director Xi! Marry him and be happy!¡±

    Others than appeared on-screen were Vice President Zhang Lan, Vice President Liu, and the rest.

    ¡°Director Xi, marry Chairman Mu. Wishing you all the happiness in the world!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, marry Mu Yuchen!¡±

    ¡°Sis Xiaye, marry Bro Mu!¡±

    ...

    ¡°The 999th wish! Xi Xiaye, marry Mu Yuchen and live happily ever after! Yay!¡±

    The entire video rapidly cut through with wishes from all over the world. Among those that wished her, she knew some of them, but most of them she did not. Some came from City Z, while some came from cities all over the world such as New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Scond, and Irnd.

    There were different historical sites and scenic spots behind them. You could tell that to collect these videos, he had put a lot of effort in.

    The video had just finished when Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes started to tear up undernearth her veil.

    Xi Mushan held her hand all the way as they walked towards Mu Yuchen. As they reached Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were already wet from tears and the soft light embraced them.

    Xi Mushan stopped his steps, and Mu Yuchen walked up to her. He bowed respectfully to Xi mushan, and then solemnly took her hand from Xi Mushan who smiled dly. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Xiaye in your hands from now on. You must make her happy. Got it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I will protect her for the rest of her life.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded gently and then retreated to the side.

    Mu Yuchen looked down at Xi Xiaye before him as his handsome face brimmed with a faint gentleness. He reached out to carefully lift her veil, revealing that exquisite and beautiful face of hers.

    In that instant, his silent eyes could not help but find her stunning. He only snapped back a while after that while Xi Xiaye looked at him with her twinkling and misty eyes.

    He smiled calmly, and then took a blossoming champagne-colored rose from the tray that the emcee held to tie around her wrist before handing her the wedding bouquet.

    She appeared absolutely ravishing in her wedding dress, corsage, and bouquet.

    He nted a kiss on the back of her hand like a gentleman and then held her hand as they walked towards the church ahead.

    The sound of the ancient clock could be heard chiming.

    ng ng ng!

    The sound of a soft and soothing tune was heard. Despite its gentle lull, it had a very festive vibe to it. It was not the usual wedding march-in tune. Apparently, he had specially hired someone topose a one-of-a-kind number for their wedding.

    He held her hand and walked through the floral arch. Gracefully, they walked along the red carpet one step at a time into the serene and dignified church. Wang Hui and the rest had long been waiting inside. When they saw them walk in hand in hand, the crowd could not help but be infected by their happiness. Su Nan was already in tears of joy. She covered her face as she blinked her misty eyes while watching the two of them walk in. Beside her, Ruan Heng was smiling ear to ear too. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were already standing in their groomsmen positions. Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were also standing side by side, quietly watching the bride and groom walk along the red carpet toward them.

    Actually, for this wedding ceremony abroad, Mu Yuchen did not invite many people. The guests were only those that they were close to. It was a very low-profile and notvish wedding. Perhaps this was the key that belonged to him and Xi Xiaye. Amidst the subdued ordinary, they did not lose their warmth and spark, sharing a quiet kind of happiness.

    He hoped that such happiness could continue on like this until the end of their lives, and when this lifetime ended, there would be the next lifetime and the next...

    When they reached the pastor, the two of them stopped.

    ¡°Do you, Mr. Mu Yuchen, agree to take this beautiful Miss Xi Xiaye beside you as your wife, for richer or for poorer? Are you willing to treasure her for life?¡± the pastor asked with a kind smile.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and calmly nodded, then he answered solemnly, ¡°I, Mu Yuchen, agree to take Xi Xiaye as my wife for life.¡±

    ¡°Do you, Miss Xi Xiaye, agree to take this handsome man beside you, Mr. Mu Yuchen, as your husband? Do you agree that no matter what happens, you¡¯ll forever be by his side and treasure him?¡±

    A while after the pastor finished, Xi Xiaye did not answer. She just widened her teary eyes and looked at him, then nodded. Her calm and gentle voice was emotional as she whispered, ¡°I agree to apany Mu Yuchen for life.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu Yuchen, you may now kiss your wife. May God bless your happiness forever!¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to brush aside her veil. Then, he lowered his head to nt a kiss on her lips. Cheers and blessings erupted in the venue as the soothing tunes that had stopped began again.

    ¡°Missus, you look very beautiful today,¡± he whispered softly by her ear, ¡°You must be an angel sent by God to seduce me.¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye finally could not help but reach out to hug him passionately.

 Chapter 460 - Wedding Party (1)

    <h4>Chapter 460: Wedding Party (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He hugged her tightly as he felt her grip around his waist tighten.

    ¡°I suddenly feel really overjoyed. You¡¯ll be this good to me forever, won¡¯t you?¡± she asked in her slightly hoarse voice. This happiness felt surreal and she was afraid that she might wake up one day and realize it was all just a dream. If this was a dream, she would rather stay asleep forever.

    Would the warmth stay there forever?

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m always yours, Xiaye,¡± he called her name and her heart softened as his voice reached her ears. She suddenly had the urge to cry.

    He lifted her up easily and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s our happy day. Why are you crying? It should be our wedding party now. If you¡¯re really grateful for me, thenpensate me in the bedroom tonight, okay?¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± She turned her head away as her face blushed. ( B oxnovel.c om )

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s our official first night together. I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a very long time. Aren¡¯t you looking forward to it?¡± he whispered beside her ears.

    ¡°That passed a long time ago!¡± She shot him a re.

    He went quiet as he remembered about their first time. A smile appeared on his handsome face. ¡°That just means fate dictated that you belong to me. Everything of yours will be mine.¡±

    She had given all she had to him, so there was no reason for him not to protect and love her.

    ...

    The wedding party was held at an ancient castle nearby. It was a grand feast, most of the guests were tourists and nearby locals.

    Complete with the wedding dress, the meaningful wedding, the old church, and the mysterious and beautiful castle, he actualized her dream of marrying a prince as a princess, fulfilling her deep wish.

    The sun was setting when they arrived at the castle. The golden sphere shrouded the quiet castle in a gentle light as he walked up the stairs into the castle with her in his arms. Her white veil gently hovered above the red carpet, and the sunset caught this whole scene in action. At this beautiful moment, the whole world seemed to have stopped.

    As they walked past the entrance of the castle, countless ribbons swayed along with the wind as if they were heralding their arrival.

    The red carpet stretched long ahead. Carrying her in his arms, he paused for a moment when they reached the entrance as the thick and huge door opened slowly. A unique fragrance wafted from inside as the old bells started ringing.

    Xi Xiaye could feel the breeze from straight ahead while Mu Yuchen continued forward after the door opened. Inside was a high and spacious hall. The whole castle seemed quiet and dark. The only source of light inside was a flickering blue me on the wall.

    When they pushed the doors open, the sunlight streamed in as well.

    He halted mid-step as he walked down the staircase. Suddenly, cheerful singing voices came from the front. Before Xi Xiaye could react, she felt a cold breeze blow past her as countless lights intersected the space before her.

    Ka!

    The chandelier by the ceiling suddenly lit up, filling every corner of the castle with a pure and mysterious blue light.

    Colorful ribbons rained over them and Xi Xiaye was stunned to see what unfolded before her. She struggled to get down, but Mu Yuchen eventually let her down and they both held their hands right before the grand scene that unfolded.

    Amidst the singing, Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked forward. Behind the rain of ribbons, Mu Lingshi and the others were there chanting hymns of blessings. Shen Yue pped along with the tune joyously as he looked at them lovingly.

    It was definitely a touching moment. She teared up again as she turned over to look at Mu Yuchen without uttering anything at that moment. All her words turned into a heartfelt kiss on his cheek.

    She thought that if everything that happened before was just for this moment, it was worth it. In the long life ahead of her, she would definitely revisit this moment countless times.

    He passionately fulfilled her deepest desires and made sure she imprinted this moment in her mind forever to remember in the future.

    She spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°Mr. Mu, thank you for all that you¡¯ve given me.¡±

    He hugged her and smiled. ¡°Silly, you¡¯re my wife! Everything that¡¯s mine belongs to you.¡±

    ¡°You really love me, don¡¯t you?¡± she asked gently.

    ¡°Have what I¡¯ve done so far not been enough to prove so? No matter how good others can be, you will always be the apple of my eye,¡± he replied almost instantly. His moving words removed the veryst ounce of trauma that was left inside her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you for the rest of my life. I only want to care for you,¡± he whispered into her ear as they walked forward.

    Xi Xiaye felt like she had fallen into a pool of honey and did not want to get out. ( B oxnovel.c om )

    All the lights inside the castle were lit. Xi Xiaye could see the crowd gathering in the hall through the lights. Everyone was already sitting by the tables with huge smiles on their faces and giving them their blessings.

    Shen Yue, Wang Hui, and the others came up to them.

    ¡°So beautiful! You¡¯re the loveliest bride ever! Good job, Xiaye!¡± Wang Hui looked at Xi Xiaye andplimented her.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye traded nces with each other before nodding graciously together.

    ¡°Grandpa, Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, thank you!¡± They politely bowed in gratitude before Shen Yue and the others.

 Chapter 461 - Wedding Party (2)

    <h4>Chapter 461: Wedding Party (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Yue pulled them up. He grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand and put it onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s as a smile spread across his face. ¡°You two have taken your marriage certificate, and now the wedding isplete. Be good to each other and take care of one another, alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye teared up a little listening to her grandpa. She nodded. ¡°I understand, Grandpa!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry and leave her in my hands. I¡¯ll never let her down.¡± Mu Yuchen held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands and smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave her in your hands then.¡± Shen Yue patted their hands as his voice went quiet.

    ¡°Alright now. Xiaye has married into the Mu family, so what¡¯s there to be worried about? We almost became inws back then as well. Now, everyone¡¯s happy. I think it ended well. Xiaye marrying Chen Er is great. I¡¯m just so happy right now! I don¡¯t care. The two of you need to quickly give me a great-grandchild soon. Don¡¯t worry about anything else!¡±

    It was Wang Hui who had spoken. Mu Yinan, Xi Mushan, Shen Wenna, and even Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong came over as well along with Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°I agree! I want a great-grandchild too!¡± Shen Yue nodded in agreement with Wang Hui¡¯s words as the crowd around them startedughing.

    ¡°Bro, Sis-inw, that¡¯s a tough mission right there. We¡¯ll be waiting for your good news.¡± Mu Lingshi shrugged.

    ¡°You and Ah Mo too. We¡¯ll be preparing for the two of you soon.¡± Wang Hui red at her immediately.

    ¡°Why is the attention on me now?¡± Mu Lingshi frowned and narrowed her eyes at Wang Hui. She nced at Ah Mo and noticed that he was looking at her wistfully. She trembled slightly as she hung her head.

    Ah Mo looked down as well.

    ¡°Alright, the banquet is about to start. Ah Shi, apany your sister-inw to change.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong held Shen Wenna¡¯s arm as she smiled. ¡°Wenna, Xiaye is really beautiful in her wedding dress. She reminds me of you back then. Thank you for giving birth to such a wonderful daughter-inw for us.¡±

    Shen Wenna smiled back at her. ¡°Xiaye has a lot of shorings as well. I hope you will tolerate her and love her. Her father and I... We¡¯ve gone through a lot throughout the years. We feel guilty towards her and we just hope that she can live happily with Ah Chen.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! I¡¯ll be sure to treat her as if she¡¯s my own daughter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved then. I¡¯m not sure about the others, but I can always count on you, Ah Rong!¡±

    The crowdughed once again.

    Mu Lingshi and the two other bridesmaids came to her. ¡°Sister-inw, let¡¯s go and get changed. We¡¯re all waiting for another grand appearance of yours tonight! I¡¯m not quite sure how great my brother¡¯s dancing is, but we¡¯ll wait for your performance tonight!¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and caressed her slightly messy veil. ¡°Change out of the wedding dress. It seems pretty heavy to wear.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too gorgeous. I don¡¯t feel like taking it off,¡± Xi Xiaye nced at herself and mumbled.

    He smiled. ¡°The wedding dress is yours. You can keep it and just wear it whenever you want.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen anyone wearing a wedding dress to shop? What a waste... I can only wear this beautiful dress once.¡±

    She looked at her wedding dress and then at him. Then, she adjusted his slightly creased tie as a tiny hint of tear could still be seen at the corner of her eysh.

    ¡°Just remember this moment.¡±

    He grabbed her hand, lowered his head and kissed her.

    ...

    After that, Xi Xiaye, Mu Lingshi, and the others went to the dressing room.

    Xi Xiaye changed into a normal dress. As newlyweds, they had to drink quite a lot tonight, luckily with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo around, the newlyweds were still sober after one whole round of drinking, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were starting to get dizzy, they were just sitting on the chairs even when the bridesmaid asked them for a dance.

    The sky turned dark. It was a clear night with countless stars in the sky and things were getting lively inside the castle. Many people from the small town attended the wedding. Whether they were people they knew or not, they were all here to witness this grand and romantic wedding.

    A band was churning out some cheerful tunes in the hall and many people were already on the dance floor. Even Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were twirling to the music.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were barely sober enough to perform the opening dance. After the dance, they just went back to their seats to rest. Luckily, Xi Xiaye made Su Nan prepare an anti-alcoholic remedy beforehand, so they took it secretly and managed to calm down a little.

    The banquet continued on untilte at night until the newlyweds were exhausted. Mu Yuchen sneaked Xi Xiaye away after telling Wang Hui just in case someone disturbed themter!

    Itter proved Mu Yuchen right!

    The moment after they left, Su Nan, Zhou Zimo and the others were ready to go to their room to tease the couple. When they arrived at their room, there was no one inside, so they asked Ah Mo. Then, they found out that Mu Yuchen never nned toe back here at all. He had brought Xi Xiaye to another hotel in town!

    That bastard, Mu Yuchen!

    What a sly person!

    Su Chen and the others scolded him on the inside. They wanted to look for them but had no idea which hotel they had gone to, so they went drinking with Ah Mo instead.

    On the other hand, inside a ck car on a smaller road towards the manor, Mu Yuchen smirked as he watched the car in front drive away.

 Chapter 462 - Darkened (1)

    <h4>Chapter 462: Darkened (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye watched the car with Su Chen and the others inside drive away as she asked, ¡°Is it really okay for us to trick them like this?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? If they are really here to mess things up, we¡¯re not going to get our own time tonight at all!¡±

    Before she could react, he left the car swiftly and opened the door on her side. He lifted her up in his arms as he walked back to their room.

    He put her down on the sofa right as soon as they arrived at the room. Then, he poured her a ss of water before taking her shoes off. As he expected, her toes had be a little swollen, probably from standing the whole night.

    She moved her feet away awkwardly when she saw him staring at them. ncing at him, she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve been standing for too long. I didn¡¯t know having a wedding can be this tiring.¡±

    ¡°How rxing did you think it¡¯d be?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head and drank some of the water. Then, she put the ss aside and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her eyes were filled with stars and glitter as she peered at him ardently. ¡°The wedding today was really romantic and beautiful. I loved it. Thank you, Mr. Mu!¡±

    ¡°Anything for you, Mrs. Mu.¡±

    He looked at her smile and enjoyed the grateful nce from her. His heart softened like cotton candy as his hands wrapped around her slender body uncontrobly. His strength was so great that their body almost merged into each other¡¯s. He lowered his head and left a kiss on her warm, pink lips.

    He released all the passion he had inside him as their tongues shed. She started to grab onto his shirt and leaned against him helplessly. Soon, she found that her hands were fumbling to unbutton his shirt one button after another after she took his coat off.

    The temperature kept on rising. It was so hot that their sparks were almost burning the air. He almost lost control when her fingers went past his garment and reached his skin. He reached behind her back to look for the zip. However, he tried for quite a while and did not manage to find it. The two of them could not take it anymore.

    Zap¡ª

    With the sound of the garment tearing, her beautiful dress was ruined right there. He lifted her up and walked towards the bedroom.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and said, ¡°The zip is on the sides. It¡¯s a new dress!¡±

    ¡°Satisfy me and I¡¯ll get them to make you another hundred dresses tomorrow!¡±

    Before he could reply, he put her down on the bed as he jumped onto her. His kisses rained down on her and they did not even bother to switch on the lights. They could barely see each other¡¯s faces with the starlight that came through the window.

    Several pieces of clothing flew past in the dark. After a while, there was a quiet moan.

    Xi Xiaye could not reject him at all; she was together in this with him.

    ...

    However, both of them never noticed that their phones in the living room had been ringing for a while.

    Back in City Z, inside the CEO office of the Han Corporation, Han Yifeng seemed disappointed as he red at his darkened phone screen. He flung his phone onto the table as he put a hand on his forehead, his eyes glum.

    Han Yifeng turned around in his chair, looking at the sky through the windows and taking a deep breath. He felt depressed and terrible.

    Some things were left far away in the past. Once missed, there would be no chance of getting it back ever again.

    <i>I wish you happiness, Xiaye...</i>

    <i>Sorry...</i>

    Han Yifeng leaned back and closed his eyes. He was still out of it after a long while when a sudden knock on his door brought his senses back.

    Before he could reply, Secretary Wang came in.

    ¡°CEO Han, CEO Huang is here...¡± Before Secretary Wang could finish his sentence, Huang Ziyao had alreadye in herself.

    ¡°You can leave us,¡± Han Yifeng said coldly without even turning his chair around.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Han!¡± Secretary Wang left the room as Huang Ziyao went forward to Han Yifeng.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Huang Ziyao called out to him with a frown when she saw him just sitting in his chair without moving or even looking at her.

    ¡°What brings you here today, Mother?¡± Han Yifeng asked coldly, he took a deep breath with his eyes still closed.

    ¡°What brought me here? What¡¯s wrong with you not even picking up your phone? Do you know how worried we are about you? Aren¡¯t you going to do anything?¡±

    Huang Ziyao came to Han Yifeng¡¯s side, feeling pitiful and angry at the same time when she saw him sitting there seemingly defeated. ¡°What are you trying to do now? With all the ruckus with Xinyi, are you trying to divorce her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s between the two of us. Just leave us be. I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Han Yifeng said tiredly.

    He did not really want to care about Xi Xinyi and him anymore. He just hoped that he could rx quietly. With a strong desire to escape, he felt there was no way he could get out of this struggle. In fact, he was trapped even worse the more he struggled.

    <i>¡± </i>You¡¯ll handle it? If you could handle it, why would you be sitting here and not see anyone?¡±

    He was her son after all and Huang Ziyao knew him best.

    ¡°Xinyi looked for your grandfather. We know that you¡¯re trying to divorce her.¡± Huang Ziyao looked at Han Yifeng with aplicated expression and she continued after a pause, ¡°Your grandfather was furious after finding out about it. Just how long have you two been married? Do you think marriage is child¡¯s y?¡±

    Han Yifeng did not answer her. Instead, he asked a sarcastic question, ¡°What did she say?¡±

    ¡°Things are so tense between the two of you now along with Yueying¡¯s crisis recently...¡±

    ¡°Crisis? Didn¡¯t you and Father solve it for her behind my back? What else do you want me to say?¡± Han Yifengughed coldly.

    After Huang Ziyao and Han Yu spent a great fortune on Yueying¡¯s crisis, they managed to fill up half of the financial void. At the same time, Xi Xinyi agreed to let Yueying be under Qi Kai, and make it a subsidiary of Qi Kai

    Yueying barely escaped its doom while Xi Xinyi was still its CEO, and with a strong provider like Qi Kai behind it, thepany was salvaged!

    ¡°Yifeng, Xinyi still has your child in her womb. Your grandfather has been feeling unwell due to the recent incidents. You know how much he longs to see you marry and have a child, especially when bad things keep happening. He¡¯s ming himself for indulging you so much back then!¡±

 Chapter 463 - Darkened (2)

    <h4>Chapter 463: Darkened (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Huang Ziyao seemed rather disappointed.

    ¡°If everyone stopped you back then and made sure you and Xiaye got married, all of these wouldn¡¯t have happened today, especially with what happened to Yue Lings. I never expected her to be someone like that!¡±

    Huang Ziyao looked disgusted. ¡°Knowing Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were so close back then, it was odd enough that they got divorced. It was even odder that Xi Mushan betrayed Shen Wenna after finding out what happened... Xinyi as well... but even so, we can¡¯t just leave them alone. You know that your grandfather is a straightforward and stubborn person. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll agree to her abortion!¡±

    ¡°So, you mean she used the child to make a deal with you all?¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s frigid voice reached Huang Ziyao¡¯s ears as he gradually opened his eyes and looked at her coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s impossible to make her agree to divorce you instantly. You¡¯ll have to keep being her husband for these next one or two years, but after the child is born, it¡¯lle under the Han family and be totally unrted to Xi Xinyi, so the two of you can get divorced after two years.¡±

    Huang Ziyao¡¯s tone was heavy. ¡°Your grandfather agreed to these terms. Wait until things have calmed down first and it¡¯ll be easier for you as well. Give your vi to her aspensation. Yue Lingsi is still staying there right now, and your grandfather isn¡¯t going to care about someone like that, so this is what your father and I can do. We invested in Yueying using your name. I hope you can understand us, Yifeng. We¡¯re doing it for your own good as well as for others. Can you understand?¡±

    Han Yifeng remained silent for a long while, then he put on a bitter smile. ¡°What else can I say now? The two of you have taken all the necessary actions already. I just hope you won¡¯t regret it in the future.¡±

    He knew Xi Xinyi too well. Onepromise would not be enough to make her stop. She would just ask for more and moreter on.

    Now that he thought about it, every time after hepromised, it just built up the foundation for the next conflict. Unfortunately, he never calmed himself down to think about it properly. When he reflected back on the past now, he felt extreme heartache now.

    How could his prideful self ept this pathetic fact?

    ¡°Since you guys have done that, don¡¯t intervene between us anymore. I don¡¯t need you two to make decisions for me about every single thing. I¡¯m not against it if both you and Father want toe out of retirement. I¡¯m exhausted and I need some time alone.¡± He closed his eyes tiredly as he subtly asked her to leave.

    ¡°You grandfather hopes that you cane back home. He has something to discuss with you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. You two can just do whatever you want. The final decision is not mine to make anyway. My opinion isn¡¯t important.¡±

    ¡°Yifeng...¡± Huang Ziyao called out to him when she saw the wornout expression on his face. Han Yifeng turned his chair around as he pressed a button on the phone and asked Secretary Wang to send his guest out.

    ...

    After sending Huang Ziyao off, Secretary Wang asked Han Yifeng, ¡°CEO Han, should we investigate Yueying?¡±

    Han Yifeng pinched the space between his eyebrows as he shook his head. ¡°The Yue family was just waiting to see what the Han family will do anyway. Grandfather¡¯s actions are just to maintain the Han family¡¯s reputation. To a certain extent, he was trying to promote the Han Corporation¡¯s position.¡±

    He somewhat understood what the elder was thinking.

    ¡°Ms. Xinyi really overdid it. She actually used her child to threaten the Han family to help!¡± Secretary Wang frowned.

    ¡°Maybe this is the real her.¡± Han Yifeng smiled bitterly as his tone was filled with sarcasm.

    ...

    Morning arrived and the sun rose in the east side of the sky.

    Mu Yuchen woke up early. Xi Xiaye was still asleep after he washed up, but he did not wake her up. Instead, he changed into a clean outfit and brewed himself a pot of tea by the veranda.

    ¡°Master, there¡¯s news from Los Angeles!¡± Ah Mo came over anxiously while Mu Yuchen stood beside the railing as he looked out at the sunrise with a cup of tea in his hand.

    Mu Yuchen paused when he heard Ah Mo and his eyes brightened as he sipped some tea. Still, his voice was still calm as usual. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°We found something. Master, look! These are the photos they took. See who this looks like!¡± Ah Mo quickly handed a document to him.

    Mu Yuchen nced at Ah Mo before taking the document from him. The document contained records of the recentlyunched investigations with several photos.

    It was clear that a woman was in the photo, but it was only a side profile. One could identify her facial features, but it was not clear enough to truly recognize who it was.

    Mu Yuchen stared at that photo for a while before his eyes turned hard.

    ¡°They noticed Ah Bo and the others. This is the best shot they could take. This woman is just right there! Just from her side profile, doesn¡¯t she remind you of someone?¡± Ah Mo was getting anxious. ¡°I haven¡¯t told Lingshi about it yet. If this is really...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her, Gu Lingsha,¡± Mu Yuchen replied before Ah Mo finished his sentence. His expression darkened as it turnedplicated.

    ¡°Is that really her?¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s heart jumped when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s response and his heart started to ache.

    Mu Yuchen drank his tea calmly as he put the document in his hand onto the table beside him. There was some sorrow hidden in his eyes.

    ¡°So, that means Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha are alive, and they are hiding near Los Angeles? But, Master, Ah Bo camped out for a long time and only saw this woman as well as the servants. There¡¯s no sign of Qi Feng anywhere! If this woman really is Gu Lingsha, where¡¯s Qi Feng? Where could he be? Wasn¡¯t he rescued with Gu Lingsha back then?¡± Ah Mo voiced out his doubts.

 Chapter 464 - Dark Waves (1)

    <h4>Chapter 464: Dark Waves (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen sat down on the chair casually with a calm expression. He looked down at his cup of tea without saying anything.

    ¡°Master, should we keep an eye on this woman?¡± Ah Mo asked quietly after a while.

    ¡°Investigate what happened to her in the past few years and inform me once you find anything,¡± Mu Yuchen gave his order coldly as he drank some tea. ¡°I want detailed information as well as the situation about the Gu family.¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned for a moment, but he quickly nodded after a while. ¡°Yes, Master! Actually, I¡¯ve been keeping track of the Gu family in secret. They haven¡¯t taken any notable actions, and I don¡¯t see the Gu familying into contact with the Qi family either. Except for some necessary business matters, there wasn¡¯t any news about Gu Lingshi from the Gu family¡¯s side as well. I suspect that the Gu family knows Gu Lingsha is still alive, so all these years...

    ¡°As for the Qi family, Qi Qiming never give Qi Lei any real power. I think he must be paving a path for Qi Feng who is still alive. However, with Wang Qin persistently pressuring him, he must¡¯ve thought about some trick to get Wang Qin off his back while he gathered people to back him up secretly. Wang Qin is too powerful and many people in Qi Kai don¡¯t really like her. In contrast, Qi Qiming took on the role of a generous and nice person. He has a pretty good reputation in thepany,¡± Ah Mo added on hesitantly. ( .c om )

    Mu Yuchen put his teacup down. ¡°How¡¯re things in City Z?¡±

    ¡°As you expected, Xi Xinyi went to look for Elder Han, and Yueying has be a subsidiary under Qi Kai while Xi Xinyi became the CEO, and they barely managed to escape the crisis, but Yueying only exists in name now. There¡¯s almost nothing left and barely anyone stayed. Most of them went elsewhere to start anew. Its sustainability is very questionable. They would need to rely heavily on Qi Kai to provide resources,¡± Ah Mo reported.

    A hint of sarcasm crossed Mu Yuchen¡¯s face and his tone was calm. ¡°Did the Han family invest in Yueying using Han Yifeng or the Han Corporation¡¯s name? I suppose they became one of Yueying¡¯s stakeholders and partners with Qi Kai, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Master! As you said, Han Yu and Huang Ziyao invested using Han Yifeng¡¯s name. They can still get the dividends after Yueying goes under Qi Kai. They¡¯re sly foxes! In case Yueying is developed in the future, that would greatly benefit them!¡± Ah Mo frowned.

    ¡°They¡¯ll surely get advantages out of it... A lot of advantages.¡±

    A cold light shed past Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he spoke. He picked the photos up to stare at it before putting it aside again. Then, he pointed at them. ¡°Compile this and send it to Wang Qin anonymously.¡±

    Send these to Wang Qin?

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes brightened after he heard Mu Yuchen. ¡°Smart move, Master! Wang Qin is probably dying to know about Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha more than anyone else. You just need to leak this information to her and they¡¯ll have conflict within themselves. This would serve as a guard against Qi Lei as well while we just sit aside and watch what happens.¡±

    ¡°Keep this a secret for now and don¡¯t alert anyone. Ask Ah Bo to investigate it thoroughly. You should walk around with Lingshi before heading back to City Z tonight. Are you prepared for the flight?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all ready. Lingshi is visiting a small town with Grandmother today. By the way, they asked if there¡¯s anything Missus needs to be delivered.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping. Ask someone to send it over if there¡¯s a need.¡± Mu Yuchen turned his head towards the bedroom. ( .c om )

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give them the orders then. We¡¯ll be heading back this evening. The banquet will be on the ninth. With all the work we¡¯ve been busy with, you can have a good rest now, Master.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s alright,¡± Mu Yuchen replied quietly as his expression softened. ¡°About Lingshi and you, isn¡¯t it about time to start preparing?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words caught Ah Mo off-guard. He looked at Mu Yuchen without knowing what to say. He just stood there quietly with aplicated expression. Feeling glum after remembering how Mu Lingshi ignored the hints he gave yesterday, he did not answer the question.

    Mu Yuchenughed as he lifted his teacup and took another sip. ¡°She¡¯s changed a lottely. I¡¯m sure you can feel it.¡±

    Ah Mo thought about it as he gave his reply, ¡°She¡¯s much more open-minded than before, especially after arriving here. Maybe she doesn¡¯t feel the suffocating pressure over here.¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Lingtian¡¯s incident, the two of you should have been married by now. Do you hate me for it?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his head and looked at him. From the look in his eyes, it was hard to guess what he thought.

    ¡°No, Master, whether it¡¯s Lingtian¡¯s incident or things between Lingshi and me, I¡¯ve never med you. You don¡¯t have to take on all the pressure alone. Both Lingshi and I know that you¡¯re the real victim here.¡± Mu Lingshi smiled and his face still seemed neutral. ¡°If I were more generous back then, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way, would they?

    ¡°Anyway, Master, Lingtian betrayed you first,¡± Ah Mo mumbled.

    Mu Yuchen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he opened his eyes and spoke calmly, ¡°That¡¯s Lingtian¡¯s own choice. If something has happened, it happened. We can¡¯t pretend it didn¡¯t happen just to push away the responsibility. Lingtian has his own choices and thoughts. I¡¯m not perfect too. At moments like this, I need to reflect on myself and not find faults in others.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I understand!¡± Ah Mo went quiet for a while before replying although his expression seemedplicated.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and closed his eyes. With a wave of his hand, Ah Mo left quietly.

 Chapter 465 - Dark Waves (2)

    <h4>Chapter 465: Dark Waves (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes as he heard Ah Mo¡¯s footsteps walking away. He grabbed the packet of cigarettes next to him, then took one out and lit it up.

    He turned back and grabbed the document and photos. After taking ast nce at it, he flicked the lighter.

    The fire soon consumed the document and photos, turning them into ashes inside the trash can beside him.

    He averted his gaze and looked at the bright morning sun, releasing a puff of smoke. Suddenly, a slender hand snatched the half-burnt cigarette between his fingers away. Her pleasant scent reached him as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t smoke too much. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡± Her slightly hoarse voice reached him as she extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± His voice sounded gentle as he looked at her quietly and asked, ¡°How much did you hear?¡±

    He signaled her to sit on hisp, so Xi Xiaye went along and sat on him.

    ¡°Around half of it,¡± she replied calmly as she looked into his eyes. ¡°Qi Qiming and you...¡±

    He ran his fingers through her long hair as he replied, ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s just some old conflict, so it has been ongoing. Don¡¯t worry about it, okay?¡±

    ¡°Was the ident that happened in City B back then nned? I know you¡¯ve been keeping an eye there. If you feel threatened, we can hire more bodyguards. I¡¯ve spoken to Ah Mo about it just now,¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she suggested.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter! Your Mr. Mu is pretty strong you know, what¡¯s there to worry about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him, ¡°How¡¯re things on Xi Xinyi¡¯s side? I didn¡¯t hear you mention it. Is Yueying...?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned. ¡°The Han Corporation funded her. Qi Kai bought over Yueying and it has now be a subsidiary under it while Xi Xinyi is the new CEO.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then grimaced as her eyes darkened. ¡°The Han Corporation? You mean Han Yifeng?¡±

    ¡°Do you think he wouldn¡¯t have helped? Do you trust him that much?¡±

    He looked at her with an odd smile and his tone sounded like he was teasing her. Xi Xiaye was irritated about it as she red at him. ¡°How would I know? Aren¡¯t I asking you about it now?¡±

    Heughed as a gentle expression appeared on his face. ¡°He was smart enough to use this chance to divorce Xi Xinyi. Unexpectedly, she went to Elder Han and probably used something to trade with them, so Han Yu helped her with the funds and the Yue family took action as well. The crisis no longer exists.¡±/

    ¡°What can Xi Xinyi possibly have to make a deal with the Han family? Haven¡¯t they been avoiding her ever since the incident? Moreover, with Yue Lingsi¡¯s scandal, the Yue family were furious.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen in confusion. She had no idea what happened in City Z during their time here since Mu Yuchen never mentioned anything to her.

    ¡°She might have something else up her sleeve, so they are still investigating, but we¡¯ll find out soon.¡±

    He took a sip from his cup of tea. ¡°We¡¯re taking the flight this evening. This morning...¡±

    ¡°I want to walk around with Mother,¡± she replied before he could finish the question. Mu Yuchen nced at her and just nodded.

    ...

    It was quiet by the seaside early in the morning. The warm sun covered the vast sky in its brightness as golden waves appeared across the ocean. Birds flew past in the sky, and the vines around the veranda swayed slightly with the wind.

    Shen Wenna could not see any of these sights. The only thing she could feel was the breeze that brushed past her face.

    Xi Mushan was there when Xi Xiaye arrived. The two of them went in to see Shen Wenna wide awake as she stood by the veranda for some fresh air.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Shen Wenna standing quietly on the veranda as she spoke to Xi Mushan, ¡°Father, since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s bring Mother to the hospital here. Mu Yuchen contacted a hospital in Los Angeles to see if there¡¯s any chance of cure for her.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded. ¡°Ah Chen told me about it. We probably won¡¯t be attending your banquet over there. Your mother hasn¡¯t been feeling very welltely. It must be pretty exhausting for her to travel, and it took me a long time to convince her to leave the country, so we left in a hurry.¡±

    Xi Mushan looked at Xi Xiaye apologetically. He had spent almost all his time with Shen Wenna recently. Fortunately, she was not as repent of him as before, probably having gotten used to him and she now epted him coldly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s okay. Mu Yuchen and I should¡¯ve stayed with her.¡±

    If this dark phase of her life could bring Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna back together again, that would be the best oue.

    ¡°Leave your mother to me. I¡¯ve always wanted to make up to her, so I want to do whatever I can.¡±

    Xi Mushan looked at Shen Wenna who was sitting on a rattan chair as his stern face softened. Now that he was older, he hoped to spend every passing second with his precious one.

    ¡°Whether she can see or not, I hope that I can be the one to stay by her side. Xiaye, don¡¯t worry about your mother. Finish your wedding with Ah Chen. He¡¯s arranged everything over here already.¡±

    ¡°She will be able to see again.¡±

    In the evening, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went back to City Z. Because Shen Yue was worried, he stayed back in the end. No one saw him when they were about to board the ne, and Xi Xiaye only found out after giving him a call.

    Xi Xiaye understood that Shen Yue was still unhappy with Xi Mushan. His expression hardened when he saw Xi Mushan at the wedding. If he were just a little bit less considerate, he would have made a fuss right there and then.

    In the end, Mu Yuchen asked Ah Mo to stay back as well since he would worry less with him there to help out.

    They were in a hurry because the banquet was to happen right after they get back, so they did not waste any time. They would settle everything on hand right now and see what woulde next.

 Chapter 466 - Dark Waves (3)

    <h4>Chapter 466: Dark Waves (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What is he doing here?¡±

    On the staircase, Shen Yue saw Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan sitting together on the long bench in the front yard, and his expression darkened.

    ¡°Elder CEO, he stayed because he¡¯s worried. That¡¯s what Master Mu and Xiaye hoped for as well. I think it¡¯s a pretty good idea. We¡¯ve been quite busy with worktely. Isn¡¯t it alright for him to be with her now?¡± Lan Zng spoke carefully with a smile on his face.

    Shen Yue narrowed his eyes and stared at Lan Zng coldly. ¡°Are you standing up for him right now?¡±

    ¡°CEO, I¡¯m just trying to look at this from Miss¡¯s perspective. I suppose she¡¯d like to have someone by her side, especially at a time like this. Didn¡¯t you realize that Ms. Na has been smiling moretely? It just feels that she¡¯s not as lifeless as before. Even though she gets angry sometimes, that helps her express herself too, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lan Zng gazed at the two of them on the long bench with a warm smile on his face.

    Shen Yue rolled his eyes at him. ¡°I don¡¯t see any of that. I only see an annoying person always being around my daughter, and I can¡¯t chase him away no matter what!¡±

    Suddenly, a quiet voice came from behind, making Shen Yue and Lan Zng turn around. They noticed Ah Mo behind them. ¡°Elder CEO Shen, Master and Missus really hope to see them get back together, and didn¡¯t you promise Master to just let them be? Nothing bad cane out of it if this can help resolve some of the regrets.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go back? You guys should be on the ne by now already, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± Shen Yue was surprised by Ah Mo¡¯s sudden appearance.

    ¡°Master is a little worried, so he asked me to stay back. The hospital has already been arranged and we¡¯ve contacted the doctor there. We¡¯ll head over to Los Angeles tomorrow. Professor Carl is very experienced in treating eye injuries and I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t disappoint us.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll head over quick tomorrow then. It¡¯ll be good to get him to take a look.¡±

    Shen Yue nced ahead again before continuing up the staircase.

    Lan Zng just nced at Ah Mo and said quietly, ¡°That¡¯s how the Elder CEO is. He kind of softened up already. It¡¯ll be alright soon. I bet Chairman Mu is worried about Elder CEO and Mushan.¡±

    Ah Mo responded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Master had some private matters for me to attend to as well which is why I stayed.¡±

    ...

    Shen Wenna was sitting on the long bench quietly while Xi Mushan sat right next to her.

    After some time, Shen Wenna spoke up, ¡°You can go back. There¡¯s no need for you to do this.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. That¡¯s why I stayed.¡± Xi Mushan gave a straightforward reply. Nothing else was more important anymore. He just wanted to be with her.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better if you stayed with Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi now since they need you,¡± Shen Wenna said coldly.

    Xi Mushan acted as if he did not notice her mocking. ¡°Wenna, I have nothing left now. I¡¯m not rted to Yue Lingsi anymore and Xinyi is an adult now. I just want to care about you for what¡¯s left of my life.¡±

    ¡°Xi Mushan, I feel sorry for you.¡±

    Naturally, she knew about Yue Lingsi infidelity. When she found out about it, she had the same shocked reaction as Xi Xiaye.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s feelings towards Xi Mushan and her possessive desire was on par with Shen Wenna¡¯s. However, she was just more cruel and unscrupulous. If Shen Wenna had toughened herself up back then, things would not have turned out this way.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s words stunned Xi Mushan. After a while, he put on a bitter smile. ¡°Yeah, I feel sorry for myself too.¡±

    ¡°We were too irrational and acted on impulse. Had we acted more logically...¡± Xi Mushan sighed.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes darkened and a depressed vibe gathered around her. ¡°No matter what, I shouldn¡¯t have let go. Time has punished us over so many years.

    ¡°You cannot say these things after making a mistake like that back then. What could you have done apart from letting go? You¡¯ll never understand how I felt when Yue Lingsi came back with Xi Xinyi and told me she was your daughter! Yue Lingsi always said she sacrificed a lot for you. If sacrifices and rewards can be bnced, what about the sacrifices that I¡¯ve made?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s empty eyes faced Xi Mushan. ¡°I betrayed the Shen family to follow you. I broke off my rtionship with my father. I gave up on Fuhua. I also gave up my prestigious family to join the Xi family. I have to face your parents. I had to put myself down and learn to be a good wife. How did you treat me in the end? How did your parents treat me? This world is unfair. You don¡¯t always get the same amount you put in. It¡¯s shameless of you to force others like this! Xi Mushan, none of you from the Xi family can be deemed good in my eyes!¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s anger exploded when all the grudges she had been holding rose to the peak.

    ¡°Do you know what made me look down on you the most? I can¡¯t stand that you couldn¡¯t even protect your own daughter. When Xiaye was used by your other daughter, where were you? You were having fun discussing marriage with the Han family! You¡¯re a failure as a husband, and even more so as a father.¡±

    ¡°Wenna, you know I was...¡±

    ¡°At that time what? Did you only care about yourself or the Xi family? If you could¡¯ve been decisive twenty years ago and quit your career like what you have now, at least, I¡¯d have been impressed!¡± Shen Wenna snorted coldly.

    ¡°You know it¡¯s not like that. I wished to be decisive more than anyone else! But have you thought about what the consequences would¡¯ve been if we just left the Xi family like that? The Yues and the Xis wouldn¡¯t just let us off easily. Moreover, Yue Lingsi brought Xi Xinyi back!¡±

    Shen Wenna was stunned. She almost forgot that there was Xi Xinyi as well!

    The most troublesome part was Xi Xinyi. She had been forced topromise because of her, not just for Xi Mushan, but for Xi Xiaye as well.

    <h4>Comments (14)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 467: Dark Waves (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After taking a deep breath in, Shen Wenna smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Yes, it was certain that Xi Xinyi was your daughter back then. I still remember how Yue Lingsi proudly showed me the DNA report that proved the rtionship between you and Xi Xinyi in front of me. Deng Wenwen even talked me down then. Look at her condition right now. Even Yue Lingsi¡¯s reputation has gone down the drain.¡±

    ¡°Maybe this is karma. I know Ah Chen and Xieye wish for us to get back together again, but I can tell you now that. I¡¯ll never marry you again. I only need to experience a marriage like that once,¡± Shen Wenna suddenly spoke after a long silence.

    Xi Mushan was stunned.

    He knew Shen Wenna very well. She must have steeled herself in order for her to say such words.

    His eyes suddenly darkened as he looked at Shen Wenna, then he smiled casually. ¡°Marriage doesn¡¯t matter since it¡¯s just a piece of paper. Moreover, I don¡¯t think we need those anymore. I don¡¯t really mind if that makes you feel better,¡± Xi Mushan spoke in a sentimental tone.

    Shen Wenna closed her eyes and stopped talking.

    Xi Mushan was really good at dealing with her pressure now. No matter how mean she was, he could still act like it was nothing.

    ...

    Early in the morning, assistant Yang Sheng visited Qi Lei with a gift box as he just arrived at the office. ¡°Master Qi, tomorrow is Chairman Mu from Glory World¡¯s banquet. CEO Wang wants Ms. Xian Er to be your partner, and this is the gift you asked me to prepare.¡±

    Glory World¡¯s Chairman Mu?

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. He took a pause before opening his drawer and taking a red invitation card out. Written inside were Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s names.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye...

    As he read these names, Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure appeared in his mind. He then recalled the drawing writing pad inside his bedside drawer.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    A woman like that...

    After falling silent for a moment, he stopped smiling as he raised his head and looked at Yang Sheng. ¡°I don¡¯t need a partner. Also, prepare me a golden rose. Make sure it¡¯s done by tomorrow night,¡± Qi Lei gave a direct order.

    ¡°A golden rose?¡±

    Yang Sheng was taken by surprise as he looked at Qi Lei in confusion.

    Qi Lei put on a wicked smile and exined, ¡°A rose made of gold. I want the shiniest material there is. The more eye-catching it is, the better! It would be great if there can be diamonds on it!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you...¡± Yang Sheng tried to ask.

    ¡°I have a use for it. Just prepare it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi, I¡¯ll work on it now!¡± Yang Sheng left after a brief reply, but as he opened the door, Xi Xinyi was standing right there, about to knock on it!

    Yang Sheng was surprised by Xi Xinyi¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Xi Xinyi? You...¡±

    Xi Xinyi wore a loose white dress with the baby bump bing more obvious. She appeared much better after Yueying¡¯s crisis was resolved. At least, she did not seem as lifeless as before.

    ¡°Is Master Qi inside?¡± Xi Xinyi asked as she nced at Yang Sheng coldly.

    Yang Sheng shrugged, not seeming very pleased. ¡°Wait here!¡±

    He then turned back to see that Qi Lei had turned his chair around and was facing therge window. ¡°Master Qi, Xi Xinyi is outside.¡±

    ¡°Let her in,¡± Qi Lei replied briefly.

    Yang Sheng then let her in.

    ¡°Master Qi, why did you stop the two movies? Wasn¡¯t the progress going well?¡± Xi Xinyi barged inside and asked straightforwardly.

    ¡°You yourself should know what condition Yueying is in right now. The crisis just passed, but your funding is still insufficient. Even if you joined Qi Kai now, we needed to reevaluate the big projects that were under preparation before, and the results of our evaluation concluded that it¡¯s unsatisfactory, so it¡¯s being temporarily halted. Is there an issue?¡± Qi Lei replied calmly as he turned his chair around and looked pointedly at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think CEO Qi thinks the same.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Chenye Movies and Televisions film simr movies as well. The other two scripts before were pretty good, so we don¡¯t have to do the same thing as others.¡±

    Qi Lei then continued, ¡°I hope you can spend some time working on new titles, instead of using recycled ideas, Ms. Xi. Moreover, I can¡¯t trust the standards of the directors you recruited temporarily.¡±

    ¡°Why can they do it and we can¡¯t? Do you think we will lose to a newly establishedpany?¡±

    ¡°You should know better than me of Yueying¡¯s current situation. You¡¯re a smart person, Xi Xinyi. You don¡¯t need me to spell everything out for you, do you? Qi Kai isn¡¯t stupid. I know very well what you¡¯re nning.¡± Qi Lei smiled as he looked at Xi Xinyi.

    Suddenly, Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes darkened as she stared at Qi Lei coldly. She bit her lip and let out a coldugh. ¡°Master Qi, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but I do know that you can¡¯t decide on this matter by yourself!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then, who can decide around here?¡± Qi Lei nced at Xi Xinyi in disdain.

    He always disliked women like her. He had no idea what she had done to make Han Yu and the others help her on Han Yifeng¡¯s stead. To a certain extent, Han Yifeng became one of Qi Kai¡¯s stakeholders, just that his representative was now Xi Xinyi.

    Before Qi Lei could reply, the phone on the table started ringing.

    Qi Lei picked it up.

    ¡°Hello?¡± A deep and familiar voice came through.

    ¡°Who told you to stop the two movies Yueying was filming? Withdraw the instruction right now and let them continue.¡±

    ¡°One of the two movies was too explicit while the other one had too simr a style with Director Zhang who is now in Chenye Movies and Televisions. I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to withdraw your orders and let them continue. Forget about anything else and continue fooling around with your life!¡±

    The call was hung up after thatst sentence!

    Duu¡ª

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression turned stormy instantly.

 Chapter 467 - Dark Waves (4)

    <h4>Chapter 467: Dark Waves (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After taking a deep breath in, Shen Wenna smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Yes, it was certain that Xi Xinyi was your daughter back then. I still remember how Yue Lingsi proudly showed me the DNA report that proved the rtionship between you and Xi Xinyi in front of me. Deng Wenwen even talked me down then. Look at her condition right now. Even Yue Lingsi¡¯s reputation has gone down the drain.¡±

    ¡°Maybe this is karma. I know Ah Chen and Xieye wish for us to get back together again, but I can tell you now that. I¡¯ll never marry you again. I only need to experience a marriage like that once,¡± Shen Wenna suddenly spoke after a long silence.

    Xi Mushan was stunned.

    He knew Shen Wenna very well. She must have steeled herself in order for her to say such words.

    His eyes suddenly darkened as he looked at Shen Wenna, then he smiled casually. ¡°Marriage doesn¡¯t matter since it¡¯s just a piece of paper. Moreover, I don¡¯t think we need those anymore. I don¡¯t really mind if that makes you feel better,¡± Xi Mushan spoke in a sentimental tone.

    Shen Wenna closed her eyes and stopped talking.

    Xi Mushan was really good at dealing with her pressure now. No matter how mean she was, he could still act like it was nothing.

    ...

    Early in the morning, assistant Yang Sheng visited Qi Lei with a gift box as he just arrived at the office. ¡°Master Qi, tomorrow is Chairman Mu from Glory World¡¯s banquet. CEO Wang wants Ms. Xian Er to be your partner, and this is the gift you asked me to prepare.¡±

    Glory World¡¯s Chairman Mu?

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. He took a pause before opening his drawer and taking a red invitation card out. Written inside were Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s names.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye...

    As he read these names, Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure appeared in his mind. He then recalled the drawing writing pad inside his bedside drawer.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    A woman like that...

    After falling silent for a moment, he stopped smiling as he raised his head and looked at Yang Sheng. ¡°I don¡¯t need a partner. Also, prepare me a golden rose. Make sure it¡¯s done by tomorrow night,¡± Qi Lei gave a direct order.

    ¡°A golden rose?¡±

    Yang Sheng was taken by surprise as he looked at Qi Lei in confusion.

    Qi Lei put on a wicked smile and exined, ¡°A rose made of gold. I want the shiniest material there is. The more eye-catching it is, the better! It would be great if there can be diamonds on it!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you...¡± Yang Sheng tried to ask.

    ¡°I have a use for it. Just prepare it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi, I¡¯ll work on it now!¡± Yang Sheng left after a brief reply, but as he opened the door, Xi Xinyi was standing right there, about to knock on it!

    Yang Sheng was surprised by Xi Xinyi¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Xi Xinyi? You...¡±

    Xi Xinyi wore a loose white dress with the baby bump bing more obvious. She appeared much better after Yueying¡¯s crisis was resolved. At least, she did not seem as lifeless as before.

    ¡°Is Master Qi inside?¡± Xi Xinyi asked as she nced at Yang Sheng coldly.

    Yang Sheng shrugged, not seeming very pleased. ¡°Wait here!¡±

    He then turned back to see that Qi Lei had turned his chair around and was facing therge window. ¡°Master Qi, Xi Xinyi is outside.¡±

    ¡°Let her in,¡± Qi Lei replied briefly.

    Yang Sheng then let her in.

    ¡°Master Qi, why did you stop the two movies? Wasn¡¯t the progress going well?¡± Xi Xinyi barged inside and asked straightforwardly.

    ¡°You yourself should know what condition Yueying is in right now. The crisis just passed, but your funding is still insufficient. Even if you joined Qi Kai now, we needed to reevaluate the big projects that were under preparation before, and the results of our evaluation concluded that it¡¯s unsatisfactory, so it¡¯s being temporarily halted. Is there an issue?¡± Qi Lei replied calmly as he turned his chair around and looked pointedly at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think CEO Qi thinks the same.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Chenye Movies and Televisions film simr movies as well. The other two scripts before were pretty good, so we don¡¯t have to do the same thing as others.¡±

    Qi Lei then continued, ¡°I hope you can spend some time working on new titles, instead of using recycled ideas, Ms. Xi. Moreover, I can¡¯t trust the standards of the directors you recruited temporarily.¡±

    ¡°Why can they do it and we can¡¯t? Do you think we will lose to a newly establishedpany?¡±

    ¡°You should know better than me of Yueying¡¯s current situation. You¡¯re a smart person, Xi Xinyi. You don¡¯t need me to spell everything out for you, do you? Qi Kai isn¡¯t stupid. I know very well what you¡¯re nning.¡± Qi Lei smiled as he looked at Xi Xinyi.

    Suddenly, Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes darkened as she stared at Qi Lei coldly. She bit her lip and let out a coldugh. ¡°Master Qi, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but I do know that you can¡¯t decide on this matter by yourself!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then, who can decide around here?¡± Qi Lei nced at Xi Xinyi in disdain.

    He always disliked women like her. He had no idea what she had done to make Han Yu and the others help her on Han Yifeng¡¯s stead. To a certain extent, Han Yifeng became one of Qi Kai¡¯s stakeholders, just that his representative was now Xi Xinyi.

    Before Qi Lei could reply, the phone on the table started ringing.

    Qi Lei picked it up.

    ¡°Hello?¡± A deep and familiar voice came through.

    ¡°Who told you to stop the two movies Yueying was filming? Withdraw the instruction right now and let them continue.¡±

    ¡°One of the two movies was too explicit while the other one had too simr a style with Director Zhang who is now in Chenye Movies and Televisions. I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to withdraw your orders and let them continue. Forget about anything else and continue fooling around with your life!¡±

    The call was hung up after thatst sentence!

    Duu¡ª

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression turned stormy instantly.

 Chapter 468 - Each With An Axe To Grind (1)

    <h4>Chapter 468: Each With An Axe To Grind (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    While Xi Xinyi took in all of Qi Lei¡¯s reactions naturally, she could not help but put on a victorious grin.

    ¡°Well then? Master Qi? I told you that you don¡¯t get to decide on these things. In fact, you seem to have a prejudice against Yueying!¡±

    Xi Xinyi charming face curved with a sinister smile as she silently looked at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei flung his phone hard on the table and his eyes met with Xi Xinyi¡¯s delighted look, appearing a little sly and unfathomable. His handsome darkened face was colored with a freakish smile in the next second. ¡°It looks like you have a pretty good rtionship with my old man. You could actually get him to recognize your worth!¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he slowly leaned all the way back. ¡°You have quite a reputation. Even the Han family can¡¯t bear to look on without helping. It looks like Han Yifeng still cherishes you for old time¡¯s sake. You¡¯ve alreadye to this extent of a situation, and with your mother¡¯s scandal, the fact that he could endure it is really not bad.¡±

    When Qi Lei said all of this, his face brimmed with a smile that did not reach his eyes. You could not hear from his tone whether he was being rueful or sarcastic though the smile on his face looked exceptionally conspicuous to Xi Xinyi.

    Upon recalling Han Yifeng¡¯s indifference and heartlessness, Xi Xinyi was stunned for a moment. Her hands that fell by her side suddenly tightened their grip onto her skirt as her face colored with suppressed anger. ¡°Thank you, Master Qi, for yourpliments. I find myself very lucky to be able to get everyone¡¯s help too.¡±

    Only Xi Xinyi herself would know the amount of sacrifice she had to do for all of this help. The reason she was not willing to give up was that there was no way she could lose to Xi Xiaye! That witch framed her, schemed against her, and made her lose everything. No matter what, she had to get back at her!

    ¡°Oh, right, I heard that your sister, Xi Xiaye, and Glory World¡¯s Chairman Mu had their wedding abroad. Didn¡¯t I hear that you two sisters had a pretty amazing rtionship? I remembered when you were eager for me to be your brother-inw. Now that she¡¯s having her wedding, why didn¡¯t you go? Also, you could have brought Yueying to Glory World since that¡¯s your brother-inw¡¯spany,¡± Qi Lei teased as he looked at Xi Xinyi, his tone sounding sly.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression turned worse. She bit her lip and coldly looked at Qi Lei. Obviously, she knew that he had said it on purpose to see her miserable.

    Everyone knew that the reason for Yueying¡¯s crisis this time was Glory World¡¯s sudden departure. In fact, they brought with them a huge group of old shareholders and some precious resources, catching Yueying unprepared and exposing all of their financial loopholes. Even the banks came after them.

    ¡°Why are you looking all sad at me like that? I was just offering you a suggestion.¡± Qi Lei shrugged innocently. He looked amused and sarcastically at Xi Xinyi. Back then, when the Xi family wanted to send Xi Xiaye into his bed with the goal ofbining them with Qi Kai by marriage, he knew all about their intentions. In fact, Xi Xinyi had obscurely mentioned Xi Xiaye to him more than once, especially when she knew that he was interested in Xi Xiaye¡¯s identity as the Director of Glory World Corporation.

    ¡°Oh, right, I just remembered that you don¡¯t seem to have that fantastic a rtionship with your sister. She gave up on Han Yifeng, and instead got a gold mine like Mu Yuchen. I think that you don¡¯t feel too good about that, huh? They¡¯re having their wedding banquet at the Imperial Sky Hotel. Hmm, I wonder if they invited you?¡±

    Qi Lei had a taunting expression. You simply could not read any emotions from that expression of his.

    Xi Xinyi had heard about the banquet. Not many guests were invited to the banquet, but those that were seemed to be respected people. Qi Lei must have received the invitation too. After all, Qi Kai was coborating with Glory World in some projects.

    In fact, she knew that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had gone abroad for the wedding. She probably did not have the time to care about Yueying. Otherwise, Xi Xiaye probably would not have let her make aeback.

    Ever since Xi Mushan divorced Yue Lingsi, and after thetter¡¯s scandals were exposed, she had not seen him. Xi Xinyi did think of looking for him, but...

    Yue Lingsi was now akin to a crazydy. She stayed in Han Yifeng¡¯s vi and got drunk every day. She frequently cursed Shen Wenna orshed out about Xi Mushan. The Yue family ignored her most of the time. On one hand, they were also waiting for this news to die down by itself.

    When she thought about how she had fallen to this state while Xi Xiaye gloriously held her wedding, Xi Xinyi could not help but feel anger and unhappiness surface. She could not understand why although she fared better than Xi Xiaye in everything, Lady Luck had never been on her side.

    Why did the witch Xi Xiaye, who had just been dumped by Han Yifeng, turn around and immediately hook up with a perfect man like Mu Yuchen? He was someone with power and prestige, who even treated Xi Xiaye so well!

    As for Xi Xinyi?

    She did love Han Yifeng deeply, yet now he wished he could just kick her aside,pletely disregarding the child she had. That was enough to show Han Yifeng¡¯s indifference and heartlessness!

    Both of them had had numerous loving moments. Why did it turn so brittle in the face of reality? All the promises of eternal, undying love were indeed all lies!

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression started to shift. She thought about it for a while before she looked up at Qi Lei.

    While Qi Lei took all of this in, he leered demonically. ¡°Since you¡¯re already a part of Qi Kai, then I hope you will prioritize thepany¡¯s interests. If you want to use Qi Kai as your weapon, then that would be too egoistic. I am not Han Yifeng, and the Qi family isn¡¯t the Han family. If you don¡¯t behave, don¡¯t me me for not giving you face! Even though the old man¡¯s words are firm in Qi Kai, as strong as he is, he won¡¯t be able to push around the board of directors! Got that, Miss Xi Xinyi?¡± Qi Lei spoke without courtesy. That sly tone of his made Xi Xinyi scoff coldly.

    Qi Lei seemed to have something against her. That was obvious!

    She heard that back then when Qi Kai acquired and merged with Yueying, Wang Qin and the rest did not agree. It was only with Qi Qiming¡¯s persistence that they gave in.

    Qi Lei was the Vice President of Qi Kai. Wang Qin wanting to push him up to Qi Kai¡¯s main seat was not something for a day or two, but Qi Qiming did not seem to agree with it much. In fact, he did not seem to have any intentions of retiring. She heard that Qi Qiming did not like Qi Lei very much and was always very unconcerned about him. From the phone call earlier, she could perhaps already infer something.

    When she thought about this, Xi Xinyi shot Qi Lei a look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this, Master Qi. I, Xi Xinyi, am not an arrogant person. Since CEO Qi has given his orders, are you going to throw out your instructions and let them continue with the work?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s tone was not courteous. From the sound of it, it carried the strong-willed tone of a sessful career woman.

 Chapter 469 - Each With An Axe To Grind (2)

    <h4>Chapter 469: Each With An Axe To Grind (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei shot Xi Xinyi a look through narrowed eyes while the corner of his lips curved into a sly smile. He then took the phone on the table and made a call.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s charming face then shed with a smile. ¡°Master Qi, don¡¯t worry. Yueying is my property, so no matter what, I won¡¯t ruin my own reputation. As long as the new movie is released in the box office, Yueying¡¯s crisis will truly be resolved. These two movies are the most anticipated releases from ourpany, so we can¡¯t halt them.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was practically hoping for these few movies to make hereback. Previously, because of the Han Corporation¡¯s support and Glory World as well as Qi Kai¡¯s participation, they wanted to use their strength and start shooting a few movies at one go. They were looking forward to getting the highest ticket sales at the box office with these few movies to make up for Yueying¡¯s financial loopholes. However, who would¡¯ve expected the things that happened one after another afterward, causing their downfall?

    Xi Xinyi even vaguely felt that inexplicably, there seemed to be a string guiding her path, but she could not put her finger on what it was. She could only contemte that these thoughts were a result of her being too sensitive.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to show some sort of results to prove your decisions today then.¡± Qi Lei was quite calm as he smiled faintly at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°I¡¯m confident in myself!¡± Xi Xinyi straightened up too.

    Yueying readjusted internally. Since they now had Qi Kai¡¯s resources for support, Qi Kai themselves signed on a lot of huge celebrities. She couldpletely rely on Qi Kai¡¯s strength to achieve her own ns!

    Xi Xinyi soon vanished out of the door and Qi Lei¡¯s expression turned cold in an instant. He then huffed before his hand balled up tightly.

    Upon returning to City Z, Wang Hui and the rest returned straight to the Mu residence. They still had a lot of things to do the next day. They also thought that they should give Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye a little privacy as newlyweds, so they were not willing to disturb them at the Maple Residence either. Zhou Zimo and Su Chen went straight home too, not wanting to be light bulbs.

    When they returned to the Maple Residence, it was close to evening. What shocked Xi Xiaye was the fact that the Maple Residence had been given a simple redecoration. Some furniture had been changed to new ones, and there were beautiful flower ribbons hanging from the ceiling of the living room. It was decorated the way their bridal chamber was.

    Even the railings along the staircase were decorated with blossoming champagne roses. Xi Xiaye had just stepped into the living room when this heartwarming and harmonious scene, which was the work of Sis Wang and the rest, greeted her.

    Dishes and drinks were prepared and on the dining table in preparation for a candlelight dinner.

    ¡°Congrattions on your marriage, Master, Missus!¡± Sis Wang¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind.

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously turned around and realized that Sis Wang and the Maple Residence servants were beaming behind them. All of them held presents that they then gave to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen exchanged a look. Then, they smiled and thanked everyone as they epted the gifts gratefully.

    ¡°Master, Missus, dinner¡¯s ready. You¡¯ve had such a long flight, so you must be quite tired. Have something to eat first, then shower and rest earlier. You have your wedding banquet tomorrow! We¡¯ll go home now!¡± Sis Wang fussed.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay, just remember toe to our wedding banquet tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m so tired. I can¡¯t muster even a hint of energy.¡±

    She walked to the sofa in the living room before throwing herself onto the soft couch. Shey down all floppy and muttered, ¡°This wedding is really quite troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Some beautiful memories require sacrifice.¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed her a warm and wet towel which she took to wipe her hands. Then, suddenly there was a gentle touch on her shoulders. She subconsciously turned and noticed that the man was gently holding her shoulders. He then started to gently massage them and she moaned in sheer pleasure.

    ¡°Where did you learn how to massage? It¡¯s quite good,¡± Xi Xiaye just closed her eyes and spoke with maximum enjoyment.

    ¡°Your husband is innately talented and self-taught. Consider yourself lucky. I don¡¯t serve just anyone.¡± He chuckled, then took a bolster before stuffing it to her, letting herfortably lie on her belly before quietly continuing.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a person who felt more good about themselves than you, but I¡¯m not the average person either. I am now your Missus Mu. Can youpare the average person to me? That¡¯s just lowering your standards and insulting yourself. They say that a man¡¯s quality and presence is actually presented through his woman. If you¡¯re good to me, that means you are a wise and good man. They all say that the sessful ones who are cultivated and have high quality are usually very good to their wives. Look at Grandfather and Grandmother, and Father and Mother? Isn¡¯t that so?¡± she said very calmly.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he suddenlyughed involuntarily. ¡°What logic? This is nonsense!¡±

    Xi Xiaye shrugged to disagree. ¡°How can you say it¡¯s nonsense? Didn¡¯t I just give you examples? She continued rather justifiably, ¡°However, I do quite like you being self-confident and in high spirits. A good man would be more confident, so you can continue being arrogant.¡±

    ¡°Continue being arrogant? Well then, Missus, what kind of man is considered a good man to you or someone who can be your husband?¡±

    They rarely sat down leisurely for idle chat, so Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were both feeling quite rxed.

    ¡°Mmm... How do I say this? I think that this opinion would change with phases. Had it been before, I would¡¯ve hoped that someone would console me and keep persisting with me, but now that I¡¯ve gone through so much more, I suddenly find that Mother is actually right. I think that a husband and wife should be the kind of friends who speak without holding back. They have to y many roles like being a father, a brother, a teacher or a friend. Those are all the forms of a good husband. Su Nan says I¡¯m really lucky that I managed to get you. Well, now that you¡¯ve married me, do you think that you¡¯ve been cheated or did you got lucky?¡±

    She turned to look at him a little grouchily, her starry eyes challenging him.

    ¡°Of course, I got lucky. Do I look like someone who would make a bad business deal?¡± Mu Yuchen answered confidently without a doubt.

    She then nodded, satisfied. ¡°I think you got lucky and profited too. This matches your innate nature as a profiteer more, but I think I got lucky too.¡±

    ¡°Missus, managing marriage is actually like managing a business. Of course, it¡¯d be best to have a win-win situation. Just like how you told me before, I personally think that whether or not we consider marriage, one would need to first consider whether you¡¯d be happier after marriage. If you¡¯re much better off than before, then that means the decision to get married is the right one.¡±

 Chapter 470 - Each With An Axe To Grind (3)

    <h4>Chapter 470: Each With An Axe To Grind (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His viewpoint was straightforward whilst his tone of voice was clear as well.

    She almost forgot he was always a decisive man. His judgment was sharp and he could always simplify manyplicated issues.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being selfish. You have too many considerations and you trapped yourself. You¡¯re not aiming to be a saint. You¡¯ll be fine as long as you be yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as you said. If it¡¯s like what you said, people would only get married for materialistic reasons. Can¡¯t you think about their feelings?¡± Xi Xiaye disagreed.

    He paused his movements as he looked at her and asked, ¡°When you signed your name on the marriage contract, did you like me very much?¡±

    She had no answer to his question. Instead, she lowered her gaze.

    They did not say anything for a while. and Mu Yuchen went on with the massage. As Xi Xiaye was about to say something, her phone on the table started ringing. Mu Yuchen swiftly picked it up, and before he could say anything, a depressed voice came over from the other end.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me...¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows instantly and he nced over at Xi Xiaye.

    Of course, he recognized who the man on the other side of the phone was.

    Who else could it be but Han Yifeng?

    His eyes turned cold. Without showing any emotions, he handed the phone over to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡± His tone was calm.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned slightly. He was heading toward the coffee table when she took the phone, probably looking for the remote controller.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, could you get me a ss of water? Hurry!¡± she spoke loudly enough to him as she noticed he did not seem very happy. Then, she answered the call. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Xiaye.¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s voice reached her ears.

    Xi Xiaye was rather shocked and she sat up straight as her eyes went round in surprise before they darkened soon after. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    Han Yifeng was currently sitting on the chair inside his office. He had been taken aback when Mu Yuchen picked up the phone just now, so his expression darkened as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xi Xiaye asked indifferently. Mu Yuchen had already returned with her ss of water.

    ¡°I just want to congratte you on your marriage. I¡¯ve called you before, but you switched your phone off.¡± Han Yifeng took a deep breath as his tone became quieter. ¡°I know you¡¯re having your banquet tomorrow, so I¡¯m just calling to send you my wishes.¡±

    ¡°Well received. Thank you.¡±

    She gave a business-like and distant reply which sounded very frigid in Han Yifeng¡¯s ears. He just smiled while being confused about how he was feeling right now. He felt a little sentimental and was tinged with regret, but mostly, he felt lost.

    ¡°About what happened before and about whatever Xinyi has done to you, I¡¯m sorry. If possible, I hope you can lead a happy life.¡±

    Han Yifeng had no idea why he made this call. He was not sure if he was trying to fill up the void in his heart, or if he just simply wanted to wish her well.

    Xi Xiaye took a sip of water quietly, then she smiled without saying anything.

    ¡°I¡¯ve imagined countless possibilities between the three of us, yet I never expected us to end up this way. Say, Xiaye, do you think this is karma?¡± Han Yifeng asked with a bitterugh.

    Xi Xiaye held onto her ss. ¡°Are you trying to repent now? Maybe you¡¯re right. You can¡¯t force some things, but from what I can see right now, your love with Xi Xinyi is cheap. I¡¯ve told you to keep an eye on her before or I¡¯ll do what I need to.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, it wasn¡¯t I who helped Xinyi. It was my grandfather¡¯s intentions. I was kept in the dark.¡± Han Yifeng sighed as he felt exhaustion ovee him. ¡°Xiaye, I know I owe you a lot. Please pardon me for saying this, but can you please let Xinyi go this once? She¡¯s almost lost everything now and I also hope the conflict can end here.¡±

    ¡°You should tell Xi Xinyi instead. Isn¡¯t she linked up with Qi Kai now? Han Yifeng, I¡¯ve given her many chances. She provoked me first every single time. I¡¯ve never looked for trouble with her.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as her eyes hardened. Before Han Yifeng could reply, she hung up angrily and threw her phone aside.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What made you so angry?¡±

    Mu Yuchen found the remote controller, so he switched the music yer on. Soothing music started ying throughout the room.

    ¡°He was begging for Xi Xinyi. What a joke! Isn¡¯t Xi Xinyi doing well right now? We almost cleared Yueying out and she still managed to let it survive. I¡¯m impressed!¡±

    Xi Xiaye red at Mu Yuchen who was in his own thoughts. He then spoke up as he noticed her stare, ¡°Putting in so much effort to save Yueying is meaningless. It¡¯s not something Qi Kai would do, my dear. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be able to see something interesting soon.¡±

    He said oddly before walking towards the dining table with a mysterious smile, ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first. Don¡¯t mind about what¡¯s going to happen and just leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°What interesting thing? You look like you have it all nned out.¡± Xi Xiaye then stood up and walked towards the dining table slowly as well.

    ¡°You won¡¯t find it surprising anymore if I tell you now, but I have to say that your ex-fianc¨¨ isn¡¯t really smart. Fortunately, you didn¡¯t end up with him. Otherwise, with the both of you together, it would make the whole world go stupid,¡± he mocked her straightforwardly to the point of being rather mean.

    ¡°You can talk about him, but why do you have to drag me into this?!¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she sat down, rolling her eyes at him.

    She kind of understood the situation now. It seemed like Xi Xinyi and Yueying had be his pawns.

    What was he trying to do?

 Chapter 471 - Wedding Banquet (1)

    <h4>Chapter 471: Wedding Banquet (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They were having their banquet on the 7th floor of the Imperial Sky Hotel. After a simple lunch, Mu Lingshi and the rest went to the hotel to start preparing.

    They did not invite many guests. The guest list consisted mostly of just close family and friends. Besides that, they did not overly promote their wedding and reporters were forbidden from entering the hall as well.

    Mu Yuchen was wary of the paparazzi since everyone in the industry knew about it. Naturally, Mu Lingshi was aware as well.

    ¡°Manager Mu, is the lighting alright?¡±

    Beside the stage in the wedding hall, Mu Lingshi was busy setting the mic up as she was talking to the staff working on the lighting.

    Mu Lingshi raised her head and took a look. She nced around to check and then nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Try going through the whole rundown. It¡¯ll be fine if it goes well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time now, Manager Mu. The guests will be seated in around half an hour. Elder CEO and the others are busy greeting the guests. Oh, Elder Madam wants you to give Chairman Mu a call.¡±

    ¡°Manager Mu, the sound system is adjusted!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look. Tell my grandparents that my brother is arriving soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Mu Lingshi then picked up her phone and called the Maple Residence.

    When they received the call, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were on their way out. Li Si had been waiting for a long time and he became anxious when he got the call from Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°Master, Missus, Ms. Lingshi called. It¡¯s about time and we should really head out soon,¡± Li Si said.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he adjusted his sleeve casually. ¡°We can go now. Let Su Chen and the others know.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si replied and then moved aside to let them go first.

    Several ck luxurious cars were parked outside of the Maple Residence. Outside the door were eight bodyguards in ck suits who bowed respectfully when the two of them walked out of the door.

    Things had not really been peacefultely. Ah Mo had arranged for several more bodyguards around Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye ever since the ident in City B. Although Mu Yuchen was not really happy with them following him around, it was necessary with such a huge asion today.

    Xi Xiaye could feel that something was going on and her chest felt strained.

    ¡°Hello, Master, Missus!¡±

    After a round of greetings, they opened the car door for them. Li Si quickly called the groomsmen Su Chen and Zhou Zimo, informing them to meet at the Imperial Sky Hotel.

    As Xi Xiaye sat down in the car, she sighed and ranted, ¡°We¡¯ll be able to rx after the wedding banquet. We¡¯ve been rushing this too much. It was initially set for November, but we¡¯ve pushed it so much earlier now.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°Things will settle down after this. We can have two days of break to rest up.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, we should be focusing on the South River project after the wedding. I gave Vice President Zhang Lan a call the other day and the project is going well. The operations have begun and the budget for the musical fountain has beenpleted. I believe that will start very soon as well. I wonder if Vice President Qi Lei will still be in charge. Weren¡¯t you impressed by his talents in architecture?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had not eased up at all during the break. She was still keeping up with the South River project, so she was mostly aware about what was going on.

    ¡°He¡¯s still in charge, but he¡¯s also in-charge of Yueying after Qi Kai bought over Yueying. We¡¯ll see how it goes. Alright, today is our big day. Put work aside and get this wedding done with me, alright?¡± He gently touched the goldenb on her hair as he put a jacket over her.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded, adjusting his tie. ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll probably be really busy then. Grandfather has started to ry his authority. After the wedding, he wants me to get familiarized with Fuhua¡¯s work. With the South River project on hand as well as several other projects that I have, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t oversee so many things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll delegate it to the others.¡±

    ¡°How about the news about Chenye Movies and Television?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not forget that before they left City Z for their wedding, there was some negative news about Glory World removing themselves from Yueying and many higher-ups from Yueying joined Chenye Movies and Television. After that, it was overshadowed by Yue Lingsi¡¯s scandal, so she was not sure how things turned out.

    ¡°It¡¯smon for businesses to havepetition. They¡¯re just trying to make a big fuss out of it. It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Mu Yuchenforted.

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought. She could not hold back her curiosity and asked in the end, ¡°Do you think that Qi Kai being willing to take Yueying in as their subsidiary is illogical? Moreover, I think Yueying has no more potential value as of now.¡± She remembered him mentioning that something interesting was about to unfold.

    ¡°I¡¯m just conducting a test, my dear. Don¡¯t look down on Yueying. It can be an important trigger. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Yueying mighte back with a new face, but its internal structure will have huge changes. We¡¯re both amateurs in this field. Qi Kai is trying to walk the path of IP. They¡¯re already experienced in this field and our newfoundpany won¡¯t be able to fight them. Actually, some time ago when Father was still in power, he spoke to me before with some rted personnel,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Mmm? Father looked for you before? Howe I had no idea about it?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s about work... They don¡¯t want Qi Kai to monopolize the market. There will be some important changes in the future. They aren¡¯t short-sighted fools and they¡¯d need a new source of power as well. At least, a limit of some sort is needed to regte them.¡±

    She raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°So, developing Movie City in City B is one of the objectives, isn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 472 - Wedding Banquet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 472: Wedding Banquet (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nodded and said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to do. Have you forgotten that someone from the Yue family is in charge of the showbiz industry within the government? I don¡¯t need to continue further, do I?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned. After a while, she understood his perspective, so she took a deep breath and agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t really think about it that much. I thought Yueying...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be involved, so you don¡¯t have to know that much. Just leave it to me and work on your South River project.¡±

    He had already delegated the work for her. A part of him was worried that she would be too tired while the other part of him did not want her to be involved in this conflict.

    ...

    As they arrived at the Imperial Sky Hotel, the groomsmen, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo, arrived as well. Mu Lingshi and the bridesmaids were waiting at the entrance too. They went up together when they saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s car.

    ¡°Brother, Sister-inw! You¡¯re finally here! We¡¯ve been waiting!¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen! Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Chen, Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Director Xi, have a blessed marriage! May your hearts beat as one!¡±

    The crowd gave them their wishes and blessings as they got out of the car. A colorful rain of confetti showered down from above. Many reporters who were isted outside were trying to get in to take their best shot of the couple. Unfortunately for them, Li Si and the bodyguards blocked them and did not let them get any clear shots.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xi Xiaye thanked them with a smile. Mu Yuchen was holding onto her cold hands as they walked on the red carpet with their hands held tightly together, Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and the bridesmaids were following right behind. Near the entrance of the hall, Mu Lingshi was already finished with the arrangements in the hall and was now greeting guests.

    ¡°Head right in. The guests are mostly here. We were just waiting for you two to arrive. Father and Mother are greeting the guests now. Grandmother¡¯s been really anxious.¡± Mu Lingshi seemed very happy and excited at this moment as she tried to keep them up to speed.

    When they arrived at the seventh floor via the lift, they could hear the merry music from afar, as well as the voices of people chatting happily. In front of the hall, the host was announcing the grand entrance of the newlyweds. Unanimously, the crowd then turned their heads and zoomed attention to the entrance.

    The pair of newlyweds made their way towards the stage.

    Mu Yuchen wore a dark silver suit, appearing very honorable and graceful. A rarely seen tenderness appeared on his face as he nodded politely to the cheering crowds on both sides. Xi Xiaye wore a beautiful and elegant white gown and she was smiling sweetly.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, may happiness be yours!¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Director Xi, may the two of your hearts beat as one and may your marriage be blessed!¡±

    ¡°So handsome and so beautiful, be happy!¡±

    When they walked past Su Nan and her colleagues, their wishes were heard loud and clear amidst the thundering round of apuse.

    This was followed by a speech, the toast, and the bouquet toss.

    While it was not as romantic as the party in the castle, Xi Xiaye was still thrilled that so many people witnessed her wedding. They made their rounds table by table for a toast. Even with the strong army of groomsmen and bridesmaids behind them, Xi Xiaye was starting to feel dizzy as her steps became unsteady. Mu Yuchen noticed her drunk state and quickly made her sit down.

    Mu Yuchen got her a ss of warm water as he asked her, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath before epting the ss of water. She felt unwell with all the alcohol, but she then replied after sipping some water, ¡°I¡¯m alright. I drank a little too quickly just now, but I¡¯ll be fine in a moment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get them to prepare some tea to rece the alcohol.¡±

    He smiled slyly. ¡°No one will know you¡¯re not drinking alcohol. Su Chen and the others are very tolerant of alcohol, so they can take all of it.¡±

    ¡°Then...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    As Xi Xiaye was about to say something, a noxious voice suddenly reached them. She was stunned for a moment before raising her head to take a look. Qi Lei stared at her with an odd smile. His eyes were studying her from head to toe as if he did not see Mu Yuchen beside her. He walked over casually. ¡°Mmm, you look really beautiful. Unfortunately, I thought that we¡¯d make a good pair.¡±

    Qi Lei then nced over at Mu Yuchen who did not show any emotions. Evidently, his tone hid some other intention.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly as she looked at him on high alert. She grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯srge hand, noticing that some people nced over in doubt when they heard Qi Lei.

    Many young girls were looking at Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei and started fantasizing. However, with Mu Yuchen married, they could only be envious of Xi Xiaye¡¯s blessings to be able to marry him, but Master Qi could still give them some hope!

    Xi Xiaye noticed that Qi Lei came with ill intentions, but she was not sure what he had nned even as she looked into his eyes. He did not seem like he was trying to make a big fuss, so she tilted her head to one side and looked at Mu Yuchen uneasily.

    However, Mu Yuchen appeared calm as he had a smile on his face. He said to Qi Lei quietly, ¡°It seems that you have very a brilliant impression of my wife, Master Qi. You have to thank him for hispliments, my dear!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Master Qi! I¡¯m d that you can attend our wedding!¡± Xi Xiaye went along with Mu Yuchen as she stood up.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing considering our rtionship! I actually felt sad when I knew you two were having your wedding today. The first woman to move my heart in ages is now married! Can you feel the jealousy in my tone?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s smile was getting more and more obnoxious although he made it sound like a joke and shrugged as he looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful little face. ¡°I see this is your type. I think I¡¯m pretty amazing as well. Why don¡¯t you reconsider now and choose again?¡±

 Chapter 473 - Wedding Banquet (3)

    <h4>Chapter 473: Wedding Banquet (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened. She was about to refute when the man beside her spoke up casually, ¡°Master Qi, there¡¯s no need to mess with Xiaye. We¡¯ve been married for quite a long while now and her taste has improved quite a fair bit. Those who can¡¯t break away from lowly delights and aren¡¯t genuine wouldn¡¯t be so easily entertained. Nevertheless, thank you for attending our wedding banquet, Li Si!¡±

    Mu Yuchen then called for Li Si who understood and immediately served Qi Lei a ss of drink.

    Qi Lei smiled faintly and looked amusedly at Mu Yuchen. Then, he leisurely took the ss. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous, Master Mu. I¡¯m a very sincere person. I¡¯m personally very honored to be able to attend your wedding banquet with Xiaye. Tomemorate this asion, I¡¯ve prepared a special gift for Xiaye.¡±

    When he finished his sentence, Yang Sheng immediately brought an elegant gift box from behind and opened it up. A beautiful splendor flickered with the dazzling shine of the lights. Upon one¡¯s gaze passing that dazzle, you could see a stalk of golden rose with diamonds embedded it lying inside. It looked quite simr to the rose that Mu Yuchen had won from the race. Undoubtedly, it was a gorgeous extravagance which bedazzled the eyes. Xi Xiaye was stunned by this sight.

    Qi Lei was obviously very satisfied with Xi Xiaye¡¯s reaction. ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m especially giving it to you. Didn¡¯t you say you liked golden roses? This is my gift to you. Am I considered a great person now?¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he looked provocatively at Mu Yuchen who remained tranquil as always. His unfathomable eyes were dense with a gloom that was hard to pick up while his hand that held Xi Xiaye¡¯s tightened slightly too. He simply looked at Qi Lei in silence.

    Xi Xiaye could obviously feel his unhappiness too. A smile immediately surfaced on her beautiful face and she took the gift quite frankly. ¡°Thank you for this then, Master Qi. My Mr. Mu says that roses like this won¡¯t wither. As long as he likes it, so would I. He¡¯s always admired your skills in architecture. Once again, we¡¯re very happy that you coulde, so thank you for your presence and for your thoughtful gift!¡±

    Then, she closed the gift box and handed it to Li Si. She lifted her drink and handed another ss to Mu Yuchen. She raised her ss gracefully at Qi Lei. ¡°Let¡¯s toast to you, and I hope that we¡¯ll be able to have a fantastic partnership in time toe!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words could calm the underlying storm. Neither did she humiliate Qi Lei, nor did she put Mu Yuchen in a tight spot.

    Even Mu Yuchen looked a little shocked at her. Who would have thought that in such a situation, she could be quite a smooth talker?

    Qi Lei smiled to himself. Suddenly, he did not know how to continue. He then chuckled drily, his gaze traveling back and forth between Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. Then, his expression instantly returned to normal and he raised his ss.

    He downed the ss at one go, and then suddenly walked up to Mu Yuchen, stopping by his side. He whispered something into his ear. Although Xi Xiaye could not hear him, she could obviously detect that Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm eyes had instantly darkened and his hand that held hers tightened again.

    She could feel slight pain as she frowned and quickly looked up at him. At this second, Qi Lei sneered and shot Mu Yuchen a nasty look before setting his ss down on a table and turning around to leave.

    Qi Lei had just vanished into the crowd when Su Chen walked up. His sharp eyes were fixated in the direction that Qi Lei had left while he asked with a sharp tone, ¡°Why did hee? He looks like he¡¯s up to no good?¡±

    Mu Yuchen set his ss aside, and casually touched the ck cufflink on his sleeve. His handsome face curved with a tiny smile. ¡°He came over to give me a word of advice. It looks like he¡¯s been having it pretty tough recently.¡±

    ¡°Advice?¡± Su Chen frowned as he looked puzzledly at Mu Yuchen. ¡°What advice?¡±

    The corner of Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips curled up even more. He did not answer. Instead, his darkened gaze followed Qi Lei¡¯s figure as he moved further away until he could not see him any longer. Finally, he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°This fellow seems quite stubborn. In fact, he always looks like that, making his mother Wang Qin all worried. Wang Qin wants to prop him to be the CEO of Qi Kai, yet he looks quite calm and unhurried. I think that he¡¯s quite hard to read. Don¡¯t underestimate him despite his reputation as a sloppy heir,¡± Su Chen voiced out his thoughts.

    Mu Yuchen calmly retrieved his gaze. ¡°The Qi family is like still waters that run deep. Every one of them isplicated.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this for now. After the wedding banquet, we still have some things to discuss. How about this? Zimo and I will go over to your ce tomorrow night.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°You two go have a seat and rest first. You¡¯ve drunk a lot. I¡¯ll go take a look at Grandfather Mu and the rest!¡± Su Chen assured before he patted Mu Yuchen on the shoulder, and then walked over to Mu Yinan and the rest.

    Xi Xiaye handed her water to him as she asked softly, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    He responded with a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Have some food. don¡¯t starve yourself.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you eat some too.¡±

    Then, she pulled him back to their seats and took the bowl in front of them. She gracefully served him a bowl of soup and even grabbed some dishes for him. Of course, she got herself a bowl too.

    When he saw her putting the bowl before him, the curve on his lips widened. He picked his spoon up and elegantly began to eat.

    She lowered her head to drink too. Then, she looked up to see him focused on his meal, so she propped her head up on one hand and silently watched him. She brushed away the beautiful confetti from his shoulders.

    Perhaps every girl was waiting to have such memorable love, whether it arrived or not.

    She silently watched him for a long while, and suddenly all the images of her journey shed in her mind. Whether it was endurance, perseverance, suffering, or sadness, all of those would be a part of the memories forever buried in her heart.

    She had chased Han Yifeng for so many years, knowing that he did not love her. At first, she had thought about working hard to move him, to win his momentary pause, but you could not force someone to love you. Even if you managed to move the world, you would realize in the end that you could only move yourself, and that was all.

    Now, this man that sat beside her was never someone she had thought of chasing, yet he had decided to protect her and be by her side as her husband.

    Perhaps this was fate and luck when you let things be.

 Chapter 474 - Shocked! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 474: Shocked! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The wedding banquet continued on till quitete and Mu Yuchen drank a lot too. He was currently sitting on the sofa with Su Chen and some other good buddies as they chatted. Rxed beside Xi Xiaye were also Su Nan and Ruan Heng.

    ¡°Xiaye, I can¡¯t drink liquor, but I¡¯ll rece it with tea to wish you and Master Mu many happy returns.¡±

    ¡°It was not easy for you to reach this stage. Steady now!¡±

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s faces brimmed with faint warmth. In the past few days, they saw Mu Yuchen bring nothing but warmth and affection to Xi Xiaye, so they were not worried.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips as she nodded. ¡°Mmm, you two too. These few days, you¡¯ve been worn out, so rest well in the next couple of days, especially you, Nan Nan. You seemed to have lost weight in these two days. Ruan Heng, you should be careful too. It¡¯s been quite a few months now. In just a few months, we¡¯ll be meeting the little bub!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze was gentle as she looked at Su Nan¡¯s baby bump. You could tell that she seemed to have admiring envy in her eyes.

    Su Nan quickly caught onto her gaze. She could not help but pull her hand to gentlyy it on her bump as she smiled to say, ¡°Sometimes, I can kind of feel them moving. If you¡¯re envious, how about having one to y with soon?¡±

    When Su Nan said that, Ruan Heng could not help but reprimand her softly, yet his eyes were filled with doting. ¡°Are children meant to be yed with?¡±

    Xi Xiaye went along with it and caressed her friend¡¯s baby bump. Then, she pulled her hand back and smiled. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s so easy to have one? We¡¯ll be quite busy at work after the wedding. Earlier when I went to the hospital for a checkup for Mother¡¯s eyes, my mother even got the doctor to prescribe something to nurse my health or something. She said that I¡¯m imbnced in terms of nourishment. Do I look like someone whocks nourishment?¡±

    ¡°You used to, but not anymore! You look quite good. That goes to show that Master Mu takes care of you well. Watch out and don¡¯t be all chubby from the care till you end up looking like me! Then, that would be the end for you!¡±

    As Su Nan said this, she subconsciously touched her lower chin. A few days ago, her double chin seemed to have looked more prominent, but after a few days of being busy, it seemed to be diminishing.

    Ruan Heng frowned and looked at Su Nan. ¡°Nan Nan, being healthy is the most important. Who cares if you¡¯re chubby or skinny? You¡¯re not an unmarried woman anyway. It¡¯s just me who¡¯s looking at you. I didn¡¯t even say anything, but it¡¯s you who¡¯s being self-loathing!¡±

    This woman had been flipping out on him because of her weight issue recently. Initially, they thought of having a child only after a couple of years into marriage, yet unexpectedly they did not use protection well and struck only after two times. At first, this annoyed Su Nan for a long time.

    Now that her weight kept increasing steeply, she could not slow down. In just a few months, she had gained at least ten kilograms of weight, shocking Su Nan herself!¡±

    ¡°You can do some suitably easy exercises. Perhaps it would help you forbor in the future. After you¡¯ve given birth, then you can think about how to lose weight. For now, it¡¯s the little one in you that¡¯s the most important!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and shook her head as she slowly got up. ¡°Okay, you two sit around first. I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡±

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng nodded.

    ¡°Come back soon. We¡¯ll wait for you right here.¡± Su Nan still wanted to ask more about Shen Wenna¡¯s condition.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, then she walked towards the corridor.

    The washroom was at the end of the corridor and there was another on the other end.

    She realized she had drunk quite a bit as she walked through the long corridor. Her head felt like lead. With a deep breath, she forced herself to stay sober as she continued walking ahead.

    The washroom was empty. The swaying and flickering neon lights outside refracted in, making the ce seem even more unusually still.

    Xi Xiaye walked through the beaded curtains that hung down, going for the sink. After she washed her hands, she then fixed her gown a little before walking into the washroom stall.

    ...

    At this moment, on the sofa at the wedding banquet venue.

    ¡°Su Chen seems to be getting an earful again, look!¡± Zhou Zimo hinted with his eyes to Mu Yuchen beside him as his gaze looked teasing.

    Mu Yuchen calmly looked up, following Zhou Zimo¡¯s gaze. He saw that the elder from the Su family had brought a very young and beautiful girl to Su Chen who seemed to be saying something. From afar, you could already see that Su Chen did not look very pleased. He wanted to leave, yet the stern, white-haired Elder Su had already stood behind with clenched fists to block his way.

    As Mu Yuchen watched on, a smile shed on his handsome face and he shook his head. ¡°Grandfather Su is like this. Su Chen has protested for so many years now, but I haven¡¯t seen him win a single time.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather Su is quite a frank person which is good. Look at my old folks. Now, that¡¯s annoying without a word! They would just bring girls home and you¡¯d have to meet them no matter what. It feels they¡¯ve been unreasonable gangsters their whole life, always strong-arming me! Thankfully, Grandfather Mu is a businessman, so he¡¯s not as unreasonable,¡± Zhou Zimomented sympathetically.

    ¡°Elder Zhou is quite a reasonable person. If you want to rx earlier, it¡¯s better if you act quickly. In another few more years, when it¡¯s about time, we can even go out together in pairs.¡±

    ¡°Those are childhood dreams of us buddies going out together, but look at all these years. It hasn¡¯t even been realized until now!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind you two bringing your families along,¡± said Mu Yuchen suddenly with a grin. Then, he slowly stood up.

    Because he realized that Xi Xiaye¡¯s seat had been empty for quite a while now, he looked around but did not see her anywhere. He suddenly felt uneasy.

    ...

    ¡°Huh? Xiaye¡¯s been gone for quite a while? It¡¯s been more than 10 minutes!¡±

    On the other end of the room, Su Nan was puzzled as she looked at the time on her phone. She could not help but grumble, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiaye?¡±

    Just as Su Nan said that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was calmly heard.

    ¡°Master Mu!¡±

    Su Nan subconsciously turned around and looked over to Mu Yuchen who stopped in front of her.

    ¡°She said she was going to the washroom, but she¡¯s been gone for quite a while now. She wouldn¡¯t have gotten too drunk, would she?¡±

    Su Nan frowned and looked at her phone screen that remained lit. Deep in her gut, she felt like something was not right!

    When she exined this to him, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face darkened, as did his gaze. ¡°How long has she been gone for?¡±

    ¡°About 10 minutes now. Could something have happened to her? She looked like she drank quite a bit too.¡±

    Su Nan started to be anxious now. Full of concern, she turned to Ruan Heng, yet before she could finish, Mu Yuchen had already turned and walked in huge strides toward the washroom.

 Chapter 475 - Shocked! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 475: Shocked! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside the toilet, Xi Xiaye could hear the sound of footsteps outside. She did not find it out of the ordinary, so she tried to open the door after she was done flushing. To her aghast, however, she tried for a while and it still did not budge!

    She frowned when she still could not open the door after several more attempts.

    Obviously, someone had locked the door from outside!

    Xi Xiaye then remembered the footsteps from earlier. It must have been that person!

    She started to have doubts as her eyes were turned furious. She knocked on the door and yelled, ¡°Is there anyone out there? Let me out! Anyone there?¡±

    However, no one answered her as she kept mming on the door. No matter how hard she tried, she could not open the door and no one was answering!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank as she started to feel uneasy. She anxiously wrung her hands and then she noticed she had not brought her handbag in.

    The turmoil within Xi Xiaye became worse. She took a deep breath and tried to keep calm as she raised her head and looked around while thinking how to get out. Suddenly, the lights in her sight dimmed and she felt a chill behind her with some hissing nearby!

    She started breaking out in a cold sweat. Curling her body up and ncing backward carefully, she then realized there was a colorful spotted snake hovering over the little bin at the side!

    It was a venomous snake!

    It was staring right at Xi Xiaye as it had its forked tongue flickering out!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s whole body strained as she started to tremble!

    A snake!

    An animal she was extremely afraid of!

    Fear emerged in her eyes as her face turned pale. Inhaling a deep breath as she clenched her fists and held onto the door handle, she tried to apply strength on it but the door did not budge at all!

    The snake started slithering forward and Xi Xiaye¡¯s body shook as she watched it inch closer. She was too afraid to make any noise. Fear consumed her as her palms were full of sweat!

    Who had locked the door?

    Moreover, where did this snakee from?

    Xi Xiaye forced herself to rx. She moved slowly and turned her body around, but the snake in front of her was onto her. No matter where she moved, its eyes stared right at her as it closed in slowly!

    Xi Xiaye was getting more and more nervous.

    Was someone trying to harm her?

    ...

    On the other hand, Mu Yuchen rushed towards the washroom. When he arrived at the corridor by the staircase outside, he saw a sign saying that the washroom was out of order at that moment.

    He halted mid-step and his eyes darkened as he tried to calm down. Just as he was about to turn around, an urge within him propelled him forward.

    He took a deep breath and followed his heart to advance forward.

    He quickly pushed the door to the female washroom open and called out to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Xiaye?¡±

    Thud!

    He heard the sound of footsteps from inside, but no one replied.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked around and his sharp eyes saw that the door of the first toilet stall was tied up with a rope to the pir beside it. The patter of footsteps came urgently from there.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart sank and he rushed over, quickly untying the ropes and opening the door.

    ¡°Don¡¯te near here! Be careful!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had heard his voice long ago, but she could not reply because the snake was already right in front of her. She had no idea how to escape from this narrow space!

    However, the snake was startled when Mu Yuchen barged in. In reflex, its flexible body vaulted towards Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder, shocking her. She quickly evaded it. However, the snake moved even more swiftly and was about to reach her shoulder. In the next moment, arge hand pulled her back!

    Xi Xiaye could only feel herself in his arms and smell his unique scent as she released all her fear and hugged him tightly!

    Bang!

    Thomp!

    They swiftly backed off.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her worried after they had retreated to safety.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I don¡¯t know where the snake came from. I... Oh my god, it followed us out!¡± As she was about to say something more, she nced by the door and saw the venomous snake nearby.

    Thud!

    ¡°Ah Chen, Xiaye, move!¡±

    Before they could react, Su Chen¡¯s voice came from behind them. He leaped over and crushed the snake with the mop in his hand. With a lightning-fast motion, the mopnded right on top of the snake¡¯s head and he grabbed it as it struggled. Xi Xiaye trembled again when she saw that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s alright!¡± Mu Yuchen hugged her tightly as he looked at the snake in Su Chen¡¯s hand. He nced over at the ropes on the floor as his eyes turned extremely cold.

    ¡°It¡¯s venomous! How could this be here?¡± Su Chen frowned as well as he looked at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Master, Missus, are you two alright?¡± Li Si and the bodyguards in ck suits rushed over too.

    ¡°Clean up the scene here first!¡± Su Chen handed the snake to one of the bodyguards who quickly took it from him.

    ¡°Li Si, go and get the security camera footages around here. Be quick! And get people to guard each and every entrance. Don¡¯t let anyone leave yet!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was chilly just like his tone of voice. Even his stare was extremely sharp.

    ¡°Yes, Master! Right away!¡± Upon noticing the seriousness of this matter, Li Si left quickly after a brief reply.

 Chapter 476 - Shocked! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 476: Shocked! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Thud!

    As Li Si vanished out of the door, Zhou Zimo and Su Nan came rushing in.

    ¡°Xiaye! Xiaye! How are you feeling? Are you alright?¡±

    Su Nan was freaked out. Before Xi Xiaye could react, she rushed in and grabbed her as she looked around frantically.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. The fear in her eyes had not totally left yet, but she patted Su Nan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine!¡±

    She turned around to look at Mu Yuchen and noticed that he was hiding his arm. She squinted at him and quickly grabbed his left arm to roll his sleeve up only to see a bleeding bite mark!

    ¡°You were bitten!¡± Xi Xiaye yelled out of shock as her body shivered! ¡°Go to the hospital now!¡±

    Her heart was beating like a bullet train. She grabbed Mu Yuchen and was about to rush outside.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Mu Yuchen pulled her back with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t move him. Does anyone have a small knife?¡± Su Chen spoke up. Immediately, one of the bodyguards handed him a sharp little dagger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiaye, it¡¯ll be alright! Move aside for a bit,¡± Su Chenforted her as he grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s bitten arm. He carefully sliced a cross mark on the bite before lowering his head and sucking out the poisonous blood. He only stopped when the blood he spat out became bright red again.

    He took the Band-aid one of the bodyguards passed over and stuck it onto Mu Yuchen¡¯s arm. Then, he went over to the sink to rinse off the blood in his mouth and wash his hands.

    Su Chen wiped his hand with the tissue handed by the bodyguards as he said, ¡°Alright, now we¡¯ll head to the hospital. It¡¯ll be fine after injecting the antidote. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the hospital now then,¡± Xi Xiaye said decisively.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head over with you guys. Zimo, stay here and take care of the rest. Let¡¯s go.¡± Without waiting for Mu Yuchen¡¯s reply, Su Chen dragged him out and Xi Xiaye followed right behind them.

    ...

    A car was already waiting as they arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Sky Hotel. They rushed straight to Hospital T after they got into the car.

    The doctor immediately examined Mu Yuchen¡¯s wound.

    ¡°Master Mu, Master Su, it¡¯s alright now. The wound was treated in time, and with the snake captured, it¡¯ll be fine after we inject the antidote. Be careful at home and don¡¯t let the wounde into contact with water,¡± advised the doctor as he looked at Mu Yuchen elegantly adjusting his sleeve.

    He asked curiously, ¡°Master Mu, this poison is quite strong and this snake doesn¡¯t usually appear easily. How...?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply to the doctor. Instead, his expression just darkened.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly as well. He was holding her hand, and Su Chen appeared to be deep in thought.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen stood up. He grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand, but his eyes were looking at Su Chen while his tone was calm. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Zimo should be arriving at the Maple Residence soon.¡±

    Su Chen nodded and turned to give the doctor a smile before leaving with Mu Yuchen.

    It was already midnight when they arrived back at the Maple Residence and Zhou Zimo was waiting in the living room.

    Sis Wang and the others had been working until prettyte recently, and today was no exception either.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell them what happened, so they wouldn¡¯t worry. All of them have gone back already. So, what happened?¡± Zhou Zimo asked with a frown as they sat down.

    Mu Yuchen looked at his bandaged wound before ncing at Zhou Zimo. ¡°Have you found the security footages?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression darkened as he lowered his head. ¡°Li Si went to look for it just now and realized the security cameras are being repaired. Someone must¡¯ve nned this.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s expression darkened as well. Mu Yuchen still seemed calm as if he had already seen thising.

    ¡°Have some tea first. I¡¯ll prepare something to eat.¡± Xi Xiaye brewed tea for them and then went back into the kitchen.

    ¡°Ah Chen, I think Xiaye was the target! I wonder who the perpetrator is! That snake couldn¡¯t have been there on its own unless someone put it there. We¡¯ll wait for news from Li Si.¡±

    ¡°I think that the possibility is very high. Do you want to ask Xiaye if she...?¡±

    Before Zhou Zimo could finish his sentence, Mu Yuchen raised his hand and stopped him. His expression turned chilly. ¡°It might not be that case. This reminds me of the ident in City B.¡±

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were both startled by Mu Yuchen¡¯s words. They traded nces with each other. ¡°You mean you suspect...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still unclear right now. I can¡¯t make a very good guess, but what happened today is definitely intentional. When I rushed over, there was an ¡®out of order¡¯ sign outside the toilet. It means that someone arranged it in a way to lock Xiaye in there after she went into the washroom and then leave the venomous snake there. The intention was obvious,¡± Mu Yuchen analyzed calmly.

    ¡°The doctor investigated the venom in the hospital. It¡¯s not lethal. Due to the Imperial Sky Hotel¡¯s patrol schedule, they would patrol around the hotel every hour, so they would¡¯ve surely noticed and questioned it if they saw that the toilet was under repair. Then, they would¡¯ve found out what happened inside.¡±

    ¡°I understand what you mean now. The perpetrator isn¡¯t trying to kill. Maybe he or she has the same intention as the previous incident in City B. Is he or she trying to leave us a warning? A threat?¡± Zhou Zimo understood it almost immediately, but his expression was still grim.

    ¡°Things would be much moreplicated if that¡¯s the case. The enemies are in the dark and we can¡¯t fully protect ourselves from them. No wonder Ah Mo has been extra careful than before, and there are more people around you now,¡± Su Chen said with a serious expression.

    ¡°Who is making such a deliberate n against you?¡± Zhou Zimo asked with a frown.

    Mu Yuchen put his hand onto his forehead as he replied with an exhausted tone, ¡°They were sending strong messages here. My opinions are still under spection, so we¡¯ll wait for news from Li Si. I hope things aren¡¯t like what I imagined.¡±

    The two of them nodded when they noticed how exhausted Mu Yuchen was.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not overthink it now.¡±

 Chapter 477 - Shocked! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 477: Shocked! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside the kitchen, Xi Xiaye was still preparing some soup and some snacks to sober up.

    She lowered her gaze and silently watched the small me flickering on the stove. Her beautiful face was dense with a hint of worry. When she remembered what had happened earlier, she still had lingering fears.

    Who could have done it?

    She only remembered back then that she seemed to have heard the very light patter of footsteps. The person had not been wearing high heels, but it should have been a woman because she seemed to have heard the sound of long fingernails scraping against the door.

    However, it did not seem right if she thought about it again. Would a woman have been able to get a snake into the washroom?

    In fact, was that person targeting her?

    How could they have been so sure that she would have gone to the washroom?

    Could it have been pure coincidence?

    Or perhaps that person had been watching her.

    If that was the case, then that would be terrifying!

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye could not help but shudder. At this moment, a pair of strong arms gently hugged her from behind, pulling her into his safe embrace. His deep and sensitive voice held a hint of constion. ¡°What are you thinking about? Still afraid?¡±

    She fell silent for a while, then she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m just puzzled, wondering who could have done it.¡±

    ¡°Li Si is already investigating this, we¡¯ll see then, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here,¡± he said as his arms around her waist suddenly tightened a little.

    Hearing his words, Xi Xiaye paused. Her mind shed back to the scene when he had quickly pulled her into the protection of his embrace and held back the snake thatunched itself at her. She abruptly felt her heart soften as she quickly turned to him and face him. With one hand, she pulled his bandaged hand closer and stared at it for quite a while. Her eyes could not help but turn misty.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± She sighed and slowly looked up, quietly meeting his dark eyes that gazed down at her.

    Upon hearing this, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just a small wound and it doesn¡¯t hurt much. If youmend me a little or offer some proper constion, I¡¯ll immediately be fine tomorrow.¡± His extraordinarily handsome face shed with a demonic smile.

    She raised her brows. ¡°How do you want me tomend you then? I don¡¯t know how to do praises, but I do know this¡ª¡±

    Then, she tiptoed and gently nted a kiss on his cheek.

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± He narrowed his eyes that were filled with a discontented coldness.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± She smiled faintly.

    ¡°Is this too easy?¡±

    ¡°Well... Aah!¡±

    Before she could answer him, he had already turned off the stove with a hand and bent down to carry her up as he walked out.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t! The b-book says that it¡¯s not good for health if w-we do it too often...¡± she stammered.

    ¡°It? Which ¡®it¡¯?¡± He looked down at her in amusement as he smiled.

    ¡°That ¡®it¡¯! Why are you acting all innocent? Ugh, annoying!¡± She rolled her eyes angrily at him.

    He smirked. ¡°Can¡¯t you think of something else in that head of yours? Do I look like the kind of person who wants unlimited s**? In fact, we haven¡¯t done it for two days now, have we?¡±

    ¡°Well, you...¡±

    ¡°Missus, your husband just wants to let you take a shower and rest earlier. You think too much...¡±

    Annoying!

    Half an hourter, on the soft andfortable sofa, Mu Yuchen had already changed out of his tuxedo and slipped into a dark blue sleeping robe as he leisurely brewed some tea while Xi Xiaye kept shooting him nces from the corner of her eye from time to time as if she wanted to say something, yet she kept holding back.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me what happened earlier?¡± She thought he would ask him what had happened. However, unexpectedly, he had not asked a single thing ever since the incident. Instead, he had just ordered Li Si to investigate further into it.

    ¡°Why? Do you know who did it?¡± he asked as he looked at her very calmly.

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Well, then that¡¯s fine. If you recall it, you might scare yourself. Earlier, you broke out in cold sweat all over.¡±

    He had a keen eye and he knew that she was afraid too, so he decided to not to mention it instead.

    ¡°I was quite scared. I wonder who it was. From what I recall, I haven¡¯t offended anyone apart from Xi Xinyi who hates me to the bone... but, Xi Xinyi wasn¡¯t invited, was she?¡±

    ¡°Your thought process is simple enough, Missus! Who told you that the person wouldn¡¯t have gotten someone else to do these malicious things?¡± Mu Yuchen objected.

    ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s her?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any way of guessing who it is right now. Things might not be quite as peaceful in theing days, so just follow me. Ah Mo will handle Mother¡¯s matters over there and rush back soon. When that happens, I¡¯ll get him to pick a female bodyguard for you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a while, then he added, ¡°To be your special female assistant.¡±

    ¡°A female bodyguard? Is there a need for that?¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re going to be in Fuhua after this, Grandpa would make the arrangements for you too. It¡¯s not a bad thing to be a little more careful.¡±

    Xi Xiaye seemed to have noticed that the situation was a little tense.

    The banquet dispersed and it was close to midnight at this point.

    At the za before the entrance of the Imperial Sky Hotel, there was a ck luxury sports car.

    Qi Lei leisurely lit up a cigarette, taking a drag on it from time to time. His demonically handsome face looked quite surreal amidst the smoke.

    He calmly looked at the hotel entrance where Li Si and the rest were in covertly inspecting everyone. When they let thest guest off, Yang Sheng, who had been standing on guard beside him, walked through the darkness toward the car.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng opened the car door and slowly got in. There were anxiety and confusion written on his face.

    Qi Lei blew the smoke out and did not even look at Yang Sheng as he asked indifferently, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, I think something happened to Miss Xiaye in the washroom. Earlier, I saw Mu Yuchen rush over. In fact, Su Chen and the rest followed closely after him too. After that, I saw them hurry to leave the hotel. Something seems to have happened. By the looks of Li Si¡¯s actions, they seem to be looking for someone!¡±

    Yang Sheng had been quite far away, so he had only heard bits and pieces of the news.

    When he said this, Qi Lei¡¯s brows slowly furrowed too.

    ¡°Something happened? Is she okay?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, Master Qi. I¡¯ll seek rification of the situation from them. Earlier, I did see Xiaye following closely behind Mu Yuchen, so she should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯ve found out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! They¡¯ve all dispersed now. We... Master Qi, look!¡±

    Yang Sheng was about to say something when suddenly a ck car slowly rolled out of a parking spot beside them.

    ¡°The people in that car seemed to have been watching Li Si and the rest for a long while. Earlier, I was watching from a dark corner for a long time. There are two people in the car who¡¯ve also been watching the hotel entrance for an entire night!¡±

 Chapter 478 - Gu Lingsha Is Still Alive? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 478: Gu Lingsha Is Still Alive? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Yang Sheng said this, a light shed past in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes too as he looked contemtively at the car that slowly drove into the darkness. After a while, he said coldly, ¡°Sit tight!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, do you want to chase them?¡± Yang Sheng asked as he buckled up.

    Qi Lei did not answer. He started the car and drove towards the direction of the ck car.

    The car was driving towards the west of the city. After it drove for quite a distance, Qi Lei felt that something was not right. The car ahead quickly picked up speed and he chased it all the way.

    ¡°Master Qi, they seemed to have noticed us! Look, we¡¯re back here again!¡± Yang Sheng suddenly pointed out, staring ahead. ¡°Master Qi, be careful! There¡¯s a car rushing this way from behind!¡±

    Right at that moment, an SUV suddenly rushed in from behind them. With a whoosh, it dashed past Qi Lei. Apanied by a sharp whistle, it then cut the front of Qi Lei. His heart sank as he subconsciously turned the steering wheel halfway and quickly evaded it, yet that car drifted around and blocked his way again. Consequently, Qi Lei¡¯s vision was blocked as well. In just the blink of an eye, the car had already vanished.

    ¡°Master Qi, they¡¯re gone!¡± Yang Sheng looked at the road ahead. The car had already evaded them, and the traffic port was just ahead. They probably could not find them anymore.

    Qi Lei¡¯s face sank further. He could only drive to the side and park his car as he stared at the empty road ahead. After a while, he mmed a fist onto the steering wheel. ¡°Did you get a good look at the car te number?¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°I did. I¡¯ll go get someone to find out who the car owner is right away.¡±

    Then, he quickly took his phone out and made a call. The other person on that end picked up very quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Run this car te number for me right away. The number is XXXXXX. Okay, be quick!¡± Yang Sheng said and hung up.

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯ll get the results tomorrow. It¡¯s veryte now. Shall we...?¡± Yang Sheng probed.

    Qi Lei fell silent for a while, then he looked up ahead for a long time before he started the car and continued to drive. He turned around at the traffic port, then drove toward the north of the city.

    Yang Sheng could vaguely feel that something was not too right either, so he softly asked, ¡°Master Qi, do you think those people were there to target someone?¡±

    ¡°Go back right away and investigate the incident tonight. Let me know once you¡¯ve found out about anything.¡± Qi Lei was puzzled and uneasy as he was quite curious about what had happened. He seemed to be interested in Xi Xiaye¡¯s matters.

    ¡°Alright, Master!¡±

    ¡°I asked you to investigate Xi Xinyi and that old man as well as Yue Hai¡¯s matter. How¡¯s that going?¡±

    Half a month ago, Qi Lei had asked Yang Sheng to investigate Qi Qiming, Xi Xinyi, and Yue Hai once again. Qi Qiming did not seem like the kind of person to do a bad deal. If it were purely because of Yue Hai that he decided to rescue Yueying, this would mean that Xi Xinyi and Yue Hai were quite important!

    In fact, from what Qi Lei could observe, Yueying was not worth much. It was apany that was close to bankruptcy, so what good could it do?

    What was the old man trying to do?

    Qi Qiming had never liked him. Even though his older brother, Qi Feng, had passed away, he never seemed to have changed his mind about Qi Lei. All these years, he had been indifferent to him. No matter how hard Qi Lei tried, there was no way of making Qi Qiming change his mind about him.

    Qi Qiming would never praise him. By name, he was the Second Master of the Qi family, but to Qi Qiming, he was probably no more than a subordinate.

    Qi Qiming and Wang Qin had a ssic marriage between two rich and powerful families. Both of them had someone else they loved before getting married, yet because of their interests, they tied the knot. After they got married, Qi Qiming and Wang Qin did not have a stable rtionship, especially after his elder brother, Qi Feng joined the family. The whole family¡¯s conflict thoroughly exploded.

    Wang Qin was capable and firm. In fact, she was vicious in her methods. After Qi Feng joined the Qi family, she had never been nice to him. Even though she did not scold and beat him like a stereotypical stepmother, she was still a cut above others and she treated Qi Feng like air.

    However, Qi Feng had been smart and sensible since he was young. Talented, he learned everything very quickly, and it would not be an exaggeration to call him a prodigy. In fact, he was handsome and dashing, so everyone liked him. On the other hand, even though Qi Lei was born from a prestigious family, he was naughty and mischievous, thus he was not liked.

    However, Qi Lei was used to it. That was just how he was like. He was confident and did as he pleased. He would never pander to anyone.

    ¡°Master Qi, the detective agency is still investigating. We should have the results quite soon,¡± Yang Sheng answered.

    ¡°How¡¯s my mother?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship with his mother, Wang Qin, was quite tense. Albeit knowing that Wang Qin had his best interests at heart, she was alsopetitive and ambitious, so she was hell-bent on controlling Qi Kai to hand over to Qi Lei.

    ¡°VP Wang went to City B for two days. Director Lee and Glory World¡¯s newly developed Movie City seems to be quite interesting. She¡¯s gone to discuss business, and at the same time, she nned to take a look.¡±

    City B, huh?

    When Qi Lei heard this, a coldness shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Right, Master Qi, VP Wang wants you to watch over Miss Xian Er...¡±

    ¡°Make that woman leave. Tell her to get lost if she wants to have a little bit of dignity left! Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being mean! She¡¯s just another pretentious woman. What right does she have to have a piece of me?¡± Qi Lei sneered with disdain, then he suddenly sped up.

    Yang Sheng chose his words carefully, and he finally said, ¡°Master Qi, actually, Miss Xian Er was once good friends with Miss Sha Sha... After Miss Sha Sha passed away, she went abroad and has only returned quite recently.¡±

    ¡°Sha Sha¡¯s good friend? Isn¡¯t that Xian Er from City C or something?¡± Qi Lei looked puzzledly at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Theirpany is in City B. This time, VP Wang went with Miss Xian Er, yet Miss Xian Er said that she was going for a social event with some friends, so she was dyed.¡±

    Wang Qin had always liked Miss Xian Er, but Qi Lei never paid any attention to her.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes began to shift. Although he looked calm, you could not tell how he felt. Out of the blue, his demonic face shed with a very ambiguous sneer.

    After a while, Qi Lei suddenly asked softly, ¡°Is she still in City Z right now?¡±

 Chapter 479 - Gu Lingsha Is Still Alive? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 479: Gu Lingsha Is Still Alive? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Yes, Master Qi! VP Wang should be back in City Z in two days. She¡¯d need to wait for VP Wang to return anyway.¡±

    Qi Lei closed his eyes as his smile grew wider. He did not say anything else and instead stepped on the elerator and sped up!

    Yang Sheng went upstairs to get some documents.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. Do you want to return to the Qi Residence for a visit? CEO Qi invited some friends over, and Yue Hai and some others will be attending.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who¡¯s going! I¡¯m going to rest this weekend. Don¡¯t bother me.¡±

    Qi Lei tossed the document folder to Yang Sheng. ¡°Ask VP Wang to sign this as soon as possible. I¡¯ll send someone to collect it on Monday. I¡¯ll continue to handle the South River project. There¡¯s no need to change, so you can go back now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng then left with the folder.

    Qi Lei nced at the door when he heard it close. He sat down on the sofa beside the table as the faint light in his eyes turned cold slowly.

    ...

    Dawn came. As the light of sunrise crept through the half-opened curtains, Mu Yuchen woke up. His first reaction was to hug the woman beside him, and he was shocked to find her absent!

    He quickly sat up in the next moment, the blurriness in the eyes fading away as he became calm as usual. After a while, he got out of bed and grabbed some clothes before heading into the bathroom.

    After he washed up, he went downstairs and saw the tiny woman being busy in the living room. He halted his steps and just watched her from above.

    Xi Xiaye was sitting on the sofa with a big bouquet of champagne rose before her as well as several nameless purple flowers. She was arranging the flowers at the moment while breakfast was alreadyid out on the dining table.

    She was really focused on arranging the flowers in the vase.

    He actually realized she was very fond of flowers. Maybe it was the same for every woman. Having some flowers at home did make the house seem a little livelier.

    He just stood there and watched her for a while. She swiftly arranged the flowers and then ced the vase in its corner before starting to clean up. Suddenly, soothing music reached her ears. Xi Xiaye raised her head and noticed that he was squatting beside the coffee table as he flipped through the newspapers that had just been delivered this morning.

    She narrowed her eyes before walking towards him. She sat down beside him and took out the first-aid kit. ¡°Howe you never make a sound?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll change the medication on your wound.¡± She opened the kit as she grabbed his arm.

    ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m alright. It¡¯s just a small wound.¡±

    ¡°Here, antiseptic. It¡¯ll get better soon. Su Chen seems to be quite experienced. If it weren¡¯t for him, you might have needed to be hospitalized.¡± She handled his wound as she spoke.

    Heughed. ¡°Of course, all three of us were trained in the wilderness. It wasmon during our training period. We have to keep calm during these situations. Only then will youe up with a n.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very afraid of snakes... so...¡± Xi Xiaye was still traumatized by what had happened. It was prettymon for girls to be afraid of creatures like these.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way there would be snakes in the hotel unless someone brought it in.¡±

    ¡°Li Si is already investigating it. We¡¯ll probably have the resultster...¡±

    Before Mu Yuchen could finish his sentence, the doorbell rang. He raised his brows and nced over at Xi Xiaye before taking the cotton bud away. ¡°It should be Li Si. Go and get the door.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stood up and went to the door. As expected, the screen showed Li Si and the others waiting outside, so she then pressed on the button to open the door.

    Li Si came in swiftly.

    ¡°Good morning, Master, Missus!¡± he greeted politely as he reached the living room.

    ¡°Morning!¡± Xi Xiaye replied as she packed up the first-aid kit.

    ¡°Master!¡± Li Si went to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°How did the investigation go?¡± Mu Yuchen adjusted his sleeves while looking at Li Si.

    Li Si bowed slightly and handed a document to Mu Yuchen. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the security camera footages, but the cameras were damaged right before the incident, so we got nothing out of it. I conducted investigations as per your orders but didn¡¯t get anything particrly notable as well. However, we did notice something odd when looking through the security camera footages near the entrance.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned when he heard Li Si. He opened the document and started flipping through it as Li Si continued.

    ¡°ording to the footages near the entrance, we noticed there were people inside a car parked in the car park right in front of the entrance. They were staring at the hotel entrance the whole night. Afterward, Qi Lei noticed them and followed them. I¡¯m afraid to cause unnecessary attention, so I didn¡¯t go along. Master, do you think Qi Lei did it? He seems to have unkind intentions. It might be him,¡± Li Si analyzed.

    Mu Yuchen closed his eyes as he listened to Li Si and gave his analysis some thought. Xi Xiaye, who was packing up the first-aid kit, was stunned for a moment as she looked at Li Si in surprise. After being quiet for a while, she said, ¡°Qi Lei, it¡¯s probably not him. He¡¯s not someone who¡¯d be this wicked towards a woman.¡±

    While Qi Lei did have some other intentions, they had been in contact for some time.

    Qi Lei did not give her the impression of being someone like that. Although he seemed pretty mysterious and hard to grasp, he was not someone like that. He was probably not someone who would do something like that.

    ¡°How are you so sure that he won¡¯t y little tricks?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned and looked at Xi Xiaye as he said coldly, ¡°He was so arrogant in front of mest night and totally forgot that I¡¯m your husband. I¡¯d have cut him if it was somewhere else!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned bitter as he remembered Qi Lei¡¯s attitudest night. His eyes were chilly, and the words that Qi Lei left him with echoed in his ears again.

 Chapter 480 - Gu Lingsha Is Still Alive? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 480: Gu Lingsha Is Still Alive? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His tone sounded pretty harsh, so Xi Xiaye instantly knew he was upset. She shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. Didn¡¯t you shut him up afterward? Also, we have projects with Qi Kai now.¡±

    Without missing the slight sense of jealousy in the air, Xi Xiaye added with a chuckle, ¡°Moreover, he¡¯s not my cup of tea.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her before looking back to Li Si. ¡°Keep an eye on the Qi family. At the same time, do everything you can to find out who was in the car. Also, check through all the hotel¡¯s employee¡¯s information, especially those who joined recently as well as their whereaboutsst night.¡±

    Li Si instantly understood what Mu Yuchen¡¯s intention was.

    He suspected that there was a spy within the hotel employees, or someone pretending to be one of their employees.

    After giving it some thought, Li Si agreed that there was a very high possibility of this happening, he then nodded. ¡°Yes, Master! I understand. I¡¯ll get it done now!¡±

    He then left after giving that brief reply.

    ...

    It was a weekend, a day to rest. Having been busy for the past few days, Wang Qin arrived back in City Z before afternoon. She felt exhausted after working abroad for several days.

    As Wang Qin stepped out of the airport, Yang Sheng went to pick her up.

    ¡°VP Wang!¡± He called out to her as she came closer.

    Wang Qin nodded and sat inside the car. ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Lei?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi is at the Grand Waves Vi. He¡¯s handling an emergency case and can¡¯t take time off, so he sent me to pick you up.¡± Yang Sheng closed the door carefully and went to the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Excuses! He doesn¡¯t even care about his mother anymore. With his personality, he¡¯ll never be favored by Qi Qiming! Did he go homest night?¡±

    Wang Qin was outraged when he heard Yang Sheng! She was really frustrated!

    She knew Qi Qiming too well. He liked people to get on his good side and he desired to be regarded highly. Always acting all high and mighty, he could not put himself down even for a moment.

    Actually, the two of them were really simr in nature. They were extremely stubborn and none of them liked to admit defeat.

    ¡°VP Wang, Master Qi attended Glory World¡¯s Master Mu¡¯s weddingst night. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t go back., CEO Qi is meeting some friends at home. I invited Master Qi to go home, but he declined. I think he didn¡¯t want to see CEO Qi. Because of what happened with Yueying the other day, Master Qi is a little...¡±

    Wang Qin knew very well what Yang Sheng meant.

    She had the same opinion as Qi Lei on Yueying¡¯s matter. They did not want to help clean this mess up. However, Qi Qiming insisted on doing so. It seemed odd to both her and Qi Lei that he put in so much effort to help Yueying, and because of this, the father-son pair was very unhappy with each other.

    ¡°Did CEO Qi call Xiao Lei to ask him to go back?¡±

    Wang Qin knew that even if it was just a simple meal at home, if Qi Qiming genuinely intended to repair his rtionship with Qi Lei, this was a very good excuse. Otherwise, Qi Qiming could have just totally left Qi Lei out.

    Having worked for Wang Qin many years, Yang Sheng understood very well what she meant. She was trying to find an excuse for Qi Qiming, but that was not his intention at all!

    ¡°VP Wang, CEO Qi did not call Master Qi. He called Yue Hai over instead,¡± Yang Sheng replied carefully.

    As expected, Wang Qin¡¯s expression turned into a dismal storm! From the rearview window, he could see her anger and she was almost bleeding herself from pinching her palm too hard.

    ¡°VP Wang, are you alright?¡± Yang Sheng called out to her after a while.

    His voice calmed her down and she came back to her senses before replying coldly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Head straight to the Grand Waves Vi area.¡± Wang Qin then took out her tablet and was scrolling through it quietly.

    ¡°Yes, VP Wang.¡± Yang Sheng stepped on the pedal and sped up.

    Wang Qin opened her inbox. She had not had the time to check her mail in her past few days and many documents from her subordinates were sent right to her inbox.

    As usual, she checked her inbox and went through the emails one by one. However, an email titled ¡°Covered Truth ¨C Qi Feng¡± caught her attention!

    She clicked the email and it loaded gradually. It was a very long email with many image attachments!

    Wang Qin read through it in detail, but just the first few sentences into it, her face turned pale!

    The attached photo was also a shocker!

    She very well recognized the woman in the photo.

    Gu Lingsha!

    It was her!

    It must be Gu Lingsha!

    A side profile of her face was enough for Wang Qin to recognize her!

    Thud¡ª¡ª

    Wang Qin¡¯s hands trembled and her tablet fell onto the floor as her pale expression darkened!

    Gu Lingsha!

    They could not find her body at the ident scene back then. Qi Feng had disappeared with her as well. Tragically, Mu Lingtian was found dead. If Gu Lingsha was still alive, where was Qi Feng? Was he still alive as well?

    These two witches!

    They were actually still alive?

    Although there were some signs that they might still be alive, she had investigated numerous times before and could not locate them. She tried to track Qi Qiming down in secret and could not get any useful information too. Now, someone had noticed Gu Lingsha was in Los Angeles?

    The aura around Wang Qin turned chilly while sweat formed on her palms as she clenched her fists.

    The Gu family!

    No wonder the Gu family acted indifferently toward Gu Lingsha¡¯s death. They must have been aware that Gu Lingsha was still alive.

    If the Gu family knew Gu Lingsha was alright, that meant that Qi Qiming knew it as well, and he must have known Qi Feng was alive. He never disputed any news iming that Qi Feng was dead over the years. Furthermore, he had been holding onto thepany that should have been handed over to Qi Lei long ago!

    Ample evidence suggested this bastard Qi Qiming had been paving a path for Qi Feng. He had never thought about letting Qi Lei take over Qi Kai!

 Chapter 481 - Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (1)

    <h4>Chapter 481: Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she thought about this, the anger in Wang Qin¡¯s heart was about to burst. There was a slight pain from her palm, but that could notpare to the sharp hurt she currently felt in her heart!

    Why?

    Wang Qin was the realdy of the Qi household. In fact, she was an influential person in Qi Kai. Qi Lei was also Qi Qiming¡¯s biological son, so why did Qi Qiming reject Qi Lei so much?

    If it was because of the marriage that resulted in him not being with the woman he loved and he resented her for that, she could understand. After all, she did not love Qi Qiming either, but since they already got married and even gave birth to Qi Lei, why could he not be a little kinder to Qi Lei?

    Ever since Wang Qin joined the Qi family, the person who owed her big time was Qi Qiming!

    All these years, because of Qi Feng, even though she had felt unhappy, she epted Qi Feng¡¯s identity quite openly, did she not? Apart from the knot in her heart, she had never troubled Qi Feng for anything!

    Instead, it was Qi Lei. Ever since he was born, she had never witnessed Qi Qiming fulfill his duty as a father!

    Back then, because of that shameless witch, Gu Lingsha, Qi Lei became ignored and unliked by Qi Qiming. Wang Qin had taken all of these in. She wished the two of them could quickly die. After that car ident, she thought that Qi Feng and that cheating couple would have died, but unexpectedly...

    Wang Qin felt herself fall limp. Aplicated cold light became dense in her beautiful eyes. Even when Yang Sheng called out to her quite a few times, she did not respond.

    Now that she thought about it, the Gu family and Qi Qiming must have known that Gu Lingsha was still alive. In fact, they must have been the ones who rescued them. After that, there had been no news at all. They did not know whether Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were still alive. Out of the blue now, Gu Lingsha suddenly appeared in a picture. All sorts of information pointed to the possibility that Gu Lingsha was still alive too. Qi Feng must havee out unscathed too.

    If that was the case, then he would definitely return. Qi Qiming would let him do that, and if that happened, then Qi Kai...

    What about Qi Lei?

    Qi Feng was just an illegitimate child. What basis did Qi Qiming have to let Qi Feng take over Qi Kai?

    He called out to her quite a few times, yet he did not hear her answer. Yang Sheng took a look at the rearview mirror to see how things were behind. Wang Qin¡¯s expression had turned extremely pale while her eyes burned with anger and unhappiness. He quickly slowed the car down and asked with concern, ¡°VP Wang? VP Wang? Are you okay?¡±

    Then, Wang Qin finally snapped back from her daze. She was stunned for a moment before she took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s quickly go to the Grand Waves Vi,¡± Wang Qin responded tiredly. She bent down to pick up the tablet that she had dropped.

    She took a good look at the e-mail which did not contain any message. She thought about it, and then her gaze darkened.

    Who was the one who sent her this e-mail?

    What was this person trying to achieve?

    The contents of the information were quiteplete. In fact, they seemed to know Wang Qin would be interested in this matter. They must know her rather well then, so who could this person be? Or rather, was this a friend or a foe?

    The many questions circled Wang Qin¡¯s mind, forcing her to finally take her phone out uneasily and make a call.

    ¡°Hello, it¡¯s me. There¡¯s something I need you to check for me.¡±

    When the car slowly drove into the Grand Waves Vi area, it was just in time for lunch.

    At this moment, inside the kitchen of Qi Lei¡¯s luxurious vi.

    Pa!

    Bam bam!

    The sound of ceramic breaking shattered the air. The floor was covered in destroyed pieces of ceramic.

    Qi Lei lowered his head, frowning as he looked at the te that had met the end of its life. Helplessness could not help but surface between his brows. He casually pushed the ceramic pieces aside. Then, he continued to stir the noodles in the pot with his chopsticks. You could not see the original soup base because it was practically a one-pot meal.

    He put noodles, all sorts of ingredients from the fridge, vegetables, slices of meat, and anything he thought would be quite delicious in, and created the gaudy pot in front of him. Even now, he seemed to be adding more and more ingredients.

    His chopping board and sink were already extremely messy.

    Master Qi actually did not know how to cook. Young masters like him who led an easy life with everything provided was already used to being served since he was young. Usually, he would ask someone to deliver him food or he would go out to eat. However, since he had an off day today, he suddenly had an urge to cook himself a meal, yet every time he stepped into the kitchen it would be a huge disaster!

    He definitely did not know how to cook any delicate dishes. Even just cooking himself some noodles would result in him creating something weird.

    Just as Qi Lei was leisurely stirring his pot of noodles, he heard the door open and then there was the sound of footsteps.

    The resounding sound of heels nked onto the floor as Wang Qin¡¯s voice came. ¡°Xiao Lei?¡±

    ¡°VP Wang, Master Qi is in the kitchen!¡±

    Yang Sheng keenly picked up the aroma of food, and he instantly smiled.

    The kitchen?

    With a frown, Wang Qin quickly put her handbag down and walked to the kitchen. The sight of Qi Lei standing before the stove greeted her. When she looked down, she did not miss the ceramic pieces that shattered on the floor. Her brows furrowed even deeper then.

    ¡°Xiao Lei? What are you doing?¡±

    Wang Qin looked around in puzzlement whilst a sh of concern colored her eyes. She quickly walked over and examined Qi Lei carefully. ¡°Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?¡±

    Qi Lei silently looked at her, but he did not stop what he was doing. ¡°I was hungry, so I¡¯m making some food.¡±

    When he finished, Wang Qin then looked at the pot he was working on.

    It was a mishmash of food. She did not know what he was cooking!

    She then frowned and swiftly took his chopsticks. Her voice became gentler. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve never cooked. You only barely learned how to cook porridge after I taught you quite a few times. You could¡¯ve just asked someone to deliver you food? What are you cooking by yourself here?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows raised, but he did not mind herments and pulled his hand back. He was about to say something when Wang Qin had already turned the stove off, and efficiently arranged the chopping board. As she turned to get some ingredients from the fridge behind, she said, ¡°Xiao Lei, how about you move back home? You have family, and you won¡¯t have to do this yourself. Now that you¡¯ve living alone and you don¡¯t like to hire servants, I¡¯m quite worried about you.¡±

    When Wang Qin said that, Qi Lei answered calmly, ¡°No need for that. I¡¯m doing just fine here. I quite like the peace and quiet.¡±

    He did not miss that home a single bit. There was no point in staying there!

 Chapter 482 - Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (2)

    <h4>Chapter 482: Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, just as Qi Lei said this, Wang Qin¡¯s heart could not help but sting. It was a feeling that she could not exin. She remained startled for a while before she continued washing the ingredients.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, no matter what it is, you¡¯re still a part of the Qi family. As your mother, I know that even though you look like you don¡¯t care, you¡¯re actually justid back and don¡¯t bother to bicker, but you must know that sometimes, even if you let go and tolerate them, they won¡¯t let go of you. Do you understand?¡±

    When Wang Qin said this, her expression seemed solemn. She did not turn to look at Qi Lei. Instead, she sighed and continued, ¡°It has always been the strong and powerful who have the rights to speak. It¡¯s even more so in the business world. Think about it. If I had handed my shares to your father to handle back then, how would things look like today? Son, you¡¯ll be controlled by others if you aren¡¯t powerful. Then, it¡¯ll be toote to regret when that happens. You will lose all your power to hit back.¡±

    Wang Qin was very worried. Even she herself felt that all her life, she was like a warrior who kept on fighting. This female warrior could onlypromise the family¡¯s interests with fate, sacrificing herself. Perhaps when it came to love, kinship, and her best interests, she had chosen thetter two, and given up on love.

    Actually, there was not much to talk about here. It was not a heinous thing to give up on love and choose kinship. To the innocent her back then, the two of them were equal in position. She could not possibly deny or part with her parents for the sake of a rtionship.

    With regard to rtionships, love, kinship, friendship, and many more, everyone would have different views and different priorities, so Wang Qin had never regretted her decision back then.

    She chose her own journey, and she would finish it even if she had to kneel all the way. She did not mind having to deal with Qi Qiming and the rest because she needed to fight for something for the sake of her son.

    ¡°Mother, you think too much. You and the old man built Qi Kai together. It turned out so grand and formidable. A halo like that is too dazzling. It¡¯s simply too garish to me. I don¡¯t need you two to give me my own halo either. The old man has never liked me anyway. You two can go and be the so-called strong and powerful while I¡¯ll be the audience. I¡¯ll, you know, hype you up from time to time.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone sounded weird, yet you could also hear the in sarcasm in it.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, what are you saying? I¡¯m only doing all this for... Never mind. I don¡¯t want to pick a fight with you. It hasn¡¯t been too peaceful recently, so I hope that you cane home for a while. In fact, I hope that you can get to know Xian Er. I personally think she¡¯s quite nice. She¡¯d be perfect for you since she¡¯s from a prestigious family. We¡¯re well-matched. Qi Qiming would have to agree too. It¡¯s time you find a woman to marry and live your life properly.¡±

    ¡°If you want to marry someone, you can let the old man do that, or you can do it yourself too.¡±

    When this matter was raised, Qi Lei smiled coldly. He looked in disdain at Wang Qin, then turned to leave the kitchen.

    ¡°Xiao Lei! You...¡±

    Wang Qin always had no way of dealing with Qi Lei¡¯s temper, and now...

    But no matter what, she definitely could not let that witch, Gu Lingsha reappear and disrupt things, that woman looks simple, yet she extremely ingenuine, even Wang Qin felt uneasy!

    This woman could almost make the Gus, the Mus, and the Qis tear into each other years ago. Mu Lingtian had even died tragically while Mu Lingshi was disfigured. Qi Feng and Qi Lei had also...

    She still did not know whether the Gu family was involved in shameful, shady business. Whatever it was, she definitely would not allow such a dangerous woman to get close to Qi Lei again!

    She could not tell Qi Lei about the news!

    ...

    A brief and perfect wedding and their honeymoon passed by in the blink of an eye. After a short weekend, the husband and wife continued their usual routine. They woke up for work together, had lunch together, and went home together in the evening. After the short enthusiasm faded, they returned to their calm and simple life from before.

    Mu Yuchen could not bear to let Xiaye work too hard, so he made arrangements for the projects that she had been supervising previously. Now, she was just focused on the South River project. Of course, she seemed to be following Mu Yuchen everywhere!

    After a long period of time, he seemed to be calling her up to his office for all sorts of work reasons, so thepany employees finally found out about their rtionship.

    Even though the husband and wife were very low-profile, if they reached work, she would get down from the car first, and then when work ended, he would work till quitete. When he came over to fetch her, the entire office would be empty. Still, every time she got into the elevator, the employees would look at her ambiguously and oddly. Some nced at her with envy, some with gasps of admiration. She was not quite used to all of this, yet this was all thanks to a certain someone.

    Just like right now¡ª

    Xi Xiaye was working on a blueprint. With a pen in her hand, from time to time, she would mark something down. Suddenly, her phone rang, startling her. Without even looking up, she picked the phone up.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Director Xi,e to my office right away.¡±

    She already knew who it was before he finished. Without waiting for her answer, he hung up.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She held her hurting head with her fingers, then sighed after a while. She packed the blueprint up and walked out of the door.

    She took the elevator and reached the highest floor. Then, she walked to Mu Yuchen¡¯s office before she realized that no one was inside. He was nowhere to be found even after she looked around. She nced at the door to the resting lounge that was shut tightly before she leisurely sat down on his chair before the desk. She began to browse through the information on hisptop.

    After a while, when she had only browsed through a few lines, there was a faint fragrance that tempted her nostrils. Before she could react, a stalk of blossoming blue rose was put before her, taking her by surprise. She quickly turned to look beside her, then she saw his handsome face brimming with a heartwarming smile as he silently watched her.

    A gentle light shed in her eyes. She smiled and swiftly took it before she nted a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Are you happy about something? How rare of you to gift me a flower in broad daylight! Usually, you give these sort of things to me at night, and would let me bring it home to put in the vase.¡±

    She lowered her head to sniff it before she peered up at him in wonder.

    He pulled her up and sat down before he drew her to sit on hisp. ¡°I have good news for you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be really happy hearing it.¡±

    ¡°What good news?¡± she asked, puzzled.

 Chapter 483 - Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (3)

    <h4>Chapter 483: Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I¡¯ve just received a call from Ah Mo. There¡¯s hope for Mother¡¯s recovery, but she¡¯ll need to stay there for a while. Father will stay there for a while too. Grandpa returns tomorrow, so we¡¯ll pick him up from the airport in the afternoon the day after tomorrow,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke quite calmly.

    However, just as he said this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s starry eyes immediately lit up. She subconsciously held his hand and said a little nervously, ¡°There¡¯s hope for recovery? There¡¯s really hope? That means that Mother will be able to see the light again, right? I just called Mother yesterday. She said she was going for a check-up at the hospital today.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, this is good news, so be happy. Once Grandpa gets back, I¡¯ll arrange for people to guard them over there since only Father and Mother will be there.¡±

    As he said this, he looked meaningfully at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye smiled happily and gently nodded. ¡°I truly hope that when they return, their rtionship will go to the next level. If Mother recovers, then Father lectures together with her at University A, and no one disturbs them, that is something worth looking forward to!¡±

    ¡°It was always supposed to just be temporary loss of sight. Don¡¯t always be so worried and scare yourself too much.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, right, when¡¯s Ah Moing back then? Lingshi¡¯s been quite busy these two days. She¡¯s nning on renovating the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club office. In fact, Grandmother and the rest have begun to get her and Ah Mo moving. I think we¡¯ll be able to anticipate another round of good news.¡±

    Xi Xiaye yed around with the flower in her hand, and sheughed gently.

    ¡°They are truly childhood sweethearts. They should¡¯ve been married by now. Ah Mo is a rare honest man. Lingshi won¡¯t lose out being with him. Just like us, Grandmother and the rest have long been looking forward to their marriage, and now that you¡¯re their sis-inw, encourage Lingshi a little. It¡¯s a glorious thing. I think you and Lingshi get along quite well. She rarely talks to me about anything, but she did tell you quite a bit.¡±

    Obviously, it would be best for Lingshi to have one or two people that she could talk to. Actually, Lingshi was quite simr to her sometimes. Perhaps they could empathize and get along with each other better because of their simr personalities.

    ¡°There are some things that you can only tell your good friends and not your other half. Right, tomorrow I¡¯m going to go over to Lingshi¡¯s. The things that I brought from the Mu residence are still at home. I should deliver it to her tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll send you and go over to see Su Chen for a bit.¡±

    They were beginning to get some clues regarding the incident at the wedding banquet, so there were some things they needed to discuss and delegate.

    ¡°I almost forgot. Tomorrow is Lingtian¡¯s birthday. Xiaye, tomorrow morninge with me to the cemetery. After our wedding, we should go take a look.¡±

    After a momentary silence, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face suddenly shed with a sorrowful expression. He turned around and his gaze turned toward the sky outside through their window. It was slightly gloomy, and the mist outside made one feel a sense of loneliness.

    There was a ridge from his past that was hard to get over. Xi Xiaye had always known this.

    That ridge was Mu Lingtian!

    Xi Xiaye did not know what she could do right now. She could only hope that Detective Zhang would be able to get the news she needed sooner. She had already given him quite a few calls, yet it kept showing that his phone was switched off, which only made Xi Xiaye rather anxious.

    She hoped to be able to get some clues by understanding the Qi family.

    Upon seeing a hint of loneliness in his eyes, Xi Xiaye could only nod. ¡°Mmm, you don¡¯t have to be so hard on yourself. Even though I don¡¯t know what exactly happened, I know that our lives have just begun, so let¡¯s not let the past overshadow us. As the ones who are still alive, what we can do for the dead is to keep on living and remember them.¡±

    When he heard her dish her sermon and felt that it sounded quite familiar, ease colored his face and he smiled. ¡°Are you lecturing me right now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily just the teachers who have things to teach students. Sometimes, there are many things that are worth learning from the student too. This truth disregards seniority and hierarchy.¡±

    She smiled slowly. Somehow, she started to have a habit like him. She liked to touch his head and messed up his neat hair before tidying it again.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, why do you think people are so afraid of dying? Is it just because they¡¯re afraid of the pain thates with death and the helpless struggle?¡±

    She tilted her head and thought about it for a while. Suddenly, she looked puzzledly at Mu Yuchen, hoping to get an answer from him.

    When he heard this, he looked at her in astonishment and teased, ¡°What? Mrs. Mu, have you begun to explore the meaning of life now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just having a moment. I asked you, so just answer!¡±

    ¡°Your Mr. Mu is just an ordinary man. He¡¯s not some master who searches for the meaning of life, so how would I know? But now that you asked, apart from what you¡¯ve said, my main answer would be that perhaps we¡¯re afraid of being forgotten and that we¡¯ll no longer be able to have the things we own. So, being forgotten after death is truly when you lose everything.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his gaze hardened a little.

    She understood very well that he could not let himself forget Mu Lingtian, so he was destined to continue suffering.

    Her fingers interlocked with his as she suddenly asked softly, ¡°Mr. Mu, Mu Lingtian... Was he a good person?¡±

    Upon hearing this, he was astonished for a moment. Then, he shook his head and said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Why not? I remember you telling me that someone who treats you well is a good person. Otherwise, they would be a bad person. Isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    She raised her brows at this juncture.

    The curve on the corner of his lips widened as he reached out to rub her head and did not say anything for a while.

    ¡°Xiaye, sometimes, I really wish to still be simpler like you. Before I met you, I always felt like I was tired of holding up, and I always felt like I was living a rather lonely and boring life, but now...¡±

    He did not continue, yet in his profound eyes, he had already shown his feelings that were concealed in the depth of his eyes.

    She went nk for a moment, then she thought about it and smiled.

    Actually, was she not the same?

    From meeting to getting to know each other and falling in love, it was all a very wonderful journey. Now that everything had steadily progressed and continued on, she felt extremely grateful.

    She was about to say something when the sound of rushed footsteps came from outside.

    ¡°Master!¡± Li Si¡¯s impatient voice interrupted them!

 Chapter 484 - Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (4)

    <h4>Chapter 484: Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye instantly slipped away from Mu Yuchen¡¯sp and stood beside him when Li Si came in.

    He swiftly went to Mu Yuchen¡¯s table. ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    A faint light shed past Mu Yuchen¡¯s quiet and sharp eyes. He was looking right at Li Si¡¯s face.

    Li Si bowed slightly as his anxious expression faded a little. He nced at Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen with aplicated expression while Xi Xiaye gave him a doubtful look as well, waiting for what he was about to say.

    ¡°Master, well...¡± Li Si was hesitant.

    Xi Xiaye understood what Li Si meant. She took the flowers and said, ¡°You guys can talk. I¡¯ll go back down...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Mu Yuchen grabbed her small hands and looked at Li Si. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Xiaye. Just say it. She¡¯s not an outsider anymore.¡±

    Li Si nodded and quickly handed Mu Yuchen the document he had in his hand as he spoke quietly, ¡°We¡¯ve got urgent news from Ah Mo! The woman whom we suspected to be Gu Lingsha has gone missing. We checked with the immigration and realized she has already left Los Angeles, so...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as his expression turned cold as well. ¡°Did you find out anything about Qi Feng?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was still calm, but it was hard to not notice the hardness in his tone.

    Li Si shook his head apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I haven¡¯t found out anything about Qi Feng. Gu Lingsha doesn¡¯t seem to be in contact with anyone. From what we know, she was pursuing a Master in Business and Administration at a university abroad, and she performed spectacrly in a hugepany in Los Angeles. We investigated her social connections and didn¡¯t find anything about Qi Feng. I suspect that Qi Feng didn¡¯t go abroad, or he did but has since returned to City Z.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced through the document. He took a deep breath as he felt a headacheing on. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. Then, he went quiet for a long while with his eyes closed shut.

    Xi Xiaye frowned.

    Gu Lingsha was missing?

    Qi Feng was still not found. With so many incidentstely, she felt very uneasy. She could not help but feel useless when she saw his depressed expression. However, she had no idea how to help, so she pressed her hands onto the back of his hand.

    ¡°You...¡± she said quietly while Li Si remained silent.

    He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    He raised his head and looked at Li Si as he gave it some thought. ¡°Ask the people over there to return. Keep an eye on immigration over here. We can¡¯t avoid what¡¯s about toe.¡±

    ¡°Master, should we still investigate on Qi Feng?¡± Li Si asked doubtfully.

    ¡°No need. We¡¯ve been passive all along, but this time, I want to reverse the roles. We¡¯ll react to everything that they do. I want to see what they¡¯re trying to achieve.¡±

    Mu Yuchen analyzed as he took a sip from the cup of tea, ¡°Get our people to return and keep an eye on things here as well as the Gu family¡¯s movement. I don¡¯t think they can stand up to the pressure unless Qi Feng has no intention of taking over Qi Kai and is willing to give it to Qi Lei. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve returned sooner orter. Qi Feng is a very ambitious person. I believe he¡¯ll be taking action soon. Otherwise, Qi Qiming¡¯s actions so far would have been meaningless.¡±

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Yes, Master, I know what to do now!¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the investigation of the wedding banquet incident?¡±

    ¡°We found out that the people in the car Qi Lei followed that night are two thugs staying on North Bar Street.¡±

    ¡°North Bar Street? I remember that before Qi Kai went clean, that was where they were managing things, weren¡¯t they?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes and looked at Li Si.

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Yes, Master! That was indeed their area before. I tried to look for those two people but didn¡¯t manage to find them. They must¡¯ve hidden somewhere if they were the ones who initiated that incident.¡±

    ¡°Does Qi Lei know what happened?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°Probably not. Because they were noticed, we noted the car te number down, and when we found the car owner, we realized the car was stolen and we still can¡¯t confirm the two people¡¯s identities. We barely managed to find them after we asked Master Su Chen for help to look at the security camera footages.¡±

    Li Si and the others spent a lot of effort figuring this out. Luckily, with full support from Su Chen, they were able to identify their identities.

    ¡°So, does that mean it might be Qi Qiming after all? But... This is impossible. I¡¯ve never had any conflict with Qi Kai or Qi Qiming, so there¡¯s no reason for him to go after me.¡± Xi Xiaye was confused.

    ¡°Could it be because of Fu Hua?¡±

    That felt odd as well. Shen Yue hardly invited any guests at the wedding, and only a handful of people knew she was Shen Yue¡¯s granddaughter. Moreover, Shen Yue and Qi Qiming were both very low-profile, and they were not connected in any way.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen who closed his eyes and did not say a thing.

    After some time, he sat up straight and looked at Li Si. ¡°You can go and do as I instructed for now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si gave a brief reply and left quietly.

    Only Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye remained in the office.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly stood up and walked towards the window to peer outside at the evening sky. It was getting dark, and clouds were afloat in the vast sky. It was a peaceful scenery to gaze at.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Xi Xiaye went beside him and gave him a concerned look.

    He turned towards her with a smile and put his arms over her shoulder.

 Chapter 485 - Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (5)

    <h4>Chapter 485: Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was a rare asion but the couple took time off from work early this evening.

    A lot of things had piled up after their wedding. Xi Xiaye did not have to worry about anything except follow up on the South River project as well as help Mu Yuchen out. He had a lot of work piled up. After many days, the two of them finallypleted all of that.

    That was why Mu Yuchen wanted to go home earlier and make a lovely meal to reward his wife.

    Of course, Xi Xiaye was pleased. She felt that the food outside was never as delicious as his cooking. After all, she had gotten used to the food he made no matter where she went.

    She had to admit that Mu Yuchen had total control of her stomach now.

    However, the discouraging conversation at the office today still weighed on his heart, so he did not talk much throughout the night.

    Mu Yuchen went upstairs after dinner. When Xi Xiaye went up after she was done with the dishes, he had already taken a shower and was reading a book as hey down on the bed. He had prepared the water for her in the tub.

    She had a simple bath and came out with her sleeping robe on.

    ¡°What are you reading?¡± she called out to him when he seemed so focused. She handed him a cup of flower tea that she had brewed as she sat down on the rattan chair beside him and gazed outside at the lonely moon up in the sky. It seemed pretty chilly.

    She had forgotten thest time she had watched a moon so quietly. With a deep breath, she turned toward the man who did not respond and smiled as she grabbed the remote control and pressed it. The whole bedroom turned dark and the only faint light in the room came from the lone moon outside.

    <i>¡°Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you. That is how I know you go on...¡±</i>

    Her singing reached him, and he turned around to notice that she was watching a music video on the tablet. It was the theme song of the ssic movie ¡°Titanic¡±.

    He had heard it before and recalled it had rave reviews. However, he had never seen it since he never liked romance films. Not only did he think the romance in such movies were too unrealistic, but it was also because it was a tragedy and he never liked tragedies.

    Life was already hard enough. To him, watching movies was a way to rx and one should watch inspirational films.

    Nheless, if she wanted to watch them, he would watch them with her.

    He turned around and put his arm over her shoulders. ¡°I heard the film is pretty touching.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, actually, I¡¯ve never seen it before, but the song left a huge impact on me.¡± She smiled.

    He hugged her casually and asked right beside her ears, ¡°Why don¡¯t you watch it then?¡±

    ¡°Su Nan and Ruan Heng went to watch it. Su Nan almost drowned in her own tears when she came back. Her eyes were all red the next day. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll cry like her too,¡± she gave a straightforward reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s enough to just know that they are delivering a good message. Some people might vanish from this world, but as long as you remember them, they¡¯ll live here forever, so we should strive to live better than before.¡±

    As she said this, she gently held her chest with her slender hands. Her gaze reflected the faint blue light from the screen as she quietly watched him.

    He chuckled when he saw her serious and determined expression.

    He had to admit that she did give him strength at times, such as a time like this. As he looked at the determination and the encouraging light in her eyes, he could feel the darkness within him fade.

    He smiled and hugged her tightly. His voice was low and sensual. ¡°Xiaye, I remember that you said before you¡¯ll protect me, right?¡±

    ¡°Why are you raising that question now?¡± She looked at him in doubt.

    ¡°Answer me.¡± He closed in closer to her ears and buried his face into her hair. Her refreshing scent filled up his nose and activated the beast within him.

    She raised her brows and pressed his hand which was exploring underneath her clothes. Curiously, he looked at her when his hand was stopped. ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied seriously.

    He smiled and lifted her chin with a finger. A kissnded swiftly on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about anything. I just don¡¯t want our simple and peaceful lives to change.¡±

    ¡°But... Mmm...¡±

    Before she could say anything, his kiss drowned her.

    The next day, Xi Xiaye woke up with aches all over. The sun was already up high in the sky.

    Last night was intense. She even thought that he had identally consumed some kind of drug because he was so aggressive that she passed out, but he did not let go of her just like that. He seemed to be entirely different from the usual cold and indifferent side of him.

    Xi Xiaye was helpless against him.

    It was already 9 a.m. after they had a simple breakfast and were prepared to leave. The sky seemed a little cloudy as a handful of sun rays were struggling to shine down.

    They drove to Qingshan Cemetery and bought two bouquets of beautiful lilies from the florist at the bottom of the mountain.

    ¡°You guys can wait down here. We¡¯ll head up ourselves,¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly said when they were at the splitting point of going upwards.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯re worried.¡± His bodyguards expressed their concerns.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a short while. Just wait here.¡± Mu Yuchen left them with a simple order before dragging Xi Xiaye up the staircase.

    The bodyguards did not say anything else and just stood by the car. They found a position that enabled them to monitor what happened up there. Meanwhile, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye each held a bouquet of lilies in their hands as they walked up the staircase.

    At the same time, amidst the thousands of tombstones, there was a man in a ck suitying two bouquets of white lilies down before the tombs of Mu Lingtian and Mu Zixi.

    The man wore a pair ofrge sunsses and he seemed to have an average build. His face was hidden and he gave off a quiet vibe.

 Chapter 486 - Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (6)

    <h4>Chapter 486: Mysterious Man Before The Tombstone (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He was looking at the two tombstones quietly as he remained stationary for a long time with his head remained lowered. He looked at Mu Zixi¡¯s faded photo as the depressing aura around him intensified as if he was remembering the past.

    After a while, he turned his gaze to Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone. He bent over and tried to remove the spots of dirt on his photo.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    As they walked forward, Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached her ear as he pulled her backward.

    Startled, Xi Xiaye turned around and looked at him in doubt. She then noticed that his eyes were staring forward, so she looked over to see someone there. If she was not mistaken, that was the location of Mu Zixi and Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone!

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was alert. From the appearance, neither did it seem like Mu Tangchuan nor Mu Yinan, so who else could it be?

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen whose expression was still calm as usual, but his eyes were restless. He stared at that figure for a long time. Then, he put on a cold grin as he went forward with her in tow.

    However, that man in the ck suit was on alert as well. At almost the same moment they walked towards him, he looked at them. With therge sunsses covering his face, they could not get a good look at his face.

    He seemed to have noticed Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye from afar too. He turned around to leave swiftly.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Xi Xiaye yelled anxiously. She let go of Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand as she chased the man!

    ¡°Stop! Who are you?!¡± she demanded while she chased.

    That man was fast. In just the blink of an eye, he swiftly went down the other side of the stairs. Then, he slipped behind another tombstone. When Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen arrived, there was no sign of anyone.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the empty spot and asked, ¡°Who was that person?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. They went back to Mu Lingtian and Mu Zixi¡¯s tombstone. They then noticed that there was a bouquet of white lily before each of their graves.

    Only a handful of people knew Mu Zixi and Mu Lingtian liked white lilies, so who exactly was that?

    ¡°Why would hee and visit Aunty and Mu Lingtian¡¯s grave? And he even knew that it¡¯s Mu Lingtian¡¯s birthday today!¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she looked at the birthday cake left before Mu Lingtian¡¯s grave. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like someone we know.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put the white lilies down as he stared at the other white lilies and the cake for a long time. The faint light in his eyes became stronger. Xi Xiaye followed his example and put the bouquet of white lilies before Mu Zixi¡¯s grave as well.

    ¡°It should be someone rted to Lingtian,¡± Mu Yuchen voiced out his thought.

    ¡°It must be. There¡¯s no other way he would remember Mu Lingtian¡¯s birthday... Could it be his friend? Or...¡± Xi Xiaye frowned. Although an answer appeared in mind, she did not say it. She just looked at Mu Yuchen in silence.

    ¡°Lingtian was pretty introverted and didn¡¯t socialize much, so he had very few friends. Apart from Ah Mo and Lingshi, the others were only the two brothers from the Qi family.¡± Mu Yuchen gave a simple exnation.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Who do you think that person is?¡±

    ¡°Not many people know that Aunty and Lingtian liked white lilies...¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that that person... might be... but we didn¡¯t get to see his face clearly just now, so maybe it¡¯s just a friend?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not believe it. ¡°I remember that you told me you¡¯ve investigated many times and you couldn¡¯t locate Ah Shi¡¯s biological father. That person... Aunty¡¯s photo was obviously cleaned just moments ago. Look, it¡¯s very clean now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. This time, maybe...¡±

    He quickly took his phone out and dialed the bodyguard near the car. ¡°Go to the entrance and look for a man in a ck suit withrge sunsses. Stop him on sight. At the same time, note down the car te numbers nearby. Be quick!¡± He hung up on the call after giving his order.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she looked at the eternally beautiful smile on the tombstone. ¡°Did Aunty never leave any information regarding Ah Shi¡¯s father at all?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was suddenly reminded about their wedding in the small town and his conversation with Mu Lingshi on the balcony that night.

    Mu Lingshi had always wanted to look for her biological father, but how could she do it? Mu Zixi had never said anything about him, so there were no leads at all.

    After so many days, it was unknown whether she had any progress on this. Although he promised to help her, he almost forgot about it with all the work piling up recently.

    ¡°My parents would¡¯ve found him already if there was. We have zero ideas about that man,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xiaye sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been almost thirty years. That man... Has he never appeared? I think he must know about Lingtian and Ah Shi¡¯s existence. Otherwise, Ah Shi wouldn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll investigate this thoroughly.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then nced at the direction that the mysterious man disappeared. ¡°I hope what we saw today will be a breakthrough!¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood exactly what he meant, so she nodded and looked over in the same direction as him. ¡°I hope so too. Looking at his back and attire, he didn¡¯t seem ordinary. He¡¯s probably someone with high status, but I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly and gauge his age. He did not seem to want us to know about him, that¡¯s why he left so quickly. If he knew us, he would¡¯ve at least greeted us before leaving,¡± she analyzed.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s right! He doesn¡¯t wish for us to know of his existence, which is what caught my attention.¡±

 Chapter 487 - Yellowing Picture (1)

    <h4>Chapter 487: Yellowing Picture (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she frowned and stared in that direction for a long while. When she turned back to Mu Yuchen, she realized that he had already averted his gaze and was now quietly staring at Mu Lingtian¡¯s picture on the tombstone. Loneliness and sorrow were evident in his expression.

    Xi Xiaye walked over and gently pulled him up.

    ¡°Five years passed by just like that, but the incident didn¡¯t fade with the passing of time. Instead, it became even clearer. Those who live don¡¯t necessarily feel better than those who have passed,¡± he suddenly said, his tone sounding like a sigh.

    ¡°Mmm, you need a lot of courage to keep on living, but this is something that can¡¯t be helped. Just as you said, life goes on. Otherwise, what else can we do?¡± Xi Xiaye softly responded.

    Mu Yuchen allowed himself a tiny smile as he slowly took a cigarette box out from his pocket. He lit three cigarettes andid them on Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone. Then, he lit one up for himself too and leisurely took a drag. Squinting at Mu Lingtian¡¯s picture, he said in a low voice, ¡°Happy birthday, Lingtian.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did a slight bow to the tombstone too.

    She stared at the words on the tombstone for quite a while and suddenlymented, ¡°When he left, he was still very young.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a nce at the words carved on the tombstone too and he smiled sadly. ¡°Mmm, he was only 23, so that¡¯s why I feel...¡±

    He did not continue, but Xi Xiaye knew what he meant too.

    She held his hand tightly and sighed. ¡°Pray that they are doing well on the other side. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s a little chilly here.¡±

    Then, she looked up at the haze in the sky. The wisps of pale light were struggling, yet they could not seep through the thickyer of clouds.

    With a nod, he finally took onest drag before he put the cigarette out. He held her hand and then turned to walk downstairs.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    The husband and wife had just walked to the car when the bodyguards in ck suits walked up to them.

    Mu Yuchen stopped walking and looked at them before he spoke, ¡°Did you see that person earlier?¡±

    ¡°No, Master! We have been guarding here, but we didn¡¯t see the man that you mentioned.¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze subconsciously darkened. Then, he looked up contemtively at the empty staircase. After a while, he still did not say anything.

    Xi Xiaye calmly looked at him before she spoke softly, ¡°Let¡¯s return first. We¡¯ll think of a way to investigate afterward. If he really wants to hide from us, we can¡¯t do anything about it. Note down all of the car te numbers around here and get them checked. See if you can find out anything.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus! We¡¯ve already noted all of them down.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and followed Mu Yuchen into the car.

    The car sped all the way. He did not say anything throughout the journey. Xi Xiaye thought about it before she spoke up, ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip back to the old Mu residence. We¡¯ve been so busy recently and haven¡¯t had the time to go visit. Instead, Grandmother came over to the Maple Residence for quite a few times. We can also see if Ah Shi needs anything else. Then, we can bring everything to her tomorrow at a go.¡±

    The man, who had been gently leaning back against the seat and shut his eyes to rest calmly, nodded without opening her eyes to look at her.

    ...

    Ever since Wang Qin and Qi Qiming had had that huge argument, she had been going over to Qi Lei¡¯s ce often, especially after she received that e-mail which made her even more uneasy. She could not help but be more vignt.

    In Qi Lei¡¯s yard at the Grand Waves Vi on a dazzling afternoon.

    Wang Qiny down on the recliner as she flipped through some proposals of coborations with otherpanies when Yang Sheng suddenly appeared.

    ¡°VP Wang, Master Qi says he won¡¯t being home tonight.¡±

    When Yang Sheng finished, Wang Qin immediately frowned. She looked up and her sharp eyes red at Yang Sheng as she asked coldly, ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi says he has ns tonight. He might make a trip out of the city, so he won¡¯t be returning,¡± Yang Sheng responded carefully.

    Wang Qin¡¯s expression clouded over and she fell silent for a while. She replied calmly, ¡°What¡¯s the progress of that investigation?¡±

    ¡°VP Wang, we¡¯ve found out that the girl is indeed Miss Gu Lingsha. The actual information about her is still being consolidated and will be sent over very soon.¡±

    Wang Qin closed the document in hand as her expression was solemn. She told Yang Sheng sternly, ¡°You cannot let Xiao Lei know about this. Do you understand?¡±

    Gu Lingsha had always brought the most harm to Qi Lei, so Wang Qin had always been extremely against her. This woman was scheming and unpredictable. She had never had a good impression of Gu Lingsha. No matter what, she could not let her affect Qi Lei again.

    ¡°Yes, VP Wang! I understand!¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s expression turned slightly serious too. He knew about those things well. In fact, all these years by Qi Lei¡¯s side, he could already more or less understand some of his emotions. Gu Lingsha had always had a special ce in Qi Lei¡¯s heart. All these years, Qi Lei had never forgotten her, so...

    Wang Qin took a deep breath. She could not help but sigh again. ¡°Xiao Lei, sigh, why can¡¯t he just understand I¡¯m doing all that for him? Who else do I worry about? He¡¯s just too naive. A vicious person like Qi Feng who isn¡¯t what he seems and would never let him have it easy. If only years ago, Gu Lingsha didn¡¯t... Sigh, I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s against her, hmm!¡±

    ¡°VP Wang, if Master Feng didn¡¯t die, then howe there were no words from CEO Qi at all? All these years, the Qi family and the Gu family haven¡¯t been in contact much either. Outsiders have all guessed that the three families have had a fall out because of the car ident. Especially Mu Lingtian¡¯s death... Initially, we thought that the Mu family would definitely wreak havoc with the Gu family and the Qi family,¡± Yang Sheng probed carefully.

    ¡°Ha, the Mu family lost Mu Lingtian. How are the Qis and the Gus going to speak up? At first, this all stemmed from Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha taking things too far, but I do find it weird. How did Mu Lingtian get involved?¡±

    Yang Sheng shook his head. ¡°VP Wang, I find this weird too. After all, doesn¡¯t Mu Yuchen want to understand what happened years ago too? That¡¯s why all these years, just like VP Wang, he has never given up on looking out for news on the two of them. Now that we know Miss Gu Lingsha is still alive, perhaps we could let him know. That way, we might be able to find out a thing or two from him!¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡± When Yang Sheng brought up this name, Wang Qin¡¯s expression seemed startled.

    ¡°Yes, VP Wang! I¡¯ve noticed that he has also been brooding over the incident years ago. Even if he did leave City Z for many years, he never gave up on trying to find out news about Master Feng and Miss Gu Lingsha, so I think he, more than anyone else, would want to know the truth about what happened years ago.¡±

 Chapter 488 - Yellowing Picture (2)

    <h4>Chapter 488: Yellowing Picture (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Qin¡¯s eyes started to shift upon hearing Yang Sheng¡¯s words. She thought about it for a while before saying softly, ¡°Mu Yuchen is impossible to predict. Even Qi Qiming himself is quite careful around him. However, if we were to talk about these grudges, Qi Qiming should probably hate him more. The main reason for the car ident years ago was his heartlessness. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Forget it. If possible, let¡¯s minimize contact with him. He makes me feel uneasy. See how Qi Qiming¡¯s been acting first. Investigate the matter on Gu Lingsha properly. We must find Qi Feng! I¡¯ve always suspected that Qi Feng definitely must still be alive. Otherwise, Qi Qiming, that old bastard, wouldn¡¯t have given even a bit of authority to Xiao Lei, and he never mentioned about him inheriting thepany. If this bastard has really been paving the way for Qi Feng, he¡¯d still need me to agree to it!¡± Wang Qin¡¯s tone was cold and determined.

    Qi Kai belonged to Qi Lei, and no one was allowed to steal it from him!

    ¡°Yes, VP Wang! I got it!¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming has been living a more secluded life ever since the car ident. I initially thought that he was declining because of Qi Feng, but who would¡¯ve thought... All these years, many of the seniors in thepany have been on his side. We have to pay more attention to that. Especially after he acquired Yueying, things made me think that something¡¯s fishy. Yueying is just an empty shell. Could it be because of his rtionship with Yue Hai? No matter how I think about it, I still find it strange!¡±

    Yang Sheng hesitated for a moment, before he answered, ¡°VP Wang, don¡¯t forget that the Yues have people controlling the movie industry. Perhaps CEO Qi was considering those factors.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Since it¡¯s already done, we¡¯ll just go with the flow. Just make sure to pay close attention. Also, do <i>not </i> let Xiao Lei know any news with regard to Gu Lingsha. Things haven¡¯t been peacefultely. I just hope that he¡¯ll put his heart into work, and win the board members¡¯ recognition as soon as possible. That way, he can take over Qi Kai sooner.¡±

    ...

    When they returned to the old Mu residence, Wang Hui was not home and Mu Yinan was alone. Mu Yangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were busy with work too. They left early and returnedte.

    Mu Yuchen received a call the moment he reached home, so he then went to the study room. Xi Xiaye knew that he was not in the best of moods, so she did not disturb him. Instead, she went to the backyard and bumped into Mu Yinan.

    Xi Xiaye had just sat down on the slightly cool stone stool when Mu Yinan closed his newspaper and looked at her. ¡°I heard them say that you and Chen Er went to see Lingtian today.¡±

    She was momentarily startled. Her calm gaze settled quietly on the blooming flowerbed at the bottom of the staircase before she nodded. ¡°Mmm, he said that it¡¯s Mu Lingtian¡¯s birthday today, so he wanted to pay a visit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, yet it continues to bother him.¡± Mu Yinan sighed softly.

    You¡¯re reading on  Thanks!

    Since Mu Lingtian was already mentioned, Xi Xiaye very frankly asked, ¡°Grandfather, could you tell me a little bit about Mu Lingtian? Every time Lingtian is brought up, he looks so pained. I...¡±

    ¡°This incident happened a while ago. I¡¯m sure you should know that Lingtian and Lingshi were siblings and not biological children of your father and mother-inw. They only had Chen Er as their only son. Lingtian and Lingshi should be my grandchildren.¡±

    When recalling this past, a sorrow colored the space between his brows. He set aside the newspaper and picked up his tea to take a sip before he slowly continued, ¡°Your grandmother and I gave birth to two children. Apart from your father-inw, we have another daughter who¡¯s only a few years younger than your father-inw. I wonder if you¡¯ve ever heard of a once famous superstar, Mu Zi?¡±

    Xi XIaye nodded gently. ¡°I know about this. He told me a little about her. I know that Mu Zi is Aunty Mu Zixi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mu Zi is indeed Mu Zixi, as in your aunt. Back then, she had joined the entertainment industry at a rather young age, and she did have her glory days. She was hugely popr once. But when she first joined this industry, your grandmother and I werergely against it. Showbiz is mixed with many types of people. Everyone schemes against each other and there are many unspoken rules. Because your aunt is an upright person, this industry doesn¡¯t suit her.

    ¡°Nevertheless, she insisted on joining showbiz, so your grandmother and I couldn¡¯t stop her. She had dreams that she wanted to achieve, so as parents, we couldn¡¯t clip her wings to fly. Not too long after she debuted, she was recognized very quickly for her outstanding looks and naturally melodious voice. In just a few years, she became one of the most substantial superstars with numerous fans. After that, she became even busier with promotions, acting, and going all over to prepare and n her concert tour. She rarely kept in touch with us, and rarely came home every year. Your grandmother and I were very worried. The more she was famous, the more we worried...¡±

    When Mu Yinan reached this part of the story, his throat felt vaguely raw and his aged voice sounded quite calm, yet you could hear the concealed bitterness. ¡°Finally, after that, all of the things we were worried about happened in the end... Sigh, it¡¯s embarrassing and it does make the Mu family look bad.

    ¡°That day, after not having been home for more than half a year, she suddenly returned home. She looked defeated and was in a bad state. She was not herself. Once she reached home, she locked herself in her room. Your grandmother and I were very worried, thus we just crashed through the door and realized that she had already fainted. When we called a doctor over, we found out that she was already more than three months pregnant.¡±

    ¡°That child was Mu Lingtian, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Xi Xiaye softly said.

    Mu Yinan nodded. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s right. It was Lingtian. Initially, we wanted her to get an abortion, but she insisted on keeping it. In fact, she wouldn¡¯t tell us who the child¡¯s father was. Your grandmother was very angry back then. In a rage, she put her under house arrest to make her reflect on her actions, but unexpectedly, she escaped. When we found her again, it was already toote.¡±

    ¡°After giving birth to Lingtian, your aunt¡¯s mood would improve at times and took a turn for the worse at others. Back then, she had already fallen into depression. So as not to let outsiders know that she had a child out of wedlock, your grandmother and I racked our brains, and your mother-inw even agreed to let Lingtian be recorded under your father-inw¡¯s name, so the child¡¯s surname is Mu, the same as Ah Chen. He called them ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯, and us ¡®Grandfather¡¯ and ¡®Grandmother¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Then, back then, did you guys ever think of finding the child¡¯s father?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and looked at Mu Yinan, slightly puzzled.

    ¡°Of course, we did investigate. Because of this, your father and mother-inw put in a lot of effort too, but because your aunt intentionally kept it a secret, we had no leads to begin with. In a fit of rage, your grandmother swore to kick her out and as you know your grandmother¡¯s temper...¡±

 Chapter 489 - Yellowing Picture (3)

    <h4>Chapter 489: Yellowing Picture (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows furrowed into a knot. She could tell that Mu Zixi must have been quite an unyielding person.

    ¡°Now that we think about it, it was our fault back then. We failed to guide her. Otherwise, the tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    When Mu Yinan talked about this, he could not remain calm. His aged eyes were filled with indescribable pain and struggle. ¡°This incident has always been a thorn in your grandmother¡¯s heart. It¡¯s best if you never talk about this in front of her. Xiaye, you¡¯re a sensible child. Just be good and stay by Chen Er¡¯s side. Don¡¯t think about all of these things of the past anymore. It¡¯s not a bad thing to be able to live a calm life like you do now. Knowing too much about some things will only make it be a kind of burden.¡±

    ¡°As the eldest brother, Chen Er has always been very protective of Lingtian and Lingshi, but Lingtian... This incident... Everyone knows that we can¡¯t me him because...¡±

    ¡°What are you two talking about? Xiaye, you were free toe back today!¡± This sudden cheerful voice interrupted Mu Yinan¡¯s words. The two of them quickly turned and saw that Wang Hui was walking over to them.

    ¡°Grandmother!¡± Xi Xiaye immediately stood up.

    ¡°Sit, sit. I¡¯ve been waiting for you two toe by for a while now. I was quite surprised to hear the butler say that you were back. You must¡¯ve been extremely busy recently. What do you want to eat? We¡¯ll make it for the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t busy yourself now, Grandfather and Grandmother. We¡¯re just back to visit you two.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Let me go back to pack up some of Ah Shi¡¯s things first. She asked me to take a few books for her.¡±

    ¡°Go then, but have dinner here before going back.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, okay.¡± Xi Xiaye responded before turning to leave.

    ...

    ¡°What did you say to her? What about Lingtian? Why did you talk about these things to her? Are you trying to add trouble for her?¡±

    Wang Hui had vaguely heard them mention Lingtian earlier, so she shot Mu Yinan a warning re.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Ah Chen has never forgotten about Lingtian¡¯s incident. Today is Lingtian¡¯s birthday, and they¡¯ve just been to Qingshan Cemetery... Sigh, I keep feeling that perhaps this matter should just be talked about openly. Do you think that the children would be willing to just let it be if we don¡¯t talk about it?¡±

    Mu Yinan sighed as he got up and walked to the other end of the corridor with his arms behind his back, looking frustrated.

    Wang Hui¡¯s expression darkened and shifted while she followed him too.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years now. The children have all grown up and are sensible now. We can¡¯t just keep interfering and controlling them. A few days ago, we already received news. We know that Lingshi was trying to find out about Zixi. You should know very well why,¡± Mu Yinan expressed softly.

    ¡°Hmph, so what if we found that person? She¡¯s already dead! What¡¯s the point of finding out who he is? The biggest failure of my life was giving birth to such a disappointing daughter! I let you down!¡± Wang Hui took a deep breath. The pain that surged up her chest was so suffocating that she could barely breathe, causing an indescribable tightness of distress.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. What are you saying now? You didn¡¯t have the child alone. If we are to me, we can only me ourselves for caring about her too little back then, and for indulging her too much.¡±

    ¡°I just feel quite bad... I...¡±

    ¡°Enough, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It¡¯s in the past now, so why are we talking about this now? Only causing trouble!¡±

    Mu Yinan turned to look at Wang Hui with a sigh. ¡°Just let the children worry about these things. We don¡¯t have to care. Our grandson would have the fortune of a descendant. Let¡¯s just see how it goes.¡±

    ...

    On the other end, after Xi Xiaye heard Mu Yinan speak, she did not manage to get anything useful, so she kept feeling a little disappointed, yet she also understood that Mu Yinan did not actually want to let her know too much about the past. Just as what Mu Yuchen said, this topic was practically a taboo in the Mu family.

    Xi Xiaye pushed open Mu Lingshi¡¯s door and followed the instructions from Mu Lingshi¡¯s call earlier. She began to pack the things to bring over.

    It was just a few books and a gift box from the drawer.

    The book was about music and a huge stack of musical scores was slotted in between the pages. Xi Xiaye naturally could not read it.

    While the gift box contained a very unique pen, it had white porcin as its body and blue gems embedded it all over. It looked rather expensive.

    ¡°That was a present that Aunty gave him during Lingtian¡¯s first birthday. When he did the one-year-old grab [1], she hoped that he would be a learned and knowledgeable schr when he grew up.¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye was lost in thought as she stared at the pen in the gift box, the man¡¯s deep and calm voice was suddenly heard. She turned and saw that he was standing behind her.

    ¡°This pen is beautiful,¡± Xi Xiaye eximed, handing the gift box to him.

    ¡°Mmm, this is also the only present that my aunt left for Lingtian who always treasured it. After he passed away, Lingshi safeguarded it. This gift has a unique meaning to them. Back then, Lingtian didn¡¯t even allow anyone to touch it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out to take it. He held the pen and carefully examined it while the gem flickered and sparkles reflected in the light. It looked a little lonely and bleak when the light bounced off his handsome face.

    ¡°That means Lingtian should be quite protective of Aunty.¡± As Xi Xiaye said this, she picked the pen up and carefully scrutinized it. ¡°Mmm? What do these two letters mean?¡±

    She had stroked it for a while when she suddenly noticed that there seemed to be two little letters ¡®ZX¡¯ engraved into the inner part of the cap.

    ¡°Zixi?¡±

    She thought for a moment before handing the pen to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen took it and studied it for a while too. His handsome brows furrowed slightly as he pondered for a while before putting it back.

    ¡°Quickly pack up.¡± He closed the gift box and handed it back to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done. Ah Shi doesn¡¯t have many things.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked around the empty bedroom. Mu Lingshi¡¯s entire room was a gloomy coffee-colored design and suited her personality.

    ¡°I remember when this room used to be filled with all sorts of toys and dolls. Lingshi loved Barbie dolls. She also loved collecting all sorts of musical boxes, and now...

    ¡°She¡¯s probably grown up, so she doesn¡¯t y with those things anymore. I used to love folding stars too. Now that I think about it, I think it was quite corny, so don¡¯t think too much into it.¡±

    When she realized what he would say next, her beautiful face shed with a smile and she quickly interrupted him, ¡°Stars?¡±

    He squinted as he seemed to recall something before he stared at her in amusement. ¡°Back then, you were all little girls, so you liked ying with these things, especially to give to boys that you admired. Did you also do the same?¡±

 Chapter 490 - Yellowing Picture (4)

    <h4>Chapter 490: Yellowing Picture (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye wanted to refute his statement. However, a scene yed back in her mind.

    On a certain night on Han Yifeng¡¯s birthday, she did give him a full jar of folded paper stars, and then...

    She went quiet.

    He already knew the answer just by looking at her reaction.

    He had to admit that he was jealous of Han Yifeng. What had he done to deserve so much attention from her?

    ¡°If I had met you earlier, I would¡¯ve folded tonnes of paper stars for you.¡± She sighed after a while as she looked at him seriously.

    He smiled and patted on her head. ¡°With that determination of yours, it¡¯s a much better gift than tonnes and tonnes of folded paper stars.¡±

    She leaned against the side of his body and smiled. ¡°Well, I can start foldingter...¡±

    He chuckled as he patted her more firmly. ¡°We¡¯re not young anymore. Do you still think you¡¯re a teenage girl?¡±

    ¡°Who said only young people can do that? Well, I do think we¡¯re still pretty young after all.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at him. Then, she went to the table after casually grabbing a thick book and flipped through it. It was a collection of poems. The pages still felt pretty new. After flipping through several pages, just when she was about to close it, a photo slipped out and gently fell beside her feet.

    Frowning slightly, she squatted down to pick it up. Then, she realized it was a photo that had turned yellow. It was kind of blurry, but the people in the photo were still identifiable ¡ª Mu Zi, also known as Mu Zixi!

    It seemed to be a photo of a gathering. The photo consisted of her and three other people, one woman and two handsome-looking guys with sunsses on. They seemed to be pretty close to Mu Zixi.

    When Xi Xiaye wanted to get a better look at it, arge hand came over and grabbed the photo.

    ¡°It¡¯s Aunty... and some others. Can you recognize them?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him and asked.

    Mu Yuchen stared at the photo for some time as he pondered quietly. The light in his eyes faded a little and he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not very clear.¡±

    They wore sunsses and hardly any facial features could be distinguished although they did look rather handsome just like that.

    ¡°Aunty was really beautiful when she was young!¡± Xi Xiaye studied the woman in the photo. Indeed, she was a charismaticdy.

    ¡°My grandparents were really good-looking when they were young too. Of course, my aunt inherited it from them,¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he kept his eyes glued onto the photo.

    ¡°Can we find the woman inside the photo? She seems very close to Aunty. We might be able to find something out from her,¡± suggested Xi Xiaye after giving it some thought.

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly. He grabbed a chair and sat down as he held a corner of the photo and continued staring at it without replying.

    ¡°There are some words on the back!¡± Xi Xiaye nced over and saw a line of words on the back. Immediately, Mu Yuchen flipped the photo over and saw the line which looked like the handwriting of a woman.

    <i>At times, you look at me. At times, you look at the clouds. I think that it¡¯s far when you look at me, and it¡¯s near when you look at the clouds. </i>

    Xi Xiaye snuggled over and read the text out loud. She was surprised. ¡°This is very familiar. It sounds like Gu Cheng¡¯s ¡®Far and Near¡¯, but what does it mean?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had some doubts. He studied the photo back and forth several times and still could not figure it out.

    ¡°Is this Aunty¡¯s handwriting? Or Ah Shi¡¯s?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows as she asked.

    He took a deep breath as he put the photo on the table. ¡°It should be Aunty¡¯s. Lingshi¡¯s handwriting is really illegible.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the ink looks like it¡¯s been there for many years. Why is this photo inside here? And this line of words...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it now. Pack up and check if there¡¯s anything else we need to bring.¡± Mu Yuchen put the photo back into the book and left it there. ¡°Remember to take this book outter on.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded while her eyes were still focused on the book. ¡°Can we find out a bit more? Thatdy just now looked a little familiar. Maybe she¡¯s a good friend within the industry.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon. Are you done?¡± He went up to her as she carried a thick stack of books.

    ¡°I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s nothing much here, just a few books. As for these music scores, I don¡¯t understand them either Hmm, did Ah Shi inherit her musical talent from Aunty as well? I remember that Aunty has a nice voice. She was very highly praised in the industry for her marvelous singing. Many of the popr songs that were trending back then were written by herself. To a certain extent, she was really talented in music too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye somewhat remembered some of the information that she had read up on Mu Zi.

    ¡°Mmm, she¡¯s indeed musically talented. She joined manypetitions while she was still in school and easily won numerous awards. My grandparents were really proud of her.¡±

    ¡°Ah Shi seems like her now. She¡¯s really enjoying being a DJ, and she¡¯s managing the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club well.¡±

    ¡°As long as she likes it. After all, she learned a lot from working in several clubs in New York and France in the past few years, so it¡¯s best for her to apply what she¡¯s learned.¡± Mu Yuchen feltforted when they talked about this and his face softened.

    She followed behind him with a stack of books as she said, ¡°How can you not worry about leaving a girl like her at those ces?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi is strong, and always being reliant on others isn¡¯t going tost long. Most importantly, she needs to know how to protect herself,¡± he replied as he put an arm over her shoulder and his other hand into his pocket as they strolled.

 Chapter 491 - Followed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 491: Followed (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They nned to have dinner at the Mu Residence before heading back, but when they were done packing up, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing.

    It was a call from the Provincial Government Department about something urgent, and they wanted Mu Yuchen to go over for dinner.

    Mu Yuchen wanted to decline, but Xi Xiaye asked him to go. At the same time, she wanted him to deliver the things to Mu Lingshi as well. She had already loaded them into the car this morning. Coincidentally, her drop-off ce was on the way to his destination.

    ¡°Leave me at the junction ahead. You can bring the people with you,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke up as they arrived at an entertainment club and he unbuckled his safety belt.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You should bring them. Don¡¯t appear alone in public. They are supposed to follow you anyway.¡±

    There was another car with the bodyguards following them behind.

    Things had not been really peacefultely. Since Ah Mo and Li Si insisted, Mu Yuchen would bring the bodyguards with him whenever he went out just to avoid simr incidents like the one in City B from happening again. He also nned to get a female bodyguard for Xi Xiaye. Ah Mo was recruiting for this position and the bodyguard would soon be ready when he got back.

    The car arrived at the entrance and stopped just when Xi Xiaye said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just stay there for a while. I¡¯ll be back to fetch you at around 9.30 pm.¡±

    ¡°Be careful on your own. Is your phone fully charged?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could be pretty forgetful, so it was not umon for her to have her battery dead.

    She searched through her bag and grabbed her phone. The battery icon showed a full bar, but after just a nce, the man took it from her and handed her his phone. ¡°Let it charge in the car and be careful.¡±

    He swiftly got out of the car and went into the building. The bodyguards went with him as well.

    Xi Xiaye started the car again after his figure vanished inside and she continued forward.

    The sky turned dark when she arrived at Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi¡¯s vi. The world seemed depressingly gray.

    The vis here were pretty high-ss while the environment around there was peaceful and calm. The streetmps started to light up as the sky turned dark, so it still felt like day time with all the bright lights around.

    ¡°Sister-inw!¡± Mu Lingshi came up to Xi Xiaye as she just parked her car.

    Xi Xiaye picked the bags beside the trunk up and opened the door. ¡°Have you been waiting for long?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We just finished dinner between the two of us. Let¡¯s have a barbeque. My friend came back from north-western China and brought me some beef steaks which tastes pretty amazing. Try themter and bring some back for my brother.¡±

    Mu Lingshi took the bags from Xi Xiaye. After stealing a nce inside, she looked at her gratefully. ¡°You brought them all here?¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed the door and locked the car. ¡°Mmm, we just came over from the Mu Residence. We wanted to have dinner with Grandfather and Grandmother, but your brother had a sudden appointment nearby, so I dropped by. I¡¯ve never really been to your ce. I almost got lost on my way here even with the GPS system.¡±

    ¡°Thend around here is only starting to get developed, but the views at night are great. How about we take a stroll around after dinner? It¡¯s only 7 p.m. now. We can head out at around 8 p.m. since it¡¯s too hot during the day. It¡¯s much better at night.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head in now. I have to pick your brother upter. I¡¯m not sure if I can make time for it.¡±

    It had been some time since Xi Xiayest visited a night market. Su Nan always asked her out to visit one before she got married, but now that Su Nan was pregnant and married, they spent less time with each other. Most nights, she would just watch TV or some sports matches with Mu Yuchen after dinner. Otherwise, they would be busy working untilte at night before heading to bed.

    ¡°Sister-inw, I notice that you and my brother prefer to always stay at home. You two rarely go out. Recently, a pretty decent band is ying at the club with some dancers, both street and pole dance. This is all in the midnight show. Are you guys interested?¡± Mu Lingshi shot Xi Xiaye a nce as she whispered beside her ear.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and looked at Mu Lingshi.

    A smile appeared on Mu Lingshi¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. While my brother is a good man, you have to think of something to keep that passion and freshness alive for him. We¡¯re both women. There¡¯s no need to be shy about it.¡±

    She chuckled when she saw Xi Xiaye blushing. Sometimes, she felt the little girl in her sister-inw was oddly simr to Mu Yuchen¡¯s old man personality. No wonder they matched each other so well.

    ¡°You little brat, you sure do know a lot, huh? What about you and Ah Mo?¡± Xi Xiaye shot her a look before walking into the vi with a grin.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious here. You have the assets, so why waste it?¡± Mu Lingshi caught up with her and said in a serious tone.

    ¡°It¡¯d be a miracle if your brother doesn¡¯t think of me as crazy. You¡¯d better save that up for Ah Mo.¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw, do you listen to everything my brother says at home?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! He listens to my orders!¡±

    He said it himself ¡ª she was in charge at home.

    ...

    Mu Lingshi loved steamboat or barbeque, especially with one or two good friends and a few iced whiskeys, top-grademb, secret-sauce beef steaks, and some pumpkin porridge, which were all of her favorites.

    ¡°That pen is really beautiful and unique.¡±

    At the dining table, Xi Xiaye put a beef steak on Mu Lingshi¡¯s te as she nced at the girl who was rummaging through her bag.

    Mu Lingshi was stunned for a moment. She then picked the box up and opened it.

    ¡°Mmm, this is the only gift Mother left for Lingtian. There¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    Holding the exquisite pen in her hand, she could feel the chill of the metal through her fingertips. That temperature and weight felt like it was passed from several centuries before. It was very distant, as if it were a dream-like daze.

 Chapter 492 - Followed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 492: Followed (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The air abruptly fell silent. You could only hear the sizzling sounds from the barbeque.

    Xi Xiaye watched Mu Lingshi silently and she noticed a rare sorrow and gloom on her face. Then, she gently patted the back of her hand that was on the table. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned it.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Lingshi instantly smiled and shook her head as she lifted her drink. She tilted her head back and downed the contents of her ss.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just part of the past. When it¡¯s mentioned, I can even reminisce once in a while,¡± she said calmly and her face started to redden. With her scar, she seemed a little sinister. For some reason, the light in her eyes had turned lonely and bleak, and Xi Xiaye felt her heart ache at this sight.

    ¡°I heard that not too long after Mother gave birth to me, she fell into a deeper depression. Unable to handle it, she ended her life and didn¡¯t leave anything behind for Lingtian and I. I don¡¯t even know how she looks like. Only when I grew up did I find out how she looked like from the photos or newspaper clippings.¡± When Mu Lingshi said this, she paused and stared at the pen, lost in thought.

    Xi Xiaye sighed to herself. She silently poured more whiskey and did not know how to console her. ¡°Your brother says that Aunty was a very great person and I¡¯ve seen her photos too. I¡¯m sure she was a very wise woman. For a beautiful woman to face death at such a young age wasn¡¯t her intention either. Perhaps she was burdened with something. Maybe it was pressure. We wouldn¡¯t know, so it¡¯s understandable.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Lingshi shook her head sadly, her beautiful eyes immediately could not help but glitter with tears. ¡°No, Sis-inw, she wasn¡¯t a good woman. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have given birth to Lingtian and I. We are just illegitimate children who don¡¯t even know who our father is! The Mu family¡¯s reputation was ruined by her. Grandmother almost wanted to kick her out, but she still protected that man and didn¡¯t spare severing ties with Grandfather and Grandmother. To me, she doesn¡¯t even deserve to be a mother. How could someone like her be a wise woman?¡±

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and sniffled as she picked her drink up and downed it in a few gulps again. She was so swift that Xi Xiaye could not stop her in time.

    ¡°When we grew up, Lingtian and I never gave up on trying to find that man, but because of her intentional protectiveness from before, we had no leads at all. Father told me that she fell in love with a man who could never marry her, so...

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If he could not marry her, why did he want to be with her? He couldn¡¯t give her anything, yet he had her and us. Don¡¯t you think such a man is incredibly shameless? Even I feel like the blood flowing in me is filthy, yet I have no way of changing this reality.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s words were filled with helplessness, sadness, and anger. One could tell that she definitely resented her mother, Mu Zixi, and her biological father whom she did not know. Such resentment had even festered for many years. In fact, it might even have deepened day by day.

    Xi Xiaye sighed softly and fell silent for a while before picking up her drink and taking a sip. Then, she said softly, ¡°I once heard a song that went like this¡ª

    <i>¡°Perhaps love makes one blind, undaunted by dangers. Love keeps us captive; whoever love surrenders to rushes into loneliness besieged by a ze... A memorable love can easily trap us; we would perhaps be willing to do even the silliest thing. This is the power of love; we can¡¯t help but be moved...¡±</i>

    Xi Xiaye seemed to sympathize. Even the smile that shed on her face looked a little bitter too.

    ¡°But these things aren¡¯t worth it. Even if she was willing to give up everything, how did that man treat her in the end? She gave birth to Lingtian, and then me, and when she fell deep into depression, where was he? He never appeared to see her even once, not even a single time when she needed it most. How could there be such a dumb woman? s, I am the evidence of their stupidity!¡±

    Mu Lingshi frowned and poured herself another ss. Her cold voice contained disdain and mockery.

    ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t about whether something was worth it, and only about whether one was willing. This struggle isn¡¯t something anyone would understand, so we can¡¯t be too harsh with our criticisms, Ah Shi. Perhaps Aunty has let you down in many ways, but I believe that she must have loved you. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have insisted on giving birth to you and Lingtian.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were teary while she fixed her eyes on her. ¡°I heard your brother say that you¡¯ve been trying to look for your biological father, especially quite recently.¡±

    Mu Lingshi closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and only opening them after a while. She nodded and downed another ss. Lifting a hand to wipe the moisture at the corner of her mouth away, she said indifferently, ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to find out who this irresponsible and shameless man is! Why did he do this to us? He must¡¯ve known about Lingtian and my existence, yet he just abandoned us without a care. Mother lost control and ended her life, leaving us behind all lonely. Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, and Mother were extremely worried because of this. So that we wouldn¡¯t be any different from other children, they even let us adopt the surname Mu, and be Father and Mother¡¯s children.¡±

    As Mu Lingshi said this, her hands could not help but clench into balls of fists.

    Xi Xiaye could only nod gently, indicating that she understood her anguish.

    She calmly lifted her drink and said to Mu Lingshi, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be sad now. We¡¯ll do our best to find him for you, but I still hope that you can appreciate what you have now before you think about anything else. This peace doesn¡¯te easy, thus we should cherish it.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s gaze met her twinkling eyes that contained warmth, and she sniffled before nodding. She put the gift box away and lifted her drink as she smiled. ¡°Sis-inw, thank you, I feel like every time I talk to you, I feel much more relieved. You¡¯re a very good listener. Love makes one blind, undaunted by dangers... Who can exin theseplicated feelings?¡±

    ¡°Maybe because those who are trapped aren¡¯t just them.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled ambiguously and offered a toast to her before elegantly taking a sip.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m trapped myself. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Have you gotten to know Aunty¡¯s past? See if you can find any clues?¡± Xi Xiaye picked up a slice of beef that was grilled perfectly before putting it onto Mu Lingshi¡¯s te

    Mu Lingshi nodded in consideration, shooting her a grateful look and epting the meat.

 Chapter 493 - Followed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 493: Followed (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi finished chewing her food, and then took a napkin to wipe her mouth before softly answering, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve checked. Previously, Caitlin¡¯s manager¡¯s teacher worked for my mother, so she must be quite familiar with her. However, I¡¯ve asked Caitlin before, and they know nothing about those incidents. Furthermore, they¡¯ve already long retired, so I couldn¡¯t find her.¡±

    When she said this, Mu Lingshi could not help but feel defeated as she lowered her gaze sadly.

    ¡°Caitlin?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes shed with a memory of Caitlin¡¯s figure. She hesitated for a moment, then she asked, ¡°Did you tell her who you were?¡±

    Mu Lingshi shook her head. ¡°Everything about Mother is a taboo. All these years, because Grandfather and Grandmother concealed it well, all these were never exposed. If they¡¯d known that Mother was pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to us, before she ended her life because of depression, the entire City Z would probably go crazy!¡±

    She smiled bitterly.

    How was she supposed to face all of this with an identity that could not be exposed? Even if it were not for that, she would still have to be considerate about Mu Zixi¡¯s reputation.

    All the rumors said that Mu Zixi could not take the pressure and fell into depression before she passed away from an illness, yet not many knew the real reason behind her tragic death.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and fell silent for a while. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. We¡¯ll definitely find him. Have something to eat now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, this is grilled quite well. Sis-inw, you should try it too. What do you think of the texture? It¡¯s quite nice, isn¡¯t it? Later on, take some home for Brother too.¡±

    ¡°Keep it for yourself. He doesn¡¯t like to eat these kinds of things much.¡±

    ¡°Just let him try. Ah Mo enjoys it.¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo? Right, where are you and Ah Mo at right now?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean where? We¡¯re not up to anything!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask Ah Mo tomorrow. With such a beauty living right next door, how could he be so calm?¡±

    ¡°Sis-inw! Why are you teasing me too?!¡±

    ...

    When she left Mu Lingshi¡¯s vi, it was already past 9 p.m. Mu Lingshi had drunk quite a lot, but because Xi Xiaye knew that she had to drive, she only had a few sips.

    Mu Lingshi was practically staggering unsteadily on her feet as she sent Xi Xiaye out. Fortunately for the previous arrangement, there were servants and bodyguards stationed in the vi. After the ident in City B, everyone became much more vignt.

    Xi Xiaye opened her car door and then turned to say to Mu Lingshi in concern, ¡°Okay, go back now and quickly take a shower. Sleep well. You¡¯ve drunk quite a bit tonight.¡±

    Mu Lingshi smiled sweetly. Then, she could not help but burp again. Her eyes turned a little misty as she looked at Xi Xiaye and waved. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Even if I drink a few more sses, I¡¯ll be fine. Tonight, I had a lot of fun. I haven¡¯t had this much fun in a long while. Sis-inw, thank you. Come over more often!¡±

    ¡°Take it easy. As long as you had fun. Bye!¡± Xi Xiaye waved back at her as she closed the car door and swiftly started the car.

    Then, the ck car sped away and vanished amidst the waning streetlights.

    Mu Lingshi stood where she was for a long while before she snapped out of it.

    ...

    She drove out of the vi area and reached the wide roads after some time. The vis were in the suburbs, so she needed to take the highway back to the city.

    The highway was very quiet at night, and there were not many cars around. From time to time, she would see a thin, long light sh past her. Xi Xiaye habitually drove swiftly while ying fast music in the car and leaving the window down. The refreshing wind streamed past her and she seemed much more rxed.

    The car speedily turned at a roundabout as Xi Xiaye propped her head up with a hand by the window by habit while the other hand controlled the steering wheel. She sped ahead, then she saw the car in front slow down. Just as she was about to slow down, her clear gaze unexpectedly caught sight of another car in her rearview mirror!

    That ck Santana!

    Xi Xiaye remembered that when she left Mu Lingshi¡¯s vi area, it had already been following her from behind!

    She had already driven through quite a few junctions, yet it was still following her!

    Was she being followed?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind shed with the possibility of a stalker, then she quickly thought of something. She fixed her gaze in the rearview mirror for quite a while. The car that had rushed up from the junction earlier gradually slowed down while the car behind her continued to pursue her.

    She had a bad feeling as she squinted coldly ahead at the car that slowly stopped. They nned to intercept her by stopping in the middle of the road. A glimmer shed through her eyes while a sneer curved on her lips. She floored the elerator and drove straight ahead.

    Whoosh!

    Because the car was so quick, it shed past like a bolt of lightning fleeter than one could blink. The car that had just slowed down ahead had not fullye to a stop when the car behind Xi Xiaye rushed up and spun all of a sudden!

    There was the sound of the tires squealing in protest.

    Screech!

    Heralded by the brakes screeching, one side of the Porsche lifted a little as it did a beautiful drift, and very promptly recovered.

    Xi Xiaye deftly steadied her car and stared at her rearview mirror again. She realized that the car behind had already turned around and continued to chase her. With a wry smile, she jammed the elerator hard, making her car race ahead at the speed of light.

    Swoosh, swoosh!

    The car continued to chase her wildly at a horrific speed.

    Xi Xiaye did not even have the time to guess who was chasing after her. Still, she felt like a bundle of nerves. This person was probably trying to trap her.

    When she thought about this, that scene from the washroom during the banquet shed in her mind again. Would it be the same this time?

    She was already driving fast enough, yet the person behind was not slow either. His or her car had clearly been modified. Although it couldpare to Xi Xiaye¡¯s car, it would definitely find it hard to catch up with her.

    The car was like a whistling hurricane as it raved ahead like mad. With the wild chase whizzing on the quiet road, many of the cars that they brushed past were forced to stop, especially thoseing from the opposite direction. The drivers could not open their eyes because of the extremely bright headlights. As the cars hurtled by, the angry sounds of curses were heard, yet they instantly faded away with the strong wind.

    This was the only highway that headed toward the city center. In order to ditch them, she had to hastily return to the city. There were very few cars on this road, simr to the Ninth Crooked Bend near the Grand Waves Vi Area. They were both newly developed areas, so Xi Xiaye dared not slow down!

 Chapter 494 - You Can Call Me Mr. Wen (1)

    <h4>Chapter 494: You Can Call Me Mr. Wen (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A strong gust of wind came and before the fallen leaves could settle on the road, the car behind was catching up with her!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart strained with anxiety. They managed to catch up with her quickly even though she could escape earlier. The quiet highway became their race track, and they would soon be entering a tunnel ahead.

    It was a long tunnel with many curves. With the dim lights inside, it was an ident hotspot. Xi Xiaye was forced to slow down as it was difficult to control the car on a winding road.

    The whole tunnel was empty with dim lighting. There were no other cars around except for the car that followed behind her persistently. As Xi Xiaye got used to the driving and was about to speed up, a strong, bright light came from in front when she was about to step harder on the pedal. She could not open her eyes. Instead, she shielded the bright light with one hand while stabilizing the steering wheel with the other as she braked!

    At the same time, a loud screech came from the front.

    The loud screech broke the silence, and Xi Xiaye bumped into the steering wheel as the car stopped steadily. Although the headlights from the car in front were still lit, she could see there was a car blocking her way in front.

    There was another squeal of brakes that came from behind too as the two cars from earlier finally caught up with her.

    Xi Xiaye quickly wound the window up and put both her hands onto the steering wheel. Her eyes were alert as she stared at the car right in front.

    The bright lights were finally switched off, allowing her to see more clearly. It was a luxurious ck car blocking her way. The door of the front passenger seat opened, and a man in a ck suit with sunsses came down and was walking towards Xi Xiaye¡¯s car.

    When he walked up to her car, she noticed that therge sunsses covered nearly half of his face, so she could not see him clearly. She tried to take a look at their tes and then noticed the cars were unregistered.

    ¡°Miss Xi Xiaye, our boss would like to see you!¡± The man went beside Xi Xiaye¡¯s car and knocked on the window. His deep voice traveled through the tiny window gap, and she could not hear him clearly.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. Her eyes turned sharp as she nced at the man. She then stared at the car in front of her coldly. ¡°Who are you people? Why are you blocking my way?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯d like to know the answer, Miss Xi, why don¡¯t youe with us and find out?¡± replied the man in the ck suit coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know you people. You lot had better let me go. Otherwise, I¡¯ll call the police!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t get any signal inside this tunnel, Miss Xi! Please get out of the car. Our boss would like to meet you. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for being rough,¡± he threatened impatiently.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened. She quickly picked up her phone and noticed that the signal bar was empty!

    Damn it!

    They set her up!

    When had she been targeted? She did not notice them at all!

    She nced at her surroundings. The people from the two cars behind got out as well. They looked like street thugs wearing flowery shirts and dark sunsses. They were all walking towards her car with their arms crossed menacingly.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she realized how dire the situation was. They were not leaving and she was not able to go anywhere being sandwiched there with them surrounding her now. They might smash her car even if she hid inside!

    Who was it?

    Who would use such an intricate n to trap her?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s chest tightened. She took a deep breath before winding her windows up and turned off the engine. Of course, she was holding a baseball bat in her hand when she opened the door.

    ¡°Back off!¡± Her expression was frigid as she aimed the bat at the man in the ck suit.

    The man smiled coldly and backed off. Xi Xiaye closed the door and slowly walked forward toward the ck car.

    The window of the passenger seat of the luxurious car suddenly rolled down as she walked nearer. Under the dim lighting, she saw a man with a baseball cap and sunsses reading the newspapers.

    She could not see the man clearly since the newspaper blocked most of his face. She only managed to see that he had an average build with a mysterious face. In general, he seemed pretty tanned.

    Xi Xiaye halted her steps when a deep voice reached her. The voice was evidently deepened intentionally, so she could not guess the man¡¯s age.

    ¡°Miss Xi, you¡¯re pretty good at driving. My people spent a lot of effort to stop you. You¡¯re really something.¡± His tone of voice held a teasing note but there were no other emotions in his words.

    Xi Xiaye held the baseball bat tightly in her hands as she stared at the man in the car and demanded, ¡°Thank you. Who are you and why did you stop me?¡±

    The man in the car suddenlyughed. He averted his eyes from the newspaper to Xi Xiaye, taking her in and smiling. ¡°Miss Xi, you seem pretty vignt. Are you worried that I might harm you?¡±

    ¡°If you can stop the nonsense and tell me who you are and what you want, I¡¯ll be grateful.¡± Despite sounding tough, she was afraid. Her gut feeling told her these people would not be easy to deal with, especially since she had no idea when she had been targeted!

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty straightforward, but you can take a guess.¡± The man smiled as he lowered his head and started reading the newspaper once again.

    ¡°Back off! Don¡¯te near!¡±

    Xi Xiaye tried to suppress the unease and fear within her when the men in the ck suits around her closed in. She pointed at them with the baseball bat in her hand.

    ¡°Move aside. Don¡¯t scare Miss Xi.¡±

 Chapter 495 - You Can Call Me Mr. Wen (2)

    <h4>Chapter 495: You Can Call Me Mr. Wen (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The mysterious man in the car suddenly spoke out to ask his men to stand down.

    The man in the ck suit nodded to the thugs, and they then stood aside quietly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the mood to y your little guessing game. I suppose you guys have been onto me for quite some time. What do you want?¡± said Xi Xiaye coldly as she looked at the man in the car.

    The man in the car chuckled. ¡°Miss Xi, you¡¯re really brave. I thought you¡¯d go speechless in fear. It seems that Mu Yuchen has good taste. That¡¯s right. My people have been following you for a while. In fact, we¡¯ve been watching you ever since you parted with Mu Yuchen at the entrance.¡±

    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t remember there being any conflict between us. Why are you blocking my way?¡± Xi Xiaye demanded, ¡°Moreover, you haven¡¯t told me who you are!¡±

    She was rmed. This man must know Mu Yuchen since he mentioned his name.

    ¡°You can call me Mr. Wen. We¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you since a long time ago, Miss Xi! I¡¯m surprised to find out that you are the woman who married Mu Yuchen. Would you believe me if I say I wanted to see just how special you are?¡± the man replied calmly.

    Mr. Wen?

    Mr. Wen who?

    Xi Xiaye was sure that she did not know anyone called Mr. Wen, or anyone with the surname Wen either.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know you! If you just wanted to see me, can I leave now?¡± Xi Xiaye stared at him as she asked coldly.

    The man flipped a page as his deep voice reached her once again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Xi. We¡¯ll let you leave safely. However, I¡¯d like you to pass a few words to Mu Yuchen for me. I believe you¡¯re definitely willing to do so!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know you, so why should I help you. Do you have any conflict with Mu Yuchen?¡± Xi Xiaye made a bold assumption.

    This man probably had some issues with her husband!

    ¡°You¡¯re smart, but not very bright. Don¡¯t you think Mu Yuchen would be worried sick if we trapped you here all night long? Of course, we know that you¡¯re a director of Glory World. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve wanted to meet you, and today was a really good opportunity. I think you wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to you so that you can head back earlier, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The man put on a wry smile while his sharp eyes behind the pair of sunsses stared right into Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. He seemed to be satisfied with her reaction.

    ¡°Just what happened between you two for you to do this?¡±

    ¡°There are many people holding grudges against him. If he continues to do things his way and ignores everyone¡¯s advice, it won¡¯t just be stopping you somewhere the next time. He doesn¡¯t control the whole of City Z alone. People will eventuallye to him sooner orter. If he wants to y a game of chess, he¡¯ll need his pieces to obey him willingly. What do you think, Miss Xi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled by his words. She stared at him with her icy-cold gaze for some time. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the ident in City B and the snake that appeared at the hotel was your doing? Are you working for Qi Qiming?¡± Her tone was cold as she stared right at the man.

    The man chortled again. ¡°I told you. You can call me Mr. Wen. As for who I am, you¡¯ll find out soon. I¡¯m only here today to take a look at you, Miss Xi.¡±

    The man suddenly paused and closed the newspaper in his hand as he nced at her quietly. He then smiled. ¡°Miss Xi, regarding the incident with Yueying, you guys won wlessly. However, your luck ends here. It¡¯s payback time.¡±

    The manughed before Xi Xiaye could reply. The car in front took a turn and swiftly drove past her, retreating. The other guys quickly got into their car and left as well.

    She was left alone in the cold and empty tunnel.

    Xi Xiaye was still holding onto the baseball bat, her body trembling slightly as she realized that ayer of cold sweat was covering her back. She quickly turned her head around and watched the cars drive away. Soon, they all vanished into the night.

    He had not answered her question at all!

    He seemed to hold a huge grudge against Mu Yuchen based on his tone of voice. Was he behind the ident in City B and the hotel? He did not answer her.

    Did they make such intricate ns to follow her to just leave a few words for Mu Yuchen?

    Was that person working for Qi Qiming?

    Countless questions hovered in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind. After some time, she came back to her senses. She suppressed her curiosity at that moment and got into her car.

    She drove out of the tunnel and went straight into the city. When she arrived, her phone started ringing, and the man¡¯s anxious voice reached her ears. ¡°Xiaye? Why couldn¡¯t I get to your phone just now?¡±

    ¡°The signal might¡¯ve been weird inside the tunnel. Come out now. I¡¯m already downstairs.¡± Xi Xiaye hung up on the call after a brief reply.

    Soon, Mu Yuchen appeared at the entrance. He entered the car swiftly when he saw her parked by the side.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything and focused on driving. However, she seemed to be in deep thought, and she had no idea that Mu Yuchen had called out to her multiple times.

    ¡°Do you know someone called Mr. Wen?¡± Xi Xiaye finally asked as she drove into the Grand Waves Vi area.

    ¡°Mr. Wen?¡± Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xiaye in confusion. ¡°Who is Mr. Wen?¡±

    He gave it some thought, unable to remember anyone with the surname Wen.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem to be lost in your thoughts the whole way back. Did something happen?¡± He looked at her with concern.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just curious. I spoke a lot with Ah Shi. She told me something about Aunty. It¡¯s been so many years that she¡¯s been suffering.¡±

 Chapter 496 - Relieved

    <h4>Chapter 496: Relieved</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next afternoon, Shen Yue and Ah Mo finally returned to City Z. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went to pick them up.

    Shen Yue seemed exhausted, especially since he had caught a cold. Xi Xiaye quickly got him some medicine when he returned to the Shen Residence and he fell asleep quickly as a result of the side effect. Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo went back to thepany instead.

    Inside the small living room beside Shen Yue¡¯s bedroom, Lan Zng reassured as he epted the cup of tea that Xi Xiaye handed him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiaye. Elder CEO will be fine. He just caught a cold because of the rainy weather over there.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded graciously. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Lan.¡±

    Lan Zng smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s my mother¡¯s condition?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s top concern right now was her mother. She had only been in contact with her through phone calls for the past few days.

    ¡°The doctors there did say there¡¯s a chance for recovery. Your father is taking care of her well. Elder CEO only came back because he didn¡¯t want to be the third wheel there. Mr. Ah Mo arranged everything over there though it¡¯ll take some time. Ms. Na has been in a jovial mood recently. Don¡¯t worry about it and give them some time together.¡±

    Lan Zng sipped some tea before he continued, ¡°Elder CEO seems pretty healthy these past few years, but he is getting weaker by the day. He was slightly relieved after you married Chairman Mu, Ms. Xiaye. Elder CEO has been working hard his whole life, so I hope...¡±

    Before Lan Zng could finish, Xi Xiaye raised her hand and stopped him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, Uncle Lan. I understand. I¡¯ve talked to Mu Yuchen about this and Glory World will start to be involved in property development. I¡¯m in charge of the South River project now and I¡¯m coborating with Fu Hua at the moment. I¡¯ll take over Grandpa¡¯s burden as soon as possible.¡±

    Lan Zng nodded his head in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯d be great. Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Xiaye. Elder CEO will pave the path for you. With Chairman Mu around, you¡¯ll be able to handle it. Moreover, with the oldies like me around, it¡¯ll be fine! Fu Hua has a great culture. Sure, it¡¯s not as fancy as Glory World, but we have a distinguished reputation in the property industry, which is all thanks to Elder CEO¡¯s effort in the earlier days. We¡¯re all grateful to him, so...¡±

    Lan Zng did not continue, but Xi Xiaye understood what he was trying to say.

    ...

    Instead of resting, Lan Zng went back to thepany after enjoying the cup of tea. Xi Xiaye went back into the room to take a look at Shen Yue worriedly. She was relieved when she saw him sound asleep. After adjusting his nket a little before she was about to leave, Shen Yue suddenly opened his eyes.

    ¡°Xiaye¡ª¡± His tone sounded worn out, and Xi Xiaye felt pained hearing it.

    ¡°Grandpa, did I wake you up?¡± Xi Xiaye sounded apologetic.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t sleep anyway. I just wanted to talk to you. Have a seat!¡± Shen Yue sat up, his voice clearly indicating that he was feeling unwell.

    Xi Xiaye got him a ss of water and then sat on his bed. She looked at him and asked gently, ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±

    Shen Yue drank some water and handed the ss back to her. ¡°About your father and mother.¡±

    Shen Yue was a little startled by Shen Yue¡¯s words. She watched Shen Yue quietly for some time before saying, ¡°Do you really dislike Father that much?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve always thought that he¡¯s not worthy to be with your mother, whether in the past or even right now.¡± Shen Yue gave his honest opinion, yet he had a helpless expression on his face. ¡°However, that¡¯s what I think. No matter how unwilling I am, I can¡¯t stop them. Maybe this is what fate is about. We can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°So, Grandpa, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re now... epting Father and Mother getting back together again?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened up as she looked at Shen Yue.

    ¡°What else can I say? Your mother¡¯s already like this, and she still can¡¯t let go after so many years. She¡¯s determined to follow your father till the very end. Whatever, as long as she¡¯s happy I don¡¯t really mind anymore.¡± Shen Yue sounded a little lonely.

    ¡®Thank you, Grandpa! I¡¯ve always wished they could... Father¡¯s heart only belongs to Mother. I hope you don¡¯t me Father. His love with Mother is genuine. However, their feelings were trampled by a cruel conspiracy. They¡¯re the innocent victims. From our point of view as bystanders, his mistake might be unforgivable, but there can only be two endings, and I¡¯d never pick the ending to him being forever alone.¡±

    Shen Yue nodded, seeming to me himself. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about a lot of these few days. Maybe the intention of protecting her was a mistake. If I could¡¯ve sincerely epted your father as the Shen family¡¯s son-inw back then and be more lenient instead of being so stubborn, I think we could¡¯ve avoided the tragedy.¡±

    ¡°I understand how you feel, Grandpa. You just want Mother to be happy. She never med you, so you don¡¯t have to feel bad about it. There¡¯s still a long way ahead. Just be happy.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took his hands and smiled. ¡°Grandpa, did you notice that you¡¯ve be more sentimentaltely? You¡¯ve changed. Actually, what Father and Mother need the most is your approval. Although Father isn¡¯t perfect, I don¡¯t mind as long as he¡¯s genuinely sweet towards Mother.¡±

    ¡°However, your mother has no intention of remarrying him. She told me about it herself.¡± Shen Yue frowned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Grandpa, sometimes feelings aren¡¯t bound to that one piece of paper. I believe things will be fine in the end. We just need to let things flow naturally and leave them to work it out themselves.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I feel like you¡¯ve changed a lot. Is this Ah Chen¡¯s doing?¡±

    Shen Yue looked at Xi Xiaye doubtfully.

    She had be much more open-minded, instead of being stubborn.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. After a while, she smiled. ¡°No, I¡¯ve just upgraded my EQ slightly and simplified theplicated issues. I used to think that I couldn¡¯t let things go, but once I learned how to do so, I realized that all that so-called pain and suffering aren¡¯t that big of a deal.¡±

 Chapter 497 - Clues (1)

    <h4>Chapter 497: Clues (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The grandfather and granddaughter chatted for a while. It had been a long time since the two of them chatted idly like this.

    Shen Yue was chatting quite happily as he brought up some memorable recollections from Xi Xiaye¡¯s childhood. Xi Xiaye would only smile as she listened. Finally, when he was so tired that he could not keep his eyes open, she coaxed him to sleep.

    Shen Yue had finally given the green light, causing Xi Xiaye to feel over the moon. She took her phone out from her pocket to send a message to her father, Xi Mushan.

    <i>Father, determination is a wonderful thing. As long as you don¡¯t give up, there¡¯s still hope! Grandpa just told me that he hopes that you and Mother will do well together. Seeing his relieved smile, I feel content too.</i>

    ...

    When she received Xi Xiaye¡¯s call, Caitlin was obviously a little surprised, especially when she had asked her to bring her manager, Sis Lee, along. However, she still met her on time because to her, Xi Xiaye was not just her superior, but she was also a patron who had recognized her worth.

    The meeting venue was the same as the previous time. It was in that secluded corner at the sane alfresco coffee shop.

    When Caitlin and her manager, Sis Li, reached, Xi Xiaye had already been waiting for quite a while.

    ¡°Missus Mu...¡±

    Caitlin wore a refreshing and leisurely summer dress. When she faced with Xi Xiaye in a light muslin dress and sunsses, she did not know how to address her.

    Xi Xiaye took her sunsses off and casually smiled at the two people across her. Then, she pointed at the empty seats. ¡°Have a seat. Skip the courtesy. Just call me Xiaye. I think we don¡¯t have to be too courteous either, Sis Lin.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the lead and changed the way she addressed her first. Her generous and casual personality made Caitlin and Sis Li find her very friendly.

    ¡°Thank you for the honor, Xiaye,¡± responded Caitlin with a smile.

    ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯re the humblest and most sincere Missus from a prestigious family that I¡¯ve ever met. You aren¡¯t as arrogant as what the others say,¡± Sis Li could not help but voice out.

    ¡°Arrogant? A Missus from a prestigious family?¡±

    Xi Xiaye naturally did know what everyone was thinking of her right now since she rarely paid attention to such news.

    With a nod, Sis Lee smiled. ¡°Yes, Caitlin has always praised you highly. I¡¯m quite excited to meet you too. I...¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled softly, ¡°I¡¯m just like everyone else. I know that you¡¯vee over during your break on set, so I don¡¯t n on dying you either, I¡¯ll be frank then.¡±

    Caitlin and Sis Li exchanged a nce before the Caitlin smiled and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay, Sis Li, I heard that you learned from the famous manager, Sis Lan, for a while. I wonder if this is true.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Sis Li already know what Xi Xiaye hade for because a while ago, Mu Lingshi had gone looking for her too. She only found out about Mu Lingshi¡¯s identity after that, so she knew what to expect. However, she did not know why they were trying to find out about Sis Lan who had already retired for many years now.

    ¡°Director Xi, are you looking for Sis Lan too? I did previously learn from her, but why are you looking for her?¡± Sis Lee asked puzzled.

    Xi Xiaye took a simple sip of coffee and said softly, ¡°I want to ask her about some private matters. I wonder where I can find her.¡±

    ¡°Sis Lan? She retired long ago, didn¡¯t she? She¡¯s retired for many years now. Xiaye, you know Sis Lan?¡± Caitlin was astonished as she looked at Xiaye.

    She heard that Sis Lan was quite capable. She was a famous gold-star manager in the industry with many A-List celebrities under her, and she upheld a great reputation in the industry. In fact, she was highly respectable.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°There are some things I want to find out from her, but I haven¡¯t been able to locate her.¡±

    ¡°Sis Lan has retired for many years now. She seems to have been traveling around all these years. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s in the city either. Previously, I thought about visiting her too, but I didn¡¯t get to see her,¡± responded Caitlin with a frown.

    Sis Li thought about it, then answered, ¡°Director Xi, Sis Lan has been living a secluded life all these years. Even I rarely see her. However, Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day ising soo which is when she returns every year. When that happens, you can go visit her. She should be home.¡±

    Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day?

    Stunned for a moment, Xi Xiaye thought about it, then asked again, ¡°When did you begin following her?¡±

    ¡°About 10 years ago, I think. I just began in this industry back then, so I was a rookie while she was experienced. It was my honor to learn from her. To be honest, I really have to thank her for her great guidance for my achievements today.¡±

    ¡°Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day, Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day... I thought that most people would be more interested in the Western Valentine¡¯s Day,¡± Xi Xiaye softly muttered, then smiled calmly.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really about Valentine¡¯s Day or not. She¡¯ll actually be returning to visit a good friend¡¯s tomb. You might¡¯ve heard of this person too, but we aren¡¯t quite familiar with her. She¡¯s someone from the past.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Xi Xiaye subconsciously straightened up as her heartstrings pulled. She looked at Sis Li who seemed to be lost in her memories.

    ¡°Mmm, Mu Zi... She was a popr female celebrity back then. I heard that the two of them were extremely good friends. It¡¯s been many years now. Back then, we were quite young too, so we probably don¡¯t quite remember them. I only found out by chance from being by her side for many years.¡±

    Frowning, Xi Xiaye quickly took out a yellow picture from her bag and handed it to Sis Li. She asked anxiously, ¡°Is Sis Lan in this picture?¡±

    She showed Sis Li the faded picture that she had identally found in between the books.

    Sis Li took and looked at it and nodded. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s Sis Lan and this should be Mu Zi. My gosh, she¡¯s so beautiful... but, who are these two men at the back?¡±

    ¡°Can you recognize the two men behind?¡± Xi Xiaye tightened her grip as she asked a little nervously.

    Sis Li stared at the picture for a long time but shook her head in the end. Then, she let Caitlin take a look, Caitlin shook her head too.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the two men at the back, but I¡¯m certain that this is Sis Lan when she was younger. Mmm, this was probably when she was Mu Zi¡¯s manager. They look quite close.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a look at the picture and probed, ¡°Could it be her husband?¡±

    Sis Li shook her head. ¡°Impossible. Sis Lan never got married. Where could the husband havee from?¡±

 Chapter 498 - Clues (2)

    <h4>Chapter 498: Clues (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Never married?

    This answer took Xi Xiaye by surprise.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Back then, there were rumors that she had quit the industry to get married. Even though she was older, she could not just live her life in solitary right, she didn¡¯t have children, because her body¡¯s worn out from all the hard work, didn¡¯t she find herself someone to take care of her?¡± Caitlin looked puzzledly at Sis Li.

    Sis Li smiled and shook her head. ¡°No, actually Sis Lan is a very loyal person. I heard that she did have a boyfriend, but they didn¡¯t end up together, so she¡¯s been single ever since.¡±

    ¡°Do you know that man?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯ve only heard of him. Apparently, the man¡¯s excellent. He¡¯s a young heir from a prestigious family and has rarely appeared before anyone. I only heard of him back then. Everyone privately called him Mr. Wen.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Mr. Wen?!¡± When Sis Li said that, Xi Xiaye was shocked. Her eyes immediately shed.

    Could he have been that mysterious man who blocked her way in the tunnel?

    If it was, then this Mr. Wen must be rted to Mu Zi, and they must be linked in countless ways.

    In fact, recalling Mr. Wen¡¯s tone the other day, he seemed quite unhappy with Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Yes, everyone says so, but no one has brought this up ever since. I only identally heard a senior bring it up. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true either since she herself has never seen this Mr. Wen,¡± Sis Li added on.

    Xi Xiaye held back the surge of emotions in her chest while she asked as calmly as possible, ¡°Could you give me Sis Lan¡¯s address and a way to contact her? It¡¯d be best if I can get in touch with her as soon as possible!¡±

    Sis Li hesitated for a moment, then she nodded and took out a pen and paper. She informed as she wrote, ¡°Sis Lan isn¡¯t in City Z now. Actually, she doesn¡¯t quite like anyone bothering her. If you¡¯re really going to look for her, I can give her a heads-up.¡±

    ¡°No need for that. Sis Li, Caitlin, I have something to attend to, so I¡¯ll have to leave now. Thank you very much for today!¡± Xi Xiaye waved the paper that Sis Li handed her and swiftly got up. ¡°Right, I hope that you can keep today¡¯s meeting a secret.¡±

    ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Sis Li and Caitlin smiled at each other before they nodded.

    Xi Xiaye then picked her bag up and rushed to leave the coffee shop. She quickly got into her car and dashed to Glory World Corporation.

    She wanted to tell Mu Yuchen this as soon as possible. Perhaps they had some leads on Mu Zi¡¯s matters. She believed that as long as they found Sis Lan, they would have a huge breakthrough, so there was no time to lose!

    At this moment, inside the Chairman¡¯s office in Glory World Corporation.

    Mu Yuchen was seated at his desk, his back facing Ah Mo. His expression was indifferent as he watched the rolling clouds outside his window. The air in the office was very still. It seemed filled with a detachment that felt suffocating.

    ¡°Where did you find them?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was suddenly heard.

    ¡°New York. We found her tracks there. She¡¯ll be joining a financial analyst meeting in another half a month, and then she¡¯ll do a public speaking tour. City Z seems to be among the cities listed,¡± Ah Mo spoke solemnly, uneasiness gathering between his brows.

    ¡°Does that means she¡¯s nning to return?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s apathetic voice was heard.

    Ah Mo reflexively shuddered as he replied, ¡°Probably so, Master!¡±

    When he finished, Mu Yuchen¡¯s noble and handsome face shed with a dull gloom, and he fell silent for a while before nodding. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Master, there¡¯s no news about Qi Feng. Should we send our men to...¡±

    Before Ah Mo could finish, Mu Yuchen already lifted a hand to interrupt him. ¡°Since she¡¯ll be back, everything will start over again, and he will return too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was calm and distant. With his back facing Ah Mo, Ah Mo could not read his expression, but he could vaguely feel the hostility emanating from him.

    ¡°Master, should we tell Missus these things? Otherwise, I¡¯m worried that...¡± Ah Mo looked at Mu Yuchen hesitantly as a heaviness gathered between his brows.

    Mu Yuchen held his heavy head in his fingertips as he sighed to himself, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll tell her. She¡¯s been out of it these past two days, and I¡¯m quite worried. Have you found the person I told you to locate?¡± When he said this, he suddenly turned to look at Ah Mo.

    ¡°We¡¯ve found them. The information will be sent over after consolidating in two days. They retired from the military for less than a year. Their family owns a martial arts center, and they¡¯re well versed in Yongchun and Muay Thai. I¡¯ve personally checked on them. Their family background is clear, and they are good in all aspects too. Master, you may examine them personally yourself,¡± Ah Mo answered.

    Mu Yuchen nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Good, bring them over in two days and I¡¯ll take a look.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Right, Master, about the incident at the banquet, I heard Li Si say that it was the work of Qi Qiming¡¯s people. Can we confirm that?¡±

    Ah Mo had heard about the incident from Li Si, which was also why he had rushed back. It had not been peacefultely, and he was worried about Mu Yuchen¡¯s safety.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and abruptly averted his gaze. He looked calmly out of the window at the bleak sky. ¡°It should be Qi Kai. Whether it¡¯s Qi Qiming or Qi Feng... It¡¯s only those few people who have such grudges against me. I know that for a fact.¡±

    ¡°Master, how about I return and temporarily be your personal assistant again? That way, it will be safer. It was a car ident thest time, and this time it was a venomous snake. We don¡¯t know what wille next. Theye with ill intentions to hurt you and Missus.¡± Ah Mo was really worried.

    ¡°No need. You got a skilled one for me. I¡¯m fine on my end. It¡¯s mainly your sis-inw they¡¯re really targeting.¡±

    ¡°Master, Missus is very smart and very considerate. She¡¯ll understand. Also, earlier they¡¯ve just sent me this report. The results on the cars that you wanted to investigate are out. I especially went to understand things from Master Su, and we¡¯ve checked the other cars too. They¡¯re all fine, except for one of them. The chauffeur and the car were rented.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused and asked, ¡°Mmm? Can we find out who rented the car?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re still investigating, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be hard to find out who.¡±

    ¡°He went to visit Lingtian¡¯s tomb, and even remembered Lingtian¡¯s birthday. He brought lilies for Lingtian and Aunty too. If I guess correctly, he must be someone who knows Lingtian very well. He might even be the one that we¡¯ve been looking for.¡±

 Chapter 499 - Affection (1)

    <h4>Chapter 499: Affection (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There was a tint of hidden sadness in his words. He closed his eyes and kept them shut for a long time.

    Ah Mo was startled when he heard him. He stared at Mu Yuchen in shock. ¡°Master, do you mean that... Lingshi¡¯s biological father is highly likely the man we met at the graveyard?¡±

    Ah Mo had put in a lot of effort all these years to look for Mu Lingshi¡¯s biological father. They were destined to be together, so he knew what she was thinking.

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°If I guessed correctly, there¡¯s a very high possibility. I tried to filter through the people who were close to Lingtian before, but there aren¡¯t many left. Even if it weren¡¯t them, it has to be someone who¡¯s close to Aunty. In order to satisfy these two conditions, there¡¯s no one else.¡±

    ¡°If it is him, the fact that he visited their graves means he acknowledges Lingtian¡¯s existence, and knows about Lingshi too, but why have we never seen him before? From what I remember, Aunty said that she had fallen in love with a person who couldn¡¯t marry her. It must¡¯ve been someone who holds a high position in society. Master, we should narrow down the scope and filter them out one by one. Lingshi has been struggling with this recently.¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned his chair around and opened a drawer. He took a document out and handed it to Ah Mo. ¡°These are the results of the investigation I ordered, including everyone whom Aunty interacted with when she was still alive, and their backgrounds. Use this to filter them out. Get Lingshi involved. There¡¯s a lot of work to do here, but I believe we¡¯ll be able to get something out of this.¡±

    Ah Mo was startled for a moment. He then quickly took it and flipped through several pages. As expected, it was all the information of people as well as a mapping of their rtionships.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as we¡¯ve got a clue, we won¡¯t get lost!¡±

    Ah Mo closed the document and took a deep breath. ¡°Leave this to me, Master. I¡¯ll find him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of this. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. Just find him as soon as possible and spend more time with Lingshi, alright? From now on, you belong to yourself and Lingshi as well, understand?¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned by his sensitive words. He nced at Mu Yuchen who was calm as usual while a sour feeling rushed up to his throat. After a moment of feeling both happy and grateful, he quickly nodded as his voice turned hoarse. ¡°I understand, Master! You¡¯ll forever be the Master I guard as well as the big brother I respect!¡±

    Mu Yuchen waved nonchntly. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to thank me. You should thank yourself. You did great all these years. You made our parents and grandparents happier than I did, so if you have time,e home together with Lingshi. Be with them and make them happy. That¡¯d be nice.¡±

    ¡°No, Master, you¡¯re irreceable for everyone. of course, I¡¯ll do my best and I hope that you and Missus, I mean, Sister-inw can be well.¡± Ah Mo did not know how to speak fancily. He was a straightforward man like that.

    ¡°Alright, you just returned. You should head home soon. I¡¯m sure Lingshi is waiting for you. Just remember toe home soon.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll get everything done very soon.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded before Ah Mo head out. He turned his chair around again as the door closed. Then, he looked out at the clouds high up in the sky.

    As Ah Mo left Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, he heard the sound of solid footsteps. To be exact, it was the sound of high heels cking on the floor. He looked up and saw Xi Xiaye!

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    Ah Mo was surprised to see Xi Xiaye in a rush. He also noticed the unease on her face, so he quickly went up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±

    Xi Xiaye halted her steps when she saw Ah Mo. ¡°Ah Mo? Is he in the office?¡±

    ¡°Master is in the office. You...¡± He looked at Xi Xiaye hesitantly.

    ¡°Is he busy?¡±

    ¡°Not really. He just finished working on some documents and is taking a break right now.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I have something to talk to him about. I¡¯ll head inside and see him.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and continued forward after she got a reply from Ah Mo.

    She was about to knock on the door and head in, but she suddenly stopped as her hand touched the knob. A faint light shed past her eyes as she then pushed the door open gently and walked in quietly.

    As expected, when she went in, she looked towards the office table and saw him right there.

    With his eyes closed, Mu Yuchen picked up a familiar scent. He smiled and at the same time, a pair of cold hands covered his eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the code word?¡± A childish and teasing tone of voice came from his back.

    ¡°Prosperity and fortune to my wife!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was entertained as he just replied almost instantly. She chuckled. ¡°What kind of code word is that? Hmm, but it does sound nice!¡±

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re someone¡¯s queen. There¡¯s nothing wrong with having a unique code word.¡± He then grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Really? Who¡¯s this certain someone?¡± She stared into his eyes, unable to hide the smile on her face.

    ¡°Who else do you think it could be?¡± Heughed as his eyes emitted an ever-so-indulging warm ray of light.

    Her heart warmed as her smile seemed bright as ever. She leaned on his chest and crossed her arms behind his back. ¡°Hello, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Mrs. Mu,¡± he replied sensually.

 Chapter 500 - Affection (2)

    <h4>Chapter 500: Affection (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She closed her eyes and he cooperatively left a kiss on her lips. He then hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Why are you here? Hmm...¡± he asked her as he wrapped his arm around her waist and managed to stabilize her as she sat on him.

    Xi Xiaye had her arms draped over his solid shoulders. Her eyes were mysterious like that of a mist and they just stared at him quietly while her dark hair was let down. With an elegant aura around her, it was enough to make him lose himself for a moment.

    ¡°Will you soon find me boring?¡± she asked quietly beside his ear as one of her hands behind his back grabbed onto his shirt.

    His eyes darkened as he frowned. Naturally, he understood what she meant. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°They said if you want to get your man under control... Mmm!¡±

    He attacked her before she could finish her sentence, his kiss blocking her mouth. ¡°You already have your man under control. Those women aren¡¯t as charming as you and that¡¯s why they have to learn, but you don¡¯t need to.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll get old, especially after 30. Will you abandon me then?¡± she asked while panting slightly.

    He chuckled and looked at her as he held her up by her waist. ¡°So, you mean you want me to prove that I¡¯ll never leave you? I have my whole life to prove it to you. You¡¯ll never lose your charm and it¡¯s enough to make me fall for you forever.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t...¡± She blushed and turned away, embarrassed. She regretted asking that question.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying to me, Xiaye.¡±

    It was a rare asion for him to call her by name. He could see through what she was thinking easily.

    People would only be afraid to lose because they cared. Should he be happy that she was acting this way?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t... Mmm!¡±

    He kissed her and asked doubtfully, ¡°I¡¯ll prove it to you. Speaking of which, we¡¯ve been married for about half a year now. We¡¯re definitely working hard, but why is there no news yet? Am I not working hard enough?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a little startled. She gave it a long thought before mumbling, ¡°Could you have been too cold before this, so...?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about!? I have no issues at all. Don¡¯t you know best? How many kids do you want? I¡¯m sure I¡¯m more than capable of producing several.¡±

    His expression darkened as he stared at her grumpily. He lifted her up and took her into the resting lounge.

    This pervert! He used such crudenguage, yet it did not sound perverted at alling out from him.

    ...

    The lovemaking was fierce. After he dominantly went through several rounds with her, she passed out and slept. Only then did he let her off.

    As he left the resting lounge after showering, he realized that the sky had turned dark, and the night breeze was creeping in through the small window gap. The curtains kept on swaying as well.

    He lit up a cigarette casually, then he heard a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± he gave a brief reply as he stood amidst his own smoke. His eyes were looking out at the stars.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    The door opened and Li Si came in.

    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Whilst he was getting busy with her, he had forgotten about everything else!

    He felt helpless. Although he was reflecting on his weak self-control, he was d that he had a good time with her.

    ¡°Master, the dinner with CEO Huang just now... I¡¯ve rescheduled it for you,¡± Li Si said carefully, ¡°When he came in just now, there was no one in the office, but he saw the messy documents on the table as well as ady¡¯s handbag at the side. With the locked door of the resting lounge, it was not difficult to figure out what was happening.¡±

    He chuckled on the inside. He thought that his Master was a pretty cold person, but after he met the right person, he did not seem that much different from any other men. In fact, he was much easier to approach this way.

    ¡°Mmm, reschedule it soon.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! By the way, Master Zhou called just now and asked you to head over. Master Su was there as well. It sounded pretty urgent and it might be something important,¡± Li Si reported.

    In mild rm, Mu Yuchen grabbed the already cold tea and took a sip from it. His expression was still emotionless. ¡°Let them know I¡¯ll head over tomorrow night.¡±

    He could already guess what it was about. Some things were inevitable after all.

    ...

    After Xi Xiaye woke up, she looked around as her vision was still blurry. She then remembered what she had gotten up to just now, so she knocked her own head!

    How could she forget what she came here for!?

    She had not told him about Mu Zi at all!

    What was the time now?

    Where was he?

    She nced around the room and did not see him. Inhaling a deep breath, she went to the wardrobe to change into something clean.

    When she opened the door, Mu Yuchen was looking through some submitted ideas regarding the promotion of theirpany culture.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake. Are you hungry?¡±

    When he heard the sound of the door opening, he stopped his work and turned around to look at her. She came out slowly with her hair still slightly damp.

    ¡°Mmm, what time is it now? It looks prettyte.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost 10 p.m. Anyway, it¡¯s the weekend and there¡¯s no need to rush.

    He got her some water as she sat down on the sofa. ¡°Please get me my handbag.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did as she told before he sat down beside her and handed her a ss of water.

    ¡°I have something to tell you. It¡¯s about Aunty.¡±

    She drank some water as she took a piece of paper out from her handbag and opened it. It was the paper Sis Li had given her, and it had Sis Lan¡¯s current address.

    ¡°Mmm? What is it?¡±

    He took the piece of paper from her in confusion. He looked at it as he frowned.

    ¡°This is Sis Lan¡¯s address. She was Aunty¡¯s manager before.¡±

 Chapter 501 - Affection (3)

    <h4>Chapter 501: Affection (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Xi Xiaye quietly after she spoke up.

    Xi Xiaye held the ss in her hands tightly and sighed. ¡°Some time ago, Ah Shi looked for Caitlyn. They didn¡¯t mention it, but I know you guys have been struggling with it, so I convinced Caitlyn and her manager Sis Li who worked under Sis Lan before.¡±

    He nced at the paper and asked, ¡°You went to meet them this afternoon?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mm-hmm, I went to see them and to find out more. I suppose it¡¯ll help us in the search.¡±

    She reorganized her thoughts before looking back at him again. ¡°Do you still remember that I asked you if you knew a man with the surname Wen?¡±

    He looked downward quietly and nodded.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as her tone started to be heavy. ¡°I heard from Sis Li that Sis Lan and Aunty were very good friends. After Aunty passed away, she¡¯de back to visit her grave during the Qixi festival [1] every year, so I think their rtionship must be special. At least, I think Sis Lan knows something about Aunty that we don¡¯t.

    ¡°Sis Lan didn¡¯t get married. They said she had a boyfriend before and everyone called him Mr. Wen. He seemed to be a son from a prestigious family back then, but they didn¡¯t get married afterward and no one knows why. As for this Mr. Wen... I think that there¡¯s something odd about him. Remember yesterday you asked me what was wrong and why you couldn¡¯t get through to my phone?¡±

    ¡°You told me it was because Lingshi talked about Aunty.¡± He nced at her with a sharp gaze. ¡°But I know that isn¡¯t all.¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You and your all-seeing eyes. I can never hide anything from you. You always see through me easily.¡±

    He smiled quietly. He could never tell her that he had already grasped what kind of personality she had, and already knew all about what she was thinking.

    ¡°Actually, I was followed when I left Ah Shi¡¯s house. I wanted to shake them off quickly. However, when I entered the tunnel, they had cars block me from the front,¡± she stated calmly.

    However, the expression of the man beside her shadowed. His calmness from before vanished and his features were taken over by a darkness within him as he stared at her. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Xi Xiaye blinked and then looked downward. She nced at his clenched fists and quickly grabbed his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They didn¡¯t harm me. I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here talking to you if they did.¡±

    ¡°Exin!¡± he demanded coldly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and then continued, ¡°They only stopped me and wanted to give us some advice. The person inside the car called himself ¡®Mr. Wen¡¯. He was wearing a cap and sunsses, and I couldn¡¯t get anything out of his voice either. He also talked about settling some business with you. I can sense that he has grudges against you.

    ¡°Do you think this Mr. Wen is the same Mr. Wen mentioned by Sis Li? They were both mysterious and difficult to grasp. I guess they might be rted in some way. While these coincidences feel unreal, I think we¡¯ll be able to make a huge breakthrough by reaching Sis Lan!¡±

    Her eyes shed with various emotions, including doubt, worry, and a mix of other things.

    Mu Yuchen just listened quietly without replying even after a while she was done talking.

    After some time, he looked at her with his sharp eyes as he nced all over her. He asked in a concerned tone, ¡°Did they do anything to you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°Not really. They just stopped me and asked me to pass you the message. I thought he might be working for Qi Qiming. The ident in City B and the wedding dinner might be their work, and his so-called advice might be just to invoke a sense of fear in us.¡±

    He let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like there was a need to get her a personal female bodyguard as soon as possible. Ah Mo did say that the person was ready.

    He did not reply on that matter, so Xi Xiaye then looked at him in puzzlement. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡±

    He leaned back against the sofa. ¡°I know about Sis Lan whom you mentioned. When my parents investigated, they looked for her as well, but didn¡¯t manage to get much out of her. From what you¡¯ve said, she seems to be pretty important. We can try looking for her again.¡±

    ¡°Can you take a look into Mr. Wen as well? I think this person is mysterious and very dangerous. He mainly acts in the dark, and I heard that he holds a huge grudge against you. Have you been offending a lot of people all these years?¡±

    ¡°Your Mr. Mu is just an ordinary businessman who fights for profit. Of course, there¡¯ll be a lot of conflicts involved, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get people to look into this. Where did they stop you?¡±

    ¡°The second tunnel after leaving the city, but they didn¡¯t do anything to me. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Xi Xiaye put the ss on the table and then looked at his conflicting face as she asked quietly, ¡°Do you really not know Mr. Wen? I think he¡¯ll leave an impression even if you¡¯ve just met him once. He had this kind of aura around him and he should be someone of high societal position as well. Hence, I feel that he should be the Mr. Wen that Sis Li mentioned. If we find Sis Lan, we can probably find out more about him very soon.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I really don¡¯t know any Mr. Wen, but if it¡¯s like you said, we¡¯ll be able to find out about him after a quick check.¡±

    ¡°Great, I heard Sis Lan will be returning during the Qixi festival. Let¡¯s head over then.¡±

    She kept the piece of paper.

    ¡°The Qixi festival, huh?¡± Mu Yuchen mumbled to himself.

    Xi Xiaye nodded doubtfully. ¡°Mmm, the Qixi festival. What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look that great...¡±

 Chapter 502 - I Am Ji Zitong (1)

    <h4>Chapter 502: I Am Ji Zitong (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand and gently held his head. He rxed for a while before saying softly, ¡°Mmm, Aunty passed away on this day.¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye was stunned and she turned to look at him. His gaze remained still as water, yet he did not say anything for a long while.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that someone would remember that day. Grandfather and Grandmother probably don¡¯t remember anymore since they forced themselves to forget.¡±

    He leaned against the sofa, his eyes a little dazed as if he was recalling something. His expression was calm and distant too. ¡°I remember that it was a very lively Qixi festival that year. After a long period of recovery, Aunty¡¯s depression seemed to be improving. Even if it was a day of festivities, my grandmother wanted to go out for a walk with her, and at the same time, get some new clothes for her. They brought Lingtian along too. He was very young then, barely five years old. It was so long ago...¡±

    When he reached this part, he seemed to struggle with recollecting the memories. After all, it had been such a long time ago.

    ¡°Just as they were on the way to Jing Wang Mall in the north of the city, when Grandmother wasn¡¯t paying attention, she jumped from the rooftop of the ninth floor, and then she was gone. Now, that mall has been rebuilt, and it continues to flourish, seeming even livelier than before.¡±

    ¡°Father says that actually, Aunty was someone who was afraid of being alone. She had chosen the liveliest street in the north of the city to end her life. Perhaps that was fast. Lingtian was very much like her. Sometimes, you¡¯d find that it was hard for him to blend in with everyone else. The reason grandfather had found Ah Mo was actually because of him. Lingtian, Lingshi, Lingmo... He named them like that. To others, the three of them are extremely close siblings, and all of them are children of Father and Mother.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather and Grandmother really put in a lot of thought,¡± Xi Xiayemented and sighed. ¡°That way, they wouldn¡¯t feel too deste. I believe that all of your childhoods were quite happy.¡±

    ¡°The Mu family favors females over males. It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t care about the boys, but because they wanted to train them to be independent, so they would be more demanding of them. Grandfather, Father, and I are ssic examples. Back then Aunty was very cherished in the family. Father and Mother doted on her too. They always treated her like a child that would never grow up.

    ¡°So, when that happened to Aunty, they med themselves. They felt like they should take part of the me for causing the tragedy.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye knew what he meant. She suddenly felt like this story had happened to her family too. Was her mother, Shen Wenna, not a living example of it?

    However, Shen Wenna was slightly luckier. At least, Xi Mushan truly loved her. Even if they could not get together all these years and their feelings had simmered down, it never seemed to have died out. As long as the winds of spring were blowing, those tame mes would reignite again.

    Yet, for Mu Zixi...

    She had loved so innocently, then...

    Love was a type of scary poison. It could cause someone to lose themselves in it, to fall, and to be destroyed, yet it could also make someone rise up and above, prevailing over everything.

    She dared notment on anything about Mu Zixi. She only knew that Mu Zixi still protected that man till she died, so she must have really loved that man. Nheless, it was also because of that that her love seemed even starker again the man¡¯s neglect and indifference.

    ...

    The blistering hot June passed. In a sh, midsummer had quietly slipped through their fingers. Soon, it was a cool July. The hot and stuffy weather from before had started to turn cool from a few jubnt showers. It was getting closer to the Qixi festival, and such cool and refreshing weather was much morefortable for everyone.

    For quite a long time, Xi Xiaye had been busy with the South River project. Of course, she had also begun to follow Shen Yue and familiarize herself with the property business. Mu Yuchen was busy with work too. In their hectic lifestyle, the husband and wife would leave home early and returnte.

    In consideration of Xi Xiaye¡¯s safety, Mu Yuchen almost never left her side. Otherwise, he would make sure she had a bodyguard everywhere she went. That way, they could also avoid unnecessary breaches in safety.

    Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were still abroad. Xi Xiaye heard that Shen Wenna seemed to be recovering well. When she called her a few days ago, she told Xi Xiaye that she could vaguely see a nk whiteness unlike before when she could only see a vast darkness. When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was very excited because this meant that Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes seemed to be slowly recovering. Soon, she could probably see again.

    Xi Mushan never left Shen Wenna. He personally took great care of her. From the daily conversations, she could vaguely hear Xi Mushan¡¯s increasingly lighthearted tone. Xi Xiaye thought to herself, one day, Shen Wenna would be moved by Xi Mushan and return to his side.

    Shen Yue seemed to be smiling more recently. Apart from being thrilled and hopeful for Shen Wenna¡¯s recovery, it was also because Xi Xiaye could often be by his side.

    Xi Xiaye was quite capable, so she picked things up quickly. With Lan Zng and everyone else¡¯s help, her induction into the business had beenparatively easy. In fact, with Mu Yuchen¡¯s expertise, Xi Xiaye did not find it hard to cope with everything.

    By the time the purple magnolias by her window had withered, Xi Xiaye met Ji Zitong, a girl who was cold as ice besides being reserved and incisive that one dared not look straight at her. She was the female bodyguard that Mu Yuchen had specially chosen for Xi Xiaye.

    She had served in the army before and her family owned a martial arts center. She was well-versed in Yongchun and Muay Thai. Being deftly skilled, she could even exchange hands with Ah Mo for quite a few rounds without being defeated. Apart from that, she was also a cadet that Mu Yuchen and the rest had watched over while they all served in the army. Mu Yuchen only found out about this when Ah Mo brought Ji Zitong over.

    As he sat at his desk and flipped open the information that Ah Mo handed him, Mu Yuchen muttered softly, ¡°Ji Zitong?¡±

    After a while, he looked up at the quiet girl before his desk.

    Her long hair was casually tied into a neat bun. She wore a pair of canvas shoes and a fading gray tracksuit. With a fair and graceful face, her twinkling eyes were filled with a sharp and cold light. Despite not being a beauty or anything, at least, she had the good looks of a pretty daughter from a humble family.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s sharp eyes quickly flitted to Ah Mo, Li Si, and several other bodyguards as she said calmly,

    ¡°Hello, Chairman Mu. I¡¯m Ji Zitong. Everyone can call me Zitong.¡±

    With a nod, Mu Yuchen briefly browsed through the information at hand, then he abruptly closed the folder.

 Chapter 503 - I Am Ji Zitong (2)

    <h4>Chapter 503: I Am Ji Zitong (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I vaguely remember you, Ji Zitong. You came in top three for that year¡¯s devil-like training camp. You¡¯re quite capable.¡± Mu Yuchen made a simplement.

    He, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo had retired from service after they finished that training. It had already been five or six years since then. Back then, Ji Zitong seemed to have been rmended with the new recruits despite only being 18 or 19 years old then. Now, a few years had passed, and she was already over 20 years old now. She had shed her juvenile features from back then, so she now looked much sharper and steadier.

    ¡°Instructor Mu, you¡¯ve got a good memory,¡± Ji Zitong coldly answered.

    With a smile, Mu Yuchen set aside the document in his hand and looked her from the side. ¡°Ah Mo has already told me about you. You¡¯re skilled and have high awareness too. Your counter-reconnaissance skills are strong too. Well, I¡¯m very happy with everything. I¡¯m sure Ah Mo has already told you roughly the tasks you need to do.¡±

    ¡°I will do my best to ensure Missus is protected!¡± Ji Zitong responded in a firm tone.

    Mu Yuchen nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Not bad. Your job is to protect her, and be her personal assistant.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve met everyone now. All of you, work with each other,¡± Mu Yuchen concluded. Then, he called Xi Xiaye¡¯s office for her toe up.

    Over ten minutes passed before Xi Xiaye arrived. She pushed the door open and saw the people standing in the office. She was even momentarily stunned, especially when she saw Ji Zitong. Her eyes were filled with doubt as she examined her, then squinted at Mu Ycuhen.

    ¡°Xiaye,e. This is Ji Zitong. She¡¯ll be your personal assistant from now on,¡± Mu Yuchen introduced calmly.

    ¡°Hello, Director Xi. I¡¯m Ji Zitong. You can just call me Zitong.¡± Ji Zitong bowed indifferently.

    Xi Xiaye then remembered that Mu Yuchen did say he was going to get her a female bodyguard, especially after he found out she was blocked at the tunnel. She had already rejected him once, but unexpectedly, he just got someone toe right away.

    She thought about it and knew that it was a crucial period right now, so she just acknowledged, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Xi Xiaye. You can call me Xiaye.¡±

    ¡°Okay, now that you¡¯ve met each other, from today onwards, you must carry out your duties well. Ah Mo, bring her down to settle in first. All of you can leave too.¡± As Mu Yuchen gave hisst orders for the session, he reached out to pull Xi Xiaye in.

    Ah Mo nodded and brought Ji Zitong out.

    Xi Xiaye ced the documents in her hand in a corner of his table and asked puzzledly, ¡°Do you know Ji Zitong?¡±

    ¡°I was her instructor when I was still serving in the army, but she should be even closer to Su Chen. Back then, Su Chen made her do drills after drills. She¡¯s quite skilled, so I sort of remember her. She hasn¡¯t changed much. She¡¯s just be more mature and steadier than she was.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years now, but you can still remember how she looked like? Did you notice her from back then?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen told her all this, Xiaye immediately felt afflicted. Her beautiful eyes darkened and red at him. Even though her tone was casual as always, she could not hide the jealousy that colored it.

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen instantly chuckled. He circled her waist with his arm helplessly and smiled. ¡°What do you have there in your head? I only found out when Ah Mo brought her over. She¡¯s not my type. Do I look like the kind of person who would make a principled error?¡±

    ¡°Who knows!?¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

    He was at his wit¡¯s end as he spread open his hands. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not happy then we can change to another one.¡±

    She then smiled and shook her head. ¡°Forget it. I was just messing with you.¡±

    ¡°I know you are. However, Su Chen does quite like this type. Elder Su has been troubled by Su Chen¡¯s matters recently. If you do have some thoughts, you could put your skills to use. Aren¡¯t Ah Mo and Lingshi doing alright now? Su Chen¡¯s turning 33 soon, yet he doesn¡¯t even have anyone,¡± Mu Yuchen admitted. He was starting to worry about his buddy¡¯s happiness.

    ¡°How do you know he has no one? In fact, with Su Chen¡¯s status, he doesn¡¯t seem like someone without a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°I know well enough whether he has anyone or not. Apart from having a crush on our art teacher back in school, he really hasn¡¯t fancied any other women. He¡¯s as clean as a sheet! Sadly, you don¡¯t have any single friends. Otherwise, with such a good resource, wouldn¡¯t it go to waste?¡± Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xiaye,menting about what a pity it was.

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, she immediately widened her eyes and looked in disbelief at Mu Yuchen as she cried out, ¡°Really? He is Deputy Chief Mr. Su, Deputy Chief of the Traffic Control Bureau, yet he has never dated anyone or had a girlfriend. Who¡¯d believe you?¡±

    ¡°What is so unbelievable about that? Wasn¡¯t I like that before I met you? His elder¡¯s hardcore, a ssic old revolutionary. He has very high expectations of Su Chen too. We were in the army for so long. Naturally, we didn¡¯t have time to care about these things. When he returned after leaving the army, he furthered his studies abroad for over a year. After that, he was sent back until now. Zimo says that because he missed the art teacher he had a crush on back then. He even checked on her, but she got married a long time ago and by then, her child could already run around. When this fellow found out, he even got himself drunk, denying that he would ever like anyone else.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen recalled this, he could not help but guffaw out loud.

    ¡°Was your art teacher very pretty?¡± asked Xi Xiaye as she blinked her twinkling eyes with curiosity.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Very pretty! She was a very gentle woman and she had dimples when she smiled. Su Chen liked her like that. When she smiled, Su Chen would be entranced. Come to think of it, it was a little embarrassing.

    ¡°But he should have turned over a new leaf by now. That was just a brief interlude in your innocent youth. All things considered, he seems to be a rather pure and simple person.¡±

    He smiled when he recalled the interesting stories of their youth and felt nostalgic.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about these. Right, we finally have news about Sis Lan that you mentioned. She¡¯ll be rushing back to City Z the day after tomorrow. She¡¯s flying in from Italy.¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she paused. Then, she remembered that it was the Qixi festival in a few more days.

    ¡°Mmm, she¡¯ll bending in City Z on a flight in the afternoon the day after tomorrow,¡± answered Mu Yuchen softly. His eyes were faintly filled with stillness.

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. I¡¯ll go over to take a look then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, she has her guard up high. Years ago, Father and Mother did personally meet her, yet they did not find out about anything.¡±

 Chapter 504 - I Am Ji Zitong (3)

    <h4>Chapter 504: I Am Ji Zitong (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Perhaps she wasn¡¯t willing to bring up the past again. Her best friend did leave suddenly. This is a sorrowful thing for anyone. I hope that this time, I¡¯ll be able to meet her and find out something from her.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stayed silent for a while. Then, she put a hand on his shoulder. With a deep breath, she consoled, ¡°So, we¡¯ll just do our best. Lingshi has been looking for this answer too. I believe that everything will be clear to us very soon.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite optimistic. It¡¯s something that has been silent for 20 to 30 years now. Do you think that it could all be exined so quickly? If it truly could, then it wouldn¡¯t have waited until now when the matter is still foggy. However, with this attitude of yours, it¡¯s worth encouraging no matter what. We¡¯ll see how this goes. You should be happy with this Ji Zitong since Ah Mo praises her highly too. From now on, whenever I¡¯m not by your side, she must follow you closely.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to cover her hand on his shoulder as he said this.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, I got it. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s fine. Those people aren¡¯t stupid either. They wouldn¡¯t hurt someone in broad daylight, but I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best to be more vignt. You¡¯ll never know with these things. Without anyone guarding by your side, I have to worry,¡± Mu Yuchen said sensitively.

    ¡°I got it. Okay, I¡¯m going back down now. Take a look at these documents and sign them if they¡¯re okay. I have to send them to the Commerce Department tomorrow. Bye!¡±

    She smiled and nted a kiss on his face, pointing at the documents she brought over. Before Mu Yuchen could respond, she already turned to leave, taking her cold fragrance with her. When he snapped back to his senses, she had already vanished out the door.

    As he watched her little figure disappear, a faint curve shed on his lips.

    When she returned to her office, Ah Mo was already waiting inside with Ji Zitong.

    ¡°Feel free to have a seat!¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face widened with a casual smile as she pointed at the sofa on the side and skillfully boiled some water for tea. ¡°Let¡¯s sit and talk.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Director Xi!¡±

    ¡°Missus, there¡¯s no need to be all courteous.¡±

    Ah Mo and Ji Zitong exchanged a smile before they sat down too.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have many rules here, so the two of you don¡¯t need to be all courteous with me,¡± Xi Xiaye chided calmly while she swiftly pulled the drawer on the side open to take the tea leaves inside out. ¡°Is Pu Er okay? Your brother¡¯s been drinking this recently. I took this from him.¡±

    Then, she subconsciously looked at the two of them.

    Ever since Xi Xiaye entered through the door, Ji Zitong¡¯s sharp eyes had been observing her. She noticed that she was not egoistic. Instead, she was rather elegant and casual, thus her tensed heart then eased off a little.

    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine. Thank you, Director Xi,¡± Ji Zitong answered humbly.

    ¡°Missus, you two enjoy your tea. Zitong, exin your situation to Missus. I have to go out for a bit. Later, I¡¯ll arrange your office and a ce to stay,¡± exined Ah Mo with a smile before leaving.

    ¡°It might get a little exhausting after this. I¡¯m usually quite busy, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best to give you time to rest.¡±

    Xi Xiaye casually poured some tea for Ji Zitong, and naturally examined the girl again. She had quite a positive impression of her. Although she sensed that she was a person of few words and appeared quite cold, when she did speak, she seemed rather humble.

    Ji Zitong straightened up as she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can be on standby for 24 hours.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye grinned instead. ¡°I¡¯m not that demanding. Don¡¯t worry. I heard that you previously served in the army, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded gently as she lifted her teacup up and took a sip before she continued, ¡°Yes, I was in the army for a few years. I did counter-reconnaissance.¡±

    ¡°Army, counter-reconnaissance... You¡¯re quite good.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she seemed to be rueful. She sipped her tea. ¡°Actually, I used to be in the military academy too. Once, I yearned for a life in the army too.¡±

    ¡°The military academy? Director Xi, are you a servicewoman too?¡±

    When Ji Zitong heard this, her eyes lit up as she silently looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s little face with a hint of shock.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze. Then, sheughed a little bitterly and shook her head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t be considered a servicewoman because I had to leave after less than a year.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, the light in Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes dimmed. She could vaguely feel the disappointment in Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone, but she did not want to say anything about it. After some thought, she decided to keep quiet in the end.

    Moments passed before Xi Xiaye finally rxed and smiled up at Ji Zitong. ¡°Ah Mo says you¡¯re quite skilled. ¡±

    ¡°My father loves martial arts, and I¡¯ve been learning some from him since I was young, so I¡¯ve got some foundation. He owns a martial arts center. When I was free, I would swap pointers with the other students. Perhaps I¡¯m not skilled in anything else, but I sure can put up a fight,¡± Ji Zitong answered softly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She turned her body slightly as she examined Ji Zitong from the side. She could not help butugh gently. ¡°Actually, if we¡¯re talking about putting up a fight, I¡¯m no stranger to it at all.¡±

    ...

    The two of them chatted for quite a while, and Xi Xiaye got to know Ji Zitong. Frankly, she quite liked this Ji Zitong. Even though she had few words, looking at her reminded her of her past self. She was not sure why but she seemed to be able to sympathize with the kind of loneliness that she could sense from her.

    When Ah Mo came back for her, Xi Xiaye slowly stood up and said, ¡°Okay, go and arrange things with Ah Mo first. Rest for two days. Juste straight to thepany on Monday morning.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± Ji Zitong nodded gently. Then, she turned to follow Ah Mo and left.

    In the afternoon, Xi Xiaye went to discuss some project matters with some partners. She was busy untilte at night. When she reached home, Mu Yuchen had already prepared a spread full of delightful food.

    However, Xi Xiaye did not seem to have an appetite in recent days, so she only had a few mouthfuls before she yed around with the rice in her bowl. When she saw that the man across her was almost done eating, she muttered, ¡°Mr. Mu, I don¡¯t want to wash the dishes tonight...¡±

    ¡°Finish the food in your bowl, then I¡¯ll allow you not to wash them. You¡¯ve been quite busy these past few days, yet your fighting strength has weakened. Are you bored with the dishes?¡±

    Without a word, he added more food into her bowl again.

    ¡°No, it was the day before yesterday when I went for inspection with them and got caught in the cold wind. Even though I did take some medicine when I got back, I seem to have gotten a cold.¡±

    <h4>Comments (5)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 505: Pay A Visit (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After that, Mu Yuchen ordered Xi Xiaye to go upstairs, shower and rest. He did not forget to get her to take her medication either.

    Even so, Xi Xiaye still suffered from a high fever in the middle of the night. Mu Yuchen was sound asleep then. Suddenly, he could feel her tossing in his embrace while breathing heavily. Her temperature was terrifying too, so he quickly took a better look and saw that she was covered in a sheen of cold sweat.

    He quickly got her to consume some medication and looked after her the entire night. Finally, when dawn arrived, her fever finally broke.

    When they woke up the next morning, Mu Yuchen did not go to work. He got Li Si to send the necessary documents straight to the Maple Residence. He worked at home to keep an eye on her. Unexpectedly, Su Chen called to ask Mu Yuchen out for drinks that night. Mu Yuchen just told him he was at home, and Su Chen drove right over, bringing along some game meat too.

    At this moment, in the Maple Residence living room, Mu Yuchen was sitting still and upright before the sofa. His eyes were fixated on hisptop screen as his fingers swiftly tapped against the keyboard while Su Chen was silently sipping his tea on the side.

    ¡°I remember that you should be quite busy, Chief Su. How do you have time toe over today?¡±

    Usually, the buddies were all rather busy, so even if they wanted to gather, they would have to wait for weeknights or rare weekends.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I juste over to see you?¡± Su Chen shot him a nce, then continued sipping his tea.

    Mu Yuchen stared at him cynically for quite a while, then smiled. ¡°Did the Elder issue his rigidmand to you?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Su Chen sighed helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking it over properly over these past few days. Actually, I understand what the older generation is thinking. My sister specially came homest night to nag me.¡±

    ¡°Everyone at home¡¯s like that, speaking of which, you¡¯re much more rxed than Zimo. There are pros of being in politics, and there are cons of being in business, so you are basically stable now. I¡¯m sure they had the same thoughts of me having a stable career before settling down and starting a family.¡±

    Mu Yuchen entered thest row of data and saved it before shutting hisptop down and turning to smile faintly at Su Chen.

    ¡°Wow! You would say such things too? Years ago, you were one of those who swore they¡¯d only get married when they were done fooling around!¡±

    Su Chen red at him sulkily. He set his cup aside frustratedly and then leaned back against the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯m already done messing around. It¡¯s you who¡¯s not done,¡± He casually poured himself a cup of tea as he chuckled. ¡°Ah Mo and Lingshi will have some good news soon. Earlier, Lingshi even mentioned you.¡±

    ¡°Lingshi?¡±

    Su Chen was surprised as he raised his brows while mixed emotions passed through his eyes. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s good that she can get over this barrier. Initially, she was quite worried that you wouldn¡¯t be able to let go either. They¡¯re already gone, so there¡¯s no need for any guilt or self-me. Instead, you should continue to live your life since life is short and will pass by in the blink of an eye. It was as if I just packed my bags to go to school yesterday, and today I woke up 30 yearster. So, buddy, life is but an instant.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was light as the wind, yet his eyes were extremely still as he silently looked at Su Chen.

    ¡°You really do have quite a lot of feelings about this. Since you know that life is short, why have I never seen you spend more time on yourself? Pfft, you and Zimo are the same.¡±

    Su Chen disapproved of his lecture. He lifted his long leg and kicked Mu Yuchen¡¯s shin.¡±Hey, punk, when did you learn how to lecture others now? I¡¯ve called Zimo for cross-country running this weekend. Want toe along?¡±

    ¡°You two go ahead. I can¡¯t leave for the next two days. Xiaye¡¯s having a cold and a fever. She hasn¡¯t even woke up yet.¡±

    ¡°Hearing you speak like that, I suddenly feel quite lonely. Anyway, is Xiaye okay?¡± Su Chen looked pensively at Mu Yuchen who was being a little peculiar to him.

    The man pretended not to hear him.

    Su Chen thought about it and still couldn¡¯t hold back from asking in the end, ¡°Ah Mo came looking for me before this. It seems like that a certain someone ising to City Z. Don¡¯t you have anything to say? Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    Mu Yuchen shot him an unpredictable look. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t ask. This is the real reason you came over, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I ask? You¡¯re right! Zimo¡¯s worried too. He told me toe over and ask you about it too.¡± Su Chen did not hide it any longer and was honest instead.

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he yed around with the cup in hand. ¡°Why should I be worried? I just want to know the truth from years ago. Other people¡¯s life or death has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t refute you on that. What about that Mr. Wen? Ah Mo has told me already. I¡¯ve privately investigated it, and there isn¡¯t anyone with the surname Wen among the whole of City Z¡¯s prestigiousmunity, so I suspect that that isn¡¯t his real identity. I can¡¯t be sure if it might be someone from another city.¡±

    Su Chen suddenly straightened up solemnly. ¡°But since Sis Lan is a usible lead, we could also try tracking him with some clues. These things have been set aside for too long, so digging for evidence is extremely hard. In fact, the entertainment industry was a mess back then. Thepany that represented Aunty Zixi years ago has closed down, and most of the people back then can¡¯t be located either.

    ¡°Sis Lan will be back in another two days. We must find a way to find out some things from her. I¡¯ve investigated her rtionship with Aunty. I realized that she and my aunt are more than friends. Some say that Aunty¡¯s peak poprity back then could be attributed partially to her too.¡±

    Su Chen hesitated before he said, ¡°I know about that. Her title as a gold manager wasn¡¯t casually christened by the people from the industry. This woman has guts and tricks up her sleeves. In fact, she¡¯s really driven. After that incident with Aunty Zixi, she stayed in Qi Kai for a while too. Then, I heard that she had a fallout with Qi Qiming, so she left Qi Kai.¡±

    ¡°Right, Qi Kai seems to be quite turbulent recently. Have you heard? Qi Qiming and Wang Qin¡¯s conflict has been worsening. The Han Corporation managed to get 3% of shares from two of Qi Kai¡¯s shareholders. They probably want to hold Xi Xiaye down or get a share of the action. Because of this, as well as Qi Qiming spending a great amount of money on them, Yue Hai and the rest are making use of every inch. Wang Qin¡¯s days seem to be getting a little harder to get by. They are already an old married couple, so there¡¯s no need for this! Even though we know that the couple hasn¡¯t been doing that well all these years, despite fighting over these things, wouldn¡¯t it all be Qi Lei¡¯s in the end? In my opinion, wouldn¡¯t all the trouble be solved if they just let Qi Lei assume the top position?¡± Su Chen was bewildered as he sighed.

    ¡°Would all the trouble really be solved if Qi Lei assumed the position?¡± Mu Yuchen muttered. He thought about it and smiled coldly. ¡°The question is: can Qi Lei really assume the position?¡±

 Chapter 505 - Pay A Visit (1)

    <h4>Chapter 505: Pay A Visit (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After that, Mu Yuchen ordered Xi Xiaye to go upstairs, shower and rest. He did not forget to get her to take her medication either.

    Even so, Xi Xiaye still suffered from a high fever in the middle of the night. Mu Yuchen was sound asleep then. Suddenly, he could feel her tossing in his embrace while breathing heavily. Her temperature was terrifying too, so he quickly took a better look and saw that she was covered in a sheen of cold sweat.

    He quickly got her to consume some medication and looked after her the entire night. Finally, when dawn arrived, her fever finally broke.

    When they woke up the next morning, Mu Yuchen did not go to work. He got Li Si to send the necessary documents straight to the Maple Residence. He worked at home to keep an eye on her. Unexpectedly, Su Chen called to ask Mu Yuchen out for drinks that night. Mu Yuchen just told him he was at home, and Su Chen drove right over, bringing along some game meat too.

    At this moment, in the Maple Residence living room, Mu Yuchen was sitting still and upright before the sofa. His eyes were fixated on hisptop screen as his fingers swiftly tapped against the keyboard while Su Chen was silently sipping his tea on the side.

    ¡°I remember that you should be quite busy, Chief Su. How do you have time toe over today?¡±

    Usually, the buddies were all rather busy, so even if they wanted to gather, they would have to wait for weeknights or rare weekends.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I juste over to see you?¡± Su Chen shot him a nce, then continued sipping his tea.

    Mu Yuchen stared at him cynically for quite a while, then smiled. ¡°Did the Elder issue his rigidmand to you?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Su Chen sighed helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking it over properly over these past few days. Actually, I understand what the older generation is thinking. My sister specially came homest night to nag me.¡±

    ¡°Everyone at home¡¯s like that, speaking of which, you¡¯re much more rxed than Zimo. There are pros of being in politics, and there are cons of being in business, so you are basically stable now. I¡¯m sure they had the same thoughts of me having a stable career before settling down and starting a family.¡±

    Mu Yuchen entered thest row of data and saved it before shutting hisptop down and turning to smile faintly at Su Chen.

    ¡°Wow! You would say such things too? Years ago, you were one of those who swore they¡¯d only get married when they were done fooling around!¡±

    Su Chen red at him sulkily. He set his cup aside frustratedly and then leaned back against the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯m already done messing around. It¡¯s you who¡¯s not done,¡± He casually poured himself a cup of tea as he chuckled. ¡°Ah Mo and Lingshi will have some good news soon. Earlier, Lingshi even mentioned you.¡±

    ¡°Lingshi?¡±

    Su Chen was surprised as he raised his brows while mixed emotions passed through his eyes. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s good that she can get over this barrier. Initially, she was quite worried that you wouldn¡¯t be able to let go either. They¡¯re already gone, so there¡¯s no need for any guilt or self-me. Instead, you should continue to live your life since life is short and will pass by in the blink of an eye. It was as if I just packed my bags to go to school yesterday, and today I woke up 30 yearster. So, buddy, life is but an instant.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was light as the wind, yet his eyes were extremely still as he silently looked at Su Chen.

    ¡°You really do have quite a lot of feelings about this. Since you know that life is short, why have I never seen you spend more time on yourself? Pfft, you and Zimo are the same.¡±

    Su Chen disapproved of his lecture. He lifted his long leg and kicked Mu Yuchen¡¯s shin.¡±Hey, punk, when did you learn how to lecture others now? I¡¯ve called Zimo for cross-country running this weekend. Want toe along?¡±

    ¡°You two go ahead. I can¡¯t leave for the next two days. Xiaye¡¯s having a cold and a fever. She hasn¡¯t even woke up yet.¡±

    ¡°Hearing you speak like that, I suddenly feel quite lonely. Anyway, is Xiaye okay?¡± Su Chen looked pensively at Mu Yuchen who was being a little peculiar to him.

    The man pretended not to hear him.

    Su Chen thought about it and still couldn¡¯t hold back from asking in the end, ¡°Ah Mo came looking for me before this. It seems like that a certain someone ising to City Z. Don¡¯t you have anything to say? Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    Mu Yuchen shot him an unpredictable look. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t ask. This is the real reason you came over, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I ask? You¡¯re right! Zimo¡¯s worried too. He told me toe over and ask you about it too.¡± Su Chen did not hide it any longer and was honest instead.

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he yed around with the cup in hand. ¡°Why should I be worried? I just want to know the truth from years ago. Other people¡¯s life or death has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t refute you on that. What about that Mr. Wen? Ah Mo has told me already. I¡¯ve privately investigated it, and there isn¡¯t anyone with the surname Wen among the whole of City Z¡¯s prestigiousmunity, so I suspect that that isn¡¯t his real identity. I can¡¯t be sure if it might be someone from another city.¡±

    Su Chen suddenly straightened up solemnly. ¡°But since Sis Lan is a usible lead, we could also try tracking him with some clues. These things have been set aside for too long, so digging for evidence is extremely hard. In fact, the entertainment industry was a mess back then. Thepany that represented Aunty Zixi years ago has closed down, and most of the people back then can¡¯t be located either.

    ¡°Sis Lan will be back in another two days. We must find a way to find out some things from her. I¡¯ve investigated her rtionship with Aunty. I realized that she and my aunt are more than friends. Some say that Aunty¡¯s peak poprity back then could be attributed partially to her too.¡±

    Su Chen hesitated before he said, ¡°I know about that. Her title as a gold manager wasn¡¯t casually christened by the people from the industry. This woman has guts and tricks up her sleeves. In fact, she¡¯s really driven. After that incident with Aunty Zixi, she stayed in Qi Kai for a while too. Then, I heard that she had a fallout with Qi Qiming, so she left Qi Kai.¡±

    ¡°Right, Qi Kai seems to be quite turbulent recently. Have you heard? Qi Qiming and Wang Qin¡¯s conflict has been worsening. The Han Corporation managed to get 3% of shares from two of Qi Kai¡¯s shareholders. They probably want to hold Xi Xiaye down or get a share of the action. Because of this, as well as Qi Qiming spending a great amount of money on them, Yue Hai and the rest are making use of every inch. Wang Qin¡¯s days seem to be getting a little harder to get by. They are already an old married couple, so there¡¯s no need for this! Even though we know that the couple hasn¡¯t been doing that well all these years, despite fighting over these things, wouldn¡¯t it all be Qi Lei¡¯s in the end? In my opinion, wouldn¡¯t all the trouble be solved if they just let Qi Lei assume the top position?¡± Su Chen was bewildered as he sighed.

    ¡°Would all the trouble really be solved if Qi Lei assumed the position?¡± Mu Yuchen muttered. He thought about it and smiled coldly. ¡°The question is: can Qi Lei really assume the position?¡±

 Chapter 506 - Pay A Visit (2)

    <h4>Chapter 506: Pay A Visit (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he heard this, Su Chen could not help but massage the space between his brows, ¡°That¡¯s true. Qi Qiming is too unpredictable. No one can guess what he¡¯s trying to do.¡±

    Then, he sat up and took a cigarette box from the table. He pulled one out and handed it to Mu Yuchen while he lit one up for himself too. With his eyebrows knotted, he puffed before he continued to sigh, ¡°Actually, I think that Qi Lei isn¡¯t as simple as he seems. What do you think?¡±

    Su Chen looked up at Mu Yuchen¡¯s indifferent expression, an oddly cold light flickering in his eyes.

    Mu Yuchen set the cigarette in his hand aside, and then casually stood up before he walked over to the alcohol cab and poured them two sses of whiskey.

    ¡°He¡¯s just watching from the sides while they fight among themselves. Everything is the work of Qi Qiming and Wang Qin. Despite Qi Feng retreating behind the scenes and let Qi Qiming control the entire chess game, say if he wanted to take over Qi Kai, he¡¯d have to make a move. Otherwise, how could he convince the masses? Qi Lei¡¯s different. If Qi Lei wanted to take over Qi Kai, others would just find it rightful, but when ites to Qi Feng...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I agree. No matter what Qi Feng does, as long as Qi Lei¡¯s around, he¡¯s still just an illegitimate child, so if he wants to take over Qi Kai, he¡¯d have to put in more work because Wang Qin would never support him and would just give up on her son! Sigh, I¡¯m just sad that I don¡¯t have a mother to fight for me!¡± Su Chen shrugged helplessly as he epted the drink Mu Yuchen handed, and gulped it all down.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen and Su Chen prepared lunch. When it was almost served, Mu Yuchen went upstairs unhurriedly.

    At the bedroom door, before he walked in, he could vaguely hear coughing from inside, so he quickly pushed the door open and saw that she was walking out from the bathroom with her messy and soft hair. She looked extremely pale and frail from the illness while her spirits were low.

    She walked to the bedside and sat down limply, not having an ounce of energy to move.

    She had really suffered. Her fever only broke in the morning, and now her throat hurt really badly. She also had a bad headache, and could not breathe properly. This cold was really torturing.

    ¡°Have some water and take your medicine.¡±

    A low tone of concern suddenly brushed past her ears. She opened her dazed eyes and saw that a cup of water was extended to her. When she shifted her gaze up a little, she saw the pills thaty in his broad hand.

    She was defeated as she looked up weakly at him. When she saw the love and concern in his eyes, she could not help but speak in her weak, raspy voice, ¡°I feel miserable. Cough... My throat hurts so much and my whole body aches. I feel so weak. Cough...¡±

    Her voice sounded extremely hoarse. Before she could finish her sentences, she could not help but start coughing again.

    ¡°I told you to work out and toughen up more, but you werezy. Rest well for the next few days. I¡¯ll let Grandpa know. Come have your medicine first.¡± He handed her the medication.

    She then took it from him, frowned and swallowed the pills.

    He lowered his head and nted a kiss on her forehead. Then, he reached out with his long fingers and swiftly arranged her slightly messy hair for her. ¡°Su Chen¡¯s here. He brought some game meat, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to taste them. I¡¯ve prepared some in porridge for you. Do you feel very sick? I¡¯ll bring you to the hospital for a check-up after the meal.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital... I¡¯ll just sleep again and I¡¯ll feel better when I wake up,¡± she responded in her raspy voice. Then, she drank a few more gulps of water before she put the cup back. She whined helplessly in distress, ¡°I feel so miserable... This illness felt like it came so suddenly...¡±

    He sighed helplessly and set the cup on the table. Gazing down at her, after a while, he reached out to touch her forehead again and only eased back a little when everything felt alright again. ¡°Okay,ter on, I¡¯ll give you a back massage. Perhaps you¡¯ll feel more rxed. Go downstairs and have some food first.¡±

    When she heard, she suddenly stared at him in shock. ¡°Do you know how to?¡±

    He just looked back at her casually. ¡°Mmm, when we were in the army back then, we had a lot of training. Sometimes, Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and I would take turns with each other. It feels quite good.¡±

    She then nodded and propped herself limply as she tried to get up in a daze.

    He reached out to hold her by the waist. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Then, he was about to bend over and carry her up when she stopped him with one hand clutching onto the side of clothes. ¡°I¡¯ll just walk. I¡¯m not <i>that </i> weak...¡±

    When the two of them went downstairs, Su Chen had already prepared the cutlery. Seeing Xi Xiaye¡¯s sickly condition, he immediately frowned and asked in concern, ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look that great.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gratefully and smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little cold and fever. I¡¯ll feel better in a few days.¡±

    ¡°If you really can¡¯t, it¡¯s better to get checked at the hospital.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. When she remembered her man telling her about Su Chen¡¯s stories, she could not help but take a second glimpse at him. She felt that apart from his imposing and sharp manner, seeing him help to serve the dishes really made him look like a kind, domestic man.

    She silently looked at Su Chen be busy for a while before she turned. Her twinkling eyes looked up to the man beside her while he looked back thoughtfully at her. With one hand holding her frail shoulders, he said in a low voice by her ear, ¡°He¡¯s only slightly inferior to your man.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help butugh gently. ¡°Are you praising him or yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡± He suddenly smiled and walked over with his arms around her shoulder, pulling a chair out chivalrously.

    ¡°I¡¯d be a fool to believe you!¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

    As she was about to sit down, Su Chen¡¯s voice was suddenly heard. ¡°Oh, right, Xiaye, someone sent a registered letter over earlier. It was yours, but I signed the acknowledgment receipt for you. I put it on the coffee table.¡±

    A registered letter?

    Xi Xiaye was momentarily stunned. She thought about it for a while before walking to the living room. Indeed, there was a letter on the coffee table.

    She was puzzled and hesitated for a moment before picking the letter up to open.

    There was nothing written on the letter except just a simple sentence:

    Meet at the old ce in three days at 4 p.m.

    It was someone with whom Xi Xiaye was very familiar ¡ª Detective Zhang who had disappeared for a long time without any news of him at all!

    Previously, Xi Xiaye had asked him to also investigate the Qi family. Unexpectedly, she did not hear from him for a rather long time after that. Now that she finally received this letter, it more or less took her by shock.

 Chapter 507 - Ambush (1)

    <h4>Chapter 507: Ambush (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It took a while for her to calm down. When she came back to her senses, she kept the letter as the man¡¯s voice reached her.

    ¡°Who wrote to you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye tore the letter into pieces and tossed the pieces into the bin. As she turned around and saw his concerned expression, she replied quietly, ¡°I asked someone to investigate Qi Kai, and there¡¯s probably some information. I¡¯ll talk to you about this again tonight.¡±

    She walked over while Mu Yuchen nodded. Then, they sat down and had their meal.

    Both Su Chen and Mu Yuchen left after lunch. Su Chen had something to pass to thetter. Xi Xiaye stayed at home since she was still sleepy after taking the medicine, so she went back to sleep. However, her phone started ringing when she was sound asleep. After a while, Xi Xiaye woke up and grabbed her phone, pressing the button with her eyes wincing from the bright screen.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Director Xi, it¡¯s me, Xiao Yu!¡±

    An urgent tone of voice came over from the other side. Before Xi Xiaye could reply, Xiao Yu went on, ¡°Director Xi, something bad has happened! Someone¡¯s making a fuss here, and Manager Chen is injured.¡±

    The one on the phone was Mu Lingshi¡¯s assistant, Xiao Yu!

    Xi Xiaye sat up suddenly. Her movements were so sudden that it caused her a headache which only went away after a while. ¡°What did you say? Who¡¯s making a fuss? How¡¯s the manager?¡±

    ¡°Manager Chen is injured badly. Things are getting out of hand here. They have quite a solid background and they¡¯ve cornered Manager Chen. I can¡¯t reach Manager Mu and Manager Wang is on leave, so...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Send your manager to the hospital. I¡¯ll head over now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye got out of bed and quickly changed before she grabbed the car keys and left swiftly.

    She only realized that the sky had turned dark and the streetmps were lit up when she got out. The gentle sunset rays covered the horizon, creating a magnificent pairing with the colorful lights on the streets.

    However, Xi Xiaye was not in the mood to enjoy the sights. It took her around half an hour to reach the club.

    Xiao Yu came up to her as she arrived.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation? Give me the details!¡± Xi Xiaye walked inside as she spoke.

    ¡°Director Xi, the customer is being terribly demanding. They booked a room, and then suddenly wanted to change to the one beside them, but that room was already booked by someone else. Our waiters negotiated with them, and not only were they rude, but they also pped the waitress and even gave her a hard time. Manager Chen was patrolling and saw what happened. They had an argument and the person pushed Manager Chen, so he fell on the corner of a table and sustained a bad injury on the arm,¡± Xiao Yu replied.

    ¡°Who are they? Where are the security guards in the club? Aren¡¯t they doing anything?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°Manager Chen said not to make a big fuss out of it and try to resolve this calmly, but they were really difficult. They injured some of our people! Manager Chen is really angry,¡± Xiao Yu said quietly.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows stayed knotted as she sped up.

    She was surprised when she arrived at the room. The perpetrators were Huang Shanshan, Wang Ziluo, Sun Mei and the others. However, what surprised Xi Xiaye even more was that Han Yifeng was there as well!

    He was drinking at the corner alone, seeming lost in a cloud of depression.

    Huang Shanshan?

    Ever since she had revealed Xi Xinyi¡¯s true colors thest time, she had not really appeared anymore, but now she seemed very close to Wang Ziluo. It made one wonder how she was doing with Xi Xinyi now.

    Wang Ziluo, Sun Mei, and several others acted pretty arrogantly.

    Since the idents at Su Nan¡¯s wedding thest time, her impressions of them had worsened and she never thought about keeping in touch with them. She never thought she would meet them again, yet now...

    ¡°Don¡¯t youe here to work for money? Acting innocent now? It¡¯s your honor that I¡¯m paying you to have a drink with me. Pfft, acting like a saint while being a witch? Shameless!¡±

    ¡°Right, I can¡¯t stand women who act all innocent, learning all the seductive ways at such a young age!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get angry, Bro Jun, it¡¯s not worth being upset over a little witch like her! Look at her face! It¡¯d be interesting to see how it¡¯s like after someone leaves a scratch or two on it!¡±

    They surrounded a waitress with tears all over her face as they gave her a hard time while cornering Manager Chen on the side.

    The pretty waitress was crying and Huang Shanshan was pping the waitress¡¯s face as she acted all high and mighty.

    ¡°Director Xi, that waitress is a senior at university. Manager Chen pitied her, so she was allowed to work here part-time,¡± Xiao Yu gave a brief introduction.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. ¡°Anyone who works here should be carefully selected and trained. How can we simply recruit anyone? What kind of ce do you think this is? Especially waitresses, shouldn¡¯t you guys train her to be more independent?¡±

    Ever since the incidentst time, Xi Xiaye had set strict standards on waitresses in order to prevent the same issue. This girl seemed pretty fearful as her body was shaking from Huang Shanshan giving her a mere stare.

    ¡°Yes Director Xi!¡±

    Before Xiao Yu could finish her reply, Xi Xiaye interrupted with a yell, ¡°Stop it right there!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Yu, get Manager Chen downstairs and handle the wound. You go down as well,¡± Xi Xiaye gave her order.

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s sudden appearance silenced the room as everyone looked over at her in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye!¡±

    Huang Shanshan¡¯s expression changed.

    After Xiao Yu and the others left, Xi Xiaye nced over at the messy scene. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened. If you guys are here for entertainment, you¡¯re very wee to do so, but if you¡¯re here to cause trouble, please leave.¡±

 Chapter 508 - Ambush (2)

    <h4>Chapter 508: Ambush (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Their expressions changed after Xi Xiaye spoke.

    ¡°What are you going to do about that woman spilling the drinks onto me, huh?¡±

    That person who was addressed as Bro Jun certainly had no idea who Xi Xiaye was. A faint light shed in his eyes when he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s beauty. He was entranced by her and totally missed the dagger nces from Huang Shanshan beside him as he let out a wickedugh. ¡°You seem to be a manager here, alright. What about that? We¡¯ll forget about what happened if you apany us for some drinks tonight, then I¡¯ll let it go. How does that sound, pretty girl?¡±

    With the man¡¯s disgusting furtive nces, Xi Xiaye frowned and coughed slightly. However, her hoarse voice was extremely cold. ¡°Apany you? Are you worth my time? Where do you think this is? Some street stall?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to give you a chance now. Do you know who I am?¡±

    The man was pretty crude. He was about to grab Xi Xiaye when all of a sudden, the quiet Han Yifeng went over and held him back. His voice was as cold as ice as he nced at Huang Shanshan. ¡°Don¡¯t hang out with people like him anymore. Don¡¯t you think we¡¯ve made enough trouble already?¡±

    He red at the man coldly before leaving.

    ¡°Director Xi...¡±

    ¡°Clean this up and just send them out if people like them were toe here again. Imperial Sky doesn¡¯t need people with low standards here. If they have any issues, send them to see me at Glory World! Cough... Cough!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was really worked up. She started coughing profusely as her pale face turned red. The sharpness in her eyes made Sun Mei and the rest shudder, but before they could react, she turned around and left.

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi!¡±

    ...

    It was the prime time at night, and she could hear the deafening musicing from the hall ahead as she walked through the corridor. Xi Xiaye looked for Xiao Yu and then left after she spoke to him. She felt even worse now after the incident, so she just wanted to go home and rest. Although she tried to call Mu Lingshi, it did not get through. In the end, she gave up and walked toward her car slowly.

    She was surprised to see a hulking figure waiting for her by her car.

    It had been some time since they met. She had once loved him so much, but her heart was calm even when he was right before her. When she saw him, there was but another person in her mind.

    As Han Yifeng was about to say something, Xi Xiaye spoke first, ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    Her tone was calm and distant like she was just talking to a normal friend. That tone of voice made Han Yifeng felt insignificant, but he had no excuse to earn a cheerful greeting from her.

    After some struggle, he clenched his fists and released them. He nodded and replied with a bitter smile, ¡°Long time no see. How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thanks for asking,¡± she replied as she took out her car keys. She unlocked the car and was about to get inside.

    ¡°Wait, Xiaye!¡± Han Yifeng abruptly called out to her. He just looked at her slender figure in silence.

    Xi Xiaye stopped as her back faced him, but she did not say anything.

    ¡°If... If we both try to go back to the past, would you...?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back to the past, and I don¡¯t like the words ¡®if¡¯.¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Xi Xiaye interrupted him halfway and turned around. She looked at him grimly under the dim streetlights while her tone was cold. ¡°I know a lot of things have happened recently, a lot of which you find uneptable, but you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences of your choices. You¡¯re still pretty lucky, especially if you know how to seize the opportunity.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath after several coughs, then she opened the car door.

    ¡°The Xi Xiaye in the past doesn¡¯t exist anymore. The current Xi Xiaye...¡± She left him a smile before heading into the car and starting the engine swiftly.

    The ck car soon disappeared among the array of cars far away until he could not see it anymore.

    It took Han Yifeng a long time to drag his thoughts back to reality. When he turned around, he saw Xi Xinyi who was staring at him with her cold, sharp eyes.

    Xi Xinyi had been busy supervising the film productiontely. With the support of Qi Kai and the Han Corporation, she managed to get things to settle down. Her baby bump was gettingrger by the day, and she would give birth in a few months¡¯ time.

    She was doing very well recently. She had spent a lot of effort getting Huang Ziyao on her good side and also worked towards getting closer to Elder Han whilst being considerate about the scandal and her body. Huang Ziyao had been visiting her more frequently at the vi. Furthermore, Xi Xinyi had voluntarily offered 3% of Yueying¡¯s share as Huang Ziyao¡¯s birthday present, leaving a very positive impression.

    She was going to be the mother to Huang Ziyao¡¯s grandchild in the future anyway, so what else could she do even if she was wed?

    As long as Han Yifeng was happy and her grandchild could be born safely, she would be satisfied.

    However, Han Yifeng had turned into another person. He seemed depressed all the time and rarely went home. ording to Secretary Wang, he bought another condominium unit and had been staying there.

    ¡°Trying to go back to the past? Han Yifeng, were you going to ask Xi Xiaye if the two of you could be together again if you could turn back time and start over?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was obviously mocking him. ¡°I told you before. It¡¯s impossible! Did you see that? That¡¯s the person who said she loved you before! The man she loves now is Master Mu from Glory World, the rich and powerful Master Mu! And you, Han Yifeng, mean nothing to her! Nothing! Do you understand now? Only I, only Xi Xinyi, will treat you the same as ever, and will love you forever!¡±

    A cold smile spread on her beautiful face. ¡°None of us can turn back time, Yifeng. Our child ising soon. I¡¯ve always loved you. You could¡¯ve just let the past go and embrace our happiness together, yet you suddenly tell me that you don¡¯t love me anymore. Don¡¯t you find that ridiculous?¡±

 Chapter 509 - Ambush (3)

    <h4>Chapter 509: Ambush (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Ridiculous? Can anyone be more ridiculous than you?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes turned cold instantly when he looked at her. ¡°How can you always assume that people can just forgive all the faults you¡¯vemitted before? Do you still think you¡¯re innocent?¡±

    Xi Xinyi shuddered slightly under Han Yifeng¡¯s sharp gaze, but she still faced him obstinately.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a cruel person! I¡¯ve never seen such a selfish and wicked woman like you before in my life! I feel disgusted when I see you!¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s tone was chilly, and his words stung Xi Xinyi¡¯s ears like iced needles.

    However, he would never understand that the harsher his words were towards Xi Xinyi, the stronger her hatred for Xi Xiaye would grow.

    If it were not for Xi Xiaye, her reputation would not have suffered, and things would not be like this now!

    Yue Lingsi could not pull herself together. She tried to numb herself through drinking and ying mahjong. While Xi Mushan was having fun with that old witch Shen Wenna abroad, Xi Xinyi had been under a lot of pressure to get Yueying running. She tried her best to save her marriage, yet she did not receive even an ounce offort or understanding from Han Yifeng!

    Xi Xinyi started to me her fate. They were both daughters of the Xi family. How could the difference between be this huge? How could she marry into a prestigious family, find a man like Mu Yuchen, and even have an elegant and beautiful mother? Their father, Xi Mushan, favored her more as well. Reflecting on herself, Han Yifeng was cruel to her and Yue Lingsi was now a failure!

    ¡°Disgusting? Why didn¡¯t you think I was disgusting when you told me to go out with you back then? It¡¯s useless now even if you find yourself totally in love with Xi Xiaye. She¡¯s Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman now. She¡¯s got nothing to do with you! You¡¯ll never get her whether it¡¯s in the past or the future. You can only return to my side! You¡¯re mine!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mad! Don¡¯t forget what you promised Grandfather!¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s expression turned icy.

    However, Xi Xinyi just barked a coldugh. ¡°Han Yifeng, as long as I have the baby, you can never cut ties with me. I¡¯ve always gotten everything I wanted whether it is Yueying or a man! You can say that I¡¯m mad. Indeed, I am mad! You made me this way, but you can never find another woman who would love you as much as I do! I fell to such a state for you. What excuse do you have to abandon me?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Han Yifeng red at her, unable to say anything back.

    ...

    On the other end, Xi Xiaye was on the way back to the Maple Residence.

    She barely managed to stay awake. Her headache was getting worse by the second, and her vision was starting to get blurry.

    The straight road in front of her split into several paths and the dim streetmps were not helping.

    She had no idea how long she had been driving until she felt her body getting weak. In the end, she had to park the car on the side as she rested her head on the steering wheel. After a while, she took out her phone, found Mu Yuchen¡¯s number and called him.

    It did not get through.

    She called several times and it all got her the same results.

    Thud!

    Her hand trembled and she dropped her phone as she felt the world around her spin. She became dizzy. After a long while, she barely managed to open the door. However, she tumbled out of the car the moment she opened the door.

    ...

    When Qi Lei¡¯s car drove past, Yang Sheng suddenly mentioned as he turned around and looked at the car they had just passed, ¡°Master Qi, that person seems like Ms. Xiaye! That¡¯s Chairman Mu¡¯s car!¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Qi Lei slowed down the car and looked at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°I said the woman who just fell out of the car looks like Ms. Xi Xiaye, and that is indeed Chairman Mu¡¯s car. I remember the car te numbers of Chairman Mu¡¯s cars!¡± Yang Sheng seemed surprised. ¡°Could Ms. Xiaye be...?¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Qi Lei turned the car around, speeding in the opposite direction and heading back to the car they just passed.

    As expected, he saw Xi Xiaye slumped on the ground as he went nearer.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Qi Lei stopped the car quickly and rushed out as fast as possible. He lifted her up, and her boiling body temperature startled him!

    Her breathing was uneven and she was frowning out of difort. Qi Lei started mumbling angrily, ¡°How is Mu Yuchen taking good care of you? How is he a good man?!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng came after him. ¡°What¡¯s the situation? What happened?¡±

    ¡°She has a fever!¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go to the hospital now.¡±

    Qi Lei nced around and then looked down at Xi Xiaye in his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s head back home first. There¡¯s bad traffic now. I have some medicine at home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng went to take Xi Xiaye¡¯s car keys out and locked the car after a brief reply. He then got back into the car and started the engine.

    ...

    The night was gettingte.

    Inside a luxurious private vi, Mu Yuchen made several calls by the staircase. Xi Xiaye was still not picking up. He called back to the Maple Residence as well, feeling uneasy.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, CEO Zhang was looking for you. Why are you here? About the contract...¡±

    ¡°Tell CEO Zhang I have to leave now. I¡¯ll apologize to him one day.¡± He left a brief message before walking towards the exit.

    ¡°Ah Chen!¡± When Su Chen came out, he only caught a glimpse of his back.

    ¡°Chief Su, Chairman Mu... He...¡± That man looked at Su Chen in doubt.

    Su Chen pinched the space between his eyebrows and shook his head helplessly as he put on a bitter smile. ¡°His wife is sick and he¡¯s been worried throughout the night. Oh well, no big deal! It¡¯s just one huge business deal. How generous of him!¡±

    ¡°Then...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Tell CEO Zhang I asked Chairman Mu to do something for me. I¡¯ll drink with him tonight!¡±

 Chapter 510 - Ambush (4)

    <h4>Chapter 510: Ambush (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At night, in the Grand Lake Vi area.

    Qi Leiy Xi Xiaye on a bed before searching around frantically for medicine. He prepared a damp towel as well.

    Yang Sheng came over with some alcohol as he nced at the unconscious Xi Xiaye. He said worriedly, ¡°Master Qi, if her fever doesn¡¯t go down, apply some of this alcohol on her palms and feet. My daughter used to have fever frequently. My mother did this and it was pretty effective.¡±

    ¡°Why are you still talking? Hand it over quickly!¡±

    Qi Lei shot him an impatient nce. He then turned over to Xi Xiaye and put his hand on her forehead. His eyes were filled with frustration and had a slight tint of concern.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat. Her body felt warm sometimes and cold other times. She was definitely not resting well as the frown was still pasted on her face. Running out of ideas, Qi Lei used Yang Sheng¡¯s method.

    ¡°Go down and cook something. Hurry!¡± Qi Lei urged after taking the alcohol from Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go now!¡± Yang Sheng sensed that Qi Lei was in a bad mood now. He did not want to trigger anynd mines, so he quickly left.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath when he heard the door close. His gaze was focused on Xi Xiaye¡¯s pale face as he brushed the hair on her face aside while being deep in thought. He saw that she was suffering considerably. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to repay you this time. I don¡¯t owe you anything anymore!¡±

    He then started applying some alcohol on her palms and feet.

    At around 10 p.m., Qi Lei sent Yang Sheng back after he prepared some porridge. Xi Xiaye¡¯s body temperature dropped slightly. Qi Lei himself was covered in sweat too. When he came out of the shower with just a night robe on him, he noticed that Xi Xiaye was sleeping more peacefully now. He put his hand on her forehead again. Upon noticing that her fever was starting to go away, he felt relieved.

    He pulled up the nket a little before switching the lights off. He only left a dim tablemp on, but just as he was about to leave, she grabbed his hand as she called out with her fragile voice, ¡°Mr... Mu... I feel miserable...¡±

    Her voice was weak, but loud enough for Qi Lei to hear. He knew very well which Mr. Mu she was talking about. Stunned for a moment, he turned around and saw her lips still mumbling. After a while, he smiled and was about to pull her hand away. However, she grabbed tighter and tighter onto him as if her life depended on it.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    Qi Lei froze and just let her grab onto him. After a few seconds, he looked at her under the dim light. She still had an uneasy expression as she kept mumbling the same few words.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath as he put on a bitter smile. ¡°Mr. Mu? Mu Yuchen? What¡¯s so great about him? What makes you miss him this much?¡±

    Of course, Xi Xiaye could not hear him, but when she felt someone touching her forehead, she grabbed onto the hand.

    ...

    The night was gettingte. When the man did not find the familiar figure after he returned to the Maple Residence, he almost went mad. He made several calls and found out that she wasst seen at the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club, so he rushed over. Ah Mo and the others almost flipped the whole City Z upside down looking for her as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too worried first, Brother. Maybe she went somewhere. We can ask her friends.¡±

    By the staircase in the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club, Mu Lingshi felt guilty. She was cleaning up the garage with Ah Mo. There was bad reception inside, so she missed her call. Furthermore, she did not expect anything like that to happen.

    Mu Yuchen felt a headache as well as a depressed tug deep inside him. His worries were written all over his face. ¡°She had a feverst night up until the morning. Don¡¯t call her for such tiny matters. The people I¡¯ve hired shouldn¡¯t be garbage. If she¡¯s needed to handle such simple tasks, why should they be here? Fire them!¡± he growled coldly before leaving.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Mu Lingshi sighed helplessly as she looked at Mu Yuchen stepping into the darkness outside.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯re looking at the road security camera footages. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll find her soon enough.¡±

    Ah Mo was worried as well, especially since he knew that things had not exactly been peacefultely. Perhaps something had happened again!

    He had goosebumps just thinking of the incident at City B and the other incident during the wedding dinner. If this time...

    Mu Yuchen sat inside the car. He kept quiet for a while as he leaned against the seat and slowly closed his eyes. ¡°Take that curved route. It¡¯s near the Maple Residence and she always uses it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll go right away!¡± Ah Mo gave the chauffeur a signal. He started the car and did not say anything.

    After driving for a distance, Ah Mo¡¯s phone rang. It was the Traffic Management Bureau. His expression darkened after the short conversation. He turned towards the quiet Mu Yuchen, struggling to talk. ¡°Master, they found Missus¡¯s car on the curved route...¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s she?¡± Mu Yuchen opened his eyes instantly, throwing a sharp gaze at Ah Mo.

    ¡°There¡¯s no one in the car. The car is locked!¡± Ah Mo replied carefully.

    Mu Yuchen trembled slightly. ¡°Head over right now. Get them to find her as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The chauffeur sped up.

    They soon arrived at the said location. Then, they saw the car parked aside from afar.

    Mu Yuchen got out of the car quickly. When he went near the car, of course, it was locked. He got people to break into the car forcefully and then found Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone lying inside. It showed a ton of missed calls from him and Ah Mo. He quickly searched her call log, then he saw several missed calls to him...

    As well as the calls to Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo...

    His hands trembled and his eyes darkened.

 Chapter 511 - Ambush (5)

    <h4>Chapter 511: Ambush (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Where did she go?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand held onto the car door tightly as his eyes darkened. He looked at the surroundings to find that it was just undevelopednd around. There was no reason for her toe here thiste at night.

    Ah Mo was getting anxious when he noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression getting worse. As he was about to offer some words offort, his phone rang. When he took it out, he saw an image attached to a message, and the content was shocking!

    It was an intimate picture of Qi Lei holding Xi Xiaye. They had juste out of the car, and the angle of the photo was pretty ambiguous.

    Was Missus with Qi Lei?

    Ah Mo started having cold sweat as he turned to Mu Yuchen who seemed unstable at the moment. After giving it some thought, he went over to him. ¡°Master, look. A strange number sent this to me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed it swiftly. His expression changed for a moment and returned to normal after that. However, his eyes were still stormy. At the same time, his phone started ringing, so he quickly answered the call.

    The voice that reached him gave him a surprise. ¡°Mu Yuchen, it¡¯s me...¡±

    Inside the vi, Qi Lei was standing on the balcony on the second floor. He held a freshly lit cigarette between his fingers as he gazed downward at the reflections of the light on theke. His handsome face seemed a little deste from the reflected lights.

    Mu Yuchen clenched his fists as he heard his voice. He asked coldly, ¡°What did you do to her?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Qi Leiughed coldly.

    ¡°If you dare to do anything to her, you¡¯ll face the consequences!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened even further while his tone of voice was icy cold.

    ¡°So, what are the consequences? Hunt me down forever? Will you make me disappear in a car ident as well?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s bitterugh continued.

    ¡°I told you that was really an ident. It¡¯s up to you to believe what I¡¯ve said.¡± Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress his anger. ¡°Where¡¯s Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°She just had a shower and fell asleep.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s teasing chuckle reached him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned into a stormy sky. His hand that was holding Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone tightened and he almost squashed the phone.

    ¡°Do you feel heartbroken? Back when Shasha was in the ident, I swore to myself that I¡¯d make sure you have a taste of what it¡¯s like.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s about Gu Lingsha, you should look for Qi Feng or me. Why are you involving Xiaye? She doesn¡¯t know anything! I¡¯ll end you if you do anything to her!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes turned ferocious. A chilly aura gathered around him, even Ah Mo shivered slightly by just looking at him.

    Qi Lei startedughing loudly. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to have this day, did you? I¡¯ve touched whatever that I could. By the way, she smells great! No wonder you are so obsessed with her. Although Shasha is still better, you do have good taste. I¡¯ll send her back tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s safe now...¡±

    Before Qi Lei was done talking, Mu Yuchen smashed his phone uncontrobly. ¡°Damn it!¡±

    ¡°Master!¡± Ah Mo was shocked.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and took a deep breath. His eyes quickly dimmed as he felt a dull pain in his chest. He was in agony even just breathing.

    ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s concerned tone dragged him out of the vortex.

    Mu Yuchen managed to calm down after a while and his eyes returned to normal as calmness returned to him. He said quietly, ¡°Check where Qi Lei might possibly be staying. He seems to have a vi in the Grand Lake Vi area.¡±

    He remembered Xi Xiaye had told him about it before. He then sat inside the car.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Mo quickly made several calls after a brief reply. Following some short conversations, Ah Mo quickly turned towards the quiet Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s No. XX in the Grand Lake Vi area!¡±

    ¡°Head over there now!¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly as he looked out of the car window.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ...

    On the other hand, Qi Lei smirked when he heard a loud crash from the other end of the line. He left his phone aside and rested his arms on the railings as he looked at theke below. The reflections on theke¡¯s surface made it look surreal.

    The cold light flickered before him while the freezing wind blew through, and his shadow still seemed lonely as ever.

    He stared at theke for a long time. When he turned around, he saw his own reflection on the ss door. He looked at it for some time. Then, as if he saw something dirty on it, he tried to wipe a certain spot on the ss door with his hand.

    However, the more he wiped, the more his own face seemed blurry, so in the end, he gave up and just stood there in silence instead.

    Some time passed until he suddenly heard someone ring his doorbell. He came back to his senses and went to the corridor to take a look. To his shock, his door was already smashed in. Several bodyguards in ck suits rushed in with Ah Mo at the front!

    Of course, Qi Lei knew Ah Mo!

    Did they arrive already?

    Qi Lei squinted his eyes as he stared down coldly.

    As Ah Mo just barged in, another person followed him inside as well.

    Who else could it be aside from Mu Yuchen?

    Qi Lei put on a cold grin as he leaned against the railings and had a wicked smile. His eyes were focused on Mu Yuchen down below.

    When he noticed Qi Lei¡¯s gaze, Mu Yuchen looked upwards and their eyes met. Ah Mo and the others could sense the spark in their surroundings. The air seemed to have stopped moving.

    Mu Yuchen did not stop and just went up the stairs as Ah Mo followed behind him.

    ¡°You¡¯re fast,¡±mented Qi Lei as Mu Yuchen appeared before him.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him but did not reply. His gaze was cold and sharp as he pushed him aside and went in uninvited.

 Chapter 512 - I Have My Ways! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 512: I Have My Ways! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion#

    Mu Yuchen very quickly found Xi Xiaye on the bed. A faint smell of alcohol reached his nostrils.

    He walked over and pulled the nket open while Xi Xiaye frowned as she slept uneasily.

    She still looked pale, so he reached up to feel her forehead. Her temperature had already returned to normal. He also realized that the clothes she wore were the ones he had picked for her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Xiaye.¡±

    He leaned down and nted a kiss on her forehead, then carried her up and swiftly left the room.

    He had just walked out when he saw Qi Lei standing before him. Mu Yuchen stopped in that instant to gaze down at the woman in his arms. After a while, he met Qi Lei¡¯s gaze indifferently.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was cold with a hint of hatred that could not be concealed as he stared at Mu Yuchen through gritted teeth. His gaze practically wanted to pierce through Mu Yuchen.

    While Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was as calm as water, the light in his eyes was still as a moon¡¯s splendor. You could not tell how he was feeling as he just looked at Qi Lei apathetically. Without saying anything, he turned to the staircase.

    Qi Lei staggered forward a little as if he wanted to stop him, yet he held himself back, and just watched Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure and the fine ck hair that poured from his arms. Suddenly, an overwhelming gush of indescribable feelings surfaced within him.

    He felt faintly miserable and his chest felt heavy as if it was hard to breathe.

    When he reached the staircase, Mu Yuchen suddenly stopped and calmly said, ¡°Thanks, Master Qi.¡± His tone was low, and you could vaguely hear a hint of sincerity.

    Qi Lei was instantly stunned. He stared at Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure as his body tensed up and he trembled slightly beforeughing out loud all of a sudden. ¡°Haha... Mu Yuchen... Mu Yuchen! I live to see the day that you thank me! Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s quite ironic?¡± Hisughter was mixed with some degree of loneliness.

    Mu Yuchen paused, but he did not answer before he continued walking downstairs. When his figure was about to vanish out the door, his voice came again, and he left a sentence floating in the wind. ¡°If it¡¯s because of Gu Lingsha, she¡¯s not worth it. She¡¯ll be returning to City Z soon, so you will see her again.¡±

    When he finished, he was already gone. Qi Lei remained stagnant there. In that instant, he experienced a mix of emotions!

    Did he just say that she would be returning to City Z soon?

    She?

    Shasha?

    She really did not die, did she?

    Qi Lei subconsciously clenched his fists and his chest could not help but quiver slightly again.

    ...

    The Grand Lake Vi area was not too far from the Grand Waves Vi area. It was only a 10-minute ride if one sped all the way. Mu Yuchen carried Xi Xiaye to the room right away. After he settled her down on the bed, he sat down on the bedside. His heart that had worried about her could finally be at ease now.

    He pulled the tie around his neck away with one hand as he said softly, ¡°Xiaye, open your eyes. I know you¡¯re awake.¡±

    When he finished saying that, he had already pulled his tie away and tossed it aside as he nced to the woman.

    Upon hearing his voice, the hand that curled up beside Xi Xiaye¡¯s body tightened slightly. She struggled for a while before slowly opening her eyes. Her misty eyes still had a weak light in them as she looked at him.

    When he rushed in to carry her from Qi Lei¡¯s bed, she had begun to regain consciousness in a daze. However, she did not know what to say.

    Should she tell him that she had called him many times, yet could not get through? Or should she tell him that she had suffered the entire night, then Qi Lei had saved her and helped her the whole night and helped her fever go away? Or should she say something else?

    ¡°You¡¯re angry...¡± Xi Xiaye spoke softly. Her voice was dry and raspy.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay at home and rest? You never listen to me, do you?¡± He tried hard to control his emotions that he wanted to let out.

    His worry, his gloom, his anger, and even his jealousy wanted tosh out!

    His tone was stern and reprimanding while his gaze was not as warm as before as he looked down at her.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She had been married to him for a while now, and she had never seen him this furious at her. When she thought about it, she felt quite helpless and innocent. She looked up at him in disbelief, feeling wronged as she endured how horribly she felt. Quietly, she turned away with her back against him as hot tears started to well up in her eyes.

    When he saw her sorrow, the anger in him subsided a little, yet he was hurt that she had turned her back against him.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just say something now? You like to be headstrong. I didn¡¯t stop you. You suffered the whole night! What if you had met someone else? I have to criticize this attitude of yours! You aren¡¯t aware at all. What about your bodyguard? What did I tell you? When I¡¯m not around, you need to have your bodyguard, yet you ignored my words!¡±

    Mu Yuchen stared at her narrow back. Without toning the sternness in his voice down, he sounded just like a strict father lecturing his disobedient daughter.

    Xi Xiaye felt even more aggrieved when she heard this!

    Everything had happened so suddenly. How could she have remembered the bodyguard? She could not get through Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo¡¯s phone either, so she had gotten worried. In fact, did she not call him afterward as well?

    Only God knows where he had gone then since she could not get through his phone either!

    Yet, now all the me was on her and he had spoken so meanly. She was not his employee, but his wife. Could he not be gentler!?

    Seeing her keep quiet, hemanded sternly, ¡°Speak!¡±

    She ignored him, her chest heaving because of the anger she tamped down, and her shoulders trembled too.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye!¡± he shouted her name.

    Finally, she angrily picked the nket up to cover her head.

    He very quickly pulled it away and tossed it off the bed as he fixed his eyes on her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you. Give me back the nket!¡± She was quite stubborn as she propped herself up to re at him angrily.

    ¡°You have to exin it even if you don¡¯t want to!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to exin? Don¡¯t you know everything already? I felt ill and I called you, but you didn¡¯t pick up. Qi Lei so happened to pass by and saved me. It¡¯s just that simple.¡±

    ¡°You felt ill and you still went out by yourself? This awareness of yours hasn¡¯t been sorted out for too long now. Now, you¡¯ve turned back to how you were!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did! I¡¯m dumb, I¡¯m stupid. Anything you says goes, okay? It¡¯s none of your business. Get out. I want to sleep. Give me the nket... Ah!¡± Xi Xiaye responded angrily, and the more he listened, the worse Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression looked. Before she could finish, he pulled her over!

 Chapter 513 - I Have My Ways! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 513: I Have My Ways! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion#

    How dare she? What did she just say?

    None of his business?

    He was so worried all night long, and for whose sake?

    He could not even say something now.

    Master Mu was frustrated!

    Xi Xiaye screamed a bit when he pulled her over suddenly.

    The pleasant and familiar scent bathed all over her.

    Xi Xiaye shivered slightly, and she was lifted up before she even realized what was happening. She tumbled in his arms as he sealed her lips with a kiss!

    When she struggled a little, he suppressed her and locked her down firmly. He gave her consecutive kisses with the intent to punish her, his little vine viciously conquering each and every part of her.

    He would prove that he could keep his woman under control right now!

    ¡°Mmm... Let go, bastard... Thug!¡± She struggled as she tried to push him away from her.

    ¡°Thug? I¡¯m doing it with my own woman. With your logic, wouldn¡¯t every man in the world be a thug then? I was so worried about you throughout the whole night. It¡¯s not too much to ask something back from you now! I have my ways of dealing with you. Otherwise, you¡¯ll forget what I say!¡±

    He pressed her struggling hands with one hand while the other explored through her garment. There was a loud ripping noise ¡ª her dress ended its short life!

    ¡°My dress! I just bought itst week... You... Mmm...¡±

    Under the dim lights, several ck shadows flew out from the bed. Soon after, a soft moan followed.

    Once again, this man was usually seen gentle and elegant, but at certain times, he was definitely a beast. A bad, wild beast.

    The pitiful Xi Xiaye was forced to sumb and admit her fault. She promised to not do it again and she was also forced to say, ¡°Xi Xiaye will belong to Mu Yuchen forever.¡±

    Bastard!

    Afterward, she curled up on the bed with the nket over her. She watched the man return to his gentlemanly self as hey there casually making a call to Mu Lingshi as if he had been a totally different person moments ago.

    Mu Lingshi was still at the club now, and she was very worried.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡±

    He hung up after a brief message. He left his phone on the bedside table and turned towards her, dragging her close to his chest. ¡°Want to do it again? What kind of expression is that?¡±

    ¡°How could you!? I¡¯m a patient now!¡± Xi Xiaye was still panting as she looked at him.

    He hugged her tightly as he asked, ¡°A patient? Are you? You seem plenty healthy. There¡¯s no way you could¡¯ve rushed over so fast while being sick. Weren¡¯t you so excited when you knew your first love was there, so you went over so quickly?¡±

    First love?

    Han Yifeng?

    Just what was he getting jealous about?

    No wonder...

    ¡°Our rtionship was decades ago! I didn¡¯t even know he was going to be there.¡±

    She exined with her hoarse voice and some coughs in between, ¡°He seemed pretty miserable. I guess his life is in shambles.¡±

    ¡°Heartbroken?¡± He nced at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m so happy that I might just die out of happiness!¡± She rolled her eyes at him and turned away from him.

    ¡°That should be the way. You can rest easy now knowing he¡¯s miserable.¡±

    He put on a warm smile as he closed in, resting his face on her hair as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for today. I promise it¡¯ll never happen again. Ah Mo told me that there¡¯s a phone GPS tracker, so I¡¯ve told him to get us the same brand of phones. Then, we¡¯ll know where we all are at all times.¡±

    ¡°Where did you go today?¡±

    She squinted at him and threw him a judging stare. ¡°I smell the perfume of another woman from you...¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? It¡¯s CEO Zhang¡¯s club.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Mmm!¡±

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up early as usual while Xi Xiaye was still sleeping in bed.

    However, both of them did not know a storm was slowly closing in onto them.

    As usual, Mu Yuchen was preparing breakfast in the kitchen when the doorbell suddenly rang. In a nce, he noticed that it was Ah Mo and the others, so he opened the door with a button to let them in.

    Ah Mo came rushing in!

    He came running all the way in, reporting to Mu Yuchen, who was still making breakfast, in a grim tone, ¡°Master, something has happened!¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped his movements when he heard Ah Mo¡¯s heavy tone. He spun around to Ah Mo. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Ah Mo handed a newspaper to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Take a look, Master. This is the newspaper from this morning. Look at the photos!¡±

    Mu Yuchen took the newspapers from Ah Mo with a frown and he nced through them.

    It contained many intimate photos of Qi Lei holding Xi Xiaye into the Grand Lake Areas. A whole page was used to cover the gossip and Mu Yuchen already knew what the contents were without even needing to read it!

    His eyes darkened instantly!

    He remembered that one of the photos was the one that was sent to Ah Mo¡¯s phone. He thought...

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that photo from Qi Lei?¡± Mu Yuchen threw Ah Mo a sharp gaze.

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°I thought he sent it to me, but it doesn¡¯t seem like it now! News like this doesn¡¯t benefit him in any way! Just who would do this?! This isn¡¯t only harmful to Qi Lei, but even to Missus. Things might escte very quickly from here on. Such cheap tricks! They serve multiple purposes for just one move!¡±

    Mu Yuchen still seemed calm as he studied the photos quietly. This situation felt oddly familiar. It had happened before!

    After giving it some thought, a light shed past his eyes!

    Was it not the same when Xi Xiaye¡¯s intimate photo with Han Yifeng had been exposed?

    The only difference was the guy involved this time. He had overlooked it. He thought it was Qi Lei¡¯s cheap trick trying to provoke him!

    Ah Mo noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s change of expression, so he pressed his voice low as he asked, ¡°Master, what should we do now?¡±

 Chapter 514 - I Have My Ways! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 514: I Have My Ways! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy

    Mu Yuchen tossed the newspaper into a nearby bin. There was a brimming light in his eyes although his expression still seemed calm. He continued what he was doing before he spoke calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell your sister-inw about this yet. We¡¯ll observe what happens first.¡±

    ¡°But, Master, if this is known, it might put Missus at a disadvantage. It¡¯ll create a lot of rumors about Missus and you too. Grandfather and Grandmother will be worried,¡± Ah Mo replied after some hesitation.

    Mu Yuchen grabbed a te and put a beautifully fried egg on it before he nced at Ah Mo. ¡°If you¡¯re feeling bored, I¡¯ve been pretty unhappy with several newspanies recently. Go and deal with them. Teach them what they should or shouldn¡¯t say. They don¡¯t have to stay in the industry anymore if they don¡¯t know what the rules are.¡±

    His tone of voice was still calm as usual, yet Ah Mo could sense the bitterness in it.

    ¡°Have breakfast here before you go. I won¡¯t be going to the office in the next few days.¡± Mu Yuchen gave Ah Mo a casual nce before handing the te of breakfast to him.

    Mu Yuchen started frying the second egg. His smooth gestures mesmerized Ah Mo slightly. Suddenly, Ah Mo said, ¡°Master, we can send one or two chefs over. You don¡¯t have to cook yourself every time. You...¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Our peace will be disturbed if theye. Anyway, this is my hobby too. Your sister-inw isn¡¯t used to the food they make.¡±

    ¡°Master, Lingshi said you¡¯re very nice to Mi... Sister-inw...¡±

    ¡°Are you nice to Lingshi?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words caused Ah Mo¡¯s eyebrows to rise. He threw him a meaningful nce as he put on a grin.

    Ah Mo could not find any words to reply, so he just stood there with a smile.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going with Lingshi? No news yet?¡± Mu Yuchen would be concerned about his brother from time to time. Ah Mo was pretty straight-edged, especially in rtionship matters and he would probably never cut to the chase without any reminders from others. Although Wang Hui had given him a lot of hints before, he did not get any of them.

    ¡°Still the same, Master. You don¡¯t have to worry about us. I¡¯m happy with the way things are right now.¡± Ah Mo lowered his head and smiled.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him. ¡°Are you happy now? If you don¡¯t work harder, when are our parents going to see their grandchildren? If you love a woman, then it¡¯s natural to marry her and give her a wedding. Give her happiness. If you don¡¯t even have the confidence that you can provide happiness to her, you aren¡¯t worthy of loving someone.¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned for a moment. He almost forgot that his Master always went straight to the point.

    As he put on a bitter smile and was about to say something, Mu Yuchen nced at him and asked, ¡°Are you doubting whether you can truly give her happiness?¡±

    Ah Mo shook his head quickly and gave a firm reply, ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m confident about that!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s grin grew wider and he chuckled. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m very impressed that your feelings for Lingshi have never changed. At least, I won¡¯t feel as guilty. I didn¡¯t know much about rtionships in the past, so I kept myself out of things between Lingshi and you, and now... Brother, I understand how you feel. We can¡¯t really control it.¡±

    Ah Mo found his words rtable. At the same time, he felt a slight twinge deep inside his heart.

    His master rarely spoke about his feelings, especially in the past. The atmosphere around would change rapidly as soon as the certain topic was mentioned, but now he was able to break free of those taboo, so Ah Mo was really exhrated for him.

    Ah Mo suddenly said quietly, ¡°Master, we know you have kind intentions. That¡¯s not what you intended to do. Ah Shi doesn¡¯t mind. We think it¡¯s all worth it as long as Sister-inw and you are fine.¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo, I¡¯m not asking you to prove your loyalty. I¡¯m talking about Lingshi and you.¡±

    ¡°Master, we...¡±

    A rare blush appeared on Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face while he lowered his head as he had no idea what to say. He coughed several times.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m telling you this because I don¡¯t want you two to get stuck for too long. There¡¯ll be a waring soon,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke as he casually fried an egg in the pan.

    ¡°Do you mean that...¡± Ah Mo looked at him intently.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath. ¡°A lot of things that happenedtely were all directed towards me. It¡¯s pretty obvious.¡±

    Ah Mo balled his fists. ¡°Master, we won¡¯t let them hurt you and Sister-inw!¡±

    ¡°You and Lingshi shouldn¡¯t be involved. I know what to do. I¡¯ll leave Movie City in City B and Chenye Movies and Televisions to Vice President Liu and you. You¡¯re mostly recovered now, so you should take charge there.¡±

    ¡°Master, please let me stay by your side. Li Si might be a more suitable candidate than me over there! He¡¯s been working with Vice President Liutely and he¡¯s been handling the tasks spectacrly. I want to stay in City Z, not only for you, but it¡¯s also...¡±

    Ah Mo did not specify his reason, but Mu Yuchen understood what he meant.

    ¡°Li Si is my personal assistant. Don¡¯t get clouded by your emotions.¡±

    ¡°Please, Master! I don¡¯t want to leave, especially not during such a time.¡±

    How could Mu Yuchen not understand what he meant?

    After a long silence, he spoke up, ¡°Let me think about it. Let¡¯s have breakfast first.¡±

    Their conversation ended on that note. Ah Mo wanted to talk about something else, but he did not mention it when he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s darkened expression, so he went out quietly with the te of breakfast in his hand.

    Xi Xiaye did not wake up when they were having breakfast. Ah Mo left swiftly after he had his meal. Deep down, he was worried about the news. He had to be wary about it even if his Master did not really care. He was really mad about what the newspapers had written.

    However, Ah Mo was confused about how Qi Lei was rted to Xi Xiaye. He sort of knew who had done this. It was definitely not Qi Lei, but he was having a headache just thinking about what this might lead to.

 Chapter 515 - You Two Are Incomparable (1)

    <h4>Chapter 515: You Two Are Iparable (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy @Trantion

    It was already afternoon when Xi Xiaye was awakened by the noise Mu Yuchen made when he drew the curtains open.

    When she heard the sound, she swiveled towards the source and saw the man right beside the window. The warm sunlight streamed in, announcing the beauty of the scenery outside.

    She rubbed her sleepy eyes while her voice was still slightly hoarse. ¡°What time is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 2 p.m. now. Wash up ande down to eat something. You didn¡¯t even have dinnerst night. You¡¯ve got to take care of your own health.¡±

    He walked over and put his hand on her forehead before she could react. ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re fine now. Your sore throat will get better if you drink more water, and you still need to take your medicine.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye sat up and moved a little, she noticed that her whole body ached and she felt very ufortable.

    It must be because ofst night.

    She threw him a re.

    He chuckled and helped her up. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the bath water for you. Your clothes are on the hanger.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that position again.¡± She scowled.

    ¡°What position?¡± He raised his eyebrows and shot her an odd smile.

    ¡°What position? Bastard! What position?!¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed a pillow and threw it at him before she stood up. Immediately, the nket fell off her, so she was totally naked!

    With a shrill shriek, she quickly picked the nket back up to cover herself.

    Mu Yuchen caught the pillow deftly. ¡°Missus, I noticed that your body seems to be getting better.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened and she looked at him in surprise as she put her hand on her waist. ¡°Really? I thought I might¡¯ve gotten fatter recently...¡±

    He smiled. This girl pretended like she did not really care, but she was really concerned about her figure.

    This cunning man dealt with it with just a simplepliment.

    Xi Xiaye quickly washed up before lunch. She then looked at him reading through some documents on the sofa. ¡°Aren¡¯t you heading to the office today?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no point going every day when I¡¯ve already arranged the tasks. Otherwise, what would differentiate me from all my employees?¡± He continued straightforwardly without even averting his gaze, ¡°You should rest at home for a few days. I¡¯ve applied leave for you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned but did not say anything. She just walked towards him slowly.

    When she got nearer, he dragged her into his arms.

    Xi Xiaye sat down and leaned into him, stealing a nce at the document in his hand. ¡°What project is this?¡±

    ¡°Movie City. Ah Mo wants to be transferred back to City Z. What do you think?¡± he asked for her opinion.

    She gave it some thought. ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯d be better for him to stay here as his rtionship with Ah Shi is progressing. Although there¡¯s more room to grow for him over there, it¡¯s a sensitive period right now. I¡¯m sure such chances will present itself in the future. Haven¡¯t you heard before that it¡¯s difficult to maintain a long distance rtionship?¡±

    ¡°A long distance rtionship?¡± He gave her a surprised look before smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This won¡¯t affect them, but since you think so, I¡¯ll respect his decision then.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, actually I think Ah Shi might feel lonely. It¡¯d be great for Ah Mo to be by her side. He¡¯s much more sensible than you. Several days ago, I was on a call with Su Nan and she told me that she bumped into Ah Mo and Ah Shi shopping around at the New Era za for quite some time. I¡¯ve never seen youe shopping with me,¡± she ranted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go shopping with you tomorrow.¡±

    His kind intent earned him an eye roll instead.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the west of the city tomorrow. Sis Li messaged me that Sis Lan is arriving tonight. We should be able to find her tomorrow.¡±

    She suddenly remembered Sis Li¡¯s message. After giving it some thought, she turned to him. ¡°Did you send anyone to investigate Sis Lan?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a well-known manager within the industry and a daughter of a prestigious family. However, her family went out of business which is why she joined the entertainment industry. Her style of working is very decisive and exceptional. She was working at thepany my aunt made her debut at. Aunty was scouted and cultivated, then she became Aunty¡¯s manager. They¡¯ve been together for a very long time, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯re very close. They kind of lost contact ever since Aunty was pregnant with Lingtian and retired. When Aunty came out of retirement, she got a different manager, and Sis Lan didn¡¯t contact her at all.¡±

    Mu Yuchen briefly shared the information he received with Xi Xiaye. ¡°I¡¯m quite surprised. ording to the investigation results, they were extremely close during the years that they worked together, but they rarely contacted each other after Aunty retired. They didn¡¯t even greet each other during the holidays and celebrations too. Why would shee back to visit Aunty¡¯s grave?¡±

    ¡°Not contacting doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t care. I think with Aunty¡¯s condition at that point in time, it might¡¯ve been better if they didn¡¯t contact each other. You know the paparazzi are sharp. Maybe that was her concern,¡± Xi Xiaye voiced out her thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow. Remember to bring Zitong along as well.¡± He gave her a reminder before going back to reading his document.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, but then red at him when she saw that he went back to his documents again. An idea of a prank went through her head. Stealthily, she wrapped her arms around his shoulder as she closed in and touched him sensually.

    He definitely would not be able to calm down!

    His hand wrapped around her waist uncontrobly when her pleasant scent bathed all over him. ¡°Stay put...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying put...¡± She smiled as her eyes brightened.

    He suddenly put his document away and nced at her. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not satisfied fromst night!¡±

    As he was about to grab her, Xi Xiaye stood up swiftly and ran away!

    <i>You deserve it!</i>

    <i>Hmph!</i>

 Chapter 516 - You Two Are Incomparable (2)

    <h4>Chapter 516: You Two Are Iparable (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Having been so well-protected by Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye obviously did not know that there was an uproar outside right now. Everyone was talking about her scandal with Qi Lei. Almost all the headlines of the huge papers published this news. Even Wang Hui and Mu Yinan saw it!

    ¡°What¡¯s this? How did this happen?¡± Wang Hui only found out about this when she went out for a stroll in the afternoon.

    Mu Yinan who sat on the sofa frowned, he flipped through to read this news too, his expression had darkened, but he could remain some degree of calm, while Wang Hui paced back and forth anxiously.

    ¡°Xiaye probably wouldn¡¯t do this, but where did these picturese from then? Isn¡¯t...isn¡¯t this nonsense?¡±

    Wang Hui was deeply worried as she pped the newspaper in her hand. She said with a slight headache, ¡°Where did this scandale from all of a sudden? What affair? This is rubbish! What actually happened? It¡¯s the Qi family again! Bloody hell, why won¡¯t the people from Qi family ever leave us alone!? Do they think that they haven¡¯t tormented us enough all these years? They have to stick a foot in everything! And this Qi Lei, when did he get to know Xiaye? It must be some trap again! They¡¯ve never known their ce, and now I¡¯m afraid Xiaye¡¯s going to be implicated too! None of the Qi family are good people!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay! Don¡¯t get so worked up. This matter hasn¡¯t been rified yet, has it? We can¡¯t just believe the hearsay of these newspapers and magazines? Let¡¯s call the children and ask them what¡¯s going on. You call Ah Rong and Tangchuan to give them a heads-up too. Tell them to get a hold of themselves and not listen to what others say! Dampen any problems first. We¡¯ll discuss when they get back tonight! I think there¡¯s something fishy about this. This doesn¡¯t benefit Qi Lei in any way either. We¡¯ll see how things go first!¡±

    Mu Yinan was someone who had been through a lot. He had seen things like these happen plenty of times, thus naturally he could calmly evaluate this now as he spoke calmly to Wang Hui.

    Wang Hui then tossed the newspaper in her hand aside before picking up her pace and walking upstairs. ¡°I¡¯ll go get my phone right now.¡±

    Mu Yinan, who had already picked up his phone, nodded as he cidly called Mu Yuchen.

    When the phone rang, Mu Yuchen was currently observing the stock market at his desk in the study room while Xi Xiaye was standing by the bookshelf and picking some books to read.

    ¡°Chen Er?¡± The call had just gotten through when Mu Yinan¡¯s aged voice came through from the other end.

    ¡°Grandfather?¡± Mu Yuchen immediately frowned. He could already guess what this call was about.

    Indeed, the moment Mu Yuchen finished, Mu Yinan asked solemnly from the other end, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen the newspapers today. What¡¯s going on? Your grandmother¡¯s been worried the entire afternoon.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen could not help but look up at Xi Xiaye who was focused on flipping through a book before he said, ¡°Xiaye, go check on the soup in the kitchen. You can turn off the stove now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not pay much attention and nodded, swiftly closing the book and putting it back before she walked out.

    He was worried that she would let her imagination run wild, so he had even taken her phone away with some excuse. He was waiting to observe how things went for the next two days. It was quite easy to resolve this matter, but he wanted to find out the other person¡¯s intentions. Mainly, he wanted to see Qi Lei¡¯s situation on the other end and what they nned to do, so it would not be toote to tell her after things had gotten under control.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just someone¡¯s little tricks, so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already informed Grandpa. Meanwhile, keep calm and just pretend nothing happened,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly.

    ¡°Whose tricks? You¡¯ve got to exin this to us! You have to find a way to resolve this. It¡¯s now the talk of the town. What nonsense is this?¡± Mu Yinan was obviously more than a little worried.

    ¡°Xiaye has been having a fever for the past two days. There was a dispute at the club yesterday, so she went over. When she was on the way back, she fainted halfway. Qi Lei passed by and saved her,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke indifferently as he closed hisptop and walked to the window. ¡°I¡¯ll settle this matter. Trust me, I¡¯ll rify things as soon as possible. Xiaye doesn¡¯t know about this yet, so all of you don¡¯t have to ask her anything either. She was unconscious from the fever yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Find out who the person is. Who is using such a scheme? This is taboo to your grandmother! Don¡¯t be someone else¡¯s pawn. If it¡¯s just purely by ident, I won¡¯t say much, but if it¡¯s intentional, then I¡¯m afraid they are nning to stir up trouble. This isn¡¯t a small matter and you must handle it well! Do they really think we¡¯re fools, that we¡¯d believe this little trick? Do we look so gullible?¡±

    Mu Yinan was not someone to go up against because he could quickly figure things out.

    ¡°Mmm, I got it, Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Chen Er, tell me the truth. Does this have anything to do with you? Why do I keep hearing that you and Xiaye have been meeting with mishaps recently? Earlier, Xiaye was even blocked in the tunnel. What was that about?¡± Mu Yinan could not help but ask.

    He had probably heard about it from Ah Mo, so now...

    When he brought this up, Mu Yuchen felt some frustration rise. He held his forehead with a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll exin these things to youter on. Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather.¡±

    He could hear Mu Yuchen¡¯s warning tone. He thought about it, then decided to cut this conversation short. ¡°Okay then, you have your own thoughts, so I won¡¯t interfere much, but you must watch out for yourself. Things have been getting too odd recently. I¡¯m worried that...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I know.¡± Mu Yuchen did not let him continue and just hung up like that.

    Night crept closer. Xi Xiaye was carried away by a whim tonight. Suddenly, she wanted to personally cook something while Mu Yuchen looked on favorably. He just told her that he was going out for a bit, and woulde back for dinner with her. She went along and started to get busy in the kitchen while Mu Yuchen left the house.

    ...

    Night time in City Z was magnificent and enchanting. With the brilliant colors of the city, it was monstrous and multicolored akin to an illusion.

    Inside the underground carpark near Yueying Culture Media Company.

    The patter of clear and rhythmic footsteps was heard. Under the dim lights, a figure with an evident baby bump slowly appeared.

    She donned a white cotton dress with a handbag in her hand.

    It was Xi Xinyi who was going homete!

    She had been busy in the office tillte recently.

    She walked towards her own car and was about to open the door when a strong light suddenly shone from across. It was so bright that she almost could not open her eyes!

 Chapter 517 - You Two Are Incomparable (3)

    <h4>Chapter 517: You Two Are Iparable (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi did not even know what happened. She just heard a swoosh and then someone said, ¡°Miss Xi, our boss would like to invite you over for a chat.¡±

    Next up, before she could even answer, she was seized into the car before it swiftly drove away from the carpark.

    She struggled, but the two men who held her locked onto her tightly, so she could barely move about. As loud as she yelled, the car was soundproofed well, hence even if she screamed till she lost her voice, no one would be able to hear her.

    ¡°Let me go! Let me go! Who are you!? Let me go! Ah! Ah!¡±

    Xi Xinyi struggled like a mad woman. Her screeches could almost rupture one¡¯s eardrums. Nheless, the ck-clothed men with shades held her down impatiently. Then, one of them pped her, and the angry imprint of a palm immediately appeared on Xi Xinyi¡¯s face. Abruptly, the screeches stopped.

    ¡°Miss Xi, my advice is for you to behave so you will avoid anymore physical suffering. You will meet our boss!¡± insisted the man apathetically, and Xi Xinyi finally shut up. She dared not make any more noise because she knew that even she did, she would not be able to escape, so she might as well meet their so-called boss.

    The car made many turns, and after passing through a very narrow alley, they reached a slum area. After going around the slum and driving much further away, there was arge, shabby, abandoned factory. The car slowly came to a halt in front of the factory.

    ¡°Get down!¡±

    The car had just stopped when they dragged Xi Xiaye out. Struggling, she followed the ck-clothed men straight up to the second-floor balcony. With the dim lights, she could see a cold and distant figure by the railings from afar. Just from that back alone, she felt an indescribable feeling of infatuation as she could almost immediately recognize who that was!

    Mu Yuchen!

    That God-like man!

    That person who could only be seen from afar and not up close!

    The reason Yueying was in its state today was all because of him!

    Xi Xinyi really did not understand why someone like him would fancy someone like Xi Xiaye. That witch Xi Xiaye really lucked out!

    Then, she looked back at herself!

    The more she thought about it, the angrier she felt!

    Even so, she did not resent this man one bit. The person she resented with a vengeance was Xi Xiaye!

    Xi Xinyi stopped walking and stared at that figure for quite a while before slowly walking over.

    Mu Yuchen could obviously hear the footsteps that came from behind. He was casually looking downwards at the moment while he yfully rolled a freshly lit cigarette between his fingers.

    Xi Xinyi could faintly smell the cigarette smell in the air as she walked over quietly and stopped behind Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Long time no see, Miss Xi.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not turn back to nce at her. He just took a puff, his deep and calm voice sounding as still as the water, devoid of any emotion.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, it¡¯s you!¡± Xi Xinyi softly cried out. Her voice trembled slightly. When she got closer to this man, she felt uneasy. Suddenly, she remembered that news from this morning and she immediately felt delighted!

    Xi Xiaye deserved it!

    She had a man like Mu Yuchen, yet she still messed around. Now, she had caused an uproar. Everyone knew that Xi Xiaye had had an affair and cheated on Mu Yuchen! The newspaper really wrote it marvelously. Today, she even heard herpany employees secretly cursing her for being a fickle woman!

    Xi Xinyi finally felt better at these thoughts. Hesitating, she could guess that this man hade looking for her because of Xi Xiaye. When she thought about the witch, a smile shed across Xi Xinyi¡¯s sweet-tempered face instantly. ¡°Chairman Mu, it seems like you know about the witch, Xi Xiaye¡¯s scandal too? Let me tell you. She¡¯s met Qi Lei from long ago. Back then, the family wanted her to marry Qi Lei, and she pretended to be all high and mighty. Ha, now she ended up having an affair with Qi Lei. She¡¯s like that! She¡¯s a fickle and extremely disgusting woman! You have all been cheated by her! Didn¡¯t she use to love Han Yifeng to death? In the end, she found you instead, kicking Han Yifeng aside immediately. Now, it¡¯s Qi Lei. Chairman Mu, I think you should be very clear about that slut¡¯s morals now!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was very smug. Xi Xiaye had dug her own grave, and she did not mind adding fuel to fire as long as Xi Xiaye would suffer. In fact, Xi Xinyi would feel much better. She could care less about her image as she continued to curse her by calling her a ¡®slut¡¯.

    ¡°She just wanted to use you to take revenge on me, Chairman Mu. This woman is evil and scheming. Her bitchy capabilities grow with each passing day. I hope you won¡¯t be confused and cheated by her too!¡±

    When she saw that Mu Yuchen did not say anything, Xi Xinyi continued again, ¡°How dare she think ofpeting with me with those morals of her?! Delusional! I¡¯ll always be one step ahead of her! She pretends to be all noble. Who does she think she is?! Why does she always think that she¡¯s rightfully the princess? I¡¯m the real princess. She¡¯s just an annoying slut and a pitiful creature!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was really having a ball cursing her. Compared to her current situation, there was nothing that could make her happier. It would not be long before Xi Xiaye was kicked out of the Mu family with her current scandal!

    Because of her giddy excitement, she was in a state of madness.

    That was no wonder either. She had been busy working recently, and after being provoked by Han Yifeng, before returning home to see Yue Lingsi in her sorry state, she had be quite sinister and even found it hard to control herself.

    Sadly, this was all her own wishful thinking.

    After her mad sneering, Mu Yuchen finally turned around coldly. His eyes were as still as ake as he calmly looked at Xi Xinyi. ¡°Don¡¯tpare yourself to her. The two of you are iparable.¡±

    His deep voice brought a hint of indescribable hostility. ¡°I thought that after so many times, you¡¯d at least know how to exercise restraint and be more self-aware.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was eerily calm while his cold gaze seemed a little casual, yet Xi Xinyi could vaguely feel a chill start to spread from behind. She could not help but take a few steps back.

    His gaze locked onto Xi Xinyi as his handsome face shed with bitterness. ¡°Who took the pictures of Han Yifeng and Xi Xiaye by the riverside that day?¡±

 Chapter 518 - Cruel, Xi Xinyis End! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 518: Cruel, Xi Xinyi¡¯s End! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Mu Yuchen demanded his answer coldly, Xi Xinyi was instantly stunned. Her gaze shed with a faint light. As her eyes met Mu Yuchen¡¯s sinister gaze, her hands thaty by her side could not help but tighten. She took a deep breath and then said, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Do you not have any idea? I don¡¯t like ying guessing games. I¡¯m only asking one more time. Where did you get those pictures from thest time?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gloomy gaze held a degree of stern coldness as he coldly locked his gaze on Xi Xinyi¡¯s little face.

    ¡°Do you think I did it?¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes turned cold as she clenched her fists tightly and met his gaze.

    ¡°Even though I don¡¯t hit women, this doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a gentleman. I won¡¯t trouble you.¡±

    A cold smile shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips. ¡°Don¡¯t make me ask you a third time. Where did you get those pictures? If you¡¯d like to assume responsibility, I¡¯d be very happy to let you.¡±

    ¡°Enough! The reason Xi Xiaye has everything she does today is all thanks to the bitchy things she did. Why do you have to me it on me!? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Hmph, if it were me, Xi Xiaye wouldn¡¯t just be facing this! This shameless witch! If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t have fallen to the state that I¡¯m in today. I¡¯ll let her have a taste of this scandalous storm. Let her know how much I¡¯ve suffered!¡±

    Xi Xinyi cackled coldly. The sinister light that gathered in her eyes clearly exhibited her delight.

    Mu Yuchen looked coldly at Xi Xinyi who was close to insanity. He could tell that the fall of Yueying had taken a huge impact on her. Even that fool Han Yifeng could not settle this one woman. He had indeed overestimated Han Yifeng¡¯s IQ!

    ¡°If you were smart enough, you should know that the reason I didn¡¯t attack Yueying again was that I was giving you a chance. Since you won¡¯t let go and aren¡¯t showing remorse, I¡¯m willing to help you aplish your aim too,¡± Mu Yuchen said, and the half-burnt cigarette felt to the ground. He gestured to the ck-clothed bodyguards behind him who immediately went forward. With each of them nking her, they swiftly held onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s shoulders.

    Xi Xinyi panicked and quickly struggled. She widened her beautiful eyes and looked uneasily at Mu Yuchen as she asked with a slight tremble in her voice, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Be smart and tell me.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled apathetically, then gestured to the men who shoved Xi Xinyi down.

    She then shouted, feeling frightened, ¡°Let go of me! What are you trying to do? Let me go! I¡¯m pregnant! You can¡¯t touch me! It must be that bitch Xi Xiaye saying things about me again! Chairman Mu, it really wasn¡¯t me! You can¡¯t touch me!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me! Bitch! Ah! Ah! You can¡¯t touch me! I¡¯m pregnant! I¡¯m pregnant!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me! What are you trying to do! Ah! Ah! Let go, bastard!¡±

    It was no use struggling. Before she could even react, the two tall men held her down facing the stairs below. Xi Xinyi faintly smelled a putrid smell. Amidst the dim lights, she could only feel herself being pushed to the ground. Then, she felt something icy and heard some swishing sounds. She struggled in fear for a while and was trying to prop herself up to escape when someone held her hands just as she moved. While someone held onto her hands, both her arms were also gripped and her legs were pressed down too!

    The disgusting reek filled the air, but she could not react. She just saw something being tossed towards her, and then she was dragged over!

    ¡°Let go of me! Ah! Let go of me, who are you people!?¡±

    Xi Xinyi quickly sat up in a panic, and with the help of the dim streetlights, she realized that she was surrounded by several rogue beggars!

    Her eyes finally got used to the darkness around her before she quickly glimpsed around. To her horror, she then realized she had entered a den of refugees and beggars!

    All around her were dirty beggars curled up. They had never seen a woman for many years, what more one with her beauty. With the help of the faint light, she could vaguely see the disgusting gaze of those people!

    She gagged twice.

    With the horrible smell, Xi Xinyi could not help but begin to vomit. She was about to cover her mouth with her hand when she realized that both her hands were locked in the grips of two haggard and disgusting beggars. Before she could shout, her dress was ripped to shreds.

    One of them held her down by the shoulders, and his hand quickly felt up her thigh. Another person closed in, their rough and oily hands grabbing past her clothes and reaching for the tenderness of her bosom. Xi Xinyi immediately widened her eyes and subconsciously struggled ferociously with a shriek!

    ¡°Ah! Let go of me! Let go of me! Don¡¯t touch me! Bitch!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Mmm...¡±

    Those people moved very quickly. Despite struggling aggressively, Xi Xinyi was still a woman. How could she fend off the attack of several men at once?

    Her shrieks broke the silence of the night. She was close to breaking down as she struggled. Panic and fear swiftly surged out, and she started to cry out loud out of terror, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! You can¡¯t do this to me! Let go of me... Ah!¡±

    In the blink of an eye, her clothes were in a sorry state. When she looked up, she could see Mu Yuchen watching everything that happened down below heartlessly.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s tears covered her face as she shrieked out helplessly through the struggle, yet the pungent smell was enough to make her dizzy. The people around her did not seem to have any intention of stopping. At that moment, there was not a strand of thread on her. Someone searched her lower body. She finally broke down and screeched, ¡°Xi Xiaye, you bitch! I won¡¯t let go of you even if I turn into a ghost! I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk! Let go of me! I¡¯ll talk! Don¡¯t touch me! Fuck off! I¡¯ll talk...¡±

    Only when she said this through gritted teeth did the man that watched on the side from the start to the end pulled those beggars away and carried Xi Xinyi out.

    Bam!

    The tearful Xi Xinyi was carried to Mu Yuchen without a strand of thread on her. Her fair body was filled with bruises and streaks as her beautiful blonde hair was a tangled mess. She curled up and trembled in fear as she wept.

    Mu Yuchen, who stood by the railings, then slowly turned around. His expression was as calm as water and his cold eyes held a degree of coldness too. You could not tell his emotions from his noble and handsome face. When he looked at Xi Xinyi, it was as if he was staring at air.

    He nced at the ck-clothed man beside him. Then, he pulled a ck windbreaker out and tossed it onto Xi Xinyi.

 Chapter 519 - Cruel, Xi Xinyis End! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 519: Cruel, Xi Xinyi¡¯s End! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi, who still had tears streaked all over her face, quickly grabbed the windbreaker and covered herself. She wrapped herself up tightly as if her life depended on it!

    ¡°You can talk now.¡± His words contained no emotions.

    Xi Xinyi was on the verge of breaking down as her whole body trembled. She looked at the ruthless man before her in fear. It was her first experience of being so close to hell.

    What a cruel move! In order to make her talk, he...

    What a heartless and cold man with such an elegant appearance on the outside! No one could ever imagine he was such a cold and cruel person!

    She knew that if she kept her mouth shut, she would definitely face a tragic end. He was more than capable of seeing her get raped. Even when she was pregnant, he would not feel an ounce of sympathy for her.

    How wicked!

    Xi Xinyi could not stop herself from shivering. The tear trails on her face remained and she had an odd sensation pooling in the pit of her stomach. It must be from the shock just now!

    She covered her stomach frantically as she seemed stupefied. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me... I admit that I sent people to tail Han Yifeng before, but they didn¡¯t... they didn¡¯t get any useful information as well. Those photos... Actually, actually... Mr. Wen sent them to me... I don¡¯t know anything. I didn¡¯t do it! It¡¯s not me!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Wen?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard that name. He nced at Xi Xinyi¡¯s terrified face. ¡°Who¡¯s Mr. Wen?¡±

    Xi Xinyi shook her head wildly as she looked into Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes and tried her best to exin herself, ¡°I don¡¯t know! I really don¡¯t know! I¡¯ve only seen him once. He was the one that initiated our meeting and I couldn¡¯t see his face... I don¡¯t know who he is or how he looks like! I¡¯m telling you the truth. I didn¡¯t do it!¡±

    ¡°Back then, when you worked with the newspapers and magazinepanies, whose idea was it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen still remembered that Ah Mo had blocked the leak of the news regarding Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna. Xi Xinyi was not someone important enough for them to consider publishing this news, but Xi Xinyi was very confident, so she probably had someone backing her up.

    ¡°Mr. Wen! It¡¯s Mr. Wen! It¡¯s all his idea! Chairman Mu, this has nothing to do with me. I don¡¯t know what Mr. Wen is nning!¡±

    Xi Xinyi just pushed all the responsibilities onto Mr. Wen.

    Mu Yuchen threw her a frozen, sharp gaze. He red at the timid Xi Xinyi quietly as he gave her a cold reminder, ¡°You¡¯d better make sure what you¡¯ve just said is the truth. Otherwise, you know very well what the consequences will be.¡±

    ¡°I told you the truth! It¡¯s the truth! Chairman Mu, I didn¡¯t do any of those. It¡¯s not me! Please believe me!¡± Xi Xinyi curled up in fear as she exined. She lowered her eyes to hide the anger inside them.

    <i>Just wait for now, Xi Xiaye!</i>

    <i>I¡¯ll make sure you experience the embarrassment I experienced today by tenfold in the future!</i>

    She assumed Xi Xiaye had used her and was deliberately trying to frame her!

    That must be it!

    Only that witch would want her to die. She would just love to see Xi Xinyi fall into hell!

    ¡°Are you nning a plot against Xiaye?¡± Noticing her clenched fists, Mu Yuchen red at her fearful face warningly. ¡°Or are you thinking about how to get your revenge for tonight?¡±

    Hisughter was as cold as ice and Xi Xinyi¡¯s trembling became worse as she raised her head in fear.

    Mu Yuchen walked towards her slowly after he took several photos from the man in the ck suit beside him. He scanned through them before throwing them in front of Xi Xinyi. ¡°Take a look!¡±

    Xi Xinyi picked them up and saw that they were photos of her being humiliated by the beggars from earlier.

    It was extremely clear that she was totally naked and several beggars were kissing her breasts. It was uch a vulgar and erotic scene with her being fully exposed and having nothing to hide. It was very muchparable to some pornographic videos!

    If these photos were shown to the world, what would Xi Xinyi¡¯s future be?

    Anyone did not need to think hard to know!

    Yue Lingshi was the best example of that!

    She was unwilling to step out of the house aside from ying mahjong with some of the lower-ss people! Otherwise, she would be flooded by curses and criticisms!

    ¡°Arghhh!¡± Xi Xinyi tore the photos apart uncontrobly. Her eyes were filled with anger and madness. ¡°This isn¡¯t me! This isn¡¯t me! Why are you doing this to me!? Why!?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better stay put. Only we know what happened tonight and no one else, but if I find out that you¡¯re trying to pull something funny, these photos will be published in every newspaper and magazine. Of course, the Han family will receive a special photo album too. Also, if there¡¯s any news about Mr. Wen again, I suggest you cooperate. Or else, these photos will make you lose everything, understand?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s icy cold voice reached her, shaking Xi Xinyi as her fear had reached its maximum. She took a deep breath while feeling more pain in the stomach, but she was too afraid not to give a reply.

    She nodded and replied in despair, ¡°Yes... I understand! I understand!¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave her a cold smile before standing up and turning around.

    ¡°Clean things up around here and send her back, but before that, get her to a hospital!¡±

    He vanished out through the stairs before Xi Xinyi¡¯s body weakened and she fell to the side.

    The night was gettingte. The quiet Maple Residence was surrounded by a gentle warm light as a faint light quietly embraced this peaceful ce.

    It had been some time since Xi Xiaye was done preparing dinner, but the man was not home yet.

    She sat on the sofa watching TV for a long while, but she could not sit still anymore, so she waited outside the door.

    The night zephyr was cooling. On the staircase outside of the entrance of the vi, Xi Xiaye sat down in afortable spot and looked up into the sky. Stars filled the night sky and the moon was nowhere to be seen.

    As she was trying to look for the Big Dipper, she heard the sound of a car closing in.

 Chapter 520 - Criminal Motive? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 520: Criminal Motive? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She raised her head and looked over. As expected, she soon saw the man walking towards her.

    His tall figure strode past the dim streetmp and stopped right before her.

    ¡°What are you doing here? It¡¯s cold outside. Get in!¡± Before she could say anything, his strict tone reached her. However, she could feel the warm kindness in his voice as he then grabbed her by her shoulders.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not particrly cold today. Anyway, why are you sote today? I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡± She picked on her long hair as she looked at him and sounded like she wasining.

    ¡°There was a bit of jam on the way back. Go back in now. It¡¯s cold outside, and you¡¯ve just recovered.¡± He chuckled as he put his arm over her skinny shoulders. His eyes were filled with love, and he sported a totally different look from his cruel, cold self earlier.

    ¡°I¡¯m not that weak, alright? I¡¯m not made of mud!¡± She rolled her eyes at him as she just let him drag her back inside.

    The meal on the dining table was still warm, so there was no need to reheat the dishes.

    Xi Xiaye was somewhat a beginner at cooking and she hardly had any presentable dishes. Instead, she had just made several simple dishes.

    He did most of the cooking ever since they got married. The man was a particrly clean freak, especially when it came to having meals. He did not like how others did things and preferred to do it himself. Nheless, he took it as a hobby, and he really enjoyed cooking for her.

    He was pretty much a stay-at-home person. If his work and necessary socializing were taken away, he would mostly stay at home to y games or do some reading whenever he was free, very different than the usual men from rich families. They had been married for around half a year now, but Xi Xiaye had never seen him frequently visit entertainment clubs, and even if he did, he was usually apanied by Su Chen and Zhou Zimo. They just drank and yed cards together.

    When he was eating elegantly, he noticed the woman opposite him staring at him continuously, so he stopped and then looked at her. He then pointed at a te with some red and green stuff in it and asked, ¡°Why are you looking at me? What is this?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised his eyebrows as she put on an awkward expression. ¡°That¡¯s... Mapo beancurd. I know it doesn¡¯t look nice, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯m making this dish.¡±

    Mr. Mu used his spoon to stir the dish. There was not one solid-looking tofu.

    ¡°Are you sure this isn¡¯t soft beancurd dessert?¡± He gave her a teasing smile.

    ¡°Of course! Here, have some wine, Mr. Mu.¡±

    She straightened her back as her eyes darkened and she gave him a warning stare.

    He smiled and nodded.

    They had several drinks together, and the dinner went on pretty well. The only thing that desired room for improvement would be Xi Xiaye¡¯s cooking. She herself did not eat much, yet Mr. Mu was kind enough to finish everything up.

    Towards the end of the meal, Mu Yuchen suddenly felt that he should not let her go into the kitchen again. Otherwise...

    After dinner, Xi Xiaye went upstairs while Mu Yuchen cleaned up the dining table and the kitchen. He only went upstairs half an hourter.

    He opened the door and was about to head inside when he smelled a pleasant fragrance and suddenly stopped. Xi Xiaye was standing right beside the door. Her face seemed pale and her eyes were uneasy.

    He frowned as he put his hand on her shoulder and asked gently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye calmed herself down and suppressed the panic inside her. With a deep breath, she looked at him in the eyes. ¡°I just gave Su Nan a call... I found out about the news. I... I...¡±

    His expression darkened as he cursed deep inside. Embracing her in his arms, heforted, ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? It¡¯s nothing to panic about!¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me anything? And you¡¯re trying to hide it from me? Those photos... I don¡¯t know...¡±

    Xi Xiaye then realized the reason for him applying leave for her and taking her phone away, aside from giving her time to rest, was also because of this.

    ¡°About what?¡± He gave her a meaningful nce and asked, ¡°If Qi Lei is better-looking than your Mr. Mu?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She shook her head and replied to him with a genuine expression, ¡°You¡¯re much more handsome than him!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded, apparently very satisfied with her reply. He then continued, ¡°Is he more attractive than your Mr. Mu?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought. Master Qi was no more than a hooligan to her. Of course, he was iparable with Mr. Mu. Although Mr. Mu could be quite a bastard at times, he was still mostly very attractive and charming.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head again.

    He smiled calmly., ¡°Then, what should I ask about? It¡¯s hard to lower your standards once you¡¯ve experienced better just like buying clothes and jewelry. If you have a priceless diamond, would you still look at street stall ornaments?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was once again dumbfounded by his words!

    What diamond and street stall ornaments?

    Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at him.

    This person!

    How shameless!

    Was he saying he was the diamond and Qi Lei was the street stall ornament?

    ¡°Moreover, you can¡¯t even satisfy me, so how are you going to have the energy to deal with him? I heard there are only the same few reasons that cause a marriage to fall. Those reasons don¡¯t apply to us. You don¡¯t have a criminal motive.¡±

    ¡°What reasons? How do I not have a criminal motive? Actually, Qi Lei is pretty okay...¡± She was like a curious little baby as she stared at him.

    ¡°Do you want to know?¡±

    He looked at her from above as a grin gradually appeared on his face. His burning eyes sent off a pressure towards her, so she grabbed onto his shirt and nodded.

    ¡°First, the inability to satisfy your material needs. Secondly, theck of emotionalmunication. The third, unhappy sex life.¡±

    He went straight to the point!

    Xi Xiaye was counting with her finger when he listed down the reasons.

 Chapter 521 - Criminal Motive? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 521: Criminal Motive? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Before Xiaye could react, the man continued to exin, ¡°The first one to us is the most impossible. As for the second one, your husband can see through those thoughts of yours. As for the third... that¡¯s not even an issue. Was there a time when you didn¡¯t pass out from being too satisfied?¡±

    ¡°Enough, stop talking! Bastard! You¡¯re the one satisfied! Not me!¡±

    Before he could finish, Xiaye had already turned red, yet he continued to use such a calm and serious tone. He spoke so casually, and many images shed through her mind, making her feel embarrassed, yet this fellow did not look affected at all.

    ¡°Missus, I realize that you¡¯ve learned how to lie to me.¡±

    ¡°I did not...¡±

    ¡°Whether you did or not, we¡¯ll know once we try!¡±

    ¡°Argh! What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°Proving whether you¡¯ve lied to me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve tricked me again, you shark!¡±

    ...

    The next morning.

    Xi Xiaye pitifully curled up in her nket. Both her hands pulled onto the nket and covered herself tightly. The warm andfortable bedroom was not too hot, yet there was a thinyer of sweat on her forehead and her whole body was soft. All her energy had been depleted by him, and she has not yet recovered until now.

    He had already gotten out of bed and finished washing up before he returned to his reserved and elegant gentleman appearance as if that man who had been a beast not too long ago was not him.

    Xiaye felt like he seemed to be quite eager about this recently. Earlier, he had even extorted a confession from her. How could she stand his teasing? She almost answered everything he asked. After that, she had even very embarrassingly wept.

    The memories swiftly shed past her mind again. The more Xiaye thought about it, the more she found it embarrassing. She wanted to dig a hole to hide in as she pulled her nket up to cover her face. Suddenly, she felt the space beside her sink in, and instantly, she knew who it was.

    If it were in the past, she definitely would not believe it, but ever since she got together with him, Xi Xiaye did not feel like Xi Xiaye anymore. No, rather, Xi Xiaye felt more and more like Xi Xiaye now. She no longer had to carefully try to please or deal with anyone, and she could do whatever she wanted. She no longer needed to deliberately conceal all of her emotions.

    ¡°Okay, get up and have breakfast. Ji Zitong and the rest of them are on the way over. It¡¯s been so many times now. Why are you still so shy?¡±

    He had already picked out the clothes for her. As he reached out to pat her little head, he shed a smile. His dark eyes held a warmth of doting that was hard to conceal. He reached out to pull the nket away from her.

    She red at him angrily. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s shy!¡±

    ¡°No, you!¡±

    He grinned and set the clothes aside on the bed. ¡°Apologies. It was I who didn¡¯t know how to control myself.¡±

    When he said this, he felt helpless too. Every time it happened, he only wanted more. He simply wished he could make them one!

    As for Qi Lei or Han Yifeng, he admitted that he was a little upset with Han Yifeng. After all, she did like Han Yifeng before and had even done so many foolish things that made him unhappy. However, now, he did not feel anything anymore because he believed that the happiness he could give her was nothing these two could measure up to.

    He wanted her to like him, admire him, and feel like she could never leave him. He wished that wherever she went, she could only return to his side in the end.

    This feeling was actually quite incredulous. In the past 30 years or so, he had journeyed all over in his military career, sank and swam in politics, and struggled in business. Amidst these storms, he was used to the change in human rtionships and the hypocrisy of the world. With such cold apathy, he had never experienced any love. The reason he had chosen her was merely that he wanted to break free of his life then, and only because he did not find her repelling, yet who would have thought that after they got married, this thing called love would begin to sprout?

    It turned out that some people were not unmoved, and not inherently reserved and apathetic. They have only yet to meet the right person within the chaos of these worldly affairs.

    When she heard this, she then peeked out from underneath and silently watched him. She thought about it then said, ¡°I¡¯ll go look for Qi Lei and hold a press conference right away to rify this.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Your husband has a great n! I just need to let you suffer for a few days, Missus. It¡¯s quite bad out there. Can you hold up under the pressure?¡±

    He contemted, thenbed through her beautiful long hair with his fingers.

    Upon hearing this, she immediately nodded and quietly lowered her gaze. ¡°As long as you believe me, I don¡¯t care about other people. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t faced such criticisms before. I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    He felt his heart ache at these words as he did not forget the things she had been through. He quickly reached out to hug her shoulders and nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Mr. Mu and Missus Mu are very much in love. How can we let them nder us recklessly?¡±

    ¡°Do you have a n?¡± She looked at him, puzzled as her vision was faintly blur.

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t ask. You¡¯ve got me. Just be calm.¡± He smiled mysteriously and did not say much to her.

    She shot him a look from the side with a sigh and covered his eyes to turn his head around. Then, she picked the sleeping gown from the side up to put on. She held the clothes that he had picked for her and swiftly got down from the bed to run to the bathroom.

    Mu Yuchen turned to see that she had already vanished into the bathroom. He then smiled with a heartwarming light in his eyes. After a while, he got up and tidied the bed.

    He changed the new bedsheets and was about to bring the dirty sheets to the bathroom when he heard a dry heaving sound from inside. His expression changed and he quickly went in to see Xiaye vomiting miserably by the sink. It was all acid regurgitation...

    ¡°How are you?¡±

    He anxiously walked over and frowned as he held her. Immediately, he realized that she looked quite pale.

    Xi Xiaye washed her face, rinsed her mouth, and then held her chest and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, It¡¯s probably my old illness.¡±

    Obviously, Mu Yuchen knew what the so-called old illness was. He knew that she had slight gastric when they had just gotten married. She had been like this for a few mornings too, that was why he had to align her three meals. Even the tea was changed to Pu Er tea which was good for her gastric.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it better? You haven¡¯t been eating well these two days. Eat moreter.¡±

    ...

    Breakfast was in. It was Chinese porridge with some side dishes, and Xi Xiaye ate quite a lot of it.

    A short while after breakfast, the doorbell rang. It was Ji Zitong and the rest waiting at the door.

    The husband and wife quickly tidied up and left the house.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Director Xi, good morning!¡±

    Ji Zitong wore a ck gender-neutral tuxedo today, appearing very capable and energetic.

 Chapter 522 - Criminal Motive? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 522: Criminal Motive? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    <h4>@<strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion</h4>

    Ji Zitong was not the kind of girl that smiled a lot, so she looked quite calm and aloof.

    When Xi Xiaye looked into her eyes, she did not know why, but she felt like she was suppressing something. She felt as if something seemed to be on this girl¡¯s mind.

    She would always be courteous and distant from anyone. Besides that, she was agile, and she heard that she was quite good at driving too.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± Xi Xiaye nodded and smiled.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly said. Then, the ck-clothed bodyguards opened the door.

    Ji Zitong drove Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    All the way, she remained of few words and focused on driving. She was very professional like the rest of the ck-clothed bodyguards.

    Sis Lan stayed in the suburbs of the west of the city, so they needed to pass through a bustling city. After taking the quicker route, as the car drove slowly on the road, Xi Xiaye seized the opportunity to buy several newspapers. The headlines of the major papers did not seem to have those reports, but certain magazines still had them.

    ¡°You had them remove the reports, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression had a mix of emotions as she closed the magazines in her hand. She turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Do you know who did it?¡±

    She felt like many things had been repeatedly troubling them. Every one of them was weird, and now that such a thing had happened, even if he did not care, it would have more or less brought about negative effects.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that Mu Yinan had called from the Mu residence yesterday. At that time, he had intentionally distracted her away then. It must have been because of this matter.

    The man, who was on hisptop, finally looked up slowly. His extraordinarily handsome face looked somewhat cold under the faint blue light and his tone was low as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not targeting you. Grandpa has helped too. Previously, because I didn¡¯t want you to worry, I nned to only let you know when we¡¯ve got everything under control. Nevertheless, since you can be more optimistic about it, that¡¯s a good thing too.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Xi Xiaye softly muttered.

    Now, Xi Xiaye began to be more concerned as she asked uneasily, ¡°Then, with Grandfather and Grandmother... Will it cause Father and Mother trouble?¡±

    ¡°Father and Mother are very open-minded people. They¡¯ll believe you. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Then, when I said that I¡¯ll rify about this with Qi Lei, you said...¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, it will only make matters worse. You just don¡¯t know how to keep still, do you? Now, do you know why I didn¡¯t want to tell you earlier?¡± An elegant smile curved on his face as he met her gaze. As if he suddenly remembered something, his gaze darkened and he said softly, ¡°This matter isn¡¯t all that simple. We might have gotten ourselves another enemy, and the person doing this probably expected this too. However, that person¡¯s IQ and EQ got left at kindergarten.¡±

    When she heard this, she was stunned. Noticing the gloom in his eyes, she thought about it and decided not to keep asking.

    ...

    With such a huge scandal, naturally, Xi Xiaye was not the only one under pressure. Qi Lei was struggling amidst all this too.

    Inside the office of the Vice President of Qi Kai Corporation.

    ¡°Xiao Lei! What a mess you¡¯ve made!? Exin what all this is about!¡±

    When Qi Lei was arranging the documents, Wang Qin, who had just returned from work abroad, anxiously crashed into his office and questioned him head-on.

    ¡°All the reporters downstairs are waiting for you. You can provoke anyone, but why does it have to be that Xi Xiaye? That¡¯s Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman from the Mu family, don¡¯t you know that? At such a crucial moment, you caused this mess. Do you really want me to be worried to death?¡±

    Wang Qin was extremely concerned. She had been wholeheartedly trying to bring Qi Lei up and get the trust of the shareholders. That way, they could get some of their support, yet now with such a mess, it had destroyed all her previous hard work overnight!

    Qi Lei did not respond. He just let Wang Qin vent with a faint light in his eyes that was unfathomable.

    ¡°Say something! What are you nning on doing now? You should know that once this thing goes on, it will affect you terribly. Do you really have something going on with that Xi Xiaye?¡± Wang Qin fixed her gaze on Qi Lei, not wanting to miss any reaction of his.

    At this moment, Qi Lei just smiled. ¡°I wish I had something going on with her. Isn¡¯t she quite good? If I could really get her to be your daughter-inw, that would be great for everyone too. I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do that. Sigh, VP Wang, you make things quite difficult for me!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei! I¡¯m being serious here. Do you have to speak like that to me?¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s brows furrowed into a tight knot and there was a hint of coldness on her face. ¡°I suspect that this thing might be Qi Qiming¡¯s work. That bastard, he¡¯d even frame his own son! What¡¯s he trying to do? Why is the other woman¡¯s son so precious to him while I...¡±

    ¡°Enough, if you really want to debate about these things, go tell the old man. Also, tell him that if he really wants to make a move, he might as well just kill me. Don¡¯t keep doing it bit by bit. I¡¯m tired of dealing with them. He should spend more effort arranging his ns.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face shed with a sneer, yet the light in his eyes seemed bleak.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things, Xiao Lei! As long as I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t let Qi Qiming treat you unfairly.¡±

    When Wang Qin heard Qi Lei¡¯s words, she could not help but feel her heart ache. She could not bear to hear it, so she then softened her tone. ¡°Xiao Lei, don¡¯t give up. Everyone will see the good in you. It¡¯s I who haven¡¯t done well as your mother, so...¡±

    ¡°Enough, stop talking. I don¡¯t like to hear all these regretful words. Just leave them for yourself to hear,¡± Qi Lei interrupted a little impatiently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sass me, Xiao Lei. I know that I haven¡¯t done well as a mother all these years, but you have to believe me, everything that I¡¯ve done, I do it all for you. If you weren¡¯t my son, I wouldn¡¯t be so concerned. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I do, I do very well! I¡¯m your biological son, so I¡¯m very honored to be at the receiving end of your concern. Since you have so many ideas, why don¡¯t you think about how to persuade for the old man to quickly give up his spot and let me have Qi Kai, or find a way to chase off the flies downstairs? Can you do that, my dear mother?¡±

    Qi Lei was bothered and annoyed!

    ¡°Actually, you shouldn¡¯t have given birth to me back then. At least, now you wouldn¡¯t have to be so worried. Not all women can lock a man with a child down. Mother, you miscalcted! If you really can¡¯t go on, just get a divorce soon. You could still have a memorable second offspring!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

 Chapter 523 - Dispute

    <h4>Chapter 523: Dispute</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy @Trantion

    With Wang Qin¡¯s abrupt shout, the noise in the office instantly halted and a stiff coldness appeared in the air.

    The mother and son stared at each other just like that.

    Wang Qin¡¯s eyes were filled with anger and disappointment which she endured, yet Qi Lei just sneered. The light in his dark eyes was cold as the autumn waters.

    After a while, he averted his gaze and apathetically looked down at the document in his hand. ¡°You know that I¡¯m just telling the truth. If you divorce him, you might even get something from him, and with what you have, you can definitelye out whole. Don¡¯t wait until the end when you¡¯re just there paving the way for someone else. The old man is cold and heartless. You have always known this. If he¡¯s even this stingy to a woman, he¡¯s not that great a person.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s calm voice was heard, yet it brought a vague feeling of pain. Wang Qin could actually hear a hint of dullness and stillness from his words.

    Her expression was a mix of emotions as she sighed deeply and held back the surging emotions in her heart. After she eased off for a while, she stared at Qi Lei. ¡°My son, I just... I just worry about you. Do you understand? You are Qi Qiming¡¯s rightful son, and I, Wang Qin, gave birth to you. You should be enjoying exceptional advantages and be doted on endlessly. You should be the one enjoying the love of everyone, but for the sake of Qi Qifeng, Qi Qiming could be so heartless. This makes me extremely disappointed and sad!¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s tone could not help but start to turn solemn as her fingers that held onto the side of Qi Lei¡¯s desk began to turn pale. You could tell that she was trying her hardest to control her emotions too.

    ¡°You know that the marriage between Qi Qiming and I had nothing to do with feelings. Long before I married Qi Qiming, I already knew that I, Wang Qin, would have no options in this lifetime. Qi Qiming pressures me in all aspects. He can even be this cold to his own son, yet he offers extreme care for that illegitimate son, Qi Feng. How can I stomach this? I can disregard how he has been treating me, but, Xiao Lei, I¡¯m only fighting for what you deserve! I¡¯ve never lost to anyone before. I hope that as my son, you can do this too. You have to understand that life is like a battlefield. Only the victors have a right to speak!¡± Wang Qin spoke sincerely and earnestly, even though her elegant face seemed somewhat grave, her gaze had softened.

    She stared at Qi Lei for a moment, then she could not help but continue again, ¡°Now, I¡¯ve received news that Qi Feng might not be dead. All these years, he has been hidden by Qi Qiming. He must be trying to evade us. While I thought that Qi Feng was dead all these years, I put my guard against Qi Qiming down. Now, all of thepany¡¯s shareholders are on his side. If this continues, you should know what the oue will be in the next shareholder meeting. Qi Qiming is despicable and cruel. I¡¯m sure you know this better than I do.¡±

    Wang Qin could not help but sigh again. She nced at Qi Lei with a difficult gaze before she finally turned away abruptly. ¡°If you must be like this, I can¡¯t force you either. I just hope that you can understand that all that I do today isn¡¯t for me. If you aren¡¯t willing, then I¡¯ve got nothing to say, but I¡¯ll continue to work hard for it. If you don¡¯t want it, then I¡¯ll destroy it!¡±

    When she finished, Wang Qin left the office in huge strides. Her resounding footsteps sounded heavy, yet as he watched her current figure, she seemed a little too upright.

    Qi Lei silently looked up from the documents and watched as Wang Qin gradually vanish out of the door. His handsome face unexpectedly started to shift. He pondered for a while, yet his gaze darkened. After a long while, he sighed and quietly shut his eyes before he leaned back against his chair exhaustedly.

    Why must it be like this?

    Was there meaning to such struggle?

    Even if they got Qi Kai, what would that do?

    Could he make Qi Qiming and Wang Qin, this couple who had been fighting openly and maneuvering covertly for half their lives, to coexist peacefully?

    Could it allow Qi Lei to obtain his love?

    Could it allow him to have happiness or joy?

    The answer was¡ª

    It could not!

    Since it could not, then even if he had Qi Kai, what was the point?

    When Qi Lei thought this, he sighed. His handsome brows furrowed and he opened up his tightly shut eyes. Suddenly, his chest felt heavy. He could not help but pull the drawer on the side open as he took a cigarette box and lit a stick up. When he put the box back, he saw that in one corner of the drawer was that familiar drawing book.

    Those little pigs with all sorts of expressions...

    Qi Lei hesitated for a moment before he quietly took it out. Through the faintly surfacing smoke, he casually flipped through it.

    She really had the time to draw such cute things...

    When she drew these little things, she must have felt...

    As Qi Lei thought about it, the image of Mu Yuchen crashing into his vi and taking her away suddenly shed in his mind. Before he left, he had even thanked him.

    When did Mu Yuchen learn how to say such things?

    In fact, it was for a woman.

    After that, he even said that Shasha might be returning.

    The light in Qi Lei¡¯s gaze shifted from dark to light. In that instance, you could not quite tell how he felt.

    It was not sure how long had passed before he got up and walked to the sofa. He took the newspaper that was tossed onto the sofa and walked to the window as he flipped through it and studied the pictures in them.

    He stood on the very top floor. Although he could not see the huge group of reporters that gathered around the entrance of the Qi Kai building, he believed that perhaps at Glory World Corporation, it was probably the same.

    Rich and Powerful Lady Has An Affair, Qi Kai¡¯s Young Master Gets A Share of the Action?

    Affair Expos¨¨?

    Unwilling To Remain Lonely?

    All sorts of spections emerged. One after another, each headline was more ridiculous than the ones before!

    Qi Lei already knew about this news yesterday. However, he did not rify anything. Instead, it was Yang Sheng who kept helping him deal with those keen reporters. He was even nning to hold a press conference, but he was stopped.

    Of course, like Mu Yuchen, he had taken the effort to take down all the negative news. As a result, many of today¡¯s newspapers no longer published the discussion of the news anymore.

    Even so, it did not really seem topletely deal with the media.

    He let out a puff of smoke, then closed the newspaper in his hand. After some thought about it, he then finally turned to walk back to his desk. He tossed the newspaper aside, and then picked up his phone to make a call.

 Chapter 524 - Master Muâ€™s Rage (1)

    <h4>Chapter 524: Master Mu¡¯s Rage (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car zipped past swiftly on the quiet road. Soon, Ji Zitong gradually slowed down and then parked the car outside a house ording to the address given.

    The other cars from the back caught up when the car came to a halt.

    Ji Zitong turned back to announce, ¡°Chairman Mu, Director Xi, we¡¯ve arrived!¡±

    Xi Xiaye closed the magazine she was reading and nced at the man beside her. He was still working on hisptop and did not seem to be wrapping up anytime soon.

    As Xi Xiaye was about to say something, he told her, ¡°Sis Lan doesn¡¯t like too many unfamiliar faces. I¡¯ll just wait for you outside. Go in with Zitong. If anything happens, just yell and we¡¯ll be able to hear from outside.¡±

    He then glimpsed toward the decrepit house.

    Xi Xiaye nodded quietly.

    Mu Yuchen opened the door for her and reminded her, ¡°Leave if it¡¯s not working. It¡¯s not entirely impossible without her.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had looked for Sis Lan as well, but she was not very friendly and was, in fact, pretty cold towards them. In their case, she did not want to reveal much.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve got this.¡±

    She gave him an assuring look before getting out of the car.

    It looked like a pretty old house. The front gate was rusty, and the pair of couplet had already lost its original color a long time ago. Vines grew on the walls and covered it in a green pallor, but the front yard was quite clean. Xi Xiaye walked over and heard someone talking inside. Suddenly, someone came over with a bucket of paint and started painting the rusty gate.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was relieved to see someone.

    <i>She¡¯s home!</i>

    She then went inside.

    When she asked, the painter informed her that Sis Lan was in the house, so Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong went in.

    It was not a big house as it was just a two-story building.

    Ji Zitong rang the doorbell as they arrived at the door. A middle-ageddy opened the door, appearing to be a servant or caretaker. She shot them a doubtful nce before asking them in heavy rural ng, ¡°Hello, you two fes are...?¡±

    As Ji Zitong was about to reply, Xi Xiaye went up and introduced herself. ¡°Hello. We¡¯re looking for Sis Lan. Sis Li must have informed her about it beforehand.¡±

    Thedy allowed them in after Xi Xiaye¡¯s exnation.

    ¡°Sis Lan is waiting in the study room. Please follow me!¡±

    ...

    At the door into the study room, Ji Zitong stayed outside while Xi Xiaye went in alone.

    Xi Xiaye was finally meeting the legendary Sis Lan.

    She wore a light-colored <i>qipao </i>with her hair twisted into a bun. With her skinny frame and sharp chin, she was a beauty in her own league. However, her face seemed to take on the paleness an ill person would have.

    She was watering her nts when Xi Xiaye entered the room. When she heard footsteps, she looked up with sharp eyes. Even though she tried to hide her expression, Xi Xiaye captured it all.

    She nced over at her cautiously. Xi Xiaye just kept quiet and just let her study her.

    ¡°It¡¯s my honor to meet you, Sis Lan. I¡¯m Xi Xiaye.¡± She greeted humbly.

    Sis Lan continued watering the nts as she replied in a cold and distant tone, ¡°Xiao Li told me about you. What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯ve retired as a manager. If you¡¯re involving me in something like that, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help much.¡±

    She was straightforward at declining and had a decisive attitude. It was no wonder she could be one of the top managers in the industry.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Sorry to bother you, but I¡¯m not here for business today. I¡¯m here to ask you about something personal.¡±

    Sis Lan suddenly raised her head, shooting Xi Xiaye a hard stare. ¡°A personal matter? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve known you before this. What personal matters are there to talk about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath before taking out a yellow photo and presenting it before Sis Lan.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem much different than you were 20 years ago. I heard that the woman in the photo, Mu Zi, is your best friend. I¡¯m here to see you today because she¡¯s my aunt,¡± Xi Xiaye rified her intention of visiting clearly.

    Sis Lan nced at her before taking a look at the photo in her hand. When she saw the people in the photo, a faint light shed in her eyes quickly. She was stunned for a brief moment.

    Xi Xiaye waited until Sis Lan gradually recovered from her shock.

    After some time, she put the watering can down and took the photo with a lowered head. She then turned the photo around and read the few lines of words, <i>¡°At times you look at me, at times you look at the clouds, I feel that it¡¯s far away when you look at me, and it¡¯s nearer when you look at the clouds...¡±</i>

    Her eyes darkened when she read it out loud.

    ¡°Where did you get this photo?¡± She raised her head and looked at Xi Xiaye before pointing towards the sofa nearby. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw theplication in her eyes. She gave her a nod before sitting down.

    ¡°I found it in a book when I was cleaning up my room,¡± Xi Xiaye replied honestly.

    ¡°It¡¯s as if I saw a younger version of me,¡± Sis Lan expressed her nostalgia.

    ¡°I found out from Sis Li that the person beside Aunty is you, and you were Aunty¡¯s manager back then, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with her life.¡±

    Sis Lan instantly understood Xi Xiaye¡¯s aim of going there. Her expression changed slightly as she set the photo right before Xi Xiaye. ¡°Are you here to ask me about Mu Zi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye acknowledged, ¡°Yes, she passed away many years ago, but I heard from Sis Li that youe back to visit her grave every year during the Qixi festival. I suppose she must be a very special friend to you.¡±

    Sis Lan had aplicated smile on her face. ¡°Special? Just judging from this? What if I say I just pity a fellow friend for having such a short life?¡±

 Chapter 525 - Master Muâ€™s Rage (2)

    <h4>Chapter 525: Master Mu¡¯s Rage (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Sis Lan¡¯s eyes were locked on the photo when she spoke. Although they seemed indifferent on the surface, at the same time, there was a tint of warmth emitted from them as if she wanted to imprint the scene in the photo into her memory.

    ¡°Indeed, she lived a short life. She wasn¡¯t even 30 when she passed away. The elders of the Mu family are still having a hard time epting her untimely death,¡± Xi Xiaye continued.

    Sis Lan lowered her eyes as she spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve said whatever I should. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong came to me before, and I¡¯ve already told them what I know.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not reply her directly. Instead, she informed her, ¡°Aunty had two children, Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi. Mu Lingtian passed away in a car ident five years ago, and his grave is right beside Aunty¡¯s. I¡¯m sure you already know about it.¡±

    She then continued as she gave Sis Lan a casual look. Despite her expression not changing much, her fingers that were ced on herp fidgeted slightly.

    ¡°They were adopted under Mu Tangchuan because the Mu family didn¡¯t want them to feel any different than any other children, but they both knew they weren¡¯t the real children of Mu Tangchuan. Aside from mourning over their mother, Mu Zixi¡¯s death over the years, they also want to find the irresponsible man back then. Don¡¯t you find it ironic that it¡¯s been 30 years and they still have no idea who their father is?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice was calm. She looked downwards and sighed. ¡°You were the closest to Aunty back then. I¡¯m sure you know who that person is, don¡¯t you?¡± She then fixed an even gaze on Sis Lan.

    Sis Lanughed coldly and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You came to the wrong person! I don¡¯t know anything at all! Isn¡¯t it just nice to let things be as it is right now? Why is it necessary to find that person? I don¡¯t understand. Why would you give up your peaceful life right now and look for the answer? Even if you found the answer, what¡¯s the point?¡±

    Sis Lan sounded a little stirred up, but Xi Xiaye just listened quietly.

    ¡°As long as everyone¡¯s fine, Mu Zi¡¯s children should be fine as well. This is what Mu Zi would have hoped to see. You people just need to take care of and protect her children. That¡¯s it! Why bother with others? There are some answers you¡¯re better off not knowing, so why be fixated on it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled. Sis Lan seemed like she was protecting Mu Zi and that person. Her face was getting redder as she seemed to be expressing her anger.

    ¡°Why? If we use the excuse to keep a so-called peaceful life, I¡¯d feel really sad for Mu Lingshi and Mu Lingtian. No matter what, this shouldn¡¯t be the barrier for a child to know about his or her real family. Even if they might not know what to do with it afterward, they should at least know where they came from and who gave them their life.¡±

    ¡°There are things that we might not know is the right thing to do. Just like my visit to you today, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the right move. I only know that something urged me to do so ¡ª Lingshi¡¯s sense of loss and sadness, the long-suppressed pain of Grandfather and Grandmother, Father and Mother¡¯s regret, Mu Yuchen¡¯s concern... I understand. They seem very trivial to you because you don¡¯t feel it, but they do.¡±

    Sis Lan seemed amused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want toment if Aunty is right or wrong, but no matter what, hiding the truth is both unfair and irresponsible to Lingtian and Lingshi. Yes, a peaceful life is great. After all, as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled, but there was a pinch of irony hidden behind her smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to tell you, Miss Xi. Let the past stay in the past. This might help to maintain peace for everyone, and also a respect for the deceased. Mu Zi didn¡¯t tell anyone who that person was even right before her death, so I¡¯m sure she had her reasons. Why do you guys care now?¡±

    Sis Lan blinked before she turned around and looked at the hanging orchids by the window as her tone became heavy. ¡°I suggest you give up on this and stop finding out more because the answer might not be beneficial for you. Mu Zi... She¡¯s a smart, silly woman. It pains me to know what happened to her. She¡¯s brave, but she didn¡¯t have a choice. That man has a family. They did it in the spur of the moment, but don¡¯t me Mu Zi as well because she only found out the man was married when she was pregnant with their first child. Her emotions had been abnormal ever since then, and I was actually partially responsible for that. Back then, I could... and now given all of this, would it be any different?¡±

    That man had a family?

    Was this the reason why Mu Zi told Mu Tangchuan that man could not marry her?

    ¡°I advised Mu Zi to abort the child. She was at the peak of her career. With her progress, she could eventually make into Hollywood, but Mu Zi insisted on keeping the child. I was pained to see her sacrifice her career. You have to understand that it¡¯s extremely difficult to cultivate someone. She really disappointed me, but at the same time, I was heartbroken for her. She¡¯s a kind and innocent person not like how other people called her rebellious.¡±

    Sis Lan felt a pang of ache as she recalled the past. Xi Xiaye could see the amount of care she felt for Mu Zixi.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Aunty is grateful for everything you¡¯ve done for her,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke up. Hopefully, it helped tofort her.

    ¡°Okay, you can go back now. I¡¯ve said whatever I can. Don¡¯te here anymore. I¡¯m afraid this year will be thest time I¡¯ll visit her. It¡¯s time for me to move on.¡±

    Sis Lan put on a smile which seemed pale and cold like the autumn rain to Xi Xiaye.

    It was obvious that she did not want to continue this conversation anymore. Xi Xiaye watched her for a while and eventually asked her onest question

 Chapter 526 - Master Muâ€™s Rage (3)

    <h4>Chapter 526: Master Mu¡¯s Rage (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Then, Sis Lan, do you remember Mr. Wen?¡±

    The way Xi Xiaye asked the question was straightforward like a cool wind that breezed through the quiet woods. However, her question felt like a strong wind on the sea. The huge impact created manyrge, turbulent waves!

    Sis Lan¡¯s eyes widened as her body trembled slightly. She gaped at Xi Xiaye with astonishment in her panicked eyes as thetter observed every little detail.

    Sis Lan shook her head a momentter. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. I don¡¯t know any Mr. Wen!¡±

    ¡°Really? But I¡¯ve seen Mr. Wen before, and I heard that... Well, I thought you¡¯d know.¡± Xi Xiaye tried to get something out of her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember, I don¡¯t remember it at all. Please go back and nevere again. I¡¯m feeling tired now.¡± Sis Lan decided it was time for her to go.

    Xi Xiaye stood up. ¡°Okay, please have a good rest, Sis Lan. Sorry for bothering you today and thank you. Here¡¯s my name card. We definitely won¡¯t give up on finding out more. The truth will never be hidden forever. If you remember anything, please do give me a call.¡±

    Xi Xiaye ced her name card on the table before she turned around and walked towards the door.

    Before Xi Xiaye left, Sis Lan suddenly called out to her, ¡°Wait!¡±

    Xi Xiaye halted in her steps but did not turn back to look at her.

    ¡°That Mr. Wen... His surname isn¡¯t Wen... I can only tell you this much!¡± Sis Lan¡¯s voice came from the back.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Ji Zitong alertly went up to Xi Xiaye the moment she came out of the room. ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen had put hisptop away when they arrived back at the car. He gave her a kind smile when he noticed her grim expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t get any information?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and looked at him as her eyes darkened. She ran her fingers through her hair anxiously. ¡°She¡¯s unwilling to talk. I¡¯m sure she knows something. She was obviously startled when I mentioned Mr. Wen. She must know him, and their rtionship certainly is special.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Wen?¡±

    A light shed past his eyes as he grinned.

    ¡°Yes, it should be that Mr. Wen. I think he holds a grudge against you and shares a special rtionship with Sis Lan, which means that he¡¯d know about Aunty. Do you think that...?¡± She made a bold hypothesis as she shot Mu Yuchen a furtive nce.

    He instantly knew what she meant with just a single nce from her. He put his arm over her shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll find out after looking into it.¡±

    ¡°Sis Lan said that it might not be beneficial if we know the answer. I can¡¯t help but feel that she¡¯s trying to tell us something. By the way, she also mentioned that the man has a family. He hid it from Aunty...and Mr. Wen¡¯s surname isn¡¯t Wen.¡±

    Xi Xiaye tried her best to recall everything while Mu Yuchen listened and nodded patiently. ¡°Continue.¡±

    She seemed encouraged as she went on, ¡°No doubt Sis Lan knows what happened, and Mr. Wen¡¯s sudden appearance recently isn¡¯t a coincidence. I feel that especially when I met Sis Lan just now, I¡¯m starting to get the big picture. We should keep an eye on Sis Lan and we might get some clues.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite a brilliant idea. We should be watching over her secretly, but with your actions, something might be happening. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll find out if we put in more effort.¡± He sounded calm as if everything was under his control.

    Mu Yuchen twirled Xi Xiaye¡¯s hair as he told Zitong, ¡°Zitong, head over to the Imperial Sky Hotel.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu!¡± Ji Zitong stepped on the pedal after a brief reply.

    ¡°Why go there?¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a doubtful nce.

    He stared at her and asked quietly, ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    At that moment, Xi Xiaye did feel her stomach growl in response.

    Traveling to the west of the city all the way from the north took almost two hours even though they used the expressway, and with the crowded city jam, it was noon when they arrived at the Imperial Sky Hotel. Their meal had been prepared beforehand, and all of them were her favorite dishes. However, she could not enjoy them. Instead, she felt disgusted after trying the first dish. Frantically, she rushed into the restroom and started vomiting, yet only her bile came out.

    When she emerged from the restroom, Mu Yuchen was outside waiting for her. She looked terrible as he gave her a ss of water. After taking a few sips, she felt slightly better.

    He frowned when he saw her pale face and slightly trembling lips. He held her arm and asked with concern while his eyes were filled with anxiety, ¡°Feeling better now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye wiped the moisture at the corner of her mouth and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯ll be better after taking some pills at home. The dishes here feel odd. They aren¡¯t as good as your cooking.¡±

    ¡°Please get a full body check up soon, especially your stomach. Didn¡¯t you get better some time ago?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need...¡±

    ¡°This is an order. It¡¯s not up for discussion. Let Zitong apany you.¡± He uttered those words before dragging her out.

    ...

    They nned to head back to the Maple Residence right away. However, a huge crowd unexpectedly rushed over, and before Xi Xiaye could react, she was already surrounded!

    It was the reporters!

    Xi Xiaye felt like she was getting drowned. Even though Ji Zitong tried her best to act as a shield in front of her, the countless shlights made it hard for her to open her eyes, and their questions lit a raging fire up inside her!

    ¡°Ms. Xi Xiaye, what¡¯s your rtionship with the Master of Qi Kai?¡±

    ¡°He brought you back to his cete at night. What do you have to say about that?¡±

    ¡°I heard you were supposed to marry into the Qi family. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°What do you think of your husband right now? Did something happen in your marriage, that¡¯s why you¡¯re now desperate to cling onto the Master of Qi Kai?¡±

 Chapter 527 - Master Muâ€™s Rage (4)

    <h4>Chapter 527: Master Mu¡¯s Rage (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wave after wave of the questions swarmed up to her. Xi Xiaye almost could not hold them back and staggered a little. One after another, sharp questions were tossed at her. In an instant, the hotel entrance had be incredibly uproarious.

    Ji Zitong worked hard to block the reporters that swarmed from the front, but with just her alone, how could she handle such a huge group of them?

    The two of them were instantly trapped.

    Mu Yuchen had just hung up when he caught up with them. When he saw this scene, his handsome face immediately sank and his eyes turned cold. Immediately, he walked up in huge strides!

    ¡°Master!¡±

    The bodyguards behind him swiftly rushed up as well while he pulled those reporters surrounding them away with one hand and forced himself into the middle of the chaos!

    ¡°It¡¯s Master Mu! Master Mu¡¯s here!¡±

    ¡°Master Mu, what are your thoughts on your wife¡¯s affair?¡±

    ¡°Does this mean that your marriage hase to an end?¡±

    ¡°Has your marriage with Xi Xiaye broken down because of this third party stepping in?¡±

    ...

    When those reporters saw Mu Yuchen, they thronged them even more wildly.

    ¡°Noment! Noment! Everyone, please move! Please move aside!¡±

    Li Si, who had rushed over to report for work, had squeezed himself in too. He brought more than 10 security guards with him, working hard to yank those people away together with the bodyguards.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s clothes were messy from the chaos as her beautiful hair tumbled on her chest in an unruly way too. With her pale expression, she looked quite miserable.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±

    Mu Yuchen very quickly went up to her. Both his hands held onto her frail shoulders while his still, dark eyes were filled with concern.

    Xi Xiaye sighed and shook her head as she fixed her clothes that were messy from the chaos. He helped her fix her messy hair while the reporters were still raising their cameras high and aiming them at the couple as they continued shooting lots of questions.

    Mu Yuchen held Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder with one hand and protected her in his embrace as he looked up with an exceptionally wary expression. A stern hostility was abruptly reflected in his eyes that were typically calm. He looked around to the vulture-like reporters, instantly stunning them with his gaze.

    Li Si and the bodyguards, as well as the security guards, had already paved the way ahead while the car stopped right in front of them.

    The shing lights continued toe at them as they snapped their pictures. Xi Xiaye could barely open her eyes as Mu Yuchen held her tightly in his arms and protected her, yet his face was dense with the gloom of a storm. His eyes were filled with anger. He walked over with a single step and picked up the loudest reporter with one hand. Aggressively, he held him up by his shirt and almost lifted him off the ground!

    Mu Yuchen acted swiftly, so the crowd did not have the time to react. In his arms, Xi Xiaye was inevitably surprised too. She was about to stop him, yet the man had already gripped his shirt tightly. The male reporter gulped and almost could not bear Mu Yuchen¡¯s imposing demeanor. His legs went limp as he trembled and looked at Mu Yuchen who was looking at him formidably and with so much disdain that he was terrified to the point that he could barely speak.

    He struggled for a while, and as his heart beat like a bullet train, he managed to force a squeak. ¡°Master... Master Mu...¡±

    ¡°What else do you people do apart from speaking off the cuff to ruin someone¡¯s reputation?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s noble and cold face shed with a mocking look. He had always hated people like these, who did not do proper work and report what should be reported. Instead, they liked to dig into people¡¯s private lives. Instead of being skilled in such meaningless work, why did they not unearth the poor viges that had been drowned out and forgotten, and pay more attention to charitable work? At least, he would still have respect for them!

    ¡°You¡¯ve caused such a storm with just a few pictures. I think that all of you are the real culprits of breaking up marriages! We are very much in love, yet you people keep going on with the nder. Why is the industry filled with people like you who have hidden agendas? Have you found the source of these pictures? Or did you witness my wife do anything yourself? All of you haven¡¯t even rified the situation before you recklessly reported and casually smeared someone¡¯s good name. This is an utmost disrespect to those involved. I don¡¯t know when did those of you in this line of work start having such poor work ethics,¡± said Mu Yuchen coldly before he let go of the reporter.

    Xi Xiaye was the beauty who caused the general¡¯s fury!

    This saying was absolutely befitting to describe the situation today!

    Mu Yuchen did not even care that he would possibly offend these reporters, yet once he criticized them, many of the reporters exchanged looks. They helplessly stopped what they were doing as well.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words really rendered them speechless.

    ¡°What do matters between us have to do with you people?¡± He flipped out protectively and then growled before he walked to the car with Xi Xiaye in his arms. She reached out to hold the side of his shirt as the crowd that tried to swarm up were held back by the bodyguards.

    The driver quickly started the car.

    In the car, he checked her all over again. Upon ensuring that she was fine, his tensed face then slowly eased.

    When Xi Xiaye turned to look at him, she saw that there was still a seriousness between his brows. She thought about it before she said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, I... This issue of mine seems to be quite huge. Earlier, from the way you talked to them, they might write nasty things again.¡±

    Once she finished, her gaze met with his unhappy and angry re instead. Her starry eyes were stunned, then she silently lowered her head and did not speak anymore.

    ¡°Think about who I did that for! They all think that this Missus Mu is about to abandon her Mr. Mu. Do I, Mu Yuchen, look like someone who can be cheated on?¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye was immediately cheered up. She stole a look at his solemn face and chuckled softly before quickly shaking her head. ¡°No, you don¡¯t look like it! Not at all! I wouldn¡¯t dare...¡±

    Mu Yuchen shot her a look. He could tell that she was patronizing him!

    Little girl!

    He turned to look out the window. His expression remained solemn, but you could see that the light in his eyes contained a hint of warmth.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Seeing that he ignored her, Xi Xiaye carefully turned to look at him.

    It was true that those questions from the reporters earlier had assumed that he had been cheated on. Logically, if he did not manage to find her that day, he and Qi Lei would have probably caused a ruckus because of her.

    This move by the other person was quite a smart one. Now that Xi Xiaye thought about it, she felt quite fearful. However, he had unexpectedly analyzed the pros and cons very rationally. In fact, he did not doubt her at all.

 Chapter 528 - Frightened (1)

    <h4>Chapter 528: Frightened (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shepletely surrendered to the man¡¯s farsightedness and mannerisms.

    Because of his trust, she felt that her heart was filled with warmth. After thinking about it, she then reached out to gently hold his hand that rested on her thigh. His cool temperature seeped through her palm, so after a while, it became warm too.

    It did not matter what others said about her as she did not care. She was only worried about how he would react. However, no one would befortable hearing such words, even more so since he was such a prideful person.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I made a mistake. I admit it. Be magnanimous and forgive me this one time, please. You know that Qi Lei and I are innocent...¡±

    She finally could not help but sincerely apologize, surrendering for once and lowering her head meekly. Her slender fingers peeled his long fingers open one by one before she paused and looked up at him again. When she saw him still ignoring her, she could not help but mutter, ¡°You said that you wouldn¡¯t fuss about it the other day, and now you¡¯re like this. Using their words, Mr. Mu, you¡¯ve be <i>tsundere </i>.¡±

    She did not dare continue after that because he clutched her hand and stared at her with his unfathomable gaze. Guiltily, she peered down and did not look into his eyes.

    ¡°Can you exin what <i>tsundere </i>means?¡±

    She dared not utter another word and just silently looked at his hands.

    He lowered his head and stared at her for quite a while. Upon seeing that she did not make another sound, he lifted a hand and knocked her head gently. ¡°I ept your apology, but where¡¯s your sincerity?¡±

    When he finished, Xi Xiaye immediately looked up and quickly nted a kiss on his cheek.

    That was her token of sincerity!

    He was quite calm to see her like this. Eventually, the anger in his heart instantly faded away. He was obviously not willing to let her off so quickly, thus he pulled her into his arms, and his thin, cold lips nted itself on her pink ones. He recklessly tasted her and had a few minutes of bliss before letting go of the panting girl.

    He chuckled softly and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite self-aware these days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very innocent, alright?¡± She gasped and looked helplessly at him. ¡°But Qi Lei is still considered an upright gentleman. This is a different matter. If we can all rationally handle the problem, that would be for the best.¡±

    She was d that everyone had not allowed all these problems to get to their heads.

    ¡°Why do you sing such high praises of him? If he¡¯s an upright gentleman, then what is your Mr. Mu to you?¡± He squinted at her and smiled faintly as he looked at her swollen lips.

    She fixed her clothes by the shoulders that he had wrinkled as she answered without a second thought, ¡°Shark, thug!¡±

    He thenughed out softly.

    After a while, she could not help but ask, ¡°What do we do then? If we don¡¯t rify this matter, it won¡¯t be good for either Qi Lei or I. That person¡¯s sinister motives...¡±

    When he heard this, the light in his eyes shifted. Moments after that, he said, ¡°Wait!¡±

    Wait?

    Xi Xiaye was obviously puzzled. She felt that the way this man handled things was like deciphering clues, and she could never figure out his ns.

    Meanwhile, her doubts were going to be resolved on the night itself.

    They had just returned to the Maple Residence when Mu Yuchen received Qi Lei¡¯s call. The second the call got through, he looked at her very delightedly before deciding on a venue for dinner with Qi Lei.

    At 8 p.m. that night, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye appeared in a high-profile manner at a very famous French restaurant. They booked the entire restaurant and officially invited the young master of Qi Kai for dinner to thank him for saving Xi Xiaye. On top of that, Master Mu, who had always been low-profile, even gave Qi Lei a unique present. It was also meant to be his birthday present ¡ª a feast of fireworks!

    That night, in the distant night sky of City Z, avish disy of dazzling fireworks that ran for almost two hours was released. All of the fireworks spelled out the words ¡°Happy Birthday, Master Qi!¡± ¡°Bless Qi Lei With Longevity!¡± and so on. Almost the entire city knew that those were presents from the couple, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, to Qi Lei to express their gratitude!

    Qi Lei stood on the roof of the restaurant as heughed bedazzlingly.

    It was a bright and colorful feast for everyone¡¯s eyes. Underneath the romantic fireworks, all of the rumors were discredited, and many people guessed that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye must have a unique rtionship with Master Qi.

    ...

    The night was cool and the crisp breeze blew calmly. The fireworks in the night sky had ended. After the beauty had passed, what remained was a long silence.

    On the roof, Qi Lei looked at Xi Xiaye, who was watching the starry sky, by the railings. He softly expressed, ¡°I¡¯m so happy about tonight.¡±

    His handsome facecked its usual demonic charm. Now that she looked at him, he seemed quite calm.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought of a lot of ways from his point of view. Apart from suppressing those reporters or holding a press conference to rify this matter, I never would have thought there could be other ways to calm this storm. I never even would have thought of this way. Not only can it take down the rumors, but it even... seems like I¡¯m really not as good as him,¡± said Qi Lei calmly.

    A wry smile shed across his face as he sighed softly. ¡°Actually, if it were not for Shasha¡¯s thing, it would be a very joyous thing to be his friend.¡±

    Gu Lingsha?

    When Xi Xiaye heard that name, she suddenly turned her body and looked at him silently. Upon noticing sorrow between his brows, she fell silent for a while, then said calmly, ¡°Some things have happened, and you can¡¯t change that. I¡¯m not trying to help him be absolved of anything. All these years, because of that incident, he hasn¡¯t been doing very well either. I believe that he...¡±

    ¡°I hope you can let go of that past. I know that perhaps I don¡¯t have the right to say these things to you, but I think that you know very well that this time¡¯s incident... should¡¯ve be done by someone with a motive.¡±

    As he listened, Qi Lei silently closed his eyes and sighed deeply. After a while, he opened his eyes again. ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡±

    During the afternoon meeting, quite a few shareholders already expressed their dissatisfaction with him while Qi Qiming remained neutral. Wang Qin worked hard to defend him as he responded, feeling discouraged too. Right now, he could not tell if the person who stirred things up had been trying to go against Qi Lei or targetting Mu Yuchen, or were they nning to kill two birds with one stone?

    Wang Qin insisted that it was Qi Qiming¡¯s work. Even though this was highly likely, Qi Lei still had many doubts.

    If it really was Qi Qiming, that meant Qi Feng was still alive, but Qi Lei and Wang Qin had both gotten people to investigate, and they could not find any traces of Qi Feng. They even heard about Gu Lingsha¡¯s news from Mu Yuchen.

    All these years, where had Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha gone?

    Was all of this meant to indicate that Qi Lei¡¯s position was threatened?

 Chapter 529 - Frightened (2)

    <h4>Chapter 529: Frightened (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    XI Xiaye could feel the sorrow emanating from him.

    These days, she had been hearing a lot about Qi Lei. Shen Yue previously told her that Qi Qiming did not like Qi Lei while Qi Qiming and Wang Qin¡¯s rtionship...

    When she thought about this, she suddenly felt rueful. Actually, she understood how he felt too since she had lived the past 20 over years all alone while being burdened by pressure from many aspects, not forgetting Xi Xinyi setting her up on the sly, Han Yifeng¡¯s indifference...

    He must have gone through rough days all these years. Unexpectedly, they shared such simr experiences!

    Xi Xiaye looked down at the pedestrians milling about on the streets when she suddenly spoke softly, ¡°Every time I was disappointed, I¡¯d always think that I¡¯m tired of struggling. Years ago, when I was expelled by the military academy, I thought of jumping down from the university rooftop, to let death end all my troubles and prove my innocence. When Han Yifeng abandoned the marriage contract and escaped far away with Xi Xinyi, my heart ached so badly. I wished I could just die from intoxication and be done with it! When I was forced to sign the papers for the transfer of shares and made a bargaining chip, I was disheartened.¡±

    As Qi Lei listened, he paused momentarily. Suddenly, he turned to look at her, yet he saw that her expression remained calm.

    ¡°I thought that I was really unlucky. Despite my efforts of amodating, and even making myself miserable, couldn¡¯t Lady Luck just be on my side for once? After that, I realized that there are many things in this world that won¡¯t go our way even if we try so hard to make it work.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you used to love that Han Yifeng a lot, didn¡¯t you?¡± Qi Lei looked at her and asked softly.

    Xi Xiaye was startled as mixed emotions filled her twinkling eyes, yet they quickly recovered to their initial rity. Without denying it, she answered calmly, ¡°Han Yifeng was my fianc¨¨ who had been decided upon since we were young. As soon as I could understand, I already knew that I was going to be his bride, so I¡¯ve always chased after him. Back then, he was very nice, excellent, and extremely protective of me. I¡¯m grateful for him, and I do admit that I did like him once. I even thought that I¡¯d spend the rest of my life with him.¡±

    ¡°But I never would¡¯ve thought that... sometimes I can¡¯t help but feel rueful about the fickleness of life. Well, that can only mean that our destiny was not quite meant to be. Who could¡¯ve predicted the future? Fate allowed me to meet Mu Yuchen and move me to his side where I became his wife, and everything else went off-track. Then, I realize that those things I thought were very hard to forget weren¡¯t that hard actually. The reason we can¡¯t forget is that we¡¯ve all tried to be tolerant and forgive others, yet we forget to forgive ourselves.¡±

    These words entranced Qi Lei for a moment, yet Xi Xiaye did not continue. She just averted her gaze and turned to silently look at him. ¡°Mu Yuchen told me to pass on a message. He says thank you. Apart from that, he really admires you.¡±

    She said all this before turning to leave. Mu Yuchen was waiting for her in the car downstairs by the roadside.

    Qi Lei was dazed. It was only when he saw Xi Xiaye get into the car below that he slowly snapped back to his senses. Mu Yuchen sat in the car and wound the window down. He looked upwards and casually nodded like a gentleman.

    After that, he nodded in response too. Then, the car window wound back up, and the car slowly moved forward, joining the sea of vehicles...

    Some time had passed when suddenly his assistant, Yang Sheng¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Master Qi, they¡¯re long gone!¡±

    Qi Lei then broke out of his trance and turned to look at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Great. Now, VP Wang has been worried the entire day. She¡¯s been concerned ever since the meeting in the afternoon. She was even thinking about holding a press conference tomorrow, but who would have expected this move by Mr. Mu?¡±

    Yang Sheng could not help but grin widely. He had been worried for quite a few days, but now the matter was finally settled.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is... an unpredictable character... He indirectly trapped me. I don¡¯t know what to do now.¡± Qi Lei sighed.

    Actually, it was very obvious that the reason Mu Yuchen did this was to directly tell the person in the dark that he and Qi Lei were now on each other¡¯s side. They were allies!

    If Qi Lei said he was not willing, then that would disrespect Mu Yuchen. However, if that was so, then Qi Lei would have to live with the infamy of being the third party in someone else¡¯s marriage. The shareholders of thepany would not let this go. Mu Yuchen was quite alright. He even bore the image as a Good National Husband, treating the man to dinner and giving him a gift. If Qi Lei would not ept these, tons of curses woulde his way!

    What a sly fox!

    However, he could notin because it was he who initiated the call to Mu Yuchen!

    However, Qi Lei could also imagine that the person who had nned this incident probably would not have thought that this would be the oue. They had tried by every possible means to drive a wedge between him and Mu Yuchen, yet this was the oue!

    If Qi Qiming was really behind this, what would his reaction be right now?

    Yang Sheng knew the pros and cons as well, so he asked carefully, ¡°Master Qi, what... What do we now then?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hold back first. We¡¯ll see how they react!¡± A sneer shed across Qi Lei¡¯s lips.

    Yang Sheng thought about it and decided to remind him, ¡°Master Qi, VP Wang has always been against you and the Mu family.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her if she has any other ways of resolving the matter?¡±

    The moment Yang Sheng finished, Qi Lei gave him a cold re. Yang Sheng immediately lowered his head in fear, not daring to say anything anymore.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to report this to her. I¡¯ll decide my own matters. I¡¯m already very unhappy with the fact that you hid news about Shasha from me. If you don¡¯t behave, there¡¯s no need for you to be by my side anymore,¡± Qi Lei reprimanded coldly.

    Yang Sheng was so frightened that his back broke out in a cold sweat as he quickly bowed. ¡°Yes, Master Qi! I got it! Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi! VP Wang is just concerned about you, so...¡±

    ¡°Please help me thank her for her concern! Tell her to watch out for herself instead,¡± Qi Lei said with disdain. Then, he turned to walk towards the stairs.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly followed him.

    ¡°Back to the Qi family!¡±

    Qi Lei was quite looking forward to going home and seeing what Qi Qiming¡¯s reaction would be. If he was really behind this, what would be more frightening than this person?

    Yang Sheng nodded, feeling anxious.

    He was clearly trying to find ways to ease the mother and son rtionship between Qi Lei and Wang Qin, yet the former did not seem to have ns to forgive thetter. From Wang Qin¡¯s point of view, Yang Sheng understood that Wang Qin was just acting in Qi Lei¡¯s interest, but Qi Lei...

    Especially because of Gu Lingsha...

 Chapter 530 - Master Muâ€™s FiancÃ¨e? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 530: Master Mu¡¯s Fianc¨¨e? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was prettyte when they got back homest night, and the two of them went to bed after they washed up.

    After a good night¡¯s rest, it was the afternoon when she woke up the next day. The man was not with her anymore, but his scent remained in the air.

    As usual, he had prepared her clothes for her and left them on the chair. She got up and took off her sleeping robe before heading into the bathroom.

    Suddenly, she felt an urge to vomit again when she stood before the dressing table. Just like yesterday, only bile came out. She began to notice that something was wrong.

    She suddenly remembered that Su Nan had simr reactions when she was first pregnant. Moreover, her period had been dyed for more than a week now. Could she be...?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face seemed pale and she looked tired in general, but her eyes were exceptionally clear.

    She was stunned for a moment while she put her hand on her t stomach and only came back to her senses after a while.

    When she went downstairs, Sis Wang and the others were doing the house chores. They greeted her respectfully and prepared lunch for her.

    ¡°Missus, Master has gone to work. He had an early meeting this morning. He wants you to go have a check-up at the hospitalter. He¡¯s already made an appointment with Dr. Huang. Ms. Ji Zitong wille over and apany youter.¡± Sis Wang gave her a warm smile.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. He had reminded herst night about it before sleeping. After so many days, it was about time for her to get checked.

    ¡°By the way, Master reminded you to take your medicine. I¡¯ll get it for you!¡±

    Sis Wang walked towards the living room as she was about to get Xi Xiaye her medicine and some water, but Xi Xiaye stopped her. ¡°Sis Wang, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    As Sis Wang was about to say something, the phone started ringing, so she went to pick it up. It was a call from Shen Yue!

    ...

    It was obvious what the call was about.

    As expected¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the nonsense published in the newspapers and magazines. Just be more careful in the future. Your grandfather and grandmother were pretty worried, but Ah Chen dealt with them. The news this morning reported it was an ident. Anyway, someone might be behind this, so be careful,¡± Shen Yue expressed his concern.

    Xi Xiaye replied with a terse nod. ¡°Mmm, I got it, Grandpa!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still too young. Businesspeople need to be more flexible. There¡¯s going to be an auction at the Glory Treasure Hall next week. Come with me.¡±

    Since Shen Yue was set on handing Fu Hua over to Xi Xiaye, he was trying to get her familiarized with it. He started to participate in public events again after staying low profile for a very long time. His intentions were obvious as he brought Xi Xiaye along.

    ¡°Mmm, okay...¡±

    After she hung up on the call with Shen Yue, another call came from the Mu family. They were concerned about Xi Xiaye¡¯s condition too.

    Ever since they got married, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye rarely stayed over at the Mu Residence. Wang Hui made sure to give them a lot of alone time together. Besides visiting them when she was extremely bored, she generally refrained herself from bothering them.

    Xi Xiaye felt embarrassed about it at times. When they were really busy, they might not even visit them once a month. However, whenever she mentioned it to him, he was pretty indifferent.

    She lost her appetite after several bites. Then, she flipped through the newspapers as she sat on the sofa. As expected, she saw arge photo of them on the rooftop. Mu Yuchen was giving Qi Lei a polite hug as she stood beside him. It was a harmonious scene.

    Xi Xiaye nced over the article and let out a sigh of relief.

    Ji Zitong arrived momentster. Xi Xiaye got in the car and they took off.

    The bodyguard-cum-driver Ji Zitong informed Xi Xiaye of the schedule, ¡°Director Xi, Chairman Mu said to send you to the hospital for a check-up.¡±

    ¡°Head over to XX field first.¡±

    She still remembered her promised time with Inspector Zhang. After vanishing for such a long time, Xi Xiaye felt that he must have caught onto something. However, his phone was still switched off when she called him, and she felt it was odd.

    Ji Zitong did so without any question. After an hour, they arrived at the destination.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, Director Xi!¡±

    Ji Zitong parked at the edge of the field as she gave Xi Xiaye a reminder, who was reading some documents at the back.

    Xi Xiaye raised her head and took off her sunsses. She lowered the window and looked outside. As expected, she saw a ck figure right beside a pole.

    Xi Xiaye packed up her documents after she watched that person for a while. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go alone.¡± She then got out of the car.

    Ji Zitong nodded and got out of the car too. Standing beside the car, she just watched over Xi Xiaye sharply from behind.

    The grass on the field was bright green. As the breeze ruffled through them, they moved like waves.

    When Xi Xiaye walked over, Inspector Zhang was looking down the slope. He turned around and looked at her when he heard the sounds of footsteps behind him.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped beside him and leaned against the cold pole, turning her attention towards Inspector Zhang and smiling. ¡°I thought you¡¯ve gone missing after you disappeared on me for so long.¡±

    Inspector Zhang returned the smile and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot going ontely. I went abroad several times and didn¡¯t have time to inform you about it,¡± he said apologetically.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re really busy. I couldn¡¯t get through your phone at all and I gave up. I was just waiting for you to contact me because I thought you¡¯d need more time.¡± Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she averted her gaze away from his face and looked down. ¡°But I do hope you can answer my questions.¡±

    ¡°Well, I might not be able to answer all your doubts, but there¡¯s something you might be interested in.¡±

 Chapter 531 - Master Muâ€™s FiancÃ¨e? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 531: Master Mu¡¯s Fianc¨¨e? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sun was setting. The golden rays created very long shadows as the cool air glided through.

    Xi Xiaye sensed the heaviness in Inspector Zhang¡¯s tone, so she frowned slightly as she clenched her fists. Her eyes remained gazing at the sky as she just waited for Inspector Zhang to continue.

    Inspector Zhang said quietly, ¡°The conflict between the Gus and the Mus isn¡¯t really a secret. I¡¯m sure everyone has somewhat heard about that incident although it was covered upter on.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened as she nodded. ¡°Mmm, I know that much, and a lot of topics are considered a taboo in the Mu family. Mu Yuchen almost never mentions them to me. He also reminded me not to mention it in front of Grandfather and Grandmother, so...¡±

    ¡°Of course, while the Mu family is huge with Mu Yinan being the main pir, there are a lot ofplicated matters within the family. Mu Zi alone had a lot of mysteries shrouded around her. It¡¯s still unclear right now... I won¡¯t talk about this right now. Let¡¯s talk about the Qi family.¡±

    Inspector Zhang took a deep breath, seeming reluctant to mention Mu Zi. He lit a cigarette up as he looked downwards. ¡°The Qi family is quiteplicated. Qi Qiming has two sons, Qi Feng and Qi Lei. I¡¯ve mentioned them before. Qi Feng is Qi Qiming¡¯s favorite son. He¡¯s talented and the Qi family loves him. Moreover, he¡¯s quite handsome, and many women were head over heels for him. Have you heard of the Gu family in City B?¡±

    ¡°The Gu family? City B?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned. She sifted through her memories and shook her head in the end.

    She only heard Mu Yuchen briefly mention them. She only knew Gu Lingsha was not from City Z. Instead, she was from the Gu family in City B. However, Mu Yuchen was reluctant to talk about it to her. Every time it was mentioned, he would just reply half-heartedly. He probably still took that matter personally, so she could not get much out of him.

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty huge family as well. They share a great rtionship with the Qi family, and they are a long-time friend of the Mu family.¡±

    Inspector Zhang exined, ¡°The car crash five years ago was indeed an ident. I only found out that Mu Lingtian died on the spot while Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were rescued. Gu Lingsha is the treasure of the Gu family. No one has seen them ever since, thus many guess they were already dead, but I think the chances of them being alive is high. Someone seemed to have seen Gu Lingsha in New York.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s an ident, then how do you exin the conflict between the Qi family and the Mu family?¡± Xi Xiaye voiced out her doubt as she stared at Inspector Zhang.

    Inspector Zhang smiled, but his eyes seemed heavy. ¡°I¡¯m sure Mu Yuchen didn¡¯t tell you about it, but there¡¯s nothing much really. It might be better for you if you don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I want to know what happened.¡± Xi Xiaye was determined.

    Inspector Zhang nodded, but he hesitated for a moment. ¡°Because Gu Lingsha was your husband¡¯s fianc¨¨e, they were engaged when they were just babies. Mu Yuchen was pretty pitiful when it came to this. He had been in the military for quite some years and only knew about the engagementter. At that point in time, there was nothing he could do about the engagement. Gu Lingsha was already with Qi Feng, and Qi Feng is Mu Lingtian¡¯s good friend. Mu Yuchen wanted to cancel the engagement with the Gu family to let Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng be together, but the Gu family declined and wanted Gu Lingsha to break up with Qi Feng in order to fulfill the engagement.¡±

    He took a pause and released a puff of smoke. ¡°This dragged on until Mu Yuchen¡¯s retirement from the army. I don¡¯t know what exactly happened, but three monthster, the Mu family still went to the Gu family for a marriage proposal. Someone guessed that Mu Yuchen had really fallen in love with Gu Lingsha, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple. I found out the Gu family and the Qi family were working on an important project, so that might be the reason, but I still need to investigate to find out more details. If this hypothesis is correct, then it exins why Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng eloped before the wedding. Their n probably got found out, and Mu Yuchen ordered to chase them down no matter the cost. When they tried to escape, the crash happened.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is a proud man with high societal status. He zed over the fact that Gu Lingsha was with another man despite their engagement and was even willing to marry her. In the end, she still chose to elope with someone else, so it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for him to get angry, but no matter what, he¡¯s responsible for the ident.

    ¡°And he probably never expected that the person who helped Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha elope would be his trusted brother, Mu Lingtian. As the final blow, this ident took Mu Lingtian¡¯s life. In a way, Mu Lingtian betrayed his brother, Mu Yuchen, and Mu Yuchen indirectly killed his own brother. Do you get it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye listened quietly until Inspector Zhang finished. Her face had gotten pale as her grip on the pole tightened and her eyes darkened. It was unclear what emotions she was feeling at the moment.

    After being quiet for some time, she mumbled, ¡°Fianc¨¨e, elopement, indirectly killed Mu Lingtian...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Ever since then, the Mu family had this barrier with the Gu family and the Qi family. They hardly contacted each other over the years, and it¡¯s exactly because of this that I assumed Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha are still alive. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be so calm about it. However, the Qi family doesn¡¯t seem peacefultely, so you¡¯d better be careful,¡± Inspector Zhang reminded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue to find out more details. By the way, I checked the immigration record and noticed Qi Qiming goes abroad periodically. I had a friend keep an eye on it. We might find something out.¡±

 Chapter 532 - Master Muâ€™s FiancÃ¨e? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 532: Master Mu¡¯s Fianc¨¨e? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was dazed while she was trapped in her vortex of thoughts as she felt pain in her chest.

    She was not sure whether she should be angry at him for keeping quiet about this, or to pity him for this horrible past! No wonder he would be anxious whenever she mentioned Mu Lingtian. He had no idea how to express the horrible feeling within him.

    Inspector Zhang observed Xi Xiaye and noticed that her face had turned pale, so he sighed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not exactly a big deal. Who doesn¡¯t have a past of their own? Just think of it as a tiny event in his life. Mu Yuchen is genuinely nice to you. Whether he truly loved Gu Lingsha before or not, you¡¯re the one he¡¯s married to now. Understand?¡± He threw Xi Xiaye a concerned nce.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she raised her head, ncing up at the sky quietly as she blinked her eyes. Her expression calmed down. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Please continue.¡±

    Inspector Zhang nodded. ¡°Qi Qiming is a sly fox. I probably would¡¯ve missed it if I were any less observant, especially if it were people keeping an eye on him during this period of time, not just me. Your husband is probably doing the same thing as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye went silent for a long while. ¡°Thank you, Inspector Zhang. You don¡¯t have to investigate it anymore...¡±

    In a surprise, Inspector Zhang asked, ¡°You¡¯re going to stop? Don¡¯t you want to know the truth?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she closed her eyes to calm down. Control returned to her eyes once again when she reopened them. ¡°I want to know, but I also hope that... I can know the truth from him. He¡¯s looking for some answers too and I can¡¯t do anything about it. The only thing I can do now is to have faith in him.¡±

    Inspector Zhang was stunned for a moment. He stared at Xi Xiaye for some time before he put a smile on. He nodded as he looked over in the same direction as Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°With a man like Mu Yuchen, he¡¯s not someone who¡¯d marry a girl so easily. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re the lucky one, or he¡¯s the lucky one. You¡¯re a smart person, Xi Xiaye. However, not everyone can see things through,¡± Inspector Zhang suddenly said.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Did you find out anything about Qi Lei, Inspector Zhang?¡±

    From the words he said just now, Xi Xiaye noticed that the conflict between Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen...

    ¡°I was just about to mention it. Qi Lei, Gu Lingsha, and Mu Lingtian were very close. Although he¡¯s not on friendly terms with Qi Feng, they¡¯dpromise for the sake of Mu Lingtian, and the siblings seem to have feelings for Gu Lingsha...¡±

    Inspector Zhang did not continue since Xi Xiaye pretty much understood everything.

    However, it pained her heart when she heard Gu Lingsha was once his fianc¨¨e whom he had not told her about. Instead, he said she was just an unimportant person. She was heartbroken when she heard about Mu Lingtian¡¯s betrayal from Inspector Zhang.

    Such a painful experience would surely leave a mark. A fianc¨¨e eloping with someone else, the betrayal of a brother, which indirectly caused an ident and ended up with Mu Lingtian dead and Mu Lingshi disfigured... What else could be worse?

    She suddenly felt that she could rte to the pain very well. While she felt horrible knowing he had had a fianc¨¨e before, she bore the sharp pain out of concern for him too.

    She did not want to admit that she was jealous right now.

    Just who exactly was Gu Lingsha that he would agree to marry her? Even both Qi Feng and Qi Lei had fallen in love with her!

    BOX n o v e l

    ...

    The sun started moving west. It was 4 p.m. in the evening.

    Inspector Zhang left swiftly whilst Xi Xiaye remained at the same spot for a long while. She stood facing the wind as the surrounding air was shrouded in a depressive vibe.

    She sighed after a while and her expression clouded over.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to go home when she got back into the car, but Ji Zitong insisted to go to the hospital. Of course, it was an order from Mu Yuchen. Xi Xiaye was pretty annoyed, but they arrived at Hospital T soon, so she went inside.

    At Hospital T, Dr. Wang gave Xi Xiaye a thorough check-up. While Xi Xiaye was sitting on a bench waiting for her results, Ji Zitong went to fill in the forms for her.

    It waste in the evening at the moment, so the normal office hours ended when they arrived at the hospital. After some time, even the hospital became empty and quiet.

    She was sitting alone on the bench, and there was no one in the corridor. She looked out the window and noticed the night was falling. The sky was turning gray and eventually darker.

    She had a lot ofplications inside. For him to make a marriage proposal willingly and for the Mu family to ept that woman, she must be exceptional, maybe much better than her...

    Then, Mu Lingtian...

    She took a deep breath as a depressed feeling hit her. She bent over exhausted and covered her face with her cold hands as the stormy clouds in her heart covered her tiny body.

    Should she ask him about it?

    Why did he not tell her about this before?

    Was there something between Gu Lingsha and him in the past?

    He said he had only met her several times.

    Many questions troubled her. She felt like she was in an endless dream as a ck vortex stormed over her and she had issues dealing with it to the point that she did not even notice her phone vibrating.

    Her phone continued to vibrate. It had been going on for some time when she finally came back to her senses and noticed it.

 Chapter 533

    <h4>Chapter 533: Upgrade To Parents-To-Be (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong> Trantion

    The phone showed that it was Mu Yuchen calling. She stared at the phone for quite a while before answering it. Mu Yuchen¡¯s low and gentle voice came through from the other end. ¡°Why did it take you so long to pick up? Are you home yet?¡±

    Upon hearing his sensitive voice of concern, she immediately felt a sourness in her heart. She sighed softly before answering with a raspy voice, ¡°No.¡±

    Just with one word, he could already hear her unhappiness. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who made you unhappy now?¡±

    When he did not hear her answer, he continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t Zitong bring you to the hospital?¡±

    She did not answer him and just held onto the phone as her eyes flickered between darkness and light.

    When she did not answer after a long while, he frowned andmanded, ¡°Speak, Xiaye.¡± He turned around in his chair to look out at the city aze with lights out his window, yet his heart started to feel uneasy for some reason.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you right now,¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze and answered inly, her tone clearly gloomy.

    ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m the one who annoyed you?¡±

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he suddenly chuckled softly. With one hand holding onto the slightly cool arm of the chair, his gentle voice was very sensitive. ¡°Tell me. What horrible, wicked thing have I done this time to make you so unhappy? I need to see if I have to self-respect.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed, yet the more she heard such sensitive words, the sadder she felt. She even started to imagine if Gu Lingsha was some devastatingly beautiful woman. Was she a stunning girl with brimming talent?

    Because humans cared, we would be sensitive and vulnerable. Although it was not a good thing, sometimes it was just inevitable.

    After a long while, sheined, ¡°Mu Yuchen, you¡¯ve been dishonest with me...¡±

    Mu Yuchen immediately raised his brows on the other end in surprise. He then smiled helplessly. ¡°How have I been dishonest? I¡¯ve been sitting around in the open waiting for you to get to know me, but I¡¯ve never seen you take an interest in me.¡±

    BOX n o v e l

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. She curled up on the bench, thought about it, and finally decided that she was toozy to make guesses. Asking up front would probably be better.

    ¡°Do you still remember your fianc¨¨, Gu Lingsha? Didn¡¯t you say that you barely knew her? You bastard, you even proposed marriage to her, didn¡¯t you? We¡¯ve been married for so long, yet you never told me about this! What if that womanes back?¡±

    Her tone was a little distant, and the agitation was evident.

    When Xi Xiaye finished, Mu Yuchen was stunned. His still eyes suddenly turned solemn as his handsome brows furrowed into a knot. He looked up at the dim light above him and tried hard to think for a very, very long time.

    Gu Lingsha...

    After a long while, that beautiful and bright face finallypletely appeared in his mind.

    The memory was distant, yet at the mention of this woman¡¯s name, the hostility that he suppressed in his heart suddenly surged out.

    He has long blurred out this woman¡¯s face, but all the things that she had done revealed a bitterness in his eyes. Of course, there was that other person!

    He had been searching for them for many years now, yet he could never find traces of them. It was only recently that some leads began to surface.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly fell silent. Xi Xiaye could also suddenly feel an indescribable suffocating pain as if something was weighing on her chest. She could barely breathe properly. She thought it, then sighed deeply. Her voice remained calm as she dismissed the matter. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Forget it. We¡¯ll talk when I get back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hang up, Xiaye! Let me exin.¡±

    Before she could finish, he suddenly stopped her. His usually calm voice was colored with anxiety now.

    ¡°What do you have to say? You¡¯ve already silently admitted to it. Your beloved fianc¨¨ is much more excellent than I am, and you even proposed to her back then.¡±

    Secondster, his low voice finally demanded calmly, ¡°Who told you that?¡± One could vaguely hear the coldness in it.

    ¡°Who cares who told me as long as it¡¯s the truth? Didn¡¯t you get people to chase after them because she was eloping with Qi Feng back then, ruining your wedding? Do you dare say you¡¯ve only met her a few times? Is there an unforgettable past between you and her?¡±

    ¡°Who says we have any past? I don¡¯t even remember how the hell Gu Lingsha looks like anymore. I only proposed marriage to the Gu family because back then I thought that it didn¡¯t matter who I married. In fact, I wanted to see what the Gu family was up to when they insisted on making that woman marry me.¡±

    Hostility crossed Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face as a stern light shed through his dark eyes.

    ¡°Xiaye, there¡¯s nothing between me and Gu Lingsha. Apart from the invalid so-called arranged betrothal when we were younger, it¡¯s not what you think.¡±

    However, Xi Xiaye still had not heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s exnation. All of a sudden, there was no more sound from the phone. She then realized her phone was out of battery!

    On the other end, Mu Yuchen called over a few times and thought her phone was switched off. Because he was too anxious, he could not sit still and quickly got up. Without packing anything from his desk, he rushed out.

    ¡°Master, the document...¡±

    ¡°Get them to bring it over tomorrow. Prepare the car. Go to Hospital T right away!¡±

    How dare she hang up on him? He would have to teach her a lesson!

    Mr. Mu was really annoyed right now. She should have given him a chance to exin no matter what. What did she mean, just hanging up like that?

    ...

    After waiting for quite a while, Doctor Huang finally walked out from the consulting room with a smile and theb test results in her hand. She looked at Xi Xiaye with her head lowered and silent on the bench before quickly going up and announcing very cheerfully, ¡°Missus Mu, congrattions! You¡¯re pregnant. The fetus is about five weeks old and is very healthy. However, your body is a little weak and needs to be nursed. Here are theb test results. Take a look.¡±

    As Doctor Huang spoke, she handed Xi Xiaye theb test while beaming.

    The moment Xi Xiaye heard her, she was stunned for a moment. The light in her eyes paused, and she almost could not hold back the surge of joy in her heart.

    Really, it really was a positive pregnancy result!

    She could not care less about how unhappy she had been earlier. A full smile lit up her pale face immediately as she quickly took over theb report Doctor Huang handed and looked through it in detail.

    Doctor Huang obviously took in all of Xi Xiaye¡¯s reactions grinning. ¡°You can¡¯t do vigorous exercises in the first three months, and you must watch your food to have a bnced diet. I¡¯ve just prescribed some medication for you and written down the things to take note of. Missus Mu, you must take care of yourself. Remain in a cheerful state of mind, ande for regr check-ups.¡±

 Chapter 534 - Upgrade To Parents-To-Be (2)

    <h4>Chapter 534: Upgrade To Parents-To-Be (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye barely remembered what Doctor Huang said after that. Her head was only filled with one fact: she was pregnant.

    The fetus was five weeks old, so she and Mu Yuchen had a child who was more than a month old.

    She knew that he had been thinking about this. If he woke up in the middle of the night, he would even stare longingly at her belly. For a few nights when she had been in a sleepy daze, she would catch him like that, and those valuable paintings at home had been changed into huge pictures of cute babies. It was easy to tell what he had been thinking about.

    Life was miraculous. After much anticipation, such a bundle of joy had finally arrived. This news was enough to make her burst from delight. She did not realize she had been anticipating this for so long, especially when she saw how Su Nan was like.

    As she thought about this, the joy surged in her heart. She subconsciously felt for her phone, and then remembered that she had been unhappy with him earlier!

    Xiaye decided that to punish this fellow. She would not tell him first, and let him be thest to find out to keep him in suspense!

    However, she could tell her grandpa, Shen Yue, Wang Hui and the rest. Let them be happy about it. With a little oneing, it would be a very blessed thing!

    However, in the midst of her happiness, she seemed to have forgotten that Doctor Huang, who had done the check-up for her, was an appointment arranged by Mu Yuchen. When she was done and had gotten the results, they had already messaged Master Mu to inform him, so he even knew this wonderful news before she did.

    Ji Zitong, who went to pick the medicine up had not returned yet, so she waited quietly. Xi Xiaye did not know how long she had sat there nkly as she looked down and read theb test results over and over again. Her exquisitely beautiful face blossomed with a smile that was ever more radiant. In her trance, there was a whiff of a cold yet familiar fragrance. She seemed to have realized something, so she quickly nced up and realized that the man was standing before her. His unpredictable eyes were watching her with a gentle light.

    Looking at him, the light in her eyes became even more dazzling. She was about to get up to him, yet in the next instant, she immediately put on a straight face and quickly hid theb test results behind her and turned away, not looking at him.

    He narrowed his eyes and his handsome face shed with a demonic smile as he gently enticed her. ¡°Missus, show me that thing in your hand.¡±

    Sulking, Xi Xiaye hid it very well. She red at him as she stood up, and was about to leave when he immediately came up to her and put her into his embrace in the next instant. Her hand that held theb results were locked behind her against the wall too. Because his tall figure held her down, she could not move at all.

    Ignoring her dark eyes that contained unhappiness, he immediately pried her slender fingers away and took the wrinkledb report. Squinting at the text, his noble, handsome face instantly brimmed with tenderness as he chuckled. ¡°Missus, all your efforts weren¡¯t wasted after all. My dear, we have a child!¡±

    The smile that curled up on his face was as radiant as the rainbow. He could not hold back his happiness, but he could not care less about expressing his thrill while his slender hand subconsciously caressed Xiaye¡¯s belly. She then pushed him away and blushed. ¡°What are you doing?! This is a hospital. There are cameras!¡±

    When she said that, Master Mu then realized that he had forgotten himself. He quickly fixed her clothes and her messy hair as he said apologetically, ¡°I was too impatient...¡±

    Initially, he was a little annoyed, but seeing her at this moment, all of his sourness was wiped out. This was extremely wonderful news!

    ¡°You didn¡¯t exin to me what your fianc¨¨e Gu Lingsha was all about!¡± Xi Xiaye put on a straight face. Clearly, she had not forgotten the unhappiness earlier!

    Of course, she felt that it was best to ask him directly to avoid getting all depressed and guessing things herself. They said they were going to trust one another fully anyway, so she should be able to ask him anything.

    The moment Xi Xiaye finished, Mu Yuchen shot her a side look and said, ¡°Who cares about Gu Lingsha?! I don¡¯t even remember how the hell she looks like. I¡¯ve got nothing to do with her. It¡¯s only when the Gu family came looking for me that I found out about the engagement. Even though the Mus and the Gus were family friends back then, I¡¯ve always stayed at school even during vacations, so we barely met. Don¡¯t put the two of us together!¡±

    When he blurted all this out, the man even seemed quite cold.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got nothing to do with each other, then why did you propose for marriage?¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. Out of sight, out of mind, she turned away to ignore him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think it is. If you must have an exnation, then I¡¯ll give you one. It was just a trick of mine. As horrible as I am, I wouldn¡¯t be this desperate. Initially, when I found out about her and Qi Feng, I proposed rejecting the arranged marriage and was willing to let them be together, but it was them who didn¡¯t want it.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen mentioned this matter, he was quite troubled.

    Then, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that back then after the tender meeting, when he and Qi Lei bumped into each other, they seemed to be...

    ¡°You...¡± she softly spoke and was about to say something, yet after a while, she did not what to say either.

    When she looked up at him, his gloomy expression had returned to its usual indifference. He leaned down to hold her in his arms, and lift her up. He looked down at her, his tone bing much more at ease and gentle now. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be angry with me because of these things. No matter what, you¡¯re Missus Mu, and you even have a baby now. What are you worried about? If you¡¯re willing to listen, I will simply repeat it for you.¡±

    As he spoke, he walked ahead in huge strides. Xi Xiaye struggled for a while, wanting to get down, yet he hugged her even tighter. Helplessly, she could only let him be.

    ¡°There¡¯s actually nothing to talk about. This marriage was randomly decided upon when Grandfather had too much to drink back then, yet the Gu family actually took it seriously. Grandfather and Mother were unhappy with each other about this. You know my mother¡¯s a very open-minded woman. She would never agree with this so-called bethrotal at childhood. When I retired from the army, she and my father thought of many ways to help me reject this marriage, especially after Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng became a harmonious couple. So, initially, this marriage caused dispute too. After all, Gu Lingsha was a half-fianc¨¨e of mine too. It was only after I retired from the army that I officially met her. Prior to that, we didn¡¯t have much contact.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was very calm as he narrated the background of the matter. The light in his eyes seemed hazy as if he was chasing a very, very distant memory.

 Chapter 535 - Upgrade To Parents-To-Be (3)

    <h4>Chapter 535: Upgrade To Parents-To-Be (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His initial unhappiness was instantly chased away by the arrival of the child. When Mu Yuchen walked out of the hospital all rxed and calm, it was early evening. The car was parked right beside the road.

    When they saw them walking over, the bodyguards in ck quickly opened the car door.

    When they got into the car, Xi Xiaye said, ¡°Assistant Li Si, call Zitong. Hmm, she¡¯s worked hard today. Tell her to go home soon. Later on, just get them to send the things over.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Missus!¡± Li Si answered with a smile. It was rare to see the tenderness openly shining in Master¡¯s eyes. The way he was so careful only meant that there must be some good news. As he thought about this, he thought about letting the old Chairman know as soon as possible so that they could be happy about it too!

    Mu Yuchen very honestly exined everything to Xi Xiaye. Even though it was a little different from what Detective Zhang said, it was about the same overall.

    ¡°Lingtian and Qi Feng, Qi Lei, and Gu Lingsha were great friends. Back then, Lingtian was ssmates with them, but they weren¡¯t in City S High School, but in XX High School.¡±

    He settled Xi Xiaye in, and then pulled a pillow to put behind her as he tried hard to recall.

    ¡°XX High School?¡± Xi Xiaye softly muttered. She tilted her head and thought for a while before she said in shock, ¡°That seems to be the most famous elite school in the whole city, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s quite simr to City S High School, but that¡¯s where most children from aristocratic families gathered.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Him, Lingshi and Ah Mo studied there. Su Chen, Zhou Zimo and I were at City S High School, so they were quite close. In fact, I¡¯m older than them by a few years, so we don¡¯t gel quite well.¡±

    ¡°Well, as they say, there¡¯s a generation gap every three years which sounds quite logical too. No wonder you and I had a generation gap back then too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye now remembered that this man was three or four years older than her. Sometimes, he felt more like her senior such as her father or elder brother, and even her so-called husband, especially when he tried to lecture her about something.

    ¡°What generational gap could we possibly have? Aren¡¯t we getting along well right now?¡± he objected and answered. His jet ck eyes subconsciously nced at her belly. Xi Xiaye could not help butugh at that expression, yet he continued the topic earlier, ¡°As for Gu Lingsha, I just want to exin once more to you that she¡¯s got nothing to do with me. This did not change in the past and will not change in the future, so you don¡¯t have to care about her. Just remember that she¡¯s an unimportant person.¡±

    Mu Yuchen clearly did not want to remember this woman much. Apart from his own woman, he did not give two hoots about other women. Other people always said that he was inherently cold and apathetic, but he knew himself well enough that as great as someone could be, it had nothing to do with him. He was simply contented with her.

    From the way it looked, loyalty to her was not difficult. What was hard was that not everyone could see it clearly. Ack of self-restraint at the moment could bring endless trouble. If one did not want to err, then they would have to be self-disciplined. Of course, he did not have much thought about this. With all of the passion that he had for her, he had nothing extra to give.

    ¡°Okay, now you¡¯re clear about this. Because of this, Grandfather and Mother were quite upset. It was only after that that things became better. Just don¡¯t ask about it in front of the two of them. If you want to know even more, then go ask Grandfather and Grandmother. The two of them probably knew about the whole matter best.¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen finally seemed to being to an end. With one hand, he circled Xi Xiaye¡¯s frail shoulders and pulled her into his broad chest. He could feel her warm temperature very quickly through his chest. ¡°Next time, don¡¯t be unhappy with me about these petty things. You¡¯re the most precious one to me. I always listen to you, don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Who told you to be so vague and not exin it earlier? Suddenly, I have to find out that you had a fianc¨¨e.¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him as she looked down at his hand that was on her belly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your charm is enough to push her back by ten miles. You¡¯re not even on the same level. How old is it?¡± He was emotionless in the first half of the sentence. Then, his gentleness emerged heard in the second half.

    ¡°Five weeks...¡± she softly responded.

    He probed around, but he did not dare to feel too hard as he asked a little puzzled, ¡°That¡¯s a long wait then. Why can¡¯t I feel anything?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only five weeks. It¡¯s probably not even the size of an egg. You¡¯d probably feel it only around two or three months. Back then, Su Nan¡¯s bump was only more obvious around the fourth or fifth month.¡±

    As Xiaye spoke, she drew a little egg in the air. After she thought about it, she then turned to look at him. Her eyes flickered with a faint radiance as she asked in anticipation, ¡°Hey, would you like a boy or a girl?¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s from you, I¡¯d like either, but I do hope even more that this would be a girl. When she grows up, she could be closer to you, go shopping and get facials with you. I¡¯m afraid boys aren¡¯t that considerate. He¡¯d have to be like me. He¡¯d have to have a taste of all of the hardship I went through. Otherwise, he¡¯d think that we had him just to let him enjoy life!¡±

    Mr. Mu now began to anticipate their life hereon after.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like boys? What if I have a boy?¡± Xi Xiaye began to worry about the future. The image of Su Nan and those words suddenly shed across her mind. She quickly felt her belly nervously. That exquisitely beautiful little face looked uneasily at him as she muttered, ¡°Mu Yuchen, do you think I¡¯ll be as fat as a ball? Would you not like me then? And then if I give birth to a boy, would you not like me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen immediatelyughed softly and helplessly. He reached out to touch her head. ¡°Can¡¯t you just think more positively? Your fullness will just make you seem more prosperous and spirited. That¡¯s not a bad thing. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you have a boy or a girl. Just let things be.¡±

    She frowned and said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like that.¡±

    ¡°I already said I¡¯d still like you. Still, it¡¯s you who¡¯s worried yourself. Later on, I¡¯ll get you a professional nutritionist to watch your diet. That way, you won¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    ¡°If this is going to be a boy, then in a few more years, let¡¯s have another one...¡±

    ¡°One is enough.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like my children?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡±

 Chapter 536 - Upgrade To Parents-To-Be (4)

    <h4>Chapter 536: Upgrade To Parents-To-Be (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At the Mu Residence at night.

    After a simple dinner and some tea, the whole family took a break together. Wang Hui was sitting by the table and going through her old letters, mostly consisting of some trivial matters and photos. She would take a look at them whenever she was bored to reminisce the past. With her getting older, she could only think about what she had done when she was younger, and what was memorable to her.

    Mu Yinan was sitting on a rattan chair nearby, reading a book with the help of his sses.

    ¡°Hey, I really think that I¡¯m getting old now. I feel so sentimental every time I look at these pictures. It feels like we just joined the army yesterday. How did we get old in the blink of an eye?¡± Wang Hui touched the old photos as she said.

    Mu Yinan averted his gaze from his book and looked at his wife. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just how it goes. Do you still think that you¡¯re twenty over years old? Even Tangchuan is past 50 now!¡±

    ¡°My body is still holding up fine. Hopefully, I can live long enough to see Xiaye and Chen Er¡¯s child grow up. They¡¯ve been married for half a year. Why is there no news at all? Do you think they don¡¯t care about this at all? Chen Er is going to be 32 soon, and I¡¯m pretty worried about them. Xiaye should be around 27 or 28, isn¡¯t she?¡± mentioned Wang Hui anxiously.

    ¡°Leave the youngsters alone and let things flow naturally. Moreover, they¡¯re busy now. Shen Yue is getting old and retiring soon. He¡¯s got it much rougher than us. Shen Yue¡¯s been alone for a long time. Hasn¡¯t he thought of finding another partner? Liang Fuhua passed away so many years ago.¡± Mu Yinan sighed.

    Wang Hui red at Mu Yinan the moment he finished his sentence. ¡°What do you know? Shen Yue is just an army recruit who had nothing. Just who do you think Liang Fuhua is? It¡¯s his blessing that she got together with him!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, didn¡¯t Shen Yue treat her really well afterward? Sure, Shen Yue was like a thug. I wonder how he ended up with Liang Fuhua. Her admirers could fill up a ser field. I don¡¯t understand what she saw in Shen Yue. And then there¡¯s you, I doubt there¡¯s anyone as good-looking and talented as I am among your admirers. Why did you even dislike me at first?¡±

    ¡°Liang Fuhua has excellent taste. If I really have to point it out, you¡¯re definitely not better than Shen Yue.¡±

    ¡°How is he better than me? I¡¯m born prestigious and a gentleman. How is he better?¡±

    ¡°Just by the fact that he loves his wife faithfully, that¡¯s so much better than you! For hispany, Fu Hua Property, he used Liang Fuhua¡¯s name. What about you? Before you knew me, you were just another yboy. Do you think you¡¯re better because you have more money?¡±

    Mu Yinan realized he had made a mistake. He should not have mentioned this. Women were especially scary when talking about the past. He had experienced this many times before!

    When he first got married to Wang Hui, she could easily pin him down and he could not do anything. After that, people knew Mu Yinan had gotten himself a fierce wife and had be a typical wife ve.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk to you about it again!¡±

    If he continued they would probably start an argument again. After all, they had been going at it for several decades!

    As Wang Hui was about to say something, the telephone started ringing. Mu Yinan went to pick it up.

    It was a call from Li Si!

    ¡°Elder President, I¡¯m Li Si!¡± Li Si¡¯s voice came through.

    ¡°Oh, Li Si? It¡¯s been a while since you called me. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Li Si had worked for Mu Yinan before. More specifically, Mu Yinan trained Li Si to be Mu Yuchen¡¯s assistant. As a smart and capable young man, Mu Yinan thought highly of him.

    ¡°Are you doing well?¡±

    ¡°Great!¡±

    Li Si had just gotten off work before he quickly gave Mu Yinan a call. ¡°Elder President, I¡¯m calling you today to congratte you. Has Master told you yet?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what?¡±

    Mu Yinan found it odd. He had just called them this afternoon to ask about Xiaye, so Li Si¡¯s congrattory message was weird.

    ¡°What? Elder President, Missus is pregnant. Didn¡¯t Master tell you?¡±

    ¡°P-pregnant? Do you mean I¡¯m going to have a great-grandchild soon?

    ...

    This was massive news, especially to Wang Hui who was sitting by the table! She was already listening in when Mu Yinan spoke on the phone. When she heard the news, she dropped whatever she had in her hands and rushed over, confirming it with Li Si again!

    That night, everyone in the Mu Residence worked hard until midnight.

    The next morning, at the Maple Residence.

    Mu Yuchen woke up early on a weekend. As he was about to make breakfast, he found Mu Tangchuan sitting on the sofa when he went downstairs. Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong were giving instructions to Sis Wang and the others, swapping out the potted nts. Mu Yuchen had no idea what they were called, but the new nts were all fresh and green, making the environment smell great.

    A lot of stuff was being hauled into the storeroom.

    Zhuang Shurong was making breakfast as Wang Hui just stood beside the door. Mu Yinan should be in the back yard since he was always concerned about the flowers whenever he came over.

    ¡°Put these into the wardrobe separately. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be of use in two months¡¯ time, and this... rearrange it over there.¡±

    This family acted quickly on the information. Mu Yuchen knew that they had already found out about Xi Xiaye¡¯s pregnancy by the looks of it.

    ¡°Master, please let us through!¡± A servant who was holding some anti-slip floor mats was going up the staircase.

    Mu Yuchen moved away slightly and went downstairs.

    When the servant¡¯s voice was heard, Mu Tangchuan looked over at the staircase.

 Chapter 537 - Important Protectee (1)

    <h4>Chapter 537: Important Protectee (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen gave a simple greeting and sat down on the sofa as he poured himself a cup of tea.

    ¡°This is a lot of people here in the morning. You guys have a lot of free time.¡± Mu Yuchen sipped some tea before ncing over at Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing to gather people for a celebration. I haven¡¯t scolded you about not telling us immediately! You¡¯re going to be a father soon. Act like one.¡±

    As always, Mu Tangchuan was always gentle and serious. ¡°I¡¯ve just analyzed Xiaye¡¯s matter with your grandfather. We know that someone¡¯s behind it, so be careful on your own. A lot of things have happenedtely, but I¡¯m not going to pry too much into it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I understand.¡± Mu Yuchen did not want to exin too much, so he lowered his head and gazed at his tea cup.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that you¡¯re investigating your aunt again. Xiaye looked for Sis Lan too. Is that right?¡± Mu Tangchuan stopped moving and asked.

    Mu Yuchen put down his cup as he leaned into the sofa. ¡°Lingshi has always wanted to know about her father. This can¡¯t remain in the dark forever. It¡¯ll be irresponsible to Aunty and Lingshi. No matter what, there should be something.¡± His tone of voice was cold.

    ¡°I¡¯ve put in a lot of effort into this before, but I couldn¡¯t find that person. As your aunt insisted, your mother and I gave up in the end.¡±

    Mu Zixi¡¯s matter was a heavy topic for the Mu family, and they rarely brought it up. Mu Tangchuan must have given it a lot of consideration before bringing it up today.

    ¡°Mmm, while your grandparents hardly talked about it, they probably had the same thoughts too. Your grandmother was so furious that she almost chased your aunt out when she was pregnant with Lingtian. She cried every day for a period of time after your aunt¡¯s death, but in the end, she calmed down and took care of Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°Sis Lan and your aunt were very close back then. I bet she knows something, but we couldn¡¯t find out anything from her. She just told us to give up and take care of both Lingtian and Lingshi.¡± Mu Tangchuan searched through his memories.

    Mu Yuchen stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up, ¡°Father, I have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan drank some tea and looked at Mu Yuchen in doubt. He rarely saw such a heavy expression on him.

    ¡°Did Aunty mention a Mr. Wen to you back then?¡± asked Mu Yuchen directly.

    Mu Tangchuan frowned instantly. ¡°Mr. Wen? This name sounds familiar.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something rted to Mr. Wen. He should be the one behind Xiaye getting blocked in the tunnel the other time as well as this scandal. When Xiaye approached Sis Lan, Mr. Wen was involved in their conversation too. I arranged my thoughts and realized that Mr. Wen ising for me. There are only two reasons he might being for me. The first is that I¡¯m involved with Glory World, and the other for revenge. Aside from the Gu family and the Qi family, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone else who¡¯d hate me this much. However, after I gave it some thought, there could be one more person.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Mu Tangchuan¡¯s eyes turned cold as he looked at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Lingtian and Lingshi¡¯s biological father,¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he looked into Mu Tangchuan¡¯s eyes. ¡°On Lingtian¡¯s birthday, Xiaye and I met a man when we visited their graves. He even brought Lingtian a cake. I asked Li Si and the others to investigate, but we couldn¡¯t find anything. The cake shop owner said that the man asked her to deliver the cake to his car outside, so she couldn¡¯t see his face.¡±

    ¡°With that being said, if that person intended to hide his tracks, and we¡¯re unable to find him after so many years, he must be extraordinary to a certain extent.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s what I thought as well.¡±

    ¡°Do you suspect that Mr. Wen is Lingshi¡¯s father?¡± Mu Tangchuan squinted at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen grinned. ¡°I won¡¯t make a conclusion without any proof, but what we know now is that Mr. Wen must know something. If he¡¯s not Lingshi¡¯s father, he would at least be affiliated with him.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye woke up and went downstairs after she washed up. Needless to say, she was shocked by themotion.

    The whole floor was ced with anti-slip mats, and the curtains had been changed into warm-colored tones as if the whole house had been refurbished.

    After a simple breakfast, Wang Hui started telling her a long list of things to be careful about.

    ¡°You just got pregnant! It¡¯ll feel odd at first, but after several months when the child starts to move around, your state of mind will change, and you¡¯ll be more aware of your maternal instincts. You¡¯ll then realize your heart bes softer, and you¡¯ll be more courageous. The little thing inside you will be as important as your own life.¡±

    Wang Hui held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands. She was kind and gentle as she put on a smile.

    ¡°Grandmother...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was about to pull away, feeling awkward when they made such a big fuss out of it. She looked at Mu Yuchen for help, but he was just calmly reading his newspaper.

    ¡°I¡¯ve talked to your mother. Xiaye, why don¡¯t youe to stay in the Mu Residence? It¡¯s easier for us to take care of you, and Chen Er can work on his own. Your mother and I will take care of you, so we can be at ease too.¡±

    Let Xiaye stay at Mu Residence and leave him alone in Maple Residence?

    Mu Yuchen definitely did not want that!

    ¡°Sis Wang will stay here. You guys don¡¯t have to worry,¡± he replied almost instantly to Wang Hui¡¯s suggestion.

    Xi Xiaye felt self-conscious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. It¡¯s only been a month now. There are a lot of things I need to learn from Grandpa at this time. I can give myself a holiday and spend more time with Grandpa. I have quite a lot of free time nowadays anyway.¡±

    ¡°Have you told your grandpa about this? He¡¯ll be really thrilled,¡± Wang Hui suddenly mentioned Shen Yue.¡±

 Chapter 538 - Important Protectee (2)

    Chapter 538: Important Protectee (2)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she heard Wang Hui. She did not reply and instead looked at the man beside her.

    ¡°Li Si has informed him already. We¡¯ll head over to the Shen Residence soon,¡± said Mu Yuchen.

    Wang Hui nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Go back more often if you guys have the time. I know your grandpa is trying to let you take over Fu Hua, but I think it¡¯s not suitable for Xiaye to do so right now.¡±

    She frowned further. ¡°You have a frail body, and there¡¯ll be more hardships toe. Leave these worrisome matters for the future.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. My body is fine. I¡¯m only in the first month of pregnancy. Grandpa has prepared a group of elites, and Chen is helping me out as well. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get on track very quickly. It¡¯s actually quite easy.¡±

    She then shot Mu Yuchen a re.

    Wang Hui intended to have her stay at home, and she did not want that. She knew very well how her body was holding up. She did not want to stay immobilized at home for her whole pregnancy, and with Shen Yue¡¯s health deteriorating, she did not want him to work anymore.

    ¡°That can¡¯t do. It¡¯s a huge matter. Just stay at home and rest.¡± Wang Hui sounded determined. Xi Xiaye did not know what to say so she kicked the man beside her. Mu Yuchen turned over to look at her helpless expression, chuckling lightly. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll arrange it. Let her do whatever she¡¯s happy with.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was calm, but it was one you could not reject.

    As Wang Hui was about to say something, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing. It seemed to be a business-rted matter, so he let go of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand as he stood up and walked upstairs while he spoke on the phone.

    After rearranging the Maple Residence and lunch, Wang Hui and the others returned to the Mu Residence. Before they left, they gave Xi Xiaye another round of reminders.

    Sis Wang was an experienced nurse before, so it was a piece of cake for her to take care of Xi Xiaye. Mu Yuchen even let her stay in the Maple Residence for convenience. They cleaned up a room on the first floor and let her stay there. Besides that, the Mu Residence also sent another servant and a chef over.

    Mu Yuchen had been getting really busy since Xi Xiaye got pregnant. He took up Xi Xiaye¡¯s role in the South River project. In addition to it being the middle of the year, the data for several projects came up and required his attention, so he had been workingte for a few days.

    The same applied to Xi Xiaye as well, but she had it much easierpared to Mu Yuchen who had assigned her minimal work, mostly just to let her kill time. Xi Xiaye¡¯s daily schedule went like this: she followed Shen Yue around in Fu Hua in the morning to learn about the operations. She would then meet Mu Yuchen for lunch and then rest in his office. In the afternoon, she would help out with Glory World¡¯s project.

    Of course, she had Ji Zitong by her side. After several days, they were not as distant as before, and sometimes they could strike up a conversation.

    On the day of the Qixi festival, Xi Xiaye thought Mu Yuchen would visit Mu Zi¡¯s grave again, but he did not seem like he was going to. Instead, he asked Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi to bring two bouquets of white lilies over.

    After working through the whole morning in the office, Mu Yuchen was a little worried when Xi Xiaye was not there yet. He looked outside the window and noticed the sun was slowly setting in the west. He called her phone, but he could not reach her, causing him to frown instantly.

    As he was about to give Ji Zitong a call, there was a sudden knock on the door and his secretary came in.

    Li Si had been traveling to and fro City Z and City B after he took over Ah Mo¡¯s role for Movie City. Mu Yuchen had two other secretaries now, and Secretary Bai was one of them. He was capable and was part of the team Mu Yuchen had brought back from abroad. After half a year of being here, he was thoroughly familiar with Glory World¡¯s operations now.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, this is the document submitted by the Administrative Department. Please take a look.¡± Secretary Bai put the document onto the table.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, then he asked, ¡°Did you see Director Xi when you went to the nning Department just now?¡±

    Secretary Bai paused before replying, ¡°I just wanted to tell you. Director Xi just called and said she¡¯s going to the cemetery. She told you not to wait for her and she¡¯ll head back directly to the Maple Residenceter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked down, not saying anything for a while. ¡°What day is it today?¡±

    He remembered the Qixi Festival passed a while ago, and she had mentioned that she would be visiting Xi Jiyang¡¯s grave in a few days.

    Xi Jiyang...

    It had been roughly three months...

    He had passed away for three months already!

    It was just in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°It¡¯s the 14th of July. Everyone says it¡¯s the Zhongyuan Festival now, but it¡¯s not really that popr anymore, especially for city folks.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded quietly as he put his phone on the table. He turned his chair and faced the sky outside. ¡°Okay, you can leave now.¡±

    ...

    14th of July.

    Xi Xiaye was not particrly familiar with this day. She just happened to hear someone mention it some time ago. After some people from the rural area said they were going back to visit their ancestor¡¯s graves, she then remembered.

    Xi Jiyang had passed away for some time already, and she rarely took notice of what was happening with the Xi family.

    She heard that Deng Wenwen was quite unstable in the rehabilitation center. With Xi Mushan being absent in City Z, Mu Yuchen sent Li Si to visit her. Of course, Mu Yuchen never told her about it since he did not want to burden her anymore.

    As for news about Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi, she had not heard about them for a very long time now. Yueying seemed to be getting better because of Xi Xinyi, but there was totally no information about Yue Lingsi at all. Apparently, the people from the Yue family were furious to find out about her scandal. Even Elder Yue was almost hospitalized from high blood pressure.

    Everything that happened reyed scene by scene in her mind. Xi Xiaye felt like she was dreaming.

 Chapter 539 - Important Protectee (3)

    <h4>Chapter 539: Important Protectee (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car drove through the cold and pass the silent roads. Soon, it stopped slowly by the roadside magnolias.

    After Ji Zitong parked the car, she softly called out to Xi Xiaye who sat in the back seat with a solemn expression as if there was a lot on her mind, ¡°Director Xi, we¡¯ve reached Qingshan Cemetery!¡±

    After she heard Ji Zitong, Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She eased herself from her trance and then turned to look out the window. What greeted her were the silent tombstones up ahead.

    ¡°Okay, wait for me here. I¡¯ll go up myself.¡±

    Xi Xiaye carried a bouquet of daisies as she pushed the car door open to get down.

    Because she could observe the situation at the tombstones up there from her position, after some thought, Ji Zitong nodded. ¡°Okay, be careful, Director Xi.¡±

    Xi Xiaye replied her with a smile, and then made her way upwards. Ji Zitong got down from the car and stood beside it, her gaze following Xi Xiaye¡¯s every movement.

    The grave keeper of this cemetery frequently cleaned the ce. As she walked over, she noticed that apart from some fallen leaves, the ground was like the tombstones, practically spotless.

    Xi Xiaye walked slowly up the flight of stairs, following the route based on her memory and made a turn. When she looked over, the figure that greeted her took her by surprise!

    Han Yifeng?

    Why was he here?

    Dressed in a dark tailor-made tuxedo, he stood there all alone silently in front of Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone. From the side, his expression seemed a little lonely and bleak. He stood there unmoving. By the looks of it, he seemed to have been there for quite a while!

    She did not expect him toe. Even if someone were to visit, it should be Xi Xinyi...

    When Xi Xiaye stopped to examine him, Han Yifeng seemed to have realized her presence. He subconsciously turned around and indeed, he saw her.

    She was dressed in a ck dress, and her hair was casually tied into a neat bun. She looked frail and slender while her fairplexion was cold and graceful. She seemed to look the same as before, yet as he studied her, he seemed to have realized that a lot of things had changed.

    Han Yifeng was obviously surprised to see her too. It was only when he drove past those little alleys and saw people selling paper cutouts and mock ingots that he found out it was the Zhongyuan Festival today. He thought about how Xi Mushan was abroad, and Xi Jiyang had been nice to him before, so he came.

    Xi Xiaye only hesitated for a moment before she walked over.

    ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m surprised to see you here.¡± Han Yifeng looked at Xi Xiaye beside him. It was hard to hide the hint of happiness in his deep tone. He did not know why his gloomy mood for the past few days instantly lifted at the sight of her. The gloomy clouds rolled away, letting the sunshine in.

    Xi Xiaye did not answer him as she just silently bowed and put the white daisies on Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone. She stared at that familiar face on that tombstone, and after a while, she suddenly got up and gently closed her eyes. Her expression was calm as she silently said a prayer.

    Han Yifeng did not bother her either. He just silently watched her from the side.

    It was at this moment that he could see the tranquility and distance between her brows. She did not seem as cold as usual, yet it made him feel a faint a heartache at this sight. In his daze, he suddenly realized that it felt like they were on two ends of a straight line. Apart from what held them together in the middle, they were actually bing more and more distant, and they would never meet in the middle again.

    Han Yifeng thought about many things, including the past, the present, and the future. He then realized that he had been wrong right from the start. Even though Xiaye did not like to speak back then, she did not know how to defend herself and was quite reclusive, yet she was very kind and gentle!

    He had seen her buy all the flowers from those sellers many times because she could not bear to see them work so hard, and wanted them to rest earlier. In fact, she would always visit ces like orphanages.

    How could someone like her have the heart to frame Xi Xinyi?

    And why did he time and time again ignore all her kind intentions?

    Why had he been so heartless back then?

    She had done so much, so he should at least be moved, yet back then he felt nothing at all. Even right now, every time he thought about those things, he would feel happy yet heartbroken.

    He was happy because she had actually been so good to him, and heartbroken because he knew that he would never have that again.

    Every time he reminisced these things, he would feel more and more guilt towards her. At the same time, among these beautiful memories, she began to take more and more space in his heart.

    He was very depressed, but he would not tell her because from the looks of it, he knew that she was doing well, and that was enough for him.

    Mu Yuchen could bring her far more happiness than he could ever. Even Han Yifeng admired a man like that.

    When he saw the sadness gradually surface between her brows, he suddenly could not help but console her. ¡°Grandfather is doing better on the other side, Xiaye. Don¡¯t feel too sad.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye slowly opened her eyes and looked calmly at the tombstone before her, her tone slightly apathetic. ¡°On the other side? We still don¡¯t know whether there¡¯s really reincarnation in this world. Perhaps humans are like this. Even if we lived gloriously before, or went through many hardships, once we leave this world, everything vanished into thin air. In the end, we take nothing with us.¡±

    Listening to her say all this, Han Yifeng paused and then sighed softly. ¡°Yes, once we leave, we¡¯ll be gone forever. I hope that all of this unhappiness can finally be settled too,¡± he said sadly.

    However, he knew well that this was only his hope. Xi Xinyi had already...

    As Xi Xiaye listened, a sneer curled on her lips. She did not answer. Instead, she leaned down and looked at Xi Jiyang¡¯s photo.

    ¡°It¡¯s already been three months, but it feels like it was just yesterday. Xiaye, sometimes I really hope that there is a so-called exchange. I would use my next 10 or 20 years of life to change for a chance to return to the past. Maybe we... we could...¡±

    Han Yifeng fixed her eyes on her. Then, he saw that a light shifted in her twinkling eyes which were as clear as autumn waters.

    ¡°There is no maybe. There are many unhappy things in the past. If it were back then, I might have thought the same things as you, but now, I¡¯m not willing to anymore. Instead of evading all these facts from the past and limiting ourselves, it¡¯d be better to face it bravely. When you are left with nothing, you¡¯ll realize that there¡¯s not much to lose.¡±

 Chapter 540 - Important Protectee (4)

    <h4>Chapter 540: Important Protectee (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye said this, she was suddenly reminded of her old self.

    When some pain was being put before us, they seemed to magnify, but no matter what, one would need to go on. Evading would only be the action of a coward.

    After that, Xi Xiaye did not continue or look at Han Yifeng either. Her gaze remained on the tombstone before her.

    ¡°Grandfather, I hope that you¡¯re doing well. Without those worries, you can live happier!¡± she said before turning around to leave.

    Han Yifeng subconsciously turned around. He was about to chase after her, yet as he was about to take a step, he realized that he had no reason to go after her. He thought about it and finally halted his steps in sorrow.

    The sky was turning dark. The car passed through the bustling city, driving through the silent tunnel. When they returned to the Maple Residence, it was already past 7 p.m.

    The lights at home were all switched on. Xi Xiaye went to the kitchen after setting her stuff aside. As expected, she saw the man dressed leisurely and preparing dinner. She could smell the aroma of the food from afar.

    She strolled into the kitchen and watched him work around skillfully, looking all focused with concentration. Her heart warmed as she walked up to him from behind and hugged him by the waist.

    When he felt his waist suddenly clutched tightly and the softness pressing against his back, he paused what he was doing and looked down at the arm circling him. His gentle voice queried, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Upon hearing his sensitive voice of concern, she suddenly felt sad. She did not know whether it was because she was pregnant with the little thing that she had suddenly be all sensitive.

    She struggled for a while and finally said, ¡°Nothing, I just... wanted to hug you for a while.¡± She did not care about being reserved now.

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, he obviously felt satisfied. His heart melted into a puddle and a smile shed across his handsome face. He immediately turned around and pulled her into his embrace. Seeing her clear eyes watch him, he lowered his head to kiss her.

    However, it was just a short, gentle kiss. Otherwise, he was worried that he would not be able to control himself. The fetus was only two months old. The days were going to be long after this, and he could already imagine that for a very long time after this, he would need to live like a celibate monk.

    He sighed, then pulled her away. Upon seeing her misty eyes, warmth spread from his palm as he touched her still t belly and sighed. ¡°This little thing is really torturing.¡±

    When she heard hisment, Xiaye was stunned. Then, she immediately blushed and scowled down at his caressing hand before, sheughed. ¡°How long has it been since we found out? Weren¡¯t you... quite pure of heart and free of desire previously?¡±

    ¡°Well, that would depend on who it was. You know this well.¡± He did not know the meaning of shame as he spoke very seriously, ¡°Missus, one is enough. Too many children trante into more worries. In fact...¡±

    Master Mu thought that having this one child was enough. If they had a few more in the future, they would need to spend more thought on them. Once the child arrived, she would definitely shift her focus, then he would probably slide far down the ranks!

    Besides that, he did not want to go against his self-interest.

    ¡°No, at least two. A boy and a girl would be best.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned at him. ¡°Just one would be too lonely. Do you not like children?¡±

    ¡°A boy and a girl? You¡¯ve got to see if I¡¯m that fertile! As long as you give birth to them, I¡¯d definitely like them. What nonsense are you thinking about now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen wanted to say something more, but seeing her determined manner, he could not bear to go against her now.

    When the child arrived and her figure changed, he was sure that she would not be this determined!

    Besides, it was not easy to be parents. By the looks of her, she probably had the potential to be a hot mom.

    Actually, Mu Yuchen was slightly torn. Even though he hoped to have a child with her, he was not ready to be a father at all. He simply could not even imagine how he would be like as a father, and how it would like to have a little devil following him.

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to dislike your child. Do you remember what you said to me?¡± Xi Xiaye squinted with seriousness in her eyes as she fixed her gaze on him.

    He could not help butugh as he raised his brows. ¡°What did I say?¡±

    ¡°As a father, you must y the role of a good father, teacher, friend, and brother all at the same time. In order for our child not to be distant from us in the future, we must always pull ourselves closer to him and teach him ourselves.¡± Xi Xiaye seemed to already be prepared with ns on how to raise the child.

    As he listened, he just spread his hands open. ¡°Okay, you are now the home¡¯s most important protector. Whatever you say goes, okay? Your Majesty?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, she was delighted and nodded dly. ¡°Of course! Mr. Mu, you¡¯re bing more and more self-aware. Your Majesty will reward you well.¡±

    ¡°What reward? Your Majesty? You only know how to make things go your way.¡± He looked amusedly at her as faint anticipation twinkled in his eyes.

    ¡°Mmm? Nah, for you!¡± Mu Yuchen only felt a sh of full-blown flirtatiousness before his eyes. When he stopped to look, he realized that there was a blossoming rose in front of him.

    This girl had been giving him little gifts randomly recently. Two days ago, she gave him an exquisite tie clip, and the day before that, it was a cute pink pig that she had drawn. Today, it was a stalk of rose!

    ¡°Why are you suddenly being all sweet to me today?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not think that this girl would do all these for no reason. By the look in her eyes, these past few days, he felt like she was not the same as before. Apart from the usual sentiments, there was an additional nervousness which he believed that he could see through.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, your charm is off the charts. I just want to be sweet to you. Aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Xi Xiaye beamed and shot a look at him. Her hands were stretched out behind her as she lifted her chin defiantly.

    ¡°My charm has always been the same. I know I¡¯ve always been irresistible to you, but I¡¯m a little overwhelmed by this love.¡±

    He lowered his head and smelled the fragrance of the flower. His handsome smiling face greeted her, and she could not help but feel like she had been bewitched. After a while, she said softly, ¡°Earlier, I just casually plucked it from the flowerbed...¡±

    Indeed!

    He smiled and patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ll ept your goodwill. Okay, go outside and wait for me. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±

    She then nodded and silently walked out of the kitchen as she thought about whether to tell him about how she had bumped into Han Yifeng.

 Chapter 541 - Clean And Pure Mr. Mu? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 541: Clean And Pure Mr. Mu? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was not a grand dinner out of concern for Xi Xiaye. Her meals were prioritized to be healthy, so of course, dishes like honey steak would not be making its appearance for a while.

    Xi Xiaye overreacted a little. In Mu Yuchen¡¯s words, she was in a delicate phase right now. The dishes were served on the table and he prepared a bowl of soup for her. However, she frowned when she saw the dishes.

    ¡°Why are we eating the same thing again?¡±

    He handed her a spoon. ¡°These are healthy meals that you¡¯ll have to eat for a while. I¡¯ll cook your favorite food again after two months, alright? Be good now and drink up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that weak, alright? I¡¯m tired of drinking all these tonics every day.¡±

    Grouchily, Xi Xiaye felt that her body was holding up fine. After all, she traveled frequently for work back then, and he would asionally drag her out for horse-riding. All the while, she felt fine.

    ¡°You still have to take it even if you¡¯re tired of it. Besides, it¡¯s just a few months, but you¡¯re already starting to get irritated about this and you still want to have two kids?¡±

    Mu Yuchen noticed that she was not putting on weight. When they went for a checkup, her weight had gone down instead, and she seemed even skinnier than before. It was probably due to the recent stressful incidents.

    He was practically working on the South River project alone. Aside from arranging some documents in the office to help her kill time, he was giving her much more time to rest.

    Of course, he did not want her to go back to the Mu Residence or stay at the Maple Residence alone, so they went to work together. Truth be told, he could only feel assured when she was within his line of sight.

    Xi Xiaye still did not feel like drinking it, but his provoking worked as she picked up the spoon quietly and started drinking.

    She was suddenly reminded of the project. ¡°How¡¯s the South River project going? I visited the south of the city with Grandpa a few days ago. We passed by the South River Bridge and went to take a look. They were constructing the foundation, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll progress quickly soon.¡±

    ¡°Vice President Zhang will follow up on it. You just have to keep an eye on the market research data. The progress is still within the satisfactory threshold. Don¡¯t just keep thinking about work. How are you feeling today?¡±

    He did not like to talk about work in front of her. Firstly, he did not want her to worry. Secondly, they should be enjoying their time together right now, and he did not want work toe between them.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly finished the soup. As she cleaned her mouth with a tissue, he poured her another bowl again. Her face twisted from the bitter taste and she looked at him with a pair of pitiful doe eyes. Nheless, he acted as if he did not see her and handed her the spoon again. The determination in his eyes left no room for negotiation.

    She red at him for a moment but he did not soften up at all, so she grabbed the spoon again and picked up the chopsticks.

    However, things did not go as smoothly this time. Just as she was about to start eating, she felt an urge to vomit. Unfortunately, she could not make it into the washroom quickly enough. To her horror, the stuff that just entered her stomach gushed back upward. She turned her head back as she grabbed onto the man beside her, and then...

    She barfed into his hands.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when his pair of big hands became her vomit dump, but she was feeling too terrible to give it much thought.

    After she was finally done, her vomit filled up hisrge hands. Even she felt disgusted by it, but he seemed unfazed. Wait, was he not a clean freak?

    ¡°Ugh, so dirty...¡±

    She moved her body aside and avoided him as she wiped her mouth.

    Mu Yuchen nced at her without saying anything. Then, he went to the washroom to clean himself up. Xi Xiaye had already started eating when he came back.

    After dinner and a shower, two of them watched TV together on the sofa.

    Ever since Xi Xiaye got pregnant, Mu Yuchen rarely worked excessively in the study room anymore. Instead, he would spend most of the nights apanying her just like right now.

    Xi Xiaye was in his arms as she gave his fingernails a trim, and he flipped through some documents to be used in the uing Monday meeting.

    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± Her soft voice broke the silence.

    ¡°Mmm? Speak.¡± He averted his gaze away from the document.

    ¡°When I visited Grandfather¡¯s grave today, I met Han Yifeng,¡± she spoke without stopping whatever she was doing.

    He was astonished for a bit, but then returned to normal momentster. ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°What else? I feel like he¡¯s really having it rough. He was talking weird too. He said that he¡¯s willing to exchange thest 10 or 20 years of his life to start over. I think he¡¯s tired of Xi Xinyi¡¯s matter. He looked much more worn out than before.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°He¡¯s not like the old him anymore.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re heartbroken?¡± He stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

    She raised her eyebrows as her eyes smiled at him. She put the nail clipper down and touched his face lovingly. Then, she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and smiled. ¡°I always like it when you¡¯re jealous. Today, several new assistants in the Administration Department said that you¡¯re very handsome. Oh, didn¡¯t Li Si mention getting you a new secretary? They were all trying to get close to you with other intentions, so I moved them all to the Marketing Department out of anger. Hmph, I won¡¯t even let them see your face!¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s abusing her powers now, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    He grinned at her. Actually, he did hear about it. He felt that she was really concerned about the people he came into contact with recently. Of course, he knew what she meant.

    He grabbed her tightly as love filled up his dark eyes while he looked deep into her eyes. Her tender smile softened his heart. After a while, his document disappeared from his hand. He grabbed her waist with one hand while the other hand explored underneath her clothes...

 Chapter 542 - Clean And Pure Mr. Mu? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 542: Clean And Pure Mr. Mu? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re the one abusing powers! Stay put or you¡¯ll sufferter.¡±

    Master Mu nced at her, feeling the anguish right now as he thought about the amount of time he had to wait.

    He was pretty calm before he met her, but after they started having sex...

    ¡°You seemed pretty insensitive before I married you, and you were always cold towards everyone. Look at you now. You¡¯re not the clean and pure Mr. Mu anymore.¡±

    She pinched his handsome face and smiled as she stopped his hand that was moving towards her breasts.

    ¡°Clean and pure? Is that used to describe men?¡±

    He took a deep breath and could barely suppress himself. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me exactly what that man said to you!¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, just those words that I told you just now. I don¡¯t really understand him either. I just think that too much has been happeningtely and many people have changed,¡± Xi Xiayemented.

    ¡°Did he finally realize you¡¯re a treasure and wants to go back to the past in exchange for his time alive? Does he want to start over? You¡¯ll be engaged to me at childhood if we start over. What¡¯s his role in this?¡± He was unimpressed.

    Xi Xiaye gave him a kiss when she noticed him scowling. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about him now. I was just surprised to see him visit my grandfather¡¯s grave. I¡¯d usually feel terrible when I see him and think of the past, but I¡¯ve gotten over it now.¡±

    ¡°You cared about him a whole lot before.¡±

    He was still a bit afflicted, but at the same time, he was also d that she talked about this with him. She rarely shared her feelings with him, but it seemed like he had be her best friend now.

    ¡°If you became my fianc¨¨ much earlier, I¡¯d have been sure to care for you a thousand times more than him.¡± Xi Xiaye quickly tried to prove her loyalty!

    He chuckled and hugged her tightly as she hugged him back as well.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I have a question for you.¡±

    ¡°Ask away.¡±

    ¡°Am I... really your first love?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking such nonsense again?¡±

    ¡°I just want to know. Just answer my question. Hurry!¡±

    ¡°Mmm... It¡¯s you...¡±

    ...

    The hot summer finally cooled down a little, especially after the <i>Qixi </i>Festival. The temperature in City Z started dropping as autumn wasing.

    She was still following Mu Yuchen to work every day. As her pregnancy entered its third month, her health was not doing so well and she experienced big physical reactions. Furthermore, she was getting skinnier. Her chin became really pointed now, worrying Mu Yuchen. He always tried to find ways for her to eat more, and almost never left her side.

    Despite that, Xi Xiaye still appeared pretty well.

    At the end of the month, Xi Xiaye took some time to visit Su Nan.

    Su Nan¡¯s baby bump had gotten so huge that it now posed as an obstacle to her walking. Her estimated delivery date was at the end of the following month.

    Su Nan¡¯s nausea was not as bad as Xi Xiaye¡¯s. Ruan Heng had been taking good care of her during her pregnancy, so she ate and slept well. She even put on some weight and looked great.

    ¡°Xiaye, how did you be so skinny? Doesn¡¯t Master Mu always treat you like a princess? How are you not putting on weight? You have to eat more in order to give birth to my future daughter-inw!¡±

    Su Nan was worried as she nced at Xi Xiaye¡¯s barely noticeable baby bump. She was especially anxious when she saw her tapered chin.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled. ¡°How do you know that your child must be a son and that mine will be a daughter? Mu Yuchen does want a daughter though.¡±

    ¡°It has to be a son. Otherwise, how would he marry your daughter? Master Mu is being considerate, alright? Girls are closer to their mothers! But Ruan Heng is hoping for a daughter as well. He¡¯s worried that a boy might be too naughty to take care of, but look at my belly. If it¡¯s a girl, she¡¯s going to be a big, fat girl!¡± Su Nan nced at Xi Xiaye and ranted.

    ¡°Do you really need to talk about your child like that? Both Ruan Heng and you are good-looking. I¡¯m sure your child will be either a handsome boy or a pretty girl. You just have to rest well. Mu Yuchen has been restricting me from going out, but I just came to visit you today since I¡¯ve got some free time. I¡¯m relieved that you¡¯re doing well.¡±

    Su Nan could not walk very well, and she had refrained from going out too much in the past few months, staying at home obediently. With Xi Xiaye being busy, they had not seen each other for quite some time. Because Xi Xiaye missed her, she went over.

    ¡°You have to take care of yourself too. By the way, guess who I met when I went to the hospital for a checkup several days ago?¡± Su Nan remembered something and looked at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Who?¡± Xi Xiaye threw her a doubtful nce.

    ¡°I met Xi Xinyi. Her baby bump has be really huge too. Huang Ziyao went with her for a checkup, and she seems to be doing well! I wonder what the Han family is thinking. They¡¯re still shielding her, even Han Yifeng. Sigh, she¡¯s been living pretty welltely, and Yueying is doing well with Qi Kai supporting it and several huge stars having signed contracts with Yueying. I also heard that Yueying¡¯s new movie will be airing this spring. It¡¯s pretty popr and many people expect high numbers at the box office. I don¡¯t get it. How is she so lucky!?¡±

    Su Nan was getting irritated.

    <i>Xi Xinyi, huh?</i>

    It had been a long time since shest heard about her. She had been behaving ever since Yueying¡¯s crisis.

    Of course, Xi Xiaye would not know that Xi Xinyi was being ckmailed and was scared terribly by that. At such a critical moment, she could only behave and mind her own business!

    If she tried to do something funny, Mu Yuchen would expose her photos. She simply could not risk it!

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that Xi Xinyi¡¯s expected delivery date was quite soon too!

    Su Nan and her had conceived at almost the same time. She saw her appearing on TV for the movie promotion which meant that she was really working hard although her baby bump had gotten so big!

 Chapter 543 - Turn Up Uninvited (1)

    <h4>Chapter 543: Turn Up Uninvited (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she returned from Su Nan¡¯s ce, it was already close to evening. Xi Xiaye wanted to ask Su Nan out for dinner, but Ruan Heng got homete from work. Since it was not that convenient, she decided against it after some thought.

    When the car was near the Grand Waves Vi, Xi Xiaye made Ji Zitong stop the car.

    ¡°You can go back first. I want to buy some things from the supermarket. Later, I¡¯ll walk home. I¡¯ll just treat it like a rxing stroll.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had been doing this frequently recently. It was a way for her to work out. Once she reached the entrance of the Grand Waves Vi area, she would get down from the car and walk home. If Mu Yuchen was around, he would walk home with her too.

    ¡°Okay, Director Xi, I¡¯ll leave first then,¡± answered Ji Zitong after she looked ahead and saw that it was Grand Waves Vi area.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently. ¡°Okay, bye.¡± She got down from the car and walked to the supermarket in front.

    Mu Yuchen had called earlier to say that he would be leaving work slightly earlier today. Since she was quite free, she thought about cooking dinner as a reward for him for taking such good care of her.

    This supermarket was the neighborhood anchor grocery stop. At this time, there were quite a lot of people doing their groceries.

    Xi Xiaye pushed a trolley and soon loaded many things into it. She was quite satisfied with her haul. Su Nan had reminded her that if she felt like vomiting, she could eat something sour or have some grain biscuits, so Xi Xiaye decided to get both.

    Mainly, she wanted to get a huge pile of books, some prenatal education discs or books, and some collections of poem and prose.

    The doctor said that at about four months, she could begin prenatal education. As a mother for the first time, she naturally did not know about these things. Earlier, she chatted with Su Nan for quite a while to share references.

    Standing at the tall shelf, Xi Xiaye set aside her trolley that was filled with things and concentrated on the shelf full of books before her. She wanted to look for a few more character-building poems and prose collections so that Mu Yuchen read them to the little one in her.

    After looking for quite a while, she finally found a modern poetry collection. She casually browsed through it.

    ¡± <i>Sliding across the vast sky and downhill, I am the dimmed shooting star, riding the cool breeze of the night rain, rushing on this journey of a gamble. A life that throws the dice is like a raindrop, stirring up a night of dense fog atop thiske... </i>¡±

    A clear and alluring voice was gently heard, sounding quite familiar. Qi Lei subconsciously turned to look towards the voice, and Xi Xiaye¡¯s elegant figure greeted his sight!

    An unexpected current of thrill traveled through his veins at this sight!

    He actually bumped into her here! It had been a while since they met.

    Ever since the scandal and after Mu Yuchen hosted that dinner, he had not seen Xi Xiaye, but now that he had bumped into her, she seemed to have be even thinner than before. Mu Yuchen was terrible! How could he be so bad at fattening his own woman up? Could the fellow have asked his woman to watch her figure, and pursue the overrated skinny kind of beauty?

    Master Qi meanly despised Mu Yuchen on the inside for a while.

    Mu Yuchen was not as considerate as he was. He did not have his gift of the gab, he was not as confident and amusing as he was, and he definitely did not have his gentleness and understanding. Why did Xi Xiaye not like him? Even if she was Mu Yuchen¡¯s wife now, at least when she saw him, could she not consider him? At least, her eyes should light up a little, and then fill with admiration as she looked at him!

    Forget about admiration! When that woman looked at him, apart from the disdain from before, there was just indifference and never any admiration. Obviously, this made Qi Lei feel quite defeated.

    Just as he was hesitating about whether to greet her, Xi Xiaye already tossed the book into her trolley and was walking towards the cashier.

    ...

    The cashier smiled as she asked Xi Xiaye, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s $598 in total. Would you like to pay by cash or card?¡±

    ¡°Card, please.¡± Xi Xiaye handed her card over.

    After she paid, she then realized that she had bought two bagfuls of items. In fact, they were very heavy. It was all those books!

    She was mulling over whether to walk home with two big bags. Would she die of exhaustion?

    After pondering for a while, she decided to bring the things aside first, and then get Mu Yuchen to fetch her.

    Just as her fingers reached out for the bags, a pair of strong arms shed before her and picked up them up.

    In surprise, Xi Xiaye looked up subconsciously and Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face greeted her sight.

    ¡°You!¡± Xi Xiaye widened her eyes in shock. She was clearly stunned.

    ¡°Surprised? Have you been wanting to see me?¡± Qi Lei looked amusedly at Xi Xiaye as he teased.

    She immediately rolled her eyes, attempting to take the bags back. ¡°You are relentless. How is it I bump into you everywhere!?¡±

    Qi Lei avoided her hand and scowled at her words. ¡°Woman, is this how you treat someone who saved your life? Relentless? I live nearby too, alright? It¡¯s best not to be a good person at this time of the year, especially if one meets a heartless woman like you!¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re relentless!¡± Xi Xiaye red at him.

    ¡°This relentless person here saved your life. They say a favor in the form of a drop of water should be returned with a surging spring. Is this how you¡¯re going to act?¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen and I treated you to that meal already, at which you didn¡¯t go easy at all! You ate tens of thousands of dors! Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t know you did that on purpose!¡± Xi Xiaye was fired up as she raised her voice. She had only found out about it the next day. Clearly, he had done it on purpose, seizing the opportunity to butcher Mu Yuchen!

    ¡°You two are really such a stingy couple. It¡¯s not like Mu Yuchen¡¯s short on money, and it was only one meal. It looks like the two of you weren¡¯t sincere at all! I really regret saving you, and you even made yourselves look good!¡± Qi Lei pretended to be hurt.

    ¡°If he wasn¡¯t sincere, why would he include a luxury car? Qi Lei, why do I find that you have more potential to be a profiteer than Mu Yuchen? Do you think he has more money than sense, letting you butcher as you wish?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him coldly while her tone was unfriendly.

    ¡°It was him who wanted to buy me off, so why wouldn¡¯t I ept it? I¡¯m not a fool. Do you think that you can buy me off with a little favor? Hmm? Did you buy so many ingredients? Do the two of you cook for yourself? Let¡¯s go. No one¡¯s cooking at my ce today, so I¡¯ll leech off you two tonight. It¡¯s my way of allowing you to continue to properly thank me for saving you,¡± Qi Lei teased as he looked at the girl who was red from anger. Suddenly, he felt incredibly smug! Without waiting for Xi Xiaye¡¯s response, he lifted the bags and walked out.

 Chapter 544 - Turn Up Uninvited (2)

    <h4>Chapter 544: Turn Up Uninvited (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Seeing Qi Lei¡¯s tall and lean figure walk over, Xi Xiaye could not hold herself back from angrily clenching her fists.

    How could there possibly be someone as shameless as him?

    She did not even answer him, yet he nned to just follow her uninvited!

    ¡°I¡¯ve already repaid you when I should. Qi Lei, don¡¯t cross the line!¡± Xi Xiaye quickly chased after him.

    Qi Lei pretended he did not hear her. Instead, he casually shrugged with the bags in his hand. He stopped and shot her a side look for a moment, then continued walking ahead.

    ¡°It¡¯s just one dinner. Do you have to be so unhappy? I¡¯m visiting your home. Am I so unweed?¡±

    The two of them walked one in front of the other along the clean cement path. Abruptly, Qi Lei slowed down his steps and turned to look at the woman following him gloomily behind. He could not help butugh out loud in a teasing manner.

    When she heard his guffaw, Xi Xiaye immediately rolled her eyes at him. Sheined, ¡°Do people visit the way you do? This is called turning up uninvited. Also, you¡¯reing empty-handed. Is this how you visit people¡¯s homes? You don¡¯t even know what courtesy is!¡±

    Qi Lei immediatelyughed out even louder. The gloom that hid between his brows vanished as he nced over with a gentle gaze. ¡°I was wondering why you were this against me going over. So, you¡¯re just worried you¡¯ll be taken advantage of, huh? Look, I¡¯m not visiting empty-handed. These two big bags are filled with stuff.¡±

    ¡°I bought those stuff!¡± Xi Xiaye felt that this man could really make her die of fury and irritation

    ¡°Well, then me helping you bring these things back is considered helpful too. It¡¯s not right for you to speak to an honest, handsome, and good person like that. Don¡¯t roll your eyes. You aren¡¯t that pretty to begin with, and with that expression, even the slightest ounce of elegance you have is destroyed.¡±

    He kept making fun of her. Seeing her all riled up, he suddenly felt especially smug. All his anger about that old fellow Qi Qiming was now all gone. It seemed like tormenting her and Mu Yuchen was quite fun too.

    Xi Xiaye could barely catch her breath. This man was quite mean!

    She had toin to Mu Yuchen when she got back so that he can put this lecher in his ce!

    She inhaled deeply and pushed down the anger that surged in her chest. Trying her hardest to make herself calm down, she then cooled down.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone as shameless as you. Your shamelessness is really an art that you¡¯ve refined to perfection!¡± she said coldly.

    Upon hearing that, he turned and shot her a look with that demonic gaze of his. Instead of being angry, he just smiled. ¡°Thanks for thepliment. If I had any shame, would you be treating me to dinner? I¡¯m handsome and shameless. I¡¯m invincible! This is the truth. Instead of being angry, why don¡¯t you tell me about how the egoistic Mu Yuchen courted you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye barely caught her breath at his straightforward question!

    Her incorruptible Mr. Mu would not be as shameless at this fellow!

    ¡°You and he are onpletely different levels. Don¡¯tpare yourself to him. It was I who courted him, alright?¡± Xiaye spoke in a rage. However, she seemed to be telling the truth. Even though it was him who suggested the marriage, she really did initiate it and clung onto him, but there had not really been any courting between her and Mu Yuchen, had there?

    There was no proposal. They just went to get the certificate. It felt like everything happened so naturally, and after that when the conditions were right, things just flowed naturally.

    After Xi Xiaye finished, Qi Lei instantly stopped walking. He widened his eyes and stared in disbelief at her, instigating goosebumps all over her. She shrunk and just walked around him, taking the chance to shoot him narrowed eyes.

    ¡°Are you for real? You don¡¯t look like the type! You don¡¯t look like someone who¡¯d make the first move!¡± Qi Lei doubted her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if you understand women really well. Making the first move isn¡¯t embarrassing. Don¡¯t underestimate me. If I can even take Mu Yuchen down, you¡¯d better not provoke me. Otherwise, I have my ways of getting you in trouble,¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but urge him.

    Qi Lei was so unfathomable to her. She did not know what he thought and she could not keep him away, so she had to give him a strong warning.

    Qi Lei did not take her anger to heart. Instead, he said gently, ¡°Are you that unreasonable? The other day, we said we were friends. Why are you all hostile now? I told you I¡¯m really a good person. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°My trust in you is negative. I know that the grudges between you and Mu Yuchen are over a woman, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Qi Lei¡¯s suddenly fell silent. He looked at the side of Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face with an unfathomable gaze. After he thought about it, he then continued, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because of a woman, but do you know about her rtionship with Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°They were betrothed to each other at a young age, weren¡¯t they? I don¡¯t care about what kind of past he¡¯s had. I¡¯m his Missus Mu. He dotes on me, is very kind to me, and he will continue to be good to me. That¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    As she spoke, she suddenly stopped, turned around and her cold gaze fell onto his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite open-minded. Are you that confident that he¡¯ll always love you dearly? Whether he loves you or not is uncertain. What if I told you that he and Shasha had an unforgettable past?¡±

    The corner of Qi Lei¡¯s lips curved up slightly as he smiled faintly at her.

    Xi Xiaye smiled back at him without a word with an indifferent gaze.

    Qi Lei chuckled helplessly. He pondered for a while, then said calmly, ¡°Perhaps if you met Shasha, you wouldn¡¯t think that way.¡±

    ...

    When they returned to Maple Residence, the sky had darkened. The radiance of the setting sun engulfed the entire ce in a golden tenderness. From afar, it looked quite surreal. The evening breeze blew gently, carrying the faint fragrance of flowers. It was probablying from the sea of flowers blooming in the backyard.

    Mu Yuchen had already returned from work. When Xi Xiaye entered the house, he was obviously busy in the kitchen as always while Sis Wang was tending to the nts on the balcony.

    When Mu Yuchen walked out of the kitchen and saw Qi Lei carrying the things behind her, he was quite surprised. Then, he took a glimpse at the unhappy little woman, and he could immediately guess what had happened.

    Qi Lei set aside the bags on the table and turned to look at Mu Yuchen. Qi Lei¡¯s eyes gaze held a vague demonic aura. As he met Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze that was as still as water, he smiled after a while. ¡°Long time no see, Master Mu. I¡¯m here to leech on your dinner. You wouldn¡¯t mind, would you?¡±

    After Qi Lei said this, Xi Xiaye immediately turned to look at the two of them while uneasiness colored her gaze.

 Chapter 545 - Turn Up Uninvited (3)

    <h4>Chapter 545: Turn Up Uninvited (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei smiled quite naturally, yet from what Xi Xiaye could observe, she felt like he had a dagger hidden in his smiles and clearly had ill intentions. In fact, he wanted to drive a wedge between her and Mu Yuchen, so he was evidently not a genuine person!

    When Qi Lei finished, the man did not respond immediately. Xi Xiaye turned to look at Mu Yuchen, then she realized that he was quite calm. His eyes were filled with depth as always, so you could not tell what he felt at the moment. He just casually sized Qi Lei up.

    Moments after, a calm smile shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face as he nodded. ¡°It would be my honor, and thanks for your help.¡± Then, he subconsciously looked at the things on the table.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± Qi Lei shrugged, shooting a look at the ring Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, have a seat. I¡¯m preparing dinner,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke very humbly.

    Qi Lei nodded and made a gesture that indicated for him to do as he wished. He did not think of himself as an outsider at all, rendering Xi Xiaye speechless!

    This fellow was just a pain in the butt! How much guts did he need to hone the invincible shameless skill he had today!?

    Then, Mu Yuchen ordered, ¡°Sis Wang, bring Master Qi over for a seat or to take a walk around.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡±

    Sis Wang quickly went up and brought Qi Lei to sit at the sofa in the living room before skillfully brewing some tea. Mu Yuchen turned around and returned to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye stood where she was for quite a while, unsure of what to do.

    She thought about it, then sighed and turned to follow him into the kitchen.

    Once she entered the kitchen, she could see the man¡¯s busy figure. She turned to close the door and quietly walked over, stopping behind him.

    He seemed not to have realized that she hade in. He continued to be busy and skillfully worked the seasoning while a stew was bubbling on the stove by the side. The kitchen was filled with the faint aroma from the food.

    Xiaye watched him work for quite a while. She then slowly lowered her gaze and could not help but kick the dustbin on the side which nged, yet the man in front of her continued to work. He did not even turn to look at her.

    Seeing him like this, Xiaye instantly felt wronged. She thought about it and wanted to reach up to fix his shirt. He was wearing a loose, ck casual shirt.

    Mu Yuchen ignored her and did not say anything.

    After a while, she was stunned and let go of her hand that held his shirt as she asked softly, ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    He did not say anything. There was not a squeak.

    Soon, Xi Xiaye felt upset. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her throat tightened.

    Why did she feel like after she got pregnant, she was bing more and more emotional? She was no longer herself!

    She sighed as she angrily turned around and was about to leave the kitchen. When she was about to urn away, the man abruptly spun around, his tall figure blocking her way.

    ¡°How did you know I was angry?¡±

    He looked down at her with those eyes that were as deep as the sea. She could not fathom his calm expression.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she silently looked up at him and said sadly, ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything to me earlier. You didn¡¯t look at me either, what else could it be if you weren¡¯t angry at me?¡±

    Upon hearing this, he could not help butugh!

    Should he be d that she was observant, or dote on her sad and extremely vulnerable fragile heart, or should she be frustrated that she would rather let Qi Lei send her back than call him to pick her up?

    ¡°Your eyes are getting sharper. You could immediately tell I was unhappy, but why doesn¡¯t it seem like you¡¯ve be more self-aware though?¡±

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye immediately knew that it was that fellow in the living room that had ruined things. She immediately expressed frustratedly and sadly, ¡°It was him who was relentless abouting over. I couldn¡¯t tie him to the supermarket. Letting him do some freebor isn¡¯t a bad thing. You wouldn¡¯t have toe running over again.¡±

    Before she could finish, he suddenly asked, ¡°Did you think about getting me to fetch you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled, then she nodded. ¡°There were too many things, and I told Zitong to go back first. Initially, I wanted to take a nice stroll home.¡±

    Then, his expression started to look much better.

    Seeing that he had rxed, she was relieved and could not help but rant, ¡°I didn¡¯t invite him home because he was too annoying and he¡¯s really shameless. When I criticize him, he takes it as apliment. Thest time, he took huge advantage of us. He¡¯s quite quick-witted and is obviously not an honest person, yet he keeps calling himself a good person. He even said I wasn¡¯t pretty or elegant!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s short-sighted. If not, then he¡¯s just jealous but he won¡¯t say it. His eyesight hasn¡¯tpletely developed, so why do you care what he thinks? My woman has obviously got to be pretty and elegant!¡±

    He chuckled, grinning as pleased as punch. Like a witch, he was charming her socks off.

    Xi Xiaye looked on and was immediately startled. She could not help but hug him around the shoulders on tiptoe, and then kiss his lips. She was about to pull away when his long arms circled her.

    She subconsciously took two steps back. Her back leaned against the cold refrigerator while she was trapped in his embrace. Without any objections, she quickly enjoyed a few minutes of sweetness.

    His kisses had always been tender yet dominating. She never could resist him. His unique fragrance closed in, and she immediately turned dizzy as his hands familiarly palmed her belly gently. It was almost three months now, and they seemed to be able to feel some movement. The exploration of their lips continued to recklessly rub against each other fervently. After that, she could only reach out to hug him tightly.

    Although his senses were running wild, he finally let go of her, panting slightly. ¡°You¡¯re behaving. Wait till you give birth to the little one. I¡¯ll take back everything you owe me sooner orter!¡±

    She trembled gently as her twinkling eyes stayed misty and her beautiful face blushed. After a while, she sighed and turned away shyly. ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more indecent!¡±

    Upon hearing this, he just smiled calmly and caressed her belly. ¡°If I were to be decent, how would we have gotten this little one?¡± His tone was extremely calm, spoken like a true lecher.

    She could not help but shoot him a look. ¡°You¡¯re no longer that elegant and pure Mr. Mu. You used to be a sacred Prince Charming to me, but now...¡±

    ¡°What about now?¡± He looked at her amusedly.

    ¡°You¡¯re a vulgar man!¡±

    When she said that, he immediatelyughed softly. ¡°Missus, you sound like you¡¯re starting to understand me more.¡±

 Chapter 546 - Free Meal

    <h4>Chapter 546: Free Meal</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was a feast that night. Mu Yuchen prepared the meal for Xi Xiaye anyway, so he made all of her favorite dishes.

    She had been pretty tiredtely and had even lost weight, so Mu Yuchen was quite worried about her. As a result, he decided to make her avish dinner.

    Qi Lei was stunned to see a table full of delicious dishes. He gaped at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye in surprise. He could not believe these were made by him, Master Mu!

    Who exactly was Mu Yuchen?

    The person controlling Glory World, the Master of the Mu family, always looked so elegant and distant. Now, he found out that the man could actually cook so well!

    Qi Lei gave Mu Yuchen a long stare. Both of them came from prestigious families. He was all too familiar with a carefree life since his mother, Wang Qin, never let him cook because she thought he would just mess up the kitchen.

    Qi Lei then remembered that there were indeed some differences between them. He had joined the army with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo before. They were all very low-profile and rarely showed themselves in public. It was very rare to see them appearing at banquets or social events.

    Zhou Zimo would still show up from time to time, but Mu Yuchen and Su Chen would never appear. Usually, Vice President Liu Lingyu or Zhang Lan would attend important events in his ce.

    While Qi Lei was the Vice President of Qi Kai, he did not really have any power. Of course, he would be the one attending these events, which was why he knew this very well.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, you really surprise me. No wonder...¡±

    Looking at the feast before him, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes wavered. His gaze seemed like he was looking into something distant; one would wonder what he was thinking about.

    Mu Yuchen prepared a ss of juice for Xi Xiaye. Then, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and nced at Qi Lei. ¡°Is whiskey fine?¡±

    Qi Lei came back to his senses when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice, and he nodded.

    Mu Yuchen then poured a ss for himself and Qi Lei.

    ¡°Wee to Maple Residence.¡± Mu Yuchen raised his ss and prepared for a toast.

    ¡°My pleasure!¡± Qi Lei raised his ss as well.

    Watching both of them, Xi Xiaye was reminded of them meeting during the tender event. Things had almost gone haywire then, yet now the two of them seemed to be friendly with each other. There was no smell of gunpowder in the air.

    ¡°Are you surprised about my sudden visit today?¡± Qi Lei took a sip of his whiskey, seeming pretty serious today instead of his casual self.

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he put his ss down and made a gesture for Qi Lei to start eating. He then grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s bowl and served her some soup.

    Mu Yuchen was calm. He replied as he put the bowl of soup in front of Xi Xiaye, ¡°Would you believe me if I said that you knew you were going to have to look for me sooner orter?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded andughed. ¡°Of course, of course! That¡¯s just the way you work. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll just ignore me and stay away if I don¡¯te up and talk to you face-to-face.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes and gave him a smile. ¡°You seem to know me very well.¡± He then raised his ss and emptied it.

    Xi Xiaye finally caught on. Qi Lei was here to meet Mu Yuchen all along. It was no wonder he kept asking if Mu Yuchen would be around when they were on their way here. She thought he was being inconsiderate and wanted to be a huge third wheel between them!

    ¡°Not exactly, but I¡¯ve thought a lot ever since we had dinner thest time. I think we can forgo some of our past grudges now. I have something to talk to you about.¡± Qi Lei was clear about his intentions.

    Mu Yuchen told him before that Gu Lingsha might being back and that he tried to get some information out of Wang Qin, but Wang Qin disliked Gu Lingsha a lot. His scandal with Xi Xiaye had just passed, so he did not want to cause a big fuss now. If he tried to investigate Qi Qiming now, thetter might notice and it would backfire on him.

    After giving it some thought, the fastest way to acquire urate information would be from Mu Yuchen. He knew that he had been investigating for five years, so he should know almost everything.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter. Let¡¯s enjoy dinner for now,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly without looking at Qi Lei. He picked the chopsticks up and put some food on Xi Xiaye¡¯s te. He never liked to discuss business over meals.

    Qi Lei understood his intent, and his eyes darkened as he went deep in thought.

    The two of them went quiet but the atmosphere was getting a little tense. Xi Xiaye nced at both of them before saying, ¡°Master Qi, have a taste of Mr. Mu¡¯s cooking. Then, you¡¯ll understand what standard he¡¯s at.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows. He then remembered this woman held onto grudges easily. He put on a sly smile and nced over at the pair of couple opposite him. ¡°Thank you for having me. I¡¯ll enjoy myself.¡±

    He then picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

    After just a taste, he gave Mu Yuchen a surprised look again. He then went on feasting.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and nced at Mu Yuchen. Two of them looked at each other in the eyes and smiled.

    After the meal, Xi Xiaye witnessed Qi Lei¡¯s true talent. This guy was really good at eating!

    While he ate very elegantly, he ate way too much. Xi Xiaye also noticed that the way he looked at her Mr. Mu was odd, so she grabbed his hand unconsciously. If any other people saw this, they might have thought Qi Lei was into Mr. Mu.

    Xi Xiaye did not eat much and Mu Yuchen did not have a big appetite as well. Instead, most of the food went into Qi Lei¡¯s stomach. In the end, only some soup was left.

    Xi Xiaye would never understand why Qi Lei was eating that much. Was he was feeling happy hence the huge appetite?

    Knowing that Mu Yuchen was serving him, he decided toe over for more meals in the future. Free food was awesome!

    How childish!

 Chapter 547 - Liked? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 547: Liked? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After dinner, Mu Yuchen called Qi Lei upstairs while Sis Wang did the dishes.

    The night was clear but there was no moon tonight. Only stars filled up the night sky. Although they seemed dim, it was peaceful and calm to look at them.

    By the staircase out in the yard, Qi Lei lit up a cigarette casually. He handed his pack of cigarettes to Mu Yuchen who was leaning against the railing. Mu Yuchen nodded slightly but declined his offer.

    He was not really a smoker and would just smoke one or two when he felt irritated. However, he stopped ever since Xi Xiaye got pregnant. She never liked him smoking anyway as she mentioned she was ufortable with the smell.

    Qi Lei gave him a stare before keeping the pack back into his pocket. His gaze was not as cold as before, and he seemed much calmer right now.

    He could not really imagine that such a legendary and near perfect man like Mu Yuchen would act like that at home. His imagination was very far off the mark.

    The night breeze was cold, and the smoke from the cigarette was barely visible.

    Qi Lei turned and looked at Mu Yuchen under the dim light. His expression was calm as he looked into a distance. He grinned a little but his eyes held aplex gaze.

    Qi Lei flicked his cigarette and finally broke the silence between them. ¡°I never would¡¯ve imagined that this was how the great Mu Yuchen behaved at home.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced back at him without saying anything.

    ¡°Are you interested to know what my impression of you is?¡± Qi Lei chuckled.

    ¡°Nope, you won¡¯t think of me as a good person anyway.¡± Mu Yuchen gave a straightforward reply as a faint light shed in his eyes. ¡°Moreover, your opinion of me is worth nothing to me, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression changed. After a while, he said, ¡°As expected of the realistic and cunning businessman! I remember Lingtian told me before that you¡¯re a cold, cruel, and distant person. It seems like he was telling the truth. All these years, do you think that you¡¯re innocent?¡±

    ¡°Innocent?¡± Mu Yuchen mumbled beforeughing coldly, ¡°Why would I think that I¡¯m innocent? I¡¯ve always admitted to what I¡¯ve done. I don¡¯t regret anything. If there¡¯s a chance to rewind time, I would probably still make the same decision. You know I¡¯d never agree sacrificing someone for the benefit of others.¡±

    ¡°But your selfish intent killed Lingtian and dragged both Qi Feng and Shasha into it! You¡¯re responsible for the lives of several people. Don¡¯t you regret it? Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re Lingtian¡¯s brother, and you¡¯ve always been the brother he respected!¡± Qi Lei was getting worked up as his eyes slowly turned red.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that the car crash was just an ident. I have nothing to say if you guys insist on ming this on me. Can you really just let someone who betrayed you in public run free?¡± Mu Yuchen red at Qi Lei coldly while his tone turned sarcastic. ¡°If you can¡¯t do that, don¡¯t mention this in front of me again. I know you like Gu Lingsha, but you didn¡¯t do anything and allowed Qi Feng to do whatever he wanted. You¡¯re a coward! Don¡¯t you feel ridiculous judging me on whether I¡¯m innocent or guilty?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened after hearing his sharp words. His hand movements froze as he gave Mu Yuchen a cold stare.

    ¡°I gave them a chance and they didn¡¯t want it. I wanted to let them be together, yet they still tried to set me up. I let them go for the sake of Lingtian.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you¡¯re a saint. Can you promise that you agreed to marry Shasha without the intention to torment them? It¡¯s all the elders¡¯ intentions. Did you really have to do that to her?¡± Qi Lei could not keep calm anymore when Gu Lingsha was brought up in their conversation.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°What if I told you that Gu Lingsha said she was willing to marry me on her own ord? Would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Impossible! She¡¯s in love with Qi Feng. No one can pull them apart. I know this more than anyone else. Why do you think I didn¡¯t fight for it then?¡± Qi Lei squinted at Mu Yuchen as he refuted.

    ¡°Feelings can cloud your decision. Hmph, you¡¯re as naive as Lingtian, but well, I guess being naive is a form of happiness too...¡±

    Mu Yuchen put on a feeble smile. He raised his hand and tossed something to Qi Lei who grabbed it. It was a hard disk, and he gave Mu Yuchen a doubtful nce.

    Mu Yuchen exined in a cold tone, ¡°These are the information we have on Gu Lingsha from the past few years. We still can¡¯t locate Qi Feng, so stop bothering Xiaye in the future and don¡¯t tell her about any of this. Can you promise me that?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re innocent, why are you so worried about Xiaye knowing?¡± Qi Lei clenched his fists as he gave Mu Yuchen a mocking stare.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want these past traumas to affect my current life. Furthermore, she¡¯s bearing my child now and I don¡¯t want her to get involved. You¡¯d better not make a big fuss out of this. Gu Lingsha is on a world tour giving speeches at the moment, and City Z is in her schedule as well. She¡¯ll be back here very soon. If you have any grudges, please talk to her. She knows best what happened.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was cold, he sounded impatient as well.

    Xi Xiaye was pregnant?

    Qi Lei was stunned by this new information. Momentster, he looked at Mu Yuchen and said, ¡°You... Didn¡¯t you agree to marry Shasha because you liked her? I remember Lingtian said...¡±

    ¡°Liked?¡± Before Qi Lei could finish his sentence, Mu Yuchen interrupted him as he smiled and looked into his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what that word meant in the past 30 years of my life. What do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei saw his smile, and he felt a shiver travel down his spine. ¡°What about now?¡±

 Chapter 548 - Liked? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 548: Liked? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen just stared at Qi Lei quietly for a while before he turned back and returned into the vi quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be 32 soon. I¡¯m starting to understand things better after a year.¡± He left that sentence in the air as he swiftly went into the vi.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment as he looked at the empty entrance. He was deep in thought until the cigarette burned his finger. He lowered his head and looked at the hard disk, then he looked at the empty staircase. After some time, he put on a smile and left.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye finished showering when he got back to the room. She was drying her hair on the living room sofa when arge hand suddenly grabbed the towel from her. He sat down beside her and continued what she was doing moments before.

    Caught off-guard, she turned and looked at the man beside her.

    She noticed that he had been appearing and vanishing suddenly. He would just pop out from somewhere without a sound.

    ¡°Has he gone back?¡± She dly epted the te of fruits he brought her, casually picking a grape and popping it into her mouth.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± he replied. His hand movements were gentle as he twirled her hair. ¡°Cut your hair shorter tomorrow. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s difficult to manage it? It¡¯ll be much harder for you to go out in a few months.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. If it gets difficult, I¡¯ll get you to wash it for me,¡± she said straightforwardly, her eyes shining like diamonds. ¡°Otherwise it feels too easy for you. You¡¯re responsible for the child too.¡±

    He stared at her and chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re getting over your head now. Aren¡¯t you the most precious one? You¡¯re Grandmother¡¯s utmost concern at the moment. Take this grape for example. She delivered it by air for you, and they totally forgot about the existence of their grandson. Moreover, I¡¯m helping you out now, so how¡¯s this easy for me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I realized that your self-awareness has weakened. The little person in my stomach is your future sessor, the hope of the country, and you¡¯re feeling aggrieved while serving me? I don¡¯t remember you having this many opinions before I got pregnant. Men sure change easily!¡± She smiled as she teased him.

    He gave up trying to argue with her and just dried her hair quietly.

    She pursed her lips when he did not give a reply. Then, she grabbed a sour plum and tried to feed him.

    He frowned and moved away. ¡°I don¡¯t want it. You eat it yourself.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t sour! It¡¯s not as sour as the one yesterday. I¡¯m not lying to you this time!¡±

    He disliked sour stuff and did not have a sweet tooth as well. He preferred lighter food, much like his indifferent personality. However, Xi Xiaye knew that he could be pretty two-faced at times.

    ¡°You¡¯re crying wolf, huh? You¡¯re getting naughtier now. You¡¯ve always been a rule-abiding person,¡± he spoke with a helpless tone although he was smiling.

    ¡°You put up an act most of the time too, didn¡¯t you? How dare you say that to me!? By the way, what did you say to Qi Lei?¡±

    She ate the sour plum as she gave him a nce.

    ¡°It¡¯s matters of the past. There¡¯s no point talking about it.¡± He seemed disinterested.

    Xi Xiaye could guess what happened. After some hesitation, she decided to not press on this topic anymore. She suddenly put the te of fruits down and grabbed his waist. ¡°Mr. Mu, did you realize that you¡¯ve be skinnier as well?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, do you think I really had it easy? This little thing is tormenting, it¡¯ll take some time before we can finally rx for a little,¡± he pointed at her belly, ¡°It should be around the size of a fist now?¡±

    ¡°Somewhat, I guess. By the way, I just called my parents. Mother will be able to remove the bandages after thest treatment in a few days. I really hope she can see again.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly thought of Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna, and she sighed. ¡°I wonder how things are going between them. Mother can be quite prideful and cold no matter what. Father... He...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m slightly more inclined towards Father¡¯s side. I hope that Mother can ept him again. Do you think she can start over with him if she recovers this time?¡± She looked at Mu Yuchen anxiously.

    ¡°They are responsible for their rtionship. We¡¯re only bystanders. They had an unforgettable past, so it¡¯s impossible to erase that. Moreover, there¡¯s you linking them together.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had no idea how tofort her. She had be more sensitive after she got pregnant, and started worrying a lot more too.

    ¡°Mmm, I always thought that my parents were really cold to me. Now that I really think about it, my father loves me. It¡¯s just that he cares about my mother more, so he didn¡¯t want to see me because I¡¯d remind him of her. Sometimes, I really don¡¯t understand their feelings. They care about each other, but why do they need to try so hard to be together?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed as she looked at Mu Yuchen who was still drying her hair. ¡°We won¡¯t be like them, will we?¡±

    He stopped what he was doing and scowled. ¡°Can your brain think of something else? We¡¯ll stay like this until we grow old.¡±

    Until they grew old?

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. ¡°Oh right, is there any news from Sis Lan¡¯s side?¡±

    After she came back from Sis Lan¡¯s ce, Xi Xiaye thought about visiting again, but she was aware the man was keeping an eye on Sis Lan. She thought it might be bad to make a move right now.

    As for Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo, they were busy investigating the people Mu Yuchen pointed out, which was a lot of work.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s question. ¡°She always stays at home and rarely goes out though she did meet Qi Qiming once.¡±

    ¡°She should be pretty close to Qi Qiming. Didn¡¯t she work in Qi Kai for a period of time before?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she knotted her brows.

 Chapter 549 - Shocked!

    <h4>Chapter 549: Shocked!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°They¡¯re considered old acquaintances, but ording to our investigation, Sis Lan isn¡¯t doing too well health-wise,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke nonchntly as he continued what he was doing.

    She was not doing too well health-wise?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered the first time she met Sis Lan. At that time, she looked quite frail and her face seemed pale with illness. Xi Xiaye thought that it had been because she was just under the weather then. Could she have been ridden with an even more severe illness?

    ¡°She seems to have been frequenting hospitals abroad these past few years,¡± Mu Yuchen thoughtfully added on.

    ¡°No wonder she didn¡¯t look that great. Okay, let¡¯s set these things aside first. Check on how Ah Mo and Ah Shi are doing. Since that person¡¯s hiding, I¡¯m sure we have a lot more to do. I¡¯ll dry my own hair while you go bathe. I¡¯ve prepared the water for you.¡±

    Then, she stopped Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand and took the towel...

    ...

    That night, after talking about Sis Lan with Mu Yuchen, she did not think much about it. She thought that she probably would not be contacting Sis Lan much anymore. After all, she sounded like she did not n to stay in City Z much longer ording to thest time they spoke.

    However, she did not expect to hear about news about her one autumn day at Hospital T.

    It was a sunny day that morning. Xi Xiaye went for a checkup with Ji Zitong apanying her.

    It was early in the morning, so many people were there to see the doctor. Thankfully, they had made an appointment in advance with Dr. Huang, so they could see him as soon as they arrived.

    Dr. Huang was very professional as he gently did the checkup for her. Then, she beamed and told her, ¡°Missus Mu, your fetus is still very healthy, so don¡¯t worry, but you have to watch your health. You must keep up with your nutrition. The reaction is a little drastic, but you can have some folic acid. Also, if want to look more beautiful, you can begin to moderately ther on some olive oil. That way, the marks won¡¯t be too obviouster. We don¡¯t need medication to stabilize the fetus anymore. Just take care of yourself and rest well. When suitable, walk around.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye nodded gratefully. ¡°Mmm, I will. Thank you, Dr. Huang.¡±

    She had just only found out she was pregnant when Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong had already filled her up with a lot of knowledge about pregnancies, especially thetter. She had already prepared everything about preventing pregnancy marks with olive oil.

    Xi Xiaye heard that when she was pregnant with Mu Yuchen, it had not been worry-free either and was about the same as how she was right now, so she was experienced with such a situation. There was also Su Nan who would call her every two or three days. She was even more worried about her than her own child. Sometimes, she forgot that she was pregnant herself. In fact, she was going intobor very soon.

    Along the long path, Ji Zitong who followed behind her suddenly asked softly, ¡°Director Xi, are we going to Fuhua now or straight to Glory World?¡±

    Xi Xiaye slowed down her steps. She turned to look at her and fell silent for a moment. Then, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to Glory World. Isn¡¯t there a quarterly nning meeting? Some of the nning Department documents are still with me. You go get the car first. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs.¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded and responded before walking ahead quickly, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was not in a rush. She took her handphone out and was about to call Shen Yue to tell him that she was not going over today.

    However, just as she slid her phone out and was about to make the call, there was the sound of rushed footsteps in front and a slightly familiar voice. She looked up reflexively and saw Sis Li walking towards her unexpectedly!

    It was Caitlin¡¯s manager, Sis Li!

    Back then, it was her whom she had looked for to ask about Sis Lan.

    Now, she seemed quite anxious and panicked as she asked the doctor before her, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Sis Lan doing? What¡¯s wrong with her? Is it serious? Is she okay?¡±

    She rattled off a few questions at a go. Meanwhile, the doctor¡¯s expression looked solemn too. He was about to answer her when Sis Li saw Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Director Xi! Why are you here too?¡±

    ¡°Sis Li?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked puzzledly at Sis Li, then at the doctor beside her. She politely nodded to greet the doctor, and then seeing Sis Li¡¯s anxious expression, she continued, ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Sis Lan! This morning, I received news that Sis Lan was in a critical condition and was sent to the hospital, so I rushed over to visit her. I don¡¯t know how she is right now. This is worrying me to death.¡±

    Sis Li¡¯s brows furrowed into a tight knot.

    Sis Lan was sent to the hospital at midnight?

    Her conversation with Mu Yuchen from a few days ago suddenly came to her mind. Xi Xiaye had a bad feeling as she nced at the doctor beside Sis Li. At this moment, the doctor spoke up, ¡°Which of the two of you know the patient¡¯s family?¡±

    When the doctor said that, Sis Li immediately answered, ¡°Sis Lan is alone. I¡¯m her best friend. If there¡¯s anything, you can let me know.¡±

    The doctor examined her for a bit, then sighed solemnly. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have much time left. You have to be ready.¡±

    ¡°What happened? What do you mean not much time left?¡±

    The moment the doctor said that, Sis Li was stunned. She could not help but shudder and gape at the doctor in a daze.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly as well while she frowned at the doctor.

    ¡°Her heart is deteriorating. Even though she has been receiving the treatment on time, this suddenplication has worsened her condition. You seem like you don¡¯t know she¡¯s been having this illness, do you?¡±

    ¡°What... What do you mean?¡±

    Sis Li widened her eyes as she looked in disbelief at the doctor. ¡°Are you saying...?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the heart failure that you people always talk about. She¡¯s actually been treating it abroad for quite a few years now. It¡¯s only recently that she¡¯s been transferred back. She¡¯s been waiting for a suitable heart, so she couldn¡¯t do the transnt surgery yet. Her condition is not ideal. If this continues, she won¡¯t be able to make it past one or two months, so you have to be mentally prepared.¡±

    The doctor¡¯s words were like a thunderbolt that exploded in Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart, rendering her dumbstruck.

    No wonder! No wonder she looked so pale and quite dispirited. It turned out...

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that she had said that was herst time visiting Mu Zi or something. Perhaps she knew that she would not be living for much longer!

    ¡°No way! This is impossible... She¡¯s always been quite healthy and wasn¡¯t sick with anything. How did she get heart failure? This is impossible! Doctor, did you get it wrong?¡±

    Sis Li was stunned to the point that she was disoriented.

 Chapter 550 - Visit

    <h4>Chapter 550: Visit</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands that fell by her side subconsciously tightened as her expression becameplicated. She asked the doctor with a frown, ¡°Is there no other way? It¡¯s just been one or two months... How could this be?¡±

    ¡°I think she knows that she¡¯s not been doing too well either. She¡¯s probably returned to enjoy her so-calledst years.¡±

    The doctor sighed. ¡°Her condition is severe. It hasn¡¯t been easy to make it all these years. Since you¡¯re her friends, be with her more. See if she has any unfulfilled wishes. Her ward is right in front. Come with me.¡±

    As the doctor spoke, they walked ahead.

    Sis Li¡¯s expression was very solemn. She exchanged a worried look with Xi Xiaye, and when she saw her consoling gaze, she followed the doctor.

    They walked quite a distance with the doctor before reaching a ward. They were just about to enter when they saw a nurse walk out holding a tray in her hands.

    ¡°Dr. Zhang...¡± the doctor called out.

    ¡°How is it? How¡¯s the patient¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve just given her acupuncture treatment. The patient¡¯s not awake yet.¡±

    The doctor nodded. ¡°You can go first.¡±

    Then, the nurse slowly retreated. Sis Li impatiently barged in to see a weak Sis Lan on the sickbed. The beeping of the machine was the only sound breaking the silence in the ward.

    When Sis Li walked to the bedside, her eyes had already welled up in tears. ¡°When will she be awake?¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at Sis Lan who looked lifeless on the sickbed before she turned to look at the doctor who advised, ¡°Her condition isn¡¯t stable. She should be awake soon ording to her condition. However, these next two days is still a critical period, so don¡¯t stay too long and don¡¯t disrupt her rest.¡±

    ...

    Hearing this, Xi Xiaye could not help but sigh. Who would have thought that a person who was doing just alright a few days ago would be like this right now? All these years, she had been receiving treatment abroad. That must have been the reason she quit the entertainment industry.

    From the way Sis Li and Caitlin spoke, they must hold her in very high regard.

    And now...

    Nevertheless, why was she not willing to exin all those things clearly?

    The doctor left after exining a few more things. Xi Xiaye stood by the sickbed for quite a while, watching Sis Li quietly cry. She could only reach out to pat her shoulders. Just as she was about to console her, they suddenly heard a light cough. She subconsciously looked up and saw that Sis Lan was trying to open her eyes through the fatigue.

    When Sis Li saw Sis Lan wake up, she felt relieved and quickly attended to her. ¡°Sis Lan, how are you feeling? Are you ufortable anywhere?¡±

    In a daze, Sis Lan opened her misty eyes which gradually returned to rity after a while. She looked around, and when she saw Xi Xiaye, she was clearly surprised. Her pale and bloodless face was momentarily stunned.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why are you here?¡±

    The two of them were quite close. To a certain extent, Sis Li had been mentored by Sis Lan, and she was considered her student.

    ¡°I received a call. Sis Lan, you... Why are you hiding this from everyone? Why didn¡¯t you tell us? We thought that you...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling you lot? It would just to add to everyone¡¯s worry. You don¡¯t have to worry anymore. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to recover with my condition anymore.¡±

    Sis Lan¡¯s tone and gaze were calm. Her nonchnt expression seemed to be one that has experienced the hypocrisy of the world and seen through life and death. She sounded incredibly sad to Sis Li.

    Sis Lan watched her quietly without a sound. She watched Xi Xiaye silently, thought about it, and decided to ask, ¡°Missus Mu, why are you here?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face shed with a faint smile. She said softly, ¡°I came over for a checkup. Unexpectedly, I bumped into Sis Li and found out you were hospitalized, so I came over to take a look. You¡¯ll get better.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± A wry smile appeared on Sis Lan¡¯s pale face. ¡°By the looks of it, there isn¡¯t any way anymore. Perhaps this is fate. This is my fate.¡±

    ¡°Sis Lan, don¡¯t be dismayed. The doctor will find a way to save you,¡± Sis Li consoled.

    Sis Lan shook her head, not seeming too sad. Perhaps she was indifferent to things now given her state. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I know myself. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t rush back. Upon my return this time, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t have any more chances of leaving. There¡¯s nothing bad about that, after going round and round, I still end up back here. I don¡¯t have much time left...¡±

    ¡°Sis Lan,¡± Sis Li called out anxiously as she quickly grabbed her frail hand. ¡°No, Sis Lan, as long as you get treatment, you¡¯ll get better. I...¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye did not know how to console her, so she did not say much. When she left the hospital, she felt quite depressed.

    Yet, just as Xi Xiaye learned about Sis Lan¡¯s condition, Mu Yuchen received news too.

    In his spacious and cozy office, Mu Yuchen was standing at the shelf and flipping through a book. Ah Mo stood before his desk and reported, ¡°Ah Bo sent a message saying that it¡¯s heart failure. She probably doesn¡¯t have much time left. She¡¯s been staying at home because she¡¯s been feeling unwell.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone visited her recently?¡± Mu Yuchen stood there, his gaze never leaving the page.

    ¡°Qi Qiming¡¯s secretary did go looking for her once, but after that, there wasn¡¯t much contact,¡± Ah Mo answered.

    ¡°Does Qi Qiming know about her illness?¡± Mu Yuchen flipped the page and continued to ask.

    Ah Mo fell silent for a moment. He thought about it, then answered, ¡°I think he doesn¡¯t know. Qi Qiming has rarely been in contact with Sis Lan all these years since there¡¯s nothing for them to keep in touch about. I find the recent sudden contact quite odd too. However, the two of them did work quite closely back then. I think they do more or less keep in touch. Perhaps, Qi Qiming also knows something about Aunty¡¯s matters. Don¡¯t forget that he was quite popr in the circle back then too.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen nodded in agreement, a sneer curled on his lips while the light in his eyes became quite unfathomable. ¡°I am quite looking forward to seeing if Mr. Wen has any connections to Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°Master, why would you say that?¡± Ah Mo was puzzled now.

    Mu Yuchen sneered. His tone was quite nonchnt. ¡°Lu Xin and Qi Qiming didn¡¯t just work together. She and Qi Qiming had a past.¡±

 Chapter 551 - Realization

    <h4>Chapter 551: Realization</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words shocked Ah Mo into sheer disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Isn¡¯t Sis Lan...?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve investigated Qi Qiming¡¯s trail in the past. Qi Qiming transferred Lu Xin¡¯s current house to her in secret. He¡¯s always been generous to his mistresses. This reminds me about the termination of their coboration which might be due to Wang Qin¡¯s intervention.¡±

    ¡°How could it be? Master, do you mean Qi Qiming might be Mr. Wen?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s expression darkened.

    ¡°It¡¯s still too early to make a conclusion right now. This only tells us Qi Qiming and Lu Xin have an unusual rtionship. If Mr. Wen is truly Qi Qiming, then there¡¯s a reason for the idents that happened to your sister-inw before. He was picking trouble with me for Qi Feng¡¯s sake. That¡¯s a strong motive,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Qi Qiming... If that¡¯s true, then everything makes sense.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I suppose things aren¡¯t that simple. Let¡¯s do this, think of a way to let both Qi Qiming and Wang Qin be aware of Lu Xin¡¯s condition, and observe their reaction, also, investigate if aunt knew Qi Qiming before.¡±

    Ah Mo was startled before nodding. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± He then left after a brief reply.

    It was afternoon when Xi Xiaye arrived back at Glory World. She received a call from Mu Yuchen the moment she stepped out of the car. He told Xi Xiaye to visit his office.

    Xi Xiaye went back to her office to grab the documents needed for the meetingter before heading over.

    Inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, lunch was already prepared. They had lunch together once she arrived.

    ¡°You seem to have a lot on your mind. Is something bothering you?¡± He handed her a wet towel and noticed that her emotions were fluctuating slightly.

    Xi Xiaye took the towel as she looked at him solemnly. ¡°Guess who I met at the hospital just now?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he got her some soup.

    ¡°I met Sis Li, and she was visiting Sis Lan! Sis Lan had a heart attackst night and was sent to Hospital T. Her condition is very bad and she most probably can¡¯t make it past the next two months. The doctor also mentioned that Sis Lan has been visiting hospitals abroad frequently in the past few years. She probably returned to City Z because she knew she doesn¡¯t have much time left and wants to spend her final days here.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone of voice sounded heavy while her eyes darkened.

    ¡°No wonder she looked unwell when I visited her thest time. She doesn¡¯t look very energetic. How unfortunate. I thought we could find something about Aunty out from her...¡±

    Sis Lan¡¯s attitude was pretty determined at that moment. Xi Xiaye thought about paying her a second visit, but she did not want to rush things and she knew that Mu Yuchen had people keeping an eye on her, so she did not want to ruin his n.

    However, with the current situation, she was worried that if they still did not find out anything from Sis Lan now, all those things they never knew about would vanish with her.

    Xi Xiaye did not see any change in Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression as he casually scooped food onto her te. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± sheined when he did not give her any sort of response at all.

    ¡°If worrying works, I don¡¯t mind worrying about it. Well, I know about it. Have your lunch first. What did the doctor say? It looks like it¡¯s grown...¡± The man seemed indifferent about this. Instead, he made Xi Xiaye sit down as he put his hand on her belly gently.

    ¡°You touched it this morning and said it didn¡¯t seem different, but now you¡¯re saying it looks like it¡¯s grown? You¡¯re contradicting yourself.¡± She shot him a stare while she had a twisted smile on her face. ¡°The doctor said I¡¯ll be able to feel him moving inside me soon.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, just leave all the work to us soon. Grandpa says the same as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still early and I have nothing to do anyway. It¡¯s no harm for me to walk around. I¡¯m practically an idle person now. When I went to take some documents from my office just now, everyone looked at me in surprise. Do all of them know that I¡¯m pregnant?¡± She frowned and stared at him.

    Ever since their wedding, they started going to the office together and did not avoid letting people see them. The wholepany knew about their rtionship, and since she was pregnant, people had been acting carefully around her as if she was an olddy. Some would evene to her aid when she walked by since her swollen belly was obvious.

    ¡°So what if they know? It¡¯s a marvelous thing. Don¡¯t you feel proud bearing my child? She¡¯ll be Glory World¡¯s little princess. Isn¡¯t that something to look forward to?¡± He then delivered a slice of deboned fish into her mouth.

    She ate it without any resistance. He had been sweeter and sweeter to her. ording to Su Nan, this man had the potential to be trained, but of course, Xi Xiaye did not dare try as he might use it against her and train her back instead.

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a little princess? It might be a boy. Why is it a proud thing? You speak as if you¡¯re an ancient emperor. I¡¯m not like those imperial concubines.¡± She rolled her eyes at him.

    He chuckled, his face filled with warmth. ¡°It¡¯ll be a princess as I say. If we¡¯re really in the past, a certain someone selected you from a thousand others. Aren¡¯t you lucky?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that certain someone?¡±

    She raised her eyebrows and looked at him. ¡°Mr. Mu, I noticed that your tongue has been getting sweeter. Had it been in the past, I¡¯d never have believed that you could say such flirtatious phrases. So, you like to have a few thousand girls around you, huh?¡±

    He was not really embarrassed about it. Instead, he looked at her straight in the eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you like to hear those sweet words too?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± She faced the other way as her face blushed furiously.

    ¡°Why is your face red then? But I¡¯m telling the truth. I don¡¯t care what others do. I¡¯m barely holding up trying to serve you. I don¡¯t have time for others. You overestimate me, Missus.¡±

 Chapter 552 - Incident (1)

    <h4>Chapter 552: Incident (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They were having a good time in the office. Mu Yuchen kept feeding Xi Xiaye while they talked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go out tonight. The Mooncake Festival ising soon and I want to buy some autumn clothing for Grandpa. Usually, it¡¯s Mother¡¯s job to do it, but since she won¡¯t be back for a while, I want you to go with me.¡±

    She thought about it when she was drinking the soup and looked at him with her pair of hopeful eyes.

    He smiled and patted her head. ¡°If my wife is heading out, of course, I¡¯m going to y the role of her guardian. Finish the soup. I¡¯m all yours tonight.¡±

    ¡°Just tonight? Someone told me before that he¡¯s mine forever...¡± She gave him a meaningful smile as her eyes turned gentle. In turn, his heart softened and he barely managed to force himself awake.

    ¡°Your Mr. Mu would never say something so flirtatious,¡± he replied calmly while maintaining his usual cool self.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled as she nced at him blushing slightly. She then lowered her head and continued to drink her soup.

    Mu Yuchen returned to her normal expression swiftly. He picked up his chopsticks and was about to continue eating when there was a sudden knock on the door. The two of them turned to look.

    Zhou Zimo entered with a worried expression on his face.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo would visit Mu Yuchen from time to time just to have a drink together or chat for a while. They were pretty rxed when they came over, but this time...

    Mu Yuchen instantly knew something went wrong, so he asked before Zhou Zimo even started talking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He also stopped what he was doing.

    ¡°Pleasee to the Su family with me. Su Chen angered Elder Su and he experienced high blood pressure. Su Chen said he¡¯s going to run away from home after being scolded. No one knows where he is now. His parents have looked for him high and low the whole night and he¡¯s nowhere to be found. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s really childish of him?¡±

    Zhou Zimo walked over to pour himself a ss of water and gulped it down.

    ¡°Elder Su is having high blood pressure? How is he doing?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned and grabbed a tissue to clean his mouth as he took the ss of tea Zhou Zimo handed him.

    ¡°I heard it¡¯s pretty bad to the point that Su Chen was almost imprisoned at home. This only happened once before when we just left the army. Su Chen was forced to work at the Traffic Management Bureau because of that. Otherwise, he¡¯d have gone to the border already.¡±

    Zhou Zimo seemed really worried. ¡°To be honest, I do think the elder is quite forceful. Knowing Su Chen¡¯s personality, it¡¯s not easy even for him to give in once.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll have to do something about their elders at home. Is Su Chen still missing?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as he picked up his phone and started to call Su Chen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. It¡¯s switched off! I spammed his phone with calls all day.¡± Zhou Zimo pinched the space between his eyebrows helplessly.

    ¡°Why is there a sudden conflict?¡±

    Xi Xiaye knew that Elder Su was pretty strict and that Su Chen had a lot of restrictions ced on him. Su Chen was a carefree person who never liked to be confined. He usuallyined a lot in his conversations with Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°It¡¯s autumn now. It¡¯s just the season to harvest opium poppy. Several countries near the border are having great harvests this year, so things won¡¯t be very peaceful around there. The main cities issued orders to send more people over. It¡¯s ssified information which I¡¯m not very sure about. It seems like Su Chen wants to go, but the elder objected to it,¡± Zhou Zimo exined.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She understood what Elder Su was thinking well enough.

    Like the Mu family, the Su family only had one male heir, and they would never agree to send Su Chen to such a dangerous mission. Back then, because the elder disagreed to let Su Chen go to the border, Su Chen was forced to change his career like Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°I heard about this before. Su Chen mentioned it to me, but I don¡¯t agree with his idea as well.¡± With knitted eyebrows, Mu Yuchen gave it some thought. ¡°But I do understand what he¡¯s thinking.¡±

    ¡°After all, he¡¯s just trying to avoid marriage, isn¡¯t he? His life is perfect here and there¡¯s no need for him to go so far away. That¡¯s the only thing that bugs him.¡± Zhou Zimo nced at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find him first. Give the elder a call and tell him not to worry. We¡¯ll find him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen started to have a headache. He put down his teacup and looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, stay at the office first. Postpone the meetingter to tomorrow. Otherwise, just hold the meeting without me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Find him first. I¡¯ll take care of the meeting. There¡¯s not a lot on the agenda anyway.¡±

    He patted her head. ¡°Alright, the documents are all on the table.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    He quickly grabbed his coat and rushed out with Zhou Zimo. Xi Xiaye started to worry when she saw that their expressions seemed terribly grim.

 Chapter 553 - Incident (2)

    <h4>Chapter 553: Incident (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo left, Xi Xiaye tidied up and began to prepare for the meetingter.

    When she did not hear any news from Mu Yuchen the entire afternoon, she realized that it seemed to be a little more serious this time. She had never seen Su Chen act out like this before. Previously, through her interactions with Su Chen, she could tell he was a candid and open-minded person. This time, Elder Su must have crossed the line if he was forced to this extent.

    The sky gradually darkened. Initially, they had nned to go shopping and prepare some autumn wear for Shen Yue, but it looked like that would not be happening anymore. Coincidentally, Zhuang Shurong called her, so Xi Xiaye just made her way home early.

    On the other end, when Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo found Su Chen, he was at the fencing center they had frequented before. Su Chen was already worn out and all sweaty as hey sprawled on the floor. Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo helped him to the resting area with each of them taking one side. Then, they tossed him to the ground, and the entire space instantly fell silent. There was only the sound of his panting and breathing.

    ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± Su Chen sighed as he wiped the beads of sweat on his face away ufortably and looked at Mu Yuchen nervously.

    Mu Yuchen shot Zhou Zimo a look, and he quickly whipped his phone out to call the Su family to inform them that he was safe.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many ces that you can go to. What¡¯s wrong? From what I remember, you rarely go against the elder¡¯s wishes. However, this time I remember advising you against going to the border.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gestured to the attendant on the side who very quickly handed Su Chen a wet towel and water.

    Su Chen took the towel and wiped his face with it before speaking annoyedly, ¡°I¡¯m sick of staying in City Z. I just wanted to have a change of environment and live some peaceful days. I¡¯m already more than 30 years old. When can I do things as I wish, why do I have to do as they say? They keep being violent and lecture me like they¡¯re training animals. Do they think I¡¯m those soldiers under them?¡±

    ¡°The elder is like that. You¡¯ve tormented him and almost got him hospitalized. Everything can be discussed. You¡¯re just too hot-tempered. You didn¡¯t make Mother Su cry any less,¡± Zhou Zimo frowned and expressed helplessly.

    ¡°Exactly, I didn¡¯t torment them, so I¡¯ve always let them push me around. I let them make me join the military academy and change my career path. Everything I did, I abided by their wishes, and now I even have to marry a woman that they¡¯ve chosen. Why? When have I ever done anything because I wanted to?¡± Su Chen released all his suppressed unhappiness all at once.

    ¡°Did the elder choose someone for you already?¡± Mu Yuchen quickly caught onto the key point from Su Chen¡¯s words. He subconsciously squinted as he fixed his eyes onto Su Chen.

    When he heard this, Su Chen could not help but feel frustrated. He clenched his fists and punched the ground hard as he spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°They gave me a month¡¯s time to find a woman. Otherwise, I¡¯d have to go with their arrangements and marry Lin Ran.¡±

    ¡°Lin Ran? Isn¡¯t she your superior¡¯s daughter? She seems to have coveted you for a long while now. Earlier, I even heard that she got quite close to another young heir. Elder Su doesn¡¯t have to force a woman onto you, does he?¡±

    When Su Chen finished, Zhou Zimo instantly raised his brows and looked at him in surprise. ¡°But this is how the elder works. He just puts an assignment down. You¡¯re going to be 33 next year. I can understand how he feels. Like my old man says, you¡¯re going to be a golden leftover-man.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about me. What about you? My grandfather only became all anxious after seeing Ah Chen. He¡¯s moving too fast, and he¡¯s even having a son soon. I thought that I could use this change to have a few years of peace, but my grandfather and father are extremely against it.¡±

    ¡°If you have any more peace and quiet, you¡¯re going to remain unmarried. Joining the army over there takes three to five years. You¡¯d be 40 when you get back. You¡¯re crazy!¡± Zhou Zimo disagreed as well. It was no wonder the elder would be so angry. Was he not causing trouble?

    ¡°Evading responsibility is not the best way to solve a problem. Instead of having these struggles every time, why don¡¯t you face it head on? After all, it¡¯s something that you have to go through. It¡¯s inevitable,¡± Mu Yuchen finally continued to speak up after he fell silent for a while. His eyes were as deep as the ocean while he looked calmly at Su Chen.

    When Mu Yuchen finished, Su Chen was stunned for a moment. He then propped himself up and subconsciously turned to look at Zhou Zimo who was just as stunned as he was. Then, the two of them exchanged a look before nodding.

    ¡°We¡¯re not as optimistic as you are. I know that you and your wife Xiaye were once in my situation. It¡¯s just a matter of fate. This is something that can¡¯t be begged for. Forget it. Don¡¯t lecture me anymore. I won¡¯t go then. I feel much better after sweating it out. The two of you are quite good at looking for me if you found me here,¡± Su Chen spoke helplessly as he surrendered to fate.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be like this now. Just get any woman to be your date and that¡¯d be better than Lin Ran. The elder probably wouldn¡¯t be that cruel. He wouldn¡¯t be able to force you then, would he?¡± advised Zhou Zimo as he reached out to pat Su Chen¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Stop bringing those women into this.¡±

    ¡°I know you have high standards! Your taste is quite unique anyway. Based on your personality, I think gentle and quiet girls suit you,¡± said Zhou Zimo with a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re suited for gentle and quiet girls! Obviously, I like young and lively ones. The quiet ones are boring,¡± Su Chen immediately refuted as he sloppily wiped his face and then got up. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s go have a drink. I¡¯ve been annoyed for the past few days. I¡¯m going to stay at your ce for a while.¡±

    Then, he hurried to change in the changing room.

    After Su Chen¡¯s figure vanished inside, Zhou Zimo shrugged. ¡°Since when is he so good at recovering? Also, how did you know he¡¯de here to pass the time? He seems to have released all of his anger this time,¡± Zhou Zimo looked curiously at Mu Yuchen and asked.

    Mu Yuchen got up casually and calmly. ¡°We came here a few times before. On the elder¡¯s end, you should slowly talk to him about it. Don¡¯t pressure them too hard. You know how Su Chen¡¯s like too. Some things require more time to get used to.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded. ¡°I pity this fellow too. Once the elder gets stubborn, no one can handle that temper of his. Well, it¡¯s because of you. Once you got married, you¡¯ve brought on a lot of pressure for us buddies. Weren¡¯t we fine before this?¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen suddenly turned to look at him with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing to be living an entirely new kind of life.¡±

 Chapter 554 - Incident (3)

    <h4>Chapter 554: Incident (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Zhou Zimo only shrugged.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked you yet. How does it feel being a father-to-be? I went to see Grandfather Mu and the rest at the Mu residence the other day. They all look quite well. They couldn¡¯t stop talking about their great-grandchild. I can tell that they¡¯re all really looking forward to the child.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen just chuckled without a word.

    Obviously, he was really looking forward to it, and of course, apart from anticipation, he was mainly feeling a little worried, especially when he saw her reacting badly. He never knew that pregnant women suffered so much. The doctor said that there were still many things to pay attention to, and it sounded like there was quite a lot to look after.

    ¡°You¡¯re so happy that you¡¯re forgetting your duties!¡± Zhou Zimo sighed upon seeing him like this. He vaguely felt disoriented.

    When Su Chen was done changing, the buddies left together.

    Mu Yuchen drove straight ahead to the north of the city near the Grand Waves Vi area. He remembered bumping into Xi Xiaye there once. There was a pretty good entertainment club, and if he drank too much, he could go straight back to Maple Residence.

    Unexpectedly, Su Chen did not drink as much as he usually did. Instead, it was Zhou Zimo who drank quite a lot. He drank quite a bit and soon felt tipsy.

    His tolerance for drinks was actually not that high. After a few sses, he suddenly remembered that his woman might be waiting for him at home. Subconsciously, he fumbled in his pocket but reached nothing. He then remembered that he seemed to have forgotten his phone in the car.

    In the end, Zhou Zimo drank way too much whilst Mu Yuchen began to feel tipsy too. Instead, Su Chen was more sober than usual.

    When they were about to leave, Zhou Zimo had already cked out from being inebriated. His entire weight fell onto Mu Yuchen, so Su Chen could only help him get his coat and put it over his shoulders as he said, ¡°You help Zimo and stay at your ce for the night. I have to make a trip back to the bureau. There are some things I left in the office which have to be checked daily. How annoying!¡±

    ¡°What about you? Are you going to stay over in Maple Residence too? I¡¯ve already prepared quite a few rooms.¡± Mu Yuchen steadied Zhou Zimo and looked at Su Chen.

    ¡°Just bring him back. I¡¯ll probably rest in the office today. There are some things I need to rush. You didn¡¯t drink too much, did you? Can you drive?¡±

    Then, he reached out and waved a hand in front of Mu Yuchen who pushed it away. ¡°I¡¯m fine. We¡¯re very close. I¡¯ll ditch you then. I¡¯m going to go back now. Xiaye¡¯s still waiting for me.¡±

    In fact, because he did not even give her a call, she was probably going to be unhappy when he got back. Thankfully, it was only slightly past 10 p.m., hence it was not considered toote.

    As Su Chen listened, he could not help but lift a hand to rub the space between his brows. ¡°You have the potential of being a wife ve. Just let her wait for a while. What¡¯s the rush? Okay, you get lost then. I¡¯ll get the bill!¡±

    Then, Mu Yuchen helped Zhou Zimo out the door while Su Chen waved to the waiter to settle the bill and left too.

    It was a lovely night outside. A slender crescent moon hung in the night sky. The moonlight was bright and refreshing.

    Su Chen found his car keys from his pocket and was about to walk to his car, but he was caught off guard. Before he could move, a soft hand had suddenly held onto his shoulders. He subconsciously wanted to move away, yet at this moment, there was the unmistakable sound of puking.

    The smell of alcohol filled the air, and with it came a strong odor!

    He felt a faint warmth at the leg of his pants followed by terrible wetness. The stench was madly overpowering!

    Su Chen immediately frowned. When he turned to look, he realized that it was a woman puking while being in a state of nausea!

    Dressed in a gray formal dress with smooth hair at shoulder-length, she had her head lowered as she clutched onto him like amp pole and puked all over him...

    She had her head down, so he could not see how she looked like, but Su Chen knew that at this moment, he was extremely angry. No, he was pissed!

    What bloody luck! He was already enraged at that point, and now this woman had puked all over him. He was smelly and dirty now. What was going on with all these turns of bad luck one after another? How was he supposed to live his days?

    ¡°Go away! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Su Chen shoved the woman that held on to him away, feeling annoyed, yet before he could react, he felt a pain on his shoulder. A sharp nail had quickly hooked itself onto his shoulder, and he felt like he was suspended mid-air.

    Swoosh!

    Bam!

    Su Chen was caught off-guard with this off-shoulder throw. In the blink of an eye, he was thrown to the ground. Pain soared from his waist, and before he could cry out, that woman had alreadye over. Her knees pinned his torso down tightly as she threw punches at him like rain to greet him. Involuntarily, Su Chen screamed!

    Everything happened so quickly that he did not have time to react.

    He was not sure how many more punches he had to receive. He only felt his ears buzz with pain, and a warm stench filled his nose. He then struggled away from the woman pinning him down after much effort. He threw a punch at her, yet she did not seem to feel pain. On the contrary, she began to hit him even harder!

    ¡°Whoa! Where is this bitch from, acting all crazy and being drunk now?!¡±

    Su Chen was extremely annoyed. He took a careful look at the woman¡¯s face. She was aplete drunk who was swinging punches without properly assessing the situation!

    She even hurt him all over with the blows!

    His wrist seemed to be sprained!

    Now that she was done punching, why was she not letting go of his arm?

    ...

    Mu Yuchen obviously did not know about Su Chen¡¯s tragic situation. After he helped Zhou Zimo home, Xi Xiaye was waiting on the sofa for him.

    Sis Wang helped settle Zhou Zimo in, then he sighed a breath of relief. He exined a few things to Sis Wang before going upstairs.

    ¡°Why are you sote? You didn¡¯t answer your phone either. Did you find Su Chen? You reek of alcohol. Why did you drink so much?¡± She walked over and helped him take off his suit. To her disgust, the strong smell of booze made her dizzy.

    He reached out to pull his tie away and said in a gentle tone, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We found him. I left my phone in the car.¡±

    He casually tossed his tie aside and hugged her delicate shoulders. He was about to lean down for a kiss, yet Xiaye gently lifted a hand to push him away. ¡°I don¡¯t want to... You stink of alcohol!¡±

    ¡°Just for a bit...¡±

    He did not care whether she wanted it or not. He leaned down for the kiss and got a few minutes of sweetness before he let go of her.

    ¡°What did you have for dinner?¡± he asked in concern out of habit.

    This man seemed to be quite concerned with her diet recently. Usually, even if she did not have meals with him, he would always ask her about what she had eaten.

    Xi Xiaye panted slightly. After a while, the mistiness in her eyes gradually dissipated.

 Chapter 555 - Enemies On A Narrow Road (1)

    <h4>Chapter 555: Enemies On A Narrow Road (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He took the coat in her hand, tossed it aside, and pulled her to sit down before he poured her a ss of water.

    ¡°A bowl of chicken soup, half a bowl of rice. Sis Wang makes pretty good braised chicken with mushrooms and candied golden sweet potato,¡± she reported very honestly. She epted the water and sipped it calmly. ¡°How¡¯s Su Chen? Why is it just Zhou Zimo here? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Just that little thing. Elder Su gave Su Chen an ultimatum, telling to quickly get married. Otherwise, he¡¯d arrange a wife for him. Su Chen was unhappy about being ordered around, so he nned to go to the border. Obviously, the elder and Uncle Su wouldn¡¯t agree to that.¡± Mu Yuchen did not mind telling her about these frustrating things.

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she suddenly remembered that time when she went to visit the Su family with Mu Yuchen, and the first time she met Elder Su. ¡°The Su family¡¯s elder has quite a powerful presence. Thest time I met him, I thought he was quite scary too.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen just smiled. ¡°Grandfather Su has been controlling the military all his life. Resounding strength is in his bones, and his presence is extraordinary, so it¡¯s normal for you to feel like that. Su Chen himself is slightly intimidated by Elder Su. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have caused such a scene this time.¡±

    ¡°But Su Chen is really not that young anymore. He¡¯s already 33. Does he think he¡¯s still very young?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed as she could not help butment, ¡°Had it been before, I would¡¯ve thought that it was not too bad being all alone. Unexpectedly, it would be a whole different life after marriage. Eventually, it would be better to have some good prospects. You should go advise your buddy. There are many women around him anyway, so it¡¯s not a bad idea to pick someone suitable.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about them too?¡± He smiled as he took her water and finished it in a few gulps.

    ¡°Actually, I find it quite hard to believe. You lot seem to be preupied with other things. By the time you try to catch up, other people would already have toddlers,¡± Xi Xiaye muttered with a shrug.

    ¡°Before being properly prepared, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten into marriage. Su Chen and ZImo are the same. This is a once-in-a-lifetime matter. How can we treat it lightly? We have to settle down for a few years and be enlightened on some things before we have the courage to face it. In fact, just as Su Chen said, these thingse by not luck and not searching, just like us,¡± he smiled faintly and exined.

    Xi Xiaye pouted a little. ¡°Didn¡¯t we also take the traditional route of a blind date? If you don¡¯t go out and try, how are you going to meet anyone? Okay, quickly wash up. I¡¯ll go get some clothes for you. You reek of alcohol. You stink! Don¡¯t get into bed before you wash off that stink!¡±

    When she saw him leaning against her, she pushed him away and slowly got up. She shot him a look of disdain, and then quietly walked to the bedroom.

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, he immediately smiled bitterly. ¡°Missus!¡±

    This girl seemed to be feeling more and more disdain for him recently. A few days ago, she evenined that he did not know how to coax her.

    Mr. Mu very obediently returned to the bedroom and took the sleeping robe from him before going straight into the bathroom.

    After over 20 minutes, when he came out of the shower, Xi Xiaye was already in bed and leaning against the bedhead while flipping through some books.

    He dried his hair with a towel as he walked over gently. He sat down beside her as he tried to steal a peek. He asked softly, ¡°What are you reading? You look very focused.¡±

    ¡°Some poetry and prose collection for prenatal education... The doctor says that we can start next month already. You are a father, so you¡¯ll have to do this more in the future. You must speak more to the child. That way, the baby will find you more familiar,¡± she said as she handed the book to him and took his towel. Then, she got up slightly to help him dry his hair.

    Obviously, Mr. Mu enjoyed this very much. He casually flipped through the book, and indeed it had many graceful verses.

    Mu Yuchen was not too well-versed with these graceful verses, so he flipped through it for a bit, and then looked at the books on the bedside table. They were everything Xi Xiaye had bought. He really had been negligent as a father-to-be with this aspect. He thought for a bit, then said, ¡°It¡¯s not very convenient in your condition. Just look through this, and even if you don¡¯t do these, I trust that our child wouldn¡¯t be dumber than other children. We¡¯re not trying to cultivate a prodigy. As long as the child grows up healthy, that¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my child has to be both healthy and smart. Why do I find that you don¡¯t quite care about our child?¡± She looked at him in rm.

    He could not help butugh aloud. ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯m just worried that you wear yourself out. As you wish then, I¡¯ll do my best to cooperate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it... I want to visit Sis Lan in a few more days. Perhaps she could tell us more about what happened. I keep feeling like she must know a lot about Aunty. In fact, she has a very peculiar rtionship with Aunty. Today, she unintentionally mentioned Aunty, and I saw that her gaze was solemn like she had a lot weighing on her mind.¡± She looked up with her clear eyes that sought his opinion.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll think of a way. It¡¯s not very convenient for you right now. You should frequent the hospital less.¡±

    Obviously, he did not want to let her look for that woman again to avoid a simr encounter as thest whereby she only spoke half of what she knew. The iplete answer would only be a barrier.

    Since he said that, she certainly was not willing to say more, so she quietly dried his hair for him.

    Mu Yuchen flipped through the book, and his gaze flickered from dark to light. After he thought about it, he then suddenly said, ¡°Xiaye, if you meet Mr. Wen again, would you be able to recognize his voice?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Xi Xiaye was instantly stunned. A light shed in her twinkling eyes as she asked a little excitedly, ¡°Did you already find Mr. Wen?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m still not certain. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then lowered her gaze to think about it. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure because back then, I think that that wasn¡¯t his real voice. I couldn¡¯t hear anything.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sighed as he nodded and reached out to pat her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll think of other ways.¡±

 Chapter 556 - Enemies On A Narrow Road (2)

    <h4>Chapter 556: Enemies On A Narrow Road (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They went quiet and no one said a thing. There was not a single sound inside the bedroom except for the sound of the flipping pages.

    After some time, she touched his messy hair and noticed that it was almost dried. He closed the book and put it back onto the bedside table before grabbing her hand. ¡°Autumn has just arrived and you¡¯re this cold already?¡±

    ¡°Doctor said it¡¯s normal. Don¡¯t worry. The baby is healthy.¡±

    She tossed the towel in her hand aside and then put her arm over his shoulders. She closed in to his ears and said, ¡°Su Nan said she wants to arrange a betrothal. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°An arranged betrothal [1]?¡±

    He frowned. When he turned over and saw her glittering eyes looking at him, he gave a straightforward reply, ¡°Our children will make their own decisions. It¡¯s up to them who they like in the future. Why should we be involved? No way!¡±

    He disliked the idea of an arranged betrothal. Marriage should just be left to the children to decide themselves. Why should the parents decide for them? What if his little princess preferred Su Chen or Zhou Zimo¡¯s son in the future?

    Master Mu assumed his child would be a little princess. He already decided that he would dedicate himself to his little princess just like her mother. In a way, it was topensate for Xi Xiaye¡¯s unfortunate childhood.

    He was not worried about spoiling his child.

    ¡°Ask Dr. Zhong to give you some tonic prescription. You¡¯re already weakened before you even give birth. It¡¯ll only get worse afterward,¡± he said as he grabbed her slender hands.

    ¡°No, the doctor said the baby is healthy right now. I¡¯m practically vomiting from all the tonic soups I¡¯ve been drinkingtely. Also, I¡¯m eating more and more rice. I¡¯ve gone from half a bowl to two bowls. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ll let me do whatever I want as long as I¡¯mfortable with it?¡± She gave him a nce.

    ¡°You¡¯re bing really cheeky right now. Who made you like this? You always need me to convince you to eat that second bowl. Sure, it¡¯s great that the little thing is healthy, but your health is the most important.¡±

    Hey down on the bed while shezed across him. He was like a human pillow for her now.

    ¡°It¡¯s you... Then, I¡¯ll tell Su Nan you disagree. It¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    She gave him a cunning look as she reached up to hisrge hand and spread it open to look at the veins on his palm.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re using me as a shield because you¡¯re scared to tell her, huh? What a way to use me. I¡¯m always the bad guy.¡± He sounded like he was scolding her, but he had a helpless smile on his face.

    As she suddenly remembered something, she sat up and called out to him, ¡°Well, you¡¯re always a good person to me. Hey, Mu Yuchen...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    He seemed to be enjoying their conversation because she rarely called his name. The narcissistic Mr. Mu was thinking that the way she called his name was pleasant to his ears.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t date any girls before because you don¡¯t think they are good enough. And then suddenly I caught your eye?¡± She squinted at him while giving him a seductive nce.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been taking a lot of tonicstely, but you aren¡¯t putting on any weight at all. I see that¡¯s because they¡¯ve all gathered in one ce.¡± He sighed and then pinched her little face. ¡°It¡¯s all on your face.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m thick-skinned?¡± She instantly looked at him with a scowl.

    He smiled and just nced at her without replying, but his eyes told her all she needed to know.

    She red at him and got off him, dragging the nket and covering herself as she faced him with her back. Her shoulders were shaking slightly from her anger as well.

    He suddenlyughed. ¡°You¡¯re being grumpy.¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, she kicked him several times angrily.

    Hisughter got louder as it echoed in the room.

    He liked her this way. She would get angry at him, and his desire to protect her would just rise to the maximum. Quickly, he rolled over and hugged her tightly. ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s my fault. Don¡¯t be angry. No matter what, you¡¯ll always be my beloved Mrs. Mu. I didn¡¯t like other women because they can¡¯t keep my attention.¡±

    ¡°I did meet many women over the years... Beautiful ones, capable ones, but I didn¡¯t take the effort to date them. When I was in the army, there were hardly any females. I was only around twenty years old and I didn¡¯t want to think about it too early. After I retired from the army, I put all my time into thepany and didn¡¯t think about marriage or rtionships. I¡¯m a person who¡¯s afraid of making mistakes. In order not to make mistakes, I disciplined and restricted myself. Everything has to follow an order. Do you understand?¡±

    He rolled her around and made her face him before leaving a kiss on her forehead.

    ¡°After I returned, my grandparents wanted me to get married earlier and have a new life. I gave it some thought. After 30 years, it might be good to try a new lifestyle. Grandmother then started finding girls for me, and my first ever blind date was with you. I heard a little about you from my grandparents, then I just decided to go for it.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a fianc¨¨e before? It even caused a big fuss which everyone knew about.¡±

    ¡°Do you think she¡¯sparable to you? Do you know why I¡¯m against arranged betrothals? I¡¯m worried something simr to my experience might happen. Who knows what would happen in the future? You just love to think about this sort of nonsense. Did Su Nan give you some lecture about managing your husband again?¡±

    He saw through her instantly, his sharp eyes catching her right in the act. Guiltily, she averted her gaze away and mumbled, ¡°Of course not...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can fool me. Only a man with low self-awareness needs to be trained. Are you doubting your charm, or are you doubting me?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± She did not know what to reply and just looked into his eyes.

    [1] The ¡®arranged betrothal¡¯ here is a practice whereby children are promised to be married to each other at a young age.

 Chapter 557 - Enemies On A Narrow Road (3)

    <h4>Chapter 557: Enemies On A Narrow Road (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He grabbed her hands as he crawled on top of her.

    He suddenly thought of something as he closed his eyes. His tone sounded heavy as he said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have that big a heart to contain too many things. I only need one rtionship and one marriage. I prefer my life to be simpler.¡±

    She felt her heart ache when she heard him, so she put her hands on his face and delivered a kiss on his lips.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to... You¡¯re too sweet to me. I worry that some day... So, I want to keep you forever. I don¡¯t want you to know how good any other woman could be. I just want us to stay together forever.¡±

    ¡°What a worrywart!¡±

    He stared at her, but at the same time, he was genuinely happy as her fond sweetness wrapped around his heart. As his heart soared, he epted the passionate kiss from her and elevated it to another level.

    Her concern for him grew as time went by. Before she realized it, she found herself caring a lot for him. She wanted more love and affection from him, and she wanted him to see only her.

    It was all his fault...

    Xi Xiaye had no idea that the man on top of her right now felt the same way.

    Master Mu was an expert at mind games. He was confident in making her fall in love and give her happiness. That was not just all talk!

    Han Yifeng, Qi Lei... They could try all they wanted, but Xi Xiaye would only belong to Mu Yuchen.

    He could not hold it in anymore. Although Xi Xiaye did say they could still have sex when she was around three months pregnant, for her safety¡¯s sake, he still called Dr. Zhong who was about to sleep and asked him about it. Upon hearing his question, Xi Xiaye blushed angrily.

    Her face was totally crimson as she punched his chest. ¡°How could you ask something like that at a time like this!? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed!?¡±

    Dr. Zhong must have known what they were doing right now, and he was going toe over tomorrow. She felt so embarrassed!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Everyone knows that couples have sex. People just tend to look at it weirdly. You need to be frank about it and make it elegant instead of lewd. Learn from me, my dear.¡±

    ¡°Elegant instead of lewd? No, you¡¯re being vulgar.¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, how else would the little thing inside you havee about?¡± he replied her with a straight face.

    ¡°You bastard...¡±

    ¡°Alright, focus right now. Dr. Zhong said it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be careful...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s sleeping robe was flung away instantly, thanks to his impatience. She pushed him and ranted, ¡°Mu Yuchen, give me back the clean, pure, and quiet Mr. Mu!¡±

    ...

    In contrast to Mu Yuchen¡¯s sweet situation, Su Chen was having his worst day ever!

    Initially, he nned to go back to his office, but the woman had vomited all over him and even beat him up. Extremely angered, Master Su picked her up and put her into his car. He intended to wait for her to wake up before teaching her a lesson!

    He went into the shower for an hour after he returned to his apartment in order to get rid of the disgusting odor. To his annoyance, his clothes had to be thrown away. Because he would never buy more than what he needed, he only had a limited number of suits. That woman would have to pay for it!

    He went to sleep fuming and just ignored the woman he left in the living room.

    The next morning, Su Chen woke up in pain...

    ¡°That woman is a monster! Not only is she ugly, but she¡¯s so awful at drinking! Ugh...¡±

    Su Chen remembered what happenedst night. He endured his pain and walked into the bathroom. When he looked into the mirror, he almost smashed it into pieces!

    His handsome face had now be bruised and swollen. Apart from a bruise on his eye and a huge lump on the left side of his face, there was also an obvious p mark!

    How hard did she hit him?

    No wonder his ears could only hear a fuzzy buzzing. With his fair skin, the injuries were especially obvious. He had turned into a pig-like creature!

    Su Chen looked at himself in the mirror as he snapped his toothbrush into half.

    This ugly man was definitely not him!

    He spent every ounce of his willpower to control himself not to beat up the woman in his living room. While Su Chen was usually not the kind of person to pick fights withdies, he was boiling mad and definitely wanted to teach her a lesson!

    He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Then, he proceeded to wash himself up. He had been trained in the army before after all, so he could control his emotions well.

    ...

    Ouch!

    As if thousands of horses had just thundered past in her mind, Ji Zitong felt like her head was about to explode, and the bitter cold was making her shiver!

    How terribly cold!

    Her body was in agony. She curled up into a fetal position before trying to open her eyes.

    The first thing she saw was a beautiful crystalmp. She also heard the sound of water dripping. When she turned over and looked at the source of the sound, she saw arge fish aquarium with several goldfish inside. The dripping came from the tiny fountain in the aquarium.

    The curtain was dark gray in color with several green nts beside it. There was a red rocking chair in the living room with a Chinese chess set made of bluestoneid out on the coffee table. Near the curtain was a collection of gun models and knives. Overall, the room was pretty clean. It was obviously a man¡¯s living space.

    This was not a ce she was familiar with!

    Ji Zitong maintained her alertness when she noticed that. She ignored the pounding in her head and started to look at her surroundings, trying to think back to what happened yesterday.

    After she sent Xi Xiaye back to Maple Residence, she drove back home, but then she received a call and found out a friend was celebrating her birthday at the Imperial Sky Club, so she went there and drank a lot. She barely able made it out of the room.

 Chapter 558 - Enemies On A Narrow Road (4)

    <h4>Chapter 558: Enemies On A Narrow Road (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her memory was a little fuzzy. She just knew that she stood still by the entrance after she came out. Then, she got ufortable and could not really remember anything else afterward.

    She faintly had the impression that she fought with someone hard. Her fists were actually slightly hurting even now.

    Her headache came back, and she took a nce at her surroundings as she felt uneasy.

    There was no one else in the living room. Why was she even there?

    Moreover, she was sleeping on the floor!

    She ran her fingers through her messy hair and could smell a slightly foul scent. She quickly looked down at herself and noticed she was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. They were wrinkled and soiled.

    Drip!

    A wind blew past and lifted the gray curtains while the sound of the water dripping became clear to her. For some reason, Ji Zitong suddenly got goosebumps.

    She had slept on the floor in this ce for the whole night!

    She quickly stood up, not wanting to find out what had happened. Her first instinct was to get out of there as soon as possible!

    However, she miscalcted!

    She never would have guessed that from the moment she sat up, a pair of sharp eyes were observing each and every reaction of hers.

    As Ji Zitong got up with her head still pounding, she detected a creepy stare from the back.

    She took a deep breath and turned around to see a man before her. He was looking at her as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe!

    The man had arge bruise on his face. Obviously, he had been beaten up badly because it was entirely swollen.

    However, she could still see his face clearly, and she found him oddly familiar! She must have seen him before.

    She searched through her memories and found her answer before long!

    Su Chen!

    She would never forget him!

    He was the man who gave her the worst criticism ever as her superior officer when she participated in a special camp during her time in the army. Ji Zitong remembered that he and Mu Yuchen led the team.

    She had a positive impression of Mu Yuchen. He was quiet and cool. Many other soldiers respected him, but everyone feared and loathed Su Chen!

    He left asting impression on her because she hated him deeply!

    This bastard was the one who had left a scar on her thigh, resulting in her not being able to wear short skirts anymore!

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Her cold voice reached Su Chen¡¯s ears.

    Su Chen finally took a good look at the woman¡¯s face. It had been darkst night, and with her messy hair covering her face, he could not recognize her at all. After she tidied herself up a little more, he could finally see her features better.

    Obviously, Su Chen remembered this woman!

    This woman had been dissatisfied with his training method, so he punished her. In retaliation, she tried to pull off a trick out of spite. Fortunately, she had no idea about his rtionship with Mu Yuchen. If that matter reached the higher-ups, he would have been done for!

    ¡°Ji Zitong!¡±

    There were not many women whose name Su Chen could remember. Ji Zitong should be honored to be one of them!

    Su Chenughed instead of getting angry. What a small world!

    He had nned to give this woman a lesson after the camp back then. Unfortunately, she had been transferred away, so he was unable to reach her. Otherwise, he would have given her hell!

    ¡°Long time no see, Officer Su!¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes turned cold as her hands clenched into fists. It took her a lot of effort to restrain herself from punching him, but she could guess that the bruises on his face should be her deed fromst night!

    As her cold voice reached him, Su Chen¡¯s eyes looked at her sharply.

    ¡°Long time no see indeed. I¡¯ve been looking for you for quite a while.¡± Su Chen¡¯s tone was not friendly as well, and his smile was bitter.

    ¡°How nice of you to be concerned about me. I¡¯ve never forgotten what you taught me.¡±

    ¡°It seems that your boyfriend never went back to you, I guess. I heard he¡¯s doing pretty well. He married Deputy Chief Wang¡¯s daughter, and he should be a lieutenantmander now. He came to me and begged for work some time ago. Sadly, I rejected him. See, I told you I wasn¡¯t wrong...¡±

    Su Chen was enjoying Ji Zitong¡¯s pale expression as he felt exceptionally smug.

    ¡°Women are too simple. Do you think a man would still change his mind after he¡¯s gotten tired of you? Naive, stupid!¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression changed and her clenched fists trembled slightly. ¡°What do you know? Who are you toment on this? I never knew that a man like you would care so much about someone¡¯s private matters. You¡¯ve broadened my mind.¡±

    ¡°Still having a sharp tongue, huh? You¡¯re still trying to argue with me even when you¡¯re a deserter? Didn¡¯t the military life ease your arrogance?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to say it again. I¡¯m not a deserter! If you continue to use me, don¡¯t me me for anything that¡¯s about to happen!¡± Su Chen¡¯s words triggered Ji Zitong.

    ¡°What are you going to do? I haven¡¯t even settled the score with you yet, but you¡¯re talking to me like this?¡±

    Ji Zitong did not want to waste any more time there. She still had to report for duty at Glory World, and she needed a ce to clean herself up. Nheless, she felt slightly better knowing that she beat this guy upst night.

    As she ttened her wrinkled outfit and was about to leave, Su Chen¡¯s long arm blocked her way.

    ¡°Move!¡± She halted her steps and red at the arm before her.

    ¡°I think we have a score to settle.¡±

    She wanted to storm away after doing all those things to him. Did she really underestimate him that much?

 Chapter 559 - Jealousy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 559: Jealousy (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, after Xi Xiaye washed up and went downstairs, the man was drinking tea on the sofa with Zhou Zimo, who had changed into a set of clean clothes. He was about the same size as Mu Yuchen, so Mu Yuchen¡¯s clothes fit him quite well.

    ¡°Su Chen¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t he? How did I end up being the one who drank too much instead? Why didn¡¯t you stop me?¡± Zhou Zimo sipped his tea as he looked up at Mu Yuchen who was flipping through the newspaper leisurely.

    ¡°If you really wanted to drink, could I have stopped you?¡± His deep voice was colored with a teasing note, yet Mu Yuchen did not even look up as he answered him directly.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged. ¡°This morning, I called Elder Su and the rest. You should find time to visit them. Sis Su misses you too. Right, when I saw Ah Mo a few days ago, I heard that they were inspecting people. It¡¯s about Lingshi¡¯s father, isn¡¯t it?¡± As he said this, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Mmm, Lingshi has been trying to find out who he is, but we don¡¯t have many leads. Well, this is our only option and we hope that we get a clue.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not hide anything, yet when he talked about this, he felt a faint bitterness inside.

    Zhou Zimo nodded. ¡°I know this is an unfulfilled wish of Lingshi all these years. Even Lingtian has been trying so hard to look for answers years ago, and what about now? Do you have any leads? Did you find any matches in the DNA bank?¡±

    Mu Yuchen hesitated for a moment, then he said to Zhou Zimo, ¡°If I could, my hands wouldn¡¯t be so tied up right now. You¡¯ve got quite a widework here too. Help me find out if there was someone named Mr. Wen in the circle around 30 years ago. This person should be someone of status, and may not be local. He¡¯s got some kind of friendship with the famous manager, Lu Xin. Once you¡¯ve got any leads, do let me know.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Wen? Mr. Wen?¡± Zhou Zimo softly muttered. He wanted to ask more, but seeing Mu Yuchen in deep thought, he decided against it. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best, but it¡¯s been 30 years, so it¡¯s quite a distant memory now. We weren¡¯t all that old back then too. I can¡¯t be sure that I¡¯ll find out about anything.¡±

    ¡°Just do your best. I¡¯ve been quite upied recently.¡±

    Work had been busy, and Fuhua needed him to personally handle matters too. At the same time, his mind was on Xiaye¡¯s health. Clearly, he felt a little fatigued from juggling everything.

    ¡°Okay, leave it to me. You should rest well too. Look at you. You¡¯ve really lost weight. It¡¯s going to be the Mid-Autumn festival in two days. Let¡¯s meet up.¡± Zhou Zimo patted Mu Yuchen on the shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to make a trip back to the old residence then. Let¡¯s gather after that.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at the clock and saw the time. Upon seeing that it was not that early anymore, he grabbed his phone as he said, ¡°As you wish. I¡¯ll return to thepany then since I have a morning meeting. Give me your car keys.¡±

    Mu Yuchen pointed to the drawer on the side, and Zhou Zimo swiftly took the keys out and got up.

    ¡°Have some breakfast before you go.¡± Xi Xiaye just came downstairs at the same time.

    ¡°Morning! I¡¯m rushing. Next time!¡± Zhou Zimo greeted cheerfully before heading out. The way he rushed out surprised Xi Xiaye a little. Meanwhile, at that moment, Mu Yuchen had already put away the newspapers and walked towards her.

    Xi Xiaye watched as Zhou Zimo vanished out of the door as she muttered to herself, ¡°He¡¯s in such a rush. Last night, he drank so much, but he looks quite sober this morning.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s rushing for a meeting. Hungry? Have some breakfast.¡±

    Then, he pulled her to sit down at the dining table. Sis Wang had already prepared a sumptuous breakfast.

    Xi Xiaye sat down quietly. She picked up the cutlery and was about to dig in when the phone rang from the living room. Sis Wang swiftly picked it up before she said to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Missus, a call for you. It¡¯s Miss Su Nan!¡±

    ¡°Pass it to me!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she stopped what she was doing and reached out a hand to Sis Wang urgently. Sis Wang quickly handed the phone to her.

    ¡°Nan Nan?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s clear voice rang out.

    ¡°Xiaye? I have something to tell you, but you¡¯ve got to be mentally prepared.¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s voice sounded hesitant on the other end. Xi Xiaye thought it was weird, so she frowned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Su Nan took a deep breath, then spoke in a lowered voice, ¡°Last night, Ruan Heng bumped into Han Yifeng at the bar. He was really drunk and almost got hit by a car when he left. Anyway, Ruan Heng dragged him to stay at a nearby hotel. Ruan Heng said that he... he kept calling out your name. After that, Xi Xinyi rushed over. I¡¯m worried that... that woman would get up to mischief because of this. You have to watch out. Don¡¯t let her get her way!¡±

    As Su Nan spoke, she could not help but worry because she knew Xi Xinyi all too well.

    Yet, upon hearing Su Nan, Xi Xiaye was slightly stunned. Her hand that held the phone froze in the air.

    ¡°Xiaye, what do you think Han Yifeng is trying to do? Don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s regretting it and missing you now! What the hell is this? When Ruan Heng told me about this, I thought it was quite unbelievable! To be honest, I think he suits Xi Xinyi very well. They can¡¯t be peaceful together and have to torment each other like this. I¡¯d like to see how long they¡¯dst! Being with a woman who isn¡¯t what she seems is disgusting. This is the best punishment for him! Earlier, I even heard that he wanted to get a divorce from Xi Xinyi, but now, I think it¡¯s even better to let them hate each other and wear each other out!¡±

    When Su Nan spoke about this, she could not help but be outraged. She cursed Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi again.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi is quite delighted now. While she has the little one in her, she¡¯s really acting recklessly. Even Han Yifeng¡¯s mother is all over her now. A few days ago, I even bumped into them at the New Era za.¡±

    Su Nan continued to ramble on. Obviously, she could not see the mix of emotions that surfaced on Xi Xiaye¡¯s shocked face. Initially, Xi Xiaye wanted to respond to Su Nan, yet before she could say anything, the man beside her grabbed the phone away.

    ¡°Is this Su Nan? Next time, don¡¯t tell Xiaye anything about Han Yifeng. Got it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s sudden deep voice was colored with cold hostility and silenced Su Nan. After a while, she responded apologetically, ¡°Sorry, Master Mu. I was worried that Xi Xinyi... would think of mischief against Xiaye again.¡±

 Chapter 560 - Jealousy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 560: Jealousy (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He overheard everything that Su Nan said earlier.

    So, Han Yifeng was drunk? He had even been thinking about Xi Xiaye endlessly. Any other man would be fuming too, what more Mr. Mu who had spent a lot of effort squeezing his way into Xiaye¡¯s heart.

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t y any tricks,¡± Mu Yuchen said emotionlessly, then hung up. His handsome face vaguely darkened.

    Xi Xiaye quickly tugged at him and frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. Su Nan didn¡¯t have ill intentions. Don¡¯t be so mean to her. She just wanted to warn me.¡±

    When she finished, Mu Yuchen just shot her a re. Upon seeing her hand grip onto him tightly, his expression softened quite a bit. He did not say anything and just silently poured her a ss of milk while Xi Xiaye just stared at him. After a long while, when she saw that he had no ns of saying anything, she lowered her gaze.

    ¡°Petty,¡± she muttered softly as she lowered her head and took the milk that he handed her.

    When he heard that, he immediately swiveled to look at her. His intent gaze could really startle someone. ¡°You¡¯re quite enjoying your high market value, are you?¡±

    ¡°How would I dare?! That gaze of yours can kill me!¡± She shot him a look and dared not get closer to his rage, so she curled up and silently drank her milk with her head lowered.

    ¡°He knows you¡¯re a good woman now, eh? When did his judgment experience such a major improvement? No wonder thest time he even talked about being willing to turn back time. Has he suddenlye to his senses?¡± Mr. Mu¡¯s current tone was clearly sharp and unkind. ¡°These kind of people are the most unreliable. Ignore him. I can¡¯t stand him as a man either. Hey, what¡¯s with this re of yours? I¡¯m not being petty or jealous. I¡¯m just debating the facts with you, teaching you how to judge people.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were jealous, but you said it yourself!¡± She lowered her voice and then smiled drily through pursed lips. ¡°In fact, just let his woman like him. I understand that like repels like.¡±

    ¡°Are you being sharp-tongued now? You¡¯re really getting more and more daring, hmm? Haven¡¯t you always listened quietly when I spoke?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s hands reached over to slice the food on her te.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything bad. I¡¯m just debating the facts as well to make sure there¡¯s no knot in your heart. I even praised you for being a gentleman before.¡±

    ¡°Am I supposed to be a gentleman about this? Enough. Quickly finish your breakfast. It¡¯s long past working hours, and I have to make a trip to the government office at 10. I¡¯ll send you to work first.¡±

    She stopped what she was doing and asked, puzzled, ¡°Is it about the South River project? The work progress has been going quite well recently.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, there are some things I need to discuss with them. You don¡¯t have to worry about this. Just stay in the office and settle those data for me.¡±

    Since he said so, she could not be bothered with worrying. Recently, she could really push everything to him. Even the materials that Grandpa had told Lan Zng to send over so that she could get familiarize with them was pushed to him, so he had really been quite busy recently. She was quite worried by this sight of him too. Then, she took those materials back and familiarized herself with them.

    ...

    At this moment, Ji Zitong was also dyed and had yet to reach work.

    On the side of the sofa in the living room, Su Chen put the paper that Ji Zitong had signed away with spirited ease and delight. He looked down at her. Despite her appearing rather frigid while she repressed her anger, he smiled coldly. ¡°Do you think I was a military instructor for nothing? Can¡¯t I handle a little woman like you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really despicable! You¡¯re thoroughly the pinnacle of trash among men!¡±

    Ji Zitong endured the pain all over her body as she lifted a hand to wipe the blood on the corner of her lips away as she stared fiercely at Su Chen.

    Su Chen shrugged nonchntly. He was a man and never cared less to be petty with a woman. Furthermore, he was evenzier to debate, so he waved the paper between his fingers and said, ¡°You can curse me in your heart, but don¡¯t let me hear it and I won¡¯t care. See that bag of things by the door? You dirtied my clothes with your puke, so I want you to wash it spotless before sending it back. Of course, I don¡¯t mind it if you were to buy me a new set of clothes, but this set isn¡¯t cheap. If you think you¡¯ve got a lot to spend, then you can burn it. I¡¯ll be very happy that I have something new to wear. Also,st night you went crazy drunk and beat me up like this. I¡¯m warning you, I won¡¯t be petty with the medical fees. I want you to write me a 50,000-word self-criticism letter as an apology. It must be handwritten. Otherwise, this letter of guarantee and your face will go viral on the Inte. If anything bad happens then, don¡¯t me me for being an unreasonable instructor!¡±

    When Su Chen thought about what happened before, he seethed with anger. This woman was too arrogant. If it were not for the fact that she was a woman, he would have settled her by now! He would not have talked so politely!

    When Ji Zitong saw his delighted and righteous expression lecturing her, she wanted to fling a punch at him!

    ¡°Don¡¯t be unhappy. You¡¯re just like how you were with such poor self-awareness. Years ago, I really messed with you quite badly. If it weren¡¯t for Instructor Mu¡¯s quick wits, I probably would¡¯ve ended up as you wished, but Cadet Ji Zitong, as an instructor, I was just carrying out my duty. You must self-reflect and apologize for what you did, understand?¡± Su Chen sneered with a hostile expression.

    ¡°Huh, you keep saying that you were just carrying out your duty. Let me ask you then. Howe Wang Jingxue could request for a leave of absence and I couldn¡¯t? Did you know that because you didn¡¯t let me leave, that...¡±

    ¡°Wang Jingxue¡¯s old man was my superior, Commander Wang, and he gave an order. Could I have disobeyed it? Without an order from the top, I wouldn¡¯t have let anyone off!¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending like you were very fair. Why don¡¯t you just say that you were trying to curry favor with your superior?! You even pretend to be dignified about obeying a superior¡¯s orders. Ugh, it¡¯s disgusting to hear.¡± Ji Zitong shot him a look of disdain as she got up coldly.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you want to believe it or not. Whatever it is, just do as this letter of guarantee says. Otherwise, you should know that I¡¯ve always been one to keep my word. If I don¡¯t see that clean set of clothing next week at this time and that 50,000-word self-reflection letter as an apology, you¡¯ll find out just how despicable I can be.¡±

    Su Chen did not justify himself anymore. He waved the piece of paper and swiftly slid it into his pocket. He coldly showed her the door. ¡°You can leave now!¡±

    Ji Zitong then scoffed and wiped the blood on the corner of her lips away. She red at him lividly before walking to the door.

    ¡°Remember to take the bag!¡± Su Chen¡¯s voice came from behind.

    Ji Zitong practically grabbed the bag by the door through gritted teeth before she stormed out.

 Chapter 561 - Labor (1)

    <h4>Chapter 561: Labor (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car drove slowly towards Glory World Corporation as a light autumn breeze engulfed it.

    It was already entering the autumn season, and the clean flowerbeds on both sides of the road had a few blossoming stalks of chrysanthemums. The faint fragrance of chrysanthemums in the air made one feel carefree and rxed.

    The chauffeur in front steadily parked the car by the roadside before the entrance of Glory World Corporation. Xi Xiaye quickly pushed the car door open and was going to get down, yet just as the door was unlocked, the man inside suddenly said, ¡°Bring your coat along.¡±

    Then, without waiting for her to react, he put it onto her shoulders since it was still a little cool in the morning.

    Xi Xiaye did not reject his gesture either. She just fixed the cor and took her briefcase as she turned to him. ¡°When you¡¯re on the back, can you get me some walnut cookies from the Yao family shop? Mmm, bring back a few more boxes too. Make sure you get the ones that are fresh from the oven. Tonight, we¡¯ll be going back to the old residence. Grandmother and Mother enjoy those pastries.¡±

    ¡°The Yao family shop? The one in along the South River Bridge in Qiaodong?¡± he asked.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s the one. Go earlier. Otherwise, they¡¯ll be sold out. There are so many people who want them.¡±

    He now remembered that thest time, Li Si had lined up for a very long time to buy them. She did like to eat those.

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Go up now.¡± He pushed open the car door for her and sent her out. After he watched her figure vanish through the door, he got back into the car.

    Mu Yuchen had just gotten into the car when the front passenger door opened. Ah Mo got in swiftly. ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Your sis-inw says she wants to make a trip home to the old residence today. Call Lingshi and tell her toe back. We¡¯ll see about arranging the festival at home.¡±

    Mu Yuchen obviously understood what Xi Xiaye implied. He felt that she was more meticulous about the old residence than he was.

    Perhaps, it was because all these years he had been wandering abroad, due to the distance, he did not miss his family much, so he did not seem to feel that strongly about these holidays. Instead, when it came to her, she would pay some mind to every festival.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Mo responded and called Mu Lingshi right away. He exined the situation simply before hanging up.

    ¡°Right, Master, I¡¯ve found out about Lu Xin¡¯s condition from the hospital. Her heart is failing, and she won¡¯t make it past one or two months. She probably knew about her condition. That was why she rushed back from abroad this time. She just wanted to return home at her ripe, old age,¡± spoke Ah Mo in a heavy tone.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was extremely calm, so one could not read his emotions. ¡°Do Qi Qiming and Wang Qin know?¡±

    Ah Mo thought about it, then said, ¡°I¡¯ve revealed the news to the media. I¡¯m sure they know by now, but Wang Qin is very rational. She would just be secretly happy at the most. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to force her to make a move.¡±

    Mu Yuchen obviously agreed with Ah Mo. Wang Qin could not be underestimated. As someone who could contend with the despicable and sly fox, Qi Qiming, and even have the upper hand, this woman was considered a legend in the business world. She had the guts and the drive. Even the media sang praises about her. She was on the same level as Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to lift a finger. She just needs to rile Qi Qiming up. I do quite admire this woman¡¯s tricks,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly.

    Ah Mo nodded and sighed. ¡°Yeah, if she and Qi Qiming join hands to leave peacefully, Qi Kai¡¯s future would be beyond measure. It would be normal if they became on par with Glory World. However, she¡¯s really going all out for Qi Lei, who, sadly, doesn¡¯t care. Just because of Gu Lingsha, all these years she¡¯s been protecting Qi Lei well. He was so into Gu Lingsha years ago, yet Wang Qin... I wonder if they have reconciled now. We don¡¯t have any grudges with Wang Qin, so if Qi Qiming and the unfathomable Qi Feng want to go against us, we can definitely join hands with her. In fact, I think she would be very d to!¡±

    Clearly, Ah Mo had been mulling over this for a while before he expressed all this.

    However, just as he said this, Mu Yuchen frowned slightly as he contemted for a while without answering. Ah Mo hesitated momentarily before continuing, ¡°Master, do you not agree?¡±

    Then, Mu Yuchen sighed slightly and pulled his gaze back from outside the window and silently met Ah Mo¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. There aren¡¯t eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. It¡¯d definitely be a good thing if we can have Wang Qin on our side, but how can you guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t think we have ulterior motives? In fact, Ah Mo, don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s also the Gu family that still won¡¯t show their faces. Only Mr. Lee from City B has had some interactions with them. They¡¯ve kept a low profile all these years too. Everyone isn¡¯t sure what exactly they¡¯ve been up to. To me, the Gu family has the real trick up their sleeves, so we have to be on guard. Before I can tell what the Gu family and Qi Qiming¡¯s motives are, it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t act blindly.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen finished, Ah Mo¡¯s expression turned solemn. He then sighed deeply as a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He said apologetically, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve overlooked!¡±

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s ensure that Wang Qin and Qi Lei are behaving steadily. Watch their patterns of moving in and out of the country.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Oh, right, Gu Lingsha is in London these few days. There¡¯ll still be some time before she returns to the country. I¡¯ve seen their itinerary, so her next stop should be Singapore. I¡¯ve been following her tracks, but I didn¡¯t find any traces of Qi Feng. I¡¯ve checked all the registration records at the Los Angeles hospitals from five years ago, but I didn¡¯t find any records of them being sent to the hospital.¡±

    As Ah Mo said this, he could not help but feel at a loss. All these years, they had been quite thorough, thus he really did not understand how they could not find even a trace of them. Qi Qiming was quite capable to be able to hide a person without any word getting out at all!

    Even Wang Qin, who slept beside him, could not get anything from him.

    ¡°If he really wants to get Qi Kai, he¡¯ll definitely have to show up. I can still afford to wait. The one living in the dark might not have as much patience as me. Let¡¯s just wait,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke nonchntly. Apparently, he was not troubled by this matter as he was calm.

    Then, Ah Mo nodded.

    ¡°Withdraw those people watching Lu Xin, and just watch who¡¯s been entering her ward. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll personally visit her.¡±

    ¡°Master, if we withdraw them, what if...?¡± Ah Mo was hesitant.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t get them to retreat, how is Qi Qiming going to show up? Do I need to teach you what to do?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned slightly.

    Quickly, Ah Mo understood and nodded. ¡°Master, I got it! I¡¯ll arrange that immediately!¡±

 Chapter 562 - Labor (2)

    <h4>Chapter 562: Labor (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Despite the sun being high up in the sky, the surrounding atmosphere was chilly.

    Han Yifeng felt that his head weighed a ton as the bitter cold embraced him. He tried to open his eyes and saw a gentle light.

    The door to the balcony was open, allowing the cool wind to breeze through as the curtains danced.

    This ce...

    Was it not his old vi?

    How did he end up here?

    His headache felt worse as he sat up. He nced around the room and soon noticed Xi Xinyi sitting on the sofa opposite him!

    Her baby bump was huge now as her estimatedbor date drew near. She had been resting at hometely while Huang Ziyao sent people over to take care of her. Although she visited frequently as well, Han Yifeng rarely dropped by.

    First off, he did not want to argue with her. Secondly, he did not want to see her either. That would only reopen his wounds again, and he did not want to get hurt anymore.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were red while she seemed depressed and exhausted. From her dry and lifeless eyes, it was obvious that she had been up for the whole night

    Han Yifeng sat up while his usual calmness returned to him as he acted coldly. He nced at Xi Xinyi without saying anything before going straight to the washroom.

    He did not want to ask why was he there. Apart from that, he also did not want to know what happened because he realized he had nothing to say when he faced her.

    ¡°You were drunk. Secretary Wang and I carried you back here. You got a high feverte at night. Plus, you¡¯ve been calling her name all night long.¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s dry and pained voice came from the back.

    Han Yifeng took a pause but it did not stop him from moving as he continued towards the washroom.

    The door closed followed by the sound of water sshing from inside.

    After what felt like an eternity, Han Yifeng came out after he put on a shower robe. He walked past the living room as if he did not see Xi Xinyi, and went into the bedroom to change into a clean outfit.

    Xi Xinyi pushed the door and went in. When she saw him tying his necktie in front of the mirror, she went over and was about to help him with it. However, Han Yifeng avoided her and growled at her coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    ¡°Yifeng!¡± Xi Xinyi stared at Han Yifeng nkly as she felt bitter inside. ¡°I never knew that you hated me to this extent, Han Yifeng. I dare say no one is as cruel as you. No one!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve had so many good memories together. Have you forgotten them all? Right on this bed, you told me that you¡¯d love me forever, that you¡¯d support me no matter what I do, and that you¡¯d be deeply in love with me forever! Have you forgotten all of that? Have you! You called her name all night long. You hated her the most. How did you be like this, Yifeng?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was heartbroken. She thought if she put in more effort, things would return to how they were before, and he would change his mind and go back to her side. They had had so many unforgettable memories, so they still had something pleasant to share with each other. Moreover, she was bearing his child, so their rtionship could never be broken off and he would eventuallye back to her.

    However, it seemed that not only was he noting back, but he was also moving further and further away. He seemed to have gone so far that she almost lost sight of him.

    In the past few months, she never saw him more than three times, but he did not care at all. She only saw him during her visit to the Han family when he had gone back to take a look at the sickly Elder Han even though he seemed reluctant to.

    Because of her, his rtionship with Elder Han, Han Yu, and Huang Ziyao worsened. Huang Ziyao would sometimes rant to her. While she did not specify anyone, Xi Xinyi was not that dumb that she did not realize she was indirectly ming her.

    She was having a hard time as well. She had to take on all of this alone with no one by her side and could only endure it quietly. She thought she would at least be able to rant to him when she saw him just like old times, hopefully, to get a little bit offort from him, but the only thing she heard from him was Xi Xiaye¡¯s name all night long!

    Who was that witch Xi Xiaye?

    She was just a lowly insect that almost got destroyed by Xi Xinyi. She was nowhere near her, but she always acted cool and arrogant like her mother. Han Yifeng had hated her back then and even wished for her to disappear before his eyes.

    How did the tables turn so suddenly?

    Was it karma?

    ¡°If I treat a toxic and wicked woman like you nicely forever, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll still trick me and fool me like a stupid toy even after I¡¯ve gone to hell. You really yed with me like a doll. Have you been at it so long that you¡¯ve lost your mind? You¡¯re the most ludicrous and disgusting woman I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s voice was filled with anger and frustration.

    ¡°But you¡¯re the one who¡¯s in love with me! We¡¯ve had lots of fun together and you even got me pregnant! If I¡¯m disgusting, aren¡¯t you worse? Within me lies your child! What now? Do you feel ridiculed?¡±

    Xi Xinyi could not take it anymore after hearing the harsh wordse from him. She stared at him coldly and put on a bitter smile. ¡°You can try to abandon me all you want, but I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s impossible! If I¡¯m disgusting, you¡¯re worse! I¡¯m going to give birth to this child and remind you about our past forever! Just like how that witch¡¯s mother Shen Wenna could not take Father away from my mother back then! My mom eventually became Mrs. Xi for over 20 years, and that old witch had to stay alone for two whole decades. Ha, what did she get?¡±

 Chapter 563 - Labor (3)

    <h4>Chapter 563: Labor (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Xinyi shouted at him, her suppressed anger in the past few months burst out all at once.

    ¡°Shut up! You should be d that Grandfather helped you. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve never agreed to let this child survive. The child will never find happiness having a wicked mother like you. He¡¯ll only be as disgusting as you!¡± Han Yifeng clenched his necktie tightly as he shot Xi Xinyi a cold stare. His expression was like the sky right before a huge storm. It was dark and frightening.

    However, Xi Xinyi was unfazed. She smiled after Han Yifeng expressed his anger. It was a cold, bitter smile.

    Han Yifeng never knew that a woman could be like this. The more Xi Xinyi¡¯s real self was gradually revealed before him, the stupider he felt. While sleeping on the same bed as her for so many years, he had no idea that beautiful face of hers hid such an ugly personality.

    ¡°I¡¯m the real treasure of the Xi family. Xi Xiaye totally lost to me. She thought she was a princess and tried to pity others. She¡¯s such an idiot! Who needs her sympathy? Back then, when she was holding hands with Shen Wenna and Father, she told me they are her parents. At that time, hatred welled up inside me, and when she told me you¡¯re her fianc¨¨, I tried my best to be better, to be pretty, to be nice. I wanted everyone¡¯s attention, so I did all that for the sake of giving a big p in her face. I wanted her to know what a real princess is like.¡±

    Xi Xinyiughed. ¡°It only proves that she could never stand before me! Everything she had has be mine, even you, Han Yifeng, who was once her fianc¨¨! You¡¯ve also fallen head over heels for me! You¡¯ve abandoned her! Who could be even more disgusting than you?¡±

    She looked like a proud hen pping her wings as she spoke with pride while touching her belly. ¡°Xi Xiaye thought she could trump me by getting together with Mu Yuchen. Unfortunately, I can stille back. Let me tell you, Han Yifeng. The child inside me is a boy, so the elders must be very pleased, especially given how much they are longing for a great-grandchild. As long as I disagree, you can never divorce me. If the Han family tries to bring this to court, I have the Yue family backing me up!¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression turned icy as he went up to her and grabbed her wrist. His grip almost snapped her hand off, making her cry out loud.

    ¡°Do you think your current self canpare to her? I never knew that you¡¯ve be such a twisted person because of jealousy. The Xi family doesn¡¯t exist anymore. You and your mother have been chased out of the Xis. I¡¯m just taking pity on the both of you and letting you stay at my ce! The West Park belongs to Xi Xiaye now, and she¡¯s even thedy boss of Glory World. Who are you topete with that? Your past glory? Your identity as the scorned daughter? Where does your confidencee from? If you¡¯re that capable, why don¡¯t you try taking Mu Yuchen away from her too?¡±

    Han Yifeng gave her a mockingugh. ¡°You didn¡¯t even realize what you¡¯ve done wrong. Xi Xinyi, you¡¯re a really disgusting woman, the worst of the worst! How terrifying! How could I have shared the same bed with you all these years?¡±

    As Han Yifeng tightened his grip, Xi Xinyi yelled in pain. ¡°Ah!¡±

    When Mu Yuchen¡¯s name was mentioned, Xi Xinyi trembled! How could she have forgotten Mu Yuchen... and the photos he had!?

    ¡°Let go of me! It¡¯s futile for you to be angry. I have my whole life to spend with you, Han Yifeng. I¡¯ll never let you abandon me, and I¡¯ll make sure Xi Xiaye doesn¡¯t get it easy as well. Ah!¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Han Yifeng was enraged. He flung Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand away and spun around coldly. He did not want to stay near this woman any second longer!

    As Han Yifeng just took several steps away, Xi Xinyi rushed up to him. ¡°Stop, Yifeng! Don¡¯t go! I don¡¯t mean what I said, Yifeng!¡± She noticed that she had gone out of control and made the situation worse!

    She did not understand it herself. She wanted to have a good talk with him and would do anything as long as he was willing to change his mind and be with her again, but every time he mentioned the name ¡°Xi Xiaye¡±, she could not contain the wrath inside her. Her anger would just explode outwards!

    Han Yifeng chuckled coldly when he felt her rushing towards him from the back. Deftly, he moved away without even looking and avoided her!

    Her touch felt absolutely revolting!

    Xi Xinyi was rushing towards him at full speed. While she aimed to grab Han Yifeng¡¯s shoulder, as he avoided her, she could not stop and continued to plunge forward. To her horror, her stomach rammed into a coffee table corner!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Huang Ziyao had heard some loud noises upstairs and went to take a look. When she came into the room, she saw Han Yifeng standing aside coldly while Xi Xinyi was on the floor moaning in pain as she embraced her belly!

    ¡°What happened, Yifeng?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale all of a sudden. Huang Ziyao¡¯s expression changed and she rushed towards her to help her get up, but Xi Xinyi let out another scream again. ¡°Mother... It¡¯s painful... Very painful!¡±

    Huang Ziyao gazed down and saw a smidge of blood on the carpet. Her expression changed to one of terror and then she yelled at Han Yifeng, ¡°This is bad! Yifeng, send her to the hospital now! Hurry!¡±

    Han Yifeng turned around to see that Xi Xinyi¡¯s white dress had turned crimson now. She was moaning painfully as she gave him a weak and distressed look. His expression changed as well. After struggling for a moment, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down before he carried Xi Xinyi and rushed outside.

 Chapter 564 - Labor (4)

    <h4>Chapter 564: Labor (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    While they sped straight towards Hospital T, Xi Xinyi was in great agony. She grabbed onto Han Yifeng as she cried and shouted.

    Huang Ziyao had aplicated expression on her face.

    Han Yifeng sat still inside the car while he held onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s shoulders and barely controlled her painful struggles. Her face turned extremely pale as both of her hands clutched Han Yifeng¡¯s clothes desperately and her voice became hoarse.

    At that moment, his cold expression softened slightly.

    He heard that women would go through an insane amount of pain during this phase, but he never expected it to be this horrible. No matter how much he hated Xi Xinyi, she was bearing his child, who was innocent. Above all, he wanted the child to be delivered safely.

    He rested his arms around her and hugged her firmly as he spoke to the chauffeur, ¡°Go faster!¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Han!¡± the chauffeur gave a brief reply before he sped up the car.

    They arrived at the hospital half an hourter. Xi Xinyi was in extreme pain and she felt like she was on the verge of dying. Finally, she was wheeled into the operating theatre. The child was probably going to be delivered sooner than expected!

    Huang Ziyao and Han Yifeng waited outside the operating room. Yue Lingsi was ying mahjong when she received the news, and she quickly rushed over as well.

    Yue Lingsi had transformed into another person in just a few months. She exuded the vibe of a gambling addict. Not only did she start smoking, but her choices of words also became extremely vulgar as well. She started scolding Han Yifeng the moment she saw him. Before pushing her away, he shot her a disgusted stare.

    ¡°Go away! I don¡¯t want to argue with you.¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s attitude was cold and he did not hide the loathing in his voice.

    Yue Lingsi had given herself up. She went out every day to y mahjong besides drinking and smoking. He had heard her scolding Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye several times before with very foulnguage. She also frequently argued with Xi Xinyi and even took a lot of money from him to gamble in the casino, racking up a substantial amount of debt now. Secretary Wang informed him that debt collectors came to the house to ask for money, leading to Xi Xinyi having a big fight with her about this.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to argue with me? If something happens to my daughter, I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡± Yue Lingsi pointed her finger at Han Yifeng usingly. ¡°I never knew you could be such a heartless person. No matter what she did to those two witches, she did it all for you. Anyone can criticize her but you! She genuinely loves you, and she¡¯s never betrayed you all these years, yet you¡¯re treating her like this while she¡¯s bearing your child!¡±

    ¡°She has never betrayed me? You sound very certain, but even Xi Xinyi herself never made that im. Why do you act like you know everything when you¡¯re just an outsider? The reason Xi Xinyi is going through all these now is that she has a mother like you!¡± Han Yifeng finally found somewhere to direct his anger. He aimed it right at Yue Lingsi¡¯s weak spot!

    ¡°Alright, stop arguing in the hospital! We¡¯ll wait and see how¡¯s Xinyi doingter!¡± Huang Ziyao stopped them as she felt rather embarrassed by Yue Lingsi¡¯s attitude.

    Han Yifeng was her son. Even she rarely scolded him. Who did she think she was to scold her son like that?

    Huang Ziyao nced at Yue Lingsi and said coldly, ¡°If you still care about your daughter, then stop causing trouble for her. Your reputation is already at its worst. If people know that debt collectors are at the door, what would people think of Yifeng? What would people think of the Han family? We¡¯re really unfortunate to be rted to both you and your daughter. Can you please stop messing things up?¡± She was straightforward.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yue Lingsi was not stupid. It was obvious that she was looking down on her.

    ¡°You know very well what I mean. Your scandal hasn¡¯t died out yet, so stop causing trouble, will you?¡± Huang Ziyao spoke coldly.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression darkened as she looked at Huang Ziyao. As she clenched her fist and was about tosh out at her, the door of the operating theatre opened. The doctor and nurses came out with Xi Xinyi.

    Huang Ziyao looked at the doctor nervously. ¡°Doctor, has she delivered? Is it a boy or a girl? How¡¯s my daughter?¡±

    Yue Lingsi forced her way inside and nced at the weak-looking Xi Xinyi, feeling sorry for her daughter.

    ¡°They are both safe. Congrattions! Although it¡¯s a little earlier than expected, the boy is healthy, so don¡¯t worry.¡± The doctor smiled warmly at them.

    Huang Ziyao and Yue Lingsi were relieved.

    A boy!

    Great!

    The elder must be very happy!

    Yue Lingsi was d. Xi Xinyi would be able to secure her ce in the Han family now that she had given birth to a boy. The Han family only had one descendant, so this boy would surely be the main attention of the family from now on. This child might create a chance for Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi to fix their rtionship!

    Nevertheless, it was great that the child was safely delivered!

    Han Yifeng did not show any expression on his face, but his quiet eyes softened slightly, especially when Huang Ziyao held his child close to him.

    ¡°Yifeng, take a look at your son. He looks just like you when you were little.¡± Huang Ziyao was thrilled as she went towards Han Yifeng. ¡°Do you want to hold him?¡±

    Han Yifeng was startled. He lowered his head and looked at the child in Huang Ziyao¡¯s arms. What a tiny thing! His face was all wrinkled and he could hardly see any resemnce. How did she know the child looked like him?

    He was afraid to hold the child because he was so small and fragile, so he just looked at him carefully. In truth, he was thrilled to be a father too.

    ¡°Alright, both child and mother need some rest. Send the patient back to the room. The nurse will inform you if there¡¯s anything to be cautious about,¡± the doctor reminded them with a smile.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Huang Ziyao handed the child back to the nurse.

 Chapter 565 - Little Apple (1)

    <h4>Chapter 565: Little Apple (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Director Xi, this the amended proposal from the Administrative Department. Please have a look.¡± The secretary handed a document to Xi Xiaye who was reading through another document.

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she stopped what she was doing and abruptly looked up. She took the document and flipped through it for a while. Then, she looked up at the secretary. ¡°This needs to be personally reviewed by Chairman Mu. Go down first. When Chairman Mu gets back, I¡¯ll let him know.¡±

    The secretary nodded. ¡°Right, Director Xi, Manager Xu from the Commerce Department is outside. It seems urgent.¡±

    ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± answered the secretary before departing. After a while, Manager Xu came in. He looked like a capable middle-aged man.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    ¡°What is it? Weren¡¯t you going to go over to Wang Corporation to discuss the new retail product?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at the man before her in confusion.

    ¡°They¡¯re asking for 12 percentage points, which is 1.5 percent more than we expected, so we returned to ask for Chairman Mu¡¯s opinion.¡±

    ¡°Call for an appointment with Mr. Zhang from Rui Feng Corporation. Someone else will do it if he won¡¯t. If they cross our bottom line, forget about the discussion. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re begging Wang Corporation for the retail opportunity,¡± Xi Xiaye said indifferently.

    Manager Xu nodded. They were familiar with Director Xi¡¯s temper when she discussed matters. However, it was because of that that many people were used to being frank when talking with her. She was quite simr to Chairman Mu in this aspect. It was no wonder they were husband and wife.

    After Manager Xu received his orders, he quickly left while Xi Xiaye continued to go through the documents which were market research and some progress reports for the South River project.

    She continued to be busy until the afternoon, and Mu Yuchen did note back for lunch either. When it was noon, he called to say he had a social gathering to attend. After telling him not to drink so much, she then hung up.

    It was the Mid-Autumn festival the day after tomorrow, and it was just in time for the holidays. They would begin their off-days tomorrow, and there were many things that needed to be arranged. Xi Xiaye was not idle either. She worked arduously to respond to all the documents that she could take authority of and left the rest to him.

    Later in the afternoon, Mu Lingshi came over. Xi Xiaye was about to walk around the New Era za, so it was a pleasant coincidence that they could apany each other. Ji Zitong and the other two bodyguards followed them closely.

    Mu Lingshi chose two outfits for Ah Mo while Xi Xiaye got some for Shen Yue too. The two bodyguards that followed behind them had their hands full of bags.

    ¡°Sis-inw, do you want to buy one or two for my brother? Even though he has enough to wear, if you buy it for him, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll like it.¡±

    She thought about it before deciding to choose a few shirts and ties for her husband. After that, she went to a nearby caf¨¨ with Mu Lingshi for tea. They had just finished when Mu Yuchen drove over to pick her up.

    In front of the restaurant, Mu Lingshi looked amusedly at the way Mu Yuchen was so worried. ¡°Bro, you don¡¯t actually have toe to pick her up yourself. Sis-inw and I will go back together.¡±

    As he fixed Xi Xiaye¡¯s cor, he caressed her hair gently. ¡°Grandmother just called to urge you and Ah Mo to return quickly. You two go back first. I want to walk around with your sis-inw for a bit.¡±

    Mu Lingshi shrugged while a faint smile shed across her face. ¡°I know that you¡¯re just finding me annoying. Okay then, we¡¯ll go back first. It¡¯s not that early anymore. You two should finish shopping soon and get home quickly. Otherwise, Grandmother and the rest are going to nag you again,¡± she said before leaving with Ah Mo.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything. She just smiled and watched as Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo gradually went away. After a long while, she nced up at the man beside her. ¡°Look at how their shadows seem to be more and more in harmony. I keep feeling like we¡¯re going to be receiving good news soon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be great if they can get over that barrier. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you around. Otherwise, you¡¯llin about how I don¡¯t go shopping with you.¡± Mu Yuchen promptly averted his gaze and tugged on her hand to walk along the pathway.

    After that, Xiaye realized what this man¡¯s so-called idea of shopping was. As long as her gaze rested for more than three seconds on a certain item, he would buy it immediately without a second thought. Xi Xiaye dared not continue walking after they covered a third of the mall.

    After that, he looked around and pulled her into a nearby jewelry store.

    ¡°I have a lot of essories that I haven¡¯t used. Let¡¯s not shop anymore.¡± She let him slide arge diamond right onto her finger as she turned to cover her face bashfully.

    She did not dare go out with him anymore. A few of the customers beside had begun to take their phones out and were recording them. With the way things were going, it looked like there was going to be an expos¨¨ on Weibo soon.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the diamond ring is too small? Now that I¡¯m letting you choose, why aren¡¯t you appreciating my kindness? Mmm, this one¡¯s not bad. Take a look. Are you happy with it? The other one earlier was quite good too. Hmm, these two then, and this one. Pack all of them up, please.¡±

    Then, before Xiaye could answer, he pushed all of the diamond rings to the attendant who was so delighted that she almost could not believe her ears. Nheless, from the way this husband and wife seemed, they appeared to be a loaded couple, so she dared not be doubtful about Mu Yuchen¡¯s words.

    On the way as they rushed back to the old Mu residence, Xi Xiaye, who sat shotgun, kept staring at her diamond ring that he helped her put on. She could not help but giggle. ¡°Mr. Mu, this is my first time wearing such an expensive item. Doesn¡¯t it look quite nice?¡±

    Then, she waved her hand again.

    The man turned to look at her from the driver¡¯s seat. Seeing the heartwarming and delighted smile on her face, he felt his heart soften exceptionally.

    She was already this contented with just one or two diamond rings. What an easy person to satisfy!

    ¡°Your hand is pretty, so you look nice wearing anything. But, Missus, you don¡¯t seem to know what¡¯s what. The more expensive one is the smaller one,¡± he teased as he was in a rare jovial mood.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. She stared at it for quite a while, then nodded. ¡°Wedding rings are worthier of a second look. I¡¯ll give this one to Mother then since our sizes are about the same and she quite likes wearing essories.¡±

    He shot her a look and chuckled softly. ¡°So eager to please your mother-inw?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by eager to please my mother-inw? You¡¯re their son, but I¡¯ve never seen you buy any presents for them. They raised you for nothing. Be careful that your child might treat you the same way!¡± As she said this, she shot him a scowl.

    Heughed out softly when he heard this. Then, he stretched his arms and held her around the shoulders before letting her lean on his shoulder. ¡°Aren¡¯t I giving you a chance to perform then? When she sees what a useless son I am, she¡¯ll think about how caring you are. This is the strategy. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 566 - Little Apple (2)

    <h4>Chapter 566: Little Apple (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye immediately rolled her eyes. Her expression was filled with disdain.

    Xiaye squinted and stared at the side profile of his handsome face as she spoke with a frown, ¡°You really talk shop all the time, Mr. Mu. I notice that no matter where and when, you never forget to exhibit your innate nature as an unscrupulous businessman. How did I fancy someone like you? You aren¡¯t sincere at all. Your thought process is so dangerous.¡±

    ¡°What a heartless woman! I sacrificed myself to prop up your image of a gentle and filial wife, yet I¡¯ve never heard you say a word of gratitude to me.¡± Mu Yuchen red at her unhappily.

    He was telling the truth. Ever since he married her, he had been slowly caring more about the Mu family too. He constantly brought things home, such as Zhuang Shurong¡¯s essories and nutritional supplements, and some healthy products for Wang Hui, but these were all done in Xi Xiaye¡¯s name. After all, women have always been more meticulous about these things.

    The little woman simply had a low EQ, but she was quite filial which made him satisfied.

    Actually, previously, he had been quite worried that she would have trouble interacting with his mother, Zhuang Shurong, so he did tell her that if it did not work out, they should justmunicate less. Unexpectedly, Zhuang Shurong was actually quite happy with her. In this period of time that she was pregnant, she would always be worried and brew soup to bring over before she went over to the court.

    Zhuang Shurong was a firm person who conducted herself stiffly and solemnly. Even though she was his mother, they were not very close.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, I keep feeling like you don¡¯t quite like to speak at home, especially with your parents. You¡¯re always so courteous. Why is that?¡± she could not help but ask as she reached out to hold his wrist and gaze quietly at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can talk about to them since we have different fields of work, and my parents¡¯ work is of a sensitive nature. Since I was young, they have been busy with work. They always left early and returnedte. When they did return, I was mostly already asleep. After that, I was sent away to study, so wemunicated even less. As a result, it¡¯s hard not to be distant, but I know they¡¯re very caring about me.¡± As Mu Yuchen said this, his dark eyes became faintly distant with memory.

    She then sighed softly, and suddenly caressed her belly. She thought about it before responding softly, ¡°Then, next time, we must raise our own child. We can¡¯t let them be distant from us.¡±

    ¡°I have noments about that. The key to raising an obedient child is to bear those torments.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t I have you too? Do you think it¡¯s easy to be a father?¡± She suddenly shot him an odd look, stunning him. For some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling that his future days might not be thatidback.

    When they returned to the Mu residence, the sky had darkened. Dinner was already ready, so the whole family sat together harmoniously and happily enjoyed a sumptuous dinner.

    Unfortunately, Xi Xiaye¡¯s stomach was still reacting quite badly. She could only muster a few bites of food before she rushed to the toilet with a hand over her mouth while Mu Yuchen followed after her as always. Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong could not help but shake their heads and smile.

    Xi Xiaye had been foul-tempered recently too. She felt so miserable from the torment and could not help but whine to Mr. Mu, or just be mad at nothing. Sometimes, she would find Mr. Mu annoying, just like how he was being right now.

    After an intense round of vomiting, she washed her face and took the towel he handed her to wipe her face. ¡°Move aside. You¡¯re blocking me!¡±

    Mr. Mu moved half a step and stood behind her. He asked in concern, ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll go see if the doctor has any way of making things better. It can¡¯t go on like this.¡±

    She dry heaved again, and thenined unhappily, ¡°It¡¯s all because of you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. He just frowned and stared at her belly. When this little thing came out, just watch how he settled it!

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look of yours? Are you treating my child with disdain?¡±

    ¡°How could I? You¡¯re giving birth to our child. I¡¯ll definitely like him or her,¡± he quickly exined.

    ¡°I feel miserable, Mr. Mu...¡± Another round of bile rose in her throat, and she went through the torment again, looking at him pitifully.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault that you are bing more and more delicate.¡± He took out a small packet of biscuits from his pocket and opened it for her.

    She sighed and took it. Curiously, she did not know when he began to keep such things in his pocket.

    As he watched her nibble on the biscuit, he swiftly took her hands together as he took a towel from the side and wrung it dry before wiping her face for her. ¡°Okay, no more dinner. I¡¯ll cook some shredded chicken porridge for you. We¡¯ll rest here tonight. Don¡¯t feel so sick anymore. Go sit on the sofa.¡±

    She nodded, sighed, and then let him guide her out.

    The couple could not finish the meal. After he helped Xi Xiaye to sit on the sofa in the living room, Mu Yuchen went straight to the kitchen and started to work. Zhuang Shurong was worried, so she set aside her chopsticks and went to the kitchen too.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine after her health has stabilized. Is it really quite bad right now? You look like you¡¯ve lost weight.¡± Zhuang Shurong looked at her own son get busy at the chopping board, and could not help butugh gently.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t her reactions a little overboard? Mother, were you like this too?¡± Mu Yuchen rarely asked Zhuang Shurong such a personal question, but he turned to look at her.

    Zhuang Shurong broke a small piece of ginger apart and washed it as she said, ¡°Mmm, when I had you, I tormented your father like this too, but your father wasn¡¯t as considerate as you are right now. Xiaye¡¯s gone through a lot these past few years. Given the way her parents are, since you¡¯ve married her, you¡¯ll have to treat her better. Your grandparents have a good eye. She¡¯s really suitable for you.¡±

    ¡°Father said that too,¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly, and then continued to work with his head down.

    ¡°Your father feels the same. That¡¯s why he said the same thing. A marriage that can return to tranquility after wearing things out is a marriage that¡¯s the most suitable for you. The two of you are still young. Look at your father and I. Aren¡¯t we still wearing each other out? Nheless, your father is really good to me. You must know that a woman doesn¡¯t want much. As long as her husband trusts her, dotes on her, and treats her well, she¡¯ll stick with you loyally for a lifetime.¡±

    When Zhuang Shurong said this, her tone was faintly gentle. ¡°I feel lucky that personality-wise, you¡¯ve taken on your father and I. You are a rational and responsible man, and you aren¡¯t like those children from rich families that act poorly while Xiaye is the same. I¡¯m very pleased with her.¡±

 Chapter 567 - Little Apple (2)

    <h4>Chapter 567: Little Apple (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he heard Zhuang Shurong, Mu Yuchen felt his heart turn to mush. He said softly, ¡°Thanks, Mother.¡±

    Mu Yuchen understood Zhuang Shurong very well. Even though she had said she would not interfere with his marriage, that did not mean she would be truly satisfied with the woman he ended up with.

    Zhuang Shurong was sharp and straightforward in the way she viewed things. Mu Yuchen admitted that he inherited this part of her while Mu Tangchuan¡¯s refined personality was more reserved and carried depth unlike Zhuang Shurong¡¯s pride in her abilities and stern manner. Many people did not really dare approach her, especially at work.

    However, such a personality would get the shorter end of the stick too. It was all thanks to Mu Tangchuan who personally settled several problems for her.

    In Wang Hui¡¯s words, Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan¡¯s personalitiesplemented each other while he and Xiaye seemed to be more simr and merged in harmony.

    Every rtionship would have its own suitable ways of growing in order for it tost long. He did not want to ask for too much, so he only hoped that it could continue to progress steadily like this.

    ¡°For the Mid-Autumn Festival, you and Xiaye can return to the Shen residence. Your grandparents have agreed since it¡¯s just Elder Shen alone at home, and he¡¯ll feel lonely. We can feel Xiaye¡¯s attentiveness toward us, but you¡¯ve got to be more thoughtful about her too. As for work, I think she must be quite bored at home, especially right now. It¡¯s better for her to tag along with you, but she mustn¡¯t be too worn out either, meaning that you should just give her some things to do.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he stopped what he was doing and answered, ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    When the porridge was done, Xi Xiaye had already gone upstairs. Mu Yuchen held the bowl of porridge and entered the room. She was done showering and was sitting on the rattan chair on the balcony, talking on the phone with Shen Wenna.

    Xi Xiaye bent her legs while curling up on the rattan chair as she asked Shen Wenna softly, ¡°Mother, how are you feeling right now? Do your eyes feel ufortable? When did the doctor say the stitches can be removed?¡±

    On the other end, Shen Wenna was sitting on a bench in the park, bathing in the first glimmer of dawn. Her shoulder was still wrapped in Xi Mushan¡¯s coat, and there was a cute poodle quietlyying on herp. She wore a Qinghua porcin cheongsam and carried the charm of an Eastern woman.

    Even if her eyes could not see, it did not seem to affect her charm. That was Shen Wenna.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel ufortable. In fact, I¡¯m great. In a few more days, the doctor says it¡¯ll be removed when my condition stabilizes, so it wouldn¡¯t do me good to irritate it.¡±

    A gentle and loving smile appeared on Shen Wenna¡¯s face as she paused and then asked, ¡°What about you? It¡¯s been three months, hasn¡¯t it? Does it feel very tormenting? Having some folic acid tablets might help. Also, watch your health. My bones are a little weak. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯re like me. It might be more difficult duringbor.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. Right now, I¡¯ve been taking tonics ording to the opinions of a nutritionist, so the child is quite healthy. Grandpa is doing good too. Just stay there at ease and recover. How¡¯s Father? Aren¡¯t you with him?¡± Xi Xiaye tried to probe.

    Shen Wenna paused on the other end. Her tone did not sound out of ce as she responded, ¡°He said he was going to get me a cup of warm milk tea. The weather¡¯s been amazing. He¡¯s been making me wake up at 7 a.m. almost every day to walk around. Oh, right, Ah Chen told someone to bring me a little poodle earlier. Your father and I have discussed its name, and we¡¯re calling it Little Apple. The little guy is quite cute. It¡¯s very small, only asrge as a teacup.¡±

    As Shen Wenna spoke, she touched Little Apple on herp while it stuck its tongue out and licked her hand. She smiled even wider, and she could not help but say, ¡°Little Apple is quite adorable. I¡¯ll just help you raise it as your pet, so it¡¯ll call you ¡®Mother¡¯ter on. The little guy listens to your father teach it how to call out ¡®Grandpa¡¯ and ¡®Grandma¡¯, so it¡¯s used to it now. Your father spoils it terribly. It¡¯s about to be spoiled silly. Every time he returns, he calls out, ¡®Little Apple, Grandpa is back¡¯, and then it runs to the door.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was confused by Shen Wenna¡¯s words.

    Little poodle?

    When did Mu Yuchen send it to Shen Wenna?

    Why did she not know about this at all?

    Nheless, she did catch some keywords from Shen Wenna¡¯s speech¡ª

    Your father, Grandpa, Grandma...

    Why did she feel like it sounded like it was copying something?

    After that, Shen Wenna spoke for a little while more before she hung up reluctantly. The shredded chicken porridge that Mu Yuchen silently set down on the table beside was still piping hot. Xi Xiaye felt hungry now, so she picked the bowl up and ate it in a contented mood. Thankfully, her stomach was not reacting badly as it had earlier.

    After she finished the porridge, Mu Yuchen was done with his shower too. He walked over in a sleeping robe and brought a ss of water.

    Xi Xiaye took the water he handed and drank two gulps before she asked in puzzlement, ¡°When did you get someone to bring Mother a little poodle? I didn¡¯t even know.¡±

    ¡°Mother told you?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his brows and looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, she just told me. She and Father have given it a name, Little Apple. It sounds like they adore it. They even made it ¡®call¡¯ them ¡®Grandpa¡¯ and ¡®Grandma¡¯. From the way Mother sounded when she mentioned Father, she did not sound as unhappy as before. Why do I feel like they...?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her mysteriously as he chuckled. ¡°Initially, I was worried that the two of them wouldn¡¯t speak much even if they spent the whole day together, so this awkward situation needed a breakthrough. That¡¯s why I chose to send over a poodle. On one hand, it¡¯s like they have a new friend, and if things go well, it could be like a child to them. You know, with a child mediating between them, some situations are easier to break through. There might be some idental effects too.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked!

    This man was too smart!

    Earlier, Shen Wenna¡¯s tone had clearly implied she was treating Little Apple like a daughter and doting on her. She did not sound as annoyed with Xi Mushan too. All in all, they sounded like a normal couple now!

    Xi Xiaye set her ss of water aside and could not help but get up. She put her arms around Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulders and excitedly hugged him before tipping her toes to kiss his slightly cold lips.

    ¡°All businessmen are evil. Mr. Mu, I admire you so much! You¡¯re extremely wise and clever! How did youe up with such a good idea? I¡¯m so happy! So happy!¡±

    Xiaye was now kissing and hugging Mu Yuchen all over. Her passion was emzoned like fire across her beautiful face that had a dazzling smile. He rarely saw her this happy!

 Chapter 568 - Was This Even Her Daughter? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 568: Was This Even Her Daughter? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Master Mu¡¯s confidence skyrocketed when his woman gave him such high praises. His expression softened as he lowered his head and embraced the warmth from her.

    Afterward, she noticed that she was getting a little too passionate, so she grabbed his arm awkwardly as her face blushed. ¡°Sorry... I¡¯m just too happy, so...¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled when he saw her reaction, and he patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s good to be happy. You can always express yourself freely in front of me. It¡¯s not a bad thing to show everything on your face.¡±

    ¡°Only naive little girls would do that. I¡¯m a strong, moderndy.¡±

    He ran his fingers through her hair while a faint light shed in her eyes as she looked at him.

    ¡°A strong, moderndy? A strong, moderndy is decisive and powerful. She needs nothing but just her aura to send shock into others. No words are necessary. Are you sure you¡¯re someone like that?¡±

    He teased her, but his tone was gentle.

    However, Xi Xiaye was not really pleased about it. With a frown, she refuted him, ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m a director at Glory World.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s thanks to the effort you put in. I promoted you because you¡¯ve done your work spectacrly despite still being pretty new in terms of experience. I never expected that person to be you. That¡¯s why sometimes I think that fate is really amazing...¡±

    Who would have known he would meet her?

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you praise me before.¡±

    ¡°You have to be brave to face yourself. While you¡¯re achieving amazing results now, you need to learn how to settle down. We have a long road ahead in life. I¡¯ll need you to watch my back while I fight on the frontline. Don¡¯t be satisfied with just a small achievement.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not proud... You¡¯re always like this...¡±

    His gaze nearly pierced through her, and she lowered her head out of guilt, but she still pinched his waist and threw him a re. ¡°You¡¯re always so harsh with the criticisms!¡±

    Mu Yuchen was speechless. He endured the paining from his waist and said, ¡°Being harsh on you is the same as being harsh on myself. Who do you think I¡¯m doing this for, you ungrateful brat?¡±

    ¡°Brat?¡± She raised her eyebrows before throwing a punch towards him. ¡°You¡¯re the brat! I¡¯m a maturedy. I¡¯m a mother...¡±

    Mu Yuchen moved aside and caught her punch. He carefully stopped her as he chortled happily.

    Xi Xiaye slept soundly through the night. It was afternoon when she woke up the next day. When she went downstairs after she washing up, she saw Wang Hui squatting by the balcony, handling her nts.

    It was autumn now, and the flowers in the garden were blooming nicely. A lovely scent wafted over from the balcony.

    ¡°Grandmother...¡± Xi Xiaye called out to her gently.

    Her sudden voice halted Wang Hui¡¯s movement. The elderly woman turned around and smiled kindly. ¡°You¡¯re awake! Are you hungry? Ask Aunt Wang to make you something to eat. At first, I wanted to wake you up to have breakfast with us, but Ah Chen said you¡¯ve not been feeling welltely and told us to let you keep sleeping.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry yet. Are you doing all this alone?¡± Xi Xiaye nced around the living room and did not see Mu Yinan and the others. Was it not the holidays already?

    ¡°Your parents have something to attend to and will only be back at night. Ah Chen went fishing with Grandfather, but they should be back soon. Let¡¯s head back in now. Don¡¯t catch a cold under this weather. You youngsters are even weaker than us old folks nowadays.¡±

    Wang Hui put the scissors down as she smiled. She dragged Xi Xiaye back inside while she nced at her belly. ¡°It¡¯s not easy being pregnant. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯re not used to it. I thought about getting you to stay here, or I¡¯ll stay over at Maple Residence, but at the same time, I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ll be bothering the both of you. I¡¯ll only go over when you¡¯re around 8 months pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother, these reactions are normal. The doctor said it¡¯ll get better soon. By the way, where¡¯re Lingshi and Ah Mo?¡± Xi Xiaye remembered that they had stayed overst night as well.

    ¡°They went to work early in the morning. Lingshi said the club is going to be busy during the holidays, so Ah Mo went to help her as well. I wonder when they became so close to each other!¡±

    While Wang Hui seemed like she wasining, she had a grin on her face. Xi Xiaye chuckled. ¡°Grandmother, do you feel that something might be happening between them soon?¡±

    ¡°I hope so. All of them just make me worry so much.¡±

    ¡°They are doing welltely, so don¡¯t worry, Grandmother.¡±

    She remembered Wang Hui summoning Mu Lingshi to the study roomst night. It was obvious what they talked about.

    ¡°Well, Lingshi and Ah Mo are kind of special. Although they are listed as your parents¡¯ children, they know what¡¯s happening, so... Sigh, there¡¯s no point mentioning it now.¡± Wang Hui frowned, obviously regretting bringing up the past.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll remember how nice you treated them, Grandmother. Some time ago, Ah Shi told me that she didn¡¯t want you and Grandfather to worry about her. Mu Yuchen let Ah Mo stay in City Z as well. Ah, they¡¯ll work it out on their own. I think they are a fateful pair.¡±

    ¡°A fateful pair? That¡¯s an optimistic view, but I do think Lingshi has been happiertely.¡±

    Suddenly, someone came in through the door, and the man¡¯s deep voice reached their ears. ¡°What fateful pair?¡±

 Chapter 569 - Was This Even Her Daughter? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 569: Was This Even Her Daughter? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sudden voice startled the two of them who looked over at the entrance and saw Mu Yuchen walking in.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your grandfather?¡± Wang Hui asked when she did not see Mu Yinan anywhere.

    ¡°He¡¯s ying Chinese chess with Grandfather Liang. I¡¯ve passed the fish to the servants.¡± Mu Yuchen walked towards them as he nced over at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Great, they can prepare itter. I have to deliver your grandfather¡¯s medicine to him. I forgot to remind him to take his medicine this morning. He even said himself he had a stomachache yesterday which he has forgotten all about.¡±

    Wang Hui took out a little medicine bottle and grabbed a ss of water before she went out. Mu Yinan had a poor stomach, and Wang Hui was always concerned.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± After Wang Hui left, Mu Yuchen went over and grabbed a ss of water for her.

    She took the ss of water from him and then said quietly, ¡°Grandmother told me you went fishing with Grandfather. Let¡¯s have sweet and sour fish. It¡¯ll help with my appetite... Mr. Mu, I kind of feel like eating instant noodles.¡±

    ¡°We can have the sweet and sour fish, but not thetter.¡± He rejected her without any hesitation as he took his coat off.

    ¡°Just one tiny bowl!¡± She made a meek hand gesture as she took his coat and left it onto the sofa.

    ¡°Not even a taste of it. We¡¯re having several days of holidays. Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± He put his arm over her shoulder as they sat down.

    ¡°I want to take a stroll on the moon.¡± She rolled her eyes at him.

    He smiled. ¡°Naughty, aren¡¯t you?! That stuff is unhealthy. Junk food is bad for the body. By the way, I have something to tell you.¡± He looked at Xi Xiaye in the eye squarely.

    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked as she raised her eyebrows and stared at him.

    Mu Yuchen pushed the ss of water on the table further to the center as he lowered his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ve just received news. Xi Xinyi had an identst night and delivered prematurely. The Han family is happy that she gave birth to a boy. They¡¯re probably having a grand full moon celebration. Based on Xi Xinyi¡¯s recent performance, I guess the Han family will ept her as their daughter-inw.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned but nodded after a while and spoke in a calm tone, ¡°That¡¯s lucky for her... I remember they didn¡¯t have a banquet when they got married. I suppose this full moon celebration will act as their wedding banquet as well, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Han Yifeng...

    The more he tried to escape, the more his fate worsened. It was practically impossible for him to end her rtionship with Xi Xinyi at this point. Not only was their marriage was holding them together, but there was also their child.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly found the whole situation ludicrous.

    Who would have expected a pair of loving couple to end up like this? Judging by Han Yifeng¡¯s attitude, he probably would not try to repair his rtionship with Xi Xinyi anymore. Sustaining a marriage like this would only make both parties suffer.

    Xi Xiaye sighed and suddenly raised her head to look at him. ¡°Say, we won¡¯t be like them in the future, will we?¡±

    He smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°Your man isn¡¯t as noble and virtuous as someone. Though I don¡¯t like this phrase, I suppose it can be applied here. If one day, you actually be like Xi Xinyi, the first thing I¡¯d do would be to review myself. I must¡¯ve not done enough to satisfy you. However, I¡¯m sure the chances of it happening to us is zero. Otherwise, I¡¯ll just do naughty things with you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart softened when she realized what he was trying to say. She then pushed him away. ¡°Alright, go and cook now. I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    ...

    At the same time, in a ward in Hospital T.

    The news of Xi Xinyi¡¯s delivery was spread throughout the city already. Almost everyone within the industry knew that she had given birth to a son for Han Yifeng of the Han Corporation.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s name was rarely seen in the entertainment industry ever since her scandal was exposed. However, news about her never really died out due to the coboration between Yueying and Qi Kai. In addition to that, the Han family had always been popr, so the mass media would not miss any opportunities.

    Many people sent flowers and gifts the day after she gave birth. Even her subordinates came to visit her. Finally, the situation inside the room calmed down after the doctor warned them to be quiet.

    Xi Xinyi was lucky to have given birth to a boy for the Han family. With that, even Elder Han acknowledged her.

    Although they were a registered couple, they never had a wedding ceremony together. After that, it was also dyed because they were busy, so she was delighted that she might be able to have one.

    She had said it before. There was no way Han Yifeng could leave her so easily.

    However, Han Yifeng never showed up anymore ever since the day she gave birth. Yue Lingsi informed her that he visited the child several times, but he had never once stepped into her room. His wanting to avoid her was as clear as day.

    Yue Lingsi was really dissatisfied about it. She was also unhappy with Han Yifeng and Huang Ziyao¡¯s attitude outside the operating room the day before, so she then decided to tell Xi Xinyi about it.

    ¡°Xinyi, now that your child is born, I believe we¡¯re still fortunate that you¡¯ve given birth to a boy. The Han family¡¯s attitude changed instantly. Elder Han now knows it¡¯s impossible to kick you out now. Otherwise, the public will definitely condemn them. Now that Yueying is doing well, your grandfather and uncle aren¡¯t angry at me anymore, so things can go back to how it used to be.¡±

    Yue Lingsi beamed happily and grabbed Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand intimately, but Xi Xinyi nced at her coldly and retracted her hand.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression froze as she looked at Xi Xinyi for a while before saying, ¡°Xinyi, things are getting better now. We can still... The Han family¡¯s attitude was horrible before. Yesterday, Huang Ziyao was really rude to me outside the operating room, and Han Yifeng spoke to me with a terrible attitude!¡±

 Chapter 570 - Was This Even Her Daughter? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 570: Was This Even Her Daughter? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The scenes from yesterday reyed in her mind, making the rage inside her resurface.

    Before the Xi family went on their downfall, the Han family tried so hard to get on Yue Lingsi¡¯s good side, but now they were straight-up bullying her!

    Even her son-inw, Han Yifeng, was rude towards her. No matter what, she was still his mother-inw after all!

    Moreover, there was also Huang Ziyao¡¯s dissatisfied tone of voice!

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your uncle¡¯s help, the Han Corporation productunch wouldn¡¯t have gone so smoothly. Their attitude now is really frustrating!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s tone was sharp, and a cold light gathered around her eyes as well.

    However, Xi Xinyi shot her a disgusted nce. ¡°Mother, it¡¯s enough! You¡¯re gambling all day, every day. What happened to your elegant self-image? Can you stop causing more trouble for me? The debt collectors are on our tail now. If Grandfather finds out, he¡¯llsh out at me again! I don¡¯t hope that you can help me, but can you stop holding me back?¡± Xi Xinyi could not help butin. She averted her gaze away and refused to look at Yue Lingsi¡¯s face.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes widened after she heard what came out of Xi Xinyi¡¯s mouth. She could not believe what she just heard and thought her ears malfunctioned.

    Given Xinyi¡¯s tone and those words...

    Was she despising her own mother?

    ¡°Xinyi, what did you just say? I¡¯m holding you back? What do you mean by that? Are you saying that I¡¯m holding you back right now?¡± asked Yue Lingsi as she stared at Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and gave her an impatient nce. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t you have any idea what¡¯s going on right now? Your reputation is at its worst right now. Why can¡¯t you be like Shen Wenna? At least, she could still keep father¡¯s heart after so many years, yet you¡¯re acting like a savage now! Shen Wenna is always so elegant and knows all the methods there is to keep a man¡¯s heart. Ugh, why can¡¯t you be more like her? Don¡¯t you know how badly you¡¯ve lost already?¡±

    Xi Xinyi thought about the hardships she had gone through, yet there were a lot of things that still did not go her way. She had nowhere to express her anger, so sheshed it all out on Yue Lingsi.

    Without giving it much thought, her careless words pierced through Yue Lingsi¡¯s heart like arrows, causing her excruciating pain inside!

    Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were a taboo topic for her. There was no way she could stand it!

    Her red eyes stared at Xi Xinyi as her voice trembled slightly. ¡°What did you say? What? Who do you think I¡¯ve worked hard for? I¡¯m your mother! What¡¯s so good about Shen Wenna? That old witch! She said she didn¡¯t care. Lies! Her daughter is also another little witch! Xi Xiaye defeated you as well! You¡¯ve really disappointed me, Xinyi! Just which aspect of Shen Wenna can measure up to me?¡±

    ¡°Based on the fact that she could stay virtuous for twenty over years and never caused any trouble for Xi Xiaye, what about you? If it weren¡¯t for your scandal, Grandfather wouldn¡¯t have gotten angry and Father wouldn¡¯t have divorced you. Grandmother wouldn¡¯t turn out this way too, and the Xi family would¡¯ve still existed. You¡¯ve ruined everything! It¡¯s all because of you!¡± Xi Xinyi just exploded at her.

    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯tpare me to that old witch, Shen Wenna! Just who does she thinks she is!? How dare she steal my man away!? I showed interest in your father first. I thought of her as my best friend, yet she betrayed me! I simply imitated her act afterward! Your father was unwilling to even touch me for the past twenty years, so why should I keep myself virtuous for him? He doesn¡¯t like me, does he? There are a lot of people who like me! People who are much better and younger!¡±

    Yue Lingsi had a dark and maniacal vibe around her. Nheless, Xi Xinyi put on a fierce expression to face her.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! You¡¯ve ruined everything. Not only are you not going to repent, but you even gave up on yourself. If you¡¯re so capable, why don¡¯t you steal Father back again?¡±

    ¡°Shen Wenna is now only a useless, blind person. That¡¯s her karma! I¡¯m not the one who ruined everything. It¡¯s you! If you didn¡¯t y those tricks and have so much negative news exposed, things would¡¯ve been peaceful for us! You¡¯ve really disappointed me, Xinyi!¡±

    Yue Lingsi took a deep breath as she tried to calm down.

    Xi Xinyi then replied, ¡°You¡¯re still trying to avoid responsibility now. Things wouldn¡¯t have ended up this way if your scandal didn¡¯t exist. If you still think you¡¯re above Shen Wenna, think again! Don¡¯t embarrass yourself¡ª¡±

    Pa!

    Before Xi Xinyi could finish her sentence, there was a loud p and she felt a fiery hot pain on her left cheek!

    A clear red palm mark appeared on her little face!

    ¡°Whose daughter are you? You¡¯re my daughter, but you¡¯re helping that witch, Shen Wenna, to humiliate your mother! Have you forgotten that you could never have be the princess of the Xi family if it weren¡¯t for me? Do you think you could¡¯ve gotten married into the Han family? How dare you talk to me like this? Are you really my daughter?¡± Yue Lingsi held her palm as she looked at Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi stared at her in rage. ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. Just admit that you¡¯re no better than Shen Wenna! It¡¯s because of you that I¡¯ve be so unfortunate!¡±

    ¡°You... Are you trying to kill me?¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s vision darkened. She quickly gripped onto the bed frame to stand properly as she almost copsed. She could not believe this person in front of her was actually her daughter.

    Was this even her daughter?

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face was icy cold as she wiped off the speck of blood at the corner of her mouth before averting her gaze away.

    Yue Lingsi felt like her heart was being stabbed with a sharp knife. The pain almost knocked her out!

 Chapter 571 - The Sun That Never Sets (1)is Even Her Daughter? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 571: The Sun That Never Sets (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Lingsi held back the urge to pass out with a ton of effort before she inhaled deeply and looked at Xi Xinyi. ¡°Xi Xinyi, how did you be like this? Anyone in the Xi family has a right to diss me, but not you! All these years, who have I been fighting for? How dare you say such things to me?¡± She stared at Xi Xinyi with disappointment and heartbreak.

    However, Xi Xinyi justughed coldly. She covered her burning cheek and said, ¡°I was just reminding you to be clear about the truth. Haven¡¯t you hit me today?¡±

    ¡°Be clear about the truth? What truth? I really didn¡¯t expect you to be like this. Are you looking down on me? Do you have topare me to that slut, Shen Wenna? Don¡¯t forget that I gave birth to you, and not Shen Wenna!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was so furious that her face turned beetroot, and her gaze was sharp as she stared at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Don¡¯tpare you to Shen Wenna? That¡¯s all because you think you¡¯re far superior to her! Otherwise, Father wouldn¡¯t have left us and not even take a second look at us. Instead, she returned to Shen Wenna¡¯s side! Wake up! Look at yourself right now! You¡¯re like a street shrew! Forget about how your reputation has been ruined. The debt collectors have even knocked on your door. Don¡¯t you know how terrible your image is right now! Can¡¯t you cause less trouble for me? Because of you, look at what we¡¯ve be? We¡¯re homeless and are left with nothing!¡±

    The more Xi Xinyi spoke, the angrier she was. Since they were on the topic, she went all out and insisted on straightening matters. ¡°I should have had so many things if not for you... How did I get a mother like you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi gripped her face. It was as if her beautiful eyes were covered in frost. They were so cold that one could feel a piercing pain from her gaze.

    ¡°Enough! You keep saying that it¡¯s all because of me! Have you seen your husband? Since your child was born, Han Yifeng didn¡¯t even take a second look at you. You¡¯re really capable, but you can¡¯t even watch your own man now?¡±

    Yue Lingsi hit her below the belt as she could not help but ramble on with her harsh criticism.

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xinyi just chuckled coldly. ¡°At least, I¡¯m still Mrs. Han right now. I am the headdy of the Han Corp, and even bore a son for the Han family, so they have no way of ditching me, and you? You¡¯ve got nothing! The Xi family is gone! Grandfather ispletely disappointed in you too. What do you have now? What? You have nothing¡ª¡±

    Pa!

    In the midst of Xi Xinyi¡¯s sharp and cold shout, Yue Lingsi lifted a hand again and bitterly pped the other side of her face!

    Xi Xinyi shrieked and widened her red eyes furiously as she red at Yue Lingsi. Her hands were twisted in a knot.

    ¡°Even if I am left with nothing, I am still your mother! I gave birth to you! This is karma for treating your mother this way! I can¡¯t believe that you are my daughter! Does that mean that your obedience all these years was fake? Did you lie even to your own mother? You¡¯re really daring now! Remember who raised you! I¡¯ve really raised a thankless wretch!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was so mad that the blood rose to her head. She shot Xi Xinyi a cold re before getting up.

    ¡°Reflect on your own conscience!¡± she demanded and then turned to leave the ward.

    Yet, Yue Lingshi had just opened the door when a tall figure greeted her sight.

    In surprise, she subconsciously retreated two steps and then looked up to see, realizing that it was Han Yifeng!

    At that moment, he stood coldly before the door. His handsome face did not reveal a hint of surprise at all. His dark eyes were filled with disdain as he looked callously at Yue Lingsi!

    Yue Lingsi was shocked as if she realized something. Her heart started to beat really fast like a bullet train!

    Could it be¡ª?

    That he had heard their conversation earlier?

    How much did he hear?

    Yue Lingsi was startled and started to feel uneasy as she looked at Han Yifeng.

    Yet, Han Yifeng just looked mockingly at her. His gaze made Yue Lingsi¡¯s heart sink. She wanted to say something when Han Yifeng bitterly averted his gaze and looked at the sickbed.

    ¡°Yifeng!¡±

    When Xi Xinyi saw Han Yifeng, she quickly propped herself up from the sickbed. Her gentle expression was still pale and was very different from her menacing expression earlier. Now, she did seem quite lovely and moving.

    With her head of messy hair, Xi Xinyi asked Han Yifeng a little weakly, ¡°Yifeng, you¡¯re here! How¡¯s our child?¡±

    Yet Han Yifeng only responded with a cold expression, his cold gaze went back and forth between her and Yue Lingsi, then a sneer curved on his lips, Xi Xinyi was a little rmed by this, she felt uneasy, and she started to have a bad feeling she quickly exined, ¡°Yifeng, earlier I, earlier those were all angry words, I, I don¡¯t actually...¡±

    ¡°Whether it is or not, you know best. In fact, I¡¯m not the one that needs an exnation.¡±

    As Han Yifeng spoke, he nced coldly behind at Yue Lingsi and mocked, ¡°This seems like you, but whenever you make a mistake, apart from pushing away the responsibilities and putting the me on other people, what else do you know? Without a doubt, that¡¯s you, Xi Xinyi!¡±

    ¡°Yifeng, no! If it weren¡¯t for her, we wouldn¡¯t be like this. What do you want me, a weak girl, to do?¡±

    Anger that was hard to conceal colored Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale face as she stared at Yue Lingsi for a long time. There was a sense of her being wronged that could not be hidden in her voice as she choked on her sobs. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand that feeling of being so high at the peak and plummeting into a pit! If it weren¡¯t for all those scandals, Yueying would at least still be around, and so would the Xi family. Grandmother wouldn¡¯t beying on the bed half-alive! You wouldn¡¯t understand the feeling of being chased by those fierce debt collections. Everything is so horrible now! Can¡¯t she just be more patient and let me have a few days of peace?¡±

    Han Yifeng scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s your problem. I¡¯m just here to warn you that just because you¡¯ve given birth to a child, you can¡¯t cover up all of that past. No matter what you do, if you want to move Grandfather, it¡¯s all useless to me. I¡¯m set on getting this divorce!¡± Han Yifeng cruelly said, not wanting to see her face anymore. He turned around to leave the ward, ignoring Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression that had hardened.

    The Han family had already nned to give the child a grand full moon banquet. In reality, they had already acknowledged Xi Xinyi¡¯s identity. Obviously, Han Yifeng was very displeased about that!

 Chapter 572 - The Sun That Never Sets (2)

    <h4>Chapter 572: The Sun That Never Sets (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a simple breakfast, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went straight back to Maple Residence.

    Xi Xiaye slept till noon, so she was quite energetic. She went straight to the study room, intending to finish the data that she had cast aside. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival the next day, and she would return to the Shen residence to apany Shen Yue who was at the Shen residence alone. Because she was more or less worried, Shen Wenna had previously reminded her to check on him too.

    At this moment, inside the quiet and vast study room, Xi Xiaye was sitting before the study table and staring at theptop screen before her with full concentration while Mu Yucheny on the lounge chair next to the bookshelf to read.

    ¡°Right, yesterday, the Administrative Department handed the documents in. It¡¯s for you to sign. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that the Administrative Department has been working on some office culture. Is it too much? It shes with the PR Department a little.¡±

    Xi Xiaye studied the data on her screen when she suddenly remembered yesterday.

    ¡°The Administrative Department?¡± Mu Yuchen softly muttered as he looked up from the page to her. After he thought about it, he recalled. ¡°You can make the decision. Manager Liu, who was just transferred over and previously did events, seems to have some conflict with you. She prepared the proposal, and she said that she¡¯d like to properly promote the Imperial Sky Entertainment City during the National Day period.¡±

    When she heard Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye raised her brows and said softly, ¡°A new broom sweeps clean [1], doesn¡¯t it?¡± She opened the document in her hand again. ¡°Previously, I felt like because of my rtionship with her, it was better for you to handle these things. Even though Manager Liu and I aren¡¯t quite on the same page, capability-wise, I do recognize her. I¡¯ve seen her in negotiations with clients before. She does have a way with them. I do think that she can do better than the Administrative Department.¡±

    When he heard her, Mu Yuchen instantly smiled and stared at her through narrowed eyes. ¡°I thought that you should at leastin about her to me, yet you spoke for her instead.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve always been clear at differentiating work and personal matters. From thepany¡¯s point of view, I obviously hope that her capabilities can be fully utilized.¡±

    He smiled and was about to say something when Sis Wang suddenly knocked on the door. ¡°Master Mu, Master Ah Mo is here! He¡¯s downstairs and he says there¡¯s an important matter.¡± Her respectful voice came from outside the door.

    Ah Mo?

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly. He thought about it, then closed his book and got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go down to take a look,¡± he said. Upon seeing Xi Xiaye nod, he left the study room.

    On the sofa in the living room downstairs, Ah Mo was already waiting. There was a faint joy on his expression that could not be concealed. When he heard the sound of footsteps, he immediately looked up at the staircase.

    Once Ah Mo saw Mu Yuchen, he quickly went up to him. ¡°Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen waved and indicated for him to sit back down as he slowly walked over. ¡°What is it? You look quite pleased.¡± He smiled and then turned to Sis Wang. ¡°Sis Wang, bring us two cups of Blue Mountain coffee.¡±

    ¡°Master, I thought you didn¡¯t like coffee.¡± Ah Mo smiled.

    ¡°But I remember that you quite like Blue Mountain coffee. Yesterday, I was nning on meeting you for a chat, but after I finished the discussion with Father, it was already quitete. It¡¯s been quite busy at the entertainment club recently. Have you been quite exhausted too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just worried that Lingshi¡¯s overworked. We¡¯ve changed to a new set of sound systems, so she¡¯s been busy testing it out recently.¡±

    ¡°Entertainment City is on the right track now although she¡¯s been worried about it too. I think I don¡¯t have to state my intentions of transferring you to be the executive manager at Imperial Sky so obviously.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was casual, yet Ah Mo could hear the warmth in it.

    Sis Wang quickly made two cups of coffee and served them.

    After a while, Ah Mo softly spoke and sipped his coffee, ¡°Thank you, Brother.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°What is it? Tell me.¡±

    When he heard this, Ah Mo set his cup aside and took out a few pictures from his pocket as he said, ¡°Master, something¡¯s happened.¡±

    He handed the pictures over to Mu Yuchen as he exined, ¡°As you ordered, after we sent our people away, we¡¯ve been listening in to her ward. We realize that she did, in fact, call Qi Qiming. In fact, Qi Qiming and Yue Hai went over to visit her. The person in the picture is Yue Hai. From the looks of it, Qi Qiming could very possibly be the mysterious Mr. Wen.¡±

    Mu Yuchen flipped through the pictures. He did recognize Yue Hai as the person in it. After a momentary thought, he said softly, ¡°If he¡¯s Mr. Wen, then he should know some things about Aunty. Check if Aunty had any connections with him previously. Also, arrange for me to personally meet Sis Wang tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master!¡±

    Ah Mo took the photos back. When he saw that he looked hesitant, he could not help but ask, ¡°Master, don¡¯t you think Qi Qiming is behaving suspiciously?¡±

    Mu Yuchen drank some coffee, then responded, ¡°Yeah, he is. In fact, just with that incident alone, to go against me, he didn¡¯t spare threatening your sis-inw. This shows that something must¡¯ve happened to Qi Feng. However, what I don¡¯t understand is that if Qi Qiming is really intent on taking revenge against me, he should suppress me by winning me by surprise when I¡¯m not ready and caught off-guard. Why does he have to warn me like this, and let me have my guard up instead? Based on my understanding of Qi Qiming, he wouldn¡¯t have done this so dumbly by himself. His abnormality makes me find it even odder instead.¡± He finally raised his doubts after thinking about it.

    ¡°Qi Qiming has matured from his experience with Wang Qin. He has a lot of patience and always likes to win by surprise, unconsciously delivering a fatal blow. That¡¯s more like his sort of trick, and not appearing so brazenly, warning me, letting me watch him closely. It¡¯s the same logic as him supporting Xi Xinyi. If I guess correctly, then Qi Qiming should be quite ambitious. He wants to have the whole of Qi Kai. That means we have a problem. Doesn¡¯t him doing that mean that I¡¯m working with Wang Qin?¡±

    When he heard Mu Yuchen say this, Ah Mo was stunned. He thought about it in detail and felt that he did make sense.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re saying...¡± Ah Mo felt tensed just looking at Mu Yuchen. Suddenly, he felt like there was a conspiracy.

    ¡°I feel like there¡¯s something that¡¯s been leading us along. Don¡¯t forget why we looked for Lu Xin previously, but now that we found out about these things, it seems to be rted to the mysterious Mr. Wen instead. Don¡¯t you find that weird? What did we miss out on? Don¡¯t you feel it too?¡±

    [1] A new broom sweeps clean ¨C said when someone new takes control of an organization and makes many changes

 Chapter 573 - The Sun That Never Sets (3)

    <h4>Chapter 573: The Sun That Never Sets (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes flickered with a sharp light as he incisively pointed out his thoughts.

    With a frown, Ah Mo said, ¡°We¡¯ve found out about Qi Qiming¡¯s connection with Lu Xin, and how it¡¯s connected to Mr. Wen, but from the start, we missed out the reason we went looking for Lu Xin, which was to understand Aunty¡¯s matters, so, Master, you find it a little weird that after turning round and round, we ourselves almost got looped into it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then nodded. ¡°Mmm, I feel like someone¡¯s pulling our strings, making us go where they want us to step by step. There are probably two reasons for this. Firstly, this person has a grudge against me and doesn¡¯t want me to do well, so they want to seize the opportunity to take me down, or secondly, they want to distract us and are covering something up.¡±

    ¡°Master, the two probabilities you¡¯ve mentioned is quite likely. In fact, in my opinion, the first one is likelier, but the person with the most motive to do these is probably Qi Feng. He¡¯s very meticulous, and it¡¯s normal for him to have thought of such ways to take revenge on you. But now, we have no way of finding any traces of him at all. We don¡¯t even know his current situation.¡±

    When he realized the severity of the matter, Ah Mo frowned even deeper.

    ¡°Master, how about we investigate Mr. Wen again? I¡¯m sure that we can find out who he is if we turn the entire City Z upside down and check everyone one by one!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand slightly to stop Ah Mo from saying any further. ¡°No need. It¡¯s not important who Mr. Wen is, but I¡¯d like to meet Lu Xin myself and see if I can find out anything useful from her. Okay, go back and make the arrangements.¡±

    ¡°But, Master...¡± Ah Mo hesitated a little worriedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing. Just do as I say.¡±

    ¡°Master, actually, Missus did have some contact with Mr. Wen. How about we probe deeper? Perhaps she could identify who they are,¡± Ah Mo carefully suggested.

    However, just as Ah Mo said that, Mu Yuchen scowled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t consider involving her in this mess. I don¡¯t want to involve her in all these past grudges.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts. Go back first. Just wait for me at Hospital T tomorrow morning.¡± Mu Yuchen got up with waning interest. He did not n to continue and went straight upstairs.

    Ah Mo slowly stood up too as he watched Mu Yuchen retreat in astonishment. After that, he sighed to himself before leaving.

    When he returned to the study room, Xi Xiaye could clearly feel that his emotions were all over the ce. The two of them did not speak, but after a long silence, Xi Xiaye finally could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Something on your mind?¡±

    She reached out to take his book, slot a bookmark into it and closed it.

    Mu Yuchen then snapped back from his deep thoughts. He watched her silently as she tiptoed to put the book back onto the shelf and sighed, ¡°Mmm, just some troublesome things from the past. Xiaye, y some chess with me.¡±

    He turned to one side and took her slightly cold hand.

    She turned around. The flickering light in her starry eyes was dazzling like diamonds as she spoke a little puzzledly, ¡°Chess? You know I can¡¯t beat you, and you still want me to y against you?¡±

    Initially, her chess skills were not too bad, but really it was as like they said, mothers-to-be became a little slower. She had been ying with him for quite a while, yet she felt like her skills were worsening. Sometimes, he would grant her two moves, and she would still lose tragically.

    When did she fall behind in IQ too?

    Seeing her like this, Mu Yuchen could not help but smile. He slowly got up and pulled her out to the side hall as he spoke deeply, ¡°This time, I¡¯ll let you make five moves first. How about that?¡±

    The husband and wife quickly reached the coffee table at the side hall. They brewed a pot of flower tea as Xi Xiaye skillfully set the chess set out.

    ¡°You like to y chess when you¡¯re dealing with a difficult problem.¡± She shot him a side look and immediately picked up a ck chess piece to make her move without courtesy.

    ¡°Chess is a good form of meditation, Missus,¡± he calmly answered, and then handed her a cup of tea before picking up a white chess piece to make his move.

    ¡°I remember the first time I won against Grandpa. He told me that with my capabilities, I could join an international chesspetition. I was really thrilled then. I was just in time to make it for the school¡¯s Go chesspetition, so I enthusiastically registered. Unexpectedly, I was defeated tragically, and I was miserable for quite a few days. After that, I realized that Grandpa wanted me to be happy, so he let me win on purpose. That¡¯s why I was very angry afterward. I thought that he underestimated me. Every time I yed chess after that, I¡¯d make sure he gave it his all.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, she continued to make her move. Her eyes were bright as autumn waters, and there was a joy in reminiscing this. ¡°At first, I did indeed lose so tragically every time, but afterward, the gap between us began to close. In fact, I felt like my perseverance and patience was getting better and better. I could usuallyst two to three hours in one game without being able to decide the winner yet. After that, I slowly felt that actually winning or losing was not important. More importantly was what I learned during a confrontation.¡±

    ¡°How rare of you to have such enlightenment and understanding.¡± When he heard this, he smiled admiringly. ¡°Whether or not winning is important depends on who the opponent is too.¡±

    ¡°Then, treat me as the enemy that¡¯s troubling you right now,¡± she challenged quite magnanimously.

    ¡°I can¡¯t bear to.¡± He looked down at the ck chess pieces that slowly moved in on the set. He remained in a daze for a moment, then said, ¡°Missus, you are the Missus. You can never be the enemy. Even if I pretended you were, I wouldn¡¯t be able to be cruel to you.¡±

    When he said this, he paused, and then suddenly looked up at her. ¡°Xiaye... Do you also feel like I¡¯m quite cruel?¡±

    She was stunned by his question. Her eyes met his gaze and she fell silent for a long while. After some thought about it, she then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know about other people, but I do know you¡¯re good to me, and Ah Mo and the rest. That is enough. Actually, I feel like sometimes you do look like the mafia. You care a lot about your own kin but to your enemies... Mmm, let me tell you a secret¡ª¡±

    As she said this, she suddenly lowered herself and said softly into his ear, ¡°When I was in high school, I always admired those gangsters in the TV. I thought they were impressive, stylish and very cool... but now that I think about it, I was a little immature. Still, Mr. Mu, I have always admired you.¡±

    ¡°Admire? Does that mean I¡¯ve helped you find your innocence again?¡±

    ¡°Of course! You are my sun that never sets...¡±

    ¡°Where did you learn to say that?¡±

    ¡°Who did you learn it from?¡±

    ¡°Ah Hua...¡±

 Chapter 574 - Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 574: Past (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Mid-Autumn Festival finally arrived, and the temperature of the air around became colder.

    Mu Yuchen woke up before sunrise when Xi Xiaye was still asleep. He left the house after washing up quietly.

    The sun was just about to rise when he arrived at the hospital. Ah Mo and the two other bodyguards were already waiting at the parking lot outside the hospital. They quickly went over after Mu Yuchen parked his car.

    ¡°Master!¡± All of them greeted him.

    Mu Yuchen nodded his head before closing the car door.

    ¡°Master, she¡¯s alone in the room,¡± Ah Mo said.

    Mu Yuchen handed his car keys to one of the bodyguards before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He started walking into the hospital as the others followed his steps.

    The hospital was pretty much empty at this time. Only the figures of the nurses and the cleaners could be seen. Mu Yuchen soon arrived outside Sis Lan¡¯s room following Ah Mo¡¯s lead. They stopped right outside the door.

    Ah Mo opened the door and saw Lu Xin resting on the bed. He told Mu Yuchen after he confirmed it, ¡°Master, it¡¯s her!¡±

    He pushed the door open as Mu Yuchen went in together with him as well.

    Sis Lan was sound asleep. She had suffered from angina at midnight and was only relieved after the doctor put her on an IV drip. Deep in her slumber, she had no idea even after Mu Yuchen stood beside her bed for some time.

    ¡°Master, should we wake her up?¡± Ah Mo asked quietly.

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand and stopped Ah Mo. He nced at the sound asleep Lu Xin for a while before walking towards the window.

    Sometimeter, the sun showed up and Sis Lan woke up. She then noticed there were people nearby when she opened her eyes. To her shock, she saw Ah Mo beside her bed. In a weak voice, she croaked, ¡°Who are you? Why are you here?¡± She panted a little as she spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± Ah Mo quickly turned over to look at Mu Yuchen beside the window. Following suit, Sis Lan averted her gaze toward where Ah Mo was looking.

    She saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s emotionless expression as he just slowly walked towards her bed while Ah Mo made space for him.

    Sis Lan stared at him for a while before calling out to him, ¡°Mu Yuchen? Chairman Mu from Glory World? It¡¯s nice to meet you!¡±

    She was no stranger to Mu Yuchen¡¯s name. Ever since Xi Xiaye spoke to her thest time, she found out about Mu Yuchen. As the core member of the Mu family right now, she never expected him toe looking for her in person.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very nice for me though.¡± Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply.

    Sis Lan tried to force a smile on her pale face. ¡°Perhaps, I didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d meet under such circumstances.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave Ah Mo a signal, and he quickly came up to adjust Sis Lan¡¯s bed to let her sit up. He also got her a ss of water. Sis Lan looked at Mu Yuchen for a while before taking a sip. Then, she said, ¡°I know you guys woulde to look for me sooner orter. When your wife, Xi Xiaye, visited me thest time, she didn¡¯t ask me anything, but I¡¯m sure you guys would approach me again after finding out about my health condition. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have many peaceful days left.¡±

    Sis Lan sounded like she was worn out. ¡°But I¡¯ve said whatever I need to say. I¡¯ve already told you lot whatever you should know, whether it be your parents, your wife, or you yourself. I have nothing else to say anymore, so what¡¯s the point of forcing me?

    She obviously did not want to talk about it. Her hands trembled while she held the ss, and she looked extremely weak at the moment. After raising her voice slightly, she started panting.

    Ah Mo frowned as he nced at Mu Yuchen who did not say anything. He just looked at Sis Lan with his sharp eyes that made Lu Xin feel uneasy. She took a deep breath and lowered her head.

    ¡°I remember that you were already my aunt¡¯s manager very soon after her debut. Up until Aunty gave birth to Lingtian, you guys were always with each other. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit ridiculous that there¡¯s something about Aunty you don¡¯t know?¡± Mu Yuchen gave her an odd smile.

    ¡°So, are you here about Mu Zi today?¡± Lu Xin¡¯s expression froze.

    Mu Yuchen did not try to hide his intention of visiting. ¡°I¡¯m here today to find out a lot of things. Aunty¡¯s information is just one of them.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t know that I had anything to offer that would require you to visit me personally.¡± Sis Lan put on a cold smile as she stared at Mu Yuchen straight in the eye.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what happened to Aunty back then. I hope you can tell me who that person is. No matter what, he should be held responsible. Don¡¯t you think he should be held ountable since my aunt died for him?¡±

    A cold light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of rtionship you shared with my aunt. I heard that you return every year to visit her grave. I¡¯m sure both of you share a special bond, so I doubt you¡¯d hope for her to die in pain if the two of you were friends, but it makes more sense if you¡¯re her enemy. Then, you¡¯d visit her grave every year tough at her and show off to her. SO, which one are you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was icy cold as he stared directly at Sis Lan¡¯s face. Her trembling had gotten worse.

    ¡°Or do you feel guilty and are you back to repent?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Mu Zi and I are good friends. Because I cultivated her career, it¡¯s disheartening to me for something like that to have happened!¡±

 Chapter 575 - Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 575: Past (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Sis Lan looked down and avoided Mu Yuchen¡¯s sharp gaze.

    She took a deep breath and said, ¡°When she had just gotten pregnant with her first child back then, I told her to get an abortion. She was so popr at that time and I was sure she¡¯d be entering Hollywood very soon and be a superstar. I¡¯m sure you know how precious that opportunity is to an artiste. It¡¯s simr to how musicians would want to make themselves known in Vienna. When Mu Zi first started out in the industry, that was her goal.

    ¡°I admit that she¡¯s had the most potential among all the artistes I¡¯ve worked with in my whole career, but she¡¯s also the most worrisome one. Someone like you, Chairman Mu, must know the difficulty of this industry. We need to scout new talents, and to make a new artiste popr...

    ¡°Thepany spent a lot of resources on her, and she was just one step away from sess. I never expected something like that to happen. I treated her like my own sister, and I did my best to help her, yet she disappointed me... but I can¡¯t just give up on her. I was finding ways to help her give birth in secret and then re-enter the industry afterwards. Unexpectedly, she fell into depression and was emotionally unstable. Thepany couldn¡¯t do anything but leave her alone for a while. We got someone to help her out and hoped she could recover soon.¡±

    Sis Lan was panting a little by now, so Ah Mo went up and helped her to take the ss of water away.

    Mu Yuchen gave her a dark stare. ¡°How was your rtionship with my aunt?¡±

    The question threw Sis Lan off-guard. She raised her head and looked at him, but soon looked back down and did not reply to his question.

    Ah Mo shot Mu Yuchen a doubtful nce. After some hesitation, he started to understand what was happening. He then averted his gaze to look at Sis Lan.

    ¡°I investigated your situation with my aunt back then. Sure, the both of you were very close to each other initially, but you guys seemed to have conflicts more often afterward and some people reported to have seen you two argue in private, so it seems that your rtionship with my aunt isn¡¯t as amicable as you said.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone of voice was calm as he reiterated the investigation results.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! Mu Zi and I are like sisters. Don¡¯t you dare question our bond. We¡¯re best friends! What do you mean by that?!¡± Sis Lan suddenly got worked up and she gasped while she ced a hand on her chest.

    Mu Yuchen did not argue with her. Instead, he said, ¡°I know you¡¯re well aware of the truth. If you think you¡¯re good friends with my aunt, you should at least tell us who that person is.¡±

    ¡°Your aunt didn¡¯t want you guys to know. Why can¡¯t you respect her wishes? Knowing the truth might not be beneficial at all! Why do you have to find out?¡± Sis Lan¡¯s face turned pale while her hands clenched into fists as anger was visible in her eyes.

    ¡°Why? Because she owed my grandparents an exnation, and they owed Lingshi a reason. Not everything is solved by her death. You know very well how my aunt passed away. Lingshi has no idea who her father is, and you¡¯re saying that these are the benefits? There are responsibilities that need to be borne, and we can¡¯t escape from them.¡±

    ¡°What do you want then?¡± Sis Lan felt something was wrong.

    ¡°I heard you¡¯re pretty close to Qi Qiming. I have a question for you. Is Qi Qiming the same person as Mr. Wen?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m not rted to him at all! You don¡¯t have to try to get anything out of me. I¡¯m going to say it again. I¡¯ve told you whatever I could, and you should leave now. I¡¯m getting ufortable!¡± Sis Lan¡¯s expression was pale like snow. She panicked as she felt difficulty breathing.

    ¡°Really?¡± Mu Yuchen put on a smile and slowly showed his phone to Sis Lan the two photos on the screen. ¡°Then, can you please exin what these are? One of these is Qi Qiming¡¯s subordinate, Yue Hai, visiting you recently. The other one is an intimate photo of the both of you. Your house in the outskirts was under his name before, but he transferred it to you afterward.¡±

    Sis Lan stared at the photos nkly. ¡°You... How did you find out about these?¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave her a smile, ¡°I wouldn¡¯te to meet you today without any preparation, you have a past with Qi Qiming, and he¡¯s Mr. Wen. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Sis Lan tried to suppress the sudden pain in her chest as she red at Mu Yuchen. However, she had no strength left to say another word.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been with Qi Qiming for quite some time, yet you¡¯re just one of his mistresses. He wasn¡¯t particrly fond of you. Rumor has it that the woman he loved was Qi Feng¡¯s mother. Even Wang Qin was just a marriage forced upon him. I¡¯m sure this is the reason you turned your back on Qi Qiming and left Qi Kai. Is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! You don¡¯t know anything! Yes, he is Mr. Wen indeed. He¡¯s the only man that I¡¯ll ever love in my life. I¡¯ve been with him for over a decade. He told me that he¡¯d marry me...¡±

    ¡°But in the end, he married Wang Qin, and not you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he lied to me, but he never liked Wang Qin! She¡¯s just another poor soul!¡± Lu Xin¡¯s voice started to crack. The pain in her chest grew stronger as huge droplets of sweat rained down from her forehead.

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression changed as he gave Mu Yuchen a worrisome nce. Mu Yuchen looked at him calmly, and with a nod, he quickly snapped his fingers to signal the bodyguard outside to get a doctor.

    ¡°Did he get into a rtionship with my aunt as well?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were calm. He was not nning to back off at all even when Lu Xin had some blood on the corner of her mouth. Instead, he just handed her a piece of tissue paper.

    Sis Lan suddenly felt a gush of coppery liquid well up in her throat, and blood came out of her mouth...

 Chapter 576 - Past (3)

    <h4>Chapter 576: Past (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dark crimson blood colored the nket before Sis Lan as her face was terrifyingly pale. Her trembling hands held her chest tightly while she panted with difficulty.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t know anything, don¡¯t know anything...¡± Her feeble voice muttered, and then she fainted. At this moment, the tightly shut door opened and the doctors rushed in.

    Mu Yuchen coldly looked at Sis Lan who had fainted on the sickbed before he hinted to Ah Mo. With a nod, he then turned to leave as Ah Mo followed him, leaving the doctor who was trying to rescue her behind.

    As soon as they got out, Ah Mo immediately asked Mu Yuchen, ¡°Master, how did it go? Did Sis Lan say anything?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t need to say anymore. It was just the same things. Let¡¯s go back,¡± said Mu Yuchen calmly as he looked up at the rising sun outside the window before walking ahead.

    ¡°Master, did she say that... years ago, Aunty...¡± Ah Mo carefully probed.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and said mysteriously, ¡°She admitted that Qi Qiming is Mr. Wen, but I know that things aren¡¯t as simple as that. When she confirmed Mr. Wen¡¯s identity, the more doubts I have. Some things might be surfacing very soon.¡±

    ¡°Then, based on your thoughts, Master, if Mr. Wen is really Qi Qiming, ording to your guess, wouldn¡¯t Qi Qiming be rted to Aunty? Previously, Aunty and Lu Xin¡¯s fallout could then perhaps have been because of Qi Qiming!¡± Ah Mo made a brave assumption.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was gloomy, yet he did not answer Ah Mo.

    ¡°Master, could Qi Qiming really be Lingtian and Lingshi¡¯s biological father?¡± When Ah Mo said this, he gasped himself.

    If that was the truth, then Lingshi...

    When Ah Mo thought about this, his expression changed slightly too. His chest sank and ached while his gaze turned solemn.

    Mu Yuchen could hear the heaviness in his breathing. He turned and looked at him. ¡°Before things are cleared up, let¡¯s not make any rash conclusions. I think that it¡¯s a littleplicated, so we can¡¯t be sure. If we want to know the truth, we¡¯ll need those in the know to reveal it. However, at least, we have a lead from today.¡±

    Even though Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was rather heavy, he did not sound terribly pessimistic.

    He lifted a hand to gesture to Ah Mo. ¡°Find a way to do a DNA test for Qi Qiming and Lingshi. Remember, don¡¯t let anyone else know about this, especially Grandfather and Grandmother. Got it?¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned, but he quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, Master, got it!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, go back then. You don¡¯t have to follow me. It¡¯s Mid-Autumn Festival today. You and Lingshi should go back and apany Grandfather and Grandmother. Your sis-inw and I are making a trip to the Shen residence, and we won¡¯t be returning tonight,¡± Mu Yuchen said prior to picking up his pace.

    Once he left the hospital, Mu Yuchen went straight back to Maple Residence.

    It was still quite early when Xi Xiaye had just woken up. She changed into a casual autumn outfit and slowly walked down the stairs when she saw the man sitting on the sofa and propping his head up with his eyes closed as he rested.

    Just then, Sis Wang was just about to brew some tea for Mu Yuchen.

    When she saw Xi Xiayeing down, Sis Wang was about to greet her but Xi Xiaye stopped her. She smiled and nodded lightly. Then, she quickly took the tea leaves and swapped it for bitter tea before walking to the coffee table. She skillfully brewed a cup, and then brought it to Mu Yuchen, gently setting the cup before him.

    She was about to get up and leave when a cold hand suddenly gripped her hand.

    Xi Xiaye turned to see that he was still leaning back. Without even opening his eyes, he quietly pulled her in while his expression looked faintly sorrowful.

    As she sat down near him, she vaguely smelled a faint cigarette stench. She immediately frowned and briefly examined him with squinted eyes, then fixed his slightly wrinkled tie. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I didn¡¯t see you when I woke up. Where did you go? You smell of smoke. Did you smoke?¡±

    Mu Yuchen then slowly opened his eyes. He bent over to pick up the tea and carefully took a sip, ¡°How rare that my Missus found the time to brew me tea, but why is it this tea?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye immediatelyughed softly. ¡°Bitter tea clears the heart. I can see that you¡¯re not in the best of moods. I haven¡¯t steeped tea myself for quite a while. Have my skills worsened?¡±

    ¡°How could it have? The tea you steep is the most delicious tea I¡¯ve ever drunk.¡±

    He chuckled softly and lowered his head to take another sip, then he slowly set it aside. Xi Xiaye was still quietly watching him as she smiled calmly. ¡°How have I never noticed that you are such a sweet talker, Mr. Mu?¡±

    He chuckled softly and reached over to hold her by the shoulders. ¡°That would depend on who the other person is. Missus Mu is an important person I need to protect, so of course, I can only say all sweet things to you.¡±

    She shot him a look andined grouchily, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Just a few days ago, you lectured me. You said that I¡¯m too pleased with myself that I¡¯ve lost my sense of measure.¡±

    ¡°You should feel lucky that your Mr. Mu is watching you. Even if you aren¡¯t good, I can¡¯t return the goods and can only ept all of yourpletely exposed ws. You women, when ites to holding a grudge, you can be really terrifying¡ª Mmm!¡±

    Before he could finish, a stinging pain came from his waist. He could not help but softly chide, ¡°And you can be especially mean!¡±

    ¡°Drink your tea. Forget about nit-picking on women.¡± She shot him a warning look.

    ¡°How dare I... My Missus is mighty. How dare I nit-pick you?¡± As he said this, he could not help but hug her as he lowered his head to kiss her forehead.

    ¡°Where did you go so early in the morning?¡± She pecked him lightly on the cheek too.

    ¡°I went out to walk around and made a trip to the hospital.¡± Mu Yuchen did not deliberately hide it and just told her.

    ¡°Hospital? Why did you go there?¡± When Xi Xiaye heard, she looked at him puzzledly.

    ¡°I went to see someone. Let¡¯s set this aside for now,¡± he responded and then turned to Sis Wang who was busy. ¡°Sis Wang, bring the gift in the storeroom to the car.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master Mu!¡± Sis Wang answered quickly.

    ¡°Are we going to the Shen residence now?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    They had yet to go over to the Mu residence to greet them. Would that not be...?

    ¡°Just do as Grandmother has said. Ah Mo and Lingshi will return to the Mu residence tonight. Let¡¯s have dinner with Grandpa tonight. He considered that you might still be sleeping, so he called me earlier.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, that works too. We¡¯ll go over earlier after lunch, and I¡¯ll give you a chance to show off tonight.¡±

 Chapter 577 - Festive Day (1)

    <h4>Chapter 577: Festive Day (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    One dazzling afternoon at the Shen residence.

    The alluring sound of the ordion came from Shen Yue¡¯s room, apanied by the refreshing cool breeze. The melody traveled far and wide.

    Lan Zng walked through the long corridor with a briefcase in his hand. Before he reached the study room, his handsome face could not help but sh with a smile.

    The old CEO was ying the ordion again. In fact, he seemed to be getting closer and closer to the point of perfection.

    He heard that the old CEO quite liked this song. It was histe wife¡¯s favorite. She had been quite a romantic woman. Despite it being so many years, the old CEO had never forgotten her. Every year at this time, he would slow down and y this song a few times.

    Lan Zng pushed the door open and entered. Indeed, he saw Shen Yue sitting down with his back to the door.

    Shen Yue knew it was Lan Zng, so he did not stop what he was doing. He just turned his chair around slowly and looked at the man who slowly stopped in front of him.

    ¡°Elder CEO, this is the information you told me to bring you. Have a look.¡±

    Lan Zng took a document out from the briefcase and brought it to Shen Yue¡¯s desk.

    Shen Yue nodded but did not answer him. He just finished ying his tune, and then stopped. Lan Zng quickly went up to help him set the heavy ordion aside and put it on the chair beside him.

    Shen Yue picked the documents before him up before simply flipping through it a few times, and then he slowly closed it.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s Mid-Autumn Festival today. You should go home earlier.¡± Shen Yue¡¯s voice came.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Elder CEO! I have family working on dinner at home, so I can eat as soon as I get back. Right, aren¡¯t Chairman Mu and Miss Xiaye back yet?¡± Lan Zng asked.

    ¡°Soon. Earlier, they called to say that they decided to swing by the nearby marketce. How about you stay for dinner before leaving? That wouldn¡¯t be toote. Wenna isn¡¯t home this year, so the Shen residence seems much quieter. You can also bring your family over to visit often.¡±

    Shen Yue was not as serious as he usually was in the office. Actually, he looked quite friendly.

    ¡°Ah Chen¡¯s been quite busy too. I¡¯ve been idle instead. Right, how do you think Xiaye is now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elder CEO. Miss Xiaye is very smart, and with Chairman Mu¡¯s pointers, she¡¯s improving very quickly. She¡¯ll be able to take things on very soon. However, you might need to work a little harder for a while. After all, Elder CEO, your grandchild...¡±

    When he heard this, Shen Yue nodded sagely as he smiled in anticipation. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s fine.I can still do it for now.¡±

    ¡°Right, Elder CEO, Wang Qin, the VP of Qi Kai called to make an appointment with you this morning. She probably wants to meet you. Elder CEO, do you want to meet her or should I just reject this?¡± Lan Zng sought for his answer.

    ¡°Wang Qin? The VP of Qi Kai? I remember that I don¡¯t have any dealings with them, do I?¡± When Shen Yue heard this, he suddenly stared at Lan Zng in surprise.

    ¡°Elder CEO, did you forget that right now, our coboration with Glory World on the South River Project includes Qi Kai too. In fact, right now, for this project, Wang Qin seems to be in charge of Qi Kai¡¯s end. Previously, it was under the young master of Qi Kai, Qi Lei. I¡¯m not sure whether there¡¯s a change right now. I did hear that Qi Qiming¡¯s gone unknowingly crazy again. He demoted Qi Lei to a project manager position. The guy made it to the VP spot with tons of hard work, and now he¡¯s dropped so quickly again.¡±

    When he said this, Lan Zng sighed as he said pitifully, ¡°This young master of Qi Kai looks like he¡¯s doing well on the surface only. I really don¡¯t understand how Qi Qiming could do something like that. Isn¡¯t he just dampening Qi Lei¡¯s drive, and even insulting Wang Qin? He was just propped up and then pushed down. No one would be happy with this. I feel it¡¯s quite unfair for Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not quite interested in the Qi family¡¯s grudges, but I did hear that Qi Qiming and Wang Qin are a couple that has tension strung between them. From the way you say it, Qi Kai probably won¡¯t stay peaceful soon.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Qi Qiming and Wang Qin are like water and fire. The battle for Qi Kai is going to dawn soon. Just wait and see.¡±

    Shen Yue was quite calm about it. He hesitated for a moment, the continued, ¡°By the looks of it, why do you think Wang Qin hase looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Probably to coborate. Elder CEO, you¡¯re resourceful. If she can get your support, she might be able to stand firm one day. Qi Qiming¡¯s been active recently, and many people defend him. Wang Qin¡¯s not dumb. She naturally would have her own ns.¡±

    When Lan Zng said this, Shen Yue fell silent for a moment, then nodded. He was about to say something when theughter of the servants came from downstairs.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Miss Xiaye is back!¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s aged eyes brightened up as he slowly stood up.

    He walked to the staircase with Lan Zng. Then, he saw that the servants were bringing in quite a number of things and a lot of ingredients.

    ¡°Grandpa, Uncle Lan!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, Uncle Lan,¡± Mu Yuchen greeted them as the few of them then walked to the sofa.

    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve brought you a few sets of new clothes. It¡¯s going to get colder soon. You have to watch out for your health. Right, Mother has just called to remind you that you should drink less. She¡¯ll be able to remove her bandages soon, and she¡¯ll be returning after some recovery time,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke to Shen Yue as soon as she entered. At the same time, she directed the servants to hang the clothes in Shen Yue¡¯s wardrobe.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I have nothing to wear. You¡¯re all worried about this every year.¡± As Shen Yue grumbled, he actually felt happy. Soon, he pulled Mu Yuchen to sit down and y chess.

    Lan Zng watched the joyful group and did not want to disturb them further, so he left.

    ¡°Work¡¯s been busy at thepany. If you two don¡¯t have any free time, you don¡¯t have to care about me. Your grandfather and grandmother did give me a call. These few days are holidays, so I wanted to meet up with your grandparents as well.¡±

    Usually, in Shen Yue¡¯s free time, he would sometimes meet up with Wang Hui and the rest. Of course, it was great when they had idle time. Xi Xiaye¡¯s Bamboo Teahouse became a cozy ce for them to meet and have tea.

    Instead, it was Mu Yuchen and her. Ever since the two of them began to familiarize themselves with Fu Hua¡¯s work, Mu Yuchen had been extremely busy.

    ¡°Before work, humans were insignificant. You¡¯ve got to give yourself some time to breathe,¡± answered Xi Xiaye with a smile, yet before she could finish, the phone in Mu Yuchen¡¯s pocket vibrated, cutting her off.

    Mu Yuchen took his phone out to look at the screen. Unexpectedly, it was...

 Chapter 578 - Festive Day (2)

    <h4>Chapter 578: Festive Day (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan...

    A cold light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes, and he quickly picked up the call without hesitation.

    ¡°Father?¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Shen Yue exchanged nces with each other and gave him an odd look when they heard him.

    ¡°Ah Chen, it¡¯s me.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s voice echoed into his ear. Mu Yuchen sensed that something was not right from the tone of his voice.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Mu Yuchen asked while Xi Xiaye stood up and just looked at him anxiously.

    ¡°The rehabilitation center called me and said Deng Wenwen is in danger. I can¡¯t go back right now. I hope you can send someone over to take a look.¡± Xi Mushan did not sound emotional. In fact, his tone sounded stiff.

    Mu Yuchen frowned.

    Deng Wenwen was in danger?

    He almost forgot about her. Ever since she was down with a stroke, Xi Mushan gave the center a huge sum of money and left Deng Wenwen there for them to take care. It was the best that he was willing tomit. Ever since Xi Jiyang passed away, the whole Xi family was not the same anymore. One of the main reasons Xi Mushan decided to endure his life before was because of Xi Jiyang. If it were not for what happened to Shen Wenna, he probably...

    No matter what, Deng Wenwen was still Xi Jiyang¡¯s wife, so Xi Mushan had to...

    Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi had already abandoned Deng Wenwen since she had no use to them anymore. Naturally, they would not care about her especially under the current circumstances.

    Because Yue Lingsi even got addicted to gambling and amassed some debts, she would not show up so easily.

    ¡°I understand, Father. I¡¯ll make the arrangements,¡± Mu Yuchen replied after a moment.

    ¡°Thank you. I can¡¯t leave here, so...¡±

    ¡°Take care of Mother over there. I¡¯ll handle things here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Mu Yuchen hung up. Xi Xiaye was not really sure what happened, so she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Father call you? Did something happen to Mother?¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Shen Yue could only think about Shen Wenna as they looked at Mu Yuchen worriedly.

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand to signal ¡°no¡± while he called Li Si. ¡°Assistant Li, head over to XX rehabilitation center right now. It¡¯s an emergency. Yes, right now.¡±

    Li Si was initially put in charge of the situation over at the rehabilitation center anyway, so he instantly knew what happened when Mu Yuchen mentioned it to him.

    ¡°What happened there?¡± Xi Xiaye then realized it was about Deng Wenwen. She had not visited even once ever since Deng Wenwen was bedridden. Xi Xiaye was ufortable by just thinking about what happened in the past...

    ¡°Deng Wenwen is in danger. The doctor called Father. He asked me to send someone to check the situation out.¡±

    ¡°She deserved it! Xi Jiyang was too soft on her. He couldn¡¯t even control his own wife. Your mother had a lot of trouble because of her. It was also indirectly thanks to her that your parents had to go through all that strife.¡± Shen Yue was very unhappy when Deng Wenwen¡¯s name was mentioned. His temper rose.

    ¡°Your mother is a prideful person. There are surely a lot of conflicts a headstrong olddy like her would face. That¡¯s karma.¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly grabbed Shen Yue¡¯s arm as he was getting sullen. ¡°Alright, Grandpa, it¡¯s all in the past. It¡¯s fine as long as things are getting better now. You don¡¯t have to get angry over it.¡±

    Shen Yue then replied, ¡°Xi Mushan is such a nice person, huh? Isn¡¯t he worried about troubling you? Why doesn¡¯t hee back himself?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, Father is taking care of Mother now, isn¡¯t he? We¡¯ve sent Li Si over, so we¡¯ll wait for the news from him. Mu Yuchen, y chess with Grandpa. I¡¯ll go and arrange some stuff upstairs before making dinnerter.¡± Xi Xiaye did not want to bother her parents at the moment.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Shen Yue said coldly, ¡°I saw your friend¡¯s father a while ago. He said your father¡¯s application to be a lecturer at University A has been approved. Head over and get the document soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quick, I thought... he was only starting after the New Year.¡± Xi Xiaye had heard about it from Xi Mushan before, but the application was dyed because of Shen Wenna¡¯s ident.

    ¡°I just happened to meet that person and we talked about it a little. I hope he¡¯d be so busy with lecturing that he could stop bothering your mother afterward.¡± Shen Yue waved his hand impatiently.

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen grinned at each other as they exchanged nces.

    ...

    In the evening, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye cooked up a delicious feast.

    Shen Yue enjoyed a very happy meal. It had been many years since he enjoyed the Mid-Autumn Festival like this, and he even drank a little too.

    Xi Xiaye felt that people who were quiet like Shen Yue and Mu Yuchen would suddenly be talkative when they were put together, and they could talk about anything from economics to architecture and end up with business. Xi Xiaye felt a headache just listening to their conversations, so she sat aside and kept on refilling their cups as she listened.

    They nned to have a moon-viewing session together, but Shen Yue was getting tired, so Xi Xiaye helped him upstairs into his bedroom. They then rushed back to Maple Residence after that.

 Chapter 579 - Gift (1)

    <h4>Chapter 579: Gift (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The full moon gleamed in the night sky, attracting several fireflies as the wind breezed through.

    The moonlight streamed in when Xi Xiaye opened the ss door on the balcony. She heard soothing musicing from the room behind her as she looked out at the night sky. When she turned around, she saw that he was reading the document Shen Yue had handed him earlier.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a lovely view outside tonight. Leave work aside, and let¡¯s have a seat under the moon,¡± Xi Xiaye suggested.

    Mu Yuchen then closed the document and beamed at her. ¡°Sure.¡±

    He set the document aside and went to the balcony, then sat on a rattan chair beside Xi Xiaye.

    The two of them sat beside each other as they watched the beautiful full moon together. He gently pulled a nket over her.

    ¡°People in ancient times liked to drink and dance under the moon. It sure feels peaceful to look at the beautiful moon. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist felt this rxed. It¡¯d be nice if it could be like this forever.¡± She looked at the moon and sighed.

    ¡°The moon nowadays probably isn¡¯t as beautiful as in ancient times. Things have changed,¡± he replied her quietly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as a smile appeared on her face. ¡°Mmm, if we were in the past now, I¡¯d probably be hanging around somewhere on my own. Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He ran his fingers through her hair and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

    ¡°What were you doing during this day in the past?¡± It was a rare initiative of her asking about his past. Evidently, she was getting more and more concerned about him.

    He looked over with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not as rxed as we are now. I¡¯d probably still be in the office. Glory World¡¯s international market wasn¡¯t as great as it is now. When I went abroad back then, apart from taking some time alone, I also wanted to expand Glory World¡¯s market. Now that I think about it, if I had stayed here in the headquarters, we might¡¯ve been able to meet each other earlier and we wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much time. What do you think?¡±

    He was feeling pretty contented at the moment as he slung an arm over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder with a smile.

    ¡°You probably wouldn¡¯t notice me anyway. There are so many pretty and talented girls in thepany while I¡¯m just a tiny cog in the system. As the chairman, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d notice me.¡±

    She then gave him a stare. ¡°Do you know that a lot of girls still haven¡¯t given up on you? Don¡¯t you notice that a lot of girls are dressed up very well around you?¡±

    ¡°Why does it matter to me? I don¡¯t see you dress up very often, but I still like you, don¡¯t I?¡± he teased Xi Xiaye with an innocent tone.

    ¡°What do you know? Didn¡¯t you send the group of elites you brought back from abroad to research more on the local markets? Quite a number of them returned. Each and every one of them is very handsome, and then the girls started talking about us...¡±

    ¡°About what?¡± He voiced out his doubts.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have dinner with CEO Zhang¡¯s daughterst week? They said that men are more likely to cheat during their wives¡¯ pregnancy...¡±

    He smirked. ¡°After so much talk, in the end, you¡¯re just jealous?¡±

    ¡°I think they make sense.¡± She rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°We just happened to meet outside the restaurant, and CEO Zhang was there. I couldn¡¯t have very well outright rejected him. I¡¯ve never had dinner in private with any other girls before except you. You know I have very high standards. While we¡¯re on the topic do you think there¡¯s any problem between us during your pregnancy now?¡±

    He suddenly lowered his voice and whispered beside her ear, ¡°I¡¯m willing to wait until the child is born, but you¡¯d better be prepared to make it up to me. I¡¯m definitely patient enough to wait.¡±

    His heart belonged to her. No other woman could catch his attention, so cheating was impossible!

    However, it was exactly like what Mu Tangchuan told him before, women became more silly and sensitive after getting pregnant, Zhuang Shurong was like this in the past as well.

    He was not ming her at all. In fact, he thought it was sweet of her to care about him. He felt it was something that he should be happy about.

    Mr. Mu thought that any man whoined about his woman being annoying was a jerk. A wife was meant to be pampered since she was a creature that supposedly incited a man¡¯s desire to protect, and...

    Actually, he had no idea he would change this much after getting married. Just like Li Si said, he used to stand aside and watch the world coldly. s, now he stood in this world and witnessed reality while his heart was filled up by something intangible.

    He looked forward to their wedding. On top of that, he was looking forward to the birth of their child, and most of all, he was looking forward to his life in the future with her.

    ¡°I suddenly realized that you¡¯re getting more and more like that!¡±

    ¡°Like what?!¡±

    ...

    Theirughter flew along with the wind on the balcony as the moonlight created an ovepping shadow of them in harmony. However, things were pretty much the opposite in another vi several kilometers away.

    It was alreadyte at night. Qi Lei only noticed there was a firework disy going on when he finished reading a proposal. By then, it was already prettyte when he noticed the night sky being illuminated with fireworks. He opened the window and heard the voices of people cheering.

    Qi Lei could never rte to those feelings. He just watched on as he felt depressed inside. Suddenly, he remembered that today was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

    Wang Qin had called him just now to tell him that she was going back to the Wang Residence, and Qi Qiming was probably at an event of some sort. Oh well, Qi Lei had never really experienced a united family gathering anyway.

 Chapter 580 - Gift (2)

    <h4>Chapter 580: Gift (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei stopped looking outside. Sometimes, looking at such wonderful and heart-warming scenes would induce certain feelings within him.

    He took a deep breath and closed the windows. Then, he quietly packed his documents up before he realized that he felt hungry. He walked out of the study room and was thinking about cooking some instant noodles.

    He was not exactly a great cook. The only thing he could barely manage would be some in porridge. However, the first time he tried to make it, he used a whole lot of rice and water. Since today was a festive day, he thought that he should celebrate it himself.

    He opened his fridge and noticed it was rather empty with only some tomatoes and several bottles of beer.

    He stood there for a moment beforeughing at himself miserably. Then, he grabbed a beer and chugged it down before slumping down beside the fridge and continuing to drink.

    After some time, he heard his doorbell ring. Because he thought it was a mistake, it took him quite a while to answer the door.

    He opened the door and saw Yang Sheng in front of him.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng stood at the bottom of the staircase with a grin on his face and a gift box in his hands.

    ¡°Assistant Yang? Why are you here? Did my mother send you?¡± Qi Lei frowned.

    Yang Sheng smiled and shook his head, handing the gift box to him. ¡°That¡¯s not it, Master Qi! CEO Wang went back to the Wang Residence. This is a gift from Chairman Mu and Ms. Xi. Someone sent it over. I was working with CEO Wang the past two days and almost forgot about it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye?

    Qi Lei nced at the box for a while before taking it. ¡°Did you say that this is from Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Indeed, Master Qi. I heard that Master Mu, Master Su, and Master Zhou usually send gifts to each other during the festive seasons. I¡¯m surprised Master Mu would...¡±

    Qi Lei knew about Mu Yuchen¡¯s habits. However, he rarely exhibited such generosity to others and it surprised Qi Lei this time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head back first then, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng was relieved to see Qi Lei¡¯s expression soften.

    Qi Lei nodded and waved his hand as he walked back into his vi with the gift box while Yang Sheng left.

    He sat down on the sofa and took a long time to think about it before opening the box to see several pretty boxes of mooncakes.

    However, Qi Lei felt that it was not just a simple gift although he felt a warmth bubble inside him. He stared at the mooncakes for a while before taking the mooncakes away and revealing theyer beneath it. There was anotheryer of space in the box with a document lying in there.

    He flipped through it, and then realized it was the project details for Fu Hua Property!

    He remembered this project was one of the two major projects that got the green light from Elder CEO Yue of Fu Hua Property this year. It was also part of the South River project and was simr in nature to Project no. 1 undertaken by Mu Yuchen. This project focused on developing an iconic building, on which many of Mu Yuchen¡¯s future ns depended.

    Shen Yue ced a lot of focus on this project. Apart from the senior architects from his ownpany, he also hired many other architects to help out. Qi Lei himself studied architecture, and many stakeholders, including his mother, Wang Qin, was hoping to coborate with Fu Hua Property. Besides that, their strong financial foundation would help to solidify Qi Kai¡¯s current situation. Moreover, he heard that Mu Yuchen was pretty close with Shen Yue, and rumor had it that Shen Yue was...

    What was Mu Yuchen trying to do sending this information to him?

    Qi Lei was confused by Mu Yuchen¡¯s intentions. He flipped through the document for a while as an idea popped in his mind.

    Was he trying to create a chance for Qi Lei?

    He vaguely remembered that Fu Hua was searching for another coborator. With a project of such a huge scale, it would be extremely difficult toplete without the support of several strongpanies.

    The news about the coboration between Glory World and Fu Hua should be about this project!

    Qi Lei was not a fool. He understood Mu Yuchen¡¯s intentions very well by now.

    Even Qi Qiming was aiming for this project. If he got this and got Fu Hua to appoint Qi Lei to take charge, he would then hold some real power among the stakeholders. Wang Qin had been working on this mainly to suppress Qi Qiming.

    However, this project was top secret at the moment, so how would Mu Yuchen know about this? He even sent over something this important. If he just analyzed the data and created a detailed proposal based on the analysis, there was a high chance Shen Yue would...

    In the end, Qi Lei grabbed his phone and called Mu Yuchen¡¯s number as his eyes were still glued to the document before him.

    The phone was picked up after a while. However, the voice of the person who picked up the call surprised Qi Lei.

    ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± A clear voice reached his ears.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡±

    Her voice echoed in his heart, and Qi Lei could not help but feel delighted. ¡°Why are you the one picking up the call? Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned as well. She looked over at the man beside her, but Mu Yuchen acted like he could not hear anything and did not move an inch.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Qi Lei replied with a jovial tone, ¡°I¡¯ve received your gift. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Gift? What...?¡±

    Before she could ask, a certain someone snatched the phone away. ¡°You got the stuff?¡±

    Qi Lei recognized Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice. ¡°Yes, I got them, but I¡¯d like to ask what are you trying to do?¡±

 Chapter 581 - Gift (3)

    <h4>Chapter 581: Gift (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen paused as his eyes twinkled. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°My brain isn¡¯t as smart as yours.¡± Qi Leiughed weakly.

    Mu Yuchen then replied, ¡°You¡¯re a smart man. I¡¯m sure you know what I mean. I¡¯m just giving you a chance. I¡¯m sure CEO Wang and CEO Qi would be extremely happy if you sent this to them, especially CEO Wang. What do you think?¡±

    This was what they had been looking for. Of course, they would be happy to see this!

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he lowered his head and looked at the document for some time. ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte now. Think about it for yourself. If there are any more issues, we¡¯ll talk againter.¡± Mu Yuchen hung up on the call before Qi Lei could reply.

    ¡°Why did Qi Lei call you?¡± she asked him as he put his phone back onto the table.

    ¡°It¡¯s about work. Didn¡¯t Grandpa remind us to look for capable partners for the South River project several days ago?¡± he replied quietly and hugged her.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows in astonishment. ¡°So, you approached Qi Lei, thinking that he¡¯s capable? But aren¡¯t you two... in a conflict? Why...?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled when he saw the nervous expression on her face. Then, he left a kiss on her forehead. ¡°While Qi Lei does have some conflict with me, I believe he can be professional in his work. I admire his talents and I don¡¯t want to see his talents be wasted. Moreover, his rise in Qi Kai might not be a bad thing for us. I believe he knows this very well.¡±

    He did not hide his intentions and told her his thoughts.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, but she started to fret. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that he¡¯ll take revenge on you?¡±

    He scoffed. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about that then. Trusting a person is like gambling. I don¡¯t hope to see myself lose, but Qi Lei has his choices. Maybe he¡¯s doubting my intentions at this moment. He might think I¡¯m setting a trap for him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but I saw the information you got Ah Mo to prepare on the table. Qi Lei is quite sad. No matter what, they shouldn¡¯t involve children in their conflicts. Children are innocent.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt rtable as she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m very thankful to my mother. Back then, she nevershed out on me even when she had fierce fights with the Xi family, and she never told me to hate my father or the Xi family. Instead, she wanted me to be friendly to Xi Xinyi and hoped that I could grow up peacefully. I know she didn¡¯t want me to get involved in their matters, and although I¡¯ve med her for this before, I¡¯m thankful for her.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Mother is a wisedy, and it has been tough for her.¡± Mu Yuchen thought highly of Shen Wenna. Although he did not agree with everything she had done, he was impressed by her wisdom and attitude.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she sighed again. ¡°I suddenly think thatpared to many other people, my life isn¡¯t really that tough. Sure, it feels painful when going through a hard time, but I realized that it¡¯s not really a big deal after I¡¯ve gone through it. Although Qi Lei always looks weird and isn¡¯t serious at work, I know that¡¯s not his true self. I saw the proposals he¡¯s made before. They were nearly wless, and he could answer my questions during our meeting as well. I can conclude that he¡¯s a responsible and careful person.¡±

    ¡°I see you think highly of him. Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll get jealous?¡± He smiled as he threw her a meaningful nce.

    She pursed her lips and smiled as she wrapped her arms around herself. ¡°It¡¯s my honor. That proves that my charm has elevated to another level. Didn¡¯t you praise him as well? Anyhow, it depends if he can satisfy Grandpa¡¯s standard. Hmm, Grandpa looks pretty exhaustedtely. I hope...¡±

    ¡°Grandpa is wise and has a pair of sharp eyes. With his experience, he¡¯ll know if a person is skilled or not in just a nce. Do you think he¡¯s been fooling around for the past few decades?¡±

    ¡°Your ttery won¡¯t reach Grandpa, and I¡¯m not going to tell him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s sleep earlier. I¡¯m having a gathering with Su Chen and the others tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring you out somewhere as well.¡±

    He had promised Su Chen and Zhou Zimo to catch up the next day, so Mu Yuchen nned to visit the Leisure Club before heading to the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club at night.

    However, their n was forced to change. The two of them woke up early the next morning. As they were about to head out after breakfast, Li Si called to inform that Deng Wenwen¡¯s condition seemed to have worsened. In the end, they decided to go take a look.

    Outside the room, Li Si walked up when he saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. His expression was grim.

    ¡°Master, Director Xi! You guys are finally here!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Mu Yuchen halted his steps and frowned when he saw Li Si¡¯s expression.

    Li Si took a deep breath. He had not slept for the whole night and he looked exhausted. In a solemn tone, he updated them, ¡°She was just wheeled out of the operating room not too long ago after going through a simple procedurest night. Her condition suddenly worsened at midnight, and the doctors spent the whole night operating on her. She¡¯s still alive but her condition is still critical, and Deng Wenwen most likely can never move again just like a person in a vegetative state. It¡¯s questionable whether she can make it past this phase.¡±

    ¡°How did her condition suddenly worsen?¡± Mu Yuchen gave Li Si a doubtful nce. Because of Xi Mushan¡¯s call, he had told Li Si to keep an eye on Deng Wenwen. She had been still doing pretty alright just a while ago, and nothing odd happened, so how did she get into critical condition now?

 Chapter 582 - Fight (1)

    <h4>Chapter 582: Fight (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Li Si said quietly, ¡°Master, I checked and found out that Yue Lingsi came to visitst night. Deng Wenwen¡¯s condition worsened soon after she left. Honestly, I think she should be the cause.¡±

    ¡°Yue Lingsi?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she repeated her name.

    Her rtionship with Deng Wenwen had broken down a long time ago. Before Xi Xinyi entered the Xi family, Deng Wenwen still treated her nicely to get on Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan¡¯s good side. However, after Xi Xinyi came into the Xi family, Xi Xiaye became powerless.

    Back then, Elder Yue helped Yueying a lot, and Xi Xinyi¡¯s maternal grandmother and Deng Wenwen were good friends.

    Xi Xiaye became fed up with Deng Wenwen favoring Xi Xinyi over her, especially since all the hardships she had gone through were ignored. Xi Xiaye now only felt sorry and sour for Deng Wenwen.

    It was not that she did not hate her, but it seemed meaningless now. She might as well forget all about Deng Wenwen.

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi, I¡¯ve confirmed with the caretaker, Sis Chun. Yue Lingsi came over yesterday angrily. I asked around and realized Yue Lingsi had been arguing with Xi Xinyitely. She built up some gambling debts and lost all her money. The debt collectors even visited her house some time ago. Xi Xinyi had an argument with her and criticized her harshly. In her fury, Yue Lingsi pped Xi Xinyi.¡±

    When Li Si received Mu Yuchen¡¯s call yesterday, he rushed to the rehabilitation center to find out what happened. Ah Bao and the others informed him what happened this morning. After some analysis, Li Si grasped the big picture.

    ¡°Master, I think Yue Lingsi was frustrated and came over here. She assumed that since Deng Wenwen was such a sly fox, she probably would¡¯ve left something after working hard for Yueying for so many years. Moreover, Elder Xi also left her something after he passed away, but whatever was passed down was nowhere to be seen ever since Deng Wenwen was admitted into the hospital. Yue Lingsi probably came here because of those. If she didn¡¯t clear her debts in time, she would be in deep trouble,¡± Li Si said.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I know about that. Deng Wenwen is very guarded against everyone, including my grandfather. She doesn¡¯t even trust him, but Yue Lingsi should know something since they were pretty close.¡±

    She stopped taking note of Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi ever since the fall of the Xi family. Without an ounce of care anymore, she left it all to Mu Yuchen, not wanting to touch thoseplicated rtionships anymore.

    ¡°It seems that Yue Lingsi is having a tough time,¡± Mu Yuchen said with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°The Yue family is probably reluctant to help since that incident, and now Yue Lingsi is giving up on herself. The Yue family has probably given up on her. She¡¯s fortunate that her reputation didn¡¯t go any lower.¡±

    Li Si sighed. ¡°Deng Wenwen is pretty tragic. She probably never expected Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi to treat her like this after she became bedridden. I guess she didn¡¯t know them well enough.¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head slightly before heading forward and opening the door while Mu Yuchen followed behind her.

    Inside the room, Deng Wenwen was lying on the bed. The beeping sound of the machine amplified the silence in the room.

    Xi Xiaye stopped beside the bed and looked at Deng Wenwen quietly. The older woman looked slightly swollen unlike her sharp self before. The atmosphere felt depressed.

    She seemed to be conscious, but her eyes seemed like they could not focus even though they were wide open. She still had difficulty breathing even when she had an oxygen mask on. Even when she saw Xi Xiaye standing beside her bed, she did not react.

    Xi Xiaye sighed as she looked at Deng Wenwen. After a while, she bent over and slid Deng Wenwen¡¯s exposed hand back under the nket. ¡°You probably never expected this would happen to you one day? What¡¯s so bad about everyone living in a happy family? If you epted Mother and didn¡¯t cause all the ruckus after that, my parents would¡¯ve still been in love until today, and you¡¯d be enjoying a peaceful life right now.¡±

    ¡°Although Father knew you¡¯re not his biological mother, he did his best as your son. Had you been more genuine with us, things could¡¯ve been different, but it¡¯s all ruined now because of your greed. Are you really happy to see the Xi family breaking apart?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath, appearing exhausted. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t even have married into the Xi family back then. You might be happier. I heard that you had someone you liked before. After running around your whole life, do you have any moments when you felt genuinely happy?¡±

    She knew very well that Deng Wenwen and Xi Jiyang were not in love with each other at all. In addition to that, Deng Wenwen also had a miscarriage before her marriage. Elder Madam Xi was worried she might mistreat the young Xi Mushan when she first married into the Xi family, which was why she offered Yueying to her as a condition for her to give up having her own child. In response, Deng Wenwen agreed to it swiftly.

    She did not say anything else and just gave her a final nce before leaving the room. Mu Yuchen nced at Deng Wenwen as well before catching up with Xi Xiaye.

    The two of them never noticed it, but the moment the door closed, Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes clouded over as a drop of tear tumbled from her cheek onto the pillow.

 Chapter 583 - Fight (2)

    <h4>Chapter 583: Fight (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye never expected to bump into Yue Lingsi, moreover, inside this rehabilitation center.

    On the long bench by the empty corridor, Xi Xiaye averted her gaze from the magazine she was reading to look at the pair of feet right before her. She slowly peered up and saw the icy-looking Yue Lingsi!

    Yue Lingsi was staring at her coldly with a gaze that looked like her eyes were poisoned ice needles as if it would im someone¡¯s life in a nce.

    Xi Xiaye looked at her for a moment. Then, she continued reading the magazine when there was no reaction from Yue Lingsi. However, as she lowered her head, she felt a gust of wind before her and the magazine in her hand was snatched away.

    Thud!

    The magazine fell into a corner. A bitter wind blew through and flipped through the pages of the magazine.

    With a scowl, Xi Xiaye red at Yue Lingsi with a cold expression. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve caused enough ruckus with Xi Xinyi? Do you want to mess with me now?¡±

    ¡°You witch! Do you think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re pleased as punch right now? Where¡¯s Xi Mushan? Where¡¯s that old witch, Shen Wenna? Are the two of them trying to elope and avoid me? If Xi Mushan thinks he can leave me like that, I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s impossible! I¡¯ll never give them the chance to be happy together andugh at me!¡±

    Yue Lingsi went manic. Facing so many harsh consequencestely, she had lost everything and never expected her daughter to treat her that way. She almost broke down in frustration!

    Because Han Yifeng and the Han family just left her alone, she tried to ask Elder Yue for help, but she had gotten a terrible scolding before she could even meet him.

    No matter how powerful the Yue family was, if they were to help her to clear her massive debts right now, would some ruthless people not take the opportunity to spread rumors about them again?

    The Yue family decided not to help when they considered their reputation.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s debts piled up to over $10 million dors, and she lost all the money she had before. Where could she get the money to clear her debts?

    She went to Han Yifeng but was not able to meet him. Nevertheless, she did not want to ask Huang Ziyao for help as she was frustrated whenever she was reminded about her attitude!

    Since Xi Xinyi gave birth to a boy for the Han family, she would officially be part of the Han family soon, but Huang Ziyao¡¯s attitude was just too much!

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s anger built up. If it were not for her asking for help from the Yue family before, would the projects from the Han Corporation have gone on so smoothly? Not only were they ungrateful, but they also treated her even worse. Xi Xinyi was her daughter, yet she put on such airs when talking to her right now. Yue Lingsi felt like she had aged a lot in a short span of time.

    Finally, she decided to look for Xi Mushan since they were married after all. No matter what, Xi Mushan would not just leave her alone like this. It was not a big deal for him to give her this amount of money, especially since he had gotten a lot of dividend from Yueying before. Xi Jiyang also had left him a huge load of his assets. Because Xi Xiaye had only taken West Park, the money should be with Xi Mushan and Deng Wenwen.

    She asked around and realized Xi Mushan had note back since the wedding of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye abroad! He was probably fooling around with the old witch somewhere!

    In the end, she was forced to look for Deng Wenwen who had be so useless. With just a few words from her, she almost died!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression turned cold suddenly. ¡°You¡¯d better watch your mouth! Aren¡¯t you the dirtiest to cheat on my father with someone else? How dare you scold my mother? If it weren¡¯t for your dirty tricks, my parents wouldn¡¯t have been separated at all! You drugged my father and got pregnant with Xi Xinyi. A woman like you is the best example of a dirty witch!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be too embarrassed to even live anymore if I were you. You¡¯re just a living tragedy now. The Yue family gave up on you, the Han family can¡¯t take you in, and your daughter despises you. You¡¯ve been cornered by your debts and your reputation is at its worst. Aw, aren¡¯t you in a pitiful state right now?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Do you want me to die? Why won¡¯t that witch Shen Wenna die first? Shen Wenna is the real witch! Shameless slut! I fell in love with Xi Mushan first. How dare shepete with me? If it weren¡¯t for her, Xi Mushan and I would be the best couple! Do you know how much I¡¯ve sacrificed for Xi Mushan? What has Shen Wenna done for him? Everyone just assumed Xi Mushan should be with Shen Wenna. Ha, what a joke! As long as I¡¯m alive, that¡¯d be impossible! I¡¯d never let them be together even if I died! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll sacrifice myself just to let them get back together!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was screaming by now. Her eyes were filled with hatred the moment Shen Wenna was mentioned, especially when she looked at Xi Xiaye who looked just like Shen Wenna. She was eager to smash her face into pieces right there and then!

    A guaranteed return of investment? How could such a good deal possibly exist?

    Xi Xiaye scoffed at her. ¡°You made a n to steal something that doesn¡¯t belong to you, yet now you¡¯re using the original owner of stealing. I¡¯m afraid only you and your daughter could manage to pull something like this off. You won¡¯t even spare a bed-ridden olddy. You guys are just the best. You two just widen my horizon so much.¡±

    ¡°Are you faking kindness now? You probably wanted that old fox to die as soon as possible, didn¡¯t you? She¡¯s a living burden. Wouldn¡¯t she be better off dead? Don¡¯t think that old thing is as easy to fool as your grandfather. Did you think she¡¯d pass the inheritance to you? Dream on! Those belong to Xinyi! Don¡¯t even think about them!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice was sharp.

    ¡°Inheritance?¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled, she then chuckled. ¡°Seems like Li Si was right. You¡¯re here for that!¡±

 Chapter 584 - Fight (3)

    <h4>Chapter 584: Fight (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Unfortunately, Deng Wenwen isn¡¯t going toply. Don¡¯t forget who put her into this state. She¡¯s not an idiot. Do you think she would just let you do what you want?¡± Xi Xiaye gave her a cold nce andughed. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m impressed that you could get Deng Wenwen so worked up. Who would¡¯ve expected the two of you to be like this?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You shut your mouth!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s expression darkened just like moments before a storm. She red at Xi Xiaye coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t you try to fool me! You haven¡¯t told me where Xi Mushan and that witch Shen Wenna is! Do you think I can¡¯t find them just because you hid them?¡±

    ¡°Why should I tell you? Find them yourself! Instead ofshing out on me, you might want to think of a way to ask your daughter to help out with your debts. The debt collectors might break a hand or two. By then, you¡¯ll probably be worse off than Deng Wenwen, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suppressed the anger inside her as she spoke bitterly. She stood up and was about to leave, not wanting to spend another second with her anymore.

    It had been some time since Mu Yuchen had gone to talk to the doctor. She was worried since he had note back yet, so she wanted to go look for him as she was not having a peaceful time there.

    However, Yue Lingsi jumped toward her the moment she stood up. She tried to pin Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder against the wall, making her stagger slightly. As she held onto the wall with one hand, she held her baby bump cautiously while her eyes turned cold.

    ¡°Speak! Where¡¯s Xi Mushan and that old witch? Don¡¯t even think of leaving without telling me!¡± Yue Lingsi grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder. Xi Xiaye could feel her sharp nails stabbing into her flesh as Yue Lingsi was shaking her violently.

    She could not react to Yue Lingsi¡¯s quick movements and started getting dizzy after a while. Her senses barely came back to her momentster. She struggled and grabbed Yue Lingsi¡¯s wrist and pinched her hard. Yue Lingsi screamed before clutching Xi Xiaye¡¯s long hair and pulling it ferociously!

    With a frown, Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and calmly grabbed her shoulder before swiftly stomping her foot. Finally, she was free from Yue Lingsi¡¯s grip, and she delivered a fresh p to her face!

    Pa!

    Yue Lingsi screamed once again as her face was struck. To her anger, she instantly felt that fiery, painful sensation.

    ¡°How dare you hit me? How dare you?¡± Yue Lingsi covered her face as she red at Xi Xiaye with a hostile expression.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. She was still unconsciously shielding her tummy as she tidied her messy hair with one hand. Without any more intention of staying, she turned around and started walking away.

    Xi Xiaye hastened forward, but Yue Lingsi did not stop following and tried to catch up with her. ¡°Stop right there! How dare you p me!? Speak! Where is Xi Mushan? Stop right there!¡±

    Xi Xiaye dodged sideways and Yue Lingsi missed her. However, Yue Lingsi was able to grab onto her skirt and dragged her back!

    ¡°I¡¯m going to break your face! The same witch face Shen Wenna has!¡± Yue Lingsi yelled.

    Xi Xiaye barely managed to stand while she grabbed Yue Lingsi¡¯s iing hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough! You¡¯re mad! You provoked me. One p is already mercy for you. Don¡¯t try to do anything more!¡±

    This woman¡¯s fingernails were like sharp knives. She could feel the stinging pain on her shoulder and a faint scent of blood entered the air around them.

    ¡°Getting all high and mighty now? No matter what, I¡¯m still your elder. How dare you treat me that way? Is that how that witch Shen Wenna taught you to act? Where is Xi Mushan now? Tell me!¡± Yue Lingsi jumped onto her, making her stuck between the walls.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call Deng Wenwen your mother too? She almost died because of you. Where are your standards? How can you and your daughter be so weird? You think that all your faults were just tiny mistakes, but then you keep pointing out the fault of others! How can there be people like the two of you in this world?¡± Xi Xiaye was incensed.

    ¡°Shut up, you little witch! It¡¯s not your turn to lecture me yet! Who do you think you are to lecture me?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s words definitely hit Yue Lingsi¡¯s sensitive point. Xi Xinyi had just scolded her about this not too long ago, and now, Xi Xiaye triggered her even further, so she started screaming.

    Arge crowd started looking at them.

    ¡°Who do you think you are to make me tell you? You are no different from a mad person! My father would never find you attractive unless he¡¯s blind! You¡¯re my elder? Don¡¯t you think your existence itself is a joke?¡± Xi Xiaye replied with a firm tone.

    ¡°Shut up! Ah¡ª!¡±

    As Yue Lingsi tried to charge at Xi Xiaye again, Xi Xiaye twisted her wrist and she screamed in agony. ¡°You people are the ones that make me mad, Xi Xiaye! It¡¯s you and that old witch Shen Wenna! It¡¯s Mu Yuchen! You guys work together and bully me. Both Mu Yuchen and you are making me mad. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know Mu Yuchen did all those things behind my back! If I died, I¡¯de back and haunt you as a ghost! Everyone,e and take a look! The woman behind Glory World Corporation loves to bully the weak. They are trying to make me die! Ah¡ª No!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Yue Lingsi, the whole of City Z knows what you¡¯ve done, and now you¡¯re trying to use Mu Yuchen. Do you want me to show everyone the security camera from the hospital and see what you just did to me?¡±

    How could Xi Xiaye not know what Yue Lingsi was trying to do?

 Chapter 585 - Fight (4)

    <h4>Chapter 585: Fight (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As her grip on Yue Lingsi¡¯s wrist tightened, Yue Lingsi could not stop screaming, ¡°Xi Xiaye, how dare you do this to me? I¡¯m going to make you pay!¡±

    Yue Lingsi howled at her before trying to charge again, but as she tried to move forward, someone grabbed her by the cor from the back and lifted her up before she could react. Then, she was dropped onto the floor, causing her great pain.

    The bodyguards!

    Her scream spread throughout the corridor.

    ...

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    He rushed back anxiously as he studied Xi Xiaye who frowned when she felt the pain on her shoulder, but she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    However, he noticed her painful expression. When he looked over at her shoulder and lifted her shirt slightly, he saw the fingernail marks!

    He was only gone for a few minutes and this happened!

    His expression darkened as he threw Yue Lingsi a cold re. He then gave Li Si a signal, but when Li Si was about to give instructions to the bodyguards, Xi Xiaye stopped him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Don¡¯t cause a big ruckus in the hospital,¡± she whispered to him, sounding worried. ¡°Bring me to clean my wounds first.¡±

    ¡°She dared to hurt you right here. She¡¯s tired of living!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was chilly cold as he shielded her in his arms.

    ¡°There are a lot of opportunities in the future. Li Si, you guys can wait at the car.¡±

    Li Si turned to Mu Yuchen hesitantly while the bodyguards let go of Yue Lingsi after Mu Yuchen nodded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare go away! Do you think you can just leave after hitting me?! Everyone,e and take a look, they¡ª¡±

    Xi Xiaye held Mu Yuchen back as she told Li Si, ¡°Take her to the police!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was finally brought away.

    Inside the examination room, the doctor was applying some antiseptic onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s wound while Mu Yuchen sat beside her. When he saw her face getting pale, he wrapped his arm around her waist, and the two of them cooperatively remained silent.

    He almost wanted to lift her up in her arms after the doctor was done cleaning her wound, but she insisted, ¡°I¡¯m alright. I can walk.¡±

    He did not say anything and still insisted on lifting her up as he walked out of the room.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let this go. She¡¯s going to pay for this!¡± Mu Yuchen held her in his arms as he walked through the empty corridor. With a lowered head, he contemted her as he spoke coldly, ¡°That woman won¡¯t just leave it like this. We should take action and eliminate her first to avoid further worries.¡±

    Xi Xinyi had been quiet ever since that incident, but now Yue Lingsi was looking for trouble.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything. She did not agree or disagree to it. Instead, she was struggling to get down, but he held her tighter. In the end, she gave up and just buried her face in his chest instead.

    ¡°As expected, she¡¯s trying to get the inheritance from Deng Wenwen. She probably wanted to use them to clear her gambling debts. She¡¯s also trying to track down my parents. I¡¯m really alright. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not as weak as you think. Just put me down.¡±

    ¡°You sound rxed. That woman is mad! You should¡¯ve avoided her.¡±

    The two of them hastened their steps and they arrived at the car swiftly. Mu Yuchen told the chauffeur to head back to Maple Residence.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say they were waiting at the club?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back first. You must be in shock. You don¡¯t have to join us.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts,¡± he interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

    He made her rest after they got back to Maple Residence. She wanted to ask her about Deng Wenwen¡¯s condition, but he received a phone call after he settled her down and then left afterward.

    Xi Xiaye knew very well that he was still angry...

    In the evening, Wang Hui came over and delivered some tonic. She felt that it was odd to see Xi Xiaye sitting in the living room watching TV alone.

    Wang Hui prepared a fruit tter for Xi Xiaye as she asked, ¡°Where did Ah Chen go? Did he leave you alone at home?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he went out with Su Chen and the others, but he¡¯ll be back soon. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°So, he left you at home and went out with his friends? What was he thinking?¡± Wang Hui frowned, but Xi Xiaye just smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. They usually drink when they gather anyway, so it¡¯s not really suitable for me to join them.¡±

    ¡°Let him be then. What do you want to eat tonight? I¡¯ll make dinner for you. Actually, I¡¯m pretty worried that it¡¯ll get harder for you to move around in the future. Your body is weak, and Ah Chen doesn¡¯t really know how to take care of people. I¡¯m thinking that you should move back to the Mu Residence in a month or two, then you can focus on your baby. It¡¯s better with me and your grandfather around to help,¡± Wang Hui said as she picked the magazines lying on the sofa up.

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and said gently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m still fine at the moment. He has a lot of work piled up these few days. I¡¯ll also try to get some work done while I can. I¡¯ll probably get sick if I always stay at home.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I know I can¡¯t convince you, but it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to move back. I¡¯ll move over then when it¡¯s time. By the way, I overheard Li Si¡¯s phone call with your grandfather just now. He said Deng Wenwen¡¯s condition is pretty bad and you guys went to visit her. What happened?¡±

    It was pretty difficult to hide things from Wang Hui.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and exined, ¡°Last night, we received Father¡¯s phone call at the Shen residence. He said there was an emergency at the rehabilitation center, so Mu Yuchen sent Li Si over immediately. Her surgery was onlypleted this morning, and she¡¯s still in a critical phase right now. We nned to go out somewhere today, but we received Li Si¡¯s call, so we went straight to the rehabilitation center.¡±

 Chapter 586 - Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 586: Mother-inw and Daughter-inw</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Wang Hui instantly frowned too.

    She knew about the grudges between Deng Wenwen, Xi Mushan, and Shen Wenna. Even though she had always been unwilling to interfere much, she still felt outraged over the injustice towards Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye.

    She had never been in contact with Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi, but she heard that they were quite reputable in the entertainment industry. Nheless, as capable as a woman was, Wang Hui had seen it all, and she did not necessarily favor them.

    ¡°You two will have tons to worry with this issue. Okay, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. I¡¯ll brew some soup for you in the kitchen. Your mother¡¯s coincidentally rushed over to do some inspection work. Later on, she¡¯lle over for dinner, and then go home with me.¡±

    Wang Hui sighed, not wanting to talk about unhappy things anymore, so she just stood up.

    ¡°Is Mothering over? Let me be your assistant then.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, but she might be a littlete. Just sit. It¡¯s enough with Sis Wang helping me. You haven¡¯t tried my dishes in a while, have you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook sweet and sour fish then since Sis Wang has bought the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call her right now. Tell her to buy more ingredients. See if Ah Chen cane back for dinner.¡±

    ...

    After a while, Sis Wang bought the ingredients back home and started to get busy in the kitchen with Wang Hui.

    It was getting gradually dark. Soon, the entire sky was engulfed in darkness, and the streetlights in the yard lit up.

    When Zhuang Shurong came over, it was close to 8 p.m. at night. Wang Hui was still busy in the kitchen while Xi Xiaye was flipping through documents.

    ¡°Yesterday, your father told me that you and Ah Chen seem to be moving about and that you found Sis Lan. Do you have any leads now?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong would asionally ask about this. Even though Wang Hui did say that she did not allow them to continue to be involved in the matter, Zhuang Shurong would understand Mu Lingshi. Despite she and Mu Tangchuan being closer to her, they still were not her biological parents. If she could have understood this earlier and mentally prepared the children earlier, they wouldn¡¯t have...

    Xi Xiaye obviously could hear the unnatural tone in Zhuang Shurong¡¯s voice. She seemed to sound a little sad and was not quite the same as her usual serious manner. However, the way she was at the moment made Xi Xiaye feel an unnamed closeness.

    ¡°Mmm, we did find Sis Lan. Earlier, we heard that she was hospitalized. ording to the doctor, she doesn¡¯t have much time left. Initially, I wanted to look for her again, but Mu Yuchen went there himself. I¡¯m not sure what happened after that either. I feel like Sis Lan should know more about what happened years ago, but she¡¯s not willing to say anything. When I went looking for her thest time, I couldn¡¯t get anything useful out of her. She just said some things about Aunty¡¯s past.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye finished, Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Lu Xin is like that. Years ago, when I went looking for her, I yed both the hard and the soft card, but she didn¡¯t reveal any valuable leads either. After that, because of your grandparents, we left things unsettled. Now that I think about it, it was really... All these years, I know that Lingshi has never given up on the search just like how Lingtian was all those years ago, but because he was worried that your grandparents would know, he did it in secret. All those years I was abroad, my hands were tied, and now that I¡¯m back, he¡¯s...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly did not know what to say, so she just called out softly to her, ¡°Mother...¡±

    ¡°Actually, I hoped that they could find them too. I feel that your aunt wanted to reveal these things before she passed away. Unfortunately, she was already very emotionally affected then. Sometimes, she would even be beside herself. Tragically, before she could find herself again, she used that extreme way to end her life. It was a great pity and it broke everyone¡¯s hearts. It¡¯s been so many years. This tragedy continues to be buried, but we still haven¡¯t found that man. Do you really think he doesn¡¯t know about your aunt, Lingtian, and Lingshi?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong sighed with a heavy expression. ¡°Of course, that person knows. He¡¯s just been hiding and unwilling to reveal himself. Your aunt isn¡¯t one of those naive and romantic girls either. The family arranged many young and aplished men for her to meet, yet she didn¡¯t fancy any of them, so I¡¯m sure that man must be someone notable.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t our intentions for the previous generation to leave all these things for you two to be worried about. Sometimes, I was even a little unhappy. Do you know what kind of life Ah Chen led before you married him? Even though the Mu family is a prestigious family, we don¡¯t live as happily as other normal families.¡±

    Xi Xiaye always felt like Zhuang Shurong¡¯s words implied something else. She mentioned a bunch of random things that puzzled her. Although she wanted to ask something, she did not know where to begin.

    From her impression of her, Zhuang Shurong mostly maintained her serious and elegant image. Even at home, she was still the same, yet today she had moved away from that facade and shared these things with her. What did she mean by it?

    Zhuang Shurong seemed to read Xi Xiaye¡¯s confusion, so she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to imply anything. I just wanted to tell you that I¡¯m quite happy with you. I¡¯m very happy that you became a part of the Mu family, and became Ah Chen¡¯s wife, but there¡¯s one thing I wanted to raise to you. I wonder if Ah Chen told you about it.¡±

    ¡°Please exin, Mother.¡± Xi Xiaye felt that something was odd and her body tensed slightly as she looked calmly at Zhuang Shurong.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded gently instead. ¡°Okay, before I tell you, I have to assure you that I, Zhuang Shurong, only recognize you as my daughter-inw. I¡¯m very happy with you. You got that?¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Mother, I know.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, good then. I¡¯ll keep it short. Did Ah Chen mention his past to you before?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked.

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she nodded. ¡°Mmm, he tells me a little sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Well, did he ever mention to you that he had a fianc¨¨ before?¡± As Zhuang Shurong probed, her eyes were fixated on Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye smiled, and spoke softly, ¡°Mother, do you mean Gu Lingsha?¡±

    ¡°You know about Gu Lingsha?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words stunned her. ¡°You actually know about Gu Lingsha too?¡± It looked like her son was really quite meticulous with Xi Xiaye, so much so that he even settled this properly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently. ¡°He told me that he and Gu Lingsha had an arranged betrothal at a young age, but he only found out afterwards.¡±

 Chapter 587 - The End of Yue Lingsi (1)

    <h4>Chapter 587: The End of Yue Lingsi (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Zhuang Shurong heard that, she nodded and heaved a sigh of relief. Her tone contained indistinct feelings of having gone through a lot. ¡°Yes, there is such a thing. Actually, today I¡¯ve especiallye over today to tell you that it was your father¡¯s wishes.¡±

    As Zhuang Shurong spoke, she suddenly gazed quietly at Xi Xiaye, her gaze holding depth.

    ¡°Just to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, I know that you hired someone to investigate the Qi family and the incident five years ago.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s suddenly felt like something gripped her chest, and she felt upset for no reason. Quietly, she looked at Zhuang Shurong.

    Zhuang Shurong just sighed, and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not here to reprimand you. I understand very well how Ah Chen is like. He probably didn¡¯t want to mention this past to you. Besides, those are wounds that I hope you won¡¯t open up. He barely made it to today, and I feel he¡¯s much better now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother... I admit that I did get someone to investigate, but I wouldn¡¯t hurt him. I just saw that he was suffering quite badly, so I wanted to share his load, yet I didn¡¯t know where to begin. At the same time, I wanted to see if the Qi family was up to anything, so...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I know what you were thinking. If I were you, I¡¯d probably do the same. That¡¯s why I nned to tell you something. Five years ago, the Mu family and the Gu family from City B were pretty good family friends. Elder Gu, Gu Kang, is the current CEO of the Hui Gu Corporation. He is also Gu Qihao¡¯s grandfather who was friends with your grandfather. Despite their difference in age, they were close buddies. By the time it was your grandfather¡¯s generation, your grandfather and the Gu family¡¯ste Elder were considered good buddies too. The Mus and the Gus have always been on excellent terms. In business, we alsoplement each other. The two families wanting to be connected by marriage wasn¡¯t a matter decided in a day or two.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she bent over to pour Zhuang Shurong a ss of water. Zhuang Shurong took a sip and then continued, ¡°After that, on a certain day when your grandfather and the Gu family¡¯s elder were drunk, he told him that if the Gu family had a little girl, they would just make her Ah Chen¡¯s fiance¨¨. At that time, Ah Chen was only a few years old, so he didn¡¯t know anything yet. After all, they were just drunk words. Unexpectedly, the Gu family remembered the vow. Since they were young, they were insistent that Gu Lingsha was Ah Chen¡¯s fiance¨¨. I was strongly against it back then and even made things sour between your grandfather and I. Nevertheless, for Ah Chen, even if things go bad, I would have to ept it. I can¡¯t let my son go into such an arranged marriage. He should have the right to choose the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.¡±

    She had always known that Zhuang Shurong was an extremely firm person. Now, by the looks of it, actually as a mother, she was really democratic and very wise. Her tone contained her protectiveness for Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Mother, thank you.¡± When she heard this, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt rather lucky.

    ¡°Initially, Gu Lingsha wasn¡¯t too bad. She¡¯s quite an outstanding girl, but...¡± Zhuang Shurong paused and held the ss in her hand tightly before sighing, ¡°Even though I was objecting to it all, at least, I knew how Gu Lingsha was since she was young. I also admit that she¡¯s actually a pretty sweet girl. If it were not for what happened after... I think, if Ah Chen liked her, I would¡¯ve found a way to ept her.

    ¡°However, Ah Chen only found out about this engagement after that. By then, Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng were already a couple. Ah Chen did propose to retract the engagement since he was willing to let Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng be together, but the Gu family didn¡¯t answer. Anyone could see how simple the reason for this was. Qi Kai might not go to Qi Feng since he was just an illegitimate son, while Ah Chen was born to take on Glory World. Actually, after Gu Qihao passed away, the Mu family and the Gu family¡¯s rtionship rapidly faded. Between the two families, we rarely spoke about friendship anymore. We only spoke about benefits. Your grandfather knows this, so he gradually distanced himself from the Gu family, and tried hard not to touch on anything about benefits.¡±

    When she said this,bined with the things Mu Yuchen told her, Xi Xiaye could now finally start to piece the whole thing together. She fell silent for a while, then said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I understand. I¡¯ll always be by his side.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong then sighed a breath of relief and nodded happily. Her expression still had a mix of emotions. ¡°That¡¯s good then. I¡¯m not implying anything else by telling you this. I¡¯m just hoping that there won¡¯t be any thorns between the two of you. You must both work as one and not easily believe what others say. Understand?¡±

    Even though she felt that the way Zhuang Shurong had spoken to her today was a little odd, Xi Xiaye sincerely responded, ¡°Mmm, I got it, Mother.¡±

    After that, the mother and daughter-inw did not speak further. Wang Hui and Sis Wang were almost done with dinner, so Zhuang Shurong got up and went over to help too.

    ...

    Meanwhile, that very evening, in a certain parking lot before the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.

    ¡°I¡¯ve juste, and you already have to go back. How¡¯s nice of you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo raised his brows and red at Mu Yuchen through narrowed eyes. ¡°Should I say that you¡¯re being typical, choosing your love over friends?¡±

    Mu Yuchen stretched his long fingers out to hold his slightly dizzy head as he spoke, ¡°Xiaye had a little incident at the hospital. I¡¯m worried about leaving her alone at home. Figure out what I told you to do.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave these things to me. Aren¡¯t you two the most assured? Just treat me to drinks next time.¡±

    ¡°When have you ever not left the bill to me at the club?¡± Mu Yuchen took out a cigarette box and lighter from his pocket and tossed it over to him. Zhou Zimo swiftly caught it. ¡°You want to make me leave with just one box of cigarettes. I suddenly realized that I, Zhou Zimo, am quite cheap to you and Su Chen!¡±

    MuYuchen¡¯s expression was calm as he looked at Zhou Zimo and said casually, ¡°Are you worth a box? You¡¯re worth a stick at the most! The remaining ones are just to bribe yourwork.¡±

    ¡°Chen, I suddenly realize that you can be quite mean!¡±

    Zhou Zimo leisurely yed around with the lighter. The swaying spark appeared strange amidst the dim streetlights.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s long fingers tapped on the side of his head, then he suddenly turned and walked to his car. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Go home earlier once you¡¯re done with drinks. Don¡¯t be like thest time when the elder lectured you again.¡±

    He casually warned his friend before quickly getting into his car.

 Chapter 588 - The End of Yue Lingsi (2)

    <h4>Chapter 588: The End of Yue Lingsi (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo watched as Mu Yuchen¡¯s car gradually faded away in the dark. He lowered his head and looked at the long shadow on the ground for a while. Then, he sighed and took a cigarette out to light up.

    However, before he got to smoke, a hand snatched it away from him.

    Zhou Zimo looked over and saw Su Chen puffing away on the stolen cigarette casually. With a grin, he lit another cigarette for himself.

    Su Chen nced over at Mu Yuchen¡¯s faraway car as he puffed some smoke out and sighed. ¡°I never expected the high and mighty Mu Yuchen to be like this. He actually asked you to help him out, so he can¡¯t work it out normally and he¡¯s using a backhanded method! When do you think he became like this?

    Zhou Zimo stared at him. ¡°What now? Is it only you that I can help out? Well, I do think it¡¯s good that he¡¯s be like this. Otherwise, how are we supposed to keep being friends? The charm of a woman!¡±

    Su Chen shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m starting to be envious of Ah Chen. At least he knows someone is waiting for him at home, unlike us, lonely and empty.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you talking about how nice it is to be free and single, and that marriage is the graveyard of love?¡± Zhou Zimo teased him as he took his phone out.

    ¡°But there¡¯s also another saying that goes, ¡®without the graveyard of love, wouldn¡¯t we be dead without a ce for us?¡¯¡±

    ¡°That does make sense! You should probably get married soon and give birth to a son. Ah Chen said Xi Xiaye is going to give birth to a daughter. Then, your son can marry his daughter. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a good deal?¡±

    Su Chen squinted his eyes as he touched his chin to ponder. ¡°That¡¯s a great suggestion. I should try to get two sons, and I¡¯ll make them marry both Ah Chen¡¯s and your daughters. I¡¯ll get all the benefits then!¡±

    ¡°Who knows if you might have two daughters while Ah Chen and I both get sons? Your daughters will be marrying our sons then, ha!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t even have a partner, yet we¡¯re talking about our children.¡±

    Zhou Zimoughed as he started to make a call which was soon picked up.

    ¡°Hello? Mr. Zhou?¡± A slightly hoarse voice came through the phone.

    Zhou Zimo replied, ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me. Check if the ex-mayor¡¯s ex-wife owed Bro Hao any money.¡±

    ¡°Noted, please wait for a moment.¡± There was a short moment of silence after the reply. The voice came back again to him momentster. ¡°Mr. Zhou?¡±

    Zhou Zimo flicked his cigarette casually as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve found it, Mr. Zhou. Yue Lingsi has a debt of $8 million to Bro Hao. Along with the interest, it¡¯s over $10 million now. She¡¯s not paying back any money, and when they visited her to collect the money, she scolded them harshly. She would¡¯ve been killed if it weren¡¯t for the Yues and the Hans!¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded cold.

    ¡°Over $10 million? That¡¯s enough to take her legs away. Connect me to Bro Hao.¡± Zhou Zimo leaned against a road sidemp pole.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zhou. A moment please!¡±

    ...

    The call connected quickly. Bro Hao chirped to Zhou Zimo, ¡°Zimo? It¡¯s been a long time since you called me. I miss you! You¡¯re the same as Su Chen. Both of you are always quick when you need me to do something. Please learn from Ah Chen. The Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed and I didn¡¯t receive any mooncakes from you two. Well, I don¡¯t really mind the mooncakes. At least,e over and have a drink with me.¡±

    No wonder Mu Yuchen did not want to make the call himself! Zhou Zimo regretted helping him now!

    ¡°What are you talking about? I was just thinking about meeting up with you soon. I just wanted to check if you have the time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely make time for you if you ask me. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no free lunch in this world. What can I do for you?¡± Bro Hao was a straightforward person, but he was a little bit too passionate. The three of them could not really handle him well, especially Mu Yuchen.

    Bro Hao was pretty touchy when they visited him, and they knew very well that he was okay with all handsome guys and pretty girls!

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you understand. I¡¯ll be straightforward with you then. I heard that Yue Lingsi owes you about $10 million.¡±

    ...

    Half of the cigarette was gone after the phone call. Zhou Zimo kept his phone and threw the leftover cigarette away into a nearby trash can.

    ¡°How did Yue Lingsi umte such an amount of debt? Couldn¡¯t Xi Xinyi or Han Yifeng clear the debt for her? And how did she mess with Ah Chen?¡± Su Chen sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s most likely rted to Xiaye. Well, I don¡¯t really mind taking this a step further.¡± Zhou Zimo then started making a call again.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Su Chen frowned.

    ¡°Calling the mass media, of course. Chen should be happy with this.¡±

    ...

    It was around 10 p.m. when he returned to Maple Residence. Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong had returned to the Mu Residence while Sis Wang had gone back with them to grab something. The other servants were already resting in their room, so the house was pretty empty. The lights by the front yard were still switched on.

    After Mu Yuchen parked his car and went inside, he raised his head and looked at the second floor. It was pitch dark while there was some lighting from the living room.

    He walked past the yard in the dark and soon reached the staircase. Then, he entered the vi.

    It was quiet in the living room. The faint light came from themp on the coffee table. With the night breeze brushing past the curtain, the whole space seemed peaceful. He switched the lights on and the whole living room brightened up. Immediately, he noticed the small figure on the sofa.

 Chapter 589 - The End of Yue Lingsi (3)

    <h4>Chapter 589: The End of Yue Lingsi (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She was sound asleep on the sofa and did not even notice that someone was beside her.

    He looked at her for a while before letting out a helpless sigh. As he was about to pick her up to go back to the room, she was slightly shocked when he touched her arm, and she trembled a little before opening her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re back...¡± She rubbed her eyes as she looked at the man before her. Sitting up abruptly, her messy hair fell over her shoulders and her eyes still seemed blurry. She grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep in the room? It¡¯s cold at night. Why not wear an extra piece of garment?¡± His tone was concerned while his other hand ran his fingers through her hair.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that cold at home. I¡¯m waiting for you.¡± She dragged him down to sit beside her.

    Her simple words were meaningful to him, and he felt a warmth deep inside his heart.

    Mu Yuchen remembered that he got a call just now, so he asked, ¡°Did my grandmother and mother go back?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°They just left not too long ago. They nned to wait up, but they waited for quite some time, so they went back first. Well, you dide back pretty early today, just slightly past ten.¡±

    ¡°I was worried about leaving you alone at home. Why did theye here? Didn¡¯t we just go back a few days ago?¡±

    He could smell the pleasant scent of hers after her shower. He felt the thrum of a thrill as he saw her beautiful face and her corbone right beneath her sleeping robe. Suddenly, he realized that her charm was getting stronger, and he had fallen deeper for her.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that...¡± She backed away slightly as she pushed him away. Her face blushed while she stared at him.

    ¡°What?¡± He smiled and wrapped her in his arms. He then lowered his head andnded a kiss on her pink lips. The passionate makeout went on for several minutes before he finally let her go.

    ¡°This little thing is pretty torturing. It¡¯ll never know how much its father sacrificed.¡± He sighed as he touched Xi Xiaye¡¯s baby bump. His helplessness was manifested in both his tone of voice and his frown.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Can you please have more healthy thoughts? You weren¡¯t like this before. You¡¯re bing more and more of a pervert as you get older.¡±

    ¡°Am I old now?¡± His eyebrows raised when he asked her that.

    ¡°Mother told me just now that you¡¯re going to be 33 next year. Do you still think that you¡¯re young?¡± She stood up and asked, ¡°Do you want to have supper? I can make you some.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Let¡¯s head upstairs and rest earlier. What else did my mother and grandmother tell you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. You should go take a shower first. I have something to talk to you aboutter.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen swiftly finished his shower after he went into the bedroom. When he went to lie down on the bed, he noticed she was reading a poetry collection while caressing her belly.

    ¡°Mr. Mu?¡± she called out to him as he came closer.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± He lifted the nket and looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought. In the end, she still decided to tell him about it. ¡°Mother talked to me about the Mu family and the Gu family. She mentioned Gu Lingsha as well... Actually, I think she really cares about you. Both her and Father knew that I sent people to investigate the Qi family. They were worried that we¡¯d get into a fight because of some misunderstandings in the past, so she exined it all to me.¡±

    He went silent for a moment before he nodded. ¡°That does sound like my parents¡¯ style. They are always like this, preferring to talk things through.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I think they are very liberal, whether at work or at home. Some people say rationale can create a gap between people, but I have a different view on that now. In the end, it depends on how people want to work through the rtionship. Sometimes I¡¯m quite envious of how polite the rtionship between Father and Mother is,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Mu Yuchenughed. ¡°Polite? That¡¯s just what we see on the surface.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a pause as she was suddenly reminded of something. Then, she grinned. ¡°True. When I saw Father¡¯s gaze at Mother, it¡¯s just like...¡±

    She did not finish her sentence, so he probed, ¡°Like what?¡±

    She smiled mischievously. ¡°Just like how you look at me...¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned. He stared at her for a while before turning away. Then, he grabbed her book and tossed it away before climbing onto the top of her.

    Right before he switched themp off, she could clearly see the man was actually blushing!

    ...

    It was gettingte and the moonlight lit up the night sky of City Z, making the scenery look magical.

    Yue Lingsi was furious and frustrated when she watched the police car slowly go away. She scolded them, ¡°You dogs! Who do you think you are!? Do you people even know who I am? I¡¯m going to make you all pay for this! Idiots! Trash!¡±

    After the incident at the rehabilitation center, Li Si and the others had sent her to the police station and delivered the video to the authorities. She was locked up and only released just a while ago, thanks to her brother!

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you little witch, I¡¯ll never let this go so easily! Never! Shen Wenna, don¡¯t you dare think that you¡¯ve won! I can do anything if you force me into a corner. Shen Wenna, Xi Mushan, you guys are going to regret this!¡± Yue Lingsi clenched her fists angrily.

    How did she end up like this after she had sacrificed so much for Xi Mushan, even her reputation and her marriage? How could Shen Wenna grab his heart even when she had given nothing up at all?

    She could not ept this at all!

 Chapter 590 - The End of Yue Lingsi (4)

    <h4>Chapter 590: The End of Yue Lingsi (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Without anywhere to express her anger, Yue Lingsi just berated Shen Wenna for a long while. Her hatred towards Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye grew.

    The amount of resentment she harbored was extremely deep. Many people were involved in their conflict as well. Furthermore, the rift between them grewrger by day in the past two decades, so who could be the judge in their case?

    Yue Lingsi always felt that she was the victim. She had been protecting their rtionship for almost 40 years, and she thought Xi Mushan¡¯s cold heart should have been melted by now.

    She staggered as she held onto amp pole. The faint light from above created a tiny shadow of hers. At that moment, Yue Lingsi felt that she was so helpless and small.

    A sense of sadness flooded her heart.

    ¡°Xi Mushan, Shen Wenna! You two betrayed me. I¡¯ll never let you guys be together like this! Go to hell!¡±

    She suddenly went mad and started kicking a trash can nearby. The way she behaved was like a maniac who had lost her reasoning.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you little witch, I¡¯ll make sure you have a lot of reasons to cry in the future! Just wait and see! Ah¡ª!¡±

    Her shriek broke the silence of the night, making the empty streets frighteningly creepy. If it were not for the random cars passing by and the moon in the sky, Yue Lingsi would probably be freaked out as well.

    She calmed down momentster. She looked around and g herself a taxi, but it was 11 p.m., and she was in the outskirts right now. How could she find a taxi like this?

    She did not see any taxis around and started cursing Xi Xiaye again before continue walking forward. After she took a few steps, suddenly¡ª

    Screech!

    A strong wind approached her from behind before she heard the loud squeal of car brakes. It was so loud that it almost busted her eardrums. In terror, she quickly moved aside. Even before she could see the person¡¯s face, she already started yelling, ¡°Damn it! Do you know how to drive?! Can¡¯t you see there¡¯s someone here?¡±

    Momentster, she looked at the car before her and saw the person inside. Her expression changed instantly and she wanted to run away. However, the person in the car was much quicker. The sound of the door opening was followed by the patter of footsteps right after!

    Yue Lingsi saw two dark figures whiz past from the side. Suddenly, they were right in front of her, blocking her path!

    ¡°Where are you going, Madam Yue?¡±

    She could barely see their faces under the dim light from the streetmps around. They were two thugs wearing flowery shirts and ferocious expressions as they crossed their arms and shed cold smiles.

    The one talking was a man wearing a suit standing behind her. He wore a pair of sunsses and had a deep wound across his face that invoked fear.

    Yue Lingsi shivered uncontrobly as panic filled her eyes. Momentster, she managed to suppress her emotions and force a smile on her face as she turned towards the man. ¡°You guys... Why are you guys here? What a coincidence!¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯ve been looking for you for days. I waited here just for you after finding out that you¡¯d be here. Really a coincidence, huh?¡± The man snorted.

    ¡°This... I...¡± Yue Lingsi stuttered, unable to even form a proper sentence!

    She was very familiar with these people!

    They were debt collectors!

    She had several million of debts. Adding the interest, it should be over $10 million now!

    Where could she get this amount of money?

    Had it been before, $10 million was not an issue at all, but ever since the Xi family had fallen and Yueying got into trouble, a part of Yue Lingsi¡¯s assets was used to fill the financial void. After that, she got addicted to gambling. Not only did she lose all her money in the short span of a few months, but now she also needed to pay $10 million back!

    She did not even have a million dors right now!

    She promised to return the money in ten days, thinking that she could get it from either Xi Xinyi or Han Yifeng, but she could not even meet Han Yifeng. Every time she arrived at the Han Corporation and wanted to see him, they reply she got was always ¡°CEO isn¡¯t here¡± or ¡°CEO has gone abroad¡±.

    It was even worse when she went to look for Xi Xinyi. Instantly, she was reminded about the scene at the hospital the other day!

    Xi Xinyi had changed to be cruel and cold. She had been her support back when she was still the Deputy CEO of Yueying, but now that she became useless, Xi Xinyi was going to abandon her!

    She was her mother after all. How could she be so cruel? Yue Lingsi had worked so hard for her sake, yet...

    Bile rose in her throat.

    Xi Xinyi was present as well when the debt collectors went to their house, but she did not really care after she chased them away. Yue Lingsi was going to ask Xi Xinyi to help out on this, but she gave up after seeing Xi Xinyi¡¯s cold attitude towards her.

    She could not do anything else but hide. Although she was afraid the debt collectors might find her, she could not avoid them forever and was still caught in the end.

    ¡°Madam Yue, it¡¯s been three days since the promised date. Where¡¯s the money? Our boss is very generous with you. You can¡¯t take advantage of him like this!¡± the man spoke coldly as he walked towards her.

    Her expression changed as she backed off slowly while her face was filled with fear as she looked at the man with unease in her eyes. Her voice started to tremble. ¡°No... I... I¡¯m getting money right now. Can you ask your boss to give me a few more days?¡±

 Chapter 591 - The End of Yue Lingsi (5)

    <h4>Chapter 591: The End of Yue Lingsi (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sound of timid begging was heard. Yue Lingsi dared not be cocky, and she looked terrified at the man before her.

    She knew the methods of these people since she had seen for herself the way a debtor who could not pay back was beaten until they were severely handicapped. She still had lingering fears at the thought of such bloody thirsty methods. In fact, most of these people were criminals. When they worked in the underground gambling dens, they were all vicious and merciless.

    As a result, Yue Lingsi was quite afraid at the moment too. She definitely dared not provoke them lightly.

    However, just as Yue Lingsi said that, the manughed coldly. ¡°Give you a few more days? The boss has given you enough. If it were not certain people, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to stand after the brothers¡¯ second visit to you! It¡¯s best if you behave. Quickly pay up. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for being vicious!¡±

    ¡°Boss... but I¡¯ve been a little tied up with things recently. Can you ask your boss to just give me a few more days? Three days! Just three more days!¡± Yue Lingsi gasped and suppressed the fear in her heart as she extended her fingers and pleaded softly.

    ¡°Hmph! You only have two choices today: either you return the money or leave your pair of legs behind. Choose yourself. You have five seconds to decide!¡±

    They were still gangsters who definitely would not be ambiguous with these things. Yue Lingsi could not help but shudder at the man¡¯s cold words. The fear in her heart spiked sharply. She quickly went up and begged, ¡°Please, boss! I beg of you to tell your boss. Three days! In three days, ¡®ill definitely bring the money to you and settle this debt! Please just extend it by a few more days for me, please! Please!¡±

    ¡°Enough, I already told you. You only have two options today. You either leave your legs behind or pay us back! After three days, you¡¯ll ask for three more days. Do you think we¡¯re fools? One!¡±

    That man red at Yue Lingsi as he started to count threateningly.

    ¡°Two!

    ¡°Three!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s whole body tensed as it shuddered. Fear made her tremble all over as she rushed up and held that man¡¯s wrist. ¡°Please! Please, just a few days more! I¡¯ll definitely get all the money ready! Please!¡±

    ¡°Get lost! Four!¡¯ That man pushed Yue Lingsi away with a hand and continued counting.

    ¡°No! No, please! Just a few days more! Please!¡±

    Yue Lingsi turned pale from fright as she went up to him half-rolling and half-crawling. She held onto the man¡¯s pants and cried, ¡°Please! Next time, I¡¯ll definitely pay you back! Please!¡±

    ¡°Five!¡±

    The man was indifferent to Yue Lingsi¡¯s tears and terror. He mercilessly finished counting till five. When Yue Lingsi still would not yield, he nodded to his two subordinates on the side and said, ¡°Cripple her legs!¡±

    ¡°No! No! No, please! I¡¯ll call my daughter and son-inw right away! She has money! She has money! She¡¯ll definitely get someone to send money over right away!¡±

    Yue Lingsi was scared witless. She quickly sat up and took out her phone. First, she found Han Yifeng¡¯s number and quickly called it, yet the dial tone indicated that his phone was switched off as always!

    She breathed in sharply, and then quickly found Xi Xinyi¡¯s number which she called swiftly.

    After a while, the call was answered.

    Right now, Xi Xinyi had given birth and moved back to the Han residence. Yes, she had moved back to Han residence!

    On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, she had moved into the Han residence following Huang Ziyao¡¯s arrangements.

    At that moment, she was sleeping in a daze. Earlier, she was already annoyed by the child¡¯s ruckus. She had finally coaxed the baby to sleep and was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.

    She nced at the phone screen, but eventually picked up the call. Now, when she received Yue Lingsi¡¯s call, she was in an extremely bad temper and she growled in an attacking tone, ¡°Why are you calling me sote at night?¡±

    The other day at the hospital, she had pped her twice in front of Han Yifeng, and even said those things. Han Yifeng had probably heard most of it.

    She could not do anything good and had made things worse instead!

    When Yue Lingsi heard Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice, her panicked heart finally eased slightly. She did not notice Xi Xinyi¡¯s unhappy and annoyed tone as she choked on her sobs. ¡°Xinyi, I was wrong. Quicklye and save me. I owe a gambling den $10 million. They came looking for me today. If I don¡¯t give them money, they will cripple my legs! Xinyi, I¡¯m really scared. Can you help me pay the $10 million?¡± Yue Lingsi could barely finish her sentences clearly.

    On the other end when Xi Xinyi heard this, a sneer of disdain shed across her face. ¡°You¡¯ve already used this same way to take millions from me. Do you think I¡¯m a bank? $10 million! Where am I suppose to get that money? Don¡¯t you know how to change your methods? I don¡¯t have money!¡±

    When Yue Lingsi heard her rejection, she turned pale with fright as she quickly exined, ¡°No! Xinyi! Xinyi! Come save me quickly. I beg you! If you don¡¯t give them the money, they¡¯ll definitely cripple me, Xinyi!¡±

    ¡°Then, let them cripple you first!¡± Xi Xinyi heartlessly said before she hung up and turned off her phone! She would not believe Yue Lingsi¡¯s nonsense!

    Plus, she had finally made her way back to the Han family. If there were any more negative news, the Han family would definitely judge her again, especially the Elder, so she could not let Yue Lingsi pull her down again. If anything, it should only happen after her position as the youngdy of the Han family was established firmly!

    Yue Lingsi looked stunned at her phone screen that dimmed. Her face was filled with horror and disbelief, yet before she could react, the man had already sneered in disdain.

    ¡°Looks like you won¡¯t be able to pay up, huh?¡±

    As he said this, he signaled to the other two people, and both of them swiftly held her down. Yue Lingsi struggled hard and screamed in panic, ¡°No! No! You can¡¯t touch me! You can¡¯t touch me! I¡¯m the mayor¡¯s wife. You can¡¯t touch me! Or I¡¯ll show you what you¡¯ll get!¡±

    When that man heard that, a coldness shed across his face as he ordered, ¡°You¡¯re still so reluctant before death! What an unruly woman! Don¡¯t hesitate. Get to it!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    What came after were shrieks as if a pig was being ughtered. The sound of someone crying out in pain rented the air.

    ¡°Help! You thugs! I want to kill you! Ah! Ah! My legs!¡±

    ¡°You still have time to curse us, huh? p her mouth a few times too!¡± The vicious voicemanded, and then the sound of fists and kicks came!

    The intense ear-piercing, blood-curdling screech ripped through the night!

 Chapter 592 - Hatred (1)

    <h4>Chapter 592: Hatred (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the lesson, Yue Lingsi fainted. She also wet herself from the fright.

    The coppery stink of blood vaguely floated in the air. The thugs pulled her up onto the car by the cor and then left.

    ¡°Bro Meng, who would¡¯ve thought that a woman of this conduct would be the Mayor¡¯s wife? This has been eye-opening! Mayor Xi was really unlucky to have married a woman like this. Forget about being cheated on, just with her personality alone, she¡¯s disgusting!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, drive quickly! She stinks!¡±

    ¡°Where are we bringing her?¡±

    ¡°Simply find a ce where she can be easily recognized and toss her there!¡±

    ¡°How about the entrance of that Yueying Culture Media Company. Even if no one¡¯s at work, there will be cleaners! Hurry!¡±

    Then, the car drove straight to the city area.

    It was already veryte at night. At dawn, City Z was slow and quieting down from the bustle. When the car drove past the entrance of Yueying through a small path, Yue Lingsi, who was still unconscious, was tossed right out.

    ...

    The next morning, when Xi Xinyi was still sound asleep, there was suddenly an intense knocking from outside!

    ¡°Missus, something¡¯s happened! Missus! Quickly go down and take a look! Missus! Madam¡¯s looking for you urgently downstairs!¡±

    The servant¡¯s rushed voice was heard, rousing Xi Xinyi up from her sleepy daze. When she heard the servant¡¯s panicked voice, she quickly asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    The servant said anxiously, ¡°Missus, it seems like something¡¯s happened to your mother, Madam Yue! Madam is downstairs! Even the TV is showing it!¡±

    When Xi Xinyi heard, her expression instantly changed. She could feel that something was off, so she then quickly got up and washed up as quickly as possible before rushing downstairs!

    As she reached downstairs, the living room was already filled with the Han family. Elder Han, Han Yu, and Huang Ziyao were sitting quietly, all their eyes fixed onto the TV screen. Their expressions were all gloomy!

    Xi Xinyi trembled with fear at this sight. She took a deep breath before walking over.

    ¡°Good morning, Grandfather, Father, Mother!¡± she greeted with a gentle voice.

    When she spoke up, the few people turned to look at her. Elder Han looked furious while Han Yu looked helpless and disappointed. Huang Ziyao could not help but sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s early in the morning and everyone doesn¡¯t look great. Did something happen?¡± Xi Xinyi asked softly.

    Then, Elder Han scoffed coldly and got up in fury as he tossed a newspaper to her.

    ¡°Look for yourself! Why do you people keep doing this?! Forget about having peaceful days! Xi Jiyang¡¯s not such an unprincipled person. How did he let Xi Mushan marry someone like this?! This is misfortune to the home! Misfortune to the home!¡±

    He sighed and then turned to leave the living room abruptly to go out for some air.

    Xi Xinyi quickly picked up the newspaper that Elder Han tossed over. She was still puzzled as she watched the Elder¡¯s figure slowly vanish out the door. With a sigh, she peered down to slowly open up the newspaper, and what she saw was¡ª

    Yue Lingsi!

    She was a sorry figure in a mess. Her whole body and face were bruised while her white autumn outfit was dirty, and there were clearly soiled marks on her pants.

    ¡°Mother? How did she...?¡± Xi Xinyi looked in disbelief at the newspaper article. Her beautiful eyes flew wide open.

    She looked down again, and it was all a summary of Yue Lingsi¡¯s scandals. It even mentioned her, Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s matters.

    Before she could finish, the phone rang and she swiftly picked it up.

    ¡°Hello? Madam? It¡¯s me, Xiao Wang!¡±

    ¡°Secretary Wang?¡± Xi Xinyi could immediately tell it was Secretary Wang from his voice!

    ¡°Miss Xinyi?¡±

    On the other end, Secretary Wang was a little surprised and then he paused before continuing, ¡°I just checked with the hospital through a call. Madam Yue was sent to Hospital T. Both her hamstrings were severed and one of her arms are hurt too. The situation might not be too promising. I¡¯m at the hospital now. Miss Xinyi, it¡¯s best if youe over to visit.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Severed hamstrings?¡±

    When Secretary Wang said this, Xi Xinyi was stunned. She suddenly remembered that Yue Lingsi called herte at night, sounding quite anxious then, but she was extremely sleepy at the time and she thought that maybe she was making up excuses to ask her for money again, so she...

    Could Yue Lingsi have been threatened by the debtors then?

    Xi Xinyi gasped, instantly turning pale. When Huang Ziyao saw her reaction, she suddenly felt bad for her, so she frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve just given birth and haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. Sit down.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked uneasily at the newspapers, feeling useless. She slowly sat down on the sofa as Huang Ziyao told her to. Then, Huang Ziyao reached out to take the phone. ¡°Secretary Wang, what did the doctor say?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still checking her out. They only said that the condition might not be too promising. She might be paralyzed and have to use the wheelchair for the rest of her life.¡±

    ¡°Have you investigated what happened? Who would be so vicious and just sever her hamstrings? Aren¡¯t they worried about the police?¡± Huang Ziyao frowned and asked as she turned to look at Han Yu.

    Secretary Wang sighed and said softly, ¡°Madam, based on the situation, these are probably the methods of those from the underground gambling dens, but when Madam Yue just woke up, she didn¡¯t say who. I¡¯ve already gotten someone to inform the Yue family. We¡¯ll see what they think.¡±

    Huang Ziyao then nodded. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll go over to visit soon.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Madam!¡±

    Then, she hung up. Huang Ziyao turned to look at Xi Xinyi. Her tone was heavy and slightly irritated. ¡°I already told you to watch over your mother. Now, she¡¯s caused trouble again. Does she think her reputation hasn¡¯t been ruined enough? She¡¯s really daring! She even went to borrow money from the underground gambling dens. Is she crazy? She¡¯s brought herself to where she is today. I¡¯d like to see where she ends up!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was anxious from Huang Ziyao¡¯s reprimanding. She seemed panicked and at a loss. ¡°Mother! I¡¯m sorry! I really didn¡¯t know that my mother would turn out like this. I¡¯ve already warned her many times! But... I can¡¯t. I have to go see her!¡±

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve just given birth, so it¡¯s not suitable for you to move around. Your body¡¯s weak too. Let me go see her!¡± Huang Ziyao sighed, feeling frustrated as she slowly got up.

 Chapter 593 - Hatred (2)

    <h4>Chapter 593: Hatred (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye heard about Yue Lingsi through the newspapers as well.

    At the dining table, she was used to flipping through the newspapers. When she saw the feature and reports on Yue Lingsi, she was stunned for quite a while. She quickly looked up at the man who was elegantly eating across her before she pursed her lips slightly and stared at him for quite a while.

    Mu Yuchen could feel her gaze from across, so he subconsciously looked up and met her questioning eyes. With a chuckle, he asked, ¡°What is it? Why are you looking at me like that? There aren¡¯t any flowers on my face.¡±

    She raised her brows, and then waved the newspaper in her hand as she asked, ¡°Did you do this?¡±

    ¡°What? What did I do?¡± He smiled calmly as he reached out to take the newspaper from her. He opened it up and looked at it indifferently before quietly setting it aside.

    When he did not answer, she repeated softly again, ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question!¡±

    ¡°Do I look like such a despicable person?¡± He smiled casually, yet his gaze seemed a little odd, and unfathomable. She could not read him.

    She rolled her eyes and responded calmly, ¡°I do think you look like the cat that ate canary!¡±

    When he heard her usation, he instantly chuckled and casually continued softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that I had such a bad image in Missus¡¯s eyes, but since you think so, I might as well tell you that someone as despicable and shameless as me thinks that this little lesson is too easy on her.¡±

    ¡°So, you admit that you¡¯re despicable and shameless?¡± Xiaye then grinned and took the porridge he served her. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get into trouble. The Yue family aren¡¯t easy people to deal with.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± He did not seem worried. He raised his brows and his lips curled up, turning into a perfect curve.

    Xi Xiaye shot him a look and did not answer. She nudged the food before her towards him as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the information on your desk. After the holidays, you should quickly go over for a look. It¡¯s not good to dy the project matters. The sooner you settle them, the sooner you can get back.¡±

    Last night, before they could finish discussing, they had fallen asleep. This morning, she remembered. It was no wonder that he had been working hard toplete the work over here. On New York¡¯s end, they were coborating on a project with Zhou Zimo¡¯spany and were going to start soon, so Zhou Zimo and he might need to make a trip over soon.

    He thought about it, then suddenly announced, ¡°This time, I¡¯ll bring you along.¡±

    Xi Xinyi gently shook her head and said calmly, ¡°I can¡¯t. In my state, how can I go with you? Besides, I have to watch over Fuhua here too. I can usually help to manage some urgent matters at thepany too, so you can go yourself.¡±

    ¡°No rush. In time, when you¡¯re more stabilized.¡±

    Obviously, he was worried about leaving her here alone. Besides, for this trip this time, it might be one or two months before he returned. They had never parted this long since they got married, and he was not confident about getting through this.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me either. I¡¯ll just have Zitong by my side always. Wasn¡¯t that what you had thought of previously?¡±

    ¡°Such a heartless woman! I¡¯ve thought about arranging for everything. Can¡¯t you just properly express a tiny bit of reluctance to part?¡± Mu Yuchen smirked and reached out to wipe some morsel at the corner of her lips. ¡°I wanted to wait till you¡¯re more stabilized before bringing you over with me. That way, I¡¯ll be more assured too. Last night, Zimo was getting impatient, so I¡¯ll let him go over first.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but roll her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯m not some clingy woman. I¡¯m not that delicate. I won¡¯t follow you everywhere. Other people might think that I¡¯m one of those unreasonably jealous wives. In fact, there¡¯s Grandpa, Grandmother, and the rest here, so don¡¯t worry, but when you go over, you¡¯ve got to find a time to visit Father and Mother in Los Angeles. I wanted to find time to go too, but with this little thing, it¡¯s just not very convenient.¡± Then, she caressed her baby bump helplessly.

    ¡°Not a jealous wife? All those quite good looking female secretaries that Li Si chose earlier were all vetoed out by you. Aren¡¯t you a jealous wife?¡± He smiled amusedly at her.

    ¡°Do you really want those secretaries? Men and women working together makes work lighter. Do you want me to find you two after the break? And someone with good looks? CEO Zhang¡¯s daughter seems to have graduated from Management. I think that if she bes your secretary, she would be extremely willing too. That way, I wouldn¡¯t be counted as some jealous wife, would I? Aren¡¯t I a good enough wife?¡±

    Her clear gaze was fixated on him, yet it was filled with an evident warning.

    ¡°How could that be? Only with Missus does my work get lighter. To us, ¡®jealous wife¡¯ is a positive term. A positive one! This means that I¡¯m excellent, and, Missus, you¡¯re worried about me, which is a good thing!¡±

    He loved that she watched over him, so he eased her thoughts.

    ¡°How shameless!¡±

    She red at him in annoyance. ¡°Straighten out some things at the office before going over after the break. I think it wouldn¡¯t be too short of a time. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll look over matters here. As for the South River project, you¡¯ve pretty muchpleted everything. VP Zhang told me about the project progress a few days ago too. I¡¯ll invite Qi Kai and some of the people-in-charge from the other coboratingpanies to go over for a look. Let them make a simple early-stage assessment, and then figure out the uing work.¡±

    ¡°You handle this aspect of work quite well. I¡¯m not worried, I just...¡± Mu Yuchen frowned and looked subconsciously at her baby bump.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll be doing my scheduled check-ups, Ah Mo will be staying behind, won¡¯t he?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Of course, he¡¯ll be. I¡¯m only bringing Li Si over. The Movie City matters have gotten on track, so it¡¯s enough for VP Liu to follow up.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, okay then. He and Lingshi finally made it to this stage. It¡¯s not a bad thing to give them more time.¡± When she said this, she suddenly remembered about Sis Lan, so she could not help but say, ¡°If only Sis Lan would reveal something. Yesterday, Mother asked me too, but I didn¡¯t know how to answer her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this. It¡¯s fine if she won¡¯t tell us anything since I have my own ns. Okay, quickly finish your porridge. I¡¯m bringing you outter.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going? Right, you haven¡¯t told me about what this Yue Lingsi thing is all about?¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

 Chapter 594 - Hatred (3)

    <h4>Chapter 594: Hatred (3)</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> EndlessFantasy Trantion <b>Editor:</b> EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside a certain room in Hospital T.

    Xi Xinyi followed Huang Ziyao to rush over. While Yue Lingsi¡¯s wounds had been treated, she was on the bed and moaning in agony. She looked pale and frail. Her twisted expression showed she was enduring lots of pain and was practically in a daze when she saw Huang Ziyao and Xi Xinyi by her bed. She did not say anything and just silently closed her eyes.

    Huang Ziyao exchanged a look with Xi Xinyi before she went up and said, ¡°Lingsi, what happened? How did you end up like this?¡±

    Yue Lingsi did not answer. She could barely manage the pain on her legs, and now she...

    ¡°Lingsi, Secretary Wang has told us about the overall situation. Don¡¯t be too down. Now that things are like this, just recover at ease. Once you¡¯ve recovered, we can talk again.¡±

    Huang Ziyao did not know how to console her. Earlier, she was still furious, but now, seeing how Yue Lingsi was, she pitied her. Regardless, she still should not have looked for trouble with the underground debtors since she should know how vicious those people can be.

    She even went to a loan shark, clearly wanting to die. Those people should never be provoked at all cost. Was Yue Lingsi really not afraid of anything?

    Huang Ziyao now studied Yue Lingsi with aplicated expression. She did not know whether to reprimand or pity her. Recently, she had been in the limelight repeatedly, even affecting the Han Corporation.

    Without saying a word, Yue Lingsi kept her eyes closed. There was nothing that could make her more disillusioned now.

    She could read how Yue Lingsi felt, so Huang Ziyao sighed. ¡°Recover well. The police will catch those people, so don¡¯t feel discouraged. I¡¯ll go find Han Yifeng to see how things are.¡±

    Then, Huang Ziyao left the ward, but before she did, she cautioned Xi Xinyi, ¡°Xinyi, be careful of your health. Falling ill won¡¯t do you good.¡±

    With Huang Ziyao¡¯s departure, the ward became quiet very quickly. Only Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi, the mother and daughter duo, were left.

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    She looked at Yue Lingsi on the sickbed for a long time before calling out softly as she actually felt bad. She did not think thatst night¡¯s call was real. She thought...

    ¡°Get out,¡± Yue Lingsi finally uttered those two words cruelly, her voice filled with alienation.

    ¡°Mother, I didn¡¯t know that yesterday, you... but no matter what, you shouldn¡¯t have provoked those people. You don¡¯t know that Grandfather was so angry today. You were once the Yue family heiress, the elegant Mayor¡¯s wife. How could you fall to this state today? Do you think that just because you¡¯re like this, Father would care? Mother, let¡¯s stop dreaming! Father¡¯s abandoned us! We may perhaps always be a burden to him. His entire heart is devoted to Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye. Why can¡¯t you just understand that?¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked heartbroken and disappointedly at the pale Yue Lingsi.

    ¡°I told you to get out!¡± Yue Lingsi¡¯s voice became colder, and her shut eyes never opened.

    Now, there was nothing that could make her more bitterly disappointed. The intense pain from all over her body at the moment reminded her that she, Yue Lingsi, had be a handicap while her daughter came to her, not to care about how she was, but to say these things to her in an interrogating and disappointed tone.

    She had worked hard for more than 20 years just to raise this ungrateful daughter. What was more heartbreaking than this?

    The only person she could rely on no longer existed. She had lived half her life to see through these people¡¯s humanity. Even if it were her own daughter, it was just the same.

    The hypocrisy of the world was as such. She could not find a pair of eyes that would truly be worried for her or cry for her.

    Now that she thought about it, Xi Xiaye was right. She lived quite a pathetic life.

    ¡°Mother, enough! It¡¯s already at this point, and you¡¯re still like this. It¡¯s all because of yourself that you¡¯re here today. You should now be less forgetful! Do you think that I don¡¯t know you went looking for Grandmother for that inheritance? When can you think things through before doing them? How many times have I told you to be more moderate? The way you¡¯re giving up on yourself right now will only make Father hate you. When can you learn to be like Shen Wenna? That way, at least, I could still respect you!¡±

    When Xi Xinyi saw her like this, she was exasperated.

    Still, when she said that, she had undoubtedly hit Yue Lingsi below the belt. Yue Lingsi immediately opened her eyes that were filled with anger as she red coldly at Xi Xinyi. ¡°Xi Xinyi, how did I give birth to such an ungrateful daughter like you? As horrible as I may be, I¡¯m still the mother that gave birth to you and raised you! What right do you have to be making such a big fuss? Have I treated you poorly all these years? You¡¯re even pretending and lying to your mother. No wonder Han Yifeng hates you! With your terrible attitude, aren¡¯t you worried that the lightning would strike you?¡±

    Her angry voice rose an octave higher. Yue Lingsi wanted to prop herself up, but just as she moved, a piercing pain traveled through her whole body. Even so, it did not make her as miserable as the heavy pain gathering in her chest.

    ¡°Struck by lightning? You¡¯ve done many things that aren¡¯t worth the heavens watching over you either. The reason I am where I am today is mainly because of you! If it weren¡¯t because of your uselessness, that you couldn¡¯t even retain Father¡¯s affection, you overestimated yourself by provoking Shen Wenna. You even shamelessly kept a gigolo. All of this today wouldn¡¯t have happened! Shen Wenna is shrewd. Do you think they¡¯re like you, that they¡¯re a fool beyond redemption? I, Xi Xinyi, am really unlucky to have a mother like you!¡±

    As Yue Lingsi¡¯s wound was pried open, her expression changed. She was furious and she began to shoot her mouth.

    ¡°Me useless? Me? You unfilial child! As useless as I may be, I still gave birth to you! Great, since you can speak to your mother like this, you really are an ungrateful child! I, Yue Lingsi, have raised a cretin like you! Get out! I don¡¯t want to see you!¡±

    ¡°Did I hit you where it hurts? Hmph, sometimes I really think that this is better. At least, you won¡¯t go out and cause trouble. Grandfather and the rest don¡¯t even want to talk about you anymore. Can¡¯t you reflect on yourself?¡±

    ¡°Reflect on what? You¡¯re my daughter, but you can just watch me be like this with indifference. Xi Xinyi, you¡¯re really heartless!¡±

 Chapter 595 - Hatred (4)

    <h4>Chapter 595: Hatred (4)</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> EndlessFantasy Trantion <b>Editor:</b> EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A smile curved across Xi Xinyi¡¯s face, seeming a little dismal.

    ¡°Indifferent? How many times have I told you not to provoke those people, to behave, to learn how to be like Shen Wenna? Even if you couldn¡¯t get anything, you could at least toughen up, but instead? What did you do? You gave up on yourself, you drank and gambled, you ruined yourself. Do you want to pull me down too?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s sourness and unhappiness that filled her heart were released like a dam at this point.

    ¡°The Xi family is in shambles, and Grandma is like that. Yueying is on the verge of going bankrupt. What have you done? It¡¯s because of me, running around while being pregnant, putting in so much effort before I can continue to keep it going, working hard for so long and persisting step by step, that I finally managed to be where I am today. Not only did you not help me, but you also kept dragging me down, and now you¡¯re even scolding me like you¡¯re all that. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s quite hrious? I persisted on painstaking, and all for who? Did you think I was really just going it for myself? Every month, you take hundreds of thousands and even millions of dors. Don¡¯t those count?¡±

    The feeling of being wronged and bitterness suppressed in her heart had nowhere else to go. Xi Xinyi was about to crazy with all this pressure. If it were not for the fact that she kept telling herself that she could not lose to Xi Xiaye, she might not have been able to persist.

    If Xi Xiaye could persevere, she definitely could as well!

    Xi Xinyi more or less understood Xi Xiaye¡¯s situation recently. She knew that she must be somewhat capable to have made it to her current position from being a low-level staff in Glory World, but no matter what, she would not lose to her.

    After going through those painful lessons, Xi Xinyi realized that if she really wanted to take Xi Xiaye that slut down, just these little tricks would not work. Since she had Mu Yuchen for support, she definitely would not be easy to take down. Because that was the case, she could onlye up with other ways. In order to properly defeat her, she had to first defeat Mu Yuchen. Of course, he would not be someone she could handle. The grudges between him and Qi Kai were enough to take him down. When that happened, she was sure that he would not be able to protect Xi Xiaye. Only then could she step over her and satisfy her hatred for her.

    Nheless, right now, all she could do was endure this!

    She did not mind bing that person¡¯s gun as long as she Xi Xinyi benefitted as well, and if she could take Xi Xiaye down, she did not mind.

    ¡°Why you! Not only did you not help me out, but apart from causing trouble for me all day, you also make me worry about you endlessly. What else do you do? You ruined yourself, but you me me instead. Shouldn¡¯t you self-reflect? I pay for your food and clothes and even give you money to spend. Every day, I say good things about you to Grandfather. Aren¡¯t these enough? What right do you have to reprimand me? Why do I have such a useless mother? In the end, I¡¯d much rather my mother was Shen Wenna. Do you understand?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s questioning tone became extremely sharp. Her beautiful eyes were filled with a fiery fury as she fixed her re on Yue Lingsi.

    Yue Lingsi then sneered and said, ¡°Is that so? To you, only the useful ones are your kin. Are you actuallyparing me to Shen Wenna? If it weren¡¯t for her, your father wouldn¡¯t abandon his wife and daughter to go to that vixen, yet you¡¯re fighting me over her, Xi Xinyi! Has your conscience left you? Get out! Get out now! I don¡¯t have a daughter like you! Get lost!¡± Yue Lingsi roared.

    In that instant, hot tears welled up in her eyes. She shut her eyes, feeling hopeless. Her unhurt hand gripped the nket tightly as a piercing pain flooded all over her body while the pain in the chest came by the waves.

    Was this her own daughter?

    Why did she not recognize her at all?

    Xi Xinyi snickered coldly as she looked at Yue Lingsi apathetically. ¡°Just stay in the hospital and recover. I¡¯ll get someone to pay the fees. If you still won¡¯t behave, I don¡¯t mind sending you over to the same sanitarium as Grandmother!¡±

    ¡°You... you unfilial daughter! Get lost! Get lost now!¡± Yue Lingsi picked the ss on the side up and threw it at her in a rage!

    Bam!

    The ss shattered on the ground although it did not hit Xi Xinyi who nced at the shattered ss on the ground as she said in disdain, ¡°Your skills of making an unreasonable scene has improved. Back then, you hit Father like this too. A man who would be willing to get close to a man like you would probably be blind! Wake up! Stop dreaming of being an heiress or the Mayor¡¯s wife! You¡¯re now in so dire straits that you can only rely on me to take care of you, yet here you are cursing me like I¡¯m worthless. Hmph!¡± She then exited through the door.

    Almost instantly, the sound of shrieks and weeping from Yue Lingsi breaking down came from the ward!

    How did it turn out like this?

    They were not like this before. How did they end up where they were today?

    It had been so many years. Did she do something wrong?

    She had been wholeheartedly doing everything for the Xi family, wholeheartedly loving Xi Mushan and their daughter Xi Xinyi, but in the end, what did she get?

    How did she end up in this tragic state?

    That Shen Wenna was blind, yet she had won all of Xi Mushan!

    Pffft!

    The fire of fury consumed her heart, and Yue Lingsi felt that the pain in her chest suddenly became piercing. A bloody taste rose from her throat, and she could not help but cough profusely. In her state, she had to push the coppery taste that filled her mouth down.

    When Xi Xinyi walked out of the ward, Huang Ziyao was waiting at the corridor not too far away. She was talking to a doctor in a white coat.

    Xi Xinyi dragged her weak body and walked over.

    Without caring about anything else, Xi Xinyi asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my mother?¡±

    The doctor turned to look at Xi Xinyi and sighed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look great. Both her hamstrings were severed. Usually, she might be able to recover through surgery, but her situation is a little unique. The people who did it clearly did not want to let her walk again, so... In fact, there are many traces of her getting beaten up all over her body. Who would be this cruel? We¡¯ll further review her treatment ording to her condition. If there are any good ns, we¡¯ll inform you then. We must keep the patient in a good mental state and urge her to cooperate with recovery. For now, we¡¯re preventing her from muscr dystrophy. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to help her recover even if we find a way when the timees.¡±

    When Xi Xinyi heard the exnation, her expression sank. After a while, she nodded graciously. ¡°Okay, thank you, doctor.¡±

 Chapter 596 - Biological Father? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 596: Biological Father? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw the doctor¡¯s figure vanish at the end of the corridor, Huang Ziyao turned andmented as she looked at Xi Xinyi, ¡°Your mother really underestimated those guys this time. Even we wouldn¡¯t provoke them. Earlier, a few press office editors suffered a lesson from them too. One got their arm broken, and it appeared in the news. I heard that it was because they offended them. I remember that your mother was very against loan shark dealings previously as well. Now, how did she...?¡±

    Huang Ziyao could not hide the worry and disappointment she felt. Ever since they were associated with this mother and daughter pair, there was nothing that could spare them from worry. These troublesome matters came one after another, and now she really regretted having ties with them. Back then, if she had also agreed with the old man¡¯s decision and forced Yifeng to get engaged with Xiaye, would everything not have been much simpler and more peaceful now?

    In fact, it seemed like recently Yifeng was treating Xi Xiaye rather...

    Huang Ziyao could not help but worry. Ever since Xi Xinyi gave birth to the child, she had never seen Han Yifeng. He had only banked in a sum of money into her ount and told her to find someone to take care of them.

    Huang Ziyao knew that Xi Xinyi had hurt him.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry. My mother was terribly impacted by my father and Shen Wenna. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡±

    Xi Xinyi sighed, appearing defeated as she said this. Her eyes were filled with disappointment and heartache towards Yue Lingsi. Huang Ziyao felt bad seeing this, so she only reached out to pat her on the shoulder. ¡°Sigh, I know your mother too. All these years, she¡¯s been loyal to your father, but no matter what, she shouldn¡¯t have done all those things that ruined reputations. With these things today, these extreme feelings would only hound her to death. She won¡¯t be able to get her happiness either. Men are like that. If their hearts aren¡¯t with you, no matter what you do, they¡¯ll just turn a blind eye.¡±

    Xi Xinyi subconsciously trembled all over as she looked at Huang Ziyao in shock. She could faintly understand what Huang Ziyao was implying.

    ¡°Forget about trying to move a man who had always had another woman in his heart. Your mother is too silly. Look, now she¡¯s only tired out herself. Back then, your father and Shen Wenna¡¯s rtionship was there for everyone to see. To be fair, from an outsider¡¯s point of view, your mother was the third wheel that stepped between them. If your mother didn¡¯t choose your father back then, perhaps she would be a very happy person right now... Oh, it¡¯s too bad!¡±

    Huang Ziyao seemed to rue as she sighed deeply and then continued, ¡°Okay, you haven¡¯t fully recovered. Let¡¯s quickly get back. I¡¯m going to make a trip to the office to see Yifeng. Xinyi, I think you¡¯re a smart woman. After going through so many things, you should have already thought for yourself. You must heed the warning from your mother¡¯s experience, alright?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression paled while she staggered and then looked uneasily at Huang Ziyao. ¡°Mother... You... What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. I just hope that the two of you won¡¯t be like your parents in the future. When that happens, if you really can¡¯t then... At least, you have given birth to the eldest grandchild for the Han family. I¡¯ll still be on your side, but I wish that your problems won¡¯tunch the family into turmoil.¡±

    After Huang Ziyao rified herself, she did not nce at Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale expression anymore as she turned to leave.

    Listening to Huang Ziyao¡¯s footsteps walking further away, Xi Xinyi¡¯s weak body then went limp and she propped herself up by the cold wall on the side. She was in a daze for a while before she scoffed. ¡°I won¡¯t let you people step over me, not even Han Yifeng! One day, Han Yifeng will beg me to take him back!¡±

    Xi Xinyi clenched her hands in tight fists as her eyes were filled with anger and determination. She stared at Huang Ziyao¡¯s figure that moved further away. Then, a sneer curved up from the corner of her lips.

    ...

    The setting sun was dazzling whilst the air was filled with a faint fragrance of magnolias. On the cemented path towards University A¡¯s teacher dormitories, you could faintly see ayer of fallen fragments of stamens that had covered the ground. A few fallen leaves danced in the wind with the blue sky as their backdrop, and signs of autumn peeked out.

    The husband and wife interlocked their fingers and walked underneath a tall tree. They did not say much all the way, but after walking for quite a distance, Xi Xiaye then looked up at the rather lush tree above their heads and spoke softly, ¡°City Z¡¯s autumns aren¡¯t the same anymore. I remember more than ten years ago, around this time, the ground should be filled with fallen leaves already. Su Nan and I would always bike through the school grounds, and we would steal some blossoming magnolias from the flowerbed. The old man that watched over it couldn¡¯t hear well, so Su Nan and I could get away with it easily. After that, many people did the same, so they started to keep a ferocious dog. After that, Mother¡¯s vase no longer had free flowers as decoration.¡±

    He fell silent for a while, then turned to look at her. His eyes were filled with an amused and questioning look. ¡°You were quite naughty back then. Why were you like an obedient child at home?¡±

    She reached out to brush the fallen stamen on his shoulders away and answered rather calmly, ¡°Since I don¡¯t go home often, I would always be at a disadvantage because of Xi Xinyi. I let her be happy, so I don¡¯t have to really go against her since that is a war that can never end. I didn¡¯t want to do anything wrong and let her attack me. Sometimes, I didn¡¯t understand why Mother didn¡¯t take me away back then, and leave me with the Xi family instead.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye mentioned this, Mu Yuchen thought about it, and momentster he smiled calmly. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because she didn¡¯t want you to lose fatherly love. She could guaranteeplete maternal love for you, but she couldn¡¯t guarantee a father. On top of that, she probably didn¡¯t expect that all Father had endured and suffered these years made it harder for him to face you.¡±

    He suddenly stopped and held her tightly as he looked down at her. ¡°Xiaye, you have to believe me. Father and Mother are very much in love, and they love you too. Everyone has different ways of expressing it. Don¡¯t go chasing after the depths of their care. Just know that in this world, there¡¯s no rule about who should inherently be good to you. Thus, you should protect yourself even better before you think about others. I hope you can be more selfish. Leave being generous and righteous to your Mr. Mu.¡±

 Chapter 597 - Biological Father? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 597: Biological Father? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her heart almost melted when she heard his words, instantly transforming into soft, fluffy cotton candy.

    She gazed into his eyes. ¡°I know. People who are grateful will always feel that happiness is simple. I do think that I¡¯m pretty selfish. For example, I don¡¯t want you to have a female secretary.¡±

    He grinned without saying anything, then let go of her hand and put his arm over her shoulders. His warmth reached her.

    They came here to get Shen Wenna her stuff, so they took a detour and looked around. It was a rarely earned rxing time for them. Coincidentally, Su Nan was nearby University A to visit her parents, so Xi Xiaye brought Mu Yuchen over to their ce.

    Xi Xiaye was very familiar with Su Nan¡¯s parents. Just like Shen Wenna, they thought of Xi Xiaye like their daughter as well, and they weed Mu Yuchen¡¯s first visit warmly. Together with Ruan Heng, they were all talking happily.

    After dinner, Su Nan stayed over, when she sent Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye off, she dragged Xi Xiaye aside.

    ¡°Xiaye, my mother said Master Mu is really sweet. You¡¯ve trained him well!¡± Su Nan lowered her voice while ncing over at Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t train him. It¡¯s his own doing. You, on the other hand, trained Ruan Heng very well. He would never defy whatever you say.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea. If you didn¡¯t get married to Master Mu, I nned to find a man from the list I have and train him to be your loyal husband. Too bad you got together with Master Mu and my n was ruined. I thought marrying someone like Master Mu would give you a hard time since he¡¯s from a prestigious family after all, but now it seems like my worries were unnecessary!¡±

    ¡°You should stop worrying about me. You¡¯re going to give birth soon. Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be released from my suffering very soon, but you¡¯ll have a long way to go. Ruan Heng¡¯s mother promised me that she¡¯ll help to take care of my kid, so I¡¯ll start going back to work again after my body recovers. I don¡¯t want to be a housewife. A woman shouldn¡¯t give up on her career. By the way, Ruan Heng was promoted to Project Managerst month. To avoid him from cheating on me at work, I made him put his wedding ring on.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you insisting on hiding your marriage status a while ago?¡± Xi Xiaye threw Su Nan a peculiar nce.

    ¡°Come on! With the huge wedding and all, how could I still hide it? Okay, take care of yourself now. Oh right, this is for you. I¡¯ve been very boredtely and knitted a scarf for you. It¡¯s my own design!¡±

    Su Nan then handed a bag to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Hurry back now. The weather has been turning cold recently. Get your husband to buy you more clothes. I rarely get the chance to go shopping now.¡±

    ...

    Su Nan was as straightforward as ever. She only let Xi Xiaye go after a long-winded speech.

    Mu Yuchen noticed that the woman beside him was smiling while he drove. He could not help but be curious. ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    His voice dragged her back to her senses. She smirked at him. ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m just thinking that Su Nan is really amazing. She said she¡¯s going to train Ruan Heng into her loyal husband. I can imagine that Ruan Heng must be having a hard time right now, but well, as long as they are happy. Now that I think about it, are you interested in knowing about the history of Ruan Heng and Su Nan¡¯s rtionship?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He patted her head while waiting for her reply.

    ¡°Ruan Heng was quite a mischievous boy back then, but he had excellent grades. Su Nan and he were always looking at each other for trouble. Some timeter, Su Nan couldn¡¯t stand him anymore, so she dragged him somewhere for a fight. Su Nan was the final victor, so Ruan Heng became Su Nan¡¯s follower ever since then. They then got closer to each other after that. Ruan Heng is totally obedient to Su Nan, but Su Nan is very smart. She always puts on an obedient little woman¡¯s persona when they are outside. She¡¯s a very flexible person when ites to that.¡±

    ¡°Your friend is very free and at ease. If you¡¯re somewhat like her, you wouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has their own way of living. I feel amazing right now as long as you don¡¯t bully me. If you continue, I¡¯ll divorce you!¡± She raised her eyebrows and grinned.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. My value will drop if you divorce me, and you¡¯ll regret it as well because you¡¯ll never be able to find a husband as good as me,¡± he dered confidently as he slowed down the car before leaving a kiss on her forehead. ¡°I won¡¯t give you the chance to do so.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed. ¡°I thought you¡¯d say I don¡¯t have the right to do so.¡±

    ¡°No right? I¡¯m giving you every right there is to be.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    It was nearly 10 p.m, when they arrived back at Maple Residence. When they drove inside, Xi Xiaye saw Ah Mo¡¯s car parked near the entrance.

    ¡°It¡¯s Ah Mo! What¡¯s he doing here sote?¡± Xi Xiaye threw doubtful nces at the car in front.

    Mu Yuchen honked without replying to her before he swiftly parked the car right behind Ah Mo¡¯s car.

    When their car stopped, someone came up to them.

    ¡°Master!¡± Ah Mo approached them before Xi Xiaye got down. ¡°Missus!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here sote? Have you had dinner?¡± Xi Xiaye nodded to Ah Mo as she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had dinner. I¡¯m here for some urgent matter. I didn¡¯t expect both you and Master not to be at home.¡±

    ¡°We went to have dinner at my friend¡¯s house. Let¡¯s talk inside. It¡¯s pretty cold out here.¡± Xi Xiaye grabbed her bag while trying to find her keycard. She looked over at Mu Yuchen who was still in the car.

    Ah Mo nodded and looked at Mu Yuchen as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head in. I have something to talk to you about as well. Is Lingshi at the Mu residence?¡±

    Mu Yuchen locked the car and followed Xi Xiaye with Ah Mo right behind them.

    ¡°She had to look after the club today. She¡¯ll only be back at the vi after midnight, but she gave me the stuff to bring over. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

 Chapter 598 - Biological Father? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 598: Biological Father? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo went upstairs right after they entered Maple Residence. Sis Wang started brewing tea after they went upstairs.

    ¡°Let me take this. You can go and rest for now.¡±

    When Sis Wang was about to head upstairs with the tea, Xi Xiaye stopped her.

    ¡°Missus...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to wait anymore after 10 p.m. You have an early day tomorrow.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she took the tray from Sis Wang and went upstairs before she could even give a reply.

    Inside the study room, Mu Yuchen nced at the pen inside the box before he handed it to Ah Mo. ¡°Such an exquisite gift would surely leave a record. Find out where it¡¯s from. I heard from Father that Aunty doesn¡¯t like studying. She was quite against cultural sses for a period of time. If she had a choice, she probably wouldn¡¯t have wanted Lingtian to be an academic.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that this might not be a gift from Aunty to Lingtian, but could be...?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s eyes brightened as he said.

    ¡°Grandmother mentioned that Aunty treasured this pen a lot, and so did Lingtian. I don¡¯t want to make assumptions though. When can we get the DNA test results?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Ah Mo.

    ¡°We¡¯ve just received the sample and sent it for testing. In order to maintain secrecy, we might need to wait a few days.¡± Ah Mo then started thinking again. ¡°Master, I think Mr. Wen might not be Lingshi¡¯s biological father. After all, Qi Qiming is infamous for having multiple mistresses. Didn¡¯t Grandmother say that Aunty hated people like him? If it were really Qi Qiming, why did he abandon Lingtian and Lingshi? Qi Feng is his illegitimate son, but he still weed him warmly. Moreover, Qi Feng is very powerful within the family, and he holds an even greater influence than the legitimate son, Qi Lei, so I think there¡¯s no reason for him to do so,¡± he voiced out his opinion.

    He had thought about it a lot but never mentioned these secrets to Lingshi at all because he was worried that she might act rashly. Most importantly, he did not want her to feel sad.

    ¡°We can¡¯t struggle against fate. There¡¯s too much that we can¡¯t control. How can we know for sure?¡± Mu Yuchen felt it was rtable. He took a pause before he continued, ¡°Aunty is a straightforward person. She¡¯s very decisive in her actions.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Qi Qiming has been together with way too many women. There are Lu Xin, who is still currently in the hospital, the woman that gave birth to Qi Feng, as well as his wife Wang Qin. Who knows how many other mistresses he has in secret? How could Aunty...?¡±

    Ah Mo could not ept it. He hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. ¡°Master, if that¡¯s true, then... how could Grandfather, Grandmother, and Lingshi ept this? Knowing it might worry them more...¡± He frowned, feeling extremely worried.

    However, Mu Yuchen still looked calm. He smiled as he nced at Ah Mo. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you, Ah Mo.¡±

    Startled, doubts surfaced on Ah Mo¡¯s face as he blushed a little.

    Ah Mo did not know what to say, so he called out to him, ¡°Master...¡±

    ¡°There are things that we can¡¯t escape. We cannot change the facts that have already happened. If that¡¯s the truth, unfortunately, we¡¯ll still have to ept it. If it¡¯s not, then we¡¯re lucky.¡±

    Mu Yuchen straightened his back and grabbed a book from the bookshelf. He took a yellowed photo out from inside, handing it to Ah Mo. ¡°Find out the identity of the other two men in this photo. If all else fails, cover Aunty¡¯s face and publish this photo in the newspaper. We¡¯ll reward anyone that knows anything about them!¡±

    Ah Mo took a look at the photo, and he recognized Mu Zi and Sis Lan, but he had no idea who the men behind them were.

    ¡°This is a great move. If thises out in the newspaper, we might even reveal the rtionship between Qi Qiming and Lu Xin. I doubt they can just sit still!¡± Ah Mo seemed impressed by his strategy.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading to New York with Zimo the day after tomorrow. Please take care of your sister-inw here. Let her decide on any majorpany decisions.¡± Mu Yuchen closed the book and ced it back.

    ¡°Master, how long will you be there this time?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take a while. It¡¯ll probably be winter when I return. I¡¯m just worried about your sister-inw. Please have Ji Zitong on standby all day during this period of time. Get several other people as well. I¡¯m only bringing Li Si over and Ah Bo is already over there.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Master.¡± Ah Mo was not worried since Zhou Zimo¡¯s people were capable.

    ¡°Tell me the results after you receive the DNA report. Don¡¯t let anyone know about it. Complete the investigation with haste,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded.

    Ah Mo smiled and looked at him. ¡°Are you in a rush because you found out something? I¡¯m sure your visit this time is not only about the project with Master Mo, is it?¡±

    He had worked by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side for many years after all, so he could read his mind from time to time.

    ¡°There¡¯s some news about Qi Feng over there. I¡¯m going to take a look.¡±

    ¡°In New York?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°In New York indeed.¡±

    ¡°There is a possibility that he¡¯s in New York. Gu Lingsha stayed there for quite a long period of time during her stay there. ording to her n, she should be back in City B in a few days¡¯ time. When they return to City Z, then we...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let Xiayee into contact with her. She must be plotting something. I¡¯ll meet them personally. As for the question of whether Qi Qiming is Lingshi¡¯s biological father, we¡¯ll find out after we get our hands on the DNA report. Besides, I think Mr. Wen has more to hide. Qi Qiming shouldn¡¯t be the mysterious man we saw at Aunty¡¯s grave since that person was taller. Nheless, you don¡¯t have to worry about it now. We¡¯ll wait for the report before making any further decision.¡±

 Chapter 599 - Biological Father? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 599: Biological Father? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There was a sudden knock on the door, making the two of them turn around as Xi Xiaye came in with a tray.

    ¡°Sis Wang brewed some Pu Er tea. I also heated some snacks up for supper.¡± Her tone was gentle as she came in before the two men could answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Missus. I just had dinner with Lingshi beforeing over.¡± Ah Mo went up and took the tray from her before leaving it on the coffee table nearby. Mu Yuchen went to take her arm as well.

    ¡°Have some tea then. What are you guys talking about? You don¡¯t look happy.¡± Xi Xiaye noticed the depressing aura on Ah Mo¡¯s face.

    Ah Mo looked at Mu Yuchen without saying anything. Their discussion wasing to an end, so he stood up and prepared to leave. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Master and Missus, you should get some rest soon. I¡¯ll be heading back now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded while Ah Mo left the room quietly and gave the couple some space.

    It was pretty cold on autumn nights, especially at midnight. The moon in the sky shone its silver rays on the ground as the whole ce seemed quiet.

    Ah Mo drove straight to Imperial Sky Entertainment Club after leaving Maple Residence. Things were still pretty lively at City Z even though it was midnight already, and the club was crowded. There was even a little traffic jam on the way there.

    It was 1a.m. when Ah Mo reached the club. He parked at the temporary parking outside the club before walking in.

    Everyone knew him, so a lot of people greeted him on his way inside.

    ¡°Hi, Bro Mo!¡±

    ¡°Manager Ah Mo!¡±

    Ah Mo nodded without any expression. He went straight to Mu Lingshi¡¯s office. As he passed the corridor, he saw Mu Lingshi busy giving instructions to the club personnel. There was a huge crowd in the club with many people on the dance floor writhing along with the dancers on stage.

    ¡°Manager Mu, Manager Ah Mo is here,¡± said the DJ as he nced at the corridor.

    Mu Lingshi turned over and could barely see Ah Mo by the corridor. After a moment, she turned back and continued talking to the DJ and several others, ¡°Follow the n we talked about just now. It¡¯s the peak period now, but the number of people I¡¯ve arranged to be on the floor should be enough. Just stay alert at all times and inform me if anything urgent happens. I¡¯ll head back first.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Manager Mu. Don¡¯t worry!¡± they replied.

    Mu Lingsi nodded and waved her hand as a signal for them to go back to work. She took her earphones off and walked towards the corridor as Ah Mo quickly followed her.

    Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo went into her office one after another.

    Thud!

    Mu Lingshi turned around and wanted to close the door when she unexpectedly bumped into Ah Mo¡¯s solid chest. She definitely felt the pain on her forehead as she covered it with her hand. Ah Mo closed the door with one hand while he held her with the other. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Have you pass the stuff to Brother?¡±

    Nodding, Ah Mo took therge sunsses off her face when he noticed she was still frowning. He kept them into his pocket while he rubbed her forehead apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Is it painful?¡±

    ¡°Try mming your head into a wall and tell me if it¡¯s painful or not.¡±

    Mu Lingshi stared at him momentster, seeming like she wanted to say something. Ah Mo looked back at her with his clear eyes, unlike his usual humble self.

    Mu Lingshi frequently teased him for being a stiff old man, but when he was cheerful, he gave off vibes of sunshine and rainbows, and was extremely charming.

    A faint light shed past Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes. Before Ah Mo could react, she closed in and kissed his lips gently...

    Ah Mo was stunned for a moment. Then, he wrapped his arms around her and soon took the initiative. He grabbed her wrist. Suddenly, the two of them exchanged positions.

    When Ah Mo¡¯s hand reached her cor, she suddenly stopped him. Her eyes gave him an insurmountable amount of pressure. ¡°I saw what you had in the document folder. Do you have anything to tell me about it?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi...¡±

    Ah Mo took a deep breath as he suppressed his beastly instincts inside his blood. His eyes went back to normal again as he let go of her. Then, he tidied her clothes while he spoke, ¡°You don¡¯t have to know about it now. We don¡¯t have a conclusion yet.¡±

    ¡°I know Brother has been investigating on his own. That man was among the group of people we shortlisted too. Brother even went to see Lu Xin, but she declined to see me. Both Brother and Sister-inw are working on this without letting our grandparents know. However, since I¡¯m very much involved, shouldn¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s gaze never moved away from Ah Mo¡¯s face.

    ¡°We¡¯ll tell you after we get the results. Meanwhile, don¡¯t think too much about it. Master just told me that we can¡¯t make a conclusion yet. We n to tell you after we¡¯re certain.¡±

    Ah Mo was getting anxious. Apart from worrying that the information might be leaked, he could not bear to see her heartbroken.

    He did not expect Mu Lingshi to know the password to his safe box, so...

    ¡°Results? I¡¯ve thought about it a lot. Everything could be exined if that person is Qi Qiming. Lingtian must¡¯ve known about it, and that¡¯s why he helped Qi Feng to run away with Gu Lingsha. He even betrayed Brother for it. Qi Qiming then hated Brother for what happened, and he¡¯s been plotting revenge against Brother. Am I right?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression turned cold while her eyes were still fixed on Ah Mo.

    Ah Mo did not say anything. He just looked back into her eyes without moving an inch.

    She suddenly barked a half-heartedugh. All of a sudden, her voice became hoarse as she sobbed.

 Chapter 600 - Reluctance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 600: Reluctance (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°That¡¯s not true...¡± Her voice trembled as her face suddenly turned pale. She quietly covered her face with both her hands as her whole body started quivering as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. I cannot be Qi Qiming¡¯s daughter... I¡¯m not...¡±

    She started sobbing. Her throat felt stuck and she seemed to be suffocating as her consciousness was fading.

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression changed. He hugged her andforted her, ¡°There¡¯s no proof right now. Don¡¯t make any rash conclusions. Even Master isn¡¯t sure about this, so we shouldn¡¯t scare ourselves right now.¡±

    ¡°Rash conclusions? Right now, it all shows that it¡¯s most likely Qi Qiming, doesn¡¯t it? No wonder you stopped me from continuing when we reached this point. Did you already know? Is it really Qi Qiming? Tell me!¡±

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath after she let all her emotions inside her out. She stared at Ah Mo coldly. With the scar on her face seeming extremely clear right now, she looked ferocious.

    ¡°I¡¯ve delivered both yours and Qi Qiming¡¯s DNA samples for a test, so we¡¯ll find out in a few days.¡± Ah Mo held her shoulders as he exined, ¡°Before we get the results, our guesses mean nothing. We didn¡¯t want to let you know because we didn¡¯t want you to worry. Calm down, Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°Calm down?¡± Mu Lingshi snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t stay calm! Would you be able to stay calm if you were in my position? How is it any different than betraying my own family? He¡¯s the cause of all the tragedy. Is he even worthy of bing my father? If it really is him, I¡¯d never forgive him!¡±

    She suppressed her remaining rage and ran out of the room.

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression darkened. It took him a moment before he chased after her.

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up early as usual. Xi Xiaye had be even more of a sleepyhead. Her morning sickness symptoms were pretty bad earlier on and only became better recently. Although he had been managing her diet, she hardly gained any weight. While the little chap inside her womb was growing quickly, she did not seem that much different from before. Her chin was still pretty sharp and her features were bony.

    He put his hand on her baby bump as his eyes calmed down. He studied her for a while and then smiled. ¡°You have to be a good little baby, you hear that? Otherwise, your father will punish you!¡±

    He felt a living presence inside her and he smiled before leaving the bed a whileter. He then carefully set the nket over her.

    When he washed up and went downstairs, Sis Wang and the servants were already preparing breakfast.

    ¡°Morning, Master!¡± Sis Wang and the servants greeted him.

    Mu Yuchen responded, ¡°Morning, you guys can take a day off today. Let me make breakfast.¡± He elegantly unbuttoned and rolled his sleeves up.

    Sis Wang beamed. ¡°Master, are you going to make breakfast for Missus again? Well, I suppose Missus prefers the food you make. She hasn¡¯t been having a great appetitetely. Elder Madam prepared some tonics for her. However, Master, I¡¯d like to learn something from you since you¡¯ll be leaving for some time and I¡¯m worried that Missus isn¡¯t going to be used to it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he nodded humbly. ¡°Sure, after I leave, please report Missus¡¯s condition to me every day. Unless she gives explicit permission, don¡¯t let anyonee in, and don¡¯t let anyone go upstairs. Understood?¡±

    Sis Wang nodded. ¡°Noted, Master, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Sis Wang still called Mu Yuchen ¡°Master¡± as usual after she started staying in Maple Residence since it felt more familiar.

    ¡°By the way, Master, Elder Madam told me to prepare two empty rooms. Is she going to stay over?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother about it for now. Your job is to take care of Missus. Let her be alone. If she starts having difficulty going out after a few months, I¡¯ll make arrangements then.¡±

    Both Xi Xiaye and he liked to the quiet environment, so it was easy for him to imagine how Wang Hui would definitely tire her out. The reason he moved out was that he preferred a peaceful environment too.

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    ¡°The weather will get colder as autumnes. Remind her to put on more clothes when she¡¯s heading out, and please apany her when she¡¯s going out on weekends. As for Ji Zitong, give her a call every time she heads out, alright?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s worrisome reminders went on.

    He probably did not notice his behavior right now. He never would have worried about such trivial matters before.

    Sis Wangughed in amusement. ¡°Master, you¡¯ve said it plenty of times already. We know. Don¡¯t worry and leave Missus to us. We won¡¯t disappoint you and we¡¯ll take good care of her.¡±

    He nodded before getting to breakfast.

    It was a fusion of a Chinese and Western-style breakfast. As soon as the hand-pulled chicken porridge was done, his phone started ringing and he picked it up. It was an unexpected call from Qi Lei.

    ¡°Do you have time today? Let¡¯s meet up. I have something to discuss.¡±

    At the Grand Lake Vi Area, Qi Lei had just woken up. He was by his balcony, drinking some coffee as he looked at the morning view. Some cheerful music was drifting from the room as well.

    Mu Yuchen was not surprised to hear Qi Lei¡¯s voice. In fact, it seemed like he expected it. ¡°Anytime before lunch. You can decide on the ce.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and smiled. ¡°Can I go to your ce for a meal again?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not cooking today,¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly. It took one to wonder what he was feeling at the moment.

    ¡°I just thought that you¡¯re pretty generous, but you¡¯re rejecting me now? Never mind. We¡¯ll meet on the 27th floor of the Gxy Tower. It¡¯s my turf and we can have some privacy there. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±

 Chapter 601 - Reluctance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 601: Reluctance (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the 27th floor of the Gxy Tower, up on the rooftop.

    It was a breezy day. Even though the sun was still up, it was still chilly up there. The cold wind made the shirt hems flutter and the whooshing sound by one¡¯s ears only made the ce seem even quieter.

    Qi Lei liked tall ces like this since he could feel closer to the sky and freedom. Everything at the bottom looked so small. Then, he could feel that he was not as tiny as he thought. At least, right there, he could still gaze upon the whole city and even the world.

    Some time ago, Yang Sheng asked him if he was feeling lonely. Actually, he did not really feel lonely because he did not want to use loneliness as an excuse to self-indulge. Overall, he just felt tired.

    A contented person would never feel lonely. Even if there was such instance, it would just be a little spice in life.

    Qi Lei had always hoped he could be someone like that.

    He was always wondering if there would ever be such a person who felt the same way as him. He did meet an amazing girl who was beautiful and elegant many years ago. She was very understanding and recognized everything that he felt. However, she did not belong to him.

    Many yearster, he got the same feeling from another girl. It made him realize that the happiness or sadness felt in the past should not be lingered on, and was only temporary.

    He thought about people struggling on the verge of death or poverty. At the very least, he knew that he was far luckier than them.

    He suddenly realized that he was not struggling as much as he thought anymore. Even though he could not ask for much, he could at least protect what he had right now. Hence, he made a phone call to Mu Yuchen.

    A smile appeared on Qi Lei¡¯s face. He took a pack of cigarettes out and lit three of them before putting them onto the railing. Then, he lit one up for himself before handing the pack over to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him. His sunsses were hiding his eyes. While he did not take the pack of cigarettes from him, he looked at the three cigarettes on the railing instead. His expression was shaken up slightly. The wind blew, making everything seemed unreal.

    He knew very well who it was for.

    Between them, there was only one person worth remembering.

    ¡°Lingtian didn¡¯t like to smoke,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke up suddenly after a long silence.

    ¡°He was very much addicted to smoking by the year he passed away.¡±

    Qi Lei casually put the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket. Then, he released a puff of smoke and watched it fade quietly away in the air. ¡°To be honest, although you call yourself his brother, you don¡¯t really know him that well. I know you two aren¡¯t on the best of terms. I thought you¡¯d be unaffected by his death because you do look like a cold-blooded person from our perspective.¡± His tone was not very friendly.

    Mu Yuchen faced his usation with ease, his expression still appearing calm as usual. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought of him as a brother. He¡¯s my legal younger brother.¡±

    Qi Lei turned towards him and asked with a tint of sarcasm in his tone, ¡°Do you mean that he didn¡¯t see you a brother?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about Lingtian¡¯s past with me. He¡¯s already dead, and I don¡¯t have anything to say if you want to me all of it onto me. What¡¯s done is done. I¡¯ve never regretted what I¡¯ve done. If I could turn back time and make a choice again, I would do the exact same thing.¡± Mu Yuchen took off his sunsses and revealed his eyes.

    ¡°Do you have no feelings for Shasha at all? If not, why did you agree to marry her? I don¡¯t believe nothing happened during the period of time when you stayed with the Gu family. Otherwise, it didn¡¯t make sense for Qi Feng to rush and run away with Shasha. You¡¯re the one who agreed to marry her.¡± Qi Lei voiced out his doubts and hoped Mu Yuchen could provide him an answer.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me the same thing before? I cannot answer you, but I can tell you one thing. Aside from my woman at home right now, all the others look the same to me. I¡¯m not a Casanova like you.¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye doesn¡¯t seem any better than Shasha. I don¡¯t have faith in your taste,¡± Qi Lei ridiculed.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m Qi Feng or you? I need an amazing woman to be my partner. I think Gu Lingsha can¡¯t evenpare to her fingertip.¡± He suddenly became very protective of her as he could not stand people criticizing her.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression changed when Xi Xiaye¡¯s face suddenly appeared in his mind. He instantly noticed his words were a bit harsh. ¡°I don¡¯t mean that Xiaye is bad. They are different kinds of women after all, so they can¡¯t bepared.¡±

    ¡°ording to my sources, she has returned. If you can¡¯t move past that, then you can go and meet her. As a partner, I should remind you that Gu Lingsha can be as dangerous as any other man, so you¡¯d better be careful.¡± Mu Yuchen seemed impatient when Gu Lingsha was mentioned.

    ¡°I can sense your sincerity, and I¡¯m recognizing you as a partner. I know you guys have been investigating on Mr. Wen, and you suspect Qi Qiming to be Mr. Wen. I asked my mother and found out that Qi Qiming did call himself Mr. Wen in secret before because my grandfather forbade him from fooling around as the First Master of the Qi family. Sis Lan, who¡¯s on the verge of death in Hospital T, was one of his lovers. Unfortunately, she was just a recement because she resembled Qi Feng¡¯s mother.¡±

    Qi Lei smirked. ¡°The woman Qi Qiming loved the most was Qi Feng¡¯s mother, but sadly, she died. Qi Qiming got together with many other women afterward although they were all her recements. They all resembled that woman one way or another.¡±

 Chapter 602 - Reluctance (3)

    <h4>Chapter 602: Reluctance (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen could hear the grimness from his tone, yet when he looked at him, he saw a cold and demonic smile.

    He fell silent for a moment, then said calmly, ¡°I have long heard about your esteemed father and your mother within the circle. I rather admire your mother, Mrs. Wang¡¯s courage.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a tragedy too.¡± Qi Lei had huge prejudice against Wang Qin. When he said that, it was just an indifferent mockery. Only he understood his own feelings as he turned away a little annoyed, and gazed into the blue sky.

    Mu Yuchen turned to the side and studied him. ¡°Everyone chooses their own way to live, whether it¡¯s a tragedy oredy. It¡¯s the way others see it. If they all have different focuses, the same things might not seem the same to the people involved.¡±

    Mu Yuchen obviously knew about Qi Qiming and Wang Qin. Ah Mo had long done a thorough investigation on the Qi family. Qi Qiming and Wang Qin were just marriage partners at most. They did not have any affection between them. Both had people that they fancied before they were married, and because of this marriage, the two of them were tied down to each other. It must not have felt like the best option, but since they wanted to benefit from some things, they needed to first give up on others.

    Without love, perhaps they did not have too much of the so-called pain. The fight for benefits was really a conflict of truth between them.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, sometimes I admire you. There¡¯s an advantage to being a cold person since you have less to worry about than people like us. I remember that Shasha told me very long ago that you¡¯re a very indifferent person. You seem gentle, but in reality, you¡¯re the most hostile. I¡¯ve thought about it this time. No matter what, working with you wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. Even if we can¡¯t work together, we should at least coexist peacefully, so I¡¯ll ept the things you¡¯ve handed me. Consider me owing you a favor, but I do want to know why you¡¯re helping me. You know that I¡¯m prejudiced against you.¡±

    Qi Lei fixed his eyes on Mu Yuchen. Even though he roughly knew the answer, he still would like to see how this man would answer.

    Mu Yuchen calmly averted his gaze and reached out to hold onto the cold railing. ¡°I¡¯m preparing for a rainy day.¡±

    He knew that he was just asking even though he already knew the answer, but he still admitted it very magnanimously. He never worried about being seen through. Since it would be a win-win situation, why not fight for it?

    ¡°In fact, Master Qi, I, Mu Yuchen, am just a businessman. I have principles towards my partners, that is that I wouldn¡¯t let them suffer a loss. Of course, I can¡¯t be on the losing end too. If I can meet both conditions, I would do it. Of course, I¡¯m assured to be working with you too. My Missus... She says you¡¯re a good person.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, his honorable and handsome face shed with a in smile, and you could see some sincerity in his dark eyes.

    When Qi Lei heard this admonition, he was momentarily stunned. Xi Xiaye¡¯s bright and beautiful little face shed in his mind.

    A good person?

    Was he a good person?

    He suddenly remembered that time on a rainy day near her apartment, and that night she copsed beside her car.

    Some things were actually quite intriguing. Even if he did not deliberately try to remember them, they would have a way of unintentionally staying in his heart. When he thought about these things, Qi Lei felt at ease for some reason. The smile could not help but widen on his handsome face. ¡°She told you that I¡¯m a good person?¡±

    She did not even admit it to him. What a petty woman!

    Mu Yuchen did not answer him. His gaze that was full of depth turned to face Qi Lei. ¡°I said you¡¯re a pretty good person, and after that, she reluctantly agreed. In fact, she¡¯s my woman. She even has my child now. Can you be less enthusiastic whenever you hear her name? If I wasn¡¯t raised so well, you would¡¯ve been unscathed right now.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Qi Lei was stunned for a while. He never would have thought that the great Master Mu would actually have a dry sense of humor too. After he stared at him for a while, he turned away andughed. ¡°What a petty man! If I made a move first, you wouldn¡¯t even have a chance! Back then, the Xi family was determined to give her to me, and then you showed up unexpectedly and ruined my n. Now that I think about it, I really can¡¯t quite ept it!¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t fancy you.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm and unaffected voice came, his voice filled with confidence.

    ¡°You¡¯ll never know. How can you be so certain? I, Qi Lei, have never failed whenever I set my heart on going after a woman.¡±

    ¡°I do know, just based on the fact that my name is in the column as her spouse,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly. He looked up to the faraway sky, paused, and then continued, ¡°Have you never thought of looking for Qi Feng? The entry-exit details show that Gu Lingsha returned alone.¡±

    Qi Lei then stopped smiling. ¡°Why should I go look for him? It¡¯s only good news to me if he neveres back.¡±

    He had also heard the news about Gu Lingsha returning to City B before wandering back to City Z, but he did not find out more. Even though he was not sure what he was afraid of, it had been so many years. Would some things not have changed too?

    He was uncertan. He was only sure of himself, sure that he had changed...

    Mu Yuchen squinted at him and then nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not agreeing to some beliefs to be so self-sacrificial. Many times, you can only talk about these things if you¡¯re capable enough. Things that you have the power to grasp shouldn¡¯t be left to others to change. Don¡¯t cling onto going after what¡¯s right or wrong. There¡¯s actually a very simple of way of proving this. Compare the version of you that has a goal to achieve with the version of you right now. As long as you¡¯re living better then than you are right now, then it would¡¯ve been right for you to persist all along.¡±

    Then, he suddenly turned away, smiled, and walked towards the stairs.

    ¡°But I still wish you all the best. You¡¯re a person worth being good friends with. Let¡¯s gather more in the future.¡±

    Then, he walked down the stairs from the balcony and his tall and lean figure soon vanished at the staircase. Only Qi Lei was left on the empty balcony.

    When he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure disappear, Qi Lei suddenly shouted after him, ¡°Hey, give me an Imperial Sky Entertainment City VIP card!¡±

    Mu Yuchen instantly stopped walking and suddenly turned to look at him. He smiled coolly. ¡°Next time, when youe over to mypany, I¡¯ll get Xiaye to give you one.¡±

    Then, he finally vanished too.

    With an amused smile, Qi Lei reached up to brush his nose.

    It felt pretty satisfying to take a little advantage of Mu Yuchen!

 Chapter 603 - Reluctance (4)

    <h4>Chapter 603: Reluctance (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen did not n to stay very long. He was aware that even though Qi Lei looked like a yboy, he was still a very dedicated person.

    With regard to the past, he did not want to talk about Gu Lingsha, Qi Feng, or even Lingtian anymore. If possible, he did not want to recall these memories.

    Even though he had always wanted to stay out of all that happened between them, life had a way of rolling him into this mess.

    He did not tell Qi Lei that the person who had actually stayed with the Gu family then was not him, but Lingtian.

    Since he could not break off the engagement, he was not one to dy things either. Without staying, he confronted Gu Qihao strongly and then stormed off. Meanwhile, of course, the Gu family would not let such news be leaked, so they just announced to the outside world that Mu Yuchen had stayed for a while with the Gus to develop his rtionship with Gu Lingsha when actually it was just to protect the Gu family¡¯s dignity. Because of this, Lingtian had even fought with him and stayed with the Gu family while he secretly returned to City Z, and considered himself having done Lingtian a favor.

    After that, Gu Lingsha rushed over from City B with Lingtian and stayed at the Mu residence. He was still busy familiarizing himself with Glory World matters then. Where did he have the time to care about such irrelevant people?

    Nheless, it must have been at that moment when he became their chess piece. From then onwards, Lingtian slowly began to hate him as a brother.

    He kept thinking about it, but then suddenly he did not want to anymore. He was worried that the answer he would find afterward would be one that hurt his heart, so...

    Mu Yuchen sighed, and suddenly his head felt slightly heavy and achy. He lifted a hand to hold his forehead and wanted to soothe his temples when a faint fragrance suddenly slowly came from behind. He was just about to turn to look when a pair of cool and gentle hands were already on both sides of his temples, massaging him with gentleness and the appropriate force.

    ¡°You¡¯re frowning like an old man. Who made you unhappy now?¡±

    The soft voice contained concern. He slowly shut his eyes and circled one arm around her thin waist. His heart instantly softened as he quietly enjoyed the moment and softly responded, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were Superman, that nothing could trouble you.¡± She sighed softly and quietly applied more force which eased his tense expression.

    He did not respond immediately. The husband and wife fell silent for quite a while before he said, ¡°You can.¡±

    When she heard his reply, Xi Xiaye stopped what she was doing, then chuckled softly. ¡°Should I say then that this is a blessing I earned from my past eight lives?¡±

    Heughed softly without a word and allowed her to sit on hisp as his hand hooked around her frail shoulders. He fixed his eyes on her with a gaze that was gentle but a little overbearing. She blushed shyly and did not know what to do.

    She could only turn away and say awkwardly, ¡°Stop looking at me like that!¡±

    When he heard her plea, he suddenlyughed. She could not handle his gaze when she was clearly about to be his child¡¯s mother. She was still like a shy little girl. No matter what, he would have the rest of his life to remember all her beauty, and take in all of her headstrong ways because he had told her without hesitation back then that he would not let her suffer by getting married to him.

    For this, he was willing to suffer.

    ¡°I, Mr. Mu, only know how to look at you like this.¡±

    Her elegant and fair face instantly blushed even deeper as she quickly poked at his handsome face with her slender fingers. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve be uglier recently? I¡¯ve been slovenly dressed and I don¡¯t look as neat as before.¡±

    After her baby bump began to show, out of convenience, she would wear loose clothing and her hair was casually pulled into a ponytail, so she began to look a littlenguid and disorganized.

    ¡°I still like you, but are you starting to dislike yourself now? You¡¯re already married to me. There¡¯s no need to be so gorgeously dressed. No matter what, you¡¯re already mine unless you want to bring me some love rivals.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I dress nicely to uplift your reputation?¡±

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re naturally beautiful. That¡¯s already great for my image.¡± He patted her head and nted a kiss on her forehead. Then, he peered up at the pretty sunset outside, then hugged her. ¡°The sunset looks spectacr. Let¡¯s go out for a walk.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t packed your things yet.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to pack. Everything¡¯s over there. I just have to bring the documents with me.¡±

    ...

    They walked around the scenic areas of the vi and it was alreadyte when they got home. Mu Yuchen prepared a modest dinner, and with his coaxing, Xi Xiaye ate two bowls of rice. After that, they snuggled up on the sofa to watch two movies before washing up and then retiring to bed.

    Because the two of them were light sleepers, they slept till 4 a.m. before they could not fall asleep anymore, so they justy in bed and chatted.

    ¡°Yesterday, I called my parents. I told them that you¡¯d bring the things over for them, and then you should get Father to do a full body checkup. Every year around this time, when I remind Grandpa to do his body checkup, I also want to remind him too, but...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that she had to apany Shen Yue to the hospital for a full body checkup in another two days. She had been apanying Shen Yue for the past few years and would only feel assured knowing the state of his health, but her previous rtionship with Xi Mushan was different. It would be surprising if they even shared more than a few words.

    He hugged her and softly replied, ¡°Mmm, I will tell Mother to let him know. I heard the people there say that Father obeys her. I probably guessed right. The sun is really setting. If we¡¯re lucky, you might even have a younger brother or sister after this.¡±

    She immediately rolled her eyes at him. ¡°In your dreams! After Mother gave birth to me, Father already got a vasectomy. Back then, it was a difficult birth for my mother, so Father couldn¡¯t bear to let her suffer again.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s movements turned stiff as he quickly said softly beside her ear, ¡°Then, let¡¯s only have one too. Once the child is born, I¡¯ll go...¡±

    Before he could finish, she lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I already said I want two. If you can¡¯t satisfy me, then I will... get someone else to give birth with!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d dare to?!¡±

    ¡°You can try me!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve really grown bold! What¡¯s so bad about having one daughter? Once we marry her off, we¡¯ll be free. If it¡¯s a son, you¡¯d have to worry about getting him a wife. Why do you have such low awareness?¡±

 Chapter 604 - Gift Flowers? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 604: Gift Flowers? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the dark, Xiaye widened her eyes at his handsome face. She could not believe that he was saying these things!

    ¡°What do you think your child is? You make him or her sound like a burden. Father and Mother didn¡¯t turn their backs on you. Instead, it¡¯s you turning back on them. Besides, how are you sure that I¡¯m bearing a daughter? What if it¡¯s a son? Do you n on not loving him?¡±

    She got up at once and propped herself up to look at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I was just concerned that you¡¯d be burdened with worry in the future. Sons are closer to their mothers... Your job won¡¯t be easy in the future. If you don¡¯t teach your son well, they could cause grand disasters. At least, we can pass our daughter to her future husband to watch over, just like you and me now.¡±

    Master Mu was filled with all sorts of anxiety right now. Back then, before she was pregnant, he was looking forward to her being pregnant, but now that she was, he was hoping that...

    Without a doubt, Master Mu was ridden with father-to-be mania.

    ¡°You really think so far ahead! Your son¡¯s the one who¡¯ll cause grand disasters! My son will definitely be an excellent man in the future. I want to send him for training in the army. It¡¯d be best if he can serve for life and fulfill my unachieved dreams. If it¡¯s a daughter, I won¡¯t let her suffer all of that.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t your son be my son? Fine. Consider it a slip of the tongue. Anyway, the sun¡¯s about toe up. Sleep a little more.¡±

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye woke up once again, the sun was already up and bright. The man beside her was already gone and the pillow was cold too, but there were still remnants of his scent in the air.

    When she tidied up and went downstairs, she realized he left very early in the morning. It was almost 11 a.m. right now, so the n probably took off a long while ago.

    Xi Xiaye was quite rxed in the next few days. She would either go back to the Mu residence or the Shen residence while Ji Zitong remained closely by her side.

    That evening, Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence earlier since she had work the next day and had to spend some time arranging the information. The meeting in the next morning would be to conclude the season¡¯s report. Obviously, she had to be more well-nned.

    When Ji Zitong sent her through the Maple Residence gates, Xi Xiaye suddenly said, ¡°Zitong, you can go back earlier. Just wait for me at the office tomorrow.¡±

    Ji Zitong woulde over early in the morning every day. In fact, Xi Xiaye also understood that she stayed quite far away from Maple Residence. Since Glory World was in the middle of them both, there was no need for her to be exhausted rushing from end to end.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Director Xi. Manager Ah Mo has arranged a ce for me to stay at the Grand Waves Apartment area. It¡¯ll take less than 10 minutes to get here. I was just going to pack my things and move over tonight. That way, it¡¯d be more convenient.¡±

    Ji Zitong got to know Xi Xiaye much more and found that she was not as cold as before. In fact, she was rather friendly.

    ¡°Mmm, go back earlier then. I¡¯ll tell Ah Mo to get someone to help you move your things.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Director Xi. I only have one box, so I¡¯ll do it myself. There¡¯s no need to trouble them. I¡¯ll leave now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently before Ji Zitong took a bow and slowly turned around.

    Argh, she still had to send things over to that annoying man!

    When she thought about this, Ji Zitong felt disgruntled. She opened the car door and turned to look at the paper bag on the front passenger seat for a long while before she sighed and started the car.

    The car whizzed past like a hurricane and drove away from Maple Residence.

    The night gradually fell and the entire City Z was lit up with streetlights. The whole city was engulfed in dazzling lights.

    Inside the Deputy Chief¡¯s office in the North Traffic Control Bureau of the city.

    Su Chen sat in his work chai, while a hand leisurely clipped the freshly lit cigarette and the other held a pen. He was scrawling on the document before him at a tremendous speed. From time to time, he would take a drag with the heavy police coat simply draped over his shoulders. The weather at night was turning colder with each day.

    He was very focused. Even Mu Yuchen admired this aspect of him, saying that Su Chen was truly the kind of person that made the distinction between personal and professional. When he worked, he would ignore everyone. If anyone disturbed him when he was concentrating on work, he would be very unhappy, but after work, he was up for fun.

    As his secretary, Assistant He understood this habit very well, so whenever he knocked, he would be very careful and not dare be too loud in fear of disturbing the Deputy Chief who busy working at full focus inside.

    A long pause after the knock, Su Chen calmly answered, ¡°Come in!¡±

    ¡°Chief Su, there¡¯s ady named Ji Zitong asking for you outside!¡± Assistant He spoke very respectfully.

    ¡°Let her wait!¡± Su Chen said, and without even looking up, he flipped another page of the document and began to seriously browse and review it again.

    ¡°Okay, Chief Su! Right, Chief Su, with regards to the Bureau Chief¡¯s son speeding and hitting someone, the Chief called again. He wants you to...¡± softly reminded Assistant He while carefully watching Su Chen¡¯s expression.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about it. If anything happens and I¡¯m targeted by the disciplinary board, will he take responsibility? Tell him to watch his spoiled child instead. Thest time we got the other party to agree to resolve it privately after many negotiations, not only did he not learn from his lesson, but he did even worse this time. I would¡¯ve punished him if someone like him were in my troop!¡± Su Chen did not wait for Assistant He to finish before he put on a stern face and spoke coldly. His handsome, steadfast face seemed a little sunken, terrifying Assistant He.

    ¡°But, Chief Su, the Bureau Chief said...¡±

    ¡°Tell him to go talk to our Bureau Chief himself!¡±

    Master Su had some angry youth [1] blood in him. He had so many things to deal with on the daily. The fact that they kept looking for him annoyed him to no end. He really did not understand these people. How could they reason after hitting someone?

    ¡°The Bureau Chief is abroad for work and will only return next month, Chief Su. The Bureau Chief especially asked for you to handle this well. Well, Bureau Chief Yu and the Bureau Chief¡¯s friendship goes a long way, so...¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s so, let the fellow be locked up for a few more days first.¡± Su Chen swiftly signed his name, and then closed the document. ¡°Send me the files for drunk driving in the first half the year tomorrow. Our colleagues in the Publicity Department want us to help them out with a campaign. Pick a few important case studies and edit out some representative videos for a Powerpoint. Send it to me the day after tomorrow,¡± he instructed as he got up to tidy the table.

    Assistant He nodded. ¡°Okay, got it, Chief Su.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go home earlier.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Assistant He responded and then slowly retreated.

    Su Chen swiftly tidied his things to put into his ck briefcase and then walked out of the office in huge strides.

    He had just marched out of the office when he saw Ji Zitong sitting on the sofa waiting for him from a distance.

    The sound of his leather shoes cked against the shiny floor and immediately alerted Ji Zitong who was browsing through the Road Safety Manual.

 Chapter 605 - Gift Flowers? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 605: Gift Flowers? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong slowly looked up. Su Chen¡¯s tall and lean figure greeted her sight. His steadfast and handsome face still vaguely carried some stiffness from work while his coat was simply draped over his shoulders, and he was still carrying his ck, heavy briefcase. His eyes briefly nced at her as he walked past her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Su Chen ordered before his tall figure marched away.

    Ji Zitong quickly got up and followed him with the paper bag in her hand. ¡°These are your clothes. I¡¯ve cleaned them!¡±

    Obviously, she wanted to leave after handing the bag over, but Su Chen walked away very quickly, so Ji Zitong had to run after him in small steps all the way until the parking lot in front of the Traffic Management Bureau. When she saw Su Chen open the car door to a Land Rover and toss his briefcase in, she wanted to chase after him and pass the bag to him. However, the phone in his pocket unexpectedly buzzed.

    He swiftly took out his phone to answer.

    As expected, it was the elder calling.

    He took quite a few breaths and tried hard to calm himself before he answered the phone. ¡°Hello? Grandfather?¡±

    ¡°You punk! Do you realize your grandfather¡¯s still alive? Where are you right now? What¡¯s the time now? What is it? Tell me!¡±

    Su Chen had just spoken when the elder¡¯s furious roar came from the other end apanied by the sound of a table being mmed. Almost immediately, the elder¡¯s fierce demeanor shed in Su Chen¡¯s mind.

    Su Chen suppressed his impatience and tried his best to answer calmly, ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of work at the bureau. I just returned from a break and my hands are full. I just got off work.¡±

    When he heard this, the elder¡¯s tone took on a cooler note. ¡°Hmph, work is important, but you can¡¯t forget appointments you¡¯ve made. Since you can¡¯t make it in time, you should at least give them a call, shouldn¡¯t you? Look at the time now! It¡¯s 8 p.m.! Almost 8 p.m.! Miss Mary is still at the restaurant. She¡¯s been waiting for almost an hour now! How many times have I told you that Miss Mary is Bureau Chief Hu¡¯s daughter? Her grandfather was even my superior years ago, and I still owe him a favor or two. You doing this is just embarrassing me.

    ¡°Miss Mary asked about you herself. She¡¯s pretty sweet and has always fancied you. When you returned, she¡¯s been trying to go after you and call you Bro Su Chen. I¡¯m happy with her. Go see her right now. If you¡¯re okay, then marry her. Get married before the year ends so that I¡¯ll get great-grandchildren next year. I don¡¯t care about whatever happens after that! Got it? This is a military order! An order! Watch how I settle you if you don¡¯t do this. Ah Chen¡¯s about to be a father. Why are you so immature?¡±

    Elder Su was hasty about seeing some improvements as he scolded Su Chen again. He was more worried than him. Right now, he was pacing around the house and anxiously nagging, ¡°33! Do you think you¡¯re still young? You should be done with messing around!¡±

    Before Su Chen could say anything, the scolding and naggingments came rattling out in a bunch. At that moment, he remembered meeting Mary Hu.

    Mary Hu was 11 years younger than him and she was a little girl, the kind that blindly loved the military. They had met a few times. Previously, she had a huge crush on Mu Yuchen too, but he was cold and distant and ignored her. Then, she set her eyes on Su Chen. Sometimes, she would look for Zhou Zimo too. She was reaching for both ends of the string so much that they evaded her like she was a scorpion. The Elder fancied her, and she would rat on Su Chen from time to time, much to his irritation!

    He finally heard that she had gone abroad for her studies, but it had not been a year. How was she back already?

    He nagged a lot and then realized that Su Chen did not even answer, so the elder then grumbled, ¡°Do you hear what I¡¯m saying to you? Why aren¡¯t you responding?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going over right now,¡± Su Chen impatiently huffed and then hung up!

    Mary Hu! It looked like he really had to make her give up. Without Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo around, if that woman clung to him, he would die!

    Su Chen needed a mature and charming woman as a wife. Why would he marry a naive little girl? And one that was so clingy too?

    They had such a huge age gap. In fact, there were probably several generation gaps between them. He would not be able to handle her.

    He swiftly put his phone away and was about to get into the car when Ji Zitong finally reached him from behind. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m returning your shirt to you!¡±

    She casually handed the paper bag to him, inciting him to raise his brows. He then remembered the incident from a few days ago. As he nced at the icy cold Ji Zitong, his gaze only stopped for a second on the paper bag. Then, he looked at her elegant face. Suddenly, something shed in his eyes and a smile spread across his lips.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite punctual. I¡¯ll forgive you for your high awareness, but you¡¯ll have to follow me to a ce. Consider itpensation for my spiritual loss!¡±

    Then, before Ji Zitong could agree, he swiftly pulled the car door open and stuffed her into his front passenger seat.

    Ji Zitong was caught off-guard. Narrowing her cold eyes, she swiftly hooked Su Chen by the arm. ¡°Move away. I don¡¯t have time!¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t take much of your time. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t bite the hand that feeds you, right, Officer Ji Zitong?¡± Su Chen¡¯s gaze was pressuring her. It was so sharp that she was stunned.

    Su Chen looked gleefully at the silent girl before he closed the car door and then returned to the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t sell you off. Put on your seatbelt!¡±

    Meeting his sharp gaze, Ji Zitong hesitated for a moment before finally pulling the seatbelt and buckling it up while he started the car.

    The car sped past and made its way around the za at the Traffic Management Bureau, driving toward the busy roads. It was rush hour right now, so the traffic jam was quite bad.

    It was very quiet in the car as the two of them did not say much. Su Chen focused on driving while Ji Zitong remained cold as she examined him. She was filled with doubt and was on edge. He felt scrutinized so oddly, and suddenly the air in the car felt weird, so at the first traffic light, Su Chen started to y some music.

    The music was all rather graceful foreign music which held a certain charm to it. Ji Zitong did not understand anything, but she just felt like the tune was rather enjoyable.

    ¡°This is a Mongolian song. The year we retired with your Instructor Mu, we went to Mongolia and it wasn¡¯t easy to get this CD.¡±

 Chapter 606 - Gift Flowers? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 606: Gift Flowers? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Noticing the doubt in Ji Zitong¡¯s gaze, Su Chen calmly exined the origins of the song to her.

    When she heard his exnation, Ji Zitong could vaguely pick up the notes of a foreign tune. It was a little distant and ethereal.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to like this kind of music too. I thought you¡¯d at least like that kind of passionate and bold music or even army songs. I remember you lost to a cadet back then, and you sang ¡®Legend¡¯, and earned quite a lot of apuse.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s memory was always very surprising. When Su Chen said this, this information shed in Ji Zitong¡¯s mind while her cold gaze continued to look probingly at him.

    She thought that they would fight again this time, but unexpectedly, there was no gunpowder in the air.

    ¡°Legend? Genghis Khan?¡±

    A light suddenly shed in Su Chen¡¯s eyes as a happy smile curved on his lips. ¡°You have a pretty excellent memory. This was a figure that your Instructor Mu always loved using as an encouraging figure, the pride of a generation, Genghis Khan.¡±

    ¡°But the next generations have different praises and criticisms of him.¡±

    ¡°There is no perfect person. If we can get a little inspiration from the journey of his life, that would be what you reap,¡± Su Chen said, and then suddenly sped up his driving.

    After a while, the Land Rover that was bathed in blurry lights reached a high-ss restaurant.

    ¡°Get down!¡±

    Su Chen got down from the car and tossed his keys to the valet while he walked straight up the stairs of the restaurant.

    Doubtful, Ji Zitong was on-guard as she watched his back. She had no choice since that letter of guarantee that she signed was still with him, and she needed to get it back from him!

    However, by the looks of it, this man seemed to havee over for dinner. She remembered the call he answered in the car, yet she thought something was odd. Before she could overthink, the valet had already gone to open her door, so she could only get down and follow him.

    ¡°You, right! Yes, you,e here!¡±

    Su Chen had walked up a few stairs when he suddenly stopped and waved to a middle-ageddy selling flowers from a car on the side. Thedy quickly beamed and took two bouquets before walking over.

    ¡°Mister, would you like to buy some flowers?¡±

    With a nod, Su Chen looked at the bouquets in her arms, and then his gaze fell onto the blooming champagne roses. He reached out to fix the wrapping paper a little before saying, ¡°This one... How much?¡±

    ¡°$299, Mister!¡±

    Su Chen swiftly paid for it and took the flowers from thedy. He looked down at them for a moment before suddenly passing it to Ji Zitong who reached him.

    Ji Zitong was stunned. She looked at the unexpected bouquet and was amazed for quite a while. She then looked up at Su Chen skeptically and said coldly, ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for you. Hold it.¡±

    Su Chen stuffed the bouquet into her arms. ¡°Help me out. Then, consider me owing you a favor.¡±

    He massaged the space between his brows feeling a little annoyed. Then, he slowly walked towards the restaurant, leaving the bewildered Ji Zitong behind.

    Flowers?

    Ji Zitong looked puzzledly at the bouquet. She could not understand what this guy was trying to do.

    Help?

    He did not even give her a chance to reject him.

    Ji Zitong thought about it for a while and could not figure anything out. After some pondering, she held the bouquet and followed him uneasily. Her brows furrowed into a knot while her bright eyes were filled with an rm and wariness.

    The two of them walked only a few more steps when a waiter came up to them. ¡°Mister, do you have a reservation?¡±

    ¡°Table 009.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mister and Miss. Please follow me this way.¡±

    The waiter quickly guided them in.

    Ji Zitong just followed him from behind. At that moment, the restaurant was full. It was the kind of very ssy Western restaurant with soothing and gentle sounds of a violin filling the entire restaurant. The gentle and warm light set the tone. It was clearly the kind of typical Western restaurant for couples.

    ¡°Bro Su Chen! Bro Su Chen! Right here! I¡¯m right here!¡±

    Just as Ji Zitong¡¯s sharp eyes were examining her surroundings, she suddenly heard a sweet voice filled with joying from the front. She subconsciously turned and looked toward the voice to see a very beautiful girl was waving at Su Chen.

    The girl looked quite young and was probably in her 20¡¯s. She had a fair, oval face, and seemed quite pretty. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Su Chen.

    Ji Zitong was about to turn to Su Chen when she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulders unexpectedly. To her shock, she saw Su Chen¡¯s strong arms circled around her shoulders and he pulled her towards him. Ji Zitong subconsciously wanted to struggle away, yet Su Chen¡¯s deep voice softly entered her ear. ¡°Cooperate with me and I¡¯ll consider my spiritual losspensated. Then, I¡¯ll owe you one. How about that?¡±

    ¡°Why should I help you? Don¡¯t forget that the grudges between us aren¡¯t that simple!¡± Ji Zitong sneered in disdain. The bouquet that she held before her chest hid the disgust that surfaced on her expression.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apologize for all the things in the past. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t ruin this for me, will you? The letter of guarantee is still with me. Don¡¯t you want it back?¡± Su Chen reminded.

    Ji Zitong paused and turned to stare at him for a long time. ¡°Instructor Su, are you begging me right now?¡±

    When she said that, Su Chen¡¯s expression shifted. The hand thatid idly by his side tightened before he sighed and then lowered his voice to say, ¡°Yes, consider me begging you.¡±

    Ji Zitong lowered her gaze. Even though she did not answer, she did stop struggling.

    Su Chen smiled, and then pulled her over to greet the young woman.

    ¡°Bro Su Chen, who is she?¡± Mary Hu studied Ji Zitong whom Su Chen held as they walked over. Her face immediately sank and her tone instantly became cold as she red Ji Zitong hostilely.

    Su Chen gently let go of Ji Zitong and pulled a chair open chivalrously.

    ¡°This is my date, Ji Zitong. Zitong, this is Miss Mary Hu, but you can just call her Mary,¡± introduced Su Chen elegantly with a smile.

    Ji Zitong shot Su Chen a look. Seeing his calm expression all happy, she could not help but sneer on the inside, yet her beautiful face shone with a cooperative smile as she reached a hand out to Mary Hu. ¡°Hi, Miss Mary. I¡¯m Ji Zitong. It¡¯s very nice to meet you!¡±

    Stunned, Mary Hu¡¯s gaze went back and forth between Su Chen and Ji Zitong. In that instant, a raging fire was lit within her. She took her bag from the chair on the side and red furiously at Su Chen. Her expression was terrible. ¡°Bro Su Chen, what is the meaning of this? I¡¯ll find Grandfather Su for an exnation!¡±

 Chapter 607 - Missing You Is A Required Course (1)

    <h4>Chapter 607: Missing You Is A Required Course (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Bam!

    When Mary Hu walked past them, she even bumped into Ji Zitong who sharply caught her arm as she evaded her.

    ¡°Go away. It¡¯s not nice to meet you!¡±

    Mary did not hide her annoyance for Ji Zitong at all as she shot her a cold re and then left in a fury with gritted teeth.

    She was quite hot-tempered. In fact, she seemed quite naive in personality and could not quite conceal her feelings, everything she felt would be written across her face.

    ¡°Sit down.¡± Su Chen did not even nce at Mary. He just sat down in Mary¡¯s seat and called for the waiter to attend to them.

    Ji Zitong finished ordering and as she handed the menu back, she asked, ¡°Your girlfriend? Are you an old cow trying to eat young grass?¡±

    Su Chen unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up. He wiped his hands and raised his brows to object, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°What do I think? Of course, I¡¯d think that. Otherwise, what could you have meant earlier? I¡¯m not interested in being your excuse. You can return the letter of guarantee to me now, Instructor Su!¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s tone was distant, and there was even a hint of sarcasm.

    Su Chen pulled at the tie on his cor as he said inly, ¡°Mary¡¯s like that. Just ignore her. Eat first. I¡¯m hungry. I can¡¯t remember where I put the thing. Maybe I¡¯ll remember when I¡¯m full.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Ji Zitong subconsciously clenched her fists tightly. She was afraid that she would punch him. Instead, she tossed the bouquet of flowers onto the table. ¡°You¡¯d better not be ying tricks with me. This is not the army camp anymore!¡±

    ¡°If we were in the camp, I wouldn¡¯t be this polite.¡±

    Su Chen smiled nonchntly. His smile seemed piercing to Ji Zitong. She almost could not hold herself back from wanting to beat this guy up!

    Compared to the storm on Su Chen and Ji Zitong¡¯s end, Xi Xiaye¡¯s night was not quite peaceful either.

    Xi Xiaye sat at the dining table while Sis Wang swiftly served her a bowl of rice. She picked up a delicious-looking dish and wanted to eat it, yet before she could put it into her mouth, the aroma of it made her nauseous, so she quickly covered her mouth and ran to the washroom.

    She puked it all out. Following her, Sis Wang was also worried. Her expression shifted as she quickly went up to help her and handed a ss of water to her. ¡°Missus, you¡¯ve been having bad reactions. Have you been too tired these past two days, or does the food not suit your taste? How about I call Dr. Zhong toe for a visit?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to stop Sis Wang. She rinsed her mouth and then sighed as she held onto her baby bump. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just have to take it easy.¡±

    ¡°I find that you¡¯re bing thinner. If this continues, I wouldn¡¯t know how to exin it to the Master,¡± Sis Wang said anxiously with a tinge of sadness.

    Even though there was a break these few days, she did not see her getting enough rest. Through the windows, she could see thatte at night, the study room lights on the second floor would still be on.

    ¡°Missus, please rest well in the next two days. Nothing is more important than the baby.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently. She pulled her hair back and washed her hands, then slowly went out.

    She returned to sit back down at the dining table before softly saying, ¡°I know my own body. It¡¯s fine.¡± She gripped her chopsticks tightly while looking at the dishes before her. A few seconds passed before she finally managed to force herself to eat it.

    ¡°Missus, I¡¯ll prepare some more in and nutritious Crucian carp soup for you... Or how about you tell me if there¡¯s anything you want to eat? I¡¯ll make it for you...¡±

    She wanted to eat his honey sauce pork ribs...

    But...

    She paused before shaking her head. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine. Do as you see fits. I don¡¯t have many thoughts about it, but, Sis Wang, your cooking is quite simr to his. It¡¯s much better than the restaurants outside. All these home-cooked food are done quite well. I enjoy them.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gingerly picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs as she smiled at Sis Wang.

    ¡°Earlier, when I was helping Master in the kitchen, I would sometimes gauge the recipes. Furthermore, Master told me about your preferences.¡±

    Sis Wang smiled and looked Xi Xiaye with some admiration. She thought about it before continuing, ¡°Missus, Master is so good to you. I¡¯ve never seen such a considerate man such as Master. Missus, you¡¯ve really lucked out!¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye could not help but smile. She slowly swallowed the food and wiped her mouth before she responded, ¡°It¡¯s not just you. He also said to me that our happiness is sometimes built in the eyes of others, but I must admit he does treat me quite well.¡±

    ¡°Master didn¡¯t use to like talking much. I¡¯ve been looking after him every day even since before he left City Z. When Maple Residence was set up, I came over too. I feel like ever since you joined the family, Master has changed a lot.¡±

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he been the same? How has he changed?¡± Xi Xiaye felt like he was a two-faced profiteer, but he did not previously reveal himself. She had always thought he was a stiff and decent kind of person.

    ¡°Master was quite hostile back then and didn¡¯t like to talk much, but he¡¯s different now. A day before Master left, he even gave me directions for breakfast, just the way you like it.¡±

    Sis Wang sighed and paused. ¡°Especially after Master Lingtian¡¯s incident, even though I don¡¯t know what exactly happened, but that one time, Master must¡¯ve been heartbroken. After something happened to Master Lingtian, Master fell very sick. On the seventh day of Master Lingtian¡¯s passing, he was even drunk and had a high fever. Master Ah Mo and I were so worried. I was still a nurse then with Dr. Zhong in the intensive care unit.¡±

    Upon hearing all of this, Xi Xiaye was stunned. She could not help but feel pain in her heart. She stopped what she was doing, and thought about it, then sighed. ¡°He¡¯s like that. Even if he was incredibly upset, he wouldn¡¯t say a word. In the end, it¡¯s only him who suffers.¡±

    Nheless, he seemed to have told her many of his problems. Still, when he had shared them with her, his tone was mostly calm.

    Sis Wang nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how Master¡¯s like. But, Missus, ever since he married you, Maple Residence has be livelier. Everyone¡¯s waiting for the arrival of your little master or little princess. Master even told someone to set up two swings in the backyard two days ago, just right underneath the flower porch. They should be done quite soon.¡±

    ¡°Swings?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows in puzzlement.

    ¡°Yes, Master says that the backyard is quite huge, so we could just set up a simple yground.¡±

 Chapter 608 - Missing You Is A Required Course (2)

    <h4>Chapter 608: Missing You Is A Required Course (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye went back upstairs after a simple dinner. She then put on her sleeping robe and went to the study room after showering. After that, she started working on the data Lan Zng sent to her on theputer.

    However, not too long after she sat down, an icon popped up at the bottom right corner. In a nce, she noticed it was Su Nan.

    She clicked it open¡ª.

    Su Nan: <i>Xiaye, I¡¯m heading to the hospital tomorrow to wait for the delivery. There was a tiny ident yesterday, and when I went to the hospital for a check-up today, the doctor said I might have to deliver prematurely. I¡¯ve been advised to be hospitalized immediately.</i>

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she read her message. She quickly replied: <i>What happened? Where¡¯s Ruan Heng?</i>

    Su Nan replied: <i>I kind of slipped on the staircase, but it¡¯s no big deal actually. My estimated delivery date is pretty close. Ruan Heng has forbidden me from using my phone in the past few days so...</i>

    Xi Xiaye stopped replying and made a call instead.

    ¡°I thought you were asleep!¡± Su Nan¡¯s cheerful voice reached her ear.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really sleep early. Plus, I have some work to do. What¡¯s wrong? What did the doctor say?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Su Nan took a deep breath before letting out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m in the hospital now. I¡¯m just talking to you because I¡¯m feeling bored, so bored that I think I¡¯m getting sick! By the way, Xiaye, I forgot to tell you that Ruan Heng mentioned Yue Lingsi is hospitalized here as well. I heard she can¡¯t walk anymore as someone severed her hamstrings. She¡¯ll need to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Xi Xinyi didn¡¯t seem to care about her. She¡¯s pretty much useless now. I feel so relieved!¡±

    Su Nan only found out about what happened to Yue Lingsi earlier that day, but Xi Xiaye was aware of it a long time ago. The information she got from Mu Yuchen was far more urate.

    Both her legs could not walk again and one of her hands was severely injured. Her mobility would be extremely limited in the future. However, it surprised her that Yue Lingsi epted her new reality very easily. She thought she would be ranting andining now that she had be disabled!

    ¡°But Xi Xinyi had it good. I heard she moved into the Han Residence. Her baby¡¯s full moon celebration should be around the corner. Ugh, she¡¯s just like a cockroach! I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s still able to survive. I just don¡¯t get it! Han Yifeng is such a coward. How could he still ept a woman like her? He must be blind.¡± Su Nan started scolding her and making her feel ufortable.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled. ¡°Alright, stop getting angry. Set a good example for your baby!¡±

    ¡°How can I not be angry? The film she¡¯s been working on with Qi Kai is going to be released soon. She might make aeback with it! It¡¯s a wonder that she could make it through all that.¡±

    ¡°Just leave her be. As long as she doesn¡¯t overstep my boundaries, I don¡¯t really care. She¡¯s pretty tame right now. Mu Yuchen told me to not get into trouble with her. I¡¯m sure he has a n of some sort in mind. As for you, just stay in the hospital and wait for your safe delivery. I¡¯ll visit you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯te. Come only after I¡¯ve delivered. It¡¯s a hassleing here. Where¡¯s Master Mu? He¡¯s letting you work at night?¡±

    ¡°He went abroad. Alright, Nannan, you should rest now. I have an iing call. Bye.¡±

    ...

    It was not hard to guess a certain man would call her at this time since he should be just done with breakfast now.

    ¡°Why did you take so long to answer the call? Not sleeping yet?¡±

    The man¡¯s gentle voice reached her ear. He would call her every day at this time, and send her a text message every morning.

    She suddenly felt his presence as she heard his familiar voice. Since she was unable to see him, she felt a bit empty inside especially when the little thing inside her stomach was being mischievous. She hoped he could appear before her instantly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Not going to say anything?¡± He sounded concerned when she did not say anything. ¡°Are you feeling ufortable? Sis Wang told me your nausea was pretty strong just now. We can ask Dr. Zhong toe tomorrow, or even ask them to take you for a check-up at the hospital. I can make the arrangements.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She leaned back into the chair as she spoke in a child-like tone, ¡°I¡¯m just not used to it... When are youing back?¡±

    He smiled and felt a little bit helpless. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days. I told you toe with me, didn¡¯t I? Who insisted on staying back there? If you¡¯re afraid, I can ask Mother or Grandmother to stay with you for some time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I just feel that something isn¡¯t right. Something is making me ufortable. I miss you, Mr. Mu. Do you miss me?¡±

    It was so easy to express how much she missed him now. In the past, Xi Xiaye would never believe that she would act like this one day. Her eyes started to warm up as her voice turned hoarse.

    It was hard for Mu Yuchen to hide how happy he was on the other side of the phone. He sighed. ¡°Missing you is a required course. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m bing unreasonable now? I don¡¯t know why I¡¯ve be like this. It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Xi Xiaye knocked her own head. ¡°Good that you know. Lei Ya wants us to raise its points. I spoke to CEO Lei today. He isn¡¯t very well-mannered, so the negotiation broke down...¡±

    ¡°Let it be then. I know about that person. Didn¡¯t I ask Vice President Wen to meet him? How did it end up bing you? If something like this happens again in the future, just throw the dining tes at his face. Understand?¡± Mu Yuchen sounded unhappy and he used some harsh words.

    ¡°Vice President Wen is sick and took leave. tes? I¡¯m not as violent as you, Mr. Mu. Somehow, I can imagine the way you would smash tes. Oh, you¡¯d definitely look like a maddy...¡±

    She chuckled when she imagined a scene of him smashing tes with a hand on his waist.

    Heughed. ¡°Does your elegant Mr. Mu look like someone who¡¯d do that?¡±

    ¡°I remember someone admitting that he¡¯s despicable and shameless...¡±

    ¡°I am what you say I am. You should now pack up and go to sleep this moment. Take care of yourself and be good. Then, I¡¯ll bring back some gifts for you, alright?¡±

    ¡°Gifts? Do you think I¡¯m still a little girl?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just turn 18 this year?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

 Chapter 609 - Death (1)

    <h4>Chapter 609: Death (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the end, she still obeyed him obediently and went to bed right after she hung up on the call.

    As shey down on the bed in the empty bedroom, she stared at the ceiling. She could feel a part of herself missing as she reached her hand out to the spot beside her. The usual figure was not there for her to touch and she could not feel his warmth.

    This feeling...

    It was difficult for her to get used to. The quality of her sleep was terrible during this period of time. She slept lightly, and even though she slept quite long, she would wake up many times in the middle of the night.

    She was too used to being around him. With him here, she was not worried at all. He always prepared her outfit in the morning or even help her to change into it, and she found it difficult now that he left. Her old independent self was gone.

    She sighed. How could she have be like this?

    ...

    It was gettingte when she left the restaurant after dinner. Ji Zitong swiftly walked down the staircase, but she suddenly remembered the letter and halted mid-step. Swiftly, she turned around and red at Su Chen with her steely eyes. ¡°You can hand me back the letter now, Officer Su! I¡¯m very busy and don¡¯t have much time for you. Don¡¯t forget about tonight. You said that you owe me one!¡±

    Su Chen put his hands into his pockets as he raised his eyebrows and looked at the woman staring at him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t treating you to a meal tonight cancel that out? Moreover, do you think a careful person like me would just carry the letter everywhere with me? Come to my ce next weekend to take it. I¡¯m going abroad tomorrow and won¡¯t be in City Z for the next few days.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression darkened instantly. Her patience ran out as she clenched her fists and stared at Su Chen furiously. ¡°Su Chen! You¡¯re just messing with me. Are you really this pitiful to stoop down to bully a woman? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°Bully a woman? Embarrassed? Why didn¡¯t you think of yourself as a woman when you assaulted me? I¡¯m very satisfied with the oue today, so I¡¯ll give you back the letter. Tell me when you¡¯re avable and we¡¯ll meet.¡±

    Su Chen nced over at her before walking down the stairs. He waved his hand at the valet. The little guy quickly drove his car over for him.

    His car arrived momentster, and he walked past Ji Zitong.

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t change much from back then. No man would like you like this. No wonder back then...¡±

    ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s none of your business! Don¡¯t always act like you know everything!¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s expression worsened. There was no doubt that Su Chen had stepped on her old wound.

    Su Chen shrugged without giving her a second look and went straight into his car. As he was about to leave, the door to the front passenger seat opened suddenly as Ji Zitong entered and mmed the door.

    ¡°Send me back to get my car,¡± Ji Zitong said unhappily. There no way would she take a cab back!

    He took her there, so he had to send her back!

    Su Chen squinted at her, but he did not decline as he swiftly started his car.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you apply to be a military officer afterward? I remember that you were qualified, and I even heard that you have the full rights to pass instantly. You¡¯ve gathered a lot of achievements, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    He felt the surrounding air suffocating him as they were on the way back, so he tried to start a conversation.

    Su Chen found out from Ah Mo that she was working as Xi Xiaye¡¯s bodyguard.

    Ji Zitong seemed to be lost in her thoughts after she heard Su Chen¡¯s question. Her eyes darkened as she turned her head and looked outside the window. She stayed quiet for a long while as lights shed past her face.

    Su Chen did not say anything else and just sped up as she remained silent.

    After some time, Ji Zitong finally spoke up, ¡°I was worried that he¡¯d be waiting for too long. I wanted to save the rtionship. That¡¯s why I gave up.¡±

    Su Chen did not expect to hear her answer. He thought she was not going to answer him at all.

    He shook his head and sighed. ¡°Now, do you know why this upation doesn¡¯t earn the understanding of others? How could a man who needs you topromise be a good man? Just take it as a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Yes, all men are trash! Their mouths are full of lies.¡±

    Ji Zitongughed coldly and sucked a deep breath in. ¡°But I can only me myself for being foolish. I was too naive to believe in him so easily.¡±

    Su Chen smiled. ¡°That¡¯s some good insight for you, but that man looks like trash anyway. I don¡¯t understand how your eyes work. What attracts you to that man? His looks? Power? Money? And what do you mean by all men are trash? Isn¡¯t Instructor Mu a good man? Most of the men around me are great. You just haven¡¯t met them, so be more impartial.¡±

    Su Chen could not help but defend his brethren.

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment when he mentioned Mu Yuchen. She was reminded of how caring he was towards Xi Xiaye and had to admit that Chairman Mu was indeed a good man and a good husband. She always thought he was an aloof man during her days in camp and she could not understand why a man like him would join the army! However, a person of his calibre was very charismatic with his quiet personality, especially when he wore his uniform.

    Nheless, Ji Zitong still thought Mu Yuchen¡¯s current identity suited him better. Perhaps she thought being in the business world could further utilize his wisdom and charisma.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there aren¡¯t many men like Chairman Mu in the world. He¡¯s a special sample with extraordinary genes,¡± Ji Zitong replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s some harsh bias there. I¡¯m representing the whole male poption to protest against you. Ji Zitong, your mindset is very dangerous!¡± Su Chen frowned.

    Ji Zitong raised her eyebrows, shooting daggers at Su Chen sullenly as he questioned her opinion.

 Chapter 610 - Death (2)

    <h4>Chapter 610: Death (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Work gradually fell in ce in the next few days.

    Xi Xiaye went out early and came back homete at night as usual. She had a very busy schedule, and Ji Zitong stayed by her side at all times.

    In Xi Xiaye¡¯s office.

    Xi Xiaye was reading through the report submitted by the Finance Department on her table. One of the assistant managers was standing in front of her.

    ¡°How are things going with the New Era za? Are the events and festive seasons doing well?¡± Xi Xiaye scrawled her signature at the bottom swiftly as she asked without even raising her head to look at the assistant manager.

    ¡°From the data, the effect looks great. Ms. Caitlyn even appeared at the event personally. The crowd was hyped up. In addition to the effort of the Administrative and PR Department, the event was a huge sess.¡± The manager sounded pleased.

    Being able to work in Glory World was a fortunate turn of events for him. As long as one put the effort in, there would be opportunities to soar higher and get recognized, and the vast number of industries Glory World is involved in was something hispetitors would be jealous of!

    Of course, he would be delighted that hispany¡¯s business was doing well.

    Xi Xiaye nodded with a smile. She handed the document back to him as she raised her head. ¡°You guys have done well. The coboration between each department is superb. I¡¯ll be sure to ask Chairman Mu for a reward when he gets back.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Director Xi!¡± The man took the document from her gratefully.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She pointed at the door elegantly, signaling that he could leave now. The manager left with a smile on his face.

    However, he bumped into Xiao Mei at the door as she was about toe in.

    ¡°Director!¡± Xiao Mei rushed into the room in a panic.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned slightly when she saw Xiao Mei¡¯s expression full of anxiety.

    ¡°We just received a call from XX rehabilitation center. They... they say that your grandmother, Madam Deng, can¡¯t hold on any longer. She regained consciousness and said she wants to see you.¡± Xiao Mei¡¯s voice was trembling slightly. She took a deep breath and managed to finish her sentence.

    Thud!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s pen slipped out of her hand as she was stunned for a moment.

    Deng Wenwen?

    Her condition did not look well after the operationst time, and she could not have reallysted long anyway, but...

    Xi Xiaye was feeling sentimental. It was not exactly sadness she was feeling, but she did not feel great. After staying quiet for a little while, she stood up and grabbed her coat as Xiao Mei quickly called Ji Zitong.

    When Xi Xiaye arrived downstairs, Ji Zitong and two other bodyguards in ck suits were already waiting for her. Xi Xiaye did not say anything and went straight into the car.

    Ji Zitong turned around from the front passenger seat and asked Xi Xiaye, ¡°Director Xi, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°XX Rehabilitation Center.¡±

    Xi Xiaye put a hand onto her forehead in exhaustion. She massaged the space between her eyebrows and looked outside the window, wanting some silence.

    It was around noon when they arrived at the rehabilitation center and the sun was still up, but the cold wind kept on blowing. Xi Xiaye wrapped herself up with her coat to withstand the wind around her as she walked through the corridor quietly with Ji Zitong and the two bodyguards behind her.

    When she arrived at Deng Wenwen¡¯s room, she noticed someone else outside. It was a familiar figure.

    ¡°Ms. Xiaye!¡±

    Xi Xiaye then realized it was Han Yifeng¡¯s assistant, Secretary Wang!

    Xi Xiaye nodded and turned around to look inside the room. Secretary Wang then said, ¡°Ms. Xinyi is inside. Elder Madam regained consciousness just now and said she wanted to see you, so the hospital gave you a call. We can¡¯t reach Mayor Xi¡¯s phone...¡±

    Xi Xinyi?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened, but they soon returned to normal.

    Father should be sleeping at this moment.

    Without pausing, she went in together with Ji Zitong while the two bodyguards in ck suits waited outside the door.

    There was a suffocating atmosphere inside the room. Apanied by the sound of the machine beeping and her heavy breathing, she seemed to be struggling.

    Xi Xinyi was standing beside the bed. She had almost fully recovered after nearly a month of rest and seemed very well right now. She should be enjoying her life pleasantly as ofte with her child¡¯s full moon celebration around the corner.

    Xi Xinyi turned to the door when she heard footsteps, and she saw Xi Xiaye in an all-ck outfit.

    She tied her hair into a clean bun while therge coat totally hid her belly. With her usual elegant face and indifferent expression, Xi Xiaye nced over at her before walking towards the other side of the bed.

    Deng Wenwen looked extremely weak. Perhaps because she noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s arrival, she slowly opened her eyes, hardly able to focus, and could only see Xi Xiaye¡¯s blur figure. She blinked several times as if she was trying to gain rity in her sight.

    Xi Xiaye watched Deng Wenwen from above with her expression still indifferent. At that moment, she felt she seemedical andmentable, but she could see a tint of regret in Deng Wenwen¡¯s eyes!

    Regret!

    She had started to regain a little bit of consciousness since the operationst time, but she never visited again since then. Now, she was truly reaching her end.

    Deng Wenwen had worked so hard all her life, used up all kinds of tricks and strategies, and this was what happened to her in the end. Was this not sad and ludicrous itself?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes turned dull. She was not sure what she felt right now, but the situation did make her feel oddly ufortable. How should she be facing Deng Wenwen right now?

 Chapter 611 - Death (3)

    <h4>Chapter 611: Death (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Deng Wenwen struggled hard. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at her for a long while. Her frail hand then trembled as it reached for Xi Xiaye by her side, and her breathing became a little urgent. She did not even have the energy to say a word as she was still panting heavily.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that hand reaching for her, she fell silent for a while before she finally sighed and reached out to gently hold her curved fist. That stubborn air of keeping her at arm¡¯s length could be felt through the palms. Xi Xiaye could also still feel her hand gently trembling in her slightly warm palms.

    Deng Wenwen breathed in a rush several times as she looked at Xi Xiaye with much effort. There were some waterdrops on the corner of her mouth as she spoke with much difficulty, ¡°Thank you... Thank you foring... I¡¯m... I¡¯m... sorry...¡±

    As she stammered this, dull tears started to fall from her misty eyes. She looked quite pitiful and helpless as she was probably enduring extreme pain. Her disoriented gaze teared up. When she saw that, it only made Xi Xiaye feel sorrowful and slightly bad.

    She did not know how to answer her right now.

    Deng Wenwen was the main reason for everything that happened today!

    If it were not for her, Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna would not have been separated. Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi would not be there too, and their family would not be broken up. Perhaps their family would still be living harmoniously.

    However, because of her selfish desires, everything changed.

    Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna, who were clearly so in love with each other, were forced to separate while she was frequently bullied by Xi Xinyi, and now...

    An indifferent sneer shed across Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips as her tone was quite nonchnt. ¡°If you saw this daying, would you have acted differently? Were all those things really that important? What¡¯s so bad about happily living some ordinary life? Did you have to be so greedy?¡±

    When she heard this, Deng Wenwen seemed to cry even harder. She stammered and it was hard to hear her, but Xi Xiaye could hear the words of regret while her frail hand trembled harder and harder.

    ¡°I let you down... I let your mother down! I¡¯ve done many horrid things in my life... and my life isn¡¯t ending well. This is my karma... Can you... Can you forgive me?¡±

    Deng Wenwen was already so weak that she could not say much, and even Xi Xiaye could hear that her voice was very low, but she could still hear her clearly. She did not feel much sympathy. Right now, she was filled with more sorrow than anything else.

    What was there to forgive or not?

    She had long been disillusioned. After that knife, her heart had turned as cold as metal.

    Her lips curved up as she smiled apathetically and sighed softly. When she looked up, she unexpectedly saw Xi Xinyi looking disgusted across the bed. She thought about it and finally shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Even if I say that I forgive you, my heart might not be willing to. The happiness of the first half of life, mine, my father¡¯s, my mother¡¯s... They¡¯ve all been ruined by you. If you were me, could you forgive yourself?¡±

    Deng Wenwen trembled even harder now. She panted with much difficulty and could barely catch her breath.

    ¡°I... I know... but... but I can only say sorry... This is my karma. I... I... can only wish you all happiness... Please help me say sorry to your parents... I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    Her voice turned softer as it slowly faded. Her eyes lost focus, and they slowly closed. Her trembling body turned limp, yet in that instant, the hand that Xi Xiaye held gently suddenly gripped onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s tightly. Xi Xiaye could vaguely feel something being stuffed into her palm.

    It felt like a key...

    Deng Wenwen finally inhaled herst breath. When Xi Xinyi saw that, her expression changed. Her emotions started to shift and she quickly ran to the door to shout, ¡°Doctor! Doctor!¡±

    Upon hearing the shouts, the doctors rushed in quickly, and Xi Xiaye quietly retreated to the side.

    The doctors quickly checked on Deng Wenwen. In the end, they shook their heads and straightened up to announce heavily, ¡°The elder is gone. Our condolences.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xinyi frowned. Her expression contained a mix of emotions while she could not describe how she felt. After a while, shey on Deng Wenwen¡¯s bedside and started to weep while holding her cold hand.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent too. An upset feeling rose in her chest as she felt dazed and suddenly felt weak. Ji Zitong swiftly came up to hold her, her beautiful eyes filled with worry and concern.

    ¡°Director Xi, my condolences!¡± Ji Zitong softly said.

    Xi Xiaye sighed, and then slowly shut her eyes. She nodded gently and eased for a bit before opening her eyes as she looked at Deng Wenwen who had just passed. What entered her heart was unexpectedly a faint brush of grief.

    Did this mean that all the past grudges were written off now?

    Xi Xiaye could not help butugh at herself pathetically. Gloominess gathered in her chest. In that instant, she hesitated and thought about it, and then looked at the person who had passed and said quietly, ¡°Live more easily in the next life, no matter what, I do hope you will be able to enter paradise.¡±

    She then looked away, taking her sunsses out from her pocket and putting it on before turning to leave.

    When she left the room, Xi Xiaye suddenly said softly with an indescribable sorrow in her tone, ¡°Zitong, help me inform Manager Ah Mo to help me make the arrangements for the funeral.¡±

    Following her, Ji Zitong silently nodded. ¡°Yes, Director Xi!¡±

    The sun was shining outside. Xi Xiaye stood underneath the sunlight for a while. when she saw the car that came from the front. She was about to get in when Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! I want to have a chat with you!¡±

    When she heard that voice, Xi Xiaye stopped and turned to look.

    Xi Xinyi was standing right behind her with a servant holding an umbre for her. She did not look at sorry as before. Instead, she looked like a vile character who had gotten what she wanted.

    Xi Xiaye examined her indifferently. She was quite surprised that Xi Xinyi had been rather well-behaved recently. Apart from being busy with the newly released film and filming the new show, she would sometimes attend charity banquets in the past few months, maintaining a lower profile than before.

    However, she did not think there was anything to discuss with her since they only went back and forth on the same topics. Because she was annoyed with them now, she did not answer her. Instead, she turned and continued to walk ahead as the bodyguards respectfully opened the car door for her.

 Chapter 612 - Joy and Sorrow, Affairs of Life! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 612: Joy and Sorrow, Affairs of Life! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Missus, this way!¡±

    Mu Yuchen had specially ordered for these bodyguards. They would not let Xi Xiaye be in contact with such dangerous people.

    So, once they saw Xi Xinyi appear, one of the bodyguards had already gone up to protect her while Ji Zitong stayed to wait for Ah Mo toe and settle Deng Wenwen¡¯s funeral matters.

    This was initially Xi Mushan¡¯s responsibility, but now that he was not there, she had to do it for him.

    Xi Xiaye knew that Xi Mushan hated Deng Wenwen to the bone as well. In regard to Deng Wenwen¡¯s matters, he had only told the rehabilitation center to inform him of her situation once in a while. However, now that Deng Wenwen had passed away, he should still be asleep ording to the time difference, so she considered only telling him after.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! I have something to say to you!¡±

    When she saw that Xi Xiaye ignored her, Xi Xinyi quickly went up to her, wanting to pull her, but the bodyguards swiftly stopped her beside Xi Xiaye. They cruelly separated them, not allowing Xi Xinyi to get closer.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to say to you. You can now go back and decide if you want to order a few more wreaths for Deng Wenwen. After all, she has been good to the two of you. Shouldn¡¯t you do your filial duty?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold voice was filled with in mockery.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. It¡¯d be much better than your ungratefulness! Wasn¡¯t it you who pushed everyone to where we are today? If you didn¡¯t let Mu Yuchen take action, Yueying would¡¯ve still been fine. The Xi family would¡¯ve just been fine too! You¡¯re a truly sly, despicable, shameless, nasty person! You¡¯re just pretending to be all nonchnt! Xi Xiaye, you really do have some tricks up your sleeves! I, Xi Xinyi, am not as scheming as you! On top of that, my mother¡¯s schemes can¡¯tpare to your mother, Shen Wenna¡¯s!¡± Xi Xinyi patted her arm firmly as she spoke through gritted teeth. Her red little face was colored in a fit of anger and she looked a little sinister.

    ¡°You ruined the Xi family! If grandfather were still around, do you think he¡¯d have forgiven you? As horrible as I may be, I would not take the Xi family down. Because of you two, Father even gave his promotion for a high official position up. He gave everything up, and the two of you still had the heart to take the Xi family out. You didn¡¯t even consider Father¡¯s feelings at all! I was bullied by you. I¡¯ve underestimated you and I lost. I admit that! So, you can say whatever you want since everyone thinks you¡¯re so innocent. They all think you¡¯re the victim! What about me? Who has ever thought about me?¡±

    Indignantly, she could not tamp the anger in her heart down.

    Xi Xiaye smiled apathetically as she turned around to shoot Xi Xinyi a half-hearted sympathetic look. ¡°Xi Xinyi, before you decided to take me out, tell me. Have I ever hurt you?¡±

    Her merciless twinkling eyes met Xi Xinyi¡¯s furious gaze whilst her cold gaze hid a sliver of sharpness. She stared at Xi Xinyi without blinking.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned by this question, yet her back remained straight as a ramrod! She could not lose to this woman in such an imposing manner!

    ¡°Can¡¯t answer that, can you?¡± Xi Xiaye snorted as she slowly averted her gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve never owed you anything, yet you just put all your unhappiness onto me and keeping for me, setting me up while I continued to tolerate you time and time again. Have you ever let me off? Why is it that you can do things by hook or by crook, and I can¡¯t? Why is it that I have to just watch you not having qualms with taking over Yueying and having the Xi family while I can¡¯t? Do you think I¡¯m a fool? The Xi family is truly over and done with scum like you lot!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! It was you who destroyed the Xi family. You even chased everyone out!¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you forget that West Park was given to me by grandfather before he passed away! He was worried about leaving the Xi family in your hands. Was he not?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words cut like a knife straight into Xi Xinyi¡¯s heart, and she turned pale in an instant.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never gone against you. When we were younger, I treated you like a ymate. When you entered the Xi family, you stole all the things I liked but did I say anything? Did I bully, hit, or scold you? I just wanted some peace, and grow up sooner so that I could leave home, but as for you, since we were young, you wouldn¡¯t let go of everything I liked. Whether they were toys or people, you¡¯ve always had such perverse thoughts. You should¡¯ve taken meds and cured yourself. Didn¡¯t you make Han Yifeng hate you by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Do you know where he is? Did you go looking for him again! Tell me! Did you go seducing him again?¡± Xi Xinyi clenched her fists as her low voice softly cursed.

    Xi Xiaye ignored her. She was like a madwoman, biting and snapping everywhere.

    However, by the looks of it, did Han Yifeng not like Xi Xinyi anymore?

    <i>Xinyi and I have an unforgettable love! </i>

    The scene of Han Yifeng saying this with a flood of infatuation shed in her mind again. She could not help but sneer.

    His pledge of undying love was only worth that much. Who could guarantee eternity?

    The past could not be changed while the future could only be hoped for. All we could be sure of was the present.

    She did not stay and just got into the car as the bodyguards quickly closed the door. Xi Xinyi wanted to chase after them, yet the bodyguards pulled her away. When Xi Xiaye¡¯s car had slowly driven away, they let go of Xi Xinyi, and then they got into another car and followed after them.

    The car was still driving ahead while Xi Xiaye sat behind in exhaustion. She closed her heavy eyes while alternate scenes kept shing in her mind. There were images ranging from Deng Wenwen scolding her, and in the end, it evolved to be the image of Deng Wenwen begging for her forgiveness in the ward earlier.

    She was not sure how long had passed before she pushed those alternating images aside. She slowly opened her eyes and opened her palm to look.

    Indeed, a delicate keyy quietly in her palm.

    It was the one that Deng Wenwen had stuffed into her palm at herst breath.

    Actually, she did not quite understand what Deng Wenwen meant. Was this to make up for something? Was it a sh of realization on her deathbed? Or something else?

    Xi Xiaye did not have to guess. It should be that so-called inheritance which was what Yue Lingsi was looking for. With the message on the key, it should be fairly easy to locate the safe.

    However, she was not interested in those things. The card that Mu Yuchen had given her was probably enough for her to live tens of lifetimes.

    Suddenly, she really missed him. She could not express her sorrow either. After she thought about it, she then took her phone out as she put the key away. Without further thought, she called his number.

 Chapter 613 - Joy and Sorrow, Affairs of Life! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 613: Joy and Sorrow, Affairs of Life! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As she expected, he was still awake. It should be past midnight over there by now.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡± The warmth of his voice softened her heart, making the negative feelings inside her subside a little. She started speaking after she calmed down, ¡°Deng Wenwen passed away.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not hide the grief in her tone.

    Mu Yuchen went quiet. He immediately stopped what he was doing and straightened his back. Then, he stood up from his chair momentster to walk towards therge window and looked outside into the sea of stars. He let out a sigh before asking, ¡°Feeling sad?¡±

    Actually, he just received a call from the hospital informing him that Deng Wenwen had passed away. He was thinking about giving her a call, but she called him instead.

    Xi Xiaye did not answer his question. ¡°Just now, when she was still conscious, she asked me for forgiveness.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Mu Yuchen asked quietly.

    He instantly figured out Xi Xiaye¡¯s answer when she did not give a reply, so he thenforted her, ¡°Okay, what¡¯s gone is gone. She¡¯s been struggling for a very long time, so this should be a relief for her. I¡¯ll ask Ah Mo to handle her funeral. You don¡¯t have to worry about this. I¡¯ll talk to Father about this as well.¡±

    ¡°I just realized that it actually hurts to see her go. I thought I¡¯d feel happier... With so many things that happened in the past, I doubt she saw thising.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be sad about? It¡¯s good to feel something over it. Experiencing the loss of someone teaches us about our inability to control life and death. We still need to move on and keep living. Let the deceased rest in peace. You should move on as well,¡± heforted her gently.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°After struggling for all her life, she ended up like that. Karma does indeed do its work.¡±

    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s fate, but your fate lies in your own hands. You decide what kind of life you live. What happened to her today was all caused by her own choices. We might feel sad for her, but more importantly, we could learn something.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I get it. Let¡¯s have a simple funeral. Let her rest in peace. I could feel her regret and insight during her final moments, but I couldn¡¯t verbally forgive her as I remembered all the unfortunate events and faults in the past. Now that I think about it, she¡¯s already dead. What else can I do with those feelings?¡±

    She let out a long sigh before rubbing the space between her eyebrows.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be too sad about it. I¡¯ll tell Ah Mo to handle the funeral. You don¡¯t have to go to the office in the next two days. Just stay at home and rest.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll be fine after a good night¡¯s sleep. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Hey, aren¡¯t you going to sleep soon?¡± She suddenly felt much better as she listened to his voice.

    ¡°Your Mr. Mu fights on the front line. I¡¯m earning money for our baby¡¯s milk form. How are you feeling? Did our child torture you again?¡±

    She smiled a little listening to him. ¡°Father¡¯s been secretly keeping money enough to feed him several lives over already.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any secret stash. It¡¯s all with you, isn¡¯t it? Answer my question, Xiaye.¡±

    Sheughed. All the cards inside the drawer were mostly hers now. He rarely used them as she used them more often.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. It¡¯s just that the nausea is a bit strong at times. The baby is probably used to your presence, so it started making a fuss after you left.¡±

    ¡°How dare he? I¡¯m going to punish him!¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t really started now, but the doctor says I¡¯ll be able to feel it in my fifth month of pregnancy. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s true. I don¡¯t really feel anything when I touch my bump at night.¡±

    The two of them started talking about the little thing inside her, and they could not stop...

    Although Mu Yuchen called Xi Mushan to inform him of Deng Wenwen¡¯s death, Xi Mushan had already received a call from the rehabilitation center about it. Xi Xiaye gave it some consideration before giving Xi Mushan a call. By the time she did, it was at the end of a long day.

    Xi Mushan was standing by the staircase outside the front yard, listening to the call as he watched Shen Wenna sitting on the swing.

    Shen Wenna had gone through several surgeries and was still under recovery, so she still had bandages over her eyes as she still went to the hospital every week for her check-up. The doctor said her progress was going well and she should be able to remove the bandages by next month. If nothing went wrong, she could go home after a week of observation post-bandage removal.

    It was all thanks to Xi Mushan¡¯s care for her.

    Shen Wenna had already gotten used to Xi Mushan¡¯s shameless attitude. No matter how mercilessly she treated him, Xi Mushan acted as if he did not notice it and would follow her everywhere. Because of her daughter and son-inw were not there, there was no one else to take care of her except Xi Mushan, thus she had to rely on him for many things.

    She gradually got used to it and let him do whatever he wanted.

    ¡°Father, she apologized to me during her final moments. She also wanted me to apologize to both of you, and she wished for our happiness.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice reached him.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s expression looked cold as he frowned without showing much emotion on the surface. He remained quiet for a long time.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the funeral, Mu Yuchen had Ah Mo to take care of it, I hope for her to leave in peace, you just have to take care of mother over there, I¡¯ll send her off.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not want Xi Mushan toe back personally. There was no point for him to do so since she had already passed away. His return now would only cause more trouble.

    Xi Mushan was still quiet. In the end, he nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, Xiaye. These... should¡¯ve been my responsibilities, but you¡¯ve taken care of them for me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she leaned back in the chair. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything as long as Mother and you can be on good terms.¡±

 Chapter 614 - Compromise (1)

    <h4>Chapter 614: Compromise (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan smiled sheepishly when he heard Xi Xiaye. He felt a little embarrassed for his daughter to see him this way.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen and I hope that you and Mother can be together again, but we can¡¯t really do much. It all boils down to you in order to change Mother¡¯s mind. She has never forgotten about you.¡± Xi Xiaye remembered what Shen Wenna told her before, so she could not help but chuckle a little.

    When Xi Mushan heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s chuckle, he seemed to be affected, and the gloominess in him faded quite a bit too. He could not help but probe, ¡°Did she tell you that her heart still belongs to me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, Father, I¡¯m sure you know what happened to Mu Yuchen and I. After we got registered, Mother told me Mu Yuchen is great and she wants me to treat him dearly, and then she suddenly mentioned you. She said you have this aura around you, that you¡¯re knowledgeable and handsome. You¡¯re the image of her ideal husband.¡±

    ¡°She really said that?¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s expression softened as he looked at Shen Wenna sitting on the swing. His eyes turned soft.

    ¡°Mmm! The current you must¡¯ve been more mature. Basically, you¡¯ve withstood the trial of time, so you have to keep it up, Father.¡± Xi Xiaye was not sure what she should say for encouragement, thus that was what she came up with.

    Xi Mushan nodded and smiled delightedly. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll try my best. She¡¯s right here with me. Do you want to talk to her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll call her next time. I have an iing call and I¡¯ve got to go.¡±

    ...

    As their conversation ended, Xi Mushan kept his phone away and then walked towards Shen Wenna.

    ¡°Who called you?¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s hearing had be extremely sharp after she lost her sight. She caught a sentence or two from their conversation just now.

    Xi Mushan put a windbreaker over Shen Wenna¡¯s shoulders before he sat down beside her and spoke, ¡°It¡¯s Xiaye. Deng Wenwen passed away.¡±

    Shen Wenna was stunned for a moment. Then, she lowered her head without saying anything.

    ¡°Xiaye said she wanted her to tell us that she¡¯s sorry and that she wished us happiness,¡± Xi Mushan continued. Shen Wenna was not showing any emotion on her face as she just nodded quietly. ¡°Are you going back?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s feelings about Deng Wenwen were numb. The main cause of most tragedies was her, but what could she do now?

    Maybe the best way was to let all the past conflicts be buried with her.

    Xi Mushan looked at her and asked, ¡°Do you want me to go back?¡±

    Shen Wenna raised her head, her hand moving slightly. ¡°You can go back if you want to.¡± She had some indescribable feelings in her heart.

    Their time together here was pleasant. Although she would throw tantrums and give him trouble at times, he never got angry with her at all. He was just like back when they were still together, wholeheartedly epting and tolerating her.

    She was touched, but at the same time, she was also struggling about what to do. After some consideration, she decided to let nature take its course.

    She was just wondering if things would be chaotic again once they got back. There was still Yue Lingsi and her daughter, Xi Xinyi, back in City Z after all.

    ¡°How I wish I should¡¯ve been wary of Yue Lingsi back then! Maybe all of these wouldn¡¯t have happened. I thought about a lot of thingstely. Everyone holds responsibility for it. I was too careless to let her stay with us. I thought Deng Wenwen brought her in because of her rtionship with the Yue family. Moreover, I¡¯ve always known that she loved you. Her feelings towards you were probably greater than mine.¡± Shen Wenna smiled, her tone seeming calm.

    ¡°Actually, we befriended each other because of you. She knew you were close to me. That¡¯s why she became friends with me. She always asked me about you, your interests, and your habits, hence I knew she was in love with you a long time ago. She became really desperate as she could not get you. It¡¯s been thirty years. I¡¯m surprised by her determination and courage. I might be impressed if she had not pulled all the dirty tricks. I have to admit that she did sacrifice a whole lot more than I did.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I cannot ept her. I shouldn¡¯t just ept her because she made more sacrifices! Wenna, we¡¯ve known each other for over forty years. You should know how I feel. I love you and only you. It¡¯s my fault in the past, so you don¡¯t have to defend her. You have all the right to me it on me. I don¡¯t mind that you me me, but please, don¡¯t say any of those hurtful words anymore. I¡¯ve lost everything. I don¡¯t want to lose you too.¡±

    Xi Mushan suddenly extended his arms out and grabbed Shen Wenna¡¯s pair of hands.

    Shen Wenna did not struggle. She just sat there quietly and let him hold her hands. ¡°You were married to her, and you even have a daughter...¡± she whispered as she felt a slight pain in her chest.

    ¡°That was a mistake. I¡¯ve never mistreated her daughter or her. She fulfilled her wish to marry into the Xi family. That¡¯s her own choice. It doesn¡¯t matter how much she sacrificed. It¡¯s none of my business. When we signed our names on the papers, I told her that I¡¯d never fall in love with her! I only have this much feelings to give, and I¡¯ve given them all to you. I can¡¯t forget about you. I was always worried... We were a married couple once, and we have a daughter too. I gave everything up and now beg you to give me a chance, Wenna. I¡¯m really afraid that you¡¯ll say no.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been an evil person. Why is it so difficult to fulfill my happiness?¡±

    Xi Mushan was having a heartache and felt like he was slowly losing his strength. All these helpless emotions drowned him. What else could he do?

    He took a deep breath and let go of Shen Wenna¡¯s hands.

    ¡°My feelings for you have never changed. If you¡¯re unwilling to give me another chance, I¡¯ll leave after your recovery and will never bother you ever again.¡±

    He did not care for anything else but her happiness.

 Chapter 615 - Compromise (2)

    <h4>Chapter 615: Compromise (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he finished, Shen Wenna felt a heaviness in her chest. Suddenly, she felt a pang of sadness, yet she did not say anything.

    Xi Mushan looked down at the two fallen leaves by her feet with a bleak and lonely expression. The air around him felt so sorrowful that she could feel it. She lifted a hand to fix the windbreaker as she contemted for a moment, then slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to leave either. Some things take time to straighten out, but even if we try hard, some things cannot go back to how it was.¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll start now. What¡¯s so bad about that? If you¡¯re still willing, I don¡¯t mind courting you again, just like how I did back then. Push away all the unhappiness. The children are all grown up now, so we can start a new life too.¡±

    When he heard Shen Wenna, a flicker of hope appeared in Shen Wenna¡¯s eyes as he fixed her eyes on her.

    After a long silence, Shen Wenna still did not answer him. She just calmly looked up and called for her little poodle that was ying not too far away. ¡°Little Apple,e here! While the weather¡¯s good, let Grandfather clean you up. You stink now!¡±

    Upon hearing Shen Wenna¡¯s voice, the pampered and yful Little Apple eagerly scampered over and rushed to Shen Wenna¡¯s feet before climbing onto Shen Wenna¡¯sp. She carefully petted it then turned to say to Xi Mushan, ¡°Give Little Apple a bath. Last night, he smelled when he climbed into my nket. I think he must have gotten something on him.¡±

    As Xi Mushan looked down at Little Apple thaty on Shen Wenna¡¯sp and enjoyed her petting with its eyes narrowed, he could not help but feel a little jealous.

    Xi Mushan could not evenpare to this pet on herp!

    ¡°Then, let him sleep with me tonight. Your sight is an inconvenience. This little thing¡¯s ws are quite sharp. It¡¯d be bad if you¡¯re hurt.¡±

    Sighing to himself, he wondered when he could be treated like Little Apple.

    Earlier, to his relief, Shen Wenna did not clearly reject him. If she really said ¡°okay¡±, then he...

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s funeral was simple, especially since Xi Xiaye did not inform anyone either. She was buried in the West Hill Cemetery ording to Ah Mo¡¯s arrangements.

    The day of her burial was a gloomy day. Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo went over, and as expected, Xi Xinyi and the Han family were nowhere to be seen. They said that it was the Han family¡¯s little master, who was Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi¡¯s son¡¯s full moon banquet soon. Therefore, they could not be in contact with such ominous things.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she smiled dismally and felt sad for Deng Wenwen.

    This was the granddaughter that Deng Wenwen had been protecting before! The Han family that she had prioritized!

    At such a time, you could truly see through these people¡¯s natures and their hypocrisy. Deng Wenwen was just one of the tragedies among the many out there.

    At the bottom of West Hill Cemetery, Xi Xiaye slowly got down from the car and Ji Zitong quickly shielded her with an umbre as Sis Wang walked over to help her put on a pure white corsage.

    Xi Xiaye looked down at the corsage on her chest that was as white as snow, feeling a little gloomy. She did not want to feel sad any further, so she picked up her pace and walked up.

    When she reached Deng Wenwen¡¯s tombstone, Deng Wenwen was already buried and at rest. Ah Mo and the other eight ck-suited bodyguards waited on the side. All of them had solemn expressions. When they saw Xi Xiaye walk over, they lowered their heads in sync to observe a moment of silence.

    Xi Xiaye put a bouquet of white daisies before Deng Wenwen¡¯s tombstone as she quietly watched the picture on the tombstone for a long while.

    ¡°Sis-inw.¡± Mu Lingshi walked over a little worriedly, gazing at Xi Xiaye in concern.

    Xi Xiaye regained her senses. She looked at her and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Give me the joss stick.¡±

    Sis Wang immediately lit the joss stick and handed it to Xi Xiaye who epted it and bowed three times before handing it to Sis Wang to stick it in.

    ¡°The Han family and Xi Xinyi don¡¯t seem to being. It¡¯s quite sad for Madam Deng.¡± Mu Lingshi could not help but sigh.

    Xi Xiaye smiled bitterly. She had long seen through their true colors, so she was not surprised. If they could abandon Deng Wenwen, what else could they look forward to now? Xi Xinyi could not wait to cast this side of the family away, especially since Yue Lingsi was also crippled now.

    When she saw the sadness in Xi Xiaye¡¯s smile, Mu Lingshi sighed to herself and said softly, ¡°Sis-inw, if you¡¯re done paying your respects, then let¡¯s go home. It¡¯s a little chilly here. Brother is very worried about you.¡±

    ¡°You all go down and wait for me. I want to be myself for a while. Just get Ah Mo to stay back. There are still some things I need to settle,¡± Xi Xiaye said softly.

    When Mu Lingshi heard her request, she subconsciously turned to Ah Mo beside her. When Ah Mo gave her a reassuring gaze, she then nodded to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Okay then, Sis-inw, don¡¯t be too down. While one passes as the light goes out, pray that she¡¯ll enter paradise sooner.¡±

    Xi Xiaye acknowledged herforting words. Then, Mu Lingshi then went down with the row of people. Ji Zitong did not leave, still holding up therge ck umbre for Xi Xiaye.

    Ah Mo did not know how to console her either. He thought about it then said, ¡°My condolences, Missus. Master says to not be too sad. This is all just a moment for everyone¡¯s release. With Madam Deng¡¯s passing, some grudges can also go with her. This is a good thing. For Madam Deng, this would be the best ce to return to.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know. Actually, from the moment she said sorry, perhaps everyone should have felt a little relieved. I just hope that she¡¯ll do well over there.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she suddenly reached into her pocket and whipped a key out. She handed it to Ah Mo.

    ¡°This is the key to her safe deposit box. There are some things inside... Just donate it all in her name to a charity organization or orphanage.¡± Xi Xiaye just casually tossed the key as Ah Mo caught it by reflex.

    ¡°Missus, this is what Madam Deng left for...¡± Ah Mo looked hesitantly at Xi Xiaye, not immediately taking it.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need these things. Just consider it as gaining karma for her. In this lifetime... Let¡¯s hope she lives in an ordinary family in the next lifetime. Perhaps she¡¯ll be happier.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s gaze dimmed. After that, he nodded. He wanted to say something when he suddenly heard some footsteps from behind him. So did Xi Xiaye, and the few of them turned to look at the source of the sound.

    Unexpectedly, it was Qi Lei!

    With his handsome face and his slightly demonic charm from his tall figure, he held a bouquet of white daisies in his hand as he walked towards them in huge strides.

 Chapter 616 - Baby Boy or Baby Girl? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 616: Baby Boy or Baby Girl? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he saw Qi Lei¡¯s figure, Ah Mo¡¯s expression shifted. Vignce shed in Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes as she looked at Ah Mo.

    The two of them exchanged a look, and then their eyes were fixed on Qi Lei who walked over in huge strides.

    Qi Lei did not seem to notice their gazes. He stopped casually beside Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°I thought that the person handling her funeral would be Xi Xinyi, but it turned out to be you.¡±

    Qi Lei set the flowers down before Deng Wenwen¡¯s tombstone. He straightened up as he spoke with a smile curved on his lips, ¡°I heard that the Han family has been busy organizing a banquet recently. With this unexpected development, they have to pick a new date.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not respond and justughed mockingly.

    ¡°She¡¯s plotted and struggled all her life, but this is how it ends. It¡¯s quite a tragic way to end her life. Nheless, I do have to thank her. If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t have known you. If I agreed to her request then, how do you think things would turn out now?¡± Qi Lei spoke inly. His expression did not change and his tone was devoid of any emotion.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know what would happen either, but I do know that I¡¯m not a fool who¡¯ll be manipted.¡±

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye sighed to herself too. If it were not for her, she would not have gotten married to Mu Yuchen. Whatever it was, this was all just fate and chance.

    After that, she added, ¡°Thank you foring.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled as he shrugged. ¡°How rare of you to thank me.¡±

    He thought about it. The scene of his conversation with Mu Yuchen on the rooftop shed in his mind again. The curve on his lips widened and he looked amusedly at her elegant face. His gaze made Xi Xiaye frown slightly.

    ¡°Did you tell Mu Yuchen that I was a good person?¡±

    His mocking voice was teasing. When he looked around and did not see Mu Yuchen, he asked curiously, ¡°Where¡¯s he? Didn¡¯t hee with you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him indifferently. ¡°If you were a good person, then there would be no bad people on this Earth!¡±

    Qi leiughed out loud before he replied nonchntly, ¡°You¡¯re a woman who doesn¡¯t say what she thinks! Even Mu Yuchen gave me a positive assessment!¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She took the flowers against her chest, and then put it on the tombstone. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Qi Lei reached out to stop her. When Ji Zitong saw his attempt, she immediately went up and blocked him.

    ¡°Okay, okay, is it that bad telling the truth?¡± Qi Lei took a step back and said helplessly, ¡°The 15th of next month is my mother¡¯s 55th birthday. The Qi family will be organizing a banquet. I hope that you two cane over and support them. You will help me with this, won¡¯t you?¡±

    The internal state of Qi Kai Corporation was in turmoil. The sly fox Qi Qiming had done many things secretly whenever Wang Qin rxed these past few years, so many people were now on his side, while the strength on Wang Qin¡¯s side had weakened quite a bit. Since he had decided to fight for certain things, now would be the time to take action.

    Glory World and Qi Kai were in a partnership. In fact, Qi Lei was in charge of this project. On the surface, they looked like partners, but Mu Yuchen¡¯s tricks ran deeper. He would not take it easy on the surface. Nevertheless, in the dark, if that was so, why would he not just give Mu Yuchen some face? After all, Mu Yuchen himself had acknowledged that they could be coborators!

    Was he preparing for a rainy day?

    Qi Lei was not a fool and would take advantage whenever he could!

    The key right now was how to make his way into the higher management of Qi Kai. Even though he held the position as the Deputy CEO, Qi Qiming did not assign him any huge project responsibilities. Even in the South River project, he was just there as a designation. He did not know when Qi Qiming would remove him from it.

    That was why he had been thinking of finding a new way out, and that was the coboration between Fuhua Real Estate and Glory World. That would be an excellent chance for him. Of course, this chance must be personally invited by the CEO of Fuhua and supported by Mu Yuchen of Glory World before he could rise.

    Qi Qiming did not even take him into ount since he was busy fighting with Wang Qin. They both wanted their own people to get this project. If he wanted to emerge as a new force to be reckoned with, he could only ept Mu Yuchen¡¯s suggestion.

    Wang Qin¡¯s birthday banquet?

    Xi Xiaye frowned in surprise. She could not help but feel puzzled. If she remembered correctly, word around the circle was that Wang Qin never liked such asions, so why would she suddenly organize a birthday banquet this time?

    She chose her words carefully, and then suppressed her puzzlement before responding, ¡°He¡¯s abroad and might only be back in a month or two.¡±

    ¡°Abroad?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned at Xi Xiaye. Momentster, he said, ¡°No worries. You cane over too. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll watch over you. Just help me out. I¡¯ll send the invitation out in a few days.¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to reject him, but when she thought about the working rtionship of their twopanies, she answered, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make the arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    With Qi Lei¡¯s word, Xi Xiaye walked ahead and Ji Zitong quickly followed after her.

    While Ah Mo used his sharp and deep gaze to examine Qi Lei, thetter very calmly swung his arms and let Ah Mo size him up.

    After a while, Ah Mo looked away and then followed her without a word.

    Deng Wenwen¡¯s passing felt like a small episode as it did not cause too much of a storm. The Han family and Xi Xinyi were busy preparing for the banquet. Meanwhile, on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end, Deng Wenwen¡¯s passing made her upset. Only after three days, a piece of good news brought her out of her gloomy haze.

    On this day, Xi Xiaye was at the hospital for a check-up. When she thought about how Su Nan was waiting for delivery there, she went looking for her. Unexpectedly, she was told that Su Nan had undergonebor that morning, and before the sun had even risen, she was wheeled into the delivery room.

    She was about to give birth!

    This news shed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind. She was overjoyed and quickly found the operating theatre with Ji Zitong.

    As she stepped out of the elevator, she could see Ruan Heng¡¯s family from afar and Mother Su waiting outside the operation room!

    They all looked rather worried. Ruan Heng was pacing back and forth uneasily whilst his eyes never left the tightly shut doors to the operating theatre.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye, Ruan Heng was naturally shocked.

    ¡°Xiaye, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Coincidentally, I came over today for a check-up. I wanted to visit Nannan, but the doctor unexpectedly told me that Nannan¡¯s about to deliver today, so I rushed over to have a look. How¡¯s she right now?¡±

 Chapter 617 - Baby Boy or Baby Girl? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 617: Baby Boy or Baby Girl? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye greeted Ruan Heng¡¯s parents with a nod as she walked towards Su Nan¡¯s mother.

    ¡°It¡¯s slightly earlier than expected, but thanks to the doctor¡¯s reminder, we¡¯re quite prepared. She¡¯s already been inside for several hours, but there¡¯s no news at all!¡± Ruan Heng was worried.

    ¡°Trust the doctors. Nannan has been taking care of herself, and she¡¯ll have a smooth delivery.¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s mother looked at Ruan Heng peculiarly. All the new fathers acted simrly. Su Nan¡¯s father was like that back then too.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. Suddenly, there was a sounding from the operating theatre, They looked over as the doors swung open. The doctor and the nurses wheeled Su Nan out with one of the nurses holding a baby.

    Ruan Heng rushed towards the bed as he asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my wife?¡±

    ¡°Congrattions! Both your wife and your daughter are safe! Your wife is very weak now and she needs rest, so let¡¯s send her to the ward first.¡±

    Everyone was relieved although Ruan Heng was heartbroken to see Su Nan lying on the bed in exhaustion. He held her hands. ¡°Thank you, Nannan. Rest well now. I¡¯ll be staying with you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s smile grew wider. She let the couple have some time together as she went nearer to the nurse to take a look at the baby instead.

    The baby still could not open her eyes yet while she was still clenching her fists. Indeed, she was a cute little thing.

    Life was truly amazing. A little baby like this would turn into a beauty in the future!

    Xi Xiaye smiled and poked the baby¡¯s cheek carefully. The light inside her heart was getting stronger.

    It would be her turn in a few months¡¯ time.

    Soon after they got into the ward, Ruan Heng let his father, who had been worrying the whole morning, go home first. Su Nan woke up momentster. She looked at the people around and her first reaction was to look for her child. Ruan Heng quickly gestured to his mother carry the baby over.

    While the child was born earlier than expected, she was pretty healthy as a whole.

    ¡°Xiaye, why are you here as well?¡± Su Nan yed with her daughter for a while as she looked at Xi Xiaye joyfully.

    ¡°Xiaye was here way before this,¡± Ruan Heng told her.

    ¡°I¡¯m d that both of you are safe. The child is adorable. Have you thought of a name for her?¡± Xi Xiaye closed in cheerfully. Su Nan looked much gentler than before now that she had be a mother and had adopted her maternal instincts. It was a surprising sight to see.

    Su Nan raised her eyebrows and looked at Ruan Heng. ¡°I¡¯ve never really thought about a name. Can we name her something shy?¡±

    Ruan Heng gave it some thought. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything now. Give it a few days and let me think properly!¡±

    ¡°Never mind. I¡¯lle up with one on my own.¡± Su Nan nced at her daughter before raising her head. She looked over Xi Xiaye who was framed by the warm sun outside the window. An idea shed through her mind. ¡°I got it! We¡¯ll call her Ruan Chenxi, bright and hopeful, meaning a brand new hope. How does that sound?¡±

    They repeated the name several times and found it pleasant, thus their daughter was christened Ruan Chenxi. Her nickname would be Xiao Xi.

    Xi Xiaye sent Mu Yuchen a text message by the corridor to share the good news with him and she unexpectedly received a phone call from him.

    When she returned to the room, the child was gone with the nurse. Both the parents to Ruan Heng and Su Nan had gone back as well while Ruan Heng went to get some food for Su Nan.

    ¡°Xiaye,e here!¡±

    Su Nan pointed to a seat beside her, signalling Xi Xiaye to sit down, Xi Xiaye nodded and went over.

    Su Nan grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand. ¡°I heard about what happened to Deng Wenwen. Don¡¯t feel too sad since it¡¯s all in the past now. Maybe things will calm down with her absence. You handled her funeral, didn¡¯t you? Where¡¯s Xi Xinyi? She benefitted so much from Deng Wenwen, but she didn¡¯t even try to do anything for her?¡±

    Su Nan felt unjust for Xi Xiaye. She had been ostracized by Deng Wenwen, yet she was the one that had helped to arrange her funeral.

    Xi Xiaye patted Su Nan¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mu Yuchen asked Ah Mo to handle the funeral. I didn¡¯t really do anything apart from attending it. It¡¯s my father¡¯s responsibility, so we can¡¯t avoid it. With him around, I don¡¯t really need to worry much.¡±

    That man was observant and detail-oriented. Most of the time, he was well-prepared in advance way before she even needed to ask him for it. Xi Xiaye only realized yesterday that he had been keeping an eye on the rehabilitation center. She should be the one taking care of things here with Xi Mushan not around at that moment. Still, when Deng Wenwen passed away, he already knew about it before she called him and he had also given orders to handle her funeral immediately right after.

    Su Nan nodded. ¡°True enough. It seems like I don¡¯t need to worry about you then! Xiaye, without Master Mu around, you have to take care of yourself. You look like you¡¯ve lost weight recently. I¡¯ll ask my mother to make you some soup every day. Your office isn¡¯t that far away from here anyway.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Nannan. My mother-inw and grandmother-inw are working on that. I¡¯ve been consuming a lot of tonics too. For some reason, I¡¯m just not gaining weight although the little thing inside is getting bigger.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled.

    ¡°Your baby must be very strong. It sucked all the nutrients away from you. You might be giving birth to a strong genius baby! The possibility is very high with genes from Master Mu. Oh, you have to give birth to a boy, so that my daughter can marry him!¡± Su Nan teased.

    ¡°A boy? He always said it¡¯s going to be a girl. Hmm, it feels like he doesn¡¯t really like boys.¡±

    ¡°I bet he¡¯s just worried that the child will get more attention than him. The same genders repel each other. Haven¡¯t you heard of that before?¡±

    Su Nan assumed she was an expert about man, she immediately voiced out her opinion.

    Xi Xiaye was at a loss for words. Momentster, she raised her eyebrows. ¡°What kind ofment is that? The same-gender-repels thing can¡¯t be used on father and son, can it? He¡¯s not that kind of person, so why would he think about that?¡±

    ¡°You have to listen to me! You¡¯ll find out soon enough after you give birth to your son! I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s going to happen!¡± Su Nan sounded confident.

 Chapter 618 - Han Familyâ€™s Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 618: Han Family¡¯s Invitation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye stayed with Su Nan until noon before leaving the hospital. Right after that, she went straight to the office.

    She received a call from her assistant, Xiao Mei, the moment she arrived at thepany, informing her that Wang Hui hade over. Xi Xiaye was surprised and she quickly made her way into Mu Yuchen¡¯s office. Of course, there was a resting room where she would usually spend her time at noon.

    ¡°Grandmother, what brings you here?¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw Wang Hui sitting on the sofa from afar. Sis Wang was beside her, holding a food container. They were probably here to deliver lunch to her.

    Wang Hui quickly went up to her when she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m just here to check on you. I heard from Sis Wang that your appetite hasn¡¯t been great. Your mother and I thought about it and made you some soup.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, Grandmother. You guys don¡¯t have to worry about me. Sis Wang is doing an amazing job taking care of me. Come on, let¡¯s head inside.¡± Xi Xiaye then took out the key card. She swiped it and entered the password before opening the door.

    They went inside, and Sis Wang prepared the food on the table before leaving the room.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat. I¡¯ll have some with you.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong and Wang Hui visited her frequently, and they would bring her food or some kind of snacks. Xi Xiaye knew very well they were aware of her poor appetite and were trying to do something.

    Xi Xiaye drank a bowl of soup quickly and asked, ¡°What soup is this? This tastes delicious.¡±

    ¡°Your mother made it for you, but I didn¡¯t ask her about it. She¡¯s pretty busy at work and didn¡¯t really spend much time taking care of you. While she never says it out loud, everyone knows that she cares. Do you think she¡¯s very strict?¡±

    Wang Hui smiled at Xi Xiaye. She was pretty fond of her daughter-inw, Zhuang Shurong. However, due to her career, she always looked serious and emanated a stern aura around her. Deep down, she was a very kinddy, but Wang Hui was worried that Xi Xiaye might not be used to her.

    Xi Xiaye smiled as well as she got herself another bowl of soup. ¡°Not really. I think Mother is really kind. She¡¯s even nicer to me than to Mu Yuchen. I noticed she¡¯s pretty easygoing. However, I do feel that...¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen¡¯s rtionship with his parents is kind of cold?¡± Wang Hui interrupted Xi Xiaye before she could finish her sentence.

    Xi Xiaye nodded sheepishly. ¡°Yeah, I asked him before. He said they just don¡¯t spend much time together.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Ah Chen has been very independent from an early age. He went to boarding school at a very young age. I¡¯m sure you know about his best friends. The Sus, the Zhous, and the Mus were in the same military area back then. We moved away separately afterward, and all of us kept in contact. All of us unified together and decided to let them attend military school,¡± Wang Hui said.

    ¡°Ah Chen¡¯s personality is simr to his parents¡¯. I¡¯ve been thinking of talking to you about this. He really listens to you, so I hope you can help smoothen their rtionship. Think of it as a request of mine.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Well, he respects Father and Mother a lot. He just doesn¡¯t know how to express himself well, but maybe it¡¯ll get better if we go home more frequently.¡±

    ¡°Things are getting better ever since he married you. Back in the days, Ah Chen never liked toe home and he rarely spoke, but he¡¯s made a lot of changes now. Alright, you should quickly eat. How¡¯s the taste?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tasty. You should have some too,¡± Xi Xiaye replied. She felt a warmth inside her heart as she poured Wang Hui a bowl of soup as well.

    ¡°Has Ah Chen been calling you every day? What a bad time to be busy now. It¡¯ll probably be difficult for you to move around when he gets back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Grandmother. I know a lot of pregnantdies who still worked when they were 9 months pregnant. I¡¯m not a precious littledy...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s them. What do you mean by not precious? You¡¯re the most preciousdy in the Mu family now! Don¡¯t go easy on Ah Chen. Get him to do whatever you want to. Having him serve his wife is training as well. Women are meant to give them face on the outside, so they should be treated like a queen at home. Your grandfather never dared to bully me, and your father is very gentle as well.¡±

    Wang Hui was teaching Xi Xiaye some skills to tame her husband, but Xi Xiaye looked at her in surprise. ¡°Grandmother, Mu Yuchen told me about Grandfather and you as well as Father and Mother. Actually, I¡¯m really envious of their rtionship. They are very polite to each other.¡±

    ¡°Sure, they look polite, but it¡¯s another story when they are behind closed doors. They are very muchparable to you youngsters. Didn¡¯t you notice that your father would bring your mother everywhere he goes? You need to think of a way to make Ah Chen want to bring you everywhere he goes.¡± Wang Hui squinted at Xi Xiaye. She then remembered her mother-inw had advised her that as well when she first married into the Mu family.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart softened as she chuckled a little. When she was about to say something, there was a knock on the door, so the two of them looked over.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± Xiao Mei came in and quickly greeted her when she saw Wang Hui, ¡°Hello, Elder Madam!¡±

    Wang Hui nodded without saying anything.

    Xi Xiaye wiped her mouth with a tissue before asking Xiao Mei, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Xiao Mei looked at them hesitantly before she opened her folder and handed her a red invitation card. ¡°Secretary Wang from the Han Corporation just delivered an invitation card. They invited Chairman Mu and you to attend the young master Han¡¯s full moon celebration. Here...¡±

    ¡°Full moon celebration?¡± Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. With a slight frown, she opened it and noticed the date was in three days.

    No one from the Han family attended Deng Wenwen¡¯s funeral since they were busy nning for this full moon celebration. Obviously, they took Deng Wenwen lightly.

    Xi Xiaye put on a cold smile before closing the invitation card.

    Wang Hui did not say anything and just stared at Xi Xiaye intently.

 Chapter 619 - DNA Report (1)

    <h4>Chapter 619: DNA Report (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye left the invitation card aside as she gave it some consideration. Momentster, she looked at Xiao Mei and said, ¡°Send them a gift on behalf of Chairman Mu and I.¡±

    She did not n to go at all, but since the invitation mentioned Mu Yuchen, that was her conclusion after careful consideration.

    Xiao Mei nodded. ¡°Noted, Director Xi.¡±

    As she was about to leave, Xi Xiaye suddenly said, ¡°Wait.¡±

    Xiao Mei stopped and turned around. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath before she continued, ¡°Prepare another gift as well. Deliver it on behalf of my father.¡±

    Xiao Mei was stunned for a moment, but she quickly nodded immediately. ¡°Okay!¡± Then, she left swiftly.

    Wang Hui smiled and gave her an impressed expression. ¡°You¡¯re really nice to your father. If others were in your shoes, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d hate your father, but I¡¯m d that you¡¯re able to be so lenient. At least, this tells me you¡¯re a kind person.¡±

    Wang Hui took a deep breath. ¡°Even family rtionships should be carefully considered. Know your limits and give up on those that you can¡¯t keep as long as you maintain kind intentions.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. When she saw the hesitation in Wang Hui¡¯s eyes, she was instantly reminded of Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingtian.

    She did not know what to answer. After remaining silent for a while, she then replied, ¡°I understand, Grandmother. There are some things in life that are hard to give up, even more so when it¡¯s the people that have given me life. My parents are in love with each other, and they¡¯ve wasted two decades without each other by their sides. If my forgiveness can give them a chance to be together again, why shouldn¡¯t I? Mu Yuchen always told me that my EQ is pretty low and that I¡¯m bad at judging people. He said I don¡¯t really have to overthink things. If things are better after I¡¯ve done something, then the decision is right.¡±

    Wang Hui smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s it! Ah Chen is probably like his father. He¡¯ll lecture you from time to time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye returned a smile and continued eating.

    The weather became colder. She felt a chill when she woke up the next morning. Several yellowish leaves fell by the roadside as a strong wind had blown through.

    City Z was not as cold as the north. Even if it were winter, the trees there would still be mostly green.

    Ah Mo was not in the mood to look at the autumn scenery so early in the morning. He walked past the corridor and arrived at a quiet corner in Hospital T.

    There was a person wearing a white robe there.

    The doctor had been waiting for Ah Mo¡¯s arrival, and he greeted warmly even before Ah Mo came close, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Mo!¡±

    Ah Mo nodded humbly as he gave a quiet reply, ¡°Morning, Chief Wang! Have you been waiting?¡±

    Chief Wang smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived. It must be tough for you to be here this early in the morning! I¡¯ve just finished an operation and I¡¯m going abroadter. That¡¯s why I called you here.¡±

    He then handed a document to Ah Mo.

    ¡°Are the results out?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s heart trembled slightly when he saw the document handed over to him. Suddenly, he felt a little afraid to grab it as if he was afraid of the test results.

    ¡°Yes, they came out yesterday. I verified it myself. No one will know about this.¡±

    Chief Wang did not notice Ah Mo¡¯s odd reaction because his eyes were focused on the document.

    Ah Mo hesitated for a moment before reaching out for it.

    ¡°The results are unexpected. I wonder...¡± Chief Wang said out of curiosity, but when he saw Ah Mo¡¯s slightly threatening eyes, he did not continue his question and just smiled slightly.

    Ah Mo did not open it instantly. Instead, he looked at Chief Wang. ¡°The secrecy of this matter has to be ensured. You¡¯ll forget about this after I leave. Don¡¯t ask anything you shouldn¡¯t, and don¡¯t try to find out what it is either. Do you understand?¡±

    Chief Wang nodded. ¡°Yes, I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be heading back now. Give me a call if you have any questions.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Chief Wang!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter. I still owe you.¡± Chief Wang smiled before leaving.

    Ah Mo left quickly and got into the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Sitting in the front passenger seat, Ah Mo opened the folder and took the test results out. Then, he started reading it.

    When he saw the results, his strained expression softened a little. Soon, it turned into a doubtful look, and then he seemed serious.

    How could it be?

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression darkened. It felt impossible.

    He looked at the results several times before putting it back. He took his phone out and called Mu Yuchen who was now on the other side of the globe.

    At the same time, on the balcony of a presidential suite in a hotel in New York.

    Mu Yuchen was resting on a rattan chair while Zhou Zimo was lying down beside him. There was a small coffee table between them, and a pot of freshly brewed tea with two teacups.

    Zhou Zimo closed the document in his hand as he looked at the sun. He stretched his back and sipped some tea before turning towards Mu Yuchen. ¡°We¡¯re heading to Los Angeles in a few days. Aren¡¯t your inws are there? How¡¯re Teacher Shen¡¯s eyes?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was aware of what had happened to Shen Wenna. Back then, when Mu Yuchen got married, he had seen her before. She carried a simr aura to Xi Xiaye, but there were also some differences between them.

    ¡°The operation isplete. She¡¯ll need some time for observation after removing the bandages. I¡¯ll go take a look at them this time around.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty nice to them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of my responsibility.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started vibrating as he spoke, and he slowly picked it up.

 Chapter 620 - DNA Report (2)

    <h4>Chapter 620: DNA Report (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± In a low voice, Ah Mo¡¯s hand that held onto the document folder subconsciously tightened.

    Ah Mo took a deep breath, and then said softly, ¡°Master, the DNA results are out.¡±

    When he heard the report, a light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. He lifted a hand to prop his head up as he asked calmly, ¡°What do they say?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reveal any emotions and his expression remained calm.

    ¡°It¡¯s a littleplicated. Perhaps, it was as you had guessed. The DNA test proves that Qi Qiming and Lingshi aren¡¯t father and daughter, but...¡± Ah Mo paused, frowning even deeper.

    ¡°Master, if it¡¯s not him, then all our clues from before... I¡¯m afraid they were all wrong, so all our guesses are disproved, and...¡±

    ¡°Send the results to me.¡± Mu Yuchen did not say anything further and just hung up.

    Zhou Zimo could vaguely guess something had happened just sitting beside him. He asked in concern, ¡°What¡¯s up? Have you found out? Is it really Qi Qiming?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm, handsome expression started to shift. ¡°I feel thankful, yet I have a headache. Her biological father is confirmed not to be Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not? Who could it be then?¡±

    When Zhou Zimo heard this, he was shocked as well. Actually, he had pretty much set his mind on the person being Qi Qiming because if he was, then it could exin all of the things that had happened!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we already confirm that Mr. Wen is Qi Qiming?¡± Zhou Zimo looked at Mu Yuchen in puzzlement.

    Mu Yuchen sighed. He took his tea and dragged a sip. Quickly, he returned to his steady calmness. ¡°Later, Ah Mo will send the report to me. If it¡¯s not him, then that¡¯d be right. If he was, I¡¯d be at a loss instead.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Zhou Zimo had been Mu Yuchen¡¯s buddy for 30 years, so he could quickly catch onto what Mu Yuchen was trying to imply.

    ¡°I seem to have gotten a clue. If it is as I¡¯ve guessed, then I can only say that thiske is deep, and that Qi Qiming is just a chess piece.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face shed with a thoughtful smile. The faint light in his eyes was bright and wise. ¡°That person probably wouldn¡¯t have thought that I¡¯d suspect Qi Qiming so quickly and check for Qi Qiming and Lingshi¡¯s DNA. Well, at least, he wouldn¡¯t suspect it before Lu Xin¡¯s death.¡±

    When he heard this, Zhou Zimo could roughly grasp what he meant. ¡°You¡¯re saying that the person intentionally set a huge trap up to bring your attention to Qi Qiming, letting you know that this Qi Qiming is Mr. Wen. However, they didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d investigate Lingshi and Qi Qiming¡¯s rtionship at the same time. This person must know a lot about your past with the Qi family. In fact, they must have some kind of grudge with Qi Qiming and want to use you to...¡±

    ¡°If this hypothesis stands, then the Mr. Wen that Xiaye met back then in the tunnel was probably not Qi Qiming himself. Instead, it was that person, or someone that person had sent. The incident at the banquet... This person probably didn¡¯t expect that there¡¯d be variables, and that variable was...¡±

    ¡°Was Lu Xin! He definitely didn¡¯t expect that Lu Xin would return now. Coincidentally, you found out about Lu Xin and Aunt Zixi¡¯s rtionship. You investigated Aunt Zixi¡¯s matters through her, and then implicated Qi Qiming, obviously exposing Mr. Wen.¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s brows had furrowed into a knot, and then he chuckled gleefully at someone else¡¯s misfortune. ¡°This person was too smart for his own good. He wanted to use Qi Qiming, yet unexpectedly it implicated the previous incidents and exposed himself instead.¡±

    ¡°Yes, if everything happened too smoothly. It would be suspicious. Initially, we both had different starting points. He just wanted to use the incident from five years ago to kick a fuss,¡± Mu Yuchen said thoughtfully.

    ¡°But this is just a guess. If we are wrong, then Qi Qiming is still the most probable suspect.¡±

    ¡°No. Right now, I can basically be sure that the entire thing is being manipted by one person. You know my intuition has always been quite spot-on,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s as you had guessed, who would that person be? Could it be Qi Feng? I knew that he was probably not dead. In fact, Gu Lingsha has returned to City B. Qi Feng has probably long returned to City Z and is in hiding. He¡¯s in the dark while we¡¯re out in the light. Does he want to fool us?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was extremely puzzled as he found the whole thing unimaginable. He thought about it and said, ¡°That can¡¯t be right. Qi Qiming wants to let Qi Feng inherit Qi Kai. Qi Feng had no reason to trap his old man either, did he? Besides, that Qi Qiming isn¡¯t a fool. He would¡¯ve noticed if Qi Feng was using him. There shouldn¡¯t be any bad blood between him and Qi Qiming. For him, Qi Qiming is fighting to the death with his wife. Even his other biological son was neglected, wouldn¡¯t this be too outrageous?¡±

    The more he pondered over it, the more Zhou Zimo found it confusing while Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes began to turn rather unfathomable.

    ¡°Perhaps it is always the seemingly unbelievable things that are the truth. Okay, let¡¯s not talk about these things anymore. Just pretend you didn¡¯t hear everything I said today. I¡¯ve always been the one moving the chess pieces, and not being the chess piece. Now, I¡¯d like to try this chess piece in hiding. See if I can win by a surprise move.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not continue and returned to his usual calmness as he lowered his head to drink his tea.

    ¡°Whoever tries to get into a battle of the wits and bravery with you will only meet misfortune! I¡¯ll just wait for a good show then. I heard you¡¯ve taken down Qi Lei, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not continue asking and gaped at him in amusement instead. ¡°Qi Lei¡¯s an arrogant and stubborn one. If you can get him on our side, then whether it¡¯s Qi Qiming or Qi Feng, he¡¯ll be a good chess piece for us. Of course, there are no chess pieces on our end, only buddies and friends. He¡¯s actually a pretty decent guy and is someone worth befriending.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up at him from his cup and said, ¡°It looks like you regard him quite highly too.¡±

    Zhou Zimo raised his brows with a smile. ¡°I did have some dealings with him before. He looks like a yer from the outside, but underneath, he¡¯s actually quite the character. Only you probably know that he¡¯s loyal to Gu Lingsha. All these years, he never seemed to have changed. You actually dared to coborate with such a dangerous person! Shouldn¡¯t I be admiring your bravery and guts? Aren¡¯t you worried that taking this risk would instead...?¡±

    ¡°I believe him, but I believe my own judgment even more!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was firm and resounding, leaving no room for doubt.

 Chapter 621 - Fetal Movement (1)

    <h4>Chapter 621: Fetal Movement (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone, Zhou Zimo smiled and drank his tea. He muttered to himself for a moment, then sighed, ¡°Ever since we were young, your frame of mind has been different from Su Chen¡¯s and mine. I remember that Elder Su would always describe us like this. Su Chen has the drive. He¡¯s arrogant and stubborn. If we were in the olden times, he could¡¯ve been an authoritative warrior while I¡¯m meticulous in thought and intelligent, but I don¡¯t have enough drive. Many times, I don¡¯t have the manner to control the situation, but I could be a strategist.¡±

    Zhou Zimo then paused as he looked up to stare at Mu Yuchen for a long time before smiling and continuing, ¡°While you have both of our meritsbined, sometimes, I think perhaps Su Chen and I should learn from you. Whether in career or in love, a talent like you is just naturally great.¡±

    When Zhou Zimo said that, Mu Yuchen raised his brows. He smiled faintly while his eyes were fixed on Zhou Zimo. Mu Yuchen responded, ¡°I¡¯ve known you and Zhou Zimo for more than 30 years now, but this is the first time I¡¯m hearing youpliment me. I didn¡¯t know you held me in such high regards.¡±

    Zhou Zimo chuckled and kicked him gently. ¡°I¡¯m really saying kind things. Petty people like me don¡¯t easily praise others.¡±

    Mu Yuchen pulled his leg away and bent them as he shot him a look. ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re being kind, but your words just make me feel weird.¡±

    ¡°Get lost! If I say it to Su Chen, then you don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good thing. I won¡¯t plot against you. What are you worried about? Still, this matter is quiteplicated, so it might take more time.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was indifferent. He wanted to have some peace and quiet too. Since his family was pushing him hard, he was taking refuge by leaving them then. It was just Mu Yuchen who was eager to get home.

    Mu Yuchen noticed Zhou Zimo¡¯s bemused gaze which he refused to hide. He honestly expressed his thoughts, ¡°I¡¯ll get the thing done as soon as possible. I can¡¯t stay here for too long. It¡¯s going to be hard for Xiaye to move around soon and I¡¯m worried about leaving her alone at home.¡±

    Zhou Zimoughed. ¡°Earlier, I was even telling Su Chen to get a woman soon and that he can¡¯t struggle too far behind, and now we¡¯re barely a step behind you.¡±

    ¡°When fate arrives, the two of you won¡¯t be able to escape it,¡± Mu Yuchen said from experience. His eyes that looked into the distance at the sunset glow by the horizons became quiet and distant. ¡°Just like how a year ago, I wouldn¡¯t have imagined that I¡¯d be where I am today, right this moment, and then it was two months, and then it was a year, no one can predict the future.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face froze a while, then he nodded. ¡°You and Xi Xiaye are a harmonious couple which is a good thing, but...¡±

    ¡°Being a harmonious couple came after that. Let¡¯s not talk about the past. Okay, I¡¯m going to look at the things Ah Mo sent me. There¡¯s still a little over an hour to the banquet tonight, so rest for a while and call meter,¡± Mu Yuchen said, and then set aside his teacup before swiftly getting up and walking back into the room.

    Zhou Zimo brushed his nose and watched his figure walk away. He could not help but chuckle a little.

    He never would have expected that such a day would befall the great Mr. Mu too. Once Xi Xiaye was mentioned, he could not maintain hisposure anymore. He had even left defensively.

    It was getting colder and colder. Especially with the uninterrupted autumn rain these past two days that came quietly, the temperature fell rapidly. Sis Wang had long prepared a wide and soft windbreaker for Xi Xiaye. Whenever she left the house, she would attentively remind her to put it on.

    It was already November. Xi Xiaye¡¯s baby bump slowly grew, and she was in the fifth month of her pregnancy. ording to the doctor¡¯s reminders, Xi Xiaye predicted that the baby should begin to move now, yet she did not feel anything move inside her. This worried Xi Xiaye. The doctor said that the baby was very healthy and was too gentle, so she did not feel it. Nheless, she still could not help but keep asking about it. She even worriedly called Mu Yuchen who did not know how to console her, so he called Zhuang Shurong.

    When she received Mu Yuchen¡¯s call, Zhuang Shurong was shocked!

    She had never heard her son use that kind of begging tone with her. In fact, that tone did not sound as cold as before. Zhuang Shurong¡¯s heart softened as she immediately agreed to Mu Yuchen, and decided to visit Xiaye the next day to bring her over for a proper check-up and ask the doctor about it.

    Zhuang Shurong had just hung up when she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Her husband, Mu Yangchuan, wore a gray sleeping robe as he slowly walked out of the bathroom. His ck hair with strands of silver hair was still wet. When he looked up at his wife and saw that her usually serious face now wore a faint smile, he could not help but ask, ¡°Did something great happen? You look so overjoyed.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled. Seeing him sit down, she quickly took his towel and helped him dry his hair as she chuckled. ¡°Chen Er just called. He told me to bring Xiaye for a check-up at the hospital. Xiaye says that she¡¯s in her fifth month now but doesn¡¯t feel any fetal movement, so she¡¯s worried.¡±

    ¡°Bring her to go check up tomorrow then. I¡¯m quite worried about her living alone over there.¡± Mu Tangchuan sat by the bedside with his eyes half-closed as he enjoyed Zhuang Shurong serving him.

    ¡°Tangchuan, with regards to Xiaye, I recently feel like Chen Er really did marry the right one.¡± Zhuang Shurong¡¯s movements were gentle while her tone was a little lighthearted too.

    Mu Tangchuan sighed. ¡°Our son has been independent since he was young. Even though he¡¯s quite distant from us, it¡¯s not as bad as you think it is. At least, he does talk to me. You? You¡¯re too strong-minded and carry the image of a strict mother. It¡¯s no wonder your son isn¡¯t close to you. Next time, you should be around Xiaye more. That child is quite pitiful too, but now things are finally looking up for her.¡±

    ¡°I know that too, but I was thinking if Xiaye would like me as a mother-inw. Tangchuan, tell me the truth. Am I usually very strict? Do I look unfriendly?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked.

    ¡°Of course! All of us on the government¡¯s end know that you are a strictly impartial person. Don¡¯t you see that every time you go over, my two secretaries will be extra careful?¡± She wanted honesty, so Mu Tangchuan blurted it out, but just as he did, Zhuang Shurong immediately shot him a dangerous re. She tossed the towel in her hand to him.

    ¡°Dry it yourself!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan then frowned. He looked down at the towel. After a while, he picked it up and stuffed it into Zhuang Shurong¡¯s hand.

 Chapter 622 - Fetal Movement (2)

    <h4>Chapter 622: Fetal Movement (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Okay! Okay! Quickly help me dry my hair. You wanted me to tell the truth. Then, when I do you get angry, but if I don¡¯t, then you¡¯d say I¡¯m not being serious. I don¡¯t understand you women!¡± Mu Tangchuan sighed a little helplessly.

    Zhuang Shurong shot her husband a side look, and Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face shed in her mind.

    They all said that her son was like her. Actually, she thought that was notpletely right. Apart from inheriting her and Mu Tangchuan¡¯s looks, their son¡¯s ability to handle matters, his low profile, and his gentle personality came more from him.

    Back when Zhuang Shurong chose Mu Tangchuan, she had married him because she fancied him. They had also gone through the traditional process of a blind date, getting to know each other, marriage, and then falling in love with each other. Basically, it was the more traditional marriage of the older generation.

    However, she actually thought that there was nothing too bad about that. To her, the most important aspect of marriage was understanding and tolerance,munication, and mutual respect. This was also the reason why she and Mu Tangchuan could still be loving after more than 30 years into the marriage.

    To Zhuang Shurong, perhaps true happiness was finding the sweet spots on the ordinary days like these.

    ¡°They all say women are like a thick book. If you can understand it thoroughly, then life might¡¯ve already passed you by. Look at Father and Mother. They bicker all day every day. Mother always says that Father doesn¡¯t understand her, but aren¡¯t they still quite happy together?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t quite understand me either!¡±

    When Mu Tangchuan saw that Zhuang Shurong was ignoring her, he snatched the towel back and simply dried his hair for a bit before tossing the towel onto a chair. As he leaned towards Zhuang Shurong, he reached out to undo Zhuang Shurong¡¯s button. She shot him a look as she covered her cor protectively. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan cleared his throat as he pulled her hand away. His handsome face blushed as the light in his dark eyes shifted and his deep and maic voice was heard. ¡°Take it off. Take it off! It¡¯s been more than a week. Don¡¯t you want to?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Before Zhuang Shurong could say anything, Mu Tangchuan had already pushed her down and stopped her words that were about toe after that.

    The older he got, the more shameless he was. Whenever he wanted it, he would be like this. He did not care whether she was willing or not. Zhuang Shurong could not help but whine in her heart.

    Compared to the harmonious warmth at the Mu residence, Maple Residence was much quieter in contrast.

    Inside the study room on the second floor, after Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen talked on the phone for a while, she hung up. She was currently was busy with work as usual. She sat unmoving until she felt her back be sore. Subconsciously, she reached behind to massage her back when her fingers identally brushed past her baby bump and she suddenly clearly felt something kicking!

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She looked down subconsciously at her belly. A light shed in her mind as she quickly put her hand over her belly. Indeed, the little one was causing a ruckus inside her womb. Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes lit up and she could not help but call out through the door, ¡°Sis Wang! Sis Wang!¡±

    Sis Wang was about to send some supper upstairs when she heard Xi Xiaye calling out to her. She thought that something had happened, so she immediately set the tray aside and rushed in. She answered anxiously, ¡°Missus! What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    When Sis Wang rushed in, she saw that Xi Xiaye was still sitting steadily in her chair. Her beautiful face was covered in a smile of disbelief, so she then sighed in relief.

    ¡°Sis Wang, the baby... It moved! Look...¡± Xi Xiaye carefully pointed at her belly as if she were afraid of disturbing the little thing inside.

    When Sis Wang heard her exim, she looked delighted too. She quickly walked over and carefully leaned down to look. Indeed, the little thing in her womb was kicking up a fuss!

    ¡°Missus, this child is causing such a ruckus. It must be a mischievous little boy. It must be a little master!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips curled up slightly while her twinkling eyes were dense with gentleness. ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. Could it be a really mischievous daughter?¡±

    If she had a really cute daughter like Su Nan, he would like that. That would be great too.

    ¡°I think it looks more like a little master who will torment you. Girls aren¡¯t that mischievous, are they? My daughter behaves very well. When I had my daughter, I almost didn¡¯t suffer much. I didn¡¯t suffer as much as you, Missus.¡±

    Sis Wang smiled and gazed warmly at Xi Xiaye¡¯s belly again. ¡°Missus, have some supper first. You didn¡¯t eat much for dinner. I¡¯m worried that the baby in your womb will be hungry.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then nodded and closed the document. Then, she stood up with the table for support.

    Sis Wang knew that Xi Xiaye liked her food light, so she prepared millet and some delicious snacks.

    When Xi Xiaye finished half the bowl of millet, Sis Wang then remembered what happened earlier. She quickly took a red invitation letter out from her pocket and handed it to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Right, Missus, earlier at the door, someone named Yang Sheng sent this invitation over to you. He says it¡¯s an invitation from Master Qi. Do you want to take a look?¡±

    Xi Xiaye silently looked up from the bowl and quietly looked at the red invitation from Sis Wang. Moments after that, she set the bowl aside and took it to flip it open. It was Qi Lei¡¯s flowing handwriting.

    Xi Xiaye still thought that Qi Lei¡¯s request was rather odd. The other day, she even mentioned it to Mu Yuchen who did not say much. He just told her to cooperate and go with Ah Mo.

    She could vaguely feel that Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen had a subtle rtionship. Curiously, she wondered whether they hade to some sort of agreement, so...

    She knew a little about Qi Kai¡¯s matters too.

    Especially in recent times, Qi Qiming and Wang Qin were going at each other¡¯s necks intensely. It seemed like they were fighting for the coboration with Fuhua and the South River project.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude towards Qi Lei was clear as day. Even Xi Xiaye could not bear to look at them, especially with Qi Qiming¡¯s recent actions.

    Previously, when they coborated with Qi Kai on the South River project, Qi Lei was the person-in-charge, but the people that were recently sent to manage matters had be Qi Qiming¡¯s people. That meant that Qi Qiming had just sent people over. On another level, this was Qi Lei preparing to get everything on track, so that he was not needed anymore.

    That also meant that Qi Lei¡¯s authority was unfounded.

    When it came to this, Xi Xiaye did pity Qi Lei. She slowly closed the invitation and nodded. ¡°I got it. Tidy up and rest early.¡±

 Chapter 623 - Lost Time (1)

    <h4>Chapter 623: Lost Time (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On a hazy autumn night, cold rain fell, making the temperature drop even lower. One could feel the humidity just by standing at the staircase beside the door.

    The guests had already left and the whole ce became quiet again as it was starting to gette.

    Han Yifeng stayed by the staircase for a really long time without going anywhere.

    ¡°CEO Han, the banquet has ended. The elders are very unhappy since the guests were gossiping as well. You...¡± Secretary Wang seemed worried when he looked at Han Yifeng.

    Today was the full moon celebration of the Han family¡¯s little master. However, Han Yifeng did not appear for the banquet and had only shown up after it ended. Huang Ziyao and the others bugged Secretary Wang many times already while Xi Xinyi also endured her frustration throughout the night.

    ¡°They insisted on having this. What does it have to do with me?¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s expression was cold. He did not intend to do this, but they left him no choice.

    ¡°But, CEO Han, that¡¯s your son after all... Isn¡¯t it unfair for you to treat him this way?¡± Secretary Wang hesitated, feeling sympathy for the little boy as he received such treatment from his parents at such a young age. ¡°By the way, the little master still doesn¡¯t have a name. The Elder nicknamed him Tuantuan for now. CEO Han, the child is innocent.¡±

    Han Yifeng put on a cold smile as he turned toward Secretary Wang. ¡°Since when were you so full of love? Did Xi Xinyi or anyone give you any benefits?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s words stunned Secretary Wang who lowered his head silently.

    ¡°I hope you can focus on doing your job. You¡¯re my secretary and not their spy! If you can¡¯t be sure about your role, you can pack up and go work for them starting tomorrow!¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s voice was filled with coldness and a tint of anger.

    In shock, Secretary Wang¡¯s expression changed as he quickly bowed and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, CEO Han. Please forgive me!¡±

    Han Yifeng looked away. He became really cold. Now, he relished the quiet and was much more difficult to approach than before. Even Secretary Wang felt afraid to be with him.

    His change started after he married Xi Xinyi, everything just went downhill from there on.

    ¡°CEO Han, Director Xi asked her assistant, Xiao Mei, to deliver some gifts. Mayor Xi sent Little Master a gift as well.¡± Secretary Wang carefully handed it over to him.

    Han Yifeng squinted as he looked at the gifts in Secretary Wang¡¯s hands quietly. Secretary Wang took a peek at him before carefully opening one of the boxes. The first one was an exquisite-looking gold lock which should be from Xi Mushan.

    The second one was a pair of jade bangles which should be from Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°She didn¡¯te?¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression softened slightly when he saw the gifts, but his eyes were still filled with mixed emotions when he asked.

    ¡°Chairman Mu is abroad while Director Xi is not really mobile with her pregnancy, so they didn¡¯te. Assistant Xiao Mei also told me to express their apologies as well as their gratitude for inviting them,¡± Secretary Wang spoke as he quietly observed Han Yifeng¡¯s expression.

    Han Yifeng went quiet. He then waved his hand, signaling Secretary Wang to pack them up. However, as he just closed the box, a pink figure rushed over. Secretary Wang could smell a whiff of perfume around, and in the next moment, something crashed right into him.

    The stuff in his hands fell all over the floor!

    ¡°Who needs her ingenuine gifts?¡± A cold voice broke the silence as his cold aura caught Secretary Wang off-guard. He stared at the gifts nkly and was not sure what to do.

    Suddenly, he heard Han Yifeng¡¯s voice as he tried to look up at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Han Yifeng looked at Xi Xinyi expressionlessly.

    It was obvious that Xi Xinyi had juste from the banquet venue as she still had her pink dress on. She was recovering well from her pregnancy although there were still some signs of weight gain. She now wore anotheryer of charm. With a new hairstyle and her exceptional beauty, she looked amazing.

    ¡°What am I doing? This! Who cares about her gifts? Have you gone mad the moment you heard her name? Are you looking for trouble by not showing up at all, Han Yifeng?¡± Her tone was filled with anger and frustration as her face was turning red and ferocious.

    ¡°Trouble? Did I agree to organize this banquet? It¡¯s what you guys wanted. You should be grateful that I didn¡¯t ruin it.¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s reaction was cold. He nced at Secretary Wang who then started picking up the gifts on the floor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget. You guys made Secretary Wang send them the invitation, not me. What you just threw were gifts from your father and Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need their stuff! Han Yifeng, are you doing this on purpose? You¡¯re trying to embarrass me and the Han family, and then try to me everything onto me. Is that what you¡¯re trying to do?¡±

    Xi Xinyi clenched her fists as she stared at Han Yifeng. Tears started gathering around her eyes. ¡°Do you know how people wereughing at me tonight? How people wereughing at the Han family? Do you know how angry and disappointed our parents are?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys foresee this happening already? Why should I cooperate? You guys decided for me to get married, and you guys also decided to keep the child. Why should I cooperate for you guys to make decisions for me? Do I look like a fool!? I just want to live my own life!¡± Han Yifeng demanded in a mocking tone.

 Chapter 624 - Lost Time (2)

    <h4>Chapter 624: Lost Time (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A different kind of chilliness gathered around his quiet eyes.

    Secretary Wang could sense something was not right, so he quickly left the room.

    After having experienced so many gentle moments with him before, this sharp contrast of coldness broke her heart.

    ¡°Yifeng, how can you do this to me? As much as you may hate me, that¡¯s our son! Are you trying to tell everyone that you don¡¯t care about your own son?¡± Xi Xinyi raised her head and looked at Han Yifeng as she bit her lip. She contained herself and tried her best to not let her tears fall.

    Han Yifeng would definitely be in pain to see her like this had it been in the past. He would surely have held her in his arms andforted her.

    However, these moments belonged only in the past. All the damages had erased everything, including Han Yifeng¡¯s feelings. He could not love her anymore and was struggling to face her. He did not want to see her at all, not one bit, because he could feel a burning in his chest whenever he saw her.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Why don¡¯t you just tell me what you want? What can I do to make you let go of me? You know that we can¡¯t turn back time. Since we can¡¯t go back to the past, why are you doing this? We can¡¯t redo this anymore. Do you intend for us to follow your parents¡¯ footsteps?¡± Han Yifeng took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be like our parents because we¡¯re truly in love. You gave Xi Xiaye up for me. You abandoned everything and went abroad with me. It¡¯s impossible that you¡¯ve lost all your feelings for me. I¡¯m still deeply in love with you right now. If you¡¯re willing to let go and forget about the unhappy past, we can still be like before! Trust me, Yifeng, we even have a child now! Yes, I admit that I¡¯m at fault. I was selfish and wasn¡¯t considerate about you. I was too narrow-minded and made many mistakes. I¡¯ll change! I¡¯ll change it all!¡±

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and grabbed Han Yifeng¡¯s arm as if she was grabbing onto herst strand of hope. She forced her tears back as her eyes reddened. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what you want me to change? I¡¯ll change anything you want. If you intend to, I¡¯ll go to the entrance of Glory World Corporation tomorrow and apologize to Xi Xiaye. I¡¯ll love you and care for you even more, okay? I¡¯ve lost my home. I¡¯ve lost everything... You and our son are the only things left for me... I¡¯ve thought through it. I¡¯m not going to be jealous or hate Xi Xiaye anymore. I don¡¯t wish for much. I just want the three of us to live on as a happy family. Can you please give me a chance?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s tone sounded genuine while her eyes begged him and her hands mped onto his arms as if she feared that he might flee.

    Han Yifeng looked at the pitiful Xi Xinyi. He did not feel any pain. Instead, he felt a little sentimental. He closed his eyes and calmed down before he gazed outside at the rain and put on a bitter smile. ¡°I can¡¯t give you any more chances, Xinyi... I don¡¯t want my heart to die. We shared a past, but we can¡¯t get ahold of the present. There¡¯s no future for us. Let¡¯s get divorced. If you want, I can transfer half of the Han Corporation stock under my name to our child. I¡¯ll also give you some money, and you cane and visit the child anytime you want. I won¡¯t sever your rtionship with the child. You had a promise with my grandfather, and he forced me to sign my name on the marriage contract. If you¡¯re still unhappy with these arrangements, I¡¯ll settle our matters through legal procedures since I suppose my chance of winning is huge.¡±

    Although she had given birth, Han Yifeng did not care much now. Most people already knew their rtionship was on the edge, and he was not nning to hide it.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Han Yifeng and shook her head. ¡°Impossible... Impossible! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡±

    ¡°I remember telling you before that I¡¯ll be sure to divorce you! I can¡¯t ept my partner as a cunning, wicked person!¡±

    Han Yifeng wanted to shake her off, but Xi Xinyi¡¯s grip became even tighter. She grabbed Han Yifeng¡¯s hand as she knelt on the staircase and sobbed. ¡°No, Yifeng... Please! I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t divorce me. You can¡¯t leave me. I can¡¯t live in a world without you! I¡¯m in pain, Yifeng... Haven¡¯t you seen how hard I¡¯ve been working?¡±

    ¡°Let go, Xinyi!¡±

    She almost tore Han Yifeng¡¯s sleeve as he tried to drag her hands away.

    ¡°No! I won¡¯t! If you let go, I... I¡¯ll lose you forever. How can I give up on the love of my life? Yifeng, I can¡¯t go on without you, so, please... I beg you. Please forgive me. Give me a chance and I¡¯ll listen to you, okay?¡±

    Han Yifeng paused. His eyes darkened as he looked down at Xi Xinyi who was a mess now and his hand stopped.

    ¡°I love you, Yifeng! Let me love you. Let me protect you. I just want to be together with you. We...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes returned to normal and he dragged her hands away.

    ¡°No, Yifeng, don¡¯t do this to me...¡± Xi Xinyi tried to grab at his sleeve again.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xinyi! If we continue like this, I¡¯ll be sure to go mad! Once something is lost, it can never return again. We can¡¯t do this! Just when are you going to wake up? Don¡¯t make me hate you! I¡¯ll ask mywyer to prepare a divorce contract. If you¡¯re not going to sign it, I¡¯ll go through the legal procedures!¡± Han Yifeng nced at Xi Xinyi coldly. He lost his mood of heading into the study room anymore, so he spun around and headed into the rain.

    Meanwhile, Xi Xinyi cried on the cold staircase.

 Chapter 625 - Trapped City (1)

    <h4>Chapter 625: Trapped City (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Don¡¯t go! Yifeng! Yifeng! Please don¡¯t go...¡±

    No matter how Xi Xinyi yelled, nothing stopped Han Yifeng and he soon disappeared amidst the foggy rain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go, Yifeng! Don¡¯t go! I can¡¯t lose you, Han Yifeng! Please!¡± She started shrieking, and her terrifying pleas pierced through the silence. Secretary Wang felt sorry for Xi Xinyi when he saw her fall on the staircase.

    Karma had its way of working. In the past, Han Yifeng begged her to quit the entertainment industry and focus on being his wife. Had Xi Xinyi agreed to that back then, things might have turned out differently today. At least, they would still be a proper couple together.

    However, who could have predicted things?

    Xi Xinyi prioritized her career more than her rtionship back then. She thought Han Yifeng was already in her possession. Unfortunately, she had obtained him far too easily and had no idea how to cherish him.

    Not knowing what else to say, Secretary Wang ran under the rain with the gifts in his hands.

    Xi Xinyi was crying uncontrobly. The rain got through the door with the wind. In just a short while, she had gotten drenched. She had no idea how long she cried for. She looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps before her. Then, she noticed Huang Ziyao was there watching her with aplicated expression which looked like pity or something else entirely.

    Xi Xinyi could not stop sobbing. She looked at Huang Ziyao for a while before rushing over and hugging her.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. Why can¡¯t he give me another chance? I just need one more chance, just one more...¡±

    Huang Ziyao just stood there, unsure about what to say.

    Xi Xinyi still had feelings for her son, but Yifeng had already gone past their honeymoon phase. Even as his mother, she felt a little shocked to see her son acting so cruelly.

    In the end, Xi Xinyi deserved it.

    After a while, Huang Ziyao spoke up and helped Xi Xinyi up, ¡°Why are you doing this? You know Yifeng well. You used up all his feelings. Alright, now it¡¯s time to go back. You still have a son to tend to. Let Yifeng calm down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother. I¡¯ll be sure to turn over a new leaf. Please convince Yifeng for me. Ask him to forgive me, please, Mother.¡± Xi Xinyi was desperate.

    Huang Ziyao sighed. ¡°He¡¯s not even willing to see me now. His rtionship with everyone in the family now is very strained, including his father and grandfather, so what do you want me to say? I don¡¯t wish for anything else. You¡¯ve married into the Han family, and I¡¯ve always thought of you as my daughter-inw, a good daughter. I just hope that you¡¯ll behave yourself and not look for any more trouble. Our Han family can¡¯t deal with any more issues now. Don¡¯t me me if you don¡¯t listen to my advice.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xinyi almost passed out as her strength was drained from the long period of crying.

    Huang Ziyao quickly summoned some servants to help carry her upstairs.

    It waste at night when a car was speeding through the highway in the cold rain. The car traveled so fast that it scared Secretary Wang even though he was in another car chasing after him!

    He put his head outside and yelled at Han Yifeng, ¡°CEO Han! CEO Han! It¡¯s dangerous! Don¡¯t drive so fast! CEO Han!¡±

    Secretary Wang was worried sick. At the same time, he urged the chauffeur beside him to speed up.

    Han Yifeng could not hear Secretary Wang at all. He just felt the pressure suffocating him, and he needed a space to vent.

    There was no one at all on the slippery road while one or two cars passed by him. Han Yifeng sped up even faster as the cold rain and wind howled into his car from the opened window. His hair became messy and his face was wet while the refraction of light from the rain droplets blurred his vision. He floored the brake when he saw a bridge in front.

    He jumped out of the car before it fully stopped. Then, he walked towards the bridge and roared at the river down below like a wild beast!

    It was the first time Secretary Wang saw him go so out of control. His suppressed emotions flooded out altogether. It was enough to drown a person.

    ¡°Secretary Wang...¡±

    The chauffeur looked at Han Yifeng hesitantly. He wanted to close in, but Secretary Wang stopped him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go. Let him vent. It¡¯s been really tough for CEO Han.¡± Secretary Wang sighed as the chauffeur just stood right there.

    After some time, Han Yifeng stopped yelling. Instead, he gripped the railing tightly and looked at the river. His strength was drained as his eyes looked empty. Soaking wet, the chilliness drove right into his bones. He had never felt this sober. The pain and sorrow in his heart were exceptionally clear to him at that moment.

    He had abandoned Xiaye who was genuinely in love with him. He had given in to temptation and epted Xi Xinyi¡¯s love, neglecting Xiaye and hurting her. On the contrary, he had given his best to love and care for Xi Xinyi, but when the truth was revealed, all his actions became a ridiculous joke.

    Fate was against him!

    He hated Xi Xinyi as much as he loved her before. Han Yifeng never knew that their rtionship was this cheap.

    How could he escape from this deep swamp?

    He tried to convince himself to forget everything and love Xi Xinyi again, but every time he thought about it, her pathetic self surfaced in his mind. In the end, the images of her all turned into Xi Xiaye¡¯s elegant, beautiful face...

 Chapter 626 - Trapped City (2)

    <h4>Chapter 626: Trapped City (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After that, Han Yifeng only remembered that he had gone to drink, and then sped all the way on the road. The pain that weighed on his chest was momentarily subdued by the reckless erosion of the cold winds and rain. He then fell asleep although he was not too sure how he lost consciousness.

    In his daze, he only felt himself being carried up, and then he could smell the faint fragrance on the person. It was nice and made him want to cling onto the person. They were a pair of delicate and slender hands that were gentle. It definitely was not Secretary Wang¡¯s pair of rough hands.

    That person wore a light beige windbreaker and had long, beautiful hair that fell past the shoulders. Han Yifeng wanted to open his eyes for a better look, yet he could only see a blurry figure. Despite not having a way to see clearly who it was, that familiar air from her was enough for him to be sure who that was.

    ¡°Xiaye... Xiaye... I¡¯m sorry. Forgive me...¡±

    He held her hand and softly begged, his eyes welling up with hot tears. The sadness surpressed in his heart rushed out as the grip on her hand tightened while he held her gentle little hand.

    ¡°Director Xi, he drank a lot... He¡¯s having a fever. The temperature is very high. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s very serious.¡±

    Ji Zitong steadied Han Yifeng as she turned to look at Xi Xiaye who was still sitting in the car with her head lowered and looking at herptop screen.

    When she heard Ji Zitong, Xi Xiaye slowly looked up. She rolled her car window down and nced over. Indeed, she saw that Ji Zitong was having slight difficulties holding the tall Han Yifeng up. She could also vaguely hear Han Yifeng calling out her name.

    She could not help but sigh softly. She wondered how he had made his way to the Grand Waves Vi area. Then, she recalled that it should be his son¡¯s full moon banquet today. What was he up to being so drunk and looking like this?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s exquisite face shed with a in smile. After considering the humid and cold night, she thought about it, then said, ¡°We¡¯ll find a nearby clinic and send him over. Get someone to watch over him after that.¡±

    She did not want to say too much, so she just continued going through the materials on herptop.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Ji Zitong answered, and then waved to the two ck-suited bodyguards on the side for help. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye already told the chauffeur to continue driving.

    She had been out for work till quitete that day. Afterward, she even made a trip to the office to get some materials. It was going to be a break in the next two days, so she could finally rx.

    The car continued to drive ahead. When it drove past Han Yifeng, he opened his misty eyes and took a look at her, yet it was only a split instant, then she was gone.

    With only a blurry trace of the car gradually drowned in the swaying, windy rain, he did not catch a glimpse of anything in the end.

    Inside the car, Xi Xiaye closed the window. After a while, she slowly looked up. Her cold gaze saw through the window as she watched the streetlights that passed by. A faint mockery shed on her face. At the same time, many feelings lingered in her heart.

    After a long while, she caressed her baby bump as she spoke softly, ¡°Baby, let¡¯s not think about anything. We¡¯ll be good and wait for Father¡¯s return. He isn¡¯t home, and Mother¡¯s not used to it either. I don¡¯t feel secure. Are you feeling the same way?¡±

    As if it could hear Xi Xiaye¡¯s thoughts, the little thing in her belly joyfully moved again.

    ¡°But, without him around, Mummy can still take good care of you. Just a few months more till we meet, so you have to be good. If you¡¯re a boy, I hope that you¡¯ll grow up to be like your father. He¡¯s very handsome and dashing. He can always charm your mother. If you¡¯re a girl, you must grow up to be like me. Let your father dote on you. Your father and mother will definitely raise you well and give you a happy childhood. We¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re happier than either of us, okay?¡±

    Upon hearing Xi Xiaye¡¯s words, the little one in her belly seemed to kick even harder. The smile on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face became extraordinarily gentle and her maternal glow showed.

    She did not want to look into anything anymore. She just wanted to cherish the present and use the rest of her life to follow him in exchange for a life of peace. This sliver of hope was not too much, was it?

    Inside a private hospital near the Grand Waves Vi area.

    When Han Yifeng regained consciousness, it was already noon the next day. The first thing he did as he opened his eyes was to look around for that familiar figure, yet when he saw that it was Ji Zitong standing straight and professionally beside his bed, he was stunned. There was an indescribable disappointment in his eyes.

    ¡°CEO Han, you¡¯re awake!¡± said Ji Zitong calmly with a formal expression. When she saw that Han Yifeng¡¯s gaze was also cold, she kept her guard up.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    Han Yifeng had seen Ji Zitong before. She was Xi Xiaye¡¯s personal female bodyguard and had been with Xi Xiaye for quite a while now. Xi Xiaye would also attend some banquets once in a while with Ji Zitong always by her side. In fact, she looked quite skilled, creating asting impression on Han Yifeng.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ji Zitong asked in a tone that was not exactly considered friendly.

    He looked at Ji Zitong for quite a while before nodding. He lifted a hand to prop his heavy head up. ¡°Much better. How did I end up here?¡±

    He was very sure that he had seen Xi Xiaye yesterday, but now...

    ¡°You drank too much and ran over to the Grand Waves Vi area. Then, you had a fever and fainted on the roadside. Our Chairman¡¯s wife passed by and saved you. She told us to send you here,¡± Ji Zitong calmly replied.

    When Han Yifeng heard her response, his heart leaped and he quickly asked, ¡°What about her? Where¡¯s Xiaye? Where¡¯s she now?¡±

    ¡°Missus is at home. CEO Han, I hope that you can conduct yourself with dignity. Missus is Chairman Mu¡¯s wife. She even has Chairman Mu¡¯s child now. If you have no sense of priorities and someone with ill intentions is aware, not only will you be misunderstood, but you¡¯ll also hurt Missus.¡± Ji Zitong had obviously said all of this because of Mu Yuchen¡¯s advice from before.

    Yesterday, Han Yifeng had called out for Xi Xiaye loudly. If someone with ill intentions found out about it, they would definitely kick up a fuss, especially the paparazzi from the media. Chairman Mu had especially told her beforehand not to let Xi Xiaye be in touch with those people as there would just be a lot of trouble.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    When Ji Zitong said that, Han Yifeng¡¯s face sank and he frowned at her.

 Chapter 627 - Always Be This Happy? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 627: Always Be This Happy? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong was not afraid of Han Yifeng¡¯s sharp and cold gaze at all. Instead, she nced at him with an indifferent expression while her tone did not reveal any emotion.

    ¡°It¡¯s as you understand it. Last night, you kept on calling out for the Missus. If someone with ill intentions knew about it, even if you aren¡¯t worried for yourself, you should at least be considerate about Director Xi. Previously, she¡¯d been tormented by you and your wife. Since you know that you¡¯ve let her down, then you should be more considerate about her. If your wife finds out about your conditionst night, she¡¯ll just hate Director Xi again.¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression looked upset. His deep eyes shifted with gloominess. After a long pause, he asked softly, ¡°Did Mu Yuchen make you pass this message on?¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu doesn¡¯t need to say anything. He doesn¡¯t know about this either, but I need to fulfill my duties, and my duty is to protect Missus. However, CEO Han, your actions rmed me. That¡¯s why I told you these things.¡± Ji Zitong stood firmly. She was not afraid of anything. Because Xi Xiaye treated her well, as her subordinate, she should do her duty and help her resolve some hidden threats.

    Han Yifeng looked worse as his hands gripped tightly onto the nket.

    ¡°CEO Han, please behave. The medical fees have been paid for and the doctor said that your fever has just subsided, so you¡¯re still quite weak. Plus, you¡¯ve been working hard for a long period of time, causing your body to be fatigued. I suggest that you rest and recuperate for a while. Otherwise, if you fall ill, the only person who¡¯ll suffer is yourself,¡± Ji Zitong said. She was about to turn and leave when Han Yifeng unexpectedly asked, ¡°Did Xiaye tell you to pass any message on to me?¡±

    When Ji Zitong heard his question, she sneered andughed. ¡°Missus only told me and two other buddies to send you here. She didn¡¯t say anything else.¡±

    Han Yifeng suddenly felt a twinge in his heart. He then remembered in a daze that yesterday she seemed to have sat in the car and not bother alighting. She had only taken one look at him. In his delirious state, he thought Ji Zitong was Xi Xiaye. Even though he had a high fever and did not sleep well, he thought...so...

    After a pregnant pause, Han Yifeng nodded and said weakly, ¡°Okay, please help me thank her.¡±

    ...

    The cold autumn rain was still falling as the air became chillier inside the living room of the first floor in Maple Residence.

    Xi Xiaye was leisurely sitting on the sofa and arranging the flowers in her hand. Beside her, some blue roses and some small decorative little flowers were strewn messily. The vase was filled with a bouquet of blossoming blue roses.

    Mu Lingshi brought the wastepaper basket over and cleaned the fallen leaves as she asked, ¡°Sis-inw, where are Sis Wang and the rest? Why¡¯s it just you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Sis Wang¡¯s daughter¡¯s birthday this weekend. I¡¯ve got nothing much going on here too, so I just let everyone off for a break this weekend.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gently fixed the flowers in the vase. Her eyes were filled with a hint of calm gentleness, and she looked elegant and charming. Her tone was gentle and soothing. No wonder her brother was so worried.

    ¡°Sis-inw, aren¡¯t you worried that my brother would be concerned? Just a few months ago, he wouldn¡¯t even call me at all, and now he¡¯s been calling me every few days, urging me toe to apany you, especially on the weekends. He¡¯s quite thoughtful about you.¡± Mu Lingshi lowered her eyes and gently fiddled with the blue rose petals as she gently chuckled.

    ¡°He¡¯s just too worried. I¡¯m alright. When you¡¯re free, it¡¯s best that you apany Ah Mo more.¡± Xi Xiaye set down the vase as she responded.

    ¡°How can I be negligent? This is my little nephew to whom I¡¯m quite looking forward.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. She took a wet towel from the side to wipe her hands and then she leisurely began to steep some tea. ¡°There¡¯s still a few more months. How are things on Sis Lan¡¯s end? Your brother wouldn¡¯t let me go. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve wanted to ask more.¡±

    When this was brought up, Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression froze. Earlier, when she found out from Ah Mo that Qi Qiming was not rted to her, even though she was relieved, she was also dazed at the same time. This was a huge world. Even finding her biological father was a tough task.

    ¡°Sis-inw, don¡¯t you worry about this. My brother and Ah Mo are following up on it. There might even be some cluester on,¡± Mu Lingshi answered in a pained tone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If we set our mind to it, we¡¯ll definitely find him.¡± Xi Xiaye delivered the steeped floral tea to her as she consoled her sister-inw.

    Mu Lingshi sighed and shook her head. ¡°Actually, sometimes, I¡¯ve already thought about giving up. It¡¯s okay if I don¡¯t find him. If he didn¡¯t intentionally cover his traces, Brother would¡¯ve found him by now. He¡¯s hoping that we won¡¯t be able to find him. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s fine if we end up not finding him.¡±

    ¡°Ah Shi, no matter what, you are the Mu family¡¯s daughter. Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, and your brother care a lot about you. Because of this matter, he¡¯s been...¡±

    ¡°Sis-inw, let¡¯s not talk about it. I know. I also know what I should do.¡±

    Xi Xiaye just nodded. ¡°Okay then. You should give more thought to you and Ah Mo. Ah Mo should be 30 this year, isn¡¯t he? Don¡¯t let him wait too long. We women don¡¯t ask for much either. As long as he¡¯s good to you, you don¡¯t have to worry much. Whatever it is, take it easy. You¡¯ll realize that it¡¯s actually not that hard.¡±

    ¡°Sis-inw, your frame of mind has always been one that I admire. All these years, there¡¯ve been many women who have fallen in love with Brother. Naturally, there were many excellent ones too, but none could win Brother¡¯s heart more than you have. Don¡¯t worry. I know Ah Mo¡¯s the same. He¡¯s very wonderful, and I admit that I like him too. In a while more, when I¡¯m done managing my own frame of mind, I¡¯ll...¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xiaye smiled with her lips pursed before she stopped her. ¡°That¡¯s good then! Sit down first. The soup should be ready, so we can eat soon. My skills might not be very good, so...¡±

    ¡°Let me help you, Sis-inw!¡±

    Mu Lingshi got up, but at this moment, the doorbell rung from outside. Mu Lingshi quickly went to get the door. When she looked at the screen, she saw Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face outside.

    Mu Lingshi looked surprised at the screen as she cried out, ¡°Qi Lei! Why¡¯s he here?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows and found it weird too. She was about to say something when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw it was Mu Yuchen calling!

    She frowned as she nodded at Mu Lingshi, telling her to open the door while she answered the call.

 Chapter 628 - Always Be This Happy? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 628: Always Be This Happy? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she received Xi Xiaye¡¯s nod, Mu Lingshi went to get the door.

    Xi Xiaye answered the call, and the man¡¯s deep voice immediately came through. ¡°It¡¯s me. Have you had lunch?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I was just preparing some food with Ah Shi,¡± Xi Xiaye responded.

    ¡°Mmm, eat more, but I need you to help me do something. Go to the study room. On the second shelf, in the hidden grid on the third row, there¡¯s a folder with an ¡®X¡¯ on it. Take it down and hand it to Qi Lei. He should be reaching Maple Residence right now.¡± His deep and maic voice came through, astonishing her.

    Xi Xiaye nced at the screen by the door and asked in puzzlement, ¡°Document folder? Hand to Qi Lei? Since when did you be this close to him?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that there¡¯s no such thing as an eternal enemy but only eternal benefits? This is men¡¯s business. Don¡¯t worry about it. Go upstairs right now and bring the thing to him, hmm?¡± His gentle voice contained a smile.

    ¡°I smell adultery, Mr. Mu!¡± she teased as she walked upstairs.

    Mu Yuchen rarely heard her tease him, so she went along with her and said softly, ¡°If there really was adultery, it wouldn¡¯t be with him. Don¡¯t you think this is cheapening your Mr. Mu¡¯s taste? Hmm, has the little thing been behaving?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been kicking up quite a fuss. If you were back, it could probably understand what we¡¯re saying since it can usually feel the things I say to it. Right, it¡¯s going to be the VP of Qi Kai, Wang Qin¡¯s birthday soon, but I haven¡¯t decided on what gift to give. Clearly, you¡¯re up to taking care of Qi Lei¡¯s face, so what do you n to do?¡± Xi Xiaye recalled what Qi Lei had mentioned to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ah Mo¡¯s prepared it. Just go over with him then and bring Ji Zitong along.¡±

    ...

    When the door slowly opened, Qi Lei was a little surprised to see the icily arrogant and unruly Mu Lingshi standing inside. He raised his brows, yet you could not read any emotions on his face. ¡°Why is it you?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression turned cold too, obviously she did not like seeing this Qi Lei, she answered coldly, ¡°Why can¡¯t it be me?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged as his gaze fell on Mu Lingshi, quickly stopping on the scary scars on her face. A mix of emotions flickered in his eyes.

    When she noticed his gaze, Mu Lingshi only shot him a warning re as she turned away. She twisted to her side and allowed him a small gap to enter.

    Qi Lei then looked away. A pity that he did not even realize he felt crossed his expression. He thought about it, then answered, ¡°Consider it a slip of the tongue, Miss Mu.¡± He then walked right in with huge strides.

    While Mu Lingshi was weirded out by his attitude, before she could think any further, Qi Lei had already walked past her. Then, hiszy voice drawled, ¡°Is Xi Xiaye not around?¡±

    Was he there to look for Sis-inw?

    Vignce shed in Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes as she closed the door and quickly followed him.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    It was a vignt and repelling tone which would startle and annoy anyone, yet Qi Lei did not seem to feel it at all. He slowed down his steps and when Mu Lingshi walked up to him, he suddenly spun around to watch her. His eyes that carried a hint of a demonic smile was questioning. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Ms. Mu, are you still unhappy about thest time? We don¡¯t have much of a grudge between us. I¡¯m now a good friend of your brother¡¯s and your sis-inw¡¯s confidant. Can¡¯t you just be nice to me? When Lingtian was still around, you weren¡¯t this prejudiced against me, were you?¡±

    Brother¡¯s good friend and Sis-inw¡¯s confidant?

    Nonsense!

    Mu Lingshi shot him a nce. She did not forget that this man did bring Mu Yuchen a barrage of trouble.

    When he saw her ignoring him, Qi Lei stopped talking and continued to quicken his steps as he walked in. He had just stepped into the living room when he saw Xi Xiaye walking down with a folder.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen sure is quick.¡± Qi Lei stood near the staircase as he looked at Xi Xiaye in amusement.

    ¡°He told me to pass you this.¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed the folder to him without any questions. Her husband had his reasons for doing things, so this must be about a coboration.

    Qi Lei took it and had a brief look before looking up at Xi Xiaye. When he saw that she was even frailer now, he could not help but ask in concern, ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days, but you¡¯ve turned skinnier. Aren¡¯t you worried that a certain Mr. Mu will be sad when he gets back?¡±

    When he said this, even Qi Lei found it unimaginable that he would actually care for someone so calmly. In fact, it was his former rival¡¯s woman. Had this been in the past, Qi Lei would definitely have thought that he was experiencing a mentalpse or that he was possessed.

    However, now that he said it out loud, it all felt natural.

    In front of this husband and wife, Qi Lei could not seem to pretend. He became what was under the mask, his true self.

    When Xi Xiaye heard his concern, she was not angered. Mu Yuchen had told her a lot about Qi Lei. Setting aside the grudges between him and Mu Yuchen, he was actually not that annoying of a person. At least, Qi Lei had never truly made things hard for her. Otherwise, if he did not n to let her go back then, she would not have made it out of West Park with her injuries.

    After that, she had been in contact with him several times, and her impression of him slowly changed.

    ¡°I can barely manage all the work. I¡¯ve given you what I need to. Oh, lunch has just been prepared. Do you want to have some before leaving?¡± Xi Xiaye asked courteously.

    ¡°How rare of you to ask me to stay for lunch, but there¡¯s no need. I¡¯ve just had lunch with a friend beforeing over. Apart froming for this, I also wanted to remind you not to forget about my mother¡¯s birthday banquet.¡± His low and gentle voice sounded quite calm.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be there personally.¡±

    Qi Lei was relieved. Unexpectedly, a in gentleness gathered in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on her beautiful face. After a long while, he smiled and said, ¡°Thank you! If possible, I really hope that you will always be this happy and stay away from all those troubles, but don¡¯t worry. Apart from Mu Yuchen, I¡¯ll also be a friend and protect you. You must know that apart from Mu Yuchen, I, Qi Lei, am a very chivalrous, kind man too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought it was a little weird. She wanted to ask something, but Qi Lei had abruptly turned to leave, waving the folder in hand.

    ¡°Bye! See you at the banquet!¡±

 Chapter 629 - Always Be This Happy? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 629: Always Be This Happy? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Always be this happy?

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows. Obviously, she thought it was odd. As she watched Qi Lei move further away, the light that gathered in her eyes did not dim until Mu Lingshi called out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

    Mu Lingshi followed Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze and watched the retreating figure for a long while before she could not help but ask, ¡°Sis-inw, what did Qi Lei mean? What did my brother ask you to hand to him?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head, lowering her gaze to hide the questions in her eyes as she said softly, ¡°He said it¡¯s a document which should be for work. Let him be. Let¡¯s have lunch first.¡±

    ¡°Since when did my brother make peace with this guy? Sis-inw, you have to remind Brother to be more vignt. He¡¯s always been loyal to Gu Lingshi, so we can¡¯t guarantee that he won¡¯t have ill intentions against Brother because of the incident. It¡¯s best to keep your guard up against people like him.¡±

    Mu Lingshi did not have a positive impression of Qi Lei. Even though Qi Feng and Qi Lei were Mu Lingtian¡¯s good friends back then, she had not stayed in contact with them. Instead, Mu Yuchen and Su Chen were closer to them.

    Actually, she did not understand how did someone as anti-social as Lingtian be close friends with those two people and Gu Lingsha?

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry. Your brother knows what he¡¯s doing, so just trust him. He has his own considerations for everything he does. Just wait and see.¡± She was quite calm and did not seem very worried since she basically thought he could do anything.

    Seeing her like this, Mu Lingshi did not say anything more. She just nodded and followed her into the kitchen.

    It was close to noon and Fatong Avenue was rather quiet. This road led to the suburbs, connecting the two luxury residential areas, the Grand Waves Vi area and the Grand Lake Vi area. There was even the Ninth Crooked Bend ahead, so there were usually not many cars here.

    Qi Lei leisurely drove the car slowly away from the Grand Waves Vi area toward his own Grand Lake Vi area.

    The car sped along all the way as Qi Lei propped his head on one hand while his other hand held the steering wheel and his eyes calmly looked ahead. Absent-mindedly, he did not even notice that his phone that was tossed aside had been buzzing for a long while.

    When the car came to a roundabout, there was suddenly a brand new Maserati that revved from the front. It had a white body and sleek contours. Qi Lei could not help but take a second look. Although he did not know about cars very well, he just thought that this model was simr to the brand new sports car that he had plundered from Mu Yuchen which was why he was curious.

    The white Maserati quickly drove toward him, and he could vaguely see a woman with sunsses was at the wheel. The flowing light-colored scarf and her long hair fluttered in the cold breeze, drawing a beautiful curve and brushing past very swiftly. Qi Lei could faintly smell the light fragrance that a little familiar in the air. His gaze froze for a moment as a light shed in his mind. Abruptly, something hit him. He immediately steadied his hands on the steering wheel and turned to look at the Maserati that drove past him. Without thinking much, he quickly turned the car and chased after the Maserati.

    However, that girl was clearly a skilled driver too. In a heartbeat, she quickly ditched Qi Lei far behind. Qi Lei sped up and chased after her. After driving for quite a distance, he finally watched as the Maserati disappeared amidst the sea of cars at the traffic light ahead. Eventually, he could no longer see the car.

    He then slowly stopped his car by the roadside in a daze. His gaze focused ahead on the car that had vanished by now while his handsome face tensed up. He did not regain his senses for a long while.

    Did he not just...?

    That woman... Was that not her?

    Why was that spirit so simr to how she once was?

    Even that aura was so faintly simr.

    When he heard about her return from Mu Yuchen, he dared not to find out more about her, yet now, knowing that she was still alive, he felt a little better. Nheless, even if she was still alive, she had never reached out to him all these years. He was not afraid of suffering from the torment, but he was just afraid that it would be like before, to receive unreciprocated love from Qi Feng in disdain.

    Qi Leiughed bitterly. Finally, he sighed slowly and turned his car the other way once again.

    He was probably disillusioned. Shasha was not very skilled at driving back then. He had even given her advice then, so he probably mistook the driver. Otherwise, she would have at least gotten down from the car to say hi to him.

    When he thought about this, he still felt a little disappointed. Then, he drove back to the Grand Lake Vi area in a daze.

    In Qi Lei¡¯s vi in the Grand Lake Vi area.

    Wang Qin was sitting upright at the sofa in the living room, flipping through a document. Her expression was gloomy. Assistant Yang Sheng, who stood far away, on one side could feel the biting chilliness in the air.

    When he saw Wang Qin staring at that document with a shifting gloominess, Yang Sheng could not help but softly call out, ¡°Mrs. Wang...¡± His voice was very soft because he was afraid of stirring up Wang Qin¡¯s fury.

    Wang Qin had already calmed down at this point. By the looks of her white nails as a result of her tight grip, Yang Sheng knew that she must have used up a lot of energy to keep herself collected.

    ¡°Qi Qiming, if you¡¯re going to be so heartless, then don¡¯t me me for doing the same!¡±

    Wang Qinughed grimly before tossing the document onto the table. She looked up at Yang Sheng. ¡°Tell me. Did Xiao Lei go looking for Gu Lingsha?¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly shook his head. ¡°No, Mrs. Wang! Master Qi¡¯s been hard at work recently. He has not been finding out anything about Miss Gu. Perhaps he can really forget her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if he does! There are many good women out there. Why does he have to be involved with someone like her? I already told him that Gu Lingsha isn¡¯t suitable for him. If he had put more thought into work back then and be less involved with Gu Lingsha, things wouldn¡¯t turn out like this right now! A woman like this has drawn a few men into this storm. Hmph!¡±

    Wang Qin had never hidden her prejudice for Gu Lingsha. In this aspect, Yang Sheng actually admired Wang Qin because she was someone who had a clear distinction of what she liked and disliked. It was written evidently on her face. Although she provoked many enemies because of this, if it were not for her iron fist, she would probably have been taken advantage of.

    ¡°CEO Wang, is there news about Miss Gu?¡± Yang Sheng asked softly and carefully.

    ¡°An exchange seminar? She has already returned to City B. She¡¯s probably going to being to City Z soon. I¡¯ve been getting people to secretly follow her. Initially, I thought that I could find out about Qi Feng, but after tracking her for so long, we haven¡¯t gotten any clues.¡±

 Chapter 630 - Exposed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 630: Exposed (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A hint of heaviness gathered in Wang Qin¡¯s eyes as she sighed and then continued, ¡°But the more it¡¯s like that, we know that Qi Feng¡¯s been tightly hidden, and the more Qi Qiming is protecting him, the more I will pull him up by the roots. I¡¯ll let them know that Xiao Lei is the young master of Qi Kai. What is Qi Lei? All these years, I, Wang Qin have been courteous to him by tolerating him!¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Wang, but, Mr. Qi...¡±

    Yang Sheng looked hesitantly at Wang Qin. He paused and then said, ¡°Master Qi doesn¡¯t understand the trouble that you¡¯ve taken. Earlier, he even caused a ruckus. I¡¯m worried that...¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s face sank a little. ¡°It¡¯s okay if he doesn¡¯t understand it. One day, he¡¯ll know that only his mother has his best interests at heart. I¡¯ve already lost my life. I don¡¯t want him to walk down the same path as I did. If having some things can let him live a little easier, he should fight for it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this. Put more thought into the birthday banquet, and don¡¯t let Xiao Lei know about today. I will think of something for South River¡¯s project. Qi Kai¡¯s not just for Qi Qiming to do as he wishes. How can he just change the person in charge as he like? Qi Lei won this project! Who is he nning to change it to?¡± Wang Qin¡¯s tone was unhappy as she stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving first. When Xiao Lei gets back, give me a call. His phone has been switched off!¡± As Wang Qin said this, she took her sunsses out before walking towards the entrance.

    Yang Sheng only nodded because he was worried about mother and son.

    Wang Qin had only just left when Qi Lei returned. He was a little surprised to see Yang Sheng.

    Qi Lei tossed his car keys onto the coffee table before he slumped onto the sofa and asked nonchntly, ¡°Why are you here? Isn¡¯t it your day off? Why are you here instead of resting at home?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re finally back! CEO Wang just left. She was here to look for you. Your phone¡¯s been switched off, so she¡¯s very worried about you and came over to visit you.¡±

    A mocking curve shed across Qi Lei¡¯s lips as she said apathetically, ¡°What¡¯s there to visit? Can¡¯t she just give me two days of peace and quiet?¡±

    Yang Sheng shook his head helplessly. ¡°Master Qi, VP Wang just has your best interests at heart. She knows that CEO Qi sacked you from being in charge of the South River project, so she rushed back through the night...¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about that anymore. The old man has his own considerations. You go back first. If there¡¯s nothing urgent in the next two days, don¡¯te looking for me. I want to be alone for a while.¡±

    ¡°But, Master Qi, VP Wang told me to call her once you¡¯ve returned. In fact...¡±

    ¡°I got it, you can leave now!¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei had already cut him off. Yang Sheng stood there stunned as he watched him. He could only swallow the words that he was about to say. Finally, he had no choice but to leave quietly.

    ...

    In a certain suite in Hospital T.

    Lu Xin did not expect that she would see this capable woman, Wang Qin, again. While she looked at Wang Qin standing at the end of her bed in an imposing manner, Lu Xin¡¯s face appeared momentarily fearful.

    Wang Qin looked at Lu Xin on the sick bed. Before Lu Xin could say anything, she spoke up first, ¡°What? Don¡¯t recognize me? Since you¡¯re already seen Qi Qiming, didn¡¯t you expect that I¡¯d personallye looking for you? Do you have to look so shocked?¡±

    Sis Lan gaped at Wang Qin in shock for a long time. After a while, she propped herself up slowly to sit.

    After some time of recuperating, her condition had improved. However, she knew very well that these were her final days. She was gradually feeling weak and nk. The emptiness engulfed her from time to time, and she kept thinking about the past as if deja vu was reying once again, leaving her with some final longing for this mortal world. There was actually nothing she could bring with her. Even these memories probably would note with her.

    Of course, among these memories, some were rted to this woman before her, Wang Qin!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really think you¡¯de, but this is within my expectations too.¡± Sis Lan¡¯s tone was quite calm. Even though the shifting light in her eyes was a little dim, there was a calmness in them as she looked at Wang Qin with indifference. ¡°I have seen Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°He knows that you¡¯re dying soon too, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Wang Qin was straightforward as she looked at Sis Lan with an apathetic gaze. There was even a hint of disdain while a smile of ridicule curved on the corner of her lips. ¡°From what I can see, trash like him has no heart for pity at all. Why do you have to dishonor yourself? Are you resenting him for not marrying you back then?¡±

    ¡°If the Wang family didn¡¯t hinder us from within, I think he would¡¯ve married me. Sadly, I never would¡¯ve expected that I¡¯d be a rebound too. He let me down in the end while I foolishly stayed with him for so many years...¡± As Sis Lan spoke, she felt her chest hurt and her eyes could not help but water again.

    Wang Qinughed grimly. ¡°It must be tough on you to finally see where you really stand. Years ago, because of this, you kept targeting me. I admit that I did quite hate women like you. You clearly knew that Qi Qiming was already mywfully wedded husband, yet you kept on clinging onto him.¡±

    Sis Lan let out a bitterugh, suppressing the pain that rose in her chest and saying a little weakly, ¡°Yes, I admit that back then, I was hostile toward you, but you weren¡¯t easy on me either, were you? When I returned to City Z, I knew that with your personality, you¡¯d definitelye to insult me, and today it happened as predicted. However, I have actually been waiting for you toe. At least, there are some things we need to clear up.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t actually think I have anything to say to you. You¡¯re right. I came just to see you in a sorry state. I came here to fulfill the things you said to me back then.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Women who fall in love with Qi Qiming will be miserable with no happy ending. Just consider me suffering the consequences of my own actions then. Today I¡¯d just like to ask you one thing. You¡¯ve been with Qi Qiming for so long. Don¡¯t you love him even one bit? If that is so, why have you held on till now and even borne a son for him?¡± Sis Lan fixed her eyes on Wang Qin, anticipating her answer.

    ¡°Love? Does Qi Qiming deserve it? The marriage between him and me is just a marriage tobine our family ns. It¡¯s just a rtionship of mutual benefits. The thought of trash like him disgusts me, yet I still had a son with him. If it were not for my son, I would have...¡±

    When Qi Qiming was mentioned, Wang Qin¡¯s eyes were just filled with disdain and apathy.

    ¡°Wang Qin, no, Sis Qin, you¡¯re still the smart one for not handing your heart to him while I was too foolish. I can only...¡±

 Chapter 631 - Exposed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 631: Exposed (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She felt a pain in her chest as some blood burbled up her throat again. She quickly grabbed a handkerchief and covered her mouth.

    Wang Qin¡¯s eyes darkened when she saw the blood on Sis Lan¡¯s handkerchief and her eyes turned pitiful, but they soon returned to her usual coldness.

    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely powerless now, but I know you¡¯ve been having it rough too. Thank you for visiting me today. I¡¯m sorry for treating you like that back then. You¡¯ve been generous. It¡¯s Qi Qiming¡¯s blessing that he was able to marry you. Sadly, he doesn¡¯t know how to cherish you. I know your rtionship with him has been strained. Your son and his other favored son are fighting for the inheritance right of Qi Kai while you¡¯ve been working hard as well.¡±

    Sis Lan paused, swallowing the blood in her mouth before continuing, ¡°I thought about bringing these secrets to the grave with me, but after thinking that we were once Qi Qiming¡¯s women, I need to tell you something.¡±

    Doubts rose in Wang Qin¡¯s eyes as she looked at Sis Lan.

    Sis Lan forced a smile on her pale face as she spoke, ¡°Do you really think the woman Qi Qiming truly loved was Qi Feng¡¯s mother?¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be? For the sake of that witch¡¯s son, he¡¯s been giving me so much trouble? Look what he did to Qi Lei!¡± Wang Qin was angered.

    Sis Lan shook her head. ¡°I thought I was a recement for that woman as well, but then I realized afterward that I was wrong. We¡¯re all wrong! That woman wasn¡¯t the one Qi Qiming missed. The one he loved... was... was...¡±

    Suddenly, Sis Lan¡¯s whole body started shaking as blood spilled out of her mouth. She clutched at her chest as she felt a sharp pain and her handkerchief was soaked in blood.

    Wang Qin quickly went over and pressed on the emergency bell and then helped Sis Lan lie down.

    Sis Lan grabbed her shirt, sucking in a deep breath and whispering beside Wang Qin¡¯s ear, ¡°The person he loved... is the Mu family¡¯s daughter... Mu Zi... Mu Zixi... That¡¯s why he... Don¡¯t you remember what Qi Feng called Mu Zi? Mu Zi¡¯s son even became good friends with Qi Feng, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s eyes widened. She could not believe it as she shook her head. ¡°Impossible! That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    Wang Qin knew what Sis Lan was talking about. Qi Qiming wanted Qi Feng to call Mu Zi ¡°godmother¡±, but then Mu Zi said that title felt old, hence Qi Feng called her ¡°Aunty¡± instead. With the rtionship between the Mu family and Qi family, it was not particrly weird for him to call her that. Wang Qin did feel that him wanting Qi Feng to call her ¡°godmother¡± was odd.

    Mu Zi¡¯s depression worsenedter on. While Qi Qiming was very active in helping her find a cure, he was very nice to Mu Lingtian as well. Although they were not really close anymore after Mu Zimitted suicide, the children probably did not remember much. After they grew up a little, Qi Qiming sent Qi Feng to the same school as Mu Lingtian and the others, and they even got into the same ss...

    Wang Qin never thought that Qi Qiming...

    After she gave it some thought, it made sense.

    ¡°I¡¯m Mu Zi¡¯s best friend. I have to admit that I was jealous of her... Even Mu Yuchen... could notice that... Mu Yuchen is really terrifying. He could notice even the tiniest clue... and because of that, I tested Qi Qiming... I found my answer in his eyes...¡±

    Sis Lan was forcing herself to speak at this moment as the coppery scent of blood in the air got heavier.

    ¡°Do you mean that Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi are his children?¡± Wang Qin¡¯s heart almost exploded as she thought about it!

    However, Sis Lan could not answer her anymore as she fainted. The doctors came rushing in as Wang Qin stepped aside and just watched the doctors and nurses trying to give her emergency ai. She left the room quietly, her expression turning dull. It was a huge contrast to her rxed expression when she first entered the room.

    As she walked out and was about to leave, she happened to see the tall figure that just turned past the corner!

    ¡°Qi Qiming!¡± Wang Qin called out the name before rushing forward to catch up to him!

    Qi Qiming halted his footsteps, peering down at Wang Qin who was blocking his way.

    Qi Qiming had some resemnce with her son, Qi Lei. He was a handsome man with a pair of sharp eyes. Other than that, he looked pretty dull as a whole. He nced at Wang Qin expressionlessly before walking past her.

    ¡°Stop right there! Is Lu Xin telling the truth?¡± Wang Qin turned around and asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s just a smart aleck.¡± Qi Qiming seemed unfazed as he continued forward without looking back.

    Wang Qin stopped chasing him. Instead, she put on a cold smile as she pitied Lu Xin. How could she stay so faithful to this cruel, cold man? Moreover, he was Wang Qin¡¯swfully wedded husband!

    ...

    In the chairman office of Glory World Corporation, Ji Zitong informed Xi Xiaye while Xi Xiaye was grabbing a book from the bookshelf, ¡°Director Xi, Sis Lan has passed away in Hospital T. Her funeral is tomorrow.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s voice was not loud, but it was extremely clear inside this quiet space.

    Taken aback, Xi Xiaye turned towards Ji Zitong with shock in her eyes. She held the book in her hand tightly and it took her some time to calm down. Evenutally, she closed her eyes and nodded.

    ¡°Sis Li has arranged for the funeral. Many people who were affiliated with Sis Lan are attending it,¡± Ji Zitong spoke softly.

 Chapter 632 - Longing

    <h4>Chapter 632: Longing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A gentle voice entered Xi Xiaye¡¯s ear. In that instant, she remembered Sis Lan¡¯s face and felt that it was a great pity.

    She initially wanted to take the chance to visit her, but she could not hold on any longer. Perhaps her passing would free her.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze and fell silent for a while before she sighed softly and turning around with her side facing Ji Zitong. She flipped the book open and her clear voice was faintly heard. ¡°Go to pay respects on my behalf. Please tell Sis Li that it¡¯s not convenient for me right now, so I won¡¯t be attending it, and please help me thank her.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye finished, Ji Zitong nodded gently. ¡°Alright!¡± she answered before leaving while Xi Xiaye sighed and began to flip through the book.

    Ji Zitong had just walked out of the office when she saw Ah Mo walking from the opposite direction, so she stopped. ¡°Manager Ah Mo!¡±

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Is the Missus inside?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is. She¡¯s reading,¡± Ji Zitong replied.

    ¡°Okay, thanks!¡± Ah Mo said before he pushed the door open to enter.

    When she heard footsteps, Xi Xiaye looked up from her book in an instant. She nced toward the door and saw Ah Mo walking in. Her beautiful face instantly shed with a gentle smile. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going back to the old residence with Ah Shi? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going backter. Master told us to bring some things back for you, so I¡¯ve brought them over.¡± Ah Mo smiled and handed a big bag of things to her.

    ¡°What is it? He didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Xi Xiaye looked a little surprisedly at the bag he handed over.

    Ah Mo smiled without a word. He just set the items aside on the desk, then said, ¡°Missus, go home earlier today and rest well. There¡¯s the banquet tomorrow, so don¡¯t work too hard. All¡¯s going well on Master¡¯s end. Earlier, I¡¯ve just talked to Master Mo on the phone. They said they should be returning quite soon.¡±

    ¡°Right, with regards to Sis Lan¡¯s passing, Master already knows about it and we¡¯ve arranged for someone to pay respects, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it, Missus.¡±

    Naturally, Mu Yuchen received the news quite fast. Sis Lan had just passed away and already he knew. Of course, some other news was delivered to him too. Considering Xi Xiaye¡¯s nature, he was worried she would be too exhausted, so he just helped arrange everything, and on this end, he had Ah Mo¡¯s capable help. He was practicallymanding everything remotely.

    All arranged for?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. Then, she thought about it and understood that he was already the kind of person who knew her well. She did not need to mention a number of things, but he would already help her get it sorted.

    ¡°Okay, thanks for your help! Then, please tell Zitong that she doesn¡¯t need to attend it. Tomorrow, just pick me up from Maple Residence. I¡¯ll be returning to the Shen residence tonight. Grandpa¡¯s gotten a cold, so I¡¯m worried. Later, Uncle Lan will juste to pick me up. I¡¯ll return to Maple Residence at night.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°Okay, you go back first. Don¡¯t let Grandfather and Grandmother wait too long.¡±

    ¡­

    Ah Mo quickly retreated. Xi Xiaye¡¯s clear eyes looked at the bag as a smile rippled across her beautiful face. She then reached out to open the bag which was filled with many luxurious gift boxes.

    She casually took one to open and saw a gorgeous and dazzling diamond ring. She opened another one, and they were all either bracelets or diamond nes. There was also an exquisite pair of sapphire earrings.

    They were such corny things, but she felt her heart warm as she continued browsing through the gifts. There was a letter below which she quickly took up to read. In the letter was his flowing handwriting.

    She opened the letter and the vigorous strokes of handwriting leaped and flowed before her eyes.

    <i>Missus, is everything alright? I specially went around the shopping mall for a bit. I really did not know what I could give you, so I picked these. I think they suit you rather well. Do you miss me? Whether you do or not, I miss you.</i>

    Just a few simple words and Xi Xiaye could already imagine that the man must have thought about it for a long while before he wrote them.

    Obviously, Xi Xiaye was right.

    This should be considered a love letter. Master Mu had been alive for over 30 years and it was his first time writing such a cringy love letter for a woman. When Zhou Zimo had seen it then, he almostughed until his stomach cramped up. Mu Yuchen kicked him in annoyance before he would stop.

    Xi Xiaye read it quite a few times before she kept the letter away while blushing and her heart palpitated. As if it could sense their mother¡¯s excitement, the little thing in her belly began to happily move about again. She quickly held her baby bump and smiled as she said gently, ¡°Baby, look! This is the love letter your father has written for Mummy. He¡¯s not skilled at all. Please don¡¯t be like him next time. You won¡¯t be able to get any girls like this! When the timees, Mummy will secretly tell you that the love letters Grandpa used to write for Grandma were more poetic and charming.¡±

    When it heard its mother¡¯s voice, the little thing moved around even more, making Xi Xiaye gently giggle out loud.

    She calmed down for a while before quietly putting the things away, she then sent the man a text.

    <i>Mr. Mu, your love letter was of rookie standards!</i>

    Within a minute of sending that text, Mr. Mu responded: <i>It was concise andprehensive. Every word contained the essence of what I want to say.</i>

    Xi Xiaye smiled with her lips pursed as she continued to respond: <i>The core ideology revealed a word ¡®corny¡¯. You¡¯re a true nouveau riche.</i>

    The other side responded in a split second: <i>Nouveau riche, Missus? Is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing?</i>

    ¡­

    Just like that, the husband and wife chatted back and forth. In an instant, tons of texts were exchanged. The two of them were having an awful lot of fun!

    Even Zhou Zimo could not bear to continue watching it from the side. He gently raised his ss to a beautiful blonde-haired girl and hinted at her with his eyes. The blonde-haired beauty smiled knowingly and squeezed toward Mu Yuchen. She caught his sleeve and called out flirtatiously, ¡°Master Mu, what do you want to y?¡±

    Then, she leaned over, but Mu Yuchen immediately pushed her aside and his face sank. ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    The blonde beauty fell embarrassingly as she looked at Mu Yuchen pitifully.

    This gold mine was odd! He hade to such a ce for fun, yet he did not smoke, drink, or call for girls. All of them could not get close to him, so why was he here then?

    Mu Yuchen realized that he had reacted too harshly, so he concealed the gloominess in his eyes very quickly. He looked indifferently at the woman, then got up annoyed. He walked outside, and the people in the private room stopped what they were doing to stare in surprise as Mu Yuchen disappeared out the door.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged. However, the joy of getting things his way shed in his eyes. He promptly got up as well and in fluent English, he apologized, ¡°Next time, get some prettier ones. He has very high standards. Please don¡¯t mind him. Don¡¯t mind him at all!¡±

    When the crowd heard that, they allughed and nodded knowingly.

 Chapter 633 - Brotherhood

    <h4>Chapter 633: Brotherhood</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was midnight when Mu Yuchen took the lift and went downstairs after he left the room.

    Midnight in New York was charming as ever. The city was still crowded with people even though it waste at night.

    Mu Yuchen stood by the club staircase as he straightened his slightly creased shirt. His expression was calm, but there were some signs of frustration in his eyes.

    He was missing his woman at home, especially at a time like this.

    He raised his head and looked at the colorful neon lights while his mind went numb for a moment. After a while, he walked down the staircase and passed the yellow streetmps to see Li Si and the others were waiting beside the car.

    ¡°The night has just started. It¡¯s not like you to leave so early.¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice reached him from behind, a cheeky undertone coloring his voice.

    When Mu Yuchen turned sideways, he squinted at Zhou Zimo as he put on a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time this has happened. Stop using me as a shield!¡±

    Zhou Zimo shrugged and walked beside him with a grin. ¡°Dior perfume...Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell her even if you really cheated. After all, won¡¯t you get tired of just one person?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened and he frowned as he replied, ¡°Don¡¯tpare her to them. Xiaye is my official wife. Who are they topare to her? I only need one woman. More women mean more trouble. You¡¯re a smart man. I believe you won¡¯t make that mistake too. I don¡¯t want to hear about this ever again.¡±

    Zhou Zimoughed. ¡°Alright, alright. Why so unhappy? Do I look like I¡¯d do that? I won¡¯t have the courage to do so. Even if Su Chen and you won¡¯t kill me for it, my elders at home would eliminate me. We won¡¯t make such stupid mistakes.¡±

    Mu Yuchen red at him coldly without replying.

    Zhou Zimo quickly slung his arm over Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder as he realized he had said something wrong. ¡°If I didn¡¯t do that, we¡¯d still have been stuck inside, you know.¡±

    Mu Yuchen scowled at Zhou Zimo¡¯s hand over his shoulder. Feeling his cold stare, Zhou Zimo quickly moved away, touching his nose while smirking. ¡°I used to think Su Chen¡¯s stare packed a ton of pressure, but you¡¯re not bad either. I think the three of us...¡±

    ¡°If you could put these thoughts into a woman instead, you wouldn¡¯t still be single,¡± Mu Yuchen interrupted before he could finish.

    Among the three of them, Zhou Zimo cared the least about women. Su Chen was always impatient and kept women away while Mu Yuchen was cold and distant from the world. As for Zhou Zimo, he saw no difference between men and women, probably due to the influence of his surroundings. His mother was a famous andrologist doctor!

    Zhou Zimo blushed a little. Having tasted the full extent of Mu Yuchen¡¯s sharp tongue, he decided to keep quiet.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes turned frosty. He then said quietly, ¡°Get the work done as soon as possible. I have to head over to Los Angeles. I might get into trouble if I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Missing your inws?¡± Zhou Zimo smiled at Mu Yuchen.

    Since when would this guy get into trouble so easily?

    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to look into personally. Ah Bo messaged. They might¡¯ve found Qi Feng and I think he knows I¡¯m looking for him,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Zhou Zimo frowned. ¡°Qi Feng! Then, could that Mr. Wen you mentioned who met your wife be Qi Feng? He was saved along with Gu Lingsha. It doesn¡¯t make sense that we only found Gu Lingsha and not Qi Feng. Weren¡¯t they very in love? If something actually happened to Qi Feng, wouldn¡¯t Gu Lingsha be back to take revenge on you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled wryly. He did not seem to be bothered at all. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. That ident was horrible. Lingtian passed away on the spot, so it must¡¯ve been bad for the two of them as well. I don¡¯t want to know about the truth anymore. I just hope to maintain the current peaceful life. However, as you can see they are taking action against me from the dark, I don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded and sighed. ¡°I know. I could already see that things had changed when Ah Mo was scouting for physically skilled people as bodyguards. Bro, have you fallen in love with your woman at home?¡±

    Instead of denying it, Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°We even have a child together. What kind of stupid question is that?¡±

    He walked down the staircase as he continued, ¡°I hope things can remain like this. The past me has been taking rtionships lightly. Now, I think that it¡¯s important. Isn¡¯t that what we¡¯re all living for?¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s bing a saint of love now, hmm? I wonder if it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing!¡± Zhou Zimo teased him.

    ¡°Sometimes, I really wish we could¡¯ve met earlier. We might not have to suffer so much.¡±

    ¡°You can never wish for fate to happen. You¡¯re pretty lucky. At least, you¡¯ve met the person you want to protect. Things are way more difficult with me and Su Chen since we still don¡¯t know where our soulmates are, and we know we can¡¯t stay this way forever. We do feel lonely whenever you¡¯re not with us when we¡¯re out drinking. To be honest, we felt kind of sad when you first told us that you were married. It felt like we broke up,¡± Zhou Zimo expressed his loneliness.

    Mu Yuchen gave him a meaningful stare before he quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m definitely straight!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve reserved two vis in the Grand Waves Vi area for Su Chen and you as a wedding gift. It¡¯s pretty close to Maple Residence, so it¡¯ll be like when we were still staying in the military area.¡±

    ¡°So, I can move over right away?¡±

    ¡°You wish! It¡¯s a wedding gift. Wait till you show me your marriage certificate!¡±

 Chapter 634 - Huge Changes (1)

    <h4>Chapter 634: Huge Changes (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Night fell. The rain had been visiting City Z for several days, shrouding it in a depressing vibe.

    The breeze was chilly even though the rain had stopped.

    Inside the Shen Residence, Xi Xiaye fed Shen Yue some medicine. ¡°Grandpa, you should rest well now. Uncle Lan and I will be helping out at the office. The weather is turning cold and winter ising soon. While City Z isn¡¯t as cold as the north, you still need to take precautions.¡±

    She then handed him a ss of flower tea.

    Shen Yue obviously looked older. She never really realized it before as she seldom visited, but recently, she noticed that he had really been getting old and his hair had turned fully white.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It happens when people get older. Nheless, I think I¡¯m still doing pretty well and can probably still hold on for another ten years. I want to watch my great-grandchild grow up, so you have to take care of yourself properly too. I have the habit of exercising daily. Plus, I did use to be in the military.¡±

    Shen Yue was feeling great. Xi Xiaye had been visiting him frequently, and she would have lunch with him at Fu Hua sometimes. He felt a warmth inside his heart as he felt loved by someone close.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled, slipping behind Shen Yue and massaging his shoulders. ¡°You¡¯d better have a long life ahead of you. The Shen Residence will be livelier. If you still feel lonely, you can consider adopting one or two kids from the orphanage and put them under Mu Yuchen and me. Then, Father and Mother will teach them to read and write. The house won¡¯t feel so empty anymore with children around.¡±

    ¡°That is no problem at all if Ah Chen and you give birth to several more children, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t it great to have many children? Your grandma had a frail body, and your mother only had you. Back then, your grandma thought about adopting as well, but I declined because I was worried that we wouldn¡¯t be able to give your mother enough attention.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. Mother¡¯s eyes will recover and she¡¯ll go back to school afterward. With Mu Yuchen and I so busy at work, we might not have much time to be with you, so adopting a child can be an option. The child can be a ymate to my baby then. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Shen Yue¡¯s eyes went still. A whileter, he replied, ¡°Have a talk with Ah Chen about this, and you need to ask for opinions from the Mu family as well. Adopting a child takes a lot of work.¡±

    Actually, Xi Xiaye just imitated Mu Yuchen¡¯s idea. If a little dog could help get Shen Wenna closer to Xi Mushan, a child could bring moreughter to the Shen Residence.

    Mu Yuchen only wanted one child, so she had to think about something else.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯ll talk to them.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye rushed back to Maple Residence after Shen Yue fell asleep. It was veryte at night when she arrived at home, so she went to bed after a simple shower.

    She could not sleep very well and woke up several times throughout the night. When she woke up in the morning, she looked pretty pale and gaunt.

    Zhuang Shurong took some time to visit her during the afternoon, clearly worried when she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s condition. ¡°Do you have anything you¡¯d like to eat? I¡¯ll prepare it for you. Has it been exhaustingtely?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve just not been sleeping very well. Mother, I¡¯ve been having leg cramps in the past few days, is that normal?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s prettymon. I¡¯ve had a simr experience before when I was pregnant with Ah Chen. Your grandmother made me pork ribs soup for some time. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll go away after you¡¯ve had some calcium,¡± Zhuang Shurong replied in a calm tone.

    Zhuang Shurong had been visiting frequently. At first, Xi Xiaye was not really used to it, but she felt oddly warm now that she had gotten used to it. Although Zhuang Shurong seemed cold on the outside, she was a kind person after all.

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s okay if you¡¯re busy. CEO Wang from Qi Kai is having her birthday tonight. Ah Mo and the others willeter.¡± Xi Xiaye noticed Zhuang Shurong had been checking her watch several times.

    ¡°CEO Wang of Qi Kai? Wang Qin?¡± Zhuang Shurong frowned as she asked.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised to see Zhuang Shurong¡¯s expression. ¡°Do you know CEO Wang?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the Mu family and Qi family were in close contact before. I¡¯m sure you know about the conflicts that happened after that. Be careful over there. As for the child adoption, we don¡¯t really mind it, so you¡¯ll have to ask for Ah Chen¡¯s opinion.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong gave Sis Wang a list of things to take note of before leaving. Xi Xiaye was almost done preparing herself when Ah Mo arrived.

    The banquet was held at the Qi Residence. It was very lively with neon lights everywhere and the fragrance of wine in the air. Laughter tinkled everywhere, and it was crowded.

    The luxuriously-decorated hall was already filled with people. All kinds of food and drinks were served on the table while the soothing waltz music from the live band could be heard throughout the hall. It was a rxing environment.

    Wang Qin wore a long fiery red dress with a faux shawl over her shoulder. She wore heavy makeup and looked very charming, instantly bing the highlight of the night. Many people fell for her beauty.

    Qi Qiming donned a ck suit and stood beside her. In contrast to Wang Qin¡¯s elegant smile, his expression was cold, especially his eyes. It was enough for Wang Qin to notice how unwilling he was to stand beside her.

    They were enemies after all, so it was expected!

    Qi Qiming would not be standing here with her if he were not worried about Qi Kai¡¯s reputation. Of course, Wang Qin was disgruntled about having to stand beside this jerk as well.

    Enduring the disgust inside her, Wang Qin still managed to put on a warm smile as she greeted the guests.

    ¡°How fake!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s cold voice reached her. It had been a long time since they hated each other, so conversations with harsh words were not umon.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be as fake as you, can I?¡± Wang Qin replied quietly while still maintaining her smile.

 Chapter 635 - Huge Changes (2)

    <h4>Chapter 635: Huge Changes (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Qinming scoffed in disdain, ncing up with a lukewarm attitude and watching the crowd that was happily chatting away in the lounge. He sneered. ¡°I¡¯m doing a favor for you today. You¡¯d better appreciate this kindness!¡±

    ¡°Did I ask you for this favor? Wasn¡¯t it Lu Xin¡¯s funeral today? Qi Qiming, you¡¯re heartless! Even I feel the injustice for Lu Xin. She¡¯s dead, and I don¡¯t even see you sending her off as her lover. Only blind women would fancy a bastard like you. I find you more and more disgusting now. I don¡¯t understand how I could stand being your wife for decades.¡± Wang Qin¡¯s sharp and harsh voice was very soft while her tone was filled with disdain.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s gloomy eyes were filled with a hint of disdain and annoyance. He took in Wang Qin¡¯s incensed expression before he turned away coldly and scoffed. ¡°Disgusting? Why didn¡¯t I see you calling me disgusting when you¡¯re lying under me? A woman of empty words!¡±

    Wang Qin quickly calmed herself down and sneered before she said through gritted teeth, ¡°We¡¯re just taking what we need from each other. After all, your service satisfied me, but you don¡¯t seem to be doing too well these past few years. Are you done messing around?¡±

    Indeed, once she blurted this out, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression instantly changed. He red icily at Wang Qin. ¡°Shameless woman!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make yourself sound so virtuous. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know about how many women you have out there. I¡¯ve never seen a man as dirty as you. Just thinking about how you dipped your finger into so many women beforeing to me disgusts me! Even beggars are cleaner than you, Qi Qiming!¡±

    Ignoring Qi Qiming¡¯s expression that was so bitter that it was about to explode from fury, Wang Qin left and moved aside.

    ¡°Yang Sheng, where¡¯s Xiao Lei? Why don¡¯t I see him yet?¡±

    One of the main reasons Wang Qin had organized this birthday banquet was to present Qi Lei, directly announcing Qi Lei¡¯s identity!

    Who was Qi Feng?

    He was just an illegitimate son who did not know his ce. What did he have topete with Qi Lei?

    He was like a woman, ying many tricks in front of Qi Qiming. Instead, it was Qi Lei who asked for nothing, letting this Qi Feng take advantage. Obviously, Wang Qin could not let that happen. Qi Kai could only belong to her son, Qi Lei. This was the Qi family¡¯spensation to her!

    Yang Sheng was busy receiving guests at the moment. When he heard Wang Qin, he turned around.

    ¡°Mrs. Wang!¡± He bowed respectfully before responding, ¡°Master Qi¡¯s on the way. He says he¡¯s prepared a gift for you. Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Wang. He¡¯ll be here right away.¡±

    When she heard this, the smile that Wang Qin forced on her face slowly eased as she nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s nice of Xiao Lei. Have all the invited guests arrived?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still Chairman Mu and Director Xi from Glory World. Vice President Yue isn¡¯t here either. CEO Han from the Han Corporation is under the weather, so he had someone send a gift over. He expresses his regret for not being able to make it,¡± Yang Sheng responded in a low voice.

    When Wang Qin heard, her gaze darkened, she knew that Qi Lei had invited Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye from Glory World. She had also sent an invitation to the Han Corporation, so she was quite surprised that Han Yifeng could not make it. Xi Xinyi¡¯s Yueying Culture Media Company had been doing quite well recently and Qi Kai¡¯s internal team had been quite meticulous with preparing with the movie for the new year. It seemed like Yueying would be seizing this chance to make a beautifuleback, but Yue Hai seemed to be disregarding her more and more these days!

    She scoffed. ¡°They are all just as bad as each other! All of them aren¡¯t giving me face like Qi Qiming!¡±

    Yang Sheng was stunned. Obviously, she knew who Wang Qin was referring to. In the office, Yue Hai would always disregard her and make life difficult for her. He was on Qi Qiming¡¯s side. The reason Xi Xinyi¡¯s Yueying could stand up was mostly thanks to his help! However, it was no wonder since the Yue family did have some authority that made it easy for them to do as they wished.

    ¡°VP Wang you don¡¯t have to bother yourself with these petty people. No matter what, he¡¯s just a shareholder of Qi Kai. It wouldn¡¯t do us good to provoke him either,¡± Yang Sheng reminded.

    Wang Qin smiled coldly. ¡°I know I still have to tolerate him for now!¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded. He wanted to say something more when there was amotion from the entrance. The people downstairs were whispering loudly as Wang Qin¡¯s secretary came over and softly informed her, ¡°Mrs. Wang, VP Yue and Manager Xi are here!¡±

    Yue Hai and Xi Xinyi?

    A sneer curved on Wang Qin¡¯s lips as she quickly looked up and followed the crowd¡¯s gaze to look over. Indeed, she saw Yue Hai dressed in a perfectly creased suit and Xi Xinyi dressed in a fancy indigo gown walking in from the entrance.

    This was the first time Xi Xinyi was making a public appearance since she gave birth. Her figure seemed to have recovered quite well, and she looked rosy and even more love than before. She was quite elegant with the gorgeous body-hugging gown seeming charming on her. Her in blonde long hair fell over her shoulders, giving her a flirtatious vibe.

    She was currently walking over to Wang Qin while clinging onto Yue Hai¡¯s arm, attracting a lot of attention.

    ¡°Happy Birthday, VP Wang!¡±

    ¡°May you have more years toe!¡±

    With Yue Hai¡¯s greeting, a smile shed on Xi Xinyi¡¯s face as she wished her gently too, and even got her secretary to hand a gift over.

    Wang Qin had discerning eyes. How could she miss the fake smile from Xi Xinyi and Yue Hai¡¯s gaze of disdain? She sneered on the inside then responded, ¡°Thanks. I thought that CEO Han would being with you, Manager Xi. Unexpectedly, he¡¯s under the weather and couldn¡¯t make it, but it¡¯s my honor that you could personally make it.¡±

    When Wang Qin finished, Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression shifted, then it returned to normal. ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t miss CEO Wang¡¯s grand birthday. Besides...¡±

    ¡°Besides, a subordinate remembering her superior¡¯s birthday is part of your sincerity, Manager Xi. Manager Xi and VP Yue, the two of you are extremely considerate!¡±

    Before Xi Xinyi could finish, Qi Lei¡¯s in voice came from behind. The crowd then turned to look doubtfully at the source of the voice. They then realized Qi Lei was walking in with a huge bouquet of carnations.

    Unlike his usual yboy image, Qi Lei looked like a modest young man with a gentle image. He wore a tailored silver-gray suit and wore a mid-length ck windbreaker. His handsome face broadened with an appropriate smile, making him appear very gentle, and not quite the same as his usual demonic charm. The bouquet of carnations in his arms made his charisma seem even humbler.

 Chapter 636 - Huge Changes (3)

    <h4>Chapter 636: Huge Changes (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Amidst the shocked gaze of the crowd, Qi Lei arrived before Wang Qin and presented therge bouquet of carnations to his mother. He took Wang Qin¡¯s hand and left a kiss on the back of her hand like a gentleman. He then smiled warmly at her. ¡°Happy birthday, Mother!¡±

    Wang Qin was stunned to see what Qi Lei had done. Momentster, she nodded happily and got Qi Lei to stand up. ¡°Xiao Lei, I¡¯m really happy today. Truly happy!¡±

    Whether he was putting up an act or not, Wang Qin was sincerely touched. It was also the first time Qi Lei had given her flowers. It was a meaningful bouquet of carnation. She did not care if he prepared this himself or not so long as he thought about it.

    There was a huge gap between Qi Lei and her. He stopped getting closer especially after Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident.

    ¡°This is a day for celebration. Why don¡¯t you start the opening dance with Mother, Father? It¡¯s her birthday today, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯d want to share a dance with her, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened slightly when Qi Qiming avoided him, but he rxed momentster as he quickly put on a smile and looked straight at Qi Qiming.

    The crowd was stunned. While some people were looking forward to their dance, most of them were waiting for something else to happen.

    Everyone in the circle knew Qi Qiming and Wang Qin hated each other!

    Qi Lei¡¯s action was obviously adding fuel to the situation. Qi Qiming would most likely turn away and leave. This had happened many times in public, so it was a verymon urrence!

    ¡°Xiao Lei!¡± Wang Qin frowned and looked at Qi Lei, her eyes uneasy.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sure Father is happy to do so. It¡¯s your birthday today and it¡¯s very important for him to perform as a husband.¡±

    Qi Lei took Wang Qin¡¯s hand and guided her to Qi Qiming. As his eyes looked right into Qi Qiming¡¯s quiet and dark ones, Wang Qin could feel the tension in the air.

    It was the first time Qi Qiming felt such an overpowering aura from his son.

    They looked at each other for a moment before Wang Qin tugged at Qi Lei¡¯s sleeve.

    In the end, Qi Qiming caved into the pressure from everyone¡¯s gaze and grabbed her hand.

    The two of them headed to the dance floor. When Yang Sheng started pping, the crowd followed with a scattered and awkward round of apuse. Soon after that, people joined the dance floor while Qi Lei just stood far away and looked at his parents with aplicated expression.

    The event was getting heated up. Qi Qiming would usually ignore his son, but he just epted Qi Lei¡¯s suggestion and followed it.

    The tension in the air just now faded away with the slow tempo music unraveling in the air. The atmosphere around the hall softened as Qi Lei found himself a seat and sat down to enjoy some wine. He then started looking around for that person he was waiting for...

    ¡°Look! Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°What a beautifuldy!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s even more charming than celebrities I¡¯ve seen on TV. Who is she? I¡¯ve never seen her before!¡±

    ¡°Beautiful!¡±

    Qi Lei raised his head when he heard thosements from the crowd. He nced over at the dance floor and noticed everyone gradually stopped their movements, including Qi Qiming and Wang Qin. They looked over at the entrance as the crowd backed away and created a path.

    An elegant figure came into sight.

    She was dressed in a Qinghua china dress and armed with a beautiful face and perfect skin. Under her slick eyebrows were a pair of blue eyes while her hair was tied into a neat bun with a rose-gold hair essory. She carried the unique elegance of an exotic Caucasian!

    How could there be such a beautiful person in this world!?

    Everyone was stunned because of this onedy!

    As Qi Lei stared at that woman, his ss dropped onto the floor and wine soaked into the floor carpet, yet he was still staring right at that woman!

    It was her...

    Gu Lingsha...

    It really was her!

    He knew her beauty was deadly and not many people could ignore her charm. She was still as beautiful as ever even after five years of not seeing her!

    His body started quivering. He was afraid that this was not real and that he might wake up from his dream.

    Qi Qiming and Wang Qin had stopped dancing while thetter was stunned as she gaped at the woman walking towards her.

    Gu Lingsha!

    Gu Lingsha!

    This woman had not died in that ident, and now she had appeared right before her again. She seemed to be even more beautiful than before with a charm of maturity cast over her. She was totally stunning!

    Wang Qin¡¯s chest tightened as she looked at Qi Lei. Seeing that his eyes were glued to Gu Lingsha, she took a deep breath as her mind went nk and her chest red in pain. She was worried and almost could not contain the anger within her!

    She turned towards Qi Qiming coldly and clenched her teeth. ¡°Qi Qiming, you invited her here, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Qi Qiming let out a coldugh. Instead of replying Wang Qin, he put on a smile and looked at Gu Lingsha who was advancing.

    Gu Lingsha halted her footsteps before Qi Qiming and Wang Qin, her blue eyes shining. ¡°Long time no see, Uncle Qi, Aunt Wang.¡±

    Before Qi Qiming and Wang Qin could reply, a shadow shed past them. Before anyone noticed it, Qi Lei had rushed over and grabbed Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand. His urgent and hurried voice revealed joy and longing that could not be concealed!

    ¡°Shasha! It¡¯s you! It¡¯s really you!¡±

 Chapter 637 - Gu Lingshaâ€™s Return (1)

    <h4>Chapter 637: Gu Lingsha¡¯s Return (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In contrast to how worked up Qi Lei was, Gu Lingsha was very calm. She nodded slightly and gave Qi Lei an elegant smile which felt distant. Even her voice had a faint tint of gentleness in it, ¡°Long time no see, Second Master Qi.¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s expression was getting worse by the second and Qi Lei was stunned as well. He then held both her arms and looked at her intently. Upon feeling that his sense of loss had disappeared, his grip got stronger. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s great that you¡¯re back, Shasha!¡±

    ¡°Second Master Qi, can you please let me go first?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s smile was strained as she struggled awkwardly.

    Qi Qiming came closer at this moment. ¡°How nice of you toe all the way here from City B to celebrate your Aunt Wang¡¯s birthday.¡±

    Qi Qiming nced at Wang Qin before letting out a chuckle. His darkened expression from before was nowhere to be seen. On the other hand, Wang Qin¡¯s expression was cold like ice.

    ¡°I justnded, so I¡¯m d that I could make it in time. I¡¯ve prepared a gift for Aunt Wang¡¯s birthday. I hope you¡¯ll like it. Aunt Wang, you didn¡¯t change much even after several years. You¡¯re just like how I remembered.¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s smile was sweet and soft like the bloom of a lily, mesmerizing many people, including Qi Lei!

    He was still overwhelmed by the joy of seeing her again, and he did not notice Wang Qin¡¯s clenched fists.

    Wang Qin knew very well that there was no way Gu Lingsha would be this friendly to her when she had openly expressed her dissatisfaction towards her!

    She would never believe it!

    Gu Lingsha took a gift box from her assistant beside her and politely handed it to Wang Qin with a sweet smile. ¡°Happy birthday, Aunt Wang! I wish for your good health and happiness!¡±

    Wang Qin stared at Gu Lingsha for some time before forcing a fake smile on her face. ¡°How nice of you, Ms. Gu. I¡¯m touched that you came here all the way from City B. I should¡¯ve sent you an invitation and invite your parents over as well. I really do miss them after so many years.¡±

    Wang Qin deliberately made it obvious that Gu Lingsha was uninvited!

    ¡°Mother missed Aunt Wang too. She told me to send you her regards.¡± Gu Lingsha smiled as if she did not notice Wang Qin¡¯s insult. Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened as he nced at Wang Qin, pretending not to notice.

    ¡°Alright, Shasha, let me get you a seat somewhere. They still have to attend to other guests. Everyone, please continue!¡±

    Qi Lei left Qi Qiming and Wang Qin aside as he took Gu Lingsha away despite the fact that she was clearly struggling.

    Gu Lingsha frowned as Qi Lei was mping on her hand. Sheined quietly, ¡°Lei! Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°No way! Shasha, all these years...¡±

    ¡°Please consider the ce we¡¯re at right now! Don¡¯t make a fool of yourself. You¡¯re still as reckless as ever, Lei!¡± Gu Lingsha sighed helplessly as she patted his shoulder.

    Qi Lei then stopped his footsteps and looked into her eyes. He finally let go of her when he saw her frown. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    He closed his eyes and calmed down a little. He then stared at Gu Lingsha¡¯s beautiful face deeply as if he wanted to imprint her face in the depth of his eyes forever.

    Gu Lingsha nodded and sat down obediently while Qi Lei grabbed a ss of wine and handed it to her.

    ...

    What just happened was fully observed by Xi Xinyi and Yue Hai who were just sitting on the side.

    Yue Hai had a very deep impression of Gu Lingsha. He remembered every single detail of what happened back then. With Gu Lingsha¡¯s appearance, did this mean that First Master Qi, Qi Feng, was still alive? Was he going to return?

    Yue Hai then remembered how Qi Qiming had been actingtely. He was not giving Wang Qin any breather and did whatever he wanted. It felt like he was paving a path for Qi Feng, and now this woman was rumored to be in love with Qi Feng,ing over here all the way from City B. Was there something behind it?

    As Yue Hai was contemting, Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes never moved away from Qi Lei and Gu Lingsha. Even she was impressed by Gu Lingsha¡¯s beauty. She always felt that her appearance was a cut above the rest, but now she actually felt inferior when shepared herself to Gu Lingsha!

    ¡°Gu Lingsha¡¯s mother was from a British aristocratic family. She inherited her mother¡¯s beauty, and not many people can defy her charm. Her mother, Doris, attracted many men, and in the end, she decided to marry to Gu Qihao, so many men in City B were so jealous of him! Money anddies, hecked none of them!¡± Yue Hai exined when he saw Xi Xinyi¡¯s enchanted expression.

    ¡°No wonder the Qi brothers...¡± Xi Xinyi looked at Gu Lingsha enviously as she sighed.

    City Z was getting cold as winter wasing. On the way to the Qi Residence, it was pretty quiet, while the streemps seemed slightly brighter than before. A ck Bentley steadily passed by the yellow lights with another luxurious ck car following behind.

    Inside the Bentley in the front passenger seat, Xi Xiaye leaned back as her cold eyes looked outside the car window. Her expression was calm and peaceful, and it felt unreal as the lights shed past her one by one. It was very quiet inside the car.

    Ji Zitong looked at her asionally and always saw that same peaceful-looking Xi Xiaye who had been maintaining that position for a long while.

    ¡°We¡¯re arriving, Director Xi!¡± Ji Zitong spoke up.

    The sudden voice grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s attention. She looked in front and saw a well-decorated mansion which appeared very extravagant from far away. It was on par with the Mu residence.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°It¡¯s kind of far toe here from Glory World.¡±

 Chapter 638 - Gu Lingshaâ€™s Return (2)

    <h4>Chapter 638: Gu Lingsha¡¯s Return (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s clear voice fell as Ji Zitong smiled calmly. ¡°Good thing Manager Ah Mo let Director Xi have some food first. Otherwise, I¡¯d be worried about starving your little baby.¡±

    Ji Zitong had been with Xi Xiaye for a while now. The two of them could not chat idly and they got along quite well. Obviously, she enjoyed Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm and easygoing personality and she liked to chat with her once in a while.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s elegant face shed with a smile while she caressed her baby bump. ¡°So many already love it before they¡¯re born. I¡¯m really worried that it¡¯ll be spoiledter on!¡±

    Ji Zitong thought about it and could not help but mention her training days, ¡°With Chairman Mu, that won¡¯t happen. When Chairman Mu was an instructor, he really had his ways and all of us cadets would obey him.¡±

    ¡°Instructor?¡± Xi Xiaye softly muttered. She vaguely recalled Mu Yuchen mentioning to her that Ji Zitong had been a cadet under him and Su Chen¡¯s training. When she thought about it, the smile on her face became even brighter and touching as she said calmly, ¡°Has he ever made things difficult for all of you?¡±

    Ji Zitong shook her head. ¡°Instructor Mu personally taught us. Every word he said would be filled with motivation, yet he spoke very little. Usually, he would do more and talk less. We cadets thought that he should¡¯ve been born an orator.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard thatment, she smiled and remembered the way he was just like a teacher, always telling her those things. ¡°With the way he is, everything he says always seems to make sense.¡±

    Ji Zitong pursed her lips and smiled. At this moment, the chauffeur gradually slowed the car down until it stopped steadily.

    ¡°Missus, we¡¯ve reached the Qi family residence!¡± the chauffeur in front informed them and Ji Zitong swiftly got down from the car, Ah Mo and the other two ck-suited bodyguards followed from behind.

    ¡°Missus, we¡¯re here!¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could open the door, Ah Mo had already walked over in huge strides and swiftly opened the car door for her with one hand above as he was worried that she would hit her head.

    Xi Xiaye slowly got down the car and smiled to him with a gentle nod. Then, she turned and looked up at the residence with her bright and quiet eyes. From afar, she could already hear joyous sounds and music flowing in the air.

    ¡°Take the stuff. Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Then, Ji Zitong began to lead the way and Xi Xiaye followed her. Ah Mo gestured at another bodyguard who quickly brought the gifts along and quietly trailed behind.

    The banquet had already begun. Xi Xiaye guessed that she would be a littlete. Something came up on Mu Lingshi¡¯s end, so Ah Mo camete. Initially, she wanted to call Ji Zitong and leave, but before she left the house, Mu Yuchen called and said she must wait for Ah Mo, or she should just not go. Xi Xiaye was helpless as she could only wait for Ah Mo to arrive.

    Inside the banquet hall, the soothing waltz music was gradually filling every corner. Gu Lingsha¡¯s little episode swiftly faded away and the crowd returned to the dance floor once again.

    After Qi Lei and Gu Lingsha sat down, the two of them fell silent for quite a while. Even though he had so many things to say to Gu Lingshi, after seeing the coldness between her brows, Qi Lei could only smile bitterly to himself and swallow all his words. When he wanted to talk to her, he kept noticing her lowered gaze. That distance made him feel an indescribable sadness and bitterness to the point that his chest began to hurt!

    What saved him from this predicament was the sound of an announcement from the door.

    ¡°Missus Mu of the Glory World Corporation has arrived!¡±

    Usually at such a grand asion, only the arrival of important guests would be announced. Clearly, Glory World was an important guest for the night!

    When he heard the announcement, Qi Lei was subconsciously stunned. He quickly got up and his initially gray eyes sparked with a light. Wang Qin, who stood not too far away from him, was surprised. Her still charming face that was dense with some gloominess rxed a little as she shot Qi Qiming a disdainful look and followed the crowd¡¯s surprised gaze to look toward the door.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s frail figure immediately entered everyone¡¯s sight.

    She was protected by a capable and aloof female bodyguard in a ck suit in front while Ah Mo carefully watched over her from behind.

    Xi Xiaye had always been more low-profile. Although not many people could recognize her, Ah Mo was no stranger to the upper management. Mu Yuchen¡¯s personal assistant and bodyguard, Ah Mo, was skilled. Even the king of boxing was no match for him, so they were immediately certain of Xi Xiaye¡¯s identity.

    She was the Chairman of Glory World Corporation¡¯s wife, the darling of Master Mu¡¯s heart, and the eldest daughter to City Z¡¯s former mayor, Mayor Xi Mushan. All the Xi family scandals were abuzz before this. They heard that because Master Mu wanted to make Xi Xiaye happy, he did not spare taking Yueying down, and after that, Yueying was forced to be apany under the Qi Kai Corporation.

    Everyone knew about these things very well because Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were a couple that rarely appeared before the media. Many people had heard of the name Xi Xiaye, but they never had the chance of meeting her in person. Even their wedding was held abroad back then, and the wedding banquet was very strictly nned, so they did not have a chance to get a glimpse of them.

    Finally, today they had a chance to meet her in person, so everyone could not help but be excited. They fixed their gazes on the entrance and finally saw how she looked like.

    Covered by a ck mid-length windbreaker, she wore a soft, light beige evening gown. It was not the kind that cinched at the waist. She wore ts, and her delicate expression revealed an elegant aura. Her skin was fair and wless while her hair that reached her waist was tied up and casually turned into a neat bun. There were several strands of unruly fringe on her forehead which made her seem quite charming. She gave people a feeling that she was not the kind that attracted many eyeballs or was the center of much attention. Instead, it was a kind of distant calm as she emanated a low profile but outstanding elegant character.

    She clearly did not deliberately dress up, yet the aura that came from her was enough. There was no need for too many external essories. Seeing her, everyone naturally thought about Master Mu. It seemed as if this couple were both low-profile and reserved, and at this moment, the people suddenly felt like¡ª

    For some reason, this Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye just felt like they were right for each other!

 Chapter 639 - Gu Lingshaâ€™s Return (3)

    <h4>Chapter 639: Gu Lingsha¡¯s Return (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This feeling was rather magical.

    At that moment, many people only felt like the term ¡°match-made in heaven¡± resonated strongly from Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    Her clothing was loose. Her frail body was concealed underneath the ck windbreaker, making her looked even thinner, but those with sharp eyes could observe the baby bump that was vaguely revealed underneath, and they knew.

    Looking at the hands that hid underneath her sleeves, the dazzling luminosity that flickered between her fingers was enough to make one admire and be surprised. With the calm gentleness in between her brows and that faint smile on her face, she could intoxicate a person.

    She was a simple and low-profiled beauty. Her elegant aura was just like that legendary Master Mu¡¯s. It was no wonder they were husband and wife!

    The crowd could not help but gasp in admiration. Even Wang Qin was surprised.

    Xi Xiaye, of course, would not know what was running through everyone¡¯s minds right this second. She just thought that she had attended by invitation. Since it was Wang Qin¡¯s birthday banquet, she cleaned up a little and made sure she looked appropriate. After all, she could not steal someone else¡¯s limelight either. Besides, she was pregnant now, so she would not go out of her way to create an impression.

    Before Xi Xiaye could go closer, Wang Qin already smiled and walked up to her. She said with a smile as she held both of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands, ¡°So, it¡¯s Missus Mu, the famed Director Xi of Glory World. Thank you foring!¡±

    Xi Xiaye very quickly halted as her light-colored lips curled up, slightly revealing a faint arc. She magnanimously gave Wang Qin a hug and greeted clearly, ¡°Happy birthday, Missus Qi! Sorry, I¡¯m a littlete.¡±

    ¡°No worries, I wonder if Chairman Mu...¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu is still abroad for work. He had mee specially to wish you happy birthday. With the sincere partnership with VP Qi Lei of yourpany, our South River project has kicked off quite well. All the tasks have been carried out and the project is right on track too. I would like to thank Master Qi on behalf of Mr. Mu and Glory World Corporation, and yourpany¡¯s cooperation. I hope that we¡¯ll be able to have more great partnerships with Master Qi and yourpany.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was unambiguous. She immediately started with some words that hinted at things and considered herself having fulfilled Qi Lei¡¯s request.

    Indeed, when Wang Qin heard her, a smile instantly shed on her face. ¡°Thank you, Chairman Mu and Missus Mu, for yourpany¡¯s praises. This is indeed my Xiao Lei¡¯s honor.¡±

    ¡°Madam Qi, you don¡¯t have to be so humble. Mr. Mu and I admire Master Qi very much. To be able to get Master Qi¡¯s full support for our project is Glory World¡¯s honor. Mr. Mu hopes that this rtionship will remain until the project ends for the government to inspect and receive. I think that CEO Qi and Missus Qi should agree to it as well, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye spoke gently and gracefully, the light in her twinkling eyes calmly nced at Qi Qiming who stood beside Wang Qin.

    When he heard the question, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression changed and he looked at Wang Qin. It was obvious that his eyes were filled with gloominess. He then eased as his sharp eyes that were full of depth met with Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze that was as clear as water. He nodded and his lukewarm voice was heard. ¡°Of course, for Chairman Mu and Missus Mu to acknowledge his work is his honor.¡±

    No emotion could be heard from his tone. While he spoke, Xi Xiaye took the chance to examine Qi Qiming for a bit. After she carefully pondered it, she then realized that this person could be considered quite profound, so she decided to be a little more vignt.

    Qi Feng was still nowhere in sight. In regard to the car ident years ago, Qi Qiming would not just y it down and let it go, would he?

    If he did, then that could only prove that he had extremely stalwart patience.

    Yet, it was always people like these who were the most dangerous. They concealed themselves and stayed by your side, so you would not know when they would attack you. Especially after all those incidents from before that she found rather odd, she had to be more careful.

    Xi Xiaye examined him for a bit, and then she reached out her fair hand. ¡°Thank you, CEO Qi, for the support.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too courteous, Missus Mu!¡±

    Qi Qiming continued to use a lukewarm tone to respond and then he reached out to shake her hand gently.

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re here!¡±

    At this moment, Qi Lei¡¯s voice came from beside them. Xi Xiaye subconsciously turned and looked to the voice to see Qi Lei with both hands in his pockets. His dark eyes flickered with a faint radiance as he watched her with ease.

    Xi Xiaye did not respond verbally. She gently nodded elegantly at him before she turned and stood beside Wang Qin. With the photographer¡¯s directions, she took a picture with Qi Qiming and Wang Qin.

    ¡°Thank you, Director Xi. Thank you foring amidst your busy schedule. Let¡¯s make a toast!¡±

    Wang Qin handed Xi Xiaye a ss of red wine, yet before she could respond, a ss of warm water was delivered to her. Xi Xiaye turned in surprise and saw that Qi Lei was holding up the ss and looking at her calmly.

    Ji Zitong and Ah Mo exchanged a nce from the side. Seeing Ah Mo nod, Ji Zitong did not go up to stop him.

    ¡°Drink this. Be careful. Otherwise, I¡¯d have to exin myself to Mu Yuchen.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye smiled and gently reached out to take it.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you introduce us, Lei?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just drunk to Wang Qin when a clear and alluring voice suddenly rang out. Xi Xiaye looked up to the source of the voice and a figure in a Qinghua china gown suddenly greeted her sight!

    She was a very stunning woman!

    Xi Xiaye looked at the woman that walked over to them as surprise shed in her eyes. She looked at Qi Lei with her interest piqued. She naturally did not miss out on how intimate this girl had called out to him.

    When he heard this melodious voice, Qi Lei snapped back and turned to look. Gu Lingsha reached to his side and slowly stopped. A tender smile which reminded one of a water lotus shed on her face as she looked quietly at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was a little stunned at the sight of those clear and dazzling blue eyes. She was Pan-Asian!

    Xi Xiaye casually examined Gu Lingsha. Apart from being surprised by her beauty, she did not feel anything else, but Qi Lei seemed quite sweet to her. At least, the smile on this girl¡¯s face looked sincere.

    Obviously, when Xi Xiaye was examining her, Gu Lingsha¡¯s beautiful eyes had already calmly sized her up quite a few times with a rather probing gaze.

 Chapter 640 - Meeting For The First Time (1)

    <h4>Chapter 640: Meeting For The First Time (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye could not help but feel that gaze held a faint hint of repellence. However, she very quickly pushed it aside and graciously let Gu Lingsha examine her while her expression remained calm as always.

    However, at this moment, Qi Lei¡¯s expression changed when he snapped back to his senses. He looked at Xi Xiaye for quite a while, then he turned and stared at Ah Mo beside her!

    Gu Lingsha?

    Ah Mo¡¯s grave expression observed the woman beside Qi Lei with a cold and sharp gaze!

    Indeed, as the Master had predicted, she had returned!

    Mu Yuchen had such meticulous thoughts. Gu Lingsha could not escape his watch the moment she returned to the country. He had guessed that she might return to City Ztely. That was why he made him be more vignt. Unexpectedly, they really met today!

    However, they were not sure what Gu Lingsha¡¯s thoughts were at this point of her return. They still wanted to find some things out from her, but they also know that she might not tell them. Even Mu Yuchen admired this woman¡¯s patience.

    Ah Mo did not look pleased as his eyes were fixed on Gu Lingsha. His usual calm demeanor could not conceal the hostility in his eyes.

    If it were not for this woman, everything would not have turned out the way it was!

    She was alive, but Lingtian was gone!

    He would never be revived!

    The scar on Lingshi¡¯s face would forever be there, and those dark clouds had clung onto his Master for so many years. Ah Mo had to admit that upon seeing Gu Lingsha right now, his heart was filled with a burning fury.

    ¡°This is Xi Xiaye, the Missus of Glory World Corporation. She¡¯s also the nning Director and Mu Yuchen¡¯s wife,¡± Qi Lei calmly introduced, yet when he spoke, he only stole a nce at Xi Xiaye. His gaze very quickly fell onto Gu Lingsha, not wanting to miss any shift in Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression. Nheless, Gu Lingsha only paused for a while upon hearing this. Her exquisitely beautiful face shed with a smile as she lowered her gaze slightly and smiled. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Ms. Xi.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, she¡¯s... Gu Lingsha... Shasha. I¡¯ve mentioned her to you before.¡±

    Qi Lei averted his gaze from Gu Lingsha and turned to introduce her to Xi Xiaye. His expression was a little odd while his gaze appeared to be dazed.

    Gu Lingsha...

    When Qi Lei said this, Xi Xiaye was momentarily stunned. She did not immediately react. Instead, her gaze fell quietly on Gu Lingsha¡¯s near-perfect face.

    Gu Lingsha?

    She was Gu Lingsha?

    The source of the many unhappy incidents from the past!

    She did not expect her to be such a radiantly beautiful woman. It was no wonder Qi Feng would fall head over heels for her charm. Even someone like Qi Lei was deeply attracted to her too. In fact, based on the beauty of experience and self-awareness that she radiated, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt like this woman was far more than just her extraordinary looks.

    A woman like this would probably move any man who saw her.

    She did not forget that this woman was once betrothed to Mu Yuchen when they were children.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything. While her clear gaze studied her evidently, she then pushed down the many doubts and sorrow in her heart and elegantly nodded at Gu Lingsha. She calmly greeted, ¡°Hello, Ms. Gu.¡±

    Gu Lingsha forced a smile for some reason and then was a faint sadness in her brows as shemented, ¡°Hello, Ms. Xi... How unexpected that returning after five years, many things have changed. Although everything remains the same, people have changed.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye saw her with her gaze lowered, she seemed to vaguely feel bleak loneliness from her, yet she did not say anything. Instead, it was Ah Mo beside that stared at her coldly with eyes that flickered with a dim light. His deep voice was icy.

    ¡°It;s been a while, Miss Lingsha.¡±

    The sudden and cold voice stunned Gu Lingsha. She quickly looked up to the voice and noticed that Ah Mo was standing beside Xi Xiaye. Instantly, her expression froze.

    ¡°Ah Mo... It¡¯s you!¡± Gu Lingsha eximed in a stunned voice. Her beautiful blue eyes were fixed on Ah Mo and she seemed rather surprised.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s me. I did spend much time looking for you.¡±

    Ah Mo did not hide the fact that they had been looking for the truth about her and Qi Feng all these years, not only for Lingtian and Lingshi, but for Master too. Only Ah Mo would know about all the stress and me that Master had suffered.

    If he had not married Xi Xiaye and became more cheerful, he would really have gotten him a psychologist. When they were abroad, he had already contacted some doctors. Thankfully, his Master had the courage to face it too, so he decided to let go of his life abroad and was determined to return to City Z. Apart from wanting to rid himself of all these unhappy memories, he also wanted to find out the truth.

    Xi Xiaye could vaguely feel that Ah Mo was stirred up, so she quickly reached out to hold him by the sleeve and advised softly, ¡°Don¡¯t act emotionally.¡±

    When he heard this, Ah Mo slowly released the clenched fists underneath his sleeves.

    ¡°Unexpectedly, you are still the same. You haven¡¯t quite changed at all.¡± You could not see any reaction from Gu Lingsha. Instead, she looked apologetically at Ah Mo.

    ¡°Actually, I should have recognized you earlier. Who would have thought that it¡¯s only been five years and he¡¯s...¡± Gu Lingsha spoke, and then subconsciously locked her gaze onto Xi Xiaye again. She saw the baby bump hidden underneath her windbreaker, her lowered gaze hiding how she felt. In the end, she smiled. ¡°No one can stand against what time can do... Is he doing alright?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone was a little odd as she asked very matter-of-factly. You could not hear whether it was resentment or guilt in her voice.

    She had not appeared for so many years, and now she was suddenly back. After going through such an unfortunate ident, the fact that she could still calmly talk to them made Ah Mo find this highly unnatural. Truly, it was rather odd.

    Who could have known what happened back then? Why would Mu Lingtian betray Mu Yuchen and help them escape? In fact, he had been willing to be their driver, evading Mu Yuchen¡¯s chase. And in these five years, what happened to Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng?

    All the many questions appeared one by one in Ah Mo¡¯s mind. He had to be more vignt.

    <i>Is he doing alright?</i>

    After Xi Xiaye paused for a while, she then understood who Gu Lingsha was asking about.

    It was such an intimate yet naturally tone of concern, causing Xi Xiaye to raise her brows upon hearing the question. She calmly said, ¡°Miss Gu, are you talking to me?¡±

 Chapter 641 - Meeting For The First Time (2)

    <h4>Chapter 641: Meeting For The First Time (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Apparently, Gu Lingsha did not expect Xi Xiaye¡¯s question. She lowered her head and smiled instead of replying. Xi Xiaye did not say anything else and just nced at her. Just then, Wang Qin came over and raised her ss, signaling for a toast.

    ¡°Director Xi, we have several stakeholders from Qi Kai here. Let¡¯s head over. They¡¯re admirers of you and Chairman Mu. Xiao Lei, apany Director Xi there.¡±

    Wang Qin did not want her banquet to be ruined by Gu Lingsha. Her sudden appearance took all the spotlight away. Although she did not want to talk about it anymore, she wouldnd in hot soup if she were to make Xi Xiaye unhappy!

    This woman had been Mu Yuchen¡¯s fianc¨¨e before, and she shamelessly tried to elope with Qi Feng. She disappeared for five years after the ident, and for some reason, she made her appearance now. Despite sending people to search for her before, there had been no results!

    She still acted the same as before. Did she think this was her turf?

    Wang Qin¡¯s impression of Gu Lingsha was the worst, especially when she saw her standing beside her own son. It was just annoying to watch!

    Qi Lei looked at Wang Qin and nced slightly at Xi Xiaye who nodded and went along with Wang Qin. That was when he turned to Gu Lingsha and gave his orders to Yang Sheng, ¡°Yang Sheng, bring Shasha somewhere to rest. Shasha, go rest first. You seem tired. I¡¯ll look for youter.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    Ah Mo squinted at Ji Zitong, who nodded and quickly followed Xi Xiaye, then he looked away.

    The banquet was very lively. After Xi Xiaye went to greet some people with Wang Qin and Qi Lei, they exchanged some opinions regarding the South River project. Some of the managers came over for a toast, but Xi Xiaye soon felt tired and a little light-headed.

    While she stayed away from alcohol, the fumes of the wine around affected her a little. She took the chance to slip away somewhere to rest when they were busy talking.

    ¡°Director Xi, let me get you some water,¡±Ji Zitong quickly offered when she saw Xi Xiaye was getting tired.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s head back after I¡¯ve rested for a bit. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    She would feel tired easily ever since she had this little thing in her womb. Life was pretty tough for her. It was only then that she realized the hardships of being a mother.

    ¡°Ms. Gu, you can have some drinks first. You don¡¯t have to leave so quickly. Master Qi is still over there. If he doesn¡¯t see youter, he¡¯ll be...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye sat down and took a breather, she heard a familiar voice from the back. She turned around and saw Gu Lingsha sitting on the sofa behind her while Yang Sheng was serving her.

    Gu Lingsha nodded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Assistant Yang. You can go to work on your tasks. I¡¯ll stay here by myself.¡±

    Her voice was filled with warmth. Yang Sheng quickly replied, ¡°Master Qi instructed me to serve you well. You don¡¯t have to be so considerate.¡±

    Gu Lingsha smiled, but just as she was about to say something, she noticed Xi Xiaye looking at them. Her smile suddenly grew wider as she raised her wine ss and invited her over. ¡°Ms. Xi, are you willing toe over and have a little chat?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows as she looked at her calmly. Had she just invited her over?

    A faint light shed past her eyes. Momentster, she pointed at the empty seat beside her, signaling Gu Lingsha to sit there.

    Gu Lingsha was stunned for a moment, but then she walked over and sat down opposite Xi Xiaye. Meanwhile, Yang Sheng just stayed aside and observed them quietly.

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Ms. Xi.¡± Gu Lingsha smiled.

    Xi Xiaye did not bother ying nice with her and gave a brief reply, ¡°But I don¡¯t feel very fortunate here, Ms. Gu.¡±

    Her retort was much to Gu Lingsha¡¯s surprise. She then smiled and looked at Xi Xiaye sweetly. ¡°Why do you say so?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her arm and supported her heavy head as she took a deep breath and said, ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not very good with alcohol, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t speak very long with you.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Xi, you should really take care of your health. You... How long have you been married to Mu Yuchen? I¡¯ve been living abroad in recent years and had no idea what happened here, so...¡± Gu Lingsha sighed. A peculiar expression shed in her beautiful eyes as she nced at Xi Xiaye¡¯s baby bump quietly. Her eyes seemedplicated, but they returned to normal very quickly, so Xi Xiaye was not quite able to capture it.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be almost a year soon.¡±

    Gu Lingsha smiled as she got the answer from Xi Xiaye. ¡°I¡¯m really envious. I can see that both of you have lived happily in the past year at least. Don¡¯t you find it odd that I know Yuchen?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were big and sparkling as she stared right at Xi Xiaye. For some reason, Xi Xiaye sensed a tinge of hostility from her when she asked the question. Was this her hatred for Mu Yuchen regarding the ident?

    Or was it something else?

    Xi Xiaye would have loved to ask her about the ident especially when she noticed a depressed expression on her face. She was trying to get more information by looking at her, but all she got was the extremely elegant aura around her.

    Xi Xiaye was getting ufortable. She could not detect any evil intent from this woman, yet this peaceful conversation made her vignt. She smiled. ¡°Odd? What¡¯s so odd about that? He told me he had an arranged betrothal before, but fate does its own thing and feelings can never be predicted. I admire him a lot and I¡¯m very d about our baby too, Ms. Gu.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was stunned by Xi Xiaye¡¯s reply. It was not difficult to sense the coldness in her words.

    Given the fact that this woman appeared here today, apart from finding it ridiculous, she felt even a wave of strong, hidden anger inside her.

 Chapter 642 - Meeting For The First Time (3)

    <h4>Chapter 642: Meeting For The First Time (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a moment of silence, Gu Lingsha put on a smile.

    ¡°You might be right, but here are my thoughts. How would you know what¡¯s right or wrong if you¡¯ve never experienced it before?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone became cold and heavy all of a sudden.

    Xi Xiaye returned a smile as well as she rose from her seat and peered down at Gu Lingsha from above as she spoke in a calm tone, ¡°Ms. Gu, it doesn¡¯t matter to me, especially when ites to matters that happened in the past. We live in the present instead of the past. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s face became tense while she raised her head and looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s little face. Her grip on her wine ss tightened, but when she was about to say something else, Xi Xiaye had already walked past her.

    ¡°He told me about you before. It was full of unhappy memories, so please forgive me. Talking to you would probably be very unhappy for me as well. Let me treat you to some tea and we¡¯ll chat again if the chance arises.¡±

    Ji Zitong went up to Xi Xiaye quickly as she nced over at Gu Lingsha. She handed Xi Xiaye a ss of water.

    Xi Xiaye took a sip and then instructed, ¡°Have the car prepared. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ...

    Gu Lingsha still could not react after she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. She did not expect her to be so straightforward. It was obvious that Xi Xiaye was pretty headstrong too. Even her presence was overwhelming!

    <i>Mu Yuchen, it seemed like you found yourself a powerful woman there...</i>

    Gu Lingsha watched Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure walking through the crowd. She replied with an elegant smile as people greeted her. Wang Qin even sent her off personally with a big smile. It was such a huge contrast whenpared to how she treated Gu Lingsha!

    She put on a bitter smile as she lowered her head and took a sip of wine unhappily.

    The wind breezed through as she left the Qi residence. It was pretty cold in the winter. Xi Xiaye was walking down the staircase and the car was already waiting nearby. However, she looked around and did not see Ah Mo anywhere, so she quickly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Ah Mo?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll head backter. Get into the car first, Director Xi. It¡¯s cold outside. We¡¯ll send you back to Maple Residence first. Those are Manager Ah Mo¡¯s orders.¡±

    Ji Zitong opened the car door for Xi Xiaye who was startled for a moment, but soon after that, she nodded and sat inside the car.

    At the same time, the banquet was still going on.

    Ah Mo was standing by a dark corridor as he nced inside the hall. Specifically, he was observing Gu Lingsha, taking mental notes of everyone who came into contact with her. When Qi Lei arrived, he looked away and faced the flower bed instead.

    ¡°Howe Xiaye left so early?¡±

    Qi Lei could not find Xi Xiaye anywhere after he spoke for a while with someone from thepany. After asking around, he realized Xi Xiaye had already left.

    ¡°Missus was not feeling very well. Please understand,¡± Ah Mo replied quietly with a stony expression.

    Qi Lei nced at him for a while before putting on a smile. ¡°Please thank her for me regarding today.¡±

    Ah Mo nodded. He looked at Gu Lingsha who was sitting on the sofa and chatting with a bunch of guys swarming around her. Qi Lei did not miss Ah Mo¡¯s reaction. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she¡¯de, but do thank your Master for me too. I¡¯m d to know that she¡¯s still alive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here just to pass you a message from Master. A lot of things can happen in five years. It¡¯s hard to predict how a person will act, so be careful on your own.¡±

    ¡°What does he mean?¡± Qi Lei squinted and stared straight at Ah Mo.

    Ah Mo did not exin. Instead, he replied, ¡°Master said you¡¯re a smart guy and he wouldn¡¯t need to point it out to you. If you¡¯re really hoping for the coboration to happen, Master Qi, he hopes you won¡¯t interfere with anything else aside from work. It might be better for you to be a bystander.¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled as he listened to Ah Mo. ¡°That does sound like what Mu Yuchen would say!¡±

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve delivered the message, I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Ah Mo left immediately since he had to go to the club to take a look.

    Qi Lei did not say anything else and just waved.

    Ah Mo slowly walked past the crowd, and his figure soon disappeared outside the door.

    Many people saw them together, but they had nothing to hide. After all, Glory World and Qi Kai were business partners, so meeting in secret would raise even more suspicions.

    Xi Xinyi had been observing the whole scene throughout the night. She finally voiced out her doubts to Yue Hai beside her. ¡°Uncle, Glory World seems to be very close to Wang Qin. I¡¯m sure Xi Xiaye¡¯s visit today means something. Is Glory World backing Qi Lei?¡±

    Yue Hai averted his gaze from the dance pool to her. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know about the conflict between CEO Qi and Wang Qin. The sessor of Qi Kai is still undecided, and think about it, why would Gu Lingsha suddenlye back? She disappeared with Qi Feng for so many years. Isn¡¯t it weird that she¡¯d suddenly appear here? Moreover, from what I know, Wang Qin didn¡¯t like Gu Lingsha. On the day of the ident, Wang Qin forced Qi Lei away and managed to get him out of the mess. Otherwise, Qi Lei would not just let Gu Lingsha leave with Qi Feng as it would contradict his feelings.¡±

    ¡°Then, if this is about Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha, how is this rted to Mu Yuchen?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was confused. She had no idea what happened to these families in the past. She only knew that Qi Kai¡¯s First Master had passed away from a car ident five years ago and as a result, Qi Qiming developed hatred towards Mu Yuchen. Other than that, she was unaware of the details.

    Yue Haiughed coldly. ¡°Because Gu Lingsha was once Mu Yuchen¡¯s fianc¨¨e, Gu Qihao was determined to let her marry into the Mu family. Take note that by marrying into the Mu family, Gu Lingsha could easily be the wife of Glory World¡¯s Chairman, but things would be different with the Qi family! Anyone with a brain wouldn¡¯t choose the Qi family. Moreover, Gu Qihao is an extremely calctive person!

    ¡°Xinyi, you have to manage your rtionships with the Han family well. You don¡¯t have to worry anymore once you have some bargaining chips in hand.¡±

 Chapter 643 - Disappointed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 643: Disappointed (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yue Hai reminded Xi Xinyi before she could say anything as he nced at her with a sigh, ¡°I went to visit your mother the other day with your aunt. The two of you are really reckless. It¡¯ll be horrible if this reaches your grandfather. He hates infighting.¡±

    Yue Hai frowned and sighed again. ¡°I understand your mother very well. I suppose she didn¡¯t have a choice. She¡¯s been enjoying love and care from everyone around her since she was little, and she could easily get whatever she wanted, yet she could not be with your father. I was against it when she told me she liked your father, Xi Mushan, and now... I¡¯m disappointed. Your grandfather was angry too. Your First Uncle had a lot to deal with. We thought about taking her back in again after the scandal died down, but who would¡¯ve expected her to be addicted to gambling, and she¡¯s disabled now.

    ¡°No matter what, you can¡¯t treat her like that. She¡¯s your mother, Xinyi! Your First Uncle and I are disappointed with you this time!¡±

    Xi Xinyi understood very well what Yue Hai meant. Her expression changed slightly as she gave a quick reply, ¡°I was agitated. That¡¯s why my choice of words was harsh, but I really don¡¯t know what to do about her. I was on the verge of breaking down some time ago, but she...¡±

    ¡°Both your First Uncle and I didn¡¯t tell your grandfather what happened this time, so please don¡¯t let us down again. We don¡¯t have daughters ourselves and we¡¯ve always treated you like our daughter. Your mother is our sister. She has done so much for you before, and you...¡±

    ¡°I get it, I get it, Uncle! I¡¯ll make sure to reflect on my behavior. I was too reckless this time. Please don¡¯t let Grandfather worry about this matter as he¡¯s getting old. I¡¯ll try my best to do everything that I can. Leave it to me!¡± Xi Xinyi interrupted before Yue Hai could finish his sentence. Her tone of voice sounded respectful, but she hid the bitterness in her eyes.

    Yue Hai nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. By the way, take note of Gu Lingsha and be on good terms with her if possible. She¡¯s someone valued highly by Qi Qiming, so it should be advantageous for you to get close to her.¡±

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take note of her. Don¡¯t worry, Uncle.¡±

    ¡°Her rtionship with the Qi family brothers is a little special. No matter who¡¯s in charge of Qi Kai in the future, Yueying will be fine as long as you keep a good rtionship with her. Understand?¡±

    Yue Hai was a sly fox with many years of experience in the business world. Obviously, he was on Qi Qiming¡¯s side, and he had been pressured a lot by Wang Qin. He was hoping for Xi Xinyi to have some other alternatives than just himself. Judging from what happened today, Wang Qin probably had something up her sleeve, thus Yue Hai needed to have some ns.

    ...

    Qi Lei imagined many different scenarios about how they would meet again, but he never expected them to reunite under such circumstances. He thought she would at least reappear with Qi Feng, yet...

    She was still as beautiful as ever. The only difference was the faint depressive vibe around her.

    By the corridor behind the hall, Qi Lei grabbed Gu Lingsha¡¯s slender shoulders as he asked, ¡°How are you, Shasha? Where have you been all these years? I¡¯ve sent people to look for you for a very very long time. I thought I¡¯d never see you again...¡±

    Gu Lingsha pushed Qi Lei¡¯s hand away and put on a bitter smile. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Lei... I¡¯m here now, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Shasha, what happened back then? Qi Feng and you... Why was Lingtian in the car as well? Why would he...?¡±

    Qi Lei ignored Gu Lingsha¡¯s struggling and gripped her shoulder tightly as he bombarded her with loads of questions.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned pale when Qi Lei mentioned the ident. She felt a migraineing on as she quickly shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember anything, nothing at all! Don¡¯t ask me about it. I¡¯m having a headache!¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Gu Lingsha¡¯s pale little face. Worried, he helped her to stand properly and asked with a grim expression, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Shasha, what happened to you?¡±

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath as she pressed her forehead with her right hand. ¡°I forgot what happened when I woke up. the doctor said it¡¯s selective amnesia, so I don¡¯t know anything about it now. I don¡¯t know what happened before. Don¡¯t ask me about it.¡±

    Qi Lei brought Gu Lingsha to sit down at a nearby wooden chair as he asked, ¡°Okay! Okay! I won¡¯t ask then. How do you feel now? Do you need a doctor?¡±

    Gu Lingsha shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡±

    ¡°Shasha, where have you been all these years? Where¡¯s Qi Feng? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes darkened slightly before she forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been staying abroad for the past few years. I was under observation for a very long time because I sustained brain damage. I only gradually woke up after being bed-ridden for a year in the hospital. I haven¡¯t seen Ah Feng since I woke up and I don¡¯t have any information about him as well.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t he rescued with you? How could you not know anything about him? Who rescued both of you?¡± Qi Lei frowned as he continued his questions.

    Gu Lingsha shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Stop asking me about it. I told you I¡¯ve forgotten. I stayed in the hospital to recover. After that, I started looking for jobs to train myself. Several years passed and here I am right now.¡±

    Qi Lei looked into Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes. She felt a little ufortable from his sharp stare, but she did not say anything. Instead, she rose from her seat and walked along the corridor.

    She suddenly halted her steps when she passed by him. Raising her head and looking at him, her voice sounded slightly sad and helpless.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t ask me about matters in the past anymore. I only returned to City Z because of my father and Uncle Qi¡¯s request. Lei, no matter what I hope you¡¯re still the old you, and I¡¯ll stay the same old me as well. We¡¯re good friends forever, okay?¡±

 Chapter 644 - Disappointed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 644: Disappointed (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Qi Lei heard this, his eyes darkened. The pain that he had buried deep in his heart suddenly resurfaced like a surge of insanity. He wanted to go up to her and give her a hug to tell her that he missed her and that he thought she was gone. He wanted her to know that he had suffered and struggled.

    However, seeing her right now, all the urge that gathered in chest unexpectedly dissolved. He did not say anything. Instead, he just watched her quietly as he slowly let go of her shoulders.

    Qi Lei endured the anguish in his heart as he asked bitterly, ¡°Shasha, I¡¯m still as annoying to you as I was before, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    Gu Lingsha gently shook her head as a dazzling smile shed across her face. ¡°Why do you sell yourself short like that? I¡¯ve told you I¡¯ve always admired you. I also know that your talents aren¡¯t in the least inferior to Qi Feng¡¯s. Haven¡¯t you always said that I¡¯m your muse? I¡¯ve always kept the medal you won in your firstpetition in my drawer. I see it whenever I pull it open.¡±

    When he heard her mild admonition, Qi Lei¡¯s tensed expression eased a little. He lowered his gaze and his voice became gentler as he said softly, ¡°Turns out you still remember these.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I do. I really cherish all of the good times we¡¯ve had. Ah Feng, you, and Lingtian... all those happy times we¡¯ve had are worth remembering forever.¡±

    Gu Lingsha sighed softly. ¡°Sometimes, I really wish we could go back in time. When I woke up and knew that Lingtian couldn¡¯t havee out of the ident alive, I was really heartbroken. Even though I don¡¯t know what happened then, I think that if it were not for Ah Feng and me, it wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this.¡±

    ¡°I told you Mu Yuchen wouldn¡¯t let you off easily. Since you wanted to leave with Qi Feng, you shouldn¡¯t have agreed to marry Mu Yuchen then. In fact, Mu Yuchen doesn¡¯t love you either, I reckon,¡± said Qi Lei in a deep voice as he fixed his gaze on Gu Lingsha.

    Indeed, once Qi Lei said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s little face paled again. Faint disappointment and sorrow filled her beautiful eyes, she nodded in resignation. ¡°You¡¯re right. Perhaps, I don¡¯t know why I left with Qi Feng either. Actually, I remember, back then when I said I¡¯d marry Mu Yuchen, I agreed to it willingly and didn¡¯t object. After all, I <i>was </i>his fiancee. My father had always hoped I could marry into the Mu family, but I didn¡¯t think that he would be such a cruel person. Even Lingtian...¡±

    ¡°Shasha, Mu Yuchen¡¯s married. He loves Xi Xiaye dearly. He told me that she¡¯s the only woman he¡¯s ever truly loved. I don¡¯t know why he would agree to marry you back then, but you wouldn¡¯t have been happy marrying someone as cold and distant as him. I know that you were fighting with Qi Feng, so...¡±

    ¡°Lei, let¡¯s not talk about these things anymore. I hope that you can just stay out of it.¡±

    ¡°Shasha, I know it¡¯s because of my mother. Because she¡¯s been pulling off dirty tricks from within, she wouldn¡¯t agree to me and you, and she wouldn¡¯t let you and Qi Feng be, so...¡±

    When he said this, Qi Lei suddenly lifted both hands to hold Xi Xinyi¡¯s shoulders as he became slightly stirred up. His eyes were apologetic.¡±I¡¯m very sorry, Shasha... I want to apologize on behalf of her. Please forgive us.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Gu Lingsha just smiled. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to apologize about anything. I know that Aunt Wang¡¯s just doing what¡¯s best for you. I¡¯m the reason for all the misfortunes. If anyone were to me, it would just be me. Of course, I admit that I should resent Mu Yuchen too. If he weren¡¯t so vicious, the tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    She subconsciously covered her right arm and her gaze darkened.

    Seeing that, Qi Lei quickly took her left arm and swiftly pulled her longce glove off.

    It took just one look!

    And his eyes immediately froze!

    Her arm was filled with crisscrossed, sinister-looking scars, and you could see that her left hand seemed to move a little oddly. Her mobility was slightly abnormal. Just by the look of these wounds, he could imagine how bad the ident had been!

    Qi Lei¡¯s sudden actions stunned Gu Lingsha. Momentster, she quickly pushed him away and pulled her gloves up a little nervously, covering up the wound.

    ¡°How...?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes widened while they were transfixed on Gu Lingsha¡¯s pale little face. Seeing her pull up her gloves so sadly, his eyes were filled with shame and uneasiness. There was even anguish as his heart ached at this sight.

    Gu Lingsha shot a look at Qi Lei with her slightly watery eyes which were filled with a wave of slight anger!

    Obviously, Qi Lei could understand Gu Lingsha. How could the usual prideful her have endured such a thing?

    With the scars exposed, it not only revealed her fear and agitation, but also her pride and self-esteem that were hidden deep in her heart!

    She was ashamed and resentful as she covered her arm tightly. Finally, she sniffled and turned to walk quickly away towards the corridor.

    Qi Lei did not go after her though his expression darened slightly. The emotions that gathered in his heart were mixed. While he pitied her, at the same time, he was angry and unhappy with Mu Yuchen!

    How could Shasha¡¯s hand be ruined just like that?

    He remembered that she always loved ying the piano. There was once on his birthday, she yed the piano to wish him, and now...

    Qi Lei could not help but clench his fists tightly as he looked up quietly at Gu Lingsha¡¯s gradually disappearing figure at the end of the corridor.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye took afortable shower as soon as she retuned to Maple Residence. Sis Wang was worried she would be hungry, so she had especially cooked her a in shredded chicken porridge. True enough, Xi Xiaye was feeling hungry since she did not eat much at the banquet, so she finished two and a half bowls in a go.

    She returned to the study room to gather the documents, preparing them for use at work the next day. Then, Mu Yuchen¡¯s call came.

    She watched the phone on the table vibrate for a while, not immediately picking it up. She thought about tonight. Her twinkling eyes could not help but emit a dull glow as she struggled for a while, and after the third ring, she slowly reached out to pick it up.

    ¡°Why did it take you so long to answer, hmm?¡± His deep and sensitive voice came, and it was slightly raspy too.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy arranging some things,¡± she answered inly without stopping what she was doing.

    ¡°Your tone doesn¡¯t sound right. Who provoked you? Tell me. I¡¯ll handle them.¡± Master Mu had always been terrifyingly good at seeing people through. With just a simple sentence, he could already feel that his woman was not in the best of moods, so his tone immediately became gentler.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, you haven¡¯t been honest with me...¡± Xi Xiaye straightened up and propped herself up before walking over to sit down on the lounge chair on the side.

 Chapter 645 - Unique and Unmatched Existence (1)

    <h4>Chapter 645: Unique and Unmatched Existence (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her tone was light as the breeze, yet the man could keenly pick up a hint of dissatisfaction.

    Inside the vast and quiet airport VIP lounge, Mu Yuchen held onto the railing with one hand while his deep gaze looked through the tinted windows at thending airnes. A faint curve shed across his handsome face while he quietly listened to the woman¡¯s unhappyints. He did not immediately respond, so the two of them stayed quiet for a while.

    Xi Xiaye waited for a while and when he did not answer, she asked softly again, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    He then chuckled, his deep voice as calm as water and containing a hint of warmth. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear what is it that made you doubt your husband¡¯s loyalty, Missus.¡±

    When she heard him teasing her, Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze darkened. She leaned back against the chair as she casually took a book from the shelf on her side to hug to her chest. She said calmly, ¡°Mr. Mu, we¡¯ve been married for almost a year now. Tell me what do you think of me?¡±

    Why was this girl suddenly asking him about her character now?

    Upon hearing this question, Mu Yuchen was a little taken aback. His dark eyes froze for a while, then he asked her back, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know that I¡¯m not perfect. Don¡¯t you always tell me that I have poor EQ?¡± sheined.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and did not say anything.

    She paused, then continued, ¡°Tonight, I went to join VP Wang¡¯s birthday banquet and I met someone. She really surprised me. Do you want to know who it was?¡±

    Mu Yuchen leisurely lit up a cigarette and responded calmly, ¡°Who?¡±

    Xi Xiaye held onto the book with one hand as she looked at themp that shone beside her. She sighed gently. ¡°I met Gu Lingsha, your previous fiancee. She¡¯s a really beautiful woman. If it were in the past, she would be the kind of beauty that could turn a country upside down. In fact, I can see that she¡¯s charismatic and quite capable too. She asked me how you were doing.¡±

    ¡°What did you say then?¡± The man¡¯s tone was still calm and undisturbed on the other end, so she really could not tell how he felt.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t like the way she spoke. She¡¯s such a stunner, and yet you told me before this that she¡¯s... not as pretty as I am...¡±

    Upon hearing her sad whining, his gently furrowed brows raised instead. His lips curved into an amused smile, yet his tone was still calm and stiff. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t ever feel threatened.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean threatened? I just don¡¯t like her. I feel like she didn¡¯te with friendliness, so I didn¡¯t speak much to her.¡±

    He chuckled out loud. ¡°And here I thought something happened. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t like her. She can¡¯t force you to like her, can she? As good-looking as she may be, your Mr. Mu doesn¡¯t fancy her. Besides, who canpare to your charisma and looks?

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to exin much about Gu Lingsha. She¡¯s just an irrelevant woman. The fact that you could talk to me about the reason you¡¯re unhappy means that you have high self-awareness. It¡¯s great to rid of any unhappy suspicions or jealousy between us. I already knew about Gu Lingsha¡¯s return, so I¡¯m not surprised, but I am worried about you.¡±

    It was rare for him to exin so much. To her amusement, his tone was low and he was not annoyed at all.

    ¡°Xiaye, we have a long way more to go. Whether or not we¡¯ll make the journey steadily depends on us. I have always trusted you, so I won¡¯t question you about your past. I always believe that your heart will only end up with me, just as you didn¡¯t question me about my past before. Back when I saw you sign the marriage papers, I admit I did feel mixed emotions since I gambled with marriage. I¡¯m afraid of losing too.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen admitted to this, there was suddenly the hint of a faint smile on his face. ¡°When I heard that you were willing to have the wedding ceremony with me, and being troubled over our child, I¡¯m happy. No matter what, Xiaye, I just want to spend the rest of my life worrying about you. The rest of my life belongs to only you. It¡¯s not worth letting these irrelevant people make you unhappy.¡±

    Upon hearing this, she suddenly felt her heart turn soft. They all said that women were more sensitive to hearing romantic speeches after all. She had to admit that she was worried that the rational side of her had be mush. Such heartfelt words were imprinted onto her heart. Instantly, a lump of emotions slowly rose from inside her heart and hot tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She then said in a raspy voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Mu. You¡¯re too good to me. I¡¯m afraid that one day you¡¯ll suddenly... If that happens, I won¡¯t be able to take it...¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, I really want to hide you and not let other women know how good you are... Then, you can only stay by my side, and not go anywhere...¡±

    After she blurted this out, Mu Yuchen immediatelyughed out gently. His little woman was finally enlightened and knew to hold onto him tightly. This was definitely something worth being overjoyed about. It made him much more content than striking a huge business deal.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say those words ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ to me anymore. You have the right to enjoy it. My name¡¯s in the column as your partner, so where else will I run to? Besides, you¡¯re carrying our child right now. This links us in countless ways and cannot be severed. If you¡¯re still worried, then fight for Grandfather, Grandmother and our parents¡¯ liking on the daily. Make them your strongest backup. I¡¯m even burning all my escape routes for you. How could you doubt my loyalty, Missus? When did you be so sensitive?¡±

    His deep, sensitive yet gentle voice made her could not help but tear up again. She replied in a hoarse voice, ¡°Why are you criticizing me? Ever since I met you, I¡¯ve be too sensitive!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything. How did I criticize you?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare! But to be honest, that Gu Lingsha is really beautiful.¡±

    He smiled in amusement. ¡°Okay, whether she¡¯s pretty or not is her problem. It¡¯s got nothing to do with us. Our daughter will be a thousand times prettier than her in the future. Of course, this applies to her mother too!¡±

    ¡°I never knew you were so good at making girls happy.¡± Xi Xiayeughed with her lips pursed.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I don¡¯t know how to make girls happy. I only know how to do that with you, Missus. Your existence is unique and unmatched. Who else could have this honor?¡±

    It was rare for Mr. Mu to y along with her.

    ¡°When are youing back? It¡¯s been so long! It¡¯s already more than a month now. The baby and I miss you very much.¡±

 Chapter 646 - Unique and Unmatched Existence (2)

    <h4>Chapter 646: Unique and Unmatched Existence (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Their call went on for around half an hour. Li Si witnessed the warm smile spreading on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face and heard his soft-spoken tone.

    Was this really his Master?

    Could love really change a person this much?

    All the hidden gentleness inside him was unleashed!

    After he finallyforted his little woman at home and convinced her to go to bed, he missed her dearly and yearned to head back right now, but his circumstances forbade him from doing so.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s time to board the ne. It¡¯s taking off soon,¡± Li Si spoke quietly when he saw Mu Yuchen finished the phone call.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and walked out of the VIP lounge.

    ¡°Master, did something happen on Director Xi¡¯s end?¡± Li Si could not rein in his curiosity and asked when he saw Mu Yuchen smiling.

    Mu Yuchen spoke as he continued forward, ¡°Gu Lingsha returned to City Z. We mustplete our tasks here as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha... She met Director Xi?¡± Li Si was stunned as he expressed his worry.

    ¡°Your Missus¡¯s existence is unique and unmatched. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯ve met each other. They¡¯ll have to pay back what they owe, or maybe this is a battle of endurance, so we can take our time and have some fun with them,¡± said Mu Yuchen as his eyes darkened.

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    The flight went directly to Los Angeles from New York. It was night time when they arrived at their destination.

    The arranged driver was already waiting outside the airport when they arrived.

    Mu Yuchen walked through the VIPne and swiftly boarded the car.

    This night was still young in the city of Los Angeles as the car drove into the city area. It was pretty crowded on the streets and the night lights were rather charming.

    Mu Yuchen sat in the back with hisptop on hisp. The blue light from the screen lit up his handsome face.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve arranged a hotel to check into. Are we going to the hotel or...?¡± Li Si turned around and asked Mu Yuchen about his n.

    ¡°Go straight to Manor S,¡± replied Mu Yuchen without even batting an eye while his fingers were typing swiftly on the keyboard.

    Li Si nodded and gave instructions to the driver quietly. Soon, it was quiet again inside the car.

    Manor S was the ce Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna resided in right now. Mu Yuchen had purchased it for their sake and let them stay there.

    The car passed by several junctions and headed towards the outskirts. They soon arrived outside Manor S.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve arrived at Manor S.¡±

    Mu Yuchen finally switched off hisptop. He put it aside and started to get down from the car.

    ¡°Master, let me get them to open the door.¡±

    ...

    Of course, Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna had no idea their son-inw woulde sote at night. The two of them were sitting on the sofa while the TV was airing some interesting shows. Xi Mushan was sitting right beside Shen Wenna, peeling some sunflower seeds as he watched the TV. Shen Wenna was sitting there quietly with Little Apple on herp.

    Little Apple loved sunflower seeds and was enjoying some of them on Shen Wenna¡¯s palm. It gobbled them up in just a moment and wanted more from Shen Wenna who smiled. ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t see. Ask Grandpa to peel some for you. You shouldn¡¯t eat too much of these you know. It¡¯s heaty.¡±

    ¡°You really are like your mother. She likes to snack a lot too. There was once when she was little she ate a lot of heaty snacks and got a high feverte at night! Oh my... Stop! You¡¯re scratching me. Hmm, you smell nice. Who bathed you today?¡±

    Shen Wenna was happy ying with Little Apple. Ever since they had it, it felt like they both had another child. They used to just go back to their room at night, but now they would spend time together in the living room after dinner, ying with Little Apple.

    ¡°Of course, it was me, right, Little Apple?¡±

    Xi Mushan put some peeled sunflower seeds onto Shen Wenna¡¯s palm as he patted Little Apple¡¯s head and looked at Shen Wenna. ¡°Let me cook you some supper. You didn¡¯t eat much during dinner, did you?¡±

    Shen Wenna gave it some thought before nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s have some dumplings. They can be done pretty quickly...¡±

    Before Shen Wenna could finish her sentence, they heard the sound of footsteps outside the door, and the two of them turned their heads around.

    ¡°Ah Chen? Why are you here?¡± Xi Mushan was surprised to see Mu Yuchen. He was evidently caught off guard.

    ¡°Father, Mother.¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked towards the sofa as Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna both stood up.

    Shen Wenna had a smile on her face as she asked, ¡°Ah Chen? Ah Chen is here?¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped before the two of them and said humbly, ¡°Mmm, I just so happen to be nearby here for work, so I came over to take a look at you both. Xiaye has been worried, so I came here right after I touched down.¡±

    ¡°You rushed over here without having dinner, didn¡¯t you? Xi Mushan, make something to eat for him. I¡¯m a little hungry as well. Ah Chen, have a seat and let¡¯s chat,¡± Shen Wenna said kindly.

    Xi Mushan nodded. ¡°Alright, I was just about to make some food for your mother as well. What would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind anything. Ask the servants to prepare it. Please sit, Mother.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled and helped Shen Wenna to sit down.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let me do it. Just sit there and wait for a while. I¡¯ll get someone to bring you some warm water to wash your hands.¡±

    The quiet manor started to get lively while Li Si and the others moved all the luggage in before helping Xi Mushan. In the meantime, Shen Wenna had Mu Yuchen tell her about Xi Xiaye and Shen Yue. She had been here for nearly half a year now and she missed them dearly.

 Chapter 647 - Master Mu Is A Good Son-in-law (1)

    <h4>Chapter 647: Master Mu Is A Good Son-inw (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Wenna looked well. Although her figure was still as skinny as before, she seemed healthy. Xi Mushan was really taking good care of her, the previous signs of depression had disappeared.

    ¡°Are you getting used to life here?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Little Apple in Shen Wenna¡¯s arm as he patted its head and it nced up at him with its big eyes.

    Shen Wenna put on a smile and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m great. Thanks for asking, Ah Chen. I¡¯ve been doing pretty well with your father over here, all thanks to your arrangement. Oh, and thank you for Little Apple too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mother. It¡¯s part of my responsibility. Now that Xiaye and I are married, you two are dear to me as well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen actually was not sure how he shouldmunicate with Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan. He had always been emotionally reserved, so he had no idea how to express his caring intentions. Taking his own parents, for example, he certainly respected and cared about them, but most of the time, he did not know how to express those feelings.

    On the other hand, Xiaye did his part for the Mu family, so he wanted to be concerned about Xi Mushan¡¯s situation over here on behalf of her. It was only a fair trade.

    ¡°No, Ah Chen, your father and I don¡¯t have a son. We only have one daughter, Xiaye, but I do feel very happy after she got married to you because you¡¯re like a real son to us. I can rest easy leaving Xiaye in your hands. I know you have put in a lot of effort for her father and me.¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s expression was gentle and her tone was soft.

    ¡°I¡¯m just doing what Xiaye wanted me to do. It¡¯s been forever since she wanted both of you to reconcile again. While we can¡¯t interfere with how you feel, this is the most that we can do.¡± Mu Yuchen was being earnest.

    ¡°How would I not know what are you guys thinking? I should be ashamed that you two need to be burdened with our problems. I gave it some thought before. A big part of the cause that led to this tragedy came from us. We were young and reckless, and weren¡¯t brave enough to sail through the hardships, so I hope you guys can take us as an example. You¡¯re a smart guy. I¡¯m sure you know what I mean.¡± Shen Wenna smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. Both Xiaye and I are obedient students of Father and you. There¡¯s still a lot for us to learn in terms of marriage and life in general,¡± Mu Yuchen said humbly.

    Shen Wenna smiled, pleased. ¡°It¡¯s normal for people to learn from each other. I saw a lot of qualities I don¡¯t have from watching you guys. Ms. Yang Feng once used the rtionship between friends to describe the rtionship of a married couple. I¡¯m going to quote her words here: ¡®I¡¯ve always thought that even among family members, friendship is very important. Even if they aren¡¯t best friends, they should at least be friends that can mutually respect and learn from each other.¡¯ That¡¯s why I¡¯m really grateful for the courage and help in the issue between her father and me.¡±

    Shen Wenna was an experienced academic after all. As a guru to Ph.D. students, she not only excelled at her own field, but she also had a unique view of her interpersonal rtionships too, especially after everything that she had gone through. Time had left her a lot of valuable qualities.

    ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re willing to get back together with Father again?¡±

    ¡°I knew that you were here to ask me about it. I hope things can go naturally. After being in conflict for so many years, I¡¯m more open-minded now. Many things that should be our burden have fallen onto you both, and I feel bad for that.¡±

    Shen Wenna sighed, taking a pause before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m happy that Xiaye is able to understand and forgive, but at the same time, I feel sorry for her. Her father and I owe her too much, and that¡¯s why I wanted to make up to her. If I can still teach at University A after my eyes are healed, I... I¡¯ll let your father stay at the school with me since the Xi family is no more.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t forget about him after so many years. You two can stop worrying about me with him by my side. Xiaye and you are going to be parents soon, so spend more time and effort together. Your father and I will take care of ourselves.¡±

    Shen Wenna then took a deep breath. She actually felt relieved after the conversation with Mu Yuchen.

    She was tired after going through so much at this point. What grudge could be more important than living happily?

    Mu Yuchen looked at Shen Wenna quietly for some time before nodding his head. ¡°We¡¯re d about your realization.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. How¡¯s Xiaye? It¡¯s been several months, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°The pregnancy¡¯s almost in the sixth month now. She¡¯s pretty well, but she misses Father and you.¡±

    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll be able to see my grandchild after I get back.¡±

    Mu Yuchen went to the kitchen to help Xi Mushan out after chatting with Shen Wenna for some time.

    Xi Mushan was very grateful for his son-inw. At the same time, he was d that Xiaye married him.

    Mu Yuchen was talking to Xi Mushan about Deng Wenwen. ¡°Deng Wenwen was buried at the West Hill Cemetery. Before she passed away, she told Xiaye to apologize to Mother and you. She even left Xiaye some money, but she donated all of them. Inside Deng Wenwen¡¯s safe, we found the document she made Xiaye sign back then. I had Ah Mo destroy it immediately.¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s expression did not change and he just nodded lightly. ¡°Let the past stay in the past. There¡¯s no point remembering it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°We left the key to West Park for you just in case you want to go back. Xiaye said that it¡¯ll forever be yours. She¡¯s never forgotten about the good times there. There were a lot of memories made with Mother and you.¡±

    Xi Mushan shook his head andughed mirthfully. ¡°I don¡¯t need that. There were a lot of unpleasant memories there as well. To me, my home is wherever her mother is. I don¡¯t want to go anywhere else.¡±

 Chapter 648 - Master Mu Is A Good Son-in-law (2)

    <h4>Chapter 648: Master Mu Is A Good Son-inw (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even if he were extremely busy with work, Mu Yuchen still put two days aside to apany Shen Wenna to the hospital for a check-up and personally understood her situation from the doctor. He was only assured when he knew that the recovery was going well.

    He had just apanied Shen Wenna back from a check-up at the hospital one of those days when Li Si suddenly brought him news.

    Underneath the winding corridor in the backyard of the manor, Li si¡¯s expression was solemn as he reported to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Master, earlier, Ah Mo just passed the message that Qi Qiming is nning to let Gu Lingsha join Qi Kai as a project manager. In fact, Qi Qiming might very possibly let her be in charge of Qi Kai¡¯s South River project coboration with Glory World. What do we do?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression that was cid shed with a cold smile. He gazed up at the falling leaves while his tone was unperturbed as always. ¡°I already saw thising. He always liked pulling these little tricks.¡±

    ¡°What do we do then? This project is still under Director Xi. I feel like Qi Qiming did it on purpose to target Director Xi.¡±

    Li Si frowned.¡±In fact, with Qi Lei and Gu Lingsha¡¯s rtionship... Master, do you think they will use Qi Lei as a weapon?¡±

    When he heard this question, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes dimmed slightly. ¡°Qi Lei wouldn¡¯t be that much of a fool. Since Qi Qiming dares to use Gu Lingsha, that means he and Gu Qihao havee to a deal. This is the one thing Wang Qin doesn¡¯t want to see happen the most. If Qi Lei isn¡¯t tactful, the first person to be worried will be Wang Qin.¡±

    Li Si thought about it for a while, then nodded. ¡°Master, you¡¯re right. Right, Master, there¡¯s been news from France. The stock market in Europe is in turmoil now. Do we hold or let go?¡±

    ¡°Let go,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly said before abruptly turning around and walking towards the staircase ahead.

    ¡°Got it! Also, the automobile marketing n from Europe has been churned out. Master, please have a look.¡±

    Li Si handed a document to Mu Yuchen, yet he just lifted a hand slightly to stop him. ¡°Send me the market reports of the European market in the past two years first, and then send this proposal to me. I want them this afternoon. Book a flight ticket for France tomorrow night. Make an appointment with CEO William tonight.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen did not stay in Los Angeles for long. He only stayed for a few days before rushing over to France.

    In the evening, Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna stood in front of the manor to send Mu Yuchen off.

    ¡°Ah Chen, in the face of work, humans are always so small. You should watch over yourself. I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll burn out from running around so frequently.¡±

    Shen Wenna was no longer as cold as she had been in the past. She was bing more and more caring towards this son-inw of hers.

    ¡°Father, Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of myself. You¡¯ll be removing your bandage in another two days. Once the situation stabilizes, I¡¯ll arrange for people to bring the two of you home safely. I¡¯ve understood the situation from the doctor. He says it shouldn¡¯t be too huge of a problem.¡±

    Shen Wenna nodded. ¡°Thank you for the trouble. Okay, get into the car now. It¡¯s cold outside. Don¡¯t freeze. We¡¯ll gather again when we¡¯ve returned to City Z. Remember to call Xiaye more from time to time and don¡¯t worry about your father-inw and me. We¡¯ll take good care of ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Okay then, Father. Please take care of Mother.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded, then Mu Yuchen got into the car and they swiftly drove away like a hurricane.

    Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna stood where they were for a very long time without moving. Upon seeing that the weather was getting colder, Xi Mushan considerately took the coat on his shoulders off and put it on Shen Wenna as he said sensitively, ¡°Okay, the car is long gone. Let¡¯s go back in too.¡±

    Shen Wenna went along with him and nodded. She turned around unhurriedly as she said, ¡°What did Ah Chen give you earlier?¡±

    Xi Mushan looked down at the folder in his hand and helped Shen Wenna return to the manor as he responded, ¡°We¡¯ll go back in and see. Oh, right, he brought you some essories. See if you like themter on.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough that he buys them for Xiaye. What would I wear essories in my current state for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a token of kindness from the child. Just ept them.¡±

    The two of them returned to the living room where Xi Mushan set Shen Wenna down on the sofa while he sat down near her. Then, he slowly opened the folder, and what greeted his sight was unexpectedly a contract for the transfer of shares from University A. The beneficiaries were Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna. There was also a letter of appointment, hiring Xi Mushan as the Vice Principal of University A!

    Shocked, Xi Mushan gawked at the document in his hand. He could not help but tremble gently.

    How could someone as wise as him not know the thought that Mu Yuchen had put into this?

    Ever since the Xi family had fallen apart and after he had left office as the mayor of City Z, he was left with nothing. If he really wanted to rebuild a life with Shen Wenna as a nobody, it would not be right. Besides, Shen Wenna was the true heiress of Fuhua!

    With this, it would not make Xi Mushan look too bad!

    He had such meticulous thoughts. Even he could not help but admire and be moved by such a gesture. They were both men, but this son-inw of his had quietly taken care of his honor. He never said much, and only proved himself through actions!

    Where could he have found a son-inw like him?

    This was such a huge amount of money, and probably only his son-inw had the drive to do so!

    Shen Wenna seemed to be able to detect how moved he was, so she quickly pulled at his shirt sleeves and asked uneasily, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Xi Mushan sighed and closed his eyes. After rxing for a while, he opened his eyes and said to Shen Wenna in a low and raspy voice, ¡°Wenna, we owe the children too much. Ah Chen... He really put in a lot of thought!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Shen Wenna could not see, so naturally, she did not know what could have touched Xi Mushan so much.

    ¡°Do you know what document is in this folder from Ah Chen?¡±

    Shen Wenna stayed quiet and did not speak. She only turned slowly, waiting for Xi Mushan to speak.

    Xi Mushan held Shen Wenna¡¯s hand emotionally as he spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°It¡¯s a transfer for 25% of the shares of University A. You and I are the beneficiaries, and there¡¯s another appointment letter to hire me as the vice principal.¡±

    When she heard this, Shen Wenna could not help but be stunned. She only gently nodded after a while. Xiaye, I just knew this child was lucky... Even I¡¯m a little moved for no other reason but about the children¡¯s intentions.¡±

 Chapter 649 - Lose (1)

    <h4>Chapter 649: Lose (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    City Z was a city that never snowed, yet, even so, the winter¡¯s cold breeze invaded in waves, and the entire city seemed oddly chilly, especially this early winter morning

    The first rays of the morning sun shone down mildly, and after the street cleaner swept the roads, the vast ground was clean. There were only faint signs of the road having been tidied left behind. Many people were walking on the roads too.

    She had been leaving early and returningte for quite a few days now. Xi Xiaye¡¯s days were quite full. Without Mu Yuchen around, her focus was put on Glory World. Lan Zng would mostly report from Fuhua, letting her familiarize with work rted to Fuhua.

    On the stairway beside the South River bridge, Xi Xiaye wore a long and thick windbreaker. She even had a cap as she looked down at the construction happening below.

    The vast plot of emptynd in front had begun to be developed. In just a sweeping nce, you could see rows and rows of machines running while rows and rows of steel pirsying the foundation pilfered the ground.

    Xi Xiaye held a blueprint in her hand. She opened it to look at in detail. As shepared it to the construction site below, her expression was focused.

    She closed the blueprint and looked down at the construction site as she said seriously, ¡°We have to be strict with the quality. Once these sites begin to develop, we will only continue to build it upwards. I think we should invite bids for some of the projects. Get them to find out the bidders. We must work hard to ensure there are zero errors for this project.¡±

    The project manager nodded from the side. ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry, Director Xi. I¡¯ll arrange things well.¡±

    The South River project was Glory World¡¯s mega project. Huge amounts of funds had been invested. In fact, it was rted to the government¡¯s beneficiaries, that was the public, thus Xi Xiaye dared not treat things lightly at all. Almost every segment was personally examined to ensure there were no errors. Even if Vice President Zhang Lan was supervising it, the main person in charge of this project was still her, so she was still not assured as she carefully surveyed and verified everything again and again.

    ¡°The progress of the construction is going alright. We have to ensure quality. The length of time can be extended as needed since the time given by the government is quite sufficient. The time that we¡¯ve estimated in our nning proposal is quite ample too, so everyone doesn¡¯t have to be too stressed about it. I¡¯ll personally take charge of procurement for this one. Later on, I¡¯ll get them to set up the proposal to invite the bidders. These materials in the early stages were all personally produced by Chairman Mu from his trusted partners. I¡¯ll discuss the ones in theter stages with him again.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it, then continued, ¡°I remember thest time on that plot for the New Era za when the merchants joined forces for the bid, quite a number of them were agents who won the bid and then sold it away after that. I don¡¯t quite like it when this happens. When you are creating the n, you must be careful. Only let the capable onespete, and don¡¯t let the non-capable ones in.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Director Xi.¡±

    After that, Xi Xiaye ryed a few more important things to note, and then looked to the hazy warm sun hanging high up in the sky before she wrapped the windbreaker tighter around herself and turned to walk towards the stairs.

    She stood in the wind for a long time, feeling cold all over now. It was just in time for noon when Xi Xiaye remembered that it had been quite a while since she had visited the Bamboo Teahouse, so she told Ji Zitong to drive her over.

    At that moment, the Bamboo Teahouse was rather quiet inside. Xi Xiaye stepped in and asked for a pot of flower tea and some snacks. When she was finding a ce to sit inside, she bumped into someone. It was someone who surprised her...

    Han Yifeng?

    Why was he here?

    He was not too far away in front, in a quiet corner by the window!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s exquisite and fair face shed with shock. Seeing him sit there quietly drink his tea, he looked extremely lonely and was engulfed by a gloomy aura.

    Xi Xiaye was bewildered for quite a while. When she saw that he kept his head down and did not notice her, she thought about it and did not walk over in the end. Instead, she turned to sit on the other side where a screen separated them.

    Manager Lim quickly brought the tea and snacks over. He even brought the teahouse¡¯s ounts book from the past few months. Nodding curtly, Xi Xiaye took them and then waved him away.

    The melodious <i>guzheng </i>continued to flow inside the teahouse. In that instant, the entire space seemed even more tranquil than ever.

    Xi Xiaye poured herself some tea and drank a sip as she began to casually flip through the ounts book. However, she had just flipped open one page when suddenly, she heard the sound of the beaded curtain in front swaying. Instinctively. Xi Xiaye subconsciously looked up.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s tall and lean figure instantly greeted her sight.

    Xi Xiaye was no longer surprised by his presence. She took one look at him before pointing to the seat across her. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Then, she took an empty cup and poured some tea for him.

    Han Yifeng did not reject her. He quietly sat down and took the tea she handed. Carefully pursing his lips, he stayed silent with his head lowered before looking up at her again. ¡°I¡¯m really surprised to bump into you.¡±

    ¡°I heard Manager Lim say that you¡¯ve beening over for tea almost every day,¡± spoke Xi Xiaye calmly as she closed the ounts book in her hand.

    When he heard that, Han Yifeng¡¯s cold face suddenly shed with a smile. There was no anger to be seen in his dim eyes. ¡°I want to find a quiet ce to sit. I suddenly remembered this ce. Finishing a pot of tea makes me feel much calmer and rxed.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ve drunk a lot, so I suddenly think that the taste of tea is even better than coffee. Then, I almost forgot that I¡¯ve always liked tea, and now, I¡¯ve unexpectedly fancied this taste.¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression was gentle. It was no different from before, but the air that came from him revealed bleak loneliness, making others find him distant.

    Xi Xiaye did not answer him. She just poured him another cup when she saw his cup was empty.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze and looked into the cup in her hands as she said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s not good to drink too much coffee. I heard that those who truly know how to enjoy tea have a stiller heart than others.¡±

    ¡°Suddenly, I regret rejecting all those good tea you sent to me before,¡± Han Yifeng sighed as he said, his voice not revealing much.

    ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten all about the past,¡± Xi Xiaye calmly responded. As she said that, she looked up, her cold and distant gaze meeting Han Yifeng¡¯s gaze of mixed emotions.

 Chapter 650 - Lose (2)

    <h4>Chapter 650: Lose (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Grandfather¡¯s gone and the Xi family no longer exists too, so all those grudges will soon pass.¡±

    Now, many broken clips shed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind. There were happy ones and sad ones. In the end, she could only smile indifferently. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t remember them either. After these storms have passed, it¡¯s not a bad thing to start a new life.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the ways you¡¯ve protected me before. At least, before Xi Xinyi was stabbed by that knife, you¡¯ve always been protective over me. So, you don¡¯t have to feel guilty or uneasy. No matter what, we¡¯ve worked hard before. We can only say that our fate was too shallow. You weren¡¯t the one for me, and I¡¯m not the princess you should be protecting.¡±

    When he heard her speech, Han Yifeng¡¯s expression became oddly dull. He forced a smile and then asked, ¡°Do you hate me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head very honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t. I did resent you, but after that, I realized that there was nothing to hate. After all, as much as I hate you, you wouldn¡¯t be returning to my side. Hating someone is a very painful thing to do.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I let you down...¡±

    Han Yifeng sighed. ¡°Maybe this is karma! These days, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot too. The person that caused all of this was me. If I had kept believing you, and not indulged Xi Xinyi and be deceived by her, it wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this. I know that I have sinned gravely. I want topensate you, yet I don¡¯t know what else I can do.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about whether you¡¯ve let me down because these things aren¡¯t important to me anymore. As long as you make yourself proud, that¡¯ll be enough. I don¡¯t understand huge life principles either. Humans live for today and for a clear conscience. That¡¯s just it, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye held her tea up to drink a sip and she did not look into his gaze with mixed emotions anymore. ¡°You are now someone¡¯s father, and I will soon be a mother. I hope that you can raise your child well and not let them be like us. Thest generation¡¯s grudges shall end with us. Can you fulfill this one request of mine?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words struck Han Yifeng by surprise. He stared at her for a long while. Suddenly, he did not know what else he could say. After a long while, he took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll pay more attention. Xiaye, you¡¯re a good woman. I¡¯m very regretful and sad. There are things I¡¯ve always wanted to say, but until now, I haven¡¯t been able to. I¡¯m not afraid to tell you why I alwayse here. Actually, I was hoping to bump into you too to rify things face to face with you.¡±

    ¡°I know that I lost youpletely from the moment I got into the car without turning back. However, I¡¯m still lying to myself about you loving me so deeply. No matter what, you would still long for me, but actually, the moment I didn¡¯t turn back, you had already given up on me. You¡¯re the same as Aunty Shen. Once you set your mind to something, it¡¯s very hard for you to change,¡± Han Yifeng sighed as he spoke, his tone filled with helpless sorrow.

    When she kept quiet, Han Yifeng suddenly clenched his fists tightly and asked, ¡°Can we still be friends?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She looked up at him and saw that there was a sliver of hope in his eyes. Finally, she nodded. ¡°Of course, we can, but I hope that you can be a mutual friend to me and him.¡±

    Him...

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes dimmed. Of course, he knew who the ¡®he¡¯ she was referring to.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is so lucky,¡± hemented.

    Xi Xiaye just shook her head. ¡°No, it should be me that¡¯s lucky. I¡¯m grateful that in the moments when I waspletely disheartened, I met him. Then, I realized that the brilliance of my life began with him.¡±

    Han Yifeng suddenly felt his heart seize with an ache. He gasped for a bit before saying with much difficulty, ¡°You and he are truly each other¡¯s memorable sunshine. I just overestimated myself. Xiaye, I wish that you and Mu Yuchen will love each other for life and be happy forever. Don¡¯t worry about all those past grievances. I¡¯ll do my best to make them stop with us. As for the grudges between the two of you, I¡¯ll stay out of it and not interfere. I just hope that in time, we can still be friends.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Xi Xiaye was a little surprised as she looked at Han Yifeng. She did not quite understand what he meant.

    Nheless, Han Yifeng did not exin. He quietly set the cup aside and stood up unhurriedly.

    ¡°Okay, now that I¡¯ve said all that to you, I feel much better. Xiaye, you¡¯re someone worth having. I¡¯ll remember you forever. Goodbye!¡±

    Then, his tall and lofty figure walked through the draping beaded curtains. Soon, the clear sound of beads shing was heard, drowning those heavy footsteps.

    Han Yifeng thought to himself that on the long roads ahead, he would not have much heart to fall in love with anyone anymore. In this extended period of time, he had been turning round and round in this dream-like world of rtionships and had already lost himself. Now that he thought about it, he really lost so badly just as she had said. He could not measure up to even the tip of that guy¡¯s finger.

    s, now, what else could he do?

    At least, he had to find the courage to respect himself first!

    Han Yifeng sighed as he quietly averted his gaze from Bamboo Teahouse and finally got into his car. The car drove slowly away, carrying a longing that was hard to part with.

    The car left Bamboo Teahouse and sped all the way. Secretary Wang, who sat in the front passenger seat, had been looking at Han Yifeng through the rearview mirror. When he saw that Han Yifeng closed his eyes to rest as soon as he got into the car, Secretary Wang dared not say much.

    It was only when the car had driven out of the byway that Secretary Wang softly asked, ¡°CEO Han, do we head straight back to the office now?¡±

    As the sudden voice broke his reverie, Han Yifeng slowly opened his eyes and looked to the wide road ahead. He said softly, ¡°Go back to the Han residence. Also, help me book three flight tickets to San Francisco for tonight. Be quick and keep it a secret.¡±

    Secretary Wang was stunned. He seemed to know what Han Yifeng wanted to do, so he quickly suggested, CEO Han, would it be better if we discussed this with the Elder and Madam first?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with my business. Just do as I say. Of course, you can make your own decision. Whether you want toe with me or go with them, you choose for yourself.¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s voice was extremely hostile. You could hear that it was the kind of cold that cut through to the bones.

    ¡°CEO Han, of course, I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯m just worried that...¡± Secretary Wang said a little hesitantly.

 Chapter 651 - Lose (3)

    <h4>Chapter 651: Lose (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because Han Yifeng sounded cold and determined, Secretary Wang had no words to refute him. Han Yifeng then gave him a quick exnation.

    ¡°This is the only way I can escape temporarily. All my efforts recently were all for today. I want to live my own life, so I¡¯ll leave the things over here to them. I¡¯m really tired... That¡¯s all.¡±

    Secretary Wang was speechless, so he just nodded.

    It took him about an hour drive back to the Han Residence.

    Han Yu and Huang Ziyao just so happened to be out for meetings while Elder Han had gone to a friend¡¯s house. He made sure they were out when he returned, so only the servants and his child were left in the huge Han Residence.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re back!¡±

    The servants were happy to see Han Yifeng. It had been a long while since he had taken a step inside the Han Residence, thus they were d.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression was cold and expressionless as usual. He nodded and nced at the servant as he asked coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s Little Master?¡±

    ¡°Little Master just fell asleep. He¡¯s inside the baby¡¯s room,¡± the servant replied respectfully.

    ¡°You can get back your work now.¡±

    Han Yifeng went upstairs as Secretary Wang followed behind him.

    Han Yifeng soon found the baby¡¯s room. His son was sleeping soundly inside the baby cot, looking really cute.

    He looked at the curled up baby, his strained expression softening slightly. He lowered his body and touched his son¡¯s cheek. After some consideration, he then said quietly, ¡°Han Zhexuan, this is your name from now on. Xiao Xuan... You¡¯ll stay with me, your father, forever. I¡¯ll make sure to take care of you and give you a happy childhood, free from the darkness.¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, we...¡± Secretary Wang spoke quietly.

    ¡°Pack up some stuff. Only bring the necessities. We have everything else over there. Hurry. Leave the divorce contract on her dressing table. It doesn¡¯t matter if she doesn¡¯t sign it. I can afford to wait!¡± Han Yifeng instructed coldly before picking up his son from the baby cot.

    Secretary Wang nodded his head and started packing the baby¡¯s feeding bottle, several sets of clothes for changing, and some other necessities.

    They worked swiftly and managed to finish within ten minutes.

    Han Yifeng left a letter on the coffee table in the living room. He then walked out with his son in his arms.

    ¡°Master, where are you taking Little Master?¡±

    He bumped into a servant when he went outside. The servant looked at him with an odd nce, yet Han Yifeng just shot her a cold stare before leaving without saying anything.

    ¡°Master is just bringing Little Master to an office trip. You can take a day off. Come to Master¡¯s vi tomorrow noon to take Little Master back!¡± Secretary Wang left this message before catching up.

    Naturally, the servant did not question anything. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll pass the message!¡±

    Just like that, Han Yifeng brought his son straight to the airport.

    Having booked their flight tickets, their ne was about to take off when Han Yifeng arrived at the airport. His other personal female assistant delivered his briefcase while Secretary Wang went to collect their ne tickets as quickly as possible.

    The few of them went through the VIPne and entered the departure lounge.

    Half an hourter, the ne flying from City Z to San Francisco took off. Aside from his two assistants, Han Yifeng brought his son as well.

    He had been earnestly working this whole time. Knowing that only regret and pain remained here, he thought leaving would be the best choice. It would be a new start for himself. He slowly shifted thepany¡¯s focus abroad and turned the Han Corporation¡¯s branch in San Francisco into their main headquarters while the one back in City Z would be a branch office instead.

    He had stayed there for quite some time before, thus he knew his way around and it would not be that difficult to start a new life there. Most importantly, he could free himself from all the trouble over there. He just wanted to live with his son and not deal with them anymore.

    He would raise his son there since it was part of his responsibility. His focus from now on would be work and his son. Above all, he wanted to find his own meaning of living.

    As for Xi Xinyi, he knew that she would never give everything up and go to San Francisco with him. He had actually given her a subtle hint then. If she was willing to give up everything and go to him, he would have arranged a job for her in Han Corporation. Otherwise...

    Han Yifeng left a letter for Han Yu and the others. The contents were short and simple, just informing them he would return to San Francisco with his son, and that if they wanted to see their grandchild, they could head over.

    Han Yu felt his heart ache when he saw the words in the letter that showed how worn out his son was. He sighed and turned towards Huang Ziyao and said, ¡°Yifeng returned to San Francisco. Maybe we gave him too much pressure. The child¡¯s name is called Han Zhexuan, and he brought him away...¡±

    Huang Ziyao was shocked as Elder Han¡¯s expression darkened.

    Before they could react, a nervous cry came from outside. ¡°Father, Mother! Where¡¯s my son? Have you found him? Where¡¯s my son?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was handling some matters at her office when she received a call from Huang Ziyao in the evening, saying that her son had gone missing. They asked the servants afterward and realized Han Yifeng had taken the child. They also found the letter he left on the coffee table.

    ¡°Yifeng took the child to San Francisco. He¡¯s already shifted Han Corporation¡¯s important resources over there. Look at what you all have done! WIth Yifeng¡¯s personality, that¡¯s why I disagreed... I don¡¯t care anymore!¡±

    Han Yu red at Xi Xinyi unhappily as his expression turned grim.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale. Strength was sapped out of her body as she slumped onto the sofa and mumbled, ¡°Impossible... Yifeng took the child away... It¡¯s impossible...¡±

 Chapter 652 - Lose (4)

    <h4>Chapter 652: Lose (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The truth was right before her eyes. There was no other way but to ept it.

    Han Yifeng had left the divorce papers on her dressing table and another small note telling her to sign it.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned when she saw the divorce papers!

    She could not just get divorced like this! She could not just let him take her son away and leave her alone here.

    Their promise?

    What promise?

    Just when Huang Ziyao and the others were epting her? Why could Han Yifeng not see any of her effortstely? She was trying really hard to turn things around. In the end, he merely kicked her away coldly, and even took her son away from her!

    How could he!?

    What was the point of her suffering in silence and persisting all this while?

    ¡°Ah! Ah! Ahhh!¡± Anger filled Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes as she screamed hysterically and tore the divorce papers into pieces!

    ¡°How dare you, Han Yifeng!? Don¡¯t even think about abandoning me! One day, I¡¯ll make sure that you regret all of this ande back to me on your own! Do you think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been visiting her tea shop every day? I will rise above her! I will make you witness that witch¡¯s pathetic ending! I¡¯ll give her a pain a thousand times worse than what I¡¯m feeling right now! The worse you treat me, the more I hate that witch! All of you betrayed me! All of you!¡±

    Xi Xinyi clenched her teeth. She then thrashed the stuff inside her room like a maniac. In a short while, the whole ce became a mess.

    Xi Xiaye had no idea what was happening at the Han residence.

    The sky turned dark. By the window on the 58th floor of the building, one could view the whole of City Z. Night lights were everywhere, and it was a beautiful scenery to enjoy.

    As Xi Xiaye was still going through some documents, there was a knock on the door. She grunted without even raising her head and someone entered.

    Her assistant, Xiao Mei, came in with a big bouquet of beautiful yellow roses.

    ¡°Director Xi, someone sent you flowers. I epted them for you!¡± Xiao Mei came beside the table and spoke quietly as if she was worried that she might be bothering Xi Xiaye¡¯s work.

    ¡°Just leave it there.¡± Xi Xiaye flipped a page and continued reading, not seeming very interested.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Xiao Mei put the flowers on the corner of the table. As she was about to leave, she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice again.

    ¡°Who sent this?¡±

    Xiao Mei was shocked. When she looked over, she noticed Xi Xiaye staring at the bouquet of flowers oddly.

    Xiao Mei turned around and bowed slightly as she replied, ¡°I heard from the delivery boy that it¡¯s from a Mr. Han. Oh, there¡¯s also a card among the flowers.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s prettyte now. Time for you to go back. Rest well during the weekend since we¡¯re going to be busy soon. Tell Ms. Ji to prepare the car. I¡¯m leaving soon as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi!¡± Xiao Mei then left quietly.

    Xi Xiaye picked up the flowers. As expected, she saw a card inside. She grabbed the card and opened it. Immediately, familiar handwriting came into sight.

    <i>¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiaye. Thank you for your generosity and forgiveness. I¡¯m leaving, and I¡¯ll always support you. I wish you happiness forever.¡± </i><i>¡ª Han Yifeng</i>

    Xi Xiaye was a little taken aback by his words. She looked lost when she saw the writing on the card and her heart wavered slightly. She took a deep breath before turning her chair around and peering out at the night lights down below. The bright lights filled up her eyes, drowning that faint sense of sorrow out.

    After looking out for some time, she looked at the card in her hands again and nced at the beautiful bouquet of yellow roses. She suddenly remembered something she heard from long ago that fitted this scenario.

    <i>You came from afar. I¡¯m going far away. The long journey passed here. The sky had nothing...</i>

    How many things would be lost forever once missed?

    However, without this rtionship, another one woulde just like Mu Yuchen and her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you... because I know you¡¯re trying. It¡¯s great that you finally understand. You saved yourself, and I was trying to save myself too. I wish you happiness forever as well, Han Yifeng.¡±

    She smiled before lowering her body and opening a drawer to take a lighter out. She lit the card on fire and tossed it into the dustbin as it almost burned into ashes.

    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t ept this flower, Director Xi.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s voice reached her as the cardpletely burned into ashes. Xi Xiaye turned over and gave her a smile. ¡°Why not?¡±

    Ji Zitong was a straightforward person, so she just responded directly, ¡°I heard about what happened between Director Xi and CEO Han, so...¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She turned her chair again and looked downwards at the lights. ¡°What else can I do? If I can¡¯t get over the struggle inside me, or even wanted revenge, what would make me different from Xi Xinyi? At least, he protected me for several years. I¡¯ll just take it as a draw then. I heard of a saying popr on the street: ¡®you¡¯ll eventually pay back for what you¡¯ve done¡¯.¡±

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment. A whileter, she replied, ¡°True. Some stubbornness is the root of all evil.¡±

    ¡°Well, I wanted to set a good example for the little fe inside me as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye touched her belly as her voice was gentle. ¡°Baby, Mother is being generous, but that¡¯s not enough on its own. You need to have your father¡¯s wisdom... Your mother doesn¡¯t have this. Ask your father to teach you when hees back.¡±

    Ji Zitong chuckled. ¡°Director Xi, I¡¯m not sure if the little princess can hear you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled back at her. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to go. Come over to Maple Residence for dinner. Sis Wang should have it prepared already.¡±

 Chapter 653 - Car Accident (1)

    <h4>Chapter 653: Car ident (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Hui¡¯s birthday passed some time ago. The infighting within Qi Kai was getting fiercer every day while the conflict between Qi Qiming and Wang Hui was getting worse.

    Qi Qiming wanted to remove Qi Lei from the South River Project, yet Xi Xiaye¡¯s act stopped that idea. Qi Lei still managed to keep being the person in charge as of now.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s sudden appearance on the banquet strained Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship with Wang Qin again.

    Inside the office of the Vice President of Qi Kai Corporation.

    Wang Qin folded her arms as she studied the data on herptop screen. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    The secretary came in through the door and bowed respectfully. She then spoke gently, ¡°Vice President Wang, Master Qi is right outside. Should I let him in?¡±

    ¡°Let him in.¡± Wang Qin waved her hand.

    The secretary left swiftly. A minuteter, she heard the sound of the door closing.

    Qi Lei rarely visited Wang Qin¡¯s office because he was not particrly fond of his mother. To him, she was cold, cruel, headstrong, and ignorant. These were Qi Lei¡¯s impressions of his mother.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qi Lei had his hands in his pocket as he sat down on the sofa and poured himself a ss of water. His tone sounded carefree.

    ¡°Where have you been in the past few days? It was so difficult to change the way they look at you, and you suddenly went missing for several days. Don¡¯t you know how to apply for leave? Xiao Lei, just what should I do with you?¡± Wang Qin was getting angry as she heard Qi Lei¡¯s nonchnce. Her eyes were ring at him as she frowned.

    ¡°Applying for leave is just to let you know, isn¡¯t it? Wouldn¡¯t it be enough if you just told them that I¡¯m on leave?¡± Qi Lei grinned, obviously not really caring.

    ¡°Have you been with that woman these few days?¡± Wang Qin¡¯s expression darkened. She wondered if Gu Lingsha had actually cursed him. Why else would he go so far for her?

    Qi Lei did not reply. His expression turned cold as his eyes darkened.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, Gu Lingsha sides with Qi Qiming. Have you forgotten how she treated you before? She doesn¡¯t care about you at all, so why are you wasting your effort on a shameless woman like her?¡± Wang Qin red at Qi Lei. ¡°You¡¯ve really disappointed me! Why can¡¯t you appreciate the current situation I¡¯ve created through so much hard work? Do you think Gu Lingsha will be touched just because you sacrifice yourself? Don¡¯t be silly! I don¡¯t want you to waste your time and get nothing in return! Xiao Lei, when will you listen to me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still as self-absorbed as ever. Everything you say is right while whatever I do is wrong! Why should I listen to you? A Master in Business and Administration? Why should I sacrifice myself to meet his expectations? Why do you alwayspare Qi Feng to me? I don¡¯t understand why you want me to be better than him! I told you I hated administration and I don¡¯t care about Qi Kai. I don¡¯t me you for not understanding since I can¡¯t really decide on anything anyway!¡±

    Qi Lei grinned apathetically as he stared straight at Wang Qin. His voice sounded impatient. Evidently, he was tired of her!

    ¡°You¡¯re starting to rx now, but have you considered me, Xiao Lei? I¡¯m your mother and you¡¯re my only son. What happened after I married Qi Qiming for over 30 years? How did he treat me all these years? You know it very well! I don¡¯t want to see you following my footsteps. I don¡¯t want you to lower yourself before Qi Qiming and Qi Feng! Qi Feng is just a shameful illegitimate child. That¡¯s a fact. If hees back and takes over Qi Kai, do you think we¡¯d be able to live peacefully?¡±

    Wang Qin took a deep breath as she tried her best to suppress her anger. ¡°You see, like before, Qi Qiming still didn¡¯t give me any room for a breather. Our condition stabilized slightly with Glory World¡¯s Director Xi¡¯s appearance, but he took Gu Lingsha on his side immediately. You¡¯re not a fool. I¡¯m sure you know what he¡¯s trying to do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. Shasha didn¡¯t do anything. I never mix my personal emotions with work. I know very well what to do.¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s words made Qi Lei ufortable. A cold light shed in his dark eyes as his expression turnedplicated.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you this five years ago. I don¡¯t like Gu Lingsha. Yes, she¡¯s pretty and very capable, but you have to know problems alwayse from people who are seemingly perfect! Moreover, she¡¯s inclined towards Qi Feng. Going near her won¡¯t do you any good at all! Xiao Lei, as a man you should view the problem more objectively. I always thought my son wasn¡¯t such a shallow person!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s smile turned sarcastic. ¡°Really? I hate to disappoint you, but I am that shallow! What¡¯s wrong with liking pretty girls? Shasha knows me well. At least, I feel happy being with her. You always think that I¡¯m not as good as Qi Feng, don¡¯t you? Wouldn¡¯t it prove that I¡¯m better if I can take her for myself?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei!¡±

    Wang Qin felt a sudden headacheing on. She touched her forehead as her face turned pale and heaved deep breaths. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me these just to trigger me! You know very well that Qi Feng must be alive as well if she¡¯s alive. He¡¯s probably hiding now. We still don¡¯t know what he¡¯s nning! I hope you can stay alert and not lose your senses for just one woman! Gu Lingsha¡¯s appearance at this key timing must mean something!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re biased against her as usual,¡± Qi Lei spoke in a mocking tone.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out if I¡¯m biased or I¡¯m telling the truth very soon! Who do you think I¡¯ve been working hard for?¡± Wang Qin shot Qi Lei a determined look. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you be like me. I want you to be able to take control of your own life and be free!¡±

 Chapter 654 - Car Accident (2)

    <h4>Chapter 654: Car ident (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Qin¡¯s words stumped Qi Lei.

    She slowly closed her eyes, inhaling a deep breath and rxing.

    ¡°You think for yourself. Even though my words aren¡¯t nice to hear, they won¡¯t hurt you. Based on what I know about Qi Qiming, he¡¯ll probably arrange for Gu Lingsha to work in Qi Kai. I called you over just to alert you. Don¡¯t let them blur your vision. Okay, get out!¡±

    When Wang Qin finished, she turned around in her chair. She did not want to see the mocking sneer on Qi Lei¡¯s face anymore. His expression would only make her extremely sad and even heartbroken.

    It seemed as if Wang Qin lived to worry!

    Qi Lei did not respond. He downed the water in his ss, set it aside, and then looked up with mixed emotions at Wang Qin who had turned away and was holding her head. After a while, he did not say anything and took huge strides to leave the office.

    When he walked out of the office, he actually felt very annoyed.

    The few days after the banquet, he had not gone to work. Actually, he had not been with Gu Lingsha. Instead, he had stayed in his vi being busy on the Fuhua project.

    He had gotten those insights from Mu Yuchen, and some of Shen Yue¡¯s fancy. If he did not spend some effort getting it, would Mu Yuchen not look down on him? Especially Xi Xiaye who said that he was nothingpared to Mu Yuchen, she had really underestimated him!

    Even though he admitted that he personally did admire Mu Yuchen, if he really was going to bepared to him, he would more or less be unhappy about it.

    As for Gu Lingsha, after the banquet, she ditched him. He had looked all around for her too, but she clearly did not want to see him. Just like how she was back then, only when things were getting bad with Qi Feng would he have the chance to console her.

    He did not know if his so-called feelings for Gu Lingsha were the profound kind. He just felt like at least, she understood him. All these years, the reason he could hold onto his dreams was mostly because of her continuous support. Perhaps this was considered emotional reliance.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei had just walked into his own office when his assistant, Yang Sheng, suddenly came up to him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qi lei sunk in his seat and responded in a lowered voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found the hotel that Miss Gu is staying at! She¡¯s at Glory World¡¯s Imperial Sky Hotel!¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s voice came.

    ¡°Imperial Sky Hotel?¡± When Qi Lei heard that, he frowned and his eyes dimmed too.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! She¡¯s at Glory World¡¯s Imperial Sky Hotel. She booked it in advance. Master Qi, you wanted her to stay in the Qi residence, but she was worried about causing trouble, so she decided to just book herself into Imperial Sky Hotel,¡± Yang Sheng exined softly.

    Qi Lei fell quiet for a while and then leaned back against his chair. He thought about it for a long while before saying softly, ¡°That means Mu Yuchen probably knew about Shasha¡¯s return for a while now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course, Master Qi. You forgot that at the banquet, Chairman Mu¡¯s personal bodyguard was there too,¡± Yang Sheng reminded.

    As the memory from the banquet shed in his mind, he recalled that day when he went to get the information from Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye...

    Qi Lei sighed as he propped his head on one hand and closed his eyes. He suddenly remembered Gu Lingsha¡¯s arm that was riddled with scars. He struggled for a while before taking a deep breath and opening his eyes. Then, he took his phone and made a call.

    When the phone rang, Mu Yuchen was sitting before a wide and clean dining table, elegantly enjoying his breakfast.

    Li Si took the phone over and softly mentioned, ¡°Master, it¡¯s a call from Master Qi of Qi Kai. Do you want to ept it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up slowly. His profound eyes shed with interest while he took the fruit juice from the side for two sips. Then, he took the napkin to wipe his mouth before reaching a hand out to Li Si who knowingly handed the phone to him.

    ¡°You were one step slower than I predicted.¡± His deep voice was unperturbed as he was calm and steady.

    When Qi Lei heard him from the other end, he could not help but curl up his lips as he sneered. ¡°You already knew that Shasha woulde to City Z and stay at your Imperial Sky Hotel?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? I know what you want to ask about. Gu Lingsha¡¯s not enough for me to spend so much thought on. She decided on booking the hotel herself. I also don¡¯t understand her actions, but I don¡¯t mind telling you that she made a booking to stay at the Imperial Sky Hotel for two months,¡± Mu Yuchen responded with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Two months? But her forum runs for just a week. She seemed to be busy with something recently, but she shouldn¡¯t even need two months,¡± Qi Lei squinted as he said softly.

    Mu Yuchen smiled calmly and took the ss Li Si brought him. Taking a swig, he then said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask her this yourself. If you¡¯re lucky, you could even spend time with her day and night.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Qi Lei asked coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to exin this to someone with your IQ, do I?¡±

    ¡°What do you want me to do? You gave me such a huge slice of cake for no reason without any goals. It doesn¡¯t seem quite like you, Mu Yuchen!¡± Qi Lei never liked owing other people, especially Mu Yuchen.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen set aside the ss in hand and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you know me very well, but since you¡¯re so sincere, I won¡¯t reject you.¡±

    ¡°Just say it!¡± Qi Lei scoffed in disdain.

    ¡°I want to know the truth from years ago.¡± Mu Yuchen was rather straightforward.

    ¡°Shasha said she has selective memory loss, so she didn¡¯t remember those things when she woke up. In that car ident, she was hurt quite badly too.¡±

    ¡°She told you that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I saw those scars on her hand myself. They don¡¯t look any less severe than Mu Lingshi¡¯s.¡±

    The smile on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face faded and his eyes dimmed. ¡°Don¡¯tpare her to Lingshi. If she can¡¯t remember, then forget it. Good luck,¡± he said before hanging up on the call gloomily.

    ¡°Master, Gu Lingsha is clearly lying. How could she forget, especially this of all things? Who would believe her?¡±

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to massage the space between his brows. He fell silent for a long while before Li Si spoke up, ¡°Master, say, is Gu Lingsha back for revenge this time? I don¡¯t quite understand Qi Qiming¡¯s move.¡± Li Si¡¯s face was dense with doubts.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. Instead, he slowly got up and walked coolly toward the staircase.

 Chapter 655 - Car Accident (3)

    <h4>Chapter 655: Car ident (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On Qi Kai¡¯s end, when Qi Lei heard the busy signal of the telephone, he frowned and tossed his phone onto the table.

    ¡°Yang Sheng, get me a bouquet of violets.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master Qi!¡±

    ...

    After a while, when Qi Lei left Qi Kai, Yang Sheng had already prepared the bouquet and was waiting by the car.

    As Qi Lei took over the bouquet, hemanded and got into the car, ¡°Go to the Imperial Sky Hotel.¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s expression froze. He hesitated momentarily before snapping back to his senses. He did not dare to say much as he quickly got into the car too.

    The car sped all the way. When it rushed to the Imperial Sky Hotel, the sky had already darkened.

    It was entering the winter season, so the day was short. It was only slightly over 6 p.m., but the sky had already turned dark, and the entire City Z was covered in glorious lights.

    In front of a certain VIP Suite in the Imperial Sky Hotel, Qi Lei had knocked for quite long, yet no one came to get the door.

    ¡°Shasha, open up. I know you¡¯re inside!¡± Qi Lei frowned and shouted, ¡°Shasha!¡±

    He waited for a long time, yet the door was still locked. Qi Lei¡¯s expression turned incredibly stormy.

    At this moment, inside the suite, Gu Lingsha was lying on the sofa with both her eyes shut. She looked pale, and in the midst of her daze, she could hear the door being hammered on outside. She thought she was hallucinating. After a while, she struggled to get up and walked to the door.

    Just as Qi Lei turned around gloomily, he suddenly heard the door creaking open behind him. He subconsciously turned around immediately and saw Gu Lingsha falling toward him. Shocked, he quickly took a step forward to hold her in his arms.

    ¡°Shasha? Are you okay?¡±

    When he held her in his arms, he realized that her temperature was terrifyingly high!

    ¡°You¡¯re burning! Shasha, have you gotten a fever?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows immediately frowned into a knot. He looked worriedly at her and realized that she was extremely pale. While she looked very weak, at this moment, she trembled and curled up in Qi Lei¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Shasha, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll go to the hospital right away! Let¡¯s go to the hospital!¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he carried Gu Lingsha anxiously. The bouquet in his hand had long been tossed to the side.

    ¡°Don¡¯t... I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital. Let me go. I¡¯m fine!¡± Gu Lingsha struggled and insisted weakly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be fine with one injection. Don¡¯t be afraid, Shasha!¡±

    Qi Lei wanted to hug Gu Lingsha tightly, yet she struggled hard. Her dazed eyes flew open and she fixed them on Qi Lei. ¡°I already said I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital. Don¡¯t bother about me. I want to be alone. Can I do that?¡± she cried out in a hoarse voice, and then took a deep breath. Refusing to look at Qi Lei anymore, she dragged her fatigued self towards the elevator.

    Qi Lei stood stunned for a long time as he watched the figure that had already vanished into the elevator. Eventually, he finally regained his senses. Without a care, he quickly chased after her.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s expression darkened. After he thought about it, he only sighed to himself, locked the door, and quickly followed closely after him.

    Gu Lingsha moved very swiftly. She took the elevator straight to the car park on the lower ground floor, so when Qi Lei arrived, she was gone.

    ...

    It was early in the evening outside, and the dazzling lights were confusing to her eyes as Gu Lingsha drove her Maserati quickly out the car park and raced towards the busy city center.

    At the same time, on the other end of the wide road toward Imperial Sky Entertainment City, Ruan Heng was driving in a practiced manner.

    When Su Nan said she wanted to find vintage vibes to trigger her design inspiration, Mu Lingshi offered her old CDs, and they were coincidentally songs that Su Nan liked, so the girls nned when she could get them.

    Su Nan was obviously happy to hear that, so she told Ruan Heng to go over to get it after work.

    Ruan Heng had just finished work when he received his wife, Su Nan¡¯s instructions, so he drove over.

    When he thought about Su Nan and their cute daughter at home, Ruan Heng¡¯s heart was filled with warmth, and a smile brimmed on his face.

    Coincidentally, he was promoted today. The boss had promoted him to be Vice President. When he went back to tell Su Nan this news, she would definitely be very delighted. She had previously beenining that he had not been making progress for a long while now!

    However, it seemed as if fate always like to take a turning point at such a time!

    When he was at the roundabout, Ruan Heng only saw a glimpse of a dazzling white light sh before him. The red light in front of him lit up, and he reflexively stepped on the brake, but...

    ...

    When the Audi crashed into the Maserati, Su Nan was at home preparing dinner, and their daughter little Chenxi had already fallen asleep. She knew that Ruan Heng would be home slightlyter today, so she prepared dinner, which was a rare asion.

    Since she was pregnant with their daughter, Ruan Heng had been carefully taking care of her. Even though she had slowly been recovering, he still did not let her into the kitchen because he was worried that if she did not rest well, she would fall ill or something.

    ¡°Nannan, your phone is ringing!¡±

    When Su Nan dished the vegetables onto a te from the pot, Mother Ruan handed her phone to her.

    Su Nan instantly took it and answered the call.

    ¡°Hello, Su Nan? It¡¯s Lingshi. Come to the hospital quickly. Ruan Heng got into an ident. Hospital T! Hurry!¡±

    The call had just gotten through when Mu Lingshi¡¯s breathless voice came from the other end, sounding very anxious. Su Nan could hear the panicked patter of footsteps from the other end!

    Stunned, she asked in a daze, ¡°What did you say? Ruan Heng got into an ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes, time¡¯s of the essence. I can¡¯t exin too much right now. Come over quickly first!¡± Mu Lingshi said and then hung up.

    Bam!

    Su Nan turned limp as the te in her hand fell to the ground. The vegetables that she had just fried and the ceramic pieces shattered all over the ground.

    ¡°Ruan Heng! Ruan Heng!¡±

    Her eyes widened, and she trembled distractedly. After a while, she reacted in panic and rushed out of the kitchen at a loss. Her mind was nk, and she did not have time to think about much.

    ¡°Nannan, what¡¯s wrong?¡± When Mother Ruan saw Su Nan¡¯s pale expression, she became worried and was frightened too.

    ¡°Mother, watch Chenxi first. I have to go out for a bit! I¡¯ll be back very quickly!¡±

    She tried hard to suppress the fear inside as she could only say this before she rushed out frantically and towards Hospital T.

 Chapter 656 - Scheming (1)

    <h4>Chapter 656: Scheming (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan did not even know how she made it to Hospital T. When she saw Mu Lingshi covered in blood while waiting outside the operating theatre, she felt so suffocated that she almost fainted.

    ¡°Su Nan!¡±

    When she saw Su Nan go limp, Mu Lingshi quickly helped to hold her up and held her to sit on a chair on the side. Upon seeing her being covered in the coppery stench of blood, Su Nan felt her stomach turn.

    Su Nan¡¯s eyes started to turn red as she held back the tears that welled up in her eyes. She gripped Mu Lingshi¡¯s arms tightly and asked anxiously, ¡°How... How¡¯s Ruan Heng? How is he now?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression was solemn. She turned to look at the doors to the operating theatre that were tightly shut. After a while, she turned to console her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry first. He¡¯ll be fine. We have to trust the doctors. He¡¯ll be fine, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Actually, Mu Lingshi was quite afraid and could not hide the slight tremble in her voice. Earlier, Ruan Heng was covered in blood when he was sent there, and even her hands were stained crimson. She almost fainted from that strong stench as the nightmare from five years ago roared into her mind. A simr scene was clearly creeping into her mind again.

    The car ident had happened not too far away from the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Before that, Ruan Heng had called her to send the CD to the door, but unexpectedly...

    When Xi Xiaye received this news, she was in a discussion on closing a deal with a partnerpany with Ah Mo.

    Inside the luxurious private room, the food and drinks were ordered. When Xi Xiaye was about to make a toast to the other party with water in ce of alcohol, Ah Mo walked over with a solemn expression and whispered into her ear, and she immediately turned pale.

    Without a care, she picked her handbag up and left the room.

    The Phaeton rushed all the way and when she reached Hospital T, it was already an hourter.

    The light of the operating theatre was still switched on. From afar, she could see Su Nan with her hands in her face as she bent over and her frail shoulders trembled slightly. Mu Lingshi had already taken her coat off and put it over her shoulders.

    Su Nan came out in a rush, wearing only a wool sweater and seeming rather weak. Xi Xiaye felt her heart ache at this sight as she quickly walked over.

    ¡°Nannan!¡±

    When she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voicee from in front of her, Su Nan looked up. The tears that had been pooling in her reddened eyes for a long time immediately fell in worry and fear at the sight of Xi Xiaye. Soon, the floor was wet with tears.

    Heartbroken, Xi Xiaye quickly went up and hugged Su Nan around her shoulders.

    ¡°Xiaye... I¡¯m so afraid. I¡¯m really afraid... Even Lingshi was covered in blood. Ruan Heng... Will he be okay? Will he? Our daughter is still so young. If something happens to him, what do I do? What do I do...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯ll be fine, Nannan...Heaven helps the good people like Ruan Heng, he will be fine...no matter what, I will be right by your side...¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and pushed back the hot tears that welled up in her eyes as she hugged Su Nan¡¯s cold body tightly. She only knew right now that no matter how strong she usually was, at such a time, she would be weak too.

    When she heard Xi Xiaye, Su Nan cried out instead, ¡°Xiaye... Xiaye...¡±

    Su Nan clutched Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms tightly as she shifted closer. It felt like she was holding onto thest straw as if her world was ending.

    Xi Xiaye consoled her quietly as she gazed at the tightly shut doors of the operating theatre, and then down at Su Nan who was wan and sallow from worry. Feeling like she did know what she could do right now, she felt her heart throb even more. She could only hug her tightly, wanting to give her cold body a hint of warmth.

    Ah Mo slowly came to Mu Lingshi¡¯s side and considerately took his windbreaker off to put it over her. Upon seeing the worry and sorrow that gathered between her brows, he softly sympathized, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Mu Lingshi then softly said through her sobs, ¡°I¡¯m really afraid that he¡¯ll turn out like Lingtian... This misfortune won¡¯t happen to us again, will it?¡±

    In a raspy voice, when she recalled the horrible ident that happened to Mu Lingtian years ago, trauma still lingered!

    ¡°No, it won¡¯t. Don¡¯t panic.¡± Ah Mo obviously did not know how to console her either. He could only sit down and hold her by the shoulders before pulling her into his embrace.

    After Xi Xiaye eased for a while, she suppressed the pain and worry before turning to Mu Lingshi. ¡°Ah Shi, what happened? How did this ident happen?¡±

    With a pale face, Mu Lingshi said with self-me and bitterness, ¡°This is all my fault. I had some ssics CDs with me that I wanted to pass to Su Nan, but because I¡¯ve been busy, I couldn¡¯t, so I let Su Nane get it... Who would¡¯ve thought this would happen?¡±

    ¡°This is not your fault, Lingshi. I told Ruan Heng to go get it. It was all my fault... I don¡¯t know why recently why...¡±

    ¡°Okay, Ah Shi, Su Nan, now¡¯s not the time to beat yourselves up. We have to rify some things.¡± Xi Xiaye could still maintain a clear head. Apart from waiting anxiously, there were obviously other matters to sort out.

    ¡°Ruan Heng¡¯s car crashed into a Maserati. Do you guys know who the owner of the Maserati is?¡± Mu Lingshi slowly pushed the storm of emotions in her heart down and spoke in a raspy voice. She slowly looked up to Xi Xiaye and Ah Mo, ridicule crossing her face.

    When Xi Xiaye and Ah Mo heard that question, they exchanged a look before looking back in doubt at Mu Lingshi, waiting for her to continue.

    ¡°It¡¯s Gu Lingsha. She was sent here with Ruan Heng. When I rushed over, Ruan Heng was already covered in blood. I¡¯m not quite sure what¡¯s the situation on her end. Based on the scene, it looked a little...¡±

    When Mu Lingshi said this, she did not continue and subconsciously looked at the tearful Su Nan.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s chest suddenly tightened as her expression turned solemn.

    Gu Lingsha!

    It was that woman!

    The other day, she had even met her once and knew she was a powerful character. She wondered how she was.

    She sighed and then nced at Ah Mo. ¡°Ah Mo, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to trouble you for this.¡±

    Ah Mo got up and nodded, saying heavily, ¡°Missus, don¡¯t worry. When I arrived, I already delegated for someone to find out about what happened at the scene. We¡¯ll see what the police say.¡±

 Chapter 657 - Scheming (2)

    <h4>Chapter 657: Scheming (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The cold wind crept in through the small window gap, making the blue curtains sway.

    The surrounding temperature was getting lower. With the sound of the wind blowing from outside, the corridor seemed even quieter and suffocating.

    Su Nan was getting tired after all that crying. She left some wet spots on Xi Xiaye¡¯s shirt with her tears, and her voice turned hoarse as well.

    Mu Lingshi grabbed Ah Mo¡¯s arm as her eyes were transfixed on the doors of the operating theatre. In return, he held her hand tightly.

    It was as if several centuries had passed. Su Nan was on the verge of breaking down when the light on top of the operating theatre was switched off. People came streaming out of the room and the group quickly rushed forward.

    Su Nan leaped forward and looked at the bed frantically as she asked in her hoarse voice, ¡°How is it? How¡¯s my husband? How is he?¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Ah Mo were watching the doctor nervously as well.

    The doctor stopped before them and slowly removed his mask. He looked at them with a grim expression. After a while, he said, ¡°The situation is bad. The patient suffered multiple fractures. Whether he can survive this or not depends entirely on him. Even if he can get through this, he might not have any senses anymore, which means he¡¯ll stay in a vegetative state. I rmend you to be mentally prepared.¡±

    That was a heavy message for them to take in.

    Su Nan¡¯s face turned pale. In the next moment, she fainted.

    ¡°Nannan!¡±

    ¡°Su Nan!¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Lingshi freaked out. Fortunately, Ah Mo was quick enough to grab Su Nan¡¯s arms before she fell down.

    Since Su Nan had lost consciousness, the doctor took a look at her as well.

    ¡°She passed out due to overwhelming sorrow,¡± announced the doctor as he looked at Xi Xiaye and the others. ¡°You all need to be mentally prepared. Going through something like this, she might...¡±

    Xi Xiaye left Su Nan to Ah Mo. Her face was extremely pale while she tried her best to suppress the pain in her heart. She then took a deep breath and asked the doctor, ¡°Is there no other way? As long as it can help, we¡¯ll do anything! He just became a father recently... He has a cute daughter, and he still has parents to take care of... Doctor, please do something to wake him up, please!¡±

    The doctor nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best. Now, it depends on his own will. Waking up after sustaining such a heavy injury is difficult, especially when there¡¯s heavy damage to his head. However, it¡¯s not impossible. There are many cases like this where the patients regained consciousness, so you guys need to be mentally prepared and be positive. This can affect the patient as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded.

    ¡°Send the patient back to the intensive care unit room now. The uing 32 hours will be critical.¡± The doctor then signaled the nurse to send Ruan Heng away.

    Because Su Nan was unconscious, Xi Xiaye asked Ah Mo to bring her to rest in the ward while Ruan Heng was sent into the intensive care unit room.

    Outside the corridor, Xi Xiaye was looking at Ruan Heng¡¯s lifeless body through the window. Her heart was strained as she turned to look at Su Nan who had fallenatose on the big sofa beside her.

    After some time, she sighed and turned towards Ah Mo and Lingshi. ¡°Ah Mo, I¡¯ll leave the investigations up to you. Lingshi, you haven¡¯t taken any breaks for several days. Get some rest at home. I¡¯ll stay here with Nannan. Tell Zitong toe to the hospital tomorrow. I¡¯ll give Ruan Heng¡¯s mother a callter.¡±

    ¡°No, I should stay here. You should go back and rest. It¡¯s 4 a.m. in the morning. Think about this child in your womb. You look exhausted. Brother definitely won¡¯t let us get away with it if he found out we haven¡¯t been taking good care of you! I¡¯m young and energetic, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Mu Lingshi rejected Xi Xiaye¡¯s idea instantly.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head stubbornly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ll wait until the morning and see how Ruan Heng is doing. No matter what, I should be here for Su Nan. Ah Mo, dy the meeting for tomorrow. Contact the doctors from Hospital T and see if they cane up with the best recovery n for Ruan Heng.¡±

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Yes, leave it to me, Missus.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything more. She closed her eyes and sat down beside Su Nan.

    Ah Mo traded nces with Mu Lingshi. They nodded at each other before he instructed two bodyguards toe up. Then, he then with Mu Lingshi.

    Half an hourter, Mu Lingshi came back with two thick, clean nkets while the bodyguard behind her had some food boxes with him.

    ¡°Sis-inw, put these on. It¡¯s still pretty cold in here even with the air-conditioning turned off. You must be hungry now. Eat something. The little baby inside you mightin soon.¡±

    Mu Lingshi took Su Nan¡¯s bloody coat off and put a nket over her. She then prepared a bowl of porridge for Xi Xiaye, Xi Xiaye took it, but she was still staring at Ruan Heng on the bed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m sure Ruan Heng will be blessed and he¡¯ll be fine. Stay strong for Su Nan¡¯s sake. Didn¡¯t the doctor say that there¡¯s hope? If he can hold on for the uing 32 hours, he has a solid chance at regaining consciousness.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was not very good atforting, but her expression clouded over when she looked at Ruan Heng.

    ¡°Mmm, I believe it too. I¡¯ll call Su Nan¡¯s mother in the morning. Su Nan must be exhausted.¡± Xi Xiaye was worried.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes turned broody as she turned her head towards Su Nan.

 Chapter 658 - Scheming (3)

    <h4>Chapter 658: Scheming (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dawn arrived slowly amidst the fog of the morning, and the breeze made a lot of leaves fall throughout the night.

    In a ward in Hospital T.

    When Gu Lingsha regained consciousness, she opened her eyes slowly and saw the white ceiling. She struggled to turn her head sideways and took a look around. As she was trying to get up, a staggering pain hit her in the head.

    ¡°Ms. Gu! You¡¯re awake! How are you feeling?¡±

    As Gu Lingsha was struggling to get up, a voice called out to her. Gu Lingsha endured the terrible headache and turned her head to see Yang Sheng¡¯s smile. She instantly frowned and was trying to sit up with the help of her arms.

    Yang Sheng went up to give her a hand.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet, and there were some bruises on her forehead. She looked terribly weak right now with bandages all over her.

    ¡°What happened? Why am I here?¡± Gu Lingsha took a deep breath as she felt the harsh agony in her head.

    Yang Sheng put a pillow behind her before saying, ¡°Ms. Gu, you finally woke up! You had an ident. Don¡¯t you remember? Master Qi and I didn¡¯t see you anywhere when we tried to catch up with you. On the road, we heard there was an ident between an Audi and a Maserati. Master Qi panicked and ran over on foot to see that it really was you! He then quickly sent you to the hospital!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes darkened when she heard Yang Sheng¡¯s exnation, but they returned to normal after a while. Her memories from yesterday started flooding back to her.

    She could faintly remember driving pretty fast. When she turned her steering wheel, another car zoomed past the red light. It was pretty dark, but she recalled seeing the cars from behind start to close in when she slowed down. She then crashed into the Audiing from in front, but she could not remember anything afterward.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Lei?¡± Gu Lingsha asked momentster. Her blue eyes were sparkling when she looked at Yang Sheng who was slightly caught off guard.

    ¡°Master Qi went to ask the doctor about your condition. A policeman dropped by just now and Master Qi is dealing with them. He¡¯s stayed with you sincest night. Fortunately, your injuries aren¡¯t too bad. You only suffered a slight concussion. The Audi driver turned away at the veryst second and crashed into the railings, and your car just barely scratched the Audi. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been a disaster! You¡¯re really lucky despite the misfortune!¡±

    Yang Shen had taken a look at the scene personally. Plus, the policeman also mentioned it just now.

    If the Audi had not swerved away, the two of them would have suffered severe injuries!

    Gu Lingsha nodded. ¡°Mmm, I wasn¡¯t in the best conditionst night. I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± Her beautiful face darkened as she sighed. ¡°How¡¯s the other driver doing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Gu. Master Qi will make the arrangements. It¡¯s not entirely your fault. That driver needs to bear part of the responsibility as well, so just stay put and rest well. Let Master Qi handle it. The doctor said your condition is still unstable. Although your fever has just gone down, you still need to take some medicine and rest. The doctor also mentioned your concussion will give you a headache sometimes. Let us know if you feel ufortable anywhere. I¡¯ll go get the medicine for you.¡±

    He then handed Gu Lingsha the medicine.

    With a deep breath, she asked, ¡°Assistant Yang, can you help me check who¡¯s the person that crashed into me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Gu. Master Qi is on it.¡± Yang Sheng smiled.

    Gu Lingsha did not say anything else. She grabbed the tablets from Yang Sheng and popped them into her mouth.

    Su Nan was still sleeping when Qi Lei went over. Mu Lingshi and the bodyguard went to handle the hospitalization administration for Ruan Heng while Xi Xiaye was still on the sofa, taking a light nap when another bodyguard came over.

    ¡°Missus?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gradually woke up after she was called several times.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s outside and he says he¡¯s the other driver¡¯s family member. He might be here to look for trouble. He doesn¡¯t sound very friendly,¡± said the bodyguard.

    Xi Xiaye blinked before checking on Ruan Heng quickly. She adjusted the nket on Su Nan and then stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look. Stay here and look after them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡±

    ...

    In the empty hallway, Qi Lei wore his silver-gray suit with another extra windbreaker on top. He stood before the announcement board and looked at the posters on it. When he heard the sound of the door closing behind him, he turned around.

    He was stunned the moment he saw Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xiaye? Why are you here?¡± Qi Lei looked surprised as he gaped at her.

    Xi Xiaye looked up. She was not really surprised to see Qi Lei as she walked towards him calmly.

    ¡°You look exhausted.¡±

    Qi Lei saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression and instantly frowned. Then, he looked at the door of the patient¡¯s ward. ¡°Who¡¯s the person inside that could make you so worried? You haven¡¯t rested well for the whole night, haven¡¯t you? You look frail.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not look at him and just sat down on a long bench nearby.

    ¡°Are you here to look for someone to me on Gu Lingsha¡¯s behalf?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice sounded hoarse and tired.

    ¡°What do you mean? I just wanted to see who it is, and then I¡¯ll decide if there¡¯s a need to look into it!¡±

 Chapter 659 - Scheming (4)

    <h4>Chapter 659: Scheming (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was in the middle of winter right now, so the early morning was extremely cold.

    The corridor was much colder than inside the room. Xi Xiaye shivered a little and clenched her fists, trying to endure the cold. She was not really paying attention to what Qi Lei was saying.

    Qi Lei saw her reactions, and before she noticed it, he already took his windbreaker off and put it over her shoulders to her surprise. She wanted to reject at first, but he stopped her cold hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m just lending it to you. Remember to give it back to me after you clean it up. It had better be aromatized as well. I don¡¯t need cologne or anything of that sort. A fresh vani smell would be fine. Do you hear that?¡±

    Qi Lei quickly adjusted the windbreaker on her and then moved away.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the windbreaker over her shoulder. Her eyes darkened as her gaze turnedplicated.

    Qi Lei saw she was being hesitant, so he quickly changed the topic. ¡°Tell me. What¡¯s happening on your end?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked downward. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for someone to me, just me it on me. Ruan Heng is still in a critical period right now. The doctor said he might stay like this forever. I¡¯ve asked Ah Mo to find out what exactly happened. The security camera footage showed that Ruan Heng drove past the red light, and Gu Lingsha was speeding. Gu Lingsha came out fine with a light concussion.¡±

    She suddenly raised her head and looked at Qi Lei. ¡°However, Ruan Heng had multiple fractures all over his body and is in a critical condition right now. It¡¯s not even been a year since he got married to Su Nan. A month ago, Su Nan gave birth to a cute daughter for him. Gu Lingsha merely suffered from a high fever in the ident. I should be the one looking for her instead of youing here, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone of voice was cold and stern, unable to hide the anger on her face. ¡°Even though she might not care about herself, can¡¯t she be considerate about others and not be a killer on the road?¡±

    ¡°Shasha was frustrated. Please don¡¯t me her. Calm down. I don¡¯t have any intentions of looking for trouble here. I just wanted to see what the situation was,¡± Qi Lei¡¯s expression was strained as he said quietly.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like what you see. If you want to know the details, you can go and ask the doctors. I¡¯ve told Ah Mo to handle the ident. If you want a solution to this, then look for him. I really don¡¯t like Gu Lingsha. Since you¡¯re going to defend her, I don¡¯t mind adding you into my cklist as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned with disgust. She had already decided to go against this woman when she found out there was a past rtionship between her man and her. No matter what kind of person she was, she felt her treasure had been breached. What happened at the banquet the other night popped up in her mind as well. All in all, she felt ufortable about Gu Lingsha!

    And now, Gu Lingsha was involved in the ident with Ruan Heng who might not make it through!

    Xi Xiaye stood up coldly and walked back towards the room. She did not want to say anything else and just hoped for Ruan Heng to wake up as soon as possible. Otherwise, Su Nan was sure to break down.

    Su Nan might look pretty strong, but situations such as these would always reveal the fragile heart under her disguise. Ruan Heng was like the sky to her. How could she still continue to live if the sky copsed on her?

    Su Nan was already up when Xi Xiaye returned to the room. She was sitting by Ruan Heng¡¯s bed. Tears started flowing down her face again as she grabbed Ruan Heng¡¯s hand. ¡°Ruan Heng, you have to wake up. The baby and I need you. I can¡¯t do this alone... Please wake up...¡±

    Tears continued to fall before she could finish her sentence. She ced Ruan Heng¡¯s hand on her face as she was on the verge of falling apart.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were getting warm while she stood there in silence for some time. She then decided to leave the room to the two of them.

    ...

    The doctor said that although 32 hours had passed, Ruan Heng was still in aa. When the doctor mentioned it might stay this way forever, Su Nan nearly copsed.

    Su Nan¡¯s parents, as well as Ruan Heng¡¯s parents, rushed to the hospital when they found out. The whole family wept when they received the grim news.

    Xi Xiaye could not do anything exceptfort them. She was trying to find some specialists to help Ruan Heng.

    She lost weight rapidly in just a few days, so Zhuang Shurong was shocked when she visited her during the weekend!

    ¡°Do you not have any appetite? How can you lose so much weight? Is it because of stress at work?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong did not know what had happened since she had been working abroad for the past week and only returned to City Z this morning. She remembered her son¡¯s request, so she visited Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Or is it because of your friend¡¯s ident? Sis Wang told me your friend was involved in an ident. Is he still unconscious in the hospital?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked.

    Xi Xiaye nodded her head. ¡°The two of them are my best friends who got married in January this year. Their child is only a month old. The doctor said Ruan Heng might never wake up again. I¡¯m worried.¡±

    ¡°Worrying doesn¡¯t help. Well, you¡¯re going to the hospital for a check-up today, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯ll also meet some old friends there and see if I can get any advice,¡± Zhuang Shurong said.

    Xi Xiaye shot Zhuang Shurong a grateful nce. ¡°Thank you, Mother. By the way, can you make more of this chicken soup? I want to bring some for Su Nan as well. It¡¯s been a few days since she lost all her appetite.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled gently. ¡°Of course, but you have to drink another bowl of it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she put on a weak smile, and the darkness in her eyes faded slightly.

 Chapter 660 - Scheming (5)

    <h4>Chapter 660: Scheming (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After that, following Zhuang Shurong¡¯s urging, Xi Xiaye finished three bowls of soup, and then drank some nourishing fluids. Only when she felt incredibly full did Zhuang Shurong let her off.

    Ji Zitong came over after breakfast.

    When Ji Zitong saw Zhuang Shurong, she was a little nervous, but after a while, she eased.

    Unlike Xi Xiaye and some of them, Zhuang Shurong was usually very stern and serious. She had an imposing manner that normal people could not quite handle. Previously, it took Xi Xiaye some time to get used to it too, but eventually, the faint harmony they had now took hold.

    Xi Xiaye asked Sis Wang to pack the soup and porridge to bring to the car while she and Zhuang Shurong got in.

    As Ji Zitong drove, Xi Xiaye and Zhuang Shurong sat behind.

    Zhuang Shurong was actually quite simr to Shen Wenna. She usually quite liked to dress fashionably too. Sometimes, even Xi Xiaye felt like she was older than them while they were beauties who were at the top of their fashion game.

    Right now, Zhuang Shurong was browsing a fashion magazine as she chatted with Xi Xiaye interestedly, ¡°This style suits you. You¡¯re fair, so this style should show off your charisma. Ooh, and this gown... Normal people won¡¯t be able to make it look charming, but I think you can pull it off.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was pointing at a gown in the magazine at this moment as she turned to say to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye then turned to look at her. Why did she feel like this gown looked quite familiar? It was as though she had seen it somewhere.

    ¡°A Qinghua gown with a red-crowned crane... Hmm, it looks really familiar.¡± Xi Xiaye stared at the picture for quite a while, then her eyes shed and she could not help but mutter softly, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this the gown Gu Lingsha wore?¡±

    Even though Xi Xiaye spoke very softly, Zhuang Shurong¡¯s keen ears picked her words up clearly. She immediately looked up at Xi Xiaye with a questioning gaze. ¡°What did you just say? What do you mean Gu Lingsha¡¯s gown?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt uneasy with Zhuang Shurong¡¯s gaze. She stopped to think and remembered Gu Lingsha¡¯s rtions with the Mu family from before. Gu Lingsha probably was not someone the Mu family liked after that incident.

    She could even feel now from the way Zhuang Shurong said Gu Lingsha¡¯s name, unhappiness flowed from her eyes.

    She pondered for a moment before saying calmly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that at VP Wang¡¯s birthday banquet the other day, I feel like I saw this gown and I think it looks pretty good.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong quickly caught onto the key question. She immediately asked Xi Xiaye, ¡°And that gown was on Gu Lingsha who is coincidentally back in City Z?¡± Her gaze was hostile, and her face that contained a smile earlier abruptly turned cold.

    Now that Xi Xiaye thought about it, Gu Lingsha had messed with the Mu family, and no one would be happy about that.

    ¡°Mmm, I did see her at VP Wang¡¯s birthday banquet. In fact...¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye suddenly sighed and turned to look out of the car window. ¡°In fact, the person who crashed into Ruan Heng this time was her. She didn¡¯t quite get hurt. I heard it was just a slight concussion while Ruan Heng...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue, yet Zhuang Shurong started to look upset. The gloom on her face shifted, but she could not quite read her.

    It was not sure how long had passed when a mocking sneer shed on Zhuang Shurong lips. She said disdainfully, ¡°If she didn¡¯t die, she would eventually have toe back.¡±

    After she said this random sentence, Zhuang Shurong did not continue. She just closed the magazine with waning interest and leaned back to rest with her eyes closed.

    Even if Xi Xiaye wanted to continue asking, upon seeing Zhuang Shurong like this, she could only set her questions aside for now, but she could already clearly feel that the elderlydy did not seem to like Gu Lingsha very much.

    It was 9 a.m. when they reached the hospital. Xi Xiaye told Ji Zitong to deliver the breakfast straight to Ruan Heng¡¯s ward while she and Zhuang Shurong went for the check-up. Because they had made an appointment beforehand, they did not need to queue, and the check-up was done shortly after that.

    The mother and daughter-inw walked to the backyard of the hospital and sat down on the bench underneath the tree to wait for the check-up results.

    ¡°Right, your legs should be less cramped these days, aren¡¯t they? I¡¯ve asked Sis Wang to brew some bone broths for you. I wonder if it worked,¡± Zhuang Shurong asked in concern.

    ¡°Much less now. Don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t the doctor say earlier that the baby¡¯s quite healthy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. When your mother gets back, she¡¯ll have a grandchild to carry. A few days ago, she was just telling me about how sad she was that she couldn¡¯t see you go through this journey.¡±

    ¡°Are you often in contact with my mother too?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Zhuang Shurong, slightly surprised.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Of course, I get along with your mother. Previously, when her eyes were okay, we chatted quite happily on WeChat. Now, we can only do calls, but I believe she¡¯ll be recovering very soon.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was quite optimistic. Earlier, she and Shen Wenna had been ssmates. Now, they could progress to being good friends and were even inws!

    The mother and daughter-inw chatted back and forth. Their rtionship was quite harmonious and joyous, yet when someone else saw this scene, it was a different feeling altogether.

    Gu Lingsha stood at the staircase by the walkway as she watched the two of them chat happily on the bench. Her pale face looked gloomy as an odd andplicated light gathered in her blue eyes, invoking curiosity within Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng had heard much about Zhuang Shurong¡¯s stern demeanor and stiffness, so he could not help but gush, ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s Director Xi of Glory World and Chief Zhuang! How rare to see Chief Zhuang in public! It¡¯s usually so hard to even meet her!¡±

    When Gu Lingsha heard this, a cold light shed in her eyes fleetingly. Then, she suddenlyughed dryly.

 Chapter 661 - Scheming (6)

    <h4>Chapter 661: Scheming (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing the sound of Gu Lingsha¡¯s grimughter, Yang Sheng was stunned. He subconsciously turned to look at her, yet at this moment, she had already lowered her gaze and turned to look to the side.

    ¡°Is she still like that? Looks like that isn¡¯t so,¡± said Gu Lingsha calmly. The contents of her words confused Yang Sheng, and he did not understand what he meant.

    He thought about it before asking, ¡°Miss Gu, were you very close to Chief Zhuang before this?¡±

    She wrapped herself with the coat tighter as she replied indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Yang Sheng recalled Gu Lingsha¡¯s rtionship with the Mu family previously, and his expression turned stiff. He was well aware of the situation, so he did not ask further after that. Instead, she looked up to look at the bench where Zhuang Shurong and Xi Xiaye sat under the sun and sighed. ¡°I did meet Chief Zhuang quite a few times before this. It¡¯s quite hard to imagine that she would have such easy-going moments. She¡¯s the famous stern iron wrist in the world of politics. Many people are...¡±

    She did not continue while a smile just curled up on her lips. Yang Sheng softly reminded, ¡°It¡¯s best not to simply discuss matters like that. Be careful. The walls might have ears.¡±

    Gu Lingsha knew the kind of person Zhuang Shurong was. While she had never gotten any goodwill out of Zhuang Shurong, much less have chatted the casual way she was chatting with Xi Xiaye right now.

    In the past, even though she had very carefully tried to please Zhuang Shurong, all she would have gotten would be an indifferent nod.

    So, back then, her mother had told her that even if she married into the Mu family, she might not have pleasant days toe, but...

    ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re right. The sun¡¯s pretty lovely. How about we go out to sunbathe too? Master Qi¡¯s schedule for today is packed, but he¡¯s worried about you, Ms. Gu, so he sent me toe and see if you need help with anything.¡±

    Gu Lingsha gazed up at the warm sun on the horizon, then sat down on the bench on the side.

    She watched the figures of the two people on the bench again as she suddenly asked Yang Sheng softly, ¡°Are you saying that the person I got into an ident with is this Xi Xiaye¡¯s best friend¡¯s husband?¡±

    Yang Sheng responded with a nod, ¡°Yeah, Director Xi has been good friends with Miss Su and Mr. Ruan since they were young. Miss Su and Mr. Ruan have just been married for less than a year. Their daughter is only two months old. ording to the doctor, his condition is quite concerning. Master Qi has also been helping him contact some doctors, hoping for him to regain consciousness soon.¡±

    ¡°Is Lei a good friend of Miss Xi? If that¡¯s the case, I really put him in a tight spot, huh?¡± Gu Lingsha looked at Yang Sheng, her blue eyes flickering with a guilty light as she smiled wryly.

    ¡°Miss Gu, don¡¯t me yourself. Master Qi¡¯s just doing his best as a friend. Director Xi and Chairman Mu are partners with Master Qi, aren¡¯t they? Master Qi feels bad that such an incident has happened as well.¡± Yang Sheng sighed, disheartened.

    ¡°Doing his best as a friend...¡± Gu Lingsha muttered softly, yet a skeptical smile shed across her eyes. ¡°Can they actually let go of all the past grudges and be friends? That requires a lot of courage! I really don¡¯t understand him anymore... Please help me check which ward Mr. Ruan is staying at.¡±

    Yang Sheng hesitated before nodding and then leaving very quickly.

    Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye and Zhuang Shurong chatted for a while before Ji Zitong went over, and Xi Xiaye went to visit Ruan Heng.

    Zhuang Shurong coincidentally decided to meet some friends in Hospital T too. When she saw Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong vanishing in the walkway, she was about to go and meet them. Then, she turned around and walked away.

    When she saw Gu Lingsha sitting on the side, Zhuang Shurong was a little surprised, but she was extremely calm and pretended as if she did not see her and continued walking ahead.

    As Gu Lingsha watched Zhuang Shurong walk past her, broodiness shed in her eyes. Both her hands subconsciously clenched tightly and she endured it for a while before she could not help but speak up, ¡°Aunt Zhuang, long time no see. Are you so terribly busy that you can¡¯t even say hi?¡±

    When she heard Gu Lingsha greet her out loud, Zhuang Shurong stopped walking and turned to her side to nce Gu Lingsha with apathy, ¡°Since you know how to call me Aunt Zhuang, then you¡¯re acknowledging your status as one of the younger generation. My eyesight isn¡¯t too great. If you hadn¡¯t greeted me, how would I have known that the person sitting there is you?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was cold as always. She was far different from the easy-going and loving person while chatting with Xi Xiaye earlier.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingshaughed bitterly and replied quite sweetly, ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯m really sorry. It was my fault! Aunt Zhuang, you¡¯re naturally beautiful. Five years have passed and you haven¡¯t quite changed. You¡¯re as radiant as you were from before, and all spirited and sprightly.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong did not say anything. Her sharp line of sight swept across Gu Lingsha with her ssic stern and incisive look which showed that she was unflustered. Gu Lingsha felt the pit of her stomach tighten in anxiety!

    She almost forgot how incredible this Zhuang Shurong was. Every time she met her, Gu Lingsha would feel ack of confidence. With that sly fox in the Mu family, all of them were difficult to deal with.

    ¡°Aunt Zhuang, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Gu Lingsha muttered.

    ¡°Miss Gu, five years ago, I didn¡¯t care whether you had a reason, but since the incident has happened, it¡¯s a reality that no one can change. These five years, I don¡¯t want to know what happened to you either. Right now, the only oue is that Lingtian has passed while you are still alive. Qi Feng is probably still alive too, isn¡¯t he? I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re back for this time, but if you¡¯re thinking about bad intentions, don¡¯t me me for not being courteous. You know my temper and tricks well enough, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was always frank, and she did not care about beating around the bush with Gu Lingsha.

    Admittedly, when Zhuang Shurong said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze.

    ¡°Since you like Qi Feng, you should guard him well. Ah Chen was happy to let you two be as well even though he didn¡¯t tell me the reason. I could already guess that you were behind it. You can¡¯t have your cake and eat it. I don¡¯t care what has conspired between the Gu family and the Qi family, but I definitely won¡¯t allow someone with bad intentions to marry into the Mu family.¡±

    When Gu Lingsha heard Zhuang Shurong, her expression darkened, and she could not help but defend herself. ¡°Aunt Zhuang, you¡¯re the same as before. You¡¯re simply prejudiced against me. I don¡¯t me you, but please don¡¯t insult my integrity!¡±

    ¡°Insult your integrity? Are you sure you have an ounce of integrity? Dare you say that you¡¯ve been honest to Ah Chen and Lingtian?¡±

 Chapter 662 - Scheming (7)

    <h4>Chapter 662: Scheming (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s cold voice entered her ear with the breeze, making Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart ache, yet she remained upright. She was about to say something when Zhuang Shurong had already walked past her.

    ¡°Aunt Zhuang, about Lingtian, I¡¯d like to personally apologize, but I... All these years, I haven¡¯t had it that great either. Aunt Zhuang...¡±

    Before Gu Lingsha could finish, Zhuang Shurong had already walked ahead in huge strides. Clearly, she was not willing to stay for another second.

    As she watched Zhuang Shurong¡¯s figure move further away, Gu Lingsha clenched her fists. She was not sure why Zhuang Shurong disliked her so much. She clearly received very different treatment from Xi Xiaye.

    Years ago, when she had agreed to marry Mu Yuchen, Zhuang Shurong hade looking for her. She had failed to dish out good advice and had even spilled coffee onto her.

    However, she was not the same as she had been years ago anymore. Now, she would get all her justice for all of the grudges. She had to have whatever she should. She, Gu Lingsha, had returned from a blood-soaked rebirth. Was all the strife and struggle not for this?

    She indifferently looked at Zhuang Shurong¡¯s figure as she moved further away. Then, the dark storm brewing in Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes gradually vanished.

    No one had ever understood her struggles and pain. Whatever it was, they would have to at least suffer it once, including Mu Yuchen!

    Lingtian, Qi Feng, and her child who did not make it, and now Wei Wei...

    When she thought about this, she suddenly lowered her head and reached out to caress her t belly while shutting her eyes painfully.

    If it were not for that ident, he would probably be going to school now just like little Wei Wei. He would have been just as cute and as smart.

    The corner of her eyes started to tear up. After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes and pushed the tears in her eyes back with much difficulty. She inhaled a deep breath and returned to her usual beauty and elegance.

    After going through the many misfortunes, she was already used to holding back her emotions as she wished. This time for her return, there were too many things she needed to do. Taking revenge was just one of them.

    She, Gu Lingsha, had never been a weakling.

    <i>¡®Mu Yuchen, you looked down on me, Gu Lingsha. One day, I will make you suffer more than I did and lose more people than I did. Someone like you doesn¡¯t deserve to be happy. Your brother¡¯s blood is on your hands. What right do you have to happiness?¡¯ </i> Gu Lingsha silently vowed in her heart.

    Right now, things had only just begun.

    A faint smiled curved on Gu Lingsha¡¯s lips before she sighed. Then, at this moment, Yang Sheng, who had gone over to find out about some things, had returned.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯ve checked and Mr. Ruan is in VIP ward no. 19 on the 15th floor. He hasn¡¯t regained consciousness, and his condition doesn¡¯t look too good.¡± Yang Sheng told Gu Lingsha everything he found out.

    Gu Lingsha nodded in gratitude. ¡°Thanks, Assistant Yang. I¡¯m fine here. I know you¡¯re busy too. You don¡¯t have to care about me. I want to be alone for a while, so you should leave first. If there¡¯s anything, I¡¯ll call you or Lei. You don¡¯t have to apany me. I¡¯m quite tired too.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, I...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m used to it. It¡¯s fine. Go now. I¡¯ll go back and lie down for a while.¡±

    Without waiting for Yang Sheng to finish, Gu Lingsha had already gotten up and walked into the building. In the end, Yang Sheng could only stand there, stunned. He did not follow after her either.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s figure vanished slowly at the end of the corridor and he frowned. He was about to call Qi Lei, yet just as his hand reached into his pocket, there was suddenly the sound of footsteps from behind him. Just as he thought it sounded familiar, he quickly turned and saw Qi Lei strolling over with both hands in his pockets.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly went up, and then caught his breath before saying softly, ¡°Master Qi, Miss Gu, she...¡±

    ¡°What did you say to her earlier? What did she ask you about?¡± Qi Lei squinted and looked at the retreating Gu Lingsha before turning to look at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Master Qi, Miss Gu told me to find out which ward Mr. Ruan was in. Right, Miss Gu even asked me if you were really good friends with Chairman Mu and Director Xi.¡±

    As Yang Sheng said this, he could vaguely feel Qi Lei¡¯s expression tense up. His gaze seemed to dim a little, so he did not continue.

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He fell silent for a long while, and in the end, turned to leave.

    ¡°Master Qi, where are you going?¡± Yang Sheng quickly followed him.

    ¡°Back to the office,¡± Qi Lei said, and then walked down the stairs.

    ...

    On the staircase on the corner of Ruan Heng¡¯s ward, Su Nan looked in a daze at the exquisitely beautiful woman who had suddenly appeared before her. She could not believe that the person who crashed into her husband¡¯s car and caused Ruan Heng to be severely hurt and be in aa would be this radiantly beautiful woman before her.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mrs. Ruan. I hope that Mr. Ruan will regain consciousness soon too. I heard that someone from the police wille over to ask about the incident, but before that, I hope we could peacefully resolve this. Here, this is a little token of sincerity from me.¡±

    Just as Su Nan was looking at her while enduring all the sadness and fury, Gu Lingsha just smiled, appearing oddly humble as she gave Su Nan a $200,000 check.

    Su Nan looked up with a dull gaze at Gu Lingsha. She brushed the check that Gu Lingsha handed over away. ¡°I don¡¯t want your money. I want you to return Ruan Heng in one piece to me. Why were you driving while you had a fever? If you don¡¯t know how to drive, then don¡¯t! Return Ruan Heng to me! It¡¯s all because of you! It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    Su Nan had already broken down these past few days, and she was extremely wan and sallow at this point.

    Gu Lingsha frowned as she looked at the check that Su Nan had brushed to the ground. She nced up at Su Nan. ¡°Mrs. Ruan, both sides were wrong in this. Isn¡¯t it a bit much to just put all the me on me?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help anyone to magnify this issue. If I were you, I¡¯d obediently take the check. If Mr. Ruan doesn¡¯t regain consciousness... I heard that the two of you just had a daughter too. If you won¡¯t think for yourself, at least consider your daughter, won¡¯t you?¡±

    A smile curved across Gu Lingsha¡¯s lips as she smiled faintly at Su Nan.

    ¡°He will wake up! He will! Don¡¯t spew nonsense!¡±

    When she heard this, Su Nan suddenly took the check and then tore it to pieces before tossing it onto Gu Lingsha. ¡°You¡¯d better pray that Ruan Heng will be fine, or I won¡¯t be letting go of this so easily!¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t make the decisions here. Mr. Ruan was only severely hurt because he crashed into the railings on the side. It doesn¡¯t really have much to do with me!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s words had no doubt added fuel to the fire. Su Nan instantly clenched her fists and swung one out without a word!

 Chapter 663 - Worsening

    <h4>Chapter 663: Worsening</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye went straight to the office right after her check-up in the morning since the dyed meeting was scheduled today.

    The seats inside the meeting room were filled up, and two Vice Presidents were sitting in front while Xi Xiaye went back to her seat as the nning Director.

    However, everyone¡¯s gaze was fixed on her.

    She was flipping through the document in her hands as she said, ¡°The report I¡¯ll be showingter is the sales report of each department. I¡¯ve asked Chairman Mu and he¡¯s generally happy with the results. Most jobs werepleted by the estimated time, so that¡¯s great. This season is ending, and the end of the year ising soon. Therefore, we¡¯ll only get busier soon. Chairman Mu intended for everyone to keep this up. He¡¯ll fulfill his promise and share 5% of thepany¡¯s profit with the department that exceeds their targets.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words were well-received with a big round of apuse.

    She looked at them with a smile. As she was about to continue, someone closed in on her. She frowned slightly when Ji Zitong arrived beside her.

    ¡°Director Xi, something¡¯s happened. Ms. Su Nan has been arrested by the police.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when she heard the sudden news from Ji Zitong. She spun around and stared at her. ¡°What? Nannan¡¯s arrested by the police?¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded as she spoke with a grim tone, ¡°The police looked for Gu Lingsha to find out more about the ident, and they happened to see Ms. Su Nan and Gu Lingsha in the middle of an argument. Ms. Su Nan pushed Gu Lingsha down the staircase. Gu Lingsha passed out and the police brought her back to the police station.¡±

    Thud!

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands trembled and she dropped her pen on the floor. Her face turned pale as she was in shock.

    She calmed down momentster. She quickly told Vice President Zhang Lan to take over the meeting before dashing out of the meeting room.

    ¡°Prepare the car. I¡¯m going to the police station. Hurry!¡± Xi Xiaye urged Ji Zitong while walking briskly toward the elevator.

    ¡°The car is already prepared, Director Xi.¡±

    Ji Zitong had been working with Xi Xiaye for a while now, so she knew Xi Xiaye well. Especially recently, Xi Xiaye was extremely worried about Ruan Heng and Su Nan. She had specially instructed Ji Zitong to inform her if anything happened to them.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Mmm, help me to contact Ah Mo. Ask him if he cane over. It¡¯d be great if he cane immediately, and tell him that it¡¯s an emergency.¡±

    Although she was worried, she tried her best to stay calm and was still able to make sound decisions.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Director Xi. I¡¯ll contact Manager Ah Mo now.¡± Ji Zitong quickly took her phone out.

    Xi Xiaye grabbed her phone as well and gave Mu Lingshi a call. Almost immediately, Mu Lingshi picked up. She could hear her tired voice on the other end, but Xi Xiaye could not hide it. ¡°Lingshi, it¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu Lingshi had just returned home not too long ago. Her mind was on alert when she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s anxiety-filled voice.

    ¡°Ah Shi, can you head to the hospital and look after Ruan Heng for the time being? Something¡¯s happened to Su Nan and she¡¯s in the police station now. I don¡¯t feel assured if there¡¯s no one else there right now, especially with the few elders around. Try tofort and ease their anxieties.¡±

    ¡°Su Nan was arrested?¡±

    Mu Lingshi was totally awake when she heard the news, she quickly got up with her eyes wide opened, ¡°How could it be? What happened?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t really exin it over the phone. I¡¯m heading over to the police station right now. Please help me out.¡± Xi Xiaye was clearly in a rush.

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and then agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head over right now. Don¡¯t worry, Sis-inw. By the way, do you want me to ask Father...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for it first. I¡¯ll see what to do after I find out exactly what happened. I¡¯ve asked Zitong to give Ah Mo a call. He might have an idea on what to do.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were filled with worry. Su Nan had not fully recovered from her delivery yet, and she had been really exhausted in the past few days worrying about Ruan Heng. Could she really hang in there?

    Why had she suddenly gotten into a fight with Gu Lingsha?

    Xi Xiaye knew Su Nan very well. No matter what, she would not have pushed Gu Lingsha down the staircase. There must be something more to this.

    Xi Xiaye hung up on the call and went into the elevator. The car was already prepared for her at the ground floor, and they swiftly went to the police station as soon as she got into the car.

    ...

    Although Mu Yuchen was thousands of miles away, he received the news almost instantly. He had just finished closing a deal with France and was on his way back to the hotel when he received the news.

    ¡°Master, something has happened on Missus¡¯s end!¡± Li Si looked at Mu Yuchen anxiously when he just got off a phone call.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    There were not many things that could pull Master Mu¡¯s attention away from work, but one of them was news about his wife at home. Mu Yuchen closed the document in his hands as his eyes darkened.

    ¡°I just received news that Ms. Su Nan was triggered and pushed Gu Lingsha down the staircase. Gu Lingsha is still unconscious at the moment while Ms. Su Nan was brought to the police station. I¡¯m afraid Missus has received the news as well,¡± Li Si spoke carefully.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened further, and Li Si could feel a chilly aura emitted from him, so he stopped saying anything and remained quiet.

    After some time, Mu Yuchen put a hand on his forehead before saying, ¡°Book the flight tickets right away... Forget it. Prepare a private jet. I want to be back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯ll get it prepared!¡± Li Si then took out his phone.

 Chapter 664 - Return of Master Mu (1)

    <h4>Chapter 664: Return of Master Mu (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The ck Phaeton was speeding on the highway with Xi Xiaye worried sick in the back seat.

    Ji Zitong had called several times, but Ah Mo did not pick up. She guessed he was probably working on some other important matters. She frowned and put her phone away before turning towards Xi Xiaye. ¡°Director Xi, Manager Ah Mo didn¡¯t pick up my calls. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s busy at the moment.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened further when she heard Ji Zitong. She then replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll see what¡¯s happening over there first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry too much. Ms. Su Nan will be fine.¡± Ji Zitong was not sure how tofort her, but she just had to say something when she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s glumness.

    Xi Xiaye just nodded quietly. Then, she took a deep breath and leaned back as she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

    It was rush hour in the afternoon, so there was a terrible traffic jam on the way. Feeling depressed and tired, Xi Xiaye almost passed out from all the stress in the past few days. If Sis Wang and Zhuang Shurong had not been there to take care of her health, she would have already copsed.

    She fell asleep as they were on the way to the police station.

    Ji Zitong nced at Xi Xiaye through the rear-view mirror and saw she was sleeping, so she told the chauffeur when they were waiting at a red light, ¡°Park the car aside first. I¡¯m going to put a nket on Director Xi.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± the chauffeur replied and quickly parked the car.

    Ji Zitong grabbed a nket from thepartment beside her and got out of the car.

    The sky was turning dark while the wind around felt a little humid. It seemed like rain wasing.

    Ji Zitong quickly opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

    She gently draped the nket over Xi Xiaye who was sleeping soundly while feeling chilly. As she sensed a slight warmth on her skin, she unconsciously extended her hand.

    ¡°Mr. Mu... Mr. Mu...¡±

    Her voice sounded fragile and bitter.

    Ji Zitong looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand grabbing onto her hand. When she saw that Xi Xiaye was frowning and was sleeping uneasily, she took a deep breath and just left her hand there. Then, she quietly adjusted the nket on her.

    ¡°We can go now.¡±

    Ji Zitong turned towards Xi Xiaye and just studied her. Xi Xiaye always looked so calm and collected, so it was her first time seeing her like this.

    She knew Mu Yuchen and her were madly in love. However, they treated each other courteously. It seemed like they truly missed each other during a time like this.

    Ji Zitong was actually envious of Xi Xiaye. At the same time, she was also touched by the genuine bond of love between them.

    She had seen Mu Yuchen bend over to help her put on shoes and put on her coat for her. Besides that, she also saw Mu Yuchen carefully picking out fish bones and trying to convince her to eat more, and there were so many more scenarios...

    Only people who truly loved each other would be always missing each other, would they not?

    Ji Zitong finally took her phone out and gave Mu Yuchen a call. After several moments, he picked up. Mu Yuchen was at a private airport, preparing to board.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, I¡¯m Ji Zitong.¡± Ji Zitong started the conversation when the call got through.

    ¡°How is she?¡± That was Mu Yuchen¡¯s first reply.

    ¡°She looks exhausted, we¡¯re on our way to the police station, Ms. Su Nan...¡±

    ¡°I know what happened and I¡¯m on my way back. I¡¯ll be arriving in around ten hours. Why is her phone switched off? Where is she?¡± Mu Yuchen sounded worried as he asked.

    ¡°She was in a meeting just now, so she switched her phone off. We¡¯re in the car at the moment and she fell asleep, but she was calling out your name just now. Pleasee back soon. It¡¯s been pretty tough on her recently, and I can¡¯t bear to see this.¡±

    Ji Zitong was speaking softly as she was worried that she might wake Xi Xiaye up.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened while his heart stung. ¡°Take care of her. I¡¯ll get back as soon as possible. I¡¯ll handle Su Nan and Ruan Heng¡¯s issues. Don¡¯t let her do anything reckless.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then hung up.

    Li Si made Mu Yuchen a cup of tea, and asked quietly when he saw Mu Yuchen resting with his eyes closed, ¡°Master, can we go now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded without opening his eyes. ¡°Give Su Chen a call and ask him where he is.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, we¡¯re only arriving in about ten hours. You should take the chance to sleep now. You¡¯ll be able to see Missus when you wake up. You¡¯ve been busy for a long time. Master Mo¡¯s matter is almost done as well. There are probably a lot of things that need to be dealt with when we¡¯re back after this two-month trip. Master, you need to take care of yourself.¡± Li Si was very concerned.

    ¡°No worries. The European market has pretty much stabilized now, so I won¡¯t have to work on it personally too much afterward, and I¡¯ll have more free time to spend with her.¡±

    He had made all these efforts to get things done early in order to free up his time to be with her during this critical time. There were too many things to take care of when he looked at the father handbook. On top of that, he was worried to leave her alone as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. Missus is a strong and smart person. She can take care of herself well.¡±

    ¡°Strong? I really hope so. It doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s smart or not. Most importantly...¡± Mu Yuchen did not finish his sentence. He turned toward the window and looked outside with a peaceful expression.

    What he wanted to say was ¡ª

    What mattered to him was that he could satisfy her heart and keep her heart for himself forever, give birth to their child safely, and spend the rest of their lives in peace...

    Could his simple wish be fulfilled?

 Chapter 665 - Return of Master Mu (2)

    <h4>Chapter 665: Return of Master Mu (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was slightly after noon when the car arrived at the police station. The weather was not as sunny in the morning, and it was turning gloomy.

    A long, somber shower was on its way, as mentioned by the weather forecast yesterday.

    The chauffeur in front turned back and said quietly after he parked the car, ¡°Ms Ji, we¡¯re here!¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded and then turned over to look at Xi Xiaye who was still sleeping soundly, ¡°Let her continue sleeping. I¡¯ll go inside and take a look at the situation. Stay here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ms. Ji.¡±

    Chauffeur Wang was Mu Yuchen¡¯s exclusive chauffeur who had been working for the Mu family for more than twenty years. He was a very loyal subject to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, so he was worried when he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s current condition. ¡°Ms. Ji, should we report this to Elder CEO? This matter might be moreplicated than we think. It might be better if we can get better control of the situation.¡±

    Ji Zitong hesitated for a moment, then she nced at Xi Xiaye. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at what¡¯s happening inside first. I¡¯m going to ask someone to check on Gu Lingsha¡¯s condition in the hospital.¡±

    She then took her phone out and swiftly called a number. Before leaving the car and heading inside the police station, she gave the receiver a brief exnation on Gu Lingsha¡¯s condition.

    However, Xi Xiaye woke up soon after Ji Zitong went inside. Her head felt heavy as she rubbed her eyes groggily. She looked at Chauffeur Wang and asked, ¡°Keep driving. Why did you stop?¡±

    ¡°Missus! You¡¯re awake!¡±

    Chauffeur Wang turned back and took a nervous nce at her. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Ms. Ji noticed you fell asleep, so she went inside to check out what¡¯s happening.¡±

    Arrived?

    Xi Xiaye looked outside the window and saw the police station. After she quickly straightened herself up, the chauffeur came over and opened the door for her.

    It was pretty cold outside. The cold wind blew the moment she stepped out of the car, and she trembled slightly as she wrapped her windbreaker tighter around herself. She shuffled into the police station with a hand on her belly.

    Ji Zitong had just finished finding out what happened when Xi Xiaye arrived at the entrance. They followed the police and met Su Nan who appeared exhausted.

    They were sitting opposite each other across a table. Life returned to Su Nan¡¯s eyes when she saw Xi Xiaye. She grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands while her eyes welled up as she said frantically, ¡°Xiaye, I didn¡¯t push her! She fell down on her own. I really didn¡¯t push her. You have to believe me! I didn¡¯t push her!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was in pain to witness Su Nan¡¯s frantic reaction. She tried her best to hold back her tears and maintain a calm appearance. Su Nan and Ruan Heng were in a bad state now, and she could not crumble at this moment.

    Xi Xiaye grabbed her cold hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nannan. I believe you. I¡¯ll find a way to get you out of here.¡±

    ¡°Even the police said they saw me pushing her down the staircase. So what if you believe me? Xiaye, I¡¯m very afraid... With Ruan Heng¡¯s current condition, if something happens to me, can you take care of Xiao Xi for me?¡± Su Nan had tears in her eyes as she made a solemn request to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Nannan! Believe in yourself. You¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll find a way to get you out of here. Don¡¯t overthink it. Xiao Xi has everyone with her and she¡¯ll be safe, but you, on the other hand...¡± Xi Xiaye put on a worried expression. ¡°You have to take care of yourself. I¡¯ll get you out of here as soon as possible. I¡¯ve gotten people to take care of Ruan Heng at the moment. Your parents are thinking of a way as well, so don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not really a big deal.¡±

    Su Nan sniffled and took a deep breath. ¡°Thank you, Xiaye. Thank you. People can really be unlucky at times. Ruan Heng...¡±

    She suddenly grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands rightly as she begged, ¡°Xiaye, please help me to take care of Ruan Heng! His parents aren¡¯t in very good health. His mother is taking care of Xiao Xi, but I¡¯m worried that she might not be able to cope. My parents are worried about me as well, but please tell them that I¡¯m fine and they don¡¯t have to visit me. They need to take care of themselves first.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and helped Su Nan fix her messy hair. ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry, I will. We¡¯re observing Gu Lingsha¡¯s condition. She¡¯s still unconscious at the moment. It¡¯d be great if she said you didn¡¯t do it, but it might be a little bit more troublesome if she insisted that you pushed her. Even if we need to take this to court, I¡¯ll tell Mu Yuchen to get you the bestwyer possible. Don¡¯t worry. You must be exhausted. Take this chance to rest.¡±

    Su Nan covered her face with Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand as she continued crying. Her warm tears felt like they were burning Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands, and her heart suffered with Su Nan.

    ¡°How am I supposed to rest? There¡¯s so much to worry about. I¡¯m really in trouble and it¡¯s all because of Gu Lingsha. Just what happened between me and her in our past lives?¡± Su Nan sniffled.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face went numb as her eyes darkened.

    Gu Lingsha...

    Was this really just a coincidence?

    For some reason, Xi Xiaye felt uneasy when she thought about Gu Lingsha¡¯s sudden appearance. It was all too odd, and somehow she could feel something was closing in on them, especially after Wang Qin¡¯s birthday banquet.

    If Gu Lingsha and Qi Qiming were on friendly terms, would it mean that she knew something more about him?

    She found out from Mu Yuchen that Qi Qiming was known as Mr. Wen, but on Wang Qin¡¯s birthday banquet, she hade into contact with Qi Qiming. At that time, she did not feel the same vibe from himpared to the person who imed to be Mr. Wen and blocked her path inside the tunnel.

    Could there be two Mr. Wens? Were they mistaken?

 Chapter 666 - Return of Master Mu (3)

    <h4>Chapter 666: Return of Master Mu (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, if that Mr. Wen was really rted to Qi Qiming, could Gu Lingsha have been a part of all those incidents too?

    If that were true, then the reason she returned this time was probably to go against Mu Yuchen!

    Xi Xiaye obviously did not forget the things the so-called Mr. Wen had said to her. From those words of his, she could clearly feel that the person held a grudge against Mu Yuchen!

    The more Xi Xiaye thought about it, the more her expression turned solemn. Her brows furrowed into a knot. Even when Su Nan called her a few times, she did not snap back to her senses. Su Nan was worried and quickly pinched her hand. When she felt the pain, Xi Xiaye slowly regained her senses.

    ¡°Xiaye, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Su Nan had already wiped her tears away as she looked at Xi Xiaye with wet eyes.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head and gently patted Su Nan on the shoulder as she said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s okay. I believe that you didn¡¯t push her. Don¡¯t be too worried either. It¡¯ll be fine. I need to take a look at Ruan Heng at the hospital now, and at the same time, understand the situation. You rest well and wait for my good news, okay?¡±

    Su Nan nodded hard as she gripped both of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands tightly.

    Xi Xiaye slowly got up. She was still concerned as she exined, ¡°Whatever they ask you, before anything¡¯s been confirmed, don¡¯t simply answer them. I¡¯ll wait for the hospital to rify and get you awyer. Remember, before thewyer gets here, don¡¯t say anything. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand. Don¡¯t worry! I trust you! I¡¯ll wait right here for you to get me out. Xi Xiaye, thank God you¡¯re here... Otherwise... otherwise I... I would¡¯ve broken down by now...¡± Su Nan looked at Xi Xiaye with gratitude.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled calmly. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯m leaving now. Wait for my good news.¡±

    ...

    After Xi Xiaye left the police station, she rushed straight to the hospital. She even forgot to have lunch, so it was a good thing that Ji Zitong predicted this and called Maple Residence to ask Sis Wang to prepare some in porridge and send it over. They managed to meet at the za that was not too far from the hospital.

    With Sis Wang and Ji Zitong watching over her and after considering the little thing in her, Xi Xiaye forced herself to finish two bowls and drink a few sips of flower tea before she felt much more at ease.

    Sis Wang handed a clean handkerchief to Xi Xiaye, as she said, ¡°Missus, the Elder Madam came over this morning. She brought some light snacks for you. She¡¯s worried that you¡¯d be too tired in the uing days, so she just stayed in Maple Residence. She said she¡¯ll only leave when the Master gets back. That way, it¡¯d be easier to take care of you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye epted the handkerchief and wiped her hand as she nodded dly. ¡°Mmm, Grandmother and the rest have been very considerate.¡±

    ¡°Elder Madam¡¯s also worried about exining things to the Master when he returns if you be thinner instead! So, while we still have time, we have to make sure you¡¯re nourished.¡± Sis Wang smiled.

    Return...

    She did not even know when he would be returning!

    Xi Xiaye suddenly felt weak and sad on the inside. After she thought about it, she then quickly took out her phone. That was when she realized that her phone was still switched off.

    Ji Zitong did not tell Xi Xiaye that Mu Yuchen was rushing home tonight either since she thought to herself that it would be a lovely surprise. Xi Xiaye had been quite worrisome these past few days, so an unexpected turnup would do her good. If this went on, the little baby in her would turn out to be a gloomy little baby!

    ¡°I¡¯m good. Don¡¯t worry. Go home first. I want to rest for a while. Later, I¡¯lle to the hospital to take a look again.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Missus go home earlier today. The Elder Madam¡¯s preparing your meal tonight. She told me to tell you. Right, Chief Zhuang wille over too. The calcium tablets that the doctor prescribed for you are still with her.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Xi Xiaye responded before Sis Wang got onto the car and rushed to Maple Residence.

    When she watched the shadow of Sis Wang¡¯s car vanish in the sea of vehicles, Xi Xiaye quietly averted her gaze. She was about to look up and ask Ji Zitong for the time when she suddenly felt a coldness stter on her hand. She subconsciously looked up and realized that the cold and hazy sky had begun to pour.

    ¡°Director Xi, it¡¯s raining. Let¡¯s go in.¡± Ji Zitong considerately held up a ck umbre and walked over, shielding her from the drizzling rain.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and slowly got up as Ji Zitong reached out to help her.

    As Xi Xiaye walked into the hospital, she asked, ¡°How¡¯re things on Gu Lingsha¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°I just received news that she¡¯s regained consciousness. The people from the police station seem to have just left. Shall we go over now?¡± Ji Zitong responded.

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s ward was the VIP ward on the 19th floor. Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong walked up and stopped not too far away from the door.

    Ji Zitong waved to the two ck-suited bodyguards behind her. Immediately understanding, they guarded the door.

    ¡°Wait for me outside. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything,¡± Xi Xiaye said, and then before Ji Zitong could answer, she had already walked in herself.

    Inside the ward, Gu Lingsha was lying on the bed all pale. When she heard the sound of footsteps from the door, she subconsciously looked over and saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure greet her sight. A faint smile shed on her lips while she looked with interest at Xi Xiaye.

    Without waiting for Xi Xiaye to greet, Gu Lingsha had already spoken up, ¡°We meet again, Miss Xi! Such fate.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped near her bed and looked at her with dim eyes and a lukewarm attitude. ¡°I find it quite unfortunate instead.¡±

    When Gu Lingsha heard her response, her dazzling blue eyes flickered a bit, but she smiled graciously. ¡°Unfortunate? It does seem quite unfortunate. The victim¡¯s family was too rash, pushing me down the stairs. My left hand is fractured. The doctor said it might be inconvenient for my mobility after I recover.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard Gu Lingsha¡¯s nonchnt tone, her expression darkened. She spoke with a hint of bitterness in her voice as her gaze was fixed on Gu Lingsha, ¡°Miss Gu, are you saying that Su Nan really pushed you down the stairs?¡±

    ¡°Su Nan?¡±

    Gu Lingsha stared at Xi Xiaye in shock as she frowned. ¡°Do you know this Miss Su Nan, Xi Xiaye?¡±

    She hesitated, then suddenly seemed to remember something as she said in surprise, ¡°Oh, I remember now. I heard that you¡¯re good friends with Mr. Ruan and Miss Su, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    As she said that, a faint curve shed on the corner of her lips. Her gaze with which she looked at Xi Xiaye looked a tad more delighted.

 Chapter 667 - Return of Master Mu (4)

    <h4>Chapter 667: Return of Master Mu (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye red at Gu Lingsha coldly without saying anything in response as she examined her. She did notice a thickyer of bandage wrapped around her left arm and a slight bruise on her extremely sympathetic face. With her exquisitely beautiful appearance, she did seem coldly delicate, yet there was an odd sign of strength and endurance of suffering between her brows.

    She did find Gu Lingsha an exceptionally elegant beauty, yet the aura she exuded made her oddly ufortable as if there was something sinister about her. She wondered if she was overthinking it.

    ¡°Miss Gu, why would you insist that it was Su Nan who pushed you down the stairs?¡± Xi Xiaye immediately asked frankly.

    When she heard the question, Gu Lingsha suddenly smiled. ¡°Oh, it turns out that you¡¯vee for this too, Miss Xi? Miss Su¡¯s emotional. I don¡¯t me her. After all, with Mr. Ruan in the state that he is, she must be quite shaken too. Thankfully, the police arrived in time. Otherwise, I was really worried that she¡¯d break down.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked down at Gu Lingsha whoy on the sickbed as she said calmly, ¡°But Su Nan said that she didn¡¯t push you and that you fell yourself, Miss Gu. I know Su Nan well. She wouldn¡¯t irrationally push you down the stairs. Could there have been some kind of misunderstanding here?¡±

    A smile shed in Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes as she spoke apologetically, ¡°I can understand your worry, Miss Xi. I also express my sympathy for Miss Su Nan¡¯s current situation, but the police saw it themselves too. My hands are tied. If you¡¯vee for this, then I can only apologize. Uncle Qi will be sending someone to handle this. I almost forgot that Xi Xiaye seems to have some prejudice against me. My current health isn¡¯t great and my head is still heavy. I want to rest for a while, Miss Xi, so I won¡¯t talk to you for long now.¡±

    From the depths of Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes, a hint of hostility shed. She did not expect Gu Lingsha to be so begrudging. So, it seemed like she was getting back at her now, was she?

    ¡°Hmm, does that mean you¡¯ve set your mind on the fact that Su Nan pushed you down the stairs?¡±

    ¡°Miss Xi, please watch your words. What do you mean by setting my mind on it? It was there for all to see!¡± Gu Lingsha frowned and pouted unhappily at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Miss Xi, you should be careful and pick your words carefully, especially for something like this, to avoid creating unnecessary misunderstandings. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    She was quite the character! Xi Xiaye scoffed haughtily. ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not, we¡¯ll know when we check the hospital¡¯s CCTV. I heard that you still had a fever a few days ago, so we can¡¯t be sure if you¡¯ve been having illusions from the high fever, so I think there might even be a misunderstanding here. Besides, you also had a concussion, thus it¡¯s extremely possible that you could have had an unclear conscience sometimes.¡±

    Her headstrong ways did not budge for Gu Lingsha. Xi Xiaye put a hand in her pocket as she stared coldly at her.

    Indeed, when Gu Lingsha heard this, her expression darkened slightly. She was about to say something when Xi Xiaye continued, ¡°Ruan Heng and Su Nan did not offend you, Miss Gu, but anyone can make mistakes, so forgive them when possible. I¡¯m sure you know the truth of this incident best. Such a nice family being tormented so terribly has everything to do with you, Miss Gu. Anyone with even a little bit conscience would feel bad¡ª¡± Xi Xiaye pointed to where her heart was and fixed her gaze on her. ¡°¡ª right here, Miss Gu. Are you someone like that?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s lowered gaze hid the disdain that shed in her eyes. She turned away and did not look at Xi Xiaye anymore. Clearly, she was being hostile, so she asked her to leave. ¡°Then, you may go investigate! I don¡¯t need anyone to judge the kind of person I am.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s apathetic lips curved up slightly. There was a faint ruthlessness on her expression, but she did not say anything anymore. She just shot Gu Lingsha a nce, and then turned to leave the ward.

    When she heard the sound of the door close, Gu Lingsha then turned to re at the door. A sneer curved on her lips.

    Already anxious?

    She was just getting started!

    She took in a deep breath and then held her heavy and hurting head before she finally closed her eyes slowly.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± When she saw Xi Xiaye walking out, Ji Zitong quickly went up to her from the side.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see how Ruan Heng¡¯s doing,¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression was a little gloomy as she softly said, and then walked ahead.

    Ji Zitong frowned in concern. She looked grimly at the two bodyguards before the three of them silently followed after Xi Xiaye.

    However, they had just taken a few steps when there was suddenly the clear sound of footsteps from the front. Xi Xiaye subconsciously looked up and Qi Lei¡¯s handsome and slightly demonic face greeted her sight.

    At that moment, he held a bouquet of violets in his hand. They looked very pretty, and she knew they were for Gu Lingsha.

    Qi Lei stopped in that instant too. When he saw Xi Xiaye, he was clearly a little shocked.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked softly.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze indifferently and fell silent for a while. She turned to the side and walked past him slowly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know? Or you can go ask Gu Lingsha yourself,¡± she replied, then her frail body continued ahead while Ji Zitong and the rest followed her very quickly.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows raised as he abruptly turned to watch Xi Xiaye as her figure moved further away. After a while, he held a hand to his forehead and sighed with a shrug. Then, he sighed to himself again.

    This woman was genuine. Once this incident happened, she became unhappy. Only someone like Mu Yuchen could handle her.

    Qi Lei massaged the space between his brows a little helplessly. He thought about it and could only shake his head before he walked towards Gu Lingsha¡¯s ward.

    ¡°Lei, you¡¯re here!¡± When Gu Lingsha saw Qi Lei from her bed, a soft smile rippled on her face.

    Qi Lei nodded as he put the bouquet onto the table on the side. Then, he turned to Gu Lingsha, that demonic smile shing across his face. ¡°How are you feeling? Yang Sheng told me all about it. It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re okay. Otherwise, I¡¯d be sad again.¡±

    Gu Lingsha smiled inly. Her clear blue eyes looked at him as she said softly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just this hand that¡¯s probably done for. I¡¯m really gued with misfortunes, aren¡¯t I? Bad mishaps one after another. I can¡¯t even escape it. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m quite unlucky?¡±

    He could hear helpless sorrow and a in bleakness in her tone.

 Chapter 668 - Return of Master Mu (5)

    <h4>Chapter 668: Return of Master Mu (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei looked at her with his serene eyes as the curve on his lips widened. He pulled a chair out from the side to sit beside her.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a fracture? With the medical technology nowadays, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to heal,¡± Qi Lei assured as he poured Gu Lingsha a ss of water.

    Gu Lingsha did not reject it and lowered her head to take two sips. ¡°Uncle Qi¡¯s just sent someone over too. Lei, you and Uncle Qi... Can¡¯t you just sit down and have a proper talk? Actually, he still cares about you very much. It¡¯s just that he and Aunt Wang are a little tensed. Aunt Wang¡¯s also the kind of stubborn person who won¡¯t give in. Sometimes, I¡¯m quite worried too. It¡¯s not like Uncle Qi¡¯s doing well when things are like this.¡±

    She sighed again. ¡°They¡¯ve been at each other¡¯s throats for decades now. It should be time to stop.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Qi Lei¡¯s gaze darkened and his expression turned nk. ¡°This is between them. Don¡¯t interfere and just recover well. Did Xiayee looking for you earlier?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Gu Lingsha coolly. He was not interested in Qi Qiming and Wang Qin¡¯s matters at all. He would only find it the world¡¯s biggest mockery if he talked more about it.

    ¡°Xiaye? Xi Xiaye... What a sweet name... Are you very close to her?¡±

    A small smile appeared on Gu Lingsha¡¯s face as she looked at Qi Lei with interest.

    Qi Lei squinted and smiled at her as he said in a deep voice, ¡°I guess we¡¯re quite close. Previously, they¡¯ve treated me to a few meals, and I steal food from their house too. It feels like quite a good rtionship.¡± He did not hide his rtionship with Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye either.

    When Gu Lingsha heard his light-hearted humor, she suddenly smiled sadly. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been doing quite well these past few years.¡±

    She suddenly paused and her eyes dimmed. ¡°Sometimes, I really admire you all. At least, you can live a happy life like normal people while I...¡±

    ¡°Shasha, now that you¡¯re back, you can also live a simpler and rxed life. Since those things are in the past now, let them stay in the past. I¡¯ve roughly understood your matter with Miss Su Nan too. You hurt your hand and you were slightly grazed, so it¡¯s not too huge of a matter. However, Miss Su Nan is still locked up at the police station. This is just a small matter. Mr. Ruan is still ina right now. Earlier, didn¡¯t Xiayee looking for you about this too?¡±

    It was rare for Qi Lei to say so many things at a go.

    Upon hearing Qi Lei¡¯s words, Gu Lingsha was stunned. She silently looked up in surprise, and there was a light of mixed feelings in her eyes.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Qi Lei asked with raised brows.

    Gu Lingsha justughed andmented sadly, ¡°Lei, why do I suddenly feel like upon my return this time, you¡¯ve changed so much?¡±

    ¡°Changed so much? In what way? Aren¡¯t I still the same Qi Lei? Still that skinny boy who said he wanted to protect you...¡± Qi Lei smiled and lifted a hand to fix a strand of hair that had gotten stuck on her face. There was a gentleness in his eyes.

    ¡°No, Lei, you¡¯ve changed... If this was before, you¡¯d definitely give that person a lesson without hesitating if you heard someone hurt me. You were impulsive, and because of that, you were scolded by Aunt Wang. I really thank you for protecting me as always, but now, you¡¯ve changed. You¡¯ve be more mature and steady. I¡¯m happy about that.¡±

    As Gu Lingsha said this, she slipped into her memories and her eyes started to be misty. She thought and thought about the past, then suddenly giggled. ¡°I remember back then, I didn¡¯t like you. I thought you were an arrgant bumbeetle. After that, I realized that no matter what, the first person who would protect me was always you while Lingtian would always protect me from the dark. After so many years, there are still so many things I remember very clearly, but those things will only be memories. We¡¯re still around, but Lingtian... He¡¯s gone forever...¡±

    ¡°Okay, Shasha, don¡¯t think about those things anymore. The most important for you to do right now is to heal well. I listened to you and didn¡¯t call to inform Uncle Gu and the rest. Don¡¯t worry. Even if I¡¯ve changed, I¡¯ll still protect you, but, Shasha, have you changed?¡± Qi Lei said as he helped her fix her nket.

    When Gu Lingsha heard his straightforward question, her movements stiffened, then she smiled wanly. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei shook his head. ¡°Five years is quite a long time, so I can¡¯t tell, but I do hope that you can make it a non-issue. Xi Xiaye¡¯s quite a vulnerable person too. She¡¯s like ss. It¡¯s not easy being pregnant, and Ruan Heng and Su Nan seem to be her best friends. Because of Ruan Heng¡¯s matter, no one¡¯s been doing well either. Is that okay?¡±

    After Qi Lei said this, Gu Lingsha immediately fell silent. She looked up and fixed her gaze on Qi Lei, whispering softly, ¡°Lei, do you like Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned by this question. His handsome face started to blush involuntarily and he could not quite calm down. After a while, he suddenly shook his head and grinned. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?! I wouldn¡¯t fancy such an uninteresting woman. Mu Yuchen has nd taste, and Xi Xiaye is his cup of tea. I still like beautiful and mature women like you. Besides, I am a very moral person. A married woman is a fatal poison that you can¡¯t touch. She and Mu Yuchen are probably like you and Qi Feng. They¡¯re a harmonious couple.¡±

    ¡°A harmonious couple? Do you know about him and Xi Xiaye?¡± Gu Lingsha probed.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. Any man can tell that he cares about Xi Xiaye. As for Su Nan¡¯s matter, you...¡±

    ¡°Tell that to Uncle Qi. He¡¯s already sent for someone to help me handle it, so I can rest easy. I¡¯m fine with it as long as Uncle Qi doesn¡¯t look into it.¡±

    ...

    When the ne arrived at the private airport in City Z, it was alreadyte at night. Cold winter rain was pouring outside, and with the patter of the rain and the wind sneaking into the night, it was even colder and bleaker.

    The cabin door opened followed by the stairs being lowered. Li Si appeared at the entrance of the cabin first to see that the people below had already prepared the car to fetch them.

    Li Si opened the huge ck umbre as he leaned to the side. ¡°Master, be careful. It¡¯s still raining outside...¡±

    Before he could finish, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome and tall figure had already walked past him and down the stairs without even waiting for Li Si to hold the umbre out for him.

    He walked through the patter of the rain with apathy toward the car.

 Chapter 669 - I Missed You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 669: I Missed You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Li Si sighed and quickly caught up with an umbre in his hand. ¡°Be careful, Master. It¡¯s still raining outside!¡±

    ¡°Master!¡± The bodyguards bowed respectfully.

    Mu Yuchen nodded without stopping. His deep voice rumbled in the rain, ¡°Go straight to Maple Residence.¡±

    He then went into the car, and Li Si quickly closed the door. As he was heading towards the front passenger seat, Mu Yuchen rolled down the car window and said, ¡°Li Si, you can head back first. Leave the documents in the car. You can have the day off tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si then left the heavy briefcase right beside Mu Yuchen¡¯s seat.

    The car then slowly moved forward in the rain.

    It waste at night and the breeze was blowing wildly outside. Inside the study room on the second floor, one could still hear the howl of the wind even though the windows were shut tightly.

    Xi Xiaye was sitting on a chair right beside the tall bookshelf. She had fallen asleep with an opened book on herp.

    Wang Hui got a phone call after dinner and she went back to the Mu Residence after that. She mentioned she woulde again tomorrow morning. Xi Xiaye overheard Mu Yinan calling her. He seemed to have fallen sick and was suffering at the moment, so she offered to send Wang Hui off and arranged for a chauffeur to send her back.

    Xi Xiaye then gave Mu Yuchen a call when she arrived back at Maple Residence, but his phone was switched off, and she could not contact Ah Mo as well. Fortunately, Su Chen called her from abroad during dinner and told her to not worry about Su Nan. He made sure the police were taking good care of her, and he would take care of the rest when he got back.

    Relieved, she took a warm bath and washed her sorrows away. Then, she did some prenatal education with the little thing inside her until it settled down. After that, she went to the study room and looked around for something to read.

    When he was not around, reading books to help her fall asleep had be a habit of hers. Soon, she returned to being ate sleeper again.

    She had no idea when he would return. Despite having asked him twice, she was not able to get a definite answer, thus she stopped asking about it after that.

    ...

    A car parked outside the entrance of Maple Residence. The rain was getting heavier, so the bodyguard came over and opened the door for Mu Yuchen while holding an umbre. Mu Yuchen alighted from the car with the briefcase as the bodyguard quickly put the big ck umbre over him. He quietly looked at this vi that was shrouded in mist.

    His eyes softened when he noticed that the lights in the study room on the second floor were still on, but then he frowned soon after that. He grabbed a keycard from his pocket and walked towards the door.

    Taking the umbre from the bodyguard after he opened the door, he said, ¡°You guys can go back now. There¡¯s no need toe tomorrow. Missus will be resting for a day. Don¡¯t let anyonee and disturb her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Before waiting for the bodyguard¡¯s reply, Mu Yuchen vanished behind the door.

    It was getting close to midnight, and Sis Wang and the other servants were already asleep. It was extremely quiet inside the vi.

    Mu Yuchen switched on a dim light before he changed into his slippers and removed his windbreaker as he walked upstairs.

    The living room was dark when he got inside. Tiny fragments of light came from the study room. Although he was really in a rush just now, he now felt her unique aura around.

    He left his clothes on the sofa and put his briefcase aside before heading into the study room.

    The first thing he saw was the petite woman on the chair.

    She had be really skinny and looked exhausted. Her long hair was left untidy and messy around her face although the length was not very different than when he left. Her belly had grownrger, but she seemed pretty miserable as a whole.

    His heart was in pain as he cursed himself.

    How were the idiots taking care of her?

    Xi Xiaye could sense the man¡¯s presence when she was still asleep. She thought she was dreaming. As she struggled in her daze, she felt someone run his fingers through her hair. She woke up gradually and opened her eyes as a familiar face appeared right before her. The necktie was extremely familiar. When she raised her head, she saw the man¡¯s elegant face.

    Thinking that she was in a dream, she rubbed her eyes and took a closer look at the man again. She finally believed it was a reality when his unique scent wafted all around her.

    Her eyes teared up as she started sobbing. The next moment, she started crying and looked at him quietly, sniffling while tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°Why are you only back now? I¡¯ve been calling and you didn¡¯t pick up...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart broke seeing her like this. He quickly wiped her tears away as he spoke to her with his maic voice, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m back now, aren¡¯t I? What¡¯s there to cry about? How are you taking care of yourself? Refugees in Africa aren¡¯t as miserable as you.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this all your fault?¡±

    Xi Xiaye used his shirt as her handkerchief to wipe her tears, sniffling while sheined. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around him tightly, desperately longing for the warmth and ease from his heart.

    ¡°I can see that you had it rough when I wasn¡¯t around... Me too...¡±

    He let out a long sigh and hugged her close. When he ran his fingers through her smooth, long hair, they felt at ease with each other¡¯s presence. Their wandering hearts had found their ce to settle down.

    She struggled out of his embrace as she looked at him with her starry eyes and whispered intimately, ¡°I missed you...¡±

 Chapter 670 - I Missed You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 670: I Missed You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He hugged her even tighter. He was using so much strength that he wished the two of them could merge into one.

    ¡°I never knew how it felt like to miss someone in the past, but nothing else could make me experience this pain being away from you.¡± Mu Yuchen pulled her head towards his chest, his gentle tone of voice sounding happy. ¡°Only you can do that, Xiaye.¡±

    She buried herself in his arms andined, ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t youe back earlier?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to get everything done and spend several months with you and wee our newborn baby, okay?¡±

    He patted her head and left a kiss on her forehead. Then, he nced at her belly as he smiled and put his hand over it. ¡°This little thing is growing up quickly. It¡¯s only been two months and it¡¯s grown so big.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked down as well, a smile appearing on her face. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s growing well. It¡¯s pretty naughty at times too. Sometimes it wakes me up at midnight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to give it a lesson after it¡¯s born!¡± He looked at her, and his heart softened when he saw the sweet smile on her face. He could not help but give her a kiss on her lips.

    She felt warm and secure as his slightly cold aura closed in. A faint light shed in her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around him as they continued to embrace each other.

    With that little thing between them, his dirty thoughts had to be put on hold at the moment.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the man and smiled warmly. ¡°You just got off the ne. Go take a bath and I¡¯ll cook you some noodles. Sis Wang and the others are already asleep. Let¡¯s not wake them up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    ¡°Go and take a bath. I¡¯ll go and cook for you now... Hurry. You smell...¡± She pushed him out of the study room.

    Mu Yuchen had no choice but to do as she said. He wanted to say that he was not really hungry, but he felt bad declining her kind offer.

    He went into the bathroom and took aforting bath. When he came out of the bedroom in his clean sleeping robe, Xi Xiaye served him a piping hot bowl of instant noodles.

    The tempting fragrance reminded Mu Yuchen that he was actually hungry.

    Xi Xiaye put the bowl of noodles before him and also got him a ss of water. ¡°Have a try. Let me know if I¡¯ve improved.¡± She handed him a pair of chopsticks as she looked full of hope.

    ¡°It looks pretty good. You don¡¯t really need to cook, you know. So what if you improved or not?¡±

    He smiled and took the chopsticks from her. As usual, he started eating elegantly. Xi Xiaye sat down beside him and just watched him while he ate. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a woman who can¡¯t cook.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to be a housewife? Unfortunately, I don¡¯t see any potential in you.¡± He swallowed the noodles andughed. ¡°Mmm, there¡¯s some improvement.¡±

    Xi Xiaye red at him and said unhappily, ¡°What does that mean? Don¡¯t look down on me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on you. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s no need. It¡¯s already taxing enough at work. You¡¯re going to tire yourself out quickly. How are you so skinny already? In a nce, people would think you¡¯re a refugee.¡±

    He put a small piece of a fried egg into her mouth.

    Xi Xiaye ate it, but she found it a little oily, so she grabbed a small slice of tomato and put it inside her mouth. She then started picking up his coat and necktie that he had left around earlier. ¡°Things have been really hectictely. Ruan Heng is still unconscious. The doctor said it all depends on his willpower. Su Nan... She¡¯s in the police station now. It¡¯s all because of your ex-fianc¨¨e...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped what she was doing as her eyes darkened. She nced at him, looking for help.

    Her pitiful eyes sessfully softened his heart. He put his chopsticks down and grabbed her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s only been a while and you¡¯ve be a mess. Xi Xiaye, can you let me be at ease? How did you survive all these years?¡±

    As he thought about how she had endured all of these alone in the past, his heart twisted in anguish. The struggle, the depression, the helplessness... He rted to these feelings very well.

    She looked at him with a fragile nce as she replied honestly, ¡°I haven¡¯t really experienced this kind of thing before. Su Nan and Ruan Heng always protected me, and now... I used to be independent on my own in the past, but ever since I got married to you, I...¡±

    She did not continue, but she knew very well that she had caught a bad habit ever since she married him, that was, she would be overly reliant on him. She would always think about leaving problems to him since he could fix everything anyway.

    Including Su Nan¡¯s issue, she believed that there was nothing he could not do. Her heart was at ease the moment she saw him return. It felt like such a huge contrast from the storm that she was experiencing before.

    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m a burden, Mr. Mu?¡± she asked anxiously when he looked downwards quietly.

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and stared at her face intently. he touched her face as he spoke with his maic voice that melted her heart, ¡°Can your brain think of something else? Just what nonsense are you thinking about? You¡¯re married and are bing a mother soon. Stop asking these questions. I don¡¯t need a capable or smart woman. You¡¯ll always be by my side as you¡¯re my child¡¯s mother. The rest has nothing to do with me. Got it?¡±

    She finally nodded after some time. ¡°Mmm, I won¡¯t ask again.¡±

 Chapter 671 - I Missed You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 671: I Missed You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After being busy for around half the night, by the time they finished washing up and got into bed to rest, it was already past 1 a.m.

    Inside the warm andfortable bedroom, the sheer bed drapes were put down, and the lights were dimmed, leaving only a dim light from the wallmp.

    Outside, there was still a chilly shower pouring...

    Xi Xiaye was obviously fond of the warm hug that she had been separated from for quite a while. Although she could vaguely hear the wind swaying gently outside, at the moment, she just felt filled with warmth.

    In the dark, listening to his subtle and gentle breathing, she suddenly softly called out to him, ¡°Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Her clear voice had just rung out when the arms around his waist tightened a little more.

    ¡°About Nannan...¡± she probed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow. Rest early unless you¡¯re nning to do other things.¡±

    As he said this, his warm body inched in closer. Only God knew the amount of control he needed to tamp the surging warm blood in him down.

    This little thing was getting in the way!

    How long more did he have to suffer for?

    At such times, Mu Yuchen would think that having one little thing was enough for the sake of his future welfare!

    Of course, Missus Mu could never know such thoughts. Otherwise, she would definitely say he was...

    Indeed, upon hearing Mr. Mu, Xi Xiaye did not continue. She nced up at his tensed, handsome face, as she pursed her lips and smiled. Without saying anything, she only hugged him tight and gradually fell asleep...

    When they woke up the next day, the rain was still pouring outside. Mu Yuchen considerately prepared breakfast before going upstairs to wake her up to wash up.

    She had not rested well for quite a few days now, butst night, she slept soundly till the morning.

    Xi Xiaye pulled her nket away a little unwillingly as she was woken up. She half-opened her dazed eyes and looked at Mr. Mu who was preparing her outfit for her by the wardrobe. She did not say anything for a long time.

    ¡°Quickly wash up. It¡¯s almost 9 a.m. Have breakfast first and rest for today.¡±

    He brought over clothes for her to change, but when Xi Xiaye took a look, she immediately rolled her eyes. Then, she reflexively looked down at her baby bump, and Master Mu remembered she was...

    He quickly chuckled apologetically. ¡°I forgot...¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wear these clothes anymore now. Go get a fewrger long blouses and a couple of windbreakers for me.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandmother prepare maternity dresses for you?¡± he asked in puzzlement.

    ¡°I don¡¯t look good wearing those. It¡¯s usually okay to just wear thoserge blouses and windbreakers. Su Nan knitted a few long blouses for me too. They fit very well on me. Besides, I¡¯m not used to wearing those clothes to work.¡±

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to fix her beautiful yet messy, long hair. She looked up at him standing by the bedside as she caressed her baby bump, asking softly, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve be ugly?¡±

    When she said this, Mu Yuchen lowered his head to nt a kiss on her forehead. With a chuckle, his tone contained a hint of reprimand. ¡°Who said so? You only know how to think of this nonsense. As ugly as you may be, you¡¯d still be prettier than Xi Shi [1]...¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Upon hearing that, a smile rippled on her bright and animated face.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer and just patted her head. ¡°Quickly get up and wash up. I¡¯ll prepare your clothes for you. Finish your breakfast, then we¡¯ll make a trip back to the Mu residence. At night, we¡¯ll have dinner at the Shen residence. I¡¯ve already informed Grandmother and Grandpa.¡±

    She raised her eyebrows and looked a little shocked at him. Then, she could not help but snicker. ¡°Mr. Mu, I suddenly realize that you have the potential to be a good husband.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®good husband¡¯?¡± The man looked at her puzzledly.

    She smiled sweetly, got up, and swiftly nted a kiss on his cheek. ¡°I¡¯m praising you right now!¡±

    Before he could react, she already walked towards the bathroom. He watched as she vanished into the bathroom. Then, a faint smile shed across his lips.

    After the breakfast, the husband and wife rested for a while, then Mu Yuchen said he wanted to return to the Mu residence, so Xi Xiaye quickly went upstairs to get her things.

    When he saw her bringing a huge bag into the car, he reached out to take it as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Those essories you brought back for me. I don¡¯t quite like these things, but this set looks like it suits Mother, so I¡¯m bringing it for her. Two days ago, I told her that you bought it just for her, and she was quite thrilled to hear it. Then, she said that she hasn¡¯t been too caring towards you in recent years, so you and she aren¡¯t close...¡±

    A light shed in his deep eyes. He smiled faintly and looked at her as he dotingly patted her head and said in a deep voice, ¡°Missus you¡¯re so considerate. Actually, you have the potential to be a good wife too.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I think Mother is quite an easy person to talk to. While you weren¡¯t around, she¡¯s been very caring about me.¡±

    When he heard her say that, he suddenly remembered that he did call Zhuang Shurong, asking her to watch over her too.

    To tell the truth, he had to admit that ever since he married her, his rtionship with his family had be much more harmonious. He would really be as they say in the past, cold and distant. Even if they were his kin, he could not really talk much about his problems, but now it was a little different. Sometimes, he would even talk about business matters with Mu Tangchuan too.

    ¡°You¡¯re her daughter-inw. Of course, she has to be concerned about you. If you both fell into a river, your Mr. Mu wouldn¡¯t need to choose who to save because she would¡¯ve rescued you to shore.¡±

    He smiled calmly and reached out to help her buckle up, then he swiftly started the car.

    ¡°Your cold humor doesn¡¯t sound funny at all.¡± She shot him a look and then reached out to start the radio which was going on about some news in the entertainment circle.

    ¡°Can you think of something to solve Su Nan¡¯s matter? I went to look for Gu Lingsha yesterday, but she doesn¡¯t seem to n on letting go of Su Nan. I know Su Nan well. No matter what it is, she wouldn¡¯t have pushed Gu Lingsha down the stairs.¡¯

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind was still fixated on this matter.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll handle this matter. You just rest for a few days. Hand over your work next week. In the uing months, just rest well. Don¡¯t handle Gu Lingsha because it¡¯s about the past. If it were a coincidence, that¡¯d be better, but if she has other thoughts, then she¡¯d just being for me,¡± Mu Yuchen said with a calm expression.

    ¡°Coming for you? Could it be about the car ident five years ago? She looks quite healthy and fine right now. There¡¯s no point to... Right, it sounds like we haven¡¯t heard about any traces of Qi Feng¡¯s tracks. Could he be dead? Does that means that only Gu Lingsha survived?¡±

    She cocked her head at Mu Yuchen in puzzlement.

 Chapter 672 - I Missed You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 672: I Missed You (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen smiled unaffectedly and remained calm as always. ¡°If Qi Feng is dead, then everything that Qi Qiming does is still not meaningless. I know Qi Qiming well. He wouldn¡¯t have a fall out with Wang Qin without reason.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. The other day at Wang Qin¡¯s banquet, I could feel the tension between the two of them, even Qi Lei. I don¡¯t see how he can get his desired oue. Qi Qiming¡¯s very cold to the two of them. Instead, he was very nice to Gu Lingsha. Even when it came to Su Nan¡¯s matter, Qi Qiming sent someone to handle it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m feeling helpless.¡±

    Then, a faint hint of sadness colored the space between Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyebrows.

    There was also the worrisome matter with Ruan Heng. He did not seem to be regaining consciousness soon. If he continued being like that, how was Su Nan going to manage?

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye felt depressed and her head started to throb.

    ¡°Su Chen has already left a word. Things should be fine on Su Nan¡¯s end. Just let me handle this.¡±

    Some gloom gathered underneath Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes and he did not look very pleased either, so Xi Xiaye knowingly stopped asking further.

    ...

    When they returned to the Mu residence, it was just in time for lunch. Upon knowing that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were bothing over, Zhuang Shurong, who was also on break, had specially prepared a sumptuous lunch. However, Mu Tangshan was still at work and not home.

    After lunch, Zhuang Shurong called Mu Yuchen over to the study room.

    Mu Yuchen rarely talked to Zhuang Shurong one-on-one. When he knocked and opened the door to the study room, Zhuang Shurong was taking a document from the shelf to browse through. Upon seeing Mu Yuchen enter, she kept it away and put it on the table. As she took off her sses, she pointed to the sofa across her. ¡°Have a seat!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and then sat right down on the sofa. There was boiled water on the coffee table on the side. When he noticed it, he began to leisurely steep some tea.

    Zhuang Shurong slowly walked over and sat across her.

    ¡°Has Father been busy recently?¡± Mu Yuchen asked first, then put the steeped tea before Zhuang Shurong.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded and picked up the tea before she carefully took a sip. ¡°It¡¯s going to be the year-end in a month. I¡¯ve been quite busy with work recently. Quite a number of managers need to be promoted at the end of the year too, so he needs to spend some time looking over the applications. Sigh, every time it¡¯s this time of the year, he always needs to leave early and returnte.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen saw the fatigue between Zhuang Shurong¡¯s eyes, he thought about it and said,

    ¡°Mother, if you¡¯re feeling tired, you can retire earlier too. You¡¯ve been in bureaucracy for a few decades now. You must be tired of it now.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay once you get used to it. I wouldn¡¯t know what to do if I retire so early. Your father probably still has chances of moving up, so I have to support him well. Ah Chen, a few days ago, I was talking to your father about you. All these years, we really have to thank you for your understanding.¡±

    ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have to say these things. I understand. Glory World doesn¡¯t need the two of your help either. Just do what you do best. As for the other things, I can handle it.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Zhuang Shurong nodded and did not continue this topic anymore. She went on, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Xiaye¡¯s friend. Xiaye¡¯s quite a meticulous person, so she didn¡¯t ask me about it. I¡¯m sure you know that Gu Lingsha¡¯s returned to City Z too.¡±

    When Zhuang Shurong said this, her pair of sharp eyes were fixated on Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face. She tried hard to read something from his expression, yet after she looked for a long while, she did not see the slightest hint of emotion being revealed.

    ¡°I know that the incident has always been a thorn in your heart. Ah Chen, in these past five years, we have all been carrying this heavy baggage with us and were tormented by it. It isn¡¯t only you. I¡¯m sad about Lingtian¡¯s misfortune too, but my heart hurts even more for you. You treat him like a brother. While they might not have treated you like one, you¡¯ve been a good older brother. You were very caring and considerate which is a good thing, but have you ever thought about how even if you helped him with something, it might not have been beneficial?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong sighed. She paused, then continued, ¡°You¡¯ve been sensible and reserved since you were young. You¡¯re very simr to your father. You never needed your father and me to worry about you. Compared to you, your father and I have put more thought about Lingtian and Lingshi. Instead, we neglected you. To a certain extent, as parents, your father and I have let you down. As for Lingtian...¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mother, don¡¯t talk about it anymore.¡±

    Mu Yuche could already guess what Zhuang Shurong was going to say. He could not help but cut her off. He trained his gaze on Zhuang Shurong. ¡°With regards to all of Lingtian¡¯s past, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Even if he was wrong in many ways, he¡¯s gone now. I don¡¯t want to be petty about so many things. Whether or not you¡¯re willing to admit it, I do have to take some responsibility for that ident. I¡¯d never push the me away. I admit that it was I who told Ah Bao to chase them.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong could hear a hint of angst in Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone. His eyes dimmed. She silently looked at Mu Yuchen¡¯s gloomy expression for a moment, and then said, ¡°Have you always known that Gu Lingsha is still alive?¡±

    ¡°Back then, when we didn¡¯t see her and Qi Feng¡¯s corpse, I¡¯ve always had my suspicions. When Xiaye and I had our wedding, I found out that she¡¯s been staying in Los Angeles.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not hide it. He knew that Zhuang Shurong had actually been very protective of him. At least, back then, when Mu Yinan had betrothed him to Gu Lingsha as children, she almost had a fall out with Mu Yinan. She firmly told Mu Yinan that her son would never be a sacrificialmb for a marriage to connect two prestigious families!

    For this, Mu Yuchen was thankful. If it were not for her iron fist protection, his fate would have probably ended with Gu Lingsha.

    He could vaguely remember that when he was younger, Gu Lingsha seemed to alwayse over to stay for short periods of time in the Mu residence. While he was already in boarding school, in fact, he always did not like these little girls, so every time he heard that Gu Lingsha was staying over, he would mostly run over to Su Chen and Zhou Zimo¡¯s ce. Instead, it was Lingtian who met her more often, thus it was no wonder they became good friends.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded and set her cup aside. ¡°When I went to the hospital for a checkup with Xiaye, I saw Gu Lingsha too. She hasn¡¯t changed much from years ago, but the feeling she gives me right now is that she was much shrewder. She¡¯s probably taken on a different mindsetpared to years ago. Most importantly, she¡¯s Qi Qiming¡¯s assistant.¡±

 Chapter 673 - Canâ€™t Run Away From Responsibility

    <h4>Chapter 673: Can¡¯t Run Away From Responsibility</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Zhuang Shurong said this, her expression was slightly solemn. She silently watched Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face and paused for a while. When he did not answer, she continued, ¡°I won¡¯t say too much. I just hope that you will be more vignt. I¡¯ve never agreed for the two of you to be together. Right from the start, even though your father and I are in high positions, we¡¯re in a very sensitive situation. We can¡¯t give you anything. The only thing we can fight for you is that we hope for you to have a happy marriage.¡±

    ¡°I watched Gu Lingsha grow up too. All these years, I could tell that you didn¡¯t have her on your mind, so I knew. Actually, back then when you agreed to marry her, I¡¯d personally went looking for her, hoping that she could leave you because I could not see a hint of love in your eyes. Ah Chen, I¡¯ll never be afraid to admit the things that I¡¯ve done. I know what kind of person my son is. If you¡¯re still ming yourself for Lingtian¡¯s incident, then I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t run away from the responsibility either.¡±

    When Zhuang Shurong finished, Mu Yuchen was stunned for a moment. He suddenly looked up at her, his depth-filled eyes suddenly filled with mixedplications. Then, he looked away and picked up the teapot before pouring some tea for Zhuang Shurong again as he said, ¡°Why did you look for her? Since I¡¯ve nodded and agreed to marry her, I have my own ns too.¡±

    ¡°Because I think that she doesn¡¯t suit you, Ah Chen... Even though everyone should have their own love and no one can imitate anyone else, I still hope that you could be like your father and I. You are thebination of your father and me. I hope that you can be happy too. While Gu Lingsha is extremely shrewd, there¡¯s also the rtionship with the Gu family too.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong sighed softly. ¡°Back then, when I went to look for her, I struggled for a long time too, but my father didn¡¯t stop me.¡±

    ¡°I clearly told her that even if she married into the Mu family, I wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her. In fact, I was firm on not having her work at Glory World Corporation. I¡¯ve long noticed Gu Qihao is wildly ambitious. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t still let Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng have their unclear rtionship while knowing that Gu Lingsha was your fianc¨¨e.¡±

    Even though Zhuang Shurong was not a businesswoman, she was still someone who had hustled in the political scene for many years. Plus, with her position, she held extraordinary vignce and was very careful doing all things. She could not afford the slightest mistake. This was how as a woman, she could hold such a high position and did not have a single scandal.

    She had always been like this. As long as she realized something was odd, she would make a move first and not let it develop into a disaster. Even Mu Yuchen admired how firm and decisive she was in doing things.

    ¡°So, Ah Chen, I probably can¡¯t run from the responsibility of Gu Lingsha eloping before her marriage. When I went to look for her, Lingtian found out. You also know even though Lingtian has been calling me mother for all these years, he¡¯s not close to me. I even flung a cup of coffee onto Gu Lingsha¡¯s face, and Lingtian saw it all.¡±

    Upon hearing Zhuang Shurong, a puzzlement shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. He looked calmly at Zhuang Shurong and said in a gruff voice, ¡°What are you trying to say by telling me all of this?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong suddenly smiled. She lowered her head for a sip of tea, suddenly seeming relieved. ¡°Ah Chen, don¡¯t you understand?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying...¡±

    ¡°Lingtian has liked Gu Lingsha for a long time. Tell me. How can I let a woman like her marry into the Mu family? Am I going to let you two brothers fall out with each other? Lingtian is already prejudiced against you, isn¡¯t he? I¡¯ve been trying to guess why as the older brother, you¡¯ve been protecting Lingtian while he... Then, I personally saw Gu Lingsha cry in front of him because of the marriage to you.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s tone was filled with certainly as Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze darkened and he stopped what he doing. ¡°But Lingtian told me that he only saw Gu Lingsha as a sister and that he¡¯d never had any other thoughts. That was why I agreed.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong did not respond this time. She only smiled.

    ...

    Not long after lunch, the husband and wife went looking for Shen Yue, but they did not go straight to the Shen residence. Instead, they agreed to Shen Yue¡¯s request and went to a golf course near the residence.

    Shen Yue and Mu Yuchen decided on ying a few games of golf.

    Xi Xiaye had never really yed before. Usually, when she came looking for Shen Yue, it would just be to watch him y.

    Unexpectedly, now she would watch Shen Yue and Mu Yuchen y rather jovially. Shen Yue was far more meticulous with Mu Yuchen than her as the granddaughter. When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye felt mncholic for some reason, but seeing them happy was worth it.

    Xi Xiayey on the lounge chair leisurely as she turned to the side to watch the drizzle outside the French windows. Suddenly, the man¡¯s voice came into her ears. When she subconsciously turned to look, he had already walked over and swiftly sat down beside her while Shen Yue was already resting on the other side.

    She reached out to take the golf club.

    Xi Xiaye looked puzzled at the golf club in hand as she muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t quite know how to y it yet...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I teach you before? Have you already forgotten all about it?¡± As he asked her softly, his tall and warm body had already leaned down to take away the golf club from her hand. ¡°You can¡¯t y right now, but I¡¯ll teach you next time.¡±

    She nodded and then handed a ss of warm water to Shen Yue. ¡°Grandpa, have some water.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Shen Yue drank two sips, and then looked at the couple. ¡°I¡¯ve carefully considered the South River project. Since the two of you rmend Qi Lei, then tell him to prepare the proposal in another two days. I want to meet him personally. If he really is as you say, then it¡¯s possible for us to work with him.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xiaye was shocked. She quickly looked at Mu Yuchen, knowing that he had rmended Qi Lei to Shen Yue.

    ¡°Ah Chen, I¡¯ve taken a look at the materials you sent over. Qi Lei¡¯s background in construction is pretty solid. If Fuhua can maintain a long term working rtionship with him, it¡¯s not a bad thing. It¡¯s good to have someone like Qi Lei on our side. You can set aside personal grudges and partner up for the benefit of all. Ah Chen, you did well.¡±

    Shen Yue acknowledged Mu Yuchen with recognition. The more he saw this grandson-inw of his, the more he was satisfied.

 Chapter 674 - Worries

    <h4>Chapter 674: Worries</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nodded humbly at Shen Yue¡¯s words. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll invite him tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s meet next weekend. Have him toe and y chess with me. Not many youngsters know how to y nowadays!¡±

    Shen Yue took a towel from the waiter and wiped his face before grabbing his walking stick and standing up slowly. Then, he started ambling outside. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. This rain isn¡¯t stopping anytime soon.¡±

    Mu Yuchen helped Xi Xiaye to get up and they followed right behind the elderly man.

    The sky turned dark when they returned to the Shen residence. A strong wind was blowing outside, but it was warm inside the house.

    The servants were about to prepare dinner, but Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye wanted to make dinner themselves, so the servants left the kitchen to them.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, sometimes I think Grandpa would feel lonely here, so I thought why don¡¯t we adopt a child from the orphanage? Having a child to stay with Grandpa could ease his loneliness. My parents areing back soon, but they¡¯ll be teaching at University A, so they can only spend time with him on the weekends. With Grandpa¡¯s retirementing up soon, he¡¯ll be staying at home alone, so...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped what she was doing and gave him a look that was asking for permission.

    ¡°Have you told Grandpa about this already?¡± he asked.

    She nodded as her eyes sparkled and she gazed downward at her belly. ¡°I also hope our child can experience a fulfilling childhood just like you and Ah Mo. I think it¡¯d be great, unlike me being an only child.¡±

    Heughed and then turned around to look at her. ¡°Do it if you want to. I¡¯ll get people to research orphanages. Then, we¡¯ll head over and take a look if we find anyone suitable.¡±

    He was d toply! With just one child of theirs, it would be nice to have a ymate for their child.

    He was heartbroken to see her suffer during her pregnancy. He also did not want her attention to be divided too much because he required attention too!

    Xi Xiaye was overjoyed to receive his approval, and she nodded her head repeatedly.

    He shook his head helplessly.

    What an easily satisfied woman!

    ...

    The dinner was soonid out. There was nothing extravagant, just some home-cooked dishes.

    Shen Yue had a few drinks as he was really pleased. Just as Xi Xiaye was about to remind Mu Yuchen to stop as he needed to driveter, his phone started ringing. Mu Yuchen shot her a knowing nce and she quickly picked up the call.

    ¡°Master, Ms. Su Nan passed out in jail and is now on the way to Hospital T. What should we do?¡± It was Ah Mo¡¯s voice.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face turned pale instantly. She frowned and all the worries inside her surfaced.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked when he noticed something was not right.

    Xi Xiaye was not herself as she grabbed his sleeve and said frantically, ¡°What should I do? Ah Mo just called and said Nannan passed out. She¡¯s being sent to Hospital T...¡±

    ...

    The two of them rushed straight to the hospital before they could finish dinner. Xi Xiaye called Ji Zitong over to help monitor Ruan Heng¡¯s condition. With him still in an unstable state right now, both the Ruan family and the Su family were a mess.

    Su Nan¡¯s father tried to ease things by using his connections, but Gu Lingsha¡¯s side was toying with them. They said to wait for the police¡¯s verdict and wait until Gu Lingsha¡¯s condition became better, yet Su Nan still had to be arrested for the moment.

    It was pitch dark outside when they just arrived at Hospital T. A heavy downpour was going on.

    Ah Mo and the others went up to them as they just got out of the car.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as he walked into the hospital with Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Doctor said she passed out from being overly anxious and exhausted. She cannot take on anymore shock or she¡¯ll definitely crumble,¡± Ah Mo replied as he brought them into the elevator.

    Su Nan had turned extremely skinny in just a few days. She appeared lifeless on the bed, and Xi Xiaye felt a chilling cold when she grabbed her hand.

    Su Nan¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes were already red from all the crying.

    Mu Yuchen stood aside without saying anything. Momentster, he turned around and left the room while Ah Mo followed him.

    Outside Su Nan¡¯s room, Mu Yuchen asked Ah Mo with a serious expression, ¡°What did the doctor say about Ruan Heng¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°Still the same. It all depends on his willpower or he might be asleep like this forever. It¡¯s not looking good,¡± Ah Mo said as he handed an investigation report to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Missus had me conduct an investigation on what happened. Both sides were at fault. It¡¯s hard to conclude Gu Lingsha¡¯s intentions.¡±

    Mu Yuchen flipped through it and his expression darkened. He threw the report onto the bench as a chill filled his tone of voice. ¡°Get Ji Zitong to send your sister-inw back to Maple Residence. Bring Gu Lingsha here to see me.¡±

    He stormed off along the corridor after he gave his orders, his cold figure leaving Ah Mo shuddering. After working for him for so many years, he knew that his Master was truly furious this time.

    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯ll get it done right away!¡± Ah Mo replied and quickly gestured to the bodyguards behind who came up to him. He quietly gave them orders before the two of them nodded and then went away.

    Inside Su Nan¡¯s room, she was gradually waking up.

    ¡°Nannan, how do you feel?¡± Xi Xiaye held her hand and asked anxiously.

    Su Nan struggled to move her body. She blinked and looked around before asking, ¡°Xiaye? Where am I? Why am I here?¡± She was suffering from a terrible headache as she formed the words.

    ¡°You¡¯re in the hospital. You passed out. The police are still outside,¡± Xi Xiaye answered with a concerned frown on her face.

 Chapter 675 - Confrontation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 675: Confrontation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan¡¯s expression darkened while she lowered her head in silence.

    ¡°Your body is frail and you passed out due to exhaustion. Mu Yuchen talked to the police and they agreed to let you recover here. We¡¯ll deal with the other thingster on. Don¡¯t worry about it. Ruan Heng is already in that condition and you definitely cannot crumble now. What would Xiao Chenxi do?¡± Xi Xiaye expressed her concern.

    Su Nan took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°I know. Thank you, Xiaye. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s reallyte now and there¡¯s a huge downpour outside. It must¡¯ve been tiring for you toe over. I¡¯ve thought things through during the time I spent inside. I still have to live on. Being weak right now doesn¡¯t help. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s time for me to stop being emotional, I know.¡±

    Xi Xiaye patted her hand. ¡°It¡¯s great that you can have that attitude. It¡¯s not the end of the world. Rest up and continue to wait for Ruan Heng to wake up after dealing with your issue. If Gu Lingsha insists on giving us trouble, we¡¯ll pursue the legal path. I¡¯ve told Mu Yuchen to get you the bestwyer, so you¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I believe in you! I¡¯ll put myself in your hands! It¡¯s cold outside. Being pregnant doesn¡¯t help either. You shouldn¡¯t visit this ce so often. It¡¯s filled with germs which are harmful to you. I¡¯m fine here. My parents are here with me! Besides, Lingshies and visits me every day. I¡¯ll let you know if something happens. It¡¯s time for you to go back now. Be careful on your way back.¡±

    Su Nan shot Xi Xiaye a nce of gratitude, but at the same time, she was chasing her away, asking her to leave.

    Xi Xiaye was really worried about her in the past few days. Her face obviously showed she was exhausted, and Su Nan felt bad for it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiaye. You should head back and not force yourself. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll be sure to let you know if something happens.¡± Su Nan¡¯s mother was grateful.

    Ji Zitong, who had been keeping quiet this whole time, went up and whispered to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Director Xi, Chairman Mu told me to send you back to Maple Residence. He¡¯ll make the arrangements here.¡±

    ¡°What about him?¡± Xi Xiaye turned around and noticed Mu Yuchen was not there anymore.

    ¡°He had something important to take care of. Let¡¯s go back, Director Xi.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded quietly and bade farewell.

    The night was gettingte, and the rain was not stopping at all.

    Inside a suite ward, Gu Lingsha was having her sweet dreams when there was a loud noise when the door was flung open.

    Bang!

    She instantly woke up shocked as she looked towards the door.

    Two men in ck suits were standing beside the door. Shocked, she quickly covered herself with a nket and shuddered. She tried the suppress her fear and asked coldly, ¡°Who are you guys? How dare you intrude my room?¡±

    The two bodyguards ignored her. Soon after that, another person came in. Before Gu Lingsha could react, he was already right before her.

    Ah Mo!

    Gu Lingsha recognized him instantly! He had appeared as Xi Xiaye¡¯s bodyguard at Wang Qin¡¯s birthday banquet.

    If Ah Mo was here causing a scene, was Mu Yuchen there?

    Had Mu Yuchen returned?

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s clenched her fists under the nket, hiding the faint light in her eyes under her eyebrows as she looked at Ah Mo quietly.

    Ah Mo was very close to Mu Lingtian before, so Gu Lingsha was no stranger to him. Especially after he became Mu Yuchen¡¯s assistant, Mu Yuchen sent him to deal with Gu Lingsha on many asions.

    To a certain extent, Ah Mo was very unhappy about Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Long time no see, Ms. Gu! Master has put in a lot of effort trying to locate you all over the years. I didn¡¯t expect you to make an appearance on your own.¡± Ah Mo walked closer and stopped at the end of the bed.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Gu Lingsha did her best to suppress her fear and put on a calm expression as she looked at Ah Mo with the help of the dim tablemp. ¡°It seems like Mu Yuchen¡¯s returned, huh?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you basically asking for Master to meet you after you did all those things? Master has seen through all your tricks. I advise you to stop putting up an act.¡±

    Ah Mo did not have a good impression of Gu Lingsha at all. Lingtian would not have died if it was not for her, and Lingshi would not have turned out like this. He tried to be nice to her for Lingtian¡¯s sake, but ever since Lingtian¡¯s ident, he never had any positive thoughts about Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingshaughed when she heard Ah Mo. ¡°I can see that you have quite a huge misunderstanding about me. I heard Mu Lingshi was disfigured. I thought you¡¯d hate Mu Yuchen, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so forgiving.¡±

    Ah Mo stared at Gu Lingshi like he was looking at an idiot. ¡°Ms. Gu, your tricks might prove to be useful on Qi Lei, but if it weren¡¯t for you, Lingtian and Lingshi would¡¯ve still been fine. Don¡¯t you think I should direct my hatred towards you instead?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression was strained as she nced at Ah Mo¡¯s cold face. After a while, she asked, ¡°Did Mu Yuchen send you here?¡±

    ¡°If you already know, then please follow me. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve longed to meet him. Master is angered due to your selfish and idiotic behavior, so I hope you can be smart for once. Master hates people threatening him like this,¡± Ah Mo replied coldly.

    Gu Lingsha smiled and leaned back, rxed. ¡°Oh? Really? What if I say I don¡¯t want to meet him at all?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide!¡±

    Ah Mo stopped trying to convince her. He signaled the bodyguards and the two swiftly went to the side of Gu Lingsha¡¯s bed. They forcefully pulled her out of the bed. Just as she was about to scream, Ah Mo interrupted, ¡°Feel free to scream if you want the whole world to see what you look like now!¡±

 Chapter 676 - Confrontation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 676: Confrontation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha stopped the moment she heard Ah Mo. She looked at him coldly and said, ¡°Let me down. I can walk on my own!¡±

    Ah Mo shot her a cold nce before signaling the bodyguards again. They then released Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Please go ahead!¡± Ah Mo said coldly before heading forward.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned cold as she nced at Ah Mo. While the two bodyguards behind her did not move, she went forward with a cold smile on her face.

    She did not think they would be able to just take her out of the hospital like this!

    As expected, after turning the corner at the end of the corridor, Ah Mo walked towards the elevator, but two ck figures blocked his path. There were two massive bodyguards before him! They stood there between Ah Mo and the elevator.

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re taking Ms. Gu to?¡± asked one of the bodyguards coldly.

    ¡°Move!¡± ordered Ah Mo as his expression turned cold.

    The two bodyguards traded nces at each other before stepping forward.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself for the third time! Move!¡± Ah Mo frowned as he threw a cold nce at the two people before him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You guys can¡¯t take her away unless CEO Qi gives his permission!¡± the bodyguards replied.

    ¡°Really? What if I insist on taking her?¡± Ah Mo put on a cold grin as he looked at the two of them. They moved in closer and was determined to stop Ah Mo.

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes turned icy as he moved forward swiftly. He swung his arm terrifyingly fast. Before the two of them could react, Ah Mo already had his ws firmly locked onto their shoulders!

    They felt an intense and sharp paining from their shoulders, and their faces turned pale. Just as they wanted to attack Ah Mo, he punched them first. They yelled and backed off slightly.

    ¡°Can we go now?¡± Ah Mo nced at them. ¡°Go back and tell CEO Qi that Chairman Mu wants to see her. He cane if he dares to.¡±

    The two bodyguards behind Gu Lingsha moved forward and secured her. As her face darkened, she could only follow Ah Mo.

    The heavy rain continued pouring as they arrived at the entrance of the hospital. She only donned a jacket on top of her outfit, so she shuddered as the cold wind blew while the anger within her grew stronger.

    However, Ah Mo and the others did not feel a thing. They pushed Gu Lingsha into the car the moment it arrived. He went in and they left.

    Gu Lingsha stared at Ah Mo who was sitting in the front passenger seat as she asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once we reach there,¡± Ah Mo replied coldly.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you work for him all these years? What right do you have to treat me like this? If it wasn¡¯t for Mu Lingshi and you chasing together with so many other bodyguards, the tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened. You¡¯re partly responsible for Lingtian¡¯s death as well!¡±

    Gu Lingsha let out a bitterugh. ¡°How funny! Each and every one of you are murderers, yet you guys assume the position of victims and me everything onto me. What have you done for Lingtian all these years after his death? He probably never expected his life to end at the hands of his brothers!¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression turned furious as his expression darkened. He did not say a thing.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is a coward. He always acts all high and mighty, yet he was the main cause of this tragedy. He¡¯s the cruelest one of all.¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice sounded bitter and her eyes teared up, but she forced herself to not let the tears fall. She took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re not worthy of being Lingtian¡¯s brother, even more so Mu Yuchen¡¯s.¡±

    Gu Lingsha then turned and looked out of the car window.

    Ah Mo closed his eyes and calmed down as he suppressed the pain and sorrow deep down within. He suddenly felt sad. He was sad for his Master.

    Master had neverined about giving out so much. Was there any time that he would not let Lingtian and Lingshi get the good stuff first?

    Master was extremely strict with himself, yet he was very generous with the people close to him. If Zhuang Shurong and Wang Hui had not insisted on him going back, Master thought about staying in the army. The huge Glory World Corporation might have been handed down to Lingtian instead.

    Master had always said that the experience in the army life was invaluable. Only Su Chen and the few others understood that what Master really wanted was a simple life. He never had a rxed day ever since he took over Glory World.

    Mu Lingtian had always been a smart person since he was a child. He possessed talents and interest in business and was always involved with Glory World¡¯s business after he graduated from high school.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong thought of him as their own son. Sometimes, they treated him even better than their own son. Ah Mo could not imagine it. Could an outsider be more important than his own brother?

    She even said that the Master was not worthy of being Mu Lingtian¡¯s brother!

    Ah Mo¡¯s heart was in agony for his Master.

    Along the way, Ah Mo remained silent no matter what Gu Lingsha said. He harbored a sudden disgust towards her all because this woman had sullied his Master¡¯s pure image.

    Roughly forty minutester, the car came to a stop on the road beside the river.

    Ah Mo left the car and opened the door beside Gu Lingsha. As the cold wind and rain gushed in, Gu Lingsha¡¯s body shivered but Ah Mo did not seem to care.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Get down!¡±

    Gu Lingsha shuddered once again as she wrapped her coat tighter around her. She quickly went under Ah Mo¡¯s umbre as he turned around and moved forward. ¡°Master is in the sheltered booth ahead. Follow me!¡±

 Chapter 677 - Confrontation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 677: Confrontation (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The lights by the river were very dim. Amidst the swaying wind and rain, the biting gale that whistled past was exceptionally chilly. Gu Lingsha pulled the coat around her tighter as she followed Ah Mo. They walked through the misty rain before they reached the booth very quickly.

    At the staircase of the booth, a few ck-suited bodyguards were standing there expressionlessly. She looked up and saw a dark figure standing by the guardrail, the hem of his windbreaker fluttering in the wind. His tall figure looked bleak and indifferent.

    ¡°Master, she¡¯s here.¡± Ah Mo¡¯s deep voice was heard.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand gently and nodded. Ah Mo knowingly waved the bodyguards aside.

    Gu Lingsha looked up. Because she was cold, she was still shivering as she carefully protected her injured arm. She stared unmovingly at the stiff back. After a while, she slowly walked up the stairs. Aplicated light shed in her beautiful eyes, and her voice could not conceal the coldness in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s lukewarm voice was heard unhurriedly.

    ¡°It has been a while! We haven¡¯t seen each other for five years, right?¡± Gu Lingsha walked a few steps to Mu Yuchen, then stopped and sneered. ¡°It¡¯s been five years. I heard that you¡¯ve been looking for me. Should I feel honored that you have been thinking of me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. He just stood frozen as he tapped the railings before him. Then, he looked down at the silver waves bobbing on the surface of the river while hostility gathered between his brows.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I don¡¯t think you told them to bring me here just for you to stand there!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone was a little aggressive, as she stared at Mu Yuchen.

    He fell silent for a moment. Then, his deep voice suddenly came, but he did not turn to look at Gu Lingsha. ¡°The past is between us. It¡¯s got nothing to do with anyone else. Don¡¯t drag others in. Su Nan didn¡¯t push you. You fell down the stairs yourself.¡±

    When Gu Lingsha heard his usation, a cold smile shed across her exquisitely beautiful face. ¡°What? You just don¡¯t want me to go after Su Nan? Or does your heart hurt seeing Xi Xiaye all wan and sallow, and you can¡¯t bear it? How surprising that Mu Yuchen would have such a day too! I thought that you should at least be apologetic right now, or ask me about what happened years ago!¡±

    Just as she wished, Mu Yuchen asked calmly, ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Feng?¡±

    Gu Lingsha sneered again with hatred in her beautiful eyes. ¡°Gone! Like Lingtian, he¡¯s gone!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± When Gu Lingsha said that, Mu Yuchen finally turned around slowly. His profound eyes looked exceptionally icy underneath the dim lights. Gu Lingsha could not help but be stunned at this sight. His noble and handsome face was apathetic as always. ¡°All of this is your fault! Are you happy now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled with an indifferent expression. ¡°So, this time you¡¯vee back for revenge? With Qi Qiming¡¯s help?¡±

    ¡°Huh, revenge? Do you know what you¡¯ve done that makes me want revenge? Mu Yuchen, I¡¯ve never met a more despicable and cruel person than you! The funny thing is, you don¡¯t seem to have reflected on those horrible things you did. I admit that I was wrong too, but you dare say that all you did was right? It was all caused by your indifference and cold-bloodedness!¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not hide her pained expression. When she thought about Lingtian, Qi Feng, and her child that she was forced to give up on, she was torn with grief. The pain was suffocating.

    ¡°My fault? I was just agreeing to the Gu family¡¯s strong wishes, and fulfilling the promise of our marriage contract. Weren¡¯t you begging to join the Mu family then too?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled with disdain. Underneath the flickering lights, it made the cold smile on his face even more obvious. ¡°I remember back then when you were with Qi Feng, I did let you two be together. It¡¯s not like I, Mu Yuchen, have to marry you. When I was still serving the army, I already told you two it very clearly.¡±

    As he said this, her expression stiffened slightly.

    ¡°I did give you two a chance, but you just didn¡¯t want it. You went away with Qi Feng while being my fianc¨¨e. On ount of the Mu and the Gu families¡¯ rtionship, I could forgive you once, but you failed to appreciate my kindness. You had to ruin this rtionship and put all the me on me, so please ask yourself, is there anything as convenient as this?

    ¡°Since that is so, why did you agree to my father and were willing to stay, yet afterward you...¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s intense eyes fell onto Mu Yuchen. The rain made it chilly and her voice was broken by the cold wind, yet you could still hear the way she endured the struggle and pain from her tone.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t agree to it, would Gu Qihao be willing to just let things go? Weren¡¯t you lot already intent on being connected to the Mu family by marriage?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Gu Lingsha disapprovingly. ¡°If you¡¯re back to take revenge for these things, you can alwayse for me. Don¡¯t involve Xiaye or anyone else around her. Otherwise, you¡¯ll meet the consequences.¡±

    ¡°And if I don¡¯t? You have your brother¡¯s blood on your hands, so what right do you have to say this to me? Don¡¯t forget that if it weren¡¯t for you, the tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened! While you justy all the fault on me and Qi Feng, you don¡¯t even know what happened! Huh, what a joke! What is there for me to say to someone as cruel as you? Since you can guess the reason for my return, I don¡¯t have to hide it either. I¡¯ll make you regret treating me that way years ago!¡± Gu Lingsha calmed down now, and she looked at Mu Yuchen with a disdainful smile.

    ¡°Are you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her with interest, then gave Ah Mo a nce. Without him needing to make a sound, Ah Mo and the rest had alreadye up, and held her back without a word, dragging her down the stairs by the river...

    Swoosh!

    Gu Lingsha only felt herself freeze. The cold river water recklessly invaded all of her being, and she almost could not breathe. Struggling desperately, in that one instant, she almost felt herself inches away from death!

    Pff!

    ¡°Cough cough!¡±

    When the suffocation was about to drown her, the hand that pushed her down from above pulled her back up, and she vomited out a lot of water in a sorry state as she coughed uncontrobly. Her eyes were filled with the fear of death.

    ¡°Now, are you clear about who you¡¯re talking to?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s cold voice brushed past her ears, and Gu Lingsha quivered again.

 Chapter 678 - Confrontation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 678: Confrontation (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her hurt wrist rippled with pain again, and Gu Lingsha almost want to cry out in pain, yet she held it back!

    As painful as it was, she could handle it. This little sting was nothing to her. After going through such excruciating suffering, she had already trained for powerful endurance and strength.

    ¡°Kill me if you can. I¡¯m not afraid of dying!¡± Gu Lingsha coughed in a dismal state. Her head of beautiful long hair was damp. Even though there was still a hint of fear in her eyes, she was unyielding.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were like this, Gu Lingsha, but if, as you say, I am a despicable person, how could I only have one trick up my sleeves? Obviously, I wouldn¡¯t kill you. After all, I am one who appreciates life too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked down at her. His eyes were filled with gloom. ¡°But if I hand these things to the media, how do you think you¡¯ll end up? Or what would Qi Lei think of you? I¡¯m afraid Wang Qin wouldn¡¯t let you off so easily, would she?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled mysteriously and reached out to take the folder Ah Mo handed him. He took two photos out from inside and brought it to Gu Lingsha.

    Taking them for a closer look, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression immediately distorted and turned pale!

    Those pictures were of her and Qi Qiming being intimate. Actually, those photos were not true. They were just taken from a unique angle, so it looked extremely real. Like the one before her, Qi Qiming was talking to her with his head tilted and one hand on her shoulder. It looked like the two of them were being affectionate.

    ¡°Nonsense! This isn¡¯t real! How dare you frame me? Where did you get these pictures! Where!?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression sank. Her beautiful eyes were furious. Instantly, she tore those pictures to shreds and threw it at Mu Yuchen!

    ¡°I¡¯m just beating someone at their own game, Miss Gu. Why are you so worried?¡±

    On the side, Ah Mo held her down as he chuckled coldly and took the folder Mu Yuchen handed him. He was not gentle at all as he let go of Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°This is rubbish! Uncle Qi and I are innocent. How dare you recklessly smear our names!? Mu Yuchen, if you dare start rumors, I won¡¯t let go of you! I definitely won¡¯t!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes widened and were red as she looked at Mu Yuchen through gritted teeth!

    If these pictures were leaked, forget about her reputation being destroyed. Even Qi Qiming would be affected, and everyone knew he was currently fighting to the death with Wang Qin now. He had finally gotten the upper hand. If these were to be leaked, Qi Kai¡¯s shares would probably be affected!

    This man was straight up cruel!

    He went big once he gunned for it!

    Mu Yuchen did not care about Gu Lingsha¡¯s anger at all. He smiled with an apathetic expression, and elegantly fixed his slightly wrinkled sleeve. ¡°Su Nan¡¯s innocent. You thought that Su Nan pushed you because you were dizzy. Those policemen saw it wrongly. Tomorrow, I want to see the police revoke the case. Otherwise, you know that I can do far worse than this. I believe that with Qi Qiming¡¯s capabilities, he can definitely pacify this without a sound.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re threatening me!¡± Gu Lingsha clenched her fists tightly as she said through gritted teeth.

    Mu Yuchen turned away nonchntly with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. You can think so. Go and tell Qi Qiming, or perhaps that person that has been manipting you in the dark so that they can y the game, and I would y with you, but they have to know the rules. If they don¡¯t, I can teach them a lesson!¡± he said, then slowly walked down the stairs. He looked at Gu Lingsha who had fallen on the stairs with her fists clenched tightly. Smiling nonchntly, he then walked past her while a ck-suited bodyguard quickly went up with an umbre.

    Just as Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure was about to vanish in the rain, Gu Lingsha suddenly shouted at his back, ¡°Mu Yuchen! Back then, was it your idea to let Lingtian stay?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not slow down. The one who answered indifferently her was Ah Mo instead. ¡°What do you think? Do you think I was really willing to try marrying you for three months? Are you worthy?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m not worthy?! Mu Lingmo, you¡¯re just a lowly orphan. If you can marry Mu Lingshi, why can¡¯t I be a proper heiresspared to you? It¡¯s best if you consider your words when you speak. The ironic thing is Mu Yuchen even spoke about rules! Do you understand them?¡±

    Gu Lingsha could not handle such provocation. Even an outstanding man like Qi Feng idolized her. While Lingtian took extremely good care of her, here she was being loathed. The rage and dissatisfaction were clearly hard to stop.

    ¡°You¡¯d better go back and discuss with Qi Qiming how to pacify this matter. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that tomorrow you will see those unknown stories about you and Qi Qiming in all the papers and magazines...¡±

    Ah Mo pretended he did not hear her as he grinned coldly and took a picture out from the folder before tossing it at Gu Lingsha. ¡°We learned this from you. Master says he¡¯s honored that he had caught the essence and used it on you. Well, the effects should be great.¡±

    Then, Ah Mo followed Mu Yuchen.

    Inside the cold booth, Gu Lingsha was left in a pathetic state. He picked up the picture that fell before her to study it. Then, her eyes instantly turned cold, and her pale face could not conceal a pained expression. The chill she felt all over was mixed with intense pain. She could not help but feel dazed.

    She held her little face in anguish and the suffering that suppressed in her chest almost flooded out.

    All these years, not only had she suffered the pain of loss, but she even had many nightmares. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see that scene of the badly mutted body that shed in her mind.

    The instant the car had flown out, Mu Lingtian jumped to her and protected her with his body. Next, a ssh of red sprinkled across her face...

    Those broken scenes kept on getting interweaved in her mind. With that suffocating fear of a near-death experience, she still had lingering fears. She would always be awoken by those nightmares at night. She would hear Mu Lingtian¡¯s painful cries in her nightmares, screaming for her to save him, and her poor child, and Wei Wei...

    The more Gu Lingsha thought about it, the more she was afraid. She shrunk into a fetal position, engulfed by the hazy rain, and with the sound of the riverpping against the banks, she almost broke down!

    All of this was Mu Yuchen¡¯s fault!

    Why did she have to suffer from all of this pain? Why could he continue living peacefully and happily?

 Chapter 679 - Confrontation (5)

    <h4>Chapter 679: Confrontation (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Mu Yuchen reached the car, several sources of light came from the quiet path ahead. The strong lights came closer as there was a loud screeching of brakes.

    ¡°Master!¡± Ah Mo came forward and stood before Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen just looked at the cars as he squinted.

    Soon, he could see the two ck cars with the help of the dim streetmps. Ah Mo tensed up as he nced back at the bodyguards. The four of them surrounded Mu Yuchen as they looked at the cars vigntly.

    The car lights were left switched on. Mu Yuchen waved and signaled Ah Mo who looked forward alertly before ncing back at him. ¡°Master, it¡¯s dangerous!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Mu Yuchen stepped forward and looked calmly at the person walking towards them.

    ...

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Qi Qiming!¡±

    Ah Mo frowned the moment he saw who wasing. ¡°They are here for Gu Lingsha!¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. He just looked at Qi Qiming as he came closer. A smile spread across his face when Qi Qiming was roughly five steps away from him. ¡°What a coincidence to see you here, CEO Qi. It¡¯s truly a pleasure.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Pleasure? I don¡¯t think so! Chairman Mu, you have the interest to stay out in the rain, huh? The hospital called me in the middle of the night, informing me that you took my people away without my permission. Isn¡¯t that a little rude? Ms. Gu is a VIP of the Qi family. I have to be responsible if anything happens to her.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just old friends reuniting. How can you say that?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°I can see that CEO Qi is concerned about Ms. Gu. Is there going to be any celebration in the Qi family? Please let me know if there is. No matter what, Qi Kai and Glory World are partners now. I¡¯ll definitely prepare a gift for you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave Qi Qiming an elegant nod, but before Qi Qiming could reply, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. The scenery around here is great. Please help yourself, CEO Qi!¡±

    He then went into the car. Ah Mo and the others hopped into the car swiftly as well.

    Qi Qiming watched as the car drive away. He only realized the meaning of Mu Yuchen¡¯s words momentster. His expression darkened as he said coldly, ¡°Cheeky brat! Go and take a look at Ms. Gu quickly!¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi!¡± the two bodyguards replied before walking towards the sheltered booth.

    A whileter, the two of them came back with a weak Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha struggled out of their grip when she arrived before Qi Qiming. Although her outfit waspletely drenched, it could not cover her stunning beauty.

    ¡°Lingsha, are you alright?¡± Qi Qiming looked at Gu Lingsha with concern.

    Gu Lingsha shook her head as she put on a bitter smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle Qi. I¡¯ve made you worried. I¡¯m fine...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, cold wind invaded her lungs and she started hacking profusely. Qi Qiming nced at the bodyguard beside him, and the bodyguard quickly went into the car to grab a nket and put over Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure Mu Yuchen pays for this! You haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. Get in the car now. I can¡¯t face your parents if you condition gets worse!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes looked concerned.

    Gu Lingsha endured the surrounding cold and the pain on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Okay, thank you, Uncle Qi!¡± She then quickly boarded the car.

    Qi Qiming ordered the chauffeur to increase the temperature of the air conditioning before they moved.

    Qi Qiming turned towards Gu Lingsha and asked, ¡°What did Mu Yuchen talk to you about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. Please don¡¯t worry about it. He just asked me about the car ident five years ago! Lingtian¡¯s death must¡¯ve been a big impact on him. I heard he never gave up searching for Qi Feng and me! Moreover, I heard that he went abroad after that ident and only returned to City Zst year.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s ufortable for him. I know he has been tracking me from a while ago. He found your tracks because of my carelessness. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have been found so quickly.¡± Qi Qiming med himself.

    Gu Lingsha shook her head and gave Qi Qiming a grateful nce. ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself, Uncle Qi. I decided toe back anyway. It¡¯s all good now. By the way, how¡¯re Qi Feng and Wei Wei?¡±

    ¡°Things are pretty toughtely and I can¡¯t go to see them personally. I got a call yesterday. Wei Wei got admitted into the hospital again. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine with Qi Feng by her side, but she asked for you when she woke up.¡± Qi Qiming sighed.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s face turned pale as she seemed heartbroken. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯ll find a way to go and see her again after her condition has stabilized.¡±

    Qi Qiming nodded as his expression looked grim. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine with Xiao Feng there. It¡¯s a quiet ce and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help with the recovery. It¡¯s about time for Xiao Feng¡¯s checkup too. The chances of his recovery depend on this. Wang Qin has been keeping an eye on me, so I can¡¯t get away. It¡¯ll be extremely disadvantageous for Xiao Feng if she finds out about him. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be forced to stay in City Z for a while. You shouldn¡¯t take any reckless action as well. Mu Yuchen is keeping an eye on you, so be careful.¡±

    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Qi! I hope there¡¯s a chance this time. Otherwise...¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were filled with pain. ¡°Otherwise, I really don¡¯t know what else to do! Qi Feng is a prideful person. It¡¯s been very difficult for him to get through all these years, and with Wei Wei¡¯s condition...¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t feel too sad about it. Mu Yuchen will taste suffering some day. Some day!¡± Qi Qiming patted Gu Lingsha on the shoulder andforted her.

 Chapter 680 - Fatherâ€™s Prenatal Education (1)

    <h4>Chapter 680: Father¡¯s Prenatal Education (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath and nodded as she suppressed the pain and bitterness deep inside her. She teared up slightly as she looked at the rain outside the car window.

    ¡°Every time I think about the pain and struggle both Wei Wei and Qi Feng are going through, I feel like a knife is slicing through my heart. It¡¯s horrible. Lingtian passed away. How can he live his happy life like this?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened as he spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°It¡¯s been tough for you guys over the years.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, forget about Su Nan. Let¡¯s leave her alone,¡± Gu Lingsha said suddenly momentster.

    ¡°Leave her alone? Why? It¡¯s such a rare chance! You underestimated Xi Xiaye¡¯s ce in Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart. He won¡¯t have it easy if we give his woman a hard time. Didn¡¯t you see that Mu Yuchen abandoned his work there and rushed back immediately?¡± Qi Qiming put on a cold smile.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, just who is this Xi Xiaye? How is she able to influence a cold person like Mu Yuchen this much? I thought Mu Yuchen would nevery his eyes on any woman! I found out from Yue Hai that Mu Yuchen put in a lot of effort for her. Take Qi Kai¡¯s subsidiarypany, Yueying Culture Mediapany as an example. That¡¯s his work, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Lingsha only knew Xi Xiaye was Mu Yuchen¡¯s wife. She thought she knew enough about her so-called ex-fianc¨¨!

    No ordinary woman could move such a cold person¡¯s heart. His two best friends were simr to him as they never took women seriously. Only women like Mu Lingshi and Su Chen¡¯s sister, Su Yu, could pique their interest a little. That was why she disliked Su Chen and Zhou Zimo.

    She hade into contact with Xi Xiaye the other day. Sure, she had an imposing manner, but so what? She was just another decoration!

    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on Xi Xiaye! That was my negligence. I should¡¯ve at least told you about Mu Yuchen¡¯s condition in the past few years. Xi Xiaye is the daughter of City Z¡¯s ex-mayor. Her father is Xi Mushan, and her mother is a professor at University A. The CEO of Yueying, Xi Xinyi, is her sister from a different mother. The Xi family was still well and alive before she married Mu Yuchen. She¡¯s currently the nning Director of Glory World. Mu Yinan recognized her ability, and she proved her mettle by getting to this position at such a young age.¡±

    Qi Qiming knew about Xi Xiaye from Yue Hai. He was not paying any attention to Xi Xiaye as all his focus was ced on Mu Yuchen!

    ¡°Although I¡¯ve never dealt with her before, I can only say that she¡¯s not ordinary at all judging by how much attention Wang Qin is giving hertely. On the other hand, Mu Yuchen¡¯s attention towards her is really odd. Moreover, she¡¯s pregnant with his child now!¡±

    ¡°I know, Uncle Qi. I¡¯ll keep an eye on her. Moreover, Lei seems to be concerned about her as well. I¡¯m really worried Lei will turn on us for her sake. As for Aunt Wang, it looks like the misunderstanding between the two of you is getting worse. I¡¯m really worried. Lei is a nice guy. He longed for your love too, Uncle Qi. If possible, I hope you can spare more time for him so that...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Wang Qin¡¯s fault, isn¡¯t it? Qi Lei has never thought of me as a father, so it¡¯s time for him to suffer! You don¡¯t have to worry about him. If he¡¯s at least half as understanding as Xiao Feng, it¡¯ll be easier for me! He¡¯s just like his mom, going against me about everything. Huh, what an unfilial child!¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened further when Qi Lei was brought up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Uncle Qi. Qi Lei is still young. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll change one day. You have to treat Lei better so that Aunt Wang won¡¯t always be in conflict with you... Alright, we shouldn¡¯t talk about these things now! Please inform the police tomorrow that I remembered I fell off the staircase identally and that she didn¡¯t push me.¡± Gu Lingsha quickly changed the topic when she noticed Qi Qiming was getting unhappy.

    Qi Qiming frowned, but Gu Lingsha continued as he was about to say something, ¡°Su Nan is in a really tough spot. Just think that you¡¯re acting as a kind deed for Wei Wei¡¯s sake. I pity her since her husband is in such a state after all.¡±

    Qi Qiming nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you wish then.¡±

    ...

    The car drove past quickly in the night and arrived at Maple Residence a whileter.

    Mu Yuchen got out of the car and straightened his outfit a little before locking the car and heading into the house.

    He saw that the lights in the living room were still on as he entered the house. It must be her.

    As expected, the TV in the living room was still on and Xi Xiaye was switching channels with the remote control as she sat on the sofa. She turned her head over when she heard the sound of the door opening.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    When she was getting up, her hand slipped and she almost slipped back onto the sofa. He quickly rushed over and gave her a hand. His expression was strained as he scolded her, ¡°Be careful! Stop being so clumsy when you¡¯re pregnant!¡±

    There was some sweat on his forehead as Xi Xiayeughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that weak! I heard that a lot of women in rural areas still work hard even when their due date is near.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because they are healthy and hardly get sick, but how can youpare your frail body to theirs? You¡¯ve be so skinny in just two months.¡± Mu Yuchen stared at her and helped her to sit down. His frantic tone calmed down as he touched her little face.

    She smacked his hand away before taking off his windbreaker for him. ¡°I¡¯m not that weak. It¡¯s fortunate enough that I¡¯m still healthy. Where did you go? How did you get yourself all wet?¡±

    ¡°I just walked around. Did the little guy do anything to you today? Let me see...¡±

 Chapter 681 - Fatherâ€™s Prenatal Education (2)

    <h4>Chapter 681: Father¡¯s Prenatal Education (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He took off his wet windbreaker as she wished. Then, he closed in and his hand caressed her baby bump. He could the faint warmth through her skin. Stroking the bump, he chuckled. ¡°This little thing is luckier than I am.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard hisment, she immediately nced at him puzzledly with her brows raised. She waited for him to exin, yet he only gave her a meaningful look.

    Perhaps because it could feel its father¡¯s warmth, the little fe in Xi Xiaye suddenly moved, and the father-to-be could very obviously feel the movements. His handsome eyebrows went up as he looked delightedly at her. A dazzling smile shed on his face as he gushed, ¡°It moved!¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes and set aside his windbreaker. Then, he gently covered the back of his hands. ¡°It has been doing that for a while. It can now hear your voice and feel your movements. You¡¯ve been absent for two months, so it probably can¡¯t recognize you now.¡±

    ¡°How could it not? Haven¡¯t I been by its side a few months ago? It can¡¯t be that forgetful. Let me take a look...¡±

    ¡°You have to speak to it. That way, it can recognize your voice,¡± Xi Xiaye reminded.

    Mu Yuchen stared at the baby bump for a long while, and then looked up at her. He did not say anything for a long while.

    ¡°Hurry. I¡¯ve been going to these maternity stores and I see other fathers-to-be all eager, unlike you at all. From tonight onwards, you have to read stories and sing songs to it... Look, I¡¯ve already bought storybooks!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye finished, Mu Yuchen was stunned!

    Storytelling was fine. No problem!

    But singing...

    He nced at the so-called storybook she handed him. They were ¡°1001 Arabian Nights¡±, ¡°ddin¡± and so on.

    His child would not want to listen to such silly stories!

    He took them and then tossed them aside. Then, he leaned down and gently tapped Xiaye¡¯s belly, speaking seriously, ¡°Baby, I¡¯m your father. I haven¡¯t seen you for more than two months now, and I miss you. It¡¯s my fault for neglecting you and letting you suffer from your mother with low EQ using such stories to torment your ears. From now on, with me around, you don¡¯t have to listen to your mother. Just listen to Father... because Father is a good person.¡±

    Master Mu had just finished when he suddenly felt a cold aura from behind him. He subconsciously nced up at Xi Xiaye and realized that she was ring at him. He silently thought about it for a while, then continued with his head lowered as he caressed the belly again. Helplessly, he continued, ¡°Your mother¡¯s pretty good too. When I wasn¡¯t home, listen to her.¡±

    When the little thing in the belly got all excited, they would react even more when they felt its movement. Right then, it was causing quite a ruckus. Mu Yuchen could seem to see it reaching out with a little fist through that loose sleeping gown. It was probably baring fangs and brandishing ws from the inside.

    Xi Xiaye pulled his hand away and shielded her belly. ¡°I suddenly wish for this one to be a baby boy. He¡¯ll be close to me, so at least, when you bully me, he¡¯ll protect me. If it¡¯s a daughter, then she¡¯ll definitely obey you more.¡±

    ¡°What foolish thoughts do you have? When have I ever bullied you? Missus, when the child is born, we have to be more democratic. It¡¯s pretty good being their friend too. You shouldn¡¯t be too clingy to the child. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll spoil it, especially if it¡¯s a boy. Got it?¡±

    Master Mu was clearly hinting, ¡®Missus, your focus should still be on me. The baby¡¯s just secondary.¡¯

    Of course, he would not say that. He would never.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. How do you know I¡¯d spoil them? I want to gain experience and lessons, raising our child to be a gentle and cultivated, wise person. In fact, he must be close to us as parents. Apart from being blood-rted, we should be a mentor and a friend that he or she can talk to and have heart-to-heart chats with.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye spoke, her tone turned gentle. She tugged at Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand. ¡°So, I hope you will do the same too.¡±

    He smiled and slid up to pat her head before pulling her into his embrace as he softly said, ¡°Your wish is obviously mymand, but I must state that you should just leave the child¡¯s education to me. Your thoughts should be more focused on me. The rtionship between us as parents is the most important to the child¡¯s growth.¡±

    She blinked her dazzling eyes and looked up from his embrace, as she asked gently, ¡°Well, then, Mr. Mu, do you think we¡¯re happy right now?¡±

    He smiled without a word and lowered his head to give her a soft peck on the lips before carrying her steadily and walking towards the stairs. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    She smiled and put her arms around his shoulders. After some thought, she then said evenly, ¡°My happiness began with a certain someone...¡±

    He paused and gazed down, his eyes locked on her bright and loving face. He grinned evilly. ¡°Who¡¯s that certain someone you¡¯re referring to?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows and smiled faintly at him.

    Joy shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face. He hugged her tightly and chuckled. ¡°Who else could it be but me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, this time you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m talking about the little thing inside me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm!¡±

    ¡°Aah!¡±

    With the sound of a cry, then came the sound of the door closing.

    They returned to the room and messed around for a bit before Mu Yuchen went to shower while Xi Xiaye fulfilled her potential of being a good wife and prepared his sleeping robe for him. She put away the clothes that he had taken off and tossed them onto the chair.

    When Mu Yuchen got out of the shower, Xi Xiaye was not in the bedroom anymore. His clothes were set aside on the rack by the door. He swiftly put them on and then walked to the study room.

    Indeed, inside the study room, Xi Xiaye was tidying the desk. When she saw hime in, she said, ¡°The stuff that I¡¯ve been working on here is quiteplex. I might need a little more time to arrange everything. Help me write my applicate for maternity leave. It¡¯d be good for the nning Department to be prepared in advance.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that you¡¯d be too busy rushing for the year-end. Just let me know if there¡¯s anything else undone. You can just let me know any details that I¡¯ve missed out. You¡¯ve been working hard. The quarterly meeting concluded rather well. I should add your name in for an award at the end of this year.¡±

    He chuckled, and then reached out to take the book in her hand before putting it back onto the shelf.

    ¡°What award? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d be super pregnant by then. It won¡¯t be convenient for me to be there in person. But if it isn¡¯t valuable, I won¡¯t ept it!¡±

 Chapter 682 - Disappointed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 682: Disappointed (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Early the next morning, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were just as how they were before he left. They woke up together, and after a simple breakfast, the husband and wife made their way to the office.

    When Mu Yuchen personally walked Xi Xiaye to her office, the staff in the nning Department saw the Chairman apanying her. They were very excited for a long time. They barely caught a glimpse of their Chairman Mu, so it was rare for someone like him to be at their department in person.

    However, all of that was thanks to their Director Xi who allowed them to have the honor of witnessing their Prince Charming in action.

    ¡°You¡¯re only allowed to work for an hour. Arrange the matters, thene upstairs. I¡¯ll tell Li Si to get you.¡± Mu Yuchen helped her to her chair, and then put her handbag onto the table.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You go up too. There are many things piled up on your desk. I¡¯ll have to make a trip to VP Zhang Lan. Let¡¯s meet at noon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pushed him away. She felt like this man was treating her like a fragile ceramic doll right then.

    He lifted a hand to fix her slightly messy hair as he asked, ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch? I¡¯ll get them to prepare it for you.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard his question, she thought about it quietly and turned to look at the misty drizzle outside her window. She touched her belly and suddenly turned to look at him pitifully. ¡°I want to eat hot pot, the one I brought you to the other time. I haven¡¯t been there in so long.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go over after we leave work earlier at noon. Is Ms. Ji noting to work today?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been working hard for many days in a row, and you¡¯re back anyway, so I told her to rest well for two days. She hasn¡¯t been in a great mood these past two days. I heard something happened at home. She seemed anxious.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Let her rest for two days then. Okay, I¡¯ll go up first. Just call me if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded obediently, then Mu Yuchen nted a kiss on her forehead before leaving her office.

    ...

    ¡°Master, we received news from the police station. Gu Lingsha has decided not to look into the matter anymore. She said she fell down the stairs herself, and that it had nothing to do with Miss Su Nan.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had just walked into his office and sat down at his desk when Li Si carefully came over to report thetest piece of news.

    Mu Yuchen leisurely stroked the cufflink on his sleeve as he nodded calmly. ¡°Contact the people in Hospital T. Get them to see if there¡¯s any way we can get Ruan Heng to regain consciousness. If it really can¡¯t be done, get them to try contacting other hospitals around or hospitals abroad. As long as we can get Ruan Heng to regain consciousness, I¡¯ll do my best to satisfy any condition.¡±

    Li Si nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Master, Master Qi from Qi Kai has also been paying attention to Mr. Ruan¡¯s condition. He¡¯s been running around the hospital. I heard that he even personally met with the Vice President of Hospital T, hoping that he can find a way to help Mr. Ruan. In fact, I heard that he personally persuaded Gu Lingsha not to go after Miss Su Nan.¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out to take a document from the side. He asked as he browsed through it, ¡°Has he been visiting Gu Lingsha often at the hospital?¡±

    Li Si shook his head. ¡°I heard Ah Mo say that he doesn¡¯t go often. He just told his assistant, Yang Sheng, to watch over her. Instead, he did visit Mr. Ruan a few times.¡±

    ¡°Help me ask him out. Get him to make a trip to my office.¡± One could not read any expression on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face as he just calmly said this. With his gaze lowered, he began to read through the document in his hand.

    ¡°Got it, Master! Right, Master, Ah Mo told me to hand you this. He wants me to ask you about how we should handle it.¡±

    As Li Si said this, he handed the folder over, Mu Yuchen just looked up at him for a nce. He thought about it momentarily and then replied nonchntly, ¡°Give it all to Gu Lingsha. Tell her that I hope this will be the only time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll go right away!¡± Li Si responded, then quickly retreated.

    When Yang Sheng knocked on Qi Lei¡¯s office, Qi Lei was focused on working on a proposal.

    ¡°Master Qi,st night, Chairman Mu got Ah Mo to take Miss Gu away from the hospital,¡± said Yang Sheng carefully as he walked to Qi Lei¡¯s side.

    At that moment, Qi Lei was sketching on a blueprint with a ruler in his hand. When he heard Yang Sheng, he paused and then continued what he was doing. He drew a straight line on the blueprint as he asked, ¡°Old friends catching up?¡±

    Yang Sheng shook his head. ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s probably about Miss Su Nan¡¯s matter. This morning, I heard that the whole incident was a misunderstanding. Now, it¡¯s said that it was Miss Gu who fell by herself. Also,st night, Miss Gu returned to the hospital in CEO Qi¡¯s car, and CEO Qi has even especially arranged for two bodyguards to ensure her safety now.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen? He¡¯s back?¡± Qi Lei finally stopped what he was doing and looked up at Yang Sheng in shock.

    ¡°Yes,st night, he returned to City Z. Earlier, his assistant, Li Si, even called to make an appointment with you. Chairman Mu¡¯s wondering whether you¡¯re free to make a trip to Glory World tomorrow. He has some things to talk to you about.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Just tell him okay. Wasn¡¯t the old man having dinner at the Qi residence to entertain his gang of scoundrels? How did he know Mu Yuchen went looking for Shasha?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, didn¡¯t you forget that CEO Qi arranged two bodyguards for Miss Gu?¡± Yang Sheng reminded.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows suddenly furrowed into a knot while he pondered for a while. Then, he said calmly, ¡°Since when did Shasha be so close to the old man? Didn¡¯t my mother make you think of ways to spy on the old man¡¯s office phone or get a copy of his handphone chip? Did we find out anything?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, it isn¡¯t easy. If CEO Qi isn¡¯t in the office, he doesn¡¯t permit anyone to enter, and this is on top of Master Qi¡¯s vignce. Our people can¡¯t get close to him at all. Recently, Yue Hai has even been speaking rudely to VP Wang. It looks like they are really disregarding VP Wang more and more. Master Qi, you might as well save Glory World as your bargaining chip. If you can get the Fuhua project, then that would be fantastic, especially if CEO Shen personally appoints you to be in charge.¡±

    Concern rose within Qi Lei. Based on the current situation, Wang Qin was at a disadvantage. One could have foretold that from the banquet then. They had hardly made it with Glory World when Qi Qiming brought the Gu family out. Given the rtionship between the Gus and the Qis, advancing mutually would be a guarantee.

    Both were of equal importance. He really did not know what Qi Qiming was up to!

 Chapter 683 - Disappointed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 683: Disappointed (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei could not help but feel troubled. He lifted a hand to massage the fatigued space between his brows as his eyes dimmed a little. After a while, he nodded and said in a deep voice, ¡°Got it. You go out first. Right, remember to send a bouquet of violets to Shasha.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, aren¡¯t you going to visit Miss Gu today? She asked about you this morning,¡± Yang Sheng asked softly.

    Qi Lei lowered his gaze to hide the faint loneliness in his eyes. ¡°No, I¡¯m a little busy these few days. Tell her to take care.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! Master Qi, today is Master Yi¡¯s birthday. Do you want to...¡±

    ¡°No, just help me prepare a gift and send it over. Next time, don¡¯t trouble me with these little things. You can go out now!¡±

    Without waiting for Yang Sheng to finish, Qi Lei suddenly flipped out frustratedly and tossed the pencil in his hand aside. He shot Yang Sheng a cold re, causing thetter to tremble slightly in fright. He quickly bowed and left the office swiftly.

    Yet, Yang Sheng was puzzled.

    Did Master Qi not used to like these lively asions? Why did he suddenly notice that Master Qi seemed to be acting differently in these past few months? He rarely stepped foot in all those pleasure-seeking, bustling ces anymore. Now, apart from going to work and going home, he rarely went elsewhere. Otherwise, he would be at the city library. He really did not know when Master Qi had begun to be so serious and hardworking.

    However, VP Wang was proud to see him like this.

    After Yang Sheng left, Qi Lei took a deep breath and controlled the emotions that were about to flood from his chest. He smiled a little self-mockingly and was about to pick up his pencil to continue the unfinished work when unexpectedly, his phone buzzed.

    He picked it up. The call had just gone through when a cold voice came from the other end. ¡°Come to my office.¡±

    Before Qi Lei could answer, the other end had already hung up.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was gloomy as he stared at the phone that had already returned a busy signal. He smiled coldly and nonchntly tossed the phone back before he continued to pick up the pencil and got to work again as if he did not receive that call.

    Nheless, a short whileter, Qi Qiming¡¯s secretary personally came to get him. ¡°Second Master Qi, CEO Qi would like to make a trip to his office.¡±

    Her cold voice was just like Qi Qiming¡¯s andcked the slightest hint of warmth at all.

    Qi Lei then went coldly.

    When he pushed the door open to enter, Qi Qiming was sitting at his desk, watching the swimming fishes in the tank with his back facing him.

    ¡°What do you need me for, CEO Qi?¡±

    Qi Lei stopped before the desk with a demonic smile pasted on his handsome face, he looked to Qi Qiming, his tone was light, that smile still had a frivolous tone to it.

    Qi Qiming frowned as unhappiness shed in his eyes. He said with a deep voice, ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been getting along quite well with Glory World¡¯s Director Xi, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    The corner of Qi Lei¡¯s lips immediately curled up as heughed softly. ¡°You have to be careful with your words. If someone else heard it, that wouldn¡¯t do you any good. After all, she is the wife of Glory World¡¯s Chairman. What you mean by getting along quite well is just a transactional interaction. You should say that I have business dealings with the couple, and now they are friends that I can eat and drink with.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he walked to sit down leisurely on the sofa and then shouted for his secretary outside to bring him a cup of coffee.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Qiming¡¯s gaze darkened and he said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what kind of rtionship the Mu family has with us Qis? Your brother¡¯s mishap is all because of Mu Yuchen. You have to remember that...¡±

    ¡°Enough, old man, you don¡¯t have to use these incidents. The mishap happened to Qi Feng and not to me. Every debt has its debtor. If you want to take revenge, then you can go look for Mu Yuchen yourself. What does it have to do with me?¡±

    Before Qi Qiming could finish, Qi Lei had already carelessly cut him off. ¡°These grudges only involve you all. I¡¯m just an outsider, and I don¡¯t want to be a weapon that you can use. I can¡¯t do it. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t waste your time on me.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying, you unfilial son? Try saying it again!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s entire face had clouded over by now. When he was at the receiving end of such disrespectful behavior, he was furious!

    Still, Qi Lei ignored his fury and sneered. ¡°You¡¯ve said these things a thousand times and they¡¯re still the same. Even if you¡¯re not sick of it, I am. I never hoped for anything from you. The Qi family¡¯s prospects are tremendous. If you really don¡¯t like me, you can just make up an excuse to kick me out. Why do we have to loathe each other? Don¡¯t look at me all indignantly. I know that you hate my mother and me too. You¡¯re really such a bastard! Since you hate my mother so much, you shouldn¡¯t have slept with her. If you hadn¡¯t slept with her, then you wouldn¡¯t have had me. Now, we wouldn¡¯t have been in such a mess either. I heard you even called my mother cheap. I¡¯m sure after that you were cursing yourself for being even cheaper, right?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you unfilial son!¡±

    Before Qi Lei could finish, Qi Qiming had already flung a ss at him. His face was twisted in disgust.

    Qi Lei smacked the ss that flew towards him away. With a crash, the ss shattered all over the floor. The demonic smile on his face grew wider. ¡°Are you that ashamed of being angry? If you¡¯re a man, then you should own up to your actions. I must¡¯ve destroyed the ancestral tombs in myst life to have a father like you, and that¡¯s how I ended up being reincarnated here. I know that Qi Feng isn¡¯t dead. Since you support Qi Feng so much, I¡¯ve got no opinion. I just hope that you won¡¯t drag me into all of your problems. Can you fulfill this one request?¡±

    Qi Lei did not care about Qi Qiming¡¯s darkened expression. Instead, he looked up and stared at him. ¡°I just want to work quietly andfortably live life. This shouldn¡¯t be too tough a request, should it? And my mother¡¯s just a woman who¡¯s been married to you for decades now. She¡¯s never asked you about all your affairs outside, and she¡¯s never humiliated you. I just don¡¯t understand it. As her husband, can¡¯t you just yield sometimes? Would it really kill you?¡±

    His words made Qi Qiming¡¯s dangerous expression even more tensed. He was about to say something when Qi Lei had already gotten up with waning interest.

    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t want to talk about these things anymore. If you really want to leave Qi Kai for Qi Feng, then do it. I won¡¯t fight for it. Just don¡¯t make life hard for my mother anymore. She¡¯s just a woman who hasn¡¯t had it easy. She¡¯s never enjoyed much since she married you. I hope that you can let her go. It¡¯s fine if you divorce her too. If you¡¯re worried, I can write a letter of guarantee to give up on my right to the inheritance. Next time, if it¡¯s nothing urgent, don¡¯t keep asking me toe up here. I really don¡¯t like your space.¡±

    He nced at Qi Qiming without a care although his face still had that faint, charming smile of his.

 Chapter 684 - Hatred

    <h4>Chapter 684: Hatred</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression was terrible. His pupils dted as he red at the cheeky Qi Lei. Just as he was about to say something, Qi Lei shrugged and turned towards the door to walk out.

    Qi Qiming stood up and just watched as Qi Lei disappear outside the door. His gaze wasplicated. However, disgust filled his eyes suddenly when he thought about Wang Qin, and his expression turned cold again.

    When Qi Lei walked out, he saw Wang Qin standing aside calmly. A faint light shed past in her eyes. She seemed worked up, a little smug, and slightly irritated altogether. There were a lot of mixed feelings within her, so she was not sure what to say at the moment.

    Qi Lei just took a short pause before continuing to move forward again.

    She turned towards Qi Lei and called out to him, ¡°Xiao Lei!¡±

    Qi Lei did not reply or stop. He marched into the elevator and took a deep breath as the door closed. Then, he slowly closed his eyes.

    Startled, Wang Qin¡¯s eyes darkened as she took a deep breath. Momentster, she returned to her usual self before entering Qi Qiming¡¯s office.

    Inside the office, Qi Qiming was gazing at the door quietly. His eyes darkened when he saw Wang Qin enter, and he sat down.

    ¡°Why did you ask Xiao Lei to see you?¡± Wang Qin stood before Qi Qiming¡¯s table and asked while giving him a cold stare.

    Qi Qiming just nced at her before turning his back to her. ¡°What now? As CEO of Qi Kai, can¡¯t I ask a subordinate to report thepany¡¯s progress to me? Don¡¯t forget. Do you think you would have had a son without me?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s voice sounded annoyed, making Wang Qin¡¯s expression shadow quickly. ¡°Qi Qiming, you¡¯re such a bastard!¡±

    Instead of getting angry, Qi Qiming startedughing. He turned his chair around and studied Wang Qin who wore a cold expression. Standing up, he stared at her over the table. ¡°Did you make him give me that speech? Give up on inheriting Qi Kai? Do you think I¡¯m stupid? You¡¯re such a greedy, self-absorbed woman. You were giving me such a hard time at the meeting two days ago. Do you think I¡¯ll believe two of you now?¡±

    Wang Qin cackled as her tone turned sarcastic. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe me or not, but I know you won¡¯t just let it slide. Qi Feng will never be able to take over Qi Kai as long as I¡¯m alive! I would rather destroy everything than let you bastards enjoy it!¡±

    Qi Qiming clenched his fists as veins popped up on his forehead. He walked over towards her. In response, she took a step back but he was quicker as he grabbed her jaw and ruthlessly said, ¡°Repeat what you said just now!¡±

    Wang Qin did not cower even though her jaw was in pain. ¡°I¡¯ll say it as many times as you want. I¡¯ll never allow you bastards to enjoy these while my son loses everything. Kill me if you can!¡±

    Qi Qiming let out a coldugh and nodded. ¡°Great, just great! Wang Qin, I almost forgot that you¡¯ve never taken me seriously, you evil woman! I¡¯ll see what you can do now! Witch!¡±

    Before Wang Qin could react, he grabbed her cor and dragged her inside the resting lounge by the side.

    Wang Qin¡¯s face turned pale as her eyes were filled with anger. ¡°Qi Qiming! What are you doing? If you do that again I¡¯m going to kill¡ª Ah!¡±

    Her scream drowned inside the room along with the sound of something falling over.

    An hourter, on the sofa inside the resting room, Wang Qin was lying down while panting. Her clothes and hair were a mess. Qi Qiming shot her a distant nce as he picked up his clothes.

    Pa!

    As Qi Qiming was buttoning his shirt, Wang Qin pped his face! She sat up and red at his face in disgust. ¡°Qi Qiming, you disgust me!¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes darkened as he touched his cheek. He instantly returned a p to Wang Qin, and her face swelled up. The hatred in Wang Qin¡¯s eyes grew even stronger.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything just now!? You dirty witch! Do you think I don¡¯t know that you were involved in the ident back then? Otherwise, how could Qi Lei have gotten away with it? You¡¯re even on good terms with Glory World now! Did you n it with Mu Yuchen? You just want to kill them in order for your son to take over Qi Kai?¡± Qi Qiming grabbed her jaw and demanded.

    ¡°Qi Qiming, don¡¯t use me! The incident has been proven to be just an ident. The case files are at the police station! You can go and check them. I have nothing to do with it!¡± Wang Qin clenched her teeth.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you marry into the Qi family these past decades for the sake of our inheritance? Hmph!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never hidden my intentions of getting the Qi family¡¯s inheritance! But those rightfully belong to Xiao Lei! Qi Feng is just an illegitimate child! Even your father said that. You¡¯re just bullying us! Who does Qi Feng think he is? What right does he have to take Xiao Lei¡¯s possessions? You treated him as your son, but isn¡¯t my son yours as well? What did I do wrong to deserve this?¡±

    Wang Qin released her anger as she grabbed Qi Qiming¡¯s cor. Her eyes were filled with hatred and pain.

    ¡°Do you want to know what you did wrong? You were wrong to marry me! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s in control, yet you try to control me? Witch! Who do you think you are? Qi Lei is unlucky to have you as his mother! The wife of the CEO of Qi Kai? You¡¯re not worthy!¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming, one day, I¡¯ll make you surrender to me! Let me go!¡± Wang Qin struggled as she tried to push Qi Qiming, who was still on top of her, away.

 Chapter 685 - Consensus (1)

    <h4>Chapter 685: Consensus (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye only found out about Su Nan¡¯s condition near the evening. She guessed it was the work of her man when Su Nan called her and told her about it.

    ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m really lucky this time. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. The hospital organized a team of specialists for Ruan Heng to undergo a checkup. From what they told me, they¡¯ll be contacting the hospitals abroad if he¡¯s still unconscious after some time. The medical technology abroad could be more advanced and maybe they can help Ruan Heng regain consciousness!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s tone of voice became cheerful once again and she did not sound as lifeless as before. Xi Xiaye was pleased for her as she nodded. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s great. I¡¯m sure Ruan Heng will wake up. You have to take care of yourself and Xiao Chenxi. Ruan Heng¡¯s parents have been pretty exhaustedtely. Don¡¯t make them worry too much.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I know, Xiaye! I¡¯m really grateful for you! Please thank Master Mu for me as well. I know he has done a lot for us. Thank you so much!¡±

    Su Nan sobbed, ¡°I was too reckless and lost control. I finally understand it after this incident. Xiaye, you¡¯re stronger and braver than me. I should view you as my role model! People will only grow after going through hardships. I think I¡¯ve never faced a challenge this tough before. I think this might be a test for me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had a smile on her face when she heard Su Nan¡¯s words. ¡°Nannan, your awareness is amazing. Just be more careful in the future.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. You¡¯ll see a brand new me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she nced at her phone before hanging up on the call.

    ¡°Who called? Why do you look so happy?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye just hung up, the office door opened and the man walked in.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s smile grew wider when she saw that familiar figure of his. She enjoyed his scent as she gazed at him for a long while. Eventually, her voice reached him. ¡°About Su Nan and Ruan Heng... You did something, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Her voice sounded like she was almost sure. She extended her cold hand and grabbed his when he stopped beside her.

    Mu Yuchen smiled without saying anything. Then, he helped her to keep the files on the table away.

    ¡°I know that there¡¯s nothing my Mr. Mu can¡¯t do.¡± Xi Xiaye chuckled and then left a kiss on his cheek.

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as he turned around to look at her. His gaze was fixated on her lips, his intention as clear as the sky.

    Xi Xiaye turned her head around and smiled, avoiding his gaze.

    ¡°Is that all I get for my hard work?¡± he teased.

    ¡°What else... Mmm!¡± As she turned around and was about to say something else, he closed in.

    Startled, she then soon gave in.

    He wanted to enjoy this moment longer, but there was the sound of footsteps outside the door!

    When Assistant Xiao Mei came in with a bunch of documents, she stopped and was shocked to see them in the middle of being intimate!

    Chairman Mu and Director Xi...

    She even saw Chairman Mu¡¯s hand inside Director Xi¡¯s clothes...

    Her eyes widened as she spun around. The two of them separated from each other. Director Xi was frantically fixing her messy outfit while Chairman Mu helped her before looking toward the door with a frown!

    Xiao Mei panicked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chairman Mu! I didn¡¯t see or hear anything. I did knock on the door!¡±

    Xi Xiaye coughed and red at him. She pushed him away and looked at Xiao Mei guiltily.¡±What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Director Xi, these are the samples from Qi Kai. There are also two documents that require your signature. Please take a look!¡± Xiao Mei carefully handed the documents over.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and was about to grab them when the man swiftly took them and said, ¡°You can leave first. Close the door.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu!¡± Xiao Mei was too afraid to say anything else, so she quickly bowed and closed the door after she left.

    Xi Xiaye turned around and frowned at him after the door was closed. ¡°I noticed that you hardly care about maintaining your imagetely.¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed indifferent as he grabbed her and sat down on the chair before pulling her onto hisp. ¡°So what if people see us? There¡¯s nothing wrong with me being nice to my wife. They should beplimenting me as a good role model husband.¡±

    He was getting more and more shameless. How did she not notice this before?

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him before taking the documents back from him. While she flipped through them, Mu Yuchen came closer and took a nce.

    ¡°Are you done with work? It¡¯s not time to get off work yet.¡±

    She nced at him. It was winter right now and the sky would usually turn dark at around 5 p.m. However, it was not even 5 p.m. and the sky was already dark. In addition to the rain, it looked like it waste at night.

    ¡°Mmm, I finished early today. I¡¯ll bring you for a haircut. Weren¡¯t youining that your nutrients aren¡¯t keeping up yesterday?¡±

    He grabbed her pen. After looking through the document and checking for errors, he swiftly signed it at the bottom. His strong and powerful strokes made Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brighten, and he noticed her reactions. ¡°Do you want to learn?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°There are things I would like to just appreciate. I might not appreciate it anymore after learning it. Alright, I¡¯ll take a look at the documents from Qi Kai. Qi Lei called me before and said these materials are important. There¡¯s a need for multipleparisons.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s quite wholehearted about this project.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and closed the document. ¡°We¡¯ll look at it tonight. Pack your things and let¡¯s go home. I¡¯ll make you a delicious dinnerter.¡±

 Chapter 686 - Consensus (2)

    <h4>Chapter 686: Consensus (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before nodding. Then, she stood up slowly and started packing her stuff. ¡°Okay, I had hotpot for lunch, so let¡¯s eat something simple for dinner. Grandmother is moving over in two days. Let¡¯s see if she needs anything.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed the briefcase she handed him. ¡°We don¡¯tck anything at home, so don¡¯t worry about it. You won¡¯t feel lonely anymore after she moves over. How¡¯s the handover of working along?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done this Friday. There are just some small matters left. Luckily, Vice President Zhang Lan has been working on the South River project all along. I¡¯d have a hard time dealing with it alone. Vice President Liu is working hard on Movie City. Several capable personnel was transferred externally. We should promote some people at the end of the year,¡± Xi Xiaye reminded.

    Thepany would usually promote a batch of people every two years, but having undergone a lot of expansions recently, many people were transferred externally and the issue of insufficient manpower started to arise in the headquarters.

    ¡°I¡¯ve informed the HR Department about it. You can offer some rmendations if you find anyone suitable. Given the scale of ourpany, we won¡¯t focus on expansion. Instead, we¡¯ll stabilize the market we have right now. We can leave this to them. At the same time, I can spend more time with you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen held the briefcase with one hand and grabbed her waist with the other as they walked out.

    The two of them went shopping at the supermarket after getting a trim at a salon nearby the Grand Waves Vi area. The sky turned dark when they returned to Maple Residence. However, the whole Grand Waves Vi area was shrouded in bright light, making it look dreamy amidst the rain.

    When Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye arrived home, they noticed two pairs of leather shoes on the shoe rack much to their surprise.

    Sis Wang came over and took the bags from Mu Yuchen as she said, ¡°Master, Missus, Master Su Chen just came over with a lot of stuff. Master Qi came over as well. They came in together and are now working inside the kitchen. They are actually cooking dinner together!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei is here as well?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows in surprise as she nced at him.

    Su Chen¡¯s appearance was not odd since she had seen his huge Land Rover parked outside. He must have arrived not too long ago, but why was Qi Lei there? And the two of them cooking? Xi Xiaye did not know when the two of them had be this close!

    Mu Yuchen shot her a gentle nce before he lowered his head and whispered beside her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it tonight. Have a seat first. I¡¯ll go and take a look. Sis Wang!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Sis Wang quickly helped Xi Xiaye toward the sofa. She then told a servant to prepare some warm water for Xi Xiaye to wash her hands.

    When he arrived at the entrance of the kitchen, he could hear the rattling of the kitchen utensils and the tap water running.

    Mu Yuchen went inside to see Su Chen casually stir-frying something while Qi Lei was focused on washing vegetables. Two of them were chatting with each other.

    ¡°Your assistant came to my department to look for the security camera footage. You seem pretty concerned about Gu Lingsha. I didn¡¯t expect you to get worked up over one single woman with your reputation as a Casanova on the streets, Master Qi.¡±

    Su Chen nced at Qi Lei. ¡°Sometimes, I really don¡¯t know what Ah Chen is thinking. Why would he befriend you? I heard you hold a grudge against him because of Lingtian and that woman. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Even Mu Yuchen doesn¡¯t talk to me about this. Master Su is pretty concerned about Mu Yuchen, huh?¡± Qi Lei let out a coldugh and shot a nce at Su Chen.

    Su Chen put on a cold smile. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m concerned about my brother. I have a good grasp of your personality. Don¡¯t even think that you can talk it over. I won¡¯t say anything since it¡¯s Ah Chen¡¯s decision, but I just want to give you a piece of friendly advice. Ah Chen is genuine about being friends with you. However, if you were to try something funny, I will eliminate you before he even notices it! If you¡¯re not affected by the conflict between the Mus and the Qis, I suggest that you not get involved at all.¡±

    Qi Lei always knew that Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo were very close to each other, and they were all important figures in City Z. Nheless, he did not expect Su Chen to be so protective of Mu Yuchen. Moreover Su Chen was not a person to be messed with because the Su family was very influential in the political scene, and of course, the Mu family was very powerful as well!

    Qi Lei was d that he did not make Mu Yuchen an enemy.

    ¡°I¡¯m no busybody. I have my reasons of being here. I¡¯m sure Master Su wouldn¡¯t use me without any reason.¡±

    ¡°Just a preventive measure. There¡¯s nothing to be anxious about.¡± Su Chen smiled. As he was about to say something else, the door behind him opened, and the two of them turned around to notice Mu Yuchening in.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Su Chen greeted him before continued to work on his cooking. ¡°I heard from the police the issue is solved now, but Gu Lingsha is serious business. Just one move and she made youe back from thousands of miles away. You need to be more careful. Are Xiaye¡¯s friends alright?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Qi Lei and nodded his head. ¡°They are fine. Why are you guys here?¡±

    ¡°I got a call from Zimo and found out you rushed back here. I just came back not too long ago as well, so I decided to visit and see how things are going.¡± Su Chen then handed the ted food to Mu Yuchen before throwing Qi Lei a sharp nce. ¡°I brought some wild game over to enjoy. I unexpectedly met him at the supermarket, so we both came together.¡±

    Qi Lei put the washed potatoes on the chopping board as he replied, ¡°Yang Sheng told me you wanted to see me tomorrow. I just came tonight since I had time. I¡¯m leaving City Z tomorrow and will only be back several dayster. I hope you don¡¯t mind me joining in for dinner again.¡±

 Chapter 687 - Consensus (3)

    <h4>Chapter 687: Consensus (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Qi Lei mentioned that, Mu Yuchen immediately remembered what he had told Li Si that morning.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. The samples you sent over are here too. We¡¯ll look at themter,¡± said Mu Yuchen, and then put the te of food that Su Chen handed him aside. After he unbuttoned his sleeves to roll them up, he began to help Su Chen chop the ingredients while some chicken soup was brewing on the stove on the side.

    Qi Lei stood aside since he was not needed and watched the two buddies worked together skillfully. He could not help but sigh to himself. He did not expect that these two men would be so skilled at cooking. When he first found out that Mu Yuchen could cook, he was very shocked, and now seeing Su Chen just as talented, even though he was a steadfast man on the outside...

    Qi Lei watched them for quite a while. In the end, he just shrugged, and quietly left the kitchen.

    In the living room, Xi Xiaye was watching the TV on the sofa. When she saw Qi Leie over, she looked at him, and pondered for a moment, but did not say anything. Then, she turned to the TV screen again.

    Qi Lei lowered his gaze and fell silent for a while before saying softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened to Miss Su Nan.¡±

    While he was saying this, he did not look up at her. Instead, he just quietly epted the water that Sis Wang handed him and took a sip.

    ¡°Those incidents had nothing to do with you. Someone is responsible for every grievance. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. The ones who hurt are Su Nan and Ruan Heng... I hope that you can tell Miss Gu to think before she speaks to avoid implicating others.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she turned to look at him. She thought about it, then continued, ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been worrying about Ruan Heng these past few days too. Thank you.¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly smiled as his grip on the ss tightened. ¡°When have you be so courteous? Besides, this is all I can do.¡±

    He suddenly looked up and met Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm gaze with a sigh. ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you curious about my rtionship with Shasha?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xiaye raised her brows, puzzled. ¡°What rtionship? Isn¡¯t she the person you like?¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his head to take a sip. There was dullness in between his brows, and his gaze suddenly became a little vague as if he was trying to chase a very distant memory. He sighed softly, ¡°You girls like flowers, don¡¯t you? Especially girls who¡¯re eight or nine years old...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Qi Lei in confusion. She did not quite understand what he meant.

    ¡°When I was 10, a boy identally ruined some violets that a little girl wanted to give her mother. The little girl cried very sadly, but she did not me the little boy. She even apologized to the little boy for the violet petals that had stained his white shirt. After that, they became friends. They studied together and grew up together. The little boy said he would protect that little girl forever, but it was only when they grew up that he understood how could they have known the meaning of forever?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled a little bitterly as his expression started to turn dazed. ¡°We always thought that tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or even the day after that, forever would take a long time. I longed for us to be childhood sweethearts, yet I never took the leading role. I always thought that those memories I kept deep in my heart would be pure and unadulterated, yet I forgot that many things change with time. I don¡¯t want to go into this too deep. I¡¯m worried that I won¡¯t be able to hold on to even the slightest sliver of beautiful memory in the end.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could see the sorrow that could not be hidden between his brows. She thought about it, then said calmly, ¡°My memory¡¯s very messed up too, but the past is now just the past. How are you sure that you wouldn¡¯t live a fuller life in the future? Just like I am right now, I think that the past is actually not that important anymore. Mr. Mu has said some things to me, and I¡¯m willing to share it with you.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard her say that, he fixed his eyes on her. Upon seeing the faint smile that surfaced on her face, he could not help but feel deeply affected. His handsome face rxed while a faint curve appeared in the corner of his lips as he waited for her to continue.

    ¡°We can¡¯t control the past and the future. The only thing we can control is the present, this day and this age.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm tone slowly reached his ears. Upon hearing that, Qi Lei could not help but be stunned.

    He fell silent for a moment, thenughed. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯ve made Mu Yuchen into someone to admire? Are those words for mutual encouragement?¡±

    When she saw the overflowing interest in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes, Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips suddenly curled up as she softly asked, ¡°He does have the qualities for me to admire him. Think about it, Master Qi. As husband and wife, apart from the so-called mutual respect and mutual assistance in humble circumstances, what¡¯s more important?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows and pondered about it quite seriously for a while before he shrugged and gestured at Xi Xiaye. ¡°May Missus Mu bestow her knowledge upon us!¡±

    Xi Xiaye bent over to pour herself a ss of water. However, Qi Lei was quicker. He swiftly poured her a ss and then handed it to her very chivalrously. Unlike his frivolousness from before, right now he disyed the manner of a graceful son of a prestigious family.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xi Xiaye said courteously as she epted it and took a sip before continuing, ¡°Many women hope for their future husband to be a good friend, a mentor, like a father and an older brother. He could, at the same time, be many characters. This is probably what most women seek, and vice versa, yet how do meet such a person? Regardless of whether we do, the first thing we should do is to break our owncency.¡±

    ¡°Break our owncency?¡± Qi Lei muttered softly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently. Her gaze toward Qi Lei was clear and bright, yet her tone held poignance. ¡°Mu Yuchen did once tell me that he could see shadows of himself from the past. He and I have very simr headspace, yet as I think about it, I also see my past self in you. Master Qi, do you realize that we actually have very simr experiences?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Qi Lei was suddenly a little stunned. He looked up quietly at her, and suddenly did not know what to say. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye continued, ¡°Mu Yuchen and I feel the same about you. We reached a consensus. It is because of that that we can sympathize. He and I share the same thoughts. He said that he actually admires you. I¡¯m very happy that we can have the same opinions, and we hope that apart from being business partners, you can be very good friends with us.¡±

    Her calm and peaceful tone was filled with sincerity. Qi Lei could not help but feel touched and warm.

 Chapter 688 - Consensus (4)

    <h4>Chapter 688: Consensus (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Especially after that squabble with Qi Qiming that morning, the fact that he could hear these words right now moved him.

    Qi Lei did not think he was someone who could be easily touched. Had Xi Xiaye¡¯s words today came from someone else, he might not think of it as anything, but since it was her who said these things to him personally, he did not feel doubtful at all. Instead, he could not help but feel something surge inside him.

    ¡°Of course, apart from hoping that we can be friends, whether it¡¯s from the perspective of a business partner or as a friend, we hope that you can redeem yourself. We have to walk outside to face the sun. Fate is like that too. Back then, I was silly. I thought that if I worked harder, I¡¯d be able to salvage some things. In the end, I realized that I¡¯d never actually gotten anything, so there was no so-called ¡®loss¡¯. Master Qi, you¡¯re a smart person. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need me to spell out the rest,¡± said Xi Xiaye softly as she looked at him calmly.

    Qi Lei lowered his gaze, pondering it momentarily, and then nodded. ¡°I know about your past too, and I know all those things you did for Han Yifeng. Sadly, Han Yifeng wasn¡¯t lucky enough. The fact that you can honestly tell me about these things means that you must¡¯ve gotten over it personally, but I heard that he was so sad that he left City Z. When he left, he even brought Xi Xinyi¡¯s son away with him. Xi Xinyi almost broke down. She frequently gets angry at the office, and many people daren¡¯t go against her. Before Han Yifeng left, he probably went to look for you, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°He did, and he apologized to me sincerely. Back then, I thought it was a little disappointing too. Someone that I had once put unlimited hope on to had, in the end, be another friend. Sometimes, you can¡¯t help butment about life. It is just so. But I hope he¡¯s doing well.¡± Xi Xiaye surprisingly dissected the past.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that he was still clear-headed in the end for not going against me with Xi Xinyi. This means that he does still have a moralpass within him and that he didn¡¯t lose his true self. He firmly left with the child, wanting to give the child an innocent future, a brand new beginning. Just because of this alone, I should let go of everything, forgive him, and respect him,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke very calmly. When she said this, she did not reveal any emotions either. The light in her eyes was as calm as water.

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart could not help but pause. After a while, hemented, ¡°Xiaye, every time after I speak to you and your husband, I find myself much more cheered up. You¡¯re as big-hearted as the sea. In terms of manner and generosity, I probably can¡¯tpare to you.¡±

    He thought that the indescribable appeal about her was probably this. Indifferent as the breeze, as calm as water, cold on the outside, warm in the heart.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be humble. Mu Yuchen¡¯s told me that you¡¯re actually very smart. You just don¡¯t want to fight for it. But just because you don¡¯t fight for it, that doesn¡¯t mean things will be at peace, such as Xi Xinyi and me... I¡¯m grateful that fate has been on my side. If all of my misfortunes from before were meant to exchange for the simple happiness I have today, I suddenly feel like all those have actually be insignificant.¡±

    When he heard Xi Xiaye, Qi Lei immediately smiled. He suddenly looked at her in amusement. ¡°I suddenly find that you can¡¯t stray far from talking about Mu Yuchen. Is he that great?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye instantly raised her brows and said like she was unaware, ¡°Do I?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course, you do!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and then lowered her gaze, yet there was a sly light in her eyes. ¡°Well, then I guess I do.¡±

    ¡°Do what?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye finished, a gentle voice suddenly came. She subconsciously turned, and the man already leaned down to nt a kiss on her forehead before straightening to look at Qi Lei across them.

    Xi Xiaye reached out to gently remove the tie that he had simply pulled away as sheughed. ¡°Nothing. I was just telling Master Qi that he should fully show off his personal charm and find a good woman.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, he immediately rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m still very young. I won¡¯t fall into the cemetery of love so soon.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced nonchntly at him, and then scorned annoyingly, ¡°You can try finding one, but you won¡¯t find someoneparable to my wife.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, only Mu Yuchen¡¯s wife is the national goddess now, huh? I¡¯ve been irritated by you for a while now. I don¡¯t see you being more handsome than me! What trick do you know about how to pick up girls?¡±

    Qi Lei was extremely miserable. When he mentioned these tricks, he was confident that Mu Yuchen definitely could notpare to him. Most girls liked men such as him who knew when toe and when to leave and had thoughts to share, not cold ones like Mu Yuchen.

    After he said that, he found it a little inappropriate, so he turned to look at Xi Xiaye apologetically. ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m not saying anything about you! If I said you were very beautiful and charming, I¡¯m afraid that your man will be shameless.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips into a smile and nced at Mu Yuchen. She turned to whisper in his ear, ¡°Look, it¡¯s not just me who thinks that about you. You should really reflect on it tonight.¡±

    ¡°When do I even have time to reflect?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we say we were doing prenatal education for the baby?¡±

    ...

    The atmosphere in the vi became rather lively.

    However, as long as people like Qi Lei and Su Chen were around, it would not be quiet. Besides, Mu Yuchen¡¯s cold humor only added to the atmosphere.

    The meal was soon ready, and then the few of them sat around at the table.

    ¡°Xiaye, go bring a few bottles of good wine from the cer. I know that Ah Chen brought back quite a lot of good quality whiskey from abroad. They will go in vain if they don¡¯t apany this dish.¡±

    Su Chen loved alcohol, and he was quite a good drinker too. This time, going over to taste some good alcohol was one of his intentions.

    ¡°Quality whiskey? Is there a year? Xiaye, bring a few bottles over. I¡¯ll bring two bottles back! I¡¯ve been quite liking this vor recently!¡±

    When Su Chen said that, Qi Lei immediately waved at Xi Xiaye without any reservations, treating the ce as if it were his home.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye paused. There was a hint of a smile contained in her lips as she looked at Mu Yuchen. Meanwhile, he calmly helped her walk over and chivalrously pulled open the chair for her before ordering Sis Wang, ¡°Sis Wang, please bring the four bottles on the second level of the shelf over.¡±

    Mu Yuchen kept a lot of good alcohol in his personal cer. However, after he married Xi Xiaye, he rarely drank, especially when she got pregnant. Even if he did drink sometimes, it would be with Su Chen and the rest, or when he was socializing for business.

    ¡°Okay, Master Mu!¡± Sis Wang respectfully responded, and then went to get the wine.

    By the time the wine was brought up, the few of them had begun feasting. They were all quite casually chatting, much to the surprise of Wang Hui who had rushed over!

 Chapter 689 - Long Live Elder!

    <h4>Chapter 689: Long Live Elder!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Hui stood there by the door while the butler beside her carried two huge luggage bags.

    Xi Xiaye had a few more months of pregnancy to go, so it was time for Wang Hui toe over and take care of her. She had already informed Xi Xiaye about her intention a few days ago when Mu Yuchen got back. All thepany matters would be passed to him while she rested at ease. Xi Xiaye agreed to that too.

    That was why Wang Hui immediately packed up her things to stay at Maple Residence. Sis Wang had previously packed a lot of things as well.

    However, she was not quite sure of the current situation. While Su Chen being there was not odd, why was this Qi Lei there too?

    Previously, Qi Lei and Xi Xiaye had some scandals that made it to the papers. In fact, Wang Hui had some impression of Qi Lei from before, so she could immediately recognize him!

    Could it be as the newspaper had said?

    Had Qi Lei and Ah Chen be good friends?

    Nonsense!

    Wang Hui did not believe that!

    She did not forget the effect of the incident from five years ago had on them. The rtionship between the Mus and the Qis were tense. Qi Lei caused quite a lot of trouble for Mu Yuchen back then too. Even though they had never interacted face-to-face, Wang Hui¡¯s impression of him was not positive at all!

    ¡°Grandmother? Why did you rush over sote?¡± Xi Xiaye spoke up first. She nced at Mu Yuchen who remained calm before subconsciously getting up.

    ¡°Grandma Mu, long time no see. Wow, you look younger now!¡± greeted Su Chen after he stopped what he was doing.

    ¡°Sis Wang, please prepare a set of cutlery for Grandmother.¡± Mu Yuchen got up to pull open the chair at the seat beside him.

    ¡°I see that it¡¯s quite lively here. Su Chen, I just called your family earlier. Your Elder was nagging about when you¡¯d be home. They were thinking about introducing a girl to you, yet you came back without a sound or a word! You¡¯re quite capable now, aren¡¯t you?!¡±

    Wang Hui handed the bags in her hand to the servants that came up to her. As she walked over, she ordered the butler to bring the things to the room.

    However, she did not sit at the chair that Mu Yuchen had pulled open for her. Instead, she sat on the chair beside Qi Lei, her sharp eyes fixated on thetter. Even Qi Lei could not help but shudder at that manner. He subconsciously shivered in trepidation!

    He knew that the Mu family¡¯s Elder Madam had been in the army and had an extraordinary presence. Years ago, the Elder of the Mu family was famous for being a yer in City Z. After that, he fell into this woman¡¯s hands, and her iron fist was ruthless, so Qi Lei immediately became on guard.

    Judging by those pair of sharp and narrowed eyes, Qi Lei could tell that Wang Hui had a strong fighting spirit. He could not help but sigh to himself. As he was about to say something, Wang Hui spoke up first. With that insincere smile on her face, Qi Lei was nerve-wracked at this sight.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this Master Qi? What brings you here?¡±

    Qi Lei tensed up. He quickly got up and forced augh. ¡°Just the northern wind. All hail Elder Madam Mu!¡± That demonic smile lingered on his handsome face as usual. Then, he even subconsciously did a bow!

    That very urate gesture of salutation with his smile looked discordant. Xi Xiaye could not help but giggle out loud.

    Wang Hui¡¯s graying brows raised as she looked at Qi Lei in shock. Then, she asked amusedly, ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°The great Elder Madam Mu, I, Qi Lei, bow to you!¡± Qi Lei said with a yful smile.

    Wang Hui was about to say something when Mu Yuchen suddenly said, ¡°Master Qi is my guest. It¡¯s already quitete. Grandmother, why did you rush over? Have you had dinner?¡±

    When she heard Mu Yuchen, Wang Hui then turned to him, meeting his deep and unfathomable gaze. Moments after she seemed to have understood something, she eased off a little and said, ¡°Never mind. I fought with your grandfather. I was annoyed, so I rushed out of the house.¡±

    As Wang Hui said this, she took the cutlery Sis Wang handed her.

    ¡°Grandmother Mu, you fought with Grandfather Mu again?¡±

    Su Chen looked at Wang Hui in amusement. He knew that this pair of elders from the Mu family seemed to have been fighting their whole lives, but from the way they were, they seemed to be more loving the more they fought.

    Wang Hui waved her hand and said gloomily, ¡°Your Grandfather Mu¡¯s too egoistic. The dish he made was clearly not appetizing. It¡¯s far too different from restaurant standards. I made ament, and he became angry. What kind of person does that? Why can¡¯t he be criticized? I wasmenting because I think highly of him. If he can¡¯t do it, then he can¡¯t. What¡¯s he so angry about?!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Su Chenughed, and then looked pitifully at Mu Yuchen.

    It was these petty things again, but he could already predict what was going to happen after this!

    Indeed, just as Su Chen had this thought, the phone on the coffee table by the sofa suddenly buzzed.

    Sis Wang went to pick it up. It was from the Mu residence.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s the Elder! He¡¯s telling you to answer it.¡±

    When Sis Wang finished, Mu Yuchen had already taken the napkin from the side and elegantly wiped his mouth before reaching his hand out to her.

    ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s me.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was heard.

    ¡°Your grandmother went to you, didn¡¯t she?¡± Mu Yinan¡¯s voice came, and Mu Yuchen could clearly hear that it contained unhappiness.

    ¡°Mmm, she just arrived and is having dinner. Have you had dinner, Grandfather?¡±

    Mu Yinan scoffed at this. Clearly, he was still angry. ¡°Tell your grandmother that I¡¯ve pulled out all of her marigolds on the balcony! Pulled them all out! And don¡¯t think that I will be feeding that parrot for her. Also, I won¡¯t be going home to sleep tonight either. I¡¯m going to the hot springs with CEO Meng, the one with sl**s! There are sl**s! I¡¯ll be there the whole night!¡±

    Elder Chairman Mu emphasized thosest few words for effect. In fact, he said it very loudly too, so not only did Xi Xiaye hear it clearly from the side, but even Qi Lei and Su Chen heard him!

    Qi Lei spat out a mouthful of alcohol when he heard it!

    He choked a bit and coughed profusely for a while before shing Mu Yuchen a thumbs-up. He could not help butugh. ¡°Amazing! Elder Mu is awe-inspiring and truly valiant!¡±

    Su Chen already convulsed withughter as he shouted at Mu Yuchen, ¡°Hahaha... Grandfather Mu, don¡¯t forget to bring me along! Grandfather Mu, let¡¯s be bros!¡±

    Wang Hui¡¯s aged face instantly became as dark as the bottom of a pot. She gripped her chopsticks tightly and said through gritted teeth, ¡°How dare he?! Rebelling now!¡±

    Then, Wang Hui mmed her chopsticks onto the table. Even Xi Xiaye was frightened by her stern manner, but in the end, she could not help but purse her lips. It was tough to hold back herughter!

 Chapter 690 - News (1)

    <h4>Chapter 690: News (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    While Xi Xiaye knew that Wang Hui and Mu Yinan often argued, their squabbles were usually not very serious. However, this time it seemed like Mu Yinan was really incensed.

    This olddy had even run away from him. How could Mu Yinan take it?

    In the past, Mu Yinan was always the one to apologize first, but now it seemed that something triggered him to even say words like ¡°sl**¡±.

    ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother will be staying over at Maple Residence tonight. Come over tomorrow if you need anything, and you know the consequences if you actually do that very well.¡± Mu Yuchen was very calm, not revealing any emotions.

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t it be your grandmothering back? I¡¯m not going over. No! She¡¯s too arrogant. How could she be so inconsiderate? Is Su Chen with you right now?¡± Mu Yinan scoffed unhappily.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Mm-hmm, he brought some wild game over.¡±

    ¡°Leave some for me. I¡¯ll head over tomorrow morning. Remember to leave some for me, and don¡¯t tell your grandmother that I called. That¡¯s all! Bye!¡± Mu Yinan hung up before Mu Yuchen could reply.

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he nced at Wang Hui whose expression had turned into a storm.

    Su Chen and Qi Lei were stillughing, especially thetter since this was the first time stumbling across something so interesting about the former Chairman Mu. He only knew that they were a role model couple. They really were precious!

    The old Chairman Mu must have had his hands full with Wang Hui at home!

    ¡°Alright, Grandmother. I¡¯m sure Grandfather is just joking. He won¡¯t do it, so don¡¯t be angry.¡± Xi Xiaye quickly offered some words offort since Wang Hui was getting angry.

    ¡°He¡¯s provoking me! Your grandfather¡¯s temper is getting worse and worse. I can¡¯t stand him anymore! He gets angry so easily. If I get sick somehow, it will be his fault!¡± Wang Hui took a deep breath and nced at them. Fortunately, she was still able to control her temper.

    Su Chen tried to say something as well. The only most indifferent about the whole situation was Mu Yuchen. He casually put some food on Xi Xiaye¡¯s te and picked out the fish bones as if nothing happened just now. He was totally unfazed.

    ¡°Grandmother, the fact that Grandfather called means he cares.¡± Xi Xiaye closed in and whispered, ¡°You should listen to Grandfather too.¡±

    ¡°How can I just let him be? You cannot let Ah Chen be like that as well. If you treat him too well, he¡¯ll only make it worse.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave Mu Yuchen a mischievous smile.

    That was how Wang Hui finally moved into Maple Residence. Anyway, they were well-prepared for it since she nned to move in before.

    After dinner, Wang Hui dragged Xi Xiaye to chat in the living room while Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Qi Lei went into the study room.

    Inside the huge andfortable study room, Mu Yuchen was sitting on the sofa as Su Chen sat beside him and prepared some tea while Qi Lei sat opposite them.

    ¡°This tea is pretty fragrant.¡±

    Su Chen liked tea. Since he knew a thing or two about them, hemented on it after taking a sip. Then, he handed Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen a cup each as well.

    ¡°My friend gave it to me. Take some back with youter.¡±

    Su Chen waved. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have too much tea at home. Pu¡¯er tea isn¡¯t my favorite. I prefer green tea. By the way, about Gu Lingsha...¡±

    Su Chen suddenly stopped and looked at Qi Lei who was quietly enjoying his tea and was not really showing any expression. He then continued, ¡°What¡¯s with Gu Lingsha? I got a call from Li Si. I thought something happened to Xi Xiaye.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked down at his teacup, not replying Su Chen. Instead, Qi Lei threw Mu Yuchen a doubtful nce before looking at Su Chen again.

    Since Mu Yuchen did not say anything, Su Chen hissed at Qi Lei, ¡°You, say something!¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged. ¡°Say what? I¡¯m not involved. I have no idea what happened. Why don¡¯t you ask Xiaye about it? I¡¯m sure she knows about it very well.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb. Everyone knows that you were helping Gu Lingsha out when it happened. Why is Gu Lingsha back? Why didn¡¯t she stay abroad and returned instead?¡±

    Simr to Ah Mo, Su Chen was stunned when he found out that Gu Lingsha had returned to City Z, so his vignce heightened.

    ¡°Is she really back for revenge? But how did we not find anything about Qi Feng at all? Is Qi Feng really dead?¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng is alive. That¡¯s one thing I can be sure of!¡±

    Qi Lei gave a firm reply, ¡°I tested that old man this morning. All the signs point towards the fact that my father knows Qi Feng¡¯s whereabouts. Moreover, I asked Shasha about it before as well. She told me she forgot what happened after she woke up. However, knowing Shasha, I think she¡¯s hiding something from me.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you think of a way to get it out of her?¡± Su Chen stared at Qi Lei. ¡°Or can¡¯t you?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged his shoulders innocently without replying.

    ¡°Say something. Don¡¯t be dumb right now!¡± Su Chen nced at Mu Yuchen and said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Gu Lingsha,¡± Mu Yuchen casually said, ¡°I know why she¡¯s back. I tracked everyone she came into contact with, and Ah Mo found some of her secret call logs which I¡¯m still investigating. I got several numbers, but I¡¯m not sure if they are rted to Qi Feng. We might have missed out on a lot in five years.¡±

    ¡°While the amount of work to be done is aplenty, it¡¯s the most reliable method. Think of a way to find out where those numberse from.¡±

 Chapter 691 - News (2)

    <h4>Chapter 691: News (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen frowned. After doing some thinking of his own, he continued, ¡°Can you roughly confirm where the numbers are from?¡±

    Mu Yuchen sipped some tea. ¡°There are two that I¡¯m suspecting. One is from Australia while the other is from City Z. If our hypothesis is correct, then Qi Feng should be hiding in Australia or in City Z.¡±

    ¡°Leave the searching to Ah Mo and Zimo.¡± Su Chen then said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be City Z. It¡¯s ridiculous that he¡¯s not been found so near us after so many years.¡±

    Qi Lei sighed, and his eyes darkened suddenly. ¡°He should be in Australia!¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Mu Yuchen nced at Qi Lei as he asked while refilling Qi Lei¡¯s cup.

    Qi Lei waited for a moment before smiling bitterly. ¡°I heard that the old man frequently makes calls to Australia. I thought it was business-rted, but now that I think about it, he should¡¯ve been contacting Qi Feng.¡±

    Qi Lei remembered Qi Qiming was displeased when he interrupted the calls. In retrospect, he should have been in the midst of calling Qi Feng. Qi Lei also happened to catch the phrase ¡°Australia¡± in some of the conversations.

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Mu Yuchen and saw he was just ying with his teacup. He grabbed the teacup and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I agree with what he said. From Ah Bo¡¯s investigations, Gu Lingsha frequently visited Australia.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then picked up his phone and dialed a number. It was Ah Mo who received the call.

    ¡°Master?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice came through.

    ¡°Focus the investigations on Australia, and try to get information on everyone that came into contact with Gu Lingsha in Australia. Pack up and fly there tomorrow night. Bring Lingshi with you as well. I¡¯ll send the exact details and information to yourputerter.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice reached him.

    Ah Mo was in his car parked near the entrance of Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Recently, he would be there to pick Mu Lingshi up after he was done with work.

    ¡°Master, are you saying that Qi Feng might be in Australia?¡± Ah Mo straightened up and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll depend on you guys to find him. I don¡¯t like the word ¡®might¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°Go back and pack up. I¡¯ll get Li Si to book flights for the two of you. Head back to the Mu residence tomorrow and let Grandfather know Lingshi and you are traveling to Australia. Grandmother is with me and I¡¯ll send her over tomorrow. Try not to grab too much attention. Just act as if you guys are going for a honeymoon. Fly to France first and then n your routes from there onwards. Understand?¡±

    Qi Qiming was very strong at anti-spying, so Mu Yuchen had to be careful since it was only possible to find something by doing it on their own.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei was impressed by Mu Yuchen¡¯s attention to detail. He had it all figured out. That way, they would definitely avoid Qi Qiming¡¯s attention. Moreover, Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were getting along well, so Qi Qiming would never suspect that their honeymoon trip to France would be an investigation of Qi Feng in secret!

    ¡°Does Ah Mo have enough people?¡± Su Chen refilled Mu Yuchen¡¯s cup. ¡°I might need to send some subordinates abroad for training. Australia might be a good choice. If there¡¯s a need, I can put the applications in.¡±

    ¡°Too many people might catch too much attention. Just the two of them will be fine. You¡¯ll attract a lot of attention, thus it¡¯ll be subtler if we transfer them via France. Just leave this to them,¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he nced over at Qi Lei who had been quiet. ¡°Master Qi, do you have anything to say about this?¡±

    Qi Lei came back to his senses when Mu Yuchen mentioned his name. He took a deep breath and pinched the space between his eyebrows. His darkened eyes were filled with exhaustion. ¡°What can I say about this? I just hope that you guys will let me know when Qi Feng is found. Alright, Master Su, you don¡¯t need to look at me like this. You know how my rtionship with that old man is. If I can find out anything from him, I would¡¯ve known where Qi Feng is by now. Even Shasha...¡±

    ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, it¡¯s a tragedy to have a father like him.¡± Su Chen shrugged his shoulder and threw Qi Lei a pitiful nce.

    ¡°I¡¯m used to it. It¡¯s not really that tragic. I have food to eat, clothes to wear, and money to spend. This is the life I want, so don¡¯t spare me those pitiful nces. I don¡¯t need them!¡± Qi Lei put on a grin as he said in a calm tone, ¡°As for Shasha, I¡¯ll keep an eye on her. I¡¯ll do my best to minimize her interference.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really concerned about her!¡± Su Chen nced at Qi Lei, trying to tease him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to exin about Shasha too much. I won¡¯t defend her if she¡¯s indeed wrong. What I can do now is to monitor her. I got a confirmation from my mother that Shasha will be joining Qi Kai after she¡¯s recovered. She might be involved in the South River Project. I don¡¯t know what this means, but you can find out about it yourself. By the way, can I have the document with the samples? I¡¯ll be abroad tomorrow onwards.¡± Qi Lei put down his tea cup and stood up slowly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to CEO Shen from Fu Hua. He wants to meet you next week. Will you be back by then?¡± Mu Yuchen stood up and handed the folder to Qi Lei.

    ¡°CEO Shen wants to see me?¡± Qi Lei looked surprised.

    ¡°He¡¯s interested in the documents you submitted, so he wants to talk to you personally.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to get back before then. It¡¯s gettingte now and I¡¯ll be heading back now. Call me if you need anything!¡± Qi Lei then started walking towards the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head back too. Let¡¯s talk again when Zimo gets back.¡± Su Chen stood up as well.

    ...

    When they went downstairs, Xi Xiaye and Wang Hui were sitting on the sofa watching the TV. She stood up when she saw the few of theming down.

    ¡°Xiaye, stay home with Grandmother. I¡¯ll send them home. Hand me the car keys, please.¡±

 Chapter 692 - Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 692: Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye walked towards the drawer and got him the car keys. ¡°Put on anotheryer of clothes. It¡¯s cold outside.¡± She also grabbed his coat on the sofa and passed it to him.

    He nodded and slung the coat over his shoulder before heading outside. Qi Lei and Su Chen bade their farewells and followed him.

    It was alreadyte at night, so the whole Grand Waves Vi area was quiet amidst the chilly weather.

    Mu Yuchen sent Qi Lei to the entrance of the Grand Lake Vi area before sending Su Chen back to his condominium.

    On the way back, Su Chen asked Mu Yuchen, ¡°So, you really trust Qi Lei now, huh? But now that I look at him, he seems pretty genuine. What did you do? How did he change so much?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a smart guy, and I believe in his decision-making skills. There are no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits.¡±

    Mu Yuchen understood Qi Lei¡¯s situation very well, hence he trusted his own decision. His appearance today confirmed his thoughts.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty confident, but you¡¯ll never know what he¡¯s really thinking. As your friend, I have to remind you that Qi Lei looks like he¡¯s got something to hide. Be careful and take precautionary measures.¡± Su Chen gave Mu Yuchen a reminder as he looked at him pointedly.

    ¡°I got it. It¡¯s time for you to go. Xiaye is still waiting for me at home. I¡¯ll get someone to drive your car over tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s gather again when Zimo gets back. It¡¯s been several months since we¡¯ve had a drink together. You¡¯re almost bing a shut-in. It¡¯s not healthy to always stay with your wife. How can a man survive without any entertainment?¡± Su Chen nced at Mu Yuchen and patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t dote on her too much and be her ve!¡±

    Mu Yuchen threw him a cold stare and he quickly shut up, disembarking from the car quietly.

    Wang Hui was already asleep by the time he got back to Maple Residence while Xi Xiaye was going through some documents in the study room after a shower.

    Xi Xiaye sorted the documents based on priorities. When she was done and had gone into the bedroom, Mu Yuchen came out of the bathroom wearing a blue sleeping robe.

    Xi Xiaye went over and tied the sash of his robe for him as she asked, ¡°What were you guys talking about? That was a long chat. It¡¯s already half past ten.¡±

    He ran his fingers through her hair and put his arm over her shoulder. ¡°Nothing much, just some stuff that happened recently.

    ¡°Gu Lingsha?¡± She looked at him, her fingers interlocking with his while she slid her other arm around his waist.

    He looked downwards and touched her baby bump. ¡°Who else could it be except them? Su Nan is fine now. You can rx and rest at home. Take a look at yourself in the mirror.¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw herself in the mirror. She looked exhausted and had some dark circles around her eyes although it was better nowpared to several days earlier.

    ¡°A lot has happened. I¡¯m just a little tired from worrying about Su Nan.¡±

    ¡°Go to bed earlier. Don¡¯t stay up sote at night again. Go to sleep before 10.30 pm.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the little thing has fallen asleep as well. It was acting up just now and Grandmother sang some songs. She said it must be a boy.¡±

    ¡°A girl, one who listens to me.¡±

    Lately, their conversations had been revolving around their child. Master Mu could never understand why new parents always talked about their children, but now he finally understood it himself.

    The next day, Xi Xiaye woke up as a result of some noise. Although the man was nowhere to be seen, as usual, he had prepared some clothes for her to change into. When she got downstairs after washing up, Mu Yinan was there reading the newspaper and enjoying some tea on the sofa.

    Sis Wang was quick to notice Xi Xiaye. ¡°Good morning, Missus!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded in response. ¡°Good morning!¡±

    Mu Yinan looked over when he heard their voices. He spoke gently, ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Grandfather! Where¡¯s Grandmother and Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Missus, Master went to work, and he specifically told you to stay at home and rest. He¡¯ll take care of the handover work and will call you if there¡¯s anything he needs. The flowers in the backyard have bloomed, so Elder Madam is there right now.¡±

    ¡°Have some breakfast, Sis Wang. Get Elder Madam back here for breakfast.¡± Mu Yinan¡¯s expression was not as strained as Xi Xiaye imagined. Instead, he looked slightly helpless, and it seemed like the conflict yesterday ended with his defeat.

    Breakfast was soon served. It was a nutritious Eastern breakfast.

    Wang Hui sat down beside Xi Xiaye and opposite Mu Yinan. She was definitely giving him a hard time.

    After Mu Yinan gulped down half a bowl of porridge, he quietly uttered, ¡°Well, I fed the parrot... I didn¡¯t pluck out your flowers. I even watered them. I also... didn¡¯t go to the ***... I really didn¡¯t. I stayed at home all night. You can ask Tangchuan if you don¡¯t believe me. We yed some chess and only went to sleep at around midnight!¡± Mu Yinan exined himself as he looked at his wife.

    Wang Hui ignored him outright. She scooped another half bowl of porridge for Xi Xiaye and smiled. ¡°Here, have a little more. I know you don¡¯t like greasy food, so we made this.¡±

    Her kind attitude to Xi Xiaye was a huge contrast to how she usually treated Mu Yinan. He started to frown.

    ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother, that¡¯s enough now. Mu Yuchen said Ah Mo and Lingshi will be going back home as they will be leaving for France tonight. They might only be back after several months, let Chauffeur Wang send you two back home after breakfast.¡±

    Xi Xiaye remembered what her man saidst night.

    ¡°What? Ah Mo and Lingshi are going to France? Didn¡¯t Ah Chen just return from there?¡±

    The two of them were stunned.

    ¡°There are still some things that need to be handled there. It¡¯s also an opportunity for them to travel around.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled.

 Chapter 693 - Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 693: Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The old couple quickly finished their breakfast and returned to the old residence. Of course, the two of them looked very happy too. They wondered if Ah Mo and Lingshi were going to bring good news soon.

    They even wondered if the good news woulde around by next spring.

    The cold wind blew at the entrance of Maple Residence. Sis Wang looked at the car that moved further away in a daze as she could not help but sigh lightly. ¡°Missus, Elder Chairman Mu and Elder Madam are really a pair of goofy ones. Earlier, they were still upset, and now they just left hand-in-hand. I think this is what you call husband and wife.¡±

    ¡°The kind of love that Grandfather and Grandmother share is the kind the previous generation has. Sometimes, I think that their love is a little simpler. I think they understand what it means to be there through thick and thin.¡±

    Just like Grandpa Shen Yue and her Grandma Fu Hua.

    ¡°Missus, you and Master are like this too. The two of you will definitely be loving until a ripe old age, and be happy forever.¡±

    Sis Wang turned and looked at Xi Xiaye, her face brimming with a smile. ¡°Before this, I always thought that Master was a very cold and hostile person. After that, I realized that he¡¯s actually a very calm person. Missus, you can¡¯t go wrong with Master.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye smiled calmly. As she looked at the car that vanished in front, she responded after a long while, ¡°Everyone wants to be happy forever, but happiness is like skating on thin ice. Many things still require us to work hard and guard them.¡±

    She left this sentence floating in the cold wind before she turned to walk into Maple Residence.

    Sis Wang looked away with a sigh, and went in after her.

    After the cold rain stopped, it seemed as if the entire City Z had calmed down too. Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi flew to France that day itself while Qi Lei rushed abroad for work. Xi Xiaye stayed in Maple Residence and barely went out. Apart from asking Ji Zitong to return to the Shen residence twice, she stayed at home.

    On Hospital T¡¯s end, Xi Xiaye called Su Nan. She found out that Ruan Heng¡¯s condition was stable for now, but he had not regained consciousness. There would still be lots of examinations in the uing week. Xi Xiaye knew that they were all people that Mu Yuchen had specially invited to check on Ruan Heng.

    The entire City Z was bing colder and colder. After New Year¡¯s Day, they would be at the end of the year.

    Mu Yuchen went out early and returnedte. He was very busy with work, but when Xi Xiaye went to the hospital for checkups, he would personally apany her such as he did today. It was a Saturday, and there were many people, so it was a lucky thing they had made an appointment.

    After the checkup was done, the husband and wife went to visit Ruan Heng too. He was still in the Intensive Care Unit. Su Nan who guarded the ward outside had be thin very quickly. She was even more fragile than before she got married. However, by the looks of it, her emotions seemed quite stable, and she was not as distracted as before.

    On the bench in the corridor, Xi Xiaye looked sadly at Su Nan who was gaunt. ¡°Before this, you were still worried that you wouldn¡¯t be able to lose weight, but look at you now. You¡¯re so thin I can see your ribs. If Ruan Heng wakes up, his heart would ache to see you like this. He¡¯d evenin about what a bad friend I have been.¡±

    Su Nan just smiled feebly. ¡°I can still gain weight after this. As long as that bastard Ruan Heng wakes up, I don¡¯t mind how thin I get. You, though, you¡¯ve gone through a lot with me. Lucky thing Master Mu¡¯s back to watch over you. I think you look much better now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been eating well and sleeping well recently, so I feel much better in spirit. Right, how¡¯s Xiao Chenxi doing? When I went back to the Shen residence a few days ago, I went around the maternity store and bought Xiao Xi some clothes and toys. They¡¯re still at my ce. I¡¯ll get Zitong to send them to you at night.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry about these things. Worry about yourself. Xiao Xi still has her grandpa, grandma, grandfather, and grandmother to take care of her, so she¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve beening over to see Ruan Heng, so I haven¡¯t had much time to watch Xiao Xi. Thankfully, Ruan Heng¡¯s mother and my mother are around. Otherwise, I really wouldn¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    Su Nan sighed a little helplessly. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m just hoping that Ruan Heng will wake up sooner. It¡¯s been tough for me to hold on alone. Before this, there would be him to depend on for everything. Seeing him down like this makes me feel like I¡¯m stuck in a terribly difficult situation. Okay, forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about these things. Right, Xiaye, when I apanied Ruan Heng for a checkup yesterday, I saw Xi Xinyi again. She seems to have been hospitalized recently, and she looked quite gloomy. I asked the doctor and found out that she was sent to the hospital because of heavy drinking that caused her stomach to bleed. What¡¯s up? I heard that something happened on Han Yifeng¡¯s end.¡±

    Su Nan had only heard some rumors. Since she was in confinement for a while before this, and then Ruan Heng¡¯s incident happened, she naturally did not pay attention to all this.

    When she mentioned it, Xi Xiaye subconsciously frowned and shot Su Nan a puzzled look before replying calmly, ¡°Han Yifeng left City Z for San Francisco. In fact, he brought Xi Xinyi¡¯s son too. He¡¯s thinking of starting over there.¡±

    ¡°So, this Xi Xinyi did not leave with him and stayed back in City Z? I heard that she¡¯s been managing Yueying well. Hasn¡¯t the box office sales for a recently released blockbuster been doing well? How could she be willing to give up on everything here and leave with Han Yifeng? No wonder she looked quite dispirited. She seemed a little sad and dazed.¡±

    The scene from before suddenly shed in Su Nan¡¯s mind. Now, all that remained were sighs. ¡°However, this time, you can actually see that Han Yifeng haspletely given up on Xi Xinyi. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have left so determinedly. He even brought the child with him. I think back then, they were really close. Even though I don¡¯t like the two of them, their current situation should give us some kind of warning. Xi Xinyi hasn¡¯t looked for you for trouble recently, has she?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s been behaving for a while now.¡±

    Su Nan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good then. I hope that we can walk out from all these haziness in the past. The Xi family¡¯s gone, and so have your grandfather and Deng Wenwen. And Yue Lingsi... You¡¯ve gone through many storms. You learn you can never straighten everything out, so you only wish for some peace!¡±

    After she said this, she sighed deeply. ¡°After Ruan Heng got into the ident, I¡¯ve given it a lot of thought. The more I feel like there are too many things spiraling out of our control, I don¡¯t wish for riches, only peace and harmony for my family.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and dly agreed, ¡°Ruan Heng will definitely wake up. Don¡¯t worry about it too much. You speak so much to him every day, and he loves you deeply. He won¡¯t just leave you behind like that.¡±

 Chapter 694 - Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 694: Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye did not think that Xi Xinyi woulde over just as she and Su Nan were in the midst of a chat.

    When they heard the patter of footsteps, Xi Xiaye subconsciously turned to look and saw Xi Xinyi dressed in a light red winter overcoat in thetest trend. She wore light makeup, concealing her wan and sallowness, but from the way she moved, you could tell that she probably had it rough.

    Was she not hospitalized?

    Why was she here?

    Xi Xiaye and Su Nan exchanged a look. Their eyes were filled with some doubt and vignce.

    ¡°I want to talk to you.¡± Xi Xinyi stopped before the two of them, her dim and gloomy eyes FALLING onto Xi Xiaye, confusing her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression was calm and her tone was cold as she said, ¡°But I don¡¯t know what there is to talk to you about. If it¡¯s about Han Yifeng or is rted to the Xi family, then we don¡¯t have much to talk about.¡±

    Xi Xinyi just smiled coldly and said firmly, ¡°But I think I have many things to talk to you about. I came here intentionally. Since you think that you can be quite undisturbed, why would you be worried that I¡¯d dy you for a few minutes, Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Like before, her tone was still not courteous. Xi Xiaye was very clear about how much this woman resented her!

    Xi Xiaye did not answer. As Xi Xinyi¡¯s dull gaze suddenly sharpened, she nced at Su Nan beside Xi Xiaye. Her intentions were clear, yet Su Nan ignored her while Xi Xiaye mocked in disdain, ¡°Xi Xinyi, didn¡¯t your mother teach you that when you¡¯re asking to speak to someone, it¡¯s best if you be more courteous and respectful with your attitude?¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, this is between Xi Xiaye and me. You¡¯re an outsider. Would you die if you were less of a busybody?¡± Xi Xinyi was quite furious, you could sense from the sneer on her face that this time, Han Yifeng¡¯s actions must have impacted her quite a bit.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything, you can just tell me. I don¡¯t have much time.¡± When she saw Xi Xinyi snap at Su Nan, Xi Xiaye immediately frowned.

    Xi Xinyi looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold little face and clenched her teeth. She took a deep breath in and then said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that Yifeng has left City Z?¡±

    ¡°I know. He even brought your son away.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression was apathetic as she responded.

    ¡°Does that means you already knew that he wanted to leave? Did he tell you personally that he wanted to leave?¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s grip on her sleeves tightened as she looked gloomy with her eyes fixed on Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye smiled indifferently. ¡°You¡¯re his wife. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s quite odd to be asking me this kind of questions?¡±

    ¡°Odd? I just want to know whether he loves me or you! He doesn¡¯t even love me all that much. Otherwise, how could he be so cruel and heartless? I¡¯m going crazy from thinking about this. He leaves when he wants to, but why did he take my child away!? I gave birth to the child. Was it you who taught him to do that? I know he¡¯s looked for you. Don¡¯t think about lying to me!¡± Xi Xinyi looked like she was about to break down, and as she spoke, her beautiful eyes started to tear up.

    ¡°Why are you so weird? Your child was taken away by Han Yifeng. What does this have to do with Xiaye?¡± Su Nan could not hold back her anger as she red at Xi Xinyi with widened eyes.

    However, Xi Xinyi pretended not to hear her as she fixed her gaze on Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xi Xiaye! Speak! Was it you? He¡¯s not even picking up my calls right now, but I know that he¡¯ll definitely pick your calls up. I want you to tell him that if he dares say that he once loved me, then he should return the child to me. I won¡¯t go after all the things from the past.¡±

    ¡°Why should I make this call for you?¡± Xi Xiaye sneered. ¡°I finally feel better now knowing you¡¯re not doing well. Who Han Yifeng loves or loved has nothing to do with me. As for matters rted to the child, those are your family matters. It¡¯s got nothing to do with me. On the day that Han Yifeng left, he had someone send over a bouquet of yellow roses. The card says that he hopes I could forgive him, and he wished Mu Yuchen and me well, that we would be happy forever.¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Xi Xinyi immediately responded, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you!¡±

    ¡°Whether you want to believe me or not is up to you. From the moment that Han Yifeng chose you between the two of us, we werepletely done for. All the memories of these past years have faded away too. Besides, Han Yifeng can¡¯tpare to Mu Yuchen. Do you think I¡¯m a fool? Would I ditch a watermelon for a sesame seed?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s determined tone was overbearing as her cold eyes shed with indifference and disdain.

    ¡°If you really want to get Han Yifeng back, then you can just end everything here and go look for him in San Francisco. Don¡¯t be here making an unreasonable scene with me. All of this is meaningless. Xi Xinyi, if we¡¯re talking about your so-called ¡®happiness¡¯, then you have far more than me, but you don¡¯t appreciate them. There¡¯s no one in this world who owes you kindness. The only person you can change is yourself. Your narrow-mindedness, your greediness, your jealousy, and yourck of introspection has harmed you, so the person who destroyed you was yourself.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up, her calm and indifferent eyes meeting Xi Xinyi¡¯s. ¡°Deng Wewen, Yue Lingsi, Han Yifeng, the Han family... Ask yourself have they not been good to you? Have I harmed you? What made you want to go against me? Ever since we were young, you¡¯d always think of ways to take away everything I have. You didn¡¯t want to let me do well. Xi Xinyi, you¡¯re psychopathic. You should go get checked. You¡¯re quite sick. If one is physically sick, you can still heal, but if your heart is sick, then there¡¯s no fixing that.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed to herself and slowly got up. Su Nan also stood up and helped her.

    ¡°Next time, don¡¯te looking for me again. As for Han Yifeng, the Xi family, and everything rted to you, I don¡¯t want to know. I¡¯ve never cared for Yueying. If we were to talk about qualifications, I never thought of myself more inferior than you. At least, I¡¯ve never admitted that you¡¯re prettier than me, and in terms of talents, I don¡¯t think I lose to you either. Xi Xinyi, your enemy is yourself and not me! If you really want to go after something, you¡¯ll just have to me it on your bad luck. Why didn¡¯t you meet a Mu Yuchen too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold voice contained a hint of sarcasm that sounded thorny to Xi Xinyi. She was angry and hurt at the same time. She could barely catch her breath and struggled for a while. Just when she was about to refute, she suddenly heard the sound of steady footsteps. Subconsciously, she looked up to see Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome andnky figure.

 Chapter 695 - Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 695: Master Mu Is A Watermelon? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi was shaken as the things that Mu Yuchen had said to her back then immediately shed in her mind.

    Mu Yuchen stopped leisurely and nced at his woman before peering at Xi Xinyi. His profound gaze was so cold that Xi Xinyi instantly felt the chill to the bone. She trembled a bit, then turned to leave. Watching her figure rush off, Su Nan felt like she was running for her life.

    Xi Xiaye was still stunned by the man¡¯s sudden appearance, so she could not react immediately.

    When did he appear out of nowhere?

    How long had he been there?

    How much of the conversation earlier had he heard?

    As she thought about this, Xi Xiaye shuddered to herself. Before he could react, she felt her cheeks turning hot, and she could not help but blush especially with Su Nan teasing her on the side.

    ¡°Cough cough, Xiaye, your watermelon [1] is here. I¡¯m off now!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard her teasing, she immediately covered her face and called out to Su Nan¡¯s vanishing figure, ¡°Su Nan, you horrible friend!¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye shouted, the man¡¯s deep and sensitive voice was heard. ¡°She¡¯s already gone. Don¡¯t yell after her now. I didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d be so great in your eyes. You didn¡¯t confess to me but to your rival instead. Xi Xiaye, what should I think about this? Also, do you really think I¡¯m a watermelon?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt even more embarrassed. She could not have imagined herself saying such things either. She struggled, then looked up silently at him. When she saw that his expression was calm as usual, yet two oddly bright glows gathered in those eyes of his. They were fixated on her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s bright and moving twinkling eyes flickered a bit, then she cleared her throat to hide her shyness. She quickly thought of something before pointing her at her baby bump with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re the little watermelon¡¯s father!¡±

    A smile as gentle as the spring wind instantly shed across his face. He lifted a hand and patted her head as his tender voice could not conceal his doting. ¡°Is admitting that you like me so hard? Missus, I suddenly remember that you haven¡¯t confessed to me before.¡±

    Before he could finish, Xiaye immediately refuted justifiably, ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t told me you love me before either.¡± Her eyes that were as bright as the stars met with his deep ones as she said calmly, ¡°If you say it, then I¡¯ll say it. If you confess, then I¡¯ll confess.¡±

    Upon hearing this, a smile curved on his noble and handsome face. It was mesmerizingly elegant, and he chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more arrogant from being spoiled now, Missus.¡±

    ¡°All thanks to you,¡± she responded very calmly, ¡°Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He raised his brows to look at her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say those three words to me?¡±

    Upon hearing her ask that, he just smiled and dotingly patted on her head. He suddenly sighed and abruptly pulled her into his wide and warm chest as he said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it because I want you to feel it yourself. Your Mr. Mu is old, so he¡¯s shy of saying these things. When you can feel it one day, remember to tell me. I¡¯ve always hoped for the moment that you can feel it, when you¡¯d tell me that you feel the same.¡±

    His gentle voice was very warm and sentimental. Xi Xiaye was a mess in his embrace as she felt touched. She could not hold back from hugging him tightly, and her clear voice turned a little raspy. ¡°I¡¯ve long felt it, Mu Yuchen. I feel the same. When you weren¡¯t around, this would hurt a little whenever I missed you.¡±

    Her twinkling eyes seemed a little misty to him. She reached out to point as her heart, yet her gaze was firm. ¡°I think that next time, I¡¯ll like watermelon more than myself.¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen smiled even more elegantly and charmingly. ¡°Is that so? Then, do you like the big watermelon more or the little watermelon?¡±

    ¡°I like both,¡± she answered sincerely.

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen suddenly felt like whatever he had been worried about was about to happen.

    When the child was born, would she like the child more than him?

    He heard that most women were like that. After having a child, their focus would shift. Between their husband and child, the child would be more important to them.

    ¡®So, little watermelon, you had better be a girl! Like repelled like. Father can then steal more of your mother¡¯s attention!¡¯ he thought to himself.

    He sighed. Upon seeing the smile that brimmed on her face, he did not have the heart to scold her, so he just lowered his head and nted a kiss on her light lips before he said very sincerely, ¡°But to me, little watermelon¡¯s mother is the most important to me. Little watermelon, I just conveniently happen to like you too.¡±

    When she heard his admission, she was immediately overjoyed. She quickly asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    He nodded gently. ¡°Of course.¡±

    She pursed her lips and smiled for a long while before reaching out to pull him and walking ahead as she said, ¡°When the baby grows up, he or she will definitely protest. What unique name should we give it?¡±

    ¡°If he or she dares to be unhappy with the name their mother gives them, the first person to give them a lesson will be me!¡±

    ¡°Mmm? Wait, Mr. Mu, you just said you were old earlier, and that you¡¯d be shy to say those things, didn¡¯t you?¡± Xi Xiaye pondered for a moment and remembered what the man said before.

    Mu Yuchen was stunned. After a while, he smiled. ¡°Missus, you¡¯re really good at reacting.¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes. ¡°Only thick-skinned people would tell people that they¡¯re shy. You should be that sort of person.¡±

    ...

    Of course, Xi Xiaye would not know that when he heard her say that she liked him more than she liked herself, there was an instance when Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart seemed to have skipped a beat. He suddenly realized that everything he had done so far was more than worth it.

    On the long road ahead, he would slowly also understand why he was at peace with himself all this while. It was because he had been waiting for her. All of him belonged to her whether she was good or bad.

    A very, very long while after that, Xi Xiaye asked him again, ¡°If I were to be like Xi Xinyi, and were a very, very horrid woman, would you still be good to me like you are right now? Would you be like Han Yifeng, abandoning me in discouragement?¡±

    Then, he said to Xi Xiaye, ¡°If you were a woman like that, then that could only mean that I haven¡¯t done well enough. I couldn¡¯t do my best to satisfy you, so you think that you don¡¯t have enough, and that is why you became horrid. I must first reflect on myself, but I would never turn out to be such a below-average guy. I am not like him.¡±

 Chapter 696 - Youâ€™re The Most Important (1)

    <h4>Chapter 696: You¡¯re The Most Important (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen put his arm over her shoulder as they walked along the corridor and headed outside.

    Unexpectedly, they bumped into Gu Lingsha who was getting discharged from the hospital that day.

    Xi Xiaye had to admit that Gu Lingsha was a true beauty. She wore a khaki-colored windbreaker with her hair tied into a simple knot. Her face was beautiful, and her eyes were blue like sapphires.

    She was just morous.

    Xi Xiaye was skeptical about the saying that Caucasians were usually better looking, but her doubts were cleared the moment she saw Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha halted her steps when she saw Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen. She stood beside the car as she watched them walk over. Her expression was calm, and her gaze was icy cold.

    ¡°Master!¡± Li Si quickly went forward and shot Gu Lingsha an alert nce.

    ¡°Not even a greeting?¡± Gu Lingsha spoke softly with a smile on her face. She did not express any other emotions on the surface.

    Xi Xiaye had no idea that Mu Yuchen and Gu Lingsha met before this. The current situation felt awkward. When she turned towards Mu Yuchen, she noticed how calm he was. His eyes seemed unfazed and cold when he looked at Gu Lingsha. Even Xi Xiaye could feel the chilly aura around him.

    Since Mu Yuchen remained silent, Gu Lingshaid her sights on Xi Xiaye. ¡°Ms. Xi, we meet again. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a pleasure meeting this time.¡±

    ¡°You should call her Mrs. Mu.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice reached her as his arm over her shoulder tightened.

    ¡°I thought we¡¯d be able to have a nice, long talk since we¡¯ve reunited after such a long time. You¡¯re still cold as ever, but I really don¡¯t like the way we talked that night. Mu Yuchen, I¡¯m not the same person as before anymore. Whatever I want, I¡¯ll get it,¡± Gu Lingsha spoke quietly as she closed in.

    ¡°You know very well I can do much more than what happened that night.¡±

    Gu Lingsha let out a coldugh. ¡°I know you¡¯ve always wondered how Lingtian died, but I¡¯ll never tell you. You just have to know that you killed him. You spared no mercy to your own brother. He suffered greatly when he died.¡±

    As expected, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened after he heard Gu Lingsha and his grip on Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder tightened once again. Xi Xiaye could feel the intense coldness from him.

    ¡°Not only did you elope with someone else behind your fianc¨¨¡¯s back, but you even incited Lingtian to help you guys and indirectly caused his death, yet now you¡¯re ming the victim. Ms. Gu, is your brain only made up of muscles? How could you act like you¡¯re on the side of justice while you just want revenge?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was getting protective. She shot Gu Lingsha a sarcastic look and her tone was sharp. ¡°Such shameless behavior like yours deserves a death penalty if it happened in the ancient era. Is your beauty inversely corrted to your IQ? Where does your sense of justicee from? If we actually want to hold someone responsible, you¡¯re the real cause of the whole tragedy, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was stunned for a moment. She then replied as her expression darkened. ¡°Ms. Xi please be mindful of your attitude!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think my attitude has any issue. Compared to protected little princesses like you, I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so bad about being straightforward and authentic. At the very least, I won¡¯t go eloping with someone else. I know how to spell the word shame. Are you sure you do?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave Gu Lingsha a hard stare. Despite being furious, Gu Lingsha was able to control her expression of emotions very well. She acted as if she did not care what Xi Xiaye just said as she gave Mu Yuchen a smile. ¡°Letting a woman act recklessly... That¡¯s not like you at all, Mu Yuchen.¡±

    She then nced coldly at Xi Xiaye and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not involved at all. You have no right to talk about it because you don¡¯t know what happened. Mu Yuchen, you know very well what you¡¯ve done. What now? Are you so speechless that you need your woman to defend you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was indifferent. He gave Xi Xiaye a gentle nce before staring at Gu Lingsha coldly. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I enjoyed it.¡±

    He ignored Gu Lingsha¡¯s reaction as he dragged Xi Xiaye toward the car. Li Si opened the door for them, and Xi Xiaye turned over elegantly and gave Gu Lingsha a graceful nce before going in.

    The car soon left and vanished amidst the traffic.

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath and closed her eyes in bitterness. She smiled wanly and clenched her fists.

    She was the true victim! Her Weiwei was the innocent one!

    How could they live their lives in peace while she had to go through the pain?

    This world was unfair!

    Gu Lingsha felt a pain shoot in her chest as she thought about it.

    The chauffeur was driving carefully. The atmosphere inside the car was turning so dark that even Li Si, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, could feel it.

    ¡°Master, where are we going now? Are we still heading to the New Era Shopping Centre?¡±

    He wanted to bring Xi Xiaye out for a walk, but it did not seem like the right time. Mu Yuchen leaned back quietly, looking outside the window and not replying Li Si.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye said, ¡°Go back to Maple Residence.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡±

    Li Si did not say anything else. Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen for a while before grabbing the hand that rested on hisp. ¡°Don¡¯t mind what she said. It¡¯s all in the past now. No matter what, I¡¯ll trust you and support you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had a faint smile on his face as he embraced her.

 Chapter 697 - Youâ€™re The Most Important (2)

    <h4>Chapter 697: You¡¯re The Most Important (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Remember what you said. If you don¡¯t fulfill your promise, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡± He hugged her tightly as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no point putting the me on anyone now after it¡¯s done. The dead can¡¯t be revived anyway.¡±

    ¡°Then, you...¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a doubtful nce.

    He saw her gaze and then said, ¡°I still want to know some answers. No matter what, Lingtian did die in the ident, and I¡¯m partly responsible for that. Back then, when we found out Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng were leaving, Lingtian came to my study room. Of course, I want to hold them ountable, but even more so, I want to know Lingtian¡¯s reason for doing it. That¡¯s why I want Ah Mo to bring them all back.¡±

    ¡°After all that¡¯s happened, now that I think about it, Lingtian¡¯s rtionship with Gu Lingsha wouldn¡¯t have just been friends. I guess that he probably fell in love with Gu Lingsha. That¡¯s the reason why he betrayed me. There are only several drivers behind behaviors: money, love, revenge.¡±

    ¡°But, if that¡¯s the case, why would Lingtian help Qi Feng? Qi Feng would be Lingtian¡¯s love rival, but many investigations led to the conclusion that Lingtian respected Qi Feng a lot. He even called him Bro Feng. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s odd? I think your opinion is a little out of ce,¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and voiced out her doubts.

    ¡°You probably underestimated Qi Feng¡¯s psychological tactics. While Lingtian rarely sees me, it¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s an innocent person. He¡¯d give it his all to help someone he trusts. He¡¯s kind of introverted and disliked hanging out with Su Chen and the others. However, he liked to spend time with Gu Lingsha,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and gave it some thought. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I can understand why people who aren¡¯t close to you would feel pressured by your coldness, but Gu Lingsha and the others are different. Qi Lei was with them as well. He must have felt rxed and happy. It¡¯s very important for a lonely person.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt it was rtable. After Shen Wenna divorced Xu Mushan, she started to iste herself. She isted herself from the other students, but then she saw Su Nan¡¯s cheerfulness and longed for it. She wanted to protect that warmth and happiness.

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng always held a special ce in her heart. Her memories with them were precious.

    Now, she could understand what Mu Lingtian was feeling.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Since we¡¯re out, let¡¯s go somewhere. We¡¯ll go back after noon. Do you have anywhere you want to go?¡± Mu Yuchen interrupted her train of thought and said.

    Xi Xiaye nced at him and noticed that his expression had returned to his usual calmness. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Hmm... Then, let¡¯s go to the orphanage to take a look. It¡¯s been a while since I visited. By the way, is there any news about the child adoption?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. We need to be cautious about this. Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±

    ...

    The orphanage looked totally different now. Since Xi Xinyi¡¯s incident, this ce had caught the attention of many charity organizations. Mu Yuchen also took Xi Xiaye¡¯s suggestion of setting up a Glory World Charity Fund, and this orphanage was one of its beneficiaries.

    Many people chipped into the fund following Glory World¡¯s lead, so it had grown by arge scale now and held a certain amount of influence when dealing with the government.

    The rusted fence had already been reced anew. From the outside, they could see the progress of the construction going on inside. The outdoor field had been worked on as well. There was now a basketball court and football court. There was also a new flower bed with some freshly bloomed chrysanthemums.

    Mu Yuchen put his arm over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder as they walked past the trees. They watched the children y games and basketball.

    Xi Xiaye was touched by the innocent smiles on their faces. She started smiling and looked at him. ¡°There are more kids there now. Each and every child are angels sent down by God. No matter what, they deserve a warm and happy childhood.¡±

    He did not reply. Instead, he looked at her baby bump. ¡°In a few months¡¯ time, this little thing will be out.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked downward and nodded with a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t wait, little watermelon...¡±

    Mu Yuchen also smiled as he held her tighter. When he was about to say something, she saw something white sh past her eyes. Xi Xiaye looked over and noticed it was a white volleyball.

    The ball slowly rolled over and stopped as it bumped against the staircase.

    A small white hand went to grab it.

    It was a cute little boy!

    He wore a clean suit and had neatlybed hair. With his big, starry eyes, he seemed pretty quiet for his age. He seemed to be around four or five years old.

    He silently sat on the staircase and pushed the ball around. His small, lonely figure did not seem to fit into the group of rowdy children.

    He was holding a ck, expensive-looking harmonica in the other hand. He held it closer to his lips and soon a melody came out. It was a song Xi Xiaye was familiar with, ¡°Spirited Away¡±.

    After listening to it for a while, Xi Xiaye could not help but walk towards the little boy.

    The little boy stopped when he saw someone in front of him. The melody was interrupted as he peered down at the shadow. He raised his head slowly and looked at the beautifuldy that had suddenly appeared before him.

 Chapter 698 - Youâ€™re The Most Important (3)

    <h4>Chapter 698: You¡¯re The Most Important (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye lowered herself slightly as she looked at the little boy in joy. Her eyes glittered as her tone turned soft. ¡°Hello, little guy. Are you one of the children here at the orphanage?¡±

    A warm light gathered in her beautiful eyes. The little boy looked at Xi Xiaye quietly and just nodded.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you y with the other children?¡±

    The little boy did not reply. Instead, an old and kind voice came from behind him. ¡°He¡¯s Xiao Ye. He arrived three months ago. It was midnight and he had blood over him when I found him. He has brain damage and forgot everything when he woke up. I named him Xiao Ye. I tried to help him to locate his family in the past three months, but nothing worked. His parents probably...¡±

    Chief Wang stopped mid-sentence.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Suddenly, an innocent voice rang out. Xi Xiaye looked over and noticed the little boy staring straight at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen was surprised as well. He looked at the little boy for a moment before squatting down and patting the little boy¡¯s head. ¡°Little kid, I¡¯m not your father.¡±

    The little boy looked confused when he heard Mu Yuchen. There was a tall figure in his mind. Although he could not see his face, he knew that was his father.

    This man in front of him looked simr to his father, but he said he was not who he thought he was. The little boy seemed disappointed as he lowered his head and just sat down.

    Xi Xiaye felt a little heartbroken. Quickly, she turned to Mu Yuchen and gave him a begging nce. Naturally, Mu Yuchen understood what she meant. He waved at Li Si behind him.

    Li Si quickly came over. ¡°Master, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Investigate this child¡¯s background thoroughly. Take him to do a full-body checkter. Liaise with Chief Wang on this. If everything goes well, then put this child under my name,¡± Mu Yuchen gave his instructions.

    ¡°Master, do you want to adopt this child?¡± Li Si looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise. He had heard that Missus wanted to adopt a child, but he did not expect Master to actually allow it. Missus was going to give birth soon anyway. Was there really a need to adopt?

    ¡°Go and get this done.¡± Mu Yuchen then went back.

    Xi Xiaye sat beside the little boy, trying to talk to him, ¡°Xiao Ye, are you unhappy here?¡±

    The little boy shook his head, but a momentter, he nodded.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what you mean by shaking your head and then nodding. Do you like the uncle just now?¡± She looked toward Mu Yuchen.

    The little boy did not answer. Instead, he just looked at Mu Yuchen with hope in his eyes, but there was also disappointment.

    He had said he was not his father...

    ¡°Do you wish that he was your father?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°I do... but he¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°What if I can make him your father, and then you¡¯ll also have new grandparents and great-grandparents, Xiao Ye? Would you be willing toe with us? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a nice person. I won¡¯t bully you.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen and Chief Wang were talking under the tree nearby.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, this child isn¡¯t very sociable. I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    ¡°However, this child is smart. I suppose his family raised him well. He knows how to y chess, Chinese chess, and Go chess. Even Teacher Li couldn¡¯t win him over. He writes very well for his age as well, h. His grades for all the subjects are great, but he just doesn¡¯t talk much.¡±

    ¡°Gather his information and hand it to my assistant. I¡¯ll send someone over a weekter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then walked towards Xi Xiaye after ending the conversation.

    ¡°This uncle is a kind person as well. His name is Mu Yuchen. You have to remember his name. He might be a close person to you in the future.¡±

    ¡°Then, what¡¯s your name, auntie?¡±

    ¡°Her name is Xi Xiaye.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached Xiao Ye after he asked the question. Mu Yuchen squatted down and looked at him before he could react. ¡°Why don¡¯t you y with the other children?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know them...¡±

    ¡°How would you get to know them if you don¡¯t interact with them?¡±

    ...

    The little boy was not that shy anymore after some time. They talked for quite some time, and he seemed a little disappointed when Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were leaving.

    ¡°Xiao Ye? Hey Mr. Mu, don¡¯t you think this child is pretty mature for his age? He¡¯s quite defensive as well. He was looking straight into my eyes when I was talking to him.¡±

    ¡°His family should be pretty well off. At least, his parents could¡¯ve been someone like a teacher. I asked him who taught him to y harmonica, and he told me it was his mother. He¡¯s a smart child.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told Li Si to investigate it. If there are no problems, then you can do as you wish.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she grabbed his arm and closed in on him. She put her other hand on her belly and said, ¡°Then, let him stay with us for a while first. I¡¯ll bring him back to the Shen residence often in order for him to get used to it. He could be a delightful partner for my grandpa. I think it¡¯s good to learn Grandfather¡¯s way of finding a ymate for our child. It¡¯s nice to have a brother around. One child would be too lonely anyway.¡±

    She could rte to it all too well. This man just wanted one child, so she had to think of something.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, why don¡¯t you want to have another child?¡± she could not help but ask again.

    He looked away from the magazine he was reading and kissed her on the lips. ¡°Just being pregnant with one wore you down this much, so I can¡¯t bear to see you suffer again. My parents just gave birth to me, didn¡¯t they? I didn¡¯t marry you because I want you to give birth to my children. The most important thing for you to do is to stay by my side. Everything else is secondary.¡±

 Chapter 699 - Youâ€™re The Most Important (4)

    <h4>Chapter 699: You¡¯re The Most Important (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His gaze was filled with a faint tenderness as his fingers gently brushed through her hair while simply helping herb it.

    ¡°If it¡¯s you, then I¡¯m not afraid of the pain at all.¡±

    She looked at him earnestly and suddenly reached out with both hands. While she gently held his noble and handsome face, she carefully examined it, and her twinkling eyes glowed. She lowered her voice and said softly by his ear, ¡°I like you, Mr. Mu.¡±

    Then, her calm and cool lips closed in.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s dark eyes were stunned for a moment. His handsome face could not help but turn hot. Quickly, he reached out to press the button for the partition shutter in the car, blocking the scenery from behind before enjoying the tenderness from her.

    ...

    By the time they returned to Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye had already fallen asleep, leaning against him.

    When Li Si knocked on the car door, Mu Yuchen then looked down at the woman who slept soundly in his arms. He sighed and suddenly said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve long fancied you. I¡¯ve given all of my feelings to you, Xi Xiaye.¡±

    The woman in her deep sleep would not have known what he admitted. Because she slept so soundly, she missed a certain person¡¯s confession.

    When the weekend came around, Qi Lei returned just in time. By the time he went to Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, he looked travel-worn.

    Mu Yuchen immediately arranged for them to meet at his office.

    At that moment, inside the vast and neat office, a few high definition screens above the French window across were disying some information. Mu Yuchen was standing before the window underneath the screens, looking up at them while Qi Lei stood right behind him.

    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t make it back in time.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was very soft.

    Qi Lei looked around the office in shock. His eyes quickly fell on the closed door of the resting lounge.

    ¡°Is Xiaye inside?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. He turned to flip open a document on the desk behind him as he replied calmly, ¡°She wanted toe. She didn¡¯t rest well and just fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°I can see that you¡¯re not having it easy as a father-to-be. Do you feel anything yet?¡± Qi Lei teased and smiled as he looked jokingly at Mu Yuchen who was bing thinner.

    Mu Yuchen looked up from his document calmly. He shot him a nonchnt nce and said, ¡°You find a woman to marry. You¡¯ll feel it very soon.¡±

    Qi Lei brushed his nose and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not rushing myself. Not everyone¡¯s like you, so easily epting about marriage. However, the fact that you and Xi Xiaye could reach to this stage does surprise me more or less. I just find it sad that if I had agreed to Deng Wenwen¡¯s request back then. I wonder if she would¡¯ve been Missus Qi instead right now.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. She doesn¡¯t like yboys like you. Missus Qi doesn¡¯t sound any better than Missus Mu does.¡±

    Qi Lei could not help but hit his head, feeling annoyed as he said bewilderedly, ¡°Time that has passed can never return. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re talking about this.¡±

    ¡°Master, CEO Shen is here!¡± Right at that moment, Li Si¡¯s voice suddenly came from outside the door.

    Mu Yuchen quickly closed the documents in his hand and walked towards the door. Qi Lei subconsciously raised his brows and followed Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure to peer over too.

    After a while, there was suddenly the sound of footsteps.

    ¡°Grandpa, this way!¡± Mu Yuchen humbly helped Shen Yue into the office.

    Shen Yue wore a gray overcoat and held a walking stick in his hand. His pair of deep and sharp eyes immediately showed that he was a strongpetitor who had long been in the world of business. Qi Lei subconsciously felt respect for him.

    ¡°Hello, Elder CEO. I¡¯m Qi Lei! I¡¯m very honored to get the chance to meet you,¡± Qi Lei spoke up humbly.

    Shen Yue examined Qi Lei through narrowed eyes, then turned to ask Mu Yuchen, ¡°Ah Chen, this is the person you rmended?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Mmm, he¡¯s Master Qi from Qi Kai. He has tons of knowledge in terms of construction. The proposal that Grandpa has was personally prepared by him. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him. You can also personally evaluate him,¡± Mu Yuchen answered Shen Yue softly.

    Shen Yue then nodded and sized Qi Lei up again before walking towards the sofa and slowly sitting down. His aged voice was heard. ¡°He does look like a talented one. Let¡¯s all sit. Ah Chen, you too. Since it¡¯s a partnership proposal, there are many things we still need to deliberate.¡±

    ¡°Elder CEO, please have some tea!¡± Li Si respectfully served the tea, and then quietly retreated to the side while Lan Zng stood quietly beside Shen Yue.

    ¡°Qi Kai¡¯s considered a leader in City Z. The movie industry is your focus, so why have you suddenly be interested in construction? In fact, I quite admire your talents in construction. You¡¯re a young fellow and you already have a calling in the construction field. It¡¯s really quite rare.¡±

    Shen Yue reached out to take over the materials Lan Zng handed him. He flipped through and browsed them.

    ¡°Elder CEO, you¡¯re ttering me. Thank you for the praises.¡± Qi Leiughed. Others said that Shen Yue did not seem to be someone one could get along with easily, but right now, he did not seem like what the rumors said.

    Of course, Qi Lei actually neglected a piece of truth, that no matter how stringent Shen Yue was, when he was in front of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, he would be exceptionally friendly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had some dealings with Qi Kai before. CEO Qi of yourpany should be your father, right? He¡¯s not very honest with business. If he came to discuss with me today, I almost wouldn¡¯t consider this. This partnership wouldn¡¯t happen, but since Ah Chen and Xiaye have rmended you strongly, and I¡¯m quite happy with this proposal, I decided toe to meet you.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Mu Yuchen. There was a light in his eyes. After a while, he responded, ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to properly thank you, Master Mu, and Xiaye. It¡¯s also my honor that Elder CEO is willing to meet me, but I also trust my own standards.¡±

    ¡°I do like this confidence in you young people, but confidence is one thing and abilities are another. It¡¯s not just a simple proposal for construction projects. Now, I¡¯d like to understand how you¡¯re going to do this project if I agree to coborate with Qi Kai a little better. Back then, when Qi Qiming came looking for me, I¡¯d immediately rejected him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elder CEO. I¡¯ll personally be in charge of this entire project. Qi Kai wanting to coborate with Fuhua isn¡¯t a matter of a day or two either. I hope that you¡¯ll believe our sincerity, Elder CEO,¡± said Qi Lei sincerely. His serious and earnest manner was quite different from his usual frivolous ways.

 Chapter 700 - Your First Name, My Surname (1)

    <h4>Chapter 700: Your First Name, My Surname (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s humility and sincerity made Shen Yue quite pleased.

    ¡°This is the first phase of the project¡¯s initial proposal. Elder CEO, you may look through it. Consider me asking you for some guidance.¡±

    Qi Lei took the document from the side and handed it to Shen Yue who raised his gray brows and epted it. Casually, he flipped through it and then nodded. ¡°Your design concept isn¡¯t bad. I¡¯ll go back to look into itter on. You can let me know about Qi Kai¡¯s situation a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Elder CEO, I¡¯ve already included the details on ourpany in the proposal,¡± Qi Lei responded.

    Shen Yue flipped the document to the back and roughly looked through it before he closed it. He looked at Qi Lei through squinted eyes before handing the document to Lan Zng, and nonchntly picked up his tea to drink a sip. He turned to his side and looked at Mu Yuchen who was tidying his desk. ¡°Ah Chen, didn¡¯t you say that Xiaye was around too?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up at the data on the screen as he said, ¡°She didn¡¯t sleep wellst night. I let her sleep a while more. Grandpa, Master Qi¡¯s Chinese chess is quite good. You should have a game with him.¡±

    However, Qi Lei was slightly shocked by his words.

    What did Mu Yuchen just call Shen Yue?

    Grandpa?

    Some things that Yang Sheng had previously told him about shed in Qi Lei¡¯s mind. There was something about how Fuhua and Glory World had some kind of rtionship. Had Xi Xiaye not been running to Fuhua quite frequently recently?

    Could those rumors have been true?

    Was Shen Yue Xi Xiaye¡¯s grandpa?

    Wait, Shen Yue? Shen Yue?

    Aunty Shen? Shen Wenna!

    A lightbulb shed in his mind. The answer was as clear as day!

    Even though he did notice it before this, he did not take it to heart. Now that he heard this truth, he still felt somewhat astonished.

    No wonder Mu Yuchen could persuade Shen Yue! In the end, it was one of them, he just knew that Shen Yue was not that easy to persuade. He had not heard of Mu Yuchen being in touch with Shen Yue before this, and Glory World Corporation did not do much in the construction and property development aspect either, so how did he suddenly get involved so quickly?

    Qi Lei suppressed the shock in him. Shen Yue already looked at him to see if he had anything more to say, and he quickly added, ¡°If Elder CEO is interested.¡±

    Then, he got up and opened up a chess set.

    ¡°The earlier stages of the project is about to begin. I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t ask too much. This project matters will be left to Ah Chen and Xiaye. Since you are good friends with both of them, I¡¯ll feel more assured. When the proposed n has had a final assessment, I will tell Zng to inform you. Of course, I do know a bit about Qi Kai¡¯s internal situation too. I hope that there won¡¯t be another repeat of the South River project. I think you should be able to do that.¡±

    Shen Yue was a man who had been in business for decades. Even though he did consider Qi Kai¡¯s situation, if he could get someone with potential like Qi Lei to be on his side right now, it would be extremely beneficial for him. Besides, with Mu Yuchen around, he could be free of worries.

    Qi Lei responded earnestly, ¡°Elder CEO, if you fancy me being on board, I definitely won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±

    Shen Yue nodded and made the first move on the chessboard. Qi Lei swiftly followed after.

    The vast andfortable office was very quiet. There was the assional sound of chess pieces tapping the board. Shen Yue and Qi Lei were both very focused people. Meanwhile, Mu Yuchen stood underneath the screen, flipping through the materials and recording things from time to time.

    Just as Mu Yuchen was busy and focused, Li Si suddenly walked over carefully and said softly into Mu Yuchen¡¯s ear, ¡°Master, there¡¯s news from Ah Bao. He¡¯s just gotten off the ne. He wanted toe here and report to you immediately, but considering that Elder CEO and Qi Lei are here, I stopped him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen immediately stopped what he was doing. He turned to Li Si and there was puzzlement in his eyes. Li Si lowered himself and softly reminded, ¡°Master, did you forget? Ah Mo previously delegated Ah Bao to investigate that pen.¡±

    With Li Si¡¯s reminder, Mu Yuchen recalled that a few months ago, he did order Ah Mo to investigate the source of that pen. A few months had passed in the blink of an eye, yet there was no news. Ah Mo could only do a nket search, so it took a long time.

    After they negated Qi Qimin, this matter was stuck. Even though Mu Lingshi was relieved, the hope in her heart had not been put out either.

    Mu Yuchen fell silent for a while, then said inly, ¡°Get him toe to Maple Residence at night.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si replied and then quietly retreated as he took his phone out from his pocket.

    Qi Lei, who was conversing in the office, would not have known that just as he walked into Glory World, at the za in front of Glory World, a ck car slowlye to a halt. The passenger watched him walk into Glory World Corporation. Even Shen Yue¡¯s arrival after that was taken in too.

    At that moment, at the back seat of the car.

    ¡°Miss Gu, they seem to have gone inside for quite a long while! The old man who went in after that should be CEO of Fuhua, Shen Yue. I heard that Fuhua and Glory World are interested in coborating to take on the other item under the South River project,¡± Assistant Xiao Dong, who was in front, turned around to say to Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Why would Qi Lei be here today?¡± Gu Lingsha asked puzzled.

    She wanted to walk around the za when she saw Qi Lei¡¯s car by chance and tailed him all the way there. Unexpectedly, Qi Lei had driven his car straight to Glory World Corporation.

    Even though she knew that Qi Kai and Glory World had a partnership, it still seemed quite odd to her. Was Qi Lei not previously prejudiced towards Mu Yuchen? Especially after she and Lingtian got into the ident, Qi Lei and Lingtian were very close friends back then too.

    These past few years when she had been abroad, she actually knew about the situation on Qi Lei¡¯s end very well. Qi Lei¡¯s undying friendship also moved her, but now it looked like even the ones she thought she could rely on were slowly moving further away from her.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s arched brows instantly furrowed, and she suddenly felt upset.

    She obviously did not forget that Qi Lei had even helped plead for Su Nan on behalf of Xi Xiaye. She also remembered asking back then whether he liked Xi Xiaye, and the way he had responded...

    Even if he did not like her, at least, he admired her!

    In fact, now with his rtionship with Mu Yuchen...

    She had to admit that the bnce in Qi Lei¡¯s heart had slowly tipped toward Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye!

 Chapter 701 - Your First Name, My Surname (2)

    <h4>Chapter 701: Your First Name, My Surname (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s thought made her shudder, and she started feeling bitter.

    ¡®I came back, but everything has changed...¡¯

    She could not protect the things she held dear, and she realized she was losing more and more...

    She had to hold onto something.

    ¡°I heard Master Qi was going to send some samples to Glory World. He should be here for the documents,¡± Assistant Xiao Dong voiced out her thoughts.

    ¡°Is Fuhua very close to Glory World?¡± Gu Lingsha asked with a frown.

    ¡°They have ns to coborate. CEO Shen¡¯s assistant had been visiting Glory World frequently because of the South River project. CEO Qi tried to approach CEO Shen before, but CEO Shen is known to be difficult to deal with, so CEO Qi could not get anything from him. Vice CEO Yue got humiliated there and he was very unhappy with CEO Shen.¡±

    Yue Hai went to talk with Shen Yue representing Qi Qiming. There was no way Shen Yue would entertain him knowing that he was from the Yue family!

    Ever since then, Yue Hai was dissatisfied with Shen Yue.

    ¡°Fuhua is the leader of the industry. We can¡¯t sh with them straight on. I heard Uncle Qi has been troubled by the South River project.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Wang is trying to get this project as well. It¡¯ll make a huge impact in the next few years. This project is influential enough to gather the support of many people during the stakeholders¡¯ meeting. Glory World is now siding with CEO Wang. CEO Qi will need to make other ns.¡±

    Gu Lingsha frowned. ¡°Wang Qin doesn¡¯t have much power in her hands, thanks to Uncle Qi getting people onto his side in secret over the years. I doubt Wang Qin can do much if a conflict actually happens. However, with Glory World... Well, if it happened, I¡¯ll ask my father to help Uncle Qi.¡±

    She grabbed her phone and called Qi Qiming who picked up very quickly.

    ¡°Lingsha? Suddenly thought of an old man like me?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s gentle voice came through. It was a huge contrastpared to his cold attitude towards Qi Lei.

    Gu Lingsha smiled gently as well. ¡°Uncle Qi, you¡¯re still young and charming. How are you already old?¡±

    Qi Qimingughed. ¡°Lingsha, you really know what I want to hear. So, what happened? I¡¯m sure you have something on your mind if you¡¯re calling me at this time.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just call you without anything in particr, Uncle Qi? I was near the mall and was thinking about getting you something. I didn¡¯t expect to see Qi Lei¡¯s car. He drove very quickly and I got my driver to follow him. I saw him going into Glory World Corporation, probably for work. I¡¯ve been waiting for him for a while, but he¡¯s not out yet. I¡¯m still thinking if I should continue waiting for him. It¡¯s a weekend and I think it¡¯d be nice to have dinner together.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei went to Glory World?¡± Qi Qiming spoke in a grim tone, confusing Gu Lingsha. ¡°Oh, by the way, I also happened to see Fuhua¡¯s Shen Yue go inside... so, I just wanted to remind you to be careful, Uncle Qi.¡±

    ¡°That traitor!¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°Just leave him be. Let him do whatever he wants. Come to my ce tonight for dinner. That¡¯s it for now!¡±

    Without waiting for Gu Lingsha¡¯s reply, Qi Qiming hung up on the call quickly, and he instantly gave Yue Hai a call.

    ...

    Gu Lingsha put her phone away as a cold light shed in her eyes. She nced at the empty entrance in front for a while before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ms. Gu!¡± The chauffeur started the car after a brief reply.

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath as the car moved forward. She covered her face for some time. Then, she took out the ne under her clothes. It was a pink heart-shaped diamond ne. She then applied some force on the pink diamond and it opened.

    Inside the jewel, there was a tiny photo inside.

    It was a photo of Gu Lingsha with a skinny little girl.

    She was wearing a long, red dress in the photo. There was a simrly beautiful little girl in her arms, but the little girl looked skinny. Her hair was braided and there was a butterfly hair clip on her head while she wore a pink dress.

    Gu Lingsha stroked the little girl¡¯s face and she started to tear up. She gripped the ne tightly and held it against her chest. She closed her eyes and mumbled, ¡°Weiwei, Mother misses you... Mother will make the people who hurt you pay, so you have to give your mother courage.¡±

    The sky turned dark when Xi Xiaye woke up, and Shen Ye had already gone back.

    The original n was to have dinner with Shen Yue, but Shen Yue did not want Mu Yuchen to wake her up, so in the end, both Lan Zng and he left.

    The room was dark when Xi Xiaye got out of bed. She quickly switched on the lights and looked outside the window. City Z¡¯s nightlife had already begun.

    She washed up before heading out of the room. There was no one in the office, but the lights were left switched on.

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she tried to find that familiar figure. While there was no one at all, his coat was draped on the chair, and there were also two phones left on the table. The documents were left open as well...

    Where did they go?

    Xi Xiaye scratched her head as she walked toward the table and sat down on the chair.

    She saw his powerful signature strokes on the paper. Grabbing the pen left on the table as well as a piece of paper, she then started writing.

    <i>Xi Xiaye.</i>

    After a moment of hesitation, she added another word before her name ¡ª <i>Mu...</i>

 Chapter 702 - Your First Name, My Surname (3)

    <h4>Chapter 702: Your First Name, My Surname (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her writing was gentle and elegant unlike his powerful scrawls.

    However, theyplimented each other and seemed harmonious together.

    It was the first time she wrote his name above hers, as well as her first time writing his name...

    Xi Xiaye was headstrong all her life, but she was now enjoying the gentle and peaceful life he had created for her.

    Her love for him was irreceable.

    She used to think that true love was very far away from her grasp. She had been damaged and in despair. Her mother told her to believe it when it came, to look forward to it.

    Everyone would find their love eventually. In this whole wide world, there would be someone that protected you.

    Sometimes, she felt bliss when she thought about him and that would put a grin on her face as it did right now.

    By the time she realized she could smell a unique fragrance behind her, long fingers grabbed her hand and she was hugged from behind. His maic voice reached her ears. ¡°This is the best writing I¡¯ve ever seen, my dear.¡±

    Embarrassed, Xi Xiaye quickly covered her writings and nced at him. ¡°Why are you always so quiet?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled, his eyes seeming mysterious. Xi Xiaye gave him a confused look and heughed instead. He let go of her hand before patting her head. Suddenly, he took out arge bouquet of blue roses.

    It was a bouquet of fully bloomed roses in a deep and mesmerizing blue.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled. Her eyes were delighted as she quickly grabbed them. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since you sent me flowers. I thought you forgot about it already!¡±

    ¡°How could I forget? I can even forget myself, but I won¡¯t be able to forget you.¡± His face suddenly got closer to hers.

    Xi Xiaye could almost see Mu Yuchen¡¯s tail wagging behind him. Her smile was getting wider as herughter filled the room. She gently tapped Mu Yuchen¡¯s face and then said, ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m starting to realize that you¡¯re pretty cute... but your queen will fulfill your wishes. You¡¯re an obedient little puppy.¡±

    She left two kisses on his cheeks. ¡°How could I have conquered such an amazing man?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not help but stare at her. He had no idea who this shameless woman was!

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    After an intimate moment together, Xi Xiaye suddenly looked out of the window.

    He nodded as he grabbed the remote control and switched off the screen. She swiftly packed up as well.

    She put on his coat for him as she asked, ¡°When did Grandpa go back?¡±

    ¡°Originally, we nned to have dinner together, but he didn¡¯t want to wake you up as you were still asleep, so he went back with Uncle Lan. Are you hungry?¡± Mu Yuchen handed his briefcase to Li Si who just came in as he spoke.

    Xi Xiaye touched her stomach. ¡°Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother should be done cooking dinner soon.¡± He put his arm over her shoulder and walked outside. Li Si closed the door before catching up with them.

    When Wang Hui was done with the finishing touches of thest dish back in Maple Residence, the doorbell rang. Sis Wang opened the door and saw her Master returning to the Missus.

    ¡°Come in and close the door quickly! Sis Wang, prepare some warm towels for them. The weather is really cold. Dinner will be ready soon!¡±

    Wang Hui quickly told the servants to serve the dishes. She gave Sis Wang instructions when Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye came back home from the bitter weather outside.

    Sis Wang soon handed them the warm towels. When Xi Xiaye wanted to wipe her face with it, the man beside her grabbed the warm towels to check the temperature before carefully wiping her face and her hands for her. He was being gentle and thorough.

    Xi Xiaye was used to him serving her, so she just let him did what he wanted before she walked over to the dining table. ¡°What did Grandmother make? I smelt something lovely the moment I stepped into the house. I¡¯m famished!¡±

    ¡°I made some pigeon soup for you. Here, have some to warm yourself up. You look much better than before, so you need to have more nutritious meals. Here, drink up. Let Ah Chen go to the office on his own. You¡¯ll be exhausted if you follow him everywhere.¡± Wang Hui quickly handed Xi Xiaye a bowl of soup.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I feel bored staying at home and just wanted to go out for a little,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    ¡°Okay, I know what you youngsters are thinking about. It¡¯s especially inseparable during times like this! I¡¯m kind of simr when I was pregnant with your father. Your grandfather would¡¯ve loved to keep me in his pocket, but I wasn¡¯t as carefree as you guys. I had to continue working for the military and only got to rest at home a month before my expected delivery date. I didn¡¯t feel like going anywhere when my body got sluggish. I felt annoyed just looking at your grandfather.¡±

    While Wang Hui was reminiscing her pregnancy, a smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°I still have a few months to go...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll go by in the blink of an eye. You should be popping right after the new year. You need to be careful during this period of time and not exhaust yourself too much. Ah Chen, you need to be alert. It¡¯s fine to neglect your work now. If your grandfather could do it, I¡¯m sure you can do better.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply and helped her sit down.

    ...

    After dinner, Wang Hui was sitting on the sofa watching the TV while Xi Xiaye was putting the flowers into a vase. Mu Yuchen went upstairs.

    After some time, Mu Yuchen came down, pulling on a simple windbreaker.

    ¡°Heading out?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned. She still had two blue roses in her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just be within the vi area. I¡¯ll be back soon. I¡¯ve prepared the bath water for you already, so go and take a bath.¡±

 Chapter 703 - Your First Name, My Surname (4)

    <h4>Chapter 703: Your First Name, My Surname (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He walked over, putting the vase with the flowers onto the shelf and patting her on the shoulder before walking out of the door.

    The winter nights were exceptionally cold. Even if there were countless stars in the sky, it could not ward off the bitter cold.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome figure walked underneath the cold streetlights. After a while, he reached the gazebo by theke where Li Si and Ah Bao had already been waiting for quite a while.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re here!¡± Li Si and Ah Bao bowed honorably.

    Mu Yuchen nodded calmly as he reached out to fix the windbreaker on his shoulders before stopping by the railing. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve brought this pen to quite a few cities ording to Ah Mo¡¯s orders, and at least at a famous antique shop in City B. I¡¯ve found some news about it,¡± Ah Bao said in a lowered voice.

    When Ah Bao said that, Mu Yuchen immediately frowned slightly. ¡°City B?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! It was XX jewelry section in XX antique store of City B. The shop owner there is an old man. ording to what he told us, he says that this pen was custom made by the person who bought it. Because the situation was rather unique, he remembered it quite clearly,¡± Ah Bao responded as he handed the folder to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen reached out to take it, and borrowed the dim light to open the folder. Quickly, he took the pen out, and what also fell out was that yellowing photograph.

    Mu Yuchen bent down to pick up the fallen photo. The words on the back greeted his sight clearly.

    Holding it up to scrutinize, he silently looked up at Ah Bao moments after that. ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°He said that back then, the person who wanted this pen made was a very handsome, young man. The man looked like someone of status and was generous in spending, but he appeared humble too. I showed him Qi Qiming¡¯s picture, and he was certain that it was not Qi Qiming. The height did not match, but because the man wore sunsses then, so he did not get a good look at his face either. Nheless, he can be sure that he should be someone from City B.¡±

    ¡°That man told the shop owner to deliver the thing to XX residence mailbox on Dao Er Street. After that, I checked on the address, and this is when something weird happened. That residence is... under Miss Mu Zi¡¯s name! Right now, that house has been demolished, so most of the information was lost. Initially, I wanted to check when Miss Mu Zi bought the residence, but I couldn¡¯t find anything. Before Miss Mu Zi passed away, she wrote in her will that after she passed, that residence could be auctioned off, and all of the profits would be donated to welfare agencies.¡±

    Ah Bao¡¯s words were no doubt like a bomb dropped right into Mu Yuchen¡¯ske of a heart, causing many waves!

    A residence registered under Aunt¡¯s name?

    How could that be?

    Light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s mind. From what he remembered and from some of the information that showed that Mu Zi rarely went to City B, how could she have gotten a residence there?

    In fact, XX residence was not cheap. Based on what he knew, after Mu Zi passed away, all the assets were left to Lingtian and Lingshi. That was a huge sum of money as well. If she really had bought it, she would not have had such a huge sum of money left.

    ¡°Master, I highly suspect that someone else intentionally erased all of that previous information. I visited the old residents nearby and showed them Miss Mu Zi¡¯s picture. They were sure that Miss Mu Zi was the owner of the residence back then, but she never went there often. Sometimes, she wouldn¡¯t even be there in a month, and when she was there, she¡¯d wear shades. She probably didn¡¯t want to be recognized,¡± Ah Bao continued to say softly. He noticed that Mu Yuchen did not look too pleased, so he paused, but Mu Yuchen gestured at him for him to continue.

    ¡°All the old residents there say that they¡¯ve never seen Miss Mu Zi interact with anyone else. Sometimes, they¡¯d see a ck car send Miss Mu Zi back to her ce. It had a local car te, but we don¡¯t have the actual number te, and we have no way of finding out.¡±

    When Ah Bao finished, Li Si could not help but frown again. They finally found a clue and now the trail ended just like that.

    He turned and looked a little worriedly at Mu Yuchen, yet he saw his Master¡¯s unfathomable expression. Instead of the gloominess from before, he seemed to be enlightened.

    ¡°Master, do you have a n?¡± Li Si asked softly.

    Mu Yuchen smiled mysteriously, the calm corners of his mouth curving up. ¡°A cover-up only makes matters worse! Since we have reached this point in our investigation, it would be much easier to continue. Circle in on all those with status and positions in City Z. Those are people who can get them to erase such information. I think it would be much easier than trying to pick a needle out of the haystack! Also, go to the De Bao auction in City B. Auction this pen and try to promote it more widely. I¡¯ll personally inform the De Bao auction president.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Li Si¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. He could not help but look at Mu Yuchen admiringly.

    How did he not think of this!?

    That pen with a white Qinghua porcin body with those sapphire gems on it was quite significant in price! ording to the estimated value, it was definitely an item worth collecting!

    If that person was really from City B and custom-made this pen years ago, then perhaps he would not be willing to let this pen fall into someone else¡¯s hands, or at least, it would attract his attention. Then, he would get the people at the auction to take note, and then with a little filtering, maybe...

    Master was Master indeed. He was incredibly smart!

    Li Si could not help butugh. ¡°Master, you have such a way with things! With our attack from both angles, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get to the bottom of it this time!¡±

    ¡°ording to the clues you guys got previously, in terms ofparison of height and looks, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. Do as you see fits.¡±

    Then, he tossed the folder to Li Si before calmly turning to walk out from the gazebo.

    Before he walked down the stairs, Mu Yuchen suddenly stopped and turned to look at the two of them. ¡°Without my orders, do not reveal a single word to anyone else, including Ah Mo. Understand?¡±

    Li Si and Ah Bao nodded before responding, ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry, we understand!¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up at the night sky nketed with stars. ¡°Go home soon. Ah Bao, you can make your way to City B tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 704 - Light (1)

    <h4>Chapter 704: Light (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tall and lean figure quickly vanished underneath the dim lights upfront. The surging cold winds immediately blew his aura away with them too.

    Li Si looked in the direction of the departing figure for a long time. After that, he slowly averted his gaze and looked down at the folder that was tossed back to him. His gaze could not help but be heavy again as he hesitated for a moment before handing it to Ah Bao, ¡°Go back and prepare. I¡¯ll book your flight ticketter on.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Assistant Li. Assistant Li, was Master... not too pleased earlier?¡±

    When Li Si heard the question, he looked up at the direction that Mu Yuchen vanished in again and sighed. ¡°Since Miss Mu Zi had a private residence over there, does this not make you think of anything?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ah Bao began to feel more puzzled, and he looked at Li Si in confusion.

    Li Si sighed and lifted a hand to cover his forehead. ¡°That ce was most probably where Miss Mu Zi met up with her lover, and you know about the situation with that man too. How could Master be happy about it? If Elder Chairman and Elder Madam hear about this, you can imagine the oue.¡±

    When he said this, Li Si could not help but get a headache and feel concerned.

    Ah Bao then nodded, understanding what Li Si meant.

    Li Si thought about it, then could not help but remind, ¡°Get a few assistants to go with you. Our people are there too, so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to investigate. It¡¯s going to be the year end soon. I remember from the rules of the past De Bao auctions, they would have a ratherrge-scale auction every third to the fifth day of the New Year, so you can n for this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Assistant Li. I guarantee that I¡¯llplete the mission,¡± Ah Bao said, and then walked out of the gazebo in huge strides towards the entrance of the vi.

    ...

    Close to the year-end, City Z seemed to be a little livelier. Even if this year¡¯s winter was a little colder than usual, the bustling atmosphere did not diminish.

    Xi Xiaye was pregnant with the little thing, and in a blink of an eye, she was in her eighth month. She had been taken care of like a pig all this time, even staying at home more. Sometimes, she would just go to the hospital for check-ups, and at the same time, visit Ruan Heng who was still unconscious. Sometimes, she would make a trip back to the Shen residence too. Wang Hui took very good care of her, but Xi Xiaye felt like they were too anxious. They would not even let her lift a stool.

    Mu Yuchen continued to leave the house early and returnte. He was busy moving back and forth Maple residence and thepany.

    When they reached the year-end, work started to be busy. He would always wait until she fell asleepte at night before he woke up and continued working on unfinished business just like right now.

    With the help of very dim lights, Xi Xiaye slowly pushed the door to the study room open.

    What greeted her sight was him still sitting before the desk, focused on work. She walked over lightly.

    The faint fragrance closed in. Looking down at the documents, he already noticed her slowly getting close to him. When he looked up, indeed, he saw her standing by the desk. His handsome face immediately colored with gentleness as his low voice spoke, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t sleep? Not feeling too good?¡±

    Then, he reached out to pull her in.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I woke up and saw that you weren¡¯t around, so I knew that you¡¯re still busy. I slept quite a lot in the day, so I¡¯m quite awake. Do you need help with anything?¡±

    She felt sad to see him bing thinner by the day.

    ¡°What you can do is to rest well, and peacefully give birth to our child,¡± he pulled her to sit on hisp as he softly responded, and buried his face into her hair.

    ¡°It¡¯s soon now. It doesn¡¯t seem to be growing anymore. I¡¯ve just be less mobile.¡± Xi Xiaye reached out to caress her bump. Her twinkling eyes could not help but twinkle with a dim glow. ¡°In another two more months, we¡¯ll be able to meet it... I¡¯m so excited! I really want to see how it¡¯ll look like. Will it look like us? I hope that it will look more like you.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s a little princess, it obviously has to look more like you.¡± He was quite excited as well. If it was a smaller version of her, he would definitely love the little princess without hesitation.

    <i>Baby, it is because Father cares about your mother that I care about you too. When you are born, you must treat your mother like the sun.</i>

    She looked around, and her gaze fell onto the calendar on the side as shemented, ¡°I suddenly feel like time has passed so quickly. This time,st year, we had only just met, Mr. Mu.¡±

    Now that she mentioned it, he also remembered the very first time they met. With a smile, he asked her, ¡°Mmm, do you remember how we met the first time?¡±

    She dly nodded as her twinkling eyes could not help but turn misty. ¡°Back then, I thought that you were quite distant and cold. You felt distant in a way that pushed people thousand of miles away, but you seem like quite a gentle and cultivated person too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very happy that I could leave such a good impression on you after our first meeting, Missus.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled gently. ¡°Of course! Mr. Mu, you¡¯re so good-looking. I don¡¯t deny that I was attracted by your looks and charisma back then.¡±

    ¡°Turns out you had already fallen for me then, hmm?¡± Mu Yuchenughed out loud.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes as she reached out to pinch his handsome face. ¡°Please, I¡¯ve always admired Prince Charmings. Many men appear handsome and dashing but are unreliable.¡±

    ¡°What theory is this? Your man doesn¡¯t rely on his looks, so how can he be unreliable now? It¡¯s best you stay away from people who say things like that. They¡¯re too one-sided and subjective.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s because...¡±

    ...

    Compared to the harmony and warmth there, tension filled a certain ward in Los Angeles

    Shen Wenna sat by the bedside. Her elegant face could not help but seem tense. She sat quietly while Little Appley down by her side as Xi Mushan gripped her other hand tightly.

    A blonde-haired, blue-eyed doctor in his white coat stood before them with a beautiful nurse holding a tray.

    At the moment, the doctor was carefully helping Shen Wenna take off the bandage that covered her eyes.

    Xi Mushan was agitated too. He watched the doctor¡¯s movements in anticipation as he could feel the nervousness from Shen Wenna. He held her slightly cold hand tighter, softly advising, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be able to see soon.¡±

    Yet, when Shen Wenna heard this, she could not help but be even more nervous. It had been close to a year since she fell into this dark world. Could she really see the light again?

 Chapter 705 - Light (2)

    <h4>Chapter 705: Light (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This was also what she had hoped for a very long time. Could she see the splendor beyond the darkness?

    Nheless, she could feel that Xi Mushan seemed to be more nervous than her. His palm that held her was already covered in ayer of sweat.

    Compared to them, the doctor seemed much calmer as he methodically took the bandage off slowly and put it on the tray that the nurse held.

    Shen Wenna kept her eyes closed and did not open them. She only felt a lightness over her eyes as the binds from before had all been taken off.

    The blonde Doctor Harrison smiled at Shen Wenna, speaking in fluent English, ¡°Madam Shen, you can open your eyes now. Open them slowly. Lisha, go and pull the curtains open a little.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the nurse responded, and then slowly walked over to pull open half of the curtains, leaving only a small gap.

    ¡°Wenna, Doctor Harisson says you can open your eyes now. Open them slowly to get used to the light in the room. That¡¯s right. Slowly...¡± Xi Mushan said to Shen Wenna.

    Shen Wenna then nodded gently, still holding Xi Mushan¡¯s hand tightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

    She only felt a strong light suddenly streaming in, making her wince in slight pain. Then came the blurry scenes before her that slowly shifted clear. Shen Wenna blinked and subconsciously looked at the light that was pouring in from the window. After she got used to it for a while, she could finally see clearly!

    The muslin curtains were swaying gently in the wind while a butterfly with fluttering wings had even stopped on the window frame.

    She could see!

    She finally got her vision back!

    She could not help but tremble. While she held Xi Mushan¡¯s hand, she felt her emotions stir up and she turned to look at Xi Mushan.

    Xi Mushan¡¯s tired and sallow handsome face greeted her sight. Since thest time she saw him, he looked much more wan and paler. He had also changed to appear a little older, and his once-jet ck head of hair now hid many short silver strands.

    ¡°Nana, can you see?¡± Xi Mushan waved a hand in front of her frantically as he asked softly. There was a concern that could not be hidden in his dark eyes.

    Shen Wenna stared at him for a long while, and then nodded gently. ¡°I can see you. You... How did you be like this? You look much older than before...¡±

    When Xi Mushan heard herment, he reached out and held her by her frail shoulders. Then, he closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been old for a while now. Good, you can finally see... That¡¯s wonderful, Wenna...¡±

    ¡°Do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡± Doctor Harrison asked from the side with a smile.

    Now, Shen Wenna looked up at Harrison, her eyes filled with gratitude as she spoke in fluent English, ¡°Thank you, Doctor Harrison. I feel pretty good.¡±

    Doctor Harrison nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve just recovered, so your eyes can¡¯t be exposed to strong light now. Mr. Xi has already prepared a pair of sunsses for you. Wear it for a few days. When your condition is stabler, you can take them off. Be careful with the way you use your eyes. For now, you can¡¯t use them for too long. Make sure to rest. In another two days,e back for a checkup and if everything¡¯s normal, you can return home assured.¡±

    Once Harrison finished, Xi Mushan took a box out from his pocket, opened it and took out sunsses for Shen Wenna to wear.

    ¡°Okay, thanks, Doctor Harrison!¡± Shen Wenna looked at Doctor Harrison in gratitude.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Mr. Mu is my good friend. Previously, he¡¯s watched out for me, so this is what I should do in return.¡±

    Ah Chen!

    Shen Wenna subconsciously turned to look at Xi Mushan who smiled and nodded too. She could not help but sigh, ¡°Ah Chen is such a considerate boy. Xiaye... We can feel assured handing Xiaye over to him. The first time I met him, I knew that Xiaye wouldn¡¯t be wrong this time.¡±

    Then, her eyes could not help but tear up as Xi Mushan nodded in agreement and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Okay,ter I will prescribe some medication for Madam Shen. Just follow the nurse¡¯s instructions when you get home. Right now, follow me for one more examination,¡± Doctor Harrison said courteously.

    Then, Shen Wenna stood up slowly. Little Apple that had beenying on the side swooped over and jumped into herp. Shen Wenna quickly reached out and hugged it tightly as she looked down and through her dark sunsses. Finally, she could see how Little Apple looked like clearly.

    ¡°Little Apple? Turns out Grandmother¡¯s Little Apple looks like this! Ooh, so cute!¡± Shen Wenna said happily as she reached out to pat Little Apple¡¯s furry little head.

    ¡°Ah Chen sent it over. He really put in a lot of thought for this little thing.¡±

    Xi Mushan lifted a hand to pat Little Apple¡¯s head. Thanks to this little thing, he and Shen Wenna had gotten much closer, and now, they could sit like husband and wife on the sofa as they held Little Apple to y with. It really felt as if they had one more mischievous grandchild.

    Ah Chen¡¯s poodle was sent at such a good time.

    After that, they went through another round of detailed examinations. It was close to evening when they left the hospital.

    When he reached the office in the morning, Mu Yuchen received Doctor Harrison¡¯s call and found out about Shen Wenna¡¯s recovery.

    ¡°Master, is it Doctor Harrison?¡± Mu Yuchen had just hung up when Li Si asked him, appearing like he was anticipating something too.

    Previously, it was Li Si who contacted Doctor Harrison, so he more or less knew about the situation. Seeing the way Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye always called Los Angeles, he hoped that Shen Wenna would recover earlier too. That way, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye could be relieved. Now, there was Su Nan¡¯s end and thepany matters too. With Miss Lingshi, Gu Lingsha, and a bunch of things intertwining together, and at such a critical time for Missus, Li Si could not help but be worried.

    Mu Yuchen nodded with a calm expression. He looked down contemtively at the document before him, and then said, ¡°Get Chauffeur Wang to prepare the car. I want to make a trip to Fuhua.¡±

    ¡°Fuhua?¡± Li Si was surprised. He could not help but look at Mu Yuchen, feeling puzzled.

    Mu Yuchen breathed in and closed the document before him slowly. ¡°Hurry.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Li Si dare not say anything more. Master never liked people questioning him. He must have something important to tell the Elder CEO Shen.

    ¡°Should we call to inform Elder CEO Shen first?¡±

    ¡°No need. Be quick.¡±

 Chapter 706 - Light (3)

    <h4>Chapter 706: Light (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was a sunny day in winter. Under the sun¡¯s gentle glow, the tall buildings looked like they were coated in holy golden rays, appearing beautiful and mesmerizing. The refractions off the windows made people feel insignificant as they looked at them from below.

    This was where Fuhua Real Estate was located.

    This building was constructed by Fuhua Real Estate itself. Mu Yuchen remembered that this ce was an undevelopednd when he was still a child, and things had not been particrly lively around here, but in just twenty years, this ce had grown so much!

    Mu Yuchen was firm in his opinions like Xi Xiaye was, and the South River area would be like this soon too.

    He took the lift and arrived in Shen Yue¡¯s office, bumping into Lan Zng who just came out of the room. Thetter was surprised to see him there.

    ¡°Chairman Mu! Why are you here? Are you meeting Elder CEO?¡± Lan Zng greeted as he told the secretary to get them some tea.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°I have something to discuss with him. Is he inside?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s in a meeting right now, so you might have to wait. It should be done in around 10 minutes. I¡¯m just here to get some documents. You know what? I¡¯ll let him know,¡± Lan Zng said.

    Mu Yuchen stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait inside the office and I¡¯ll let Grandfather know once he¡¯s done with the meeting.¡±

    ¡°Alright, have a seat inside then.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was alone since Li Si was still in Glory World.

    Shen Yue¡¯s office was simple and clean. Mu Yuchen knew Shen Yue was in the military before. He maintained the same simple lifestyle even after so many years, so he was surprised when he first came over with Xi Xiaye and saw his office.

    Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa, enjoying the tea as he flipped through some magazines. Shen Yue came back from the meeting 10 minutester, and he was d to see Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°There¡¯s some work to be done by the end of the year. I was nning to let Xiaye take over after November, but my great-grandchild ising soon, so we¡¯ll just have to wait until after the New Year.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll need to work hard for a little while longer, Grandfather. Xiaye will be able to take over Fuhua after she recovers from the delivery. I¡¯ve promoted some capable talents in Glory World and passed over the work she was handling to them.¡±

    Shen Yue nodded. ¡°Sorry that you have to work harder. I¡¯m getting old now and I¡¯m not as tough as I was ten years ago. At most, I can only hang on for several years more. I feel kind of exhausted ever since your mother¡¯s incident. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. Are you here to discuss something with me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put his teacup down and looked at Shen Yue quietly. Momentster, he said, ¡°This morning, I received a call from Doctor Harrison in Los Angeles. Mother removed the bandages this morning and her sight has returned. She¡¯ll be returning in two days after a little observation. I asked Doctor Harrison about her condition and he said she is recovering very well, so I got Ah Bo to book them flight tickets back to City Z in three days.¡±

    Shen Yue seemed d even though he already knew Mu Yuchen¡¯s intention ofing here.

    Suddenly, Shen Yue was not sure what to say. His expression lookedplicated, and momentster, he looked at Mu Yuchen with a frown.

    ¡°What do you think about Father and Mother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen asked as he observed Shen Yue¡¯s reaction, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know about their situationtely, Grandfather. I¡¯m sure that Mother is at least a little bit happier with Father around. If theye back, what will you do about Father?¡±

    Shen Yue still felt a little ufortable talking about Xi Mushan. No matter what, it was impossible to forget about the damage Xi Mushan had done to Shen Wenna. His impression of Xi Mushan was at its worst.

    ¡°Ah Chen, I know what you mean. I lost our bet back then and I will fulfill our promise. I won¡¯t interfere with them. I won¡¯t forbid them to be together and I won¡¯t give Xi Mushan trouble as well, but if you want me to act like nothing happened before and ept him wholeheartedly, that¡¯s impossible.¡±

    After so much had happened, Shen Yue thought a lot about it and had many regrets.

    Shen Yue never liked topromise, even with his own daughter. If he had agreed to Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan being together back then, and she got married as the Shen family¡¯s daughter, would everything have been different now?

    Shen Yue was a prideful person. Maybe it was exactly because he only had one daughter, he was too protective of her, and that stubbornness could potentially lead to internal conflict.

    Children all had their own views of the world. While parents do have more experience and want them to do well, they could not just clip their wings as that might cause unnecessary tragedies.

    Shen Yue suddenly felt extremely guilty of his behavior. He just felt that there was too much to worry about.

    However, Mu Yuchen only nodded as he listened to Shen Yue. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Grandfather, you don¡¯t need to be so stressed. Just go with the flow.¡±

    It was a difficult path for Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna to rebuild their rtionship, and taking care of how Shen Yue felt was essential.

    ¡°What else can I say? Just let them be, do whatever they want.¡±

    Shen Yue could onlypromise. He sipped some tea and continued, ¡°I won¡¯t cause trouble for Xiaye and you as well, so don¡¯t worry about it. I know what to do. By the way, Qi Qiming got Vice CEO Yue Hai to send another proposal over. It¡¯s very simr to Qi Lei¡¯s.¡±

    Mu Yuchen instantly frowned. ¡°Proposal? Is it regarding the South River project as well?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let me find it for you. It¡¯s pretty interesting. However, I do find this a bit odd. It seems that Qi Qiming and Wang Qin are in a serious conflict.¡±

 Chapter 707 - Light (4)

    <h4>Chapter 707: Light (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Yue walked towards the table and rifled through the stacks of documents for a while before finally finding the one he wanted and handing it to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen sipped some tea before reading through it. A faint light shed in his eyes before he handed it back to Shen Yue.

    ¡°It seems like they know you have intentions to work with Qi Lei.¡± Mu Yuchen gave the document another nce before he went on, ¡°Grandfather, you could reconsider this based on Fuhua¡¯s situation. While I personally rmend Qi Lei, I¡¯ll respect your opinion.¡±

    Shen Yue smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve decided on it long ago. Ask Qi Lei out again after the New Year. We¡¯ll talk about the coboration details. Things are getting busy now, so the newer projects need to wait.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let him know.¡±

    After Mu Yuchen and Shen Yue talked about the details on the South River project, they even had lunch together before Mu Yuchen returned to Glory World.

    Just then, Xi Mushan called him from Los Angeles. His voice was filled with joy. ¡°Ah Chen, it¡¯s all thanks to you that your mother is able to see again. We¡¯re very grateful for you. Doctor Harrison gave your mother a thorough examination this afternoon. He said she¡¯s recovering very well and should be able to leave the day after tomorrow.¡±

    Mu Yuchen leaned back against the chair as he let out a sigh of relief. He turned around and looked out the window at the vast blue sky with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s great. Please send my regards to Mother. I¡¯ll tell Ah Mo to prepare the ne tickets for you two toe back. Let¡¯s gather as a family then. Xiaye misses the two of you a lot.¡±

    Xi Mushan was watching the TV as he sat down on the sofa while Shen Wenna had already gone to sleep.

    ¡°Thank you so much. How is Xiaye doing? I heard from her mother that she¡¯s been experiencing some leg cramps at night.¡± Xi Mushan was concerned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll watch out for it. Father, you should focus on taking care of Mother. By the way, after you return, you should stay with Mother at the school for a while. I¡¯ve sent people to refurbish Mother¡¯s apartment at the school, so you guys can stay there after returning.¡±

    Actually, Mu Yuchen ordered Li Si to work on this very soon after he got back. He knew he had to help them out a little.

    Xi Mushan was very touched. Mu Yuchen had done so, so much for them! He was not their son, but he acted like one.

    ¡°As for work, you guys should discuss it among yourself since Mother has recovered. Things will get busy as the year-end approaches and Xiaye isn¡¯t in her best condition to move around now. I¡¯m afraid I might not be able to help much afterwards. Let Li Si know if you need anything. He¡¯ll do his best to assist you,¡± Mu Yuchen said humbly.

    ¡°Noted, take care of Xiaye. We¡¯ll be back soon. Tell her not to worry about us.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ...

    Their brief conversation ended swiftly.

    Mu Yuchen felt lighter after he hung up on the call.

    As he was deep in thought, he heard a notification sound from hisptop. He came back to his senses and looked at theptop screen. Then, he clicked on the email notification to see a document of Li Si¡¯s investigation about the child named ¡°Xiao Ye¡±.

    He nced through it before closing the email.

    Xi Xiaye was very fond of the child. When they visited the Shen Residence recently, they went to the orphanage as well. He could only follow her wishes. Anyway, it was not a bad idea to have another child at home. That way, she would not bug him for another child.

    In the past, he did not really like children, but after he married her, he slowly started to change because of her. He longed to have a child with her and wanted to stay by her side.

    In the evening, Mu Yuchen left work slightly earlier than usual. Li Si rushed over.

    ¡°Master, are we heading back to Maple Residence?¡± Li Si asked after they were inside the car.

    ¡°Head to New Era za, the Children City.¡±

    It was time to prepare their baby room. He got the servants to clear out a room on the second floor just beside their bedroom. It would be done after some decoration, but as a father, he would have to do something about it himself.

    Li Si instantly understood what Mu Yuchen was trying to do. He quickly mentioned, ¡°Master, there¡¯s a pretty well-known store there. Missus wanted to go before, but Elder Madam was too worried to let her go. In the end, the visit didn¡¯t happen.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go there then,¡± Mu Yuchen said briefly.

    ...

    They soon arrived at the New Era za. Because it was the end of the year, many people were doing their year-end shopping, so it was kind of crowded.

    Mu Yuchen got down from the car and looked at the za. Suddenly, he heard the chime of a bell. He then noticed a transparent little ball beside his foot with several purple chime-bells inside. They would make a sound every time the ball rolled.

    He bent down and was about to pick up the ball when unexpectedly, another hand reached out for it too. Before he could react, a pleasant fragrance wafted before his nose and their hands met.

    He frowned and quickly looked up to see Gu Lingsha¡¯s face right before him. There was an indescribable sadness in her blue eyes that appeared a little swollen.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s first reaction was to pull his hand back and stand up. His eyes were filled with disgust. Even though the contempt faded quickly, Gu Lingsha saw everything.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Li Si noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was odd, so he quickly took out a clean wet tissue for Mu Yuchen who grabbed it and cleaned his hands thoroughly before giving it back.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned stormy.

 Chapter 708 - Reunion (1)

    <h4>Chapter 708: Reunion (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She almost forgot that this man would never fail to show his disgust towards her so openly!

    While it was just like in the past, at least, things were not like this in the past!

    If she knew that she was his fianc¨¨e from the beginning, whether it was for her own or for the Gu family¡¯s sake, she would not have be like this.

    She had frequently visited the Mu family when she was little. Although Mu Yinan and Wang Hui were nice to her, he was different.

    Gu Lingsha remembered when they had first met each other.

    It was back in the Mu residence during one of her visits there in between summer and autumn. The chrysanthemums were in full bloom, and the first time she saw him was right beside the flower bed in the backyard.

    He was wearing a casual white suit as he read while sitting on the rattan chair in the garden full of freshly bloomed flowers. She recalled being impressed by his looks and aura. He was totally different from Qi Feng.

    She instantly recognized this handsome boy was the Master of Glory World. She went up and tried to greet him. However, he closed his book and stood up suddenly the moment she got close. Then, he frowned and looked at her before walking past her without saying anything.

    ¡°Are you Bro Yuchen?¡± she asked him as his back faced her.

    He did not reply, stop or slow down.

    Afterward, she found out from Mu Lingtian that Mu Yuchen had always disliked any girls that came to their house.

    It made sense to her after she gave it some thought. Even her mother wanted her to befriend Mu Yuchen, and many people thought the same as well. A person like Mu Yuchen would only get close to people he wanted to. He would not bat an eye at someone he was not interested in at all.

    Even after she came to the Mu residence, she hardly saw him.

    He was infamous for being cold. During Mu Yinan and Wang Hui¡¯s birthday, he would only prepare gifts and not attend the banquet. However, he was pretty close to his brothers. She did try to join them, but...

    Of course, her usual prideful self would not let these feelings hold her back. Just because he did not like her did not mean the others felt the same too. Qi Feng, Qi Lei, and Lingtian treated her well. Judging by just appearances, Qi Feng was pretty great too.

    In the end, she got together with Qi Feng, but soon after that, she found out from her father that she was betrothed to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Why? I just want to know why! What did I do to make you treat me this way? Mu Yuchen, I have my pride too!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s face twisted furiously as she held the ball in her hand tightly. She almost lost control when she red at him.

    Mu Yuchen stopped what he was doing and looked at her. ¡°Your so-called pride only means something to yourself. It means nothing to others.¡±

    ¡°Back then, if you epted my proposal, you might¡¯ve been the wife of the CEO of Qi Kai now. Isn¡¯t that what you wished for?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were icy, and he was about to walk away.

    Gu Lingsha let out a bitterugh. ¡®I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that. Even Xi Xiaye didn¡¯t wish to be the wife of the CEO of Glory World. Maybe you thought I betrayed you by getting together with Qi Feng, but let me tell you, Mu Yuchen, don¡¯t you dare look down on others. Qi Feng always respected me. I¡¯ve never done anything shameful while bearing the title as your fiance¨¨! I heard Xi Xiaye was once very in love with Han Yifeng. Mu Yuchen, I deeply despise your bias. I shouldn¡¯t have listened to my father! No matter what, with the past we shared and with Lingtian, you shouldn¡¯t have treated us like that. You¡¯ll never know how much damage you¡¯ve done with that one wrong decision of yours!¡±

    Gu Lingsha turned around and gave Mu Yuchen¡¯s back a cold re, her voice filled with pain.

    ¡°Continue to hate me then. She¡¯s different from you. I¡¯m the one who proposed to her. I don¡¯t care what¡¯s going on between Qi Feng and you, but I never agreed to that promise in the first ce. Only I can decide what I want to do. Nothing will matter if I don¡¯t give my permission. There will always be a time for payback.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then walked past the za and disappeared into the crowd.

    Gu Lingsha felt a sharp pain in her chest as the ball fell onto the floor once again. She covered her face with her hand as she watched him walk away.

    ¡°I will make you pay for your cruelty, Mu Yuchen, you demon!¡±

    It had been almost six years.

    In that ident, Mu Lingtian died for her and even took her child away. Qi Feng ended up injured as well. Even her body became extremely weak ever since then, and she almost lost her life when giving birth to Weiwei. The worst thing was Weiwei¡¯s health...

    They could not return to their homes and had been staying abroad. She went to Los Angeles after that while Qi Feng and Weiwei stayed in Australia.

    After some time, Gu Lingsha calmed herself down and took a deep breath before picking up the ball.

    She turned around and saw Qi Qiming waiting under themp pole in front of her. Her eyes teared up a little bit as a faint light shed in them before she walked over.

    ¡°Uncle Qi...¡±

    Qi Qiming nodded when he saw Gu Lingsha¡¯s depressed expression. ¡°That person just now was Mu Yuchen, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath and nodded. Finally, she returned to her usual calm self. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him.¡±

    She turned back to face the direction Mu Yuchen left. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle Qi. I lost control!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Mu Yuchen is no ordinary man. You have to be careful and control yourself. Your parents would definitely hold me ountable if anything happened to you.¡± Qi Qiming sighed before walking towards his car.

 Chapter 709 - Reunion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 709: Reunion (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On Mu Yuchen¡¯s end, Li Si spoke to him as he was walking through the za, ¡°Master, it¡¯s Qi Qiming. He seems to be close to Gu Lingsha.¡±

    Li Si turned around and watched the ck car that drove away slowly while he felt worried.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face seemed cold and expressionless.

    Li Si did not say anything else and just walked in front. A whileter, they arrived at the store. Mu Yuchen was watching through the windows for a moment before he then walked inside when he saw thedy inside giving orders to her employees.

    Su Yu!

    It was Su Chen¡¯s sister!

    No wonder Li Si had rmended this store. Su Yu owned it! She seemed to have sent him an invitation to her store opening, but he told Ah Mo to send gifts only because he was abroad for work then.

    Su Yu was surprised to see Mu Yuchen. She quickly invited him upstairs and prepared him a cup of tea.

    ¡°It¡¯s due soon?¡± asked Su Yu as she grabbed a chair for herself and sat down opposite him.

    ¡°In about two months.¡± Mu Yuchen sipped some tea, unable to hide his anticipation in his eyes. He nced at the toys around him before continuing. ¡°I want to get things prepared beforehand. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°For the baby¡¯s room?¡± Su Yu smiled, taking a deep breath. ¡°I can see that you¡¯ve changed a lot. Alright, since I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll be kind and help you design it. Happy?¡±

    ¡°What happened to your boutique?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°I left it to my husband now since hisw firm is doing horribly. I¡¯ve been asking him to stop doing it and work with me on the boutique and this store. It¡¯s been two years since he went traveling without me and I don¡¯t even want to talk to him now.¡± Su Yu sounded helpless.

    Su Yu was a typical modern woman over the age of thirty but she appeared only around twenty. She had built her own career, and her daughter was now attending a boarding school. She would spend time traveling around aside from working in her store and was always high-spirited and energetic.

    He would be relieved if his woman could be more rxed like her.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Please visit Maple Residence and take a look at the room then. Grandmother is staying over now. I¡¯d be able to rest easy if you¡¯d handle it personally. By the way, please get something warmer as the primary color.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I have more experience than you in this. Just give me more tips when I¡¯m done. It¡¯s been some time since Ist worked myself.¡± Su Yu smiled as she leaned against the back of her chair. ¡°By the way, did you see that bastard Su Chen recently? I got a call from Grandfatherst night ranting that he hasn¡¯t been home for a very long time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a busy time for him at the end of the year. Su Chen isn¡¯t the disobedient child we knew before. I suppose your grandfather should learn to control himself if it isn¡¯t something that vites his life principles.¡± Mu Yuchen was concerned about Su Chen. Having a dominant grandfather at home must be tough.

    Elder Su was in the military veteran as well as being a very headstrong person. He felt like he had a say to everything that happened in the family. Sometimes, even Mu Yuchen pitied Su Chen¡¯s situation. It was no wonder that he would like to stay as far as possible from home.

    Su Yu gave him a bitter smile. ¡°That¡¯s just how he is, a little stubborn, but in the end, he¡¯s doing it for our own good. He¡¯s so old already anyway, and we don¡¯t want him to get triggered. He¡¯s used to always being in control, so how can we expect him to change now?¡±

    ¡°I heard from Su Chen during our call a few days ago that Elder Su invited a girl over for dinner, didn¡¯t he?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Su Yu nodded. ¡°Mmm, but Su Chen never came back, so the girl left disappointed. What do you think my grandfather¡¯s expression looked like?¡±

    She sounded really helpless. ¡°Ah Chen, I know that he listens to you. Please give him some advice if possible. You promised me this thest time, and Zimo as well. I¡¯m just so worried about all of you. Last time, I told him I¡¯d introduce him to someone, but he totally ignored me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll handle it themselves. You can¡¯t worry too much about them, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put down his teacup. Then, he stood up and went towards the staircase. ¡°Give me a call when you¡¯reing. Have a meal at my ce too. Xiaye is alone at home anyway. By the way, you cane and visit anytime you want.¡± He soon disappeared down the staircase.

    Su Yu put on a helpless smile as she shook her head.

    He was cold as usual. She wondered how Xi Xiaye could take it. Su Yu could not stand him. She could not even try to appeal to him.

    Of course, she had never seen him at home with Mrs. Mu...

    Su Yu acted fast and went over to Maple Residence the next day. Unfortunately, Xi Xiaye stayed over at the Shen Residence as she went back to prepare the ce after knowing that Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan wereing back.

    On the fourth day, Mu Yuchen woke up early in the morning as usual, and this time, Xi Xiaye woke up with him too. They went to Shen Residence quickly as Li Si was bringing Xiao Ye over from the orphanageter, and they would be picking Shen Wenna up at the airport in the afternoon.

    Li Si brought Xiao Ye over right after they had breakfast.

    ¡°Master, ording to the information, this child is a local. His parents passed away and he came from a good family, but...¡± Li Si started on his report.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve looked through what you sent me. There¡¯s no need to worry about other things. Knowing his background is good enough,¡± Mu Yuchen interrupted Li Si as he walked towards the child. Xi Xiaye dragged him over to sit down on the sofa.

    ¡°Mu Ziru. This is your new name from now on. Isn¡¯t that nice?¡± Xi Xiaye was holding his little hand as she asked quietly.

    Mu Yuchen had given this name.

    The child was startled for a moment. He then looked at Xi Xiaye and nodded by way of permission.

 Chapter 710 - Reunion (3)

    <h4>Chapter 710: Reunion (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Great, then I¡¯ll call you Xiao Rui from now on, and you shan¡¯t call me ¡®Aunty¡¯ anymore. You have to call me ¡®Mother¡¯, and you¡¯ll call this handsome uncle ¡®Father¡¯. Xiao Rui, you¡¯ll also have grandparents too, okay?¡±

    Mu Zirui nodded obediently. He dropped his defenses after meeting them several times and was quite fond of Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Then, what should you be calling us now?¡± While Xi Xiaye was patient with the child, she was also full of expectations.

    Mu Zirui looked at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye uncertainly. Momentster, he started saying softly, ¡°Father... Mother...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart softened as she heard his childish voice. She nced at the man beside her with her eyes all glittery.

    ¡°This kind, old man is your great-grandfather. Come over and greet him,¡± Xi Xiaye introduced.

    Mu Zirui looked over and saw Shen Yue giving him a smile while drinking tea beside the coffee table. He then called out to Shen Yue¡¯s delight, ¡°Great-grandfather!¡±

    Shen Yue nodded his head and gave Mu Zirui a red packet. ¡°Good! This kid looks smart. I like him. Here, take this.¡±

    Mu Zirui nced at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. After seeing them nod, he took the red packet graciously. ¡°Thank you, Great-grandfather!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my sweet child! Come, I¡¯ll bring you to take a look at your room.¡±

    Shen Yue had always liked kids, and it had been a long time since the Shen Residence was so lively. With another little one being there, he did feel a little more hopeful. In time, he would be able to spend time with the child and teach him lots of things so that he could fill up the regret of not being able to do the same with Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was relieved when they both walked away together. ¡°I knew Grandfather would love him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded with a smile.

    The two of them went straight to the airport after a simple lunch at the Shen residence. Mu Zirui and Shen Yue stayed at home. He wanted to teach the child how to y chess, but unexpectedly, he already knew how to, much to Shen Yue¡¯s joy.

    As the car was on its way to the airport, Xi Xiaye kept checking the time on her phone.

    ¡°By the way, the long holiday starts next weekend, right? About thepany¡¯s anniversary dinner...¡± She suddenly remembered.

    ¡°It will be on Friday, and the holiday will start on Saturday. I¡¯ll get things done in the next two days, and then we¡¯ll be able to enjoy the rest of the time.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m just thinking that we should have our reunion dinner at Maple Residence. With my parents back together, it will be a full reunion this time and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fun.¡±

    ¡°Anything you wish.¡±

    The airport was extremely crowded due to the peak period. The frequency of the flights from City A to City Z, as well as many other cities, was increased to fulfill the demands.

    Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna had already touched down when Xi Xiaye called Xi Mushan. They were on their way out through the VIP tunnel.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were waiting for them at the exit.

    As Xi Xiaye was getting impatient, Mu Yuchen nudged her. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked in front and saw them.

    Shen Wenna was wrapped in a simple andfortable coat. Inside, she was wearing a knee-length dress. She had a pair ofrge sunsses with a puppy in her hands, appearing elegant as usual.

    Beside her was Xi Mushan wearing a ck coat with a dark-colored suit on the inside. He was dragging a suitcase in one hand as he nced over at Shen Wenna asionally with a gentle gaze.

    A perfect couple!

    That was how Xi Xiaye felt about her parents.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, do you think I¡¯ll be as beautiful as Mother when I reach her age?¡± Xi Xiaye turned over and asked.

    ¡°Of course, how dare you question Mrs. Mu¡¯s beauty?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled as he casually took his arm off her shoulder. She smiled before she moved forward.

    ¡°Father, Mother!¡±

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Shen Wenna left Little Apple with Xi Mushan and then took off her sses.

    ¡°Mother, can you really see now?¡±

    Shen Wenna hugged Xi Xiaye. ¡°Mmm, I can! It must¡¯ve been tough for you, Xiaye. How¡¯s everything? My grandchild is getting so big now.¡±

    As Shen Wenna was giving Xi Xiaye a warm hug, she touched Xi Xiaye¡¯s baby bump.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°There¡¯s another one at home too. I¡¯m sure Grandpa and you guys won¡¯t feel lonely anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Xiao Rui, right? Ah Chen told me and your father about it during our call.¡± Shen Wenna patted Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder and then turned around to look at Xi Mushan.

    ¡°Ah Chen, Xiaye!¡± Xi Mushan came over as well.

    ¡°Father, Mother, wee back! Grandpa got the servants to prepare food at home to wee you two back. The weather is freezing right now, so let¡¯s head back home.¡± Mu Yuchen grabbed the suitcases from Xi Mushan.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk at home then. Little Apple,e and see your parents. It¡¯s spoilt by staying with us for too long. It doesn¡¯t even greet people now.¡± Shen Wenna smiled.

    ¡°So, this small fe is Little Apple?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Ah Chen sent it over. Things were easier thanks to it.¡±

    ...

    The sky had just turned dark when they arrived at the Shen residence. Dinner was ready and the whole family sat around the dining table.

    Shen Yue did not give Xi Mushan any trouble. Instead, he was busy getting food for Mu Zirui. It was obvious to see that he was pretty fond of this child.

    The dinner went on harmoniously.

    Mu Yuchen and Shen Yue went into the study room to talk after dinner while Xi Xiaye, Xi Mushan, and Shen Wenna were watching TV in the living room. Mu Zirui was ying with Little Apple.

    The house became much livelier with two little ones around. Mu Zirui was adapting well and had gotten used to things around here after a day. He was happily ying with Little Apple now.

 Chapter 711 - Delivery (1)

    <h4>Chapter 711: Delivery (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye sat quietly on the sofa. She turned over to look at her parents from time to time and saw Xi Mushan peeling some peanuts for Shen Wenna, so she lowered her head and chuckled.

    ¡°Father, Mother, Mu Yuchen got someone to refurbish the apartment in University A, but it¡¯s already prettyte now, so...¡±

    Before Xi XIaye could finish, Xi Mushan interrupted her, ¡°Your mother will be staying with your grandpa for a while. I¡¯ll be going back to my own apartment now. I¡¯ve gotten people to clean it up for me. Let¡¯s talk about this again after the New Year. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll be busy with some things for now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned as she looked at Shen Wenna and mumbled, ¡°Then, Mother...¡±

    ¡°He had to go see your grandfather and that person. I want to spend more time with your grandpa during the year-end as well, so I¡¯ll stay there after the semester starts,¡± Shen Wenna exined though her voice was not as cold as before.

    Xi Xiaye felt relieved to hear that. After a while, she asked, ¡°When are you two going to remarry each other?¡± This was her biggest concern, and she did feel a little ufortable asking that question.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s not really urgent or important at this point now...¡± said Xi Mushan before Shen Wenna could say anything, recalling his conversation with Shen Wenna.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened slightly before looking at Shen Wenna. ¡°Mother, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Let nature take its course. You don¡¯t have to worry about us, Xiaye. Take care of yourself instead. We¡¯ll talk about this again after your child is safely delivered...¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re really letting nature take its course, I¡¯ll get Mu Yuchen to ensure the necessary procedures are done tomorrow. Father, Mother, you aren¡¯t children anymore. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything more important than the happiness and harmony we can get right now. Give me your identification cards and household register!¡± Xi Xiaye sounded determined.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Aunt Wu, Aunt Wu! Go to my mother¡¯s room and get me her identification card and household register!¡± Xi Xiaye ignored Shen Wenna¡¯s hesitant attitude and nudged her out of the way.

    ...

    ¡°Both of you are more than fifty years old now. If you¡¯re going to keep waiting like this, it¡¯ll be toote. Let me make the decision for once.¡± Xi Xiaye put her hand into Xi Mushan¡¯s pocket and grabbed his wallet and took out his identification card. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you two the document to sign after everything is prepared. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan traded nces at each other as they were surprised at Xi Xiaye¡¯s decisiveness. It felt like Xi Xiaye had...

    She had pulled a fast one on this matter, totally ignoring Shen Wenna¡¯s hesitation and getting it done. Shen Wenna received the marriage certificate three dayster.

    After running back and forth for half their lives, the two of them finally got back together again.

    Both Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan knew very well that apart from their feelings for each other, their remarriage this time was mainly for the sake of Xi Xiaye. It was about time to pay her back.

    They did not want to cause a big fuss, so their renewal of vows just happened without anything huge. They just had a feast at the Shen Residence that night; even the Mu family was not involved.

    The night of Glory World¡¯s annual dinner arrived again. It was held on the seventh floor of the Imperial Sky Hotel.

    Caitlyn and many other artistes under thepany attended the event. Even Qi Lei went. Although Xi Xiaye was nning to stay this out, in the end, Mu Yuchen dragged her there.

    The annual dinner was much more crowded than the previous year¡¯s, and the turnout exceeded expectations. Mu Yuchen fulfilled his promise and shared thepany profits with the departments that had achieved the goals, and there were a lot of other prizes as well.

    When the host announced the winner for thergest contribution of the year to be Xi Xiaye, Chairman Mu of Glory World was invited to bestow this prize. Mu Yuchen smiled elegantly as he looked at the woman beside him.

    Xi Xiaye smiled as well. She leaned closer and said, ¡°Mr. Mu, isn¡¯t this prize biased?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows. ¡°My dear, no one else could¡¯ve contributed more than you.¡± He then nced at her baby bump hidden under her big coat.

    Xi Xiaye was speechless as she rolled her eyes. She then walked slowly towards the stage as the crowd gave her a loud round of apuse and the host handed the mic over.

    She spoke gently as she nced at Mu Yuchen below the stage, ¡°Thank you for joining us here tonight. I¡¯m not going to give a long speech here. I just want to thank everyone¡¯s hard work throughout the year. Glory World¡¯s achievement today is thanks to everyone with us here tonight. I thought I¡¯d be thanking everyone with Chairman Mu. I didn¡¯t expect to be the one receiving this prize instead, so I¡¯m surprised and very touched. Also, I¡¯d like to say something to Mr. Mu on this stage here.

    ¡°Meeting you and marrying you has been the best thing I¡¯ve done in my life. Liking you is my honor, and my love for you will never change, Mu Yuchen.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze seemed gentle as she looked at the man below. Her sharp eyes noticed that the usually calm and collected man was ncing downwards in embarrassment when she looked at him. He could not hide his smile no matter how hard he tried.

    After a short moment of silence, a thundering round of apuse came from the crowd. Some even started screeching as they gave them their blessings.

    People used to have no idea why Chairman Mu would be interested in their Director Xi, but they finally understood after looking at them. Maybe there was no particr reason other than that they belonged to each other from the very beginning.

    Who cared about the rumors and gossip? Everyone could see that Chairman Mu was embarrassed!

    Only Director Xi was capable of doing that!

 Chapter 712 - Delivery (2)

    <h4>Chapter 712: Delivery (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Amidst the crowd¡¯s apuse, Mu Yuchen slowly walked onto the stage.

    Her heart was throbbing as she saw him slowly close in on her. Her eyes were moving along with his figure, and she looked up slightly when he was right in front of her.

    His eyes were as deep as the dark sea. He studied her for a long while before he put on a smile. Then, he lowered himself and whispered beside her ear, ¡°Tell me what you just said again tonight...¡±

    He ran his fingers through her slightly messy hair. Before she could react, he retracted his hands and grabbed the trophy from the host and handed it to her along with an exquisite looking gift box with some other prizes inside.

    This girl was getting more and more daring now to the point that she just confessed her love for him in public without getting embarrassed. On the contrary, he was the one that felt embarrassed.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him as she took the prizes from him. The crowd gave another round of apuse with many people shouting for Mu Yuchen to confess his love as well. However, he just smiled and kissed her on her lips.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, I¡¯ve never won ever since I met you.¡± He sighed before patting her head, and then the two of them walked off the stage.

    Xi Xiaye beamed and just followed him as Li Si and the others quickly went over.

    As they just walked out of the Imperial Sky Hotel, they saw Qi Lei standing around casually by the staircase with both his hands in his pockets. He gave Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye a meaningful nce while Yang Sheng stood behind him.

    The first one to greet them was Yang Sheng. He gave Qi Lei a careful nce before he called out, ¡°Chairman Mu, Director Xi!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded, but his eyes were fixed on Qi Lei. He and Xi Xiaye slowly stopped their steps.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going up?¡± Mu Yuchen asked him.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to. Qi Kai¡¯s annual dinner is today as well, so I need to rush overter. I¡¯ve received your gift from your assistant Li Si, and I¡¯m here to deliver my gift as well.¡±

    Qi Lei gave Yang Sheng a quick nce, and Yang Sheng swiftly handed the gift over. In reflex, Li Si went forward to take it.

    ¡°That¡¯s very nice of you,¡± said Mu Yuchen as he helped Xi Xiaye to smoothen her creased sleeve.

    Qi Lei shrugged and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Are you free to talk somewhere?¡± He nced over at Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen gave it some thought for a while before nodding. He told Xi Xiaye quietly, ¡°I¡¯ll be back after a while.¡±

    ¡°Li Si, get your Missus into the car first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave them a doubtful nce. After some hesitation, she just nodded and went towards the car.

    In just a moment, only Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen were left.

    Qi Lei took out a cigarette from his pocket but did not offer Mu Yuchen one since he knew he was not going to touch it. He let out a puff casually. ¡°Qi Qiming handed Fuhua a proposal as well. I¡¯m sure you know about this already, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Qi Lei.

    ¡°Is Fuhua confident about winning the bid? The bidding will start after the New Year. While Fuhua has very strong real estate in City Z, from what I know, Qi Qiming had an alternative n even though he was trying to get to work with Fuhua. Are you sure Fuhua can win the bid?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone sounded grim. He had invested everything into Fuhua and Glory World, thus this fight was important to him!

    ¡°Did you hear something?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he nced at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. His eyes were clearly struggling as he shot Mu Yuchen aplicated nce before bending over and sitting down on the cold staircase. ¡°Why do you think Shasha came to Qi Kai? Uncle Gu sent her here. Do you understand now?¡±

    His tone got deeper. ¡°Qi Qiming has been visiting City B frequently. Shasha will be working in Qi Kai after the New Year. I¡¯m not sure what position she¡¯ll assume yet, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be involved this. She¡¯s changed a lot. To be honest, I have no idea which side of her is real now.¡±

    Gu Qiwu, huh?

    A cold light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s darkened eyes as he thought about that name.

    ¡°Fuhua will do its best. Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t fail even without this project. I¡¯ll make sure your wish gets fulfilled after you¡¯ve chosen to work with me. I¡¯d never abandon my partner. I¡¯d just fight with them.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s maic voice reached him as his dark eyes lightened slightly.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to your word then. That¡¯s all from me. Is there any news from Australia?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if I find anything. The New Year ising soon. I wish you an early Happy New Year.¡± Mu Yuchen then walked down the staircase.

    Qi Lei watched his back in surprise as he asked, ¡°Mu Yuchen, you¡¯re still so calm, huh? Aren¡¯t you worried that all your preparation with Fuhua will go to waste?¡±

    He had always been so calm and collected. Was he really so confident about this huge project, or did he simply not care?

    Mu Yuchen stopped when he heard Qi Lei¡¯s question. He answered without turning back, ¡°I have a baseline for myself. It doesn¡¯t really matter to me as long as this baseline isn¡¯t breached. No matter how bad it turns out, it won¡¯t be so bad that I¡¯d have to starve my family. What¡¯s so difficult about it?¡±

    Qi Lei could not react to what he said, and Mu Yuchen already disappeared when he came back to his senses.

    He patted his own head and mumbled, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter? You have no idea what¡¯s going on! But he does make a little sense...¡±

 Chapter 713 - Delivery (3)

    <h4>Chapter 713: Delivery (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    New Year¡¯s Eve soon arrived after Glory World Corporation¡¯s annual dinner.

    The weather was getting bettertelypared to the windy days before, and the days leading up to the New Year were strangely warmer.

    Xi Xiaye had been staying in Maple Residence for the past few days. Mu Yuchen would take a walk with her outside every morning and evening while Shen Wenna frequently visited with Mu Zirui and Little Apple as well. All in all, the Maple Residence suddenly became very lively.

    The two families nned to have a reunion dinner together at Maple Residence on the night of New Year¡¯s Eve.

    Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong started preparing early in the morning. Shen Wenna went overter and joined them while the two elder men gathered around and yed chess as they enjoyed some tea. Xi Mushan called and said he would only be here by night.

    Mu Yuchen went out early in the morning. He told Xi Xiaye that he was going to Su Chen¡¯s ce because Zhou Zimo had returned.

    At noon, Xi Xiaye saw Sis Wang and the others trying to put up a pair of couplets by the door. She was reminded that it had been a long time since shest went back to West Park which was where Xi Jiyang had spent all his life in. She felt it was only appropriate for her to visit right before the New Year.

    After waiting for a while, Ji Zitong came over.

    Due to her being forced to rest at home by Mu Yuchen recently, Ji Zitong hardly had any work to do. She even handed in her resignation letter a few days ago, but Xi Xiaye held onto it first and wanted to talk to her before proceeding.

    On their way to West Park inside the car, Ji Zitong spoke up quietly, ¡°Director Xi, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re safe with Chairman Mu around, so I won¡¯t be your bodyguard for very long. Back then, when Manager Ah Mo approached me, the intention was just for me to help around for half a year. My job will be done after things have settled down. I¡¯ve learned a lot during this period of time guarding you, and I¡¯m really grateful for it. Director Xi, if you need anything from me in the future, please give me a call anytime.¡±

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t my assistant anymore, what do you n to do?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Ji Zitong quietly and asked.

    ¡°My mother and I just bought a tiny shop and we¡¯re nning to start a florist business. It¡¯s pretty close by to my father¡¯s martial art center. It¡¯ll be opened on the 7th of next month. Of course, Chairman Mu and Director Xi are wee toe over.¡±

    Ji Zitong smiled. Her hair had grown much longer now after half a year, and she tied it up into a bun. It was a new sight to see pairing with her slightly distant expression.

    ¡°A flower shop? Do you know how to do floral arrangements?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Ji Zitong in surprise.

    Ji Zitong smiled as she sped up. ¡°My mother was an art teacher before, and she knows about floral arrangements. I learned a little bit by observing her. Having a flower shop and living a peaceful life has always been what I¡¯m looking for.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not going to keep you if that¡¯s your will. It¡¯s better for a woman to settle down. I¡¯ll tell Chairman Mu about it. I personally like floral arrangements. I¡¯ll find a time to learn from you one day.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Director Xi. You¡¯re wee anytime.¡±

    ¡°Call me Xiaye. We¡¯re friends.¡±

    While Xi Xiaye looked cold on the outside, she was a pretty carefree person once you got closer to her. Ji Zitong had always admired her, so they became friends after working closely together for half a year.

    ...

    West Park seemed quiet as the golden evening rays showered over it. The cool breeze added a tint of loneliness to the ce.

    Xi Xinyi wrapped herself in a khaki-colored coat as she raised her head and looked at Xi Mushan who was standing at the top of the staircase. Her eyes seemedplicated, and she pondered a little while before walking closer.

    ¡°Father...¡± Her voice was still sweet as ever, but her tone sounded like she was suffering on the inside.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Xi Mushan did not seem surprised to see Xi Xinyi. He just gave her a nce.

    ¡°I went to your apartment and the guard told me that you went to the west. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today, so I thought you might be here.¡±

    Xi Xinyi dared not make a fuss in front of him. Even though he stopped being the mayor, he had left asting impression on her for the past twenty years. Even now, she still feared him out of respect.

    ¡°Father, aren¡¯t you at least going to take a look at Mother?¡± Xi Xinyi grabbed Xi Mushan¡¯s sleeve. ¡°You two have been married for over twenty years. No matter what kind of faults my mother did in the past, she did all of it because she loves you, Father... I know, I also hate that she¡¯s such a failure, but I...¡±

    Xi Mushan sighed before looking away. ¡°Your mother and I were a mistake from the very beginning. Xinyi, you¡¯re my daughter. Think about how I¡¯ve been treating you all these years. And how did I treat your sister?¡±

    She was speechless.

    ¡°The Xi family doesn¡¯t exist anymore. Let the past stay in the past. I¡¯ve paid the fees for the rehabilitation center for five years in advance. I did my part. Now, let go of me.¡±

    ¡°Father, are you and Aunt Shen...?¡± Xi Xinyi bit her lips as she looked straight into Xi Mushan¡¯s eye and suddenly let go of his sleeve.

    Xi Mushan did not reply and just walked down the staircase quietly.

    ¡°Father!¡± Xi Xinyi tried to catch up. ¡°Father, Han Yifeng took my child away. Can you ask Xi Xiaye... No, can you ask Sister to call Han Yifeng and tell him to return my child to me? I can act as if nothing happened. All the conflict wille to an end for real. Father, please!¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice was anxious as she begged Xi Mushan after considering every other solution at her disposal. Han Yifeng ignored all her phone calls and she was on the verge of breaking down. Even though her new movies were doing great at the box office, none of her career achievements could fill the void in her heart.

    Especially during the timeste at night and moments when she missed her son, she suddenly felt that everything important to her was moving further and further away.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said I won¡¯t get involved between the two of you. Don¡¯t disturb your sister as far as her health is concerned. Not only will your scars hurt, but how do you think your sister will feel if you tell her to talk to Han Yifeng about it?¡±

 Chapter 714 - Delivery (4)

    <h4>Chapter 714: Delivery (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Mushan did not say another word. When Xi Xinyi snapped back to her senses, the sound of a car starting was heard. Gradually, the sound grew distant until she could hear nothing apart from the cool breeze that rustled past.

    Xi Xinyi felt her heart ache. She could not help but quietly squat down as she buried her head in her hands to calm down for a long while. when she looked up again, her eyes had reddened. she seemed to be in a sorry state while being wan and sallow as well. Evidently, she had not been having it good in recent times.

    She had called Han Yifeng many times, but not one call ever went through. He had long changed his number. Even when she called the ce they stayed at before that, the upants had changed. This was when she realized that Han Yifeng was thoroughly cutting her off this time. She probably could not call for his return any more. Apart from the anger and suffering she felt, the love she once had gradually turned to resentment.

    At this moment, Xi Xinyi would not have known that just not too far behind her, a ck car was parked by the roadside, and Gu Lingsha was apathetically seated in the front passenger seat, taking all of this in. Her exquisite appearance revealed a sneer with some degree of disdain.

    This morning, when Xi Xinyi went to Qi Kai, she was there at the same time too. She overheard her trying to look for Xi Mushan, so she set her heart on it then and there.

    Xi Mushan... Of course, she was quite familiar with this name. He was the previous mayor of City Z of whom she had heard much about. In fact, she did not forget that Xi Mushan was Xi Xiaye¡¯s father. Upon seeing that Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression was out of ce, she quietly followed her and saw this scene!

    She thought to herself that Xi Xinyi was probably heartbroken, and a person like her under such circumstances would be much easier for her to use.

    The sneer on Gu Lingsha¡¯s face became even more obvious as she looked at Xi Xinyi who was hugging herself tightly with enjoyment.

    ...

    After a while, Xi Xinyi sniffed and stood up powerlessly. She took one final look at West Park before dragging her heavy feet to walk towards her car that she had parked at the roadside.

    Yet, just as she reached the corner turn of the pavement, she noticed a luxurious Bentley driving slowly towards her. The Bentley stopped steadily by the roadside, and the car door at the backseat opened, revealing an elegant dark figure that slowly got down from the car.

    Her ck coat hid her whole body. She still had waist-length hair and wore sunsses. She seemed to be holding a few crimson words that said ¡®fortune¡¯.

    Xi Xiaye!

    When she took a better look at the figure in front of her, Xi Xinyi was shocked.

    She came!

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s gaze instantly turned sharp. She subconsciously stopped walking and watched without batting an eyelid at Xi Xiaye who was slowly getting closer.

    Xi Xinyi was not the only one shocked. Gu Lingsha, who was in the car beside Xi Xinyi, was bewildered too!

    it was Xi Xiaye!

    The two sisters...

    Gu Lingsha quietly watched Xi Xiaye walk over and Xi Xinyi who stood unmoving. The coldness in her eyes shed. She could not help but be delighted!

    God was on her side!

    <i>Mu Yuchen, I told you, you would feel my pain too. Look, has the opportunity not just presented itself?</i>

    When she saw Xi Xinyi before her, Xi Xiaye paused too, yet it was just an instant before she quickly pulled her gaze away and picked up her pace as she continued to walk ahead. She wanted to quietly walk past Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye!¡± Xi Xinyi subconsciously turned to her side and called out for Xi Xiaye. Her voice was dense with mixed emotions. She thought that if she gave in for a while and talked to Xi Xiaye, perhaps...

    However, before she could say anything, just as the words ¡°Xi Xiaye¡± came out, she could already feel herself being pushed hard from behind. Caught off-guard, she staggered forward, unable to stop herself!

    Xi Xiaye only felt a strong wind whistle past her ear. Before she could react, she instantly felt like she was falling before she crumpled hard to the ground, and then she felt the coldness as excruciating pain smothered her!

    Xi Xinyi screeched because she had been cushioned by Xi Xiaye as she fell hard on her!

    Ouch!

    Xi Xiaye did not have time to feel the pain flood her senses. She reflexively tried to protect her baby bump with both trembling hands as she could feel like something seemed to be drained from her belly...

    She clenched her fists in panic while fear surged in her. In an instant, her clear eyes were colored with misty despair. Bitter fear filled her throat and she almost could not shout while her mind went nk!

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s both hands held Xi Xiaye¡¯s baby bump tightly. Only she knew how hard she had hit into her. In horror, she quickly got up and widened her eyes at Xi Xiaye. She only felt warm wetness on her fingertips. Panicking, she subconsciously looked over. This was when she realized...

    Blood...

    Bright red blood...

    They were all over her fingers...

    Xi Xinyi was extremely frightened. She trembled all over as she looked at the blood stains on her finger and said incoherently in panic, ¡°No, no, it wasn¡¯t me... It wasn¡¯t me! Someone pushed me! Someone pushed me! It wasn¡¯t me...¡±

    As she screeched, she turned to look behind her to find that it was already empty. There was no one!

    However, she remembered clearly that a ck car was parked right behind her earlier! It was the person in the car that pushed her. That was how she had knocked into Xi Xiaye!

    It was not her fault!

    Not her fault at all!

    It was the person in the car. Who was it? Who was it?

    Xi Xiaye painfully clutched her belly. She finally found her voice after much effort, and her raspy voice sounded desperate. ¡°My child... Zitong... Zitong... Save it. Save my child, Zitong...¡±

    Ji Zitong was reversing her car when she saw this scene before her. She was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± She quickly rushed up to her and kicked the dazed Xi Xinyi to the side as she lifted Xi Xiaye up in a panic.

    ¡°Zitong, hurry... Hurry! Quickly send me to the hospital... My child, I can¡¯t lose it!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was panting and begging with much difficulty. Her pale face was already sweating as she painfully gripped onto Ji Zitong¡¯s sleeve

 Chapter 715 - Delivery (5)

    <h4>Chapter 715: Delivery (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Ji Zitong saw this, her heart burned with anguish. She quickly carried her up and walked to the car. Frantically, she settled Xi Xiaye in the front passenger seat swiftly and buckled her safety belt.

    ¡°Director Xi, hold on. I¡¯ll send you to the hospital right away.¡±

    Then, she started the car.

    Meanwhile, Xi Xinyi, who had been kicked by Ji Zitong, had yet to regain her senses. When she turned to look, she only managed to see the car vanish around the corner!

    On the ground before her, only the sheets with the word ¡®fortune¡¯ that were torn up remained.

    Xi Xinyi was frightened. She stared down at the crimson blood on her trembling fingers. After a while, she took a deep breath and tried hard to calm the surging shock in her. She looked around her.

    She remembered very clearly that a car had been parked behind her earlier. The person in the car had shoved her very hard, and that was how...

    Who was it?

    Xi Xinyi tried hard to find any traces, yet this road only bypassed West Park, so there would not usually be any passerby. Where was she going to find the car from earlier? And the person?

    Xi Xinyi suddenly felt so nervous that she was about to break down. Her mind immediately shed with the word of advice Mu Yuchen had once given her!

    No!

    She could not just be a ck sheep. She was a victim too!

    When she thought about this, Xi Xinyi could not help but hold her head of messy hair and shriek. Then, she got into her car frantically and drove ahead too.

    It was close to evening right now. The warm sunlight gradually dissipated.

    When his phone buzzed, Mu Yuchen was driving back to Maple Residence. He slowed down his car and answered the call, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Ji Zitong did not have time to exin much on her end. She just said, ¡°Chairman Mu, it¡¯s me, Ji Zitong. Director Xi got into an ident. We¡¯re rushing to Hospital T now. Come over quickly. It doesn¡¯t look too good! We¡¯re in a really bad traffic jam. We probably won¡¯t make it even if we call an ambnce.¡±

    Mu Yuchen could seem to hear her holding back from crying! His chest suddenly tightened with an ache as his whole body turned rigid.

    He took a deep breath, and managed to maintain a bit of calmness as he asked softly, ¡°Where are you two now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re near the Da Yu flyover. I have my GPS on. Chairman Mu, quickly rush over, I¡¯m afraid... Director Xi won¡¯t be able to make it....¡±

    Da Yu flyover!

    Mu Yuchen did not even wait for Ji Zitong to finish when he suddenly braked and quickly spun his car around.

    It hurt!

    Her whole body hurt and Xi Xiaye was in a daze. She only knew to clench her teeth right now as she silently protected her belly and forced herself not to fall asleep. She only knew that they had waited for the arrival of this child, so no matter what, she could not lose it!

    Ji Zitong¡¯s anxious and concerned voice continued to be heard as she struggled hard to listen and suffered even more.

    It was not sure how long passed. In her daze, she suddenly seemed to smell a faint and familiar fragrance. She was pulled into a warm embrace, but she did not open her eyes. Instead, she reached out to hold onto the person¡¯s shirt tightly. Instantly, tears fell like rain.

    When she opened her misty and teary eyes and saw the traffic jam ahead, her hopeless cries surged like a storm. She seemed to be holding tightly onto herst sliver of hope as she cried in a raspy voice, ¡°Save it...Mu Yuchen, save our child... I can¡¯t lose it... Save it. It must live. I beg you to save it... Mu Yuchen, save it...¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked down at her struggling in pain. In that one instant, his eyes turned hot as coals and they could not help but redden. He quickly pulled her into his arms and blocked out the cold wind. His deep and raspy voice said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m right here. You and the baby will be fine. Hold on. It will all be fine!¡±

    He then carried her away from the sea of cars.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, take the Ying Bin Avenue! The fastest ambnce is from there!¡± Ji Zitong abandoned the car and rushed into the crowd with Mu Yuchen as she quickly paved the way ahead!

    ¡°Excuse me, make way, please. Please make way! Please make way! Please!¡±

    Ji Zitong only wore a thin shirt. She had taken off the coat that she wore for Xi Xiaye. Amidst the rustling cold wind, anxious cries were heard as the crowd on the sidewalk all quickly made way.

    Mu Yuchen did not know how long he carried his woman and ran. He only knew that for the first time, he felt that the person in his embrace carried a lot of weight. It was so much weight that he dared not look down at her, so much that when he heard her quietly cry, he felt his entire heart constrict in extreme pain, and he felt suffocated.

    They rushed through a few streets until they reached the entrance of the hospital when they saw the ambnce drive out.

    ¡°Doctor! Doctor, save her! Hurry, call your best doctors here!¡±

    ¡°Gynaecology right away. Call the gynecologist!¡±

    ¡°Prepare for operation right away. Hurry!¡±

    ¡°Mister, you can¡¯t go in. Please wait outside. Please trust us!¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu! Chairman Mu!¡±

    Xi Xiaye only heard the jumble of panicked voices by her ear as she felt her hand holding on tightly to Mu Yuchen¡¯s shirt being pulled away.

    ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯ll wait for you to get out safely!¡± Mu Yuchen only had time to say these final words before Xi Xiaye was wheeled into the operating theatre.

    When he saw the operating theatre doors close, Mu Yuchen fell limp in fatigue. He subconsciously held onto the wall behind him, and the wall immediately had five fingerprints!

    ¡°Chairman Mu! Are you okay?¡±

    Ji Zitong quickly went up as Mu Yuchen propped himself up with one hand on the wall. He lifted a hand to stop her while his handsome face was extremely pale. His dark eyes gathered with endless concern and pain too as he turned and took one look at the tightly shut operating theatre doors. After a while, he turned to Ji Zitong and asked grimly, ¡°What happened? How did she suddenly end up like this?¡±

    Ji Zitong was frightened by Mu Yuchen¡¯s hostile and stern voice. She sighed and then maintainedposure as she said, ¡°Director Xi wanted to return to West Park and take a look. At the same time, she wanted to put up some New Year couplets to add some warmth. Unexpectedly, we bumped into Xi Xinyi. I was just parking the car. When I returned, I saw that Xi Xinyi had pushed Director Xi to the ground...¡±

    ¡°That means it was Xi Xinyi! Is she so fearless of death?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s gloomy and cold voice came. His dark eyes became even more dreary and unfriendly in an instant.

    ¡°No! No, it wasn¡¯t me! Chairman Mu, I didn¡¯t push her! Someone pushed me from behind... Aah...¡±

    Xi Xinyi had chased them from behind. Before she could finish, Mu Yuchen lost control and gripped her thin and fair neck with one hand!

 Chapter 716 - As Long As Sheâ€™s Safe and Sound (1)

    <h4>Chapter 716: As Long As She¡¯s Safe and Sound (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice stopped abruptly. Her beautiful face looked pained as she struggled for a bit, and then her mind felt stifled from ack of oxygen. She stared at Mu Yuchen¡¯s pair of cold eyes in terror.

    ¡°Chairman Mu! Calm down! Chairman Mu!¡± Ji Zitong quickly went up to hold Mu Yuchen back. ¡°Chairman Mu, don¡¯t be rash! Let go of her. Otherwise...¡±

    Mu Yuchen then slowly let go. He stared at Xi Xinyi and said sternly, ¡°Since you¡¯d like to die so badly, I¡¯ll grant you your wish!¡±

    He then pushed Xi Xinyi to the side roughly. Caught off-guard, she fell to the ground in a sorry manner. She panted through huge breaths and her face reddened while Mu Yuchen had already taken out his phone and was about to make a call.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned to see that. She quickly went up to him, half-crawling and pulling his pants leg. ¡°No, Chairman Mu! Don¡¯t! I really didn¡¯t push Xiaye. Hear me out! Hear me out, please! It really wasn¡¯t me!¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Mu Yuchen cruelly pulled his leg back.

    ¡°It really wasn¡¯t me! Someone pushed me from the car. I¡¯m a victim too. I am self-aware. I wouldn¡¯t dare offend you, Chairman Mu. Can you not distinguish right from wrong?¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s wronged and infuriated voice cried out loudly.

    Mu Yuchen then stopped what he was doing. He was about to say something when the sound of hurried footsteps came from the walkway ahead. It was the gynecologist, Dr. Huang, with another doctor and two nurses.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    Dr. Huang was Xi Xiaye¡¯s usual doctor. Naturally, they recognized Mu Yuchen too.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he slowly calmed the worry and uneasiness in his heart and said solemnly, ¡°Please do the best for my wife, Dr. Huang.¡±

    ¡°I will do my best. Don¡¯t worry, Chairman Mu.¡± Then, Dr. Huang swiftly entered the operating theatre.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to his forehead as he leaned against the cold wall listlessly. He did not move, and the phone in his pocket buzzed many times, yet he did not pick it up.

    Xi Xinyi was scared witless. She dared not move around either, so she could only stand up while trembling with the support of the wall. Sitting was not an option either. She just looked at Mu Yuchen terrified, and then stared at the operating theatre.

    Earlier, the way he looked like he wished he could murder her had really scared her. She almost forgot that this man had always been merciless. Had she not seen it for herself thest time?

    On both counts, it was for Xi Xiaye! This time, he had even lost control!

    Xi Xinyi was so resentful that her teeth clenched together. Thest time, she was really innocent, and this time, even more so!

    Which witch had pushed her and made her take on such me? If she found out who it was, she would kill them!

    Xi Xinyi gritted her teeth and cursed the person who pushed her.

    After a long while, the doors to the operating theatre suddenly opened. A nurse walked out from inside. Mu Yuchen quickly went up and asked worriedly, ¡°How is she?¡±

    ¡°The pregnant woman suffered from a huge impact,rgely affecting the fetus. I¡¯m afraid it will be a premature delivery. We need to do a blood transfusion now!¡± the nurse exined simply while another nurse was already delivering blood sma over.

    Soon, the door to the operating theatre closed once again.

    Ji Zitong then felt a little cold. She nced at Mu Yuchen who remained silent without a word, and then out at the sky which had long darkened. The cold wind sped outside as someone began to set fireworks off in the night sky outside.

    It was New Year¡¯s Eve tonight, yet unexpectedly...

    Ji Zitong sighed. Then, she blinked and looked at the door of the operating theatre that was tightly shut. After a while, she turned and looked out at the fireworks that continued to go off. She quietly closed her eyes.

    She was pondering whether to give Maple Residence a call when her phone rang unexpectedly. She took it out to see that it was from Maple Residence.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, it¡¯s a call from Maple Residence.¡± Ji Zitong looked to Mu Yuchen for instruction, yet he remained silent. He was leaning gently against the cold wall with his eyes shut as he quietly waited.

    Ji Zitong then picked up the phone at her own liberty and exined the situation to Zhuang Shurong.

    Within an hour, Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan, as well as Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna, rushed over. They had a bag of clothes for Xi Xiaye to change into and baby clothes that had long been prepared. Li Si came over too.

    ¡°Father! It wasn¡¯t me. I really didn¡¯t push her! I¡¯m afraid! No matter what, I wouldn¡¯t have taken it out on the child in Xi Xiaye, I¡¯m a mother as well, Father, Aunt, please believe me. I really didn¡¯t push her! It was the person in the car behind me that shoved me! It wasn¡¯t me. It really wasn¡¯t me!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was probably extremely terrified. The moment she saw Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna, she quickly went up to them to exin in a panic.

    ¡°What is happening? This is the hospital. Don¡¯t be all weepy. It¡¯s the New Year. What bad luck!¡±

    The stern and resounding voice of a woman was heard. It came with a manner that could not be denied.

    It was Zhuang Shurong¡¯s voice!

    Zhuang Shurong shot Xi Xinyi a stern look, much to her shock.

    No matter what it was, being reprimanded by someone like Zhuang Shurong shut her right up.

    Ji Zitong exined the whole situation simply to everyone. Shen Wenna¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet, and she felt limp. Thankfully, Xi Mushan held her in time.

    ¡°If something happens to Xiaye, I won¡¯t let you off easily! Xiaye...¡± Shen Wenna covered her face as she looked at the operating theatre. She pushed Xi Mushan away. ¡°You go away too. Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    ...

    When she saw that Mu Yuchen kept quiet without moving, Zhuang Shurong went up to him worriedly. She was about to say a few words but Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep and raspy came first.

    ¡°Li Si, go investigate the matter and bring this woman along. If it was really her, send her to jail first before anything.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! Chairman Mu! It really wasn¡¯t me! Father, Father! Save me, it wasn¡¯t me!¡± As much as Xi Xinyi shouted, Li Si had already called for someone to pull her down.

    ¡°Chen Er, don¡¯t be too worried. God helps the worthy ones. She will be fine. Have a seat first. I didn¡¯t dare to tell the news to your grandparents and Grandpa. I was worried their imaginations would run wild.¡±

    Seeing Mu Yuchen like this, Zhuang Shurong felt her heart ache too.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± answered Mu Yuchen apathetically, his deep gaze containing a hint of pain as he continued to stare at the operating theatre.

 Chapter 717 - As Long As Sheâ€™s Safe and Sound (2)

    <h4>Chapter 717: As Long As She¡¯s Safe and Sound (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong was bothered. She knew her son very well. If anything happened to the person inside, she was worried that...

    Taking a deep breath, she turned over and looked at Ji Zitong who lowered her head and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Myck of attention caused Director Xi¡¯s injury. I¡¯m truly sorry.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong and Shen Wenna traded nces at each other. They both seemed worried and did not reply Ji Zitong.

    Instead, Mu Tangchuan spoke up when he saw Ji Zitong only wearing a thin outfit with some blood on her. ¡°Alright, this is not the time for me, Ah Rong. Give Ms. Ji one of Xiaye¡¯s coats since it¡¯s pretty cold right now. Moreover, this all happened too suddenly, so don¡¯t me yourself for it. We can only pray for her safety.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s warm voice made them feel better.

    Zhuang Shurong grabbed a coat from the bag and handed it to Ji Zitong. ¡°Wear this. It¡¯s pretty chilly now. It¡¯s not your fault and we don¡¯t intend on penalizing you either, so don¡¯t overthink it.¡±

    ¡°Chief Zhuang, I...¡±

    ¡°Alright now. It¡¯s the New Year, so you should head back now. There shouldn¡¯t be blood on you. Li Si, go and prepare some clean clothes for your Master. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go and prepare them. Ms. Ji, please follow me and tell me what happened in detail.¡± Li Si then left with Ji Zitong.

    ...

    After some time had passed, the door to the operating theatre opened once again. A nurse ran out anxiously as another one sent packs of blood in.

    ¡°Nurse, how¡¯s my daughter? How is she?¡± Shen Wenna rushed forward.

    ¡°The pregnant patient is experiencing a hard time delivering right now. She¡¯s very weak. Be prepared to make a choice whether to keep the adult or the child safe as the situation doesn¡¯t look great.¡± The nurse nced at them nervously.

    ¡°Anything is fine as long as my wife is safe. Keep the adult safe. Do you hear me? I want Xiaye!¡± Mu Yuchen went out of control and grabbed the nurse¡¯s cor, shocking her into fright.

    ¡°Ah Chen, stay calm!¡± Mu Tangchuan stopped Mu Yuchen to the relief of the nurse.

    Mu Yuchen clenched his fists as he remembered Xi Xiaye¡¯s distressed expression when she begged him earlier. He had no idea if she could take it if the child was gone, hence he added, ¡°Both the adult and the child need to be safe, or else, I¡¯ll take down the whole hospital!¡±

    The nurse nced at him before heading back into the operating theatre.

    Pa!

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone fell onto the floor, making a harsh, tter.

    The time passed by slowly. The sound of fireworks going off in the empty night sky reached them inside the hospital. City Z was all brightly lit, but the cold wind continued to rush into the corridor through the small window gap, making the atmosphere colder by the second.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s temperature continued to drop as well.

    <i>Xi Xiaye, you have to be alright. I just want you to be alright.</i>

    Mu Yuchen suddenly felt a sense of regret. Had he not been fixated on having a child, she would not be suffering right now. The child did not matter to him anymore.

    The fireworks were getting louder and the night sky seemed like it was day time at the moment. asionally, they could also hear cheering from the outside.

    When the bodyguards sent the clean clothes over, Mu Yuchen just took off his coat and cleaned his hand because he did not want her to see him in blood as well.

    The New Year had arrived. Greetings went all around and his phone was ringing non-stop.

    Finally, right after midnight and as the fireworks were still going on, the door to the operating theatre opened once again as they heard the loud wail of a newborn baby. It was like a light of hope that chased away the darkness.

    ¡°It¡¯s born!¡± Zhuang Shurong quickly went forward.

    Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan seemed worked up as well.

    ¡°How¡¯s my wife?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s my daughter?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Xiaye?¡±

    ...

    They all asked simultaneously.

    The nurse came out with a child in her hands. Dr. Huang smiled and said, ¡°Chairman Mu, take a look at your child. Mrs. Mu gave birth to a son for you. They are both safe. Don¡¯t worry! This baby looks quite cute! However, he¡¯s born a little premature, so he¡¯ll stay in the incubator for a while. Mrs. Mu is pretty weak at the moment and will need rest. She¡¯ll be relocated to a patient ward after the nurses are done cleaning up. Congrattions!¡±

    Their strained expressions softened after they heard Dr. Huang. It was over now.

    Mu Yuchen leaned against the wall to support his almost copsing body. He took several deep breaths in order to calm down. ¡°Thank you, as long as she¡¯s alright.¡±

    His gaze then averted toward the baby in the nurse¡¯s hands.

    So wrinkly!

    So ugly!

    So annoying!

    Even more so, it was a boy!

    What happened to his daughter?

    Mu Yuchen frowned and just took a nce at the infant. He was pretty much expressionless as he gazed into the operating theatre.

    Zhuang Shurong and Shen Wenna totally saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction, and they both smiled. ¡°Alright Chen Er, she¡¯s all fine now. This is your son. If you¡¯re not going to hold him, then his grandmother will be holding him first!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong beamed and quickly took her grandson over from the nurse.

    Most of the newborn babies look the same. They would all squint their eyes like an old person. Naturally, Master Mu had no idea about this and he just thought it was odd. He expected that with both Xi Xiaye and his genes their baby should be beautiful and pretty.

    However, he had no time to care about the annoying little thing now. He quickly surged forward when the other nurses wheeled Xi Xiaye out of the operating theatre on a bed.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Mrs. Mu is unconscious now. She¡¯s very weak and needs rest. Just take care of her and the doctor will see her againter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen saw that Xi Xiaye was sound asleep. Her face still seemed pale and weak like a cloud. He unconsciously grabbed her cold hand under the nket.

 Chapter 718 - First-Time Parents (1)

    <h4>Chapter 718: First-Time Parents (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He could feel her sweaty palms. Her hair was a little damp and messy as well. Her struggles were all too obvious to see.

    He was heartbroken to see her in such a state. ¡°It must have been tough for you. Have a good sleep and everything will be better once you wake up.¡±

    He left a kiss on her forehead before looking at the nurse and giving her a curt nod. The nurse then started wheeling the bed again while Shen Wenna and the others followed behind.

    Inside the room, Zhuang Shurong quickly took out the things inside the bag ¨C the hat, clothes...

    ¡°Wenna, help Xiaye wear the hat. It¡¯s better to be cautious. I¡¯ll make a call back home and let our parents know everything is fine. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re getting restless now. It¡¯s almost daybreak!¡± Zhuang Shurong handed the hat to Shen Wenn as she said.

    ¡°Ah Chen, here¡¯s Xiaye and your son. Hold him...¡± Shen Wenna nodded and she handed the little baby to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen was startled as he looked at the little thing before him. He looked at the baby¡¯s narrowed eyes as his own eyes seemed confused. He shrugged at Shen Wenna helplessly as he had no idea what to do.

    Shen Wenna smiled as her gentle voice reached him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just be careful. It¡¯s a new life after all. It¡¯ll be fine if you¡¯re cautious. Xiaye put in a lot of effort to give birth to him. He¡¯s your baby.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and looked Xi Xiaye who was still unconscious. He clenched his fists before extending his arm towards the baby. Shen Wenna smiled and gently ced the baby in his arms.

    The baby blinked as he moved his limbs slightly.

    At this moment, the usually cool and calm Master Mu was now getting nervous. A sheen of sweat covered his back.

    He was so tiny! Mu Yuchen was afraid to touch him and he froze up when the baby started moving. He stared at the baby in his hands as his voice sounded uneasy. ¡°Can you stop moving around?¡±

    Obviously, the newborn baby had no idea what he was talking about. He clenched his fists and struggled. Mu Yuchen was shocked as he quickly asked for help, ¡°Nurse!¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡± A nurse quickly came over.

    ¡°You... hold him...¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    Zhuang Shurong and the others could not hold theirughter in. She handed the phone to Mu Tangchuan, giving him the signal to call home as she went over and took the child from Mu Yuchen. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if you¡¯re more careful. Your father was just like you when he held you for the first time, like father like son indeed.¡±

    She turned around to look at Mu Tangchuan with a smirk. He coughed slightly before moving closer to take a look at the baby in Zhuang Shurong¡¯s hands. ¡°Well, I just felt nervous holding a baby this small, alright? He does look like Ah Chen when he was little, so tiny...¡±

    A faint light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he saw the little baby resting easy in Zhuang Shurong¡¯s arms. Momentster, he touched the baby¡¯s clenched fists, holding them lightly and smiling. ¡°Hello, baby. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m your father. The woman sleeping over there is your mother...¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, the baby is going to sleep. He needs to stay in the incubator for a period of time,¡± reminded the nurse by the side though she felt bad for interrupting, so she spoke very quietly.

    Zhuang Shurong then handed the baby to the nurse and went out with the nurse. ¡°Tangchuan, quickly call back home. Also, get the hospitalization procedures done. Wenna, Mushan, you two should head back first. It must be tough staying up the whole night. I almost forgot to wish you guys Happy New Year!¡±

    They were suddenly reminded today was the first day of the New Year. Their baby came to them on this auspicious day. It was a marvelous sign!

    Everyone startedughing and greeting each other.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with Xiaye. I can only be at peace of mind here,¡± Shen Wenna said.

    Zhuang Shurong smiled and nced at Mu Yuchen who was standing beside the bed. ¡°Leave this to Ah Chen. It¡¯s time for him to do some work after Xiaye had given her all, but, Chen Er, you should go back and clean yourself up.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, go back and take a shower. Leave it to me for now. I¡¯ll go and make something for Xiaye to eat after youe backter. Your grandparents are still waiting for the news at home.¡±

    ...

    The baby¡¯s arrival was the best New Year present they could ask for. The Maple Residence was in high spirits when the news reached them.

    Shen Yue, Wang Hui, and Mu Yinan were still there. They were worried sick after waiting throughout the night and were only relieved after knowing that Xi Xiaye was fine and that she had given birth to a son.

    Xi Xiaye only remembered that she passed out of exhaustion. At the veryst moment, she heard the sound of a baby crying, but after that, she lost all sensation.

    In her sleep, she could feel someone gently wiping her face and hands with a warm towel. A familiar scent drifted around her, and she knew it was a certain someone¡¯s unique scent.

    Xi Xiaye slept for a very long time while Mu Yuchen stayed by her side the whole time.

    The next morning, as the doctor was checking on Xi Xiaye¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chairman Mu. Mrs. Mu is just too exhausted, but she should be awake soon. Anyhow, she still suffered injuries, so she might be feeling weak when she wakes up. It¡¯ll take some time to recover. If her body doesn¡¯t keep up, it might be difficult to get pregnant again,¡± the doctor advised.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened as his eyes seemed worried. ¡°Then, what should I do to help her recover more quickly?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chairman Mu. Just let her rest more and take care of her diet. Mrs. Mu is very strong. At first, we thought... Well, at least she¡¯s fine now. The Little Master is healthy. He¡¯ll be fine after staying in the incubator for a while.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and waved, signaling the doctor to leave the room.

 Chapter 719 - First Time Parents (2)

    <h4>Chapter 719: First Time Parents (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen sat back down on the chair after the door was closed. He continued looking at his woman as he grabbed her cold hand as he closed his eyes and tried to rest a little.

    The room was very quiet. There was no sound at all. The warm sunlight slowly crept in through the windows and warmed up the room.

    After some time, Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand moved slightly, so he opened his eyes instantly and looked at her. Her eyelids were moving and he quickly called out to her gently, ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Xi Xiaye struggled as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome but exhausted face. She blinked several times before finally focusing on him. Then, she touched his face before touching her own belly. Fear suddenly filled her eyes as she sat up frantically. ¡°Where¡¯s my child?¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, be careful.¡± Mu Yuchen held her quickly as he looked slightly helpless.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my child?¡± Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and asked again. She looked at him as her eyes went teary.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled as he ran his fingers through her messy hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The baby is healthy. You gave birth to a son. Thank you for your hard work, my dear! The doctor said you still need to rest for now. I¡¯ll get someone to bring you food right away.¡±

    He helped her sit up, and Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes cleared up when she heard him. She shook her head as she grabbed his hands and begged, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I want to see my child.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he looked at her. He pinched her cheek and put on a stern front. ¡°I¡¯ll let you see him after you eat something. Be good!¡±

    He then called Li Si to bring the food in.

    Li Si had just arrived at the hospital. Zhuang Shurong made some pulled chicken porridge and soup to bring over.

    Li Si entered the room within two minutes after the phone call, smiling widely when he saw Xi Xiaye was already awake.¡±Missus, you¡¯re awake now! Congrattions, and Happy New Year!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She then realized New Year¡¯s Eve was yesterday, so she looked outside the window and asked, ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡±

    ¡°A whole day. Have some porridge to recover your stamina. I¡¯ll ask Li Si to get a nurse to bring the baby over.¡±

    Mu Yuchen poured the porridge into a bowl as he signaled Li Si with his eye. Understanding quickly, Li Si nodded and quickly left the room for the two of them.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to grab the bowl, but he calmly moved it away to test the temperature and then attempted to feed her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself...¡±

    He gave her a determined stare, so she could not do anything but to obey.

    She ate two bowls of porridge under his supervision before he finally let her off. Then, he cleaned her face and hands before putting a coat over her. ¡°The doctor said you¡¯re really weak right now. Be more careful.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she looked at him in the eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s my child? I want to see him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen patted her head before looking towards the door. As he was about to get up, there was a knock from outside soon followed by the arrival of a beautiful nurse together with their son. Li Si and two other bodyguards stood outside the door.

    ¡°Your mother is awake now, little baby. Let her hold you.¡± The nurse smiled and handed the child to Xi Xiaye while Mu Yuchen helped to support the baby¡¯s body as well.

    ¡°Baby, can you recognize me?¡± Xi Xiaye asked gently. Her hands were shaking slightly as she looked at her baby. He looked rather healthy, and he stared into Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes when she looked at him. It was as if he could really recognize her voice.

    He was clenching his tiny fists. How cute!

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head and left a kiss on his cheek. She could not control her tears anymore as she looked at Mu Yuchen and started sobbing, ¡°I thought... I thought...¡±

    Mu Yuchen let out a sigh of relief. He wiped away her tears and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright now. Both the baby and you are fine which is good. It¡¯s the best gift God has given us. What are you crying about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she held the baby close. ¡°He¡¯s really cute. I think he can recognize me, right?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I think he can recognize your voice. All the singing was worth it.¡± Mu Yuchen expression softened. He went closer to them and touched the baby¡¯s little face. The baby reacted by raising both his arms high to Xi Xiaye¡¯s delight. ¡°How adorable! I think he¡¯ll look like you when he grows up. Little baby, you have to eat well so that you can be more handsome than your father!¡±

    ¡°Handsomeness is not a trait that can be grown. What are you talking about?¡± Master Mu noticed his woman¡¯s attention was all taken away by this little thing.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Which parent wouldn¡¯t want their children to be smart and good-looking? Do you not like our child because it¡¯s not a daughter?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned and quickly held the baby¡¯s hand. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll like it as long as it¡¯s our child.¡±

    Suddenly, the baby started crying. Mu Yuchen retracted his hands in shock while Xi Xiaye was at a loss about what to do. The nurse outside rushed in as well.

    ¡°Come, give him to me. I think he¡¯s hungry.¡± The nurse chuckled when she saw the pair of lost parents.

    Hungry?

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She touched her own breasts and was about to unbutton her clothes when she nced at the man beside her and said, ¡°Please go out.¡±

 Chapter 720 - First-Time Parents (3)

    <h4>Chapter 720: First-Time Parents (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was not like he had never seen him. He had already held him many times!

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows furrowed into a knot, but he still got up to quietly leave the room. If you looked closely, you could even notice the way his handsome face blushed faintly.

    ¡°Master!¡± When he saw Mu Yuchen walk out, Li Si immediately went up to him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm handsome face fell silent. He nodded, and then walked to the balcony.

    Even though the warm sun shone down, the wind at the balcony was still a little chilly. Mu Yuchen leaned against the parapet and looked out. His expression was indifferent as he watched the crowd that milled about below. His deep voice was mixed in the slightly cool breeze, sounding very bleak. ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡±

    Li Si lowered his head slightly and said apologetically, ¡°Master, we couldn¡¯t find the car that Xi Xinyi mentioned. She provided too little information, and we can¡¯t confirm the truth of this. That ce isn¡¯t under the jurisdiction of the highway area, so there aren¡¯t any CCTVs. In short, we can¡¯t be sure if Xi Xinyi was lying. I¡¯ve tried to understand the situation from Xi Xinyi. She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s lying either. Perhaps we might know more after we ask Missus about this.

    ¡°Master, we could make a guess. If it was really as Xi Xinyi said, if someone really pushed her, this person might have something against Xi Xinyi, but how was that person coincidentally at West Park then? It¡¯s definitely not from Missus¡¯s end, because she decided to go to take a look at West Park at thest minute. Meanwhile, on Xi Xinyi¡¯s end, I¡¯ve talked to Mayor Xi. It was really as Xi Xinyi said. She couldn¡¯t find Mayor Xi at the apartment, so she went to look for him at West Park. Therefore, this shouldn¡¯t have been something nned. I don¡¯t suspect Xi Xinyi of lying.¡±

    When Li Si said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows furrowed even more. He pondered for a moment. ¡°Investigate her routes on that day. See if she was in contact with anyone else. Remember to get someone to watch her for now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si nodded and answered, ¡°Right, Master, about Miss Ji...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t me her. Give her a generous reward, and help me thank her for taking care of your Missus. I ept her resignation,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly. He did not forget the way Ji Zitong had also risked her life.

    ¡°Got it, Master!¡±

    ...

    When he returned to the ward, the little baby had already been brought back to the incubator by the nurse. Because he was a premature baby, he was still weaker than those who had been born at normal gestation. In fact, he was just eating and sleeping. Even if Xi Xiaye wanted to carry him for a while more, she could not.

    She watched reluctantly as the nurse brought her child away. After a while, Mu Yuchen appeared again.

    Xi Xiaye fixed her nket and watched him slowly close in. She blinked her serene eyes and asked, ¡°Have we... thought of the baby¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°What kind of name do you want him to have?¡± he asked instead as he pulled a chair to sit down by her side.

    She hesitated for a moment and then shook her head before saying puzzledly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. You give him a name.¡±

    ¡°Mu Zicheng. I hope that he can be a proud and independent person who isn¡¯t afraid of hardships and is a determined person.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s low voice sounded very sentimental.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s twinkling eyes lit up. She softly repeated, ¡°Mu Zicheng? Mu Ziru... Xiao Ru, Xiao Cheng?¡± She softly muttered it a few times and then nodded dly. She was quite satisfied. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s pretty good. Mu Zicheng sounds grand. We¡¯ll call him Mu Zicheng then. His nickname can be Xiao Cheng or Ah Cheng.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy. Later on, we¡¯ll register the child. Recuperate well for now. Don¡¯t be so rash the next time. Everyone was really worried about you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen recalled the way he carried her covered in blood. Until now, he still had lingering fears, but thankfully, she was safe and alright. Otherwise...

    ¡°Grandpa and the rest...¡± Xi Xiaye then looked at him and muttered.

    ¡°They¡¯ve alle to visit you. Since you weren¡¯t awake yet, they left. They¡¯ll be over in the afternoon. Alright, you¡¯re still very weak. Rest well. I¡¯ll be right here with you.¡± He gently patted her head before he got up to help her lie down.

    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep for a little while more then. Wake me up when Grandpa and the reste over. Earlier, the nurse said that we can even bring the baby over for a while in the evening. Please remember to wake me up.¡±

    Xi Xiayey her limp body down. She had just set herself down when she felt ufortable all over, then she said, ¡°I want to shower... I smell...¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t,¡± he said very simply, and then fixed her nket for her. ¡°Don¡¯t touch water for now. I¡¯ll help you wipe yourself at night. Right now, you should get another bout of good sleep, okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be helping me...¡± she said softly, and then slowly closed her eyes as she leaned on her side a little to face him.

    He thought that she was shy, so heughed out as he cupped half his face and watched her intensely. His in lips curled up as he chuckled. ¡°We already have a child together. What else is there to be embarrassed about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face felt hot as she lowered her gaze and quickly reached a hand over to gently hold hisrge hand. Her eyes were filled with gratitude and earnest. ¡°Mu Yuchen, thank you... Thank you for everything you¡¯ve given me. I find myself very lucky right now with you, our child, Grandpa, my parents, Grandfather and Grandmother who love and care for me, and Father and Mother-inw. This is the biggest blessing of life. From now on, I will definitely be guarding these well.¡±

    He smiled calmly, and then chivalrously and elegantly lowered his head to nt a soft kiss on the back of her hand. He met her eyes with full focus, then sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You have given me a lot too. There is only one Xi Xiaye in this whole wide world. I find myself a little luckier than others too.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel quite blessed right now?¡± she asked carefully, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation.

    The curve on his lips widened while his tone was quite calm and filled with sincerity. ¡°These two words... I¡¯m sure from the moment you signed our marriage papers, I already had it.¡±

    She suddenly felt weak and did not continue asking. She only tugged on his hand and opened up his palm as she quietly wrote down these words: <i>Hand-in-hand till death do us apart.</i>

    He smiled dly and scrawled on her palm too: <i>Likewise </i>.

    After that, Xi Xiaye gradually fell asleep while he continued to guard by her side.

    Initially, he wanted to ask her about what had happened, but she could not help but feel worn out, so he decided to only ask when she had woken up.

 Chapter 721 - Iâ€™m Still Me, What About You? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 721: I¡¯m Still Me, What About You? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the second day of the New Year, the entire city remained in a joyous state of celebration. It was a brand new scene all around. The air was even filled with the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, and everyone could not help but feel spirited by this.

    Qi Lei had both his hands at the back of his head as he leisurely walked through the long corridor and was shocked to see overflowing plum blossoms in full bloom. He could not help but ask Yang Sheng in awe, ¡°Since when was the backyard nted with plum blossoms? And can they survive? I thought City Z¡¯s weather isn¡¯t suitable for plum blossoms.¡±

    ¡°It was nted the year before thest, but it didn¡¯t blossom during winterst year. A lot were nted and only a few survived. Initially, the butler wanted to take them all out and change them to peach blossoms, but the Missus said to wait until after the season. There were so many of them nted, and she hoped at least some would make it,¡± Yang Sheng said softly.

    When Qi Lei heard the reply, he pondered for a moment, and then those profound eyes looked down at the plum blossoms. There were mixed emotions in his eyes. He did not say anything and just pulled his hands back to stuff into his pockets.

    ¡°Right, Master Qi, there¡¯s news from Chairman Mu¡¯s end.¡± Yang Sheng recalled the news he received from Li Si.

    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Qi Lei very quickly gathered his thoughts and looked at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Director Xi gave birth at dawn yesterday at Hospital T,¡± Yang Sheng reported softly.

    When he heard the update, Qi Lei instantly frowned. He thought about it and was puzzled. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be. I remember thest time someone said that she was due in another two more months. Why did it happen so soon?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, that¡¯s because something happened to Director Xi on New Year¡¯s Eve. I heard she was pushed down by Xi Xinyi, and then she had to deliver prematurely. If Chairman Mu hadn¡¯t rushed over in time, who knows what would¡¯ve happened?¡± Yang Sheng only knew the rough situation and was not quite sure about what actually happened.

    ¡°Pushed by Xi Xinyi? Is she okay now?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face scrunched up as he asked in concern.

    ¡°I heard that the mother and son are safe now, but it seems like Director Xi¡¯s body is injured. I¡¯m not too sure about the exact situation either. Would you like me to call and ask Chairman Mu¡¯s assistant about it?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Find out what actually happened. Why did she suddenly have an early delivery? Was there a fight? Is Xi Xinyi that daring? But since the mother and son are safe, it shouldn¡¯t be too huge of an issue.¡±

    ¡°I find it quite unbelievable too. No matter how Xi Xinyi is, she probably wouldn¡¯t dare challenge Xiaye again, would she? If she didn¡¯t learn her lesson from thest time, was she not just digging her own grave?¡±

    Qi Lei brushed his high nose, a faint mocking smile shing across his face. ¡°Maybe it was because she couldn¡¯t handle the trauma. Han Yifeng left just like that. He even brought the child with him. While I heard she¡¯s been on the decline, the Han family is still willing to ept her. This is what I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Yang Sheng was puzzled.

    Qi Lei smiled coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. Xi Xinyi is still loved by the Yue family¡¯s Elder. the Han family can gain a good reputation by not abandoning her, and they could get the Yue family¡¯s fancy, so why not? However, I really judged this Han Yifeng wrongly. I thought he wouldn¡¯t abandon Xi Xinyi, but it looks like that is all there is to love.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t me CEO Han with someone like Xi Xinyi. I heard that he wanted Xi Xinyi to quite the entertainment industry for a long time, but she wasn¡¯t willing to give up. However, now that I think about it, who would want to give up on such a thriving career to focus on being a housewife just to stay by a man¡¯s side? All those things she did to Director Xi... I¡¯m afraid that even this time around, it was most likely caused by a loss of self-control.¡±

    ¡°What are you two talking about? What did Xi Xinyi do to Director Xi? Caused by a loss of self-control? Can you tell me more?¡±

    Just as Yang Sheng said that, a clear and melodious voice suddenly came from behind. Yang Sheng subconsciously spun to look and saw that Gu Lingsha was slowly making her way towards them. She wore a bright pink coat, and her hair was all tied up into a bun with a pearl hair clip with not one strand of hair out of ce. It revealed her fair and beautiful face as her sapphire blue eyes dazzled and flickered with a faint radiance.

    She walked a few steps up to Qi Lei¡¯s side and then stopped.

    ¡°Miss Gu!¡± Yang Sheng bowed slightly and greeted.

    Gu Lingsha smiled and nodded appropriately. ¡°Happy New Year, Assistant Yang. What were you two saying about Xi Xinyi? She¡¯s Manager Xi from Yueying Culture Media under Qi Kai, right?¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded and responded, ¡°It¡¯s her.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha shrugged slightly, pursed her lips, and spread her hands as she said in shock, ¡°Uncle Qi did mention her to me before. What¡¯s wrong with her? What about Director Xi? She should be Glory World¡¯s Director Xi, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we heard that on New Year¡¯s Eve, Xi Xinyi pushed Xi Xiaye to the ground and caused Director Xi to...¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei suddenly spoke up and disrupted him, ¡°Yang Sheng, wait for me in the car.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi?¡± Yang Sheng looked quite confused while Gu Lingsha wanted to hear the oue, but since Qi Lei disrupted him, he was momentarily stunned. She could not help but urge, ¡°Caused Director Xi to what?¡±

    ¡°Wait for me in the car,¡± Qi Lei repeated himself. Not daring to say anything further, Yang Sheng knew that Master Qi always hated it when people discussed gossip, so he was considered to have vited a huge taboo. In fact, it was a huge taboo when it came to Director Xi. Master Qi must be angry as his expression did not look too happy.

    ¡°Got it, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng then quietly retreated.

    ¡°Why are you so free to return today? On New Year¡¯s Eve, Uncle Qi didn¡¯t see you. He was quite furious, but I still have to say Happy New Year,¡± Gu Lingsha said as her eyes darkened. After a while, she turned to look at the quiet man.

    Qi Lei¡¯s tensed handsome face eased a little as he looked at her and quietly averted his gaze from the blooming plum blossoms in the corner. ¡°Happy New Year. Why don¡¯t you go home for the New Year this year? You even said a few days ago that Aunty misses you.¡±

    ¡°Mother has my father¡¯spany. Uncle Qi says he¡¯s been celebrating New Year¡¯s alone for quite a few years now, so I wanted to stay back to apany him. I¡¯ll be with my parents in City B in another two days.¡± Gu Lingsha smiled gently.

    ¡°Shasha, are you sure you want to work at Qi Kai? Isn¡¯t it better to stay by Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu¡¯s side? Why do you have toe to City Z? And do you have to join Qi Kai?¡± Qi Lei asked. His calm gaze fell onto the plum blossoms before him, no longer looking at her.

 Chapter 722 - Iâ€™m Still Me, What About You? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 722: I¡¯m Still Me, What About You? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Qi Lei said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned slightly rigid. The smile on her face froze too. However, moments after she suddenlyughed and turned to look at Qi Lei, she smirked with pursed lips. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you wee me at Qi Kai? I remember that you were quite eagerly inviting me to join Qi Kai.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression remained solemn as he suddenly sighed andmented, ¡°Shasha, it¡¯s been six years. Many things should be in the past now. Even those that shouldn¡¯t be are now. I hope that you can forget some of the past grudges. No matter why you returned this time, I hope that you can still be the innocent and happy girl from before like the first time we met. Continue to maintain that innocence.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s hands that hid beneath her sleeves had already tightened as she watched the plum blossom petals that flew before her, and her line of sight slowly stopped on Qi Lei¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s been six years. Time has passed too quickly. In the blink of an eye, it¡¯s going to be six years. Six years is a lot of time to change many things. Do you think I¡¯ve been living happily these past six years, Lei?¡±

    Qi Lei turned to look at her. After a long while, he could see the sadness and fatigue that she had endured between her brows.

    Of course, she could not have lived happily, but then again, who could?

    ¡°I suddenly find that you¡¯re a little strange. You¡¯re no longer the person I was once familiar with. You were innocent back then. I remember you telling me that you¡¯d always protect me, but it seems like your protection has nevere into y, so I never treated it seriously. Back then, when I nodded and agreed to Mu Yuchen¡¯s proposal, you told me that if I really wanted happiness, you¡¯d do your best to give it to me, but when the wedding date came closer, I never saw you anymore. Instead, it was Ah Feng and Lingtian that I saw...¡±

    As Gu Lingsha said this, her eyes suddenly became slightly misty. There was a feeling she could not describe. She was upset, miserable, and felt a little depressed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you exin yourself either. I just want to ask you, even if I had chosen to leave with you and not Qi Feng, could you have really given me happiness?¡±

    Qi Lei froze at that question. He reached out to rub the railing beside him as if there was something dirty on that railing. After a long pause, he smiled bitterly and suddenly turned to look at her. ¡°I¡¯m still me. What about you? Shasha, are you still you? Happiness... was something I never had, so how could I have given it to you? You need to fight for that yourself, and not rely on someone else to give it to you. Back then, even if you were willing to leave with me, I probably wouldn¡¯t have really taken you away with me. You never liked me. In fact, I knew that you were already...

    ¡°I knew that you were already pregnant then, so no matter what, I couldn¡¯t have taken you away.¡± Qi Lei sighed, and when he reached the end, his tone became even calmer.

    The light in Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes faded. She pursed her lips as she looked at Qi Lei with a gaze that contained faint hurt and slight shock. After that, she smiled pitifully. ¡°When did you find out?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her with mixed expressions. After a while, he blinked and turned to look at the plum blossoms by the corner once again as he said softly, ¡°The day that Mu Yuchen decided on the wedding date and sent the betrothal gifts, I saw that you bought a pregnancy test kit in your handbag, and after that, the way you looked seemed to be filled with panic and being at a loss. I could already guess... That child... Is it Qi Feng¡¯s? Or Lingtian¡¯s? Or actually Mu Yuchen¡¯s?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was stunned as she trembled all over, and could not help but bite her red lips gently. Her pitiful eyes flickered with tears, and she could not help but cover her face as her chest heaved with pain.

    Her child, her poor child...

    ¡°Can you tell me?¡± Qi Lei could not quite bear to see her like this, so he handed her a tissue.

    Gu Lingsha was fazed for a while before she reached out to take the tissue. In the blink of an eye,rge teardrops immediately slid down while she just sighed deeply, she turned around and with her back facing Qi Lei. Then, she quickly wiped away her tears and did not answer him.

    ¡°It¡¯s gone. There¡¯s no use going after it. Back then, I did think of giving birth, but... So, Lei, if it were you, would you have just quietly epted it all? Some things can be tolerated or forgiven, but some things are like a dead knot that can never be undone. You haven¡¯t been through that pain, so you won¡¯t understand all that I¡¯m suffering through.¡± Gu Lingsha scoffed coldly.

    ¡°Shasha, that¡¯s not the only ways to resolve grudges. There are many ways more to settle it. We can¡¯t put all the me on Mu Yuchen. You were going to leave with Qi Feng while being his fianc¨¨e. That would¡¯ve been an embarrassment to him. Besides, does he know you have a child? Any man wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it, so I canpletely understand that he¡¯s just human!¡± Qi Lei frowned while he could not help but defend Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Enough, Qi Lei! Since when did you get so good at defending Mu Yuchen? If it were not for him, we wouldn¡¯t be where we are today. You don¡¯t understand the situation at all. You¡¯ve changed! You¡¯ve be so strange!¡±

    Gu Lingsha bit on her lip as she looked sadly at Qi Lei, watching the way the innocence on his handsome face from back then had faded. His eyes had be more profound too. Finally, he could not help butugh bitterly as he quietly turned around and walked towards the corridor ahead.

    ¡°Joining Qi Kai will only be my father and Uncle¡¯s decision. The Gu family wanting to coborate with the Qi family needs a trustworthy person. If you don¡¯t want to see me, you can pretend like you don¡¯t me in the office. I¡¯ll pretend I don¡¯t know you either, and that I only know you¡¯re the Deputy CEO of Qi Kai. That¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Lingsha said, and then her figure very quickly vanished in the corridor.

    Qi Lei frowned and stared after her vanishing figure for a long time. Then, he massaged the space between his brows because of the haze.

    What else could he say?

    What else could he do?

    After a lengthy amount of time, he sighed softly. He had a bad feeling because he was afraid that the days toe would be quite chaotic, no matter who was among them.

    He understood Gu Lingsha too well. With that determined tone of hers, who could influence her decision?

    Right now, he was actually a little worried about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. If it were really as he thought, then how could Qi Qiming give up on Qi Feng¡¯s issue on this end?

    When he thought about this, his heart skipped a beat, and he could not help but lift a hand to smack his head.

 Chapter 723 - Iâ€™m Still Me, What About You? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 723: I¡¯m Still Me, What About You? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen!

    You wicked businessman!

    He always wondered why Mu Yuchen would give him such benefits. It was a trap after all!

    The said benefits were not received yet, but now he was involved in this whole conflict. Was Mu Yuchen using him?

    ¡°You bastard, Mu Yuchen! Why did I believe you!? I must be mad!¡± Second Master Qi yelled as it dawned on him, but after that, he understood he did not have any other choice. Mu Yuchen had probably seen that and...

    ...

    When Li Si found Ji Zitong, she was preparing to set up her store.

    It was not very big. It was just a small store with the interior almost done. Ji Zitong was busy cing the flower baskets down.

    Ding!

    ¡°Assistant Li? Why are you here?¡± Ji Zitong straightened up as she looked at Li Si in surprise.

    ¡°May I sit here?¡± Li Si smiled.

    Ji Zitong nodded as she grabbed a towel to clean her hand and invited Li Si in. ¡°Pleasee inside. It¡¯s pretty cold out there. Things are still a little messy as we¡¯re not open yet. I hope you don¡¯t mind!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so humble, Ms. Ji. It looks great.¡± Li Si went in.

    Ji Zitong handed him a ss of warm water. ¡°Have something warm to drink.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Li Si took a sip before putting it aside. He took out a cheque from his briefcase and gave it to Ji Zitong. ¡°Ms. Ji, please take this. It¡¯s Master¡¯s reward for you, and he has approved your resignation.¡±

    Ji Zitong was stunned to see therge sum on the cheque. She frowned slightly before shaking her head, refusing to take the cheque. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I just did my job. Please give it back to Chairman Mu. I¡¯m just d that Director Xi is safe.¡±

    Li Si smiled and left the cheque on the table before her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t know how Master works, Ms. Ji. He¡¯ll never take back anything that he has given out. This is what he thinks you deserve. Everyone¡¯s satisfied with your performance, and there¡¯s still a long future ahead, so maybe we might work together again.¡±

    Ji Zitong pushed the cheque back. ¡°I have my own principles as well and I only take what belongs to me. Please pass this message to Chairman Mu for me.¡±

    Li Si looked at the aloof Ji Zitong and then nced at the cheque again before sighing. ¡°Ms. Ji, you impress me. If you insist, I¡¯ll go and let Master know then.¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded. ¡°Thank you, Assistant Li.¡±

    Li Si smiled as he stood up. At the same time, his phone started ringing. Li Si quickly took out his phone and noticed it was a call from Su Chen.

    ¡°Hello, Master Su Chen.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s voice quickly reached him back. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me. I have something to pass to your Master. Ah Chen said you¡¯re nearby Dong Huan Road.¡±

    Li Si responded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m at Dong Huan Road right now!¡±

    ¡°Give me a specific location. I¡¯ll head over.¡±

    Li Si walked out to the entrance and looked at the store sign covered by a red cloth. ¡°Master Su, I¡¯m at the second junction of Dong Huan Road. There¡¯s an unopened flower store called ¡®Smile¡¯. I¡¯ll wait for you right here. It¡¯s Ms. Ji¡¯s store.¡±

    ¡°Smile? Alright, I¡¯ll be there in five minutes,¡± Su Chen replied before hanging up the call and continued driving his Land Rover.

    ¡°Xiao Chen, you¡¯re getting older now. Ah Chen is one year younger than you and he¡¯s a father already. You¡¯re 33 this year. Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± Su Yu frowned as she looked at Su Chen from the front passenger seat. She continued when he ignored her, ¡°When I went to decorate Ah Chen¡¯s baby room a few days ago, I heard from his grandmother that Ah Chen met with his wife through a blind date, and they are doing well together! Your brother-inw and I are great together as well, so you don¡¯t really have to hate the idea of blind dating so much. It¡¯s the New Year now. You should get yourself a girl!¡±

    It was Su Chen¡¯s turn to frown. He did not even look at Su Yu as he retorted, ¡°Since when were you worried about me as well? You insisted on not getting married before too. Didn¡¯t you only get married at 30?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried, but I have to listen to our parents and grandfather nag me about it. Have you ever considered how I feel? Do you think I really care about you?¡± Su Yu red at her brother unhappily.

    Su Chen narrowed his eyes at her before switching on the music yer in the car.

    ¡°Just let them be, alright? Forced marriage is not what I want. Can you imagine waking up to a stranger that you have no feelings for at all?¡± Su Chen¡¯s sharp gaze stunned Su Yu. She almost forgot her brother had always been blunt and straightforward.

    ¡°Then, list down your type and I¡¯ll find one ording to your standards!¡± Su Yu said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not that free. Give me another few years.¡± Su Chen did not sound very interested, and his expression looked pretty unhappy as well. ¡°Marrying for the sake of marrying is not wise. Not everyone is as lucky as Ah Chen, so it¡¯s great if you meet the right one, but you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences if otherwise happens.¡±

    ¡°But you have to give it a try in order to know if it¡¯s the right one,¡± Su Yu argued.

    Su Chen did not reply. Instead, he slowed down the car and then parked by the roadside. Picking up the bag beside him, he asked, ¡°Just this?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    He got out of the car after Su Yu¡¯s reply. Looking up, he saw the sign ¡®Smile¡¯ under the red cloth.

    ¡°Master Su!¡± Li Si quickly greeted him.

    Su Chen looked around and was stunned for a moment when he saw the person behind Li Si.

 Chapter 724 - The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (1)

    <h4>Chapter 724: The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong never expected to see him again. She had not seen him since then, and now they were reunited after several months.

    ¡°When can you return me my letter, Chief Su?¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s face turned stiff as Li Si left.

    Su Chen gave her an amused nce. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to be doing this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Ji Zitong stared at him. ¡°You said you¡¯d give it back when you return.¡±

    ¡°I remember saying that we¡¯ll see when I get back. Do I look like the kind of person who¡¯d go back on my word?¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s sharp gaze made Ji Zitong gasp and she closed her eyes. ¡°Who knows what you¡¯ll do? We don¡¯t have a good impression of each other anyway.¡±

    ¡°So, do you mean I don¡¯t have to return the letter to you anymore?¡± Su Chenughed as he pulled his coat tighter around himself and was about to leave!

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Ji Zitong was enraged as she quickly grabbed Su Chen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Give it back to me, you bastard!¡±

    Su Chen was very alert, so he reacted in time when Ji Zitong tried to grab him. His iron grip stopped her hand urately as he closed in.

    She was dumbfounded as she smelled his wild scent. Pain blossomed in her head when she bumped into his solid chest.

    Su Chen was surprised when the woman fell into his arms. He backed off before he could embrace the gentleness, but his first reaction was¡ª

    This woman was strong!

    He leaned against his car as he looked down to notice that the woman in his arms was stunned. Two of them frowned and pushed each other away momentster.

    Not only did they not separate, but they were also clumped even closer together. Ji Zitong was wearing a woven sweatshirt, and it somehow got hooked onto Master Su¡¯s zipper. After struggling for a while, there was a loud rip!

    Ji Zitong looked down.

    Mmm!

    Red color!

    Fiery red!

    She put on a teasing grin and smirked at Su Chen. ¡°Chief Su, I didn¡¯t expect you to be quite sexy, but I think you deserve to be called a pervert right now!¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s expression darkened as he looked downwards. He quickly grabbed his trousers and his eyes were turning into a thunderstorm. Just as he was about to erupt in madness, Su Yu¡¯s voice reached him from behind.

    ¡°Xiao Chen, what are you doing? Who is this girl? Is this the girl who was mentioned to grandfather the other day?¡±

    Before Su Chen could react, he quickly fixed his outfit and looked at Ji Zitong¡¯s mocking grin. He swore that this was the most embarrassing moment in his life! His face was strained as he stared at Ji Zitong. However, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

    Su Yu walked to Su Chen and was looking at Ji Zitong, seeming interested.

    ¡°Xiao Chen?¡± Su Yu called out to him again as he did not reply.

    ¡°That¡¯s her indeed! We recently got into a fight. Haven¡¯t you guys always wondered why I don¡¯t like anyone else? I¡¯m interested in her. If you can convince her to marry me, maybe the elders at home will get a grandchild or two in a few years,¡± Su Chen whispered to Su Yu as his eyes were filled with deception. Then, he gave Ji Zitong a slight bow.

    Game on!

    He then ignored Su Yu¡¯s dumbfounded expression and went back into the car.

    Su Yu came back to her senses when she heard the sound of the car engine. She did not have time to talk to Ji Zitong. Instead, she bowed to her as well. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Su Yu, Su Chen¡¯s sister. Nice to meet you. We¡¯ll meet again!¡±

    Ji Zitong had no idea what Su Chen had told Su Yu earlier, but she knew that the way this strange girl looked at her was odd. It was also peculiar that Su Chen suddenly calmed down even though he was so angry moments before, especially hisst gaze at her before he left.

    Her body shuddered as she thought about it. She sensed a chill travel down her spine and she could not stop shaking.

    ...

    City Z was filled with a festive air this New Year, and it was really a lively one for them.

    Inside Xi Xiaye¡¯s room at Hospital T.

    Xi Xiaye could finally walk around after staying in bed for several days. Thanks to Mu Yuchen, she had not been disturbed and rested well for the past few days, so her weak body was slowly recovering.

    In order to help her kill time, Mu Yuchen brought her a few books from home too.

    Xi Xiaye was now reading a book on the bed. While she was really engrossed reading, she felt a warmth on her shoulder as red dates were delivered right to her mouth. She chewed on one before turning her head aside to find that the man was already beside her before she even realized it.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to go home and rest? You¡¯ve been here for several days. It¡¯ll be fine with Mother around.¡± He had lost so much weight in the past few days, and she felt really bad.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He gave her a simple reply and put a coat over her shoulder. ¡°Remember to wear an extrayer of clothes before you go out. The doctor said we¡¯ll be able to be discharged after our son¡¯s condition has stabilized. You seem really bored here.¡±

    She closed her book and left it aside before giving him a hug. She buried her face into his chest and inhaled the wonderful scent of soap on him. Then, she looked at him and mumbled, ¡°Do I look very ugly now? Very, very ugly? I can smell myself... Will you leave me because of this?¡±

    ¡°Can your brain think of something else? Have you ever seen any man ignore his own woman, the mother to his son?¡± Mu Yuchen patted her head and just let her hug him.

 Chapter 725 - The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (2)

    <h4>Chapter 725: The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye smiled and hugged him for a long while before finally letting him go. Sucking a deep breath in, she still felt a little traumatized when she thought about what happened on New Year¡¯s Eve. She had almost...

    Fortunately, he arrived in time and protected them both.

    ¡°Do you remember what happened that day?¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly asked. He refrained from asking her such questions these past few days because he was worried that her condition was still unstable, and Li Si¡¯s investigation should be finishing up soon.

    That day?

    Xi Xiaye frowned as her body shuddered slightly. She did not seem like herself.

    She just remembered Xi Xinyi had suddenly crashed into her. It was too fast for her to react, and her mind had gone nk afterwards.

    Mu Yuchen was observing her reactions. He held her shoulders and continued, ¡°Xi Xinyi said she was pushed from behind and then crashed into you. I don¡¯t think she has the guts to lie. Did you hear anything at that time? Xi Xinyi said that person was in the car behind her. You should have at least heard the sound of the car if what she said was true. Can you think of anything?¡±

    Xi Xiaye put a hand on her forehead as she was trying to recall the entire timeline. She felt a slight headache as she was thinking about it as hard as she could. Quietly, she mumbled, ¡°Car... Car... I think I heard it. It was a ck car... ck...¡±

    Xi Xiaye somehow remembered the tiny details after he reminded her. Before she fell unconscious, she saw a ck shadow, so that should be it.

    Xi Xinyi...

    There was no point for her to do this. She knew it would not give her anything she wanted, or maybe Han Yifeng¡¯s cold treatment caused Xi Xinyi to dump all her hatred onto her.

    Would their conflict still continue?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes turned cold as her face stiffened as well.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re sure you saw a ck car drive past?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as her tone of voice sounded determined. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s very quiet around West Park, and there aren¡¯t usually a lot of traffic there. Cars rarely drive past, and there weren¡¯t really any other cars at that time, so I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath as he grabbed her slightly cold hands. The expression in his eyes looked fierce and serious. ¡°I¡¯ll find the person who did this to you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, how¡¯s Xi Xinyi now?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°Li Si got someone to keep an eye on her. She seems to be quite distraught these past few days,¡± Mu Yuchen replied after receiving the news daily from Li Si.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression lookedplicated. ¡°Han Yifeng¡¯s absence with her child seems to have a huge impact on her. She came to me before as you saw that day when I was talking to Su Nan in the hospital. She wants me to help convince Han Yifeng and return her child to her. However, I told her that there¡¯s nothing I can do. I have no idea how she has the audacity to make such a request of me. How can she be so sure that I¡¯d be able to convince Han Yifeng? It¡¯s between them after all.¡± She found it ridiculous.

    Mu Yuchen had a mysterious smile on his face while his tone sounded odd. ¡°If you actually tell Han Yifeng, he might really do it. Don¡¯t underestimate your influence.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She blinked her eyes and looked at him in doubt.

    He smiled and looked downward at her hand. His grip became tighter as he sighed. ¡°I think Han Yifeng thinks of you very highly now. Apart from feeling guilty, there might be some other things involved.¡±

    Some other things?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes looked empty, but they returned to normal momentster as she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing to maintain a certain image to someone. A person¡¯s feelings are sensitive and fragile.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about him?¡± he asked with a frown.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She put her hands on his cheeks and their lips met with each other¡¯s. Their tongues explored each other¡¯s mouth as things got heated up.

    He closed his eyes and enjoyed this moment.

    However, he did not take advantage of the situation and stopped when it was appropriate.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were dreamy when she backed off. She looked at him seriously and asked, ¡°Are you feeling jealous right now, Mr. Mu? It¡¯s been so long. Let the past stay in the past.¡±

    He opened his eyes and saw her cheerful smile. Then, he turned away and coughed. ¡°What a heartless woman! I¡¯m jealous? Do I have to be jealous of him? Don¡¯t even think aboutparing us!¡±

    She chuckled as she saw him act that way. She nted a kiss on his cheek and teased, ¡°Mr. Mu, I realize that you¡¯re really cute when you¡¯re fussy.¡±

    The man, who was able to keep calm when closing a deal worth billions, blushed as he stared at this happy woman beside him.

    Cute?

    Did she just use that word to describe Mu Yuchen?

    He adjusted her falling coat after she was doneughing.

    ¡°By the way, get Xi Xinyi toe over. I want to see her.¡±

    In the end, Xi Xiaye decided to talk to Xi Xinyi again. She just wanted to find out what exactly happened. If Xi Xinyi really had pushed her on purpose, then...

    Mu Yuchen looked into her eyes and then nodded. ¡°You should talk to her.¡±

 Chapter 726 - The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (3)

    <h4>Chapter 726: The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Xi Xiaye made that request, Mu Yuchen handled it very quickly. He was highly efficient.

    In the evening, as the golden rays of the warm sun gradually faded away, Xi Xinyi stood outside Xi Xiaye¡¯s ward.

    ¡°Our Missus is inside. Please enter,¡± the ck-suited bodyguard¡¯s cold and indifferent voice instructed. Xi Xinyi only bit her lip slightly before she lifted a hand to silently push open the door.

    At this moment, inside the ward, Xi Xiaye was lying on her sickbed casually flipping through some information of Fuhua Estate when she heard the sound of footsteps from the door. She looked up and calmly looked at Xi Xinyi who stood hesitantly at the door.

    Xi Xinyi froze, her beautiful eyes filled with a hint of uneasiness and vignce. She stared unwaveringly at Xi Xiaye who also looked at her with indifference. With that cold expression and unmoving gaze, it was hard to guess what she was thinking about.

    Xi Xinyi felt like she was having an unlucky year. Many bad things had caught up to her. Yue Lingsi was crippled, Han Yifeng brought her son far away while she was constantly being suppressed by Mu Yuchen, and now she was suddenly implicated in this incident.

    Ever since that incident happened, she almost broke down. She even prayed fervently to God, hoping that Xi Xiaye and her unborn child would be fine. Otherwise, she knew the consequences that she would have to endure very well. Mu Yuchen was a heartless person, one she dared not provoke. She did not want to ruin herself either.

    She thought to herself that she could only hope for Xi Xiaye to be fine. When she regained consciousness, she would look for her, and she should know what happened. Then, she could prove Xi Xinyi¡¯s innocence!

    The two sisters stared at each other for a long while. Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm gaze looked toward the sofa before her as she said calmly, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Xi Xinyi had a gaze filled with mix emotions that fixed on Xi Xiaye for quite a while. Finally, she went towards the sofa and sat down quietly. When she looked up at Xi Xiaye on the sickbed, Xi Xiaye had already lowered her head to continue flipping through the document in her hand.

    After she gave birth, Xi Xiaye was much frailer than before, but she did look much more elegant and mature now. There was a hint of tenderness between her cold brows, and her little face reflected a healthy blush. You could see that Mu Yuchen took really good care of her.

    Meanwhile, Xi Xinyi thought about herself...

    Back then, she had given birth to a son too, but how did Han Yifeng treat her? The Han family did not seem to pay more attention to her, so she had to endure the grief in her heart.

    Initially, she had been a princess at the center of everyone¡¯s attention, a gem that everyone held preciously in their hands. s, in just a short year, things changed! She, Xi Xinyi, had fallen from heaven, and straight into hell.

    At the same time, Xi Xiaye had walked step by step to where she was today!

    These two days, she had clearly confirmed Xi Xiaye¡¯s identity. When she saw the old CEO of Fuhua Real Estate, Shen Yue, personally visit her, she believed that Shen Yue was indeed Xi Xiaye¡¯s grandfather! Shen Wenna was also an heiress from a celebrated family!

    No wonder back then when Han Yifeng said those things to her, he would have had such an expression. It seemed like he knew about it all.

    Xi Xiaye was going to be inheriting Fuhua Real Estate while her husband was a top gun in the business world. With that, did she need to fight with Xi Xinyi¡¯s measly Yueying Culture Mediapany?

    When she thought about how they had used to tricks to shun and scheme against Xi Xiaye back then, those scenes made Xi Xinyi conceive herself as dumb and ridiculous. No wonder Han YIfeng had even mocked himself saying that he was a clown!

    She used to be an actress, but she never would have thought that in real life, she would have such a dramatic life. Everything was so ridiculous that she could not help but scoff at herself!

    ¡°I lost, Xi Xiaye. You win. I couldn¡¯t have guessed that all this while, I¡¯ve just been putting on an absurd and ridiculous show.¡± Xi Xinyiughed a little dazedly. She seemed to really be in the dumps. Her wan and sallow expression made her seem like she had aged by more than 10 years.

    Upon hearing her bitter words, Xi Xiaye slowly looked up and stared at her.

    ¡°But I really didn¡¯t push you. Someone pushed me from behind! Even though I hate you, and I do hope you and your child would get lost, I only thought that... I¡¯ve never thought about doing anything to harm you. Chairman Mu has information about me in his hand. He can destroy me anytime. I wouldn¡¯t be so dumb as to brazenly do something to you,¡± Xi Xinyi exined anxiously.

    ¡°You must have seen the car behind me leave then too, didn¡¯t you? Xi Xiaye, I beg that you tell everything you know to Chairman Mu, and return my innocence. I was framed too. Please tell him to let me go. I swear I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. We¡¯ll both go our own ways!¡±

    ...

    Go our own ways?

    Could that really be achieved?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s indifferent gaze fell onto Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale little face. Seeing that she was incredibly tensed all over and was practically looking at her with both fists clenched, she smiled calmly. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you, who could be? Tell me, if I let you go, could we really both go our own ways?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who it was either! But someone really pushed me from behind. Xi Xiaye, you can¡¯t wrongly use me. I didn¡¯t push you!¡±

    ¡°But you did hit me. If Zitong and Mu Yuchen didn¡¯te in time, you know very well what would¡¯ve happened.¡±

    Xi Xinyi started to seem irritable and restless. When she heard Xi Xiaye, she immediately stood up and swore to God. ¡°I told you that someone else pushed me from behind. Why won¡¯t you guys believe me? I dare swear on my life that if I, Xi Xinyi really pushed you, then I¡¯ll get hit by a car when I leave my house and die on the streets! Are you happy now? Do you believe me now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze remained calm as she quietly observed every change in Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression. She could vaguely feel that Xi Xinyi did not seem like she was lying.

    If it were really as Xi Xinyi said, who was the person who pushed her then?

    Was it an ident? Or was it someone who hated Xi Xinyi, or someone against Xi Xiaye, or someone gunning for Mu Yuchen, or someone else altogether?

    Xi Xiaye had no clue at all. She pondered for a moment before finally saying calmly, ¡°When I fell, I did see the shadow of a ck car, but that¡¯s not enough to prove that you didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

 Chapter 727 - The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (4)

    <h4>Chapter 727: The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yet, upon hearing Xi Xiaye say that, Xi Xinyi was relieved! She closed her eyes and sighed.

    This would finally help her side a little!

    The shadow of a ck car!

    Yes, it was a ck car.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The car was indeed ck in color, but I didn¡¯t notice it then. I just thought it was a car parked by the roadside. I didn¡¯t think there were people in the car. I remember when I drove over, the car wasn¡¯t parked there. It only came after that.¡± Xi Xinyi squinted her eyes and tried hard to recall.

    Xi Xiaye became alert when she thought about it, so she asked, ¡°Why were you there?¡±

    Xi Xinyi became rigid and her expression was a little gray while her gaze darkened. She thought about it and decided there was no need to keep it a secret. She sighed. ¡°I went to look for Father. I couldn¡¯t find him at his apartment, so I went to West Park. Unexpectedly, I bumped into him, so...¡±

    ¡°Went looking for Father? Because of your mother?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Xi Xinyi shook her head. ¡°No, I know that the thing with my mother is already set in stone. She¡¯s just a crippled person now. Father gave her quite a few years of mary expenses at the rehabilitation center, so I have nothing else to say about that. I went to look for Father because I wanted him to persuade you, to help me beg Yifeng and tell him to return the child to me. I¡¯ve been suffering these recent days. I feel hopeless. I can¡¯t lose my child. I¡¯ve got nothing left... Nothing! I can¡¯t lose my child too.¡±

    When Xi Xinyi said this, she could not help but cover her face with both hands as she cried softly.

    Xi Xiaye watched quietly with an oddly indifferent expression. She did not feel any pity. If she could have thought things through at the start, she would not have ended up where she was today.

    ¡°I told you that I¡¯m helpless in this matter. Han Yifeng has his own thoughts, and I don¡¯t have a way to change him. Since you want your child, you should have immediately gone after him when he first left. You should¡¯ve left this ce and returned to where the both of you had once loved each other, San Francisco. Even though we can¡¯t turn back time, everything could¡¯ve been started anew. Han Yifeng has actually given you many chances. You just didn¡¯t appreciate them yourself.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was extremely cold as she lowered her gaze and flipped another page of the document. ¡°About the matter between you and Han Yifeng, I want no part of it. I told you, the moment Han Yifeng chose you, the fate between me and him was put out. Now, I only want to be by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side. I admit that I did like Han Yifeng before this, but that was also just a matter of the past. Right now, the person I love will forever only be Mu Yuchen. I hope that the people I care about can live peacefully. My baseline has always been this, Xi Xinyi.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she looked up at Xi Xinyi again. The light in her twinkling eyes was bright and clear. Her expression was filled with determination.

    ¡°It¡¯s not wise to be venting all of your anger and resentment onto me. Hatred and jealousy can kill someone¡¯s conscience. You are now a mother too, so you should consider it as gaining karma for your child. Let go of everything and start over. Be a good example to your child and let him have a mother he can be proud of. Otherwise, what do you think a woman lives for? What else is there for you to lose right now? You¡¯ve even sacrificed yourself.¡±

    As Xi Xinyi wept, her hands that covered her face were filled with tears. She looked wan and sallow in her sorry state. As she thought about how well-regarded she had been more than a year agopared to how she was right now, the starkparison made her feel pathetic.

    ¡°I will tell Mu Yuchen and exin it to him. I hope you can cooperate and find the person who did it. That person might very well be ourmon enemy right now. You should go home,¡± Xi Xiaye calmly asked her to leave.

    Xi Xinyi sniffed and stood up. She lifted a sleeve to wipe away her tears. Her wet eyes were misty as she looked at Xi Xiaye on the sickbed who did not even look up at her. Although she wanted to say something, she stopped. In the end, she did not say anything before she quietly departed.

    When Mu Yuchen came over at night, Xi Xiaye was holding her son, Mu Zicheng, who had just been coaxed to sleep. She softly told Mu Yuchen about her conversation with Xi Xinyi,menting a little helplessly, ¡°I think Xi Xinyi has changed quite a lot in terms of her mindset recently. Perhaps it¡¯s enlightenment after a few months of decline. At least, she¡¯s now a mother who cares about her child.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. An apathetic coldness shed in his eyes.

    So what?

    No matter how enlightened Xi Xinyi had be, as long as he held those bits of dirt on her, he would not be worried that she would y any tricks. Besides, for someone as merciless as him, apart from Xi Xiaye whom he acknowledged as a good woman, all other women were the same to him. He would never hesitate to take them on.

    Moments after that, he softly asked her, ¡°Do you trust that she could still turn over a new leaf?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. To me, it doesn¡¯t mean much, but to Father, it might mean something different.¡±

    She was now a mother too, so the bond of blood was very hard to exin.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. He understood how she felt. Just like him and Lingtian, even if he knew that he had betrayed him, apart frommenting about it, he felt even more disappointed. Even so, he could not begin to hate him.

    He leaned down slightly and reached out his long fingers to gently poke at his son¡¯s soft cheeks in Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms. He said in a deep voice, ¡°You should worry about this less. Recover well and raise our son well. How did he fall asleep so quickly? He just had his eyes open and was staring at me.¡±

    ¡°Babies are like that. They sleep when they¡¯re full. In a while more, you can amuse him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯llugh.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped talking and looked down at her son sleepingfortably in her arms. Her calm lips curled with tenderness. She could not help but nt a soft kiss on her son¡¯s forehead.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes revealed an odd glow. He watched her before gently pinching his son¡¯s little arm.

    It was so tiny!

    Master Mu pinched it, and then his handsome brows furrowed into a knot. He could not help but sigh. ¡°He¡¯s so little. When can he grow up?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll be growing day by day. Children grow very quickly, and they look different every day. Why are you so anxious?¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a nce.

    ¡°I already found two very experienced maternity matrons. They¡¯re quite good. You can see them for yourself when you¡¯re discharged in two days. If you¡¯re not happy with them, we can switch them up again.¡±

 Chapter 728 - The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 728: The Stronger The Light, The Darker The Shadow! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s the seventh tomorrow and Ji Zitong¡¯s flower store is opening. Remember to send someone over to greet her. She¡¯s been of great help during this period of time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to do that. I¡¯ll be heading to City B tomorrow afternoon and will only be back by dawn. I¡¯ll ask Mother toe over and stay with you, alright?¡± He was worried that her arms might get tired from holding their son, so he gently supported his son¡¯s weight and took him as he looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye moved her body closer to him. ¡°City B? Why? You only had a day of rest during the New Year holidays and you need to go to work already?¡±

    ¡°My friend is having an auction over there, so I¡¯m just going to take a look. I also have something to discuss as well. I¡¯ll be back by dawn on a private flight.¡±

    There was a knock on the door as Mu Yuchen finished. They looked toward the door and saw Shen Wenna slowlying in with a Thermos sk in her hand. There was also a handsome young boy in a ck suit beside her. It was Mu Zirui.

    Mu Zirui had been visiting with Shen Wenna recently. Having already adapted to his life with Shen Yue and Shen Wenna, life at the Shen residence was great for him. Shen Yue frequently yed chess with him too.

    ¡°Mother, Xiao Rui, why have you guys stille even though it¡¯s sote already?¡± Xi Xiaye sat up as she looked at her guests.

    ¡°I made some supper for you. Your grandfather picked several kindergartens for Xiao Rui. He told me toe and discuss with you and see which one to send him to. Here, let me hold you...¡± Shen Wenna put down the Thermos sk and took the little baby from Mu Yuchen.

    As Mu Yuchen was about to reply, he felt someone tugging at the hem of his shirt. He peered down and noticed it was Mu Zirui.

    ¡°Father, I don¡¯t want to go to kindergarten.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know the other children. They don¡¯t like to y with me. I¡¯ll wait until Little Brother grows up and we¡¯ll go to school together.¡±

    Mu Zirui moved closer to Shen Wenna and looked at the little baby in her hands intently. He carefully touched the little baby¡¯s cheek while his eyes were filled with uncertainty. ¡°Grandmother, why is Brother always sleeping? He¡¯s so small...¡±

    ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t eat enough rice. He¡¯ll grow once he eats enough. Xiao Rui, you¡¯ll be able to grow faster too if you eat more!¡±

    ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll eat less. I¡¯ll eat more once Brother is as big as me. I¡¯ll wait for him!¡±

    Mu Zirui stared at the baby with his pair of huge, innocent eyes as Shen Wenna smiled and patted his head. ¡°Xiao Rui, you have to eat more. You¡¯ll be able to protect your brother once you grow up.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye traded nces with each other and smiled.

    On the seventh, Ji Zitong¡¯s flower store, ¡®Smile¡¯, opened.

    The store was already crowded early in the morning. Baskets of carefully arranged flowers were disyed in two rows, and anyone who passed by would be able to smell the strong fragrance of flowers. Many people visited the store to congratte them on their opening.

    On the way to the airport from Hospital T, Li Si reminded Mu Yuchen as they were in the car, ¡°Master, we¡¯ll be passing by Ms. Ji¡¯s storeter. Missus asked you to visit her and send her some gifts!¡±

    Mu Yuchen was resting with his eyes closed in the passenger seat. He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    Things were busy inside the store. Many people dropped by and the store was crowded at the moment. Ji Zitong was attending to all the guests and customers.

    It was not arge store, but they still hired two employees.

    ¡°Wee! Come in and take a look. We have some drinks and snacks as well!¡±

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Ji Zitong wore a red, festive, long coat today with her long hair tied into a bun. She appeared clean and smart as she was greeting the guests at the entrance with a big smile on her face,

    However, Ji Zitong had no idea that across the street inside a ck car...

    ¡°Grandfather, that¡¯s the girl. Her name is Ji Zitong. Her father owns a martial arts school, and her mother is retired. She was in the military before. Xiao Chen and Ah Chen were her instructors in one of the training camps before. Xiao Chen and her have known each other for quite a long while. She worked as a bodyguard for Ah Chen¡¯s wife a while ago. I heard that she¡¯s pretty good and Ah Mo had positivements about her. Her family background is clean and their family is well received by their neighbours. Thest girl ranted to us because Xiao Chen brought this girl over,¡± Su Yu reported everything she knew to Elder Su sitting in the passenger seat.

    Elder Su was used to givingmands and had a demanding personality. With a solid sitting posture and sharp gaze, his face was strained. Although his hair had turned all white, his old-style military uniform still looked powerful as ever. He did not seem to show many emotions on his face.

    His sharp gaze now looked through the window gap as he stared at Ji Zitong who was greeting her guests.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you got after this long? Is this how efficient you can get?¡± Elder Su was unsatisfied with the simple information from Su Yu, and his voice was filled with an imposing manner.

    Su Yu shrugged. ¡°Grandfather, just ask Xiao Chen if you want to know more. He did say that he¡¯s interested in her, but they were arguing recently. Xiao Chen wants to marry her, but she doesn¡¯t want to!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Which part of my grandson isn¡¯t worthy of this girl? I don¡¯t believe it. I¡¯ll go and meet her personallyter. Xiao Yu, you head in first!¡± Elder Su could not stand people bad-mouthing his grandchildren.

 Chapter 729 - Finding Out

    <h4>Chapter 729: Finding Out</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Yu quickly nodded. ¡°Yeah! Xiao Chen is a talented young man. This girl needs to have better senses! I¡¯ll head over now then. Stay in the car and don¡¯t be reckless. I¡¯ll go and find out what happened. It¡¯s her big day today, so don¡¯t give her any bad impression.¡±

    Elder Su grunted coldly, ¡°Go and test the waters. Why didn¡¯t Xiao Chen bring her home? What are they arguing about? Is she dissatisfied with the Su family? Also, investigate her family immediately. If there are no problems, then tell Xiao Chen to bring her home as soon as possible.¡± His way of doing things was quick and decisive as usual.

    ¡°Alright, alright! I get it, Grandfather. Can I get down from the car now?¡±

    ¡°You have fifteen minutes toplete the mission! Go!¡± His voice was still strong and powerful.

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Su Yu waved her hands and then got out of the car.

    ...

    Ji Zitong was surprised to see Su Yu by the entrance of her store. At first, she felt this woman was familiar, and then her mind reyed Su Chen¡¯s embarrassing scene the other day. This woman had been there as well. Her name was...

    Su Yu?

    Su Chen¡¯s sister?

    Information about this woman before her shed in Ji Zitong¡¯s mind.

    Su Yu waved her hands and her bodyguard handed a flower basket as a gift while she greeted, ¡°Hello, Ms. Ji. Congrattions! I hope you don¡¯t mind my uninvited attendance. Do you still remember me?¡±

    Ji Zitong bowed slightly as she gratefully said, ¡°You¡¯re Instructor Su¡¯s sister, Ms. Su Yu. Thank you foring. It¡¯s my honor that you came!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Where¡¯s Xiao Chen? I don¡¯t see him anywhere.¡± Su Yu smiled as she looked inside for and did not see Su Chen at all, hence her question.

    ¡®His girlfriend¡¯s shop is opening and he isn¡¯t here? No wonder she¡¯s angry with him! He totally deserves it!¡¯ Su Yu scolded Su Chen in her mind.

    However, Su Yu¡¯s words confused Ji Zitong.

    Su Chen?

    What about him?

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about him for now. I¡¯m here today to congratte you. Your store looks really gorgeous!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Zitong was still puzzled. She felt that the way Su Yu looked at her was kind of odd, so she returned a nce in rm.

    Su Yu was an observant person. She got the gist of how Ji Zitong was feeling the moment she saw her expression. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous, Ms. Ji. Xiao Chen told us what happened. Don¡¯t worry. Our family is pretty open-minded, so we don¡¯t really mind how you guys go about it, but anyway, it¡¯s Xiao Chen¡¯s fault that he only told us about you guys recently. My brother has always been an insensitive person, but he¡¯s still a nice guy, and doesn¡¯t have the bad attitude of a youngster from a rich family.¡±

    What?

    Ji Zitong was frowning, but Su Yu continued, ¡°I heard your family owns a martial arts center that your father operates. Is it nearby?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s voice was getting quiet.

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m actually quite fond of martial arts myself. I just think it¡¯d be interesting to take a look.¡±

    Ji Zitong then replied, ¡°It¡¯s nearby.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about your mother? It¡¯s odd to not see your parents here on the day of your new store opening.¡±

    ¡°My mother is arranging some flowers in the back while my father is busy at his center and will be hereter. It¡¯s getting cold outside, Ms. Su. Pleasee in.¡± Ji Zitong made a weing gesture to Su Yu who nodded and then followed her into the store.

    At the same time, inside a ck car across the road.

    ¡°Master, that looks like Elder Su¡¯s car, and isn¡¯t that Ms. Su Yu?¡±

    The Mus and the Sus were pretty close to each other, so Li Si was familiar with the Su family. It wasmon for Li Si to send Su Chen back in his car the times he got drunk, and he was a regr to the Su family¡¯s garage, thus it was natural for him to know Elder Su¡¯s car te number.

    Mu Yuchen turned over and looked across the road to see the ck car. He then averted his gaze towards the entrance of the store. Su Yu was chatting with Ji Zitong as they walked inside.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd. Since when did Ms. Su Yu be so close to Ms. Ji? The elder seems to be in the car as well!¡± Li Si mumbled doubtfully.

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as a faint light shed in his eyes. He remembered something as he looked back. ¡°Go the airport right away.¡± His calm voice reached Li Si.

    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t we going to head inside?¡±

    They were already here, but were not going inside?

    Li Si was puzzled.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and continued flipping through the magazine in his hands. ¡°Just send someone to deliver the gift over. Also, don¡¯t mention anything you see today to Master Su. Understand?¡±

    Do not mention it to him?

    What did that mean?

    Li Si was at a loss, but he did not raise any questions when he saw Mu Yuchen return to his usual calm self from the rear-viewing mirror. ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll have someone deliver the gifts now.¡±

    He quickly took out his phone and dialed a number before their car went on their way once again.

    Mu Yuchen then had a grin on his face. He gave it some thought before taking out his phone and giving Zhou Zimo a call.

    Zhou Zimo was ying cards with some friends when he received the call. He quickly picked it up when he saw it was Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Come to the private airport in half an hour and follow me to City B.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s direct and concise words reached his ears the moment the call was connected.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment. When he got back to his senses, he threw his cards away and stood up to grab his coat before everyone else could react to what happened. ¡°I¡¯ll be there immediately.¡±

    ¡°Master Mo, you¡¯re leaving? Your money...¡±

    ¡°Transfer it into my ount!¡±

 Chapter 730 - Auction (1)

    <h4>Chapter 730: Auction (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It did not take more than half an hour for them to reach the private airport as Zhou Zimo sped all the way there.

    The airne steadily flew through the clouds. Inside the luxurious private ne, Mu Yuchen leisurely poured himself two sses of whiskey. He walked over and handed one of the sses to Zhou Zimo before he sat down as he took a swig.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going? How do you feel being a father?¡± Zhou Zimo took a swig and looked amusedly at Mu Yuchen as he teased, ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯ve be thinner? This little thing has worn you out.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled helplessly. The light that gathered in his eyes had some tenderness to it. He sighed and said, ¡°The little thing likes to weep on the daily. His condition will stabilize after a few more days in the incubator. Then, Xiaye can be discharged and go home too. He probably won¡¯t be a worry-free little fellow in the future either.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you n on having a full moon banquet?¡± Zhou Zimo squinted and asked. Then, he took another sip. ¡°I¡¯ve even already prepared the present.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see about the 100th day. Xiaye doesn¡¯t quite like the bustle anyway. Besides, if it¡¯s not something valuable, I won¡¯t ept it.¡±

    ¡°Please, would I bring something unpresentable for your son? You¡¯ll see when the timees!¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed, the two buddies clinked their sses and downed the whole ss at a go.

    Zhou Zimo picked up the bottle to pour more as he looked up at Mu Yuchen to ask, ¡°Did you hear about something from City Z? Otherwise, why would you be rushing over at such a time? Do you have a lot of work? Tell me more.¡±

    Mu Yuchen leanednguidly against the sofa, lifting a hand to prop his head up by the forehead. There was a heaviness gathered between his brows. ¡°Remember that pen you saw thest time?¡±

    ¡°The pen? The Qinghua one embedded with gems?¡± Zhou Zimo immediately remembered how that pen looked. Since he was an amateur collector hobbyist as well, when he first saw that pen, he really liked it.

    Mu Yuchen nodded indifferently and set aside his ss. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s the one. Ah Bao managed to find out that it was the work of a famous guru in City B. The person who custom made it should be someone rted to Aunty. I told Ah Bao toy thes there. Tonight, I¡¯d like to invite you to watch a good show with me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you sure there¡¯ll be a good show?¡± Zhou Zimo nced meaningfully at Mu Yuchen, seeming very interested.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but you can just pretend like I invited you out for a spin,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly.

    Zhou Zimo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Going out for a spin with you really takes quite the effort, but I do know there¡¯s a pretty decent hot spring over there. It should be early enough when we reach. Let¡¯s go take a bath first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll satisfy you, but before that, let¡¯s go with the old rules.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go with the old rules then!¡±

    Then, Zhou Zimo finished the drink in his ss in a go. He unbuttoned his shirt and took off his zer before suddenly taking out a deck of cards and tossed it to Mu Yuchen. Mu Yuchen leisurely caressed the ck cufflinks on his sleeve and slipped his zer off. He picked up the cards and skillfully shuffled them.

    Half an hourter, Mu Yuchen rolled over andy down on the sofa while Zhou Zimo was rolling his sleeves up and going all out with the massage.

    ¡°You rarelye out to y cards with your buddies anymore, but your skills haven¡¯t worsened. Still, it seems like you haven¡¯t enjoyed yourself this much since we returned from service. Also, how long have you not rxed? Why are you all stiff?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly. He never liked going to those kinds of ces anyway. After he got married, he just became a domesticated man.

    When he heard his reply, Zhou Zimo could not help but cover his forehead as he sighed. ¡°Chen, why do I feel like you¡¯re about to be an old man? No wonder Su Chen said that the fun in you is about to whittle into nothing more.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen?¡±

    Mu Yuchen softly muttered when he suddenly remembered the scene he saw in front of Ji Zitong¡¯s florist. If he guessed correctly...

    ¡°A fire is about to start in his backyard. Just wait for a good show.¡± Mu Yuchen turned to smile mysteriously at Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon.¡±

    ...

    It was a dazzling afternoon. In a suite in Hospital T, Xi Mushan came to visit Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was just carrying her son, Mu Zicheng. The little guy had fallen asleep after having his fill of milk. With bleary eyes, he stared at her for a bit before falling asleep again. Xi Xiaye got the nurse to carry him back to the nursery.

    ¡°I told Mu Yuchen to bring Xi Xinyi over for a chat. I know that she went looking for you at West Park. How¡¯s Yue Lingsi now?¡± Xi Xiaye propped herself up to sit down and looked at Xi Mushan who sat on the sofa.

    Xi Mushan responded with a nod, ¡°The other day, I looked at her from outside the ward. She¡¯s not doing too well. It¡¯s karma, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°She only has herself to me for inviting all that she¡¯s experiencing today. Father, since you and Mother have remarried, then promise me that you will focus on treating her well. The school is almost done with the preparations, and school will begin once it¡¯s past the 15th. You should move over to live with Mother. Mu Yuchen¡¯s already settled Grandpa¡¯s end. Next will be you and Mother starting over again.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was a little solemn as she spoke. She thought about it, then continued, ¡°There are many good memories of you and Mother at University A. The other day, I flipped through Mu Yuchen¡¯s document. I know that he secretly bought a huge chunk of University A shares under both your names, and he appointed you as Vice President of the school with a simple aim. Apart from wanting to make you feel better, it¡¯s also to let you and Mother be together again to relive your good times.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m very well aware of this. Ah Chen¡¯s thoughtful.¡± Xi Mushan felt very d. He could not help but feel a little guilty too. As he wanted to say something more, Xi Xiaye could also guess what he wanted to say, so she spoke up first to stop him, ¡°I won¡¯t say much now. School¡¯s reopening in another two days. I¡¯ll get Mu Yuchen to arrange for someone to help you with the move. Also, Father, on Su Nan¡¯s end, Ruan Heng isn¡¯t awake yet. You and Mother should look after Uncle Su¡¯s family too.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll take care of that.¡±

    ¡°Father, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you.¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly fixed her eyes on Xi Mushan whose gaze flickered. ¡°Have you ever regretted giving up your role as Mayor?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye asked this, Xi Mushan was stunned for a moment. He thought about it for a long time before responding, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as regretting it or not. To me, there¡¯s actually nothing more important than your mother. Do you know why I haven¡¯t been willing to face your mother these twenty over years?¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s low and raspy voice was filled with an aged and bleak tone while his profound gaze quietly focused on Xi Xiaye.

 Chapter 731 - Auction (2)

    <h4>Chapter 731: Auction (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was rare to see him so openly expressive. Xi Xiaye was momentarily dazed, then she shook her head.

    Xi Mushan sighed, and slowly closed his eyes to admit bitterly, ¡°Being persistent about such a difficult thing requires a lot of courage before feelings. As strong and as steadfast I am, I¡¯m still weak. I understand your mother too well. I¡¯m worried that if I pressure her too much, she¡¯ll really throw herself into someone else¡¯s arms. That way, she¡¯ll leave me forever.

    ¡°So, I want to leave myself a small spot in her heart, every year during the peach blossom festival, I give her a peach blossom hairpin. I was hoping that it would sometimes remind her about me so that she does not forget me.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xiaye could not help sigh deeply. She blinked and nodded gently in understanding.

    She was very grateful for Mu Yuchen¡¯s thoughtfulness. If it were not for him doing his most, Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan would probably now still be...

    The father and daughter who chatted inside the room obviously did not know that their conversation had all been heard by Shen Wenna who was standing outside the door.

    Shen Wenna was stunned for quite a while before she pulled back her hand that was about to push the door open. After she thought about it, in the end, she lifted her head to close her eyes and sighed before turning around to leave.

    ¡°Miss, his persistence up until now has been impressive. It hasn¡¯t been easy on everyone including the little Miss and Chairman Mu. Elder Su actually worries about you. It¡¯s been so many years. Elder CEO feels quite sad seeing you live poorly and only getting by. However, he never had anyone to share his feelings with.¡±

    Lan Zng sighed before continuing, ¡°Elder CEO was waiting for the young Miss to recover fully before hepletely let go off his authority and handed over Fuhua Real Estate. After all, Miss will be turning 28 this year, and she can inherit Fuhua already. Once Elder CEO retires, he¡¯ll be freer. After all, he¡¯s afraid of loneliness too.¡±

    Shen Wenna nodded before saying a little heartbrokenly, ¡°After my mother passed away, he has been alone. I advised him to get an oldpanion to be with him in the days toe, but he said that apart from Mother, he won¡¯t want to marry any other woman. Well, now, at least there¡¯s Xiao Ru and Little Apple. I see that they¡¯ve been having quite a lot of fun.¡±

    ¡°Are you Teacher Shen Wenna?¡± Just as the two of them were chatting, an unknown voice suddenly came from behind, and the other two subconsciously stopped walking.

    Shen Wenna turned and looked at the young nurse in a uniform who had just addressed them as she asked calmly, ¡°Hello, may I help you?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Teacher Shen, someone told me to hand you this letter.¡± The nurse handed over a letter.

    Shen Wenna nced at the nurse with a perplexed expression for quite a while and hesitated momentarily before reaching out to take the letter and slowly open it. She only saw a single row of words inside¡ª

    <i>Shen Wenna, I want to have a chat with you. Yitian Sanatorium, Block 5, Fourth Floor, Room 13.</i>

    It was signed off with Yue Lingsi¡¯s name though she probably got someone else to write the letter for her.

    When she saw the name Yue Lingsi, Shen Wenna¡¯s mouth curled into an indifferent curve. The mockery in her eyes was evident as she handed the letter to Lan Zng who took it to read. He could help but chuckle too. ¡°Yue Lingsi? What¡¯s she looking for you for? She wouldn¡¯t be nning on making an unreasonable scene again, would she?¡±

    ¡°She thinks that I¡¯m a shallow and extremely bored person like her. It¡¯s probably because she found out the news about me and Xi Mushan getting remarried, and she wants tounch a war against me again. I¡¯ll just ingore her.¡±

    Shen Wenna did not have the energy to be dealing with Yue Lingsi. Now, she was already lying in bed and could barely move, yet she was still restless.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lan Zng responded, and then put the letter away.

    When the remaining darkness of the horizon covered the sunset¡¯s final gentle glimmer of light, night fell.

    In the flourishing City B, dazzling lights engulfed the entire city. This was another city that never slept, one that indulged in a life of luxury.

    At that moment, on this wide road, a luxurious ck car was slowly driving towards the city from the outskirts.

    They had just passed the toll booth when the driver in front reminded them, ¡°Boss, we¡¯re about to enter the city area soon.¡±

    The person who was addressed as the boss was sitting in the backseat. He wore a ck coat and a ck cap on his head. While one could not really see how he looked, he seemed travel-worn.

    Upon hearing the driver in front, he looked up and gazed outside the window. He then peered down at the red invitation in his hand again. No, more urately, he was studying the auction list on the invitation.

    ¡°How long more to the auction?¡± The deep voice sounded hoarse and very unfriendly.

    ¡°Less than an hour,¡± answered the assistant in the front passenger seat.

    The man¡¯s finger lingered for quite a while on the third item up for auction. He looked at the picture and then said, ¡°Send me back to the hospital. Ah Yong, get me the third item that¡¯s being auctioned. I don¡¯t care how much it costs. I must have it.¡±

    When his deep voice finished his instruction, he tossed away the invitation and the auction list in his hand.

    The man in front who was named Ah Yong flexibly caught it as he asked, ¡°Return to the hotel? Boss, are we not returning to the vi anymore?¡±

    ¡°You have a load of crap to say recently! Remember, don¡¯t let anyone realize that it was you who bid for this item. Make it clean, understand?¡± the man softly reprimanded in a dangerous tone.

    The man named Ah Yong could obviously hear the man¡¯s dissatisfaction, so he quickly assured, ¡°Yes, Boss, please don¡¯t be angry. I promise that I¡¯llplete the mission smoothly! Right, Boss, I checked that Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi already flew to France before the New Year. ording to inside news from Glory World, they went to prepare for new market developments, so they won¡¯t be back so soon.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one more news. Xi Xiaye gave birth to a son for Mu Yuchen on the first day of the New Year. They named him Mu Zicheng. Because he was premature, they¡¯re still in Hospital T now. Mu Yuchen protected them well, and he¡¯s been personally taking care of them.¡±

    When Ah Yong finished, the man immediately sneered in disdain. ¡°Mu Yuchen, you¡¯ve been quite lucky recently. May you be lucky till the end.¡±

    ¡°Boss, the third auction item is just a very valuable pen. Its value as a collector¡¯s item doesn¡¯t look as high as the other things. Why...¡±

    ¡°Ah Yong, you¡¯re crossing the line.¡± The man¡¯s tone was filled with a warning, surprising Ah Yong who subconsciously trembled. He then stammered nervously, ¡°S-sorry, Boss!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯ll be no more next time!¡± said the man coldly.

 Chapter 732 - Auction (3)

    <h4>Chapter 732: Auction (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As night fell, the temperature dropped a lot too. City B was a little colder than City Z. The evening sky had just turned dark, and the entire city was engulfed in the cold drafts.

    Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo reached City B past 5 p.m. in the evening. As Zhou Zimo suggested, the two buddies made a trip to the hot springs, changed their clothes, and had a simple dinner before it was already 8 p.m. The auction was scheduled for 9 p.m. that night.

    The De Bao Auction was held at the lower ground hall of Hua Tian Hotel in City B. It was arge-scale auction that involved not just this city but severalrger cities around as well. A myriad of items was put up for bidding, yet the people that could enter the auction venue were also people of considerable status. Those from the lower levels to the higher ranks could enter, but of course, they needed an invitation from the auction. These invitations did not have names written. As long as you fit that social status and you had the invitation, you could enter.

    The auction was also a ce for people to spend their money recklessly. It was essentially a recreational center that saw many nouveau riche gathering together.

    At that moment, the parking lot outside the hotel was already filled with cars. In front of the staircase before the hotel, luxurious cars passed through from time to time whilst people in vibrant and neat clothes entered the hotel in an endless stream. Of course, you could also see many fashionably dressed women beaming as they walked in hand-in-hand with their male partners. Many of those women were familiar faces on TV screens.

    The Bentley drove through the night, draped in cold winds, as it slowly stopped in front of Hua Tian Hotel.

    The car had just stopped when the valet quickly walked up to help open the door.

    ¡°Looks like this ce is bustling.¡± Zhou Zimo fixed his tie a little and straightened his zer before leisurely getting down from the car.

    Mu Yuchen locked his phone and simply took a windbreaker from the side to put on. He got down from the car too. Dressed in a low-profile ck suit with a huge pair of shades to cover his face, the crowd could not see his features clearly. Zhou Zimo was in a simr get-up.

    ¡°Master, Master Mo! You¡¯re here!¡±

    The two buddies had just gotten down the car when Ah Bao swiftly came out to meet them. Clearly, he had been waiting on them for quite a while.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he pulled at the windbreaker on his shoulders before walking into the hotel in huge strides. Zhou Zimo followed after him.

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve already booked the private room, and I¡¯ve already gotten in contact with the people. Once the suspect appears, we can definitely find out more about them. It¡¯s less than five minutes to the auction, and most of the people are already here too. I¡¯ve also told the buddies to watch out. All¡¯s normal, so don¡¯t worry, Master.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took over the cigarette box that Zhou Zimo handed him. He slid a stick out to light up. Taking a puff, he then said calmly, ¡°Good. Later on, remember to watch out for everyone whopetes for the bid. Don¡¯t let anyone out of your sight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Master, Master Mo, please use this VIP path. It goes straight to the private room upstairs.¡±

    They followed Ah Mo through the authentication area, and the two of them reached the private room very quickly. The room that Ah Mo reserved had very good visibility, so they could see the situation below through the window upstairs. The auction took ce right in the middle of the hall which was in a circr shape. Above the auction stage was a super huge screen with eight facets that erged the auctioned items much more to be disyed very clearly.

    Inside the luxurious andfortable room, two beautiful and enchanting female attendants in sexy and tight bodycon dresses were steeping tea for Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo.

    Mu Yuchen took off his windbreaker and sat down as he nced indifferently at the girls who were bent over with their fair bosoms ready to spill anytime. Their heavy perfume filled the air. He immediately frowned and did not feel anything for the members of the fairer sex, so he immediately chased them out.

    ¡°You two, go down.¡±

    ¡°Mister, I¡¯m Meng Lu. Are you not happy with my service?¡±

    The attractive woman¡¯s face shed with an extremely charming smile. She exuded a wild aura all over her while her beautiful eyes released a provoking light. She draped one hand over his shoulder and was about to sit on Mu Yuchen¡¯sp.

    Unexpectedly, Mu Yuchen was swift enough. He took the menu from the table and put it on the woman¡¯s face as he slowly pushed her away. His t and deep voice sounded bone-chilling cold as he said, ¡°The two of you, go down. We don¡¯t need your service here.¡±

    ¡°Mister!¡± A sweet voice piped up.

    ¡°Ah Bao, clean this up!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Bao responded and quickly called for the bodyguards outside to escort the two women out.

    Zhou Zimo could not help but lift a hand to massage the space between his brows as he teased, ¡°You¡¯re so serious even when we¡¯re out to y. This is City B. You don¡¯t have to worry about yourmanding officer back home checking up on you. No wonder Su Chen said that you¡¯re bing less and less fun.¡± Then, he started to steep some tea.

    Mu Yuchen epted the tea with a in expression. With a sip, he said before looking downwards again, ¡°Just based on what you said, if I told the two elders back home about this, they would punish the two of you too.¡±

    ¡°I suddenly feel like that we¡¯re both still single right now mostly because of you.¡±

    ¡°If you like these uncultured women, I¡¯ll get them to prepare ten of them for you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks... Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy it! I also like those hipsters. I can¡¯t handle these types. Mmm, looks like many people havee tonight. Just look at those people across us. If I remember correctly, they all seem to be well-known families in City B. I just wonder if the legendary Gu family would send anyone over. I did hear that Madam Roris is also an antique-collecting hobbyist. Do you remember? She almost became your mother-inw. She was quite a famous beauty back then too.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s chuckle contained a hint of anticipation as he continued, ¡°Look at Gu Lingsha. I don¡¯t want to say anything, but in terms of appearance, I really can¡¯t find that many more women who are better-looking than her. You must know that her foreign mother is quite a beauty with a unique charm.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when you became such a shallow person that you¡¯d nit-pick about these unrted women.¡± Mu Yuchen took a light sip of tea and responded, ¡°Aren¡¯t they all just with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, I got it. Only your woman has womanly features of gentleness and beauty. Everyone else is the same. There aren¡¯t even any differences between male and female, okay?¡± Zhou Zimo shrugged.

    ¡°Otherwise? Even if they could be called beautiful, could they be yours?¡±

    ¡°No, they can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°So, what I have is the best. Alright, look over there.¡±

 Chapter 733 - Auction (4)

    <h4>Chapter 733: Auction (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Zhou Zimo turned towards the direction Mu Yuchen was facing, he noticed that there was a fuss at the entrance. With raised eyebrows, he saw several bodyguards rush in. Two slender figures appeared behind them.

    Two women walked in. More specifically, they were a mother-daughter pair.

    The one on the left was a blonde woman wearing a plunging long ck dress. She had a ruby red shawl over her shoulders, and her blonde hair was tied into a bun. Blessed with an angelic face and a great voluptuous figure, she appeared elegant and beautiful, and seemed to only be around 30 years old. Many people were impressed by her beauty!

    She was City B¡¯s well-known Mrs. Gu, Gu Qiwu¡¯s wife, Doris!

    Beside her was another woman in a dark purple dress. She had a warm smile on her face while she exuded a noble elegance and was an overwhelming beauty. It was Gu Lingsha!

    ¡°Gu Lingsha?¡± Zhou Zimo was surprised. Doubt niggled in his mind as he looked at the two figures. ¡°When did she return to City B? She was still in City Z just a while ago, wasn¡¯t she?¡± He looked at Mu Yuchen who was calmly drinking his tea while his eyes were filled with surprise.

    Compared to him, Mu Yuchen was very calm about it. He nced over at the two women below. Due to their exceptional beauty and uniqueness, many people were impressed by them, and were even charmed, especially when Doris nced at the crowd. The beatific smiles on their faces were unbelievable.

    They could not react otherwise.

    ¡°This is insane! The two of them are experts at seducing people! Look at that! Look! What an embarrassment to men!¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked over in the direction Zhou Zimo was pointing at. A man was staring at Doris and Gu Lingsha intently as his hands were covering a part below his belly.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes froze over. He did not seem to care at all as he ignored Gu Lingsha and Doris and started ying with his teacup.

    ¡°That woman is Doris, isn¡¯t she? What a well-known beauty! As expected of her, I finally know where Gu Lingsha inherited her beauty from! Gu Qiwu is pretty good-looking himself. It¡¯s no wonder they have such a beautiful daughter with their genesbined. However, Gu Lingsha is still a level below her mother. After all, Doris is a true noble. What do you think?¡±

    Zhou Zimo took a sip of his tea and enjoyed the view of the two women walking by.

    ¡°I noticed that you really like toment on womentely. So, are their standards enough for you?¡± Mu Yuchen gave him a mysterious grin while his eyes looked a little creepy as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying what I feel. Their beauty is obvious, but they aren¡¯t as simple inside as their appearance on the outside.¡± Doris and Gu Lingsha arrived at their room just as Zhou Zimo spoke.

    ¡°To be honest, if you actually married a wily person like Gu Lingsha back then, I wonder if the Mu family would get better or if she would¡¯ve ruined them. Look at the Qi family now. Qi Qiming and Wang Qin are at war every day. You should know about this better than me.¡± Zhou Zimo gave Mu Yuchen a meaningful nce as heughed nervously.

    Mu Yuchen leaned his back against the chair and said, ¡°Do you think she¡¯s worthy? Do I look like a man who needs a woman to help him?¡± His voice sounded stiff as he took another sip of his tea before he continued, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in her. Moreover, I don¡¯t like women like her that assume she¡¯s smarter than everyone. Even if we really got married, I¡¯d just leave her aside and keep her under control.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded. ¡°That does sound like what you¡¯d do, but you¡¯re lucky. Xi Xiaye is so much better than her.¡±

    Mu Yuchen understood Zhou Zimo¡¯s hint, so he smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯tpare her to Xiaye. They¡¯re not on the same level. I wouldn¡¯t be so worried about Xiaye if her mental fortitude was half as strong as hers.¡±

    Zhou Zimo seemed interested as he grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a good sign that you¡¯re liking your woman more and more. I¡¯m sure the two of you will stay together forever.¡±

    Mu Yuchen just smiled and did not reply. Meanwhile, his gaze was fixed on the auction stand at the bottom.

    The auctioneer was prepared when they were talking, and the auction officially started when the bell rang!

    ¡°Be alert,¡± Ah Bao gave his orders as he buckled himself up. He was staring at the auction stand intently.

    The auctioneer was a middle-aged man wearing a suit.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, good evening! Thank you for attending our auction tonight. As usual, there will be 15 items up for bidding this time. The rules are the same as before. With that, I hereby announce that the auction has officially begun!¡±

    The crowd gave a round of apuse following the auctioneer¡¯s opening speech. The apuse died down after several seconds.

    ¡°Thank you! Please be quiet now. Let¡¯s take a look at our first item tonight.¡±

    The lights in the hall suddenly dimmed, leaving only the wall lights and the spotlights on the auction stand. Thedy presenter pressed a button in the middle of the stage, and an exhibition case slowly rose from the floor. Inside the transparent ss was a Buddhist bead bracelet that was magnified on the huge screen in the back.

    Roughly 80 exquisitely-crafted light-colored beads were threaded into a refined bracelet.

    The auctioneer started introducing the bracelet while Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo traded nces at each other.

    ¡°Is this bracelet that rare? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s diamond or anything.¡± Zhou Zimo was in doubt.

    ¡°Would you think that it was rare if I told you it¡¯s a Chen Xiang Buddhist bracelet?¡±

 Chapter 734 - Auction (5)

    <h4>Chapter 734: Auction (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A Chen Xiang Buddhist bracelet?

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes widened as he heard the term from Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°From the looks of the color, it should be worth at least $2 million,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke again as he looked at the photos on the screen.

    ¡°Seriously? Which idiot is selling this? Shouldn¡¯t this be kept as a collection?¡± Zhou Zimo felt heartbroken for it.

    As expected, there was a huge reaction from the crowd when the auctioneer introduced this bracelet.

    Most of the middle-aged poption were Buddhists. As their positions got higher and their sries started to grow, they were more inclined to believe in religion and <i>fengshui </i>.

    The same applied to Wang Hui as well. She would light up some incense every morning and pray for the family¡¯s safety.

    ¡°The starting price for this bracelet is $2 million. Each bid must be no less than $30,000. The bidding starts now!¡±

    Just as Mu Yuchen predicted.

    ¡°$2.1 million!¡±

    ¡°$2.3 million!¡±

    ¡°$2.5 million!¡±

    ...

    The value of an item that was auctioned could go up several times of its original price, and it could go up even further for rare items like this.

    After a round of bidding, the bid reached $4 million. The bids were getting fewer. Since this was only the first item and more wereing outter, the crowd nned to wait for the other items.

    ¡°$4.5 million! This sir over here is offering $4.5 million. Is there anyone else? $4.5 million, once!¡±

    ¡°$4.5 million, twice!¡±

    ¡°$4.5 million...¡±

    ¡°$5 million.¡±

    Right before the auctioneer made the final call, Mu Yuchen nced at Ah Bao and he quickly took action.

    The auctioneer was overjoyed. No one else made a higher bid, so Mu Yuchen won the Buddhist bracelet.

    ¡°That¡¯s some good stuff, but I remember that you¡¯re not a believer, and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a collector, are you?¡± Zhou Zimo gave Mu Yuchen an odd nce.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply and just returned the nce. Then, Zhou Zimo shrugged.

    The second item up for auction was a golden te embedded with many different jewels. It was a very valuable collector¡¯s item. A collector bought it at the price of $7 million.

    After some cheering, the auctioneer smiled. ¡°It seems like the auction this time is getting more fired up than thest one. Next up, let¡¯s have our third item of the day!¡±

    Under a blue spotlight, an exquisite pen was presented on stage.

    Zhou Zimo was shocked because he had seen this pen before!

    He stared at the pen for a few moments before looking at Mu Yuchen. ¡°This is what you mean by something interesting? It¡¯s a huge risk! Wouldn¡¯t you have wasted it if that person didn¡¯te? How are you going to exin it to Lingshi?¡±

    ¡°This is why I wanted you toe.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had a creepy and wicked smile on his face!

    Zhou Zimo finally understood his n, and he almost punched him as he started yelling at him, ¡°What the hell!? You cunning fox! No wonder you were so nice to go for a sauna and massage with me. This is what you nned! How sinister! I¡¯m ashamed as a fellow businessman! You bastard!¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled elegantly and took a sip of tea. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I had someone appraise this pen. The sapphire embedded on it is worth more than the Buddhist bracelet just now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo thought to himself before concluding, ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that the man who gave this to Aunty Zixi must be a rich person! A small gift like this costs several million. We¡¯ll be able to find out who is it if we can confirm that he¡¯s in City B!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t put in so much effort and benefits for the De Bao Trading auction for nothing. Hopefully, we can limit the scope to City B. After trying to find that man for so many years without any clue, that man is purposely making it difficult to sniff him out.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that we can get to him this time. It¡¯s starting soon! Look!¡± Zhou Zimo patted his shoulder before sitting back down. ¡°I¡¯m going to say this upfront. This is nearly a whole year¡¯s worth of my expenses at Imperial Sky Entertainment City. You¡¯d better give me a gold card for free!¡±

    ¡°Since when have you and Su Chen ever paid when you guys were there?¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged. ¡°Fine, whatever!¡±

    The auctioneer finished the introduction, announcing the starting bid at $2 million as well. Ah Bao was watching everyone who ced their bids carefully.

    ¡°$3.7 million! Anyone offering higher than this?¡±

    ¡°$4 million!¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice. Mu Yuchen looked over at the voice source, and saw that it was Gu Lingsha!

    There was a short silence afterward as someone else then yelled, ¡°$4.1 million!¡±

    ¡°$4.5 million!¡± Gu Lingsha sounded determined.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze turned sharp as he nced over at each and every corner from where the voices cing the bids came from.

    ¡°$4.6 million!¡± The man who ced the earlier bid before continued.

    ¡°$5 million!¡± Gu Lingsha seemed determined to get this pen as she was gunning her bids aggressively.

    ¡°What is Gu Lingsha doing? Could she know that this pen was Lingtian¡¯s? Or is she a collector herself? This is insane!¡±

    Zhou Zimo frowned as he looked at the booth where Gu Lingsha was at in confusion.

    In contrast, Mu Yuchen did not seem very affected. He looked like he was deep in thought as his grip on the teacup tightened.

    ¡°Chen, it¡¯s $5 million now. Should we do something?¡± Zhou Zimo looked at Mu Yuchen anxiously.

    ¡°Wait just a little bit more.¡± Mu Yuchen came back to his senses and looked down. ¡°The person who gave her this pen must know the true origins of it. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s wondering how the pen appeared here.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 735 - Auction (6)

    <h4>Chapter 735: Auction (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo touched his nose and said, ¡°True. That person surely knows the origin of this pen if he gave it to Aunty Zixi. Chen, are you betting on his feelings for Aunty Zixi? I¡¯m really starting to think this isn¡¯t working. We¡¯d be doing all these for nothing if he doesn¡¯t show up.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened suddenly as he sipped some tea and took a deep breath before leaning back against the chair. ¡°On Lingtian¡¯s birthday, there was a cake before Lingtian¡¯s grave. We saw a man but only got his back because he avoided us on purpose, and he knew Aunty liked lilies. Ah Mo asked the guard there and found out that someone would send a bouquet of lilies over on the 15th of every month.

    ¡°At first, I thought it was Sis Lan, so I called the flower shop and found out that it was a 10-year order from a woman. I only found out it wasn¡¯t her after I asked her about it. I think it should be someone close to Lingtian and Aunty, and there¡¯s only one person that fits the role,¡± Mu Yuchen exined calmly.

    ¡°That¡¯s Lingtian and Lingshi¡¯s father! Do you mean that man still has feelings for Aunty Zixi?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, but I hope I¡¯ll get lucky.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked down. The man just now offered $5.2 million after Gu Lingsha ced a bid of $5 million. Gu Lingsha then offered $5.5 million and the whole venue went silent.

    ¡°$5.5 million! Great! Thisdy over here has ced a bid of $5.5 million. Is there anyone with a higher price? $5.5 million, once!¡±

    ¡°$5.5 million, twice!¡±

    ¡°$5.5 million-¡±

    ¡°$6 million.¡± As the auctioneer was about to m his hammer, another offer was made. Zhou Zimo and Ah Mo both noticed the bidder who had not made any offer just now.

    ¡°$6.5 million!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice was heard loud and clear momentster.

    ¡°$7 million!¡± The man continued with another offer, and Zhou Zimo squinted as he nced at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen turned to Ah Bao and said, ¡°Find out about that person, and investigate Gu Lingsha¡¯s purpose of bidding for the pen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°Then, we...¡± Zhou Zimo chuckled, ¡°Gu Lingsha really helped us out big time. I never expected her to be so desperate for this pen. It seems like she does care about Lingtian.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that it¡¯s not for Doris? Lingtian preserved this pen very well and rarely showed it to anyone. I¡¯m not sure if Gu Lingsha has seen it before. It¡¯s way too early to make any conclusions now, so let¡¯s wait and see.¡± Mu Yuchen was being oddly cautious.

    ¡°$8 million!¡±

    Despite just being a pen, its price had skyrocketed 4 times higher than its starting price! How impressive!

    ¡°$8.5 million!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s sounded a little angry, proving just how desperate she was to get it.

    The man hidden inside his room was about to continue bidding, but a bodyguard suddenly went up to him and handed him a phone. ¡°Bro Yong, it¡¯s Boss!¡±

    Ah Yong quickly picked it up. ¡°Boss?¡±

    ¡°Give up right now and leave through the back exit. Hurry. I¡¯ve arranged for a car to pick you up.¡± A man¡¯s deep voice came through the phone, and the call was hung up before Ah Yong could reply.

    Ah Yong nced at the pen before punching the table frustratedly and leaving the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    His two bodyguards quickly followed him.

    Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo waited for a while and noticed that the man from earlier did not increase his bid anymore, so the auctioneer raised his hammer.

    ¡°Hmm, that man doesn¡¯t seem to be cing any more bids. That¡¯s odd. He was pretty loud when he bid $8 million, but he¡¯s running away now? What should we do? Increase the bid?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s fine to let her get it. I want to know what she¡¯s going to do with it too. Ah Bao, that man might have left already. Make sure to find him and don¡¯t lose him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Bao quickly left the room after giving a brief reply.

    In the end, Gu Lingsha won the bid with $8.5 million dors.

    There were still a lot of rare collector items after that, but Gu Lingsha never ced any bids again.

    It was 10.30 p.m. when the auction ended.

    Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo arrived outside the hotel through the VIP route while Li Si had already arranged for a car to fetch them.

    ¡°Master, are we heading back to City Z straight?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned. ¡°Is there no news from Ah Bao yet?¡±

    ¡°I just received news. The car went straight towards the outskirts area. Ah Bao also noticed another group in pursuit apart from us. Worried he might get noticed, he let the other group go in front. Ah Bao kind of heard that someone called Bro Yong is involved.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing as Li Si finished his sentence. It was from Ah Bao.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I lost them. The other group probably noticed us too, so I told our group to disperse. We found out...¡± Ah Bao sounded apologetic.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s talk about the specifics back at the hotel.¡± Mu Yuchen hung up on the call while his eyes darkened.

    ¡°We¡¯re not going back to City Z?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°We might as well sort things out since we¡¯re here already. Let¡¯s return to the hotel for now.¡±

    ¡°Alright, back to the hotel.¡±

    ...

    At the same time, in Hospital T in City Z, Xi Xiaye had just finished feeding her son. The nurse came and took the baby away after he fell asleep. Momentster, Mu Tangchuan came in with Zhuang Shurong apanying her for the night.

    ¡°Have something to eat. You¡¯ll tend to get hungry at night. Your father just returned from an event, and he brought you some snacks and porridge from the hotel. Here, have some,¡± Zhuang Shurong said as she grabbed the things from Mu Tangchuan.

 Chapter 736 - Meeting Again After Six Years (1)

    <h4>Chapter 736: Meeting Again After Six Years (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye wanted to reject their offer because she did not feel quite hungry, yet she did not have the heart to reject their kind gesture.

    Mu Tangchuan was rushing over for a dinner party, and he felt that the restaurant¡¯s pastries were not bad. In fact, his own wife was taking care of their daughter-inw at the hospital too, so he brought some pastries over.

    ¡°Thank you, Father, Mother.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan, who stood behind Zhuang Shurong by the bedside, nodded and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your mother fancies these little pastries. They¡¯re only slightly sweet and not too greasy, so they should suit your taste too. If you want anything, just let your mother-inw or grandmother make it for you.¡±

    ¡°Mother and Grandmother have been stewingvish meals for me every day. There¡¯s been a different vor a day. I can¡¯t say for sure, but Grandmother and Mother¡¯s skills are wonderful. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m recovering very well, but I¡¯m just worried that when this confinement¡¯s over, my figure...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye responded, she sat up with disheveled hair. Zhuang Shurong considerately fixed her hat and coat. ¡°Be careful. You have to eat more with this physique of yours. Don¡¯t get sick during your confinement. Otherwise, when you get older, you¡¯ll be the one suffering. I remember when I gave birth to Ah Chen, I became much fatter, and I even put on 10 kilograms from before I was pregnant.¡±

    When Zhuang Shurong finished, Mu Tangchuan answered for her from behind, ¡°15 kilograms.¡±

    As Mu Tangchuan said this, he was immediately met with a dangerous re from Zhuang Shurong. He then turned around and cleared his throat. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s getting quitete now. You can rest when you¡¯re done eating. Tonight, your mother will be apanying you, so I¡¯ll be going back first.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan hinted at Zhuang Shurong with his gaze, his intentions clear. He wanted her to send her off.

    Zhuang Shurong ignored him and handed the porridge to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye took the bowl and smiled through pursed lips. ¡°Mother, how about you go back with Father first? I¡¯m fine here. I can already get down from the bed and move around anyway. There are bodyguards outside and personal nurses. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s the eighth day of the New Year tomorrow, and you two have to go to work. Really, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Well, Xiaye, I just have some things to discuss with your mother. Later on, she¡¯ll still look after you. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mu Tangchuan said, and held Zhuang Shurong by the arm as he walked out of the door.

    When Xi Xiaye saw this, she could only shake her head. Then, she silently lowered her head to have the porridge.

    After she had half a small bowl, she did not continue. She drank a few gulps of warm water, and the phone that was set aside on the table vibrated. She quickly picked up to hear that it was the man.

    ¡°Hello? Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, haven¡¯t slept yet?¡± His deep and sensitive voice immediately came from the other end.

    ¡°Not yet. Earlier, the baby was hungry. Then, Father brought some pastries over. They¡¯re quite good. How¡¯s your thinging along?¡± She propped herself up and pulled up the nket as she asked.

    ¡°Mmm, not bad, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to go home tonight. There are still some things to handle, so I n to stay here for a bit more. Are you okay on your own?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m an adult, and I can take care of myself. Besides, Mother and the rest have been watching me. Mr. Mu, why do I find that you¡¯re getting more and more long-winded like you¡¯re reaching andropause or something?¡± Xi Xiaye was finding his cautious tone a little unusual.

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you won¡¯t feelfortable with them. What a heartless woman!¡±

    ¡°If you let Father and Mother hear this, they probably won¡¯t be happy. How ufortable could we be as a family? I think it¡¯s quite okay. Grandmother and Mother have been taking care of me well these few days. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been trapped inside this ward for many days, so I¡¯m feeling a little miserable.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed and held her head, feeling a little distressed.

    ¡°Be patient. You can go home in another two days. Now, do you know that it¡¯s tough?¡± His chuckle was heard, sounding warm in her ears.

    ¡°I don¡¯t find it tough. Mr. Mu, we have a son now. Let¡¯s have a daughter too.¡± As Xi Xiaye said this, her eyes brimmed with a hopeful light. She must satisfy his wish of having a daughter.

    While looking at the scenery by the balcony, Mu Yuchen suddenlyughed. He gazed down at the alternating flickers from the streetlights and cars, and a faint tenderness surfaced on his handsome face. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister on. Our son¡¯s still young now. What are you rushing for?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m rushing. I¡¯m already 28. When he¡¯s two years old, I¡¯ll be 30. After that, I¡¯ll really be at an advanced maternal age. I want you to promise me first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t have to keep bugging me about this question. With Xiao Ru, we have two sons now. We¡¯ll wait till you can get used to it. Do you really think raising children is easy?¡±

    With her health, Doctor Huang had said that it would not be easy for her to get pregnant again, so he could only console her.

    ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t simple, I can handle it. I trust in my abilities!¡±

    Xi Xiaye made a solemn vow. She would only knowter on how tough it would be to persist. No, Mu Yuchen would be the one suffering. She had already be the queen of the household, so how could he bear to let her suffer?

    They had just hung up when Zhou Zimo called out in the house. Mu Yuchen smiled and put away his phone before his expression returned to its usual silence and calm.

    Li Si, who was waiting on the side, immediately went up when he saw Mu Yuchen as he reported, ¡°Master, Ah Bao¡¯s back. He¡¯s right outside.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and went to sit on the sofa. ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Drink up a little.¡± Zhou Zimo handed him a ss of liquor.

    Ah Bao briskly walked in with a gloomy expression. He bowed respectfully towards Mu Yuchen. ¡°Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head to take a sip before he said calmly, ¡°Exin the situation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Our people were following that car earlier, and we turned into Xicheng district¡¯s traffic port. Then, we realized that apart from us, a group of people was following the car in front too. They followed them all the way towards the road to suburbs from Xicheng district. Because I was worried about being noticed, I gave up on following them, but I noticed that those people seem to be from City B too. Afterward, they lost them,¡± Ah Bao answered.

    ¡°Does that mean you didn¡¯t get anything from your trip this time?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze instantly turned dark, and his tone contained a hint of coldness too.

    ¡°That might not be true, Master!¡± Ah Bao answered and took a step forward as he continued, ¡°I know one of them who was among those also chasing after them! As long as I find him to understand the situation, and see who they were trailing after, we¡¯ll know the identities of those people!¡±

 Chapter 737 - Meeting Again After Six Years (2)

    <h4>Chapter 737: Meeting Again After Six Years (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Ah Bao finished his narration, Mu Yuchen¡¯s profound eyes suddenly shed with a cold light. He noticed the gaze that Zhou Zimo was giving him, and he returned the look with depth too. Then, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Ah Bao. ¡°How much time do you need to find that person?¡±

    Ah Bao bowed slightly and responded, ¡°We¡¯ll definitely find him by noon tomorrow!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you one day. In one day, you have to find that person and find out why they were chasing after that person in front. Also, find a way to find out who they¡¯re working for.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go investigate right away!¡± Ah Bao responded, then rushed down.

    When he heard the door close, Mu Yuchen looked up at Li Si. ¡°Have you found out more about Gu Lingsha?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t found out much for now. After the auction ended, our people have been secretly following Doris and Gu Lingsha. We realize that the mother and daughter went to VR Spa. We haven¡¯t gotten any news until now, so they haven¡¯t left for sure.¡±

    ¡°This mother and daughter really do know how to enjoy themselves. At VR Luxury Spa, there are only 88 members. It¡¯s where the nouveau riche and aristocrats gather as a symbol of status. It¡¯s a money-squandering establishment inside. Even if you have the money, you might not be able to get a membership card as long as the name list is full. Hmm, how did they get in?¡± Zhou Zimo finished the drink in his ss at a go and asked in mystification.

    ¡°Master Mo, don¡¯t you already know? The Gu family is very close to the boss. The member card that Doris has was arranged for behind closed doors. You can tell how nice he is to his wife, Doris! No wonder Gu Lingsha has the guts to be so prideful.¡±

    When Li Si recalled Gu Lingsha¡¯s elegant and noble face, he only thought it was pretentious. Their Director Xi, their Missus, was better. Even though she also had a celebrated status, she was like their low-profile Master. Most importantly, she was a friendly person and was kind to everyone. She did not discriminate when it came to treating others.

    Gu Lingsha was different. Previously, when she was not with Master but with Mu Yinan, he had been in contact quite a few times with Gu Lingsha. Gu Lingsha had always been self-righteous. Even though she seemed courteous on the surface, she was actually very distant, and her tone when she spoke sounded odd.

    Li Si felt repelled by her instinctively.

    ¡°Is it Gu Qiwu? I did hear that Gu Qiwu is quite loyal to his woman, Doris. Years ago, to get her, he did sacrifice a lot, and in the end, he did win the belle. They have been loving up till now. They are a fine example of a husband and wife, aren¡¯t they, Li Si?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did hear some rumors about Gu Qiwu and Doris.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but Doris really does have a way of making her man spoil her. Look at when she stood with Gu Lingsha. They don¡¯t look like mother and daughter but sisters. She¡¯s already over 50 years old, yet she still looks like a young and delicatedy. You can see that this woman¡¯s quality of life must be pretty luxurious,¡± Li Si quickly responded.

    ¡°Two bloody-sucking evil spirits!¡± Zhou Zimo flicked away some strands of hair that fell on his forehead. When he remembered the way those two women had waltzed in and caused quite a few reactions, he could not help but sigh. ¡°At such a huge asion, she was still dressed all sinister-like at her age. It¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t really like her, Chen.¡±

    As he spoke, he nced at Mu Yuchen with an odd expression.

    Nheless, Mu Yuchen just nced at him with a lukewarm gaze. He suddenly sneered and said something shocking, ¡°¡®Evil spirits¡¯ is a good term to me, so don¡¯t insult this term. They are only fitting to be two leeches.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said that, Zhou Zimo spat his drink out and felt goosebumps. After trembling slightly, he subconsciously winced and shrunk his body!

    Leech!

    A disgusted fear shed past in Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes. He eased himself for quite a while and then nodded vigorously. ¡°Leeches! Chen, you¡¯re so imaginative! In fact, nothing can describe them better. They are beyond disgusting, focused on blood-sucking, and they can¡¯t be rid off. Even just thinking about it makes me scared.¡±

    Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo were three buddies who used to frequently have training in the wild when they were still in the army, so they would always bump into such creepy crawlies. Zhou Zimo still had lingering fears, and he felt rather disgusted and afraid of those things.

    Meanwhile, Li Si could not help butugh out loud. Although Mu Yuchen remained seated with an indifferent expression, he looked solemn, thus it was hard to imagine that such harsh words had juste out of his mouth.

    ¡°Li Si, go investigate how it¡¯s like near Doyle Street. Think of a way to find out about the exact location of Xiang She Residences. We¡¯ll go over to take a look tomorrow. Watch Gu Lingsha closely and find out what she¡¯s trying to do.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master. Right, Master, the mother and daughter pair entered VR Spa. Do you think they¡¯re doing anything inside? Could they have just handed over the pen they bid for to someone else, or do some kind of transaction with someone else?¡± Li Si stoppedughing then and shared his suspicion.

    With a sigh, Mu Yuchen turned to take a look at Zhou Zimo with a knowing gaze. ¡°I should¡¯ve brought Su Chen over.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen? Why? Do you think that little amount of money in his card could help you win the bid for that pen?¡± Zhou Zimo whined unhappily.

    ¡°But that police badge he wears is much more useful than the card on you,¡± Mu Yuchen retorted and then slowly got up to walk towards his room.

    ¡°He kind of makes sense too. Well, it¡¯ste. Quickly wash up and sleep then. Chen, I¡¯m sleeping with you tonight!¡± Zhou Zimo followed him.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fine, you¡¯re making it seem as if you haven¡¯t slept with me before.¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡± His deep and cold voice reverberated while a slipper flew towards Zhou Zimo.

    Evading it, Zhou Zimo did aical action toward Li Si before running to his room. Li Si was stunned before he left the room while suppressing hisughter.

    These two buddies might be quite serious on the daily, but once they were yful, it would truly make one widen their eyes. If Master Su Chen was around, it would be even livelier here. Sometimes, Li Si admired their brotherhood.

    They grew up together, went to school together, yed together, and after that even went to the military academy together and served in the same troop. These life experiences shaped them. Many people wished they could have this, but all of that could be attributed to the foresight of their family elders.

    Alright, he had to go watch Gu Lingsha now!

    Li Si carefully closed the door and then rushed toward VR Spa.

 Chapter 738 - Meeting Again After Six Years (3)

    <h4>Chapter 738: Meeting Again After Six Years (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At night on the seventh day of the New Year, City B returned to its usual bustle. With the celebration of the New Year these past few days, the entire city had been emptier than usual, yet tomorrow would be the first day back to work. With that in mind, many people returned to the city, so the entire city returned to its usual flourish.

    Outside the VR Spa, Li Si was seated in the car.

    Li Si stared at the spa entrance as he asked, ¡°Anything new?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re still inside. Bro Bao has already arranged for some of our guys to block the back door. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Li Si nodded as he pushed his sleeve up to take a nce at the watch on his wrist. The time showed that it was close to 1 a.m. He thought to himself, ¡®These two women had so much time in there. It¡¯s already past midnight, and they¡¯re still there. Doris really knows how to enjoy herself. Does Gu Qiwu not care?¡¯

    He found it a little odd as he thought about this.

    While Li Si was deep in his thoughts, the bodyguard on the side called out, ¡°Assistant Li, they¡¯re out!¡±

    Li Si was alert as he quickly put away his thoughts and looked at the entrance of the spa. Indeed, they saw that Doris and Gu Lingsha were cheerfully leaving the ce before getting into a luxury car.

    ¡°Follow them, but be careful. Don¡¯t let them notice us! I¡¯ll go in to take a look.¡± Li Si quickly ordered and then got down from the car.

    Mu Yuchen had found a way to get into the spa with his partner, CEO Li¡¯s help, so he should be there.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Quickly, the ck cars left the spa one after another.

    Actually, the night was not quite peaceful. The next morning, just when they had finished their breakfast, Li Si returned with the guys, but Ah Bao was nowhere to be seen.

    Mu Yuchen set aside the cutlery in his hand, and took a napkin to wipe his mouth as he looked at Li Si by the table and asked calmly, ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡±

    Li Si bowed respectfully and said, ¡°We found out that Doris and Gu Lingsha really did hang out at VR Spa for the entire night. They only left at dawn, but they didn¡¯t get in touch with anyone else in between, so the pen should still be with them. ording to the people at spa, the mother and daughter pair have been frequenting the spa, especially Doris.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard the update, he immediately asked, ¡°Did you ask whether Gu Qiwu often went with her?¡±

    Li Si shook his head. ¡°We asked. Those attendants say that they¡¯ve never seen Gu Qiwu apany Doris there. Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s quite busy too, so he wouldn¡¯t have the time to apany this woman for such pastime. Doris is a dame raised in a rich household. She doesn¡¯t even need to go to work, but Gu Qiwu¡¯s different. He¡¯s managing the entire Hui Gu Corporation alone. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s worn out. Right, Master, I¡¯ve checked Hui Gu Corporation. It seems like because of poor management, they¡¯ve been a little tight on funds.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s dignified expression was grave as he fell into deep thought. Even when Zhou Zimo called out to him several times, he did not move and his gaze flickered, so you could not tell how he felt at the moment.

    A while passed before he tossed the napkin in his hand down and stood up unhurriedly. ¡°Get the address of Xiang She Residences. Prepare the car. We¡¯ll go over for a look right now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡±

    Xiang She Residences was in the north of City B around the old city area. While there were quite a few old looking buildings on the side, of course, there were also new streets and newly built buildings. However, with the old and new mixed, it did not look very harmonious.

    The car slowly drove past the wide Doyle Street, and after making a huge turn, they reached a somewhat old alley.

    ¡°Master, Master Mo, we¡¯re here. The map shows that it¡¯s right here.¡± Li Si had just finished when Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo already got down from the car.

    They followed Li Si¡¯s gaze and looked over to see a very quiet alley with green gstonesid on the pavements. On one side was a tall wall, while the other side had an old house that had not been demolished. A tall building that rose steeply from the ground level was on the other side of that wall, and in the middle was this road with green gstones separating them was a very clear divider line.

    ¡°Master, that exit used to be the exit of Xiang She Residences. There were more than ten vis in the residence, but now they¡¯ve all been relocated. That tall building over there was the old address of Xiang She Residences. Now, traces of Xiang She Residences can¡¯t be found anymore.¡±

    Li Si looked pitifully at those high rise buildings. ¡°I heard that those high-rises have only just been built in recent years. Xiang She Residences used to be a ce where only the rich and powerful could purchase. If Miss Mu Zi could really have bought a ce here, I think with just her alone having to hide it from everyone wouldn¡¯t have been easy.¡±

    ¡°Have you found out about the investors of Xiang She Residences back then? And that of the people that sold their houses? Years ago, did Aunty personally interact with them? We have to find out about all these,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he walked towards the alley.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to meet the people who sold their houses. Ah Bao found out that the person seems to have passed away two years ago. The investor was a foreign developer who left City B over 20 years ago, but Ah Bao found out that there was another investor with that developer back then too. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t have guessed whichpany it is, Master,¡± said Li Si in a lowered voice.

    ¡°Who is it? Is it that secretive?¡± Zhou Zimo stopped his steps and turned to look at Li Si.

    ¡°Hui Gu Corporation.¡±

    When Li Si said that, Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes immediately widened. He reeled back a little in shock as he shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not right. How could it be him? Gu Qiwu? Also, based on what you said, Xiang She Residences was only built in a short while, so why did it so quickly get demolished for relocation?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because City B¡¯s new n was released. The old city area was being refurbished again, so they had to demolish these houses.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. His eyes just flickered while his expression was a little gloomy. You could not tell how he felt. He nced up again at therge area before nodding calmly. ¡°No need to continue investigating over here. Let¡¯s leave first,¡± he said, then turned around with waning interest. His stooped back profile looked like he was very troubled.

    ¡°Stop the investigations? Master Mo, Master, he...¡±

    Zhou Zimo shrugged as he lifted a hand to pat Li Si¡¯s shoulder and sighed. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find out anything even after we investigated, so forget it. I¡¯m afraid your Master will have to go meet Gu Qiwu personally. You should know that that¡¯s something he really doesn¡¯t want to do,¡± said Zhou Zimo. Then, he could not help but knock his forehead as he sighed deeply and then chased after Mu Yuchen.

 Chapter 739 - Meeting Again After Six Years (4)

    <h4>Chapter 739: Meeting Again After Six Years (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve followed your orders and investigated the guestlist for yesterday¡¯s auction. We found something.¡±

    Ah Yong carefully presented his findings to the quiet man sitting in the passenger seat in the car. The man was still wearing a hat and dark sunsses like before, and his ck coat almost covered him wholly. Both his hands were in his side pockets as he took a nce at the paper. Then, he took it and then started to read through it.

    When he saw the name Mu Yuchen, his gaze turned cold, but his eyes returned to normal soon after that.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is in City B just like you said. I¡¯m sure that pen was his trap for you, Boss. However, they took the pen away in the end. What should we do? Do we just give up like this?¡± Ah Yong seemed disgruntled.

    The man who was called ¡°Boss¡± took a deep breath as he put on a cold smile. ¡°It¡¯s within my expectations. Also, it¡¯s only natural that we shouldn¡¯t take Mu Yuchen lightly.¡±

    ¡°By the way, they also went to Doyle Street this morning. I bet they know about that house already.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen acts pretty fast. He saw through Qi Qiming¡¯s end very quickly and is now getting closer to the truth already. It might not be a good thing for them. Actually, it might have been better if no one knew.¡± The man¡¯s tone was filled with sarcasm.¡±Once these secrets are revealed, I doubt there¡¯s anyone courageous enough to ept them.¡±

    ¡°What should we do now, Boss? There were two groups of people tailing usst night. The other group must be Mu Yuchen¡¯s people.¡±

    ¡°Just leave it for now. You don¡¯t have to do anything from now on. Just wait for my orders.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    ...

    In the afternoon, Ah Bao finally returned to the hotel to report to Mu Yuchen after working hard for a whole day.

    ¡°Head in. Master is out on the balcony. I¡¯m going out,¡± said Li Si when he bumped into Ah Bao at the entrance. Ah Bao took a deep breath before going inside.

    Mu Yuchen was rxing on the balcony as he rxed on a rattan chair. He was sunbathing while wearing a pair of huge sunsses.

    ¡°Master!¡± Ah Bao quietly called him.

    ¡°Speak,¡± Mu Yuchen replied briefly without moving his body.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found out that the other group pursuing the man was the wife of the Hui Gu Corporation CEO, who is Doris.¡±

    Mu Yuchen clenched his fist as he heard the name. Even Ah Bao could sense some hostility in the air. Momentster, Ah Bao took a deep breath and continued, ¡°But we don¡¯t know who the person we¡¯re chasing is yet. ording to the other group, they are trying to find out who that man was well, but they lost track of him too, so...¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°I understand. Great job. You can leave for now.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not doing any further investigations?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±

    Ah Bao left after Mu Yuchen gave him a short reply.

    ¡°Have you figured something out?¡± Zhou Zimo asked after the door was closed.

    Mu Yuchen took off his sunsses and turned his head over to see Zhou Zimo standing nearby.

    ¡°What could I have figured out?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he grabbed the ss of water beside him and took a sip from it before looking at the vast, blue sky. ¡°Let¡¯s return to City Z tonight. Leave things here to Ah Bao and the others.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You seem to have a lot on your mind. What are you thinking about?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was friends with Mu Yuchen for many years after all, so he noticed something was not right. ¡°What did Ah Bao tell you just now?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, but I have a bad feeling. It¡¯s been some time since Ah Mo and Lingshi went to Australia. I guess there¡¯ll be newsing in a few days, so we¡¯ll talk about it again then. There¡¯s something else I need to do before heading back,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°To meet Gu Qiwu, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zhou Zimo walked over andy down on the rattan lounge chair beside Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°How will he face you? Now that I think about it, Gu Qiwu felt really strange to me. He didn¡¯t react ever since that incident, and he seemed too calm for it. He might be the one who saved Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng. Moreover, I remember his attitude towards you wasn¡¯t very agreeable. Does he not like you or something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know him that well. We only started getting involved with each other after I left the army, but I do know he doesn¡¯t exactly like my parents a lot. When my father was still working in City B, several projects from the Hui Gu Corporation were stopped. I think the rtionship between the Mus and the Gus has been deteriorating ever since, and six years ago, during the financial crisis, the Hui Gu Corporation almost went bankrupt. There was a project that could help them go through that difficult period, and they were secretly in contact with Qi Qiming. However, their opponent for that project was Glory World.¡± While Mu Yuchen recalled the past events calmly, he did not project any emotions into his words.

    ¡°Oddly enough, he insisted on letting Gu Lingsha marry me, and his attitude towards me during that period of time was beyond expectations. In order to make me ept Gu Lingsha wholeheartedly, he suggested I stay with the Gu family for three months. He promised to leave us alone if we didn¡¯t feel anything for each other after three months.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded and took a deep breath. ¡°I know about that. Ah Mo told me about it before too, but you didn¡¯t stay with the Gu family, did you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t like Gu Lingsha at all, so I inherently reject her. I can¡¯t even stand talking to her. How could I stay with her for three months?¡± Mu Yuchen then put on a cold smile. ¡°I left that night itself, but Gu Qiwu tried to use the media to force me to follow his ns. We were the talk of the whole town. If I just left, it¡¯d be a big p on their face in public, so I couldn¡¯t just go so easily.¡±

 Chapter 740 - Meeting Again After Six Years (5)

    <h4>Chapter 740: Meeting Again After Six Years (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°So, you decided to let Lingtian stay because he went there together with you. He was good friends with Gu Lingsha, wasn¡¯t he?¡± Zhou Zimo squinted at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Mmm, back then, I knew that Lingtian was pretty close to Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng, and most people already know about Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s rtionship by then. I assumed Gu Lingsha sumbed to her family¡¯s pressure and agreed to stay with me. I told Lingtian everyone will be free after three months, and I asked him to trust me and stay with the Gu family on behalf of me as a part of an act for the media.¡±

    ¡°But Lingtian and Gu Lingsha didn¡¯t stay through the full duration, did they?¡± Zhou Zimo roughly remembered the past.

    ¡°Nope, in fact, things were peaceful in the first two months, but I don¡¯t know why Gu Lingsha insisted that Lingtian bring her back to the Mu residence to see me. Gu Qiwu approached my grandfather several times for me to marry Gu Lingsha immediately. I noticed there was something up with the Hui Gu Corporation and Qi Kai. Gu Qiwu might¡¯ve been trying to put Gu Lingsha beside me as a spy. In turn, I agreed to marry Gu Lingsha so that I could get her under control and prevent her from doing anything behind my back. Apart from that, I could find out what they were up to through Gu Lingsha.¡±

    ¡°So, Gu Qiwu was desperate for Gu Lingsha to marry you for two reasons. Firstly because of the project with Qi Qiming, and secondly, to get help from Glory World to help him get past the financial crisis?¡± Zhou Zimo was surprised.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothesis. Gu Qiwu can be quite cunning. He¡¯s much more difficult to deal with whenpared to Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°What happened afterward? Why did Gu Lingsha elope with Qi Feng? What about Lingtian? Why did they do all that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m dying to know the answers more than anybody else.¡± Mu Yuchen crossed his arms behind his head. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door just when he was about to continue talking.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at Mu Yuchen before looking at the door.

    Li Si quickly came in with an invitation card in his hands. ¡°Master!¡±

    He stopped beside Mu Yuchen. ¡°Gu Qiwu sent an invitation card over just now. He¡¯s invited you to have dinner at the Hua Tian Hotel tonight. Look at this.¡±

    Zhou Zimo raised his eyebrows in shock. ¡°How did Gu Qiwu know you¡¯re in City B? And he even found out where you¡¯re staying? Moreover, he¡¯s inviting you to dinner all of a sudden! From my impression, he seems to be...¡± He trailed off in thought.

    Mu Yuchen took the invitation card and looked at it, smiling wryly before gazing up at the sky. ¡°Great. I don¡¯t have to visit him. Tell him to reschedule it for afternoon tea today in the coffee shop opposite. We¡¯ll be heading back to City Z by 3.30p.m. and we¡¯ll leave things here to Ah Bao. Get Ah Bao over here. I have some orders for him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    Within an hour after Li Si rescheduled, Gu Qiwu¡¯s secretary called him to inform him that Gu Qiwu had already arrived.

    Mu Yuchen went to the said coffee shop alone. The shop was totally empty as the whole ce was booked. Mu Yuchen instantly saw him in the corner the moment he walked inside.

    He wore a ck suit and a pair of dark sunsses while flipping through a newspaper. Although he gave off a quiet vibe, it was impossible to ignore his existence.

    Simrly, Mu Yuchen could sense something deep within this man before him.

    Gu Qiwu lowered his sunsses slightly when he noticed Mu Yuchen had arrived. He gave Mu Yuchen a sharp nce before pushing his sunsses back up and pointing at the seat opposite him. Coldly, he said, ¡°It¡¯s been six years. Long time no see, Ah Chen.¡±

    ¡°Long time no see, Uncle Gu.¡± Mu Yuchen sat down calmly, not losing out to Gu Qiwu at all in terms of aura.

    The waiter soon came over with coffee and snacks.

    Gu Qiwu put the newspaper aside as he looked at Mu Yuchen quietly. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be rude of me to turn down your warm invitation.¡± Mu Yuchen looked right into Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes.

    Gu Qiwu returned the gaze with a slight smile. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve underestimated you. I should¡¯ve visited you since Shasha¡¯s incident, but I didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble for you. Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because you¡¯re considerate about the rtionship between our families. I¡¯m afraid that it doesn¡¯t exist anymore in our generation. I¡¯m sure you know that better than anyone else. Moreover, I feel that I should be the one to ask for an exnation from the Gu family. What do you think?¡± Mu Yuchen gave Gu Qiwu a cold smile as well.

    ¡°Exnation? You can¡¯t me us for that. You broke the rules first by cheating.¡±

    ¡°Why are you the one who makes the rules? Did you invite me out just to talk about the past?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone turned solemn as he looked at Gu Qiwu intently.

    Gu Qiwu chuckled. ¡°What else do you think it might be? I only returned to City B this morning, and I saw that my wife got a pen from the auction yesterday. Shasha told me that it belongs to Lingtian. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re in City B since that pen appeared at the auction. It¡¯s been a really long time since west saw each other, so I just wanted to meet up with you.¡±

    ¡°30 years ago, the Hui Gu Corporation heavily invested in Xiang She Residences in the north of City B, didn¡¯t it?¡± Mu Yuchen did not reply and asked him a question instead.

    Pausing for a moment, Gu Qiwu took off his sunsses and looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise.

 Chapter 741 - Meeting Again After Six Years (6)

    <h4>Chapter 741: Meeting Again After Six Years (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen could easily detect the shock in Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes, yet he obviously did not miss the hint of bitter disdain in his expression either.

    Gu Qiwu nonchntly set his sunsses on the newspapers beside him and looked up at Mu Yuchen and nodded without denying it. ¡°That¡¯s right. That was one of the estates the Hui Gu Corporation invested in, but now the government has already withdrawn it to build a new residential area and office buildings.¡±

    ¡°I know. I went there to check on it this morning. My aunt used to have a ce in the Xiang She residences. Did you know about that?¡± Mu Yuchen continued to ask.

    ¡°Your aunt? Mu Zi?¡± Gu Qiwu chuckled with a lukewarm attitude while he leaned back against the chair with a wry smile on his face. ¡°Would you know every single person you sold a product to?¡±

    ¡°In the same respect, do you think I would know?¡±

    The light in Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes seemed to mock Mu Yuchen as he held up his coffee for a drink. He lowered his head and said, ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that your people were in front of the Gu residence for the whole night? Can you exin what exactly you¡¯re trying to do? Why did you visit this time?¡±

    ¡°I want to see if you were home, Uncle Gu. I heard that you¡¯re quite hard to meet. Coincidentally, there was something I wanted to understand from you. Are you satisfied with this exnation?¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his body slightly to exin. Then, he straightened up and appeared rxed and elegant.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, you should know that I¡¯m the kind of person who hates others ying dumb with me. Six years ago, when Shasha made her escape, she was wrong, but you gave orders to chase after them. In turn, you caused the tragedy to happen. That¡¯s a fact, so I hope that you can fix your attitude a little.¡±

    ¡°My attitude has always been very proper. It was you lot who wanted to cause trouble. My aunt seemed to have been quite good friends with you in the past. Would you not have known that she bought an expensive ce in a residential area you invested in? If you were me, would you believe that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you¡¯d like to believe me or not. Mu Yuchen, since Mu Zi has passed away for many years now, the fact that you¡¯re raising this again right now is suspicious. Today, I¡¯vee to meet you just to let you know that you¡¯d better exercise restraint. City B is not City Z. This is my turf. Knowing too much about some things might not necessarily be a good thing unless you¡¯d like to give up on your peaceful days toe.¡±

    Gu Qiwu slowly stood up and took the sunsses from the side to put on as he said, ¡°I already know about your coboration with Qi Lei. Not bad, Mu Yuchen, you have a right to challenge me,¡± he said this before walking to the door.

    ¡°Mr. Wen?¡±

    At this moment, Mu Yuchen suddenly called out to Gu Qiwu¡¯s back, yet the man did not seem to hear him and just walked out of the door.

    Mu Yuchen watched Gu Qiwu slowly vanish out of the door. After a long while, a mysterious smile appeared on his face.

    ...

    On their flight back to City Z, Zhou Zimo examined Mu Yuchen who fell silent for a long while, finally he could not help but ask, ¡°What did Gu Qiwu say to you? Why do I feel like you¡¯re behaving a little fishy right now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath, and could not help but massage the tired space between his brows as he said calmly, ¡°He knows that I ordered people to trail and investigate him. While he didn¡¯t say anything, I feel like he was testing me.¡±

    ¡°Testing you?¡± Zhou Zimo frowned in confusion. ¡°Why would you say that? Testing you about what?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure. Gu Qiwu¡¯s a very unfathomable person, so it won¡¯t be easy for me to guess what he¡¯s thinking. I have no idea what he¡¯s trying to do. I asked him about Xiang She Residences, but he acted all nonchnt, so I can¡¯t be sure of his true feelings. I can¡¯t see through him,¡± Mu Yuchen said, as he closed his eyes.

    ¡°No wonder you looked defeated, but you don¡¯t have to worry too much. As long as there are some clues, we can continue investigating, so don¡¯t worry. The only thing I¡¯m confused about is why Doris wanted to chase after that person who bid for that pen too. Was their aim also that pen? Or was it just a pure coincidence?¡±

    ¡°There are not that many coincidences in this world. If we want to rify these things, we¡¯ll have to first find out that person¡¯s identity, and which side of the power they¡¯re representing, but right now we can find a breakthrough from Doris¡¯s end. This time, at the auction, I could vaguely sense something unusual. At the auction, Doris and Gu Lingsha seemed to only bid for that pen. They didn¡¯t bid for anything else after that, so I came up with a hypothesis. Could this mother-daughter pair havee just for the pen, while also knowing that the person who¡¯dpete with them would definitelye? This could also exin why the moment that man left the auction since they would immediately chase him too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen began to piece things together as he squinted his profound eyes and began to analyze the facts with Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then Gu Lingsha probably didn¡¯t bid for that pen for Lingtian¡¯s sake. It should¡¯ve been for something else, or maybe they know a story behind the pen. That¡¯s why they didn¡¯t spare the cost just to get that pen.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps the person I should¡¯ve met was Doris and not Gu Qiwu.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not alert the enemy first. Let Ah Bao continue to lurk around. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll soon be able to find out the ins and outs of those people.¡±

    With a nod, Mu Yuchen felt his heart be a little heavy as he began to have a bad feeling, but he hoped that all of this was just wild spection.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait for Ah Bao to find out more about that person, but I believe that it won¡¯t take too long.¡±

    He stopped thinking about it before turning to look out the window to watch the coiled clouds that filled the sky. Suddenly, his mind shed with Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful and elegant little face.

    At this moment, in Xi Xiaye¡¯s ward in Hospital T, Su Nan came over to visit.

    ¡°I thought that I¡¯d have a son, and offer him to your daughter, but who would¡¯ve thought that it would flip the other way around? But, seriously, he¡¯s got excellent genes. It¡¯s only been a few days, and I can vaguely see that your son¡¯s a copy of Mu Yuchen. With those eyes, that mouth, and that nose, they look so simr. Don¡¯t you think so? Even Director Zhuang said that the baby looks exactly like Mu Yuchen when he was younger. In another 20 years, he¡¯ll be another excellent and dashing gentleman. Sigh, Xiaye, can you reserve him for our Xiao Xi?¡±

 Chapter 742 - Discharged (1)

    <h4>Chapter 742: Discharged (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan leaned over and watched the little baby in Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms as she reached out to carefully brush his faint brows, and looked up miserably at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye returned her gaze, then continued to look down and hold her son¡¯s little hand as she chuckled. ¡°Oh, you, just let the children go with the flow. It¡¯s not fashionable to arrange for the betrothal of children anymore. When he grows up, Mu Yuchen and I won¡¯t interfere in his rtionship matters. We¡¯ll let him go about it himself. If he fancies Xiao Xi, I won¡¯t have any opinion on it either.¡±

    ¡°May your son not mind dating an older girl even though I myself mind it a little...¡± Su Nan muttered.

    ¡°Has Ruan Heng¡¯s condition been better these few days?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    When she mentioned that, Su Nan¡¯s eyes immediately dimmed, and she sighed. ¡°It¡¯s still the same. He¡¯s not awake, but his wounds have all pretty much healed. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be waking up either. Every day, I just see him lying on the bed unmoving. It makes me really sad.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held out a hand to hold Su Nan¡¯s gently as she consoled her friend, ¡°Nannan, don¡¯t worry. Ruan Heng will definitely wake up. Just talk to him every day. He cares so much about you, and he loves you and Xiao Xi. He wouldn¡¯t just abandon the two of you. Now that his external injuries have healed, he can immediately be discharged once he wakes you. You can¡¯t be dispirited first.¡±

    ¡°I know. Aren¡¯t I concerned now? Sigh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m feeling better too. No matter what, I¡¯ll have to keep marching on. Right, I¡¯ll be returning to work after the 10th, so please give me some encouragement!¡± Su Nan sighed deeply and lifted a hand to pat the back of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand, indicating for her to not worry.

    ¡°Go to work? Have you recovered already? Are you going to work so soon already?¡± Xi Xiaye looked a little worriedly at Su Nan who was getting thinner, she pondered for a bit, and then continued, ¡°Nannan, how about you don¡¯t work at thatpany anymore? I¡¯ll ask Mu Yuchen to arrange for you to work in Glory World or you can work at Fuhua too. I¡¯ll arrange a light job for you. That way, you¡¯ll have more time to take care of your daughter and Ruan Heng.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need! Yourpanies aren¡¯t doing fashion design, so I won¡¯t be able to help even if I go over. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. My dream is to be a new age sessful career woman. I used to always rely on Ruan Heng, and my skills have deteriorated terribly. Now that I think about, I¡¯ve actually been holding him back. He¡¯s worked so hard. I should share his burden.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, wait till you¡¯ve adapted, then we can start a studio. You have great talents in design, and I believe in you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, when have I ever disappointed you? Right, I¡¯ll leave now. I¡¯lle over to see you guys tomorrow. You take good care of yourself too. Being such a critical period now, don¡¯t treat your health lightly.¡±

    ¡°I got it. You¡¯re nagging me just like a housekeeper. Go home now.¡±

    ...

    As she watched Su Nan¡¯s figure vanish out of the doorway, Xi Xiaye nced up and sighed slightly. She felt her son reaching out for her from her embrace. Gazing down at him, she saw that he was watching her with wide, brightened eyes while his pair of hands waved about. He was not easy to manage with all the fiddling.

    Mu Zicheng rarely cried and always fell asleep after eating. Even the nurses praised that this baby was easy to manage as he would watch you quietly just like he was doing right now.

    ¡°Baby, you can go home with Father and Mother in another two days. Are you happy? Are you happy? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Does he understand what you¡¯re saying to him?¡±

    Xi Xiaye just finished cooing when a familiar voice suddenly came from the door. She looked up to the source of the voice and saw Qi Lei leaning against the door with a bouquet of fresh flowers in his arms.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± Xi Xiaye stared in shock at Qi Lei by the door. ¡°Everyone seemed to have returned to the office for work today. How do you have time toe?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged, lifting the flowers in his arms. ¡°It¡¯s not mypany. The upper management has a meeting that has got nothing to do with me. I knew that you gave birth to a son, so I came over to visit. Can Ie in?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then looked away and to the chair beside her bed, before Qi Lei walked in.

    He put the flowers on the bedside table, then immediately closed in to Xi Xiaye and looked at Mu Zicheng in Xi Xiaye¡¯s embrace in awe as if he was discovering a new world. He looked very curious. ¡°All newborn babies look the same. Which bastard told me he looked like a copy of Mu Yuchen? Wasn¡¯t that just nonsense? Mmm? His eyes are quite bright! Come on. Uncle is a good person. Smile!¡± Qi Lei said as he reached out to pinch Mu Zicheng¡¯s soft, cottony cheeks.

    This pinch really brought it¡ª

    Waaaaa!

    A loud and clear cry immediately exploded in the room!

    This sudden wail shocked Qi Lei whose legs subconsciously felt weak suddenly. The nurses and Shen Wenna all rushed in from the door.

    ¡°Baby¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s it crying?¡±

    ¡°Move away!¡±

    Qi Lei was immediately shoved to the side. The nurse, Shen Wenna, and Xi Xiaye all quickly coaxed Mu Zicheng and his earth-shattering cries while Xi Xiaye frowned and red at him. He could only move aside and keep quiet.

    Meanwhile, on the inside, he cried to himself.

    Bloody hell, this was truly Mu Yuchen¡¯s seed, both father and son were Qi Lei¡¯s bane!

    Earlier, his fingertips had only grazed his cheeks lightly. He had not even pinched him, yet he cried like this. How wronged was he?!

    Finally, they managed to coax the baby to sleep, and Shen Wenna and the nurse carried him back to the incubator.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything earlier. Your son is really quite...¡± Lei quickly exined.

    ¡°A child¡¯s reaction is the most intuitive. If you didn¡¯t do anything, he wouldn¡¯t have cried. Have you finished all your work since you¡¯re here? I heard from Mu Yuchen a few days ago that Qi Kai¡¯s nning on putting in another person-in-charge for the South River project No. 1? What¡¯s going on?¡± Xi Xiaye looked calmly at Qi Lei with her twinkling eyes.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mu Yuchen tell you?¡± Qi Lei looked at her in surprise

    ¡°Tell me what? He hasn¡¯t been telling me about work. By the time I recover, I¡¯d probably be unfamiliar with thepany¡¯s business. But the work on South River has finally gotten right on track, so I hope there won¡¯t be huge changes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the intentions of the higher-ups. They¡¯re nning to move Gu Lingsha over to be in charge of the project with me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid Mu Yuchen would know better.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s handsome shed with a faint smile, yet his tone sounded cynical.

 Chapter 743 - Discharged (2)

    <h4>Chapter 743: Discharged (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she gave it some thought before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll ask him about it. What about you? If Qi Qiming sent Gu Lingsha to handle this project, what will happen to you?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and closed his eyes. ¡°What can I do? I¡¯ll just do whatever I can.¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming... Why does he hold such a huge bias against you? He shouldn¡¯t treat you like this even if he really favors Qi Feng.¡± Xi Xiaye looked straight at Qi Lei. ¡°No matter what, you¡¯re still his son.¡±

    If it were not for Qi Lei¡¯s simrity in appearance with Qi Qiming, Xi Xiaye seriously doubted if Qi Lei was actually Qi Qiming¡¯s son. There was no need to check. How could they not be?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve never thought of him as my father anyway. I¡¯m just here to visit you today and I heard from the doctor you¡¯ll be discharged in two days. I¡¯ll be visiting you at Maple Residence then.¡± Qi Lei stood up as he spoke in a nd tone, his usual cheekiness nowhere to be seen, ¡°I¡¯ll head back for now. I¡¯ve got something to attend to tonight. You two had better buy me a drink after you¡¯ve recovered. Goodbye!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Alright, thank you, and Happy New Year.¡±

    Qi Lei waved his hand and walked towards the door, his retreating figure appearing lonely.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. With parents and environment like that, Qi Lei was really...

    Night arrived soon, and it was 11p.m. when the ne touched down in City Z.

    ¡°Li Si, send Master Mo back home,¡± Mu Yuchen left an order before boarding his car.

    ¡°It¡¯ste at night. Don¡¯t you want to eat something first?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had some on the ne, let Li Si send you back.¡±

    His car quickly left, it was easy to guess where he was heading.

    Li Si watched the car as it disappeared in the dark. A whileter, he asked Zhou Zimo with a frown, ¡°Master Mo, did Master tell you anything? I can feel that he has a lot on his mind. Did he find out something? Why did we suddenlye back? We might¡¯ve been able to find the answer if we continue investigating. Whye back now and leave Ah Bao alone there?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression turned solemn as well. He thought about his conversation with Mu Yuchen. Momentster, he took a deep breath and then said, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s just how he rolls. He probably thinks there¡¯s no need to investigate anymore. Well, he has his own concerns.¡±

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Concerns? But Master didn¡¯t do anything, or could he already know what¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the oue of the investigation from Ah Bao. This matter isn¡¯t as simple as we thought. Why else would there be no results after so many years of searching? I¡¯m starting to feel uneasy now that we¡¯re getting closer to the truth. Well, there¡¯s no point in worrying now. I¡¯m sure things will work out when the timees. Believe your Master,¡± advised Zhou Zimo before he got into the car.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back to my ce. Head to Master Su¡¯s ce instead.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Mo!¡±

    The car drove past quickly under the moonlight.

    Inside Hospital T, Xi Xiaye made Zhuang Shurong go home in the evening. There was a huge group of bodyguards standing by as well as the nurse Aunt Yue, so Xi Xiaye felt safe andfortable during this period of time.

    Before she went to sleep, the nurse took Mu Zicheng over to hold him for a while. Xi Xiaye then went to sleep soon after.

    It was very coldte at night when Mu Yuchen walked into the hospital with a strong, crisp breeze.

    As Xi Xiaye was asleep, she felt her nket being moved and a familiar scent reached her nose. Before she could react she found herself wrapped in a warm hug.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you needed a few days? Why are you back now?¡± Xi Xiaye wrapped her arms around him as she asked.

    ¡°I just returned as soon as I was done. Don¡¯t ask so many questions and just sleep, alright?¡±

    When she finally managed to open her sleepy eyes and looked at him, he climbed over and gave her a goodnight kiss before falling asleep.

    Xi Xiaye was wide awake when she heard his deep breathing right beside her. She looked at him for a long while as she ran her fingers through his messy hair.

    The New Year holiday passed, and they quickly returned to their normal daily lives.

    However, there were a lot of traffic idents recently, thus Su Chen had to work overtime almost every day. Sometimes, he could only go home in the morning like right now.

    He drove down the highway and quickly arrived at an expensive residential area.

    There was a severe ident at a highway yesterday. Su Chen received the news just as he was falling asleep, so he then had to get up and rush over. He did not expect the whole thing tost until the morning. Right now, he was so sleepy that he asked his assistant to send him home after he left his colleagues his orders.

    He finally arrived home. Just as he was getting his key card¡ª

    ¡°Long time no see, Instructor Su!¡± A loud voice came from behind him, and it was filled with fury!

    Su Chen was stunned for a moment. He quickly spun around.

    Ji Zitong was wearing arge ck coat as she stood behind him. While his slightly bloodshot eyes seemed confused, his tone was calm. ¡°Why are you here so early in the morning? What do you want?¡±

    Su Chen took out his key card and opened the door before entering.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes turned cold as her expression darkened. She followed him in before closing the door.

    Su Chen threw his briefcase onto the sofa and took out his coat. Then, he grabbed himself a ss of water and swigged it before looking at the woman who came into his house. ¡°Speak. I¡¯m very busy.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s rage erupted like a volcano. ¡°I¡¯m very busy as well and I don¡¯t have time to y with you. Su Chen, you¡¯re really a bastard! You can stop your prank now!¡±

 Chapter 744 - Discharged (3)

    <h4>Chapter 744: Discharged (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen looked at Ji Zitong intently with a dangerous gaze.

    The air around suddenly turned icy. Ji Zitong¡¯s posture was still rxed and unfazed as she looked into Su Chen¡¯s eyes, saying threateningly, ¡°Don¡¯t act all high and mighty before me now. You¡¯re messing with me! I thought we could leave each other alone. I tried to tolerate you because you were my instructor before.¡±

    Su Chen had an amused look in his eyes when he heard her. He finished his ss of water and sat down on the sofa. ¡°Speak clearly! What prank?¡±

    ¡°Your grandfather and sister... They came to my house and said some weird things to my parents. What are you trying to do? Why do you have to mess with me, and now even my family? I¡¯ve never seen a man worse than you in my life ever!¡± Ji Zitong sounded enraged. She clenched her fists when the words tumbled out of her mouth.

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes darkened as his grip on the ss tightened. He studied Ji Zitong for a long while. Eventually, his darkened expression went away and he smiled instead. He leaned back on the sofa and gave her a sharp gaze. Ji Zitong¡¯s palms started to sweat a little, and she was losing herposure bit by bit.

    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to take revenge, you¡¯ve achieved your goal. My life is a mess right now and you can stop your prank already. Please follow me and exin to my parents that we aren¡¯t in a rtionship. Just tell them you were my instructor before and I knew you. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Ji Zitong took a deep breath. She kept telling herself she was not here for a fight today, and she hoped they could settle this matter in a peaceful manner. Her ultimate goal was to solve their misunderstandings and leave each other alone from now on as she just wanted things at home to calm down.

    Su Chen had no idea that Elder Su and Su Yu had gone to Ji Zitong¡¯s father¡¯s martial arts center yesterday morning. Elder Su was very straightforward with his intentions when he said the Su family was serious about their rtionship and would send Su Chen over with gifts the next time. He even mentioned a marriage proposal as well.

    What was happening!?

    She was not in a rtionship with this man at all, so why was marriage involved now!?

    The whole martial arts center was in chaos when they heard the news. Everyone came to ask her about it, and her parents had also interrogated her for a whole afternoon.

    Su Chen seemed interested after he heard her story. He smiled amusedly. ¡°My grandfather went to your ce? What did he say?¡±

    ¡°You know very well what you did. How could you turn your own marriage into a joke? You¡¯re the worst! Even if you don¡¯t care about your own reputation, can you be considerate about my reputation as a girl?¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression was frigid. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s fun to prank people like this? Everyone around knows about it now. I don¡¯t mind if you want to embarrass me, but my mother isn¡¯t very well and she can¡¯t take such a huge impact. The visit by your grandfather and sister made everyone think that I¡¯m actually in a rtionship with you. Do you know how horrible the consequences of your prank are?¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s expression clouded over as he felt his head getting dizzy. He pinched the space between his eyebrows.

    That did sound like what his grandfather would do. If the elder found out what was happening, he would be in trouble again. He might just get away with some scolding if he was lucky. The worst that could happen was being skinned alive.

    <i>My dear sister, why did you tell the elder about it? You¡¯ve put me in a tough spot now!</i>

    Su Chen sighed deep inside while hey down on the sofa exhausted. ¡°Why are you so worried? If things get bad, I¡¯ll marry you then!¡±

    Ji Zitong squinted her eyes at him before smirking. ¡°I know you might be popr, but that doesn¡¯t mean I like you.¡±

    Su Chenughed again when she finished her sentence. ¡°What now? Are you afraid to marry me? If you have such a strong stand, why worry? Just tell everyone that it¡¯s a prank from me, then it¡¯ll be over, won¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. Do you think your grandfather and sister would just let me off the hook with that?¡±

    ¡°How did my grandfather and sister treat you? Did they give you any trouble?¡±

    Ji Zitong gave it some thought. ¡°They didn¡¯t. They were actually pretty nice, but that¡¯s not the issue here. My father isn¡¯t very patient and he¡¯d be frustrated if he finds out it¡¯s a prank. I hope you can exin it to them.¡±

    ¡°So, do you mean my grandfather and sister are satisfied with you?¡± Su Chen mumbled. Ji Zitong did not say anything and just red at him.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Su Chen straightened up and grabbed a pack of cigarettes on the coffee table. He took one out and lit it up as he eyeballed Ji Zitong amidst the smoke. ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Does that have anything to do with you?¡± Ji Zitong replied curtly.

    ¡°Do you still miss that guy? He¡¯s now married to Deputy Chief Wang¡¯s daughter, and he¡¯s doing really well right now. It¡¯s about time you wake up. How good can a man be if a man needs a woman to advance in her career? You¡¯re a smart person. I didn¡¯t expect you to have stubborn moments.¡± Su Chen narrowed his eyes as he gave her an odd smile.

    ¡°That has nothing to do with you. You¡¯re not any better than him anyway. You always bully others just like what you¡¯re doing to me now.¡±

    Su Chen flicked his cigarette into the ashtray. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. No matter how bad I may be, I¡¯d never mistreat a woman, and I won¡¯t take advantage of women.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you¡¯re a gentleman. Aren¡¯t you giving me a lot of trouble right now, Chief Su?¡±

 Chapter 745 - Discharged (4)

    <h4>Chapter 745: Discharged (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen smiled as he extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray. Then, he pointed to the seat across him and gestured. ¡°Have a seat. Let¡¯s have a chat about it.¡±

    He then walked towards the cupboard beside the table. ¡°Do you want anything to drink? Coffee or tea?¡±

    Ji Zitong nced at Su Chen before sitting down. ¡°Nope.¡±

    Su Chen did not look at her and made two cups of Pu Er tea. ¡°I got this from your Chairman Mu. Give it a try.¡±

    Su Chen was not really a fan of Pu Er. He preferred teas like Mao Jian or Tie Guan Yin, but Mu Yuchen got someone to bring him and Zhou Zimo these tea leaves.

    Ji Zitong took a sip. ¡°So, what will make youe out and rify this whole thing?¡±

    ¡°Do you believe in love and marriage, Ji Zitong?¡± Su Chen asked instead of responding to her question.

    Ji Zitong was stunned, and she gave Su Chen a confused look. He was not showing any particr emotions, but he seemed interested to know her answer. Momentster, she replied confidently, ¡°I don¡¯t know about others, but I don¡¯t really believe it myself.¡±

    Su Chenughed and then nodded. ¡°Great. It seems that we agree on at least one thing. We can continue this discussion. I pretty much understand your situation here. Your parents are worried about you and have been arranging a lot of blind dates for you. That¡¯s why you decided to open a flower store and have a stable career in order to use it as an excuse if your parents find you any blind dates again.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression turned stormy.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. I didn¡¯t investigate you. I just know the drill. Moreover, I remember that you don¡¯t particrly like flowers. That¡¯s why I made those guesses.¡± Su Chen sipped some tea, and then continued, ¡°I don¡¯t want to get married. I doubt I¡¯d be able to find the love of my life. However, I do need a marriage. Since we share the same goal, why don¡¯t we make a deal with each other?

    ¡°What deal?¡± Ji Zitong rolled her eyes.

    Su Chen smiled as he leaned forward and lowered his voice, ¡°It¡¯s simple. Since things havee to this stage, why don¡¯t we just go with the flow and get married? This way, all the problems will get solved. I know you don¡¯t like me, and I don¡¯t really like you either. With this, we can make a deal with each other.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean since this is what¡¯s happening, we share the same need, and that¡¯s why we can get married. After we get married, your life will still be peaceful as before because we won¡¯t interfere with each other, and we¡¯ll respect each other as tactical partners,¡± Su Chen said.

    Ji Zitong widened her eyes and stared at the man before her. ¡°You mean, a conditional marriage?¡±

    Su Chenughed again before sipping his tea. ¡°I guess you can put it that way. I¡¯m 33 this year and I¡¯m getting tired of the endless blind dates I¡¯m getting. I¡¯mfortable being single, and I guess you¡¯re like me too, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Both of us will continue living our own lives after we get married. We won¡¯t get involved with each other. I¡¯ll be a gentleman and go with you as long as it¡¯s not anything that vites my principles in life. I¡¯ll also pay you an amount of money every month. In addition to that, I¡¯ll y the role of a good husband to you. This deal will go on for three years. If you¡¯re willing, we can even extend it after three years. Otherwise, I¡¯ll pay you another amount of reward after three years. In short, I¡¯m hiring you to be my wife.¡±

    ¡°Hire? Chief Su, I don¡¯t need money.¡±

    ¡°But you need a stable marriage. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t have to take on all the pressure from your parents and attend the endless blind dates. I feel the same too. I¡¯m sure by now you understand what my situation is like at home. My grandfather is a military veteran, my father works in the city hall, and my mother operates a steel business. Plus, I have a sister, Su Yu, who¡¯s pretty easygoing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t use my marriage to make a deal. You¡¯ve really opened up my eyes, Chief Su!¡± Ji Zitong gave Su Chen a cold stare before she stood up. ¡°Now, you can give me back my promised letter, and pretend as if I never came today!¡±

    ¡°You never came? Then, you¡¯re not getting the letter. You don¡¯t have to outright reject me. I think we¡¯ll meet again very soon, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll agree with my suggestion. I¡¯ll draft up our contract.¡±

    Su Chen gave Ji Zitong an odd smile as Ji Zitong scoffed. ¡°Really? We¡¯ll wait and see then!¡±

    Bam!

    Su Chen took a deep breath as the door closed shut. He closed his eyes andy down on the sofa.

    <i>Was it that hard of a choice? I¡¯m not that bad!</i>

    Soldiers needed to make snap judgments on the warzone, ande to the quickest decision that gave the best advantage. Women were so troublesome!

    Master Su was pretty troubled right before he fell asleep.

    ...

    The Yuan Xiao festival was over, and Xi Xiaye could finally be discharged after being hospitalized for over 20 days. Mu Zicheng¡¯s condition was fine as well, so the two of them went home together.

    Mu Yuchen worked tirelessly for several days and finally cleared the work piled up during the holidays. He had Maple Residence refurbished a few days before Xi Xiaye was discharged. Now, their bedroom and the baby room were linked. Their room was decorated with warm colors while the floor mats were changed into thick and soft rugs. He also got a short table in the living room to encourage the little thing to use it as a support to crawl and walk in the future.

    Xi Xiaye quickly packed up on the day she was discharged. Although her body was slowly recovering, she did not really gain much weight during her pregnancy, and with the help of Zhuang Shurong, Mu Yuchen, and the nutritionist, she did not gain too much weight after she gave birth as well

 Chapter 746 - A Family of Four (1)

    <h4>Chapter 746: A Family of Four (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye finished packing up, Mu Yuchen walked into the room at the same time.

    Xi Xiaye had already changed into casual clothes and wore on a light beige mid-length coat. Inside, she wore a long and thick blouse while her long hair was casually tied up into a bun and hidden underneath a beanie of the same color. She still looked frail. However, the weather was pretty good, and her beautiful face had some blushes of faint crimson.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the bag by the bedside and asked gently, ¡°All packed up?¡±

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye turned to him, nodding happily and impatiently pulling his hand as she said calmly, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve already pretty much recovered. It¡¯s just that I had to stay in the hospital for so long. I couldn¡¯t stay any longer. I¡¯ve been waiting to go home. You can¡¯t keep bossing me around like you did in the hospital. I¡¯m not that delicate. In fact, I¡¯vepletely recovered now.¡±

    ¡°Completely recovered?¡± He squinted his eyes and looked contemtively at her. His gaze very quickly fell to the belly band that was still around her waist. ¡°I¡¯ll know once I check.¡±

    Then, his slender hands reached for her waist.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not say anything when she was pulled into his embrace. His long arms tightened, and without a word, he immediately lowered his head to get a few minutes of sweetness. Unexpectedly¡ª

    ¡°Cough cough.¡±

    An aged cough came, shocking Xi Xiaye. She quickly pushed him away while he was fast enough to hold her steady. ¡°Careful!¡±

    She breathed in before turning to look at the door only to see Wang Hui standing at the door and smiling.

    ¡°Grandmother!¡± Xi Xiaye called out as she pushed the man beside her away. Her beautiful face shed with an awkward blush.

    Wang Hui coughed lightly again and smiled. ¡°Ah Chen, didn¡¯t he doctor tell you? The first three months are very important. Remember, it¡¯s not a joking matter!¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not quite react, but Wang Hui continued to use that odd gaze as she looked at the man beside her. After that, she realized what she meant, and then her little face quickly reddened while the man beside her remained quite calm as if he did not see Wang Hui¡¯s expression that rejoiced in someone else¡¯s misfortune.

    ¡°Done with all the procedures?¡± he calmly asked.

    When she saw the hint of embarrassment in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes, Wang Huiughed to herself. ¡®This boy can usually barely handle it, but now he¡¯ll have to suffer for quite some time.¡¯

    ¡°Done, we can leave now. I¡¯ve told the nurse to bring the baby over. My good little great-grandson!¡± Wang Hui nced at the husband and wife again before she turned to leave the room smugly.

    Xi Xiaye then held her chest and sighed. She waved a fist at him in annoyance. ¡°Why are you always like this? My reputation¡¯s gone!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his handsome brows to object. ¡°There are more days toe for you to lose your reputation. Besides, everyone¡¯s well aware... Tss...¡±

    Before he could finish, pain immediately came from his waist. He endured it and looked down at her smiling face, yet her hand that pinched his waist increased in intensity.

    ¡°Missus, your all-powerful King Kong finger... has been trained well...¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, your honorable and elegant image of the past is gone forever.¡± Her calm lips shed with a faint smile. Then, she slowly let go of him.

    ¡°Touch¨¨. In fact, Missus, I¡¯m now doubting whether you have the potential of transforming into a hot mom.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the hot mom!¡±

    ...

    After a while, Wang Hui and the nurse carried Mu Zicheng over, and they all packed up to make their way out of the hospital.

    However, they could not hide this news from the media. The moment they walked out, therge group of reporters that waited outside the hospital swarmed up with no other reason than to get firsthand news about this family of three.

    Before this, because Mu Yuchen had managed security very well, Xi Xiaye did not get disrupted by the media. Otherwise, the media would have knocked the door down.

    Li Si brought a group of bodyguards with him as they tried to open up the path ahead. Mu Yuchen held Xi Xiaye by the shoulders too, carefully protecting her in his arms, and they finally got into the car.

    Inside the car, Xi Xiaye handed her son to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Carry him for a bit, will you? My arms are tired. Why are there so many reporters?¡±

    Mu Yuchen carefully carried the little guy and quietly put him on hisp as he held the upper half of his body. Then, he lifted a hand to fix her messy fringe on her forehead. ¡°They probably found out the news about you getting discharged from somewhere. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll just get Li Si to organize a press conference.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    ¡°Father and Mother wille over for dinner tonight. The university semester has just begun, so they¡¯re a little busy.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I almost forgot that University A¡¯s semester should¡¯ve begun by now. Right, how¡¯re Father and Mother..?¡± She looked up at him, and then lowered her head again, she reached out to gently y around with her son¡¯s little hand.

    ¡°Father already moved to Mother¡¯s lecturers¡¯ dormitory. Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re doing very well. Xiao Ru and Little Apple have been with them there. At night, they return to the Shen residence together. Once Grandpa gets home, Mother will mostly be done with the dishes.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good then. Luckily, Grandpa has Xiao Ru to y with. Oh, I thought about letting Xiao Ru stay at the Shen residence on Mondays to Fridays, and during the weekend, he shoulde home to Maple Residence. It¡¯s better for a child to live with their parents. We can prepare a small room for Xiao Ru beside Xiao Cheng¡¯s baby room.¡±

    ¡°As you wish. Xiao Ru¡¯s room is prepared, so don¡¯t worry. The child fancies it. He¡¯s just waiting for you and our son to be discharged and get home.¡±

    ¡°It seems like Xiao Ru like babies. Every time I go to see the baby, I see him lean against the ss window, watching the baby fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll definitely be very good brothers in the future,¡± responded Mu Yuchen with a smile. He also reached out his long fingers to gently poke at his son¡¯s soft cheeks. ¡°My son, call Father... Your eyes are so huge. Is it cause you don¡¯t recognize me and your mother?¡±

    Xi Xiaye leaned over and said softly, ¡°He¡¯s still so young. do you think he¡¯ll answer? But I do notice that when he looks at you, his eyes are especially bright as if he recognizes your voice.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen saw that, he quickly reached out his long arms to hug her frail shoulders. ¡°My son¡¯s smart. Of course, he can recognize me.¡±

 Chapter 747 - A Family of Four (2)

    <h4>Chapter 747: A Family of Four (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They had just reached Maple Residence when they could hearughter from afar. Xi Xiaye could recognize that it was Shen Yue and Mu Yinan¡¯s cheerful banter.

    ¡°We¡¯re home. Let¡¯s go down.¡±

    The car drove straight into Maple Residence and stopped at the cement pavement by the stairs in front of the vi.

    Mu Yuchen got down the car first before reaching out to hold her.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back. Quicklye in. It¡¯s cold outside. Don¡¯t catch a cold now,¡± Zhuang Shurong immediately ordered the servants to help get their things.

    ¡°Mother, Grandpa, Grandfather!¡± Xi Xiaye called out gently as she held her son tightly with both hands. Mu Yinan and Shen Yue had alreadye over and were fighting to carry him.

    ¡°Let me see!¡±

    ¡°I want to carry him first, then you can go!¡±

    Shen Yue walked over, his movements filled with vigor. He immediately reached out to carry Mu Zicheng as he cooed to him. Mu Yinan quickly walked over too.

    Xi Xiaye watched them as her beautiful face flushed with a faint smile. She subconsciously turned to look at the man beside her who remained calm, yet there was a tenderness in his eyes. He noticed her gaze, and a faint delight colored his handsome face.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    At this moment, two friendly-looking middle-aged women came to Xi Xiaye and respectfully bowed to greet her.

    ¡°Missus, these are the two maternity matrons that I¡¯ve just gotten for you. This is Aunt Ling, and this is Aunt Fang,¡± Sis Wang came up to introduce.

    Mu Yuchen was worried that she would not be taken good care of at home, so he found two maternity matrons for her. Including her and the other servants, there should be seven to eight people in the entire Maple Residence. It was the first time Maple Residence was this lively. While it always used to be deste with not many people in the huge house, it was now very lively.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently at them. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble all of you then.¡±

    ¡°No need to be courteous with us. This is what we should be doing,¡± the two of them replied respectfully. Clearly, they were well-trained persons.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go upstairs first. Let me help you up,¡± Mu Yuchen who kept quiet finally spoke up.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, she turned to the sofa in the living room and saw Shen Yue was still ying with Mu Zicheng, she smiled, and then let him help her upstairs.

    The entire room was already changed beyond recognition. The initial style was changed to a warmer one with light beige as the main tone. It looked elegant and fresh, bringing cheer and light-heartedness.

    Although it was just a short 20 odd days, she felt like it had been a century long. Thankfully, everything was fine. Otherwise, she really could not be sure that if anything happened to the child, she would break down...

    Xi Xiaye pulled open the floor-length curtains, and what greeted her sight were the final buds of the peach blossoms in the backyard, and many unnamed purple and red flowers. On the side was the gleaming reflections from the swimming pool that refracted a faint golden light that swayed. One felt dazed just watching the entire scenery.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    As someone¡¯s unique scene closed in from behind, her slender body was engulfed in his embrace, and his slightly warm and dry hands held her cold ones. She felt warmth chasing away the final traces of coldness that she caught from outside. She then said softly, ¡°Nothing. Did you find the person who pushed me?¡±

    As she said this, she turned and met his gaze. ¡°I think that it wouldn¡¯t have been Xi Xinyi, but since that person dares to mess with our child, I can¡¯t let go of them. Even if Xiao Cheng is fine, we can¡¯t just let go of someone so evil. Do you know that if you didn¡¯t reach in time, our child might¡¯ve been...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t protect you well.¡± His tone was a little down while his long arms abruptly tightened. ¡°This won¡¯t happen ever again.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly as she lifted a hand to poke at his knitted brows. ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with you. You¡¯ve always done great. It was my own neglect. You¡¯ve opened your wings to hold up the sky for me, so I should work a little harder to catch up with you. I don¡¯t want to be a burden to you. I¡¯m worried that you can¡¯t be as free as you were before because of me.¡±

    ¡°The evening you returned from City B, Qi Lei came looking for me. He told me that Gu Lingsha¡¯s joined Qi Kai for work, and has be the other person-in-charge of the South River project. Now that the South River project has begun, there ¡®ll be many things that we need to handle in time. I don¡¯t want to look into what this all means. I just hope that you can be more cautious.¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking about? You will never be a burden to me. Being free and unaffected is only for those who¡¯ve got nothing much to lose, Xiaye.¡± He sighed as he suddenly held her by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. His deep eyes were filled with sentiments that could not be concealed. ¡°You have never been a burden to me. I married you not to be a good wife. We can¡¯t escape these responsibilities. As for those matters, just leave it to me. I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Ever since you returned from City B, you have had a lot on your mind, did you find out something?¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it, and did not continue the topic earlier, today when she discharged, she thought about this.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to hold up his heavy head, then pointed to the chair on the side. ¡°Have a seat first, and I¡¯ll exin it briefly to you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did as she was told, and followed his guidance to sit on the chair. Mu Yuchen handed her a ss of warm water before sitting down beside her.

    ¡°I met Gu Qiwu the other day.¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu? Gu Lingsha¡¯s father?¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her head to drink as she said softly.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s Gu Lingsha¡¯s father. I¡¯m sure you know a little about what happened at the auction.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve asked Li Si. He said that you used that pen as an item to put up for auction, and after that Gu Lingsha used the highest bid of $8.5 million to get the pen. I know why you did it, but after that, you couldn¡¯t find that person. Instead, that pen fell into Gu Lingsha¡¯s hands.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye spoke, she frowned. ¡°Why would Gu Lingsha bid for the pen? Could it have been for Lingtian?¡±

    ¡°That may not be it. I think that we¡¯ve overestimated how much Lingtian could¡¯ve affected Gu Lingsha. Remember that mysterious man we met at Lingtian¡¯s tombstone the other time?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s unfathomable eyes started to turn dark as he turned and fixed his eyes on Xi Xiaye.

 Chapter 748 - A Family of Four (3)

    <h4>Chapter 748: A Family of Four (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she squinted her twinkling eyes and nodded. ¡°Of course, I remember. I think that person might very possibly be Ah Shi¡¯s father, but we couldn¡¯t find any news about that person for a very long time, could we?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, he definitely noticed that we¡¯ve been looking for him, so a lot of the information has been sealed. He¡¯s very skilled at countering our investigations. I think that he should be the person bidding against Gu Lingsha at the auction. In fact, apart from us, Doris was also trailing after him.¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha¡¯s mother? Why would she be trailing that person? Does she know the mysterious person too? In fact, are you sure the person chasing after him was Doris and not Gu Lingsha?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and asked a little puzzled.

    ¡°It was definitely Doris, so based on my judgment, that pen should¡¯ve been bid for by Doris and not Gu Lingsha.¡±

    ¡°Doris? Is she very close to Lingtian and Ah Shi? Otherwise, why would she... Why do I find some of these things so odd? Is there no way of finding out from Doris who she was chasing after?¡± Xi Xiaye clutched the ss in her hands tightly as she asked.

    Although Mu Yuchen smiled, his gaze darkened slightly. ¡°Even Doris herself doesn¡¯t know who she was chasing after, but there weren¡¯t many people whom she would spend so much effort into tracking down.¡±

    ¡°Have you guessed who that person is already?¡± She was all too familiar with his silent and bleak expression.

    He kept quiet and leaned back against the chair before looking up at the sky and clouds outside the window. For a long while, he did not continue.

    Deep in thought, Xi Xiaye turned to look at him and did not continue asking about it. She only gently patted his hand and got up unhurriedly. ¡°When you¡¯ve straightened things out, let me know. I want to know who this old trash man is too.¡± She then turned to leave the room.

    Mu Yuchen turned his head and watched her figure vanish out of the door. His calm lips shed with a smile. ¡°When I¡¯m sure, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±

    Then, the sound of a door closing came from outside while the phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed.

    He took out his phone to see that it was Ah Bao.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly answered.

    ¡°Master!¡± Ah Bao¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end.

    Mu Yuchen straightened up slightly and took the ss that Xi Xiaye had set aside on the table. He drank from it and said calmly, ¡°Speak.¡±

    In City B, Ah Bao, who was seated in the car, nodded and eased himself a little. ¡°Master, we¡¯ve found out who Bro Yong is. I¡¯vepared the information with him and found out that Bro Yong is a subordinate of the CEO of the Hui Gu Corporation, Gu Qiwu. Because he previouslymitted a crime, he¡¯s been to jail. It was Gu Qiwu who secretly bailed him out. After that, he had been secretly working for Gu Qiwu, and he¡¯s been very loyal to him ever since,¡± Ah Bao reported.

    Mu Yuchen paused as bleakness colored his handsome face. He sighed deeply and leaned back against the chair before quietly closing his eyes and lifting a hand to cover his forehead. He only opened them after a long while to look out at the blue sky and the white clouds outside the window. Then, he blinked quite a few times before looking down quietly at his hands as if there was something dirty on them.

    ¡°I even found out that Gu Qiwu¡¯s assistant had been at the ce Miss Mu Zi bought in Xiang She Residences years ago,¡± Ah Bao added on.

    Mu Yuchen calmly lowered his gaze, slowly stood up, and propped himself up with one hand against the window. He fell silent for a long while before saying a little wistfully and softly, ¡°Find a way to get Gu Qiwu¡¯s DNA. I¡¯ll get someone to send Lingshi over. I want you to do this DNA report abroad. Find a few more authoritative doctors.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Ah Bao answered while Mu Yuchen had already hung up. The phone in his hand slipped and fell onto the table beside him.

    Why was it him?

    It really was him...

    Mu Yuchen propped himself up weakly against the window in front of him as an indescribable gloominess rose in his throat. If that were true, would that mean that Lingtian had known for a long time already?

    If that were true, then he could only scoff bitterly and ridicule his own sorrow.

    His head felt immensely heavy, and his eyes dimmed with blurriness. After that, he had to set the ss down and turn around to leave the bedroom.

    Downstairs, Zhuang Shurong and the servants busied themselves, and lunch was soon served. Xi Xiaye had also been waiting on the sofa downstairs for a long while, yet she did not see Mu Yuchen, so she had to carefully go upstairs again.

    He was gone from the bedroom, but she did find him lying down and sleeping on the lounge chair in the study room by the shelf.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it, then walked over and reached out to gently push him, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep now, wake up and have some food before sleeping again.¡±

    Just as her fingers touched his wrist, she could clearly feel his temperature boiling. She nced at his tightly shut eyes again, and it was clear that he slept incredibly uneasily. From the crease between his brows, she could see that he was suffering. Xi Xiaye was immediately shocked, so she quickly reached out to feel his forehead.

    Indeed, he was burning!

    Was he not alright just earlier?

    How did he get so feverish so quickly?

    Xi Xiaye looked at him with concern as she held his hand tightly and shouted, ¡°Someone! Come quick!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong, who had just walked up, quickly rushed in when she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s shouts. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Mother, he has a fever. He¡¯s burning! Quickly send him to the hospital!¡±

    When Zhuang Shurong heard her exmation, her expression turned solemn. She quickly took her phone out and was about to make the call when Mu Yuchen suddenly lifted a hand to push her phone away. He opened his eyes and said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just caught a cold. Mother, go downstairs first. Xiaye, just help me to the bed to lie down for a bit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very feverish. Why are you still trying to be strong? Mother, please call for Dr. Zhong to make a visit. I¡¯ll help him to the room to lie down.¡± Xi Xiaye took a look at him and sighed helplessly before bending down to help him up.

    ¡°You can¡¯t. Let Sis Wang do it.¡± Mu Yuchen did not forget her physical condition.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can. You be careful. You were fine earlier. How did you suddenly get a fever?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows frowned into a knot, yet Mu Yuchen did not have the energy to answer. When they reached the bedroom, he just fell to the bed, and everything after that was a blur.

    He only faintly remembered Xi Xiaye covering him with a nket, and then Dr. Zhong seemed to havee and put him on an intravenous drip. Later, the woman seemed to have helped him change and wipe his body. He felt his body fluctuate between feeling cold and hot, and only after that did his condition gradually ease a little.

 Chapter 749 - A Family of Four (4)

    <h4>Chapter 749: A Family of Four (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky turned quiet as a gray tone shrouded the whole ce. Darkness crept in slowly.

    Inside the quiet andfortable bedroom, Mu Yuchen stirred slightly after a day of sleep. He opened his eyes and put his hand onto his heavy head, ncing around as he sat up. His eyes returned to normal. When he turned around, he saw a huge pair of eyes watching him.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re awake?¡± Mu Zirui was lying beside the bed as he stared at Mu Yuchen intently.

    ¡°Xiao Rui? Why are you here? Where¡¯s Mother?¡± Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and sat up.

    Mu Zirui grabbed a ss of water and medicine on the table beside the bed and handed them to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Have some water first, Father, and take your medicine. Mother is putting Brother to sleep. She told me to give you these when you wake up.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head before taking the water and medicine from him. Then, he quickly consumed the medicine.

    Mu Yuchen had Mu Zirui sit on the bed and asked, ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°The sky has turned dark already! Grandmother and the others have gone back home. Great-grandmother just fell asleep. Brother woke up the moment Mother finished her shower,¡± Mu Zirui touched Mu Yuchen¡¯s forehead with his little hand. ¡°Father, are you feeling unwell?¡¯

    Mu Yuchen grabbed his hand and asked, ¡°I¡¯m alright. Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡±

    Mu Zirui gave it some thought before he gave Mu Yuchen a serious reminder. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep after Brother falls asleep since there¡¯s no school tomorrow. Father, you need to wash your hands more frequently. It¡¯ll be more difficult to get sick that way.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°Who told you that you can avoid getting sick by washing your hands frequently?¡±

    ¡°The teachers at the kindergarten. I also saw Mother wiping your face and hands.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rui, there could be many reasons for a person to fall sick. Not washing your hands means not taking good care of personal hygiene which is one of the aspects. Ack of physical training could lead to getting sick as well. Don¡¯t eat anything dirty too. That¡¯s why you have to start training yourself in kindergarten. y more with other children instead of just watching them like before. You¡¯re not going to make friends like that. Understand?¡±

    Mu Yuchen patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head. He was surprised at himself for saying so much to this kid even though he was not particrly a talkative person.

    Mu Zirui nodded. He thought about something again before asking, ¡°Father, if I don¡¯t like someone, should I still y with him?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like him? Why not?¡± Mu Yuchen leaned against the bedhead as he asked.

    ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t let the other children y with me.¡±

    ¡°Then, you¡¯ll have toe up with a way to make other children y with you. Remember that you cannot fight in school. If there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t solve, thene home and discuss it with us. Back when I was in kindergarten, I was the boss of the whole ce. Even the teachers were impressed. Teachers always like children that have good grades and are influential over other children. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± Mu Ycuhen tried to simplify what he was trying to say.

    Mu Zirui was a smart child, so he grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s arm. ¡°I understand, Father! I¡¯ll do my best and be the boss!¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled as he tapped Mu Zirui¡¯s head. ¡°Cheeky little thing! I told you to memorize both your mother¡¯s and my number. Have you done it?¡±

    ¡°Yeap, yours is XXXX. Mother¡¯s phone number is XXXX. Our house address is Maple Residence, number 9 in the Grand Waves Vi area, right, Father?¡±

    ¡°Good, you need to memorize Great-grandfather¡¯s address and phone number as well. When I have some free time, I¡¯ll bring you around City Z. At least, you¡¯ll know how to get home if I leave you alone at the train station.¡±

    Master Mu thought this knowledge was relevant to a kid.

    ...

    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye came in through the side door and saw Mu Zirui lying on the bed looking at Mu Yuchen. The two of them were chatting about something. Mu Zirui looked like he was having fun as Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand was on Mu Zirui¡¯s head.

    ¡°Father said he¡¯ll bring me to take the trains one day, Mother.¡± Mu Zirui turned his head the moment he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice.

    ¡°That will need to wait. It¡¯s gettingte now and you should go back to your room and sleep. I¡¯ll read you some stories. Change into your pajamas quickly.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at Mu Yuchen and was relieved when she noticed he was not as pale as before. ¡°Go and take a bath. I¡¯ve prepared the water for you. I¡¯ll go to Xiao Rui¡¯s room.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Is our son asleep?¡±

    ¡°Yeap, he can be easily awakened. His ears are very sensitive and he¡¯ll awaken at the slightest noise. Let¡¯s go, Xiao Rui. Time to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Oh, goodnight, Father!¡±

    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Mu Yuchen took his hand away.

    ...

    Mu Zirui¡¯s room was right beside Mu Zicheng¡¯s room. It was just a door away.

    Xi Xiaye took out a clean set of pajamas and was about to change it for Mu Zirui. Unexpectedly, he hid under the nket and popped out his head as he said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll change by myself. I read it in the book that I shouldn¡¯t let girls see my body so easily.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but giggle after hearing Mu Zirui¡¯s words. She gently knocked on Mu Zirui¡¯s head. ¡°Just how old do you think you are?! I just bathed you a few days ago. I¡¯ve seen everything on you! You shouldn¡¯t let girls see you when you grow up. I¡¯m not a little girl.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts. Come out. I¡¯m changing for you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye dragged Mu Zirui out of the nket and quickly changed him into his pajamas. Then, she read Mu Zirui several stories until he fell asleep.

    Sis Wang served Mu Yuchen some supper. She also changed the bedsheets and the nket.

    He was standing beside the window, gazing out when Xi Xiaye got back to the bedroom, and he seemed a little lonely. She contemted for a few moments before approaching him.

 Chapter 750 - Master Muâ€™s Status (1)

    <h4>Chapter 750: Master Mu¡¯s Status (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She stopped right behind him, lowering herself slightly and grabbing his hand.

    He turned around when he felt the cold touch on his hand. She put her other hand onto his forehead and noticed that his temperature had returned to normal, so she was relieved. ¡°What¡¯s up? Are you thinking about Lingtian again?¡±

    She remembered that he had behaved the same way the day before <i>Qing Ming </i>. He had also gotten sick and was hiding something on his mind.

    ¡°Are they all asleep?¡± he asked quietly as he put his arm over her shoulder.

    ¡°Mmm, maybe you should sleep in another room for now since our son is easily woken up in the middle of the night. I want to...¡±

    ¡°Leave it to Aunt Lin and Aunt Fang. You shouldn¡¯t overexert yourself at the moment,¡± Mu Yuchen interrupted Xi Xiaye before she could even finish her sentence.

    She was way too concerned about their son! He was the one who married her. She should be staying with him. Why else did he hire all the servants?

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts. Aunt Lin and Aunt Fang are very experienced. Just let them handle it. Grandmother also wants to help. Your job now is to recover your health. There¡¯s a lot of work waiting for you to do after you¡¯ve recovered. Let them take care of our son. There¡¯s Xiao Rui, our parents, and grandparents around us, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He looked at her intently. With her past trauma, she might just spend most of her time in the future with Xiao Cheng and Xiao Rui, and with work taking up anotherrge chunk of her time, there was not really much time left. She would want to spend time with the elders as well. Then, what would be of him?

    Master Mu was getting unhappy as he thought about it. He realized she had always been the top priority for him, but he might not always be the top priority for her. At least, for now, the one sleeping in the next room was almost more important than him.

    He had to take precautionary measures.

    ¡°That¡¯s their concern. We as parents should show more concern as well. That¡¯s how we bond with them. We have to start educating them since young. Our rtionship should be developed from now on,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    He studied her for a while before turning around without a word and going to bed.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. As she was about to head over, she heard her son¡¯s loud wailing, so she quickly walked towards the baby room.

    Mu Zicheng was wide awake and crying really loudly. Aunt Lin and Sis Wang rushed over when they heard the noise, and they were all trying to calm him down.

    ¡°Is Little Master¡¯s diaper wet?¡±

    ¡°Missus, Little Master might be hungry.¡±

    ¡°Where are his toys?¡±

    ...

    For some reason, Mu Zicheng went totally mad with his crying this time around. Luckily, the room was soundproof, or else even Wang Hui downstairs might hear him too. Mu Yuchen could still hear his loud wailing from the master bedroom.

    Xi Xiaye took her child from Aunt Lin and started tofort him. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, my baby. What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m here. It¡¯s alright.¡±

    The few of them took turns holding him, but Mu Zicheng never stopped crying.

    They changed his diaper and tried to feed him, but he did not want any food. Xi Xiaye was really tense as she looked at Sis Wang. ¡°Sis Wang, is the baby not feeling well somewhere?¡±

    Things had been fine in the hospital. With all the experienced nurses around, Mu Zicheng was quiet and well-behaved. He had never acted like this before. Could it be because of the sudden change in the environment? He had been crying several times today already, and she spent a great deal of effort putting him to sleep just now. s, now he woke up again in just half an hour!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Missus. I suppose he¡¯s not used to the new environment. I...¡±

    ¡°Give him to me.¡±

    Before Sis Wang could finish her sentence, a deep voice came from behind her. They looked back and saw Mu Yuchen walking over wearing his ck sleeping robe. He looked pretty calm. However, he did shoot Xi Xiaye an odd nce when he walked up to her.

    Xi Xiaye coughed slightly before handing the baby over to him as she turned her face away.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his body slightly to hold his son. He awkwardly tried to imitate the nurses in the hospital as he lightly tapped Mu Zicheng¡¯s butt tofort him. ¡°Father¡¯s here. What are you crying about?¡±

    His tone was gentle. Maybe the little thing noticed the man was his own father, so he clenched his fists and stopped crying. He looked at Mu Yuchen as he waved his arms around.

    ¡°Are you trying to show me something? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Let Aunt Lin put you to sleep. Here we go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed the little thing to Aunt Lin after a while. However, Mu Zicheng seemed to know what he was saying, and he started crying again the moment Aunt Lin held him. Mu Yuchen quickly took him back.

    It happened several times. Every time Mu Yuchen let go of him, the little thing would continue crying, and then stop when Mu Yuchen held him again.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye was surprised to see what was happening. She gave the father-son pair a doubtful nce.

    Did her son actually like his father holding him?

    Even Aunt Lin and Sis Wang were shocked. They looked at the father-son pair and smiled. ¡°Master, it seems like Little Master really likes you. Elder Madam held him for quite some time in the afternoon and he wouldn¡¯t stop as well. He only slept after Missus held him, and now he¡¯s sofortable in your arms. Could it be a special bond between father and son?¡± Sis Wang giggled.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the little thing in his arms for a while. He took a deep breath and turned towards his little woman. ¡°Do I put him in the cradle?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Be careful. His ears are very sensitive.¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked towards the cradle. As he was about to put Mu Zicheng down, his eyes opened the moment his little butt touched the surface. In shock, Mu Yuchen quickly held him again.

 Chapter 751 - Master Muâ€™s Status (2)

    <h4>Chapter 751: Master Mu¡¯s Status (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The little thing closed his eyes again momentster. Xi Xiaye took him from Mu Yuchen. This time around, Mu Zicheng only stirred slightly and gazed up drowsily at Xi Xiaye for a little while before closing his eyes and continuing to sleep again.

    Xi Xiaye stared at the little guy for a long while. Then, she took a deep breath and nced at the clock on the wall.

    It was alreadyte at night. The breeze outside was getting really chilly. Although it was a busy night, in the end, Xi Xiaye decided to dismiss everyone.

    ¡°Aunt Lin, Sis Wang, it¡¯s already reallyte. You guys can head back and sleep. I guess he¡¯s still getting used to the new environment. I¡¯ll take care of him for now. Mr. Mu, go get your son¡¯s pillow.¡±

    Holding her son, she then walked into the bedroom.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he looked at the third person on their bed. Peering at Xi Xiaye across him momentster, he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Xi Xiaye watched her son as shey down on the bed, and casuallybed her messy hair. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been sleeping very well and might wake up at night, so it¡¯s easier for me to take care of him this way. You can help out too. Alright, it¡¯s time to sleep. Stay over on that side since you just recovered from a fever. Don¡¯t stay too close to us.¡±

    She then proceeded to switch the main lights off and only left the dim lights right beside the windows on.

    Mu Yuchen felt the throb of a headacheing on as he looked at the two of them for a while before letting out a helpless sigh. He red at the baby unhappily.

    He needed the mother¡¯s slender body, not the baby!

    What a nightmare!

    He knew this wasing!

    His status in this family was bing lower and lower!

    He massaged his temples before he crossed over and grabbed the nket right behind Xi Xiaye. Ignoring her struggles, he pinned her down. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to forget about me once you found something new. Is this how things are going to be now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned around and faced him in shock. She then noticed that he really seemed dissatisfied and sounded jealous as well. Now, she finally understood why her man was acting weird the whole night.

    She could not help but scold him, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Chairman Mu. I didn¡¯t expect you to be this petty.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about being petty. It¡¯s a matter of attitude. Your behavior will lead to spoiling our son. No matter how well you take care of him, he¡¯ll be someone else¡¯s husband in the future. Then, he¡¯ll only listen to his wife. This is the bad part about having a son. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s not going to listen to you in the future. I told you daughters are always better. Moreover, I¡¯m your husband, so I¡¯ll be the one who walks alongside you until the end of the journey of life.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? A daughter will be someone else¡¯s wife as well! So, are you saying that you¡¯re an unfilial son? No wonder you¡¯re not close to your parents. Plus, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve been listening to me as well! I¡¯m sure our son will grow up to be an understanding and mature person who¡¯ll treat us very well. I expect my son and my daughter-inw along with our grandkids to visit us frequently, just like how we visit our grandparents now. Mr. Mu, I now realize you can be pretty selfish at times.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shot him a cold and disapproving gaze as a warning.

    ¡°I¡¯m the exception. I¡¯m selfish because of you. Fine, I shouldn¡¯t put it that way. Don¡¯t look at me like that! Just leave our son to me. You just worry about work and me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like our son?¡± Xi Xiaye squinted at him.

    ¡°How is that possible? I like any child that you give birth to. I just want to voice out my opinion. I¡¯m just worried that you might be overburdening yourself! What do you think of me, Mrs. Mu?¡± he asked seriously as he hugged her tightly.

    Xi Xiaye gave him a serious look and replied, ¡°You¡¯re alright. I used to think you were ideal, but your image is starting to deteriorate, and you¡¯re shifting slightly further away from the ideal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not bad. I was brought up in a peaceful family. The rtionship between parents can influence the children a lot.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Please express yourself properly.¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows as she noticed that his eyes were definitely plotting something.

    ¡°I mean we have to behave very lovingly in front of our sons. Not only are we in a fantastic rtionship, but we also need to have rapport too. If you always ignore me, aren¡¯t you worried that I might...?¡±

    ¡°Worry about what? Are you going to look for a female secretary? Or go out with some movie star for dinner? I heard from the PR Department there¡¯s a new ambassadortely. She¡¯s a young, innocent girl, and quite a pretty one too. Ahem, a certain someone was looking at her for too long during the anniversary dinner and she felt embarrassed. Do you think I don¡¯t know about it?¡± Xi Xiaye raised his chin with one finger as she looked straight into his eyes.

    Mu Yuchen finally understood the terror of a woman who remembered his past faults. He felt a chill shoot down his spine and he quickly said, ¡°Who was looking at her? You were standing right behind her. I was looking at you. Moreover, do you think my standards are that low? How is it my fault if she gets the wrong idea? You know very well I don¡¯t like people in the entertainment industry.¡±

    As he finished his sentence, he was reminded of something and he quickly let go of her. His eyes darkened as he took a deep breath and he pulled the nket over the two of them. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Go to sleep.¡±

    Their happy moments were taken over by a gloomy atmosphere. He had already closed his eyes when she looked at him. Starting to feel bad, she quickly snuggled up to him. ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. Please don¡¯t get angry at me, Mr. Mu.¡±

    He grabbed her hands and replied without even opening his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t dare be angry at you.¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± He nced at her.

 Chapter 752 - Master Muâ€™s Status (3)

    <h4>Chapter 752: Master Mu¡¯s Status (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His noble and handsome expression that contained a hint of unhappiness came into her sight. Xi Xiaye instantly smiled cheerfully. ¡°At least, you¡¯re slightly self-aware. Do you have to be jealous of your own son? He¡¯s just a little baby. It¡¯s our duty and responsibility to take care of him.¡±

    ¡°You also have a duty and responsibility to me,¡± he immediately said.

    ¡°I¡¯llpensate you well enough in time. When our son grows older, we¡¯ll have a lot of time together.¡±

    ¡°How are you going topensate me?¡± When he heard her response, he immediately opened his eyes and looked meaningfully at her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a meal...¡±

    ¡°Before that, it¡¯s best if you can pay a little bit of interest. One kiss isn¡¯t too much, is it?¡±

    ¡°I... Mmm... our son...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not awake. Even if he is, he won¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on.¡±

    This pervert!

    He managed to get quite a few minutes of sweetness out of her. Then, a certain someone suddenly squeezed the pillow tightly as he rolled off the bed and ran out of the door.

    Xi Xiaye watched the sorry way he ran off and could not help but chuckle. After that, she fell asleep a little exhausted. Poor Master Mu slept on the cold sofa outside for the night. When he woke up the next day, his head felt heavy. In the end, he caught a cold and had a rather high fever.

    Inside the chairman of Glory World¡¯s office.

    Cough cough!

    The suppressed coughing kept continuing to echo throughout the room. Sitting before the window, Mu Yuchen was browsing through a document. He looked up at the few superrge screens which were disying information rted to the stock market andpany insights while his other hand covered his mouth with a clean tissue.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Chief Su is outside here!¡± the secretary reported.

    Mu Yuchen did not even blink as he said with a raspy voice, ¡°Let him in, and bring two cups of Mao Jian.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Chairman Mu!¡±

    The secretary left quickly. In a moment, Su Chen¡¯s lean figure walked in. As he set his coat down, he sat down and casually tossed the hard disk in his hand onto the table. He said in exhaustion, ¡°I managed to find out. Look at it yourself! It was a car without a number te, and it should¡¯ve been a woman sitting inside. She wore sunsses, so you have to find out who it is yourself.¡±

    ¡°More than a month has passed since the incident, and you bring me this half-heartedly. Your skills have worsened.¡± Mu Yuchen closed the document in hand as heined in a raspy voice. Then, he could not help but cough lightly a few more times.

    ¡°Why are you still at work when you¡¯re sick? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s too earn money for your child. Your wealth is enough to sustain the many generations after you! You can¡¯t me me for this either. I only had people investigate it once work started after the New Year. I don¡¯t manage the administrative region. Do you really think it¡¯s easy to investigate all the cars in City Z without a number te? Besides, we¡¯re the traffic police, not the Ministry of Public Security. The fact that we could find this is prettymendable. Besides, the region that this car passed through is my rival¡¯s,¡± Su Chen said while looking annoyed. He was recently quite troubled by his family. What a bad start to the year!

    ¡°Is your backyard on fire again?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had been hearing a lot about the things on Su Chen¡¯s end from Li Si. Indeed, he had gotten into something with Ji Zitong. Back then, when he saw Elder Su and Su Yu appear before Ji Zitong¡¯s flower shop, he already had a feeling that there was going to be a spectacr show from Su Chen. It certainly turned out as he expected.

    Su Chen epted the tea that the secretary served him and carefully took two sips. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about these things. Work¡¯s ending soon. Let¡¯s have a few drinks with the bros. Call Zimo. Oh yeah, a friend of mine¡¯s returned from abroad too, so let¡¯s hang out.¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I can go right now?¡± Mu Yuchen held back his coughs and asked in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you? You don¡¯t drink, so you can just chat with your buddies. Let¡¯s go!¡± Su Chen urged, and without waiting for Mu Yuchen to answer, he got up to take his coat before casually swinging it over his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll give Zimo a call.¡±

    Then, he took out his phone from his pocket and was about to call Zhou Zimo when his phone unexpectedly buzzed. Su Chen looked down and saw that it was Ji Zitong. He already knew what was up. Early this morning, he heard from his sister, Su Yu, that the elder had gone to exchange martial arts moves with Ji Zitong¡¯s father again!

    He lifted a hand to massage between his brows as he felt his head ache. The call went through. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Go to XX Restaurant near my father¡¯s martial arts center right away. Your grandfather invited my father to drink, and now the two of them are drunk. The elder came by in a taxi himself!¡± It was hard to miss the hint of contained anger in Ji Zitong¡¯s voice.

    When Su Chen heard her furious voice, he widened his eyes. After a while, he reacted. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days. How did the old man and your father progress so quickly to be good friends?¡±

    ¡°Come over right away and exin the whole thing to my parents. Tell them that I¡¯ve got nothing to do with you. You know that I¡¯ve got limited patience.¡±

    Ji Zitong sighed deeply. Without waiting for the other person to answer, she hung up, and then looked helplessly at the two who were sprawled drunk on the table.

    Elder Su¡¯s temperament was quite agreeable with her father¡¯s. Ever since thest time Elder Su came to look for her parents at the martial arts center, Elder Su had beening quite frequently whether it was to y chess with her father or to exchange some moves. In just half a month, the two of them were like friends who had known each other all along. In short, they became close friends.

    ...

    On Glory World Corporation¡¯s end.

    Mu Yuchen handed the hard disk that Su Chen tossed over to him to Li Si. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Find that woman in the recording. I want the results tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si answered respectfully, and then took the hard disk from Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Ah Chen,e with me. The elder is drunk and is probably unconscious right now.¡± Su Chen sighed helplessly and said in bewilderment, ¡°He¡¯s only happy if he gives me nonsense to deal with!¡±

    Mu Yuchen took his windbreaker from the rack, and simply put it over his shoulders. He grabbed the car keys from the table, and looked meaningfully at Su Chen. ¡°The elder¡¯s risking his life to get you a wife, so you should thank him. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Su Chen found his words rather odd. ¡°What wife? Where did you get this gossip? Ji Zitong and I had nothing to do with each other at all!¡±

    Su Chen quickly chased after him as he exined profusely. At most, he was just hiring her to be his wife. Even when he had proposed that, that woman had looked at him in disdain!

    Mu Yuchen, who walked ahead, suddenly stopped in his steps and abruptly turned to look at Su Chen while smiling faintly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was Ji Zitong. You exposed yourself.¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell! You bastard, you tricked me again!¡±

 Chapter 753 - Long Time No See (1)

    <h4>Chapter 753: Long Time No See (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The start of spring was still a little chilly, especially when night fell. Amidst the bleakness, there would be frigid gales.

    After two senior apprentices from the martial arts center helped Father Ji back to the center, Ji Zitong stood in the cold wind while peering through the ss window and waiting for Su Chen to arrive. She saw Elder Su still fast asleep on the table, and her brows furrowed into a knot.

    She watched as the traffic light turned from red to green, then red again. She also kept ncing at the phone in her hand too, shrinking as her whole body shuddered from the cold. Unable to help but take a look at her phone again, she realized that half an hour had passed and Su Chen was nowhere in sight. Irritated, she could not help but curse Su Chen inside again. She was about to pick up her phone when suddenly¡ª

    tter!

    Someone bumped into her from behind, and the phone in her hand fell to the ground.

    Ji Zitong frowned as she quickly bent down and was about to pick up her phone from the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. Are you okay?¡±

    Then came the kind voice of a male whose hand picked up the phone even quicker than she could.

    The familiar yet distant voice came made Ji Zitong stop what she was doing in that instant. She subconsciously looked up to take in a dashing man in a tuxedo. Stunned, her beautiful eyes froze, and then a coldness shed through them. Finally, they returned to being calm.

    ¡°Zitong, it¡¯s you!¡±

    The man was extremely stupefied as his gaze was fixed on Ji Zitong before him. ¡°Zitong, long time no see...¡±

    Dong Wentao.

    Ji Zitong did not think that she would ever see this person ever again.

    ¡°It really has been a long time, Captain Dong. Can you return my phone?¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s lukewarm voice was heard although her beautiful face was extremely reserved without any expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Here.¡±

    Dong Wentao handed the phone to Ji Zitong who quickly took it back. She was about to turn when he suddenly called out to her, ¡°Zitong, that day... I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t go.¡± His low raspy voice sounded a little apologetic.

    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t go. Actually, I didn¡¯t go either. While you got engaged to Wang Yanran, I was still training with the troops, so I couldn¡¯t leave, and you didn¡¯t wait for me. I didn¡¯t wait for you either, so you don¡¯t have to apologize to me about anything.¡± Ji Zitong put both hands in her pockets as she looked magnanimously at this man before her.

    ¡°I know that you still went in the end, and even injured your leg in a fall. I let you down. I did go looking for you afterward, but Chief Su didn¡¯t let me in. Zitong, how have you been all these years? I haven¡¯t been able to get you off my mind all these years.¡±

    Dong Wentao had no idea what else he could say at this point. He had so much to say; everything had been suppressed for a long time, and at this point, right before her, all of those words became feeble. Nheless, right now, he could only bitterly tell himself that once you missed some things, you would never get it back, and once you missed some people, that was it.

    ¡°Compared to your ascend up the promotiondder, given your high role as captain of the police force, I clearly can¡¯t measure up to you, but I really do have to thank you for the thought, Captain Dong.¡± Ji Zitong seemed very calm while her beautiful eyes studied the man before her.

    ¡°Zitong, my family arranged Yanran for me. My parents...¡±

    ¡°Okay, Captain Dong, you can save these words. Just be good to your wife then. She¡¯s your capital to promotions and wealth, so you have to serve her well. You¡¯re from the army, hence you should always care about the result over the process. I don¡¯t like to hear these things either.¡±

    ¡°Zitong, there are still some things I have to rify, but you never gave me a chance,¡± Dong Wentao said disappointedly. There was an indescribableplexity in his eyes as he fixed them on Ji Zitong¡¯s cold face. ¡°Back then, we were both too prideful, so prideful that neither wanted to give in. We went through so much, yet you¡¯re still as stubborn and hostile as before, Zitong.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t give me a chance either!¡± An insulting sneer shed on Ji Zitong¡¯s face. ¡°So arrogant that I wouldn¡¯t yield? It was only you who never wanted to yield. Every time we fought, I¡¯d always be the onepromosing, including getting closer to you. I went against my own wishes and joined the army without a second thought. While you? Have you ever cared for me? Right, you¡¯re also a high and mighty son of an official. Someone like me just can¡¯t measure up to you. Oh, you don¡¯t have to lower yourself for me either. Forget about the mockery of your family. I¡¯ll have to honor you as the god of upying a leading position.¡±

    ¡°Zitong, you¡¯ve misunderstood. My mother never looked down on you. She just thought our personalities weren¡¯t suitable. She¡¯s got nothing against you,¡± Dong Wen quickly exined.

    ¡°She¡¯s right. We¡¯re extremely unsuitable. If we were a match, how could you have made it to your top position? You mother-and-son pair are quite far-sighted.¡±

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this Miss Ji? What a coincidence that you happened to bump into our Wentao? What? This time, what are you nning to talk about to my husband? I was wondering why no one turned up. It turns out you¡¯re here chatting away with this vixen!¡± This sharp voice that interrupted their conversation was quite harsh. Ji Zitong could immediately tell who this voice belonged to.

    It was Wang Yanran, Dong Wentao¡¯s wife who was dressed in pearls and looking all high and mighty.

    ¡°Yanran, watch your words!¡±

    ¡°How am I not watching my words? How long have you rekindled your spark with this vixen behind my back? Have you forgotten how this vixen almost ruined our wedding back then!? Why? Are you hurt now?¡±

    ¡°Yanran, shut up. We¡¯re in public! Zitong and I just bumped into each other. If you want to cause a scene, do it at home!¡± Dong Wentao frowned and reprimanded his wife softly.

    ¡°You, shut up! Zitong, Zitong, how intimate. No one would believe the two of you bumped into each other! Earlier, you were telling me to go home first. Wasn¡¯t it to ride off into the sunset with this vixen?¡±

    ¡°Wang Yanran, you better be more respectful.¡±

    ¡°How am I being disrespectful? I know that you¡¯ve always loved Wentao, but now he¡¯s my man, Wang Yanran¡¯s husband. You¡¯re terribly shameless by seducing him. Do you even deserve my respect?¡±

    ¡°What an egoistic and dumb woman!¡± Ji Zitong smiled in disdain. She turned to look at Elder Su through the window and cursed Su Chen inside again.

    It was all this bastard¡¯s fault. Otherwise, she would not have bumped into these people.

    ¡°What? Are you cursing me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the dumb woman. It serves you right that no one wants you! Husband, did you know that my friend saw her details at the matchmaking center? Her mother¡¯s still marketing this dumb woman. She¡¯s still going for blind dates like she¡¯s ying house. How embarrassing!¡±

 Chapter 754 - Long Time No See (2)

    <h4>Chapter 754: Long Time No See (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sharp voice broke through the cruel bite of the cold wind. Because Wang Yanran¡¯s voice was loud and shrill, many people around them were beginning to look their way. They even started to surround them, or point at them and whisper among each other.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression finally tensed in that instant. Her beautiful eyes were filled with anger while her hands that hid underneath her sleeves began to clench into fists as she coldly fixed her gaze on Wang Yanran¡¯s face.

    ¡°Yanran! Enough! Stop this. We¡¯re outside. Watch your image! Don¡¯t be cursing in the streets like a fishmonger¡¯s wife!¡± Dong Wentao seemed really upset, and then he looked apologetically with mixed emotions at Ji Zitong as he pulled at Wang Yanran¡¯s arm.

    It was barely fine when Dong Wentao said nothing, but as soon as he said that, it undoubtedly added fuel to the fire!

    Wang Yanran wriggled free of Dong Wentao¡¯s arm. She turned and then pushed him away, her sharp voice containing some degrees of fury to it now. ¡°Let go of me! Why? Do you feel sorry for her now? Cursing in the streets like a fishmonger¡¯s wife, eh? Telling me to watch my image? You two want to meet behind my back but are afraid that I¡¯d know? Don¡¯t act all innocent. Let everyone see your faces. Let them see it! Dong Wentao, I¡¯m done loving you! Do you think I don¡¯t know that all these years, you¡¯ve been missing this woman behind my back, that you haven¡¯t tossed that bracelet she gave you? Last week, when I was tidying up the room, I even found a picture of you two together in your book! What? Speechless now?¡±

    ¡°Yanran, let¡¯s go home! Stop talking!¡±

    Dong Wentao was extremely humiliated at this point. His dark brows furrowed into a knot as he walked up and dragged Wang Yanran by the arms, yet she struggled even harder. ¡°Bloody hell! Let go of me! I¡¯ve caught the two of you just in time. Are you afraid that I¡¯d expose this slut¡¯s scandal? Everyonee judge for yourself. Not only did this woman ruin my husband and my wedding back then, but now she¡¯s even shamelessly seducing my husband. Disgusting mistresses like this one are the most shameless! Everyone,e look! Hmph!¡±

    Wang Yanran¡¯s voice attracted many bystanders. Those with a discerning eye would think that it was a show about a wife catching the mistress, thus many people begun to point and scorn Ji Zitong. Their curses kepting while some even took their phones out to take pictures of her. Without a doubt, Ji Zitong was probably going to appear on Weibo very soon.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes filled with anger. Her first reaction was to smack the hands of those people who tried to take pictures of her. With a stormy expression, she walked up in long strides to push Dong Wentao aside without a word before she quickly reached out to hold Wang Yanran by the cor. In her stern voice, she spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°Slut? Who are you calling a slut?¡±

    ¡°Ah! You want to use violence against me too! How dare you manhandle me, slut!? Look, everyone! The mistress thinks she¡¯s right! Let go of me! Let go of me quickly!¡±

    Wang Yanran began to struggle and she subconsciously gripped Ji Zitong by her clothes with both hands.

    ¡°Back then when I was dating him, you were nowhere in sight! If we were to talk about a third party, you¡¯d be the one! You just picked up a used man that I, Ji Zitong, discarded. What are you being so delighted for? Are all daughters of Bureau Chiefs like you? Only blind trash men would fancy an arrogant and unreasonable bimbo like you. What? Do you think I don¡¯t know that it was you who yed those little tricks at your wedding? I was just toozy to expose you!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! How would you exin today then? Haven¡¯t you been missing my husband all these years? Your mother even pitifully told me this, hmph!¡±

    ¡°Me missing him? Is he even worthy?¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s cold voice contained thick ridicule. ¡°A man who relies on a woman for promotions is just a softie living off a woman. If you like him, feel free to have him. I¡¯ve never disturbed you two. You don¡¯t have to keep holding onto me!¡±

    ¡°Yanran, Zitong, stop fighting. Please stop fighting!¡± Dong Wentao could not keep quiet any longer. He went up and tried to separate the two of them.

    ¡°Me keep holding on to you? You slut! You want to nder me while seducing my husband for no reason! Look at yourself. You don¡¯t match him. Are you still thinking of trying to be upper-ss? Stop daydreaming! Let go of me! You want to hit me, don¡¯t you? Do you want to hit me in your fury of embarrassment? Come then! Hit me!¡±

    In the barrage of Wang Yanran¡¯s shouting, Ji Zitong already furiously clenched her fists uncontrobly. She wanted to punch this annoying face so badly, and the reality was that she eventually did!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Her shriek sounded as if a pig had been ughtered. Wang Yanran¡¯s first reaction was to clutch Ji Zitong by the cor in an instant. She went all out and pped Ji Zitong¡¯s face as her sharp nails scratched her like mad. Even the earrings on Ji Zitong¡¯s ear were pulled off.

    ¡°How dare you hit me?! What a justified mistress! Slut! How terrifying! You shamelessly seduce my husband, and openly meet up with him. How thirsty are you!¡±

    ¡°Yanran! Stop!¡± Dong Wentao held Wang Yanran by the shoulders and pulled her back. ¡°Enough! Stop causing trouble. Zitong, go home!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me. I want her to learn her lesson. Don¡¯t seduce someone else¡¯s husband in your free time! Pfft, slut! I want to teach her a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Who do you want to teach a lesson to?¡±

    Just as Wang Yanran was going to kick Ji Zitong again, Ji Zitong felt herself pulled back. A tall figure blocked before her. In the next second, his imposing manner pushed Wang Yanran back.

    ¡°Chief Su...¡±

    Dong Wentao looked at the man who had suddenly appeared before him, and his expression instantly sank. He subconsciously trembled as he quickly pulled Wang Yanran back.

    ¡°What Chief Su? Who are you? Don¡¯t be a busybody!¡±

    Wang Yanran had not realized who he was just yet. She cursed as she looked up. When she saw Su Chen¡¯s steadfast and handsome face that was mad, she was subconsciously stunned, and could not look away.

    ¡°Stop it now, Yanran. He¡¯s Chief Su from the Traffic Management Bureau!¡± Dong Wentao could not help but begin to panic. This year, he had been mulling over a career change, and he wanted to look to him for help when that happened!

    Of course, Wang Yanran knew about Su Chen. Had her father not asked Dong Wentao to go out with him more recently?

    Why would he be here? And even bump into this ugly scene?

    As she thought about this, she suddenly had a bad feeling. She turned uneasily to Dong Wentao and saw that his expression had clouded over. She hesitated, then said, ¡°So, it¡¯s Chief Su. I apologize. I didn¡¯t recognize you earlier. This woman was just...¡±

 Chapter 755 - Long Time No See (3)

    <h4>Chapter 755: Long Time No See (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I saw what happened.¡± Su Chen interrupted Wang Yanran before she could finish her sentence. He shot Dong Wentao a sharp gaze. ¡°Captain Dong, you seem to be enjoying yourself. What are you guys trying to do by blocking this ce?¡±

    ¡°Chief Su, this woman is trying to seduce Wentao. She¡¯s a bad influence on society! She¡¯s destroying someone¡¯s marriage!¡±

    ¡°You self-absorbed idiot!¡± Ji Zitongughed coldly at Wang Yanran.

    ¡°So, are you saying you weren¡¯t here waiting for Wentao?¡± Wang Yanran¡¯s suppressed anger resurfaced the moment she heard Ji Zitong¡¯s words.

    ¡°Stop it, Yanran! I already told you that we just happened to bump into Zitong. It¡¯s been many years since west met. Can¡¯t I at least greet her?¡± Dong Wentao red at Wang Yanran irritatedly as his eyes darkened.

    Wang Yanran was about to say something, but she kept her anger in check as Su Chen was there.

    ¡°Ms. Wang, it¡¯s not very nice of you to use someone without any proof. Captain Dong, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s your fault this time. Women are meant to be protected, and not be a target to hurt. I believe I¡¯ve told you this back then. I see you haven¡¯t learned at all after all these years.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s tone of voice was firm as he nced at the surroundings with his sharp eyes. He frowned when he noticed the crowd was taking photos and videos. Then, he turned around and looked at Ji Zitong. The next moment, he put his arm over her shoulder. He lowered himself down and whispered beside her ear as she started to struggle, ¡°You can choose not to cooperate if you want these rumors to spread. It doesn¡¯t affect my reputation anyway.¡±

    Ji Zitong then stopped struggling and behaved.

    Su Chen seemed satisfied, so he straightened up and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Grandfather and Father? They must¡¯ve been waiting.¡±

    Ji Zitong looked at him and sighed. ¡°Several students from my father¡¯s center took him back. Grandfather is still inside.¡±

    Ji Zitong nced into the restaurant. Through the window, they could see an old man with white hair sleeping on the table.

    Su Chen put a hand onto his forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± He then went into the restaurant with his arm wrapped around her.

    The whole thing just now seemed like a cheap joke as the two of them acted intimately. The ugly rumor wore off by itself, especially when people saw Mu Yuchen standing quietly right behind Su Chen!

    Mu Yuchen had been behind Su Chen the whole time. Despite him usually being calm and collected, even he was surprised when Su Chen put his arm over Ji Zitong as they walked into the restaurant.

    ¡°It¡¯s Master Mu! Chief Su and Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! It¡¯s really them!¡±

    The crowd started to react. Su Chen had taken part in making a public service announcement video regarding road safety some time ago, so people were familiar with his looks, and this elegant-looking man here must be Glory World¡¯s Master Mu!

    It was a well-known fact that they were good friends.

    Mu Yuchen did not say a word. The crowd opened up a path for him as he walked past. When he passed by Dong Wentao and Wang Yanran, he nced at them. Wang Yanran shuddered slightly as she spoke up, ¡°Master Mu, I...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. He signaled Li Si behind him with a look. In turn, Li Si nodded as he marched towards the staircase.

    Su Chen let go of Ji Zitong as they entered the restaurant. He went forward and saw his grandfather sleeping soundly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the asion that made you drink so much?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached them as Su Chen was trying to get his grandfather up.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Ji Zitong finally realized Mu Yuchen was there as she gave him a slight bow. Mu Yuchen waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll let Li Si handle the matter. You don¡¯t have to waste your time dealing with people like them in the future.¡±

    Ji Zitong gave Mu Yuchen a grateful look. ¡°Thank you, Chairman Mu.¡±

    She then nced over at Su Chen who was staring coldly at all the empty bottles strewn all over the table. Mu Yuchen took out his phone and called the Shen residence to tell them to get their family doctor over. He then went over to help get Elder Su up after he hung up.

    ¡°He¡¯s not worried about worrying others at all. I really don¡¯t know what this old man is thinking!¡± Su Chen looked at his drunk grandfather helplessly. Elder Su did not respond much aside from some random mumbling. Mu Yuchen held his other side, and they quickly got him into the car.

    Mu Yuchen stopped Su Chen as he was about to get into the car. He tilted his head over at Ji Zitong. ¡°You should send Ms. Ji back while I¡¯ll send your grandfather back to your ce. It¡¯s gettingte now, so we¡¯ll meet again soon. Xiaye¡¯s waiting for me at home too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My home is nearby,¡± Ji Zitong quickly exined.

    However, Mu Yuchen had already got into the car while Li Si grabbed the keys and slid into the driver¡¯s seat.

    Su Chen knew very well what Mu Yuchen was nning. He just watched as Mu Yuchen¡¯s ck car disappeared in the traffic. Then, he took out his keys as he walked towards his car.

    ¡°Get into the car!¡± He called out to Ji Zitong as he boarded his car.

    Ji Zitong hesitated for a moment. She took a nce at the time on her phone before finally deciding to get in the car.

    ¡°My grandfather has high blood pressure. If he doese again, don¡¯t let him drink. Thank you for today. I¡¯ll buy you dinner. What would you like to eat?¡± Su Chen started the engine as he asked.

    Ji Zitong was stunned. She looked downwards and took a deep breath. ¡°I should be the one to thank you. Let me buy you dinner. There¡¯s a pretty amazing restaurant right in front. Let¡¯s go there.¡±

 Chapter 756 - Recognize (1)

    <h4>Chapter 756: Recognize (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night was getting quiet while a vast sea of stars filled the sky.

    Maple Residence was getting quiet as it was shrouded in a gentle light.

    Wang Hui went back to the Mu Residence after dinner. Because Mu Yinan had caught a cold, she was worried and wanted to take a look at him.

    The two maternity matrons went to sleep after a day of work as well, but Xi Xiaye was still thinking about work. She went to the study room to do some work from Fuhua after she put her sons to sleep. When she nced at the clock, she noticed it was already almost 10 p.m.

    He was not home yet.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. He had beening homete recently because he had a lot of events to attend at night even though he was sick.

    ¡°Mother, are you not going to sleep?¡± Mu Zirui rubbed his eyes as he stood by the door.

    ¡°Xiao Rui? Why are you still awake? Didn¡¯t Aunt Wang put you to sleep?¡± Xi Xiaye extended her arms to him and signaled for him toe over.

    Mu Zirui walked over quickly. ¡°I woke up to get a drink, then I saw that your room lights were still on. Is Brother asleep?¡±

    ¡°Yeap, he¡¯s asleep. Let me get you some water. Sit here.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled and patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head before going to fetch him a ss of water.

    ¡°Thank you, Mother! Mother, is Father not home yet?¡± Mu Zirui drank half the ss, then he curled up on the sofa beside Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and picked up her phone on the table. ¡°Your father¡¯spany has been very busytely. Here, help me call your father and ask him when is heing back. Also, ask him if he drank.¡± She punched Mu Yuchen¡¯s number in and handed the phone to Mu Zirui.

    ¡°Oh! Okay!¡± Mu Zirui grabbed the phone and put it beside his ears. Mu Yuchen then picked up the call.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡± His voice sounded a little hoarse.

    He got a childish sounding reply instead. ¡°Father!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rui?¡±

    ¡°Father, Mother is asking when will you be back, and if you drank tonight,¡± Mu Zirui grabbed the pillow beside him as he asked.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Mother? Hand her the phone.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Mu Zirui turned towards Xi Xiaye. ¡°Mother, Father said...¡±

    However, before Mu Zirui could finish his sentence, Xi Xiaye was already walking into the bedroom. ¡°Tell him if he drank and isn¡¯ting back anytime soon, he¡¯s sleeping on the sofa tonight!¡± Her slender figure then disappeared into the bedroom.

    ¡°Oh! Okay, Mother!¡± Mu Zirui replied to his mother before talking on the phone again, ¡°Father, Mother said if you drank and you¡¯re not home within half an hour, you¡¯ll be sleeping on the sofa. She¡¯s taking a shower now!¡±

    Mu Zirui had not been going to kindergarten in the past few days and stayed in Maple Residence for the past week, so he noticed his mother¡¯s habits. She would always take half an hour to shower. She would also be unhappy if she did not see his father by the time she was done showering.

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he put on an awkward smile when the call was cut off. He shook his head helplessly.

    He could not do anything even if he slept on the bed as well! Every night, he had to sleep in the study room after she fell asleep!

    What a nightmare!

    ...

    It was almost 11 p.m. when he arrived home. He noticed that the lights in the study room were still on, so he took a peek inside and saw her sleeping on the table.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly smelled the person¡¯s unique scent and woke up from her sleep. She caught a glimpse of the man in the corner of her eye and smelled some alcohol on him.

    ¡°Why are you back sote? You reek of alcohol!¡± She squinted at him intently.

    He pulled her up as he sat down on the chair and shifted her onto hisp. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep in the bed? You don¡¯t have to push yourself so hard. Uncle Lan sent us some information. I looked through it and found that Fuhua¡¯s management system is great. The Vice Presidents fulfilled their roles exceptionally, so you don¡¯t have to do everything on your own. Later, you...¡±

    Xi Xiaye wrapped her arms around his shoulder and sighed. She grabbed a document in front of her and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m really worried as I¡¯m about to take over such a hugepany while I¡¯m nearly a stranger to the property development industry. What should I do if I can¡¯t handle it? Maybe we should merge it with Glory World and let an experienced Vice President take over. I¡¯ll continue to be Director Xi...¡±

    ¡°What is there to worry about? I¡¯ll keep an eye on it. Fuhua is the work of Grandpa and Grandma, and it will stay that way forever. It carries its own special meaning. I¡¯ve promoted several capable personnel before the New Year, so you can delegate the work and we¡¯ll be able to rx a little. I¡¯m nning to stop the market expansion in Europe and focus on maintaining our current market.¡±

    ¡°I agree with that move. There are too many projects going on and our funds are widely dispersed. Since you¡¯ve decided to step foot in the showbiz industry, you should invest more in it. As for property development, we have Fuhua backing us up, so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Regarding the tender for South River project No. 2, we really need to rely on Grandpa. Hopefully, he can acquire it and we can proceed on the two projects together. This will be beneficial for us and Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, this shouldn¡¯t be much of an issue since Grandpa is handling it, but things might get difficult as Qi Kai is working with the Gu family. No matter what, we need to be prepared.¡±

    ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll do our best, but it seems things will get difficult for Qi Lei if we don¡¯t get it. Why does Qi Qiming dislike him so much? He¡¯s still his son. That¡¯s really cruel.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she felt it was unfair for Qi Lei. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see what¡¯s going to happen.¡±

    Suddenly, there was an email notification chime from theptop. Xi Xiaye took a nce at it and saw that it was from Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Open it,¡± Mu Yuchen instructed.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded. She entered the password and opened the email.

 Chapter 757 - Recognize (2)

    <h4>Chapter 757: Recognize (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Ah Bao sent it? What is it?¡± Xi Xiaye opened the email.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned serious. He covered her little hand, controlling the mouse with his palm as his eyes darkened. His sudden movement shocked Xi Xiaye. When she turned over, she saw that he was staring at theptop screen intently.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    His grip on her hand tightened. He coughed slightly without saying anything.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him for a while. She suddenly thought of something as she looked away slightly disappointedly. Reflexively, she moved her hand and mumbled, ¡°Can¡¯t I look? I¡¯ll go and prepare your bath water then...¡±

    As she was about to get up from hisp, he stopped her. ¡°Xiaye, I don¡¯t have any secrets to keep from you. You can stay if you want to look.¡±

    She then sat back down and scrolled the window upwards. Arge chunk of text appeared on screen with some photos attached.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned as she read through them.

    Gu Qiwu...

    What was happening?

    ¡°How could this be? He...¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not believe what she was reading. She shuddered as she pointed at one of the images. ¡°This... Isn¡¯t this the photo Aunty had? This man is Gu Qiwu? Wait... This... A hat, sunsses... This... This is the man that stopped me in the tunnel back then!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s the one instead of Qi Qiming?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her and asked.

    Xi Xiaye stared at the photo of the man in sunsses for a long while, then she nodded confidently. ¡°It should be him. Although I couldn¡¯t see his face back then, the shape of his face is pretty identical to the man in the photo, and I remember him having a tiny mole near his ear. Right here...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard Xi Xiaye. He read the email again as his grip wrapped around her waist tightened. He was almost merging Xi Xiaye and him into one person.

    ¡°You... Are you searching for the person that stopped me back then? What conflict does Gu Qiwu have with you? Is it because of Gu Lingsha?¡±

    Mu Yuchen remained quiet for a moment before replying, ¡°The conflict between us is huge...¡±

    His tone of voice sounded a little mncholic. Xi Xiaye felt oddly sad hearing that, so she grabbed his hand, ¡°Did you find out something? It¡¯s not just about Gu Lingsha, is it? She¡¯s still fine right now. The ones who had it worse were Lingtian, Ah Shi, and you. You had to bear the fault even though it¡¯s not your mistake. Tell me what happened.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s exactly because Lingtian died that our conflict is sure to never end,¡± he replied with a grim smile as his arm around her waist rxed. His face was still expressionless although his voice sounded a little poignant. ¡°I called him Mr. Wen the other day, but he didn¡¯t give me any reaction. He should at least be curious about who I was talking about in that situation, but he didn¡¯t even stop as if he had practiced this. At that moment, I could almost be sure he was the one that stopped you in the tunnel. Ah Bao also found out the ident in City B might be rted to him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s really trying to hurt you. It doesn¡¯t make sense if it¡¯s just for the sake of Gu Lingsha, but you mentioned Lingtian. Could it be...?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly thought of something, and her expression shadowed over. She then remembered her man rushing to City B several days after the New Year.

    She knew that he was trying to find out about Lingtian and Ah Shi¡¯s biological father, but now he was linked to Gu Qiwu?

    ¡°Do you mean that that person... is him? Impossible!¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not believe it. Her heart sank and she started to feel ufortable, unable to imagine what he was feeling.

    ¡°Ah Bao is trying to get some DNA samples from him. I¡¯ve sent Lingshi¡¯s sample over already. We¡¯ll be able to conduct a DNA test afterward.¡±

    Mu Yuchen closed the email and then deleted it. ¡°We¡¯ll find out the truth once we get the results. However, make sure no one else finds out about this before we¡¯re clear of the whole situation. Keep it a secret from the others, especially my grandparents and Lingshi. You cannot let them know at all costs. Understand?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She realized that he was worried the elders could not take it while Mu Lingshi might lose control and go see Gu Qiwu too. There might be unthinkable consequences if this went out of hand.

    ¡°He wants to take revenge on you! Is it because he thought you caused Lingtian¡¯s death? Or is it because of something else?¡± Xi Xiaye turned around and grabbed his shoulders uneasily. ¡°I could tell he has a grudge against you. He¡¯s the man that gave me a warning, but didn¡¯t wee to the conclusion that Mr. Wen is Qi Qiming?¡±

    ¡°He probably borrowed this name and misled us. Why do you think we haven¡¯t been able to find him after so many years? His rtionship with Qi Qiming isn¡¯t ordinary as well. I feel that things took a huge turn and we¡¯ve returned to square one.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was quiet. He seemed much calmer aspared to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We might be able to solve this whole matter together with all the conflicts in the past.¡± Heforted her.

 Chapter 758 - If Youâ€™ll Marry Me, Iâ€™ll Marry You! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 758: If You¡¯ll Marry Me, I¡¯ll Marry You! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye could only nod gently as light flowed in her eyes. She looked at theptop screen that had dimmed as she said calmly, ¡°If it¡¯s really him, then Ah Shi...¡±

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that when she found Sis Lan back then, and those things that Sis Lan said, the heaviness that had been weighing on her chest started to feel more oppressive. She thought about it, then said contemtively, ¡°Sis Lan must have known some things, but she chose not to say anything. I think she must have known the story between them. No matter what, if Qi Qiming was the original Mr. Wen, he would¡¯ve at least known Aunty too. In that picture, there were two men. One is Gu Qiwu, so the other should be Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°What do you think Gu Qiwu was thinking about when he tried so hard to hide the truth, and could even bear to see Aunty fall into depression while Lingtian and Lingshi grew up so lonely?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not figure it out. There were many of such people within families of the rich. After all, were Qi Feng and Qi Lei not like that too? They had the guts to do such things, yet had no courage to bear the consequences.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just set this aside for now and wait for the results.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you go take a bath first. You reek of alcohol. I¡¯ll go prepare the water for you and get Sis Wang to cook you some porridge.¡±

    Xi Xiaye got up slowly, and then lowered her head to nt a kiss on the corner of his lips. Without waiting for him to reply, she walked out of the study room.

    As he watched her slender figure vanish out of the doorway, Mu Yuchen¡¯s silent face shed with a faint smile. He lifted a hand to touch where his lips had curved upwards, and he could faintly feel the warmth she had left behind. As a result, the gloominess in his eyes faded even more.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly got Sis Wang to cook him some porridge while she prepared the bathwater for him. When Mu Yuchen walked out of the study room, he saw that she was putting away the windbreaker and coat that he had casually tossed onto the sofa.

    ¡°Right, Grandmother¡¯s gone back to the Mu residence. Grandfather hasn¡¯t been feeling too well these past few days. You should visit him if you have the time. Father and Mother have been a little busy recently too. They leave early and returnte, so it¡¯s just Grandfather alone at home. Actually, right now, it¡¯s enough for me and Aunt Lin to take care of the baby. Let Grandmother apany Grandfather more. Once I start working again, she can help take care of the baby. Before this, she asked me if I¡¯d want to move to the old residence for a bit.¡±

    It was slightly inconvenient not to be living with everyone.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay for us to stay here. I¡¯ll talk to her,¡± He said as he took the clothes from her and walked to the bathroom.

    Perhaps because there were too many unhappy memories from the past at the old residence, she knew that he did not seem to quite like staying at the old residence.

    Yet, just as Mu Yuchen walked into the bedroom, the baby¡¯s crying began. Xi Xiaye quickly walked over and rushed to the bed.

    ¡°Baby¡¯s awake... Mother¡¯s here. Don¡¯t cry. Mother¡¯s right here...¡±

    She swiftly picked up her son from the bed and checked him in a flurry. He did not dirty himself, then she realized that he was probably awoken. As she was pondering over where to prepare his milk form, she realized that the man had already set his clothes on the stool aside while his tall figure stood before the coffee table. His secrecy was impressive.

    After a while, he came back and handed the milk bottle to Xi Xiaye. She took it and fed her son before he finally stopped crying.

    ¡°Did you not eat tonight? Are you feeling that hungry?¡± Mu Yuchen sat down beside Xi Xiaye as he watched his son drink hungrily. He frowned. ¡°Look at those eating manners...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard his disgruntledment, she could not help but roll her eyes. ¡°This is his conditioned reflex. He wouldn¡¯t know anything? I... That¡¯s not enough. You know he doesn¡¯t like milk powder.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just a little thing and already so delicate. I don¡¯t receive the same treatment.¡± He meaningfully looked at her chest hidden underneath the loose pajamas as he smiled faintly.

    ¡°Go bathe! You¡¯re like a hooligan!¡± Xi Xiaye pushed him away, then he chuckled. He got up to take his clothes and walked to the bathroom.

    ...

    The midnight starry sky remained dazzling and charming as the entire city gradually fell silent from the initial bustle.

    The ck Land Rover passed through the busy traffic coated in freezing winds as it drove into a slightly old alley and finally stopped before a junction. The road was too narrow, so they could not drive in.

    ¡°Just park right here. It¡¯s only a few steps away right in front of this little road. We¡¯ll need to take a huge round if we take the main street ahead,¡± Ji Zitong unbuckled her safety belt as she said.

    Su Chen¡¯s dark eyes looked at the pitch-ck alley ahead, and his brows frowned into a knot, Without waiting for Ji Zitong to say anything, he quickly reversed his car.

    Su Chen looked a little surprisedly at her. When he saw that she remained unfazed, he could not help but speak out, ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the guts. It looks like a city area that¡¯s about to be relocated soon. Someone even died a few days ago. Aren¡¯t you scared? You dare to walk through that ce?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve stayed a whole night at a mass grave before, Instructor Su. Don¡¯t you think that saying the word ¡®scared¡¯ right now would seem quite pretentious? Besides, I didn¡¯t kill that person, so they won¡¯te looking for me?¡±Ji Zitong looked at Su Chen in disagreement.

    With this reminder, Su Chen did remember that when they were training in the wild, and they did stay for a whole night at the mass graves in the rural areas.

    ¡°I almost forgot that even your Instructor Mu praised your boldness back then. We all agreed back then that you would have a great future in the army, but I didn¡¯t expect you to not persist on.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes were colored with a faint daze as if he was reminiscing a distant memory. He paused and continued again, ¡°About that thing, it was my fault. I¡¯d like to apologize to you, but I was just doing my duty as an instructor.¡±

    When Su Chen said that, Ji Zitong was stunned. Her eyes started to be dazed as she sighed and turned to look out the car window as she said softly, ¡°There¡¯s no point in saying all of this now. I know, and I don¡¯t me you either. Fate is as such. There¡¯s no use struggling against it.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe in fate?¡±

    When Su Chen heard her question, he looked amusedly at her. ¡°I can¡¯t find that spirit of being unwilling to admit defeat in you anymore. What can exhaust someone¡¯s spirit in their bonespletely? Cadet Ji Zitong, it looks like you haven¡¯t been doing so well all these years.¡±

    ¡°I was still young then. I joined the army hot-blooded, but a few years down the road, I realize that that ce is actually the best ce to settle someone down.¡±

 Chapter 759 - If Youâ€™ll Marry Me, Iâ€™ll Marry You! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 759: If You¡¯ll Marry Me, I¡¯ll Marry You! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she said this, Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes begin to contain some warmth as she sighed andmented, ¡°At first, I thought that I joined the amry for him too, but afterwards I realized that I had done it for myself. So, I never felt any heartache or suffocation because of this unfortunate rtionship. I only felt a little regretful. After all, I did invest in it too.¡±

    This was the first time that Ji Zitong had talked about her rtionship with Dong Wentao in front of someone else.

    ¡°He and I never had the kind of love that went all in to sacrifice for the other. Both of us held back, and my bottom line was just right there. I kept reminding myself that I could only give so much and had nothing more to give. A rtionship should go both ways. There aren¡¯t many people who can go through the suffering of one-sided sacrifices, and not receive the same in return. At least, I¡¯m not that kind of person.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s tone was calm, yet you could hear some bitterness in her words. ¡°Not everyone woman who foolishly loves will be able to get happiness in the end. When the damage is done, leave some energy to love yourself. Instructor Su, I have to admit that what you¡¯d said back then was right, love is a petty thing. That¡¯s why it¡¯s easier to lose it. He and I also didn¡¯t love each other as deeply as we thought we did.¡±

    ¡°You need to be more clever about meeting those kinds of people. The reason I didn¡¯t let you out back then was that I¡¯d previously seen him and that woman appear together at my grandfather¡¯s birthday banquet. While you know back then, it was a critical time in the training. A cadet¡¯s emotional state was very important,¡± Su Chen exined for the first time about the unhappy incident too.

    Ji Zitong nodded before she said a little destely, ¡°No matter what, I actually have to thank you, whether for what it was back then or just earlier, and I¡¯d like to apologize for my attitude from before.¡±

    ¡°How rare of you to have such self-awareness, but I permit you to not apologize to me as long as you see the truth for what it is,¡± Su Chen said rather magnanimously. However, he had always been like that. He would never really be calctive with a woman, what more need a woman to apologize to him. If Ji Zitong had not gone way too overboard back then, he would not have fussed with her.

    Ji Zitong turned to look at him, yet she realized that he was focused on the dark road ahead. He held the steering wheel steadily and did not continue talking.

    After a while, the car passed through the dark alley and drove towards the t and wide main road ahead. After they made a huge turn, they finally reached a rather new and clean building.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. That¡¯s it right in front. You can just park here,¡± Ji Zitong said calmly as she looked into Su Chen¡¯s eyes that had calmed down too.

    Su Chen was quite frank. He quickly braked and the car slowly stopped. His tall figure leaned to a side and his arms stretched out. Quickly, he opened her side of the car door. ¡°Go home. Have a good sleep, and all will be well when you wake up. Ah Chen will take down those negative news, so don¡¯t worry. Next time, if you meet them again, you can call me if you can¡¯t evade them.¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded gently. ¡°Thank you, Instructor Su.¡±

    ¡°No worries, consider it even for my grandfather¡¯s thing,¡± Su Chen said simply.

    Ji Zitong then got down from the car. Just as she was about to close the car door, a questioning tone suddenly came from in front.

    ¡°Zitong? Why are you sote!¡±

    Ji Zitong turned to look at the source of the voice. She saw that her mother, Chen Ling, was standing not too far away and was looking puzzledly at her, and the car beside her.

    ¡°Mother! It¡¯ste. Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Ji Zitong frowned and asked.

    Chen Ling slowly walked up and stopped beside Ji Zitong as she looked at the car. ¡°Your father drank too much, and he was puking all over the house. I was cleaning up, so I came out to throw rubbish, then I saw you weren¡¯t home yet even though it¡¯ste, so I waited for you. The mister in the car is...¡±

    Su Chen clearly did not expect this either. He looked at thedy¡¯s shrewd eyes that stared at him in the car. After a while, he understood it and swiftly got down from the car.

    ¡°Hello, Aunty, I¡¯m Su Chen.¡± Su Chen bowed steadily and calmly, while he briefly introduced himself.

    When Su Chen said that, Chen Ling¡¯s eyes immediately shed with surprise. Her gaze came with a sharp light immediately, and she sized Su Chen up and down a few times. With that gaze of hers. she seemed like she was about to look Su Chen inside out. After a long while, her face that was weathered with hardships shed with a smile. The light in her eyes seemed satisfied as she smiled and said, ¡°Not bad! So, you¡¯re Su Chen? How old are you this year? Where do you work?¡±

    Stunned, Su Chen subconsciously looked to Ji Zitong who was frowning as she held Chen Ling back. He thought about then responded, ¡°I¡¯m 33, and I work at the city¡¯s Traffic Management Bureau.¡±

    ¡°Are you the only son?¡± Chen Ling continued to ask.

    ¡°Mother, stop asking. It¡¯s cold outside. Let¡¯s go home. Instructor Su, please go home too, it¡¯s reallyte!¡±

    Ji Zitong frowned hard as she dragged Chen Ling home, yet Chen Ling wriggled herself free and softly reprimanded Ji Zitong, ¡°Stop talking. Don¡¯t interfere. Stand right there!¡±

    Then, she turned and smiled cordially at Su Chen again.

    Su Chen then realized what was going on, so he raised his handsome brows in amusement, then smiled faintly at Ji Zitong who looked all awkward. He answered humbly, ¡°Aunty, I also have an older sister, Su Yu, who¡¯s married. My father¡¯s in politics too. Mother has a small business, and I have a grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Haha, good! Good! This one¡¯s not bad. Your grandfather has told us all about it. It looks like that pretty lookingdy was your sister. She¡¯s quite sweet. Yesterday, she even brought me several sets of thetest fashion outfits. How nice of her to be spending much money. She¡¯s really quite thoughtful. Why haven¡¯t youe to our ce to visit with Tong Tong when it¡¯s been so long? It¡¯s cold outside. How about youe in to sit?¡± Chen Ling said as she pointed to her house ahead.

    Su Chen looked at Ji Zitong¡¯s whose eyes had darkened even more. Ji Zitong wanted to dig a hole for her to hide in. She quickly exined, ¡°Mother, Su Chen and I are just...¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Aunty. Today¡¯s a littlete. Next time, I¡¯lle visit again. My grandfather¡¯s brought trouble to you all, and I¡¯m very sorry about that. It¡¯s cold outside. You and Zitong should go in soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay, Mother, he has other things to attend toter. Let¡¯s go in first! You drive safely!¡±

    Upon hearing Su Chen, Ji Zitong allowed no exnation and immediately pulled Chen Ling ahead, ignoring her protests.

 Chapter 760 - If Youâ€™ll Marry Me, Iâ€™ll Marry You! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 760: If You¡¯ll Marry Me, I¡¯ll Marry You! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen smirked as he watched the two of them walk into their house. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and started smoking.

    He closed the door to his car and smoked half the stick as he leaned against the door. Then, he extinguished it and threw it into a nearby trash can when he saw the lights turned on inside the room on the second floor. He got back into his car.

    Ji Zitong peeked outside her window when she heard the sound of a car leaving. Her expression softened when she saw the car leave under the dim streetmps.

    ¡°Su Chen looks great, and he¡¯s got a good family background. Both his grandfather and his sister are very pleasant as well. You should really consider him. He¡¯s handsome and just several years older than you. Men like him usually make good husbands. Trust me.¡±

    The voice of Ji Zitong¡¯s mother, Chen Ling, reached her as she drew the curtains. Ji Zitong frowned and looked at Chen Ling who had a cheeky smile on her face.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ve told you that Su Chen and I aren¡¯t together. He was my instructor during my time in the army. I don¡¯t understand what happened, but you guys have misunderstood my rtionship with him!¡± Ji Zitong had forgotten how many times she had to exin this to them.

    ¡°Not rted? You guys are just fighting, aren¡¯t you? There¡¯s no way he¡¯d send you back home if what you said is true. Look at what¡¯s over your shoulder. Moreover, his grandfather and sister are already in contact with us!¡±

    Chen Ling did not believe her at all.

    Ji Zitong nced over her shoulder to see Su Chen¡¯s coat. It was pretty chilly when they were next to the river just now. As a gentleman, he had given her his coat, but she totally forgot about it.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression froze as she quickly shrugged the coat off. ¡°I said there¡¯s nothing between us. It¡¯s the truth!¡±

    ¡°Tongtong, you¡¯re not a child anymore. Grab your chance when there¡¯s someone eligible near you. You¡¯re 27 this year, and you¡¯ll be 30 in a few years¡¯ time. A woman¡¯s youth is precious. You¡¯re past the prime when you can afford to choose. Think about it. How many blind dates have you been on? At least thirty? I¡¯m tired of going to the matchmaking office!¡±

    Chen Ling looked at Ji Zitong and started nagging her again, ¡°Your father and I only have one daughter. How can I not be worried? You¡¯ve met so many men, yet you don¡¯t like any of them! I think the Ph.D. student looks pretty good. He¡¯s humble and gentle, so why aren¡¯t you interested? You¡¯re always known to be picky. Can you stop being a perfectionist? Just settle for someone suitable!¡±

    ¡°You said I was unstable before. I opened a flower shop and start getting stable, and now you¡¯re bugging me with this issue again? Why are you so eager for me to get married? I don¡¯t see any issues with being alone. Why do I have to get married? Do you really think my life will be better after marriage?¡± Ji Zitong sat down on her bed, annoyed.

    ¡°Do you think women can afford to not get married? Tongtong! Are you still thinking about that man? He¡¯s already married and probably has a child already. Just forget about him. You can¡¯t just stay single for him forever, can you?¡± Chen Ling said quietly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about him! I told you. I just don¡¯t want to get married. It¡¯s that simple! Don¡¯t always assume that¡¯s the reason. I¡¯ve long forgotten what that man looks like. Don¡¯t always mention him in front of me please!¡± Ji Zitong was getting agitated.

    ¡°Fine! If it¡¯s not about him, then what¡¯s happening now? Aren¡¯t you just staying single for his sake? If that¡¯s not the case, I¡¯ve arranged another blind date for you. Go and take a look. Get married to someone that¡¯s suitable and stop being so picky. This person is a university lecturer who¡¯s 32 this year. At 1.75 meters tall, he looks gentle and both his parents are high school teachers. He¡¯s quite alright...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! I¡¯ll find someone and get married in a few days, alright? Please stop bothering me. It¡¯ste now, so you should go to sleep. It¡¯s going to be a busy day at the store. Don¡¯t worry about this anymore. If you really think our household can¡¯t keep me any longer, I¡¯ll find a man and get married. Then, I won¡¯t be an eyesore to you. You can go out now.¡±

    ¡°Tongtong, I don¡¯t mean that... Tongtong, listen to me...¡± Chen Ling was about to say something else, but Ji Zitong started pushing her out of the room and then locking the door.

    Ji Zitong was getting sick of days like this. They had not been particrly worried before. Since she had been staying with her grandmother when she was a child, she was not really close to her parents, and only came back to them when her grandmother passed away several years ago.

    She understood that Chen Ling was concerned about her, but she was not taking her concerns very well. She felt a little depressed as she remembered what Wang Yanran said earlier. Her information at the matchmaking center was probably...

    It was not that she did not want to get married. She just did not want topromise. Why should she settle for less in marriage?

    Why should shepromise for the sake of her feelings?

    How many women could ept staying beside a man they did not love their whole life?

    She had no idea, but she was sure that she could not ept it because she always had a prideful soul. It might not mean anything to others, but she felt like there was nothing wrong with staying true to her principles.

    ...

    She jumped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes did not blink at all as she felt helpless. Finally, she closed her eyes a whileter and took a deep breath as she grabbed her pillow. However, she grabbed soft fabric instead. It was Su Chen¡¯s coat.

    Stunned, her eyes darkened as she hesitated. Then, she slowly pulled her phone out.

 Chapter 761 - If Youâ€™ll Marry Me, Iâ€™ll Marry You! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 761: If You¡¯ll Marry Me, I¡¯ll Marry You! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The man was still cruising in his Land Rover through the night while ying some uplifting music in the car. The traffic had be much smoother now. He nced at his phone and noticed it was almost midnight.

    Su Chen sped up the car. Instead of going home, he headed to his office. He had a meeting tomorrow morning at the headquarters but had left some documents in his office.

    ¡°The empty night sky with stars all over the sky; we¡¯re not afraid of the hardships ahead...¡± he sang along to the music ying in the car. Suddenly, his phone started ringing and the screen lit up.

    He slowed down and unlocked his phone. It was a message from an unknown number.

    It was a very short text: <i>If I¡¯ll marry you, would you marry me?</i>

    Su Chen was stunned. He floored the brakes and stopped his car by the roadside. Then, he stared at his phone screen.

    Ji Zitong?

    Had she thought it through already?

    Su Chen stared at the line of text for a very long while. After some hesitation, he finally called Ji Zitong.

    Ji Zitong was feeling uneasy right after she sent the message, she had no idea why she sent that, and she was not sure why she felt uneasy, she gripped her phone tightly, the amount of force she was using could almost crush her phone.

    She was shocked when her phone rang. She took a deep breath after she saw the caller¡¯s name. After that, she picked up the call and Su Chen¡¯s deep voice reached her ears, sounding so distant. ¡°It¡¯s me. I just want to confirm if you sent the message.¡±

    Ji Zitong was quiet for a while. After that, she nodded and said, ¡°I sent that. Does your promise still stand? If yes, I have one condition to add.¡±

    Su Chen raised his eyebrows when he heard her reply. He considered it for a moment and then said, ¡°Of course, but do tell me your condition.¡±

    Ji Zitong took a deep breath as her grip on her nket tightened. She had to muster all her courage in order to be able to speak right now. ¡°I don¡¯t want a contracted marriage. I want a real marriage.¡±

    She did not want bigger issuesing for her in the future. Besides that, she also wanted to be responsible for her own marriage as it was not meant to be used as a tool for trade.

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes darkened as he gave her suggestion some thought. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    ¡°I know. This is just what I thought. Are you daring enough to do so? It¡¯s your decision to make now.¡± Ji Zitong sounded calm all of a sudden. ¡°I¡¯m tired of getting bugged about this already, so I might as well find someone that I know. If you don¡¯t mind me being from a lower social ss, I¡¯m willing to marry you, but are you willing to marry me?¡±

    Su Chen chuckled. ¡°Social ss? I don¡¯t care about that. There¡¯s no reason for me to decline, is there?¡±

    ¡°So, do you mean you agree?¡± Ji Zitong asked quietly.

    ¡°At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow, meet me at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Bring your identification card. I have a meeting at the city town hall tomorrow, and it¡¯ll end by 10 a.m. so I¡¯ll be there by 10.30 a.m.¡± Su Chen was very decisive.

    ¡°Tomorrow morning?¡± Ji Zitong was stunned to hear his reply. Though she knew Su Chen was always very decisive, she did not expect it to be this soon. Was it not too quick?

    ¡°Mmm, any issue with tomorrow morning?¡± Su Chen asked.

    ¡°Not really, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too fast?¡± Ji Zitong replied.

    Su Chen grinned as he leaned against the car window. He looked out at the dim streemps as he said, ¡°Ji Zitong, you were once a soldier. We need to make decisions quickly at key moments. I remember that you had this quality in you back then. Are you hesitating now? Do what you need to and don¡¯t let your problems hold you back. That¡¯s what I think about it. If you¡¯re willing to, then I¡¯m giving you a chance tomorrow. The promise will be void if I don¡¯t see you.¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Alright, go to sleep. You have one whole night to think about it. I¡¯ll leave if I don¡¯t see you by 11 a.m. tomorrow.¡±

    Su Chen then hung up on the call. He stared at his phone as the screen darkened, sucking in a deep breath as his gaze turnedplicated. He could not help but smoke another cigarette.

    He was addicted to smoking. Among the three of them, Mu Yuchen would smoke asionally, but he stopped smoking ever since he married Xi Xiaye and would only take a drag or two when they gathered while Zhou Zimo never touched cigarettes at all.

    He started the engine again after finishing two cigarettes. The car rumbled onto the road in the middle of the night.

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen had already gone to work when Xi Xiaye woke up.

    Her son had woken up several times in the middle of the night, and Mu Yuchen was the one that went and calm him down. He had been sleeping in the living room or the study room for the past few nights, and Xi Xiaye knew very well why.

    While she felt sorry for him, it was funny to her.

    She woke up when she heard their son¡¯s cry, but he already rushed into the room and picked the baby up.

    ¡°Missus, it¡¯s going to soon be a month since you gave birth. Since we¡¯re not having a full moon celebration for Little Master, are we expecting a hundred-day celebration? Just asking so we can prepare for it,¡± Sis Wang asked as they were having breakfast.

    Xi Xiaye stopped and thought about it. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this aside for now. I¡¯ll talk to your Master first before deciding. I¡¯ll be going to the hospital with the babyter, and Xiao Rui will be following me. He¡¯ll only be going back to school next week. Give Xiao Rui¡¯s teacher a call and inform her.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Missus. I¡¯ve called them just now. Missus, Little Master has been very obedient and rarely cries. Aunt Lin mentioned he is one of the easiest children she has ever taken care of.¡± Sis Wang chuckled.

    ¡°He¡¯s alright, but he gave his father quite a bit of troublest time. His meeting documents are still in the study room. I¡¯ll send them to himter.¡±

    While she could finally go out after a month of staying at home, she still had to go to the hospital for a check-up.

 Chapter 762 - Too Many Excuses (1)

    <h4>Chapter 762: Too Many Excuses (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the first month of the New Year passed, many things got back on track again, and the past year gradually faded away. The entire city returned to its usual mor and bustle. People were constantly on the move were rushing at a fast pace again.

    A ck luxury sports car slowly rolled into the carpark in front of the entrance to Qi Kai Corporation and came to a steady stop.

    Qi Lei wore the same metallic gray slim-fit suit. He looked dapper when he got down from the car while Yang Sheng followed beside him, holding a briefcase.

    Yang Sheng clutched his briefcase as he quickly caught up with Qi Lei¡¯s long strides and said, ¡°Master Qi, there¡¯s a meeting with the upper management at 9 a.m. At noon, you have a lunch appointment with the CEO of Feng Shun. At the same time, you need to discuss the materials for the South River Project. At 3 p.m. in the afternoon, Glory World¡¯s VP Zhang will be conducting an inspection at the construction site for the South River Project. Previously, you said you¡¯ll be going with VP Zhang. This is the itinerary for today.¡±

    ¡°What time is it now?¡± Qi Lei put both hands casually into his pockets as he slowed down his steps and nced at the frantic Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s 8.55 a.m., soon to be 9 a.m. We should be quick. Otherwise, we¡¯ll bete for the meeting and CEO Qi won¡¯t be happy again. Master Qi, let¡¯s hurry.¡±

    Yang Sheng was very anxious. With a boss like this, his heart could not quite take all the scares!

    Qi Lei was always the kind of person who did things unhurriedly and always seemed very unorganized. Every time he went to work or for meetings, he would be just as calm, and get into the office or meeting room right on the dot. Even Yang Sheng was anxious watching him.

    ¡°We still have five minutes then, so what are you worried about?¡±

    Despite seeing Yang Sheng¡¯s red face, Qi Lei was calm as always. He strolled into the building casually and went right up to the elevator.

    ¡°Master Qi, CEO Qi... He¡¯ll be unhappy...¡±

    Yang Sheng could only sigh to himself. If only Master Qi knew how to curry favor from CEO Qi, things would not be like this right now, and the CEO would like Master Qi more.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be responsible for his mood. It¡¯s up to him whether he wants to be happy or not as long as I¡¯m notte.¡± Qi Lei smiled coldly. Unaffected, he walked into the elevator with a cold expression while Yang Sheng sighed to himself helplessly as he followed him in.

    The elevator reached a level below the top floor very quickly. The upper management meeting room was on that floor while Qi Qiming¡¯s office was on the top floor.

    Ding!

    The elevator chimed when it reached the floor where the meeting room was. When the doors slid open, Qi Lei walked out in huge strides, yet just as he turned¡ª

    Bam!

    A loud crash was heard as he bumped into a soft wall.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    A familiar cry rang out. Qi Lei quickly looked down and then realized that he had bumped into Gu Lingsha!

    She wore a light-colored Western dress from a spring collection. There was also a purple scarf tied around her neck while her beautiful hair was tied up into a beautiful bun. She wore light makeup, and her outstanding appearance naturally attracted many looks. Her entire presence made her seem extremely capable and intelligent.

    Her appearance had no doubt be the attention of many. Everyone¡¯s gaze immediately followed her.

    However, at this moment, her light purple skirt was a little moist. With the shattered porcin pieces all over the floor, mixed with the wet fragments, she looked like a mess. Besides that, the documents that had fallen onto the floor were wet as a result of the collision.

    Gu Lingsha froze. Annoyance shed in her eyes as she looked up at the culprit who collided into her. When she saw that it was Qi Lei, her expression eased a little. She looked up silently at Qi Lei, thenughed gently as she greeted him.

    ¡°Lei...¡±

    Nevertheless, Qi Lei¡¯s expression remained cold. His silent gaze turned to the mess on the floor calmly, but he did not say anything. When his tall figure just walked over without even a glimpse at Gu Lingsha, his gaze was no different from looking at a stranger.

    As his fresh and clean fragrance walked past her, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned pale and rigid in an instant. When she turned to look, Qi Lei¡¯s tall and lean figure was long gone as his steady footsteps did not stop.

    Yang Sheng, who followed behind, was stunned for a while too. He forced a sheepish smile at Gu Lingsha, and then followed after his master without saying anything.

    In a daze, Gu Lingsha could vaguely hear piercing ridicule from the side. Of course, it was all from those women. After a while, she bent down in a sorry state to wipe her skirt as she squatted down to pick the documents up from the floor.

    However, there were some male colleagues who went up to help her because they could not bear to see this scene.

    ¡°Manager Gu, let me help you!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you too, Manager Gu!¡±

    ...

    In an instant, a row of people got busy.

    Gu Lingsha took those slightly wet documents and looked gratefully at the few male colleagues before her. ¡°Thank you all!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Manager Gu!¡±

    Gu Lingsha smiled a little bitterly and then turned around to look towards the direction that Qi Lei had left. Her beautiful eyes could not help but darken as she sighed and blinked her slightly hot eyes. She felt sad and wronged for some reason, yet she just gritted her teeth and continued walking ahead.

    Gu Lingsha was obviously there for a meeting. She had just started working at Qi Kai, and Qi Qiming immediately gave her the position as a project manager and even made her his titr assistant. He took really good care of her. Naturally, she would be included in the Qi Kai upper management meeting too.

    When she reached the meeting room, the meeting was just about to begin. Qi Lei had already taken his seat. Across him was Gu Lingsha¡¯s seat.

    Gu Lingsha had just walked to her seat when Wang Qin said coldly, ¡°Manager Gu, you¡¯re quite arrogant. You¡¯re almostte for your first upper management meeting.¡±

    Just as Wang Qin said that, quite a few people looked at her. Gu Lingsha immediately looked awkward as she quickly apologized, ¡°My apologies. There was a small incident earlier. I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to bete!¡±

    Then, she looked up at Qi Lei across her, hoping that he could exin things and help her out. Wang Qin had never liked her, but usually, with Qi Lei around, Wang Qin would not dare to trouble her much.

    However, right now, Qi Lei was not looking at her at all. He was browsing through a document. It was really just as Gu Lingsha had said that day. In the office, they could pretend to be strangers.

 Chapter 763 - Too Many Excuses (2)

    <h4>Chapter 763: Too Many Excuses (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a stifling silence, some people wereughing at Gu Lingsha. After that, Qi Qiming shot Wang Qin an irritated nce and said coldly, ¡°Shasha¡¯s just joined thepany quite recently. She hasn¡¯t gotten used to things yet. As her superiors, you should all watch out for her. Okay, have a seat. Let¡¯s start the meeting now!¡±

    When Qi Qiming said that, Wang Qin kept quiet and gave Gu Lingsha a look of disdain. Her gaze turned to the side and fell on Qi Lei. When she saw him nonchntly flipping through the document with a calm expression and ignoring the little episode, she smiled dly before shooting Gu Lingsha a delighted nce. In turn, Gu Lingsha looked extremely upset.

    ¡°My apologies, I¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡±

    After a while, Gu Lingsha bit her lip and said that before sitting down, feeling a little bleak.

    The meeting was about the first half of the year¡¯s work n and general direction as well as some transfer of upper management. Throughout it all, Qi Lei listened half-heartedly with one hand propping up his head and staring down at the table. If you looked closely, you could tell that he was probably sleeping.

    Meanwhile, Gu Lingsha was tensed. She kept shooting nces at Qi Lei, her eyes holding a mix of emotions.

    When the car drove into Glory World Corporation, the sun was high up in the sky. The mist that filled the air had gradually dissipated. However, there was still a faint, bleak coldness in the air.

    ¡°Missus, we¡¯re here,¡± said the chauffeur ahead.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. With one hand carrying her son, she handed her bag to Mu Zirui. ¡°Xiao Rui, help me hold my bag.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother!¡±

    Mu Zirui quickly took it over while the door on Xi Xiaye¡¯s side was opened. Sis Wang stood outside respectfully. ¡°Missus, let¡¯s get down from the car.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you all just wait for me downstairs. Xiao Rui, go and bring Father¡¯s folder up.¡±

    Then, she walked into the building. Mu Zirui responded and quickly followed her with the items.

    The moment Xi Xiaye appeared in the building, she attracted a lot of attention, especially the cute little boy following by her side and calling her ¡®Mother¡¯. Of course, there was also the little bun that she carried in her arms.

    ¡°Hello, Director Xi!¡±

    Along the way, many people greeted Xi Xiaye who had no doubt be the center of attention in thepany. In just a few short minutes, all the departments knew that their Chairman¡¯s Missus had brought along a little master to thepany. Even Mu Yuchen, who was on the top floor, had immediately received the news, so he came down to get them personally.

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui took the special elevator and reached the top floor. They had just walked out when they met with Mu Yuchen who was about to go down and meet them.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned at her and took the little bun from her arms.

    ¡°You left some things in the study room. I¡¯m going to go to the hospitalter, so I decided to swing by and send it over.¡±

    ¡°Father, here...¡±

    Mu Yuchen patted the folder in the boy¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Mother says she could also bring me and Little Brother out to walk around,¡± Mu Zirui said as he tiptoed to look at the little baby in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms.

    At this moment, Xiao Zicheng was waking up. When he saw that he was in someone else¡¯s arms, his eyes widened and his gaze was fixated on Mu Yuchen. As he watched his father, he was spitting little bubbles, and a smile rippled across his face.

    Mu Zirui¡¯s line of sight kept falling onto Mu Zicheng. When he saw the baby¡¯s faint smile, he could not help but cry out in wonder, ¡°Father, does Little Brother know how to smile already?¡±

    When Mu Zirui said that, Mu Yuchen straightened up and looked into his arms. He realized that the little bun was indeed looking joyful. As he looked indistinctly at him, Xi Xiaye smiled dly. She could not help but reach out to gently poke the little guy¡¯s cheeks. ¡°He really does like you more. I carried him the whole morning, but I didn¡¯t see him looking like this.¡±

    ¡°Even our son knows that his father has charisma. This is a fantastic thing. Anyway, let¡¯s go in first.¡±

    Mu Yuchen caressed Mu Zirui¡¯s little head, and then carried the little guy a little clumsily into his office. Xi Xiaye held Mu Zirui¡¯s hand and walked in too.

    The secretary quickly brought some snacks over while Xiao Rui sat down very quietly.

    Xi Xiaye had just taken a seat when Mu Yuchen called Hospital T¡¯s Dr. Huang for an appointment. After he hung up, he turned to Xi Xiaye. ¡°I¡¯ve already made an appointment with Dr. Huang. Just go at 11 a.m. The meeting¡¯s been pushed to the afternoon. Rest for a bit, then I¡¯ll go over with you guys.¡±

    ¡°Sis Wang¡¯s still waiting downstairs. I¡¯ll be making a trip back to the Shen residence in the afternoon, and I¡¯ll bring Xiao Rui back with me too. You...¡±

    ¡°Meeting¡¯s at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. I have some things to discuss with Grandpa too.¡±

    ¡°Is it about the South River Project?¡± Xi Xiaye asked softly.

    Mu Yuchen nodded while he handed the little boy to Xi Xiaye. He wanted to briefly exin himself to her when there was a sudden knock on the door. The husband and wife both instantly looked to the door.

    Li Si walked in with a slightly solemn expression. When he saw that Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui were around, he quickly bowed and greeted, ¡°Master, Missus, Master Xiao Rui!¡±

    Upon seeing Li Si, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened a little. He roughly knew what it was about, and his whole body slowly moved towards the desk. Li Si quickly went up and stopped behind Mu Yuchen to say with a lowered voice, ¡°Master, we found out that woman is.¡±

    ¡°Who was it?¡± Mu Yuchen turned around and looked up through narrow and profound eyes at Li Si.

    ¡°It was Gu Lingsha. The car with no number te is one of Qi Qiming¡¯s subordinate¡¯s cars.¡± Li Si lowered his voice and subconsciously looked towards Xi Xiaye. When he saw that she was busy ying with her son and not paying attention to them, he turned to look at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Got it. Go down first.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze turned a little dark as his handsome face was gloomy too.

    ¡°Master, do we want to get people to stop her?¡± Li Si asked softly.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand slightly and stopped him. ¡°No need. I know what to do. Prepare the car right now.¡±

    ¡°But this woman was reckless. If you hadn¡¯t rushed over in time, Missus... She¡¯s provoking you, Master!¡± Li Si brows frowned into a knot as he said in an urgent voice.

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything, yet Li Si felt a coldness fill the air. When he looked up to Mu Yuchen, he realized that his Master had returned to his usual calm and quiet self. Naturally, he dared not say anything more, so he bowed and quietly left.

 Chapter 764 - Too Many Excuses (3)

    <h4>Chapter 764: Too Many Excuses (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The meeting went on for over an hour before it ended. Instead of calling it a nning meeting, you might as well have called it a special meeting that Qi Qiming requested to introduce Gu Lingsha.

    As expected, at the meeting, Gu Lingsha was delegated to the South River Project as one of the Project Managers working on the same tasks as Qi Lei.

    Wang Qin knew about Qi Qiming¡¯s intentions very well. She made Gu Lingsha look bad many times, yet thetter silently endured it all.

    After the meeting ended, the first to leave their seats were Qi Qiming, Wang Qin, Yue Hai, and the rest. Later, everyone else swiftly kept their things and left the meeting room too while Qi Lei was barely in a hurry. Many people probably knew that their Vice President Qi had fallen asleep for an hour at the meeting again, and they were quite afraid to see CEO Qi¡¯s furious expression when he left earlier.

    ¡°Master Qi! Wake up. The meeting¡¯s over!¡±

    As the meeting room quickly emptied, Yang Sheng only felt even more pressure with Qi Qiming¡¯s extremely enraged expression earlier and Wang Qin¡¯s concerned yet disappointed gaze. He went up to shake Qi Lei who was still propping his head up with his eyes shut.

    Qi Lei then opened his eyes in a daze. As he turned to look Yang Sheng grumpily, he looked around and saw that his surroundings had emptied. He then tossed the pen in his hand onto the table, and slowly stood up. ¡°Tidy up and let¡¯s go back to my office.¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded and swiftly tidied things up. Qi Lei turned around and was about to walk to the door when that light purple figure entered his sight.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was quiet as he watched her. Having done packing up, Yang Sheng looked back and forth between the two of them. After that, he quietly walked out of the meeting room and closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Lei, do you have to act like this?¡±

    When she heard the sound of the door closing, Gu Lingsha spoke up first. She broke the stifling silence, her beautiful eyes containing an indescribable sadness as she fixed her eyes on Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei looked away and scoffed calmly. ¡°What did I do now?¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re angry. You¡¯re angry at me, but this is my duty. I don¡¯t have a choice. My father wants me to be trained in Qi Kai, so Uncle Qi just agreed to my request. You don¡¯t have to be unhappy with him. If you want to me someone, then me me. You know that publicly treating your father like this will only make Uncle Qi sad. You don¡¯t have to direct all your anger toward Uncle Qi because of me. If you¡¯re not happy about something, you can hit me or curse me. I just hope that you won¡¯t have that attitude with us, with everyone!¡± Gu Lingsha spilled all of her unhappiness at once. There was already a faint light in her eyes, reflecting endurance and persistence, unlike the old her at all.

    Nevertheless, when Gu Lingsha said that, Qi Lei justughed and said frankly, ¡°Shasha, you¡¯re wrong, or maybe I should say that you¡¯ve overestimated yourself. I¡¯ve always had this attitude. Do you think my mood could be affected by one person? Whatever that¡¯s between the old man and I has got nothing to do with you. Right now, I¡¯m just doing as you asked and pretending like I don¡¯t know you at thepany. Am I doing it wrong?¡±

    When she heard Qi Lei, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression instantly turned rigid and pale. Her gaze slowly turned bleak, and she could not help butugh bitterly. ¡°Lei, no matter what you think of me, I just wanted to say that I have my reasons. I¡¯m helpless too. Do you think I want to live in hatred? You¡¯ll never understand the pain I¡¯ve suffered, and the pain Ah Feng had to suffer. Also, why can¡¯t you just try to understand us?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Feng? I know he¡¯s not dead. All these years, he¡¯s never turned up alive or as a corpse. With all this hiding, I know very well what your ns are.¡± Qi Lei looked up and stared at Gu Lingsha. ¡°Shasha, tell me, where is Qi Feng?¡±

    Meeting Qi Lei¡¯s forceful gaze, Gu Lingsha could only shake her head as she gritted her teeth and sighed. ¡°Lei, forgive me. I can¡¯t tell you right now, but I have my reasons. I just don¡¯t want them to be hurt anymore.¡±

    When he heard this, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face immediately shed with a cold smile and his tone was unfriendly. ¡°Fine, Shasha, I know you don¡¯t trust me. That¡¯s why you always have so many excuses. All the so-called reasons you have are probably very far-fetched. Since you insist on being this way, I can¡¯t stop you either, but I think I¡¯ll do my best to stop some things from happening.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that you must go against me?¡± Gu Lingsha clenched her fists, feeling a little shocked. There was disappointment in her eyes as she quietly looked at him. ¡°You once said that you¡¯d always protect me. You.. Are you saying that you want to break your promise?¡±

    ¡°I used to want to protect you because I thought you weren¡¯t strong enough, and that you needed protection, but now you don¡¯t need it anymore. You¡¯re so strong that you can plot against other people, so why would you still need my protection? Besides, all these years, you didn¡¯t seem to care about me. I¡¯ve always been someone disposable.¡± Qi Lei forced a smile while he turned to look out the window. His expression turned chilly in an instant too.

    ¡°No, Qi Lei, you¡¯re not. I¡¯ve always treated you as my most treasured friend and even my own kin. You¡¯re not someone disposable,¡± Gu Lingsha quickly exined impatiently.

    Qi Lei just lifted a hand to stop her from continuing. He sighed softly andmented, ¡°Whether or not it is, you know it best yourself. I thought you died, and I was heartbroken for many years, I even hated Mu Yuchen, yet you were alive, and you didn¡¯t send me a message at all. Even with Qi Feng¡¯s news right now, you¡¯re the same. You don¡¯t have to exin. You know well enough for yourself whether you¡¯ve really treated me as a good friend of yours. I¡¯ve always had a soft spot for you, and even admired you. I really wish this feeling could have been preserved, but now it looks like that¡¯s not quite possible anymore.¡±

    ¡°Lei, don¡¯t be like this. I¡¯m still me. It¡¯s just that I...¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen¡¯s not as easy to go against as you think. Even if you want to take revenge, please don¡¯t use those sinister tricks on the innocent. My bottom line is simple. As long as you don¡¯t hurt my people, I¡¯ll maintain a neutral stance. I think you should be able to ept this stance.¡±

    Qi Lei left these words with a lowered voice before he walked to the door and reached out to open it.

    ¡°Well, who¡¯re your so-called people? Aunt Wang? Or Xi Xiaye? Tell me!¡±

 Chapter 765 - No Room For Regrets (1)

    <h4>Chapter 765: No Room For Regrets (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice echoed through the empty room, but Qi Lei did not reply to her. The only response she got was the cold wind whistling from the rooftop.

    Qi Lei had already disappeared when she tried to catch up to him.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s body shuddered as she covered her face and started sobbing. After some time, she sniffled. Her eyes were red as she put her hands down.

    Helpless...

    Why did all the promises be void as she was feeling helpless and struggling painfully?

    What happened to forever?

    What happened to protecting her?

    The only person who used his life to protect her was Mu Lingtian. The others who spoke about protecting her were just all talk.

    None of them knew the pain she went through. Everyone thought lightly of her suffering. No one knew she would have nightmares every night and would wake up from shock and pain, then fail to fall asleep again.

    Two lives were lost. How could the perpetrator live peacefully?

    As the survivor, should she not do something for the dead?

    She was right. She did not do anything and would continue on this path even if it might be difficult for her!

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s determination became firmer after she experienced despair once. She was adamant about her choice.

    ¡°Weiwei, Lingtian, and my baby in heaven, Ah Feng, please give me the courage. I¡¯ll make him pay for this!¡± She held her ne as she mumbled to herself.

    After Gu Lingsha finally calmed down, she took a deep breath, turned around and grabbed her documents on the ground before moving forward.

    Inside Qi Lei¡¯s office.

    ¡°Master Qi, I think Ms. Gu cried just now. Her eyes are a little red. She...¡± Yang Sheng stood before Qi Lei¡¯s table and looked at him. He hesitated for a moment before speaking up as if he was trying to find out about something.

    Qi Lei did not give him any reaction, so Yang Sheng just remained stationary and looked at him intently.

    ¡°She¡¯s not the old innocent Shasha anymore. Just how horrible did the situation have to be in order to have pushed someone this far? I truly hope she doesn¡¯t be a woman like that. I hope she turns back.¡±

    Qi Lei spoke up after a while, sounding helpless. ¡°However, it seems that whatever I did was futile. There¡¯s nothing much that I can do. My mother is right. I¡¯m just like a decoration without any real impact. How can I protect others?¡±

    Yang Sheng felt bad when he heard Qi Lei¡¯s forlorn tone. He quickly replied, ¡°That¡¯s not true, Master. You have talents that are better than Master Feng as well. It¡¯s just that CEO Qi can¡¯t see it. It is extremely rare to find someone like you in the world of business. I feel lucky to be working for you, Master Qi. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be recognized one day. I¡¯ve always had faith in you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m worthy of you to have faith in me. I¡¯ve always hoped to be a normal person and stay in a normal, peaceful family, living happily with my family members with no need to fight over pointless things like these. My life feels like a TV drama. What¡¯s the whole point of this?¡± Qi Lei put down his documents as he sat down.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s normal to feel like you¡¯re not good enough. Not many people can be satisfied with what they have. It¡¯s just a matter of perspective.¡± Yang Sheng then continued, ¡°Do you still remember CEO Han from the Han Corporation?¡±

    ¡°Han Yifeng?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows andughed. ¡°I heard he¡¯s doing pretty well over there while Xi Xinyi is struggling here. I have no idea what to say about him.¡±

    Yang Sheng took a deep breath and finally spoke what had been on his mind, ¡°He¡¯s an unfortunate man. He¡¯s lost so much. Please forgive me for saying this, Master Qi, but I never felt that Ms. Gu was a good match for you. She¡¯s not worthy of you. I think it¡¯d be perfect for you to find someone like Director Xi. Ms. Gu has never been within your reach, so you never really lost her. You should make better decisions than CEO Han.¡±

    ¡°A long time ago, I remember someone telling me that there¡¯s no such thing as a perfect match. It depends on whether two people are willing to be with each other. I¡¯m not sure how I feel about Shasha. I don¡¯t know if I love her or if I only admired her, but it¡¯s a fact that she¡¯s given me a lot of good memories in the past two decades of my life. I hope these can stay, and I never expected them to change.¡±

    This was the first time Qi Lei was opening up to someone. He was not sure why he could talk about this so calmly to his subordinate.

    Did he secretly long for a listener?

    ¡°Director Xi said that, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Yang Sheng smiled. ¡°She was madly in love with CEO Han back then and almost lost herself. It¡¯s all thanks to Chairman Mu. Speaking of which, your life experience is awfully simr to Director Xi¡¯s. An unhappy childhood, rough rtionships, and a headstrong personality... That¡¯s probably why you find Director Xi rtable,¡± Yang Sheng teased him a little.

    Qi Lei frowned instantly and denied, ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t feel that way! You¡¯re overthinking! I don¡¯t feel like that! I just think she looks quite pretty!¡±

 Chapter 766 - No Room For Regrets (2)

    <h4>Chapter 766: No Room For Regrets (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng had never seen Qi Lei like this before. He chuckled and just remained silent.

    However, Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened as he then looked at Yang Sheng. ¡°Speaking of her, have we found out anything about that incident? I know Mu Yuchen has been investigating. Was it my old man who did that?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to talk to you about this. Master Qi, your initial guess wasn¡¯t wrong. This wasn¡¯t CEO Qi¡¯s idea, but the car was Yue Hai¡¯s assistant¡¯s car. Chairman Mu should¡¯ve found out by now already. I heard from the HR Department that Yue Hai¡¯s assistant was fired today under CEO Qi¡¯s orders obviously,¡± Yang Sheng said quietly.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened further after hearing that from Yang Sheng. He seemed really disappointed. ¡°I get it. There are very few reasons that would get my old man motivated. Does my mother know about this?¡±

    ¡°CEO Wang isn¡¯t aware. She did send some gifts over to Chairman Mu a few days ago.¡±

    Qi Lei closed his eyes and gave it some thought. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t let her know about this. Make a dinner appointment with Mu Yuchen tonight. Make sure that hees.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    After Yang Sheng replied, Qi Lei left the office.

    ...

    The sun was shining brightly in the middle of the blue sky. People walking by Fatong Avenue could feel the spring breeze dancing through the trees.

    Ji Zitong could feel the cold from behind her. She had struggled so much today, but in the end, she decided to fulfill her promise.

    She changed into a violet windbreaker and tied her long hair into a bun. Although she did not put on any makeup as usual, she seemed much more elegant today. However, her eyes looked a little lonely, and there was also a tint of helplessness.

    Her hands held her household register and identification card tightly.

    After walking for a long while, she stopped and then turned around.

    She raised her head and looked at the huge clock right in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau building across the street. The clock showed that it was 10.30 a.m. She waited for some time as the traffic light changed colors several cycles, then she finally mustered up some courage and walked towards the stairs.

    When she took her first step onto the staircase, she felt a breeze pass by, and she heard a honk behind her. Quickly turning around, she saw a Land Rover parked nearby.

    The car window rolled down. Ji Zitong looked inside and saw it was Su Chen.

    Su Chen put on a cool smile when he saw her. He leaned over his car window and studied her, his voice actually gentle for once. ¡°When I was on my way here, I wondered if you¡¯d actually show up. Thank God that you didn¡¯t leave me waiting awkwardly here. Ji Zitong, I¡¯m really grateful that you¡¯re giving me this chance.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s quiet expression was shaken, but she smiled. ¡°Thank you, Instructor Su, for giving me a chance as well.¡±

    Su Chen smiled as he took off his uniform. He grabbed the coat on the front passenger seat and put it on. ¡°I have a name. It¡¯s called Su Chen. You can¡¯t possibly keep calling your husband ¡®Instructor Su¡¯. Did you bring your documents?¡±

    Stunned for a moment, Ji Zitong nodded as her hands gripped the things in her pocket. Her palms were sweating. For some reason, she felt lost and fearful at this moment.

    The man was changing elegantly into a clean suit in his car. Even though he was not in his uniform, he still had a dignified vibe around him.

    Su Chen looked at her and saw the emotions in her eyes. He then averted his gaze to her shirt pocket as he spoke in a firm tone, ¡°Give it to me!¡±

    Ji Zitong was astonished once again. She backed away several steps as she looked at him.

    Su Chen frowned as he was still staring intently at her. He smiled instead as he fixed his sleeve. ¡°I¡¯m giving you another 30 seconds to think about following me inside. I¡¯ll respect your decision no matter what, but if I were you, I¡¯d definitely go in without hesitation. There aren¡¯t many men as good as me left in this world. It¡¯ll be your loss if you miss this chance.¡±

    How could there be someone so shameless in this world!?

    Ji Zitong was speechless when she looked at this narcissistic man before her.

    The two of them stared at each other for some time. In the end, Ji Zitong took out her stuff obediently and handed them to Su Chen.

    Su Chen took them and looked through them. After confirming there was no issue, he grabbed his folder and put her documents in. Then, he got down from the car and locked it before turning to Ji Zitong. He then spoke to her when he saw the anxiety in her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll use the rest of my life to prove to you that you¡¯ve won your bet in this grand gamble.¡±

    Ji Zitong was dazzled. She lowered her eyes and said, ¡°The rest of your life is a long one. Don¡¯t make overzealous promises. It¡¯ll tarnish your reputation if you can¡¯t fulfill it.

    She then looked at the building again before finally walking forward.

    Su Chen gave her words some thought. He took a deep breath and quickly followed behind her.

 Chapter 767 - No Room For Regrets (3)

    <h4>Chapter 767: No Room For Regrets (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There were very few people around in the Civil Affairs Bureau at 11 a.m. They walked past the main hall and arrived at the marriage registration counter. The staff handed them the forms after they rified their purpose of visiting.

    Su Chen was very efficient. He took the photo and signed it swiftly.

    The whole process took very little time. It happened just like that.

    The two of them walked out of the building at around noon. Ji Zitong walked in front and Su Chen was right behind her. She suddenly stopped when she reached the staircase, and he stopped beside her too.

    Ji Zitong turned around and looked at Su Chen who stared back at her as well. He raised his hand and waved the two bright red marriage certificates in front of her.

    Su Chen opened one of them and nced through it. Then, he closed it and handed them to Ji Zitong. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Ji Zitong took them and quietly looked through the certificates.

    The people in the photo looked a little awkward, specifically herself although the man seemed quite natural. She took a deep breath as she read their names. With a nod, she closed the documents.

    Had she just gotten married like that?

    Why did it feel like a dream?

    Ji Zitong felt dazed as she looked at the gold imprint on the cover of the marriage certificate. In that instant, she felt lost. She thought about it and found it a little ironic. Nevertheless, she took another deep breath as if she was epting her fate while she raised her head and looked at the warm sun.

    Arge hand came over and took the two red books away. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s toote even if you regret it now. There¡¯s no room for regrets. Just take it as another new life experience. You should be celebrating the fact that you married me.¡±

    Su Chen put the marriage certificates away.

    Ji Zitong turned over and looked at him as a faint light shed past her eyes. Instead of her usual coldness, she seemed calm. ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about whether I¡¯m regretting it or not. I¡¯ll follow the path that I¡¯ve chosen. Will my life be as peaceful as the one I¡¯m having right now?¡± She was staring at Su Chen intently when she spoke.

    Su Chen frowned as he nodded. His voice was firm and filled with determination. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible. I¡¯m looking forward to a peaceful life as well. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have made a promise like that with you.¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded. ¡°Is that what you thought too?¡±

    ¡°Of course, why else were my grandfather and my sister so worked up for?¡± Su Chen replied.

    Ji Zitong chuckled. She nodded as she gave Su Chen a gentle nce. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Su Chen did not reply and looked at the warm sun instead. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something.¡±

    ...

    The two of them went to a Western restaurant momentster, and each ordered food of their own.

    ¡°Do you want some wine?¡± Ji Zitong asked as she closed the menu.

    Su Chen shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading back to my officeter.¡±

    Though he loved alcohol, his work forbade him from drinking during working hours. He had excellent self-control and would not touch any alcohol unless it was necessary for socializing purposes. This made a lot of people think that he was an anti-social person. In addition to that, Su Chen rarely attended entertainment events with his colleagues as well. Even if he were to attend, he would look as serious as usual.

    People could not understand him. They respected and feared Su Chen at the same time, not only for his position but also because of hiswork.

    Ji Zitong understood and did not say anything else. She handed the menu over to the waiter.

    ¡°I have a meeting in the south of the city at 3 p.m.ter. I¡¯ll send you home after our meal. Go back and pack up your stuff. I¡¯ll head over and visit your house tomorrow since it¡¯s a weekend. Is there any problem?¡± Su Chen asked.

    Ji Zitong started to feel uneasy as she thought about it. She had just gotten married to a man without telling her family, so she had no idea how to tell her parents about this. Ji Zitong had a headache as she remembered her conversation with her motherst night.

    Su Chen noticed her reaction and he just smirked. ¡°Did you do it without telling them first?¡±

    Ji Zitong was stunned. She looked at Su Chen with a guilty expression and sighed. ¡°Sure, I was a little rashst night, but I¡¯ll do what I promised. I just hope that you can work with me to convince my parents. Let them know we didn¡¯t just do this on a whim and we¡¯ll be doing well together.¡±

    ¡°So, you want me to put on an act in front of your parents?¡± Su Chen gave her a sharp gaze and asked a direct question.

    Ji Zitong nodded. It was easier to make things clear now. She knew this man had always been this straightforward and direct. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly acting. No matter what, our marriage certificates are real.¡± She then continued momentster, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best to fulfill my role as your wife.¡±

    ¡°I see you¡¯re quite understanding. I hope we¡¯ll do well together then, Mrs. Su!¡± Su Chen felt that it was funny seeing her being so anxious with a cold expression. He raised his fruit juice and made a toast to her.

    Mrs. Su?

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment when she heard that term. She was caught off-guard by it. Then, she raised her ss of fruit juice as well and said, ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s do our best together!¡±

    ¡°What do your parents like?¡± Su Chen put down his ss and asked.

    ¡°They are pretty normal. My father likes to drink and practice martial arts while my mother likes flower arranging and taking care of her flowers. There¡¯s nothing too special.¡±

    Ji Zitong was quiet for a while after replying. ¡°You¡¯ve met my motherst night anyway.¡±

 Chapter 768 - No Room For Regrets (4)

    <h4>Chapter 768: No Room For Regrets (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen nodded and made a pertinent judgment. ¡°Quite a friendly person, but I didn¡¯t greet her properly. I hope her impression of me won¡¯t be too bad.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s dark red lips curled up as she smiled and calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. My mother¡¯s got an alright impression of you, but on my father¡¯s end it might be a little... My father¡¯s slightly old-school. He cares a lot about customs and traditions. You didn¡¯t visit him at our home, and now that we¡¯ve just registered our marriage, I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯d be more or less unhappy, but don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s quite an understanding person. As long as you perform alright, he won¡¯t make things too difficult for you.¡±

    After briefly exining the situation about her two elders at home, the waiter quickly served their food,

    ¡°Master Su, Miss, enjoy!¡±

    Su Chen was a regr at this restaurant, so he was quite familiar with the waiters there too.

    While Ji Zitong¡¯s words made Su Chen ponder things a little, right now he was someone else¡¯s son-inw. To be honest, he had never curried anyone for their favor, thus he really had no idea how to do it. He thought to himself that he should really ask his secretary to help him with that.

    When she saw Su Chen frowning slightly, Ji Zitongughed to herself and consoled him, ¡°My father likes to exchange hands over martial arts with others. I remember that you¡¯re quite skilled. Just based on this point alone, you should be able to gain some respect from him, so you don¡¯t have to be too worried either. I will...¡±

    Su Chen raised his handsome brows and nced at Ji Zitong. He said softly and a faint smile shed on his handsome face, ¡°Are you worried that I won¡¯t be able to pass your father¡¯s test?¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression turned stiff, and she did not answer his question. Instead, she looked down quietly and focused on cutting the steak on her te.

    Su Chen reached over with his long arms and swiftly took over the fork and spoon from her hands. He skillfully helped her slice the steak on her te as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. As long as it¡¯s a woman I¡¯m willing to marry, they¡¯ll only strongly agree to it and never go against me, so they won¡¯t make things hard for you. My grandfather and my sister have a good impression of you. With their recognition, there¡¯s basically no more issues after this. Go home and pack up tonight. Tomorrow I¡¯ll go to visit your parents, then you can move over to my ce.¡±

    <i>Move to his ce...</i>

    Ji Zitong subconsciously trembled while she looked at him before gazing down at the folder beside his hand. As if she just realized something, she nodded and quietly responded, ¡°Alright.¡±

    As Su Chen helped her cut the beef on her te into bite sizes, he did seem like quite a gentle and polite gentleman right now. Of course, it was a side that Ji Zitong had never seen before. From what she knew, this Su Chen had always been an imposing and devilish instructor. In fact, because of their past grudges, to be honest, she did not think highly of him.

    Therefore, right now she was a little surprised to see this side of him.

    Upon noticing Ji Zitong¡¯s gaze, Su Chen frowned, and asked with a deep voice, ¡°What are you looking at? I can¡¯t make you full.¡±

    Ji Zitong averted her gaze. ¡°Nothing. I just feel like you do have some redeeming qualities.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Su Chen raised his brows and grinned as he said, ¡°I do have many redeeming qualities. Your decision will only bring you gains and no losses.¡±

    ¡°But to me, you haven¡¯t left too positive an impression, but now I find you aren¡¯t quite the same,¡± said Ji Zitong after she pondered for a moment.

    ¡°Work and life are two different things. There are some moods I keep for my own people,¡± Su Chen exined briefly with a calm expression. ¡°Eat first.¡±

    Their meal was not awkward. During military training, they had lived together anyway, so he roughly remembered some of her living habits. Although it had been so many years, the two of them had just about maintained the same habits from before, so right now they did not feel too reserved. After all, shyness and restrain would only seem pretentious.

    Throughout the meal, the two had a rather happy and satisfying time, and there was no feeling of pressure or restraint.

    When they were done, they rested for a moment. When the time was past 1 p.m., Su Chen then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you back first.¡±

    Then, he got up and walked out.

    Ji Zitong was stunned. She quickly reached out to pull at his sleeve as she lowered her voice and reminded softly, ¡°Hold on. We haven¡¯t paid yet. They¡¯ll call us dine-and-dashers.¡¯

    When Ji Zitong said that, Su Chen suddenly smiled mysteriously and looked at her. He chuckled amusedly, ¡°Who told you that we¡¯d have to pay to eat at our own restaurant?¡±

    ¡°This restaurant is yours?¡± Ji Zitong stared at him nkly.

    ¡°It¡¯s a restaurant that I invested in with Ah Chen and Zimo in my free time. This ce is quite close to Zimo¡¯s office. Zimoes here for meals quite often too. There are also one or two more in the north of the city. Next time, you cane here to eat since this ce isn¡¯t too far from your flower shop anyway. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll give you a card,¡± he exined.

    ¡°But can government officers...¡± Ji Zitong asked in puzzlement.

    Su Chen raised his brows, not saying anything. Soon, his tall figure had already walked ahead. Ji Zitong hesitated for a moment, then did not say anything as she quickly followed after him.

    ...

    It was a dazzling afternoon, and the warm sun sprinkled its gentle golden light. The wind that moved in the air was not as cold as early in the morning as it was now warming up.

    Underneath the flower rack in the Shen residence backyard, Shen Yue sat on the rattan chair as he leisurely sunbathed while Mu Zirui sat on the chair by his side, holding a sketchbook and drawing in it.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye left after having lunch there. Mu Yuchen returned to the office while Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence.

    Lan Zng smiled as he watched Mu Zirui¡¯s focused demeanor. He could not help butugh softly as he said to Shen Yue, ¡°Elder CEO, I can see that Zirui¡¯s been adapting quite well. When I went to fetch him, his ss teacher even praised him. In fact, our Zirui¡¯s so smart that he can join Year One this July. It¡¯s good for him to start studying earlier too. Back then, Miss Xiaye started quite early too.¡±

    When he heard the update, Shen Yue nodded dly. ¡°This child¡¯s smart just like his grandma. He thinks quickly. Right now, it¡¯s not easy ying chess with him too. He¡¯s more nimble than that girl. He¡¯s got a good head on him!¡± said Shen Yue softly as he squinted at Mu Zirui.

    ¡°With Zirui around, Elder CEO, you won¡¯t be as lonely. Later on, when Miss Xiaye takes over thepany, you can have a good rest.¡± Lan Zng smiled.

 Chapter 769 - Fall Out (1)

    <h4>Chapter 769: Fall Out (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At over 70 years old this year, Shen Yue had rushing about for his whole life and never quite rested. In his early years, when he was still in the military, he could have continued climbing upwards too, but he considered Liang Fuhua, so he just gave up on the opportunity to be promoted. When he could have gotten a high position, he firmly chose to retire from the military. Upon his return, he began to rush about, and worked hard one step at a time before Fuhua grew to what it was today.

    Shen Wenna was his and Liang Fuhua¡¯s only daughter. After she suffered the many misfortunes, Shen Yue was more open-minded now.

    As long as the children thought it was okay, he would be fine with it. Everything else did not seem as important anymore. As the older generation, they just need to supervise.

    ¡°Yes, I can finally rx. I¡¯ve been staying with Zirui these past few days, and I feel quite satisfied too. The only regret I have is that Fuhua left a little too soon. She would have been very happy to see our life right now.¡±

    Lan Zng knew well how much Shen Yue missed Liang Fuhua. He admired the way this elder had built his achievements from scratch, and at the same time was touched by his deep loyalty. This was also one of the reasons why he had stayed loyally by Shen Yue¡¯s side.

    ¡°Elder CEO, I¡¯m sure Elder Madam will see all of it. Back then, Elder Madam was more worried about Miss Wenna. Now, the hard times have gone and the good times are about to begin for Miss Wenna and her husband. Miss Xiaye has also found herself a good partner. Chairman Mu is a rare, fine man. Elder Madam would¡¯ve only felt d. Instead, it¡¯s you, Elder CEO. You must take care of your health well. There will be many more great-grandchildren for you to carry in time toe.¡±

    He looked at Shen Yue¡¯s aged face that had experienced so much in life along with his white hair. Lan Zng suddenly felt sad.

    Time always passed by so quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than 20 years had passed by just like that. The business titan who was practically a legend with his all-powerful prime time in the business world, and had now be a gray-haired old man in his final days. This contrast would make anyone feel sad.

    ¡°These past two years, I could already feel myself not being as strong as I¡¯d wished. I have to admit that I¡¯m old. Zng, you¡¯ve been with me for so many years now. You¡¯ve really been troubled a lot in all those years. In time toe, Xiaye will still need you to advise her. If you¡¯re free,e over to visit my ce. The house is too quiet. Zirui will usually need to be at school too. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d be bored alone.¡± Shen Yue thought about it, and could not help butment.

    Lan Zng nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elder CEO. I will.¡±

    It had been so many years that they worked together. Lan Zng respected Shen Yue like he was his father, so Shen Yue did not need to say that at all.

    When Mu Zirui snapped back to attention and heard their conversation, he could not help but walk over to tug at Shen Yue¡¯s frail hand. ¡°Great-grandfather, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be by your side every day. If there¡¯s anything you want to say, you can tell me, Xiao Rui. Mother told me that I¡¯m a very qualified listener.¡±

    Upon feeling the tug, Shen Yue chortled out loud happily. He patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head lovingly. ¡°Good! Good! My great-grandson knows how to love his great-grandfather!¡±

    Lan Zngughed along as well before he continued, ¡°Oh, right, Elder CEO, the materials for the South River Project tender are still being prepared. News keepsing from the government¡¯s side, and it looks like there¡¯s a slight dy. I want to seize this time to let Miss Xiaye smoothen out thepany matters first.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I heard about that too. Qi Lei from Qi Kai isn¡¯t bad at all. Ah Chen especially rmended him to me, but I don¡¯t quite agree with his old man. He says one thing and does the other. I heard that he wanted to coborate with City B¡¯s Hui Gu Corporation.¡±

    When this was mentioned, Shen Yue became quite dissatisfied.

    Lan Zng hesitated but could not help voicing his concern, ¡°There is some news about that. Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s got solid capabilities. In fact, I heard that they¡¯ve known each other for a long time, and have some past grudges with Chairman Mu. For the bid this time, I¡¯m afraid that there¡¯ll be some risks. We have to do our best to get this bid. Once South River Project No. 1 starts, many people will notice that it is in high demand, and they¡¯ll be coveting after it. Projects No. 1 and No. 2 are closely rted too. Glory World¡¯s main forte isn¡¯t on property. That¡¯s why they need us to help out. However, based on what I know, Hui Gu Corporation has real estate background. In terms of capabilities, they wouldn¡¯t be inferior to us. Plus, our city has been promoting heavily to attract foreign investments, so I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to get this project.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen¡¯s mainly developing the living area. They have to put in a lot of effort too. Wasn¡¯t the government nning on building a new city towards the south? What I think is that we should mainly go into living spaces, and do our best. Try to find out what grudges they have with Ah Chen. These people are clearly trying to bully my people. I¡¯ll have to score off for the children!¡± As Shen Yue said this, the flickering light in his aged eyes turned chilly too.

    He knew that Shen Yue was distinguished for shielding others, so Lan Zng responded, ¡°Okay, Elder CEO! I¡¯ll get someone to investigate right away!¡±

    ...

    At this moment, inside Gu Lingsha¡¯s office in Qi Kai Corporation.

    Gu Lingsha did not know that only half a day would have passed when Qi Lei would go to her. He barged right in, looking stormy.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Gu Lingsha scowled. Her assistant was still there, so the fact that Qi Lei did that made her look bad.

    Qi Lei walked over to her desk, and propped his hands on the cold table as he leaned towards her in her chair. His eyes had darkened. ¡°Xiaye¡¯s incident... Was it you who did it?¡±

    She immediately frowned and lowered her gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You do! I asked if you did it. You pushed her, didn¡¯t you?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s low voice was questioning.

    Gu Lingsha sneered for a while. She turned to look at theputer screen beside her. ¡°VP Qi, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    ¡°Shasha, I told you not to disturb Xiaye. All those past grudges have got nothing to do with her and her child. You didn¡¯t have to go for her. When did you be this cruel?¡±

    Qi Lei clenched his fists slightly and looked at Gu Lingsha in contempt. ¡°Are you thinking about how to expand your resentment? Haven¡¯t you implicated enough people?¡±

 Chapter 770 - Fall Out (2)

    <h4>Chapter 770: Fall Out (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A sneer shed across Gu Lingsha¡¯s face. ¡°Are you so sure that I did it? If I said it wasn¡¯t me, would you believe me? Or did Xi Xiaye tell you herself that I pushed her?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression stiffened for a while as he looked at Gu Lingsha with mixed emotions. ¡°How am I supposed to believe you? You don¡¯t want to live peacefully and insist on starting these storms. Shasha, I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re that kind of woman!¡±

    ¡°That kind of woman? What kind? You barge into my office and condemn me for no reason. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just to stand up for Xi Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Shasha, I¡¯m worried about you. I hope you won¡¯t go down the wrong way and hurt the innocent! Xiaye¡¯s friend is still unconscious until now. Can¡¯t you reflect upon yourself? Now, you¡¯ve even made a move on Xiaye. You¡¯re crazy! Do you really think that Mu Yuchen¡¯s a fool in the dark?¡±

    Qi Lei clenched his fists in frustration and knocked on the table in front of him. Because he was so strong, the cup of coffee in front of Gu Lingsha shifted and the strong brown liquid sttered all over the table.

    Upon these words, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression instantly became gloomy and stormy as sheughed coldly at Qi Lei. ¡°Do you think that I was in that ident intentionally? Do you think that I intentionally crashed into that Ruan Heng?¡±

    Her cold tone contained obvious fury. Gu Lingsha pointed at herself and red at Qi Lei. When she saw him return a dangerous gaze, she immediately raged. ¡°I, Gu Lingsha, dare swear that if I really did crash into him on purpose, I¡¯ll be killed as soon as I walk out the door. My corpse will be crushed and I¡¯ll die horribly! Are you happy now? I was a victim of the ident too. Even if I have the ability to predict things, I couldn¡¯t have known that I¡¯d crash into Ruan Heng. How dare you me this on me? How dare you me me?¡±

    ¡°No matter what, you¡¯ll have to take some responsibility, won¡¯t you? He¡¯s still unconscious right now, and we still don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll be waking up. Do you think I don¡¯t know that Su Nan was at the police station because of you the other time? If Mu Yuchen hadn¡¯te looking for me, you probably wouldn¡¯t have let go of Su Nan, would you? What do you want? Mu Yuchen is Mu Yuchen. If you¡¯ve got grudges and resentment, go look for him. Why do you have to include others?¡± Qi Lei demanded with a sunken gaze.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve be such a hero who hates evil now! Su Nan¡¯s incident had nothing to do with me. It was the police that made errors while doing their work. If you have to put it on me, I had nothing to say. If you want to know the answer so badly, then I can tell you that I did all of it. I did everything from crashing into someone, making some people end up in the police station, and causing that incident where Xi Xiaye almost had a miscarriage. Are you happy now? You¡¯re already set on the idea that I did it, so I have nothing to say. You can go and expose me now too. Let me be criticized and disdained by everyone. I don¡¯t care anyway. I¡¯ve already died once. Do you think I¡¯d care about anything else?¡±

    Gu Lingsha sounded like she had given up on herself. As she sneered while feeling ridiculous about herself, her stubborn voice sounded determined. It made one feel sorry for her. Even Qi Lei seemed to have gone a little speechless as he slowly released his clenched fists, yet the gloominess in his eyes did not fade at all.

    After a long while, Qi Lei said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    ¡°Then, what did you mean with your questioning tone? Am I so uneptable to you!? If you¡¯ve got anything else to say or any advice, you can say it all now since you want to just casually vilify me anyway!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s clear voice now sounded slightly raspy. Her beautiful eyes started to redden, and her fists were tightly clenched at the moment as if she did not care about Qi Lei. She stared at him with furious and stubborn eyes, her vigor no inferior to his.

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t do it, then why would you be afraid of others vilifying you? Shasha, whether I¡¯m speaking as a friend or as a ymate who¡¯ve known each other since we were young, I hope that you can just live a simple and magnanimous life! Don¡¯t cling onto the past. What do you want? Do you want to live a quiet and stable life? I know that Qi Feng didn¡¯t die. As long as you two are willing to settle down and not be tangled with the past, I¡¯m willing to give the whole of Qi Kai to you two as a wedding gift. That way, can you promise me?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s deep eyes gathered with dark whirlpools as it fixed unmoving on Gu Lingsha.

    When Qi Lei said that, Gu Lingsha was stunned. She looked at Qi Lei with an unfathomable gaze, and after a long while, she forced augh. ¡°Qi Lei, would you actually do this for Xi Xiaye? Have you fallen in love with her or something?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t keep trying to drag others in. It¡¯s got nothing to do with Xiaye! I¡¯m concerned about you! Why don¡¯t you understand? You also said that Lingtian used his life to protect you. Is this how you¡¯ll repay him? Putting aside hurting his younger sister, now you even want to hurt his kin too? Shasha, wake up!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Lingtian! If the ident didn¡¯t happen, would Lingtian have died? I¡¯m taking revenge for Lingtian now! How am I wrong? You know that Lingtian has a prejudice against Mu Yuchen. How do you know for sure that the ident back then wasn¡¯t ording to Mu Yuchen¡¯s directions? How can you understand where I¡¯ming from without knowing anything?¡±

    ¡°Reason! Where¡¯s your reasoning? For what reason should Mu Yuchen be setting you up? All of you betrayed him first!¡±

    ¡°Reason? You¡¯re right. Mu Yuchen¡¯s not a fool. Do you really think I didn¡¯t know that the reason he¡¯d agreed to the marriage back then was just a strategy to dy? Hmph, Lingtian heard himself that he told Su Chen that marrying me was just a move in the chess game. Once the time came, he¡¯d just divorce me!¡±

    ¡°Divorce? Does that mean that child is definitely not Mu Yuchen¡¯s?¡± Qi Lei caught onto the key message.

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s not his? If it¡¯s not, why do you think I¡¯d dare get married into the Mu family? You know that Ah Feng and I have never done anything. He respects me very much!¡± Gu Lingsha raised her brows and smiled coldly, yet her smilecked genuineness.

    ¡°Impossible! He told me himself that he¡¯s never been with you! You even hid your pregnancy from him, and he doesn¡¯t even know about the child! Shasha, tell me who does the child belong to? Tell me! Is it Qi Feng, or Lingtian?¡± Qi Lei fixed his eyes on Gu Lingsha. Today he must get to the bottom of this!

 Chapter 771 - Fall Out (3)

    <h4>Chapter 771: Fall Out (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha was calm as she faced Qi Lei¡¯s aggression. She put on a cold smile. ¡°You can ask him if you want to know, and just observe at his reaction.¡±

    Qi Lei freaked out a little when he saw Gu Lingsha¡¯s calm manner. He clenched his fists and said, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Shasha!¡±

    ¡°You can find out for yourself if I¡¯m lying or not. Moreover, that child is dead! Dead!¡± Gu Lingsha cackled. ¡°You only thought about how unfair it is to Xi Xiaye. I¡¯m disappointed in you. You¡¯d rather believe in Mu Yuchen than me!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression was stony as his eyes stared intently at Gu Lingsha. ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive you if you lie to me!¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to you? Aren¡¯t you using me of pushing Xi Xiaye and almost causing her to lose her child? You can just assume I¡¯m taking revenge on Mu Yuchen. You should be happy with that answer!¡± Gu Lingsha was unfazed as she looked at Qi Lei calmly.

    ¡°Shasha! Don¡¯t make me do this!¡±

    ¡°Do what? You¡¯ve already assumed I did it, right? Why are you like this after I¡¯ve admitted it?¡±

    ¡°Enough! I don¡¯t want to fight with you. No matter what, I hope you can leave Qi Kai and go back to City B. Don¡¯t get involved in this mess. You don¡¯t need to experience another dark period! Please leave Qi Kai, or else you¡¯ll turn into a toxic monster. I¡¯ll make sure that you leave even if you don¡¯t want to¡ª¡±

    Bam!

    Before Qi Lei could finish his sentence, the door was opened and a person rushed in.

    ¡°How dare you!?¡±

    Pa!

    There was a furious growl that was apanied by the sound of a loud p!

    Qi Lei was not able to react at all. All he could feel was a fiery stinging on his left cheek. His ears were buzzing, and he could not hear anything. When he turned over, he saw Qi Qiming standing right in front of him.

    ¡°Uncle Qi!¡± Gu Lingsha was shocked as she stared at Qi Qiming and could not believe what just unfolded before her.

    Qi Lei stood frozen in horror as he just stared at Qi Qiming. He ignored the pain on his cheek as his feelings went numb.

    Startled, Qi Qiming looked at his own hand and realized that was really a harsh p he just delivered. Even he could feel slight difort on his palm and his heart throbbed a little when he saw Qi Lei¡¯s dark, lifeless gaze, but he soon returned to normal and put on a disgusted look.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face had be swollen with the extremely obvious p mark.

    One p...

    That one p destroyed Qi Lei¡¯s final hope as well as his pride!

    How hrious!

    He was Qi Qiming¡¯s son!

    Qi Lei ruffled his hair nervously. Although his face was a mess, he still put on his usual wicked smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been saving up for this p. Do you feel great after hitting me? Should I feel d to be useful for once?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you are? What makes you think you¡¯re in charge when I¡¯m still around? I appointed Shasha as the project manager. If you¡¯re unhappy with it, thene to me. Why are you messing with her? You¡¯re just like your mother!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s icy cold voice reached him, fanning Qi Lei¡¯s anger even more.

    ¡°My mother? Are youining about our behavior? I just feel unfortunate to be your son! You can give birth to me, but you can¡¯t raise me? I really hate that I have your dirty blood in me. I have to be known as Qi Qiming¡¯s son everywhere I go. Look at you now. Are you sure you¡¯re worthy of being my father?¡± Qi Lei clenched a fist and pointed a finger at Qi Qiming, his smile tinted with darkness.

    ¡°You scum! What did you just say? I dare you to say it again!¡± Qi Qiming was mad. He red angrily at Qi Lei, and his body was trembling as he pointed a finger at him.

    ¡°I said! It¡¯s unfortunate for me to be your son. You have no right of being my father. You¡¯re not worthy!¡±

    This was the first time Qi Lei could not control his anger!

    ¡°You... You... Get out! Get out! I don¡¯t have a son like you. Get out right now!¡±

    Qi Qiming was enraged. He grabbed whatever was on the table and threw them towards Qi Lei. Documents were strewn everywhere inside the room!

    ¡°Uncle Qi! Qi Lei! Please stop. Qi Lei, leave my office right now!¡± Gu Lingsha panicked and quickly stood between the two of them.

    Qi Lei put on a cold smile and nced at Qi Qiming. He then looked at Gu Lingsha as well before he stormed off.

    ¡°How dare he!? How dare he!?¡±

    Qi Qiming swept all the documents on the table onto the floor. In just the blink of an eye, Gu Lingsha¡¯s office looked like a typhoon had passed through it.

    Gu Lingsha stood aside and looked with a dark, strained expression on her face.

    ...

    Near evening, on the way towards Glory World Corporation on Fatong Avenue, Mu Yuchen was flipping through some documents needed for a meetingter while Li Si was sitting on the front passenger seat as the chauffeur drove carefully.

    Screech¡ª

    There was a sudden jerk and the squeal of brakes!

    Thud!

    Mu Yuchen lost his bnce and fell forward as his phone and documents slid to the floor. Li Si¡¯s head hit the windshield!

    ¡°What happened!?¡± In shock, Li Si quickly turned around and looked at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Master, are you alright?¡±

    Mu Yuchen held onto the car seat in time and managed to stay safe.

 Chapter 772 - Interrogation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 772: Interrogation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he leaned back in his seat. He did not seem very bothered as he looked in front and noticed Li Si¡¯s concerned gaze. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Chauffeur Wang, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Si calmed down when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s reply. He shot Chauffeur Wang a darkened expression, and the chauffeur was sweating as he exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master, I saw a dog crossing in front of the car just now, so...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Continue driving.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was still calm as usual. He already went back to reading his documents while Li Si was still fretting. ¡°Be more careful!¡±

    What if Master had been injured?

    Li Si was really shocked just now. He was reminded about the ident back in City B. Master knew what happened, but he did not continue the investigation or take any action in the end. What was he thinking?

    Chauffeur Wang nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll be more careful from now on. I¡¯m sorry, Master!¡± He then continued to drive carefully.

    At this moment, the phone started ringing. Li Si picked it up and noticed who was calling, so he turned towards Mu Yuchen and said, ¡°Master, it¡¯s a call from Master Qi. Should I...?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the time now?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost 3 p.m. now. We should be able to make it back for the meeting,¡± replied Li Si as he took a nce at his watch.

    Mu Yuchen flipped another page and replied without even batting an eye, ¡°Don¡¯t take his call. Give him a call back after that.¡±

    Li Si nodded, rejecting the call. ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    The car slowly arrived at Glory World Corporation as they spoke, and Mu Yuchen closed his documents.

    On the other hand, Qi Lei walked out of Gu Lingsha¡¯s office angrily. His expression was sour as his call was not picked up. He called the number again and still did not get a response. The p mark on his face was extremely obvious, and the swelling had gotten worse.

    Qi Lei had a cold smile stered on his face as his phone screen darkened. He kept his phone and noticed Wang Qin right in front of him.

    Wang Qin was heartbroken to see him looking so pathetic. She teared up and just looked at Qi Lei without saying a word. A cold light shed past in her eyes when she saw the swollen mark on his face.

    After some time, Wang Qin called out to him, ¡°Xiao Lei...¡±

    Qi Lei looked downwards as he grabbed his phone tightly and took a deep breath. He looked away and continued walking forward.

    Wang Qin grabbed Qi Lei¡¯s arm when he walked past her. She asked him in a grim tone, ¡°Xiao Lei, did he p you? Did that bastard p you?¡±

    Qi Lei shook off her hand. Though his voice sounded calm, it was also bitter and lifeless. His anger sounded like sharp knives to Wang Qin¡¯s ears, and her tears started to fall as the knives stabbed into her. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Don¡¯t get yourself into trouble.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Xiao Lei!¡±

    Wang Qin grabbed Qi Lei who was trying to leave, her voice sounding irate. ¡°How could he do this? How could he p you? What right does he have to do that?¡±

    Wang Qin had no idea what happened. She just wanted toe and see Qi Lei. Unexpectedly, she saw Qi Qiming rushing towards Gu Lingsha¡¯s office with a grim expression, thus she went over to take a look as she sensed something was not right. She did not expect to see Qi Leiing out of Gu Lingsha¡¯s office like this!

    Qi Lei shook off Wang Qin¡¯s hand again. While the p mark seemed painful, he was not portraying any emotion of any sort. Instead, he smiled drily and said, ¡°I bet he wanted to do this since a long time ago. Let him be. You don¡¯t have to bother yourself with him. You know very well what kind of person he¡¯s like.¡±

    He then walked forward without looking back.

    ¡°Xiao Lei! Listen to me...¡± Wang Qin tried to catch up to him.

    At the same time, inside Gu Lingsha¡¯s office.

    Qi Qiming finally calmed down after he unleashed his anger. He put his hands on the table in exasperation as he nced at all the papers around the room. Even after taking several deep breaths, his expression still looked stormy.

    Gu Lingsha slowly went closer to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Uncle Qi. It¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have triggered him like that. I knew he...¡± Gu Lingsha seemed uneasy as she looked at Qi Qiming guiltily with a frown. ¡°Qi Lei has always been like this. I should¡¯ve known better. Maybe my return has triggered some serious disturbance within him. I just didn¡¯t expect Xi Xiaye to be so important to him to the extent that he¡¯s doing this to us. It seems like his hatred for Mu Yuchen has disappeared.¡±

    ¡°That unfilial child!¡± Qi Qiming looked at the empty entrance in disappointment. ¡°His personality is just like his mother¡¯s, always like going against me. You¡¯ve seen what happened at the meeting today! The two of them are definitely hoping for me to die. I wouldn¡¯t have taken action against them if they¡¯d just give in and not go against me, and just look what he did just now!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, actually, Qi Lei...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still alive! How dare he?! Lingsha, please don¡¯t mind him.¡±

 Chapter 773 - Interrogation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 773: Interrogation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha forced a bitter smile, then shook her head. Her tone was clearly colored with some sadness, yet she responded with a feigned rxedness, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Uncle Qi. I¡¯m just sorry that I caused a fall out between you and Qi Lei. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    Qi Qiming waved his hands andmented, ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault. The conflict between us isn¡¯t recent.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, actually Qi Lei cares a lot about you. Now that this happened, why don¡¯t you tell someone to hold him back first? Once there¡¯s a misunderstanding, it takes a lot to resolve it. Earlier, he was just saying things out of anger, so don¡¯t take it to heart, Uncle Qi. Don¡¯t let Qi Lei feel disillusioned. He¡¯s always been a rather vulnerable person,¡± Gu Lingsha said a little anxiously as she looked towards the empty entrance.

    ¡°He¡¯s always never needed to¡ª¡±

    Bam!

    Pa!

    Before Qi Qiming could finish, a wine-red figure had alreadye in with the wind as if there was a sudden tornado. They could not even react when a loud p was heard, and then there were cries!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°All for this slut! What have you done to her?¡±

    Wang Qin stern and gloomy voice contained a hint of ruthlessness as she clutched Gu Lingsha¡¯s hair. As she lifted a hand, two ps fell. Gu Lingsha only had time to shriek in shock!

    ¡°Wang Qin, you vicious woman! What are you trying to do!?¡±

    Qi Qiming reacted quickly enough. He gripped Wang Qin¡¯s hand with which she wanted to continue her assault and pushed her back. Because he was too strong, she staggered back quite a few steps before she managed to steady herself. Her beautiful little face was swelling with two red, almost symmetrically-imprinted marks on both sides of her face. Her hands reflexively held her face, and the burning sensation of hurt made her tear up involuntarily, yet she continued to gaze up and fix her stare at Wang Qin before her.

    ¡°What am I trying to do? I want to ask what you two did to Xiao Lei instead!¡± Wang Qin pulled her hand back. Her sharp gaze could not hide the resentment that was on the verge of exploding.

    ¡°Shasha, are you okay?¡± Qi Qiming looked to Shasha with concern.

    Gu Lingsha sighed and tried hard to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes. After a while, she shook her head and held down the coldness that shed in her eyes. Her fists clenched slightly as she stared at Wang Qin while her raspy voice brought a hint of bitterness. ¡°Aunt Wang, what is the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°Meaning? You know well yourself! You slut, who do you think you are? You should¡¯ve died in the ident years ago, yet you crawled out of nowhere to harm others again. Xiao Lei has never had it good since he¡¯s known you. Do you think a woman of two minds like you deserves to be with Xiao Lei? Give up! It¡¯s not enough that you¡¯ve wrecked Qi Feng, and now you want to drag Qi Lei down too?¡± Wang Qin questioned her in a rage.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, Aunt Wang. Lei and I are innocent. I told you before. In fact, I¡¯ve clearly told you before that my decision to enter Qi Kai for work this time is just to obey my father and Uncle Qi¡¯s business decision. Father hopes that I can learn some practical lessons from Uncle Qi. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯d use me like this. I don¡¯t want to exin much. If you insist on cing such usations on me, I have nothing to say either!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone was firm and resounding while she looked calm andcked fear.

    However, when she heard this, Wang Qin just sneered in disdain. ¡°Innocent? If you¡¯re innocent, then why do you call out to my son so intimately? You should be calling him Master Qi too! Earlier, you looked all wronged at the meeting. Weren¡¯t you doing that for Xiao Lei to see? Do you really think I¡¯m blind? I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless woman. Wouldn¡¯t it fine if you¡¯d just stayed by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side properly back then? Now, great, Mu Yuchen wouldn¡¯t even spare you a nce. I don¡¯t even know if Qi Feng is dead or crippled, and now you want to get a share of Xiao Lei? You don¡¯t even stop to think if you deserve to. You don¡¯t even have the right to appear in front of him now. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Enough, Wang Qin! Don¡¯t go overboard!¡± Qi Qiming looked extremely cross as he red at Wang Qin and did not let her continue spewing nonsense.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s little face was exceptionally gloomy too. She snagged her red lips until they almost lost their color.

    ¡°Shut up! Qi Qiming, you bastard! You don¡¯t have the right to kick a big fuss up with me! You hit Xiao Lei, didn¡¯t you? How dare you hit him for this woman? What¡¯s wrong? Do you want to sleep with her now? Look at you being all anxious now. Can you please grow up?¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s lips curled up in disdain. Her gaze looked as if it had been tempered with poison as she stared coldly at the two of them. ¡°What else do you know except to vent to my Xiao Lei every time? I will just make myself clear today. I, Wang Qin, only have this one son. He¡¯s my life. If anyone dares to hurt him, that means they¡¯re asking for my life! And whoever¡¯s asking for my life, I¡¯d fight to beat them down first!¡±

    That unfriendly tone with her sharp and imposing manner sounded apathetic to Qi Lei. He looked up straight at Wang Qin. That curl on her lips looked mocking no matter how you saw it.

    ¡°Wang Qin, you should consider your words before saying them out loud!¡± Qi Qiming said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I considered them very well! Gu Lingsha, if you want to stay in Qi Kai, I can¡¯t stop you, but you better stay away from Qi Lei. Someone like you doesn¡¯t even deserve to be near my son! You got that? If whatever happened today happens again, I wouldn¡¯t be just giving you two ps!¡± Wang Qin dered meanly as she pointed at Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°What a bold tone. Qi Kai¡¯s not up to you, Wang Qin! You¡¯re too reckless!¡± Qi Qiming smacked Wang Qin¡¯s hand away. His gloomy and cold voice brought a clear warning.

    Wang Qin pulled her hand back unaffected. She went closer to Qi Qiming and said with a lowered voice, ¡°If you push me to my breaking point, I¡¯ll do anything! My whole life¡¯s ruined. I won¡¯t let my son follow in my footsteps!¡±

    She left these words before turning around to leave without a second look at Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Lingsha, are you okay? Don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s got a temper like that. Oh dear, your face... Let me get the secretary to have you checked at the hospital.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Uncle Qi. I¡¯ll just get myself some ice cubes. Don¡¯t me Aunt Wang. She cares a lot about Qi Lei. I understand how she feels!¡± Gu Lingsha held her face as she said calmly, yet her lowered gaze hid theyer of gloom she felt.

 Chapter 774 - Want To Share Your Burden (1)

    <h4>Chapter 774: Want To Share Your Burden (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was still early spring weather. The sky was still bright earlier, yet in the evening it suddenly turned gloomy. Without anyone realizing it, the sky was covered in a nket of haze which was apanied by the sound of muffled thunder.

    Work was over, so the entire office was quiet. When Mu Yuchen walked out of the office, Li Si and the arranged car were waiting at the entrance.

    ¡°Master, the gift is prepared. Are we going over right now?¡±

    Initially, he did decide to attend a partner¡¯s daughter¡¯s birthday party. Mu Yuchen did not like drinking parties like these. However, because everyone was around at such asions, it would not do him any good to reject them upfront, so he agreed. As the head assistant, LI Si naturally had to remember these things well.

    ¡°Attend it for me. I want to go home earlier today.¡±

    Mu Yuchen cleared his throat. His woman at home had been tolerating him for quite a few times now. If he could avoid attending drinking parties like these, he would not.

    Then, without waiting for Li Si to respond, he took the car keys from the driver. ¡°I¡¯ll drive myself home today. Chaffeur Wang, go get another car from thepany garage and sent Assistant Li over. Both of you don¡¯t have toe with me.¡±

    In the blink of an eye, the car slowly drove into the night ahead, weaving into the unending stream of cars and vanishing.

    After a while, Li Si just shrugged and nodded at the chauffeur, and they acted ordingly.

    He had promised Xi Xiaye at noon that he would be home earlier for dinner. Since it was the end of the month, they gave Aunt Lin a two-day break. Apart from Sis Wang at home, there was only Xi Xiaye, the little bun that had just turned a month-old, and Mu Zirui.

    Speaking of which, the husband and wife had not had such quiet and leisurely moments like before for a very, very long time now. They had too many things to do recently, so there were undoubtedly changes to their simple life.

    He drove quickly through Fatong Avenue, and stopped in front of a florist that he frequented. Soon, he carried a bouquet of blue roses back to the car, then continued rushing home.

    At this moment inside Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye slept for a whole afternoon after going home. When she woke up in the evening, she saw that her son was still sleeping soundly, so she briefly tidied the ce for a bit and went downstairs, feeling a rare enthusiasm to cook for the night. Sis Wang saw that she was in quite a jolly mood, so she did not say anything and happily let Xi Xiaye take charge. Even so, Xi Xiaye told her to go home.

    It was the end of the month. For the past month, Sis Wang had been taking care of her. Although she lived nearby, she did not have a chance to go home. Xi Xiaye felt bad, so she wanted to let her reunite with her family for the next two days.

    Sis Wang responded gratefully. However, she still helped Xi Xiaye prepare the ingredients and arranged for the maids¡¯ shifts before she left Maple Residence.

    She had not cooked for a while now, so she was quite rusty. To begin with, her culinary skills were not much, so there was nothing to show. The only thing she could cook quite satisfactorily was the instant noodles  Xi Xiaye.

    After quite a torment, she finally managed to prepare three dishes and a soup. When she served it, it was already dark outside. She returned to the bedroom to see the little fellow still sleeping soundly. Xi Xiaye did not wake him up. Instead, she just changed his sleeping position and let him continue sleeping.

    There was a rumbling and some crashing.

    Then, a white light shed before her sight. Instantly, rumbles were followed by the sound of tinkling and thudding. It was the sound of raindrops on the ss windows. Xi Xiaye quickly got up to close the windows and draw the curtains. The little fellow¡¯s ears were sensitive, and he would be easily awoken by the littlest of sounds.

    In these short ten days or so, she and Mu Yuchen had had it tough. Late at night when the husband and wife wanted to talk, if they chatted about interesting things and got a little louder, the little guy would immediately open his eyes. After that, Mu Yuchen would ask Aunt Lin and Sis Wang to take care of the little fellow, but...

    The time slowly passed. The wall on the clock showed that it was 8 p.m., yet he was still nowhere in sight. Xi Xiaye called his phone, but he did not pick up. After waiting for quite a while, in the end, she was worried and took the umbre, wanting to walk out for a look.

    However, she had just walked out of the door when the sound of the door creaking open across her echoed. The man¡¯s handsome and tall figure appeared in the rain. Apart from the briefcase in his hand, he also held a bouquet of pretty blue roses. When Xi Xiaye saw that, she quickly walked up to him with the umbre.

    ¡°It¡¯s pouring. Why aren¡¯t you using an umbre?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold out. Why are you out here?¡±

    The two anxious voices were heard at the same, yet the moment he finished, his long arm had already circled around her frail shoulders, and hisrge hand held her cold little one as they quickly walked into the house.

    Xi Xiaye closed the umbre and hung it up as she took off his coat and draped it on the rack. She asked, ¡°It¡¯s already 8 p.m. I didn¡¯t see you, so I wanted to go check at the door. Change your clothes first. You¡¯repletely wet! Why were you sote today? I called Li Si, but he said you didn¡¯t go for the event.¡±

    ¡°I received Zimo¡¯s call. Su Chen encountered a slight situation, so I had to go to Zimo¡¯s office at thest minute.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s face brimmed with a faint and elegant smile. He looked like he was in quite a pleasant mood, and the light in his profound eyes was gentle. When he responded, he handed the bouquet to Xi Xiaye.

    A smile quickly shed across Xi Xiaye¡¯s elegant face. She took the bouquet, and Mr. Mu already very knowingly bent down slightly to bring his handsome face closer to her. Xi Xiaye could not help but roll her eyes, then give him a light peck on the cheek as he wished.

    ¡°How¡¯s Su Chen? You look exceptionally happy. Tell me. Let me be happy about it too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. Where¡¯s our son? Why¡¯s the house so quiet?¡± Mu Yuchen soon realized the odd atmosphere of their home.

    ¡°Still sleeping. It¡¯s the end of the month, so I let Sis Wang and the rest go on break for a few days. Wash your hands and let¡¯s eat first. The food¡¯s just been heated up. I¡¯ve waited on you for quite a while.¡±

    Xi Xiaye put the bouquet onto the table beside and walked over to the dining table. ¡°Right, Ah Shi called me earlier.¡±

    He wiped his hands and sat across her as he asked calmly, ¡°What did she say?¡±

    She and Ah Mo had not returned with any news for a long time. Earlier, he heard that Ah Mo seemed to have found something, yet after a few days, they returned empty-handed. Mu Yuchen could guess that things were not as simple as they thought.

    ¡°She said something weird. She said that she received the pen.

 Chapter 775 - Want To Share Your Burden (2)

    <h4>Chapter 775: Want To Share Your Burden (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen paused to look up at Xi Xiaye and his gaze darkened. In a brief moment, he calmed down again and took the bowl before Xi Xiaye to get her some soup. ¡°The pen that was up for bidding?¡±

    She nodded gently and quickly got up to walk to the living room. Taking her phone from the coffee table, she found the picture that Mu Lingshi sent her. Then, she walked to his side and showed him her phone. ¡°It¡¯s this one. It should be that pen. That¡¯s why I found it a little odd. Didn¡¯t you say that Gu Lingsha got the pen through the auction? Could this pen have been sent over to Ah Shi by Gu Lingsha. There¡¯s one more thing; they sent it straight to France.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked quietly at the image of the pen, and then tossed the phone onto the table. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since the auction before the thing reached her...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not continue what he was saying, and just silently smiled coldly.

    When Xi Xiaye saw his response, she did not say anything either.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    The husband and wife sat down across each other once again.

    ¡°Try this. I called Mother to teach me. Try it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye put a slice of fish into his bowl, her starry eyes flickering as she looked at him in anticipation.

    ¡°It looks pretty good. Are you nning on bing a good wife and loving mother now?¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled, he was not stingy with his praises. Her pink lips curled up slightly, and her brows went up too. ¡°I have been a good wife. You just haven¡¯t let me properly show my skills off.¡±

    He chuckled without a word, and elegantly ate the food she served him.

    ¡°How¡¯s it?¡± she asked eagerly.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not bad. Have some too. I see that other people be chubbier after confinement, but why do you seem skinnier? I wish I could be tonic food and feed you every day like this.¡±

    He spooned some dishes for her too.

    ¡°Have I? I find that I¡¯ve been able to eat quite a bit recently. You don¡¯t even eat as much as me, and I¡¯ve been worried that I won¡¯t be able to recover my figure.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it won¡¯t recover. You¡¯re not a woman waiting to be married anyway. What are you worried about? At most, I can be your human Simmons mattress.¡±

    He nced at her meaningfully, and studied her loose blouse. The rxed cor could not hide her exquisite and beautiful corbones, making him sigh to himself.

    He had really been counting down the days. At first, when they united in marriage, it had been more than a month before he touched her, yet he did not quite feel anything. He had no desire and had a strong restraint, but ever since they did it, his self-control was bing weaker and weaker...

    Then, he remembered that this little woman still wanted to give birth to a second little demon. He recalled that time when she was pregnant for 9 months.

    He just...

    A human Simmons?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. After that, she realized what he meant, so she rolled her eyes at him. ¡°If I really be that huge monster, then I¡¯ll just be inseparable from you. Let people know I¡¯m your wife since you¡¯re the one who¡¯s embarassed.¡±

    When he heard her reply, Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows peaked. He stuffed the food in his chopsticks into her mouth and smiled to say, ¡°That¡¯s a pretty wicked move. I should praise your self-awareness for having heightened. However, don¡¯t worry. No matter what you turn into, I, Mr. Mu, will definitely be willing to bring you along, mmm?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled calmly. ¡°If I be a white-haire, fat, olddy, would you still be willing to bring me along?¡±

    ¡°No matter what you turn into, you¡¯ll always look the way we first met to me. In fact, how do you know I won¡¯t be a rotten old man when the timees?¡±

    He seemed like he was imagining some of their future. Every time he spoke about it with her, the smile on his handsome face would always be very gentle and filled with warmth.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯d be a rotten old man. You¡¯d only be even more profound and sophisticated with the flow of time. When that happens, more women will flock to yo. Meanwhile, I¡¯d then really be a fallen flower.¡±

    As she said this, she looked pitifully at him, and her calm voice sounded slightly mncholic.

    It was rare seeing her acting like a little woman. Mu Yuchen suddenly felt delighted by this. He could not help but lift a hand to knock on her head gently. ¡°Mr. Mu has long been hung to death on this tree of yours, worrying about personal gains and losses.¡±

    ¡°Worrying about personal gains and losses means I care about you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously justified herself, but she quickly stopped and cleared her throat. Then, she quietly lowered her head to continue drinking her soup.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s silent gaze suddenly brightened up like star light as he smiled quietly and stared at her quietly for a long while. After that, he sighed a little and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll always be like this until the day we both grow old.¡±

    The rest of his life belonged to her.

    ...

    The meal ended very quickly, and the maids came to put away the cutlery. Then, the husband and wife went upstairs. After Xi Xiaye showered, she prepared the bath water for Mu Yuchen too. Mu Yuchen wanted to go in with his clothes when unexpectedly, the loud sound of wailing came from the baby¡¯s room.

    ¡°He¡¯s awake?¡±

    Xi Xiaye, who was tidying up the clothes in the wardrobe, quickly put aside the clothes and rushed to the baby room. Mu Yuchen followed after her too.

    Indeed, in the cradle, little Zicheng was crying loudly. Xi Xiaye quickly carried him up carefully and gently patted him, yet the little guy¡¯s cries did not calm down. After a while, Mu Yuchen handed a warm milk bottle over. The little guy¡¯s head turned left and right as he kept crying.

    Xi Xiaye frowned as if she realized something. She quickly put the little guy onto the couch.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call for Aunt Lin.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was experienced. As long as it was a hygiene problem, he would just toss it to Aunt Lin and the rest.

    ¡°Aunt Lin and the rest went home already since it¡¯s the end of the month. Let me do it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was frowning at this moment. Even though she usually watched Aunt Lin changed his diapers, she had not done it many times, so naturally she was not very nimble with it.

    ¡°Never mind. Allow me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen. who had been frowning behind suddenly spoke up. Without waiting for Xi Xiaye to react, he already volunteered himself and walked to the wardrobe to take a diaper out as he nned to show off his skills.

    He was the little demon¡¯s father, and it was just a matter of changing diapers!

    It should take minutes!

    Of course, Xiao Zicheng continued to cry non-stop, but seeing he was so eager, Xi Xiaye behaved and moved to the side as she watched him in amusement.

    Mu Yuchen consoled the little baby like he knew what he was doing as he slid the baby¡¯s pants off and opened the diaper, then...

 Chapter 776 - Want To Share Your Burden (3)

    <h4>Chapter 776: Want To Share Your Burden (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye held her breath as she helped to change the baby¡¯s dirty diaper. She was holding in herughter when she saw her man trying his best to wash the baby¡¯s butt, but at the same time, she felt a little bad for him.

    Miraculously, as if their son knew his father was trying hard, he stopped crying and was very cooperative during the process of diaper changing. Afterward, the baby made some sound like he was trying to speak. His eyes were staring right at his father.

    Mu Yuchen endured his urge to vomit and was finally done cleaning up the baby¡¯s mess. He quickly stopped Xi Xiaye just as she was about to throw away the soiled diaper.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move and hold him. I¡¯ll handle this!¡±

    While he could not stand the smell himself, he would not want to let her touch it at all.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish her sentence, he had already finished cleaning up everything and threw them into the trash can outside. She then saw him rushing into the toilet to throw up.

    It was really tough for someone with an obsession with cleanliness!

    Xi Xiaye had conflicted feelings when she looked at him. She then turned back to look at her baby who was swinging his fists around with a smile on his face.

    Xi Xiaye gently held him and smiled. ¡°Baby, you really gave your father a lot of trouble.¡±

    Of course, the baby had no idea what she said. He clenched his fists and swung them around carelessly. Xi Xiaye held his hands as she walked into the bedroom. She also had a feeding bottle in his mouth.

    Mu Yuchen took a long time in the bath that night. He only came out of the bathroom half an hourter. By then, the little guy had his stomach filled and was asleep again.

    ¡°Have Aunt Lin and the others to take the shift next time.¡±

    He thought about what had happened just now, and...

    ¡°Actually, I can do it myself. Now, you know it¡¯s tough being a parent, huh?¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave him a teasing nce. ¡°By the way, you mentioned that something happened to Su Chen. What was it?¡±

    ¡°Su Chen got married. Do you want to know who the woman is?¡± Mu Yuchen shot Xi Xiaye a mysterious nce as he lowered his voice.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. She remembered Su Chen had always been single. Her man had even left two empty houses near Maple Residence for Su Chen and Zhou Zimo as their marriage gift. This was a piece of very sudden news that took Xi Xiaye by surprise.

    ¡°Who is it? Do I know her?¡±

    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s Ji Zitong. Just like us, they went to get their certificate done first. He¡¯ll be visiting her parents tomorrow, and he asked Zhou Zimo over to learn a thing or two about how to get on his inws¡¯ good side.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was shocked and opened her eyes wide when she heard the news from Mu Yuchen. ¡°Zitong? How is that possible!¡±

    ¡°Why not? Ji Zitong left a special impression on Su Chen a very long time ago. Maybe it¡¯s fate. Simr to us, I¡¯m kind of looking forward to seeing what kind of life they¡¯ll lead, especially Su Chen. He¡¯s a dominant guy, but Ji Zitong doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯llpromise.¡±

    ...

    Last night, when Mu Yuchen was about to head home right away, Zhou Zimo had called him over to Su Chen¡¯s ce. Only then did he find out that Su Chen and Ji Zitong had gotten married. Zhou Zimo then asked his secretary and Su Chen¡¯s assistant to quickly prepare gifts.

    It was his first time officially visiting the Ji family. As their son-inw, Su Chen only brought his assistant over.

    The car was parked beside a streemp near the Ji family¡¯s house which was where he parked the other day.

    He was wearing a casual suit instead of his usual uniform. With a strong body and a handsome face, he did not seem as rigid as he was during work. Instead, he seemed more mature and elegant today.

    ¡°Chief Su, is this the ce?¡± asked Assistant He who looked at the house in front of them.

    Su Chen got out of the car after parking it, and Assistant He quickly followed him.

    As he stepped onto the road, he saw a blue figure. It was Ji Zitong waiting by the roadside.

    Ji Zitong was dressed quite casually today in a pair of jeans plus a white t-shirt as well as a hand-knitted sweater. She tied her long, ck hair into a bun too.

    Her skinny figure was standing in the drizzle. She slowly walked over when she saw Su Chen.

    ¡°Why are you waiting down here? It¡¯s cold outside, and it¡¯s raining too.¡± Su Chen looked at her, his tone a little reprimanding

    ¡°Hello, Madam!¡± Assistant He came over and greeted her.

    Ji Zitong nodded. ¡°Hello!¡± She turned over to him. ¡°I just came out. I spoke to my parents briefly about it. They are both waiting for you at home now. Don¡¯t worry. My mother had a talk with my father, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Su Chen had a smirk on his face. ¡°Why? Are you worried that your father won¡¯t approve of me?¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want my parents to get too worked up. Their health is my concern. I¡¯m not sure if they can take this.¡± Ji Zitong nced at him.

    Su Chen smiled and casually put his hand into his pocket. He tossed the car keys to Assistant He before wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they went forward.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t met anyone I can¡¯t convince,¡± he said, giving her a mysterious smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I did some homeworkst night.¡±

    Ji Zitong did not say anything and just gave him an intrigued nce.

 Chapter 777 - Want To Share Your Burden (4)

    <h4>Chapter 777: Want To Share Your Burden (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It had been a long time since Su Chen had someone look at him with a sharp and pressing gaze like that.

    He removed his arm from Ji Zitong¡¯s shoulder as soon as they entered the house. When he saw Ji Zitong¡¯s parents sitting on the sofa, he greeted them humbly, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Su Chen. I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t visit earlier.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s father threw Su Chen a sharp gaze without saying anything while Chen Ling, her mother, gave him a smile. She patted Ji Zitong¡¯s father¡¯s hand when she noticed he was not responding. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Come here and sit down, Tongtong!¡±

    She signalled Ji Zitong with her eyes.

    Ji Zitong nodded and made a cup of tea for Su Chen.

    ¡°Come to the martial arts center with me!¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s father suddenly stood up and walked forward.

    ¡°Father!¡± Ji Zitong called out to her father before she nced over at Su Chen in worry.

    ¡°What are you doing? Just ignore him, Xiao Chen. He¡¯s always like this. All the guys at the martial arts center had to go through this before.¡± Chen Ling frowned at her husband.

    Su Chen then realized what was happening. He nced over at Ji Zitong as her father¡¯s voice reached them once again. ¡°I¡¯ll have to see if you¡¯re capable of protecting my daughter!¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s father was serious, and his aura was not inferior to Su Chen¡¯s.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mess around, Father. The fact that we¡¯re already married won¡¯t change even if he can¡¯t beat you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still in my house and you¡¯re defending him already? Su Chen,e over if you¡¯re a man!¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s father roared at them. Ji Zitong frowned and was about to say something back, but Su Chen stopped her as he whispered beside her ear, ¡°Do you want me to win, or your father?¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him as he casually followed behind her father.

    ...

    The bad weather fromst night continued all the way until the next morning. Except for the rain and the asional thunder, it was pretty quiet inside Maple Residence.

    Mu Yuchen did his best to let go of his woman to get up and prepare breakfast.

    His phone started ringing as soon as he finished making breakfast. It was a call from Qi Lei.

    Ten minutester, in the Maple Residence backyard garden, Qi Lei was standing behind the flowers as he leaned against the stone pir. He was smoking as he stared into the rain. There were a lot of cigarette butts in front of him, and he smelled like he had drunk a lot too.

    He also looked tired, wan and sallow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were out all night.¡± Mu Yuchen stopped by the railing as the drizzle continued to fall. They could feel it even though they were under the shelter, and Qi Lei¡¯s outfit was starting to get wet.

    ¡°It sure is tough to meet you.¡± Qi Lei threw away another cigarette butt as he red at Mu Yuchen, his tone cold.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mu Yuchen put his hands onto the cold railing before him as he asked since he could sense something odd from Qi Lei¡¯s tone.

    Qi Lei grinned as his eyes darkened. ¡°Mu Yuchen, I think I¡¯m impressed by your straightforward attitude. You have something that I don¡¯t.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as he tilted his head and looked at Qi Lei in surprise. He smiled and then looked away. ¡°I¡¯m honored. Speak your mind. I¡¯m not very fond of small talk.¡± He averted his gaze and continued looking at the rain outside.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and nodded. His eyes were fixed onto Mu Yuchen as he asked, ¡°Was there really nothing between you and Shasha in the past?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard the question. He turned around and looked at him as he threw him a sharp gaze. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Just answer me!¡± Qi Lei tone was firm.

    Mu Yuchen looked into Qi Lei¡¯s eyes and replied, ¡°We didn¡¯t. I know you¡¯re doubtful about that period of time, but I¡¯m going to tell you this. I left City B on the night I promised Gu Qiwu. The one staying with the Gu family had always been Lingtian instead of me. I also remember Qi Feng visiting the Gu family frequently at that time. I¡¯m curious. How could you not have known?¡±

    Why?

    Because he was trapped by Wang Qin and could not get out.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath as he put on a bitter smile. ¡°Shasha was pregnant when she left back then. However, the child was gone due to the ident. She told me to ask you when I questioned who the child¡¯s father was.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he squinted at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei spoke in a sorrowful tone, ¡°I knew she was pregnant then, but before I could find out who the father was, that child... If that child was yours...¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes turned icy all of a sudden. ¡°If it really was yours, then Shasha definitely has a legit reason to hate you, and it¡¯s an act of betrayal to Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes started to look empty. He just stood there quietly for a while as his face turned pale, and his expression was beginning to get uneasy.

    As Qi Lei observed what happened, he was shocked to see the usually calm Mu Yuchen react like this.

 Chapter 778 - Want To Share Your Burden (5)

    <h4>Chapter 778: Want To Share Your Burden (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The frigid rain went on as the strong breeze messed up their clothes. Qi Lei shuddered slightly because of the cold, yet his eyes never moved away from Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen stood there quietly as his mind reyed Qi Lei¡¯s words. At that moment, he could almost hear the sound of his own heart breaking. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

    The reason that he had been looking for all these years finally came to him.

    What else could he say?

    After some time, his expression returned to normal.

    ¡°Gu Lingsha told you it¡¯s my child?¡± Mu Yuchen asked calmly.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t. She told me to ask you, but I think I know the answer after seeing your reaction! Are you still telling me you don¡¯t have a past with her?¡± Qi Lei put on a sarcastic smile as his gaze towards Mu Yuchen turned unfriendly as well.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply. His eyes darkened as his expression turned aloof.

    ¡°Is it really such a difficult question to answer?¡± Qi Lei was getting impatient.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him, hesitating for a moment before asking coldly, ¡°So, you think it¡¯s mine?¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be? Lingtian¡¯s? Or Qi Feng¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°You should have asked her. Wouldn¡¯t she know who the father is?¡± Mu Yuchen took a deep breath, allowing the cold breeze to calm him down. His voice sounded hoarse as he spoke, ¡°There¡¯s no point finding out who the child¡¯s father is anymore since they¡¯re already dead. Just act like you never knew about this. It might be good for both of us.¡±

    ¡°Good? Escaping from reality isn¡¯t a good thing.¡±

    Mu Yuchen closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath. ¡°I¡¯m not escaping. There are some things better left unknown. You¡¯re here to meet me today because you don¡¯t fully trust Gu Lingsha, right?¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He seemed a little lost as he remained silent for a while. ¡°I just wanted to know what happened. Moreover, Xiaye is a great woman, and you should really be treating her well. I see myself in her and I hope that she can live a happy life.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression softened when he looked at Qi Lei. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I might be thinking about something else when you tell me that? I¡¯m not a very generous man.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem, but well, it might just be my admiration. All my hopes and dreams were crushed one after another. After that, I finally found something, and I hope I don¡¯t lose it as well.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s smile turned bitter as Gu Lingsha¡¯s beautiful face appeared in his mind along with the scene at her office the other day. His heart was wrenched in pain.

    ¡°It won¡¯t disappear. I¡¯ll tell you this since you really want to know. Xiaye is my only woman. I hope that you won¡¯t mention this to me again and just let it go. If the secret is exposed one day, then... That¡¯ll be it then. Maybe everyone will feel better that way,¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed sad, and his head felt a little heavy as he coughed slightly before looking outside.

    Qi Lei felt odd. Mu Yuchen started talking again when he was about to ask something, ¡°I hope this is it since you¡¯ve got an answer from me. There¡¯s nothing left to be traced, and you don¡¯t know anything about this. Can you do that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± asked Qi Lei upon noticing Mu Yuchen¡¯s unease.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason. Just take it as I owe you one. If there¡¯s anything you need me to do, I¡¯ll do whatever I can.¡±

    ¡°Haha, is Mu Yuchen actually begging me?¡± Qi Lei suddenly started chuckling though his eyes were filled withplicated emotions. He stared at Mu Yuchen for a while before leaving.

    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you this once. It¡¯s just that. You¡¯ll lose the love of your life if you lose this bet!¡±

    ¡°Never! She¡¯ll stay by my side forever,¡± Mu Yuchen gave a firm reply.

    Qi Lei stopped and said, ¡°Good luck then!¡±

    ...

    When Qi Lei arrived near the entrance, he saw Xi Xiaye standing beside the staircase with a ck umbre.

    She wore a light-colored casual outfit with a windbreaker on top whilst her beautiful long hair was left untied behind her back. She just stood there quietly while looking at him.

    Did she hear their conversation just now?

    Qi Lei clenched his fists and was angered by his own carelessness. Maybe he should have talked to Mu Yuchen about it somewhere else.

    ¡°Are you going back?¡± Xi Xiaye broke the silence first.

    He looked at her for a moment before nodding his head.

    ¡°Mr. Mu made breakfast. Come join us before going home,¡± she offered.

    He smiled as he gave her a grateful nce, but he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not hungry. How are you and your son? By the way, I¡¯ve forgotten your son¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re great. That little guy is called Mu Zicheng. Isn¡¯t it pleasing to the ears?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled proudly.

    ¡°Mu Zicheng?¡± Qi Lei nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good name indeed! Alright, I won¡¯t bother you guys anymore. See you soon!¡± He then walked down the staircase and went past her.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Qi Lei spun around to look at her when he heard her.

    Then, Xi Xiaye handed her umbre to him.

 Chapter 779 - Want To Share Your Burden (6)

    <h4>Chapter 779: Want To Share Your Burden (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Bring this umbre along. It¡¯s still raining.¡±

    She could tell that he probably walked over as his well-ironed suit was a little creased and there was ayer of moisture on it. From the way he looked, he had most likely gotten drunk for the whole night somewhere. Furthermore, when she walked over, she could vaguely smell the alcohol on him.

    Qi Lei was stunned. As he looked at the sudden umbre in front of him, he could not quite react immediately, so he stared dumbfoundedly at it for a long while.

    After a while, he smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pity me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not pitying you. I just wanted to tell you that if you want others to treat you well, you should treat yourself well first. Many times, headstrong unruliness will only hurt yourself.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could obviously see that imprint of a p still clear on his face, but she chose not to ask about it because once she did, it would not just be touching his sensitive heart, but perhaps it would also beat his ego down just like how she had been back then.

    Qi Lei fell silent for quite a while at Xi Xiaye¡¯s words, yet because he did not react, she already walked two steps up to him and handed him the umbre. ¡°There are many things and many people we can¡¯t change, but we can control ourselves. I believe that you¡¯re a good person. Mr. Mu has always believed that too.¡±

    He suddenly felt his heart soften for some reason although there was a sourness at the back of his throat. Blinking the hot tears that welled up in his eyes away, there were indescribable struggle and gloom in his dark eyes. Then, he lowered his head to look at her shyly. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯d be disappointed.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and shook her head as she said calmly, ¡°Whether I¡¯m disappointed or not isn¡¯t important. I¡¯m just hoping that you won¡¯t disappoint yourself. Also, your mother loves you too, so it¡¯s not like you have nothing at all.¡±

    ¡°She came to look for you?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t, but I can understand how she feels. I know about the South River Project. I trust that you won¡¯t let me down. If you still think we¡¯re friends, we¡¯ll be sure to do our best.¡±

    Xi Xiaye obviously knew about the South River Project matters. Shen Yue had been busy about it too, and once she assumed her position, this big project might be the next one she needed to focus on.

    Qi Lei did not say anything as his gaze at her glowed with a faint gentleness. Instead of responding to Xi Xiaye¡¯s statement, he asked, ¡°Did you hear my conversation with Mu Yuchen earlier?¡±

    ¡°I only heard thest few sentences,¡± Xi Xiaye answered honestly. She just saw Qi Lei¡¯s expression change slightly, so she suddenly smiled calmly again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel sorry. Even if I didn¡¯t hear it, he¡¯d tell me himself. He doesn¡¯t have many secrets with me.¡±

    Upon hearing that, the apology written on Qi Lei¡¯s expression faded slightly. He then took the umbre from her and said gloomily, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be disying your affection in front of me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s pale lips immediately curled up as sheughed gently. ¡°I just wanted to provoke you a little.¡±

    Then, she looked up at the hazy sky above the umbre. The drizzle continued to quietly pour, making one feel a bit gloomy. Of course, when a cool breeze blew, it suddenly refreshed oneself. She sighed gently again and said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t think about it too much now. Once this rain passes, a new day begins. It¡¯s just a small matter,¡± Xi Xiaye said, and then walked up the stairs.

    Qi Lei kept watching her. When he saw her turn at the corner and vanish, his grip on the umbre tightened. There were still traces of her warm temperature on the handle mixed with that unique fragrance of hers in the air. He suddenly felt like the anguish buried in his chest faded away slightly just like that.

    Finally, he did not say anything further as he turned and walked into the rain.

    ...

    Meanwhile, at this moment underneath the flower rack, Mu Yuchen maintained the position he assumed when Qi Lei left. He had more or less overheard Xi Xiaye and Qi Lei¡¯s conversation, so when he felt his little woman stop behind him, he wordlessly reached out to pull her into his arms. Xi Xiaye was practically engulfed in his arms tightly as his warmth wrapped her, instantly chasing away the chilliness she felt all over.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    When she felt the faint mncholy from him, she reached out to hold one of his hands and felt a coldness immediately being transferred from his palm.

    He nestled in her shoulders and asked in a low, raspy voice, ¡°How much did you hear?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows as she turned to look at him and softly said, ¡°Just thest few sentences.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± He clearly did not believe her as he looked to her.

    Xiaye then cleared her voice and her starry eyes twinkled as she said, ¡°I heard just a small part, but I roughly know what it¡¯s about.¡±

    ¡°What do you think or feel? Express yourself a little more.¡±

    He tightened his arms around her waist, so she was practically rolled into him, and she could see from his eyes that he was nervous.

    Xi Xiaye sighed softly. Her misty eyes looked out at the bleak and hazy rain as she let him hold her tightly. Calmly, she exined, ¡°What can I feel or express? If someone as indifferent as you really fancied her, you would¡¯ve married her. I no longer want to go after what happenedter on and the reason for all that. If you feel bad, you don¡¯t have to think too much about it either. However, I do hope that you¡¯ll understand that I want to share some of your burden.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never touched her, but I can guarantee that Lingtian...¡±

    He wanted to continue, yet Xi Xiaye had already covered his mouth to stop him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to continue. I more or else understand what you mean. I understand and know you... No matter what you n to do, I¡¯ll support you.¡±

    ¡°You trust me that much?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s dark eyes gradually brightened up as he stared at her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve said it before. I wouldn¡¯t lose out marrying you, and you won¡¯t let me lose out... I¡¯m still your child¡¯s mother. You can ept not asking me about my past, so I should be returning the same sentiment now.¡±

    His gaze was filled with candid sincerity. Obviously, it worked on him. The gloom on his face instantly disappeared as he hugged her tight and sighed. ¡°With a wife like you, what more would I want? Missus, it¡¯s not in vain that I...¡±

    After that, he did not continue further.

    Xi Xiaye waited for a very long time. She thought that she could hear his confession, yet unexpectedly he stopped, so she was anxious now. She quickly pulled at his shirt and shook him before asking, ¡°And then? What¡¯s not in vain?¡±

 Chapter 780 - Tsundere Mr. Mu

    <h4>Chapter 780: Tsundere Mr. Mu</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He looked down at her slightly blushing face which was the result of her anxiety, then cleared his throat delightedly without answering her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows clustered into a knot. She was not letting him off easily as she shook him harder. ¡°I¡¯m asking you! Not in vain that you what!?¡±

    He chuckled happily and leaned forward. With his eyes fixed on her, his handsome was gentle, and there was even a doting that could not be concealed in his eyes. ¡°Not in vain that I married you.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, how annoying!¡± Upon hearing that, she shot him a nce unhappily. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you make a proper confession, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. You¡¯ve given birth to a child now, so why are you still so caught up with these? Isn¡¯t it pretentious?¡± He was in betweenughter and tears as he looked at her, and then he could not help but reach out to pat her head.

    ¡°I wonder who it was earlier that swore in front of someone else that I was his only woman. Were you worried that I wouldn¡¯t know you were incorruptible and remained chaste?¡± When he finished, Xi Xiaye immediately reiterated the words she had heard earlier as an amused smile shed on her beautiful and elegant face while she watched him quietly.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face immediately blushed. He cleared his throat and started to look left and right as his handsome face tensed immensely as he said very seriously in a lowered voice, ¡°Who said that? Someone of such morality is definitely not me!¡±

    The way he spoke was as if his conversation with Qi Lei earlier had not happened.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re acting dumb!¡±

    He also shot her a look, and then let go of her.

    Alright, he would pretend he heard everything and knew nothing. He wondered how this would be used against him in the future.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that, she reached out to pull him and said softly, ¡°Okay, pretend I didn¡¯t say anything. I realize you¡¯re bing more and more <i>tsundere </i>. I know nothing about today¡¯s matter, but I will always be by your side, unmoving... Mmm!¡±

    Initially, she wanted to say a few more kinder things to make him happy, yet before she could finish, his cold and thin lips hade blocking hers. He pulled her up too, and all of his gentleness was delivered to her bit by bit through that one smooth move.

    Obviously, she epted it happily, and even closed her eyes to let him demand as he wished.

    He had already been squeezed dry and was weak in rationale. When he was done feeling a few minutes of her sweetness, he finally peeled away painfully. Amidst this crisis, he became upset once again.

    When were these days going to end?

    He could not hold back anymore!

    Nheless, Xi Xiaye just panted slightly and watched his sullen face in amusement as she fixed her messy blouse. ¡°Mr. Mu, why do I find that you¡¯re bing increasingly restless now?¡±

    ¡°How about you try being hungry for half a year?¡± He shot her a re unhappily as he fixed her clothes for her.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we the same? Mr. Mu, usually at such a time, men would be most inclined to make mistakes, You must be more alert, and cultivate your moral character,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°What a heartless woman!¡± he softly reprimanded, then hugged her before walking back to the winding corridor.

    Xi Xiaye put her hands into his windbreaker pockets as she said, ¡°Right, earlier, I caught up with Qi Lei, and I found that he¡¯s not been doing well recently.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I heard about that a little. In reality, it seems like he¡¯s never really had it going well for him,¡± answered Mu Yuchen after a pause.

    ¡°His face...¡± Xi Xiaye probed as she carefully nced at him.

    While Mu Yuchen remained calm as usual, there was a degree ofment in his deep voice. ¡°It was Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Xi Xiaye looked puzzled at him.

    His hand around her shoulders tightened. After a while, he answered, ¡°Apart from Qi Qiming, who else dares to do that? Qi Lei isn¡¯t easy. Given the fact that he could make it to today, I more or less admire him too. He¡¯s quite a strong man.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I think that there¡¯s more to him too. If he could¡¯ve been with you all earlier, you might¡¯ve ended up as good buddies,¡± Xi Xiayemented regretfully. She thought about it, then added, ¡°I hope that he¡¯ll have better days ahead.¡±

    ¡°Being buddies requires fate too. It¡¯s still a good thing being friends though he¡¯s different from Su Chen and Zimo. Although the three of us are buddies that grew up together and we know each other very well, Qi Lei¡¯s different.¡±

    When she heard that, Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s not talk about him anymore. Let him be. If there¡¯s anything we can help with, we will, especially since he¡¯s a pretty good person. Right, speaking of which, isn¡¯t Su Chen going to be visit his father and mother-inw today?¡±

    Right, he had almost forgotten about this!

    With Xi Xiaye¡¯s reminder, Mu Yuchen recalled this matter. He wondered how things were going. Initially, Zhou Zimo was going to apany him, but Su Chen strongly rejected. He wanted to go into battle single-handedly, and wondered if Ji Zitong¡¯s folks made things hard for him.

    He had heard before that Ji Zitong¡¯s old man was not an easy character to handle.

    Upon seeing the concern colored between Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows, Xi Xiaye began to worry a little too.

    ...

    The one sharing the same feelings as Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye was obviously Ji Zitong on the other end.

    Outside Father Ji¡¯s martial arts center, Ji Zitong was anxiously pacing back and forth while waiting. Her eyes filled with worry. From time to time she looked at the tightly shut front door

    They had already been inside for close to an hour now. Why were they not out yet?

    Ji Zitong was very clear about her father¡¯s skills, so she could not beat her father many times!

    Father Ji was a master at wrestling. He was nimble and vigorous in his movements. Despite having a solid foundation, Su Chen wondered how long had that fellow not trained? Whatever it was, in terms of physical strength, Ji Zitong felt that Su Chen would most likely be defeated by Father Ji.

    Ji Zitong secretly hoped that her father would not make things too difficult for Su Chen. After all, no matter what, Su Chen was already her husband in name.

    Just as Ji Zitong struggled with her worries, the tightly shut door suddenly opened, and she quickly looked over subconsciously.

    Su Chen walked out looking spirited as he flickered the dust on his clothes away and fixed his slightly messy sleeve. He still looked rxed and elegant as before. The well-ironed suit on him did not look creased at all!

    ¡°You... Are you okay? Where¡¯s my father?¡± Ji Zitong walked up to him!

 Chapter 781 - Too Mean!

    <h4>Chapter 781: Too Mean!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen turned to the voice source and saw Ji Zitong with a worried expression on her face. He put on a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a simple bout of sparring. Your father is still inside.¡± He then turned around and looked at the door.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s father covered an eye as he walked out while groaning.

    ¡°Father! What happened?¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s father took a deep breath as Ji Zitong touched his shoulder. He took her hand away and said, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me for now. It¡¯s painful... You there, you¡¯re really serious, huh? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I won¡¯t let my daughter marry you after being so rough with me?¡±

    While he sounded like he wasining, he seemed pretty satisfied.

    What an unexpected turn of events!

    Ji Zitong¡¯s father was a simple man. Through and through a martial arts maniac, it was very easy to deal with him. One just had to beat him down until he admitted defeat.

    ¡°Father-inw, you¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t admit defeat earlier. You said that you won¡¯t let Zitong marry me if I can¡¯t beat you, so I have to do it for my wife!¡± Su Chen smiled as he touched his nose, and at the same time, he was observing Ji Zitong¡¯s reaction.

    She just rolled her eyes at him, obviously unhappy about this.

    Su Chen felt defeated. What did he do wrong?

    He had only given her father a few punches and a bruise just above his left eye which would be fine in a few days...

    ¡°You¡¯ve really done it now!¡± She got annoyed at Su Chen after checking her father¡¯s injuries, yet her father stopped her.

    ¡°Alright, alright! Don¡¯t get angry now. It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s pretty good and he has the spirit of a warrior. Let¡¯s talk when we get back home. Your mother should be done with the cooking.¡±

    Ji Zitong calmed down and red at Su Chen, who cleared his throat and shot her an innocent nce, before just following behind her without saying a word.

    The martial arts center was not that far away from the Ji Residence. It was just a few streets away.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s father went to grab some ointment for his injuries while Su Chen and Ji Zitong went back first.

    They did not talk to each other on the way back as Su Chen just walked beside Ji Zitong silently.

    As they were arriving at the house, Ji Zitong suddenly stopped and red at Su Chen as she used bitterly, ¡°You¡¯re pretty rough despite my father¡¯s old age, huh?¡±

    Su Chen was stunned for a moment when he saw her angry expression. However, he soon grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I controlled myself and I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s fine. Aren¡¯t you worried that your father might beat me up? He hits pretty hard too. I know since I took several of his punches.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just trying to test you.¡± Ji Zitong avoided his question.

    ¡°Fine, I know you¡¯re unhappy about it. It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Ji Zitong nced at Su Chen. ¡°Whatever. At least, my father approves of you. Let¡¯s head back now.¡±

    ...

    Su Chen had an enjoyable lunch at the Ji Residence. Chen Ling was very warm towards him and made some small talk during the meal. Su Chen answered each and every question she asked, so she was very pleased with her new son-inw.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s father summoned Su Chen to the study room after lunch while Ji Zitong and her mother cleared up.

    Inside Ji Zitong¡¯s room, Ji Zitong sat down on the sofa as she stared at her mother who was packing her clothes for her.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be different once you get married. You should¡¯ve told us you¡¯re in a rtionship with Su Chen. Then, your father and I wouldn¡¯t have been so worried about you.¡±

    Chen Ling put a stack of folded clothes into Ji Zitong¡¯s suitcase, saying in a gentle voice, ¡°I think Su Chen is a sweet guy. He¡¯s quite an understanding person. After meeting his grandfather and sister some time ago, his family should be pretty easygoing.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t lived with his family before. How would you know?¡± Ji Zitong looked downwards and asked quietly.

    Chen Ling smiled. ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t know, huh? Observing someone¡¯s behavior can tell us something about how they were raised. However, I didn¡¯t expect it would be the Su family. They are one of the most prestigious families in our city. I hope you¡¯ll do fine with your new married life. No matter what, they are of high social status, but it seems like they don¡¯t really care about the differences between us.¡±

    Chen Ling was still a traditional woman after all. She did feel it was better to find someone of the same social status, especially ever since the Dong family humiliated Ji Zitong. Although no one ever mentioned this in front of Ji Zitong ever again, it did hurt her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tongtong. Su Chen seems a lot better than Dong Wentao. The Su family is a well-known family, unlike the Dong family. Plus, Su Chen seems to be very nice to you. Try to get along with his family, alright? You need to be more easygoing after bing someone¡¯s wife. Please think properly before you act. Be considerate of him as well whenever there¡¯s an argument, okay?¡±

    Chen Ling knew her daughter very well, hence her advice.

    Ji Zitong listened quietly and did not say anything. Her eyes turned cold the moment the Dong family was mentioned, but her expression soon returned to normal.

 Chapter 782 - Wedding Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 782: Wedding Night (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong¡¯s mother quickly packed Ji Zitong¡¯s luggage up ording to her needs. There were some clothes and items for daily use.

    Chen Ling went on and on, but when she noticed that Ji Zitong was not replying at all, she looked over and saw that the girl was sleeping on the sofa with a magazine covering her face. She frowned. ¡°Tongtong, are you listening to me?¡±

    Ji Zitong pushed the magazine away and huffed impatiently, ¡°Yes, yes, I know. You want me to treat Su Chen well and be gentler, right?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude? I¡¯m telling you that marrying someone is going to be a new experience for you. I don¡¯t care what you were thinking about before. Forget all that and focus on your new life with Su Chen.¡±

    Chen Ling had been waiting for the day Ji Zitong got married. Now, she just wished for her to live a happy life because she knew very well the kind of nd and aimless life she had gone through all these years. Dong Wentao might have been the cause of her torment!

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll treat him well. Why are you already siding with him when he hasn¡¯t even done anything for you?¡± Ji Zitong frowned in annoyance as she went over to her dressing table and added some stuff into the bag. ¡°I chose him of my own will, so don¡¯t worry about me as I¡¯m ready to start life anew. You don¡¯t have to mention the past anymore. I know what kind of life I want to lead. You can focus on your life with Father and stop worrying about me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re our only daughter. Who else will we worry about if not you? By the way, Su Chen mentioned the wedding ceremony just now. I¡¯ll talk to your father about it tonight. Although we¡¯re not really a rich family, we¡¯ve been saving up for your dowry. After all, they are a prestigious family and we can¡¯t embarrass our family, so leave that to us,¡± Chen Ling said.

    A wedding ceremony?

    Ji Zitong frowned when she heard those words.

    Su Chen never mentioned anything about it to her!

    She was not really looking forward to a wedding because it did not really matter to her. She felt that there was no point going through a sacred ritual when the two of them were not in love, so they might as well just leave it out.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the wedding next time. It¡¯s just a bunch of people feasting while everyone makes small talk all around. It¡¯s not particrly meaningful,¡± Ji Zitong replied.

    ¡°What? Your father and I only have one daughter, and everyone¡¯s been waiting for this! What¡¯s wrong with your family feeling proud of your marriage? What are you talking about? Moreover, Su Chen is the Su family¡¯s only son. With their social status, they¡¯d definitely want it to happen!¡± Chen Ling seemed to be in disagreement with Ji Zitong¡¯s views.

    Ji Zitong snorted. ¡°Mother, since when did your views be so traditional like Father¡¯s? I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll decide on the wedding. I¡¯m not interested in having it. Plus, things are getting busy at the flower store. I¡¯ve fulfilled your wish and gotten married, so just leave me be for now.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? I...¡±

    Thump¡ª

    Chen Ling sounded vexed. Just as she was about to say something else, someone knocked on the door, and they noticed Su Chen outside the door.

    ¡°Su Chen, are you done talking to Father?¡± said Chen Ling, forcing a smile.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve been done for quite a while now. Have you finished packing?¡± He nced over towards the dressing table where Ji Zitong stood up with a ck backpack in her hands. She put several books in and zipped it up. ¡°It¡¯s almost done. Let¡¯s head down.¡±

    She walked over and was about to pick up her luggage, but Su Chen was a step ahead of her and grabbed it first.

    It was already 4 p.m. when they stepped out of the Ji Residence. It was still drizzling and the sky was gray. Such weather could easily spoil one¡¯s mood.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s parents followed them to Su Chen¡¯s car. Since Assistant He left after delivering the gifts, Su Chen would be the one driving.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s parents watched as he put everything into his car. They seemed a little reluctant to part when they looked to Ji Zitong who had kept quiet all this while.

    ¡°Please take care of yourselves. Without your mother and I beside you, you have to take care of yourself too. Come back if you have the time. It¡¯s quiet with just your mother and me in the house,¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s father patted her shoulder as he said.

    Ji Zitong nodded quietly

    ¡°Su Chen, I¡¯m leaving Zitong in your hands. Please treat her well as she¡¯s our only child. Don¡¯t hurt her or I can¡¯t promise that I¡¯ll let you get away easily with this. Got it?¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s father gave Su Chen a stern reminder.

    Su Chen stood beside Ji Zitong and noticed she seemed a little lonely, so he held her hand and replied with a firm tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be sure to take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Tongtong can be pretty stubborn. Anyway, I¡¯ll leave her in your care, Su Chen.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I think she¡¯s fine.¡± Su Chen put on a smile as he gave his wife a meaningful nce, but she red back at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now and the weather is turning cold. You guys should head back. Give us a call if you need anything. Come back when you have time.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you two should go back home as well. Take care of yourself during the rainy season!¡± Su Chen was concerned about the old couple.

    ¡°Okay! Goodbye!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye!¡±

    Su Chen and Ji Zitong bowed to her parents before getting into the car.

 Chapter 783 - Wedding Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 783: Wedding Night (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky was getting darker as the rain became heavier. The whole city was shrouded in a thick mist and the streetmps that were equipped with light sensors were already switched on. Many cars on the road switched their headlights on as well.

    It was quite a distance between the Ji Residence and Su Chen¡¯s apartment, so it took some time for them to go past the city center.

    The two of them did not talk on the road as Su Chen focused on driving and kept looking ahead.

    After passing a traffic light, Su Chen finally turned over to the woman beside him. She had been quiet with her eyes closed this whole time, so he decided to break the silence.

    ¡°Miss them already?¡±

    Although she had hardly spoken when they parted with her parents earlier, he happened to catch a glimpse of destion in her eyes. He knew this woman had always suppressed her feelings, and would not express herself even if she cared.

    His sudden voice stunned Ji Zitong for a moment. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Then, she replied quietly, ¡°Not really. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re never seeing each other ever again.¡±

    She looked out of the window and noticed the sky had turned dark. The car passed by the za and she saw the needle on the clock showing that it was half-past five.

    Su Chen nced at her again before averting his gaze back to the road in front. He did not say anything else. Instead, Ji Zitong exined herself momentster, ¡°I¡¯m not a family-oriented person. I¡¯ve always wanted to go far, far away when I was younger. I wanted to leave this city and take a look outside, but then I became tired. That¡¯s why I¡¯m back here. My parents never left this ce, but of course, I do miss this ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very courageous of you as a woman.¡± Su Chen suddenly remembered their times in the training camp, she was always eager to win, a passionate and positive youngdy. However, she had be more mature over the years.

    ¡°I remember that you weren¡¯t even 20 when you joined the training camp, weren¡¯t you?¡± Su Chen asked.

    She searched through her distant memories and tried to recall. ¡°I was young and wild back then, and I did a lot of things on a whim, but I¡¯ve never regretted any of them. At least, I tried to fight for what I wanted. I didn¡¯t make this decision for anyone else but myself. Going into the training camp changed me a lot.¡±

    As her voice was filled with sadness, she pinched the space between her eyebrows and continued, ¡°Chairman Mu and you stayed there together as well, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Su Chenughed and nced at her, his voice bing gentle. ¡°That¡¯s different. We¡¯re guys and you¡¯re a woman. Our parents felt that guys need to be trained stronger. That¡¯s why our life path is full of challenges that have been prepared from the very beginning. However, it¡¯s different for girls. You get all the love and doting at home. It¡¯s nothing like what I get.¡±

    Ji Zitong was surprised. ¡°Does your family value girls more than boys?¡±

    ¡°Not really. Don¡¯t people nowadays have the mentality to put sons in terrible conditions and pamper daughters in their upbringing? That¡¯s what happened, I guess. My responsibility is different from Ah Chen and Zimo¡¯s. The experience that helped toughen me up would be military school and the times in the army.¡±

    The two of them were chatting casually, erasing the dead silence from before.

    ¡°I actually don¡¯t get the vibe of spoiled brats from rich families from you guys. Chairman Mu is a great person. I¡¯ve stayed by Director Xi¡¯s side for quite some time, and I was quite surprised to see their interaction with each other.¡±

    ¡°Have you been in City B these past few years? I tried to search for you after our unhappy encounter thest time.¡± Su Chen was annoyed about their encounter. He meant to look for her and give her an earful again, but he could not locate her back then.

    ¡°I went on a mission soon after the training, and I only stayed for two years. After I left, I wandered around in the cities up north and changed several jobs, but I didn¡¯t stay long in any of them. I only came back to City B as my mother had some health issues, so here I am now,¡± Ji Zitong gave a brief exnation. She was still unwilling to mention her unpleasant past memories.

    ¡°Continue working on your flower store from now on. If you¡¯re bored, you can ask my mother to teach you about running a business. Herpany is pretty great. I can¡¯t help and my sister doesn¡¯t want to work in herpany. If you help her, she might feel better with a family member close by her side.¡±

    The Su family was a typical political family. Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia¡¯s marriage was a typical marriage between two prestigious families since people back then were more concerned about social statusespared to now.

    Ji Zitong did not reply, and silence returned to the car once again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about my mother. Although she can weird at times, she¡¯s a kind and easygoing person. She¡¯s just a bit...¡± Su Chen frowned as he thought about his own mother, Xie Jiajia.

    Ji Zitong turned over and studied him when his sentence stopped halfway. He seemed to be hesitating. ¡°A bit what? Are you worried that I might not get along with her?¡±

    Su Chen shook his head. ¡°No, my mother has what people call a ¡®princess illness¡¯. My father always says she¡¯s quite immature for her age. You¡¯ll understand once you meet her.¡±

    Princess illness? Ji Zitong frowned at Su Chen in confusion.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen my grandfather. My father might look strict, but he¡¯s quite lenient at home, so you don¡¯t have to worry about him.¡± Su Chen gave her an overview of his family. Soon, the car arrived at his apartment.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Get down.¡±

    Su Chen parked in his garage and got out of the car.

 Chapter 784 - Wedding Night (3)

    <h4>Chapter 784: Wedding Night (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong had been to Su Chen¡¯s ce.

    However, his ce seemed different from thest time she was here. Therge house had changed into a new style. Now, it was a very refreshing American country design. Therge fish aquarium in the living room had been moved to the French window by the balcony.

    ¡°It was very rushed. I only had time to prepare some everyday items for you. The bathroom¡¯s in the bedroom. Take a shower. The weather¡¯s a little chilly. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll prepare dinner.¡± Su Chen set the things aside on the sofa as he took his coat off.

    ¡°Let me help.¡± Ji Zitong felt a little awkward as she looked around this strange space. She was not quite sure what she should be doing.

    Su Chen turned to look at her before focusing his gaze on the clock on the wall which showed that it was 6 p.m. He did not say anything as he silently walked towards the kitchen. Ji Zitong quietly followed him from behind.

    He did not usually eat at home, so his kitchen was very clean. She nced around and guessed that this kitchen probably had not been used for at least a week.

    He had just taken the ingredients out from the refrigerator when Mu Yuchen called. Already knowing what it was about, Su Chen answered it calmly.

    Indeed, at this moment in Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen was sitting on the lounge chair in his study room and leisurely looking out of his French windows at the dark night as he held his phone.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to leisurely brush past the tip of his brow as his voice that contained a smile came through. ¡°Did it go smoothly today?¡±

    Su Chen sliced the ingredients with one hand as he calmly answered, ¡°Duh! Have you ever seen me not handling things smoothly? I just think I was a little too heavy-handed. Hopefully, there won¡¯t be any bacsh.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I did a brief check. Your father-inw¡¯s a very open-minded person. Since you¡¯ve married his daughter, just treat her well. Xiaye reminded me earlier to tell you not to bully Ji Zitong.¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled.

    ¡°Only you know how to be good to your wife. If we¡¯re going to talk about doting on women, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll do worse than you. Alright, that¡¯s enough nagging. I¡¯m cooking. Let¡¯s find a day to drink and chat freely then. I¡¯m hanging up now!¡±

    Then, before Mu Yuchen could answer, he hung up and tossed the phone onto the table before he started getting busy again.

    On the other end, Mu Yuchen watched his dimmed phone screen, and raised his brows, feeling a little surprised.

    Had this punk actually hung on him like that?

    He barely said anything!

    This was quite a rare situation. Furthermore, he was cooking too!

    Mu Yuchen fell silent, and then when he looked out of the window again, a faint smile shed across his handsome face.

    This spring had arrived unhurriedly. Was Su Chen¡¯s spring probably in season too?

    ¡°What are you smiling about, looking all creepy?¡±

    Right at this moment, a clear voice suddenly appeared beside him. He turned toward the source of the voice in surprise and realized that his wife was standing beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. She was squinting at him with a fixed gaze.

    Heughed out softly and reached out his arms to her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful eyes let out a faint light before she walked over obediently.

    He held her hand and put his arm around her slender waist as he asked softly, ¡°How can you use that term to describe me? Where¡¯s our son? Sleeping again?¡±

    She stood quietly beside him and took a nce at his phone before she asked, ¡°I just gave him a bath earlier and coaxed him to sleep. Who were you on the call with?¡±

    ¡°Su Chen. He¡¯s probably cooking right now. It¡¯s rare to see him this eager. Usually, it¡¯s Zimo and I cooking when we go to his ce. Now that he has a wife, he knows how to take the initiative.¡± As he said this, he lowered his head to kiss the back of her hand.

    ¡°Well, it looks like him and Zitong... but this is a good thing too. Elder Su and the rest are mild-natured people. They¡¯ve been worried about Su Chen, but I do find it quite odd. How did the two of them get together just like that? Zitong was by my side every day just a while ago, and I didn¡¯t notice her interacting with Su Chen.¡±

    ¡°Will you only allow us to get married in the spur of a moment while others can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I¡¯m just really curious if something happened. Was it Su Chen who proposed to Zitong?¡±

    ¡°Who cares who asked first? The point is that they¡¯re together now!¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you let me just be a little nosy?¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a look with a trace of hidden bitterness.

    ¡°What good do I get out of that?¡± He raised his brows and gave her a faint smile.

    ¡°Of course, there are incentives, and I saw a Chen Xiang Buddhist bracelet. Is it for me?¡± She squinted and looked tteringly at him.

    Earlier, when she was tidying the drawer beside the bed, she found a gift box inside. When she opened it, she realized it was a Chen Xiang Buddhist bracelet that had a delightful fragrance, and she wondered if it was a gift for her.

    ¡°I bought it for myself.¡± Mu Yuchen scowled at her. He put it there for so long, but she only noticed it now. There was no surprise of receiving a gift at all.

    When Xi Xiaye saw this reaction of his, she immediately smiled and quickly kissed him on the lips. She asked excitedly, ¡°I knew it was for me. I¡¯m worried about what to give Mother for her birthday to express my feelings. Great! We¡¯ll just give her this.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen was stunned. He looked helplessly at her and said, ¡°Are you a pig?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not understand.

    ¡°That¡¯s my present to you for Valentine¡¯s. Now, besides not even realizing it, you want to give it to Mother? You¡¯re really getting better and better at doing kind gestures with little extra cost for yourself.¡± He pinched her at the waist unhappily.

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows justifiably, ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy that I¡¯m good to your mother?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to appreciate your husband¡¯s kindness at all.¡± He lifted a hand to gently knock her head and smiled. ¡°You and mother seem to be quite close, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, earlier, when you weren¡¯t around, she took really good care of me. Right, she even told me about you and Lingtian the other day. She said that back then, she and Father neglected you slightly because they pitied Lingtian and Lingshi. She even said that she feels like she didn¡¯t do enough for you. Have you ever med her for it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long. As the eldest brother, I¡¯m not that insensible.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, he seemed to hesitate a little. Earlier, she was good to Lingtian. However, after that, closer to his and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding date, she seemed to have called Lingtian to her study room quite a few times, and they eventually had a fallout.

    If Xi Xiaye did not mention that, he would not have recalled this.

    She knew that he would be unhappy when these matters were raised, so she very knowingly changed the topic.

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s talk about the South River project.¡±

 Chapter 785 - Wedding Night (4)

    <h4>Chapter 785: Wedding Night (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night was gettingte. As the storm incessantly assaulted the night, the cold wind ruffled the muslin curtains that hung down, making the outline of the shadows seem mottled too.

    Inside the spacious and cozy bedroom, Ji Zitong stood at the bedside and silently watched Su Chen who was busy by the cupboard. She did not know what to say because she was naturally not used to having to suddenly share a room with a man she was not quite familiar with, so she just stood there without moving.

    Su Chen had left the military for many years now, but there were some habits that had not changed since he had been with the troops such as the way he arranged his wardrobe. Ji Zitong could see that his wardrobe was neat and distinct. Even the entirerge bedroom was very clean and tidy too with not a thing misced.

    Su Chen put Ji Zitong¡¯s clothes away into the wardrobe. When the bag was down to her undergarments, he straightened up and said in a deep voice, ¡°The drawer inside is empty. Put it in yourself. Underneath the sink in the bathroom is all the new everyday necessities.¡±

    He had just finished when his phone that he set aside suddenly buzzed. He quickly picked it up, and based on the conversation, it sounded like matters at the bureau. After he hung up, he looked contemtively at her. ¡°Settle your things, then go take a bath and rest early. I still have some things to handle.¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded while he walked out of the bedroom in huge strides after he picked his phone up.

    As she listened to his footsteps gradually move further away, Ji Zitong sighed. Even with her calm personality, she was still slightly nervous in such a situation as she was not sure how best to face it. Nheless, it was a fortunate thing that this man was quite at ease, so he did not feel awkward.

    She looked at the closed door that had a small gap open. Then, she rolled her shoulders before walking over to swiftly pick up her luggage and put her garments into the drawer. In fact, she noticed that there were quite a number of women¡¯s clothes in the wardrobe with the tags still on, indicating that they were all new. There was even a pair of pajamas and a nightgown. She recalled what he said earlier-they seemed to have been prepared for her.

    Ji Zitong felt astonished. Nevertheless, she did not think too much about it, and just took her own pajamas she brought and walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

    Of course, when she walked out, therge bedroom was still empty. She frowned at therge andfortable bed, still feeling nervous and uneasy for some reason. Then, as she turned to look at the door for quite a while, she wondered if he would immediately want to do anything with her since it was their first night together. After all, he seemed like he was still a decent man.

    As she mulled over this, Ji Zitong still felt it was hard to ept immediately having to perform those kinds of duties, so she nned to just get away with it. When he got back, she would have fallen asleep, so he would not really do anything, would he?

    Ji Zitong was a mess inside. Inhaling a deep breath, she quickly tidied up, and without waiting for Su Chen, she pulled the nket aside andy on the bed.

    However, Ji Zitong was actually worrying too much. Su Chen had never had much interest in women. Before he could even try to do anything, he could still maintain his calmness, but this might not be true once he had had a taste of he

    He was a workaholic. Marrying Ji Zitong was a stop-gap measure. Obviously, he would not think too much, so when he was done with his list of work, it was already close to 1 a.m. He totally forgot that he had a woman that he had just married in his bedroom.

    When he returned to the bedroom and saw that the light was still on and the bump on the bed, he remembered what had transpired that day.

    He silently switched off the main light, and only left the dim light by the bathroom on before he gingerly looked for his pajamas and walked to the bedroom.

    When she heard the sound of water from the bathroom, Ji Zitong, who had always been a light sleeper, was awoken. She quietly slept on her side and was not sure how long had passed before she felt the nket beside her being pulled aside. The clean and lush smell of a man closed in on her, making her feel surprisingly nervous. A thinyer of sweat involuntarily gathered on her palms.

    Su Chen took the remote control and aimed it at the curtains which quickly lowered. The sound of storm was cut off outside. After that, he did not say anything. Ji Zitong was hesitating whether she should say something to him or not. s, before she could, she faintly heard the sound of steady breathing.

    ¡®A certain someone doesn¡¯t seem to feel uneasy at all,¡¯ she thought to herself. Was it just her who was thinking too much?

    Ji Zitong wondered for a long time in the darkness before she carefully turned to look beside her. Then, she realized that the man was also sleeping on his side with his back facing hers.

    She almost did not sleep the whole night. Sleep eventually imed her at dawn when she could not hold up any longer. When she woke up, Su Chen was no longer by her side. The space beside her was a little cold, so he should have gotten up quite early. Ji Zitong grabbed her phone to look at the screen through dazed eyes. It was almost 10 a.m.!

    She had woken up sote!

    She got up awkwardly as she cleaned up and walked to the living room. There was already breakfast on the dining table. It should have been ordered from outside. There were in porridge and some pastries.

    Ji Zitong thought about it for a moment before she sat down to quietly enjoy her breakfast. She felt that this was a decent arrangement, so they could avoid any awkwardness.

    ******

    It was a Sunday, so Xi Xinyi was still on a break. She woke up early in the morning while the mist still engulfed the house, and the air was hazy with a light drizzle.

    Xi Xinyi did not expect that Mu Yuchen woulde looking for her again.

    It was early in the morning, so she had not fully woken up when she heard someone knocking outside her door. Upon going out to look, she saw that it was Li Si waiting outside. Something must have happened on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end!

    She freshened up and went over with Li Si to a pavilion by theke at a park near her vi.

    When she went over, Mu Yuchen was already waiting by thekeside. He stood there looking aloof and extraordinary with both hands behind his back. His tall figure seemed quite bleak, yet she remembered this man¡¯s cruelty, so she could not help but feel afraid again.

    There were no conclusions about the incident with Xi Xiaye¡¯s premature delivery for a long time. She thought that he must be here to ask about it, but she really did not push her!

    ¡°This way! Master¡¯s been waiting!¡± Li Si urged her in a tone that was not courteous at all. He did not forget how this woman had previously plotted against their Missus!

    Stunned, Xi Xinyi did not dare to breathe too hard. She struggled a bit, and then finally walked forward silently.

    She carefully took more than ten steps forward, and finally stopped behind Mu Yuchen. Xi Xinyi silently looked up at the handsome figure of his back, her soft voice containing a hint of fear.

 Chapter 786 - Chess Piece (1)

    <h4>Chapter 786: Chess Piece (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Chairman Mu...¡± Xi Xinyi muttered.

    It had already been more than a month since that incident passed. During this time, she struggled to get ahold of herself. She had more or less also heard some of the things he had said to Xi Xiaye the other day too.

    After that, for a long time, Mu Yuchen did note looking for her, and this incident seemed to have settled down. Unexpectedly, he suddenly came looking for her now.

    ¡°I wonder what you need me for, Chairman Mu?¡±

    Even though Xi Xinyi was unhappy with Xi Xiaye, her resentment was stronger than her sadness. However, when it came to Mu Yuchen, she dared not be reckless. Perhaps, it was also because this man had always existed as an unapproachable leader, so she knew her ce much better in front of him.

    ¡°It¡¯s been over a month. I want to know what you¡¯ve reflected on.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice came through.

    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t push her. I¡¯m also a victim. Xi Xiaye... She also told me that she saw the car leaving then. I didn¡¯t do it! Don¡¯t use me!¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s dim eyes were filled with a hint of nervousness as she quickly defended herself.

    ¡°You know how it¡¯s like to be falsely used. Back then, Xiaye suffered so much more than what you¡¯re going through now. Don¡¯t you have the least bit of self-awareness at all?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was very deep, yet it contained a frigidity that made Xi Xinyi shudder.

    She snagged her red lips on her teeth before quietly lowering her head. ¡°I admit that I did her wrong in the past, but I¡¯ve paid the price. Right now, my family¡¯s in shambles, my husband has abandoned me, even my child has been stolen from me, my mother¡¯s crippled, and the Xi family¡¯s no longer around. Isn¡¯t such a bitter ending enough? Or do you two just want to push me off the edge?¡±

    ¡°Your life is worthless to me. You brought all of this onto yourself. Your sister has already pleaded for you. You must know that I didn¡¯t n to let you off back then, but for the sake of your sister and your father, I won¡¯t make things too hard for you.¡±

    ¡°Plead? Would she? Ha! I wouldn¡¯t thank her!¡± Xi Xinyi smiled bitterly. Even though she said it in a provoking tone, it no longer had the hostile threatening attitude.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t care about your attitude, but with me, I¡¯m not satisfied with your performance.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Xi Xinyi fixed her gaze on Mu Yuchen¡¯s back as if she was throwing daggers at him.

    ¡°You understand very well what your sister wants. She hopes that this incident will just end here, so everyone can keep the peace. I respect what she wants, so I won¡¯t continue investigating either. The other day, we unintentionally mentioned you. Obviously, Father hopes that all will return to peace, thus today, I¡¯vee looking for you to confirm something first,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly, yet Xi Xinyi already knew what he meant.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to continue. I admit that I¡¯ve lostpletely. As for Xi Xiaye, I have nothing else to say to her. Even though I wasn¡¯t the direct cause of the incident this time, I¡¯ll consider things even,¡± Xi Xinyi replied destely and bitterly. She looked like she had resigned to fate. What else could she do right now?

    She lost a love that she wanted to hold onto, and her son. All of the things she cared about have broken despite her persistence, and now she was alone like a walking corpse.

    She suddenly missed those times in the past. Back then, many people adored her and Han Yifeng tolerated and doted on her, but now, those were all gone. It was as if she had aged by the decade. She could not feel spirited at all. Even if the movies that were released in the theatres performed spectacrly at the box office, it did not give her the kind of happiness she expected to experience.

    Everything was ruined by her persistence. The twisted bitterness that she had buried deep down for more than 20 years turned her into the person she was right now.

    As she thought about it, she suddenly realized she did not know why she hated Xi Xiaye so much. After all, she had gotten Han Yifeng, and was already the winner, so why did she still have to trample on her?

    She thought about Han Yifeng and her son.

    Had her son probably learned how to sit by now?

    Xi Xinyi felt a sourness rise from her stomach. Her eyes could not help but redden as hot tears instantly fell. ¡°I admit that I went overboard and was wrong to her, but I never once regretted stealing Han Yifeng from her. She doesn¡¯t even love Han Yifeng all that much. I¡¯m the only one who loves him the most!¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen calmly turned around and watched her crying pitifully in such a sorry manner. He did not care how pathetic she appeared as he said indifferently, ¡°You should keep these words for Han Yifeng. Do you still want to see your son?¡±

    After Mu Yuchen said that, Xi Xinyi immediately looked up with her teary eyes and stared at him, stunned. ¡°Do you have a way to help me meet my son?¡±

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze calmly and looked at the surface of the ripplingke. ¡°I can help you fight for the chance to, but I must be sure that you¡¯ve turned over a new leaf.¡±

    ¡°If you could let me see my son, I¡¯d promise you anything. As long as you can make Han Yifeng return my son to me, there¡¯s nothing else I want. I¡¯ll do my best to repay you! You have a way, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m begging you, Brother-inw. I¡¯m begging you. Ask my sister to beg Han Yifeng. I know I¡¯m wrong. As long as my sones back to me, I¡¯ll do anything. I can¡¯t lose him...¡±

    Xi Xinyi reached out to grab Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeves. She practically kneeled as the suppressed pain in her finally rushed out like a broken dam.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Attacked by surprise, Mu Yuchen instantly frowned and waved her away in disgust. Xi Xinyi practically fell to the ground, but thankfully she managed to hold onto the railing beside her and steadied herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just too emotional, Chairman... Brother-inw, do you have a way?¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not care how bad she appeared. She lifted a hand to wipe away her tears and was filled with hope as she looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen wiped down his sleeves a few times as if it had been contaminated with something disgusting. His handsome face colored with anger while his dark eyes shed with gloominess, taking Xi Xinyi by surprise as she stood there trembling from the cold. She dared not anger him any more.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen finally calmed down and concluded coldly, ¡°I can help you fight for a chance, but I have one condition.¡±

    ¡°What condition? As long as I can do it, I will!¡±

    ¡°You should know who Gu Lingsha is, don¡¯t you?¡± Mu Yuchen tone was extremely indifferent.

    ¡°Gu Lingsha?¡± Xi Xinyi sniffled, wiping her tears as she muttered softly.

 Chapter 787 - Chess Piece (2)

    <h4>Chapter 787: Chess Piece (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha...

    They were not exactly close. That woman seemed prideful. Yue Hai had told her to befriend this woman, and she tried. Gu Lingsha seemed friendly on the surface, but she did not take Xi Xinyi seriously at all.

    After several attempts, Xi Xinyi gave up trying and would just greet her if she happened to see her in Qi Kai.

    However, why did Mu Yuchen bring this woman¡¯s name up now?

    Xi Xinyi had some questions. After some time, she sniffled as she looked at Mu Yuchen. ¡°I do see Manager Gu in Qi Kai sometimes, but we don¡¯t really talk that much. What do you mean by that?¡±

    Xi Xinyi wiped her tears away as she calmed down. At this point, she was willing to do anything in order to see her son and get him back.

    After all this time, only she would understand what kind of struggle she had to go through, especially after her conversation with Xi Xiaye. While she did not gain so much of an insight, she did feel a twist of regret.

    Without appreciation andpassion, she would be the one at a disadvantage in the end.

    She could not push all the me to anyone else since she was responsible for the state she was in today.

    ¡°I want you to stay near Gu Lingsha and keep an eye on her. Tell me immediately if anything happens.¡± Mu Yuchen was straightforward and told her his intentions. His voice was calm as he lightly rapped the cold railings lightly before him. The nking gave Xi Xinyi the creeps.

    She looked at Mu Yuchen in confusion. She was not sure what he meant, so she asked, ¡°Chairman Mu, please exin more!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her disinterestedly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re at least aware of thepetition between Glory World and Qi Kai.¡±

    ¡°So, you want me to be your spy?¡± Xi Xinyi caught onto the idea in just a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what role you¡¯re ying in Qi Kai since they¡¯ve spent so much money to get Yueying under their wing,¡± Mu Yuchen said. He then peered out at the mistyke. ¡°You¡¯re a smart person. Everyone surely thinks you and your sister hate each other after all that¡¯s happened, so you are...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a valuable chess piece. I understand what you mean, Chairman Mu. So, you want me to be a spy in Qi Kai and keep an eye on Gu Lingsha and the rest?¡± Xi Xinyi grinned as she looked at Mu Yuchen. A glimmer shed in her eyes. ¡°How are you so sure that I¡¯ll help you? You¡¯re the one that caused me most of my misfortunes, Yueying¡¯s downfall, and the destruction of the Xi family. Don¡¯t you think that I¡¯d hate you? Why should I be your spy willingly?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put on a wry smile. ¡°I can¡¯t control what you feel towards me. I can¡¯t be sure if you¡¯ll help me as well, but I know you¡¯re a smart person and you¡¯d know that you don¡¯t really have much of a choice. If I can provide you a solution, what kind of answer would you give me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze became sharp, and she was pressured by his nce alone to the point that she felt suffocated.

    She definitely needed a chance. No, she needed a solution. She could not afford to lose her child, on whom she had ced all her hopes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know who pushed you and framed you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was right on point, rendering Xi Xinyi speechless for a moment.

    ¡°You found out who it was?¡± She looked up in shock and stared at him intently.

    Mu Yuchen was expressionless as he gave Li Si a signal and quickly handed a document folder to her.

    ¡°The information in there will answer you. I¡¯ve told you what I wanted, and you¡¯ll be making the decision. I¡¯m sure you know what the correct answer is. Do you really think Qi Kai will treat you well? Your father still had an important ce in your sister¡¯s heart, so you¡¯re pretty lucky.¡±

    He turned around coldly and walked past her.¡±I¡¯ll give you some time to think about it. It¡¯ll be a huge gamble for you. I¡¯ll send Li Si to see you again.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu...¡±

    Mu Yuchen had already walked away when Xi Xinyi wanted to say something else. In just a moment, he had disappeared amid the misty rain.

    On the way back, Li Si observed his Master carefully from the rear-view mirror. He did not understand his Master¡¯s behavior. It seemed like he was going to give Xi Xinyi a chance. Was he expecting her and Missus to reconcile after what she had done?

    Xi Xinyi looked much worse than before. She seemed as if she was ten years older, her former bright and attractive image nowhere to be seen. Her experience in the past year had left a huge impact on her.

    If Master had these thoughts, how could he be so sure Xi Xinyi would help?

    Han Yifeng was still in San Francisco while the Han family still held considerable power here. They were not particrly concerned about Xi Xinyi anymore since their divorce was just a matter of time.

    A lot of questions shed past in Li Si¡¯s mind, and he finally asked¡ª

 Chapter 788 - Her Warmth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 788: Her Warmth (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master, why did you give Xi Xinyi a chance? I thought she had no more value,¡± Li Si asked quietly.

    Mu Yuchen pinched the ache that throbbed between his eyebrows. He was startled for a moment when he heard Li Si¡¯s question. He responded with a smirk, ¡°Why do you think I didn¡¯t eliminate Yueying and her together? Ah Mo found out that Xi Xinyi was in contact with Mr. Wen. I tested her before, and it seems like Mr. Wen acted as a tactician for her.¡±

    ¡°Master, what do you mean? Why is Xi Xinyi rted to Mr. Wen? Gu Qiwu?¡± Li Si could feel that something was not right. It was a dangerous territory to step into.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the person who blocked your Missus in the tunnel was the same Mr. Wen Xi Xinyi knew, but I¡¯m sure that that person and the one behind the ident in City Bst year was Gu Qiwu. He¡¯s been targeting me from the very beginning, and he dragged your Missus into this.¡±

    ¡°What does he want?¡± Li Si frowned.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm while his eyes looked cold. ¡°My gut feeling tells me that it¡¯s not just about me. Gu Qiwu is ying a grand game of chess, and I¡¯m probably just one of the pieces on his chessboard.¡± Mu Yuchen did not continue as he turned and looked outside the window.

    He did not tell Li Si that all of these probably started twenty years ago.

    Amidst the silence, his phone started ringing. It was a call from Ah Bao in City B.

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve gotten Gu Qiwu and Ms. Lingshi¡¯s DNA samples. I separated them into several packages before delivering them to a few well-known hospitals overseas anonymously. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get the results back very soon.¡± Ah Bao¡¯s voice reached him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was still strained as before, and the worries in his eyes deepened. Did he actually already have an idea?

    ¡°Alright, stay in City B and keep an eye on them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! By the way, Gu Qiwu left City B yesterday. He went to France.¡±

    France?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened as he replied, ¡°Just ignore him. Keep an eye on Doris.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Their conversation ended swiftly. Mu Yuchen locked his phone and thought to himself. Then, he said, ¡°Head over to the court ofw.¡±

    The court ofw?

    Li Si was startled. ¡°Master, are you meeting Chief Zhuang? Today is the weekend.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She should be there today.¡±

    Several days ago, Zhuang Shurong mentioned that she was going somewhere for external learning, so she would probably spend her weekend in the office catching up on work.

    An hourter, at the City Z XX court, inside the Deputy Chief¡¯s quiet and clean office, Zhuang Shurong was sitting before her table and working through some documents when her secretary came knocking on her door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Zhuang Shurong frowned as her train of thought was disrupted.

    ¡°Chief Zhuang, Chairman Mu of Glory World is here.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong raised her head when she heard her secretary. ¡°Ah Chen? Let him in!¡±

    Mu Yuchen rarely came to visit Zhuang Shurong. Their family was so low profile that not many people knew about the rtionship between Mu Yuchen and Zhuang Shurong, including her rtively new secretary.

    Zhuang Shurong put down her documents, she took off her sses as well before standing up. ¡°Why are you here? How¡¯s Xiaye and Xiao Cheng? I¡¯ve been busy and didn¡¯t have time to visit them.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong had her secretary prepare some tea as she looked at Mu Yuchen in concern. Her usual strict expression was now tinted with ayer of gentleness.

    ¡°They are fine. I¡¯ll bring them home next week. Can¡¯t you work from home during the weekend? Both you and Father are workaholics.¡± Although Mu Yuchen was concerned, his tone sounded distant.

    Zhuang Shurong felt a little hurt, but she still put on a smile. ¡°I had to go somewhere for a few days. Your father is busy with another project. Is there something that you need?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. I just wanted to find something out from you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded to the secretary that served him the tea before looking at Zhuang Shurong. ¡°Xiaye told me you mentioned something about Lingtian when he was still a child. I remembered something, so I wanted to talk to you about it.¡±

    Lingtian...

    Zhuang Shurong was visibly depressed when the name was mentioned. Mixed emotions rose in her eyes.

    She hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Ah Chen, what¡¯s there to talk about? We don¡¯t me you for what happened to Lingtian. You don¡¯t have to bear this burden. You did nothing wrong.¡±

    Mu Yuchen stayed silent for a moment while he sipped some tea. ¡°What do you think of Lingtian? I remember you were pretty close to him.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong felt guilty when she mentioned this. She looked at Mu Yuchen and sighed. ¡°Ah Tian... He¡¯s a smart child, but his personality is very much like your aunt¡¯s, quite indecisive. I know the two of you don¡¯t get along. You guys always have a conflict with each other although you two are siblings. I sided with him most of the time when there was a fight. Your father and I feel sorry for you. We¡¯re not good parents, but your aunt...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not here to talk about those. Father and you are great. There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. Lingtian¡¯s core values are fundamentally different from mine. I know he¡¯s been having some opinions about me, but I¡¯m not sure what I did wrong.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Ah Chen. Do you remember you brought a Tibetan Mastiff back from Grandmother¡¯s ce?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Of course. I won it from a bet with Grandpa. Lingtian and Lingshi liked it very much as well. It gave us a lot of happy memories together.

 Chapter 789 - Her Warmth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 789: Her Warmth (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Yes, Lingtian liked it very much. In fact, it even saved Lingtian before that summer at the rooftop of the office. Do you remember?¡±

    ¡°I do. Lingtian identally slid down the railing. It bit Lingtian¡¯s shirt and saved his life, but after that, it couldn¡¯t save itself, so it fell down and suffered severe injuries. I had to put him down myself.¡±

    This incident had always been a secret that Mu Yuchen never told anyone.

    ¡°Lingtian saw for himself all that you did. This was what I heard him say after that.¡±

    ¡°So? He hates me because of this?¡± Mu Yuchen sneered with his lips curled up as he looked to Zhuang Shurong. ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t put Xiao Wei down, he wouldn¡¯t have lived through the night. Instead of letting it suffer through that, what¡¯s so wrong about letting it leave sooner?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just what you think. You should know Xiao Wei is special to Lingtian. The misunderstanding between you and him began with that. Besides, you and Su Chen and Zimo are closer. Lingtian¡¯s a sensitive person.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s still my fault?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled calmly, yet you could feel a hint of loneliness from the smile. ¡°It¡¯s not just that, is it? I remember the time before when you were going through the wedding. There was some conflict between you and Lingtian. Was that because of me too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. Why are you still holding onto these things, Ah Chen?¡±

    ¡°I want to hear the truth.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep eyes flickered as if it were a hidden curtain revealing a sharp light. Zhuang Shurong was stunned to see his reaction. Then, she nodded. ¡°Okay, then. There¡¯s nothing wrong with talking about it.¡±

    ¡°You should know I¡¯ve always been against Gu Lingsha marrying you, so in the few days leading up to your wedding, I went to look for her. My intentions were clear. I wanted her to leave you. I know how you¡¯re like. You didn¡¯t choose topromise because you liked her. In fact, things were heated between Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng too. I can¡¯t let you be taken advantage of. Besides, I discovered something then whichpelled me to be sure of my thoughts. No matter what, I couldn¡¯t let Gu Lingsha marry into the Mu family.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was a frank person. In fact, she had the guts to do things and take ownership of them. As she spoke about this, she was quite frank and open about it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted and stared at Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°I already noticed back then that Lingtian liked Gu Lingsha. He was so deep into her. The reason we fought was this. Gu Lingsha was a time bomb. Forget about the motives the Gu family has. Just based on this alone, I couldn¡¯t let Gu Lingsha marry you. Do I want you two brothers to fall out because of this? You know me. I always like to n ahead, so I went to look for Gu Lingsha and told her to leave by herself. Our discussion didn¡¯t work out and I just spilled coffee on her.¡±

    ¡°After that, did Lingtian fight with you over this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t understand why Lingtian would be so hung up on Gu Lingsha. He didn¡¯t even spare falling out with me. I was angry then and even said that if he continued to foolishly protect an outsider, I¡¯d pretend I didn¡¯t have him as a son. His temper was a tough one. After that, he was reprimanded by your father. You know, back then when you said you wanted to stay in the military and hand Glory World over to Lingtian, your father disagreed. Because of this, there was friction between Lingtian and your father, and after that, the resentment grew deeper.¡±

    ¡°In the end, it was all because of Glory World and Gu Lingsha. I understand.¡± Mu Yuchen sighed and put the cup in his hand down. ¡°Back then, if I really had stayed in the army, many things wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    ¡°How can these things be your fault? How could your father and I bear to let you stay in the military your whole life? Glory World has always been yours, your grandfather¡¯s hard work included. I¡¯m not selfish. I also hoped to leave the best for you although I¡¯m not that great. All these years, I¡¯ve given enough care for Lingtian and his sister, but we just neglected you. Nevertheless, whatever belongs to you, I¡¯d still leave for you.¡±

    ¡°You know I don¡¯t care about those.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled calmly. Suddenly, he did not know what else to say. After some thought, he felt that there was nothing more to ask, so he got up to leave.

    It turned out that the so-called brotherhood between him and Lingtian had long changed. In fact, Lingtian had long fancied Gu Lingsha. If the child was really as he thought, then Lingtian would have had sufficient reason to do what he did.

    It was no wonder that back then when he let him stay at the Gu residence, he agreed dly. Then, when the whole thing was exposed, he ran off in a panic.

    <i>Lingtian, you really are my good brother!</i>

    Mu Yuchen stood on the staircase and watched the cars that came from across as he smiled coldly.

    The benevolence and righteousness between two brothers was something Mu Yuchen thought he could have held fast to. He regarded it as a solid belief in his life. Even if Mu Lingtian had not been benevolent, he could not be any less righteous.

    After he calmed down, he peered out at the gloomy drizzle. Finally, he did not think further about it, so he made two calls: one to Su Chen, and one to Zhou Zimo.

    ...

    She had not seen him for an entire day, and when she called, his phone was switched off.

    Xi Xiaye was restless the whole day. At night after she tucked her son into bed, it was already past 10 p.m. but Mu Yuchen had not returned. When she called Li Si, she knew that he was at the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.

    She hesitated, then finally sighed. Changing into a simple windbreaker, she went downstairs.

    Sis Wang had just tidied up the living room. When she saw Xi Xiaye rushing down the stairs with her phone in hand, she asked, ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Are you heading out, Missus?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit. Remember to watch over Xiao Cheng. I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡±

    Then, she walked downstairs to the living room, pulled the drawer open and rushed to get the car keys.

    ¡°Missus, do you need anything? Let me go. It¡¯s still raining outside. In fact, your body¡¯s just recovered, so it¡¯s not suitable for you to drive either,¡± Sis Wang said.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve asked the doctor and they said it¡¯s fine. He¡¯s not back yet although it¡¯s sote. I¡¯m a little worried,¡± Xi Xiaye said, and before Sis Wang could answer, her slender figure had vanished out of the door.

    ¡°Missus! Missus!¡±

    Sis Wang chased after her, yet the rain continued to pour steadily outside, so she could only stop at the entrance of the vi. After a while, she heard the sound of two honks, and then a strong beam of light pierced through the drizzle. The ck Porsche turned into a ck silhouette, driving into the misty rain.

 Chapter 790 - Her Warmth (3)

    <h4>Chapter 790: Her Warmth (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was dark outside, and the wind was bitterly cold. It rattled hard against the car window, and the sky shed with lightning from time to time. What came one after was the rumble of thunder.

    She had not driven for a long while, but Xi Xiaye¡¯s driving skills had not deteriorated. She drove steadily all the way through the swaying wind and rain, feeling faintly anxious. She could not help but speed up.

    He had been out of the ordinary recently, so she could not help but be worried. It must be because of those past incidents.

    She knew how that suppressed bitterness felt like. Sometimes, she wished he could just vent to her a bit. That would be much better than just pushing everything deep down.

    She was his wife, so she should be sharing his burden, but when it came to the past, she did not know how to relieve his burden. Now, she suddenly began to hate Mu Lingtian who she never knew, and Gu Lingsha, and Qi Feng...

    ...

    In the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club, when the three buddies walked out of the entertainment club, it was close to 11 p.m. The trio was a little tipsy, and they were not walking straight.

    ¡°Master!¡± Li Si walked up to them.

    Mu Yuchen cleared his throat and looked at Su Chen and Zhou Zimo who managed to stay clear-headed somehow. With a sigh, he let the cold and slightly humid wind meet him head-on. He felt much clearer-headed now. He pulled at the windbreaker on his shoulders as his deep voice said in a slightly raspy sound, ¡°Send them home. I¡¯ll get a cab home myself.¡±

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s still raining outside, and it¡¯ste too. Missus is worried at home. Earlier, she called to ask about you.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard him, he quickly put his hand into his pocket and then realized that he did not know where his phone was.

    ¡°Master, your phone¡¯s in the car all charged,¡± Li Si said as he handed the phone to him.

    However, before Li Si could finish, Mu Yuchen already reached out to take it and stuff it into his pocket, cutting him off. ¡°Mmm, send the two of them home first. I want to walk around alone.¡±

    Then, he walked onto the sidewalk. Engulfed by ayer of drizzle, his handsome and tall figure looked lonely.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Li Si, let him be alone for a while.¡±

    Su Chen stopped Li Si and exchanged a nce with Zhou Zimo. The two of their faces shed with helplessness and concern. They did not seem as drunk as before. Right now, they were extremely sober.

    Zhou Zimo watched as Mu Yuchen¡¯s lonely figure move further away. Suddenly, he asked Su Chen softly, ¡°How much did he drink tonight?¡±

    Su Chen raised his brows at him without answering.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged, and then continued contemtively, ¡°I know that he¡¯s been unhappy with some things on his end. The fact that he drank to his heart¡¯s content worries me. Right, I know you¡¯re a newlywed. Li Si, send Master Su home first. I¡¯ll follow him to watch out for him.¡±

    Then, he quietly followed after the man.

    Su Chen did not say anything. He just knocked his own head and stood quietly for a while before nodded to Li Si and getting into the car.

    Mu Yuchen walked underneath the streetlights unhurriedly. It was ate rainy night, so there were not many pedestrians on the streets. Apart from the passing cars on the street, it was just his long shadow underneath the streetlights as he strolled slowly.

    The rain was not too heavy, yet when one walked for a long while under it, their shoulders would still be soaked.

    Mu Yuchen did not know how long he had walked for. He just rearranged the interweaving thoughts in his head until all those messy emotions instantly cleared out. Then, he felt much more relieved.

    He did not waste much time since he was not the kind of person who would be cheerless and sad over the change of seasons. Gathering himself, he thought about getting a cab home, so he waited underneath the streetlights. Some time passed, and when he did not get any cab, he was thinking about getting his own chauffeur to pick him up when suddenly there was the sound of footsteps from behind him.

    The familiar and elegant fragrance closed in from behind him, stunning him. He suddenly realized that the cold wind that came head-on was less moist. When he suddenly spun around and indeed saw his little woman standing behind him, she was holding arge umbre. Her bright eyes were as clear as the stars on a rainy night while they watched him quietly.

    An absent-mindedness first rose in her eyes, and then her gaze became clear and bright. He calmly chuckled, his deep voice sounding sensitive and raspy. ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯s cold outside.¡± His tone held a hint of reproach.

    Xi Xiaye quietly watched him for a long while, and then said softly, ¡°It¡¯ste and you weren¡¯t home. I was worried, so I came out to look for you. Who would¡¯ve thought...? Mr. Mu, you look miserable right now. Oh, my heart hurts...¡±

    As she said this, she could not help but tear up. She did not tell him that she had been just driving behind him all the way, and all throughout the drive, her heart had been hurting too.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen paused, and then subconsciously looked at her. She realized that his windbreaker was soaked. His hair, his face, and everything else were dripping wet. Needless to say, he was freezing all over.

    He helplessly chuckled and wiped the bleak rain on his face away. He was thinking about exining, but moments after that, his indifferent lips curled up and smiled as he said, ¡°As miserable as I look, aren¡¯t I still your Mr. Mu?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly felt her heart wrench while a sourness rose at the back of her throat. The tears fell from her eyes, and instantly she became teary-eyed, yet she tried hard to force a smile as she looked at him.

    He watched her for quite a while with the help of the dim streetlights. Finally, he helplessly spread his arms.

    Xi Xiaye then lowered her gaze and without hesitation, he took two steps forward and threw herself into his embrace, burying herself in his chest. She could not help but say in a raspy voice, ¡°Mu Yuchen, I know you¡¯re sad, but in times like these, you have to remember that you still have me. No matter when, there¡¯s still a really silly woman who will love you deeply forever, and that person¡¯s me. So, I won¡¯t allow you to be sad.¡±

    His arms that wrapped around her tightened a bit more as his handsome face colored with tenderness while he smiled and touched her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s no big deal. Alright, don¡¯t cry now. You seem to really like crying these days.¡±

    He could feel the faint warmth of her tears soaking through his shirt and his chest.

    When she cried, his heart hurt too.

 Chapter 791 - Her Warmth (4)

    <h4>Chapter 791: Her Warmth (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing his deep and sensitive voice, her heart became increasingly soft and sad as it hurt.

    After struggling through ups and downs for close to 30 years, his appearance was like a ray of warmth sunlight, illuminating the bottom of her heart and allowing her to wake up from a long dream. Even if her heart was cold, she had long been moved by his doting.

    From meeting to getting to know and loving each other...

    He was like her. They were both people who did not express love easily, yet they would always show care and love.

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you... Your happiness and sadness have be mine too.¡± She shrunk herself in his embrace as she spoke in a hoarse voice. She wiped her tears away with the front of his blouse.

    Ever since she realized that she had fallen in love with him, she had be vulnerable. Regardless of the hardships she suffered in the past, they would not bring her to tears, yet now...

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was my fault. As long as I can make sure you have an easier time, I¡¯m willing to bear it all.¡± His deep yet raspy voice brushed past her ears as he lowered himself and hugged her tightly in his embrace. He carefully coaxed her, ¡°Let me take a look. Your eyes are red now...¡±

    The umbre in her hand fell to the ground as she reached out to circle her arms around his strong waist.

    Xi Xiaye sniffled, trying hard to hold back the tears that wanted to rush out. Mu Yuchen¡¯s blouse was wrinkled from the embrace. Finally, she gathered herself and looked up at him with teary eyes. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. I followed you along the route, but you didn¡¯t even realize.¡±

    He had always been very vignt. The fact that he would overlook this could only mean that he was absent-minded, so he was less vignt.

    ¡°What are you worried about? I was just walking alone to organize my thoughts. Your Mr. Mu¡¯s not such a weak and easily frustrated person.¡±

    His hand could not help but caress her head. His five fingersbed through her beautiful, long hair while she looked up. She silently watched him and saw that calm invisible waves were gathered in his deep eyes. Then, she just closed her eyes quietly, her intentions clear.

    Of course, the man would not disappoint her. His cool kiss fell urately, but it was just a very light peck before he moved away. Naturally, Xi Xiaye was not satisfied. She opened her starry eyes and used both hands to pull his head closer before she went on tiptoe.

    The little entangled shadow on the ground gradually grew longer all the way until it reached the tip of Zhou Zimo¡¯s toes.

    He silently watched the young couple that kissed in an embrace before him. A faint curve shed on his handsome face as he lifted a hand to brush his tall nose. He thought to himself that he was done here, so he quietly turned to leave.

    He could not imagine that such an extraordinary and distant man like him could be that gentle.

    Could love really change a person so thoroughly?

    Zhou Zimo still had doubts when Su Chen¡¯s steadfast and good-looking face shed in his mind.

    That fellow was quick too. Without a word, he suddenly brought a wife home.

    He thought about it and suddenly felt like he was missing something. Looking up gloomily at the night sky, he smacked his head.

    <i>Forget it. Don¡¯t think too much about it. It¡¯s time to go home and sleep!</i>

    Underneath the streetlights, the affectionate couple enjoyed each other for quite a while before separating. Xi Xiaye panted and inhaled a few times. She was practically hanging onto Mu Yuchen as she subconsciously looked around. When she saw that there was no one around, she felt relieved.

    Mu Yuchen took the windbreaker on his shoulders off and put it over her shoulders. As he held her by the shoulders, he picked the umbre up from the ground and said softly, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home. Good thing you came. Otherwise, your Mr. Mu would have really frozen through the night.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring your wallet?¡±

    Earlier, she saw that he wanted to get a cab, but when he rifled his pockets, it seemed like he wanted to make a call instead.

    ¡°My Missus is smart!¡± He was not stingy with his praises.

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly and gleefully held his arm. ¡°Of course! I¡¯m a goddess here to protect you. I¡¯ll also suddenly appear right when you need me.¡±

    He chuckled softly, and could not help but hold her tight around the shoulders. His tone was gentle. ¡°You are my goddess, but let me protect you.¡±

    ¡°Is that true? Mr. Mu, I suddenly realize that you¡¯re getting better and better at saying the right things to curry girls¡¯ favors.¡± She raised her brows and nced at him.

    He looked quite calm and squinted at her without objection. When he stopped, so did Xi Xiaye, yet before she could say anything, he suddenly bent over to carry her up. He said softly, ¡°Only you have this special privilege. Weren¡¯t youining earlier that I never say nice things to you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye cried out softly as she held onto his shoulders. She turned and nted a kiss on his cheek. ¡°I know...¡±

    He smiled happily, and from the time her first tear fell for him, he swore that he would spend the rest of his life treating her better, what more right now. Not only had she be his wife, but she had even given birth to a smart and cute son for him.

    On the way home, Xi Xiaye drove while Mu Yuchen sat in the front passenger seat. The music yer was belting out ssics from thest generation. Xi Xiaye faintly remembered that a very, very long time ago, they had been like this too. It was also this song that...

    As she thought about this, she suddenly slowed her car down and turned to look at him. Upon noticing her gaze, he returned a gentle smile to her too.

    ¡°I want to hear you sing,¡± she softly requested. She remembered that he was actually pretty talented at singing, but he rarely did so.

    When he heard her plea, his handsome brows raised, and something shed in his dark eyes as he began to show off his inherent profiteering nature again. He narrowed his gaze and smiled. ¡°What¡¯s my reward from the Missus if I sing?¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him and held the steering wheel steadily. She cleared her throat. ¡°Bring your face over here.¡±

    Mr. Mu obediently leaned his handsome face in, and as Xi Xiaye turned her head, she kissed his lips aggressively.

    Now, Master Mu¡¯s charming face felt heated. He cleared his throat and his flickering dark eyes watched her before he shyly turned to look out of the car window. His slender fingers rested on her lips where there was a faint temperature. The silver halo around his ring finger looked extraordinarily enchanting too.

    <i>¡°Even if there are thousands of songs in the days toe, as it floats in the distant journey, even with the thousands of stars in the days toe, it could not be more beautiful than this night; it could not wash my desires for the night away. Ah... because tonight you sing with me...¡±</i>

    Afterward, Xi Xiaye began to softly hum. The husband and wife¡¯s voicesbined in harmony. When the whole song finished, they felt like they had not had enough of it, so they continued to the next song.

 Chapter 792 - Living Together (1)

    <h4>Chapter 792: Living Together (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Li Si sent Su Chen to the entrance of his apartment as the rain kept pouring. <i>Qingming </i>wasing soon, and the air had turned very humid recently.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m fine here. You can go back.¡± Su Chen grabbed his windbreaker from Li Si and walked into his apartment.

    Li Si had an umbre in his hand. He was about to say something, but Su Chen had already walked far away, so he shrugged and returned to his car.

    Su Chen walked slowly, suddenly feeling an urge to smoke, so he quickly lit a stick up. He started smoking as he walked back to his own unit while the cold rain continued to fall.

    He finally arrived at his unit after a while. Then, he extinguished his cigarette and grabbed his keys in his pocket. However, he saw a skinny figure sitting on the staircase in front of his unit.

    Su Chen stopped as his mind instantly sobered up. He looked at the person as he cursed himself.

    Damn it!

    He totally forgot to give her a pair of keys to his apartment!

    Ji Zitong¡¯s body was cold and numb, and she had almost fallen asleep.

    She had probably waited for over two hours since her flower store closed at around 10 p.m. Her mother told her to go home earlier knowing that she had just gotten married, yet she could not enter the house as he was nowhere to be found. Because she called him and no one picked up, she could only wait outside for his return.

    Two hours went past and her body was freezing. As she curled up into a ball, she had no idea when Su Chen stood right before her.

    He stood beside Ji Zitong quietly and studied her from above. Momentster, he said, ¡°Get up. It¡¯s cold outside. Why didn¡¯t you wait at the guardhouse?¡±

    His sudden voice shocked Ji Zitong who looked up at Su Chen¡¯s handsome face. A light shed in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re back. Why are you sote?¡±

    She tried to get up from the cold floor, but her body was numb from curling up in the same position for such a long time that she almost fell over when she stood up.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Su Chen quickly grabbed her shoulder as he spoke.

    Ji Zitong struggled, but his long arm reached her and wrapped around her shoulders to help her stand properly. He also held her bags for her.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ji Zitong thanked him as she backed off slightly. She was still not used to such an intimate distance with him.

    Su Chen frowned when he saw her acting this way. Something was hidden deep in his eyes as he shuddered a little when he looked at her.

    She thought he would say something, but in the end, he did not. He let go of her after she could stand properly. Then, he walked up the staircase and opened the door to let Ji Zitong in.

    With a deep breath, she went in.

    Su Chen closed the door and switched on the heater. The temperature turned warm a momentter while the two of them changed their shoes.

    ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± Su Chen put his coat onto the hanger as he looked at Ji Zitong who was busy sorting out the stuff in her bags.

    ¡°I had some in the store. Have you had any?¡± Ji Zitong looked at him. She could smell the alcohol on him. Thinking that it was pointless to ask even though she wondered where he went, she then looked down and continued sorting out the stuff she bought.

    They were just some items for her daily use. Since she rushed to pack up beforeing over yesterday, she still needed some stuff, so she had gone to the supermarket beforeing home.

    Su Chen seemed to have read her mind. He then exined himself, ¡°I went to have a drink with Ah Chen and Zimo, but I forgot to call you. I¡¯m sorry. Have you waited long?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It was just a while,¡± Ji Zitong gave a brief reply. They were not really close before anyway, so she did not see the point of exining. Nevertheless, she also felt it might be necessary. After all, they were married and she had waited for quite a long time.

    ¡°Go and take a shower upstairs. I¡¯ll make supper for us, and I¡¯ll pass you the keyster as well.¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Go and shower now. I don¡¯t want a sick person staying in my house.¡±

    Su Chen interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. He grabbed her bags and put them aside before he pointed at the stairs, signaling her to take action immediately. He was really used to being an instructor.

    Ji Zitong frowned, apparently not very pleased with the man¡¯s attitude, but she still gave in as she felt cold all over.

    Su Chen unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up after she went upstairs. Then, he went into the kitchen.

    His head felt a little heavy after drinking all night, and because he was pretty hungry himself, he wanted to make some food.

    Although his cooking was iparable to Mu Yuchen¡¯s, it was not bad. The three of them always made meals themselves when they served in the army anyway.

    It waste and there was no time to make a proper meal. Therefore, Su Chen decided to make some simple chicken porridge. He was so quick that the meal was done when Ji Zitong came out from the shower.

 Chapter 793 - Living Together (2)

    <h4>Chapter 793: Living Together (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen grabbed two bowls before sitting down. He looked over when he heard the sound of footsteps.

    Ji Zitong had changed into clean pajamas and tied her loose hair into a simple bun. Her face was slightly pink as she had juste out from the shower. Her image differed a lot from her usual cold, distant self, making her quite a unique sight.

    Ji Zitong looked at Su Chen when she noticed he was staring at her. She did not really mind and just acted normally. He averted his gaze away and signaled her to sit in front of him.

    Ji Zitong sat down obediently.

    He put a bowl of soup in front of her. ¡°Have some ginger soup. It¡¯s great to prevent a cold.¡± He then started getting some porridge for her.

    Ginger soup?

    Ji Zitong frowned. She did not really like the taste of ginger, so she nced at the hot ginger soup before her, and then looked at Su Chen who had just made her dinner. She felt a slight warmth rise from deep inside her heart as she swiftly gulped it down.

    ¡°It¡¯ste and I can¡¯t really make anything fancy, so let¡¯s just have some porridge. Do you have any food that you don¡¯t like?¡± Su Chen passed her a bowl of porridge as he asked.

    Ji Zitong took it from him and replied, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not a picky eater.¡± She then slowly enjoyed her porridge.

    To her surprise, it was pretty tasty. She was reminded of dinnerst night. ¡°I was honored to have a meal prepared by Chairman Mu before at his ce. His cooking is really impressive. I didn¡¯t expect yours to be not too bad as well, Chief Su.¡±

    Su Chen looked at her and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Of course, the three of us are exceptional. Our women are surely blessed. The kitchen is a man¡¯s ce. Didn¡¯t you notice that all the head chefs are men? Women shouldn¡¯t be involved in this kind of work.¡±

    His pride as a man started to show again. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo did not really like to cook before, but after hanging out with Mu Yuchen, they started to get influenced, so they started to take responsibility of their housework.

    Ji Zitong chuckled. ¡°I suppose at least, you¡¯re better than those men.¡±

    Her mother was the one who handled all the cooking at home. She came from a typical family where the woman managed the housework and the man was the breadwinner, but Su Chen¡¯s words gave her a new perspective.

    They said that the people you mix with were a reflection of yourself. This was probably a valid example of that.

    Su Chen epted herpliment generously, and the two of them chatted about their lives back when they were serving in the army, as well as their hobbies. They were like a pair of friends who were reunited after many years with no awkwardness between them.

    After they finished their supper peacefully, Ji Zitong did the dishes as Su Chen checked his phone. He noticed that there were several missed calls, so he walked upstairs and started calling them back.

    Ji Zitong cleaned up and sorted out the stuff she bought. Su Chen was done showering when she went upstairs. However, he was talking on the phone with someone while he was on the bed. When he saw her lying down on the other side of the bed, he quickly ended the conversation.

    Ji Zitong was much calmer thanst night, but she was still not used to this feeling though she was firm that she was sure of her role now.

    She had always been a tough person after all. After experiencing some unease before, she was now starting to ept her reality.

    Su Chen¡¯s arm grabbed several keys from the bedside table along with some cards. He then handed them to Ji Zitong. ¡°These are the keys to our home, the card to the restaurant we went to before, a bank card, and the keys to the Su Residence. Keep them. The pin number to the bank card is 345678. Remember that. There are two cars in the garage and you can drive whichever you want. The keys are inside the drawer of the coffee table in the living room. The Land Rover was a gift from Ah Chen, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s suitable for a woman like you to drive it,¡± Su Chen exined to her.

    Ji Zitong was stunned to see the things he passed her. She sat up slightly and stared at them for a while. Then, she looked at him and was hesitant to take them.

    ¡°Keep it. You have the right to, and I won¡¯t ask much from you. I think you¡¯re great as Mrs. Su. If you have time to visit my grandfather, please do. They seem to like you a lot. I¡¯m pretty busy and need to go abroad frequently, so I rarely go back to visit.¡±

    Moreover, Su Chen did not want to go back since they would always urge him to get married soon, or the elder would lecture him in the study room. He was almost traumatized by all that. Hopefully, things would get better since he was married now.

    Ji Zitong was silent, only epting the things after a while.

    ¡°Take your time. My parents aren¡¯t here now. They¡¯ll only be back in a few days. I¡¯ll bring you home then. You¡¯ve met my grandfather and my sister. Oh, by the way, I¡¯ll call my sister tomorrow and ask her to pick some clothes that you¡¯d like. She¡¯ll visit you at the flower store directly,¡± Su Chen then informed her.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have enough clothes.¡± Ji Zitong kept the things and put them on the bedside table on her end.

    ¡°You do? You always wear the same outfits. My sister sells fashionable women¡¯s clothes. Just go take a look. You¡¯ll regret if you don¡¯t start dressing up now.¡± Su Chen knew this way too well because his mother alwaysined in front of his father.

    Ji Zitong did not say anything. Shey down once again after she put the things aside. Inside the small, cramped space, she could smell his wild and fresh scent the moment she closed her eyes, and she was getting nervous, really nervous.

 Chapter 794 - Living Together (3)

    <h4>Chapter 794: Living Together (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The rain continued to fall untilte at night, and the sky turned tranquil as the lights behind the curtain flickered.

    Ji Zitong was feeling really nervous. Su Chen dragged the nket a little towards himself. She turned and their feet touched each other. He frowned as he felt the icy cold sensation.

    Ji Zitong was startled for a moment as well. Before she could react, the man got closer, freaking her out as he embraced her. His big figure wrapped her uppletely.

    She took a deep breath and pushed him away. ¡°Don¡¯t do this. Give me some time!¡±

    Su Chen did not move away from her and still held her down tightly as if he had not heard what she said.

    She struggled as he pushed him, her voice starting to get angry. ¡°Su Chen! Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°Move if you don¡¯t want me to force myself upon you! I¡¯m not really a patient guy. You better get used to this quickly.¡± Su Chen¡¯s voice was firm while his arm around Ji Zitong¡¯s waist tightened. His wild and fresh scent filled the room, and his firm chest felt like a heating stove, instantly burning her into nothingness.

    ¡°You...¡±

    When Ji Zitong kicked him, he reacted quickly and locked her foot down with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re still the same as before, acting like a wild cat whenever you get angry, but I recently gave lessons to a lot of people like you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not under you, and I¡¯m not your subordinate! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± Ji Zitong struggled and struggled but to no avail.

    Su Chenughed and his voice was very gentle as he responded, ¡°We¡¯re married. You don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be a monk forever, do you?¡±

    ¡°Shameless!¡± Ji Zitong pinched his hand and scolded him.

    He backed off after he had teased her enough. Then, in an upright tone, he said, ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth right now, and it¡¯s a serious problem. I¡¯m not an upright gentleman. Of course, I¡¯m not a willful monk-in-training as well. I¡¯m just a normal man. Why else do you think I married you? I¡¯m not looking for a tonic rtionship. Do you understand me?¡±

    What a bastard!

    In the dark, Ji Zitong¡¯s face turned bright red. Although she was angry and frustrated, in the end, she ignored him and closed her eyes.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± he asked after she did not reply for quite a while.

    Ji Zitong remained silent,

    ¡°Ji Zitong, say something!¡± Su Chen grabbed her waist again, but she gave him another kick.

    Master Su took a deep breath and gave up when his woman stopped giving him attention. He closed his eyes, yet his arms never let go of his woman...

    The long rain continued. <i>Qing Ming </i>was just around the corner. Xi Xiaye rested at home for a very long time. Sometimes, she would visit the Shen residence and the Mu residence.

    She would visit the hospital for check-ups every week or two as well as drop by to see Ruan Heng.

    Ruan Heng was still unconscious. Su Nan went back to her previouspany and worked as a fashion designer. Since she was very experienced and had been working with the owner for a very long time, her benefits there were pretty decent.

    Ruan Heng¡¯s condition had stabilized, but there was no sign of him waking up. Mu Yuchen contacted the hospital and got some experienced specialists to take a look at him. Frustratingly, all of them said his waking up depended on his willpower. Su Nan would visit the hospital every day after she finished work to talk to Ruan Heng, wipe his body, and massage his limbs. She did not want his body to get stiff. Otherwise, there might be more issues when he woke up.

    Su Nan started to get used to her new life. Instead of being lost like before, she was much more positive now.

    On the sofa in Ruan Heng¡¯s room, Su Nan handed a ss of hot water to Xi Xiaye as she asked, ¡°How¡¯re you recovering? And about your job... Last time, when I went back to our school, I bumped into Aunty Shen. She said you¡¯re nning to take over your grandpa¡¯spany. Are you sure you can handle Fuhua Property Development?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the ss as she answered, ¡°I¡¯m doing very well now. I¡¯ll be working again in a few days. I¡¯ll head back to Glory World to handle some things. Mu Yuchen is busy learning more about Fu Hua from my grandpa, so I¡¯ll work on the seasonal statistics now before going to Fuhua. Mu Yuchen¡¯s been working a lot with Grandpa recently. I think it won¡¯t be very difficult with his help.¡±

    ¡°You are really lucky to have found a good husband, but you should still take care of yourself. You look even skinnier after you¡¯ve given birth.¡± Su Nan was concerned.

    Xi Xiaye smiled before she sipped some water. ¡°I¡¯m worried that I¡¯m not recovering. I¡¯ve been eating moretely.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to eat more. I was pretty anxious a while back and almost became anorexic. I vomited whatever I ate, but I only got better recently. Anyway, I have something to tell you. My mother told me that Xi Xinyi came to see Ruan Heng a few days ago. I think that it¡¯s pretty weird. I wanted to tell you about it before but I forgot. What do you think about this?¡± Su Nan suddenly remembered what her mother had told her several days ago.

    Xi Xinyi?

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she heard that name.

    Ever since their conversation in her roomst time, she had never seen her again. She remembered that Xi Xinyi insisted that she had not pushed her, then...

 Chapter 795 - Xiaye VS Gu Lingsha (1)

    <h4>Chapter 795: Xiaye VS Gu Lingsha (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Actually, I think that she¡¯s changed quite a lot, especially after Han Yifeng left with her son.¡±

    When Su Nan saw Xi Xiaye fall silent, she could not help but sigh softly. Then, her lips curled up into a sneer. ¡°But it¡¯s all because of her own actions that things are what they are today. Now, it should be a lesson for her.¡±

    She stayed quiet for a while, and then Xi Xiaye asked, ¡°Why did shee to see Ruan Heng?¡± Her gaze flickered from light to dark, and mixed emotions gathered in her heart.

    She wondered if Xi Xinyi heard those words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard my mother say that she just came as a friend, probably tough at me. Coincidentally, she came when I wasn¡¯t around, so she quickly left,¡± Su Nan said in disdain. She paused, then continued, ¡°You can ignore people like her. When I think about what happened the other time, I get angry again. It was her and Han Yifeng who brought disaster upon themselves. Why did they have to involve you? She¡¯s even asking you to talk to Han Yifeng to ask him to return her son to her. This woman¡¯s head is really experiencing a short-circuit. What¡¯s she thinking? How did she even think of that?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she could only helplessly smile and say calmly, ¡°She really overestimated me. Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about her. Let¡¯s talk about you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not seemfortable talking about Xi Xinyi. She waved her hand with waning interest instead.

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye left the hospital, it was close to noon. She came to do the checkup alone. Wang Hui brought the little fellow to the Mu residence, so she thought about it before deciding to go and take a look at the office, and at the same time, ask her man out for lunch.

    s, she could not have imagined that when she reached the hospital carpark, she was blocked by someone annoying!

    ¡°You?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked calmly at Gu Lingsha who was dressed in a lc spring dress. Her starry eyes red at her coldly. It was not hard to notice the hint of revolt on her face.

    Earlier, her man had been gloomy for a long while because of this woman¡¯s actions. Now that she bumped into her, Xi Xiaye obviously would not be happy.

    Why was this woman here?

    Xi Xiaye was currently vignt as she looked at her apathetically.

    Gu Lingsha still retained her noble and aloof stance while she looked imposingly at Xi Xiaye. Those beautiful blue eyes sized Xi Xiaye up and down judgingly. When she saw that Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression remained calm as always, her beautiful face rippled with a smile, and her cherry lips parted. ¡°Long time no see, Miss Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled at her with squinted eyes and nodded with gusto. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while, Miss Gu.¡±

    Previously, she was pregnant with her son. She had not measured up against her like this, but now things were different. She recalled that Mu Yuchen said this woman was not simple, and by the looks of it, she was clearly here waiting for her. Consequently, she could not show her weakness and had to level up her aura.

    Gu Lingsha noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold expression and caught the hostility that red up in her eyes. She smiled sweetly. ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to sit down and chat. I¡¯ve been wanting this opportunity for a very long while now. I wonder if I have the honor with you, Miss Xi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that when she was discharged from the hospital, this woman had put up this front with Mu Yuchen too. She was quite headstrong.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Xi Xiaye said, then leisurely took her car keys out and walked to her car.

    Half an hourter, at the Imperial Sky Hotel.

    ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯re here!¡±

    The lobby manager was obviously rather familiar with Xi Xiaye who had just stepped into the lobby when he came up to them.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently and said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s find a quiet ce to sit then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Director Xi, let¡¯s just go upstairs.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was quite familiar with the ce, so she just went straight upstairs. Gu Lingsha followed after her. With her outstandingly elegant appearance, it was hard for her not to attract many people¡¯s attention, especially since there were many people having lunch at this time.

    In the dining hall on the second floor, Xi Xiaye found a quiet corner to sit down in. Gu Lingsha sat down confidently across her before the waiter brought the menu over, and the two of them ordered their food.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head to take a sip of her lemonade while Gu Lingsha did not make a sound across her. She continued to look at her with that examining gaze. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye was quite calm and let her size her up.

    ¡°I¡¯m really surprised that someone that he fancies could be someone as ordinary as you.¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s calm voice rang out, yet those words made Xi Xiaye ufortable. Looking up at the woman across her, she realized that with Gu Lingsha¡¯s tall and elegant mannerisms of an aristocrat, there was that bit of contrastpared to her leisurely ways.

    Xi Xiaye silently looked at her, then smiled. Her tone was calm. ¡°Otherwise? Did you think that he would like a radiant woman from an aristocratic family like you, Miss Gu?¡±

    Stunned, Gu Lingsha smiled and her voice thinned out. ¡°I don¡¯t have any other intentions. It¡¯s just that back then...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not wait for Gu Lingsha to finish. She decided to pre-empt the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your past, Miss Gu. I just want to know what you want to talk to me about today. I agreed to meet because I wanted to tell you that with regard to all your unhappiness in the past, I don¡¯t want to interfere. You don¡¯t have to try getting anything from me either. I¡¯ve met many women like you.¡±

    When Gu Lingsha heard that, she was a little shocked by Xi Xiaye¡¯s frankness. The smile that rippled across her face became broader. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what happened six years ago? Also, about our past and about our marriage contract before this?¡±

    ¡°You and him? I don¡¯t think that there was anything between you and him. He told me that you and he barely knew each other. In fact, you¡¯re not even his type. As for the so-called past, since it¡¯s already in the past, what¡¯s the point of talking about it now?¡± Xi Xiaye answered her, unaffected.

    At this moment, the waiter brought the food over. Xi Xiaye did not even look at Gu Lingsha before she started to slice her own steak.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite calm about Lingtian¡¯s matter. All of you barely know much about it, yet you keep acting like victims. <i>Qingming </i>¡®sing soon. Why don¡¯t you go ask Mu Yuchen if he feels a sliver of guilt all these years? And Mu Lingshi, how her face was ruined? I¡¯m sure Mu Yuchen knows best.¡±

    Responding to Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold attitude, Gu Lingsha suddenly thought of Mu Yuchen who was also just as unfriendly, and her beautiful eyes turned hostile.

 Chapter 796 - Xiaye VS Gu Lingsha (2)

    <h4>Chapter 796: Xiaye VS Gu Lingsha (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When this issue was raised, Xi Xiaye became a little annoyed. She gave Gu Lingsha a lukewarm gaze and smiled to say, ¡°Yes, he knows best how these things happened, but no one would know better than you!¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, I think you¡¯re the one who keeps pretending to be a victim. He¡¯s willing to admit that he was wrong in the past, but don¡¯t you forget who was the reason behind it! If it weren¡¯t for you, Mu Lingtian wouldn¡¯t have been dragged into it too. As his fianc¨¨, not only did you not stay by his side, but you even had scandals with other men, and you still have the audacity to turn around and me him. How does your brain work? If this were the past, a woman like you would¡¯ve been drowned in a swine cage, don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye studied the egotistical woman in amusement, yet she felt a hint of sorrow and distress for the man.

    ¡°Qi Feng and I have never done anything wrong to him. Lingtian would know this very well, and so would Qi Lei. I have a clear conscience!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s gaze was cold while her lips curled up in hostility.

    ¡°Only you would know your own conscience! Back then, when you let Mu Lingtian help you two escape, you were already driving a wedge in their brotherly kinship. Miss Gu, don¡¯t think that he owes you anything. You were the one who was wrong first. Besides not self-reflecting, you¡¯re even pushing the me onto someone else. Forget about how you¡¯re recklessly self-indulgent, you even pretend to be a justified victim. I really do look down on you. In fact, I loathe you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes suddenly surfaced with a sharp light, and her tone was extremely stern and disapproving. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even havee looking for me today. I¡¯m not so foolish as to doubt him because of your few words. All the dumbest women in the world love doing the same thing as you¡¯re doing right now.¡±

    With Xi Xiayeshing out like this, a sliver of coldness shed in Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes, yet she had strong restraint. Facing the fuming Xi Xiaye, she could not help but feel a sh of disdain. She really did not understand what redeeming qualities this woman had.

    <i>Family background? Was she not an outdated daughter of the former mayor?</i>

    <i>Looks? Her delicate features could be deemed pretty if one forced oneself to admit so!</i>

    <i>Talent? She was probably just a woman who relied on others to climb to the top!</i>

    The reason Gu Lingsha hade to look for Xi Xiaye today was actually simple. Earlier, she had an unhappy encounter with Qi Lei, who was already beginning to distrust her, so she wanted to personally probe Xi Xiaye again because, in the days toe, she would be in more contact with this woman.

    With this probing, she could roughly figure out how Xi Xiaye was like.

    Gu Lingsha had some knowledge about psychology since she had settled into it for many years now. She felt like she could express her emotions as she wished, so when she faced Xi Xiaye¡¯s reprimanding, she could dismiss it with augh.

    ¡°Who you like has nothing to do with me, but I can¡¯t deny that since Qi Lei admires you so much, Miss Xi, I¡¯m sure you have outstanding qualities.¡± The smile on Gu Lingsha¡¯s pretty face seemed sly to Xi Xiaye, and her tone sounded oddly ear-piercing too.

    Nevertheless, Xi Xiaye was not stupid. How could she not understand what Gu Lingsha was implying?

    She thought about it and finally decided not to respond. Her face contained a distant coldness as she silently lowered her head and begun to elegantly eat the sliced beef on her te.

    Gu Lingsha could feel Xi Xiaye nonchnt¡¯s indifference. Her heart quietly sank for a bit while she thought about it. ¡°I had a marriage contract with Mu Yuchen since I was young, but we both didn¡¯t know about it. It was only brought up when we grew up. Qi Feng, Qi Lei, Lingtian, and I grew up together and even went to school together, so I¡¯m really close to them.

    ¡°When I first realized that I was Mu Yuchen¡¯s fianc¨¨, it was true that he and I had only met a few times. Every time I went to the Mu residence, he wasn¡¯t around, and after he returned from retiring from the military, our marriage was brought up again. To get it done, we agreed to try marriage out for three months,¡± Gu Lingsha narrated very calmly as her beautiful eyes shed with a faint light. While she seemed to recollect these memories, she looked a little dazed.

    Of course, Xi Xiaye knew about this since Mu Yuchen had asionally brought this up to her before, but afterward, only Lingtian had stayed behind. In fact, ording to that news that made the man upset before, it had most likely happened during this time. However, she did not know whether this woman knew about those secrets too.

    If the truth really was as such, Xi Xiaye thought to herself that perhaps it was best never to have known.

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye did not expose her, she continued to have her meal in a rxed manner.

    As Gu Lingsha said this, she paused to look at Xi Xiaye, and the two of them suddenly stopped talking. Xi Xiaye continued to eat unhurriedly while Gu Lingsha watched her with mixed emotions in her eyes, not bothering to eat.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye finally ate her fill. She took the napkin to wipe her mouth before saying, ¡°If you want to tell me about any memorable or special past between the two of you, then I advise you now that you¡¯re spending your time on the wrong things. No matter what happened, he married me in the end, and right now he¡¯s not only my husband, but he¡¯s also the father to my child. I¡¯m happy with this oue. All the so-called past isn¡¯t important to me. You¡¯re quite a scheming one. Did you underestimate my EQ or did you overestimate your own IQ?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye spoke, she squinted at her with waning interest, feeling bored.

    She wanted to give her some eye drops so that she should see how her Mr. Mu was so good to her right now. He practically wanted to fit her into his pocket so he could bring her everywhere.

    Who would not have a past?

    He had never been petty about those afflicted memories between her and Han Yifeng. Therefore, she would not be so silly as to be caught up with these things. If these were matters that could beughed off, why should they make it a barrier between them?

    This mindset was actually only something she slowly felt after she got together with him. As he enlightened her along the way, she suddenly realized that she could actually live life feeling more rxed.

    Without bothering with too much, many things could actually be simple.

    When Xi Xiaye finished, Gu Lingsha felt like she had been pped. Even Xi Xiaye did not know how she could be so harsh with her words before this woman, and it was quite a personal attack too. She surely had the potential to be a sharp-tongued b*tch.

    She decided that when she returned to the officeter, she would badmouth about this woman to Mr. Mu, say ruthless things about her, and make Mr. Mu hate this shameless woman even more!

 Chapter 797 - Xiaye VS Gu Lingsha (3)

    <h4>Chapter 797: Xiaye VS Gu Lingsha (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon seeing Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turn slightly rigid despite her trying hard to maintain her gentle and elegant mannerisms, Xi Xiaye only smiled indifferently as she said calmly, ¡°Miss Gu, you won¡¯t mind me being so frank, will you? I¡¯m worried that if I beat around the bush, you might not understand.¡±

    ¡°Alright, so we¡¯ve met and talked. I¡¯m done eating, so I¡¯ll make a move first.¡± Xi Xiaye tossed the napkin aside and got up apathetically. Her frail and slender figure very quickly left her seat, yet just as she took a step, she suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Gu Lingsha whose expression had darkened. Xi Xiaye¡¯s long and fair fingers waved her ck card as she smiled to say, ¡°Miss Gu, let¡¯s pay for ourselves. I¡¯ll pay by card. Remember to pay for your share. Imperial Sky doesn¡¯t operate on a credit system here.¡±

    Then, she smiled sweetly before abruptly turning to leave.

    ¡°You...¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression worsened further!

    Xi Xiaye clearly saw that she had forgotten her handbag. Gu Lingsha wanted to make her look bad!

    Not only were they not friends, but they might also even be enemies. Xi Xiaye would feel foolish for treating this tacky foe to a meal for nothing. Certainly, Mr. Mu¡¯s money was not meant to be wasted like that.

    When she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure vanish at the entrance, the light in Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes faded.

    <i>Xi Xiaye! Wonderful, we¡¯ll see how wide your wings can spread when the timees!</i>

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression sank as she balled her hands into fists. After a while, she waved for the waiter, asking him to follow her downstairs to get her handbag for the bill.

    ...

    In the office of Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman.

    Mu Yuchen sat on the lounge chair facing severalrge screens with a remote control in his hand. He was observing the looping news on the screen while his other hand grasped the cup of tea that had just been served. He sipped it from time to time.

    Suddenly, there was a knock from outside, and he answered calmly without looking, ¡°Come in!¡±

    Then, the door was pushed open gently to reveal a gap before Xi Xiaye walked in carefully. When she saw the man on the lounge chair, she slowed down and gently closed in.

    While Mu Yuchen was focused on watching the stock market on the screen in front of him, when the familiar fragrance seeped into his nostrils, he snapped back in an instant. He practically tossed away the remote control in the blink of an eye, circling his long arms around the woman¡¯s slender waist. His deep and gentle voice sounded particrly gentle in thisrge space. ¡°Why are you here? Have you had lunch?¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped, quietly standing by his side and sighing lightly as she took the tea from his hand. She finished it in a few sips before setting the cup aside. Then, she said in a slightly raspy voice, ¡°I came over to do a spot check. What¡¯s wrong? Am I not weed?¡±

    Then, her brows raised as she smiled faintly at him with narrowed eyes.

    He chuckled as his slender fingers slid down and urately held hers. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you be? I wish you coulde every single day. What a coincidence! There¡¯s a charity award banquet tonight, and they want me to be a guest to give an award. Would you be willing to be my date, Missus?¡±

    For such banquets, if Mu Yuchen had no way of rejecting them, he would go alone. Previously, when Xi Xiaye was more mobile, he could still be her date. When Xi Xiaye became less free, he would just go alone. No one had seen any other woman by his side apart from Xi Xiaye.

    She knew that very well, which was why she would never reject him as she dly nodded. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mu, for not turning your back on me.¡±

    He took a look at the teacup she set aside before he asked softly, ¡°I¡¯d turn my back on myself before I¡¯d ever do that to you. Do you want more?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head, her longshes flickering as she watched him for a moment. She suddenly bent down and went closer to his ears to say in a lowered voice, ¡°Guess who I met earlier?¡±

    ¡°You know so many people. How am I supposed to guess? What did the doctor say? Has your body recovered?¡± There was a faint concern in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s been two months. I¡¯m almost there now. I just have to rest for a while more before I can return to work. I¡¯m bored doing nothing at home all day. I feel like I¡¯ve be sluggish now. They say one pregnancy makes you three years dumber, so I have to get back to my old self,¡± she said as she caressed the ring on his finger, a little bored.

    He smiled and dotingly opened his hands to let her y with. ¡°As you wish. As long as you¡¯ve recovered, Grandpa and I have pretty much arranged it all. Recently, Grandpa¡¯s been busy with the South River project too. If we don¡¯t get this bid, we¡¯ll have to pivot and develop Movie City. It might not be a good thing for us to be in the limelight too much.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t get the bid? How would things be on Qi Kai¡¯s end then? Qi Lei put his all in for the South River project.¡± XI Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen puzzledly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that, but don¡¯t forget what Qi Kai did to build their riches. CEO Li has thought about scaling up Movie City. You know that Glory World doesn¡¯t have much experience in this field, and Chenye Movies and Television is still exploring our way forward.¡±

    ¡°What do you n on doing that? I¡¯m worried that...¡± Xi Xiaye was confused right now. In the final months of her pregnancy, apart from paying attention to the South River project and Fuhua¡¯s matters, she did not have the energy to care much about anything else.

    ¡°Grandpa came looking for me a few days ago. He said he has his own ns. Even after we get the bid, the price for thatnd won¡¯t be cheap. The risk is high. You now know that property development is in a slump. I advised Grandpa to diversify his developments. Working on the Movie City development, or building an entertainment center would be better than just another office or residential building.¡±

    Mu Yuchen roughly knew what Shen Yue was thinking about. A while back, he heard Li Si say that Shen Yue had asked Lang Zng to check on his past rtionship with Qi Qiming and the rest.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while, then she decided not to continue asking. ¡°Okay then. I won¡¯t interfere with this matter. However, I hope that you can all be nice to Qi Lei. It¡¯s tough for him. Everyone¡¯s treating him like a chess piece, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯d feel too happy about that.¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling sorry for him now?¡± Upon hearing her say that, he smiled faintly at her with squinted eyes.

    Xi Xiaye sighed and then smiled calmly before replying disappointedly, ¡°I just feel a little sad seeing that. I don¡¯t know why but seeing him like that makes me think of myself in the past. I went through helplessness and difficulties. Of course, I hope he won¡¯t go through the same things I did. He¡¯s a pretty decent person, and decent people should receive good karma.¡±

 Chapter 798 - Sudden Change! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 798: Sudden Change! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He had a grin on his face when he heard her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I might get jealous when you talk about him like that in front of me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye tightened her grip until she felt a slight pain in her fingers. She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°That¡¯s exactly my intention. The problem is will you be jealous? Ask me quickly who I met earlier? Hurry!¡±

    She wanted to give Gu Lingsha a lesson. She would never bow down to Gu Lingsha acting all high and mighty just because she was from a prestigious family. Mr. Mu was not a simple man like that.

    ¡°Who did you meet, my dear?¡± Mu Yuchen fulfilled her wish and finally asked her.

    A scowl tinted her expression. ¡°It¡¯s Gu Lingsha. She stopped me in the car park at the hospital just now.¡±

    The man¡¯s expression darkened. His eyes turned cold as his grip on her hand tightened. He remained silent for a moment, but his tone was calm as usual. ¡°What has she told you now?¡±

    ¡°Still the same things as before. She told me about the time you tried out your marriage to her, and that the <i>Qingming </i>festival ising soon...¡± She just looked at him quietly.

    Mu Yuchen put on a gentle smile. He spoke as if he was not concerned at all, ¡°That does sound like what that idiotic woman would do.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I have this feeling that she has something for you. When I mentioned Qi Feng, Lingtian, and Qi Lei, it felt like she¡¯s trying to avoid getting clumped together with them. My womanly instinct is telling me that she might have feelings for you, especially when ites to such a prideful woman like her. If you...mmm!¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, the man embraced her in his arms as his lips met hers. He stopped whatever she was about to say and went on the offensive as if he was trying to punish her. He let her go momentster as he looked into her eyes. ¡°My dear, please let me off this! The one she likes is Qi Feng. Aren¡¯t you afraid that my reputation will be damaged by you saying those things!?¡±

    She stared at him in surprise, not sure how to react.

    A light shed past in his eyes as he said helplessly, ¡°She told me personally that she likes Qi Feng. Plus, I told her then that she isn¡¯t my type.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that women don¡¯t always mean what they say?

    ¡°Are you talking about yourself?¡± He raised his eyebrows and looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged.

    ¡°Just ignore her the next time. I¡¯ll be facing misfortune again if she keeps telling you bad things about me!¡± Mu Yuchen lectured Xi Xiaye again. He took a pause before he continued, ¡°Gu Lingsha is an expert at psychological attacks. The smart Qi Lei would feel sorry for her too. I suppose you won¡¯t just believe whatever she said, will you? Just ask me if you have any questions. Don¡¯t keep your doubts to yourself. I¡¯m not worried about the tricks they might use. I¡¯m just worried about your trust in me. Do you understand?¡±

    His tone sounded heavy when he spoke. He studied her intently. ¡°I can only handle the world when I¡¯m in control of my inner world. This is a rule that can never be changed.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded her head and left a kiss on his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re always right!¡±

    His smile grew wider, and he gave her another hot, passionate kiss. He always knew that choosing her was the correct decision.

    In the evening, Li Si delivered Xi Xiaye¡¯s dresses over ording to Mu Yuchen¡¯s order. She put one of the dresses on and applied light makeup before heading to the banquet with Mu Yuchen.

    The award ceremony was held on arge ship. It was a big charity movie awards night which a lot of public figures were attending. Many other hugepanies participated as well, hence Mu Yuchen was attending it too.

    At the same time, inside the VIP room at a hotel nearby City Z¡¯s docks, a man was looking out at the dark sky while sitting on a chair. The room was quiet.

    He wore a ck casual outfit with a ck cap on his head along with a pair of dark sunsses, so it was difficult to tell who it was.

    ¡°Boss, Mu Yuchen and his woman left Glory World Corporation and are heading towards the venue of the banquet. Wang Qin and Qi Lei are there as well,¡± his subordinate reported quietly, afraid that he might disturb the man who seemed to be in deep thought.

    The man sitting on the chair straightened his back and switched into a morefortable position as he sped his two hands together. ¡°Oh? Xi Xiaye, huh?¡±

    The man in the ck suit behind him replied, ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye... Let¡¯s make some slight changes then. These people aren¡¯t idiots. We should at least give them a warm-up. Come here.¡± The man signaled his subordinate to go nearer, so the man in the ck suit quickly went forward.

    The man sitting on the chair turned aside and gave several orders, to which his man nodded. ¡°Yes, I got it. I¡¯ll arrange for it immediately!¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow is <i>Qingming </i>, isn¡¯t it ?¡± the man straightened his back and asked.

    ¡°Yes, Boss! Today is the third.¡±

    The man took a deep breath as he looked outside at the dark sky. ¡°We¡¯ll leave the night after tomorrow then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the progress of that matter I told you to investigate?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found their tracks. They flew straight towards Australia from France a month ago. Maybe they found something.¡±

    ¡°The fact that he caught onto it now proves that Mu Yuchen is quite a capable man.¡± The manughed coldly, but it was difficult to determine what he was feeling at the moment.

    ¡°Boss, should we inform them to leave Australia?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m looking forward to it. After hiding for such a long time, it¡¯s about time for things toe to light. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression when he sees Weiwei. I believe they¡¯ll ept the fact happily.¡±

    ¡°But Ms. Weiwei... Don¡¯t you like her a lot?¡±

 Chapter 799 - Sudden Change! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 799: Sudden Change! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The man smiled as his subordinate replied him, ¡°It¡¯lle out sooner orter. Let them get busy with it. Weiwei is the core person here. I¡¯ll see how long can Mu Yuchen hold on. It¡¯ll be advantageous to Qi Qiming if we do this well. He¡¯s having trouble just dealing with Wang Qin. Don¡¯t even think about the South River project.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss! Do we need to investigate Fuhua¡¯s Shen Yue further?¡± asked the man in the ck suit.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s Qi Qiming¡¯s business to take care of it. Go and make the arrangements now,¡± instructed the man coldly.

    The man in the ck suit bowed and left the room without saying a thing. Soon, the whole room returned to silence.

    ...

    At the same time, inside Shen Yue¡¯s study room, a sudden voice startled Shen Yue who was ying the ordion.

    ¡°Elder CEO, here are the documents you wanted. I found something.¡±

    Lan Zng went over and helped Shen Yue put the ordion sown. The melody still echoed within these empty walls.

    Shen Yue stopped ying and just let Lan Zng take the ordion away. He grabbed the documents he handed over as he wore his sses while Lan Zng switched the lights on.

    Shen Yue lowered his head and went through the documents. His face became strained as he read them further and his eyes darkened.

    He averted his gaze away momentster and looked at Lan Zng. ¡°How could this be? No wonder Qi Qiming is always acting against Ah Chen. I¡¯ve heard something about this back then. There was a financial crisis in Asia which affected many industries. All the businesses made losses throughout the year. Fortunately, things turned out better towards the end of the year. The Hui Gu Corporation suffered huge losses as well. I heard Gu Qiwu nned to work with Qi Kai on a project. Let me think... It should be the project regarding the New Era za.¡±

    ¡°This exins a lot if it¡¯s true. Is the Gu family trying to use their marriage to take this project? I¡¯ve never heard about any marriage promises between Chairman Mu and Gu Lingsha. Would Ms. Xiaye overthink if she heard about this?¡± Lan Zng was worried.

    ¡°Xiaye isn¡¯t someone who¡¯d trust gossip. I¡¯ll have to ask Ah Chen about this. It seems like things are much moreplicated than it seems. Knowing that Qi Qiming really favors Qi Feng a lot, it makes sense that he¡¯d cause Ah Chen trouble as revenge for Qi Feng.¡±

    Shen Yue gave it some thought. ¡°Zng, keep an eye on the Hui Gu Corporation. Besides, thends in the east of the city are almost done. Inform the buyers and sell them at the current market price. I feel a little uneasy regarding the South River project. Let¡¯s get back some funds so that we don¡¯t have to worry about itter.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we suffer losses if we take the funds now? I just made another evaluation with the others. It might go up higher.¡± Lan Zng was hesitant.

    ¡°Thosends have already gone up several times of its original price by now. A businessman should try to be safe. Just do as I say. Contact the buyers and sell it to them. Regarding South River Project No. 2, please act like we¡¯re sure to get it. Raise the stakes a little and observe the reactions from Qi Kai,¡± Shen Yue gave his orders decisively.

    ¡°Elder CEO, but...¡±

    That was just giving free money to the government! Why would he do that?

    ¡°No but¡¯s. I have my own ns. By the way, make arrangements for Qi Lei to meet me. Be quick to contact the buyers, and make sure we get the money before the tender is revealed.¡±

    Lan Zng¡¯s heart sank when he saw Shen Yue¡¯s serious expression. He nodded. ¡°Yes, Elder CEO. I¡¯ll get it done right now!¡±

    ¡°Go!¡± Shen Yue waved his hand. Then, he grabbed a lighter and burned the documents to ashes.

    Lan Zng took a deep breath and quickly left the study room.

    ...

    Night fell and lights filled up the city. The road towards the South River dock seemed pretty lively today as many cars passed by with formally dressed up passengers in them.

    It was a huge day for the entertainment industry with such a grand charity movie awards night. Not only would it see the best actors and actresses being awarded, but it was also a great chance for new artistes to present themselves!

    As Qi Kai was one of the leaders of the industry, it was only natural for them to participate in this event. However, with Qi Qiming out of the country at the moment, another iconic person from Qi Kai represented them instead. It was the Deputy CEO of Qi Kai, Wang Qin.

    Wang Qin brought Qi Lei along with the purpose of expanding his socialwork.

    On the road towards the South River dock, Qi Lei was sitting in the car quietly right beside Wang Qin.

    Qi Lei did not utter a word along the journey. Although Wang Qin did speak a little, there was a slight tension inside the car when no one replied to her. The faint light from the streemps projected into the car. Wang Qin turned over and noticed Qi Lei looking out of the window quietly. She was not sure how he was feeling.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, did you listen to what I said just now?¡± She had been talking but did not get any reaction from Qi Lei. ¡°I¡¯ve totally given up on Qi Qiming. I¡¯ve never hoped for him to understand after knowing him for so many years.¡±

    Wang Qin took a deep breath as she thought about the past few decades. She had stayed beside this sick bastard simply because she wanted Qi Lei to be the true Master of the Qi family. That was the only way she could feel at ease, and she endured all the tough times for this sole purpose.

 Chapter 800 - Sudden Change! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 800: Sudden Change! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Qin had always been a strong woman,

    She started getting involved in her family business since she was 20 years old, and she valued family bonds even more so than her romantic rtionship. That was the reason why she decisively gave up on the man she loved and married Qi Qiming as per her family¡¯s arrangement.

    She never loved Qi Qiming all these years, and he never loved her either.

    Both of them knew they loved other people. Wang Qin gave up on finding love ever again. On the other hand, Qi Qiming¡¯s mistresses never stopped appearing, with Lu Xin being just one of the many.

    Lu Xin mentioned that Mu Zi was Qi Qiming¡¯s true love, but Wang Qin was quite doubtful about this. Although Qi Qiming did show Mu Zi quite a bit of attention and was particrly nice to Mu Lingtian as well, Mu Yuchen had already told her that Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi were not rted to Qi Qiming at all.

    That meant that Mu Zi¡¯s lover was not Qi Qiming. He was not an idiot, but why would he be so nice to Mu Lingtian if he was not his child?

    Wang Qin could not figure it out, and this question had been bugging her ever since.

    Was it just because Mu Lingtian was Qi Feng¡¯s good friend?

    ¡°There¡¯s no point wasting your time if you know he¡¯ll never change. Stop using me as an excuse after so many years. Divorce is the best option you can choose right now,¡± Qi Lei finally spoke up. He pinched the space between his eyebrows and continued, ¡°Any stepfather you find for me is probably better than him. I¡¯m not staying with you two anyway. I don¡¯t care what the two of you are doing. You¡¯re giving yourself a tough time, and I¡¯m suffering the consequences.¡±

    Qi Lei put on a wicked smile as sarcasm filled his tone. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d collect evidence of him cheating. He also uses violence on you, doesn¡¯t he? If you¡¯re lucky, you might be able to get half of his assets if you present these pieces of evidence to the court.¡± His tone was casual and easy as if he did not care.

    ¡°No, Xiao Lei, you¡¯d lose everything if I do that. Your grandfather has already proimed you as the sessor of the Qi family. We¡¯re not here to steal from others, but we should take what we deserve. I¡¯ve endured this the whole time. I can¡¯t involve my son as well!¡±

    Wang Qin looked at Qi Lei with sorrow in her eyes. ¡°Qi Qiming shifted his hatred towards me onto you. You¡¯re innocent, Xiao Lei. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    Qi Lei turned away, his smile bing cold, and eventually, his expression faded. He just looked outside the car window without saying anything.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, I just hope that you can be well. I hope you don¡¯t have to be like me. I want you to lead a happy life, but you¡¯re such a proud person. How could you...? I know you don¡¯t like to listen to this since I¡¯m sure you already know, but I suppose he never thought of you as his son, seeing how he treated you in Gu Lingsha¡¯s office.¡±

    ¡°He has no right to be my father,¡± Qi Lei gave a brief reply. Wang Qin was heartbroken to hear that, so she assured him, ¡°You still have me! I¡¯ll protect you forever!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It really doesn¡¯t matter to me. Just take care of yourself. Because of just one mistake, you¡¯re suffering the consequences for the rest of your life. I¡¯m really impressed by your courage and tenacity. If it were me, I¡¯d have left a long time ago.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and continued, ¡°You don¡¯t have to bother with Shasha as well. If not, that old man might mess with you. Shasha... She¡¯s changed. If you mess with her, she might do something to you. I know her way too well.¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha! I told you she¡¯s a scheming woman, Xiao Lei. Luckily, you didn¡¯t go over that time, or else you might¡¯ve been the one in the ident instead of Mu Lingtian! Mu Lingtian is really stupid, being fooled by Gu Lingsha. She was eloping together with Qi Feng and not him. I¡¯m not sure if I shouldugh or apud his effort,¡± Wang Qin said.

    ¡°Mind your words. Lingtian is my good friend.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard Wang Qin¡¯s remark, and he shot Wang Qin an unhappy nce. ¡°I¡¯m sure he has his reasons. Maybe he doesn¡¯t deserve the criticism.¡±

    ¡°I know you, Qi Feng, and Mu Lingtian were all under Gu Lingsha¡¯s spell. Speaking of Mu Lingtian, he probably loved Gu Lingsha as much as you both. The way he looks at her can¡¯t be faked. However, I never expected him to just hand her over to Qi Feng.¡± Wang Qin was reminded of some scenes from the past.

    However, Qi Lei frowned. ¡°Lingtian? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Wang Qin was confused. She took a pause before exining, ¡°On the day before Gu Lingsha and Mu Yuchen¡¯s marriage, Mu Lingtian and Qi Feng had a fight. It was really intense. Qi Feng even punched Mu Lingtian. I was worried that you might be involved. That was why I made you go away.¡±

    Wang Qin thought about what might have happened if she did not make Qi Lei go away. He might have been in the car, and it would have been disastrous!

    ¡°Did you say Qi Feng punched Lingtian?¡± Qi Lei squinted his eyes as he looked at Wang Qin. ¡°Do you remember why they fought?¡±

    Wang Qin gave it some thought before shaking her head. ¡°Qi Feng was already hitting him when I noticed them. Lingtian even puked some blood. Qi Qiming found out and pulled them apart. When Qi Feng said Mu Lingtian was unforgivable, he was probably ming Mu Lingtian for not being able to stop the marriage between Gu Lingsha and Mu Yuchen, or else they wouldn¡¯t have run away. Gu Lingsha is really scary. She had so many men dancing around on her fingertips, yet she didn¡¯t appreciate Mu Yuchen at all. Instead, she got together with Qi Feng, involving both you and Lingtian!¡±

 Chapter 801 - Sudden Change! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 801: Sudden Change! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei did not hear the rest of what she had to say as his mind was filled with what Wang Qin had just told him.

    Qi Feng hit Mu Lingtian?

    Shasha was let down?

    Qi Feng had always been one to act properly. In fact, his kinship with Lingtian might even be tighter because, from a certain aspect, he and Mu Lingtian had simr backgrounds, so they could empathize with each other on many things. Many times, they could resonate with one another, sopared to Qi Lei, he was closer to Lingtian.

    Qi Feng had always treated Lingtian like his own brother, and he had never seen them fight. Even though Qi Lei and Mu Lingtian would usually argue, Qi Feng would usually be on Mu Lingtian¡¯s side, and what she said right now...

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze started to be filled with mixed feelings. His expression shifted as he hesitated, but he finally did not say anything. His hand on the side clenched slightly, and his calm expression from earlier begun to crack.

    Wang Qin had been quietly observing Qi Lei, so she naturally took in all of his reactions. When she saw that the twist in his expression, she thought about it before asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xiao Lei? Why do you look so terrible?¡±

    ¡°Since you know that Gu Lingsha is no longer the way she was, you¡¯ll have to be more vignt yourself. A woman like her is really dangerous. Don¡¯t be fooled, and when you have the time, you should look around to see if there are any suitable girls. You aren¡¯t getting any younger. It¡¯s time to find yourself a woman for life. As long as she¡¯s not a scheming and shameless woman like Gu Lingsha, with a good background, I¡¯d ept her.¡±

    When Wang Qin noticed that Qi Lei did not say anything, she continued, ¡°Previously, you didn¡¯t like Miss Xian Er, so I didn¡¯t force you either. Having a girl with a decent background could be helpful for your career, but how many aristocratic families will be truly simple? Sometimes, those girls from a more ordinary background might be better, so you¡¯ll have to choose them carefully.¡±

    Even though she was not willing to bring this up with Qi Lei, upon seeing that he was turning 30 soon, she could not help but feel a little anxious.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about my matters. Just do your own things well,¡± Qi Lei said softly, seeming mncholic. There was an indescribable gloomy air around him that filled this narrow space. His gaze slowly fell, yet Wang Qin could clearly see the faint worry that was hidden in his eyes.

    She could not help but sigh. Finally, she did not say anything as she helplessly turned to look out of the car window.

    The night lights were bing ever more dazzling. The brilliant colors cast a magnificent light onto the gloomy sky as the low-profile Phaeton slowly drove underneath the lights. Inside the warm car, Xi Xiaye was watching a music video on Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone as she leaned against him and stayed close to him. Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face contained a faint tenderness as he quietly watched her y with the phone. His dark eyes were filled with gentle sentiment while his long arms held onto her frail shoulders tightly.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I actually realize that you have the potential to be a national idol. If you¡¯re willing to be an ambassador for Glory World, I can guarantee that we¡¯d get much better results than our current spokespersons,¡± she said with a soft chuckle as she blinked her starry eyes and beamed at him.

    ¡°How so?¡± He raised his handsome brows and smiled faintly.

    Xi Xiaye cleared her throat and went closer to his ears as she whispered softly, ¡°Because you¡¯re more handsome and more charismatic than them!¡±

    When he heard that, he chuckled, and then turned away bashfully to look out of the window. Just as he wanted to say something, Li Si¡¯s mobile phone suddenly vibrated. It was the subordinates calling.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s a call from City B,¡± reported Li Si¡¯s voice. Mu Yuchen¡¯s smile then slowly faded away as he reached out to take it while Xi Xiaye subconsciously turned to look at him too.

    She did not know what the other end said, but Mu Yuchen only answered calmly. In a moment, his expression sank. After that, the tenderness in his eyes had all settled down, only to be reced with gloominess.

    Upon seeing that, the smile on Xi Xiaye froze. She reached out to hold onto his arms as she frowned slightly.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen hung up and handed the phone back to Li Si. His handsome expression had returned to its usual indifference, yet his dark gaze flickered from dark to neutral, so you could not quite tell how he was feeling at that moment.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye asked carefully. Since it was from City B, it was most likely rted to the Gu family or Mu Zi.

    Xi Xiaye knew that he had been spending a lot of effort investigating Mu Zi¡¯s matters. After the auction that happened after the New Year, his mood had been fluctuating since the oue of the investigation was indeed worrying. Right now, the DNA tests were still being run quietly, and all of the matters that involved Lingtian recently could never see the light of the day. If they were exposed, it would cause a huge storm, and the consequences were not something that everyone could respectively bear.

    When she finished, Mu Yuchen sighed and hugged her by the shoulders even tighter as he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just some not very good news. Let¡¯s talk about it when we get home tonight.¡±

    Then, he ordered Li Si ahead, ¡°Li Si, tell the people behind us to follow us more closely.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master!¡± Li Si quickly answered.

    ¡°Xiaye, stay close to meter. Don¡¯t run around alone. This time for the banquet on the ship, from the moment we sail from the South River dock until we reach the next port, we¡¯ll just arrange for the cars to pick us up from there,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded Xi Xiaye again.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently and responded obediently, ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already called Grandmother. Tonight, she¡¯ll take care of our son for us. It¡¯s fine if we go hometer.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll pick him up tomorrow. Grandmother couldn¡¯t have wished for more days with them.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen finished, the car drove slowly into the carpark at the dock ahead beforeing to a steady stop.

    ¡°Master, Missus, we¡¯ve reached the South River dock! It¡¯s quite lively outside!¡± Li Si mentioned as he walked around to open the car door.

    Mu Yuchen got down from the car first. He stood firmly on the ground before reaching into the car. Xi Xiaye naturally put her hand into his and let him guide her unhurriedly out the car.

    She had just steadied herself when there were lots of explosions as numerous dazzling lights shed in her sight in an interweaved and disorderly manner.

 Chapter 802 - Sudden Change! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 802: Sudden Change! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The colorful fireworks were set off high in the night sky, followed by enthusiastic sounds and shrieks.

    When Xi Xiaye looked up, she could see therge, luxurious ship docked by the riverside far in the distance. It leaned close to the dock and was embraced by the dazzling fireworks. A red carpet was rolled out past the deck from inside the ship. The ship seemed like it was filled with people, and there were cheers from time to time. With the dock being surrounded by many fans of artistes, many reporters were present to cover the scene too.

    Xi Xiaye stood there for quite a while. She turned to look at the man beside her and then realized that he was whispering something to Li Si. Momentster, Li Si nodded and then waved to the bodyguards behind them. Two of the ck-clothed bodyguards turned around and walked away while the remaining ones came up to circle them, protecting Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye in the middle of the entourage.

    ¡°Put on your coat. It¡¯s a little cold by the river.¡± His considerate and caring voice came, and before Xi Xiaye could reach out, he had already helped her drape the coat over her shoulders and casually fastened the top-most button.

    Xi Xiaye quietly lowered her head and watched as the pair of hands worked silently. When he was done, she reached to hold him by the arms. ¡°It¡¯s not that cold. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s quite humid. I think it¡¯ll rainter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently before walking ahead.

    They had just gotten closer when quite a number of people began to greet them. Mu Yuchen¡¯s reputation was not inferior to those famous artistes. There were his identity and status, plus the fact that he had always been quite reserved, low-profile and cautious. His presence at a banquet like this tonight was quite rare.

    Underneath the interweaving spotlights, the husband and wife slowly made their way to the red carpet as delighted cheers were heard from time to time behind them.

    They were led by the waiter to their seats. Xi Xiaye then realized that tonight¡¯s banquet was quite a grand one. Even Caitlin and Xi Xinyi were there. Left, right and center, there were famous stars, including people that one would not usually meet.

    ¡°Tonight¡¯s event is quite lively. Qi Lei and VP Wang¡¯s right there!¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her voice and turned to her side to whisper into the man¡¯s ear. She nced around and very quickly noticed a sh of elegant purple.

    Gu Lingsha!

    Donning a gorgeous and elegant gown, with her outstanding looks and noble identity, she was no doubt one of the main highlights of the event. The limelight that followed her was no less than those main artistes.

    Perhaps because she noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze, Gu Lingsha looked up to her. Her blue eyes flickered with a faint, gentle light as she elegantly raised her ss to Xi Xiaye with a smile as if that little interlude at the Imperial Sky Hotel had never happened.

    Even Xi Xiaye could not help but admire herposure. She realized that all eyes were on her, so she could only nod and smile in return.

    This scene was naturally taken in by the man beside her.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then don¡¯t force yourself. Your body¡¯s still not suited for drinking alcohol, so just have some fruit juice.¡±

    Then, he took the wine ss in front of her away and changed it to a ss of fruit juice before she could react. Smoothly, he continued to chat with the guest beside him.

    The banquet officially began soon. Popr singers delivered a few deep love songs before the dinner slowly reached its climax.

    The husband and wife watched the performances on stage as they chatted from time to time. Qi Lei switched ces with Wang Qin and sat beside Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    Wang Qin, who had been quietly admiring the performances on stage, suddenly could not help but praise, ¡°Director Xi, yourpany¡¯s ambassador, Caitlin, has been progressing well in the past two years. In fact, she¡¯s bing more skilled with her acting. I heard that back then, you supported her greatly for the role of Glory World¡¯s spokesperson. You really have a good eye.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up at Caitlin who was singing a poignant song on stage as she smiled gently. ¡°I do quite like her myself. I considered myself a fan of hers too, I guess. Previously, I did follow her shows, and I found that she was actually quite a genuine and very down-to-earth person. I really admire her attitude for life.¡±

    ¡°Her attitude for life?¡± Wang Qin muttered.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently. ¡°It lies in the point that she could give up on all her glory to choose marriage at the peak of her career. In fact, her rtionship with her husband has always been great, so I admire her. Glory World needs this kind of attitude and spirit.¡±

    When she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s exnation, Wang Qin beamed in agreement. ¡°Director Xi, you and Chairman Mu are a pair that¡¯s worth envying.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly and subconsciously turned to look at the man beside her. At this moment, the entire venue had fallen silent. The most anticipated moment of the night was here!

    The host held the microphone and spoke excitedly on stage, ¡°Next up, let¡¯s invite Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman, Mr. Mu Yuchen, to reveal who the award for our best actress goes to. Let¡¯s wee Chairman Mu!¡±

    When he finished, the lights at the venue suddenly dimmed and gathered to be a brilliant spotlight that illuminated Mu Yuchen. The screen above the stage showed Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure and, of course, Xi Xiaye beside him.

    Mu Yuchen patted Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand, and then elegantly stood up as he walked up the stage with a calm expression.

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly and her face rippled with a faint tenderness as the man slowly walked up the stage. He was cold and extraordinary while being noble and elegant. She could not help but be mesmerized by him. As the people below started to cheer, she finally could not help but grin and wave to the man.

    ¡°Our Chairman Mu is a busy man. Since you made it for our banquet today, how about you sing a short one, Chairman Mu? Earlier, our CEO Xu sang a song for us too. What do you think, everyone?¡±

    The host on stage obviously would not let go of the opportunity to liven things up. As his voice echoed, the sound of shrieks came too.

    ¡°Sing one, Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Good luck, Chairman Mu!¡±

    ...

    Sing a song?

    When Xi Xiaye heard the challenge, her starry eyes brightened up. She looked at the way the man took the microphone from the host elegantly with an amused smile, and she could not help but cheer him on as she kept waving to the man on stage.

    Mu Yuchen looked down from the stage. The first thing he saw was his woman waving at him. As they exchanged nces, the little woman even made a surprising move.

    She was not stingy as she blew him a kiss, her elegant little face brimming with a smile that looked like blossoming blue roses. She was an unadulterated beauty! He did not know she had such a cute side. His silent handsome face instantly eased, and he could not help but purse his lips as he lowered his head and chuckled softly.

 Chapter 803 - Sudden Change! (6)

    <h4>Chapter 803: Sudden Change! (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye watched from below, the smile that blossomed on her face looking even more brilliant now. With the lighting team shining a spotlight on her, she subconsciously reached out to block her little face.

    The man on stage was grinning from ear to ear as he looked on dotingly. Those dark eyes contained a faint tenderness and warmth as they watched her for quite a while. His serious and hostile expression from earlier had faded quite a bit, and the atmosphere of the entire event livened up too. Even the host could not help but tease the husband and wife, yet the two of them looked at each silently with chemistry, exchanging nces with a mutual understanding.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen let his smile fade and said in a deep voice, ¡°Have mercy on us. Tonight¡¯s highlight should be the talented ones on this name list in my hand.¡±

    Then, he elegantly opened the envelope in his hand and read out the lucky winner¡¯s name.

    ...

    The husband and wife¡¯s interactions that were full of chemistry were naturally taken in by everyone, and that included Gu Lingsha who had been maintaining her dignified manner. While there was no expression revealed on her face, her hands that were clenched on her knees betrayed her.

    Mu Yuchen very humbly and gracefully handed the award to the female artiste that won as the entire atmosphere reached an unprecedented high.

    After Mu Yuchen walked down from the stage and returned to Xi Xiaye¡¯s side, the doting smile he had on stage earlier surfaced on his handsome face again. When the lights were dimmed, he put his face to Xi Xiaye¡¯s, and she very knowingly nted a light kiss on his cheek. Then, they quickly moved away. Since the lights were so dim, no one caught this scene.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, you were in the limelight on stage earlier. I wonder how many women¡¯s eyes were roaming all over you,¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but say jealously into his ear after having had two sses of diluted wine.

    ¡°Sadly, I¡¯m taken,¡± he answered her quickly and took the drink in her hand to finish it before changing her drink to a fruit juice again.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Director Xi, let me make a toast to you. We¡¯ve been working rather happily in recent times, and I¡¯d also like to thank you for watching over Xiao Lei.¡± At this moment, Wang Qin held up her drink and glided over in an easy manner. However, just as she said that, a purple figure entered her sight.

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she watched Gu Lingsha gradually move closer to them. Turning to the man unexpectedly, she realized that Mu Yuchen did not reveal any expression. He was nodding gently at Wang Qin.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Chairman Mu, Miss Xi! Aunty Wang, are you and Lei here too? Uncle Qi couldn¡¯t make it, so he made mee instead,¡± Gu Lingsha said softly

    Obviously, these words annoyed Wang Qin. What did she mean by Uncle Qi not being able to make it, so she came?

    If he could not make it, that was an internal matter of the Qi family. As the headdy of the Qi family, it was enough that she and the Master of the Qi family were attending. What did it have to do with Gu Lingsha?

    Wang Qin sneered in disdain, ignoring Gu Lingsha. At such an asion, Wang Qin obviously knew how to be proper. If it were in private, she would have definitely given it to this shameless woman.

    She scoffed and pretended this Gu Lingsha was invisible as she held her ss up to offer Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye a toast.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye exchanged a nce before dly nodding. Xi Xiaye¡¯s pink lips started and she was about to say something, yet at this moment, all of a sudden¡ª

    Bam! Bam!

    There was a loud sound as the entire ship abruptly rocked. Xi Xiaye could barely stand steady, and the ss in her hand fell to the ground. Mu Yuchen quickly moved towards her!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I think the ship hit something!¡±

    ¡°The ship¡¯s pulled towards the shore!¡±

    In an instant, sounds of panic could be heard from the entire banquet hall. The crowd quickly turned into an uproar and became a mess!

    Bang!

    After another violent tremor, they suddenly could not see as the lights went out. The ship rocked even more. Suddenly on high alert the instant that the lights went out, the ck-clothed bodyguards that stood by promptly moved closer to Mu Yuchen and the rest, but the crowd was a congested mess, so they could not get close!

    Panicked shrieks were heard. It was extremely congested, and it sounded like things kept falling as many people tripped to the ground.

    Xi Xiaye felt very unusually nervous as she held onto the table beside her, reaching out to where she thought Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand was.

    In the darkness, Xi Xiaye, who was jostled, felt dizzy. She could not see anything in the dark space. Trapped among the people, she could only softly call out for Mu Yuchen, ¡°Mr. Mu, where are you?¡±

    However, just as she said that, a white light shed suddenly as a foreign smell covered her nose. It all happened too quickly!

    There was only a short, miserable screech that was very quickly drowned out by the mor of the crowd and the mess of the congestion!

    Next, Xi Xiaye felt a cold and strange hand holding her hand tightly. Someone was stuffing something into her hand while a strong smell of copper assailed her nostrils. Xi Xiaye panicked at that moment. She already had a bad feeling and wanted to throw the thing that was pushed into her hand away, yet right at this second, the familiar and cold air closed in. She was pulled into a warm hug as the man¡¯s slender hand held hers.

    The lights suddenly came back on!

    It all happened too quickly¡ªprobably only less than 10 seconds!

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She was subconsciously looking towards Mu Yuchen when she saw a bloody red fruit knife in his hand. Her mind went nk as she looked up in horror.

    Bam!

    Wang Qin had already fallen to the ground with both hands clutching her abdomen. You could barely see her hands as they were covered in blood, and part of her clothes was stained with bright red blood as she looked with wide eyes at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Murder!¡±

    A shriek broke the silence. Before the ship that had steadied could calm down from the first incident, they fell into another panic. The chaotic crowd all moved to the side and surrounded Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    Qi Lei stared at Wang Qin who had fallen to the ground, dumbfounded.

    The bright crimson floor pierced his eyes. He shuddered and in an instant, and ran like mad towards Wang Qin!

    ¡°Mother! Mother! Are you okay? Are you okay?¡±

    Qi Lei was terrified as he held Wang Qin. Seized with rm, his whole body trembled as he shook her and called out to her.

 Chapter 804 - Bad News (1)

    <h4>Chapter 804: Bad News (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Qin was starting to lose consciousness. She looked at Qi Lei but could not say a word.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened as he quickly held Wang Qin in his arms!

    ¡°Someone! Call the ambnce. Dock the ship right now! Hurry!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was grim, but he was still able to keep calm amidst the chaos.

    Qi Lei carried Wang Qin in his arms and looked over at him. His eyes were cold when he saw the bloody fruit knife in Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand!

    ¡°What happened? What happened?¡±

    For safety purposes, police officers were stationed on the ship, so they quickly went over as soon as they realized something was going on. They were shocked when they saw the knife in Mu Yuchen¡¯s hands and Wang Qin who was unconscious in Qi Lei¡¯s arms!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Another scream of agony pierced the air. The crowd looked over and noticed that Gu Lingsha was covering her arm which was bleeding.

    ...

    Silence!

    The whole hall fell into silence!

    Dead silence!

    After a long silence¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s not us. Someone framed us!¡± Xi Xiaye freaked out as she frantically exined. She wanted to grab the knife from Mu Yuchen, but he avoided her as his expression turned grim. He was still able to keep hisposure and handed the knife to the police in front of him. ¡°Keep this for now.¡±

    The policeman was a middle-aged man who signaled his young subordinate beside him. The younger policeman quickly took the knife from Mu Yuchen and put it into a stic bag.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Mu. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll need toe with us!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not him. This knife...¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s face turned pale as she shielded Mu Yuchen. However, he covered her mouth before she could finish talking, his face having returned to its usual calmness.

    ¡°Master! Missus!¡± Several bodyguards in ck suits stood in front of them as they stared at the police coldly.

    ¡°Move away,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    ¡°Mr. Mu! No! This has nothing to do with you. Someone¡¯s framing us. Someone grabbed me in the dark...¡± Xi Xiaye grabbed his hand and tried to exin, but he held her close and whispered beside her ears, ¡°I know. Xi Xiaye, listen very carefully now. Believe me. Don¡¯t freak out. I¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s not much time and I can¡¯t exin everything to you right now. I need you to do something for me. First, find Su Chen and tell him what happened. Tell him to find a way to see me. Second, today¡¯s incident will be exposed very quickly. Ourpany shares will be sure to fall. Get everyone prepared and stay calm. Third, contact my parents and tell them not to act rashly. I have my own n. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Xi Xiaye was very afraid, and her eyes welled up with tears as she threw him a worried nce.

    He straightened his back and patted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. Do as I say, alright?¡±

    ¡°The ship has docked. Please follow us, Master Mu! All of you, secure the scene! Investigate the individuals involved!¡± the middle-aged policeman gave his orders.

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and walked forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m scared! No, please don¡¯t. Don¡¯t take him away!¡± Xi Xiaye grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand tightly and did not want to let go.

    Mu Yuchen looked deeply into her eyes before shooting a nce at the bodyguards who quickly went forward and grabbed Xi Xiaye!

    ¡°Mu Yuchen!¡± she called out to him.

    Mu Yuchen gave her ast look, his eyes filled with pain when he saw the tears in hers. Then, he took a deep breath and walked away.

    Xi Xiaye struggled to break free from the bodyguards, but they held her back.

    ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me right now!¡±

    ¡°Keep calm, Missus. There¡¯s nothing you can do now, so keep calm and think of a way! There were a lot of oddities throughout this incident. Let¡¯s be calm and sort this out!¡± one of the bodyguards reminded her.

    Xi Xiaye watched as the man went out of the doorway. Her strength suddenly vanished as she crumbled. Fortunately, the bodyguards were there to support her.

    She took several deep breaths and kept telling herself to keep calm. She closed her eyes for a long while and finally managed to keep herposure. When she turned around, she saw Gu Lingsha being sent outside.

    Xi Xiaye walked towards the door while ignoring all the camera shes around her as she demanded, ¡°Where¡¯s Assistant Li Si?¡±

    ¡°Master gave him some tasks to do. He should be returning anytime soon now! Missus, let¡¯s leave now!¡±

    As the reporters gathered around them, the bodyguards did their best to escort Xi Xiaye out of the door. Li Si brought more bodyguards over to Xi Xiaye as she stepped off the deck!

    ¡°Missus, I¡¯ve heard what happened. Get into the car first!¡± Li Si¡¯s expression turned grim.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and took a deep breath. She managed to calm down her chaotic mind. ¡°First things first, get the bestwyer to help your Master right now. Then, we¡¯ll go take a look at CEO Wang¡¯s condition. Hurry!¡± she urged as they marched towards the car.

    Li Si nodded as he took his phone out. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send Lawyer Wang over. He¡¯s thewyer Master hired. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    She remembered what her man told her just now, so she got into the car quickly and told the chauffeur, ¡°Head over to Master Su¡¯s ce. I¡¯m sure you know the direction?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed her handbag and took out her phone. She found Su Chen¡¯s number in Mu Yuchen¡¯s contact list and quickly called him.

    At this moment, inside Su Chen¡¯s apartment, Su Chen had just finished dinner and was handling some paperwork in the study room. He nced at his phone as it started vibrating. When he put down his pen, he noticed it was Mu Yuchen¡¯s number, so he swiftly tapped the button to answer.

 Chapter 805 - Bad News (2)

    <h4>Chapter 805: Bad News (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After an hour, Xi Xiaye arrived at Su Chen¡¯s ce.

    Ji Zitong opened the door and saw the anxious Xi Xiaye, so she was worried and confused as she asked, ¡°Director Xi, what¡¯s wrong? Come inside. It¡¯s cold out there!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and rushed inside.

    Su Chen was already waiting in the living room. He poured her a ss of warm water. ¡°Calm down and have some water first. Tell me what happened slowly.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xi Xiaye was freezing. She took a sip from the ss of water. ¡°It¡¯s like what I told you on the phone. He told me to look for you and asked you to find a way to see him. I think he has some ideas of his own. It just happened too suddenly and I don¡¯t know what to do. Su Chen, you must save him! He didn¡¯t kill anyone, and it¡¯s impossible that it was manughter. Someone framed us. The knife was in my hand, but Mr. Mu took it from me. Everything happened so quickly that we weren¡¯t able to react. When the lights came back...¡±

    Xi Xiaye clenched her fists and barely managed to finish her story.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent Li Si to get awyer. The police probably won¡¯t do anything to him yet, but I¡¯m really worried about what¡¯s going to happen next. Wang Qin seems to have suffered severe injuries, and Gu Lingsha¡¯s arm was injured as well. They were both sent to the hospital. I also told Li Si to go take a look. He¡¯ll inform me if anything happens. I think this incident was directed towards me, but Mr. Mu was identally dragged into this...¡± Xi Xiaye felt bitterness rise in her throat, and her eyes started to tear up again as she spoke.

    ¡°Alright, stop worrying about it for a moment. I¡¯ll find a way to find out about the situation with the police. What else did Ah Chen tell you?¡± Su Chen frowned.

    Xi Xiaye gave Su Chen a simple summary of what Mu Yuchen said, ¡°Thepany will surely be affected after this incident. There were a lot of reporters at the scene. I¡¯m afraid this news has already spread throughout the city. He wants me to take care of thepany, and he also wants me to tell his parents to calm down and let them know he has a n. He doesn¡¯t want them to be involved...¡±

    Su Chen nodded as his grim expression softened slightly. ¡°If he said so, I¡¯m sure he has a n of his own. Don¡¯t worry too much about this, Xiaye. I know Ah Chen very well. If he¡¯s that sure, then it means the issue isn¡¯t as severe as we imagine. I¡¯m not sure how to handle apany, but I¡¯ll give Zimo a call now. He¡¯ll know what to do. I just hope that Wang Qin will be fine, or else, this will be extremelyplicated.¡±

    He grabbed his phone and quickly gave Zhou Zimo a call. Letting out a sigh of relief after he hung up the phone, he looked at Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°Give Uncle Mu a call and let them know what happened. I¡¯ll try my best. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and gave him a grateful nce. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll head over and take a look at CEO Wang¡¯s condition then. I¡¯ll leave Mu Yuchen in your hands. He¡¯s just recovered from some sickness recently. Please ask the police to take care of him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get that done. I¡¯ll be talking to Zimo after hees over. Zitong, apany Xiaye to the hospital. Put on an extrayer too. Lend Xiaye one of your coats. It¡¯s cold with rain outside!¡± Su Chen nced over at Ji Zitong.

    Ji Zitong nodded and made haste, rushing upstairs for two minutes. She then came back with an extrayer of coat on herself as well as an extra gray coat in her hands.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Director Xi. Here, put this on!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Their car sped through the rain. Xi Xiaye clenched her fists tightly as her expression darkened. She was trying to keep herself together as she took her phone out and called Vice President Zhang Lan.

    Zhang Lan was working overtime in the office handling something about the South River project. She was surprised when her phone rang. ¡°Chairman Mu?¡±

    ¡°Vice President Zhang, it¡¯s me. Contact the other Vice Presidents and higher-ups for a meeting. You¡¯ll be the one chairing it. Something¡¯s happened to Chairman Mu, and Li Si will fill you in the detailster. Find a way to stabilize Glory World, and be prepared for what¡¯s about toe. Don¡¯t panic and solve the problem calmly.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice was even. She could not afford to panic at a critical moment like this, or else, it would be a disaster.

    ¡°Director Xi, what happened?¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s expression darkened as she sensed that something was not right.

    ¡°There was an incident at the banquet tonight. Li Si will tell you about itter. I¡¯ll leave thepany to you and the other Vice Presidents. The South River project is in its key phase at the moment with the first inspection happening soon. We can¡¯t afford to make any mistakes, so make sure to keep calm, especially when dealing with government personnel.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was not in the mood to give any exnation. Nheless, Zhang Lan was worried sick when she heard those words from her, so she quickly called Li Si to find out what happened after she ended the call with Xi Xiaye.

    It was a sleepless night for all of them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Director Xi. I¡¯m sure Chairman Mu will be fine.¡± Ji Zitong was not sure what to say, but she tried tofort Xi Xiaye although her eyes seemed worried.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that he¡¯s fine. The information is spreading so fast that we can¡¯t even stop it. I don¡¯t know who¡¯s behind this whole incident.¡±

    The sense of shock and lost had vanished within Xi Xiaye, and her eyes instantly became clear.

    Earlier, she could feel a huge traping for them, and the man should have sensed it as well. He had been very calm and promised that he would be fine!

 Chapter 806 - Bad News (3)

    <h4>Chapter 806: Bad News (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and looked outside of the car window as she clenched her fists. She hoped Wang Qin would be fine. Otherwise, things would be reallyplicated, and Qi Lei...

    She could not forget the way Qi Lei rushed outside with Wang Qin in his arms. There was so much blood. The perpetrator never had any intention of letting her live. Who could have done this?

    Why was Gu Lingsha injured as well?

    A lot of questions popped up in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind, but she suppressed all of them and urged the chauffeur to speed up.

    The rain suddenly got heavier while the lightning and thunder started to be more frequent.

    The rain droplets continued to zigzag down the window. Faint lights from passing cars shed past Xi Xiaye¡¯s face, highlighting how cold and lonely she looked. Ji Zitong seemed really worried, but she remained silent, and just stayed by her side quietly.

    So many things keep happening, and now...

    Ji Zitong had worked beside Xi Xiaye for quite a while before, hence she knew a little more about her. Chairman Mu would not have asked her to be Xi Xiaye¡¯s bodyguard otherwise. Last time, they did not find out who caused Director Xi¡¯s premature delivery, and now this had happened...

    Who exactly was behind this? Why would someone actually try to set up a person like Chairman Mu? It must be a bunch of horrible people!

    Ji Zitong turned to steal a nce at Xi Xiaye from time to time. It was very quiet inside the car to the point that it felt stifling.

    The car soon entered the hospital.

    Xi Xiaye quickly hopped down the car as soon as it stopped. She could not care less about the rain and just rushed into the hospital while Ji Zitong swiftly caught up with her.

    Outside the operating theatre, Qi Lei leaned his back against the cold wall as he stared nkly at the light above the door of the operating theatre. His clothes were creased and stained with crusts of blood while the blood on his hands had dried up. His eyes were filled with fear and unease as he stood there, appearing like a helpless child who had just lost his home.

    Li Si stood beside him quietly, worried.

    Of course, Gu Lingsha was there as well!

    Her dress was messy with bloodstains all over it, and her injuries were already patched up. With a coat over her, she stood opposite Qi Lei, watching him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lei. Aunt Wang will be fine! Go and clean up the blood on your hands, and get changed. Your clothes are soaked!¡± Gu Lingsha walked over as she gave Qi Lei a concerned gaze.

    Qi Lei did not move an inch as if he did not hear anything she said. He just stared at the doors of the operating theatre.

    ¡°Lei! It¡¯s really worrying to see you like this. Aunt Wang will feel bad...¡± Gu Lingsha continued talking when Qi Lei did not reply.

    However, he interrupted her before she could finish, ¡°Shut up!¡± His stern, cold voice was loud on this quiet, rainy night. It echoed in the empty hallway, making Gu Lingsha shudder in shock as she stopped talking.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. He shut his eyes and tried to calm down. When he opened his eyes and looked at his hands, the smell of blood filled his nostrils. He had felt Wang Qin slowly fading away in his arms, but...

    He stayed quiet and struggled with himself for quite a while. In the end, he took out his phone and called Qi Qiming.

    No one was picking up.

    Qi Leiughed coldly and stopped calling. He had a sarcastic, cold smile on his face while his eyes darkened.

    ¡°Lei, I¡¯ll call Uncle Qi right now!¡± Gu Lingsha noticed the number he was calling moments ago. Her expression froze and she quickly took out her phone.

    Li Si stood aside without saying anything. He did not try exining on behalf of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye because none of it was important at the moment. Most importantly, Wang Qin needed to be safe, or else...

    Having happened so suddenly, the police could not get them back to the police station to file a report, so some of them followed to the hospital.

    Thud¡ª thud¡ª

    Sounds of rushed footsteps echoed through the empty hallway. The few of them turned their heads and saw Xi Xiaye at the end of the corridor. Behind her were Ji Zitong and a few others.

    ¡°Missus!¡± Li Si¡¯s face softened slightly when he saw Xi Xiaye. He quickly went up to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation right now?¡± Xi Xiaye halted her steps and almost fell. Fortunately, Ji Zitong was quick enough to catch her in time.

    ¡°She¡¯s still inside. It¡¯s been a long time since the operation started, but we don¡¯t know what the situation is yet,¡± Li Si replied in a grim tone.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression clouded over as she looked at the closed doors to the operating theatre. Momentster, she averted her gaze towards Qi Lei. Her heart ached when she remembered the scene where she saw Wang Qin with blood all over her, and her man being taken away. Her face turned as pale as snow.

    She nodded and stopped asking as she just stood there and waited quietly.

    However, Gu Lingsha threw her a sharp gaze, staring at Xi Xiaye coldly!

    She thought that the perpetrator might have been aiming for her. If she did not move away in time, she would have been the one stabbed. Because she could not see anything at that time, the sharp knife injured her arm when she shifted away, and then Wang Qin was stabbed.

    She was not sure what was happening, but she was pretty pleased with the current situation.

 Chapter 807 - Bad News (4)

    <h4>Chapter 807: Bad News (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha and Wang Qin had always been at loggerheads with each other. Thest time in her office, Wang Qin had even pped her a few times. In fact, she always made life difficult for her. Gu Lingsha was no St. Maria. If this thorn in her side, Wang Qin, could be taken down, it was a great thing for her.

    The person who had made their move had helped her quite a bit.

    However, she did not expect it to be Mu Yuchen!

    She did not quite believe that it was Mu Yuchen who did it. He was not that dumb to do it himself. It might be more likely if it were Xi Xiaye. Was this woman not courteous to her before this? However, her motives were not very clear.

    Could it be actually aimed at Wang Qin? It was unlikely that Mu Yuchen and Wang Qin did not have quite a good working rtionship.

    Was it an idental injury? In that situation, this seemed quite a likely possibility. It might have been that!

    What actually happened?

    She thought about it for a long time but could not think of a reasonable answer. She could not put her finger on it, but she felt the whole thing was quite odd!

    ¡°You better pray that Aunt Wang will be fine. Otherwise, you know what the consequences will be! Don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll get away with it just cause Mu Yuchen took the me for you!¡± Gu Lingsha shot Xi Xiaye a fierce look. When her gaze turned towards her arm that was bandaged, her eyes turned cold again!

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes unaffectedly at her. ¡°Of course I¡¯m hoping that VP Wang will be fine, but you¡¯d better not be telling reckless lies. Mr. Mu and I are innocent!¡±

    Gu Lingsha sneered. ¡°You can talk about whether you¡¯re innocent or not at the police station. There were human testimonies and material evidence. How are you trying to get out of this? You can tell the police that because it was dark and you couldn¡¯t see, so it was an idental injury. That way, you might even get a lighter sentence!¡±

    Xi Xiaye ignored her. She could only leave the truth for the police to investigate. She calmly lowered her gaze, and then turned to walk towards Qi Lei. She stopped beside him and looked at him with red eyes and mixed emotions. Although she wanted to say something, she did not how to, so she struggled for a long while before saying softly, ¡°VP Wang will be fine. Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m sorry, but I believe Mr. Mu has no motives. It was because of me...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s slightly raspy voice came through before Qi Lei turned to look at her with a darkened and dazed gaze. Upon seeing how frail she appeared with red eyes and overall simply looking miserable, somethingplicated shed in his dark eyes. He looked at the seat beside him, and after a while, he said in a dry and hoarse voice, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    That voice sounded absent-minded, yet it did not have any intentions to me. There was only a silence that felt stifling. Xi Xiaye looked down and saw his hands that were covered in blood. Her eyes started to well up with hot tears as she could only lower her gaze and turn her head away. Blinking, she subconsciously put a hand to her chest.

    Moments after, when he saw that she did not move, Qi Lei looked at her again. His tall body moved to the side and he sat down in the seat without saying anything. Xi Xiaye watched him for quite a while before turning to signal Li Si who nodded knowingly before turning around towards the corridor.

    Soon, Li Si brought a warm, wet towel over.

    Xi Xiaye took it and handed it to Qi Lei.

    Looking at the towel before him that was still steaming hot, Qi Lei was dazed. He looked up at her, and then took it as he quietly lowered his head and began to wipe the bloodstains on his hands. As he wiped them, he suddenly stopped and stared at the towel which was now colored bright red. He started to be beside himself.

    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be fine?¡±

    It was not sure how long had passed when he suddenly asked that question softly. His voice sounded bleak, and when he asked this, his eyes remained staring at his hands.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Xi Xiaye answered calmly as she sat down slowly beside him.

    <i>Wang Qin will be fine, and so will Mr. Mu. They will all be fine.</i>

    When he heard her determined answer, his handsome face suddenly shed with a smile. The light in his eyes vaguely rxed as he continued to wipe away the bloodstain on his hands again. ¡°She bled a lot. I couldn¡¯t stop it. My shirt¡¯s soaked in her blood. It was the first time I felt so helpless and afraid. On the way while rushing to the dock earlier, she said a lot of things to me, and I found her annoying, so I barely answered her.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye listened, a sourness was felt in the back of her throat, and more hot tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to say some words to console him, yet she did not know where to begin.

    She struggled for a while before saying softly, ¡°VP Wang loves you very much, Qi Lei. She¡¯ll be fine...¡±

    <i>She will be fine. </i>He nodded silently as he thought of that and prayed hard.

    Gu Lingsha, who had also sat down across them, was staring at Qi Lei and Xi Xiaye with a stern expression.

    Qi Lei!

    Since when he had begun to discriminate too?

    Earlier, he was shouting at her, but now...

    He was so certain that Xi Xiaye was innocent!

    Even she could not be sure of this. Now, based on how it looked, it was either Xi Xiaye or Mu Yuchen who had done it.

    They did not know if the target was Gu Lingsha or Wang Qin. With the series of incidents, there were irregrities throughout. What was Qi Lei thinking?

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Right at this moment, Yang Sheng¡¯s rushed footsteps were heard in the corridor. His tone was filled with terror.

    ¡°How¡¯s VP Wang? How¡¯s she now?¡± Yang Sheng came up to them, and upon seeing the row of people waiting outside, he subconsciously looked up at the operating theatre to see that the light was still on.

    Qi Lei did not respond. Instead, it was Gu Lingsha who looked anxiously at Yang Sheng and responded, ¡°Aunt Wang¡¯s still inside. I¡¯ve called Uncle Qi. Assistant Yang, how¡¯s the situation outside?¡±

    ¡°The police have sealed off all information for now. The people on the ship are being investigated. Someone probably did something to the ship because it involves Mu... The police have delegated more manpower to the case, and the truth will prevail.¡±

    Yang Sheng dared not speak recklessly. It was chaotic and dark then. Anything could have happened!

    When he conveyed this information, Yang Sheng subconsciously looked at Xi Xiaye whose expression was glum. He then observed Qi Lei, whose expression also contained worry and uneasiness. He could not help but sigh to himself as he stood quietly to the side and guarded silently.

    It felt as if a decade had passed, and the door to the operating theatre was still closed. Qi Lei¡¯s heart was wrenched bit by bit during the wait. As he was about to crumble, the doors suddenly opened

 Chapter 808 - Bad News (5)

    <h4>Chapter 808: Bad News (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The doctor, who was dressed in a white robe, walked out. Qi Lei and Gu Lingsha were practically the first to go up to them.

    ¡°Doctor! How¡¯s it? How¡¯s my mother?¡±

    Qi Lei steadied his footsteps as his hands gripped the doctor¡¯s cor tightly. He was so strong that he could practically lift the doctor up.

    ¡°Lei, calm down. Let¡¯s hear what the doctor has to say!¡± Gu Lingsha went up and held Qi Lei back before he slowly let go of the doctor. He pushed away Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand that held onto his sleeve as his dark gaze was fixated on the doctor.

    The doctor cleared his throat as he breathed in before darting a nce at Qi Lei. His expression was solemn as he said, ¡°The patient¡¯s injury is too severe. In fact, she¡¯s lost too much blood. We¡¯ve done our best. Please go in and see if she has any final wishes!¡±

    Bam!

    Before the doctor could finish, Qi Lei had already pushed him aside and rushed in. ¡°Impossible! Move!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression shifted as she went in too while Yang Sheng and Li Si rushed closely behind.

    Inside the operating theatre, the doctor had already cleaned Wang Qin up. Shey on the sickbed unmoving. Her face was bloodless, yet at that moment it seemed as if she was the most clear-headed for the first time in her life. Her eyes widened as she looked at the surgical lights overhead.

    ¡°Mother! Mother! How are you? How are you?¡±

    Qi Lei lost control as he rushed in and staggered to kneel by the sickbed. He held both of Wang Qin¡¯s hands tightly as his raspy voice was colored with sourness and pain. He trembled as he felt her cold temperature, and his heart twisted into a knot, hurting very badly.

    ¡°Xiao Lei... don¡¯t be sad. We all have to leave eventually. I just never thought the day woulde so soon. I have lots of regrets like not being able to see you get married and start a family...¡±

    Wang Qin¡¯s voice was already very weak, but she tried hard to maintain that bit of consciousness and lift her hand. When Qi Lei saw that, he quickly brought her hand to his face. ¡°Mother, as long as you¡¯ll get better, I¡¯ll get married right away, and bring your grandchildren. Mother... don¡¯t leave me... Mother, I still need you. I won¡¯t be angry at you anymore. Don¡¯t leave...¡±

    At this instant, for the first time, Qi Lei felt his heart suffocating from hurt. He suddenly hated himself for not treating her well, and not responding to her properly all the years.

    When Wang Qin heard his pleas, sheughed a little weakly. ¡°I¡¯ve got bad luck. When you¡¯re alone now, you have to... take good care of yourself. I¡¯ll watch over you. If I could do it all over again, I would still choose you, Xiao Lei. To me, there¡¯s nothing more important than you. So... so, you have to... live well...¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes instantly turned red as his dry eyes suddenly welled up with hot tears. He clung onto Wang Qin¡¯s hand tightly as he said with a raspy voice, ¡°Mother, I can only live well with you around. Mother!¡±

    Wang Qin changed her tone and said softly, ¡°Be strong... I¡¯ve lost too many things in this lifetime, Xiao Lei... Don¡¯t be like me. You have to seize some things...¡±

    ¡°I got it, Mother, I will!¡±

    Wang Qin breathed strenuously as she looked to the side and saw Xi Xiaye behind Qi Lei. She paused, and then reached out to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Director... Director Xi...¡±

    ¡°VP Wang!¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly closed in and held her hand while her starry eyes could not help but tear up.

    ¡°Director Xi... You and Master Mu... are good people. I trust you too... Xiao Lei... Can I leave him in your hands? I¡¯m afraid that once I¡¯m gone, no one will love and protect him now... Can you... can you promise... me?¡±

    When she reached the end, Wang Qin could not hold on any longer. Her voice was so soft that you could barely hear her.

    ¡°Yes, yes! I promise you, I promise you! Mu Yuchen and I will definitely watch over Qi Lei like our little brother. VP Wang, don¡¯t worry. I promise you!¡± The tears that welled up in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes immediately fell as she quickly assured her.

    ¡°Thank you... thank you...¡± she whispered before her hand fell limp, and she breathed herst breath.

    ¡°Mother! Mother! Don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t go!¡± Qi Lei shouted in his hoarse voice, yet no matter how much he shook her, Wang Qin was gone.

    Xi Xiaye turned away sadly and blinked her tearful eyes. Her chest felt surges of pain, and she had to take many deep breaths and cover her face as she looked tearfully at Wang Qin who had passed away on the sickbed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t die! Mother! Wake up, wake up!¡± Qi Lei broke down as he shook Wang Qin¡¯s body profusely while it gradually turned colder. His bloodshot eyes were like an injured beast¡¯s. He finally could not bear the anguish as he cried out loud, ¡°Ah! Why?! Why?!¡±

    Qi Lei punched the bedhead. With a loud crack, his fist swelled up too.

    ¡°VP Wang!¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes had reddened too. He quickly rushed up to hold Qi Lei back. ¡°Master Qi, please calm down!¡±

    ¡°Why?! Let go of me!¡± Qi Lei cried out loudly as he struggled hard. He pushed Yang Sheng to the ground with his fist as he rushed out like a madman!

    Xi Xiaye could not react soon enough, and her expression changed slightly as she called out to him, ¡°Qi Lei! Where are you going?!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng screamed, not caring less about the pain all over him. He quickly chased after him. Xi Xiaye sniffled and quickly turned to order Li Si, ¡°Arrange for her funeral. Don¡¯t make it public first. I¡¯ll go take a look!¡±

    ¡°Okay, Missus, be careful!¡±

    LI Si did not have time to snap back from the grief. His eyes were filled with pity and sorrow, so he could only give her a short answer. Without waiting for him to finish, Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure had already begun chasing after Qi Lei.

    Gu Lingsha was stopped outside the door to the operating theatre. When she heard the pained cries, she could guess that things did not turn out well. Her lowered gaze hid an indistinct light as a delightful sneer shed on the inside, yet her expression remained morose. Just as she wanted to break free from the bodyguards holding her back, Qi Lei suddenly rushed out from the operating theatre like a madman. He pushed her away with force, and Gu Lingsha was caught off guard as she bumped hard into the wall.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Her wound was hit, sending excruciating pain through her nerves. Gu Lingsha reflexively shrieked. When she looked up, she saw that Qi Lei had already rushed ahead like a hurricane ready to wreak havoc while Yang Sheng and Xi Xiaye followed him closely behind.

    At this second, hurried footsteps came from the empty corridor in front. When Qi Lei looked over with furiously bloodshot eyes, he saw that Qi Qiming and his secretary had rushed over.

    Fury shed in his eyes immediately as he went up to Qi Qiming in grief and anger!

 Chapter 809 - How Could You? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 809: How Could You? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It happened too quickly. The father and son pair were already in a tussle before Xi Xiaye could react.

    Qi Lei threw a heavy punch at Qi Qiming. It was so powerful that Qi Qiming¡¯s face swelled up almost instantly. He groaned in pain as he spat blood out!

    ¡°Why are you here?! Why did youe?! Are you the one that killed her? You bastard, how could you do this to her?! Why don¡¯t you go and die? Why is she the one dead instead of you?!¡± Qi Lei grabbed Qi Qiming¡¯s cor and pinned him to the wall, punching him in the stomach several times. His eyes were ferociously cold as his veins popped.

    ¡°Master Qi! Calm down, Master Qi! Stop hitting him!¡±

    ¡°You unfilial son! Mu Yuchen killed your mother! You idiot! How dare you do this to your father?! How could I have given birth to trash like you?!¡±

    Qi Qiming was mad as well. His eyes were red as he gave Qi Lei a cold re.

    The bodyguards went up and pulled them apart although Qi Lei was struggling to rush forward.

    ¡°Stop, Uncle Qi! Aunt Wang had already passed away. Can¡¯t you guys let her go in peace? It¡¯s enough! Stop fighting!¡± Gu Lingsha endured her pain and stopped Qi Qiming from going forward.

    ¡°My father? My father? A bastard like you as my father? Are you even worthy? You scum! How have you been treating my mother all these years? You married her, slept with her, and this is how you treat her! She¡¯s dead now. Shouldn¡¯t you be dead to apany her as well? How could you hurt her? Why don¡¯t you just die?¡± Qi Lei started yelling at Qi Qiming angrily.

    ¡°Stop talking, Qi Lei. Look at where we are right now!¡± Gu Lingsha was worried when she saw Qi Qiming¡¯s expression getting paler. ¡°Uncle Qi, you should probably head back for now.¡±

    Qi Qiming nced at Qi Lei angrily as he wiped the blood off his face. ¡°Take him away! Reckless idiot!¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi...¡±

    As the bodyguards were about to say something, Qi Qiming turned around and walked into the operating theatre.

    He did not forget to give Xi Xiaye a cold re when he walked past her!

    ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me if you don¡¯t want to die! Get lost, Qi Qiming. You have no right to see her! Don¡¯t mess up her path towards reincarnation! Get lost!¡±

    Qi Lei struggled and was almost going crazy. Xi Xiaye signaled the bodyguard beside her who then went up and rendered Qi Lei unconscious with a chop on the back of his neck.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get him back. It¡¯s been a tough day for everyone, especially him,¡± Xi Xiaye sniffled as she spoke in a hoarse voice.

    Yang Sheng nodded. He then left together with the bodyguards holding Qi Lei.

    Inside the operating theatre, Qi Qiming arrived beside Wang Qin¡¯s lifeless body before him without any expression. He stared at her pale face for a long time and suddenly put on a cold smile.

    ¡°Do you believe what I said now? I told you, you¡¯d regret the choices you¡¯ve made. Wang Qin, Wang Qin... You¡¯re a smart woman. Why would you want to do this?¡±

    Qi Qiming took a breather as his cold eyes turnedplicated. He touched the swollen part on his face before he continued, ¡°I know you hate me. I hate you as well. Haven¡¯t you always fought me like your deadliest enemy your whole life? You¡¯re too headstrong, and your son is the same! It¡¯s good that you¡¯re dead. At least, you don¡¯t have to see me again. Pray that you won¡¯t meet me in your next life!¡±

    There were no emotions in his words as he looked at Wang Qin who was now lying dead on the bed. Then, he looked at her left hand. As expected, she was not wearing anything on it, so he went over and took out a diamond ring from his pocket to put onto her left ring finger.

    ¡°This is your final punishment. Be tagged with my name even after your death! Let your hatred continue!¡± Qi Qiming finally let go of her hand and then left the operating theatre.

    Rain continued to fall outside along with the frequent thunder. The cold wind was freezing like Xi Xiaye¡¯s tired heart at that moment.

    Her expression was sorrowful when she watched Yang Sheng and Li Si put Qi Lei into the car.

    ¡°Li Si, get two people to help Assistant Yang send Qi Lei home. Take care of him well tonight and let him have a good sleep. As for CEO Wang¡¯s funeral, please arrange it. Li Si, see if there¡¯s anything we can help with the police. Let her rest in peace as soon as possible,¡± said Xi Xiaye as she blinked her teary eyes.

    Li Si nodded.¡±Yes, don¡¯t worry, Missus!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Director Xi!¡± Yang Sheng offered his gratitude, but his eyes looked at Xi Xiaye with aplicated feeling.

    The news was all about how Master Mu had identally killed Wang Qin. It was definitely possible under those circumstances. Some news portals even reported having witnessed Mu Yuchen stabbing Wang Qin¡¯s torso.

    It was still unclear at this point in time.

    He wondered what Master Qi was thinking. Would he also think that Mu Yuchen killed CEO Wang?

    There were no answers right now, and none of the guesses could be validated. The only thing left to do was to wait for the investigation results from the police.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s fine. Send him back now, and let me know if you need anything,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    Yang Sheng nodded before boarding the car and drove away as Xi Xiaye¡¯s ride arrived beside her.

    A strong gust blew, making Xi Xiaye¡¯s body shudder and the frost almost tripped her. She held onto the car door and managed to stay standing up.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    Li Si and Ji Zitong quickly went over.

    Xi Xiaye raised her hand and stopped them. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m just a little tired. Li Si, go and handle the funeral and sort things out with the police.¡±

 Chapter 810 - How Could You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 810: How Could You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Li Si nodded as he gave Xi Xiaye another concerned look. ¡°You have to take care of yourself well, Missus. Don¡¯t be too sad about CEO Wang¡¯s misfortune tonight. We can¡¯t control the matters of life and death. Master will return safely and the police will find the real perpetrator. CEO Wang will be able to rest in peace by then.¡±

    ¡°I know, but your Master is now... and Qi Lei...¡± Xi Xiaye put on a bitter smile as her mind reyed the scene where Mu Yuchen left with the police as well as Wang Qin¡¯s final moments.

    ¡°Alright now. That¡¯s all for tonight. You should head back as well, Zitong. It¡¯s past dawn and I¡¯m sure Su Chen is still waiting for you at home. I need to go back to thepany. Vice President Zhang is probably still busy. There are more tough challenges awaiting us tomorrow...¡±

    Xi Xiaye then got into the car, quickly followed by Ji Zitong.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let me be your bodyguard for the next few days.¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s tone was firm as she traded nces with Li Si who nodded as she gave him a calming smile.

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she looked at Ji Zitong. She did not say anything and just leaned back to take a rest with her eyes closed.

    The night was gettingte and the rain continued to stter on the cold window. The thick curtains were starting to get wet, yet the person standing by the window did not seem to be affected by the cold at all.

    The subordinate in the suit gave his report to the man before him, ¡°Boss, Mu Yuchen has been arrested by the police. We just received news from the hospital that Wang Qin is dead. Qi Qiming went over and fought with Qi Lei. Ms. Lingsha¡¯s injury is fine, and the police are involved.¡±

    The man in the ck suit guffawed coldly. ¡°Mu Yuchen, you took this upon yourself. I¡¯m going to see what you¡¯ll do this time!¡±

    ¡°Boss, there was some error in the operation this time. We...¡±

    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s marvelous. I¡¯m extremely satisfied with the oue. At first, I just wanted to give Mu Yuchen a warning and let him have a taste of losing someone dear to him, but since he got himself involved, it¡¯s great for us. I¡¯ll see how Glory World will be ruined in his hands. That idiot Qi Qiming should be thanking me for getting rid of a nuisance for him, killing three birds with one stone!¡± The man smiled ruthlessly as he coughed a little.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Boss. What should we do with that person?!¡±

    ¡°Give him some money and arrange for him to leave the country as far away as possible. Make sure that he doesn¡¯te back to City Z ever again. Erase all his information and contacts once he¡¯s left. Don¡¯t leave any traces. It¡¯d be best if he got involved in an ident abroad and never returns again. Understand?¡± said the man in the ck suit.

    His subordinate nodded and replied respectfully, ¡°Yes! I understand!¡±

    ¡°Besides, have someone to keep an eye on the police station. Report to me if anyone peculiar visits Mu Yuchen. Mu Tangchuan and the others will never let Mu Yuchen stay in jail like this. They will surely think of some way to rescue him, but I¡¯ll make sure that Mu Yuchen stays in jail for a few years. Even if he¡¯s lucky enough to get out, he won¡¯t be in control anymore!¡±

    ¡°Yes! What should we do on Australia¡¯s side?¡± the subordinate asked again.

    ¡°Let them investigate. We can stand back and just watch from now on. Mu Yuchen, you have no way of running now. I used to have high expectations of him, but now...¡± He seemed unimpressed. The cold air had anotheryer of chilly aura added to it.

    As Li Si barely finished making arrangements at the hospital, he received Lawyer Wang¡¯s call, and he quickly rushed over to the police station.

    The police had finished interrogating Mu Yuchen. He was forced to stay there at the moment, and Lawyer Wang was by his side when he came out of the interrogation room.

    Lawyer Wang kept the documents into his briefcase as he told Mu Yuchen, ¡°Master, it¡¯s mostly done with the police at the moment. I¡¯ll think of a way to find evidence and clear you of your charges. Just remember that you didn¡¯t do anything. You were framed.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was calm although a brief light shed past in his dark eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just do whatever you can. Tell Li Si to do what I¡¯ve told him to do before.¡±

    He then walked over with two police officers behind him who were too afraid to put handcuffs on him. Momentster, they all disappeared in the corner.

    Lawyer Wang had juste out of the station when Li Si arrived.

    ¡°Lawyer Wang! How is it? What¡¯s happening to Master? How is he doing?¡± Li Si was worried as he fired numerous questions at once.

    ¡°The police just finished interrogating him. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be able to find evidence to prove Master¡¯s innocence since he didn¡¯t do it. By the way, did Master tell you to do something? He said for you to do whatever he ordered you to do before.¡± Lawyer Wang was confused because he was not sure what Mu Yuchen meant by that.

    Li Si¡¯s eyes gleamed as he nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will.¡±

    Although Li Si did not know his Master¡¯s intentions, he supposed the situation was not as horrible as he thought. After all, he had already noticed something was wrong when they were on their way there. Master might have been trying to lure out the mastermind and make aeback!

    It was amon tactic for him to use.

    However, to use Glory World as a bet...

    Only his Master would have this courage to do so although Missus was worried sick and Wang Qin was...

    It was all unexpected. Who could have thought the mastermind would be this cruel?

    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Wang Qin? Did she survive?¡± Lawyer Wang asked.

    Li Si¡¯s eyes dimmed as he replied, ¡°She just passed away in the hospital. Missus told me to handle her funeral. The police might be heading over to retrieve the evidenceter.¡±

 Chapter 811 - Inside Story (1)

    <h4>Chapter 811: Inside Story (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Li Si said that, Lawyer Wang¡¯s expression sank. He hesitated momentarily, and then said regretfully, ¡°I really didn¡¯t think that she couldn¡¯t make it in the end. I¡¯ve met Wang Qin. She¡¯s a ssic iron woman of the business world, but right now, I do find it a pity.¡±

    Li Si nodded as he sighed softly. ¡°Now that VP Wang is gone, Qi Kai¡¯s going to be a mess again. Master¡¯s still inside there right now, and I don¡¯t know if Master Qi¡¯s going to make it. If Qi Qiming... Sigh, Lawyer Wang, you must find a way concerning Master¡¯s matter. Do your best to get him out. Missus is worried sick now too. Elder CEO and Elder Madam don¡¯t know yet. I wonder how¡¯s the situation on Chief Zhuang¡¯s end now.¡±

    Lawyer Wang nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go do my work now. If there¡¯s anything, contact me by phone,¡± Li Si said before he got into the car and left the police station swiftly.

    The night that was tossed about by wind and rain was not destined to be peaceful. Xi Xiaye rushed back to Glory World while Zhang Lan called everyone to discuss strategies. Xi Xiaye joined the discussion too. Afterward, at dawn, they finally came up with the initial steps to handle the situation. Everyone was quite tired after pulling an all-nighter, what more Xi Xiaye.

    Inside the office of Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman.

    Xi Xiaye was sitting on the chair at Mu Yuchen¡¯s desk with her back to the door. She quietly watched as a clear sky gradually appeared in the window. With her frail figure sheltered by the chair, she seemed even more fragile.

    She had been busy the entire night, and now that it was dawn, even though she was exhausted, she did not have the mood to sleep. She closed her eyes, and all she saw was Mu Yuchen turning around to leave with the police, Wang Qin at herst breath, and Qi Lei on the verge of a breakdown.

    An indescribable feeling of gloominess weighed on her chest when she thought about Mu Yuchen. Apart from feeling touched, she felt even more heartbroken.

    He was always so honorable to her.

    She felt deeply sorry for Wang Qin¡¯s passing and even pitied Qi Lei. Their fates were very simr, but she was a little luckier, but at least, ever since she had Mu Yuchen, everything that she had lost, he had slowly found them back for her.

    She only hoped that Qi Lei could have a better life from now on.

    She looked out the window quietly for a long while. The ss of water which she held that was initially warm had be cold when she quietly averted her gaze.

    Ji Zitong, who had rested in the resting lounge outside, was quite energetic at the moment. When she saw the way Xi Xiaye had not slept the whole night, she could not help but worry, so she reminded her, ¡°Director Xi, you should rest. When it¡¯s light, you¡¯ll have a lot to do. You¡¯ve got to watch yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I couldn¡¯t sleep either. It¡¯s fine on my end. You should go home. You can¡¯t be of help with thepany matters anyway. I don¡¯t know how to exin to Su Chen that I¡¯ve exhausted you now. Li Si and the rest are here for the matters toe, so it should be fine.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked to Ji Zitong, paused, and then continued, ¡°I haven¡¯t even had the chance to prepare a gift for you and Su Chen¡¯s new marriage.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯re not nning to have a wedding either. Anyway, we¡¯ll talkter on. I¡¯ll go home now. Let me know if you need anything. I¡¯ll be at the flower shop. I usually don¡¯t have much work anyway, but I believe that soon, it¡¯ll all be okay,¡± Ji Zitong said, unsure whether that wasforting or not.

    Xi Xiaye nodded dly and moved towards the table before she quickly made a call. ¡°Xiao Mei, organize for a car right away to send Miss Ji home.¡±

    ...

    Not too long after Ji Zitong left, the sky began to turn bright.

    The incidentst night was clearly a very controversial one. Vice President Wang Qin of Qi Kai was stabbed and had passed away in the hospital, and the suspect, Glory World¡¯s Chairman Mu Yuchen, was detained by the police at the moment!

    This was shocking news!

    With the asionst night, the whole news spread even faster. The entire country had probably heard of it by now.

    It was such a huge matter, so naturally, it could not be hidden from Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong. Last night, when she was busy working and remembered them, it was alreadyte at night. She thought Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong must have been asleep, so she did not make the call.

    When the phone rang, it was only daybreak.

    It was Mu Tangchuan, and Xi Xiaye rushed to the old Mu residence.

    At the Mu residence, Xi Xiaye had just walked into the living room when she could faintly feel the stifling atmosphere. Mu Zicheng¡¯s cries could be heard. She looked toward the sound and saw that Mu Tangchuan and the rest were sitting on the sofa in the living room. Wang Hui was coaxing Mu Zicheng who wept incessantly while Mu Yinan was reading the newspaper. Mu Tangchuan and the rest fixed their eyes on the papers too, all their expressions solemn. Zhuang Shurong was not back from work abroad yet.

    ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother, Father! Xiao Cheng!¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly walked in.

    ¡°Xiaye! You¡¯re back! What happened to Ah Chen? It¡¯s only been a night and such a huge thing has happened. What do they mean? identally injured? Where¡¯s Ah Chen right now? What¡¯s the deal with all of this?¡±

    The moment she saw Xi Xiaye appear, Wang Hui anxiously walked up to her. Mu Zicheng cried nonstop in her arms as if he could feel the uneasiness in the adults¡¯ hearts. His little pair of hands struggled and waved in the air.

    ¡°Xiao Cheng¡¯s been crying ever since he woke up this morning. I think he must miss the two of you!¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly took her son from Wang Hui¡¯s arms as she softly coaxed him. After a while, the little fellow finally stopped crying.

    She held the milk bottle and fed him for a bit before he fell asleep soundly. Then, she handed him to Aunt Fang. On the side, Mu Yinan and Mu Tangchuan were looking at Xi Xiaye, waiting for her answer.

    Xi Xiaye roughly exined the whole incident to them, and all of their expressions instantly turned grim. Even Mu Tangchuan, who was usually calm and collected, now looked unusually grave as heaviness gathered in his eyes. His tone was extremely grave with a hint of worry. ¡°Based on what you¡¯re saying, someone deliberately framed you two?¡±

    ¡°Glory World¡¯s been emerging at a rapid speed in the past few years. It¡¯s normal to be attracting trouble. Now that Glory World and Qi Kai are coborating, I¡¯m sure everyone will know how Qi Kai¡¯s situation is. This person chose Wang Qin of all people. It¡¯s just too coincidental!¡± Mu Yinan analyzed calmly.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen says that he has his own ns. Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, he asks for all of you not to get involved.¡±

 Chapter 812 - Inside Story (2)

    <h4>Chapter 812: Inside Story (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye shared Mu Yuchen¡¯s message with everyone.

    ¡°Nonsense! This is a severe matter. He¡¯s telling us not to get involved? Does he think he can count on himself to get him out? Who is the one with such motives? We have to investigate it thoroughly. In fact, from what I can see, many people are implicated too. This is bad!¡± Mu Tangchuan shouted angrily. He knew what Mu Yuchen was thinking. He probably did not want to impliacte him and Zhuang Shurong.

    Mu Tangchuan knew his son very well. Ever since he was young, he would not be willing to beg them for anything. It was not that they had a poor father and son rtionship, but Mu Yuchen had been very independent since he was young. He was also sensible and would very knowingly think from him and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s perspectives. In fact, as the eldest brother, he always set a good example and was protective over Lingshi and the rest while he himself...

    Mu Tangchuan had always felt like he let down his son, but he and Mu Yuchen were quite simr in terms of personality. They were both reserved people, so...

    ¡°How are things at thepany?¡± Mu Yinan, who had been quiet on the side, asked.

    ¡°Just as he predicted, when I returned earlier, I received VP Zhang Lan¡¯s call. Glory World¡¯s shares have begun to destabilize. Now, the media¡¯s spreading this news all around. It¡¯s normal for the shares to be affected. I¡¯ve already discussed a temporary countermeasure with some of the higher ups, and I let VP Zhang Lan execute it. I hope that it can stabilize things for a while, and it won¡¯t fall too badly. Besides, Lawyer Wang¡¯s been looking for evidence to help Ah Chen from being the suspect. As he ordered, I went to look for Su Chenst night. Su Chen said he¡¯d think of something with Zimo,¡± Xi Xiaye exined softly.

    ¡°Tangchuan, think of something. Go see Ah Chen. Find out what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s already gone over our heads! You and Ah Rong haven¡¯t cared much for him all these years. You know yourself how well you¡¯ve been as parents. Now, your child¡¯s in trouble. Do something!¡± Mu Yinan demanded.

    As Mu Yinan spoke, his aged voice was colored with unhappiness. Worried as he was, he could not help but be furious at Mu Tangchuan too. He rolled the newspaper in hand and tossed it into the bin as he said with a heavy voice, ¡°What nonsense! These reporters really have nothing better to do! What do they mean by manughter? How about they exin what manughter is? Did they see Ah Chen do it themselves? I can¡¯t stand these people. They just want to report nonsense for the attention!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression sunk as dimness shed across his dark gaze.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that Mu Yinan and Mu Tangchuan were so dejected, she advised, ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t worry. I believe him. Let¡¯s just straighten things out. We¡¯ll let the few Vice Presidents hold down the fort at thepany. The most important to do right now is to find out what really happened.¡±

    Then, she turned to look at Mu Tangchuan. ¡°Father, Ah Chen¡¯s just saying that he hopes you and Mother won¡¯t worry about this first. I think he should have his own ns. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have told me that. He said to let Su Chen find a way to meet him. I think he has some things to discuss.¡±

    At the moment, Xi Xiaye was extremely anxious too, but after she calmed down and thought about it, the fact that he could be calm in such a tense situation and not look anxious must mean that he should have made other ns, so she felt much more rxed too.

    Mu Tangchuan thought for a bit before he said, ¡°I¡¯ll exin it to your mother. Xiaye, you have to shoulder more burden about thepany¡¯s matters right now. I¡¯m going out.¡± With that, he left.

    As Xi Xiaye watched his figure vanish out the door, she breathed in slightly, and when she thought about how things were a mess at the moment, she could not help but feel a headachee.

    ¡°Alright, look at you. You didn¡¯t sleep for the whole night, did you? Go home and get some good sleep. Leave Xiao Cheng with me for the next few days. Pick Xiao Ru up on the weekend. Don¡¯t worry about the children. You have quite a lot on your mind with thepany, and you¡¯ve just recovered too. Take it easy.¡±

    When Wang Hui saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s fatigue that could not be concealed, she advised the girl gently. Her sharp eyes looked at Mu Yinan who also seemed worried. ¡°Alright, calm down now. It¡¯s not a huge deal. Since everyone¡¯s clear, now is the time to find evidence and prove Ah Chen¡¯s innocence. There¡¯s no use worrying. We¡¯ll have to get moving! Go do what we should be doing!¡±

    Wang Hui had been in the army her whole life, so she was quite frank about the entire situation. After having heard so much, she clearly believed her own kin.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you then, Grandfather and Grandmother. I¡¯ll leave Xiao Cheng to you for the next few days. I can¡¯t bex on thepany¡¯s end. Besides, I still have to go take a look at Master Qi¡¯s end too.¡±

    ¡°Whatever it is, you have to watch your health. Don¡¯t fall sick now.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Xi Xiaye still did not have time to take a breather. After she exined a little more, she rushed out of the door, recalling that she should check on how things were at the police station.

    ...

    Like Xi Xiaye who had been worried the whole night, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo had not slept either as they had been stewing about this.

    The next morning, Su Chen secretly went to the police station. He had just parked when he saw Xi Xiaye waiting outside the station. She must havee to see Mu Yuchen but clearly failed to.

    As Su Chen watched Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure shiver in the cold amid the wind and rain, he only sighed to himself, before turning to say to Secretary He, ¡°Secretary, go call Missus Mu over.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Chief Su!¡± Secretary He answered, and then got down from the car.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye walked over to him. When she got into the car and saw Su Chen, she could not care less about the cold she felt. She looked hopefully at him. ¡°They won¡¯t let me see him, Su Chen. Do you have a way for me to see him? I¡¯m really worried...¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s steadfast, handsome face looked a little gloomy too, and his eyes were dark. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You still can¡¯t see him now. Xiaye, you look weak. You should go home and rest first. Leave this to me. Zimo¡¯s already rushing towards Glory World. Don¡¯t fret about anything right now. Just rest well. Otherwise, the person inside will worry too.¡±

    ¡°But I, I...¡±

    ¡°No buts. The only thing you can do right now is trust Ah Chen and us. Watch thepany for him, and take care of your son. Listen to me. Go home and rest right away. I¡¯ll find a way to meet him.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s tone allowed no room for rejection. He had just finished speaking when he immediately told Secretary Ho to send Xi Xiaye back to her car. Then, he watched her car leave. A long whileter, he rushed into the police office.

 Chapter 813 - Inside Story (3)

    <h4>Chapter 813: Inside Story (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Obviously, it required some work, but Su Chen finally met Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen was arranged to be kept in custody alone. When Su Chen went in, Mu Yuchen was sitting on the hard stool and closing his eyes to rest. His manners remained noble and extraordinary. Steady and calm, his clothes were tidy although his white sleeve was stained with fragmented dark red blots that had already dried up.

    Su Chen stopped at the door for quite a while. With his handsome brows raised, he could not help but be speechless.

    Everyone was an anxious mess outside while a certain someone seemed quite rxed in this quiet ce. He did not look nervous or worried at all.

    After a while, he shook his head and then walked in.

    When he heard footsteps, Mu Yuchen calmly opened his eyes and looked up to the source of the sound.

    Su Chen sat down across him and smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there¡¯de a day you¡¯d be like this, but you seem quite rxed and natural in this terrible ce! Earlier, when I came over, I saw a certain woman outside anxious and frantic while a certain someone else has been quite calm!¡±

    When he heard this, a hint of light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm gaze. He asked softly, ¡°How¡¯s she?¡± His voice was a little deep and raspy, and you could tell he was a little bit worried.

    ¡°How¡¯s she? How else could she be? When she came looking for mest night, she was worried to the point of tears. After that I was anxious, so I told Zitong to apany her. Earlier, I saw that she was looking quite wan and sallow. She must have pulled an all-nightst night.¡± Su Chen¡¯s teasing tone eased as he answered seriously.

    A faint heartache shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. He lowered his gaze and said helplessly, ¡°She¡¯s like that. I knew it.¡±

    ¡°Fine, how about you exin what this is all about? You¡¯re already at this point. Don¡¯t tell me that Mu Yuchen would do something this dumb. What is actually going on? Tell me. Quickly find out the truth about this whole thing and leave this damned ce! Otherwise, the people outside will really need to be worried now,¡± Su Chen simply asked, not quite able to stand the way his friend looked.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze dimmed, his handsome face returning to its usual calm. ¡°I might need to stay in here for a few more days. Help me take care of things outside.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what is it? Bing the ck sheep isn¡¯t something different you would do. Do you have any ns? Who dares to scratch the Buddha¡¯s head?¡±

    Su Chen obviously knew how Mu Yuchen was like. This incident was filled with oddities, so he was really curious.

    ¡°Who do you think could do this?¡± Mu Yuchen looked up calmly at Su Chen.

    Su Chen frowned and squinted at him. He thought about it before testing, ¡°Someone I know.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze was stunned and then he nodded gently. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Glory World has been racking up quite a few rivals these few years. If I were to really guess, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d be a little hard, but I¡¯ve straightened things out with Zimo before. All of your movements could roughly ruffle the feathers of two people. In fact, only these two people would have the most animosity toward you and have the abilities to pull this off,¡± Su Chen fixed his gaze on Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm and unaffected gaze as he said with a faint smile.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, his calm lips gently started and curved into a faint smile. He reached out towards Su Chen¡¯s pocket and very quickly took out a cigarette box to slide a stick out. He took a drag and then handed it back to Su Chen. ¡°I want to hear it.¡±

    Su Chen lit a stick up too. Just as he floated the cigarette at his lips, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Is it that one from the Qi family, or the one from City B? Apart from them, I don¡¯t think anyone has the ability to pull this off. In fact, could they have easily walked into the venue themselves? I gave Li Si a call earlier and got some news from his end.¡±

    He calmly exhaled the smoke before Mu Yuchen nodded gently and said softly, ¡°You could all guess it too. It looks like this storm won¡¯t be calming down so soon.¡±

    When he heard his friend sigh, Su Chen could only reach out to pat him on the shoulder. ¡°These grudges should be resolved. Haven¡¯t you been able to let go of these things all these years? Hello, who is it? Is it the one from the Qi family? Is it because of revenge?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s slender fingers gently tapped the cigarette, and with the ashes that dropped to the ground, he said softly, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do that. Even though he has many weaknesses, he wouldn¡¯t have made a move on Wang Qin.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. After all, she is his wife. In fact, they have a son who was right there. He wouldn¡¯t have been so dumb. That means we¡¯re only left with that other person! ¡± Su Chen narrowed his eyes at him again.

    Mu Yuchen straightened up slightly and leaned back against his chair. The smile on his face suddenly turned bitter although his tone remained quite calm. ¡°Who else could it be apart from him?¡±

    ¡°Is it really him? How do you know?¡± Su Chen¡¯s expression changed slightly as his gaze began to look solemn.

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly, and he took a drag, a little annoyed. ¡°After thest auction, I arranged for people to secretly watch him in City B. I roughly know what happened. I¡¯d just gotten the news from Ah Mo in France the day before yesterday. Gu Qiwu didn¡¯t even go to France. After that, I found out from Ah Bao that actually he¡¯s returned to City Z. Actually, I even found out which hotel he stayed at. It¡¯s not too far away from the South River dock.¡±

    ¡°After that? Why did he suddenlye to City Z? The South River dock? Was he really after you?¡± Su Chen asked, puzzled. He paused, thinking that it was odd. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. There was indeed some bad blood between them and the Mu family, but to say it¡¯s a motive, I think...¡±

    ¡°He has thergest motive. It¡¯s <i>Qingming </i>tomorrow. It¡¯s been six years. I think, this time, he should be making a visit to West Hill Cemetery.¡± Mu Yuchen tossed the half-smoked cigarette onto the ground while his low raspy voice sounded quite bleak.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Su Chen¡¯s gaze darkened. He stared at Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face and took in all of his expressions. For some reason, he could feel a bleak stillness. In fact, upon looking closely, he could unexpectedly notice sparse helplessness as the light in his eyes made him seem sober.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to hold his forehead habitually before gently massaging it. The light in his eyes darkened. ¡°Wait till Ah Bao verifies it. You¡¯ll understand.¡±

 Chapter 814 - Inside Story (4)

    <h4>Chapter 814: Inside Story (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen was stunned for a moment. He stared at Mu Yuchen as he recalled his conversation with Zhou Zimost night. Then, he patted Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder again. ¡°Alright, I can somewhat guess what happened. It¡¯s been some time since you started investigating Lingshi¡¯s background. I don¡¯t see you doing anything else ever since you returned from City B thest time, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve found something.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not deny it. He replied, ¡°Zimo should¡¯ve told you about this.¡±

    Su Chen nodded as his tone became lower. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it when I listened to Zimo¡¯s analysis, but I suppose it¡¯s not far from the truth now that I¡¯ve spoken to you. Gu Qiwu should be the person Lingshi and we have been looking for!¡±

    ¡°I sensed that something wasn¡¯t right when all the evidence pointed towards Qi Qiming. If it really was Qi Qiming, he wouldn¡¯t have that kind of rtionship with Lu Xin. Moreover, Qi Qiming was in contact with Lu Xin before she met my aunt. Do you think Lu Xin would have allowed my aunt to have a romantic rtionship with Qi Qiming?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Su Chen as he spoke calmly.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I do remember Sis Lan being on very good terms with Aunt Mu Zi, but when romance is involved, friendship can get pretty fragile there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t think Qi Qiming was that person, but I still did a DNA test just to make sure, and the results confirmed my guess.¡±

    ¡°Lu Xin probably knew something, but she didn¡¯t want to spill it even right before her death. I¡¯m not sure what she was trying to do.¡± Su Chen¡¯s eyes were filled with doubt as he spoke.

    Mu Yuchen nced over at the blood-stained area on his cor before he closed his eyes. ¡°She knew. Actually, she¡¯s just trying to protect my aunt. I can understand what she felt. Maybe she felt responsible for my aunt¡¯s unfortunate end and her neglect towards Lingtian and Lingshi.¡±

    Su Chen found it a little hard to breathe all of a sudden. He calmed down before looking at Mu Yuchen firmly. ¡°How are you going to tell Lingshi this? Does she know? I don¡¯t think she can take it if she finds out!¡±

    He could not imagine how huge of an impact this would be on her if this news made it out to the public! Suddenly, he understood why they could not find the person after so many years of investigation.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply as his expression darkened.

    ¡°But if it¡¯s really him, why didn¡¯t he reunite with Lingtian and Lingshi? Hasn¡¯t he always had a strained rtionship with your family? How did he get together with Aunt Mu Zi?¡± Su Chen still found it unbelievable.

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes slowly as a faint light shed in his eyes, yet he did not answer.

    Su Chen stopped the conversation when he noticed that his expression seemed unwell. He handed the pack of cigarettes over, but Mu Yuchen declined it this time.

    ¡°What have you nned to get yourself out of this mess? I¡¯m sure you have a n since you¡¯re so calm under such circumstances. Glory World¡¯s shares are already affected. All the media are reporting about this, and Xi Xiaye is facing enormous pressure.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply to Su Chen¡¯s question. He asked one instead, ¡°How¡¯s Wang Qin?¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s expression darkened, and he paused before replying, ¡°She didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression clouded as well. He looked downwards at the blood on his cor, not showing any emotions in particr, but Su Chen could feel a chilly aura emanating from him.

    ¡°Gu Lingsha¡¯s injury is minor. It was just a scratch on her arm. As for Wang Qin, if there¡¯s no evidence that can clear you of suspicion, you¡¯ll definitely be in trouble. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re really going to stay here.¡± Su Chen nced at Mu Yuchen in concern.

    ¡°Give it some time. I have a favor to ask from you,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Su Chen for a while before he closed in. He whispered into Su Chen¡¯s ear, his expression going strained and then rxing. Su Chen gave Mu Yuchen aplicated nce as he asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but from my understanding, he¡¯ll probably do that. I¡¯m not his only target. I¡¯ve had people investigate his background. He got together with my aunt after he was married to Doris, and in that span of a few years, my aunt gave birth to Lingtian and Lingshi. It¡¯s already a fact that they are actual siblings. Do you think a man would find another woman if he truly loves his wife?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was cold while his expression was still calm.

    ¡°So, you mean Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s lovey-dovey act is all fake?¡± Su Chen looked at Mu Yuchen in disbelief as he went over this newfound knowledge. ¡°That¡¯s impossible, right? That reasoning feels too weak. Everyone in City B knows Gu Qiwu loves Doris. He could give up everything for her. He even offered 30% of Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s shares as a gift in order to show his sincerity in marrying her. It was huge news back then. Their wedding was extremely extravagant as well. It was one-of-a-kind! I attended dinners with them when I went abroad to work in City B before. That kind of bond between them can¡¯t possibly be faked.¡±

    But Lingshi...

    How could that be exined?

 Chapter 815 - Inside Story (5)

    <h4>Chapter 815: Inside Story (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen did not exin. Instead, he grinned mysteriously.

    ¡°Ah Mo found something interesting in Australia. I¡¯m sure he knows that I can¡¯t leave here for a little while. Contact him and tell him to return to France once he¡¯s done there. They need to stand their ground there.¡±

    Instead of replying Mu Yuchen, Su Chen started, ¡°I heard from Xiaye that the perpetrator was trying to frame her, and you...¡±

    A helpless expression surfaced on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not letting her bear this burden. It isn¡¯t my intention to involve her in this. Blocking her in the tunnel, and the ident at the wedding... Those were all warnings and provocations for me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that Xiaye and you love each other, but with Wang Qin¡¯s death, I¡¯m afraid Qi Lei... If he really does believe you did it, that just means he¡¯s a fool. There¡¯s no point being friends with him anymore!¡± Su Chen frowned.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Qi Lei isn¡¯t that stupid. I have high hopes for him. I¡¯m sure part of the intention behind this incident was to sever our trust, but that¡¯s not the main purpose. Glory World and Fuhua are working together to get South River Project No. 2. Our opponent is Qi Kai. They can¡¯t afford to let us get the project, that¡¯s one. Secondly, it should be because of Lingtian. I could sense that Ah Mo would give us some very important information.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± Su Chen asked as he frowned.

    ¡°Ah Mo has been working beside me for many years. I know how he works very well. He¡¯d report to me almost every day whenever I sent him to work abroad, but this time around, he hasn¡¯t contacted me for several days. However, Lingshi frequently calls her sister-inw, so they should be getting close to Lingshi.¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly thought of something. He looked at Su Chen as his eyes were tinted with slight loneliness. ¡°Please get them some white lilies when you go and visit them tomorrow. Assure Xiaye that I¡¯m fine and I¡¯ll be able to get out after a while. Tell her to take good care of herself.¡± He sounded a little livelier.

    Su Chen stared at him for a while before nodding, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go ording to your n. Don¡¯t worry about yourpany. Zimo will do his best. Li Si and I will be sure to find the killer.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and closed his eyes once again, and Su Chen patted his shoulder as he stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother! Wait for another few days!¡±

    Su Chen then left.

    This incident was too huge to hide from Shen Yue. Lan Zng quickly informed him right after he signed the contract with the buyer.

    Shen Yue was stunned for a moment, but he quickly calmed down.

    After going through so much in his life, Shen Yue was level-headed. He gave it some thought before saying to Lan Zng, ¡°How¡¯s Xiaye doing? She didn¡¯t even call when such a thing happened, did she?¡±

    Lan Zng seemed worried. ¡°Elder CEO, Ms. Xiaye is probably very busy. Take a look at Glory World¡¯s shares on the Inte. I also heard Wang Qin passed awayst night, and Chairman Mu was detained. It sounds terrible! Weren¡¯t they busy preparing the documents to be submitted to the government? s, this has happened at such a critical time! What should we do?¡± He was worried sick, and it all showed on his face.

    Shen Yue hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it for now. Stay put and see what happens next. Do not use the funds we just got from selling thend. We¡¯ll see how Glory World does. We might need to help if they aren¡¯t doing well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Elder CEO! Regarding the South River Project...¡± Lan Zng asked.

    ¡°The South River project? I won¡¯t let Qi Qiming get this so easily! Raise the prices of ournds around the area. At the same time, release news that I¡¯m going to purchase thend there at a high price. That¡¯s the core location for South River Project No. 2, a property of Hua Heng Property. That old man, Hua Heng, is a long-time friend of mine. He should be grateful that I¡¯m doing him a favor!¡±

    Lan Zng¡¯s eyes brightened up as he smiled admirably. ¡°As expected of Elder CEO! I almost forgot about it! CEO Hua intended to sell thend a long time ago. However, the government couldn¡¯t offer him a price he liked, so the government instead threw this responsibility to the biddingpanies. They are trying to use ourwork and connections. At the same time, they can spend less effort on it. If we get that plot ofnd, our chances of winning are much higher. Even if we fail to bid for the project, Qi Kai will need to spend a fortune for it!¡±

    Shen Yue nodded. ¡°Get this done as soon as possible. Also, find out what the situation is on Xiaye¡¯s end.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Elder CEO!¡± Lan Zng left quietly after a brief reply to Shen Yue.

    The entrance to Glory World was flooded with reporters early in the morning. Li Si arranged for many security guards and barely managed to stop them at the parking outside of the entrance. It was noon when Xi Xiaye returned to thepany.

    Xi Xiaye visited Qi Lei¡¯s ce after she left the police station, but Qi Lei refused to meet anyone. Even Yang Sheng had to stand by outside. Xi Xiaye could not do anything, so she went back to Glory World.

    When she arrived at her office, Xiao Mei came over and told her that CEO Zhou was here.

    It was Zhou Zimo!

    Xi Xiaye then remembered Su Chen¡¯s words from before. She was exhausted from the stress and pressure she was facing, thus she seemed a little out of herself when she met Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°I got the gist of what happened. Su Chen called me and said he¡¯s doing well inside. He¡¯s just a little worried about you. He told you not to worry and that he¡¯ll be out in a few days. Go rest. Leave thepany to Vice President Zhang and the rest. I¡¯ll help as much as possible.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes were filled with concern. ¡°That man won¡¯t fall so easily. Have some faith in him.¡±

 Chapter 816 - Mastermind? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 816: Mastermind? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye nodded gratefully. ¡°Thank you.¡± Her voice sounded tired and hoarse.

    Zhou Zimo returned a smile before ncing over at Xiao Mei. ¡°Get Director Xi to rest. I¡¯ll go talk to the Vice Presidents and see what¡¯s happening.¡±

    Xiao Mei gave a brief affirmative reply before he left.

    Although Glory World¡¯s share prices fell sharply, they were still able to stabilize their core operations as they took precautionary measures early. Xi Xiaye was so exhausted that she fell asleep the moment she arrived in Mu Yuchen¡¯s resting lounge.

    She woke up hungry the next morning. She could still hear the sound of the rain pouring outside.

    As she walked out of the restroom after washing up, there was a knock on the door. Xiao Mei came in with breakfast.

    ¡°Have some breakfast, Director Xi. I thought you might be up right now.¡± Xiao Mei smiled.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she grabbed the remote control and switched on the screens on the wall. She asked as she observed the market shares, ¡°Where are Vice President Zhang and the rest?¡±

    ¡°Vice President Zhang and Vice President Wen worked for a full day, so they went back home at midnight yesterday. They should be arriving at work soon. By the way, Elder CEO Shen dropped by just now and spoke to Master Mo in the meeting room. He went back when he realized you were still asleep. He told you to go back to Shen Residence tonight.¡±

    Grandpa?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She then remembered she could not possibly hide such huge news from him, and with the South River project at its critical moment, she felt stressed again. She studied the shares and noticed that the losses were not as severe as yesterday. The Vice Presidents had discussed and decided to halt the two big projects they were working on at the moment and solely focus on the South River project because they were not sure what the government would do.

    ¡°I got it. Give Uncle Lan a call and tell him I¡¯ll be going back tonight.¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed the breakfast from Xiao Mei, chewing while having her eyes glued to the screen. Her thoughts were to ask help from her grandpa if things did not get better.

    ...

    Inside the office of Qi Kai Corporation¡¯s CEO.

    Qi Qiming had been staying in his office ever since he came back from the hospital. He did not step out of the room at all.

    ¡°CEO Qi, I just received news that CEO Wang¡¯s remains can proceed for cremation now...¡± the secretary spoke carefully, afraid to disturb Qi Qiming who had maintained the exact same position on his chair for a very long time.

    Qi Qiming opened his eyes slowly. It was a rare asion to see his sharp eyes darken as he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°He locked himself up inside his room in the Grand Lake Vi, Master Qi. Second Master... It¡¯s taken a huge impact on him. CEO Wang already left, CEO Qi...¡±

    ¡°Tell him that his mother is getting cremated tomorrow. Keep everything simple.¡±

    After fighting for their whole lives, it was not his intention to see her end up like this. Although he hated her, he felt empty inside him now that she was gone. He was used to her existence, or else he would not be feeling that tiny bit of grief at this moment.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi!¡±

    His secretary was about to leave, but Qi Qiming then said, ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi?¡± His secretary turned around and waited for Qi Qiming¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Gather the stakeholders for an emergency meeting. Let Qi Lei take over CEO Wang¡¯s position,¡± Qi Qiming said.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s secretary was stunned. He just heard Vice President Yue talking about how easy it would be for CEO Qi to take over the wholepany now that CEO Wang was gone, yet...

    ¡°CEO Qi, you mean...?¡± His secretary was unsure.

    ¡°Tell him to get back to work. There¡¯s no point to be sad over a dead person now!¡± Qi Qiming took a deep breath and said.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi!¡± The secretary did not dare to question Qi Qiming¡¯s decision, and he left the room after a brief reply.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s phone started ringing the moment the door was closed. Qi Qiming picked it up without looking at the caller¡¯s name.

    ¡°Hello?¡± His hoarse voice reached the other end.

    ¡°Come over. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the usual ce.¡± A cold, deep voice came back to him.

    Qi Qiming froze slightly when he heard the voice. There were waves of emotions in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    The man on the other endughed coldly before hanging up on the call.

    Qi Qiming was dazzled for a moment before finallying back to his senses. He kept his phone and put on his coat before finally leaving his office.

    The rain still continued. It was cold even sitting inside the car.

    Their usual meeting ce was at a dam near the river on the outskirts of City Z.

    That man had already arrived when Qi Qiming reached.

    Dressed in a ck outfit and a ck cap, with a pair ofrge sunsses covering his face, he stood in the rain without an umbre. He was watching the grass quietly, and there was no one else aside from him at the tranquil scene.

    Qi Qiming could smell the stench of cigarettes when he got near. He also heard some light coughing, and the scarf on his neck was swaying as the wind blew.

    The man tossed his cigarette into the dam when he sensed someone was near.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± He turned back and nced at Qi Qiming.

 Chapter 817 - Mastermind? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 817: Mastermind? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Qiming walked to his side and stopped, meeting the other person¡¯s gaze. His eyes flickered from dark to light as he fixed his gaze on the person before him.

    That person stood there quietly too. Unmoving, he let Qi Qiming size him up. Moments after, he slowly pulled down his sunsses and revealed that distinctly grave and stern handsome face. Those deep eyes of his did not conceal his sharpness, and there was an indescribably chilly aura all over him.

    Apart from Gu Qiwu, who else could it be?

    ¡°Was it you who did it? You killed her, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s gloomy gaze revealed a sh of hostility as he coldly stared at Gu Qiwu.

    Gu Qiwu did not respond. Instead, he quietly put on his sunsses again and turned to look at Qi Qiming with a faint smile. ¡°You don¡¯t seem too upset. Haven¡¯t you always hated her? Whoever could help you finish her off this time is a good thing for you anyway.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to kill her. No matter what, she¡¯s still...¡±

    ¡°Still what?¡±

    Before Qi Qiming could finish, Gu Qiwu had already indifferently cut him off. His deep voice was colored with disdain. ¡°Your woman? Or your wife? I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve cared about that all these years. Coming to a realization and having remorse doesn¡¯t seem like something Qi Qiming would do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! Did you kill her? Tell me!¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression was as gloomy as the sky before a storm. Veins popped on his forehead as he fixed his gaze on Gu Qiwu.

    Compared to Qi Qiming¡¯s fury, Gu Qiwu was much calmer. He smiled indifferently and said, ¡°For what reason are you certain that it¡¯s me and not Mu Yuchen? Isn¡¯t there conclusive evidence on him already? This incident is a good thing for both me and you.¡±

    ¡°But I never wanted her to die! Who told you to act by yourself? You¡¯re cruel!¡± Qi Qiming lowered his voice and said through gritted teeth.

    Gu Qiwu smiled without a care as he gave Qi Qiming a side look. ¡°She¡¯s already dead. Have youe to reveal your feelings for her? If we¡¯re talking about cruelty, how cruel can it bepared to you, Qi Qiming? You know very well yourself how you¡¯ve been treating the mother and son all these years, and how many women you¡¯ve let down. Wang Qin was quite smart. She didn¡¯t fall for it. This time, I¡¯ve helped you get rid of huge trouble for the future. You should at least say thank you to the person who helped you.¡±

    ¡°You... No matter what, she was still my woman and Qi Lei¡¯s mother. Gu Qiwu you can be heartless, but I can¡¯t necessarily do that too!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s expression was exceptionally gloomy as he stared coldly at Gu Qiwu¡¯s stern face.

    Gu Qiwu looked extremely calm. He calmly examined Qi Qiming for a long while. You could not hear any emotions from his voice as he spoke, ¡°Okay, no need to act all soft-hearted now. The wheels are already set in motion, so what¡¯s the use of talking about it now? Once Mu Yuchen is halted, Glory World Corporation might as well have copsed, and the South River project will no doubt fall into your hands. You can haveplete control of the entire Qi Kai, so what else are you unhappy about?¡±

    ¡°Did you want to take down Glory World by so carefully going against Mu Yuchen?¡± Qi Qiming stared coldly at Gu Qiwu. through that pair of sunsses, he could not see Gu Qiwu¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Why else did you think? If you think that this reason isn¡¯t sufficient enough, then you can just assume that I¡¯m taking revenge for Lingsha and Wei Wei.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice was cold. One could tell whether that tone was real or fake.

    ¡°Mu Tangchuan won¡¯t willingly let his son stay at that ce for too long.¡±

    ¡°Then, they will have to find evidence for Mu Yuchen to be clear of suspicion. I don¡¯t know about this either. I only heard about it. All the huge media are fighting to report on it, so it¡¯d be hard to not know about it. At the end of the day, it was just a woman. I¡¯ll put more joss sticks on for her for future <i>Qingming </i>Festivals and just grieve a little. I¡¯ve asked you not to forget your original intentions.¡±

    As Gu Qiwu said this, he sighed calmly. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll just let this matter pass. There¡¯s still much to do after this. The news from Ah Feng¡¯s end came. The surgery¡¯s very sessful, and soon he¡¯ll be able to return. Wei Wei wille home too. When that happens, you should let them consider marriage. Wei Wei¡¯s really cute, don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    When Gu Qiwu said that, a light flickered in Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes, yet he did not answer.

    ¡°We¡¯ll use this time to hit Mu Yuchen down. You know Ah Feng hates him to the bone. Sigh, now that he¡¯s like this, and Wei Wei... That way, at least Ah Feng would feel better. Okay, go home. The rain¡¯s getting heavy. I won¡¯t be going to the funeral tomorrow. My condolences to you,¡± Gu Qiwu said indifferently, and then turned around to walk away.

    Qi Qiming felt rigid all over. He turned to watch Gu Qiwu¡¯s figure gradually move away as fury shed in his eyes. After that, it slowly turned into aplicated gaze, and finally, he could only take in a deep breath. Both his hands suddenly covered his face, and after a while, he put both his hands down.

    Gu Qiwu walked back to his car in the cold rain. The person who sat in the front passenger¡¯s seat was his person assistant, Ah Yong.

    Gu Qiwu had just gotten into the car when Ah Yong asked softly, ¡°Boss, are we going straight back to City B now?¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked up at the sky, and then nced at the watch on his wrist. He thought about it, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip to the cemetery.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to visit Miss Lingsha, Boss?¡± Ah Yong asked softly. He paused, and then added on, ¡°Her arm¡¯s quite injured, and it affected her previous wound too. After that ident, every time when the weather is like this, she would...¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened. He thought for a moment, then responded, ¡°No need. After going through so many things, she¡¯s stronger than we think.¡±

    ¡°Boss, do you really think that person slipped up? I¡¯ve checked. He¡¯s never slipped up. Didn¡¯t you say to just give a little warning?¡± Ah Yong suddenly asked softly.

    When he said that, Gu Qiwu¡¯s slightly good-looking face shed with a smile. However, that smile did not seem genuine.

    ¡°Assassins right now are all very clever, especially at that ranking. We have to be more careful. If I guess correctly, that person has probably chosen to escape to Europe, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°How do you know, Boss?¡± Ah Yong looked a little surprised at Gu Qiwu as a light of disbelief surfaced in his eyes.

    Gu Qiwu only scoffed as he took the newspaper from the side and said coldly, ¡°He¡¯s been pulling some smart tricks in front of me, using me to get rid of Wang Qin. That¡¯s quite a brilliant move.¡±

 Chapter 818 - Mastermind? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 818: Mastermind? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing Gu Qiwu, Ah Yong¡¯s gaze sank. He thought about it seriously and then realized that, of course, he knew who the so-called ¡®he¡¯ was referring to.

    ¡°Boss, if that¡¯s how it is, then the person who benefits the most would be him! Unfortunately, Boss, you have to take the me for him. Boss, do you want to...¡±

    Before Ah Yong could finish, Gu Qiwu had already lifted a hand to stop him from continuing. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just turn the page for this matter. Him getting promoted is a good thing for us. Qi Lei¡¯s already in shambles, Qi Qiming doesn¡¯t like him, and now upon getting hit with this blow, he might as well be crippled.¡±

    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re right. Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen have always been on good terms. If we let him be promoted, it would do us no good. Even though the way Qi Feng cleared the obstacles was a little despicable, the results are powerful. I really didn¡¯t expect this fellow to be this merciless. I almost thought that there was a mishap. Unexpectedly, this reason cropped up. Boss, you¡¯re thorough with your analysis.¡±

    Ah Yong could not help but look admiringly at Gu Qiwu. He thought about it, then could not help but say, ¡°Qi Lei is quite pitiful. He¡¯d always thought so wishfully that...¡±

    When Gu Qiwu heard him about toment further, his eyes darkened and he suddenly said coldly as he turned to look away at the hazy night, ¡°Drive.¡±

    Noticing that his boss¡¯s tone was not quite right, Ah Yong quietly shut his mouth and quietly walked over to start the car.

    At this moment, Mu Yuchen was sitting cross-legged and meditating. He quietlybed through the many things that happened recently from start to end. He was about to get up when he suddenly felt like someone was staring at him. Then, he quietly opened his eyes and what greeted his sight was his own father, Mu Tangchuan.

    Mu Tangchuan stood quietly outside the door, his gentle and handsome face colored with a hint of worry. He looked as if he had aged quite a bit as he silently watched him.

    ¡°Father? Why are you here?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned while a faint warmth could not help but sh past in his eyes. He propped himself up to get up.

    Mu Tangchuan quietly stared at him for quite a while before pushing the door to enter.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡± Mu Yuchen pushed the only chair in the room to Mu Tangchuan while he sat down on the bed.

    Mu Tangchuan did not reject it. He sat down quietly, his gaze remaining on Mu Yuchen. After a while, he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Did you do it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Mu Yuchen answered swiftly.

    ¡°Was it Xiaye?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked again.

    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was very firm.

    When Mu Tangchuan heard that, he nodded and said in a deep voice, ¡°That¡¯s good then. If it¡¯s not you, then I won¡¯t let anyone recklessly frame my son!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze softened. ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to worry about me getting out. You and Mother should just stabilize your own matters. This incident can have huge implications. You and Mother have been quite pressured too.¡±

    ¡°Enough, we¡¯re already here. Don¡¯t say these things now. These two days, I¡¯ve been getting orders from your grandparents. They say that your mother and I care too little for you. I thought about it, and it¡¯s true that your mother and I haven¡¯t done well enough all these years. When she knew that something happened to you, your mother rushed back. She¡¯s not in a great state either.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone contained a hint of reprimand as he fixed his eyes on Mu Yuchen. ¡°Xiaye¡¯s already told me about the whole thing. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be just fine like this. Wang Qin¡¯s already dead, so this is going to be a sticky situation. She¡¯s also someone influential in the field, and the bacsh is bad.¡±

    ¡°If I say I¡¯ll be fine, then I will be.¡±

    ¡°Why are you still in here if you¡¯re fine? Are you at your wits¡¯ end?¡± Mu Tangchuan frowned and squinted at him as he asked.

    ¡°I just wanted to prove my guess back then, but afterward, it all happened too quickly,¡± Mu Yuchen responded frankly.

    ¡°Your guess?¡± A puzzled looked shed in Mu Tangchuan¡¯s eyes.

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently and calmly lowered his gaze, his expressionposed as usual. ¡°Mmm, I have a way to prove my innocence. I just need some time.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯re nning on staying here for quite a while then? It¡¯s not looking good at Glory World, and it¡¯s hard for Xiaye to hold on alone.¡± Mu Tangchuan did not continue asking.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze dimmed, and he said calmly, ¡°I know. Tell her that I won¡¯t take too long.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will. Three days, in three days, if you can¡¯tpletely resolve this matter, then go with my arrangements.¡± Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone was quite solemn while his eyes were filled with a determination that could not be rejected.

    Mu Yuchen paused, and after that, he suddenly smiled dly and nodded. ¡°Thanks, Father.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan then lifted a hand to pat his shoulder. ¡°Well then, you shall have to be wronged for the next few days.¡±

    Mu Yuchen cleared his throat and said with a lowered voice, ¡°No worries, I can get used to it. It¡¯s much better than the army days, but it¡¯s cold at night. Father, can you ask them to prepare a cleaner nket? And bring me two sets of clean clothes to change into. I haven¡¯t had a shuteye in almost two days.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan raised his brows and looked at his son¡¯s handsome face before grinning. ¡°Considering my abilities, I can get you some nkets? And clothes to change into? Do you think this detention center is a luxury hotel that you¡¯re staying at for work abroad? Spoiled brat!¡±

    ¡°Father...¡± Mu Yuchen frowned.

    ¡°Consider it an experience of life here. I¡¯m leaving now!¡± Mu Tangchuan did not stay to negotiate. Before Mu Yuchen could speak up again, he already turned to leave the room.

    As he watched Mu Tangchuan leave, Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows furrowed into a knot. He suddenly thought if it was him who brought this upon himself.

    He had sacrificed so much toe to this horrid ce...

    After he stayed quiet for a while, someone suddenly came. It was a very young policeman holding clean nkets and clothes that Mu Yuchen usually changed into. He respectfully said to him, ¡°Master Mu, it¡¯s quite cold and a little humid too. Everyone¡¯s changed to new sheets. This is yours, and here are some clothes for you to change into. Missus Mu specially sent it over.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard that, his brows that were furrowed slowly smoothened out. He quickly got up and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s she?¡±

    One could hear a hint of anxiousness from his tone.

    The policeman said, ¡°She¡¯s gone back, Master Mu. You still can¡¯t see any family members or people as you wish. Please understand!¡±

    Mu Yuchen then sighed as he sat back down helplessly. The hands underneath his sleeves slowly tightened into fists. His heart that had always been calm finally could not help but begin to feel a hint of annoyance.

 Chapter 819 - Mastermind? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 819: Mastermind? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky turned dark as the rain continued to fall. It was only 5 p.m. in the evening, but the sky became gloomy. The cars on the streets started turning on their lights. A ck car was parked on the roadside.

    Ah Yong came down from the car with an umbre.

    ¡°Boss, we¡¯re here!¡±

    Gu Qiwu got out of the car. He raised his hand and stopped Ah Yong as he stood under the rain and extended his arm towards him.

    Ah Yong quickly handed him the two bouquets of white lilies. Gu Qiwu took the flowers and then instructed, ¡°Wait down here.¡± He pushed his sunsses up his nose bridge as he climbed up the staircase.

    Ah Yong turned around and watched as Gu Qiwu walk up the staircase, his expression solemn. He would apany his boss here almost every year, but his boss would never let him go up with him. He did not know whose grave he was visiting as he was very mysterious when it came to this.

    He had worked for a long time alongside his boss and knew that his boss kept a lot of things to himself. He was an extremely cautious and doubtful person. Even he could not gain his full trust, and his boss was also wary of his own wife. No one could enter his boss¡¯s office without his permission, including his wife.

    However, he knew his boss had a long history of conflict with Glory World¡¯s Mu Yuchen. His boss probably would not have put in so much effort just for Ms. Lingsha and Ms. Weiwei, but if it was for Glory World... Could an enormouspany like that just fall so easily?

    His boss had said it himself. Mu Yuchen was a genius businessman. He might even be more talented than Qi Feng, and his boss rarely gavepliments.

    Ah Yong never asked too many questions. His boss hated subordinates who talked too much, so he went back into the car and waited patiently.

    The staircase felt endless every time Gu Qiwu came by, and he always felt exhausted when he finally arrived at his destination.

    It was an old gravestone unlike the one beside it which was still quite new.

    Mu Zixi. Date of birth, XX year XX month XX day. Date of death, XX year XX month XX day.

    Gu Qiwu put the flowers onto the gravestone, staring at the photo for a very long while. ¡°These are for you. You alwaysined that I never gave you any flowers in the past. What¡¯s so good about them? I never liked flowers because they wilt too easily, just like you.¡±

    Gu Qiwu took a deep breath, closing his eyes behind his pair ofrge sunsses. He opened his eyes momentster and took out a cigarette and started smoking. His eyes never moved away from the photo. ¡°Mu Yuchen is too smart. From the moment he auctioned that pen, I already guessed that he was starting to get suspicious.¡±

    He walked aside and stopped before Mu Lingtian¡¯s grave, studying Mu Lingtian¡¯s photo for a while. ¡°Stay beside your mother. I¡¯ll take revenge for you. You¡¯re as innocent as your mother. How could you think of Qi Feng as a brother? He even did something stupid... Everyone thought Mu Yuchen was innocent, yet... you... you don¡¯t only have one sister.¡±

    He took out another cigarette and lit it up before putting it on Mu Lingtian¡¯s gravestone.

    ¡°It¡¯s a relief that you don¡¯t know about it. Rest in peace here. I hope you two will never be bothered.¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked up to the gray sky before he gave a final nce at Mu Zi¡¯s photo before throwing the cigarette in his hand away and leaving.

    The stormy sky quieted down as Gu Qiwu¡¯s shoulders started to get wet after standing in the rain for so long. His tall figure seemed so lonely.

    Gu Qiwu never expected there to be another tall figure behind a nearby gravestone. His handsome face was strained as his eyes were sharp and cold. He also had two bouquets of beautiful white lilies in his hand.

    Who else could it be other than Su Chen?

    Su Chen remained at his spot as he stared at the person who walked down the staircase. His face was strained as he felt depressed.

    Mu Yuchen had told him to wait there, so he stood there since early morning. Just as he thought Mu Yuchen had miscalcted and was about to leave, Gu Qiwu actually came!

    He heard everything Gu Qiwu just said and even recorded his voice. Although the recording was not perfect, it was good enough to hear what he said.

    Su Chen slowly processed Gu Qiwu¡¯s words as he felt moody. He took a deep breath before heading towards Mu Zixi¡¯s and Mu Lingtian¡¯s graves.

    ...

    Several days passed by.

    On the third morning since Wang Qin¡¯s death, in Qi Lei¡¯s private vi at the Grand Lakes Vi area.

    Thud!

    Together with the sound of the door being crushed, the lock fell onto the floor as the door was forcefully pulled apart.

    Yang Sheng smelled the heavy stink of alcohol everywhere. He quickly rushed inside and looked around, finally finding Qi Lei near the thick curtains by the windows.

    There were empty bottles everywhere. Qi Lei just sat on the floor with his back leaning against the cold wall. He was covered by the curtain, his face pale.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng sensed that something was wrong. His expression changed as he quickly rushed over to get Qi Lei up.

    However, Qi Lei slumped onto the floor the moment he touched him.

    ¡°Master Qi! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yang Sheng was shocked as he helped him up and touched Qi Lei¡¯s forehead...

 Chapter 820 - Remember Her (1)

    <h4>Chapter 820: Remember Her (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was burning hot!

    He was having a fever!

    ¡°Master Qi! You have a fever! Go and rest on the bed! Hey, you,e over and help me!¡± Yang Sheng called out to the locksmith standing beside the door.

    They managed to pull Qi Lei onto the bed. Yang Sheng then started looking around for medicine frantically.

    ¡°Master Qi, thest time, CEO Wang...¡± Yang Sheng stopped his sentence halfway as he realized her name should not be mentioned. He took a deep breath and looked at Qi Lei cautiously. Then, he calmed down when he did not react. He knocked himself on the head before continuing to look for the medicine box.

    Qi Lei waspletely sober, but he just felt sapped of strength. After drinking for several days, he was exhausted. He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling without moving an inch.

    It took Yang Sheng some time to find the medicine box inside the drawer in the living room. He opened the box and saw many medications prepared such as gastric pills, paracetamol...

    These were all prepared by Wang Qin beforehand, and now she was gone. It felt like a nightmare!

    Yang Sheng stared at the pills for some time as his eyes started to get teary.

    Wang Qin was pretty kind to him when she was still alive. He had been working for Wang Qin for many years and was arranged to stay with Qi Lei afterward. He was really grateful for the opportunity Wang Qin gave him, and now...

    He took a deep breath before taking the paracetamol and a ss of warm water back to Qi Lei¡¯s bedroom.

    He felt depressed when he saw Qi Lei staring nkly at the ceiling with a pale face. He went over and ced a ss of water and the pills on his bedside table. ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re having a fever. Please take the medicine, or else, you won¡¯t recover. It¡¯s been several days since youst ate anything.¡±

    Ding dong¡ª

    Dong dong¡ª

    Someone rang the doorbell as Yang Sheng spoke.

    Yang Sheng was distracted for a moment. He nced at Qi Lei before going to get the door.

    To his surprise, he found Xi Xiaye and Li Si outside, but he hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

    ¡°Director Xi, Assistant Li, why are you two here? Pleasee in.¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s expression was glum, but he still forced a smile as he spoke.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath before she nodded. ¡°I heard CEO Wang is going to be cremated today. The memorial service...¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi wants to keep it simple. CEO Wang never liked bustling events anyway. The funeral is supposed to be today, but Master Qi...¡± Yang Sheng took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.

    ¡°What happened to him?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she looked straight at Yang Sheng.

    Li Si¡¯s expression darkened as well. He could sense something wrong after taking a quick nce around the house. He started to feel depressed as he remembered Qi Lei¡¯s usual smile and thought about the kind of life he was living.

    It was hard to imagine that a carefree, flirtatious person would actually be...

    Yang Sheng took a pause. He inhaled a deep breath and then sighed. ¡°Master Qi locked himself up in the house for several days. Today is CEO Wang¡¯s funeral, so I had a locksmith force the door open. I found Master Qi passed out on the floor with a fever. CEO Wang is gone now, but he needs to get himself together.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank as a sourness rose in the back of her throat. She turned towards Li Si as he gave her a sad nce, then she walked upstairs.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look at him.¡±

    ...

    Her small figure soon disappeared at the end of the staircase.

    Qi Lei had been reduced to such a state in just a few days.

    Xi Xiaye watched Qi Lei as he stared at the ceiling nkly, and she frowned.

    She thought he never cared about Wang Qin. He had always acted against his mother, yet he had been on the verge of breaking down when she passed away.

    Xi Xiaye did not know how tofort him. There was nothing she could do to bring Wang Qin back to life.

    ¡°Get up and take the medicine. Today is CEO Wang¡¯s funeral. You have to go and send her on her final journey no matter what.¡± Xi Xiaye handed him the ss of water and the pills.

    However, Qi Lei did not move at all. It was as if he did not hear anything.

    ¡°CEO Wang wanted you to take good care of yourself during her final moments. She can only rest in peace if you¡¯re well, Qi Lei.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at the pills in her hands. ¡°She¡¯s already gone. The living still have a life to live. You¡¯re going to suffer if you continue like this. There are a lot of things you need to do.¡± She dragged the nket away from Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes reacted slightly when he felt cold. He looked at Xi Xiaye who was worried about him. His eyes turned red as he watched her. It felt like ice needles were piercing his heart which felt cold and painful. He felt suffocated.

    He watched her quietly for a while before closing his eyes.

    ¡°Alright, get up and take the medicine. Then, have something to eat afterward.¡± Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and held his shoulder. She nced at Li Si behind her who quickly came up and held Qi Lei¡¯s other shoulder. Together, they helped him get up.

    ¡°Assistant Yang, could you please cook some simple porridge?¡± Xi Xiaye took the pills out and gave them to Qi Lei as she asked.

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a moment. He then nodded. Relieved to see Qi Lei coordinating, he quickly rushed downstairs to prepare as he responded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make it right away!¡±

 Chapter 821 - Remember Her (2)

    <h4>Chapter 821: Remember Her (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei was dazed for a moment. He stared at the pills that Xi Xiaye stuffed into his hand. After a long while, he lifted his hand weakly and swallowed them.

    He had not eaten or drunk water in quite a few days, so Qi Lei now looked quite dehydrated. Xi Xiaye examined him and then turned to say to Li Si, ¡°Li Si, go see if there¡¯s any glucose water here. Bring some over.¡±

    Li Si nodded. He turned around to leave the room very quickly.

    ¡°Let me help you downstairs to sit.¡±

    The room was filled with the stench of alchohol which Xi Xiaye could not quite bear and she began to feel dizzy.

    Qi Lei did not respond, but Xi Xiaye just took it as his agreement. When she was about to help him up, Qi Lei, who had been keeping quiet, suddenly said, ¡°No need. I can do it myself. Help me take a set of clothes from the wardrobe.¡±

    His dry voice sounded raspy and weak, and he seemed absent-minded.

    Xi Xiaye paused for a moment, then nodded and walked to the wardrobe while Qi Lei propped himself up on the bed with a little difficulty, but he still managed to steady himself.

    Xi Xiaye silently brought his clothes to the bathroom, then looked at him with mixed feelings, though she did not say anything before leaving the room.

    Half an hourter, Qi Lei had finally changed into a set of clean clothes and slowly made his way downstairs. Apart from his paleplexion, he did not look very different from his usual self, yet if you looked closely, you could still sense that faint grief and mncholy on him.

    He did not say much as he just finished his food while Xi Xiaye and the rest prepared the car.

    Today they were going to attend the funeral. Early in the morning, Li Si had arranged for people to help out, but they said they did not see Qi Lei, so Xi Xiaye was worried. After that, she decided to go over and take a look with Li Si. Unexpectedly, Qi Lei was indeed here.

    With regard to Wang Qin¡¯s passing, Xi Xiaye did not know what else she could say. Mu Yuchen was still at the police station. As long as he was not clear of suspicion, he would need to continue being detained in there. As for how it affected the outside world...

    She did not know whether Qi Lei believed Mr. Mu as she did, but she thought that he should at least have sensed that even Wang Qin believed him, did she not?

    Wang Qin¡¯s funeral was organized quite simply. ording to Qi Qiming¡¯s orders, they only informed several friends and family members.

    The cemetery was chosen to be at West Hill Cemetery where Xi Jiyang was also buried.

    It was <i>Qingming </i>just yesterday, so before the many tombstones were bouquets of fresh flowers, but the cemetery looked quite deathly still.

    Along the way, Qi Lei did not say a word. Even though Qi Qiming tried to say some things to him, he did not respond at all.

    The rain was falling quite heavily. Despite holding up umbres to shield themselves, you could still hear the raindrops pitter-pattering. The friends and family members who came to send her off had left, so only Qi Qiming and Qi Lei were left in front of the tombstone. Yang Sheng stood behind Qi Lei and quietly held up the umbre for him.

    Qi Qiming turned to look at the expressionless Qi Lei. He thought about it for a long time and said in the end, ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad now. She¡¯s gone. Your mother has always hoped for you to take responsibility for yourself. Since she¡¯s gone now, then you should take over her position. Go back and sort out your frame of mind. Then,e back to work in a few more days. I¡¯ve already called for an adhoc shareholders meeting which everyone has agreed to, so you still have quite an important duty to uphold.¡±

    A few days ago, the father and son had fought at the hospital. Now, Qi Qiming still felt a vague pain all over him, yet he studied Qi Lei with mixed emotions.

    Qi Lei seemed quite distant from Wang Qin before this, yet of course, deep down he cared very much about his mother.

    When Qi Qiming finished, a sneer immediately surfaced on Qi Lei¡¯s face as he said in a raspy voice, ¡°Haven¡¯t you long wished for her to be dead? The entire Qi Kai¡¯s in your hands now. It¡¯s exactly what you want, so why do you have to pretend like you care?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Qi Lei made Qi Qiming furious again. His sharp eyes shed with hostility as he responded coldly, ¡°Your mother¡¯s death has nothing to do with me. The person you should be looking for is Mu Yuchen, not me! Even if I controlled the whole of Qi Kai, I wouldn¡¯t go to the extent of taking out my own woman!¡±

    ¡°Your woman? Do you deserve to say that? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you force her every time, you animal! I find myself dirty just thinking about how your blood flows through me! You know that she¡¯s your woman, but what have you given her in this lifetime? Trash like you should be dead! All these years, you know best yourself what you¡¯ve done just to defeat her. Don¡¯t be bloody disgusting and pretend to show affection now. There¡¯s no one more despicable and hypocritical in this world than you, Qi Qiming!¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s gloomy and cold handsome shed with hatred as he looked at Qi Qiming beside him with disdain.

    ¡°Enough, Qi Lei! Don¡¯t think that because I empathize with how you feel, you can be disrespectful to me. Horrid as I may be, I¡¯m still your father who gave you life! Do you think it¡¯s just me who caused all of this? You know well yourself what kind of person your mother is! She never cared for my dignity as she provoked me time and time again. You also know what her purpose was when she married into the Qi family. All these years, has she treated me like her husband?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes were red with fury, and he lost control as he spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°She wished I could be dead too, didn¡¯t she? If the person whoid buried today was me, I¡¯d imagine the two of you popping champagne and celebrating!¡±

    When he said that, Qi Lei¡¯s gaze instantly turned cold. His hands that hid underneath his sleeves quietly clenched into fists. Without a doubt, he had the urge to swing his fist out in the next instant!

    ¡°I¡¯ve said what I should and I¡¯ve done what I should. I know that the two of you hate me to the bones. Hmph, I don¡¯t care anymore! Whether you want to ept it is up to you.¡± Qi Qiming left these words coldly and put the bouquet in his hand onto Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone before turning around to leave.

    Now, only Qi Lei and Yang Sheng were left in front of the tombstone.

    Qi Lei turned to look at Qi Qiming who had blended in with the rain. A sneer of disdain shed across his face, making his smile look a little sorrowful.

    ¡°Go down first. I want to apany her alone.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi...¡± Yang Sheng said worriedly.

    Qi Lei reached out to push him and then walked beyond the shelter of the umbre. ¡°Let me be alone for a while. Wait for me downstairs.¡±

    When Yang Sheng saw that, he could only nod in silence and then retreat.

 Chapter 822 - Remember Her (3)

    <h4>Chapter 822: Remember Her (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As the sound of Yang Sheng¡¯s footsteps moved away gradually, only Qi Lei remained in front of the tombstone alone.

    With his tall figure standing in the hazy rain, the entire world seemed more bleak and mncholic. His dark figure was engulfed in the thick evening mist as he was deste.

    Qi Lei looked on quietly at Wang Qin¡¯s picture on the tombstone. He slowly bowed down and reached out to wipe the rain from the picture. As he wiped it, he suddenly stopped, and his bloodshot eyes could not help but begin to tear up.

    He sniffled quite a few times, and his raspy voice choked on his sobs as he said softly, ¡°I used to find you annoying, and think you were too snobbish, so I didn¡¯t want to say much to you. I just hoped you could calm down and be someone who¡¯s aloof from worldly affairs. That¡¯s not such a bad thing. Which woman is as silly as you? To be giving up her entire life? Is it worth it? We don¡¯t need those kinds of things. Just based on your son¡¯s abilities, I could¡¯ve let you live without worries. Why did you go and fight for those things? You can¡¯t have it with you in life or in death now...¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he crouched down weakly and lifted a hand to cover his hot eyes. He sighed deeply. ¡°Mother, how can you be so silly? Someone like Qi Qiming doesn¡¯t qualify you guarding him. I don¡¯t qualify either...¡±

    Qi Lei did not even have the chance to regret it now. She would not be able to hear him even if he wanted to say more. In his core, he really regretted how cold he had been before.

    If he had been willing to be nicer to her and had spoken more to her, cared more about her, at least, she would not have left so regretfully.

    ¡°Mother, I owe you too much in this lifetime. In the next lifetime, if I¡¯m lucky enough to be your son, I¡¯ll treat you well...¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s dark eyes became hazy as he felt into a daze. The cold, bleak wind and rain continued toe at him, keeping him that slightest bit clear-headed.

    It was not sure how long had passed when he suddenly felt like the rain before him was disconnected from the world. He sniffled and then turned to look.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure was standing right behind him as she propped up arge, ck umbre over his head. She put the bouquet in her arms down onto the tombstone before straightening up slightly.

    ¡°VP Wang was a loving mother. She must have really loved you. Qi Lei, you must remember her forever.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Wang Qin¡¯s familiar face. Her eyes colored with gentleness as she consoled him softly.

    Qi Lei slowly got up and nodded quietly. ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that I never understood her, and always let her down. Now that I think about it, I really was a wretched son.¡±

    ¡°There are some things we can¡¯t change. Since we are here now, the best we can do is to live a little better, and not let her down further,¡± Xi Xiaye answered calmly and turned slightly before looking up to Qi Lei. ¡°As mothers, we all have simple wishes. She just wanted you to live better.¡±

    ¡°I let her down,¡± Qi Leimented in a raspy voice.

    ¡°Okay, no need to feel guilty anymore. To her, you doing well is better than anything. You still have much to do, and you have a long journey ahead, so you¡¯ll have to pull yourself together, understand?¡± Xi Xiaye watched Qi Lei in silence as her eyes were filled with sincere concern. ¡°I promised VP Wang that I¡¯d take good care of you. I just don¡¯t know if you¡¯d give me and Mu Yuchen the chance to.¡±

    When he heard this, a sad smile shed across Qi Lei¡¯s gloomy face. ¡°You should first think about how to clear Mu Yuchen of his suspicion. I¡¯m an adult and I can take care of myself. This is good too. I¡¯m alone now with nothing to worry about. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve returned to my life alone studying abroad back then.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe that he didn¡¯t do it either?¡± Xi Xiaye asked earnestly.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a motive. In fact, anyone with a brain wouldn¡¯t make such a low-level mistake. This incident wasn¡¯t about targeting someone. They just wanted to make life hard for the two of you, so you should worry about yourself. In fact, I know that for you, he...¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression was calm, and his eyes were filled with rity. He paused and then smiled. ¡°I was standing not too far away from you before the lights dimmed. His first reaction was to look for you...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, the emotions that had been surpressed deep down in her heart for a long time could not help but spill at the moment. She blinked the hot tears in her eyes away and silently lowered her gaze before turning to look towards the sky as she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve been worried that you¡¯d misunderstand him because of this incident.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that dumb. Now, the most important thing is to find evidence and clear him as a suspect. Get him out first.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded silently. ¡°It¡¯s at this moment that I find myself so powerless. I¡¯ve gone to the police station quite a few times, yet I couldn¡¯t meet him, and I¡¯ve got no way of getting any evidence to clear him of suspicion. Well, let¡¯s not talk about this now. Go home. It¡¯s getting dark, and it¡¯s quite cold here.¡±

    Qi Lei took onest look at the photograph on the tombstone, and finally, he nodded. Without another word, he turned to make his way down the stairs.

    ...

    A day passed just like that. Soon, it was evening inside Su Chen¡¯s office.

    ¡°Chief Su, this is the picture you wanted, and the various CCTV footage from the routes nearby the South River dock. The police have checked it quite a few times, but they didn¡¯t detect anything out of the ordinary. Oh, all the boats that were berthed at the dock have also been recorded. Take a look. Right, Master Mo¡¯s also here.¡±

    Secretary He passed a folder respectfully to Su Chen.

    Su Chen stopped what he was doing, and reached out to take it. He flipped it open to look through in detail as he said, ¡°Let him in!¡±

    He had just said that when Zhou Zimo pushed the door open to enter and sat down casually on the sofa.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going? I heard that you have a new discovery. Chen¡¯s been inside for quite a few days now. This fellow can really just sit there while those of us outside exhaust ourselves. I wonder if he¡¯s doing this on purpose!¡±

    Zhou Zimo touched his head. His eyes could not conceal a hint of fatigue as he looked at Su Chen sitting at his desk.

    Su Chen looked quite calm as he browsed through the document and all the pictures that came with it meticulously. He spread them out on the table and examined them closely. They were all images of Gu Qiwu going to the Qingshan Cemetery, and the scene of Gu Qiwu and Qi Qiming meeting at the South River.

 Chapter 823 - Replace? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 823: Rece? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen looked silently at the picture before him. After a while, he sighed and picked up one of the pictures, squinting those sharp eyes of his as his sunken face fixed his eyes onto it.

    ¡°Notice anything interesting?¡±

    Zhou Zimo leaned in and looked at the picture in Su Chen¡¯s hand too. He was instantly stunned, ¡°Qi Qiming?¡±

    Qi Qiming was a public figure who appeared in public often, and Zhou Zimo was quite familiar with him. Even though the picture in hand was not too clear, but Zhou Zimo could immediately recognize him, yet he could not tell who this man in ck with sunsses beside Qi Qiming was. He stared at it for quite a while before turning to look at Su Chen, puzzled. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±

    Su Chen lifted a hand to massage the frown between his brows as he sighed, and then turned to look at the other pictures on the table. He picked one of it up and handed it to Zhou Zimo as he said softly, ¡°You should be able to tell who this is from this picture, can¡¯t you?¡±

    Frowning, Zhou Zimo took it and studied it for quite a while. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. ¡°Gu Qiwu... Are you saying that this man in ck is Gu Qiwu? What does this mean?¡±

    When Su Chen heard that, he moved the pictures in front of him aside. ¡°See for yourself. These two days, I followed Ah Chen¡¯s orders and secretly gathered these pictures and information. Indeed, as he expected, I told someone to track Qi Qiming who did go to the riverside to meet Gu Qiwu. After that, at the cemetery, I also saw Gu Qiwu going to pay respects to...¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that Gu Qiwu might have done this?¡±

    Zhou Zimo squinted at Su Chen and flipped through the pictures in his hand. When he saw Gu Qiwu before Mu Zi and Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstones, his expression turned stiff and his movements paused. He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and blinked before tossing the pictures onto the table. He sighed out loudly. ¡°No wonder he was so sad...¡±

    Su Chen leaned back against the chair, his eyes dim. ¡°This is inevitable. If Grandfather and Grandmother Mu find out, I wonder what storm would brew. What do you think we should do about this?¡±

    Zhou Zimo rubbed the space between his brows and shook his head feeling at a loss. ¡°To be honest, if it were me, I really wouldn¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Just leave it to him to handle. Get him out first. He said that Li Si will be delivering some evidence soon, but I don¡¯t if he¡¯s telling the truth or not. The police have found traces of damages to the electricity generator circuit on the ship. That means that this was nned. There are CCTVs on the ship, and I¡¯ve cut off a section of the clip two minutes before the incident of Wang Qin together with Ah Chen¡¯s surroundings, but the footage isn¡¯t that clear. It was quite hard to inspect it, so I couldn¡¯t identify many people.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the police inspect every person on the ship? We canpare them again with the information we¡¯ve gotten through the inspection,¡± said Zhou Zimo, squinting at that picture. He continued, ¡°Or maybe we can get some clues from Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen suspects that this might¡¯ve been Gu Qiwu, but we can¡¯t find any evidence. People like him who do things watertight won¡¯t give it away so easily, but I think that no matter what, he wouldn¡¯t have killed Wang Qin. This doesn¡¯t benefit him, and it¡¯d only bring him lots of trouble. How are things on Glory World¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°How else could it be? The shares keep falling. Earlier, when I came over, I even heard that Zhang Lan¡¯s going to the government. It¡¯s probably for the South River project which is one of Glory World¡¯s biggest ones in recent years. If anything happens to it, the oue won¡¯t be good,¡± Zhou Zimo said helplessly.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°I¡¯m helpless on this too. You know that I don¡¯t understand business matters at all. Let¡¯s y by ear then. Alright, I¡¯ll go find out about the situation from Li Si and Lawyer Wang. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s have dinner together! Then, we¡¯ll take a good look at these things again. Hopefully, we¡¯ll discover something new.¡±

    As Su Chen said this, he stood up and picked up the coat beside him to put on.

    Zhou Zimo nodded as he helped to tidy the things on the table.

    ...

    The storm continued for quite a few days, and only subsided that morning.

    Inside Qi Qiming¡¯s office, Qi Qiming and Gu Lingsha were discussing a proposal when the secretary suddenly entered and reported with a smug expression, ¡°CEO Qi, I¡¯ve just received news that Glory World¡¯s Vice President Zhang Lan was called over. Based on Glory World¡¯s current market situation, if it goes as expected, their South River Project No. 1 might need to suspend construction.¡±

    Qi Qiming and Gu Lingsha both paused and looked gleeful.

    ¡°Is that confirmed?¡± Gu Lingsha asked.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be false. I found out about it from people on the government¡¯s end,¡± the secretary responded.

    Gu Lingsha then grinned and said happily, ¡°This is great news, Uncle Qi, I¡¯m sure that means we¡¯ve got one lesspetitor for South River Project No. 2. In fact, for this project, we could even rece them. My father¡¯s been wanting to expand in City Z. If he could use this chance to gain a foothold, this would be a great thing.¡±

    She had just finished when Qi Qiming¡¯s gaze darkened slightly. Then, he smiled calmly. ¡°Hopefully.¡±

    ¡°Is Qi Lei still not at work? It¡¯s been quite a few days since Aunty Wang¡¯s incident. How... how is he?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes held a hint of concern as she looked at Qi Qiming. ¡°This incident¡¯s been a huge blow to him, Uncle Qi. Qi Lei¡¯s a simple person. You should be more concerned about him. I¡¯m sure he just said all that in the heat of the moment. If Aunty Wang knew he was like this, she would be really sad too.¡±

    When Qi Lei was mentioned, Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened. Naturally, he did not forget the few afflicted encounters they had.

    ¡°I¡¯d be lucky if he doesn¡¯t anger me to death. His temper is just like his mother¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Uncle Qi. Find a time to visit him. He¡¯s been having it hard these past few days.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about him. He¡¯ll just make things hard for you. You just work hard on the South River project. Use this chance to hit Mu Yuchen where it hurts!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes turned cold as he said coldly.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes froze for a bit, then she asked, ¡°Uncle Qi, this time, will Mu Yuchen... really get into trouble?¡±

    Qi Qiming scoffed. ¡°That will depend on what Mu Tanghuan and the rest will do!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, do you think it was him who did it too?¡±

    ¡°What I think isn¡¯t important. As long as other people think it was him, Shasha, this is considered revenge for you, Weiwei, and Ah Feng!¡±

 Chapter 824 - Replace? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 824: Rece? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha nodded as a subtle smile appeared on her beautiful face, and she subconsciously held her ne. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about it.¡±

    Qi Qiming sat down. ¡°I¡¯ll let you handle the South River project at the moment. Is your injury alright?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a little scratch, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Gu Lingsha gave Qi Qiming a grateful nce.

    Qi Qiming then replied, ¡°That¡¯s good, or else, I wouldn¡¯t know what to tell your parents. By the way, did your father contact youtely?¡±

    Gu Lingsha hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s difficult enough to see my father. He¡¯s invested all his time into his work. At other times, he would be with my mother. He has no time for me at all.¡±

    Qi Qiming then looked downwards with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s true. Anyway, you can head out now. I have some documents to work on.¡±

    Gu Lingsha nodded with a smile on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink things, Uncle Qi. You have to take care as well. I¡¯m sure Aunt Wang will forgive you. There¡¯s nothing wrong with treating yourself better.¡± She then left the room with a gentle smile.

    Qi Qiming leaned his back against the chair with his eyes closed as he heard the sound of the door closed. He just could not rx.

    Xi Xiaye was exhausted ever since Wang Qin¡¯s funeral. Her body had just recovered not too long ago, and then she went on for several days without sleeping well, so she caught a cold after a night of freezing rain. Luckily, Sis Wang gave her some medicine, and Wang Hui made sure she took a break. Only then did she get better.

    When she returned to the office on the third day, she received bad news from Zhang Lan. Thepany had decided to stop working on the South River project.

    ¡°Why stop?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Vice President Zhang Lan with doubt. ¡°Even if Glory World isn¡¯t doing very well right now, we don¡¯t have to stop it at the moment. We still have funds, don¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Director Xi, this is Master Mo¡¯s suggestion because that¡¯s our baseline. Master Mo also said it¡¯s Chairman Mu¡¯s idea,¡± Zhang Lan exined.

    That was impossible. Xi Xiaye knew very well that doing so was not that impactful, so why would Mu Yuchen do that? Did he not know the consequences of doing this?

    Xi Xiaye did not question Mu Yuchen¡¯s decision, but she just did not understand it very well.

    Assistant Xiao Mei came over before Xi Xiaye could sort things out. ¡°Director Xi, Qi Kai¡¯s Manager Gu is here! She said she has something to talk to you about!¡±

    ¡°Manager Gu? Gu Lingsha?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could answer, Vice President Zhang Lan voiced outmentably, ¡°She must be here because of the South River project. She dropped by several days ago asking about the materials. Vice President Qi has already confirmed with us before that we¡¯ll be using traditional materials, and Chairman Mu and Director Xi approved the sample materials as well, but now she said she wants to use the new model materials because it will provide better lighting. I rejected her proposal. This is the document right here. Take a look at it, Director Xi.¡±

    Zhang Lan then took a document out from her folder.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Director Xi. You have no idea how arrogant she sounded when she came the other day. She was so confident when she tried to argue with Vice President Zhang. She looked like a witch from every angle. Ugh, how frustrating!¡±

    Xiao Mei was really angry. When she was there the other day as well, she was annoyed at how Gu Lingsha carried herself. It was as if she was trying to show off the kind of life she was leading abroad. Although she tried to be humble, it was not difficult to sense that Gu Lingsha was trying to be sarcastic, and Vice President Zhang almost lost the argument to her.

    Xi Xiaye flipped through it and then left it on the table as her eyes darkened. A cold light shed in her eyes as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and meet her then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye told Zhang Lan, ¡°Vice President Zhang, I have my thoughts reserved. Don¡¯t just stop it right away. I¡¯ll think about it. Stopping it right now will leave a negative impact, and we can¡¯t let Glory World¡¯s reputation suffer anymore. I¡¯lle up with something.¡±

    Zhang Lan was startled for a moment. Then, she gave Xi Xiaye an uneasy nce and nodded. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll let the other Vice Presidents know for now.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. I¡¯ll get Chairman Mu to reward everyone when he returns safely,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Zhang Lan smiled kindly. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Director Xi. Chairman Mu said before that there¡¯s no you and me, only us and only everyone. We¡¯ll definitely make it through this if we stick together. We all believe in Chairman Mu and everyone else!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gratefully as Zhang Lan left the office. She turned towards therge window looking outside as she told Xiao Mei, ¡°Send Gu Lingsha in!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi!¡± Xiao Mei replied briefly before leaving.

    Gu Lingsha wore a white suit with her hair tied up. Her outfit was smart, and she appeared very confident. Xiao Mei had to admit that this woman was charming in her own way. She was really a strong, beautiful woman!

    However, Xiao Mei did not like her, so she was not really pleasant to her.

    ¡°Director Xi has allowed you to go in now!¡±

    Gu Lingsha still maintained a smile as she nced at Xiao Mei. ¡°I thought a bigpany like Glory World would have high standards for all employees. Ah, I guess I¡¯m wrong.¡±

    She then slowly ambled into Xi Xiaye¡¯s office.

 Chapter 825 - Replace? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 825: Rece? (3)</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xiao Mei was stunned for a moment before realizing what the woman meant. In fury, she gritted her teeth!

    Xi Xiaye overheard their conversation, and her face suddenly turned cold! She swore to herself that she would pay Gu Lingsha back for Xiao Mei¡¯s sake!

    As she was having thoughts to herself, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her, but she did not turn back. Instead, her eyes darkened.

    ¡°We meet again, Ms. Xi!¡± Gu Lingsha smiled, but her tone of voice was cold.

    ¡°Why are you here? Getting addicted to chatting with me?¡± Xi Xiaye did not want to see her face at all, so she did not turn back and merely replied to her coldly.

    ¡°I suppose what happenedtely must¡¯ve been troubling you a lot, Ms. Xi. I personally sympathize with you about what happened to Mu Yuchen. I didn¡¯t expect him to identally injure CEO Wang...¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed coldly and gave her a harsh reply, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be all sarcastic right now. The police haven¡¯t made any conclusions yet. You¡¯re going overboard with your words. Your behavior today makes me doubt that you might be the actual mastermind behind this instead. Only the real perpetrator could be so confident in their words.¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze. As she bit her lip and was about to say something, Xi Xiaye turned around with a calm expression. She was impressed that Xi Xiaye was able to hold her ground.

    She noticed Vice President Zhang Lan¡¯s darkened expression when she walked over just now. It must be due to the South River project. The government had given their orders, thus some interested partners pulled out, yet this woman could stay calm.

    Xi Xiaye pushed the document she left on the table just now aside.¡±If you¡¯re here because of this, I¡¯m telling you now that we¡¯re never going to agree to it. We¡¯vee to an agreement with Vice President Qi to stick to the original n. Although you¡¯re the main person in charge of this project right now, how can we just simply change what has been decided?¡±

    ¡°The elements of traditional materials are in and boring. The lighting effects aren¡¯t as visible as it would be with the new type of materials. Isn¡¯t the South River project all about being ¡®new¡¯?¡± Gu Lingsha argued.

    Xi Xiaye grinned. ¡°New type of materials? Manager Gu, can you guarantee these new materials can highlight the theme? How durable are these new materials against the cold? How are its anti-corrosive properties? What¡¯s the highest impact force it can withstand? Have you not spoken to Vice President Qi and found out we¡¯ve already madeparisons before?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t try to act like a professional when you don¡¯t know anything. This won¡¯t earn you any credit. The new type of materials is just a slight variation during the process. I¡¯ll still go with Vice President Qi¡¯s proposal. If you¡¯re thinking about rising up by using him as a stepping stone, you¡¯d better get rid of that thought. We¡¯ve already said that we¡¯ll only deal with Vice President Qi. I can¡¯t trust you, Ms. Gu. If this is Qi Kai¡¯s decision as a whole, please send Vice President Qi to discuss it with us.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words left Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression stiffened. She knew very well that Xi Xiaye was trying to embarrass her, so she put on a sharine smile. ¡°Ms. Xi, you don¡¯t really need to put on a front right now. We¡¯re not even sure if Glory World will continue the South River project.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Xi Xiaye asked her back.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re in a good spot at the moment?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s smile was bing sarcastic, and she was not hiding her feelings at all.

    ¡°I heard things didn¡¯t go well when Vice President Zhang Lan went to deal with the government personnel. Not only is Glory World not doing well, but we¡¯re not even sure if Mu Yuchen can be safely released.¡±

    ¡°So, are you here today to see if I¡¯m as miserable as you imagined?¡± Xi Xiaye asked dangerously.

    Gu Lingsha nodded. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s part of why I¡¯m here today aside from work. Even God is on my side. You¡¯ll never know who the winner is until the very end. Ms. Xi, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s Mu Yuchen¡¯s mistake for choosing you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye finally understood. This woman was here for a deration of war today!

    She squinted as her gaze turned cold. Then, she stared at Gu Lingsha for a while, ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe and say these when Mu Yuchen was around? I¡¯m not sure where your confidencees from, Ms. Gu. Do you think you¡¯re so charming that every man has to like you? I heard from Mr. Mu that you were unhappy when he said you were unworthy of him. Have you been angry and hurt about that all these years?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes shifted slightly, but her expression remained calm. With a smile still on her face, she replied, ¡°You don¡¯t have to bring that up. You might not understand the past conflicts between us.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could sense something gushing into her brain, so she frowned and spoke in a warning tone, ¡°Ms. Gu, mind your words. Don¡¯t speak as if you were in an extramarital rtionship with my husband! Conflicts? What could possibly happen between you two? Isn¡¯t it just about the ident? You don¡¯t have to try to weaken our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. What if it¡¯s not just about the ident?¡±

    ¡°Then, you can talk to Mu Yuchen yourself. I¡¯m not interested at all. Besides, the South River project will surely be continued. Please tell Vice President Qi to manage his priorities. Glory World will only deal with Qi Lei since he knows each and every detail regarding the project. We need a professional to take charge, not a decorative vase who can¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s crisp voice was powerful as she threw the document in front of Gu Lingsha. ¡°Send Vice President Qi over next time. I only speak to people who can properly hold a conversation!¡±

 Chapter 826 - Replace? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 826: Rece? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye said that, Gu Lingsha was instantly stunned and did not immediately react. She widened her eyes in disbelief and almost snarled. ¡°What did you say? Are you calling me a vase?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s long, shapely brows furrowed into a knot as she subconsciously gripped the document before her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. It¡¯s not my fault if the shoe fits.¡± A hint of impatient hostility shed on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face, her tone as indifferent as ice.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you...¡± Gu Lingsha tightened her grip onto the document in her hand. Her beautiful face could not hide the fury in her heart, yet Xi Xi Xiaye had already pressed the button on the phone as she instructed sourly, ¡°Xiao Mei,e in and see our guest out!¡±

    Then, she turned around without giving Gu Lingsha a second nce.

    Xiao Mei rushed in quickly. Earlier, she could already feel that the atmosphere in the office turn odd when she came in. Gu Lingsha¡¯s beautiful face was livid and pale at the same time that her eyes coldly red at their Director Xi. It seemed like the conversation did not go well, and this woman was quite infuriated by their Director Xi.

    At this sight, Xiao Mei could not help but feel delighted. Then, she walked over before she smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Manager Gu, this way!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s gaze was cold. The document was scrunched up in her hand. After a while, she sneered and held back the anger that surged within her. Instead, she smiled back. ¡°Xi Xiaye, you¡¯re quite a capable one. I¡¯ll remember what happened today. I¡¯d like to see how you get through this one.¡±

    Xi Xiaye returned the smile coldly without a word while Gu Lingsha sucked in a few more breaths before turning around to leave unhappily.

    She was pissed!

    Initially, Qi Qiming wanted to use this change of events to allow her to build some credibility in thepany. That was why he had handed the project to her while South River Project No. 2 was the main focus. Unexpectedly, this woman would not budge, and even shamelessly called her unprofessional, clearly making things difficult for her.

    Gu Lingsha was filled with anger. Even if she was unwilling to do so, she could only leave.

    When she heard the door close, Xi Xiaye sighed softly, and then could not help but massage the tired space between her brows.

    It was a fidgety moment, yet this woman had toe at this time to step on where it hurt, so no one could me her for using her as a punching bag. She thought about it for a while before turning to pick the phone up and quickly make a call. The phone only rang a few times when the other person picked it up.

    ¡°Hello. You¡¯ve reached VP Qi¡¯s office!¡± It was Yang Sheng¡¯s familiar voice.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s sharp eyes eased a little. ¡°Assistant Yang, it¡¯s me, Xi Xiaye. Did VP Qi go to work today? How¡¯s the situation on your end with regards to the South River project? Haven¡¯t we already decided on the selection of materials? Why would Gu Lingsha bring another document over?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words stunned Yang Sheng, but after a while, he reacted. ¡°Director Xi, Master Qi didn¡¯te to work today. I¡¯ll ask him about it right away, alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay, please tell him to call meter.¡±

    Then, she hung up.

    She was thinking about the South River project. There was no way they could put the construction on hiatus. Once they stopped, it would have a negative effect. Forget about the rest, but just exining to the government¡¯s end would be trouble. Furthermore, this was a newly developed area, and the slightest whiff of bad news about it would affect public opinion. Xi Xiaye mulled and pondered over many factors before she decided she could only ask for help from her grandpa, Shen Yue.

    ...

    Shen Yue did not go to the office today, so Xi Xiaye found him at the Shen residence. Lan Zng was there too.

    He was not surprised by Xi Xiaye¡¯s request at all. Instead, he thought it was normal.

    Inside the study room, Shen Yue looked at Xi Xiaye who was worried with a frown before his desk. After some time, he set the calligraphy brush in his hand aside, his deep yet clearly aged voice saying, ¡°I¡¯ve been assigning Zng to pay attention to Glory World¡¯s situation these few days. How¡¯s Ah Chen?¡±

    ¡°Father says he¡¯s fine. The police are still gathering evidence, and Lawyer Wang¡¯s been busy too. Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. He¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen was mentioned, Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank a little. It had been ten days. Mu Tangchuan had been anxiously pressuring the police station while Li Si had been gone too. Yesterday, when Xi Xiaye asked about Mu Yuchen, Mu Tangchuan smiled in a rxed manner and told her that he would be back really soon.

    Shen Yue sighed and held his head of grey hair before turning around to say, ¡°Sigh, it must be tough on you to do all of this alone. Zhou Zimo¡¯s been helping quite a bit too. It¡¯s a good thing Ah Chen has these buddies of his. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about that. Zng, give her the items.¡±

    Lan Zng, who had been waiting on the side, instantly smiled. He walked over and handed the document to Xi Xiaye with a smile. ¡°Miss Xiaye, take a look. This is something that Elder CEO has prepared right from the start. We were just waiting for you to ask when you needed it.¡±

    Lan Zng¡¯s statement stunned Xi Xiaye. She froze for a while before reaching out to take it. Then, she flipped open the document and took a closer look. When she had studied the contents, a light shed in her twinkling eyes as she looked up at Lan Zng. Upon seeing Lan Zng nod with a smile, she felt a warmth surge inside her, and she turned to look at Shen Yue.

    ¡°Grandpa... aren¡¯t these... those plots ofnd that Grandpa was nning on developing? In fact, Uncle Lan even said that there¡¯s a huge opportunity for them to appreciate in price. Why...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to develop them. You won¡¯t see results within 10 or 20 years. In fact, I¡¯ve shifted thisnd around quite a few times now, and I didn¡¯t make a loss. I¡¯ve already signed the contract, so I¡¯ll be able to get the money back today. We¡¯ll talk about it when the matter with the South River project is settled. Okay, time¡¯s of the essence. I won¡¯t keep you from lunch. Xiao Ru can stay at the Shen residence with me this weekend while you handle thepany matters first before anything.¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s deep voice was filled with constion. ¡°Just treat this as the final training for you. In the future, you¡¯ll meet more troublesome things than this. This is how business is. Just treat it with a calm heart. Alright, go back now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt like crying. She nodded gently and said in a slightly raspy voice, ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡±

    Shen Yue smiled lovingly and then waved his hand.

    Xi Xiaye then turned to leave Shen Yue¡¯s study room. Just as she stepped out of the Shen residence, the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated. She quickly took it out and saw that it was unexpectedly a video sent by Mu Yuchen. She paused, then quickly yed the video. To her delight, that exceptionally handsome face greeted her sight.

 Chapter 827 - Further and Further Away (1)

    <h4>Chapter 827: Further and Further Away (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She saw that the man was calm as usual. His low and sensitive voice was filled with gentlefort as he assured her, ¡°Missus, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine in a few more days. Wait for me to get back.¡±

    It was a very simple sentence, yet it had been more than ten days since shest saw him. Hearing his familiar voice once again, the emotions she had been suppressing involuntarily poured out, and she could not help but tear up a little.

    She sniffled and lifted her hands to cover her face. After a while, she sighed and then blinked hard before keeping her phone and getting into her car...

    With Shen Yue¡¯s enormous flow of funds, Zhang Lan quickly got through to the government. Theirment about the South River project being forced to stop work was resolved. Soon, Glory World¡¯s shares slowly showed signs of picking up again. As a result, Qi Qiming and Gu Lingsha could not quite react from Qi Kai¡¯s end.

    Inside the spacious office, Gu Lingsha frowned as she watched the share market graph on the screen, and asked, puzzled, ¡°Uncle Qi, what¡¯s happening?¡±

    Qi Qiming was on another call at that moment with Yue Hai from the government. He seemed extremely troubled. Afterward, she only heard a thud as the phone in Qi Qiming¡¯s hand was tossed into a corner.

    The loud sound startled Gu Lingsha who quickly turned to Qi Qiming. ¡°Uncle Qi, did something happen?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s aged face was stormy as he shouted, ¡°This bastard, Hua Heng! Is he thinking about raising the price? We already had a deal before, but now he suddenly wants to raise the price., I don¡¯t think that Fuhua¡¯s Shen Yue would use that much money to monopolize thatnd!¡±

    Gu Lingsha immediately knew that it was probably thend near the South River which was a highly valuablend as the outback of South River Project No. 2. One of the main reasons the government had used a tender process to look for a developer was that they had no way of getting a deal for thatnd, so if they wanted to win the bid, they would have to get this piece ofnd!

    Now upon hearing this, it looked like Hua Heng had raised the prices again!

    The initial price was already very high. In fact, the price that Qi Kai offered was not that low either, so why was there suddenly a change right now?

    ¡°Fuhua Real Estate was thinking about how to coborate with Glory World. Now that something¡¯s happened to Glory World, I thought I could use the chance to take them down, and Project No. 2 would be a guarantee, yet Shen Yue still dares to offer a new price. Does he think that just Fuhua alone can take this gold mine on?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes darkened. From his clenched fists, you could see that he was extremely furious. He thought about it, then turned to the secretary who had kept quiet before he said, ¡°Quickly go check what happened at Hua Heng, and find out what¡¯s the situation on Fuhua¡¯s end!¡±

    The secretary quickly retreated in shock. ¡°Yes, CEO Qi! I¡¯ll go check right away!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, don¡¯t be anxious first. Let¡¯s see how it goes. Don¡¯t worsen your health over this. I think something¡¯s up with Glory World.¡± As Gu Lingsha said this, she looked at the screen above and frowned as she pointed out the discrepancy.

    Qi Qiming then took a deep breath and followed Gu Lingsha¡¯s gaze to look up. His eyes turned steely, and after a while, he sighed. ¡°It looks like your father¡¯s analyzed it correctly. Glory World¡¯s got a concrete foundation. This time, we¡¯ve underestimated Mu Yuchen. He¡¯s managed to survive so many days...¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, don¡¯t forget that Zhou Zimo isn¡¯t a pushover either. He¡¯s been going to Glory World frequently in recent times.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Zhang Lan, Liu Lingyu, and the others aren¡¯t good-for-nothings either!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened as he mmed the table. At this moment, the secretary who had gone out to find out about things had returned.

    ¡°CEO Qi, we received news that Shen Yue¡¯s just sold off a fewnds under his ownership, so...¡±

    ¡°It should be those few ones in the east of the city! It looks like he¡¯s determined to get Project No. 2. I¡¯ve really underestimated old Shen Yue¡¯s capabilities,¡± Qi Qiming growled frustratedly. He pondered for a moment, then looked up. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s call for a meeting! Have it in half an hour. Inform everyone!¡±

    ¡°Yes! CEO Qi!¡±

    Gu Lingsha nodded. ¡°Uncle Qi, I¡¯ll go back to my office to get some materials then.¡±

    Qi Qiming waved his hand at her.

    ...

    Gu Lingsha then slowly left the office and walked towards her office.

    However, she had just stepped out of the elevator when she unexpectedly saw a frail and lonely figure before her.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes lit up. She could not help but call out to the figure upfront, ¡°Lei!¡±

    When he heard the voice from behind him, Qi Lei stopped and turned around indifferently to look at Gu Lingsha who stood before him. His still eyes dimmed, and you could see that faint loneliness on his calm face as he stared at Gu Lingsha for quite a while. He said softly, ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±

    His voice was cold like a little pebble that had been tossed into still water. It only caused a small ripple, and then there was nothing more.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart sank slightly. She was about to ask about him something when he had already averted his gaze as he turned around coolly before continuing to walk ahead.

    ¡°Qi Lei! Hold on!¡±

    Almost as if she could no longer handle Qi Lei¡¯s indifference and distance, what more his lonely figure, Gu Lingsha felt her heart ache, and she could not help but chase after him. She reached out to pull his arm.

    Qi Lei then stopped walking silently. He turned to look at her again before asking calmly, ¡°Do you need something, Manager Gu?¡±

    When she heard his distant voice, Gu Lingsha could feel a sour sadness swelling in her heart. With a frown, she said gloomily, ¡°Qi Lei, do you have to be like this?¡±

    ¡°How am I being?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s nce was calm as he nced at her hand that held onto his arm without batting an eyelid. His indifferent nce made Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart sink even deeper. After that, she could only let him go in a daze.

    ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯ve been worried about you.¡± Gu Lingsha changed her tone slightly, her beautiful eyes sparkling with genuine concern. Her voice was lowered too. She looked up like that and silently watched Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face that seemed deep in thought.

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m not doing well right now? Thank you for your concern, Manager Gu! Is there anything else?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was distant and cold as he calmly looked at Gu Lingsha.

 Chapter 828 - Further and Further Away (2)

    Chapter 828: Further and Further Away (2)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Qi Lei, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think that would happen to Aunty Wang either,¡± Gu Lingsha spoke, the hint of sorrow unable to be concealed in her voice.

    However, before Gu Lingsha could finish, Qi Lei had already spoken up to cut her short, ¡°My mother¡¯s already gone. Can you all stop bringing this up every time? I already said I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m doing great! If I wasn¡¯t fine, would I havee back to work?¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, his silent eyes gleamed with gloom.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Qi Lei. Don¡¯t be angry! I was just... I was just concerned about you! Since you¡¯re fine, that¡¯s great! You look like you¡¯ve be much thinner. I hope that you¡¯ll take good care of yourself,¡± said Gu Lingsha, helplessly lowering her voice as she turned pale.

    Qi Lei did not take another look at her. He turned around and walked away, leaving only an apathetic shadow behind with Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha just stood where she was in a daze. She could not quite react to Qi Lei¡¯s sudden change in attitude, and she found his indifference hard to believe. She thought about it for a long while, and then sadly lowered her gaze.

    Qi Lei returned to his office casually. Yang Sheng was already in the office arranging the documents. When he saw Qi Lei, his worries finally subsided a little. He quickly went up to greet him, ¡°Master Qi, I was worried that you¡¯d bete!¡±

    Qi Lei took his coat off and tossed it onto the table as he leisurely sat in his chair. He turned around and looked outside the window behind him as he said calmly, ¡°Am I the kind of superior who¡¯s alwayste to you?¡±

    His direct words stunned Yang Sheng who could not help but think to himself, Master Qi, you arete every day! You were only two minutes earlier today.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Qi Lei quickly noticed the pot of ball cacti on the low stool by the window. They were green and round, seeming quite refreshing.

    Yang Sheng followed Qi Lei¡¯s gaze. When he saw those ball cacti, a smile could not help but ripple across his face. ¡°Oh, those! I got them from Director Xi. When I was at Glory World to deliver some things the day before, I saw that there were quite a few pots behind Director Xi on her window sill. She personally nted them herself. I suddenly remembered that you don¡¯t have these little things in your office, Master Qi, so I casually mentioned that. Afterward, Director Xi gave you this pot. She even picked the nicest looking ones, saying that it was a gift for you. She hopes that you could be like these little guys.¡±

    As Qi Lei listened, the gloominess on his handsome face faded a bit, and he could not help but smile. He thought about it, then bent down to pick up the cacti to examine. Then, he sighed softly and a poignant smile spread across his lips. ¡°Ball cacti... Does she really think that this thing can be a metaphor for me? Do I look like the kind of person with thorns all over me?¡±

    When he heard Qi Lei mutter, Yang Sheng seriously examined him, and then shook his head before answering honestly, ¡°You don¡¯t look like it, not at all!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei chuckled. A hint of gratitude shed in his eyes as he looked carefully at the pot of cacti for a long while before putting it back. ¡°I understand what she means... Alright, give her a call and thank her for me. Please also call Deputy Chief Zhang and ask him how Mu Yuchen¡¯s thing is going. See if we can do anything.¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded quietly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go right away. Oh, right, Master Qi, previously, Manager Gu brought a document over to Glory World directly. It should be about using new materials. I heard that Director Xi furiously reprimanded her, saying that if there was any issue, you should personally go to Glory World for a discussion. Also, at 9 a.m. CEO Qi has called for a meeting with everyone. It¡¯s about South River Project No. 2. In the afternoon, CEO Gu from Gu Feng has a lunch appointment with you, and at 3 p.m. you¡¯ll need to inspect the South River. At night, Miss Sun has asked you out for dinner...¡±

    ¡°Got it. Reject the dinner. I want to go back to the Qi residence tonight to pack my mother¡¯s things,¡± Qi Lei said calmly.

    Yang Sheng fell silent, then answered, ¡°Okay, Master Qi!¡±

    Then, he left.

    As the sound of the door closing carefully sounded, Qi Lei suddenly fell limp. He lifted a hand to hold his forehead and rxed before gently touching that cactus with thorns all over it. He felt a faint prick, then was clear-headed again.

    The warm sun was hanging high up in the sky outside while the morning winds were calm. The breeze brought a faint scent of grass,plementing the warm morning sun. It made one feel quite refreshed, and there seemed to be no more of the gloominess from the past few days.

    Xi Xiaye had just sat down in her office when Xiao Mei informed her happily, ¡°Director Xi, our shares are getting back on track. Even though they haven¡¯t returned to the way they were before, there are signs of it going back up. Assistant Li has handled things on the media¡¯s end, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the data on herptop screen as ease shed in her twinkling eyes. She nodded dly. ¡°Mmm, this is the result of everyone¡¯s hard work. Everyone¡¯s been working hard in recent times. When Chairman Mu gets back, I¡¯ll definitely get him to reward everyone well. Tonight, tell everyone to rx at Imperial Sky. Put the expenses under my name.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then, I¡¯ll have to thank you on behalf of everyone first! Director, you¡¯ve been quite worn out recently too. You should rest well!¡±

    Xiao Mei smiled as she arranged the documents on hand before delivering it to Xi Xiaye¡¯s desk.

    Xi Xiaye nodded dly.

    ¡°Right, Director Xi, earlier, Vice President Qi¡¯s assistant from Qi Kai, Assistant Yang Sheng, called. He said that VP Qi wanted to thank you. He really likes that cactus, and he wants to treat you and Master Mu to a meal soon.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye raised her brows and asked, ¡°VP Qi¡¯s back to work?¡±

    Xiao Mei nodded. ¡°Yeah, he went back to work this morning. Assistant Yang said that VP Qi¡¯s alright now, and he told you not to worry. They¡¯re really thankful for you, Director Xi.¡±

    Thankful?

    But she had not done anything.

    However, since Qi Lei could walk out from his valley of sorrow, this was a positive thing.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while. She blinked, then responded softly, ¡°Okay, I got it. You can leave first.¡±

    Xiao Mei bowed respectfully, before retreating quietly.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while, then subconsciously turned to look at the remaining pots of cacti behind her. A faint warmth gathered in her eyes as she got up and walked over to draw open the curtains shielding her from the sun. Rays of warm sunshine poured in, the light instantly filling the room as if the chilliness from before was all gone...

 Chapter 829 - Master Mu Returns (1)

    Chapter 829: Master Mu Returns (1)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The storm went on for over ten days, yet Mu Yuchen felt like they were the most rxing ten days he had ever had. He did not see them as unfortunate. Instead, he used the days to sort out his jumbled thoughts and feelings, feeling much more at ease because of that.

    When the police called him to the interrogation room, he was relieved. The first thought that crossed his mind was Xi Xiaye¡¯s bright and beautiful face. It had only been over ten days since theyst met, yet it felt like a century had passed. He truly missed her a lot.

    In the interrogation room, Lawyer Wang sat aside, and before the table was Captain Wang and two other police officers. Meanwhile, Li Si and Su Chen were waiting outside.

    When they saw Mu Yuchen walk towards them along the corridor, Li Si could not help but rush up to him as he shouted emotionally, ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen!¡± Su Chen called out softly too. He wanted to go up to his friend but was stopped by the two police officers that stood guarded by the door.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm. He nodded gently at the two of them, a faint smile rippling across his handsome face before he walked in.

    Mu Yuchen had just sat down when Captain Wang smiled and said as he opened a folder, ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve gotten quite used to staying with us now, Master Mu.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded calmly as he answered humbly, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a good ce to cultivate one¡¯s character and mental strength.¡±

    Captain Wang chuckled with his gaze lowered. The higher-ups had exined things to him, so he dared not be disrespectful towards Mu Yuchen either. If not for Mu Yuchen¡¯swyer bringing in new evidence today, Mu Yuchen would have to be continued being detained. Wang Qin and Gu Lingsha were no ordinary people either. With both sides pressuring them, it was hard for him to be stuck in the middle. He would much rather Mu Yuchen quickly hand in new evidence and then leave. That way, he would not need to be troubled with this every day and lose sleep!

    They repeated the inspections over and over again near the dock and with the footages on the ship. Captain Wang kept looking through them. In fact, he looked at them so much that his eyes could bleed. s, even though he found it suspicious, he did not discover anything.

    So, today when Lawyer Wang came over, he was relieved.

    ¡°Lawyer Wang, you said that you have new evidence to prove that Master Mu wasn¡¯t the one injuring the victims. What evidence is it?¡± Captain Wang asked frankly, not dying any further.

    Lawyer Wang quickly took a document from his briefcase and handed it to Captain Wang. ¡°I¡¯m sure this document has been handed to Captain Wang before by the forensics department. The results from the forensics team have proven that the tissue underneath Madam Wang Qin¡¯s nails doesn¡¯t match our Master Mu¡¯s DNA. The fingerprints on the knife were also messy, so you can¡¯t prove that only our Master Mu has handled that knife. Furthermore, you can¡¯t prove that it was Master Mu who identally injured the victims with the knife. Also, we found these things in a garbage heap near the dock.¡±

    As Lawyer Wang said that, he picked the bag beside him up and put it before Captain Wang. ¡°This is the uniform of the waiters that night. There are some red wine stains on it. Of course, there are some blood stains too. Even though the clothes have been burnt, thankfully the blood traces on it can still be detected. I brought it to theb for a test which can prove that the bloodstains on this are Madam Wang Qin¡¯s. It¡¯s also the same as the DNA from Madam Wang Qin¡¯s fingernails. It doesn¡¯t belong to our Master Mu.¡±

    Captain Wang¡¯s eyes darkened while a solemn expression shed across his face. The police did not even find such important things. How did they get all of that?

    He took the bag a little doubtfully as he pulled a pair of gloves on. He inspected it closely and flipped through the examination report before nodding at the officer beside him. That officer swiftly picked up his phone to call theb. Shortly after that, he kept his phone away and leaned in towards Captain Wang to whisper something. The captain nodded tersely.

    ¡°Master Mu, the fact that you could even get this report from theb shows that your people are really going all out. Lawyer Wang¡¯s quite capable.¡± When Captain Wang said this, they were not sure what he meant.

    ¡°Captain Wang, you¡¯re over-praising me now,¡± Lawyer Wang said humbly.

    Captain Wang muttered to himself for a moment, and then said, ¡°However, this shouldn¡¯t be enough to clear Master Mu of suspicion. I¡¯m sorry. You need to have stronger evidence.¡± His steadfast face contained a hint of indescribable sternness as he looked up to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Captain Wang, you don¡¯t have evidence to prove that our Master Mu did it either, do you? Just based on the fact that Master Mu held a fruit knife, can you prove that he did it? Did you see him personally hurt someone with the knife? How can you be sure that someone else didn¡¯t frame him in the mid of the chaos then? You can¡¯t just convict and lock him up based on this alone. The police shouldn¡¯t treat this like child¡¯s y!¡± Lawyer Wang demanded when he noticed Captain Wang¡¯s tensed expression.

    ¡°I think you wouldn¡¯t have just brought these things to prove your innocence, would you, Master Mu?¡± Captain Wang looked at Lawyer Wang, then turned to look at Mu Yuchen who had remained silent.

    Then, Mu Yuchen smiled and straightened up. ¡°Captain Wang, you seem quite calm, but this incident really has nothing to do with me. Instead of spending time on me, how about you look through these things? My people have already saved you half the effort.¡± His deep voice came through as he looked pointedly at the things on the table.

    ¡°As the police, we will definitely look through what should. Thank you for your cooperation.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded dly. He turned to look at Lawyer Wang who coincidentally met his unfathomable gaze. Upon seeing him nod gently, Lawyer Wang took a document that had many pictures attached out of his briefcase.

    Mu Yuchen casually took two of the pictures to study casually. Then, a perfect curve shed in the corner of his lips before his long fingers tossed the pictures to Captain Wang. ¡°If the previous evidence isn¡¯t enough as proof, these should be sufficient.¡±

    Then, Captain Wang picked the pictures before him up while Lawyer Wang handed him theplete document too. ¡°Captain Wang, this was the instant before the lights dimmed. Our people caught that in that split second. There¡¯s even the timestamp of when the picture was taken. It coincidentally captured the moment the murderer did it. Even though you can¡¯t see the person¡¯s face clearly, at that moment, our Master Mu and Missus were right there!¡±

 Chapter 830 - Master Mu Returns (2)

    <h4>Chapter 830: Master Mu Returns (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Captain Wang stared at the pictures for a long time before his strained expression softened. He looked through the other photos and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this person in the photo? How did you get these photos? Why are you only showing these to us now?¡±

    Lawyer Wang nced at Mu Yuchen whose expression was as calm as ever. ¡°Finding out who that person is will require you to investigate more. The security camera footage on the ship is still in your hands. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be difficult to find out. As for why we have this, it¡¯s all thanks to Master Mu¡¯s fore-nning.¡±

    ¡°Did you know that someone was going to do something against you?¡± Captain Wang squinted and looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen casually adjusted his sleeves. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood, Captain Wang. I have no idea this would happen. I just thought I needed better security, so I arranged my guards all around me. I¡¯m d that they captured this for me.¡±

    Captain Wang took a deep breath and then said, ¡°You¡¯re a really cautious person, Master Mu. If you have this, why stay here and torture yourself?¡±

    ¡°Torture? I don¡¯t think so. It takes time to get these as well. Thank you for putting on an act with me this whole time. I¡¯ll be sure to pay you back some timeter. Captain Wang, you and your colleagues are wee to visit the Imperial Sky facilities. I¡¯ll be sure to entertain you. So, can I leave now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen already stood up.

    Captain Wang¡¯s expression turned pale as he nodded vigorously. ¡°You¡¯re free to go, Master Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded at him elegantly before leaving the room while Lawyer Wang packed his things up and gave Captain Wang a firm handshake before catching up with his client.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen!¡±

    Su Chen and Li Si¡¯s expressions softened when they saw Mu Yuchene out. They quickly went towards him.

    Mu Yuchen did not stop at all as he spoke, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside.¡±

    The car was parked right outside the police station. Mu Yuchen got in as soon as he stepped out of the premises. Su Chen sat beside him while Li Si sat in the front passenger seat.

    ¡°I expected them to release you. You really held your ground in there for over ten days. It took me a long time to convince Uncle Mu not to act. If he had given his orders and had his people do something, our n would¡¯ve been ruined,¡± Su Chenined as he put his arm over Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°If I didn¡¯t do this, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to break through the current situation. Did Ah Mo bring back any news?¡±

    ¡°Master, as you expected, Gu Qiwu and Qi Qiming met by the river. Gi Quwu also went to Qingshan Cemetery before returning to City B. Regarding Glory World, Missus didn¡¯t stop moving forward with the South River project. Gu Lingsha met her several days ago. She probably provoked Missus and caused her to seek help from Elder CEO Shen.

    ¡°Elder CEO Shen sold several plots ofnd and invested all the money into Glory World, so our share prices have stabilized at the moment. As for South River Project No. 2, Hua Heng raised his prices even higher and then made a quick deal with Qi Kai. It was a huge deal and took a lot out of Qi Kai. I wonder what the Gu Hui Corporation would think if they found out about this.¡±

    Li Si guffawed before he continued momentster, ¡°Ah Mo sent an email over. He found Qi Feng when he followed your instructions.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mu Yuchen sounded interested. He traded nces with Su Chen beside him as they both looked at Li Si together, signaling him to continue.

    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Li Si handed the tablet over. The screen showed an opened email with some photos attached.

    Mu Yuchen grabbed it as Su Chen looked over while Li Si continued with his exnation, ¡°Master, this is Qi Feng. His face was injured during the ident, so he underwent stic surgery. He looks nothing like he used to. That is the hospital that he went to. His vocal cords were injured as well, and his voice sounds very different from before. Lately, he went for recovery surgery.¡±

    ¡°After stic surgery, even his voice has be different?¡± Su Chen mumbled, ¡°No wonder we couldn¡¯t find him all these years!¡±

    Su Chen let out a bitterugh. He nced at Qi Feng¡¯s strange face before asking Li Si, ¡°Why isn¡¯t there an address? Didn¡¯t you find him?¡±

    ¡°We just got this information from the hospital, but we haven¡¯t found out his address at the moment. He didn¡¯t register a detailed address at the hospital, but it¡¯s confirmed that he doesn¡¯t stay in Sydney. He stays in a rural area a certain distance away from Sydney. They stay at this hotel every time he goes for surgery,¡± Li Si exined.

    Su Chen scrolled down and saw Qi Feng sitting in a wheelchair. Then, he looked at Li Si with his eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s a smart move. Australia is pretty big and it¡¯s hard to locate him. Hmm? What happened to his legs?¡±

    Li Si coughed lightly as he covered his mouth to hide augh. ¡°His legs were crippled since the ident six years ago. Even though he tried a lot of treatments, his legs still can¡¯t feel anything. In a nutshell, his lower-half body is paralyzed.¡±

    ¡°Paralyzed?¡±

    Su Chen stared at the photo in surprise for a while beforeughing. ¡°That must be really sad for him. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s hard for a person like him to ept this truth, huh?¡±

    ¡°Master Su, I also heard from Ah Mo that he tried tomit suicide when he woke up, but a certain thought prevented him from doing so.¡±

 Chapter 831 - Master Mu Returns (3)

    <h4>Chapter 831: Master Mu Returns (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen went quiet. He rubbed his nose and said, ¡°If this is true, you have to be careful with Qi Feng, Ah Chen.¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed the tablet back to Li Si, ncing out of the window. ¡°It¡¯s within my expectations. Tell Ah Mo he doesn¡¯t need to stay there anymore. Get him toe back.¡±

    ¡°Master, aren¡¯t we looking for Qi Feng anymore?¡± Li Si looked at Mu Yuchen in doubt.

    ¡°He has something he wants here, so he¡¯ll definitely be back. Given the current situation, it¡¯d best benefit your Master. Though Qi Lei did lose out on a great deal of influence, he still holds a certain amount of power when his mother, Wang Qin, was around, but with her death, most of the people who sided with her now follow Qi Qiming.¡±

    Su Chen shrugged as he nced at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Ah Chen, I hope he isn¡¯t someone who can¡¯t stand up on his own. I know you have an interest in Qi Lei. He has a good heart, but I can¡¯t sense the determination in him. He isn¡¯t really resolute to do something. That drive of determination could be something core that is needed in many critical moments. This has been proven many times in history.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he put one hand on his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why would Gu Qiwu want Wang Qin dead? Did Qi Qiming ask him to do so? Or was it Qi Feng?¡±

    This question had been troubling Mu Yuchen and was the only thing he could not understand throughout this incident. He felt that Gu Qiwu had no reason to kill Wang Qin. Everything had its consequences, and Wang Qin¡¯s death did not seem to bring Gu Qiwu any benefits, so why would he have done that?

    Su Chen gave it some thought before saying, ¡°If you¡¯re sure it¡¯s Gu Qiwu¡¯s n, then find the murderer to pinpoint him. Maybe he¡¯ll tell the truth.¡±

    Mu Yuchen shook his head. ¡°Not really. We don¡¯t have any evidence to show that Gu Qiwu ordered him to do so, and the murderer¡¯s identity can only be investigated by the police. We can¡¯t waste our time and energy on this. Actually, I¡¯m quite lucky to get out of this tight spot. I felt uneasy when I received a call from Ah Bao. Unfortunately, I was unable to save Wang Qin.¡±

    ¡°Master, I think the perpetrator¡¯s initial target was not Wang Qin, or else, Gu Lingsha wouldn¡¯t have gotten the injury on her arm.¡± Li Si remembered something.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes turned icy when her name was mentioned. He then asked, ¡°Did Xi Xinyi do anythingtely?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I thought she would go look for Gu Lingsha and the others when Master Mu was arrested, but she was acting cautiously.¡± Li Si smiled.

    ¡°She¡¯s not so much of a fool after all.¡± Mu Yuchen extended his arm towards Li Si and said, ¡°Let me take a look at the share market.¡±

    Li Si quickly found the share market page and handed the tablet to Mu Yuchen. ¡°It¡¯s stabilized all thanks to Missus¡¯s effort. She gathered Vice President Zhang Lan and the others on the night you were detained. They came up with a solution and worked with Master Mo tirelessly after that. She even asked Elder CEO Shen for help regarding the South River project.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at the data graphs as his eyes turned gentle and warm. He blinked and looked out of the car window, observing the moving scenery as his empty heart filled up in an instant.

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes never left Mu Yuchen. He noticed his expression and gave his shoulder an understanding pat. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte now. Let¡¯s head back now. We can rest during the weekend tomorrow. Let me down at the junction ahead. I¡¯m going back to my office to get something. You don¡¯t have to send me back.¡±

    Mu Yuchen returned the pat on the hand on his shoulder as he said gratefully, ¡°Zimo and you have been a great help. Thank you, buddy.¡±

    Su Chenughed and started teasing him, ¡°That¡¯s alright. We have a 5km weighted run this weekend. Are youing?¡±

    ¡°Maybe next week. Come over to Maple Residence with Zimo this weekend. It¡¯s been some time since west gathered around. Weather like this calls for a barbeque. Ah Mo should be home in time as well. Li Si,e over too,¡± Mu Yuchen suggested as he looked outside at the warm light.

    Su Chen snapped his fingers and nodded. ¡°Alright, see you then!¡±

    ¡°Remember to bring your wife along as well. Ji Zitong is quite close to Xiaye, so they can chat together. It¡¯s been some time since you got married to Ji Zitong. When are you having your wedding reception?¡± Mu Yuchen asked Su Chen a sudden question.

    Su Chen was stunned for a moment. He then hit his own forehead and gasped. ¡°I almost forgot if you didn¡¯t mention it. I¡¯ve been busy working in my office and was pretty worn out with what happened to you, so I haven¡¯t got the time to bring her home. Her mother has been feeling unwelltely, so she went back to take care of her. I haven¡¯t told my family I¡¯m married. I¡¯m not sure if my sister knows by now.¡±

    Li Si coughed and blinked his eyes when he heard Su Chen. He suddenly felt sad for Ji Zitong.

    <i>Master Su! You don¡¯t have the understanding that you¡¯re already a married man!</i>

    Mu Yuchen nced at Su Chen, feeling ufortable under his stare.

    Su Chen curled up slightly and stared back at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m your prey. Go back and look at Xiaye instead!¡±

 Chapter 832 - Master Mu Returns (4)

    <h4>Chapter 832: Master Mu Returns (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze did not change. Instead, he red at him sharply. In the end, his gaze stayed on his empty ring finger.

    Su Chen looked over without realizing what was wrong, and Li Si startedughing on his own.

    Mu Yuchen put one hand on his forehead helplessly as he said, ¡°You¡¯d better not go back so early today. Head over to Imperial Sky Jewellery City and pick a ring for her. You can¡¯t mistreat your woman no matter how stingy you are.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s face blushed slightly and he coughed lightly. ¡°I¡¯m not being stingy. I just wanted to wait for a good time to pick out a ring. Damn it, we¡¯ve been buddies for decades! Do I look like a stingy man to you?¡± Anger was his way of hiding his embarrassment.

    ¡°Pretty much!¡± Mu Yuchen gave a swift reply.

    The chauffeur stopped the car and reminded, ¡°Master Su, we¡¯ve arrived at the junction.¡±

    Su Chen punched Mu Yuchen in embarrassment before getting out of the car while mumbling, ¡°You bastard! I¡¯ve been so worried about you in the past week, you little...¡±

    Mu Yuchen just smiled as he reminded, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about this weekend. I¡¯ll call Zimo. Bring Ji Zitong over.¡±

    Su Chen waved his hand angrily before heading towards his office. His office was just right around the corner, so it was a short walk.

    The fact that he was married had not really settled in yet, especially when he got really busy. After being married for around half a month, he got really busy because of work and Mu Yuchen¡¯s matters. Most of the time, it would already be past midnight when he returned home and Ji Zitong would be asleep, but she would usually leave some food for him, much to his appreciation.

    Chen Ling was sick several days ago, so Ji Zitong had gone back to take care of her. He did not know when she would return since they only had a short conversation on the phonest night.

    On the way back to his office, Su Chen decided to take things slow. He would only bring Ji Zitong back to the Su residence next week. His family knew what had happened to Mu Yuchen, so they did not bother himtely, and it was a blissful period for him. However, he felt it was appropriate to have his parents meet his wife since they were already married.

    He soon arrived before his station and swiftly walked into his office.

    Before Su Chen could have anything to drink, Secretary He came up to him and handed him a document. ¡°Chief Su, these are the promotional materials from the headquarters. The Head Chief wants you to do the TV promotion.¡±

    Su Chen raised his eyebrows and flipped through it, not sounding very pleased. ¡°Why me? Let that peacock in the west of the city do it. I¡¯m not going!¡±

    He was not interested in things like this. In contrast, the Deputy Chief in the west was much more interested and would wee it every day.

    Secretary He was helpless against his superior¡¯s attitude, so he started trying to convince him, ¡°Chief Su, why don¡¯t you go for once? Make our station proud! I know you don¡¯t care, but you should consider our feelings when only Chief Du gets seen on TV, Chief Su! Chief Huang at the headquarters said¡ª¡±

    Secretary He cleared his throat as he mimicked Chief Huang¡¯s tone, ¡°It¡¯s an important show. We need someone with a good image to attend. With a build like yours, don¡¯t go and embarrass yourself. You are representing our bureau as a whole! Let Deputy Chief Su from the north go. He¡¯s young and handsome. I bet he can charm all the women even without saying anything! That¡¯s it! Case closed!

    ¡°Chief Huang actually mentioned you specifically! If you attended it, you¡¯d be the star in our bureau!¡±

    Secretary He shot Su Chen a nce full of expectations, yet thetter was frowning.

    ¡°What? Do I look like I¡¯m a model? Are you guys done with the promotional articles? Have you guys gone to observe the civilians? Is the report on the public opinion done? Don¡¯t always think about those useless things. If anyone wants me to go, ask him to go instead!¡± Su Chen ranted in frustration.

    In shock, Secretary He quickly nodded and replied, ¡°Yes! You¡¯re right, Chief Su!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Go and get me a cup of tea! I¡¯ll fire you if you bug me about this again! Go and call that peacock in the west. Tell him to take this document and say Chief Huang told him to do so. Chop-chop!¡± Su Chen threw the document onto the table.

    Pa!

    The loud sound shocked Secretary He who nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, Chief Su!¡± He was too afraid to say anything, so he quickly grabbed the document and fled from Su Chen¡¯s office.

    Su Chen¡¯s frown softened a little when he heard the sound of the door closing.

    He was one of the fastest rising officers in recent years. His career after leaving the army had been smooth sailing. Being in his position at such a young age was not easy, so a lot of people were not impressed. Many people assumed he only reached where he was today because of his background, but only Su Chen himself knew what he was capable of. He was one of the most proficient officers as he spent a lot of time familiarizing himself with all the different kinds of work in the bureau.

    He actually did not want to leave the army back then, but his family did not want him to disappear all the time. Moreover, Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo had already left the army as well, so he felt that there was no point staying anymore, hence he left. He thought his current career would be easier, but he became even busier than when he was in the army!

    The things he did in the army were mostly testing and training, but what about now?

    Su Chen felt exhausted just thinking about it. He pinched the space between his eyebrows and grabbed the document in front of him.

 Chapter 833 - Pick Her Up From Work (1)

    <h4>Chapter 833: Pick Her Up From Work (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen thought about it for a while, then decided to drop the topic. When he finished handling the matters on his desk and finished his cup of tea. The sky had already turned dark outside, and Secretary He had gone home too.

    He read through the final document before realizing that it was quitete. He lifted his hand to check the time on his wrist. It was almost 6p.m., already past office hours. Su Chen then swiftly tidied the things on his table up.

    The car slowly drove out of the entrance of the Traffic Bureau. When he made a turn and saw a couple holding hands and passing by, Su Chen thought about it for a while before going to look for Ji Zitong at the flower shop. She had not gone home for quite a few days, but she should be going back today, should she not?

    Inside Smile flower shop.

    Ji Zitong had been busy the entire day because one of the employees had taken leave for the past few days. She could hardly catch her breath with all the work. In the evening, the farmer from the flower farm had decided toe over to verify the ounts, so she was busy up till now. Finally, she was done with everything.

    Chen Ling had identally sprained her waist a few days ago as she was walking down the stairs. Right now, she was resting at home. Her condition was quite bad a few days ago, but now it was much better. Of course, consequently, she could note help her out at the shop.

    She worked till quitete, and after a few days, she felt quite worn out. Ji Zitong nned on going home earlier that day, of course, back to Su Chen¡¯s. She had not been back for almost a week now. Last night, when they were on the phone call, she wanted to say something, yet in the end, he had work to rush to, so they just hung up.

    As she thought about this, she made a move and began to swiftly close her shop.

    Just as she was about to move that flower basket of champagne roses, arge hand was already a step ahead of her as he picked up the basket with one hand.

    Startled, Ji Zitong quickly looked up to see Su Chen¡¯s steadfast and dashing face greet her sight. He had changed out of his dark work clothes, and the casual metallic gray suit he wore showed off his tall figure. He looked like an elegant gentleman, stunning Ji Zitong for quite a while.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Aren¡¯t you packing up?¡± Master Su asked unromantically, then brought the flower basket into the shop.

    Ji Zitong was dazed for a moment. She then picked up the other flower basket and walked in as well.

    The husband and wife moved quickly. After a while, they were done packing up.

    ¡°Is Mother alright?¡± Su Chen asked as he picked up the windbreaker she left on the rack.

    Ji Zitong took it from him. ¡°She¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a sprain of her wrist. She was calling me about her pain a few days ago. We went to check it out at the hospital but it wasn¡¯t a huge deal. After that, I got some Chinese ointment from my father and applied it a few times, then she was fine.¡±

    As she said this, Ji Zitong put on her windbreaker because it was still a little chilly outside.

    ¡°How do you have time toe over? How¡¯s the thing with Chairman Mu?¡± Ji Zitong had been paying attention to Xi Xiaye¡¯s matters recently as well.

    ¡°He¡¯s just been released. I went back to the Bureau to get some things, so I decided toe over too. Are you going home today?¡±

    Su Chen reached out with his long arms and helped her fix her cor that had turned inwards. His expression was calm, yet his tone was one of asking.

    Ji Zitong paused before she nodded and replied calmly, ¡°Mmm, Mother¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll call them to inform them, so they won¡¯t wait for my return.¡±

    Then, she quickly took her phone out and gave Chen Ling a call. After she hung up, Su Chen closed the shop.

    He had just started the car when he suggested, ¡°It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. Since we¡¯ll be on break, let¡¯s get some good ingredients tonight and rewards ourselves. I¡¯ve been having fast food every day these past few days, and I can barely stand it.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ji Zitong who was in the front passenger seat raised her brows. She said without objection, ¡°Haven¡¯t you gotten used to that before this? I remember that when I first moved over, you told me that you haven¡¯t used that kitchen for at least half a month.¡±

    Su Chen looked up and nced at Ji Zitong. ¡°That was a special phase when I was busy with work, so I naturally wouldn¡¯t have time to manage all this. In fact, it¡¯s hard to cook for just one person and I don¡¯t like eating leftovers.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite a pampered one. When we were in the army, I didn¡¯t see you have this habit. Once you joined the government, you¡¯ve gotten quite a bit of temperament. In fact, you¡¯ve be rather delicate,¡± Ji Zitong responded casually.

    When Chief Su heard herment, he felt quite unhappy. He frowned and squinted at Ji Zitong before turning his gaze ahead again as he said softly, ¡°Ji Zitong, do you realize that you have a very bad habit? It urgently needs to be tackled and rectified.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Doubt passed Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes as she looked at him calmly.

    Su Chen¡¯s brows furrowed even more as he said in a serious tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you realize that you often attack people with your words? Especially me. Every time I talk to you, you attack me at least once. This is a really bad habit. I¡¯m fine listening to you because I¡¯m tolerant, but if it¡¯s someone else, then that might not be the case.¡±

    ¡°Listening to you, I can hear two critical points. Firstly, you, Su Chen, have a high tolerance. Secondly, I frequently attack you with my speech. So, which one is your main point? The first or the second?¡± Ji Zitong straightened her fingers as she spoke to him.

    When Su Chen heard, he immediately chuckled. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think that you were emphasizing more on the first,¡± Ji Zitong said frankly.

    Actually, Ji Zitong probably did not know that all three of the buddies, Su Chen, Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo, were all narcissists. That was why they were good friends.

    Su Chenughed out loud, not refuting it. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I admit that I¡¯m also praising myself, but your words are really making me ufortable. The days in the army are long gone. I¡¯ve taken those experiences as one of my growth. Keeping some memories of it will do. There¡¯s no need to maintain that lifestyle. Many people felt suppressed and almost broke down when they were in there. Once they got through it, only did they feel nostalgia for it.¡±

    Ji Zitong silently listened and did not say anything.

    ¡°Ah, humans. It¡¯s not a bad thing to live life a little simpler and morefortably. Life is all about living the way we find best. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°This is just hope. If we really want that to happen, it might not be as easy as we wish. Look, it¡¯s like you, isn¡¯t it? Aren¡¯t you still rushing about?¡±

    When he heard her remark, the curve on Su Chen¡¯s lips became wider. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Still holding a grudge over the fact that I hung up on youst night?¡±

 Chapter 834 - Pick Her Up From Work (2)

    <h4>Chapter 834: Pick Her Up From Work (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong immediately rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Do you think I have the time for that?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Master Su answered very firmly.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s stiff expression then began to ease as she inhaled and look out of the car window. The sky had already turned dark outside while the streetlights on both sides were lit up. She could still see couples holding hands on the sidewalk or young lovers walking past in each other¡¯s embrace.

    Ji Zitong actually quite liked the feeling of going for a spin in the car on wide roads like these as she watched these people and the streetscape. Of course, the ride should not coincide with the traffic like it did this moment because it would only ruin the mood.

    The traffic lights turned red, and the car was trapped in a gridlock.

    Su Chen turned and saw that she looked extremely bored, so he reached out to y some very soothing Latin music in the car.

    Ji Zitong suddenly remembered that when he first sent her home, he was also ying songs like these, so she could not help but ask him, ¡°Do you like foreign style music too?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a special preference. I quite like country music and folk music. I can¡¯t be certain about which one I like either. It¡¯s like how in high school, I liked pop music, but after joining the military academy, we¡¯re so exhausted from training every day that I¡¯m not interested in any music. Once I left, I started listening to more of these, and then just got used to them,¡± Su Chen responded calmly.

    ¡°It looks like you weren¡¯t satisfied with that lifestyle either,¡± she said with a wry smile.

    ¡°You silly! Who would be happy with that kind of highly stressful and challenging life? However, it really trains one¡¯s willpower. In the future, I¡¯d want to throw my child in there to train him for a bit too. Let him know that his old man used to enjoy that kind of life.¡±

    However, when Su Chen said that, Ji Zitong could not help but feel her heart palpitate as she stared at him in a daze.

    Seeing her like that, Su Chen was bewildered for a moment too. After a while, he realized what he had just said. Then, he cleared his throat and shut his mouth to focus on driving while looking ahead instead while Ji Zitong only turned away and continued looking out of the window.

    The car sped all the way. About half an hourter, they finally reached the neighborhood in which Su Chen¡¯s vi was. The husband and wife went to buy ingredients from the nearby supermarket. After that, they rushed back home.

    Naturally, dinner was still prepared by Su Chen since Ji Zitong¡¯s culinary skills were not that great. Even though Su Chen did not usually like to cook, now that he had a wife, he obviously had to show his demeanor as a man. However, Ji Zitong helped with the cutlery.

    Su Chen ate very quickly. In fact, in recent times, the husband and wife were coordinated in dividing the work in the kitchen.

    After dinner, Su Chen did not rush up to the study room as he usually did. Instead, he sat down in front of the television in the living room and switched it on. He took out some tea leaves and was about to make tea to casually pass the time while Ji Zitong cleaned up the kitchen.

    As Su Chen fiddled with the tea leaves, he shouted toward the kitchen door, ¡°I¡¯m making tea. What do you want to drink? Dahongpao? Or Pu Er?¡±

    Inside the kitchen, Ji Zitong, who was washing the dishes, paused and quickly answered, ¡°I¡¯m not drinking any of that. Give me a cup of lemonade instead!¡±

    Even though this man was quite annoying sometimes, his culinary skills were pretty impressive. At least, they were much better than hers, especially the simmer-friend sweet and sour fish. Although it was such a huge fish, Su Chen only had a few bites while the rest had gone into her belly. She even had two bowls of rice!

    Right now, Ji Zitong thought it was terrifying as she thought about it. <i>Since when has my appetite increased? I wonder if this is considered eating and drinking unreasonably.</i>

    She did not need to worry that she would get fat since she was just the type who would never get fat no matter what she ate. Her weight would always be the same. Furthermore, she was almost 1.7 meters tall, so even if she added on a few kilograms, she would not look fat easily.

    However, she was quite full from the meal right now. She washed her bowl and walked over towards the sofa, caressing her belly and feeling stuffed. At that moment, she did not care about the man who was watching her calmly now.

    Su Chen could not help but clear her throat as he lowered his head and chuckled.

    Ji Zitong bluntly gave him a cold look.

    ¡°The way you eat, if I brought you to a buffet, you definitely won¡¯t lose out.¡± Su Chenughed and then handed her a pill to aid her digestion. ¡°Have this. Sit for a bit and then take a shower, then you won¡¯t feel so bad afterward.¡±

    Ji Zitong took the pill and the lemonade that he made for her. She opened the bottle and quickly swallowed the pill.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything the whole day. I only had time to have a slice of toast since there were quite a lot of things to do at the shop these past few days. I almost couldn¡¯t catch my breath.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your body. You should look after it. How can you not eat? If you can¡¯t handle it, then hire one or two more people. You¡¯re just passing time anyway. Do you have to do everything yourself? Can¡¯t you just be an arm-flinging shopkeeper?¡±

    Su Chen watched as sheid there and shifted a little, seeming quite ufortable. He then took a pillow and helped her by putting it behind her back to lie on it.

    ¡°Even if I¡¯m just passing time, I can¡¯t be making a loss. The shop isn¡¯t huge to begin with. If something didn¡¯t happen to my mother and Xiao Bei didn¡¯t take leave, I usually could handle it. Right now, both of them aren¡¯t around, so I was a little overwhelmed.¡±

    Ji Zitong did not know why she would even care to discuss matters of her little business with the man.

    Su Chen¡¯s still gaze swept across her bright and moving little face. Suddenly, his eyes lowered and instantly fell onto her empty fingers. The words Mu Yuchen had said to her before quickly shed in her mind.

    He muttered to himself for a moment before suddenly telling her, ¡°Don¡¯t go to the shop first tomorrow. Go somewhere with me.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Ji Zitong turned to her side and silently looked at him.

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes flickered for a while before he smiled mysteriously. ¡°You¡¯ll find out tomorrow!¡± Then, he silently looked down and continued drinking his tea.

    Nevertheless, Ji Zitong only examined him unhurriedly. When she saw that he was not nning on exining, she did not ask him further and lowered her head to drink. ¡°Right, if you¡¯re free next week, find a time to visit my home with me. My father¡¯s been talking about it recently, and we¡¯re still newlyweds.¡±

    Su Chen was taken by surprise. After a while, he looked apologetically at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I overlooked that. We¡¯ll go back to visit tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, Ah Chen¡¯s invited us to his ce for a barbeque.¡±

 Chapter 835 - Pick Her Up From Work (3)

    <h4>Chapter 835: Pick Her Up From Work (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Are you going to Chairman Mu¡¯s ce for a barbeque?¡± Ji Zitong muttered softly.

    Su Chen nodded gently as he finished the tea in his cup before continuing, ¡°Mmm, we buddies used to always gather together. Next time, you¡¯ll have to try blending into our lives too. You¡¯ve probably met Ah Chen many times, and Zimo¡¯s a pretty easygoing person too.¡±

    Ji Zitong naturally knew the three of them. She pondered for a while, then nodded. ¡°Mmm, got it.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye¡¯s a pretty great person. In fact, you¡¯re quite close to her, so you can keep in touch with her more from time to time. This time it¡¯s considered a celebration for Ah Chen. Just leave the present to me.¡±

    Su Chen massaged the tension between his brows and got up with waning interest. ¡°Okay, go upstairs when you¡¯re done drinking. I¡¯m going upstairs for a shower. I¡¯ll prepare the bathwater for you.¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded silently while Su Chen¡¯s tall figure walked past her.

    ...

    The cold night grewte and the moon hung high up in the sky. The crisp splendor of the moon shone all over the ground, reflecting the faint mist and engulfing the entire Grand Waves Vi in a mesmerizing haze. The cool breeze rustled past, turning the twilight into a light muslin dancing in the wind.

    At the moment inside Maple Residence, it was also a time of glorious lights. The two rows of streetlights in the front yard were indistinctly releasing a faint luster. Unlike the haziness from a few days ago, right now it seemed to emit a clear and bright warmth.

    Mu Yuchen went straight home after parting ways with Su Chen. When he reached Maple Residence, only Sis Wang and the few servants were at home. Mu Zicheng was at the old Mu residence because it had been an unusual period of time recently, so he stayed with Wang Hui, Aunt Fang and Aunt Lin there. Wang Hui and the rest had the experience and energy to take care of the child, hence Xi Xiaye felt assured leaving him with them.

    After some thought, Mu Yuchen decided to cook, and properly reward hisdy, Xi Xiaye.

    When Mu Yuchen was busy in the kitchen, Sis Wang felt like she could not really help out. Then, she looked at the clock on the wall in the living room, and the time had slowly inched towards 8 p.m. It was already quitete, so then she voiced out her concern, ¡°Master, Missus has beening home quitete these past few days. Two days ago, she was also busy till 9 p.m. before going home. How about we call her tonight to urge her toe back? I¡¯m afraid she still doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been released.¡±

    The busy Mu Yuchen then stopped what he was doing to turn and look at Sis Wang. He thought about it before a faint smile rippled across his handsome face and he said softly, ¡°No worries. Let¡¯s wait. It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow, so it¡¯s not toote yet. You have all worked hard these past few days. Make some arrangements for only one or two people to stay back. All of you should get a break too.¡± His tone was modest.

    Sis Wang smiled gratefully. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Missus always looks after us too, so we haven¡¯t been tired out, but, Master, we were all very worried that something like this would happen, especially Missus. When I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, I would often still see the light in the study room switched on. Sometimes, it would be like that till daybreak. It was quite heartbreaking to watch.¡±

    Sis Wang was familiar with Mu Yuchen¡¯s life, so she knew about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s situation very well. Back then when he brought Xi Xiaye back to the Maple Residence for the first time, Ah Mo had called her over to serve them. She had witnessed all the hardships that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had gone through together, thus she felt a particr tenderness and concern for the couple.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen paused. Moments after that, he sighed softly and quietly turned around to continue what he was working on. In a raspy voice, he said, ¡°She can be like that. Next time when I¡¯m not home, you should all watch over her. She can be like a little girl sometimes, and is rather stubborn.¡±

    When Sis Wang heard her employer, she instantly smiled. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve heard that no matter how strong your wife can be outside, once she gets home, she¡¯ll be like an innocent little girl to her husband. This is a good thing that¡¯s worth looking forward to, and it¡¯s a verymon thing to refine a rtionship between husband and wife.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled softly without a word. He rxed a bit and then continued, ¡°Okay, make the arrangements. We don¡¯t need all of you to work now. Come back on the night when the weekend ends. I¡¯ll be home these next two days.¡±

    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll make the arrangements and return home for two days,¡± Sis Wang said knowingly. Naturally, she understood and would give the husband and wife some personal space.

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently before Sis Wang then went out again.

    Sis Wang had just left Maple Residence not too long when a ck car drove into Grand Waves Vi, coated with the cold and hazy night breeze. It turned a few quiet corners before steadily stopping before the entrance of Maple Residence.

    The Porsche car door was opened, revealing Xi Xiaye the way she always was. She dragged her worn-out body out of the car while her hand held a heavy ck briefcase.

    These past few days, she had been working tillte at the office. In fact, all the recent problems had been quite worrying. Quite a number of things were affected by the first few days of the incident, but now it was slowly going back to the way it was. Still, she needed to watch over those things properly. For instance, today, she had gone to quite a few factories and shopping malls to inspect the situation, so she had no time to catch her breath. However, as long as she could stabilize thepany as soon as possible, it was all worth it. That way, he would not need to be too worried when he got back.

    Xi Xiaye locked the car and went into the vi with her briefcase in her hand.

    Just like they had for the past few days, the lights at home were left switched on.

    Sis Wang would not sleep before she returned. Actually, when she waited for her to get home these past few days, she would immediately serve her warm dishes and take care of her considerately.

    Xi Xiaye had just reached home when she immediatelyy down on the sofa. She almost could not pick herself up. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, feeling exhausted as she called out, ¡°Sis Wang, bring me a ss of water please!¡±

    Nevertheless, she had onlyid down for a short while when a ss of warm water was brought to her. Without looking up, she just took it and drank it all down in a few gulps. She cleared her throat when she was done, and then frowned before handing the ss back. In between gulps, she found it a little odd. Why did she seem to catch a whiff of Mr. Mu¡¯s cold fragrance?

    After that, she just thought that it was her own illusion since it had been like that for these past few days.

 Chapter 836 - Warmth (1)

    <strong>Chapter 836 Warmth (1)</strong>

    ¡°Do you want another?¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled as she was still unaware of him. Xi Xiaye was stunned when she heard his deep voice. Her eyes flew open and she stood up quickly as she looked over.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face appeared before her.

    Xi Xiaye took a pause. She could not believe what her eyes were seeing, so she stared at the man for a long time. ¡°Mr. Mu... is that really you? Are you back?¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave her a gentle nce and nodded. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m back.¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed his huge hands and started to feel his warmth. Her eyes turned red, and all of a sudden, she broke down and teared up. She covered her nose and faced the other way. ¡°I was so worried about you.¡±

    His heart softened as he wrapped his arms around her tofort her. ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? I take good care of myself. I told you that I¡¯d be fine.¡¯

    ¡°I went to the police station several times and they didn¡¯t let me see you. It¡¯s been almost half a month. How could I not be worried?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a worrywart. It¡¯s alright now, okay?¡± He patted her head gently, really missing her. ¡°It must¡¯ve been tough on you. I missed you a lot when I was inside.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hugged him tightly and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve held on any longer if you were still inside. Every day felt like a nightmare.¡±

    Heughed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯ve been well without me.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± She looked at him as she felt the warmth from his chest reach her, and she suddenly felt the chill inside fade away. Soon, she started to get closer to his lips.

    He was delighted with her initiative. He held her tight as he lowered himself, and they kissed gently...

    Xi Xiaye fell backward onto the sofa, his unique scent filling her nostrils. She shuddered slightly and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They continued until she felt her shoulders be cold and she trembled.

    He stopped his movements, fearing that he might not be able to control himself since she still needed some time to recover.

    ¡°I was too impatient...¡± He tried to calm his uneven breathing. Because her outfit had be messy as he had unbuttoned her shirt, he helped her fix her clothes.

    Xi Xiaye grabbed her messy cor with a deep blush on her face. She looked down and said, ¡°I went for a checkup several days ago.¡±

    ¡°What did the doctor say? How are you doing?¡±

    She did not gain much weight after giving birth like most other women and was still pretty slim. After this stressful period, she looked even thinner than before.

    ¡°She said it¡¯s fine. Give it another week or two and I¡¯ll...¡± She tried to avoid his gaze.

    His arm around her waist tightened as he stared at her. ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡±

    Xi Xiaye caught the sparkle in his eye as she gave him a mysterious smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to let you suffer for a period of time since you made everyone uneasy.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be the only one who suffered. Don¡¯t you miss me?¡±

    He was getting more and more shameless now. Xi Xiaye looked away as she pushed his face to the side gently. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Go and make me something to eat now. I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    He smiled and gave her a loving nodded. ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡±

    He then walked towards the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s almost done now. Go wash your hands and eat. I made some of your favorites today as a reward for you.¡±

    ¡°What did you cook?¡±

    Momentster, the reunited couple sat down facing each other as they enjoyed their happy dinner.

    Xi Xiaye briefly reported thepany¡¯s situation to him during dinner, Mu Yuchen also gave her an overview of the whole incident, they exchanged opinions with each other, Mu Yuchen now had a good grasp of what happened outside when he was in jail.

    The two of them went upstairs after dinner, they left the dishes to the servant.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to Mu Residence tomorrow, your grandparents and parents misses you, our son is with them as well, we¡¯ll then go back to Shen Residence in the afternoon, Xiao Rui misses you as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat in front of the mirror brushing her hair after shower, she looked at Mu Yuchen who was helping to dry her hair behind him and said.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, ¡°Sure,e over!¡±

    Xi Xiaye went over obediently, he grabbed her and made her sit on herp, he then started helping her dry her hair.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I was right beside CEO Wang when she passed away, she asked me to take care of Qi Lei, I was very heartbroken at that time and I promised her.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt it was necessary to tell Mr. Mu about this.

    He just gave a brief reply, ¡°Mmm? What did you promise her?¡±

    She extended her arms and hugged him, ¡°I said we will treat Qi Lei like our younger brother and take care of him, what do you think?¡±

    He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a smile, ¡°You have such an old brother now?

 Chapter 837 - Warmth (2)

    <strong>Chapter 837 Warmth (2)</strong>

    Xi Xiaye frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a few years older than him? He¡¯s probably around the same age as Ah Mo. What¡¯s wrong with him calling me his sister-inw?¡±

    ¡°Up to you. I don¡¯t really mind anything. I feel sorry for the death of Wang Qin as well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a pause, his eyes darkening slightly before he continued, ¡°Qi Lei is a pretty good guy. It¡¯s rare for someone to have an attitude like that especially having been born in a prestigious family. I feel sorry for his childhood, but constantly running away from it isn¡¯t going to help.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s tragic to have a father like that. On Qi Kai¡¯s end, Qi Qiming appointed Gu Lingsha to take over the South River project. That woman came over and put on an arrogant front, so I made sure she knew her ce. I¡¯m sure she was frustrated.¡±

    Xi Xiaye decided to tell Mu Yuchen what happened with Gu Lingsha the other day. She wanted his perception of her to be even worse!

    ¡°Mr. Mu, don¡¯t you think Gu Lingsha is really weird? Mother doesn¡¯t like her, and neither does CEO Wang. Although she looks quite pretty, I can sense something wrong within her. I¡¯ve always felt an odd sense of dislike from the moment I first saw her. Moreover, I really think she has some other feelings for you. Don¡¯t get too close to her in the future, and don¡¯t talk to her either. She kept mentioning ¡®you won¡¯t be able to understand the conflict between Mu Yuchen and me¡¯ as if she really had something with you. I¡¯m really annoyed about that...¡±

    Xi Xiaye went on toin about Gu Lingsha as well as express her dissatisfaction and hatred towards her.

    Mu Yuchen had no idea his little woman would be this talkative. He started grinning as she kept on talking.

    She was getting jealous, and her expression clearly contained anger with a hint of possessiveness. He liked what he was seeing and hearing!

    That was right. He was hers, so this was how she should be acting!

    Mu Yuchen was enjoying her concern. It was wonderful. Instead of thinking his little woman was sensitive, he wished she would be more like this in the future!

    ¡°I only have my eyes on you. Just ignore her. Don¡¯t see her again if she annoys you.¡± Mu Yuchen just gave a brief reply after she finally finished talking. ¡°I already told you she¡¯s not just what she seems like on the surface. Just let me handle it afterward. I¡¯ll think about something to help Qi Lei. I¡¯ll go to the Shen residence to find out what happened from Grandpa. You can take over Fu Hua when you¡¯ve fully recovered. I know Grandpa helped us a lot this time.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, he nned it from the very beginning. You aren¡¯t angry at me for seeking Grandpa¡¯s help, are you? I just don¡¯t think we can let the South River project stop. Furthermore, I felt a bit triggered by Gu Lingsha the other day.¡± Xi Xiaye turned around and looked at him.

    ¡°Why would I? I¡¯m proud that my wife is so decisive. Alright, let¡¯s go to bed early. We have to go and get our son tomorrow. I¡¯ve missed him too.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, he¡¯s started smiling already. He¡¯s looking more and more like you. Mother said he looks very much like you when you were still a baby. He grabs your finger when you touch his hand. Ah, he¡¯s a real cutie! Xiao Rui likes him too. He always talks to the baby beside the cradle.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was getting excited as they talked about their sons. She then suggested, ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, let¡¯s have a daughter once our son is older, shall we? We have two sons already. We just have a daughter left...

    Master Mu felt a headachee on. He threw the towel onto the chair and went to bed. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d risk it? What if we get a son again? We already have two!¡±

    Moreover, he had been abstaining for half a year and really did not want to repeat this life anymore. In addition to that, he was not so sure if her body could take another pregnancy.

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she noticed he was not being cooperative.

    ¡°Promise me!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu...¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep...¡±

    Xi Xiaye fell asleep before they could reach a consensus. She had a good night¡¯s sleep in his arms. The sun was up high already when she woke up the next day.

    She shifted her arms a little, and a pair of arms hugged her tightly as she moved. She turned over and saw the man still sleeping peacefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s still pretty early. Let me sleep a little more. Tell Grandmother that we¡¯ll go back for lunch.¡±

    He noticed her staring, so he changed into a morefortable position and continued sleeping with her in his arms.

    After sleeping on a rock-hard bed in jail for nearly half a month, Mu Yuchen felt like he was in heaven!

    Xi Xiaye knew how he felt. She chuckled and pushed his hands on her waist away. ¡°I¡¯ll let you sleep on your own. It¡¯s 9 a.m. now. Let me wash up and prepare breakfast. Sis Wang and the others aren¡¯t around.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my dear.¡± He opened his eyes and crossed his arms behind his head, enjoying the view of her getting up and finding something to change into...

    Xi Xiaye had already made breakfast when Mu Yuchen finally got up. The two of them quickly ate it and went to the Mu residence.

    The weather was great today with the sun shining brightly outside. The weather was getting warmer during May, so Xi Xiaye wore a beige dress while Mu Yuchen wore a dark silver suit. They looked like they matched each other.

    Mu Yuchen was the one driving today.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, let¡¯s give our son a nickname. I feel like his name sounds too formal and it¡¯s hard to make a nickname out of it. Xiao Rui is fine though.¡± Xi Xiaye remembered what Wang Hui mentioned before, and she was now seeking approval from the man beside her.

    His eyes were still focused in front as he asked, ¡°What name do you want?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s call him Qiqi. I hope that we can all be peaceful and safe in the future.¡±

 Chapter 838 - Warmth (3)

    <h4>Chapter 838: Warmth (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen paused when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s reasoning. He turned over and looked at her with his hand on her knee. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise this won¡¯t happen again, alright?¡±

    Her face softened as she gave a quick nod.

    ¡°Xiao Cheng sounds pretty good. It¡¯s a solid name. How about it?¡± His voice was filled with an unknown charm, so she could not help but nod.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s n to change Mu Zicheng¡¯s nickname was foiled, but Master Mu had given Mu Zicheng a nice nickname as well, called Mu Xiao Cheng, Xi Xiayeined that it sounded like the name of a naughty boy, but her son proved her wrong.

    These were all talks about the future.

    It was already 11 a.m. when they arrived at the Mu residence. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were present as well. Zhuang Surong even prepared the meal herself knowing the two of them would be visiting. Meanwhile, Wang Hui and Mu Yinan were ying with Mu Xiao Cheng in the living room.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye could hear theughter of the elders as they entered the house¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Look at him, he¡¯s smiling again! Oh gosh, this little thing looks more and more like Ah Chen when he was little. He looks just like this when he was still a baby. I¡¯m going to flip through the photo album tonight. They look just the same!¡± Wang Hui spoke to Mu Yinan as she yed with Mu Xiao Cheng.

    Mu Yinan got closer and stared at Mu Xiao Cheng for some time. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. All the babies look about the same at this age, but I think this little thing will look more like me in the future. This handsome boy will find a lot of girls falling for him!¡±

    ¡°Stop it, you geezer! Just how old do you think my great-grandson is for you to be telling him these. Don¡¯t get close to my great-grandson in the future. You bring a bad influence! Isn¡¯t that right? My cute little great-grandchild... This geezer here was one big bastard when he was young. You should never be like him when you grow up. Be more like your grandfather and father. Be a responsible person. Come shake my hand... Here... Yes... That¡¯s it...¡±

    ¡°Stop ruining my image in front of him!¡± Mu Yinan stared at his wife unhappily.

    ¡°Am I really ruining it? You¡¯re like that anyway. I¡¯m not wasting my breath talking to you anymore. Go call Ah Chen and see if they are arriving anytime soon. It¡¯s almost 11a.m. and they aren¡¯t here yet!¡±

    Wang Hui brushed Mu Yinan off. The two of them were really happy to be with Mu Xiao Chengtely and always brought him out together to meet with their friends. It was satisfying.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye traded nces with each other before walking over. ¡°There¡¯s no need to. We¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother, and even Father are here as well?¡± Xi Xiaye spoke at the same time.

    ¡°You guys are back!¡±

    They looked over when they heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice, and their faces softened when they saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye together.

    Wang Hui was relieved and d to see Mu Yuchen again. ¡°We were really shocked when we first heard the news. Your parents were really worried.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about the unhappy past, it¡¯s alright as long as he¡¯s fine,¡± Mu Yinan let out a sigh of relief, he then continued while looking at Mu Yuchen, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first,e to my study roomter, Tangchuan as well.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan and Mu Yuchen traded nces with each other before giving a nod.

    Mu Yuchen heard a tiny voice. He then felt someone pulling at his shirt. Upon looking over, he noticed Mu Xiao Cheng waving his hands and legs while pulling his sleeve. With his cute little cheeks and a pair of huge, dark eyes like the stars in the sky, he was just adorable.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face became gentler as his eyes softened. He quickly picked Mu Xiao Cheng up as he spoke in a kind tone, ¡°Let me hold you for a while.¡±

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Xi Xiaye put her bag aside and quickly went over.

    Wang Hui and the others gave them some space.

    Mu Xiao Cheng seemed to be recognizing his father. He wriggled around in excitement when his father held him while babbling unrecognizable words as he smiled. His eyes stared straight at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen held him carefully, he poked Mu Xiao Cheng¡¯s cheek and the baby started chuckling, his smile grew wider as he looked at his woman beside her, she was focused on their son as well.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly felt like he had everything he needed, he would spend the rest of his life protecting all that he got.

    ¡°Why does he only look at you? Baby, look at Mother here. I¡¯m right here... Can you see me?¡± Xi Xiaye felt ignored as her man was getting their son¡¯s full attention, so she pulled the baby¡¯s hand because she wanted him to look at her.

    Mu Xiao Cheng totally ignored her. He just looked at Mu Yuchen and seemed like he wanted to talk to his father. Mu Yuchen grabbed his other hand as he gave Xi Xiaye a victorious gaze.

    ¡°It seems like our son prefers me more.¡± Mu Yuchen snickered.

    ¡°He just hasn¡¯t seen you for quite some time and thinks you¡¯re new. Sons are always closer to their mothers.¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows and red at him unconvinced.

 Chapter 839 - Warmth (4)

    <h4>Chapter 839: Warmth (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Not too long after lunch, Mu Yinan went upstairs to his study room and Mu Tangchuan followed him closely behind.

    At this moment, inside Mu Yinan¡¯s study room, Mu Yinan was smoking while Mu Tangchuan elegantly steeped some tea. Upon getting a whiff of the faint of smoke, Mu Tangchuan brought the steeped tea to Mu Yinan. ¡°Father, you haven¡¯t been well recently. You should smoke less and drink more nourishing beverages.¡±

    As Mu Tangchuan said that, he took the cigarette away from between Mu Yinan¡¯s fingers and put it out in the ashtray on the side.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your mother¡¯s been watching me. I don¡¯t smoke often anyway.¡±

    Mu Yinan picked the tea up and took a sip. His aged eyes suddenly flickered with a faint light as he said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten someone to find out more about Ah Chen¡¯s matter this time. I¡¯m sure you know more than a little about it too, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan sighed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from the police bureau, and know a bit more from Li Si.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, it was a slip of the tongue. Unexpectedly, it caused such severe consequences. Thankfully, back then, Ah Rong had objected. Otherwise, we might have brought harm to Ah Chen. We really can¡¯t be sure who did it this time. Was it Qi Qiming? Or Gu Qiwu and the rest? Speaking of Gu Qiwu, right from the start I¡¯ve always thought that he... was too shortsighted. He has deep suspicions, and you suffered some loss under him back then too. All these years, the Mus and the Gus rtionship has been fading. This might not be a bad thing for us,¡± Mu Yinanmented with some self-me.

    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t need to me yourself. The children all have their own thoughts. All these years, the Gu family hasn¡¯t been on good terms with us, especially when we reached Gu Qiwu¡¯s generation, so you don¡¯t have to care too much about it either. Actually, there isn¡¯t anything necessarily good about the so-calledbining of prestigious families by marriage. Look at Qi Qiming and Wang Qin. Were they not a tragedy? As long as the children are happy, right now they don¡¯t care about those things. They aren¡¯t living as conservatively as the older generation like us.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan thought about it, then lowered his head to take a sip of tea.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a point. As long as they¡¯re happy, yet there aren¡¯t many people that can be understood thoroughly. You don¡¯t know that all these years, every time I think about your sister¡¯s incident, I¡¯d feel extremely pained, but I never dared bring this up in front of your mother. You know how this incident is like a thorn in her heart. All these years, Lingtian and Lingshi... Thankfully, you and Ah Rong are understanding. Lingtian¡¯s matter has been a sore thorn in Ah Chen¡¯s heart all these years. We can¡¯t rule out that the incident this time wasn¡¯t a trick from Qi Qiming and the rest. I¡¯m a little worried,¡± said Qi Qiming gloomily as he set his teacup aside.

    ¡°Father, alright, just leave these things for the children to worry about themselves. Why are you always thinking about this? Isn¡¯t it enough to just live life happily with Mother and me? About my sister, Lingtian¡¯s incident, and all of those things that have long passed, can¡¯t you just let them stay in the past?¡±

    When Mu Zixi was brought up, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression seemed broody.

    ¡°Tangchuan, you don¡¯t know that even though your mother doesn¡¯t say it, she¡¯s just like me. This is still an unfulfilled wish. I think Lingshi and Ah Mo¡¯s wedding can be sped up. Even though you and Ah Rong treat them like your own children...¡±

    When Mu Yinan said this, he suddenly could not continue. His aged eyes could not help but seem a little sorrowful.

    When Mu Tangchuan saw that Mu Yinan was rather downhearted, he served him more tea as he advised, ¡°Father, alright, don¡¯t be sad now. There¡¯s still time. If you want to look for them, you¡¯ll still be able to.¡±

    ¡°Do you not have any news at all?¡± Mu Yinan looked up to Mu Tangchuan and asked.

    News?

    Ever since they found nothing out from before, he had not put in much thought into the investigation. If that man deliberately did not want to acknowledge his two children, even if he found him, what could he do? It would only add another burden to Lingshi¡¯s heart.

    Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.

    Of course, Mu Tangchuan knew that Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingshi had been secretly trying to find him all these years, and he did not stop them either.

    Knock knock!

    Before Mu Tangchuan could answer, there was a rap on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    As Mu Yinan said that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure slowly appeared.

    ¡°Grandfather, Father,¡± Mu Yuchen greeted simply, and then turned to close the door. After that, he walked over and sat down calm and collectedly.

    ¡°It looks like these past few days have been good for your spirit.¡± Mu Tangchuan looked lovingly at Mu Yuchen as he poured him a cup of tea.

    Mu Yuchen smiled calmly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Luckily, I could also sort out some things on my mind.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve roughly understood the incident from them. Who would have such guts to take you on?¡± As Mu Yinan said that, his aged face turned rigid as a chill pervaded him all over.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure about that too. Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze while his tone was quite calm, yet the light in his eyes flickered from dark to light.

    ¡°Ah Chen, I know what you¡¯re thinking, but you don¡¯t have to take on the whole thing alone. It¡¯s easy to dodge the spear in the open, but hard to avoid a stab in the dark. Can you guarantee that this incident won¡¯t happen a second time? You have to be more careful. Xiaye handled thepany matters well. These few years, the Mu family has been attracting much criticism. Tangchuan, you have to be more careful. Don¡¯t get caught as a topic for gossip. There are many eyes watching the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, be honest with me. Was this time¡¯s incident really the work of Qi Qiming? As revenge for Qi Feng?¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, Father, there are many things I still can¡¯t be sure of, so I can¡¯t tell you the answers, but I do have something that I can tell you. Lingtian passed away in that car ident years ago while Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng lived. Before this, I sent Ah Mo and Lingshi to France to investigate this.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen finished, Mu Yinan and Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expressions sank.

    Mu Yuchen sighed. He looked down at the teacup before him. Moments after that, he suddenly got up slowly and said with waning interest, ¡°He¡¯s not doing too well. In fact, he might be returning soon. I hope that you two won¡¯t interfere with this. Just let me resolve the grudges between us. I don¡¯t want to implicate so many people. There¡¯s been too many who were involved all these years. I don¡¯t want to blow these grudges up, and I hope that you can both agree to this request of mine...¡±

    Then, without waiting for their answers, Mu Yuchen¡¯s clear figure vanished out of the door.

 Chapter 840 - Ring

    <h4>Chapter 840: Ring</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The afternoon sun was splendid, and the wet ground from before was dry now. The air was filled with the refreshing fragrance of fresh grass. Ji Zitong fed the goldfishes in the pond in the backyard. When she returned to the living room, she saw that Su Chen was by the coffee table pouring himself a ss of water to drink.

    Su Chen looked at her and lifted the ss in hand as he asked, ¡°Want a ss?¡±

    Ji Zitong shook her head. She pointed to the backyard past the window behind her. ¡°I¡¯ve fed the fishes for you. They¡¯re pretty huge. Don¡¯t you n on releasing them?¡±

    ¡°Soon, I¡¯ve asked someone to get me some goldfish. It¡¯s been dyed because of the recent incident.¡±

    Su Chen finished the water in his ss, and then took his car keys. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you somewhere first. Tonight we¡¯ll go over to your parents¡¯ for dinner beforeing home.¡±

    Then, before Ji Zitong could answer, his tall figure had walked ahead. She silently watched his figure disappear out of the doorway. Moments after that, she slowly followed after him too.

    ...

    Su Chen drove very quickly all the way. When the car drove slowly into the Imperial Sky Jewelry City carpark, Ji Zitong was still a little surprised as she quickly turned to him. ¡°Why are we here?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get down first,¡± Su Chen said before he got out of the car.

    Ji Zitong followed him down. They locked the car before the husband and wife walked into Jewelry City.

    When Su Chen brought her to see a row of wedding rings inside a high-end store, Ji Zitong realized that he had brought her there to buy their wedding rings.

    At the counter, Su Chen pointed to one of the pairs of rings as he nodded to the shop assistant, and waved to Ji Zitong beside him. ¡°I¡¯d like to see this pair.¡±

    Ji Zitong walked slowly towards him too.

    ¡°Okay, Master Su!¡±

    The shop assistant quickly brought out the pair of rings. The women¡¯s was a very elegant diamond ring with a minimalist pattern, but it looked very dainty and stylish. The gorgeous luster that seeped out caused Ji Zitong to be momentarily dazed.

    In the midst of Ji Zitong¡¯s daze, Su Chen had already held up her hand and calmly slid the ring onto her ring finger. He examined it for a bit and thought it looked quite pretty. His deep and alluring voice brushed past Ji Zitong¡¯s ears. ¡°It suits you quite well. We¡¯ll take this.¡±

    Ji Zitong looked down at it. The size was perfect. With such slender and fair hands, the ring enhanced her skin. She was quite pleased with it, so she dly nodded and softly said, ¡°It does look quite beautiful.¡±

    She rarely wore such essories, but right now as she studied it, it felt quite amazing.

    She moved her hand around to look and breathed in before looking at Su Chen. Upon seeing that there was a hint of satisfied tenderness in her eyes, sheughed softly and casually picked up the ring for men and pulled his hand over before slowly putting it on for him. It was quite suitable for him as she examined it. ¡°It¡¯s almost as if it were tailor-made. You have a pretty good eye, Chief Su.¡±

    Su Chen was naturally very happy and he nodded calmly. ¡°I told them to rmend some in the morning. Right now we¡¯re just here to get the goods. Alright, we¡¯ll go with this one then. Get a few more sets of essories too. Don¡¯t all you women like these things?¡±

    Ji Zitong was about to reject him when he had already turned to look at the counter. As he moved towards the counter on the side, his sharp eyes swiftly locked down on a few targets.

    ¡°This set, this set, and this one. We want this pair of jade bracelets too. Please wrap it up for me, and I want this jade bracelet too. Wrap this up on its own...¡±

    In just a few minutes, Su Chen had already speedily chosen the things he wanted to buy without asking for Ji Zitong¡¯s opinion at all.

    When the shop assistant saw that, she was a little stunned. <i>Master Su, did you even take a look at how much these essories cost?</i>

    Nevertheless, this was normal. When the Master and Master Mo came over to get things, they were all like this too.

    ...

    After slightly over ten minutes, the husband and wife finally left the jewelry store with several bags. When they reached the car, Master Su handed the two bags in hand to Ji Zitong and said, ¡°This is for Mother. The one on you and all of these are for you. Put them in the back seat first. Hold the one for Mother, so you don¡¯t get confused.¡±

    Ji Zitong nced at the bags before her and her brows furrowed into a knot. She could not help but softly mutter, ¡°What a spendthrift!¡±

    Nheless, she just quietly put the things down and got into the car too.

    Su Chen just smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy that I¡¯m showing such filial respect to your mother?¡±

    ¡°My mother¡¯s a ssic stay-at-home woman. If she knew you spent so much unnecessary money, she would probably give us an earful.¡±

    When he heard that, Su Chen noticed that her expression was slightly gloomy. He then patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to be calctive with me about these things. You are Missus Su right now, so you have a right to ask me to buy you things, other women would definitely be happy with these things, why do you look like I owe you millions instead.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about these things. I was raised in amon family. Naturally, we can¡¯tpare to sons of big shots like you. It¡¯s not a bad thing to be simple and frugal. It might even be better to do more meaningful things with it. Take Director Xi as an example. She frequently provides financial aid to the orphanages and keeps an eye on pension funds.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Su Chen paused. The smile on his face froze as he then nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve learned! You¡¯re too serious. You need to fix that since you might lose out in life.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to be serious? You don¡¯t have to talk about me like that,¡± Ji Zitong muttered.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s just that it¡¯d be easy for you to live in your own world. It¡¯s hard for those who are too critical of things to have friends. Those who know you well will know that you¡¯re frank, simple, and kindhearted, but before that, you can¡¯t be sure that those who don¡¯t know you well would be scared off by you. It¡¯s good to know the ways of this world. That way, you won¡¯t lose out easily, especially since you have a business. Understand?¡± Su Chen looked at her intently as he guided her.

    ¡°Ways of the world...¡± Ji Zitong muttered softly. Seconds after that, she did not say anything and just turned to look out of the window. ¡°Drive. It¡¯s getting dark.¡±

    Su Chen squinted at her as his gaze darkened. Then, he leaned over to help her buckle up before he silently started the car.

 Chapter 841 - Decision (1)

    <h4>Chapter 841: Decision (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky turned dark as the sun was setting in the west. The grass fields were tinted with a golden shade, waving along with the evening breeze.

    On the cemented path towards the Shen residence, two figures were seen walking towards the house. It was a peaceful scene.

    Mu Zirui held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand while dragging the strap of his bag with his other hand. He looked at Xi Xiaye with his big eyes as he asked, ¡°Mother, is Father back?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, he¡¯s back. He¡¯s now cooking at home. Did you listen to the teacher in ss today?¡± Xi Xiaye put her arm around Mu Zirui¡¯s shoulder and asked.

    ¡°Oh, Mother, can you tell the teacher to let me enter Grade 2? I really don¡¯t want to stay in kindergarten anymore. I know everything the teacher teaches. Plus, the children there are too childish and not fun to y with,¡± Mu Zirui begged Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Too childish? You¡¯re still young. The process of learning needs to be built with a strong foundation.¡±

    ¡°But, Mother, I¡¯ve learned the knowledge already. Isn¡¯t it a waste of time?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it again after I discuss with your father,¡± Xi Xiaye replied after giving it some serious thought.

    She had checked Mu Zirui¡¯s homework before, and she noticed that his thought process was quick and pretty smart in general. Quoting Shen Yue, he really might be a prodigy!

    Shen Yue started training him to take public transport home from a week ago. He sent some people to follow him in the beginning, then let hime home alone after everything went smoothly.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, recite both your father¡¯s and my phone numbers to me again.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay...¡±

    Mu Zirui grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s sleeve and swiftly recited their numbers.

    Xi Xiaye nodded with a smile. ¡°Good. If you¡¯re ever lost, just call these numbers and you¡¯ll find us. Alright?¡±

    ¡°Mother, you¡¯ve repeated this so many times.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m nagging you? I¡¯m just worried about you, alright?¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    When the two of them returned to the Shen residence, Shen Yue was making funny faces at Mu Xiao Cheng who was inside the cradle. Mu Zirui quickly put his bag aside and rushed over when he saw his little brother.

    ¡°Great-grandfather, I want to y with Brother too!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re back? Be careful. Don¡¯t make him cry. What did your teacher teach you today?¡±

    ¡°Teacher told us some stories and taught us to memorize the multiplication table...¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she looked at the two of them. She then walked into the kitchen.

    Mu Yuchen was cooking in the kitchen. While he was busy preparing the spices, he saw Xi Xiayee in, so he started washing the vegetables. ¡°Is Xiao Rui back?¡±

    ¡°Yep, he just told me that he wants to skip to Grade 2. He also said the other children at the kindergarten are too childish. Do children nowadays grow up that fast?¡± Xi Xiaye put on a helpless smile as she looked at him.

    ¡°Xiao Rui is very smart. Grandpa is impressed by his swift adaptability as well. His grades are great, so I think it¡¯s worth considering. Getting prior knowledge could benefit him on the path of advancing academically. Hmm, we should start developing his interests as well.¡±

    ¡°I think the children of the current generation are pretty exhausting. Mr. Mu, can we not fill up Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng¡¯s time like other families? I hope they can have a happy childhood.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she stopped her hand movements and looked at him.

    ¡°Some people are destined with a heavy mission the moment they were born, and because they are burdened with a lot of responsibilities, I hope they can learn all the skills they can. Otherwise, they might not know what to do when theynd in a tough situation. They should still learn what¡¯s necessary. That determines if they can lead afortable life. I want them to experience what¡¯s truly ¡®work hard, y hard.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had nothing to refute. ¡°Sure, that makes sense.¡±

    ...

    After dinner, Shen Yue spoke as Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were leaving, ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re alright. The two of you should finish up the work at hand as soon as possible, and then let Xiaye be my Head Secretary at Fuhua for a month. I¡¯ll have Uncle Lan assist you as well. Then, you¡¯ll be taking over Fuhua officially after that. Ah Chen, you¡¯ve learned a lot about property development. If there are any issues in the future, the two of you shall talk it out.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, I understand, Grandpa. I¡¯ll be done with the handover work in a few days, so I¡¯ll head over right away. By the way, are you really not going to fight for Project No. 2?¡±

    ¡°One mustn¡¯t be too greedy. I¡¯m sure you understand after this experience. Focus working on Project No. 1 since it¡¯ll take at least several years, and it¡¯s arge-scale project with enormous business opportunities. I¡¯m thinking about adopting Ah Chen¡¯s suggestion and giving Fuhua a slight change. We¡¯ll be involving ourselves in other industries as well. Fuhua¡¯s line of work is too specialized. Alright, we¡¯ll talk about it more when youe over. Qi Kai suffered a huge loss this time, but they totally deserved it.¡±

    Shen Yue ran his fingers through his white hair. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the conflict between you guys. Ah Chen, some things are bound to happen. We can¡¯t avoid it, so why not ept it since we can¡¯t change anything? It¡¯s always better to be doing something than just feeling guilty about it, understand?¡± Shen Yue said.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes went quiet. He then nodded. ¡°I understand, Grandpa. Thank you for what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    Shen Yue took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte now. You guys should go home.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye traded nces with each other before saying goodbye to Shen Yue.

 Chapter 842 - Decision (2)

    <h4>Chapter 842: Decision (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As usual, Mu Yuchen woke up early in the morning. Xi Xiaye and Mu Xiao Cheng were still asleep. As he was about to wake her up for breakfast, he got a call from Li Si.

    Mu Yuchen quickly changed and went out.

    At the resting hut in the park, Xi Xinyi found her way there by memory. Mu Yuchen was already waiting for her at the same spot.

    Xi Xinyi stopped behind him and looked at him quietly, her eyes seemingplicated.

    She knew what had happened to Glory World and Mu Yuchen, and she thought it would not end so quickly. Nevertheless, Mu Yuchen came out of jail after just half a month. He was a very capable person after all.

    This man¡¯s existence was like a myth in City Z. Not only was he capable, but hisworks were formidable as well.

    Xi Xinyi felt that Xi Xiaye was way too lucky to be married to this man. On the other hand, she herself...

    With Wang Qin gone, her value in Qi Kai fell drastically. She knew very well that Qi Qiming was willing to help her because of her rtionship with the Han family. Along with Yue Hai¡¯s help, Qi Qiming wanted to use her to topple Wang Qin.

    When she first joined, it did help Qi Qiming gain more internal supporters, and Wang Qin¡¯s power was weakened. Now that Wang Qin had passed away, Qi Qiming was in full control of Qi Kai, so Xi Xinyi¡¯s value as a pawn declined over time.

    Xi Xinyi was definitely affected by Wang Qin¡¯s death. She was not sure if Qi Qiming would still treat Yueying the same. With Han Yifeng¡¯s abandonment and the Han family¡¯sck of concern, Xi Xinyi felt extremely restricted.

    Fortunately, her movies earlier this year did very well at the box office. It was thanks to that that she did not be an abandoned pawn so quickly.

    Xi Xinyi kept thinking about it. She thought it was time to find someone else to help her, and in the end, she could only feel safe working with Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen had also told her before that he would give her one chance, so why not take it? Hopefully, he would not be too harsh on her since she was rted to Xi Mushan and Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, and I¡¯ll agree with it. Tell me what you want me to do,¡± Xi Xinyi said.

    Mu Yuchen turned around and nced at Xi Xinyi. His expression turned cold as he spoke, ¡°You¡¯re getting smarter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s strategy was exceptionally effective. They found out that Gu Qiwu and Qi Qiming met in secret. Ah Mo found something odd, and now with Xi Xinyi, everything was going ording to n. The sole unfortunate event was Wang Qin¡¯s death.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he thought about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m just going with the flow. I¡¯ll do my best in whatever you ask of me, but please don¡¯t forget what you promised. I want my son.¡± Xi Xinyi never expected she would do this. Her hatred towards them never reduced, but she knew very well she was responsible for the consequences she bore today. If it was not for her greed, maybe...

    Xi Xiaye was right. She was a person like that.

    ¡°I can give you a chance, but whether it works depends on you.¡± Mu Yuchen gave her a sharp nce as if he could see right through her. ¡°If you still won¡¯t reflect on yourself after going through so much, you won¡¯t be able to use any chances given to you anyway.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s face turned pale and her eyes looked nk. Finally, she nodded after some time. ¡°I know in the past... I¡¯m sorry for what I¡¯ve done to Xiaye. Whether you believe me or not, I really love Yifeng and our son. My methods were too extreme. I¡¯m not a good wife or a good mother either...¡±

    Xi Xinyi started to tear up. Tears then flowed out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze towards the blueke. ¡°Saying the word ¡®love¡¯ sounds really cheap when you¡¯re able to hurt the person closest to you. I feel sorry for Han Yifeng.¡±

    ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t have gotten together with my sister if it weren¡¯t for me, right?¡± Xi Xinyi mumbled.

    Mu Yuchen scoffed. ¡°Really? Do you really think one person can alter someone¡¯s fate? As long as I fancied her, I¡¯d still be able to get her even if she married Han Yifeng.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was taken aback. She took a deep breath and hesitated before asking, ¡°Is Gu Lingsha really the person who pushed me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s clearly written on the document given to you,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xinyi nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do whatever you say.¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked aside and gazed at Xi Xinyi. ¡°It¡¯s great that you thought this through. Save your tears for Han Yifeng. The first thing I need you to do now is to get closer to Gu Lingsha.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was stunned for a moment before she felt troubled. ¡°Chairman Mu, you might have no idea, but Gu Lingsha is extremely careful. She isn¡¯t really friendly to anyone. I¡¯ve never seen her getting close to anyone since she¡¯s been here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put on a grin as he signaled Li Si who quickly handed her a document.

 Chapter 843 - Decision (3)

    <h4>Chapter 843: Decision (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye took it and opened it briefly to skim through. She was stunned.

    After that, she looked up at Mu Yuchen in disbelief, her beautiful eyes filled with a confused light.

    It was such an important document, and he actually showed it to her. What was the meaning of this?

    Before she could react, Mu Yuchen already continued to exin briefly, ¡°With this, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be too hard for you to get close to her. Once the South River Project No. 2 winning bid is revealed, Qi Kai will definitely publicize it a lot. Gu Lingsha will be one of the main people in charge, so you two will have lots of chances of contact. The attached document is some more information on Gu Lingsha. There¡¯s even an analysis of her personality too. You¡¯re smart. You don¡¯t need me to teach you how to do this, do you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was absent-minded. She looked down silently at the document for a long while, then nced up at Mu Yuchen and muttered, ¡°But there are many moviepanies under Qi Kai, so Qi Qiming might not choose Yueying. There might be an even higher probability that we¡¯ll just have an assisting role.¡±

    The curve on Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips widened as he said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I have a way to make them choose Yueying.¡±

    Xi Xinyi frowned and looked at Mu Yuchen, puzzled. Still, he did not exin.

    As Li Si watched Mu Yuchen walk away, he could not help but remind Xi Xinyi before turning around to follow after him, ¡°Miss Xi Xinyi, keep these things properly. It¡¯s very important.¡±

    Xi Xinyi watched as he moved further away. After a while, she looked down at the information in his hand, her gaze filling with mixed feelings in that instant.

    She was not sure if this was the right choice, but for her son, she could only take the gamble. When she thought about that, Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and calmed herself down before keeping the document and turning around to leave.

    On the cemented path towards the carpark, Li SI followed Mu Yuchen who was emitting a chilly aura, his footsteps unhurried.

    ¡°Master, can you really be sure that Xi Xinyi will be on our side?¡± Li Si asked worriedly. Master had given her those bits of information that they had spent tons of effort to find in the end. In fact, they even went through a lot of trouble to slot Xi Xinyi by Gu Lingsha¡¯s side, breaking through Qi Qiming and Gu Lingsha¡¯s guards. However, whether it would work, Li Si dared not be certain about it.

    Mu Yuchen suddenly turned to look at him. His calm, handsome face froze a bit before he said calmly, ¡°Consider this nning ahead. She was Mr. Wen¡¯s pawn before this. Her identity itself is already a form of disguise. Even though she might be reduced to an abandoned person now, she still has some potential. Ever since thest incident, I could already feel that we have more to face in the future. Qi Feng¡¯s a pretty tough one to handle. It¡¯s not a bad thing to nt a spy on that end. It¡¯ll do us good to know their moves in time.¡±

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t we have Master Qi on the other end? Master Qi¡¯s gone through such a tragedy, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯s bitterly disappointed with Qi Qiming and the rest, but now since he¡¯s willing to return to Qi Kai to work, that¡¯s enough to prove that he doesn¡¯t want to continue being dispirited. Maybe he¡¯s figured some things out too,¡± Li Si expressed his puzzlement. Then, he paused and said again, ¡°In fact, Master, I think it¡¯s still a little dangerous to make Xi Xinyi our spy. We can¡¯t be sure that she¡¯ll reallye to a realization and turn over a new leaf. It¡¯s too risky using her as a pawn. We can¡¯t be sure if she¡¯ll just turn around and go against us insteadter on.¡±

    Li Si¡¯s concern obviously made sense. His Master had always been the type of person who would not work with someone he was doubtful of, especially for such a high-risk matter. To put such a chess piece as such an important position was an extremely extravagant risk.

    ¡°After Xi Xinyi¡¯s gone through so much, she¡¯s bing more and more mature, and she¡¯s more careful handling matters too. If this chess piece is used well, it will garner an unexpected effect. In fact, it isn¡¯t just us here. On Qi Lei¡¯s end, we¡¯ve got to get someone to watch over him. Now that Wang Qin¡¯s gone...¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, he did not continue. He stopped walking gloomily, and with both hands behind his back, his bleak line of sight stared at the scenery ahead with his long shadow that the sun had cast. After a long while, he continued, ¡°Your Missus promised VP Wang that we would watch over him. Since that is so, we have to keep our promise.¡±

    Li Si¡¯s heart sank. After a while, he nodded gently. ¡°Master, I understand... But, Master, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to start worrying again. I¡¯m concerned that you might be too worn out.¡±

    ¡°While we¡¯re alive, as long as we live a little happier, it¡¯s alright to be a bit more tired.¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly turned to look at Li Si with his hands behind his back as he said calmly, ¡°We can¡¯t always just be living for ourselves, can we?¡±

    Li Si¡¯s heart felt a little sour at the sound of these words. A slight pain surged in his chest as he fixed his gaze on Mu Yuchen and sighed. ¡°Master, well, we still have Master Qi on the other side. Only he is on the frontline of this battle. VP Wang¡¯s death must have been a huge blow to him. Of course, it¡¯s best that he can walk out of this shadow. Hopefully, the police can also find out who the real culprit is as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Right now, Qi Lei¡¯s facing the most difficult circumstance, but everything he¡¯s facing is also closely rted to our future, yet he¡¯s just the leading role on the surface. nting Xi Xinyi as a pawn is just a backup. Even though it¡¯s risky, I still want to try. Apart from doing it for the sake of some kinship, I also want to gamble the worth of her maternal love. If she were smarter, I wouldn¡¯t treat her unfairly.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said that, he picked up his steps and slowly walked away.

    ¡°No matter what, we¡¯re still bleeding the same blood. I don¡¯t like the kind of tropes where kins ughter each other. There¡¯s no one who will understand this more than I do.¡±

    His deep tone was colored with a bleak sorrow. In the end, Li Si¡¯s expression turned grave upon hearing that.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back. Call Qi Lei. See if he¡¯s free today. If he is, he cane over in the afternoon too. He should go out more.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master! I¡¯ll give Master Qi a call right away.¡±

    As Li Si caught up with Mu Yuchen¡¯s footsteps, he took his phone out from his pocket and swiftly called Qi Lei.

 Chapter 844 - Master Muâ€™s Invite

    <h4>Chapter 844: Master Mu¡¯s Invite</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Meanwhile, on the clean cemented path on the way to the Grand Lakes Vi area.

    Qi Lei was dressed in a ck hooded trench coat. He walked along the quiet sidewalk while holding huge bags. The warm sun cast a long shadow of his tall figure. The cold breeze that rustled past made his clothes a little messy while his already frail frame appeared lonely and deste.

    He went back to the Qi residencete at night. The bags contained all of Wang Qin¡¯s things that she had packed up. As for everything else, whatever that should have been cleared were cleared; nothing was left behind.

    He hoped that Wang Qin who was gone would no longer need to face Qi Qiming. Qi Qiming did not even have the right to keep her things. He waspletely detached from the Qi family. From now on, it would just be him, Qi Lei, alone.

    He did not know if he would be alone forever. Now that Wang Qin was gone, his heart was emptied by half too. The energy in him felt as if it had been hollowed out.

    However, he knew that he was still alive, still breathing, and blood in him was still warm. There were still many things he wanted to do. Even if it was not for himself, it would be to fulfill Wang Qin¡¯s lifelong wishes.

    The phone in his pocket buzzed for a long time. Just when he thought the other person was about to hang up, Qi Lei took it out to look at the screen. He realized it was Mu Yuchen¡¯s work number, so he then answered the call.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s me Li Si.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Qi Lei answered calmly. You could not hear any warmth from his deep voice.

    ¡°Our Master¡¯s having a barbeque at Maple Residence this afternoon. Are youing?¡±

    Qi Lei knew about the news of Mu Yuchen being released very early on. Now, the media had also been clearing the misunderstandings about Mu Yuchen. The cmity that he had been going through was finallying to an end, which was great. However, his mother was nevering back.

    He thought about it, then he said with a solemn tone, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m a little busy.¡±

    Upon hearing Qi Lei¡¯s dull tone, Li Si said on the other end, ¡°Master Qi, our Master says... you haven¡¯t given our Little Master a gift.¡±

    A gift?

    Qi Lei instantly frowned and could not help but say, ¡°Your Master Mu really never rises early without profit. How dare he ask for his son¡¯s gift? I remember when Xiaye was still hospitalized, I already sent a gift over. Don¡¯t be greedy, profiteer!¡±

    Li Siughed out loud from the other end. He quickly exined, ¡°No, Master Qi, you¡¯ve misunderstood. Our Master says it¡¯s for our First Master. The gift you gave our Missus was for the Little Master. I¡¯m guessing you haven¡¯t met our First Master, have you?¡±

    ¡°What? First Master? Little Master? Since when did that bastard Mu Yuchen have another son?¡± Qi Lei cried out in surprise.

    ¡°Our First Master¡¯s already quite a few years old, Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen¡¯s illegitimate son?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s mind instantly shed with this possibility.

    ¡°No, Master Qi, you¡¯ll know when youe over in the afternoon. Our Master Mu said that you can even bargain for the role of godfather.¡±

    ¡°Go to hell! A daughter would be much better!¡±

    ¡°Haha, if it¡¯s a daughter, you might need to wait a few more years.¡±

    ¡°Okay, please tell Mu Yuchen that I want steak with honey sauce, yellow croaker stewed in red wine, and...¡±

    Before Qi Lei could finish, Li Si had already hung up. When he heard the dead tone, Qi Lei¡¯s face darkened and he cursed Mu Yuchen before picking up his pace and walking ahead.

    Shortly after noon, Zhou Zimo, Su Chen, and Ji Zitong all made their way over. They even brought quite a number of ingredients for the barbeque. Li Si had his lunch at Maple Residence, so he saw that everyone had rushed over, and were happily preparing the food with the servants.

    Inside Maple Residence¡¯s living room, Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong were chatting idly on the sofa, while Mu Yuchen and his buddies went to the study room, Mu Zirui was happily busy in the backyard with Li Si.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been married for so long, but this is the first time I¡¯m seeing you twoe over together. Mr. Mu and I were just talking about it earlier. We think that you and Su Chen look fitting together. You have the look of a couple simr in features [1],¡± said Xi Xiaye smilingly as she examined Ji Zitong.

    When she heard that, Ji Zitong was momentarily stunned. Suddenly, she did not know how to answer her. She thought about it for a moment before replying, ¡°That¡¯s just a baseless belief. Actually, I didn¡¯t think that he and I would. It¡¯s just that suddenly...¡±

    Now that she recalled it, she still felt like itcked consideration, but ever since she married Su Chen, she did not feel that different. Her life remained quite peaceful. Apart from the awkwardness of suddenly having to share a room with him, everything else was going quite well.

    Xi Xiaye seemed to be able to read Ji Zitong¡¯s thoughts. She found out about the whole story of Su Chen and Ji Zitong¡¯s marriage from Mu Yuchen. Upon deeper thought, she felt like it was extraordinarily simr to her and Mu Yuchen¡¯s situation. They both married in the spur of a moment, and bothcked better options.

    Xi Xiaye pondered for a moment and then decided to be an advocate of Su Chen. ¡°Marriage¡¯s like that. As long as you get used to it, Su Chen¡¯s a pretty good person. The three of the buddies are all great. They don¡¯t have the foppish ways of those sons from prestigious families. The Su family¡¯s a decent bunch too. Don¡¯t worry. Last night, Mr. Mu told me that Su Chen¡¯s a gem. Even though he can be a little dominant and stubborn, he¡¯s an extremely tolerant and considerate man.¡±

    ¡°I know how he¡¯s like. We¡¯re already married anyway. No matter what, I have to continue on.¡± Ji Zitong sped her hands together gently, yet her eyes were nk.

    ¡°Watching the two of you right now reminds me of how Mu Yuchen and I were back then. After that, I thought I was really lucky. Of course, I also hope that you¡¯ll be as lucky as I am. Zitong, you¡¯re a great girl. Whether it was from the time I gave birth to Xiao Cheng, or this time, I really have you to thank for.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too courteous, Director Xi,¡± Ji Zitong replied awkwardly.

    ¡°Just call me Xiaye.¡±

    Ji Zitong was the most awkward girl that Xi Xiaye had ever met. Although it had been so long, she continued to respectfully called her ¡®Director Xi¡¯, yet Xi Xiaye felt helpless hearing this address.

    Ji Zitong paused. Something that Su Chen had said from before shed in her mind. She pondered for a moment, and then lowered her voice as she said softly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call you Xiaye then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded cheerfully. She was about to continue when she heard someone call out from outside, ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re here!¡±

    It was Li Si¡¯s voice.

    Master Qi?

    Qi Lei?

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows in surprise. She turned to Ji Zitong who looked up in shock too.

 Chapter 845 - Gather (1)

    <h4>Chapter 845: Gather (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Before Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong could react, Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure had already greeted their sight.

    ¡°You¡¯re all here?¡±

    Qi Lei was at ease as if this was his own home. He walked over to Xi Xiaye and put the gift box he was holding onto the table. He picked up an empty cup from the coffee table and poured himself some tea under Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong¡¯s shocked gaze, finishing it in a few gulps.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face shed with a puzzled look. He shrugged at Xi Xiaye. ¡°I didn¡¯te uninvited this time. It was Mu Yuchen who very sincerely invited me, and even asked for a gift on behalf of your older son. Call him over for me to say hi.¡±

    At this moment, Li Si¡¯s voice came. ¡°Missus, it was Master who invited Master Qi over. He said that thest time, Master Qi only brought a present for Little Master, and forgot Master Zirui.¡±

    Now, Xi Xiaye finally reacted. She examined Qi Lei and could not read many emotions on his face, so she rxed a little.

    Since Wang Qin¡¯s funeral, she had not seen him. She only heard from his assistant that he thanked her for that cactus. Now, looking at him, he did not seem as gloomy as before, so she felt relieved.

    However, because of what Li Si had just said, her bright face instantly blushed again. He had actually asked for a gift directly. It did seem quite like that man¡¯s profiteering personality.

    ¡°Have a seat first. Li Si, is the outside almost ready?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s all ready.¡±

    Li Si lifted a hand to pull his sleeve up and took a glimpse at the time. It was close to 5 p.m. and they had been at it for quite a while now. Master and the rest had also gone upstairs for over an hour.

    Xi Xiaye waved for Mu Zirui toe over.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, this is Uncle Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Uncle Qi!¡±

    With his beautiful eyes, Mu Zirui stared at Qi Lei and bowed like a gentleman, much to thetter¡¯s amusement. ¡°Is he really your son? He does look quite handsome. He¡¯s almost as handsome as when I was younger.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he reached out to pat Zirui on the head before handing the gift box on the table to Mu Zirui.

    Mu Zirui looked at the gift box before him and subconsciously turned to Xi Xiaye to ask for permission. ¡°Mother?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently, then Mu Zirui reached out to take it as he said, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, go upstairs and call your father and the rest down.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mother! I¡¯ll also see if Little Brother¡¯s awake...¡±

    After a while, inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s study room, the buddies were discussing some matters when they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. They looked up to see that little head peeking in at the door.

    ¡°Father, Mother is asking you to go downstairs,¡± said Mu Zirui softly.

    Mu Yuchen nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, tell your mother that I¡¯ll be down right away.¡±

    Mu Zirui left with a grunt.

    Su Chen watched as Mu Zirui¡¯s little figure vanished from their line of sight before he looked at Mu Yuchen with interest. ¡°Why did you suddenly think of adopting a little one? You¡¯re now the father to two sons.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye was worried that her grandpa would be too lonely, so she was thinking of letting Zirui apany him more in the future. It¡¯s not a bad thing to add another lively one in the huge Shen Residence. Zirui¡¯s quite smart too. It¡¯s good to have someone apany Xiao Cheng next time, just like Ah Mo is doing right now.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo exchanged a nce and nodded. ¡°I understand what you mean. It¡¯s great having a brother like Ah Mo. Right, how are he and Lingshi?¡±

    ¡°I asked him about it a while ago, but he was still thinking about waiting on Lingshi,¡± Mu Yuchen responded in a low and raspy voice.

    At this moment, the atmosphere in the room suddenly fell silent and the buddies did not say anything.

    ¡°Ah Mo¡¯s loyal to Lingshi. It¡¯s been so many years, and he only has Lingshi in his heart. Lingshi¡¯s just finding it hard to let go. Their love has spanned over a decade now. Hey, we¡¯ll cheer them on when they get back.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen¡¯s right. Alright, Chen, don¡¯t worry too much about it. If Ah Mo could work a little harder, then all will be good. We could throw a shotgun wedding,¡± teased the gentle-looking Zhou Zimo suddenly when he heard Su Chen.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and shot a dangerous re at Zhou Zimo while Su Chen was alreadyughing out loud. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Zimo. With Ah Mo¡¯s honest personality, he probably wouldn¡¯t do such things. A shotgun wedding is more of your style. You look quite serious, gentle and refined in manner. No one would believe that you¡¯re the master of tricks.¡±

    When he said that, Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face froze. Then, he cleared his throat and lifted a hand to cover the smile that grew on his expression. ¡°Ah, can you not talk about these things? I¡¯ve stopped for a long time now.¡±

    ¡°Stopped? You? If you could really turn over a new leaf, would you have given me two boxes of condoms? Lucky thing the one receiving the parcel was me!¡±

    Speaking of this, Su Chen felt his face turn hot!

    Zhou Zimo smiled innocently and feigned confusion. ¡°What about it? You don¡¯t know how to appreciate things. Those are good stuff. A partner sent it over to me as a gift. There were all sorts of fruit vors. I have no use for it, but you would! Aren¡¯t you happy that I gave it to you for nothing? On ount of you being newly wedded, I especially gave you two boxes. I only gave Ah Chen one...¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard this admission, his handsome face turned stiff. He cleared his throat as he got up and walked out. ¡°Give it all to Su Chen. I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your size...¡±

    Bam!

    Zhou Zimo wanted to exin more when the pen in Mu Yuchen¡¯s pocket already flew towards him. Fortunately, Zhou Zimo was swift enough to evade it. His joyousughter boomed. ¡°What are you shy about? There are only a few of us. Of course, I remember everyone¡¯s sizes. Such as how Su Chen¡¯s one is...¡±

    ¡°Zhou Zimo, get lost! I don¡¯t know you! If you dare say another word, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Su Chen¡¯s palm flew over, his steadfast face blushing.

    ¡°Chen!¡±

    Zhou Zimo quickly evaded him swiftly, reaching out to pull Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeve. Mu Yuchen was quite speedy as his tall figure moved aside and avoided him. As a result, Su Chen pushed Zhou Zimo to the wall and he cried out miserably.

    Mu Yuchen looked at Zhou Zimo coldly, then said without emotions, ¡°I never use those things. You should keep it for yourself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, you...¡±

 Chapter 846 - Gather (2)

    <h4>Chapter 846: Gather (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen disappeared out of the doorway before Zhou Zimo could say anything. Zhou Zimo then let out another cry of pain.

    Su Chen nced at him coldly before catching up to Mu Yuchen.

    Zhou Zimo felt aggrieved as he rubbed his shoulder which Su Chen punched moments ago as he shook his head while mumbling, ¡°Howe the two of you have be so weird after getting married? You guys weren¡¯t like this before. What¡¯s up with you?!¡± He bemoaned his fate before catching up to them.

    Mu Yuchen saw Mu Zirui slowly going downstairs when he arrived at the staircase. Mu Zirui turned his head over and looked upward as he heard the sound of footsteps. Mu Yuchen lowered himself and carried him.

    ¡°Father...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you got heavier. Seems like you had a good time at grandpa¡¯s ce.¡± Mu Yuchen gave Mu Zirui a loving smile.

    Mu Zirui put an arm around his neck and chuckled. ¡°Grandpa said I grew bigger. He can barely carry me anymore! Father, when will I be as tall as you?¡±

    ¡°Wait until you¡¯re about 30. You need to eat more. When I was your age, I could eat a full bowl of rice, the same big bowl used in grandpa¡¯s house. I wasn¡¯t a picky eater as well. I heard from your mother that you don¡¯t like to eat carrots and vegetables. You can¡¯t grow taller like this.¡± Mu Yuchen gave Mu Zirui a serious look, but there was a tint of gentleness underneath.

    ¡°Can I grow taller by eating carrots and vegetables?¡± Mu Zirui blinked his big, innocent eyes and asked Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen pinched his cheeks as he had a rare, warm smile on his face. ¡°Of course. A bnced diet promotes growth. I was around 170cm when I entered high school. Together with Uncle Su Chen and Uncle Zimo, we were handsome and great at basketball, so we were pretty popr among the girls.¡±

    Mu Zirui hesitated before finally deciding to tell his father his secret, ¡°Father, the girl, Ah Hua, in the next ss is really pretty. A lot of boys like her, but she likes me. She also gave me her favourite wind chime which is really lovely.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? And then?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes and gave Mu Zirui a curious nce.

    Mu Zirui smiled as he blushed. ¡°Ah Hua said she wants me to be her boyfriend.¡±

    Boyfriend?

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. I took her gift and then told her that we¡¯re still too young, and it¡¯s not the time for a rtionship.¡± Mu Zirui gave Mu Yuchen a serious reply.

    Mu Yuchen could not help butugh. He pinched Mu Zirui¡¯s cheek again and asked, ¡°You know what being in a rtionship is like? Who taught you about it? But what you did was correct. You¡¯ll meet even prettier girls in the future. Your job now is to focus on your studies.¡±

    ¡°But, Father, Ah Hua is really beautiful.¡± Mu Zirui¡¯s eyes were sparkling as he exined.

    ¡°As beautiful as your mother?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Mu Zirui gave some serious thought to it before shaking his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s it then. Your mother and I are still young. Don¡¯t find us a daughter-inw so soon, okay?¡±

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s a daughter-inw?¡±

    ...

    The father-son pair talked as they walked downstairs. When they saw Xi Xiaye and Qi Lei chatting on the sofa in the living room, the two of them walked straight towards them.

    ¡°Here we are.¡± Mu Yuchen put down Mu Zirui and greeted Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei nodded as he nced at Mu Yuchen. He heard the sound of footstepsing from upstairs and saw both Su Chen and Zhou Zimoing down.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty lively here!¡± Zhou Zimo and Su Chen traded nces as theyughed.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time now. Tell Li Si and the servants to prepare the stuff. We¡¯ll head out now.¡± Xi Xiaye then walked towards the front yard.

    By the time night arrived, the evening around the Grand Waves Vi area was spectacr. Colorful lights surrounded the vi area as the sky turned dark, and the front yard of Maple Residence was well lit. It all seemed very lively.

    They left the main cooking to Mu Yuchen and Li Si. Zhou Zimo and Qi Lei were ying cards while Su Chen and Ji Zitong were preparing the ingredients together while Xi Xiaye was helping Mu Yuchen out. Mu Zirui was in-charge of delivering the cooked food to the table.

    ¡°Have a try?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye was thering the sauces on the barbeque meat, the smell was extremely tempting. She felt hungry and looked up to see the man handing her a stick of barbequed meat.

    Xi Xiaye looked around and realized no one noticed, so she smiled cheekily and took a bite.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m starting to realize you¡¯re a real treasure. You are so breath-taking and you¡¯re an excellent cook. Here¡¯s a reward for you!¡± Xi Xiaye swallowed her food happily and then nted a kiss on his cheek.

    Mu Yuchen enjoyed himself as he smiled and continued with the barbeque. ¡°I told you you wouldn¡¯t regret marrying me.¡±

    ¡°Alright, quickly finish these up.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Ah Chen, are you done? Come and have a drink!¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, you guys, leave it for a moment. Everyonee and have a drink!¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s voice was heard by everyone.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye came over with the barbequed meat.

    After they had their fill, Su Chen and the others started ying cards again.

    Just as he expected, Qi Lei guessed that Mu Yuchen wanted to tell him something when he was invited over.

    Mu Yuchen was lying down on the lounge chair on the front yard with Qi Lei right beside him. They were both watching the group ying cards. Xi Xiaye had brought Mu Zirui back in for a shower, and the little guy was getting up as well.

 Chapter 847 - Gather (3)

    <h4>Chapter 847: Gather (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei turned over to Mu Yuchen as he said, ¡°Congrattions on getting out.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at him, his eyes darkening. ¡°I guess I¡¯m lucky, but you don¡¯t seem very fortunate.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked away, while his voice sounded calm, his tone felt sorrowful¡ª

    ¡°I sure am a little unfortunate, but so what? Are you going to offer me some words offort right now?¡± His voice sounded cold just like the wind passing by.

    A light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°I thought about doing so, but seeing you now makes me think that you don¡¯t need it. Great.¡± He raised a toast, and they finished their sses together.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard too much of those and I¡¯m getting bored with it. Yang Sheng got a cactus nt from Xiaye several days ago. I understand. That¡¯s my mother after all, so it¡¯s normal to be sad, but there¡¯s nothing I can do to bring her back to life. I still have a life to live. You don¡¯t have to tell me. I understand,¡± said Qi Lei as he gulped the wine down.

    ¡°What do you n to do from now on?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and leaned back onto the chair. ¡°That old man wants me to take over my mother¡¯s position. He thinks he¡¯s doing me a favor! My mother had awyer and made her will a long time ago. All her shares and properties are left to me. That old man was just afraid that I might not be able to take on the stress and sell all the shares that I have.

    ¡°My mother¡¯s group influence fell considerably after she passed away. I suppose it¡¯ll be very challenging even if I want to rebuild it.¡± He looked at Mu Yuchen straight in the eye.

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows. ¡°VP Wang was able to do it, and you¡¯re saying that you can¡¯t?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled before sighing. ¡°Talking to you does feel motivational at times.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard what¡¯s happening in Qi Kai. It¡¯s not a favorable position for you. With Qi Kai getting South River Project No. 2, your situation is pretty bad.¡± Mu Yuchen gave him an objective analysis, ¡°I think Qi Kai is trying to make a shift through this project. A lot of entertainment-focusedpanies are starting to get involved in other industries with property and business beingmon targets.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s happening right now. Qi Kai started out in the showbiz industry, and it¡¯s been several decades. If we don¡¯t find other pathways to break through the current situation, we might get left behind in the future. Since the Hui Gu Corporation is interested, ourpany isn¡¯t going to let this chance slip away. The wholepany is focused on this one project.¡±

    ¡°However, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re involved in South River Project No. 2. You¡¯re almost losing your spot in handling Project No. 1 as well,¡± Mu Yuchen noted.

    Qi Lei shook his head. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been thinking about it this whole time. I¡¯m pretty much a failure ending up like this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who had it tough. Don¡¯t simply use the word ¡®failure¡¯.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at him sternly for a moment and then continued, ¡°Grandpa told me yesterday that he met you a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was regarding South River Project No. 2. I¡¯ve understood from him that Qi Kai sessfully obtained the corend. Do we not have any hope now?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Mu Yuchen grinned. ¡°That¡¯s what this is about. Do you regret working with me now?¡±

    Qi Lei smacked his own head and looked at Mu Yuchen quietly before shaking his head. ¡°I can only say it¡¯s my fault. I never expected you to be arrested at such a critical moment, and I...¡±

    ¡°Do you think Qi Kai is better at working in the showbiz industry, or in property development?¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly asked before Qi Lei could reply.

    ¡°Of course the showbiz industry! Although property development is tempting, it¡¯s still difficult for the current Qi Kai to handle it alone. Why else do you think we need the Hui Gu Corporation?¡± Qi Lei nced at Mu Yuchen like he was looking at an idiot.

    Mu Yuchen looked down andughed. Then, he peered over at Su Chen and the others before he stood up. ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re fine now. There¡¯s something I should tell you, but I¡¯ve been a little busy with all the work piled uptely. Come and meet me in my office next Friday at 3p.m.¡±

    Ah Mo should be back by then. It was about time to tell him about Qi Feng.

    Mu Yuchen walked away before Qi Lei could reply.

    Qi Lei was affected by theughter around. He closed his eyes and calmed down himself before heading over.

    They were still ying cards. The loser would have to do something interesting. Li Si was mimicking the cries of animals for the third time now. The first time was a wolf howl, the second time was a pig squealing, and the third time was a dog barking.

    Everyoneughed as they enjoyed Li Si¡¯s talented acting.

    Su Chen and Ji Zitong worked pretty well together.

    As for Zhou Zimo, he unleashed his inner talent and gave the crowd a performance. Even Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen chuckled. Having lost again, Zhou Zimo threw his cards away and put on a serious expression. ¡°Do you guys want to know, between Chen, Su Chen, and me, who has the biggest...?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Qi Lei gave him a dirty nce.

    Su Chen¡¯s first reaction was to choke Zhou Zimo¡¯s neck.

 Chapter 848 - Gather (4)

    <h4>Chapter 848: Gather (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It seemed like something was revealed there. Mu Yuchen frowned and gave Zhou Zimo a disgusted look.

    ¡°Cough! Help me!¡± Zhou Zimo yelled, ¡°I didn¡¯t say it¡¯s yours...¡±

    The crowd averted their gaze to Mu Yuchen who just nced at everyone expressionlessly. In the end, they all turned back to Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°You guys misunderstood. I¡¯m trying to say if you guys want to know who has the <i>biggest </i>age among the three of us!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the smallest no matter what,¡± Mu Yuchen quickly retorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! You have no ambition and will easily be a traitor! Ah Chen and I were always the ones who helped you out when we were little! When we were still in high school, you were so afraid to extort money from the younger students, but then you enjoyed most of the food we bought with the money! Shameless!¡±

    Su Chen gave Mu Yuchen a nod before he grabbed Zhou Zimo¡¯s tie. ¡°I¡¯d have handled you if it wasn¡¯t because you were so small!¡±

    The crowdughed.

    Qi Lei was oddly envious of their rtionship. Nheless, they started chatting with one another.

    Night fell, and it was past 10p.m. when they noticed the time.

    They were all a little drunk. Only Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong were still sober. Sis Wang drove both Zhou Zimo and Li Si back while Ji Zitong helped Su Chen get into the car.

    Qi Lei¡¯s Grand Lake Vi area was pretty close, so Mu Yuchen could still send him back.

    Mu Yuchen helped get Su Chen into the car as he said to Ji Zitong, Remember to prepare some soup for him to sober up. He¡¯s still got work tomorrow. He drinks a lot every time hees over. I¡¯ve had Sis Wang put some wine in your car boot as well as Xiaye¡¯s gift for you. Su Chen is my good brother, and he¡¯s been alone all these years. Please take care of him from now on.¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chairman Mu. I¡¯ll definitely treat my husband well.¡±

    ¡°Just call me Ah Chen. Both Xiaye and I should be calling you our sister-inw. Su Chen is slightly older than both Zimo and I. He¡¯s the elder brother among us, and he¡¯s a loyal and attentive friend. I¡¯m sure that marrying him isn¡¯t the wrong decision,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment. She looked at Su Chen for a while and sighed. ¡°I know. I guess this is fate. I never expected us to be together. The old me would never have believed it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grinned. ¡°Su Chen is a simple man. He should be the most carefree one among the three of us. Actually, the two of you were already been fated from back then. All these years, you¡¯re the only girl he¡¯s so worked up about aside from his mother and sister. I wish the two of you happiness.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Ji Zitong mumbled. She was about to say something else, yet Mu Yuchen interrupted her as if he knew what she was going to say.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for any more words. You¡¯ll understand after you live with him for a longer time. It¡¯s gettingte now, and I need to send Qi Lei back.¡± Mu Yuchen then walked towards his own car.

    Ji Zitong was stupefied for a while. She came back to her senses when she heard the sound of the car engine starting. Then, she looked over at Su Chen as she slowly lowered herself into the driver¡¯s seat.

    It was around a 10-minute drive between the Grand Waves Vi area and the Grand Lake Vi area. Qi Lei had already fallen asleep when Mu Yuchen sent him back to his home, and Yang Sheng arrived in time as well.

    ¡°Thank you, Chairman Mu!¡± Yang Sheng acknowledged Mu Yuchen as he took Qi Lei over at the entrance of the vi.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, ncing at the drunk Qi Lei as his expression softened. ¡°He drank quite a lot tonight. Remember to give him some pills to sober up. Tell him not to worry as I¡¯ll never go back on my promise. Also, I¡¯m very thankful for him.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu... do you know who did it? Master Qi really had it rough recently. I don¡¯t want to see the murderer going unjudged.¡±

    Wang Qin had helped Yang Sheng a lot. Even though she passed away, he felt it was wrong to leave her murderer free.

    ¡°Leave it to the police. What you need to do now is to take care of him.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi guessed it was CEO Qi... He had several fights with CEO Qi since VP Wang left. He even took away everything that belonged to CEO Wang from the home. Then, he burnt the things that he couldn¡¯t take. CEO Qi was furious. I think Master Qi will have a hard time at work again tomorrow.¡±

    Yang Sheng gave Qi Lei a bitter nce. He was not sure why he told Mu Yuchen this, but he could not think of anyone else to rant to except him and Xi Xiaye.

    Most people only knew of Master Qi as a yboy. No one knew Qi Lei was a pretty cold person who hardly had any friends. He still had someone to talk to when Mu Lingtian was still alive, and asionally spoke to Gu Lingsha as well, but now...

    ¡°Tell me directly if anything happens to him the next time,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Thank you, Chairman Mu.¡± Yang Sheng looked at Mu Yuchen gratefully.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and pointed at the door. ¡°Get in now. He¡¯s quite drunk.¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Okay, please be careful on the way back.¡± He then helped Qi Lei to get inside the house.

    Mu Yuchen watched as the two of them vanished through the door, yet he did not leave right away. He leaned against his car door and lit up a cigarette in annoyance. The cigarette was nearly finished but he hardly took a drag on it anyway.

 Chapter 849 - Begin Again (1)

    <h4>Chapter 849: Begin Again (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they returned to the Grand Waves Vi area, the entire area was in stillness. Mu Yuchen slowed his car down and drove slowly on the cemented path towards Maple Residence. From afar, with the help of the dim car headlights, he could see that slender figure waiting by the door.

    She wore a simple, long stay-at-home dress while she stood quietly at the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s still a cool night. Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±

    When she came up to him, he had already taken off his coat and put them over her shoulders.

    Xi Xiaye fixed the coat he put on her as she looked up with twinkling eyes. ¡°I was worried, so I came out to look. You did drink a lot too...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I haven¡¯t been this happy in a while. Have the boys fallen asleep?¡± Mu Yuchen said as he put an arm around her shoulders and walked into the house.

    ¡°Mmm, they¡¯ve both fallen asleep. Oh, Mr. Mu, earlier Father and Mother called...¡±

    ¡°What did they say?¡± he asked softly.

    ¡°Nothing much. They were just asking about you. It¡¯s going to be the first of May soon, and the new batch of students are going to graduate. In June, the students have to defend their dissertations, so they¡¯re a little busy on their end,¡± Xi Xiaye exined briefly.

    ¡°Are Father and Mother both supervising dissertations?¡±

    Ever since Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna got back together, Mu Yuchen rarely interfered with their lives anymore. She only found out from Xi Xiaye and Shen Yue that the two of them were doing well.

    ¡°Mmm, they are. The dissertations that Mother has been supervising every year are great. Every time, it will be quite a rush back to the university after the New Year. Coincidentally, Father previously graduated as an engineer, so he can help her a little. Right now Father¡¯s mainly helping her supervise the students¡¯ experiments while she guides them with the data analysis for their dissertations.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a day to visit them.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm...¡±

    ...

    Without those trifling matters from before, Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna have had quite a few months of peaceful living. They taught sses in the day and were busy with work. At night, the husband and wife duo would go home and cook together before marking the students¡¯ homework.

    Just like today...

    After the two of them had their lunch, Shen Wenna returned to the study room and began marking the students¡¯ thesis while Little Apple sat leisurely on herp with its eyes squinted. Xi Mushan cleaned the dishes in the kitchen.

    Just as Shen Wenna was fully focused on reading through a document, there was suddenly a ss of warm water beside her. Xi Mushan¡¯s deep voice interrupted her. ¡°Have some water and rest for a bit.¡±

    Shen Wenna peered up before setting aside her pen and drinking two mouthfuls of water. ¡°This batch of students¡¯ dissertations are quite impressive in quality. I think there are quite a few excellent ones. Wang Ning who¡¯s in my ss is quite good. His grades are top-notch, but his family background isn¡¯t outstanding. Previously, when the rmendation list for school admissions came to me, I told him to apply for it, but he rejected it. It¡¯s probably because he¡¯s thinking about going out to work sooner. He still has a younger brother doing his third year in university, and a younger sister still in high school. See if you can find a connection and rmend him. I don¡¯t want him to waste his talents. If we can rmend him to a research institute, I think this student has huge potential.¡±

    ¡°I remember that there was a career fair a few days ago, and a lot of students in your ss have found a job. Has Wang Ning not found one?¡± Xi Mushan looked at Shen Wenna, perplexed, as he bent down to pick up the thesis before her and flip it to read.

    ¡°No, I heard that he wants to stay in this city.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything suitable. We¡¯re almost done editing the dissertations these past few days. Once we return them, let¡¯s go to Maple Residence to take a look. Ah Chen...¡±

    Knock knock.

    Before Xi Mushan could finish, there was already a knock from outside. Xi Mushan then stopped what he was saying, looking at Shen Wenna questioningly, and then went to open the door.

    When Xi Mushan saw who was standing outside the door, he was stunned.

    Upon seeing the steadfast and bright Xi Mushan, Xi Xinyi was a little dazed, but she still called out softly to him, ¡°Father...¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Xi Mushan stared at Xi Xinyi in confusion though his face did not reveal much of an expression.

    Xi Xinyi looked inside, hesitated, and then said softly, ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you for a while.¡±

    Xi Mushan looked at Xi Xinyi, then turned around and peered into the house before he nodded. His tall figure walked past her. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll talk downstairs.¡±

    Xi Xinyi had mixed expressions as she nced inside again, yet the door was already closed.

    The father and daughter walked downstairs one after another, but the two of them did not say much. Even the atmosphere was rather stifled.

    ¡°Father, have you and Aunt been doing good?¡± Xi Xinyi spoke up first, finally breaking the silence.

    ¡°Pretty great. We¡¯re rushing for the students¡¯ graduation recently, so we¡¯ve been a little busy. How are you?¡±

    Xi Mushan actually did not quite know how to face this daughter of his. Even if he had not been willing to back then, Yue Lingsi did give birth to Xi Xinyi, and she was his daughter. This was a fact that could not be changed.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing pretty well. I¡¯ve juste from the sanatorium. Mother¡¯s alright too. She knows that you handled the matters at the sanatorium for her, so she¡¯s thankful for you,¡± said Xi Xinyi softly after hesitating.

    However, as Xi Xinyi said that, a smirk already shed on Xi Mushan¡¯s face. ¡°Thankful? Xinyi, I know very well the kind of person your mother is. I¡¯m afraid she wouldn¡¯t have known to use that word.¡±

    Even though Xi Xinyi knew that it was not very appropriate, when she thought of the way Yue Lingsi had begged her earlier, she could not help but blurt out, ¡°Father, Mother¡¯s suffered enough with the lesson this time. I hope that you could go see her just once. There are things that she¡¯s been wanting to say to you...¡±

    ¡°All that can be said between us has been said. There¡¯s nothing else to say,¡± Xi Mushan responded with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Father, perhaps Mother just wants to repent. She was wrong back then, but she only did so because she cared too much about you. I never knew how she felt, yet after I¡¯ve experienced all of this, I can empathize with her. Right now, I really regret all those things I did to Sister. I think Mother¡¯s the same. A few days ago, Brother-inw came to look for me...¡± Xi Xinyi said with a darkened expression while her voice was colored with a hint of sadness.

    ¡°Ah Chen went to look for you?¡± Xi Mushan seemed quite shocked as he stared at Xi Xinyi. Confusion surfaced in his eyes.

 Chapter 850 - Begin Again (2)

    <h4>Chapter 850: Begin Again (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi nodded as she lowered her gaze sadly and silently sighed. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±

    She picked up her steps and continued walking ahead, her sad voiceing through. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot recently. I thought about the past and the present. Actually, when Han Yifeng asked for a divorce from me, I should¡¯ve understood that I¡¯ve pushed myself to the edge. However, then, I still refused to see that I was wrong. I didn¡¯t know how to see the truth. Only when I really lost him and the child did I know...¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xinyi suddenly stopped walking. She lowered her head and stared at her hands that were open before her. Her voice that trembled slightly contained a hint of sorrow as she choked on her sobs. ¡°Did I know that... I ruined all of this on my own. I pushed myself to the edge... Father, I feel so helpless right now. I miss Yifeng so much. I miss my son so much... I wish I could return to the past... When Yifeng left, he did give me a chance, but I...I...¡±

    At this point, Xi Xinyi already could not help as tears streamed down her face. She could not continue.

    Xi Mushan stood with his hands behind his back as he turned to look at Xi Xinyi who was crying silently. After a while, he sighed and handed her a tissue from his pocket. ¡°Here.¡±

    Xi Xinyi sniffed. She looked up with red eyes at Xi Mushan and epted it after a long while.

    Xi Mushan did not take another nce at her. He only stood with hands behind his back as he continued walking ahead. Xi Xinyi followed unhurriedly behind him.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you could figure this all out yourself. I hope that the grudges between your mother and I can end here too. There¡¯s no need to meet again. As for your matters with Xiaye, I¡¯ve promised Xiaye not to interfere in the past. Unexpectedly, things still yed out the way it did today.¡± Xi Mushan sighed. ¡°You¡¯re like your mother. You won¡¯t spare tricks to achieve your aims. That¡¯s how you caused today¡¯s tragedy.¡±

    ¡°Father...¡±

    ¡°I should take some responsibility for the Xi family suffering today¡¯s misfortune. I didn¡¯t perform my duties well, and I almost didn¡¯t even get the chance to make up for it. Xinyi, I hope that you won¡¯t take the same path as your mother. I hope that you¡¯ll have a different ending from the one she did.¡±

    As Xi Mushan said that, he suddenly turned to look at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Father, do you think I still have a chance? Do I still have a chance to redeem myself?¡± Xi Xinyi looked nervously at Xi Mushan, her hollow heart desperately needing a sliver of courage.

    ¡°Once, I also thought that your aunt and I wouldn¡¯t have a chance to start over again, but now we have reconciled.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s deep voice had a hint of gratitude. He paused, then continued, ¡°Losing is terrifying, but what¡¯s even more terrifying is standing in the same spot and watching it leave you without knowing how to get it back.¡±

    ¡°Father... I... I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t want me anymore, and I fearter my son will abandon me too...¡± Xi Xinyi said as she choked on her sobs and teared up.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t go looking for them, you¡¯ll lose them forever. Let the miserable past stay in the past. The fact that you came today shows that you¡¯re probably aware of your errors. It¡¯s a good thing to want to turn over a new leaf. This is positive luck for you. Understand?¡±

    Xi Xinyi sniffled and nodded through misty, teary eyes.

    ¡°Alright, the past won¡¯t repeat itself. There¡¯s still the future, so you¡¯ll have to choose how you want to live it, mmm?¡± Xi Mushan said earnestly and then took in a deep breath before he took a look at Xi Xinyi and patted her on the shoulder. Then, he silently turned around to leave with hands behind his back, leaving her standing all alone on the empty pathway.

    After a while, Xi Xinyi wiped away her tears, and when she turned to look, she only saw Xi Mushan¡¯s faint, frail back...

    When he reached home, Shen Wenna was standing at the balcony enjoying the scenery. Xi Mushan went over to join her and could still see Xi Xinyi¡¯s figure leaving slowly.

    Shen Wenna had a calm expression. Xi Mushan carefully turned to look at her for a long while. He could not read anything from her expression, so he thought about it, then said, ¡°I can tell that she¡¯s regretful. I hope she won¡¯t be like her mother. She hopes that I can go take a look at Yue Lingsi.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go then?¡± Shen Wenna looked at him with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Wenna, I love you. That¡¯s a fact that has never changed. Do you understand?¡± Xi Mushan thought that she was annoyed, so he frowned helplessly.

    Shen Wenna lowered her gaze, lifting her hands to hold onto the chilly railing as she quietly looked down in the direction of Xi Xinyi¡¯s figure moving gradually away. She said a little difficulty, ¡°Those three words are too heavy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, to us, they are all too heavy. That¡¯s why I¡¯m grateful.¡±

    Xi Mushan¡¯s silent eyes could not help but sh with tenderness as he silently looked at Shen Wenna beside him.

    Shen Wenna¡¯s beautiful face rippled with a smile. ¡°But just like that, many years have passed. We¡¯ve lost the things we should have. We didn¡¯t have a chance to experience all the beautiful times we once fantasized about having.¡±

    ¡°Who says we¡¯ve lost our chance to? We still have time now. Come with me!¡± Xi Mushan looked at the side of her face that seemed faintly sad, and his heart hurt. His hands could not help but reach over to gently hold her hand as he pulled her inside.

    Shen Wenna was surprised. ¡°Where are you bringing me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know if youe with me,¡± Xi Mushan said to her before he dragged her out through the door.

    Shen Wenna naturally felt a little awkward as he pulled her all the way. She tried to struggle for a bit, but he locked his grip onto her so tightly that she could not wiggle free. It was a good thing that it was lunch break, so there were not many people on the road.

    Xi Mushan brought Shen Wenna through the forest of peach trees. Soon, they reached outside the school piano room.

    It was only when Xi Mushan pulled Shen Wenna to sit down before a shiny piano that she fell into a daze. Her beautiful eyes shifted as she stared stunned at Xi Mushan beside her while his long fingers were already on the piano keys. A series of alluring musical notes poured out...

    This song was, of course, one that Shen Wenna was familiar with. In fact, Xi Mushan had frequently yed this for her back then. She had not heard this song for a very, very long time. It had been so long that she had even forgotten thest time she listened to it. It might have been ten or twenty years ago, or even longer than that...

    <i>Right here waiting...</i>

 Chapter 851 - Begin Again (3)

    <h4>Chapter 851: Begin Again (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As she felt the musical notes that poured from his fingers, for an instant, Shen Wenna suddenly felt as if they had returned to the past.

    The times they shared in University A were clearly very memorable to her.

    A distant warmth suddenly broke through the chains around her heart, slowly seeping to other parts of her body. She could not help but feel a little stunned as she turned to look at the person beside her, yet she saw the steadfast profile of his face while his fingers were still dancing quickly over those keys.

    A moment passed. In the midst of the moving tune, Shen Wenna suddenly said softly, ¡°I forgot when was thest time you yed this song for me. It feels like a few centuries have already passed.¡±

    Xi Mushan turned to look at her, his eyes clear. ¡°It was on Xiaye¡¯s fourth birthday. I sat like this and yed for you too. At that time, you sat beside me like you¡¯re doing right now. It¡¯s been over 20 years, so I thought I wouldn¡¯t remember either. Ever since you left, I haven¡¯t touched the piano.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Shen Wenna stared at his hands as she asked.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m afraid. Once I sit at the piano and y this song, I¡¯d think of you. I¡¯ve always been very afraid of epting the fact that you left me,¡± Xi Mushan said without concealing the truth.

    Shen Wenna froze. She took a deep breath as she could not help but blink. Falling silent for a moment, she slowly lifted a hand, and ced it onto the piano keys.

    A piano duet started to fill the air...

    At first, it sounded a little out of practice, but after that, it coordinated harmoniously.

    When they were done with the song, the husband and wife sat there for a long time. Neither moved as they silently stared at their own pair of hands thaty frozen atop the piano keys. Finally, Shen Wenna stood up. ¡°We¡¯ve just let ourselves down. Alright, let¡¯s not bury this in our hearts. We¡¯ve been remarried for quite a while now. The sun outside is looking great. Let¡¯s go out for a walk.¡±

    Then, she lightly picked up her steps and walked outside. Xi Mushan got up and followed after her too.

    The shady path was framed by a peach blossom forest.

    The husband and wife walked through nostalgic spots again. In the midst of their quiet daze, they felt like they had returned to the past.

    In their innocent university days, he liked her, and she fancied him too...

    Compared to Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna¡¯s quiet life, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye clearly had it less rxed.

    During the time that Mu Yuchen was detained, lots of work had piled up in the office, so once he got back to work, many things starteding one after another. First, he needed to get the share prices back up again. Then, all the projects that were stopped were slowly brought back on track again. In fact, it was the first of May soon, so naturally, there were many things to do.

    On the third of May, Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi, who had left City Z for quite a few months, finally returned. Xi Xiaye went to pick them up.

    ¡°Sis-inw!¡±

    At the departure gate from afar, with her sunsses perched on her nose, Mu Lingshi could see Xi Xiaye in the crowd, so she quickly waved and squeezed her way over. After a while, she reached her with Ah Mo behind her. With them were two bodyguards in ck suits holding suitcases.

    ¡°Have you waited for a long time, Sis-inw?¡± Mu Lingshi took her sunsses off, and her clear voice came through. There was a hint of a smile in it too.

    ¡°You¡¯re back! I just came over as well.¡± As she looked at the two people standing before her, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful and fair face shed with a faint tenderness.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯splexion looked great. She seemed quite radiant and much more cheerful unlike the gloomy version of herself from before. She had probably been doing well these past few months.

    Ah Mo was smiling beside her, his deep line of sight falling on Mu Lingshi. It was easy for Xi Xiaye to recognize the gentleness and faint doting in his eyes, and she could not help but chuckle to herself at the sight of this.

    Momentster, Ah Mo softly called out to Xi Xiaye too, ¡°Sis-inw!¡±

    This greeting surprised her, and the smile on her face became even more dazzling as she acknowledged him dly. ¡°Alright now, let¡¯s get home first. Your brother¡¯s cooking. He¡¯s made all your favorite dishes.¡±

    The two of them nodded and then walked outside.

    Along the way, Xi Xiaye drove skillfully with Mu Lingshi in the front passenger seat beside her while Ah Mo sat at the back with the bodyguards. He must have things to tell them.

    In the car, Mu Lingshi started to tell Xi Xiaye, ¡°Sis-inw, I bought Xiao Ru and Mu Xiaocheng gifts. I wonder if they¡¯ll like it. Initially, I wanted to spend a day or two shopping properly, but Mu Lingmo was rushing to get back, so we only managed to go to the nearby night market for a quick browse the other night.¡±

    Xi Xiaye beamed sweetly. ¡°It¡¯s been the holidays for them these past two days. This morning, Grandmother just brought them over to her ce, so they¡¯ll be back at night. They¡¯ll definitely be happy with any gift you give them. Just get something for Xiao Ru is fine. Xiao Cheng¡¯s still so little. He won¡¯t y with these things. Last night, your brother even told me that he wants to formte some sort of teaching method to cultivate their talents, telling me not to spoil them.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t my brother a little crazy? How old is my nephew? Hey, Sis-inw, isn¡¯t it going to be Xiao Cheng¡¯s 100th day soon? Are you going to have a banquet?¡±

    ¡°No, our families will just invite our friends over for a meal.¡±

    ¡°I heard about the news from where I was. It¡¯s a relief that Brother¡¯s okay, but I¡¯m quite curious as to what happened?¡± Mu Lingshi could not help but ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin this. I¡¯ll tell you more when we get back.¡±

    When they returned to Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen was almost done preparing lunch. Sis Wang prepared the cutlery, and soon, the dishes were served. It was steak that Mu Lingshi and Xi Xiaye relished.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Mu Yuchen wiped his hand with a towel, and then pulled a chair out for Xi Xiaye like a gentleman. Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo took their seats as Xi Xiaye poured everyone a drink.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. It¡¯s great that you¡¯re home now. A few days ago, Grandmother was nagging me. You¡¯d better make a visit home tonight,¡± Xi Xiaye said with a warm smile as she passed the sses over.

    Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo nodded as Mu Yuchen took the drink that Xi Xiaye poured him. ¡°Thepany matters on the other side were handled well. Rest for a few days before reporting back at the office. Lingshi, you¡¯d best manage the club matters. As for Ah Mo, I¡¯ll assign you to another project.¡±

    ¡°Alright, cheers!¡±

    Clink!

    The sses were quickly emptied as everyone sat down to feast.

 Chapter 852 - Begin Again (4)

    <h4>Chapter 852: Begin Again (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen went upstairs right after lunch with Ah Mo following him. Xi Xiaye was arranging some flowers in the living room while Mu Lingshi watched her.

    ¡°It seems like you guys had a lot of fun during the trip. Plus, you look well. It seems like you¡¯re much happier than before.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was trimming the nt in her hand as she nced over at Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath. She could smell the fresh scenting off from the trimmed nt as she smiled. ¡°It was alright. We strolled around, and it¡¯s pretty fun in Australia. I could feel my mood lighten up when I was traveling. It¡¯s no wonder my brother kept telling me to travel since years ago.¡±

    ¡°Traveling helps one rx. While you were out traveling with Ah Mo, Grandmother was already nning your wedding, and I think it¡¯s about time too.¡± Xi Xiaye pushed the vase towards Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Lingshi did not decline. Instead, she smiled and looked downwards. ¡°Sister-inw, is my brother good to you?¡± She asked Xi Xiaye momentster.

    Xi Xiaye beamed. ¡°Of course the same will happen to you as well.¡±

    ...

    Inside the study room, Mu Yuchen stood behind the table with Ah Mo right in front.

    ¡°Master, these are what you asked for. It¡¯s the information on Qi Feng for the past few years. I found his address near Sydney. He has a daughter with Gu Lingsha. Her name is Qi Weier, and her nickname is called Weiwei. She has had poor health ever since she was born because she was born in the seventh month of pregnancy. Qi Feng and his daughter have been recuperating in Australia all these years. Qi Feng¡¯s legs were paralyzed ever since the ident, and his face was disfigured. He underwent several stic surgeries. Even his voice has changed as well. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to recognize him without these photos,¡± Ah Mo gave a brief overview as he handed a folder to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly as surprise colored his expression. ¡°What did you say? Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha have a daughter?¡±

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°She should be 5 years old by now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen opened the folder quietly. It was full of information about Qi Feng in the past few years.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they get married if she¡¯s Qi Feng¡¯s daughter? Gu Qiwu wouldn¡¯t have let go of such a fantastic chance.¡± Mu Yuchen nced through the documents before putting them back into the folder. ¡°Is there a photo of Qi Weier?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. We didn¡¯t get it due to the time constraint. Qi Weier has poor health and rarely steps outside. Besides that, Qi Feng¡¯s mansion had a lot of guards stationed outside, so it wasn¡¯t easy for us to get close.¡± Ah Mo looked at Mu Yuchen apologetically.

    ¡°Do you know about Qi Weier¡¯s current condition?¡±

    ¡°I heard she has some cardiovascr issues together with some other symptoms of premature birth. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha have spent a lot of effort to cure her. They rarely let her out of the house, thus we can only find very limited information on the child at the moment. Master, if you want to know more, then I¡¯ll send people to investigate further.¡±

    Mu Yuchen tossed the folder back onto the table and remained silent for a few moments. ¡°No need. Qi Feng will be back very soon. I guess he¡¯s quite lucky that Qi Qiming nned everything out for him. Things will get really lively when he gets back to City Z.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ah Mo was confused.

    ¡°Qi Kai has be Qi Qiming¡¯s personal yground now that Wang Qin has passed away. He did everything he could to get South River Project No. 2 under his wing. Do you really believe Qi Kai is trying to venture into other industries like Qi Lei mentioned?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes turned cold.

    ¡°Are you saying that Qi Qiming got the project for Qi Feng¡¯s sake?¡± Ah Mo realized.

    ¡°What else could it be? The Hui Gu Corporation sent Gu Lingsha over,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he looked at Ah Mo unostentatiously.

    Ah Mo took a deep breath. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Qi Lei...¡±

    Mu Yuchen stayed quiet for a while. Then, he went towards the tall bookshelf. ¡°Ah Bao sent me a document from abroad not too long ago. Take a look.¡± He stopped before the bookshelf and grabbed a document from it before handing it to Ah Mo.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ah Mo looked at Mu Yuchen curiously as he took it.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out once you open it.¡± Mu Yuchen sat down on the chair as his expression darkened. Ah Mo got nervous as he quickly opened the document. It was a DNA report!

    He nced through it. The results showed a 99% match; it was a father-daughter rtionship!

    <i>Tester: Mu Lingshi...</i>

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes moved downwards, he was shocked to see that name.

    ¡°This is impossible! Master, how is this possible?¡± Ah Mo could not believe it. ¡°Gu Qiwu? How could it be him?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s only possible for it to be him,¡± Mu Yuchen briefly replied Ah Mo¡¯s doubts. He took a long pause before he continued, ¡°I always thought Aunt was too rebellious, and that¡¯s why... Now that I think about it, it might not be what we saw.¡±

    ¡°I heard from Father that Aunt has been quite fond of Gu Qiwu since young. I assumed it was just in admiration for a brotherly figure. The rtionship between the Gu family and the Mu family is odd as well, so no one expected it to be him.¡±

    ¡°Then, Lingshi... She¡¯s really Gu Qiwu¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the only possibility, and that exins everything that¡¯s happened. I¡¯m sure you know about the pen I auctioned in City B during the New Year.¡±

    Ah Mo was startled as he thought about it.

 Chapter 853 - Begin Again (5)

    <h4>Chapter 853: Begin Again (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo was not sure what to say. He grabbed the document tightly as his expression darkened.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t told anyone about this yet, but of course, your sister-inw knows. I haven¡¯t told our grandparents, parents, and Lingshi.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened.

    ¡°How could it be Gu Qiwu?¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s heart sank. Lingshi already hated Gu Qiwu from the beginning. How could she take this news? She almost broke down when she thought her father was Qi Qiming.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. You¡¯re going to decide whether you want to tell her or not,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly, ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived at the answer we¡¯ve been searching for so long. Although it isn¡¯t a satisfactory answer, this is the end of it. We can¡¯t change the facts, so we can only choose to ept it.¡±

    ¡°Master, should I tell her? She¡¯s been waiting for an answer...¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t cover it up forever. She¡¯ll find out sooner orter anyway.¡±

    Ah Mo gripped the document tightly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think about how to break this to her.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded, turning his chair around and looked outside at the clouds. ¡°Mmm, you tell Lingshi while I¡¯ll handle our parents. Let Chauffeur Wang send you back to the Mu residence. Get some rest beforeing back to work.¡±

    Ah Mo left the room after he gave a brief grunt in reply.

    Soon, Mu Yuchen heard the noise of a car engine from the yard. When he looked below, he saw the car slowly driving out of Maple Residence after Xi Xiaye sent them off at the entrance.

    ¡°What did you tell Ah Mo just now? He didn¡¯t look too pleased when he came downstairs.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice came from behind him after some time. Mu Yuchen turned over and looked at her.

    ¡°Try some of this tea. It¡¯s quite fragrant. Zitong gave it to me some time ago.¡± Xi Xiaye put a cup of flower tea in front of him.

    Mu Yuchen took a sip and left the cup aside before he grabbed her hand and replied, ¡°What else could it be? It¡¯s time to tell them about it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly. Just as she was about to say something, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone on the table started ringing. They both looked over and noticed it was a call from an unregistered number.

    They traded nces at each other. Xi Xiaye then picked up the call. ¡°Hello?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked away and started ying with her fingertips.

    The person on the other end sounded surprised to hear Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice as he asked, ¡°Ms. Xi Xiaye?¡± Meanwhile, she found his voice slightly familiar.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and looked at Mu Yuchen. When she wanted to hand the phone to him, the caller continued, ¡°Nice to talk to you, Ms. Xi. I know Mu Yuchen must be by your side. Give him the phone and you¡¯ll know who I am.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s frown grew deeper. Mu Yuchen suddenly grabbed the phone from her before she could say anything else having overheard their conversation on the phone.

    ¡°Hello, Uncle Gu.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone of voice was calm. He seemed unfazed, yet his eyes turned cold.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen? Haha, great...great...¡± Gu Qiwu started chuckling when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we meet up. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re so sincere, Uncle Gu, why not?¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s meet at XX field on the outskirts of City Z at 3 p.m. tomorrow. I¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± Gu Qiwu said coldly before hanging up on the call.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression clouded over as he looked at the screen. He revealed a grin before leaving his phone on the table.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu? Why does he want to meet you now?¡± Xi Xiaye heard the conversation between them, and she scowled as she gave Mu Yuchen a doubtful look.

    ¡°What else could it be? He has eyes everywhere too. How else could he have covered his tracks all these years so perfectly? It¡¯s about time we bring things out of the dark,¡± Mu Yuchen answered.

    Xi Xiaye was startled. ¡°So, you¡¯re going?¡±

    ¡°Why not? Gu Qiwu has always been secretive. It¡¯s my honor to meet him in person.¡± Mu Yuchen grinned and his eyes looked like he had something nned.

    She reminded him, ¡°Be careful no matter what. Things have just barely calmed down for Glory World.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If he really intends to do something, I wouldn¡¯t have got away so easily,¡± Mu Yuchenforted.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She went over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll stop worrying about it then. I¡¯m almost done handing over my work now. I¡¯ll go over to Fuhua after the holidays. Grandpa has been waiting for me sincest year, so it¡¯s about time that I fulfill my promise.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked down at her hands on his shoulders. His eyes turned gentle as he held her hands. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s already made arrangements. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine with Uncle Lan and Grandpa helping you out. Even if it doesn¡¯t work out well, you still have Mr. Mu behind your back, so don¡¯t worry, okay?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think I can handle the whole Fuhua Property on my own?¡± Xi Xiaye was not feeling too confident, fearing she would disappoint everyone.

    ¡°You even took Mr. Mu down. What else could be difficult for you? Nothing is impossible for our Director Xi.¡± He chuckled.

 Chapter 854 - Visit (1)

    <h4>Chapter 854: Visit (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was May, and the weather was gradually bing warmer, especially in the afternoons. The warm sun radiated with its golden light, warming the people that walked beneath it who seemed to enjoy it very much.

    On the bench in front of the front yard walkway in Su Chen¡¯s vi, Su Chen was resting leisurely, flipping through a magazine.

    Su Chen felt like he had not been this rxed for a long while now, being able to carefreely sunbathe.

    ¡°Chief Su, everything has been prepared. We can leave now!¡± Secretary He¡¯s voice came.

    Su Chen looked up from the magazine. ¡°It¡¯s all ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief Su,¡± Secretary He answered.

    Su Chen then closed the magazine, turned his head, and then his sharp gaze looked out through the ss window. He did not see Ji Zitong, so he hesitated for a moment before getting up to walk in.

    At this moment, inside the bedroom, Ji Zitong had just finished her shower. She changed into a rose pink dress that fell below her knees. The soft colorplemented her fair skin. With a light-colored scarf tied simply around her neck, she looked less intimidating and appeared gentler now.

    When Su Chen walked in, Ji Zitong was tying her hair up before the mirror. She watched the man that walked slowly towards her through the mirror as she continued what she was doing.

    Su Chen stopped behind her, gazing into the mirror as she quickly finished tying her hair up.

    ¡°Are we leaving now?¡± Ji Zitong turned to the side to look up as she asked him.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Mmm, are you almost done?¡±

    Ji Zitong nodded as she stood up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Then, she was about to walk forward when she unexpectedly saw Su Chen frowning slightly. His sharp gaze swiftly examined her, making her feel puzzled, so she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    She had just said that when Su Chen¡¯s long arm reached over and took the brow pencil from the table. He gently pushed her to sit down again. ¡°Sit down. Let me put some light make up for you. It will suit your outfit today better.¡±

    Ji Zitong was not that great at makeup. That was something Su Chen had observed in their time together which exined why she would usually go out without makeup. Usually, in terms of grooming, she would only do simple cleaning and maintenance as well.

    Ji Zitong stared nkly at Su Chen¡¯s words. Before she could react, he had already made her sit on the chair as his long fingers held the brow pencil and began to drag it across her skin with full concentration. Ji Zitong subconsciously moved, wanting to wriggle away

    To prevent her from making a big deal out of nothing, Master Su sternly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to make you look like an ugly witch, then please stop moving.¡± His sharp eyes shot her a warning, so she then obediently stopped what she was doing.

    Su Chen moved very quickly. Even though he did not seem very skilled, the effect of his makeup was pretty breathtaking. A few minutester, Ji Zitong¡¯s little face revealed a little more charm, and she generally looked more radiant. A hint of elegant aura tinted her quiet beauty.

    Su Chen looked joyfully at his masterpiece and then handed the lipstick to her. He moved the mirror closer and beamed. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Ji Zitong raised her brows as she turned to look at the mirror. Indeed, she looked as if she had transformed into an entirely different person.

    ...

    On the way to the Su residence, Ji Zitong could not help but marvel, ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re pretty talented at putting makeup on for women.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to consider if you¡¯replimenting me or cursing me right now.¡± Su Chen¡¯s handsome, steadfast face shed with ease as he turned and looked at Ji Zitong beside him. ¡°Usually, I always watch women put makeup on in front of mirrors, so I thought that it wouldn¡¯t be too hard. In fact, my mother¡¯s very skilled in that aspect. I guess I grew up being influenced by her.¡±

    ¡°Your mother?¡± Ji Zitong was quite curious about this mother-inw that she had yet to meet. She could vaguely tell from what he mentioned that she was rather entric.

    ¡°Mmm, forget it. Let me just briefly introduce my family situation to you. You¡¯ve met my grandfather and older sister, so we¡¯ll skip them since you know how they are. My father¡¯s Su Zhengxun. You probably know him. He¡¯s not as strict at home as he seems in the media. He¡¯s the one with the least authority at home while my grandfather¡¯s the most authoritative in the Su family. Then, there¡¯s my mother. Usually, for matters at home that have nothing to do with work, my mother and grandfather call the shots. My father basically has no opinion on these things.

    ¡°My mother is a little entric. She¡¯s not difficult to talk to, but she does have a way with business. However, at home, she practicallycks amon sense for daily life. She¡¯s like a little girl who hasn¡¯t quite grown up yet, like a princess. You would always see her act like a spoiled child in front of my father until you get goosebumps all over. You can¡¯t call her old. You have to always praise her youth and beauty. She¡¯ll really adore you then,¡± Su Chen exined briefly.

    When he noticed that Ji Zitong did not look veryfortable, he tapped her on the knee and consoled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯ll really like you.¡±

    <i>As long as you are a woman, they will definitely like you. </i>They already said that as long as she was female, they would be willing to ept her!

    Besides, Ji Zitong was personally approved by Elder Su. No, he very satisfactorily approved of her!

    ...

    It was quite a distance from Su Chen¡¯s vi to the Su residence. Furthermore, it was the holidays, so the traffic jam was bad. They spent almost more than two hours before the car made it out of the jam, and rushed straight for the Su residence.

    The Su residence was a ssic Oriental mansion with a garden. Although it did not look overwhelmingly massive, from the outside, it looked very exquisite and elegant. The surrounding environment was also very peaceful.

    As soon as their car reached the entrance, they could already see quite a few people waiting at the door. Once the car came into sight, they started waving at them. The dazzlingly golden, warm sun wrapped them up in soft, sacred light. Apanied by the cooling breeze of the evening, this scene made Ji Zitong¡¯s heart feel a hint of warmth.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go down.¡±

    Su Chen alighted from the car first. He did inform them before he returned, so he trusted that they would have been prepared.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Chen, Zitong!¡±

    When she saw Su Chen and Ji Zitong get down from the car, Su Yu was the first one to go up to them.

 Chapter 855 - Visit (2)

    <h4>Chapter 855: Visit (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    With the help of a staff, Elder Su beamed as he walked up. Behind him was Father Su, Su Zhengxun, and Mother Su, Xie Jiajia.

    ¡°Zitong, you¡¯re finally here!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve met my grandfather and sister, so I don¡¯t need to introduce them to you. This is Father and this is Mother!¡± Su Chen introduced softly by her side.

    Ji Zitong then looked over following Su Chen¡¯s line of sight and quickly saw the older Su couple.

    Su Zhengxun stood upright and was dressed in a tailored ck tuxedo. Just with his tall and formidable physique and manner alone, one could not help but revere him. A humble smile hung on his handsome face, and you could vaguely see the simrities in his outline with Su Chen¡¯s.

    Beside him, Xie Jiajia seemed rather petite with a cute dollish face. Dressed in a milky whitece dress with a ck hem outlining her skirt, she looked earnest and had a joyful, fresh aura. She looked young and her pair of eyes were bright as she stared at Ji Zitong slightly nervously. Her little hand held tightly onto Su Zhengxun¡¯s hand, but to Ji Zitong, it looked just like a father holding his daughter¡¯s hand.

    Shortly, Ji Zitong greeted them politely, ¡°Grandfather, Sister, Father, Mother, hello. I¡¯m Ji Zitong.¡±

    ¡°Good girl, Zitong. Hello and don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not an evil mother-inw. I¡¯m actually very easy to get along with, so you don¡¯t have to be worried!¡±

    Ji Zitong had just finished when an alluring and gentle voice responded to her. She looked over to see Xie Jiajia beaming at her. However, Xie Jiajia¡¯s hand that held onto Su Zhengxun¡¯s had tightened, so he could not help but frown slightly now.

    ¡°Now, it seems like it¡¯s not Zitong who¡¯s nervous, but you. Do you look like someone who¡¯s easy to get along with?¡± Even though Su Zhengxun sounded as if he was unhappy, if one listened closely, his tone was still filled with doting.

    Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia had a great rtionship that was well recognized within the scene. In fact, they always had a great rtionship with Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong. Despite their low profile, to others, they were a model couple who were very much in love.

    Xie Jiajia pouted at Su Zhengxun. ¡°How do I look unfriendly now?¡±

    ¡°I see it with both my eyes,¡± Su Zhengxun inly said and smiled with a nod at Ji Zitong.

    Xie Jiajia smiled and nodded at Ji Zitong too. Yet, in the next second, she put on an evil stepmother expression as she red at Su Zhengxun. ¡°How dare you? Say that again! If you dare say that again, don¡¯t think about getting in my bed tonight!¡±

    Even though Xie Jiajia said this very softly through gritted teeth, Ji Zitong and Su Chen could hear it all clearly. Ji Zitong was stunned on the spot. She looked at the couple before her in surprise. Even Elder Su and Su Yu could hear it all clearly.

    ¡°Cough cough! Cough cough!¡± Behind them, Elder Su cleared his throat and finally broke this silence.

    In the next instance, Su Zhengxun¡¯s handsome face was already blushing, his sharp eyes shing with annoyance.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home first. This brat Su Chen got married and didn¡¯t even discuss it with the family. My child, you¡¯ve suffered. Don¡¯t worry. The Su family will definitely let you marry in grand fashion. Tomorrow we¡¯ll bring this fellow to speak to your parents!¡± Elder Su gave Su Chen a re as he said to Ji Zitong.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather. We¡¯ve already gone to the Ji home. My parents are very open-minded. We just came back after such a long time...¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. This isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s all this punk!¡± Elder Su stated as he could not help but shoot Su Chen a re again.

    Su Chen could not help but put a hand to his forehead. Why did it seem like he hadmitted a serious crime when he had just brought his wife back?

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in and continue. Secretary He, please bring the things in the car to the living room. All of you, go to help too!¡±

    Su Chen shrugged helplessly as he pulled Ji Zitong¡¯s hand and walked in through the door.

    Everyone watched them, then exchanged a nce before smiling as they followed.

    ...

    Knowing that Su Chen was bringing Ji Zitong back to the Su residence that day, Mu Yuchen had told Li Si to send over a few good bottles of wine. The Su family was a family of wine-lovers. Obviously pleased with Mu Yuchen¡¯s gesture, Elder Su drank a few more sses at the dinner table, and indeed got drunk, so Su Chen and Su Zhengxun carried him upstairs to rest.

    While Ji Zitong was left in the living room, Xie Jiajia and Su Yu apanied her.

    Xie Jiajia, who was also known as Mother Su, was a very passionate and lively person. She was very likable. Ji Zitong was worried at first about getting along with her, but unexpectedly, they hit it off very well.

    Xie Jiajia liked Ji Zitong too because she was quite dependable and seemed full of life. Her looks and personality were worthy of her son while her family background was good, and she was the daughter of a respectable family. As long as her son fancied her, the rest was not important.

    ¡°Haha, Zitong, tell me then, how did you and Su Chen get together? How unexpected that you were a cadet under him and Ah Chen! What a coincidence! You¡¯re truly a quarrelsome but loving couple! Just like me and Su Chen¡¯s father, when I married him back then, he was a nerd who didn¡¯t know how to be romantic at all and forgot about fun! He evenined that I was a little girl who wouldn¡¯t grow up. Won¡¯t he even look at how I can¡¯t age which is a benefit to him!?¡±

    Xie Jiajia and Ji Zitong chatted happily. Maybe it was because of Xie Jiajia¡¯s dollish looks, but when Ji Zitong sat with her, she really did not feel much pressure.

    ¡°Mother, you and Father have quite an interesting life.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s just cheap thrills! Zitong, you¡¯ll understand in time!¡± Beside her, Su Yu rolled her eyes at her own mother. ¡°Alright, Mother, it¡¯s not early anymore. Zitong¡¯s been busy the entire day, so she¡¯s probably tired. Let her rest earlier. Father¡¯s already told you to rest earlier. Don¡¯t you have a meeting tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°Zitong, go upstairs and wash up. Everything that should¡¯ve been prepared has already been prepared. Come, I¡¯ll bring you to Su Chen¡¯s room.¡± Su Yu could not bear to watch Ji Zitong be bothered by Xie Jiajia. It had already been a long night, so she could only help Ji Zitong escape the abyss of suffering just in time.

 Chapter 856 - Visit (3)

    <h4>Chapter 856: Visit (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night gradually quietened and the bright moon hung high up in the sky. It was a rare view of the moon in the clear as it shone like silver in the night sky. Its brilliant light was faint, engulfing the entire Maple Residence in silence.

    As always, after her shower, Xi Xiaye coaxed the little guy to sleep and then went to the study room to work on some documents.

    She had just pushed open the study room door when she looked up and saw that the man was already sitting leisurely in his ck pajamas before the work desk, his fingers flying across the keyboard. When he heard the door open, Mu Yuchen looked up immediately.

    He saw a slender figure at the door, then he straightened up slightly and reached out to her. His soft, raspy voice was sensitive as he said, ¡°Come here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused, then walked over obediently.

    She had just reached the table when he stretched out to hold her hand and pull her to sit on hisp. His arms hugged her and he held her in his embrace. ¡°Is our son asleep?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, he just fell asleep. He¡¯s probably worn out from the fun. Are you still working?¡± Xi Xiaye responded, and looked down at theptop screen which was showing dense lines of English words. They were probably documents sent over from New York.

    ¡°Almost done. Let me save this document.¡±

    Then, he clicked ¡°save¡± before shutting hisptop down.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender hands gently held him by the shoulders. Her bright eyes could not help but be colored with worry as she looked at him. ¡°Mr. Mu...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± he softly answered, then looked down at her.

    She was still worried as she pulled at his sleeves and asked softly, ¡°Are you really going to go tomorrow?¡±

    His hand reached behind her and pulled her towards his chest as he hugged her tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Then, bring a few more people with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going over to fight. Why would I bring so many people with me? Since Gu Qiwu dares toe looking for me, I wouldn¡¯t need to y dirty tricks. I know him better than you do. It¡¯ll be fine, hmm?¡±

    ¡°But...mmm!¡± Xi Xiaye wanted to say something more, yet a certain someone had already lowered his head to consume her cool and pink lips, pushing back everything that she wanted to say after that.

    A hint of faint warmth came invading, stirring up slivers of ripples in her mouth. She could not help but shudder, and could only hold his shoulders tightly as she happily let him consume her gently.

    The waves of desire came too quickly. In a moment, Xi Xiaye was already panting while the man¡¯s long fingers were going through her sleeping gown and exploring her body underneath.

    In between their messy and rushed breathing, Mu Yuchen held onto her tighter. His raspy voice was softly heard by her ear.

    ¡°Missus, the doctor said...we can...¡±

    Dazed, Xi Xiaye already had no way of rejecting him now. Once he beckoned her, she closed into him with thirst. She wished to be closer to him as that would be so much better.

    ¡°What...what do you mean we can?¡± Xi Xiaye could only answer with her unsteady breathing. Her slightly cold hand reached for the sash at his waist, and with a gentle pull, the loose pajamas were free. He lost control and gasped, tamping down the waves that surged in his chest. He looked down at her and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°My entire body misses you. I¡¯ve been a celibate monk for over half a year now. You better make it up to me. You¡¯re not working tomorrow anyway, so satisfy me tonight. That shouldn¡¯t be too much to ask for, should it?¡±

    Well, since he already put it that way, even if Xi Xiaye was slow, she could understand what he meant. Now, her delicate little face began to blush. She turned away and said a little embarrassedly, ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more vulgar now like a pervert.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not seduced by you, you should be crying, but only you can do that to me.¡± He chuckled softly and carried her up before walking in huge strides towards the bedroom.

    He gently put her on the bed and quickly took the remote control to lower the curtains. Even the lights were switched off as he habitually left the dim wallmp by the window on. Then, he swiftly stripped himself andy down.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...Our son...our son¡¯s here,¡± Xi Xiaye reminded anxiously.

    Nheless, Mu Yuchen remained calm and collected. He teased her skillfully as heughed. ¡°What would the little three-month-old know? Besides, he¡¯s sleeping right now, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Of course, Xi Xiaye could not refute him. Before she could respond, a certain someone had already closed in.

    ...

    After a few rounds of battling in the sheets, Xi Xiaye finally panted as shey down feeling worn while she clutched the nket around her. She turned to look at Mu Xiaocheng. Seeing that he did not wake up, she felt relieved, and still could not help but roll her eyes at the man who spooned her from behind.

    Mu Yuchen reached out to tap Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s soft little face as he chuckled and said, ¡°He sleeps just like a piglet like you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him. He¡¯s still sleeping. If you wake him up, you coax him to sleep yourself.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pulled his hand away and smacked him gently as she shot him an unhappy look before lovingly fixing Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s nket for him and gently nting a kiss on his little cheeks.

    When Mu Yuchen saw that, his gaze flickered. He pulled his hand away to hold her head and then nudged her head tenderly to face him. ¡°Our son¡¯s going to reach his 100th day soon. You should let him sleep alone. When you get back to work again, you won¡¯t have the energy to work if you¡¯re up at night. Aunt Fang and Aunt Lin are very experienced, so don¡¯t worry. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be convenient for us to do stuff either.¡±

    He seemed a little disgruntled as he said this. Then, he pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly again.

    ¡°You...don¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Onest time...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not trusting you. You said that was thest time too...¡±

    ¡°This time is for real... Come on. Call my name...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡±

    Before she could finish, a new round of attack began again.

    After that, Xi Xiaye truly understood how it was like to feed a beast that had been starved for half a year. It was no easy feat. She did not know that when she fell asleep, it was already daybreak. However, the man was still abnormally aroused.

    In the past, they all said this fellow had no sex drive, but only Xi Xiaye understood that once his outer skin was peeled off, he was actually a beast inside, and he was a profiteer too.

 Chapter 857 - Visit (4)

    <h4>Chapter 857: Visit (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen¡¯s bedroom was simr to his house design, but there were some obvious additionalst-minute changes done to it, for example, the flowers in the vase, as well as the festive-looking bed sheets.

    The clothes in the wardrobe were bought in bulk. Everything seemedplete, but the sleeping robes...

    Ji Zitong looked around and grabbed a rtively covered-up sleeping robe before taking a shower.

    The room was still pretty quiet when she came out of the bathroom as Su Chen was not around. Ji Zitong thought about going outside to look for him, but then she suddenly heard a sound from outside when he entered.

    Su Chen noticed her looking at him, so he just stared back at the beauty who had juste out of the shower.

    He took a pause before slowly heading in. Ji Zitong tip-toed beside the door to make space for him, but his sharp eyes darkened. He turned around and stopped right in front of Ji Zitong, giving her a shock.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Ji Zitong looked at him uneasily and backed off. Her back was up against the cold wall.

    Su Chen put a hand onto the wall, giving her a sharp nce as he looked downwards at her. His voice slowly reached her ears. ¡°Do you want to know what my grandfather said when I helped him back to his room?¡±

    Ji Zitong was at a loss as she asked, ¡°What?¡±

    Su Chen smiled with his eyes still locked onto her. He gently grabbed her wrist andughed. ¡°He¡¯s been longing for me to build a family.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you on the right track now? We¡¯re already married,¡± she replied with her head lowered. Getting ufortable under his gaze, she struggled to get away from his grip, but he grabbed her harder and she fell onto his chest in the end.

    ¡°So, you do know we are married. Is it about time I exercise my right as a husband?¡± No matter how calm Su Chen may be, with her pleasant scent right before him, he could not control the wildness beneath his chest, and there were sparks in his eyes.

    They had been married for quite some time, but their rtionship had be a little odd ever since Ah Chen¡¯s incident. They felt pretty distant, and Su Chen was not happy about it. He had a feeling that his woman was keeping her distance from him.

    However, they were already married anyway. Since she became his wife, if she decided to back off, then he should be taking the initiative. Otherwise, he would never catch up to Mu Yuchen who was already the father of two children!

    Master Su actually did n to be childless, but he was not courageous enough to face his grandfather.

    Su Chen¡¯s words startled Ji Zitong who stared at him without knowing what to do.

    His eyes darkened as he worked up his courage, lifting her chin as his lips went closer...

    Ji Zitong was nervous. She wanted to push him away, but he gripped her firmly. His wild scent was all over her to her astonishment. She closed her eyes as she did not know what to do.

    Su Chen took a pause when he noticed her reaction. In the end, he still moved on and pressed his cold lips against hers.

    His movements were awkward, and he was a little impatient as his hand started to move downwards. He held Ji Zitong¡¯s waist tightly as things were slowly heating up inside the room.

    Ji Zitong was shocked as she felt her shoulders and chest getting cold, so she pushed him away. She was taking deep breaths as she said nervously, ¡°Don¡¯t...don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m not ready...¡±

    Su Chen frowned when he tasted some blood in his mouth. A sense of pain followed the coppery taste, and he looked at the woman before him as his eyes darkened. He wiped the blood on his mouth away and took a deep breath to calm himself down. After that, neither did he say anything nor look at Ji Zitong. Instead, he headed outside.

    Still in shock, she asked when she noticed he was heading out, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just going to pick up some things in the study room. You can sleep first. There¡¯s no need to wait for me.¡± Su Chen then disappeared out of the doorway.

    Bang!

    Ji Zitong calmed down a little when she heard the sound of the door being closed. She finally noticed the bloody taste in her mouth.

    It was his blood. She had bitten him in panic just now.

    The room became empty again. Ji Zitong looked at the closed door, hesitating for a moment as she stood there. After that, sheughed at herself and got into bed quietly.

    Su Chen felt awake after he got out of the room with the pain on his lips helping to ground him. Then, he noticed his sistering out of Su Zhengxun¡¯s room.

    ¡°Why are you not sleeping yet?¡±

    Su Yu felt odd to see Su Chen at this time, especially when he looked so unwell.

    ¡°You¡¯re not asleep as well, aren¡¯t you?¡± Su Chen stared at Su Yu as he walked down the stairs. ¡°If you want, let¡¯s have a drink.¡±

    Su Yu shrugged. ¡°Why are you drinking now instead of spending time with Zitong?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been pretty exhausted these past few days, so I told her to rest,¡± Su Chen gave a brief reply before heading downstairs.

    Su Yu thought to herself for a while, then followed him downstairs momentster.

 Chapter 858 - Visit (5)

    <h4>Chapter 858: Visit (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard along with two sses before walking towards the sofa.

    ¡°Whiskey or wine?¡± Su Chen was filling up a ss as he spoke.

    ¡°You know I love whiskey. When I went to Ah Chen¡¯s house to decorate his baby room, he gave me several bottles of it. Your brother-inw doesn¡¯t drink at all, so I get to take them all for myself.¡±

    Su Yu grabbed the ss and squinted at Su Chen. She quickly noticed the injury on his lips and seemed interested all of a sudden. Taking a sip from the ss, she smirked. ¡°Had a fight with Zitong just now?¡±

    Su Chen paused, raising his eyebrows as he stared at her. ¡°Was it that obvious?¡±

    Su Yu chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re giving off this depressing vibe all around you. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my mistake because I said something inappropriate.¡± Su Chen was protective of her, and he touched his lips before having his drink.

    ¡°Of course, I know you very well. She¡¯s a girl, so you should be nice and lenient to her! If you can at least be half as tolerant as our father towards Mother, I¡¯m sure your life with Zitong will be very happy. You¡¯re a guy, so what¡¯s wrong with lowering your head in front of your woman? She left her home and married you to live with you and take care of your life. She needs to bear your children too. Do you really think it¡¯s easy?¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s difficult. Aren¡¯t I tolerant enough? Apart from our grandfather, this family has always prioritized women anyway. Father and I have no rights at all.¡± Su Chen gave Su Yu a cold stare before emptying his ss.

    ¡°No rights? You have a wife and might have a child soon. Is that really necessary? Rights aren¡¯t something that you ask for from outsiders, not from your family. You should really go back to school and learn it all again. Alright, go back to your room quickly after this. It¡¯s Zitong¡¯s first time here tonight. Don¡¯t neglect her, or else, she might be too traumatized toe back again. I¡¯ll take this back to my room and enjoy it.¡±

    Su Yu grabbed the bottle and went upstairs without even looking back at Su Chen who sighed and pinched the space between his eyebrows before slowly walking back to his room.

    Ji Zitong was already on the bed when he got back into the room. He went to the wardrobe quietly and grabbed some clothes before heading into the bathroom.

    Ji Zitong could hear the sound of him showering as she just stared at the ceiling nkly while sighing¡ª

    She was already married anyway. What was this?

    Ji Zitong felt bad as she remembered the scene just now when he left the room. She thought maybe she should just let things happen naturally...

    As all of these thoughts were going through her mind, she did not notice that the water stopped. She only came back to her senses when she felt the nket lift and someoney down on the bed beside her.

    She looked at him and noticed that he slept with his back facing her. Looking at him for a while, it did not seem like he was going to do anything, so she suddenly called out to him, ¡°Su Chen...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ste. Go to sleep. We have an early morning tomorrow.¡± Su Chen stopped talking after that brief sentence, his tone sounding cold.

    Ji Zitong felt a little odd when she heard that tone of his. She could not stand the aloofness as she cursed herself on the inside. Then, she took a deep breath and turned her back around.

    She really felt bad about it and could not ignore the feelings. Annoyed, sheughed at herself before closing her eyes.

    Some timeter, she felt some movement behind her back. Soon, she felt his usual warm hug again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to wait that long. The feelings juste naturally and I can¡¯t always control it. You appear in my life every day and sleep by my side every night. I¡¯m not a saint after all. Haven¡¯t you heard about a man¡¯s true colors before?¡±

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment. She then replied quietly, ¡°This week...might be difficult. My ¡®rtive¡¯ is here...¡±

    ¡°Rtive?¡± Master Su did not get it.

    ¡°I mean my menstruation.¡± Ji Zitong red at him.

    Su Chen then coughed and replied, ¡°Just act as if I never said anything.¡±

    Ji Zitong looked at his face in the dim light. He seemed to be blushing, so she did not say anything else. Instead, she just closed her eyes and went to sleep.

    Momentster, he hugged her tighter as he put his warm palm onto her stomach area.

    Ji Zitong was startled slightly, but she did not reject his warm gesture. ¡°Thank you...¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep.¡±

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen was already gone and the sun was up when Xi Xiaye woke up. It was 10 a.m. when she looked at the clock!

    Mu Xiao Cheng woke up early that day, so Mu Yuchen handed him to Aunt Lin. Xi Xiaye was still tired from their deedsst night and he did not want her to be exhausted.

    She took several deep breaths to calm herself down as she took her time to get out of bed and grabbed some clothes before heading into the bathroom.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye went downstairs after she was done washing up.

    ¡°Morning, Missus!¡± Sis Wang and the others greeted her as she was walking down the staircase. She quickly nodded and was about to ask Mu Yuchen something when she heard the voice of a baby¡¯s bubblyughter. She looked over and noticed the father-son duo having fun on the sofa in the living room.

    Mu Yuchen was sitting on the sofa with Mu Xiaocheng on hisp. He was holding a building block as he yed with Mu Xiaocheng. The little guy was trying to reach for the thing in his father¡¯s hand, but Mu Yuchen moved it away slightly just as he was about to reach it. The two of them were having lots of fun together.

 Chapter 859 - Feelings? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 859: Feelings? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips formed a smile as she watched them for a while from the staircase. She then walked slowly towards them.

    ¡°Baby, look at me. Mother is here!¡± Xi Xiaye sat beside Mu Yuchen and extended her hands towards Mu Xiaocheng.

    Mu Xiaocheng looked at her for a moment when he heard his mother¡¯s voice, but the attraction of the item on his father¡¯s hand was much stronger, so he continued trying to reach for it. Mu Yuchenughed and finally handed the building block to him as Xi Xiaye held her son and left two kisses on his cheek.

    ¡°Our son is growing and he¡¯s looking more and more like you. Howe he looks nothing like me?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at her son andmented.

    Mu Yuchen nced over at her and then looked into her eyes. In the end, he focused on her beautiful face as his eyes brightened up. ¡°Of course, my son looks like me although his eyes do look a little like yours. Ask Aunt Lin to get him something to eat. We haven¡¯t had breakfast yet.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held him for a while longer before finally giving Mu Xiaocheng to Aunt Lin unwillingly.

    Suddenly, the phone rang, so Sis Wang picked it up.

    ¡°Master, Missus, Elder Madam called and said she¡¯ll be moving over today. Aren¡¯t you going back to work soon? She¡¯ll be here to take care of the Young Master and she¡¯ll go back to the Mu residence during the weekend,¡± Sis Wang updated Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye about her conversation with Wang Hui.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye traded nces at each other before nodding. ¡°Prepare a room, and be prepared for my grandfather as well. I suppose he won¡¯t stay there if my grandmotheres here.¡±

    ¡°Maple Residence is sure going to be lively.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she helped him fix his creased cor. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to work today?¡±

    ¡°I got upte today, so I¡¯ll head over in the afternoon,¡± he replied casually, yet his eyes were staring at her. Xi Xiaye was startled when she was reminded about their crazy deedsst night. She blushed instantly and acted as if she did not hear anything. ¡°Sis Wang, is lunch ready?¡±

    As she took a step, the man stood up and whispered beside her ear, ¡°My dear, if you don¡¯t want people to know what we didst night, you might want to put on a scarf.¡± He chuckled.

    Xi Xiaye quickly nced at her neck and noticed a hickey near her chest area!

    No wonder Aunt Lin was giving her such an odd look just now!

    Xi Xiaye pushed him away angrily. ¡°Go away! Bastard!¡±

    Heughed and quickly went upstairs to get a scarf for her to gently cover her neck.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head to the office with you after lunch since I have something to take care of.¡± She raised her head and looked at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep your office for you. Your position will remain as well, so it¡¯ll be easier for you toe back to the office in the future,¡± he replied.

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought and did not disagree.

    The two of them went to the office right after lunch.

    While Xi Xiaye was packing her stuff in her office, Xiao Mei seemed to be missing her already. ¡°Director Xi, will you being back? Did you really decide to be a housewife like the others say? Everyone thinks of you as their role model. If you leave, then we...¡±

    Naturally, Xiao Mei had no idea that Xi Xiaye was taking over Fuhua, so she felt sad when she saw Xi Xiaye packing up her things.

    Xi Xiaye kept her documents into her briefcase and then looked at Xiao Mei with a smile. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll drop by. Xiao Mei, you¡¯ve been an outstanding employee working alongside me for the past few years. I believe the HR Department has rmended you for a promotion. If you¡¯re dedicated to continuing here, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll turn out great.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯d still like to work with you since I¡¯m used to you. I feel so lost now that you¡¯re leaving.¡± Xiao Mei sounded disappointed.

    After being promoted to be her assistant, she was really grateful for Xi Xiaye¡¯s appreciation towards her. Moreover, they had been working well with each other this whole time. Therefore, Xiao Mei would really miss her.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she looked at Xiao Mei who was about to cry. She hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, would you like to go over to Fuhua with me? I¡¯ll be starting anew there. I¡¯m going to explore a new industry.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it. Aside from her grandpa Shen Yue and Lan Zng, she would be alone there anyway, and she decided to work upwards from the bottom in order to get a better understanding of Fuhua and the property industry as a whole.

    ¡°Fuhua?¡± Xiao Mei widened her eyes. A thought shed in her mind at lightning speed and her expression quickly turned into joy. ¡°Director Xi, you¡¯re going to Fuhua? That¡¯s great! We all thought you were retiring to be a housewife after giving birth! That¡¯s really awesome! I want to! I want to go over with you, Director Xi!¡±

    ¡°Housewife? I did think of that before, but sadly I can¡¯t do so.¡±

    ¡°A woman should set up her own career. Isn¡¯t that what you told me, Director Xi?¡± Xiao Mei smiled.

    ¡°Go and make preparations if you want to follow me. I¡¯ll call the HR Department right now and transfer someone over. Hand over your current work and we¡¯ll go to Fuhua tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Director Xi! I¡¯ll do that right away!¡± Xiao Mei then left the room happily.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and grabbed the phone to call the HR Department.

    Her man would not have any issues with her taking his talented employees away, would he?

 Chapter 860 - Feelings? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 860: Feelings? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In XX Field in the suburbs of City Z

    A ck limousine slowly drove onto the cement street by the field and soon stopped by the road. Li Si turned around and said respectfully to Mu Yuchen who was resting with his eyes closed, ¡°Master, we¡¯re here.¡±

    When he heard that, Mu Yuchen opened his eyes. A profound light filled the air, and Li Si could vaguely feel a hint of coldness.

    He turned to look out the car window, very quickly he noticed that dark figure underneath the umbre by the field.

    ¡°Master, Gu Qiwu came over alone. His assistant is right down there,¡± Li Si softly muttered after analyzing as he got down to open the car door for Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°All of you stay here and wait for me too,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly said before getting down from the car unhurriedly.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen stopped behind Gu Qiwu. It was rather cold to be standing there. The wind that blew from the bottom of the mountain ruffled their clothes.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±

    Gu Qiwu did not turn and his deep voice contained a hint of hostility.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. Instead, he took two steps forward and stood beside him, his frosty gaze following Gu Qiwu¡¯s line of sight and looking ahead.

    ¡°That¡¯s Qingshan Cemetery across there. Your aunt and Lingtian are buried in that direction. It¡¯s a pretty quiet ce that¡¯s quite suitable to just rest in peace. Plus, the <i>fengshui </i>in this cemetery is notably good.¡±

    Gu Qiwu suddenly lifted a hand to point at the direction across. His deep voice was colored with a hint at the woes of life.

    Mu Yuchen did not look at him either as he calmly asked, ¡°It¡¯s a good ce to rest in peace, but do you think they can rest in peace?¡±

    Gu Qiwu just smiled calmly as he turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been investigating me recently. My people have also found out that you asked someone to do a DNA test for me and Lingshi abroad.¡±

    ¡°What do you think the test results were?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice came through, his deep gaze showing unfathomable hostility as he shot Gu Qiwu a side nce.

    ¡°What did you think then? What could the oue have been?¡± Gu Qiwu asked him instead, his handsome face adorned with a smile that seemed a little cold.

    Mu Yuchen stared at him for quite a while. His mind could not help but sh with Mu Lingtian¡¯s handsome face. With thatparison in mind, he vaguely realized that the father and son actually had simr jawlines though it was not very obvious. Lingtian and Lingshi did look more like Mu Zixi.

    ¡°You and Lingshi¡¯s DNA have a 99% match. The results prove that you and she are father and daughter. That means you are Lingtian and Lingshi¡¯s biological father. What? Don¡¯t you think you should be exining yourself?¡± Mu Yuchen averted his gaze and sneered as he studied the cemetery across them. ¡°You should know that all these years, Lingshi has been looking for her biological father.¡±

    ¡°Exin what?¡± Gu Qiwu muttered softly. After that, he took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°To exin things? Well, I don¡¯t know what I could even exin.¡±

    As Gu Qiwu said this, he lifted a hand to massage the stress between his brows. ¡°That was our doing. I admit that Lingtian and Lingshi are indeed the children of your aunt, Mu Zixi, and I. It¡¯s been over 20 years now, and I thought that this secret could continue to be kept. Unexpectedly, you lot still managed to find out in the end. You¡¯re pretty capable, Ah Chen.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not a good thing to find out about these things. Your aunt worked hard to conceal it while I continued her secrecy. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± As Gu Qiwu said this, he looked coldly at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Even if you know now, what do you think you can do? Do you think that the situation right now will be better than before? You don¡¯t even know anything. Do you have the courage to reveal all of this? And can you bear the burden of the consequences once it¡¯s exposed?¡±

    When he shot these questions at Mu Yuchen, there was suddenly a sinister expression on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face as he did not hide the resentment in his eyes. His tone was bitter. ¡°Lingtian¡¯s dead. If you want Lingsha to meet misfortune, then you can feel free to expose it.¡±

    When Gu Qiwu issued his threat, Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart tightened. He fixed his eyes on Gu Qiwu with a gaze that was so cold it could cut through ice. ¡°Because of Doris?¡±

    When he heard the name, a mix of emotions shed in Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes. He scowled and then looked downwards.

    Nevertheless, Mu Yuchen could catch a mixture of love and hatred in his gaze.

    Mu Yuchen hesitated, then asked, ¡°Did Lingtian know?¡±

    Gu Qiwuughed grimly. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Lingtian didn¡¯t know I was his father, but I know that he fell in love with Lingsha, his sister from the same father and the same mother. He couldn¡¯t lie given the way he looked at Lingsha. Lingsha inherited her mother¡¯s outstanding looks. The moment she was born, she was raised by her mother to be someone with noble charisma. Very few people can resist her beauty, and Lingtian was the same. However, because of the way they¡¯re blood-rted, how could I have let them walk down this path of error?

    ¡°Back then, Doris had always known I had another woman behind her back, so she¡¯s been investigating this. She suspected your aunt, and even if your aunt has passed away, she still did leave Lingtian and Lingshi behind for me. Because I didn¡¯t want her to suspect anything, I insisted that Lingsha marry you. Apart from getting rid of Doris¡¯s suspicion, my other aim was to make Lingtian give up. In the end, beyond my expectations, you actually let Lingtian stay behind, and after that... After that, things turned out the way they did and Lingtian passed away. Tell me, do you think I should resent you? Do you think you¡¯re that innocent? Lingsha was meant to be your fianc¨¨e, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    Gu Qiwu red at Mu Yuchen coldly, his sinister gaze seeming as if it was poison. ¡°You killed him, do you understand that? If you¡¯d just married Lingsha, everything would have gone as nned. Lingtian wouldn¡¯t have died, and Lingsha wouldn¡¯t have been disfigured. The secret that your aunt and I have been keeping wouldn¡¯t have been revealed, causing the siblings to be at risk.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make yourself sound so good and honest. If you cared, you shouldn¡¯t have cheated on Doris or betrayed my aunt. Do you dare say that when you nned all of this, that you were just doing it for Lingtian and the rest? I¡¯m sure the data in my hands are key too!¡±

    Had it been before, Mu Yuchen might have felt sad hearing these words, but now he no longer felt that because he had been reflecting on it for a long time now, and he did not feel that he had done anything wrong.

 Chapter 861 - Feelings? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 861: Feelings? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Mu Yuchen finished, Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes turned even icier cold. The sneer that shed at the corner of his lips made one feel chilly as he admitted very openly, ¡°That¡¯s true. Those were just one of my reasons. Back then, when the Hui Gu Corporation was on the verge of a crisis, I didn¡¯t have much of a choice.¡±

    When he heard this, he could not help but feel sorrowful, and he suddenly felt a little sad on Mu Lingshi¡¯s behalf.

    He sighed, blinked, and said a little frustratedly, ¡°You let Lingtian and Lingshi down. So did Aunt! the two of you aren¡¯t worthy of being their parents.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that about your aunt. She was a good woman. I deceived her and forced her. Back when I had her, I once guaranteed her that I would divorce Doris. I told her that I never cared for Doris and that I wouldn¡¯t let her take on a bad name.¡±

    Right now, Gu Qiwu was actually protectively putting all the me onto himself.

    ¡°But back then, you already let her take on the bad name. You were already married to another woman, so you shouldn¡¯t have gotten together with her. I can understand that Lingtian was a mistake in the heat of a moment, but what about Lingshi? How do you two exin Lingshi?¡±

    ¡°Your aunt and I have long... Forget it. Why am I exining these things to you? I did everything. Back then, the person who blocked your woman, Xi Xiaye, in the tunnel, and that incident at the wedding, it was all me. I just wanted to warn you to stop it. Of course, it was to assure Lingsha¡¯s mother. You know that even though Doris has the heart of a devil, she loves Lingsha very much.¡±

    ¡°Back then, Lu Xin told you it wasn¡¯t a good idea to find out about these things anyway, yet you insisted on wanting to know the answer. Now that you know it, how do you feel? There are many things whereby your ignorance and that of everyone else might have been a good thing instead.¡±

    Gu Qiwu suddenly seemed calm as he turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Let me tell you something unfortunate. Qi Feng¡¯s returning soon. I think you¡¯ve probably found out about his situation. He doesn¡¯t resent you any less than I do. He¡¯s really the one who wishes for you to be dead. Mu Yuchen, the real game might have only just begun. As for the fact that Lingshi and I are father and daughter, feel free to expose it if you can bear all the consequences. Even though this is one secret that I¡¯ve been working hard to keep, I don¡¯t seem to have a way of stopping you.¡±

    ¡°I want to know if you ever had feelings for aunt at all,¡± Mu Yuchen demanded softly. The light in his eyes was extremely sharp as he fixed his gaze on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face.

    Gu Qiwu smiled indifferently. ¡°Feelings? Do I look like the kind of person who would have those things?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned and surprisingly went speechless as his gaze towards Gu Qiwu only became colder and sharper.

    ¡°To me, your aunt was just a woman. She was, still is, and always will be. I admit that I at least admired her and fancied her. At least, I¡¯m happy that she gave birth to Lingtian and Lingshi for me. But I couldn¡¯t give up on Doris for her...¡±

    Bam!

    ¡°Ah! Pfft!¡±

    Before Gu Qiwu could finish, he noticed a shadow sh before him. Then, he was held up by the cor. Before he realized what was happening, Mu Yuchen¡¯s hard fist had already viciously smashed into his jaw, and Gu Qiwu could already feel blood rising in his mouth.

    Bam!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    When the third punch came, Gu Qiwu could not help but cry out as he spat a mouthful of blood out.

    Mu Yuchen then let go of him slowly. He looked calmly at Gu Qiwu who was staggering as he elegantly fixed his wrinkled sleeves. Then, his voice that was cold as the wind from hell came. It was so cold that it felt like an icicle piercing through the skin. ¡°These three punches are the interest for what happened to Xiaye. As for Lingshi¡ª¡±

    Before Gu Qiwu could catch his breath, Mu Yuchen held him up once again!

    The punches that came like raindrops attacked like a storm while the grunts kepting. Even if Gu Qiwu wanted to resist, he could not stand against Mu Yuchen. Despite having left the army for many years, those who knew him well would know that Mu Yuchen was well trained.

    After a round of attacks that rained down on Gu Qiwu, Mu Yuchen pushed the badly battered man away. Gu Qiwu¡¯s assistant, Ah Yong, who had been waiting below, immediately rushed up, but he could not make it soon enough. By the time he got close, Gu Qiwu was already spitting out blood while holding onto the railings on the side. He panted, and his gaze on Mu Yuchen was cold and filled with shock.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, this is just your interest for Lingshi. Do you want to be her father? You¡¯re not worthy. She only has one father, and that person¡¯s Mu Tangchuan. If you still care about your daughter, Gu Lingsha, tell her to keep it down and roll back to where she came from. Don¡¯t be causing trouble all the time. Otherwise, I guarantee that she¡¯ll end up 100 times worse than Xi Xinyi.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes shed with a cold light that was sharp as a knife. The ck curtain that hid his intentions had been pulled down, revealing a cold heart.

    ¡°If Lingshi knows that she¡¯s got a father like you, she¡¯d definitely wish she could kill you. To use feelings to conceal your own greed, Gu Qiwu, you¡¯re even more sinister and despicable than Qi Qiming. Wang Qin¡¯s death has got something to do with you, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Qiwu propped himself up and spit out a mouthful of blood again as he red angrily at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Whether or not I¡¯m worthy, it¡¯s the truth! You indirectly killed Lingtian, and I won¡¯t just let go of this so easily. Do you want to talk about being worthy? Do you think you¡¯re that noble? Don¡¯t forget that the scar on Lingshi¡¯s face was your work! Don¡¯t me everything on me!¡±

    ¡°All actions have consequences. You used me as a pawn, so what¡¯s wrong about me hitting back? You want to force Gu Lingsha onto me, conspiring for your own benefit, and you came up with some ridiculous reason. Do you think I¡¯d believe you? Do you know why Gu Lingsha ran off in a panic with Qi Feng back then?¡± Mu Yuchen asked coldly.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    This question has also one that Gu Qiwu had not figured out.

    Mu Yuchen smiled coldly. ¡°Looks like Gu Lingsha didn¡¯t tell you!¡±

    ¡°Because she tried to get into the safe andputer in my study room, and Ah Mo found out. That was actually fine since she did not have the passwords, so she couldn¡¯t get anything, but she panicked and dragged Qi Feng along. She knows how I work, and she knows what Ah Mo is capable of, so she got Lingtian too.¡±

 Chapter 862 - Feelings? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 862: Feelings? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was cold as metal, yet his gaze on Gu Qiwu was as indifferent as the wind.

    He slowly released his clenched fists, and elegantly fixed his messy sleeves in a rxed manner. Soon, he returned to his usual respectable cool self. He turned around and did not give Gu Qiwu a second nce as his tall body just walked calmly toward the sunset.

    ¡°I never came here today. Lingshi¡¯s parents are Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong, and that¡¯s a fact.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was as chilly as the breeze. It drifted in the air, and before Gu Qiwu could react, his clear figure gradually vanished beyond the sun that was gradually setting in the west.

    ¡°Boss!¡±

    When he saw Mu Yuchen disappear, Ah Yong finally reached his boss. He was about to chase after Mu Yuchen when he was stopped by Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Come back! Just let him go!¡±

    Then, Ah Yong stopped and turned around to hold Gu Qiwu up, yet thetter struggled free of him helping him up. His dark gaze was fixated on Mu Yuchen leaving while he lifted a hand to wipe away the blood on the corner of his lips.

    ¡°Boss, but he actually hit you!¡±

    Ah Yong stared at Mu Yuchen¡¯s leaving figure, his eyes filled with anger. Even though he did not know why Mu Yuchen would actually hit him, the fact that he dared to be this reckless and beat Gu Qiwu up like this was the first time Ah Yong had witnessed something like this.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes shifted from dark to light. He could barely bear the pain throbbing from his face, so he took a few deep breaths to calm down as he silently watched Mu Yuchen vanish in the sunset. Then, he took the tissue Ah Yong handed him to wipe his hand before turning around too.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Boss, are you just going to let him off like that?¡± Ah Yong asked coldly.

    Gu Qiwu did not answer. He only gave Ah Yong a cold stare which was met with silence. Ah Yong silently lowered his head and followed after him.

    Li Si, who had been watching the two of them chat from beside the car, naturally saw it all happen. He was also surprised that his usually reserved and cautious master would actually hit Gu Qiwu, but he really wanted to say, ¡°Master, you hit him so well! You look handsome doing that!¡±

    Li Si had long been unhappy with that Gu Qiwu, especially when he heard that he might have been the mastermind behind his master getting locked up.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen had just reached the car when Li Si went up to him. He very cautiously stole a nce at Gu Qiwu who was also leaving in the other direction.

    Mu Yuchen got into the car and then said, ¡°Go to Ah Mo.¡±

    Li Si got into the car too. From the rearview mirror, he carefully observed Mu Yuchen. Seeing that his expression was calm as water despite his eyes being concentrated with coldness, you could guess that he was probably in a terrible mood, so he dared not say much. He nodded then asked, ¡°Master, do we want to give Master Ah Mo a call first?¡±

    Ah Mo and Miss Lingshi had returned to the old Mu residencest night, and they were not sure if they were back yet.

    ¡°No need. Just go over to take a look. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re there or not,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly answered. He breathed in, then lifted a hand to massage between his brows.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    Inside Ah Mo¡¯s little vi, Mu Lingshi wore a loose long shirt as pajamas. When she walked over to open the door, she thought that Ah Mo must have forgotten to bring his keys again, so she squinted her sleepy eyes as sheined, ¡°Can¡¯t you just check if you had your keys in your pocket before going out?¡±

    As sheined, she pulled open the door without even taking a look at who was at the door. Just when she shifted, she suddenly realized something as she immediately turned her head to look.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome and tall figure instantly greeted her sight!

    Mu Lingshi was shocked as she cried out, ¡°Brother? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Came over to see you. Why did you open the door without even seeing who it was? You¡¯re not vignt at all. You¡¯ve got to be more careful next time!¡± Mu Yuchen said in a low voice and took a look at Mu Lingshi. His handsome brows frowned into a knot before he picked up his pace to enter.

    Mu Lingshi then cleared her throat and quickly closed the door as she responded, ¡°The guards usually don¡¯t let strangers in. Don¡¯t worry, Brother. Why did you suddenlye? And you chose such a time too! Did youe to leech at dinner?¡±

    A smile shed on Mu Lingshi¡¯s face as she walked to the living room with Mu Yuchen, and swiftly poured him a ss of water. ¡°I don¡¯t have any tea leaves here, only coffee, but you don¡¯t like drinking that, so you can just drink water. Since you¡¯re here, just stay for dinner. I¡¯ve moved here for a while now, but this is the first time you¡¯vee to visit me.¡±

    ¡°What delicious dishes can you make for me?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled calmly as he epted the water Mu Lingshi handed him. His smile brimmed with some tenderness.

    Mu Lingshi smiled and quickly took the phone from the side. ¡°I¡¯ll call Ah Mo right now. He was going to get some things from the supermarket anyway. I¡¯ll get him to bring some excellent ingredients back. Is it just you? Where¡¯s sis-inw?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still at work, but she¡¯s probably finished by now. I¡¯ll call herter and let her know.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Lingshi nodded as she called Ah Mo.

    At this moment, Mu Yuchen took two brief sips of water before he stood up to examine the entire vi. When he saw the slightly messy shelf by the French window, he walked over and began to tidy it up.

    When he saw Mu Lingshi hanging up, Mu Yuchen said softly, ¡°This ce doesn¡¯t have that great of an environment as the Grand Waves Vi. Previously, I kept a few vis with gorgeous views. After you and Ah Mo get married, move over there. It¡¯s better to watch over each other if we¡¯re closer too. Once your sis-inw gets back to work, your grandparents might frequently be at Maple Residence, so it¡¯s more convenient to take care of Xiao Ru and Xiao Cheng, and if you¡¯re closer, they could also go to your ce from time to time.¡±

    ¡°The Grand Waves Vi area? Oh, I know. Didn¡¯t you n to keep those vis as wedding gifts for Bro Su Chen and Bro Zimo?¡± Mu Lingshi asked.

    Mu Yuchen paused, then continued to tidy the messy books as he said softly, ¡°I kept one for you too.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m used to living here anyway. There¡¯s only one of me. How many ces can I live in? I¡¯m not interested in having a few houses. The old residence area is pretty good too. If I get sick of living here, I¡¯ll just go back to the old residence. Sometimes, I do quite miss living with Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, and Mother. They¡¯re always there to love and protect me.¡± Mu Lingshi grinned as she walked over and tidied up with him.

    ¡°As you wish, as long as you¡¯re happy.¡± Mu Yuchen did not insist. If she could think that way, he was pleased for her too.

 Chapter 863 - Brother and Sister (1)

    <h4>Chapter 863: Brother and Sister (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The books were messily strewn about since Mu Lingshi had flipped through them this afternoon. Usually, Ah Mo would be the one to tidy them up because Mu Lingshi hardly cleaned up after herself.

    Mu Yuchen swiftly picked up the books and put them back on the shelf as he said, ¡°Look at you. I¡¯m very d that I¡¯m not like you.¡±

    Mu Lingshi did not seem to mind. ¡°Someone¡¯s going to pick them up after me anyway, so why worry?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t care. Since when does Ah Mo read books like these?¡± Mu Yuchen stared at Mu Lingshi for a moment before picking up the book on architecture and flipping through it.

    Mu Lingshi nced at him. ¡°He tried to study when you sent him to City B to work on the Movie City.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and took a deep breath as he put the book back. ¡°Ah Mo has always been a serious person. Grandmother would be much more at ease if you were half as responsible as him. How wasst night?¡±

    Mu Lingshi shrugged, running her fingers through her ck hair. ¡°Still the usual stuff, asking me when I¡¯ll be getting married to Ah Mo. They hope it¡¯ll be this year like what happened to you back then.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Mu Lingshi. ¡°What did you say? Ah Mo isn¡¯t young anymore, and neither are you. Your sister-inw married me when she was 26. Two yearster and she¡¯s 28 now. She keeps asking me if she¡¯s getting old. Aren¡¯t women very sensitive about their age?¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw is a typical little woman. Of course, she¡¯d be different from someone who favors the single life like me!¡± Mu Lingshi chuckled.

    Mu Yuchen rolled up the book in his hand and knocked her head. ¡°Stop getting so cocky just because Ah Mo is always there for you. When we gathered back at Maple Residence a few days ago, they talked about Ah Mo and you. It all started over a decade ago, didn¡¯t it?¡± He gave Mu Lingshi a gentle nce.

    Both Mu Lingshi and Mu Limgmo were pretty introverted. They were close to Mu Yuchen since they were little, and they were close to Mu Lingtian when he was still alive as well. As the big brother, Mu Yuchen was calmer and more mature in nature, so he hardly brought up such topics with them, but he did talk a lot with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo.

    Nheless, Mu Lingmo and Mu Lingshi totally respected him, and Mu Yuchen was caring towards them as an older brother.

    Mu Lingshi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been over 10 years, plus around 5 or 6 years of a nk period. Brother, just let this happen naturally. We¡¯re still doing fine even though we aren¡¯t married. Didn¡¯t Grandmother want us to get married quickly before? They unofficially recognized our current rtionship as of now, so it doesn¡¯t really matter to me if we get registered or not.¡±

    ¡°How could it not matter? Although it isn¡¯t my top concern, you still deserve what you should get. I don¡¯t want to see you not having a wedding dress, a wedding ceremony, and all that.¡±

    He stopped his movements and stared deep into Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes. ¡°I hope to witness the scene where father leads your hand on the red carpet and hands you over to Ah Mo. I¡¯m sure our parents are looking forward to it as well.¡±

    Mu Lingshi could sense something in his words, so she sighed momentster. ¡°I know what you mean. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll always remember how great my family is. Whenever I feel sad, I always feel better the moment I think about you guys.¡±

    ¡°No matter what, always remember that you¡¯re a daughter of the Mu family, and we¡¯ve all got your back, understand?¡± Mu Yuchan said.

    Mu Lingshi gave him a serious nod as well.

    The living room became much tidier after a while. Ah Mo also came back home half an hourter, and the sky turned dark by the time Mu Yuchen started cooking. Ah Mo helped him out and dinner was served at 7 p.m.

    The siblings sat together for dinner.

    Mu Yuchen was getting ready to go home soon after dinner, so Ah Mo sent him to the entrance.

    ¡°Master, you rarelye over. You can stay longer if you want. Lingshi is happy with you around, and I can send you backter,¡± Ah Mo said as he followed behind Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen took a pause and then looked up at the sky. The moon was already up, emitting its silver glow over the horizon. He turned back to Ah Mo. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I just came over to take a look at both of you. Your sister-inw is still waiting for me at home. If you haven¡¯t thought about how to break the news to her, you can wait for a while. I haven¡¯t thought about how to tell our parents too. Besides, it¡¯s quite a sensitive period right now. Arrange for an agile bodyguard for Lingshi soon. She probably needs one since she frequents the night club.¡±

    Ah Mo hesitated for a moment, sensing Mu Yuchen¡¯s concern. ¡°Master, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. I met Gu Qiwu today. He admitted his rtionship with Lingshi to me. I don¡¯t want to me him for his past with my aunt. I just want Lingshi to be happy in the future, and you know what you promised me before,¡± Mu Yuchen shared while he looked deep into Ah Mo¡¯s eyes.

    Ah Mo paused before quickly nodding. ¡°Yes, I remember. I¡¯ll love her with my life.¡±

    ¡°What did Gu Qiwu want from you?¡± He gave Mu Yuchen a worried nce.

    ¡°He knows I¡¯m investigating him. He also knew that we know about his rtionship with Lingshi. That¡¯s all for now, but you should be prepared. I¡¯ll head back right now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then continued forward. Li Si and the others were already waiting for him at the entrance.

    ¡°Yes, I understand,¡± Ah Mo replied quietly as he went forward.

    ¡°Alright, go back in.¡± Mu Yuchen then got into the car.

 Chapter 864 - Brother and Sister (2)

    <h4>Chapter 864: Brother and Sister (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car started moving soon enough, and it quickly disappeared into the night. Ah Mo remained stationary for a long while before finally closing his eyes and pondered there. It took him a while before returning back to his house.

    ¡°I could sense that Brother has something on his mind. Did something happen?¡± Mu Lingshi came up to Ah Mo the moment he returned as she gave him a doubtful nce.

    ¡°Maybe something happened to thepany. Things are a little tricky with South River Project No. 2 recently, and we¡¯ve just suffered a huge loss.¡± Ah Mo did not want to talk about it too much as he did not want to say what he was not supposed to. He somewhat guessed the reason Mu Yuchen¡¯s intent of visiting today.

    Gu Qiwu had probably done something that made him feel horrible, but he could not tell Mu Lingshi about this yet, or else...

    ¡°It¡¯s prettyte already. Go take a bath and I¡¯ll check if there are any updates on Qi Feng¡¯s end. Let me prepare the bathwater for you,¡± Ah Mo said before he went upstairs quickly.

    Mu Lingshi frowned slightly. She noticed something was odd but decided not to ask anything as she slowly made her way upstairs.

    ...

    It was already 10 p.m. when Mu Yuchen arrived back at Maple Residence. The surroundings were pretty quiet. As usual, the study room¡¯s light was still on.

    He walked swiftly past the living room and went upstairs.

    Inside the study room, Xi Xiaye was focused on reading documents from Fuhua as she took a nce at her phone. She noticed it was already 10 p.m. and he was still not home yet. As she thought about giving him a call, she heard the sound of a car parking down below. Momentster, the man entered the house, and she set her documents aside.

    ¡°Why sote?¡± Xi Xiaye came out of the study room as Mu Yuchen opened the door. She wore a beige sleeping robe with her hair down behind her.

    ¡°I just overstayed a little. Is our son asleep?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, he¡¯s asleep with Grandmother who said she wanted to sleep with him.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she walked towards him.

    Mu Yuchen came inside and left his phone on the table. He then handed a big bouquet of champagne roses to Xi Xiaye. ¡°These are for you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened up when she saw the beautiful flowers. Her expression was joyous as she took the flowers from him. ¡°Thank you... This is for you!¡± She then kissed his cheek.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and patted her head. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy no matter what you give me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s facial expression softened. She put the flowers down and helped him take off his coat. ¡°Just in time. The flowers in the vase are starting to wilt.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his arm a little as she took his coat off swiftly.

    ¡°Why did you suddenly visit Lingshi? What happened to your meeting with Gu Qiwu?¡± Xi Xiaye was observing him closely as she did not want to miss any subtle expression from his face.

    Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa as he put an arm around her waist. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just like what we¡¯ve known. Gu Qiwu admitted it himself. I just feel sorry for Lingshi and wanted to visit her.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a pause as she could rte to her man¡¯s feelings. She grabbed his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lingshi is a strong girl. She¡¯ll be able to take it one day. She survived all these years without him after all, and he doesn¡¯t deserve her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this for now. Gu Qiwu confirmed with me that Qi Feng is returning soon.¡± He suddenly looked at Xi Xiaye and said, ¡°Qi Feng¡¯s legs were disabled since the ident six years ago, and his appearance has changedpletely. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll definitely do something against me, so you need to be careful.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m not some fragile little flower in the greenhouse. I know how to protect myself. However, I do feel like there are a lot of thingsing at you. You better be careful yourself.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was concerned. She put the coat away and grabbed him a ss of water.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes turned gentle as he looked at her. He grinned as he squinted his eyes at her. ¡°Worried about me?¡±

    ¡°Who else would I worry for if not you? You¡¯re always the one worrying about others, but you are never considerate about yourself. Mr. Mu, your life would be much easier if you take on a more selfish approach.¡± Xi Xiaye sounded like an adult for once, speaking as if she was giving a lecture. She then handed him a ss of water.

    Heughed, enjoying her lecture as he grabbed her little hand. ¡°I have you to worry about me, don¡¯t I? It¡¯s fine. I know what I can do. I do feel like I could¡¯ve gone all out before, but I appreciate peace more than ever at this moment. I¡¯m only 32 years old and I don¡¯t want anything to happen to me, or else you might marry someone else with our son...¡±

    Xi Xiaye covered his mouth before he could finish, giving him a warning stare. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I hope we¡¯ll all be safe. The two of us will be able to live like this together until we grow old.¡±

    His gaze softened as he let out a chuckle and pulled her close to him. ¡°We¡¯ll grow old together.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and sighed, leaning onto him. ¡°Sometimes, I wish time would just stop right now. I get afraid whenever I think about moments when you¡¯re not by my side, Mr. Mu. I promise to treat you well for the rest of my life. I know I¡¯m weak, but I¡¯m genuine towards you.¡±

    She did not want to wait until she lost him, only to appreciate him and realize that she loved him more than she thought.

 Chapter 865 - Determination (1)

    <h4>Chapter 865: Determination (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was not sure why, but she felt like she had been getting more and more fragile ever since she met him. She would never have said something so emotional like this before, but now she could say it without hesitation.

    His emotions could easily affect her. She would be happy over his joy and feel saddened over his sorrow. In other words, she became much more emotional.

    She was getting to know him better, and her feelings for him piled up more and more as the days went by. She wanted to prove her love for him through her actions.

    Mr. Mu was delighted to hear these wordsing from Xi Xiaye, and his heart melted like cotton candy. ¡°Then, can I leave my protection to you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled, pursing her lips and giving him a slight nod as she removed his necktie for him. ¡°Alright, go take a shower now. I¡¯ll get your clothes for you.¡±

    He suddenly grabbed her by her waist as she was about to go away. ¡°Let me get something first.¡±

    He quickly went in for a kiss thatsted for several minutes before their lips finally parted.

    Without Mu Xiaocheng with them, Master Mu suddenly felt his life would be happy again. He instantly realized that his grandmother¡¯s decision of moving over here was brilliant!

    Half an hourter, while Xi Xiaye was using the tablet on the bed, she sensed someone lifting the nket and getting into bed beside her. Momentster, the man¡¯s unique scent reached her, and all of a sudden her tablet was taken away and put onto the bedside table.

    ¡°I want to check my emails.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stretched her arm towards the bedside table, but the pervert beside her started to undress her. ¡°Check your emails tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°But we just did itst night...¡±

    ¡°You had dinnerst night, but you still ate dinner just now, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was speechless. As she drew her hand back, she touched something. ncing over, she noticed a nicely packaged little box, she grabbed it curiously¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were attracted to it as she looked at the mysterious gift box on her palm. She started unboxing it before Mu Yuchen could even say anything.

    Mu Yuchen paused his act of undressing her and looked over. That familiar-looking box reminded him that it was a special gift from Zhou Zimo the day they had a barbeque.

    His eyes darkened as he remembered what Zhou Zimo said. His face blushed and he quickly wanted to stop Xi Xiaye. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t look!¡±

    However, Master Mu was toote. Xi Xiaye had already opened the box with all the contents falling out. She did not really notice what they were at first nce, and she started reading the tags.

    ¡°What are these? Strawberry, banana, mango...¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly took them and threw away. ¡°We don¡¯t need them.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought and her face quickly reddened. She gave him a warning stare. ¡°When did you...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me. Zhou Zimo gave them to me. He also gave two boxes to Su Chen. He just likes ying pranks like these.¡± Mu Yuchen frowned as he tried to exin himself.

    Xi Xiaye then remembered the dirty jokes Zhou Zimo told the other day. She chuckled. ¡°Your friend is pretty interesting though he looks like a nice gentleman. I didn¡¯t expect him to have this side to him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took the chance and got on top of her, his hands continuing their work as he spoke, ¡°You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. As I quote Su Chen, he¡¯s the person that can act best. The most suitable job for him would probably be a spy as he can easily betray you. Both Su Chen and I first learned how to smoke from him.¡±

    ¡°Really? When was that?¡±

    ¡°When we first entered middle school. There was a period of time when the three of us made our families angry and they stopped giving us pocket money. Our expenses were pretty high, and our part-time jobs couldn¡¯t sustain us. In the end, we resorted to extorting money from our juniors. Zhou Zimo kept telling us that it wasn¡¯t nice to do so, and he stole cigarettes from Su Chen¡¯s father...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was enjoying the stories from Mu Yuchen. She was beginning to get envious of him. His childhood was much more adventurous inparison with hers, but she was d for him since he still had something wonderful to look back on when he got old.

    However, Mu Yuchen stopped talking about it because he had something urgent to do.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, why don¡¯t we try that?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need it...¡±

    Master Mu had never used those before. He also did not allow her to take pills as he knew her body very well.

    ...

    In Qi Lei¡¯s vi in the Grand Lake Vi area.

    When Qi Lei opened the door and saw Gu Lingsha standing outside, he was surprised, but not to the point where he was startled.

    ¡°Morning, Lei! I¡¯ve made you breakfast.¡±

    Gu Lingsha wore a long purple dress with a beautiful scarf around her neck. She stood quietly by the staircase as ayer of sunlight hovered over her. She looked simply gorgeous. Her elegant appearance together with her precious blue eyes enhanced her goddess-like charm.

    She held an exquisite-looking box in her hand that contained the breakfast she had taken the time to make that day before delivering it all the way from the Qi residence.

    Before Wang Qin passed away, she epted Qi Qiming¡¯s invitation and stayed at the Qi residence for the sake of convenience.

 Chapter 866 - Determination (2)

    <h4>Chapter 866: Determination (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Two days ago, Qi Lei went back to the Qi residence and packed all of Wang Qin¡¯s things up. Anything he could take, he did whereas whatever he could not, he told someone to burn it in a fire, as if he wanted to wipe away all traces of Wang Qin and not leave a single hint of her behind.

    When Qi Qiming returned home and saw what was happening, he was furious. He scolded Qi Lei for being an unfilial son. Needless to say, the father and son¡¯s rtionship worsened. Gu Lingsha took all of this in, and after much thought, she suddenly thought that it would be benefit her to look for Qi Lei for a chat.

    In fact, she could not help but worry about the way their rtionship gradually worsened. Qi Lei was slowly tipping towards Xi Xiaye¡¯s side, hence making her feel vaguely uneasy. She felt miserable as if she had swallowed a fly and was unable to handle the contrast.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Qi Lei stood at the door and looked down at the dainty Gu Lingsha with a faint mix of emotions in his eyes.

    The slightly cold tone sounded piercing to Gu Lingsha. Her heart could not help but feel the hostility, yet her beautiful little face did not reveal much of a shift in expression. She only smiled calmly at Qi Lei and lifted the breakfast in her hand as she said, ¡°I just wanted toe and see you. What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to invite me in?¡±

    Gu Lingsha pretended she did not notice Qi Lei¡¯s indifference. She acted naturally like before as though she was a kind and understanding girl without a temper.

    Qi Lei stared at her for quite a while, then slowly turned around and walked into his house. A crescent-like smile shed across Gu Lingsha¡¯s face as she followed him in.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have coffee here, only flower tea. Do you want some?¡±

    Qi Lei was dressed in his pajamas at the moment. She sat down on the sofa in the living room as he began to boil some water.

    ¡°Sure, have breakfast first.¡± Gu Lingsha set the things on the dining table and then walked towards Qi Lei.

    ¡°Thanks, put it there first. I¡¯m not too hungry yet. Have a seat,¡± Qi Lei calmly answered. Then, he bent down to take out the flower tea from the drawer before slowly beginning to brew the tea.

    ¡°When did you change to drinking flower tea? I remember that you used to love Blue Mountain.¡± Gu Lingsha slowly sat down by Qi Lei¡¯s side, her bright blue eyes watching Qi Lei indistinctly.

    Qi Lei moved skillfully to brew the tea. When he heard her question, he paused a bit, and slowly looked up at Gu Lingsha before quickly lowering his gaze again. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Well, as you said, I used to. Drinking this flower tea is more nourishing than coffee. It¡¯s healthier too. I¡¯ve started to appreciate life more in recent times.¡±

    Upon hearing Qi Lei, Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes dimmed and pain flitted across her little face. ¡°Lei, now that things have be like this, don¡¯t feel too sad. Live well so you won¡¯t let down whatever hope that Aunty Wang had for you.¡±

    Qi Lei grinned. ¡°Aren¡¯t I doing just fine right now? Nah, have some.¡±

    His handsome face did not reveal many emotions. Previously, he would always emanate a devilish charm, but now there was none of that. What was left was just a calm reservedness.

    With mixed emotions in her eyes, Gu Lingsha epted Qi Lei¡¯s flower tea. She lowered her head to take a sip, and then softly said, ¡°Lei, seeing you like this makes me worry instead. I¡¯d much rather you were the way you were before. At least, it was better than the way you¡¯re being so reticent now. I know you¡¯ve been unhappy with me, but I still want to let you know that I¡¯ve always treated you as one of my most precious friends whether it was in the past, present, or in the future. I hope you won¡¯t keep me out of your life.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why we have be like this. Before I returned, at least, we both appreciated this friendship, but once I¡¯m fine and have returned safely, this thing between us faded so quickly. I¡¯ve been trying to find a reason. I think I must¡¯ve done so badly to let what¡¯s between us gradually fade.¡±

    When Gu Lingshamented their past, there was self-me and faint sorrow in her eyes as she spoke. She started tough at herself. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about what¡¯s between us, but I do hope that if you¡¯re unhappy about anything, juste to me. Don¡¯t make things too difficult for Uncle Qi. A few days ago, when you went home to clear out Aunt Wang¡¯s things and burned everything, it made Uncle Qi very upset. Apart froming to visit you, I¡¯ve alsoe today to tell you that Uncle Qi was just...¡±

    ¡°I had no idea you¡¯ve be the old man¡¯s mouthpiece. What benefit did he give you? Shasha, if it were before, I¡¯d definitely be grateful for your words, but right now, it¡¯s making me a little annoyed. I¡¯d much rather you came to mock me. Do you understand?¡±

    Qi Lei swiftly cut Gu Lingsha off, his expression turning cold. ¡°You don¡¯t need to speak for him. I¡¯ll never ever forgive Qi Qiming! He knows very well how he has treated me and how he treated my mother. If he¡¯s still unhappy, I don¡¯t mind going to the household register center to change my surname to Wang.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, don¡¯t act impulsively. Uncle Qi didn¡¯t ask me to speak for him. I-I just couldn¡¯t bear to see it. When Uncle Qi came home and realized that you wiped out all the traces of Aunt Wang, he locked himself in the study room for an entire day. Do you see what¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°So what? Even if he locks himself up to death, my mother¡¯s noting back! He¡¯s just a despicable hypocrite. Do you think I¡¯d believe that after my mother died, that monster would suddenly realize that he cares for my mother? Dream on! That person¡¯s feelings are an insult. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei...¡±

    ¡°You can go home now. Don¡¯te and be a mouthpiece anymore. Ever since you decided to stay in Qi Kai, it¡¯s been decided that we¡¯ll never return to the way we were before. You¡¯re Qi Feng and Qi Qiming¡¯s person while I...I need to fulfill my mother¡¯s wishes too. I, Qi Lei, have always been very clear of who my enemies are. If you stay on in Qi Kai, then we won¡¯t be able to go back to the way we were, so what¡¯s left is to be enemies.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were clear and thorough as he studied Gu Lingsha. ¡°You¡¯ve already made a decision a long time ago, and I respect it. Because of our friendship, I do respect you a little.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, don¡¯t...don¡¯t say that. I wouldn¡¯t hurt you and I wouldn¡¯t let them hurt you either. You¡¯ve got to believe me.¡±

 Chapter 867 - Plot (1)

    <h4>Chapter 867: Plot (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei did not listen to any of that. He just got up calmly and slowly walked up the stairs.

    ¡°Go home, I¡¯m going out soon,¡± he said before his tall figure gradually vanished up the stairs.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart sank as the ache in her heart made her feel suffocated. She trembled for a moment, then lowered her gaze to hide the sorrow and gloom in her eyes. Unconsciously, her eyes turned hot with tears as she could not help but feel wronged.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not willing to let it go, Qi Lei. If you knew all the pain I¡¯ve suffered, maybe you¡¯ll understand. Some grudges aren¡¯t that easy to let go of. You don¡¯t know about all the suffering that¡¯s been so hard to get over, and I don¡¯t me you either. No matter what, your ce in my heart has never changed.¡±

    Gu Lingsha watched Qi Lei¡¯s back and stood up. Bitterly, she inhaled and expressed, ¡°Also, I wanted to let you know that Uncle Qi got very angry that day. His heart was affected and he vomited blood. I know that he still cares for you and he cared for Aunty Wang. Otherwise, did you think you could sit firmly in Aunty Wang¡¯s position with your capabilities alone?¡± she said with a sniffle before she turned around to leave feeling sad and wronged.

    Bam!

    The door mmed shut. Qi Lei, who had stopped at the staircase, suddenlyughed to himself before he picked up his pace and walked forward, yet¡ª

    Bam bam!

    Pa!

    There was a loud ng followed by the sound of ceramic shattering. The valuable vase in the corridor was shattered into pieces instantly!

    Qi Lei even smashed the bonsai trees that were arranged on the handrails with a fist. The second they shattered, his clenched fist started bleeding too.

    He did not care about the mess on the ground. Instead, he took a deep breath and then walked towards the cloakroom. Soon, he changed into a clean set of clothes and walked out. His handsome face had returned to calm as if the little episode earlier had not happened.

    ...

    Inside the office of Glory World¡¯s Chairman.

    When Li Si walked in to inform that Qi Lei was there, Mu Yuchen had just finished a call with Shen Yue.

    ¡°Let him in, and bring us two cups of Pu¡¯er.¡± Mu Yuchen set the phone in his hand aside and slowly got up from his chair.

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡± Li Si quickly left. In an instant, Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure marched in.

    Mu Yuchen, who was looking for documents on the shelf, heard the footsteps. Without turning around, he casually pointed to the sofa and his deep voice reverberated,¡±You¡¯vee quite on time. Have a seat!¡±

    Qi Lei walked towards the sofa and sat before he looked up and squinted at Mu Yuchen who was looking for something in front of the shelf. ¡°You invited me over with such great fanfare, so I don¡¯t want to hear anything that¡¯s not of value.¡±

    With a calm expression, Mu Yuchen turned to the side and shot him a look. ¡°Value? Don¡¯t worry. This information is definitely very valuable to you. You look quite terrible. I heard that Qi Kai had a secret meeting today. I think you probably got bullied at the meeting.¡± He hit the nail on the head.

    Qi Lei shrugged, unaffected. ¡°Nothing can stay hidden from you. I now know what it means when they say that hares may pull dead lions by the beard [1].¡±

    When he heard the proverb, Mu Yuchen just smiled confidently before he said softly, ¡°But right now, I don¡¯t see the indignity of a dead lion in you. Instead, I see a sliver of hope. Of course, I won¡¯t rule out that it may just be my illusion. If you can¡¯t hold on anymore, I can send out a friendly invite to you toe to Glory World. You can have Xiaye¡¯s previous position, or I can give you the position of Vice President.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see that a petty profiteer like you would have such a generous moment. How much is the sry? I won¡¯t do it if the annual sry isn¡¯t in the millions. Can I have two or three beautiful secretaries? The kind that wears 38D bras? And I want a tall shelf too, the kind that requiresdders. Every day, I¡¯ll tell my secretary to arrange it while I admire the view from below. Thinking about it is quite enjoyable too. I want to be Chairman of Glory World even more. Would you allow that?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face shed with a smirk while his dark eyes had a hint of vulgarity.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes squinted as he cleared his throat. Of course, he understood what Qi Lei meant. They were all men, so he did not have to exin more, did he?

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that you and Zhou Zimo are the same.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked away and finally found the document he needed from between shelf¡ªa folder.

    ¡°Bro, have you forgotten my previous reputation in the circle? I walk past many beauties but feel no charm,¡± Qi Leiughed and said.

    ¡°Master, Master Qi, the tea¡¯s here!¡± At that moment, Li Si walked over with the tea. He had heard most of the conversation, so he could not help but chortle out loud.

    Mu Yuchen had walked over at this minute to sit down across Qi Lei. He turned to say to Li Si, ¡°Just stay since you know about these things too.¡±

    Qi Lei picked up the tea, took two sips, then asked, ¡°Tell me what is it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about Qi Feng. Take a look for yourself!¡± Mu Yuchen tossed the folder to Qi Lei as he studied him calmly. ¡°Ah Mo discovered his tracks in Australia. Because of the ident six years ago, his legs are crippled and he was disfigured, but he got stic surgery. Furthermore, his vocal cords were damaged too, so even if he stood before you right now, you probably have no way of recognizing him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had printed the information from that e-mail Ah Mo sent.

    Qi Feng?

    When he heard the name, Qi Lei¡¯s gaze turned cold. He squinted at Mu Yuchen for a moment, then looked down at the folder before him. Moments after that, he set the teacup in his hand aside and picked up the folder nonchntly. Pulling the document from inside out, he began to slowly scan through it. There were also a few very clear pictures attached.

    Qi Lei picked the pictures up to briefly look through them, and then nodded in confirmation. ¡°It¡¯s him. Even if his eyes turn into ashes, I can recognize them.¡±

    Then, he stared at that pictures for a long time before tossing it onto the table and continuing to browse the information. After a long while, he finally finished looking through them. A lukewarm curve of a sneer appeared on his face. ¡°Looks like he hasn¡¯t been doing well all these years. His legs are crippled? If that is so, my evil heart seems to feel a sliver of bnce.¡±

    Qi Lei did not hide the smugness he felt.

 Chapter 868 - Plot (2)

    <h4>Chapter 868: Plot (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nced over at the photos Qi Lei left on the table as he nodded. ¡°This is all the information I could get about him for the past few years. There¡¯s nothing too specific due to Qi Qiming¡¯s anti-spy measures.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. He gathered the documents and handed them back to Mu Yuchen before he grabbed his cup of tea and drank it. ¡°It¡¯s enough. There¡¯s no need to know too much about it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at the document Qi Lei held out. When he caught a glimpse of darkness in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes, he bent down to pick up the document and hinted at Li Si with his eyes. In response, Li Si quickly took out a lighter and gave it to him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was aloof even though the fire he lit was burning the document right before him. He looked at Qi Lei again after the document waspletely destroyed. ¡°There¡¯s another piece of bad news that I need to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qi Lei calmed down, seeming indifferentpared to his reaction before.

    ¡°Qi Feng ising back very soon. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he¡¯ll be back as soon as Qi Kai takes down South River Project No. 2, so you¡¯ll be in an extremely bad position. The same goes for me as well. Due to what happened to me a while back, it doesn¡¯t seem possible to keep Qi Qiming in check through South River Project No. 2, so I thought of something else,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Qi Lei cocked his head and just looked at Mu Yuchen quietly, waiting for him to continue.

    Mu Yuchen sipped some tea before he continued, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that Glory World has been preparing to step foot into the showbiz industry some time ago.¡±

    Qi Lei was startled. ¡°It¡¯s quite big news within the industry. It¡¯s the development of Movie City with Li Corporation in City B. As such a huge investment project, it¡¯s one of the top priorities for Glory World in the next few years. Moreover, you took away the elites from Yueying and set up Chen Ye Movies and Television. That¡¯s the reason, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re half correct, but the reason I started Chen Ye Movies and Television was meant to be a gift for Xiaye. Ah Mo and Vice President Liu are very capable, and they¡¯ve already made great development. With Glory World backing them up, it¡¯ll have a bright future.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused as he put his teacup down. ¡°I know Qi Kai had an idea to develop a new film base before, and it was your mother, Wang Qin¡¯s idea. I suppose I understood CEO Wang pretty well. She didn¡¯t like to take risks and her direction was fundamentally different from Qi Qiming¡¯s all these years. Qi Qiming focused on discovering new things while CEO Wang wanted to push Qi Kai to new heights in the showbiz industry.¡±

    Stunned, Qi Lei stared at Mu Yuchen. ¡°These are all top-secret information in ourpany. How did you find out?¡±

    ¡°I have my ways. You have CEO Wang¡¯s shares in your hands now, and her subordinates all agreed with her decision, so you can do whatever you want, but I¡¯m just not sure if you have the power to do so.¡± Mu Yuchen nced at Qi Lei with an unspoken intention.

    ¡°Stop teasing me. Are you going to help?¡± Qi Lei started to get serious.

    Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa and grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to CEO Li to let you join in on the project. I¡¯m even willing to let you operate Movie City in the future. I¡¯ll only take the dividends and you¡¯ll be one of the owners. While you provide thework resources and be in charge of the operations, I¡¯ll put in the investment and we¡¯ll share fifty-fifty. You can train yourself through Chen Ye. I suppose it¡¯ll go on for at least several years. Get yourself out of Qi Kai ande here. You can also bring your people and leave Chen Ye if you want to.¡±

    ¡°So, are you saying that you¡¯re letting me start up on my own?¡± Qi Lei was shocked by Mu Yuchen¡¯s adventurous idea.

    ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a good n? Qi Kai started off as a showbizpany anyway, so let them do whatever they want and you just mind your own business. Let them know what you¡¯re capable of...¡± Mu Yuchen did not finish his sentence, but Qi Lei already knew what he was getting at.

    Apart from being shocked, he admonished, ¡°You¡¯re really shameless, Mu Yuchen. You already used this trick on Yueying back then, and Xi Xinyi took a huge hit from that!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what businessmen do. Being kind to people like them is being cruel to yourself. What you need the most now is resources, and this is the only way I can think of for you to stand head to head with Qi Feng. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s want CEO Wang would¡¯ve wanted as well. Why else did she never give up on recruiting people to join her?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words lit the fire in Qi Lei¡¯s heart. Qi Lei¡¯s eyes brightened as he looked at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Alright, if you say so, why not? I¡¯ll stay at your ce if I fail!¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Maple Residence is pretty spacious and there are a lot of empty rooms.¡±

    ¡°When can you have a concrete proposal?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Wait until we¡¯re sure that Qi Kai has gotten South River Project No. 2 down first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Are you confident about convincing CEO Li? He doesn¡¯t seem very easygoing.¡±

    Qi Lei had dealt with CEO Li before. He was a quiet andposed person, simr to Shen Yue, and was extremely careful with every action he took.

 Chapter 869 - Plot (3)

    <h4>Chapter 869: Plot (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen grinned when he heard Qi Lei. Meanwhile, Li Si smiled and started exining, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. CEO Li is Master¡¯s good friend now, and he still owes Chief Zhuang a favor. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t decline a good deal like this. Master Mo is currently coborating with hispany as well.¡±

    Qi Lei had always been impressed with Mu Yuchen¡¯s connections! This man had made a lot of trustworthyworks throughout his years of experience in the business world. It was all thanks to his connections that Glory World could sail this smoothly. All in all, it was not an exaggeration to assume that many people would be willing to help out as long as Mu Yuchen asked.

    Apart from Xi Xiaye¡¯s efforts, Glory World¡¯s crisis was settled extremely quickly thanks to Glory World¡¯s wealthy resources. With all their work back on track now, Qi Lei was really impressed by how they handled the situation. Whilst this man was enjoying the time of his life in his cell, Zhou Zimo and Su Chen had worked hard for him.

    Qi Lei sipped some tea again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for your update then. I¡¯ll try to find out when exactly Qi Feng is returning.¡±

    Mu Yuchen hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do whatever I can on my end. You just have to takemand then although I do have something that I need your help with.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows as he gave Mu Yuchen a gesture, signaling him to continue.

    ¡°Qi Kai will surely be publicizing their achievement of getting South River Project No. 2. I hope you can do your best to make Qi Qiming appoint Xi Xinyi as the person in charge of the advertising proposal.¡± Naturally, Mu Yuchen had not forgotten about Xi Xinyi.

    Qi Lei gave Mu Yuchen an odd nce. ¡°Are you serious? Xi Xinyi? Let her be in charge? You¡¯re not kidding, are you? Are you concerned about your sister-inw now? Don¡¯t forget what that woman did to Xiaye. Are you feeling sympathy for her at the moment?¡± He knew about the conflict between Xi Xiaye and Xi Xinyi very well.

    Qi Lei felt sorry for Xi Xiaye after knowing what this wicked woman had done to her. It was both Xi Xinyi and Deng Wenwen who plotted to give Xi Xiaye to him!

    It was all just a huge misunderstanding anyway. Since he had some business with Yueying and Xi Xinyi was a famous actress back then, there was no harm for him to be friendly with them. Unfortunately, somehow people thought he was interested in Xi Xinyi, then a fuss broke out in the end.

    ¡°I have my reasons for asking you to do so. You were Yueying¡¯s person-in-charge at Qi Kai, hence I¡¯m sure your words hold some sway, and people won¡¯t doubt you since your interests are involved.¡± Mu Yuchen had thought everything through during his jail time. After some analysis, he was now finished setting his chess pieces and was just waiting for his opponent to make a move.

    ¡°Is Xi Xinyi working for you now? Although that woman has made some achievements now, she¡¯s one pitiful woman. The Han family neglected her ever since Han Yifeng left, and the Yue family didn¡¯t exactly help her out either, so she has no more value,¡± Qi Lei voiced his own opinion.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I have my own thoughts about it,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    Qi Lei seemed to trust him, so in the end, he just nodded without any further questions. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. I hope you won¡¯t get destroyed by this chess piece of yours. Be wary of her. I¡¯m on the same boat as you right now, so I¡¯ll be done for if you screw up. I¡¯m just saying that I really love my life at the moment.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave him a smirk in return. ¡°Okay!¡±

    Qi Lei then stood up and gave Mu Yuchen a high five. ¡°I need to head back for now. Project No. 1 is still ongoing at the moment. You¡¯d better secure my position as the person in charge, or else, it¡¯ll be difficult for us tomunicate.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Don¡¯t you know that Gu Lingsha came over here once and was humiliated by Xiaye?¡± Mu Yuchen grinned.

    Qi Lei was about to leave, but he quickly turned back and looked at Mu Yuchen when he heard about Gu Lingsha. ¡°Shasha did? When?¡±

    ¡°Not too long ago when I was still locked up,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°Since when was Xiaye capable of such a feat?¡± Qi Lei mumbled as his eyes looked surprised. His mind went back to the period of time when he first got to know her, and he smiled as he walked towards the door. ¡°Well, too bad that I¡¯m toote.¡±

    ¡°Li Si, send Master Qi out for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Qi Lei remembered Mu Yuchen¡¯s words as he entered the elevator, so he then asked Li Si, ¡°Oh, by the way, what did Mu Yuchen mean by taking over Xiaye¡¯s position? Did she get a promotion?¡±

    Li Si smiled mysteriously. ¡°Sort of. Missus is going to work with Elder CEO Shen in Fuhua as of today. She¡¯ll be taking over Fuhua very soon, and it¡¯ll be taxing to manage such a hugepany. Master has to take care of Glory World too.¡±

    ¡°No wonder Mu Yuchen is lending Chen Ye to me. He can just sit there and enjoy the fruits of mybor! It feels like I¡¯m suffering a loss in this deal. As expected of the wicked businessman Mu Yuchen, the shameless guy!¡±

    Li Si then grinned. ¡°Master Qi, Chen Ye Movies and Television has everything prepared for you. On the flip side, it took us a lot of effort to get things up to this point today. It¡¯s always difficult at the beginning.¡±

    ¡°No way. I don¡¯t feel good about this. Ask Mu Yuchenter if we can change it to a 40:60 share. I¡¯ll do it if I get 60 and he takes 40!¡±

 Chapter 870 - When Conditions Are Right, Success Will Come (1)

    <h4>Chapter 870: When Conditions Are Right, Sess Will Come (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After May, the weather gradually grew warmer, and for almost half the month, Su Chen had been leaving home early and returningte.

    Because Mother Ji, Chen Ling, had identally fallen while going down the stairs and hurt her waist even more severely, she had to be hospitalized. Ji Zitong could only hand the flower shop over to her two shop assistants while she went to take care of her mother at the hospital.

    Su Chen would usually find some time to visit them just like he did right now.

    The Land Rover drove steadily into the parking spot by the hospital roadside. Su Chen quickly opened the car door and got down. Beside him, Secretary He got down from the front passenger seat too with arge fruit basket in his hand.

    ¡°Chief Su, she¡¯s staying in ward no. 8 of the 15th floor. You can go up from here!¡± Secretary He swiftly found their target.

    Nodding, Su Chen took off his cap and tossed it onto his car seat before he closed the car door and locked it. Then, he walked ahead unhurriedly.

    At that moment, in Chen Ling¡¯s ward, Ji Zitong carefully helped Chen Ling turn on her other side before sitting down by her bed. She picked an apple up from the table and lowered her head to peel it. Her clear voice sounded a little displeased. ¡°Mother, can you please be more careful? You¡¯re always so flustered and reckless. Even Father¡¯s angry now.¡±

    Chen Ling forced a smile helplessly. ¡°Do you think I want this? This time, the staircase was really too slippery. I¡¯ve fallen a few times before. The fact that I didn¡¯t get a concussion from the fall this time is already fortunate for me in the midst of all my terrible luck. Argh, this part hurts. I can¡¯t even move a little.¡±

    ¡°Serves you right for once, so you¡¯ll remember better!¡± Ji Zitong shot Chen Ling a disapproving look and then gave her the peeled apple.

    Chen Ling took it quite happily, and then took two bites before she stared at Ji Zitong to ask, ¡°How are things with you and Su Chen? You¡¯ve already been married so long now. Any news yet?¡±

    ¡°What news?¡± Ji Zitong took the napkin from the table to wipe her hand. She raised her brows and looked nonchntly at Chen Ling.

    ¡°What news!? Of course, it¡¯s about whether you¡¯re pregnant! Su Chen¡¯s 33 and you¡¯re not young either, so both of you should know best. I know that couples like you prefer to spend one or two years of alone time after the marriage, and then you¡¯ll want childrenter. I¡¯m telling you right now that you shouldn¡¯t be thinking like this. If you have children early, you¡¯ll recover soon. With someone like Su Chen who¡¯s so dashing andes from a solid family background, there are definitely many women with their eyes on him. If you give birth to a child, other women won¡¯t be able to waver your position no matter what...¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡± Before Chen Ling could finish, Ji Zitong already cut her off in disgust. ¡°Do you think real life is like those TV series with all the so-called war of the rich and powerful, and a mother¡¯s honor increasing with a son? If a man views marriage as nothing and openly betrays me, I, Ji Zitong wouldn¡¯t want such a man. If his heart isn¡¯t with you, what would it matter if you had a child to tie him down? You might as well get divorced quickly and find the next one. Divorce rates are so high right now. Instead of dillydallying, you might as well part ways sooner without any hard feelings.¡±

    Chen Ling had been feeding her with such thoughts these past few days, and she was getting tired of listening to them. Ji Zitong had always been swift and frank. Naturally, she did not like hearing these kinds of things.

    ¡°Tong Tong, I¡¯m just reminding you to have a backup n for yourself. Why won¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Chen Ling looked helplessly at the frigid Ji Zitong.

    ¡°All of your backup ns are outdated,¡± Ji Zitong responded with a lukewarm manner. Her and Su Chen?

    They had not even done anything, so who knew how things would turn out?

    Recently, Su Chen¡¯s mother and sister, Xie Jiajia, and Su Yu had been visiting their ce more often. They prepared a lot of new clothes and essories for her. They even asked her about the wedding, but she just pushed it all to Su Chen. When they discussed it before, she just wanted to keep it low-profile since marriage was a tiring matter. Besides, she and Su Chen did not even love each other!

    Knock knock!

    Just as Ji Zitong finished, there was a knock on the door. The mother and daughter subconsciously stopped and looked at the door.

    Su Chen already pushed the door open to enter, and following behind him was his secretary, Xiao He.

    ¡°Mother, are you feeling better today?¡± Su Chen walked in with huge strides, his profound and sharp gaze sweeping past Ji Zitong¡¯s face, and then he smiled to speak to Chen Ling.

    ¡°Su Chen? How do you have time toe over today?¡±

    Chen Ling¡¯s face immediately blossomed with a sincere smile as soon as she saw Su Chen. She subconsciously moved, wanting to sit up, yet just as she did so, severe pain shot up from her waist. She could not help but cry out loud.

    ¡°Mother, be careful!¡±

    Su Chen walked over in huge steps and quickly held Chen Ling up as he said with concern, ¡°You haven¡¯t recovered. Just lie down. I¡¯ve just talked to the doctor. Your waist is severely injured this time, so you need to recuperate for a good amount of time. You also can¡¯t do any intense sports. Otherwise, your waist would be done for.¡±

    ¡°What!? Is it really that serious?¡± Upon seeing Su Chen¡¯s serious expression, Chen Ling started to feel worried and afraid.

    ¡°As long as you listen to the doctor, you¡¯ll be able to heal with proper rest, so don¡¯t be too worried.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Sis-inw, Aunt Ji!¡± Secretary He respectfully greeted Ji Zitong and Chen Ling before handing the fruit basket to thetter.

    Ji Zitong smiled and courteously nodded before taking the basket.

    ¡°Work¡¯s almost over, so you can leave first. I¡¯ll drive myself backter,¡± Su Chen said to Secretary He.

    ¡°Got it, Chief Su!¡±

    Secretary He very quickly left the ward, Chen Ling called Su Chen to sit down too.

    ¡°I¡¯ve really caused troubled for the two of you, I¡¯ve just been like this these past few days, Tong Tong¡¯s been taking care of me for the past few days too, and I¡¯ve made her thin, I¡¯ve already called her father earlier, he¡¯lle over tonight to take over Tong Tong, Tong Tong, go home with Su Chenter.¡±

    Chen Ling looked to Su Chen apologetically.

    He and her daughter were still newly wedded on their honeymoon. With this circumstance and the previous time when she sprained her waist, her daughter had to take care of her at home. She was just worried about what the Su family would think.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve just discussed it with the doctor. They¡¯ll arrange for a special nurse, Mother, so just recover at ease,¡± Su Chen smiled humbly as he answered, yet before he could finish, the phone in his pocket buzzed. He looked apologetically at Chen Ling before picking it up.

    It was a call from the Bureau. They needed him for a meeting at the headquarters at 8.30 a.m. the next day.

 Chapter 871 - When Conditions Are Right, Success Will Come (2)

    <h4>Chapter 871: When Conditions Are Right, Sess Will Come (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw Su Chen frowning as he hung up then taking a look at the time, Chen Ling smiled and said generously, ¡°If you¡¯re busy, then go on. You can¡¯t dy your work now. It¡¯s not early anymore. Tong Tong, go home with Su Chen. Your father¡¯sing over soon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll sit with you for a bit more. They called just to inform me of tomorrow¡¯s meeting, but I might have to get some things from the officeter,¡± Su Chen exined, yet his gaze kept looking at the little woman who had not spoken much ever since he came in from time to time. That gaze of his flickered from dark to light. Naturally, Chen Ling took this all in, and a sly light suddenly shed in her eyes.

    ¡°Alright, you two quickly go home now. I won¡¯t keep you any longer. We¡¯ve chatted for so long that I¡¯m a little tired too, so I want to sleep for a while. Don¡¯t disturb me now. Go home, the two of you.¡± Chen Ling chased the young couple off.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Ji Zitong frowned.

    Chen Ling just waved to the two of them. ¡°Shoo, go now! I want to sleep!¡±

    After that, Ji Zitong only scowled and looked helplessly at Su Chen who had already gotten up. ¡°We¡¯lle to visit you another day then.¡±

    ¡°Good, go home!¡±

    At this point, Ji Zitong packed up briefly and left the ward with Su Chen.

    When they left the inpatient ward, the sun was already setting. They basked in the warm and gentle twilight as they walked along the pebbled path side by side. The night breeze gently blew, bringing a hint of refreshing coolness amidst the warmth.

    Su Chen turned to his side and looked at Ji Zitong¡¯s clear and slightly thin face, as he said with a lowered voice, ¡°Let¡¯s not go home to cook tonight. What do you want to eat? Let me make it up to you properly. You¡¯ve grown thinner in just a few days.¡±

    Ji Zitong then averted her gaze before turning to look at him. She thought about it quite seriously, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go home. We can make soup and a few light dishes. I¡¯m a little tired, so I want to go home and rest earlier.¡±

    Su Chen was a little startled by what she said, but he nodded too. ¡°Okay then, as you wish. I¡¯ll need to get some things from the office first. Later, we¡¯ll get some ingredients from the supermarket since our fridge is already emptied out.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Ji Zitong calmly answered.

    After a while, the two of them reached their car. Ji Zitong could not hold her sleepiness back anymore, so she leaned against the seat and fell asleep immediately.

    Su Chen could see the fatigue between her brows. Instead of waking her up, he just took off his coat and put it on her.

    His fresh and wild masculine scent reached her, so Ji Zitong subconsciously opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise while he just helped her fix her shirt a little. His deep voice contained a faint concern. ¡°Sleep. I¡¯ll let you know when we reach home.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s beautiful eyes flickered for a bit as she silently watched Su Chen for a long time. Meanwhile, he had already turned away to start his car. She then breathed in, blinked, and turned away to look out of the window before she closed her eyes again.

    The sky gradually darkened and the streetlights on both sides of the road lit up. After that, Ji Zitong had no idea when Su Chen parked his car to get something from the office or when he went to get the ingredients from the supermarket. She had been so exhausted these past few days. Every day, she ran to the store and then straight to the hospital. She certainly could not get a good rest at a ce like the hospital!

    The car slowly stopped in front of the vi as Su Chen parked steadily. He switched the lights in the car on, and when he turned to look, the woman beside him was sleeping soundly while leaning against the window. Although several thin and unruly fringes of hair stuck to her face, there was asting charm to it.

    Su Chen watched her like that for a long while, and upon seeing that she did not react, he finally sighed and his long arms slowly reached out to her. His fingertips gentlybed the strands past her exquisite face and onto the back of her chair.

    He suddenly did not know whether he should wake her up.

    Just as he was hesitating, Ji Zitong whose eyes were tightly shut finally moved, as if realizing that there was something blocking her side, Ji Zitong slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Su Chen who was so close to her, she was startled, yet very quickly she recovered.

    Su Chen pulled back his hand before he opened the door to get down. ¡°We¡¯re home. Let¡¯s get down.¡±

    As he said this, he walked to the back seat to bring down the tworge bags.

    Ji Zitong massaged the tired space between her brows. After that, she got down from the car unhurriedly and walked into the house.

    She had just reached home when the man who followed her in spoke up, ¡°Go upstairs and shower first. Have a good sleep. I¡¯ll make dinner, and I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just sleep when we¡¯re done. I couldn¡¯t get any sleep in the hospital these past two days, so I was a little tired,¡± Ji Zitong refused as she reached out, wanting to take the bags from him, yet Su Chen¡¯s steadfast and handsome face frowned. ¡°I told you to go upstairs and shower before sleeping. Now, go!¡± his imposing voice boomed.

    As she looked at him, she suddenly felt like she was looking at the stern military instructor from her training days back then again. Watching him quietly for quite a while, she kept quiet.

    ¡°Be good and go. It¡¯s just dinner. You don¡¯t have to perform as a good wife in front of me.¡± Perhaps because he noticed that his tone was a little harsh earlier, he softened his tone.

    Dazed, Ji Zitong only nodded and went straight upstairs. Upon seeing her figure vanish up the staircase, Su Chen picked up the things and walked to the kitchen.

    Ji Zitong returned to the room, took a quick shower, and climbed into bed sleepily before she fell asleep. By the time she took a look outside, it was already dark.

    Su Chen swiftly cooked the rice, prepared the ingredients, and brewed the soup. He spent slightly over an hour before he brought the dishes out. He was about to call Ji Zitong down for dinner when Zhou Zimo called unexpectedly.

    ¡°Su Chen, I¡¯m at the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Come out for a drink!¡± Su Chen had just answered the call when Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice immediately came through.

    Stunned, Su Chen nced upstairs, thought about it, then responded, ¡°I¡¯ll take a raincheck. I¡¯m not going out tonight. I even made dinner, and it¡¯s past 8 p.m..¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell! Howte is 8 p.m.? Don¡¯t be nonsensical now. Come over!¡± Zhou Zimo persuaded.

    ¡°Nah, Ji Zitong¡¯s mother was hospitalized for the past two days, so she¡¯s been looking after her for two days too. She¡¯s a little exhausted.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, with lovees neglect for friends. Just do whatever you want then. I¡¯ll call Chen!¡± Zhou Zimo did not wait for Su Chen to finish before he cut him off.

 Chapter 872 - When The Conditions Are Right, Success Will Come (3)

    <h4>Chapter 872: When The Conditions Are Right, Sess Will Come (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo hung up on the call just as Su Chen was about to yell back at him. He nced at the darkened phone screen before feeling a headachee on. He then gave Mu Yuchen a call.

    Mu Yuchen was having fun with his son at Maple Residence when he got Su Chen¡¯s call.

    ¡°Ah Chen, quickly send someone to the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club to take a look. Zimo just called me and I sense that something isn¡¯t right. Did he break up? I¡¯ll leave him to you. I haven¡¯t had dinner yet. That¡¯s all, bye!¡±

    Su Chen quickly passed the issue onto Mu Yuchen the moment he heard his voice, then he swiftly hung up on the call without making sure that his friend understood what he was talking about.

    Mu Yuchen frowned at his screen.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she noticed his frown.

    ¡°Rest soon. I¡¯ll go and take a look at Imperial Sky.¡± Mu Yuchen grabbed his car keys and went out.

    ***

    Su Chen was relieved after he gave Mu Yuchen a call. It was prettymon for them to take care of each other¡¯s mess.

    Ji Zitong seemed much better after a nap.

    ¡°Eat more!¡± Su Chen put the dishes right before her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just eat whatever I can. I don¡¯t want to get bloated. Go and take a shower while I clean the dishes.¡±

    Su Chen was not a big eater, so inparison, Ji Zitong could eat a lot.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just consider it exercise after dinner,¡± Ji Zitong added when she noticed his hesitance.

    He nodded and went upstairs without saying anything else.

    Ji Zitong actually felt uneasy around him recently. Although she was pretty distant when she had not known him that well yet, after staying with him for a while, she found out that he was a really nice and caring guy. Despite being rather bossy at times, he never bullied her.

    He still respected her when others might already have gotten angry at her already.

    Ji Zitong knocked her own head before she quickly cleaned everything up before heading upstairs. She saw Su Chen lying down on the bed when she entered the bedroom. He had a document in his hand while talking to someone on the phone. She closed the door quietly and went into the bathroom without making a sound.

    Su Chen was still on his call when she was done with her night routine. It seemed like there was a major ident investigation, and Su Chen was scolding them for being sloppy at work.

    His tone of voice was angry and his expression was strained. Ji Zitong had never really seen him actually being serious before. Now that she was witnessing it, she felt likeughing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want any excuses. Next Wednesday, all of you are done for if I don¡¯t get the report by then!¡± Su Chen ended his phone call angrily. His frown became even worse when he saw Ji Zitong giggling at the side!

    ¡°What are youughing about? What¡¯s so funny?¡± He felt like he was getting disrespected more and more often. His subordinates used to be terrified of him whenever he got angry.

    However, now that something had happened, they were giving him all kinds of excuses, and his own wife wasughing at him. Su Chen felt defeated. Chief Huang from the headquarters had just called him earlier and given him a good scolding!

    Ji Zitong coughed lightly. ¡°I used to think that you were pretty scary when you¡¯re angry, but now I realized you¡¯re not really that terrifying.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s what you have to say?¡± Su Chen red at Ji Zitong unhappily.

    She smirked and got into bed without saying anything. ncing at her, he put his phone on the bedside table and continued looking at his document.

    Ji Zitong switched off the lights on her end while the workaholic beside her was noting down the important points to bring up at tomorrow¡¯s meeting. The whole bureau was working on safety promotion eventstely. With summering and the frequency of idents anticipated to rise, it was a busy period for them.

    ¡°It¡¯s already 10 p.m. Look at your documents tomorrow,¡± Ji Zitong reminded him when she noticed his focused expression.

    Su Chen looked over and saw she was already lying down. Her long hair fanned out on the pillow as her light blue pajamas highlighted her fair skin. Her slightly opened cor was also very attractive.

    He began to feel his breathing be uneven. He hesitated for a while before finally putting his document away. Then, he turned over and stared directly at Ji Zitong with sparks in his eyes.

    Upon noticing what was happening, she took a deep breath and turned around, facing away from him. His eyes were like the eyes of a predator targeting its prey. He was a wolf, and she was a juicy little sheep.

    Su Chen giggled as he quickly grabbed Ji Zitong¡¯s shoulder and pulled her closer.

    ¡°Switch off the lights!¡± Ji Zitong said.

    ¡°Leave one on, or else, I can¡¯t see anything...¡± His body was already on top of her as he spoke.

    ¡°No...switch it off...¡± Ji Zitong insisted.

    Su Chen looked at her for a moment. Her eyes were closed as she blushed. His eyes darkened slightly as he stopped his movements. ¡°Do you not want to?¡±

    Ji Zitong then opened her eyes that were glistening.

 Chapter 873 - When Conditions Are Right, Success Will Come (4)

    <h4>Chapter 873: When Conditions Are Right, Sess Will Come (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong sighed. Her arm snaked past him and switched the lights on his end off, plunging the bedroom into darkness. The only source of light in the room right now was the dim light from the bathroom.

    Her warm fingertips brushed past the back of his hand and she grabbed his wrist.

    ¡°I just feel a little embarrassed. I¡¯m not that unreasonable a woman,¡± Ji Zitong mumbled quietly, but Su Chen was startled for a moment. He just looked at her for a while before finallying back to his senses as he smiled. ¡°Well, here we are.¡±

    Ji Zitong stared at her before turning her face away. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see if you¡¯re worth it then.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Am I not treating you good enough?¡±

    Master Su pinned her down on the bed as his hand inched towards her cor area. Ji Zitong shuddered slightly as she was not used to it. Soon, kisses rained down on her and several garments were thrown off the bed with some voices moaning out from time to time.

    Ji Zitong teared up when she felt a pang of difort. She was not sure why she was crying, but it was not just about the pain.

    Su Chen soon noticed the tears when he kissed her, so he quickly stopped and hugged her.

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s nothing to cry about. I know I¡¯m not good at this, but it¡¯ll get better with more practice and I¡¯ll take the responsibility.¡±

    Su Chen appeared a little regretful as he looked at her. Ji Zitong looked back at him with her teary eyes. She was not sure if she should cry orugh.

    With his clumsy movements just now, she could not believe someone like him...was actually still a virgin!

    Su Chen¡¯s face turned red. As Ji Zitong was throwing him some doubtful nces, he got mad. ¡°What are you looking at?! Do you think only women can keep themselves for the right person and men can¡¯t?! What¡¯s wrong about that?¡±

    Ji Zitong giggled. She took a breather and thenughed at him. ¡°Then, what did you do to satisfy yourself before? I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re that disciplined.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult to believe me? There are cold showers avable!¡± Su Chen gripped her hand and went on reassuring her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t be like thest time.¡±

    Before Ji Zitong could reply, his beastly instinct took over him...

    She pushed him away as she panted. As Su Cheny down on the bedfortably, he reached out to the bedside table for his cigarettes but decided not to when he saw the exhausted woman beside him.

    Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He took a deep breath and grabbed it. It was a call from Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. I just sent him home.¡± Mu Yuchen had just gotten out of Zhou Zimo¡¯s house.

    ¡°What happened to him?¡± Su Chen asked.

    ¡°He was just bored and wanted to hang out. Introduce some girls to him if you have any attractive ones in your bureau,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he started his car.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo actually feels lonely? Let¡¯s gather around next week without our families. It¡¯s time to give him a lecture about finding a wife. The other time I bumped into his mother in the hospital, she was pretty frustrated when we talked about him.¡±

    ¡°That sounds good. You tell him about it. Calm your breathing before taking a call next time. What if someone else was calling?¡± Mu Yuchen was in disdain.

    Su Chen instantly understood what Mu Yuchen meant. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! I have a question for you.¡±

    ¡°Ask away.¡±

    ¡°How many rounds did you go for your first time with Xiaye?¡±

    Su Chen was not embarrassed at all. Instead, Ji Zitong¡¯s cheeks were burning. She clenched her teeth and red at him, intending to push him away, but Su Chen held her even tighter than before.

    ¡°Exactly one more time than you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen hung up on the phone call after that.

    Master Su was stunned for a moment before realizing that Mu Yuchen was messing with him. He threw his phone away and looked at Ji Zitong whose whole body shuddered as he went all out with her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that we can do better than this! My dear wife, we can do better than them! I¡¯ll make sure Mu Yuchen can¡¯t be up to par with me in this matter!¡±

    Ji Zitong was not sure what to say...

    It was already midnight when Mu Yuchen arrived back at Maple Residence. Although it was quiet around the area, the lights on the second floor were still switched on.

    As soon as he entered the room, he saw his wife busy handling some documents on which she wrote from time to time.

    The sound of the door opening distracted her, and she noticed him. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing sote at night?¡± Mu Yuchen went over and picked up the documents on the floor.

    Xi Xiaye stretched her back as she put the document on the table. ¡°Waiting for you. I couldn¡¯t sleep anyway.¡±

    He quickly cleaned up the mess and put all the documents back into her briefcase. Then, he sat down beside her. ¡°How¡¯s your new job?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not asfortable being Director Xi. I had to start all over. Can you analyze these data for me?¡± She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she nced at the document she just put on the table.

 Chapter 874 - Worsen (1)

    <h4>Chapter 874: Worsen (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Raising his handsome brows, he reached out to flip through the document. ¡°The data¡¯s not tooplicated, so you should do it. Once you¡¯ve done more of this, you¡¯ll get used to it, hmm?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shot him a nce, then spread open her hands dully to say, ¡°I just knew you¡¯d say that.¡±

    ¡°Alright now. If you won¡¯t go through this tiny trouble, how are you going to be Fuhua¡¯s CEO Xi? Think about how Grandpa¡¯s been holding on for so many years. You should be able to get through it too.¡± He reached out and gently patted her head as he consoled her.

    Xi Xiaye just nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Did you do something with Zhou Zimo?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, he was just bored and asked us out to pass the time with him. Before Su Chen got married, the two of them could still drink with each other, but things are different now. He was saying that he felt a little upset.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen recalled the things that Zhou Zimo had said when he was sending him back, he could not help but chuckle helplessly.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye could roughly understand. She thought about it, then smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why you two can¡¯t neglect him too. I know how that feels. I remember when Su Nan and Ruan Heng first started going out, I felt like I had just broken up too, so I was very depressed. I kept feeling like my good friend had been stolen away from me. I was just upset.¡±

    ¡°Why would you feel that way? As good of a friend or buddy they may be, they would need to start their own family and their own lives. You can¡¯t always be tightly knit forever, especially life from here on out. Still, since it¡¯s a genuine friendship, you don¡¯t need to say much as buddies. Naturally, you¡¯ve carved a space for them in your heart. As long as they need you, you¡¯d be there for them without a second thought. There¡¯s no need to think about how to keep in contact because even if you don¡¯t, as long as you see them, you¡¯d feel at ease and just as close,¡± Mu Yuchen said with a profound gaze.

    Xiaye¡¯s eyes flickered. She shrugged and responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I only have one friend and that¡¯s Su Nan. When I used to see her getting close to other female ssmates, and when Ruan Heng and her rtionship was confirmed, I felt very sad. I almost thought I had fallen in love with Su Nan.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense thinking is that? Such improper thoughts!¡± Mu Yuchen reprimanded.

    ¡°I¡¯m being real, but I know that Su Nan¡¯s my best friend forever just like you with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo, so you have to care for Zhou Zimo more. He helped us a lot thest time too.¡±

    ¡°Missus, you don¡¯t have to say that, but I do feel that what Zhou Zimo needs most right now is a woman!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled in agreement, and after that, her face was colored with sorrow as she sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know when Ruan Heng¡¯s going to wake up. It¡¯s been so long. The other day, I asked the doctor about there not being any signs of him regaining consciousness. The doctor said that he might stay like this. A few days ago when I saw Su Nan, she was so thin. Even though she put on a strong front, I could feel a sense of helplessness and weakness from her. This can¡¯t keep going on like this. Can you see if you can contact more prominent and experienced hospitals abroad?¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it, then reached out to hold her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll think of a way.¡±

    She then nodded and obediently leaned into his embrace.

    When she thought about Su Nan and Ruan Heng, Xi Xiaye could not help but be worried. The next day, she went to visit Ruan Heng at the hospital.

    Su Nan had just finished wiping Ruan Heng and changed him into a set of clean clothes.

    Xi Xiaye stood before the sickbed and looked at Ruan Heng who remained unconscious. Her gaze could not help but turn teary. When she turned to look at Su Nan, she realized that she was also staring at Ruan Heng while being lost in thought.

    ¡°Nan Nan...¡± When she saw Su Nan¡¯s dazed expression, Xi Xiaye walked over and gently patted her on the shoulders.

    Su Nan turned to look at Xi Xiaye a little startled. Suddenly, her eyes glistened. She could not help but cover the second half of her face as she turned and ran out of the ward.

    ¡°Mr. Ruan¡¯s body has begun to show signs of muscle atrophy. If he doesn¡¯t regain consciousness soon, even when he wakes up, he might be paralyzed and may not be able to take care of himself. Miss Su, please be mentally prepared for that. His situation has been worsening recently. We never would have thought it would turn out this way.¡± The doctor¡¯s heavy words from earlier echoed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears too as she looked at the empty doorway. Concern could not help but sh in her eyes as sadness overwhelmed her. She could only take a few deep breaths before walking towards the bed.

    ¡°Ruan Heng, I don¡¯t know if you can hear me, but if you can, I beg you to try harder. You have to wake up as soon as you can. Su Nan can barely hold on anymore. Can you bear to see her break down? Or can you bear to see such a fragile woman go on with such a young daughter? You once promised me that you¡¯d take good care of her for the rest of her life. You bastard, you can¡¯t go back on your word! You got that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s fists clenched as her surpressed voice spoke into Ruan Heng¡¯s ear.

    Then, her eyes turned moist too.

    ¡°You¡¯re just lying there like that. How are you supposed to love and protect her? How are you supposed to protect your wife and daughter? Quickly wake up! You¡¯ve slept enough!¡±

    After that, she choked on her sobs and could not continue anymore. She sniffled and left the ward, but she did not notice that just as she turned around to leave, Ruan Heng¡¯s eyes that were tightly shut suddenly had moisture forming at the corners...

    Xi Xiaye found Su Nan at the corner turn of the staircase. Her eyes were already reddened, yet she did not cry. When she saw Xi Xiayee over, she hugged her and silently cried. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye just stood there like that, letting her hug her as she wished.

    It was not sure how long she had cried for before she stopped. Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder was all wet.

    ¡°Alright now. Don¡¯t cry anymore. Here, wipe your tears.¡± Xi Xiaye then patted the back of her hand and consoled her, ¡°It¡¯s just a possibility. We don¡¯t know what will happen in the future.¡±

    ¡°I have always known this possibility. That¡¯s why I feel a little hopeless now. Xiaye, I don¡¯t quite know what to do anymore,¡± Su Nan said with a slightly raspy voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯ll be a way. I¡¯ll think of a way, so don¡¯t panic first. Let¡¯s go home now. Ruan Heng has special nurses watching over him, so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send you home first.¡±

 Chapter 875 - Worsen (2)

    <h4>Chapter 875: Worsen (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye looked a little worriedly at Su Nan as she reached out to hold her.

    Sniffling, Su Nan took a deep breath and looked up teary-eyed at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, don¡¯t tell anyone what the doctor said today. I¡¯m worried that Ruan Heng¡¯s parents won¡¯t be able to handle it if they hear it. I¡¯ve been telling them that he¡¯s been doing well and that he¡¯s been recovering to prevent them from being worried. Recently, their Xiao Xi has gotten the flu and inmmation of the windpipe which is all worrying.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes dimmed for a bit, then she nodded. ¡°Alright, I understand. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you home first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to since I still have to get back to the studio.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not in the best situation to be working right now. Listen to me. Go home and rest well. When the weekend is over, go back to being busy. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you home,¡± Xi Xiaye said without allowing room for excuses before she pulled Su Nan and walked ahead.

    Xi Xiaye had driven herself over today because she was worried about Su Nan, so she offered to just send her home. After that, Su Nan could only quietly get into her car.

    The car sped along the way. Su Nan did not say much, so Xi Xiaye remained silent too, letting her have some time alone.

    ¡°Xiaye, do you think Ruan Heng will always be like this? Will he ever regain consciousness again?¡± Su Nan suddenly asked Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Nan Nan, we can¡¯t say for now, so don¡¯t panic first. I¡¯ll go and ask the doctor about the situation and see if there¡¯s a way.¡± Although Xi Xiaye herself felt extremely uneasy about this too, she did not know what she could do.

    ¡°If there was a way, the doctor would¡¯ve mentioned it.¡±

    Su Nan held a hand over the bottom half of her face. Fear, worry, unease, hopelessness, and all sorts of emotions interweaved on her expression. She could barely breathe, so she could only close her eyes as her fists clenched with worry. She did not even realize when Xi Xiaye arrived at her ce.

    Xi Xiaye sent Su Nan home and briefly helped her tidy up her messy ce. Then, she cooked some porridge in the pot before leaving.

    ...

    After a night of warmly curling up with each other, Su Chen was almostte for work the next day. Thankfully, his ce was close to the headquarters, so he rushed in just in time for the meeting.

    At home, Ji Zitong slept till noon. Only when her hungry stomach sent out signals did she wake up from her sound slumber. She propped her aching body up andst night¡¯s scenes quickly shed through her mind. The messy bedsheets were also a constant reminder about what happenedst night.

    Ji Zitong was dazed for a moment but soon rxed. All that should have happened had happened!

    She took a deep breath before weakly hugging the nket and leaning against the bed head. She pulled back her messy, long hair while the phone that was set aside on the table suddenly vibrated. She slowly reached out to answer it. When she saw the screen showing Su Chen¡¯s name, she subconsciously tensed, hesitated for a bit, and then slid the screen to answer the call.

    ¡°Are you awake?¡± Su Chen¡¯s soft and raspy voice came through, containing a faint hint of warm concern. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared breakfast for you in the kitchen, so remember to eat it. I won¡¯t be going back for lunch. Also, I¡¯ve told them what to do at the store. I already told Father and Mother-inw that you won¡¯t be going to the hospital. You can go tomorrow. Just rest at home today.¡±

    Upon hearing Su Chen say all that, she actually found it a little odd. Ever since she had been married to him, he had nevere home for lunch. Why did he need to specially inform her today?

    However, as she thought about this, she did not say anything. After that, she just silently nodded and responded, ¡°Mmm, I know.¡±

    Su Chen fell silent for a while, then added on, ¡°Tonight, I¡¯ll get home sooner...¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Ji Zitong answered calmly again.

    ¡°Is there anything you want to eat? I¡¯ll bring it home to you tonight,¡± Su Chen asked.

    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s nothing I¡¯m particrly craving.¡±

    Su Chen did not know what to say in response, so he just said a few more brief things before hanging up.

    When Su Chen kept away his phone, he suddenly turned to ask Secretary He, ¡°Secretary He, what do women usually like? What do you usually give your wife?¡±

    Secretary He was startled by Su Chen¡¯s question and could not snap back for a long while. He thought about it very quickly before clearing his throat and saying, ¡°Chief Su, you really can¡¯t be sure about this. Some women like jewelry, some women like flowers, and some like money. There¡¯s also those romantics and whatnot. They just all have different preferences, so naturally, they like different things too!¡±

    ¡°I asked you what do you usually give your wife?¡±

    ¡°Flowers! Tacky roses! My woman at home¡¯s a tacky one. She likes it the tackier it is. She said that¡¯s called romance!¡± Secretary He immediately answered.

    Flowers?

    Su Chen muttered to himself, then looked at Secretary He again before he walked away in contemtion.

    ¡°Chief Su, are you thinking about getting Sis-inw something? Flowers?¡± Secretary He watched Su Chen¡¯s back and pattered after him as he asked.

    Flowers probably would not work. She had a flower shop herself, so that was not rare and would not be considered a surprise.

    Jewelry?

    essories?

    Master Su could not quite decide.

    When Secretary He saw that Su Chen did not answer, he just said, ¡°Chief Su, what hobbies does Sis-inw have? If you know, then it¡¯ll be easy to choose a gift for her.¡±

    What hobbies did Ji Zitong have?

    Su Chen fell silent for a moment. The answer he had was that he did not know...

    He did not seem to know her very well, yet now he had not only married her but had even slept with her.

    In fact, they had done it quite a few times too. Last night, she begged for him to stop. After that, he did not let go of her, so he was not sure whether she was still angry about it earlier. If she was, then she might not be terribly happy when he got home that night. Even though he did not quite understand Ji Zitong, but he was quite clear of her temperament.

    When he thought about it, Su Chen suddenly felt a little uneasy. He pondered and then said to Secretary He, ¡°Help me find out... Forget it! I¡¯d better do it myself!¡±

    Su Chen sighed a little frustratedly and then walked away again.

    Secretary He had no idea what was going on. He just felt like Chief Su was not quite himself today, and seemed a little twitchy.

 Chapter 876 - Send Off (1)

    <h4>Chapter 876: Send Off (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye reached Glory World by car, it was close to the afternoon. She got down from the car and went straight to Mu Yuchen¡¯s office.

    Xi Xiaye had just reached Mu Yuchen¡¯s office when a secretary greeted her.

    ¡°Hello, Director Xi!¡±

    She nodded gently before smiling. ¡°Is Chairman Mu inside?¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu¡¯s in a meeting, Director Xi!¡±

    A meeting?

    Startled, Xi Xiaye then responded, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll go inside to wait for him.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Director Xi,¡± replied the secretary before Xi Xiaye pushed the door to enter.

    It was only close to half an hourter that Mu Yuchen¡¯s meeting ended. When he returned to the office, the secretary informed with a smile, ¡°Chairman Mu, Director Xi¡¯s here. She¡¯s waiting for you inside the office!¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused and nodded, handing the documents in his hand to Li Si before entering through the door.

    He had just pushed open the door when he saw Xi Xiaye standing by the bookshelf, casually flipping through some books. When she heard the door open, she immediately turned, and upon seeing him by the door, a faint smile quickly shed on her fair face. ¡°Has your meeting ended?¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned around to close the door before walking to her. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s about the chain stores in Car City. Why are you here?¡±

    She smiled calmly, then pouted. ¡°I¡¯m here to do a spot check. Why? Am I not wee?¡±

    ¡°Do I dare not to?¡± Mu Yuchen shot her an unhappy nce. He reached out to take the book from her and put it back onto the shelf as he pulled her towards him before going to sit on his chair. ¡°I do hope that you¡¯de to check on me frequently, but you¡¯re the ssic type of person who wouldn¡¯t visit without an agenda.¡±

    The attentive smile in her eyes became rapt as she put her arm around his shoulders. ¡°You know me best.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Let me hear it.¡± Mu Yuchen took the water from the table and brought it to her mouth.

    She lowered her head to take two sips before saying, ¡°Last night, I told you about Su Nan and Ruan Heng, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m still quite worried about them, so this morning I went to visit them at the hospital. Coincidentally, Su Nan was there to wipe Ruan Heng down too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly sighed and continued sadly, ¡°The doctor said that because Ruan Heng¡¯s been lying down for a long period of time, so there are signs of muscle atrophy. If he doesn¡¯t regain consciousness soon and continues like this, even if he wakes upter on, he¡¯ll very likely be paralyzed and can¡¯t take of himself. When Su Nan knew about this, she was heartbroken. I¡¯ve watched her hold on for so long now. If things keep continuing like this, she will break down eventually.¡±

    After Xi Xiaye shared this with him, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Thest time when I invited someone to check on him, didn¡¯t they say that he¡¯s been recovering? How did it be like this?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head as she responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ruan Heng¡¯s been in aa long enough now. Uncle Ruan is feeling tormented now too. I was just thinking if we can help them find a way. Search all the hospitals across the country and see if there are any authoritative hopsitals that have dealt with a simr condition. If it doesn¡¯t work, then we¡¯ll take a look at hospitals abroad. Some form of hope is better than nothing, right?¡±

    When she looked up at him, there was a hint of begging in her eyes. You could see how her eyes had reddened because of worry and anxiety.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be sad now. I¡¯ll contact the hospitals for you. Thest time Ah Bo already found quite a few, but considering that Ruan Heng¡¯s condition was improving then, we didn¡¯t pick up those leads. In fact, it¡¯s not easy to go abroad. Once Ruan Heng is sent away, Su Nan probably needs to go with him. Can things back home be handled?¡±

    Mu Yuchen picked up the phone on the table as he looked at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment before she responded, ¡°You¡¯re right. Xiao Xi¡¯s so young. I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t be pulled away from Su Nan, Uncle Ruan and the rest. If we really can¡¯t, then let¡¯s just bring Xiao Xi to our home. We already have two anyway. There¡¯s also Aunt Lin and Aunt Fang to help take care of them, so it should be fine. What do you think?¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it then said, ¡°I¡¯ve got noments on this, but we¡¯ll need to see what Su Nan thinks about it. I¡¯ll get Ah Bo to organize things whereas I¡¯ll leave Su Nan¡¯s work for you to arrange, okay?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then nodded dly before saying gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her. He knocked on her head gently with curled-up fingers as she subconsciously lifted a hand to gently nudge him away. After that, he called Ah Bo in America, and very soon, they arranged everything.

    After that, Xi Xiaye called Su Nan and told her about this development. Su Nan hesitated for a while before finally agreeing. Eventually, they arranged for Ruan Heng to be sent to an authoritative hospital in Boston for medical help by Mu Yuchen¡¯s private ne that weekend while their daughter, Ruan Chenxi, would be taken care of by Su Nan¡¯s parents first. To make taking care of Ruan Heng more convenient and prevent any sudden emergencies, the local hospital also delegated two doctors and two nurses to apany Ruan Heng and Su Nan for the journey.

    When they left, it was the morning of the weekend.

    The weather was good, and Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye personally went to send them off.

    When everything was ready, Xi Xiaye pulled Su Nan to the side and consoled her, ¡°Nan Nan, when you arrive, there¡¯ll be someone to pick you up. There will also be someone to arrange a ce for you to stay, so don¡¯t worry. The hospital they contacted over there has a great experience with such cases. Professor Harry has already understood Ruan Heng¡¯s situation from the doctors over here, and they¡¯re confident in helping him recover. In fact, their medical facilities are better over there. Don¡¯t be too worried.¡±

    Su Nan nodded. Even though she seemed a little bleak, her eyes were filled with gratitude. She looked at Xi Xiaye indistinctly, then at Mu Yuchen who remained silent throughout the whole conversation. She said with a slightly raspy voice, ¡°Mmm, I know. Thank you, Xiaye, Chairman Mu.¡±

    Mu Yuchen only nodded gently to ept Su Nan¡¯s gratitude while Xi Xiaye patted her on the shoulders. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say all this. Take good care of yourself over there. I thought about how you might not be too used to thenguage over there, so I¡¯ve arranged for an assistant who¡¯s fluent in both countries¡¯nguages. Don¡¯t worry about things over here. I¡¯ll do my best to watch over them.¡±

    ¡°Mmm! I really don¡¯t know what to say, Xiaye...¡± Su Nan suddenly got all teary-eyed.

    ¡°Then, there¡¯s no need to say anything. Just let Ruan Heng wake up peacefully. That¡¯s the most important thing. Alright, it¡¯s almost time. Quickly board the ne. Remember to call me often when you¡¯re over there and let me know how you¡¯re doing. Call me if you need anything!¡±

 Chapter 877 - Send Off (2)

    <h4>Chapter 877: Send Off (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Nan nodded with teary eyes as she gave Xi Xiaye a final hug before boarding the ne.

    Soon, the ne took off. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye stood by their car as they watched it leave.

    The airne rose up quickly into the sky and turned into a small ck dot in the end. Xi Xiaye remained there for a long while, seeming to be a little beside herself.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head back now.¡± The man¡¯s voice reached her as he also put on a warm coat over her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s getting cold out here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned towards him and buttoned up the top button on his shirt. She looked at him for a while before asking, ¡°Do you think Ruan Heng can really recover this time?¡±

    Despite asking the question, she did not sound very confident. ¡°It¡¯s always at times like these that I feel the helplessness of being human. I can¡¯t imagine if Ruan Heng continues being like this, or if his condition gets worse. How will Su Nan and Xiao Xi take it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic. We tried our best and did what we could, so leave the rest to Ruan Heng. All of us hope for him to wake up as soon as possible,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xiaye took in a deep breath. ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll do our best. I hope Ruan Heng will get well soon.¡±

    ¡°Stop moping over it now. Let¡¯s head back. They¡¯ll call us once they arrive.¡± Mu Yuchen then went into the car with her.

    It was a weekend. The two of them went to visit Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna after they left the airport.

    It was near the graduation period and there was an uing debatepetition as well. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were really busy. It had been two weeks since theyst went back to the Shen residence, but fortunately, Shen Yue had Mu Zirui to apany him.

    It was lunchtime when they arrived at Shen Wenna¡¯s apartment. Shen Wenna was still in the office with Little Apple, so only Xi Mushan was at home.

    Overjoyed to see Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, he made several dishes for them.

    ¡°Father, are you getting used to the life here?¡± Xi Xiaye asked Xi Mushan when she was washing the vegetables.

    Xi Mishan looked much livelier than before. His serious-looking face seemed warmerpared to his past self.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty good. The pace in school is pretty slow after all. Unlike working in the government sector, it¡¯s less stressful here, so don¡¯t worry about us.¡±

    Xi Mushan smiled as he turned towards Xi Xiaye. ¡°Your mother and I will be retiring in a few years. Let us take care of your children by then.¡±

    ¡°We have people to look after the kids, so you don¡¯t have to worry about us as well. Just spend some time with Grandpa whenever Mother and you are avable. I¡¯m preparing to take over Fuhua at the moment. Grandpa will probably feel lonely during the daytime when Xiao Rui goes to school in the morning.¡±

    ¡°We will. Your mother and I nned to go for a vacation abroad during this uing summer break. I heard from your mother that your grandpa has been longing for a vacation, but he never had the time to go. Well, there¡¯s a chance now,¡± Xi Mushan said.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. ¡°Father, it¡¯s not that Grandpa wants to go for a vacation abroad. It¡¯s what Grandma wanted when she was still alive. She always longed for Grandpa to bring her to an such a vacation since she had never been out of the country before. However, Grandpa was always very busy, and when he finally got the time...¡±

    The two of them became solemn for a moment.

    ¡°With the death of Grandfather, Grandmother, and CEO Wang, I truly feel the helplessness of humans. Our lives are too short. The time we spent at the house by the sea still felt like yesterday, and suddenly I¡¯m all grown up now.¡± Xi Xiaye stopped her hand movements and just looked at Xi Mushan quietly.

    ¡°I know what you mean. Don¡¯t fret. Your mother and I will cherish our time together now since we¡¯ve wasted the past two decades. I hope our life in the future will be simple and happy.¡± Xi Mushan sighed, hesitating for a moment before continuing, ¡°Xinyi came to speak to me a few days ago.¡±

    Xi Xinyi...

    Xi Xiaye found the name very distant.

    Xi Xinyi, Han Yifeng...

    ¡°What did she want from you? Did she want you to persuade me again?¡± Xi Xiaye gave Xi Mushan aplicated gaze, then she looked downwards and continued washing the vegetables.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. She seems to have understood it already, but she doesn¡¯t look very well. She really mistreated you before. I suppose what she¡¯s experiencing now is all karma.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that, Father. I understand... If she¡¯s genuinely repenting, as her elder sister, I¡¯d still give her a chance.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Xiaye.¡±

    ...

    Shen Wenna came back in time for lunch, still wearing a whiteb coat. Xi Mushan took it off from her and hung it on the hanger before the four of them sat down together.

    Shen Wenna remembered Su Nan¡¯s mother¡¯s words of gratitude as she told Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye,¡± I bumped into Su Nan¡¯s mother and Xiao Xi on my way back. I got to know their situation from them. It must be a lot of work for you, Ah Chen. They told me to thank you again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a little help. Xiaye¡¯s friends are my friends too. Everything will be worth it if Ruan Heng regains consciousness,¡± Mu Yuchen said humbly.

    Xi Xiaye nced at him. She could feel a warm feeling flowing through her heart as she looked at his face.

 Chapter 878 - Short Separation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 878: Short Separation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Wenna nodded. She then realized that the Xi family, she herself, as well as Xiaye, had taken a lot from Mu Yuchen. Regardless of how she thought about it, there would always be traces of him helping out somewhere.

    As a woman, Shen Wenna could capture the genuine feelings of love he had for her daughter.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat. You two should eat more.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not want to discuss the heavy topic, so she then grabbed some fish and put it into Mu Yuchen¡¯s bowl. ¡°Give it a taste. I¡¯ve always liked this dish back in the day though I wonder if the taste has changed after so many years.¡±

    ¡°Try it.¡±

    He lowered his head and ate it.

    Soon after lunch, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye left University A and headed right back to Maple Residence.

    ...

    As the sky turned dark, a ck Land Rover roamed through the streets and slowly drove into a luxurious apartment area.

    The door was opened. Su Chen got out of the car with a briefcase in one hand and a big bouquet of roses in the other.

    They were the kind of roses you could find in a romance drama. The huge bouquet covered his handsome face.

    There were 99 of them. He was not sure if the florist was telling the truth since he did not count them himself, but ording to the florist, it was a meaningful number and many people had bought it before. Therefore, he was convinced to get it because he was not sure what else he could get for Ji Zitong. It took him several days to think it through before finally putting his n into action.

    Basically, Su Chen¡¯s intention was innocent, but if Zhou Zimo were there toment, he would have definitely called him out for being pretentious!

    However, Su Chen did not think so. He was not sure how to face Ji Zitong ever since that night. For some reason, he felt uneasy every time he saw her. His heart rate went up and the temperature of his face was unusually warm as well.

    He was 33 years old, but he had never been in a rtionship before, so...

    Su Chen looked up and noticed that his apartment lights were on. He took a deep breath and finally walked inside.

    Ji Zitong was preparing dinner at the moment. Although she was not a very good cook, she could still manage a dish or two. She heard the sound of the door opening followed by footsteps as soon as she was done with a dish.

    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Ji Zitong greeted him without looking over.

    ¡°Mmm, turn around and take a look.¡± The man tried to sound seductive.

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment. She stopped what she was doing and then looked over. The fiery redness almost confused her eyes, and she looked at them properly before finally realizing it was a huge bouquet of roses.

    Astonished, she gave Su Chen a confused look.

    Su Chen coughed as he handed the flowers to her. Then, he looked at the food on the table. ¡°This is for you. I passed by the flower store and noticed a promotion was going on, so I bought these. The florist said there¡¯re 99 of them, but I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s lying. Try counting them.¡±

    He then grabbed the spat away from her.

    Unsure about exactly what was happening, she gave him a look of disbelief.

    Was the man blushing!?

    She was right!

    His face was getting redder as she stared at him. He then groaned when Ji Zitong did not give him any reaction. ¡°What are you looking at? There aren¡¯t any flowers on my face. Take them and put them in a vase or something. Don¡¯t just let them go to waste!¡±

    Although his tone was angry, Ji Zitong startedughing.

    ¡°Chief Su, can¡¯t you just be straightforward and say you want to buy me some flowers? My name is written on the card here. I doubt flowers on promotion would have such lovely quality packaging.¡±

    Ji Zitong barely contained herughter and took the flowers from him as she shot him a teasing nce. ¡°Nheless, you look cute when you¡¯re embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Ji Zitong!¡± The man was clenching his teeth as Ji Zitongughed out loud and grabbed the flowers before quickly fleeing.

    Su Chen watched his woman disappear out of the doorway together with the flowers. A smile appeared on his face, and he touched his warm cheeks before washing his hands and continued to cook.

    They had a happy intimate dinner together. Ji Zitong never expected this to happen. After they became a married couple since that night, everything seemed so natural.

    However, that was just what Ji Zitong felt. Master Su experienced an entirely different feeling. If Zhou Zimo were to describe this situation, Su Chen was blinded by love. Everything he saw became pink!

    Su Chen would definitely give him a good scolding if he said that.

    As they were finishing dinner, Su Chen mentioned, ¡°I¡¯m going to City C for an inspection tomorrow. It¡¯ll probably take a week or two. You...¡±

    He wanted to reject the job, but the headquarters wanted him specifically to go. For some reason, Chief Huang always liked to give him work, so he had less time for himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Just go. I can¡¯t help you with your work. Mother is doing fine now. I¡¯ll pack your bagster.¡± Ji Zitong was understanding about it.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to. I always have my things prepared in a specific suitcase, but you...If you¡¯re not used to staying here alone, you can stay over at the Su residence, or even go back to your own ce.¡±

 Chapter 879 - Short Separation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 879: Short Separation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen was worried that she might not be used to it since they had not been separated since they got married, so he felt a little uneasy about this.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can take care of myself. You should worry more about yourself over there.¡±

    Su Chen felt it was useless expressing his concern about this any longer. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Also, let¡¯s have our wedding when I get back. It should be towards the end of June. I asked my parents to pick a date, so just be prepared to be a bride on that day.¡±

    Su Chen was a decisive person who would put his n into action once he made a decision.

    ¡°Our w-wedding?¡± Ji Zitong was stunned and not sure how to react.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°The wedding, our wedding. We dyed it because you said so, but now I want one. I know you¡¯re worried it¡¯ll be troublesome, so I told my family to handle everything. Just wait for me toe back and get ready to be my bride. We¡¯ll be taking the wedding photographs next month as well.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you agree to dy the wedding or even not have it at all? Why all of a sudden...?¡± Ji Zitong was confused.

    ¡°That¡¯s in the past. I can¡¯t make my woman look bad, can I? A wedding dress, flowers, and a grand wedding...Aren¡¯t those the dreams of all women in the world?¡±

    Su Chen smiled. At that very moment, Ji Zitong could feel a warm feeling spreading throughout her body. It was an unstoppable warmth.

    ¡°Alright then. Thank you, Su Chen.¡± She had mixed feelings inside as she looked at him seriously.

    She would definitely be lying if she said she never even thought about it before. However, no matter how imaginative she could be, she never thought the one to give these to her would be Su Chen who used to be against her in the past instead of Dong Wentao, the man she was in love with before.

    There would always be something that you could not get no matter how hard you tried, but some things would find their way to you no matter how hard you pushed it away. That was fate.

    Su Chen stopped what he was doing and looked at Ji Zitong with a frown when he heard her reply. ¡°What did you say just now?¡± His tone sounded aggressive.

    Ji Zitong understood what he meant and she smiled. ¡°I said I¡¯m very happy, Chief Su.¡±

    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t feel right to hear you saying ¡®Chief Su¡¯. My name is Su Chen. You can only call me by my name in the future. It¡¯ll be an invasion of rights if you call me any other name without my permission.¡± He gave her a cool nce as he spoke without any expression.

    Ji Zitong nced back at him and shrugged. ¡°You have another exclusive name to me. It¡¯s the one and only.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Su Chen raised his eyebrows curiously.

    Ji Zitong was still holding her chopsticks as she put on a fake smile and said in a childish tone, ¡°Hubby...¡±

    Su Chen almost spat out his rice. His face turned really red as he looked at Ji Zitong. Goosebumps rose all over him even though the room was warm.

    That was what Xie Jiajia called Su Zhengxun at home, and Su Zhengxun would scold her every time. Finally, he finally understood how his father felt.

    Ji Zitong was satisfied with his reaction. She leaned back on the chair as she enjoyed the view.

    ...

    The next morning, Su Chen was awoken by his rm clock. It was 6.10 a.m. which was his usual waking time.

    He got out of bed quickly and grabbed a sleeping robe to put on. Then, he picked up the scattered clothes on the ground and tidied the messy bed. Ji Zitong was exhausted because of how wild they had gonest night.

    Su Chen hastily picked a casual outfit and got into the bathroom. He was done in just fifteen minutes. To his surprise, Ji Zitong already got up when he came out of the shower.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep longer? Isn¡¯t your shop opening at 10 a.m.?¡± Su Chen walked over and put his tie on as he asked.

    Ji Zitong ran her fingers through her messy long hair. ¡°My mother is getting discharged today and I want to get up to see you off as well.¡± She then walked into the bathroom.

    Su Chen was preparing breakfast when she got out. He always woke up early ande backte at night. She used to think that he got to such a high position at a young age because of his family background, but after living with him, she realized that was not true at all. He was simr to Chairman Mu. Stubborn and prideful, they had their own ideas.

    After breakfast, she asked him by the door with mixed emotions in her eyes, ¡°When are youing back?¡±

    ¡°Not sure. A week or two if things get done quickly, or else it might take a whole month. The inspection area is kind ofrge this time, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely be back before our wedding,¡± Su Chen took the car keys from her as he replied.

    Ji Zitong noticed his tie was slightly crooked, so she went up and fixed it for him as she spoke, ¡°Before the wedding? Have we decided on the date already?¡±

 Chapter 880 - Separation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 880: Separation (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen looked down at Ji Zitong¡¯s fair hands. After a while, he responded, ¡°It¡¯ll be at the end of the month. When Grandfather talked about this, he said that there¡¯s a good date at the end of June, so it¡¯ll be great if we make it then. I¡¯ll call you when I reach there.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then you be careful, and uhh, take care of yourself.¡± Ji Zitong pulled her hand away and looked up slowly at him.

    Su Chen nodded as he took a careful look at her. Then, he could not help but walk up by half a step and pull her into his embrace.

    Despite being stunned, Ji Zitong did not reject him. Instead, she lifted her hands slightly and hung them uncertainly in the air for a while before gently hugging him back.

    ¡°Help me exin to Mother¡¯s end that I¡¯ll be a little busy in the uing weeks. When I get back and visit to send the betrothal gifts, I¡¯ll make it up to your parents. I can¡¯t dy the official business. I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Su Chen patted her narrow back, and slowly let go of her.

    Ji Zitong smiled and nodded before saying. ¡°Okay, go then. Otherwise, you¡¯re not going to make it for your flight.¡±

    With a smile, Su Chen turned around to get in the car. When he started the car, he could not help but turn to take another look at her standing in the same spot to silently see him off.

    Only when the car vanished at the end of the road and could no longer be seen did she turn around to leave.

    ...

    The weather was gradually bing hot and stuffy, especially since they entered June. The entire city Z practically became a gigantic steamer basket. Underneath the scorching sun, the toweringmerce building was refracting a dazzling radiance.

    In the upper management meeting room of Qi Kai Corporation, all of Qi Kai¡¯s top management were gathered for an important meeting.

    The person who sat at the main seat was Qi Kai¡¯s person in power, Qi Qiming, while the seats beside him were upied by Qi Kai¡¯s shareholders and Vice Presidents. All the seats were filled at that moment with Gu Lingsha seated beside Qi Qiming.

    This was a very important upper management meeting for Qi Kai to discuss thepany¡¯s future five-year ns, so the entirepany¡¯s upper management was called to take part in it. Even Xi Xinyi was there.

    Even though Xi Xiaye had be an abandoned pawn, based on her own hard work, Yueying was now running smoothly. With her few movies that were released and had done excellently at the box office, she managed to make aeback, so in Qi Kai, she more or less had a firm standing and influence. Besides that, another one of Qi Kai¡¯s shareholders, Vice President Yue Hai, was her uncle!

    At the moment, inside the wide andfortable meeting room, it was very quiet. The people who were joining the meeting had almost all arrived, and it was less than three minutes to the start of the meeting. Qi Qiming and Gu Lingsha were both flipping through the materials in hand. Beside Gu Lingsha were two other men from the Hui Gu Corporation in ck suits delegated to understand the situation.

    Qi Qiming chatted for a bit with Gu Lingsha and subconsciously looked towards her wrist. He realized that it was almost time, then he set aside the document and looked up, yet when he looked at an empty seat not too far away from him on the left, his expression darkened.

    Beside him, the head secretary who was skilled at observing bodynguage immediately noticed that Qi Qiming did not look very pleased. He quickly bent down and whispered into Qi Qiming¡¯s ear, ¡°CEO Qi, that¡¯s Master Qi¡¯s seat. When I came over, I already saw him in his office. He should be rushing over right now.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s face clouded over even more as a grim coldness shed in his eyes. He was about to show his power off when there was the sound of footsteps from outside.

    Bam!

    The tightly shut meeting room door was pushed open. Everyone looked over together, and saw a dark blue figure entering their sight!

    Dressed in a dark blue tailored tuxedo, his handsome face had a devilishly charming smile while his hands were leisurely stuck in his pockets. He had a document gripped with his underarm, and there was evil energy radiating all over him. Who else could it be if not Second Master Qi?

    Behind him was Yang Sheng who stopped behind Qi Lei at the moment, feeling extremely stressed.

    What a hooligan!

    Qi Qiming stared at Qi Lei for quite a while as his expression sunk further, yet Qi Lei only threw him a nce of disdain before walking towards his seat unhurriedly.

    Qi Qiming did not know how to vent his stomach of fury, so in the end, he could not help but growl at Qi Lei, ¡°How can you bete at such a time? What attitude is this?¡±

    Qi Lei did not seem anxious at all. He sat down on his seat calmly and lifted a hand to take a look at the time. Then, he smiled insincerely at Qi Qiming. ¡°It¡¯s 8.59 a.m. right now. I¡¯ve just recalibrated my time, so I¡¯m notte. I just don¡¯t understand why you look like you wished I waste, CEO Qi.¡±

    With a few sentences, he practically made it embarrassing for Qi Qiming, so Gu Lingsha had to quickly smooth things over. ¡°Alright, alright now, Lei, Uncle Qi was just asking. He didn¡¯t intend to target you. It¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s start the meeting now!¡±

    Gu Lingsha helped Qi Qiming with a way out, and naturally, he went along with it, but his cold and stern gaze still red at Qi Lei. Meanwhile, Qi Lei was quite happy and rxed without a care at all. He just pretended like he had heard and seen nothing.

    Just as Mu Yuchen expected, he was right on point!

    It was indeed about South River Project No. 2.

    This project was a very important one for Qi Kai to make the switch in industries. Of course, such an important project could not be left for Qi Lei to manage, so Qi Lei had no way of approaching the entire process. It was only today that he finally roughly found out a bit more about the whole situation.

    The tender meeting had just ended. Without a doubt, Qi Kai Corporation had won the bid this time, so when the news came back, the entire corporation was excited. The meeting today had South River Project No. 2 as the main discussion topic.

    However, these things had nothing much to do with Qi Lei because right now, apart from coborating with Glory World on South River Project No. 1 and being able to have some say about it, he probably did not have much authority to speak about other things.

    Since that was the case, he was toozy to listen. Once Qi Qiming began discussing with everyone else, he propped his head up with one hand and began to fall asleep.

    Last night, he had been ying World of Warcraft with a certain master called ¡®Ta Xue Liu Yun¡¯ till midnight before he slept. This morning, he had to wake up so early, hence he was indeed quite sleepy.

 Chapter 881 - Making A Move (1)

    <h4>Chapter 881: Making A Move (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Of course, Qi Lei¡¯s series of actions were all taken in by Qi Qiming who practically red at him throughout the entire meeting. Of course, Qi Lei knew that, but he did not care. Furthermore, it was not the first two or three times that he was doing this.

    Qi Qiming did not like this son of his, but he waszy to deal with such a petty person.

    He felt that Qi Lei was bing more and more spoiled. Most probably because of being angered by Qi Lei, he felt like his body was about to copse, especially when he cleared out all of Wang Qin¡¯s things without leaving a single thing behind. He did not even leave behind a pair of slippers that Wang Qin had worn, and when he was done clearing out, he burned all the things he could not take with him without leaving a single trace behind!

    When he found out about this, he was furious back home. Quite a number of the servants at the Qi residence were fired because of that. Because he vomited blood from being angered, he had to rest a few days before recovering.

    Ever since Wang Qin passed away, apart from the time he went home to get Wang Qin¡¯s things, Qi Lei did not return to the Qi residence. Right now, the entire Qi residence was dead. Even Qi Qiming was a little afraid of going home because every time he did, he felt like the house was too empty. There was nothing, and it suddenly seemed as if he was the only one left in the entire world.

    This gloom and loneliness were strange to him.

    Many things were different now. Perhaps since Wang Qin left, he was bound to lose even more, but neither did he delve into it, nor did he want to.

    When they saw Qi Qiming suddenly stop, everyone reflexively looked up. It was easy to read his gloomy expression. Everyone followed his gaze and indeed, they saw Qi Lei sleeping soundly with his head propped up.

    Behind him, Assistant Yang Sheng had already turned pale. Even though this had happened many times, facing the many eyes that were focused on Qi Lei, Yang Sheng felt a lot more pressured. He could barely hold on anymore! Even he felt a little helpless seeing Qi Qiming¡¯s darkened gaze.

    Actually, Yang Sheng knew about Qi Lei¡¯s pain and sorrow best. When VP Wang was still around, he seemed more rxed, but once she had gone, even though he looked the same as before, Yang Sheng could still feel that Master Qi¡¯s temperament had probably done a 180-degree change.

    He seemed to be even more hardworking. Of course, his hard work could not be shown in thepany. Instead, it was at home inside the library of City Z.

    Qi Lei would practically go to the city library almost every week, borrowing very diverse books. In fact, every time he went, he would go by public transport like an ordinary person.

    Other than that, he did not go to high society evening shows like before. Lately, he stayed at home mostly to manage documents at night or y games.

    Yang Sheng did not know whether to feel happy or worried about this change. He thought about whether he should call Master Mu or Director Xi to just inform them. After all, VP Wang had technically entrusted them with an important task.

    After that, Yang Sheng really could not bear such huge stress, so he gently pulled at Qi Lei¡¯s shirt and called out carefully, ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei was sleepingfortably, so naturally, he was not pleased to be woken up. His head slipped and almost hit the table. Suddenly, he red angrily at Yang Sheng with eyes that were red from sleepiness. ¡°Do you want to be fired?¡±

    Upon seeing the crowd¡¯s involuntaryughter, Qi Qiming was extremely annoyed. He angrily tossed the document in his hand onto the table and stared at Qi Lei furiously as hemanded coldly, ¡°Qi Lei, stand up right now!¡±

    Qi Lei was awake now. He could not help but nce up at Qi Qiming. Taking a deep breath in and standing up, his hands fixed his messy clothes before he said with a deep voice, ¡°Are you all done? Is it time for me to speak?¡±

    Gu Lingsha looked worriedly at Qi Lei before lowering her voice to plead to Qi Qiming, ¡°Uncle Qi, calm down. Don¡¯t be angry first. Lei looks a little tired.¡±

    ¡°This punk is out to anger me to death. He¡¯s provoking me!¡± Qi Qiming took a deep breath and wanted to push the fury that reached his chest down.

    ¡°Lei, talk about your thoughts on South River Project No. 2. We¡¯ve all discussed the concrete operational n. The first part is the proposal for publicity. VP Wang was previously in charge of this segment, so I¡¯m sure you should be quite familiar with it,¡± Gu Lingsha consoled Qi Qiming as she tried hard to smooth things over.

    Once again, the crowd gathered their gaze on Qi Lei who sat rxed and reached out to Yang Sheng behind him. Yang Sheng immediately understood and handed a document to him.

    Qi Lei took it and casually flipped through it. His voice that had a hint of devilish charm was heard unhurriedly. ¡°All of you have taken charge of this project. Even if I have any opinions, it doesn¡¯t seem to matter, so what¡¯s the use of this?!¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he sneered and then looked unenthusiastically at Qi Qiming. ¡°But I can only do my best as a part of Qi Kai. For the publicity ns, I personally rmend Yueying Culture Media. I believe that Manager Xi can definitely execute the publicity aspect to perfection.¡±

    Qi Lei saying this was like dropping a huge rock into theke, causing many ripples.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s status at the moment was still a little awkward. If it really came to publicity, it would not be Xi Xinyi¡¯s Yueying Culture Media. Otherwise, where were the seniors with a solid foundation in Qi Kai supposed to stand their ground?

    Xi Xinyi naturally did not expect Qi Lei to say that, so she was startled as she looked nkly at Qi Lei.

    ¡°How can we do that? It¡¯s such a significant aspect. Of course, we should be the ones doing it. Yueying¡¯s just a subsidiarypany!¡±

    Qi Lei had just finished when someone already objected to the idea. Obviously, the ones speaking were from Qi Qiming¡¯s end.

    ¡°Yeah, how can we do that? I disagree too!¡±

    ¡°I disagree as well. What is the meaning of this!¡±

    The sounds of objection immediately drowned the entire meeting room.

    Even Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Lei in confusion. ¡°Lei, can you exin your reasons?¡±

    Qi Lei nonchntly looked at everyone from the side, then tossed the information in his hand onto the table. ¡°These are the results all you so-called seniors have beening up with these years in showbiz. Can any of your aplishments beat Yueying¡¯s ones from this year?¡±

 Chapter 882 - Making A Move (2)

    <h4>Chapter 882: Making A Move (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng quickly handed the document Qi Lei threw onto the table to the higher-ups. Their faces turned pale as they looked at it, and they had nothing to say about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for thepany¡¯s benefit. I don¡¯t feel confident giving you guys the funds to do the advertising. Furthermore, do any of you think that you have more poprity than Yueying? Qi Kai has amassed so many movie rights, yet Yueying is the one who¡¯s shining. I don¡¯t see all of you aplishing anything in both the production of drama series and movies.¡±

    Qi Lei put on a wicked smile as he observed their reactions. Even Gu Lingsha and Qi Qiming frowned when they looked at the document.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe what Qi Kai can do, but since Yueying is trending at the moment, why don¡¯t we use it to advertise South River Project No. 2? It¡¯d take an idiot not to choose the method that uses less resources and receives more returns.¡± Qi Lei then leaned back against his chair as he nced at everyone.

    People started whispering as Xi Xinyi nced at Qi Lei before starting a discussion with her uncle, Yue Hai.

    ¡°Uncle, why is Qi Lei helping us?¡± Xi Xinyi was confused by Qi Lei¡¯s behaviour.

    Yue Hai stared at Qi Lei for a while, then his eyes darkened. He could not figure out Qi Lei¡¯s intentions as well, but he did know that the rtionship between Qi Qiming and Qi Lei had worsened ever since Wang Qin¡¯s death, so Qi Lei might be trying to act against Qi Qiming just to annoy him.

    However, if Qi Lei was just trying to be a nuisance, these analysis reports were way too detailed. They did not seem like they were prepared in the spur of the moment. No matter what, Qi Lei¡¯s initiative meant zero harm to Yueying.

    Yue Hai had actually hinted to Qi Qiming before to let Xi Xinyi handle the advertising, but Qi Qiming rejected him right away, making him agitated. He could sense that Qi Qiming was ignoring him ever since Wang Qin passed away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know as well, but no matter what, it¡¯s a good thing for us. Let¡¯s wait and see what they¡¯ll say. We¡¯ll try to fight for it if needed!¡± Yue Hai gave Xi Xinyi somefort, and she nodded at ease, but for some reason, the document Mu Yuchen gave her came into her mind!

    How could Mu Yuchen be so sure that Xi Xinyi would be able to handle this advertising project? He even gave Gu Lingsha¡¯s analysis report to her!

    Xi Xinyi felt goosebumps travel all over her. Mu Yuchen was really incredible!

    At the same time, Gu Lingsha felt very doubtful too! She had no idea what Qi Lei was nning, so she then looked at Qi Qiming and noticed he was giving the document a long, hard look with a strained expression.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, what is Lei thinking?¡± Gu Lingsha lowered her voice and asked Qi Qiming who raised his head and nced at Qi Lei, seeming very calm and collected.

    Momentster, Qi Qiming said, ¡°He¡¯s trying to act against me, and I can¡¯t deny that what he said are facts. He¡¯s been following up with Yueying all along. Aunt Wang put in a lot of resources there as well, so I doubt he came up with this proposal himself. It must¡¯ve been Wang Qin¡¯s subordinate whom Aunt Wang brought over from the Wang family.¡±

    Originally, Qi Kai was called Qi Corporation but turned into Qi Kai after it wasbined together with Wang Qin¡¯s Lei Kai. Lei Kai was the Wang family¡¯s property. The elites from Lei Kai followed Wang Qin and worked under Qi Kai, and they were part of the reason why Qi Qiming was wary of her.

    Therefore, it was normal for Qi Qiming to think so.

    ¡°What should we do then? Are we really going to let Xi Xinyi handle this?¡± Gu Lingsha felt uneasy.

    ¡°It might not be a bad thing to let her handle it. I suppose you don¡¯t really know about her yet. She¡¯s an important person to the Yue family. Not only does she produce great results, but most importantly, she¡¯s Xi Xiaye¡¯s sister. However, the two of them don¡¯t get along with each other, so it could be a brilliant idea to use her.¡±

    Qi Lei was getting impatient as the discussions were still ongoing. He stole a look at his watch and threw his pen onto the table. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you guys to discuss it then. Let me know once you¡¯ve reached the conclusion. It¡¯s noon now and my work time is over. Bye!¡±

    As he was about to leave, Qi Qiming yelled at him, ¡°You bastard! Stop right there! Who do you think you are?¡± He could barely catch his breath. He was sure that if something went wrong in his body, it must be because of his son!

    Qi Lei stopped and turned when he heard Qi Qiming¡¯s yell. Qi Qiming started to speak, ¡°Do as he said then. Let Manager Xi handle the advertising. Manager Wang and Manager Kang, assist Manager Xi on this matter. Report to me if there are any issues. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi!¡±

    ...

    With the matter decided, the meeting was adjourned afterward.

    Hastily, Qi Lei walked toward the door before Qi Qiming dered the meeting adjourned. Then, Yang Sheng swiftly tidied up the table and followed behind him.

    Thud!

    The loud sound of the door closing felt really heavy to Qi Qiming. He was not sure why he felt like it was a bad omen.

 Chapter 883 - Making A Move (3)

    <h4>Chapter 883: Making A Move (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The crowd soon left and Qi Qiming went back to his office as well. Gu Lingsha was worried about him, so she followed him.

    Inside his office, Qi Qiming sat down on his chair with a strained expression. It was obvious that he was furious.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Lei didn¡¯t mean it, Uncle Qi. Don¡¯t be angry about it. Didn¡¯t you ept his suggestion in the end? I suppose that means what he said made sense, so just let him take this on, alright?¡± Gu Lingsha smiled gently and grabbed a ss of water for Qi Qiming.

    ¡°He has never thought of me as a father. He just wants to take revenge on me now. Qi Kai will be done for if I leave it to him.¡± Qi Qiming took the water from Gu Lingsha and continued, ¡°Let your father know about the decision we made during the meeting just now. Ask him when he¡¯ll be sending people over for inspection so that we can start work as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Lingsha nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll call my fatherter.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let me be alone for a while.¡± Qi Qiming did not look at Gu Lingsha again and just waved his hand.

    ¡°Sure, by the way, I¡¯ve asked your secretary to bring lunch for you, so remember to eat it. You must take care of your health.¡± Gu Lingsha then swiftly left the room.

    At the same time, inside Qi Lei¡¯s office, he was sitting on his chair rxed while he looked out of the window as he was making a call.

    Meanwhile, Mu Yuchen had just finished his meeting with a client and was on his way back to Glory World.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen closed his document as he answered Qi Lei¡¯s call.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done what you asked. Xi Xinyi will be handling the publicity for South River Project No. 2. How are you going to show me your gratitude?¡± Qi Lei smiled.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes brightened as he then replied, ¡°How do you want me to thank you?¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled when Mu Yuchen returned his question, ¡°That depends on how sincere you can be.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll get a 30% discount on whatever you spend in Imperial Sky.¡±

    ¡°Stingy! That¡¯s not very sincere at all! Do you think I care about such discounts? Moreover, do I look like I¡¯d take advantage of a friend? Not everyone¡¯s a wicked businessman like you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was not interested in what Qi Lei wanted to say, and he continued reading the document on hisp. He then spoke again when Qi Lei finally stopped, ¡°40%. Take it or leave it.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Qi Lei replied instantly.

    In the front passenger seat, Li Si noticed Mu Yuchen grinning when he hung up on the call. ¡°Master, is there any good news?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and nced at Li Si as he put his phone aside. ¡°Xi Xinyi will be handling the publicity for South River Project No. 2.¡±

    Li Si had a big grin on his face. ¡°That¡¯s good news indeed. Master Qi really pulled it off!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°He might be smarter than we think. I¡¯m d that I trusted him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I do feel sad for Master Qi that Qi Qiming just doesn¡¯t ept him, but I feel it¡¯s fortunate at the same time as well.¡± Li Si sighed.

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. His eyes darkened and he just gave it some thought before he continued to look through his document.

    The conclusion of the higher-ups meeting this time was beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. Even Xi Xinyi could not believe it herself. She still found it hard to believe that it had just happened.

    She sensed it was rted to Mu Yuchen somehow, but she did not try to find out further. Instead, she was determined to think that her choice was right this time!

    Xi Xinyi was acting very carefully in Qi Kai now. She became much more cautious after the failures she experienced. Although she really hated Mu Yuchen for almost destroying Yueying before, the hatred was now gone, and she was willing to believe him if he could get her son back for her.

    As Xi Xinyi was deep in her thoughts, a gentle voice interrupted her.

    ¡°Can I sit here?¡±

    Xi Xinyi raised her head and noticed a beautiful presence near her. It was Gu Lingsha with her dazzling eyes looking just like sapphires. Even Xi Xinyi was attracted by them

    Xi Xinyi was stunned into silence for a moment. She then nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, Manager Gu.¡±

    Xi Xinyi stopped approaching Gu Lingsha aggressively like before. She made some space between them. ¡°Please have a seat!¡± Then, she lowered her head and continued her meal without initiating any conversation with Gu Lingsha at all.

    She had tried to greet Gu Lingsha and get closer to her before, but thetter did not even bat an eyelid.

    If one looked closely, Xi Xinyi¡¯s hands were clenched into fists, and her eyes had turned cold. She had not forgotten that it was this woman who had pushed her onto Xi Xiaye and almost framed her. She was truly terrifying.

    However, it was not time to make a fuss about this yet since she had to fulfill her promise to Mu Yuchen.

 Chapter 884 - Anniversary (1)

    <h4>Chapter 884: Anniversary (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Congrattions on getting the publicity role for South River Project No. 2, Manager Xi! I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how you perform. In fact, I hope that we can work together in time toe!¡± Gu Lingsha secretly observed Xi Xinyi for a long while before she generously put out her hand and smiled at her.

    Xi Xinyi looked at Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand before her and did not say much. She only softly responded, ¡°Thank you. This is all thanks to Master Qi and CEO Qi¡¯s trust. I¡¯ll do my best to get the job done well.¡±

    Her tone was very humble at the moment. She even faced Gu Lingsha gently and bowed slightly. ¡°Earlier at the meeting, Xinyi would like to thank you for Manager Gu¡¯s support.¡±

    Then, Xi Xinyi gently reached her hand out to shake Gu Lingsha¡¯s. It was only a gentle shake before she very quickly let go.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s action surprised Gu Lingsha. Naturally, she remembered that Xi Xinyi did try to get close to her quite a few times before, but she did not respond much. Later on, she did not bother her anymore. In fact, she knew about Xi Xinyi¡¯s grudge with Xi Xiaye very well!

    ¡°No need to be so courteous, Manager Xi,¡± Gu Lingsha responded and smiled calmly, yet the light in her eyes was judgmental as she silently sized Xi Xinyi up.

    ¡°I¡¯m done eating. Manager Gu, please take your time!¡¯ Xi Xinyi smiled calmly at Gu Lingsha, and before Gu Lingsha could react, she had already left her seat.

    Gu Lingsha was a little shocked as she watched Xi Xinyi¡¯s back vanish at the entrance of the cafeteria. Then, she turned and watched another employee while thinking about it. She then asked, ¡°Does Manager Xi frequentlye to have her meals at this cafeteria?¡±

    Gu Lingsha rarely had her meals at thepany cafeteria. Today, because of the meeting, she waste, so she decided to go there for a quick meal.

    The employee nodded. ¡°Yes, Manager Gu, every time shees over for a meeting, Manager Xi has her meals here, but she just doesn¡¯t talk much to other people.¡±

    Gu Lingsha seemed to be interested as she smiled and asked, ¡°Why not? Is she very antisocial? I heard that she was a very popr rising star before.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, Manager Gu, that¡¯s a thing of the past. Who told her to offend those who shouldn¡¯t be offended? If it were not for being a subsidiary of Qi Kai, Yueying might not even exist anymore.¡±

    ...

    The hot and stuffy weather finally eased and became a little cooler after a few days of stormy rains. Especially at night, it was much cooler than the day, thus people preferred to go out at this time to stroll.

    It was long past the end of working hours at the moment, and the sky had turned dark too.

    In the office of Xi Xiaye, the Chief Director-General of Fuhua Real Estate, Xiao Mei had just packed up the things and was preparing to leave work. Unexpectedly, just as she walked out of her office, she saw Mu Yuchen walking towards her in huge strides.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡± Xiao Mei greeted respectfully.

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently and his calm voice was heard. ¡°Where¡¯s Director Xi?¡±

    ¡°Director Xi¡¯s still in the office. It¡¯s been a few days of handover. Work¡¯s been a little busy. The Elder CEO already stoppeding to work as of today, so all thepany documents were sent to Director Xi. She can barely handle it all.¡±

    As Xiao Mei said this, she could not help but turn to look at the tightly shut office door with her heart aching. She had been by Director Xi¡¯s side for so long and this was the first time she had seen her this busy.

    ¡°Okay, I got it. You can go home first,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly replied, then continued walking ahead.

    He obviously knew that she had been very busy these past few days. Every night, she only reached home past 10 p.m., so today he went to pick her up. Coincidentally, he called her this afternoon to tell her that he was picking her up.

    He had just pushed open the door when he quickly noticed the slender figure at the desk. However, she was already asleep on the table at the moment with a table of documents strewn everywhere. A few pieces of paper had fallen to the ground too.

    Mu Yuchen sighed helplessly. After that, he walked over lightly and bent down to quietly pick up the documents that had fallen all over the floor. At the same time, he arranged them and browsed through them. Then, he took a look at the data on herptop on the table. Thinking about it, he finally looked at her sleeping soundly. He did not have the heart to wake her up, so he took off his coat and put it over her shoulders before pulling the chair beside her and moving her documents andptop closer to him.

    Night fell. Just as Mu Yuchen was focused on working, he vaguely felt as if someone was moving beside him, so he subconsciously stopped typing on the keyboard and looked askance. Indeed, the woman was propping her head up with one hand and silently watching him with blurry eyes.

    ¡°I just have one more set of data left. You can sleep for a little while more.¡±

    A hint of tenderness shed across his handsome face. His hand reached out andbed through her slightly messy long hair as he helped her fix her hair before his gaze returned to theptop before him.

    However, Xi Xiaye could not fall back asleep. She reached out to take the document in his hand and flipped through it. She sighed to say, ¡°Now, I understand the difficulties Grandpa goes through.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, everyone¡¯s got their own sets of difficulties. Hungry?¡± he calmly responded.

    Well, it was fine before he mentioned it, but now Xi Xiaye did feel quite hungry. She touched her belly subconsciously as she looked at Mu Yuchen askance.

    ¡°Later, we¡¯ll just eat out before going home. I already told Grandmother and the rest that we¡¯ll only be back veryte tonight,¡± he said considerately.

    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you then. Consider it a reward.¡± He smiled happily before adding, ¡°It¡¯s my utmost honor.¡±

    After that, he continued to work again, and when he was done, the couple left the office. By the time they walked out of the Fuhua building, it was already close to 8 p.m.

    Along the way, Xiaye drove and Mu Yuchen sat in the front passenger seat. Soothing music was echoing out of the yer in the car while the car windows were open. He leaned against the car seat contentedly, admiring the scenery outside the window.

    She skillfully drove out of the carpark as she asked softly, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    He smiled at her before answering calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve decided to obey Missus¡¯ wishes.¡±

    ¡°Obey my wishes, hmm? Let¡¯s go for French cuisine then. I heard that there¡¯s a newly opened French restaurant that¡¯s pretty good. Let¡¯s go try it today. When we¡¯re done, I have a present for you too,¡± she said as she looked at him mysteriously.

    ¡°What present?¡± He immediately became interested and stared at her with narrowed eyes.

 Chapter 885 - Anniversary (2)

    <h4>Chapter 885: Anniversary (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye looked at him with raised brows and said softly, ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±

    ¡°Mmm!¡±

    Now, he looked very much like a curious and obedient baby as he nodded gently. His jet ck eyes flickered with a faint radiance, distracting Xi Xiaye a little. Moments after that, she pursed her lips and answered, ¡°You¡¯ll find outter.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen did not ask further. Since she said that he would knowter, he would just have to anticipate itter.

    As he thought about this, he could not help but reach out to gently hold her hand that was on her thigh without saying anything. Just interlocking their fingers, Xi Xiaye could feel the warmth from his dry palms.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything either. Her clear gaze swept past their interlocking hands, then she looked up at his handsome face. When she noticed that he had already shut his eyes to rest, her starry eyes then instantly turned gentle.

    She did not know why, but right then, he seemed to appear easier on the eyes. The more she looked at him, the more handsome he seemed.

    Thankfully, such an excellent man belonged to her, when she thought about this, she could not help but struggle free of his hand, and switched to her holding his tightly, she did not let go even for a minute, Mu Yuchen did not struggle free either, he just let her hold his hand, even if hisrge hand hurt a little from her holding it.

    It was not sure how long had passed when she suddenly spoke out as she drove with her eyes on the road ahead.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± he quickly answered. However, he did not open his eyes even for a peek.

    ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to say your name.¡±

    Upon hearing this, a dazzling smile curved on his handsome face. He turned his head and his eyes opened to silently take an appreciative look at her.

    The French restaurant that Xi Xiaye mentioned was not far away from City S. When the couple walked into the restaurant, there were not many people perhaps because it had just recently opened. The two of them ordered a few dishes, and the waiters served them very quickly. In less than 15 minutes, everything was served.

    The restaurant had elegant surroundings. There was a quartet ying on the small stage in the middle. They sang French songs that Xi Xiaye did not understand, but he did seem like he enjoyed it. She only vaguely remembered the song¡¯s name. It seemed to be something like ¡°Je m¡¯appelle Helene¡±.

    After a while, he suddenly said, ¡°When we¡¯re free, I¡¯ll bring you there to walk around. The scenery over there is very different from here. It lives up to its reputation of being called the city of romance.¡±

    Meanwhile, his long arm reached over to very sweetly slice up her steak like a gentleman.

    Xi Xiaye obviously knew which ce he was referring to. In those four years, he ran back and forth those two ces, but in the end, he did not return to City Z.

    ¡°ording to the current situation, I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll have a chance either. However, Father, Mother, and Grandpa will be going on a holiday since it¡¯s the summer holidays. You could suggest that they visit France. I¡¯ve always heard that it¡¯s a romance-filled city, and I think it would be very suitable for them to visit,¡± said Xi Xiaye as she shrugged helplessly.

    ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll have a chance too. The next time I go there for work, give me a few days and be my secretary for those days, won¡¯t you?¡± His soft and raspy voice was filled with seduction while darkness that could almost drown her gathered in his profound eyes. ¡°Over there, every time I joined the dinner banquets, I would turn up alone. Could you bear to let me do that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye immediately smiled with raised brows. ¡°If you really wanted to mess around, even if ten of me watched over you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen instantlyughed out loud. He suddenly did not know whether he should thank her for her trust or be d about her open-mindedness.

    After dinner, the husband and wife rested for a bit before leaving the restaurant.

    They had just walked out of the restaurant when a chilly breeze came. Xi Xiaye stood at the top of the staircase and looked up at the night sky. She realized that a bright moon was hanging up high in the night sky. It was very round,rge, and bright. Its bright and soft radiance filled the entire world. Today was Friday as well, and the surroundings were very rxed, so it was quite suitable to go for a walk.

    ¡°You want to know what gift I¡¯m giving you, don¡¯t you? Come with me.¡±

    Soon, she turned her head and looked at the man behind her as she reached a hand out to him. Mu Yuchen was stunned. After that, he obediently lifted a hand and let her guide him forward.

    The husband and wife briskly walked through the busy streets. After a short while, they reached the front of the entrance to the center of City S. She just said a few things to the doorkeeper before he let them through.

    When she pulled him to the side of the school field, he could not help butment, ¡°Why the mystery?¡±

    She put two hands on his shoulders and made him sit on the long bench as she said, ¡°Sit here and wait for me. Don¡¯t move. When I ask you to turn, then you turn. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°When did you get interested in all this?¡± He chuckled but very cooperatively did as she said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you suffer a loss! Hold on. It¡¯ll be done soon!¡± Xi Xiaye said. Then, Mu Yuchen heard her turn around to leave. He continued silently listening, and his profound eyes looked ahead indistinctly. With the help of the silky moonlight, you could see the blossoming flowers in the garden, and inhale the refreshing, elegant scent of the magnolias that came from therge plot of magnolia forest. He wanted to bend down and pick up a fallen white flower, but what followed suddenly was the sound of banging from behind.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, you can turn around now!¡±

    The wind transported her voice, and he turned around in an instant to see a riot of colors lighting up the entire night sky. Fireworks blossomed and weaved into a heartwarming sea of color. He suddenly felt like his eyes were being hugged by warmth.

    He lowered his gaze and realized that she was standing underneath the fireworks and waving at him. In her hand was a long fireworks tube. Her bright and excited face brimmed with a smile, appearing even more dazzling and beautiful than the fireworks in the sky.

    Bam bam!

    Numerous fireworks continued to blossom in the sky above their heads. Amidst the faint smoke, her slender figure was blurry as she was looking up at the beautiful fireworks while he watched her.

    After a while, he picked up his steps and slowly walked towards her. He reached behind her as his arm could not help but slide around her shoulders. Then, he followed her gaze up towards the bright and dazzling night sky.

 Chapter 886 - Anniversary (3)

    <h4>Chapter 886: Anniversary (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she felt the warmth on her shoulders, she turned and looked to him and said in a light tone that contained a hint of tenderness, ¡°Happy Wedding Anniversary, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°Wedding anniversary?¡±

    He was stunned. In a daze, he recalled that this timest year, they did have a wedding abroad. He immediately chuckled to say, ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to count our anniversary from the day we registered our marriage?¡±

    ¡°But to me, this is the one that counts.¡±

    She smiled at him, then turned to look at the night sky and asked calmly, ¡°Do you like it? This is my present to you. I didn¡¯t know what to give you or what you¡¯d cherish.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a pretty woman like you? But since it¡¯s a present from you, Missus, I¡¯d like them all.¡± His soft and gentle voice gently brushed past her ear, sounding delightful to her. She could not help but reach out to pull at the hem of his shirt.

    Then, he heard her say, ¡°For a very long time now, I¡¯ve wanted to be like this and to remember this moment, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°If you like, I¡¯ll give you a show every year.¡±

    ¡°No need. I just have to remember it once just like you right now.¡± When she said this, she suddenly turned and looked up earnestly at him to say sincerely, ¡°My whole heart is for you, Chen. It¡¯s irreceable.¡±

    Her words were like a warmth that flowed into his heart, making his dark eyes sh with faint happiness. He quickly held her in his embrace and said in a deep voice, ¡°I know. Me too. I don¡¯t want anyone else but you.¡±

    When she heard that, her heart felt warmed. She said in a slightly raspy voice, ¡°Do you love me?¡± She just wanted to hear him say it. Even if she knew the answer, she wanted him to admit it before she felt at ease.

    Mu Yuchen was stunned. He met her eyes that were filled with hope beforeughing helplessly and nting a kiss on her forehead. With a chuckle, he dered, ¡°I will love you for the rest of my life.¡±

    Who else would he love if not her?

    ¡°But I want it to be a little longer. In the next lifetime and the next one after that, I want you to be by my side forever.¡± Her starry eyes were bright. When she said this, they became misty.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be yours, forever yours,¡± he answered naturally.

    Xi Xiaye never knew that the more they went on, the more she would want. Sometimes, she wished she could just hide him in her pocket and not let other women realize how great he was.

    ...

    Midnight came. The wind that drifted through the air became even cooler, and the entire city fell silent, but Imperial Sky Entertainment City remained very lively. People indulging in a life of luxury were feasting and pleasure-seeking. From time to time, luxury sports cars would drive past the entrance of Entertainment City. This ce was fated to have yet another sleepless night.

    When it was about 1 a.m. in the morning, after Mu Lingsha exined a few things to the other managers, she packed up and nned to leave work. She had just stepped out of the club when the valet had already driven her car over.

    ¡°Hello, Manager Mu! Here¡¯s your car!¡± the valet said respectfully when he went up to her.

    Mu Lingshi nodded. ¡°Alright, thanks! Bye!¡± Then, she got into her car and drove away.

    However, she did not realize that just as she drove out of Imperial Sky Entertainment City, on the road outside the Entertainment City was a ck car that had waited for a long time in the dark. They slowly followed after her.

    Mu Lingshi was also used to drive fast while listening to her CDs, along the way, she sted her music, and then fixed the sunsses on her, before speeding up.

    It was rather far from Imperial Sky Entertainment City to her and Ah Mo¡¯s ce. Even if she drove quickly with no traffic on the road, it would take her close to an hour. Past midnight, the traffic was not that busy, so Mu Lingshi liked driving home at such a time after work. With no traffic jam, she could experience another type of extreme enjoyment.

    However, when the car drove past two traffic lights, Mu Lingshi looked nonchntly to her side mirror, and unexpectedly noticed the ck car behind her. She immediately began to be alert and vaguely remembered that this car seemed to have been following her for quite a distance now.

    She pondered for a bit before slowing down and moving to the side at the next traffic light, yet just as she slowed down, the car behind her slowed down too.

    Now, Mu Lingshi felt that something was not quite right. Squinting her cold eyes, she just stopped her car and saw from her rearview mirror that the other car had slowlye to a stop too. Nevertheless, it still maintained a distance. Her gaze turned cold as she hesitated for a moment before she suddenly turned her steering wheel 360 degrees and quickly turned her car around, moving closer to the car behind her.

    She was not the only one who moved fast. Her car had just made a turn when the other car quickly turned around too. With a beautiful drift, it left and did not wait for Mu Lingshi to give pursuit.

    Mu Lingshi tried to take a closer look at the car number te when she realized that there was nothing on the te!

    She was probably being followed earlier.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s mind shed with this knowledge. She subconsciously tensed up as she watched the car that vanished into the distant night. After a while, she turned her car around in confusion. Of course, as expected, what met her was the traffic police on duty...

    At this moment, inside the car that had followed Mu Lingshi earlier.

    ¡°Bro Yong, we were almost caught earlier. That woman¡¯s too good. In such a situation, she actually dared to turn around!¡±

    The man who sat in the driver¡¯s seat wore a cap and turned to look at the man beside him who wore a cap and sunsses. He said with lingering fear, ¡°Good thing I reacted quick enough!¡±

    That person called Bro Yong scolded him sternly, ¡°I told you to follow her, but I didn¡¯t tell you to be so close, idiot!¡±

    The stern scolding made the man in the driver¡¯s seat shudder involuntarily. He held onto the steering wheel tightly and breathed in before he said softly, ¡°Yes, Bro Yong! I got it!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t even handle this little thing. If your identity gets exposed, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Bro Yong gave that man a cold look as he took out his phone and made a call.

    ¡°Hello? Boss, sorry, we were noticed...¡±

    ¡°Come back first.¡± There was an indifferent voice from the other line before the person hung up.

 Chapter 887 - Wedding (1)

    <h4>Chapter 887: Wedding (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi reached home with an apprehensive heart. She only rxed slightly when she saw Ah Mo in the living room.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so down?¡± Ah Mo came up to her and quickly noticed that something was not right. ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡±

    Mu Lingshi shook her head as she put her sunsses on the coffee table before sitting down on the sofa. Ah Mo quickly brought her a ss of water.

    She finished it and gave the ss back to him, hesitating for a moment before admitting, ¡°Ah Mo, I noticed that someone was following me on the way back, and I¡¯ve been having a feeling that someone was watching me in the dark for the past few days. I feel a little uneasy about it. Is something happening? Who are they?¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned to hear this news from Mu Lingshi. His eyes and expression darkened, and he instantly remembered Mu Yuchen¡¯s reminder.

    He had been too busy and had totally forgotten about it, so he did not talk about it. That was why...

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you have such a serious expression? Do you know who they are? I just find it strange. A lot of things have been weirdtely. Why would the pen that Brother auctioned be returned to me? I sent it to Brother and he said it was the exact same one he auctioned off. For some reason, I can feel somethinging and I don¡¯t feel good about it,¡± Mu Lingshi voiced out her worries to Ah Mo.

    He looked downwards and thought about what to say before he grabbed her shoulder and asked urgently, ¡°Then, how did you escape them?¡±

    ¡°I turned around and wanted to find out who they were, but it seemed like they didn¡¯t want me to know. They fled quickly the moment I turned around, but I still find this very strange. It didn¡¯t seem like they were going to harm me,¡± Mu Lingshi recalled.

    ¡°Master wanted to hire an agile bodyguard for you. I¡¯m sure he knows something¡¯s up. Maybe you should stay home for the time being. I¡¯ll get you a strong personal bodyguard.¡±

    ¡°A personal bodyguard? Did something happen?¡± Mu Lingshi was on alert as she looked at Ah Mo, waiting for an answer.

    Ah Mo nced at her. ¡°We can never be too careful. With you frequenting the night club all year long, it¡¯s nice to have someone beside you. I¡¯ll investigate what happened tonight. I just made supper. Let me go get some for you.¡± He got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes narrowed at Ah Mo who entered the kitchen. She had a lot of doubts and she could sense that Ah Mo was hiding something from her, or else he would not have avoided her gaze. Furthermore, his eyes seemed odd just now.

    However, Mu Lingshi did not ask anymore. She knew him way too well and would never be able to get him to talk if he did not want to.

    Mu Lingshi was sitting by the dining table when he came out with supper.

    ¡°Some time ago, when Brother came over, he asked me when we¡¯re getting married. What do you think?¡± Mu Lingshi threw him a sudden question.

    Because they were so used to each other, she was extremely straightforward with him.

    Ah Mo was obviously shaken up slightly, and there was visible hope in his eyes when he looked at her, but he suppressed his feelings and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you. I¡¯ll wait until you¡¯re ready.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was a little startled by his reply as well. After some hesitation, she said, ¡°You¡¯re going to wait? What if I¡¯m never ready?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep waiting then. I don¡¯t think marriage makes a lot of difference to us now anyway.¡± Ah Mo gave his honest reply. For some reason, his handsome face blushed, and he was avoiding Mu Lingshi¡¯s gaze.

    Stunned, Mu Lingshi studied his blushing face for a while before bursting intoughter. ¡°Mu Lingmo, has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re really bad at smooth-talking girls?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really have that much experience...¡± he quickly exined, his face turning even redder as he looked at her smile. Then, he stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and prepare the bathwater for you.¡±

    ¡°Stop right there! Sit down!¡± Mu Lingshi gave her orders.

    Ah Mo nced at her uneasily as he sat back down. She quickly finished the bowl of porridge before grabbing a tissue to clean her mouth. She then looked at him. ¡°I want to talk about us tonight.¡±

    Us...

    He clenched his hands and stared straight into her eyes.

    Mu Lingshi lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s been twenty over years. Thank you for always looking after me. Apart from Brother, you¡¯re the most respected and trusted person I have ever known. At the same time, I¡¯m d that you love me. I was very surprised when you first confessed to me since we¡¯ve been like this for many years, and...¡±

    ¡°Lingshi, actually it happened way before I confessed to you. When I was adopted by Grandfather from the orphanage, you were the first person to ept me genuinely with a smile. From that moment on, I made a promise to myself that I would protect you forever,¡± Ah Mo spoke up before Mu Lingshi could finish her sentence.

    Mu Lingshi smiled. ¡°Thank you, but I think I want to end our current rtionship...¡±

 Chapter 888 - Wedding (2)

    <h4>Chapter 888: Wedding (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    End their current rtionship?

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s words shocked Ah Mo. He felt heartbroken as he looked at Mu Lingshi quietly.

    She smiled as she noticed his expression turn pale, then she continued what she was about to say, ¡°Let¡¯s get married, Mu Lingmo. If you don¡¯t mind, let me be your bride.¡±

    Ah Mo was dumbfounded once again when he heard her. He almost could not believe what she just said. He just gaped at her and mumbled, ¡°Lingshi...what did you say just now? What did you...¡±

    Mu Lingshi gave the man a funny nce as he seemed like an excited child at the moment. She felt happiness swell deep inside him as she sniffled and repeated her words, ¡°I said, Mu Lingmo, let¡¯s get married. Let me be your bride if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Of course not! Of course, I¡¯ve never minded. You¡¯re the best woman in my mind, the perfect goddess!¡± Feeling rather worked up, Ah Mo got up, went around the table, and grabbed Mu Lingsh by the shoulders.

    Mu Lingshi felt a warmth bubble in her chest as she nodded and then extended her hand towards him. Ah Mo was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening. He quickly took the ring he wore around his neck off and slid it onto her ring finger.

    Mu Lingshi chuckled as he put the ring on. ¡°It really suits me. It looks beautiful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared this for you six years ago. I nned to propose to you after Master¡¯s wedding, but...¡± Ah Mo did not continue.

    Ever since they got back together, he did mention marriage before, but Mu Lingshi never gave a proper answer, so he simply waited for her to let go of her past and ept him.

    It was a long wait indeed!

    ¡°Thank you for your persistence. I¡¯m afraid that I might not be worthy.¡± Mu Lingshi looked at the ring and smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s worth it as long as it¡¯s you,¡± said Ah Mo as he grabbed her hand gently.

    Mu Lingshi looked downwards for a while before nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s get it done soon, and give our family a surprise. They¡¯ve been looking forward to it.¡±

    ¡°Sure, up to you.¡±

    ...

    At the same time, hidden amidst the dim lights of City Z, at one of the junctions towards City B, two ck cars were stopped by the roadside.

    A man with a cap came out from the back of one of the cars. He went beside the car in front as the window rolled down. Through the moonlight, the man could clearly see that the person inside was Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Boss, Mu Lingshi was alerted and we were found out very soon. I got the people to retreat in order to avoid getting exposed,¡± Ah Yong said cautiously.

    Gu Qiwu red at Ah Yong coldly. ¡°Your capabilities are getting worse.¡±

    Ah Yong bowed when he noticed Gu Qiwu¡¯s unhappy tone. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m sorry, Boss! Please dole out my punishment!¡±

    ¡°What good would it serve to punish you? I need capable subordinates. Do you understand?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone was cold, and Ah Yong¡¯s back was drenched with sweat.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    ¡°Have someone keep an eye on her. Don¡¯t get found out. Besides, contact Lingsha. I can stay over here for some time since South River Project No. 2 has been acquired. Tell her to see me on Tuesday afternoon,¡± Gu Qiwu ordered.

    ¡°Yes, Boss! What about Madam?¡± Ah Yong reminded, ¡°She called just now and asked me about what you¡¯ve been doingtely.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened. He replied momentster, ¡°Just tell her I¡¯m in City Z right now, and that I¡¯ll be bringing her gifts.¡±

    ¡°Tell her that you¡¯re in City Z? Boss...¡± Ah Yong hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea.¡±

    Gu Qiwu coughed lightly and said in a cold tone, ¡°Just tell her that. Do you think only we have people to keep watch? Tell everyone to be vignt. I don¡¯t want what happened to Qi Feng to happen again. Otherwise, you know my methods.¡±

    Ah Yong shuddered, ¡°Yes! I understand, boss! By the way, there¡¯s another news, I found out that person indeed contacted Qi Feng...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s really going against me now. Does he think I¡¯m as stupid as Qi Qiming? Send him an anonymous email and tell him to know his worth. He¡¯s still too young to y tricks with me.¡± Gu Qiwu put on a cold smile.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    ¡°Go back now.¡±

    The window rolled back up and the car left.

    ...

    Right after they decided to get married, Ah Mo was very worried that Mu Lingshi might change her decision. He prayed for the weekend to end quickly, and finally, on Monday they got registered at the Civil Affairs Bureau!

    The news of their marriage soon reached Mu Yuchen¡¯s ears. He was going through some documents when he heard about it from Li Si.

    ¡°Master, Chief Chen called over just now to congratte you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mu Yuchen did not even look up as he asked.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Ms. Lingshi and Ah Mo tell you?¡± Li Si was surprised. It was such a huge matter. Could it be...

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about their marriage. Chief Chen went for an inspection today and just so happened to see theming out of the station. He asked them and found out they got registered today!¡± Li Si answered.

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and looked at Li Si. He was definitely surprised. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°Call Ah Mo and tell him toe and see me.¡±

 Chapter 889 - Wedding (3)

    <h4>Chapter 889: Wedding (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo just arrived at thepany when Mu Yuchen summoned him. He quickly dropped by Mu Yuchen¡¯s office as soon as Li Si called him.

    ¡°Master, are you looking for me?¡± Ah Mo had a smile on his face, unlike his usual stern expression.

    Mu Yuchen leaned back against the chair and nced at him. He then spoke in a teasing tone, ¡°Did something good happen to you? Why don¡¯t you share with me?¡±

    Ah Mo lowered his head as his face blushed before he even started to reply, ¡°Master, Lingshi and I have something to tell everyone. Please call Missus over as well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grinned. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be all secretive with me. Chief Chen called and congratted me just now. Congrattions! You two are finally married.¡±

    ¡°Chief Chen?¡± Ah Mo was stunned for a moment but came back to his senses momentster.

    They bumped into Chief Chen outside of the Civil Affairs Bureau just now, and because of their names, the office handling their case thought they were siblings. Therefore, Chief Chen was involved after that. As he knew about the Mu family¡¯s circumstances, he settled it for them.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s already been done, it¡¯s time to prepare for the wedding. Come over to Maple Residence tonight. I¡¯ve told Sis Wang to prepare dinner. Father and Mother will being as well.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡±

    Ah Mo smiled humbly. ¡°Master?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Ah Mo. ¡°Ah Mo, remember that we¡¯re brothers. You¡¯re not my servant. Since you¡¯re already married to Lingshi, you should address me the same way as her.¡±

    Ah Mo took a pause as he gave Mu Yuchen a hesitant look.

    ¡°Lingshi is the daughter of Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong, and I¡¯m her brother. She¡¯s the treasure of the Mu family and Glory World¡¯s little princess. This fact will never change. Do you understand?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heavy tone surprised Ah Mo slightly who quickly understood what Mu Yuchen meant and nodded. ¡°Yes! I understand, Brother!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he put both his arms on the table and sped his fingers. ¡°However, your wedding might have to wait for a bit. Su Chen and Ji Zitong¡¯s wedding is on the 28th of this month.¡±

    ¡°Lingshi didn¡¯t really want to invite any outside guests. What she had in mind was to have all the family members to gather at a church to witness the ceremony, Mas...Brother. I respect her decision. Moreover, our identities are a little sensitive, so there¡¯s no point in making a huge deal out of it.¡± His eyes darkened slightly as he never forgot what Mu Lingshi mentioned to him that night.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    Just how sharp was Mu Yuchen? Ah Mo¡¯s reaction did not escape Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Mu Yuchen what happened to Mu Lingshi the other day.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent people to check on the security camera footage around Imperial Sky Entertainment City, and we found several suspicious images. I¡¯ve ordered further investigations, but there¡¯s no news yet.¡± Ah Mo¡¯s smile disappeared when he was talked about it. Then, he handed the photos to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and took a few nces at the photos. His eyes darkened before he put the photos back onto the table and leaned back in the chair. ¡°There¡¯s no need to investigate. I know him. He¡¯s Gu Qiwu¡¯s assistant, Ah Yong.¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu?¡± Ah Mo was startled when he heard that name, so he gave Mu Yuchen a confused nce.

    Mu Yuchen was buried deep in thought. After a while, he said, ¡°He¡¯s not going to harm Lingshi. He should be trying to protect her instead. It seems like Lingshi¡¯s identity will be revealed sooner orter, so we should be prepared and circumvent what can be avoided.¡±

    ¡°Master...Brother, you¡¯re worried that...¡± Ah Mo tried to find out what was he thinking.

    ¡°Our parents and grandparents care about reputation a great deal. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d be happy that our aunt bore such a past. It¡¯ll put both Lingtian and Lingshi in a bad spot as well. Moreover, Gu Qiwu¡¯s wife, Doris...that¡¯s someone we need to be wary of. There¡¯s no way she¡¯s just an innocent woman when she could make Gu Qiwu marry her and give her family a huge amount of betrothal gifts.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then grinned, his eyes appearing sharp. ¡°I suppose Gu Qiwu had it rough all these years.¡±

    Ah Mo was totally confused by Mu Yuchen.

    Doris?

    Gu Qiwu?

    What did he mean by that?

    ¡°Brother, you mean...¡± Ah Mo asked quietly.

    Mu Yuchen did not exin and asked a question instead, ¡°I asked you to get Lingshi an agile bodyguard. Have you found one?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still observing. It¡¯ll be assigned in a few days,¡± Ah Mo replied.

    ¡°Alright, you can go back to work for now. Also, you better be nicer to Lingshi now that you¡¯re married.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Brother, I will!¡± Ah Mo nodded and then left the room.

    ...

    Su Chen left for around ten days. Ji Zitong went to work as usual during this period of time. Worried that she would not be used to staying alone, he called Xie Jiajia and Su Yu to go over and take a look at her whenever they were free. The two of them visited her almost every day, and they would take turns each day, making Ji Zitong feel very happy about it.

    When she arrived home that night, there was some food left in the pot and Su Yu¡¯s note was pasted on the table, reminding her to eat on time and go to bed earlier.

    As Ji Zitong was about to eat, her phone started ringing. She did not need to check and already knew who was calling.

    For the past ten days, at this exact time, a certain someone in another city would call her, and it would mostly be just her listening to him talk!

 Chapter 890 - Lovesick

    <h4>Chapter 890: Lovesick</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong stared at that flickering phone screen for close to half a minute before she frowned and picked it up. She had just answered when Su Chen¡¯s deep, annoyed voice came from the other end. ¡°Why did you take so long to pick up? It¡¯ste. Aren¡¯t you home yet? It¡¯s already past 8 p.m. Ji Zitong, how many times have I told you, you can just finish work at 6. It¡¯s not safe for a lone woman like you be outte at night, especially when I¡¯m not around. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    Before Ji Zitong could reply, Su Chen began to release everything he wanted to say everything at a go. She never knew that he could speak this much. In fact, he seemed to be bing more and more like a butler, quite like the typical male chauvinist.

    As Ji Zitong listened, she instantly frowned. When he finished, she answered calmly, ¡°Su Chen, repeat what you just said again.¡±

    When she made that request, Su Chen seemed to have realized something, so he fell silent for a moment, then exined in his deep voice, ¡°Missus Su, I¡¯m just...I don¡¯t want to control you. I¡¯m just worried that you won¡¯t be safe. A few days ago, the city¡¯s public security bureau just set up a special investigation team to investigate the serial murder cases of young girls. They haven¡¯t been solved yet, so I¡¯m worried.¡±

    Ji Zitong reacted quite quickly and somehow managed to say, ¡°Chief Su, did you not watch the news yesterday? The murder has already been caught by the policest night. In fact, there aren¡¯t any secluded spots between the house and my shop. The security in our vi area is doing well, so what are you worried about? I¡¯m home right now. Your sister came over to make me dinner today, and I¡¯m eating it now.¡± Her brows were practically furrowed into a knot as she could not quite digest this man¡¯s concern.

    Su Chen was standing underneath a streetlight in another city as he called Ji Zitong at the moment. As he watched his long shadow, he spoke to her, ¡°The murderer was caught? How did I not hear about it? Is it raining back home?¡±

    ¡°Nah, the weather¡¯s been really good these past few days. It¡¯s just been a little hot and stuffy.¡±

    Ji Zitong just turned on the loudspeaker on her phone, and then put it aside. After that, she picked up her chopsticks and began eating.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that so? The weather¡¯s been really good on my end too. Tonight¡¯s moon is really round and bright, but it looks just a tad bit smaller than it does from City Z...¡±

    Su Chen was not even looking toward the sky, but he began to just spew lies while his secretary, Xiao He, began to put his hand to his forehead as he could not help but wail on the inside, ¡®Oh dear Chief Su, it¡¯s third of the month. Won¡¯t you look up at the sky and see if the moon is brought and round? You clearly knew that the weather has been sunny here. Why did you ask whether it was raining on Sis-inw¡¯s end?¡¯

    What an odd imagination!

    Did everyone in love have such IQ and EQ?

    Secretary He was crying on the inside. He had only gone over a few days ago, and in thosest few days, he had to suffer Chief Su¡¯s nonsense that made his hair stand.

    Ji Zitong ignored him. She felt like ever since that thing happened, Su Chen began to act abnormally.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± she just answered briefly and began to swallow her food before asking, ¡°It¡¯s already been more than ten days. Roughly when will you be back?¡±

    ¡°In a few more days. I should be able to go home this weekend. Right, the wedding dress will probably be ready in the next two days. Remember to try it out at Sister¡¯s ce when it¡¯s done. We can alter it if it¡¯s not suitable. You can also ry your requests for the wedding to Sister and the rest,¡± Su Chen answered as he put one hand on the streetlight pole.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any requests. I just want it to be simple. I don¡¯t have that many friends and family on my end. Apart from my parents, it will just be those from the martial arts center and some neighbors, so just a simple reception is fine. We aren¡¯t usually that close anyway.¡±

    Ji Zitong was someone who hated hassle. If it were not for wanting to make Su Chen¡¯s end happy, she would have just rejected this wedding. Even though all those wedding dresses and fancy bouquets were things to yearn for, they were quite exhausting too. If she could, she would much rather have a destination wedding, but sadly with Su Chen¡¯s identity, this idea clearly would not work, so she never brought it up.

    ¡°Right, let me tell you something. This morning, Li Si sent me an invitation. Manager Ah Mo and Miss Lingshi have registered their marriage, and they¡¯re nning to have a simple wedding this weekend. They¡¯ve invited us to join. See if you can make it back in time for that.¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s mind shed with a reminder about what Li Si hade to the store for that morning.

    When Ji Zitong updated him with that piece of news, Su Chen was stunned. He said in surprise, ¡°Ah Mo and Lingshi? It¡¯s done?¡±

    Ji Zitong thought Su Chen was asking her, so she nodded and replied, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m sure it is given the invitation.¡±

    ¡°Nice one. The other day, Zimo and I were just talking about how they¡¯ve been on this long journey for more than 10 years now. Well, it¡¯s finallye to fruition. Bloody hell, why didn¡¯t this bastard Ah Chen send me a message? I was worried about them. A few days ago, I was telling my sister to help urge Lingshi. I guess I was worried for nothing!¡±

    When he thought about it, Su Chen could not help but curse Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Chairman Mu¡¯s probably busy with this too as long as Li Si sent the invitation over to him,¡± Ji Zitong said calmly.

    Su Chen then sighed and said with a deep voice, ¡°Mmm, I know. Since they got married, that¡¯s a great thing. I¡¯ll prepare the gift and definitely rush back in time for the weekend. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s such an important asion. Of course, I won¡¯t miss it. Oh, right, best man...great. You have dinner first. I¡¯ll call Ah Chen to ask him about it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, take care of yourself. Return soon,¡± Ji Zitong said before she hung up.

    She set aside her phone with the dimming screen as she nced down at the dishes before her. She paused for a while before picking up her chopsticks and silently continued eating her food.

    Meanwhile, on the other end, Su Chen stared at the phone that had dimmed for a long while, his dark brows furrowing into a knot. He did not say he wanted to hang up. He was just saying that he would call Mu Yuchenter. Who told her to hang up? He was not finished!

    He hesitated for a moment, and actually wanted to call her once again, but after pondering for a bit, he decided to forget it because she was like that the past few times too. Towards the end of the call, she would lose interest and just hang up.

    Well, he actually wanted to also ask her if she missed him, but he could not bring himself to say it.

 Chapter 891 - Father and Daughter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 891: Father and Daughter (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He looked down at the phone in his hand for a long while before Secretary He softly reminded from the side, ¡°Chief Su, it¡¯ste. Let¡¯s return to the hotel. Chief Zhang will being over for tea with you, so it¡¯s good to be there where he can find you.¡±

    Secretary He¡¯s voice brought Su Chen¡¯s thoughts back to reality. When he thought about how he was dazed earlier, he could not help but knock his own head in annoyance with himself. Since when had he actually been this frustrated over a woman?

    As he worked hard to block the frustration in his head, Su Chen inhaled deeply, and then returned to normal. He kept his phone away in his pocket before turning around to look to Secretary He. ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    Secretary He took a look at his wrist and responded, ¡°Chief Su, it¡¯s 8.30 p.m. Chief Zhang asked to meet at 9 p.m., so it should be about time to return to the hotel.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Su Chen nodded and walked ahead as he said, ¡°Try to arrange for everything in thest three days. By Friday night we have to finish all the tasks and return to City Z.¡±

    Secretary He obviously knew that Su Chen said that because he wanted to go back earlier to help with the wedding preparation. It was no wonder that Chief Su had not been at ease since those who are about to get married mostly found it hard to stay calm.

    ¡°Chief Su, do you want to bring back some gifts for Sis-inw? They usually like it when their husbands bring them back something when they¡¯re away for work. If you get a gift for her, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy that you were still thinking of her while being away at work!¡±

    Secretary He usually had some interaction with the secretaries of other leaders, so he was quite smooth and slick in dealing with such things.

    When Su Chen heard hisment, he turned around and squinted at Sectetary He with a serious expression. ¡°You¡¯re only quick with the nonsensical ideas. Do I look like the kind of man who needs to curry favor with his own wife? Your sis-inw isn¡¯t that kind of little woman!¡±

    Secretary He just smiled and cleared his throat. Naturally, he dared not expose Su Chen, so he only silently followed behind him as he walked ahead.

    He took a few steps before Su Chen suddenly slowed down and turned to ask, ¡°Can you go find out to see if there are any jewelry stores around? I remember that there¡¯s a Hua Tian Premium Outlet ahead, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    Secretary He answered affirmatively, ¡°Yes, Chief Su, that ce has a dazzling line-up of products. Every one of them is exquisite. Last night, I walked around and bought my wife a pair of earrings...¡±

    The things the outlet sold were too expensive. Given his meager pay as an office-bearer, that was already half a month¡¯s sry, but if it made his wife happy, it was worth it!

    Su Chen pondered and paused, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look tomorrow.¡± He continued walking ahead.

    ...

    The blistering hot summer quietly ended with the morning sun sizzling on the sidewalk. Men and women were rushing past in clothing that kept them cool and refreshed. When the unending flow of cars crossed paths at the traffic light, there would always be a long queue, especially after work hours.

    At the gateway towards a certain beautiful manor in the suburbs of City Z, Gu Lingsha was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, and watching the congestion ahead frustratedly. A few minutes had passed, but the jam barely moved at all. ncing at the time on her wrist from time to time, she felt like the more she looked, the more frustrated she was.

    She tried hard to calm down. After a while, the traffic finally moved, so she started her car. She drove through the wide Fatong Avenue and along the cement byway before reaching a quiet and elegant little manor.

    She had just gotten down from the car when the butler that had been waiting at the door came up to her. He respectfully bowed to her and smiled to greet, ¡°Miss Lingsha, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Gu Lingsha smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Uncle Fang, you look like you¡¯ve be younger.¡±

    ¡°Miss Lingsha, you must be joking. Quicklye in. The sun¡¯s blistering outside.¡± The butler beamed and let her in.

    She nodded politely and walked in with the butler following suit as he continued, ¡°Miss Lingsha, you and the boss haven¡¯t been back in a while. Last time, when I heard that you¡¯d be returning to City Z to work, I thought you¡¯d stay here, but you didn¡¯t, so we were all disappointed for a while.¡±

    This manor was left behind by Gu Qiwu¡¯s mother, who was Gu Lingsha¡¯s grandmother. The Gu family¡¯s Elder Madam had passed away for many years now. The reason Gu Lingsha had stayed in City Z to study years ago, growing up with Qi Lei and Qi Feng, was because Gu Qiwu thought she would miss her granddaughter, so he let Gu Lingsha stay by her side.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Fang. I¡¯lle back more often. All these years, I¡¯ve been missing Grandmother too. Unexpectedly, when she passed away, I was...¡± When Gu Lingsha said this, she suddenly stopped and looked up at this manor as a faint light flickered in her eyes. There was also a hint of sadness between her brows.

    ¡°Miss Lingsha, don¡¯t be sad. The Elder Madam left peacefully. She already knew that you are fine, so there was nothing she couldn¡¯t let go of. She only hoped for you to live well. That¡¯s all.¡±

    Butler Fang had been at this manor for over 20 years now and was the most trustworthy butler of Elder Madam Gu before she passed on.

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath, her azure eyes glimmering with sparkles. She looked up at the scenery before her, and after a while, she blinked before speaking with a slight raspy voice, ¡°After I returned, I should¡¯vee back to take a look, but I didn¡¯t daree back. I was afraid to see Grandmother not being around anymore. Looking at this empty house, I feel like crying...Who would¡¯ve thought that in just the blink of an eye, everything would remain but the people would¡¯ve changed?¡±

    At this moment, Butler Fang hid his turbulent feelings and regret as he said to Gu Lingsha, ¡°Who says so? Sigh, okay, Miss Lingsha, don¡¯t be sad now. Elder Madam¡¯s already passed on for many years. Juste back more often from now on. There are still memories that she¡¯s left behind. Boss is by the flower wall in the backyard. Go quickly. He¡¯s been waiting for you for quite a while now.¡±

    Gu Lingsha silently looked away and lowered her gaze with a slightly bleak expression. She responded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go up now. Oh yes, there are some little gifts here that I prepared for everyone. Give it out to them and tell them that I¡¯ve missed everyone all these years.¡±

 Chapter 892 - Father and Daughter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 892: Father and Daughter (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Gu Lingsha said that, she handed therge bag in her hand to Butler Fang who was stunned for a moment. Then, he reached out to take it before he smiled a little wistfully, ¡°Thank you, Miss, for remembering these things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always adored everyone. Alright now, I¡¯ll go on first.¡±

    Then, Gu Lingsha walked unhurriedly inside.

    At this moment, at the flower wall in the backyard, the refreshing wind gently hummed past, filling the air faintly with the blend of floral fragrance.

    Gu Qiwu was lying on the rattan chair while flipping through a newspaper as his subordinate Ah Yong stood aside quietly.

    When he heard the sound of footsteps from the winding corridor, Ah Yong turned to look vigntly. The moment Gu Lingsha¡¯s exquisite beauty greeted his sight, he quickly turned around, walked up and whispered softly to Gu Qiwu, ¡°Boss, Miss Lingsha¡¯s back.¡±

    Gu Qiwu flipped a page and responded indifferently, ¡°Mmm, you go down first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    Without daring to hesitate, Ah Yong bowed and then retreated towards the other end of the corridor.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s footsteps slowly became closer until she reached behind Gu Qiwu. She stopped and smiled to greet respectfully and politely, ¡°Father!¡±

    As her crisp voice fell, Gu Qiwu looked up from his newspaper in an instant. Turning to look at Gu Lingsha, his grave face revealed the rare smile of a loving father. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s slender figure walked over as she reached out to put a hand on Gu Qiwu¡¯s shoulders, considerately and obediently massaging Gu Qiwu. She responded, ¡°Knowing that you¡¯re around, of course, I had toe back to visit. Before this, it was always just me, so I was a little afraid ofing back alone because I¡¯d always think of Grandmother.¡±

    When Gu Qiwu heard her reply, his eyes dimmed slightly, then he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years now. It¡¯s not wrong toe home and visit, especially if you really have the heart. After all, your grandmother loved you the most.¡±

    Gu Lingsha stiffened, but she quickly rxed and quietly answered, ¡°Yes, I know, Father.¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked tired as he spoke and put away the newspaper in his hand, ¡°How¡¯s working along recently? The two managers have roughly exined to me about South River Project No. 2, so I¡¯m clear of the situation. This project should also go with you and your mother¡¯s wishes, thus I¡¯ll let you decide how to do it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father, thank you for your support! You love me the most, unlike mother. She only knows how to limit me.¡± Gu Lingsha could not help butin a little.

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s just worried about you. If you don¡¯t go home to visit often, she might being to City Z to visit you in a few days. I¡¯ve seen your Uncle Qi the other day too. When Qi Feng¡¯s back, shouldn¡¯t you and him be thinking about your wedding? Weiwei¡¯s old enough now, so she should go to school when she returns. Recently, the doctor said that her situation¡¯s improved a lot. We can¡¯t always make her feel like she¡¯s different from other children. Besides, Mu Lingtian¡¯s been dead for many years now. Even if you two feel guilty towards him, it¡¯s been so long,¡± Gu Qiwu said in a sincere and earnest tone.

    As he said that, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Gu Lingsha with a glum expression. ¡°Are you still ming me for not rescuing Mu Lingtian years ago?¡±

    Gu Lingsha quickly shook her head. In an instant, she looked sad and pale as pain shed in her blue eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t me you, Father. Back then when he was protecting me, I knew he wouldn¡¯t make it. He exchanged his life for mine and Weiwei¡¯s. In fact, Qi Feng also agreed that Weiwei would be his daughter from hereon, so Weiwei has two fathers. One is Qi Feng, and the other is Mu Lingtian. When Weiwei used to look at Lingtian¡¯s pictures, she¡¯d always say that she was so lucky to have such a handsome father. Sadly, Weiwei¡¯s situation is sometimes good, sometimes unfortunate...¡±

    After that, she suddenly could not speak as she choked on her sobs.

    ¡°Alright, since you know that¡¯s the case, then he should feel d too. Qi Feng¡¯s a pretty good guy since he¡¯s principled and knows how to repay a deed, but he¡¯s Weiwei¡¯s real father, so you should also care about his feelings too. As for Qi Qiming, he¡¯s long considered himself Weiwei¡¯s grandfather. Even though his legs aren¡¯t very agile now, he¡¯s really kind to you. In the future, it won¡¯t be too easy for him to step in and handle Qi Kai, so you¡¯ll need to hold things up. Without a clear identity, it won¡¯t be easy for you to exin to those shareholders,¡± Gu Qiwu incisively analyze as he looked to Gu Lingsha, ¡°Also, as for the things between you and Qi Lei, you have to watch your words and actions, especially in front of him. The ident from six years ago took a huge blow on him. I¡¯m a man too. In such a situation, he¡¯s be emotionally dependent on you. Therefore, you have to be more vignt. Don¡¯t act too concerned about Qi Lei or other men in front of him. Otherwise, if anything happens, you¡¯ll need to handle it yourself. I¡¯m sure you know this very well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father, I understand! Qi Feng trusts me very much, and I sincerely would never leave him. He knows that. I¡¯m just worried that Qi Lei will ruin things. Ever since Wang Qin passed away, he¡¯s changed, even towards me. He¡¯s been very cold. Thest time I went to his house, I wanted to advise him to forgive Uncle Qi, hoping that the two of them could reconcile, but unexpectedly Qi Lei hates him to the bones. I can tell that Wang Qin¡¯s death took a huge toll on him. I¡¯m really worried and I feel sad for him.¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not hide her grave concern. She hesitated before continuing, ¡°Father, Qi Lei...seems to have fallen for Xi Xiaye. In fact, he¡¯s very close to Mu Yuchen... If we could...achieve three things at one go...¡±

    ¡°LIngsha, don¡¯t interfere in matters with Mu Yuchen. Do you think I don¡¯t know that it was you who did that at Mu Yuchen¡¯s wedding banquetst year? If I didn¡¯t deal with the aftermath, Mu Yuchen would¡¯ve known that it was you. Just do what you should do. Without full confidence, don¡¯t even think about those things.¡±

    When this was brought up, Gu Qiwu was a little irritated. Along with Qi Feng, he had taken on all these burdens for them!

    ¡°Father!¡± Gu Lingsha could easily read his bodynguage. From Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone, she could hear his annoyance, so she then calmed down. ¡°I got it.¡±

    Gu Qiwu took a look at Gu Lingsha as he reached out to take the ss of water aside to drink a sip. Then, he asked nonchntly, ¡°Did your mother ask about...the South River Project recently?¡±

 Chapter 893 - Father and Daughter (3)

    <h4>Chapter 893: Father and Daughter (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Qiwu then gave Gu Lingsha a ss of water.

    She stopped what she was doing and sat down in the empty seat beside Gu Qiwu. Then, she grabbed the ss of water and took several sips from it before replying, ¡°Not really. Don¡¯t you know how Mother is? She never really cares about that, and I¡¯m sure you know she¡¯s quite indifferent towards most things. She only cares about you.¡±

    She could not help but tease him further, ¡°She only has her eyes on you, Father. Even I don¡¯t matter much to her. She always calls me to talk about you.¡±

    ¡°What did she say about me?¡± Gu Qiwu squinted his eyes at Gu Lingsha, a rare, gentle smile appearing on his face.

    ¡°She said you only have time for work and no time for her!¡± Gu Lingsha giggled.

    Gu Qiwuughed as well. ¡°It¡¯s been almost 30 years, yet your mother is still like a little girl. How could things still be the same when we¡¯ve been married for so many years? Please talk to her more if you have the time. Tell her not to travel so frequently as I¡¯m worried about her health. There¡¯s not much to do in City Z, so what¡¯s the point ofing over?¡±

    ¡°I get it, Father! I¡¯ll find some time to talk to her. Don¡¯t always be so worried about Mother as if you¡¯re going to lock her up in a safe!¡± Gu Lingshaughed.

    The smile on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face made him look like he was a model husband.

    ...

    It was pretty lively around the Mu residence these few days. Even though Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi nned to keep their wedding simple, many people with close ties to the Mu family still sent gifts over like the Su and Zhou families. Even Shen Yue prepared a gift for Xi Xiaye to bring over as well.

    Outside Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi¡¯s private vi, a ck Porsche soon arrived.

    Xi Xiaye got out of the car. She wore a long blue dress today, and her long hair was tied into a bun. She looked entirely fresh and young.

    The door to the front passenger seat opened as well, and Mu Yuchen got down.

    Unlike his usual ck suit, he wore a more casual outfit today. It was a ck shirt paired with casual cks. He left his cor open, so the pendant Xi Xiaye gave him was visible. He was holding Mu Xiaocheng in his arm with a milk bottle in his other hand. Meanwhile, Mu Zirui was right behind him holding a bag full of Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s things.

    ¡°Father, here¡¯s Brother¡¯s handkerchief!¡± Mu Zirui quickly grabbed a clean handkerchief from the bag and handed it to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Xiaocheng frequently drooled since he was four months old, so Mu Yuchen¡¯s chest area had a small damp spot on it in just a while.

    Mu Yuchen took it and exchanged it with the already wet handkerchief he was holding. He dabbed Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s mouth as he nced at his wife. ¡°Is he growing teeth already? Just how much is he going to eat if he¡¯s beginning to grow teeth at merely four months old?¡±

    Xi Xiaye stared at him, then looked at Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cute little face and poked his cheeks. ¡°There¡¯s no way it¡¯s that fast. It¡¯s usually several monthster. Am I right, my son?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng giggled as he put an arm around Mu Yuchen¡¯s neck while extending the other arm towards Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Should we bring him to the hospital for a check-up?¡± Mu Yuchen nced at Mu Xiaocheng.

    ¡°It¡¯s normal. Let¡¯s ask Mother first before doing so. Let¡¯s head in for now. Come on, Xiao Rui. Hold my hand!¡± Xi Xiaye pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s face again, and he giggled as he waved his little hands around. She grinned as she grabbed Mu Zirui¡¯s hand.

    The four of them walked into the vi.

    ¡°Master, Missus, and our two Young Masters are here!¡±

    The butler came to greet them as they just entered the house. He took the bag from Mu Zirui¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Mmm, is Grandmother here as well?¡±

    It was just a few days away from Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo¡¯s wedding, so everyone was busy working on it by decorating their room and making some preparations for the wedding ceremony. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye dropped by to have lunch and take a look at the progress of their preparations.

    ¡°Elder Madam has been here since this morning. She¡¯s so busy that she doesn¡¯t even have the time to rest.¡±

    The butler was an old, experienced servant from the Mu residence. He was also a very kind and agile person.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye traded nces with each other. They smiled and then continued walking forward.

    ¡°Master, let me carry Young Master for you.¡± Aunt Lin caught up with them.

    Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were staying over at the Mu residence since this ce was under renovation, and Wang Hui was taking care of their arrangements.

    ...

    ¡°It finally happened! We have to at least redecorate their house. Your grandfather and I have been looking forward to this day since forever.¡± Wang Hui came down from upstairs as she felt a little ache around her waist.

    Xi Xiaye quickly went up to Wang Hui and helped her down, but Wang Hui waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just feel a little tired after standing for the whole morning. Things were almostpletedst night, so I came over here today to take a look. I called you guys over because your parents areing as well. We¡¯ll discuss and see if we left anything out.¡±

    ¡°Mother called and told us that. Where¡¯s Ah Mo and Lingshi?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she got Wang Hui a ss of water.

    ¡°They went to take their wedding pictures this morning. They should be busy now. Where¡¯s Ah Chen?¡±

    ¡°He went to the backyard with Xiao Rui. Grandmother, you should sit down and take a break. Mu Yuchen has some free timetely, so just ask him toe and supervise. He knows what Ah Mo and Ah Shi like anyway.¡± Xi Xiaye brought Wang Hui over to the sofa and handed her a clean tissue paper.

 Chapter 894 - Wedding (1)

    <h4>Chapter 894: Wedding (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Hu finished the ss of water and took the tissue paper from Xi Xiaye to wipe off her sweat. ¡°You two are already busy enough. Let us do what we can. We don¡¯t want to add on to your burden.¡±

    Wang Hui sighed as a joyous light filled up her eyes. ¡°I really doted on both Ah Mo and Lingshi since they were still children. There are a lot of things I don¡¯t want to remember, but the truth is that their past is tragic. One lost his parents since he was born, the other one...¡±

    She suddenly stopped talking.

    Xi Xiaye noticed the pain in her eyes, so she put her hand on top of Wang Hui¡¯s. ¡°Grandmother, let the past stay in the past. It¡¯s not worth mentioning now. We¡¯re finally having brighter days ahead. You¡¯d better hope Ah Shi and Ah Mo get you another great-grandchild to y with.¡±

    Wang Hui nodded. ¡°True enough! No point struggling about the past now! We¡¯ve been fine all these years anyway! Xiaye, you¡¯re their sister-inw, so please take care of them. While Ah Shi is pretty stubborn, I realize that she takes your advice really well, and so does Ah Mo. You guys have to help each other out.¡±

    ¡°I get it, Grandmother. They¡¯ll be happy together. Mu Yuchen also decided to let Ah Mo take over my previous position once they are married. As for Ah Shi, working in the night club won¡¯t be appropriate anymore, so she¡¯ll be the branch manager for Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Then, they¡¯ll be working together.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t interfere with their work arrangements, but could Lingshi have an easy job like Su Yu so that she can have more time toe back home?¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood what she meant instantly and she smiled. ¡°They frequently visit home anyway. If you want, you¡¯re always wee to stay over anytime. Alright, I¡¯ll go take a look in the kitchen.¡±

    ...

    In the backyard, Mu Tangchuan and Mu Yuchen were looking at the scenery outside as they stood on the balcony.

    The two of them kept quiet the whole time. Mu Tangchuan broke the silence first, his gentle eyes turning hard slightly as he asked his son beside him, ¡°The results came out some time ago, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°If you already know, there¡¯s no point asking.¡± Mu Yuchen rested his arms on the railings as he replied, ¡°I suppose you had your doubts a long time ago, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯m sure you guessed this oue, but you just wanted to ignore the possibility of it.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. Ah Chen, whether you believe me or not, I just realized that the person was no ordinary man, and your aunt didn¡¯t want anyone to know. I¡¯m sure she has her reasons. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t press the issue.¡± Mu Tangchuan gave Mu Yuchen a genuine nce. ¡°I know you met Gu Qiwu some time back. In addition to your visit to City B, I sort of guessed the results. I just want you to tell me. Is it really him?¡±

    Mu Yuchen heart sank a little when he heard his father¡¯s question. He closed his eyes for a moment and then continued looking at the scenery before him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter. Just leave it be.¡±

    ¡°However, you know we can¡¯t just leave it be if the answer is yes, can you?¡± Mu Tangchuan nced at Mu Yuchen and put on a smile. ¡°We¡¯re father and son. Our personalities are simr to a certain extent, so I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°Then, why do you have to ask? Do you not trust me?¡± Mu Yuchen turned over and looked into Mu Tangchuan¡¯s eyes, ¡°To be honest, I feel helpless because I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re going to do. There¡¯s nothing I can do. I met Gu Qiwu, and he told me the reason he did it is for protection. Do you believe him?¡±

    Mu Yuchen asked Mu Tangchuan, but before he could reply, Mu Yuchen continued, ¡°Staying behind and protecting them might not be the best idea, and I always believe that we can¡¯t keep it a secret forever. I want to get back for Lingshi, but I don¡¯t want to tarnish Aunt¡¯s reputation as well.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Mu Tangchuan squinted at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I need a chance, one chance to seize the initiative before anything changes drastically.¡± A sharp light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. ¡°At the very least, Lingshi won¡¯t be the only one bearing this burden alone.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan was stunned for a moment before he nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t be in the way since you have a n, but you need to understand that you¡¯re not the only one who can bear the burden. Lingshi has the right to know, so you should tell her.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°Although the result is surprising and shocking, it¡¯s a fact.¡± Mu Tangchuan¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. ¡°Gu Qiwu, it¡¯s about time for payback.¡±

    ¡°He has huge ambition. Aunt could just be another chess piece in his mind. I¡¯m sure you know him better than I do.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your mother and I both decided to venture into politics. The Gu family had ns to work with us, but there was no chance for them to do so. Then came the marriage contract with Gu Lingsha. They probably thought you¡¯d stay in the army. I¡¯m afraid Gu Lingsha is just another chess piece of his as well. Being too ambitious might not be beneficial, Ah Chen. You need to be a virtuous person. Remember what I said today.¡± Mu Tangchuan gave Mu Yuchen a serious look.

 Chapter 895 - Wedding (2)

    <h4>Chapter 895: Wedding (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head humbly as he carved his father¡¯s words on his heart.

    In his memories, his father rarely spoke to him in a serious manner as he did right now. He was always gentle and kind, but Mu Yuchen remembered that his father was also a calm and sharp person.

    How else could the Mu family be so sessful in the political scene without any prior backup?

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that, Father.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nodded. ¡°I had people conduct a secret investigation on something. I¡¯m putting in the effort too while you¡¯re working hard. You¡¯re my son and I¡¯m your father, so it¡¯s only normal for a father to protect the son. So many years have gone by, and I¡¯m getting old. There are things I used to find important, but they aren¡¯t as important as you guys now.¡±

    ¡°Father...¡± Mu Yuchen gave Mu Tangchuan a surprised look. He was not expecting him to say something like that. Actually, ever since he was arrested for a period of time, he started to notice Mu Tangchuan change although he was not sure exactly what was different.

    As he was about to ask something, Mu Tangchuan already walked back into the corridor. Mu Yuchen noticed that his frail back did not look as strong as it once seemed.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen then remembered what Mu Tangchuan said.

    <i>I¡¯m getting old...</i>

    <i>There are things I used to find important, but they aren¡¯t as important now...</i>

    Mu Yuchen was deep in thought until he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and quickly turned around to see his wife looking at him with bloodshot eyes. She also had tissue in her hands.

    She sniffled and wiped off her tears. ¡°This is so sad. I never realized this was such a touching film...¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at the television screen and realized it was ying the film ¡®Titanic¡¯.

    He put a hand on his forehead while bringing her closer with the other arm tofort her, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were made out of water. You cry so easily. These stories are made up to make you cry...Argh, it¡¯s quite touching. I¡¯m really touched!¡±

    Mu Yuchen endured the pain on his arm and lied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t watch this kind of film the next time. Watch aedy.¡± He picked up the remote control and changed the TV channel.

    ¡°I¡¯m not done watching yet. What are you...mmm...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye wanted to take back the remote control, he kissed her lips and stopped her from talking. She then quickly grabbed a pillow and put it between them just as he was about to take advantage of her.

    ¡°You smoked just now!¡± She red at him.

    ¡°I only smoke once a week. Come here!¡± He grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

    ¡°No!¡± She gave him a disgusted stare.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s up to you to say no right now? You surely didn¡¯t behave like this the night before yesterday.¡±

    He held her close with a smile on his face. Soon, he was on top of her and his kissesnded urately.

    Xi Xiaye frowned.

    <i>What a shameless person! How can he say such words without feeling embarrassed at all?</i>

    After several minutes, she pushed him away as she panted. ¡°What were you thinking? You seemed a little odd ever since we came back from Ah Mo¡¯s ce,¡± she finally asked.

    He moved away from her and tidied her crumpled shirt. He then spoke in a casual tone, ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m just thinking of something. Father already knows about the rtionship between Gu Qiwu and Lingshi, so I¡¯m sure Mother knows as well. I don¡¯t really have an idea of what to do now.¡±

    He did not hide it from her. He was more than willing to tell her since she asked because he did not want to keep any secrets from her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face froze for a moment as she stared at him. ¡°I told you people would find out sooner orter. Hiding it isn¡¯t a good idea. We might as well figure out how to face it since we can¡¯t avoid it.¡±

    ¡°If only it was as simple as you think.¡± He knocked her head lightly with his finger as he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about that. Father told me something surprising today, but I also feel touched. I didn¡¯t understand when I still wasn¡¯t a father before, but now I can understand what he¡¯s feeling.¡±

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a curious nce.

    Mu Yuchen looked downwards as he took a deep breath and grabbed her fingers. ¡°He said he¡¯s getting old, and he finds the things he used to deem important not as important as us now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She then wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°I told you that they care for you deeply, but you have your ego. Do you think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re like a spoilt prince?¡±

    ¡°A spoilt prince?¡± Mu Yuchen gave her a shocked look.

    Xi Xiaye replied calmly, ¡°Mmm, but I think you¡¯re cute this way.¡± She patted his head and pinched his cheek.

    Mu Yuchen blushed as he grabbed her hands. ¡°Can you really use the word ¡®cute¡¯ to describe a man?¡±

    ¡°Why not? Oh, by the way, I have something to discuss with you. I told Grandmother that you¡¯re going to let Ah Mo take over my previous position, and Lingshi shouldn¡¯t work at the nightclub anymore, so she¡¯ll be the branch manager for Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. That position is still vacant, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, sure, my hands are tied with all the preparation going on.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯re the best man and bridesmaidsing along?

    Xi Xiaye really had trouble finding bridesmaids for herself during her wedding. Although Mu Lingshi did have some close friends, most of them were already married.

 Chapter 896 - Wedding (3)

    <h4>Chapter 896: Wedding (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night was gettingte, the lights had dimmed. When Su Chen¡¯s flightnded, it was already past 10 p.m. and it was a bit far to get from the airport to his vi. He got down from the ne with Secretary He who had arranged for a car to pick them up from the airport.

    ¡°Alright, you should go home to rest earlier. We¡¯ll take a day off tomorrow. Come back to work the day after tomorrow and write up a leave application a week before my wedding begins on my behalf. As for the contents, you know what to do. Hand it to me the day after tomorrow at work,¡± said Su Chen as he got into the car.

    Secretary He nodded respectfully and replied, ¡°Okay, Chief Su!¡±

    The car drove away and gradually sped up, very quickly vanishing in the misty night.

    When they got closer to the city, they saw that the city was still quite lively. If this were before, he would not have gone home immediately. Instead, he would have looked for Zhou Zimo and the rest to have a drink at the bar before anything else, but now, afternding, he already wanted to go straight home. He was not sure if it was because there was a certain person back home.

    Ever since Ji Zitong hung up on his call that night, he had not called her for quite a few days. He would just send her a goodnight text at night, to which she would only respond with this single line: <i>Okay, you too, goodnight!</i>

    Chief Su kept feeling like there seemed to be something missing between them even if they had each other.

    As the car drove towards the vi, in the back seat, he was silent as he naturally thought about him and Ji Zitong. After that, he suddenly felt like he should treat her better.

    As men, it did not matter how unruly they were before marriage. After getting married, they would have to responsible for their women. Suddenly, he understood Mu Yuchen¡¯s change from back then. He had an idea of what to do, so he felt more relieved.

    At that moment, the car slowly stopped in front of his vi.

    ¡°Chief Su, we¡¯re here!¡±

    The chaffeur¡¯s respectful and calm voice came through his thoughts. Su Chen immediately looked up and realized that it was his vi ahead, so he then nodded and alighted from the car with his briefcase in his hand.

    The whole vi was dark now. A faint light came from the twomps by the door and the lights from the streetlights. She must be asleep since it was close to midnight now.

    Su Chen did not think too much. He took his keys out and opened the door to find the house empty, so he closed the door and went upstairs after changing his shoes.

    At this moment, in the bedroom, Ji Zitong had already switched off the lights and was asleep for a while. When Su Chen was not around, she would always go to bed quite early. In fact, these past few days were when the flower farmers came over to bnce the ounts which was quite aplex process and left her rather tired.

    When she was deep in her slumber, she suddenly felt like someone had pushed the door open. With her head heavy with sleep, she thought she was dreaming, but she subconsciously rubbed her eyes and looked up towards the door.

    A light unexpectedly shone in. In fact, it sounded like there were some movements of someone pouring a ss of water and finding things.

    Ji Zitong was stunned and became more awake now. There could not be a thief in their house, could there?

    When she thought about the serial killer cases that the man mentioned a few days ago, Ji Zitong subconsciously frowned and started to actually feel uneasy.

    Just as her imagination was running wild, she suddenly heard footsteps moving closer to the bedroom. That person reached out gently to push open a small gap in the door, and his tall figure greeted her sight, but Ji Zitong could already tell who it was from the shadow.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    Upon recognizing the figure, Ji Zitong cried out and quickly sat up as she switched on the lights, so the room was instantly brightly lit.

    Su Chen was startled as he did not expect her to suddenly wake up. He was actually just about to close the door when he ended up opening it. He strode into the bedroom as he unbuttoned his shirt and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Did I wake you up?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I just fell asleep. Why are you home sote? Won¡¯t you even let me know in advance that you wereing back?¡± Ji Zitong flipped her thin nket open and slowly got up to sit by the bed and watch him.

    Su Chen took off his shirt and bared his upper arms as he walked to the wardrobe to find himself a set of pajamas. ¡°I waste for my flight. Keep sleeping.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just sleep a little at the store. Have you had dinner? I¡¯ll cook some supper for you.¡±

    Ji Zitong quickly got up and was about to walk outside when he stopped her. ¡°No need. I¡¯m not very hungry since I had a simple meal on the ne. I¡¯ll take a shower first, so you can keep sleeping.¡± Su Chen took a long look at her before walking to the bathroom.

    Ji Zitong stared nkly and stood where she was for quite a while before she breathed in slowly, and walked over to pick up the dirty clothes that he had casually tossed aside. Then, she put them inside theundry basket beside the bathroom door and silently walked out again.

    After about half an hour, Su Chen finally finished washing up while Ji Zitong had helped him briefly put away his things.

    Su Chen mussed his dark hair that was almost dry and walked to the bedside. At this moment, the phone that was set aside on the table buzzed, so he took a look at who it was. It was Secretary He, so he picked up.

    ¡°Chief Su, have you reached home?¡± Secretary He was a verypetent secretary and frequently checked on his boss.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m home. Rest early.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Right, you left the gift you got for Sis-inw with me. Do you want me to send it over to you right now?¡±

    The gift?

    Su Chen then knocked his own head. It was no wonder he could not find it in his pocket earlier. He thought that he had misced it!

    ¡°No worries. Just bring it to work the day after tomorrow,¡± Su Chen said, then hung up. Meanwhile, Ji Zitong clearly heard those words beside him, and a faint radiance brimmed in her beautiful eyes. She looked at him with a flickering light, then sat down near him.

    ¡°You...¡± Ji Zitong began softly.

    Putting his phone aside, tenderness surfaced on his steadfast, handsome face. ¡°I went to walk around the jewelry premium outlet while I was there. The jades there are quite well known. I got you a pair of earrings, but I left them with Secretary He though. He¡¯ll bring it to work the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You were abroad for work. Why were you still thinking of that? I don¡¯t wear them often anyway.¡±

 Chapter 897 - Wedding (4)

    <h4>Chapter 897: Wedding (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong spoke calmly. Even though her ear piercing was still fresh, she could not help but rub her earlobes.

    Su Chen did not respond to that. Instead, his hands just quietly stayed on his legs while he turned to look at her with a profound gaze. Momentster, he smiled. ¡°Ji Zitong, why do I find that you¡¯re bing courteous with me now? Are you scared of me now?¡±

    His words startled her, so she frowned slightly and quickly looked up to him as she said in disagreement, ¡°Why would you say that?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t use to be like this. You¡¯d make threatening gestures and wouldn¡¯t be courteous with me at all.¡± Su Chen grinned while a meaningful light gathered in his gaze.

    She shot him a nce and said smoothly, ¡°Do you want me to threaten you? Someone seemed to haveined about it before. Now that I¡¯ve decided to exist harmoniously with you, shouldn¡¯t you be moved to tears?¡±

    ¡°I should be. These days while I was abroad for work, did you miss me?¡± Su Chen thought that he would not bring himself to ask her this, but now it unexpectedly came out so naturally, surprising him a little. He thought about it, but it was true. After experiencing some things, they seemed to be more natural, and in the end, you got used to it too.

    Ji Zitong obviously did not expect Su Chen to ask her this directly, so she was taken aback. Faint hints of light shone in her gaze as she looked at him. She thought about it and was about to say something when Su Chen already could not help but reach out to hold her face. He gazed down at her and chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you missed me or not. I missed you either way.¡±

    His smile looked a little soft while his gaze was gentle too. Ji Zitong suddenly felt her heart fill with warmth. Before she could react, Su Chen already lowered his head and closed in, his warm touch filling her whole. In the next instant, his refreshing and wild scent engulfed her as he urately captured her soft pink lips.

    She paused but did not reject him. She let him explore and gradually go deeper.

    Not feeling any resistance from her, Su Chen became less tensed. He felt relieved as he reached out to pull her into his embrace. Soon, he was not courteous at all as he kissed her deeper with hunger.

    The temperature in the room gradually rose, and even Ji Zitong could not help but shudder as she felt a little surprised yet confused by his passion.

    Of course, Master Su did not stick to just a simple kiss. As he became more demanding, his hands became restless. When Ji Zitong could no longer handle his passion, she gently pushed him away. As her breath panted unsteadily, she realized that the clothes on her were already...

    Su Chen took a look at her. Obviously, he wanted to continue downwards, but...

    He inhaled deeply as well, and with his strong self-restraint, he pushed down the ring beast in him. He wanted to pick her blouse up for her awkwardly, not wanting to let his eagerness frighten her. Then, heughed at himself. <i>Su Chen, oh, Su Chen, since when did you be so protective over women?</i>

    However, just as Su Chen was picking up her blouse, Ji Zitong suddenly held his hand and watched him quietly with misty eyes, taking in all of his awkwardness. After that, she suddenlyughed and sighed. ¡°Alright, Su Chen, I never knew you had this cautious side of you.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think I¡¯m doing this for?¡± Su Chen looked down at her hand that held his wrist before ring unhappily at her. Even for someone as prideful as him, he absolutely would not force a woman and wrong her, especially when that woman was his wife.

    A faint ripple swept past Ji Zitong¡¯s elegant expression. She immediately turned away and let go of his hand in a daze as she calmly said, ¡°That¡¯s your right. In fact, from the start, I already told you that I want to be a good wife, so...mmm!¡±

    Before Ji Zitong could finish, the man beside her had already gone up to her!

    ¡°You said so yourself¡ªjust what I wanted! Then, take this!¡±

    Ji Zitong could not say anything more when a spectacr wave of passion came over and instantly drowned her. She could not remember what happened after that. She only knew that he had eaten her clean...

    ****

    The night was very short, especially in the blistering summer. At 5 a.m., the sky had begun to lighten.

    When the rm clock rang, Xi Xiaye could not help butze in bed for a bit while the man beside her immediately pulled his nket open and got up. Mu Xiaocheng was awake and babbling to himself. The man skillfully carried Mu Xiaocheng out where Aunt Lin and the rest were waiting.

    Actually, since Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s third month, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye argued once over whether to let him sleep alone, but she would not allow it. Her son was so cute. Every night, she could not help but y with him, then go to sleep. Besides, he was so young, thus being closer to his parents would be beneficial for child bonding.

    However, Mu Yuchen said that the child should begin to be more independent since young. Besides, their son¡¯s eyes were already bright. Late at night, if he wanted to do some inappropriate things with her and they moved too much, it would awaken the little guy sound asleep beside them. Then, the little guy would look at them with wide eyes. As intense as the fireworks might be, they would be instantly extinguished too. Furthermore, if the little guy started crying, they would need to stop no matter what!

    This was something that Master Mu was more or less unhappy about, but he could not bear to make her unhappy. Ever since they had their son, in fact, after having two sons at a go, his position in her heart had shrunk by a lot. Now, he was afraid that he had only just enough space to stand.

    When he was done washing up and came out of the bathroom, she had gotten up and was changing out of her sleeping gown. She put on a rose pink strapless linen dress that was refreshingly elegant and looked quite festive.

    Upon seeing hime out, she fixed her skirt and asked, ¡°What do you think? Does it look nice?¡±

    A faint radiance shed in his eyes as his breath was taken away. He helped her fix her bun and said, ¡°Missus, you¡¯re naturally beautiful. With such an amazing figure, you look gorgeous in anything.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard hispliment, a smile appeared on her beautiful face. ¡°You¡¯re not bad either, especially recently. Every time I go out with you, there¡¯ll be women who hit on you. Your charm didn¡¯t reduce but increased instead.¡±

    ¡°As charming as I may be, I¡¯m already taken.¡± He caressed her head lovingly. ¡°Alright, go and wash up. Ah Mo should be almost done.¡±

 Chapter 898 - Wedding (5)

    <h4>Chapter 898: Wedding (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because the wedding was done in a very low-profile, Gu Qiwu received the news the morning of the wedding. This was also when Ah Yong and the rest identally mentioned it.

    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be a lot of people there today. Do we want to go?¡± Ah Yong asked for instructions from Gu Qiwu on the phone.

    At this moment, Gu Qiwu was having breakfast at the dining table. When he heard Ah Yong, he stopped what he was doing as his gaze darkened. After a while, he asked, ¡°Can you check on the person that Mu Lingshi¡¯s getting married to?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s deep voice contained unseen stress to it as his hand that held onto the newspaper suddenly tightened.

    ¡°Yes, Boss, I checked on that too. The groom is Mu Lingmo. He¡¯s someone who grew up with Mu Lingshi. His parents have both passed away. When he was very young, Mu Yinan adopted him from an orphanage under Mu Tangchuan¡¯s name. He¡¯s always been very close to Mu Lingshi ever since they were young. Mu Yinan and Wang Hui have tacitly approved of their rtionship. In fact, since a very long time ago, the two of them had already gotten together, so this is just a simple ceremony. They only invited some close friends and family, so no one else knows,¡± Ah Yong reported his investigation to Gu Qiwu in detail.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s stern face became hard. ¡°That means Mu Yinan¡¯s marrying Mu Lingshi off to an orphan that has nothing?¡±

    ¡°I guess you can say that, but, Boss, Mu Lingmo isn¡¯t a nobody. He¡¯s apetent assistant to Mu Yuchen. All these years, whenever Mu Yuchen couldn¡¯t make it, he¡¯de forth in his ce. In fact, his background on the streets is probably no less than mine. When I was in City B, I heard his name from many people. They all call him Bro Mo. He¡¯s one of Mu Yuchen¡¯s most capable henchmen.¡± Ah Mo dared not hide anything from him. He silently revealed all that he knew honestly to Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯s an orphan, can you?¡±

    Ah Yong could hear a hint of hostility from Gu Qiwu, but he did not understand why Gu Qiwu was angry. In fact, he seemed to pay so much attention to Mu Lingshi. It was Mu Lingshi¡¯s freedom to marry Mu Lingmo, so why did the boss not seem too pleased about this?

    Nevertheless, Ah Yong dared not ask his doubts aloud. He only silently waited for Gu Qiwu¡¯s next instructions.

    Gu Qiwu fell silent for a long time before he suppressed the coldness in his voice and asked in a deep tone, ¡°Has there been anything from Missus¡¯ end these past two days?¡±

    ¡°Still the same as before. She¡¯s not doing anything, but yesterday she gave Miss Lingsha a call. After that, I don¡¯t know what they spoke about, but Missus was very angry. I heard from the butler that Missus just threw her phone to the ground. I think Missus was asking Miss Lingsha why she wasn¡¯t going home to visit her.¡± Ah Yong made a bold guess.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened, and he hesitated before asking, ¡°Qi Feng¡¯s probablynding soon, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss, he should be reaching City Z tonight. They left home yesterday. Qi Qiming delegated many people to escort them along the way.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, Wang Qin¡¯s dead, so what is he worried about? Qi Feng¡¯s much luckier than Qi Lei. Arrange for a few smart people to watch them from the side, but don¡¯t let anyone notice them,¡± Gu Qiwu said before he hung up.

    Bam!

    After he hung up, Gu Qiwu casually tossed his phone to the side. His expression was a little gloomy as he took a tissue to wipe his hand. When Butler Fang who was serving him saw that he was irate, he quickly went up to him. ¡°Boss, was the breakfast not suitable this morning?¡±

    ¡°Get a car for me!¡± Gu Qiwu ordered coldly, then went upstairs.

    The weather today was not as blistering hot as the days before. Instead, now it was surprisingly gloomy.

    Early in the morning, Ah Mo and Mu Lingsha¡¯s vi was already bustling with activity. Their wedding ceremony was going to be held on the hugewn at the vi. It was a very simple manor wedding.

    They did not invite many people. They just had all their closest friends over. Zhou Zimo was the best man while the bridesmaid was one of Mu Lingshi¡¯s former ssmates whom Xi Xiaye did not know.

    At this moment, the crowd that sat in a circle on the grass area had quieted down. The priest stood in front, waiting for the new couple to enter.

    Wearing a perfectly straight ck tux, Ah Mo stood on one side of the red carpet and was looking ahead. His handsome face had a soft smile as his eyes were filled with anticipation.

    ¡°The bride is here!¡± The emcee¡¯s excited voice boomed as the familiar notes of the wedding march were yed. The crowd quickly turned to look behind. Indeed, not too far away from the red carpet, Mu Lingshi was dressed in a beautiful white wedding dress, and with Mu Tangchuan¡¯s lead, she slowly stepped on the red carpet.

    The crowd stood up in unison and smiled at the bride that walked over.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were standing by Ah Mo¡¯s side. The husband and wife exchanged a nce and smiled at each other before continuing to look with anticipation at Mu Lingshi.

    Zhou Zimo nudged Ah Mo before thetter nkly took the bouquet from the tray beside him and walked ahead.

    ¡°Father!¡± Ah Mo respectfully and gratefully looked at Mu Tangchuan before his faze shifted towards Mu Lingshi who was under the veil.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and nodded before he held Ah Mo¡¯s hand and put Mu Lingshi¡¯s hand into his. He gently patted them before moving aside.

    When Ah Mo lifted Mu Lingshi¡¯s veil, her eyes were already tearing up.

    She blinked away the tears and looked Ah Mo who looked down at her. When he lowered his head to nt a kiss on the back of her hand, she sniffled emotionally and went up to hug him tightly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ah Mo smiled gently and studied her before holding her hand to walk towards the priest who was already smiling while waiting for them for quite a while. When they stopped in front of him, he read them a paragraph of well wishes before letting them say their vows.

    When Mu Lingshi said ¡°I do¡±, there was a round of joyful apuse.

    Mu Yuchen locked his fingers tightly with Xi Xiaye¡¯s, and when he saw Ah Mo and Lingshi engulfed in fresh flowers and glittering confetti, a faint joy shed on his handsome face. In the depths of his eyes, it seemed as if something had been relieved.

    <h4>Comments (7)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 899: Return(1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was not a grand wedding but definitely a heartwarming one.

    Su Chen attended it with Ji Zitong, appearing really good together as a pair. It was also Mu Lingshi¡¯s first time seeing them together.

    ¡°Not bad, Bro Su Chen. Sis Zitong fits you really well, so only Zhou Zimo is left now!¡±

    Mu Lingsha clung onto Ah Mo¡¯s arm as they made a toast. She turned around and looked at the best man Zhou Zimo right beside Ah Mo who shrugged with a smile as he grumbled, ¡°Each and every one of you is getting married. I¡¯m really beginning to feel lonely!¡±

    ¡°You better catch up soon. I already told you during Ah Chen¡¯s wedding that you¡¯ll be thest one. I¡¯m just that good at predicting the future. You¡¯re going to be the best man again at my wedding with Zitong at the end of this month. Aren¡¯t you tired of being the best man? When are you going to be the main character?¡± Su Chen raised his ss at him.

    Zhou Zimo sneered at him. ¡°Yeah, yeah, you were just like me a while ago, you bastard!¡± He whispered beside Su Chen¡¯s ears and gave him a punch, ¡°We promised each other that we wouldn¡¯t forget about our brothers even though we¡¯ve got thedies, but I feel like I go through a break up every time I hear that one of you guys are getting married!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m straight! Let me tell you, Zhou Zimo, your mindset is very dangerous!¡± Su Chen squinted his eyes at Zhou Zimo as he spoke.

    ¡°I never said you¡¯re not, but, Su Chen, I¡¯m fond of you. We¡¯ve been brothers for so many years. Don¡¯t you know me well enough by now? I can¡¯t get together with Ah Chen, but youforted me and warmed my heart. I told you everything, didn¡¯t I? I really have feelings that surpass our brotherhood for you...hey...hey! I¡¯m not done yet! Su Chen! Where are you going!¡±

    Su Chen dragged Ji Zitong and went away before Zhou Zimo could finish. Mu Lingshi could not control herughter. ¡°Bro Zimo, you¡¯re still the same. Don¡¯t make Sis Zitong misunderstand!¡±

    Zhou Zimo coughed, ncing at Su Chen and chuckling. ¡°She better misunderstand. I¡¯ll never forget what he did to me!¡± He still remembered the incident from before!

    Xi Xiaye giggled as well. She turned around and looked at the man beside her to notice that he was calm as usual with a tint of joy in his eyes.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo is pretty funny,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°You won¡¯t find it funny anymore when he goes overboard, Su Chen has been pranked by him so many times that he wants to kill him every time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen understood very well that Zhou Zimo was just ying a prank and was restraining himself better, but if he actually became serious, Mu Yuchen would have to surrender as well.

    ...

    Suddenly, Li Si arrived beside Mu Yuchen and whispered beside his ear, ¡°Master, Ah Bao has news for us!¡±

    Mu Yuchen maintained his smile as a cold light shed in his eyes. He nced at Li Si and turned around to tell Xi Xiaye who was greeting the guests, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a while.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded when she saw Li Si. She took his wine ss and handed him the flower tea she was holding. ¡°You drank a lot. Here, have some of this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and took the tea from her. He then walked towards the quiet corner of the flower gallery where Li Si quickly went over as well.

    Ah Mo noticed their movements. He wanted to join them as well, but he looked around and stopped himself.

    At the flowers, Mu Yuchen stood by the staircase and took a sip from the ss of flower tea, Li Si caught up to him. ¡°Master, this is what Ah Bao sent us. Take a look.¡± He handed Mu Yuchen a small piece of paper, his expression filled with worry and uneasiness.

    Mu Yuchen opened it to look, but his expression did not change. His eyes turned cold, and he quickly tore the paper up and threw it into a nearby trash can.

    ¡°Master...should we...?¡±Li Si asked carefully.

    Mu Yuchen put an arm on the railings as he spoke, ¡°Qi Feng isnding in City Z today. This is great news. I was worried that he¡¯d nevere back!¡±

    ¡°However, Master, Qi Feng isn¡¯t the same as before. He...¡± Li Si was worried. From the news source, the amount of hatred Qi Feng had for his Master was unimaginable.

    ¡°No matter how powerful he can be, City Z isn¡¯t his turf.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then took out his phone and called Ah Bao who soon answered the call, ¡°Master¡ª¡±

    ¡°Continue observing. Don¡¯t do anything without my orders.¡± Mu Yuchen issued a simple instruction and ended the phone call. His eyes returned to their usual calm gaze when he looked at Li Si. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Qi Lei here today?¡±

    Mu Yuchen got Li Si to send Qi Lei an invitation to Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi¡¯s wedding, but Qi Lei was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Oh, Master Qi went outstation to City B. He got people to send some gifts over just now. Qi Kai sent him to City B as they have ns to produce a huge budget fantasy-themed movie with a foreignpany, so he should be there to discuss it.¡±

    Li Si found out about this from Yang Sheng. Qi Qiming¡¯s priority was Project South River No. 2 at the moment while Wang Qin had been the one who focused more on movie and television projects. Qi Qiming had been more lenient with Qi Lei ever since Wang Qin¡¯s death. It was probablypensation to Wang Qin.

    ¡°When is heing back?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned slightly and asked.

    Li Si shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. I¡¯ll call Assistant Yang Sheng and find out.¡±

 Chapter 899 - Return(1)

    <h4>Chapter 899: Return(1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was not a grand wedding but definitely a heartwarming one.

    Su Chen attended it with Ji Zitong, appearing really good together as a pair. It was also Mu Lingshi¡¯s first time seeing them together.

    ¡°Not bad, Bro Su Chen. Sis Zitong fits you really well, so only Zhou Zimo is left now!¡±

    Mu Lingsha clung onto Ah Mo¡¯s arm as they made a toast. She turned around and looked at the best man Zhou Zimo right beside Ah Mo who shrugged with a smile as he grumbled, ¡°Each and every one of you is getting married. I¡¯m really beginning to feel lonely!¡±

    ¡°You better catch up soon. I already told you during Ah Chen¡¯s wedding that you¡¯ll be thest one. I¡¯m just that good at predicting the future. You¡¯re going to be the best man again at my wedding with Zitong at the end of this month. Aren¡¯t you tired of being the best man? When are you going to be the main character?¡± Su Chen raised his ss at him.

    Zhou Zimo sneered at him. ¡°Yeah, yeah, you were just like me a while ago, you bastard!¡± He whispered beside Su Chen¡¯s ears and gave him a punch, ¡°We promised each other that we wouldn¡¯t forget about our brothers even though we¡¯ve got thedies, but I feel like I go through a break up every time I hear that one of you guys are getting married!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m straight! Let me tell you, Zhou Zimo, your mindset is very dangerous!¡± Su Chen squinted his eyes at Zhou Zimo as he spoke.

    ¡°I never said you¡¯re not, but, Su Chen, I¡¯m fond of you. We¡¯ve been brothers for so many years. Don¡¯t you know me well enough by now? I can¡¯t get together with Ah Chen, but youforted me and warmed my heart. I told you everything, didn¡¯t I? I really have feelings that surpass our brotherhood for you...hey...hey! I¡¯m not done yet! Su Chen! Where are you going!¡±

    Su Chen dragged Ji Zitong and went away before Zhou Zimo could finish. Mu Lingshi could not control herughter. ¡°Bro Zimo, you¡¯re still the same. Don¡¯t make Sis Zitong misunderstand!¡±

    Zhou Zimo coughed, ncing at Su Chen and chuckling. ¡°She better misunderstand. I¡¯ll never forget what he did to me!¡± He still remembered the incident from before!

    Xi Xiaye giggled as well. She turned around and looked at the man beside her to notice that he was calm as usual with a tint of joy in his eyes.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo is pretty funny,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°You won¡¯t find it funny anymore when he goes overboard, Su Chen has been pranked by him so many times that he wants to kill him every time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen understood very well that Zhou Zimo was just ying a prank and was restraining himself better, but if he actually became serious, Mu Yuchen would have to surrender as well.

    ...

    Suddenly, Li Si arrived beside Mu Yuchen and whispered beside his ear, ¡°Master, Ah Bao has news for us!¡±

    Mu Yuchen maintained his smile as a cold light shed in his eyes. He nced at Li Si and turned around to tell Xi Xiaye who was greeting the guests, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a while.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded when she saw Li Si. She took his wine ss and handed him the flower tea she was holding. ¡°You drank a lot. Here, have some of this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and took the tea from her. He then walked towards the quiet corner of the flower gallery where Li Si quickly went over as well.

    Ah Mo noticed their movements. He wanted to join them as well, but he looked around and stopped himself.

    At the flowers, Mu Yuchen stood by the staircase and took a sip from the ss of flower tea, Li Si caught up to him. ¡°Master, this is what Ah Bao sent us. Take a look.¡± He handed Mu Yuchen a small piece of paper, his expression filled with worry and uneasiness.

    Mu Yuchen opened it to look, but his expression did not change. His eyes turned cold, and he quickly tore the paper up and threw it into a nearby trash can.

    ¡°Master...should we...?¡±Li Si asked carefully.

    Mu Yuchen put an arm on the railings as he spoke, ¡°Qi Feng isnding in City Z today. This is great news. I was worried that he¡¯d nevere back!¡±

    ¡°However, Master, Qi Feng isn¡¯t the same as before. He...¡± Li Si was worried. From the news source, the amount of hatred Qi Feng had for his Master was unimaginable.

    ¡°No matter how powerful he can be, City Z isn¡¯t his turf.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then took out his phone and called Ah Bao who soon answered the call, ¡°Master¡ª¡±

    ¡°Continue observing. Don¡¯t do anything without my orders.¡± Mu Yuchen issued a simple instruction and ended the phone call. His eyes returned to their usual calm gaze when he looked at Li Si. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Qi Lei here today?¡±

    Mu Yuchen got Li Si to send Qi Lei an invitation to Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi¡¯s wedding, but Qi Lei was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Oh, Master Qi went outstation to City B. He got people to send some gifts over just now. Qi Kai sent him to City B as they have ns to produce a huge budget fantasy-themed movie with a foreignpany, so he should be there to discuss it.¡±

    Li Si found out about this from Yang Sheng. Qi Qiming¡¯s priority was Project South River No. 2 at the moment while Wang Qin had been the one who focused more on movie and television projects. Qi Qiming had been more lenient with Qi Lei ever since Wang Qin¡¯s death. It was probablypensation to Wang Qin.

    ¡°When is heing back?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned slightly and asked.

    Li Si shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. I¡¯ll call Assistant Yang Sheng and find out.¡±

 Chapter 900 - Return (2)

    <h4>Chapter 900: Return (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng had gotten pretty close to Li Sitely. Besides work, they would often discuss Qi Lei¡¯s situation, and Li Si would let Mu Yuchen know if it was necessary.

    Mu Yuchen had a solid grasp of what was happening inside Qi Kai, or else, he would not have made that bold proposal to Qi Lei. He thought Qi Lei would mind, but he was willing to trust him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call Qi Leiter. Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. Wait until the wedding is over,¡± Qi Lei said after some hesitation.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si replied.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the ss in his hand for a while. His face turned expressionless. He did not say another word and returned to the event.

    It was already evening when the wedding ended and the guests started to leave. They also had a huge room prepared for the after-party at Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Naturally, Zhou Zimo and Su Chen went over to have fun while Wang Hui and the others left the youngsters to themselves.

    ¡°Brother, Sister-inw, aren¡¯t you guys going?¡±

    Mu Lingshi had already changed from her wedding dress into a pink dress. Her scar was beautifully covered up by the make up artist. Xi Xiaye suddenly thought that Mu Lingshi was a really pretty girl, but she rarely used makeup and would only cover up her scar with just a pair of sunsses.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be going. I¡¯m worried that we might bete. Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng are still at home. Your brother drank a lot just now as well. You guys have fun. You might feel restricted if he went.¡± Xi Xiaye turned around and looked at Mu Yuchen who was still talking to Su Chen and the others with a gentle expression.

    She hardly touched alcohol that night since the man helped her out because it was still not suitable for her to drink. His face was getting red, and she could smell the heavy alcohol stench on him as he got near. Evidently, he was getting drunk.

    ¡°Alright then. He did drink quite a lot just now, so please take care of him, Sister-inw.¡± Mu Lingshi smiled.

    Xi Xiaye nodded with a smile too. ¡°I will. You guys have fun. We¡¯ll be heading back for now. Call us if there¡¯s anything you need. Grandmother and the others called just now and told me they¡¯ve reached home. I¡¯ll leave Sis Wang here to stay on. Don¡¯t stay out toote. While it¡¯s a happy day, I know it¡¯s exhausting as well.¡±

    After that, Xi Xiaye walked towards the car as Mu Yuchen finished talking to his brothers and headed to the car as well.

    He took out the car keys and handed them to Xi Xiaye. ¡°My head is feeling a little heavy. Can you drive?¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed the keys while he went to sit in the front passenger seat.

    She got into the car to notice that he had his eyes closed and was leaning back against the chair. She sighed and observed him for a moment before she quietly took out a sobering pill as well as a Thermos sk. Then, she took out several tablets and handed them to him.

    ¡°Take these. You¡¯re really bad at holding liquor.¡±

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes when he heard her voice. He took the tablets obediently while Xi Xiaye hovered over him and massaged his temples. ¡°Do you feel better?¡±

    He wrapped his arms around her waist and closed in, leaving a kiss on her cold lips. ¡°I feel much better now. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she fastened the seatbelt for him before starting the engine. He switched on the music yer in the car, looking visibly tired.

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest early tonight. You¡¯ve been exhausted these past few days. I¡¯ll ask Uncle Lan to take care of Fuhua for me at the moment since you have a lot of things piled up. I¡¯ll be your head secretary for tomorrow. It¡¯s a weekend anyway.¡±

    She could not bear to see him like this. He had been workingte at night and woke up early every morning. He really thought he was indestructible.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. They can be left to be der. The weekends should be for rest. Didn¡¯t you just say you wanted to have more time for yourself just a few days ago?¡± His gentle tone reached her as he looked at the darkened sky. ¡°It¡¯s a happy day, so I just drank a tad too much.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him. Her tone was gentle, but at the same time, it was firm as she replied, ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in your mind? Ah Mo and Ah Shi are now married, and they are happy together. It¡¯s about time you let go of the past. They never med you, and it¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s no denying that I¡¯m responsible for what happened.¡±

    They hardly talked about this topic. Even if they discussed it before, it did not lead to a satisfying conclusion. However, this time, he sounded more rxed than before.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, there are a lot of things we can¡¯t predict just like back when I was extremely determined to cling onto someone. In the end, you¡¯re the one by my side now. What I want to say is that there¡¯s no point clinging onto the past, so let it go and move forward.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. ¡°Treating them better in the future is the best thing we can do now.¡±

    He smiled as he put his arms over her shoulders. ¡°Yes, my dear wife is right! I¡¯ll make sure to keep that in mind.¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You always brush me off like this!¡±

    ¡°I never have the courage to do that. I really keep your words in my mind, especially when you¡¯re in high EQ mode.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I usually have low EQ?¡± Xi Xiaye red at him.

    ¡°Thank God, you finally realized it!¡± His smile grew wider while his grip around her shoulders tightened.

 Chapter 901 - Return (3)

    <h4>Chapter 901: Return (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She red at him, but then she decided not to get mad when she saw his warm smile.

    It was rare that he could put on such a carefree smile. She did think she could be quite stupid at times. Although he had shorings all over, she did not care as long as he continued to love her forever.

    She decided that she would take care of Mr. Mu forever.

    She knew very well that he would only present his vulnerable self before her. Although she might not be strong, apart from staying by his side, she wanted him to know she was willing to bear the burden with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m still your wife, and your son¡¯s mother.¡± Her voice was warm, but her eyes were still focused on the road ahead instead of looking at him.

    He felt overjoyed inside, so heughed as his eyes were brimming with life. ¡°That can only be you. You¡¯re the only worthy one. I¡¯ve told you before that I¡¯ve had some regrets. If only I had met you sooner, that¡¯d be really great. Our happiness could¡¯ve been much more than this.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. ¡°But I¡¯m satisfied now. I don¡¯t feel sad about my past as long as I have you. It isn¡¯t worth mentioning anymore.¡±

    ¡°Am I really that good?¡± He smirked.

    She remained quiet for a while, and then suddenly parked the car by the roadside to turn towards him and stare at him in the eyes. Her eyes were filled with certainty as she spoke firmly, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re great. No one can ever rece you in my heart.¡±

    She put a hand on her chest as she took a pause before continuing, ¡°If one day, you left me or some other woman took you away, I¡¯ll never be able to stand it and will definitely be a real witch. You can only be mine. Do you understand?¡±

    He was shocked by her sudden aggressiveness, but he felt really turned on. Looking at her intently, he said, ¡°I remember telling you before that I like witches even better.¡±

    Xi Xiaye let go of the steering wheel and grabbed his face, so their lips met. She was not acting graciously like she usually would. Instead, she was getting aggressive and rough...

    He smiled helplessly and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. Then, he took off her hairpin and her silky long hair curtained her chest as well as her back, the aromatic scent of her shampoo filling the car.

    He could not control his desire anymore as her scent was fueling his inner beast.

    She just had a way to make him lose control!

    However, he spent an enormous amount of effort to get back to his senses because he knew this was not the appropriate ce no matter how excited he was. Xi Xiaye did not n to continue as well. She just wanted to give him a good kiss.

    As their lips parted, Xi Xiaye¡¯s breathing was uneven as she looked at him and saw the emotions he was trying to keep at bay, so she put on a seductive smile.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I realize you¡¯re getting more and more vulnerable now. Your willpower is weak,¡± she teased him when she noticed his blushing face.

    ¡°You heartless woman, you¡¯d better drive home quickly if you don¡¯t want to receive your punishment here!¡± Mu Yuchen was getting impatient. She knew that his self-control was practically non-existent before her, and she always teased him like this, just like her several visits to his office before!

    Sensing the hidden meaning in his words, she chuckled and then continued driving.

    Her driving was decent as they went through the highway without any traffic. The sky turned dark as they arrived home. By then, Aunt Fang had already bathed Mu Xiaocheng and put him to sleep.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to take a look at Mu Xiaocheng when they got back, but a certain pervert dragged her into the room impatiently, so they just gave Aunt Fang a brief nod when she greeted them. Aunt Fang was a married woman herself. Of course, she knew what was happening!

    Aunt Fang and Aunt Lin grinned knowingly at each other as they heard the sound of the door being closed upstairs. It wasmon for young couples to have such an impulse and it was pretty understandable.

    As Xi Xiaye just entered the house, Mu Yuchen nudged her up and went into their bedroom.

    Xi Xiaye pushed him away after two rounds of bed y, and she rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Go to sleep after a bath. I¡¯ll prepare the water for you.¡±

    He was still a drunkard moments ago, but his performance in bed did not seem like it at all. Would sudden exercise not increase the blood flow and make drunk people even drunker?

    He nced at her and got up as usual. Then, he picked up his clothes on the floor and put it over himself before heading into the bathroom.

    Xi Xiaye got up after a while. As she wanted to take their pajamas out to set on the bed, the phone on the bedside table started ringing, so she went over and grabbed it.

    It was his phone, and Li Si was calling.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, it¡¯s your call!¡± she yelled into the bathroom.

    ¡°Answer it!¡± he gave a brief reply before preparing the bathwater.

    Xi Xiaye was startled for a moment before answering the call.

    ¡°Master, Assistant Yang called me back and said Master Qi will only be back in two days. Should we tell him that Qi Feng ising back?¡±

    She frowned when she heard Li Si¡¯s words.

 Chapter 902 - Return (4)

    <h4>Chapter 902: Return (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng?

    This name was also taboo in Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart. Upon hearing it, she immediately tensed subconsciously.

    Qi Feng wasing back? Why did she not hear him mention it?

    She hesitated before answering, ¡°Hold on, Assistant Li. I¡¯ll hand the phone to him.¡±

    On the other end, Li Si was shocked to hear that it was her. He almost lost his voice as he stammered, ¡°M-missus? Why is it you...?¡±

    While Xi Xiaye was already walking towards the bathroom with the phone in her hand, the man was brushing his teeth with his top bare while preparing the bath for her. When he saw here in, he turned to look at her. ¡°Who called? Why don¡¯t you look pleased at all?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows were furrowed into a knot. As she handed the phone to him, she responded, ¡°It¡¯s Li Si. He said that Qi Lei might only return in two days. He¡¯s asking you whether they should tell him about Qi Feng¡¯s return.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused what he was doing and looked at her. Then, he quickly took the phone to listen to Li Si briefly exin things to him. Soon, he hung up while Xi Xiaye began brushing her teeth.

    Mu Yuchen took the towel from the side and wiped his face. He put the phone on the rack beside him. ¡°I just heard about it,¡± he said, then walked into the shower.

    The shower curtains that he pushed aside swayed a bit. The sound of the suspended beads sounded a little cold to her as she quickly finished up and walked inside. Inside, the man was standing underneath the shower, beginning to clean up. She thought about it, then did not say anything before turning to leave the bathroom.

    When he heard her turn around, Mu Yuchen paused what he was doing. He fell silent, then continued. About a few minutester, when he was almost done showering, he saw here in again as the curtains swayed. He turned and saw that she had set aside his clean pajamas on the rack.

    His expression softened a little at this point. Swiftly, his hand reached out and circled her waist, pulling her in.

    When they were done, it was already past 9 p.m. which was when the night came alive, but the couple had been busy the entire day, so they were indeed quite tired. In fact, they had just battled several rounds, thus right now, Xi Xiaye was already lying on the bed while the man beside her made a call to Qi Lei who was out of town.

    Xi Xiaye could hear the contents of the call clearly, but she did not ask him much about it. She just closed her eyes and slept in a daze, barely hearing him. He probably wanted to talk to Qi Lei about Qi Feng¡¯s return and their ns.

    Xi Xiaye was not patient enough to listen to the rest. When Mu Yuchen hung up, she was almost asleep. The moment she saw him set the phone down, she reached out to hug his strong waist and automatically leaned into his embrace.

    They had not fallen asleep in each other¡¯s embrace for a long while now. Every night, they would usually have Mu Xiaocheng in their middle. Even when they were affectionate with each other, they mostly got it done very quickly and were reluctant to let go, but if the little guy was awake, then the couple would have lots to do.

    He reached out to hug her tightly and whispered softly in her ear, ¡°Next time, just leave our son to Aunt Lin and the rest. We can spend more time with them in the future, then they won¡¯t be distant from us. You don¡¯t want our son to see us like this either unless you want to raise our son to be that kind of person...¡±

    Xi Xiaye then fell quiet and thought about it for quite a while. Finally, she nodded and agreed, ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s every day that I...Fine, I got it.¡±

    ¡°Sleep now.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    The night was still lively. At this moment, in a VIP passage and departure lounge of a certain airport in City Z .

    Gu Lingsha wore a light lc muslin long dress. Her beautiful hair was tied into an elegant bun. With a few bodyguards apanying her as she waited nervously, her beautiful little face was brimming with anticipation. From time to time, she would look down at the time on her phone. Her personal assistant, Xiao Song, seemed anxious too.

    Upon seeing Gu Lingsha anxious, her assistant Xiao Song could not help but speak out, ¡°Miss Shasha, let¡¯s sit first. The ne justnded, so it will still take some time. Master Feng hasn¡¯t switched on his phone. I¡¯m sure he hasn¡¯t even gotten off the ne.¡±

    Xiao Song had also just returned not too long ago. Previously, she had been with Gu Lingsha abroad and was a trusted aide that Gu Lingsha had nurtured herself.

    When she heard her assurance, Gu Lingsha inhaled and held back her nervousness as she sat down on the chair behind her. She said worriedly, ¡°I¡¯m a little concerned for Weiwei. This is her first time taking such a long flight. Ah Feng¡¯s phone¡¯s been switched off too. I really don¡¯t know how they are. She¡¯s so weak, so I¡¯m worried that she won¡¯t be able to handle the trip, but with Ah Feng back, I was worried about leaving her there alone too.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was deeply bothered. Her grip on her handbag tightened too.

    ¡°Miss Shasha, don¡¯t worry. With Master Feng around and the doctors apanying her, Miss Weiwei will be fine. You¡¯ll see her soon. By the looks of the time, the ne should¡¯vended by now,¡± Assistant Song consoled her, as she looked at the time on her wrist.

    Gu Lingsha nodded as she looked at the departure gate.

    They waited for quite a long time before there was finally some movement from the empty passageway. People started to stream out, and Gu Lingsha began to stand up impatiently as she walked towards the entrance.

    ¡°Miss Shasha, do we want to inform Boss Gu? Two days ago, CEO Qi said then when Master Feng gets back, we could also invite Boss Gu to visit the Qi residence. Boss Gu is so busy. Would it be better to inform him beforehand?¡± Assistant Song suddenly remembered.

    Gu Lingsha fell silent as she thought about it, then nodded. ¡°Sure, when we fetch them, I¡¯ll call my fatherter. Right, don¡¯t tell my mother about this first. I don¡¯t want her to make a special trip over.¡±

    When she mentioned Doris, Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes could not help but dim a little. There was a trace of bitterness on her face as well.

    Her mother did not quite like Weiwei, so she did not want to let Doris meet Weiwei. Despite having matured early, Weiwei was weak and her heart was sensitive. Naturally, she could not bear to see her hurt because Gu Lingsha understood Doris too well.

    Earlier when she called her, it was because of Weiwei¡¯s matter that the mother and daughter became aggrieved. These past few days, Gu Lingsha did not call home either.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Shasha, I got it!¡± Assistant Song answered.

 Chapter 903 - Return (5)

    <h4>Chapter 903: Return (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha then felt assured. She thought about it and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll exin it all to herter on. I can¡¯t let there be any barriers between her and Weiwei.¡± When she said this, Gu Lingsha spoke softly. She was not sure if she was saying this for her own sake or to Assistant Song.

    After that, before Assistant Song could say anything else, there was amotion ahead and the bodyguards were on high alert.

    ¡°Miss Shasha, it¡¯s Master Feng and the rest! Miss Weiwei is there too. Look!¡± Assistant Song became emotional as she went up to greet them while beaming.

    Gu Lingsha looked to where Assistant Song¡¯s gaze was. Quickly, she noticed that amidst the crowd of people, a few dark figures were slowly separating from the crowd and making a path under the protection of several bodyguards. A cute little girl dressed in a pink princess dress slowly appeared before everyone.

    The little girl looked about three or four years old. Although she seemed really young, she was also exceptionally beautiful. Her beautiful blonde hair was tied into two long braids with a little crystal princess hair clip. Carrying a doll in one arm, she was held by a middle-aged woman who looked like a female servant. On a closer look, she realized that the girl was very fair. Her azure eyes were also a little dull, and she looked frail as if she had an illness.

    Closely behind the girl was a young man in a wheelchair. He was dressed in a gray casual outfit. Underneath his ck cap was a fair and handsome face. His profound eyes looked like the deepest pits in the dark of the night, but on that handsome face hung a smile that seemed like it was bathed in the spring breeze. He was extremely handsome, and the aura from him felt gentle, but this did not diminish his presence at all. In just a few short meters, many people already stared at him with gasps of admiration.

    He just sat there quietly in the wheelchair while being pushed by a bodyguard in ck. His gaze fell onto the girl in front of him from time to time.

    Their appearance caused somemotion, especially with an exquisitely beautiful woman like Gu Lingsha going up to them.

    ¡°Weiwei, Ah Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha could not help but call out to them without much regard. She had already rushed up to them from afar, quickly reaching the little girl while the middle-aged woman subconsciously stopped too.

    ¡°Weiwei! You¡¯re back! How are you? Are you feeling okay? The flight was so long. Do you feel difort anywhere? Are you hungry? I¡¯m Mother. Call me, Weiwei.¡± Gu Lingsha lowered her voice, but it was not hard to hear the emotions in it as she held the little girl¡¯s arms. She spoke in concern with nervousness and stirred up emotions.

    However, when that little girl saw Gu Lingsha, her beautiful blue eyes only flickered and her pale face reddened. She started to struggle and pull at the middle-aged woman beside her. Then, she hid behind that woman, her eyes clearly seeming uneasy and at a loss.

    ¡°Weiwei? What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t be scared. It¡¯s me, Mother. Do you remember? I¡¯m Mother, Weiwei. Don¡¯t be scared. I won¡¯t hurt you, Weiwei...¡±

    When she saw the little girl like this, Gu Lingsha felt like her heart was going to shatter. She felt waves of pain ovee her, and she could barely take them in, but she had to hold down the sadness and anxiety in her, not daring to be too emotional because she was worried that it would frighten her.

    The little girl held tightly onto the middle-aged woman¡¯s shirt as she looked nervously and confusedly at Gu Lingsha. Then, she looked up to the middle-aged woman who patiently bent down and gently said to the little girl, ¡°Weiwei, this is your mother. Do you remember her? Not too long ago, she even called you. Didn¡¯t you use to like ying with Mother very much, Weiwei? Do you not remember Mother? If you don¡¯t believe me, ask your father.¡±

    Then, the little girl timidly turned her head and silently looked to the man who was in the wheelchair but had not said anything.

    He only smiled and nodded gently at her. His deep and raspy voice sounded somewhat gentle. ¡°She¡¯s your mother, Weiwei.¡±

    When the man said that, the little girl¡¯s gaze clearly softened. Even though she was still holding on tightly to the middle-aged woman¡¯s shirt, when Gu Lingsha held her, she did not struggle anymore.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s blue eyes were tearing up as she pulled the girl into her embrace and choked on her sobs. ¡°Weiwei, this is great. I can finally be with you!¡±

    The man watched the mother and daughter¡¯s reunion for a while, then upon seeing more and more people watching them, he said in a soft and hoarse voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go back first. This is the airport.¡±

    You could tell that the man¡¯s voice was probably damaged before. His voice was raspy from an illness. In fact, it was quite soft too. If he tried to speak a little louder, he would involuntarily frown, but even so, you could not conceal his soft elegance amidst his steadfastness.

    Upon hearing the man¡¯s voice, Gu Lingsha eased back a little from her emotional state. She hugged the little girl and looked at him. When she took a good look at that handsome face underneath the cap, she could not help but be dazed. Her blue eyes gave away the fact that she was stunned.

    In this world, only two men could take her breath away like this. One was the noble and handsome yet distant Mu Yuchen, and the other was this man before her. Incisive as ice and oh-so-handsome, it was Qi Feng!

    Even Qi Qiming was sometimes rendered absent-minded by his extraordinary looks.

    Qi Feng¡¯s mother was a famous beauty on the scene, and Qi Feng hadpletely inherited his mother¡¯s extraordinary looks, brimming talents, and outstanding intellect. He also had aid-back manner that made one want to get close to him. This was one of the reasons why Gu Lingsha had always been infatuated with him.

    ¡°Ah Feng! You¡¯re finally back!¡± Gu Lingsha said after a while of being dazed. She subconsciously held his fair hand thaty on his knees.

    ¡°You¡¯ve waited too long. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s handsome face very quickly shed with faint tenderness as he took a look at her, and then down at her hand holding onto his. When he looked at his legs that could feel nothing, a coldness shed in his eyes.

    Gu Lingsha seemed to be able to feel Qi Feng¡¯s mood. She looked down to where his gazended, and her expression turned slightly rigid as well.

 Chapter 904 - Bitterness (1)

    <h4>Chapter 904: Bitterness (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed his hand and said gently, ¡°Let¡¯s head back. Uncle Qi is waiting for you at home. everyone¡¯s expecting you.¡±

    Qi Feng lowered his eye and gave a brief reply. While the bodyguard behind started pushing his wheelchair, Gu Lingsha wanted to hold Qi Weier. However, Qi Weier avoided her and went to grab the helper, Mary¡¯s clothes instead.

    Gu Lingsha put on a bitter smile, not wanting to force Qi Weier.

    She could not afford to spend a lot of time with her daughter who suffered from bad health with an introverted personality. Her development was slower than other normal children¡¯s due to the injuries she had when she was still in her mother¡¯s womb, so her intelligence was affected as well. Overall, her impression of Gu Lingsha was not very memorable.

    Gu Lingsha felt guilty towards Qi Weier, and she med herself for not providing enough for her. Fortunately, Qi Feng was still very close to Qi Weier, and Gu Qiwu was pretty fond of Qi Weier as well. Ever since the ident, he provided a quiet space for Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng to recover. He also hired professional doctors for them, especially for Qi Weier¡¯s sake. She spent most of her time inside the manor without ever going out.

    The helper, Mary, put on a jacket over Qi Weier as they walked out of the airport. The car Qi Qiming sent over to pick them up had already been waiting outside, and the driver quickly came up to greet Qi Feng, ¡°First Master, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Qi Feng lowered his hat and covered most of his face. He just gave a brief reply without showing any emotions before he waved his hand for the bodyguard to quickly help him into the car. Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier followed suit.

    The car left the airport quickly and went on its way in the midst of the night.

    Qi Feng did not say anything. He just turned over and looked out of the window. Although his expression did not change at all, there was something in his eyes. No one knew what he was feeling.

    Qi Weier sat right beside him, holding onto a Barbie doll tightly. She looked at Qi Feng and curled up towards him, then she nced over at Gu Lingsha without saying anything.

    Gu Lingsha carefully fixed Qi Weier¡¯s skirt as she spoke gently, ¡°Weiwei, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m your mother, so I won¡¯t hurt you. Don¡¯t you remember me? We caught butterflies together in the gardenst time and made them into specimens. Do you remember?¡±

    Qi Weier looked at her quietly. Because she could sense there was no evil intention from her, she nodded and then pulled Qi Feng¡¯s sleeve. Then, she looked at Gu Lingsha for a long while before replying with a weak tone, ¡°I remember...¡±

    Gu Lingsha was extremely touched even if it was just two words. She almost cried out loud.

    Qi Weier was suspected to have autism. She hardly spoke in her daily life, having only started speaking prettyte. When she first said the word ¡°Father¡±, she was three years old. Apart from Qi Feng and the helper Mary, as well as Gu Qiwu, she hardly spoke to anyone else. She also felt Gu Lingsha was a stranger due to theck of interaction even though she was her mother. That was part of the reason why Qi Feng wanted Mary to follow them back to City Z.

    However, it did not matter because Qi Weier would still get close to Gu Lingsha every time after they spent some time together.

    Qi Weier was exhausted from the long flight and fell asleep as she leaned on Qi Feng. Gu Lingsha looked at her daughter and carefully put a nket over her before she turned towards Qi Feng.

    ¡°It¡¯s been six years. Do you find that a lot of things are different now? I was shocked by the number of changes when I came back. I suppose you¡¯ll feel it difficult to adapt to life here after living abroad for a long time, but it¡¯ll get better.¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone was gentle as she looked outside as well. The colorful city lights felt unreal.

    ¡°Are there really a lot of changes?¡± Qi Feng asked, turning over to Gu Lingsha. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng...¡± Gu Lingsha called his name. There were some feelings inside her that she could not express, so she grabbed his hand and said, ¡°We can start everything anew since you¡¯re back, can¡¯t we?¡±

    Qi Feng did not answer. He just stared at Gu Lingsha¡¯s little hand as his eyes seemed to be hiding something.

    ¡°Uncle Qi missed you. Especially after Wang Qin passed away, he was down for a period of time. I thought about informing you about Wang Qin¡¯s death, but I remember you have an unhappy past with her, so I decided to keep it from you. That way, it won¡¯t feel so burdensome on you after the whole thing has died down. It¡¯s been tough for Uncle Qi. Although Aunt Wang has some misunderstanding towards me, I still feel sad for her misfortune.¡± Gu Lingsha seemed to be genuinely sad.

    However, a cold light shed in his eyes as he heard her words. ¡°I¡¯ve been calling her ¡®Mother¡¯ for the past few decades, so I certainly feel sad that she passed away.¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not expect that from Qi Feng. When she wanted to exin after a moment of hesitation, Qi Feng continued, ¡°I found out what happened to her through the Inte and the newspapers. It seems like Mu Yuchen got into the police station because of this too. Is he out already?¡±

    Gu Lingsha could sense a chilly aura being emitted from him when the name Mu Yuchen was mentioned. It was an enormous pressure that made one feel difficult to breathe.

    ¡°He got out some time ago,¡± Gu Lingsha replied briefly.

 Chapter 905 - Bitterness (2)

    <h4>Chapter 905: Bitterness (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng put on a stiff smile. He stopped talking and looked out of the window again.

    ¡°I thought it would¡¯ve at least given him a solid blow or deal some damage to him, yet he got out unscathed!¡± he finally said.

    Gu Lingsha was annoyed as she was reminded of it. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a coincidence, but the murderer is still not found yet. It¡¯s really tragic that Aunt Wang just left like this. By the way, Ah Feng, the woman that married Mu Yuchen has something up her sleeve. I¡¯ve met her several times and things didn¡¯t end well. We...¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not continue because she noticed that Qi Feng had already closed his eyes, so she was not sure if he was listening anymore. After all, he seemed exhausted from the long flight here.

    ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯ll wake you up when we reach home.¡± Aware of the atmosphere between them, she knew there was something he did not want to talk about.

    ...

    The temperature was still pretty warm at night. In the midst of summer, the citizens could still feel the residue heat after the city was baked in the sun for a whole day.

    The moon was nowhere to be seen that night, but infinite waves of stars were visible instead.

    On the hotel room balcony, Qi Lei stood there as he listened to the sound of the wind brushing past his ears along with the sound of the curtains swaying behind him.

    His phone screen had turned dark some time ago.

    Thest phone call he received was from Mu Yuchen who had given Qi Lei bad news. He told him that Qi Feng arrived in City Z at 10 p.m. that night, and Qi Qiming was already prepared to wee him back.

    His mind went nk.

    ¡°Master Qi, you must be hungry working until this hour. Eat something! I told them to deliver it just now. These are your favorite dumplings! The dumplings in this hotel are very famous!¡± Yang Sheng had just finished checking the documents. Worried that Qi Lei might get hungry, he ordered some supper for him.

    Qi Lei flicked the cigarette on his finger when he heard Yang Sheng¡¯s voice. He took a deep breath and threw the rest of the cigarette butt into the flower pot nearby. He then said, ¡°It¡¯s better if you call me Second Master Qi now. I¡¯m not going to be Master Qi anymore.¡±

    He nced at Yang Sheng before walking past him. When Yang Sheng turned around, he could only catch a glimpse of his back.

    His back showed a very lonely figure.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s heart ached, and he yelled as if he was trying to prove something, ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re always the one and only Master Qi to me!¡±

    Qi Lei took a pause when he heard Yang Sheng¡¯s words. Momentster, he turned around with a wicked smile on his face. ¡°Qi Feng is alive. He came back, and it¡¯s a fact that he¡¯s older than me. Anyway, I¡¯m just the second son, and it¡¯s not like I care about the title.¡±

    His smile seemed simr to the sly smile of a rich brat, but in Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes, he looked so bitter.

    How could there be such a big difference in treatment when they were both Qi Qiming¡¯s sons?

    He had been working alongside Qi Lei for many years, but he only recently noticed that he had never known his Master Qi thoroughly.

    Everyone thought of him as a useless brat from a wealthy family with countless rumors with female celebrities, but Yang Sheng knew that Qi Lei was a person with high moral standards. He would never randomly stay outside and had never brought any woman back to his vi. Xi Xiaye was the first woman to enter his bedroom!

    The vi in the Grand Lake area was Wang Qin¡¯s birthday present to him and was a meaningful ce. Although they did not seem to get along well on the surface, he never really went against his mother before.

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re the only recognized Master Qi in Qi Kai. In the end, Qi Kai will still belong to you.¡± Yang Sheng was not sure how to give himfort.

    Qi Lei did not seem to care. He went to the table and picked up a pair of chopsticks as he started eating. ¡°My mother wouldn¡¯t be so concerned if that old man really has the intention of passing Qi Kai to me. He hates me. Do you really think someone like me can take over Qi Kai?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, your talent is definitely not below Master Feng¡¯s! Even Master Mu holds you in high regard!¡± Yang Sheng said.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen? That bastard could do anything for the sake of benefits. I bet I owed him a lot in my past life! I hate dealing with sly foxes like him. It hurts my brain!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s only conclusion for Mu Yuchen now was¡ªbad rating!

    Yang Sheng chuckled. ¡°Master Qi, I do think Master Mu and Director Xi are nice people. They are kind, unlike most of the other people in simr positions.¡±

    ¡°Only fools like you would think they are kind. All businessmen are wicked! The more powerful a person is in the business world, the more wicked the person is. Are you really experienced in this field?¡± Qi Lei stared at Yang Sheng angrily before putting another dumpling into his mouth. He chewed on it aggressively as if it was Mu Yuchen.

    Yang Sheng coughed lightly and lowered his head.

    He did not hear anything at all. Nothing!

 Chapter 906 - Bitterness (3)

    <h4>Chapter 906: Bitterness (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was quite a distance from the airport back to the Qi residence. By the time Qi Feng¡¯s car reached the entrance of the Qi residence, it was close to 11 p.m.

    The streetlights before the Qi residence lit up. The butler had been waiting at the door for a long while now. As soon as he saw the car driving over, he immediately went up excitedly.

    ¡°First Master, you¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°Quickly inform CEO Qi that First Master is back!¡±

    In an instant, cheerfulughter was heard. The servants that had been waiting for a long while went up to them to greet them.

    However, because he was disfigured by the car ident, post-surgery, he looked very different. Even his voice changed, so everyone could not immediately recognize him. They stopped not too far away from the car and looked at the scene before them in confusion.

    With the help of his personal bodyguard, Qi Feng sat in his wheelchair, and a faint smile shed across his handsome face. Mary carried Qi Weier, and the apanying doctors went up to briefly check on her. Upon seeing that all is well, everyone was relieved.

    ¡°Long time no see. Has everyone been well?¡± Qi Feng smiled calmly and greeted everyone. His raspy voice was not loud, yet you could still hear a hint of tenderness in his caring tone that was familiar to them.

    With Gu Lingsha standing right by his side, everyone immediately reacted to this scene. This foreign-looking person in the wheelchair with a familiar air should be the First Master that they had missed, Qi Feng!

    Everyone eased a little, then nodded and smiled at each other.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been quite well. All these years, we¡¯ve missed you, Master. We all thought that you...When Miss Shasha told us, we didn¡¯t dare believe it, but we feel sincerely d. Thankfully, you¡¯re alright, Master. Otherwise, we¡¯d continue being sad, but now that you¡¯re back, that¡¯s great! Everyone has been looking forward to your return!¡± The butler beamed as he spoke, unable to hide the emotions stirring in his eyes and the joy of the reunion.

    Qi Feng was very well-liked there because he was a very gentle person. Usually, he would be very friendly with the people in the residence. In fact, he was so handsome, and the servants all like him very much. Compared to his warmth, they did not quite like Wang Qin¡¯s coldness and Qi Lei¡¯s frivolousness, causing them to have a poor impression of him. Besides, Qi Lei rarely went home in a year, so everyone had a far poorer perception of himpared to Qi Feng.

    When Qi Feng heard the butler¡¯s speech, he only smiled and indicated to his bodyguard, Morrison, to wheel him in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in. Everyone, go in. CEO Qi¡¯s already prepared some drinks and dishes. It¡¯s quitete now, but it¡¯s not a workday tomorrow, so you can all rest well,¡± said the butler with a smile.

    The rest of them then went into the house.

    Inside the majestically decorated living room, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha had just walked in when they saw Qi Qiming who hade out to meet them.

    Qi Qimign had changed into a casual home outfit. When he saw Qi Feng and Weiwei in Mary¡¯s arms, his tensed his expression immediately rxed. The gloom in between his brows dissipated too and a smile appeared for the first time in a long time.

    ¡°You¡¯re back! You¡¯re finally back!¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi!¡±

    Quite a few people following behind Qi Feng were all quite familiar with Qi Qiming. When they saw him, they all respectfully greeted him.

    Qi Qiming nodded and ordered, ¡°Butler, arrange for everyone to get some food. Rest for a bit first!¡±

    ¡°Okay, CEO Qi!¡± the butler answered. Then, the bodyguard in ck made a gesture and the few people quietly left the living room with him.

    Qi Qiming examined the scene. Upon seeing that Qi Weier had fallen asleep in Mary¡¯s arms, there was a hint of lovingness on his aged face as he ordered again, ¡°Someone, guide Mary to bring Miss Weiwei to the room that¡¯s been prepared. Also, get Doctor Wang to take a look at Weiwei.¡±

    ¡°Okay, CEO Qi!¡±

    ...

    Qi Qiming swiftly issued all the orders. When he was done, only Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were left with him.

    Qi Feng took off his cap, revealing an exquisitely handsome face that appeared even more outstanding under the light. Qi Qiming and Gu Lingsha were a little stunned just looking at it.

    Actually, even though Qi Feng had stic surgery, his jawline from before did not change much. If you looked closely, perhaps you could even see shadows of him from before. In fact, he was a handsome and gentle person even before this.

    Qi Feng looked around the living room and realized that while everything looked so familiar, some things felt different. Finally, he paused his gaze on a wall in the living room.

    He remembered that a famous artist¡¯s oil painting of a scrap collector, which happened to be Wang Qin¡¯s favorite painting, was hung there before. Qi Lei had auctioned it from abroad back then and given it to Wang Qin who liked it so much that she moved Qi Feng¡¯s favorite vase and changed it to that painting.

    However, now, the painting was gone. It was switched back to his favorite Qinghua porcin vase again.

    He fell silent for a while, then an uneasiness shed across his handsome face. After a while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°That painting might be more suitable for this position than the vase.¡±

    When Qi Feng said that, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression instantly darkened. Gu Lingsha did not look toofortable either. Of course, Qi Feng caught their expressions. Heughed softly, then looked around again before asking, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Lei? Why don¡¯t I see him?¡±

    Qi Qiming looked even more annoyed. His tone was filled with helplessness and annoyance. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that useless person! Ever since his mother passed away, he no longer sees me as his father! Hmm, in truth, he never thought of me as his father!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, don¡¯t be angry. Beware of your health! Lei¡¯s just too sad. He didn¡¯t mean to provoke you. Ah Feng, Lei went abroad for work, so he¡¯ll only be back in two days. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve gone to personally pick you up from the airport if he knew you were back. He must¡¯ve missed you a lot all these years too.¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not want everyone to be unhappy because of Lei¡¯s matter again, thus she quickly tried to smooth things over.

    Qi Qiming scoffed in irritation, but after that, he kept it down. ¡°Alright, wash your hands and have something to eat. It must¡¯ve been a long journey!¡±

 Chapter 907 - Bitterness (4)

    <h4>Chapter 907: Bitterness (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha nodded in agreement before her petite body turned and walked towards Qi Feng while wheeling Qi Feng to the dining table.

    The servants served the food coordinatedly as the few of them washed their hands quickly before going to the table.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression had returned to calmness. He did not bring Wang Qin and Qi Lei up again because he seemed to have vaguely sensed that Qi Qiming did not seem to be at ease. He wondered if it was because he was still fussed over Qi Lei.

    ¡°You¡¯ve just returned, so rest well at home these next few days. Lingsha, stay at home to be with him too. There are some things that still need more discussions with the government for South River Project No. 2, so it¡¯ll take some time before it can be carried out. For the promotional campaign, Xi Xinyi has begun preparing for it. I¡¯ll leave this to you, but you should exchange thoughts with Xi Xinyi on a daily basis. Do this well because the early stage preparations are very important. Those old guys on the government¡¯s side are not fools.¡±

    Qi Qiming had been losing sleep over this project. Previously, he had been ripped off by Hua Heng, and he was still angry about it because he had to spend all that money for nothing. Obviously, he furiously cursed Hua Heng for not being honest!

    However, Hua Heng could not care less since he had earned arge amount over nothing, then divided it with Shen Yue who did not know the slightest bit about the shady business involved!

    Gu Lingsha knew that Qi Qiming had been unhappy over this incident too, so she could only console him, ¡°Alright, Uncle Qi, since you¡¯ve got thend, that¡¯s a wonderful thing too. Now, we¡¯ve sessfully gotten the bid for South River Project No. 2, so when we start on it, you don¡¯t have to worry that you won¡¯t get a return on your investments. Even Glory World, Fuhua, and somergepanies have been watching the project closely. Now that it¡¯s with us, I¡¯m sure many people are envious.¡±

    Upon hearing Gu Lingsha, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression started to look slightly better. When he looked up at Qi Feng, he realized that he had already picked up his chopsticks and was silently having his meal, not seeming interested in their conversation at all.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat first and talk about these thingster on.¡± Qi Qiming then stopped talking about the topic. He turned to look at Qi Feng with eyes filled with tenderness. ¡°Your room is the same as before. I told them not to touch anything. Usually, they only do a simple clean up while all the things you¡¯ve used have been changed to new ones.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s movements paused slightly. He looked up to Qi Qiming and said in a raspy voice, ¡°Thank you. Anything goes. I don¡¯t care about these things anymore.¡± He then continued to quietly lower his head and continue eating.

    Upon hearing this, Qi Qiming felt his heart sink a little. He subconsciously lowered his gaze and looked at Qi Feng¡¯s legs, but it was blocked by the table, so he could not see them. Still, he could catch a hint of gloominess from Qi Feng¡¯s words!

    When Qi Feng first woke up, he almost could not handle the shock and wanted to kill himself. All these years, he became more and more reserved, so Qi Qiming could not help but be worried.

    ¡°Ah Feng, don¡¯t say that you don¡¯t care. You¡¯ll get better. In fact, I hope that you can pull youtself together because I¡¯ll only feel assured handing Qi Kai over to you.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was heavy as he said that. When Gu Lingsha heard him, her hand that held the chopsticks tightened as she fixed her gaze on Qi Feng.

    However, Qi Feng did not say anything and just silently continued eating.

    Qi Qiming felt extremely helpless seeing Qi Feng like this. He exchanged a look with Gu Lingsha and did not continue.

    ...

    It was a dreamless night. Xi Xiaye had a rare good night¡¯s sleep. When she slowly woke up, she could still feel the source of warmth closely on her back. He was hugging her waist tightly while his long legs were entwined with hers. No wonder she could feel something heavy on her legs.

    She lifted a hand to rub her blurry eyes. After a while, the view before became clear, so she nced up slightly and her fingersbed through her long and messy hair. She then turned to look at him to see that he was indeed sleeping soundly.

    There was none of his usual coldness from when he was awake. Right now, he looked quite peaceful as she continued looking, and then she could not help but brush away the little hairs on his forehead. Her long fingers picked up a few strands of her own hair, and then she contentedly brushed them past his handsome face.

    Mu Yuchen was sleeping soundly when he felt something tickling his face, so he reached out and urately caught her wrist. His eyes instantly opened too with a serene radiance flickering in them. In her startlement, before she could react, he had already pulled her into an embrace. His soft and deep voice contained a hint of sexyziness and raspiness. ¡°How rare of you to be in such high spirits early in the morning. How about we do a morning song?¡±

    ¡°No! Aren¡¯t you worried about dying from too much of it?¡± Xi Xiaye quickly caught his restless hand and frowned at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. We¡¯re very disciplined and harmonious when ites to this aspect of life. In fact, do you think with a body like mine, that situation would happen? Wasn¡¯t it your body that couldn¡¯t take it and then dere surrender every single time?¡± He looked at her delightedly, then subconsciously let his gaze trail down her body before he frowned.

    ¡°Fine, I know you¡¯re good, Mr. Mu, Chairman Mu! You can do it yourself. Let me off for once, okay?¡± Xiaye put both palms together and begged pitifully.

    He chuckled but still lowered his head to steal a morning kiss before he slowly got up. Then, he took both their clothes, first putting hers on, before wearing his own as he got down from the bed.

    Xi Xiaye got up while getting dressed too. ¡°We still have to go back to the old residence. It¡¯s Ah Mo and Ah Shi¡¯s first day as newlyweds, so we have to go back for a meal. It¡¯s already 10. Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll reach in half an hour. What are you rushing for?¡±

    Although he was quite calm, she already walked towards the wardrobe and looked through it, unable to decide on what to wear. After she flipped through the wardrobe for a while, she prepared both their clothes.

    The couple finished washing up as quickly as they could and went downstairs. Almost half an hour had passed, and Aunt Lin had already packed Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s things.

    After a simple breakfast, Li Si came to pick them up.

    ¡°Master, the car¡¯s ready. We can leave now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he carried Mu Xiaocheng with one hand and walked out.

 Chapter 908 - Bitterness (5)

    <h4>Chapter 908: Bitterness (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi who just had their wedding were rushing to the old Mu residence.

    ¡°I just realized howplicated marriage is. Thankfully, we didn¡¯t organize such a grand wedding as they did. It¡¯s going to be Bro Su Chen¡¯s wedding in a few days. You can go ahead and prepare the gift. There¡¯s no need to prepare two red packets. That¡¯s the benefit of being married.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was dressed femininely today in a light blue floral dress with her beautiful hair casually tied into a bun. There was arge pair of sunsses on her face, but you could see that she put makeup on, especially with a sh of red on her lips that made her look beautiful and spirited.

    Upon hearing her, Ah Mo, who had been focused on driving, turned to look at, then heughed. ¡°Master Su was quite quick but not as quick as Brother.¡±

    Ah Mo was quite clear about how Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had gotten together back then.

    Mu Lingshi nodded dly. ¡°Everyone has their own way of loving. The one you meet first might not be the best one for you. It¡¯s best if two people who love each other can get married, but now even more people are getting married because they¡¯repatible. Those who entrust their lives to each other might not be the person they love the most, so we¡¯re quite lucky.

    ¡°However, speaking of which, no one can tell for sure when ites to marriage and life. For instance, Big Bro and Sister-inw are a ssic example of falling in love after marriage. It¡¯s a kind of gamble. How many couples can be as lucky as them?¡± She started to speak more now, unlike before when she would always be terribly quiet.

    Ah Mo pondered for a moment, then did not continue her train of thought. He smiled and said instead, ¡°I realize you¡¯ve been having quite a lot of thoughts recently!¡±

    Mu Lingshi grinned as she responded, ¡°Just pretend as if I¡¯ve been reborn. I¡¯ve been thinking a lot these days, and after everything, I realize that I¡¯m in the way of allowing myself to live well. Wee into life with nothing and leave with nothing as we have a finite amount of time. So long as we¡¯re happy, everything else doesn¡¯t seem as important anymore.¡±

    When Mu Lingshi said that, Ah Mo was stunned. He could not help but feel bitterness in his heart.

    As long as you were happy, everything else did not seem as important anymore?

    What if something changed?

    How should he tell her about Gu Qiwu? When the time came, could she still be this optimistic and smile this cheerfully?

    Ah Mo dared not think about it because he knew that Mu Lingshi had spent a lot of time to recover from that incident. If the whole matter with her history was not handled well, she might suffer once again. Recently, she had still been hung up on her history. If it were not for the fact that they had been busy with the wedding, he was worried that he could not find an excuse to hold her back temporarily.

    He hesitated for a moment before expressing, ¡°Lingshi, I hope that you¡¯ll always be like this. A frank personality suits you best.¡±

    Shrugging, Mu Lingshi turned to look at him, then reached up to adjust her sunsses. ¡°Haven¡¯t I been alright before? Have I made you suffer all these years?¡±

    Once more, Ah Mo was stunned. This was the first time she had initiated a question about how he felt these past few years.

    He really did not know how to express it. He admitted that he had once suffered, but sometimes when you were sure about someone from the depths of your heart, and in fact knew that she felt the same way for you, that wait was not considered suffering. No matter what, as long as they had each other¡¯s hearts, there was hope for everything, and when there was hope, the wait would not feel too long!

    He thought about it for quite a while before replying very seriously, ¡°No...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to console me. I know you¡¯ve always been very tolerant of me. If our roles were reversed, I¡¯m afraid I couldn¡¯t have done the same as you, and probably would¡¯ve fallen for someone else.¡± Mu Lingshi was being truthful.

    Not many people could wait for six years, let alone for a woman with a w in appearance like her.

    Even though Ah Mo was not really the type who knew how to sweet talk, his handsome face blushed as he uttered, ¡°You¡¯re wonderful. I¡¯ve told you right from the start that I want to protect you.¡±

    Mu Lingshi naturally caught all of his expressions. After that, she lowered her gaze and giggled as she pushed her sunsses up and turned to look out again.

    When they reached the old Mu residence, it was already very lively. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had both rushed over. At the moment, Mu Yuchen and Wang Hui were chatting idly in the living room as they yed with Mu Xiaocheng while Xi Xiaye was in the kitchen with Zhuang Shurong.

    The atmosphere with the entire Mu family felt harmonious. Someone as busy as Zhuang Shurong did not usually have much time to do much housework. It was only when the children were all back that she would cook a dish or two.

    ¡°It¡¯s the summer break next month. Earlier, when I called your mother, I heard that she¡¯s nning to go for a trip with your father abroad,¡± Zhuang Shurong suddenly mentioned to Xi Xiaye who was pouring the red wine into the dish for voring.

    ¡°Mmm, since it¡¯s the summer holidays, Mother thought of bringing Grandpa abroad for a vacation,¡± Xi Xiaye responded.

    ¡°They should go out more often. Have you been able to handle work recently? The two of you rarelye home these days, but if you¡¯re busy with work, then don¡¯t worry abouting home. Your grandparents are always at your ce anyway, so your father and I will just visit more often.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was bing friendlier with Xi Xiaye now, unlike her formality and seriousness from before.

    ¡°Mmm, I can still handle it.¡±

    ¡°Handle what?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just said that when Mu Yuchen¡¯s soft and gentle voice came from behind. As Zhuang Shurong turned to look at who it was, Mu Yuchen appeared behind them.

    ¡°Mother, let us cook. You should take a look at Xiao Cheng. Ah Mo and Lingshi are back too. They¡¯re waiting to serve you and Father tea.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a look at Zhuang Shurong and took the spat from her. She paused, then nodded before going out.

    ¡°Earlier, Su Nan called to say that Ruan Heng¡¯s finished with the check-up. The doctor¡¯s discussing his concrete ns for recovery. Apart from staying at the hospital to take care of Ruan Heng, she will work on some fashion designs at home. She¡¯s probably thinking about joining the fashionpetition at the end of the year. She also told me to thank you.¡±

 Chapter 909 - Rushing Around (1)

    <h4>Chapter 909: Rushing Around (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye nced at him after Zhuang Shurong went out.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± he gave a brief reply and extended his arm towards her. Instantly, she understood that he wanted her to help him to roll up his sleeves.

    ¡°Tell Su Nan to voice out if she needs anything. The people there will help her out,¡± he added.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I bumped into Ruan Heng¡¯s father several days ago. I feel really awful for them. Ruan Heng just received a promotion the day he got into the ident, and he was looking forward to telling Su Nan the good news, then he just fell unconscious.¡± She was not sure if she should harbor hatred towards Gu Lingsha at this point.

    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. We¡¯ve done whatever we can.¡± He was not sure how tofort her though he knew how she felt.

    Xi Xiaye remained quiet and continued what she was doing before.

    After the family had a simple lunch together, Zhuang Shurong summoned Mu Lingshi to the study room. Xi Xiaye was putting Mu Xiaocheng to nap while Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo went to the backyard as Li Si followed them as well.

    ¡°I confirmed the news with Ah Bao. Qi Feng returned to the Qi residence at 11 p.m.st night,¡± Li Si reported as Mu Yuchen was watering the flowers. Meanwhile, Ah Mo had a frown on his face.

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes darkened as he said, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll investigate what he¡¯s up to.¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed calm as he ran his fingers through some leaves before him. ¡°There¡¯s no need. There must be a reason why he¡¯s keeping his return low profile. Just keep an eye on him. We¡¯ll meet sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°But, Master...¡± Li Si exchanged nces with Ah Mo hesitantly.

    ¡°I knew he was going toe back around this time. Do you really think Qi Qiming tried so hard to get South River Project No. 2 just to create opportunities for Qi Kai?¡±

    ¡°So, do you mean that Qi Qiming wants Qi Feng to take over Qi Kai? Qi Feng is disabled now. How¡¯s he going to take over Qi Kai?¡± Li Si gave it some thought. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the situation look very bad for Master Qi at the moment?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put the watering can down and grabbed a towel to clean his hand before he sat down on the rattan chair. ¡°Only his legs are disabled. His brain is still working, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve investigated his bank ounts. All this time, huge amounts of money never stopped flowing into them. That means he hasn¡¯t been cking all these years.¡±

    ¡°So, are we just going to observe and do nothing at the moment?¡± Ah Mo calmed down and asked.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the sky as he spoke, ¡°Stay alert. I have an idea. Just do whatever you¡¯ve been told to. Li Si, head over to Chenye Movies and Television and tell Vice President Liu to hand me the documents I wanted as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯ll call him right away.¡± Li Si took out his phone and dialed Liu Lingyu¡¯s number.

    Mu Yuchen nced at Li Si before speaking to Ah Mo, ¡°Ah Mo, tell Lingshi about Gu Qiwu. Make sure she prepares herself. Father and Mother already know about it. We can¡¯t really hide it any longer, so you should be prepared as well.¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned for a moment. He fully understood what Mu Yuchen meant. ¡°Yes, Brother, I¡¯ll take care of it. About the people Gu Qiwu sent...I¡¯m worried things might be exposed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯lle sooner orter anyway. Does he think it¡¯s going to be effective?¡±

    ¡°What about Grandfather and Grandmother? If they find out...¡± If they found out the naked truth after so many years, they might not be able to ept it.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°Let me handle that. You¡¯ve just recently gotten married. Take a few days off. I¡¯ll look for you again in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Brother.¡±

    ¡°Master, Vice President Liu is ready with the documents. He ns to deliver them to your office tomorrow.¡± Li Si was done on his call with Liu Lingyu.

    Mu Yuchen gave his orders, ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait. Tell him to deliver them to Maple Residence right this instance. Call Assistant Yang Sheng and ask him which hotel Qi Lei¡¯s staying at.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi is staying at Hua Tian Hotel. I¡¯ll ask Vice President Liu to send it over now. What do you have in mind?¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied after a brief pause, ¡°I have to go to City B as soon as possible while Qi Lei is still there. Coincidentally, CEO Li just returned from abroad as well. Ah Mo, book me a flight to City B right away, and make sure no one knows about it.¡±

    Ah Mo began to worry. ¡°Brother, are you going alone? What are you going to do?¡± He did not know about the promise between Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei, thus it was natural for him to feel troubled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll probably be back by tomorrow. Since Qi Feng is back, I suppose Qi Lei will need toe up with a new n to continue operating in Qi Kai, and his actions will be limited as well. I¡¯m sure Qi Feng is capable of thinking about such oues if I cane up with them. We should get it done before they can react to it,¡± Mu Yuchen said as his eyes darkened.

    ¡°Then, let me apany you!¡± Ah Mo said.

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand and stopped him. ¡°No, it¡¯s better if I go alone.¡±

    Although Ah Mo was still worried, he trusted Mu Yuchen. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±

    Li Si looked at Ah Mo quietly and replied after thetter nodded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°Please make the arrangements so that I can be in City B before evening.¡± Mu Yuchen then took his phone out and gave CEO Li in City B a call.

 Chapter 910 - Rushing Around (2)

    <h4>Chapter 910: Rushing Around (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he arrived back in the room, Xi Xiaye had just put their son to sleep and was taking a nap on the sofa. She opened her eyes slightly when she heard some noises. Then, she saw the man ying with the baby.

    When did the little guy wake up?

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. Mu Yuchen was holding Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s tiny hand as he smiled. He said in a gentle tone, ¡°Sleeping already? What are you doing opening your eyes this wide now? Is there something on my face? You have your mother¡¯s scent over you. Do you want me to sing you a song?

    <i>¡°The sky turned dark, the stars showed up...¡±</i>

    His deep singing voice was maic. She was not sure if it was a good luby, but if he actually wanted to be a singer, with his outstanding appearance and charisma, he would be popr very quickly.

    She was a little dazzled as her eyes were glued to him.

    Mu Xiaocheng went back to sleep again momentster, and Mu Yuchen noticed the woman¡¯s gaze, so he went towards her.

    ¡°You have the potential to be a good father.¡±

    Xi Xiaye moved over toward the baby and left a kiss on his forehead. She studied her son for a little while before looking back at him.

    He put on a gentle smile, poking their son¡¯s cheek gently. ¡°It seems like he can recognize my voice now.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s getting used to us, but it feels like he likes you more.¡± Xi Xiaye lowered herself and pulled up the nket for her son.

    He smiled and put an arm over her shoulder. After she was done tending to the baby, he sat down on the sofa and grabbed her waist as he spoke gently beside her ear, ¡°I¡¯m going to City B to handle some emergencyter. Grandmother and the others are probably staying here for another day or two, but I won¡¯t be back tonight.¡±

    City B?

    An emergency?

    Xi Xiaye was in doubt as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned and hid the darkness in his eyes, refusing to answer her question.

    Xi Xiaye stared at him and teased, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me? Are you meeting a secret lover?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression softened as he hugged her tightly and made her sit on hisp. ¡°I only have one woman, and that¡¯s you.¡±

    Her heart melted as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and smiled. ¡°Mr. Mu, I realize that you¡¯re really sweet with your wordstely.¡±

    ¡°That depends on who I¡¯m talking to.¡±

    He then casually kissed her lips. They parted momentster as he took a deep breath and started to exin, ¡°I¡¯m meeting CEO Li, and Qi Lei is there as well. Qi Feng is back and I¡¯m worried that our n might be foiled.¡±

    ¡°Silly, you don¡¯t have to exin to me. I¡¯ll believe you no matter what. Where is your sense of humor?¡± Still, she was d that he told her about it.

    He looked deep into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not exining. I just wanted you to know.¡±

    ¡°Alright, be careful over there. When are youing back? I¡¯ll pack for you.¡± She got up.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll be back by tomorrow. Regarding my grandparents...¡±

    ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll tell them you¡¯ve got some work to do. Are you leaving now? Have you booked your flight?¡± Xi Xiaye stood up before he could finish his sentence, knowing full well about his intentions.

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Vice President Liu to deliver some documents over. Let¡¯s head back to Maple Residence since it¡¯s closer to the airport.¡± He let go of her and grabbed his sleeping son.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let Grandmother know.¡±

    Xi Xiaye followed him outside the room.

    The man was already waiting for Xi Xiaye in the car after she was done informing them about it. They put their son into the bass and fastened the seatbelt in the back passenger seat.

    Xi Xiaye got into the car quickly and put down some bags that were full of delicious food made by Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°Sit tight. Vice President Liu is almost there.¡±

    He quickly fastened her seat belt for her as soon as she got into the car, and he started the car swiftly after that.

    It did not take long for them to arrive back at Maple Residence. They already saw Vice President Liu and Li Si waiting for them at the door when they were still some distance away.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, here are the documents!¡±

    Liu Lingyu came up to him and handed a folder to him after a simple greeting to the both of them.

    Mu Yuchen took it out and looked through it. Nodding, he handed them to Li Si. ¡°You can head back now. If I¡¯m not back by tomorrow afternoon¡¯s meeting, please chair it for me.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Chairman Mu,¡±

    Before waiting for Vice President Liu¡¯s reply, he turned around and picked up his son from Xi Xiaye as he walked into the house.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly packed up his documents and grabbed a coat for him as he ced Mu Xiaocheng back into the baby room.

    Xi Xiaye handed the stuff to him at the bottom of the staircase as she gave him some reminders, ¡°The weather forecast says it¡¯ll be raining in City B. Get a coat and don¡¯t catch a cold. Remember to call me when you¡¯ve arrived.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Mmm, okay. Go back in now.¡±

    She tidied his slightly creased cor. ¡°Off you go!¡±

    He smiled and patted her head before leaving since Li Si had been waiting for him since a while ago.

 Chapter 911 - Rushing Around (3)

    <h4>Chapter 911: Rushing Around (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky in City B turned rather dark in the evening, and it looked like it was going to rain.

    Inside a VIP room in Hua Tian Hotel, Qi Lei headed back to the hotel after he was done meeting the coborators and had his lunch.

    He yedputer gameste into the night again yesterday. When he entered the underground dungeon, he met another yer called ¡°Swift Snowy¡±. Not only did this yer trap him, but he also stole a lot of his equipment after hunting him down.

    Qi Lei¡¯s in-game name was ¡°Eastern Gust¡±. He was one of the top three yers in the game, and this particr yer was giving him trouble! He had faced the other two of the top three yers before, so it was definitely not them. Then, who could this person be?

    He never knew such a strong yer existed before! He was looking around and waiting for him to go online.

    After some observation, he found out that ¡°Swift Snowy¡± only went online in the evenings. There was very limited information on the yer profile. Qi Lei only knew it was a female avatar. With the yer¡¯s skills and equipment, he seemed like a highly experienced yer.

    Qi Lei asked around in his guild. The yer seemed to be a young 20-year old man in real life who managed an antique shop, but he was a very secretive person, so there was nothing else known about him.

    At 5 p.m. in the evening, the yer¡¯s icon lit up. Immediately, Qi Lei¡¯s rxed body tensed up. He let go of his teacup as his fingers danced away swiftly on the keyboard.

    Swift Snowy noticed him right away and avoided Qi Lei¡¯s ambush as he started chatting.

    Swift Snowy: Dude, are you still chasing me?

    Eastern Gust: Give me back my equipment and beg for my forgiveness.

    Swift Snowy: No way. I¡¯ll never give away what¡¯s mine. You¡¯ll be beaten into pulp anytime I want to. Give me a million coins and I¡¯ll forgive you for being rude!

    Eastern Gust: Beat me up? I¡¯ll slice you into pieces now!

    Swift Snowy: Damn it. You¡¯ve been after me for several days. Can you stop being so annoying!? I don¡¯t have time for you now. Get lost!!!

    As Qi Lei was about to reply, his doorbell rang. He frowned and went to get the door reluctantly.

    Qi Lei was dumbfounded when he saw who was outside the door. He widened his eyes. ¡°Mu Yuchen? Are my eyes ying tricks on me?¡±

    He nced around and made sure Mu Yuchen was alone outside. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked like he just arrived, and he held a ck briefcase. ¡°I¡¯m here to see you. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged and made way as Mu Yuchen swiftly went in.

    ...

    ¡°Why did youe here so suddenly?¡± Qi Lei got Mu Yuchen a ss of water and he shot him some doubtful nces before asking, ¡°Did you meet Qi Feng?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a sip from the ss of water before taking out several photographs from the briefcase to give to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei sat down and nced at him curiously, then he picked up the photos and took a good look at them.

    They were photos taken right after Qi Fengnded yesterday. They clearly showed Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha, but¡ª

    ¡°Who¡¯s this little girl?¡±

    Qi Lei was shocked to see Gu Lingsha acting so intimately with Qi Weier. Although it was not very clear in the photograph, he noticed the girl had blue eyes and blonde hair. She was a pretty little girl.

    Was this Shasha and Qi Feng¡¯s daughter?

    They looked just like a happy family together!

    If that was true, why had Shasha never mentioned it to him?

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened as his hands that held onto the photographs froze.

    For some reason, he felt bitter inside.

    What a happy family...

    No wonder Qi Qiming was so nice to Shasha. She was part of the family all along, and he was the outsider. He felt like he belonged to the family a little when his mother was still alive, but nothing seemed to matter him anymore right now.

    Mu Yuchen noticed Qi Lei¡¯s reaction, and he put on a cold smile. ¡°It seems like you got the answer. I investigated and confirmed the child is Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s daughter. Her name is Qi Weier. Qi Qiming and Gu Qiwu knew about her existence. Because her body has been frail since birth, she was staying in Australia with Qi Feng all these years.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Shasha tell me?¡± Qi Lei mumbled as he looked at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°You have to ask her about that. I¡¯m not here to talk to you about them. It¡¯s about our partnership. Take a look at these, and ask me questions if you have any. I¡¯ll be having dinner with CEO Li in a vi in the south of City B. It¡¯s up to you to decide if you want toe.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave the documents Liu Lingyu prepared to Qi Lei. ¡°Qi Kai is producing a huge budget fantasy movie, isn¡¯t it? CEO Li will be very interested.¡± His voice was calm, but the light in his eyes dazzled Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei scrutinized him for a long time before reading through the documents. His face was strained, and he took a deep breath before looking up at him.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, I¡¯m really d that I¡¯m working with you. It¡¯d be a pain if I were your opponent. I¡¯d probably live a few years less as well. You see, I don¡¯t really like to use my brain, but you¡¯re using your brain way too well!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows and looked back at him.

 Chapter 912 - Ill (1)

    <h4>Chapter 912: Ill (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei picked up the water and drank a few gulps of it as he began to flip through the materials in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re quite efficient. Once South River Project No. 2 was finalized, you managed to get all this done.¡±

    Then, he flicked the document and said leisurely, ¡°I thought you¡¯d need at least half a month! You even came to me so rushed, and it was Mu Lingshi and Mu Lingmo¡¯s wedding yesterday too. Even though I couldn¡¯t make it, I did send a gift over.¡±

    Mu Yuchen straightened up slightly. Now, you could see the faint fatigue between his brows. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel threatened yourself? Who do you think I¡¯m so zealous about? Once Qi Feng¡¯s back...¡±

    Suddenly, he did not continue and only met his gaze meaningfully.

    ¡°I know that he¡¯s not simple. When ites to my brother, I¡¯m far inferior to his scheming.¡± Faint loneliness shed in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes, yet there was even more bitterness that appeared in them as he frowned and took the cigarette box from the table. Taking a stick out, he lit it up and puffed, then he handed it to Mu Yuchen who lifted a hand up to reject it.

    ¡°Not going to have one?¡± Qi Lei squinted at him and asked.

    He took a look at the words on the cigarette box, then looked to him with shifting eyes as he said, ¡°Smoking is bad for health.¡±

    Qi Lei sneered. ¡°Since when did you start cherishing life? I¡¯ve seen you touch these things before.¡±

    Mu Yuchen got up a little exhaustedly and reached out to pat Qi Lei¡¯s shoulder as he said calmly, ¡°Okay, you take a look at them yourself. My room¡¯s right across yours. I¡¯ll go wash up. Come over to call me in an hour.¡±

    Qi Lei squinted at him from the side, ¡°Do I need to call any girls for you? I heard the skills of the waitresses in this hotel are pretty good.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not even turn. He just responded, ¡°I think you need it more than me right now.¡±

    Then, his clear figure vanished out of the door. Qi Lei shrugged before taking a deep drag of the cigarette and picking up the document to flip through.

    ...

    Night quietly came. It had just entered nightfall when the entire City Z lit up. The whole city remained bustling with noise and excitement while hidden amidst this radiant splendor was the Qi residence which, at this moment, was engulfed in gloominess.

    Inside the warmly decorated pink bedroom, Gu Lingsha was sitting at the bedside, looking worriedly at Qi Weier who was sleeping restlessly while looking pale. Her azure eyes were slightly moist, and from time to time, she reached out to feel the temperature on Qi Weier¡¯s forehead.

    On the sofa not too far away, two doctors and the helper, Mary, were waiting anxiously while the other two maids stood aside trembling, their faces filled with panic.

    ¡°How do you two take care of her? Don¡¯t you know how to add an extrayer of clothing for her before going out in this cold weather?! What did I tell you two before? I told you that you have to take good care of her and not let her leave the house as she wishes. She¡¯s still jegged. Don¡¯t you two understand?¡±

    Gu Lingsha felt Qi Weier¡¯s forehead. Her temperature was still high, causing her temper to rise.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Lingsha, it was our negligence, but Miss Weiwei didn¡¯t want to put it on, so we...¡± the maids said helplessly and ufortably. They did not know that Qi Weier was so weak. It had just been a slight draft, but in the evening, she suddenly had a high fever. In fact, she had fainted.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any excuses. There are quite a few of you, but you can¡¯t even take good care of one little girl. I¡¯m very disappointed. Forget it! You two go out first!¡±

    Gu Lingsha looked very irritated. Even though she did not want to be angry, looking at her daughter who was unconscious, she could not help but be worried. She did not how to release this fear she suppressed inside, so her tone was clearly annoyed.

    ¡°Miss Shasha, please don¡¯t worry. The doctor has said that Miss Weiwei just caught amon cold because of the long flight and she¡¯s a little worn out. Now, she¡¯s taken her medicine, so she should recover by tomorrow with some extra care.¡± Mary could not bear to watch the way Gu Lingsha was extremely worried, so she went up to her and consoled her softly.

    ¡°All of you, go out first.¡± Before Mary could finish, a gentle voice came from the door. The few of them looked at the door subconsciously and realized that Qi Feng was standing there. Behind him was his personal bodyguard Morrison.

    ¡°Ah Feng, you¡¯re here!¡± When Gu Lingsha saw Qi Feng, she rxed a little and her voice calmed down.

    Qi Feng made a gesture towards Morrison who then wheeled him into the room. Mary and the others respectfully bowed before silently retreating.

    Morrison pushed Qi Feng to Qi Weier¡¯s bedside. Qi Feng reached out to feel her forehead and felt the slightly warm temperature. With a slight frown, he then pulled his hand away to help her fix her nket. He looked up to Gu Lingsha. ¡°Has she been fed her medicine?¡±

    ¡°She was just given an injection and had her medicine too, but I still don¡¯t see the effects. It¡¯s all my fault. I know that she¡¯s weak and she¡¯s just returned. She might not be used to things, yet I carelessly handed her over to be watched by those maids who weren¡¯t wholehearted. Look at her now. I¡¯m really worried!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice was mixed with hints of anxiety and sadness.

    ¡°Just watch over her for now. She should be fine. We¡¯ve done a checkup for her before this, and the doctor said she¡¯s much better now. These few days, she¡¯s probably jegged, but she¡¯ll recover in a few days,¡± Qi Feng consoled calmly.

    Gu Lingsha sniffled, then she nodded gently and looked up silently at Qi Feng across her. Then, she nced at Morrison behind him, seeming like she wanted to say something.

    Qi Feng caught her nce, so he gestured to Morrison who knowingly retreated.

    ¡°Ah Feng, is Uncle Qi nning on letting you join thepany?¡± Gu Lingsha asked, more or less aware of Qi Qiming¡¯s intentions. Did Gu Qiwu not remind her of this before this?

    Qi Feng looked up to meet her gaze too. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already very clear about this? But look at me now. How am I supposed to go to work?¡± His still voice was colored with self-mocking coldness.

 Chapter 913 - Ill (2)

    <h4>Chapter 913: Ill (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha caught Qi Feng¡¯s reaction too, and she felt her heart sink. Inhaling deeply, she calmed herself down before saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ah Feng! I trust that with your intelligence and wisdom, taking over Qi Kai and letting those people serve you won¡¯t be a hard thing to do. Haven¡¯t you done that all these years too?¡±

    Upon hearing that, a sneer shed at the corner of Qi Feng¡¯s lips. His gaze at Gu Lingsha suddenly seemed a little sharp and pressing, yet his tone was cold as ice. ¡°Shasha, I¡¯m sure you know what kind of person I am.¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng...¡±

    Gu Lingsha peered down at Qi Feng¡¯s legs with a mixed expression as she muttered, ¡°Do the doctors abroad have no way at all? I just don¡¯t believe it. If even your face and your voice can be cured, there¡¯s no way your legs can¡¯t recover.¡±

    ¡°If it can be cured, do you think I¡¯d be willing to stay on this wheelchair?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s voice was cold, and you could hear that hint of hostility in it.

    Gu Lingsha also felt taken aback by the hostility that he exuded. After she thought about it, she turned to her daughter sleeping restlessly in bed as her beautiful face instantly darkened. ¡°It¡¯s all because of Mu Yuchen. If it were not for his cruelty back then, all of this wouldn¡¯t have happened. Lingtian already begged, and still, he wouldn¡¯t let go of us.¡±

    When she recalled this, Gu Lingsha could not help but tear up. She covered half her face and said in a raspy voice, ¡°Lingtian¡¯s gone, and you¡¯ve be like this. Then, there¡¯s Weiwei and that child we had no fate with while everyone still thinks Mu Yuchen¡¯s really innocent! Lingtian died to protect me and our child. All these years I wake up almost every night from nightmares. I see Lingtian¡¯s face covered in blood and he couldn¡¯t say a word...I...It hurts so much...¡±

    At this point, Gu Lingsha could not continue anymore. She covered her face with both hands and breathed heavily as she started to tremble slightly.

    Qi Feng¡¯s indifferent and gentle face shed with gloominess. She looked silently at Gu Lingsha who was trembling slightly. For a long while, he did not say anything, but he clenched his hands thaty by his sides.

    ¡°Only we know best the pain we¡¯ve gone through these past few years, but Mu Yuchen lives freely. I thought that he would feel a hint of guilt or a bit of uneasiness, but no, he didn¡¯t! He¡¯s just like before, and now, even Qi Lei¡¯s changed too. I...¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice sounded a little clogged while her azure eyes could help but tear up too.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng looked even gloomier and upset. ¡°Has Qi Lei been in contact with Mu Yuchen all this while?¡±

    Gu Lingsha breathed in, hesitated, and then shook his head. ¡°Not really, but when Wang Qin was around, Qi Kai had coborations with Glory World. Qi Lei took charge of that project. He...he seems to be interested in Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman, Xi Xiaye. Earlier, when Uncle Qi wanted me to take over Qi Lei¡¯s work, that woman made things tough for me. She was very protective over Qi Lei.¡±

    When she said this, Gu Lingsha suddenly got up and walked to Qi Feng until she reached him. She stopped and suddenly gripped Qi Feng¡¯s hand that was on the armrest as she said, ¡°In fact, I suffered quite a few times with her. That woman¡¯s not simple, so we have to be more careful.¡±

    Qi Feng did not say anything, yet his eyes flickered from dark to light. His expression was so calm that you could not tell what he was feeling then.

    He fell silent for a moment before he asked Gu Lingsha softly, ¡°Are you saying Qi Lei likes Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes flickered for a bit, then she smiled a little destely. There was an unexpected sadness in her heart as her mind flickered with those things Qi Lei had said to her before. She felt a bitterness rise in the back of her throat.

    She calmed herself down and said softly, ¡°Qi Lei¡¯s changed a lot these past few years, especially after Aunt Wang¡¯s unfortunate passing. When he¡¯s back and you meet him, you¡¯ll understand.¡±

    ¡°By the sound of that, I should really get to know my younger brother properly again.¡± Qi Feng suddenly smiled. His silent eyes shed as he silently pulled his hand away and held them together. He studied Qi Weier in bed, then continued, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be too worried about Weiwei. She¡¯s been doing quite well. I think when her condition stabilizes, we¡¯ll just let her be like normal children and let her have her childhood. It¡¯s not a good thing to coop her up at home. She¡¯s got to go out eventually.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s so weak. What if...¡± Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Feng hesitantly.

    ¡°You can¡¯t stay by her side forever, and if she keeps being cooped up at home, she¡¯ll be a useless person like me after that. Will you be happy to see that happen?¡± Qi Feng frowned and fixed his gaze on Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha was dazed for a moment. She turned to look at the little one on the bed, suddenly feeling her heart clench. When she looked away and saw Qi Feng looking down calmly at his own legs, a cold light shed in Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no use being sad right now. Let¡¯s just think about how to take good care of her.¡± He lifted a hand and gently patted the back of Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand. Then, he turned around in his wheelchair and slowly left.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes became blurry. She looked up and breathed in deeply a few times.

    When he was about to leave the room, Qi Feng suddenly said, ¡°Visit Lingtian with me in a few days. Since he passed, I haven¡¯t had the chance to pay respects to him.¡± Before Gu Lingsha could answer, he had vanished out the doorway.

    Compared to City Z¡¯s liveliness, City B seemed much quieter. Late at night, a heavy storm that had been brewing finally poured, engulfing the entire city in wetness. The warm air finally cooled down. The heavy rain continued tillte at night. When it was close to midnight, it finally slowed down.

    At this moment, on the pedestrian walkway of Fatong Avenue near Hua Tian Hotel in City B, the dim streetlights elongated the two tall figures¡¯ shadows, so you could see that the duo was not walking very steadily.

 Chapter 914 - Fragile (1)

    <h4>Chapter 914: Fragile (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The rain continued to drizzle. By the roadsidete at night, even the streetlights were dim. The entire world seemed as if it had fallen silent as the boundless rain gradually engulfed the two figures in haziness.

    Master Mu thought he was quite unlucky. In fact, he never knew that Qi Lei would be like this when he was drunk.

    They chatted quite happily with CEO Li that night. In fact, they came to a deal on the spot. As Qi Lei got along quite well with CEO Li, the three of them talked as they drank. After that, Qi Lei and CEO Li both drank too much, so he had to bring Qi Lei with him to leave.

    Qi Lei¡¯s tolerance for alcohol was rather low. When CEO Li left the vi, he kept on howling out thetest popr songs or bawling out sentences here and there. Most annoyingly, Master Mu only now knew that even though Qi Lei was quite dashing, he sang quite horridly!

    <i>¡°The cold winds rise, the drizzle blurs...I love you. My heart belongs to you...I love you for a million years! I love you...love you a million years!¡±</i>

    Tone-deaf, he wailed like a ghost, and as he sang, he kept on pulling Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeves. After a while, he would reach out to put his arm around Mu Yuchen¡¯s waist. With their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders, almost all the passersby gave them weird looks along the way as they walked back to the hotel.

    Mu Yuchen was breaking down on the inside with gloom clouding his handsome face. After some struggle, he finally stopped caring about Qi Lei¡¯s evil clutches around his waist.

    He then stopped walking, wanting to see how much self-control Qi Lei could lose, and in the end¡ª

    He hugged his waist...

    And stuck himself to him!

    Bloody hell!

    He was even holding onto his hand with their fingers intertwined!

    Dancing?

    Dancing in the rain?

    Mu Yuchen finally could not bear it anymore. He held Qi Lei¡¯s wrist and swiftly captured him before pushing Qi Lei down onto a bench. ¡°Wake up!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    Qi Lei was drunk right now. The pain that he suddenly felt on the back of his hand made him very annoyed, so he widened his blurry eyes and red at the person before him. While he felt the world spinning around him, he felt the hard bench beneath him again, so he subconsciously reached out to grab it but seized Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand instead.

    ¡°Mother...Mother...I know I¡¯m wrong now. Don¡¯t go...Mother...Mother...¡±

    Mu Yuchen wanted to struggle free when the wailing Qi Lei suddenly quieted down. He squeezed onto Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand tightly as he muttered gloomily, drenched in the misty drizzle. Then. Mu Yuchen could suddenly feel the faint warmth that leaked from the corner of Qi Lei¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Mother...¡± Qi Lei was still softly wailing as his hand holding onto Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand stuck close to his chest. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m very sad. I won¡¯t make you angry anymore. I¡¯ll do anything you say. Pleasee back...Mother...Come back! Come back!¡±

    He was considered rather close to Qi Lei, yet Mu Yuchen had never seen Qi Lei so miserable like this. When Wang Qin passed away, he was detained. Even though he knew what happened outside, he did not experience it, and by the time he was released, Wang Qin¡¯s incident was already a matter of the past.

    He remembered that he had even invited Qi Lei over for a barbecue just to see how he was. If there was a need, perhaps he could even console him, but thetter acted as if nothing had happened.

    Meanwhile, Mu Yuchen actually understood how this felt. Back when Lingtian left them...

    His silent eyes looked through the drizzle and stared at Qi Lei who was struggling in pain. After a long while, he sighed to himself. Just as he was about to help him up, the phone in his pocket buzzed, so he took it out for a quick glimpse.

    It was his woman back home calling him, thus he very quickly answered the call.

    ¡°Are you still out socializing? It¡¯s quitete and you haven¡¯t called. I¡¯ve just taken a look at the weather forecast. It¡¯s raining in City B. Haven¡¯t you returned to the hotel?¡±

    The call had just gotten through when Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice that was colored with tenderness and concern came through. It sounded wonderful to his ears. Love could not help but flood his heart.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m about to go back to the hotel while dragging a drunkard with me. I wanted to call you when I got back to the hotel.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was at the study desk while being on the call with a document opened before her. Herptop was switched on too. It was filled with data analysis and conclusions. She leaned back slightly against the chair. ¡°A drunkard? Qi Lei?¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze, and looked at Qi Lei who still held on tightly to him, softly muttering, as he said helplessly, ¡°Who else could it be? His tolerance is quite bad. I should¡¯ve called his assistant along.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard himin, sheughed, and suddenly she seemed to be able to hear Qi Lei¡¯s muttering. She then stiffened and hesitated for a moment before she said calmly, ¡°If that is so, then it¡¯s good that you¡¯re bringing him back. Is it still raining over there?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it looks like it¡¯s going to get heavy again. Why aren¡¯t you resting yet? It¡¯s already veryte.¡±

    ¡°Without a certain someone around, I¡¯m not quite used to it. There¡¯s a huge pile of documents on the study desk, so I decided to manage them. When you¡¯re back, make sure you reward me well.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s long and fair fingers gently curled up and flicked the documents before her as she smiled.

    ¡°Yes, my queen! I got it!¡± he responded as he took his coat off and briefly put it around Qi Lei. The cold and wet rain immediately poured, so he could not help but feel a faint chill, yet his face brimmed with a heartwarming expression.

    ¡°Alright, I know that you two are still outside right now. Go home quickly. Remember to get the hotel staff to send you two bowls of ginger soup. Don¡¯t catch a cold now. Earlier, I heard Qi Lei calling for...VP Wang...Console him a little.¡±

    ¡°I will do as youmand, Missus! You pack up right now too. Go rest. I¡¯ll rush home tomorrow, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mmm,e home quickly. The little guy couldn¡¯t see you tonight, so he¡¯s been looking around all alone in bed. He probably noticed that you¡¯re not around.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    When the call ended, Mu Yuchen put his phone into his pocket as the increasingly heavy rain drenched his shoulders.

 Chapter 915 - Fragile (2)

    <h4>Chapter 915: Fragile (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He looked down at Qi Lei who had curled up on the bench, not sure how much time had passed, but finally, he held his forehead helplessly. He calmed down before looking up at the drizzle before him again. In the end, he could only bend down and pull Qi Lei up, then turn around. He carried the delighted Qi Lei on his back.

    ¡°Even when Su Chen and Zhou Zimo end up like this, I only drag them home. Here you are, enjoying such special privileges. You¡¯re only the second person to enjoy them!¡±

    Yes, the second!

    Of course, the first one was his Xi Xiaye.

    Even though he did not lookrge, when he was picked up, he was actually quite heavy. Mu Yuchen subconsciously frowned. He calmed down before walking ahead.

    Carried by Mu Yuchen, Qi Lei softly called out, ¡°Mother...¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused and turned to look at him to realize that he had fallen asleep. Suddenly, he remembered that many years ago, he seemed to have once carried Lingtian like this too. At that time, Mu Lingtian had sprained his leg while ying football at school.

    ¡°I¡¯m not your mother. Your mother¡¯s gone. If only you¡¯d live well, she¡¯d be happy,¡± he answered softly after thinking about it for a moment. Then, he continued walking ahead.

    ¡°Mother...¡± Qi Lei began to cry out sadly again. Mu Yuchen felt a warmth blossom on his shoulders. From the corner of his eye, he could see Qi Lei¡¯s slightly moist eyshes.

    He could not help but sigh to himself as his low voice was colored with concern. ¡°I¡¯m not your mother. Your mother¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not your mother.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei¡¯s weakness poured out in torrents. All the pain and sadness that he had kept in for a long time could no longer be held back like a dam had just been broken.

    The night was already very silent. The cold winds and rain continued to assault them. As it blew on Qi Lei¡¯s face, he actually began to regain consciousness. Mu Yuchen was carrying him back to the hotel and kept patiently responding to him.

    For some reason, at this moment, Qi Lei¡¯s cold heart suddenly felt an indescribable warmth. While he continued to pretend like he was still asleep, he did not make a sound.

    Perhaps, this was the affection of an older brother. The coat that was put on him seemed to be interspersed with some warmth too.

    He would not tell anyone that actually he had always been envious of Mu Yuchen¡¯s brotherhood with Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and even Ah Mo too.

    Even though he had an older brother, they were arch-enemies. Qi Feng probably wished the worst for him while he did not quite like Qi Feng either because he had taken away all of Qi Qiming¡¯s fatherly love and was the reason the Qi family was not harmonious. In fact, Qi Feng was not very courteous to his mother, Wang Qin, before either. No matter howrge or small the conflict was, Qi Qiming would forever be on Qi Feng¡¯s side. Because of this, Wang Qin suffered a lot from Qi Qiming¡¯s angry rebukes, but she was toozy to exin anything.

    Since she did not care, those rebukes did not matter to Wang Qin. Qi Lei did not understand this before, but now he seemed to have suddenly understood.

    After walking ahead for quite a distance, Mu Yuchen started to find it difficult to manage the man¡¯s weight. He could be sure that Qi Lei was definitely heavier than he was, but of course, Master Mu definitely would not have known that throughout this distance, Qi Lei had been watching him with his misty eyes.

    He finally made it back to the hotel carrying him. On the way to their rooms, Qi Lei took a deep breath. His raspy voice contained a hint of weakness as he said softly, ¡°Mu Yuchen, I really wished...we could¡¯ve...met a few years earlier. That way, maybe I would¡¯ve at least...found things less exhausting, and I wouldn¡¯t be as sad...¡±

    Qi Lei did not know why he was saying all that.

    While upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen stopped and turned to look at Qi Lei with a slightly odd expression.

    Qi Lei caught Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze, so he huped and quickly exined, ¡°Bloody hell! Don¡¯t...don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m...straight. I like women like Xi...Xiaye. If I meet someone like that, I¡¯ll propose to them immediately! I¡¯m saying as...as buddies...brotherhood, friendship!¡±

    ¡°I think maybe you should get down first and then talk.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was calm, yet you could hear he spoke through gritted teeth.

    This fellow was already awake, yet he made him carry him all the way back!

    ¡°No, wait, right now...I...my whole body¡¯s weak, and my head¡¯s spinning. If I get down, I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll faint right away. Chairman Mu, Master Mu, please just...carry me back. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t cling onto you, wanting to be your wife. When we get back to City Z in two days...I¡¯ll treat you to a drink. The 38D kind with the face of an angel and the body of a devil, and I¡¯ll thank you well!¡± Qi Lei said with a grin although he felt his head hurt and the world around him was spinning.

    Nheless, Mu Yuchen did not care. He just let go and Qi Lei slid down, quickly holding onto Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Master Qi! Master Mu!¡± Right at this moment, Yang Sheng¡¯s voice suddenly came from ahead.

    Mu Yuchen immediately frowned and pulled Qi Lei off his back.

    ¡°He drank too much. I¡¯ll hand him to you. Remember to get him sobering up pills,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he pulled the coat off Qi Lei and silently walked away without taking a second look at Qi Lei.

    Yang Sheng quickly went up to hold Qi Lei who was stumbling as he stared at Mu Yuchen who was gradually walking away with widened eyes.

    If he saw it correctly, he seemed to have seen Master Mu personally carrying Master Qi back. In fact, had that coat been on Master Qi?

    What was going on?

    Yang Sheng looked oddly at Qi Lei who was tipsy with one hand on the wall, somehow managing to steady himself.

    ¡°Stop looking so pervertedly at me. I managed to get him back. Now, I feel better. Let¡¯s go!¡± Qi Lei huped a few times, trying hard to exin himself as he staggered forward with the help of the wall.

    Yang Sheng just scratched his head in confusion, still not understanding. Earlier, he even saw that Master Mu¡¯s clothes were drenched by the rain. He thought about it before going after him.

    ¡°Master Qi! Master Qi, CEO Qi just called. He¡¯s telling you to settle matters here as soon as possible to return to City Z. They¡¯re waiting for the results. In fact, Master Feng¡¯s back, and they even brought back a little girl. I heard that she¡¯s Miss Gu and Master Feng¡¯s daughter, Qi Kai¡¯s little princess. When I called the Qi residence, they were all talking about it and wondering if Master Feng would be marrying Miss Gu!¡±

 Chapter 916 - Fragile (3)

    <h4>Chapter 916: Fragile (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng sounded cautious as he went to help Qi Lei, who had already found out about Qi Weier from Mu Yuchen, so he was not surprised by it. As a matter of fact, he had already prepared for it a long time ago anyway.

    ¡°What does that have to do with me? I...¡± Qi Lei huped. ¡°I have nothing to do with that family anymore. Tell them that things are difficult over here, so it¡¯ll take several days for me to get back.¡±

    ¡°But, Master Qi, what about things at the office?¡±

    ¡°I know what to do. Just do what I¡¯ve just said. Besides, it¡¯s going to be the hiring season soon. Tell Manager Wang to let me handle the hiring of the fresh graduates.¡±

    Qi Lei sshed some water on his face before he got up and took out his key card from his pocket. Then, the two of them quickly entered the room.

    ¡°Master Qi, haven¡¯t we always let the HR Department handle the hiring? If you need someone specific, I¡¯ll tell them and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll get it done.¡±

    Yang Sheng thought Qi Lei needed another assistant since he had mentioned to Wang Qin before that he wanted another assistant, but it was dyed ever since her death. Now that Qi Qiming made Qi Lei take over Wang Qin¡¯s position, possibly out of guilt, Qi Lei¡¯s workload had skyrocketed.

    Qi Leiy down on the sofa and put a hand over his head. ¡°Get me some water!¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded and quickly got him a ss of water. ¡°Here, Master Qi, have some water. I¡¯ll call the receptionist and ask them to send some ginger tea over.¡±

    Qi Lei felt better after he chugged down a ss of water as his hups stopped and Yang Sheng quickly made a call to the receptionist.

    ¡°Just do whatever I told you. Tell them I want to personally find an assistant. By the way, don¡¯t you think the same few faces in thepany are getting boring? They are either old, short, or fat. Can¡¯t we have some good-looking employees? Tell them not to hire anyone ugly in the future. I get a headache whenever I see them.¡± Qi Lei sounded annoyed.

    Yang Sheng himself felt a headache instantly!

    It wasmon practice for Qi Lei to prioritize good-looking people in thepany. He even promoted several employees because of their attractive appearances although some of the older higher-ups got into some issues with him. For some reason, Qi Lei had been looking for trouble with themtely, so it came with some negative consequences.

    Qi Lei¡¯s reputation was already pretty bad. His influence got weaker because Wang Qin left, thus Yang Sheng was really worried. If it were not for the efforts of CEO Wang¡¯s loyal followers, Qi Lei probably would not be the person-in-charge of this new film project.

    ¡°Master Qi, that¡¯s not nice, isn¡¯t it? There are rules in thepany...¡±

    ¡°Assistant Yang! Am I your superior or are you mine? Just do whatever I say! As the Vice President, don¡¯t I even have the liberty to hire who I want to? I¡¯ll personally conduct the hiring interviews. You don¡¯t even have to tell that man. Just let the HR Department know and cooperate with me.¡± Qi Lei waved his hand impatiently as he shot Yang Sheng an unhappy nce.

    Naturally, Yang Sheng had no idea about his boss¡¯s intentions.

    With Qi Feng¡¯s return, if Qi Qiming really intended to hand Qi Kai to Qi Feng, then he did not have much time left. After the deal was closed with CEO Li tonight, he thought he had to elerate the pace. Mu Yuchen had already helped him out by speeding things up at Chenye Movies and Television, so this was the time he should gather some people, especially the fresh graduates. If they were trained for some time...

    This was part of the reason why Mu Yuchen wanted to get this done quickly. Many recruitments campaigns were ongoing at the moment, so it was the best time to recruit new talents.

    Yang Sheng did not question Qi Lei anymore. He quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, Master Qi, I¡¯ll let the HR Department know.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, tell them to wait for me. I remember that University A, University C, and several art schools in town have a joint recruitment drive next month. Am I right?¡± Qi Lei turned around and asked.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Yes, I heard the people from the HR Department mentioning it.¡±

    ¡°Make some preparations, and don¡¯t let anyone know that Master Mu and I met up in City B. Just act as if you didn¡¯t know he was here. Don¡¯t even mention it. Understand?¡± Qi Lei reminded.

    Yang Sheng somehow grasped what Qi Lei was trying to do. ¡°Yes, Master Qi, I understand.¡±

    ¡°Good, you can go and rest now. We still have work to do tomorrow.¡± Qi Lei got up from the sofa. ¡°I should take a shower and then sleep as well. Remember to wake me up at 7.30 a.m. tomorrow. I have something to discuss with Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, wait for the ginger tea first. I¡¯ll prepare the bathwater for you.¡±

    ...

    The ginger tea was delivered momentster, and Qi Lei drank it quickly.

    ¡°Alright, you can go back to your room now. Remember to inform them.¡± Qi Lei put the bowl on the table and walked back into his bedroom.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng was relieved to see the empty soup bowl. After all, he was the only one left to care for Qi Lei now.

 Chapter 917 - Concerned For Him (1)

    <h4>Chapter 917: Concerned For Him (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After walking through the chilly rain, he thought it would be fine after taking a hot shower and drinking some ginger tea, but he started feeling ufortablete at night. By the morning, his head felt heavy and Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was hoarse when Qi Lei met him.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright? You better go to the hospital!¡± Qi Lei noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s face was pale and he looked exhausted.

    Mu Yuchen leaned back against the sofa as he raised his hand and stopped Qi Lei, sounding really weak. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll be heading back after we¡¯re done here. It¡¯s just a little cold. I¡¯m okay.¡±

    He picked up the document on the table and flipped through it as he spoke, ¡°We¡¯ve gone through most of the details with CEO List night, so I¡¯ll leave this to you to discuss with him. CEO Li is a passionate man, and he¡¯s very interested in the show business industry. Vice President Liu is handling this section of Glory World at the moment, so you can approach him if you need anything. I¡¯ll inform him.¡±

    Qi Lei grabbed Mu Yuchen a ss of warm water. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m fine with everything. I¡¯ll be staying here for another two days. I¡¯ve told Yang Sheng to let me handle the recruitment, hence the suitable arrangements will be made.¡±

    Nodding, Mu Yuchen asked as he flipped through the documents again without even looking at Qi Lei, ¡°Do you need me to do something about Qi Feng?¡±

    With a pause, he nced at Qi Lei and noticed his expression darken as his mind reyed the scenes of him acting absurdlyst night. His quiet eyes dimmed.

    Qi Lei knew what Mu Yuchen was thinking about, so he then said, ¡°You better forget about what happenedst night. I¡¯ll kill you if any news that tampers with my reputation gets out! We had fun at CEO Li¡¯s ce untilte at night, and then we went back to our hotel room. Nothing else happened.¡±

    He somehow remembered what he didst night when he woke up this morning, and he deeply regretted what he had done. Even he had no idea that his drunken self was capable of such a feat.

    Ever since Wang Qin¡¯s death, apart from the first few days, he did not touch any alcohol because he was unwilling to reveal his true emotions before others, so he just put on a casual, carefree front.

    The only family he had was gone. Who else should he be showing his vulnerable side to?

    Mu Yuchen nced at Qi Lei before continued reading the document again. ¡°I don¡¯t remember what happenedst night. Anyway, there will be a huge war waiting for you in City Z. Will you be alright?¡±

    ¡°Can you do anything if I¡¯m not? I suppose Qi Feng¡¯s hatred towards you is much worse than it is towards me. Don¡¯t let what happened thest time repeat again. I understand Qi Feng too well. He hides his de in between his gentle smiles. He¡¯s a tough opponent. Moreover, this part of him is really excellent!¡± Qi Lei pointed at his head.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°There are things that we just can¡¯t avoid, and he assumes that I owe him. Didn¡¯t you think so too a while ago? With Lingtian¡¯s death, Gu Lingsha, and Qi Feng¡¯s misfortune, aren¡¯t I the worst?¡± Without looking at Qi Lei, he sounded rxed, but his eyes reading through the document darkened.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He tapped into his memories before putting on a bitter smile. ¡°Yes, I do admit that I hated you because Shasha was still pretty important to me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡¯

    Qi Lei hardly mentioned Gu Lingsha in front of Mu Yuchen, but he did know she was an important person to him. Back then, Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship with Wang Qin worsened because of her as well, but it felt like Qi Lei had not really been affected by Gu Lingshately.

    As he drank some water, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes seemed to be gazing in the distance. He scratched his head a little and sighed. ¡°I guess I was too young. It¡¯s all in the past. I was too naive. I didn¡¯t care if she was good or bad since I was head over heels for her. It¡¯s like a student finding his teacher attractive, but knowing there¡¯s no future between them, only pleasant memories are left. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d understand,¡± he exined.

    Mu Yuchen shook his head as he put on a genuine smile. ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t understand.¡± Then, he took another sip of water and then continued, ¡°I have to say that I have no idea about rtionships, especially between a man and a woman, be it friendship or love. I have been sick of women all these years. I only knew a little more when I finally met Xiaye.¡±

    Frowning, Qi Lei stared at Mu Yuchen in surprise, ¡°Are you serious?! I don¡¯t believe you! That doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±

    ¡°What doesn¡¯t make sense? I¡¯m just a normal person. I don¡¯t like trouble, and I don¡¯t like mistakes. I only need one woman. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have the energy to take care of the mess. I¡¯m sure you know what I mean.¡± Mu Yuchen gave Qi Lei a meaningful nce.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression froze. Momentster, he replied with a bitter smile, ¡°That makes sense. I understand it way too well. I know my old man had flings with at least four or five women.¡±

 Chapter 918 - Concerned For Him (2)

    <h4>Chapter 918: Concerned For Him (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Qi Lei spoke, the bitterness on his face could not help but be suffused with a faint sadness. Although it was not obvious, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes that could see through everything sharply caught it.

    ¡°Very sadly, my mother was also one of those women. Not only did she and Qi Qiming not love each other, but they even hated each other. What¡¯s funny is that a marriage like theirs actuallysted for decades. I don¡¯t know how my mother even got through all that. She had no interest whatsoever in how many women Qi Qiming had. As long as the old man didn¡¯t bring the women home, she¡¯d never make life difficult for those women.¡±

    Qi Lei could never understand this, but now he realized that he understood too little about his mother who raised him, and this made him feel even more hurt over Wang Qin¡¯s miserable and bleak life.

    Mu Yuchen fell silent for a while. Moments after that, he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s not hard to see that if your mother didn¡¯t love Qi Qiming and didn¡¯t care about him, then all these things would mean nothing to her. As long as it didn¡¯t cross her bottom line, it obviously didn¡¯t matter to her. That is quite simr to how Xiaye¡¯s like, but she¡¯s not as strong as your mother. However, I know that VP Wang loved you very much.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Qi Lei suddenly felt his heart sink and ache. His eyes turned hot, so he blinked andbed his hair with his fingers as he said difficulty, ¡°I know. I just found out toote.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Since you¡¯ll recall these memories, that¡¯s a good thing too. At least, you dare to face it head-on. As for me, when ites to being a man, the thing that¡¯s worth being proud of isn¡¯t about how many excellent women you¡¯ve had, but having a wife that you can love wholeheartedly for a lifetime, and to stand through the test of time and endure all sorts of temptations. Whether it¡¯s in love or in marriage, they aren¡¯t thatplicated to me,¡± he said pensively, then stopped at this point while Qi Lei looked at him with a gaze that brightened up. There was an anticipation that he could hold back within him.

    ¡°I only have one principle¡ªyou can only love your wife, and you can only treat her well since this is your duty. Xiaye says that women actually want simple things. As long as the man is good to them, they are fine with anything. I don¡¯t know how true that is, but I¡¯m willing to share it with you, so we can encourage each other.¡±

    When he finished, Qi Lei was startled and did not quite know how to react.

    ¡°Letting go of everything and starting over isn¡¯t hard. Even Su Chen and Ah Mo are married now. Only you and Zimo are left. Zimo¡¯s family seems to be choosing quite some youngdies from prestigious families while you...you¡¯ve been loitering around. Haven¡¯t you thought of ending this lifestyle?¡±

    Mu Yuchen sounded just like an older brother asking about his little brother.

    When Qi Lei heard his question, he immediately could not help but smack his head as he said puzzledly, ¡°Are you going to introduce girls to me? They must be taller than 1.6 meters, and have a knockout body and proper manners. The best is someone with a refreshing and elegant aura. Her skin should be fair, and I like long hair that reaches the waist, someone considerate like Xiaye...Oh right, Xiaye¡¯s chest is too small, so it can¡¯t truly reflect a woman¡¯s beautiful curves. I likerger ones that look really nice when she wears strapless tops...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this is thest straw. Can you stop harping on my woman? It¡¯s not like you only know Xiaye. Can¡¯t you use other women to describe your ideal girl? Her size has nothing to do with you!¡± Mu Yuchen could not bear to keep listening, his eyes darkened as he became protective and his pale expression started to redden with irritation.

    Qi Lei raised his brows and cleared his throat before he smiled and said, ¡°Pfft, how petty of you! You should know that back then I...¡±

    ¡°Your first love is Gu Lingsha, I know. I¡¯ll help you look out for girls with these standards.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave Qi Lei a lukewarm nce before lowering his head to continue looking through the documents. He did not have the time to speak about such foolish things with him!

    ¡°Women don¡¯t like hypocritical men like you who pretend to be calm on the outside, Chairman Mu!¡± Qi Lei responded unhappily, ¡°Also, Shasha¡¯s not my current standard. My standard is...What look is that? I¡¯m being serious!¡±

    ¡°This discussion ends here. Let¡¯s talk about work. Here¡¯s the document. I¡¯ve filtered through it for you, so I¡¯ll let you y by ear yourself after this.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have three heads and six arms. Can I borrow a person or two from you?¡±

    ¡°Why do I feel like things aren¡¯t going right? Qi Lei, you¡¯re clearly trying to curry more favor after getting an advantage, yet you me it on me? You can¡¯t wait for me to help you do everything. You¡¯re just waiting for everything to be ready-made. You can¡¯t ask for my people too. Are you clear about our rtionship? We¡¯re in a partnership. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned, his slightly darkened gaze ring at Qi Lei.

    Meanwhile, Qi Lei rubbed his nose and said innocently, ¡°Is that so? Didn¡¯t you say we were friends? In fact, before my mother passed on, Xiaye personally guaranteed my mother that the two of you would treat me like a younger brother.¡±

    ¡°She only said that to console your mother, so it¡¯s a white lie. Couldn¡¯t you tell?¡±

    ¡°What white lie? I only know that a promise must be kept!¡±

    Mu Yuchen never knew that Qi Lei could be so shameless. His handsome brows furrowed even more as he squinted at Qi Lei who was really depending on him!

    Qi Lei just grinned innocently with a gaze that was clear and bright as if he were looking at his biological parent. Mu Yuchen was fuming with rage on the inside.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite thick-skinned. If you were to fall in Su Chen¡¯s hands, you¡¯d probably be all bruised up by now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Qi Lei before he tossed the document to him. He cleared his throat and got up with the help of the sofa. ¡°Consider it. If there¡¯s anything, you can look for VP Liu. Also, I¡¯ll tell Ah Mo. You should know about his abilities well enough. I¡¯m going to rush back now. Call me again when you return to City Z in two days.¡±

    Then, he reached out to take the coat on the side before walking out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Yang Sheng to send you to the airport. Is your cold really okay? You don¡¯t look too good. How about...¡±

    Before he could finish, Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure had already vanished out of the door. Qi Lei then picked the document up and got up to chase after him.

    ¡°No need. It¡¯s fine. I never came here and was at Maple Residence because I¡¯m sick,¡± Mu Yuchen said firmly before his tall figure walked ahead.

 Chapter 919 - Concerned For Him (3)

    <h4>Chapter 919: Concerned For Him (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the Fuhua Property building in City Z, the sky looked a little gloomy that afternoon. The weather was really hot during the rainy summer, so it was very easy to get sweaty after a short walk outside.

    Inside Xi Xiaye¡¯s office, she was standing by her table as she looked around with aplicated expression on her face while Lan Zng was right beside her.

    ¡°CEO Xi, how is this? It¡¯s designed based on your preference. Elder CEO said the previous design was too traditional. This looks more youthful, but he wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d like it. If you¡¯re not happy with it, then we can renovate again.¡± Lan Zng nced around the room as well.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Since when did Uncle Lan change the way you address me? Just call me Xiaye. CEO Xi sounds so odd from you. I¡¯m fine with this office. There¡¯s actually no need to change the room. I was fine with the previous design as well. After all, it¡¯s been Grandpa¡¯s office for so many years, so I¡¯m actually a little not used to it now that it has changed.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Ms. Xiaye! Don¡¯t worry, Elder CEO has passed Fuhua over to youpletely, so everything will be under yourmand from now on. I hope that you can be happy as you lead Fuhua. I suppose that¡¯s what the Elder CEO wants to see as well. How is it? It¡¯s not as stressful as being in Glory World, is it? A lot of things are easy once you get used to it, and the team is assembled by the Elder CEO. They have great teamwork.¡±

    Lan Zng had been helping Xi Xiaye get used to the operations and he had been observing her progress. Now that Shen Yue had officially retired, Xi Xiaye had to walk this path on her own. Her performance received recognition from everyone in thepany. With Glory World as their strong back up, it would not be difficult for her to sustain in this field.

    Lan Zng had high respect for Mu Yuchen, simr to his attitude towards Shen Yue. Whenever there was a crisis, it felt like it would be fine with them around.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t expect Grandpa¡¯s team to be this exceptional. I¡¯m really impressed and I feel lucky.¡± Xi Xiaye took a pause and continued, ¡°I still need your help in the future. Plus, I¡¯m sure Grandpa is used to have you by his side, so...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish her sentence, Lan Zng interrupted her warmly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, Ms. Xiaye. I know. I thought of Elder CEO as my father, and you¡¯re sort of like my daughter as well. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m d you said that.¡± Xi Xiaye gave Lan Zng a grateful look.

    Lan Zng then asked, ¡°By the way Ms. Xiaye, since you¡¯ve taken over Elder CEO¡¯s position, should we host a press conference?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her hand and stopped him. ¡°There¡¯s no need for it. I like to keep things on the down-low since Grandpa has been keeping a low profile anyway. I¡¯ll follow his directions in the future. I suppose we should still keep many of his habits.¡±

    Lan Zng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s wise to be cautious. By the way, CEO Hua from Hua Heng called just now to ask for an appointment. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Hua Heng?¡± Xi Xiaye knew about Hua Heng¡¯s rtionship with Shen Yue very well . ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°3p.m. the day after tomorrow at the golf club in the outskirts.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Inform him that I¡¯ll meet him.¡±

    ¡°Noted!¡± Lan Zng then left the room.

    Xi Xiaye sat down on the chair before she grabbed a document and started going through the pile.

    The sky turned dark, and the surroundings outside looked pale as it was already evening.

    On the ground floor of Fuhua Property, a ck car slowly approached the entrance. The door was opened when it stoppedpletely, and Mu Yuchen got out of the car.

    The security guard recognized him and quickly greeted, ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and went straight inside. He took the VIP lift and arrived on the top floor where Shen Yue¡¯s office, no, Xi Xiaye¡¯s office was now.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    He heard Assistant Xiao Mei¡¯s voice as he was approaching near the office door. Then, he turned over and noticed Xiao Mei right behind him.

    ¡°Is she inside?¡± Mu Yuchen spoke with his hoarse voice.

    ¡°CEO Xi is still in a meeting. Chairman Mu, are you feeling unwell? You look a bit pale. Do you want to...¡±

    Xiao Mei noticed that Mu Yuchen looked sick and his voice was hoarse as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait for her inside.¡±Mu Yuchen walked right in before she had the chance to finish her sentence.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let CEO Xi know when shees out. I¡¯ll get you some water!¡± Xiao Mei knew this was how Chairman Mu like.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Mu Yuchen gave her a brief reply and went inside, closing the door.

    ...

    The day ended when Xi Xiaye was done with the meeting.

    She flipped through the meeting minutes taken by the secretary as she walked towards her office. Suddenly, Xiao Mei quickly came up to her. ¡°CEO Xi, are you done with the meeting? Chairman Mu is here! He¡¯s in your office.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s back?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Xiao Mei in surprise.

    ¡°CEO Xi...¡±

    ¡°Okay, rearrange the meeting minutes and send it to me tomorrow morning. Anything else?¡± Xi Xiaye reacted quickly, handing the document back to the secretary.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi!¡± the secretary gave her a swift reply and took the document from her.

    ¡°You can all go back now. Work¡¯s over.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then returned to her office.

 Chapter 920 - oncerned For Him (4)

    <h4>Chapter 920: Concerned For Him (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was quiet inside the office as a fresh floral scent lingered around the entrance when she entered the room. It came from the flowers near the window.

    Xi Xiaye looked around the office and did not find anyone, so she walked further in and heard deep breathing. Quickly, she nced over.

    She then noticed someone lying on the sofa. As expected, she found the man sleeping there. He even had her small coat on him, but he looked very pale and was frowning as well. He did not lookfortable at all.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply Xi Xiaye as he started hacking. His coughing sounded really hoarse, so she put her hand to his forehead uneasily. To her relief, his temperature seemed to be normal.

    She did not want to wake him up upon seeing how exhausted he was. Then, she took a nket out from the nearby cupboard and covered him.

    Mu Yuchen felt sick and sleepy. He could sense someone feeling his forehead and putting a nket over him. Although he did not open his eyes, he was sure that it was his wife. He grabbed her cold hand and forced himself to look at her.

    He sat up immediately when he saw her face. ¡°Are you done with your meeting?¡±

    Xi Xiaye just let him hold her hand. ¡°You¡¯ve be like this after just one day. What happened?¡± She got him a ss of water.

    He quickly drank it and assured her, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll recover after some rest. Don¡¯t you have some medicine in the car? I¡¯ll take someter.¡±

    ¡°You really are quite frail. Just look at how many times you¡¯ve fallen sick this year.¡± Xi Xiaye nced at him helplessly before she went to grab some flu medicine for him.

    He ate the pills obediently and emptied the ss of water, then returned the ss to her.

    ¡°My antibodies get updated every time I get the flu.¡± He chuckled.

    Xi Xiaye sat down beside him and removed his necktie. ¡°Why did youe here directly?¡±

    He pinched the space between his eyebrows as he replied, ¡°Just to take a look.¡±

    Xi Xiaye noticed that he was visibly exhausted and his expression was still pale. She put an arm over his shoulder and made him lie down while her voice became gentle, ¡°You just had some medicine. Get some rest. I have some work to do as well. I¡¯ll wake you up when I¡¯m ready to go home.¡±

    She covered him with the nket again before he could reply.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and put a pillow below his head. ¡°Mmm, you do your work. Here¡¯s my phone. Help me charge it and answer if someone calls.¡± He then began his rest on the sofa, his gaze still fixed onto her.

    She nodded and took the phone from him before leaving a kiss on his lips. ¡°Have a good rest.¡±

    ...

    The office became quiet once again as he fell asleep on the sofa.

    The medicine had a drowsy effect, so he was deep in sleep momentster, but his breathing became smoother. Xi Xiaye was sitting by her table nearby as she worked through the documents, ncing at him from time to time. She was relieved to hear his even breathing.

    The sky turned dark very soon, and it started to rain as soon as night arrived. The little gust of wind that sneaked into the room brought in some rain as well. Xi Xiaye looked over at the window.

    She unlocked her phone and noticed it was almost 8 p.m.

    It was sote!

    Xi Xiaye frowned and packed up her stuff before heading towards the sofa. Mu Yuchen was still sleeping, so she did not wake him up and only adjusted his nket for him. However, the man grabbed her hand as she was about to get up.

    Mu Yuchen woke up from the din of the rain. By then, it was alreadyte at night. He opened his eyes and noticed the little woman sleeping in his arms beside him.

    He nced at her gently. Then, he grabbed his phone and noticed that there were several missed calls from Ah Mo, Li Si, and Qi Lei.

    As he was about to put his phone away, another call came in. It was from Qi Lei.

    He turned around and looked at Xi Xiaye who was deep in her sleep now, so he declined the call and sent Qi Lei a message instead.

    However, he noticed something moving beside him only to realize she had already woken up and was looking at him intently.

 Chapter 921 - To Know (1)

    <h4>Chapter 921: To Know (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Are you up?¡± His voice still sounded a little hoarse.

    She nodded as she put a hand onto his forehead. To her relief, there was no sign of fever. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I feel much better already.¡± He put the nket over to her as he turned over and looked outside at the rain. ¡°Has it been raining for long?¡±

    She sat up and looked over in the same direction as well to see the heavy downpour. ¡°It started in the evening. What¡¯s the time now?¡± Xi Xiaye stretched a little as she asked.

    He tidied up her messy hair and asked, ¡°It¡¯s 8 p.m. now. Are you hungry?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. ¡°Is it already thatte? We should head back home quickly.¡±

    As he nodded in agreement, Xi Xiaye quickly packed her documents and the two of them swiftly left the office.

    When they arrived at the entrance, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing again. It was Ah Mo this time. Mu Yuchen hesitated for a moment as he nced at the iing call before answering it.

    ¡°Master...Brother, I¡¯ve decided to tell Lingshi about it tonight.¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice reached him.

    Mu Yuchen knew what he was referring to. His eyes darkened as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡± He hung up on the call. The chauffeur arrived with the car, and both Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen got in.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who called?¡± Xi Xiaye asked when she noticed his expression darken.

    Mu Yuchen pinched the space between his eyebrows and grabbed the Thermos sk to sip some water, then replied, ¡°It was Ah Mo.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could figure out the rest just from the name.

    ¡°Have you thought about how to break the news to Grandfather and Grandmother?¡± She looked at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it from them as long as possible. The situation is different for Lingshi. Gu Qiwu has people spying on her, but it¡¯s just a matter of time for her to find out. Telling her now will only give her time to prepare herself. I haven¡¯t got any idea for the others at the moment. Let¡¯s hope something will crop up on Gu Lingsha¡¯s end.¡±

    His expression was calm, but Xi Xiaye caught a glimpse of worry in his eyes, so she quickly grabbed his hand and felt the warmth from his palm.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. You¡¯re doing your best. At times, I feel that you have a lot of burden on you. You have so much more to worry about than me.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve been living an easy life?¡± He grinned.

    She smiled and did not say anything, just tightening her grip on his hand.

    At the same time, in Ah Mo and Lingshi¡¯s vi, Ah Mo looked at his darkened phone screen. After a long hesitation, he looked toward the sofa in the living room. Mu Lingshi was watching some American movie on the TV in her shorts and t-shirt. She enjoyed watching the TV when she was not working.

    Ah Mo gripped the document tightly and took a deep breath before walking over.

    ¡°Lingshi.¡±

    Ah Mo sat down beside Mu Lingshi, shooting her a long, heavy stare.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t seem well.¡± Mu Lingshi noticed something was wrong when she turned around and looked at him. ¡°Are you tired? I know we¡¯ve been busy, but at least, we¡¯ve wrapped up our wedding. You don¡¯t look very happy. Is something bothering you?¡±

    Mu Lingshi noticed a long time ago that Ah Mo was hiding something from her. She thought it was just something between them, but it seemed like that was not the case since he did not seem very pleased even after they got married.

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression froze before he exined, ¡°That¡¯s not it, Lingshi! I¡¯m happy that we¡¯re married. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°Just what? Speak up. You¡¯re not like your usual self. I¡¯ve been feeling that you¡¯ve been out of yourselftely. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Lingshi moved closer and sat beside him as she looked right into her eyes.

    Ah Mo put a hand around her waist. ¡°Do you still want to find that man?¡±

    That man?

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s first thought was about her biological father. Her body and expression both froze as she squinted her eyes at him. ¡°Do you have news about him?¡±

    Ah Mo nodded after looking at Mu Lingshi for a while. He handed the document to her. ¡°Brother received this document before we even came back, but we never told you about it. After that, we thought it¡¯s only fair that you know the truth, but I hope that you¡¯re mentally prepared for this.¡±

    ¡°Mentally prepared?¡± Mu Lingshi chuckled as she grabbed a ss of water on the table and took a sip. Sheughed coldly. ¡°What¡¯s there to be prepared about? I want to know who that person is!¡± She snatched the document away from Ah Mo and opened it.

    It was the DNA report Mu Yuchen had given Ah Mo!

    Knowing Mu Lingshi well, Ah Mo studied her with a worried expression.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression was strained as she read through the document. She flipped to the second page, and her whole body turned rigid.

    The ss of water fell onto the floor. It shattered and water spilled everywhere.

    ¡°How could it be him? How could it be? Impossible! This is impossible!¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s face turned pale. She leaned back on the sofa and Ah Mo quickly held her.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ah Mo asked her, concerned.

    ¡°How could it be him? How is this possible?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s mind was in chaos. She looked at Ah Mo nkly. ¡°Are you sure this report is legitimate? Are you really sure?¡±

 Chapter 922 - To Know (2)

    <h4>Chapter 922: To Know (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo¡¯s answer almost made Mu Lingshi break down.

    ¡°How could it be him?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s hand trembled as she gripped the document and looked at Ah Mo with disbelief and gloom. ¡°If this is really true, since we¡¯ve been seeing him all these years, he must know that Lingtian and I are his children. How could he be so indifferent? In fact, how could he do that to Big Bro? He wanted to let Gu Lingsha marry Big Bro? How could he?¡±

    Mu Lingshi could not find a reason for her to be convinced! Then, she looked stunned at the DNA report, yet the results...

    ¡°No...this can¡¯t be real! This isn¡¯t real!¡±

    She shook her head with a pale expression, tossing the document away. Then, she could not help but shudder before her body went limp and her hands covered her face. She felt as if she was dreaming.

    Sitting beside her, Ah Mo caught all of her reactions. In fact, he had already predicted that Mu Lingshi would react like this. Sighing to himself, he then turned around and held Mu Lingshi¡¯s slightly trembling shoulders. ¡°Lingshi, unfortunately, all of this is real. At first, when I found out about this from Brother, I didn¡¯t want to believe it too, yet all of this is true. Gu Qiwu asked to meet Brother. He personally admitted to it, and with this report, can all that be faked?¡±

    Ah Mo looked worriedly at Mu Lingshi as he reached out his hand and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Brother was worried that you¡¯d find it hard to ept, so he didn¡¯t tell you right away. Father and Mother know about this, but we¡¯re still hiding it from Grandfather and Grandmother. Ah Shi, don¡¯t worry. No matter what happens, you still have us. Don¡¯t you remember what Brother said before? Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong are your parents!¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression went nk for a long while, a dim light refracted in her misty eyes. She let Ah Mo hold her, then she forced a derisiveugh. ¡°I know. No wonder Brother suddenly came looking for me the other day and even said so many random things. I¡¯m sure he must¡¯ve...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all worried that you¡¯d be sad, so he didn¡¯t want to tell you personally. As for our grandparents, we¡¯re still hiding it from them, worried that they won¡¯t be able to handle it if they found out. You know, Grandfather and Grandmother already have ackluster impression of Gu Qiwu...¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s tone was filled withment. He paused before continuing, ¡°Lingshi, be strong. I hope that you can be like before. Even if you know, you can¡¯t do anything about it, can you?¡±

    Mu Lingshi smiled bitterly and looked up. She blinked and swallowed the sourness at the back of her throat. Then, she took a deep breath in before struggling out of Ah Mo¡¯s arms. ¡°I know that you¡¯re all doing it for my own good. Big Brother told you that Gu Qiwu went to meet him, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Mmm, Gu Qiwu has also admitted to Big Brother that he has always known that you and Lingtian were his kids, but by the looks of it, he never intended to acknowledge you. Nheless, those people following you from a while back were his people. Big Brother says that he won¡¯t do anything to you, but he didn¡¯t tell me about the concrete situation either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ask Brother about it right now! I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe that I¡¯m Gu Qiwu¡¯s daughter!¡±

    As Mu Lingshi said this, her blurry eyes darkened, and she clenched her fists and turned around to pick up her car keys before walking out.

    ¡°Lingshi!¡± Ah Mo frowned as he picked the document on the table up and chased after her worriedly.

    ...

    Meanwhile, on this end, when they returned to Maple Residence, it was already past 9 p.m. The house was very quiet. Mu Xiao Cheng and Wang Hui were at the old Mu residence. In the morning, when Wang Hui knew that Xi Xiaye might need to go to work, she rushed over and fetched Mu Xiaocheng. Aunt Lin and Aunt Fang naturally followed. In the huge Maple Residence, only Sis Wang and several servants were left. At such a time, almost all of them were resting. Sis Wang swiftly heated up the dishes for the couple who briefly had some before going upstairs.

    In their bedroom, Xi Xiaye handed him his pajamas as she asked, ¡°Have things with Qi Lei and CEO Li been settled?¡±

    Mu Yuchen just took off his ck shirt revealing his strong upper body. He casually took the pajamas as he responded, ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s almost settled. The next move will depend on Qi Lei himself. Right, won¡¯t there a huge job fair at a few famous universities and colleges soon? Does Fuhua have any ns?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I heard about it. Fuhua¡¯s been expanding externally these past two years. Uncle Lan¡¯s already told the HR department to take care of the recruitment. We¡¯ll probably try to hire a group of enthusiastic youths this time around.¡± As Xi Xiaye said this, she looked a little puzzledly at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Why? Why are you suddenly so interested in this?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just wanted you to take note of it. If there¡¯re any suitable ones, get them into Chenye Movies and Televisions too. Glory World isn¡¯t nning on recruiting,¡± Mu Yuchen answered.

    ¡°Not recruiting? Oh, I heard from Xiao Mei a few days ago that you were even nning onying off employees. What¡¯s happening?¡± Xi Xiaye knew that Glory World had always been very steady, very quick and aggressive. No matter what it was, they probably did not need toy off employees, did they?

    ¡°I¡¯ve promoted our staff of the year in advance. It¡¯s the survival of the fittest. Some departments don¡¯t require as much manpower. Glory World¡¯s scaled up enough. I¡¯m nning my next step to be focused on all of our current resources and property.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, make progress while ensuring stability. You¡¯re much better at that than I am. Alright, go wash up. I¡¯ve prepared the bath for you!¡±

    ¡°Can I have the honor of inviting my wife to join me?¡± He gave Xi Xiaye a meaningful nce and put the pajamas over his shoulder.

    Xi Xiaye shot him an unhappy side look. She gradually realized that this man was far gone from the incorruptible Prince Charming she once knew. Now, he would not avoid taking off his clothes in front of her. Sometimes, he would have nothing on at all.

    ¡°We already have a son together. What¡¯s there to be shy about? We¡¯ve done even the most limiting things...¡±

    Upon seeing her fair little face blush, he could not help but tease her. He was clearly flirting, yet his expression remained calm and unflustered.

    ¡°Go and bathe! You¡¯re bing more and more shameless, Mr. Mu!¡±

    ¡°If I weren¡¯t shameless, you probably wouldn¡¯t be my wife right now!¡± He chuckled, then shot her a meaningful look before walking into the bathroom.

 Chapter 923 - To Know (3)

    <h4>Chapter 923: To Know (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen had just gone in for a while when there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye walked out of the bedroom, she heard Sis Wang calling them from outside, so she walked to the door and opened it to see Sis Wang standing right outside.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Xi Xiaye looked puzzledly at Sis Wang standing outside the door.

    ¡°Missus, Master Ah Mo and Miss Lingshi are here. They look quite worried. They said they¡¯re looking for Master. They¡¯re right downstairs!¡±

    When Sis Wang saw that Mu Lingshi did not look quite right, she dared not dy as she ran straight up to report to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    Ah Mo and Ah Shi?

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she was stunned for a split second. Her mind shed with what the man said to her in the car, and she knew what had happened. Immediately, she said to Sis Wang, ¡°Just tell them to go to the study room. Bring a few cups of Pu Er tea too.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Missus!¡±

    Before Sis Wang finished, Xi Xiaye had already turned back into her bedroom and taken a thin piece of outerwear to put on her shoulders before she walked to the study room.

    After a while, Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi came up.

    ¡°Sis-inw!¡±

    Mu Lingshi seemed pale and dazed. She looked around and then asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my brother?¡±

    Xi Xiaye pulled at the outerwear on her shoulder as she looked at the couple before her. She also saw Ah Mo¡¯s worried expression behind Mu Lingshi. ¡°He¡¯s still in the shower. Let¡¯s go into the study room first.¡± Then, she walked into the study room.

    Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo followed while Sis Wang quickly prepared four cups of Pu Er tea and brought some dessert in too.

    ¡°Have a seat!¡± Xi Xiaye pointed at the sofa, indicating for them to sit.

    Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo silently sat down.

    ¡°You rushed over sote at night. Is it something that can¡¯t be discussed tomorrow? It¡¯s raining outside.¡± Xi Xiaye sat across them. When she saw some moisture on Mu Lingshi¡¯s face, she handed her a tissue.

    ¡°Thanks, Sis-inw.¡±

    Mu Lingshi took it and wiped the streaks of tears on her face with a dazed expression as she turned to look at the French window. It was pitch ck outside while raindrops continued to patter against the window.

    ¡°Why are you two here?¡±

    Before they could say more, Mu Yuchen¡¯s slightly raspy voice was heard. They all looked up and saw that he was dressed in ck pajamas as he strolled over leisurely.

    ¡°Bro!¡±

    When she saw Mu Yuchen, Mu Lingshi stood up anxiously and her hand gripped the document tighter. Her eyes were fixated on Mu Yuchen. ¡°Brother, tell me that these aren¡¯t real. What simrities and likeness? I can¡¯t be Gu Qiwu¡¯s daughter! I¡¯m not!¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice could not help but shake, and there was a helpless struggle in her eyes.

    When Mu Yuchen heard her panicked tone, he stopped and walked over to sit beside Xi Xiaye. His silent gaze met with Mu Lingshi¡¯s, then he looked down at the document in her hand.

    ¡°I wish it were so too, but it¡¯s real. Lingshi, the person that we¡¯ve been looking for is Gu Qiwu. In fact, he¡¯s the person we really wanted to find. He¡¯s your biological father.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s muffled and precise voice was like a judge¡¯s gavel that cruelly mmed into Mu Lingshi¡¯s chest. In an instant, Mu Lingshi could hear the sound of her heart shattering. In shock, she suddenly lost all energy as she fell limp and was dizzy!

    There was a sharp pain in her heart that suffocated her as if breathing hurt her all over.

    ¡°Lingshi, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Ah Shi!¡±

    Ah Mo and Xi Xiaye looked worriedly at Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°How...how could this be? How¡¯s this possible? How could it be him?¡± Defeated, Mu Lingshi let Ah Mo hold her as she muttered in a daze, ¡°I¡¯m Gu Qiwu¡¯s daughter? He¡¯s the person I¡¯ve been looking for all this while?¡±

    She took a deep breath and covered her face. In an instant, there was warm moisture on her palms. Next, the suppressed and bitter sound of her sobbing came.

    ¡°Why....why is it him? What did I do? Why...?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi, don¡¯t be sad now. Don¡¯t be upset! So what if you know? You still have us. We¡¯ll always be here!¡±

    Seeing her in anguish, Ah Mo looked pained. He quickly pulled her into his embrace as bitterness rose in the back of his throat and he clumsily consoled her. Lingshi fell into his arms. Her muffled cries felt heart-wrenching.

    When the stifled sounds of cries filled the room, Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart could not help but feel an ache. Her twinkling eyes became misty as she turned to the man beside her. As she met Mu Yuchen¡¯s unfathomable gaze, she could catch a hint of sadness in his eyes.

    Upon seeing her reddened eyes, he reached out to hold her hand that rested on her thigh, consoling her silently.

    Still, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were very misty at this point. She could only take a deep breath, turn away, and blink quite a few times before she calmed herself down and handed Mu Lingshi a tissue. She said with a slightly raspy voice, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t cry now. No matter what, it¡¯s a truth that we can¡¯t change. Your brother and I were worried about telling you because we were afraid you¡¯d be like this, Ah Shi.¡±

    It was Xi Xiaye who spoke up first, stopping Mu Lingshi¡¯s weeping for a while.

    After some pause, Mu Lingshi sniffled. Her eyes were swollen, and the front of Ah Mo¡¯s shirt was drenched.

    ¡°Whether or not he¡¯s your biological father is no longer important, Lingshi. Just remember what I said. Your father is Mu Tangchuan and your mother is Zhuang Shurong. I¡¯m your older brother, and I have always been, now and forever. No matter what happens, this will never change.¡± Mu Yuchen sighed to himself as he looked to Mu Lingshi tofort her.

    She then nodded and said with a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m just sad that it¡¯s him. He was clearly so close, yet he could just coldly watch on for so many years! He must¡¯ve known about Lingtian and me, yet he never asked about us...My mother wouldn¡¯t even say his name on her deathbed...How did I get such parents? How could I have such parents? How many times have we met? Still, he could be so indifferent!¡±

 Chapter 924 - To Know (4)

    <h4>Chapter 924: To Know (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s hoarse voice that choked on her emotions was filled with bitterness that Xi Xiaye could empathize with.

    ¡°Maybe they had their reasons too. Ah Shi, no matter what happens, even if you know all this now, everything from the past can¡¯t be changed,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke softly, her twinkling eyes filled with faint sadness, ¡°I now suddenly agree with Sis Lan. Some things are better left not known or dug up.¡±

    ¡°But is it so hard for them to acknowledge me? If she could give birth to me, how could they not perform even their basic duties as parents? Everytime I was sick, where were they? When Lingtian died, where were they? My mother, my own mother, had actually fallen ill andmitted suicide over a man like him. She never even thought about Lingtian and me! They are the worst parents on Earth! Yet, they had me. Tell me, if you were me, would you be able to ept this? Could you?¡±

    Mu Lingshi got up with bloodshot eyes. It was painful for them to watch her on the verge of a breakdown.

    Mu Yuchen was speechless too. He knew very well that if it were him, he would definitely be as miserable as Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°They¡¯ve never been parents for even a day. I¡¯ll never forgive them until the day I die! Never!¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice was raspy as she shouted, then she covered her face and ran out.

    ¡°Lingshi!¡± Ah Mo quickly got up and looked apologetically at Mu Yuchen whose expression was silent as he nodded, indicating for him to go after her. Then, Ah Mo rushed out swiftly.

    ¡°Hold on. Bring an umbre. It¡¯s raining heavily outside. Bring a coat too. It¡¯s chilly out there!¡± Xi Xiaye called out as she rushed out as well. She took off her coat, then followed them downstairs and took the big ck umbre from the rack by the door to give Ah Mo. Unable to say much, he quickly ran out after her.

    Xi Xiaye stood at the door and watched as Ah Mo rushed into the rain. She shouted after him a little worriedly, ¡°Be careful. Bring her home right away!¡±

    ¡°Got it, Sis-inw!¡± Ah Mo answered as he sped up!

    There was a rumble as a piercing silver light shed past the sky. Another loud crash of thunder was heard. The heavy rain fell from the gloomy night sky, and the temperature of the air fell rapidly. Xi Xiaye stood at the staircase before the door, feeling the waves of chilliness invading, and she could not help but shiver. The moisture in the air that the night breeze brought in instantly messed up her beautiful hair.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face was solemn as her hands were clenched tightly. She looked ahead at the two shadows vanishing in the rain.

    After a moment, she faintly heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Before she could react, there was a weight on her shoulders as a coat was draped over her shoulders while the man stood beside her. The hem of his pajamas beckoned like curves in the night wind.

    ¡°Ah Shi will be fine, won¡¯t she?¡± Her calm voice contained a hint of worry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ah Mo¡¯s there. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± His answer sounded very calm, yet Xi Xiaye could catch a hint of helplessness in it.

    ¡°I hope that this will pass soon. They¡¯ve just gotten married. They were supposed to have more happy and easy days from now on, but this matter will definitely make Ah Shi sad for a very long time. She¡¯s someone who keeps things to herself. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have taken so long to get over that one barrier to ept Ah Mo,¡± Xi Xiaye said pitifully. Then, a bitter smiled shed on her face. ¡°I hope she¡¯ll be strong.¡±

    There was silence, and when she did not hear any response, she turned to look at him. He was looking solemnly ahead at the pitch-ck rainy scene, the side of his handsome face appearing cold.

    ¡°When we were younger, she and Lingtian already knew that Father and Mother weren¡¯t their biological parents. It¡¯s been so many years. I don¡¯t actually know if they had a truly happy childhood. When I was younger at about seven or eight years old, Lingtian and Lingshi were already quite old. One day, Father called me to the study room. He told me that Lingtian and Lingshi were my younger siblings, and that I¡¯d have to be an older brother that could protect them.¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen suddenly lifted a hand to hold his heavy head. He calmed down a little before continuing, ¡°The entire Mu family knows about this history. Everyone knows. In order to make it up to Lingtian and Lingshi, to give them a healthy and happy childhood, they didn¡¯t let them feel any different from other children. Father and Mother practically showered both of them with all their parental love. Every day after work, if it was convenient, they would frequently pick up the two of them. Father and Mother never missed the school¡¯s parent-teacher meetings or the parent-child activities held. As busy as they were with work, they would make time to join. When they reached home at night, they would always take turns to help them with their homework too.

    ¡°Thankfully, it was because of this that Father and Mother are quite close to Lingtian and Lingshi.¡± As Mu Yuchen recalled these memories, his gaze looked distant, yet even more so, there wasment.

    Xi Xiaye quietly listened. When he did not continue, she sighed softly. ¡°Father and Mother are the most selfless parents I¡¯ve ever met. I remember back when Mother talked about you, her eyes were filled with guilty tears. She told me that she¡¯s been neglecting you since young. She and Father never sent you to school or fetched you. They¡¯ve never gone to any parent-teacher meetings before either. Were you very sad?¡±

    ¡°Sad? This is nothing? I¡¯m the older brother. In fact, I understand my parents very well. The three of us buddies, Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and I never cared about these things. Su Chen¡¯s parents would just represent all three of us to join. Every time we came back from these parent-teacher meetings, all our parents would share resources, so our parents still knew very well how we did at school!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xiaye, his deep voice sounding helpless. ¡°In fact, their spies covered the entire school, so they¡¯d know about any bit of movement. Otherwise, the three of us wouldn¡¯t have had it so tough. We just appeared like young masters on the outside.¡±

 Chapter 925 - Forced (1)

    <h4>Chapter 925: Forced (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye sensed a peaceful tone in his voice. There was not a bit of dissatisfaction at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m d they did that. That¡¯s what they should¡¯ve done,¡± Mu Yuchen mumbled quietly as he looked at the rain, ¡°I think Lingtian needed it more than I did. You¡¯ll have a different feeling once you think about it from another perspective. Be it selfless or selfish, the only regret I had was to be in conflict with Lingtian...¡±

    His tone turned sorrowful.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve done your best. You just love taking responsibility, don¡¯t you? You always criticize yourself first before considering anything else. You¡¯re as silly as me. We are always the ones to get hurt first...but I think that helps you to appreciate the little things more. Mr. Mu, we¡¯re both good people. We¡¯ll definitely be happy.¡±

    Her eyes were clear as the sky as she looked at him with a gaze filled with warmth andfort.

    He put on a warm smile as he slung his arm over her shoulder to pull her close. ¡°I¡¯m not that fragile. You don¡¯t have tofort me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m notforting you. I just feel sorry for you, silly. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t know it, but you always make the people around you feel warm.¡±

    She turned around and looked outside, her small hand gently brushing past his arm and reaching for his fingers as she gave him a serious nce. ¡°You¡¯re a person full of positive energy, so I believe you¡¯ll be able to calm this storm, won¡¯t you?¡±

    He raised his eyebrows and squinted at her. ¡°I have such a great image in your eyes, huh? I feel better about myself now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right...Every woman thinks the man they love is the best husband, the hero, and you¡¯re the lucky one in my heart. You¡¯re someone that I look up to!¡±

    ¡°You blind worshipper! You have no idea how much pressure you just gave me, but since you said so, are you willing to spend a beautiful night with your great husband?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Xi Xiaye could not react to what he had just said because the man already lifted her up and headed towards the door before she could even reply.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it as a yes if there¡¯s no reply!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m willing to...¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t say no either!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done with the documents for tomorrow¡¯s meeting...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with meetings...¡±

    ...

    The tension in the air dispersed as their conversation went on although the rain was still pouring outside.

    The storm went on for several days and finally conceded towards the end of the month. The sun finally showed up after several days. By then, the wet ground had already dried up.

    Inside the Traffic Bureau Deputy Chief¡¯s office, Su Chen was working hard at his table.

    Secretary He spoke to him, ¡°Chief Su, Master Mo is here!¡±

    Master Mo?

    Zhou Zimo?

    He had been missing for several days, so why did hee here now all of a sudden?

    Su Chen looked at Secretary He and said, ¡°Let him in. Also, do take out the set of limited edition detective novels Chief Wang gave mest time and give them to Zhou Zimoter.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief Su!¡± Secretary He left after his reply.

    Zhou Zimo soon came in. ¡°You¡¯re going to be a groom soon, but you¡¯re still so dedicated to your work. Your superior ought to give you a bigger bonus!¡± He nced at the stack of documents in front of him.

    Su Chen raised his head and closed one of the folders as he threw it aside. ¡°Do you think I sit here and do nothing all day?¡±

    ¡°You cane to mypany. I don¡¯t mind giving you a high position.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be here if I have a talent for business?¡± Su Chen red at him.

    ¡°You can get by in life with just your face! Why bother working here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with you. What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t talk to me if it¡¯s nothing good. I don¡¯t need you introducing me to girls anymore!¡±

    ¡°You heartless bastard, of course, I have something good for you!¡± Zhou Zimo smiled as he grabbed Su Chen¡¯s tea to finish and returned the cup before whipping out two thick tickets. ¡°A luxurious trip to the Maldives for two! One of my clients tried to get on my good side and gave me two tickets. I asked for four instead. I¡¯m giving you two and the other two to Ah Mo and Lingshi. Take it! Go for a honeymoon!¡±

    Zhou Zimo handed the tickets to Su Chen who raised his eyebrows and took them. ¡°You¡¯re being oddly nice, huh?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? As if I¡¯ve never given you anything good before! You¡¯re going to enjoy the view this time. I do suggest you bring a pair of sunsses when you¡¯re going to the beach. There will be a lot of hot girls in bikinis. Do you remember the scene we sawst time? Hehe...¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at Su Chen. Although his smile seemed gentle, Su Chen easily figured out what he was thinking about. His palm swiftly went for his face, but Zhou Zimo reacted quick enough to avoid him.

    ¡°Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself. Do I look like a person who¡¯d do that? There are things that should only be enjoyed in the bedroom. You¡¯d never know!¡±

    Su Chen grinned at Zhou Zimo whose expression darkened instantly!

 Chapter 926 - Forced (2)

    <h4>Chapter 926: Forced (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Karma!

    He had just given him the tickets, but he already regretted it.

    Zhou Zimo unleashed several fists of fury on Su Chen before leaving his office happily. He also informed Su Chen that Mu Yuchen had invited them over to Imperial Sky for dinner that night.

    It had been some time since they gathered around, so Su Chen had no reason to decline.

    ¡°Chief Su, are you okay?¡± Secretary He quickly rushed in when he heard noises from inside the room and saw Zhou Zimo leaving with a huge grin. He also noticed Su Chen groaning while clutching his stomach.

    ¡°That guy is definitely triggered, Uncle Zhou. This is the most that I could do!¡± said Su Chen with a deep breath.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Sort out the documents that require immediate attention. I¡¯ll finish them all today as my break starts tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief Su!¡±

    ...

    The day went by quickly. Qi Lei, who had gone to City B for work, finally returned in the evening as well.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s butler approached Qi Lei just as he stepped out of the VIP tunnel. There were two bodyguards behind him as well. ¡°Second Master, we have a car waiting for you outside. CEO Qi has prepared dinner at home and is awaiting your arrival.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened instantly as his gaze turned frosty. He nced at the butler and smiled. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve been waiting for a long time. Did the old man tell you toe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Second Master! CEO Qi knows you¡¯reing back today, so he sent me to get you home for dinner. First Master and Young Miss are home as well. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t seen them, have you? First Master is longing to see you. Miss Shasha cooked dinner tonight. She made some of your favorite dishes.¡± The butler smiled.

    ¡°I remember telling you that I have nothing to do with that family anymore, so you shouldn¡¯t call me Second Master. Which part of that sentence don¡¯t you understand?¡± Qi Lei squinted his eyes at the butler as he put on an empty smile.

    Yang Sheng stepped up and stared intently at the two bodyguards behind the butler.

    The butler was stunned for a moment, but he then smiled and replied, ¡°Second Master, no matter what, you¡¯re still part of the Qi family. It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t say such outrageous things again. CEO Qi actually cares about you a lot, and he feels pretty awful ever since Madam left. Second Master, you should think from his perspective. After all, he¡¯s been kind towards Madam all these years. Your conflict with CEO Qi runs too deep, so...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know you¡¯re on his side, so there¡¯s no point telling me all this. I know very well what kind of person he is.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s grin grew wider as his gaze turned colder.

    ¡°Second Master, CEO Qi really cares about you, he really feels horrible recently, his heart was emptied out ever since Madam left, no matter what, he¡¯s still your father, CEO Qi will feel heartbroken and disappointed if you continue to be like this. The other day after you took Madam¡¯s things...CEO Qi has fallen sick. We wanted to tell you about it, but CEO Qi stopped us. Miss Shasha came over and took care of him for a few days.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s smile just froze. ¡°There¡¯s no point telling me how pitiful he has be. He has nothing to do with me. Why are you asking me to go back now? Does he want to get into another fight with me?¡±

    ¡°Second Master...¡±

    The butler seemed troubled, but he still smiled. ¡°Juste back and have dinner. First Master and Miss Shasha are both there as well. It¡¯s been a long time since the whole family reunited. Wouldn¡¯t it great to gather around? Miss Shasha misses you, and she made some of your favorite dishes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. How is that a happy reunion?¡± Qi Lei red at the butler fiercely. ¡°What did you just say? Do you mind exining it to me? My mother is dead, so how is that a happy reunion? I don¡¯t have time to talk to you. Tell the old man I¡¯m not in the mood and don¡¯t have the time.¡±

    Qi Lei walked past the butler right after that angry statement.

    The two bodyguards stopped Qi Lei almost immediately.

    ¡°What are you guys trying to do?¡±

    Yang Sheng shielded the front of Qi Lei.

    ¡°Please follow us back, Second Master, or else, I¡¯ll have a hard time dealing with CEO Qi. Please don¡¯t cause trouble for us! CEO Qi told us to get you back no matter what. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re understanding enough toply.¡± The butler¡¯s smile remained frozen on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Master Qi justnded. He¡¯s exhausted and needs rest!¡± Yang Sheng said worriedly. Were they trying to do it by force?

    Qi Lei grinned and pushed Yang Sheng aside. ¡°What now? That old man can¡¯t change his ways in the end, can he?¡±

    Qi Qiming was involved with gangs back in the day. Qi Kai was part of the product that emerged after the Qi family intervened. Violence was a verymon tactic of Qi Qiming¡¯s, but Qi Lei never expected it to be used on him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Second Master! Please forgive us! You just have to tolerate them a little and have dinner at the Qi residence. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a piece of cake for you. Just think of it as a wee back party for you, alright?¡± The butler¡¯s expression turned serious as his smile faded slightly.

    Qi Lei put on a bitter smile and stared at the butler and the two bodyguards. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. ¡°It seems like I don¡¯t have a choice, do I?¡±

    ¡°Please¡ª¡± The butler signaled the bodyguards who moved aside and continued staring menacingly at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and nced at them before walking forward.

 Chapter 927 - So-called Family (1)

    <h4>Chapter 927: So-called Family (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng chased him from behind and called out anxiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can head back for now. Hand me the documents tomorrow.¡± Qi Lei left with hisst message before disappearing into the crowd. Yang Sheng wanted to catch up, but the butler stared at him coldly, so he stopped immediately.

    Yang Sheng stood there for a while after Qi Lei left. His strained expression rxed down after he thought about it and tried his best to calm down. Then, he took out his phone and quickly dialed a number.

    Mu Yuchen was on his way to the Imperial Sky Entertainment City when he received the phone call while Xi Xiaye was sitting in the front passenger seat.

    There was some traffic on the way, so his eyes were focused on the front as he reached into his pocket for his phone. He handed it to Xi Xiaye and she dly answered the call.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Yang Sheng was familiar with her gentle voice.

    ¡°Director Xi? It¡¯s you! Chairman Mu...¡±

    ¡°Assistant Yang? Are you guys back in City Z?¡± Xi Xiaye realized it was Yang Sheng¡¯s voice.

    ¡°We justnded, but Master Qi was taken away by force before he could even exit the airport. Is that bad news?¡± Yang Sheng sounded worried.

    ¡°Qi Lei was forced to go back home?¡± Xi Xiaye captured the key information and was startled as she frowned. ¡°Give me a second. Talk to Chairman Mu.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then handed the phone back to Mu Yuchen. ¡°It¡¯s Qi Lei¡¯s assistant, Yang Sheng. Talk to him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen turned over and looked at her. Then, he parked the car on the roadside before taking the phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu...¡± Yang Sheng quickly told Mu Yuchen what happened.

    Mu Yuchen listened quietly and soon answered, ¡°Okay, I understand. You should head back home for now.¡± He hung up on the call after that.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye asked when she noticed him frowning.

    Mu Yuchen put his phone away and started the car engine again.

    ¡°Qi Qiming forced Qi Lei to go home. It should be for Qi Feng¡¯s sake. Qi Lei is pretty stubborn when going up against Qi Qiming. His tenacity could be both good and bad, but he¡¯ll be at a disadvantage,¡± hemented.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head and gave it some thought. She then nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s just how he is. I remember when I first got to know him, I thought of him as a skirt-chaser, butter on, I realized he¡¯s actually a nice person after getting to know him better. He always puts on a defensive barrier around himself, and I do pity him at times since I see my past self in him.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about him?¡± He turned around and looked at her pointedly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll get jealous?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. ¡°How I wish you would! I know you won¡¯t anyway. I¡¯ll have you bear in mind that my marketability is still high.¡±

    ¡°Your marketability has always been high. Didn¡¯t some guys try to get close to you at the few parties we attended recently?¡± His tone sounded different than usual as he narrowed his eyes and nced at her.

    She chuckled. ¡°Ah-ha! You¡¯ve been watching me all along!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her and admitted without shying away.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m just that charming then. We¡¯re arriving at Imperial Sky soon. Leave me in front and you can go off. I suppose they¡¯ve been waiting for a long time. I¡¯ll leave Qi Lei to you then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye just pushed all the responsibility to him since it was a verymon habit of hers to leave her troubles to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes at her and whined in an unhappy tone although he had no intention of scolding her at all, ¡°You¡¯re the same as Qi Lei now, aren¡¯t you, always relying on me? Can you be more independent?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to?¡± She grinned at him slyly.

    He just smiled quietly as he drove towards the entrance of Imperial Sky Entertainment City and stopped.

    ¡°Get your gloves and phone,¡± Xi Xiaye handed him his coat as she reminded him, ¡°I¡¯ll be back to fetch youter. Be mindful of how much you drink.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took his jacket and nodded. He left a kiss on her forehead before getting out of the car. ¡°Don¡¯t be toote, and call me if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Uncle Lan has been waiting. I¡¯ll be going now!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He finally got out of the car.

    Xi Xiaye sat in the driver¡¯s seat and started driving.

    At the same time, at the Qi residence, Qi Qiming was sitting on the sofa in the living room with Qi Feng there as well. Only two of them were in the living room at the moment since Gu Lingsha and the servants were busy cooking in the kitchen.

    ¡°Qi Lei has been staying in Qi Kai all these years. He¡¯s still his same old self, but his hatred towards me has grown stronger ever since his mother¡¯s death.¡±

    Qi Qiming looked at Qi Feng warmly although his tone sounded helpless. ¡°I let him take over your mother¡¯s position since her death because I hope he could pull himself together. I also wanted to keep those folks from the Wang Corporation in check.

    ¡°He never tried to understand me at all. He¡¯s as stubborn as your mother. A few days ago, he came here and took away everything that belonged to your mother, announcing that he has nothing to do with this family anymore. He¡¯s just the worst!¡±

    Qi Qiming rarely told people what he thought, but he was really bothered that Qi Lei was still nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Give the butler a call and see how it¡¯s going.¡±

 Chapter 928 - So-called Family (2)

    <h4>Chapter 928: So-called Family (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was still as he calmly turned to Qi Qiming to give his suggestion.

    ¡°I just talked to the butler. He¡¯s picked him up although he doesn¡¯t want toe home.¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s face sank. The light that was gathered in his eyes was evidently unhappy.

    Qi Feng smiled indifferently and his raspy voice voiced out, ¡°That¡¯s not just because of you. He¡¯s probably against me too.¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng, don¡¯t think too much. Qi Lei¡¯s been like this since he was young. He¡¯s unruly and has been spoiled by your mother,¡± Qi Qiming said as he subconsciously nced at Qi Lei¡¯s legs that could not move. Pity appeared in his eyes. ¡°All these years, you and Weiwei have suffered. Since you¡¯re back, just stay. When you¡¯ve recuperated, I¡¯ll arrange for you to join thepany.¡±

    A cold smile shed at the corner of Qi Feng¡¯s lips as he looked down gloomily at his legs that he could no longer feel. His raspy voice contained a hint of bitterness as he responded, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s suitable for me to show up the way I am right now? I don¡¯t care about those things. Just leave them to Qi Lei.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s heart could not help but ache at this sight. He advised softly, ¡°Things have already turned out this way, so don¡¯t mope. No matter what it is, you¡¯re still young, and there¡¯s still a long way ahead. You can¡¯t keep being dispirited like this. Besides, you haven¡¯t disappointed us all in your time abroad these past few years, have you? Qi Kai is the Qi family¡¯s hard work, and I just don¡¯t feel good handing it over to Qi Lei. He¡¯s only suitable for assisting you. Ah Feng, I¡¯ve always had high hopes of you. You can¡¯t let me down.¡±

    ¡°Father, I understand, but you should understand that even if you want to hand thepany to me, don¡¯t forget that Qi Kai¡¯s not entirely the Qi family¡¯s property. Besides, I haven¡¯t been taking overpany matters these past few years, so how can I convince everyone? Furthermore, with how I look like this, it might affect thepany negatively.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone was a little deste.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. As long as you have the courage and pick yourself back up, I can help you settle all of that. I¡¯ve worked hard these few years, so the entire Qi Kai is now within my control. Don¡¯t worry about them being convinced or not. Otherwise, they can just get another job.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s voice was colored with ruthlessness while his eyes shed with a sharp light.

    ¡°Father, can you stop using such dirty tricks to solve problems? The Qi family¡¯s business has long been clean. You should be careful about your choice of words. No matter what, Qi Kai¡¯s still a fairly influentialpany. If someone wanted to, they could use these things to spread rumors. Then, we¡¯d be the only ones on the losing end,¡± Qi Feng said inly with a tranquil expression.

    Although his words did not seem very pleasant, it was what Qi Qiming wanted to hear.

    This son of his did not disappoint him after all. He worked carefully and strategized well, so he was not worried. He felt that between these two sons of his, Qi Feng was more like him while Qi Lei only let him down time and time again.

    ¡°If only Xiao Lei was half of you, I¡¯d be content. When he gets back, you and Lingsha should advise him. He doesn¡¯t like me, but he probably won¡¯t treat you the same.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t treat us the same?¡± Qi Feng muttered softly, thenughed. He was about to say something when Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice rang out.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Qi Lei back yet? It¡¯s almost 8 p.m., and the dishes are almost done.¡±

    She ordered the servants to bring the dishes to the dining table as she looked towards Qi Qiming and Qi Feng in the living room.

    The two men calmed down rather quickly after she interrupted them. Qi Qiming responded softly, ¡°He should be back soon. I¡¯ve just called the butler. He says they¡¯re still on the way. Where¡¯s Weiwei?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told Mary to help her change since she was sweating from ying earlier.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Second Master, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Gu Lingsha had just finished when the servant suddenly greeted someone outside. The few of them were startled and they subconsciously looked towards the door.

    Indeed, they saw Qi Lei walking over indifferently as the butler and two bodyguards in ck followed suit.

    ¡°Qi Lei, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Gu Lingsha was the first to react. Her face was filled with joy as she quickly went up to him. ¡°You¡¯ve juste back in time for dinner. Quickly go wash your hands and let¡¯s eat. Uncle Qi, Ah Feng,e over too. I¡¯ll go upstairs to see Weiwei.¡±

    Gu Lingsha took the wet towel from the tray that the servant held and passed it to Qi Lei.

    However, Qi Lei did not take it. He only looked up indifferently at her, then reached out to stop her. Without saying anything, he turned to look at Qi Qiming who sat on the sofa. Then, he turned and his gaze paused on Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes squinted slightly as well while he fixed his gaze on Qi Lei. No one said anything first. Meanwhile, Gu Lingsha, who Qi Lei had pushed aside, looked even more upset. She nced at Qi Lei sadly, her azure eyes dim.

    ¡°What do you want? I already told you the day I left that I don¡¯t n on returning to this ce. Whatever happens to me has nothing to do with you all anymore. Didn¡¯t they tell you? Do you have to bring me back with such fanfare?¡±

    Qi Lei finally locked his eyes on Qi Qiming, his handsome face colored with cruelty, yet his voice that was filled with a smile exuded evil energy. As always, it gave off a frivolous overtone.

    Before Qi Lei could even finish, Qi Qiming was already infuriated!

    ¡°What is this attitude?! Lingsha and your brother were considerate about you being tired after working out of town, so they prepared dinner for you, wanting to reminisce the old times as a family, but look at this attitude of yours! Qi Lei, don¡¯t think that you¡¯re beyond my reach!¡±

    Qi Lei immediately shrunk away and turned to subconsciously look at the butler and bodyguards behind him, yet the devillish smile on his face grew wider. He then shrugged. ¡°Yes, of course, I¡¯m never beyond your reach. I almost forgot that you¡¯ve got excellent tricks up your sleeves! What? If I didn¡¯te tonight, were you nning on getting them to tie me up and bring me over or just cripple me?¡±

    ¡°Alright, Qi Lei, stop now. Uncle Qi didn¡¯t mean that. He just feels like you haven¡¯t been home in a long time, and your brother¡¯s just returned, so you haven¡¯t seen him yet. Isn¡¯t it good for a family to sit down for a meal together? Why do things have to end up like this?¡±

 Chapter 929 - So-called Family (3)

    <h4>Chapter 929: So-called Family (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha could not bear to watch the family fall apart, so she went up to pull at Qi Lei¡¯s arm as she advised him, ¡°Qi Lei, we just wanted you toe home for a meal today. Do you have to make everyone so upset? What¡¯s wrong with you? Qi Lei!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Qi Lei pulled his arm away and looked coldly at the distressed Gu Lingsha. ¡°This is between me and him. Don¡¯t interfere!¡±

    His distant and indifferent voice mmed against her, and she could not help but shudder. Qi Lei¡¯s strength also made her waver slightly. She looked at Qi Lei in disbelief. ¡°Lei, you...¡±

    Gu Lingsha could catch a hint of apathy from Qi Lei¡¯s eyes. In the past, at least, he hesitated, but right now, all that was left was hostility and distance.

    ¡°You best remember the things I¡¯ve said to you. Otherwise, you¡¯ll only make things hard for me. Do you understand?¡± Qi Lei said to her, then continued to look at Qi Qiming on the sofa. The smile on his handsome face did not fade away, and he just smiled indifferently. ¡°But since I¡¯m back, I¡¯ll just take the chance to clear the air. That¡¯s not a bad thing either.¡±

    ¡°You unfilial son! Are you trying to infuriate me to death? Huh? Do you want to piss me off?¡± Qi Qiming clenched his fists as the veins on his forehead bulged in fury.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, don¡¯t be angry! The doctor says you can¡¯t get angry!¡± Gu Lingsha felt like her head was about to explode. She held back the hurt in her heart and quickly rushed to Qi Qiming. While she could not hold Qi Lei back, she could not let Qi Qiming be angered either. Otherwise, this night would not go peacefully. After all, it had not been easy to get Qi Lei home.

    Qi Qiming inhaled with difficulty as he looked at Qi Lei who smiled devilishly before him. Just sitting there, he could feel the coldness from him. He pointed at Qi Lei with a trembling finger. ¡°How could I have a son like you?!¡±

    Compared to Qi Qiming¡¯s anger that had skyrocketed, Qi Lei seemed much calmer as he answered smoothly, ¡°What a coincidence! I don¡¯t want a father like you either! Tell me. All these years, you¡¯ve already harmed and wrecked my mother. Do you n on continuing to trample all over me?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei, I haven¡¯t seen you in years. Don¡¯t you n on saying hi to me?¡± Qi Feng, who had been keeping quiet on the side, finally spoke up. His raspy voice sounded nothing like his original voice, and his face had changed a lot too. Nheless, the moment Qi Lei walked in, he could already recognize Qi Feng since he already found out from Mu Yuchen how he looked like and had seen him from pictures before, so he was not surprised at all.

    Qi Feng had been quietly observing Qi Lei from the moment he walked in. He could also feel that Qi Lei easily recognized him.

    When he finished, Qi Lei looked toward the source of the voice, his eyes sweeping past Qi Feng¡¯s face. Then, he responded in a lukewarm manner, ¡°Do you think that¡¯s necessary?¡±

    He did not give Qi Feng any face at all and just sneered with disdain. ¡°This family has always only been the two of you. I don¡¯t know when I ever had any rights. When my mother was still around, I didn¡¯t see you lot having the time to organize some fun get-together dinner.¡±

    When Qi Lei said that, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression turned worse. His sharp gaze red at Qi Lei stonily.

    ¡°Alright, stop pretending now. I know very well what you¡¯re all thinking, and I understand. I¡¯ve never wished for anything from you and I¡¯m dispensable to you. It was a mistake when you and Mother got married. Giving birth to me was a mistake on top of a mistake. Right now, I¡¯m just saying for the sake of our kinship that I hope you can stop making mistakes. I¡¯ll leave with nothing on my own. That way, you¡¯ll have fewer worries too,¡± Qi Lei continued.

    The smile on Qi Lei¡¯s face did not fade, but there was an additional hint of indifference andck of regard. He flicked the fresh bouquet in the vase beside him, paused, and then continued, ¡°This should be a good thing for all of you, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I¡¯m just hoping that you¡¯ll let me live the rest of my days in peace. Is that so hard? My mother¡¯s freaking dead! She¡¯s gone! Qi Kai is nowpletely yours. Can¡¯t you just let me have some days of peace and quiet? What did I do, Qi Qiming? What did I do wrong for you to hate me so much? This question has always bothered me, and I¡¯ve always wanted to know the answer!¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, the smile on his face suddenly froze and his ck eyes reflected hopeless bitterness as they were fixed on Qi Qiming. Up until now, he did not seem to care much about Qi Qiming¡¯s answer anymore. He onlyughed bitterly and then waved indifferently. ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s no need to ask. All these answers are no longer important to me. I don¡¯t want to remember everything from before anymore. You can do whatever you want. I just don¡¯t want to return to this home. Since you don¡¯t like me, why are you pretending like you¡¯re hurt?

    ¡°Apart from taking my mother¡¯s things away, I didn¡¯t take any of yours. That¡¯s all. Everything between the two of you has nothing to do with me anymore, so you should be happy now. From now on, everything here has got nothing to do with me. I want to just sitfortably in my VP office andplete the work I should be doing. My mother¡¯s sacrificed so much all these years, so just consider it as repayment to her. This shouldn¡¯t be too hard, hmm?¡± Qi Lei finally looked at Qi Qiming¡¯s rigid face.

    However, before Qi Qiming could reply, the phone in Qi Lei¡¯s pocket vibrated. Qi Lei leisurely took the phone out from his pocket. The screen showed that it was Mu Yuchen.

    Qi Lei quickly answered the call, and Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep, distant voice came through.

    ¡°I know that you might be in the midst of being punished at home right now. Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and I are now in Private Room 808 of the Imperial Sky Hotel. You can decide whether or not you want toe.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s brows raised. He could immediately guess that Yang Sheng had called them. With a wry smile, he said, ¡°You¡¯re quite the brother. I¡¯ve justnded.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just giving you face,¡± Mu Yuchen answered from the other end.

    ¡°Are there beauties with 38D boobs? The ones who wear that kind of skimpy clothes?¡± Qi Lei answered as he leisurely walked out of the door.

    ¡°If you really want one, I can find you one no matter the size. Don¡¯t speak nonsense now. Come over quickly. We¡¯re in the mood tonight, so we¡¯ll y a few rounds with you.¡±

 Chapter 930 - Furious

    <h4>Chapter 930: Furious</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen hung up. Qi Lei looked at the screen helplessly, then leisurely put the phone back into his pocket. He did not take another look at Qi Qiming before he walked towards the entrance.

    ¡°Stop right there! Where are you going?¡±

    Qi Qiming restrained his temper a little after what Qi Lei just said, but he still did not look calm.

    ¡°Where am I going? Obviously, I¡¯m going to meet some good buddies. Where else could I go?¡± Qi Lei retorted, and as he was about to walk ahead, the butler and the two bodyguards who were guarding at the door went up to him to stop him.

    ¡°Move aside!¡± Qi Lei said coldly with a frown.

    ¡°Second Master, please respect CEO Qi!¡± the butler pleaded.

    It would have been fine if he did not say this, but the moment he did, it ignited an explosion that had long been hidden in Qi Lei¡¯s heart. He red at the butler, then suddenly pushed his shoulder aside.

    ¡°Since when is it your turn to speak now? Respect? Has he ever respected me? Move aside!¡± Qi Lei pushed the bodyguards before him away hard, and then quickly moved ahead. ¡°What else can you do besides using violence? QI Qiming, you treated my mother like this too, didn¡¯t you? You scum!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Stop him!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened, and he went up to him too!

    Upon receiving Qi Qiming¡¯s orders, the bodyguards that had been guarding by the door practically went up to stop Qi Lei simultaneously, yet thetter was quick. He clenched his fists and angrily charged forward. With one hand, he struck a few vicious punches at the bodyguards, then shoved the butler aside.

    The butler could not stand steadily, so when he hit the bodyguards that Qi Lei attacked, he immediately fell backward and collided with Qi Qiming!

    ¡°Uncle Qi!¡± Gu Lingsha called out, anxiously rushing to him, but Qi Qiming was already knocked to the ground.

    ¡°Bastard! Are you trying to anger me to death! Ah!¡±

    ¡°Anger you to death? Are you even worthy? I don¡¯t want you to go and see my mother so soon. You¡¯d better not contaminate her reincarnation. I don¡¯t have a father like you either and I don¡¯t want to see you!¡±

    Qi Lei did not even take a second glimpse at the furious Qi Qiming behind him before his tall figure walked ahead!

    ¡°You unfilial son! Unfilial son! Come back!¡±

    However, as much as Qi Qiming shouted, Qi Lei pretended like he did not hear him at all.

    His tall figure walked ahead without a trace of reluctance to leave.

    ...

    When she saw Qi Lei¡¯s figure vanish out of the door, Gu Lingsha immediately chased after him.

    ¡°Qi Lei! Don¡¯t go! Come back! Come back right now! Stop right there, Qi Lei!¡±

    Gu Lingsha swiftly rushed out to grab Qi Lei¡¯s arm. A hint of anger gathered in her blue eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve really disappointed me, Qi Lei! Don¡¯t you know how hard it was for Uncle Qi to make up his mind to have a proper talk with you? He¡¯s your father. Do you think you could just erase this rtionship of yours?¡±

    ¡°Let go, Shasha.¡± Qi Lei was firm although he slowed down his steps and looked at Gu Lingsha with a lukewarm expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting go! If you won¡¯t speak properly with Uncle Qi today, I won¡¯t let go. Since when did you get such abhorrent temper you showed today? Qi Lei, have you forgotten what you promised me back then? Why can¡¯t you just sit down and have a good chat? As for Aunt Wang¡¯s passing, we¡¯re all very heartbroken over it. You¡¯re not the only one who misses her. Uncle Qi does too! You don¡¯t have to treat him like that...¡±

    Gu Lingsha was trying hard to relieve Qi Qiming and Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship, yet before she could finish, Qi Lei had already spoken up to stop her, ¡°Enough! Stop using my mother. She¡¯s dead! She¡¯s gone! If she were still around and saw this scene, she would probably be furious! Let go of me! There¡¯s nothing for us to talk about. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be my father. He doesn¡¯t deserve¡ª¡±

    Pa!

    Before Qi Lei could finish, a bitter wind blew, then there was the clear sound of a p. Qi Lei instantly felt pain stinging his face.

    Gu Lingsha looked a little startled at her hand that was numb from the pain. Her gaze moved and stopped on Qi Lei¡¯s face. With the lights, she could see a red p mark on Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face, and there was even a hint of blood at the corner of his thin lips.

    Qi Lei did not move. He stood there and silently looked at Gu Lingsha who was already stunned. Moments after that, he smiled coldly and lifted a hand to wipe the corner of his lips. When he saw the blood on his fingertips, his cold and devilishugh was heard.

    ¡°Great! I don¡¯t owe you anymore. From now on, I no longer owe you anything, so take care of yourself!¡±

    He lifted his sleeve to nonchntly wipe away the blood that had appeared at the corner of his mouth as he looked indifferently at Gu Lingsha. Before he walked ahead, his proud and aloof figure very quickly blocked the dim lights ahead.

    Everyone could not react immediately. By the time Gu Lingsha did, Qi Qiming had marched out with the help of the butler, but Qi Lei was already gone.

    ¡°Lei, that wasn¡¯t my intention! I just wanted you to wake up!¡± Gu Lingsha looked at her trembling hand, then shouted towards the direction where Qi Lei had vanished in.

    ¡°This bastard! This...¡± Qi Qiming was extremely angry. When he saw Qi Lei vanish, he could not catch his breath and fell backward.

    ¡°CEO Qi! CEO Qi, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi has fainted! Send him to the hospital! Hurry!¡±

    In an instance, the entire Qi residence was in chaos.

    ...

    The night breeze was getting a little colder now, especially after the uninterrupted heavy rain from a few days ago. With the weather not being as hot as before, it was quite cool at night.

    Qi Lei left the Qi residence without another word, and soon he got himself a taxi.

    ¡°Imperial Sky Entertainment City,¡± he said as soon as he got into the car. Then, he quietly shut his eyes.

    The driver in front dared not say much. He just silently started the car and drove towards Imperial Sky Entertainment City in the city center.

    It was quite a distance from the Qi family¡¯s residence to Imperial Sky Entertainment City, so Qi Lei felt like he had slept in the car for a really long time before he woke up. He was still in the car, and when he turned to look out of the car window, he realized that the car had already driven into the city center and was about to cross the Jiangzhong Bridge.

    At this moment, he suddenly spoke up¡ª

 Chapter 931 - Battered

    <h4>Chapter 931: Battered</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Just leave me right here. I¡¯ll walk the rest of the way.¡±

    The taxi slowly parked by the side, and Qi Lei got out of the car. Beside the driver¡¯s window, he reached into his pocket, but his wallet was nowhere to be found.

    Stunned, he searched through every pocket he had under the driver¡¯s disgruntled gaze, and he still could not find any money. Finally, he was about to tell the driver to get him to Imperial Sky Entertainment City directly.

    Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind go past him, and he heard the sound of brakes as he came back to his senses. He turned around and saw a slender hand going towards the driver¡¯s window with cash as a familiar voice filled his ears.

    ¡°Keep the change.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye? Why are you here?¡± Qi Lei was surprised to see the woman inside the Porsche.

    Xi Xiaye nced at him and noticed his swollen cheek. With a sigh, she opened the door to the front passenger seat. ¡°Get in.¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged and got into the car.

    ¡°Why do you look so battered up?¡± Xi Xiaye pointed at the seatbelt, signaling him to buckle up. At the same time, she grabbed some tissues and handed them to him. ¡°Clean yourself up.¡±

    Qi Lei did not put on his seatbelt. Instead, he took the tissues and wiped his mouth. ¡°I identally walked into amp post.¡±

    ¡°Why does thismp post look like the shape of a human palm? I have to visit it myself one day.¡± Xi Xiaye did not point out his lie right away and just nced at him. ¡°Tell them to get you some ice once you get there. Your assistant, Yang Sheng, called Mu Yuchen. We knew you were forced back home right after younded.¡±

    ¡°No wonder Mu Yuchen called me. Now, I see why.¡± Qi Lei put on a bitter smile.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and started driving. ¡°You have a great assistant. Gu Lingsha pped you, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    It was pretty obvious that it was a woman¡¯s hand. Qi Lei¡¯s cheek was very swollen, and there was also some blood near his mouth. She must have pped him really hard.

    ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from you, can I?¡± Qi Lei admitted.

    ¡°Qi Lei...¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were focused on the road as she called out to him gently. He turned his head and looked at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a good thing to be too stubborn sometimes. Protecting yourself is always your priority, especially in your current condition. Do you understand?¡± Xi Xiaye did not look at him as she spoke, but Qi Lei noticed that her grip on the steering tightened.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression softened as he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re going to listen, but I¡¯m still going to say it. I¡¯ve told Mu Yuchen several times that I can see my past self in you, so I understand very well how you feel. I used to think that belittling myself to help others could give me a sense of purpose and achievement, but I realized I was wrong. I was wrong to underestimate myself, and it seems like you¡¯ve been doing the same as my past self,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Qi Lei grinned before she even finished her sentence. He threw her a gentle nce when he looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who feels that way. I¡¯ve met a lot of people, but I only feel particrly rtable to you. I was impressed by your charisma at our first meeting, and I¡¯ve been looking forward to getting to know more about you since then.¡±

    ¡®You have an aura that gives me warmth. You make me feel like I have found my lost strength.¡¯ s, Qi Lei did not voice out the second half of his sentence.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure. As your friend, as well as on your mother¡¯s behalf, I hope you can live a better life. I might not understand the conflict within your family, but I understand very well what kind of pain you¡¯re going through.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen told me about CEO Li and you. Let me know if there¡¯s anything you need help with. I understand you like architecture. The Movie City development in City B will be handled by Fuhua Property, so do consider it if you¡¯re interested.¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a concerned nce.

    ¡°Are you pitying me?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s smile froze.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t let Fuhua take the risk just because of pity. I just want to give you a chance, but whether you can utilize it or not depends on your ability. It¡¯s also topensate for not being able to take on South River Project No. 2.¡±

    ¡°As expected of Mu Yuchen¡¯s wife, you¡¯re speaking more and more like him or is this his intention?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s expression softened.

    ¡°He rarely objects to my decision. Plus, he had simr thoughts as well.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that he might get jealous about it?¡± Qi Lei was really grateful, but he just had to tease Xi Xiaye when she looked so calm about it.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. ¡°We¡¯ve just discussed this earlier. It¡¯d be great if he actually got jealous since he¡¯s too secure and has zero sense of urgency at all.¡±

    Qi Lei captured the happiness between her eyes as well as the smile on her face. It just showed how tight their bond was.

    At that moment, he felt some warmth rise within him.

 Chapter 932 - Counter Every Move (1)

    <h4>Chapter 932: Counter Every Move (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He could not help butment, ¡°Mu Yuchen and you really love each other deeply.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment, but she just smiled and replied casually, ¡°Hearing you say that reminds me of something. Maybe it¡¯s time that you got yourself a partner. I¡¯ll be monitoring you for that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in getting one at the moment. I¡¯ll wait until when my career is secure.¡± Qi Lei sighed as he felt pretty lost and helpless right now. He could not get a clear vision of his own future as if a thick fog was blurring his vision.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad to have someone else to care for you. Keep that in mind.¡± Xi Xiaye took a brief pause. ¡°I think that it¡¯s easier to keep going when you have someone else with you. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve always been alone as far as my memory serves me right.¡±

    He then stopped talking afterward while Xi Xiaye studied him with a gloomy expression. Unsure what was going through his mind, she did not say anything either and sped up.

    It was already 9 p.m. when they arrived in Room 808 of the Imperial Sky Hotel. Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo were ying cards as they drank. There were also three cute girls in sexy outfits serving them drinks.

    They looked at the door when Xi Xiaye and Qi Lei entered.

    Xi Xiaye nced at Mu Yuchen, and her eyes quickly noticed the girl right beside him. She gave him a meaningful gaze.

    Mu Yuchen calmly gave the girl a signal. She then called the other two girls and left the room promptly.

    ¡°Are you done already?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Xi Xiaye, and then his gaze shifted to Qi Lei.

    ¡°It¡¯s just about the contract. I met him on the way here. Get someone to send some ice over!¡± Xi Xiaye sat down on the sofa while Su Chen and Zhou Zimo both gave Qi Lei a doubtful nce.

    They definitely noticed the p mark on Qi Lei¡¯s face, so they traded nces before Zhou Zimo asked, ¡°Who did that?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged as he sat down on the sofa and helped himself to some wine on the table.

    Mu Yuchen signaled his bodyguard to get an ice bag.

    ¡°What happened? Ah Chen said you just got off the ne, didn¡¯t you? How did that happen? Did your old man throw you out of the house?¡±

    Su Chen knew a little bit about his family. Mu Yuchen had been talking to him about it, so he had a rough idea about what Qi Lei was going through.

    ¡°The real prince came back, and you¡¯re exiled. I really do pity you, Qi Lei. I¡¯d have turned the world upside down already if I were you!¡± Zhou Zimo continued the conversation as he poured Qi Lei a ss of wine.

    ¡°Qi Feng?¡± Su Chen nced at Qi Lei in curiosity. ¡°He¡¯s back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just saw him earlier. Although his appearance has changed, I was still able to recognize him at first nce.¡± Qi Lei emptied the ss of wine instantly.

    Mu Yuchen frowned at Qi Lei before ncing over at Xi Xiaye. Immediately, he went out, and Xi Xiaye understood him as she followed behind.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Mu Yuchen stopped at the end of the empty corridor as he looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure as well. I guess Gu Lingsha pped him. I bumped into him near the bridge, so I brought him over. I feel uneasy. Will he be alright?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll see what happens next. Ah Bao has been observing Qi Feng¡¯s movements, and he¡¯ll call me if he does something¡ª¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone suddenly rang before he could finish his sentence. He quickly took out his phone and noticed it was a call from Ah Bao.

    He seemed to have realized something, so he frowned and quickly answered the call.

    ¡°Master, Qi Lei just got into a fight with Qi Qiming at the Qi residence. Qi Qiming was so outraged that he started vomiting blood and was sent to the hospital. His situation is still unknown at the moment.¡± Ah Bao¡¯s voice reached him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Continue to monitor them. Let me know if anything else happens.¡± He hung up on the call after that.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Xi Xiaye noticed that Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression had changed all of a sudden, and he was deep in thought.

    ¡°Qi Lei had a fight with Qi Qiming just now. Qi Qiming was so outraged that he started vomiting blood and was sent to the hospital,¡± Mu Yuchen gave her a simple reply.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°How could that be? Qi Qiming...¡±

    ¡°From my understanding of Qi Feng, Qi Lei is probably in trouble this time.¡± Mu Yuchen was getting a headache.

    ¡°Trouble? What trouble?¡± Xi Xiaye did not understand what was happening.

    Mu Yuchen closed his eyelids as he put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°I hope I¡¯m overthinking, but we have to be prepared. Give Ah Mo a call and tell him toe to Maple Residence immediately. I need to give CEO Li a call.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Xi Xiaye pulled his sleeve and asked.

    ¡°It was not easy for Qi Lei to close the deal with thepany in City B, but the contract isn¡¯t signed yet. From what I know, Wang Qin¡¯s team fought for this chance for Qi Lei¡¯s sake, so it would be disastrous for Qi Lei¡¯s position if this deal broke off. If someone made a big fuss out of the incident this time, Qi Kai¡¯s shares will definitely suffer, and the contract won¡¯t happen.¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew about Qi Lei¡¯s visit to City B this time very well. CEO Li had some ties with thatpany, and because of his encouragement, Qi Lei was able to close the deal sessfully.

 Chapter 933 - Counter Every Move (2)

    <h4>Chapter 933: Counter Every Move (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye suddenly felt grim. ¡°Qi Lei really had it rough. With a father and a family like this, he might be better off without one.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just my guess, but we still have to be prepared before anything happens. Quickly give Ah Mo a call.¡±

    Mu Yuchen patted her shoulder before he turned around and called Li Si.

    Qi Lei had no idea what consequences would he face due to his sudden impulse. He just continued drinking away with Zhou Zimo as a sexydy held an ice bag to his face.

    Having not eaten beforehand, Qi Lei was beginning to feel drunk, so Zhou Zimo stopped him.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough drinking for now! Have something to eat!¡± Zhou Zimo took his ss away.

    Qi Lei squinted his eyes at Zhou Zimo. ¡°I can hold my liquor. I can still drink more.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re unhappy, but it¡¯s exactly at times like this that you shouldn¡¯t drink that much. It can¡¯t solve your problem.¡±

    ¡°Then, what can solve my problem?¡± Qi Lei asked with a cold smile.

    ¡°Go back home and get some sleep. You¡¯ll be fine tomorrow morning. Eat something now, and then head back.¡±

    Zhou Zimo patted his back and looked at Su Chen who was focused on his phone. ¡°Su Chen, you can go home if you want, I¡¯ll let Ah Chen knowter. You should be preparing for your wedding soon. Don¡¯t make your wife unhappy!¡±

    Su Chen emptied his ss and then stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll head back now then. Things will get really busy for me tomorrow. Thanks for the tickets by the way! I suppose the two of you will be my best men then. Don¡¯t say no to me. You guys should head home earlier too. Oh, and tell Ah Chen for me!¡±

    Su Chen left a red invitation card for Qi Lei before grabbing his coat and leaving the room.

    ¡°He¡¯s already registered, so what¡¯s there to rush about? How dare he ask me for a gift?¡±

    Zhou Zimo smiled helplessly as Qi Lei nced through the invitation card. Zhou Zimoughed. ¡°It seems like we¡¯re going to be the decorations for them. Do you think I¡¯ll be your best man, or you¡¯ll be mine?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me! You¡¯re going to be thest, aren¡¯t you? I won¡¯t be thest with my charm!¡± Qi Lei squinted at Zhou Zimo as he snatched his ss away and started drinking again.

    ¡°You? Would there be any woman that want you considering your reputation?¡±

    ¡°How could there be no one? I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯ll be a queue of girls long enough to surround the whole of City Z if I announce that I want to get married!¡±

    Zhou Zimo chuckled, and they had fun chatting with each other.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye drank a little after they went back into the room. They left the ce at 10 p.m. while Qi Lei¡¯s assistant, Yang Sheng, came over and fetched him back.

    Ah Mo and Li Si were already waiting in the living room when they returned to Maple Residence.

    Mu Yuchen signaled them to go to the study room the moment he entered the house. Xi Xiaye went to the baby room to see that Mu Xiaocheng had woken up and Aunt Lin just finished feeding him.

    ¡°Missus!¡± Aunt Lin quickly stood up when she saw Xi Xiayeing in.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let me hold him!¡± She then held Mu Xiaocheng in her hands. ¡°Baby, did you have enough milk? Look at your adorable smile...¡±

    As if he could recognize his own mother, Mu Xiaocheng started giggling when Xi Xiaye held him. Her heart was melted by his childish giggles, and her smile grew wider as well.

    ¡°Missus, Young Master is really obedient. He hardly cried or made a fuss throughout the whole day. Both Sis Fang and I agreed that he¡¯s one of the best children we¡¯ve taken care of. He¡¯s looking more and more like Master as well. Even Elder Madam mentioned this earlier today!¡±

    Aunt Lin had a wide smile on her face as she looked at Mu Xiaocheng in Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms.

    Xi Xiaye left a kiss on her son¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯m d that he¡¯s not giving you too much trouble. He was quite naughty the night before yesterday, and his father took a long time to get him to sleep.¡±

    She then poked her son¡¯s little cheek as Mu Xiaocheng gurgled happily.

    ¡°Look at his smile. I guess he¡¯s beginning to recognize you now.¡± Aunt Lin could not help but y with him a little as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure both of you are tired from the past few days. Just leave the rest to me and get back. He¡¯ll sleep in my room tonight.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had been busy helping out with Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi¡¯s wedding, so she felt like she had been neglecting her son. She wanted Mu Xiao Cheng to sleep in her bedroom tonight.

    The understanding Aunt Lin smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve just fed Young Master and changed his diapers as well, so he¡¯ll be sleeping all the way until morning.¡±

    ¡°Alright, time to sleep!¡±

    ¡°Okay, good night, Missus, Young Master!¡±

    ¡°Good night!¡±

    Aunt Lin left the room, and Xi Xiaye brought her son into the bedroom.

    Inside the quiet study, Mu Yuchen took a folder from the tall bookshelf to hand to Ah Mo with a serious expression. ¡°This is very important. I need you to handle this personally. I¡¯ve had a word with CEO Li just now, so he¡¯ll understand if you give these documents to him.¡±

    Ah Mo had a good grasp of Mu Yuchen¡¯s concerns. He took the folder and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Brother, I¡¯ll get it done.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath, sitting down on the chair by the side. ¡°I can feel that things are gettingplicated with Qi Feng¡¯s return. From what I know about him, he won¡¯t just let this slide easily.¡±

 Chapter 934 - Counter Every Move (3)

    <h4>Chapter 934: Counter Every Move (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master¡¯s right. After your analysis, if anything bad happens to Qi Qiming, he will very likely use this opportunity to take lead. At the same time, he needs to make Qi Lei suffer serious damage. That way, no one can waver his position in Qi Kai,¡± Li Si, who had not said anything, spoke up worriedly too.

    ¡°It looks like Qi Lei¡¯s not in a great position, Bro. Shall I rush to City B tonight?¡± Ah Mo gripped the document in hand and asked.

    Mu Yuchen propped his head up with one hand, then sighed. ¡°Yes, you must go right away. You have to settle this matter properly. Make sure CEO Li and that other partner protect Qi Lei. If there are any losses, I¡¯ll bear the burden, so they should feel assured.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it, Brother!¡±

    He thought about it before adding on, ¡°Also, you must keep this thing top secret. Even Qi Lei himself can¡¯t know. If anything, I¡¯ll tell him myself, got it?¡±

    Ah Mo nodded in response.

    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the private ne for you. Get Li Si to send you overter,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he picked up his phone from beside him to take a look at the time and continued, ¡°How are things on Lingshi¡¯s end? It¡¯s been quite a few days now. Has she calmed down?¡±

    Knowing that her rtionship with Gu Qiwu was undoubtedly a huge hit to Mu Lingshi, although Mu Yuchen did not call Mu Lingshi all this time, he had no doubt that she needed to calm down alone and do her best to ept the facts as soon as possible.

    When Mu Lingshi was mentioned, helplessness and concern could not help but sh in Ah Mo¡¯s eyes as he sighed. ¡°She¡¯s still the same. She can¡¯t quite ept it. When she got home, she didn¡¯t say anything. She just stays home alone in a daze. I¡¯m worried about her, so I called Mother who has been going over to be with her these past few days.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes sadly. He thought about it, then responded, ¡°Because it happened so suddenly, you must rush over to City B, and you¡¯ll probably have to stay there for a few days. How about this? I¡¯ll called Motherter and tell her to stay at your ce for the next few days. Coincidentally, Mother¡¯s studied psychology before this, so being with Lingshi more should help her.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Brother. I¡¯ll call Lingshiter and let her know,¡± Ah Mo responded solemnly.

    ¡°How about me, Master? What else can I do?¡± Li Si asked worriedly.

    ¡°You pay attention to how things are on Qi Kai¡¯s end for now. Also, give Xi Xinyi a stern reminder. On Qi Lei¡¯s end, if things pan out as our predictions, do your best to cooperate with Assistant Yang and see if they need anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡±

    Ah Mo hesitated and finally could not help but raise his doubts, ¡°Right, Brother, based on what you said, Qi Kai¡¯s shares will definitely fall. Will Qi Feng take such a huge risk? After all, he wouldn¡¯t want himself to get Qi Kai into crisis, will he?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen just smiled calmly. His profound eyes shed with an unfathomable cold light as he calmly responded, ¡°You¡¯ve asked a good question. Indeed, this is quite risky, but what if Qi Feng has something else up his sleeve and has a way for Qi Kai to recover?¡±

    ¡°What could that be?¡± Ah Mo frowned, and asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it could be. In fact, everything we¡¯re doing right now is just my preparation for the worst. I hope that I¡¯m being too cautious about it all, and that I¡¯m just overthinking. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be crossing swords with Qi Feng!¡± Mu Yuchen said with a mysterious smile.

    When he saw the smile on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face, Ah Mo was relieved. As long as he saw this smile on his face, he felt more assured, so he thenughed, ¡°Brother, we haven¡¯t seen him, yet there seems to be traces of shots fired. I¡¯d really like to see how capable Qi Feng can be!¡±

    When Li Si heard Ah Mo, he could not help but spill all the gossip he heard from around, ¡°Speaking of that, I¡¯ve sourced information about Qi Feng before. I really do think this person is quite unfathomable, and he¡¯s good at pretending. Many people in the circle admire him. They all say he¡¯s an honorable son of the high society, humble and polite, friendly, and an elegant gentleman. Many women treat him like their Prince Charming. In fact, that face of his is quite mesmerizing!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, but as charming as he may be, he can¡¯tpare to our Master!¡± Li Si added on.

    Mu Yuchen just smiled calmly. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s him. I¡¯m me. We haven¡¯t met for a few years now. In fact, with such a deep grudge between us, I have a feeling that we¡¯ll be meeting very soon.¡±

    ¡°But, Brother, you should be more vignt. We can¡¯t be sure that he won¡¯t y any tricks again. I¡¯ve already found Lingshi a personal bodyguard who¡¯ll be on duty tomorrow onwards. The people that Gu Qiwu has hired are still in hiding,¡± Ah Mo exined Mu Lingshi¡¯s situation clearly as well.

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Let Li Si arrange things if there¡¯s anything required. There¡¯s no need to pack your things either. The people there will arrange everything. Go right away. Li Si, send him to the airport,¡± Mu Yuchen ordered in a deep voice.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The two of them answered at the same time, then rushed to leave the study room. Afterward, the sound of the car engine starting was heard.

    Mu Yuchen stood at the window in his study room and watched as the car drove further away. After a long while, he turned around to leave the study room.

    ...

    When he returned to his bedroom, Xi Xiaye was done showering and was lying in bed, flipping through some documents while their son, Mu Zicheng,y beside her.

    Xi Xiaye was clearly so focused on the document that she did not notice even when Mu Yuchen walked to the bedside. It was only when she felt the bed sink beside her, and the faint fragrance drifted into her nose that she looked over subconsciously.

    Mu Yuchen reached out his long fingers and pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cute little face. When he noticed the target before him, Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s ck gem-like eyes immediately widened. His two little chubby hands gripped onto Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand before putting it into his mouth as he made a tiny gurgle. The gloom in Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart vanished at the sight of this as loving warmth shed all over his handsome face.

    ¡°Have Ah Mo and the rest left?¡± Xi Xiaye closed her document and set it aside on the table as she asked softly.

 Chapter 935 - Counter Every Move (4)

    <h4>Chapter 935: Counter Every Move (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently. His deep voice was sensitive as he replied, ¡°Mmm, they¡¯ve left. It¡¯s already sote. No bringing such topics into the bedroom the next time.¡±

    Then, he reached over to Mu Xiaocheng before gently picking him up. ¡°Come here, my son. Let me carry you.¡±

    ¡°Go and shower first! You smell like alcohol. You¡¯ll suffocate him. I¡¯ve gotten your clothes out for you. Chop chop!¡± Xi Xiaye stopped him, snatched her son over, and looked at him in disdain.

    Mu Yuchen spread his palms open helplessly, took a look at Xi Xiaye, then leaned down slightly to say in his son¡¯s ear softly, ¡°Son, do you see that? Your mother¡¯s beginning to not like me now.¡±

    ¡°Go now. You¡¯re so dirty!¡± Xi Xiaye reached out to push him away, but he just chuckled softly and then stole a peck on her lips before going to the bathroom.

    More than 20 minutester, Mu Yuchen finally came out of the bathroom refreshed, then he swiftly plonked himself on the bed before pulling Xi Xiaye into his arms as he lowered his head and watched Mu Xiaocheng in her arms.

    It waste at night, but Mu Xiaocheng had just woken up from his sleep, so he now seemed quite energetic. He widened his bright eyes and watched the two faces before him while his mouth kept making cooing sounds as if he was talking to his parents. At the same time, Xi Xiaye seemed to be having a great chat with him too.

    Upon feeling his warmth behind her, Xi Xiaye turned and looked at him, then she said gently to her son, ¡°Baby, who¡¯s this? Look, can you recognize who this is?¡±

    ¡°Even if he can, he can¡¯t answer you. Come, son, let your me carry you. See if you¡¯ve gotten heavier, hmm?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took their son from Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms, lifting him slightly. His calm eyes gathered with a faint hint of tenderness as he nted a kiss on his son¡¯s face while Mu Xiaochengughed happily, reaching out to hold his cheek.

    ¡°Father, son. Call Father. Remember that this handsome and dashing man before you is your father, and this beautiful woman beside you is your mother. Remember that? Little one, don¡¯t put your hand into your mouth. That¡¯s dirty...¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked helplessly at the vain man. She just pursed her lips and smiled, not disturbing this adorable father-son interaction.

    ¡°Mmm? What do you want? Your eyes are so wide open. This is a light...Isn¡¯t it quite bright? Does it look beautiful? Let me teach you how to differentiate colors. Hmm, do you see that? This is a dim yellow, warm light. Isn¡¯t it quite beautiful? Give me a smile.¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng widened his eyes and blinked at the light shining overhead. He seemed to have suddenly noticed something very fun, so his hands kept waving about while his mouth mumbled a cheerful sound.

    ¡°Come on, give me face. Give me a smile. Call Father, Father...Look at me, little one, look at me. What¡¯s so nice about the light? Look at me...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng ignored him and kept staring unmoving with his eyes widened at the light above him.

    After that, Xi Xiaye reminded amusedly, ¡°Alright now. Quickly coax him to sleep. The little guy isn¡¯t used to sleepingte.¡±

    Mu Yuchen pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little cheeks. ¡°How naughty of you. When will you grow up? When will you call Father and Mother, hmm? When you¡¯ve grown a little more and have learned how to talk and walk, I will bring you to have fun, little guy.¡±

    ...

    Later on, they still chatted and yed with Mu Xiaocheng till past midnight before the husband and wife coaxed him to sleep. Then, Xi Xiaye slipped into Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms.

    When they were about to fall asleep, Xi Xiaye whoid in his arms suddenly asked softly, ¡°Did Ah Mo say anything about Ah Shi?¡±

    ¡°Still the same. It will still take some time for her to ept it. Mother¡¯s been going over these past few days, so don¡¯t worry.¡± His deep voice came unhurriedly.

    Xi Xiaye sighed softly before she said a little helplessly, ¡°I¡¯ll go over to see her tomorrow too. Have you arrange the work matters for her?¡±

    ¡°I let VP Wen arrange it. Alright, sleep earlier. We¡¯ll talk about tomorrow¡¯s matters tomorrow.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then inly responded, ¡°Mmm, I hope that the days toe won¡¯t be as you guessed. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve done our best. Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ve sent Ah Mo to City B. He left tonight,¡± Mu Yuchen told her about Ah Mo¡¯s movements in the end.

    While Xi Xiaye was stunned, she did not ask further about it. Instead, she said calmly, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll let you handle these things. If you need anything, let me know. Right, are you going to prepare the gift for Su Chen¡¯s wedding or should I do it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more suitable than giving him a huge red packet. I initially kept a vi for them in the Grand Waves Vi area too. I was nning on giving it to them as their wedding gift, but Ah Mo¡¯s not willing to move over. As for Su Chen and Zimo, that depends on their wishes too.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, if we were in the same vi area, Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng would have friends to y with as they grow up, just like how you were with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo. That was your n, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    She had been with him for a while, so she could naturally see through his intentions. After all, he was someone who valued rtionships, kinship, brotherhood, friendship, and even his love for her.

    ¡°Yeah, Ah Mo and Su Chen are done now. It¡¯s just Zimo left.¡±

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s still Qi Lei too. I¡¯ve been thinking about it these past few days. I think that he¡¯s quite...Mr. Mu, you¡¯re a very broad-minded person. Please watch over him more.¡±

    When he heard that, he started to feel a little jealous. His hand slid around her waist and he gently pinched her. ¡°You care about him more than you care about me, Missus.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shrunk back ticklishly and then put her hands around his shoulder as she smiled. ¡°The whole world knows that I care about you the most.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He chuckled. His hands reached to her back and explored upwards.

    With a shudder, she reached out to caress his chest too. ¡°How annoying! I know how to as well...¡±

    He immediatelyughed out softly, and went to her, pulling her into his embrace and holding her restless hand down. ¡°Alright, I admit my wrongdoing, Missus. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then stopped. In the dim light, she stared at him for a very long while before asking, ¡°Mr. Mu, will you always be this good to me?¡±

    Hisrge hand gently patted her head, yet he did not answer her. He only pulled her into his embrace.

    Without an answer, Xi Xiaye fell asleep, yet right before she did, she seemed to have heard him say...

 Chapter 936 - Falling Sick (1)

    <h4>Chapter 936: Falling Sick (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Of course...I only treat you like this...¡±

    The night was gettingte. She fell asleep in his arms, but Mu Yuchen was still awake. He longed for this warmth to the point that he was afraid to close his eyes because he was fearful that he would lose this once he woke up.

    He was very careful, especially towards her.

    He looked at her under the dim lights in the room. Then, he nced at his son who was sound asleep. ¡°I¡¯ll love you forever, Xiaye...¡± He hugged her tightly and slowly fell asleep.

    ...

    Tonight, it was not just Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye feeling the warmth.

    Inside Su Chen¡¯s vi, they just got into bed after a long day.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep earlier, we¡¯re going to be busy starting tomorrow, we need rest to deal with them.¡± Su Chen snatched Ji Zitong¡¯s phone away and switched it off. He put it on the table on her side and switched off the tablemp as well.

    ¡°Are you sure I don¡¯t have to help out with the wedding at all?¡± Ji Zitongy down and asked.

    Su Chen replied, ¡°Just let them handle it. They¡¯ll be able to give you any wedding you can think of.¡±

    ¡°I just think it¡¯s us who are getting married. My parents aren¡¯t really knowledgeable about this sort of thing...¡±

    ¡°Just think about it. What do you think wedding nners are for? Just prepare yourself to be my bride. They¡¯ll be really happy if you give them a child soon.¡±

    ¡°Child? We haven¡¯t even been together for long!¡± Ji Zitong red at him and frowned.

    Su Chen frowned as well when he heard Ji Zitong. He looked at her and said, ¡°Are you doubting me right now?¡±

    Ji Zitong turned her face away helplessly. ¡°Okay, just pretend like I never said that.¡±

    ¡°How could you be so irresponsible with your words? Who knows if there might be a little seed growing inside you right this moment!?¡±

    Su Chen was already touching her belly as her cheeks were burning red. She pushed his hand away. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more lecherous every day. Are all men like you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you see that I¡¯m totally being serious right now? No man wouldn¡¯t be interested!¡± Su Chen suddenly hovered his face above her as he was talking.

    Ji Zitong struggled. ¡°Please forgive me, Chief Su. The day before yesterday...¡±

    ¡°Just one time tonight,¡± he said quietly.

    Afterward, she thought to herself, ¡®Su Chen, you liar!¡¯

    ...

    The night was short during summer. Soon, the morning sunlight sneaked through the gaps of the curtains, entering the room.

    Mu Yuchen woke up from the gurgling of the baby. He slowly opened his eyes and looked over at the source of the noise to notice that Mu Xiaocheng was already awake and talking to himself at the moment while putting his hand into his mouth. He was definitely having fun with himself as he iled his limbs around.

    When Mu Xiaocheng noticed his father watching him, he turned his little head around and stared straight into Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes.

    Noticing him staring, he nced at his little woman before gently extending his arm over and grabbing Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s hand to carefully stop him from putting his hand into his mouth.

    Mu Xiaocheng was unhappy that his fun time was interrupted, so he frowned and started moving around. Then, he grabbed one foot and put it into his mouth.

    ¡°Who taught you this bad habit? Stop putting your hands and feet into your mouth! Are you hungry?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned and tried to keep his voice low. His expression was strained as he tried to put on a strict face.

    Although Mu Xiao Cheng was young, he could somehow understand Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression. His cute face started to frown and he was about to cry, so Mu Yuchen poked his cheek and put a finger on his lips. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t cry, you little brat. You¡¯ll wake your mother.¡±

    As Mu Xiaocheng paused before putting his hand back into his mouth, Mu Yuchen started frowning and dragging his hand away again. Upset, the little baby waved his hands around as he stared at his father and started a hup sort of sob.

    ¡°Be hygienic, my son!¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng continued to pout even more.

    ¡°Alright, open your mouth then.¡± Mu Yuchen was patient as he quickly took Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s hand away the moment he put it into his mouth. Frustrated in the end, Mu Xiaocheng started crying.

    ¡°You little...!¡± Mu Yuchen pinched his cheek gently and wanted to calm him down, but Mu Xiaocheng was crying to his heart¡¯s content, waking Xi Xiaye up.

    Mu Yuchen pinched his son¡¯s cheek again before pretending to be asleep.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡± Xi Xiaye opened her eyes and got up. She quickly held Mu Xiaocheng andforted him, ¡°Are you hungry? What time is it now? Why are you up so early?¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop crying. Let me take a look. It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll give you a shower and get you some food. Let¡¯s have your father make you something...¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not bear to see her son crying helplessly. She was getting worried as she kicked the man beside her. ¡°Stop pretending to be asleep. Go and make some milk!¡±

    Mu Yuchen almost fell down from the bed, but he barely avoided the fall by grabbing the nket. He picked his sleeping robe up from the floor and put it on before heading outside.

 Chapter 937 - Falling Sick (2)

    <h4>Chapter 937: Falling Sick (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As morning came, the sun rays crept through the windows and the curtains swayed with the breeze.

    Gu Lingsha was exhausted because she had been up the whole night. It was very quiet inside the ward. She could only hear the sound of the curtains and the beeping from the machine.

    Qi Qiming looked weak as hey down on the bed, still unconscious at the moment.

    Since Gu Lingsha was too tired, she had fallen asleep on the chair.

    A row of bodyguards stood outside Qi Qiming¡¯s room.

    After Qi Lei left the Qi residencest night, Gu Qiwu was sent to Hospital T almost right away. They managed to keep him alive and his condition was stabilized. However, he still needed to be under observation for now.

    Gu Lingsha heard the door opening while she was asleep, so she quickly woke up and looked towards the door to see the doctor.

    ¡°Morning, Ms. Gu!¡± the doctor greeted her and walked towards the bed. Then, he gave Qi Qiming a simple check-up.

    ¡°How¡¯s Uncle Qi? When is he going to wake up?¡± Gu Lingsha asked the doctor in a worried tone.

    The doctor replied after he recorded his observation, ¡°His heart stopped due to overstimtion, but thankfully he was sent to the hospital in time. His health has been deteriorating as ofte, and he can¡¯t take any more impact. Although he¡¯s safe at the moment, I rmend that he stays in the hospital for observation. CEO Qi should wake up in a while. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was relieved to hear the doctor¡¯s words and she nodded. ¡°Okay, I understand. Thank you. I¡¯ll cooperate with you on whatever you need, but please help Uncle Qi to recover no matter the cost, alright?¡± she begged. She was really worried about Qi Qiming as he looked lifeless on the bed.

    She had finally witnessed Qi Lei¡¯s cruelty although she never expected him to be like that. Qi Lei had always been a gentle and humble person in her impression, especially in front of her. He would do almost everything she said in the past, but he had turned into apletely different person in just a few years.

    Time could really erase a lot of things, but some hatred was not easily forgotten.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Gu. We will do our best. It shouldn¡¯t be a huge issue if he rests well,¡± the doctor said.

    Gu Lingsha nodded. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡±

    The doctor then left the room.

    Gu Lingsha stood up and massaged her back a little before she walked to the window and opened the curtains so that the room seemed much brighter.

    As she stretched her back, she was about to call Assistant Song, but she heard someone coughing nearby. Turning around swiftly, she noticed that Qi Qiming had woken up.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, you¡¯re awake!¡± Gu Lingsha quickly went over and helped him to sit up.

    Qi Qiming coughed and looked at his surroundings in confusion before he asked in a weak tone, ¡°Lingsha? What happened? Why am I here?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, thank goodness you¡¯re awake. I was so worried! You suddenly passed outst night. We sent you to the hospital in time, or else, I really don¡¯t know what could¡¯ve happened. Uncle Qi, you shouldn¡¯t get angry so quickly anymore. You¡¯re the one who suffers when you get angry.¡± Gu Lingsha was evidently relieved to see him awake.

    Qi Qiming instantly remembered what happenedst night. He wore a darkened expression on his pale face as he felt a suffocating pain in his chest. ¡°That bastard of a son! I really don¡¯t know what to do with him anymore!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Uncle Qi, calm down. Remember that you can¡¯t get angry or it¡¯ll damage your health. I understand that Qi Lei has indeed hurt you, but you can¡¯t let your health deteriorate because of him. Qi Lei is still young. Ah Feng and I will talk to him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand soon. Don¡¯t be so angry about it, Uncle Qi. Drink some water!¡±

    Afraid that Qi Qiming would get worked up again, she gentlyforted him and gave him half a ss of water.

    It took him some time to calm down. He took a sip of water before asking, ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been in the hospital for two days now. It¡¯s the morning of the second day. The doctor said it¡¯s rmended for you to rest for a few days. We¡¯ll head back once you¡¯ve fully recovered,¡± said Gu Lingsha as she sat down on the chair, ¡°By the way, Ah Feng went back home after midnight. I was worried that he was forcing himself to stay up, so I told him to go back first. He should being overter.¡±

    Qi Qiming went quiet for a while. ¡°It must be tough for him to face something like this right after he came back. Qi Lei has always been so cruel, and he is extremely biased against Ah Feng.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself, Uncle Qi. This happened because of me, so I just wanted to ease the situation, especially since Aunt Wang passed away. I know both Qi Lei and you are having it rough, and you guys miss Aunt Wang. I suppose the rtionship between you two will continue like this forever. It¡¯s just that the way you twomunicated all these years was wrong, hence the conflicts and misunderstandings.¡± Gu Lingsha frowned and she tried her best to provide him with somefort.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Who wouldn¡¯t wish to have a harmonious family? However, you underestimate the conflict between us.¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was cold.

 Chapter 938 - Falling Sick (3)

    <h4>Chapter 938: Falling Sick (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°But if he could just work a little harder, I wouldn¡¯t be so disappointed in him! He was spoiled by your Aunt Wang. If she didn¡¯t protect Qi Lei since he was young and didn¡¯t let him get too close to me, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out the way they are today!¡±

    When Qi Qiming spoke about this, his tone started to get emotional and his deep eyes gathered with an indistinct light, yet his gaze looked exceptionallyplicated.

    He did not seem to notice that these days, every time Wang Qin was brought up, the emotions that had been suppressed in his heart would easily be brought up, especially during this time. He even seemed to see Wang Qin in his dreams. When he reached out, he could not touch her, so he became sad again. He had been having insomnia for quite a while now, and it had not improved. Although he even went to see a psychologist, the doctor said that he was too stressed and that he should suitably rx.

    After that, he frequently went to exercise and looked for those beautiful mistresses that he had been paying for, but his symptoms did not seem to reduce. With rxation evading him, he was not in great shape. Exacerbated by the unhappiness with Qi Lei, all of this seemed to have caused a blockage in his heart.

    ¡°Alright, Uncle Qi, Qi Lei¡¯s like a rebellious teenager right now. As long as we care about him more on the daily, I think that he¡¯ll be able to see it. Was he not close to Aunt Wang before this? Once Aunt Wang was gone, he suddenly came to a realization, so I believe that he¡¯ll understand,¡± Gu Lingsha consoled softly.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t live to see that day. He¡¯s usually quite protective of his mother in front of me. He just has too much against me and Ah Feng. Your Aunt Wang always had her guard up against Qi Feng. I¡¯m sure you know about that too. She thinks that the whole Qi Kai should be Qi Lei¡¯s, but look at Qi Lei! Look at him! With the way he is and that image of his, do you really think I¡¯d be happy handing Qi Kai to him?¡±

    When Qi Qiming said this, he could not help but feel a strong headachee on. He could only lower his head and lift a hand to massage his temples. ¡°In fact, your Aunt Wang¡¯s stubborn. Even in death, she wouldn¡¯t say anything affectionate to me. She thought that she was the queen and would just disregard all men, including me!¡±

    Fury built within him as a cold light shed in his eyes.

    As for Wang Qin, Qi Qiming did not know exactly how he felt. If he were to say he hated her, he did not feel happy at all after she passed away. Instead, he felt like he was in pain and suffering, but if he were to say she reigned in his heart, he was never actually pleased with her intentions, and had always wanted her to be defeated with nothing left!

    ¡°Uncle Qi, are you...are you alright?¡±

    Gu Lingsha had never seen Qi Qiming like this. With both hands holding onto the cup tightly, it seemed like his grip was going to shatter the cup, and he looked a little out of the ordinary.

    Qi Qiming quickly reacted, lowering his gaze and concealing all his emotions.

    Squeak¡ª

    Gu Lingsha was about to say something when at that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open slowly. The soft sound came through, and the two of them subconsciously looked towards the door to see the calm Qi Feng in his wheelchair.

    He was dressed the same as usual in gray casual clothes and that ck cap on his head, covering that extremely handsome face of his while Morrison pushed him slowly from behind.

    ¡°CEO Qi, Miss Gu!¡± Morrison swiftly greeted and politely bowed slightly at the two of them.

    He had just reached the bedside when Qi Feng¡¯s raspy and dry voice was heard. ¡°You can go out first.¡±

    Morrison nodded and then turned to silently leave the ward.

    ¡°Why did you rush over so early in the morning? Watch your health, Ah Feng.¡± Gu Lingsha very quickly went up to him.

    Qi Feng took a look at her, then gave her a gaze that told her not to worry. He turned and swiftly focused on Qi Qiming. ¡°Father, how are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to rush over if you¡¯re not in the best of health. It¡¯s enough with Lingsha and the butler here.¡± Qi Qiming looked at Qi Feng with a slightly gentle gaze while his tone held a hint of concern too.

    Qi Feng just smiled calmly as he responded with a lowered gaze, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I couldn¡¯t sleep anyway. I was worried, so I came over to visit.¡± Then, he turned to Gu Lingsha. ¡°Have you gotten through Xiao Lei¡¯s phone? Have you told him about Father¡¯s condition?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s face turned rigid for a moment and her eyes dimmed. She subconsciously looked at Qi Qiming whose expression instantly froze before she shook her head gently and said helplessly, ¡°Not yet. When I called him earlier, it kept saying that his phone was switched off. I¡¯ll call him again right now.¡±

    She swiftly took her phone out and called Qi Lei, but soon, that beautiful face of hers darkened again. She sighed deeply and looked at Qi Qiming. Upon seeing that his expression was already very gloomy, she could not help but look worriedly at Qi Feng as she said softly, ¡°It¡¯s still switched off. I think he probably doesn¡¯t want anyone to contact him and needs some time alone. There¡¯s nowhere else he could go, so he¡¯s probably at the Grand Lakes Vi area. I¡¯ll get someone to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Forget about him! I don¡¯t need him to visit me!¡±

    Before Gu Lingsha could finish, Gu Qiwu¡¯s cold and gloomy voice immediately came. He barely caught his breath before there was a wave of intense coughing, Gu Lingsha was so frightened that she quickly called the doctor in. Morrison and the rest rushed in too.

    Afterwards, the doctor had to inject Qi Qiming with a tranquilizer before he calmed down a little.

    The doctor handled everything and then sighed before advising Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha, ¡°CEO Qi can¡¯t be provoked. It¡¯s best not to provoke him anymore. Just let him rest well right now.¡±

    Gu Lingsha quickly nodded apologetically. ¡°Alright, we understand. Thank you so much. We won¡¯t.¡±

    Qi Feng studied Qi Qiming who had fallen asleep again. After a while, he spoke up raspily, ¡°You two, stay here to watch over him. Morrison!¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master!¡± the two bodyguards responded before Morrison wheeled Qi Feng out of the doorway.

    When he passed by Gu Lingsha, Qi Feng said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home first. They will report it right away if anything happens here. You¡¯re worn out from the night. Go home and rest well. I¡¯ll think of something with Qi Lei.¡±

 Chapter 939 - Warm (1)

    <h4>Chapter 939: Warm (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was close to noon and Qi Lei was still sleeping soundly.

    Qi Lei had drunk quite a bitst night. Worried, Yang Sheng stayed the night to watch over him at the Grand Lakes Vi area and he fell asleep on Qi Lei¡¯s sofa in the living room. When he woke up early in the morning, he made Qi Lei a light breakfast in the form of some porridge with a few simple side dishes.

    It was a hot day. Before noon, the sun was already scorching outside.

    Upon seeing that Qi Lei¡¯s fridge was empty, Yang Sheng tidied the house briefly before he nned to go out and buy some food and everyday items, yet before he could walk to the door, the doorbell suddenly buzzed.

    Yang Sheng turned to look at the screen to realize that the person standing outside was Li Si. Then, he quickly opened the door. He had just opened the door when Yang Sheng looked at Li Si in puzzlement and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Li Si shrugged as he handed a big bag of items to Yang Sheng. ¡°Here, this is for you! Earlier, Missus was shopping at the supermarket, so she decided to get some for him too. She told me to bring it over. Take it!¡±

    Yang Sheng subconsciously reached out to take the bag. Peering down, he realized that the shopping bag was filled with nutritious ingredients and some healthy snacks. He was stunned by the gesture. ¡°How did your Missus know that our Master Qi was running out of food at home?¡±

    ¡°No one knows whether Master Qi has food at home or not. Missus just thought that she bought too much, so she decided to give him some and got me to bring it over. Right, how¡¯s Master Qi? He must¡¯ve drunk a lotst night, didn¡¯t he?¡± Li Si took a peek inside and asked.

    Yang Sheng turned to his side and indicated for Li Si to go in as he responded, ¡°He¡¯s still asleep. When we left the Entertainment City, he was fine. it was when he was getting down from the car as we reached home that he threw up a lot, and suffered through the night. Want toe in?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I won¡¯t. I was just asking. Take good care of him. if you get any newster on, or if there¡¯s something odd about him, just give our Master or Missus a call. I¡¯ll leave now. take good care of yourself!¡± Li Si did not stay longer and he turned around to leave.

    When he saw Li Si¡¯s figure vanishing out of the doorway, Yang sheng closed the door slowly.

    ¡°Who came over?¡±

    Yang Sheng had just returned to the living room when he saw Qi Lei walking unhurriedly down the stairs in his dark blue pajamas. He had arge towel in hand to dry his damp hair.

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re awake!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly walked over and considered therge bag in his hand before he smiled and said, ¡°Li Si sent these. He said that Director Xi got them for you. Quickly have some food. I know that you were quite drunkst night, so I specially made you some light porridge. Have some.¡±

    ¡°Li Si? Xiaye?¡±

    Qi Lei was surprised as he slung the towel over his shoulder, raising his handsome brows. ¡°Why does it look as if she were keeping a pretty boy? Do you think I have the potential to be a pretty boy lover?¡±

    As Qi Lei said that, he walked up to Yang Sheng and peeked into the huge bag. Then, his handsome face shed with a smile. ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s all the good stuff that suits my taste. Quickly bring it to the kitchen,¡± he seemed to say a little happily as he walked to sit at the dining table where the breakfast that Yang Sheng prepared was already served.

    ¡°Got it, Master Qi!¡±

    When Yang Sheng saw that Qi Lei was in a pretty good mood, he was relieved. He continued to respond to Qi Lei¡¯s words, ¡°Master Qi, if we were to talk about pretty boys, you, of course, aren¡¯t inferior to anyone else. Everyone in the circle says you¡¯ve got charisma, the looks, and especially that the consideration. Weren¡¯t there two popr female artistes who fought over you a few days ago? This goes to show that you have pretty good value!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but can we not use those vulgar people to praise me?¡± Qi Lei leisurely ate the porridge and said.

    Yang Sheng could not help but force a smile. Actually, Master Qi¡¯s standards were quite high. All these years in the circle, he walked past many beauties and did not feel charmed. He had never seen him fancy any woman either. Every time he probed him, Qi Lei would just use the words ¡®vulgar people¡¯ to describe those women.

    He wondered what kind of woman would Master Qi like. Could it really only be a woman like Director Xi?

    But that was Master Mu¡¯s wife!

    Most importantly, the husband and wife were very loving and had a kind of eternal harmony, so Master Qi would not stand a chance at all!

    ...

    At this moment, by the roadside not too far away from the entrance of the Grand Waves Vi area, inside a ck Phaeton parked by the roadside.

    In the backseat, Mu Yuchen was typing away on theptop on hisp as he very skillfully and quickly keyed in a bunch of words. The screen immediately produced a series of data. The blue light reflecting from the screen made his handsome face reveal even more hints of coldness.

    Just as he was quite focused, the front car door opened. Li Si slid in all sweaty as he fanned himself with a magazine. He reported respectfully to the person behind him, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve sent it over. He hasn¡¯t woken up yet. From how Yang Sheng seems, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha probably haven¡¯te over yet, and Qi Lei probably doesn¡¯t know about Qi Qiming either.¡±

    After Li Si finished, Mu Yuchen did not quite react, yet Li Si did not continue. He knew that when his Master was working, he did not like to be disrupted.

    The chauffeur in front did not start the car either as he waited for Mu Yuchen¡¯s orders.

    A while passed before Mu Yuchen eventually stopped typing away on the keyboard. His raspy voice then said, ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    With that single order, the car started.

    The car had driven for quite a distance when the ever wary and vignt chauffeur spoke up from the front, ¡°Master, that car behind seems to have been trailing us ever since we left the office.¡±

    When he said that, Mu Yuchen slowly closed hisptop and looked in the rearview mirror ahead with profound eyes. His calm lips immediately shed with a smile. ¡°Li Si, guess who¡¯s in the car behind us.¡±

    Gazing into the rearview mirror, Li Si¡¯s expression was slightly solemn. ¡°Could it be Gu Qiwu? Didn¡¯t Gu Qiwu get people to spy on Miss Lingshi before this? What¡¯s he trying to do!?¡±

 Chapter 940 - Warm (2)

    <h4>Chapter 940: Warm (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Li Si subconsciously turned to look at Mu Yuchen who sat in the backseat with a calm expression. He studied the cold light in his eyes and only saw something unfathomable. Clearly, the man had an answer. He hesitated before asking softly, ¡°Otherwise, who do you think it is?¡±

    ¡°Why would Gu Qiwu send someone to follow me?¡± Mu Yuchen responded calmly, then he turned to look out of the car window, ¡°Go to the Shen residence.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master!¡±

    Earlier, Xi Xiaye had called. They had nned to go to the Shen residence for lunch together since Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were going home as it was the end of the month. In fact, it was the weekend tomorrow, so it was a good time to bring Mi Zirui back to Maple Residence too.

    The car had just stopped in front of the Shen residence when he could already see the familiar Porsche parked there. When Xi Xiaye drove herself, she preferred this model. There were quite a few cars in the garage, yet she drove this one the most frequently.

    Li Si got down the car to open the door for Mu Yuchen as he smiled and said, ¡°Master, it¡¯s Missus¡¯s car. She¡¯s faster than us!¡±

    ¡°Tidy things a little and bring everything down.¡± Mu Yuchen swiftly got down from the car and walked into the Shen residence himself.

    Inside the Shen residence living room, Shen Yue was sitting leisurely on the sofa and reading the newspaper while Xi Xiaye was brewing tea for him on the side. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were busy in the kitchen whereas Mi Zirui was sitting by the window and doing his homework at a little desk.

    Mu Yuchen did not disturb them and just stood there at the door for quite a while. He took a look around before treading gently towards Mu Zirui.

    Mu Zirui was fully focused on his homework at the moment. When he suddenly felt someone getting close to him, and the shadow blocked parts of the light pouring in, he subconsciously turned to look and realized that beside him, Mu Yuchen was peering at his homework.

    ¡°Father!¡± Mu Zirui¡¯s tender little face quickly shed with a cute smile.

    ¡°The Duke of Pei¡¯s army troops ruled by force. They had not met with Xiang Yu, the Duke of Pei¡¯s radical Minister of War. Cao Wushang sent a messenger to Xiang Yu, saying...¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep and sensitive voice muttered as a sh of gentleness crossed his handsome face. ¡°Son, I remember that this essay should be for senior high school, shouldn¡¯t it? Are you already taking a look at your high school sybus?¡±

    Mu Zirui smiled a little shyly, then scratched his head. ¡°No! I just went to the high school block the other day, and I heard the seniors read this essay which I thought was interesting, so I checked it out and found out that this was where the famous ¡®Feast at Hongmen¡¯ [1] term came from.¡±

    ¡°Do you like history?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at his eldest son in surprise.

    Mu Zirui held his chin with one hand, thought about it, then gently nodded. ¡°I guess so., Father, I heard Grandmother mention that you were with the military special forces. Father, when I¡¯m older, can I be like you?¡±

    ¡°You want to be a military personnel?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I really like watching those war battles on TV. Oh, right, Father, I like Genghis Khan!¡±

    ¡°How about you give some examples of the more famous battles?¡± Mu Yuchen chatted with Mu Zirui, clearly interested now. He sat down on the sofa beside his son and looked meaningfully at him.

    With a smile, Mu Zirui gently set his pencil aside and smiled to say, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll talk about how the Mongolian troops defeated the Jin and Song Dynasties.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his handsome brows and looked at Mu Zirui, full of interest. ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t you think Genghis Khan is amazing? With superhuman wisdom and drive, he used the feud between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, borrowing the Song territory, implementing a roundabout strategy...¡±

    When Mu Zirui gushed about this, Mu Yuchen immediately chuckled dly. He patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head lovingly, his eyes containing the faint warmth of a father¡¯s love. ¡°You know about the roundabout strategy too? Who taught you that?¡±

    ¡°I saw it from a book. I even started watching documentaries, and then I pondered about them myself. Oh, Father, I don¡¯t know how to read these few words.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? Let me take a look...¡±

    Mu Yuchen closed in and looked at the book. Then, he said, ¡°That¡¯s <i>wei</i>, and <i>jiong ran</i>¡®s <i>jiong.</i> If you don¡¯t know a lot of new words, just try to guess what it means from the structure of the words. Didn¡¯t your teacher teach you this?

    ¡°If you want to join the military and be a general, you can¡¯t just understand these theories. You need a strong physique. If you don¡¯t eat more and try to grow taller, you won¡¯t have a healthy body. Men need to be stronger. That way, you can make people have a better sense of security, especially when...¡±

    ¡°Oh, Father, I got it! Especially my future girlfriend, isn¡¯t it? Mother says you¡¯ve always been that way, Father,¡± Mu Zirui spoke as he carefully glimpsed at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Always been that way meaning which way? Has your mother been talking bad about me to you?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted and nced at Mu Zirui as he said.

    Mu Zirui quickly shook his head. ¡°Of course not, because she also said the same as you. I told her about Ah Hua from the ss next door, then we talked about you, but Mother says I¡¯m still young, so she won¡¯t let me date.¡±

    When he heard that, Mu Yuchen could not help butugh. He ruffled Mu Zirui¡¯s head again. ¡°Little one, don¡¯t be too good. Your mother and I won¡¯t go against you dating, but this needs a principle and two basis points.¡±

    ¡°What are the one principle and two basis points?¡± Mu Zirui blinked his dark and bright eyes at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen thought about it and directly passed on what Mu Tangchuan had said to him back then, ¡°The principle is strict self-discipline. Be responsible and date with marriage in mind. The first basis is that if you¡¯re sessful professionally, you can take charge of yourself. The second basis is that you can¡¯t embarrass your mother and me, got it?¡±

    ¡°Is this a family precept? What do you mean by one principle and two basis points?! Xiao Rui, don¡¯t listen to your father. Right now, your main duty is to study well and get good results for every exam as well as be a good role model for your younger brother.¡±

    The father and son¡¯s conversation was half-heard by Xi Xiaye who had walked over. She was rolling her eyes at Mu Yuchen.

    Was this how he taught their son?

    He was still so young and he was already teaching him to date? And he said that he would not be against it? Of course, she would be against it! Even though it was not good to just straight up object it, at least, they had to let Mu Zirui be aware of the seriousness of dating at such a young age!

    Upon hearing Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice, Mu Zirui lifted his little head and his eyes moved back and forth between Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen. After that, he lowered his head slightly under both their gazes, then turned away to clear his throat before muttering in response, ¡°Oh...I got it, Mother...¡±

 Chapter 941 - Warm (3)

    <h4>Chapter 941: Warm (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye patted Mu Zirui¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s great. You¡¯re still young, so learning and studying is your top priority right now. You can apply to a military school if you want to be a soldier, and you can fulfill my wish that I couldn¡¯t aplish in the past.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother, I¡¯ll be a general and bring you out in a tank¡ªthe kind with anti-air guns that can shoot down nes!¡± Mu Zirui smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for that day then. Alright, clean up here and get ready to eat. Xiao Rui, remember to put your artboards together. I¡¯ll send you to schoolter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a bad influence on my son!¡± Xi Xiaye knocked Mu Yuchen¡¯s head.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and gave her an innocent nce. He then looked over at Mu Zirui, just shrugging helplessly. They were indeed father and son after all.

    ¡°Mother, Father was teaching me to be a good man!¡± Mu Zirui exined.

    ¡°To be a good man?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Zirui and smiled. ¡°My son, you¡¯re still a long way from being a man. You¡¯re just a little boy right now! Clean up your things and eat. Remember to bring your homework as well. Take it back to Maple Residence tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother!¡± Mu Zirui scratched his head and nced at Mu Yuchen before packing up his bag.

    Mu Yuchen helped him out as he nced through his homework. ¡°Remember to write while sitting in an upright position. Don¡¯t be like a little girl.¡±

    Mu Zirui straightened his back instantly. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that, Father! Father, there¡¯s a parent-teacher meeting on the 10th of next month.¡±

    ¡°The 10th? Have you gotten used to your new school?¡±

    They had agreed to Mu Zirui¡¯s request, hence he skipped grades and was in primary school year 1 at the moment. They had ns to let him attend year 2 right away, but Xi Xiaye was worried that he might not have a solid foundation of knowledge, so he spent thest few months in year 1 sses. Anyway, they were going to take the exams to enter year 2 soon.

    ¡°Yep, the teachers are nice to me, and the students are willing to include me as well. However, can you please tell my teacher that I don¡¯t want to sit with girls? I want to sit alone.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with sitting beside a girl?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it...Actually, girls can be pretty annoying, except Mother.¡±

    ¡°You little brat!¡± Mu Yuchen patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head. ¡°Ask your mother to tell your teacher then.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡±

    Xi Xiaye started packing stuff for Mu Zirui after lunch. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were staying at home during the break though they nned to make a trip to Europe with Shen Yue.

    ¡°Father, Mother, Mu Yuchen said France is pretty nice and Paris is known to be the country of romance. You guys can walk around there and even take a tour around Europe. He¡¯ll arrange a tour guide for you. You can go wherever you want and enjoy your two-month break,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke as she cleaned Mu Zirui¡¯s hands.

    Mu Yuchen was sitting on the sofa. He nced at Xi Xiaye but did not say anything.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t decided where to go yet. It¡¯s a long period of time and I think it¡¯s great to rx, but are you sure you can handle thepany well without me?¡± Shen Yue asked. He had a lot of free time recently and seemed much more energetic than before.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have Uncle Lan with me, and I¡¯ve pretty much gotten used to how things work.¡±

    ¡°Okay, your grandma always bugged me to bring her abroad when she was still around, but I was unable to fulfill the promise. It¡¯s about time I do so.¡± Shen Yue looked a little sad as he mentioned it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go back to my room and rest.¡± He got up from the sofa and left.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and looked at Mu Yuchen who gave her a pat on her shoulder.

    ¡°Your grandpa started missing your grandma more ever since he has more free time on his hands. He was staring at her photo this morning when I went to wake him up. I guess getting old can make someone miss the past more easily,¡± Shen Wenna exined when she noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s glum expression.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I understand. Father, Mother, please move back here if possible. When I see the house being empty, I feel a little...Anyway, I¡¯ll be sending Xiao Rui to school now. You should be getting to your office too!¡±

    Without finishing what she wanted to say, she grabbed Mu Zirui¡¯s bag as she signaled Mu Yuchen. He quickly got up, and they left the Shen residence after a brief farewell with Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna.

    ¡°I guess the children have a lot on their te.¡± Shen Wenna sighed as she looked at the car going further away.

    ¡°Everyone has their own share of problems. Well, so long as they have a fulfilling life, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s the afternoon. Let¡¯s go out for a walk,¡± Xi Mushan said to Shen Wenna.

    Shen Wenna looked at the green shade as she felt the wind brushing against her face. She nodded and walked forward.

    Mu Zirui was attending a primary school in City S where he started off as a primary year 1 student.

    Xi Xiaye drove near the school with Mu Zirui was sitting in the front passenger seat. She was giving him all kinds of reminders.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, I checked your homework just now. I don¡¯t really encourage you to learn advanced knowledge now. The words that you circled are the words you don¡¯t know, aren¡¯t they? There is an order for learning, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I understand that I shouldn¡¯t wish to take the easy way out, but you¡¯ve repeated this, like five times already!¡±

    ¡°Did I really? I think it¡¯s just two times. I just want you to remember what I said.¡±

 Chapter 942 - Meeting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 942: Meeting (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They soon arrived at the school as they chatted along the way.

    After Xi Xiaye parked the car, Mu Zirui swiftly grabbed his bag and got out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Your homeroom teacher should be in the office, shouldn¡¯t she?¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to help Mu Zirui to carry his bag, but he already slung it on his back. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mother. I can do this myself. Teacher Wang should already be in school.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll go and look for her. Will you be alright heading to the ssroom on your own?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled and patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head.

    Mu Zirui nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother, I can go back to Maple Residence on my ownter as well. You don¡¯t have toe and pick me up! I know how to take the train. Change from the third line to the second line, and get off at the Grand Waves Station!¡±

    He beamed at her and ran off before she could even say anything.

    However, Mu Zirui was not looking where he was headed as he talked to Xi Xiaye, so he bumped into someone as he just took several steps forward.

    Thud!

    ¡°Xiao Rui, careful!¡± Xi Xiaye called out to him as a tiny groan reached her ears.

    Mu Zirui got up quickly as he looked beside him and noticed that he had knocked down a beautiful little girl.

    She looked around three or four years old with long blonde hair clipped with a butterfly hairpin. Wearing a pink dress, she held a pretty Barbie doll in her hand. Her blue eyes had dark rings around them while her expression seemed pale as well. It was obvious that she was not in good health.

    She had some scratches on her arm from the collision. As she struggled to look up at Mu Zirui, her beautiful eyes teared up while she endured the pain.

    ¡°Xiao Rui!¡±

    Xi Xiaye rushed over and checked on Mu Zirui. She then looked at the little girl and found herself stunned for a moment.

    She was such a beautiful little girl with mixed parentage! She looked just like a living doll. However, she looked weak and her face was as pale as snow.

    Xi Xiaye quickly helped her get up as she asked gently, ¡°Are you alright? I¡¯m sorry. Xiao Rui carelessly bumped into you. Oh dear, your arm is bleeding.¡±

    The little girl was afraid at first, but she calmed down when she saw the gentleness in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. She just looked at Xi Xiaye quietly without saying anything.

    Xi Xiaye held the little girl¡¯s hand and brought her to sit down at a nearby stone bench as she told Mu Zirui, ¡°Xiao Rui, go and get the medical kit from the car.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother!¡±

    Mu Zirui gave the little girl an apologetic nce before running towards the car. He returned quickly together with the medical kit.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apply some simple sterilization. Try to endure the pain. I¡¯ll leave you with my phone numberter. Can you tell your parents to contact me?¡± Xi Xiaye grabbed the little girl¡¯s arm as she spoke gently to her.

    The little girl looked at her without saying anything, but she struggled slightly with her arm and her face was getting paler as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. My mother is handling your wound. I¡¯m really sorry for bumping into you, but your wound needs to be sterilized, or else, you might get an infection. I promise it won¡¯t hurt a lot. I¡¯m really sorry!¡± Mu Zirui felt guilty when he saw the girl struggling. He bowed down to her and offered, ¡°I¡¯ll buy you some ice cream as an apology after my mother is done with cleaning your wound, okay?¡±

    The little girl¡¯s eyes brightened up when she heard Mu Zirui¡¯s offer, but she still did not say anything.

    Mu Zirui felt that it was odd. ¡°Mother, could it be that she doesn¡¯t know what are we talking about? She looks like a foreigner. Maybe she doesn¡¯t understand us!¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows although she felt that Mu Zirui made sense, she then repeated her son¡¯s offer to the little girl in English.

    The little girl then managed to utter a word, ¡°Pain...¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui traded nces. With a smile, Xi Xiaye consoled her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Try to endure it for a while. It¡¯ll be fine soon.¡±

    The little girl bit her lip and nodded as she looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s gentle expression.

    ¡°I¡¯ll blow on it a little and you¡¯ll be fine, alright?¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her head and cleaned the little girl¡¯s wound as she puffed gently on the injury.

    The little girl shuddered the moment the antiseptic was applied onto her wound. Xi Xiaye hugged her swiftly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be done in a moment. If you find it painful, then just hold me tightly, alright?¡±

    The little girl teared up while her other hand gripped Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder as her little body shook. She actually felt warm as she hugged Xi Xiaye.

    She liked this hug!

    <i>How fluffy! Thisdy is very pretty!</i>

    She looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s long hair and did not let go of her even after Xi Xiaye patted her back, signaling her that it was already done.

    ¡°Mother...¡± the little girl mumbled quietly although she still did not let go of her grip. Her beautiful blue eyes just stared right at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when she called her mother. Just as she was about to exin that she was not her mother, she heard a voice behind her,

    ¡°Weiwei!¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly turned around and noticed a man in a wheelchair.

    The man looked fairly young with an elegantly handsome face. Xi Xiaye had an odd feeling about the aura he emitted. However, she had to admit that she was dazzled for a moment when she saw his face.

 Chapter 943 - Meeting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 943: Meeting (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, it seemed like he had some problems with his legs since he was in a wheelchair with a man in a ck suit wheeling him.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him for a moment. She felt like he seemed familiar for some reason, but she could not remember where she had seen him before.

    The man in the ck suit wheeled him near Xi Xiaye and came to a stop. The man in the wheelchair nced over at Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui. His gaze then quickly shifted over to the medical kit, as well as the little girl¡¯s bandaged arm.

    Xi Xiaye came back to her senses and she bowed to the man apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Are you this little girl¡¯s father?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes seemed even. He fixed his gaze on Xi Xiaye as he put on a gentle expression. Instead of replying to her, he called out to the little girl, ¡°Weiwei,e over here.¡± His voice was deep and it sounded like his throat was not feeling very well.

    Qi Weier unconsciously grabbed onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s long hair. She looked at Qi Feng and then looked back at Xi Xiaye. After that, she told Qi Feng, ¡°She¡¯s Mother...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not your mother, Weiwei.¡± Qi Feng frowned at Qi Weier¡¯s words, but he still spoke in a very gentle tone.

    Qi Weier hesitated for a while before finally letting go of Xi Xiaye. She nced at Xi Xiaye again before walking towards Qi Feng.

    ¡°Hello, Sir. I¡¯m sorry. My son identally bumped into your daughter, and she got a scratch on her arm. I¡¯ve already sterilized her wound and bandaged it up. If required, we can send her to the hospital for a check-up. We¡¯ll do everything we can. I¡¯m really sorry!¡± Xi Xiaye apologized once again.

    Qi Feng nced at her, then he grabbed Qi Weier¡¯s arm and examined it carefully. To his relief, it was not a big issue. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a small wound, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle, and to you. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! Please forgive me!¡± Mu Zirui understood he had made a mistake, so he quickly apologized sincerely.

    Qi Feng fixed his gaze on Mu Zirui for a while and smiled momentster. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Do you attend this school as well?¡± he asked as he looked at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye straightened her back and tidied her messy hair. ¡°Yeap, Xiao Rui just transferred over to this school not too long ago.¡±

    ¡°How is it here? I¡¯m trying to find a school for my child, but I¡¯m not sure which one to go to even after visiting several schools,¡± Qi Feng responded.

    ¡°Well, this is an affiliated school in City S. Overall speaking, it¡¯s one of the top schools and it enforces strict rules. His father spent a long time before finally deciding on this one.¡±

    Qi Feng nodded. ¡°Alright, I got it. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Is her name Weiwei?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled at the little girl.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s called Weiwei.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to get her checked in the hospital now?¡± Xi Xiaye was still worried as she looked at Qi Weier¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a small wound. I¡¯ll get the family doctor to take a look at her after we get home.¡± Qi Feng gave Morrison a signal.

    As Xi Xiaye was about to say something else, her phone started ringing. It was a call from Assistant Xiao Mei, so she quickly answered.

    ¡°CEO Xi, it¡¯s almost time for the meeting. Aren¡¯t you here yet?¡±

    Meeting?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. Then, she suddenly remembered there was a meeting with the nning Department that afternoon.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head over right away.¡± Xi Xiaye hung up immediately.

    ¡°You can leave if you¡¯re busy. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Qi Feng said as she ended the phone call.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is my name card. If there¡¯s anything, just call me. I¡¯m sorry for my son¡¯s behavior.¡± Xi Xiaye found a name card from her bag and handed it to Qi Feng who politely epted it.

    ¡°Quickly go to your ss now, Xiao Rui. I¡¯ll talk to your teacher the next time Ie over. You have to be careful in the future, understand?¡±

    Mu Zirui nodded. ¡°Yes, Mother, I understand!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, go to your ss now!¡± Xi Xiaye patted his head.

    ¡°Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye, Uncle, Weiwei!¡± Mu Zirui then swiftly ran into the school.

    Xi Xiaye bade the father and daughter farewell before rushing to thepany.

    Qi Feng stayed there for a while as he looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s car went far away. He then took a nce at the name card.

    nning Director of Glory World Corporation, Xi Xiaye?

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened and a grin appeared on his face when he saw those words.

    ¡°First Master, was that Xi Xiaye?¡± Morrison asked quietly.

    Qi Feng took a deep breath as he took another nce at the spot Xi Xiaye had parked her car just now. ¡°What a special woman. No wonder Mu Yuchen fell for her.¡±

    ¡°nning Director of Glory World Corporation. That¡¯s a pretty high position. I wonder what this woman is capable of,¡± Morrison said as he took a peek at the name card.

    ¡°The fact that Mu Yuchen is interested in her is enough to prove that she¡¯s different.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone went cold when he suddenly remembered what Gu Lingsha told him before. She had had problems dealing with Xi Xiaye several times.

    Qi Feng knew very well what kind of woman Gu Lingsha was. Six years ago, she was a weak girl who needed protection from others, but she hadpletely changed after that.

 Chapter 944 - Meeting (3)

    <h4>Chapter 944: Meeting (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng thought about it as he looked at the name card for a moment before putting it into his pocket.

    ¡°Master, do we want to investigate her? I keep feeling like her background¡¯s not that simple. Not long ago, someone saw the Elder CEO of Fuhua Real Estate bringing her along to attend some very important receptions. This person from Fuhua Real Estate is usually very low-profile too. Based on what I know, even our CEO Qi has invited them before, but they didn¡¯t seem to give him face.¡±

    Morrison did not know much about Xi Xiaye and the rest. He only knew a bit about the rtionship between Xi Xiaye and the Xi family. Shen Yue was usually quite low-profile, thus many people would not have guessed his rtionship with Xi Xiaye. Of course, Xi Xiaye and the others did not deliberately hide their rtionship, so with a quick investigation, you would know all about it.

    ¡°No need. I know what to do,¡± Qi Feng calmly answered. He lowered his gaze and looked at Qi Weier who had not said a word but quietly stared ahead. He then consoled her, ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Weiwei. Your mother¡¯s at home.¡±

    ¡°Father, I want Mother.¡± Qi Weier suddenly struggled for a bit as she looked up at Qi Feng with her blue eyes.

    Qi Feng bent down slightly and pulled Qi Weier to stand in front of him. He fixed her skirt a little and asked softly, ¡°Listen to me. Your mother¡¯s at home. She¡¯s very worried about you, so let¡¯s go home. If you like this school, I¡¯ll arrange it for you in the next two days and you¡¯ll go here, okay?¡±

    Qi Weier¡¯s pale face was startled, but she then nodded and seemed a little reluctant to leave in the direction that Xi Xiaye had left. Her little hand wriggled out of Qi Feng¡¯s as she sensed the wound that Xi Xiaye had bandaged earlier.

    She did not know why, but she felt an unnamed friendliness from Xi Xiaye. She seemed really nice with that smile.

    With a head of bright, dark, beautiful, long hair, she smelled amazing. Aunty Mary had said before that her mother had beautiful long hair like that, so she had a good feeling about Xi Xiaye. Furthermore, that little boy was very handsome just like Father.

    ¡°Get in the car!¡± Qi Feng ordered, then Morrison wheeled him ahead while Qi Weier stood where she was staring ahead for a while before she quietly followed after him.

    The car was parked not too far away. Qi Feng had just gotten into the car when Morrison suddenly remembered the call earlier. He then turned to say to Qi Feng, ¡°Right, Master, we have an update on Second Master. Before noon, Mu Yuchen¡¯s car was parked at the Grand Lakes Vi area. They saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s assistant, Li Si, bring a bag of things to the vi area. He probably went to Second Master¡¯s ce.¡±

    When Morrison said that, Qi Feng¡¯s silent eyes darkened and his hands that were on hisp tightened slightly. ¡°Looks like this little brother of mine is quite close to Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, First Master, before you returned, he and Mu Yuchen have been getting along quite well. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s purely because of partnership, or because of something else. Logically, there was some trouble between him and Mu Yuchen, so they shouldn¡¯t be this close,¡± Morrison analyzed a little puzzledly.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng¡¯s handsome face shed with a cold smile instead. ¡°Well then, you¡¯ve underestimated Mu Yuchen¡¯s capabilities. In fact, Wang Qin was not a stupid woman either because we brought up the Han Corporation before that, so why wouldn¡¯t she have copied us and given Qi Lei a back up too? In fact, with my rtionship with Shasha right there, she had long been aware of the crisis.¡±

    When he said this, the curve of Qi Feng¡¯s lips widened, yet the dim light in his eyes was oddly cold. ¡°Wang Qin¡¯s far smarter than we expected, but in the grand scheme of things, I really am quite lucky.¡±

    ¡°Master, after Wang Qin passed on, Second Master¡¯s influence immediately copsed, plus with CEO Qi¡¯s current situation, you have to seize the opportunity and fight to get rid of all the threats!¡± Morrison¡¯s voice was filled with firmness while his dark eyes were fixed on Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng lowered his head and looked at his legs that could not move. He fell silent for a moment, and did not immediately answer.

    ¡°First Master, now¡¯s a good chance. Indecision invariably leads to trouble. This opportunity won¡¯te often. If we can use this chance to wipe out Wang Qin¡¯s influence, we won¡¯t have to worry about any other threatster on. This is the internal information from Qi Kai. The reason Second Master could easily get City B¡¯s project this time was mostly thanks to these people who were all trusted aides of Wang Qin,¡± Morrison said as he took out a document from the briefcase on the side and handed it to Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng reached out to take it. Then, he flipped it open, took a few casual nces, and his eyes darkened. He browsed through it all the way till the end with an indifferent expression. After that, he calmly closed the document before smiling coldly. ¡°It¡¯s them! Back when I was in Qi Kai, I was always pushed aside by these people.¡±

    He scoffed. The chill coloring his raspy voice made one shudder at the sound of it. ¡°What n do you have to take these people down without anyone suspecting?¡±

    When Morrison heard his question, a smile shed at the corner of his mouth as his eyes met with Qi Feng¡¯s. ¡°Actually, First Master, you already have a n, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Hisughter entered Qi Feng¡¯s ears, and Qi Feng¡¯s gaze suddenly looked a littleplicated. He turned to look out of the car window. After a while, he said calmly, ¡°Wee from the same roots, so why the rush to destroy each other [1]? This isn¡¯t a ckened name that¡¯s easy to take on.¡±

    Morrison instantlyughed and he said nonchntly, ¡°First Master, I like that you have an old saying that fits well. A wise man submits to circumstances. If Zhou Yu could get the help of the Eastern winds, why can¡¯t we use this wind of ours? Besides, I don¡¯t see Qi Lei treating you like a brother. He didn¡¯t give you facest night.¡±

    When he heard this, Qi Feng¡¯s expression sank and his hands subconsciously tightened again.

    Upon seeing Qi Feng hesitating, Morrison added on, ¡°CEO Qi has always nned to hand Qi Kai over to you. You¡¯ll have to face those troubles sooner orter. Now, you have a chance, and you¡¯re just getting rid of the obstacles in advance. I think you probably know best how it feels to be controlled by these people, Master.¡±

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and fixed his gaze outside the window. It seemed as if he was still hesitating about what decision to make when his expression started to shift.

 Chapter 945 - A Great Man Has To Be Ruthless (1)

    <h4>Chapter 945: A Great Man Has To Be Ruthless (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Morrison saw Qi Feng deep in thought, he did not disturb him. He just gestured at the chauffeur beside him who immediately understood and started the car.

    The car slowly drove away from where it was, passing underneath the dense shade of the trees. Qi Feng¡¯s eyes shifted from dark to light. Apart from glumness on his handsome face, they could not read his emotions but could feel the faint gloom from him.

    The air in the car felt stifling. Beside him, Qi Weier, who was beside him, had already fallen weakly asleep against Qi Feng. Qi Weier had autistic tendencies, so she would not usually speak. In a short while, she sumbed to sleep.

    Qi Feng remained silent. After the car had driven for quite a distance and it felt like it had been a century-long, he lifted a hand to massage the space between his brows and his raspy voice finally said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you handle it then. Don¡¯t leave traces of anything that can be used against us.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I was just waiting for your word, First Master. I¡¯ll contact the men to get this done right away. Also, it¡¯s best if you be prepared. Once this information gets out, Qi Kai¡¯s shares will definitely be affected. It must immediately be followed up with a solution,¡± Morrison reminded.

    With a sigh, Qi Feng nodded silently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Before we came back, they hinted about my marriage with Shasha. When the Qi and Gu family are connected by marriage, we can definitely take down those forces. Then, Qi Kai¡¯s shares will only keep going up.¡±

    Morrison instantly smiled and said a little mysteriously, ¡°Looks like you and me are on the same page, First Master. That way, talks for City B¡¯s project will definitely copse and Qi Lei will really fall from grace. Then, no one can save him. Even if those old stubborn ones are capable, they¡¯ll have no choice! When the timees, and First Master, since you¡¯ll be connected to the Gu family by marriage, hence stabilizing the entire Qi Kai. You¡¯ll be able to call the shots in Qi Kai, you won¡¯t have to suffer from any more threats, and you¡¯ll be vindicated!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, when the timees, arrange an idle position for him, then send him abroad for the sake of what¡¯s left of this kinship.¡± One could hear the mixed emotions in Qi Feng¡¯s raspy voice.

    ¡°First Master, you don¡¯t have to be too worried. A great man has to be ruthless. Haven¡¯t he and Wang Qin been scheming against you before this? Legitimacy belongs to the victor. Even though some kinship seems important, it could be as thin as paper. Benefits are the only thing we should be going after for eternity.¡±

    A light flickered in Morrison¡¯s eyes. He seemed to have already seen the way the whole of Qi Kai would be controlled by Qi Feng while he would be his most important trusted aide!

    ¡°You y by ear then. I¡¯d like to sleep for a while. Wake me up when we reach home,¡± Qi Feng coldly instructed, then slowly shut his eyes almost a little mncholically.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Morrison answered before he took theptop from the side to open before beginning to delegate the work.

    ...

    The scorching sun that had dazzled for an entire day finally faded away together with some of its heat in the evening, being washed away in the spectacr evening breeze. The faint sunset looked rather gentle.

    On a certain pathway of the sightseeing river by the riverside, at the operation base of South River Project No. 1, Xi Xiaye had both hands on the railing before her as she looked at the gleaming reflection of the river surface. Bathed in this quiet and peaceful sunset evening breeze, she had be much more rxed.

    Her long hair gently swayed in the wind, and her slender body seemed like it was bing frailer.

    Mu Lingshi stood behind Xi Xiaye, watching her for a while before walking over.

    ¡°Sister-inw!¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice was a little raspy. She stopped beside Xi Xiaye and put both her hands on the railings too.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Xi Xiaye gently answered as she turned to look silently at Mu Lingshi.

    Indeed, she saw that she looked wan, sallow, and sad. Her eyes contained no light either, and you could tell that she had been in pain these past few days.

    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te.¡±

    Xi Xiaye said calmly as she sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t look well. You don¡¯t look like a new bride at all.¡±

    A pale smiled shed across Mu Lingshi¡¯s sickly and sunken face. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve been dazed for quite a few days now, but today I¡¯m feeling better. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d reject my sister-inw asking me out.¡±

    ¡°The way you are right now is very worrying. Ah Shi, are you still in pain over that matter?¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her voice and asked calmly.

    Mu Lingshi interlocked her fingers and gently held them together as she looked down silently at the surface of the river moving up and down. The refracting light shone on her frail face. She was quiet for a while before suddenly looking up. Taking a deep breath and blinking her eyes that could not help but be wet, she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Sis-inw, I¡¯m fine. I just feel a little sad, but don¡¯t worry too much about me. In a few days, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    When Mu Lingshi finished, it made Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart hurt even more. She felt a headachee on. Her gaze that was as calm as the breeze fell on her sister-inw¡¯s face, and she could clearly see the faint tears at the corner of her eyes. In the end, she could not help but advise, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Remember what your brother said, okay?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes turned hot and she quietly shut them, nodding hard, yet the bitterness in her throat surged up wave after wave to the extent that she could not neglect the ripples of pain in her chest.

    ¡°I know, Sis-inw. Father, Mother, and our grandparents, you and Brother, all love me. However, the regretful thing is to them, Lingtian and I were just disposable burdens. My mother didn¡¯t seem to care for us while my father didn¡¯t want to acknowledge us either. As I think more and more about it, sometimes I don¡¯t know who I am anymore.¡±

    ¡°I used to want to find this person and had always hoped to get their recognition, but in the end, I only stabbed my heart with a knife, then suffered the consequences of my own actions by sprinkling more salt on my wound,¡± Mu Lingshi expressed difficultly. The moisture in the corner of her eyes refracted the faint colors underneath the tender rays from the remnants of the sun, yet to Xi Xiaye, it seemed oddly disheartening.

    Xi Xiaye calmed herself for a while before thinking about it, then she answered softly, ¡°Everyone¡¯s living for themselves, or perhaps for someone else. Just think those people that aren¡¯t worthy of your concern like they are the wind. It¡¯s in the past, so let it be. You don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s recognition. As long as you give yourself that, that¡¯s enough.¡±

 Chapter 946 - A Great Man Has To Be Ruthless (2)

    <h4>Chapter 946: A Great Man Has To Be Ruthless (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was carefully observing Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression when she spoke.

    Mu Lingshi sniffled as she nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t really understand it before, but I get it now. Mother spoke to me for the whole night yesterday. I know all of you are doing this for my sake. I¡¯m doing my best to get over this as well.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s great that you have this mindset. I believe you can do it. You¡¯ve survived harder battles, this is nothing.¡± With such a warm tone of voice, Mu Lingshi took in Xi Xiaye¡¯s words easily.

    ¡°I remember feeling pretty devastated when my parents got divorced when I was still a little child. I was under my father¡¯s custody after they got divorced, but he was so busy that he hardly had any time for me. Every day, I¡¯m afraid of nightfall because it makes me feel that I¡¯ve lost everything and that I¡¯m all alone in this vast world.¡±

    Xi Xiaye seemed a little lost when she was talking about her past. ¡°In order to escape these suffocating feelings and the burden in my heart, I decided to go to boarding school...I thought that could help me rx.¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw, actually...I know what happened to you. I asked Brother about it, but he was never willing to talk about your past. I know he really loves you just like...just like how Ah Mo loves me,¡± Mu Lingshi spoke up when Xi Xiaye did not continue.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s very obvious that Ah Mo loves you a lot. Ah Shi, you need to understand that happiness doesn¡¯te easily, so you have to cherish it now that you have it. Never let go of it because of these small ripples. Whether you¡¯ll live a happy, carefree life or not all depends on you. It¡¯s okay to cry during sad times. You¡¯ve always been a strong and brave girl. It¡¯s not like you to be this emotional.¡±

    Mu Lingshi turned towards Xi Xiaye as her eyes still could not help but tear up. She looked away and sniffed.

    Xi Xiaye patted her shoulder as Mu Lingshi leaned onto her and sobbed, ¡°Sister-inw...¡±

    Xi Xiaye hugged her tightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You still have everyone here with you. You still have Ah Mo.¡±

    ...

    The two of them had no idea that a man was standing quietly nearby behind them, enjoying the evening breeze.

    Mu Yuchen had been there since they saw each other. He listened to everything they said and was even touched to see them hugging each other under the sunset.

    Was this not what he had always hoped for?

    He could not help but wear a smile on his face after watching them for a while. He took a deep breath as he looked away. Lifting his head, he enjoyed the view of the sunset quietly.

    After some time, Xi Xiaye¡¯s shirt was wet from Mu Lingshi¡¯s tears. When she raised her head from Xi Xiaye¡¯s chest, Mu Lingshi¡¯s face was full of tear stains. However, Xi Xiaye could see the relief on her expression.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and handed her some tissue. ¡°Here, use this.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sister-inw.¡± Mu Lingshi grabbed the tissue. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I feel much better after crying it out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Everything will be better once you get over it.¡±

    Mu Lingshi nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll survive this. Please tell my brother that I¡¯ll return to work on Monday. Ask him to arrange my job for me as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°You can take several more days off, you know, and your honeymoon trip...¡±

    ¡°That can wait until November since it¡¯s a busy period right now...Okay, I should head back now. Remember to tell Brother that Mother is still waiting for me at home. Tell him he doesn¡¯t need to worry about me because I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡±

    ...

    Mu Lingshi wiped her tear stains away and left.

    Xi Xiaye remained stationary while she watched Mu Lingshi¡¯s back as she left. She did not ask her to stay. After some time, she let out a sigh of relief and tried to tidy her hair that had been messed up by the evening breeze. Then, she averted her gaze to the river.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to go back. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    The man¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind her, and she soon felt the man¡¯s coat over her shoulders as he stopped right beside her.

    Xi Xiaye nced at him and noticed a peaceful expression on his face. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I called your assistant, Xiao Mei. She told me you were meeting Lingshi here. I was nearby, so I came over to take a look,¡± he replied.

    ¡°So...you heard our conversation just now?¡± she asked.

    He chuckled and nodded. ¡°I never expected you to be so impactful on Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I think I can be an extremely good friend to her.¡± She put on a warm smile as she helped him fix his wrinkled cor. Suddenly, he grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him.

    Dumbfounded, her head crashed right into his solid chest. She yelled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    He kept his grip tight as he whispered beside her ear, ¡°Mrs. Mu, you¡¯re forever mine, and you¡¯ll never leave me, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not know how to react to this unexpected situation.

 Chapter 947 - A Great Man Has To Be Ruthless (3)

    <h4>Chapter 947: A Great Man Has To Be Ruthless (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dumbfounded for a moment, she turned towards him and noticed that he closed his eyes and stuck close to her neck.

    She smiled after a while as she put her hand atop the huge pair on her waist. Her tone was gentle like flowing water as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you suddenly ask something like that? This isn¡¯t like you at all!¡±

    ¡°Answer me first,¡± he insisted on a reply as he tightened his grip on her waist.

    She smiled helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ll never be able to leave you if you continue to shower me with love.¡±

    He was not really satisfied with her answer. ¡°Being unable to leave me is different from not wanting to leave me.¡±

    ¡°Fine...I¡¯ll forever be yours, alright?¡± She waved her hand with the wedding ring that was shining under the rays of the sunset. ¡°Do I not make you feel secure, Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I the one who keeps providing you a sense of security?¡± He stared at her, quickly grabbing her hand and kissing the back of her hand as he smiled.

    She shrugged and then looked at him. ¡°Your question feels so silly. It sounds like what young couples would say. A lot of them make promises to each other but still ended up breaking...¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped her sentence halfway by pinching her. In her shock, she let out a tiny cry and red at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll assume that you gave me a certain answer then. Let¡¯s go back,¡± he said in a very firm tone.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t give a certain answer at all. I have some conditions...Ah¡ª¡±

    Mu Yuchen flung her over his shoulder before she could finish her sentence. She yelled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then gave him several angry punches. ¡°What are you doing, bastard?!¡±

    ¡°Just checking if you¡¯ve gained any weight.¡± He was able to easily lift her up, so he walked ahead and shot her a nce.

    ¡°How do I feel?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...let me see. I guess you gained a little weight here, but this part has gotten slimmer...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I did gain a little bit of weight. Should I start losing weight?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a must.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m fat now?¡± She was upset about his remark.

    ¡°No, I want you to be small enough that I can fit you inside my pocket...¡± He casually gave her an embarrassing reply.

    In return, she chuckled and hugged him tightly. ¡°You¡¯re getting really good at sweet-talking now. where did you learn that from?¡±

    He gave her a meaningful nce as he replied calmly, ¡°I saw that on TV. Girls like guys from Korea who talk like this, don¡¯t they?¡±

    With a bright smile, Xi Xiaye left a kiss on his cheek. ¡°How fashionable, Mr. Mu. You even know about Korean dramas!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Actually, you¡¯re much better than Korean guys. They can¡¯t bepared to a charismatic gentleman like you, and I think that men in our country are much better looking.¡±

    ¡°I thank you on behalf of our fellow countrymen,¡± he gave her a cheeky reply.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mr. Mu! It feels like it¡¯s been a while since youst gave me flowers...¡±

    ...

    It was night time when they arrived back at Maple Residence. Wang Hui and Mu Yinan were there, so they all gathered in the living room to watch TV after dinner while Mu Zirui went upstairs to do his homework.

    Mu Yuchen had bought Xi Xiaye a big bouquet of champagne roses on the way back, so she was trimming the flowers while Wang Hui was helping out beside her.

    ¡°Xiaye, Xiao Cheng is about five months old now. I suppose your body will recover after another period of good rest, so it¡¯s about time to prepare for a second child. One more daughter would be perfect.¡±

    Wang Hui and Mu Yinan were relieved since Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi got married, and Wang Hui was eyeing Xi Xiaye like a predator watching its prey.

    Xi Xiaye shuddered as she felt such a passionate gaze from her mother-inw. Her hands stopped the movement with the scissors as she blushed and was about to reply to the remark. The man started defending her, ¡°We already have two, don¡¯t we? Do you think we have that much time to take care of them? Xiao Cheng is still so little. Just two children are enough.¡±

    They wanted more?

    Mu Yuchen truly did not want another one. He felt like a monk when she was pregnant, and she already had to spare a lot of time and effort on the kids. If there was another one, he would totally be neglected.

    ¡°What are you talking about? Our family can afford another one. You two just have to make babies, and we¡¯ll take care of them. You don¡¯t have to worry at all! Your parents decided only to have one child because they were busy with work! You two aren¡¯t restricted, so you can have as many as you want! Xiaye, a daughter would be really nice. Dressing her up every day would be fun, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Wang Hui red at Mu Yuchen, but the expression in her eyes turned gentle again when she looked at Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Grandmother, I think it¡¯s better if you ask Lingshi and Ah Mo instead. I don¡¯t like the idea of having too many children.¡± Mu Yuchen put away the magazine in his hand and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s rest earlier. It¡¯s Su Chen¡¯s wedding tomorrow. We¡¯ve been having a lot of great newstely. I suppose you can expect something from Ah Mo soon.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xiaye who had just finished arranging the flowers. She cleaned up and got up. ¡°Grandmother, we¡¯ll talk about this again in the future. I still have some work to do. Good night!¡±

    Mu Yuchen dragged Xi Xiaye towards the staircase before she could finish her sentence.

    ¡°You little brat! If it weren¡¯t for me, you¡¯d still be single! You heartless person! Old man,e out and watch TV with me,¡± Wang Hui nagged and called Mu Yinan to apany her.

 Chapter 948 - Great Waves (1)

    <h4>Chapter 948: Great Waves (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen and Ji Zitong¡¯s wedding was held at a cathedral in the suburbs of City Z while the wedding banquet was held at Imperial Sky Hotel.

    Early in the morning, Mu Lingshi had already gone over to help out. Mu Yuchen went straight to Su Chen¡¯s side whilst Xi Xiaye apanied Ji Zitong.

    Ji Zitong did not have many friends and even fewer good friends. When Xi Xiaye went over, she was sitting alone in the dressing room after the makeup artist had finished with her makeup. The pure white wedding dress that she woreplemented her, making her look even more beautiful and moving.

    Xi Xiaye stood behind Ji Zitong and looked at her in the mirror. She could not help but exim, ¡°Zitong, you¡¯re so beautiful!¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s bright and emotional face very quickly shed with a faint smile as she looked appreciatively at Xi Xiaye and said softly, ¡°Thank you, Xiaye.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pulled her to sit down on the sofa. ¡°I should be the one thanking you. You and I have technically worked together too, thanks to your protection back then, and there was Xiao Cheng too. Su Chen and Mu Yuchen are good friends. To see the two of youe to fruition is an extremely joyous thing. I can tell that Su Chen is quite sweet to you.¡±

    Upon hearing that, a faint hint of rare tenderness shed in Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes and she did not deny it as she nodded to say, ¡°Mmm, he¡¯s really good to me. Indeed, he¡¯s a good man.¡± You could see her blushing slightly. At this moment, her eyes were filled with a sliver of anticipation, but at the same time, there was a strand of bewilderment.

    That feeling was one that Xi Xiaye clearly empathized deeply with because was this not how she had walked down a simr path too?

    She used to be jealous of people¡¯s longsting romance such as the ones that spanned a few years or a decade, or even moresting feelings that never changed like Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi, who grew up together as innocent ymates. However,ter on, she finally understood that when it came to things like feelings, they sometimes had nothing to do with the length of time.

    Some people loved each other for many years but did not end up together in the end. Perhaps, after moving away, the next day they could all be stepping into the halls of marriage. After all, no one could be sure of what the future held.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot in this period of time. I¡¯ve also beenmenting quite a bit. The more I go on with my days, the more I can understand how you and Chairman Mu felt.¡± Ji Zitong fell silent for a while before looking up at Xi Xiaye again.

    Xi Xiaye smiled dly as she lowered her gaze and said calmly, ¡°With the way we get married, a lot of feelings still need to be umted bit by bit because we weren¡¯t built on the foundation of loving each other. Later on, you¡¯ll slowly understand. Every meal that he makes for you, every time he stands up for you, and every time he consoles and protects you, these things will slowly umte. By the time you realize these things and ponder over them, you¡¯d already have gotten in too deep.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words made Ji Zitong recall the times that they had spent together. She thought about it for a long while before smiling silently. ¡°He¡¯s good at everything. It¡¯s just that sometimes he¡¯ll be a little domineering. He likes to use that official jargon of his. Sometimes, he really drives me crazy.¡±

    ¡°Well, Su Chen¡¯s like that, but Mu Yuchen thinks highly of his buddies. I believe that this time you¡¯ve also gotten yourself an exceptionally good man.¡± Xi Xiaye chuckled gently.

    Before theughter subsided, there was a knock on the door. Even before they could answer, a few rather young and beautiful girls donned in bridesmaids dresses entered through the door.

    ¡°Zitong, the groom¡¯s car is here. They¡¯re right downstairs!¡±

    The bridesmaids were all Ji Zitong¡¯s good friends. Right now, Su Chen had gone straight to the hospital to pick up the bride. They would have to rush to the cathedral in the suburbs right away while the banquet was at Imperial Sky Hotel.

    Xi Xiaye reacted quickly and got up. Quickly, she said to the makeup artist as she helped Ji Zitong put on her veil, ¡°Come, let¡¯s get ready!¡±

    The few bridesmaids helped her out too.

    In a moment, they already heard the ruckus from outside the door. Xi Xiaye¡¯s first reaction was to go and lock the door.

    ¡°Lock the door! Don¡¯t let them in!¡±

    ¡°Zitong, this time I¡¯ll definitely get your husband to give us more red packets. I want them to know that our Zitong isn¡¯t that easy to marry. That way, they¡¯ll know how to appreciate you after that!¡±

    ¡°Right, right, and the wedding vows! Remember to bring the wedding vows!¡±

    ¡°Where are my heels? Are they ready? Xiao Mei, hide them. Make them dizzy trying to find the heels!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve hidden them well. There¡¯s one on top of the cupboard. I¡¯ll see how they can find them.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face contained a faint smile as she hosted the guests busily while Ji Zitong pursed her lips slightly.

    Just as the group of them was in chaos, there was a knock on the door. The first person to speak out was a girl, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the service provider sent over to put on the veil. We¡¯ll leave the door a little open, alright?¡±

    ¡°Pfft, how dare you y such childish games? Master Su, we¡¯ll have to see how sincere you are!¡± That woman¡¯s voice had just finished when the crowdughed.

    The people outside were quite frank. Before they could finishughing, a few red packets were stuffed underneath the door, and at the same time, along with a card containing corny words of endearment. Xi Xiaye took a look at the corny words on the card. She was sure that this kind of rotten idea was probably only something Zhou Zimo coulde up with!

    Then, more than ten red packets were slid in too. They were still thinking about holding them back and extorting them for more when the door suddenly opened from the outside. All of them screamed, and Xi Xiaye immediately looked up too. What greeted her sight was Mu Yuchen¡¯s noble and handsome face.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    The people¡¯s eyes practically had pink bubbles in them as they were fixated on Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face. At this moment, Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and the rest came in too. Xi Xiaye was shocked that Qi Lei was one of Su Chen¡¯s best men too!

    Donned in a perfectly straight dark gray suit, he stood by the door and looked into the room with a devilish aura. His gaze very quickly stopped on Xi Xiaye.

    Xi XIaye wore a <i>qipao</i> dress today with a zer on the outside. Her hair was tied up into a refreshing bun, and she looked clean and elegant.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded gently at him, then turned to look at Ji Zitong.

    ¡°Zitong, let¡¯s go get married!¡±

    Su Chen put therge bouquet of red roses into Ji Zitong¡¯s hands, then he wanted to carry her up, yet the two bridesmaids beside her reminded at the same time, ¡°Master Su, you haven¡¯t found Zitong¡¯s heels!¡±

 Chapter 949 - Great Waves (2)

    <h4>Chapter 949: Great Waves (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When that was brought up, Su Chen remembered that his mother, Xie Jiajia, had once mentioned some sort of etiquette, so he subconsciously looked down at Ji Zitong¡¯s feet. Then, he lifted her skirt up and indeed found that her feet were bare. She did not have her heels on.

    Immediately, a troubled look shed across his handsome face. He muttered beside Ji Zitong¡¯s ear as she smiled with pursed lips, ¡°I just want to marry my wife. Why¡¯s it so hard?!¡±

    ¡°Everyone, help look for the heels!¡± Su Chen then turned to say to Zhou Zimo and Mu Yuchen.

    Zhou Zimo raised his brows and began to quickly look for it. Qi Lei helped out too. No matter how hard they looked around, they could not find it. Su Chen began to sweat nervously. However, Mu Yuchen, who stood frozen without moving, seemed so calm.

    His calm gaze swept around the room briefly, and finally, it stopped on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face. Because his gaze was just too obvious, Xi Xiaye had to turn away and ignore him. Even so, she could still feel his pressing gaze. After that, she turned away carefully and used the corner of her eye to sneak a look at him, yet she realized that his burning gaze was still on her.

    Zhou Zimo and the rest had practically turned the entire room upside down. They only found the one on the cupboard, but there was still one more heel.

    ¡°Zitong, where¡¯s the other one? Don¡¯t miss the auspicious timing now. Let¡¯s not overdo it! Don¡¯t torment us now!¡± Su Chen looked miserably pressured.

    Xi Xiaye took a look at the few men. She then looked to Mu Yuchen, hinting at a certain bridesmaid¡¯s bag.

    Mu Yuchen received the hint, then a smile shed across his handsome face as he dered, ¡°It¡¯s in that bag!¡±

    Qi Lei walked over and indeed he found the other side of the heels in that bag. Su Chen then followed Secretary He¡¯s reminder toplete some simple etiquette before he finally managed to smoothly carry Ji Zitong out.

    Everyone else followed suit too with Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye being thest two.

    When they were walking out side by side, Mu Yuchen suddenly turned to his side and whispered into her ear, ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you on behalf of Su Chen for letting us pass.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped walking for a bit and squinted at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. Do I look like the kind of person who¡¯d be a traitor?¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t! But I know that I¡¯m an exception!¡± His tone was filled with certainty and the light in his eyes was unusually tender too.

    She rolled her eyes at him and could not help but clench her fists before walking quickly ahead. He chuckled before chasing after her.

    ...

    The grand and elegant weddingsted for almost the entire day.

    There was a wedding dress, a wedding bouquet, and a ceremony. Later on, there was a banquet too.

    When all was done, it was already night time.

    The entire Imperial Sky Hotel was reserved. The hotel was decorated jubntly both inside and outside. When they were all done with the ceremony in the suburbs and had some fun, then rushed back, the hotel was already very lively.

    The Mus, the Sus, and the Zhous had all arrived. They sat at the most front row. Meanwhile, Ji Zitong¡¯s parents, the Su parents, and so on were all sitting around the table.

    Mu Lingshi had already changed into a professional ck suit while wearingrge ck-framed sses. As she ordered the subordinates around to work, she was no longer as gloomy as before.

    The banquet was bustling. Su Chen and Ji Zitong had seven pairs of bridesmaids and groomsmen. At least, as they went around drinking, they could handle the alcohol.

    Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zitong, who never left their table, could not escape the drinking either since most of the people attending the banquet were from the social scene. ss after sster, Xi Xiaye began to feel a little dizzy. Thankfully, Mu Yuchen would be concerned from time to time. Otherwise, she really dared not be sure that she could handle them all.

    Upon seeing Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face flushing red, he steadied her considerately as he chuckled and asked, ¡°Go into the resting lounge to sit for a bit, hmm?¡±

    Xi Xiaye coughed lightly and nodded. She held onto his arms and practicallyy her weight on him. However, she still had on a faint magnanimous smile on her face.

    Mu Yuchen helped her to the resting lounge and had just poured her a ss of water when there was an urgent knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Mu Yuchen responded and his profound eyes looked to the door.

    The door was immediately pushed open and Li Si¡¯s tall figure greeted his sight. When his gaze shifted, Mu Yuchen quickly caught sight of the solemnness on his face.

    ¡°Master, something¡¯s gone wrong!¡± Li Si practically rushed in as he eximed with a grave expression and was panting slightly. You could tell that he was worried.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Yuchen asked softly as he frowned slightly at Li Si.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heavy head seemed to have cleared up slightly. Her heart subconsciously tightened as she fixed her eyes on Li Si.

    Li Si took a deep breath, calmed himself down, then said, ¡°Indeed, just as you expected, Master, something¡¯s happened. Take a look at the news!¡±

    Li Si said as he handed the tablet in his hand to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Outside Qi Qiming¡¯s ward in Hospital T, reporters are surrounding the ce. I don¡¯t know how the reporters got the news so quickly. They knew Qi Qiming was hospitalized because he had been pushed by Qi Lei. In fact, they¡¯ve added all sorts of details up in regards to the fight between them. A lot of the spection was about how Qi Lei isn¡¯t happy that Qi Qiming has a new game now, so he made a move on Qi Qiming. Also, look here, both father and son fell out because of a certain female artiste!¡±

    As Li Si said this, his brows furrowed into a knot. ¡°My God! What is this?! What do these media know apart from spewing nonsense?!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes shed with a dim light after looking at the series of news.

    ¡°Master, it must be Qi Feng. It¡¯s definitely him! But our people have already been watching him closely. We didn¡¯t see them make any moves. Where did they release these information from?¡±

    The other day, after Mu Yuchen tried to prepare for the worst, Li Si had also been more alert. Unexpectedly, they still could not prevent it, so indeed it was impossible.

    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows furrowed into a tight knot as she took the tablet from Li Si and flipped through the news on the screen. Her misty eyes instantly recovered with rity. ¡°Didn¡¯t Qi Qiming himself keep this matter a secret too?¡±

 Chapter 950 - Great Waves (3)

    <h4>Chapter 950: Great Waves (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye looked through it as her expression turned solemn. Then, she looked up at Mu Yuchen beside her.

    ¡°It¡¯s like that right now. Our people from the hospital informed us. A lot of people have found out that Qi Qiming¡¯s been hospitalized, and how he almost couldn¡¯t be rescued. The hospital corridor is filled with flower baskets as the reporters have swarmed in. Qi Qiming himself probably can¡¯t quite handle it! Right now, all these negative news have leaked out, so I¡¯ve told them to investigate. We roughly know that the news was leaked out this afternoon.¡±

    When he said this, Li Si paused and pondered for a moment before continuing, ¡°I heard them say that it seems that all the press received an anonymous letter informing them of this news. Then, they went to the hospital, and returned afterward to report these things!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression remained calm, not seeming to have any ripples, yet Xi Xiaye could easily catch a sh of gloom in his eyes.

    ¡°Master, what should we do now? Master Qi¡¯s probably received the news on his end too. If we let this go on, I¡¯m afraid things won¡¯t look too encouraging,¡± Li Si probed carefully.

    ¡°Get Qi Lei right away. Tell him to return to his vi right away. Don¡¯t be too public about it and just use the special path. I think there are probably reporters waiting to ambush him outside the hotel right now,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly after pondering for a moment.

    ¡°Alright, Master! I¡¯ll go tell Master Su and the rest too. Ask them to help cover up for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Tell Zhou Zimo to help temporarily suppress the pressure from the media¡¯s end,¡± Mu Yuchen said before he slowly got up and turned to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, go home with Grandmother and the rest first. I¡¯m going to make a trip to the office.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently before she said a little worriedly, ¡°Okay then, you two be careful too. I¡¯ll go look for Grandmother and the rest now. You¡¯d better get going soon too.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, if you¡¯re not feeling too well, then go home earlier. It should be ending soon anyway. I¡¯ll give Su Chen a heads-up.¡±

    ...

    Unassured, Mu Yuchen still sent her back to the banquet hall himself. Then, he briefly gave Su Chen a heads-up before leaving.

    At this moment, Qi Lei, who Li Si called outside, still did not know what had happened. When Li Si called him outside with a solemn expression, Qi Lei was still looking at Li Si in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s happened? Why do you look like that?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, our Master would like you to use a special passage to leave first. Don¡¯t ask any questions right now. Assistant Yang¡¯s already waiting in the car at the carpark below.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen? What is it? The banquet hasn¡¯t ended yet! I¡¯m the best man!¡± Qi Lei pulled at Li Si¡¯s sleeves and muttered unhappily.

    ¡°Oh, my dear Master Qi, how are you so rxed? Something¡¯s happened! Quicklye with me. There¡¯s a bunch of reporters downstairs. We¡¯ll talk as we walk. You¡¯ll understand soon.¡±

    Li Si did not have time to exin too much, so he pulled Qi Lei and walked towards the special passage on the side. Qi Lei struggled for a bit, then helplessly let Li Si drag him away from the banquet.

    The two of them used the special passage to reach the underground carpark where Li Si had arranged for Mu Yuchen¡¯s car to wait. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, the car drove over. Qi Lei did not hesitate much before getting into the car where Yang Sheng was already sitting inside with a solemn expression.

    ¡°Chauffeur Wang, send Master Qi straight back to the Grand Lakes Vi area,¡± Li Si said. Chauffeur Wang responded with a grunt before starting the car as Li Si quickly said by Qi Lei¡¯s window, ¡°Master Qi, Assistant Yang¡¯s aware of the situation, so he will exin it to you. Our Master says that you can call him if there¡¯s anything you need.¡±

    ...

    After saying that, the car left.

    In the car, Qi Lei¡¯s brows were furrowed into a knot as he looked at Yang Sheng who had a heavy expression in the front. He asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Worried, Yang Sheng turned to look at Qi Lei, then handed the tablet to him. ¡°Master Qi, something¡¯s happened. In fact, I¡¯m afraid that this time...¡±

    Yang Sheng did not continue, but Qi Lei had already reached out to take the tablet. He looked at the screen, and in a short while, his handsome face immediately sank. He seemed as if gloomy clouds had covered his face in darkness. A chill instantly covered his obscure and unclear gaze. With a wave of his hand, the tablet flew to the side.

    Qi Qiming was hospitalized? He did not know about that at all!

    Where did the media get this information? Were some people too bored to be starting rumors!?

    ¡°When was this news circted?¡± Qi Lei looked terrible as he asked Yang Sheng coldly.

    ¡°Should have been this afternoon. Practically all the press has reported this. It will be too hard to stop them. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve gotten into some trouble this time, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng said worriedly.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath while his dark eyes shed with a dark light. He took out his phone and looked through it. Although his phone was switched on, there were no missed calls. Did his calls get redirected?

    He looked down and stared at that screen. For a long while, he did not move until the screen dimmed. He clenched his fists tightly and leaned against the chair as he could not help but shut his eyes tiredly in frustration.

    ¡°Master Qi? Are you okay?¡± Yang Sheng asked softly, his tone filled with concern.

    ¡°A few of the managers have called to ask what the situation is. Master Qi, with this incident, I¡¯m worried that when we get to work on Monday...thepany¡¯s shares...all of our hard work from before might be destroyed just like that. The managers are extremely worried too. What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Who nned this so deliberately? How could the press have known that CEO Qi was hospitalized? If even Master Qi didn¡¯t know about it, how did they? Could it be a rival of Qi Kai¡¯s?¡±

    The only thing Yang Sheng could think of right now was Qi Kai¡¯s rival because, given such an incident, he already knew that on Monday, Qi Kai¡¯s shares would definitely plummet terribly. Initially, Wang Qin¡¯s shocking death had already caused a huge impact on Qi Kai¡¯s shares. Qi Qiming had spent a lot of effort to hold back the pressure and take South River Project No. 2 down before things started to look up. However, now with this...

    In fact, these incidents were more or less surrounding Qi Lei. He could not think of who their Master Qi had provoked. Already in such dire straits, he now had to bear such pressure. Initially, they had gone to City B and basically initiated that project a done deal, but they had not signed the papers. With such amotion being stirred up now, the deal was sure to fall through.

 Chapter 951 - Each To Their Own Plan (1)

    <h4>Chapter 951: Each To Their Own n (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei closed his eyes and put on a cold smile when he heard Yang Sheng. He opened his eyes momentster. As Yang Sheng observed Qi Lei from the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of sorrow in his eyes together with the endless bitterness he was hiding this whole time.

    ¡°Okay, send me back now. I want to be alone for a while,¡± Qi Lei had a dry smile as he spoke.

    ¡°Master Qi, do you know who did this?¡± Yang Sheng continued to observe Qi Lei¡¯s expression as he asked.

    Qi Lei raised his hand and covered his eyes. He did not feel like finding out because deep down he probably knew. He closed his eyes again, thinking about the string of hardships he had gone through and feeling fragile at that moment.

    Maybe he should have given up on his family since Wang Qin¡¯s sudden death, but he...

    ¡°Master Qi?¡± the pale Yang Sheng called out to him when he just kept quiet.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath as he put on an icy smile. He grabbed the tablet and handed it back to Yang Sheng. ¡°I don¡¯t even know that the old man was admitted into the hospital. How could I have known who did it? Most likely, what you said is true. It¡¯s probably the work of Qi Kai¡¯spetitor.¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded in agreement. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the only exnation. We¡¯re still unsure what will happen to the share market on Monday. Furthermore, the managers are under huge pressure at the moment.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll find a way to get through this. If we can¡¯t avoid it, then we just have to face it. Get someone to find out exactly what happened. I¡¯ll go back and take a nap.¡± Qi Lei sounded pretty rxed since he understood that there was no point worrying right now, so he might as well rest up and be prepared for what was about to happen. Moreover, he was not facing this mess alone!

    <i>Mu Yuchen, I¡¯ll definitely rely on you this time!</i>

    Qi Lei sighed. He had no words for his sorrowful circumstances.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°Tell Manager Wang to estimate how much the stock in our hands is worth,¡± Qi Lei suddenly mentioned.

    ¡°The value of the stocks? Master Qi, are you nning...are you nning to sell them?¡± Yang Sheng turned around in shock and looked at Qi Lei with his eyes wide. ¡°Please don¡¯t! It¡¯s everything VP Wang fought for. All of our efforts will be wasted if it¡¯s sold!¡±

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°What else can I do? Do you think I can maintain my current position?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, we can still work something out.¡± Yang Sheng felt heartbroken. This was not something he wanted to see!

    ¡°I¡¯m forced to do so! Moreover, why would you think my mother¡¯s efforts will be wasted if I sold these? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m actually going to sell them. I want Qi Qiming to see that I can excel even if I leave him. He¡¯s the one that wasted my mother¡¯s time for the past several decades.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, do you want to start something on your own?¡± Yang Sheng was surprised by Qi Lei¡¯s idea. ¡°That would be really tough, and...¡±

    ¡°Just do whatever I just said. I have my own considerations. I can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing when they want me dead!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone turned cold instantly.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! I understand!¡± Yang Sheng stopped asking any questions. However, he felt relieved upon seeing that Qi Lei did not seem that lost after all.

    At the same time, in the office of Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman, Mu Yuchen stood beside the window and looked downwards at the city lights. It was very quiet inside the office with just him and Li Si beside him.

    The phone on the table started ringing. Li Si picked up the call. After a short conversation, Li Si shed Mu Yuchen a joyful expression. ¡°Master, it¡¯s Ah Mo.¡± He then handed the phone over.

    Mu Yuchen took it. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s done. CEO Li and the otherpany will help Qi Lei out. They won¡¯t change their decision no matter what happens to Qi Kai, and they are willing to sign the contract early as well. In fact, they are ready to sign it anytime as soon as Qi Lei has prepared the documents,¡± Ah Mo updated happily.

    ¡°Great, just follow our original n. Get them to help out by putting on an act.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master!¡±

    ...

    The situation became worse. Suddenly, the whole of City Z was talking about this. Qi Kai¡¯s shares fell sharply due to the negative news report, and the project Qi Lei was handling might be terminated any time soon.

    With Qi Qiming still in the hospital, the higher-ups in Qi Kai quickly held an emergency meeting as soon as they saw their shares dropping, so all of them agreed to make Qi Lei host a press conference to apologize to Qi Qiming and exin what happened from the beginning to the end. More and more people were getting unhappy with Qi Lei, and many shareholders wanted to punish Qi Lei by demoting his position.

    Reporters gathered around at the entrance of Qi Kai Corporation, wanting to get some first-hand news.

    However, Qi Lei did not go to the office at all. In fact, no one could find him ever since the incident. Even Qi Qiming could not get him no matter what he did as he had totally vanished.

    In the evening, at the field in the outskirt of City Z.

    Gu Qiwu was already waiting when Qi Feng arrived. He stood there in his ck suit, the sunset rays casting a long shadow of him.

    Qi Feng still wore his usual casual gray outfit along with a cap. He also wore a pair of huge sunsses too.

    When Morrison wheeled Qi Feng roughly 10 meters away from Gu Qiwu, Qi Feng gave him a signal, so he nodded and left. Qi Feng nced at Gu Qiwu for some time without showing any particr expression. Momentster, he moved his wheels and slowly got closer to Gu Qiwu.

 Chapter 952 - Each To Their Own Plan (2)

    <h4>Chapter 952: Each To Their Own n (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gi Qiwu noticed when Qi Feng arrived behind him, so he uttered when thetter stopped right behind him, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Gu,¡± Qi Feng greeted him quietly.

    ¡°How¡¯s your recoverying along?¡±Gu Qiwu turned over and nced at him as he asked.

    Qi Feng nodded. ¡°I¡¯m doing well. I¡¯ve been back for some time already, so I¡¯ve grown ustomed to it.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Weiwei?¡± Gu Qiwu was pretty concerned about Qi Weier. Over the years, he had spent a lot of effort to help Qi Weier maintain her health.

    Qi Feng started smiling proudly. ¡°She¡¯s great. I¡¯m trying to find her a school recently. She¡¯s already five years old now, and I want her to grow up like a normal child. I¡¯ve talked to a doctor who said being involved in a public setting will help with her psychological state and illness.¡±

    Gu Qiwu sighed since he was very well-informed about Qi Weier¡¯s condition from before. ¡°You two have to talk to her more frequently. Lingsha is overly paranoid about her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Gu. I¡¯ll take good care of him,¡± Qi Feng affirmed.

    With a nod, Gu Qiwu looked downwards at the beautiful scenery. ¡°I know what happened to Qi Kai. What do you n to do?¡±

    Qi Feng was stunned for a moment when he heard Gu Qiwu¡¯s question. As he took off his sunsses, he put on a bitter smile, lowering his head and staring at his legs. ¡°What do you think I can do in my current state?¡±

    Gu Qiwu found Qi Feng¡¯s words interesting, so he turned towards him, appearing like his usual self again.

    ¡°Your current state? Ah Feng, you gave me the impression of an ambitious man. Your father is still in the hospital, so I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to take care of this mess, and that useless Qi Lei can do nothing but hide. At a critical moment like this, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re just going to sit and watch Qi Kai fall!¡±

    ¡°What can I do when I¡¯m like this?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened, and Gu Qiwu noticed every bit of his expression.

    ¡°Ah Feng, you¡¯re a smart person. Are you sure you have no idea at all?¡± Gu Qiwu gave Qi Feng a long, sharp stare. He wanted to know what he was feeling at the moment, but Qi Feng seemed really stoic as if he was not interested in anything.

    Qi Feng just let Gu Qiwu stare at him as he looked straight into his eyes. ¡°I¡¯d like to know what you have in mind, but I just want to be a normal person right now. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m incapable of solving this issue even if I were to attempt to do so.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Ah Feng. I¡¯m sure you understand why your father wants you to return now. There¡¯s no point for you to hide anything from me considering our rtionship at the moment. You know very well that it¡¯s not impossible to get Qi Kai to safety, don¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu was getting more straightforward now.

    Qi Feng raised his eyebrows, shooting Gu Qiwu a humble nce. ¡°Please enlighten me.¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked away as he tried to hide the cold smirk in his eyes. He managed to maintain a calm tone as he said, ¡°Both your father and I are getting old. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll pass the Hui Gu Corporation to Lingsha anyway. Both you and Lingsha have been together for many years while Weiwei is already this old, so isn¡¯t it about time to consider marriage?¡±

    However, Gu Qiwu did not notice the sudden darkness emerging in Qi Feng¡¯s eyes when he mentioned the marriage because it faded soon after that.

    ¡°Uncle Gu does have the same thoughts as me. I¡¯ve already thought about it before I even came back. I was waiting for things to settle down before proposing marriage officially, but I don¡¯t think I have the time or effort to do it now that this has happened. Please forgive me, Uncle Gu. I suppose this can only wait until the end of this problematic situation.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone sounded extremely genuine. ¡°I don¡¯t want her to marry me and suffer.¡±

    Gu Qiwu gave him another sharp stare, his expression softening slightly after that as he could tell Qi Feng was being genuine. ¡°It¡¯s great that you have those thoughts, but you should understand that a marriage between the heir of the Gu family and the Qi family can very well solve this crisis. Moreover, this could secure your position in Qi Kai easily, suppressing Qi Lei¡¯s forces once and for all. What do you think?¡±

    Gu Qiwi¡¯s words made Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darken and he did not reply. ¡°There are still some considerations to think about,¡± Qi Feng replied after a while.

    ¡°Considerations? You mean Qi Lei?¡± Gu Qiwu gave him a meaningful look.

    Qi Feng did not say anything. He took a deep breath and put his sunsses back on, but his expression did not seem very pleased.

    Gu Qiwu did not say anything either and just observed him quietly. Some timeter, he put on an odd smile as he asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me who you think did this?¡±

    Qi Feng hesitated for a while before giving an ambiguous answer, ¡°There aren¡¯t many people capable of nning this whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean Mu Yuchen?¡± Gu Qiwu instantly deciphered the key message in Qi Feng¡¯s words.

    Qi Feng did not answer. He just put on a mysterious smile as he looked at Gu Qiwu. ¡°It seems like you thought about him too, Uncle Gu...It¡¯s not impossible. He has always been a strongpetitor. Even I am impressed. Both you and my father underestimated him six years ago. Thankfully, Aunty helped afterward, or else...¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened instantly when the past incident was brought up.

 Chapter 953 - Sheâ€™s The Sea, Heâ€™s The Fish In The Sea (1)

    <h4>Chapter 953: She¡¯s The Sea, He¡¯s The Fish In The Sea (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°No point talking about that now. Our top priority at the moment is to solve Qi Kai¡¯s problem.¡±

    Gu Qiwu did not seem willing to talk about the past as he quickly interrupted Qi Feng while his eyes looked even sharper than before. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what to do. The quickest and most efficient way to solve this crisis is to marry my daughter. Qi Qiming hinted at it before, so you should do it as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Qiwu took out several photos from his pocket and handed them to Qi Feng. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Qi Feng dly epted the photos and nced at them. It was Qi Lei and Xi Xiaye! ording to the timestamp on the photos, it was right after Qi Lei and Qi Qiming had a fight at the Qi residence!

    With a scowl, he shot Gu Qiwu a doubtful look. ¡°What is this?¡±

    Gu Qiwu smiled. ¡°Qi Lei is pretty close to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. I¡¯m showing you this just to remind you not to leave any details out. If you¡¯re going to spare Qi Lei, Mu Yuchen might take advantage of that. Don¡¯t forget that Qi Kai is working with Glory World on a project.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression froze but soon returned to normal. Gu Qiwu noticed it and continued smiling as he patted Qi Feng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ah Feng, you¡¯re a really smart person and you¡¯ve never let me down before. I¡¯m at ease knowing that my daughter is marrying you. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re going to be my son-inw.¡±

    He then beamed warmly before leaving.

    Qi Feng, on the other hand, was not in the mood to smile. His eyes were cold as he slipped the photos into his pocket momentster.

    ¡°First Master, did Gu Qiwu notice something?¡± Morrison discerned that Qi Feng did not seem veryfortable, hence the question.

    Qi Feng put on a cold smirk and took a deep breath before he turned his head over and looked at the sunset. ¡°Being the sly old fox that he is, it¡¯s only normal that he noticed something.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Morrison was interested.

    Qi Feng put his hands onto his wheelchair handles. ¡°It¡¯s roughly simr to what we¡¯re thinking¡ªa marriage between the Gus and the Qis to avert this crisis.¡±

    ¡°He sounded pretty helpful.¡± Morrison chuckled.

    Qi Feng¡¯s grip on the wheelchair tightened. ¡°Helpful? Let¡¯s hope that he truly is. My father can neverpare to him when ites to scheming.¡±

    ¡°Anyone who can survive the scene must have a trick or two up his sleeve, especially a man like him. It¡¯s not by pure luck that he was able to conquer the high and mighty Doris. By the way, it seems like Qi Lei is still missing. CEO Qi knows about it. Although he¡¯s mad, he¡¯s not totally ignoring him,¡± Morrison reminded him.

    Qi Feng did not seem very pleased about this. Despite his appearance appearing calm, he was giving off a hostile vibe.

    ¡°Father changed a little, but in the end, Qi Lei is still his son. No matter how disappointed he is, there¡¯s nothing that can change the fact that they are father and son.¡± Qi Feng was stating the facts, but his tone seemed a little odd.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but Qi Lei disappeared because he¡¯s trying to hide, or maybe he has some other ns. I noticed that Wang Qin¡¯s subordinates were really anxious. I suppose they are under a lot of pressure right now. Thepany abroad proposed dying the signing of the contract. I guess they are going to observe what¡¯s going to happen next. We should take over this project entirely. Even if CEO Qi wants to keep Qi Lei, he¡¯ll have no choice but to just give him a trivial position, so he won¡¯t have any say in important matters anymore.

    ¡°Just go ording to our original n. Observe things for now and pick our chance to strike. Besides that, keep an eye on Mu Yuchen¡¯s movements.¡± Qi Feng did not forget what Gu Qiwu just said.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen had been workingte for the past two days. Neither he nor Qi Lei were in great situations.

    It waste at night, and the whole Glory World Corporation had already been emptied, but he was still in his office. When Xi Xiaye walked into the room, he was standing beside the huge screen, staring at it while drinking some tea.

    The night air was getting chilly while the curtain was being teased by the wind. It was quiet inside the office.

    As Mu Yuchen was focused on his thoughts, he suddenly noticed a familiar scent and felt some weight over his shoulder. He looked over and realized that there was a coat draped over his back.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± He smiled when he saw her beautiful face.

    She went forward and stopped beside him. ¡°Someone has been going homete recently. I was getting worried, so I came here to check up on you.¡± Her tone was soft and gentle.

    He chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of work to be done. I¡¯m worried that it might affect both you and our children if I bring work back home.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re still troubled over Qi Lei¡¯s matters.¡± She sighed and looked at him apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It seems like I¡¯ve brought you trouble. Do you feel that I¡¯m a burden? Not only am I not of help, but it feels like I¡¯m always holding you back too.¡±

    He smiled as he put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°Can your brain think of something nicer? I¡¯ve told you before that I won¡¯t let you suffer as a result of marrying me. I¡¯m just carrying out my promise, and I¡¯d never think of you as a burden.¡±

    ¡°But I really feel useless when I see you exhausting yourself like this.¡± She lowered her head guiltily. She wanted to share his burden but had no idea what to do.

    He patted her head gently as his eyes were filled with love. ¡°Just trust that your man is strong enough and doesn¡¯t need help from his woman. It¡¯s great enough that you think this way. I didn¡¯t marry you because I wanted you to share my burden.¡±

 Chapter 954 - Sheâ€™s The Sea, Heâ€™s The Fish In The Sea (2)

    <h4>Chapter 954: She¡¯s The Sea, He¡¯s The Fish In The Sea (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her eyes teared up from being touched by his words.

    It felt like she had been having more and more emotional moments ever since she married him. How could she not admit that she had fallen deep for him already?

    ¡°You¡¯re the best person for me in this world, Mr. Mu,¡± she said emotionally.

    Approving what she said, he smiled and hugged her shoulders tightly. Nevertheless, he would never tell her that he was willing to spoil her and share her happiness because he genuinely loved her. He appreciated the warmth she provided him. His love for her was enough to create a sea on its own.

    She was the sea while he was the fish in the sea.

    Maybe she could still survive if she left him, just like how she powered through after Han Yifeng left her, but if he left her...

    Mu Yuchen always felt that he was not as strong as her, or else he would not be struggling with Lingtian¡¯s incident even after so many years. Only he knew the pain he went through every time he experienced the same nightmare over and over again.

    Until she appeared...

    He was not sure why he fell in love with her. He just felt that he wanted to get closer. He wanted to have her and always hoped she only had eyes for him.

    After what felt like an eternity long of silence, he said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll find someone else if I don¡¯t treat you well enough. That¡¯d be a great loss for me,¡± he spoke in a half-joking tone, but she could easily sense the unease in his words, so she chuckled.

    Someone as amazing as him would be worried as well. Should she be happy that she was charming enough for him, or just simply be happy that he cared about her?

    As her maternal side was exposed, she imitated his hand movements and touched his handsome face. ¡°Do I not give you enough sense of security? Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t recognize the good in any other man from the moment I met you.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea you could say something so embarrassing, Mrs. Mu.¡± Although he said that it was embarrassing, he was definitely enjoying it.

    As he proimed himself, a good man like him was very rare to find nowadays, thus he must do his best to make her feel like he was the apple of her eye, and that every man would get a bad rating after beingpared to him!

    Master Mu did not realize how childish his idea was at the moment. He was just like a little boy who had fallen head over heels in love.

    Xi Xiaye noticed that something was not right, so she quickly nced at his face!

    Hmph!

    He was blushing! He was totally blushing!

    She was overjoyed by his reaction. ¡°You enjoyed it, didn¡¯t you? Moreover, aren¡¯t you feeling like your face is about to burn up?¡±

    He coughed slightly and looked away after giving her a re though he had a smile on his face.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I suddenly have the urge to tell you a story, an interesting one at that. Do you want to hear it?¡± She wanted to push further when she saw his flustered reaction. She would conquer this cute man today!

    Interested, he asked quietly with a slight blush, ¡°What story?¡±

    Xi Xiaye cleared her throat and squinted her eyes at him with a slightly creepy gaze, sending a chill down Master Mu¡¯s spine.

    ¡°I¡¯m about to start. When I was still in the military school, my instructor told us something pretty interesting. During his tenure as a captain of a toon, he was training with a group of new soldiers. There was a girl who looked like a guy and fought like one too. One day, she menstruated and was not prepared for it, so her clothes were stained¡ª¡±

    A certain someone was throwing suspicious nces at Xi Xiaye just as her story had just started.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face was turning beet red. She took a pause before continuing, ¡°My instructor quickly asked the soldier, ¡®What¡¯s wrong? Where¡¯s your injury?¡¯ The soldier replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m fine!¡± My instructor didn¡¯t believe her and swiftly pulled down her pants. He then yelled angrily, ¡°Even your XX is gone. How is that fine?!¡± She startedughing with her face all red. Her eyes were darting nces at a certain body part of Mu Yuchen¡¯s.

    Master Mu unconsciously straightened his back, and Xi Xiaye¡¯sughter became even louder. His face was totally flushed red as well. He could not hold hisughter in anymore as she wasughing wholeheartedly.

    Xi Xiaye pinched his waist yfully and giggled. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you. Why are you so nervous!?¡±

    He hugged her tightly. ¡°You¡¯re getting naughtier and naughtier, Mrs. Mu! Who did you learn it from?¡±

    She did not need to put on an image in front of him and always showed her true self. That was the best thing he could ask for!

    ¡°My former instructor told me!¡± She did not hide it from him.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo is an expert at dirty jokes, but it seems like you¡¯re a formidable opponent as well! While I don¡¯t mind you telling these jokes, you can only tell them to me and nobody else. Do you understand?¡±

    He tapped her nose, his face still slightly red with a big smile. His gaze was really gentle and the darkness that had umted inside him for the past few days all disappeared! He felt like she could always put him at ease easily.

    She nodded obediently. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s your exclusive right! Mr. Mu, let¡¯s have dinner together. Take a walk with me after dinner, and I¡¯ll treat you to a hot springs trip this weekend. What do you think?¡±

    She was looking forward to it as she stared right into his eyes hopefully.

    He realized what she was trying to do and happily epted the warmth and concern she was giving him. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to decline!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    They quickly packed their things up and left the office.

 Chapter 955 - Night Encounter

    <strong>Chapter 955: Night Encounter</strong>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They had dinner at a restaurant near the Grand Waves Vi area.

    The restaurant was crowded since it was dinner time. They only ordered a few dishes since they did not haverge appetites anyway, and they were done with their dinner in just a while. Soon, they paid the bill and left.

    The night scenery was charming with the moon faintly visible in the middle of the sky. The air around them was not as hot as in the afternoon as it was much cooler now. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye held hands as they walked on the streets, and several couples walked past them.

    It was not a long distance to Maple Residence from here, and the path was well lit too. It had been a very long time since they walked home together like this.

    When they walked past the traffic light, there was an olddy selling flowers by the roadside. Mu Yuchen stopped and bought a big bouquet of fiery red roses from her.

    ¡°Here.¡± He grabbed the flowers from the olddy and handed them to Xi Xiaye before he passed three bills to thedy and said humbly, ¡°Keep the change. I¡¯ll buy them all so that you can head home earlier.¡±

    The olddy gave them a grateful smile. ¡°Thank you, young man. I wish you both stay happy forever.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she took the flowers from Mu Yuchen. She nced at him appreciatively before looking at the olddy. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home!¡± He put an arm over her shoulder and continued walking forward.

    After some time, someone released fireworks at the field upfront, making her suddenly stop. ¡°Hmm? Look, Mr. Mu. Someone is putting up fireworks. Let¡¯s go and take a look!¡±

    ¡°Someone is proposing. Look at the words formed by the fireworks!¡±

    He pulled her close to him and signaled her to look upwards. Xi Xiaye looked at the direction he pointed in and saw heart-shaped fireworks in the night sky with some words in the middle.

    The beautiful fireworks lit up the night sky, and the wind carried the sounds of cheering.

    ¡°Youngsters nowadays are quite romantic. Sometimes, you¡¯ll feel that you¡¯re just waiting for this one moment, and you¡¯ll spend the rest of your life reminiscing about this particr moment.¡± She hugged her flowers tightly as her eyes turned dreary. Then, she raised her head and looked at him quietly.

    Heughed. ¡°Just how old do you think we are? I remember that my son¡¯s mother just gave me a beautiful show of fireworks not too long ago!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m reaching thirty, and you¡¯re about to be forty. Do you think we¡¯re still young? We already have two sons!¡± She rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°In my mind, you¡¯ll always look the same as the moment I lifted your veil during our wedding.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She beamed as she felt warmth blossom in her heart.

    ¡°Of course!¡± he replied without an ounce of hesitation.

    She chuckled and kissed him on his cheek. ¡°I noticed that you¡¯re getting better with your wordstely. Here¡¯s a reward for you!¡±

    ¡°A reward?¡±

    He squinted his eyes and nced at her. ¡°It won¡¯t be that simple.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    He sealed her mouth with his lips before she could even talk. Their scents were overpowering, and the only thing they could smell was each other.

    She was stunned for a moment from his sudden advances, but momentster she closed her eyes. The bouquet of flowers fell onto the floor as she wrapped her arms around his waist, allowing him to continue his conquest.

    Trying to catch her breath after their long kiss, she looked at him as he picked the flowers up and handed them back to her.

    ¡°I can¡¯t walk anymore!¡± She took the flowers and gave him a long stare.

    His smile grew wider and pointed to his back. ¡°Get on!¡±

    She dly epted his offer and leaped onto his back. After that, he carried her easily and walked under the yellow streetmps. They had no idea that each and every of their movement was being observed right now.

    Mu Yuchen continued walking forward until he looked up to see a shadow figure up front, and he noticed a person standing right there.

    Gu Lingsha?

    Why was she here?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes turned cold when he saw Gu Lingsha¡¯s face. His expression was calm as usual, and he did not slow down at all. Instead, he looked away and walked past her as if he did not see her at all.

    Xi Xiaye just watched Gu Lingsha for a while and noticed her pale expression, especially when Mu Yuchen merely walked past her without saying anything. As Gu Lingsha clenched her fists, Xi Xiaye could sense the anger vibrating from her.

    However...

    She did not make a sound and just leaned on Mu Yuchen¡¯s back. Momentster, she asked quietly beside his ear, ¡°Why is she here? Did shee here to visit Qi Lei?¡±

    The Grand Lakes Vi area was just in front, so it seemed like she came to visit Qi Lei. Her expression did not look vibrant as she was probably exhausted from what had transpired in the past few days.

    ¡°Just ignore her as long as she doesn¡¯t bother us,¡± Mu Yuchen replied with a disgusted tone.

    She always knew that he had some bias against Gu Lingsha, so she said, ¡°Your attitude is horrible. Who knows if you caused her mental state to be unbnced? That¡¯s why..¡±

    ¡°I have no idea how women think, but I¡¯d never back down on this issue.¡± He took a pause and gave it some thought before he continued, ¡°I guess some people just can¡¯t fit into my eye.¡±

    ¡°But I still think Gu Lingsha looks pretty like the dream lover of every man.¡±

    ¡°Are you a man?¡±

    ¡°No...¡±

    ¡°Then, how do you know what men think?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

 Chapter 956 - True Feelings Hurt The Most? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 956: True Feelings Hurt The Most? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They chatted on the way back, and their figures soon vanished in the dark.

    Gu Lingsha remained stationary and just watched them. Her face was pale and her expression turned stormy, so one could notice the veins that popped up on her palms.

    She could not feel anything else except anger at this very moment.

    She never expected Mu Yuchen to reveal this side of him. Before the rumors about her with Qi Feng spread, he was not particrly interested in her as well, especially since both of them did not know they had a marriage contract, but herte grandmother did nudge her to befriend him. However, he never paid her any attention no matter how much she tried.

    In Gu Lingsha¡¯s impression, aside from thinking that Mu Yuchen was handsome, he gave off a really deep, cold vibe, except when he was around Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and Ah Mo. He hardly paid attention to anyone else. She always felt that he disliked her, but she had no idea about what she did wrong.

    Thoroughly exhausted after so many things had happened, she thought about it countless times. If the past incident had not happened and Mu Yuchen epted their marriage wholeheartedly, could things have turned out differently? Could she have been a happy woman?

    However, there was no ¡°what if¡± in life. Her conflict with Mu Yuchen ran too deep right now. How could she stand to let them be happy while she had to suffer?

    Because Gu Lingsha was a prideful woman, she could not allow herself to appear defeated before this man who showed no respect to her, especially when he was once her fianc¨¨, the man that left her!

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath and closed her eyes, taking some time to calm down.

    <i>Just you wait!</i>

    She would make Mu Yuchen pay for his doing since she had sacrificed so much. She would make him understand that she was indeed a person worthy of respect.

    She had gone through a lot of hardships after struggling for so many years. Only she knew, whether it was for her own sake, Lingtian¡¯s or even Weiwei and Qi Feng¡¯s, she had to do something.

    Gu Lingsha only felt better once she thought that way. She lowered her head and looked at her bloody palms. Momentster, she put on a bitter smile as her eyes turned cold. She stopped looking at Mu Yuchen and continued walking towards the direction she was heading in before.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s guess was right. She visited Qi Lei that night.

    The wholepany was in trouble and Qi Lei was nowhere to be found. She happened to bump into Yang Sheng that evening, so she bugged him and finally found out Qi Lei had been staying at his vi for the past few days!

    After giving it some thought, Gu Lingsha decided to visit him.

    Inside the study room in Qi Lei¡¯s vi, the battle music of a quick-paced game echoed throughout the room. Qi Lei had a cigarette in his mouth as his fingers tapped swiftly on the keyboard. The stench of the cigarette filled up the room as his ss of water was empty.

    Besides handling the documents Yang Sheng delivered, he spent most of his time gaming in the past few days, and he managed to befriend Swift Snowy. They cooperated well together and slowly built a friendship. They used to be solo yers, but they realized they worked great together, and they found a lot of new equipment, so they were overjoyed.

    After clearing a level, Qi Lei felt a little hungry. He then remembered that he had been ying the game with Swift Snowy since 3 p.m.

    He looked at the time.

    Oh my! It was already 9 p.m.!

    He had never yed for such a long period of time before. Quickly slurping some water, as he was about to message Swift Snowy, thetter sent a message first.

    Swift Snowy: I¡¯ll stop right now. We¡¯ve been going at it the whole afternoon. I¡¯m beat.

    Eastern Gust: I¡¯m hungry as well. I¡¯ll go get something to eat.

    Swift Snowy: Go ahead. I¡¯ll be fine with some cup noodles. By the way, I might note online tomorrow.

    Eastern Gust: Going on a date?

    Swift Snowy: There¡¯s going to be a huge antique auction, so I¡¯ll go and take a look.

    Eastern Gust: Are you from City Z? You like antiques, huh?

    Qi Feng had asked around about Swift Snowy before. He knew this person was managing an antique shop in real life and came from a rather rich family! Swift Snowy hardly had any hobbies, except for ying games and collecting antiques. The person was especially interested in archeology!

    Swift Snowy: Mmm, of course, I like valuable things.

    Eastern Gust: I heard about it before. It¡¯s prettyte. Why don¡¯t wee out and have dinner? It¡¯s my treat!

    Swift Snowy: Next time, maybe. I want to sleep now.

    With a waving emoji, Swift Snowy then logged out.

    Qi Lei switched hisputer off and stretched his back before leaving the study room. Yang Sheng had dropped by that morning and made porridge along with some dishes. He stored them in the refrigerator, so he just needed to heat them up.

    Qi Lei¡¯s cooking had improved a lot. Compared to his old self who only knew how to cook instant noodles, he could now make some simple dishes.

    As he was about to start eating, someone rang his doorbell. Qi Lei frowned and did not n to answer the door. He did not want to see anyone since it might be the reporters.

    He continued to have his dinner, but his phone suddenly rang. When he saw the name ¡°Shasha¡± on the screen, his eyes darkened, but he still ignored it in the end.

 Chapter 957 - True Feelings Hurt The Most? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 957: True Feelings Hurt The Most? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The phone on the table had just stopped when it started buzzing in less than three seconds again. It was Gu Lingsha!

    Qi Lei took a nce at it and let it buzz while he leisurely enjoyed his dinner.

    ¡°Qi Lei! Open the door! Open the door right now! I know you¡¯re inside!¡±

    From the night breeze that seeped in, these vague words came one after another. There were even sounds of the steel door grille being mmed.

    It was Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice!

    ¡°Qi Lei, if you don¡¯t open the door right now, I¡¯ll stay here tonight and not leave! Lei! I¡¯m begging you...Open the door for me quickly! Don¡¯t be stubborn now, alright?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s anxious voice seemed to contain some concern. One after another, her words went on. As Qi Lei listened, his dark brows furrowed into a knot. He hesitated for a moment, and in the end, he finished his bowl of food unhurriedly, then briefly cleaned up.

    When he walked out of the kitchen, he could still hear Gu Lingsha¡¯s voiceing from outside. After that, he went to the door and pressed the button.

    Gu Lingsha had clearly been waiting for a long while outside, and her throat was getting hoarse from all the shouting. If she continued with the racket, the vi security mighte over to chase her away.

    Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly heard the grille slowly being opened. She then looked up toward the sound and realized that she had a way in. Joy shed across her face, and the dim light in her azure blue eyes was instantly reced with d happiness.

    She quickly picked up her steps and walked into the living room. As she subconsciously looked around, she did not notice Qi Lei. When she was hesitating whether to call out for him, a calm voice came from upstairs.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    The voice came from upstairs. Gu Lingsha quickly looked up and saw that by the second-floor railing, Qi Lei was leaning against the pir behind him with his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at her.

    That tone sounded indifferent as if it contained invisible hostility.

    Gu Lingsha was not thrilled to hear that, but she did not think too much about it. She just looked at him a little worriedly. ¡°Lei, why didn¡¯t you go to the office these past two days? The whole of Qi Kai is in chaos. With such an incident, it¡¯s one thing not toe out to rify things, but why are you hiding at home? Qi Kai¡¯s share prices keep falling. We had an ad-hoc shareholders meeting and we unanimously decided to sack you. Have you not seen how severe it is? It¡¯s been reported on the TV, the newspapers, and everywhere!¡± When Gu Lingsha said this, she was a little worried and nervous herself. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Qi Lei.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei muttered, ¡°Reported everywhere?¡±

    Then, his handsome face shed with a grim smile that did not reach his eyes. ¡°All these people have put in quite an effort. They really would do anything. Even the presidential elections don¡¯t take on this grandeur.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we all don¡¯t know who is it that¡¯s gone through lengths to plot against you, so, Lei, you can¡¯t be stubborn yourself. Qi Kai¡¯s situation is bad right now. The decision that the shareholders have decided on right now is to get you to rify to everyone for now. Also, we¡¯ll arrange for you to work in City C for a while, or if you¡¯re willing to go abroad to lie low until the fuss dies down, that¡¯d be good too.¡±

    When Gu Lingsha said that, Qi Lei immediately sneered with disdain. He said nonchntly, ¡°You want me toe out and rify things?¡±

    ¡°Lei, now¡¯s not the time to throw a fit. Uncle Qi¡¯s still in a bad state in the hospital. He¡¯s been in a terrible mood since he found out about thepany. In fact, he¡¯s very worried about you too. Can¡¯t you just be more considerate about him? He¡¯s really worried about you. It was the shareholders that thought of this solution. Don¡¯t you think that you have a huge responsibility for how the whole incident has yed out?¡± Gu Lingsha said sincerely, her blue eyes shing with aplicated light.

    ¡°Uncle Qi has also been at the hospital for quite a while now. I have told you before, Uncle Qi is in poor health. You might still resent him because of Aunt Wang, but it¡¯s a critical time now. You should let go of everything, and help Qi Kai get through this tough point! If Aunt Wang knows, she wouldn¡¯t agree to you doing this! Qi Kai¡¯s also Aunt Wang¡¯s hard work! Lei! Wake up, alright? Calm down!¡±

    Qi Lei did not seem to have any change in mood. He squinted and asked with a faint smile, ¡°Calm down? Did Qi Feng make youe here to talk to me?¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng doesn¡¯t care about Qi Kai at all. If you¡¯re still doubting him, then I can tell you that he¡¯s never nned to fight you for Qi Kai! I know that you¡¯ve been getting quite close with Mu Yuchen and the rest recently. Your brother¡¯s back and you should know about Weiwei too. They¡¯re your family. Lingtian was once your good friend and Uncle Qi¡¯s your biological father. Lei, can¡¯t you see that those outsiders are trying to hurt them?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s memories of the way Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had left coldly earlier yed vividly in her mind. She felt extremely angry!

    That woman, Xi Xiaye, was probably delighted over their misfortune! In fact, this whole thing might even have been done by Mu Yuchen. Otherwise, this news would not have caused such a huge wave!

    Qi Kai Corporation was surrounded by reporters in the past two days. They were clearly there to get some gossip from the internal parties!

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s words made Qi Lei look even more amused. He demanded, ¡°So, are you saying that the person who did this was Mu Yuchen?¡±

    When Gu Lingsha heard this, her expression sank, but she did not answer.

    ¡°Shasha, for the sake of our friendship, I don¡¯t want to trouble you too much either, but you should understand that I¡¯ve always been the kind of person who does as he said. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong, so why should I rify things? Just let them guess whatever they want. Also, I remember that I¡¯ve told you many times, I¡¯ve got nothing to do with the Qi family now. Did you not hear me?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone began to be cold, and Gu Lingsha could not help but feel miserable hearing that.

    She took a deep breath and tried hard to steady her emotions. ¡°Lei, we should all calm down. Don¡¯t be angry first. Let¡¯s not fight. This doesn¡¯t solve anything at all. Blood rtions aren¡¯t something that you can just sever. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 958 - True Feelings Hurt The Most? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 958: True Feelings Hurt The Most? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°You should tell the old man these things, not me! I¡¯m powerless when ites topany matters. It¡¯s up to you what you want to do. Haven¡¯t you all decided on demoting me already? Why are you here to tell me all this?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice contained a hint of cold mockery.

    ¡°Lei, why won¡¯t you understand? I¡¯vee today because I didn¡¯t want things to pan out the way it has. Thepany¡¯s just letting you lie low for a bit. We¡¯re not explicitly saying to demote you. We just have no way of cleaning up this mess with the way things have progressed. Do you want to just watch as Qi Kai copse? Even if you haven¡¯t made this decision, shouldn¡¯t you give everyone a reasonable exnation?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was clearly stressed out by Qi Lei, and she started getting frustrated.

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed, Qi Lei! You weren¡¯t like this before! Whatever happened, you would always take the big picture into consideration. What changed you? Why won¡¯t you listen to a word I have to say? You know that Uncle Qi¡¯s been quite sick these past few days, but have you gone to visit him? You didn¡¯t even pick up my calls! If you¡¯re still resenting me for that p, then I¡¯ll apologize to you! I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    Exasperated, she looked disappointedly at Qi Lei. She was angry that he was failing to meet her expectations. ¡°Don¡¯t resent Uncle Qi for being unfair to you. It¡¯s your own attitude that has disappointed him! You always do things in such a sloppy manner. How¡¯s Uncle Qi going to feel assured? All these years, apart from disobeying him, mocking him and ridiculing him, what else have you done? Qi Lei, as children, no matter what happens, we shouldn¡¯t...¡±

    Qi Lei was provoked by Gu Lingsha now. His dark eyes glimmered with a dangerous light as the anger that was held down in his chest practically poured out, and he could not help but shout back, ¡°Enough, Gu Lingsha! If you¡¯re here to lecture me today, then I can tell you that yes, that¡¯s the way I am. I¡¯m not forcing anyone to be nice to me! No matter what happens, I don¡¯t need you toe to lecture me! I know best the kind of person Qi Qiming is. All I feel for him is hatred and more hatred. If you don¡¯t want me to start hating you too, then it¡¯s best that you never talk about these things to me again! You¡¯ve long chosen your stance, so what right do you have to say these things to me?¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not back down either. Upon hearing Qi Lei, she immediately burst in fury, ¡°Apart from letting you turn out like this, I¡¯d much rather you hate me! Look at what you¡¯ve be! Are you even still Qi Lei? Ever since Aunt Wang died, you¡¯ve be a different person. You¡¯re so self-centered without care for your family. If it weren¡¯t for Uncle Qi¡¯s support, did you think you could have easily taken over Aunt Wang¡¯s position? And what about hispromise the other day?! Do you think he¡¯s not sad that Aunt Wang¡¯s gone? Isn¡¯t Ah Feng sad?! I don¡¯t want to see your stubbornness ruin you! Why don¡¯t you see all of this? You¡¯ll never know that it¡¯s this attitude of yours that actually hurt your purest rtionships! Haven¡¯t you been hung up on Aunt Wang¡¯s death all along?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s strong tone hit Qi Lei hard, yet he could not stand it. He retaliated, ¡°Shut up! Didn¡¯t you hear?! My mother¡¯s been gone for so long. Why do you all keep using her? You just don¡¯t want her to rest in peace, do you? I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t want to speak to anyone. Please go!¡±

    Finally unable to bear it any longer, he insisted that Gu Lingsha leave.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Unhappy that I¡¯m saying things you don¡¯t want to hear now? I¡¯d much rather you hate hearing this now than go through the same pain again. Qi Lei, don¡¯t only appreciate things when you lose them! Do you understand?! Use this opportunity to reconcile with Uncle Qi! What¡¯s so bad about having a harmonious Qi family?! Why do you have to go help an enemy to go against your own people?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was bing increasingly emotional as she spoke. Her fists were clenched as she stared at Qi Lei.

    Nevertheless, he had already rushed downstairs in anger. ¡°I told you to stop talking! Get out! I don¡¯t want to see you!¡±

    Gu Lingsha watched him rush down coldly, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm. Her heart tightened when she quickly went up and held his arm tightly as she begged, ¡°Qi Lei, I¡¯m begging you! Just listen to me, okay? We can still be the way we were before. We¡¯re all very worried about you. Don¡¯t be like this...¡±

    ¡°Get out! I told you to get out!¡±

    Qi Lei swung his arm, but he could not push Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand away because she was holding onto him very tightly and pulling him into her gentle embrace. She tried to console him, ¡°Lei! Listen to me! I know you¡¯re very sad, and I know you¡¯ve been suffering. I know...but no matter what it is, you can¡¯t just give up on yourself. There¡¯s still a way. No matter how difficult things are, you have to be patient and persevere, then you¡¯ll get through it. Haven¡¯t I done that myself? So have Ah Feng and Weiwei...You haven¡¯t met Weiwei yet, have you? She¡¯s very pretty and very cute. Her health isn¡¯t the best, but hasn¡¯t she made it too?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s sudden hug startled Qi Lei. He looked at her with a mixed expression. Upon meeting her eyes that were filled with concern and sadness, his eyes could not help but be dazed.

    Hugging him tightly, she held onto his hand and leaned into his chest. She said in her worn-out voice that had a hint of difficulty, ¡°Since you don¡¯t like bringing Aunt Wang up, then I won¡¯t anymore, but I do hope you will quickly get out of this. It¡¯s been so long! In fact, as long as you agree, we can definitely go back to the way we were. You¡¯re Ah Feng¡¯s only brother and Uncle Qi¡¯s son, so they will definitely find a way to protect you...¡±

    Unfortunately, Qi Lei did not wait for Gu Lingsha to finish what she was saying. His calm aloofness returned as he quickly cut her off, ¡°You can get lost once you¡¯re done talking. Let go of me. You don¡¯t have toe to my ce anymore!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, listen to me...¡± Gu Lingsha clutched onto his sleeve tightly!

    ¡°Get out! Get out¡ª¡±

    Qi Lei furiously held onto her wrist and dragged her outside until they reached the bottom of the staircase at the entrance before he let go of her. Caught off-guard, Gu Lingsha tumbled down the stairs!

 Chapter 959 - Heartbroken

    <h4>Chapter 959: Heartbroken</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The sound of a painful cry tore the air as Gu Lingsha fell to the ground in a sorry manner. Fiery pain radiated from her wrist and instantly made her tear up. She bit her lip and looked down to see a bruise forming on her fair arm. Bleeding slightly, her arm looked a little sinister underneath the porch light.

    Gu Lingsha did not dwell too long on the pain. She nced up with hurt in her eyes and silently looked at Qi Lei before her. She could not help but start tearing up.

    Qi Lei did not expect to identally hurt her too, so he stopped walking and peered down at her, his gaze as indifferent as still water.

    ¡°How could you have the heart to treat me like this now?¡± She sped both hands together, her blue eyes sparkling with concealed vulnerability as she stared at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He lowered his gaze and fell silent for a moment, then he suddenly turned to walk into his house. ¡°Don¡¯te looking for me. Let¡¯s give each other some fond memories to keep. I told you, I¡¯ve always made a clear distinction between friend and foe,¡± he said and then he took a step into his house.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying! It¡¯s because of Xi Xiaye, isn¡¯t it? Is it because of her? Do you think I don¡¯t know that after you left the Qi residence that night, you went to look for her, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gu Lingsha finally could not help but shout heartbrokenly toward Qi Lei¡¯s back.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei instantly frowned. He stopped walking and turned towards her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s disappointed little face became extremely gloomy. She quickly took out two pictures from her bag and tossed them to Qi Lei. ¡°What do I mean? What are these then?! What are these? You¡¯re lying! You clearly fancy this woman! Lei, don¡¯t be silly, alright? She¡¯s Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman!¡±

    Qi Lei took the photos from her to study, then his handsome face instantly clouded over!

    It was from that night after he left the Qi residence and bumped into Xi Xiaye on the bridge. It was a picture of the two of them sitting in the car!

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes turned frigid as he gave Gu Lingsha a stern look before asking in a hostile manner, ¡°You got someone to follow me?¡±

    ¡°It was just an unexpected picture. Don¡¯t you feel like you should say something?¡± Gu Lingsha took a deep breath and looked up at him. For a moment, she forgot to get up.

    Qi Lei could not help butugh bitterly. His gaze at Gu Lingsha was bing more and more distant. In the depths of his eyes, even more unspoken gloominess settled.

    He looked down at the pictures again, then he tore them up calmly before tossing the shreds at Gu Lingsha. His tone was as cold as ice. ¡°Didn¡¯t the people who followed me that night tell you that I also had a drink with Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and the rest for the entire night and that we only left at midnight?¡±

    When she heard that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes darkened while a smile shed at the corner of Qi Lei¡¯s mouth. You could not hear any emotions from his tone as he continued, ¡°Shasha, once some things have changed, they can¡¯t go back to the way they were. You keep saying that I¡¯ve changed when actually, we both have. I hope to still protect our childhood and our most precious memories. Can you at least let me have this?¡±

    Then, before Gu Lingsha could answer, his tall figure quickly vanished through the door.

    Bam!

    The loud crash of the door closing shook like a heavy hammer that fell onto Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart. Stunned, her whole body went rigid, then her expression suddenly turned pale. She seemed to be able to hear her heart shatter as the tears that welled up in her eyes suddenly poured out.

    She did not know how long she had sat on the ground with a hand covering her mouth as she felt depressed, but finally, she took a deep breath and held back the pain in her chest. Getting up, she looked tearfully at the tightly shut door, then quietly left.

    At this moment, on the second-floor balcony, Qi Lei was in a corner in the darkness, watching with a sharp gaze as Gu Lingsha gradually moved further away. For a while, there were mixed emotions in his eyes. He could not control the feelings within him as something surged up his chest.

    To say that he was not sad in the least would be a lie. For a long decade or two, many of his memories had Gu Lingsha. In his younger days, she had a ce that could not be erased.

    Only now, Qi Lei truly understood that great friends or those who loved and cared for you would eventually leave one day. You never knew when these people or things would fade or disappear, so the only thing you could do was to just appreciate the present.

    The past should be left for the memories, and the future left for hope. That was all you could do.

    He quietly watched that figure gradually be swallowed by the twilight. After a while, he took out a cigarette box and slid a stick out to leisurely light it up. Amidst the smoke, he suddenly smiled. Although he was not sure where the smile originated from, he felt a slight chill in his heart.

    That smile was naturally a lonely one. When he looked up into the faraway sky and saw the crescent moon hanging there, there was frustration in his eyes that had never been revealed more clearly than it did at that moment.

    He inhaled a few puffs before turning around to go back in.

    The night was as cool as water, and it was gettingte. Xi Xiaye was about to walk over to pull the curtains close with her recently dried hair when a light suddenly shone from the balcony outside, and she vaguely heard him talking.

    He was probably talking to someone on the phone, so Xi Xiaye did not continue listening. She turned around to return to her bedroom and silentlyy down in bed. Just when she pulled the nket up, the phone on her bedside table buzzed, so she quickly picked it up.

    Su Nan¡¯s voice came through immediately. ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me. Are you not asleep yet?¡±

    Her voice was slightly raspy and there were also some light coughs being held back. Xi Xiaye frowned upon hearing this. She responded, ¡°Not yet. What¡¯s wrong? If you¡¯re unwell, you should go see the doctor. Take good care of yourself.¡±

    Usually, whenever Su Nan was a little sick, Ruan Heng would very delicately take care of her because she was quite clueless about many of such things, but now that Ruan Heng was in that condition...

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a cold and I¡¯ve taken my medicine.¡± Su Nanughed and Xi Xiaye could hear that gratitude in her voice. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been wanting to call you to chat, but it got a little busy once we got here. There¡¯s the time difference too, so I¡¯ve been dyed.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard her exnation, she immediately chuckled. ¡°Since when have you be so courteous with me? What do you want to talk about? I¡¯ll talk to you tonight.¡±

 Chapter 960 - Brother? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 960: Brother? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The two friends did not talk about much. They just talked about Su Nan¡¯s recent situation in Boston. Ruan Heng was still the same as before and was still under observation. They were starting with conservative treatment first, then they would decide on a proper solution once they see how it progressed.

    ¡°Just focus on taking care of Ruan Heng. I¡¯ll help you look after things here. I¡¯ve notified my parents a while ago. I told them to visit your parents more often. Xiao Xi¡¯s doing great. Yesterday, I called to ask about your mother. When I¡¯m freer in a few days, I¡¯ll go over to visit her,¡± Xi Xiaye said to Su Nan on the other end as she got up from the bed and walked to the study room.

    ¡°As for your work, when I used to work in Glory World, I had a pretty good rtionship with a client who has a wedding dresspany in Boston, and he¡¯s been trying to hire quite a few designers. I remember that you¡¯ve been quite talented in this aspect. I¡¯ll rmend you to him now, and then e-mail you some hiring details from theirpany, so take note of that. Theirpany has international marketing channels. I wanted to rmend you thest time, but you wanted to stay in your previous role, so I had to hold back.¡±

    ¡°Mmm...what a greatpany! I¡¯m worried that I¡¯m the one who won¡¯t be good enough,¡± Su Nan expressed worriedly.

    When Xi Xiaye heard her concern, she instantlyughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I coincidentally had a design draft of yours in my picture album, and he had endless praises for you. Mr. Luo is an easy-going person. In fact, he himself is a pretty notable designer. If you work with him, it will only be all pros. I checked the map before this, so I know that the office isn¡¯t very far from the hospital. That way, you can also take care of Ruan Heng.¡±

    Su Nan thought about it, then responded, ¡°Okay then, I shall try it out.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, no worries as long as you do it steadily. Take good care of Ruan Heng. His condition can fluctuate, so you have a lot more burden to bear. Be mentally prepared. Just get the old Su Nan back, understand?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye chatted, she reached the work desk in the study room and slowly sat down. She swiftly started theputer and put the phone on loudspeaker, speaking into it as she stared at theputer. When the screen was switched on, she went online to send Su Nan the details. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve sent you the details.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it! It¡¯s quitete where you are, isn¡¯t it? Aren¡¯t you going to sleep? Why is it so quiet? Where¡¯s your son and your man?¡± Su Nan asked with a smile.

    ¡°My son¡¯s asleep and Mu Yuchen¡¯s on the phone at the balcony. It¡¯s only 11 p.m. You know I don¡¯t sleep that early,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she leaned back gently against the chair while lifting a hand tob through her jet ck hair.

    As they spoke, Su Nan suddenly remembered something, she cried out, ¡°It¡¯s good for you to sleep earlier. Don¡¯t always stay up sote. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you about something!¡±

    ¡°What is it? You sound frightened!¡± Xi Xiaye could not help butugh. Now, this sounded a little more like the Su Nan she knew.

    Su Nan paused, then continued, ¡°Guess what? I saw Han Yifeng at a public square near a church two days ago. He was with his son who I think is called Han Zhexuan. He¡¯s already quite old. He can almost walk and call him ¡®Father¡¯, but I didn¡¯t have time to say hi though it looked like the father and son were doing quite well,¡± she naturally shared this with Xi Xiaye.

    Han Yifeng? How long had she not thought about this person?

    In her memories, traces of him seemed to have long faded. Now, upon hearing his name and thinking about him, he seemed slightly blurry as if there was a thinyer of mist when she thought about him. She started to find it all a daze.

    She was dazed as if it had all been a dream.

    Ever since Han Yifeng left, he practically cut off all contact, thus she did not know anything about him. Only when Xi Xinyi came looking for her to plead on her behalf that she thought about him. She did want to know how he had been doing recently, butter on, when she got busy, her intention was dyed. In the end, she did not deliberately try to find out more about him.

    She fell silent for a while before responding, ¡°It¡¯s good as long as he¡¯s doing well. Those things should remain in the past. Xi Xinyi¡¯s been quite behaving recently too, so I don¡¯t want to hold onto the past begrudgingly. Everyone¡¯s been doing well and that¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    When Su Nan heard her reply, she smiled. ¡°I feel assured hearing you say this. That means that Han Yifeng has long lost his position in your heart. I¡¯m really happy for you. I feel so lucky to see you and Chairman Mu love each other so deeply. I...¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you and Ruan Heng like that too? I hope that Ruan Heng will regain consciousness soon. That way, you won¡¯t have to persevere on your own.¡± As Xi Xiaye said this, she started to feel sorry for Su Nan.

    Her friend went on to say, ¡°We¡¯ve done our best. Just leave everything else to God! Alright, you should sleep earlier. I won¡¯t bother your rest now. I still have to rush a sketch.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you take good care of yourself. Remember that I sent you some details. Don¡¯t forget!¡±

    ¡°I got it. You sound just like a housekeeper!¡± Su Nan softly retorted from the other end, then hung up.

    ¡°Was that Su Nan?¡± Xi Xiaye had just put down the phone when the man¡¯s deep and alluring voice came through. She quietly turned her head and saw that he was slowly walking in.

    Nodding gently, she said softly, ¡°I chatted with her for a bit, and at the same time, exined to her about Mr. Luo. Hmm, call Luo Si to inform him tomorrow. He admired Su Nan¡¯s designs before, so if Su Nan¡¯s willing to go, I think he should be quite delighted.¡±

    Then, she quietly stood up while he sat down on the chair in sync before pulling her to sit on hisp as he said with a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Luo Si? The one from the wedding dresspany?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him. Didn¡¯t you have quite a good conversation with him before this? Will you help me out with this favor?¡± She chuckled softly, her bright starry eyes fixed on him as they were filled with hope.

    He smiled calmly while he thought about it, then said, ¡°You¡¯re really quite good at favors. You¡¯ve made me the all-purpose God now!¡±

    When she heard his gentleint, she immediately hugged his arm tightly in cooperation and grinned. ¡°To me, you are the God of all things, Mr. Mu!¡±

 Chapter 961 - Brother? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 961: Brother? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He shook his head helplessly, yet the curve on his lips looked exceptionally perfect. His fingersbed through her beautiful and jet-ck long hair that seemed like a waterfall as a faint fragrance filled the air. He closed his eyes, clearly enjoying it as he gently took a sniff of it.

    After a while, he lowered his voice and said by her ear, ¡°Thank you for thinking so highly of your man, Missus Mu!¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°Did I hear you two talking about Han Yifeng earlier? Are you thinking of him again?¡±

    When he said this, his tone sounded quite calm and his mood did not seem to shift, yet for some reason, Xi Xiaye could seem to detect a hint of jealousy. At the same time, his slender hands had begun to gently press her chest.

    She quickly caught his wrist as she shot him a nce, wrinkling her nose and dragging her voice to say, ¡°I seem to smell something sour! [1]¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being jealous right now, Missus Mu!¡± he immediately defended himself.

    Xi Xiaye immediatelyughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were being jealous, but you said so yourself!¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you quickly exin yourself then, so I won¡¯t misunderstand? You know I¡¯ll get angry!¡± He looked at her, and his handsome face seemed to be able to maintain calmness, yet those dark eyes of his clearly could not hide his smirk.

    Sheughed out gently and put an arm around his shoulders. ¡°Do people do that? Usually, they will just be angry if they wanted to be! Fine, I won¡¯t tease you anymore. Su Nan just mentioned that she saw Han Yifeng two days ago with his son. Apparently, they look like they¡¯re doing quite well. Then, I told her that that¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    When she said this, she suddenly paused, thought about it, then continued, ¡°Everyone should stop holding on to all those things in the past. Now, we¡¯re doing peacefully well which is the best. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Upon hearing her, he was momentarily stunned. At this moment, he remembered his deal with Xi Xinyi!

    Recently, Qi Kai had been unstable and the advertising of South River Project No. 2 was still ongoing. In fact, Xi Xinyi had fully taken charge of it, so this would a great chance to get into Qi Kai¡¯s internalwork.

    In fact with Xi Xinyi¡¯s capabilities and Yue Hai, as well as Yue Hai¡¯s family, they were notcking capabilities. If this chess piece was used well, this would be a killer move! However, he should probably work hard on the chance that he had promised her before. Initially, this could only be done through Qi Lei, but now getting rid of Qi Lei¡¯s crisis was the top priority!

    These thoughts shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s mind, and his dark eyes shifted from dark to light in that instant too.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you. Answer me, won¡¯t you?!¡± Xi Xiaye finished for quite a while, and when he did not react, she nudged him, quickly returning him to his senses.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s good that you have an open mind. You¡¯ll only suffer holding on to these things.¡± In regard to this, he could empathize strongly with her.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop now. It¡¯ste. Quickly go to sleep. I¡¯m already a little tired,¡± she said as she could not help but rub her eyes and leaned softly against him.

    He looked down at her with a chuckle and said, ¡°You¡¯re like a ko. Go to sleep!¡±

    As he shut hisptop, he picked her up by the waist and then walked towards the bedroom.

    ...

    Qi Kai¡¯s situation was still quite bad. Even if the internal upper management hade up with many ways to stabilize the share market, there was no significant effect, especially because it had been quite a few days since the incident, and the one involved had still not shown up to rify. All sorts of daring spections kept on spreading around. In fact, the case of Qi Qiming being hospitalized was real!

    At this moment, inside a ward in Hospital T.

    ¡°Bastard! What a bunch of fools who are taking advantage of the situation!¡± Qi Qiming could not control the fury spiraling in his chest. He tossed the document to the ground and started to curse, ¡°What are they trying to do? Pushing me to the edge?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, at the ad-hoc shareholder¡¯s meeting, everyone was asking us to handle Qi Lei. In fact, they want to hold a press conference for Qi Lei to personally exin to everyone, Qi Lei has been gone for the past two days, we couldn¡¯t get through his phone, I¡¯ve let Assistant Song look for him at Grand Lakes Vi, but it seemed like he wasn¡¯t home either. Our shares continue to drop, if we don¡¯t think of a way to handle this soon, I¡¯m worried that...¡± said Gu Lingsha who was standing not too far away from Qi Qiming¡¯s bedside worriedly without telling anyone about how she had gone to look for Qi Leist night.

    ¡°Don¡¯t they usually boast about how they¡¯re so capable? How can they not have any ideas at all right now? They¡¯re all talk and no action! Bunch of morons! Have we found out who plotted all of this?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s expression was as dark as the sky before a storm. His gaze was exceptionally sharp and cold too.

    Gu Lingsha shook her head, feeling troubled. ¡°I don¡¯t know. VP Yue has been investigating, but I¡¯ve gone over these past few days and we don¡¯t seem to be getting any results.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been investigating? Since when has Yue Hai¡¯s efficiency dropped?! They¡¯re all a bunch of idiots who can¡¯t do anything! Where¡¯s Qi Lei? Do you mean that with so many people, we still can¡¯t find one person?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s dark eyes begun to show a hint of frustration while his tone was unusually severe.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, don¡¯t be anxious. You can¡¯t be angry. Now is not the time to look into whose fault it is. We should find a way to stabilize the situation first. Qi Kai¡¯s in a bad state. Just these past two days alone have incurred a huge loss to us. The most worrying thing is that we might face the same situation as Glory World thest time,¡± pleaded Gu Lingsha as her expression darkened too.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Qiming tried hard to control the anger. Calming down, he thought about it, then turned to Gu Lingsha. ¡°Do you mean South River Project No. 2? Or are you saying that this was Mu Yuchen¡¯s work?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, I don¡¯t know. This was the night Qi Lei left the Qi residence. Ah Feng had people go after him, and they caught these photos,¡± Gu Lingsha said as she took several photos out from her bag and handed it to Qi Qiming. She continued, ¡°I secretly took these when Ah Feng wasn¡¯t looking. He didn¡¯t tell you these things because he was worried you wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it. Lei seems to be bing more and more distant from us!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s words stunned Qi Qiming who stared at her for a while. Then, he quietly reached out to take the photos.

 Chapter 962 - Brother? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 962: Brother? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Qiming¡¯s sharp gaze studied those photos. When he had a clear look at who it was, his eyes darkened. He looked up to Gu Lingsha and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this? Why would Qi Lei be with Xi Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°I want to know why too. In fact, that night, he went drinking with Mu Yuchen and the rest.¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s blue eyes shed with a hint of loneliness as she said a little bitterly, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s unhappy that we haven¡¯t cared for him enough. The incident with Aunt Wang is still a barrier that¡¯s hard for him to get over, so he no longer cares about thepany¡¯s fate.¡±

    ¡°This is all because of me. I failed to teach him well!¡± Qi Qimingmented in annoyance. He thought about it for a while, then looked up at her. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard for a while now. All those shareholders are a bunch of useless people who can¡¯t evene up with a solution when there¡¯s a problem!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi, don¡¯t be so anxious. Things might take a turn for the better after this. Ah Feng¡¯s been trying toe up with something. Otherwise, I could also...¡± Gu Lingsha advised, but Qi Qiming lifted his hand slightly to stop her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that there isn¡¯t a way. I¡¯ve been thinking of something too. Lingsha, tell my secretary toe in. I¡¯m almost recovered now. Ask them to prepare to get me discharged,¡± Qi Qiming said, worrying Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°We can¡¯t do that! Uncle Qi, the doctor says that your body still needs to recuperate. You shouldn¡¯t be working too hard!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine already. I¡¯m too worried about thepany. My body¡¯s fine. It¡¯s better to get back to thepany sooner and hold down the fort. If I¡¯m going to rely on that group of useless fools, thepany¡¯s going to be done for before I even get discharged!¡± Qi Qiming grumbled as he pulled his nket away and wanted to get down. However, he had just shifted a bit when he felt a pain in his chest area. Subconsciously, he frowned and held his chest.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, are you okay?¡±

    When Gu Lingsha saw his reaction, her expression changed. She quickly went up to support Qi Qiming. ¡°Lie down first. Your body really can¡¯t be overworked anymore. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be triggered, and sooner orter, your body won¡¯t be able to handle it!¡±

    Qi Qiming breathed in heavily quite a few times and endured it for a bit before the pain in his chest subsided a little.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call the doctor!¡± Gu Lingsha eximed as she helped him lie down.

    ¡°No need for that. I¡¯m fine now! Lingsha, get Ah Feng toe over right away. I have something to say to him,¡± Qi Qiming said wearily with a frown.

    Gu Lingsha nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell him toe over in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re busy with work, and now that this has happened with thepany, you don¡¯t have to especially visit me. Go back first. I want to be alone for a while too. If you manage to get in touch with Qi Lei, tell him toe to see me,¡± Qi Qiming said, then shut his eyes with waning interest.

    Gu Lingsha did not disturb him any longer and she quietly left the ward.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye never would have thought that on the same day, she would see Gu Lingsha again.

    At the carpark in front of Hua Heng Property, she had just finished discussing something with CEO Hua of Hua Heng when she unexpectedly bumped into Gu Lingsha who had also just finished a meeting when she was going downstairs.

    It was probably about thend for South River Project No. 2.

    When she saw Xi Xiaye, Gu Lingsha was clearly quite surprised as she was wondering how Xi Xiaye was connected to Hua Heng. In fact, CEO Hua seemed to be personally escorting her down.

    An arrogant woman like Gu Lingsha never cared to pay attention to women that she thought were not great at publicly presenting themselves. Furthermore, after Xi Xiaye took over Fuhua Real Estate without making the news public, there were not many who knew about her identity.

    Xi Xiaye silently looked at Gu Lingsha before her, then looked away indifferently. She was about to walk past her when Gu Lingsha¡¯s piercing voice interrupted her, ¡°ying a dirty trick and making Qi Lei disagree with us doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of thing a person like you would do, Xi Xiaye!¡±

    Her voice was very hostile, when Xiao Mei, who was behind Xi Xiaye heard it, she could not help find it ear-piercing too. Even underneath the scorching sun, Xiao Mei could feel the hint of coldness brushing past them.

    When she saw the arm that suddenly blocked her way, Xi Xiaye was forced to stop walking. She immediately scowled at Gu Lingsha. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t? If you didn¡¯t say something to him, he wouldn¡¯t have be like this. I understand Qi Lei very well. If you didn¡¯t say something to him, he wouldn¡¯t have be good friends with you lot as if he¡¯d been brainwashed!¡±

    After Gu Lingsha had gone home with a heavy heart, she thought about it for the entire night. She felt that Xi Xiaye definitely yed a huge role in the reason why Qi Lei had be the way he was! She would not rule out that this scheming woman was trying to drive a wedge between them and Qi Lei!

    Previously, Xi Xinyi, who was quite capable as well, was done for because of her, was she not? In addition to that, for her to be able to make Mu Yuchen love her to death, her abilities really could not be underestimated!

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye was bewildered. After a while, she reacted and there was astonishment in her eyes followed by bemusement as she squinted her twinkling eyes and sneered at this woman before her.

    ¡°Miss Gu, should I be thanking you for your confidence in my charisma, or be angry for your baseless usation? Did you hear me say anything to Qi Lei? Or did you see some kind of news? Right now, with Qi Kai¡¯s current state, I think you should be thinking about how to calm this storm down rather than going after just anyone.¡±

    ¡°Are you scolding me right now?¡± Gu Lingsha was not stupid either, so she could immediately hear what Xi Xiaye was implying. Her eyes turned icy.

    ¡°You said so yourself. I didn¡¯t say anything. You can move aside now!¡± Xi Xiaye did not want to waste time talking to her. When she thought about all the pain Mu Yuchen had gone through, she did not have a decent impression of this woman before her at all.

    Not only did Gu Lingsha not pull her hand away, but she took a step back instead and stood right in front of Xi Xiaye. From the corner of her eye, she scowled disdainfully at Xi Xiaye. ¡°I¡¯ll only ask you one thing: do you dare say that you¡¯ve never tried to drive a wedge between me and Qi Lei, and Qi Feng and Qi Lei¡¯s brotherly kinship?¡±

    Having been humiliated for a few times now made Gu Lingsha upset for quite a while. Thanks to her unrivaled endurance, she could bottle all this anger and unhappiness at the bottom of her heart. In fact, the moment she bumped into Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, and after the way Qi Lei had dragged her out of the door regardless of their friendship, the feelings that she had suppressed for a long time together with all herplicated and negative emotions began to surge out, especially when she saw Xi Xiaye.

 Chapter 963 - Assault (1)

    <h4>Chapter 963: Assault (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye put on a cold smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have an obligation to answer your question. Qi Lei isn¡¯t a fool. Do you think he¡¯s incapable of having his own ideas?¡±

    ¡°So, are you saying that you didn¡¯t do anything? I dare you to swear on your child¡¯s life!¡± Gu Lingsha smiled coldly as she threw Xi Xiaye a fierce stare.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and her face darkened instantly. She then replied in a dangerous tone, ¡°You¡¯re really wicked to involve my children into our matters.¡±

    Gu Lingsha continued her indifferent smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Scared? Why don¡¯t you swear if you didn¡¯t do it? Do you dare to swear?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not obligated to promise you anything, Gu Lingsha. You don¡¯t seem like a fool. Do you really think that just by swearing, you can prove whether I did it or not? You¡¯re a mother yourself. If someone asked you to swear on your child¡¯s life, would you do it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye found out from Mu Yuchen that Gu Lingsha had a daughter with Qi Feng, but she was not sure about the details herself.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s body started trembling slightly when Xi Xiaye mentioned her child. Xi Xiaye could sense the vicious vibes vibrating outward from her!

    Her child?

    It was all because of Mu Yuchen that Weiwei was the way she was! She would have used his son to exchange for her child¡¯s health if she could!

    How could they understand what Weiwei had gone through? What did they know about the suffering she experienced?

    ¡°You guys have no right to say those words. I¡¯ll trade everything I have for my child¡¯s safety.¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes teared up slightly as she spoke. She covered her nose and looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°My daughter is lovely, but I didn¡¯t protect her well enough when I was pregnant. The fetus was damaged during the ident. That¡¯s why she was very frail since birth and gets sick often. She still hasn¡¯t recovered until now...Moreover, Weiwei should have had an elder sister or brother.

    ¡°I was heavily injured in the ident as well, but there was no way to save them both. When the doctor told me I could only save one of my children, you have no idea about the kind of pain I went through then! Maybe you don¡¯t know this, but Lingtian begged him to let us go. If he had just let us be, none of that would¡¯ve happened and everyone could¡¯ve lived happily ever after. Tragically, he didn¡¯t give us a choice. Would you have hated him if you had been in my shoes?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone was icy cold, and Xi Xiaye could sense the hatred from her, but what surprised her the most was her brutal words! From what she said, her daughter was spared from the ident. She had been pregnant with a pair of twins, but only her daughter remained, was that it?

    If that was the case, then...

    She remembered Mu Yuchen¡¯s concern!

    Could Weiwei be...?

    She did not dare to think about it, but the possibility already traumatized her.

    ¡°But I remember he told me that he gave you a choice, but you rejected it! You wanted to marry into the Mu family. Aside from the data about the New Era za, you were plotting something else too, weren¡¯t you? Most importantly, you were pregnant with another man¡¯s children and you wanted to marry him! Gu Lingsha, if I were him, I¡¯d probably have the intent to kill you!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know I was pregnant. I only found out some time before our wedding, and I told him that I wanted to cancel our marriage when I knew about it!¡± Gu Lingsha defended herself before Xi Xiaye finished her sentence.

    ¡°However, you didn¡¯t say anything, did you? You only ran away because Ah Mo found out you were meddling with his safe! What did you take him as? You betrayed him shamelessly.¡± Xi Xiaye stared at her straight in the eye.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use me! Xi Xiaye, don¡¯t forget that he was once my fianc¨¨! Don¡¯t act all high and mighty, telling me off! Those two children should¡¯ve been his. If it weren¡¯t for...¡± Gu Lingsha stopped halfway.

    Xi Xiaye squinted her eyes. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for what?¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not answer. She looked at Xi Xiaye and asked a question instead, ¡°Didn¡¯t Mu Yuchen tell you everything?¡±

    ¡°How would I know the difference between what he told me and what you¡¯re saying?¡± Xi Xiaye nced at her casually, seeming rather confident.

    Gu Lingsha smiled. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t fully trust him either, do you? Or else, why would you want to find out from me?¡± Catching onto a groove suddenly, she stared into Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Ms. Gu, you can choose not to tell me, but you¡¯ve overestimated yourself. Do you really think I¡¯m stupid? I¡¯d believe him instead of you. I¡¯ve never forgotten that you really dislike me.¡± Xi Xiaye walked past her and continued, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m going to be clear with you. Qi Lei is a good friend of Mr. Mu and me, and he is very smart. He knows what¡¯s right and wrong, so it¡¯s his choice to make any decision. Is pushing the responsibilities onto others your special skill? Do you dare say that you genuinely wish for his well being?¡±

    Xi Xiaye pointed at her temple before turning over and nced at Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Moreover, you me all your misfortunes on Mr. Mu, but you forget that you¡¯re the evil woman that started it all. I don¡¯t know how others think about it, but if I were him, I wouldn¡¯t have let you guys go. A human is only a human because we have self-awareness and insights. Otherwise, how are we any different from animals?¡±

 Chapter 964 - Assault (2)

    <h4>Chapter 964: Assault (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s face turned pale while the vicious aura around her got even stronger. ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you¡¯re any better. Didn¡¯t you force your own sister into a corner as well?¡±

    After finding out what happened between Xi Xiaye and Xi Xinyi from other people, she felt sorry for Xi Xinyi. In addition to that, her level of hatred towards Xi Xiaye increased, and she was particrly concerned since Qi Lei was getting close to her as ofte.

    This woman seemed to have investigated her before. Xi Xiaye frowned, but her phone started ringing as she was about to say something. It was a call from Lan Zng. It must be about the meeting in the afternoon.

    She nced at Gu Lingsha and felt that it was pointless to continue their conversation, so she answered the phone call and walked forward.

    However, as she took a step forward, Gu Lingsha grabbed her shirt from the back and dragged her backward. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about leaving before we¡¯re done talking today! I¡¯m going to clear things up about Qi Lei once and for all!¡±

    Although their conversation had derailed a little, Gu Lingsha did not forget she was here to talk about Qi Lei.

    Xi Xiaye was taken aback when Gu Lingsha dragged her back. As a result, she lost her footing and started falling backward.

    ¡°CEO Xi!¡± Xiao Mei quickly caught up as she shouted in surprise.

    Xi Xiaye lost her bnce as she nced at the person in the blue outfit behind her. Her gaze turned sharp as she quickly grabbed Gu Lingsha¡¯s dress and used her as a cushion. Immediately, Xi Xiaye fell on top of Gu Lingsha.

    The moment they fell over, she heard the sound of fabric ripping as well. A pained groan came from below.

    ¡°Get away from me now!¡± Gu Lingsha pushed Xi Xiaye away angrily and shielded her arm! Her arm was already scratched when she fell down in front of Qi Lei¡¯s house. Just when it finally felt better, Xi Xiaye made it worse. She was worried that it might leave a scar.

    ¡°CEO Xi, are you alright?¡± Xiao Mei came over and helped Xi Xiaye to get up.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. She quickly stood up and turned around to re coldly at Gu Lingsha who was still groaning in pain on the floor.

    ¡°You did that on purpose!¡± Gu Lingsha gave Xi Xiaye a cold scowl.

    Xi Xiaye did not deny it. ¡°That¡¯s right. I did it on purpose. Do you really think you can stop me if I want to leave?¡±

    Gu Lingsha had a pained expression on her face as her arm started bleeding. Xi Xiaye could smell the coppery blood in the air when a breeze passed by. When Gu Lingsha rolled up her sleeve, she saw that her skin was broken.

    ¡°You wicked witch!¡± Gu Lingsha cursed when she saw the smirk on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. She did not stay any longer and proceeded to walk towards her car.

    ¡°CEO Xi, your hand is bleeding as well!¡±

    Xiao Mei soon noticed that there was some blood on the back of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand after they got into the car. Gu Lingsha had really dragged her hard!

    Xi Xiaye peered down and found some blood trails on the back of her hand. No wonder it stung a little just now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital!¡± Xiao Mei suggested when Xi Xiaye did not say anything, ¡°Injuries can get infected easily under weather like this. It¡¯ll be bad if it worsens!¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned away from her injury and looked out of the car window. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just bandage it up back in the office. Tell Uncle Lan that I¡¯m heading back right now.¡±

    The afternoon meeting was pretty important and she could not afford to miss it.

    ¡°Noted, CEO Xi!¡± Xiao Mei did not say anything else.

    ...

    Qi Lei did not expect Qi Feng to visit him.

    He took a stroll outside during the evening. When he came back home, he noticed two ck cars parked right in front of his house. They were the Qi family¡¯s cars. Qi Lei instantly knew it was Qi Feng inside the car when he saw Morrison standing outside.

    He stopped his footsteps as he stared forward, remaining stationary for a while.

    However, Morrison noticed him. He nced at Qi Lei and then moved closer to the car window to announce, ¡°First Master, Second Master is back!¡±

    Qi Feng, who was resting inside the car, opened his eyes. A light shed in his eyes as he maintained a calmposure.

    ¡°Help me out of the car!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s hoarse voice ordered.

    ¡°Noted!¡± Morrison replied and signaled the two bodyguards toe over. They quickly grabbed the wheelchair and helped Qi Feng to sit on it steadily.

    Qi Lei returned to his usual self as he put on his signature wicked smile and walked over.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time. Open the door!¡± Qi Feng spoke up the moment Qi Lei came near. His tone gave no room forpromise, ignoring whether Qi Lei weed him or not.

    Qi Lei stopped when he was several steps away from him. He looked around and noticed that including Morrison, there were five bodyguards! There was no way he could decline, was there?

    He put on a wide smile. ¡°First Master Qi, you took your precious time to visit me. It¡¯s my pleasure.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression turned frosty after Qi Lei spoke. He frowned and replied in a serious tone, ¡°Qi Lei, you¡¯re father¡¯s son as well. Open the door!¡±

    Qi Lei replied humorously, ¡°Another one that doesn¡¯t understand my words! I¡¯ve got nothing to do with the Qi family anymore! Father¡¯s son? Who¡¯s my father? Qi Qiming? Is he worthy?¡±

    Then, he took out his key card to put to the sensor, and the door opened right after that.

 Chapter 965 - Donâ€™t Insult The Word â€˜Brothersâ€! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 965: Don¡¯t Insult The Word ¡®Brothers¡±! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei went in quickly, sliding his keycard into his pocket.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened as he watched Qi Lei head in. He gave Morrison a signal before thetter started pushing his wheelchair inside while the two bodyguards followed behind.

    Inside the living room, Qi Lei took off his coat the moment he stepped into his home. He only had a white shirt on as he walked towards the sofa andy down after tossing his coat aside.

    Morrison soon came in with Qi Feng. When they arrived beside the sofa, Morrison stopped and left quietly as Qi Feng raised his hand.

    ¡°What are you doing here? Be straightforward. I don¡¯t have a lot of time to waste.¡±

    Qi Lei did not waste any time. Although they had not seen each other for six years, Qi Lei did not seem to miss Qi Feng at all. Their rtionship had always been nd. Qi Feng had a lot of conflicts with Wang Qin back then as well since he was often the topic she fought with Qi Qiming over.

    Qi Lei had not forgotten about the past.

    If not for Lingtian, it would not be exaggerating to describe their rtionship like fire and water. However, their rtionship got a little better due to the intervention of Mu Lingtian and Gu Lingsha, but who knew something like that would happen afterward?

    Qi Lei was a pretty easygoing person who hardly cared about anything, but Qi Feng was very different. He could hate someone for a long time just because the person said something that made him ufortable!

    Qi Lei knew this character of his when they were still in school. He remembered that a certain male student mentioning something about not liking Qi Lei and refusing to befriend him. Two yearster on at their graduation ceremony, intimate pictures of that male student were distributed throughout the whole school. In the end, that student was so embarrassed that he almost killed himself.

    The culprit was not found even after the schoolunched a thorough investigation.

    However, Qi Lei knew who the culprit was because he had gone into Qi Feng¡¯s room before and found those photos inside arge envelope on his table.

    Inparison to Qi Lei¡¯s easygoing nature, Qi Feng seemed much more mature as he just sat in the wheelchair and stared quietly at Qi Lei.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that Father was admitted into the hospital,¡± Qi Feng spoke up momentster, his gaze fixed on Qi Lei¡¯s face.

    Qi Lei shrugged and gave him a perplexed look. ¡°I heard about it. Shasha told me some time ago. It seems like something huge is happening to Qi Kai, is that it?¡±

    ¡°If you knew, how could you still sit here peacefully? Don¡¯t you know we¡¯re in a terrible crisis right now? Don¡¯t you think that you should be responsible as a member of the Qi family? That person in the hospital right now is your father!¡± Qi Feng replied quietly, his emotions in check.

    Qi Lei smiled amusedly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? I¡¯m not rted to the Qi family anymore! Qi Qiming is your father, not mine! Don¡¯t be mistaken! I have no business with him! I didn¡¯t do what¡¯s being circted on the news, so how is this my fault? No matter what, I¡¯m sure you know what actually happened.¡± His eyes turned cold as he spoke. It was as if his gaze was piercing through Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng put a warm smile on his face as if he really did not understand Qi Lei. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re willing to admit it or not. He¡¯s still the father that gave you life. Your opinion isn¡¯t important here because that is a fact!¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should start praying. Wait and see if I¡¯ll die in an ident tomorrow. Maybe I can pay Qi Qiming with my life that way. I don¡¯t feel good being his son anyway. It¡¯s sorrowful. In fact, isn¡¯t that what someone¡¯s wish is as well?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice was as cold as ice, but he still maintained a smile.

    Meanwhile, Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened and he was surprised by Qi Lei¡¯s straightforwardness. In just a few years, he could feel that something in Qi Lei had changed. He would never have said something like that in the past. Was it really that easy for someone to change?

    Qi Feng was surprised. He had been staying in the Qi residence ever since he returned to City Z, and Qi Lei rarely went back. He only went back for a short moment thest time, so this was his actual first time getting in contact with Qi Lei.

    He had changed drastically! No wonder Gu Lingsha mentioned his name multiple times!

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression soured, but momentster he smiled. ¡°Xiao Lei, you¡¯re still having a biased attitude against me like before. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m your enemy. Whether it¡¯s from the perspective of thew or morals, we¡¯re brothers who¡¯re rted by blood.¡±

    ¡°You tter me, Master Qi. I have no rights at all, and I¡¯m not interested in being your brother. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s great right now? We mind our own business and live a peaceful life, yet some people are trying to invade this peaceful bnce. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s futile to talk about a true family bond right now? Just spit out what you really want to say. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to talk about this nonsense!¡± Qi Lei scoffed in an impatient tone. He ran his fingers through his dark hair as he leaned back on the sofa.

    ¡°You have to get out and rify regarding matters on Qi Kai. Also, you need to head to the hospital. The media has spread rumors that Father and you are having a lot of conflicts. I want to prove to them wrong, and that you¡¯re on good terms with Father.¡± Qi Feng was straightforward this time.

    Qi Lei suddenly smiled when he heard Qi Feng¡¯s words. Thismanding tone was exactly like Qi Qiming. They just seemed so identical right now.

    ¡°They are telling the truth. I¡¯m not on good terms with that old man. In fact, we can almost start a war anytime. Are they wrong? I¡¯m supportive of their attitude to seek out the truth!¡±

 Chapter 966 - Donâ€™t Insult The Word â€˜Brothersâ€! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 966: Don¡¯t Insult The Word ¡®Brothers¡±! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei was not giving in at all as he replied in a calm tone. His wicked-looking eyes were ncing over at Qi Feng¡¯s face as well.

    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like topromise myself on a lot of things. If I¡¯m not even allowed to have my own attitude, what¡¯s the difference from being a dead man? I wish you luck if you insist on ying the good guy and make the family proud because I¡¯m not interested at all. I¡¯m all alone and I don¡¯t care about anything. I have nothing to lose.¡± Qi Lei stared deeper into Qi Feng¡¯s eyes, chuckling at the end of his speech.

    Qi Feng was not angry at all. His expression was still calm as usual. It seemed like there was not really anything that could throw him off anymore. He returned the nce at Qi Lei and smiled. ¡°Attitude? True, you have your own attitude. You look much better than when you¡¯re iling around doing nothing and being a useless Second Master Qi. Don¡¯t you care about anything? Or do you think you can really go against us just because Mu Yuchen is on your side?¡±

    Qi Feng had made a lot of guesses before. With Qi Lei¡¯s current rtionship with Mu Yuchen, if Qi Lei was actually interested in Xi Xiaye, he was still able to mix with Mu Yuchen and Su Chen¡¯s bunch, which also meant that Mu Yuchen knew but did not care.

    He fully understood the true terror of Mu Yuchen. Qi Feng was already impressed based just on his generosity and intellect alone! However, the more trustful and rxed someone was, it was easier to be surprised to the point of despair!

    For instance, Mu Lingtian was driven into despair and had nearly crumbled!

    Qi Feng thought of Mu Yuchen as his strongest opponent and enemy, so he spent a lot of time analyzing him. He never stopped gathering news about Mu Yuchen even when he was abroad. It was not as if he did not know Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei were getting closer, but the speed of his informationwork slowed down slightly when he had been busy preparing to returntely.

    Qi Lei was surprised that Qi Feng would reveal it so easily, but he was not stupid. Qi Feng would be wasting his time if he hade here to find out more from him. On high alert at the moment, Qi Lei already made an agreement with Mu Yuchen that he would not say a word about them.

    ¡°Do you really I think I need help? Just because you have a grudge against Mu Yuchen, can¡¯t I have a drink with him? He just gave me some gifts some time ago, so I have to treat him appropriately somehow. I have my own socializing rules. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise to make another enemy when being a friend is an option. At least, when I¡¯mzy to cook, I can shamelessly head over and stick with them for dinner. You know very well I nearly know nothing in the kitchen, and I heard from Yang Sheng that the higher-ups nned to demote me. I¡¯m a poor man. What should I do about my future expenses if I don¡¯t consider befriending a millionaire right now?¡±

    Qi Lei put on a pitiful and innocent expression. Qi Feng found his smile annoying, but his expression remained unchanged.

    ¡°Qi Lei, you know we¡¯re brothers and we can be straightforward with each other. You can keep your tricks for stupid fools like Yang Sheng.¡±

    Naturally, Qi Feng noticed that Qi Lei was trying to cover things up.

    Qi Lei shrugged as he ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°I can¡¯t help it if you don¡¯t believe me. I suppose I¡¯m done talking right now. Besides, don¡¯t insult the word ¡®brothers¡¯! My mother only gave birth to one son. Who told you that you¡¯re my brother? You¡¯re a handsome, thoughtful, and talented young man, and a super nice guy at that. How could you have a brother like me who¡¯s useless, greedy, and always loafing around? Just putting my name beside yours would sully your reputation, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Qi Lei!¡± Qi Feng could not stand it anymore as he raised his voice and his eyes turned hard. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to mock me! You know very well what you¡¯ve done in the past few years. You¡¯ll have to upgrade yourself if you want to gain respect and recognition from others. You even gave your own father the cold shoulder. Do you really expect him to take good care of you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m useless. Then, what¡¯s the point of youing to talk to me? Don¡¯t you understand by now? We¡¯re unrted at all, so you can leave now! I¡¯ve clearly told you that what happened to Qi Kai has nothing to do with me. You know what happened from the beginning to the end. There¡¯s no need for me to say anything else! Don¡¯te here and lecture me out of nowhere! Just who do you think you are? Are you trying to pick a fight with me now?¡± Qi Lei stood up and peered down at Qi Feng.

    ¡°Qi Lei, this is not up to you. I came here today totally prepared. You know what I¡¯m capable of. You might feel better if you¡¯re cooperative today, or else, don¡¯t me me for what¡¯s going to happen!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s patience ran out, and his expression turned icy cold as he stared at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei suddenly startedughing. His gaze turned intense as well as he red at Qi Feng fearlessly. ¡°Are you going to do it? Are you sure you¡¯re going to do something to me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot that you¡¯re the same as that old man. You can¡¯t leave the old thug ways in the past! I¡¯m telling you now that I¡¯m not going to cooperate, so what can you do to me? Are you going to kill me or cripple me? Juste at me already!¡± In his fury, the cold gaze from Qi Lei¡¯s eyes was terrifying. Qi Feng could sense a chilly aura from him.

    Qi Feng squinted his eyes as he observed Qi Lei who was spreading an unfriendly vibe around him, and he was stunned for a moment. He was surprised to see Qi Lei like this. He was totally different from his old self. Nheless, he returned a cold smile. ¡°If you insist, don¡¯t me me then. Morrison!¡±

 Chapter 967 - Injured! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 967: Injured! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Morrison rushed in as soon as he heard Qi Feng¡¯s summon. He could feel the tension in the air the moment he stepped in, and he grasped that the conversation between the siblings did not go well.

    Morrison arrived beside Qi Feng and greeted, ¡°First Master!¡±

    Qi Feng did not look at him because his eyes were still staring at Qi Lei angrily.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze switched between Qi Feng and Morrison. Then, he put on a mocking smile and remained silent.

    The sky turned dark. Working hours had ended and the sun was setting in the west. The glow of the sunset filled the whole sky while the evening breeze was veryfortable too.

    As the Porsche closed in onto Qi Lei¡¯s vi, Xi Xiaye noticed the two cars parked outside Qi Lei¡¯s house when she was still a distance away.

    Yang Sheng, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was shocked. ¡°CEO Xi, those are the Qi family¡¯s cars! Those two men seem to be Qi Feng¡¯s bodyguards!¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s bodyguards?

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly and squinted her eyes as she slowed down the car.

    ¡°This is bad. They are here! Master Qi didn¡¯t go to the office for the past few days, and the wholepany is in chaos right now. Master Qi¡¯s in a horrible situation after a meeting between the higher-ups. I¡¯m sure Qi Feng is going to do something!¡± Yang Sheng sounded worried.

    ¡°What are they going to do with Qi Lei?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Mu Yuchen had gotten Li Si to pass her a document in the evening and told her to hand it over to Qi Lei on her way back home. Qi Lei had been shutting himself at home and it was not a convenient time to contact him, so Xi Xiaye went over straight after work. She then happened to bump into Yang Sheng who was on his way there as well, so they went together.

    ¡°They wanted Master Qi to rify the situation, and a huge project has been halted due to this incident. You know Master Qi. He won¡¯tpromise himself for something like this. CEO Qi and he had a huge conflict just days ago, so...¡± Yang Sheng did not continue, but Xi Xiaye had a full grasp of what happened. After some thought, she parked her car and put the document Mu Yuchen handed her under her seat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look. Hide any important documents you have with you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was cautious because she knew about Qi Feng¡¯s background. It must be something important if Mu Yuchen wanted Xi Xiaye to deliver it to him personally. Furthermore, she had to be very careful when dealing with someone like Qi Feng.

    Yang Sheng understood what Xi XIaye meant. He was impressed by her quick wits. ¡°As expected of you, CEO Xi!¡±

    He looked through his briefcase and took out the document he justpiled and hid it under his seat. Then, he closed his briefcase after making sure that the document was not visible.

    Xi Xiaye switched off the engine. The two bodyguards became vignt when they saw a car getting close and they stared in Xi Xiaye¡¯s direction cautiously.

    Xi Xiaye unfastened her seat belt and opened the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what¡¯s happening inside.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Yang Sheng got out of the car as well.

    Xi Xiaye quickly locked her car and headed towards Qi Lei¡¯s vi.

    ¡°Who are the two of you?!¡± The two bodyguards stood in their way as they went near.

    ¡°I¡¯m Master Qi¡¯s personal assistant. I¡¯m the one who should be asking who you guys are! Why are you two standing here? Give way!¡± Yang Sheng put on a brave front and stared at them coldly. He ignored their strained expressions and pushed them aside. ¡°I¡¯ll call the police right away if anything happens to Master Qi!¡±

    The bodyguards traded nces. Without stopping Yang Sheng and Xi Xiaye, they whispered into their headphones, probably informing the people inside about what happened.

    Xi Xiaye and Yang Sheng rushed through the door.

    ...

    At this very moment, the atmosphere was extremely tense in the living room!

    Qi Lei red at the two bodyguards in front of him coldly. ¡°Get lost!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Second Master Qi, you have to go to the hospital with us!¡± one of the bodyguards said.

    Morrison had just received the message from the bodyguards outside. He lowered himself and whispered beside Qi Feng, ¡°First Master, Xi Xiaye and Yang Sheng are here!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Qi Feng smiled as he gave Qi Lei a nce. Qi Lei also heard Morrison¡¯s voice and frowned instantly as he looked over at the door.

    As expected, he heard the sound of footsteps. It was the sound of heels clicking on the floor! Yang Sheng came in first, followed by Xi Xiaye behind him!

    ¡°Master Qi! Are you alright?¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s expression was strained the moment he came inside.

    ¡°What are you guys doing!?¡± He stood in front of Qi Lei as he stared nervously at the lot before him. He nced around and finally locked his gaze onto Qi Feng. ¡°Master Feng, what do you want? Master Qi didn¡¯t do anything to you, did he?¡±

    Without waiting for Qi Feng¡¯s reply, Morrison nced at the two bodyguards. One of them quickly dragged Yang Sheng away in a rough manner. Shoved away, he fell hard onto the ground as he was caught off guard, falling right before Xi Xiaye.

    Yang Sheng groaned a little as he gave the bodyguard an angry re.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Xi Xiaye was shocked to see Yang Sheng fall before her and she quickly tried to help him up.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Yang Sheng tidied his creased clothes and red at Qi Lei.

    With a frown, Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at Qi Lei who was still standing right there, looking at her direction.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s voice sounded cold. There was some hidden anger in his tone as well, and he did not seem very pleased. His words were obviously meant for Xi Xiaye.

 Chapter 968 - Injured! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 968: Injured! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye did not answer Qi Lei as she examined the surroundings, and quickly saw the man in the wheelchair!

    Was that Qi Feng?

    Xi Xiaye was a little surprised as she frowned. This man looked very familiar as if she had seen him somewhere else before! She thought about it closely, then immediately recalled the scene from a few days ago in front of her son¡¯s school!

    He was Qi Feng!

    Could that little girl have been his and Gu Lingsha¡¯s daughter?

    Stunned, the light that flickered in her eyes disyed extreme surprise! No wonder she thought that this man looked quite familiar when she first saw him. It was from those pictures that Mu Yuchen had of Qi Feng!

    Just as Xi Xiaye was examining Qi Feng, he looked at her meaningfully with a faint smile. Before she could greet him, he already spoke up in a raspy and dry voice, ¡°We meet again, Miss Xi!¡±

    When Qi Feng said that, Qi Lei immediately frowned and looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°You¡¯ve met him before?¡±

    Xi Xiaye observed Qi Feng, her gaze as calm as water. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be Qi Feng.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s an honor to meet you, Miss Xi!¡± Qi Feng expressed.

    ¡°What do you all want? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°This seems to be something I should be asking you instead!¡± Qi Feng replied with a smile.

    ¡°What right do you have to ask her?! I already said it very clearly. You can leave now!¡± Qi Lei looked at Qi Feng uneasily as he hinted at Xi Xiaye with his eyes. His intentions were clear. He wanted her to leave as soon as possible.

    ¡°Second Master Qi, First Master has already made it very clear! CEO Qi is in the hospital right now, and he¡¯s in a poor state. No matter what, you should go and visit him. You were the cause of the whole Qi Kai situation. If you won¡¯t cooperate, then please understand that we¡¯re acting out of helplessness!¡± Morrison was the one who spoke. He had always been a great assistant to Qi Feng!

    ¡°Why is it that the way you speak sounds so ear-piercing? What do you mean our Master Qi caused it? He¡¯s a victim. Don¡¯t you see that? What do you mean by that?¡± Morrison¡¯s words obviously made Yang Sheng offended.

    Qi Lei was already in dire straits, yet these people were here to make things worse. They were clearly doing this on purpose!

    All those things about doing it for the good of thepany were all excuses. They wanted Master Qi to get out now and bear the consequences. They just wanted Qi Lei alone to be the scapegoat. Besides that, the project had already fallen through, so there were many people who were unhappy with the Master in the office. Even if Manager Wang and the rest wanted to help Master Qi redeem himself, they were helpless now!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what our Master Qi said? You can all leave now! Otherwise, I¡¯ll call the police right away and sue you for disturbing people¡¯s homes!¡± Yang Sheng quickly steadied his emotions and threatened coldly.

    ¡°Forcing someone into doing things doesn¡¯t seem to be the First Master¡¯s style either. Isn¡¯t it a bit too much for him to do so?¡± Xi Xiaye walked up calmly and patted Yang Sheng¡¯s shoulders, indicating for him to calm down.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng did not say anything. Morrison did not even care about Xi Xiaye. To him, she was just a woman!

    He sneered, then looked at the two ck-clothed bodyguards who understood and went up to Qi Lei again. ¡°Second Master, this way!¡±

    ¡°What if I won¡¯t go with you?¡± Qi Lei smiled lukewarmly.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to help you with that and send Second Master Qi to the hospital!¡±

    When Morrison finished, the two people instantly went up to grab Qi Lei!

    ¡°Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°Let go of Master Qi, all of you. Do you want to get violent? I¡¯ll call the police¡ª¡±

    Pa¡ª

    Yang Sheng anxiously took out his phone from his pocket to call the police, yet before he could unlock his phone, Morrison¡¯s p had already smacked his hand. His blow was unreasonable and vicious, causing Yang Sheng to cry out in pain as the phone in his hand was hit to the ground. He fell forward too and crashed into Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye did not expect Morrison toy such a strong strike and hit Yang Sheng like this. Meanwhile, Yang Sheng quickly grabbed the sofa and steadied himself as Xi Xiaye fell forward.

    ¡°Xiaye, careful!¡±

    ¡°Director Xi!¡±

    Two voices cried out at the same time, and Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure instantly rushed up too!

    However, it was toote. Xi Xiaye could not react in time as she staggered another step forward and slipped in her high heels. As though she kicked something, she fell forward.

    Bam!

    There was a loud crash as the Qinghua ceramic vase beside her fell. A horrifying shattering sound was heard, but Xi Xiaye could only feel an acute pain from her forehead. She subconsciously propped herself up, then what ensued was a piercing pain from her palms.

    The faint smell of blood filled the air. Qi Lei, who had rushed over, was in shock too as he looked at Xi Xiaye who had fallen on the floor with shattered ceramic pieces around her. His heart skipped a beat while a sinister sh of light lit up in his eyes. Furious, he turned and swung a punch at Morrison.

    ¡°Bastard! If anything happens to her, I¡¯ll be taking your life for it!¡±

    That punch practically used up all of his energy. Morrison immediately cried out in pain, then a flurry of red and white sped out from his mouth as one of his teeth flew out.

    ¡°Xiaye, are you okay? Are you okay? Say something!¡±

    Qi Lei almost broke down. He rushed over to carry Xi Xiaye up from the ground. When he turned her over to look, he saw that her forehead was already swelling. A sharp ceramic piece had made a deep gash on her forehead, and blood colored her forehead. When he looked down, Qi Lei saw that her fair hands were covered in fragments with fresh blood covering her palms.

    That terrifying red instantly pierced Qi Lei¡¯s eyes. At that second, fear instantly engulfed him and he quickly got up trembling. ¡°Xiaye, don¡¯t scare me. Please don¡¯t scare me!¡±

    Back then, Wang Qin had been like this too, lying in his arms covered in blood. Right now, he was really afraid!

    Xi Xiaye was still slightly clear-headed at this point although her head hurt a lot. Her whole body also stung, especially her hands!

    The pain was felt all over and she could barely bear it. She seemed to need all of her strength to hold back this pain. As she looked up a little weakly at Qi Lei whose reddened eyes were filled with fear, she spoke with difficulty, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I still...I can still handle it. Send me to the hospital. Hurry...¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! Go to the hospital! Go to the hospital! Yang Sheng! Yang Sheng! Quick, the car!¡± Qi Lei then carried her, stood up, and rushed outside.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng rushed after him, extremely worried too.

    In a moment¡¯s effort, therge vi was emptied. Initially, Morrison wanted to return a blow after Qi Lei¡¯s punch, yet Qi Feng had given him a warning look, so he held back. Of course, he dared not stop Qi Lei who carried Xi Xiaye to leave.

 Chapter 969 - Injured! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 969: Injured! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Morrison groaned in pain. He covered his mouth as he mumbled, ¡°First Master!¡±

    Qi Lei had really hit him hard back there, Morrison¡¯s jaw dislocated, it was difficult for him to even speak!

    Qi Feng shot Morrison a cold and warning nce. ¡°Morrison, you overdid it!¡±

    Morrison¡¯s expression darkened, but he quickly bowed down and endured the pain on his jaw. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, First Master!¡±

    Qi Feng looked at the ceramic shards on the floor together with some bloodstains as his expression clouded over.

    Observing Morrison¡¯s reaction, Qi Feng had wanted to pull Xi Xiaye back just now, but it happened too quickly, so he could not react in time. Morrison knew he had screwed up when he saw the First Master¡¯s expression. Mu Yuchen would definitely be alerted if anything happened to Xi XIaye!

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and averted his gaze away from Morrison. ¡°Go to the hospital and patch yourself up, and take a look at Xi Xiaye¡¯s condition!¡± With a depressing vibe, he then moved his wheelchair on his own.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Morrison replied and the two bodyguards quickly went forward to wheel Qi Feng.

    Qi Lei rushed out of the door with Xi Xiaye in his arms while Yang Sheng went to get the car over. Although Xi Xiaye felt dizzy from the pain she was experiencing, she could sense the impact of the jostling throughout her whole body. She could only see the world spinning in front of her.

    ¡°Xiaye, hang in there. We¡¯ll be at the hospital in a moment!¡± In a panic, Qi Lei grabbed Xi Xiaye tighter as he urged Yang Sheng to drive faster.

    ...

    In the Chairman¡¯s office in Glory World Corporation, Mu Yuchen carefully read through the document in front of him before signing his name at the bottom. He then handed it to Vice President Zhang Lan.

    ¡°Have Vice President Wen help out with the building materials, but you have to confirm it yourselfter on. I know you have a lot on your tetely, so delegate the workload as you see fits. Your top priority right now is the South River Project. It¡¯s been a year and a half since it started. Director Xi made a good start, so just continue the project ording to our initial schedule.¡±

    Zhang Lan took the document from him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chairman Mu. I¡¯ll keep an eye on it. By the way, some government personnel paid a visit yesterday. They are happy with the progress, but they hope the materials...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already informed them that we have our own materials provider,¡± Mu Yuchen interrupted Zhang Lan.

    ¡°Yes, I understand, but Chief Sun didn¡¯t seem very happy about it. Things were a little awkward during the drinking sessionst night. I¡¯m just worried that we might have some issues on this matter in the future,¡± Zhang Lan voiced her concern.

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we gave him quite some benefits before. We have to be firm about the materials we¡¯re using. Who¡¯ll be responsible if there are problems detected during the quality check?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu! I understand!¡± Zhang Lan sighed, her tone sounding hesitant.

    ¡°Are there some kind of difficulties you¡¯re facing, Vice President Zhang?¡± Mu Yuchen instantly noticed her pause.

    Zhang Lan raised her head and finally decided to speak up, ¡°Chairman Mu, Chief Sun just transferred over from City B not too long ago. I suggest conducting a thorough investigation on him. He...acted inappropriately towards a female colleague from the PR Departmentst night, but I stopped him, hence he started making a racket regarding the building materials, so...¡±

    ¡°What are the male colleagues doing?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s frowned even harder as his expression darkened.

    ¡°Chairman Mu...¡±

    ¡°Let Vice President Wen handle this. Tell him what you think about it, and I¡¯ll talk to him too. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll know what to do. Vice President Zhang, I have high hopes for you. I hope that you can be well rounded in all sorts of matters. By the way, give that female colleague an extra 50% of her sry aspensation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu! I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Zhang Lan was relieved by his quick decision.

    Mu Yuchen leaned back onto the chair, then he grabbed the teacup and took a sip.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s not Vice President Zhang¡¯s fault. Chief Sun has always been a greedy and rude person. The Missus was really unhappy when she had to discuss something with him thest time,¡± Li Si spoke up and defended Zhang Lan when he noticed her tense expression.

    The light in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes flickered a little before he said, ¡°Just tell me directly if there¡¯s a problem you can¡¯t solve. Besides, Vice President Wen has a solution for people like this. You guys can look for him when Vice President Liu isn¡¯t around.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu!¡± Zhang Lan replied.

    At that moment, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing. It was Qi Lei!

    He quickly answered the call, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    What came back to him was Yang Sheng¡¯s panicked voice. ¡°Chairman Mu! This is bad. Pleasee to the hospital right away. Director Xi is injured.¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly gave Mu Yuchen a brief overview of what happened. By the end of the conversation, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression had totally transformed and his eyes were practically shooting coldser beams out.

    ¡°Are you saying that Qi Feng¡¯s people did it?¡±

    Even Li Si could sense the sudden drop in temperature around them!

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    Bang!

    As soon as Yang Sheng confirmed it, the teacup before Mu Yuchen was smashed into bits and the hot tea spilled everywhere along with the teacup shards. Tea and blood sttered around the table. The loud noise shocked both Zhang Lan and Li Si and they quickly turned over to Mu Yuchen.

 Chapter 970 - Injured (4)

    <h4>Chapter 970: Injured (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen stood up as he clenched his fists, fresh blood dripping from his hand. His expression was cold, and his calm manner moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong? What happened? You¡¯re injured!¡± Li Si came back to his senses as he asked frantically.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone dropped onto the table. He took several deep breaths as he felt a sharp pain in his chest while his eyes were frozen on a distant spot in front of him.

    ¡°Qi...Qi Feng!¡± Mu Yuchen clenched his teeth when he growled that name. He grabbed his coat and then rushed outside.

    ¡°Prepare the car right away!¡± he ordered as he went outside.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Li Si quickly followed behind him and did not dare to ask what actually happened. Vice President Zhang Lan still seemed confused, but she sensed something had gone wrong as she looked around at the empty office.

    It was very rare for Chairman Mu to get angry like this!

    Inside the operating theatre of Hospital T, Xi Xiaye was lying on the operating table and her head was wrapped with bandages. The doctor was carefully handling the injury on her palm. The tter of ceramic shards dropping into a steel container rang out from time to time as the doctor picked out the pieces from her palm.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s forehead, shoulders, and both hands were bloody. The part where the ceramic shards had prated her skin looked especially horrible, and there were some scratches on her face as well. Hopefully, there would not be any scars on her face afterward.

    Blood covered most of her body. Even the doctor was taken aback to see her injuries.

    Qi Lei and Yang Sheng were waiting outside. Yang Sheng was pacing around frantically as he stared at the door to the operating theatre while Qi Lei leaned his back against the cold wall with fear and anxiety apparent in his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. Trust the doctor!¡±

    Yang Sheng was very worried to see Qi Lei like this. He knew how Qi Lei felt when he had held Wang Qin in his arms and rushed to the hospital. Just now, Director Xi had blood all over her too. When he handed her to the emergency room, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes turned red as he was really worried about what might happen!

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He clenched his bloody hands tightly, his eyes turning cold.

    ¡°If anything happens to her, I¡¯ll kill them!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was exceptionally intense.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. It¡¯ll be fine. Director Xi will be fine! Don¡¯t do anything reckless now! Let¡¯s wait for the doctor¡¯s news. Chairman Mu should be here soon!¡±

    While Yang Sheng tried tofort him, he was frowning. ¡°Morrison really overdid it. I wonder what will Master Feng do...¡±

    This was all because of Morrison. If he had not pushed Yang Sheng and crashed into Xi Xiaye, this would not have happened. Yang Sheng suddenly felt extremely guilty. ¡°Master Qi, this is my fault. Director Xi wouldn¡¯t have been injured if it weren¡¯t for me.¡± A sense of hatred started brewing inside him as he thought about Morrison.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression was cold as ice, he lowered his head for a long time. After that, he raised his head and looked at Yang Sheng. ¡°Go and investigate just who that Morrison is!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! I¡¯ll work on it right away!¡± Yang Sheng replied and quickly took out his phone to make a call.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s phone call ended momentster. At the same time, there was a rush of footstepsing near. Qi Lei and Yang Sheng both looked over and noticed that it was Mu Yuchen together with Li Si behind him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened. He reached beside Qi Lei and took a look at the operating theatre doors before asking, ¡°Where is she? What¡¯s her condition?¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu! You¡¯re finally here!¡± Yang Sheng came up to him while feeling guilty. ¡°Director Xi is still inside the operating theatre. Her condition is unknown at the moment.¡±

    A storm was brewing around Mu Yuchen as his eyes darkened instantly. He nced over at Qi Lei and noticed the blood on him. His heart was wrenched in pain as he clenched his fists.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Give me a few punches if you¡¯re angry about it.¡± Qi Lei did not want to exin more because he was worried about the person inside. He spoke helplessly and expressed the unease through his manner of speech while his eyes looked like he was in fear. His whole body felt like a taut string that would break the moment any pressure was applied onto it.

    Qi Lei felt bitter inside. He did not expect Xi Xiaye and Yang Sheng to be there. Furthermore, he had hinted for them to leave. Qi Feng was simr in manner to Qi Qiming. They were used to adopting cruel and cold methods. At that moment, even if Qi Lei really had not wanted to follow them, he could not have escaped with the bodyguards around anyway.

    He did not expect to drag Xi Xiaye into this mess, but he felt that it was his fault no matter what. His sense of guilt drowned him when he saw her injuries.

    Yang Sheng tried to defend his master, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that, Chairman Mu! It¡¯s my fault! When we went over, Master Feng was trying to take Master Qi away with several bodyguards. Director Xi tried to resolve their conflict, but no one expected this to happen. It¡¯s all my fault. She fell over because I bumped into her. Then, the huge vase fell right onto her and broke into pieces. Director Xi...¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt a suffocating pressure on his chest to the point where he almost could not breathe. He put an arm on the chilly wall to support himself before closing his eyes to take a deep breath. He managed to keep his cool when he opened his eyes again. ring at Qi Lei, he said, ¡°Pray that she¡¯ll be fine, so you don¡¯t have to me yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression softened slightly. To his surprise, when he looked into Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes, he did not see any hint of him wanting to put the me on him.

 Chapter 971 - Gratitude (1)

    <h4>Chapter 971: Gratitude (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen stopped looking at him. Instead, his eyes were focused on the door before them. Qi Lei seemed a little distracted as well.

    After getting the details from Yang Sheng, Li Si was not sure what to say at the moment.

    The sky had already turned dark long ago. The moon appeared in the sky and lit up the city.

    The doors to the operating theatre finally opened after a long time, and the doctors and nurses slowly shuffled out.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei went forward. Xi Xiaye was still unconscious and her expression was terribly pale as well.

    ¡°How¡¯s my wife?¡± Mu Yuchen grabbed Xi XIaye¡¯s wrist, studying the numerous bandages all over her as his eyes darkened instantly.

    The doctor removed his surgical mask and looked at them carefully. ¡°I¡¯ve removed all the ceramic shards, but the gash on her forehead is a little deep, so there might be scars. I¡¯m going to be frank about the condition of her arms. They¡¯ll surely leave scars with an injury like that. She¡¯ll need to be put under observation for a few days. We¡¯ll change the bandages for her everyday. If things go well, she can be discharged after several days.¡±

    ¡°Will there be any residual effects? When will she wake up?¡± Mu Yuchen continued asking.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll be fine after we take care of her injuries. She¡¯ll probably wake up in half an hour. Take good care of her. She¡¯ll feel some pain after the effects of the anesthesia have passed, so be careful to not touch her wounds.¡±

    The doctor gave more reminders before asking the nurse to send Xi Xiaye to her room.

    ¡°Go and handle the hospitalization procedures.¡± Mu Yuchen handed the bill to Li Si as the doctor and nurses left the room.

    Li Si took it. ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll get it done right away! By the way, should I call back to your home and tell them? The Missus has been getting calls since just now.¡±

    ¡°Tell them it¡¯s no big deal, and there¡¯s no need toe over. We¡¯ll be back in two days. Inform them to take care of Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng,¡± Mu Yuchen adjusted the nket on Xi Xiaye as he said.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si then left the room.

    ¡°Go and get everyone something to eat,¡± Qi Lei told Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng nodded as he nced at Xi Xiaye. He then left the room together with Li Si.

    Inside the spacious room, aside from Xi Xiaye who was still unconscious on the bed, only Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei were left. The silence felt slightly suffocating.

    ¡°Have a seat!¡± Mu Yuchen broke the silence first. He sat down on the chair beside the bed, then he pointed at the sofa opposite him and signaled Qi Lei to sit down. ¡°I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    Qi Lei was startled at first, but he then nodded and slowly sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°Don¡¯t keep it in your mind since she¡¯s fine now. Things don¡¯t look good with Qi Kai. What do you have in mind? Why did Qi Feng look for you? Does he want to use you as the sacrificialmb?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was calm, but Qi Lei still noticed the sharp chill in his tone.

    Qi Lei ran his fingers through his hair, still feeling pretty helpless about what had happened.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. He wants me to host a press conference and rify things. He also wanted me to put on an act as a caring son. The stakeholders had a majority vote and decided to transfer me externally, and it was actually a demotion. I¡¯ll truly be useless at that point.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not decided yet, is it? It seems like Qi Qiming doesn¡¯t want to see that happen,¡± Mu Yuchen responded.

    Qi Lei put on a bitter smile. ¡°Yeah, Yang Sheng told me what happened. Everythinges down to Qi Qiming¡¯s agreement, but I don¡¯t think his decision matters at this point. He¡¯s been pretty oddtely. Maybe he feels guilty for treating my mother terribly before, so he¡¯s trying to give me attention in order to seek forgiveness.¡± His cold gazepletely expressed his hatred towards Qi Qiming.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply right away. The glimmer in his eyes fluctuated slightly. However, his eyes turned bitter the moment he looked at Xi Xiaye who was still unconscious.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about what happened. I didn¡¯t expect her to visit at that time. Qi Feng¡¯s subordinate wanted to bring me away by force and she tried to stop them. No one expected the ident to happen.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he took a furtive nce at Xi Xiaye. She could have turned away and left, but she did not. ¡°I owe the two of you too much. Maybe I could never ever repay you back. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s fortunate or unfortunate for me.¡±

    He was fortunate because he was grateful for their care, but unfortunate because he was not used to being dependent on others. He feared losing them one day. Would he return to his old self again?

    ¡°You don¡¯t owe us anything. As long as you treat all of this as a willing partnership, you won¡¯t have to feel the burden,¡± Mu Yuchen told him.

    When Qi Lei looked into his eyes, he could feel a sense of warmth, so he sighed. ¡°You know very well if your intention is just purely a partnership. No matter what, I¡¯m grateful for both of you. If I can¡¯t survive this crisis, I...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get through this. Just believe that you don¡¯t have to do anything. Just maintain your usual self. You¡¯re not the one who needs to panic, so what are you worried about?¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°Did you find out something?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes brightened as he looked at him. ¡°Are we thinking about the same thing?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait and see. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find out soon.¡± Mu Yuchen did not answer Qi Lei¡¯s question, and thetter did not press on the matter as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. The recruitment period is about to start soon, so you better not neglect this, Mu Yuchen reminded Qi Lei.

 Chapter 972 - Grateful (2)

    <h4>Chapter 972: Grateful (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei was startled. He then remembered it. With the incident these past few days, he had be a mess and had forgotten about this too.

    He thought about it, then nodded and said, ¡°Mmm, I almost forgot about this.¡±

    ¡°I think you can be assured about Qi Kai. At least, if Qi Qiming won¡¯t yield, they can¡¯t do anything about it either. I think that you can go to visit Qi Qiming though you don¡¯t have to be extra nice to him. Besides, you have a reason to see him,¡± Mu Yuchen pointed out his thoughts after thinking about it for a while.

    A hint of calm shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he continued calmly, ¡°You¡¯re being hit by your own kin while you¡¯re down, and you clearly have a chance to turn the tables around, yet you won¡¯t. This is unwise. Qi Lei, you¡¯re still learning. Others will definitely try to control you. I know very well how this feels too. It was just as when I first took over Glory World.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at him with a smile. ¡°You? I know that back then you¡¯d just retreated from the army. Given the fact that you could bring Glory World to where it is today, I have to genuinely say that I do quite admire you.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t my work alone. Ah Mo, Lingshi, and the rest have also been supporting me the best they can, especially Ah Mo. All these years, I¡¯ve owed him too much as the eldest brother. He started his career early and helped me handle many things.¡±

    When his brother, Ah Mo, was brought up, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes had a hint of tenderness. He paused, then said, ¡°I always felt that with brotherhood, it usually doesn¡¯t require blood rtions. Do you understand what I mean?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression froze for a moment. He thought about it for a while, then smiled. ¡°Mu Yuchen, you really are quite a meticulous person! So, you¡¯ve found your son an older brother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew that he was referring to Mu Zirui. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I had this thought, but even more so it was because Xiaye didn¡¯t want her grandpa to be too lonely. Xiao Rui¡¯s very sensible and smart. I¡¯m obviously happy that he has be my son.¡±

    Qi Lei took in Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression of a loving father, then he beamed. ¡°That child is indeed quite clever. Let¡¯s discuss then. Since my ce is quite quiet and your ce is so close to mine, let your sone to my ce when he¡¯s free. I hope that your biological son will grow up soon. Who knows? I could be his godfather.¡±

    ¡°You could get married soon and have a daughter of your own,¡± Mu Yuchen teased him with a look.

    ¡°In your dreams! Even if I do get one, I¡¯d want a son to marry your daughter! So, you and Xiaye should quickly have a daughter. I¡¯ll definitely adopt her into the family to be my son¡¯s future wife!¡± Qi Lei disagreed.

    Although these words made Mu Yuchen¡¯s face freeze, he smiled calmly. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a daughter. After thest incident, the doctor said that it¡¯ll be very hard for her too. I wasn¡¯t nning on having so many children anyway. Nheless, you don¡¯t have to tell her about this. She doesn¡¯t know.¡± He knew very well that Xiaye had been yearning to have a daughter with him.

    ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing this, Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He hesitated for a while, then said, ¡°We all know very well who did it back then. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha,¡± Mu Yuchen coldly answered with a hostile gaze. ¡°Sooner orter, I¡¯ll have to settle this score with them.¡± Then, he turned to look at Xi Xiaye on the sick bed.

    ¡°Shasha said that after she gave birth to Weiwei, she could never have another child again. That¡¯s why she cherishes Weiwei even more so, but I heard that Weiwei¡¯s health is quite poor. Gu Qiwu and Qi Qiming both spend a lot of effort to help her heal. It was only recently that things changed for the better. Qi Feng already contacted a school for her so that she can study.

    ¡°Of course, all of these misfortunes stemmed from that ident, so it¡¯s not hard to understand Shasha and Qi Feng¡¯s hatred for you,¡± Qi Lei said to Mu Yuchen with some pity, ¡°Back then, I did resent you because of Shasha¡¯s misfortunes, but after getting to know you, I realize that you can¡¯t be med for that many things. Perhaps, you were the innocent one who was hurt the most. Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Take good care of her. When she¡¯s better, the two of us will have a huge deal to work on.¡±

    ¡°A huge deal?¡± Mu Yuchen raised his brows.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend now. I know that you already delegated Ah Mo to City B before the incident happened, and after it did, the partner, CEO Li didn¡¯t call me. Instead, they sent a notice to Qi Kai right away. I already thought there was something fishy then. I¡¯m not that dumb. I¡¯ll do my best and I won¡¯t let you down. I¡¯ll get going now. When she wakes up, send me a text.¡±

    Qi Lei slowly got up and left.

    Mu Yuchen just grinned calmly and watched his back as he said, ¡°You seem more like Qi Lei now than before.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, he paused, then responded, ¡°That¡¯s because the old me wasn¡¯t as fair or as handsome...¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen chuckled and Qi Lei smiled too. Then, he picked up his pace and walked ahead, leaving the ward in the blink of an eye.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye woke up with unbearable pain. The throbbing cried out all over her body, especially on her pair of hands. Unable to stand the pain, she moaned and subconsciously writhed as she opened her eyes. She instinctively reached out to the side of the bed, wanting to prop herself up to sit.

    However, just as those hands touched the bedframe, a piercing pain ripped through her and she cried out in pain. Then, she fell backward as her misty eyes began to clear.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen, who had been arranging some documents by the side, frantically tossed the papers to the end of the bed. He got up swiftly and quickly held her. ¡°Where does it hurt? Hmm? Is it very bad?¡± he asked with concern as he helped her sit up.

    Xi Xiaye then leaned back against the bed head and sat up with a head of messy hair. Her mind instantly shed back to the scenes before while her twinkling eyes teared up from the pain. Mu Yuchen looked worried. Just as he was thinking of calling the doctor, Xi Xiaye reached out to hold him, yet her fingers had just twitched when the pain worsened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you move your hands. Let me take a look.¡± Mu Yuchen gently held her wrist and gently lifted that hand that was wrapped tightly in bandages while his handsome brows frowned into a knot.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and managed to endure the pain. She consoled him, and then asked with a raspy voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little painful. Don¡¯t worry. What time is it now? Have I slept for very long?¡±

 Chapter 973 - Wake Up (1)

    <h4>Chapter 973: Wake Up (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He looked at her face and noticed she was still awfully pale, so he sat down beside her. ¡°It¡¯s 8 p.m. now. You haven¡¯t been sleeping for very long. Are you hungry? Qi Lei asked Yang Sheng to get us some dinner. Here, I¡¯ll feed you.¡± He turned around and grabbed the food boxes.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry yet. How¡¯s Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°He just left not too long ago,¡± he replied quietly.

    Xi Xiaye looked at her heavily bandaged arms while she could also feel some difort on her forehead too. She raised her hand to touch it slightly. As expected, it was bandaged up as well. She frowned and looked at him worriedly. ¡°Will the injuries leave scars?¡±

    She remembered the moment when the shards came right at her. Even the memory of it terrified her. Fortunately, she had turned her head around quickly enough and managed to avoid fatal injuries.

    ¡°You¡¯re only thinking about that now. What were you thinking about before? You didn¡¯t think of calling me when you noticed something was not right. Did you remember what you promised me thest time? Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m not going to go easy on you. You have to reflect on your actions!

    ¡°You didn¡¯t listen to me at all. Don¡¯t you understand what kind of person Qi Feng is? How many times have I reminded you already? Do you actually listen to me?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was stern. It was his very first time speaking to her in such a harsh tone.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him in astonishment, unsure what to say. She lowered her head out of guilt as she spoke quietly, ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already toote if you¡¯re not fine. When will you let me not worry about you? Where are the bodyguards? Why didn¡¯t you bring them with you?¡± Hepletely ignored her pitiful look and continued with his lecture. Xi Xiaye was not very fond of his stern yet handsome face, but she maintained her innocence.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Qi Feng would be there!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see him the moment you walked in? I¡¯ve told you not to be in contact with him. You know their background. You need to learn your lesson!¡± Mu Yuchen chided when he realized she still had not noticed what she had done wrong.

    ¡°I already went in. I couldn¡¯t possibly just turn around and leave, could I? I¡¯m not going to exin if you¡¯re going to assume that I¡¯m in the wrong anyway. You can continue your lecture. I¡¯m listening!¡±

    Xi Xiaye already felt bad about what happened. She turned her head away angrily and did not want to talk to him. She knew that arguing could not solve the issue and would just make it worse which was why she usually chose to stay quiet during an argument.

    Mu Yuchen noticed that her expression had changed, so he stopped his lecturing and just looked at her quietly. Sometimeter, he took a deep breath and softened his tone, ¡°Alright, I didn¡¯t mean to criticize you. I just hope that you can be more careful in the future so that I can rest easy.¡±

    Still refusing to look at him, her voice sounded slightly bitter as she responded, ¡°Do you have to be that fierce even if you didn¡¯t mean it? I told you I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being fierce. I still haven¡¯t recovered from the cold. It¡¯s my runny nose.¡± He surrendered since she was upset. He gently rubbed her shoulder, coaxing her to turn back around.

    Xi Xiaye ignored him and pped his paw off her shoulder, but he continued to put his hand back on her. The cat-and-mouse game went on for a few cycles before she turned around and red at him. ¡°Get your paw away from me. It¡¯s heavy!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a bear. I don¡¯t have paws. This is a hand. If you don¡¯t understand, I can teach you and exin it to you.¡± He looked at her seriously.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly bit his wrist. It was a pretty huge bite that left a clear mark when she was done. She then shot him a smug stare. ¡°This is a lesson for you. I hold firm to my grudges.¡±

    He just let her bite him without making a sound. Studying the bite mark, he said, ¡°If you¡¯re still not satisfied, do you want to have another bite on this hand?¡±

    ¡°Your skin is too rough. It¡¯s not up to my standards!¡± She let go of his hand but frowned when she noticed a Band-aid on his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small scratch. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Mu Yuchen exined since he knew it was not a deep wound.

    ¡°Be more careful! The documents are still in the car. I still haven¡¯t passed it to Qi Lei. I noticed Qi Feng¡¯s men were guarding the door when I arrived, and I was worried that something might happen, so I hid the document under the car seat.¡±

    ¡°I see you can actually think. If only you can be more alert!¡± He softened his tone as he grabbed a ss of water and moved it near her mouth.

    She took a sip and continued, ¡°By the way, I actually met Qi Feng before this.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? You¡¯ve met him?¡± Mu Yuchen gave Xi Xiaye a confused nce.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t just Qi Feng. I even met his daughter, Qi Weier. Do you still remember that I sent our son to school after thest time we went to the Shen residence?¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it. ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡°I met them at the entrance of Xiao Rui¡¯s school that day. Xiao Rui bumped into Qi Weier and she was slightly injured. I helped bandage her up. The girl looked really weak and unwell. Qi Feng then appeared. He seemed to be looking for a school for Qi Weier, but I didn¡¯t realize it was them at that time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about what happened that day. Qi Feng did not look like a cruel and violent person, but today...

    ¡°I thought they seemed like kind people. I didn¡¯t expect...¡±

    ¡°Kind people and bad people can¡¯t be identified so easily. You shouldn¡¯t judge a person based on their appearance.¡± His eyes darkened.

    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. If it wasn¡¯t for what happened, I¡¯m afraid Qi Lei would¡¯ve been forcefully taken away by them. But...oh, by the way, I have something to ask you!¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered her conversation with Gu Lingsha before.

 Chapter 974 - Wake Up (2)

    <h4>Chapter 974: Wake Up (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He squinted and noticed that she did not seem very well.

    Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze for a moment before asking, ¡°You told me before that Gu Lingsha was already pregnant when she eloped with Qi Feng, but her child was lost during the ident, right?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face froze when Xi Xiaye mentioned this. He asked her, ¡°Why the sudden question?¡±

    ¡°Could you confirm who the father is?¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a worried look as she asked quietly.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression seemed confused. ¡°Why are you asking this? Did she tell you that it¡¯s my child?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head as she gently touched his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this. Can you tell me what actually happened?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not agree to her suggestion. Instead, he looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Xiaye, did you find out about something?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed. ¡°I bumped into her this morning at Hua Heng Property. We didn¡¯t have a pleasant conversation. She told me she had been pregnant with a pair of twins back then. Unfortunately, her body was heavily injured after the ident, so only one child could be saved. The child that survived is Qi Weier whose health has been terrible since birth.¡±

    Bewildered, Mu Yuchen stared at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Are you saying that Qi Weier is one of the children she was pregnant with during the ident?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I investigated it and confirmed that Qi Weier is five years old this year. Gu Lingsha lost her ability to get pregnant. She told me that personally although I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s telling the truth. However, seeing the Qi family¡¯s attitude towards Qi Weier, that child might really be Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s daughter,¡± she tried tofort him because his expression did not look well.

    She actually did not want to bring up this sensitive topic, but she supposed it would be better to let him know. Hopefully, the truth was not what she imagined.

    Mu Yuchen did not say a thing and just closed his eyes. While he looked outside the window with a heavy heart, Xi Xiaye could sense the uneasiness and sadness within him.

    ¡°Did you tell anyone about it? Qi Lei?¡± Mu Yuchen asked momentster.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anyone. I¡¯m just having some doubts. What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look like that? Are you worried that...?¡±

    Mu Yuchen covered her mouth before she could finish her sentence. ¡°Great. Don¡¯t say anything then. Just act as if we never even thought about it. They should know the truth with the way they are acting now. Things shouldn¡¯t be like what we¡¯re imagining.¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, why are you feeling uneasy? Mr. Mu, are you...?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just thinking that judging by the weight of their rtionship, I still don¡¯t think Lingtian would do that. I doubt he¡¯d betray us no matter how much importance he ced on their friendship. Back then, he also knew that Gu Lingsha agreed to the marriage.¡± Mu Yuchen frowned.

    ¡°Then, do you remember what Lingtian told you? Gu Lingsha told me today that Mu Lingtian begged you to let them go, but you didn¡¯t.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened, and he finally spilled the truth, ¡°That¡¯s right. Lingtian knew I was going to do something about them. I gave Ah Mo and the others orders right in front of him. I told them to get Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha back. It was a huge matter and I couldn¡¯t just take it sitting down. I needed them to rify to the media since it was affecting Glory World and the whole Mu family. Lingtian begged me, but I didn¡¯t agree and I asked him to leave this matter alone. I remember he just hesitated and didn¡¯t say anything else, but I still don¡¯t understand why he¡¯d help the two of them escape. I only found out that he was fond of Gu Lingsha from Qi Lei and others.¡±¡®

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not the case!¡± Xi Xiaye gasped.

    Mu Yuchen was quiet for a while. His quiet gazended on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face. ¡°Xiaye, no matter what happens, I hope that you can trust me and support me. If something actually happens, that child will be mine. Do you understand me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. As she looked into his eyes and saw the helplessness and darkness in them, her eyes teared up as she nodded. ¡°I understand. I know I¡¯ll always support you.¡±

    He smiled and wrapped her in his arms. ¡°Thank you, my dear wife!¡±

    She returned the smile, ¡°You¡¯re wee. You¡¯re forever mine anyway. No one can take you away from me.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll always be yours.¡± He then left a kiss on her lips.

    Xi Xiaye instinctively touched her forehead and the injuries on her face before asking nervously, ¡°You haven¡¯t told me if scars will remain.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll find out after we remove the bandages. The doctor said the injuries on your face are fine, but the one on your forehead might be tricky. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not as bad as Lingshi¡¯s injuries. Although it should be difficult to perform a scar removal procedure, you¡¯ve married me anyway, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He smiled warmly at her.

    ¡°How could I not worry? I already look so in. If I get a scar now...¡± Xi Xiaye touched her injuries again, but she then felt a sharp pain shooting from her arms.

    ¡°Be careful and don¡¯t keep touching your wounds. Eat something. I¡¯m going to drop Qi Lei a message. He¡¯s really worried about you. Don¡¯t be so reckless again in the future.¡±

    He took out his phone and sent Qi Lei a text message. Then, he picked up the dinner Yang Sheng had prepared.

 Chapter 975 - Deal Between Father and Son (1)

    <h4>Chapter 975: Deal Between Father and Son (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the second night, Qi Lei went over to visit Xi Xiaye. Upon seeing that she was alright, he felt more at ease. Since Qi Qiming was also staying in Hospital T, he thought about it before deciding to visit him.

    At this moment, outside Qi Qiming¡¯s ward, the bodyguards in ck who were guarding outside immediately looked over in vignce when they heard the sound of footsteps. When they saw it was Qi Lei, they eased up a little and said respectfully, ¡°Second Master!¡±

    Qi Lei observed the two of them, then looked around vigntly before saying in a deep voice, ¡°Is the old man inside?¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi¡¯s inside, Second Master. He just had his medication and is about to sleep,¡± the bodyguard responded.

    ¡°Watch the door. Without my word, don¡¯t let anyone in,¡± Qi Lei said, then pushed the door to enter.

    ¡°Okay, Second Master!¡± the people outside responded and quickly closed the door.

    Inside the ward, when he heard Qi Lei¡¯s voice, Qi Qiming, who had justid down, opened his eyes. He propped himself up as he switched on the lights in the ward. The bright lights immediately filled the room.

    Qi Lei lowered down his head slightly and walked in with huge steps. When he nced up, he saw Qi Qiming who was already sitting up in bed and looking at him.

    ¡°I thought that even if I died right here, you wouldn¡¯t evene to see me.¡± Before Qi Lei could move nearer, Qi Qiming had already spoken up. You could hear a hint of sorrow and perseverance in his raspy voice.

    Qi Lei stopped quite a few steps away as he looked at the weak Qi Qiming on the bed with ack of enthusiasm. He smiled coldly and said, ¡°I really didn¡¯t want toe. Sadly, even if I didn¡¯t want to, it¡¯s not up to me.¡±

    ¡°Did Ah Feng go looking for you?¡± Qi Qiming immediately caught the key message in Qi Lei¡¯s words.

    Qi Lei smiled confidently. ¡°Why are you pretending? Don¡¯t you already know? You¡¯re all saying that the main cause of Qi Kai¡¯s crisis right now is me. Thepany shareholders can¡¯t wait for me to step down, and with the way thepany¡¯s shares have been dropping, you all want to take me on, don¡¯t you? Even Shasha¡¯se to advise me. Don¡¯t look so surprised. You¡¯ll make me think you were really innocent although you feel disgusted.¡±

    Qi Lei had been quite sharp-tongued recently, but Qi Qiming was Qi Qiming after all. He had been provoked by Qi Lei time and time again, so he was already immune to it. Upon hearing these harsh words, he could still pretend like he had not heard anything.

    His expression darkened for a long while before he looked up at Qi Lei. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell them to force you toe. I just hoped you could make a visit. With regards to Qi Kai¡¯s matters, without my agreement, none of them can waver you. Someone¡¯s clearly doing something from within about this incident, and you can obviously tell. I don¡¯t want our rtionship to deteriorate because of this incident.¡±

    When Qi Qiming finished, Qi Lei only responded with a sneer of disdain.

    Qi Qiming did not look toofortable, but he did not say too much. He continued, ¡°I¡¯ll be getting discharged tomorrow. Qi Kai¡¯s crisis isn¡¯t unresolvable. I¡¯ve already asked Gu Qiwu to meet soon. When the timees, Ah Feng will officially propose marriage to the Gu family with the Qi family¡¯s name. Ah Feng and Lingsha have loved each other for many years now, and Weiwei¡¯s already so old. It¡¯s time for this dyed wedding to take ce.¡±

    ¡°Once the Qi and the Gu families are connected by marriage, this crisis can definitely be averted. Also, the other discussions about you and I will stop then and there. I don¡¯t want this gossip to affect the entire Qi Kai. This was also your mother¡¯s hard work, so I think you can¡¯t bear to see it fall. As for the project in City B, if it won¡¯t happen then let it be. Just focus on working on South River Project No. 1, and then just help Lingsha watch over the progress of Project No. 2.¡±

    Qi Lei found Qi Qiming¡¯s sudden act of loosening up and acknowledging a mistake rather surprising. His examining gaze continued to fall on Qi Qiming¡¯s face, trying his hardest to find a hint of something, but he did not seem to be able to notice anything fishy.

    Actually, of course, Qi Lei would not know.

    These past few days, Qi Qiming had been dreaming of Wang Qin. He dreamt that she angrily questioned why he kept hurting Qi Lei. As she spoke, Wang Qin started to cry. That was the first time he saw Wang Qin cry so clearly and painfully beg for him to be good to Qi Lei, their son. She also said something about how their son already had nothing left.

    Qi Qiming felt very ufortable. For the past few days, he had been waking up from his sleep, calling out Wang Qin¡¯s name. When his sight cleared, he would realize that he was in his own sick ward, and it was empty before. Where could Wang Qin havee from?

    After that, he went through quite a few internal struggles, but in the end, he decided to give in to Qi Lei.

    ¡°Wait till after Ah Feng and Shasha¡¯s wedding. We¡¯ll get you a good partner and settle your marriage. Xi Xiaye is now Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman. Even if you think about her all day, she won¡¯t be yours. If we were to talk about when Xi Mushan and the Xi family were still around, that¡¯d be fine, but now...¡±

    Before Qi Qiming could finish, Qi Lei had already cut him off, ¡°I¡¯ll work on my own marriage myself. There¡¯s no need for you to worry. It¡¯s best if you take care of your own son. Also, Xi Xiaye and I are innocent, so you better not say these things outside because other people might misunderstand.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯te here today to hear you spout nonsense. You wanted me to act as if our good father and son rtionship has recovered, so that¡¯s possible.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Qi Qiming immediately looked up. ¡°What other conditions do you want? We will do our best to satisfy them.¡±

    ¡°I have a seat at the decision-making table. My mother gave me those shares, thus they need to bepletely owned by me. After all, those are what my grandparents left me too,¡± Qi Lei spoke explicitly.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes darkened a little, and he did not answer right away.

    ¡°As long as you bring back what should belong to him, I¡¯m willing to cooperate with you, but you can¡¯t limit me. If I don¡¯t hurt your benefits, you can¡¯t do anything against me. If you agree, I¡¯ll prepare the contract tomorrow for you to sign, then we can work peacefully,¡± Qi Lei exined clearly although he still needed to learn to be shrewder.

    Despite his bluntness, Qi Lei¡¯s words made Qi Qiming have whole new respect for him. He examined Qi Lei up and down a bit. In a daze, he felt like this son of his had be a different person, but by the looks of his sloppy and devilish mannerism, he could not quite pinpoint what was different about him.

 Chapter 976 - Deal Between Father and Son (2)

    <h4>Chapter 976: Deal Between Father and Son (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Qiming stared at Qi Lei for a while before replying, ¡°I agree to your terms, but you have to wait until my retirement before you receive the stocks.¡±

    Qi Leiughed coldly. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll add another extra condition then. I won¡¯t stay at the Qi residence. Only the two of us will know about the agreement. I¡¯ll get it certified in secret and no one else will know about it. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what I might do!¡±

    It was tragic that the blood-rted father and son would need to have an agreement like this for the sake of profits. Qi Lei found it ironic, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll be alone here tomorrow before 8 a.m., so you cane at that time. I¡¯ll be discharged at around 10 a.m. After the checkup, I want you toe and pick me up. The reporters might be present as well, so be prepared,¡± Qi Qiming replied.

    Qi Lei put on a cold smile, then he left the room without saying anything else.

    Qi Qiming watched his son¡¯s back as he left, not having a very good feeling about things as he let out a deep sigh.

    ...

    As Qi Lei was walking towards the elevator, he noticed Mu Yuchen at the end of the corridor, talking on the phone with someone.

    Mu Yuchen turned his head around when he heard the sound of footstepsing near. He gave Qi Lei a curt nod when he saw him. As Qi Lei shrugged and stopped beside him, he swiftly ended his phone call.

    ¡°Why are you here at this time?¡± Mu Yuchen gave him a doubtful nce as he asked.

    ¡°I came to visit Xiaye and I also had something to discuss with my old man. I didn¡¯t see you inside the room just now, and Xiaye was asleep. I just asked the doctor about her condition. It¡¯s great that she turned out fine.¡± Qi Lei rested his arms on the opened window while the night breeze brushed his cheeks.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll be able to go back home after her condition has stabilized. Don¡¯t worry about her. You seem to be glowing as if something good just happened to you.¡± Mu Yuchen was able to discern something different with Qi Lei.

    ¡°Fortunately, I was able to set up an agreement with Qi Qiming though I¡¯m surprised that he changed his attitude, but that¡¯s not important now. I only care about the results in the end. By the way, I have something to tell you. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s bad news.¡± Qi Lei squinted his eyes at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows, giving him a signal to continue.

    ¡°The Qis and the Gus are going to establish a marriage rtionship. Qi Qiming has already asked Gu Qiwu toe here to discuss it. This was what you were trying to hide from me before, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Qi Lei said.

    As expected, Mu Yuchen was unfazed by this information at all because he knew it all along!

    Qi Lei smirked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be impressed by your calmness, or if I should praise your ability of foresight. Alright, I should be heading back now. I¡¯ll be back here tomorrow morning to speak with Qi Qiming again. He¡¯s getting discharged tomorrow and I have to put up an act with him. Naturally, Qi Feng wille as well. My hunch tells me that the two of you will meet again very soon. You haven¡¯t met ever since he came back, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him though.¡± Mu Yuchen did not try to hide his disgust towards Qi Feng. His expression turned stony and Qi Lei sensed a chilly vibe from him.

    Qi Lei ran his fingers through his hair and then nodded. ¡°Okay, you will meet whether you like it or not. Don¡¯t forget about Xiaye¡¯s misfortune. That Morrison assistant of his is getting on my nerves. He¡¯s the one that got Xiaye injured. If something happens to him, it will be the same as Qi Feng taking a hit at himself. I¡¯ll head off now. Bye!¡± Qi Lei turned around and left.

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows slightly as he called after Qi Lei, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not someone with a violent past. I don¡¯t use force.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. I know what you did to Yue Lingsi!¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned for a moment when he heard Qi Lei. He then walked towards Xi Xiaye¡¯s room with a grin.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen kept on smiling when he entered the room. Xi Xiaye noticed it and could not hold back her urge to ask, ¡°Did something good happen? You look happy. Why don¡¯t you share some good news with me?¡±

    He hid his smile and coughed slightly before replying, ¡°Nothing really. I just thought that Qi Lei can actually be humorous.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°He looks like a street thug, but he¡¯s pretty fun to work with unlike you. Your humor cells are reallycking!¡±

    ¡°Am I not humorous?¡± he asked.

    Xi Xiaye gave him a firm nod.

    ¡°I¡¯m a man of beauty. Humor is only needed as a spice in life. You didn¡¯t like him before, did you?¡± Mu Yuchen said shamelessly.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him as she sat up. ¡°Mr. Mu, I miss our son. My wounds are already healing. Can I leave the hospital tomorrow? Only my palms hurt now though I¡¯ll be more careful about them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Grandmother to bring him here tomorrow, but the doctor will have the final say on whether you¡¯ll be discharged or not. ¡± Mu Yuchen ignored her pitiful expression.

    Xi Xiaye looked defeated. ¡°Never mind then. He¡¯s too young. I don¡¯t really want him toe here. I¡¯ll ask the doctor tomorrow. I don¡¯t like the smell of the antiseptic here. Wasn¡¯t Sis Wang a nurse before? I¡¯ll be fine with her taking care of me. Please, Mr. Mu?¡±

    She grabbed his arm and begged like a little girl asking for some candy. Mu Yuchen was defenseless against her, so he patted her head and said, ¡°We¡¯ll listen to what the doctor says. Let¡¯s do it if he says yes.¡±

 Chapter 977 - I Will Always Be By Your Side (1)

    <h4>Chapter 977: I Will Always Be By Your Side (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Qi Lei returned to his vi, Yang Sheng had already been waiting for quite a while.

    Yang Sheng had the key to the vi since Qi Lei made him a copy so that he could go in and out conveniently. Now that he was Qi Lei¡¯s trusted aide, he would also go over sometimes to cook for Qi Lei. Sometimes, he would also let the housekeepingpany go over to clean.

    In the living room, as Qi Lei strode in with huge steps, Yang Sheng was sitting on the sofa going through some documents. When he heard the sound of footsteps, he immediately turned to look towards the sound, and indeed he saw Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure. He quickly stood up and called out, ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei was a little surprised to see Yang Sheng there sote. ¡°It¡¯s quitete. Why are you here?¡±

    Yang Shengughed. ¡°Master Qi, I made some supper. You should have some while I update you.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard the offer, he nodded since he did feel quite hungry right now anyway. He had just gone over without having time for dinner.

    Yang Sheng went straight to the kitchen to bring the supper over. Qi Lei had already wiped his hands and was leisurely sitting by the dining table.

    Yang Sheng put the supper before Qi Lei as he reminded, ¡°Master Qi, how about you hire a few servants? I just took a look at the backyard. It hasn¡¯t been taken care of in a long time, so it¡¯s rather untidy. There are quite a lot of weeds too.¡±

    Servants?

    Just as he was spooning the porridge into his mouth, Qi Lei paused, then shook his head. ¡°Tell the people from the housekeepingpany toe to clean every weekend. Once is enough. I¡¯m not used to having other people in my house.¡±

    When Yang Sheng heard his decision, he dared not say more, so he just nodded.

    ¡°Tell me what it is that you¡¯vee sote for,¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°Oh, right, Master Qi! These are the materials you asked me to arrange for you, including all of VP Wang¡¯s financial securities, external investments, Qi Kai¡¯s equity shares contract, and all of the assets under VP Wang¡¯s name. They¡¯re all here. Also, these are the recruitment materials that I¡¯ve just gotten from the human resources department.¡±

    Qi Lei looked up at Yang Sheng, and his gaze quickly stopped on the documents in his hands. A wide smile swiftly shed on his handsome face. ¡°Not bad, Yang Sheng. I¡¯m really satisfied with your efficiency!¡±

    Yang Sheng beamed. ¡°Master Qi, thepany¡¯s crisis has yet to end. Are you going to just hastily go to work? I¡¯m worried that those people won¡¯t let go of you so easily.¡±

    ¡°I never hoped for those vile people to give up so quickly.¡± Qi Lei smiled nonchntly. Those were all Qi Qiming¡¯s trusted aides. Of course, there was Qi Feng too. Taking down Wang Qin¡¯s forces was not going to take only a day or two.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t think too much now. Go back and prepare well. Tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., the old man¡¯s going to be discharged. I have to fetch him from the hospital. Come along with me.¡±

    Fetch CEO Qi from the hospital?

    Yang Sheng was stunned and could not react immediately, but when he looked at Qi Lei, he realized that his smile was stiff. Nheless, he dared not ask too much, so he only nodded and arranged the documents in his hand. He then put them aside on the table. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll leave first!¡±

    Qi Lei nodded without a sound, then Yang Sheng departed. That night, he worked till midnight in his own study room. It was only at daybreak that he fell asleep.

    Dawn crept in with the cool breeze that blew gently, lifting the cotton curtains.

    Xi Xiaye was a light sleeper, especially in the hospital. She would wake up quite a few times throughout the night. Before the first light of the early morning, she was already awake. Shey on the bed and could hear the faint sounds of people talking outside. Some people had already begun moving about too.

    She carefully shifted her body as she subconsciously looked to the side. The man that had slept beside her was gone, but his scent lingered and there were also remnants of his warmth on the nket.

    Had he left so early? Where did he go?

    Xi Xiaye carefully propped herself up to sit and look around. She gazed towards the door when it suddenly opened. Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome figure entered her sight. When he saw her sitting up on the bed, his eyes immediately colored with gentleness and he asked softly, ¡°Awake already?¡±

    Nodding, she got down from the bed herself and walked towards the washroom while Mu Yuchen followed her.

    After a while, she was done with a simple wash up and Li Si had delivered breakfast.

    When they were having breakfast, Xi Xiaye could clearly see the fatigue in his eyes. She thought about it and felt bad for him, so she softly said, ¡°If I still have to stay here any longer, you should go home and rest first. It¡¯s not a big deal anyway. Having the bodyguards here is enough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. We¡¯ll see what the doctor sayster. Here, eat more.¡± He was not impatient at all as he picked up a small pastry and put it into her mouth.

    He could just let Aunt Wange over to handle this and take care of her, yet he wanted to do it all himself, just like when she had given birth to their son. He had taken care of her himself. It would be a lie if she said she was not touched.

    At such times, whenever she saw him around, she would not be afraid and would feel at ease. The feeling of security that he gave her was something no one could rece.

    ¡°I used to be more afraid of getting sick and being hospitalized because I¡¯d have to stay all alone in the empty and scary ward. When night falls, it can be quite scary. I wouldn¡¯t dare turn off the lights to sleep at night either. I remember a few years ago when I was hospitalized because I had an inmmation of the windpipe. When I talked to Su Nan on the phone and said I was a little scared, at midnight, a travel-worn Su Nan had toe all the way from City C.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye recalled this, a smile shed on her face.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could be so timid.¡± He chuckled.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad. I used to be a little afraid, but I haven¡¯t been as scared in recent years. As with everything, you just have to get used to it.¡±

    He nodded in agreement. ¡°Mmm, many things take time for it to change. In the process of experiencing it, you¡¯ll get used to certain things.¡±

    ¡°I still remember the first time we met and those words you advised me with, Mr. Mu. I really hope you can be as optimistic as when you advised me. That way, I¡¯ll admire you even more.¡±

    When he heard her, he obviously understood what she meant. He just paused and then did not say anything afterward.

    Upon seeing him stay silent, she gently reached out with her long fingers to touch his brows. ¡°Don¡¯t frown now. Just forget those words that don¡¯t sound good, alright?¡±

 Chapter 978 - I Will Always Be By Your Side (2)

    <h4>Chapter 978: I Will Always Be By Your Side (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he felt her cool touch, he reached out to gently hold her wrist as her profound gaze met his clear eyes. Moments after that, he smiled dly. ¡°Mmm, alright. I¡¯m not as weak as you think. All you need to do is trust me.¡±

    She shot him a nce and said a little innocently, ¡°It just looks like you¡¯ve got a lot on your mind, so I¡¯m a little worried.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯ve been too many things happening recently. I haven¡¯t been able to sort much out, but don¡¯t worry. After these two days, when you¡¯re discharged, I¡¯ll be fine to stay home with you and have some idle days together. Why? Have you suddenly had a conscience now and know how to pity me?¡± he teased as his eyes glimmered with joyous light.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you. I¡¯m worried about the ghost.¡± She could not help but roll her eyes while her rose-pink lips pursed slightly before allowing a smile.

    ¡°Then, I must be that ghost.¡± He happily went along with her words.

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t tease you anymore. You¡¯ve got to remember that no matter what, I¡¯ll always be behind you. Turn around and you¡¯ll see me. That¡¯s all,¡± she consoled. Then, she reached out with her bandaged hand to touch his eyes while he stared at her with a deep gaze before closing his eyes.

    ...

    He was getting discharged today, and because of Qi Lei¡¯s wordsst night, Qi Qiming practically could not sleep for the entire night. It was only close to dawn that he fell asleep. Early in the morning, once he sensed movement outside, he woke up, and it was much earlier than his usual rising time too. When Qi Lei came over, it was daybreak. However, Qi Qiming was already sitting on the sofa in his ward, clearly waiting for him.

    ¡°Guard the door and don¡¯t let anyonee in,¡± Qi Lei ordered the two bodyguards. Yang Sheng was there too. The few of them nodded, then Qi Lei walked in assured. He turned around and closed the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    Qi Qiming, who was sitting on the sofa and having his morning tea, had a veryplicated gaze when he saw Qi Lei. He did not know why, but for some reason, his tensed heart unexpectedly rxed for a moment.

    How should he put it? Actually, he was a little worried that Qi Lei would note! In fact, earlier he dreamt of Wang Qin and Qi Lei again.

    These dreams seemed to make his spirit a little weak. He could not help but think that somehow, Wang Qin was torturing him.

    ¡°Have a seat!¡± Qi Qiming pointed at the sofa across him. He took a clean cup and poured a fresh cup of tea before putting it on the table before the sofa.

    Qi Lei looked at Qi Qiming through squinted eyes, then slowly walked over before sitting down quietly. He picked up the tea and drank two sips. He tossed the folder in his hand towards Qi Qiming.

    ¡°Take a look. If you¡¯re okay with it, then sign it. I¡¯ll bring it to get notarized in the afternoon,¡± Qi Lei said in a lukewarm manner.

    Qi Qiming looked at him in a peculiar manner before quickly picking up the folder and taking out the document. After skimming through it briefly, he picked up the pen and swiftly signed thest page.

    Upon seeing him do this without fooling around, Qi Lei gaped at him in surprise. ¡°How efficient. Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll y some dirty tricks?¡±

    Qi Qiming closed the document and looked at him, unaffected. ¡°I know very well how you are. You¡¯re just like your mother. You won¡¯t resort to such tricks.¡±

    His tone was filled with certainty. That voice and manner sounded a little ridiculous to Qi Lei whoughed grimly, then responded, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t make yourself sound like you understand me and Mother so well. It¡¯s hard to tell that I¡¯m not a despicable and vile person. Otherwise, why would I be doing this deal with you? Still, you¡¯re here shedding crocodile tears and putting on a show.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei, you still care about me as your father, don¡¯t you? Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t havee.¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes suddenly became sharp as he fixed his stare on Qi Lei.

    When Qi Lei heard that, he immediately sneered in disdain, ¡°You can think whatever you want. I¡¯m just here to make sure my mother¡¯s hard work doesn¡¯t get lost irrevocably. Actually, I don¡¯t quite understand how many of your women outside canpare to my mother? Someone like you loves to do such bastardly things, yet my mother and I have never interfered in any of it. I even told her to get a divorce from you before...¡±

    When Qi Lei said that, Qi Qiming immediately asked, ¡°What did she say?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled mockingly and said, ¡°What else could she say? She wasn¡¯t willing to get a divorce. Of course, it wasn¡¯t because of you. It was to get what should belong to me.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression dimmed and his gaze went icy for a moment. He silently picked up the tea before him and stared gloomily at the cup.

    Qi Lei ignored him as he kept the document back into its folder and put it aside.

    ¡°Come to the office for a meeting tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll handle this matter personally. You don¡¯t have to be too worried. If you dare pull any dirty tricks, then you¡¯d be underestimating me. Also, you¡¯d better not get too close to Mu Yuchen. Ah Feng¡¯s your brother. The two of you have the same blood in you, and you should know about his grudge with Mu Yuchen very well. How can you help outsiders if you won¡¯t even help your own? What benefits did he offer you?¡± When Qi Qiming spoke, his tone became a little serious towards the end.

    Qi Lei did not refute either. An intense light just shone in his eyes, but Qi Qiming¡¯s keen eye caught that. His expression darkened, then he continued, ¡°I know that you and Mother have always been prejudiced against Ah Feng, but he¡¯s lost his mother since he was young. Your mother was biased against me and has always been cold to Ah Feng, yet he still respected her as his own mother. You¡¯re brothers. You should be getting along harmoniously...¡±

    Qi Qiming nagged him a bit and went on with all the good things about Qi Feng. He kept going back and forth about how it was him and Wang Qin who were basically wrong. Qi Lei scowled on the inside as he listened, pretending like he had not heard anything as he drank his tea quietly.

    Towards the end, Qi Qiming could tell that Qi Lei was absent-minded, so he stopped.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just leave these words for you to mull over yourself. There¡¯s no brotherhood between him and I. He¡¯s a good person while I¡¯m a hedonistic son of rich parents, so why would he be associating himself with someone like me?¡± Qi Lei concluded.

    Qi Qiming wanted to say something else, yet there was a knock from the outside that interrupted him. Yang Sheng¡¯s voice was heard saying, ¡°CEO Qi, Master Qi, the doctor¡¯s here. He says that CEO Qi should go for a check-up now!¡±

    Then, Qi Lei got up and walked over to open the door and hand the folder to Yang Sheng who instinctively kept it away.

 Chapter 979 - Promise

    <h4>Chapter 979: Promise</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Morning arrived.

    The doctor left after reapplying the ointment on Xi Xiaye¡¯s wound. Xi Xiaye justy down on the bed and watched the TV as Mu Yuchen went through some documents on the sofa. The coffee table before him was filled with papers, and he was typing away swiftly on hisputer.

    As Mu Yuchen was focusing on work, Li Si¡¯s voice reached him. ¡°Master, Qi Feng called and specifically asked for you!¡±

    Qi Feng?

    He stopped his movements for a moment when he heard that name. The blue light from theputer screen reflected onto his face,plimenting his already icy expression.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen calmly took the phone from Li Si. He nced over at his wife on the bed. Although he noticed she seemed sleepy, he still decided to go outside.

    He only spoke when he reached at the end of the corridor, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    A cold, hoarse voice reached him soon after that, ¡°Mu Yuchen, it¡¯s you. Your voice sure sounds nostalgic!¡± The man on the other side of the phone let out a coldugh. Mu Yuchen could sense the icy cold vibes even through the phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know who I am, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor for you to remember me, First Master Qi,¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly.

    ¡°I knew you know that I¡¯m back. We will meet eventually anyway.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s voice was exceptionally hoarse. ¡°I suppose you¡¯d love to see me right now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply.

    ¡°9 a.m. this weekend. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at Mu Lingtian¡¯s grave.¡±

    Qi Feng ended the call after that.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned stony for a while after the phone call ended. He then put on a terrifying smile.

    At the same time, in the backyard of the Qi residence, Qi Feng¡¯s expression was distant as he threw the phone away. Dark, cold energy gathered in his eyes as he lowered his head and looked at his legs while he clenched his fists.

    Morrison stood behind him without saying anything.

    Qi Feng closed his eyes. Morrison trembled slightly when he saw Qi Feng getting worked up in anger. He opened his eyes after a while and punched his legs viciously. His eyes darkened when he still could not feel anything in his legs.

    ¡°First Master, let¡¯s try traditional Chinese medicine.¡±

    Morrison¡¯s jaw was still bruised. His broken tooth had already been reced, but he frowned when he spoke as he still felt the twinge of pain. Qi Lei had really roughed him up!

    ¡°It¡¯s no use. All the doctors said it¡¯s futile. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be like this for the rest of my life,¡± Qi Feng said with disappointment.

    ¡°Trying gives you hope. We don¡¯t lose anything. If you¡¯re willing to try, then I¡¯ll send someone to scout for the best,¡± Morrison said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. What¡¯s the time now?¡± Qi Feng asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost 9 a.m. CEO Qi is still having his check-up in the hospital. By the way, First Master, our people at the hospital informed me that Qi Lei visited early in the morning. He was in CEO Qi¡¯s room for quite a while. Doesn¡¯t Qi Lei hate dealing with CEO Qi? Did he suddenly think it through?¡± Morrison was puzzled.

    Qi Feng was surprised to hear that but said nothing.

    ¡°By the way, First Master, you did mention that CEO Qi was acting differently. He should be sending Qi Lei away as soon as possible, but why did he not give such orders? Thepany seems a little conflicted because of the project at City B. Wang Qin¡¯s former subordinates had nothing to say. Qi Lei has really hit rock bottom this time, so we should seize the opportunity and give him a huge blow so that he can never make aeback! Maybe if you suggest it to CEO Qi personally, he might ept it,¡± Morrison suggested, ¡°Even if there are any rumors, we can just me it on the other stakeholders! Or else, things might be disadvantageous for us if CEO Qi bes considerate towards Qi Lei!¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Let¡¯s not make any rash moves for now. I can¡¯t really grasp what Father has been thinkingtely. We need to back off and observe. Let¡¯s see what happens at the end of the meeting tomorrow. No matter what, there¡¯s been a huge gap between them after Wang Qin¡¯s death. I understand Qi Lei very well. It¡¯s exactly at times like this that he feels like he¡¯s suffering. He¡¯s actually a soft-hearted person. He wouldn¡¯t be like this today if he was more like Wang Qin.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now. The time should be right and the reporters should¡¯ve caught on to the news already.¡± Qi Feng did not say anything else as Morrison quietly pushed him forward.

    Qi Qiming was discharged at 10 a.m. The entrance of the hospital was filled with reporters when Qi Lei wheeled Qi Qiming out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Qi Kai started out as apany in the entertainment industry, and their influence should not be underestimated as they were one of the industry¡¯s top leaders.

    The bodyguards held umbres behind as Qi Lei continued to wheel Qi Qiming forward. Although it was already July, the sun still emanated its heat generously, so it was extremely hot even though it was only 10 a.m.

    The father-son pair seemed to be getting along, contradicting the rumors that they had fought over something trivial that ended up with Qi Qiming in the hospital. They looked like they were having a great time. It was a rare sight to see a smile on Qi Qiming¡¯s face, especially one that looked so genuine.

    Even Gu Lingsha was in disbelief! She rarely saw Qi Qiming smile this happily, especially ever since Wang Qin passed away!

 Chapter 980 - Pregnant (1)

    <h4>Chapter 980: Pregnant (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng sat in the car and watched this scene from afar. His eyes dimmed slightly before swiftly returning to normal.

    ¡°Morrison, go check on what¡¯s happening between my father and Qi Lei.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s instincts were telling him that this scene looked a little odd. The other day at the Grand Lakes Vi area in Qi Lei¡¯s house, the way Qi Lei had bitterly detested the Qi family did not seem like something he could have faked, so why would hepromise with Qi Qiming now? What had Qi Lei said to Qi Qiming this morning?

    Morrison¡¯s expression was grim the moment Qi Feng¡¯s voice fell and he immediately nodded. ¡°Understood!¡±

    The reporters and media cameras kept on taking pictures of Qi Qiming as they all swarmed up and wanted to ask about the rumors, but they were blocked off by the bodyguards. Gu Lingsha smiled wryly and went up to them, handing a bouquet to Qi Qiming.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, congrattions on getting discharged. Ah Feng¡¯s in the car. He was worried that it wouldn¡¯t be convenient.¡±

    Qi Qiming nodded dly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get home first.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the food¡¯s been prepared at home. Let¡¯s head back.¡±

    All of them swiftly got into the car. Qi Lei personally helped Qi Qiming from his wheelchair, and carefully assisted him to get seated in the car. You could not even tell that the two of them were acting.

    The line of cars left the hospital quietly. The swarming reporters wanted to get a little more scoop, but it looked like they had no choice except to leave.

    At this moment, inside the ck Phaeton that was parked by the roadside not too far away, Mu Yuchen was seated in the back seat as he watched this scene calmly.

    ¡°Master, Qi Feng was in that car earlier. I heard that Qi Qiming¡¯s nning on holding a high-level meeting at Qi Kai tomorrow. It¡¯s probably to discuss on ways to resolve this crisis. From the way Qi Qiming appeared, he didn¡¯t seem too worried. Perhaps he has a way of resolving the crisis this time just with the father and son reconciling with each other. Qi Kai¡¯s shares seem to be a little...¡± Li Si rambled.

    ¡°He obviously has a n. It¡¯s actually very simple. As long as the Qis and the Gus are connected by marriage, all the problems will be easily solved. Don¡¯t underestimate the Gu family. There is Doris right there. Even Gu Qiwu is wary against the woman.¡±

    The one who had spoken was Ah Mo who had just rushed back from City B that morning and gone straight to the hospital as soon as hended.

    Upon hearing that, Li Si¡¯s expression shifted. He instantly said, ¡°But those aristocrats wouldn¡¯t have that much power, would they?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see, but I did manage to find out some things. I heard that Doris doesn¡¯t seem too happy about Qi Weier. Maybe she finds her troublesome. Because of this, Doris had a fight with Gu Lingsha before. Even up till recent times, the mother and daughter are still on bad terms. In fact, before the child was born, knowing what could happen if she gave birth to her, Gu Qiwu once asked Gu Lingsha to abort the child, but Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha objected strongly, so...¡± Ah Mo briefly exined all that he knew about the situation to Mu Yuchen and Li Si.

    ¡°Because of Qi Weier, they¡¯re on bad terms? Doris is still quite happy with Qi Feng, isn¡¯t she? Master, I remember that back then, Doris seemed quite happy with you being her son-inw, and she was not quite agreeable to Gu Lingsha being with Qi Feng. Now that Qi Feng¡¯s legs are crippled, would Doris agree to their marriage?¡± Li Si asked, puzzled.

    When Li Si brought this up, Ah Mo paused, then said, ¡°We can¡¯t say for sure. After all, they do have a daughter. If Qi Feng can take over Qi Kai, I think Doris wouldn¡¯t object. In fact, Gu Lingsha was loyal to Qi Feng. Despite being crippled, she could stay by his side all these years. Just this fact alone does make me quite admire her.¡±

    There was no ill intention in Ah Mo¡¯s tone, and Li Si suddenly did not quite know what to say.

    ¡°Drive,¡± said Mu Yuchen, who had been quiet all the while. Then, he averted his gaze to continue flipping through the magazine on hisp.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Ah Mo responded and hastily started the car.

    When the car drove into Glory World, it was already past 11 a.m. Mu Yuchen had to make his way to Car City for a meeting on some chain stores with a partner, so he had gone over to prepare some materials. Just as he reached his office, he saw his father, Mu Tangchuan!

    ¡°Father? Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was clearly surprised. Although Mu Tangchuan held a high position, he was usually very low-profile and cautious, and he rarely appeared in public like this. Usually, he would just go to his office, so outsiders rarely saw such a scene where both father and son were together.

    When Mu Tangchuan saw Mu Yuchen, there was a loving warmth in his eyes. ¡°I came over for an inspection. Coincidentally, I was passing by, so I came up to take a look. Have you had lunch?¡±

    Mu Yuchen recalled that it was past 11a.m. now, so he said, ¡°Not yet, but since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s have lunch together then.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nodded and said happily, ¡°Let¡¯s go then. We¡¯ll chat as we walk.¡±

    The father and son walking together obviously attracted much attention. Mu Tangchuan maintained himself rather well. He appeared energetic and did not seem old. Furthermore, that face of his was simr to Mu Yuchen¡¯s, making people think they were brothers. When they asked about, they were astonished to find out that he was Chairman Mu¡¯s father. Was he not the one in the provincial office?

    The father and son went to the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern where Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had met the first time. It was also a ce that Mu Tangchuan frequented.

    The father and son sat across each other. Mu Tangchuan watched as his son elegantly poured them drinks as hemented, ¡°The two of us haven¡¯t sat down for a good meal alone in a while now, have we?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen paused. After a while, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while with Mother too. The two of you are usually quite busy with work. Sometimes, these things get neglected,¡± he said as he handed Mu Tangchuan the drink.

    Mu Tangchuan asked warmly, ¡°How¡¯s Xiaye? Your mother said she¡¯ll go visit at noon. Why didn¡¯t you tell the family sooner? Qi Feng¡¯s bing more and more reckless. You should be more careful yourself.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. The doctor said this morning that she can go home tomorrow. She¡¯ll rest for a few more days at home. The wound¡¯s not too severe, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly, but Mu Tangchuan easily caught a hint of mixed emotions in his eyes.

 Chapter 981 - Pregnant (2)

    <h4>Chapter 981: Pregnant (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Is there some kind of issue?¡± Mu Tangchuan sipped his drink and asked.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and emptied his cup. ¡°It¡¯s still alright. It¡¯s only about either Xiaye or Lingshi. I¡¯m worried that Gu Qiwu will reach out to them someday.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯lle eventually and we have no control over it. We should probably stop talking about these miserable topics since we don¡¯t usually have a meal together. Drink up!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan did not want to talk about these afflicted events, so he quickly changed the topic when he noticed that Mu Yuchen did not seem very happy.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Alright, we won¡¯t talk about it then.¡±

    They then drank a little and enjoyed their meal quietly.

    The father-son duo took a stroll on the streets after lunch. They walked past a row of trees when Mu Tangchuan suddenly said, ¡°Ah Chen, it¡¯s really fine that you tried your best. There will be things in life that you won¡¯t be able to control. Just do your best and have no regrets. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father, I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Mu Yuchen said humbly.

    ¡°I¡¯m really not sure if I should be relieved or worried about you.¡±

    ¡°Just focus on Mother. Your son has already grown up and there¡¯s no need for you to worry. I might not have understood how you feel before, but after being a father of two sons, I now understand that the love and care from both you and Mother came from here, and that¡¯s more than enough for me.¡± Mu Yuchen pointed at his chest.

    Mu Tangchuan was d. ¡°It¡¯s great that you understand. You seem pretty tired recently. Take a break and rx. Alright, it¡¯s time for me to head back. I have a meeting to rush toter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he stopped and waved for Mu Tangchuan¡¯s car to quicklye over. Then, he opened the door for Mu Tangchuan respectfully.

    ¡°Come home with your wife if you have the time. It feels a little lonely at home without your grandparents around,¡± Mu Tangchuan said before getting into the car.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Noted!¡±

    ...

    In the hospital, Xi Xiaye, who was going through some documents, never expected Zhuang Shurong and Mu Lingshi to visit her at the same time.

    ¡°Mother, you¡¯re already busy enough at work. Why did you take the time toe here? The doctor said I¡¯m fine and I can go home tomorrow. It¡¯s really troublesome toe over,¡± said Xi Xiaye as she sat on her bed while Zhuang Shurong got her a ss of water.

    ¡°I freed up some timetely. Hiding such a severe injury from us isn¡¯t a good idea. Let¡¯s hope that there¡¯ll be no scars. Ah Mo briefly told me what happened. Qi Feng is a really cruel person. The two of you need to be careful from now on. Remember to have the bodyguards around whenever you head out,¡± Zhuang Shurong reminded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. This is just an ident. We¡¯ll be more careful in the future. By the way, Ah Shi, how¡¯s work? Are you getting used to it?¡± Xi Xiaye did not want to continue the topic. She knew that Mu Yuchen had some ns and did not want to interfere since she believed in him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sister-inw. I¡¯m getting used to it, and¡ª¡±

    As Mu Lingshi was about to eat some snacks, she suddenly felt an urge to vomit when the snack was right beside her mouth. She quickly grabbed the litter bin and started to puke.

    Xi Xiaye and Zhuang Shurong looked at her oddly, clearly worried. ¡°Ah Shi, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression seemed pale. She grabbed some tissues to clean her mouth after her retching. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I¡¯ve been feeling like this since this morning. I think I might¡¯ve eaten something bad.¡±

    ¡°This morning?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Zhuang Shurong and noticed the light that swiftly shed in her eyes. They were probably thinking about the same thing. She smiled mischievously. ¡°It seems like we¡¯re going to have good news soon. Mother, maybe you should bring Lingshi to get a check-up at the gynecology department.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was experienced, and she instantly remembered the joyful period of time when she was pregnant with Mu Xiaocheng.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s about time. Your grandparents have been looking forward to it.¡±

    Mu Lingshi seemed to have noticed something when she heard their conversation, so she quickly covered her t stomach.

    ¡°Mother, Sister-inw, are you¡¯re saying that I...?¡± Mu Lingshi was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Go and get a check-up right now. I¡¯m pretty much certain that¡¯s the case. I had simr reactions as you when I was pregnant with Xiao Cheng too. Mother, could you go with Ah Shi?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled.

    Zhuang Shurong stood up and walked towards Mu Lingshi. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It should be good news!¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Mu Lingshi found it difficult to believe.

    Was she really pregnant with Ah Mo¡¯s child? That was fast!

    ¡°We will find out after a check-up. It¡¯s been a long time since you got together with Ah Mo, and we¡¯ve been looking forward to this!¡± Zhuang Shurong¡¯s expression softened. It seemed like she was relieved.

    If Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo really had a child together, it would be another new addition to their family, and this was extremely important to both of them.

    ¡°Go and get a check-up. It won¡¯t take long!¡± Xi Xiaye urged Mu Lingshi as she seemed hesitant.

    ¡°Oh, okay, Mother...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you! Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhuang Shurong grinned as she held Mu Lingshi. She turned over and looked at Xi Xiaye. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded with a smile. ¡°Sure, quickly go now!¡±

    The two of them left Xi Xiaye¡¯s room. Xi Xiaye let out a sigh of relief after they left. Hopefully, things would stay like this. Simple peace could be happiness on its own.

 Chapter 982 - Pregnant (3)

    <h4>Chapter 982: Pregnant (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi got the confirmation in a short while.

    She was one-month pregnant!

    The entire Mu family was overjoyed when the news reached them. Even Ah Mo, who was usually calm and collected, could not help but hold Mu Lingshi up happily. He could not even find the words to describe his feelings.

    The Mu family had a feast that night to celebrate. Everyone gathered around and shared the joy together.

    However, Xi Xiaye was absent because she was still in the hospital. Moreover, her wounds had not healed, so she would not be able to eat the feast prepared anyway. The only thing she could do was to ask her man to congratte them for her.

    When the evening arrived, the golden rays of sunset covered the horizon. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

    Xi Xiaye sat on the rattan chair beside the window as she looked at the beautiful sky with a peaceful expression on her face. After some time, she fell asleep while enjoying the view.

    However, she suddenly felt a warm feeling on her when she was asleep. She opened her eyes and noticed Mu Zirui putting a nket on her.

    ¡°Xiao Rui? Why are you here?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Zirui in shock.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Mu Zirui blinked his eyes and looked at Xi Xiaye straight in the eye. He let go of his school bag. ¡°I called Uncle Mo and he told me that you¡¯re sick, so I begged him for a long time for him to tell me that you¡¯re here! I missed you!¡±

    ¡°You came here alone?¡± Xi Xiaye widened her eyes as she sat up and asked Mu Zirui.

    Mu Zirui nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable! City Z is not that safe of a city. How could you just wander around on your own? Didn¡¯t we tell you to head back home right after school? What if bad people caught you? Do you know what the bad people do to the children they kidnap? They cut you open and take away your organs and your eyes as well. Do you understand?¡± Xi Xiaye put on a serious expression as she gave Mu Zirui a good scolding.

    Xi Xiaye was a little paranoid after watching some news about children being abductedtely. Mu Zirui was still young after all!

    ¡°I won¡¯t get lost, Mother. I recognize the streets. I won¡¯t get lost as long as I reach the train stations...¡± Mu Zirui lowered his head in guilt as he exined himself. He raised his head and looked at the angry Xi Xiaye. ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry at me. I won¡¯t do it anymore!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let your father take care of you if you dare to try anything funny again! Do you hear me?¡± Xi Xiaye stared into Mu Zirui¡¯s eyes, and he quickly nodded.

    ¡°I understand, Mother!¡± Mu Zirui replied quietly. He put his bag onto the sofa and went to get Xi Xiaye a ss of water. ¡°Here¡¯s some water, Mother.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can have it. Use that towel to dry your hair. You might get the flu with all that sweat on you.¡± Xi Xiaye pointed at the neatly folded towel on the cupboard beside her.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Mu Zirui walked over. ¡°Mother, do you remember the little girl fromst time? She¡¯s in the same ss as me. I didn¡¯t expect her to be five already. She¡¯s even several months older than me!¡±

    Little girl?

    Xi Xiaye instantly remembered the little girl that Mu Zirui bumped into at the entrance of the school the other day!

    Qi Weier!

    Gu Lingsha was telling the truth then. That girl did seem pretty frail with her pale expression and her weak demeanor.

    Xi Xiaye was getting curious, so she asked Mu Zirui, ¡°Did she talk to you?¡±

    Mu Zirui dried his hair with the towel as he replied, ¡°Mmm, we spoke. She doesn¡¯t look like she likes to talk. She¡¯s been in our ss for a few days, and she didn¡¯t say a word aside from several sentences to me.¡±

    ¡°What did she say to you?¡± Xi Xiaye asked gently as she extended her arms towards Mu Zirui, so he walked closer to her.

    ¡°She said she wants to sit beside me, but I don¡¯t like to sit beside anyone, so I declined and changed seats with her. I sit in thest row now,¡± Mu Zirui answered.

    Xi Xiaye nodded.

    ¡°Mother, for the parent-teacher meeting on the 10th, are youing or is Father going toe?¡± Mu Zirui asked.

    ¡°Ask your father to go. I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t have recovered by then.¡±

    ¡°Are you in pain?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll heal real soon. I can go home tomorrow...Alright, take a break now and get started on your homework. I¡¯ll check on it since it¡¯s been quite a few days since Ist checked your homework. Your father will being hereter and he¡¯ll arrange a car to send you back.¡±

    ...

    When Mu Yuchen entered the room, he saw the scene of the mother and son having fun while talking to each other with numerous exercise books left open on the coffee table.

    ¡°What does this mean?¡± Mu Zirui pointed at a word on the textbook and asked Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye looked away from the exercise book and looked at the word Mu Zirui was pointing at. ¡°Twilight years. It¡¯s used to describe thest years of a human.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother are in their twilight years. Then, what about Grandfather and Grandmother?¡±

    ¡°This phrase is more suitable for people who are much older. Your grandfather and grandmother are still pretty young. The phrase is mostly for people at an extremely old age. You should take note of that. Languages have evolved over the years. In ancient times, we used to use a twelve-hour time system and have a specific name for each of them, but we¡¯re using numbers now...You need to be flexible when ites to absorbing knowledge. The information in the books are limited, and there¡¯s a limit to how much your teacher can pass on to you. You need to have a flexible mind. Do you understand?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye taught Mu Zirui patiently, he nodded. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and gently tapped Mu Zirui¡¯s head with her finger. ¡°Your father and I will be proud of you as long as you be a positive and kind person!¡±

 Chapter 983 - Outcome (1)

    <h4>Chapter 983: Oue (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen did not go in right away. Instead, he stood at the door silently and listened to the mother and son talk on and on. Only when it was getting dark outside did he gently knock on the door, and the sound obviously startled the two of them as they quickly looked towards the door.

    ¡°Father!¡± Mu Zirui called out.

    Xi Xiaye watched the tall figure walk through the door and smiled dly. ¡°I was just about to call and ask when you wereing over. It¡¯s gettingte and Xiao Rui¡¯s almost done with his homework. Arrange for a car to send him back to the Shen residence or Grandpa will get worried soon.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. He then told Li Si to send Mu Zirui home.

    ¡°If Xiao Rui continues to be the way he is right now, he¡¯s sure to do great in the future!¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly said, ¡°I hope that Mu Xiaocheng will also be as smart when he grows up. That way, we don¡¯t have to be too worried.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way our son could be a little fool. The little guy looked like he wanted to stand up recently, but he fell quite a few times. His legs are still weak.¡±

    When Mu Xiaocheng was mentioned, Mu Yuchen could not help but smile. His son was bing cuter and cuter.

    ¡°Mmm, the little guy only eats and sleeps. He just needs to grow more sturdily and he¡¯ll be quick on his feet. He can walk soon after he can stand. It¡¯s almost six months now. I remember your mother told me before that you could walk at seven months, and at nine months, you could call ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯. Our son won¡¯t do worse than you, I suppose?

    ¡°As great as he could be, experience counts. Okay, I know you miss your son. You¡¯ll see him when you get home tomorrow. The doctor¡¯s going toeter to change your dressing for you. We¡¯ll see how your injury¡¯s like then. Let me help you outside for a walk while there¡¯s still a bit of sunset.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then nodded, and got up obediently.

    The next morning, at the upper management meeting room in Qi Kai Corporation, everyone did not expect Qi Qiming to be there while he was still sick. In fact, not only did he not demote Qi Lei¡¯s position, but he was even a loving father to his son. He unleashed his temper on everyone as if he was protective over his son, scolding them all until they dared not refute.

    ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll all show me a little bit more results and solutions, and not push all the me of the scandals onto one person. It¡¯s clearly a scheme by our opponents. Every one of you here takes home hundreds of thousands in sry. Qi Kai¡¯s not here to pay useless fools! If you¡¯re in an important position, then show your capabilities! It¡¯s been so many days since the incident. Our share price keeps dropping, yet none of you cane up with a substantial way to fix this. Are you all useless? Huh? If anyone is unable to step up into their positions, then let me know quickly and get lost pronto!¡±

    Qi Qiming imposing manner did not diminish. When he went all out, he could really make everyone scared witless and as mute as a mouse!

    While Yue Hai and Xi Xinyi remain perplexed, by the looks of it, Qi Qiming was quite protective over Qi Lei. The father and son¡¯s rtionship was like water and fire before this. What could have made them change so drastically?

    In fact, Yue Hai did not forget that just two days ago, Qi Feng¡¯s trusted aide, Morrison, had met him to talk. From what he had said, Yue Hai could not guess Qi Feng¡¯s trust intentions. All of this made him find it all very weird as he kept feeling like Qi Feng was hiding something.

    When Qi Qiming finished, after a short silence, someone raised their uncertainty, ¡°But, CEO Qi, Second Master Qi ended the deal with City B because of this incident. Previously, Second Master guaranteed that he¡¯d be able to get it, and now this project has fallen through. If Second Master Qi won¡¯t offer us an exnation, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be hard to convince everyone!¡±

    Qi Lei, who had not spoken up, subconsciously looked to the source of the voice when he heard this. Quickly, he found the person who had expressed his doubt.

    It was Qi Feng¡¯s former trusted aide, a project manager in Qi Kai, who had many huge projects on hand. He also had a close rtionship with Qi Qiming. Qi Lei was used to being troubled by such people.

    When Manager Xu said that, most people nodded in agreement as they all locked their gazes on Qi Lei.

    Standing behind him, Yang Sheng could not help but be worried. He quickly pulled Qi Lei aside and asked a little worriedly, ¡°What should we do, Master Qi? They¡¯re clearly prepared to make things hard for you.¡±

    You could not see any expression from Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face, but in his heart, he had already cursed Mu Yuchen a thousand and one times.

    <i>Bloody hell, Mu Yuchen! Don¡¯t you dare screw up at such a crucial time. Why aren¡¯t you here yet?</i><i>I¡¯ll hold out for another 10 seconds. If this bastard dares to screw me over, I¡¯ll peel all his skin off!</i>

    ...

    He cursed on the inside for quite a while, and the other people¡¯s gazes became sharper now. They all had a cold light of doubt in their eyes.

    While Qi Lei remained calm on the surface, his hand that hid underneath the table was already reaching into his pocket. He took out his phone and quickly sent Mu Yuchen a message: ¡®Why isn¡¯t there any news from your end yet? If you dare to screw me over, you¡¯re dead!¡¯

    He had just sent this message when there was the sound of footsteps from outside! There was a knock on the door, and then the bodyguards in ck pushed the door open.

    ¡°CEO Qi, CEO Li¡¯s reps from Li Corporation of City B and Mr. Stephen¡¯s assistant are here. They¡¯d like to discuss the project that you¡¯ve previously talked about signing a contract for. If there are no issues, then the contract can be signed!¡±

    When he said that, everyone was instantly stunned. They looked in disbelief towards Qi Lei. Did they hear him right?

    Had that foreign businessman decided to sign the contract with Qi Kai? Did they not say that the deal had fallen through before this? In fact, at such an unstable time in Qi Kai, that businessman¡¯s head must be short-circuited. Also, what did this have anything to do with the Li Corporation?

    In an instant, everyone started to discuss spiritedly. They gaped at Qi Lei with astonishment. Why did they feel like there was more to this?

    Even Qi Qiming was a little shocked. He exchanged a look with Gu Lingsha and looked at Qi Lei.

    When Qi Lei did not say anything, Qi Qiming had to ask, ¡°VP Qi, what is the meaning of all this?¡±

    A cold sneer just shed across Qi Lei¡¯s calm face, then he answered calmly, ¡°Were you all not denouncing me strongly earlier? There¡¯s probably nothing more for me to do here, is there? Okay, I¡¯m almost done talking now. We¡¯ll need the hard work of all you elites after this. I¡¯ll go host them, so you can all continue!¡±

    Qi Lei closed the document before him and handed it to Yang Sheng who swiftly took it and got up to keep the document into his briefcase.

 Chapter 984 - Results (2)

    <h4>Chapter 984: Results (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei swiftly stood up and left the meeting room in huge strides. He was still as unruly as before, doing things as he pleased!

    His cold figure quickly vanished out of the door. Qi Qiming¡¯s gaze subconsciously dimmed, but in the end, he reined in his disappointment as he took a deep breath and said coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s resume the meeting.¡±

    ...

    An hourter, after the meeting ended, in the backyard of the Qi residence.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve miscalcted! Qi Lei¡¯s project in City B was unexpectedly fruitful. In fact, even City B¡¯s Li Corporation is taking part in it. I think there¡¯s more to this. That foreign businessman isn¡¯t a fool either. Why would he sign a contract with Qi Lei at such a time? He wouldn¡¯t do this even if water got into his head, would he?¡± Morrison rushed over and said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Qi Feng, who was holding his cup of coffee, stopped what he was doing and stared coldly at Morisson.

    ¡°I said, that we miscalcted. Somehow, Qi Lei managed to keep that project. Even if we want to go and look for that foreign businessmanter on, we probably wouldn¡¯t get anywhere!¡± Morrison answered a little solemnly.

    Bam!

    When he heard that, a gloom shed across Qi Feng¡¯s face. He immediately threw his coffee cup and shattered it to pieces. Boiling hot coffee spilled all over the floor, even sshing onto the back of Morrison¡¯s hand. Instantly, he felt a burning pain.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. His eyes instantly seemed like it was filled with malice while he turned to look at Morrison and asked coldly, ¡°You guaranteed that there would be no errors. Is this your so-called foolproof n? This pathetic thing? I¡¯m afraid my father is seeing him in a different light now. Don¡¯t you n on giving me an exnation?¡±

    Morrison¡¯s face froze and he quickly lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I had nned it very precisely. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with that businessman. He didn¡¯t y by the rules. I¡¯ll get someone to investigate. Also, CEO Qi might also be doing it for the sake of kinship, so when ites to Qi Lei, it¡¯s best not to...¡±

    ¡°Enough! You promised me results, but now? We¡¯re suffering a double loss! Do you realize what a huge threat he is to me if we let him get back on his feet this time?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s entire face was as dark as a city crumbling under dark clouds.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I didn¡¯t expect things to progress the way it did. This should¡¯ve been foolproof!¡±

    ¡°Does it look very foolproof now? It has only made us fall into a more dangerous zone! Also, where did the Li Corporatione from? How are they involved?¡± Qi Feng said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I suspect that it¡¯s Mu Yuchen. I remember that Mu Yuchen and the Li Corporation have a pretty good rtionship. Qi Lei¡¯s now a chess piece to be used against you. It¡¯s understandable that he would introduce CEO Li to Qi Lei. In fact, when ites to showbiz in City B, the Li Corporation and Qi Kai¡¯s influence in City Z are on par!¡±

    When Morrison finished, Qi Feng¡¯s dark gaze instantly began to shift. After that, he held tightly onto the armrest on the side and said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s probably him! It must be! I just know that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back after seeing something happen to his woman. He was probably waiting for this day toe.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Master. This time, it was our neglect. Thankfully, we still have the marriage.¡±

    ¡°I underestimated him! The fact that my father left the hospital early to hold down the fort at the office already wavered our position, and with those scandals dying down, the City B project wasn¡¯t affected by this incident. For Qi Kai to recover wouldn¡¯t be a hard task. The marriage between the Qis and the Gus wouldn¡¯t have a huge effect since it didn¡¯t achieve our intended effect. But right now, this is the only way we can take.¡±

    Qi Feng could not help but feel a headache. He had spent so much effort, yet he did not take Qi Lei down. Instead, he let him get a step ahead of him. They were forced to suffer in silence. Otherwise, any odd moves would cause Qi Qiming to be suspicious, especially recently when he could not quite guess Qi Qiming¡¯s thoughts. Initially, with the way he was, he would logically just let him take charge before he returned since he had already paved this path for him. He knew that if he could use this crisis to let him build credibility in Qi Kai, then when thepany was handed to him, he would be able to manage thepany better, but now...

    Things had gone a different way...

    He thought about it for a while before analyzing, ¡°I think, my father and Qi Lei must have had some kind of agreement. Otherwise, based on my understanding of both of them, there is no reason to forgive and forget.¡±

    Morrison thought about it, then responded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get them to hurry up with the investigations. Right, Master, about the wedding, it¡¯s time to prepare soon. I¡¯ve heard from CEO Qi¡¯s secretary that CEO Qi¡¯s probably going to be meeting up with Gu Qiwu soon. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s about the marriage. Also, for Miss Lingsha¡¯s end..¡±

    ¡°I know what to do,¡± Qi Feng¡¯s eyes shifted as he answered this with a raspy voice. Hesitating for a while, he then continued, ¡°Has Gu Qiwu been staying put in City Z all this while?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s been staying in the manor in the suburbs. Master, I have the feeling that something¡¯s up with Gu Qiwu. I heard that there was a time before this when he got his subordinate, Ah Yong, to transfer some skilled people over. Do you think he¡¯s going to make a move?¡±

    Morrison was keen on observations. In fact, he was like Qi Feng. He schemed a lot and never rxed watching Gu Qiwu¡¯s every move.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng was stunned. ¡°Have you see him acting any differently recently?¡±

    Morrison frowned as he thought about it. ¡°There was nothing unusual, but I heard that he went to Imperial Sky Entertainment City alone quite a few times. He was always alone and didn¡¯t bring any subordinates at all.¡±

    ¡°Was he there to look for someone?¡±

    ¡°No, he just goes to have a few drinks before leaving. That¡¯s why O keeps feeling like something¡¯s weird, but I don¡¯t know. Maybe I¡¯m thinking too much,¡± Morrison said softly.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes dimmed as the two of them exchanged a look. Then, Qi Feng said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it first. It¡¯s actually quite easy to find out the answer. Just get someone to watch Gu Qiwu. See what he¡¯s trying to do. He¡¯s been staying in City Z, yet he hasn¡¯t made a move. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s just here for South River Project No. 2!¡±

 Chapter 985 - Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 985: Suspect</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Morrison was stunned to hear what Qi Feng said. He quickly turned to look at him.

    ¡°Not just here for South River Project No. 2? What else could it be for?¡± Morrison asked, puzzled.

    Qi Feng took the towel to wipe his hands as he smirked coldly. ¡°My instincts tell me that South River Project No. 2 is definitely not his main goal. Otherwise, think about it. From the time we got South River Project No. 2, has he proposed any new ns? South River Project No. 2 is such a huge project. You probably don¡¯t need me to remind you of how much investment it requires.¡±

    Morrison thought about it briefly, then nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s arge scale and everyone worked very hard to get this project. The Hui Gu Corporation has invested a lot too. If it weren¡¯t for the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s participation, it would¡¯ve been hard for Qi Kai alone to win the bid.¡±

    Qi Feng stopped what he was doing as he thought about it, then asked, ¡°That¡¯s right, but did you know that the person who proposed to coborate wasn¡¯t my father? It was Gu Qiwu! He hinted for my father to take up the South River Project No. 2. I admit that the development project in South River is quite attractive, many enterprises were going after it, but the fact Gu Qiwu would look all the way here makes me quite suspicious, in fact, he¡¯d delegated for Shasha to personally take on this project.¡±

    ¡°No, Master, I think this doesn¡¯t quite mean anything. Hasn¡¯t he always been wanting to pave the way for you and Miss Lingsha? Perhaps he was just doing that to make way for the two of you. I feel like we¡¯ve always been suspicious of his intentions, but we haven¡¯t seen any motives. Would this suspicion be too much of a stretch?¡± Morrison pondered, then raised his doubt.

    Still, Qi Feng only smiled coldly and the light in his eyes dimmed. ¡°Morrison, do you think that Gu Qiwu¡¯s such a simple person? After going through so much, I don¡¯t believe anyone anymore. Gu Qiwu¡¯s quite reserved with his thoughts. He¡¯s not someone I can easily pry into. One day, you¡¯ll understand. In the many things that have unfolded, we could just be chess pieces, and chess pieces use one another. No one can escape!¡±

    ¡°Chess pieces? Master, what do you mean? Do you mean our rtionship with Gu Qiwu?¡± Morrison lowered his voice to ask.

    ¡°Not just us. Mu Yuchen, Qi Lei, and more people too. There are too many conflicts between these people in which we¡¯re all tangled up, so we can only be more careful. Many things aren¡¯t as simple as they seem! Why was Gu Qiwu¡¯s reaction to the South River Project a little lukewarm, yet he stays in City Z? Don¡¯t you find that odd? Putting everything together, it makes me feel a little uneasy.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s soft raspy voice sounded solemn. ¡°Plus, this incident was unexpected, so I thought about it again. Maybe we¡¯ve been too careless or we should wait for the right time again.¡±

    ¡°Master, at this point, we don¡¯t have a choice. We can only strategize better and y it by ear. Right now, the marriage between the Qi and the Gu families must happen, especially if the rtionship between you, Miss Lingsha, and Miss Weiwei is exposed. I¡¯m worried that there¡¯ll be another storm. We might as well take this chance to settle this before everything is revealed.¡±

    When Morrison said this, Qi Feng suddenly interrupted him, ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°Master, what is it?¡± Morrison looked in shock at Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng¡¯s darkened face suddenly shed with a sinister smile and his dark eyes shot cold light out. ¡°I think I¡¯ve thought of a good way to make Mu Yuchen pay for this,¡± he said sinisterly.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Morrison raised his brows and looked eagerly at Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng sniggered, seeming quite sly and mysterious now. ¡°I¡¯m suffering from this scar at all times. Mu Yuchen should also feel how it¡¯s like. The more he doesn¡¯t want to remember some things and the more he tries to hide the scar, the more I want to expose him to it. I think many people would be very interested in that ident years ago, and what had happened then. Lingsha and I are the only ones who are clearest about that. He thinks that just because a few years have passed, people will forget everything and all the scars would have smoothened out? He¡¯s being too naive unless he loses both his legs too!¡±

    When Qi Feng said thosest few words, he gritted his teeth and the expression on his handsome face looked cold and sinister. Even Morrison could not help but tremble a little despite it being a hot afternoon.

    Morrison understood Qi Feng¡¯s hatred towards Mu Yuchen very well. Because of Mu Yuchen, not only did Qi Feng lose his legs in the ident, but he was even disfigured and lost his voice. If it were not for the fact that he had been rescued, Qi Feng might not have made it! Thankfully, he was slightly blessed that he managed to get stic surgery sessfully.

    When Qi Feng woke up, he had attempted suicide once. Morrison might not have understood that pain, but even he pitied this man¡¯s bitter experience.

    This hatred was not one that could be forgotten in time because Qi Feng, who could not walk, would only hate Mu Yuchen more and more each day. The bitterness would not reduce the slightest bit.

    Morrison thought about Qi Feng¡¯s words closely and could roughly understand what he was getting at. He quickly said, ¡°I got it, Master. I¡¯ll arrange for it as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, do it cleanly, but since it¡¯s about this, only those few people will be suspected. I¡¯m not afraid to let Mu Yuchen know that it is my doing! With his actions today, I won¡¯t just leave things at that. We¡¯ve got a long way to go! Mu Yuchen, let¡¯s y then. We¡¯ll see who will have thestugh!¡±

    As Qi Feng said this, he chuckled cruelly, then turned to Morrison. ¡°Right, you have to watch Ah Mo by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side since he¡¯s skilled. In fact, he¡¯s quite influential in the scene and is very agile. It¡¯s best not to get too close to him, or you might invite trouble. Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you about this.¡± Then, he turned his wheelchair towards the walkway.

    Morrison hesitated, but still, he dared not lower his guard. He quickly answered, ¡°Yes, Master! Understood!¡± and then followed after him.

 Chapter 986 - An Eye For An Eye (1)

    <h4>Chapter 986: An Eye For An Eye (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the morning meeting, not only was Qi Lei not punished, but he turned the situation around instead. Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude towards him was odd for many others. Watching him change from being disgusted with his behavior to being protective was shocking for many. Even Qi Qiming¡¯s subordinates were in disbelief, and no one knew what he was thinking.

    Gu Lingsha had her doubts as well, so she went to Qi Lei¡¯s office after the meeting adjourned. Qi Lei had wrapped up his discussion with the partners and was on his way to send them out. His eyes darkened when he noticed Gu Lingsha standing by his door.

    ¡°Can I go in and have a word with you?¡± Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Lei and asked.

    Qi Lei squinted his eyes at her and asked coldly, ¡°In what context?¡±

    A light shed in Gu Lingsha¡¯s beautiful eyes as she answered, ¡°As a colleague.¡±

    Qi Lei put on a cold smile and walked back into his office. Gu Lingsha looked at him with aplicated gaze. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she followed behind him and closed the door.

    Qi Lei did not take another look at her. He tossed the document he was holding onto his table as he sat down on the chair. He pinched the space between his eyebrows and said, ¡°State your business. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡±

    His cold tone held no room for a friendly chat as it was extremely business-like.

    ¡°Lei, Uncle Qi and you...¡±

    ¡°Manager Gu, is it your job to find out about other people¡¯s private life during work hours?¡± Qi Lei interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

    Qi Lei had clear boundaries. He had to admit that Gu Lingsha had given him a lot of pleasant memories during his childhood, but his patience had been running low with her as ofte, especially after she made her choice. Utterly disappointed in her, he thought that they would walk on different paths.

    ¡°No, Qi Lei, listen to me. I just find it odd that...¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you hoped? Things are great between us and our rtionship has improved significantly. Haven¡¯t you always wanted us to get along? Why do you have that expression right now? Maybe you didn¡¯t mean it, hmm?¡±

    Qi Lei used a sarcastic tone that did not sound very pleasant to Gu Lingsha¡¯s ears. She went forward and wanted to grab his arm, but he spun around and made the back of his chair face her.

    The edge of the chair bumped into Gu Lingsha¡¯s arm and she felt a painful sensation from her wound as she let out a soft cry, ¡°Ah!¡±

    Qi Lei did not look at her nheless. ¡°I¡¯m not obliged to exin it to you. Please leave if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    Gu Lingsha bit her lip as she put on a cold smile. She backed off and handed the document in her hands to Qi Lei. ¡°Glory World sent over some documents when you weren¡¯t around the past few days. If there¡¯s no problem, then you can sign them.¡±

    Qi Lei did not take them from her or turn around either.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you hated me this much, Qi Lei. Just assume that it¡¯s my fault if you think I¡¯ve done something wrong, but stop going against your family anymore! I¡¯d be really grateful if you did that.¡± She then left the documents on his table before giving him a long, hard look and leaving his office quietly.

    She bumped into Yang Sheng the moment she left Qi Lei¡¯s office. Yang Sheng was concerned as he noticed Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were red and she had a gloomy expression.

    ¡°Manager Gu, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gu Lingsha nced at him and shook her head. She walked away without saying a thing, making Yang Sheng confused. When he walked into the office, Qi Lei was watering the nts.

    ¡°Master Qi, just now Manager Gu...she seems to be crying? What happened?¡± Yang Sheng asked.

    Qi Lei paused for a little. He then resumed watering the nts and ignored Yang Sheng¡¯s question.

    Yang Sheng carefully observed him and noticed that he seemed to be unhappy. As he was about to report on the work progress, Qi Lei suddenly spoke, ¡°Yang Sheng, what do you think can totally change a person in just a few years to the point that one could forget a 20-year-old friendship?¡±

    Qi Lei looked deep into Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes when he asked the question, expecting him to give him an answer.

    Yang Sheng seemed to have understood Qi Lei. He replied, ¡°Master Qi, maybe something was always there, but it was just hidden too deep and couldn¡¯t be found. As for Manager Gu, I¡¯m not going toment on her, but you know very well that CEO Wang has always disliked her. Even though she is from a prestigious family, CEO Wang refused to ept her and I think that speaks volumes. CEO Wang would never hurt you, so following CEO Wang¡¯s words will do you no harm.

    ¡°Also, I remember that Chairman Mu¡¯s mother, Zhuang Shurong, disliked Manager Gu as well. When I investigated Chairman Mu before, I heard some rumors. Chief Zhuang visited Manager Gu before their marriage, and she was totally against their marriage. It seemed like Chief Zhuang actually sshed coffee all over Manager Gu¡¯s face, and Manager Gu has been holding a grudge against her ever since. I suppose Chief Zhuang and CEO Wang had simr thoughts.¡± Yang Sheng suddenly remembered this!

    Qi Lei frowned as he looked at him. ¡°Do you mean Zhuang Shurong as in Chief Zhuang?¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Master Qi, Chief Zhuang and CEO Wang were schoolmates before. While they weren¡¯t in the same ss, they know each other.¡±

 Chapter 987 - An Eye For An Eye (2)

    <h4>Chapter 987: An Eye For An Eye (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei frowned even harder as he looked at Yang Sheng speechlessly. He suddenly realized that he really did not know anything about his mother at all. He hardly remembered anything about her. The only thing he was sure he remembered was how she looked like.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Make it clear!¡± Qi Lei added.

    Yang Sheng nodded and continued, ¡°Master Qi, you should know that CEO Wang graduated from University A before she headed abroad to further her studies, dpn¡¯t you?¡±

    He did not! Qi Lei felt ashamed when he heard Yang Sheng¡¯s question. He had no knowledge about Wang Qin when she was younger.

    ¡°Chief Zhuang, ex-Mayor Xi, and Director Xi¡¯s mother, Teacher Shen, all of them studied in University A before. They were schoolmates with CEO Wang. While Mayor Xi and Teacher Shen hardly spoke to CEO Wang, Chief Zhuang was acquainted with CEO Wang. When I mentioned Manager Gu before, CEO Wang said she wasn¡¯t the only one who disliked her. Chief Zhuang did as well. Maybe it¡¯s because Manager Gu got together with Master Feng, Mu Lingtian, and you...¡±

    ¡°Stop, I get it now!¡± Qi Lei abruptly interrupted Yang Sheng. He understood it very well. The only person who would do him no harm in this world and truly cared about him was Wang Qin. He did not doubt Yang Sheng¡¯s words at all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention this to anyone else to avoid getting the innocent involved. I¡¯ve seen Chief Zhuang Shurong before. She¡¯s a righteous person, thus I¡¯m sure she has her reasons for doing so.¡± Qi Lei put the water spray can aside and walked towards his chair. ¡°The discussion went well. We¡¯ll be able to sign the contract next Monday and I might need to visit City B. Tomorrow and the day after will be thestrge-scale recruitment for fresh graduates, so make some preparations. I¡¯ll be there personally.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! I¡¯ll make sure to give the HR department a heads-up,¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°By the way, give Mu Yuchen a call. Tell him that I¡¯m treating him to dinner tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng then left the office room.

    At the same time, in Glory World Corporation, Mu Yuchen had just gotten out of the esctor when his secretary and Li Si came up to him.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, CEO Liu from Heng Tian wants to have a discussion with you regarding the coboration. Here¡¯s their revised proposal!¡±

    ¡°Master, Master Qi invited you to have dinner tonight. Should I ept or decline?¡±

    Qi Lei?

    Mu Yuchen took a pause as a light shed in his eyes. He took the document from his secretary and nced through it without stopping his feet as he walked towards his office. ¡°Tell him to focus on recruitment for now. I¡¯ve done what I could. His gratitude cer.¡±

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Noted, I¡¯ll let him know!¡±

    ¡°Inform Vice President Liu. Tell him to make arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen went into his office. His workload had reduced slightly and he had more free timetely. Today, he only entered the office to handle an urgent document.

    With the good news from Mu Lingshi, her newly acquired job would have to be put aside for a while. Ah Mo was spending time with her as well, and their nned honeymoon would have to be dyed. However, Su Chen and Ji Zitong had already departed for the Maldives several days ago.

    Mu Yuchen noticed that Li Si followed him into his office as he sat down.

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    Li Si coughed lightly. ¡°Master, Qi Kai¡¯s condition is stabilizing. As for Qi Feng...¡±

    ¡°What about him?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned unfriendly as a thinyer of ice formed in his eyes and his tone was icy cold as well. ¡°He¡¯s just asking for some interest.¡±

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve investigated Morrison. He¡¯s a powerful person. He¡¯s currently Qi Feng¡¯s strategist and trusted personnel. Here¡¯s his file.¡± Li Si handed a document to Mu Yuchen through which he nced before taking out a lighter and burning the document to ashes. He lowered his head and gave it some thought. ¡°Give Ah Mo a copy. Ask him to take the appropriate measures.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Master!¡± Li Si grinned. An eye for an eye, huh?

    ¡°Any news from Gu Qiwu?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s been staying in his mansion and he¡¯s hardly gone out. He¡¯s not particrly concerned about South River Project No. 2 as well. No one knows what he¡¯s thinking. By the way, Qi Qiming asked him to meet up tomorrow night beside the river near the outskirts. Should we...?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand and stopped Li Si mid-sentence. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m sure they are just discussing their children¡¯s marriage. Just wait and see. The news of the marriage between their families will surface in the papers in a few days.¡±

    ¡°But Qi Kai¡¯s crisis had already been averted...¡±

    ¡°The promotional campaign for South River Project No. 2 is still ongoing. This is a great time. If Qi Feng doesn¡¯t seize this chance and allows Qi Lei to keep growing stronger, he will be at a disadvantage. Do you think he¡¯d just sit there and wait?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    Li Si nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. Then, what can we do?¡±

    ¡°Just observe quietly. Besides, I¡¯ve sent Qi Feng a great gift. It¡¯s about time to prepare for the second one.¡±

    Mu Yuchen went silent for a moment, but Li Si was puzzled by his words.

    ¡°Second gift? You mean...¡± Li Si asked.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. Momentster, he said, ¡°Qi Feng isn¡¯t a fool. If he has been keeping an eye on Gu Qiwu, he¡¯ll be sure to find out something sooner orter. I hope his so-called protection won¡¯t bring any harm to Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. Ah Mo has found a capable bodyguard for Ms. Lingshi!¡± Li Si replied.

 Chapter 988 - An Eye For An Eye (3)

    <h4>Chapter 988: An Eye For An Eye (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he leaned against his chair. ¡°You can go and work on the tasks I¡¯ve given you for now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si quickly left Mu Yuchen alone in his huge office.

    He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Momentster, he slowly switched on his notebook and logged into his ount. The first avatar on his list was online. His hand reached into the cigarette pack in his pocket as he took a stick out and lit it up. Just as he was about to send something to his woman, a message notification from her popped up.

    He clicked on it and noticed that she sent a video of their son rolling around on the sofa. Her head popped into the screen as she gently grabbed the little baby¡¯s hand and cooed, ¡°Come here. Say ¡®Papa¡¯.¡±

    Naturally, he was still too young to speak, so he made some bubbles in his mouth and put on a cute smile. Like his mother, that smile seemed very warm to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen grinned as he turned his chair and looked outside the window. He stayed silent as the smoke rose up in the air. The lone smoke trailsplemented his lone self at the moment.

    That was the exact scene Zhou Zimo saw when he entered the office room.

    Mu Yuchen looked over to the door when he heard a sound. Zhou Zimo came in, arriving before Mu Yuchen¡¯s table and grabbing a chair for himself as he stared straight at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Zhou Zimo got himself a teacup and emptied it instantly.

    ¡°Not really happy about seeing you,¡± Mu Yuchen replied coldly.

    ¡°I can feel the joy in your eyes. Don¡¯t be shy! Alright, I¡¯m not going to waste your time. Since Su Chen isn¡¯t around and you seem free, do you want to go out and have some fun?¡±

    Zhou Zimo had a lot of free time recently. Now that Su Chen had gotten married and had gone on his honeymoon trip with Ji Zitong, he had been lonely.

    Mu Yuchen squinted at him. ¡°I bet there will be good news when Su Chen gets back. Don¡¯t you feel the urgency?¡±

    ¡°Oh man, I have to prepare gifts again!¡±

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s a great time for fishing now. We¡¯ll have dinner at your ce tonight.¡± Mu Yuchen switched off hisptop and grabbed his phone before heading out.

    ¡°Why not at your ce instead? You know that I don¡¯t have servants at home. It¡¯s always me who has to clean up after having events at my ce.¡± Zhou Zimo sounded annoyed.

    ¡°You can always find ady of the house,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ...

    An hourter, Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were sitting side by side by the riverbank in the outskirts of the north of City B with a fishing pole in front of each of them. They were reading the papers under a huge umbre.

    ¡°I feel like you¡¯ve been giving Qi Lei too much attention. You¡¯ve never been like that to me or Su Chen before. Aren¡¯t you worried that we might get jealous? Although Qi Lei is a nice guy, don¡¯t forget that you have an unhappy past with him. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I just wanted to remind you to be cautious.¡± Zhou Zimo was hesitant to speak his mind, but he still decided to voice out his worries in the end.

    Mu Yuchen paused for some time before looking at him. ¡°Zimo, you should understand that it¡¯s a gamble each time that I trust a person, but I believe in my choices.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen and I didn¡¯t want to talk about it, but we¡¯re worried that the past might repeat again,¡± Zhou Zimo said.

    Mu Yuchen averted his gaze and continued reading the papers. ¡°Then, you¡¯ll have to keep me in your prayers. I hope that I made the right choice this time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious. It¡¯s always good to be cautious. We¡¯re just worried that you might be put at a disadvantage! Damn it! I wouldn¡¯t be saying these if it weren¡¯t for your sake. You know I don¡¯t like talking about it.¡± Zhou Zimo frowned at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Zimo, I don¡¯t really want to exin too much about Qi Lei. For him to be able to maintain himself after all these years, I respect him. He¡¯s worthy of being a friend or even a brother. Both Su Chen and you grew up alongside me. You know me very well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because we know you so well that we¡¯re worried! I don¡¯t doubt his character, but I have doubts regarding his experience instead. I heard he seems to be getting along with his father now, but no one knows what¡¯s going to happen in the future. What if he bes like Lingtian one day? Moreover, Qi Qiming is still his father no matter what. Just don¡¯t forget about what happened in the past, or else, don¡¯t me Su Chen or me for taking extreme measures...¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Mu Yuchen cut off Zhou Zimo halfway, ¡°I want to take another big bet on Lingtian, just Lingtian. Comparisons can¡¯t be made. Maybe he had his reasons, but I can¡¯t let my past trauma affect my decisions. Zimo, you were once a military officer with sharp sense. Do you think Qi Lei will betray me?¡± He looked at Zhou Zimo calmly when he asked the question.

    Zhou Zimo was quiet for a long while before he shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t answer you about that. I don¡¯t know Qi Lei well enough.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to doubt him. I trust that he won¡¯t disappoint me. I know you have made a lot of advances in technical capabilities. I¡¯ve promised Qi Lei that he can use Chen Ye Movies and Television to be his stepping stone, but he¡¯s on his own when ites to taking care of the technical aspect of things. Please send him several capable personnel from yourpany to set the system up for him.¡±

 Chapter 989 - Incident (1)

    <h4>Chapter 989: Incident (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice was heard, Zhou Zimo was stunned. He looked in disbelief at Mu Yuchen. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it for nothing. It¡¯s a 40-60 divide, so it¡¯s not a loss,¡± Mu Yuchen answered nonchntly.

    Zhou Zimo picked up the water from the side and drank a few gulps before he said, ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to say to you. I really want to pry open your head and see what¡¯s inside! Forget it. I don¡¯t have manyments since things have progressed as such. You just do whatever you want. I¡¯ll discuss it with Su Chenter on. Hey, can you be sure that Qi Lei won¡¯t turn on you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Mu Yuchen responded calmly.

    ¡°Pfft! Then, why are you so calm?! You make me look like the bad guy now. Alright, don¡¯t just give me that face. I¡¯ve given him my people since you asked. Of course, I¡¯d do it, you...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better talk seriously now. If you nce over with that look again, I¡¯ll dig your eyes out!¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not stand Zhou Zimo¡¯s evil gaze, yet he liked to pull those sorts of tricks. Because of this, he always got beaten up by Su Chen, yet he just would not stop. He had held back before, but now probably because he was lonely and bored, all his old habits were out again.

    Zhou Zimo justughed out loud. ¡°I always think about the times that we brothers have gone through together. In the blink of an eye, thirty years have passed. Sometimes I feel like...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t continue. You and Su Chen...no one can rece you. Apart from being brothers, we are more like confidantes. Don¡¯t be jealous of Qi Lei. It¡¯s not a bad thing to gain another friend. You should just find yourself a woman.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not understand what Zhou Zimo meant.

    ¡°Do I look like someone petty? This fellow just gives me the feeling of a younger person surpassing the master, and I don¡¯t feel too good about that. I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll be taken advantage of!¡± Zhou Zimo did not hide his disgruntled expression as he continued, ¡°But you¡¯re right. While I can only have one woman, having a buddy or two more is a fortunate thing. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Let¡¯s talk about Lingshi instead. I heard from Ah Mo that Lingshi¡¯s pregnant!¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°Then, Gu Qiwu...¡±

    ¡°Lingshi knows everything. I think Gu Qiwu probably knows about it too. The two of them will have to meet sooner orter. Just let them be. Whatever will be, will be.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye was discharged that morning after the bandages were changed. They handled the procedures for the discharge and returned to Maple Residence.

    The wound healed rather quickly. As the wounded part was twisted on her palm, the wounds on her face had faded. It was just that one on her forehead which might leave a scar.

    Aunt Fang had already coaxed Mu Xiaocheng to sleep. Xi Xiaye sat before the study desk and carefully flipped through the documents on the table.

    They were all documents that Mu Yuchen had not had the time to browse through. Even though Xi Xiaye had left Glory World, the husband and wife would usually work together, so Xi Xiaye more or less knew about Glory World¡¯s situation. The news flowed between the two enterprises. Sometimes, she thought ofbining the twopanies into one in the future but now was not the time because Glory World¡¯s focus was not on real estate. She still needed to consider thepatibility of bothpanies.

    She took the document and carefully flipped it open. She was about to pick up a pen when she felt a pang of pain from her palm. Her fingers could not quite curl naturally. When the pain came, she could not even hold a pen properly.

    She looked helplessly at her tightly bandaged palm, then she sighed to herself and set the pen aside. She closed the document and turned to look out the window. The sun that had hung high in the sky was now setting.

    At this time of the day, she felt like going to take a look in the backyard. Mu Yuchen had previously asked someone to bring some precious flower seeds from Hond. They had been scattered for quite a while now, and she wondered if they had grown.

    She was about to get up when the phone on the table suddenly vibrated. Xi Xiaye took a look at the screen. It was unexpectedly a call from Mu Zirui¡¯s ss teacher.

    Subconsciously, she frowned and answered the call.

    ¡°Hello? Is this Mu Zirui¡¯s mother, Madam Xi?¡± A woman¡¯s voice came through very quickly.

    Xi Xiaye instantly responded, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Xi Xiaye, Mu Zirui¡¯s mother, and you...¡±

    ¡°Hi, Madam Xi, I¡¯m Mu Zirui¡¯s ss teacher, Chen Ting,¡± Teacher Chen answered.

    ¡°Hello, Teacher Chen. Do you need anything? Xiao Rui...¡± Xi Xiaye started to worry, so she hurriedly asked softly.

    ¡°Madam Xi, Mu Zirui was stung by a ho and is having an allergic reaction. He¡¯s at our school infirmary right now. The doctor¡¯s given him an injection to decrease the swelling, but he might need to rest a day or two, so...¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Xiao Rui was stung by a ho? What happened? How is he now?¡± When Xi Xiaye heard that, she immediately got up with a pale expression. Her twinkling eyes were colored with a hint of worry.

    ¡°The doctor says it¡¯s fine after the injection. He¡¯s still unconscious right now, but don¡¯t worry. The doctor says he¡¯ll wake up soon.¡±

    ¡°He still hasn¡¯t woken up yet? Why won¡¯t you send him to the hospital immediately then? What if something happens to him?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had heard that it was hard to endure a ho¡¯s sting, and if it was severe, it could even lead to being shocked to death. Panicked, she spoke worriedly as she rushed out of the study room in huge strides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam Xi. The doctor¡¯s checked on him. He said that he¡¯ll be fine, but are you free toe over now to bring him home to rest?¡± Teacher Chen asked.

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be there right away!¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and hastily answered before hanging up and rushing downstairs as she shouted for Sis Wang, ¡°Sis Wang! Sis Wang!¡±

    Sis Wang quickly came over. When she saw Xi Xiaye so panicked, she quickly asked, ¡°Missus, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you flustered?¡±

    ¡°Quick, send me to Xiao Rui¡¯s school. He¡¯s been stung by a ho and he¡¯s still unconscious now. Hurry!¡±

    When she heard that, Sis Wang dared not dy further. She quickly went to get the car keys.

    ¡°Aunt Fang, let Grandfather and Grandmother knowter. Just say that I¡¯ll be back right away!¡±

    Wang Hui and Mu Yinan had gone to the nearby supermarket to get some groceries because they wanted to cook a feast for Xi Xiaye that night, and they should be getting home soon.

 Chapter 990 - Incident (2)

    <h4>Chapter 990: Incident (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Okay, Missus! Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Before Aunt Fang finished, Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure had already vanished out of the door.

    The car sped all the way until it reached Mu Zirui¡¯s school. When they reached the school entrance, without waiting for Sis Wang to park the car, Xi Xiaye rushed down and ran straight to the school infirmary.

    The school infirmary was behind the school building. Xi Xiaye rushed through the field towards the back of the school building. At this moment, the sound of school ending was announced by a bell. All the students slowly rushed out and quickly drowned Xi Xiaye. Finally, she found the infirmary with some difficulty.

    From afar, she could see Mu Zirui¡¯s ss teacher standing by the door, but it seemed like there were other people in the infirmary. The little figure standing in front of Teacher Chen was Mu Zirui.

    Xi Xiaye quickened her steps, yet just as she walked up the stairs, she heard someoneshing out and cursing, ¡°If anything happens to Weiwei, you¡¯ll be in trouble! How are you even a teacher? You can¡¯t even take care of your own student. Don¡¯t be a teacher if you can¡¯t do it well! If anything happens to my daughter, you¡¯d better watch out!¡±

    It was a very familiar voice. Xi Xiaye immediately frowned when she heard it, and a dark cloud appeared in her mind!

    With that voice and that figure, who else could it be but Gu Lingsha?

    Her brows furrowed even deeper now!

    At this instant, Mu Zirui¡¯s young and tender voice was heard. ¡°It¡¯s not Teacher Chen¡¯s fault. She just sat under the tree and the ho came flying near by itself. I told her not to touch it, and she started running, so the ho chased after her. I told her not to follow me. She¡¯s like a piece of chewing gum sticking to me!¡±

    Mu Zirui looked a little unhappily at Qi Weier beside Gu Lingsha. Qi Weier¡¯s face was very pale at the moment, and she looked very weak as she held on tightly to Gu Lingsha¡¯s sleeves. Her eyes widened at Mu Zirui, then she looked up to Gu Lingsha with an expression that made Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart ache. She immediately scolded Mu Zirui, ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying! Where¡¯s this child from? How do your parents teach you? You¡¯re already such a bully at a young age!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t bully anyone! Don¡¯t talk about my parents like that! Qi Weier, exin it to your mother!¡±

    Mu Zirui was beginning to get frustrated. He red angrily at Qi Weier who remained quiet. While Qi Weier heard him, she only quietly hid behind Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Exin what? If you didn¡¯t touch that ho¡¯s nest, I don¡¯t think the ho would have flown out by itself! Already learning to lie at such a young age, huh? How does the school handle such students? I¡¯m so disappointed that you¡¯ll take in students like this too!¡±

    As Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Weier¡¯s pale and pitiful little face, the fury in her chest could not help but surge out.

    Qi Weier was Gu Lingsha¡¯s only child and she had poor health. Gu Lingsha doted on her a lot, not daring to let her be hurt at all. Unexpectedly, the teacher suddenly called her earlier, saying that Weiwei had been stung by a ho. Frightened out of her wits, she rushed over.

    Teacher Chen looked at Gu Lingsha with a troubled look as she said softly, ¡°Miss Gu, I believe that Zirui is a sensible child. There must be a misunderstanding. Can we wait until the situation¡¯s been cleared up before...¡±

    Of course, she knew Qi Weier¡¯s background!

    There was much to Gu Lingsha¡¯s origins. In fact, she hade under the rmendation of Qi Kai Corporation, so even the principal had reminded her to handle them carefully. Therefore, Teacher Chen dared not offend Gu Lingsha, but she was very aware of Mu Zirui¡¯s character too. He had always been a role model student when it came to studies and behavior, so...

    ¡°Enough, shut up! I don¡¯t want to discuss anything with you! Call your head of educational administration or principal over. If we don¡¯t clear the air today, I won¡¯t be kind. I have many ways of exposing your school. I demand an exnation from the school to punish this boy for recklessly ndering my daughter!¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not wait for Teacher Chen to finish before she cut her off. Qi Weier was trembling in shock right now as her hands clung Gu Lingsha¡¯s arm and she stuck close to her mother who obviously felt pained at this sight.

    As Gu Lingsha spoke, she lowered herself and pulled Qi Weier into her arms, protective over her, as she consoled her softly, ¡°Weiwei, don¡¯t be scared! Don¡¯t be! Mother will help you chase away all these bad people! Don¡¯t be afraid. Mother will protect you! Don¡¯t be afraid or nervous. Be mindful of your health, okay?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t poke the ho¡¯s nest. It fell by itself! It¡¯s up to you whether you¡¯d like to believe me or not! I didn¡¯t lie! She¡¯s lying. I was helping you out, but you¡¯re putting me in trouble. I hate you! I don¡¯t want to y with you anymore, you disgusting person!¡± Mu Zirui finally could not help but shout angrily at Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier.

    When Mu Zirui said that, Qi Weier, who was in Gu Lingsha¡¯s arms, immediately cried out softly while she held onto her mother¡¯s shirt tightly.

    Upon seeing that and hearing Mu Zirui¡¯s hooting, Gu Lingsha immediately got up in anger and was about to p Mu Zirui as she said coldly, ¡°Shut up! What terrible behavior!¡±

    As she watched the p about to fall, even Teacher Chen was so afraid of this sight that she was stunned! She did not expect Gu Lingsha to hit him, so she forgot how to react then.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare p him, Gu Lingsha!¡±

    At that second, a cold and loud voice was heard. A slender figure flew past and quickly pulled Mu Zirui behind her. Her hand reached up and locked fiercely onto Gu Lingsha¡¯s wrist. Due to the intense force, Gu Lingsha cried out in pain!

    She could even hear the sound of her fingernails scratching her palms. The fierce pain and Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face appeared in her mind, so she immediately sneered and pushed forward!

    Bam!

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    ¡°Madam Xi!¡±

    With the sound of Mu Zirui and Teacher Chen¡¯s voice, Xi Xiaye staggered as she was pushed away, yet in the instant that she was shoved, Xi Xiaye¡¯s sharp sight caught the side of Gu Lingsha¡¯s shirt. She yanked her hard.

 Chapter 991 - Incident (3)

    <h4>Chapter 991: Incident (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Several screams became mixed up together!

    Xi Xiaye felt the pain in her hands getting worse while the sounds of panicked screaming and sobbing rang out right beside her. She turned over and saw that Gu Lingsha had fallen down alongside her daughter, Qi Weier!

    Qi Weier seemed to have hit her forehead. There were some visible bruises on her head as tears started rolling down her pale cheeks. Gu Lingsha hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s okay! Weiwei, it¡¯s fine! Let me take a look!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened as she held onto the wall beside her and got up.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you wicked woman! I¡¯ll make sure you pay if anything happens to Weiwei!¡± Gu Lingsha shielded Qi Weier as she gave Xi Xiaye a cold stare.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you think about that when you were about to p my son?! Gu Lingsha, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re even worse to want to hit a child?¡± Xi Xiaye yelled back at her.

    ¡°Your son? He¡¯s your son?¡±

    Gu Lingsha stared at Mu Zirui for a moment. Her expression darkened as she remembered that someone had mentioned to her about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye adopting a boy from the orphanage. ¡°No wonder. Like mother, like son. You¡¯re both liars! I know my daughter very well. She would never touch the ho¡¯s nest, but your son still doesn¡¯t want to admit it! Just like you, denying an act which was obviouslymitted!¡±

    Naturally, Xi Xiaye understood what she meant!

    This woman had been unhappy with Xi Xiaye being close to Qi Lei. She still assumed that Xi Xiaye had persuaded Qi Lei to act against her!

    ¡°Gu Lingsha, you need to be responsible for your words. What are you thinking about by using my son without any evidence? I can file awsuit against you for defamation!¡±

    ¡°Try it then! I¡¯ll make sure your son won¡¯t have it easy if something happens to my daughter! Don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t do anything just because Mu Yuchen is shielding you! Mu Yuchen owes me! He owes Weiwei! He¡¯s the one that caused all these misfortunes!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really something to me everything onto others, Gu Lingsha! You¡¯vemitted indecent acts, but you¡¯re too afraid to bear the responsibilities and push everything over to Mu Yuchen. Do you think people are blind? Is your head filled with trash? I¡¯m really impressed by your brain structure! I wonder how it looks like!¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but throw a meanment as she felt angry for Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°You dare insult me?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression darkened further as she gave Xi Xiaye a cold re.

    Xi Xiaye grinned. She did not want to deal with this woman any longer, so she turned around and spoke to Teacher Chen, ¡°Thank you, Teacher Chen. Is Xiao Rui alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mother! She¡¯s really annoying. I didn¡¯t touch the ho¡¯s nest. It fell on its own. I told her not to touch it, but she ignored my warning. Suddenly, hos started chasing after us! I pulled her and ran away together. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. She lied! I didn¡¯t! I hate her!¡±

    Mu Zirui¡¯s expression was strained as he recalled what happened. He gave Qi Weier a disgusted stare, yet the little girl just stood behind Gu Lingsha and sobbed. She cried even louder when she heard Mu Zirui¡¯s voice!

    ¡°Xiao Rui! Are you okay?¡± Xi Xiaye saw that his forehead and left cheek were swollen, so she patted his head. ¡°Be careful in the future. Look how swollen it is right now!¡±

    Mu Zirui wanted to touch the swollen parts, but he felt pain the moment his fingers brushed them. He then quickly retracted his hands while Xi Xiaye gently knocked his head. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Mu Zirui lowered his head.

    Xi Xiaye looked over at Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier. She locked her gaze onto Qi Weier for a little while. The little girl seemed to have inherited Gu Lingsha¡¯s beauty, so it was pretty easy to tell that she was Gu Lingsha¡¯s daughter, except that she seemed frail.

    ¡°Teacher Chen, I hope the school can investigate what actually happened. I have some doubts regarding the appearance of a ho¡¯s nest in the school¡¯s vicinity as well. Please treat this seriously and don¡¯t let the students be endangered!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam Xi, we will! We¡¯re really sorry. Here¡¯s Zirui¡¯s medicine. He should take it every four hours! The doctor said he¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the medicine and was about to leave after thanking the teacher, but Gu Lingsha suddenly yelled at her, ¡°Stand right there, Xi Xiaye! Do you just want to leave after your son harmed my daughter? Do you think I¡¯m stupid? I won¡¯t just let you go without an apology!¡± Clearly, she was being oppressive.

    ¡°Harm? Did you see my son hurt your daughter? You need evidence, Gu Lingsha. A loose tongue may cause a lot of trouble!¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°Whatever floats your boat! I believe my son! Apology? You should be the one apologizing! I can already report you for abusing children from the p just now. How dare you even think about that, Gu Lingsha?! Do you think this is a ce for you to do as you wish?¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, I think you have a bad memory! Do you think my Weiwei could have poked the ho¡¯s nest on the tree with her frail body? What a joke!¡±

    ¡°Did I say she poked it?¡± Xi Xiaye put on a bitter grin. ¡°You only know how to push the responsibility onto others. Is that how the Gu family teaches their heiress? I hope you don¡¯t raise your daughter to be like you.¡±

    ¡°What did you just say, Xi Xiaye?!¡±

    ¡°Was I not clear enough?¡± Xi Xiaye said sarcastically before leaving with Mu Zirui in tow.

 Chapter 992 - Incident (4)

    <h4>Chapter 992: Incident (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha would not just let Xi Xiaye go so easily. Holding Qi Weier in her arms, she caught up with her.

    Rush hour after school had passed, so the crowd was long gone. Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui headed straight to the car where Sis Wang was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. She noticed Xi Xiaye from the side mirror, so she quickly drove closer. As she got out of the car to open the door for them, two bodyguards came over and stopped Sis Wang.

    ¡°Who are you guys? What do you want?¡± Sis Wang stayed calm as she looked at the two men while being on alert.

    The bodyguards remained silent and just looked forward. Sis Wang turned her head around and saw Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui halt in their footsteps while Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier were catching up with them.

    ¡°Gu Lingsha, you¡¯d better exin what is going on or else, I¡¯m going to call the police!¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened as she gave Gu Lingsha a tough re.

    ¡°Apologize! Your son¡¯s words could leave Weiwei traumatized. She¡¯s been so frail since her birth. I won¡¯t let you get away if anything happens to her!¡±

    While Gu Lingsha¡¯ protective attitude might be touching to some people, it was ironic to Xi Xiaye! How could she just think her daughter was the only precious one? Was Xi Xiaye¡¯s son just a decoration?

    ¡°We will not apologize. Tell your men to move away before I take action.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone of voice was calm but dangerous. While she frowned, she felt pain in her palms again from the fall earlier that had caused her wounds to open up!

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about leaving without apologizing! Do you think you can just bully us?¡± Gu Lingsha felt angry as she thought about their previous encounters. She had no idea why this woman acted all high and mighty. She was just acting as Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman. How could she be so proud of that?

    ¡°Ms. Gu, I¡¯ll actually call the police if this continues!¡± Sis Wang spoke up. It was obvious that Gu Lingsha was trying to stir up some trouble!

    ¡°Stop them! No one is leaving without an apology!¡± Gu Lingsha ignored Sis Wangpletely as she gave orders to her bodyguards.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes turned cold. She reached into her pocket and took out her phone to call 110 right in front of Gu Lingsha!

    Pa!

    Before the call could get through, Gu Lingsha pped Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and her phone fell onto the ground.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you asked for this!¡±

    ¡°Missus!¡± Sis Wang quickly closed in. ¡°Ms. Gu, what are you trying to do in broad daylight?! All of you will be arrested if our Master finds out what happened!¡±

    Gu Lingsha threw a cold stare at Sis Wang who felt a chill go down her spine from just the stare alone. She shielded Mu Zirui behind her as she gave Xi Xiaye a worried nce.

    However, Gu Lingsha moved forward and was standing right before Xi Xiaye before she could even react. Then, she grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and gave her a rough pinch. Xi Xiaye did not expect Gu Lingsha to be so quick, so it was toote for her to avoid the attack!

    The sharp pain shot up her palm, and she took several deep breaths as her whole body shuddered slightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you now, Xi Xiaye. Don¡¯t go around acting all high and mighty. Do you really think I¡¯m afraid of you? Are you trying to take advantage just because I¡¯m being lenient? You better watch out from now on. I¡¯ll make Mu Yuchen pays back for whatever he owes me. As for you, I¡¯ll make sure to pay you back in double for how you¡¯ve treated me before! I¡¯m not kidding. I¡¯m willing to do anything, especially for my daughter! Do you understand me?¡±

    Gu Lingsha tightened her grip, almost breaking Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand into half! She had so much strength that Xi Xiaye could almost confirm that she was trained in some sort of martial art!

    Xi Xiaye barely endured the sharp pain as her palm was dyed red from the blood leaking out of her wound. As her blood started dripping on the floor, Xi Xiaye struggled to break away, but Gu Lingsha gripped her even harder.

    ¡°You bad woman! Let go of my mother! Let go of her!¡± Mu Zirui ran towards Gu Lingsha and almost bit her, but one of the bodyguards went forward swiftly. When he almost grabbed Mu Zirui, Xi Xiaye managed to drag her son back first.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, this is none of your business. Get back!¡± Xi Xiaye instructed in a cold tone. She gave Gu Lingsha a cold, fearless stare. ¡°Let go!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better remember what I said today!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes darkened as she pushed her away. Then, she left together with Qi Weier.

    Xi Xiaye almost fell again from the shove. Fortunately, Sis Wang reacted quickly enough and held onto Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Missus, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Two voices reached her.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and she looked at her bloody hand, her eyes bing stormy instantly.

    ¡°Missus, your hand...your wound has opened up! How dare she?! I¡¯m calling Master right now!¡±

    Sis Wang noticed that Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand was bleeding, so she got nervous and wanted to call Mu Yuchen quickly, but Xi Xiaye stopped her. ¡°Keep away your phone. We¡¯ll talk about it once we get back!¡±

    Xi Xiaye took out some tissue paper and cleaned off the blood trails on her wrist. She raised her head and looked at Gu Lingsha with a cruel grin without saying anything. Then, she bent over and picked up her phone before getting into the car.

 Chapter 993 - Get Back At Them For Me, Mr. Mu! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 993: Get Back At Them For Me, Mr. Mu! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Once they got into the car, Sis Wang reminded her, ¡°Missus, clean up your wound first. That looks ghastly. It¡¯ll be hard to heal if it gets infected.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked down at her wound that was drenched in blood before gently nodding. ¡°See if there¡¯s a hospital nearby. We¡¯ll go over to check this out.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Missus,¡± Sis Wang quickly responded.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry. Does it hurt? Let Xiao Rui blow at it...¡± Mu Zirui said uneasily as he looked sadly at Xi Xiaye¡¯s blood-drenched palm.

    Xi Xiaye turned to look at Mu Zirui who looked guilty. After a while, her crisp voice was heard. ¡°Exin the whole thing to me. What actually happened? How did you suddenly get stung by a ho? Were you being naughty? Did you secretly sneak out to y? Tell me!¡±

    Mu Zirui quickly shook his head. ¡°Mother, I didn¡¯t...That ho¡¯s nest really did fall. Qi Weier went to look at it by herself. I was coincidentally doing my homework on the marble table underneath the tree, so I went over to help...and then...¡±

    As he said this, he reached up to touch his swollen face and forehead. The burning sensation hurt so much that he could not help but tear up.

    ¡°Next time, don¡¯t get so close to Qi Weier anymore, understand?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed. She could not say much about this incident between the children, but earlier, from the looks of Gu Lingsha, she was clearly making a fuss out of nothing. Nheless, did Xi Xiaye look like a pushover?

    No!

    ...

    She got some simple bandaging and injection to reduce the inmmation at a nearby hospital while Mu Zirui got a check-up too. When the mother and son returned to Maple Residence, it was already nightfall. Wang Hui and Mu Yinan were long done with the dishes and waiting for them. Still, Xi Xiaye did not allow Sis Wang to tell them about the little incident.

    Mu Yuchen called home in the evening to say that he would be having dinner with Zhou Zimo, so everyone did not wait for him.

    Later on, Mu Yuchen did drink till quitete before he got home. Li Si sent him home by car. When he returned to the room, Xi Xiaye was already fast asleep. She did not even know when he got into bed since the medicine she took made her drowsy, so she fell asleep earlier than usual.

    She only vaguely remembered that he seemed to have taken a look at her hands before falling asleep.

    The next day, Xi Xiaye woke up naturally. When she got up, it was already half-past nine. She walked out of the room slowly.

    ¡°Good morning, Missus!¡±

    ¡°Morning!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye walked downstairs, Sis Wang greeted her and even took a look at her bandaged hands. ¡°Missus, let me put fresh salve and bandage your wound again after breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Xi Xiaye nodded obediently. Her clear eyes already subconsciously looked towards the sofa where she saw that the father and sons were sitting there leisurely watching television.

    Mu Yuchen sat on the sofa with a teacup in one hand as he held Mu Xiaocheng in the other while his eyes were fixed onto the television screen before him.

    Mu Xiaocheng sat leaning against the sofa, his little arms and legs staying still and his bright little ck gem-like eyes staring at the television screen ahead. He looked very much like his father.

    Beside Mu Xiaocheng was Mu Zirui who was also sitting on the sofa happily with one hand holding Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s shirt down as he was worried that he would not be able to sit steadily. The swell on Mu Zirui¡¯s face had calmed down. If you did not look closely, you would not be able to tell it was even there.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, go finish your homework after breakfast. I¡¯ll bring you to the race track once I¡¯m done with work in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Father, are you really going to teach me how to ride a horse?¡±Mu Zirui¡¯s eyes shed with a light of anticipation as he stared at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen looked away from the screen and turned to examine him. Then, he said with a deep voice, ¡°You¡¯re still too young. You can walk around, but to actually ride a horse, you¡¯ll need to be a little taller, mmm?¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Mu Zirui responded with disappointment.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring you over to take a look. In another year or two, you¡¯ll be up to my chest, then I¡¯ll bring you again.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still young. Don¡¯t bring him to go wild now. His main duty is to be studying. These things should only be talked about when he¡¯s in high school.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not agree that Mu Zirui should be learning how to ride a horse at such a young age, so she expressed her opinion as she walked over and reached Mu Xiaocheng in a few steps. She held out both hands to him happily, but Mu Xiaocheng turned away. He wanted to pull away from her, and he iled about for a while before she realized that the little guy seemed to want to watch television. She then helplessly knocked his little head gently and sat down close to him.

    ¡°The little guy is not clingy to me at all. I think he¡¯ll probably be close to you when he grows older,¡± Xi Xiayemented as she turned to him, yet she realized that he was watching television with a gaze that was hard to understand. Xi Xiaye instantly thought it was odd, so she followed his gaze back to the screen.

    The television was showing a live stream of Qi Kai Corporation¡¯s press conference!

    Qi Qiming, Gu Qiwu, Gu Lingsha all appeared together at the press conference.

    ¡°Thank you to all members of the press for your concern towards Qi Kai. With regard to those rumors, they were all just made up. I hope that everyone won¡¯t continue to tell tales. Our rtionship is great right now. Xiao Lei was just a little contradicting with my strict demands as his father, but after a deeper conversation between us, we¡¯ve reconciled.¡±

    The person who was speaking was Qi Qiming. Gu Qiwu, who sat beside him, remained quiet while Gu Lingsha had a calm smile on her face.

    ¡°Also, we have good news for everyone at this press conference. Six years ago, the Qi family¡¯s First Master, Qi Feng, went abroad for a few years because of a small incident, and now he¡¯s back for quite a while now. In fact, Ah Feng and Lingsha have always had an affinity for each other. I¡¯ve discussed it with Mr. Gu, and we n to hold a wedding for the two of them on the 15th of next month...¡±

    When this was mentioned, it was no doubt like something had plunged into ake, exploding into many sshes!

    Qi Feng!

    The internal staff who were familiar with Qi Kai thought that Qi Feng passed away in a car ident six years ago. Back then, Gu Lingsha was in the same car too, so when she returned, those who knew about the past thought it was weird.

    However, six years was too long of a time, thus many people seemed to have forgotten what had happened back then, but...

 Chapter 994 - Get Back At Them For Me, Mr. Mu! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 994: Get Back At Them For Me, Mr. Mu! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Before Xi Xiaye could react, Mu Yuchen had already picked up the remote and changed to the children¡¯s channel for Mu Xiaocheng and Mu Zirui.

    ¡°The Qis and the Gus are going to be connected by marriage. In fact, the wedding date is quite soon. What do you think about it?¡± Xi Xiaye thought about it for a bit, then frowned slightly at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen response was calm. He carried Mu Xiaocheng with one hand and nted his body as hey down on his side, so Mu Xiaocheng sat on his belly. He reached out to tease Mu Xiaocheng, making the toddler giggle with a burst of young and tenderughter. It infected Xi Xiaye, making her tensed little face ease a little.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen said, ¡°Sis Wang, please bring them down for breakfast first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡± Aunt Wang and Aunt Lin very quickly came up to bring Mu Xiaocheng and Mu Zirui downstairs.

    He leaned back against the sofa leisurely as his deep eyes fell quietly on her face. ¡°Putting this thing aside, were you not nning on telling me about what happened yesterday?¡±

    With that reminder, Xi Xiaye immediately realized he was talking about that unhappy incident with Gu Lingsha at school which Sis Wang had probably told him about.

    When she heard his reminder, she sighed softly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You know that she¡¯s never liked me. If I brought this thing up to you, wouldn¡¯t you find me quite childish? You already have so many things to worry about...¡±

    ¡°Have you been feeling very defeatedtely? Hmm?¡±He straightened up slightly, pulled her hand over, and brushed past her heavily bandaged palm. With a heavy expression, he looked at it for a bit as he looked up to study her.

    She lowered her gaze a little sullenly while her beautiful hair fell past her frail shoulders. Hesitating, she then met his deep eyes as she said softly, ¡°So what if I feel defeated? Gu Lingsha almost pinched my hand into mud. Could you help me give her a lesson?¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask!¡±

    Upon hearing her say that, Mu Yuchen chuckled and his calm smile held hints of flirtatiousness. Xi Xiaye could not help but be attracted to him as she stared at him in a daze for a long while, unmoving. Then, she wanted to reach out to touch his face.

    She actually found that this fellow was more and more attractive now! When they had first met, she was not this attracted by his devilish looks, but who would have thought that in the end, she would find him more and more irresistible?

    He did not startle her and just let her stare with her dazed eyes. After a while, he turned to his side and held his face with one hand as he yed with her hair that fell before her chest. There was a faint smile on his face.

    ¡°Your Missus isn¡¯t the benevolent type. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I didn¡¯t want to stir up trouble, I would¡¯ve hit her, but she brought people along. I didn¡¯t want the headlines in the next day¡¯s papers to shout about the wife of Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman fighting in the streets. Your wife is a good person!¡±

    ¡°A good person? Good people deserve to be bullied. Are you sure you want to keep being a good person? I haven¡¯t reminded you to be more self-aware in too long now, so you seemed to have regressed this time. How can you talk about being good with someone like Gu Lingsha? You¡¯ve got to use violence to curb violence with people like her! I¡¯m not hoping for you to preserve a perfect image for me. Just do whatever makes you happy, isn¡¯t that right?¡± he said nonchntly.

    ¡°Curb violence with violence?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. She pulled her legs in and sat cross-legged as she shot him a side look. ¡°I don¡¯t want you if you won¡¯t care about your image! How about you get back at her for me then?¡±

    Sometimes, she really felt like the longer she was with him, the worse she was influenced. Even though he looked noble and handsome, sometimes she was in disbelief about many things that he said.

    ¡°Well then, pay up some interest first. In less than a few days, I guarantee that you¡¯ll feel vindicated,¡± he said. Then, a faint wave appeared in his eyes as he looked at her with interest. His gaze quickly stopped on her cold, pink lips as he made his intentions clear.

    Xi Xiaye just frowned and rolled her eyes at him, yet he had already quietly closed his eyes, looking like he was waiting for her to bless him. She did not know whether to be angry or find this funny, but as she looked at his face anticipating enjoyment, she only pursed her lips and smiled. She pulled her hair back with one hand and carefully closed in, slowly getting closer to him. She lowered her head and gently nted a kiss on his forehead. However, just as she was about to move away, he suddenly opened his eyes...

    They stared into each other¡¯s eyes. In that instant, there was a hint of warmth in the air.

    Without a word, he pulled her in and locked her to his chest. He lowered his head to catch her pink lips, wanting to earn a few minutes of sweetness before letting her go.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if you didn¡¯t ask, your husband will help you get back at them.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, a shadow shed past in his eyes. That coldness made Xi Xiaye shudder slightly, but he subconsciously hugged her tightly and squinted at her. He asked, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±

    Afraid?

    She thought about it, then shook her head and answered calmly, ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about that, but I trust that you won¡¯t let me be afraid.¡±

    ¡°Woman, sometimes, I¡¯m really afraid that you¡¯ll overestimate me. Other people aren¡¯t pushovers either. Do you understand?¡±

    Even though Mu Yuchen was happy for her unreserved trust in him, he felt uneasy from the stress. Whenever he used to have any apprehension, he would never be worried about other people targeting him, but ever since he had her and their sons, he had be more careful. He took every step cautiously as hiswork of information grewrger andrger. Secretly, he had gotten people to protect them. Of course, Xi Xiaye did not know about all these.

    Otherwise, he would not have known about what happened in Mu Zirui¡¯s school so quickly.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I like the version of you that¡¯s confident and ns strategically.¡± Xi Xiaye seemed to be able to detect something, sp she reached out to point at his nose. ¡°These words don¡¯t sound like something that¡¯de from you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled as he caught her hand. ¡°Since you put it this way, Missus, I obviously can¡¯t disappoint you.¡±

    She then silently nodded and smiled dly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I told you that I will always be right behind you. You¡¯ll see me when you turn around. Those things will need to be faced sooner orter. I think that perhaps you should ask Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha out to clear things up. Then, you wouldn¡¯t be so tormented...¡±

 Chapter 995 - Get Back At Them For Me, Mr. Mu! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 995: Get Back At Them For Me, Mr. Mu! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen did not make any promises. He closed his eyes without saying anything. Momentster, he grabbed the remote control and switched on the television.

    Xi Xiaye stopped the conversation as she felt a little odd.

    ¡°Things aren¡¯t that simple between us. It¡¯s not like we can just meet up and talk it out. Even if I¡¯m willing to forget about what happened, they won¡¯t let me go so easily. There aren¡¯t many ways to solve their hatred. The only thing I can do is to deal with them until the very end.¡±

    He was emanating a cold aura as he slowly let go of her and refilled his cup of tea before taking a sip. He then handed the cup to her, signaling her to have a taste.

    Xi Xiaye was startled for a moment, but she took a sip as well.

    The extreme bitterness filled her mouth, and she almost spat the tea out, but she managed to force herself to swallow it. She returned the cup with a frown on her face.

    Mu Yuchen smiled at her as he finished his tea. He looked at the empty cup in his hand and said, ¡°This is Ku Ding tea. I only drank this when I was staying abroad. Su Chen frequently sent it to me. It¡¯s really nice to drink this during the summer.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly.

    ¡°During the years when I was abroad, Lingtian frequently appeared in my dreams, followed by the two of them. I had insomnia most nights when I was first abroad. I could hear Lingtian asking me ¡®Why?¡¯ the moment I fell asleep while Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were trying to take my life. Although I¡¯m not afraid of death, I...¡±

    He then refilled his cup with more Ku Ding tea.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything. He had never mentioned anything during his stay abroad even after they had been together for so long. He hardly initiated conversations about himself, so these were probably secrets hidden deep inside his heart.

    ¡°Because of this, Lingshi once tried to look for a psychiatrist, but I didn¡¯t go for the appointment because I¡¯d be exposing my weak points once I went. Su Chen said I was getting on edge. He told me to rx. That¡¯s why he sent me this.

    ¡°My intention was to start anew when I came back here, so I stopped drinking this. Afterward, you came along, and those unhappy memories were buried deep inside. Only until recently, I realized that open-minded individuals wouldn¡¯t have cared. There¡¯s no need to abandon the past in order to start anew. It¡¯s only a proper closure if one can get through the hurdles from the past.¡±

    He stopped right there as he took another sip from his cup. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now, and it¡¯s the same thing. I¡¯ll respect my enemies if they respect me, but if they don¡¯t, I¡¯ll be sure to show them some blood!¡±

    His eyes turned cold while his grip on the cup tightened!

    ...

    Mu Yuchen had lunch at home before heading over to his office.

    He arrived at his office at 2 p.m. Li Si quickly came over and gave him a brief overview of his schedule that evening the moment he entered the office.

    ¡°CEO Liao from Hua Dong International invited you for an afternoon tea by the riverside to discuss the Car City franchise. Mr. Yamamoto from Nagashima Technology invited you to participate in their opening ceremony at 4.30 p.m. At 8 p.m. tonight, there will be arge-scale charity dinner at Emperor International Hotel.¡±

    While Li Si briefed Mu Yuchen of his uing schedule, Mu Yuchen just listened. However, he frowned slightly at the very final event on the agenda. He looked at Li Si and asked, ¡°Charity dinner? Didn¡¯t I say to avoid attending such events?¡±

    ¡°Master, the dinner tonight is special. A lot of government personnel will be there, so it¡¯s better for you to attend personally. We¡¯re donating a huge amount too. The organizers hoped for your attendance as well, and it¡¯ll be a great help for Glory World¡¯s fund,¡± Li Si replied.

    Mu Yuchen asked another question, ¡°Do you have the guest list for the event tonight?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! It¡¯s here!¡± Li Si handed the list of names to Mu Yuchen who nced through it. He paused slightly when he noticed Qi Kai Corporation on there. He grinned as he put the guest list on his table.

    ¡°Make preparations then. Call Ah Mo here right now.¡±

    A dim light glimmered in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he walked towards the window and started watering the nts.

    Li Si was startled for a moment. He realized his Master probably had some n in mind, so he quickly nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll get it done right away!¡± He then vanished outside the door.

    There was a knock on Mu Yuchen¡¯s door ten minutester. Someone came inside.

    ¡°Brother, you wanted to see me?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice sounded cheerfultely.

    Mu Lingshi had just gotten pregnant, and he was going to be a father soon. He would have his first child, so he was overjoyed about Mu Lingshi¡¯s pregnancy. Wang Hui had arranged two experienced servants to stay at their ce to take care of them.

    Mu Yuchen turned around as he heard Ah Mo¡¯s voice. Nodding as Ah Mo arrived behind him, he also captured the smile on Ah Mo¡¯s face.

    ¡°You seem to be in a good moodtely. How¡¯s Lingshi?¡± Mu Yuchen walked towards his table.

    ¡°It¡¯s been great after several days of rest at home. Grandfather and Grandmothere to visit every day and bring her a lot of tonics, but she still wants to go back to work after a while as she said she¡¯d feel bored at home. I couldn¡¯t win the argument so I agreed,¡± Ah Mo said helplessly.

    ¡°Make the arrangements then. Just give her a rxed position in thepany.¡±

 Chapter 996 - Pathetic Gu Lingsha (1)

    <h4>Chapter 996: Pathetic Gu Lingsha (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I got it, Brother!¡± Ah Mo noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s concern, so he continued to ask, ¡°Brother...¡±

    ¡°I need you to do something for me,¡± Mu Yuchen said suddenly.

    ¡°What is it?¡± On alert, Ah Mo asked, ¡°I heard Sister-inw suffered quite an injury and yesterday...¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng asked me to meet him in front of Lingtian¡¯s grave at 9 a.m. this weekend.¡±

    ¡°Meet up?¡± Ah Mo looked hesitant. ¡°Brother, is this a trap?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to go even if it¡¯s a trap, but before that, I¡¯ll get getting some dividends from him first.¡± Mu Yuchen casually sat down on his chair and handed Ah Mo the guest list Li Si had given him just now. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Slightly confused, he nced at Mu Yuchen before looking through the list. ¡°A charity dinner? What does this mean?¡±

    ¡°I want someone to know their ce, and this is a great chance to do so.¡±

    ¡°Brother, what are you saying?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s gaze was fixed on the name Qi Kai Corporation instantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s Gu Lingsha.¡± Mu Yuchen grabbed his cup and took a sip.

    Ah Mo nodded and handed the list back. ¡°She¡¯s appearing in a lot of public eventstely and many people have been enchanted by her. I heard from a colleague that two men tried to dance with her at a birthday dinner and almost fought. It sparked a lot of discussions. Plus, many other women were unhappy with her too.¡±

    ¡°Unhappy?¡± Mu Yuchen grinned. ¡°That makes our job easier.¡±

    ¡°Master, do you want to deal with her?¡±

    ¡°She almost broke your sister-inw¡¯s hand yesterday. I want to make sure she gets what she deserves. Come over here.¡± Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes and signaled Ah Mo toe closer. When he went nearer and bent over, Mu Yuchen whispered beside his ear. A smile appeared on Ah Mo¡¯s face as he quickly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a thorough n indeed, but if Sister-inw hears about this, will she...¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Mu Yuchen replied with a firm tone.

    Ah Mo coughed lightly. ¡°This is pretty wicked and there¡¯ll be consequences if they don¡¯t handle it well. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll take them a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°This will help Qi Lei gain some time as well. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha have already announced their marriage. Is Doris doing anything?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°Brother, I suspect that Doris still has no idea because she went abroad a few days ago. From one of my trusted sources, Doris had always disliked Qi Weier. She tried to convince Gu Lingsha to give up on her, but since Gu Lingsha sustained severe injuries, she probably won¡¯t be able to have a child of her own again if she gives up. That¡¯s why she persisted and dotes on her daughter so much,¡± Ah Mo told Mu Yuchen what he knew. His eyes darkened slightly before he continued, ¡°Besides, Gu Lingsha actually had twins, but she could only keep one of them due to her injuries.¡±

    Mu Yuchen already knew about this from Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Which means that if Qi Feng is really taking over Qi Kai, Gu Lingsha will just be his stepping stone. Qi Feng and Qi Qiming would never let a barren woman who can¡¯t give birth to their future heir to be the realdy boss, and Qi Weier can¡¯t possibly seed the heavy burden.¡±

    As Ah Mo clearly analyzed the benefits involved, he instantly inspired a new idea in Mu Yuchen¡¯s mind. Mu Yuchen already guessed what Ah Mo was about to say before he actually said it, so he then raised his hand and interrupted him.

    ¡°I know what you mean. Doris probably wouldn¡¯t agree to their marriage due to this factor, but it seems that Gu Qiwu doesn¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one possibility. I had someone secretly investigate Gu Qiwu¡¯s rtionship with Doris in City B. While he is very sweet to Doris, it feels like he¡¯s limited by her. I think he¡¯s trying to get away from her control. Gu Lingsha also had a fight with Doris on the phone a few days ago because of Qi Weier.¡±

    Ah Mo paused. ¡°Brother, but Qi Qiming and Gu Qiwu are really fond of Qi Weier. Doris shouldn¡¯t really give Gu Lingsha a hard time even if she doesn¡¯t like Qi Weier. She¡¯s Gu Lingsha¡¯s daughter after all, so shouldn¡¯t they cherish her more?¡±

    ¡°It might be a lot moreplicated than we think. Who knows if Doris might want to take everything from the Gu family for herself? Gu Qiwu might be trying to break free from her because he feels threatened.¡± A light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s darkened eyes.

    ¡°Tell Ah Bao to reinvestigate Gu Qiwu and Doris. Also, keep an eye on the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s recent actions. At the same time, find out who¡¯s backing Doris up!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Brother!¡± Ah Mo replied.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for now. Let me know if there¡¯s news. You can head back down.¡± Mu Yuchen closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair before he grabbed his teacup and started drinking again.

    Ah Mo did not want to bother him as he seemed to be deep in thought, so he bowed and left the room quietly.

    Mu Yuchen came back to his senses slightly when he heard the sound of the door close. He put his teacup down before grabbing the guest list and taking out his lighter.

    The tiny blue mes engulfed the name list in an instant, and Mu Yuchen threw it away into a nearby dustbin...

 Chapter 997 - Pathetic Gu Lingsha (2)

    <h4>Chapter 997: Pathetic Gu Lingsha (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen hardly attended dinner events like this. After the two appointments in the afternoon, he worked in his office until the evening, and he was finally done with the documents as the sun set.

    He let out a sigh of relief and closed the folder in front of him when he was done with thest document. While he drank some tea, there was a sudden knock on the door and Li Si came in.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s about time. The car is ready. Should we go now?¡± Li Si asked.

    Mu Yuchen took a look at his phone and noticed it was already 7.30 p.m. The sky had already turned dark when he looked outside the window.

    He put his teacup down and got up to grab his coat and put it over his shoulder before heading out. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Ah Mo has already driven the car over. He¡¯s right at the entrance!¡± Li Si followed behind him and locked the office door.

    Two cars were parked right outside the entrance with the one behind for the bodyguards.

    The charity dinner was at the Emperor International Hotel at 8 p.m.

    It was 8 p.m. sharp when Mu Yuchen¡¯s car arrived at the venue. The entrance of the Emperor International Hotel was immensely packed with cars.

    Someone came over and weed Mu Yuchen as he just got out of the car. He was led straight to the hall as the dinner had already begun. It was a buffet-style dinner, and several well-known singers were performing on stage at the moment.

    ¡°Master Mu is here!¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    The person-in-charge and several others came over and greeted Mu Yuchen as he walked near.

    As Glory World¡¯s chairman, Mu Yuchen had donated tens of millions to this charity fund, impressing many when the host announced the figures moments ago.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and took a sip from the wine the person-in-charge just handed over. ¡°I¡¯m just here to take a look. You can proceed with your work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Xiao Xu. Lead Master Mu inside!¡±

    ¡°Master Mu, pleasee here!¡±

    Ah Mo and Li Si stayed behind Mu Yuchen as the waiter quickly led them to the front row where the VIP seating area was.

    Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa while Li Si and two other bodyguards stood behind him. At the same time, Ah Mo scanned the venue and locked down on their target in a moment.

    He bent over and whispered to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Brother, over there!

    Mu Yuchen looked over. Under the beautiful lights, Gu Lingsha wore a long purple dress. She was surrounded by several gentlemen as they were having a friendly chat. Wearing a sweet smile on her face, she looked so pretty and the gentlemen had totally fallen for her smile.

    Ah Mo never denied the charm Gu Lingsha possessed. If he did not know her any better, he probably would have admired her as well, but...

    Unfazed, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes did not show any emotions. He looked away as he put down his ss before he straightened his sleeve and said, ¡°Go and do your thing.¡±

    Ah Mo smiled. ¡°Just wait and see, Brother. I¡¯ll get the job done. I¡¯m used to this sort of work after all! Take a look there as well. Master Mo is here!¡±

    When Ah Mo raised his chin at the other corner of the hall, Mu Yuchen looked over to see Zhou Zimo having a drink with several people near the stone pir. Mu Yuchen signaled Li Si before he smiled and nodded before walking towards Zhou Zimo. Then, Ah Mo got up and went into the crowd.

    Zhou Zimo soon noticed Mu Yuchen. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he hate these events? Why did hee?¡±

    He was even more surprised when he saw Mu Yuchen having a toast with someone on the sofa.

    ¡°Master Mo, our Master has invited you over!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zhou Zimo asked as he sat down beside him.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d only wake up this evening after you drank so muchst night!¡± Mu Yuchen replied to him instead of answering his inquiry.

    Zhou Zimo squinted his eyes at Mu Yuchen. ¡°What time did you leavest night? And why did my mothere so suddenly? Did you know that I almost got a heart attack seeing her this afternoon?! That bastard Su Chen, he actually told her...¡± Zhou Zimo clenched his teeth.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Mu Yuchen gave Zhou Zimo a meaningful nce.

    Zhou Zimo seemed embarrassed as he coughed lightly and looked around. He then went close to Mu Yuchen¡¯s ear after he confirmed there was no one else around. ¡°What do you think is the saddest thing that could happen to a man?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Zhou Zimo and answered confidently, ¡°Impotence!¡±

    Zhou Zimo felt like he had met his soulmate. He looked deep into Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes and sighed. ¡°Brother, you sure know me well! That bastard Su Chen told my mother I¡¯m going through the saddest thing known to man at this moment! That idiot! I¡¯ll be sure to choke him to death when he gets back from the Maldives! My mother even tried to check me up personally...You have to help me. I¡¯m not! Please exin to my mother. You know we¡¯vepared sizes before when we were still in military school...¡±

 Chapter 998 - Pathetic Gu Lingsha (3)

    <h4>Chapter 998: Pathetic Gu Lingsha (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Before Zhou Zimo could finish, Mu Yuchen had already thrown a punch at him!

    Zhou Zimo covered his mouth with a sullen look. He held back from crying out in pain as he looked at Mu Yuchen gloomily.

    ¡°That was between you and Su Chen. It¡¯s got nothing to do with me! If I hear this again, I won¡¯t just be giving you one punch!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s cold voice came, frightening Zhou Zimo who could not help but mutter indignantly, ¡°Why do I have such horrible friends like you?!¡±

    ¡°Only you are allowed y tricks on others, but other people can¡¯t tease you? You¡¯d better keep those thoughts to yourself. You should know very well what Mother Zhou means. It¡¯s useless for me to keep saying these things, so you handle it yourself,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly as he handed him a ss of wine.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged, feeling wronged. He shot Mu Yuchen a helpless nce. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Get back to the main point. Why are you here? I think I saw Ah Mo earlier too, but where¡¯s he now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing something,¡± Mu Yuchen said mysteriously, ¡°There¡¯ll be a good showter.¡±

    ¡°A good show?¡± When Zhou Zimo heard the hint, he widened his eyes slightly and looked surprised at Mu Yuchen. Just as he wanted to ask something, Mu Yuchen had already held up his wine ss and suddenly stood up.

    ¡°You stay right here. I¡¯ll go take a look,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then walked away. Zhou Zimo was confused by this. He quickly turned to Li Si, yet thetter shrugged in confusion too, indicating that he did not know what was up.

    It was a lovely night. In the distant sky, stars covered the sky, blossoming with a cool radiance. The night breeze was refreshing on the balcony. When Mu Yuchen leaned against the railing, he could vaguely hear the soothing waltz music from inside. Such a night felt rather rxing, so he set aside the wine ss in hand, and when he turned, he saw that sh of dark purple slowly sauntering over from the door.

    He heard that Gu Lingsha liked the color purple. Indeed, even Mu Yuchen had to admit purple suited her. His indifferent gaze brushed past her, moving away after a moment, and he did not say anything.

    Gu Lingsha did not expect to bump into Mu Yuchen here either. Earlier, she had drunk quite a bit, so she felt a little dizzy and hade out for some air.

    She stared at Mu Yuchen¡¯s cool back for quite a while. Finally, she could not help but walk over to stand beside him. Her blue eyes followed his line of sight and looked ahead. Ayer of natural glory greeted her sight, yet she seemed a little dazed.

    The cool wind breezed past. Standing there, she could very clearly smell his cool fragrance. It was so much like him, faintly discernable, distant, and indifferent.

    From what Gu Lingsha remembered, she seemed to have never stood quietly with him like this before, admiring the same silent and beautiful night sky and breathing the same air.

    They should have been a match made in heaven, but she did not hold the position as his woman. Instead, because of all sorts of misfortunes, she had be his enemy, bearing many grudges. This thought made her quite miserable because apart from the suffering and resentment over the past, she felt another emotion welling at the same time.

    It was regret.

    ¡°When I first knew I had a marriage contract with you, I was actually a little ecstatic, but I didn¡¯t know that you had such a prejudice against me. Maybe if you¡¯d been less stingy with just one look towards me, things might have been different right now.¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s gentle voice had a hint of sorrow. Even she did not expect to say such things. With the night breeze, her head felt heavy and even her emotions were a little out of control.

    ¡°I admit that before you, Qi Feng was doing great and I really admired him too, but all this while, you know that I¡¯ve admired you, yet you never gave me a chance! Every time, Mu Yuchen, every single time we bump into each other, you won¡¯t give me a second look. Even your grandparents epted me, so why did you ignore me? I have pride too. If you were me, would have been okay with that?¡±

    Gu Lingsha then asked the one question she had always wanted to ask, ¡°Why? I want to know why you were like that. You were always so polite to others, yet cold to me alone. What ever did I do wrong? You should know that whenever I saw you, I would humble myself and address you as ¡®Bro Chen¡¯!¡±

    A while after Gu Lingsha finished, Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice was heard in the cool breeze.

    ¡°Just because you were used to the world revolving around you and you felt neglected by me, you turned into the arms of Qi Feng, Qi Lei, or Lingtian?¡±

    When he said this, he did not look at her either. She caught that indifferent smile of mockery that appeared on the corner of his lips. In response, she could not help but clench her fists.

    ¡°From the first time I saw you, I just knew you weren¡¯t the person I was looking for. Since that was so, there was no need to waste each other¡¯s time. Was I wrong?¡± Mu Yuchen turned and looked silently at her. ¡°Some things are truly about feelings, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Excuses! Feelings can be cultivated too. I don¡¯t believe that you and Xi Xiaye were in love at first sight!¡± Gu Lingsha sneered and refuted.

    ¡°Whatever floats your boat. You could y well between the three of them, so why do you need to care what I think? You know that the so-called wedding contract was just a preposterous joke. Afterward, didn¡¯t you fall in love with Qi Feng too? What¡¯s the point of talking about this now?¡± Mu Yuchen said disapprovingly.

    ¡°Why not? After all, I was once your fianc¨¨. I admit that I did make mistakes that led to where we are today but are you totally faultless? If back then...I had been willing to give up everything, and marry you, would you have been willing to ept me? I¡¯m saying if there was no Qi Feng, no Qi Lei, and no Lingtian, as the daughter of the Gu family, your fianc¨¨, would you have been willing to ept me?¡±

    When Gu Lingsha said this, her blue eyes that gazed at Mu Yuchen was colored with a mistiness. At the same time, you could see a hint of anticipation.

    No one would know that actually, in her heart there was always a distant existence of him. Even she was not sure about how she felt about him. Whether it was out of respect, an admiration, or resentment, she actually did not know. She wanted to get close to him, yet he coldly shut her out. After that, she had receivedfort and warmth from Qi Feng and the rest. Only then did her numb heart slowly awaken.

 Chapter 999 - Pathetic Gu Lingsha (4)

    <h4>Chapter 999: Pathetic Gu Lingsha (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She would also admit that she had gotten together with Qi Feng in a huff, but afterward, she realized that she had really fallen for him.

    She liked the way he was tolerant, handsome, and had the gentleness and warmth that Mu Yuchen could never give her. However, deep down, Mu Yuchen always had a special ce in her heart. Because of that, she hated him even more after the incident.

    She had never mentioned this burden hidden in her heart for many years, and she had never expressed it. Right now, she unexpectedly revealed it all, actually taking herself by shock. Even she found herself saying these weird.

    He frowned at her and said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t like answering hypothetical questions.¡±

    ¡°I want you to answer me.¡± Gu Lingsha really wanted to know the answer to this, she could not help but reach out and hold Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeves. His uniquely cold aura came through. It was the same as she remembered. Her head felt heavier and there was a heated feeling bubbling in her chest. When she saw that his side profile looked even colder underneath the dim lights, she felt even more attracted instead and wanted to move closer, so she looked up at him with dazed blue eyes.

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± he answered frankly. When he looked down at the sleeve in her hand, his handsome brows subconsciously frowned as something shed in his eyes. He did not shake her off and silently tried to pull away instead. Then, he red at her and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re drunk. Let go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting go! I¡¯m not drunk! You¡¯re lying to me! I don¡¯t believe you! Would you really have agreed to marry me for any other reason?¡± Gu Lingsha clutched on tighter while her eyes could not help but tear up. She took a deep breath and looked at him with mixed emotions in her eyes. There was resentment, frustration, and weakness as she said with a slightly raspy voice, ¡°Our fates weren¡¯t supposed to be like this. If you had chosen me back then, no one would be suffering right now. I could also be a really good wife! I¡¯m not happy! I, Gu Lingsha, am the beloved daughter of the Hui Gu Corporation and a royal British descendant from my mother¡¯s lineage. Whether it¡¯s looks or capabilities, how do I not match up to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as pure and holy as you think. To achieve my own aims, I could also be someone who uses despicable tricks. With regards to the marriage, I told you before that if you really want to think that there were other reasons, I can¡¯t help it,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a lukewarm tone. His gaze at Gu Lingsha did not waver, making her feel extremely pained.

    ¡°Besides, not everyone can control their own fate. If you¡¯re really unhappy or if you feel wronged or even angry, then you¡¯ll just have to me it on your bad luck. You can also say that it was bad luck that both of us did not cross paths. When ites to rtionships, we are two parallels that will never intersect.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Gu Lingsha had never felt this low. For some reason, she had exposed all of her vulnerabilities before him today, but this cruel man was saying these things to her without even a simple word offort. As a result, she was extremely angry and upset.

    She, Gu Lingsha, was God¡¯s favored daughter. All these years, so many men could not resist her beauty. Tragically, her family background, her looks, and that pride of hers had fallen to negative levels before him. It was a contrast not anyone could fathom.

    Perhaps people like her had such a weakness. The more they could not have something, the more they wanted it. The more she could not get his fancy, the more she craved it. She could get Qi Feng, Qi Lei, and even Lingtian¡¯s heart. s, she only could not get Mu Yuchen to even spare her a second look! From then on, all of the tragedies revolved around him. They were all because of him. Who could ever understand how she felt?

    ¡°You never tried to be with me, to begin with, so how would you know that we didn¡¯t have a chance? Just based on our marriage contract, you should have cared more about me. Don¡¯t you understand? Back then, wasn¡¯t Xi Xiaye also hurt terribly by Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi? If you can understand her pain, why can¡¯t you empathize with this wound in my heart? Yes, I thank you for willingly letting me be with Qi Feng, but I hate the way you look when you¡¯re trying to shake me off like you¡¯re tossing away a burden!¡±

    Gu Lingsha seemed to have been suddenly triggered. She lost control and went off on a mad ramble. The pounding heart in her chest made her stagger a little, so she held on tightly to his sleeve as she leaned towards him.

    ¡°The fact that you think this way means you¡¯re ill. You need to be healed. Let go. Don¡¯t make me say it a third time!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice instantly turned chilly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting go...I feel terrible...Could you just hug me for a while? Just for a bit?¡±

    Gu Lingsha felt warm all over as she breathed heavily and suddenly felt terrible from head to toe. Her head felt like lead and it was as if it was filled with Mu Yuchen. She could not help but reach out to hold Mu Yuchen¡¯s arm and lean in. Her blue eyes shed with the mistiness of hope and regret. The emptiness made her lose her self control, so she wanted to recklessly throw herself onto Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Let go!¡±

    She was quite strong. Mu Yuchen wanted to push her away, yet she seemed to have lost all rationality, only having sight for Mu Yuchen¡¯s face.

    Bam!

    Amidst the struggling, Mu Yuchen identally hit a pot that fell to the ground. A crisp shatter was heard, rming the people inside, so they quickly rushed out.

    ¡°Ahh!¡±

    At this moment, Mu Yuchen pushed Gu Lingsha away hard too. Because he was too strong, she lost her footing and staggered before she fell to the ground. She cried out in rm. The cold of the floor made Gu Lingsha a little clearer-headed, yet because of the jostling and tugging about earlier, her gown was a little wrinkled now and the pink straps on her shoulders had slid down!

    ¡°Master, are you okay!¡± Li Si quickly rushed up and asked in concern.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was gloomy while his dark eyes were filled with disgust. He scowled at Gu Lingsha on the ground, his upset reaction evident.

    As the crowd who came to watch seemed to have guessed what happened, Gu Lingsha¡¯s clothes were a mess as she was looking at Mu Yuchen in a daze. Mu Yuchen seemed upset, and his eyes were filled with disgust. This all meant that...

 Chapter 1000 - Mu Yuchenâ€™s Ruthless! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1000: Mu Yuchen¡¯s Ruthless! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Oh my god, isn¡¯t this Miss Gu? She actually shamelessly seduced Master Mu!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her alright. Why would she do that? Doesn¡¯t she know how Master Mu is like? I thought she was an elegant goddess!¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s more like an unhinged woman. I knew that there was something odd about her. She¡¯s released an excessive amount of estrogen all over her, pfft!¡±

    All sorts of whispers started to go around. The reporters that rushed over were not shy to take many pictures of this scene in fear of missing firsthand news.

    Afterward, when Zhou Zimo came, he was astonished! ¡°My gosh, that¡¯s bloody thirsty of her, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not know what happened. She only felt that her head was heavy, and she did not feel well as she felt warm over. She seemed to have said many things she should not have to Mu Yuchen, then she...

    The cold floor made her instantly clear-headed. She looked up at the people around her and was dumbfounded on the spot. There were already reporters surrounding her, but Mu Yuchen¡¯s bodyguards held them back.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was stormy and upset as he stared coldly at Gu Lingsha, pursing his indifferent lips tightly. Moments after that, he put gloomily took off his coat and tossed it to her before walking away without a word.

    ¡°Make way!¡± LI Si very quickly went ahead to pave the way while the ck-clothed bodyguards quickly went up and tried to hold the reporters back.

    ¡°Master Mu, what happened? Was Miss Gu trying to seduce you?¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, what¡¯s your rtionship with Miss Gu?¡±

    One question after another was asked, but Mu Yuchen did not answer anything. His expression was terrifyingly clouded, and anyone could feel the chill that gathered around him. His mysterious eyes looked at the crowd dangerously, so they dared not go up to him before they all moved away on their own.

    Mu Yuchen did not even stop walking for a moment as he just left the banquet venue.

    ¡°No! No, it¡¯s not like that! Mu Yuchen!¡± Gu Lingsha then snapped back as she shouted on the verge of breaking down. She covered herself with the coat that Mu Yuchen had tossed her, yet after losing the protection of Mu Yuchen¡¯s bodyguards, the crowd and reporters swarmed up and surrounded her!

    ¡°Miss Gu, what¡¯s your objective of seducing Chairman Mu like this?¡±

    ¡°How long have you known Master Mu?¡±

    ...

    ¡°No! No! It¡¯s not like what you think! It¡¯s not! Don¡¯t take pictures! I¡¯m telling you to stop! Go away! Go away!¡± Gu Lingsha was practically breaking down as she held Mu Yuchen¡¯s shirt to her face! She did not know what had happened.

    Why would she suddenly lose control? Did she have too much to drink? But why was she so clear-headed now? What happened?

    Gu Lingsha wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. However, she calmed down very quickly. Since things were at this point, she probably could not protect her reputation anymore, but she definitely could not let another problem sprout!

    Fazed, it took a lot of effort for her to push through the surrounding crowd amidst all the questions and smirks. She quickly got up angrily. Without caring about the onlookers, she speedily went through them and wished she could just disappear!

    Unfortunately, the reporters did not let Gu Lingsha off so easily. While they could not stop Mu Yuchen, it was easy to stop her since she had only brought her personal secretary, Secretary Qin, today. Even if Secretary Qin came up to help her, it would be hard to hold back these mad reporter. Besides, Gu Lingsha did not have Mu Yuchen¡¯s imposing manner to hold down this crowd.

    There was quite amotion at the entire banquet venue. Later on, even the organizers were rmed and called security over before they managed to control the crowd.

    Her assistant tried to help her out in her sorry state. Her gown was wrinkled, and they rushed to leave the event in a low profile manner because she was about to break down!

    She did not know where it had gone wrong. Why would she say those things to Mu Yuchen, and why did she suddenly lose control to think about...

    ...

    On the other end, Mu Yuchen left the Emperor International Hotel in huge strides. They had just stepped out of the entrance where the car was waiting.

    He got into the car with a cool expression. Zhou Zimo immediately got into the car too. The incident tonight seemed a little odd, and he had to find out why!

    They had just driven out of the entrance of the Emperor International Hotel when Mu Yuchen said indifferently, ¡°Go straight to Maple Residence.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡± the chauffeur responded, then sped up slightly as the car drove steadily ahead.

    ¡°Master¡ª¡± Li Si quickly handed over a wet handkerchief.

    Mu Yuchen took it calmly and then carefully wiped his chest and his hands before returning the handkerchief.

    ¡°Now, can you tell me what happened? By the looks of it, did Gu Lingsha force herself onto you?¡± Zhou Zimo, who had been silently observing him, suddenly said and blinked in puzzlement.

    ¡°You should ask Gu Lingsha about this, not me.¡± When this was mentioned, there was a hint of unhappiness and disgust in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. Anyone could tell that he was in a bad mood.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do it?¡± Zhou Zimo squinted at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face slowly returned to its usual calm as he met with Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes without batting an eyelid and did not exin. However, just with that look, Zhou Zimo already understood him, so he shrugged. ¡°Alright then. Pretend I never asked. You¡¯re quite something. You were willing to sacrifice yourself. Gu Lingsha really got lucky!¡±

    Before Zhou Zimo could finish, Mu Yuchen ordered the chauffeur to stop the car, ¡°Stop the car!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Zhou Zimo brushed his nose and looked innocently at Mu Yuchen. He was about to say something when Mu Yuchen leaned over and opened the car door beside Zhou Zimo. Staring at Zhou Zimo, his intentions were clear.

    ¡°You petty fellow! Watch out or I might exaggerate things when I tell Xiaye! Ah, bloody hell, can¡¯t you be more gentle? Ouch!¡±

    Before he could finish, Mu Yuchen had already kicked his butt and Zhou Zimo fell out in a sorry state as he cried out in pain...

    Bam!

    Mu Yuchen swiftly closed the car door, before telling the chauffeur to continue driving.

 Chapter 1001 - Mu Yuchenâ€™s Ruthless! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1001: Mu Yuchen¡¯s Ruthless! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was gettingte as the car drove towards Maple Residence on the cemented path before finally parking right outside the residence.

    Mu Yuchen got out of the car. He walked past the yellow streetmps as he reached for his keys in his pocket. Then, he took out his key card and phone before opening the door.

    ¡°You should head back now,¡± he told Li Si and the others.

    Mu Yuchen looked at a certain ce on the second floor after he closed the door. As he expected, there was a light from the study room.

    He quickened his steps and did not even bother to switch on the lights, he walked up the staircase in the dark. Then, he carefully opened the door and headed straight into the study room. He stopped when he arrived at the entrance. Peering inside, he saw that she was asleep on the table with her head resting on her arms.

    Because Xi Xiaye was a light sleeper, she could sense that someone was closing in gently. She then felt a warm sensation above her, so she quickly woke up and raised her head to see what was happening. The first thing he saw was his handsome face.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± she said as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep on the bed? Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯ll bete tonight?¡± He stood beside the table and looked at her with his smiley eyes.

    Xi Xiaye really enjoyed the view. Her heart softened as she smelled the scent of alcohol from him. ¡°It¡¯s not thatte. I was waiting for you to warm the bed for me.¡± She walked past the table and reached the sofa area to grab him a ss of water, but he quickly stopped her because he was worried about her hand!

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Let me do it! If you don¡¯t be careful, your hand will be gone,¡± he warned her and poured her a ss of water instead.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t getting it for myself. You should have water. You reek of alcohol.¡± As usual, she wanted to remove his necktie.

    ¡°Just stay put when your hand is injured. I can do it myself. Sit down.¡± He gave her a helpless nce as he made her sit down. Then, he emptied the ss before undoing his necktie.

    ¡°How was the dinner?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Just the same old thing. I don¡¯t really care anyway.¡± He was never fond of attending these events, if not for that special consideration, he never would have gone.

    ¡°You still went even though you don¡¯t like it? You took it upon yourself!¡± She was unable to put herself in his shoes. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now. Go take a shower and I¡¯ll get your clothes for you. I¡¯ll go check up on our son too. He woke up once just now.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s sleeping with us again?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned.

    ¡°He¡¯s in the baby¡¯s room. I can¡¯t take care of him at night with my hand like this. He¡¯s been sleeping through the night recently and Aunt Fang doesn¡¯t have much trouble taking care of him.¡± Xi Xiaye already went out of the room as she spoke.

    He did not like to sleep with the little thing between them because...

    He grabbed his necktie and followed behind Xi Xiaye.

    ...

    The night sky seemed so mysteriously charming tonight.

    Without the heat of the day, it would be pleasant to drive around enjoying the night view of the city, but Ah Mo was not in the mood for a trip.

    Three other bodyguards and he had been waiting. All of them stared at the exit of a tunnel right before them. This was the road towards the city area. Due to its reconstruction several days ago, not many people came herete at night. Only one or two cars passed by since they started keeping watch.

    ¡°Bro Mo, are you sure that he¡¯lle? It¡¯s already past 11 p.m., but he¡¯s nowhere to be seen. Could there be a mistake?¡± one of the bodyguards asked Ah Mo.

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes darkened slightly as he checked the time. He then replied after a moment of hesitation, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a mistake. Be patient for a little more. Stay vignt and look for the car te number XXXXXX, got that?¡± His voice was firm and cold.

    ¡°Yes, Bro Mo! We¡¯ve memorized it already!¡± they replied in unison.

    ¡°Morrison isn¡¯t an easy opponent, so you should be on alert and get it done cleanly. We cannot afford to leave any evidence, got it?¡± Ah Mo reminded them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Bro Mo. We¡¯ll get it done!¡±

    ¡°Alright, you guys stand by over there!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The three of them got out of the car and went into the car behind.

    After some time, Ah Mo could hear someone urging him through the microphone, ¡°Bro Mo! Bro Mo, he¡¯s here!¡±

    ¡°Go. I¡¯ll wait for you guys at the junction in front!¡± Ah Mo quickly started the engine and drove forward.

    At this moment, the car at the back started up as well and made a huge turn instead of going forward, stopping right in the middle of the road.

    There was a loud screech from the car braking. Morrison was in the car, leaving the tunnel. He was driving pretty fast and the sudden appearance of the car caught him off guard, so there was no time for him to shift his steering wheel and he was forced to brake!

    Thud!

    The crash was unavoidable. Morrison impacted his car¡¯s steering wheel as well, and he started cursing as he felt pain blossoming in his chest!

    ¡°Bastard, do you know how to drive? Are you trying to die now? Idiot!¡±

 Chapter 1002 - Mu Yuchenâ€™s Ruthless (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1002: Mu Yuchen¡¯s Ruthless (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Two people quickly came down from the car in front of Morrison¡¯s. They went near and stopped right beside his door to knock on his window.

    ¡°What are you doing? Do you actually know how to drive? Look at my car!¡± Morrison red at them coldly.

    ¡°Chill, bro. Why don¡¯t youe down and we discuss what we¡¯re going to do about it?¡±

    Morrison got out of his car angrily, but the man on the side kicked him in the gut really hard the moment he got out of the car. He fell down and let out a painful cry before he raised his head in shock as he looked at the two of them. He could not see their faces clearly due to theck of vision, but they both had huge builds and were probably trained as they just proved how agile they could be!

    Morrison suddenly realized he was in trouble.

    ¡°You want us to pay for your car¡¯s damage? Who do you think you are? Break his leg so that he can never drive again!¡±

    The two men rushed forward towards Morrison. A barrage of punchesnded on him before he could yell for help as they ruthlessly beat him up no matter how he pleaded for mercy. He felt immense pain throughout his body!

    Suddenly, there was a sound of a crisp crack. Morrison cried out loudly. The bunch gave him several more hard kicks before stopping. Then, they nced at Morrison who was all bruised at the moment. While the leader among them took out a cigarette and started smoking, he gave poor Morrison a cold smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so cocky again, little guy! It¡¯s unfortunate of you to bump into me tonight. I just lost some money and you dare to yell at me. You¡¯re a great punching bag though!¡±

    Morrison groaned as he endured the pain, ¡°Yes...I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me!¡±

    Several more kicksnded on him again, and the bunch went back to their car after that.

    Morrison was panting. His right foot could not move at all, and he could not bear the immense pain he was feeling as he just watched as the car drive past him and go into the city.

    Roughly ten minutester, in Maple Residence, in the Grand Waves Area, Mu Yuchen was lying down on the rattan chair in the study room after he got out of the shower. He was reading a letter when his phone suddenly rang as he was reading.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s aloof reply came swiftly, ¡°Brother, the job is done. He got a fracture on his right foot. It¡¯ll probably take a month or two for him to recover.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grinned slightly. ¡°Take care of the rest.¡± He then hung up on the call before even waiting for Ah Mo¡¯s reply. He put his phone down on the table and watched as the screen turned dark. Then, he pinched the space between his eyebrows and took a breather before he continued reading the letter.

    ¡°Go to sleep soon. It¡¯s almost midnight already. A letter? Who gave it to you?¡±

    He wanted to put the letter away when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice, but she had already seen it.

    ¡°Why so mysterious? Could it be¡ª?¡± Xi Xiaye squinted her eyes at him.

    ¡°I just asked someone for an investigation. I¡¯m not as popr as you think. Take a look!¡± Mu Yuchen handed the letter to her, but she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not worried at all. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to read it even if it¡¯s really a love letter from someone?¡± Mu Yuchen gave her an odd smile.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and nced at him warily. ¡°Is it really?¡±

    He waved the letter in the air. She lowered herself and took a good look at the paper, then she realized that it was a report about Qi Feng.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been worried about this. You should be ruthless when you need to be. Like I said before, I actually met Qi Feng at Xiao Rui¡¯s school. I didn¡¯t know it was him, but I could feel something different. He doesn¡¯t seem like an easy opponent. Be careful,¡± she said as she looked at him burning the letter with his lighter.

    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s not going to be easy, or else I wouldn¡¯t need to spend so much time devising a n for him.¡± Mu Yuchen sighed as he stood up. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to rest. It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. I¡¯ll have Dr. Zhonge take a look at your injuries.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± She gave a brief reply and just let him wrap his arms around her shoulder as they walked out.

    ...

    In contrast to the sweet moments in Maple Residence, the Qi residence did not feel so harmonious.

    ¡°First Master, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t stop the news now. With someone of Mu Yuchen¡¯s caliber, Miss Lingsha is in huge trouble this time!¡±

    ¡°First Master, Morrison got into an ident. H suffered a fracture on his right foot and is being sent to the hospital!¡±

    Bad news came one after another to Qi Feng. His expression was grim as he flicked his arm and the ashtray right beside him shattered into pieces on the floor!

    ¡°Idiots! What are you guys doing?! Go and find out what happened!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone was oddly cold. He almost lost control when he heard about Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident.

    ¡°Yes, First Master, we¡¯re on it, but it might take some time. Miss Lingsha was sent to the hospital for a check-up and we¡¯re waiting for the doctor¡¯s report.¡±

    ¡°If I find out who did this, I¡¯ll make sure he regrets it!¡± Qi Feng squinted and clenched his fists as he spoke.

 Chapter 1003 - Mu Yuchen vs Qi Feng (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1003: Mu Yuchen vs Qi Feng (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, Xi Xiaye was woken up by a loud rumbling!

    She propped herself up on the bed and pulled open the curtains to look. It was raining outside, and the weather was gloomy. It had been a warm few days, and right now the rain cooled the air substantially.

    It was not raining very heavily, but silver light shed across the misty sky from time to time, followed by the sound of muffled thunder.

    This downpour was a little odd. Xi Xiaye thought aboutst night when she stood on the balcony to gaze up into the night sky that was nketed with stars, yet this morning it was suddenly raining. The change in weather was quite mysterious.

    However, the fluctuating weather was not the only thing that surprised Xi Xiaye. When she saw the newspaper, she read¡ª

    ¡®Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s Heiress Gu Lingsha Failed To **** Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman Mu Yuchen, Angering Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡®Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s Heiress and Glory World¡¯s Chairman Were Once Lovers, **** Trying To Reconcile?¡¯

    The many news of Gu Lingsha fromst night came up one after another on the headlines. They were all talking about Gu Lingsha¡¯s so-called seduction or trying to bed Mu Yuchen. The images even showed a close up of Gu Lingsha and a picture of Mu Yuchen leaving.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Xi Xiaye gestured at the feature articles in the newspaper and looked towards the man, who was leisurely drinking tea beside her, in surprise.

    Mu Yuchen squinted at her nonchntly and said, ¡°It as you see.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Gu Lingsha about to marry Qi Feng soon? Ah Chen, why would she go to you? Don¡¯t be having any dealings with her! Do you hear me!?¡± Ah Hui spoke up in a timely manner from the side.

    As for Gu Lingsha, Wang Hui did not know what to say. To her, she once found Gu Lingsha quite understanding, elegant,posed, beautiful, and magnanimous. Because of Mu Yinan, she had always known there was a marriage contract, but afterward, no one had spoken about it, so she did not take it to heart, but when it came to Gu Lingsha, she was one of the kinder women.

    However, her daughter-inw, Zhuang Shurong, had always been extremely unhappy with Gu Lingsha. There had even been quite a tense situation between her and Mu Yinan over the marriage contract. After that, she and Mu Tangchuan had to invest a lot of effort before they managed to ease Zhuang Shurong and Mu Yinan¡¯s rtionship.

    Wang Hui was someone who hated hassle. She felt conflicted about all the things in the past. Recently, Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng had suddenly appeared out of nowhere again, making her feel uneasy. Today, Gu Lingsha was said to be involved with the Mu family again. When could they finally straighten out these rtionships?

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. There¡¯s no need for you two to worry,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then he turned to Xi Xiaye. ¡°Have some breakfast first. I¡¯m going out for a bit and won¡¯t be back for lunch, so don¡¯t wait for me, okay?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard him, she immediately frowned. ¡°It¡¯s raining. Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s still raining outside!¡±

    Wang Hui looked with doubt at Mu Yuchen who had already gotten up.

    ¡°I¡¯m meeting someone to discuss something, just be good and stay at home to rest.¡± He chuckled, then reached out to touch her head before walking outside in huge strides.

    ¡°Put on your coat! And don¡¯t forget the umbre!¡± Xi Xiaye quickly chased after him and carefully handed him his coat from the rack on the side.

    He took it and swiftly left the house. As he held the umbre when he just stepped out, the chauffeur and Ah Mo had already driven over, and behind them was another ck car. Obviously, those were the bodyguards.

    ¡°Bro, today¡¯s news is quite entertaining. I¡¯m guessing Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha won¡¯t be too happy about this. They sure have a lot to handle with these negative news one after another.¡±

    The car sped all the way to the cemetery in the suburbs as Ah Mo¡¯s voice filled the car. Everyone could hear the cheer in between his words. ¡°You sure gave them a taste of their own medicine!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face did not waver much.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy. With Qi Feng¡¯s paranoia, he could probably tell that the incident with Gu Lingsha has something to do with me. Since I agreed to help Qi Lei buy some more time, I can¡¯t let Qi Feng and the rest be idle, so I had to bring all their attention somewhere else,¡± Mu Yuchen answered as he looked calmly out of the window at the hazy view.

    ¡°Qi Lei? Oh, right, Bro, he¡¯s recruited quite a number of people. VP Liu¡¯s end has already arranged work for them too. Also, Qi Lei has also arranged for the people who stepped down because they were unhappy about the incident before to go over. Master Mo¡¯s people havee over to help set up the system, and it¡¯ll probably be done in another day or two,¡± Ah Mo swiftly reported to Mu Yuchen. Then, he looked hesitantly towards him. ¡°Bro, do you really trust Qi Lei?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze froze.

    ¡°I know that like Zimo and Su Chen, you have this doubt as well. I initially didn¡¯t want to say too much about this since I trust my own judgment and can only do so much. Whateveres next depends on Qi Lei,¡± Mu Yuchen answered simply.

    Ah Mo then nodded. ¡°I understand, Brother!¡± Keeping quiet, he looked away and continued to stare ahead.

    ...

    The car traveled for quite a long time before it finally reached its destination.

    ¡°Brother, look, it¡¯s Qi Feng¡¯s car!¡±

    Mu Yuchen had just gotten down from the car when Ah Mo already came over with arge umbre, shielding his tall figure underneath as he hinted at him with his eyes. Following Ah Mo¡¯s gaze to look over, indeed, he saw the two ck luxury cars parked ahead.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm eyes shed with a chill as he turned and walked up the stairs. The row of people with him swiftly followed. He walked slowly up the flight of stairs. After a while, he saw a figure standing before the tombstone.

    Dressed in a ck sweatshirt with a ck cap on his head, he sat quietly in his wheelchair while bathing in the bleak and cold rain as he stared at the tombstone before him. He slowly bent over and put a bouquet of ca lilies before Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone.

    ¡°All of you stay here,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly and reached out to take the ck umbre in Ah Mo¡¯s hand before he continued walking ahead.

    Ah Mo turned to gesture at the people behind him, and they all knowingly stood on both sides to guard the crossing.

 Chapter 1004 - Mu Yuchen vs Qi Feng (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1004: Mu Yuchen vs Qi Feng (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng was silently looking at Mu Lingtian¡¯s picture on the tombstone when he heard the sound of footsteps. A hard light quickly shed in his eyes as his hands that rested on his knees suddenly clenched into fists. He was not sure how, but he managed to calm himself down.

    Qi Feng did not immediately say anything. Only when he heard the sound of a lighter and smelt the faint smell of smoke before a lit cigarette was put on Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone did he turn to look at Mu Yuchen indifferently.

    They had not seen each other for more than six years. To Qi Feng, Mu Yuchen did not look like he had changed much. He was just much more reserved and unfathomable than he was six years ago.

    ¡°Long time no see.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s cold voice was not colored with any temperature at all. His devilishly handsome face was as calm as water too as he studied Mu Yuchen. If it were not for the hostility in that voice of his, they seemed like friends who had known each other for many years.

    Of course, in reality, they had indeed known each other for many years. However, they had also umted grudges.

    ¡°It has indeed been quite a while,¡± Mu Yuchen answered evenly. Underneath the ck umbre, his handsome face seemed even colder as his eyes stopped quietly on Qi Feng.

    ¡°I know that all these years you¡¯ve been tracking me and LIngsha down. Why were you so certain that we hadn¡¯t died while the only person who did was Lingtian?¡±

    Qi Feng appeared very rxed, but when his eyes met Mu Yuchen¡¯s, Mu Yuchen could easily catch a wave of hostility from the depth his eyes. There was also a tension in the air that made one feel quite stifled.

    ¡°That was easy to guess since that was the most suspicious point when the Gu family and the Qi family were able to remain calm. In fact, I only trusted my own eyes and ears. When the police could only find Lingtian¡¯s scattered corpse at the scene of the ident, and there were no traces of you two at all, even if you had nned for some confusion, I only trusted my own judgment,¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s lukewarm voice replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re very smart, Mu Yuchen! I knew you were a strong contender, but it¡¯s also thanks to you that my legs are crippled, and this face is no longer how it used to look. My voice is different too. You killed the Qi Feng you used to know from before,¡± Qi Feng¡¯s raspy and dry voice expressed, sounding quite odd since he could not raise his voice much. Otherwise, it would cause unbearable pain. Right now, he no longer wanted to suffer from inhumane torture.

    ¡°You brought this upon yourselves. I admit that I didn¡¯t use the most honorable ways, but no one knows the whole story of what happened better than the two of you.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was still very calm.

    Qi Feng sneered, ¡°The fact that you made your own brother pass away on the spot, Mu Yuchen, do you think you¡¯re all that innocent? If you really think that all of this has nothing to do with you, then why have you felt guilty all these years? Why have you been rushing to find us, wanting to understand the truth from years ago? Do you think you¡¯re hiding it very well? You¡¯re wrong. We¡¯re the same kind of people. No one knows you more than I do, Mu Yuchen! Do you dare say that all these years, you haven¡¯t been suffering from guilt inside? How dare you say this before Lingtian?

    ¡°You¡¯re just looking for an excuse for yourself! To make you feel like the responsibility of causing all this harm isn¡¯t on you, and that you were forced to do it. You just want to use this excuse to relieve yourself! I¡¯m not wrong, am I, Master Mu? Oh, I mean, Chairman Mu?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s lowered and raspy voice contained a sinister chill that suddenly shot at Mu Yuchen like a machine gun. His devilishly handsome face revealed a bitter smile that seemed to havee from hell, instantly breaking one¡¯s heart.

    Even if Mu Yuchen was cold and tough, upon hearing these words, he could no longer maintain theposure from before. His expression started to waver.

    ¡°What? Did I hit the nail on the head now? Mu Yuchen, you¡¯re a dignified hypocrite yourself. How innocent do you think you are? You have your brother¡¯s blood on your hands. Whether you were intentional or not, this is all the truth and you can¡¯t erase it! It¡¯s like a bad tumor, nted deep in your heart, which you can¡¯t seem to get rid of no matter what! You can say that you didn¡¯t intend for all of it to happen and that it was a mistake, but Lingtian, Lingsha, and me, and you even probably know about my daughter, we have all suffered in a way that cannot be erased because of this tragedy. So, if you were me, can you calmly ept all this as your fate?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s sharp words were like a frozen metal needle piercing through Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart. Mu Yuchen¡¯s face turned rigid, but he did not lose hisposure. He turned to look away before watching Qi Feng, who was grinning like a crazy devil, while he slowly calmed down. In that earlier instant, it felt like his heart was being held tightly in a vice, but now that sharp pain was slowly fading away.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never called myself a noble person. As for Lingtian¡¯s death, I can only express my regret, heartbreak, and disappointment, but you¡¯re someone who¡¯s been working hard for many years now. If that was truly an ident, then I can only say that it was all karma. It was fate that wanted you to make up for things. That is all.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was mixed with coldness as he continued, ¡°Since you had the gall to ask me out today, then I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve thought about telling me the truth. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing the kind of truth you¡¯ll tell and let me know the pain that I should be suffering.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice fell, Qi Feng suddenly could not help but chuckle. ¡°Not bad! No wonder you could easily incite Qi Lei to turn on the Qi family! Karma? Fate? Mu Yuchen, since when did you believe in all these? Don¡¯t beat around the bush with me here! You¡¯re a despicable person who¡¯s calctive too! You got someone to do that to Morrison, didn¡¯t you? Weren¡¯t you taking revenge for your woman too? And Shasha, don¡¯t tell it wasn¡¯t you! The doctor¡¯s report showed that Shasha might have drunk alcohol mixed with hallucinogens! You know well enough what cruel tactics you have!

    ¡°Now, don¡¯t you think that I should be asking you for some justice for my legs and for Mu Lingtian¡¯s death?¡±

 Chapter 1005 - Mu Yuchen VS Qi Feng (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1005: Mu Yuchen VS Qi Feng (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he listened to Qi Feng.

    ¡°I never said that I was a nice guy, butpared to your double-sided nature, I do think that at least, I¡¯m better than you. I have no interest in interfering between you and Qi Lei, but we¡¯re partners, so I¡¯ll be indirectly affected if you jeopardize his benefits. I won¡¯t go easy on those who stand in my way,¡± he said straightforwardly.

    ¡°So, you made Qi Lei a chess piece of yours to defeat me?¡± Qi Feng locked his stone-cold gaze onto Mu Yuchen¡¯s face.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the fresh cigarette butt on the grave and responded, ¡°Chess piece? I¡¯d never use my friends as a chess piece. I¡¯m not going to give you a long lecture here. You can tell me what actually happened six years ago. I just want to know why Lingtian made that decision.¡±

    ¡°Pretty bold of you, but do you think I¡¯d tell you?¡± Qi Feng smiled wryly.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened instantly as he said quietly, ¡°Could Qi Weier actually be Lingtian and Gu Lingsha¡¯s daughter?¡±

    If Mu Lingtian knew about his rtionship with Gu Lingsha, he probably would have made a different decision. This answer was the only one that could convince Mu Yuchen, but the moment this was confirmed, another tragedy awaited!

    Qi Feng started cackling maniacally when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s question. ¡°Weiwei is Lingtian and Shasha¡¯s daughter? Would you be relieved if I said yes?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression did not soften. Instead, it turned grim. It seemed like Qi Feng still did not know about the rtionship between Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingtian, or else...

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong! Of course, Weiwei is my daughter! She is Shasha¡¯s and mine, our daughter!¡±

    Qi Feng thought that Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression changed when he did not get the answer he wanted, so he continued, ¡°Lingtian had always been indecisive. You should know that he always liked Shasha, but she didn¡¯t love him and only thought of him as a friend. In the beginning, he hesitated about helping us since he was afraid of going against you. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to, but he was scared! You should know how Lingtian felt towards you as a brother!¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your influence, I doubt he¡¯d have garnered that much bias against me, would he?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s lip curled up slightly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination! You want to know why he suddenly decided to go against you, don¡¯t you?¡± Qi Feng paused and shot Mu Yuchen a sharp nce. ¡°Because I told him that Shasha¡¯s pregnant, and if he helped us to escape, both the Hui Gu Corporation and I would help him take over Glory World in the future. He believed me and agreed to help!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! He¡¯s not a selfish person like you said,¡± Mu Yuchen denied Qi Feng¡¯s words as he could not believe it.

    Qi Fengughed. ¡°Do you not believe it, or do you not want to believe it¡¯s real? Mu Yuchen, you have no idea who Lingtian was as a person. You didn¡¯t understand him at all! I know it¡¯s difficult for you to ept this fact, but you should know there¡¯s no reason for me to lie at this point. Although I can use any means to achieve my goals, even I wouldn¡¯t lie about someone who¡¯s already dead.¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng, do you dare repeat what you just said if Lingtian was still alive and standing right in front of you today?¡± Mu Yuchen stared dangerously at Qi Feng, holding back the urge to choke him to death!

    Qi Feng was unfazed as he looked at Mu Lingtian¡¯s picture on his grave quietly. ¡°Of course, why not? Lingtian is the same type of person as me. He didn¡¯t reject it when you offered to let him take over Glory World, did he? But Zhuang Shurong disagreed! In the end, Mu Lingtian was still an outsider in the Mu family. His position was as awkward as mine in my family, but I¡¯m fortunate. My father didn¡¯t revoke my rights to inherit Qi Kai just because of my identity! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan. Was there ever a period of time when their rtionship with Lingtian was strained?

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you had no idea because you were in the army back then. I bet Zhuang Shurong never told you, did she? Your mother met with Shasha in private some time before her wedding with you. They somehow touched this topic and it made Zhuang Shurong very angry. Your mother sshed coffee all over Shasha¡¯s face. Well, you can ask her as well if you question my credibility.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened although he stayed silent.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that your family members are innocent. Anything can be as fragile as a piece of white paper when put in front of huge profits. It gets destroyed easily! You lot didn¡¯t give Lingtian and his sister unconditional love. Lingtian understood that very well, and he had been living under your shadow ever since he was a child, so he was just a dying star that was fading. Do you understand now?¡±

    Qi Feng was enjoying the sight of Mu Yuchen¡¯s pale expression.

    ¡°It seems like you already have an answer. This is why Lingtian made that decision. It¡¯s painful, isn¡¯t it? None of you could understand the pain Lingtian went through. Only I could!¡± Heughed at Mu Yuchen cruelly.

    Mu Yuchen felt as if his world was sinking. He could not find any words to describe the feelings that gathered inside his chest at the moment.

    Excruciating pain?

    Shortness of breath?

    Suffocating?

    All of the above!

    If what Qi Feng just said was real, was there any meaning to what he had been doing?

 Chapter 1006 - Mu Yuchen vs Qi Feng (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1006: Mu Yuchen vs Qi Feng (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen felt his heart stop for a moment. A strong breeze blew some rainwater beneath his umbre. He stared at Qi Feng who just gave him a vile, sadistic smile, not bothering to hide the fact that he was justughing at his ignorance.

    ¡°Onest question.¡± Mu Yuchen barely managed to keep his thoughts in check as he tried to stay calm. ¡°Why are both of you fine while he ended up dead?¡±

    ¡°Because he protected Shasha with his own body. It was a very dangerous situation when the sky turned dark as it started raining heavily. The brakes weren¡¯t working when we approached a downward slope. Lingtian could¡¯ve escaped, but he asked Shasha a question.¡±

    Qi Feng raised his head and nced at Mu Lingtian¡¯s photo on his grave. His smile was tinted with sorrow as he went on, ¡°He asked Shasha if she ever liked him even if it was just a little. She said yes. He then turned the steering wheel, unfastened his seatbelt, and shielded Shasha who was sitting in the front passenger seat as the car crashed down the slope. Shasha survived because he sacrificed himself to protect her. That¡¯s how it went.¡±

    Inhaling a deep breath, he nced at Mu Yuchen. ¡°I remember that he kept calling you, but you only answered once and ignored the rest of his calls. Your people kept chasing us...and pushed us into a corner. If you made them stop their advances and have a talk after things settled down, he wouldn¡¯t have died. You hurt several people at once. You might think that you¡¯re innocent just like all the murderers. They don¡¯t get a chance to repent when they die, do they? Mu Yuchen, would you repent if you had a chance?¡±

    ¡°Why should I? I was betrayed, and I was never a kind person from the beginning. It¡¯s not my destiny to be a savior.¡±

    ¡°It seems like there¡¯s no reason to continue our conversation any longer! I¡¯ll make sure you pay back for what you did to Shasha and Morrison. I¡¯ll make you taste immeasurable pain, for example, Xi Xiaye¡ª Argh!¡± Qi Feng tried to threaten Mu Yuchen, but the emotionally turbulent man went forward and grabbed him by his neck before he could even finish his sentence. Just a little more force and Qi Feng¡¯s neck might just be snapped!

    Qi Feng¡¯s face instantly turned red. Although he could not speak, his eyes were ring at Mu Yuchen coldly. Qi Feng¡¯s bodyguards rushed up when they saw what happened, but their boss waved his hand and stopped their advances.

    ¡°You can try it if you¡¯re daring enough. I¡¯ll make sure you regret it. It won¡¯t just be your legs this time. You know me very well. I¡¯ll make sure I do whatever I say. You should be d that only her hands were injured thest time, or else Morrison might¡¯ve suffered more than just a broken leg. You can try to threaten me, and I¡¯ll show you just how terrifying I can be!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s icy cold tone raised sparks in the air! It was the first time Qi Feng ever saw such a sharp gaze. He never knew that Mu Yuchen could be this overbearing. His hand on his neck felt like the sharp ws of an eagle, and he started having difficulty breathing and staying conscious. Just when he thought he was about to pass out, Mu Yuchen suddenly let go of him!

    Qi Feng coughed as his face turned pale. He watched Mu Yuchen¡¯s back as he left, gingerly rubbing the grip marks left on his neck! Just how much strength did he use just now?

    With a deep breath, he took some time to recover, but soon a wicked smile spread on his face.

    <i>Mu Yuchen, so that¡¯s your weakness!</i>

    The rain had gotten heavier, and it drowned the cigarette in front of the grave in an instant. Qi Feng¡¯s shoulders were soaked in the rain.

    Momentster, he turned to look at Mu Lingtian¡¯s picture again. ¡°Please don¡¯t me me, Lingtian. I know you feel the same way I do. I¡¯m speaking on your behalf because I want them to feel guilty. I hope you can rest in peace. We were simr but different. You¡¯re dead while I¡¯m still alive though I¡¯m living like the dead...¡±

    ...

    Ah Mo and the others rushed forward the moment he came down from the staircase.

    ¡°Bro, are you alright?¡± Ah Mo was worried when he noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s pale face.

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything. His eyes were broody as he handed the umbre to Ah Mo who was stunned for a second, but he quickly took the umbre and continued to ask, ¡°Bro, what¡¯s wrong? Are you...¡±

    As Mu Yuchen continued walking forward, Ah Mo could sense that something was not right. He turned and looked at Qi Feng above them, shooting him a cold stare before asking the other bodyguards to follow Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen walked pretty quickly, so he arrived at the car in just a moment. He then could not bear the pain in his chest any longer.

    ¡°Urgh¡ª¡± He started coughing blood as his vision darkened. Immediately, he grabbed onto the car as he felt like he was suddenly losing strength!

    ¡°Bro!¡± Ah Mo howled and quickly ran forward to help Mu Yuchen up as he turned ashen from shock! ¡°Bro, are you okay? How are you feeling?¡±

 Chapter 1007 - Misery (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1007: Misery (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Ah Mo got closer, he noticed that Mu Yuchen¡¯s face was frighteningly pale. In fact, he looked half-dead.

    ¡°What happened, Bro? Did Qi Feng do this? I¡¯m going to kill him!¡± Ah Mo clenched his teeth and was about to give chase, but Mu Yuchen stopped him.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Help me get into the car. Head to the office right away and don¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡± Mu Yuchen sounded weak and exhausted.

    ¡°Alright! Hurry, everyone!¡± Ah Mo helped Mu Yuchen get in the car.

    He then handed Mu Yuchen some tissue to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, Mu Yuchen continued to endure the pain in his chest. Eventually, he lost his strength and felt like sleeping, so he closed his eyes and buried his sorrow deep within...

    It was not the first time Ah Mo was seeing Mu Yuchen act like this. He once acted the same when he found out that Mu Lingtian had passed away.

    Qi Feng must have said something! Ah Mo was furious as he thought about such a possibility.

    Ah Mo suppressed his anger before speaking to the chauffeur, ¡°To the hospital.¡± The chauffeur nodded as he nced at Mu Yuchen through the rear-view mirror and quietly sped up.

    They finally arrived at Hospital T an hourter. Mu Yuchen had been sleeping the whole time. Although he was against going to the hospital, Ah Mo insisted, so he could not do anything butply obediently.

    There were a lot of people in the hospital around noon when Ah Mo went to the emergency ward.

    A doctor soon came by and did a series of check-ups for Mu Yuchen. Ah Mo felt like he had been waiting for an eternity after the doctor was done.

    While Mu Yuchen rested on the sofa, Ah Mo went to the doctor as he was making notes on the medical record. ¡°How is it, Doctor? How¡¯s my brother? Is he alright? He just vomited blood, and...¡± Ah Mo was speaking gibberish as he was really anxious.

    The doctor raised his hand and signaled him to calm down before he replied quietly, ¡°He¡¯s been under stress for a long time and has been over-exhaustedtely. He¡¯s been under pressure for an extended period of time. The condition you described before is what happens if he doesn¡¯t take care of himself.¡±

    Stunned, Ah Mo then added a question, ¡°How is he now? Is it severe?¡±

    ¡°He needs to rx. I¡¯ll give him some medicine to calm down, but you have to try to relieve his stress. He needs to take care of himself too, or else, he¡¯ll just over-exert himself again.¡±

    The doctor then gave the prescription, and Ah Mo then had one of the bodyguards get the medication.

    ¡°Bro, how are you feeling?¡±

    The doctor had given Mu Yuchen an injection just now. When he heard Ah Mo¡¯s voice, he slowly opened his eyes. Compared to his pale expression before, he was looking much better now.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just finding it a little difficult to breathe, but I¡¯m much better now. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly.

    ¡°The doctor said you¡¯re under a lot of stress and need to rx. Things are settling down within thepany. Why don¡¯t you take a break overseas with Sister-inw? I¡¯m really worried that you¡¯ll copse,¡± Ah Mo suggested.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can¡¯t leave City Z at the moment. The doctor is exaggerating. I know my health well. Don¡¯t mention what happened today to anyone, including Lingshi.¡± Mu Yuchen got up and managed to walk steadily. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back to Maple Residence.¡±

    ¡°Bro!¡± Ah Mo frowned and followed behind him.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen¡¯splexion looked much better on their way back to Maple Residence though he still looked slightly pale.

    ¡°Ah Mo, you¡¯ve been in the Mu family for over twenty years. What do you think of the people in the Mu family?¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly asked.

    Ah Mo was startled by his question and was uncertain of the intentions behind it, but he still answered honestly, ¡°It¡¯s the best thing that has happened to me. I wouldn¡¯t be here today if it weren¡¯t for them.¡± Feeling really grateful, he paused before he turned towards Mu Yuchen and continued, ¡°Bro, you¡¯re the person I respect the most in life.¡±

    ¡°I once imagined that if Grandfather didn¡¯t adopt me from the orphanage, my life would¡¯ve been extremely in. I wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy the happiness I have right now, and I wouldn¡¯t have met Lingshi,¡± Ah Mo expressed genuinely.

    ¡°Am I a good enough brother to you?¡± Mu Yuchen asked another question as he looked into Ah Mo¡¯s eyes.

    Ah Mo did not notice anything wrong when they looked into each other¡¯s eyes. For some reason, Ah Mo could feel an odd sense of sorrow in those dark eyes of his.

    After a while, he replied, ¡°No matter what others think of you, you¡¯re the most respectable person to Lingshi and me. Some feelings can only be felt after experiencing it together. That¡¯s why...

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about what others think of me because they might not understand what I care about.¡±

 Chapter 1008 - Misery (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1008: Misery (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was calmly heard as he took a few shallow breaths, then looked quite calmly towards Ah Mo, ¡°I hope that if one day...¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen suddenly stopped again and lowered his gaze in a pensive manner.

    Ah Mo looked at him in silent confusion and waited for him to continue. Nheless, Mu Yuchen fell silent for a long while and did not continue. He only silently turned his head and looked out of the car window, his expression as indifferent as the wind.

    Ah Mo did not ask further, yet he understood that Mu Yuchen¡¯s conversation with Qi Feng must have been a really troubling one!

    As for Qi Feng, Ah Mo felt like perhaps he could have tolerated the man before, but he had hurt his respected brother, and that was something that he would not stand aside and watch! As he thought about it, his gaze suddenly darkened and his hands by his sides tightened into fists too. He started thinking about how to get back at Qi Feng and give him a lesson. City Z was not up to Qi Feng to do as he wished!

    However, just as Ah Mo had this thought, Mu Yuchen¡¯s shockingly keen eyes easily captured the change in his expression.

    ¡°As for the matters between Qi Feng and me, I hope that you won¡¯t interfere. Now that Lingshi¡¯s pregnant, just focus on protecting her well. Qi Feng¡¯s quite a person of depth, and you might not be hispetition. He¡¯s already very different from six years ago. He can easily grasp one¡¯s fatal points, and you¡¯ll only be disadvantaged facing such schemes,¡± Mu Yuchen said evenly.

    ¡°Bro, I know, but I...¡± Ah Mo wanted to say something more, but Mu Yuchen cut him off.

    ¡°No buts, you just need to do as I say. As for the rest, I have my ns. Lingshi¡¯s identity might be exposed very soon. At that time, your responsibility to protect her will be even more important. If Doris or Gu Lingsha knows about Lingshi, I think both your lives won¡¯t be very peaceful anymore.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words obviously made Ah Mo vaguely feel the uneasiness that came right before a storm.

    Nevertheless, Mu Yuchen was now not only worried about these. At least, to Wang Hui and the rest, this news was not a secret anymore. Right now, there was just a very thinyer above this news that would break with a nudge. The world could find out in an instant, thus he was most concerned with how to keep the damage minimal.

    ¡°Yes, Bro! I understand! I will do my best!¡± Ah Mo responded. Mu Yuchen did not continue and slowly turned to look out of the car window.

    There was the pitter-patter of the rain outside. It was much heavier than before. On both sides of the road, it looked quite bleak and empty while the raindrops that hit the car windows made the car feel even quieter, so quiet that one felt a slight chill.

    It was a rare weekend. Wang Hui and Mu Yinan had gone over to Mu Lingshi¡¯s ce early. Since there were two days of rest, they wanted to go back to the old Mu residence to stay. Xi Xiaye had even considerately let Aunt Fang and Aunt Lin take leave, so only she, Mu Xiaocheng, and Sis Wang remained in therge Maple Residence.

    In the afternoon, the sky remained very hazy. Silver droplets continued to drop from the bleak and vast sky while the air was filled with a chill. Xi Xiaye could not stand the cold, so she put on a simple jacket and walked towards the balcony. She was about to close the half-opened window when she vaguely heard the sound of a car parking outside all of a sudden.

    She hesitated, then walked towards the balcony and looked down by leaning against the parapet. Indeed, she saw the vi gates slowly opening.

    The man held up arge ck umbre and slowly walked through the rain into the vi. His handsome and tall figure was engulfed in the gloomy weather, and he seemed quite sad. She did not particrly observe the way he walked, but from what she saw, she could tell that there was a loneliness that he could not conceal. To her, it made her feel slightly pained.

    Mu Yuchen walked ahead for a few steps, then keenly detected the watchful eyes from upstairs, so he quickly looked up. Indeed, he saw Xi Xiaye leaning against the balcony, and he stopped walking immediately.

    She watched him and met his silent eyes. Immediately, she gave him a calm smile and took in all of his expressions. Moments after that, a calm voice that brought a hint of warmth traveled through the rain and reached his ears, ¡°Who bullied you? You look very upset.¡±

    When he heard that, he was stunned. He was shocked that this girl could so easily capture his mood.

    While she seemed to be able to detect the questions in his heart, she quickly continued, ¡°When you¡¯re not happy, you frown habitually, Mr. Mu.¡±

    Then, with his eyebrows raised, he silently looked up the woman sitting above and softly asked, ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled before she cleared her throat. ¡°It¡¯s not obvious. I just have a keen eye. I could immediately tell because when you left the house this morning, you weren¡¯t like this.¡±

    Her light smile greeted his dark eyes, easing the heaviness in his chest much more. He suddenly felt a faint warmth as he looked at her for quite a while before he suddenly reached out towards her. His deep voice sounded like there was no room for rejection as he said, ¡°Come down!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a while, but she reacted shortly by nodding dly. Obediently, she turned around to go downstairs.

    When they walked out of the vi, he was still standing on the staircase. Before she evenpleted her descend down the steps, he immediately pulled her into his arms. Her meticulous touch brought a faint hint of warmth with it, he immediately felt much less colder.

    Xi Xiaye was also surprised by his sudden hug. Her arms that fell to the side paused, then she slowly lifted them and gently hugged him too. Her tone was still warm as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he softly responded. In that instant his voice finished, he lowered his head to nt a kiss on her forehead.

    ¡°Alright, go in first. It¡¯s still raining outside. I still can¡¯t tell what you¡¯re thinking. Usually, when you say that it¡¯s fine, it usually isn¡¯t. When you left the house this morning, I already knew something was odd about you, I called Li Si and I know you went to the cemetery.¡±

    She did not hide what she knew from him as she looked up at him honestly with clear, twinkling eyes.

 Chapter 1009 - Misery (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1009: Misery (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can hide from you.¡± He did not hide it and smiled as he held her and walked into the house. He quietly put the umbre away, then the husband and wife went upstairs.

    ¡°I found out from Li Si about Morrison being hospitalized, Mr. Mu. Thank you.¡± She poured him a cup of warm water. Because her hands were still bandaged, she dared not pour the cup too full, then she carefully pushed it towards his hand.

    He leaned on his side and gently held her hand. ¡°Alright, be careful. Otherwise, it¡¯s going to take a long while to recover. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to thank me anymore?¡± His tone sounded like it was upset, yet there was not a hint of anger.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It was treated in time. I¡¯m already very lucky that it didn¡¯t get infected,¡± she said as she leaned against him to sit. She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a spark. ¡°Aren¡¯t you nning to tell me something?¡±

    He frowned slightly, lowered his head to drop the water in hand, and then set the cup aside. ¡°I went to see Qi Feng and found out about some things from years ago. It¡¯s not something to be happy about, so why talk about it?¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng? Because of the incident with Gu Lingsha and Morrison?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him, a little surprised.

    Mu Yuchen smiled calmly. ¡°He¡¯s not dumb. He obviously knew that I¡¯d done those things, but he just doesn¡¯t have evidence of it. But now that the incident with Gu Lingsha¡¯s been getting around, everyone¡¯s talking about it. It was even reported on television. Knowing them, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t let go of this so easily, especially since it¡¯s also a very critical time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned and could not help but look worriedly at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m regretting it slightly now. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have incited you to get back at them for me.¡±

    When he heard that, he could not help but shoot her a side look. He cleared his throat and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve already done it, so why cower? Don¡¯t forget your lesson from before, he never nned to let you go, even if the incident with you didn¡¯t happen, something else would have.¡±

    ¡°Did he threaten you or say something to you? You don¡¯t look good...¡±

    He took a deep breath, and suddenly lowered his gaze. Then, he thought about it and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you again when I¡¯ve arranged my thoughts. What he told me might not be that reliable either, hmm?¡±

    She nodded gently too. ¡°Alright, sleep first since you look quite tired. I¡¯ll wake you up when it¡¯s dinner. That¡¯s enough talking! I¡¯ll go pour you a cup of milk.¡±

    She did not continue asking him about it, she said considerately, as she got up, and before he could respond, she had already turned to walk out the door.

    As he watched her slender figure slowly vanish out the door, Mu Yuchen smiled calmly. Her faint warmth was still in his hand. When he thought about it, it seemed like it was not too bad, so he should not be held back by these moods.

    Even though Qi Feng¡¯s words held some truth in them, he was more willing to believe Lingtian. After all, he was still his brother, and that still held some weight. At least, previously, he had hesitated about it...

    After a while, Sis Wang brought over a cup of warm milk which Xi Xiaye made him drink, and after a simple wash up, she made him lie in bed to rest.

    Xi Xiaye covered him well in the nket and was about to pull her hand away when he held her by the wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t go. Wait for me to fall asleep before you go.¡±

    She paused, then nodded as a crescent curve shed on her lips and she silently looked at him. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be like our son now. I¡¯m right here. Sleep.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my wife, my woman. Can our son evenpare to you?¡± He chuckled. Upon seeing her sit without moving at all by his side, he slowly closed his eyes. Xi Xiaye just rolled her eyes and let him hold her wrist underneath the nket.

    It was rare to see him acting all like a delicate prince. She sighed helplessly while her other hand covered the back of his hand as their hands interlocked.

    Suddenly, he called out softly, ¡°Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Yes?¡± she very quickly answered, and when she looked at his handsome face, she realized that his eyes were still closed.

    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet. Sing a song for me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows in surprise. She was about to say something, but upon seeing him still frowning, she thought about it, then asked, ¡°What do you want to listen to? I don¡¯t know how to sing many songs and you know that.¡±

    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±

    When she heard that, she frowned. In a lowered voice, she gently hummed, ¡°<i>Remember the room number of that hotel, smiling as you left; the entire city was so lively then...</i>¡±

    Her melodious singing was heard, and he enjoyed it. Even when he sumbed to sleep, he could feel that her presence had never left, so he rxed, and after a while, he was snoring gently.

    Xi Xiaye did not immediately get up after that. She sat with him in silence for a while, and upon seeing his frown smoothen out, she let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Sometimes, I wish I could be half of your heart. That way, I can help you take on some kind of burden like a fool who¡¯s willing to bear the burden!¡± she murmured softly, then gently took away his hand that held hers tightly. She fixed the nket for him before carefully leaving the bedroom and closing the door.

    After she walked out of the bedroom, she was still worried, so she called Ah Mo.

    When he received Xi Xiaye¡¯s call, Ah Mo was still on the way home.

    ¡°Hello? Sis-inw?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice was a little anxious because he was worried that something had happened on Mu Yuchen¡¯s end. The incident earlier had made him break out in cold sweat. He was also thinking about whether or not he should tell Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Ah Mo, what¡¯s wrong with your brother? He doesn¡¯t look that great,¡± Xi Xiaye asked uneasily.

    ¡°Sis-inw...¡± Ah Mo could not help but sigh, then he could not help but tell her about what happened the entire day. As Xi Xiaye listened, her expression changed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Sis-inw. Just take good care of Brother. Don¡¯t let him go to work in the next few days, and get him to just stay at home with you. Brother will only listen to you. Advise him and he¡¯ll listen,¡± Ah Mo assured.

    ¡°I got it. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Xi Xiaye responded, then hung up.

 Chapter 1010 - Misery (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1010: Misery (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She watched as the light on her phone screen dimmed, and sadness could not help but glimmer in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. Inhaling deeply, she then silently left the room to go downstairs.

    ¡°Missus, Master Qi is here!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just gone downstairs when she saw Qi Lei walk in with Sis Wang. She was surprised to see Qi Lei suddenly appear. She nodded. ¡°I got it. Thanks, Sis Wang.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay? How¡¯s your hand?¡± Qi Lei put a huge pile of things onto the table as his eyes quickly fell on Xi Xiaye¡¯s pair of hands.

    She looked down at her hands too and gently shook her head. Pointing to the sofa on the side, she said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Have a seat. He just fell asleep, and I wanted to talk to you too.¡±

    Qi Lei could sense that something was off with Xi Xiaye, so he reasoned with himself, then took a seat. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We¡¯ve got two pieces of great news from today. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy? Why the long face? Does it have something to do with Mu Yuchen?¡± he asked softly as his devilish eyes keenly caught the worry in hers.

    Xi Xiaye took a look at him and did not answer. She only silently lowered her gaze.

    ¡°Looks like it must be.¡± Qi Lei smiled calmly. ¡°I was just going toe over to chat with him.¡±

    ¡°He went to meet Qi Feng this morning, and he¡¯s been in a bad state since he returned. I¡¯m really worried,¡± Xi Xiaye softly responded. Then, she looked at Qi Lei. ¡°I think Qi Feng must¡¯ve said something to him. Do you know that all these years, the only thing that he couldn¡¯t let go of was Lingtian¡¯s incident?¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng looked for him?¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, his expression immediately darkened. A solemn expression appeared between his brows too.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯ve actually met Qi Feng before this. He¡¯s not a kind man. In fact, based on his personality alone, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll let go of this so easily. Mr. Mu also mentioned the situation on his end to me. We have to use this time to speed things up. Seize the empty slot in this period of time and handle the whole thing quickly. That way, you won¡¯t have to always be restricted by them.¡±

    ¡°I could already tell from that day that you aren¡¯t on Qi Feng¡¯s good side either.¡±

    ¡°Many things are still in preparation mode. There are some things that can¡¯t be rushed.¡± Qi Lei picked up his tea and took a sip. ¡°I heard about the past two days from Yang Sheng. I¡¯ve been busy with recruiting, so I haven¡¯t been paying much attention to these things...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not wait for Qi Lei to finish before she cut him off irritatedly. She said defensively in a cold tone, ¡°Are you trying to ask if he did those things?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t direct your anger at me! I¡¯m really innocent. I was just concerned. I¡¯m happy about it! In fact, I have to thank whoever did it!¡± Qi Lei quickly dered his stance.

    Then, Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression eased a little. She knew that she was in a bad mood too, so she apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was a little apprehensive. I didn¡¯t think of targeting you.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her thoughtfully, then shook his head helplessly. ¡°Alright now, no need to be so worried. If Mu Yuchen can¡¯t even get over this little thing, then he wouldn¡¯t be him! I hope that all of those things will be in the past and that it can stop affecting us.¡±

    ¡°How about I treat you tonight? Let¡¯s go out and rx. Let him know when he wakes up,¡± Qi Lei suggested.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood, and he can¡¯t drinktely!¡± Xi Xiaye rejected him frankly.

    When Qi Lei heard, he cried out, ¡°Can¡¯t drink? Are you preparing for a second child?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one preparing for a second child! A cracked bell can never sound well. Come over in the evening since he won¡¯t be waking up so soon.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned at him, then she picked up the documents on the coffee table. She did not have time to wrangle with him.

    Qi Lei then shrugged. ¡°Okay then, but I¡¯ve got a dinner party tonight, so I won¡¯t being over. Maybe tomorrow or in another two days. Bye!¡±

    ...

    Then, Qi Lei got up and left. When he walked out of Maple Residence, it was raining even heavier outside, and the whole world was a vast expanse of whiteness.

    Qi Lei sat quietly in his car, his eyes dim. He could not help but take out a cigarette for a few puffs. Just as he was about to start the car, his phone that was tossed on the front passenger seat suddenly buzzed. He turned to take a look at the screen. When that name greeted his sight, disdain shed in his eyes. Nheless, he picked it up as he started the car.

    It was Qi Qiming¡¯s secretary asking him to make a trip back to the Qi residence right away. Qi Lei did not like that ce, but for this act, he had to sacrifice himself.

    The Qi residence was not that far from where he was. By the time Qi Lei¡¯s car drove through the hazy rain and passed the gates, it was almost two hourster.

    ¡°Second Master, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Qi Lei had just entered when the butler¡¯s voice was heard. Qi Lei looked at him coldly and pretended he was not there as he continued to walk in with huge strides.

    The butler looked awkward, of course, but annoyance could not help but appear in his eyes.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, it really had nothing to do with me. I didn¡¯t know how it happened too! Don¡¯t believe those reporters¡¯ reckless writing!¡±

    He took two steps forward and Gu Lingsha¡¯s raspy voice rang out. Qi Lei subconsciously raised his brows. Amusement shed in his eyes as he put two hands in his pocket like he was watching a show. He turned to where the voice came from.

    Indeed, he saw Qi Qiming sitting on the sofa without uttering a word and looking furious. Meanwhile, after a sleepless night, Gu Lingsha looked extremely anxious and haggard while she anxiously exined about the pictures that the reporters capturedst night to Qi Qiming.

    ¡°Lingsha, your father and I just announced the wedding date for you and Ah Feng, and then you go out to cause this scandal. What are other people going to think about Ah Feng? Ah Feng¡¯s already the way he is, and now there are all sorts of versions of news out there. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s wrong with our Qi family. Why we¡¯re always surrounded by these scandals?!¡± Qi Qiming said helplessly, ¡°And where¡¯s Ah Feng? Where did he go? I haven¡¯t seen him the whole day!¡±

 Chapter 1011 - Defend (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1011: Defend (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha panicked, unable to mask the anxiety in her eyes as she quickly shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He was already gone when I woke up this morning. I asked his subordinates, but they don¡¯t know where he went either! And with Morrison¡¯s incident, I think he...¡±

    ¡°How can these things keep happening?! Utter nonsense!¡± Qi Qiming was irate. ¡°Can¡¯t the reporters report something else? Lingsha, this sort of news won¡¯te by if no mes fan them. I hope you can be more careful in the future. Your identity is different now as you¡¯ve be the Qi family¡¯s daughter-inw. I don¡¯t want to know about your rtionship with Mu Yuchen in the past, and I don¡¯t want anyone else to know about it as well. Look at these pictures and write-ups. Even if they aren¡¯t real, it¡¯ll be a problem if it keeps spreading!¡±

    As Qi Qiming sounded really miserable, Gu Lingsha felt guilty too. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry, Uncle Qi! I¡¯ll ask my father to help suppress the news. Between Mu Yuchen and me, there¡¯s nothing between us. Please believe me.¡± Her tone was shaky as she felt aggrieved.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t mean to me you. Our top priority now is to settle this issue. It¡¯s not the time for me. I¡¯ve asked Qi Lei toe over and help out with this mess. Meanwhile, you should stay at home. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get over this very soon, so don¡¯t worry about it. By the way, you should probably exin this to Ah Feng. I don¡¯t want him to overthink,¡± Qi Qiming replied worriedly.

    ¡°Yes, Uncle Qi, I will. Ah Feng will believe me.¡±

    ¡°This whole incident is ridiculous. Someone might be setting you up. We¡¯ll have to investigate this. Do you think Mu Yuchen might be behind this?¡± Qi Qiming instantly suspected Mu Yuchen.

    Gu Lingsha was stunned for a moment, but she gave it some thought. ¡°Mu Yuchen? Why?¡±

    Although she could not believe it, Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold expression appeared in her mind almost immediately after her sentence. Their sh the other day ended with her giving Xi Xiaye a harsh warning. Could Xi Xiaye have asked Mu Yuchen to take revenge for her?

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression darkened as fury tinted her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Xi Xiaye, Uncle Qi! The other day, I had a tiff with Xi Xiaye in Weiwei¡¯s school. She probably told Mu Yuchen and that¡¯s why he must have wanted to embarrass me! That must be it! It must be that low-life woman¡¯s work!¡±

    A faint, wicked chuckle came from behind them abruptly before a bemused voice said, ¡°If that¡¯s really the case, the doctor¡¯s report didn¡¯t indicate any sign of intoxication or drugs like you said. Moreover, Mu Yuchen doesn¡¯t get anything out of being involved in news like this, does he? Do you think you¡¯re charming enough for Mu Yuchen to sacrifice himself in order to seduce you? Or maybe I should rephrase. Is it because you¡¯ve never forgotten about Mu Yuchen, and that¡¯s why you were seduced so easily?¡±

    Both Qi Qiming and Gu Lingsha were shocked as they quickly turned around to see Qi Lei with both his hands in his pockets as he stood near the door.

    ¡°Lei, you¡¯re back!¡± Gu Lingsha smiled, trading nces with Qi Qiming before greeting Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei walked over slowly and nced at her. In truth, he was surprised that she would speak like this!

    Low-life? Was Xi Xiaye really one?

    He did not think so though.

    Qi Lei was actually upset that Gu Lingsha humiliated Xi Xiaye, so his expression darkened.

    While Qi Qiming¡¯s expression rxed slightly when he saw Qi Lei, his eyes clouded over when he heard his words.

    Qi Lei looked at them quietly for a little while before sitting down. Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze when he did not answer her greeting, but she recovered in a moment and quickly got him a ss of water.

    ¡°Why did you call me back?¡± Qi Lei asked directly.

    Qi Qiming was really taking advantage of the situation. He actually seemed to be taking charge after Qi Lei gave him some leeway. He had been giving orders to Qi Lei in the past few days. Previously, Qi Lei would never have obeyed him, but things were different now. He had to endure it for the sake of his future ns!

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and told himself that. In the end, he managed to be humble and cooperate with Qi Qiming temporarily.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen the news today. Don¡¯t you have any thoughts?¡± Qi Qiming looked at Qi Lei and asked.

    Naturally, Qi Lei could not see any hint of fatherly love from his eyes. They still looked icy cold. The only difference was that Qi Qiming was slightly more patient with him, but that was it.

    Of course, Qi Lei did not expect Qi Qiming to suddenly treat him like his actual son. How could their decades-long strained rtionship be resolved in an instant? Only in his dreams!

    ¡°What can I say? It¡¯s none of my business, is it? Even if I have any thoughts, I¡¯ve voiced them just now, haven¡¯t I?¡± Qi Lei replied.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed, and she tried to exin, ¡°Lei, you know me very well. I wouldn¡¯t do something like that. It¡¯s obvious that someone set me up, and like you said just now, if it¡¯s not Mu Yuchen behind it since he doesn¡¯t gain anything from it, maybe someone is trying to create a rift between Mu Yuchen and me, or someone¡¯s trying to destroy the rtionship between Qi Kai and Glory World, so...¡±

    ¡°No, Shasha, I don¡¯t think I know you that well. I¡¯m no longer familiar with who you are right now, since you¡¯ve changed, so I can¡¯t really speak for you.¡±

 Chapter 1012 - Defend (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1012: Defend (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei was already creating a clear border between them!

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s face turned pale as she shot him a disappointed nce. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she turned her head away, not knowing what else to say to him.

    Qi Qiming observed their exchange. Unable to bear seeing Gu Lingsha like this, he frowned and reprimanded, ¡°How could you say that, Qi Lei?¡±

    Qi Lei did not want to waste any more time. ¡°Some truths are difficult to hear. Don¡¯t always me others for everything. Just tell me what you want to say since I don¡¯t have much time. I have an appointmentter!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, I know you¡¯re very unhappy with me, but don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re very defensive about Xi Xiaye now? I hope you can exin yourself in front of Uncle Qi today! Just what did Xi Xiaye do to make you defend her?! Don¡¯t you know about the conflict between us?¡±

    It was not difficult to notice that Qi Lei was defending Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen, thus Gu Lingsha was very annoyed. Her eyes were filled with dissatisfaction and disappointment.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened even further and he threw Qi Lei a sharp nce. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your rtionship with them. Be it Xi Xiaye or Mu Yuchen, you have to make your boundaries clear and recognize who your friends and your foes are!¡± His deep voice was filled with disapproval as well.

    ¡°I know very well who my friends and my foes are, and I definitely know what I¡¯m doing. There are traces and evidence that will lead us to the truth. You may think that I¡¯m trying to be defiant right now, but you know very well the consequences if this conversation were to be exposed.¡±

    Qi Lei did not want to expose his cover after enduring things for so long. In the end, endurance was the key!

    Qi Qiming¡¯s strained face softened slightly, but Gu Lingsha could not suppress her anger. She firmly believed that Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen must be involved in this, and she hated herself for having said those things to Mu Yuchen! Those were words she had buried deep within herself. How could she ever face that stone-hearted man again!? She could already imagine his sarcastic expression towards her!

    Gu Lingsha was not a nobody. At the very least, she was the daughter of the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s President and her mother was a British royal descendant. How could she allow a man to humiliate and look down on her like a clown!?

    This sudden realization made Gu Lingsha even madder and her anger amplified when she thought about Xi Xiaye!

    Qi Weier had reverted to her shut-down state when she just came back. She stopped talking to Gu Lingsha and her eyes were filled with fear whenever she looked at her!

    Gu Lingsha was anxious, but she could not do anything about it. She only med herself for not being able to exercise self-control!

    ¡°I had a conflict with her the other day at Weiwei¡¯s school. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll just let it go!¡± Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Lei andined, ¡°No matter who did this, they are definitelying for me. If I find out who¡¯s behind this...¡±

    ¡°I thought your priority now is to suppress the news. After all, you just announced your marriage with Qi Feng. Are you trying to embarrass him now?¡± Qi Lei spoke without an ounce of emotion on his face as if he did not care at all.

    ¡°Uncle Qi...¡± Gu Lingsha seemed really worried and exhausted.

    Qi Qiming was buried in long, deep thoughts. He then turned to Qi Lei, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±

    ¡°You might want to leave this to the almighty Qi Feng instead. I have no idea what I can do. Moreover, I didn¡¯t create this mess. He should solve his own issue. I was made to do the same back then, wasn¡¯t I? Moreover, you know very well what kind of rtionship we have. Do not overstep the boundaries as my patience is limited, or else, you can take the same advice you gave me: leave City Z for some time and onlye back when the rumors go away. They can¡¯t do anything without you around anyway, so they¡¯ll stop caring after some time.¡±

    Qi Lei then stood up decisively. ¡°Alright, I have some matters to attend to. That¡¯s all from me. Take it or leave it.¡±

    As he was about to leave, he heard some voices from outside.

    ¡°First Master, you¡¯re back!¡± It was the butler¡¯s voice!

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he was reminded about the information he got from Xi Xiaye!

    Qi Feng and Mu Yuchen had met that morning. He could tell from Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes that Mu Yuchen was not in the best condition. As for Qi Feng...

    ¡°Ah Feng, where have you been? Uncle Qi and I were worried sick!¡± Gu Lingsha went up to Qi Feng and eximed. Qi Lei looked over and saw Qi Feng entering with his bodyguards pushing his wheelchair.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was extremely unfriendly. He nced at Gu Lingsha before taking off his slightly wet coat which she took and handed to a nearby servant.

    ¡°Where have you been? You weren¡¯t picking up my calls!¡± Gu Lingsha went on really worriedly. She did not miss the papers he held in his hand. Huge photos from the incidentst night were printed on the front page. As she looked at Qi Feng helplessly, she was getting anxious. ¡°Ah Feng, this is...¡±

    When Qi Feng signaled his bodyguard behind him, the bodyguard quickly pushed him to the sofa and helped him onto the sofa while Gu Lingsha followed behind quietly.

 Chapter 1013 - Defend (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1013: Defend (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I know what happened, but I¡¯m surprised about the incident.¡±

    Qi Feng left the papers on the table as he nced at Qi Qiming and Qi Lei. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you going to leave as soon as Ie back?¡±

    Qi Feng was not portraying any particr emotions, but Qi Lei just felt like punching him in the face! Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands were still bandaged all thanks to him!

    Morrisons¡¯ ident should teach Qi Feng a lesson.

    Qi Lei looked at him coldly. Gu Lingsha could sense the sparks in the air when their eyes met, so she quickly traded nces with Qi Qiming before handing a cup of tea to Qi Feng. ¡°Have some tea!¡±

    ¡°Sit down, Qi Lei!¡± Qi Qiming told him.

    However, Qi Lei did not move an inch while Qi Feng enjoyed the tea Gu Lingsha served him. He put on a smile. ¡°Are you still angry about what happened the other day?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened, but he remained silent.

    ¡°If you had willingly cooperated, Xi Xiaye wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt, but with Morrison in the hospital now, I suppose you¡¯re satisfied. You don¡¯t have to be mad. Morrison is a little rash. I¡¯m pretty sure Xi Xiaye is fine as well.¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng, Morrison¡¯s foot was broken, you...¡± Gu Lingsha frowned.

    ¡°At this moment, I just hope that we don¡¯t have any infighting. I know how the whole thing unfolded, but there¡¯s no use pointing fingers right now,¡± Qi Feng interrupted Gu Lingsha before she could finish her sentence.

    Her expression clouded over, but she did not say any further as she noticed that Qi Feng was getting annoyed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll investigate this incident thoroughly. Once I find out who¡¯s behind it, I won¡¯t let that person go so easily. Xiao Lei, if you¡¯re still unhappy about what happened the other day, I don¡¯t know what to say. Still, no matter what, your father will always be your father, and I¡¯ll always be your elder brother as well. We won¡¯t do anything to harm you,¡± Qi Feng said firmly as he threw him some sharp nces. Qi Qiming had always been impressed by his charisma. Even Gu Lingsha could feel the weight of his words.

    However, it was very different for Qi Lei. He had always been carefree, and the only reaction he got was just a smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to pick a fight here. You know very well what happened thest time. I¡¯m not going to bug you about it, but don¡¯t take me as a fool! I can stillmunicate on work matters, but don¡¯te to me for anything else other than that!¡±

    Qi Lei calmed down as he looked at Gu Lingsha. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to say this, but I feel like I should. Shasha, you once told me that you wouldn¡¯t stoop so low as to give another woman a hard time. What happened to that prideful Gu Lingsha? Lingtian is already dead, so in exchange for his death you only have endless hatred for Mu Yuchen, and now you¡¯re even involving innocent people? If that¡¯s how it is, maybe he shouldn¡¯t have saved you. Maybe you should¡¯ve died instead!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Thud!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gu Lingsha was about to p Qi Lei before he even finished his sentence, but Qi Lei was quick enough to stop her hand. As he grabbed her arm, she cried in pain!

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll be the same asst time?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯ve already repaid everything. Don¡¯t think of yourself too highly, Gu Lingsha!¡±He finally got angry at her egoistic nature. She assumed that she was still important to him because of the past. How much more disgusted could he feel towards this woman right now?

    Her face turned pale when Qi Lei yelled at her, and her whole body trembled slightly.

    ¡°What right do you have to hit me? You¡¯re neither my mother nor my woman. You¡¯re nothing to me! Why aren¡¯t you guys saying anything right now? What right does she have to hit me? Don¡¯t make yourself such jokes!¡± Qi Lei flung Gu Lingsha¡¯s arm away, so she almost fell down, but thanks to Qi Feng holding her waist, she managed to avoid stumbling.

    ¡°Qi Lei, you...¡± Gu Lingsha could not believe what Qi Lei just did. Her lips shuddered, but she was not able toplete her sentence.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop! Stop this nonsense at once!¡± Qi Qiming could not bear to see this any longer.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and turned around. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight here. The conflict between Mu Yuchen and you guys have nothing to do with me, so don¡¯t get me involved right now. I have a very simple method of discerning friend and foe. I¡¯m friends with anyone who can provide me with benefits! Those who are in my way will be my foe! Mu Yuchen is working on projects with Qi Kai right now, you should know what to do!¡±

    Qi Lei then left. He never turned back no matter how much Gu Lingsha and the butler called out to him.

    Qi Feng was able to keep his calm the whole time. He closed his eyes when Qi Lei left, hiding the bitterness in his gaze. The living room fell into a depressing silence.

    While Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened, he did not get mad likest time. This round, he listened to Qi Lei.

    ¡°Tell Vice President Yue to do everything to suppress the spread of the news. Lingsha, avoid going to thepany these few days. I¡¯ll discuss how to dispel these rumors with your father. If necessary, we might have to publicize your life with Ah Feng. We¡¯ll let them know about Weiwei¡¯s existence and have some media to cover a story about the three of you. It¡¯s about time for Ah Feng to get public recognition as well. I don¡¯t know how long my body canst. You¡¯ll still be the one to bear my burden if that happens!¡±

 Chapter 1014 - Father and Son

    <h4>Chapter 1014: Father and Son</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    One could hear the hint of fatigue in Qi Qiming¡¯s voice.

    As Qi Feng listened, his expression froze slightly, but he did not say anything.

    Gu Lingsha thought about it, then nodded. ¡°Uncle Qi, we¡¯ll go with your arrangements. I don¡¯t have any thoughts about it. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know how things turned out like this. I¡¯m sorry, I...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just be more careful next time and remember what I said to you,¡± Qi Qiming said, then got up wearily before he walked up the stairs with the help of a walking stick.

    In the living room, only Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were left. In that instant, neither of them said anything. The silence made Gu Lingsha feel a little stifled, so she turned to look at Qi Feng, and upon seeing his expression being as calm as water while his eyes were cold, she suddenly felt uneasy.

    After some struggle, she finally moved anyway to sit next to him. She gently held Qi Feng¡¯s cold hand while her blue eyes could not help but sh with vulnerability and anxiety. ¡°Ah Feng, I¡¯m sorry. Believe me. Things weren¡¯t the way they wrote. I¡¯m sorry for causing trouble for you. I¡¯m really sorry! Can you...¡± As she spoke in a raspy voice, the corner of her eyes could not help but tear up.

    Qi Feng only lifted a hand to pat the back of her hand as his exceptionally handsome face shed with tenderness. His coarse voice held faint concern and warmth as he responded, ¡°No need to me yourself. Of course, I believe you. Just take a break for a few days. You¡¯ve been quite worn outtely. Plus, it¡¯ll be a good time to apany Weiwei too.¡±

    Gu Lingsha then nodded gently. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. After all, we¡¯ve gone through the worst, so would I be afraid of this little wave?¡± Qi Feng said calmly.

    ¡°I just feel like I¡¯ve disappointed you. Not only did I fail to persuade Qi Lei, but I even...¡±

    When Gu Lingsha said this, she could not help but sound sorrowful. Holding Qi Feng¡¯s hands and putting them onto her face, she said sadly, ¡°It seems like things are quite bad. Ah Feng, can we always stay like this?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s deep eyes seemed to be brighter. Eventually, he nudged Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand away and gently held her face to examine her exceptionally beautiful features. Momentster, he slowly reached out to circle her slender waist and pull her into his embrace.

    ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll definitely be even better in time toe. Have faith in yourself for Weiwei and for our future. We haven¡¯t just persevered for a day or two. No matter what happens and as stormy as it gets, I¡¯ll protect the two of you. If Mu Yuchen can do it, so can I.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s hoarse voice was filled with certainty. At the final part of his determined answer, a sharp light shone in his eyes.

    Gu Lingsha went along with him and leaned into his embrace. She sniffled. ¡°Sometimes, I really resent God for being unfair to us. He let us and Weiwei suffer through so much, yet the person who caused us all this gets to do well!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point in resenting God? I don¡¯t trust fate. Do you regret giving up on him anding with me?¡±Qi Feng asked, suddenly peering down at Gu Lingsha. She felt like she had nowhere to hide.

    Stunned for a while, she lowered her gaze to hide the mixed emotions in her eyes. Then, she shook her head and moved closer to his warm chest. As she listened to his heartbeat, she took a deep breath and responded in a raspy voice, ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of that, so there¡¯s no such thing as regretting it or not. Since I¡¯ve chosen you, I¡¯ll stay with you till the end without a doubt.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng¡¯s calm face slowly softened with a hint of warmth. He pulled her from his embrace and looked down at her. ¡°I¡¯ll remember what you said today.¡±

    Gu Lingsha paused and looked up close at his extremely charming face. She was suddenly entranced by him. Moments after that, she could not help but close in. With her head lifted, her soft lips met with his cold and seductive lips.

    Qi Feng did not reject her as he held her tighter...

    ...

    The rain kept falling as the sky gradually turned dark amidst the gloomy, hazy shower.

    In the bedroom on the second floor of Maple Residence in the Grand Waves Vi area.

    Mu Yuchen slowly opened his eyes. When he heard the sound of the rain, he subconsciously turned to look out of the window, and then realized it was already dark outside. The dim light inside the bedroom came from the wallmp by the window.

    Mu Yuchen propped himself up in bed, yet he had just moved when he suddenly felt like something was pulling at his shirt. Quickly, he lowered his gaze, and indeed, his son was lying on the bed, pointing his little legs and pulling at his shirt. He murmured some aliennguage while clenching his little fists. By that manner of his, he probably wanted to get up but was still too little, so he was not strong enough. As a result, he was now getting anxious.

    When he saw Mu Yuchen looking at him, the little guy suddenly became very excited. He waved his little arms as if he was asking his father toe over and help out. His gem-like eyes were filled with an active light. As Mu Yuchen watched him, he suddenly felt like his son¡¯s eyes looked very much like his mother¡¯s!

    His heart suddenly became as soft as cotton. He quickly reached out to carry him up and let him sit on his belly before he gently pinched his little face and said softly, ¡°Little guy, how did you get here? Where¡¯s your mother? Hmm?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng obviously did not understand what he said. He waved his hands clumsily. With a smack, he touched Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face and fell forward. His soft little body clearly had no sense of sitting steadily, so he rolled over to his side.

    Surprised, Mu Yuchen subconsciously reached out to carry him up. ¡°Son! Are you trying to scare your father?¡±

    Oblivious to the dangers of the world, Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little chuckles filled the air. He shed a dazzling smile at Mu Yuchen as saliva slid down the corner of his mouth.

    Mu Yuchen helped him wipe his mouth, then he got up and lowered his head to kiss the little cheeks. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re going to be a foodie in the future too, eh? Open up your mouth. Let me see if you¡¯ve got teeth!¡±

    He was about to switch on the lights when there was a movement from the doorway, then the bedroom was instantly bright.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked in and saw the father and son sitting on the bed. To her relief, he looked much better, unlike the way he seemed worn out earlier.

 Chapter 1015 - Fury! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1015: Fury! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he held his son¡¯s little hand to wave at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Son, call your mother!¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng became excited when he saw Xi Xiaye, so he reached out to her.

    ¡°He¡¯ll probably only be talking in a few more months. Come, son, let me give you a kiss!¡± Xi Xiaye walked over with a smile and nted a kiss on Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little face. She then picked him up and looked down at the man sitting on the bed. ¡°Take a good shower. I¡¯ve made some soup for you, and dinner will be ready soon. I¡¯ve already prepared your clothes for you in the bathroom. You¡¯ve slept for more than five hours. Do you feel better?¡±

    He pulled the thin nket on him away and slowly got down from the bed. ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better. What delicious things did you cook? Wait, you cooked?¡± he said as he subconsciously looked at her hand.

    ¡°I was just making some soup. I couldn¡¯t make the other dishes, so I let Sis Wang take over. Grandfather and Grandmother called earlier to say they won¡¯t being over tonight. Right, your phone kept ringing, so I redirected it to voicemail.¡±

    ¡°Who called?¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo and a few unknown numbers. Take a look for yourself! I¡¯ll go to give him a bath.¡± She tossed the phone to him, then brought Mu Xiaocheng out of the room.

    Mu Yuchen switched on his phone. Indeed, he had many missed calls. There were calls from Ah Mo, the office, and Ah Bao. He took a look but did not respond. Instead, he just put his phone on his bedside table, then slowly got up and walked to the window.

    ...

    Gu Lingsha was quite affected by this issue. Due to the pressure, she and Qi Feng had to ept Qi Qiming¡¯s arrangements and let the reporters interview them about their lives. Of course, it did not include Qi Weier.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s office also received many calls from the press, no doubt wanting to look into finding out the truth. He ignored all of them and let them make wild guesses.

    However, because of this, the initially radiant Gu Lingsha seemed to be shrouded by ayer of gray which was not a great thing. No matter where she went, she could hear the sound of everyone¡¯s discussions and doubts.

    Since this incident was blown up, Gu Qiwu heard about it too. In the afternoon, after Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s interview, he called her over.

    At this moment, in the backyard of the Gu family¡¯s private manor in the suburbs of City Z, Gu Qiwu was leisurely trimming the potted nts while Ah Yong stood aside.

    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s no evidence to prove that Mu Yuchen did it. He didn¡¯t leave the banquet venue either. In fact, ording to the CCTV, he didn¡¯t have any intention of getting close to Miss Lingsha. ording to Miss Lingsha¡¯s blood test results at the hospital the other day, there wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary, much less any signs of hallucinogens. In regard to this, Master Qi Feng has already given up on investigating. Also, about Morrison¡¯s incident, we couldn¡¯t find the people involved ording to what he told us either,¡± Ah Yong said in a deep voice while his expression seemed solemn.

    As Gu Qiwu listened, he paused what he was doing, turned around, and squinted at Ah Yong. His cold gaze made Ah Yong tremble involuntarily, so he could only lower his head and say apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Boss! We didn¡¯t handle this well!¡±

    Abruptly, a smile widened at the corner of Gu Qiwu¡¯s mouth. He lifted a hand to stop Ah Yong, then said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. The more you can¡¯t find out, the more it means that this person is good at what they do. With a simple deduction, there aren¡¯t many such people left. Mu Yuchen¡¯s always been good at this and he never leaves any traces behind. Even if you keep looking into it, you probably won¡¯t get much results. I¡¯m really admiring him more and more by the day!¡± Although Gu Qiwu sounded like he spoke with a faint smile, Ah Yong picked up a hint of coldness.

    ¡°Boss, do you mean that we don¡¯t have to continue investigating this?¡± Ah Yong probed.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Tell everyone to stop.¡± Gu Qiwu looked away and continued to trim the pot before him.

    ¡°Yes, Boss! Got it!¡± Ah Yong then responded softly.

    ¡°I told you to follow up on Mu Lingshi¡¯s end. How¡¯s the progress with that?¡± Gu Qiwu suddenly asked smoothly.

    ¡°Oh, Boss, nothing¡¯s up on Mu Lingshi¡¯s end. It¡¯s the same as before, but it seems like she¡¯s pregnant. Mu Yinan and Wang Hui have been going over to her ce quite often. Oh, right, Mu Lingmo might have realized our existence, so he hired a personal bodyguard for her. As a result, it¡¯s harder for our people to get close.¡±

    Earlier, Ah Yong did not quite understand why his boss was so interested in Mu Lingshi. His concern seemed to even exceed the way he was with Miss Lingsha. For instance, with the incident these past few days, even when such a thing had happened, he had just frowned and watched the way things progressed, then gave Miss Lingsha a call after that.

    Meanwhile, with Mu Lingshi, she was constantly under their surveince and they tracked her down. Their boss would never waste time on such things. Could it really be that...?

    When Ah Yong was investigating Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingshi, he actually found out about Mu Lingshi¡¯s background. ording to the way his boss had been acting oddly recently and the odd way he interacted with Mu Yuchen, Ah Yong could more or less guess what was going on.

    Before this, the boss would frequently go to the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club with a low profile. Later on, Ah Yong found out that Mu Lingshi had previously been a manager there! He could feel that Gu Qiwu seemed to pause at this moment before he continued what he was doing.

    ¡°Are you very familiar with Mu Lingmo?¡± Gu Qiwu asked in deep voice.

    Ah Yong shook his head. ¡°Not quite familiar, but most people know about him in the streets. He was previously a skilled expert that Mu Yinan cultivated. With lots of talent, he¡¯s got influence in the circle, definitely no less than me. In fact, he¡¯s been by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side for many years. The way he handled things was clearly picked up from Mu Yuchen since he paid particr attention to being swift and clean with his work without leaving a trace behind. He¡¯s not an easy person to go against.¡±

    ¡°Looks like you perceive him quite highly.¡± Gu Qiwu squinted at Ah Yong.

    Ah Yong lowered his head respectfully and said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯d never dare underestimate the opponent. Just based on the way he¡¯s viewed highly by Mu Yuchen, and the fact that the Mu family would let Mu Lingshi marry him, he must be quite a capable person.¡±

    As Gu Qiwu listened, he nodded and stopped what he was doing. He pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Find a chance for me to meet him. Quickly gather more information on him!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Ah Yong responded respectfully.

    ¡°How are things on Madam¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°Boss, she probably already knows about Miss Lingsha and Master Qi Feng, but she hasn¡¯t made a move.¡±

 Chapter 1016 - Fury! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1016: Fury! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Ah Yong said that, Gu Qiwu¡¯s calm face froze for a while as his sharp and deep eyes dimmed.

    ¡°Boss, do we want to give Madam a call? If we don¡¯t discuss such a huge thing with her, I¡¯m worried that she¡¯ll still be angry, and that¡¯s why she¡¯s ignoring it. Even if Master Qi Feng and Miss Lingsha¡¯s matter is settled while Miss Weiwei¡¯s all grown up, Madam is still quite vague about this marriage. She doesn¡¯t seem too happy with Master Qi Feng either. Nheless, she still fancies Mu Yuchen. In fact, with Miss Weiwei...¡±

    As Ah Yong spoke, his voice became softer towards the end because he noticed that Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression had darkened and was not as calm as before.

    ¡°Keep talking,¡± Gu Qiwu instructed.

    Ah Yong trembled a bit before he bowed and continued softly, ¡°Especially when ites to something as important as a marriage, Madam found out from other channels. She definitely won¡¯t feel great about it. Furthermore, because of Miss Weiwei, Miss Lingsha and Madam fought. I¡¯m worried that after this incident, Miss Lingsha and Madam¡¯s rtionship will worsen. Even though Madam usually dotes on Miss Lingsha, everyone knows that when ites to certain matters, she has her principles.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just too principled! Even her daughter can¡¯t stand it either.¡± Gu Qiwu just sighed deeply,menting as he stopped what he was doing again. He thought about it for a long time, then said, ¡°Tell Butler Fang to tidy up the ce and buy some things that Madam likes to decorate the ce with. Also, prepare more clothes and shoes in the styles that she likes.¡±

    When he heard the orders, Ah Yong was stunned. He stammered in confusion, ¡°B-boss, are we preparing these things because Madam ising over? S-she¡¯s still in Ennd though!¡±

    Gu Qiwu continued to use the cutter in his hand as he lowered his gaze. ¡°Knowing her, she¡¯ll be back soon. In fact, she¡¯lle here right away, so it¡¯s best to prepare these things earlier.¡±

    Ah Yong obviously knew what Doris liked since he had been by Gu Qiwu¡¯s side all these years. He knew how Gu Qiwu doted on Doris. Anything she wanted, he would do his best to fulfill her. To other people, it all seemed like he was disying his loyal love for her, but Ah Yong could vaguely feel that the husband and wife had an abnormal rtionship.

    Of course, Ah Yong had not personally witnessed anything odd between them. He just felt like something was weird.

    ¡°Yes, I got it, Boss!¡± Ah Yong lowered his head and responded. He was about to retreat when there was the sound of rhythmic footsteps.

    Click-ck, click-ck.

    It was the sound of high-heeled shoes against the floor. Gu Lingsha was back!

    The two of them exchanged a nce, then looked towards the sound. Indeed, they saw Gu Lingsha marching towards them.

    ¡°You can go first,¡± Gu Qiwu said calmly.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Ah Yong replied before he quickly retreated to the corridor on the other side.

    ¡°Father!¡± Gu Lingsha quickly walked to Gu Qiwu, and looked puzzledly at the departing Ah Yong.

    Gu Qiwu was still working on the money tree as he replied calmly, ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    With a nod, she set aside her handbag on the table, then quietly went up to him. ¡°Father, you¡¯ve asked me to rush home b-because...¡± Gu Lingsha stammered and did not finish what she was saying. She just looked at Gu Qiwu silently while her blue eyes were filled with a faint light. At the same time, her beautiful and moving face showed a hint of unease.

    Gu Qiwu then put down the scissors in his hand and looked around at the trimmed pots of nts. Generally satisfied, he took the towel from the side to wipe his hands as he turned to Gu Lingsha behind him.

    ¡°What else could it be? The entire City Z is reporting about this, so I¡¯d like to hear you exin it.¡±

    Gu Lingsha could not tell how he was feeling, but when she faced that question, she subconsciously trembled and could not help but feel wronged. ¡°Father, I don¡¯t know what happened either! But I think someone must have framed me! I suspect that it was Mu Yuchen. However, I couldn¡¯t find any evidence!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s dark eyes squinted as he examined her, then turned slowly to sit down on the rattan chair. ¡°Suspicions remain suspicions. If you want to prove whether he did it, you need evidence. To suddenly make a move on you isn¡¯t Mu Yuchen¡¯s style. What else have you been doing behind my back?¡± His voice started to sound stern.

    Her expression turned pale, and she subconsciously pursed her lips, not daring to make a sound.

    ¡°Tell me!¡± His deep voice had an imposing manner that did not allow resistance.

    Taken by surprise, Gu Lingsha breathed in and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it counts as something! A few days ago, Weiwei had a minor incident at school. Coincidentally, it was that adopted son of Xi Xiaye¡¯s, so I gave Xi Xiaye a little lesson. I don¡¯t know if it was because of that...¡±

    ¡°Fool!¡± Before she could finish, Gu Qiwu¡¯s crisp reprimand was heard. ¡°I already told you before that Mu Yuchen isn¡¯t someone to easily provoke. Did you not hear me?¡±

    When he harshly scolded her, Gu Lingsha¡¯s face turned even paler. She exined sadly, ¡°Father, you can¡¯t me me for that! That was because Xi Xiaye kept trying to provoke me! I can¡¯t keep letting her step all over me. Even her son¡¯s bullying Weiwei!¡±

    As sheined, her little face was instantly colored with anger.

    ¡°Lingsha, when have you be so inconsiderate about the bigger picture?¡± he criticized her, ¡°You know very well the kind of person Mu Yuchen is. I¡¯ve warned you once before this, but you just won¡¯t listen! I¡¯ve even had to help you cover up thest time. This time, you still won¡¯t repent after being hit with the muzzle! Lingsha, you¡¯ve really let me down!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed and her blue eyes teared up. She sighed deeply. ¡°Father, do you want me to just keep watching on helplessly while that slut Xi Xiaye provokes me? I¡¯ve already been very patient with her! If she keeps being this arrogant, I definitely wouldn¡¯t mind...¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Without waiting for her to finish, Gu Qiwu coldly cut her off.

 Chapter 1017 - Fury! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1017: Fury! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shocked, Gu Lingsha bit her lower lip lightly as her eyes were filled with dissatisfaction when she looked at Gu Qiwu who squinted at her angrily. ¡°Have you forgotten what I told you?¡±

    ¡°Father, Xi Xiaye provoked me! You just didn¡¯t see her. She left no room for me to breathe. I thought she¡¯d learn her lesson after her arms were hurt! We should get rid of her first. Mu Yuchen is really concerned about her. If we create some kind of ident...¡± Gu Lingsha was desperately searching for an excuse for herself.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Lingsha! I don¡¯t know how you became so stubborn. I already told you not to mess with them. Did you actually listen to me!¡± Gu Qiwu was annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s a critical period right now. Qi Kai has just only stabilized, and your marriage with Qi Feng has barely been announced, yet you¡¯ve stirred up this mess right now. Have you ever thought about the consequences of your actions? You know very well what could happen.¡±

    ¡°But, Father, I can¡¯t just let her...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of person Xi Xiaye is, but I do know you very well. You promised me you wouldn¡¯t do anything without consulting me. You must know what¡¯s important to us right now. What¡¯s the point of getting involved with them at this point in time?!¡± He shot her a disapproving nce.

    Although Gu Lingsha could not ept it, she knew she was at fault, so she lowered her head and took a deep breath. Noticing that her father was so worked up, she apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I acted recklessly.¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked away and drank some tea from the cup beside him. ¡°You¡¯ve not been looking very well recently. Don¡¯t forget your purpose here! You guys don¡¯t even have the resources to fight Mu Yuchen right now. Qi Qiming is a cautious man as well. What do you think he¡¯s thinking now that this has happened?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone was grim. He put the teacup down before looking at Gu Lingsha. ¡°I¡¯ve reminded you that Qi Feng is getting impatient as well. You understand your rtionship with Mu Yuchen the best. It¡¯ll be horrible if the reporters manage to find out about the past. Why would you even be alone with Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Father, I didn¡¯t know he was on the veranda at the time. I felt a little dizzy after having slightly too much to drink, so I went out to get some fresh air and didn¡¯t expect to see him there...It¡¯s already toote to say anything now. Don¡¯t be too worried about it, Father. Uncle Qi invited some media portals to cover some news on my life with Ah Feng. Those rumors will go away on its own when people see how happy we are together!¡± Gu Lingsha exined.

    ¡°Do you take everyone as idiots? Only Qi Qiming could think of stupid ideas like that.¡± Gu Qiwu was not impressed.

    ¡°What should I do then?¡± Gu Lingsha frowned and asked for advice.

    Gu Qiwu leaned back in his chair. ¡°Register your marriage with Qi Feng right away and get your marriage certificate earlier. Try to leak the news to the media. You should also go to work as usual. They won¡¯t be able to get anything if you¡¯re innocent.¡±

    His thoughts were the pr opposite of Qi Qiming¡¯s!

    ¡°But Uncle Qi told me to stay at home for now, and Ah Feng agreed as well. Moreover, Weiwei hasn¡¯t been doing very welltely. I¡¯m worried...¡± Gu Lingsha frowned.

    ¡°You¡¯re making yourself seem guilty if you try to hide. It¡¯s a critical period for South River Project No. 2 right now and people will take advantage of your incident, especially Qi Lei. You need to be constantly on your toes around him, understand?¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei? Beware of him?¡± Gu Lingsha was puzzled. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem suspicious, does he?¡±

    Gu Qiwu chuckled. ¡°Not suspicious? You should be vignt of him simply with the fact that he¡¯s getting closer to Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you overthinking this? Qi Lei¡¯s forces have reduced significantly ever since Wang Qin¡¯s death. He¡¯s just a little project manager in thepany right now who carries the empty title of Vice President. Uncle Qi doesn¡¯t really trust him, so it¡¯ll be very difficult for him to get an important position. Uncle Qi also mentioned letting Qi Feng get used to thepany¡¯s operations. He should be handing Qi Kai over to him soon.¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not think Qi Lei was a threat at the moment since Qi Qiming was probably very disappointed in him right now.

    ¡°Is what you said true?¡± Gu Qiwu squinted at Gu Lingsha. ¡°Howe I heard that Qi Leinded a big project?¡±

    A big project?

    Gu Lingsha suddenly remembered the project in City B. ¡°That¡¯s thanks to Wang Qin¡¯s subordinates. He was lucky that he didn¡¯t screw up.¡± She did not seem very happy because she remembered very well that Qi Lei had been pushing her into a corner, especially after saying those words to her the other day.

    ¡°Anything can happen before Qi Feng sessfully takes over Qi Kai. Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude towards Qi Lei is the key. I heard that they¡¯ve been getting alongtely. What happened?¡±

    Gu Lingsha gave it some thought before answering, ¡°They are being a little odd recently. Actually, I can sense that Uncle Qi has been treating Qi Lei a little differently ever since he was discharged from the hospital.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened.

 Chapter 1018 - Incoming Issues?

    <h4>Chapter 1018: Iing Issues?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They both kept quiet while the air around them became harder to breathe in.

    ¡°Qi Qiming should¡¯ve realized they can¡¯t afford to have any infighting right now, but do you really believe that Qi Qiming and Qi Lei coulde to an agreement?¡± Gu Qiwu turned to Gu Lingsha and asked.

    Gu Lingsha closed her eyes and imagined it, but she shook her head soon after that. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve tried to convince Qi Lei to reconcile with Uncle Qi, but he always reacts intensely every time I mentioned it. He¡¯s also been ming Uncle Qi about what happened to Wang Qin. Ah Feng tried to force him to go to the hospital with his bodyguards, but it didn¡¯t work as well.¡±

    ¡°Wang Qin posed as an uncrossable realm between the two of them, but like what you just said, Qi Qiming has changed his attitude towards Qi Lei. Exactly what was different?¡±

    ¡°I feel that Uncle Qi has been quite defensive of Qi Lei duringpany meetings. Ever since he was discharged from the hospital, I don¡¯t quite understand why he¡¯s changed. The two of them would usually argue during meetings, but it didn¡¯t happen this time! Uncle Qi was oddly patient with him as well,¡± Gu Lingsha recalled.

    ¡°They must have some kind of deal with each other.¡± Gu Qiwu pointed out very quickly as understanding shed in his eyes, ¡°Qi Lei is Qi Qiming¡¯s son after all. There¡¯s no way he could just give up on him so easily, no matter how much he favors Qi Feng.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened. As he suddenly thought of something, his hands shuddered slightly. Then, he raised his head and looked far ahead.

    Gu Lingsha felt a little awkward in the quiet situation. She then noticed that her father seemed dazed. As she was hesitating to speak, his voice reached her. ¡°You have to remember, you can forget about him once you¡¯re sure he¡¯s lost the ability to reach that position. You guys should agree with whatever methods Qi Qiming thought ofpensating him with.¡±

    Gu Qiwu was surprised that he woulde up with this, but it was even more surprising to Gu Lingsha who had been thought to be ruthless!

    For some reason, Gu Qiwu started to think about Mu Lingshi, his other daughter, the one that he had never given any care for.

    He could not imagine the storm that would explode if this was exposed one day!

    Mu Yuchen must have realized it, hence his decision topromise, but Gu Qiwu had no idea how he could face the storm. He also did not know how he should face Mu Lingshi. He should have had a son as well, but he had died...

    Who should he me that ident on?

    Mu Yuchen?

    Gu Lingsha?

    Or Qi Feng?

    Or himself?

    All of this could not be sorted out clearly. In order to make himself feel better, he chose to believe that everything happened because of Mu Yuchen¡¯s cruelty. He did not want to see the sisters fighting between each other, but he knew that the chances of having a peaceful day were extremely low once the truth was exposed.

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Lingsha noticed that something was not right.

    Gu Qiwu quickly came back to his senses when he heard her voice.

    ¡°Just do what I tell you. I¡¯ll be heading back to City B these few days. A lot of work has piled up back at thepany, so I can only return in a few days. By then, I hope this crisis will be already left in the past when Ie back. Qi Feng and you will be a registered couple. You have my blessings.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice was filled with happiness and he seemed to be looking forward to it.

    ¡°Yes, Father!¡± Gu Lingsha nodded.

    Gu Qiwu stood up from the rattan chair. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Stay here for dinner tonight. I¡¯ll have the chef cook some of your favorite dishes.¡±

    ¡°Let me cook for you. I¡¯ll go and take a look at the ingredients in the kitchen.¡± With a smile, she grabbed her handbag and clung onto Gu Qiwu¡¯s arm as they both walked into the house.

    ...

    The evening afterglow covered Maple Residence in peace and serenity. The whole ce felt really tranquil.

    In the study room on the second floor of Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye was reading through the documents before her with several other documents spread out on the table. She typed on the keyboard from time to time, keying in some data and creating a chart.

    As she was busy working, the man was sitting on the rattan chair with his eyes closed. He was bathing in the afterglow of the evening sunset.

    Xi Xiaye looked through and did not find the data, so she asked the man beside the window, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Commerce Department hand in the data for New Era za? Why do I only have the data for Imperial Sky Entertainment City?¡±

    ¡°I left it in the office. I¡¯ll ask Li Si to deliver itter.¡± His eyes were still closed when he replied.

    Frowning, she nced at the time at the corner of theptop screen. ¡°It¡¯s past working hours now. Never mind, I¡¯ll call him.¡± She had already picked up her phone and called Li Si before he could say anything.

    In the past two days, Xi Xiaye forbade Mr. Mu from doing any work and told him to just rest. She did not even let him touch any documents. She used some of her free time to help him do anything she could. At night, they would just stay at home for a movie or go out for a short walk after dinner.

 Chapter 1019 - Warm Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1019: Warm Night (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Xiaocheng was brought back to the Mu residence since Zhuang Shurong had called and said it had been a few days since shest saw her precious grandson. Wang Hui and Mu Yinan missed their nts as well, thus they all went back for several days.

    Xi Xiaye agreed. Mu Xiaocheng was morefortable around strangers now since many different people took care of him.

    ¡°You¡¯vepleted all my work scheduled for next Monday, Mrs. Mu. I have to say you¡¯re not all that stupid! You¡¯re really efficient at handling work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m giving you the experience of being a Master at home as I¡¯ll be personally serving you,¡± she teased him with a smile on her face. Then, she lowered her head and started arranging the documents.

    While she still needed to bandage her arms, her condition was well taken care of and the pain had reduced significantlypared to two days ago. She could type now, and a scab had formed on her forehead wound which she covered up with her bangs.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    He opened his eyes instantly when he heard the phrase. With a smile, he said mischievously, ¡°Dear, why don¡¯t we y a game of Master and his little servant tonight?¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we y thedy and her butler, or the queen and her servant? Doesn¡¯t that sound better?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided. We will settle which game to y by ying cards.¡± He stared at her intently.

    ¡°I¡¯m not ying cards with you. I always lose. What¡¯s the point?¡± She frowned.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a bonfire dancing event tonight? I sponsored half of it. Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±

    He knew that she would definitely be bored after being stuck at home for several days. When he saw the advertisement yesterday on their walk, he quickly called the organizers and provided sponsorship.

    The residential area would organize these sorts of events from time to time since most people staying in the area were people with high social status and liked to mingle around, but the two of them had not participated in any of these events before.

    They were pretty busy at work and usually spent their weekends resting at home or were busy working on something else. In conclusion, they did not know a lot about their neighbors.

    ¡°A bonfire dancing event?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows. She then remembered the advertisement they had seen yesterday. No wonder he made a quick phone call then!

    ¡°Since when were you interested in such events?¡± She looked at him in surprise as he stared back at her and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Why not? Go and change now. It¡¯d be great to get to know our neighbors.¡± He then disappeared out of the door. She shrugged and quickly cleaned up the table before leaving the study room.

    The man had already changed into a suit when she entered the bedroom. There was a long purple dress on the bed. His intention was obvious.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Get changed quickly! I guess it has already started,¡± he reminded as he straightened his sleeves when she just stood by the door quietly.

    Xi Xiaye looked outside the window and noticed that the sky had already turned dark. The streemps started to be turned on as well. With a nod, she went into the bathroom with the dress.

    When they were ready to leave, it was 8 p.m. The event was being held at the Grand Waves Vi center za and had already started when they head over.

    The huge bonfire was burning brightly while joyful sounds of cheer andughter came from all around as everyone was having fun. Xi Xiaye was affected by the atmosphere immediately and seemed to be enjoying it.

    It was a dance and buffet party. Because Mu Yuchen was pretty famous in the neighborhood, many people came over to greet them, so they smiled and made conversation with them.

    Xi Xiaye felt a little tipsy after having some drinks. As she wanted to drag him aside to take a short break, the slow music suddenly changed into a fast-paced tango, exciting her slightly when she heard the gentle melody.

    The crowd quickly joined the dance floor in twos.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows when she saw people dancing around freely. She carefully nced at the man beside her, and unexpectedly, he was looking at her too.

    She smiled and emptied her ss of wine. Then, she carelessly threw the ss into the bonfire and extended her arm towards Mu Yuchen as the bonfire burned brilliantly behind her. Her smile just looked so sweet and seductive to him, making him fall for her again...

    He grabbed her hand without any hesitation, pulling her close and smiling as he whispered beside her ear, ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten thest time we shared a dance. If you can give me a merry dance tonight, I¡¯ll reward you!¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    Xi Xiaye danced along to the music, spinning around and executing a tricky move as she stayed perfectly in sync with him.

 Chapter 1020 - Warm Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1020: Warm Night (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if you can satisfy me, hmm?¡± He chuckled gently as his hand slid down her arm to her waist...

    ¡°Mr. Mu, this suddenly makes me think of when we nned our wedding on the West Coast of America. When we first went over, Aunt Susan weed us with a simr scene.¡±

    He pulled at her, and when he leaned against her, he said softly by her ear, ¡°Of course, I remember. We were a little younger then, and things were a little simpler.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been over a year now. Actually, I always think of those times...the way you were, the way we were, and our wedding¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to marry you again?¡± He held her slender waist, and with a fluid dance step, she turned. Her skirt made one beautifully elegant curve after another. The two of them seemed to be one in that instant. Anyone could see that the husband and wifeplimented each other harmoniously with pure chemistry!

    ¡°One wedding is enough. I only wanted to have a wedding like that in my lifetime, and you¡¯ve already given it to me. We still have a long way to go from here. We just need to reminisce it, appreciate it, and cherish every moment we have,¡± she said calmly.

    In that instant, he hugged her tightly by the waist and leaned her backward. With one long leg hooked around him, she threw him a seductive look with her charming eyes. ¡°What do you think, Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°My Missus is really easily contented. I¡¯m so lucky!¡±

    He chuckled and his arms that were around her waist tightened. Xi Xiaye was practically on his chest. As his calm lips brushed past her ears, he inhaled her wonderful scent again. In his deep voice, he chided, ¡°But, Missus, you¡¯re too easily contented. This puts me at a loss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your male chauvinistic side talking!¡± Her pink lips pursed as she smiled and reprimanded him slightly. She wanted to struggle out of his embrace, yet he already stopped what he was doing and carried her up by the waist.

    ¡°Hey, put me down!¡±

    ¡°In your dreams! Do you think you¡¯ll be able to get away with teasing me like that?¡±

    He was already in the negatives when it came to being immune to her, not just when it came to that look of hers. Even if it was just getting a whiff of her faint fragrance and her elegant demeanor, he was already certain that he was a beast that wanted to gobble her up.

    He carried her all the way back to Maple Residence. The husband and wife made their way upstairs in a frenzy...

    Thankfully, there was no one else at home apart from Sis Wang. In fact, without the permission of them, Sis Wang would not enter their room. Otherwise, Xi Xiaye would die of embarrassment.

    The husband and wife¡¯s clothes were tossed all over the ce from the door to their bedroom...

    After a few rounds of tussling under the sheets, Xi Xiaye panted as she held the nket to her chest. She breathed heavily and turned to look at the man beside her. She noticed that he was lying down calmly with his eyes gently shut. His noble and handsome face had regained its tranquility as if he was not that beast-like person earlier. Xi Xiaye was annoyed at this sight, so she quickly kicked him.

    He then half-opened his eyes and squinted at her before he reached out to pull her in his arms again as heforted her, ¡°I couldn¡¯t control myself. Alright, let¡¯s sleep then since we¡¯re tired.¡±

    ¡°But I want to wash up...¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow...¡± he said softly, then hugged her tighter.

    ...

    The next morning, when Xi Xiaye woke up, it was already past 9 a.m. and he was gone from her side, but faint traces of his warmth remained in between the sheets.

    When she was done washing up, she went downstairs and saw that a few men were seated in the living room.

    They were Mu Yuchen, Ah Mo, Li Si, and Zhou Zimo!

    Xi Xiaye subconsciously trodded gently, yet the people on the sofa noticed her.

    ¡°Good morning, Sis-inw!¡±

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Missus!¡±

    The few of them greeted Xi Xiaye almost at the same time, so she smiled and said, ¡°Good morning. Why are you all so early?¡±

    ¡°We have some urgent matters we rushed over to discuss,¡± Ah Mo answered.

    Xi Xiaye nodded calmly. She looked to her man who responded with a calm gaze. He said in his deep voice, ¡°Go to the kitchen and see if Sis Wang¡¯s done with the breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, sit around then. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± Xi Xiaye did not disturb them as she picked up her steps and walked towards the kitchen.

    ...

    ¡°Bro, I just received Chief Chen¡¯s message. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha have just registered for their marriage this morning. Right now, the two of them are considered husband and wife. In fact, they seemed to have been caught by the reporters. I¡¯ve already verified that the news is true,¡± Ah Mo updated.

    Upon hearing that, Li Si exhaled in regret. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy to pull Gu Lingsha down. Are we just going to let her go? When I think about that woman, I just...¡±

    Ah Mo felt a little sullen about it too. Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands were still recovering, and it was all thanks to that woman!

    ¡°Enough, no moreining. That just shows that Qi Feng and the rest aren¡¯t dumb either. We¡¯ll just have to see what happens after this. Nevertheless, the incident this time has really shown Qi Feng and Qi Qiming something. Next time, let your Master do a few things himself. Let him exhibit his Prince Charming tricks, and Gu Lingsha will be pinned down for sure. I think that she¡¯s admired you for a long while now, eh?¡± Zhou Zimo smiled faintly and looked at Mu Yuchen.

    When he finished, he immediately got a cold re from Mu Yuchen, so he subconsciously shrunk and shrugged. He covered his mouth and looked innocently at Mu Yuchen, indicating that he had nothing else to say.

    Li Si fell silent for a while, then said, ¡°Master, I do think Master Mo¡¯s idea¡¯s not bad. If you want to drive a wedge between Gu Qiwu and Qi Qiming, you have to let them doubt each other, and we might have a way of getting in between them.¡±

    Without responding to Li Si, Mu Yuchen said, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what Doris thinks about the marriage between the Qis and the Gus.¡±

    ¡°Doris? Gu Lingsha¡¯s mother?¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome brows were raised as he muttered out loud.

 Chapter 1021 - Sad! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1021: Sad! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Right now, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha aren¡¯t who we should be worried about.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was heard as he lowered his head to take a sip of tea and pondered before he continued, ¡°Instead, we need to be fighting for extra time for Qi Lei. If he wants to move some things in Qi Kai, he¡¯ll need a few months, half a year, or even longer doing it by himself. It¡¯s probably impossible. I can only help him up to here right now, and he¡¯ll have to take care of the rest.¡±

    ¡°Master, if we want to do these things in a hush-hush way, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be so easy. After all, Qi Feng and Qi Qiming aren¡¯t fools. Doing so will definitely be quite a big move that they¡¯ll definitely notice,¡± Li Si quickly pointed out his view.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to see Qi Lei¡¯s capabilities. The reason I used these scandals to set up a hindrance for Qi Feng was also to buy Qi Lei more time. Besides, our chess piece, Xi Xinyi, should begin to work. If we want to distract Qi Feng and Qi Qiming, it won¡¯t be something that Qi Lei can easily do alone.¡± When Mu Yuchen said this, his dark eyes seemed hard to read.

    Upon hearing this, Zhou Zimo found it hard to believe, but Li Si and the rest understood what he meant very well.

    Xi Xinyi had long been a nail that Mu Yuchen had hammered into Qi Kai. Previously, Li Si was even doubtful about the reasons his Master would do so, but now that he thought about it, he really admired the man¡¯s foresight.

    Xi Xinyi had been busy with promoting the South River Project No. 2 recently. In fact, it sounded like she had been doing quite well. Gu Lingsha had begun to put her in important positions, even more so because of Xi Xinyi and Xi Xiaye¡¯s rtionship. Furthermore, Xi Xinyi had the Yue family behind her with another rather capable Vice President in Qi Kai, Yue Hai!

    With the information that Xi Xinyi had from Mu Yuchen, she was meant to get close to Gu Lingsha so that thetter would put her in important positions! In fact, the Xi Xinyi right now was no longer the same woman from before. At least, she was now cleverer.

    Upon hearing that, Ah Mo and Li Si exchanged a knowing look while Zhou Zimo looked confused. He widened his eyes at Mu Yuchen and waited for him to exin, but Li Si leaned close to him and gave him a brief exnation.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he stared at Mu Yuchen in admiration. Then, heughed and said, ¡°You really are skillful! So skillfull! But I heard that Yue Hai is Qi Qiming¡¯s trusted aide. Do you think he¡¯d be on your side? Why would he?¡±

    ¡°Because once Qi Lei manages to evacuate his people, he¡¯ll give his 50% of shares to him! Between his so-called ¡®loyalty¡¯ and such a huge benefit before him, what do you think he¡¯ll choose?¡± Mu Yuchen said, then an indifferent curve shed on his lips. His smile was a little sinister as he gently put his teacup on the table. ¡°In fact, based on what I know, Yue Hai hasn¡¯t been too happy with Qi Qiming recently, especially with the South River Project No. 2 promotion. Qi Lei stood up to defend Xi Xinyi, so both of them should probably be leaning towards him a little more.

    ¡°Previously, because of Qi Lei and Qi Qiming¡¯s scandal, Qi Kai¡¯s shares were severely affected. Many people in Qi Kai had been against Qi Lei, but Yue Hai and Xi Xinyi were smart. They chose to watch from the sidelines.¡±

    ¡°Master, that¡¯s because Xi Xinyi knows you¡¯re around! She obviously wouldn¡¯t dare be reckless!¡± Li Si piped up.

    Ah Mo nodded in agreement. ¡°Bro, since you already have it all nned out, after this, just leave anything else for me to arrange!¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say anything and just leaned back against the chair as his dark eyes shifted. They did not know what he was thinking. Momentster, they heard him say, ¡°Ah Mo, just be with Lingshi. I¡¯ll handle things on my end. Li Si, meet Xi Xinyi for me. Remember to go in secret. You should know what to say. Also, help me make an appointment with Qi Lei. Get him toe to my office tomorrow or the day after!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ah Mo and Li Si exchanged a look. They nodded together and then got up.

    ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll leave first!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently.

    ¡°Brother, watch your health. Don¡¯t be...¡±

    ¡°I got it. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Upon seeing that Mu Yuchen looked much better, Ah Mo left, feeling assured.

    Zhou Zimoy down on the sofa leisurely as he watched Ah Mo and Li Si¡¯s figure slowly vanish out of the doorway. Averting his gaze after a while, he thought about something, then his gaze stopped on Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face.

    ¡°I heard that Qi Feng met you. What¡¯s the situation? Don¡¯t you n on saying something? I heard that you¡¯ve been in bad shape these past few days. Even though Ah Mo was stammering when I asked him, I¡¯m guessing that there must¡¯ve been some problems. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be so worried! Also, what does being in bad shape mean? It didn¡¯t sound right to me, so I came over to take a look,¡± Zhou Zimo expressed the reason he hade.

    Qi Feng...

    When he heard the name, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes clouded over slightly. He looked at Zhou Zimo from the corner of his eye and asked, ¡°What did Ah Mo tell you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo shrugged while concern filled his elegant face. ¡°Of course, he didn¡¯t tell me anything. Would I need toe here just to ask you otherwise? Su Chen will be home soon too. He¡¯snding tomorrow. If he knew about this, he¡¯d probably be as curious as me.¡±

    When those voices of concern entered his ear, Mu Yuchen found itforting. However, he had only felt depressed and pained then. Right now, he felt much better and was more open about it.

    ¡°We did meet on a weekend morning. It was even raining, and we were in front of Lingtian¡¯s tombstone,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly.

    ¡°What did he say? Did he tell you why Lingtian did what he did?¡± Zhou Zimo clearly cared about this question very much too.

    Mu Yuchen breathed in slightly and lifted a hand to massage between his brows. ¡°He said that Lingtian agreed to help them run away because Qi Feng had promised to get Glory World for Lingtian. Also, Lingtian died because he was protecting Gu Lingsha. In his final moments, she said that she¡¯d once liked him, and he believed it, so he willingly protected her and died.¡±

 Chapter 1022 - Sad! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1022: Sad! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo was shocked. He could not believe what he had just heard.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Zhou Zimo yelled, ¡°How is that possible? Lingtian isn¡¯t someone like that! He¡¯s not!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes looked a little lost as well, but he looked at him calmly. ¡°You can¡¯t believe it either, can you?¡¯

    Zhou Zimo straightened his back and frowned as he looked straight back at Mu Yuchen. ¡°From what I know about Lingtian, I doubt he¡¯d do something like that. Lingtian isn¡¯t greedy like Qi Feng. Isn¡¯t he just trying to throw you off?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. He drank some bitter tea before speaking, ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to verify Qi Feng¡¯s words. After all these years, I kind of realized that I might have failed as a brother. At least, I don¡¯t think I really know Lingtian, don¡¯t you think?¡± He nced uncertainly at Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo quieted down and was deep in thought. His expression seemed hesitant when he looked up again. ¡°No matter what, it doesn¡¯t sound possible! Lingtian isn¡¯t that kind of person. It¡¯s very likely that Qi Feng is ying mind games with you. Don¡¯t fall for it!¡±Zhou Zimo sighed.

    Mu Yuchen had a feeble reaction since he had calmed down after thinking about it for several days. He straightened his back and put the teacup back onto the table. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯re too trustful, it might be difficult to believe the truth. I¡¯ll never know Lingtian any better than Qi Feng. I know he had some issues with me. He was probably closer to Ah Mo than to me. It might not be too difficult to verify the truth since we can find out by asking my parents.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Mu?¡± Zhou Zimo raised his eyebrows and looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise. ¡°How is this rted to them?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s fingers brushed past his eyebrows as he replied, ¡°Qi Feng said my parents know this the best, so I wanted to verify it with them, but then I realized it wasn¡¯t really necessary. It doesn¡¯t matter what the truth is because the war between Qi Feng and I has already begun.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s disabled. I doubt he can fight against us!¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression turned cold.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be confident, but I wouldn¡¯t have to make so many ns to go against him if he¡¯s that easy of an opponent. I¡¯m not worried about himing at me or Glory World head-on. Instead, I¡¯m worried about Xiaye and the others. Things haven¡¯t been so peacefultely, and it might get even more dangerous in the future.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone sounded grim.

    ¡°Just do your best. Don¡¯t let your worries limit you, or else you¡¯ll cease to be the same Mu Yuchen as before,¡± said Zhou Zimo as he patted Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and looked at the hand on his shoulder. ¡°The old me ceased to exist a long time ago...¡±

    He turned his head and looked at the busy woman working around in the kitchen. A warm smile appeared on his face as he continued, ¡°I need to pay a price to get something I want. I¡¯m happy with my life right now. I¡¯m happy with myself right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going toment on that. You¡¯ve probably changed the most among the three of us in the past few years! Whatever, but I¡¯m still going to remind you again, let me know if you need help with anything. The system for Qi Lei has beenpleted. He¡¯s quite a capable man. He sent in a lot of forces over, many of them consisting of higher-ups from Qi Kai. People will probably gossip that you poached them, and you¡¯re going to have to bear the burden again.¡± Zhou Zimo stared at Mu Yuchen helplessly. ¡°Seriously, you don¡¯t look like someone who would be bullied. Why would you do so much for Qi Lei this time?¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied, ¡°I¡¯m expecting returns although there¡¯s no guarantee. If Qi Lei is indeed capable, he¡¯ll produce results after I leave Chenye Movies and Televisions in his hands, and he¡¯ll prepare to start his ownpany at the same time. It might be a big win for both of us. Do note that although Glory World is resourceful, we can¡¯t be on par with Qi Kai in the showbiz. The fact that they could revive the near-dead Yueying to be sessful again is an amazing feat.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s true, especially the part Wang Qin was in charge of. They are really focused on the movies and television industry, so is this what makes you think Qi Lei can be a great partner?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath in. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I had those thoughts before, but when Wang Qin passed away, she asked Xiaye to take care of Qi Lei. Xiaye made a promise that we¡¯d treat Qi Lei like a younger brother. Although I¡¯m not a kind savior, I don¡¯t want to make Xiaye break her promise to the deceased.

    ¡°Afterward, I realized Qi Lei wasn¡¯t as much of a b*stard as the rumors made him out to be. Like Xiaye, he has a brave heart hidden under his protective surface. He just needs some help, and I can help, so why not?¡± Mu Yuchen was being totally honest with Zhou Zimo right now. ¡°I hope that you and Su Chen can at least think of him as a friend. This matters not only right now, but in the future too. It¡¯s always better to have more friends anyway.¡±

    Zhou Zimo paused before nodding. ¡°Alright, I got it. Actually, I¡¯m quite fond of him. He can fit in with us just right!¡±

 Chapter 1023 - Grandfather and Granddaughter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1023: Grandfather and Granddaughter (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye was slightly shocked to only find Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo on the sofa when she came out of the kitchen with freshly made breakfast. ¡°Where are Ah Mo and Li Si? I made breakfast!¡±

    The two men stood up and walked to the dining table.

    ¡°They had something to do and left earlier.¡± Mu Yuchen pulled the chair out for her as Sis Wang served the breakfast on the table. Meanwhile, Zhou Zimo went to grab a bottle of sake and two empty cups.

    ¡°Drinking so early in the morning?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she looked at the two men.

    Zhou Zimo finally noticed something was not right. ¡°Just a little. Howe I don¡¯t see your son anywhere? It¡¯s quiet.¡±

    ¡°Master Mo, Little Master and Elder Chairman went back to the Mu residence. They¡¯ll only return in two days. Here¡¯s your favorite dim sum. Try it!¡± Sis Wang came over with trays of dim sum.

    ¡°His parents missed their grandson, so they brought him back for a while,¡± Xi Xiaye replied as she took the chopsticks from Sis Wang.

    After a simple breakfast, Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo went out while Xi Xiaye went to the Shen residence for a visit.

    Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were busy since the holidays wereing and they had not been home for the past two weeks. With Xiao Rui going off to school as well, Shen Yue was left alone at home. However, Shen Yue was pretty energetictely and would go out traveling sometimes. He frequently went back to Fuhua recently since Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms were injured.

    Shen Yue was ying the ordion by the window in the study room with Mu Zirui¡¯s exercise books piled on the coffee table right next to his sses. He was probably checking his homework just moments before.

    ¡°Grandpa, this thing is quite heavy. Why don¡¯t you try some other instruments like the <i>erhu</i> or a flute? I remember Grandma used to tell me that you¡¯re talented at a variety of instruments,¡± Xi Xiaye suggested as she helped Shen Yue put the ordion aside.

    ¡°I¡¯m so old. How am I going to learn right now?¡± Shen Yue touched his own head gingerly and sighed.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°You learn as you age. It¡¯s never toote! You¡¯ll live a very long life after all, and you have to fill your time up with new things to learn!¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t I be a cursed being then? I¡¯ve already got one foot in the coffin. I don¡¯t expect to live very long. I¡¯m d enough to see all of you living happily. Your grandma has been waiting for me for a very long time.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Xi Xiaye could not bear to listen to the rest, so she quickly interrupted him, ¡°You¡¯re going to see Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng grow up. Please don¡¯t say things like that.¡±

    After having witnessed death a few times, Xi Xiaye was very sensitive now. There had been Xi Jiyang, Sis Lan, Deng Wenwen, and Wang Qin...

    Many things had left together with them, and her memories about them started to fade as well, but she would think about them sometimes like Deng Wenwen and Xi Jiyang...

    The sorrowful past had gone along with them, leaving only regrets behind. Their lives could have been happier, yet they had to be involved in this mess. Even when she thought she would never be bothered, she could not escape from it just like the matters regarding Xi Xinyi and Gu Lingsha.

    Shen Yue noticed Xi Xiaye seeming a little troubled. He nced at her forehead and arms. He then took a deep breath and said, ¡°We can¡¯t fight time anyway, can we? I¡¯ve heard about what happened to both Ah Chen and you in the past few months. You¡¯ve got to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve got something to ask you. It¡¯s rted to those incidents.¡± Xi Xiaye brought Shen Yue over to sit down on the sofa. Then, she also poured a cup of tea for him.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you rush back here just to ask me some questions instead of visiting me?¡± Shen Yue shot her a cold stare as he pouted slightly.

    ¡°Of course not! I came back to spend some time with you. I won¡¯t ask if you don¡¯t like it then.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at the petnt Shen Yue and smiled.

    Shen Yue¡¯s expression then softened. He drank some tea before looking at her. ¡°Speak up. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Xi Xiaye coughed slightly and grinned. She quickly sat closer and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re pretty close to CEO Hua from Hua Heng, right? Although thend for South River Project No. 2 has been taken by Qi Kai, they are taking most of their materials from Hua Heng like those high-quality waterproof steel tes. I¡¯m hoping that you can convince CEO Hua to keep them for now. From what I know, those materials are going to be shipped over from City B. The Movie City that¡¯s being developed by Mu Yuchen and CEO Li in City B needs the same materials as well. I spoke with CEO Hua the other day and he said he¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? You¡¯re saving him shipping costs! I bet he¡¯s just waiting for me to talk to him! That old man!¡± Shen Yue got a little irritated!

    ¡°Movie City isn¡¯t your only goal, is it?¡±

    Shen Yue squinted his eyes at her, his sharp eyes were able to see through her.

    ¡°Just want to have some integrity in our coboration, also Qi Kai...¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call Hua Hengter and tell him to give you the materials. However, although we¡¯d have saved him some shipping fees, you¡¯ll have to negotiate the price with him. He was pretty upset with me regarding what happened to thend for South River Project No. 2 thest time, and he won¡¯t be satisfied unless he gets something back,¡± Shen Yue reminded her.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. We will give him a big reward if he agrees to give us the materials.¡±

    ¡°Hua Heng is a powerfulpany. You need to keep in touch with them. There aren¡¯t many property developers that are as powerful as them. I probably would¡¯ve fallen behind if I didn¡¯t work hard enough back in the days. Hua Heng has had roughly a century-long history in this industry. You have to learn more from Zng and be keen on learning information so that you can make sound judgments urately ording to different clients.¡±

 Chapter 1024 - Grandfather and Granddaughter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1024: Grandfather and Granddaughter (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Shen Yue¡¯s tone was sincere and earnest. Xi Xiaye heeded his advice as she nodded. ¡°I got it, Grandpa.¡±

    ¡°Right, my father and mother will be on holiday soon. You should be prepared for Mother to bring you out on a trip. Mu Yuchen¡¯s already arranged for everything in France, so you¡¯ll just have to go over. Don¡¯t rush. Take your time. Oh, let Xiao Rui go with you too. We¡¯ll get all the required procedures done in the next two days. I¡¯ll get Mu Yuchen to book your flight tickets tonight.¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted them to have a proper break, especially Shen Yue.

    Shen Yue nodded, not rejecting the offer. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave it to you then. Bring Xiao Cheng home when you can. I haven¡¯t seen that little guy in half a month now. I want to see if he¡¯s grown chubbier!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably staying over at the Mu residence for a few days since Father and Mother say they miss him. Grandfather and Grandmother were thinking about going back to stay at the old residence for a few days too. Grandpa, you can go visit since you¡¯re all free now anyway. After all, Grandfather and Grandmother are people you can easily get along with. Don¡¯t stay at home being bored all day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not bored at home all day. Don¡¯t I always go to the za to drink tea and y chess with the folks there? If you weren¡¯ting back today, I would¡¯ve probably been there right now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay...as long as you don¡¯t feel bored.¡±

    After that, Xi Xiaye stayed back for lunch with Shen Yue in the Shen residence. In the afternoon, she went around the shopping mall nearby with him and bought him a bunch of clothes and personal care items in preparation for the holiday. Of course, they did not forget to buy things for Xi Mushan, Shen Wenna, and Mu Zirui.

    They shopped around until the evening when the bodyguards had no more hands to hold the bags. Then, the grandfather and granddaughter found a bench in the mall to sit down.

    Right now, it was already close to the evening. The setting sun¡¯s afterglow lined the horizon as though it was unwilling to leave as the gentle radiance engulfed their silhouettes gently amidst its pure light and holiness.

    Xi Xiaye turned to look at Shen Yue beside her. She gentlyughed and said, ¡°Grandpa, I didn¡¯t think that you were a master at shopping too. I could barely keep up.¡±

    When Shen Yue heard herment, heughed, ¡°This makes me think of your grandma when we were younger. Every weekend, we would always go out like this. Your mother was still young then. Like that child over there, she would sit on my shoulders. The roads weren¡¯t as wide back then, and there were many people shopping too, so it would be very crowded. Your grandma would always hold onto my shirt tightly like how you did in fear of being washed away by the crowd, especially when we celebrated the festivities every year. And you, do you remember that when you were young, over on that road, you¡¯d be like your mother every time and sit on my shoulders?¡±

    Maybe because old folks liked to reminisce about the past, Shen Yue kept recalling memories in recent times.

    Xi Xiaye caught all of Shen Yue¡¯s expressions. She thought about it, then put her hand on his gaunt ones as she said softly, ¡°Grandpa, Mu Yuchen and I will be filial to you. Apart from Grandma, you still have us.¡±

    ¡°I know. Sigh, it¡¯s been so many years. Sometimes I really feel like your grandma never left me. I just regret not apanying her properly or doing my best to satisfy her wishes when she was still around. s, it¡¯s toote for regrets!¡± Shen Yuemented as he slowly looked up towards the dazzling sunset and squinted his crinkly eyes. He seemed to be in a daze as he watched the warm sun.

    ¡°Xiaye, look, this dusk and this setting sun are brilliant and very beautiful, but it¡¯s also very short. In the blink of an eye, everything could be gone. I¡¯m very thankful for you and your mother, and also your father and Ah Chen. They know how to cherish everything right now. My child, always remember, appreciate your blessings before it¡¯s toote!¡±

    ¡°I got it, Grandpa. I know Mother and I have let you down before. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°There are letdowns, but now there are even more fortunes. I¡¯m content to be able to see the two of you pursue your own happiness. There¡¯s a long road ahead and I won¡¯t always be by your side. As long as you and your husband work as one in your lives, you¡¯ll do fine!¡±

    Shen Yue lifted his frail hand gently and patted the back of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand. Then, he slowly stood up and turned around with his hands behind him. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve been with me for a whole day and I¡¯ve troubled you enough. Go home. I¡¯ll get back myself. You¡¯re very busy anyway.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Xi Xiaye stood up too, but Shen Yue shuffled away, waving to her with his back towards her. ¡°Go home!¡±

    Xi Xiaye watched as his delicate figure gradually mixed into the crowd. That was when she realized that her grandpa had aged with the ebb of time. Suddenly, she felt extremely sad watching him gradually leave. Her eyes welled up with hot tears and she was stunned by the weight of the thought for a moment. Finally, she could not help but chase after him.

    ¡°Grandpa!¡±

    However, Shen Yue had already gotten into the car which slowly drove away.

    ¡°Grandpa¡ª¡±

    Xi Xiaye chased after the car for quite a distance before she realized it was futile, so she stopped and panted heavily as she watched the ck car drown amidst the traffic until she could no longer see it.

    Her eyes welled up with hot tears again and she sniffled. In that instant, she felt her vision go blur as teardrops fell. The heat in her tears burned the back of her hand, and she could not help but lift both hands to cover her face as she silently squatted down.

    At this moment, inside a ck Phaeton not too far away from the mall, Mu Yuchen¡¯s clear gaze looked through the car window and silently took all of this in. After a while, he sighed helplessly and pushed the door open to get down before walking towards her.

    Xi Xiaye could not help but feel mncholic. She sensed her palms being drenched in her tears as she wept silently. Suddenly came the sound of steady footsteps. The night breeze brought a faint yet familiar fragrance to her. Sniffling, she looked up tearfully and saw Mu Yuchen peering down at her with his back facing the light.

    She watched him silently. For some reason, the tears that she managed to hold back suddenly poured out uncontrobly again...

 Chapter 1025 - Spending Time With Him is the Best Way To Repay

    <h4>Chapter 1025: Spending Time With Him is the Best Way To Repay</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He looked at her silently for a while, then handed her a tissue and gave her his hand.

    epting the tissue, she gently wiped away her tears as she put her hand into his, letting him pull her up.

    ¡°You¡¯re like a little girl. Why are you crying?¡± His muffled voice was heard. It sounded as if he was softly reprimanding her, yet there was no hint of criticism at all. He frowned as he looked down at her while he lifted a hand to wipe away the tears on her face.

    Sniffling, she covered half her face with the tissue and blinked her moist eyes at him. She calmed herself down before saying slightly raspily, ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just that when I saw Grandpa like that and saying those things, plus the way he left all lonely, I felt a little sad.¡±

    When he heard that, Mu Yuchen fell silent. After a while, he reached out to pull her into his arms with hisrge hands gently holding onto her frail shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. If you want to thank him, then spend more time with him. That¡¯s the best way to repay him.¡±

    She leaned against his sturdy chest and nodded vigorously. ¡°Mmm, spend time with him...¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. How did I not realize that you¡¯re made of water? You¡¯ve be more mncholic recently,¡± he chided softly as he took off his coat, and put it over her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold tonight.¡±

    His heartwarming temperature instantly warmed up her shivering body. She reached out to pull at it then said with a raspy voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t that all because of you?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard her usation, he immediately raised his handsome brows and felt quite wronged. ¡°How is this my fault?¡±

    She blinked hard and said, ¡°They say one pregnancy makes you stupid. Besides...¡±

    What a reason! He coughed lightly and immediately held her by the shoulders. There was no more arguing about it. He would just go with what she said and admit that it was his fault!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll admit that it¡¯s my mistake! I sincerely admit to it!¡± He lifted both hands in good sport and chuckled.

    Upon seeing that, sheughed through her tears. ¡°Please! I don¡¯t see a hint of sincerity in your eyes at all.¡±

    ¡°Sincerity is in the heart. Do you think you can see it? I¡¯ll let Dr. Zhong take a look at your hand. It¡¯s all wet now! Even if there¡¯s a three-year drought, Maple Residence probably won¡¯t run out of water!¡±

    There was a hint of tenderness on his smiling face while he held her shoulders and walked slowly forward.

    ¡°Can you eat tears? How did I not know that you¡¯ve be this annoying?!¡±

    ¡°Annoying? You didn¡¯t say thatst night.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ...

    The husband and wife walked for quite a distance along the street when they passed by the florist where Mu Yuchen bought a bouquet of lilies that had a faint fragrance.

    Xi Xiaye liked them very much. She lowered her head to sniff it, then looked at him. ¡°A lot of women like little flowers like these. I remember that Mother likes these orchids too. Thest time I went back, I saw Father getting her a bouquet.¡±

    She hugged himfortably as they walked forward. He said, ¡°Father likes those flowers. Mother used to like tiny daisies. The tenacity of those flowers is quite simr to her, yet Father looks like an elegant schr with the aura of an orchid.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re right, Mr. Mu. When you grow older, will you be like your father? Not only will your charisma not reduce, but in fact, you¡¯ll be even more charming and elegant. Actually, I think he looks quite handsome!¡±

    ¡°As handsome as he may be, he¡¯s not yours! Father¡¯s a politician. You haven¡¯t seen him at work. When he¡¯s being imposing, even I would be intimidated by him,¡± Mu Yuchen replied softly.

    Xi Xiaye did not doubt that. Otherwise, given Mu Tangchuan¡¯s current position and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s status, would they not have skills up their sleeves?

    ¡°Mmm, but to me, you¡¯re the most handsome person in the world!¡±

    ¡°My girl, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!¡± Mu Yuchen teased her.

    ¡°It¡¯s Pan An<sup>1</sup>!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Pan An?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve never seen him, then why would youpare me to him? Can he evenpare to me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I realize that you¡¯re the most narcissistic person in history!¡±

    ...

    The husband and wife bantered back and forth as they walked towards the car.

    When they returned to Maple Residence, the sky had already turned dark. Dr. Zhong and Sis Wang put a new dressing on Xi Xiaye¡¯s wound again, and the scar on her forehead was gradually recovering.

    ¡°Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t infected. Just change the ointment on time and you¡¯ll be fine, but you still can¡¯t get it wet. You have to wait until it forms a scab. Meanwhile, try not to use your hands too much.¡± Dr. Zhong gave a few simple reminders, then left. Sis Wang tidied up and left the room to go downstairs to prepare dinner.

    Xi Xiaye looked at her hands before crawling over to him beside her. Then, she gently took the bags next to them as she smiled. ¡°Mr. Mu, put on these clothes. I want to see you in them. Come on!¡±

    He looked up slowly from the newspaper and stared in confusion at the bags in her hand. His handsome brows went up as he said in shock, ¡°You bought stuff for me too?¡±

    She pursed her lips and smiled as she stuffed the bags to him and said, ¡°Quickly try them on!¡±

    Mu Yuchen found arge white shirt in one of the bags, but it looked like a couple¡¯s outfit with the one she was holding, so he paused and raised his brows even higher!

    ¡°Hurry!¡± As she nagged him to quickly change into it, he put down his documents and unbuttoned his clothes. In a rush, he took off his ck shirt and put on the new shirt.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and squinted at him. After that, she rolled her eyes and took her own shirt to the bedroom. When she came out after changing, she realized that he had continued to read his newspaper again. The moment he heard footsteps, he looked up at her, yet in that single look, from the depths of his eyes, he could not help but find her stunning.

    The white mid-length blouse just went past her thigh. The cor was open, showing off her exquisite corbones, and outlining her slender figure. With her ck waterfall of hair at the shoulders and her elegant face, she looked like an extremely seductive angel.

    She caught sight of the way he was entranced and immediately giggled. ¡°What do you think? Do you find that your wife still has some good looks!?¡±

    His eyes were filled with a doting, tender light as he chuckled. ¡°My wife is remarkably beautiful!¡±

    Even if she was not, he would not have dared say anything...

 Chapter 1026 - Inevitable (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1026: Inevitable (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night soon fell, and the gray sky swallowed thest skylight as the entire sky darkened.

    Tonight, there was no bright moon like there was a few days ago. In the far horizons of the sky, only a few lonely stars hung. Both sides of the quiet street were lit up with streetlights that seem a little brighter than usual.

    Imperial Sky Entertainment City was bustling. Mu Lingshi packed up briefly and walked out while a tall and sturdy bodyguard in ck followed behind her.

    Ever since she found out that she was pregnant, Mu Lingshi had been extremely careful. She was protected very well, and Ah Mo did not let her exert herself too much either. If not for the fact that he was worried that she would be utterly bored at home and being insistent on having something to do to get through the eight long months, Ah Mo and Wang Hui had already nned on letting her stay at home.

    They could not argue with her. Later on, Ah Mo organized for a more rxing job for her in the office, so Mu Lingshi was now back to pack up some things, and at the same time, hand over tasks to the new manager. It was quitete by the time she was done. Ah Mo had even called quite a few times, already urging her to get home. Otherwise, he would go and pick her up himself, so she finished exining briefly and then go home.

    Ah Mo had gotten her a retired special forces soldier to be her bodyguard. He was strong, steady, and sharp. He was called Ah Quan and had been working under Ah Mo for quite a few years now, so he was a loyal staff.

    ¡°Miss Shi, be careful. I¡¯ll go get the car,¡± Ah Quan spoke softly, holding a bunch of things that Mu Lingshi had packed up after they walked out of Imperial Sky Entertainment City.

    Mu Lingshi nced up at the car that was parked ahead and nodded gently. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±

    Ah Quan grunted in response, then quickly left to get the car.

    Mu Lingshi stood by the staircase and flipped through the CDs in her hand. They were all her most treasured and favorite CDs. Even though she was not working anymore now, she still wanted to bring these home with her.

    tter!

    She was looking at two of the CDs when her hand slipped, and a few CDs fell. With a frown, Mu Lingshi bent down very quickly and was about to pick up the CDs when someone else¡¯s hand moved a little quicker. The person helped her pick up the things on the ground and swiftly organized them.

    Mu Lingshi was obviously a little shocked to see the sudden hand, so she looked up subconsciously and straightened her back.

    What greeted her sight was a grave and stern face. It looked familiar, yet distant, but Mu Lingshi would never forget his name¡ªGu Qiwu!

    How could it be him?

    When he saw Mu Lingshi¡¯s alert expression, a dark light shed in the depths of Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes. He lowered his gaze and looked at the items in his hand. Moments after that, he studied Mu Lingshi intently and the light in his eyes shifted, so you could not quite tell what he was feeling.

    Astonished, Mu Lingshi¡¯s mind nked out while her exquisite face was filled with an inevitable paleness. Underneath her shades, a cold light gathered in her eyes as she stared silently at the man before her. Both of them did not move for a while.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s gaze was as profound as the sea. He looked at her for quite a while, then lowered his head to look at the CDs. His deep voice sounded slightly mellow and rich as hemented, ¡°Western country, indigenous Latin American music...Do you like these kinds of music?¡±

    Gu Qiwu calmly flipped through the CDs in his hand while a faint ripple of amusement crossed his handsome face.

    As Mu Lingshi looked at Gu Qiwu, who remained extremely calm, she could not help but feel sad. A chill instantly traveled from her chest to all the other parts of her body. Suddenly, she felt a little suffocated, yet it was only a second before she quickly managed to control her emotions. She could not give in to this man and his imposing manner.

    Mu Lingshi lifted her hand slightly and slowly took off her sunsses. Indifferently, she continued watching Gu Qiwu with a gaze that was distant and filled with cynical disdain, so disdainful that she did not even want to bother saying anything to him. Then, she put her sunsses back on and swiftly reached out to take the CDs from him before she walked away.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Mu Lingshi had just taken one step forward when Ah Yong came up to block her path with a cloudy expression, stopping her.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    At this moment, a cold and stern shout was heard! It was Ah Quan¡¯s voice!

    Upon noticing that something was not right, he had rushed over right away.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened. Given her reaction, she most likely found out about their rtionship!

    In that instant, Ah Quan had already walked up to her and shielded Mu Lingshi behind him. With his lofty height and his ferocity, his vigor was not inferior to Ah Yong¡¯s.

    ¡°Ah Yong, retreat,¡± Gu Qiwu calmly instructed after he turned around and watched this scene before him.

    ¡°Boss, they¡¯re being too disrespectful towards you!¡± Ah Yong frowned. He had been by Gu Qiwu¡¯s side for many years and had never seen anyone dare to be this arrogant.

    ¡°I told you to retreat!¡± Gu Qiwu coldly repeated and shot an angry re at Ah Yong. Stunned, Ah Yong then slowly retreated to the side.

    Ah Quan looked over with a hostile gaze to observe Gu Qiwu vigntly. The fists on his sides subconsciously tightened.

    ¡°I have no intention of hurting you though you have a pretty good bodyguard.¡± When Gu Qiwu said this, his gaze briefly brushed past Ah Quan and then stopped on Mu Lingshi.

    Upon hearing that, an indifferent curve shed at the corner of her lips. She looked indifferently at him, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ah Quan.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Shi!¡± Ah Quan responded.

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah Yong!¡±

    Ah Yong wanted to go up to them, yet Gu Qiwu stopped him.

    ¡°Boss, how is she so arrogant toward you!?¡± Ah Young could not help but mutter under his breath.

    Mu Lingshi was not interested to watch them y pretend. Finally, she stated, ¡°Sometimes, not turning up might be a better thing to do because once you¡¯ve turned up, it will only make one find you more annoying. Don¡¯t look for me anymore. We don¡¯t wee you here.¡±

    ¡°How can she say all of that?¡± Ah Yong could obviously hear what she was trying to imply.

    ¡°Do you already know the truth?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice seemed to waver slightly.

    However, Mu Lingshi did not answer him. She just scoffed at him and finally turned around abruptly to walk away.

 Chapter 1027 - Inevitable (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1027: Inevitable (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Yong wanted to stop them, but Gu Qiwu held him back with a cold stare.

    Mu Lingshi felt a sharp pain on her chest right after she took a turn around the corner. She almost fell down, but Ah Quan held her in time.

    ¡°Ms. Shi, are you alright?¡± Ah Quan asked in concern.

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Actually, when she found out that Gu Qiwu was her father, she had imagined how they would meet, but no matter how much she envisioned it, she never thought that they would meet like this.

    She spent all her strength just to force herself to keep calm because she was afraid that she could not control herself and would beat Gu Qiwu up right there and then while questioning him how he could have abandoned them all these years.

    However, she knew that she could not do so, and she did not want to. She began to regret her decision to find out the truth as it only brought her excruciating pain.

    ¡°Lingshi!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice came from behind as he could not stop himself from chasing after her.

    Tearing up slightly, she noticed the figure catching up to her, so she took several deep breaths.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you, and never will I ever want to see you again. I hope you¡¯ll never appear before me. If you still care about Lingtian and my mother, or if you feel the least bit of guilt, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not difficult for you to do so, is it?¡± Mu Lingshi said quietly.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s calm expression broke and his eyes seemed troubled. ¡°Lingshi, it¡¯s not as simple as you think.¡±

    ¡°The most ludicrous excuse in the world when someone makes a mistake is that they always have their own reasons, but they will never understand how much pain their reasons have inflicted upon others. Both of you...shouldn¡¯t have given birth to me...¡±

    Tears streamed down Mu Lingshi¡¯s face. She thought she could manage to not cry, but she could not control herself in the end. She was afraid to blink as her cold tears might fall uncontrobly again once she closed her eyelids. Entering the car, she started to cry quietly after she heard Ah Quan close the door.

    ¡°Start the car.¡±

    Ah Quan quickly ignited the engine and ignored Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Ah Shi!¡±

    Tear stains filled Mu Lingshi¡¯s face as Gu Qiwu called out to her. She removed her sunsses and realized that she was a mess. She continued to gulp deep breaths. Raising her head and trying to force the tears back, there was nothing she could do to stop them as she had gone out of control a long time ago.

    This was the first time in Mu Lingshi¡¯s life that she was sobbing so uncontrobly.

    No matter how much pain she had been in before, even when her brother passed away or when her face was disfigured, she had never cried like this before. She was not sure why she was feeling this way right now. She just wanted to cry to her heart¡¯s content in order to release the pain inside her.

    What did she do wrong? Why did she have to go through such pain?

    Ah Quan observed everything but kept quiet and continued to drive carefully. He felt like she needed some space right now.

    Mu Lingshi just let her tears run wild as she stared at the pen in her hand.

    Like how the pen still returned to her in the end, she still had to face the truth even if she did not want to. There was no way to escape from this. Her feelings could not stop what was about toe, and she could not avoid it.

    Mu Lingshi cried all the way back. The dim evening lights from the streemps tinted the horizon with ayer of sorrow as she managed to stop sobbing and look out of the car window. Her shirt was already soaked with her tears.

    Outside Imperial Sky Entertainment City, Gu Qiwu stood under the evening breeze for a long time, unmoving even after Mu Lingshi¡¯s car went away.

    Ah Yong called out to him several times, but there was no reply from him.

    ¡°Boss, let¡¯s go back. Ms. Mu...¡± Ah Yong tried to convince him.

    ¡°You knew about it already, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu asked quietly. Hisplicated expression was one that Ah Yong had never seen before.

    Ah Yong was startled for a moment, and he quickly lowered his head in fear. ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    Gu Qiwu averted his gaze and saw Ah Yong cowering in fear, so he smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous. I can¡¯t help it if you already know. I can¡¯t hide it for long anyway.¡±

    ¡°Boss...¡± Ah Yong raised his head slowly and noticed the loneliness on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face.

    ¡°Boss, is Ms. Mu really your...?¡± he asked hesitantly as his whole body shuddered when he asked the question due to the innate fear in him.

    Gu Qiwu always despised people prying into his private matters, and he had never mentioned anything personal in front of others. With a deep breath, he walked forward.

    His voice reached Ah Yong with the wind as he revealed, ¡°She¡¯s my other daughter. She also has a brother called Mu Lingtian who¡¯s my son. He¡¯s slightly older than Lingsha, and their mother is Mu Zixi, who was once an extremely popr artiste.

    ¡°Mu Zi, all of this happened because...¡±

 Chapter 1028 - Inevitable (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1028: Inevitable (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Qiwu stopped halfway.

    Ah Yong did not ask any more questions as well because he knew these secrets were buried deep inside Gu Qiwu¡¯s heart. Who knew what would be awaiting him once Doris found out about this?

    He finally understood why Gu Qiwu had asked him to erase all traces of evidence and prevent Mu Yuchen from finding out. This was the truth that he wanted to hide!

    Mu Zi!

    There was no way Ah Yong could have missed the news of the popr artiste. He only heard that she had been diagnosed with severe depression and hadmitted suicide. The rumors said it was because of a man...

    This incident caused such an uproar in the industry that Mu Yinan and Mu Tangchuan had to utilize theirwork to cover up the news. Soon after that, the news was forgotten. Nheless, Ah Yong was astonished when it was mentioned once again.

    So, the person who had caused that tragedy was very likely his boss right in front of him, Gu Qiwu!

    Mu Lingtian was his boss¡¯s son? He was just slightly older than Ms. Lingsha. Could his boss have already gotten together with Ms. Mu Zi a long time ago?

    Would that not be before he married Doris?

    And Mu Lingshi...

    So, his boss always had another woman behind Doris¡¯s back!

    His guesses were spot-on. His boss was worried that it might get exposed. That was why he put in so much effort to erase the evidence, but it could not be hidden forever anyway.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t have toe back here ever again.¡± Gu Qiwu took a nce at the luxurious Entertainment City before putting on a bitter smile.

    ¡°Boss!¡± Ah Yong was startled for a moment, but he soon came back to his senses and caught up with Gu Qiwu who got into the car.

    As Ah Yong ignited the engine, he consoled when he noticed Gu Qiwu¡¯s glum expression and silence, ¡°Please don¡¯t be sad, Boss. Ms. Mu just can¡¯t ept this right now, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll understand one day. She will definitelye to ept you soon.¡±

    Gu Qiwu smiled and replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she epts me or not. What matters is that she¡¯s safe. What she said was right. My excuse is the worst excuse ever. I never hoped for her to forgive me or understand me. I don¡¯t want to be sad about the past. I just want to focus on the present and the future.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened slightly as he spoke. He watched the dim streemps outside the window as they passed by, the lights making shadows across his face. He let out a suddenugh momentster. ¡°If we had known things would turn out like this, maybe Zixi wouldn¡¯t have chosen to meet me, and be with me, and I...¡±

    After working for Gu Qiwu for so long, it was Ah Yong¡¯s first time listening to Gu Qiwu talk about his past, it might be more appropriate to consider it to be his feelings, for some reason, Ah Yong felt a sense of sorrow when he heard those words.

    Ah Yong was not sure what to say. While he drove around the corner and went straight for the highway, he nced at the rearview mirror and observed Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression. After some time, he said, ¡°Boss, maybe we all have a past that we can¡¯t tell anyone, but since Ms. Mu Zi has already passed away, you don¡¯t have to bear the burden anymore. I think putting your mind on Madam and Ms. Lingsha could be more beneficial at the moment,¡± Ah Yong carefully reminded him.

    He understood that Doris would being back from the UK soon. Her attitude towards Gu Qiwu had always been odd. She once suspected Gu Qiwu had a secret lover and had sent people to investigate him six years ago. They had a big fight at that time, and their rtionship only got better after Gu Lingsha agreed to marry Mu Yuchen.

    The ident happened next. While no one mentioned about it ever again, Gu Qiwu was even nicer to Doris than before to the point that he would have given the moon to her if she wanted it, and the matter was forgotten afterward.

    Gu Qiwu sighed as he pinched the tension between his eyebrows.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen still broke the news in the end. I didn¡¯t expect that the secret I¡¯ve been keeping for so long would be exposed like this. He¡¯s really bold and isn¡¯t considerate about Lingshi at all. Is he trying to mess with me or does he have other ns in mind?¡± he analyzed, exhausted.

    ¡°Boss, it might not be what you think. She could be better prepared since she knows the truth. It¡¯s much better than being confronted by Madam without knowing anything¡ª¡±

    Ah Yong stopped his sentence halfway. He knew that Doris was a huge obstacle to Gu Qiwu.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression turned cold and his eyes looked troubled.

    Doris! No one had any idea, but her name would spark contradictory feelings inside him. There was no easy way to get the best of both worlds. Gu Qiwu was simply too greedy for attempting, hence he could not avoid tragedy.

    ¡°Just pretend you didn¡¯t see anything tonight. Also, send someone to keep an eye on Madam and report back to me if she takes any action. I want all information about Lingshi to bepiled and delivered to me as soon as possible,¡± Gu Qiwu ordered after some thought.

    Ah Yong nodded. ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    Gu Qiwu averted his gaze away from the scenery outside the window. He closed his eyes and leaned back to rest, but he did not feel like he could take a peaceful nap.

 Chapter 1029 - Inevitable (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1029: Inevitable (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The nights were getting colder especially after several days of rain.

    Mu Lingshi rolled down the car window and let the wind in. The tears on her face dried up in just a moment, so only bitterness remained inside. The car was parked right outside the vi, but she could already see the tall figure standing outside the door from far away.

    Ah Mo had gotten used to it. If he did not pick her up after work, he would stand outside the door and wait for her toe back. This time, he walked over the moment the car was parked and opened the door for Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°Bro Mo!¡± Ah Quan got down from the car and nced at Mu Lingshi before looking at Ah Mo hesitantly.

    Ah Mo soon noticed that Ah Quan¡¯s tone sounded odd, so he glimpsed at the bodyguard and saw his troubled gaze. Then, he turned to Mu Lingshi and quickly noticed that her eyes were slightly swollen. She lowered her head as she got out of the car and put on her sunsses.

    Ah Quan came over and whispered beside Ah Mo¡¯s ear, ¡°Ms. Shi met Gu Qiwu outside Entertainment City...¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes darkened as the bodyguard quietly grabbed Mu Lingshi¡¯s belongings and brought them into the house.

    ¡°Lingshi, what happened? Ah Mo grabbed Mu Lingshi¡¯s shoulder and looked at her.

    Mu Lingshi sniffled and took a deep breath. Then, she lowered her eyes and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside. It¡¯s cold out here and I¡¯m a little hungry as well.¡± She then walked into the house.

    Ah Mo¡¯s eyes darkened with worry as he quickly caught up with her.

    Ah Mo had already prepared dinner. When Mu Lingshi sat down at the dining table, she could still see some steam rising from the dishes which were all her favorites.

    Mu Lingshi started scooping some soup while Ah Mo sat down across her as he stared at her face.

    After crying in the car all the way back, she was now calm as she lowered her head and tasted the soup. ¡°I thought I could be calm when I saw Gu Qiwu, but I started feeling self-pity.¡±

    ¡°What did he do to you?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s expression darkened instantly.

    Mu Lingshi shook her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything. Actually, I know he¡¯s been sending people to tail me even though you never told me. The peoplest time were his men, weren¡¯t they?¡± She was not a fool and could figure it out by just a short analysis.

    Gu Qiwu would not have gone to Imperial Sky Entertainment City without a good reason, and she had heard from the other managers that there was an odd customer who frequently visited and needed to be taken note. That odd customer was most probably Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°I hope I never have to see him again. I don¡¯t want our grandparents to find out, or else, they¡¯ll be really sad about it. I know Grandmother has always thought of Mother as a great daughter. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have burdened herself by taking Lingtian and me in.¡±

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath as she went on, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to know the truth. Who knew that it would now be a ticking time bomb that might explode at any time, causing anxiety to us? We brought the problem to the Mu family. We took away the love that was supposed to be Brother¡¯s, and we made him take on the burden that he didn¡¯t need to. It¡¯s all that man¡¯s fault!

    ¡°If he hadn¡¯t gotten together with my mother, there wouldn¡¯t have been me or Lingtian, and none of this would¡¯ve happened today! I¡¯ve never seen such selfish parents before! Sometimes, I really hate the fact that I have such a cold father and an irresponsible mother! Don¡¯t you think she was a fool? She was so foolish that she gave birth to two children for a man that could never have married her. She knew that that man had a family! Why do I have a mother like this?¡±

    Mu Lingshi was on the brink of giving up herself, Ah Mo could not bear to listen any further, he yelled at her to make her stop, ¡°Ah Shi, that¡¯s enough!¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. Grandfather and Grandmother won¡¯t be able to take it if they heard that.¡± Ah Mo quickly softened his tone when he realized that he raised his voice. ¡°You have our baby right now, so you shouldn¡¯t be too emotionally affected. Let¡¯s just proceed with caution. Brother said he¡¯ll find a chance to tell them. I just hope they won¡¯t be too affected. Only they still don¡¯t know about it by now, but they¡¯ll find out about it sooner orter.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that Gu Qiwu didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, but we still have to be cautious about any potential harm. Keep Ah Quan close to you at all times. I¡¯ll discuss with Brother tomorrow and see if we cane up with any other alternatives and minimize the damage. Mother passed away many years ago. We can¡¯t possibly let her bear the guilt after her death. Brother has been troubled by this as well,¡± Ah Mo told Mu Lingshi honestly.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. I don¡¯t really care about it anymore. I¡¯ve been experiencing the pain all along these years anyway, so I don¡¯t mind it at all.¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression darkened as she continued to drink the soup, but she stopped momentster.

    ¡°Ah Mo, if your parents were still alive, and they came to tell you that they had their reasons for abandoning you 30 years ago, what would you do?¡± she asked as she stared at him intently. ¡°We¡¯re both the same. That¡¯s why we know how each other feel.¡±

    Ah Mo understood that they had been seeking sce from each other.

    ¡°My parents are Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong. There¡¯s nobody else,¡± he replied quietly as he gently grabbed Mu Lingshi¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You still have me and everyone else.¡±

 Chapter 1030 - Worried (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1030: Worried (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Although Ah Mo did not actually need to tell Mu Yuchen about how Mu Lingshi had met Gu Qiwu tonight, the man already knew.

    Inside the study room, Mu Yuchen answered the call as he slid a book out from the shelf. The call was from the management of Entertainment City.

    Recently, Gu Qiwu had been turning up at Imperial Sky Entertainment City quite frequently, and the management noticed his presence, hence shortly after Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi met up, the news reached management, and naturally, Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze was slightly dismal at that moment. He thought about it, then responded, ¡°Got it.¡±

    He then tossed his phone onto the table beside him as his expression did not change much. Calmly, he flipped open the book and silently browsed through it. A cool wind came from the window sill, making the curtains sway. The entire study room seemed even quieter though once in a while, you could hear the sound of pages being turned.

    When Xi Xiaye brought a ss of milk into the study room, she saw him sitting on the stool underneath the bookshelf, appearing so focused that he did not even realize when she came to his side. After he noticed her faint fragrance, he suddenly nced up to look, then he noticed that she was standing by his side with a steaming ss of milk.

    ¡°What book are you reading? You look so entranced,¡± she asked quietly as she reached out to exchange the book in his hand with the milk. Her tone did not allow any room for refusal. ¡°Rest earlier tonight and finish the milk!¡±

    His profound eyes stared at her. After a while, he brought the ss to his lips.

    Xi Xiaye scanned the book. It was about Western culture and geography. Knitting her brows together, she put a bookmark in the book before putting it back onto the shelf. Then, she sat down on the lounge chair and looked up at Mu Yuchen who was silently finishing the milk. She thought about it and said, ¡°Tomorrow afternoon, Xiao Rui will be done with his exams. Do you want to pick him up or should I do it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen finished the milk in a few gulps and took a tissue to wipe his mouth. ¡°Tomorrow...

    Obviously, he remembered these things. A few days ago when he joined Mu Zirui¡¯s parent-teacher meeting, the teacher had mentioned it.

    ¡°Mmm, he called me yesterday, asking me to tell you that you must remember to teach him how to ride a horse and swim,¡± Xi Xiaye said softly.

    ¡°Come to the office tomorrow afternoon and we¡¯ll go together. My schedule isn¡¯t very tight tomorrow,¡± he said, setting the ss aside.

    Upon hearing that, she nodded silently. ¡°Okay. Right, I have to go to Fuhua for work tomorrow. Uncle Lan¡¯s barely handling everything although Grandpa¡¯s been helping out too. We have quite a lot to work on recently. Father and Mother¡¯s school will be on holiday in a few more days, so it would be good to n for them to go around and travel. Oh, help me arrange the flight tickets and all the other necessary things!¡±

    When he heard that, he only frowned at her. His gaze scanned her from her forehead all the way down and stopped at her bandaged hands. ¡°Have your hands recovered?¡±

    Upon seeing that, Xi Xiaye lifted her hands slowly to take a look and gently clench them. She said calmly, ¡°They are fine. They¡¯ve almost fully recovered. See, I can move them easily.¡±

    ¡°Up to you then. Look at how you¡¯re barely rxing at home. I¡¯ll arrange things for Mother and Father. Since Xiao Rui is also on holiday, it¡¯ll be good for them to go out of the country. Ah Mo¡¯s already arranged for two bodyguards to follow them, so it¡¯s easier for them to move around too.¡± Mu Yuchen was now very careful every step of the way. Despite things being out of the ordinary, perhaps it would be good for them to go abroad and rx.

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she fell silent for a moment and understood what he meant. She quickly reached out to pull his hand as her bright eyes were fixated on him. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry too much. They¡¯re all adults, and they know how to take care of themselves, so don¡¯t fret!¡±

    Nodding, he kept thinking about the call he had gotten from the Imperial Sky Entertainment City management as his eyes could not help but darken. There was a hint of mncholy gathered between his brows too, but she caught it very quickly.

    ¡°Something¡¯s on your mind. What is it?¡± she asked gently, and suddenly reached out to hold his hand thaty by his side. ¡°What can¡¯t you tell me?¡± Her voice soundedden with concern and warmth while her eyes brimmed with a heartwarming light. When she just looked at him like that, her gaze naturallyforted him.

    He reached out and fixed her slightly wrinkled cor, then suddenly took a step forward and put an arm behind her to hold her frail shoulders as he leaned towards her. Sorrow swirled in his eyes that shifted in the light.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. The management of Entertainment City just called and said that Lingshi met Gu Qiwu...¡±

    When he said this, he paused and held her even tighter. ¡°I promised Father before this that I¡¯m finding the best time to handle this matter. Now, not only did I fail toe up with anything, but it looks like things are about to explode. This secret will sooner orter be made known to Qi Feng, and even more people will find out. If they don¡¯t handle this well, not only will Aunt and Lingtian not rest in peace with such infamy, but even Lingshi will need to bear a burden she shouldn¡¯t need to bear.¡±

    After he said this, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt her heart clench and feel a little heavy. She found it hard to breathe because she understood his concerns very well.

    Mu Zi herself would fall from grace and be Gu Qiwu¡¯s mistress. In fact, she had given birth to two children andmitted suicide in the end because of love trouble. Such a piece of news would be a huge blow to Mu Lingshi and the entire Mu family.

    The Mu family was a prestigious family, and Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong held a high status. Therefore, they would be affected by it. In addition to that, just on Lingshi¡¯s side alone, if she did not receive recognition from the Gu family, that would be a tremendous blow to her. Besides...

    ¡°Am I supposed to watch helplessly as Aunt and Lingtian¡¯s reputations get ruined years after they have passed? How are they going to rest in peace? Xiaye, tell me, what can I do right now? What else can I do? I thought that I¡¯d have an answer very soon, but I really can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be able toe up with a satisfactory resolution this time.¡±

    When he expressed his dilemma, his tone was low, and Xi Xiaye saw the sorrow in his tortured eyes.

 Chapter 1031 - Worried (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1031: Worried (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They had been married for so long, yet this was her first time seeing him look this distressed.

    She suddenly felt upset for him. Her hands could not help but circle his waist while her beautiful face stuck close to his. ¡°Don¡¯t despair. There will be a way. We need to calm down. That way, we cane up with a solution that can easily solve everything.¡±

    She always thought that when all problems reached him, they would be simple and easy since nothing could ever defeat him.

    Ever since she got together with him, even she could feel more rxed. However, upon seeing his worry that he could not hide now, she suddenly realized that he needed very broad wings to hold up the blue sky for the both of them, letting them soar carefreely, while she seemed to only know how to enjoy such protection and never had to work hard to bear any burden with him.

    She had been cking. Even if he had never shared any burden with her, she was already his wife. How could she just watch him charge ahead while she only knew how to hide behind his protection? At this instant, Xi Xiaye suddenly started to reflect upon herself, and she suddenly realized that she really had not been a great wife all the time he had always been such a great husband and father.

    s, what else could she do right now? This was a hopeless case!

    Mu Zi did get together with Gu Qiwu even though she had known then that Gu Qiwu was married to Doris. In fact, Mu Lingshi was clearly Gu Lingsha¡¯s sister from a different mother. Putting it harshly, Mu Lingshi was his illegitimate daughter while Mu Zi was his mistress who had given up on herself. It was also clear that Gu Qiwu was very loving toward his wife, Doris, so how could Mu Zi not be condemned profusely if the truth got out?

    She could not think of a way to win this game either!

    He did not say anything as he silently held her tight. The study room suddenly became extremely quiet, so you could only hear the wind gently lifting the curtains. At that point, Mu Yuchen became fazed. He could only feel her faint heartwarming body warmth.

    Xi Xiaye struggled internally for a long while, then finally calmed down as she stroked his shirt to softly say, ¡°If we want to be in control of taking the initiative, we have to be one step ahead of them. Mr. Mu, let¡¯s not rush first and calm down. We¡¯ll think of something.¡±

    He breathed in and fell silent for a moment before he reached out to pat her head. His fingersbed through her dark hair as he fixed it for her. ¡°Mmm, we¡¯ll find a way. Don¡¯t worry. Your man¡¯s not someone who will be taken down so easily.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye smiled and slowly stood up, her starry eyes as bright as the autumn waters. She chuckled. ¡°Mmm, to me, you¡¯re someone who won¡¯t be defeated. You¡¯re a sacred warrior that will never give up, a hero.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen listened to her encouraging words, a gentle smile quickly shed across his face. His long fingers then gently tapped her forehead. ¡°I almost thought I was Ultraman.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Ultraman always only shows his greatness towards the end. Mr. Mu, I believe in you. Alright now, it¡¯ste. Rest earlier. Maybe you¡¯ll think of something tomorrow. Go wash up first. I¡¯ll pack the documents you need for tomorrow.¡±

    She tiptoed and nted a kiss on the corner of his smiling lips before she turned to walk towards the work desk.

    Stunned, he watched her slender figure going over to his desk. The sorrow in his dark eyes was instantly reced with tenderness. Without saying anything more, he turned to walk out...

    Upon hearing the sound of his footsteps leaving, Xi Xiaye, who was silently tidying up the documents, suddenly stopped what she was doing. She peered down at the documents before her, then after a while, she nced up towards the door. She did not move for a long time, yet her eyes revealed a glimmer of determination.

    ...

    The next day, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went to work as always. They woke up very early, and after a simple breakfast, they left for work.

    She had been on a break for quite a few days. Even though Lan Zng was holding down the fort in the office, the documents that required her signature had still piled up by quite a bit. Xi Xiaye had just sat down when her assistant, Xiao Mei, walked in with a stack of documents.

    ¡°Director Xi, here are the materials from Hua Heng. CEO Hua would like to meet you in the next two days. He says that he wants to meet up to discuss the materials. Also, VP Zhang Lan from Glory World has sent over some documents regarding the South River Project.¡±

    When Xiao Mei said that, Xi Xiaye immediately remembered her discussion about the materials with Shen Yue. She thought about it, then nodded. ¡°Please respond that I¡¯d like to meet CEO Hua for tea tomorrow afternoon. See if he can make it.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Director Xi!¡± Xiao Mei put the documents on the desk before she retreated.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly began to look through the documents. When she reached the end of the documents and saw the words ¡®Zhang Lan¡¯, she was stunned for a moment. An idea popped into her head and she suddenly thought of someone!

    She immediately stopped as the light in her eyes flickered for a while before she quickly picked up her handphone and called a number she had not called in a while.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Xi?¡± A muffled and puzzled voice came from the other end.

    ¡°Detective Zhang, yes, it¡¯s me, Xi Xiaye,¡± she answered quickly.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t been in contact for a long while now. Is Elder Shen doing well?¡± Detective Zhang and Shen Yue had some friendly rtions, so he asked about how he was doing.

    ¡°Grandpa¡¯s doing rather well. He¡¯s recently retired, so he¡¯s been quite idle. Detective Zhang, you could go over to the Shen residence for a visit if you¡¯re free. Thank you for your concern. Anyway, can I meet you right away? There are some things I¡¯m afraid I need your help with again!¡± Xi Xiaye said in a humble tone.

    A burst of candidughter came in response. ¡°No need to be so courteous with me now. How about this? Let¡¯s meet this afternoon at our usual spot.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then smiled gratefully. ¡°Alright then, 3 p.m. this afternoon.¡±

    Detective Zhang answered with a grunt from the other end, then hung up.

    Once she was done with that, she could also go to Glory World. Hopefully, she could get some good news. She silently set aside her phone that had already dimmed, then she fell silent for a long time as she pondered further. Later, she continued to flip through the documents in front of her.

 Chapter 1032 - Worried (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1032: Worried (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They met at the field they used to meet. The scorching afternoon was only slightly bearable with the asional breeze.

    A ck car went past the highway and turned into the route leading to the field.

    A bodyguard and a driver were with Xi Xiaye in the car. The bodyguard was Shen Yue¡¯s trusted personnel who had now became Xi Xiaye¡¯s assistant.

    ¡°CEO Xi, we¡¯re here,¡± the driver announced as he slowed down the car.

    Xi Xiaye kept the documents into a thick folder as she raised her head and looked at the field. She quickly noticed the lone figure out there while the driver went over to open the door for her. ¡°Just wait for me here.¡±

    She grabbed the folder and walked towards the field.

    Inspector Zhang turned when he heard the sound of footstepsing near. He then saw Xi Xiaye walking towards him.

    ¡°Long time no see, Inspector Zhang!¡± Xi Xiaye smiled.

    Inspector Zhang quickly noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s injuries, so he inquired, ¡°Long time no see indeed. You look great, but what happened to your arms and forehead?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at her arms and put on a bitter smile. ¡°Just got into a little ident. I¡¯m almostpletely healed now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Inspector Zhang went straight to business. ¡°Your tone sounded pretty urgent over the phone.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened before handing the folder to Inspector Zhang. ¡°Take a look at these.¡±

    Inspector Zhang squinted his eyes at Xi Xiaye and took the folder. He took a nce at the contents. ¡°Gu Qiwu, Doris? Mu Zi? This is...¡±

    Inspector Zhang¡¯s eyes widened, he could not believe what he just read briefly. He suddenly remembered that Xi Xiaye had told him to keep an eye on Mu Lingshi as well, but he had not done any in-depth investigation on her. However, this information would cause huge chaos in City Z if it ever got exposed!

    ¡°Yes, Inspector Zhang, I gave these to you because I trust you. I¡¯m afraid what I¡¯m about to ask can only be achieved by you.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Inspector Zhang quietly with genuine eyes.

    Inspector Zhang smiled and took a deep breath. ¡°If you say so. It¡¯d be rude of me to not give it my best shot, so tell me, what should I do?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Inspector Zhang! I showed you these documents to let you get a grasp of what¡¯s happening. Gu Qiwu already had a son with Mu Zi before he married Doris. It was Mu Lingtian which the documents clearly point out. I hope you can help me find evidence of Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi being in love decades ago. Of course, it needs to be during the time when Gu Qiwu had not married Doris yet. I need it to be as specific as possible. Whilst it might be very difficult for others, I suppose it doesn¡¯t pose a huge challenge for you, does it?¡±

    Inspector Zhang¡¯s lips ttened into a grim smile. ¡°Ms. Xiaye, you really overestimate me. From what I know about Mu Yuchen and Gu Qiwu, one of them looked through every little small detail and only happened to find out the truth today. Gu Qiwu spent so much effort covering his tracks, and this all urred decades ago, so you can imagine how difficult this will be.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. ¡°Inspector Zhang, this might be a tough challenge, but I believe in your abilities. You stopped the investigation thest time due to some external factors, but don¡¯t worry about it this time. It isn¡¯t exactly a secret to some people anymore. This is extremely important to me, so I hope you can help me out. You can ask for any terms you want and I¡¯ll do my best toply. Please, Inspector Zhang?¡±

    Hesitant, he frowned and gave it some thought before putting the documents back into the folder as he looked at Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes which were full of expectations. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. Due to the difficulty of this task, it¡¯ll take some time. I need to go back and sort out this information before thinking about where to start.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Inspector Zhang! I¡¯ll leave this in your capable hands. I¡¯m worried that Mu Yuchen is being monitored all the time, so it¡¯s difficult for his men to make a move. You¡¯re the only one I can depend on. This information is still top secret at the moment, so I hope you can keep them safe.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Secrets will remain safe in our profession. I won¡¯t let anyone else know about it.¡± Inspector Zhang clipped the folder under his arm before he took out a pack of cigarettes and lit a stick up.

    ¡°Thank you! By the way, maybe you can start investigating at the Xiang She residence in City B. I learned from Mu Yuchen that Gu Qiwu bought it for Mu Zi when they were in a rtionship, but it¡¯s been rebuilt, so most of the evidence might have been gone already and¡ª¡±

    ¡°No evidence can be fully erased. If Mu Yuchen¡¯s men can find out about that, that means there are still some traces over there. If one has enough patience and intelligence, it¡¯s not impossible!¡± Inspector Zhang interrupted Xi Xiaye before she could finish her sentence.

    Xi Xiaye grinned. ¡°I really like your enthusiasm! Well, I know this is difficult, but do you think you can find out in a month¡¯s time? I¡¯m afraid this matter can¡¯t be dragged on any longer.¡±

    Inspector Zhang frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee, but I¡¯ll try my best!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I believe that I¡¯ll be getting good news from you soon.¡±

 Chapter 1033 - Unexpected Call (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1033: Unexpected Call (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As the warm sun continued to hover in the sky, Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone turned cheerypared to her gloom earlier.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best not to disappoint you, but you wanted to investigate this...¡± Inspector Zhang gave her a nce and stopped his sentence midway.

    Understanding what he meant, she took a deep breath as she looked at the golden fields. ¡°You should¡¯ve noticed the importance of this information. I don¡¯t know what else I can do, so I want to try my best.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the truth to be something like this. I understand your concern.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt like her burden had been lifted slightly. ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of the rumors and gossip. I always knew that rumors could be really scary, and now I can truly feel the impact of it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the power of rumors. Try to get over it,¡± he replied humorously.

    Xi Xiaye took a look at the time and noticed it was gettingte. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be so many tragedies around the world. Alright, I suppose I should take my leave, I still need to head over to Glory World, I¡¯ll leave this matter in your hands. Do call me anytime if you need anything or if there are any updates. Goodbye!¡±

    Inspector Zhang let out a puff and nodded as he waved as Xi Xiaye turned around and left the field. ¡°Goodbye!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Go to Glory World Corporation,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she got into the car.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi!¡± the driver replied and quickly got the car going.

    She leaned her arm on the window as she rested her head on her shoulder. Then, she closed her eyes and took a short nap.

    The car swiftly entered the city and headed right towards Glory World Corporation.

    Xi Xiaye was only sleeping lightly. Because she did not take a break in the afternoon and rushed through her documents, she was feeling sleepy right now. If not for the phone call that interrupted her nap in the car, she would have fallen sound asleep.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Xi Xiaye quickly took out her phone and answered it without looking at the caller¡¯s name.

    ¡°Xiaye¡ª¡± the person uttered her name after some time.

    Xi Xiaye woke up instantly when she heard this voice! Cold, distant, but a little familiar. Who else could it be aside Han Yifeng? Why was he calling?

    She had forgotten when was thest time she had spoken to him. She only knew a little about him from Su Nan who mentioned that she had seen him and his son.

    ¡°Han Yifeng...is that you?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned slightly.

    Han Yifeng chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s me. I can sense that you¡¯re pretty surprised.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression froze. She did not reply as she was not sure what to say or why he was calling.

    Han Yifeng probably guessed what she was thinking as he exined himself, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just called because I heard from a friend working in Hospital T that you were hospitalized due to some injuries. Are you alright?¡±

    They had not contacted each other ever since Han Yifeng¡¯s sudden departure thest time, so the sudden call caught her off guard. She then replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for your concern, CEO Han.¡±

    Her tone sounded distant and was not very pleasant to Han Yifeng¡¯s ears. He took a pause and then said, ¡°That¡¯s great. There were many times I wanted to give you a call to ask how you have been ever since I got here, but things got busy and I forgot. Anyway, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re doing well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡± Xi Xiaye considered telling him about Su Nan and Ruan Heng being in Boston, but she then felt it was not necessary.

    ¡°Did Xinyi...cause you any more trouble?¡±

    It had been a long time since that name rang in Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears. Her conflict with Xi Xinyi had somehow died down after Han Yifeng left. Apart from that time when Xi Xinyi begged her to persuade Han Yifeng, they had been leading their own separate lives.

    ¡°Not really. I heard from Father that she¡¯s doing pretty well. She just misses her child quite a fair bit, and you...she once asked me to persuade you to give her a chance, but I declined her back then though I do understand her feelings as a mother. Are you really not going to give her another chance?¡± Xi Xiaye said honestly.

    There was a long silence on Han Yifeng¡¯s end. He did not answer Xi Xiaye¡¯s question and only replied when Xi Xiaye almost hung up. ¡°We can¡¯t go back to how it was like before again. My feelings for her were exhausted. I feel good living a life free of desires over here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then replied, ¡°There¡¯s no way humans can live absolutely free of desires. Even saints long for the path of truth. Forget about the past.¡± With that, she hung up and took a deep breath. She looked out of the window as she put on a tiny grin that grew into aplicated-looking smile.

    Xi Xinyi and her...

    Had they not been always fighting with each other? Would Mu Lingshi have to face the same thing in the future?

    Her past reyed in her mind once she thought about it. She had to admit that it was extremely easy for life to y pranks on a person!

    Her earlier surprise faded as she clenched her phone though her heart sank a little.

 Chapter 1034 - Unexpected Call (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1034: Unexpected Call (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the wee hours in Boston, it was freezing, and the vast night sky seemed quite still. There were a few lonely stars that looked a little cold and cheerless too.

    Han Yifeng was in his pajamas as he stood by the balcony railing. There was half a cigarette that had just been lit up between his fingertips. He watched silently at his phone dimmed. After a while, he sighed and tossed his phone onto the table.

    How long had it been? He seemed to have forgotten how long ago he had left that city.

    A month or two? Half a year? Or was it one year?

    Still, many things seemed to feel as if they just happened yesterday.

    His work on this end was almost stable now. He just had to move back and forth San Francisco and Boston often. Since his son, Han Zhexuan, had grown up a bit more now, he knew how to walk and could even call him ¡®Father¡¯. His grandparents also frequently flew to San Francisco to see their grandson.

    However, they were conscious about not mentioning anything about City Z in front of Han Yifeng. They provided no news about Xi Xinyi or Xi Xiaye. Han Yifeng was practically isted from everything about City Z untilst night. A friend at City Z¡¯s Hospital T had unintentionally mentioned Xi Xiaye being hospitalized, so he then realized that perhaps he should give her a call.

    After he thought about it, he made the call.

    ¡°CEO Han, have a ss of milk and get a night of good sleep. You finally managed to close this deal, so you can rx now, but it will soon get busy again.¡±

    The person speaking was Secretary Wang. He and another assistant had flown to San Francisco with Han Yifeng back then, and right now he was still his personal assistant.

    At the moment, he was walking towards Han Yifeng with a ss of milk. Both of them had been busy since past 10 p.m., and now, it was 3 a.m. They finally managed to finish organizing everything, and just had to wait till the next day for the contract to be signed before they could return to San Francisco, but he probably had toe over for work more often in the future.

    When he heard Secretary Wang¡¯s voice, Han Yifeng slowly turned his head and looked towards him. The air around him was filled with the scent of cigarettes. When Secretary Wang smelled the smoke, he coughed a little ufortable and quickly said, ¡°CEO Han, you¡¯ve been smoking quite a bit recently. You need to take care of your health. It¡¯s best to smoke less. The Little Master can¡¯t take the cigarette smoke too.¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s gaze darkened, but he did not say anything as he put out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. He reached out to take the milk from Secretary Wang as he sat down. Then, he pointed to a spot beside him and his voice was cold as always as he said, ¡°Sit and chat with me for a bit.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Secretary Wang looked at Han Yifeng, his expression seeming faintly sorrowful. Nheless, he thought about it, then sat down.

    ¡°CEO Han, are you in a bad mood? You closed such a huge deal though,¡± Secretary Wang probed carefully.

    Han Yifeng lowered his head to take two sips of milk, paused, then said, ¡°Obviously, closing such a huge deal is worth being happy about.¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, do you miss the Little Master at home?¡± Secretary Wang asked softly again.

    When his son was brought up, Han Yifeng did feel some pride. Under his care, Han Zhexuan had grown up to be very cute, intelligent, and looked very much like him. On top of that, he was easy to look after and did not cry much.

    ¡°He should be sleeping quite soundly right now. I¡¯ll get to see him when I get back tomorrow.¡± Han Yifeng suddenly paused and turned to look at Secretary Wang. ¡°You¡¯ve been with me for quite a while now. Thepany had just shifted when we first came, so it wasn¡¯t too stable then. I have been very busy, but we can finally catch our breaths now. You¡¯ve been away from City Z for quite a while too. When we get back to San Francisco, you should make your way back for a visit.¡±

    ¡°CEO Han...¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s words clearly surprised Secretary Wang who looked at him in confusion.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression was cold as he continued, ¡°There are sore points that cannot be healed for me in that city. I don¡¯t want to recall the past, but you don¡¯t. Perhaps, you still miss that ce. If you want to stay in that city, ourpany does have some project coborations with quite a fewpanies, so I can let you stay there as an external manager. That way, you can choose to develop in City Z.¡±

    ¡°No, CEO Han! I¡¯ve already decided to always stay by your side!¡± Secretary Wang insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel any fondness for that city at all?¡± he finally asked the question that he had buried down in his heart.

    Upon hearing that, Han Yifeng subconsciously frowned. He held his ss as he shrugged, then he put it on the table beside him. ¡°That city is a nightmare that I can never erase in my lifetime. You know very well all the things that I¡¯ve been through. What else is there for me to miss? The new beginning that I have right now makes everything much simpler and happier. This, to me, is already the greatest blessing from God.¡±

    As he said that, he suddenly forced a smile. ¡°Secretary Wang, tell me, why do people only learn how to appreciate things after we lose them? Why do we only always have such realizations towards the end? Sometimes, I really question the fact that maybe the regret thates after such understanding is God¡¯s most memorable joke on us lowly humans.¡±

    ¡°CEO Han, those things...¡±

    ¡°Those things have long past, but the scar in my heart will forever be there. Even though I¡¯m so far away from that ce, sometimes I still can¡¯t help it...¡± Han Yifeng did not finish what he was saying as he stopped and fell silent for a while before he finished the milk in his ss and abruptly stood up.

    ¡°Okay, rest earlier. We still have work to do tomorrow,¡± he concluded before his tall figure walked past Secretary Wang and went in.

    ¡°CEO Han,¡± Secretary Wang suddenly called out to stop him, ¡°How about you forgive Miss Xinyi this one time? This time, I believe that she can definitely turn over a new leaf. A while ago, Master Qi sent a document over. When he called to confirm with me, he mentioned Miss Xinyi. He said that she¡¯s changed. She¡¯s be much humbler and is less restless now. In fact, she¡¯s quite capable that even Master Mu has expressed his recognition!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei? Mu Yuchen? They¡¯re in contact with Xinyi?¡± Han Yifeng immediately stopped and turned to look at Secretary Wang in astonishment.

    Secretary Wang nodded. ¡°CEO Han, you¡¯ve forgotten that Miss Xinyi is now considered to be under Qi Kai. Meanwhile, Qi Kai and Glory World do have a partnership!¡±

 Chapter 1035 - Unexpected Call (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1035: Unexpected Call (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Secretary Wang reminded Han Yifeng that all theirpanies were more or less connected, especially the Han Corporation and Qi Kai. Previously, because of Xi Xinyi¡¯s contract with Qi Kai, the Han Corporation had contributed as well, so now they could be considered as having a simple partnership.

    However, would Mu Yuchen value Xi Xinyi¡¯s capabilities?

    A cynical light shed in Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes. Back then, did Yueying not almost fall because of Mu Yuchen? Would he value Xi Xinyi? What kind of joke was this!?

    ¡°CEO Han, recently in City Z, Miss Xi Xinyi...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me these things. I already told you that I don¡¯t want to know any news about her, much less find out! You¡¯re crossing the line here, Secretary Wang!¡±

    When Xi Xinyi was mentioned, Han Yifeng¡¯s felt a mix of feelings. Apart from disappointment and anger, there was even more indifference. With all of his patience and feelings having been wiped out, he could only feel indifferent towards her.

    Observing how he was still so conflicted about Xi Xinyi, Secretary Wang could not tell whether he loved or hated her. At least, he knew that Han Yifeng had once loved Xi Xinyi, though they could not hold onto the rtionship.

    He hesitated, then could not help but say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, CEO Han! I just didn¡¯t want to see you suffer. I can tell from your eyes that you aren¡¯t happy at all. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t been able to let go of those things.¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression tensed. He shot a hostile gaze at Secretary Wang. ¡°Secretary Wang, don¡¯t think that you can easily pry into my thoughts! When have I looked like I¡¯ve been suffering? At least,pared to before, I¡¯m much more rxed and happy! I can do just fine without anyone! Who does Xi Xinyi think she is? I¡¯ll never give her a chance again! I¡¯ve given her too many chances. When has she truly appreciated any of them?¡±

    Suddenly, he started to rant, ¡°All of you keep telling me to give her a chance and forget those things, but when has anyone given <i>me</i> a chance? Can you give me a chance to go back to how it was? You can¡¯t! Xi Xinyi can¡¯t either! But I...I¡¯ve given her many chances. Every time, I ended up ck and blue. I can¡¯t bear to do it again. If I could choose again, I wish to have never met her.¡±

    Han Yifeng sounded terribly disappointed and frustrated to Secretary Wang who rarely saw his boss close to losing control like this!

    ¡°I just wanted to quietly be with one person, but right now, that seems quite impossible to me...¡±

    After having said that, Han Yifeng only breathed in slightly and did not want to continue. He picked up his pace and walked inside.

    After the tall figure disappeared quickly underneath the bleak light, Secretary Wang heard the thud of the door closing heavily. He was trapped in this deadlock that was probably very hard for a breakthrough. Despite trying to help them change things up, it seemed like no matter how hard he tried, it was useless. Still, he had really tried his best, so he could only sigh helplessly and leave too.

    In the Glory World Corporation office in City Z, Xi Xiaye did not go up. Instead, she gave Mu Yuchen a call from the car and he came down shortly after that. When she saw hime over, she moved to one side and opened the car door while he slipped into the car and gave her an exquisitely wrapped box.

    Xi Xiaye looked puzzledly at the box, then asked softly, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you like that dim sum shop thest time we went out? I went there earlier and got you a box of dim sum,¡± he answered softly as he fixed his wrinkled sleeves.

    She smiled brightly and put the box aside. ¡°You still remember! I¡¯ll eat it when I get back. Xiao Rui also likes it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll rush home today to make some good food for you.¡± Master Mu had not cooked for quite a while now. Since she mentioned that she wanted steakst night, he nned to grill some for her that night.

    ...

    When they reached the entrance of Mu Zirui¡¯s school, it was close to 5 p.m. The exam had not ended yet, but the school entrance was surrounded by lots of parents who were all there to pick their children up.

    In the blue sky, the sun was already heading West. The scorching heat of the afternoon sun had also subsided while the cold breeze in the air slowly cooled the air.

    The car stopped underneath the water banyan tree by the school entrance as the husband and wife sat unmoving. When they heard the bell ring, both of them looked up to the entrance.

    At this moment, Li Si, who was standing behind the car, suddenly came up to knock the window on Mu Yuchen¡¯s side as he gently drew his boss¡¯s attention. ¡°Master, look!¡±

    Mu Yuchen wound the window down and followed Li Si¡¯s gaze. Soon, he saw a ck luxurious car parked not too far away. In the back seat, an extremely handsome and gentleman had one arm propped up against the car window with a cigarette between his fingers as he smoked nonchntly. Perhaps because he sensed Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze, he nced over at him. With those extremely sinister eyes, who else could it be but Qi Feng?

    In fact, Mu Yuchen could vaguely see Gu Lingsha seated in the car too. After experiencing the whole scandal, she had be much more cautious. Even though those rumors were squashed, she and Qi Feng had epted the media interview anyway since some rumors were incessant.

    Qi Feng was not just a crippled man. Handsome as he was, he was also Qi Kai¡¯s potential heir whereas Gu Lingsha was the heiress of the Hui Gu Corporation. In fact, her mother was somewhat of a noble descendant, and with her looks, the fact that she would be willing to be by Qi Feng¡¯s side for the rest of their lives seemed a little surreal. Everyone would much rather believe that Gu Lingsha was still hung up over Chairman Mu of Glory World!

    However, when the news of her and Qi Feng registering for their marriage came through, these private discussions died down, and everyone silently observed theirtest moves.

 Chapter 1036 - Hatred (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1036: Hatred (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even Li Si felt ufortable when he threw his cold nces over, but Mu Yuchen was calm, he looked back at him for a moment before looking away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xi Xiaye noticed that something was amiss. When she looked to the front and noticed Qi Feng, she frowned instantly and asked, ¡°Why is he here? Did hee to pick Qi Weier up?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply as his eyes darkened. While he was not showing any particr emotion on his face, he looked oddly calm. Li Si¡¯s expression darkened instead.

    ¡°It looks like he really loves his daughter. Our concerns before were invalid. I¡¯ve seen that little girl before. She looks really like Gu Lingsha. Although she¡¯s very pretty, she¡¯s very frail. You¡¯ll see for yourselfter,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°He told me before that Qi Weier is both his and Gu Lingsha¡¯s daughter. It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s lying, but I¡¯m sure that he doesn¡¯t know about the rtionship between Gu Qiwu and Lingtian, or else, he might have told me something else.¡±

    Mu Yuchen opened the door and got down, and Xi Xiaye followed him.

    The moment the school gate was opened, children starteding out with huge bags on their backs like little angels running around as their parents quickly went to them. In just a few minutes, the parents gathered around the entrance and soon left with their children.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye stood by together beside the gate, but they still could not see Mu Zirui anywhere. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha did not find Qi Weier as well.

    At this moment, on the cement road inside the school leading towards the gate.

    ¡°Can you stop following me? I really hate you. You¡¯re annoying! Your mother is a horrible woman because she injured my mother until she bled! You¡¯re a bad person too. I hate bad people!¡± Mu Zirui had a heavy bag in one hand as he frowned while staring at Qi Weier behind him unhappily.

    Qi Weier wore a pretty pink princess dress today and she had a butterfly hair clip in her blonde hair. Her beautiful little face appeared a little pale and her blue eyes had dark rings as she shadowed Mu Zirui. Maybe because her bag was too heavy or because she was frail from the beginning, she looked weak and was panting as she walked.

    Mu Zirui did not want to care about her at all. For some reason, she had been following him everywhere. She almost followed him into the toilet as well, especially for the past two days!

    Anger bubbled up inside him as he remembered what happened the other day. He could not help butin whenever he saw Qi Weier, but he never forgot the lesson his father taught him: as a well-mannered gentleman, getting worked up would not solve any problem!

    Mu Zirui stood his ground and gave Qi Weier a nce. Then, he picked up his pace and rushed towards the gate. She wanted to catch up to him, but her face turned really pale after just several steps as she panted heavily.

    Qi Weier had a fragile body and easily experienced fatigue. Although she attended a regr school, she could not y with the other children. While the others went to physical education sses or did some exercise outdoors, she could only stay aside and watch alone.

    She hardly spoke in school, but she treated Mu Zirui differently. She was willing to be close to him and wanted to y with him, he had a good looking and gentle mother, she wanted a mother like her too.

    ¡°Father, Mother!¡± Mu Zirui ran out of the gate as he already saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye from far away.

    ¡°Be careful. Look at all your sweat. Wipe it off!¡±

    Mu Zirui came over and hopped into Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms. She smiled and grabbed some tissue Li Si handed her to help her son wipe his sweat as Mu Yuchen handed his big bag to Li Si.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re here too! I thought only Mother woulde!¡± Mu Zirui was thrilled to see both of them.

    Mu Yuchenughed as he patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head. ¡°Is it only your mother who cane? Am I not wee?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are. I just thought Mother loves me more,¡± Mu Zirui blinked his innocent eyes and answered honestly.

    ¡°You little brat!¡± Mu Yuchen grinned while Xi Xiaye shrugged her shoulders and gave him a helpless expression.

    ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll make something nice for both of youter.¡±

    ¡°Yay, let¡¯s go back home! Father, I want to eat steak with honey sauce!¡±

    ¡°Since when did you be so easily tempted by food now? Give your Great-grandpa a call!¡± Mu Yuchen patted his head again.

    ¡°Oh, alright. Thank you, Uncle Li Si!¡± Mu Zirui took the phone from Li Si and was about to call Shen Yue, but suddenly, there was an anxious voice from behind.

    ¡°Weiwei! What¡¯s wrong?! Weiwei! What happened?¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye took a pause and exchanged nces before looking over at the direction of the voice.

    They then realized that Gu Lingsha was shaking a little girl as she wiped her sweat. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to overexert yourself? Why didn¡¯t you listen to me? Are you feeling better now?¡±

    ¡°Feed her the medicine. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine!¡±

    It was Qi Feng speaking. He was really calm because he was used to situations like this. Immediately, he took out a tiny bottle from Qi Weier¡¯s bag and shook two pills out to hand to Gu Lingsha who quickly fed them to the little girl.

 Chapter 1037 - Hatred (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1037: Hatred (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye both saw what happened.

    Qi Feng closed the bottle and studied Qi Weier before ncing over at them. Xi Xiaye could sense the chill in the air even from a distance away!

    Fortunately, Qi Weier got a little better after a while. Gu Lingsha held her in her arms as she cried worriedly, ¡°Weiwei! You almost scared me to death! You have to be careful next time! What should I do if something happens to you?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes turned red as she raised her head and stared at the trio as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s all their fault! It¡¯s them!¡± Gu Lingsha clenched her teeth and used angrily.

    Qi Weier did not seem very well. She pushed Gu Lingsha away, but when she saw the ferocious expression on her mother¡¯s beautiful face, she shuddered and backed off several steps. Uncertainly, she nced at Qi Feng, then at Mu Zirui.

    Mu Yuchen did not have the patience to wait around, so he headed into the car, and Mu Zirui and Xi Xiaye followed suit. In just a moment, their car left.

    ¡°It¡¯s all his fault, Ah Feng! Those two incidents must be his work as well! You have to take revenge for us! Make him pay!¡± Gu Lingsha clenched her fists as she red at Mu Yuchen¡¯s car leaving. Her hatred and anger were overflowing while she ground her teeth, almost crushing them!

    Qi Feng was exceptionally calm, he patted Gu Lingsha¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Get into the car first, I¡¯ll make sure they pay for this someday.¡±

    Gu Lingsha nodded and went into the car with Qi Weier in her arms.

    ...

    The car was on the way towards the Grand Waves Vi area.

    Mu Zirui was hesitant, but he still decided to tell Mu Yuchen what happened just now. ¡°Father, Qi Weier got dizzy because she was chasing after me just now. She¡¯s really annoying! Her mother is even worse. She¡¯s the one that made Mother bleed thest time!¡±

    ¡°Why did she chase after you?¡± Xi Xiaye was confused.

    ¡°I have no idea. She just likes to follow me around, and Mother, it seems like she likes you...¡±

    ¡°She likes me?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows in surprise at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She always talks to me about you. She rarely speaks up and doesn¡¯t really mix well with the other students. It seems like she¡¯s pretty sick. The teacher had to remind her to take her medicine on time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression turned grim all of a sudden! It sounded like her condition was really severe. She understood why both Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha looked like they wanted to kill them right away. Still...

    She looked at Mu Yuchen with a mixed expression.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, maybe we¡¯ll have father transfer you to another school next semester. There are two other primary schools that offer advancement into City S¡¯s secondary school as well. Is that alright?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°Transfer? Why?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned, she seemed to be in disagreement with Mu Yuchen¡¯s decision. ¡°We spent so much time finding this school, and Xiao Rui has just gotten used to the environment. Why transfer now?¡±

    ¡°Just to avoid any unnecessary trouble, it might be better to avoid contact as much as possible. How would you know it isn¡¯t Qi Feng¡¯s intention? From what I know, there are several sses in Xiao Rui¡¯s grade. He¡¯s not in some elite or special ss. It¡¯s just a normal ss. Judging by Gu Lingsha¡¯s attitude, she¡¯ll most likely arrange for Qi Weier to attend a special ss or something.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had to be cautious. ¡°I hope I¡¯m just overthinking, but it won¡¯t hurt to be safe.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind going anywhere if you think it¡¯s better, Father!¡± Mu Zirui noticed something was odd, so he decided to be considerate as well.

    Xi Xiaye nodded silently after a while. ¡°Alright then. It doesn¡¯t have to be a school that is linked to City S¡¯s secondary school. We can just find a good school either near Glory World or Fuhua, so he cane straight to the office after school finishes just like the kindergarten Grandpa found for him thest time.¡±

    With that, Mu Yuchen agreed, and the decision was made.

    Xi Xiaye did not tell Mu Yuchen about her hiring Inspector Zhang to investigate Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi because she wanted to wait for the results before letting him know.

    ...

    The hot weather came by after mid-July when the school holidays started.

    It was at the end of July when Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were done clearing their work at school, and their trip was finally happening. They nned to have a month-long trip abroad, and would only be back by the end of August. Mu Yuchen had arranged everything they needed over in France.

    Apart from Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna, Shen Yue and Mu Zirui tagged along as well, and they brought two bodyguards.

    Their flight was in the afternoon, so Xi Xiaye went to the Shen residence for lunch. After that, she helped them pack their luggage.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, be obedient to Great-grandpa over there as well as your grandparents. Don¡¯t just wander around on your own. Do you still remember how to make international calls to us and them? Don¡¯t simply trust strangers, and turn to the police if you¡¯re in trouble. Don¡¯t start a fight with others. Also, remember to finish your summer homework. Do you hear me?¡± Xi Xiaye nagged as she packed Mu Zirui¡¯s luggage. It was the fourth or fifth time she was saying these already!

    ¡°Mother! I get it! You¡¯ve been saying it over and over again. My ears are getting rusty!¡± Mu Zirui looked at Xi Xiaye helplessly, his demeanor resembling Shen Yue¡¯s.

    Xi Xiaye tapped his head andughed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say I¡¯m annoying! Who do you think I¡¯m worried about?¡±

 Chapter 1038 - Set Off

    <h4>Chapter 1038: Set Off</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Zirui bit his lips and quickly wrapped his arms around Xi Xiaye¡¯s neck. ¡°I get it, Mother! I¡¯ll always call you. You have to keep sending me photos of Brother as well. He seems skinniertely. I think he¡¯s cuter when he¡¯s chubbier...¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll see him being all chubby again after you came back. Alright, we¡¯re done packing up here. Let¡¯s go down. Everyone is waiting.¡±

    When they went downstairs, Shen Yue and Mu Yuchen were still ying Go chess. Shen Wenna was ying with Little Apple, but Xi Mushan was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Father?¡± Xi Xiaye looked around and asked.

    ¡°He got a phone call half an hour ago and went out. He probably needs another half an hour before he can get back. Have a seat first. We¡¯re not in a rush anyway,¡± Shen Wenna replied.

    ...

    Inside a coffee shop near the Shen residence, Xi Xinyi had been waiting there for a while by the time Xi Mushan arrived.

    She wore a long, white dress and her hair was tied into a bun. She looked much more casual than usual with a pair of sunsses which she slowly removed when she noticed Xi Mushan.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re here!¡± Xi Xinyi called out to him. She also got the waiter to serve Xi Mushan a cup of Blue Mountain coffee.

    ¡°Mmm, have you had lunch?¡± Xi Mushan sat down and asked.

    Xi Xinyi nodded. ¡°Yeap, it¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw you. I think I heard Aunt Shen¡¯s voice over the phone just now. Are you guys going on a trip?¡± She had overheard Shen Wenna mentioning something about their flight. It sounded like they were traveling.

    ¡°Yes, we are. It¡¯s been many years since we went for a trip together, so we¡¯re taking the chance during this holiday to go out and have some fun.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s voice and gaze were both calm. He did not seem emotionally affected when he saw Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°It¡¯s great to take a break every now and then, Father. You look much better than before. In fact, you seem to be doing well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have a lot of trouble in the past year. I became a teacher and everything has been going fine. Xinyi, it¡¯s easier to find your own happiness if you appreciate what you have.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Father. I might not have gotten it in the past, but I know it well now. I¡¯m sorry that Sister and you had to bear those burdens. I¡¯m afraid that Han Yifeng and I can¡¯t be by your side now, so I hope Brother-inw and Sister can fill that role. I really feel guilty about it.¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression darkened while her eyes were filled with guilt. ¡°It¡¯s already toote by the time I realized it. I really hope that things could return to how it was before although...¡±

    ¡°Just take care of yourself. I¡¯m not that old yet. There¡¯s still no need for someone to take care of me,¡± Xi Mushan replied.

    ¡°I thought about a lot of things recently. I really owe Sister and you too much. I don¡¯t expect to be forgiven. I just hope to live my life peacefully. Although Brother-inw never said anything, Second Master Qi has been looking after me in Qi Kai. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because of his influence, and I¡¯m really grateful for him.¡±

    ¡°I thought your hatred towards them would continue. After all, Yueying turned to its current state because of Xiaye and Ah Chen.¡± Xi Mushan seemed to be testing her.

    Xi Xinyi smiled. ¡°I did hate them a lot in the beginning, but after everyone left me one after another, especially after Han Yifeng left with my child, I woke up.

    ¡°It might not mean anything for one or two people to leave, but when everyone left, it¡¯s pretty obvious that I was the problem. Now that I think about it, there was no point for me to hate them. Han Yifeng and my child won¡¯te back to me no matter how much I hate them. Furthermore, there¡¯s no way we can turn back time,¡± she said in a bitter tone.

    At the same time, she took out some documents from her handbag and handed them to Xi Mushan. ¡°Father, these are the Yueying shares that still belong to the Xi family. I separated them into two parts. This is for Sister. Please give it to her for me. Grandmother did this for my sake. Now that she has passed away, I hope Sister can forgive her.¡±

    Xi Mushan knew Xi Xinyi was talking about the time when Deng Wenwen had forced Xi Xiaye to sign the document.

    ¡°Besides, tell her to be on alert as things might get rowdy soon. It might be a good thing that you guys are going on a trip now.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s words surprised Xi Mushan who looked at her and asked, ¡°What do you mean? Did you find out about something?¡±

    She then shook her head. ¡°No, I just feel like things haven¡¯t been very peacefultely, so just be careful. Alright, I¡¯ll leave these with you. Please hand them to Sister.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it to her yourself?¡± Xi Mushan asked.

    ¡°She might not want to see me and I want to avoid riling up her emotions as well. I have to get back now. Take care, Father.¡± Xi Xinyi took out some cash and left it on the table before she got up and left before Xi Mushan could say anything else.

    He watched her walk out of the store. Then, he remained stationary and looked at the document before him. Momentster, he grabbed them and left as well.

    ...

    It was just right on time when Xi Mushan returned to the Shen residence. They got their luggage ready and went to the airport.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went to send them off too.

    ¡°Someone will pick you up. Take care of yourselves!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rui, remember what I told you. Stick to the group, alright?¡± Xi Xiaye stopped by the boarding gate.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll keep in touch after we arrive there.¡± Shen Wenna grabbed her bag from Xi Xiaye and smiled. ¡°You two should head back now.¡±

    ...

    They went past the security checks quickly. Xi Xiaye was relieved after she lost them in the crowd, then she turned to him.

 Chapter 1039 - Cut Off Halfway (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1039: Cut Off Halfway (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen stood right behind her in a casual suit with his noble and handsome face. As he just stayed there, lots of heads turned, but his eyes were fixed on the little woman before him.

    Xi Xiaye obviously knew about his charms. Her clear eyes nced around and she even saw some young girls secretly taking pictures of him. She pursed her lips and nced at him. Forgetting about holding back, she just reached out to hold his hand and walked out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home. Grandmother and the rest are waiting!¡±

    He lowered his head to look at their interlocked hands as a faint ripple shed across his handsome face and he let her pull him away.

    Her hands were almost healed, but in his grasp, he could still feel the uneven coarseness of her wounds. Her forehead still showed that bit of new, puckered skin though the scars were not very deep.

    Xi Xiaye drove all the way back to the old Mu residence. Her driving skills were still as impressive as before, and she liked driving fast. Since he rarely had time to rx, he leaned back against the chair to close his eyes and rest.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, Li Si said that you went to meet with Qi Lei again yesterday. He seemed like he was hiding something from me. What do you think about Qi Lei? I¡¯m referring to his style and aura. Does it dazzle you?¡± Xi Xiaye finally spoke up to break this rare silence.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Master Mu did not even open his eyes as he softly responded.

    ¡°Last week, you had dinner with Qi Lei for three nights. Weren¡¯t you nning on exining it to me? In fact, you had some supermodel aspany too. I¡¯ve been patient for a long time now. I¡¯m telling you, I think that you¡¯ve been worsening recently. You never used to indulge in such pleasures.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows were furrowed into a knot.

    ¡°What nonsense are you thinking about? There¡¯s just been quite a number of things that I needed to discuss with him.¡±

    ¡°Do you have to discuss work matters at such ces? Are you not being honest with me?¡± Xi Xiaye cast a nce of doubt at him. Upon seeing that he was unfazed, she could not help but re at him. ¡°Recently, there¡¯s been some news about you and Qi Lei going around about, you know. You better watch out for yourself!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®you know¡¯? Didn¡¯t this scandal exist a long time ago?¡± At this moment, Mu Yuchen squinted at her. He said helplessly, ¡°Okay, stop trying to get things out of me. Qi Lei just wanted to cover himself. He¡¯s been doing quite well at Qi Kai, having returned to his life as the Second Master and his old character, so I¡¯m just ying along.¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha have been busy preparing for the wedding, so they don¡¯t have time to care much. I¡¯m hoping that he¡¯ll use this chance to steady his ground. Right, about the materials from Hua Heng, I¡¯ve already closed the deal with CEO Hua. He¡¯s agreed to give us the materials, but we need to go along with the prices that Qi Kai was previously set on,¡± she said.

    ¡°Mmm, right now we need to cooperate to fight for more time for Qi Lei and get them to pay attention to us. Of course, when it¡¯s all done on Qi Lei¡¯s end, he¡¯d better be smart. He¡¯s taken such huge advantage of us, so he better repay you properly. You¡¯re a woman, and that guy¡¯s always been very kind to women.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she immediately rolled her eyes at him. She almost forgot that this fellow had always been a true blue profiteer!

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get him to get me <i>great care </i>[1]!¡± When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression immediately darkened. A dangerous light gleamed in his dark eyes.

    ¡°Great care? I¡¯ll show you what great care really means when we get home tonight. It¡¯ll be a five-star service!¡± Then, he shot her an unhappy re.

    Xi Xiayeughed till her stomach hurt. She could not help but slow down the car.

    It was Friday. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were on break, so the whole family had not gathered together for a long while now. Because of that, Mu Yinan called all the children home for dinner.

    Xi Xiaye had prepared quite a number of tonics for Mu Lingshi but had not had the time to personally bring them over, so now she could pass them to her.

    Mu Lingshi had undergone quite a shocking reaction. In a short period, she had slimmed down just like when Xi Xiaye was pregnant with Mu Xiaocheng. Ah Mo was terribly worried, so he called Dr. Zhong over every few days.

    Right now, it was dinner time. Xi Xiaye brought up some appetizers for her. Mu Lingshi just had two bites when she could not help but rush to the bathroom. Xi Xiaye quickly set aside her chopsticks and followed after her.

    Ah Mo wanted to get up and follow her, but Mu Yuchen stopped him.

    Master Mu had some experience in this, so he advised Ah Mo, ¡°She¡¯s got Grandmother and your sis-inw. It¡¯ll be like this all the time for now, but don¡¯t be too worried.¡±

    Ah Mo then held back the anxiety in his heart and turned to look at Mu Yuchen who was idly flipping through the newspaper. He breathed steadily and then calmed down.

    ¡°Bro, there¡¯s news from Ah Bao!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mu Yuchen responded calmly while his gaze remained on the newspaper before him.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu made a trip back to City B a few days ago, but his butler here seemed to have prepared quite a lot of things for Doris. With quite a lot of clothes and shoes being bought, it looks like Doris might be returning very soon.¡±

    When Ah Mo finished, Mu Yuchen paused as he thought about it, then asked, ¡°That¡¯s not weird. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha are getting married next month. As much as she can hold back, it¡¯s probably time for her to show up.¡±

    ¡°LIngshi also met Gu Qiwu a few days ago. She...¡±

    ¡°I know about this. What you¡¯re worried about is the same concern I have.¡± Now, Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows knitted together as he slowly shut the newspaper in his hand. ¡°Looks like I need to ask Gu Qiwu out for a chat,¡± he said in a deep tone.

    ¡°Ask Gu Qiwu out? Will it work? Bro, what else can you say to him?¡± Ah Mo frowned a little worriedly as he lowered his voice to ask.

    ¡°I want to try and confirm his attitude. I¡¯m being kind by helping LIngshi give him a chance. If he doesn¡¯t want it, then there¡¯s no need to me me for being cruel.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm voice was colored with hostility. When he said this, a sharp light flickered in his eyes.

    ¡°Bro, Lingshi doesn¡¯t care about those things.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t care, but that doesn¡¯t mean the Mu family doesn¡¯t. It doesn¡¯t mean that those who have left us don¡¯t care either,¡± Mu Yuchen answered coldly.

 Chapter 1040 - Cut Off Halfway (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1040</h4> <h4>: Cut Off Halfway (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo expression¡¯s clouded over slightly. He fell silent for a moment and then nodded.

    ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve considered this thoroughly. No matter what angle we look at this matter from, we¡¯re in a position of being thrown around, so...¡± he said in his deep voice while worry shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Alright, no need to feel too stressed out. I¡¯ll resolve what needs to be resolved. You just have to be responsible for your own safety. Leave the rest to me.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice had a hint of constion that made Ah Mo¡¯s tensed chest ease slightly.

    Ah Mo thought about it, then lowered his voice to ask, ¡°Bro, do we want to get people to watch Gu Qiwu and secretly observe Doris¡¯s movements?¡±

    ¡°Just go with the original orders. I did get some news from Ah Bao about you,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then his deep eyes looked up at Ah Mo, and a thought-provoking smile widened on his face.

    ¡°About me?¡± Shocked, Ah Mo tilted his head in puzzlement. ¡°Why is it about me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen held up his tea and took a short sip of it, then smiled faintly. ¡°Gu Qiwu¡¯s people were investigating you. They¡¯ve probably collected some materials by now. No matter what his aim is, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s vignt against you.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression changed. He pondered for a bit and responded, ¡°What did he want to find out?¡±

    ¡°He might not necessarily have wanted to find out anything. Perhaps it¡¯s just because of Lingshi, so it¡¯s best if you¡¯re more alert as well since he might just meet you at any time.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s expression shifted. Shortly after that, he answered, ¡°I got it, Brother!¡±

    ...

    When the family was done with dinner, they sat around for a bit before Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence because they were worried, so they made Mu Lingshi stay at the old Mu residence while Ah Mo returned to the vi by himself.

    However, at that moment, what Mu Yuchen predicted earlier quickly came true.

    Ah Mo was driving alone. Although he was a skilled driver, the old Mu residence was still quite far from his ce, so he sped along the way. The suburbste at night were extremely quiet, the streetlights were a little dull. From time to time, you could see a car or two speeding past.

    He had just driven out of the byway and was about to elerate ahead when suddenly there was a piercing light from in front. Subconsciously, he squinted and used his hand to block the strong light. Instinctively, he stepped on the brake!

    Screech!

    The squeal of urgent braking cut through the night. When Ah Mo stopped, the car in front stopped too. It was only less than 30 centimeters away from him!

    Immediately, his vision adapted to the strong light. He was tense as he stared ahead vigntly.

    Someone got down from the car in front quickly. He was tall and lofty, and by the looks of it, he seemed like a very skilled bodyguard. He took a few huge steps to the side of Ah Mo¡¯s car as Ah Mo red at him.

    ¡°Are you Mu Lingmo?¡± the man in ck softly asked through the window.

    A sharp, cold light shed in Ah Mo¡¯s dark eyes as he fixed his gaze on the man. ¡°Who are you? What are you trying to do?¡±

    The man bowed slightly. ¡°Mr. Ah Mo, our boss is asking for you. Pleasee with us.¡±

    Ah Mo scowled, but he answered very calmly, ¡°Who¡¯s your boss? I don¡¯t know you people. Do you think I¡¯ll just go with you? Tell your people to move away.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve long heard about you on the streets, but please don¡¯t worry. Our boss doesn¡¯t have ill intentions. He just wants to talk. In fact, I think you¡¯ll be quite interested in him too. When you see him, you¡¯ll know who he is.¡±

    These words suddenly made Ah Mo recall what Mu Yuchen told him at the old Mu residence. Could it be Gu Qiwu? A light flickered in his eyes as he thought about it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright, it looks like no matter what, I¡¯d have to go with you lot this time!¡±

    Another car came from ahead and blocked Ah Mo¡¯s way too, so it seemed like he had no choice. If it really was Gu Qiwu, then he was interested to take a look. Perhaps he could even obtain some sort of useful information.

    ¡°Mr. Ah Mo, you are a frank person indeed! Well, then, let¡¯s go!¡± said the man before walking around the car, and pulling the door to the front passenger seat open.

    The air in the car seemed to suddenly drop in pressure, and there was anotheryer of stifling air in the narrow space. Nevertheless, Ah Mo started his car quickly and followed the man¡¯s directions. Soon, they reached a private luxury clubhouse in the suburbs.

    He followed the man in. They reached a private room where his guide stopped and nodded at the two bodyguards in ck at the door. One of them then knocked and opened the door.

    ¡°Our boss would like you to enter first. This way.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s dark eyes swiftly looked at the two of them. He was about to enter when one of them suddenly came up and wanted to frisk him. However, he refrained from doing so when he saw Ah Mo¡¯s warning gaze.

    ¡°Mr. Ah Mo, this is just our routine...¡±

    ¡°Let hime in!¡± Before the man could answer, a deep voice had already boomed from inside.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    Then, as the man silently left, Ah Mo walked in.

    The private room was huge. As soon as he entered, he could see Gu Qiwu in the chair, looking through a document. He seemed to have been waiting for Ah Mo for quite a while now.

    When Ah Mo stopped in front of Gu Qiwu, his sharp eyes quickly examined him with a sinister gaze. Naturally, he knew this was Gu Qiwu. In fact, he knew him quite well too. Even though they had not met all these years, when he was by Mu Yinan¡¯s side, he did have some interactions with the man.

    Gu Qiwu was an extremely sophisticated person and was hard to read. Whether it was Mu Yinan or Mu Yuchen, they both did not have many dealings with Gu Qiwu, but they never would have guessed that the person they had been looking for, the man that Mu Zi had been trying so hard to keep a secret about, was Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi¡¯s biological father who was sitting right in front of Ah Mo!

 Chapter 1041 - Little Gathering (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1041: Little Gathering (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo did not say anything and just silently stared at Gu Qiwu, his reserved and imposing manner not giving in to Gu Qiwu¡¯s.

    While as Ah Mo was sizing him up, Gu Qiwu also fixed his gaze on him while his dark eyes refracted a shifting light. His stern face was a little tense, but you could not quite read his expression.

    The two of them seemed to confront each other for quite a while before Gu Qiwu spoke up, ¡°Nice to meet you, Ah Mo! Looks like you still remember me.¡± His deep voice contained a hint of amusement, but it sounded cold to Ah Mo.

    ¡°Mr. Gu of the Hui Gu Corporation, you were quite popr a while back. It¡¯d be quite hard to not remember you.¡± Ah Mo¡¯s face was calm as he responded calmly.

    The curve on the corner of Gu Qiwu¡¯s lips widened. Then, he pointed at the seat across him. ¡°Have a seat!¡±

    Ah Mo looked at him thoughtfully, then walked over and sat down.

    ¡°I remember thest time we sat across each other like was a few years ago when Mu Yinan came to City B to talk business. I made an appointment with him, but he didn¡¯te and sent you instead. He regards you quite high, and you have quite a status in the Mu family.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s inquisitive gaze paused on Ah Mo¡¯s face. Although his tone seemed a little meaningful, Ah Mo could hear a hint of disdain. Still, he was used to these things because he had seen such tricks before.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, you¡¯re wrong. There¡¯s no such thing as a hierarchy in our Mu family, just the elders and those whoe after them,¡± Ah Mo replied.

    Gu Qiwu suddenlyughed. His calm tone was filled with a hint of disdain as he taunted, ¡°No hierarchy? Our Mu family? Are you already part of the Mu family? I heard that you were just an orphan that Mu Yinan adopted from the orphanage.¡±

    Even if that were hard to hear, Ah Mo¡¯s expression did not change at all. He looked at Gu Qiwu calmly, ¡°I think you don¡¯t want to see me today just to discuss my background, do you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite a hard one. I heard about you from Ah Yong. You used to be Mu Yinan¡¯s expert help, and now you¡¯re a capable subordinate of Mu Yuchen¡¯s. Even Ah Yong was praising your capabilities. However, these things cannot cover up the truth of your background.¡±

    When Gu Qiwu said this, he paused and examined Ah Mo again before continuing, ¡°You should have a better chance, and not lower yourself to just be Mu Yuchen¡¯s subordinate as Glory World Corporation¡¯smon project manager, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    In the end, Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone seemed to sound like he was probing. His dark brows were slightly raised as he looked at Ah Mo with amusement.

    Ah Mo slowly lowered his gaze, hiding the shadow that shed in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You know what I mean! But I won¡¯t point it out either.¡±

    A sneer shed across Ah Mo¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Gu. I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    ¡°You and I understand each other. I personally admire your capabilities and think you¡¯re very responsible. You¡¯ve stayed at the Mu family for so many years, and done so much for them. Mu Yuchen should at least arrange for a better position for you, shouldn¡¯t he? Do you need me to make it any clearer? I identally found out a while back that your wife¡¯s pregnant too. As a man, don¡¯t you think that you should give your child a better life?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice continued to drone on.

    ¡°Let my woman and child have a better life? Mr. Gu, do you know this logic too?¡±

    When he heard this, Ah Mo found it even more ironic. This man did not mention Lingshi at all, and instead, talked at length about these things.

    As Ah Mo finished, Gu Qiwu¡¯s profound gaze took in all of Ah Mo¡¯s disdain. However, he did not answer him and his expression did not seem calm.

    He thought to himself that Mu Lingmo definitely knew about his rtionship with Mu Lingshi. However, Gu Qiwu did not n on pointing it out bluntly.

    ¡°You should consider my words. With your capabilities, you shouldn¡¯t just be a little project manager. Besides, don¡¯t they say that they see Mu Lingshi as a Mu family¡¯s daughter too?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Ah Mo¡¯s expression began to shift from dark to light as he nced uncertainly at Gu Qiwu, ¡°Can you give me a better deal?¡±

    Gu Qiwu instantly smiled, seeming to be satisfied with the changes on Ah Mo¡¯s face. ¡°At least, I won¡¯t be stingy with my own people.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ah Mo had a mixed expression. He looked quietly at Gu Qiwu and pursed his lips tightly without uttering a word.

    ¡°You can go back and consider it, Glory World can only be Mu Yuchen¡¯s. Although you think of him as one of your own, he might not. Six years ago, after that tragedy, is that not enough to show what the problem is? After going through that, you should understand it very well. In fact, it was Mu Yuchen who asked you to arrange for the people. I heard that you hesitated then, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu went on with a lower voice though Ah Mo could hear a hint of strangeness.

    Ah Mo quickly looked up and met with Gu Qiwu¡¯s to catch a hint of coldness from his dark eyes!

    <i>It looks like this Gu Qiwu¡¯s resentment towards Brother runs deep.</i>

    ¡°Alright, you can go back and think about it. I¡¯m looking forward to your answers. If you¡¯re willing to be part of my people, I¡¯ll allocate an even vaster space for you.¡±

    ...

    Afterwards, Ah Mo did not answer Gu Qiwu¡¯s question.

    When he left the clubhouse, it was already veryte at night, and Maple Residence had already fallen into silence. Xi Xiaye had just coaxed Mu Xiaocheng to sleep and bathe, while Mu Yuchen was browsing through some documents in the study room.

    When the phone rang, Mu Yuchen answered without even looking.

    ¡°Brother, it was really as you said! On the way home earlier, I was stopped by Gu Qiwu¡¯s people who brought me to meet him!¡± Ah Mo¡¯s voice sounded solemn as he spoke softly.

    Mu Yuchen reacted calmly. ¡°Hmm? What did he talk to you about?¡± As he answered, he closed the thick book he was holding and put it back onto the shelf.

    ¡°He wanted me to be one of his chess pieces. I think it was meant to go against you. He even brought up that thing with Lingtian, but his move of trying to drive a wedge between us doesn¡¯t seem very clever,¡± Ah Mo said, unfazed.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression froze slightly, then he answered coldly, ¡°Whether it¡¯s clever or not depends on who it was targetting. If it were really someone, this might actually be a good trick.¡±

 Chapter 1042 - Little Gathering (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1042: Little Gathering (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Mo chuckled. ¡°Unfortunately he used it on the wrong person.¡±

    Worried, he continued, ¡°I thought he would bring Lingshi up, but he didn¡¯t. I think he¡¯s not going to acknowledge Lingshi¡¯s identity at all. Are you sure you still want to meet him? I could sense his deep hatred for you¡±

    Mu Yuchen smirked slightly. ¡°He¡¯s not the only one who harbors great hatred towards me. A lot of people would be d to attend my funeral. I won¡¯tst so long, I¡¯m afraid. Ah Mo, if you ever feel that I¡¯m mistreating you, you can leave anytime. I won¡¯t stop you. I¡¯ve told you this a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to follow you forever. I¡¯ll never regret this decision!¡± Ah Mo voiced out before Mu Yuchen even finished his sentence.

    Mu Yuchen replied with a smile, ¡°Initially, I couldn¡¯t believe Lingtian¡¯s reason for betraying me, but hearing your words make me feel like it might be true. If someday, something happens between Gu Qiwu and I...if that day everes, you and Lingshi shouldn¡¯t get involved. Then, the two of you don¡¯t have to be burdened. You don¡¯t have to be bothered about anything rted to Gu Qiwu anymore. Just focus on living your own life.¡±

    He then hung up without waiting for Ah Mo¡¯s reply. Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened along with the screen of his phone before he dialed another number.

    He was calling Su Chen who had already been back for a week. Right after his honeymoon trip, he jumped right back into intense work since a lot had piled up, so he frequently worked tillte at night. He still had not found the time to meet Zhou Zimo and Mu Yuchen yet.

    ...

    Half an hourter, at the rest area by the small za in front of Su Chen¡¯s station.

    When Mu Yuchen arrived with several bottles of wine, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were already done setting up the barbeque pit. Zhou Zimo was putting some sauce onto the meat while Su Chen was preparing something else. The smell in the air was very tempting.

    ¡°You guys sure are quick!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice reached them first before Mu Yuchen got to say anything yet. Mu Yuchen turned around and noticed him twirling his car keys on his finger as he sauntered over. ¡°I was just nearby when Su Chen called me. It was a great reason for me to leave early though preparing these things is easy!¡±

    Zhou Zimo handed each of them a skewer with meat on it.

    Mu Yuchen handed his bag to Su Chen, then tried the skewer before turning towards Zhou Zimo. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. Don¡¯t overcook it.¡±

    Qi Lei enjoyed the meat thoroughly. He spoke before he finished swallowing the meat, ¡°More sauce, please!¡±

    ...

    They cooked some more meat before sitting down.

    ¡°You¡¯re really busy working on the weekends. Salute to you and your colleagues. Here, eat some more! I was having trouble finding something to do. It¡¯s been a week since I drank!¡± Qi Lei said as he grabbed a bottle of wine.

    Clink!

    They all took their fill right after they raised their wine sses.

    ¡°This reminds me of the night before we left the military. It was so many years ago! It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve done this! Why did you think ofing out drinking with us now? Aren¡¯t you worried that Xiaye will be looking for you everywhere?¡± Zhou Zimo started teasing Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen stared at him coldly as he took a sip of his wine. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were ignoring you just a few days ago?¡±

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and touched his nose before he turned towards Qi Lei. ¡°How¡¯re things on your end? Can my subordinates return to me yet?¡±

    ¡°The system is still in operation. I¡¯m worried that there will be maintenance work. Anyway, you don¡¯t need to worry about losing one or two people from yourpany! Too bad, I won¡¯t be returning them. I don¡¯t mind paying for this dinner tonight!¡± Qi Lei said shamelessly.

    ¡°Dinner? Is my service only worth one dinner? Dream on! Are you trying to humiliate me!?¡± Zhou Zimo ate thest piece of meat on a toothpick and threw the toothpick at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei managed to catch it with a grin. ¡°You¡¯re only worth this toothpick here. I¡¯m buying your workers¡¯ equipment with a piece of meat on it!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more like Ah Chen! Such an evil businessman!¡±

    ¡°If you can crack some jokes, then you¡¯ll have the same value as the piece of meat!¡±

    ¡°You little¡ª¡± Zhou Zimo grabbed a ss and was about to throw it at Qi Lei.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough now. Let¡¯s talk business!¡± Su Chen gave them a warning stare and they both kept quiet.

    ¡°Ah Chen, Zimo briefed me on what happened. I don¡¯t think we canpletely trust what Qi Feng says. By the way, I have some new information. Remember Wang Qin¡¯s incident on the cruise?¡±

    Mu Yuchen squinted and nced at Su Chen, then he quickly averted his gaze to Qi Lei who seemed a little startled.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t find the perpetrator. The best we could do back then was help Ah Chen be removed from the suspect list, so the actual murderer is still on the loose, but from what I know, Uncle Mu requested a thorough investigation. He even got so angry that he criticized the police force¡¯s ability. After some time, the police actually found some leads!¡±

    ¡°What leads? Are we going to find out who killed my mother soon? Who is it? Is it Qi Qiming? Or someone else?¡± Qi Lei asked frantically as he stared at Su Chen.

    ¡°We still haven¡¯t found out who, but we grasped the murderer¡¯s identity. He was an inmate before, and is someone from City B. Plus, he¡¯s rted to Gu Qiwu¡¯s assistant, Ah Yong.¡±

 Chapter 1043 - Little Gathering (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1043: Little Gathering (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen¡¯s tone sounded grim and hesitant. ¡°Gu Qiwu? Are you saying it was Gu Qiwu¡¯s subordinate?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Gu Qiwu never had any conflict with my mother before. There¡¯s no need for him to go against her!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the concern. With the evidence now, we can¡¯t say for sure that Gu Qiwu is behind this. It might just be a coincidence. The problem is that the perpetrator fled abroad, so no one knows where he is now!¡±

    As a higher-up, Su Chen had bumped into someone following the case, so he had received some valuable information after a light probe.

    ¡°Abroad? We can¡¯t get him just because he ran away abroad?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Su Chen shook his head helplessly. ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask the police for that. However, I think the whole thing is not that simple, we might be able to find out something if we get ahold of that perpetrator.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of Gu Qiwu, I don¡¯t think he has an obvious motive. Could he have killed her so that either Qi Qiming or Qi Feng could take over Qi Kai? Knowing how selfish he is, I bet he won¡¯t bear the risk for them, will he? I doubt Qi Feng is of any importance to him! He¡¯s disabled now, so he probably can¡¯t prove much value!¡± Zhou Zimo expressed his thoughts straightforwardly.

    ¡°Zimo has a point. I can¡¯t make sense of this whole thing at all. It¡¯s obvious that the perpetrator is trying to frame Ah Chen. We might be able to find something surprising if we find this guy!¡± Su Chen squinted and looked into Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm, cold eyes.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened, then he spoke resentfully, ¡°Whoever that is, I¡¯ll never forgive him!¡±

    ¡°Wait until the police find evidence. This is just our spection at the current stage.¡± Mu Yuchen was surprised, but he knew very well what Mu Tangchuan was trying to do! He wanted to rat out the person behind this and eliminate that threat.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to get something out from Gu Qiwu if the chance ever arises. I have something to discuss with him as well.¡± Mu Yuchen nced at Qi Lei. ¡°You need to pick your pace up. I might not be able to help you if something happens on my end. I¡¯m just doing my best to dy it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything is going well. I¡¯ll go to City B in a few days. Only the filming is left outstanding since we¡¯ve signed the contract, so I¡¯ll be able to sneak away with this excuse. I¡¯ll still be able to stand my ground if you can¡¯t cover me then.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t interfere with your business and I¡¯ll leave it to you guys! I have no idea how it works after all.¡± Su Chen shrugged helplessly. ¡°I do think you guys ought to be jealous of me. There are no tricks or schemes. I just sit at my office deskfortably and do whatever I want.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have it easy if you¡¯re always dreaming to be at the top!¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°Su Chen, just keep an eye on the immigration. Tell me if you find anything. Besides, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding ising soon, but their marriage has never been approved by Gu Lingsha¡¯s mother, Doris. I suppose she¡¯ll being here very soon. Lingshi¡¯s matter can¡¯t be hidden any longer by then, so do what you can,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We got it.¡±

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo traded nces with each other. Qi Lei was a little confused but refrained from asking any questions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on Qi Feng for you. While my position in thepany is not too bad at the moment, I¡¯ve been restricted from being involved in a lot of projects, so I may not see him very often too. I¡¯ll just do my best,¡± Qi Lei said.

    ...

    They chatted as they drank, and only went home around 2 a.m.

    Xi Xiaye had already fallen asleep when he arrived back in Maple Residence. Slightly tipsy, Mu Yucheny down on the bed the moment he got into the room.

    Xi Xiaye could smell the strong alcohol stench even while she was asleep. The man was hugging her from behind and she could not move at all.

    ¡°Why did you drink so much? Where have you been? Get up¡ª¡± Xi Xiaye tried to push him away, but her effort was futile. As she was about to kick him off, he got on top of her and whispered beside her ear, ¡°Had a few drinks with Su Chen and the others. I¡¯m not drunk...¡±

    His voice was getting softer and softer until she could only hear his snoring...

    She managed to get away from him in the end, and she quickly switched the bedsidemp on!

    He did not even change out of his clothes. She could smell alcohol and barbeque smoke from him, but he was already sound asleep at the moment. With a sigh, she got out of bed to get him a warm towel and wipe his body after taking off his coat.

    She was finally done after half an hour. It was already 4 a.m. and her sleepiness had totally gone away, so she cleaned up a little and was about to head to the study room, but before she could walk out, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back onto the bed, embracing her once again.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± He looked at her half-awake, his eyes seeming dissatisfied.

    ¡°I just wanted to look through some documents, but now...¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her head and looked at her man. ¡°Alright, go to sleep. I¡¯ll leave it for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°When I wake up, I want you to always be sleeping by my side. Do you hear that?¡± His tone left her no room for negotiation, taking her by surprise.

 Chapter 1044 - Exchange (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1044: Exchange (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She lowered her head and looked at his face under the dim light. Although she noticed that he had closed his eyes once again, he showed no signs of letting her go. Finally, she stopped struggling and justid down beside him. She pulled the nket over herself again and let him sleep in peace.

    However, the man¡¯s voice reached her ear the moment she closed her eyes. ¡°Answer me.¡± His grip around her waist tightened as well...

    She put her hand on his and replied, ¡°Fine, go to sleep now. It¡¯s already almost dawn!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no work tomorrow. It¡¯s a weekend.¡±

    He was still aware of the date, making her chuckle. In the next moment, he wrapped his arms around her like he was hugging a doll just before he dozed off to sleep peacefully.

    Time flew when things got busy.

    Three days after the gathering with Mu Yuchen¡¯s friends, Qi Lei went to City B. Both Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye started getting busy with their work as well while Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha spent their time preparing for their wedding. It had been a long time since the Qi family celebrated something, so Qi Qiming intended to make it a huge event and throw the newlyweds a grand wedding.

    With July about to end, the weather was still pretty hot on the streets because the crazy heatwave was hitting the town hard.

    Right now, there were thunderstorm clouds hovering over Gu Lingsha¡¯s office.

    ¡°How could Hua Heng do this!? They promised to give us the building materials, yet they went back on their promise at thest minute. Is thismon for Hua Heng?¡± Gu Lingsha was mad as she swept the documents Secretary Tai handed her onto the floor. Papers flew everywhere, and she was extremely upset.

    ¡°What exactly happened? Their manager has already approved of the delivery, so why did they suddenly turn their backs on us?¡± Gu Lingsha asked Secretary Qin coldly.

    ¡°It seems like CEO Hua promised to give it to someone else instead. When I was asked about the delivery progress, I decided to call Hua Heng as they haven¡¯t been giving any replies. I only found out about it then, and they didn¡¯t give us a solid reason as well. I think it¡¯s better to visit them personally!¡± Secretary Qin suggested.

    The promotion work for the development project was going well now, and they had already started working. If things got dyed because of the materials, Qi Kai¡¯s reputation would surely suffer since Qi Kai had really given it their all this time.

    If this was messed up, they would be...

    Gu Lingsha frowned as she was starting to worry. Momentster, she said, ¡°Contact Manager Wang from Hua Heng and tell him that I need to meet him right away!¡± She bent over and quickly picked up the papers on the ground.

    ¡°Yes, Manager Gu, I¡¯ll call him now!¡± Secretary Tai then left the room.

    Gu Lingsha paced around her room with uneasiness in her heart. She was busy preparing for her weddingtely and did not expect this to happen all of a sudden. If Secretary Tai had not called, she probably still had no idea about what had happened!

    Knock knock!

    As Gu Lingsha was getting impatient, Secretary Tai came in before she could reply.

    ¡°Manager Gu, Manager Xi from Yueying is here!¡±

    Xi Xinyi? She took a deep breath and sat down in her chair as she suppressed her anxiety for the moment.

    ¡°Manager Gu.¡±

    Xi Xinyi gave Gu Lingsha a slight bow when she arrived before her. She then handed a document to Gu Lingsha. ¡°This is the proposal for the initial stages of the promotional campaign. I¡¯ve made amendments ording to yourments. Please take a look if there are any more amendments required,¡± Xi Xinyi said humbly.

    Gu Lingsha raised her head and looked at Xi Xinyi who was looking at her intently.

    Xi Xinyi was Xi Xiaye¡¯s sister from a different mother, but they shared a vengeful rtionship. After something happened to Xi Xinyi, Han Yifeng took their child and went abroad. Then, Yueying almost went bankrupt too, but Qi Kai¡¯s assistance helped her to get back on her feet.

    Xi Xiaye was the main cause behind it, so Xi Xinyi must really hate Xi Xiaye. After some observation, Gu Lingsha noticed that Xi Xinyi had been behaving well. Furthermore, she also had Yue Hai and the Yue family supporting her.

    Gu Lingsha put on a smile after studying her for a while. She took the document from Xi Xinyi and signed her name on it after ncing through the proposal. Then, she handed it back. ¡°I¡¯m really happy with the way you work, Manager Xi. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been working hard. We¡¯re all happy with the progress of the promotional campaign. I hope you can keep this up.¡±

    Xi Xinyi took the document back and replied, ¡°Thank you, Manager Gu. I will.¡±

    ¡°I heard the two movies you produced did really well in the box office. That¡¯s as expected of an expert from the industry.¡± Gu Lingsha nced at her and smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to everyone¡¯s hard work. The glory isn¡¯t mine alone,¡± Xi Xinyi replied with a grin.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Manager Xi. The fact that you¡¯re able to turn Yueying from being in a dire state to its current form impresses me. I believe that you¡¯re on par with the higher-ups in thepany.¡±

 Chapter 1045 - Exchange (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1045: Exchange (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi did not quite respond to what Gu Lingsha said and just silently met her gaze.

    Gu Lingsha then smiled. ¡°As a woman, I do pity you a little. As your superior, I regard you highly. In fact, Miss Xi, you were also once a dazzling star in the entertainment industry. If it weren¡¯t for...no matter what, you should be enjoying both fame and fortune, and a blissfully happy family...¡±

    When Xi Xinyi heard these, her fingers that held onto the document suddenly tightened. She looked a little gloomy, yet it was only a split second. Moments after that, she returned to appearing calm.

    Gu Lingsha took all of this in, seeming satisfied with Xi Xinyi¡¯s reaction, so she smiled and said, ¡°As a woman, I just feel sorry and find it unfair for you, Manager Xi. Your sister, Xi Xiaye, is a very capable character, and also a...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about the past anymore, Manager Gu. If there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯d like to leave first.¡± Xi Xinyi lowered her gaze and held the document in hand tighter as her tone became a little cold.

    Gu Lingsha paused slightly, then nodded and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Manager Xi. I didn¡¯t mean to bring that up. I was just feeling unfair on your behalf. I¡¯ve seen all your hard work in recent times. Despite so many blows, you¡¯ve be the way you are now. I feel like I see parts of me in you. I think I can more or less empathize with your situation.¡±

    ¡°I can only me myself for not being as skilled as others.¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s lips parted slightly and you could hear a hint of cynicism in her voice.

    ¡°Manager Xi, you don¡¯t have to give up. You¡¯re great too. As long as you work hard, you won¡¯t fall short of anyone else, including Xi Xiaye.¡± Gu Lingsha pointed out what she meant while Xi Xinyi was stunned to hear that and fell silent for a while. Then, she looked up at Gu Lingsha. ¡°Thank you Manager Gu. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Gu Lingsha smiled and nodded.

    Xi Xinyi did not stay any longer. She turned to leave Gu Lingsha¡¯s office after bidding goodbye.

    Bam!

    When the door closed, Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes that watched Xi Xinyi leave dimmed as she took in a deep breath and slowly leaned back against her chair.

    After a while, Secretary Qin walked in once again. ¡°Manager Gu, Manager Wang¡¯s assistant said that Manager Wang is busy right now. I¡¯ve already made an appointment, but we probably need to wait until tomorrow.¡±

    When she finished, Gu Lingsha¡¯s exquisitely beautiful face turned stormy. She thought about it, then suddenly stood up and took her handbag from the side and walked out at a hurried pace. ¡°Does Hua Heng think that I¡¯m a fool? Let¡¯s make a trip to Huaheng!¡±

    Secretary Qin watched as Gu Lingsha stormed out in an angry fit, and she just quietly followed behind.

    An hourter, at the Hua Heng office, Gu Lingsha walked out with a morose expression while Secretary Qin followed behind her quietly, appearing worried.

    ¡°Fuhua has a project in City B too? Why do they keep fighting with us for these materials? They knew that we¡¯d finish discussing the price first, yet they dare to be this reckless!¡± Gu Lingsha fumed.

    ¡°Manager Gu, maybe you don¡¯t know this, but while Fuhua and Hua Heng may both be in the real estate industry, the old CEO Shen and CEO Hua have always been good friends. Most of Fuhua¡¯s materials are supplied by Hua Heng, so it¡¯s not odd that Hua Heng would give them the materials first,¡± said Secretary Qin as she rushed after her.

    Gu Lingsha ranted, ¡°Hua Heng¡¯s clearly messing with us. They should have at least let us know earlier if they had other ns for such a huge matter. Right now, our project¡¯s begun work and we will need these materials soon. Where am I supposed to find such a huge amount of materials in such a short time? The supervision of the earlier stages of the government project will be strict. I don¡¯t want to cause any reputational damage to the project because of this.¡±

    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Secretary Qin asked worriedly.

    Gu Lingsha stopped walking as she thought about it, then frowned deeply. ¡°What else can we do? We¡¯ll have to go take a look at Fuhua and tell them to let us have the materials first. Due to this project, there seems to be some bad blood between Qi Kai and Fuhua. Let¡¯s use this chance to smooth things out with them.¡±

    ¡°Manager Gu, you are so sensible!¡±

    ...

    Inside the CEO of Fuhua Real Estate¡¯s office, Xi Xiaye was discussing the development of the coboration between the Movie and Television City base and Glory World when an assistant suddenly knocked on the door.

    ¡°Manager Xi, Manager Gu from Qi Kai is here. She says she needs to meet you right now.¡±

    ¡°Qi Kai? Manager Gu? Which Manager Gu?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could answer, Lan Zng looked up from the blueprint in puzzlement. ¡°Ourpany doesn¡¯t have any business dealings with Qi Kai, do we? Why are their people here? Where are they?¡±

    ¡°Assistant Manager Lan, they¡¯re still downstairs. It¡¯s Gu Lingsha. The reception called up to ask if you¡¯d like to meet her.¡±

    Lan Zng turned to Xi Xiaye but noticed that her expression was calm while her gaze remained on the blueprint before her. She did not seem to have any intention of responding and just wanted her assistant reject the unwee guests. However, at this moment, Xi Xiaye suddenly spoke up, ¡°Let here up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Manager Xi!¡± the assistant answered, then retreated.

    Lan Zng gave Xi Xiaye an amused look as he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t Gu Lingsha the one who¡¯s been appearing a lot in the media recently? Why is she here?¡±

    He obviously knew that Gu Lingsha and Mu Yuchen had some sort of connection. From Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression, she clearly looked quite unhappy, so he justughed knowingly, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll just stop the discussion here then. Tonight, you shall go and deliberate with Chairman Mu, and if all¡¯s well, we will send people over from Fuhua. The design of this city isn¡¯t all thatplex. As long as they can consider it properly, then we can go with the theme. Right now, there are many Movies and Television bases, but they¡¯re all just some small-minded ones, so I¡¯m quite looking forward to this one!¡± Lan Zng said as he tapped the blueprint in his hand with a smile.

    ¡°I think it won¡¯t let you down, Uncle Lan.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled happily too as she kept the blueprint. ¡°I¡¯ll go over and deliberate it with him tonight. If there¡¯s nothing else, bothpanies can send a representative for a site check. If all goes well, then we¡¯ll go with this n and continue to develop the Movies and Television base.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go out first.¡± Lan Zng retreated good-naturedly.

 Chapter 1046 - Exchange (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1046: Exchange (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye had just rolled up the blueprint and was about to put it on the shelf when the secretary knocked from the outside to signal that she was letting Gu Lingsha in. ¡°CEO Xi, Manager Gu is here!¡±

    When Gu Lingsha walked into the office, she only saw a petite figure with the back facing her while putting a rolled-up blueprint onto the shelf. However, she was confused. Was the CEO of Fuhua not Shen Yue? When did it be a woman?

    In fact, this woman¡¯s posterior looked a little familiar. Her ck hair fell to her waist and her white off-shoulder dress showed off a slender figure. Even just the sight of her back had an indescribable charm to it.

    ¡°Alright, go bring us two cups of tea,¡± Xi Xiaye calmly responded, then turned around and looked up indifferently. When their eyes met, Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes instantly flew wide open!

    How was it her!?

    She was Fuhua¡¯s CEO?

    Xi Xiaye was Fuhua¡¯s CEO?

    ¡°How...how is it you?!¡± bbergasted, Gu Lingsha¡¯s blue eyes were round andrge as her eyes were fixed on Xi Xiaye in disbelief.

    Previously, she had heard about Xi Xiaye frequently rubbing shoulders with the people in Fuhua, and with Fuhua¡¯s previous coboration with Glory World to take down the South River Project No. 2, she thought that Xi Xiaye was just a contact person from Glory World. She did not think that...

    How did Xi Xiaye take over Shen Yue¡¯s position?

    Gu Lingsha thought about it for a while, and in her daze, she recalled that Xi Xiaye¡¯s mother¡¯s surname was Shen too.

    Shen Wenna...Shen Yue?

    She had never gone that in-depth when investigating Xi Xiaye, so she did not expect her toe from a good background too. It was no wonder that the Mu family and Mu Yuchen would have epted her so easily.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression was a little strange at the moment. It was shifting with gloominess and changed quite a bit, yet you could not quite tell how she was feeling. ¡°Why is it you!? You...¡± she muttered as her beautiful eyes remained fixated on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face. The shock in her eyes did not vanish.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be me?¡± A sneer shed on Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips as she looked calmly at Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath and quickly forced herself to calm down!

    If it was Xi Xiaye, then everything made sense. It must have been this witch that caused all the problems! She must have known about her materials, so she intentionally stole them from Hua Heng. It was probably because of that incident with her son and Weiwei at school!

    Gu Lingsha was not a fool. Quickly, she analyzed everything. Upon being aware of this, her eyes quickly turned hard.

    ¡°It was you! You did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you!? Why would Hua Heng suddenly sell those materials to you? You must¡¯ve known that we need those materials urgently! You did it on purpose, Xi Xiaye. You definitely did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s stern voice came through. You could hear how stirred up she was from her voice as she pointed an using finger at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye reacted calmly. She walked casually to the desk and then set down her pen as she said in objection, ¡°Miss Gu, you have too much prejudice against me. Fuhua needs those materials urgently too. In fact, you should know that Fuhua and Hua Heng are very good partners. From their end, we are prioritized since we need these materials too. Fuhua offered the same prices as you did, and we could save Hua Heng a huge sum in logistic fees. If you were Hua Heng, how would you have chosen?¡±

    ¡°But it was clearly Qi Kai that settled on the deal first! As long as they release the materials from City B, we can pay the downpayment right away. We¡¯ll pay in full when the materials arrive. We¡¯ve already discussed this! It must you, you vicious woman! You¡¯re making a move on us on purpose! You want to take revenge on me!¡± Gu Lingsha responded angrily.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye suddenlyughed, her tone containing a hint of mockery. ¡°But you didn¡¯t pay the downpayment in the end, did you? Who can prove that you discussed it first? I¡¯ve already told CEO Hua a while ago to leave these materials for me. In fact, Fuhua has already paid for everything, so where¡¯s your downpayment? Miss Gu, you¡¯re someone who¡¯s been in business for quite a while. Businessmen care about win-win situations and sincerity the most. Until now, have you shown Hua Heng any sincerity?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression darkened upon hearing that. ¡°Xi Xiaye, you¡¯re despicable! You¡¯ve already done it. Do you have toe up with such a pompous reason? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that it was you who made Mu Yuchen frame me! I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m not Xi Xinyi. I won¡¯t let you y me for a fool!¡±

    Her expression was bitter as she pointed at Xi Xiaye. She was close to cursing at her. Even the assistant who brought the tea in was shocked by Gu Lingsha¡¯s manners. She looked at Xi Xiaye to see if she needed the bodyguard, but Xi Xiaye only shot her a look before she cautiously retreated.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi?¡± Xi Xiaye softly muttered before she sneered. ¡°Turns out you know her too! Well, then let me tell you, if you don¡¯t want to be the second Xi Xinyi, you¡¯d better behave yourself! Do you really think I don¡¯t know what you did to me before this? Just with Ruan Heng¡¯s incident alone, I should have made you pay the price!¡±

    ¡°Huh, right, I almost forgot that Ruan Heng still hasn¡¯t regained consciousness until now. Is he still in aa? You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. That incident has nothing to do with me. I was a victim too. It¡¯s just that Ruan Heng wasn¡¯t as fortunate as me! What? Do you want to threaten me? What other tricks do you and your husband have apart from this!?¡±

    Gu Lingsha recalled that when she first returned, Mu Yuchen had also threatened her like this. If she was not worried about those who would be implicated, she would not have been afraid!

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for us to use such bright tricks when ites to people like you. Aren¡¯t you an expert in using these methods too? At my wedding with Mu Yuchen, you locked me in the washroom and released a snake. You tried to recklessly smear my rtionship with Qi Lei. By the roadside in West Park, you pushed me down and made me go into prematurebor, and you even wanted to frame Xi Xinyi. You framed Su Nan and almost made her go to jail. You¡¯ve done more horrible things than can be counted. Isn¡¯t someone like you even more despicable and shameless?¡± Xi Xiaye sat down leisurely on her chair. Her gaze was indifferent yet sharp.

    Stunned, Gu Lingsha quickly lowered her gaze and responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You can refuse to admit to it, but the truth is right there as long as we all know it. If you¡¯vee for the materials today, then you can leave now.¡±

 Chapter 1047 - Exchange (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1047: Exchange (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye apathetically asked her to leave.

    Inhaling deeply, Gu Lingsha slowly pulled her hand away. As she clenched her fists, she suppressed the anger that surged to her chest.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± The fury in her tone was hard to conceal.

    ¡°I should be the one asking you what you want. You came to my turf to unleash your craziness for no reason, Gu Lingsha. Are you sick in the head? You don¡¯t have any awareness at all!¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s sharp voice was not inferior to hers at all.

    Gu Lingsha clenched her fists in silence. Only she knew how much effort she needed to hold down her burning rage! ¡°Those materials are very important to Qi Kai. I¡¯ve already closed the discussion with the people at Hua Heng. Xi Xiaye, can you not be so despicable? You must let me have these materials. I can help you pay the penalty!¡± she insisted.

    ¡°Let you have it? Why should I?¡± Xi Xiaye looked up coldly at Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, don¡¯t forget that Qi Lei owns a part of Qi Kai too. You keep saying that Qi Lei¡¯s your friend. Is this how you be a friend?¡± Gu Lingsha was a woman who made full use of everything, so she knew very well how to use her resources and how to provoke someone.

    Indeed, when she said that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s face immediately sank and her eyes became dull. She stared at Gu Lingsha in a lukewarm manner, and after a long, her fury dissipated. Instead, she smiled and said, ¡°Very good, Gu Lingsha. It turns out that Qi Lei is present here today, so you can go tell him to talk to me. See if he¡¯s willing to plead on your behalf. South River Project No. 2 seems to have nothing to do with him. When ites to taking on responsibility, it might not even get assigned to him.¡±

    So, she wanted to talk about a favor? She could do it for Qi Lei, but if it were for Gu Lingsha, then she might not do it!

    ¡°You!¡±

    She was unmoved by force or persuasion and was thick-skinned much to Gu Lingsha¡¯s extreme annoyance! She never would have thought that Xi Xiaye would suddenly turn out to be Shen Yue¡¯s granddaughter and the CEO of Fuhua!

    She thought that once Xi Mushan had fallen, the Xi family would be over and Xi Xiaye would have no more support to rely on, so she did not quite care about Xi Xiaye. Instead, she was targetting the old characters like Wang Qin and Zhuang Shurong, but who would have thought that she would turn out to be the CEO?

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, don¡¯t go too far! You must make me look bad today, huh?¡±

    ¡°If you want to keep thinking that way, then I can¡¯t help it either. I¡¯m very busy and I don¡¯t have time to attend to you. Xiao Mei!¡±

    Xi Xiaye leaned against her chair calmly, and casually enjoyed Gu Lingsha¡¯s sour expression. When she thought about how this woman had almost crushed her hand, she felt very pleased.

    The moment Xiao Mei heard her calling for her, she immediately barged in. ¡°Yes, CEO Xi?¡± Xiao Mei asked respectfully, but when she saw Gu Lingsha, her eyes turned cold. Naturally, she did not forget all the bad blood from before.

    ¡°Please help me see Miss Gu out!¡±

    ¡°Got it, CEO Xi!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, you better not be so delighted. You will regret whatever happened today!¡± Gu Lingsha said grudgingly through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting then, Miss Gu! Oh, right, previously your scandals with Mu Yuchen made me very unhappy. Let me give you some advice. Don¡¯t waste your time. When you were still a young virgin girl, he already didn¡¯t fancy you, so forget about now! His taste will only be even more refined from here on and won¡¯t deteriorate. Gu Lingsha, I think you¡¯re a smart person. Don¡¯t forget your identity, hmm, Miss Qi!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned ashen! She hated it the most when someone brought up this embarrassing matter. Just as she wanted to go up to her, Xiao Mei blocked her path.

    ¡°Miss Gu, let¡¯s go! Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to get the bodyguards to send you down, and that won¡¯t look good!¡± Xiao Mei was also sniggering at the dismal Gu Lingsha!

    This woman only knew how to bully others. She was always arrogant and never cared about normal staff like her, but she was always defeated by Director Xi!

    ¡°Xi Xiaye. I. Will. Remember. Today!¡± Gu Lingsha dered word for word through gritted teeth as she pointed at Xi Xiaye. You could tell that her anger was on the verge of exploding as she said this fiercely before mming the door on the way out!

    Bam!

    The sound of the door mming shocked Xiao Mei who subconsciously put a hand to her chest. When she saw that the door was tightly closed, she turned back to look at Xi Xiaye in her chair.

    However, Xi Xiaye was looking thoughtfully at the closed door with a stony expression.

    ¡°CEO Xi, what drugs is Gu Lingsha on? Why did shee all the way here?¡± Xiao Mei asked, puzzled.

    ¡°What else could it be? Of course, it¡¯s for the materials from Hua Heng. I can¡¯t take her on openly, so this time I¡¯ll let her fall on her knees! Go tell the people in the government about Gu Lingsha. Also, ask Uncle Lan to immediately prepare the same amount of materials from our warehouse. I¡¯ll be waiting for her to beg me!¡±

    ¡°CEO Xi, are you nning on...¡±

    ¡°These materials are scarce. They are sourced from City C. Recently, the southwestern district has been having storms and floods. If these materials were to be shipped from there again, it would take at least a month or two. By then, South River Project No. 2 will need to have been started on after the groundbreaking ceremony. If it¡¯s dyed for a month or two because of the materials, don¡¯t you think that the pressure will get to Gu Lingsha? What would the government people think of Qi Kai? Gu Lingsha knew this, and that¡¯s why she caught onto Hua Heng. Hua Heng has those materials stored in City B, and coincidentally, the development of the Movies and Television base in City B needs to use them too.¡±

    ¡°But, CEO Xi, doesn¡¯t this mean that our warehouse has a lot of these materials too? Hua Heng actually offered them to us at quite a high price, thus I think we¡¯re suffering some losses,¡± Xiao Mei frowned and said hesitantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The materials in the warehouse will have their uses.¡± Xi Xiaye responded with a mysterious smile, then slowly sat up straight. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry about these things. I have ns of my own, so just do as I say.¡±

    Xiao Mei caught the smile on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face and felt at ease, then she nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now! Oh right, CEO Xi, Miss Mu Lingshi called for you earlier, but I saw that you and Assistant Lan were in discussion, so I didn¡¯t disrupt you!¡±

    Mu Lingshi?

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she responded, ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 1048 - Distressed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1048: Distressed (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Xiao Mei left the room quietly, Xi Xiaye stood up slowly and looked out of the window. The sun was still high up in the vast, blue sky, creating a refreshing scene she enjoyed.

    She stretched her back and grabbed her phone that was being charged and gave Mu Lingshi a call.

    The call connected in just a moment and Mu Lingshi¡¯s anxious voice reached Xi Xiaye¡¯s ear. ¡°You finally called back! Pleasee to Hospital T right now. Xiao Cheng is having a fever. Grandfather and Grandmother aren¡¯t around and I¡¯m freaking out. Aunt Fang and I are heading to the hospital. Come over right away. He¡¯s throwing a tantrum!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression froze when she heard Mu Lingshi. Her face turned pale as she took a deep breath when she could hear Mu Xiaocheng wailing over the call. She then replied, ¡°Oh dear...what happened? Please take care of him for now. I¡¯ll rush over now!¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be arriving at the hospital soon. Your phone was switched off just now, so I called my brother. I guess he¡¯sing over as well.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll head over now. I¡¯ll call you again once I arrive!¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly switched off herptop and left her office in a hurry after she grabbed her handbag. Thankfully, it was not during rush hour, so she arrived at the hospital as fast as she could. The doctor was checking Mu Xiaocheng when she found Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°39 degrees?! Why is he being sent in sote?¡± The doctor frowned.

    Mu Lingshi spoke up, ¡°I noticed that something was wrong with him after breakfast this morning, but I didn¡¯t want to feed him any medicine without instructions, so I gave him a Fever-aid which was effective in the beginning, but the fever came backter on and got worse, so Aunt Fang and I...¡±

    She looked at Xi Xiaye apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sister-inw...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it for now. Doctor, is there a way to help my son right now? He just won¡¯t stop crying. Please do something to relieve him of his fever!¡± Xi Xiaye looked really worried as she held Mu Xiaocheng in her arms although he still continued to cry. It was breaking her heart!

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare to give him an IV drip.¡± The doctor gave Mu Xiaocheng a nce before writing a prescription. ¡°Go and queue up at the hall after paying at the counter!¡±

    Aunt Fang instantly went to queue up while Xi Xiaye brought Mu Xiaocheng into the hall and sat down in a corner. Her face seemed pale.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. I¡¯m sure Xiao Cheng will be fine. It¡¯smon for children to get sick during this season, but he¡¯ll get better soon,¡± Mu Lingshiforted her as she stroked her stomach. At times, she could feel the baby inside her slowly growing. Needless to say, she was really excited and looked forward to the arrival of her child.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and took a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore, my child. I¡¯m right here with you. Let me see. Is it that bad? You¡¯ll be fine soon, you¡¯ll be fine...¡±

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    They heard the sound of hastened footsteps and the man appeared before them momentster.

    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re here!¡± Mu Lingshi stood up.If you like readingics please visit Read.live

    Mu Yuchen went towards Xi Xiaye and Mu Xiaocheng. He ced his hand onto Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s forehead, the high temperature immediately making him frown. He turned towards Mu Lingshi and asked, ¡°What happened? That¡¯s a really high fever!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...I didn¡¯t expect it to be this serious. I should¡¯ve sent him to the hospital earlier,¡± Mu Lingshi apologized as guilt filled her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave this matter forter. The nurse ising now.¡±

    A nurse came over with a cart and asked, ¡°Mu Zicheng?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll put two bottles of IV drips on his leg.¡±

    Xi Xiaye removed Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s socks, revealing his little feet. He noticed something amiss and started kicking around, so she held him tighter.

    Instantly, he cried out loud as the needle pierced his skin. He even kicked the nurse because she was unable to find his vein on the first try, so she pulled the needle out and tried again.

    Mu Xiaocheng was crying even harder and Xi Xiaye could not bear to see him in his current state.

    This nurse seemed to be a neer as she could not locate his vein after several tries. Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s bawling became louder and his voice was getting hoarse. She switched from the left leg to the right leg.

    Xi Xiaye then asked, ¡°Can you be more precise? Be gentle, or else he...¡±

    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t want to find it? His veins are too fine. Can you please control your child? Don¡¯t let him kick me anymore, or else I¡¯ll have to do it again!¡± In her panic, the young nurse¡¯s tone was a little harsh too.

    Xi Xiaye already felt terrible and her eyes reddened after the nurse yelled at her. She turned to Mu Yuchen with a pitiful expression.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s patience was at its lowest when he saw his wife and son like this. He spoke harshly to the nurse, ¡°Can you mind your attitude? The child is already crying so badly. Call your supervisor here!¡± He then took Mu Xiaocheng away from Xi Xiaye.

    The young nurse was stunned for a moment after getting yelled at. She raised her head and was shocked when she saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s dark expression. Fortunately, another nurse quickly came over and realized what was happening, so she quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She¡¯s a new intern here and might not be very familiar. Let me do it. We¡¯re sorry!¡±

    The nurse bent over and helped to find Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s vein. After sessfully administering the IV drip, she apologized again before leaving.

    Xi Xiaye blinked her teary eyes and looked over.

 Chapter 1049 - Distressed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1049: Distressed (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Xiaocheng had fallen asleep in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms, but his breathing still remained uneven.

    Xi Xiaye put her hand on his forehead. ¡°He still has a fever. When will it go down?¡±

    He observed her frantic reaction and tidied up her messy hair a little as heforted her, ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright. Our son is the one who got poked by the needle, so why are you crying instead?¡± She red at him before taking another look at Mu Xiao Cheng¡¯s legs again. She was heartbroken to see the prick marks.

    ¡°Your son is being hurt like this. Don¡¯t you feel anything?¡± She stared at Mu Yuchen in disbelief.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who did that to him. Why are you looking at me like that? Of course, I feel bad.¡± He then looked at Mu Xiao Cheng who was fast asleep.

    Mu Lingshi chuckled as she observed their exchange. ¡°Brother, Sister-inw was really heartbroken just now. Stop it.¡±

    Rtionships were amazing, especially among family members.

    For some reason, Mu Lingshi felt hopeful when she looked at this happy family in front of her. Life was amazing. When she knew that she had a child inside her, she could easily rte to these gentle emotions and she wondered if she could be like them in the future.

    All the parents in the world must really love their children, did they not? s, why were her parents so cold?

    The siblings had been conceived and born so irresponsibly, then left alone for decades. Her biological father did not even n to acknowledge her true identity. All this suddenly made her feel quite sorrowful.

    Mu Lingshi was a little dazed as the scenes reyed in her mind again and again while she watched the trio before her. With warmth and coldness mixed together, creating a striking contrast, it was a heartbreaking moment for her. She promised herself to ensure that her child did not experience the same in the future. She wanted her children to have a warm childhood that both Ah Mo and her never had.

    She ced one hand on her t belly while her eyes teared up slightly, and the scar on her face did not seem so obvious anymore.

    Xi Xiaye noticed the changes in Mu Lingshi when she turned over, so she took a deep breath and pulled at Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeve slightly, signaling him to take a look at Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Yuchen had mixed feelings when he noticed Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression. ¡°Lingshi, you¡¯re pregnant. Don¡¯t stay here in the hospital for too long. I¡¯ll get Li Si to send you back. Otherwise, Grandmother might be worried about you.¡±

    His voice brought Mu Lingshi back to her senses.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ah Quan drove me here. Grandfather and Grandmother went out to do something, so they might only be back by night. I haven¡¯t told them about Xiao Cheng yet because I didn¡¯t want them to worry,¡± Mu Lingshi replied.

    Ever since she met Gu Qiwu, she had been in a bad mood. Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes suddenly turned cold as he said, ¡°Ah Mo told me about what happened outside Entertainment City the other night. Believe me. I won¡¯t let you go through that ever again.¡±

    ¡°Brother...¡± Mu Lingshi was stunned for a moment as she was not sure how to react.

    ¡°The Mu family will always back you up unless you want to walk away from us.¡± Mu Yuchen looked away from Mu Lingshi when he spoke and turned to his son instead.

    ¡°Brother...I know Lingtian betrayed you, but we will¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡ª¡± Mu Yuchen interrupted Mu Lingshi quickly. He put on a lonely smile that only Xi Xiaye noticed. ¡°You have your own perspectives as well. I can only do what I think it¡¯s the best. Li Si, please send her back.¡±

    Li Si, who had been quiet this whole time, replied quickly, ¡°Yes, Master! Ms. Lingshi, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Mu Lingshi paused as she looked at Mu Yuchen. When Xi Xiaye gave her a smile when she nced at her, Mu Lingshi responded with a bitter smile as well. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll head home for now. I¡¯ll tell Grandfather and Grandmother what happened when they get home.¡±

    ¡°Remember to give us a call once you got home,¡± Xi Xiaye reminded her.

    Mu Lingshi then left.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she watched Mu Lingshi walked towards the exit. Then, she turned towards her man and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that Ah Shi will feel burdened when you say something like that to her?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a pause before he smiled. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t feel any better if I kept quiet either. Telling the truth might beforting for her. I don¡¯t want them to feel guilty since they deserve to live a free life.¡±

    His smile dazzled Xi Xiaye, and she felt a little pained inside but did not know what to say.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡± he called out to her although he was looking at their son instead of her.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Xi Xiaye replied as she looked at him intently.

    ¡°At moments like these, do you think that it¡¯s tiring to be with me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head almost instantly. ¡°I¡¯ve always felt close to heaven when I¡¯m with you. Why would I be tired? I¡¯d follow you anywhere.¡± She giggled.

 Chapter 1050 - Conversation Between Father And Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 1050: Conversation Between Father And Daughter</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He smiled at her gently.

    ¡°You¡¯d follow me anywhere? That¡¯s kind of creepy,¡± he teased her.

    She smiled. ¡°You couldn¡¯t grasp the main point this time, could you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the main point?¡± He feigned ignorance.

    ¡°The point is, I...¡±

    ...

    Mu Lingshi did not expect to bump into Mu Tangchuan. His car was already waiting for her outside the moment she got out of the hospital, and Ah Quan was there as well.

    ¡°Father? Why are you here?¡± Mu Lingshi was surprised to see Mu Tangchuan.

    Mu Tangchuan seemed calm and collected and usual as he looked at Mu Lingshi. ¡°It just so happened that I was nearby. The butler called and I came over to take a look. Is Xiao Cheng alright?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Brother and Sister-inw are both with him, they told me to head back first.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s great. Get into the car. I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    She was stunned for a moment, but she then nodded and entered the car. They went to a park and sat down in a quiet corner.

    ¡°Father, is it about Brother?¡± Mu Lingshi asked right away as they sat down.

    Mu Tangchuan did not usually get himself involved with things like these. Since he was the calmest among the Mu family members, Mu Lingshi never doubted his ability. However, because he initiated the conversation this time, he must be worried about something.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about him, it¡¯s about you,¡± Mu Tangchuan said quietly as he observed Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve found out about your own identity. Despite everything, you must know that your mother and I have been taking care of you as if you¡¯re our biological daughter.¡±

    ¡°I know, Father, you¡¯ve both treated us very well, and even neglected Brother for our sake. I¡¯m really grateful for what you¡¯ve done, but we¡¯ve disappointed everyone, especially Lingtian...¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice sounded hoarse as she was feeling guilty.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the past. I just want to know what you have in mind for the future? No matter what, you¡¯re actually Gu Qiwu¡¯s daughter, and that¡¯s a fact, whether you¡¯ll admit it or not. Your mother and I won¡¯t have anyints if you want to reunite with him since it¡¯s your right. I just hope that you cane back to visit us from time to time. We will miss you dearly,¡± Mu Tangchuan said gently. He really doted on Mu Lingshi, and due to Mu Zi¡¯s influence, he actually gave her most of his affection.

    Stunned, Mu Lingshi quickly shook her head and grabbed his sleeve. ¡°Father, I won¡¯t leave you two. I won¡¯t leave the Mu family! So what if I know? I don¡¯t care about the Gu family at all!¡±

    ¡°Lingshi, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not up to you whether you care or not.¡± Mu Tangchuan stared deep into her eyes. ¡°Did Gu Qiwu came into contact with you?¡±

    ¡°I met him once outside of Entertainment City,¡± she replied quietly.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled. ¡°He frequently visited Entertainment City a while ago. I¡¯ve known it for some time already. I suppose you know why he goes there too. I guess he¡¯s trying to show his consideration for you. I¡¯m not going to say much. I just want to know if the same thing that happened between Lingtian and Ah Chen won¡¯t happen again with you, will it?¡±

    Mu Lingshi was startled by his question. ¡°Father, what do you mean?¡±

    He looked deep into her eyes instead of answering. Then, he focused on the reflection of lights on the pond. ¡°Have you ever med Ah Chen?¡±

    She quickly shook her head. ¡°No! Father, I¡¯ve never once med Brother. I probably would¡¯ve made the same decisions as him if I were him. Ah Mo and I both knew what happened from the beginning to the end, so I really don¡¯t me him.¡±

    ¡°However, a lot of people, including Gu Qiwu push the me onto Ah Chen though it¡¯s great that you thought about it. Alright, that¡¯s all that I wanted to say. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Although Mu Lingshi could sense that Mu Tangchuan had something on his mind even though he was not voicing it out, but she would not ask about it. Mu Tangchuan¡¯s personality was simr to Mu Yuchen¡¯s. They would not speak a word about the matters they did not want to talk about.

    After Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s treatment was done, the sun was already setting, and the evening sun colored the sky gold.

    Mu Yuchen had his son in one arm while holding his phone with his other hand. They walked towards the exit while Xi Xiaye followed beside him.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    Li Si did not send Mu Lingshi back due to Mu Tangchuan¡¯s sudden appearance, so he had been waiting outside this whole time. He rushed up to them and voiced out his concern, ¡°Is Young Master alright?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. The fever has gone down. Let¡¯s go back now.¡± Mu Yuchen handed his phone to his wife beside him and she quickly took it.

    Mu Yuchen carefully sat inside the car with Mu Xiaocheng in his arms while Xi Xiaye bent over slightly and slid in as well.

    The sun had almost set when they arrived home. Xi Xiaye told Mu Yuchen to bring their son upstairs while she went into the kitchen.

    Mu Yuchen only left the bedroom after Mu Xiaocheng had fallen asleep peacefully. Li Si had been waiting in the living room for quite a while and he went up to Mu Yuchen as soon as he saw him. ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the study room.¡± Mu Yuchen then went towards the study room as Li Si followed him.

    ¡°Master, Ms. Lingshi met Minister Mu outside the hospital just now,¡± Li Si said quietly.

    ¡°Father?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned slightly as he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Li Si knotted his brows as well. ¡°Maybe he heard something.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the only possible exnation. Make an appointment with Gu Qiwu at 4 p.m. this Friday by the South River bank. I have something to talk to him about.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

 Chapter 1051

    1051 I¡°m Begging You! 1

    Gu Lingsha was obviously unhappy that Xi Xiaye had pulled such a shady trick on her. These past two days, the staff from the Materials Department kept calling her to ask about the situation on the materials.

    That evening, Gu Lingsha had finally finished organizing the piled up documents when Secretary Qin knocked to enter.

    ¡°Manager Gu, Manager Lee from the Materials Department called again to rush us. That batch of materials can onlyst till the day after tomorrow at most. If we still can¡¯t get the materials, then I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to put the work on hold. The people from the government might being soon for an inspection too. CEO Qi especially reminded us that we must show them our best selves,¡± Secretary Qin reported in panic.

    After she was defeated at Xi Xiaye¡¯s a few days ago, Gu Lingsha had been extremely upset. She had been asking around, but no one could provide such a huge amount of stock. In fact, it was also the rainy season on the southwest, hence the transporting of the materials itself would have been a problem. Otherwise, she would not have asked Hua Heng for the materials. She also would not have thought that Xi Xiaye would do something to it!

    Gu Lingsha mmed the document hard onto the table, feeling frustrated. ¡°Stop rushing me every few days. Tell them all to calm down. I¡¯ll resolve the whole materials problem soon.¡±

    ¡°But Manager Gu...¡±

    ¡°Go! Stop being long-winded!¡±

    Secretary Qin left, feeling a little terrified.

    Gu Lingshabed through her hair a little defeatedly. She thought about it for a long while, and then finally could not help but pick up her phone to make a call.

    Yep, she was calling Qi Lei.

    When he had a good look at who was calling, Qi Lei had just returned from City B and was on the way back to the Grand Lakes Vi area.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s a call from Manager Gu!¡± Because he thought that Qi Lei was too engrossed in the scenery outside the car window, Yang Sheng gave him a nudge.

    Narrowing his eyes, Qi Lei turned over and picked up his phone before hanging up immediately and switching his phone off.

    ¡°Have dinner here tonight. We still have to arrange some of the materials. I¡¯ve got a morning meeting tomorrow, and I don¡¯t want those people to find fault with me again,¡± Qi Lei calmly said, ignoring the phone call.

    Nodding, Yang Sheng silently set the documents aside and put them into his briefcase as he said, ¡°Master Qi, VP Wang¡¯s Butler Xu from the Hai Tian Vi is quite good. His craftsmanship is quite skillful too. In fact, he was by VP Wang¡¯s side for many years. How about we get him toe over and take care of you? You forget to eat once you get too wrapped up in your work. Be careful not to overwork yourself,¡± Yang Sheng said in concern as he nced at Qi Lei for permission.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei fell silent for a bit and finally nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯ve been rmending him to me quite a bit all the while. Since Butler Xu¡¯s quite good, get him toe over and bring a servant or two too. The house¡¯s too empty, and there are many things that require handling too.¡±

    Qi Lei was certainly relieved. He had not been willing to let others intrude into his personal space before this, yet over time, he had be more open, especially since his career was slowly picking up in recent times. Furthermore, he had been progressing well and was not as sluggish as before.

    When he heard Qi Lei¡¯s response, Yang Sheng was surprised. He stared at Qi Lei in bewilderment as if he was looking at an alien.

    Qi Lei responded to his shocked expression with a cold re. ¡°What expression is that? Is something wrong?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Yang Sheng suddenly smiled and said cheerfully, ¡°Nothing! Nothing! I just find that you¡¯ve been doing well recently, Master Qi. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve be much more cheerful too. If VP Wang could see this, she would definitely be very happy!¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t see it anymore!¡± Qi Lei suddenly sighed, then silently turned to look out of the window again. ¡°When work¡¯s more stable, I¡¯ll go visit her. I¡¯ll tell her about all my hard work. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be very happy.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, if you get VP Wang a daughter-inw, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be even happier! Master Qi, don¡¯t you think that CEO Sun¡¯s heiress daughter that you met on the trip, Sun Jing, is quite a woman? She¡¯s elegant and magnanimous without losing her quick-witted charm. She¡¯s practically a great wife candidate! In fact, I can see that she¡¯s quite into you! There¡¯s also Miss Fang who¡¯s already an entrepreneur at such a young age. Even though she¡¯s a little older than you, you know how the saying goes: ¡®a wife three years older than the husband guarantees a richer life¡¯,¡± Yang Sheng immediately started to ramble on and on.

    ¡°A richer life? How about I immediately help you matchmake and get someone for you to be their son-inw?¡± Yang Sheng had not finished when Qi Lei shot him a sinister look.

    Yang Sheng then stopped, not daring to utter another sound.

    The car very quickly drove into the Grand Lakes VI area while the sky had already darkened outside right now. Both sides of the cemented path were already lit with rows of streetlights.

    They drove through the bent trail, then the car stopped at the entrance of a vi.

    Before Qi Lei got down from the car, Yang Sheng¡¯s surprised voice came through. ¡°Master Qi, look, isn¡¯t that Manager Gu?¡±

    Qi Lei looked up subconsciously. Underneath the streetlight before his door, Gu Lingsha was standing there quietly with her handbag in her hand. When she saw the car headlights, she nced up towards them too.

    ¡°Why is she here?¡± Qi Lei frowned and muttered.

    Yang Sheng recalled that Qi Lei had just hung up on her call earlier, so he replied, ¡°There¡¯s probably something urgent.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s got quite a source to know that I¡¯d be back today!¡± Qi Lei said, then pushed the door open to get down before Yang Sheng followed.

    When Gu Lingsha saw Qi Lei, she quickly went up to him anxiously. ¡°Lei, you¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°Manager Gu!¡± Yang Sheng greeted her politely.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote. Why are you here?¡± Qi Lei squinted at Gu Lingsha and then said coldly as he took out his keys.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something urgent to talk to you about!¡± Gu Lingsha looked slightly tense. She could not bother much as she held back the anxiety in her heart and looked at him silently.

    Upon seeing Gu Lingsha so uptight, Qi Lei paused and looked at her to ask uninterestedly, ¡°Is it a work matter or a private matter? If it¡¯s personal, I¡¯ve got nothing to say. If it¡¯s work, then wait till I get to work tomorrow. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°No, Qi Lei, I need to talk to you about it today. The project can¡¯t wait. Please let me in and let¡¯s talk first. I think you won¡¯t just let me stand here and beg you, will you?¡±

 Chapter 1052

    1052 I¡°m Begging You! 2

    Qi Lei squinted at Gu Lingsha. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s work then. Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow. I don¡¯t want to talk about work now.¡±

    As he was about to enter through the door, Gu Lingsha reached out to stop him. ¡°Hold on! Okay, I¡¯ll keep it short then. You should know how important the South River Project No. 1 is to Qi Kai. Fuhua has taken away the materials that I¡¯ve negotiated for with Hua Heng. When I went over, I found out that Fuhua¡¯s new CEO is actually Xi Xiaye! Have you known about this for a while now?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s gaze darkened. He stared at her fair hands that gripped his sleeves and did not answer her question. She met his gaze and took in all of his hostility, then she let go of him.

    ¡°The project you have doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with me. In fact, we¡¯re working in the same field. Shouldn¡¯t you be having ears everywhere?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s intentions were clear.

    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be looking into these things. The people from the government are going to being over for inspection of the project in the early stages soon. Right now, our materials can onlyst us till the day after tomorrow at most. Initially, I settled it with Hua Heng, so the materials should have been here by now. I think you wouldn¡¯t want to see Qi Kai fall into such a predicament either, would you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help you with this one. After all, I¡¯m not in charge of the materials!¡± Qi Lei answered calmly.

    ¡°No, you can help me! I know that Fuhua¡¯s hoarded quite a bit of the supplies in City Z. She took the materials in City B from Hua Heng to develop the Movies and Television base with Glory World. However, based on what I know, Fuhua has long prepared for it, and they¡¯re stored at Fuhua¡¯s storeroom in City Z. Xi Xiaye¡¯s only doing that because she wants to make life difficult for me. She wants to beg her, but I won¡¯t!¡± Gu Lingsha insisted.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re nning to get me to talk to Xi Xiaye and tell her to give you the materials?¡±

    ¡°Not give me, give Qi Kai! I already exined this to Uncle Qi, but I thought that perhaps I should look for you personally, so you won¡¯t have any misunderstandings towards Uncle Qi. I¡¯ve also begged Uncle Qi to get you to ask for these materials from Xi Xiaye. We¡¯re willing to get them for a higher cost from her,¡± she franklyid it all out.

    ¡°Get it from Xiaye? You underestimate me! If I don¡¯t say yes to you today, are you nning on letting me go?¡±

    ¡°Yes! If you won¡¯t agree, Uncle Qi will look for you personally, and those shareholders will highly rmend you to him too. You¡¯re a part of Qi Kai, so you should be well aware that if Uncle Qi asks you to do this, you¡¯ll have to do it. I just didn¡¯t want this incident to make your rtionship fall into a tough situation again. That¡¯s why I came here today. Consider this as me begging you to help me out with this! For the sake of our past rtionship, this request shouldn¡¯t be too hard for you!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were sincere. She knew very well that the Qi Lei right now was far different from before. He would not take either approach, only by conversing like this, he might ept.

    For the sake of their past rtionship? The words shed in Qi Lei¡¯s mind, and a mocking curve lifted at the corner of his mouth. ¡°If I agree to this one thing, will all our paste to an end and you won¡¯t bring it up to me again?¡± To her shock, his aloof eyes were fixed on her.

    Then, a light shed in her eyes as she nodded without hesitating. ¡°Yes! If you agree to me this one time, I¡¯ll never bring up the past again! You¡¯re just Qi Lei, the Second Master of the Qi family while I¡¯m your brother¡¯s wife, your sister-inw. Are you happy now?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled calmly and nodded. ¡°Yes, I agree to talk to Xiaye, but from today onwards, we don¡¯t owe each other anything anymore.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s settled then!¡± Gu Lingsha answered firmly without a hint of hesitation.

    The smile on the corner of Qi Lei¡¯s mouth suddenly turned downward. ¡°Turns out that¡¯s all that was to you. Gu Lingsha, you¡¯re the same as Qi Feng! I¡¯m suddenly a little grateful. I¡¯m thankful that we didn¡¯t have fate back then. Otherwise, right now...¡±

    He did not continue as he tookrge steps forward and walked past her coldly.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned pale at that instant. She subconsciously whipped around to look at Qi Lei who had walked towards the door, suddenly feeling a little dejected. After struggling for a while, she then suddenly shouted to him, ¡°Qi Lei, I¡¯m getting married to Qi Feng soon. The wedding will be next week on Sunday. I hope that you¡¯ll be able to make time ande home...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your home, not mine. My home...¡± Qi Lei suddenly stopped to look up at the silent vi before him and continued softly, ¡°My home is right here. Don¡¯t worry. Even if I can¡¯t be there, my gift will be.¡±

    With that, his tall figure vanished through the doorway.

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡± Gu Lingsha could not help but call out to him, but he did not answer.

    ¡°Manager Gu, I think you should go home first. Master Qi¡¯s justnded and he¡¯s very tired. You have to be considerate about him too!¡± Yang Sheng could not help saying because he began to feel the injustice on behalf of Qi Lei.

    When Gu Lingsha heard his appeal, her expression froze.

    Bam!

    The door closed hard, mming on Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart.

    Bam!

    Thud!

    The lights in the vi had just lit up when Yang Sheng, who followed his boss from behind, immediately heard the sound of things being tossed. Then came the sound of ceramic shattering. He quickly walked up and noticed that the two decorative vases on the rack by the porch had already shattered to pieces all over the floor.

    Qu Lei looked calmly at the mess before him, then slowly took off his coat before hurling it to the ground. ¡°Tidy up a little, then prepare dinner,¡± he said bitterly and went upstairs.

    Yang Sheng could not help but call out softly, ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    ¡°Call me again when dinner¡¯s ready. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll be able to defeat that Swift Snowy on the ranks. Only I have the right to be your husband!¡± Qi Lei snapped before he seemed to trudge upstairs, full of fighting spirit!

    Swift Snowy?

    The right to be someone¡¯s husband?

    Upon hearing this, Yang Sheng remembered that Master Qi seemed to be quite addicted to a game. He even heard that he fancied the number one mysterious master of the service area whom he kept calling his wife!

 Chapter 1053

    1053 All¡°s Fair In War 1

    He then went upstairs right away.

    Yang Sheng looked at the empty staircase and put on a wry smile. He put the briefcase away before taking off his coat to clean up the mess before him and then continued to cook.

    Qi Lei removed his necktie the moment he entered his room. He got himself a ss of water and took several sips as he sat down in his chair and switched theputer on. He stared at an avatar icon right after he logged in, but the icon was grayed out.

    ¡°Still not online yet?¡± Qi Lei mumbled to himself. He waited for a little longer, and as though they had some kind of connection with each other, the icon lit up after a second. Immediately, Qi Lei put his cup aside and clicked on the chatbox icon as he swiftly typed.

    Eastern Gust: ¡°My dear, you¡¯re back!¡±

    An angry emoji was sent right back!

    Swift Snowy: ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m not your wife! I¡¯ll end you if you keep spreading such rumors!¡±

    Eastern Gust: ¡°Don¡¯t be so mad. Everyone in the server knows that you¡¯re my wife. You can go far just by saying that you¡¯re my woman. Ranking the top in the server means nothing because I¡¯ll finish himter!¡±

    Swift Snowy: ¡°Please, please don¡¯t joke around anymore. I¡¯m a guy. I¡¯m actually a guy! Any girl would suit you better than me!¡±

    Eastern Gust: ¡°It¡¯s okay. I like you, Swift Snowy. Your gender doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Swift Snowy: ¡°Damn...you sure have a wide sexual palette, huh? But I can¡¯t be your wife!¡±

    Eastern Gust: ¡°You have to. With the two of us...hey, where are you going?¡±

    Qi Lei gave chase when Swift Snowy ran away!

    Swift Snowy was an interesting person. As he interacted with the characters in the game, Qi Lei was able to get a grasp of her personality. Straightforward and decisive, she was a low-profile, top-skilled yer on their server. The server rumors said that she was the most beautiful woman!

    Qi Lei was very interested in her and even sent people to investigate her in real life. He then found out that this person was actually a woman who owned an antique shop and had received a doctorate degree in archeology at a young age. She was young, and most importantly, a stunner, a really pretty one at that!

    Some people in the group seemed to have cracked the password into her profile and saw her photo! Others said she returned home not too long after her graduation. Qi Lei tried to sniff her out before and discovered that she might be taking up the position as a part-time lecturer at University A in City Z. People also mentioned that she was an expert atputers and might actually be a hacker!

    It was a first for Qi Lei to show so much interest towards a woman. Swift Snowy¡¯s mysterious nature, both in-game and in real life piqued his curiosity. He would be finding out her antique shop¡¯s address in two days, and he could not wait to meet her.

    Despite inviting her out countless times, she rejected him every time, so he felt more and more defeated! He believed that his charm could bowl over this woman.

    After a while of chasing, the avatar icon grayed out. She was avoiding him just as she had been recently!

    Second Master Qi almost smashed his keyboard!

    Yang Sheng knocked on the door and did not hear a reply. Instead, he only heard the game music from inside along with some loud cking on the keyboard, so he then walked in.

    He noticed Qi Lei sat in front of theputer with a darkened expression. He looked like he was mad at something.

    Assuming that Qi Lei was still angry about what happened with Gu Lingsha just now, he said, ¡°Master Qi, Manager Gu just panicked because of the work urgency. Maybe we can discuss with Manager Wang and see how we can sort this out, but I do think Director Xi will agree to help if you talk to her.¡±

    Qi Lei did not reply after Yang Sheng spoke. Since he still seemed dissatisfied, Yang Sheng then continued, ¡°We can onlyply after you¡¯ve made a promise, or else the stakeholders will kick a fusster. Should I contact Director Xi right away?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that! Go and investigate this person for me. I want her information as soon as possible!¡± Qi Lei then handed a piece of paper to Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a moment, but he took the piece of paper and his eyes widened. ¡°Swift Snowy? Master Qi, do you want to find out about her?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I want to know exactly who she is!¡± Qi Lei suddenly stood up.

    Yang Sheng quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send someone to work on it right away!¡±

    They then went downstairs for dinner. After a quick dinner, they started preparing the documents needed for tomorrow¡¯s meeting. When Yang Sheng left, it was already 11 p.m.

    Qi Lei took a quick shower, then he recalled his conversation with Gu Lingsha when he sat down on his bed. He was silent in thought for a while before dialing a number.

    Xi Xiaye was making amendments to the proposal submitted by the nning Department when she received his call. She answered it without looking at the caller ID.

    ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s me!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s voice startled Xi Xiaye a little, and the man opposite her nced over as well.

    ¡°Qi Lei? Why are you still up?¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    Qi Lei ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°I found Gu Lingsha outside my house when I returned home just now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could guess what he wanted to tell her. ¡°Did she want you to talk to me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just her. Qi Qiming and the other stakeholders would¡¯ve left this mess to me anyway. I can guess what you¡¯re trying to do, but I won¡¯t cooperate if I don¡¯t get any benefits, so I¡¯ll leave that up to you.¡± Qi Lei burst out in his iconic wickedugh, making Xi Xiaye smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more cunning now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what businessmen do! When¡¯s a good time to go and meet you?¡± Qi Lei got down to business.

 Chapter 1054 - 1054 Allâ€™s Fair In War 2

    <strong>1054 All¡°s Fair In War 2</strong>

    Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and replied, ¡°Meet me in my office at 3 p.m. tomorrow. We¡¯ll discuss it.¡±

    Qi Lei went silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright, see you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Xi Xiaye then hung up.

    ¡°Is this about the materials?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached her the moment she put her phone away.

    Xi Xiaye saved her file and switched off theptop as she replied, ¡°Mmm, Gu Lingsha came to look for me before, so I knew she was going to make Qi Leie and ask for them from me, as expected.¡±

    She got up and slowly walked towards him. Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows and just looked at her before he moved over slightly and made space for her.

    Xi Xiaye sat down beside him and grabbed the ss of water to drink some. He said, ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big deal. Nevertheless, be bold about this. Grandpa and Hua Heng made them pay a huge price thest time. You could use the same trick again. I realize you¡¯ve been enlightened, taking your sweet revenge now, hmm?¡±

    She grinned and put the ss of water away. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I might be a wicked woman?¡±

    ¡°A wicked woman with a despicable man¡ªthe best match ever.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was satisfied with his straightforward answer. ¡°People don¡¯t usually diss themselves, do they? I¡¯m just trying to pay back for what she did to me. By the way, is there any progress with Lingshi¡¯s matter? I heard from Li Si that you wanted to see Gu Qiwu and even asked him to prepare a new DNA report. Are you about to tell Grandfather and Grandmother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a pause and looked down. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m ready to tell them. I¡¯ll decide how I should face Gu Qiwu after the meeting this time around. Things will be easy if I find his attitude eptable, but I¡¯ll have to take some special measures if he doesn¡¯t cooperate.¡± His tone was grim while his eyes seemed firm.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to...¡± Xi Xiaye examined his handsome face carefully. ¡°Do you want him to announce that Lingshi is his daughter? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s very likely. It¡¯s been several decades. He would¡¯ve done it if he intended to. I heard Gu Qiwu loves his wife very much, and Doris isn¡¯t an easy character, so that might not be the best way to approach this.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any better ideas?¡± Mu Yuchen quickly grasped the nuance in her eyes, so he raised his eyebrows in expectation of something from her.

    She gave him a mysterious smile and whispered beside his ear. Momentster, Mu Yuchen smirked as he put one hand over her shoulder.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± She blinked her eyes and was looking forward to his reply.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s not bad. We share the same thoughts.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she grabbed his hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much. We¡¯ll find a way in the end.¡±

    He put his other hand onto hers in response. ¡°You just reminded me that I should probably prepare them a huge gift for their wedding!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s whates after, and I¡¯ll leave that to you. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll do my best to gather more information.¡± Xi Xiaye closed the file in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now. Let¡¯s go to bed.¡±

    ...

    At 3 p.m. the next day, in the CEO of Fuhua Property¡¯s office.

    Qi Lei arrived on time. Xi Xiaye was discussing the amendments of a budget proposal with Lan Zng, but he quickly halted the conversation and left the room when he saw that Qi Lei had arrived.

    ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± Xi Xiaye got up and pointed at the sofa opposite her while her assistant, Xiao Mei, prepared two cups of tea for them.

    Qi Lei made himselffortable on the sofa and took a sip of the tea. ¡°Are you drinking Mao Jian tea now? I remember Mu Yuchen insisted on you drinking Pu Er tea only since he said it¡¯s good for your stomach.¡±

    ¡°I like this tea recently. Anyway, you seem like you¡¯re in a rush. Is everything done over there?¡± Xi Xiaye took a sip from her cup of tea as she asked him.

    Qi Lei nodded as he put on a gentle smile. ¡°It¡¯s almost there. We¡¯ll be able to start filming after some time. Don¡¯t worry because the other stages of progress won¡¯t be affected.¡±

    ¡°Chen Ye Movies and Television consists of the elites you built up, so there¡¯s no need for you to worry. I¡¯ve also heard from Vice President Liu that things are getting better slowly. You¡¯ll only be getting more and more powerful from now on, especially with this rare chance that you get this time. Since you¡¯re handling all the projects in City B right now, it should be easy for you to operate,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°My mother¡¯s former colleagues are taking care of things over here. A lot of matters are getting on track right now, so everything will be done after I¡¯m done with the preparation.¡± Qi Lei raised his head and looked at her. ¡°What happened with Gu Lingsha? She gave me this document after our meeting this morning and I¡¯ve looked through it.¡±

    Qi Lei handed a document to Xi Xiaye who put down her cup and took a nce at it. She then went towards her own bookshelf and took a folder out.

    ¡°Take a look at this. I did snatch the materials away as our development over there actually needs them. Qi Kai didn¡¯t sign any contract with Hua Heng. I offered the same price as Qi Kai and even saved Hua Heng the transportation fees, so just think about what you¡¯d do if you were CEO Hua,¡± she exined.

    Qi Lei nced at Xi Xiaye before taking the folder from her.

    She continued, ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t deny that I¡¯m doing this out of personal reasons. She has never been nice to me, and I feel like she¡¯ll continue to think she can look down on me if I don¡¯t do something. Nevertheless, I won¡¯tin if you¡¯re on her side this time.¡±

 Chapter 1055

    Chapter 1055 All¡°s Fair In War 3

    When Xi Xiaye boldly admitted what she did, Qi Lei looked at her meaningfully and chuckled. ¡°I thought you¡¯d tell me you¡¯re only doing this for business¡¯ sake and there¡¯d be no personal feelings involved.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, so I should admit to my crime before you expose me.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed before she said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know about the conflict between Gu Lingsha and me, and these conflicts exist because of the past, including the incident during my wedding with Mu Yuchen, Su Nan¡¯s incident, and Ruan Heng still being unconscious at the moment...even my child, he almost...Let¡¯s just say I have plenty of reasons to hate her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been holding myself back from telling you about all these due to your rtionship with her. As a friend, I don¡¯t want you to feel awkward between us. However, I¡¯m not surprised that she asked you to talk to me about this. I just wanted to prove something,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Qi Lei smiled bitterly. ¡°And it¡¯s proven that I only have this much value. Actually, I already knew that even without you doing this, everything has changed over the years for both of us.¡±

    Xi Xiaye returned his smile and said kindly, ¡°I¡¯m sure that a lot of things will change. After all, different environments nurture different abilities which then affect one¡¯s personality. I¡¯ve mentioned before that I feel extremely rtable towards you because we share simr experiences. That¡¯s why I kind of understand how you feel.

    ¡°However, it¡¯ll get better once you let go of it. Those who are truly strong possess the courage to face their past and bid their farewell. There¡¯s no need for you to hesitate anymore. I suppose I should stop here since you probably know what I mean. Let¡¯s talk about the materials.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused when she noticed Qi Lei¡¯s expression freeze. She flipped through the document he brought her again. ¡°Gu Lingsha is right. Our storage does indeed have these materials stocked up, but there¡¯s a shortage of it in the market at the moment. Regardless of that, we have ns to keep them and they are not meant for sale.¡±

    Qi Lei was impressed with Xi Xiaye¡¯s straightforwardness. He closed the document and smiled. ¡°Sure! Tell me your terms and I¡¯ll pass on the message. Of course, I¡¯ll be sure to tell them how much effort I put in to convince you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it if Qi Kai offers 20% more than the price that was offered to Hua Heng. There are a lot of these materials and they need to be prepared in batches. If you¡¯re able to convince them, the 20% belongs to you. What do you think?¡± Xi Xiaye grinned as she nced at him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I get all of that extra 20%? You¡¯re not earning anything then, are you?¡±

    ¡°Why not? They are very focused on South River Project No. 2 right now, and you¡¯re having some issues with funds now too, aren¡¯t you?¡± She smiled back at him.

    Qi Lei paused, seeming confused. ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m having some financial difficulties?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not really a secret. Just take this chance and grab the money since it belongs to Qi Kai anyway. I¡¯m just giving them back to you. That¡¯s all I have to say. I guess it won¡¯t be difficult to convince them. They understand the value of South River Project No. 2 once it¡¯s beenpleted, so they won¡¯t let go of this chance,¡± Xi Xiaye said confidently.

    Qi Lei went quiet for a moment before asking, ¡°Why are you helping me like this? I can find ways on my own too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused before she let out a giggle and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not just to help you. I¡¯m helping myself too.¡±

    She took a sip from the cup of tea before she continued, ¡°I told you that I want to take revenge. Coincidentally, this could make them panic a little and lose focus, drawing their attention towards us, so that you¡¯ll have more space to work with. You¡¯re my friend, and I promised CEO Wang to look after you.¡±

    In a daze, Qi Lei stared at the woman who was smiling before him while he felt a warmth inside his heart as if he was being embraced by an epassing light. At that moment, he sighed. ¡°Sometimes I really wish I could¡¯ve met you guys earlier. Then, I wouldn¡¯t have had to waste my time before. It was really a dark period.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s never toote. You should go back and discuss with them now. It¡¯s up to you whether you can convince them or not, I have no other questions.¡±

    ¡°To be frank, I can¡¯t possibly just take all that benefit alone.¡±

    ¡°Think about it again after you¡¯ve sessfully convinced them. By the way, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding is happening soon. Take some time off and go back so that they don¡¯t give you so much attention.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Alright, I¡¯ll head back for now. I¡¯ll probably be able to give you a reply, thetest by tomorrow afternoon,¡± Qi Lei said as he stood up.

    ¡°Okay. Speaking of which, I have a question for you.¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered something she wanted to ask.

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I heard that Gu Lingsha got into a fight with her mother, Doris. Do you...?¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her voice, trying to get something out of him.

    ¡°Doris?¡± Qi Leiughed. ¡°I must have forgotten to tell you if you hadn¡¯t mentioned it. Doris actually isn¡¯t very supportive of their marriage. She¡¯s an extremist and her rtionship with Gu Lingsha has been pretty rough ever since she ignored her advice and gave birth to Qi Weier. They never asked for Doris¡¯s opinion on their marriage as well. Just wait and see. We¡¯re in for a good show.¡±

    He then packed his things and left.

 Chapter 1056 - 1056 Iâ€œll Give You A Chance 1

    1056 I¡°ll Give You A Chance 1

    Qi Lei soon vanished out of the door.

    Xi Xiaye propped one hand on her table and watched the door. Then, she slowly moved to sit back down on her chair and took a deep breath before she turned to look out at the gloomy horizon, her elegant face seeming a little dazed.

    ¡°Such a short chat?¡± Lan Zng¡¯s voice was very quickly heard from behind.

    Xi Xiaye turned back very quickly and responded, ¡°Uncle Lan.¡±

    ¡°I think Qi Lei¡¯s been pretty good, especially recently. He feels much calmer now. Elder CEO has admired him since back then. He said that if he takes more time to be disciplined, he can definitely be an expert!¡± Lan Zng was not stingy with his praises.

    ¡°I hope he won¡¯t let us down.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled calmly.

    ¡°How¡¯s Elder CEO doing? I haven¡¯t been in contact with him for quite a few days now. He should be having fun in France right now, isn¡¯t he?¡± Lan Zng handed the blueprint to Xi Xiaye as he asked with concern.

    ¡°He¡¯s doing pretty good. He¡¯s walking around and not rushing either. These past few days, he¡¯s been sending quite a few photos back. Seeing the smile on his face, I feel like he looks much younger now. There¡¯s still half a month to go, so I¡¯ll let them have fun,¡± she responded light-heartedly. Then, she took over the blueprint and said, ¡°Right, Uncle Lan, just release the materials in the warehouse in batches as we agreed before.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Lan Zng replied, ¡°Miss Xiaye, since you¡¯re at this point, why don¡¯t you just ignore it? That way, you could get Gu Lingsha in more trouble. You could even affect their decision to get married.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smirked, then slowly leaned back against her chair. ¡°Things won¡¯t be so simple. It¡¯s still the government behind the South River Project No. 2. Businesses don¡¯t fight with the government. When they actually get the government to intervene, then that would cause a huge problem and it won¡¯t be good, so this time we can only reprimand them a little. Firstly, it was to help Qi Lei, and secondly, it was good to make Gu Lingsha anxious and kill her vibe a little. That way, she¡¯ll learn.¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei returned to Qi Kai as quickly as he could. Right now, it was almost time for work to end.

    Inside Qi Qiming¡¯sfortable office, Qi Qiming was discussing project matters with several shareholders and Gu Lingsha when suddenly, there was a knock on the door followed by a loud crash as the door was flung open. Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure entered their sight as he entered with huge strides with a document in hand.

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡±

    When Gu Lingsha saw Qi Lei, her beautiful face quickly shed with joy.

    Bam!

    Qi Lei tossed the document onto Qi Qiming¡¯s table as his calm voice said coolly, ¡°Fuhua¡¯s request conditions are right there for you to work with. If you agree, then I can persuade them to dispatch the materials as soon as possible. Otherwise, my hands are tied.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha took the document impatiently from the table and flipped through it. However, soon, her expression darkened.

    ¡°It¡¯s 20% higher than usual! Xi Xiaye! She¡¯s too much! Why doesn¡¯t she just rob us? Is she trying to loot a burning house?¡± Gu Lingsha growled while her hands that gripped the document trembled in anger.

    She was clearly digging a hole for her to fall into! What a horrid woman!

    With the racket of Gu Lingsha¡¯s curses, Qi Qiming and the few other shareholders exchanged looks and quickly took over the document. Immediately, their expressions changed!

    ¡°Good on you, Xi Xiaye! Stepping over me now, huh?! This must be her coborating with that sly fox from Hua Heng to scam us!¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi, Hua Heng is too disrespectful towards Qi Kai! We sincerely want to do business with them, but they keep fooling us like monkeys!¡±

    ¡°Repulsive! I heard that Shen Yue and Hua Heng are actually really good friends. This might be them joining hands to trouble us!¡±

    The few of them looked at the document and begun toin.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression was stern, those darkened eyes were fixated on the conditions stated on the document, he looked extremely unhappy.

    ¡°All¡¯s fair in love and war. I¡¯m not trying to say anything, but shouldn¡¯t you investigate the partners thoroughly before going into business with them? I¡¯ve already gotten someone to check. Right now, if we want to get these materials in the speediest way, it¡¯s really tough. Look at the weather right now. It¡¯s already getting dark. This time, with the typhoon, it¡¯s only going to make things worth in the southwest. You can consider your next steps yourself since I¡¯ve already done my best,¡± Qi Lei sighed as he said in a slightly low tone.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes suddenly shifted. She seemed to be looking at Qi Lei with a questioning look, yet he just lowered his gaze calmly. Before he turned around, ready to leave the office, he said, ¡°You can discuss among yourselves. If you agree to it, then let me know. I told Fuhua¡¯s people that I¡¯ll give them an answer by tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    At this moment, Gu Lingsha suddenly called out to him, ¡°VP Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei abruptly stopped walking although he did not turn back as he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Anything else, Manager Gu?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯ve fought hard for it? Xi Xiaye¡¯s clearly demanding an exorbitant price! Didn¡¯t you see the conditions on the document? Did you actually bring these back for us to discuss? VP Qi, are your capabilities only as such?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone sounded rather sharp with a hint of unhappiness.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei was pissed off. He sneered and turned to look at her, ¡°Manager Gu, do you have any idea who you¡¯re talking to right now? I¡¯m the Vice President of Qi Kai! Your superior! Do you understand? Bloody hell, how dare you talk to me in that tone? Who do you think you are? What are you relying on? Our past rtionship or as the future daughter-inw of the Qi family? Have you forgotten what you said yesterday? If you want to act all high and mighty, wait till you¡¯ve married into the Qi family before challenging me!¡±

    Qi Lei was really furious this time. After Gu Lingsha got involved with Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen, she had be a mad woman that he was fed up with!

    Gu Lingsha was shocked by Qi Lei¡¯s reaction. She looked extremely horrified and was suddenly speechless.

    ¡°You know very well yourself how things have ended up the way they are right now! Don¡¯t keep ming it on others. It was you who was wrong first! Gu Lingsha, if you continue being like this, then you really are beyond saving!¡±

 Chapter 1057 - 1057 Iâ€œll Give You A Chance 2

    1057 I¡°ll Give You A Chance 2

    Qi Lei lowered himself slightly and whispered to Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned stiff as she looked at Qi Lei in bewilderment. She was about to say something when Qi Lei had already straightened up and walked to the door. Before his tall figure very quickly vanished out of the doorway, he said, ¡°Let me know when you¡¯ve finalized your discussion.¡±

    All of them looked terrible. Even the light that gathered in Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes shifted as well. The few shareholders thought about it for a moment, then suggested.

    ¡°CEO Qi, what do we do? Fuhua¡¯s shameless! I think it must be Shen Yue¡¯s idea! Even thest time when Hua Heng sold us thend for the South River project, it might have been them pulling tricks too. Shen Yue and Hua Heng have a good rtionship, so they might be the ones behind thatst incident!¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi, we have to consider this matter at length!¡±

    ¡°Inform the manager. Tell them toe to the meeting room right away!¡± Qi Qiming said in a low, dangerous voice.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do so right away!¡±

    Then, the few of them left Qi Qiming¡¯s office very quickly.

    Gu Lingsha snapped back from her trance. When she turned around, she realized that Qi Qiming was looking at her. Something shed in her eyes, then she silently lowered her eyes and said softly, ¡°Uncle Qi...¡±

    ¡°What did Qi Lei mean earlier?¡± Qi Qiming asked quietly, his tone containing a hint of puzzlement.

    Gu Lingsha subconsciously trembled slightly as she quickly said, ¡°Uncle Qi, I think this might have been because Xi Xiaye and I had an unhappy encounter before this. I¡¯m really sorry. She¡¯s targeting me, so this time, I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    ¡°Enough. There¡¯s no need to say all that. Even if it wasn¡¯t this time, they would think of ways to attack Qi Kai too,¡± Qi Qiming tenderly consoled her, ¡°So, don¡¯t me yourself about it too much. Just focus on getting through this. Your father won¡¯t look on without helping either. Your wedding with Ah Feng is happening soon, and you¡¯ll be taking wedding pictures these next few days as well. Once this matter¡¯s resolved, rest easy for a while. Have fun taking your wedding pictures. Your wedding dress should be almost ready, so prepare well and be a wonderful bride to Ah Feng.¡±

    When Qi Qiming said this, Gu Lingsha felt a little relieved. She quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, Uncle Qi! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely treat Ah Feng well. All these years, it has always been him who was by my side and supporting me, so I...¡± Her eyes were filled with sincerity, to Qi Qiming¡¯s relief.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you acknowledge that. Don¡¯t worry. As long as you stay by Ah Feng¡¯s side and support him forever, you won¡¯t be at a disadvantage. I¡¯m getting old. Ever since your Aunt Wang passed away, I¡¯ve constantly felt fatigued. I think it¡¯s time for me to retire and rest soon. In the end, Ah Feng still needs to stand at the helm of Qi Kai., I want to make Qi Lei Ah Feng¡¯s sound right-hand man. I don¡¯t want to see the two brothers go on the same path that your Aunt Wang and I did.¡±

    As Qi Qiming said this, his dark eyes seemed to sh with aplicated light, and Gu Lingsha could hear a faint sorrow in his voice. She thought about, then consoled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Qi. Ah Feng and I won¡¯t let that happen. Don¡¯t be too sad. That issue with Aunt Wang has passed. If she were to stand in your shoes, she¡¯d probably understand.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about these things now. Let¡¯s prepare for the meeting!¡± Qi Qiming ended the topic with waning interest. He picked up the document on his desk, inhaled, then turned to leave the office.

    ¡°Uncle Qi!¡± Gu Lingsha followed after him.

    ...

    What happened afterwards was within Xi Xiaye¡¯s expectations. The next morning, Qi Lei hade over once again, and obviously the other party agreed to the conditions.

    Xi Xiaye permitted Lan Zng to open their warehouse and send the materials over.

    Gu Lingsha obviously suppressed her anger regarding this coercion. If it were not for the fact that she was worried about things with the government, she would not have even lowered herself to beg Qi Lei and let Xi Xiaye win!

    In the pavilion in the Qi family¡¯s backyard, Gu Lingsha ranted gloomily, ¡°Ah Feng, it¡¯s so obvious that Xi Xiaye was behind this! Thest time, she framed me, and as for Morrison¡¯s incident, that was definitely Mu Yuchen. We can¡¯t just suffer in silence!¡±

    ¡°Master, I think that there was more to thest incident too. It was clearly trained hands that attacked me!¡± After a long period of rest, Morrison had almost fully recovered now though he would often feel a dull pain from his wound.

    Qi Feng lowered his gaze thoughtfully as he fell silent for a while. He then responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely take revenge for you two, but not right now.¡±

    Suddenly, he turned to look at Gu Lingsha and frowned. ¡°Shasha, I heard that Uncle Gu has prepared a lot of things that are up to Aunt¡¯s fancies. Didn¡¯t Aunt Gu call you at all?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze and she quickly shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare talk about these things with her. Thest time, we almost...but don¡¯t you worry. As long as my father steps in, she won¡¯t so much as not give us face. After all, we¡¯ve already announced our marriage to the world, so he won¡¯t embarrass both the Qis and the Gus. As long as we sincerely apologize to her afterward and exin the situation, my mother will understand.¡±

    ¡°When¡¯s sheing back?¡± Qi Feng asked.

    Gu Lingsha breathed in to pause, then replied, ¡°I called Grandmother yesterday. She said that my mother was very angry to learn about the news, but then she left home because of some emergency and hasn¡¯t been back for a few days now. I¡¯m guessing that we¡¯ll hear from her quite soon. After all, our wedding¡¯s soon. She definitely won¡¯t ept this so easily and I¡¯m worried about Weiwei.¡±

    ¡°Spend more time with her. She hasn¡¯t been doing too well recently.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will! Tomorrow, we could bring her to the yground for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, go take a look at her. I still have some things to discuss with Morrison.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha nodded and nted a kiss on Qi Feng¡¯s lips before she got up. ¡°I¡¯ll get going then.¡±

    ...

    Gu Lingsha figured vanished down the walkway until the patter of her footsteps could not be heard.

    When Qi Feng saw Gu Lingsha¡¯s figure move further away, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the study room. Yesterday, they seemed to have discovered something very interesting, I think you¡¯ll be very interested in it too!¡±

 Chapter 1058 - 1058 Iâ€œll Give You A Chance 3

    1058 I¡°ll Give You A Chance 3

    The pitter-patter of the rain fell, engulfing the entire City Z in a mist. The air had lost the heat from several days before, so right now it was refreshingly cool, especially by the South Riverbank. As the cool wind rustled past the vast green area, the freshness of the grass added ayer of dew to the air, energizing anyone who smelled it.

    Mu Yuchen stood by the riverbank with his hands behind him. He wore was a rare pair of sunsses, concealing all his emotions in his eyes while his well-ironed dark silver suit made him look much cooler. With an indifferent expression, he silently watched the river and did not move for a long time. At this moment, by the riverbank, there was only his bleak and lonely figure.

    Gu Qiwu stood on the staircase above and watched him for a long time. After that, he slowly walked down the stairs.

    When he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, Mu Yuchen did not turn around while his eyes that hid underneath the sunsses only flickered once. After a pregnant pause, he looked up at the gigantic clock across him, and his deep voice was heard. ¡°You¡¯re very punctual.¡±

    Gu Qiwu abruptly stopped beside Mu Yuchen, and the two of them stood so closely that Gu Qiwu could clearly feel the reserved, cool aura from the other man.

    ¡°Of course, I have to be more punctual when ites to meeting you,¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s responded before he then took a deep breath as both his arms held the railing before them. His gaze trailed Mu Yuchen¡¯s to look ahead. ¡°I thought that you wouldn¡¯t ask me out. This doesn¡¯t seem like you.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes underneath the sunsses only darkened, but he did not answer him.

    ¡°What? Do you want to say something? Thest time, you hit me a few times. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t be willing to leave things at that,¡± Gu Qiwu said softly as he turned to look silently at Mu Yuchen¡¯s face. After a while, he averted his gaze and looked down at the river that slowly flowed past them. He sighed. ¡°Ah Chen, you¡¯re a great person. You¡¯ve got tricks up your sleeves and you¡¯re impressive. Many times, I wished for you to be my ideal son-inw. Shasha¡¯s great. She¡¯s excellent in many aspects. I don¡¯t understand why you didn¡¯t fancy her or fall in love with her? If you¡¯d married Shasha back then, everything would¡¯ve turned out great.¡±

    ¡°Could you then like my aunt, and be loyal to only her?¡±

    Before Gu Qiwu could finish, Mu Yuchen¡¯s cold voice had already cut him off. His calm gaze peered through the sunsses. ¡°You and Aunt knew each other for more than 20 years. You stole everything of hers, but what did you give her in return? Why didn¡¯t you marry her?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s rhetorical questions made Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression freeze. He simply had no answer.

    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a need to ask why?¡± Mu Yuchen said, then a cold curve shed across the corner of his lips. ¡°My aunt loved you very much. She wasn¡¯t willing to expose your name even until she died, after which she passed Lingtian and Lingshi to my grandparents and parents. You clearly knew all of this, yet you never once came to take a look at the siblings. Forget about asking for a hint of the so-called fatherly love they yearned for! The two of you are the worst parents on Earth.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve met Lingshi. Ah Mo and my father know too. I think that more people are bound to find out in the future. What do you n on doing for Lingshi in the time toe? This was the reason I asked you out today,¡± Mu Yuchen said straightforwardly.

    When Gu Qiwu heard, his expression darkened and he did not answer.

    Mu Yuchen did not continue either. He just turned and looked silently at Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°What do you think I should¡¯ve nned then? What could I have nned?¡± Gu Qiwu asked in response.

    Mu Yuchen scoffed, abruptly averting his gaze. Inhaling deeply, he looked at the faint mist before them and asked calmly, ¡°You should be quite clear about how Aunt felt about you. Since you couldn¡¯t give her a future to look forward too, why did you have to hurt her? If it wasn¡¯t just about your feelings, then it must be because of the Mu family, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, you¡¯re really smart. I don¡¯t want to hide it from you either. It was actually very simple between your aunt and I. It¡¯s not asplicated as you imagine it to be. She always admired me, but the Gus and the Mus don¡¯t have a great rtionship. Your grandparents have never thought highly of me either. Of course, I didn¡¯t like your Aunt Zixi back then. How we began was an ident...¡±

    As Gu Qiwu said this, he changed his tone. Then, he pondered for a moment before continuing, ¡°That year, your aunt came to City B for a concert tour. By chance, we bumped into each other, and after that, we kept meeting. Your aunt was a mncholic person, extremely, in fact. There¡¯s no way she could be a daughter-inw of the Gu family. I did think of changing her, but it¡¯s hard to change someone¡¯s personality. Besides, even if I wanted to marry her, the Gus and the Mus may not agree to it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go ask your grandparents. Their prejudice towards me didn¡¯t develop over just a day or two.¡±

    ¡°When I knew that your aunt was pregnant with Lingtian, I didn¡¯t agree to keep the baby, but she suddenly vanished without a trace and gave birth to Lingtian on her own. I know what she thought. She believed that if she had our child, we could be together.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s smiled coldly. ¡°In the end, Lingtian was born, and you know how she was too. After her body slowly recovered, she made aeback. While she wasn¡¯t ready to leave her past, of course, she wasn¡¯t willing to let go of me either. But she understands where Ie from too, so she didn¡¯t tell anyone about it. Therefore, I do feel like I owe her something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never had feelings for my aunt at all, did you?¡± Mu Yuchen asked softly.

    ¡°Liking her didn¡¯t equate to love. I told you, I admired her. She¡¯s a good and understanding woman, but at this point, I can only say that I don¡¯t have such luck.¡±

    ¡°Because of your irresponsibility, you ruined her life and implicated Lingtian and Lingshi. Gu Qiwu, you don¡¯t deserve to be a man!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice instantly turned hostile. ¡°I can¡¯t ask you to like my aunt, and I don¡¯t want to ask about your past. I want to ask you right now, what do you n on doing with Lingshi? You should know that the truth wille out eventually. Qi Feng¡¯s people have been watching very closely, so it won¡¯t be hard for them to find out about this. I won¡¯t let you force Lingshi to take on the reputation as an illegitimate daughter, and I won¡¯t let you nder my aunt after she has passed away for many years.¡±

 Chapter 1059 - 1059 Iâ€œll Give You A Chance 4

    1059 I¡°ll Give You A Chance 4

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was firm and solid.

    Gu Qiwu seemed hesitant as he looked at Mu Yuchen. His voice was hoarse as he croaked out, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    As Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened, he closed his eyes as he tried to calm down. ¡°I¡¯m giving you a chance to be responsible and announce Lingshi¡¯s identity before Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding. Also, tell all the reporters that my aunt is your first love, that you two were deeply in love but were unable to be together because of a conflict of interest, and that you were forced to give up on this rtionship. I¡¯ll get someone to send you a script, so you just have to exin as I¡¯ve mentioned.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not happening!¡± Gu Qiwu scoffed.

    Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes at Gu Qiwu. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said that¡¯s not going to happen. Your aunt isn¡¯t my first love, and we weren¡¯t deeply in love. I know you¡¯ve been investigating me, so I¡¯m sure you know all these very well.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened.

    The temperature around Mu Yuchen plummeted suddenly as he stared at Gu Qiwu deep in the eyes andughed coldly. ¡°Are you worried about Doris? I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re in love with her, but it seems like the two of you aren¡¯t as harmonious as people say.¡±

    Although Gu Qiwu did not reply, his expression became sullen.

    Mu Yuchen put on a cold smile as he nced at Gu Qiwu. ¡°Are you really not going to consider my suggestion at all?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just respecting the truth. It¡¯s for the sake of your aunt and Lingshi, but...¡±

    ¡°Good, I won¡¯t force you anymore since you¡¯ve made your choice. I¡¯ve given you a chance, and you¡¯re throwing it away. Don¡¯t me me for my next move then.¡± Mu Yuchen calmed down and attempted to leave after thatst sentence.

    When Gu Qiwu noticed that something was not right, he turned around and yelled, ¡°Mu Yuchen, what are you going to do!?¡±

    Without a reply, Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure disappeared at the end of the staircase.

    ...

    The sky turned dark while the evening breeze was pretty chilly. Gu Qiwu looked at the empty staircase with brooding eyes.

    ¡°Boss, we should head back now. It¡¯s gettingte. CEO Qi invited you over for dinner at the Qi residence. I¡¯ve also delivered the invitations and here¡¯s the name list. Please check if I¡¯ve missed anyone out,¡± Ah Yong spoke up after some time.

    Gu Qiwu came back to his senses and took a nce at the sky. Then, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Ah Yong, keep an eye on Mu Yuchen. I want to know what he¡¯s up to!¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen? Boss, is he...?¡±

    ¡°Not just him, Mu Lingmo as well. I have a hunch that we can get him on our side after our meetingst time. If we can turn him against Mu Yuchen, it¡¯ll be marvelous,¡± Gu Qiwu said.

    ¡°Mu Lingmo? Boss, to be frank, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s very likely. Mu Lingmo has been working alongside Mu Yinan for many years, and he¡¯s very loyal to Mu Yuchen as well. I doubt this n will work on them,¡± Ah Yong voiced out his opinion.

    Gu Qiwu smiled slyly as he nced at Ah Yong. ¡°You¡¯re wrong there! Loyalty doesn¡¯tst forever. People only care about the benefits they get! He wasn¡¯t convinced thest time because the terms we offered weren¡¯t good enough. Greed is the core of humanity!¡± His cold smile was incredibly spine-chilling to Ah Yong.

    ¡°You mean...?¡± Ah Yong asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Invite him out again. He¡¯s my son-inw no matter what, so I should give him some benefits one way or another. That way, we might have an easier future.¡±

    It was the first time for Gu Qiwu was feeling so helpless! There was Mu Yuchen, and then there was Doris. Each of them was troublesome on their own!

    ...

    The streetmps were switched on earlier because the sky had turned dark pretty early. Maple Residence was visible amidst the rain with the help of the streetmps.

    It was a quiet Friday at home. Wang Hui and the others brought Mu Xiaocheng back to Mu residence as it was a weekend the next day. With Mu Lingshi visiting them frequentlytely, it was pretty lively. Inparison, Maple Residence was fairly quiet. Xi Xiaye was alone at home because Sis Wang and the others had taken a day off.

    Xi Xiaye cooked several dishes and then took a nce at the clock. It was already 8 p.m. but Mu Yuchen was still nowhere to be seen. She called him a few times, but he was not answering. Then, when she remembered that he had left his phone with her that afternoon, she heard the sound of something vibrating in her handbag.

    Feeling uneasy for a while, she almost wanted to give Li Si a call, but at that moment she heard the sound of a car stopping outside. She quickly put her phone away and went towards the entrance.

    As expected, the man was slowly walking towards her under the rain.

    ¡°Why are you sote? You left your phone with me.¡± Xi Xiaye was concerned as Mu Yuchen just climbed the staircase.

    Mu Yuchen handed his briefcase to her as he took the home sandals from her. He asked while he changed, ¡°We got into a traffic jam on the way back. Why is it so quiet at home? Where¡¯s our son?¡±

    ¡°Grandmother brought him back to the Mu residence. Lingshi is in a pretty unstable state right now, so I told them to just stay there. We¡¯ll go and get him back on the weekend.¡±

    ¡°Okay, what did you make for dinner? I could smell it from the door.¡±

    ¡°Some of your favorite dishes. Let¡¯s have dinner first.¡±

 Chapter 1060 - 1060 Mr. Mu Is Not Being Honest Again 1

    1060 Mr. Mu Is Not Being Honest Again 1

    The two of them sat down and enjoyed dinner together.

    ¡°My dear, your cooking has improved.¡± Mu Yuchen was generous with hispliments as he shot her a passionate nce.

    Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked into his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s so rare for you topliment me. Mr. Mu, do you realize that the spark between us has gone away even though we haven¡¯t been married for that long yet?¡±

    ¡°Spark? Aren¡¯t you satisfied?¡± He gave her a confused look. Did it not always end with her begging him to stop every time?

    Xi Xiaye blushed. ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m saying that we¡¯ve been so busy and have so much to worry about that we haven¡¯t been able to rx together.¡±

    ¡°I want to have a peaceful, quiet life too, but some people just can¡¯t leave me be. Hang in there and we¡¯ll be able to enjoy ourselves soon, alright?¡± He suddenly reached for her hair beside her ear as he spoke softly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she looked into his eyes. Suddenly, she took out a card and handed it to Mu Yuchen. ¡°This is the money I got from selling the materials. I subtracted the amount of the original cost and the remainder is inside. The PIN number is thest six numbers of the card. Qi Lei is going to report to you about his progress soon, isn¡¯t he? Give this to him.¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed him the card. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I can do, so I¡¯m just going to do my best.¡±

    He put down his bowl and picked up the card. ¡°He¡¯d be very grateful for your help. You don¡¯t really have to do anything since things are going well for him. While it¡¯s great that you took your sweet revenge, you have to be careful. Gu Lingsha might be plotting something against you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not silly. I won¡¯t just let her do anything she wants. Enough about me. Tell me how was it with Gu Qiwu today.¡± Naturally, Xi Xiaye knew he had gone to meet with Gu Qiwu earlier that day.

    Mu Yuchen put the card aside as his eyes darkened slightly. He then replied, ¡°He didn¡¯t take my suggestion.¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°He wasn¡¯t particrly into Aunt. ording to what he said, it seems like everything is because of my aunt¡¯s one-sided love.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! One-sided love? How could they have had Lingtian and Lingshi then? Just how cruel can a man be? How could he say something like that?! Men are horrible!¡± She was really angry when she heard what Mu Yuchen said.

    However, he then looked at her with an odd expression, not seeming very happy.

    Xi Xiaye noticed that she had said something wrong, so she quickly exined herself, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m referring to those men, not you. There¡¯s nothing you can do to make a person stay if that person is determined to leave. Aunt was really silly. She knew it was impossible, but she still wanted to be with him just like a moth seeking out a me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt heartbroken because she knew that Mu Zi had given up her time for a man that was not worth it. As the daughter of the Glory World Corporation boss and an up anding celebrity, she had been such a precious treasure, but in the end, she gave up her life because of this terrible rtionship.

    ¡°I feel that Aunt¡¯s depression was mostly caused by him. Mr. Mu, I won¡¯t wait for you like a fool if you do this to me in the future. Instead, I¡¯d marry someone else and have lots of children to get back at you!¡± Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and red at him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as his tone turned dominant and cold. ¡°Why do you mix our rtionship into this? No one would dare to marry you if I don¡¯t allow it! Unless he thinks he¡¯s lived long enough! Don¡¯t joke about something like this again, or else I have many ways to punish you!¡± Agitated, he put his chopsticks down and left the table to go upstairs.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned by what just happened. It was her first time seeing him storming off like this. Then, she instantly realized she stepped on his forbidden zone. He was actually an insecure person, and her words had definitely hurt him.

    Xi Xiaye clenched her chopsticks and lowered her head after she realized she had not been sensitive and considerate about his feelings. Having lost her appetite after he left, she cleaned up the dishes and went upstairs.

    She was a good child that knew to look back on her mistake and make amends. Knowing that he was in the study room since the lights were switched on, after a moment¡¯s hesitation, she grabbed a ss of water and went into the room. She slowly pushed the door and poked her head inside to see the man sitting in front of the table while staring at theputer screen.

    Xi Xiaye knocked on the door gently, but he did not give any reaction. He was obviously still angry.

    She was a little disheartened when he did not give her any reaction, but she still took a deep breath and went inside. Carefully putting the ss of water beside him, she observed him for a little while before asking, ¡°Mr. Mu...are you angry?¡±

    Mu Yuchen ignored her and continued to glue his eyes to the screen.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank when he did not reply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know...I overdid it. Please don¡¯t be angry at me, please?¡±

    There was still no reaction from him.

    She grabbed his arm and shook him a little. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you, and I definitely don¡¯t mean it. Don¡¯t be angry at me...please...¡±

    Silence.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m wrong!¡±

    There was still no reply!

    ¡°My period just stopped,¡± she forced herself to say as she blushed.

    ¡°Huh?¡± The man suddenly turned his head and looked at her in astonishment.

 Chapter 1061 - 1061 Mr. Mu Is Not Being Honest Again 2

    <strong>1061 Mr. Mu Is Not Being Honest Again 2</strong>

    As his passionate eyes studied her intensely, Xi Xiaye¡¯s little face reddened and she turned her head away as if she suddenly took a great interest in the tablemp.

    ¡°Are you for real?¡± he squinted his eyes at her and asked.

    She paused for a moment and sneaked a nce at him. Then, she slowly moved away and mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. Ah¡ª¡±

    The man quickly grabbed her by her waist and lifted her up before she could finish her sentence. ¡°I¡¯ll allow you to apologize like this in the future.¡±

    ¡°You wish! It¡¯s actually not gone yet...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find out for myself.¡±

    ¡°You bastard, you were just pretending!¡±

    ¡°As long as the trick works!¡±

    ...

    It was the easiest method to make Mr. Mu happy again, but it was also an unhealthy method. It was past midnight after they were done. Satisfied, Mr. Mu looked at the little woman who was panting helplessly and smiled.

    ¡°Your stamina is worrisome.¡±

    Xi Xiaye red at him and grabbed the nket tightly. Defiantly, she took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Nonsense! You always look so nice and proper, but you act like a beast during such moments!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a great thing that we¡¯re having such harmonious lives together! Alright, it¡¯s midnight now. Time to sleep,¡± he said softly with a chuckle.

    ¡°About Gu Qiwu and Ah Shi...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll worry about that tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    The two of them could never get into an argument since they were both extremely rational individuals who would reflect on their thoughts and actions when they had small conflicts between them. Ultimately, they would always admit their own faults.

    He was wide awake as he listened to the gentle breathing of the woman beside him. He could also hear the sound of the curtain rustling against the window frame, and there was a pleasant smell in the air as well.

    He grabbed her tightly and lowered his head to look at her. A tender smile appeared on his face as he stared at her fast asleep. It was pretty rare for her to give in first, but he was pretty happy with what happened!

    Conflicts were not scary. The point was that one of them had to give in first.

    ...

    The man was already gone when Xi Xiaye woke up the next morning, but she could still feel his warmth in the sheets beside her.

    After she slowly got out of the bed and washed up, she heard the music yer ying as she went downstairs. The music provided a cheerful tone in the morning. Soon, she noticed the man speaking with Ah Mo outside therge window.

    He turned around when he noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze. Then, he smiled at her as she slowly came downstairs. Xi Xiaye nodded and went into the kitchen.

    She served the breakfast he made before she went to call out to them, ¡°Come in and have breakfast while you guys talk!¡±

    They sat around the table for breakfast and continued the discussion.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go ording to n then. Make the arrangements. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll talk to Lingshi,¡± Mu Yuchen sat down and poured a bowl of porridge for Ah Mo as he said.

    ¡°Brother, let me do it!¡± Ah Mo grabbed thedle from him.

    As Mu Yuchen pulled out the chair beside him for Xi Xiaye to sit, he said, ¡°Lingshi hasn¡¯t been well ever since she met with Gu Qiwu, so I didn¡¯t want to mention these in front of her. The doctor said it¡¯s a critical period of time for her right now. I can¡¯t let her get worked up, thus I suggested for her to stay at the Mu residence for a while. That way, I can be at ease knowing that Grandfather and Grandmother are looking after her. It¡¯s safer as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to have someone to apany Grandfather and Grandmother too. Didn¡¯t you notice that they¡¯ve been in a great moodtely?¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

    ¡°Ah Mo, you ought to spend more time with Ah Shi. Let your brother get the other subordinates to take care of things at thepany. It¡¯s about time we got you one or two secretaries too.¡± It was Xi Xiaye who had spoken this time. She turned pointedly towards the man beside her.

    ¡°The HR Department did get me a secretary, but I...declined...¡± Ah Mo seemed a little hesitant to express himself, and his face was suspiciously red.

    Xi Xiaye stared at him curiously and asked, ¡°Declined? Why?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi said that she was pretty...¡± Ah Mo answered honestly.

    Xi Xiaye instantly realized what was happening and smirked. ¡°A female secretary! Ah Mo, you have much better sense than a certain someone!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I don¡¯t have any female secretaries, do I? You¡¯d give me some weird look even if I just spared an extra nce at some other woman!¡± Mu Yuchen red at her.

    ¡°Was I talking about you? You sure are impatient.¡± Xi Xiaye returned him a cold nce too.

    Mu Yuchen frowned. He decided to not mess with her today since he was satisfied with her performancest night!

    ¡°Sister-inw, Brother has never had any female secretaries...¡± Ah Mo quickly exined on behalf of Mu Yuchen, ¡°When we were still abroad, the daughter of a billionaire who was also an exceptional assistant wanted to be his assistant, but he ignored her and even told her that she was being annoying. She cried endlessly!¡±

    ¡°Interesting. Very popr, aren¡¯t you, Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re jealous!¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Ah Mo after that. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything unnecessary. You¡¯re the one whoined the secretary was too pushy. The HR Department will be arranging another one for you. Since Imperial Sky Entertainment City is doing welltely, manage it well and I¡¯ll leave it to both Lingshi and you in the future.¡±

    Ah Mo put on a genuine smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother. I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    ¡°Things might get a little chaotic soon. Just keep Lingshi safe and don¡¯t get involved in what¡¯s about to happen.¡± Mu Yuchen then continued his meal.

 Chapter 1062 - Very Happy To See You Again 1

    Chapter 1062 Very Happy To See You Again 1

    After a simple breakfast, Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo left the house. It seemed like they were going over to Zhou Zimo¡¯s ce.

    Since Xi Xiaye was quite free, she tidied up the study room a little, then left the house too. She was nning on visiting Su Nan¡¯s daughter, Xiao Xi, and at the same time, visit the Bamboo Teahouse. She had not been there in a long while, especially since she had recently taken over Fuhua and could barely pull herself away from work.

    Shen Yue and Shen Wenna were both not in City Z while Su Nan was far away in Boston. In addition to that, her son was at the old residence. Xi Xiaye did not know quite what to do when she was idle. She went to a nearby mall to get some gifts and then went to University A.

    Ruan Chenxi could stand on her own now, but she still could not quite walk yet. With a pair of bright eyes, she looked very much like Su Nan, but her nose and mouth looked like Ruan Heng¡¯s. She had a cute and innocent little face. When Xi Xiaye went over, the little girl seemed to be able to recognize Xi Xiaye as she immediately hugged her leg. Xi Xiaye carried her, coaxing her to call her ¡®aunt¡¯. In response, she imitated some simple sounds.

    After quite long of not having seen them, Xi Xiaye felt her heart ache at the sight of Father Su and Mother Su having turned frailer with more white hair.

    After lunch, when Xi Xiaye was leaving, the Su parents walked her down. She could not help but stop and turn around to console them, ¡°Uncle, Aunty, don¡¯t you worry too much. I¡¯ve just gotten off the phone with Ruan Heng¡¯s doctor the day before yesterday. He said that Ruan Heng¡¯s doing quite well now. Once his condition has stabilized, then they¡¯ll be able to run treatments on his head. The blood clot in his head is gradually reducing in size, plus all of his bodily functions are slowly recovering as well. I believe that he¡¯ll be able to wake up soon enough.¡±

    Mother Su sighed and nodded. ¡°Sorry to bother you. Because of this, you and your husband have both put in so much thought. I¡¯m really worried if Ruan Heng will go on like this. Look at how Xiao Xi is still so young. Nan Nan¡¯s a stubborn one too.¡±

    ¡°Aunty, as long as there¡¯s a sliver of hope, we won¡¯t give up. It¡¯ll be a blessing if he wakes up. Xiao Xi will learn how to call her father soon. After all, Ruan Heng won¡¯t be willing to abandon the two of them. Don¡¯t worry too much. If you need anything, just give me a call.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you! You evene all the way! Let Uncle Su send you back,¡± Mother Su said lovingly.

    The Su parents had always been good to her and practically viewed Xi Xiaye as their own daughter. All these years, she had been receiving nothing but warmth from them, so she was filled with respect and gratitude for the two elders.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. My chauffeur and bodyguards are over there. I¡¯ll make a move now.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. I was just about to make a trip to the office,¡± Father Su suggested.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then. Uncle, you seem to be quite busy as ofte. How have things been?¡± Xi Xiaye said as she walked ahead with Father Su.

    ¡°Not too bad. Even though it¡¯s the summer holidays right now, this year University A is applying to set up a Ph.D. program in archaeology. Our school has put a lot of effort into this application, especially in terms of qualified teachers. We¡¯ve recently been nning on hiring a few highly experienced professors in archaeology to oversee it, but it¡¯s not easy to make these connections,¡± Father Su said a little helplessly.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not for you to be worried about. Can¡¯t you just leave it to the subordinates?¡± Xi Xiaye asked, puzzled.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. You must know that there are very few universities that have a Ph.D. archaeology program in the country. Usually, only those more prestigious schools do, and these people are usually at the top. Our university leans more towards science and engineering subjects, so if we want to get this Ph.D. program, it will be quite a feat. Just the initial stages of preparation have been a headache. Weck experienced talents. If we can hire influential talents in the field to form the team, then I think we can work harder and stand a better chance.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a long while, before suggesting, ¡°This is quite a specialized field, Uncle Su. I rmend that you begin with the antique industry.¡±

    Father Su nodded. ¡°You and I share the same thoughts. I heard that you and your grandfather, Shen Yue, seem to be quite interested in antiques. Have you then heard of a person called Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun?¡± Xi Xiaye thought that the name sounded very familiar like she had heard it somewhere before.

    ¡°Mmm, Dongfang Liuyun...The school was recently nning on hiring her to be the assistant head of the archaeology department, but she doesn¡¯t have too much of an interest in education, so she¡¯s only willing to be our guest professor.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Su, this name sounds so familiar to me. What¡¯s she like?¡± Xi Xiaye asked, puzzled.

    ¡°She¡¯s a genius in the field of archaelogoy. She¡¯s very young at only 27 years old this year and she¡¯s already earned a doctorate in archaelogy from a prestigious institute abroad. At the same time, she herself runs a huge antique business that is renowned in the industry. She has discerning eyes and loves adventures. Armed with vast experience in this aspect, every paper that she¡¯s ever published has a lot of great insights as reference.¡±

    When Father Su spoke about this person, his tone was filled with praise. Xi Xiaye rarely heard him rmend a person so highly. However, after he said all that, she suddenly remembered who Dongfang Liuyun was. When Mu Yuchen had given Shen Yue the chessboard, Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have personally evaluated it.

    ¡°Uncle Su, I¡¯ve heard of this person before, but it seems like she only acknowledges treasured objects and not people. She¡¯s got a weird temperament!¡±

    ¡°Is that so? It looks like I must visit her myself then.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Su. With a will, you can achieve anything. University A has a great environment, and a lot of people wish they could work there. I believe that she¡¯ll ept your offer. My grandpa seems to have some kind of rtionship with this person, so I¡¯ll get him to try helping when the timees.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯d be great. Initially, it should¡¯ve been your father working on this, but since he¡¯s traveling abroad, I¡¯ll just have to do this myself!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry then, Uncle Su. I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, the institute belongs to everyone. If we can attract more good and experienced teachers, talented people wille and teach at University A. That¡¯s our responsibility too. I hope that University A can be elevated under my management.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you achieved your wishes, Uncle Su? This year, in the national ranking for universities, University A was very much in the lead. In fact, it achieved one level higher fromst year. Even I¡¯m proud about it since my parents are both University A lecturers.¡±

    ¡°Haha, hearing that makes me happy!¡±

 Chapter 1063 - Very Happy To See You Again 2

    1063 Very Happy To See You Again 2

    It was a rare cloudy day. While it was gloomy, there was also a faint humidity in the air and the breeze was slightly cold.

    The evenings seemed to alwayse sooner with such dismal weather. It was only around 5 p.m., and already the sky had darkened. The streetlights on both sides of the street were lit up too. On the wide road, traffic flowed nonstop.

    On the way towards the Grand Lakes Vi area, a luxurious ck car was speeding. When it turned at a corner and saw the supermarket on the side, the car suddenly stopped.

    A bodyguard in ck opened the front passenger door to help a beautiful little girl who was dressed in a white princess dress down from the car. The girl looked a little pale.

    ¡°Weiwei, are you feeling better?¡± A man¡¯s tender voice was heard as the bodyguard helped Qi Feng down next. Qi Feng then moved to sit on a bench by the roadside.

    Concerned, Morrison looked at the pale Qi Weier, who sat a little ufortably while panting beside Qi Feng, as he said softly, ¡°Master, Miss Weiwei...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Get a bottle of water from the supermarket,¡± Qi Feng instructed solemnly.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go right away!¡± Morisson responded, then turned to walk into the supermarket behind him.

    ¡°Weiwei, I¡¯ll get you your medicine.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s handsome face was filled with a hint of concern as he reached out to steady Qi Weier¡¯s tottering body. He reached in to feel his pocket and quickly took out a small medicine bottle. Then, he poured out two little white pills for the little girl.

    Qi Weier seemed to stare numbly at the pills in Qi Feng¡¯s palm. Moments after that, she looked up at Qi Feng like she was pleading him, her pale little face filled with pain. Even her breathing was beginning to be slightly rushed and uneven.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. You¡¯ll be fine once you take them. When Uncle Morrisones back with the water, you¡¯ll be fine. Be good, okay?¡± Qi Feng was extremely patient as he looked at his daughter pitifully.

    Qi Weier¡¯s health had always been quite poor. Because they were worried that something would happen to her anytime, Qi Feng always had her medication with him and was prepared for any time they would need it. All these years, it had be a habit to bring her medication along whenever they left the house.

    ¡°Father, I don¡¯t want to...it hurts...it hurts...¡± Qi Weier seemed to whimper these words with much difficulty since she could not speak clearly. Her face was filled with fear, and Qi Feng obviously felt his heart ache at this sight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be well soon enough. You just have to eat your medicine on time. If you¡¯re feeling ufortable, then tell me. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t suffer. Come on, be good!¡±

    Qi Weier looked at Qi Feng timidly, refusing to take the pills for a long time. Her frail little body was trembling as she leaned on her side while her bright blue eyes were filled with fear.

    Qi Feng frowned helplessly. Just when he wanted to hold her hand, he suddenly heard a rumble. Then, there was a cool feeling on the back of his hand. Peering down, he realized that his hand was wet.

    It had started to rain without warning. A rush of cool breeze assaulted both of them!

    Qi Feng subconsciously frowned as he looked up at the sky above him. It was extremely dark and raindrops were falling incessantly.

    ¡°Weiwei,e to me! It¡¯s raining!¡± Qi Feng wanted to put Qi Weier into his arms. Morrison had left to the supermarket in a rush and forgot to bring them an umbre while the chauffeur was still looking for parking!

    However, Qi Weier dared not go over. Instead, she got up and wanted to evade Qi Feng!

    Bam!

    Xi Xiaye suddenly felt something bump into her. A soft little creature leaned into her, and she dropped her bag of things all over the floor. Subconsciously, she reached out to hold up the little figure that bumped into her, causing the umbre in her hand to tilt to a side.

    ¡°Weiwei!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s deep and raspy voice was heard while Qi Weier tightly hugged the person before her. She squeezed her eyes shut and did not want to let go.

    Caught by surprise, Xi Xiaye was about to subconsciously push the person before her away when she got a better look and realized that it was Qi Weier! Her little body was trembling in rm while she hugged her leg tightly and did not want to let go, sticking herself to her so stubbornly that Xi Xiaye could not pull her away even if she wanted to.

    With a frown, Xi Xiaye steadied the umbre in her hand and looked down at the pale little girl. Her expression was mixed when she nced up at Qi Feng who had an equally questioning expression on his face as he sat on the bench. He was soaked by the fine raindrops. However, it did not affect his handsome elegance at all!

    When he saw Xi Xiaye underneath therge umbre, he seemed quite shocked as well. The light in his eyes froze momentarily, then his handsome face shed with a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m very happy to see you again, Miss Xi.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused to look down at Qi Weier who was looking up at her while trembling slightly, then at Qi Feng. Her calm voice said, ¡°I¡¯m not very happy to see you again though. Little one, do you mind letting go of me?¡±

    When she said that, Qi Weier hugged her even more tightly instead as her blue eyes started to tear up.

    Xi Xiaye tried to pull her arm away, but the girl clung to her and did not want to let go. Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows furrowed even more now.

    ¡°Weiwei,e here!¡± Qi Feng said softly.

    ¡°No!¡± Qi Weier cried out in panic, ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye looked down at her and saw the rm and uneasiness in her eyes, she was slightly stunned. She hesitated for a moment and seemed to understand her fear. Then, she bent down slightly to persuade her gently, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let go of me first, will you? I¡¯ve dropped my things!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Weier looked down at the ground and then let go of Xi Xiaye in a daze. Instantly, she squatted down and helped Xi Xiaye pick up her things.

    At this moment, the rain began to pour even harder, so Xi Xiaye held onto the umbre tightly. When she saw Qi Weier¡¯s frail body squat down, she subconsciously moved her umbre over her head and swiftly put the things on the ground back into her bag.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s raining quite heavily. Get into the car first. Thank you!¡± Xi Xiaye squatted down and met Qi Weier¡¯s misty blue eyes as she smiled calmly, then handed her the umbre for her to hold before she slowly stood up.

 Chapter 1064 - 1064 Very Happy To See You Again 3

    1064 Very Happy To See You Again 3

    Qi Feng just watched quietly as Xi Xiaye handed Qi Weier her umbre. He only spoke up when she started to move away, ¡°Thank you, Ms. Xi.¡±

    Xi Xiaye halted mid-step and looked at him getting a little drenched from the rain. She had to admit that Qi Feng was indeed attractive, especially his eyes that looked so mesmerizing. If she had not already met a wonderful man like Mr. Mu, she might have fallen for this guy instead. She decided not to say anything and picked up her bags, about to leave.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Qi Feng called out to her as she just took her first step.

    Xi Xiaye took a pause and stopped.

    ¡°It¡¯s my wedding with Lingsha next Sunday. You¡¯re wee to join us.¡± Qi Feng took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I don¡¯t have to deliver this to your ce.¡±

    She took a nce at the fiery red envelope, then looked into Qi Feng¡¯s eyes as she replied coldly, ¡°You¡¯re not really keen on having Mr. Mu over, are you?¡±

    Qi Feng did not answer her question. Instead, he nced at her arms. ¡°How are your arms?¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her eyes to her arms. However, she did not reply or take the envelope from Qi Feng who still maintained his arm midair with the invitation.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t doubt my integrity, Ms. Xi.¡± Qi Feng put on a mysterious smile. ¡°It¡¯s your decision whether toe or not, but it¡¯s only courtesy to hand out the invitation to you.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye noticed his smile, she took the envelope from him. Opening it, she realized that there were two invitations: one for her and the other one for Mu Yuchen. She frowned. ¡°Thank you so much for your invitation!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s a pleasure to get to know you. I suppose I should start building a good rtionship with you in order to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings like with the South River project. What do you think? Ms. Xi?¡±

    Because Qi Feng sounded like he was teasing her, Xi Xiaye felt that his way of speech was very odd. Nheless, she smiled and shrugged. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    She then walked forward and she soon disappeared amidst the rain.

    Qi Feng did not move an inch as he just watched her leave, his expression a little odd while his eyes appeared empty. Panting, Qi Weier wanted to chase after her, but Qi Feng stopped her. He quickly grabbed the big umbre and held her. ¡°Weiwei, she¡¯s not your mother. Stop chasing her!¡±

    ¡°Aunty...¡± Qi Weier stared nkly into the direction where Xi Xiaye left. She seemed disappointed and soon went quiet again.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have more chances to see her again. Here, take the medicine and feel better. I¡¯ll bring you to visit that Aunty soon, alright?¡±

    ¡°First Master! Here¡¯s some water!¡± Morrison rushed over with two bottles of water in his hand. He had actually seen what happened earlier.

    Qi Weier took the tablets from him and forced herself to swallow them. Immediately, Morrison opened the bottle of water and handed it to her. To everyone¡¯s relief, Qi Weier seemed better after a while.

    ¡°First Master, Xi Xiaye...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk inside the car!¡± Qi Feng interrupted Morrison and held the umbre above Qi Weier.

    Pausing momentarily, Morrison followed his order and got the chauffeur to drive the car over first. Then, he helped Qi Weier get in before helping Qi Feng.

    Qi Weier quickly snatched the ck umbre from the chauffeur as Qi Feng entered the car. Stubbornly, she held onto it tightly.

    ¡°Weiwei...¡± Qi Feng looked at her helplessly, but she refused to say anything.

    ¡°First Master, Ms. Weiwei...¡± Morrison was confused by Qi Weier¡¯s behavior.

    ¡°She has a great impression of Xi Xiaye.¡± Qi Feng threw the girl a worrisome nce. ¡°Even better than her own mother.¡±

    While Gu Lingsha was always protective of Qi Weier, the little girl felt pretty distant from her. Although things were getting bettertely, she had always felt fearful towards Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°First Master, maybe we should bring Ms. Weiwei to a psychiatrist. I¡¯m worried that...her condition will worsen,¡± Morrison spoke after some consideration.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened as he watched his daughter stare out of the window quietly while clutching the ck umbre tightly. He seemed worried too. ¡°Contact a trustworthy doctor.¡±

    Morrison nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, First Master, I¡¯ll get it done!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Qi Feng then closed his eyes.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to meet Second Master Qi?¡± Morrison asked hesitantly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want something simr to happen again. Things will only get worse if I try to force him to go back. His attitude has been oddtely, so we should stay put and observe.¡±

    ¡°First Master, our n thest time didn¡¯t just fail to reduce his influence, but he¡¯s helped thepany settle down instead. He¡¯s being really smart right now by avoiding all the internal conflicts and only focusing on the external projects.¡± Morrison was surprised.

    ¡°My brother is no pushover, especially with Mu Yuchen backing him up. He¡¯ll be an extremely powerful weapon if we can utilize him well.¡± Qi Feng smiled wryly.

    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to take control of Qi Kai as soon as possible! I¡¯ve contacted Professor Terl who is very well known in the medical field. We can¡¯t give up on any possible hope, so please, First Master, let him take a look at your legs.¡±

 Chapter 1065 - 1065 Swift Snowy Is A Beauty? 1

    <strong>1065 Swift Snowy Is A Beauty? 1</strong>

    Qi Feng did not look veryfortable. He lowered his head and looked at his legs as the sharpness in his eyes disappeared. Then, he clenched his fists and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. Momentster, he returned to being calm.

    ¡°First Master, we can¡¯t give up on any tiny amount of hope. The doctors we saw abroad never said that it was impossible for you to stand again, and since you¡¯ve been receiving massages every day, your legs have shown no sign of dystrophia. This means that your condition is still positive. Please give it a try,¡± Morrison tried to encourage when he noticed Qi Feng¡¯s hesitance.

    ¡°Make the arrangements,¡± Qi Feng replied after some time. Although his tone was cold, he did not sound very motivated.

    Morrison nodded with a grin. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll make the arrangements right away!¡± He then quickly contacted Professor Terl as soon as the car started moving.

    The sky had already turned dark when Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence, and it was notably chilly outside at the moment.

    She noticed that the kitchen lights were switched on when she entered the house, so she left her stuff on the table and then entered. She could smell the appetizing aroma as soon as she entered the kitchen. The man was busy cooking right in front of the stove, and Xi Xiaye suddenly felt famished.

    ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± He quickly noticed someone¡¯s presence behind him. Without turning around, he knew who was there.

    Xi Xiaye moved closer and looked at him cooking from the side. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I went back. A lot of work has piled up, but I¡¯m already nning to pass it down since I¡¯ve been too busy to take care of it anyway.¡±

    He turned around and looked at her. Then, he frowned when he noticed she was soaked. ¡°Isn¡¯t there an umbre inside the car? Where are the bodyguards? Howe you got so wet?¡±

    She wiped off some of the rainwater as she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a little drizzle. Are you almost done? I¡¯m famished...¡±

    He chuckled and put a piece of meat inside her mouth. He then gazed at her gently. ¡°Give this a try. You said this was delicious thest time we went to that restaurant, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯ll show you just how amazing I am today.¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him before epting his treat gracefully. Right away, her eyes brightened up and she quickly nodded as she replied with garbled words, ¡°This is good! It¡¯s close to that taste! How did you do that? How did you cook it the same way even without the recipe?¡±

    ¡°Just be mindful and observe it when you eat. You¡¯ll be able to figure out what¡¯s in it. Then, you¡¯ll get the same taste after some experimentation.¡± He shot her a proud nce.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I suddenly realize that the reason I was so easily attracted to you wasn¡¯t just about your spectacr appearance...¡± She slowly swallowed the food in relish and her eyes were shining like clear crystals as she grinned.

    Calmly, Mu Yuchen shifted his gaze away and said in a firm tone, ¡°I¡¯d be really relieved if you¡¯d be satisfied with just my appearance!¡±

    ¡°You can definitely make a living with this pretty face, Mr. Mu.¡± She chuckled as she lifted his chin with one finger to observe his face carefully.

    ¡°And be your little house husband at home?¡± He rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Go and prepare the cutleries!¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed and left a tiny peck on his cheek. She quickly backed off and went to set up the table.

    The exquisite dinner was soon served though the house was quiet as there were only the two of them. It felt like they returned to how it was when they just got married. Maple Residence was quiet with just the two of them around. The only change was that Xi Xiaye always missed her son, as well as Shen Yue and Mu Zirui.

    Following dinner, she quickly left the table and went upstairs to give Shen Yue and Mu Zirui a call since they were still in France. Being an understanding husband, Mu Yuchen cleaned up after dinner. After a shower, he went to the study room.

    It was already 10 p.m. when Xi Xiaye was done with a call and had taken a shower. Suddenly, she remembered what happened outside the supermarket, so she quickly grabbed the two invitation cards and went into the study room.

    Mu Yuchen was focused on reading inside the study room, but he raised his eyebrows when he noticed the little woman getting closer with a frown on her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed him the invitation cards. ¡°Take a look at these for yourself. I bumped into Qi Feng when I was on the way back. He gave these to me. Should we attend his wedding with Gu Lingsha next weekend?¡±

    A light flickered in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he stopped reading. He nced at the big, red invitation cards in Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand.

    She took a deep breath and put them onto the table. ¡°Their wedding seems pretty grand. I suppose they want to put on a huge act for the media too. Besides, it feels like Qi Qiming is trying to help Qi Feng gain poprity. The news of their wedding must be getting a lot of attention.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply as he took the invitations and nced through them with a cold smile. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll respond to his warm invitation. In fact, I¡¯ll prepare a super big wedding gift for them.¡±

    ¡°Be careful. I can feel that Qi Feng is hiding something. It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry,¡± she reminded.

    Mu Yuchen left the invitations on the table and smiled. ¡°Avoid it if you can¡¯t win. You¡¯re getting smarter.¡±

    Xi Xiaye started giggling.

 Chapter 1066 - 1066 Swift Snowy Is A Beauty? 2

    <strong>1066 Swift Snowy Is A Beauty? 2</strong>

    On the same night, not too far away from the Grand Waves Vi was the Grand Lakes Vi area. Inside a certain mansion, Qi Lei was lounging on the sofa and drinking a cup of flower tea as he flipped through some documents on the side.

    It was the proposal from City B.

    He was focused on it when there was an abrupt knock from outside. He subconsciously looked up to see the door already opened as Yang Sheng quickly entered. Qi Lei instantly raised his handsome brows and looked at him to say, ¡°It¡¯s quitete. Why are you here?¡± He took a sip of tea, then lowered his head to continue reading the document.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s face brimmed with joy when he immediately went up to him to say, ¡°Master Qi, good news! Good news!¡±

    ¡°What good news? Quickly tell me so I can share your happiness too,¡± Qi Lei said nonchntly as he flipped over a page, his expression calm.

    There was an odd smile on Yang Sheng¡¯s face as he walked over to Qi Lei¡¯s side and passed him a note. He cleared his throat and smiled to say, ¡°Master Qi, look at what this is!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qi Lei brushed Yang Sheng away and continued to read his document.

    ¡°Master Qi! Take a look! Look!¡± Yang Sheng urged and took away the document in his hand before putting the note before him.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Qi Lei cursed softly, but he took the note up. When he clearly read the contents, his profound eyes immediately lit up and he looked at Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng beamed and said, ¡°Swift Snowy¡¯s real name is Dongfang Liuyun. She has a doctorate in archaeology, and she¡¯s the boss of De Bao Antique store. As a genius in the field of archaeology, her father also runs an antique business while her mother has a ratherrge-scalew firm. She¡¯s 27 this year and has just returned to the country this year. More details are in there. Look, and look here too.¡±

    He took out a picture from his pocket and waved it before Qi Lei with a wide grin. ¡°Want to see how she looks like? She¡¯s a beauty!¡±

    When Qi Lei heard the words ¡®beauty¡¯, he impatiently reached out to take the picture from Yang Sheng¡¯s hand, yet the man suddenly lifted his hand higher and evaded him.

    ¡°Let me see!¡± Qi Lei reached towards Yang Sheng, his eyes full of anticipation!

    He would like to see how this Swift Snowy looked like. A Ph.D. in archaeology! She was academically so sessful at such a young age and was an antique expert. Just from the way she yed games, he was already in admiration of her! This woman was a fighter among sessful career women!

    Qi Lei was excited now as he could not wait to see how she looked like!

    To him, sessful women in this kind of field mostly wore a thick pair of sses and were as plump and round as a ball, or they could be the studious type with straight-cut shoulder-length hair! That was how he pictured women like Dongfang Liuyun would look like.

    However, the more Yang Sheng saw Qi Lei¡¯s excitement, the more he hid the photo behind him.

    ¡°Give it to me! Quick! I want to see how ugly she is! This woman is so untactful. Calling her my wife was apliment, yet she was so sour about it!¡±

    Yang Sheng onlyughed out loud and responded, ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re wrong this time around. Swift Snowy, oh wait, no, Dongfang Liuyun is really a stunner! Her elegance is on the same level as Director Xi¡¯s! Really! I was mesmerized the first time I saw her!¡±

    ¡°Then, why are you still dragging this out?! Quickly show me!¡± Qi Lei rushed.

    Yang Sheng thenughed and handed him the photo.

    The girl in the photo had a bright angelic face. Her skin was as fair as jade while her brows were arched perfectly and her calm eyes flickered like the stars in the sky. Her long hair was casually tied into a pair of refreshing braids that fell before her chest. The cream-colored blouse on her slender body made her look slim and young. She had long, fair legs, and a faint crescent-like smile.

    She sure was a delightful vision and exuded an elegant aura all over! That was Qi Lei¡¯s first reaction to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s picture. She was a perfectly refined and exquisite beauty that also shone with elegance!

    Instantly stunned, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were fixed on the person in the photo for a long while, and he did not snap back to his senses for a long while.

    When Yang Sheng noticed this from the side, he tried hard to hold his chuckle back, but then his softughter was heard.

    Master Qi was still himself; upon seeing beautiful women, he would still be stunned, much less when it came to a goddess like Dongfang Liuyun!

    When he first saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s picture, he was instantly dazed. It was not just about how outstanding her features were, but it was also the way she was overall. You could not help but admire her because she was simply beautiful!

    Some time had passed when Qi Lei finally regained his senses and turned to look at Yang Sheng. He looked down at the photo in his hand again and asked nkly, ¡°Are you sure this woman in the photo is Dongfang Liuyun? The Swift Snowy that I¡¯d asked you to investigate?¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded gently and chortled. ¡°Master Qi, if you are referring to De Bao Antique¡¯s Swift Snowy, then it should be her, Dongfang Liuyun! She¡¯s quite famous in the scene. Anyone in this field who has some form of insight should be quite familiar with her. She¡¯s a genius in the archaeological field with vast experience. Even many people in the industry will concede defeat to her. In fact, don¡¯t forget that her father is an extremely famous expert in the field!¡± Towards the end of his description, his eyes lit up.

    ¡°Master Qi, Dongfang Liuyun is really quite something, but I heard that she¡¯s a workaholic. All of her attention is on archaeological adventures. She¡¯s quite entric and doesn¡¯t have a great rtionship with her family. De Bao was something her father tossed to her to learn as practice,¡± Yang Sheng exined again.

    Qi Lei was already squinting meaningfully at the picture as he scoffed. ¡°Dongfang Liuyun...De Bao Antiques, huh?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, are you really thinking of looking for her? I forgot to tell you that she¡¯s very skilled in martial arts andes from a trained family!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Do you think that she could go on archaeological adventures if she didn¡¯t have a trick or two up her sleeves?¡±

 Chapter 1067 - 1067 Swift Snowy Is A Beauty? 3

    <strong>1067 Swift Snowy Is A Beauty? 3</strong>

    Before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei had already refuted him.

    Yang Sheng thenughed and quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s true, that¡¯s true! Master Qi, you¡¯re right. I was just worried that you¡¯d be at a disadvantage. That¡¯s why I found out a lot of things. Master, needless to say, she likes antiques! Her favorite colors are ck and army green! Just like you, she¡¯s never dated! Ah, her favorite food is...¡±

    Yang Sheng began reporting on and on about Dongfang Liuyun. In the end, Qi Lei just red coldly at him.

    When he felt that fierce coldness attack him, Yang Sheng shut up with a start.

    ¡°Why did you investigate her in such detail?¡± Qi Lei asked coldly.

    Yang Sheng then seemed sullen and smiled weakly before saying, ¡°Master Qi, I was just worried that you¡¯d need the details. It¡¯s rare for you to fancy someone, and it¡¯s even rarer that you¡¯re looking for a wife. As your subordinate, I would, of course, do my best to find out everything for you!¡±

    ¡°Only you would think of that!¡± Qi Lei held up the photos and gave Yang Sheng two punches before he asked irritatedly, ¡°When did I say that I fancy her or that I¡¯m looking for a wife?¡±

    Yang Sheng felt indignant!

    He did! In fact, did he not say earlier that he was calling her his wife, and that being his spouse was thedy¡¯s honor? What was happening!?

    However, he could not do anything about it. Master Qi had been having mood swings as ofte.

    ¡°Enough, I¡¯ll take these. Go home soon and rest for a day tomorrow. There¡¯s no need toe over. I want some time alone.¡± Qi Lei flicked the picture, then kept both the picture and the note away.

    Yang Sheng then cleared his throat and quickly bowed before saying, ¡°Alright! Oh, right, Master Qi, I heard that Master Feng came over earlier today. I was wondering if...¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng came to my ce?¡± When Qi Lei heard, he instantly frowned and looked at Yang Sheng in confusion.

    Yang Sheng nodded, ¡°Yes, earlier when I was going to sent CEO Qi some materials, I overheard him saying to someone on the phone that in the evening, Master Feng came looking for you. I think it¡¯s probably about his wedding with Manager Gu next weekend.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s their wedding, not mine. Why would hee looking for me? I didn¡¯t see him either.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯ll then... Yang Sheng looked hesitantly at Qi Lei and said softly, ¡°Do we want to go back for a visit? It¡¯s such a huge affair after all. I¡¯m worried that someone will write a whole news article about it again.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll always have a little trick or two. We can¡¯t do much about it, so just y by ear.¡± Qi Lei waved him away impatiently and turned around to sit back on the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯ll know what to do. Go home first! Help me prepare a wedding gift for them!¡± he said before picking up the document from the table once again and continued flipping through it.

    ¡°Alright, I got it, Master Qi! Rest earlier. I¡¯ll go back now. Goodnight!¡±

    Yang Sheng left silently. After the sound of the door closing softly was heard, soon, the entire vi fell into silence.

    Qi Lei quickly finished browsing through the final parts of the content, then put everything away. He looked up at the clock and saw that it was close to 11 p.m. After some thought, he then swiftly went upstairs.

    Swift Snowy seemed to be quite busy recently. Every time she went online, it would be almost 11 p.m. which was about now. That night, she was going to fight a clone, so he was obviously very happy to apany her!

    He wondered if he would have the chance to get close to a beauty like her. Was this woman really as the investigation oue reported?

    Qi Lei was bing more and more curious now. He felt like he had to understand this ¡®wife¡¯ of his!

    ...

    With the wedding date getting closer and closer, Gu Lingsha had already stopped everything that she was doing, and put her whole heart into the preparations. The wedding photos, the dress, and many other things she had to prepare for the wedding kept her extremely busy, but there was still one thing on her mind.

    Because she still had not personally exined this to Doris, she could only rely on her father to hold her mother¡¯s anger back. Gu Lingsha knew Doris well. If she really did not want things to go a certain way, despite Gu Qiwu being around, the situation would not change.

    Right now, Gu Lingsha wished that her mother would only return once her wedding ceremony with Qi Feng was done!

    Underneath the flower rack in the Gu family¡¯s backyard, Gu Lingsha¡¯s sudden voice interrupted Gu Qiwu who was deep in thought, ¡°Father, you¡¯ve asked me toe back at such ast minute. Did something happen?¡±

    Gu Qiwu turned his head leisurely and realized that Gu Lingsha was standing behind him. He pointed at the seat beside him. ¡°Have a seat!¡±

    She paused to consider it, then took a seat.

    ¡°How are the wedding preparationsing along?¡± He looked at her in concern as he picked up his tea for a sip.

    ¡°The preparations are pretty much done. I¡¯ve just been a little busy recently. Ah Feng practically nned the wedding by himself. He¡¯s even written a song for it, and it¡¯ll be our march-in song. He¡¯s been insanely busy recently. Otherwise, I¡¯d have asked him to visit you before the wedding...¡± she said apologetically.

    Gu Qiwu lifted a hand to stop Gu Lingsha from continuing. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be worried about on my end. You should be worried about your mother! She¡¯snding in City Z tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. You and Ah Feng should go pick her up. Bring Weiwei along too.¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression immediately turned rigid. ¡°Father, are you saying that Mother hase straight to City Z? Didn¡¯t Grandmother say that she was still in Ennd?¡±

    ¡°Talk nicely to her and don¡¯t provoke her because that won¡¯t do you any good. I¡¯ll have to return to City B for a bit tomorrow and might only be able to rush back by midnight. I¡¯ll let you two wee your mother,¡± Gu Qiwu said softly as he lowered his eyes to hide the mixed emotions in his eyes.

    Gu Lingsha naturally did not notice anything unusual about him. She quickly nodded and responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, we will. Mother¡¯s angry at me, but I¡¯ll exin everything to her.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, your mother¡¯s like that,¡± Gu Qiwu responded calmly. He fell silent for a bit and then suddenly looked up at the vines in front of him before he continued, ¡°Lingsha, have you considered that it might be good to get Weiwei a ymate? Didn¡¯t you use to wish that you had a younger brother or sister too?¡±

 Chapter 1068 - 1068 I, Swift Snowy 1

    <strong>1068 I, Swift Snowy 1</strong>

    ¡°Younger brother or sister?¡±

    Gu Lingsha immediately frowned. She thought about it for a moment, then her expression stiffened and her blue eyes darkened. She could not help but say a little bitterly, ¡°Father, don¡¯t you know about my situation too? After I gave birth to Weiwei, I can¡¯t...so in this lifetime, I¡¯ll only have Weiwei as my only daughter.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression turned slightly solemn as he paused in consideration, then continued, ¡°But you know very well yourself how Weiwei¡¯s situation is. If we don¡¯t work harder on guiding her, it won¡¯t do her any good to go on being like this. When ites to this point, I agree with Qi Feng more. It will be great to let Weiwei experience how it¡¯s like to live like other people and interact with normal people.¡±

    ¡°I know, Father! But Weiwei...she seems to be quite afraid of strangers ever since she returned this time around. Even when I y with her, she seems to reject me. Right now, she only listens to Qi Feng. At home, with Mary around, she¡¯s closer to herpared to me as her mother.¡± When Gu Lingsha said this, she had helplessness in her eyes.

    ¡°Lingsha, you have to make ns for yourself too. You should understand that the reason why Qi Qiming agreed easily to your marriage with Qi Feng wasn¡¯t because of your many years of rtionship with Qi Feng. He cares more about the Hui Gu Corporation. Even though Qi Feng¡¯s legs are crippled now, he may or may not recover in the future, and he may not get together with another woman. You should know very well how Qi Qiming¡¯s situation is. Although he looks strict, the women around him...¡± Gu Qiwu reminded her earnestly as he turned to fix his gaze on Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°You can¡¯t guarantee that Qi Feng won¡¯t be like him in the future while you, just as you said, can¡¯t give birth anymore. You don¡¯t need me to spell out the rest.¡±

    Gu Qiwu stopped there, yet Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze at that moment while she thought about it. Then, she could not help but bite her lip and breathed in sharply. ¡°Father, I understand what you mean. I¡¯ll be more aware of that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. You should be vignt about some things. Now, most importantly, you should be cultivating your capabilities at Qi Kai and have your own trusted aides. With the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s support, you don¡¯t need to worry that Qi Feng will be another Qi Qiming.¡±

    Following Gu Qiwu¡¯s reminder, Gu Lingsha continued, ¡°I understand. After Wang Qin died, Qi Kai practically fell into Uncle Qi¡¯s hands. However, at the same time, corrupted practices were exposed. Even on Uncle Qi¡¯s side, not everyone is loyal. For example, the dissatisfaction Yue Hai has towards Uncle Qi. Still, Yue Hai¡¯s quite capable and Xi Xinyi is on his team too. If we can get him on our side, my position in Qi Kai will definitely be much stronger.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide on what you should do. You need to handle your mother well too. Don¡¯t let any other problems sprout up. If I can¡¯t make it back in time tomorrow, then I might stay for another day or two in City B. Regardless, if there¡¯s anything, just give me a call again.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry, Father!¡±

    After that, the father and daughter had some idle talk. When Gu Lingsha left, it was already in the evening.

    ...

    After quite a few days of wind and rain, the weather became much sunnier and the evening sky was azure as the warm sun hung on the western horizon, showering the entire City Z in a sacred tenderness.

    Situated in the north of the city center was a high-end but quiet main street.

    A ck, luxury race car slowly stopped by the roadside. Yang Sheng, who sat in the front passenger seat, turned to say to Qi Lei, ¡°Master, we¡¯re here. De Feng Avenue is here and De Bao is right in the middle. I¡¯ve been here many times.¡±

    Qi Lei then opened his eyes gently. His calm gaze looked through the thick sunsses and out of the window while in front, Yang Sheng had already swiftly gotten down to open the car door. ¡°Master Qi, I¡¯ve found out that De Bao only has one boss, and that is Dongfang Liuyun. She¡¯s been in the shop recently and rarely goes out. If you go at this time, there shouldn¡¯t be too many people and she should be free as well. Oh, Master Qi, do you want me to help you get a bouquet of flowers? Since this is your first time meeting her, it feels more official and polite to turn up with a bouquet!¡±

    Yang Sheng began to feel nervous on Qi Lei¡¯s behalf. He nced around, and soon his sight fell on a florist. Meanwhile, Qi Lei only rolled his eyes at him.

    ¡°You can¡¯t expect good words from a scoundrel! I¡¯m here to look at antiques. It¡¯s not a meetup with an inte friend. No, not even a blind date. Do I need flowers? Even if I do, I don¡¯t need you to teach me how to get girls. Just wait here for me!¡± Qi Lei said and fixed his sunsses and his shirt. Then, he cleared his throat before walking slowly ahead.

    Based on Yang Sheng¡¯s directions, Qi Lei walked along the streets and looked at every store. He walked for quite a distance before he found the huge signboard with the words ¡°De Bao¡± written on it.

    This street specialized in collecting antiques. Along the way, both sides of the streets were quite a sight and Qi Lei was overwhelmed by the beauty of the rustess. Finally, he found his target.

    At that moment, the entrance to De Bao was wide open. The shop was huge. From the outside, you could feel that De Bao was decorated in a very subduedvish fashion. It was rich with a charm of antiquity and was not quite the same as the other antique stores around. It had more uniqueness to it. You could tell that the owner who decorated the store had exquisite taste.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows and stood in front of the entrance for a long time. He seemed to be pondering before he finally walked slowly in.

    He had just stepped foot into the store when there was a faint fragrance of earthy wood. An air of antiquity suddenly came over him, making him feel much more at ease. The fatigue that he felt from a day¡¯s work unexpectedly began to fade.

    Then, he heard an elegant and melodious zither tune.

    On both sides of the rack were filled with all sorts of antiques. Qi Lei fixed his eyes on a little golden te beside him, and just by the looks of the carved dragon and phoenix, you could tell that it was not cheap.

    As he walked further in, the smell that filled his nose became even thicker. He looked all around, and soon noticed the customer waiting area inside. There was a steaming pot of tea, and on the wooden coffee table before the mahogany chair, there was also a cup of hot tea. Whiffs of fragrant tea filled the air, making one feel much more rxed.

 Chapter 1069 - 1069 I, Swift Snowy 2

    1069 I, Swift Snowy 2

    Qi Lei looked around but did not see anyone inside. However, from the looks of things, the owner should be present.

    He frowned as he started casually looking at the antiques around him.

    Ding!

    Qi Lei suddenly heard the crisp sound of metal just as he turned at a corner. Quickly, he spun to the source of the sound and found a delightful scenery right before him.

    Beside the swaying curtains, there was ady wearing a loose, white shirt standing beside the window. There was a light-colored sash tied around her waist. Her long, silky hair was let down behind her back, and she wore a pair of beige cotton shoes on her feet.

    Qi Lei already found her attractive just from the back. At this moment, he almost forgot how to breathe.

    Goddess, please turn around! Hurry!

    Second Master Qi whispered in his heart, but the beauty right there could not read his mind. Meanwhile, she was fidgeting with something in her hand.

    It was a dart!

    She shifted her center of gravity and aimed at some point outside the window. Then, she threw the dart without an ounce of hesitation.

    Ding!

    There was another sound of a dartnding.

    Qi Lei squinted his eyes, barely able to see her face from his location.

    Swift Snowy! Dongfang Liuyun!

    He knew it. There was no way he could not find her!

    ¡°The stuff on your left is not for sale. Take a look at the things on your right.¡± A melodic voice reached his ears like the wind.

    Qi Lei quickly gazed at thedy who did not even bother to turn around and continued to aim her next dart! Frowning, he hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°What if I told you that I¡¯m not here to buy anything?¡±

    ¡°Come back tomorrow if you¡¯re here to sell something. I¡¯m not taking anything in today.¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled. ¡°Ms. Dongfang, it¡¯s not very nice of you to turn your customers away. Aren¡¯t customers supposed to be gods to every merchant?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just for you, I¡¯m the god on my turf.¡±

    Ding!

    She threw another dart, causing yet another crisp sound.

    ¡°I like your attitude, Ms. Dongfang, just like the Swift Snowy I know in the game. It¡¯s as expected of the person I have my eyes on!¡± Qi Leiughed, obviously very pleased.

    Thedy finally turned around when she heard his words and he finally caught a glimpse of her face! She looked just like the girl in the photo. Actually, she seemed much more attractive in person! This was the person Qi Lei had told Yang Sheng to investigate, Dongfang Liuyun. She was also known as Swift Snowy in the game he yed!

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes brightened when he saw her face. Slowly, he removed his sunsses and shed his usual wicked smile as he stared straight at her face. He felt like the sun rays were surrounding him at the moment.

    ¡°Game?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly, but she then looked at Qi Lei with a calm expression though her eyes remained surprised. ¡°Are you Eastern Gust?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled even wider. ¡°Do I not look like him? I came all the way here to meet you. Shouldn¡¯t you treat me to a cup of tea before we have a long chat?¡±

    Oddly enough, Qi Lei did not feel like they were strangers although this was their first time meeting. Instead, he felt like they had been friends for a long time. Maybe it was because they had known each other for quite some time in the game.

    Despite being taken aback, Dongfang Liuyun tried to stayposed. ¡°I don¡¯t like to serve strangers.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not. I¡¯m your dearest partner, and your...¡± While he did not say it, he threw her a suggestive nce. ¡°You¡¯re just like what the others said. You really are a beautiful woman.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Thank you for yourpliment, but you¡¯re very different from what I imagined. You aren¡¯t that good-looking and you¡¯re not as cool as your avatar.¡± She stood up straight and walked towards him but did not stop when she passed by him. Qi Lei could smell the fragrance from her when she walked right past him.

    Hr was not angry at all as he followed behind her and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s my honor to be on your mind!¡±

    ¡°Do you always feel so conceited about yourself?¡± She sat down on arge, red chair and grabbed a cup to pour some tea for him without sparing him a nce.

    Qi Lei sat down casually and just watched as she poured the tea. ¡°Are you trying to insult me?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Dongfang Liuyun threw Qi Lei several sharp nces.

    He just smiled and took a sip from the tea which was rather fragrant. Then, he finished the cup in one go to her surprise before telling her honestly, ¡°The tea is great, but I don¡¯t know much about tea.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly as she looked at the empty cup in his hand before saying, ¡°You¡¯re the first person to admit to knowing nothing about tea.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always an honest person. I wouldn¡¯t lie to my friends!¡± Qi Lei smiled.

    However, his words made Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darken.

 Chapter 1070 - 1070 I, Swift Snowy 3

    <strong>1070 I, Swift Snowy 3</strong>

    She stared at him.

    ¡°Honest? Do you think I don¡¯t know that you secretly took my scrolls in the underground city? And don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t care just because I kept quiet about the equipment you took away from me.¡± Dongfang Liuyun was speaking softly, but Qi Lei could hear the chill in her words.

    ¡°What? What scrolls? What equipment?¡± Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and seemed confused as if he had never heard those terms before. He put on an innocent smile. ¡°I was really happy to work with you in the underground city.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to pretend anymore. Do you know what I usually do to people like this?¡± Dongfang Liuyun drank some tea as she smiled wryly at him.

    Qi Lei shrugged, signaling for her to continue.

    ¡°I¡¯ll either cripple them or destroy a certain hole of theirs before crippling them.¡± She put on a dark, cold smile on her face.

    Qi Lei suddenly could not process what she was saying, so he questioned, ¡°By hole, you mean?¡±

    ¡°Butt hole.¡± Her eyes looked over at a certain part of Qi Lei who unconsciously stiffened as he looked right back at her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to be reserved? How could you say something like that so shamelessly?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s face turned a little red when he noticed her giggling.

    ¡°Would you give my scrolls and equipment back if I were to be reserved?¡±

    Qi Lei shook his head instantly. ¡°No way!¡±

    ¡°So, are you admitting that you took my scrolls and equipment?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes seemed dangerous.

    ¡°I¡¯m not finished! I didn¡¯t take them, so how could I give them back?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not bother to listen to his exnation. She finished her tea and took a look at the antique clock in the corner. When she noticed it was already 7 p.m., she put her cup down and got up to go towards her table.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Qi Lei stood up and asked her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to eat even if you aren¡¯t. If you still haven¡¯t given me back the scrolls and equipment by tomorrow night before I go online, I¡¯ll make sure you pay for it.¡± She then grabbed her keys andmanded, ¡°Get out. I¡¯m locking up.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you kindly invite me along for dinner too?¡± Qi Lei¡¯smon sense told him that something was odd. It would only be normal for her to invite him for dinner even if she was just trying to be courteous.

    He did not want things to end here today!

    ¡°Dinner? Why?¡± Dongfang Liuyun gave Qi Lei an odd look. How could someone be this stupid?

    ¡°If you buy me dinner and tell everyone that you¡¯re my wife, then I¡¯ll return you the scrolls and equipment!¡± Qi Lei stood by the side as Dongfang Liuyung closed up.

    ¡°Eastern Gust, what animal do you think is the stupidest?¡± Dongfang Liuyun kept her keys and raised her head as she asked Qi Lei a question, appearing serious about it.

    What did she mean? Qi Lei felt a little lost about her train of thought. As expected of someone who got a Ph.D. at such a young age, her brain worked too fast and her imagination was off the charts!

    He gave it some serious consideration and said, ¡°A pig!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyung then grinned. ¡°So, do you think you¡¯re like a pig?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±

    ¡°If not, how could you make those stupid requests? Just how low is your IQ?¡±

    ¡°You...Why are you being so offensive? It doesn¡¯t suit your image at all!¡± Qi Lei had noeback for her as he tried to catch up to Dong Fang Liuyun¡¯s footsteps. ¡°If you promise me, I can even give you some amazing gifts. I¡¯m the only one in the whole server that¡¯s worthy of marrying you!¡±

    ¡°Idiot!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. The whole server now knows you¡¯re my wife. I¡¯m genuine and gentle, and I¡¯m also a nice person!¡±

    ¡°Sounds like empty promises! I might need to protect you instead if you get into trouble, and I won¡¯t get any benefits at all.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to believe me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it if you take your heart out and prove it to me right here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll die if I do that though.¡±

    ...

    They just chatted as they walked in the night. Ten minutester, they arrived at a hawker stall that seemed pretty crowded at the moment.

    Dongfang Liuyun put her bag onto a chair and sat down on another. She then started rattling out her order at the owner who was busy serving dishes, ¡°Hey, one grilled fish, one fried chicken, one fried noodles with an extra egg, and a carton of chilled beers.¡±

    ¡°Alright, please wait for a moment, Ms. Dongfang. I¡¯ll get it done right away!¡± the owner quickly replied. Apparently, she was a regr here.

    Qi Lei sat down beside her, but she did not even look at him as she took out a notebook from her backpack and started flipping through it.

    He nced over and noticed some weird characters on it. They looked like some ancientnguage. While he had no idea what they were, she seemed so interested in them that she did not even notice when the food was served.

    ¡°I heard you like exploring archaeology sites.¡±

    Qi Lei was about to get some sses to pour in the beer, but Dongfang Liuyun just grabbed a can and started drinking from it elegantly, much to his surprise.

    She did not even look at him as she said coldly, ¡°Eat your food and don¡¯t bother me.¡± She did not like being disturbed at moments like these.

    Just as Yang Sheng¡¯s investigation described, she was a workaholic with a bad attitude. She was pretty much cold towards everything, except for archaeology-rted matters and games.

 Chapter 1071 - 1071 Too Weak!

    <strong>1071 Too Weak!</strong>

    Qi Lei was not affected by her attitude at all as he started eating the grilled fish.

    ¡°Put your work aside for now. I¡¯ll give you back your equipmentter, alright? Am I not handsome enough? You¡¯re the first woman that has no reaction when you see me for the first time. You should at least show some appreciation for my looks, hmm?¡±

    Qi Lei felt defeated. Had his attractiveness declined?

    That could not be the case because several women had actually turned around and taken a peek at him just now!

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her head and looked at him as if she was examining him seriously, ¡°If you were less narcissistic and low-profile, you could barely qualify as a handsome guy to me.¡± She closed her notebook and kept it back in her backpack.

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised that I came to see you.¡±

    ¡°Surprise onlysts for a moment. It¡¯s not permanent. Why did youe and see me? Isn¡¯t it just nice to see each other in the game? The nature of things might change if you try to pursue it too hard,¡± she replied bluntly. Then, she grabbed her can of beer and moved it closer to him in an elegant and fluid motion.

    Qi Lei raised his can in response, then she quickly gulped her drink down.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Everything has two sides to it. I don¡¯t believe that my luck is that bad. After all, having someone to spend time with you isn¡¯t so bad,¡± he said.

    ¡°Qi Lei? You¡¯re Qi Lei?¡± Dongfang Liuyun caught his name for the first time.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Indeed, I am.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re like this. Just as expected of you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun actually grinned. Her smile was like the moon in the dark sky. She paused for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s hard to rely on luck, and that¡¯s why you need to keep working hard, even harder than everyone else. Having this attitude might help you change your luck somehow.¡±

    ¡°You received a doctorate degree at 27 years old. Isn¡¯t that because you¡¯re luckier than others? I know you¡¯ve been called a genius since you were a child.¡±

    ¡°A genius?¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°From what I can remember, apart from eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom, I spent almost all my time studying. My mother is an extremely strict and headstrong woman who wouldn¡¯t allow her daughter to be an idiot.¡±

    She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started eating too. ¡°This tastes pretty good. Give this a try. I¡¯ll be considerate of your gentlemanliness and let you get the bill tonight.¡±

    They did not feel awkward at all talking to each other. In fact, they were hitting it off pretty well.

    ¡°How nice of you to bring me here for a meal too.¡± Qi Lei nced around as he put on a smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong about this ce? The food here is on par with cuisine at a high-ss hotel. I¡¯m a poor person, so this ce is already a luxury for me,¡± Dongfang Liuyun imed.

    She had spent all her money to get antiques. Most of the items in her store held a high research value, and she was unwilling to sell them because those treasures were like her own children!

    She paid nearly $10 million at the auction a few days ago in City C, which was most of her savings. Recently, she had no ns to sell her treasures and had not gone home for the past few months, so she was pretty broke right now!

    She was poor? Qi Lei rolled his eyes at her.

    She was just like her in-game avatar, always pretending to be broke! She would be filthy rich if she sold all her antiques in the store! However, she did not look like those who typically came from a wealthy family, always insisting on wearing branded items. Instead, she was much more low-profile. She was the odd one here!

    ¡°If you promise me I can get the bill, I¡¯ll cover all your living expenses, not just this meal.¡± Qi Lei gave her a long, seductive nce.

    ¡°Swift Snowy won¡¯t follow anyone¡¯s orders. She¡¯s a lone soldier,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied stoically before she emptied another can of beer and threw it aside.

    ¡°Who are you kidding? Your fantastic beast legion is ferocious. We¡¯ll be able to fight back if we work together,¡± Qi Lei suggested as he raised his can of beer.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been working together all this while, haven¡¯t we? Alright, let¡¯s raid the underground castle tomorrow night again. I have a feeling that there are still a lot of treasures lying around.¡±

    ¡°I have the same thought as well!¡±

    ¡°Do you have enough to eat? We can order more. Remember to return my equipment tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I always keep my promises.¡±

    ¡°Why did youe to visit me anyway?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to get to know you. I wanted to see the face of the person I¡¯ve been partnering with for so long.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should¡¯ve used a male avatar, but female yers can be annoying too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a nice guy. You won¡¯t regret knowing me.¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei finally copsed after two hours of drinking with her.

    ¡°Hey, wake up!¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned when she saw Qi Lei sleeping on the table. She looked around to count. They just finished around 40 cans. Was that all he could take?

    What a weakling!

    She took a deep breath and shook her head. Then, she waved at the owner to order more, ¡°Give me five more beers!¡± She was still up and ready to go since drinking this much was nothing to her.

    By the roadside, Yang Sheng and the chauffeur were standing by in the car. They just watched what happened. When they saw Dongfang Liuyun continuing to drink even after Qi Lei went down, Yang Sheng had nothing but respect for her!

    What a fearsome woman!

    Not only was she pretty, but Master Qi was also fond of her and she came from a respectable family.

    However, could Master Qi handle her?

 Chapter 1072 - 1072 Abrupt Change 1

    <strong>1072 Abrupt Change 1</strong>

    However, Yang Sheng dared not walk over to disturb them either because they were all thinking about how this was a good opportunity. They hoped that their Master Qi would seize this chance properly!

    Dongfang Liuyun was a fantastic catch. Even if he could get her in the end, she probably would not be an easy one.

    Yang Sheng could only silently mourn for Qi Lei in his heart.

    ...

    After a while, another three bottles were emptied, yet Dongfang Liuyun did not look drunk. On the contrary, she seemed quite clear-headed while a faint light gathered in her calm eyes as she stared at Qi Lei who had gone to sleep on the table beside her. She started to scrutinize him.

    While Qi Lei felt like his head was heavy, when the refreshing night breeze blew, he felt cold and subconsciously shrank.

    Dongfang Liuyun finished thest two bottles of beer, then waved for the boss toe over. Quickly, she paid up.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯ste. It¡¯s time to go home. Wake up.¡± She put her wallet away and picked up her ck bag to knock Qi Lei¡¯s head, yet he just swatted her hand away, as if he was annoyed that his sleep was being disrupted.

    Upon seeing that, Dongfang Liuyun frowned. She swept her long hair aside and thumped the table in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m leaving even if you¡¯re not leaving. It¡¯s not my problem if you sleep on the streets tonight.¡±

    Qi Lei did not respond at all.

    Dongfang Liuyun pondered for a moment, then called the boss over.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Dongfang?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a regr customer here and had quite a friendly rtionship with the boss. She took a few notes out to pass to him and pointed at Qi Lei who was drunk silly. ¡°Later, help this guy to a nearby guesthouse to rest. I have something to do now. When he wakes up tomorrow, just give me a call to let me know.¡± Then, she handed him her name card.

    The boss nodded zealously. ¡°Okay, Miss Dongfang. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get it done.¡±

    With a nod, Dongfang Liuyun turned around and her slender figure swiftly vanished underneath the dim streetlights.

    At this moment, Yang Sheng, who had been watching, finally got down from the car. He walked over in huge steps and shook Qi Lei. ¡°Master Qi! Master Qi, wake up! She¡¯s gone!¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The boss looked vigntly at Yang Sheng. Qi Lei did not look like a nobody either. Since Miss Dongfang had entrusted the guy to him, he would need to help watch over him. Therefore, when Yang Sheng appeared out of nowhere, he was clearly rmed.

    ¡°Oh, this is my Master. I¡¯m Yang Sheng and I¡¯m here to pick him up,¡± Yang Sheng quickly exined and even showed his ID. Only then did the boss let down his guard.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just bring him home. Um, just pass me Miss Dongfang¡¯s contact number, please!¡±

    Yang Sheng and the chauffeur helped Qi Lei up. Before leaving, Yang Sheng smiled as he reached out to take the name card from the boss¡¯s hand.

    ...

    Detective Zhang was not slow with his work, but Xi Xiaye was getting impatient from waiting. When she received Detective Zhang¡¯s call at noon, she finally felt relieved.

    They met in the same field as thest time. When Xi Xiaye went over, Detective Zhang was already waiting.

    ¡°Look at this. It should contain the things you want.¡± When Detective Zhang saw her, he handed the thick folder over.

    Xi Xiaye took it quickly. She flipped it open and indeed, it was all about what happened decades ago. In fact, if this information was released, it could shake up the entire city!

    ¡°There a CD with a recording inside. It has all the information that I¡¯ve collected. Take a look at it yourself,¡± Detective Zhang said in a deep voice.

    Xi Xiaye flipped through the documents for a bit, then immediately kept the folder away. She looked gratefully at him. ¡°Thank you, Detective Zhang. You¡¯ve worked hard!¡±

    Detective Zhang waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but what do you want to do with these things? Are you trying to go against Gu Qiwu or Doris? Oh, I forgot to tell you that Doris¡¯s flight will bending this evening.¡±

    ¡°This evening¡¯s flight? She¡¯sing to City Z?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    Detective Zhang nodded. ¡°Yeah, when I was investigating Gu Qiwu, I identally found out. You need to be careful yourselves. They¡¯re all not easy to handle.¡±

    ¡°I got it. Thank you, Detective Zhang. I¡¯ve already banked in the remaining amount into your ount, so monitor it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving now!¡± Detectve Zhang waved and left.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand tightened its grip on the folder and she quickly left too.

    Inside the office of Glory World¡¯s Chairman, while Mu Yuchen was flipping through some documents, Li Si suddenly entered to announce, ¡°Master, the Elder Chairman is here!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen stopped what he was doing and then quickly signed his name on the document before closing it and setting it aside.

    ¡°Bring two cups of flower tea in.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was very calm, and as he spoke, he got up slowly to walk towards the bookshelf beside him.

    Li Si responded knowingly, then there was the sound of footsteps from the entrance of the office. When he looked up, Mu Yinan was walking in with a stormy expression. The cold aura from all over him scared Li Si who quickly bowed and greeted him before carefully retreating and closing the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with Lingshi¡¯s matter? I heard some things from your father. You¡¯ve been investigating this for a while now, so I¡¯m sure you already have the results. All of you actually kept your grandmother and me in the dark! Ah Chen, you¡¯re doing things your way now, huh?!¡±

    Mu Yinan¡¯s tone was filled with anger and gloom as a dangerous light shed in his aged eyes. His gaze was fixated on Mu Yuchen who was standing underneath the bookshelf with his calm, handsome face.

    Without defending himself, Mu Yuchen looked at the angry Mu Yinan and then pointed at the sofa. ¡°Grandfather, have a seat first. Don¡¯t be angry. I told Father to tell you first, but I want to tell you about it myself.¡± Then, he turned around and took a document from the shelf before walking over towards his grandfather.

    Mu Yinan watched him for a while. Then, he walked over to sit down.

    Li Si hastily brought the tea in. ¡°Elder Chairman, don¡¯t be angry first. Master...¡±

    Before he could finish, Mu Yuchen calmly said, ¡°Get out.¡±

 Chapter 1073 - 1073 Abrupt Change 2

    1073 Abrupt Change 2

    Upon hearing that, Li Si dared not say much, so he quietly retreated.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal? Tell me everything!¡±

    There was a sharpness in Mu Yinan¡¯s eyes. He did not want to think about those things anymore and just wanted to go with the flow since it was not a bad thing to have more peaceful days, but if the truth wasid out right in front of them, he would not reject finding out about it.

    Despite Mu Yinan¡¯s sharp tone, Mu Yuchen remained calm and cool as he flipped open the document in his hand unhurriedly, and looked through it as he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t my father tell you?¡±

    ¡°Your father only told me that the investigation into Lingshi¡¯s background is almost done. He didn¡¯t tell me what was up. He just told me toe over and let you exin it to me. Who¡¯s that person?¡± Mu Yinan¡¯s aged hands suddenly clenched as he fixed his gaze on Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen then handed the document to him. ¡°Take a look at this.¡±

    Mu Yinan took it and flipped through it. ¡°A DNA test report?¡± He squinted at Mu Yuchen in puzzlement, then he continued to study the report.

    ¡°I already got this DNA report long ago, but I haven¡¯t been willing to mention it. I didn¡¯t mean to hide it, but sometimes, some things are better left unsaid. However, the truth is the truth and wille out eventually. That¡¯s why I told Lingshi about it not too long ago, and Ah Mo patiently enlightened her, so she¡¯s now finally calmed down about it. I¡¯m worried about you and Grandmother instead,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a deep and calm tone as his line of sight fell on Mu Yinan¡¯s face.

    ¡°This document is the DNA report for Lingshi and Gu Qiwu. The results are at the back.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said that, Mu Yinan quickly flipped to thest page of that document. The second he saw the results, he was stunned. He widened his eyes in shock, unable to react. After a while, he looked up at Mu Yuchen. ¡°What did you just say? Lingshi and whose DNA report? Whose?¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu. Gu Qiwu from the Gu family of City B. It proves that they are father and daughter,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly as his eyes were filled with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s Gu Qiwu...it¡¯s him...it¡¯s actually him! That means...¡± Shocked, Mu Yinan looked at him in surprise, his tone trembling slightly.

    ¡°That means he¡¯s the person who was with Aunt. He¡¯s Lingtian and Lingshi¡¯s biological father. In fact, I¡¯ve met him personally before when I looked for him. He admitted all of this to me, so this is the truth. That¡¯s why I...¡±

    Bam!

    Mu Yuchen had not finished when suddenly there was a harsh knock on the door. Then came the sound of a worried cry, ¡°Grandmother! Grandmother! Are you okay!?¡±

    It was Xi Xiaye¡¯s anxious voice!

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression instantly turned tense. He quickly got up and rushed to the door while Mu Yinan followed in panic.

    Outside the door, Wang Hui had already fallen into Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms, and no matter how many times Xi Xiaye called out to her, she did not respond.

    ¡°Grandmother! Wake up! How are you?¡± Xi Xiaye panicked and shook Wang Hui as she called out to her anxiously.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡±

    The sound of rushed footsteps came as Mu Yuchen hurried over and took Wang Hui from Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just came over and saw her fall! What did you all say!? Why don¡¯t you quickly send her to the hospital?¡± Xi Xiaye exined anxiously.

    Worry brushed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face as he quickly got up and rushed forward with Wang Hui in his arms. Xi Xiaye followed them in confusion.

    ¡°Ah Chen! What happened to your grandmother?¡± Mu Yinan, who trailed after him, asked in unease as he looked shaken.

    Li Si rushed up worriedly. ¡°Elder Chairman, don¡¯t worry. Be careful. Elder Madam will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Quick, follow them! Go to the hospital!¡± Mu Yinan could not say more. He just felt a suppressed pain in his heart and he could barely catch his breath.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye sped all the way towards the hospital.

    Bam!

    The door to the operating theatre shut quickly. Meanwhile, Mu Yuchen felt a heaviness in his heart like a heavy hammer had struck his heart. Extreme turmoil engulfed him as he silently watched the closed door to the operating theatre and felt instantly dazed.

    After a while, he suddenly felt a faint warmth on his palm. When he turned to look, he realized that Xi Xiaye was looking at him with worry written on her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    While Xi Xiaye said that, Mu Yuchen could clearly feel her hand trembling. He struggled free and held her hand gently, consoling her silently.

    He worked hard to steady the strong uneasiness in his heart as he said to her, ¡°Give Father and Mother a call. Tell them toe right away.¡±

    Nodding, Xi Xiaye quickly took her phone out from her pocket and quickly called Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°How¡¯s it? How is it? How¡¯s your grandmother?¡± Mu Yinan, who rushed over, could barely catch his breath as he asked in a panic.

    Xi Xiaye kept away her phone and quickly helped Mu Yinan to a bench to sit down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather. The doctor¡¯s doing what he can inside. Grandmother will be fine. Don¡¯t worry. Sit down and wait with us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I came over without telling her, and I didn¡¯t realize she was following me. I know that your aunt¡¯s incident has been baggage to her. All these years, she¡¯s never let go of it,¡± Mu Yinan said worriedly.

    Mu Yuchen leaned back slightly against the cold wall behind him. There was a dim light in his dark eyes, but he still remained calm. ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t me yourself. We can¡¯t hide what should be known. Grandmother will be fine. Don¡¯t worry. Let Li Si send you home first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back! I have to wait for her here. Your grandmother¡¯s never been somewhere like this. I have to wait until she wakes up so that I¡¯ll be the first person she sees. Otherwise, she¡¯ll feel uneasy and afraid...¡± Mu Yinan had begun to speak incoherently.

    Wang Hui suddenly plunging into this situation made him feel like he had lost something important. He felt like he was weightless and could not find anding point. He was more than a little afraid. In so many years, it was the first time he felt this deeply terrified...

 Chapter 1074 - 1074 Abrupt Change 3

    1074 Abrupt Change 3

    Xi Xiaye looked at how worried Mu Yinan was. It was as if he could not find his way home!

    It was exactly the same as how Shen Yue had looked when Liang Fuhua left them. Xi Xiaye became even more uneasy now as she looked anxiously at Mu Yuchen while thetter stared at the tightly shut operating theatre doors with a silent expression.

    Mu Tangchuan practically rushed over as quickly as he could when Xi Xiaye called. He had been in a meeting at the provincial government department office. ¡°How¡¯s your grandmother now? What did the doctor say?¡± he asked worriedly as he stopped by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side.

    ¡°She¡¯s still inside right now. She probably overheard my conversation with Grandfather. Otherwise...¡± Mu Yuchen replied gloomily.

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s brows furrowed into a knot as he looked worriedly at the operating theatre. He lifted a hand to pat Mu Yuchen on the shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t think so much about it. Have a seat first. Your grandmother¡¯s always been quite healthy, so she¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s recently been having headaches and palpitations. She¡¯s been unwell, but she was afraid that you¡¯d all be worried, so she didn¡¯t tell you. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have returned to the old residence. She¡¯s been busy going in and out recently as well. I¡¯ve been worried that her body wouldn¡¯t be able to take it. I was nning to bring her for a checkup at the hospital over the weekend,¡± Mu Yinan said regretfully.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Dr. Zhong do health checkups for the both of you from time to time?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he turned to look at Mu Yinan.

    ¡°Your grandmother thought it was troublesome, so I¡¯ve been the only one doing it the past few times. She said that she was tougher than me, so there was no need to get checked. You know how your grandmother¡¯s temper is. She sticks to her word.¡±

    Mu Yinan began to feel like this was his fault, and he kept praying for everything to be fine.

    ...

    Time slowly passed as everyone was terribly anxious. Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart also wrenched bit by bit during this long wait. Gradually, the corridor was engulfed in a gloomy haze. Even Li Si and the other bodyguards who waited on the side looked tense as they felt very uneasy.

    Some time had passed when the lights outside the operating theatre finally dimmed and the doors quickly opened. When the doctor walked out, Mu Yuchen went up to him right away.

    ¡°How¡¯s my grandmother?¡± His deep voice contained a thick uneasiness.

    At this moment, the doctor slowly took his mask off and his expression looked solemn as he looked at everyone who surrounded him. He shook his head helplessly. ¡°The patient had a sudden heart attack. She was sent in toote. I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ve done our best...¡±

    Before he could finish, Mu Yuchen shoved the doctor aside as he rushed in!

    ¡°What did you say? What did you say? What do you mean you¡¯ve done your best? Ah Hui...¡±

    ¡°Father! Father!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan watched as Mu Yinan¡¯s body fell limp. He quickly held him up while the doctor quickly went up to him too.

    Xi Xiaye was stupefied and she struggled for a while before she slowly came back to her senses. She looked at them with a pale expression before she rushed into the operating theatre too.

    The nurse was about to cover Wang Hui¡¯s body with a white cloth, but Mu Yuchen rushed in and stopped her. Wang Hui had already lost all signs of vitality on the operating theatre table. The blood was gone from her face and even her remaining warmth was gradually turning cold.

    Mu Yuchen knelt down on one knee and held Wang Hui¡¯s hand, clearly feeling her warmth fading. ¡°Grandmother, wake up!¡±

    As he held onto her limp hand tightly, his soft and raspy voice was mixed with thick sadness. Xi Xiaye watched him helplessly. In the next instant,rge drops of tears fell, and she quickly reached up to cover her face as she silently knelt down next to Mu Yuchen and put her hand gently on his.

    That was incredibly sudden!

    She was clearly just fine, but now she was gone!

    Mu Yuchen shut his eyes quietly and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, Xi Xiaye could clearly see the redness through his tears, but she did not know what she could do right now and how to console him. Therefore, she just silently held his hand that gripped Wang Hui¡¯s tightly.

    ...

    From the outside, there was suddenly the paster of panicked footsteps. In her daze, Xi Xiaye seemed to hear Mu Lingshi and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s voices. They sobbed so heart-wrenchingly that they seemed to have lost their voices.

    After a while, they rushed in too.

    ¡°Grandmother!¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    A few figures came in, and with just a single look at the lifeless Wang Hui, their eyes turned red. Mu Lingshi rushed up, choked with sobs.

    Mu Yuchen slowly let go of Wang Hui¡¯s hands and stood up. He turned to look at Mu Yinan and the rest wordlessly. With his head lowered, he walked out silently.

    ¡°Master¡ª¡± At the entrance, when he saw Mu Yuchene out, Li Si¡¯s eyes immediately welled up as he walked up to him. ¡°Elder Madam...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression had darkened while his depth-filled eyes concealed and controlled his pain and sadness. He walked to a bench and slumped onto it weakly as he closed his eyes and fell silent for a long while. After that, his raspy voice came through. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Master...¡± Li Si¡¯s eyes filled with even more tears. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that Elder Madam would have gone just like that!¡±

    There was a heaviness in the air and they could barely breathe. After Mu Yuchen took in a few deep breaths, he managed to quell the immense pain in his chest and found a sliver of rationality as he spoke raspily, ¡°Suppress this piece of news. Don¡¯t let the news of Grandmother¡¯s passing get out first. Also, arrange for Grandmother¡¯s funeral. Get someone to watch things on Qi Feng¡¯s end. Be wary of them as they might take advantage of the situation to cause chaos.¡±

    When Li Si heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s hoarse voice, he could not help but ask in concern, ¡°Master, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Quickly get it done. Tell Su Chen and Zhou Zimo, but warn them not to make it known to the public.¡±

    Mu Yuchen forced himself to settle everything with whatever strength that was left in him.

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll go get it done right away. My heartfelt condolences. Elder Madam will reach the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss soon, Master. Please don¡¯t be too sad!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded numbly.

    After a while, Mu Lingshi and Zhuang Shurong were teary as they were guided out. Mu Tangchuan¡¯s eyes were red with tears too. Clearly, they were all in grief.

    ¡°Ah Chen...¡±

    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be too sad. I¡¯ve already arranged for Grandmother¡¯s funeral. Father, Mother, take good care of Grandfather.¡±

 Chapter 1075 - 1075 Abrupt Change 4

    1075 Abrupt Change 4

    Mu Yuchen spoke up before Mu Tangchuan could say anything.

    Mu Lingshi sobbed as she looked at him with her teary eyes, ¡°Brother, I...¡±

    ¡°Send them back first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were swollen as well. She helped Mu Yinan out of the operating room.

    The old man seemed to be beyond himself. With his eyes hollow, he looked like he had suddenly aged and was on the brink of copsing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drag me away. I¡¯m not going back. I¡¯m staying here with your grandmother. She¡¯ll be worried if she doesn¡¯t see me when she wakes up. I¡¯m not going back, I¡¯m not going back...¡±

    Mu Yinan struggled. He had totally lost himself as Wang Hui had passed away and he no longer had a sense of direction. He could not see anything else clearly.

    Xi Xiaye helped him to stand as she tried to convince him, ¡°Grandfather, please don¡¯t be like this. Grandmother, she...¡±

    Mu Yuchen came over and helped Mu Yinan to stand as well because he seemed like he was about to copse at any moment. ¡°Grandfather, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Father!¡±

    ¡°Send Grandfather home for now and call Dr. Zhong to give him a check-up, I¡¯ll handle things over here.¡±

    ...

    After some time, Mu Tangchuan finally managed to bring Mu Yinan away, so only Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were left in the corridor.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at the man beside her. There was pain in his eyes. ¡°I know you¡¯re sad. So am I, but...¡±

    She could not continue her sentence. Her suppressed feelings finally came out as she looked into his dark, painful gaze. In their grief, they hugged each other tightly. He hugged her so hard, but she did not struggle at all. No words would match this hug at that moment. At least, that was how she felt.

    Wang Hui was very kind to her, maybe even better than Mu Yuchen. The pain she felt from Wang Hui¡¯s sudden death was no lesser than the others because¡ª

    After she had been receiving warmth and care from Wang Hui, the sudden loss of her was indeed painful and heartbreaking. She still could not believe it was real.

    ...

    Both Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were stunned to find out that Wang Hui had passed away. They instantly left their work and went straight to Maple Residence.

    It was very quiet inside Maple Residence, and the sky turned dark when the sun went down.

    In the backyard of Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen just sat there quietly while Su Chen and Zhou Zimo sat beside him and traded nces. They looked worried and anxious as Mu Yuchen frowned and emptied a ss of wine. Although they wanted to say something, they had no idea what they should say.

    Mu Yuchen put the ss onto the table and grabbed his cigarettes. He took a stick out and lit it up, then he tossed the lighter aside. ¡°It might just be fate. I didn¡¯t want to tell them the news because I was worried that they couldn¡¯t take it, but today...life will give you what you fear the most.¡±

    ¡°My condolences, Ah Chen. We¡¯re sad that your grandmother has passed away. I hope you¡¯ll hang in there.¡±

    Su Chen looked worried sick while Zhou Zimo nodded in agreement. ¡°Su Chen is right. Chen, I don¡¯t think your grandmother would want to see you guys being so sad too. It happened so quickly. I don¡¯t think it has quite sunk in for us yet...¡±

    ¡°Grandmother has always been a strict person all her life. What happened to Aunt was a huge impact on her, something that she could not forget. Grandmother really doted on Aunt when she was younger. No one expected Aunt to disappoint her and bring her despair,¡± Mu Yuchen let out a puff as he said.

    ¡°Your grandmother would have never guessed your aunt had been protecting Gu Qiwu, huh?¡± Zhou Zimo sighed.

    ¡°It has always been a taboo to talk about my aunt in the family. I thought it would be better to tell them earlier so that they could be prepared when the whole thing is exposed. I underestimated the impact of this matter on Grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, you can¡¯t bring a person back to life, so you should clear your thoughts now. I¡¯ve arranged some people to take care of your grandmother¡¯s funeral. She was a military leader back then, so a memorial service is going to be unavoidable. I believe the media will find out about it very soon. I heard that you told Li Si to lock down the news for now. Do you have any n in mind?¡± Su Chen asked Mu Yuchen who was pouring himself another ss of wine.

    ¡°It just happened so quickly. I wanted to settle everything and avoid the rumors from spreading. After the arrangements are done, people will know Grandmother passed away due to sudden cardiac arrest. I hope she can rest in peace soon.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned, and his freshly refilled ss was emptied once again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much. You don¡¯t look very well. Stay sober to handle your grandmother¡¯s funeral. Is your grandfather alright?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°He almost broke down when Grandmother passed away,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    The two of them threw him worried nces.

    ¡°They were so in love with each other. It must be tough for him to ept her death. Zimo and I will head over and visit himter. The memorial service will probably be the day after tomorrow, so get some good rest and leave everything else to Zimo and me.¡± Su Chen was concerned as he looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen put the cigarette into the ashtray, then he refilled his ss again as he said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. We can¡¯t avoid what¡¯s about toe anyway.¡±

    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t just take it as it is. This is all because of Gu Qiwu!¡± Zhou Zimo growled.

 Chapter 1076 - Kinship and Loyalty 1

    <h4>Chapter 1076 Kinship and Loyalty 1</h4>

    Su Chen¡¯s expression darkened as he heard Zhou Zimo¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t think that was the sole reason...I suppose a big part of it was because she could not stand that your aunt hid it from her, and Gu Qiwu knew about Lingtian and Lingshi all these years, but he acted as if they didn¡¯t exist.¡±

    He took a pause as he looked at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Your grandmother is a very wisedy under my impression. Your aunt¡¯s matter must¡¯ve taken a huge toll on her, so she probably passed away with regrets too. I can¡¯t take this. Is there any way we can make Gu Qiwu kneel before her body and apologize?¡±

    ¡°Is he even worthy? He¡¯s thest person she¡¯d have wanted to see right now! That irresponsible scum! Your aunt was blind to fall in love with a man like that!¡± Zhou Zimo looked at Su Chen in disagreement and his tone was a little harsh. ¡°This scum knew about Lingtian and Lingshi, and he still wanted Gu Lingsha to marry Ah Chen? I¡¯d be furious if I were your grandmother! Just who does he think the Mu family is? A stepping stone? Or something else?¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s Lingtian as well. These people just made your life so horrible. Their mistakes even indirectly caused your grandmother¡¯s death! I¡¯m beginning to feel resentment towards your aunt. Things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way if she didn¡¯t hide her past with Gu Qiwu! You treated Lingtian as a brother, but did he treat you the same way? Working with outsiders and lying to his own brother, he betrayed you, and now this information has killed your grandmother...¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked furious, and his choice of words was harsh. However, he suddenly stopped talking because he noticed that Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression had darkened!

    Mu Yuchen held the ss tightly as he nced at him. Then, he averted his gaze to a streemp while his expression was cold.

    Immediately, Zhou Zimo shut up. He knew Mu Yuchen very well. Although he seemed cold and distant, he cared about his family very much. There was a restricted area inside his heart that could not be touched. Mu Zi, Lingtian, Xi Xiaye, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo were inside that taboo area.

    Su Chen did not say anything as he gave Zhou Zimo a warning nce. Right away, Zhou Zimo regretted his rash words.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. ¡°Whether it be my aunt or Lingtian, they are both my family. You guys are my brothers, so I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear what you just said, and I hope I won¡¯t hear it from any of you again.¡±

    His voice was filled with immense pressure to the extent that Zhou Zimo felt pushed back from his words alone. He then exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chen. I don¡¯t mean it that way. I just feel angry on behalf of you and your grandmother!¡±

    ¡°Fate has decided that Lingtian and I would be brothers from the moment my aunt gave birth to him. We could never be enemies. Zimo, your understanding is fundamentally wrong,¡± Mu Yuchen warned. Zhou Zimo was really scared as he looked at Su Chen, seeking for help.

    Su Chen then tried to lighten the atmosphere. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop right here. Ah Chen, Zimo is just worried about you. You know he¡¯s much closer to you than to me. He¡¯s always at the frontline defending you, so don¡¯t me him anymore. Zimo, what were you thinking? Is Aunt Zixi just anyone? She looked after you since you were a child, and she never forgot to get you gifts every time she bought some for Ah Chen too! You heartless brat, you¡¯re such an embarrassment!¡±

    He red at Zhou Zimo as he gave him a good scolding, ¡°How could you me the dead? You¡¯re bing more and more like a woman. Can you have a broader mindset? Useless!¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression darkened, but he did not say anything.

    ¡°There, I¡¯ve given him a lecture. Don¡¯t mind him. We¡¯re all brothers here. I¡¯m sure Zimo is devastated that your grandmother passed away too. Let him run his mouth this once,¡± Su Chen spoke gently.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath as he grabbed the wine bottle and refilled his ss again. ¡°I¡¯m partly responsible for what happened. I don¡¯t want to talk about it again. Grandmother...she left us too quickly. Horrible times areing. I hope she¡¯ll rest in peace.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother Mu...why did you leave so suddenly? I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s real! She even made me some of my favorite dishes just a few days ago. How could she just be gone like that?¡± Zhou Zimo let out a long sigh.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s shocked too. I just hope that your family and you can get through this. You shouldn¡¯t drink so much, especially right now. You need to stay sober.¡± Su Chen was worried.

    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine. You guys should head back now. I want to be alone for a while.¡± Mu Yuchen sounded tired. His expression was gloomy and his eyes had dark circles around them. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo could sense the sadness radiating from him. Of course, they could not just leave him alone like this.

    ¡°Go take a look at my grandfather and Lingshi. They are probably having it worse. I¡¯m fine,¡± Mu Yuchen said coldly as he emptied his ss. He got up and walked towards the corridor, his figure disappearing in the lonely, cold tunnel.

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo traded nces as they both sighed.

 Chapter 1077 - Kinship and Loyalty 2

    <strong>Chapter 1077 Kinship and Loyalty 2</strong>

    The sky was getting dark and the streemps started to light up throughout City Z.

    At this moment, at the end of the VIP tunnel in City Z airport, Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng were heading towards the lounge under the protection of several bodyguards.

    Gu Lingsha wore a white dress today. Her long, silky hair together with her angelic face was extremely attractive. She looked really good with a handsome man like Qi Feng beside her, so everyone turned to them naturally!

    However, she was not in the mood to notice these trivial matters. Nervously, she looked at the arrival door and she seemed uneasy as she shot Qi Feng a nce.

    ¡°Ah Feng, what should I do if my mother is still angry?¡± Gu Lingsha took several deep breaths and asked Qi Feng anxiously.

    Qi Feng was calm as heforted her, ¡°It¡¯s inevitable that she¡¯ll be angry. Let¡¯s hope that she¡¯ll try to be considerate towards us.¡±

    He knew very well what kind of woman Doris was. She was not just anybody. Even a man like Gu Qiwu had to do as she said. Qi Feng noticed that Gu Qiwu had been trying really hard to treat her well. Their rtionship seemed odd.

    Morrison also found out something interesting some time ago, so Qi Feng was just going to wait and see what happened.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s worry did not go away as she mumbled, ¡°I hoped she could returnter so that she wouldn¡¯t give us any trouble! As you know, she¡¯s really against Weiwei. She¡¯s never held her before even though Weiwei is this old already. We even got into the fight when I mentioned Weiwei. This time, I really wish that she¡¯ll ept Weiwei. She¡¯s my only daughter! Ah Feng...¡±

    She felt heartbroken as she spoke. If it were not for the ident, she would not have lost her other child and Weiwei would not have been this physically weak too. Above all, she would not have lost her ability to get pregnant in the future.

    That was one of the reasons why she could not let go of Qi Feng, or else her life would be ruined. She did not mind how much she had to sacrifice for him. She was willing to do anything in order to make him stay!

    ¡°Weiwei will get better. We¡¯ve found her a psychiatrist. As long as we¡¯re patient and she cooperates with the treatment, she¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s recovering well now, isn¡¯t she?¡± Qi Feng frowned.

    He always knew that Doris was not fond of Qi Weier. Doris was a typical prideful woman. As a royal descendant, she only wanted the best, so she was already in disagreement when Qi Feng got together with Gu Lingsha because she preferred Mu Yuchen over him.

    Qi Feng never forgot about it, but he just never mentioned it. He was still pretty courteous towards Doris. Nheless, he kept this to himself. Although he did not have a good impression of Doris, he had to be nice due to the circumstances at the moment.

    Gu Lingsha was Doris¡¯s only daughter and Doris was pretty proud of her, especially when Gu Lingsha inherited her outstanding appearance and turned out to be pretty smart. Qi Feng had to respect Doris for Gu Lingsha¡¯s sake as well.

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take a long time for Weiwei to recover. I¡¯ve asked the doctor about it before.¡±

    ¡°As long as there¡¯s hope, we can hang in there if we¡¯re hopeful. I believe my daughter isn¡¯t defective. Stop worrying. Haven¡¯t we gone through so much all these years? You should stay calm. We¡¯ve already gotten registered, so what is there to worry about?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s voice felt like it was filled with magic as he calmed Gu Lingsha¡¯s anxious heart down. She moved over and grabbed his hand which was resting on his knee. ¡°Ah Feng, I¡¯ll make sure to convince my mother to ept Weiwei no matter what. She¡¯ll give us her blessings! You have to perform wellter. Although she never mentions it, she thinks highly of you.¡±

    As he just put on a smile, Gu Lingsha did not notice the tint of darkness in his eyes, and she had no idea what he was thinking about.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see, I know what to do.¡±

    As Qi Feng replied, Secretary Qin¡¯s voice reached them. ¡°Manager Gu, First Master, look! Someone¡¯sing out! Madam should be here already!¡±

    They stopped their conversation and looked at the gate. As expected, someone was walking out, so Gu Lingsha quickly went forward nervously. Qi Feng gave Morrison a signal, and he quickly wheeled him forward.

    There were some noises at the front. Momentster, Secretary Qin voiced out again, ¡°Manager Gu, First Master, look! Madam is here!¡±

    Everyone looked ahead to see a slender figure soon appear within their sight.

    In a long, gold-lined dress, with her blonde hair casually tied into a bun, her movements were elegant and mature. Although she was already past 50 years old, she looked just like a youngdy. Many people would have guessed her age to be around 30 years old as they turned around just to look at her.

    Who else could it be if not for Doris?

    Secretary Qin could not take his eyes off her outstanding beauty. Certainly, Gu Lingsha inherited most of her beauty from thisdy!

    There were several bodyguards following behind Doris.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Gu Lingsha went forward and called out to her.

    Doris looked over when she heard Gu Lingsha, but she did not give any reaction. She was very stiff as she walked forward without slowing down.

    Gu Lingsha arrived before Doris and gently held her hands. ¡°Mother, you¡¯re back!¡±

 Chapter 1078 - Kinship and Loyalty 3

    <h4>Chapter 1078 Kinship and Loyalty 3</h4>

    Doris stopped walking when Gu Lingsha held her hands. Her blue eyes subconsciously surveyed her surroundings. When her gaze brushed past Qi Feng, it paused for a bit, then it moved away and she began to frown. ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡± Her voice was cold and there was a hint of unhappiness.

    ¡°Father had to make a trip back to City B. He¡¯ll only be back in a day or two, so I came to get you with Ah Feng!¡±

    ¡°Mother, you must be tired. We¡¯ve prepared food and drinks at home. There are too many people around. Let¡¯s talk at home,¡± Qi Feng spoke up at the right time. His tone was neither servile nor overbearing.

    Doris just looked coldly at him. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s go straight to the mansion.¡± She was not speaking to Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng. Instead, she was instructing the ck-clothed bodyguards behind her as she walked away.

    ¡°Mother, Ah Feng and Uncle Qi were especially weing you...¡±

    It was obvious that her mother was still angry. Gu Lingsha could hear the coldness in her tone which frightened her. She could only helplessly follow after her.

    However, Doris did not stop walking and the bodyguards behind her could only quickly follow her.

    ¡°I can¡¯t ept it. You don¡¯t respect me as your mother anymore, so I don¡¯t need to bring contempt upon myself,¡± Doris said coldly, then very quickly walked towards the door.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed slightly as she called out to her anxiously, yet Doris¡¯s figure had already vanished out through the entrance.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha turned to look helplessly at Qi Feng, yet his expression was gloomy. You could not tell what emotions hid in those dark eyes as he fixed his gaze in the direction that Doris had left in.

    When she saw his odd expression, Gu Lingsha helplessly tried to exin, ¡°Ah Feng, Mother has nothing against you. Maybe we just went too far this time, and that made her angry! Don¡¯t take it personally. Father will help us exin. Mother¡¯s always been quite willing to hear him out. As long as he speaks up, Mother won¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes dimmed. In an instant, they returned to normal. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I thought as much. Go over and take a look,¡± he said, and then he signaled to Morisson who slowly wheeled him to the entrance.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned sour as she bit her lip and followed after him.

    ...

    It waste at night. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo had both left, and the entire Maple Residence seemed cold and quiet as if something was missing.

    Mu Xiaocheng was crying extra hard tonight. Perhaps he knew that something was different, so he kept looking around. No matter how much Aunt Fang and the rest tried to console him, he would not sleep. In the end, Xi Xiaye had spent a lot of effort to coax him to sleep.

    When she returned to the room, the lights were not switched on. Vaguely, she could see the lighting from the study room through the cracks of the door...

    As she stopped walking, she felt her chest be attacked by waves of pain. Soon, the lump in her throat was instantly pushed down and she recovered although she felt like her chest was heavy and her breath was short. She inhaled deeply a few times before she managed to steady herself. After some thought, she walked into the study room.

    After she pushed open the door gently, her blurry eyes subconsciously looked around the study room. Soon, she noticed the man who sat on the floor underneath the curtains. Only that light was switched on in the study room, so the whole room was dark. Xi Xiaye stood at the entrance, feeling that air of heaviness.

    Xi Xiaye watched him like that. Looking at his bleak and lonely shadow, she suddenly felt sad. She was silent for a moment before she walked over. Quietly, she reached him and then slowly sat down by his side.

    When he noticed her by his side, he looked away from the window and turned to look at her. His deep tone had a hint of self-me, yet it contained a hint of concern. ¡°The floor¡¯s cold. Get up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mind it?¡± She turned to look calmly at him, her clear gaze containing a concerned light as well.

    He did not answer her question. Instead, he reached out to take a cushion for her as he asked, ¡°Has our son fallen asleep?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took it and nodded gently. When she looked over, she saw the bottles of alcohol on the coffee table. She thought for a moment, then took one of them. ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling great, let me have a ss or two with you. I won¡¯t limit your alcohol intake today, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°Drinks don¡¯t cure real problems. I¡¯ll only feel worse when I wake upter.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was gloomy and sounded stifled. Xi Xiaye could clearly tell that there was a sadness in his eyes that he could not conceal.

    ¡°Grandmother will reach the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss soon. I heard that when someone passes on, they be stars in the sky. Even though I know those are just what the fairytales say, I still want to console you that way. I¡¯m very sad too, Mr. Mu...¡±

    When she said this, she had already passed the drink she poured to him and her starry eyes began to look blurry.

    Mu Yuchen watched her quietly for a while, then he reached out to take the drink from her and had a sip. ¡°Even if you¡¯re sad, Grandmother won¡¯te back. Sometimes, we just have to ept that they¡¯re gone. If we knew that things would have turned out this way, it might¡¯ve been better not to have known all those so-called answers.¡±

    ¡°The truth would have to be revealed sooner orter. This is something we cannot change. It¡¯s just sad that Grandmother left us in such a rush. A few days ago, she was even talking about knitting a little wool sweater for Xiaocheng. Who would have thought that today, she would be gone from us?¡± Xi Xiaye spoke sadly as bitterness rose from her chest to the point that she could barely breathe.

    ¡°This is life. There¡¯s nothing thatsts forever. In this world, nothing is eternal. The only eternal thing is time.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s gloomy voice was heard while his gaze fell on her wan and sallow face. ¡°Alright now, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that you¡¯re fine. Whenever you¡¯re sad you¡¯ll say that you¡¯re fine, but you wouldn¡¯t dare look at me in the eye.¡±

    When she heard him, her heart felt an ache again. She then turned around and reached out to gently hold his shoulders. Her clear gaze silently locked onto that handsome face of his as she stared into the depths of his eyes.

 Chapter 1079 - Affection and Loyalty 4

    <h4>Chapter 1079 Affection and Loyalty 4</h4>

    While they looked eye to eye, the stifled air seemed to experience another faint sliver of warmth.

    Moments after that, he silently lowered his gaze. His dim eyes looked out of the window, and when Xi Xiaye followed his gaze, he realized that the night sky outside was a little gloomy. Over the vast and still horizon hung a very dull moon.

    Xi Xiaye waited for a long while, but he did not say anything. She was stunned for a moment. Then, she looked up and fixed her eyes on him. After a while, he looked at her again and said in a low voice, ¡°What should I do then?¡±

    When she heard that, the pain from the bottom of her heart was even more intense. She sat down close to him and put an arm over him.

    Mu Yuchen paused but did not reject her as heid down with his head on her thigh. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after a while. Grandmother used to love me the most. A lot of my thoughts from over the years were influenced by her. She¡¯s not just a grandmother to me.¡± His tone sounded very gloomy and wrought with sadness.

    ¡°Grandmother was really good to me. Apart from Grandpa, she¡¯s the second elder who cared the most about me. I¡¯m shakened and saddened by her sudden departure. Perhaps this is just the will of Heaven. Maybe she was rushing to find an answer too, so she went to look for Aunt. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. You look tired. Just get a good night¡¯s sleep. All will be better when you wake up.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not answer after that and just silently shut his eyes.

    Xi Xiaye supported him up with all her might and let him sleepfortably in her arms as she pulled a thin nket from the side to cover him with.

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi, big news!¡±

    Inside Qi Lei¡¯s vi in the Grand Lake Vi area, Qi Lei had just kept away all the documents and was about to fall asleep when Yang Sheng suddenly rushed over anxiously.

    ¡°What is it? You look disorderly.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s head was still heavy right now. Dongfang Liuyun was just marvelous! How could a woman¡¯s tolerance for drinks be so high?!

    Yang Sheng took a few deep breaths and walked up in huge strides. His expression looked solemn as he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Master Qi, something happened on Master Mu¡¯s end! Elder Madam Mu has passed away!¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Who passed away?¡± Qi Lei immediately frowned as he looked at Yang Sheng in shock, thinking that he had heard wrongly.

    ¡°Elder Madam Mu! Master Mu and Miss Xiaye¡¯s grandmother! She suddenly passed away this afternoon!¡± Yang Sheng repeated.

    A momentary nkness shed in Qi Lei¡¯s head and he was in a daze for a long while before he sat down on the sofa behind him in bewilderment. Soon, he looked up at Yang Sheng. ¡°What happened? Is this true?¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. It definitely is, Master Qi! Elder Madam Mu had a sudden heart attack this afternoon. When she was sent to the hospital, it was already toote and they couldn¡¯t save her. Master Mu already informed Li Si and the rest to lock down this news for now to avoid unnecessary panic. It was when Li Si called me earlier that I found out about it. In fact, even Su Chen and Zhou Zimo rushed over to the Maple Residence in the evening, so it must be true!¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, his expression darkened. ¡°How did that happen? Howe it happened so suddenly? How did she suddenly get a heart attack? Hasn¡¯t Elder Madam Mu always been quite healthy?¡±

    Yang Sheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about it either, but I think that the people at the Mu family must be heartbroken. I heard that Elder Chairman Mu fell. The Sus and the Zhous rushed over too I think by tomorrow, news about this will leak, so Li Si is busy making the funeral arrangements.¡±

    Qi Lei fell quiet for a long while. Finally, he breathed in and then nodded. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll go to visit Maple Residence tomorrow. You go over and help out. See if there¡¯s anything Li Si needs.¡±

    Life was impermanent. Who would have thought that the healthy and talkative Wang Hui would leave them that day?

    Qi Lei still found it hard to wrap his head around it. His mind seemed to nk out. He wanted to call Mu Yuchen to confirm it, but when he picked up his phone to take a look, he realized that it was alreadyte at night. In fact, it might not be a good time to call him then, so he could only wait until tomorrow morning when he went over a visit.

    Yang Sheng thought about it, then continued to tell Qi Lei, ¡°Alright, Master Qi! Oh, right, a few hours ago we received news that Miss Gu¡¯s mother, Doris, hase to City Z. Miss Gu and Master Feng went to fetch her themselves. CEO Qi even prepared dinner at home, but Doris rejected it and went back straight to the old mansion with her bodyguards without giving Qi Feng any face.¡±

    ¡°Doris?¡± Qi Lei muttered softly. He nodded. ¡°She should be back already. After all, it¡¯s going to be Qi Feng and Lingsha¡¯s wedding soon. As Lingsha¡¯s mother, she should be attending, but why wasn¡¯t it Gu Qiwu who picked her up?¡±

    Qi Lei knew that Gu Qiwu had been staying in City Z. Sometimes, he would also help Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha with the wedding. Since it was a huge asion for the Qis and the Gus to be connected by marriage, it would probably cause quite a stir in City Z. Were they not getting Xi Xinyi to do some high-profile promotion of their wedding? Even the guest list consisted mostly of big shots, so you could tell that Qi Qiming had really gone all in this time.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu seems to have returned to City B two days ago, probably to handle somepany matters.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, get someone to watch out for them. Go home first. Tomorrow we¡¯ll go and see how things are like on Li Si¡¯s end.¡± Qi Lei then got up a little wearily.

    ¡°Alright. Well, Master Qi, get some rest too,¡± Yang Sheng said before leaving.

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up on Xi Xiaye¡¯sp, his head feeling like a ton of bricks. After a while, he rxed, then carried Xi Xiaye, who was still asleep, back to the room and onto their bed before he washed up.

    When he went downstairs, Ah Mo and Zhou Zimo were there. Su Chen and Ji Zitong were at the old Mu residence instead.

    ¡°Bro!¡±

    ¡°Chen!¡±

    When they saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure appearing at the top of the staircase, the two of them immediately got up and looked worriedly at him.

    Mu Yuchen picked up his steps and walked over as he pointed to the sofa. ¡°Have a seat. Why are you two here so early?¡± As he spoke, he was already at the bottom of the stairs and walking over to the sofa.

    ¡°Bro, are you okay?¡± Ah Mo and Zhou Zimo exchanged a look and asked worriedly.

    Mu Yuchen sat down slowly on the sofa. Behind him, Sis Wang was bringing over freshly steeped tea.

 Chapter 1080 - Kinship and Loyalty 5

    <h4>Chapter 1080 Kinship and Loyalty 5</h4>

    ¡°How are things at home?¡± Mu Yuchen immediately asked, lowering his gaze so that Ah Mo could not read his eyes.

    ¡°Grandfather¡¯s not too great. Yesterday he locked himself in the study room as soon as we got home. He didn¡¯t say a word or let us in. Father was worried that something might happen, so he pried open the door and saw that he had just been flipping through Grandmother¡¯s old pictures. He seemed out of it. They got the doctor to give him a sedative before he fell asleep. When I went over today, he was still asleep,¡± Ah Mo said with a solemn tone.

    ¡°Lingshi¡¯s crumbled. She keeps shouting about wanting to look for Gu Qiwu to settle the score, but...Father¡¯s been holding back his pain and consoling them. I¡¯m afraid that the funeral arrangements...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten Li Si to settle the funeral arrangements. See if we can just skip the memorial service. Grandmother was indifferent to worldly rewards her whole life. I think if it wouldn¡¯t be nice to have it sorge-scale. Let¡¯s just let her leave quietly. Zimo, help me oversee this. Ah Mo, you take good care of Lingshi. This thing has nothing to do with her, so tell her not to overthink it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen obviously knew Mu Lingshi well. She would probably be ming herself for what happened even if was not her fault. After all, who could have thought that Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi were indeed her biological parents?

    Ah Mo obviously knew what Mu Yuchen was thinking, so he quickly nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Bro. Miss Ji is with her at Mother¡¯s ce. I¡¯ve been sharing the burden in hopes that it will make her feel better.¡±

    Mu Yuchen set down the teacup in hand as he responded, ¡°Go over and take a look at the situation on Li Si¡¯s end.¡±

    Ah Mo thought about it for a while before he said, ¡°Yes, Bro! But I think that it won¡¯t be possible to skip the memorial service, I¡¯ll do my best to keep it within controlled parameters, so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get this done properly.¡±

    ¡°Chen, just let me and Ah Mo worry about this. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re doing too well, so just rest. I think the memorial service will probably be tomorrow. Li Si¡¯s already in contact with the people from the military district, and they¡¯ll get into an agreement soon. As for the news about Grandmother¡¯s passing, we can announce that this afternoon,¡± Zhou Zimo spoke carefully in a lowered tone.

    Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to massage the space between his brows as he breathed in. ¡°I¡¯ll let you work it out.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Right, Dorisnded in City Z at about 7 p.m.st night. Right now, she¡¯s at the Gu family¡¯s mansion. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha went to pick her up themselves. In fact, Qi Qiming prepared dinner at home, but Doris didn¡¯t go over. I think she must still be unhappy about the wedding.¡±

    ¡°Doris? She¡¯s really here?¡± Ah Mo said as Zhou Zimo frowned and turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°I almost forgot that their wedding should being up quite soon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s this weekend. In fact, by the looks of their invitation, it¡¯s going to be quite grand. I think they¡¯re set on something. Bro, I¡¯ve already gotten someone to watch over them. I¡¯ll immediately update you if anything happens.¡± A hint of tensed sternness and gloominess gathered on Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face.

    Mu Yuchen held up his heavy head and shut his eyes gently. ¡°These are troubled times. We¡¯ll have to be more careful. It¡¯s of utmost importance that we don¡¯t ck. Settle grandmother¡¯s funeral as soon as possible. Calming Grandfather and our parents are key.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Ah Mo responded, then left instantly. Only Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were left in the spacious living room.

    ...

    Zhou Zimo squinted at Mu Yuchen for a long time, and finally could not help but speak out, ¡°What are you nning to do after this? Your grandmother already couldn¡¯t handle it at just the first step of this matter, we can¡¯t be sure of what else will happen. Chen, there are some things that I know you don¡¯t want to hear, but as your buddy, I have to, even if you¡¯ll beat me up!¡±

    Mu Yuchen, who sat quietly unmoving, only gave him a cold gaze just like he didst night. His eyes held a hint of warning.

    Nevertheless, Zhou Zimo could not care less. He continued, ¡°That¡¯s enough. How much more are you going to hurt yourself for all of these trivial matters? I really think that it was so unworthy on behalf of your grandmother, on behalf of you, and even the entire Mu family!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Zimo, stop talking. I told you that I don¡¯t want to hear these things again.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was cold and filled with certainty when he instantly stopped Zhou Zimo. ¡°Mu Zi is my aunt and my grandparents¡¯ only daughter. I respected her as my elder, and I did the best I could for her. This was all for kinship, for blood rtions. Lingtian should have been my cousin, but he became my brother. I protect him for loyalty. Shouldn¡¯t there be loyalty between brothers?¡±

    ¡°So, whether it¡¯s worth it or not has nothing to do with that. All of these are things that ought to be done. They let us down, but...if one day, you stood in my shoes, you would make the same choices.¡±

    Upon hearing these words, Zhou Zimo suddenly felt that he was speechless. After a long while, he forced a smile and patted Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to be someone who values kinship and loyalty. That¡¯s why you exist! Forget it. I¡¯m not hoping that you¡¯ll change your mind about it. You are someone who¡¯s kind to others but cruel to himself.¡±

    ¡°Master, Master Qi¡¯s here!¡±

    Zhou Zimo had just finished when Sis Wang¡¯s voice called out from outside.

    Before she finished, Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure had already walked in. When he saw Zhou Zimo there, he was stunned for a moment. He walked up in a few huge steps with concern and uneasiness that could not be concealed in his eyes.

    ¡°What happened? Why did I suddenly hear that Grandmother Mu...Is it true?¡± As Qi Lei asked this, he instantly felt like he should not have because just as he moved closer, he could already feel the stifled airing from the two people sitting on the sofa.

    ¡°Yang Sheng found out about it from Li Si. How did she get a heart attack? Hasn¡¯t Grandmother always been quite healthy? Did something happen?¡± Qi Lei asked in concern.

    As he finished, Zhou Zimo gave him a brief rundown. By the time he reached the end, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face was colored with disbelief. ¡°What did you say? Mu Lingshi...she and Lingsha are...Gu Qiwu is Lingshi¡¯s biological father? How could this be? How could it be?¡±

    This was so outrageous!

    Qi Lei had roughly heard about this, but now that he got the confirmation from the people themselves and restored the truth, he found it quite hard to believe! He had been in touch with Gu Qiwu before, and everyone could see his loyalty for Doris. How did Mu Zi end up getting involved with him?

 Chapter 1081 - Delight In Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 1081 Delight In Disaster</h4>

    Qi Lei could already imagine the impact it would bring if people found out about this!

    He heard that it was one of the few regrets Elder Madam Mu had. Even he was shocked when he found out, so it must have been utterly shocking news for them!

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s the truth behind it. Chen knew about it a long time ago, but he kept it a secret because he felt it was of no benefit to Lingshi, and he was worried that his family might not be able to ept it,¡± Zhou Zimo exined as his expression darkened. ¡°Who would¡¯ve known that we couldn¡¯t avoid it anyway? It might just be fate.¡±

    ¡°No point saying anything now. Tell me when the memorial service is. I have to go back to the Mu residence now.¡± Mu Yuchen got up and slowly went towards the staircase.

    Qi Lei and Zhou Zimo traded nces, both seeming worried and anxious.

    ...

    The news of Wang Hui¡¯s death was released in the afternoon the day after she passed away.

    Many people found it shocking, including Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha, who were busy preparing for their wedding!

    Inside the Qi Feng¡¯s huge and extravagant study room, Morrison had a wide smile on his face when he broke the news to Qi Feng.

    ¡°First Master, it¡¯s confirmed! Wang Hui is dead. She had a heart attack yesterday. Mu Yuchen sent her to the hospital as soon as he could, but it was already toote. She passed away before she was able to say her final words to anyone!

    ¡°That sly fox was a tough character. If it were not for her meddling, Mu Yinan and Zhuang Shurong would¡¯ve gotten into a huge fight already. Mu Yuchen has always respected her. I¡¯m sure all of them are affected by her death! They must be really depressed at the moment!¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened slightly. ¡°Wang Hui? How did it happen so suddenly? There was no sign of her health issues before, was there?¡± He sounded doubtful.

    ¡°First Master, heart attacks are sudden. There¡¯s no saving once the window of opportunity is missed! By the way, I heard that Glory World¡¯s Elder Chairman, Mu Yinan, entered the building with a scary expression with Wang Hui following behind him anxiously.¡±

    Morrison paused as he gave Qi Feng a meaningful nce. Then, Qi Feng looked back at him coldly, signaling him to continue.

    ¡°So, I think something must¡¯ve happened! Mu Yinan must have spoken to Mu Yuchen, and with Wang Hui there, something must¡¯ve triggered her, hence the heart attack!¡± A dark light shed in Morrison¡¯s eyes as he grinned coldly.

    Qi Feng smiled after staying quiet for a moment. ¡°Wang Hui is indeed a powerful character. It¡¯s a pity that she passed away like this.¡±

    ¡°First Master, it¡¯s good news to us that she died. It¡¯ll leave an impact on Mu Yuchen! I¡¯ve sent people to find out what exactly happened. It¡¯d be great if we can find out information that¡¯s advantageous to us.¡± Morrison seemed d about their misfortune. ¡°I hope it¡¯s exactly what I guessed.¡±

    ¡°What did you guess? Haven¡¯t we gotten the results yet? Even after it¡¯s been so long?¡± Qi Feng shot him a questioning nce.

    Morrison bowed apologetically. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, First Master. They are working on it. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be getting the results very soon, and I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason why they are trying to cover it all up! I¡¯m looking forward to the kind of chaos that will unfold once the truth is uncovered!¡±

    ¡°Your efficiency is getting worse, Morrison!¡± Qi Feng was dissatisfied.

    Morrison took a deep breath and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, First Master. I promise we¡¯ll get the results soon!¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s as you guessed, I¡¯ll see how Gu Qiwu will try to control me again! And Mu Yuchen as well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be shocking news to him!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s voice was full of coldness and hatred.

    Morrison nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll find out as soon as possible. By the way, Missus was looking for you everywhere just now. She wanted you to head back to the Gu family¡¯s mansion to visit Doris. What do you think?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s expression instantly darkened when Doris¡¯s name was mentioned.

    Doris did not give him an ounce of respect at all! She was unhappy with him ever since he started going out with Gu Lingsha because she wanted Gu Lingsha to marry to Mu Yuchen and join the Mu family!

    Despite being the heir to the Hui Gu Corporation, he was nothing in her eyes!

    ¡°Tell her to go by herself. Doris didn¡¯t seem happy to see me,¡± Qi Feng scoffed bitterly as he clenched his fists! He punched his senseless legs while his expression was eerily gloomy!

    Morrison felt a chill go down his spine. ¡°Noted, I¡¯ll inform herter.¡±

    He then found back his voice some timeter. ¡°First Master, that¡¯s just how Doris is. We can¡¯t underestimate her judging by the fact that she was able to put a leash on Gu Qiwu all these years. I think it¡¯s better for us to get on her good side. Her background is just too powerful! And don¡¯t forget, if what we suspected about Gu Qiwu is true, she might be able to help us.¡±

    He smirked. ¡°Moreover, Ms. Lingsha and you are officially husband and wife now. You two have even announced it on the news, so she has to ept it no matter what. Ms. Lingsha is her only daughter, and I¡¯m sure she loves her a lot!¡±

    Qi Feng smiled back at him wryly. ¡°I don¡¯t really care since she has her own reasons for disliking me. I¡¯m just worried about Weiwei. With Lingsha¡¯s love towards her and Doris¡¯s dislike of her, it¡¯s an invisible bomb between them that will explode at any moment!¡±

 Chapter 1082 - Funeral 1

    <h4>Chapter 1082 Funeral 1</h4>

    The sky was getting dark in the afternoon as stormy clouds covered the sky. The atmosphere was humid and gloomy.

    Xi Xiaye was driving towards the Mu residence with Mu Yuchen in the front passenger seat. His eyes were closed and his breathing sounded a little heavy. He did not seem to be having a peaceful nap.

    As the car stopped in front of the traffic light, Xi Xiaye suddenly took off her jacket and carefully put it over him. He frowned when he could sense her getting near. His eyes remained closed and he grabbed tightly onto her coat.

    Xi Xiaye felt heartbroken looking at him like this. ¡°Mu Yuchen, you have to hang in there. I just feel like taking everything on for you right now.¡±

    Unfortunately, she could not take away his pain even if she was willing to take it all upon herself.

    He suddenly turned his head over and opened his eyes to look at her. Although he did not sound very happy, his tone was warm. ¡°You¡¯re already in a mess yourself, and you¡¯re trying tofort me? I should be the one saying something like that.¡± He put on a smile for her, a smile filled with pain and sorrow.

    For some reason, tears started rolling down Xi Xiaye¡¯s cheeks. Her tears then dropped onto the back of her hand. All the suppressed feelings of pain gushed out at that instant. She could not stop her tears, and her shirt was starting to get wet in just half a minute.

    She quickly tried to wipe her tears away as she sobbed, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to cry because I don¡¯t want you to feel bad too, but I just can¡¯t control myself...I still can¡¯t ept it...It feels like I¡¯m having a nightmare. Why did this happen? Why?¡± She was sobbing helplessly as she looked at the man beside her.

    He let out a long sigh as he looked right into her eyes quietly. ¡°You can cry if it makes you feel better, but you might want to park the car by the side first. The cars at the back are honking.¡±

    She quickly came back to her senses and moved the car...

    He passed her some tissue right after she parked the car by the roadside. She was resting her head on the steering wheel while her shoulders trembled, obviously unable to control her emotions anymore.

    Mu Yuchen kept quiet and just looked at her. Then, he took a deep breath as he turned his head over and looked at the ongoing traffic. With his hand on her shoulder, she then buried her face into his chest and started crying again.

    He patted her head gently. ¡°Don¡¯t cry again after this. Grandmother wouldn¡¯t want to see you like this too, alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sobbed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to control myself. If you¡¯re suffering, maybe crying can help you too.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a man. Why should I cry? Crying is a woman¡¯s right. Alright, keep her in your heart. It¡¯s the best way for us to remember her now no matter how sad we are. Regardless, we still have to continue on with our lives.

    ¡°She might not be that unfortunate. She saw us get married and have children. Lingshi and Ah Mo, whom she had been worrying about, finally got together too, and Lingshi is now pregnant. She left us on a good note.¡±

    Mu Yuchen ran his fingers through her hair. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to go. We¡¯ll need to help out with the funeral in the next few days. We can¡¯t just leave it to Father and Mother, can we?¡±

    Xi Xiaye started wiping off her tears and she looked at him. She noticed that he was calm although there was still some lingering sadness around him. She nodded. ¡°Okay, I know we both have to be strong now.¡±

    He smiled and nodded in response. ¡°It¡¯s great that you understand. We mustn¡¯t be sad for too long. Even without Grandmother here, we still have our parents, grandfather, and our children to take care of. They need us.¡±

    He had thought it through. There was a huge contrast between theposure on his face and the sorrow in his heart at this very moment!

    Xi Xiaye suddenly understood something!

    It was not that he did not feel sad, but he could not afford to be sad for too long due to his responsibilities. Just like he said, many people needed them!

    ...

    The car parked outside the Mu residence.

    The atmosphere was somber inside the house. The butler and many servants had red, swollen eyes. Mu Lingshi was sitting in the living room as she stared into space nkly with Ji Zitong beside her. At the same time, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were staying guard at the funeral parlor.

    ¡°Brother! Sister-inw!¡±

    Mu Lingshi quickly stood up and went towards Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye when she saw them. Her eyes were red and her voice was hoarse.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, Xiaye, my condolences!¡± Ji Zitong came over and offered a slight bow while Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye nodded back at her.

    ¡°Thank you for helping out, Zitong!¡± Xi Xiaye said quietly.

    Ji Zitong shook her head. ¡°I was heartbroken when I heard the news, but I don¡¯t know what I could do. I hope everyone stays strong. I suppose Grandmother Mu would want everyone to live happily too.¡±

    ¡°Brother, Sister-inw, I want to go and see Grandmother!¡± Mu Lingshi grabbed Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye as she begged them.

    Xi Xiaye nced at her belly and patted her hand. ¡°You should stay here since you¡¯re pregnant. Wait until the day of her burial. Stay home and let Zitong apany you, alright? We¡¯ll take care of things over there.¡±

 Chapter 1083 - Funeral 2

    <h4>Chapter 1083 Funeral 2</h4>

    It was very quiet inside Mu Yinan¡¯s study room.

    Mu Yuchen could sense the heavy atmosphere inside when he arrived at the door. It was suffocating. He paused, then took a deep breath before entering.

    Mu Yinan was sitting before his table and looking at his photo with Wang Hui. He cleaned it again and again. Suddenly, he looked up and took off his sses when he noticed Mu Yuchen enter. His voice sounded calm as he asked, ¡°Why are you here? Aren¡¯t you going to visit your grandmother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen studied him before replying, ¡°I¡¯m heading overter. I¡¯m just a little worried about Lingshi and you.¡±

    As he blinked his dry eyes, Mu Yinan took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Your grandmother is still here with me. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t see her. We¡¯re old anyway, so it would¡¯ve had to happen sooner orter. It just happened earlier than I expected. I never thought your grandmother would leave me. We¡¯ve been together for over fifty years. I just feel empty inside now that she¡¯s left me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad, and please take care of yourself. Don¡¯t let Grandmother be worried about you over there too.¡± Mu Yuchen grabbed the photo frame from Mu Yinan. It was a photo of Mu Yinan and Wang Hui which was taken after they had snapped a family photo.

    ¡°I still have things to remind me of her. Your grandmother never actually left me. You guys don¡¯t have to be concerned about me. I¡¯m fine. I just need some time alone.¡±

    Although Mu Yinan sounded calm, Mu Yuchen could notice that he was dazed. Nheless, he nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather, we¡¯ll be there, and Lingshi will go and take a look at her too.¡±

    ¡°Take this and put it on your grandmother. It was my first gift for her. I want her to bring this with her. She might still remember it in our next life.¡± Mu Yinan opened a drawer and took a jade bracelet out to hand it over to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen looked at him quietly for a while before taking it.

    ¡°Alright, I need some time alone right now. I¡¯ll leave your grandmother¡¯s funeral in your hands.¡± Mu Yinan took the photograph back from Mu Yuchen and put back in its original position. Then, he waved his hands, signaling for his grandson to leave.

    Mu Yuchen shot him a worried nce as he took a light bow. ¡°Grandfather, please take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I know. Go and see your grandmother!¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen inhaled deeply.

    His grandparents had been deeply in love, so Wang Hui¡¯s sudden death was a huge blow to Mu Yinan. Mu Yuchen¡¯s worries only grew when his grandfather became more withdrawn like this.

    However, he did not want to bother Mu Yinan any further, so he gave some orders to the butler before heading downstairs.

    ...

    The news of Wang Hui¡¯s death reached the Gu family¡¯s mansion in the afternoon.

    When Gu Lingsha entered the living room, she saw Doris sitting on the sofa with a cat on herp. The cat was Doris¡¯ favorite. It was a purebred Persian cat, and its eyes looked sharp and crystal clear.

    The television was showing the news reporting about the death of Wang Hui.

    Doris silently watched the news, not seeming to be affected as she casually petted her cat. She was the perfect example of a noble dame.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Gu Lingsha walked slowly towards her and sat down beside her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. You don¡¯t even see me as a mother anymore,¡± Doris nced at her coldly and said.

    Troubled, Gu Lingsha quickly sat closer and grabbed Doris¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother. I didn¡¯t mean to argue with you, but things are already set between Ah Feng and me. Weiwei has already grown up too, and she needs a father. We were forced to get registered first because we were worried that you might not agree...¡±

    ¡°Forced!? Gu Lingsha, you¡¯re an idiot for not listening to me. You wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this if you listened to me! Do you think you guys have grown up now? Do you think you can still y these men like your toys? Dream on! You¡¯ll just be used!¡±

    Gu Lingsha was shocked by Doris¡¯s sudden raised voice.

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen! You have to believe in Ah Feng! He¡¯s really nice to me, and he really loves Weiwei too...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention Weiwei in front of me! Do you really think she can inherit you with her condition like that? Why can¡¯t you use your brain more? Do you really think Qi Feng cares about you now? Do you think he¡¯d prefer to have no one inheriting the Qi family? Even if he¡¯s fine, what is the Qi family going to say?¡±

    Doris startedughing before Gu Lingsha could even reply. ¡°Just wait until he takes over Qi Kai and merges it with the Hui Gu Corporation. Then, you¡¯ll be of no value. Why can¡¯t you see through such a simple trick?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen! Even Father says Qi Feng is great. Father wouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡± Gu Lingsha tried to convince Doris.

    Doris instantly put on a mocking smile. ¡°Your father? Gu Qiwu? Do you think I don¡¯t know what he is thinking?¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Gu Lingsha noticed the coldness in Doris¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Shasha, I hope you can think this through. Don¡¯t be the sacrificialmb. I wanted you to abort Weiwei because I didn¡¯t want what¡¯s happening to happen! You¡¯d have been part of the Mu family now if you had listened to me back then. Why are you so silly? Why do you think I¡¯m pushing your father so hard? Can¡¯t you see that it¡¯s for your sake?¡±

    An intense light shed in Doris¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 1084 - Funeral 3

    <h4>Chapter 1084 Funeral 3</h4>

    When Gu Lingsha heard that, her fair, exquisite face froze. She was stunned for a long time before she forced a burst ofughter out.

    ¡°Mother, you¡¯ve overestimated me. Even if I was willing to do as you said, he wouldn¡¯t have fancied me. Why should I invite being snubbed?¡±

    When she said this, there was a stifled sourness that she could not conceal. She sighed gently and continued, ¡°I¡¯m feeling very defeated. With my charms, how could...

    ¡°Even Lingtian couldn¡¯t make him stay, how could I? Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up overreaching myself! Mother, I¡¯ve epted my fate. I¡¯m afraid that I can only be with Ah Feng in this lifetime. He¡¯s my husband and Weiwei¡¯s father now. I truly wish that you can ept him, okay?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were filled with appeal.

    ¡°In fact, you know that after the incident from six years ago, we¡¯ve be enemies with the Mu family. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye haven¡¯t been making life easy for me either. All these years, the ones who have truly protected me, apart from you, have been Lingtian and Ah Feng.¡±

    Doris¡¯s eyes began to shift. In the depths of her eyes, she was still watching the scene ying on the television. She was about to say something when suddenly, a tall ck-clothed bodyguard walked in. He whispered into her ears softly, then her expression changed and the chill in her blue eyes became even more prominent.

    She waved a hand, indicating for the bodyguard to retreat. Then, she leaned back against the sofa. Her eyes were straight ahead, fixed on the television.

    ¡°Mother, did something happen?¡±

    When Gu Lingsha saw her expression turn odd, she asked in concern as she turned to follow Doris¡¯s gaze. When she saw what was ying on television, a smile was carved on her lips. ¡°Mother, you really bring us good news. You just returned when the Mu family has met with such a tragedy. Thest time because of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, Ah Feng and I suffered quite a bit!¡±

    However, Gu Lingsha did not see Doris¡¯s expression change.

    ¡°Wang Hui...she¡¯s actually dead? A heart attack? What could¡¯ve triggered her?¡±

    Doris was not as shallow-thinking as Gu Lingsha. She had met Wang Hui before, and the woman was a strong-willed person, thus her instincts told her that things were not as simple as they seemed!

    ¡°Mother, she¡¯s dead anyway. Who cares what the reason was?! Even though I feel like...¡±

    ¡°Shasha, it¡¯s exactly because you¡¯re like this that you¡¯ll never make it! I know that you hate the Mu family and Mu Yuchen to your bones, but based on what I know, Wang Hui was quite nice to you back then. Now that she¡¯s passed on, you shouldn¡¯t be delighted by other people¡¯s tragedy. You should pay homage personally instead. Do you understand?¡±

    A sharpness gathered in Doris¡¯s blue eyes as she looked at Gu Lingsha angrily. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to do these simple things. You¡¯re really making me more and more disappointed in you! I won¡¯t talk to you about Qi Feng and Weiwei¡¯s matters for now. When your father gets back, I¡¯ll talk to him. Why are you still here?! Go and find out what happened to Wang Hui. Order a wreath and attend her memorial service tomorrow.¡±

    Now that she was being yelled at, Gu Lingsha was shocked again. She bit her lip uneasily. ¡°Mother, you embarrassed Ah Feng yesterday by just leaving like that. How about youe over to the Qi residence for dinner tonight? At the same time, see if you have any friends here that you want to invite. We can then discuss the wedding matters too.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Doris just scoffed, ¡°Do you know what being embarrassed means? Have you two ever considered my feelings? My own daughter is getting married, and I had to find out from the TV, from other people. Gu Lingsha, how dare you?!¡±

    ¡°No, Mother...I¡¯ve already exined what I needed to! Mother, you have to believe me! Weiwei¡¯s such a cute little girl. You¡¯re her grandmother. Can¡¯t you just love her? The way you are behaving with me and how weak she is, I don¡¯t want her to be triggered again.¡± Gu Lingsha looked helplessly at Doris.

    ¡°Since you had the guts to give birth to her without listening to my advice back then, you shouldn¡¯t be talking about these things with me today. You know very well how she came about! You ipetent bungler, you couldn¡¯t even do this little thing well. You wasted my efforts to create such a good opportunity for you! Do you think it was easy to persuade your father?¡±

    When this was brought up, Doris got angry again. Her noble and beautiful face was filled with annoyance now.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha knew she was in the wrong. She lowered her head and admitted her fault, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother! I let you down! I didn¡¯t think that Mu Yuchen would just leave like that, and let Lingtian stay back on behalf of him instead. Moreover, I didn¡¯t expect that Ah Feng woulde over at the same time that night...¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t even look after one man!¡±

    Doris red at Gu Lingsha coldly and sighed softly. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s just turn over a new leaf for this matter. Apart from the people involved, no one else knows about this, so all of you must also be tight-lipped. I can¡¯t afford to lose that person! It¡¯s never been a better time for you to use your brains more! I know exactly what you have been up to! If it weren¡¯t for your father helping you to cover up, you would¡¯ve long been exposed!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Mother, don¡¯t worry. I got it!¡±

    Even though she had previously been prepared, Gu Lingsha would not have expected Doris to disregard herpletely. It seemed as if she was also used to her mother being like this. Even though she was quite stern, she was truly good to her.

    ¡°Go home. Remember to get a wreath and arrange for someone to send it over!¡± When she said this, Doris suddenly looked up at the television screen before her. ¡°Go and find out when her funeral is as well. I¡¯ll send her off personally!¡±

    Gu Lingsha nodded. ¡°Yes! I got it, Mother!¡± She did things thanklessly. When she saw Doris being all gloomy, she dared not say much after that and quickly left sulking.

    While Gu Lingsha¡¯s figure vanished out of the doorway, Doris sighed and leaned back against the sofa.

    At that moment, Butler Fang reported, ¡°Madam, the boss just called. He might only be homete tonight.¡±

    When Doris heard that, she nodded and thought about it. Then, she took a stack of fresh notes from her bag before handing it to Butler Fang with a smile in her profoundly blue eyes. ¡°Butler Fang, you¡¯ve been working hard to take care of the Master. This is your reward.¡±

    Upon seeing that, delight appeared in Butler Fang¡¯s eyes and he happily took the stack. ¡°Thank you, Madam!¡±

    Doris watched as Butler Fang pocketed the money before she immediatelyughed gently and said, ¡°You¡¯re wee, but I do have some questions for you.¡±

 Chapter 1085 - Funeral 4

    <h4>Chapter 1085 Funeral 4</h4>

    Upon hearing that, a light shifted in Butler Fang¡¯s lowered eyes. He quickly smiled courteously and said, ¡°Madam, feel free to ask me anything. I¡¯ll answer everything I can!¡±

    When Doris heard that, she chuckled happily. Her elegance took even Butler Fang¡¯s breath away!

    Butler Fang rarely saw Doris. Thest time they met seemed to have been at Elder Madam Gu¡¯s funeral. Doris was truly a famed beauty. Even at his age, he could not help but be stunned by her beauty!

    It was no wonder the boss doted on her so much!

    ¡°Very good, Butler Fang. You¡¯re a frank person. I like frank people, but I don¡¯t have many questions. I just wanted to ask how your Master¡¯s been,¡± Doris said as she looked at the sofa, ¡°Have a seat. Chat with me.¡±

    Butler Fang nodded and sat down hurriedly. ¡°How has the Master¡¯s health been recently?¡±

    Doris did not speak with perfect diction. There were still hints of her English ent, but it sounded very natural and gentle.

    ¡°The boss has been quite healthy, but he¡¯s always working till past midnight. In fact, he misses you very much. Before you returned, he had already told Ah Yong and everyone in the mansion to redecorate the whole ce and change it to a style that you liked. Even the potted nts in the backyard have been changed to flowers that you like, Madam,¡± Butler Fang beamed and said.

    Doris nodded brightly. ¡°He¡¯s really put in a lot of thought. You have all worked hard too, and I¡¯ll reward you allter on. Did you say that the Master¡¯s always working till past midnight? I remember that at home, he would usually be done with work in the day. Has he been very busy recently? The days are long and he still can¡¯t finish work? City Z is a bustling city. The nightlife is so exciting, and your Master isn¡¯t such a settled person. It¡¯s too bad if he won¡¯t go out more.¡±

    Butler Fang watched as Doris frowned slightly. Immediately, he smiled. ¡°That¡¯s not quite true. Even though the boss is usually busy with work, he will sometimes go out. Miss Lingsha and Master Feng rarelye back, so the boss is normally alone.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s fun to do around here then? I haven¡¯t been back in quite a few years now,¡± Doris raised her brows and asked.

    ¡°There are many things to do and quite a lot of ces to see, but I think with your status, Madam, you can go to Emperor Entertainment City or Imperial Sky Entertainment City. The boss usually goes there too, but he always goes alone or brings Ah Yong with him. Ther aren¡¯t many people by his side, so he¡¯s quite lonely too.¡±

    ¡°Imperial Sky Entertainment City, is it?¡± Doris muttered softly, then smiled to say, ¡°Okay, I got it. Apart from that, where else does your Master like to go?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to go anywhere. Sometimes, he goes fishing by the river. He doesn¡¯t have many hobbies.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m done asking. Go do your work. I¡¯ll walk around. Tell the kitchen to prepare some delicious supper for your Master so that he won¡¯t go hungry when he gets back, okay?¡± She beamed at Butler Fang.

    ¡°Okay! Understood! Understood!¡±

    Then, he retreated.

    ...

    At the same time, in the CEO¡¯s office of the Hui Gu Corporation in City B, Gu Qiwu was standing in his office, looking at the map spread out on his table when suddenly there was a knock. Before he could answer, Ah Yong had already entered.

    ¡°Boss! Big news! Look!¡± Ah Yong rushed in towards the table and could not contain his excitement as he moved close to Gu Qiwu. ¡°Boss, look! Something has happened in the Mu family!¡±

    Annoyed by Ah Yong¡¯s overreaction, Gu Qiwu subconsciously frowned and after a while, he took the tablet from Ah Yong to look and was stunned!

    Elder Madam Mu had passed away?

    Wang Hui had passed away?

    Finding out about this shocked Gu Qiwu. He browsed it a few times before finally believing it was true!

    ¡°Boss, this is great news! It¡¯s the best time to kick them down! I think it¡¯s most probably because Mu Yuchen did something and gave the Elder Madam a heart attack!¡± Ah Yong¡¯s deep voice did not hide his hint of delight.

    However, Gu Qiwu¡¯s handsome face looked dismal. From his deep eyes, you could not quite read his emotions.

    Upon seeing Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression shifting in gloominess, Ah Yong could not help but call out to him softly, ¡°Boss?¡±

    When he heard Ah Yong, Gu Qiwu pulled himself back and sighed softly. He set the tablet aside and asked in a rather cold tone, ¡°How did she suddenly pass away?¡±

    He never had a good impression of Wang Hui, but he did not hate her either. Upon hearing that she had passed away, it did make him feel faintly sad perhaps because of Mu Zi.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It says there that she had a heart attack and couldn¡¯t be rescued in time. Her memorial service is tomorrow, Boss. We...¡± Ah Yong carefully probed.

    ¡°Any movements on your Madam¡¯s end?¡± Gu Qiwu did not answer to his question.

    ¡°Madam¡¯s been staying home. She didn¡¯t even go to the Qi residence. I think that this time, she¡¯s really angry. Right, Miss Lingsha went back to visit Madam today, but I heard that she didn¡¯t look very happy when she was leaving. I think that Madam probably didn¡¯t make things easy for her.¡±

    Gu Qiwu sighed helplessly. ¡°She¡¯s like that. She¡¯s never changed, not a single bit.¡±

    When he saw Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression, Ah Yong was slightly tensed too. He quickly went up to him and suggested, ¡°Boss, why not wait till Miss Lingsha¡¯s wedding is done, then we¡¯ll persuade Madam to return to City B? Um, to avoid any mishaps.¡±

    Gu Qiwu obviously understood what mishaps Ah Yong was talking about. His expression darkened as he thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°Tell our subordinates to all be on their toes. Don¡¯t startle Madam.

    ¡°I know best how she¡¯s like. If she wants to stay, telling her to leave will only make her suspicious and that won¡¯t be good for us. Just go with the flow.¡±

    When Gu Qiwu said this, a mixture of emotions gathered in his eyes. Because Ah Yong knew that his boss never liked it when other people mentioned Doris, he did not continue asking about it.

    ¡°Pack up. It¡¯s almost time for us to leave. We¡¯ll have to race against time to get back to City Z.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

 Chapter 1086 - Funeral 5

    <h4>Chapter 1086 Funeral 5</h4>

    Wang Hui¡¯s memorial service was held on the third day after her death in the main hall of the funeral parlor. They tried to keep it simple, but many people came to pay their respects. Flowers filled up the whole ce. The guests who came were good friends with Wang Hui and the Mu family.

    Xi Xiaye had already forgotten what happened the other day. She only remembered hearing many people crying...

    Mu Yinan did note while Elder Su and Elder Zhou were apanying him at home. Because Mu Lingshi could note as well, Ji Zitong stayed at home with her.

    Qi Lei noticed that Xi Xiaye¡¯s palms were cold when he held her hands. He looked at her and saw some tears under the sunsses.

    ¡°My condolences!¡± he said quietly.

    Xi Xiaye nodded briefly. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°My condolences...¡±

    At this moment, Qi Lei heard a familiar voice behind him, so he turned around and found Dongfang Liuyun there too!

    She was shaking hands with Mu Yuchen. In arge ck shirt and dark long pants, she also wore canvas shoes and a pair of sunsses as well. She tied her hair into a ponytail that was gathered on her chest, and she seemed slimmer.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and quickly let go of her hand.

    ¡°My condolences.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands with her cold ones. They were surprised by each other¡¯s temperatures. Through her sunsses, Xi Xiaye observed her a little...

    ...

    Qi Lei looked down at the lush greenery below as he stood by the corridor outside the hall and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know that he would be there too. She fixed her sunsses and replied, ¡°Elder Madam Mu and Elder Chairman Mu have dealt with me many times before. Elder Madam Mu is a great person to talk to and I¡¯ve learned a lot from her. Her sudden death is deeply regretful.¡±

    Qi Lei then remembered that the elders of the Mu family did seem to like to collect antiques and were probably familiar with all the antique shops around here. With Dongfang Liuyun being such a well-known antiquarian, it was not odd that they would know each other.

    ¡°Sigh, she was still alive just a few days ago, and she¡¯s now gone just like that!¡± Qi Lei nced through the lush greenery as hemented.

    Smiling gently, Dongfang Liuyun rested her arms on the railings. ¡°Such is life. We¡¯ll never know what will happen. Some people might have to go through pain and suffering before they die. From another perspective, leaving like this might not be too bad after all.¡±

    As she spoke, her smile felt a little cold to Qi Lei.

    For some reason, when he saw her carefree attitude, he asked abruptly, ¡°Do you fear death?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows before she took off her sunsses. She nced at him and asked, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m not human? Of course, I fear death!¡±

    ¡°Apart from pain and suffering, why else do people fear death then?¡± he continued with another question.

    At that moment, Qi Lei suddenly realized he was acting like a raw student in front of this woman who was younger than him.

    ¡°Why do we fear death?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned, then shook her head. ¡°I have no idea, but to me, it might be the fear of being forgotten. There¡¯s always hope when you¡¯re still alive. On the other hand, nothing will be left if you¡¯re dead and you¡¯ll disappear from this world.¡±

    ¡°Afraid of being forgotten and the fear of disappearing?¡± Qi Lei mumbled to himself before smiling. ¡°That sounds true, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but that¡¯s how it is for me. By the way, you said you were going to pay for dinner the other night. Not only did you not do that, but you also haven¡¯t returned my equipment as well. I¡¯m not really a kind person. Anyone who knows me knows that I¡¯m a very vengeful person. Plus, I have a bad temper too. Have you decided how you want to die?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone turned chilly, and Qi Lei could sense the threat in her eyes.

    ¡°I still want to live! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Qi Lei gave her an instant reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing someone as shameless as you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun put on a cold smile as she nced at him. ¡°But it¡¯s a special day today. I¡¯ll let you go this once, but your luck runs out the next time I see you.¡± Concerned about where they were, she just gave him a warning.

    Qi Lei shrugged. ¡°Miss Dongfang, we¡¯re partners anyhow. It¡¯s just that one meal, and we just ate at some hawker center. Why do you act so unwillingly? Don¡¯t I look handsome? I¡¯m pretty rich too. So many people long to treat me to a meal. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°You just look like some snob. You¡¯re only worth as much as a beer bottle cap to me. Even that is apliment to you!¡± Dongfang Liuyun was starting to get irritated. She had traveled all around the world and seen so many handsome men had before. However, she had never seen one as shameless as Qi Lei!

    He started to give in. ¡°Alright! Alright! Just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll return your equipment right away, okay?¡± Qi Lei did not want to continue the conversation as he was at a disadvantage.

    Dongfang Liuyung calmed down as she looked at the lush greenery and mumbled, ¡°I hope she can rest in peace. Goodbye!¡± She then turned around and left.

 Chapter 1087 - Scheming 1

    <h4>Chapter 1087 Scheming 1</h4>

    Qi Lei watched Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s back as she walked down the stairs, onlying back to his senses moments after she left. He looked down at the scenery again as he could still hear the voices singing and chanting inside the hall as well as the sound of heavy, burdened footsteps.

    Wang Hui¡¯s body was cremated after the service.

    No matter how powerful or influential a person was in their lifetime, they turned into ashes after death and did not take anything with them.

    She was buried at Qingshan Cemetery where Mu Zi and Lingtian¡¯s graves were located as well.

    The sky was dark when the burial took ce.

    Su Chen left a white chrysanthemum before her gravestone. After that, he stopped before Mu Yuchen and gave him a hug. ¡°Bro, hang in there. You still have a long way ahead in life.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused, then nodded and gave Su Chen a pat on his back. ¡°Thank you, Bro.¡±

    Su Chen gave him several pats as well. He took a deep breath before letting go of him.

    Zhou Zimo came over and gave Mu Yuchen a hug too. ¡°Today is thest day you¡¯re allowed to be sad. You¡¯re forever my toughest second brother! Don¡¯t let me down!¡±

    Mu Yuchen put on a tiny smile as he nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    Zhou Zimo turned over and noticed Xi Xiaye who was pale. Then, he tried tofort her, ¡°You take care too, Xiaye. This guy will surely be affected if you cry!¡±

    Xi Xiaye replied in a hoarse voice, ¡°I will. Thank you!¡±

    Most people had already left and only several people stayed at the gravestone when Mu Yuchen spoke, ¡°You guys can head back first. Zimo, please apany my parents home. I want to stay here for a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send them back now.¡±

    ¡°Put Grandmother¡¯s portrait in the ancestral hall. Tell the butler and he¡¯ll know what to do. Thank you!¡± It was Xi Xiaye who spoke.

    Zhou Zimo nodded and gave Mu Yuchen a pat on the back before departing. Soon, everyone started leaving, only Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were left in front of Wang Hui¡¯s gravestone. Xi Xiaye had a ck umbre in her hand which she had taken from Li Si.

    ¡°This is a quiet ce. I¡¯m sure Grandmother will be able to rest in peace here.¡±

    She turned towards him and removed the white flower on his chest before slowly putting it onto the grave. She touched Wang Hui¡¯s portrait and said, ¡°Grandmother, I hope you¡¯re doing well over there. We will stay strong too. Please look after us in your afterlife.¡±

    Momentster, she opened her eyes as the man beside her held her hand and took the umbre from her.

    She put her palms together and offered a silent prayer with her eyes closed. Her face seemed so peaceful, but there was a hint of dissonance between her eyes...

    ¡°Maybe this is what forever means...¡± she suddenly said after she opened her eyes and gave Wang Hui¡¯s portrait another nce before looking at him.

    What else could be more painful than experiencing the death of a beloved one?

    The pretty white flowers created a stark contrast to the painful feelings they were experiencing right now: heartbreak and devastation.

    He lowered himself and ced the flowers into the fire. After that, he watched until the flowers burn to nothingness...

    He did not say anything and just wrapped his arm over her shoulder. With his other hand holding the umbre, they watched Wang Hui¡¯s portrait in silence.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always known that death was very close to us. I experienced it when Lingtian left us, and today the same thing has happened again. Is this fate? It¡¯s my fate that I¡¯ll never be able to live my life in peace...¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t say that! It¡¯s not your fault, so don¡¯t overthink it. Grandmother passed away because of Aunt¡¯s incident. It¡¯s not your fault at all. Do you understand?¡±

    That was what she was worried he might be thinking.

    He let out a bitterugh and grabbed her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s both not overthink. Let the past stay in the past and start anew tomorrow. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ck, ck.

    As they were about to leave, Mu Yuchen suddenly heard the odd sound of footstepsing near them. It was the sound of high heels against the floor. They both looked over and instantly saw a figure.

    It was an extremely elegant and beautifuldy.

    Thedy was wearing a long ck dress that perfectly showcased her slender body. Her blonde hair was tied into an elegant coil. Her pretty face did not show any expression while she only had one jade bracelet as jewelry. Her elegance pretty much made up for herck of essories.

    It was Xi Xiaye¡¯s first time seeing such a beautiful woman who was a vision that was fundamentally different from her mother, Shen Wenna. Shen Wenna was a cool beauty while this woman had a seductive aura around her.

    Xi Xiaye was curious about this woman¡¯s identity, but she instantly knew who she was the moment she saw her blue eyes!

    Doris!

    It was Doris, Gu Lingsha¡¯s mother and the love of Gu Qiwu¡¯s life!

    Her facial features were very simr to Gu Lingsha¡¯s, but the charm of this woman was leaps and bounds ahead of her!

    Doris was carrying a tiny bouquet of white chrysanthemums in her hands. She was there to pay her respects to Wang Hui!

    Although Mu Yuchen went silent when he saw the woman, Xi Xiaye could sense that his hands were slowly clenching into fists.

 Chapter 1088 - Scheming (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1088: Scheming (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they were both sizing each other up, Doris silently walked up to the couple and examined them, but she did not stop walking and only slowed down.

    Xi Xiaye quickly snapped back to her senses. When she turned to look at Mu Yuchen, she realized that there was a dim light in his eyes. He averted his gaze without batting an eyelid and looked at the gravestone.

    Soon, Doris reached Wang Hui¡¯s gravestone. As the cold wind reached them, Xi Xiaye seemed to be able to detect the faint fragrance of perfume in the air as Doris¡¯s aura faintly came through.

    When the older woman stopped, Mu Yuchen subconsciously moved Xi Xiaye to hold her on the other side of his body. There was a shifting light in his eyes as he silently watched this scene before him.

    Doris did not immediately say anything. She just put the bouquet in her hand down on Wang Hui¡¯s gravestone with a solemn and respectful expression, and she took off the white flower on her chest to put onto the gravestone too. The mes that were freshly lit instantly swallowed the bunch of white flowers.

    She took three dignified bows before the gravestone, then straightened up to stare at Wang Hui¡¯s photo for a long while before she turned to Mu Yuchen who had kept quiet throughout the whole process.

    ¡°Thest time I met Elder Madam Mu, it was six years ago on the day before your wedding with Lingsha. Six yearster, I thought that I could visit her this time, and we could all meet again. Unfortunately, humans are fortune¡¯s fools. Now that we are separated into two worlds, I feel regretful and sad.¡±

    Doris¡¯s gentle and slightly gloomy voice came through, sounding very soothing. Especially with the faint sadness in between her brows, she looked mncholic and sincere.

    Of course, these words were directed at Mu Yuchen because her eyes were only fixed on him as if she did not see Xi Xiaye beside him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s arm that held Xi Xiaye slid down, then he held her hand. With their fingers interlocked, his gaze met with Doris¡¯s eyes, but he did not answer her.

    Upon seeing that Mu Yuchen did not answer, Doris was not angry. She just smiled and asked, ¡°Is Elder Mister Mu still healthy and well?¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly. He held Xi Xiaye and was about to turn and leave, but Doris¡¯s gentle chuckle stopped him. ¡°Ah Chen, six years ago, you weren¡¯t this cold and courteous to me. You should know that I¡¯ve always favored you like my own son.¡±

    Her gentle voice contained faint helplessness. When Xi Xiaye studied her, she saw that Doris¡¯s eyes were fixated on Mu Yuchen, as if there was some warmth in them. Xi Xiaye could not see any darkness. However, she could feel the coldness that radiated from the man beside her.

    ¡°Then, I can only thank you for looking after me, Aunt Gu,¡± he said calmly, instantly storing away all of his emotions.

    ¡°Are you still feeling guilty and ming yourself for what happened to Lingtian, or are you angry?¡± Doris asked in concern. The light flickered in her blue eyes as they silently watched Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face.

    ¡°Aunt Gu, haven¡¯t you always disliked it when others bring up the past?¡± he asked her instead.

    Upon hearing that, she only pursed her lips and smiled, and then sighed, ¡°The dead have departed. Indeed, there¡¯s no need to talk about this anymore. As for Elder Madam Mu¡¯s passing, I feel saddened and regretful about it. My condolences.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always felt very regretful about what happened six years ago. To me, you and Shasha were the best match. Sadly, Shasha didn¡¯t know how to appreciate it herself and ruined such a good marriage. You know that I did my best to bring the two of you together. Now, Shasha and Qi Feng have settled down with each other. I find it very regretful. The two of you had a destiny but no fate. Nevertheless, in my heart, you¡¯ll always be the best son-inw for the Gu family.¡±

    When Doris said this, her blue eyes could not help but darken while her face was filled with sorrow and regret.

    ¡°That¡¯s funny, Aunt Gu. Fate isn¡¯t so easy,¡± Mu Yuchen responded coldly as his hand squeezed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand even tighter to the point that she could feel the pain crawling up from between her fingers.

    ¡°Oh? Is it not fate?¡± Doris looked meaningfully at Mu Yuchen. Sheughed as she shook her head. ¡°No, you and Shasha are fated. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t havee so close to being a married couple, and that¡¯s the truth, Ah Chen! That¡¯s fate!¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly looked annoyed. His long eyshes flickered for a bit, hiding the gloominess.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never quite believed in fate, but if I had to believe it just one time, then¡ª¡± he said then suddenly paused. A sharpness shed in his eyes and his gaze went straight for Doris¡¯s eyes. Taken aback by his sudden gaze too, she looked up silently at him.

    ¡°It definitely wouldn¡¯t have been with Gu Lingsha either,¡± he concluded coldly and turned around to leave with Xi Xiaye in hand.

    Doris did not go after him. She just watched the two of them leave as her elegant and beautiful face shed with a bitter sneer.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye walked all the way down the stairs. When they reached below, Li Si had already been waiting in the car for a long time. The second he saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s figures, he immediately went up to them.

    ¡°Master, Missus!¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed the umbre to him and pulled the door open for Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye got in without a word, not looking very pleased. When Mu Yuchen got in as well, she was already looking out of the window gloomily.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did your mood suddenly change?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was a sensitive person, so he could immediately see that she was unhappy. Right now, it was beyond obvious. After they left Wang Hui¡¯s gravestone, she had not said a single word to him.

    It was reasonable to say that being the kind of person she was, she would have said a few things to console him or find a way to probe him about what Doris had said earlier, but she did not say anything at all. This was abnormal of her!

    Xi Xiaye did not respond and just sighed.

    From the front, Li Si had already gotten seated and turned as he asked softly, ¡°Master, are we returning to the old Mu residence?¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Mu Yuchen calmly replied, but his gaze remained focused on the side of Xi Xiaye¡¯s bright little face.

 Chapter 1089 - Scheming (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1089: Scheming (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing that, Li Si nodded.

    ¡°Right, Master, we can¡¯t go back through the way we came. Let¡¯s just take the highway. Right now, it¡¯s almost time for work to be over, so we might get into a traffic jam,¡± the chauffeur quickly exined the situation to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°No worries, let¡¯s go,¡± Mu Yuchen softly said.

    The chauffeur grunted in response, then silently started the car to drive ahead steadily.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes fell onto the woman beside him. He could sense that she was not in a good mood. After thinking about it for a while, he still did not understand why she was being like this.

    ¡°Speak, Xiaye!¡± He hesitated for a moment before he softly called out to her as his eyes locked onto her bright and pretty little face.

    Then, Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly, thought about it, before turning to look at him gloomily and unhappily. Still, she said frankly, ¡°Sometimes, I feel really unhappy that you and Gu Lingsha were once fianc¨¨s, and that they bring this up every time without caring about how I feel.¡± When she said this, there was a tint of jealousy in her tone.

    Mu Yuchen was shocked to hear this, but then he chuckled and replied softly, ¡°I thought that I¡¯d identally angered you when you are just being jealous over trivial matters. I¡¯ve told you many times that there was nothing between Gu Lingsha and I. It was all just a one-sided affair on their end. If we follow your logic, shouldn¡¯t I already be bathing in jealousy?¡±

    As he tried to imply something, his dark eyes flickered when he looked meaningfully at her.

    Xi Xiaye obviously knew what he meant. She fell silent for a bit and then sighed softly. ¡°Time passes so quickly. Soon, it¡¯s going to be two years now...A while ago, Han Yifeng even called me.¡±

    Upon hearing that, his handsome brows raised slightly. ¡°What did he say?¡± he asked in a lowered voice.

    ¡°Nothing much. He just heard about my hand getting hurt, so he called to ask me about it.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she opened up her palms which had obvious scars. ¡°Su Nan says that his son can walk now, and he¡¯s changed a lot. After that, I thought about it and realized that it wasn¡¯t only him who had changed. So did we.¡±

    Suddenly, she looked up and met his gaze.

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement. ¡°We¡¯re definitely in a much different ce from before, and there have indeed been some changes, such as this time. Everyone will need some time to heal. Right now, I¡¯m worried about Grandfather and Lingshi. Grandfather and Grandmother had been married for decades while Lingshi might also...¡±

    ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s just fate. We can¡¯t avoid it,¡± Xi Xiaye sighed and said.

    Without answering, he lowered his gaze a little sadly while his long eyshes hid the sadness that gathered in his eyes.

    ¡°I think that Doris is quite something. Even just looking at her made me feel her imposing aura.¡±

    Doris¡¯s beautiful and charming face shed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind.

    That woman did not look at her at all throughout the encounter and had ignored her right away. Xi Xiaye had no doubt that she had done it on purpose, but she acted so naturally, which truly amazed Xi Xiaye!

    Doris was probably great at scheming. Even though Gu Lingsha was already not bad at such conniving acts, she seemed to have only scraped the surface.

    ¡°I told you, she¡¯s not easy to handle. I obviously wouldn¡¯t go for her. Even though she¡¯s detailed and her tricks are quite cruel, she hasn¡¯t done anything against me so far, but there¡¯s definitely more to her than meets the eye,¡± Mu Yuchen said to Xi Xiaye.

    Previously, he had discussed Doris with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo more than once. They had collected a bunch of information on her too, so he roughly more or less knew about Doris¡¯s situation.

    ¡°Did she used to be in close contact with the Mu family? Otherwise, why would shee to pay respects to Grandmother?¡± Xi Xaye looked at him in confusion.

    Mu Yuchen held up a hand to hold his head as he massaged the heaviness. ¡°Not frequently. Apart from the times before my wedding with Gu Lingsha, she¡¯s a very prideful woman, and she¡¯s experienced. She¡¯s got her own unique views on some things, but she could get along quite well with Grandmother.¡±

    Because he did not have a memorable impression of Doris, there was not much he could say.

    ¡°Do you think she actually knew about Gu Qiwu and Aunt? She¡¯s such a smart woman. I¡¯m sure she would¡¯ve suspected something.¡± Xi Xiaye thought about it, then raised her suspicion.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face stiffened as he responded, ¡°We can¡¯t be too sure about that since no one knows what Doris is thinking, but I can only tell you that there¡¯s more to her than what she seems. Based on the fact that she could make Gu Qiwu surrender and marry her back then, letting her take on the Hui Gu Corporation, straining rtionships with the elders of the Gu family, and still dote on her, do you think she¡¯s a simple woman?¡±

    ¡°Dote on her? Now that I hear you say it, Gu Qiwu seems to love Doris to death. If she could do all of that for her, who was Aunt to him?¡±

    When she said that, the atmosphere in the car became stifled again. The light in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes shifted too. She thought that perhaps Wang Hui had thought about this, and was triggered to death.

    ¡°He told me before that he only admired Aunt, but he couldn¡¯t let go of Doris,¡± he said after falling silent for a long while. Then, he looked out of the window, watching as the sky outside turn gloomy. Smelling the faint fragrance of lilies left behind in the wind, he fell into a daze.

    A while had passed when Xi Xiaye suddenlymented, ¡°I think that Aunt just wanted to love one person wholeheartedly, but why...why was it all so hard?¡±

    ¡°Feelings are something that one can onlye across serendipitously. You and I should understand this well. Who wouldn¡¯t want to have an unforgettable love? Unfortunately, there¡¯s a high price to pay.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded in agreement. She muttered to herself in response, ¡°Yes, I think that if there was a choice to do it all over again, Aunt may not have been willing to get involved with Gu Qiwu.¡±

    As he listened to her say that, a lonely and bitter smile rippled across his face.

 Chapter 1090 - Scheming (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1090: Scheming (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In front of Wang Hui¡¯s gravestone at Qingshan Cemetery.

    After Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye left, Doris did not leave right away. She remained standing at the same spot, watching their figures vanish until she could no longer see them before she turned back to look at Wang Hui¡¯s photo on the gravestone.

    After a while, a faintly cold smile shed across that charming face of hers.

    She stood there unmoving as if she had fallen into deep thought until she heard the sound of footsteps. Then, she came back to her senses and turned to see Gu Qiwu walk over with a bouquet in his arms.

    As always, he was dressed in a well-tailored ck suit. Despite being already over 50 years old, he still had the steadiness and charm of a matured man.

    When he saw Doris, Gu Qiwu was clearly shocked. His steps faltered for a bit, but he quickly recovered and continued ahead. His stern face did not reveal any expression, but his silent eyes clearly softened at the sight of Doris. In an instant, they became mixed with emotions, and finally returned to calm.

    He stopped by her side and bent down to put the bouquet by the gravestone before he said, ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯s windy. If you¡¯re done paying your respects, then we should go.¡± It was easy to hear the touch of concern in his voice.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t youe too? I didn¡¯t know when you reconciled with the Mu family again to the point that you¡¯de all the way to pay your respects.¡± A sharp, cold light shed in Doris¡¯s blue eyes as she stared at Gu Qiwu incisively.

    ¡°Is paying respects on behalf of the Gu family inappropriate?¡± When Gu Qiwu heard Doris, his expression turned cold in an instant. The softness in his eyes instantly vanished and was reced with a chill.

    ¡°Is that so? Are there any reasons apart from paying respects on behalf of the Gu family? Gu Qiwu, which part of what you say right now is real? Can you tell me?¡± Doris¡¯s tone contained a strong punch of attack and the air seemed to be filled with gunpowder. ¡°You went ahead and decided on Shasha¡¯s matter your own. You let them get married sloppily without asking me about it. How should we settle this score? Tell me, how? Speechless?¡±

    Her imposing manner exploded and drowned Gu Qiwu immediately.

    ¡°Alright, Doris, I don¡¯t want to fight with you. Fighting can¡¯t solve anything! Weiwei¡¯s already so old. She can¡¯t not have a father and Shasha¡¯s past her prime. After all, she and Qi Feng have been together for many years now. If you won¡¯t let them get married, are you nning on marrying Shasha off to someone else?¡± Gu Qiwu sighed helplessly and exined patiently.

    ¡°Enough! Don¡¯t talk to me about Weiwei! A disabled child is only a burden! Shasha is just like you, Gu Qiwu. You¡¯re both weak! You¡¯re soft! I already told Shasha to be more decisive back then and to abort the child. Perhaps, by now her body wouldn¡¯t have been ruined. It was the two of you that were overcautious! You don¡¯t have any drive at all! Useless!¡± Her sharp tone contained a sinister chill that hit him right on the head!

    She was like that. Whenever she wanted to scold someone, she would not care about the other person at all and would be extremely condescending. Gu Qiwu knew that best through the years. Sometimes, he hated it when she was like this, yet he cared a lot about her.

    ¡°Since the child is already born, there¡¯s no pointining about it. Right now, just let Qi Feng and Shasha get married smoothly so that Shasha can be the Qi family¡¯s future heiress. What¡¯s so bad about that?¡± Gu Qiwu said in a lowered voice.

    Upon hearing that, a disdain shed across Doris¡¯s lips. ¡°What kind of happiness do you think she¡¯ll enjoy while being married to a cripple? Do you think you really care about your daughter? Or are you trying to make her an item to barter, to fight for profits, to prop up your own wings, and then,ter on,e for me? That¡¯s what you¡¯re really thinking about, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Doris! Why can¡¯t you see what I¡¯ve been doing for you all these years? Don¡¯t always view me with such a suspicious lens! Why wouldn¡¯t I want our daughter to do well? Back then, wasn¡¯t it me who did the most to matchmake Mu Yuchen and Shasha? It was onlyter on that Shasha...¡± Gu Qiwu did not continue as he looked ashen.

    ¡°However you want to think of it, all these years, I may have let many people down, but I never thought that I¡¯d let you down, Doris!¡± Gu Qiwu angrily concluded, then turned around to leave sulkily.

    When Doris saw him move further away, her tensed expression softened. She paused before she walked after him.

    ¡°I won¡¯t agree to this marriage. If Qi Feng wants to marry my daughter, I¡¯ll have to see his sincerity! Mu Yuchen was such a good choice back then, but that ipetent girl then came home to talk to me about love. How spineless!¡± she scoffed coldly. Clearly, she was talking about Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Qiwu slowed down as he could not help but say, ¡°Doris, not every woman is as strong as you! Shasha¡¯s just a simple woman who craves warmth and love, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that!¡±

    ¡°Are all the men in this world dead? Did she have to choose Qi Feng? A cripple who finds it hard to take care of even himself? In fact, do you think Qi Feng¡¯s a simple man? Gu Qiwu, I don¡¯t want to see the day I hear horrible news. If the dayes, you know that the first person I¡¯ll go after is you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to kill me?¡± When he heard this, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression instantly turned dark!

    Who was he to her? Who was Gu Qiwu to her?

    He, Gu Qiwu, was Doris¡¯s husband! However, this woman had threatened him just like that!

    ¡°You can try!¡± Doris gave him a charming smile, then walked away.

    Just when she was about to walk past him, he suddenly reached out to hold her by the arm and patiently say, ¡°Alright, Doris, that¡¯s enough! Since Qi Feng and Shasha love each other, just let them be with each other. I think that the marriage between the Gu and the Qi families is a good thing. Let¡¯s talk about the restter on. I¡¯ve gotten some gifts for you. In the evening, Qi Feng and Shasha wille over for dinner, so don¡¯t embarrass them anymore.¡±

 Chapter 1091 - The Day Before (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1091: The Day Before (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Mu residence felt a lot quieter after Wang Hui passed away.

    Xi Xiaye could sense a stifling atmosphere that made it difficult to breathe when she entered the living room.

    Thud!

    The sound of heavy footsteps came from the staircase, so she looked over and noticed Mu Lingshiing down. Her red eyes seemed swollen from all the crying while her expression was pale and she looked exhausted.

    Worried, Xi Xiaye quickly went over and held her arm. ¡°You look terrible. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t move around too much. I¡¯ll help you back to your room to get some sleep. Be mindful of the baby inside you as you¡¯ll affect it if you don¡¯t rest well.¡±

    Mu Lingshi shook her head as she sobbed. Her voice became so hoarse that it sounded different than usual. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can¡¯t sleep. I see Grandmother¡¯s face as soon as I close my eyes. She¡¯s in pain, but she couldn¡¯t say anything...Weren¡¯t things supposed to get better? Why did this happen?¡±

    After several days of exhaustion and sleepless nights, Mu Lingshi was on the brink of breaking down. Ah Mo had been helping out with the funeral, so Ji Zitong was in charge of apanying Mu Lingshi for the past two days. However, Su Chen and Ji Zitong had just gone back home not too long ago.

    ¡°We can only ept it now. I don¡¯t think Grandmother can rest in peace if you¡¯re like this. She was extremely concerned about your health when she was still around, wasn¡¯t she? Try not to overthink. I¡¯ll get you back to your room and I¡¯ll call you when dinner¡¯s ready,¡± Xi Xiaye said firmly but gently.

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts unless you want to make everyone worried about you! No matter what, taking care of yourself is the best thing to do for Grandmother¡¯s sake right now!¡± Xi Xiaye smiled at Mu Lingshi as she gave her belly a gentle pat. ¡°Who knows? Grandmother might have turned into a star and be watching over you and your baby!¡±

    Mu Lingshi put one hand on her belly as she stared nkly at Xi Xiaye like a lost girl who could not find her way home.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°She¡¯s gone, but our memories of her remain.¡±

    Mu Lingshi then gave up trying to convince Xi Xiaye, so she went back to bed andy down. Xi Xiaye waited until she fell asleep before she left the room quietly.

    ¡°How is she? Is she asleep?¡± When Xi Xiaye left the room, she heard Ah Mo¡¯s anxious voice.

    ¡°She just fell asleep. You have to take good care of her. She¡¯s lost so much weight in just a few days. It¡¯ll definitely affect both her and the child if this goes on. Stay at home and spend some time with her. I¡¯m sure she feels pressured and might get depression if she doesn¡¯t handle it well. I¡¯ll talk to your brother regarding work.¡± Xi Xiaye was notably concerned.

    Ah Mo was stunned for a moment. ¡°Alright then. Thank you, Sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down. I doubt she¡¯ll wake up anytime soon. Where¡¯s your brother?¡± She was heading down the stairs.

    ¡°He¡¯s talking to father in the study room. By the way, Elder CEO Shen called just now. Brother took the call, but he didn¡¯t tell him about Grandmother,¡± Ah Mo reminded her.

    Pausing, she then nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ...

    Mu Tangchuan and Mu Yuchen had a long conversation in the study room and only came out when dinner was ready. However, they both did not look very pleased.

    All of them were not in the mood for a meal. They barely had the appetite after several bites. Mu Yinan and Mu Lingshi did note downstairs. Since it was difficult for the two of them to fall asleep after going through such a heartbreaking experience, the others did not want to bother them.

    A servant came over and informed Xi Xiaye that Zhuang Shurong wanted to see her in the study room after dinner. Before heading to the study, Xi Xiaye told Aunt Fang to pack up for Mu Xiaocheng.

    Knock knock!

    Zhuang Shurong was looking at a jade bracelet carefully when Xi Xiaye knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± she replied as she straightened her back.

    Xi Xiaye carefully opened the door. ¡°Mother, you called for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,e here and have a seat!¡± Zhuang Shurong had a gentle expression as she waved her hand, inviting her over.

    Xi Xiaye went over and sat down on the chair before the table. ¡°Mother, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Sighing, Zhuang Shurong reached out to grab a rectangr box and ced it before Xi Xiaye as she spoke in a serious tone, ¡°This is a gift from your grandmother. Ah Chen told her to leave some for you before. She always kept it in mind. She wanted to give it to you during the New Year, but who would¡¯ve thought that she couldn¡¯t wait that long? These are your grandmother¡¯s favorite. She¡¯s been keeping these after your grandfather gave them to her for their wedding.

    ¡°Your grandmother separated these into two sets: one for you, and the other for Lingshi. Keep it.¡± Zhuang Shurong¡¯s eyes were peaceful as she smiled. ¡°It must¡¯ve been tough for all of you. She passed away so suddenly, no one saw iting!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled gently as she looked at the box before her. ¡°I think you should keep it, Mother. It¡¯s too valuable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s yours. Of course, you should keep it. It¡¯s up to you what you do with them but keep them!¡± Zhuang Shurong then continued, ¡°Please help look after Lingshi for the next few days. I¡¯m really worried about her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother, I will!¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s wedding ising soon. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve received their invitation, haven¡¯t you?¡± Zhuang Shurong suddenly asked.

    Xi Xiaye was startled for a moment before nodding. ¡°Mmm, I bumped into Qi Feng outside the supermarket some time ago. He gave one to me and one to Ah Chen. It seems like it¡¯s going to be pretty grand.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it will be. The Qi family isn¡¯t just a nobody.¡±

 Chapter 1092 - The Day Before 2

    1092 <strong>The Day Before 2</strong>

    Zhuang Shurong replied instantly to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Your father and I probably can¡¯t go, but we¡¯ll still send them a gift. Please bring it over for us.¡±

    She then took a beautifully wrapped gift out from the drawer and handed it to Xi Xiaye. ¡°We still have to give them a gift since they invited us. We also want to avoid any rumors from going around.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded humbly. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong then talked a little about Wang Hui, but upon noticing that Xi Xiaye did not feelfortable with the topic, Zhuang Shurong stopped.

    ¡°Alright, you should go back and have some rest. It¡¯s been tough for the past few days. Rest well.¡±

    ¡°You too, Mother. Goodnight!¡±

    ¡°Goodnight!¡±

    Xi Xiaye then left the room.

    She took a quick shower as she got back to her room. When she got out, she noticed that the lights in the secondary living room were lit up, so she headed there and saw the man sitting on the sofa.

    He was switching channels with the remote control in his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the bathwater for you. Go in and take a dip!¡± Xi Xiaye was drying her hair when she reached his side.

    He nced over at her. Then, he quickly took her towel and gently dried her hair as she sat down beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. What did Mother talk to you about?¡± he asked as he dried her hair.

    ¡°She said Grandmother left me some treasure. It¡¯s the betrothal gift Grandfather gave her back in the days. She wanted to give them to me during the New Year, but she passed away before that.¡±

    The atmosphere turned heavy as Xi Xiaye regretted bringing up that topic! She then remembered her meeting with Inspector Zhang several days ago. She had been about to tell him about it, but Wang Hui¡¯s incident had happened, so it got dyed.

    Immediately, she got up. ¡°I have something for you! Wait here!¡±

    She went into the bedroom before the man could even react. Soon, she came back with a folder in her hands that she handed to him. ¡°Take a look at this. It¡¯s some information I got Inspector Zhang to investigate. I¡¯m sure they are helpful in your ns.¡±

    Surprised, Mu Yuchen opened it and looked through the documents.

    There were many records of Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi together. He also noticed that it was during the time when Mu Zi had been at the peak of her career.

    This meant that Gu Qiwu had been with her long before he even knew Doris!

    It was a thick document. Apart from some data, there were a lot of notes and photos. Several old photos fell out from as he was flipping through it. He bent over and picked them up.

    There was a young boy wearing a suit in the photos!

    Mu Yuchen instantly recognized the young boy!

    Mu Lingtian! It was Mu Lingtian when he was still a child!

    It was said that Mu Zi had bought this suit for Mu Lingtian for some celebration, and Mu Lingtian had treasured it very much.

    However, it was not Mu Lingtian¡¯s presence in the photos that surprised him. Instead, it was the man in sunsses beside him!

    The man worerge sunsses as he stood behind Mu Lingtian. On the other side was Mu Zi who was wearing a long floral dress!

    The man...

    Mu Yuchen thought he really looked like Gu Qiwu!

    Could Mu Lingtian have found out that Gu Qiwu was his biological father a long time ago? Or did Mu Zi tell him?

    At least, from this photo, Gu Qiwu seemed pretty warm towards them.

    However, Gu Qiwu had said before that Mu Lingtian did not know about their rtionship. Was he lying? There was no need for him to lie at that point, was there?

    He kept the documents after studying them intensely. There was doubt in his eyes when he looked back at Xi Xiaye. ¡°This is important information. You have really helped me solve a huge issue.¡±

    She seemed delighted to beplimented. ¡°As long as you find it useful. Inspector Zhang really put in a lot of effort to get all of these, so we should really treat him to a good meal after things settle down.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ...

    On the same night, things were pretty lively over at the Gu family mansion. It was a huge contrastpared to the Mu residence.

    The whole mansion was well lit and colorful lights shrouded the whole ce in an attractive ambiance. Beautiful fireworks lit up the sky, creating a memorable scene.

    yful voices chattered amidst the fireworks...

    By the corridor of the mansion, Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng stood by the staircase as they watched the night sky quietly while several servants were having fun together.

    The colorful fireworks disy highlighted Gu Lingsha¡¯s beauty in the dark as she spoke to him while the fireworks were ongoing, ¡°Ah Feng, I still remember when you brought me to watch a fireworks show on my 18th birthday. Lingtian worked hard on it too. It was one of my happiest birthdays, and you¡¯ve been by my side for every birthday ever since. It¡¯s a miracle that you¡¯re still with me till this day.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression turned gentle as he watched the fireworks go off. ¡°We were young and innocent. unlike how we are struggling every day now.¡±

    He lowered his head and looked down at himself, ¡°Maybe your mother¡¯s worries aren¡¯t uncalled for. It¡¯s hard for me to even take care of myself. You must feel ashamed to be with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 1093 - The Day Before (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1093: The Day Before (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze, then she quickly replied, ¡°Ah Feng, you know my mother is just being straightforward. She doesn¡¯t care about my father and my feelings either, but I do know that she actually cares and isn¡¯t really against you.¡±

    ¡°No worries. I¡¯m used to it already. They are right anyway. I¡¯m disabled.¡± Qi Lei put on a cold smile as he averted his gaze away.

    She turned over and looked at his side profile, noticing how lonely his smile looked. Gu Lingsha felt horrible. ¡°Didn¡¯t Morrison already contact a doctor for you? There¡¯s still a chance. Even if your legs remain the way they are, you¡¯re still better than others, and I¡¯ll always stay by your side.¡± She meant it sincerely and her tone was gentle.

    Qi Feng paused when she put her hands over his shoulder and he smiled warmly.

    Gu Lingsha felt touched when she saw his smile. Her grip on his shoulder tightened slightly as she watched the ongoing fireworks. ¡°Ah Feng, I really wish that we could stay like this forever.¡±

    ¡°Forever? Do you really think that anythingsts forever in this world?¡± He suddenly looked at her deep in the eyes.

    Gu Lingsha nodded and smiled. ¡°Of course! I believe we¡¯llst forever.¡±

    Qi Feng raised his eyebrows. ¡°If you had told me this six years ago, I would¡¯ve been overjoyed and married you right away, but it seems that things are falling into ce. We are still married after having gone through so much.¡±

    Gu Lingsha felt a little odd, but it did not sound wrong. ¡°So, we¡¯re blessed, huh?¡±

    Qi Feng smiled without a reply.

    Above them, on the balcony of the study room, Gu Qiwu was standing by the side with Doris before him. She wore a long pale gold dress that night.

    Doris was casually looking at the fireworks. Although she seemed normal on the outside, something was hidden in her eyes.

    ¡°Doris, maybe you should go easier on Qi Feng and Shasha. The news of their marriage has already been announced, and they are officially a married couple.¡± Gu Qiwu frowned as he tried to convince her.

    ¡°That¡¯s your business. I¡¯m only expressing to you what I think about them. I can¡¯t do anything if all of you insist on it anyway. I¡¯ll never ept Qi Weier. She¡¯s incapable of growing up to be a healthy person. Gu Qiwu, I¡¯m thinking about what will happen in the future. I don¡¯t want our daughter to put so much effort in for nothing.¡± Doris squinted her eyes as she stared at him.

    However, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He closed his eyes and tried to hide the cold light that shed in his eyes.

    Doris extended a hand to him and grabbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯d love to see if Qi Feng will wager the Hui Gu Corporation like what you did back then. Be honest with me. Do you ever regret it?¡±

    ¡°Why would I? Doris, marrying you is the best decision I¡¯ve ever made!¡± Gu Qiwu insisted in a serious tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to doubt you, but you¡¯re a smart man. You¡¯re no longer the man that proposed to me, and you¡¯re hiding something from me? Why?¡± She gave him a cold, sharp gaze. Gu Qiwu actually felt a little uneasy when she looked at him like that.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. I¡¯ve been busytely and traveling between cities. Didn¡¯t I get everything you like prepared for you?¡± he replied calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯m no fool. You sent someone to keep an eye on me during my stay in the UK, didn¡¯t you? Do you really think that I had no idea?¡± Dorisughed. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re plotting, but I suggest that you make a decision after you give them enough consideration. I think you won¡¯t want to see us bing like Qi Qiming and Wang Qin.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened slightly before he put on a smile. ¡°You did the same thing to me too, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    1¡°Do you think that I¡¯m not good enough for you?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice was cold as he squinted at her and said, ¡°Patience and feelings will run out one day, Doris. Know your limits. It¡¯s easier for women who know when to stop to find happiness. I care about you, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll do everything as you say. Qi Feng and Shasha¡¯s wedding will go on whether you approve of them or not, and you¡¯ll be there for it!¡±

    His patience had run out. After saying that to Doris, he then went back inside.

    Doris¡¯s eyes darkened suddenly.

    ...

    As Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were absorbed in the fireworks, Butler Fang came over and spoke to Qi Feng, ¡°Master Feng, Madam wants to see you in the study room!¡±

    ¡°Mother? What does she want?¡± Gu Lingsha suddenly felt uneasy.

    Qi Feng thought for a little while and then replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head over right away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Gu Lingsha was anxious, so she started wheeling his wheelchair.

    However, the butler was one step ahead of Gu Lingsha. ¡°Ms. Lingsha, Madam said she wants to meet with Master Feng in private. She told you to wait in the living room. I¡¯ll send Master Feng over!¡±

    Stunned, she looked at Qi Feng hesitantly.

    Qi Feng patted her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine. I have something to discuss with her as well. This is going to be crucial for our future, including Weiwei¡¯s as well. I know you won¡¯t want to have a wedding without Mother¡¯s blessings.¡±

 Chapter 1094 - Carelessness (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1094: Carelessness (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Doris was looking through the guest list on the sofa inside the study room.

    Knock knock!

    The butler¡¯s voice reached her ears right after a few knocks on the door. ¡°Madam, Master Feng is here!¡±

    ¡°Come in!¡± Doris replied and the butler opened the door. He wheeled Qi Feng to her side before stopping.

    ¡°Leave us be.¡±

    The butler soon left them, and Doris looked deep into Qi Feng¡¯s eyes.

    Not a word was exchanged between them. The room became eerily quiet after the butler left while Qi Feng remained stationary as Doris stared at him. He did not show any expression on his face.

    ¡°What do you want to discuss with me, Mother?¡± Qi Feng finally initiated the conversation.

    Doris folded her arms and crossed her legs. ¡°What else do you think there is to talk about?¡±

    Qi Feng took a nce at the guest list on the table and ignored her question. ¡°We¡¯ve already sent out the invitations. Father has looked through the guest list several times already. Do you have any issues in it?¡±

    Qi Feng was calm as he maintained an expressionless face. Doris would acknowledge his talents if it were not for his disabled legs. All these years, he had not given up on himself and had been improving. As he became more mature after the painful experience, he became much more observant.

    Doris could not see through his poker face at all. ¡°Qi Feng, I¡¯m sure you know that I don¡¯t agree to your marriage with Lingsha,¡± she said directly.

    Qi Feng nodded. ¡°I know. You¡¯ve always preferred Mu Yuchen over me. That has never changed.¡±

    Doris was surprised by his straightforwardness. She nodded without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll admit that much.¡±

    ¡°However, time has changed things and Mu Yuchen has married Xi Xiaye. After everything I¡¯ve gone through with Shasha, Mu Yuchen is responsible for what happened to us to a certain extent. Do you agree with that?¡± Qi Feng said with his deep voice as he spoke in a calm manner, ¡°You should also understand why things have turned out like this. Plus, you should bear responsibility as well, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Doris¡¯s expression changed for a moment as her eyes became stagnant.

    ¡°It happened so suddenly, and I didn¡¯t have much time to think about it, but I¡¯ve been keeping something in mind all this while. I¡¯ve been looking for a chance to talk to you about it.¡± Qi Feng put on a smile.

    ¡°What do you want to talk about? I don¡¯t think we have anything else to discuss. I called you up here because I want my daughter to be happy. So you really think you can give that to her?¡± Doris gave him a meaningful nce.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened, but his smile widened. ¡°Happiness requires two people to work on i. We¡¯ve been together for quite some years, and we already have a daughter. The wedding will happen no matter what, and I hope that you can give us your blessings. That alone is a huge form of happiness to Shasha, me, and Weiwei!¡±

    ¡°There was no need for you to ask for my permission at all,¡± Doris said coldly.

    ¡°No, it is necessary. Let¡¯s go back to what we were discussing earlier. I¡¯ve been looking forward to talking to you about Shasha and Weiwei.¡±

    Qi Feng paused. ¡°I hope you can ept Weiwei. Because of this, there¡¯ve been some disagreements between you and Shasha, but it¡¯s not something we want.

    ¡°You know very well about Shasha¡¯s condition. We might only have one daughter for the rest of our lives. She¡¯s fine intellectually. She¡¯s just physically weak and has some mild symptoms of autism. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be like any other healthy child after we spend more time with her.¡±

    Qi Feng was really concerned about his daughter. In fact, he could deeply rte to Weiwei¡¯s condition as he was in a simr condition.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said that keeping this child will be your worst decision ever. Shasha¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this otherwise,¡± Doris replied coldly, obviously displeased.

    ¡°However, aren¡¯t you responsible for Weiwei as well? I¡¯m not a fool. Uncle Gu and you tried so hard to make Mu Yuchen stay because you guys were plotting something, weren¡¯t you? Too bad the two of you underestimated Mu Yuchen. Who would¡¯ve expected him to leave on the first night while Lingtian remained?¡± Qi Feng put on a sly grin and his eyes seemed cold.

    Doris¡¯s expression changed once she heard Qi Feng¡¯s words but soon returned to normal. ¡°I have a question. Howe you went over so coincidentally? If it weren¡¯t for you, that person might¡¯ve been Mu Lingtian instead of you!¡±

    Qi Fengughed, his voice filled with a bone-chilling bitterness as he said, ¡°It¡¯s fate! Do you think your n was perfect?¡±

    ¡°You guys had no idea when Mu Yuchen left the Gu residence. All of us underestimated him! Lingtian called me that night and said Shasha was in a bad mood, so he told me toe over and apany her. Shasha was already unhappy with the marriage contract, but Uncle Gu and you insisted. The intention was very clear. Who knew the gift you¡¯d been preparing for so long would be delivered to me instead?¡±

    ¡°Why was it you instead of Mu Lingtian?¡± Doris asked.

    Doris had no idea what actually happened back then because they already started taking action and moved everyone away after Mu Yuchen agreed to stay. They intended to wait it out and readily ept the predicted oue.

 Chapter 1095 - Carelessness (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1095: Carelessness (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    No one expected what happened when Doris entered the room and saw Qi Feng with Gu Lingsha.

    Even a calm person like Doris was shocked to her core at that moment!

    She soon came back to her senses and closed the door right after that, pretending as if nothing had happened. She just wanted to forget about it because her n failed since no one would find out if they kept quiet about it, but Gu Lingsha actually got pregnant!

    1Doris had burned with rage inside her!

    Hence...

    ¡°Lingtian picked up a phone call and went out, so only Shasha and I were left. I¡¯m sure you know what happened afterward.¡±

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and put on a bitter smile. ¡°Shasha and I never expected that she would get pregnant because of that night too. It was too early to find out at that time. We only realized she had a pair of twinster. Shasha¡¯s body was extremely weak after the ident, and we could only save Weiwei. The cost of saving Weiwei was that Shasha would never be able to get pregnant again. She could have easily suffered a miscarriage even if we decided not to save Weiwei, and...

    ¡°Shasha is very timid. She can¡¯t take the hard truth, which is why I decided to save Weiwei. If you really loved Shasha, you¡¯d understand her better. After all that we¡¯ve gone through, are you still going to say that you weren¡¯t responsible for it at all?¡± Qi Feng gave Doris a sharp nce.

    Doris¡¯ expression froze slightly. ¡°Who called Lingtian?¡±

    1¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    A cold light shed in Doris¡¯s eyes as she asked coldly, ¡°Did Uncle Gu tell you what happened?¡±

    He shook his head and smiled. ¡°Please don¡¯t take Uncle Gu as a fool. He¡¯s not that stupid. Anyone could¡¯ve figured it out after giving it some thought.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not the only one who drank the alcohol. There was Mu Lingtian as well. If you¡¯re telling the truth, then how could Mu Lingtian have left?¡± Doris found his words doubtful.

    ¡°Lingtian didn¡¯t drink it. Have you forgotten that Lingtian is allergic to whiskey? The drink that Mu Yuchen loves...¡±

    Doris said coldly, ¡°I never expected that one small mistake could cost me my whole n!¡±

    ¡°Shasha probably doesn¡¯t have any other better options now. Plus, we are in love with each other. You aren¡¯t going to forcefully separate us, are you? Unless you want the embarrassing past to be known by others, it won¡¯t be beneficial to either party.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±Doris¡¯s eyes darkened as she shot Qi Feng a cold stare.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just reminding you. I¡¯m sure you know what we want. I don¡¯t think Shasha has a better choice other than marrying me! Do you really think she could influence someone like Mu Yuchen? Or Qi Lei?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone was firm.

    1¡°Aside the conflict between Mu Yuchen and Shasha right now, do you really think Mu Yuchen would give up on the woman he loves and ept Shasha? Don¡¯t forget that Xi Xiaye is also CEO of Fuhua right now. They even have a son together. As for Qi Lei, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about Shasha and him bing distanttely. Who else do you think Shasha can pick except for me, the father of her daughter?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s words stabbed Doris¡¯s heart like a dagger, reminding her of the harsh truth.

    Her expression did not look good.

    Qi Feng paused and backed off slightly. ¡°That¡¯s all that I¡¯m going to say. Mother, you¡¯re a smart person and I believe you know what to do. Anyway, it¡¯s gettingte now. Shasha and I should probably get back soon.¡±

    Qi Feng then called for someone and Butler Fang soon came in, bowing to them.

    ¡°Send me downstairs. We¡¯re going home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Feng!¡±

    ...

    After Wang Hui had passed away, Xi Xiaye felt that it was really quiet around her familiar environment. No one came to tell her to have breakfast anymore, and there was no gentle reminder to take care of herself.

    Neither Xi Xiaye nor the man beside her could not get used to it.

    As they sat together and looked at the empty spot at the dining table, they could not help but feel sad.

    It was the weekend and they were watching television together after breakfast. Xi Xiaye wanted to brew some tea, but Mu Yuchen suddenly got up and grabbed his car keys. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the office to get some documents. Do you want toe with me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye put the tea leaves down and stood up too.

    ¡°Bring our son together as well. Let¡¯s go out for a bit. It¡¯s been pretty depressingtely,¡± he said.

    Xi Xiaye turned over and looked out of the window. When she noticed it was a sunny day, she nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to the funfair. He likes to see interesting things.¡±

    Aunt Lin fed Mu Xiaocheng well. The little guy was growing and had begun to show his unlimited energy every day. Ever since he learned how to crawl, he had been quite naughty.

    They made preparations and left the house ten minutester.

    Xi Xiaye put on a white dress with her hair in a bun. Then, she grabbed the car keys and went outside. Mu Yuchen was holding Mu Xiaocheng in his arms while Aunt Wang and two bodyguards followed them.

    1Xi Xiaye drove and Mu Yuchen was sitting in the front passenger¡¯s seat while he was busy entertaining his son.

    She drove slower than usual with her son in the car. Life would have been great if this moment could go on forever with no more death and separation, and no more getting involved in any evil ploys or conflicts.

 Chapter 1096 - Carelessness (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1096: Carelessness (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    s, if only¡¯s would remain as if only¡¯s...

    When he heard the music, the well-fed Mu Xiaocheng whoy in his father¡¯s arms immediately widened his eyes that were initially closed in slumber. Those beautiful gem-like eyes flickered with a zed luster. They flickered and looked everywhere as if he was looking for the source of the sound while he babbled.

    ¡°I think that this little guy can probably say ¡®Father¡¯ in another two to three months,¡± Mu Yuchen pinched his son¡¯s soft cheeks and said happily.

    The touch on his face made Mu Xiaocheng a little irritated, so he reached out to hit Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand and then held it to suck on it. When Mu Yuchen felt a faint ache from his hand, he raised his brows in surprise.

    Xi Xiaye looked over to see his expression like that, so she slowed down the car and asked in puzzlement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I think the little guy has teeth now! Really! He bit me. Let me take a look. Son, open up. I want to see if you have teeth...¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face shed with the ripple of a smile. ¡°I heard from Aunt Lin that our son is probably going to get teeth soon. Because too many things have been happening recently, we haven¡¯t been paying attention to him.¡±

    ...

    Even though the sky was getting dark, it was not raining yet. Compared to the scorching heat from a few days before, it was much cooler now.

    The ck luxurious car sped past the clean cemented pathway towards a higher-end vi area. After a while, it stopped in front of a mansion.

    Dressed in a tailored dark blue suit, Qi Lei got down from the car leisurely. He took off his sunsses, his expression indifferent as he looked at the mansion before him. He did not want to be back at all if it was not for the fact that he needed to!

    The people inside seemed to have begun decorating the ce. From afar, he could already hear the noise within.

    <i>Right, the wedding is set for tomorrow, so it should be quite lively inside right now!</i>

    The curve of a sneer shed at the corner of Qi Lei¡¯s mouth. He hesitated before putting on the sunsses again. With both hands in his pockets, he walked in casually.

    ¡°Second Master¡¯s back!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Second Master!¡±

    It was true that people were in high spirits because of the happy assion. Qi Lei had just stepped in when the busy crowd greeted him warmly.

    Nodding nonchntly, he walked past the corridor and went towards the house. He bumped into the butler at the entrance.

    He peered inside and saw that apart from the busy servants, there was no one else, thus Qi Lei asked in confusion, ¡°Is there no one at home?¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi¡¯s gone out. The young madam went to the Gu family mansion while the other Master seems to be in the backyard.¡±

    Because he could hear the coldness in Qi Lei¡¯s tone, the butler dared not be as arrogant as he had been before. He recently realized that CEO Qi seemed to begin caring about the Second Master again, and he might be of importance in Qi Kai in the future, so it was best to keep the provocation to a minimum.

    Qi Lei nodded and did not stay with the butler as he turned to walk towards the corridor that led to the backyard.

    At this moment, in the Qi family mansion¡¯s backyard, the sinister-looking Morrison handed a document to Qi Feng. He grinned widely and said, ¡°Master, this is great news! I think this is the reason why Wang Hui left so suddenly! Mu Yinan and Wang Hui couldn¡¯t have guessed that the man who got together with Mu Zi years ago would be Gu Qiwu! Haha, heaven rewards the faithful! I¡¯ve finally got something against them! I¡¯m sure that they are done for this time!¡±

    1When Morisson said that, Qi Feng¡¯s eyes brightened. He fixed his gaze upon the document that Morrison handed him.

    ¡°Boss, the results prove that our guess was right! I just knew that with Gu Qiwu and Mu Yuchen¡¯s rtionship, there was no reason for him to constantly go to Imperial Sky. He clearly had other reasons to do so, and afterward, we fixed our target on Mu Lingshi. Soon, we found out the issue¡ª

    ¡°Gu Qiwu was secretly getting someone to follow, no, secretly protect Mu Lingshi! He didn¡¯t even do that with Miss Lingsha, how could Mu Lingshi gain so much interest for him, so I can be sure that there must be something more to Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi¡¯s rtionship. Then, I remembered that Mu Yuchen was also investigating Mu Lingshi¡¯s background. Why did he suddenly stop? All of this proves one thing!¡± Morrison said as he could not help but look excited.

    ¡°Proves one thing? It proves that Gu Qiwu was the man who got together with Mu Zi years ago. In fact, you¡¯re saying that Mu Lingshi and Gu Qiwu are most likely father and daughter!¡± Qi Feng finished Morrison¡¯s words.

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve checked. Mu Yinan and Wang Hui didn¡¯t know about this before. Wang Hui had a heart attack the other day because of this! Everyone knows that the incident with Mu Zi has always been a taboo in the Mu family. Years ago, when Mu Zi broke down from the questioning, she didn¡¯t give up the man¡¯s name either. That meant that the man was not just anybody. In fact, all these years, Mu Tangchuan, as well as Mu Lingtian before this, and then Mu Yuchen never gave up on looking for that man. If that man wasn¡¯t so capable, do you think they couldn¡¯t have found him with their abilities?¡±

    Morrison was getting more and more excited as he spoke. He could not wait to see these secrets be exposed, and the kind ofmotion it would bring.

    As Qi Feng listened to this, he found it quite hard to believe!

    Mu Zi, Mu Zixi!

    The celebrity who was extremely popr at one point!

    He could still remember how she looked like. She had been very attractive, a rare beauty. In fact, back then, she seemed to have been quite close to Qi Qiming. At that time, the Qi family and the Mu family had a great rtionship. Qi Qiming and Mu Yinan would hang out, thus Qi Feng could remember Mu Zi, and she used to be concerned about him and Qi Lei.

    From what Qi Feng remembered, Mu Zi was a strong and considerate woman. Even though she was sometimes headstrong and angered Wang Hui, she was very loving towards young children.

    Qi Qiming was really suitable for Mu Zi, yet they were not lovers. That was one thing Qi Feng was clear of.

    It did not matter how many lovers Qi Qiming had. To him, some women still held a very important position in his heart, and Mu Zi seemed to have been one of them. However, he did not know how Qi Qiming actually felt about Mu Zi.

 Chapter 1097 - Carelessness (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1097: Carelessness (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Wang Qin passed away, Qi Feng could vaguely feel that Qi Qiming actually had cared about her.

    What about Qi Feng¡¯s mother then?

    And Lu Xin?

    And his many other lovers?

    Right now, how did Gu Qiwu be involved?

    As Qi Feng thought about this, his expression could help but be dazed. After a while, he opened the document and flipped through it. Then, his eyes gradually filled with a light of disbelief. In an instant, it turned into a mix of emotions...

    ¡°Master, with this in hand, we practically have Mu Yuchen and Gu Qiwu by their throats. I think neither of them will want this to get leaked out,¡± Morrison lowered his voice to continue.

    While Qi Feng¡¯s expression had be solemn, he thought about it, then closed the materials in his hands. ¡°Why do you think that Gu Qiwu would be worried about these news leaking out? It¡¯s only because of Doris, but I feel like she isn¡¯t a fool either. She probably has some inkling about it. If we want to use these against them, it¡¯s probably not very practical.¡±

    ¡°Master, what do you think we should do then?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s gaze darkened, then he waved to Morrison who quickly leaned close to listen.

    Unbeknownst to them, Qi Lei had heard their conversation.

    2Qi Lei was standing right behind the pir near the corridor. Because they were too engrossed in the conversation, they did not realize he was there. Qi Lei decided to just hide behind the pir and eavesdrop. He did not expect to find out about this!

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression instantly became solemn.

    Qi Feng was up to his usual tricks! He was sure that he would not let go of this.

    Although he could not hear what they were actually talking about, right then, Qi Lei suddenly felt a little sad. If there were really going to use this as a trigger, what would everything that Lingtian had done be counted as?

    When he thought of this, Qi Lei suddenly felt a heaviness in his chest. His breaths became shallow before he turned around to leave!

    He probably should tell Mu Yuchen about this. Otherwise, when the stormes again, he would not be able to get through it in one piece!

    He thought about this as he left in huge strides. When he passed through the walkway in front of the door, the butler was surprised. Upon seeing how hurried he seemed, he asked in concern, ¡°Second Master, did something happen? Why do you look so rushed?¡±

    However, before the butler could finish, Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure had already passed by him and he continued walking ahead.

    ¡°Second Master, aren¡¯t you staying for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Second Master...¡±

    Before anyone else could finish their sentence, Qi Lei had already vanished out of the doorway.

    ¡°Where are you going in such a rush?¡±

    Qi Lei had just rushed out when he saw Qi Qiming and the secretary about to go in.

    He then slowed down and looked at Qi Qiming. His eyes were filled with mixed emotions, but he only answered calmly, ¡°I have something urgent to address right away!¡± Then he took out his car keys, unlocked the car, and got in swiftly.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened immediately.

    The car drove out, and when it passed Qi Qiming, Qi Lei said, ¡°I¡¯lle again at night.¡± His voice floated in the air while the car sped past. In an instant, it vanished at the end of the road.

    Qi Qiming was slightly bewildered. He thought about it for a while before picking up his steps to go in.

    When Qi Lei drove out of the vi, he called Yang Sheng. By the time he returned to Grand Lake Vi, Yang Sheng was already standing by the door waiting for him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in first!¡± Qi Lei said in a serious tone.

    Yang Sheng nodded and went in with him. When he saw Qi Lei¡¯s expression, he immediately felt tensed as he asked softly, ¡°Master Qi, what happened that you needed me to rush over?¡±

    ¡°Get people to watch Morrison right away. If he does anything, stop him! Also, find the quickest way to find out about the once-famous female celebrity from decades ago, Mu Zi. Be as detailed as possible.¡±

    ¡°Morrison? Mu Zi?¡± Yang Sheng was puzzled by Qi Lei¡¯s words. He could not help but ask, ¡°Master Qi, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Just do as I say. I don¡¯t have time to exin it to you right now. Hurry!¡± Qi Lei said a little annoyedly.

    Yang Sheng dared not respond after Qi Leished out, so he quickly nodded and responded, ¡°Got it, Master Qi! Oh, right, Master Qi, I do have some information on Miss Mu Zi with me right now. Before this, CEO Wang asked me to investigate her, so I still have a backup copy with me.¡±

    ¡°Quickly send it to me then. Less talk, alright?¡± Qi Lei turned to re at Yang Sheng furiously, ¡°Since when did you be so slow?! Don¡¯t you have a sense of urgency?¡±

    After Qi Lei snapped, Yang Sheng responded helplessly, ¡°Master Qi, this is the first time I¡¯m seeing you in such a hurry!¡±

    Then, he picked up his briefcase and immediately took out a tablet and unlocked it before sending Qi Lei a document. After a while, he sent the details over.

    ¡°This is everything that CEO Wang asked me to gather before this, but it was all about Miss Mu Zi and CEO Qi,¡± Yang Sheng worked as he said.

    ¡°Mu Zi and the old man? Why was my mother investigating them?¡± Qi Lei could not help but be intrigued by this as he stared at Yang Sheng.

    Frowning, Yang Sheng hesitated, and then said, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either. There was just a time when CEO Wang seemed especially odd. In fact, she was very invested in the progress of the investigation. I think that perhaps she was suspecting that there was something between CEO Qi and Miss Mu Zi.¡±

    What rtionship did the old man and Mu Zi have?

    When Yang Sheng said that, Qi Lei fell into deep thought and his eyes became a little zed as if he was searching for some distant memory.

    Mu Zi and Qi Qiming...

    They had a pretty good rtionship, and Qi Qiming cared a lot about Mu Zi too. Qi Lei remembered that Qi Qiming had even wanted Qi Feng to be Mu Zi¡¯s godson. For some reason,ter on, it did not happen. Back then, the Qi family and the Mu family were on quite decent terms, thus their proximity was not weird at all!

    Could Wang Qin have thought there was something more to their rtionship beyond friends or kinship?

    The more Qi Lei thought about it, the more he found it hard to believe. ¡°Alright, just get the things done. I¡¯ll take a look at it myself,¡± he said after a while. Then, he took his phone, wanting to give Mu Yuchen a heads up.

 Chapter 1098 - Grand Wedding! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1098: Grand Wedding! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen would have had no idea his son was so naughty if it were not for this trip!

    The two of them went upstairs along with Mu Xiaocheng when they arrived at Glory World. Mu Yuchen put Mu Xiaocheng on his desk, thenid out some toys in front of him to keep him upied as they worked.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I heard from Vice President Zhang that there are some problems with the materials from Chief Sun. Has that issue been resolved yet?¡± Xi Xiaye asked when she suddenly remembered.

    Frowning, Mu Yuchen remembered that he told Li Si to investigate Chief Sun, but there was no news yet. It must have been dyed due to the recent happenings.

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked Vice President Wen to take care of it. He¡¯s very good at dealing with things like that. Since the South River project is going well, you can focus more on the development of Movie City. Grandfather has finished tworge-scale projects, and we all thought we could take on South River Project No. 2, but Qi Kai would have butted in, so I got someone to make an estimation. The potential profits from Movie City will beparable to South River Project No. 2.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave her a warm smile.

    She nodded when suddenly, there was a loud sound

    Swoosh!

    They looked at each other and quickly turned around. Mu Xiaocheng was right beside theptop and gleefully tearing up documents!

    ¡°Mu Xiaocheng!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened and she swiftly went over!

    In the meantime, the toddler put on a happy little grin when he saw his mother before him.

    Xi Xiaye quickly took the documents away and looked through them. She turned around and looked at Mu Yuchen regretfully. ¡°It¡¯s the report from the Marketing Department...You naughty little boy!¡±

    Xi Xiaye knocked Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little head softly.

    Mu Yuchen came over and took a look at it. Then, he frowned when he noticed Mu Xiaocheng giving him an innocent little smile.

    ¡°You naughty little thing!¡±

    Mu Yuchen gently tapped his forehead as well. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Tell the Marketing Department to send another copy on Monday...¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, his phone started ringing. It was Qi Lei.

    Mu Yuchen frowned before answering the call. ¡°Hi.¡±

    Qi Lei let out a sigh of relief when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know. Morrison has already figured out the rtionship between Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi. He¡¯s plotting something with Qi Feng, so you need to be prepared.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s frown deepened, and he then asked, ¡°Do you know what they might be doing?¡±

    ¡°I was too far away, so I couldn¡¯t hear their ns, but I¡¯m guessing it won¡¯t be simple. I¡¯ve sent people to monitor Morrison. I¡¯ll let you know if anything happens. By the way, will the two of you be going for Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding? I remember I was told that you guys were invited.¡±

    ¡°Can you deliver our gifts for us if we don¡¯t go?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°You wish! Find a way yourself!¡± Qi Leiughed. ¡°How do you feel right now? Qi Feng guessed that your grandmother passed away because she found out about this. Is that true?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath. ¡°They are right. The information left a huge impact on Grandmother.¡±

    After that, he instantly hung up on the call.

    Xi Xiaye was holding Mu Xiaocheng in her arms as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put his phone on the table. ¡°Qi Lei called. Qi Feng¡¯s already found out about the rtionship between Gu Qiwu and Lingshi. He¡¯s worried that we might be in trouble, so he gave me a reminder.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t hide it forever after all...¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze and mumbled, ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei¡¯s gotten people to monitor them. It¡¯s a race of speed right now. I don¡¯t want to use extreme measures if I can.¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly felt a headacheing on.

    ¡°They areing at you with everything they¡¯ve got. We¡¯ll be at a disadvantage if you don¡¯t make a move. I just feel sorry for Ah Shi. I never expected her father to be someone like that. How could he treat his daughters so differently? Gu Lingshi could be considerate about Doris, yet he can¡¯t be considerate about Aunt?¡± Xi Xiaye said coldly, there was a sudden knock on the door as well.

    ¡°That should be Li Si.¡± Mu Yuchen slowly sat down.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you guys here then. I¡¯ll bring this little one to get some food.¡± Xi Xiaye then went into the resting lounge with Mu Xiaocheng.

    Mu Yuchen spoke up after he heard the door close, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Li Si came in urgently with Ah Mo behind him.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    They stopped right before his table.

    ¡°These are what we¡¯ve prepared. Do you want to take a look?¡¯ Li Si then handed a thumb drive to Mu Yuchen, his expression seeming hesitant.

    Mu Yuchen took it and then handed it to Ah Mo. ¡°Do you want to watch it? This won¡¯t be publicized if either Lingshi or you are against it.¡±

    Ah Mo was stunned for a moment before he shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Lingshi and I believe in you, and we¡¯ve decided to support you unconditionally. Lingshi is in deep grief after we lost Grandmother. There¡¯s no way she¡¯d forgive Gu Qiwu, so you don¡¯t have to be considerate about us.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already made it clear with Gu Qiwu. I¡¯d rather stay by your side than be his pet dog!¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s words and his genuine tone surprised Mu Yuchen who nced up at Ah Mo¡¯s face before looking at the thumb drive in his hand.

 Chapter 1099 - Grand Wedding! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1099: Grand Wedding! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master, are you really going to do that? If...¡± Li Si seemed hesitant as he asked.

    Before he could finish his sentence, Mu Yuchen interrupted him, ¡°There¡¯re no ifs.¡±

    He put the thumb drive onto the table and leaned back against the chair. Then, he turned the chair around and looked out of the window. Momentster, he continued, ¡°Qi Lei called me just now and told me that Qi Feng¡¯s already figured out the rtionship between Gu Qiwu and Lingshi. He¡¯s probably plotting some trouble.¡±

    ¡°What? He found out?¡±

    Li Si and Ah Mo traded nces with each other, their expressions hardening.

    ¡°It¡¯s slightlyter than I expected. I don¡¯t find it surprising. It was going to be exposed sooner orter anyway.¡± Mu Yuchen did not seem to be shocked.

    ¡°What do they want? Bro, should I send people...¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand and stopped Ah Mo. ¡°This might be more suitable for Qi Lei to handle. Your top priority is to protect Lingshi. Doris came back and went to pay her respects to Grandmother on the day she was buried. I met her. She seems much more cunning than ever. I don¡¯t want her toy her eyes on Lingshi. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Do you mean...¡±

    Ah Mo had been working alongside Mu Yuchen for many years, so he could grasp the nuance in Mu Yuchen¡¯s words.

    ¡°Doris is an ambitious woman. She¡¯ll never let someone pose a threat to Gu Lingsha and her. I remember that Gu Qiwu told me Doris suspected him before, but he tried to avert her suspicion away from Aunt by encouraging Gu Lingsha to marry me.

    ¡°But who could be sure that Doris actually gave up on finding out? She¡¯s a smart woman. There was no way she couldn¡¯t guess what Gu Qiwu was up to, so I want to see Doris¡¯s reaction once we release this. If my guess is correct, we¡¯ll have to reinvestigate Lingtian¡¯s ident six years ago!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice turned sharp towards the end, and Li Si shuddered slightly.

    Ah Mo tensed up as he listened to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Bro, you mean that Doris suspected Lingtian and Lingshi six years ago, or even earlier than that, and that¡¯s why she plotted the ident?¡±

    ¡°That...that¡¯s impossible!¡± Li Si opened his eyes wide.

    ¡°Do you remember when I auctioned Lingtian¡¯s pen in City B earlier this year?¡± Mu Yuchen suddenly turned around and looked into their eyes.

    Ah Mo and Li Si were startled for a moment before nodding.

    ¡°Of course, that was how you found out about Gu Qiwu. I remember Gu Lingsha got it at a high bid of $8 million. However, that pen seems to have been returned to Ms. Lingsha. I almost forgot about this! I think you mentioned that Doris sent people to chase the people who tried to buy the pen, so she might not actually know about the rtionship between Gu Qiwu and Lingshi. Why else would she have done that then?¡±

    ¡°If she didn¡¯t know, why would she have cared about that pen? Was it really because of Gu Lingsha¡¯s friendship with Lingtian? I understand that instead of Gu Lingsha, it was Doris who sent the people to chase after Gu Qiwu.¡±

    ¡°So, are you saying there are only two reasons why she would do so? One is that she was putting on an act, or she just has her suspicions and is still unsure about their rtionship. Is she trying to confuse us to cover her tracks?¡±

    ¡°The second one feels closer to the right answer,¡± Mu Yuchen analyzed.

    Ah Mo and Li Si were stunned.

    ¡°That¡¯s not very likely, is it? Creating an ident without knowing the truth...that doesn¡¯t seem reasonable,¡± Ah Mo said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve also investigated the ident so many times, but the results came out to be an ident every time. There are no leads at all, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s feasible.¡± Li Si frowned.

    ¡°It does sound ridiculous, but usually the answer beyond our expectations could be the right one. It might be because the previous investigators were incapable, but I want to investigate this case again. Of course, it¡¯s just spection at this point. There¡¯s nothing really suspicious yet, so we¡¯ll have to wait and see their reactions tomorrow. I¡¯m looking forward to the surprise Qi Feng has prepared for me tomorrow too,¡± Mu Yuchen said coolly, appearing rxed.

    ¡°Are you heading over personally tomorrow?¡± Ah Mo sounded anxious as he expressed, ¡°I¡¯m worried that Qi Feng might do something to you. Let me apany you.¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo, you forgot what I just told you. Your top priority is to protect Lingshi. Li Si will be apanying me tomorrow, so just do what you should.¡± Mu Yuchen then got up and handed the thumb drive back to Li Si. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. Don¡¯t let me down.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯ll get it done!¡±

    ¡°You mentioned that you want to investigate the case again. What¡¯s your n?¡± Ah Mo asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use any of our men to avoid attracting any attention. I¡¯ll ask your sister-inw¡¯s contact.¡± He was thinking of Inspector Zhang since he was very pleased with the information he gathered this time.

    Doris had ignored Xi Xiayepletely the other day, so she probably did not think of her highly. It might be easier for Xi Xiaye to take action because at least, Doris would not be vignt of her.

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go with your n then.¡±

    ¡°You can both go back now. Ah Mo, we won¡¯t be going back to the Mu residence tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Bro!¡±

 Chapter 1100 - Grand Wedding! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1100: Grand Wedding! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The day went by quickly, and night soon arrived.

    Inside Qi Lei¡¯s private vi in the Grand Lake Vi area, Qi Lei closed his notebook while he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.

    He looked through the messages from Li Si. They were all about Mu Zi and Qi Qiming...

    It looked like his mother, Wang Qin, had once suspected that Qi Qiming and Mu Zi had a past, or that they were hiding something. Could she have thought Lingtian and Mu Lingshi were Qi Qiming and Mu Zi¡¯s children?

    Qi Lei suddenly felt bitter. Wang Qin had done everything she could to keep Qi Qiming in check, yet he had still disappointed her in the end.

    After everything that he had gone through, only he knew what he cared about the most right now.

    ...

    He felt extremely irritable and decided to go out, so he grabbed his coat and put it over his shoulders. He took his car keys and then headed out.

    Qi Lei drove along the busy night street and soon arrived at De Feng Avenue.

    It was a quiet ce. Somehow, he had driven there and remembered that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shop was just around the corner, but he did not head over as he thought she had probably gone back home already. He then decided to go to the hawker center they went to thest time.

    Business was brisk as usual. Qi Lei could smell the grilled fish and barbeque the moment he got out of his car along with the sound of chatter.

    Qi Lei locked his car and walked over. He found an empty table and sat down.

    ¡°Hmm? Aren¡¯t you Ms. Dongfang¡¯s friend?¡±

    The owner recognized Qi Lei. After all, he was pretty handsome and had a different air around him, so he instantly recognized him.

    Qi Lei remembered that the owner¡¯s surname was Wei. While he did not sound like a local, he was warm and nice.

    ¡°Hello, Boss Wei! Give me a grilled fish, one fried noodles, and two dishes to go along with some alcohol. Get me a dozen ice beers.¡± Qi Lei smiled and gave his order.

    ¡°Sure,ing right up!¡±

    The owner soon brought the beer over.

    Qi Lei grabbed a ss and filled it up. He felt much better after several drinks.

    It was the weekend, and many people had gathered around and having lively conversations. However, happiness belonged to them, not him.

    Qi Lei shot the people around him an envious nce. They should be students from a nearby university. School break was not over yet, and there was another two weeks before it reopened. Most of these students stayed on campus and worked part-time.

    As the students were chatting, Qi Lei listened closely and somehow lost his senses. He did not even realize the beer was overflowing from his ss as he continued to pour into it.

    At that moment, he caught the scent of a familiar smell. Suddenly, his bottle of beer was snatched away as a voice reached his ears.

    ¡°Owner, give me another bowl and a pair of chopsticks.¡±

    Qi Lei quickly looked over and saw Dongfang Liuyun sitting down across him. Surprised, he put on a smile. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a swig directly from the bottle before looking at him. ¡°I should be the one asking you. Why are you here?¡±

    The owner quickly gave her a bowl and chopsticks before she started enjoying the food. It felt like they were really close friends.

    ¡°I was just bored and wanted to go somewhere. Somehow, I ended up here.¡±

    Qi Lei got her a ss and filled it up with beer for her.

    ¡°You obviously look like you have a lot on your mind. You¡¯re still young, so why are you so troubled? You¡¯re going to get old faster this way.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun swallowed her food and looked at him. She then nced over at the group of students Qi Lei had been watching moments ago. ¡°They are from the polytechnic college nearby. Many students stay on campus rather than go home during the break. Some work part-time around here, and some go on adventures.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun was reminded of her own past, she emptied the full ss of beer Qi Lei had just served her.

    He suddenly gained interest when he heard her words. ¡°Have you worked part-time before?¡±

    ¡°Of course! My family stopped providing for me after I started university, so I had to earn my school fees and living expenses. My mother is a very strict woman who wanted me to be as independent as her. At times, my father would take pity on me and hand me some money although he would get punished if she found out!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be in a good mood today. Despite sounding a little annoyed, she was also d about what her mother did, and she had a smile on her face.

    ¡°Is your father her ve?¡±

    Punishment?

    Qi Lei thought it would only happen in dramas. It was not usual in real life, was it?

    ¡°What¡¯s so weird about that? My father is much older than my mother. He¡¯s over 60 and my mother is only around 50 years old. Well, it¡¯s not really a secret, I guess.¡±

    Qi Lei then realized that the Dongfang couple were pretty low-profile, but it was no secret that Mr. Dongfang obeyed everything his wife said. It had all shown up in Yang Sheng¡¯s investigation report.

    ¡°Your parents are everyone¡¯s role models,¡± Qi Lei said with a chuckle.

 Chapter 1101 - Grand Wedding! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1101: Grand Wedding! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun did not continue. She only lowered her eyes, picked up the bottle and poured two more servings for them.

    ¡°About the equipment, thanks!¡± She lifted a drink to toast to him.

    Qi Lei smiled calmly as he lifted his ss as well and returned the goodwill. ¡°No worries. Those were yours anyway. Why are you sote today?¡±

    She downed the drink before responding, ¡°I was evaluating a treasure with a friend and lost track of time. What about you? Haven¡¯t seen you online much these days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve not been in the mood,¡± Qi Lei responded, and something shed in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes.

    She recalled the recent funeral they had attended together and could not help but sigh. ¡°I forgot that you¡¯re close friends with them. I¡¯m sure you grieve with them too, but a person¡¯s death is like a light put out. As sad as we¡¯ll be, they won¡¯t evere back, so we should take good care of ourselves instead and let them rest in peace.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Grandmother Mu¡¯s passing was too sudden. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll be able to recover from this soon. I know how they feel.¡±

    Did Wang Qin leave that suddenly as well?

    That was why he knew all too well how it felt. Someone who had been just alive moments ago, talking to you and smiling at you, could be gone in the next moment. Who could so calmly ept such cruel reality?

    ¡°I¡¯m not someone who knows how to console others. If you aren¡¯t in a good mood, I can only advise you to drink more!¡± Dongfang Liuyun had pretty solid tolerance, so she said that as she poured Qi Lei another cup.

    Upon hearing that, he suddenlyughed. ¡°Other people have been telling me to drink less. Don¡¯t they say that drinks don¡¯t resolve real sorrows?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun picked up her drink. With an arm propped up on the table, she looked at the table of students beside them as she said, ¡°To me, drinks are great. They can chase away my sorrows, and even bolster my courage. Enough now. Where do you find so many sorrows at your age? You¡¯re not the only one going through tough times. Your mindset can change your future. Look at them. Do you miss how things were?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± he asked her instead.

    She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m rarely nostalgic about the past. There¡¯s a saying that goes ¡®the only reason you should turn back to look is to see how far you¡¯vee¡¯. When I was abroad and was a teaching assistant to my mentor, my mentor always loved saying that. He even made that his ssic line.¡±

    Now, Qi Lei began to smile bitterly and shook his head. He said humbly, ¡°If I had half of your state of mind, Swift Snowy, I wouldn¡¯t have be the way I am today.¡± Then, he subconsciously furrowed his brows and looked a littleical.

    As Dongfang Liuyun listened to him, sheughed gently. ¡°You can call me Dongfang. Liuyun works too. I¡¯ll call you Qi Lei then. The names in the game are too corny. I¡¯m just saying.¡±

    ¡°You seem to be treating me like your student, hmm?¡± Qi Lei said,ughing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a student as old as you.¡±

    Qi Lei recalled what Yang Sheng had found out from before, so he could not help but ask, ¡°Please, all you of Ph.D. Professors are mostly over 30 years old. Oh, I heard that you¡¯re nning to take on a role at University A, huh?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun picked up her chopsticks casually, took a slice of fish and elegantly put it into her mouth. She finished chewing it before saying unhurriedly, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not too sure about that.t It depends on whether my store can hold up. I¡¯ll ask my father to delegate one or two people over. If it works, then I might go take a look. After all, I think that the school environment is much more rxed.¡±

    ¡°University A¡¯s pretty good. Xi Xiaye¡¯s parents are also lecturers at University A.¡± Qi Lei very naturally thought of Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Upon hearing this name, the light in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes paused for a bit. She thought for a moment and quickly remembered that when she had attended the memorial service, it had been her first time seeing Xi Xiaye with Mu Yuchen. She then nodded. ¡°I remember now. That was Xi Xiaye with Mu Yuchen the other day, right? She seems quite nice and should be a pretty great person. Hmm, Xi Xiaye? Xi Mushan¡¯s her father, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Vice-Chancellor at University A.¡±

    They were all people within awork he was familiar with.

    Back then, when Xi Mushan had sent her an invitation to take on a position at University A, their university had been applying to take on a doctorate program for archaeology. A few days ago, the Chancellor of University A had called her, but she responded that she was still considering it.

    The two of them drank till past 10 p.m., but they did not get drunk like they did the first time. Most of the drinks were drained by Dongfang Liuyun. Qi Lei did not drink too much. However, she did not seem tipsy at all and remained very much sober.

    Looking at the floor full of empty bottles, even Qi Lei could not help but admire Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tolerance! She was truly one of the guys! This was his first time meeting a woman who could drink so much.

    Dongfang Liuyun finished thest drop in her cup as she looked at the mess on the table. She finally set her cup down in satisfaction, and then picked up her bag. ¡°I¡¯m full. It¡¯s your turn to get the bill. I¡¯m going home now. Thest bus is at 10.30p.m.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you drive?¡± Qi Lei was stumped.

    ¡°Sent it to the workshop this morning. I¡¯ll only get it back in another few days,¡± she said as her slender figure walked away towards the pavement ahead.

    Qi Lei thought about it, then took out a few dor bills from his pocket to put on the table. He told the boss to get the bill and then picked up his coat and put it on his shoulders before going after her.

    He stopped a few steps behind Dongfang Liuyun before he called out to her, ¡°Let me give you a ride!¡±

    When she heard his offer, she stopped walking and stayed there with her back against him. After a while, she turned around and smiled calmly. ¡°That¡¯s fine. The bus is here. Bye!¡±

    As soon as she finished, the bus had already slowed to a stop at the bus stop, so she fixed the bag on her shoulders and waved to Qi Lei with her back to him. Then, she got onto the bus.

    Qi Lei watched her slender figure vanish before his eyes. His gaze shifted, then he saw her walk to the back of the bus before finally finding a seat by the window.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned to look out the window. When she saw that Qi Lei was still standing in the same spot, she smiled and waved goodbye.

    Her bright and beautiful smile greeted his sight, and he suddenly felt dazed.

 Chapter 1102 - Grand Wedding! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1102: Grand Wedding! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Soon, he smiled and waved at her too.

    The bus slowly started and Qi Lei silently watched it drive away, vanishing into the dim streetlights ahead.

    After a while, he gathered himself, breathed in, and turned to walk towards his car. He had just gotten into the car when his phone that had been buzzing dimmed.

    When he got out of the car earlier, Qi Lei had not brought his phone along. He had just left it in the car.

    He closed the door and picked up his phone to realize that he had more than ten missed calls, five of which were from Yang Sheng, and the rest were from the Qi family mansion.

    Qi Lei then remembered that when he had left the Qi residence earlier, he seemed to have bumped into Qi Qiming and stated that he would be back at night.

    He hesitated for a moment before calling the Qi residence. The butler picked up.

    ¡°Second Master, why aren¡¯t you home yet? CEO Qi¡¯s been waiting for you the entire night. He hasn¡¯t even had dinner. He went back angrily to his study room. You shoulde home quickly!¡± The butler¡¯s anxious voice came through.

    A sneer could not help but sh across Qi Lei¡¯s lips upon hearing that.

    Why did he make it sound like that old man loved and cared about him so much!?

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling too well, so I went home first. Just let him know that I¡¯ll go over tomorrow. Cough, cough...¡±

    In the end, Qi Lei even coughed lightly twice for good measure before hanging up

    ¡°Second Master, Second Master!¡±

    The butler wanted to say something more, but Qi Lei had already hung up, so he could only put the phone down. He was about to go upstairs and inform Qi Qiming, but just as he turned around, he saw Qi Qiming standing at the stairs.

    Qi Qiming wore a gray sleeping gown as he looked at the butler with a gloomy expression. The butler shuddered and quickly said, ¡°CEO Qi, the Second Master just called. He said that he¡¯s not feeling well, so he won¡¯t being over. I think he¡¯s down with the flu...¡±

    ¡°Do you think that a person who could have run about earlier would suddenly fall ill?¡± Qi Qiming asked coldly, his expression appearing exceptionally unhappy.

    ¡°CEO Qi...¡±

    Qi Qiming sighed and walked down the stairs slowly. He brushed the butler¡¯s arm away. ¡°Let him be! The fact that he even called is surprising. I¡¯ve got no way of controlling him!¡±

    ¡°Father, it¡¯ste. Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡±

    Qi Qiming had just sat down on the sofa in the living room when Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice broke the silence. He turned to see Gu Lingsha walk out of the kitchen. He sighed and could not help but say, ¡°How can I fall asleep?¡±

    ¡°Are you still troubled over Qi Lei¡¯s matter? I think you shouldn¡¯t think too much about it. The fact that he coulde home today means he still can¡¯t let go, so Father, don¡¯t split hairs over it. Right, I¡¯ve just made some dessert for Weiwei. Would you like some?¡±

    Qi Qiming waved a hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that since I don¡¯t like dessert. Has Weiwei fallen asleep?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s justid down and Ah Feng¡¯s telling her a story. I¡¯ll chat with you for a bit.¡±

    Gu Lingsha could tell that Qi Qiming was in a bad mood, so she walked over and sat down in front of him.

    Qi Qiming nodded and indicated for the butler to bring them two sses of water as he said, ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s your wedding with Ah Feng. You two should sleep earlier. That way, you¡¯ll have more energy for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve been resting well these past few days.¡±

    ¡°How has Qi Lei been performing at thepany recently?¡± Qi Qiming could not help but bring up Qi Lei.

    For some reason, he had been troubled by dreams recently. Sometimes, he would see Wang Qin, and sometimes, he would dream of Qi Lei. In the past two months, he had be much thinner and it seemed as if there was a sheeryer of chill around him.

    ¡°Mmm, pretty good. I heard from VP Yue that the projects that he¡¯s in-charge of have been going well. He just doesn¡¯t really interact with the people in the office and always does his own thing. I think that maybe there are some misunderstandings with the people in the office. He trusts Aunt Wang¡¯s former aides more,¡± she said softly.

    Qi Qiming nodded. ¡°He still resents me. If it were not for your Aunt Wang acting insensibly back then, I wouldn¡¯t have done that to her.¡±

    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to me Aunt Wang. She was quite simr to Mother sometimes, so I understand how you feel very well, but right now, since she¡¯s long gone, we shouldn¡¯t look into these things too much. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be sad about it.¡±

    ¡°That I know. You two watch over Qi Lei more from now. Consider it me making it up to your Aunt Wang,¡± Qi Qiming said as he took the water from the butler and drank a few gulps before getting u., ¡°Alright, go home and rest earlier.¡±

    ...

    When Gu Lingsha returned to the room, Qi Feng was already lying on the bed. He was still holding a tablet, but when he saw Gu Lingsha enter, he put it away.

    ¡°Rest earlier. What are you still looking at?¡±

    Gu Lingsha lifted the nket andy down slowly, looking at Qi Feng, who then set the tablet aside and responded in a hoarse voice, ¡°Nothing much. What took you so long?¡±

    ¡°I was talking to Father earlier. He was still angry about Qi Lei.¡± She sighed softly and frowned. ¡°Actually, I do think that Qi Lei¡¯s gone overboard. He didn¡¯t use to be like this. Has he erased all kinship in just a few years? He didn¡¯t use to treat us like this. No matter what it is, you¡¯re his elder brother, and Father¡¯s still his father. I really don¡¯t want to see him...¡±

    ¡°Elder brother? I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s never seen me as one.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone was calm. With both hands sped at the back of his head, he sneered, ¡°The fact that he¡¯s prejudiced against me is nothing new. Even if you and Lingtian have been trying to make it up between us, it has always been there.¡±

    ¡°I know, but right now, he¡¯s getting so close to Mu Yuchen. I¡¯m really worried that he¡¯ll...¡±

    Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Feng hesitantly.

    Qi Feng extended his arm and put it around Gu Lingsha¡¯s frail shoulders. ¡°Whether or not he will, I¡¯ll know what to do. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Sleep earlier. we¡¯ll be quite busy tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Can you feel anything in your legs? When I saw Professor Terl checking on you tonight, he said that your situation isn¡¯t that bad.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll know when ites to the treatment. I really hope to stand again.¡±

    Qi Feng took a deep breath again as a cold light gathered in the depths of his eyes. He did not seem too hopeful because he had experienced such dreams countless times before, and every failure only made him feel more dispirited...

 Chapter 1103 - Grand Wedding! (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1103: Grand Wedding! (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The 15th of August finally arrived.

    A new day started as the sun dawned upon City Z. The morning was quiet. It was a good day apanied by good weather.

    Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were holding their wedding ceremony at a huge church on the outskirts of City Z. They would be having their banquet at the Emperor Hotel which the Qi family had reserved the whole of, and their guests could stay over if they wished to.

    Qi Lei headed over to the Qi residence early in the morning just in time as Qi Feng was about to go out.

    Gu Lingsha went to the Emperor Hotel to make the preparations together with her bridesmaids earlier. Qi Feng would head there to fetch herter.

    As Qi Qiming was relieved to see Qi Lei, he handed a floral boutonni¨¨re to him. ¡°Apany your brother over. The car has already been prepared, so get ready and go get your sister-inw. It¡¯s a happy day today and I hope the both of you won¡¯t let me down. The media will be present, and I want them to see a happy and united Qi family. Do you hear me?¡± Qi Qiming looked at them pointedly and said.

    Qi Lei took the boutonni¨¨re and put it on hispel before ncing at Qi Feng in his suit.

    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, Father,¡± Qi Feng replied to Qi Qiming as he nced back at Qi Lei who walked towards the car. Morrison came over and wheeled Qi Feng towards the car.

    Qi Feng and Qi Lei were in the same car for the first time after so many years. They were so close that they could hear each other¡¯s breathing. The two of them did not say a thing. Even the chauffeur and Morrison could sense that something was not right, so they kept quiet as well.

    After some time, Qi Feng started to get tired of the heavy atmosphere, so he turned over to look at Qi Lei and spoke up, his tone sounding peaceful, ¡°I know you weren¡¯t willing toe today even though it¡¯s my wedding, but I hope you can at least cooperate a little. That¡¯s not a very tough request for you, is it?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at him coldly without saying anything.

    Qi Feng chuckled. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to hang around me, huh?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression froze a little. He took a deep breath before turning away, facing the window. He did not want to talk to him at all. With no good memories of Qi Feng, he would not even have been there if the circumstances had not forced him to.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Qi Lei lied, his tone cold.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, you¡¯re not a good liar. I know you hate me.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I hate you? What is there for me to hate you about?¡± Qi Lei turned back to face him, his tone filled with sarcasm. ¡°Don¡¯t put on such an act. You¡¯re just the same as our old man. You don¡¯t act how you really feel. I know you were the one who almost forced me out of City Z. Are you really worthy of being my brother? If you had a choice, I believe that you¡¯d want me to disappear, am I right?¡±

    ¡°You have too much bias against me, Xiao Lei.¡± Qi Feng smiled bitterly. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s making me uneasy. You know about the conflict between Mu Yuchen and me, but you¡¯re siding with him now. You also know me very well. I can only see people who are against me as my enemy. I can¡¯t just let things stay as they are. What would you do if you were me?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say. Whoever lends me a helping hand during the toughest times is my friend. My values aren¡¯t asplicated as yours. I¡¯ll be friends with anyone who treats me well. Those who don¡¯t will be my opponents or even enemies.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone suddenly turned serious.

    ¡°Enemies? Am I in your list of enemies now?¡± Qi Feng smiled coldly as he threw a sharp nce at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei did not answer while his expression was cold.

    ¡°It seems like you really hate me, but since you¡¯re my brother, I hope you can stay out of things between Mu Yuchen and me. I don¡¯t mind if you¡¯re friends with him, or even as close as brothers, but I hope you know your ce. If Mu Yuchen really sees you as a friend, I suppose he wouldn¡¯t want you to be involved as well. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just your own thought. If we¡¯re friends, shouldn¡¯t we go through the tough times together?¡±

    ¡°The person you¡¯re going against is your own brother. Do you really think that¡¯s fine? What¡¯s the difference with...¡±

    ¡°Killing your own family? Were you going to say that?¡± Qi Lei finished his sentence for him. ¡°Qi Feng, do you really think that I¡¯m a fool? A fool that will just follow whatever you say? You¡¯re just the same as that old man, trying to y the family card with me. I¡¯m tired of it. We can¡¯t be brothers because I don¡¯t know when you¡¯ll kill me. I¡¯m afraid of death, and I¡¯m afraid of losing everything. Can you please just leave me alone?¡±

    As Qi Feng smiled wryly, their conversation stopped right there and no one said anything anymore.

    ...

    It was a cozy, windy afternoon.

    Xi Xiaye was rxing in the rattan chair on the second floor of Maple Residence while the man was swimming around in the pool below. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were there as well, and the three of them were chatting.

    While Xi Xiaye was a little zoned out, Ji Zitong suddenly smiled gently and spoke, ¡°Sometimes, I¡¯m really envious of their rtionship. He always tells me about the three of them.¡±

 Chapter 1104 - Grand Wedding! (7)

    <h4>Chapter 1104: Grand Wedding! (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong looked much more feminine nowpared to before. It was not hard to see that she was living a great life with Su Chen. She was smiling much more and was a happy little woman.

    ¡°If only we shared simr experiences as they did, maybe we could¡¯ve be best friends.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled and suddenly thought of Su Nan...

    ¡°A lot of my friends say that friendships between women are much more fragile than men¡¯s. I do think Chairman Mu seems very understanding toward you though. Do you think of him as your best friend?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s different for everyone, I guess. Some rtionships take time to grow. It¡¯s hard to find someone whom you can call a soulmate, and I do feel fortunate that I¡¯ve found mine.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were gentle as she spoke. She could rte to it very much.

    She had lost everything two years ago, and now she had him. It was as if she had the whole world to herself. He would always be her world...

    Thanks to him, she discovered her emotions and did not have to put up a brave front anymore.

    She did not have to be mature and could just be herself. She could appear weak and vulnerable. Everything would be fine as long as they were happy since the opinions of others did not matter to them.

    She was d that she had not given up on herself back then. A person could go on as long as hope existed.

    Ji Zitong beamed in agreement. ¡°I feel like you can be a rtionship counselor now. Your words are pretty motivational.¡±

    ¡°Motivational?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t be like me. I¡¯m not ambitious and I¡¯m not the kind of person to achieve great things.¡±

    ¡°Why does a woman need to achieve great things? Su Chen said most men like their women gentle and easygoing. He alwaysments on me being stern...¡± Ji Zitongughed.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled as well.

    At the same time, the three men were in the pool below.

    Zhou Zimo nced at thedies chatting happily above andughed. ¡°Su Chen, Ah Chen, your wives must be talking about the two of you up there, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Su Chen and Mu Yuchen nced at their wives too. They then averted their gaze back at Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were spying on them. How do you know what they¡¯re talking about?¡± Su Chen asked.

    ¡°Married women always talk about their husbands anyway.¡± Zhou Zimo wiggled his eyebrows cheekily.

    ¡°As if you know women that well!¡± Su Chen threw Zhou Zimo a suspicious nce. ¡°Zimo, do you have so much free time that you¡¯ve started researching women in general?¡±

    ¡°Su Chen! You¡¯ve been sarcastic towards me all the time ever since you got married. I can¡¯t take this anymore! You were just the same as mest year!¡± Zhou Zimo threw his towel towards Su Chen.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m talking business right now! Stop putting me in a bad light when I¡¯m looking out for you!¡± Su Chen grabbed the towel and told Zhou Zimo, ¡°Several young traffic policewomen were transferred over from the headquarters. They are quite pretty. I can¡¯t go after them since I¡¯m married. Do you want to...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Zhou Zimo rejected Su Chen¡¯s proposal before he even finished.

    ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t you ask me to scout for potential candidates for you?¡± Su Chen looked at Su Chen in confusion.

    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like the police.¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression darkened.

    ¡°Are you still angry about getting those summons?¡± Su Chen chuckled.

    Zhou Zimo did not reply and just swam away.

    Mu Yuchen was quiet the whole time. He got out of the pool and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two here. Li Si should be here soon.¡±

    ...

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo came over that morning and had lunch at Maple Residence. Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were going to Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding together.

    Night soon arrived. Dinner was served in Maple Residence. Su Chen and Ji Zitong left after a light dinner while Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were prepared to attend Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding banquet.

    Inside the bedroom, Xi Xiaye stood before Mu Yuchen and helped him to fix his tie. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you bringing me along? Am I so bad that you can¡¯t let anyone see me as your wife? Am I gaining weight? Or am I getting ugly?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the most beautiful person in the world. Who¡¯d say you¡¯re ugly?¡± Mu Yuchen nced at her helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ve been bringing you to public events most of the time, haven¡¯t I? This is not just any event, so just stay home with our son, okay?¡±

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. You¡¯re losing your sense of humor. Be careful out there. Zimo¡¯s waiting for you...mmm...¡±

    Mu Yuchen pressed his lips against her before she could finish her sentence. He patted her head when he backed off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just a wedding banquet. We might be back a littlete, so don¡¯t wait up for me.¡±

    He then walked outside.

    Xi Xiaye was astonished for a moment before following him out...

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Zhou Zimo, Li Si, and the bodyguards had been waiting for a while by the time Mu Yuchen arrived downstairs.

    Mu Yuchen walked past the living room and reached for the doorknob as the others quickly followed him.

    They had already left when Xi Xiaye went downstairs. She took a deep breath by the staircase as she prayed for everything to go well!

    It was gettingte, so Qi Lei gave them a call when they were having dinner.

 Chapter 1105 - Banquet (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1105: Banquet (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was getting cold at night. Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were at the lounge area inside their room in the Mu residence.

    Ah Mo made sure Mu Lingshi drank the tocolytic tonic because she had been acting anxiously for the past few days. The doctor reminded them to be careful, or else, it might affect the baby. Shocked, Ah Mo was being very careful right now.

    ¡°I think there¡¯s a need for you to take a look at what¡¯s inside this thumb drive. Everyone might find out about this tonight. Have a look.¡±

    Ah Mo handed a thumb drive to Mu Lingshi when he took back the mug from her. He had copied the file from Li Si.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Mu Lingshi was puzzled.

    ¡°It¡¯s about your parents...¡± Ah Mo lowered his head.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes darkened, but she did not take it. Apparently, she did not want to know what was inside.

    ¡°Please take a look. You might feel better once you know what happened. You can¡¯t always stay ignorant and not know anything about their past,¡± he tried to convince her.

    Mu Lingshi went quiet for a while before taking the thumb drive from Ah Mo who led her to sit on a sofa before getting aptop and cing it on the coffee table in front of her. She put the thumb drive in and opened the video file.

    Mu Zi¡¯s face appeared before her eyes.

    Mu Lingshi sat there and watched the video, but she closed it halfway and could not continue.

    ¡°At times, you look at me. At times, you look at the clouds. I think that it¡¯s far when you look at me, and it¡¯s near when you look at the clouds...¡±

    Mu Lingshi sighed and repeated the poem that appeared in the video. Sadness overflowed from her as she felt a pain in her chest. She took several deep breaths before turning towards Ah Mo who gave her a grim look as well.

    ¡°She¡¯s one unfortunate woman. Sure, she¡¯s pitiful, but I don¡¯t really feel anything else other than that,¡± Mu Lingshi said.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they think of Lingtian and I, even just a little? If they didn¡¯t n to be together, why did they still have us? Do they know that their irresponsible actions brought upon great inconvenience to Father, Mother, and Brother? And even killed Grandmother...The dead will never understand the pain of the living...¡±

    Mu Lingshi put on a bitter smile. ¡°I feel like my tears have already dried up. I can¡¯t cry anymore...I feel so sad for having such selfish parents. Grandmother really died for a bad cause.¡±

    ¡°Lingshi!¡±

    Ah Mo was very worried. He wrapped his arms around her and tried tofort her, ¡°Alright, Lingshi! It¡¯ll pass soon! Things will be fine very soon. Brother will do something about it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it! Sometimes I just wonder why they didn¡¯t die instead. Why did it have to be Grandmother? What else do they do apart from bringing us pain?¡±

    ¡°Ah Shi, Mother has her own reasons. She still loves you and Lingtian, or else, she wouldn¡¯t have risked her career to give birth to the both of you!¡± Ah Mo said quietly.

    Mu Lingshi did not seem convinced. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. She might actually love us, but she still prioritized her rtionship more. Lingtian and I couldn¡¯t evenpare to scum!¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t my mother. I don¡¯t have a mother like her. My mother is Zhuang Shurong forever and ever! That woman has no right to be my mother!¡± Mu Lingshi shook her head and pushed Ah Mo away. Then, she got up and went outside.

    In shock, Ah Mo quickly got up and followed her. ¡°Lingshi, what are you doing?! Be careful!¡±

    Mu Lingshi ignored himpletely and vanished out of the doorway.

    Thump! Thump!

    Mu Lingshi was rushing downstairs.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Where are you going thiste at night?¡± Mu Yinan¡¯s voice reached Mu Lingshi as she just got downstairs.

    She stopped and raised her head, then she saw Mu Yinan¡¯s exhausted expression before her.

    Mu Yinan looked like he had aged much more ever since Wang Hui left. His gray hair had turned all white, and he looked like a host without a soul. He had been staying in the study room these past few days as he stared into Wang Hui¡¯s photos. He forbade anyone from disturbing him until he was too tired and went to bed.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡±

    Mu Lingshi felt heartbroken seeing her grandfather like this, so her eyes clouded over.

    ¡°Grandfather, I¡¯m sorry...I didn¡¯t know that things would turn out this way. I thought it¡¯d be fine if I just ignored it! I didn¡¯t expect Grandmother to...It¡¯s all my fault. I killed her...¡±

    Mu Yinan began to tear up when he heard Mu Lingshi me herself. He patted her shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s already in the past now. We should face the facts and move on. You children aren¡¯t guilty. How is that your fault? Your mother¡¯s matter has always been a huge concern for your grandmother, so we couldn¡¯t bring it up all these years. We were afraid that she might not be able to take it, but we couldn¡¯t escape that fate after all...¡±

    Mu Lingshi nodded and hugged him. ¡°Yes, she couldn¡¯t run away from it, so we have to face it head-on. Brother has been burdened with so much. Grandfather, please let us work together to get through this hurdle.¡±

 Chapter 1106 - Banquet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1106: Banquet (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yinan sighed and patted Mu Lingshi again. He spoke with wisdom and love, ¡°Do whatever you want to.¡±

    Mu Lingshi nodded and slowly let go of Mu Yinan, then she turned to Ah Mo who had followed her out before saying calmly, ¡°Send me to the Emperor Hotel.¡±

    Stunned, Ah Mo could not react right away. Moments after that, he finally snapped back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go. Brother¡¯s there. He¡¯s really worried about your health. Besides, you¡¯re not in the best condition right now, so just stay at home and be good. If anything happens on Brother¡¯s end, Li Si will let us know right away. Also, Master Mo¡¯s with him, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu¡¯s my biological father. If I don¡¯t even turn up myself, why should I let Brother go ahead of me?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s frail body suddenly exuded a strength as if she had found her old self again.

    ¡°If you won¡¯te, then I¡¯ll go myself!¡± she said, then looked at Mu Yinan before moving away and going outside.

    Mu Yinan nced at the troubled Ah Mo, before he urged, ¡°Alright, you¡¯d better go after her.¡±

    Ah Mo then took a slight bow. ¡°Rest early then, Grandfather. I¡¯ll go over to take a look.¡± Then, he ran out to chase after her.

    In the center of the bustling City Z, in the Emperor Hotel.

    The marriage between the Qis and the Gus was huge news in the circle. There were many distinguished guests at the banquet between both families and the wedding banquet was grandiose.

    Standing at the entrance of the Emperor Hotel, you could already see the grandness of it all from afar among a sea of fresh flowers, all sorts of congrattory flower baskets and banners, and the red carpet that stretched from the stairs all the way up to the lobby. Usherettes dressed in pink <i>qipaos</i> stood on both sides. Engulfed by the dazzling lights, the whole scene looked quite dreamy.

    As the guests streamed in, the za by the entrance was filled with cars.

    All the guests entered with an invitation. There were staff members dressed in well-ironed ck suits standing at the entrance to verify their identities.

    The banquet was held in Phoenix Hall on the third floor of the Emperor Hotel. It was an extremely luxurious banquet hall. The space was sorge that it could fit up to hundreds of people.

    Night had just fallen at the moment. While the banquet would begin at 8 p.m., it was half-past 7 p.m. at the moment, and the entire hall was already filled with people seated at their tables. The stage upfront was exquisitely decorated luxuriously too. The waiters were busy serving drinks while the emcee busied himself on stage.

    As the best man, Qi Lei wore a tailored suit as he sat in the wings by the stage. He was sweating in exhaustion. Many things at the banquet venue required his supervision, so he was not having it easy.

    Yang Sheng considerately brought him a ss of iced water as he said, ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re almost done now. You should rest for a bit. You¡¯ll have more to work on after this!¡±

    Panting, Qi Lei took the ss and drank a few gulps. ¡°Have you arranged for all the things that shoulde first? Have the guests arrived? Are Mu Yuchen and the rest here?¡±

    Qi Lei had called Mu Yuchen a few times already.

    ¡°The guests are all almost here. Only a few are left such as Chairman Mu, Master Mo, and a few more, but it¡¯s not time yet. No need to be worried. Didn¡¯t Chairman Mu already say that he¡¯s left his ce?¡± Even though Yang Sheng said that, he was actually slightly nervous on the inside.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t the bride and groom¡¯s car arrived yet?¡± Qi Lei asked again as he stood up and looked down the stage. He did not see Qi Qiming, Gu Qiwu, and Doris as well. ¡°Why haven¡¯t the elders been seated yet?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. CEO Qi is here. He¡¯s chatting with a few of the guests in the resting lounge. CEO Gu and Madam Gu aren¡¯t here yet, but I¡¯ve called them earlier to confirm, so they should be here soon,¡± Yang Sheng answered.

    Qi Lei nodded and finished the ss of water in a few more gulps before returning it to Yang Sheng as he said, ¡°Pay close attention, especially to the people on Morrison¡¯s end.¡±

    Qi Lei did not know why but he felt quite uneasy. He hoped that nothing bad would happen. Earlier in the morning when he was in the same car as Qi Feng, their conversation had not gone very well. He wanted to pry something out of him, but he did not get what he wanted in the end, so he forgot about it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. I understand. I¡¯ve been watching them closely. If they make a move, our people will definitely notice it right away,¡± Yang Sheng responded. He hesitated before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that they¡¯lle up with an ambush!¡±

    ¡°Go take a look and let me catch my breath.¡±

    Qi Lei wiped away the sweat on his forehead and caught his breath.

    ¡°Got it, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng responded before retreating.

    Yang Sheng had only left for a while before there were the sounds of cheering from the front. When Qi Lei heard that, he quickly got up and looked ahead to see Gu Qiwu and Doris slowly making their way towards the VIP table, surrounded by several bodyguards.

    Gu Qiwu wore a tailored ck suit. His stern face contained a rare hint of tenderness as he was smiling and greeting the crowd.

    Beside him was the exquisitely beautiful Doris! She wore an elegant, golden slip dress. Her blonde hair was tied up into a beautiful bun with pearl embellishments. Complete with a diamond ne and a ring with an exquisite gem, she looked elegant and expensive from head to toe. Even though she was over 50 years old, time did not leave many traces on her. She did not look any different from those magnificently dazzling celebrities. In fact, the many famous celebrities present may not evenpare to her beauty and charisma.

    All eyes were on Doris¡¯s beauty. Her appearance made everyone exim as they were stunned by her charm. Any man would go crazy for such a woman.

    While Doris held Gu Qiwu¡¯s arm gently, she waved to smile at the crowd. The smile on her face looked elegant and friendly. If he had not been in touch with Doris before, even Qi Lei would find himself being attracted to Doris.

    At this moment, Qi Qiming and several guests came to receive them. They greeted each other eagerly before taking their seats.

    Qi Lei thought about it before he got up to walk over too.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei had just walked over when the butler called out to him. Gu Qiwu, Doris, and Qi Qiming, who were chatting with one another, all turned their heads.

 Chapter 1107 - Banquet (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1107: Banquet (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this...Qi Lei? It¡¯s only been a few years, but you¡¯ve be more and more handsome and you¡¯ve got some of your father¡¯s charm from his youth.¡±

    The person who had spoken was Doris. She was casually sizing Qi Lei up at the moment, her blue eyes containing faint tenderness and admiration.

    ¡°Hi Uncle Gu, Aunt Gu! Father!¡±

    Qi Lei was being really respectful of Qi Qiming. He shed a smile and greeted Gu Qiwu and Doris.

    Qi Qiming nodded with satisfaction, performing like a loving father too as he beamed and looked lovingly at Qi Lei. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Your brother and sister-inw should be arriving soon with the car, right?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei took his phone out from his pocket to take a look, then he responded, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. They should be arriving soon. It¡¯s almost time now. We¡¯re just waiting for our VIPs to make their entrance.¡±

    Of course, there were many people from the media present since many famous celebrities and directors from the scene hade to congratte them. That reason was why those reporters from the media were important!

    Qi Kai held a huge role in the local movie industry, so many people from the scene were invited to attend the event.

    The interactions between father and son were caught by the cameras from the press.

    ¡°Fellow friends and distinguished guests, please settle down. Our banquet is about to begin shortly. Today, we¡¯re here to celebrate our...¡±

    As the emcee began, Qi Lei took a seat and the venue quietened down quickly.

    The emcee did a simple self-introduction before saying rather emotionally, ¡°Next up, let¡¯s wee our most handsome groom for today, Mr. Qi Feng, and the most beautiful bride, Miss Gu Lingsha!¡±

    When he finished, the band began to y their march-in song. The door that was shut opened slowly. Qi Feng donned a tuxedo in his wheelchair and was wheeled in by another best man while Gu Lingsha wore an elegant wedding dress as she walked by his side.

    Gu Lingsha was holding Qi Weier¡¯s hand. The little girl wore a pink princess dress, looking exceptionally cute and pretty. However, she looked a little uneasy as she clung on tight to Gu Lingsha¡¯s side. Her timid demeanor worried Gu Lingsha.

    As they entered, the crowd stood up and offered their best wishes to the pair of newlyweds. The media was capturing every angle of theirs too.

    They walked in to the beat of the music and soon reached the center of the stage.

    The bride and groom looked exceptional. Even though Qi Feng was in a wheelchair, this did not affect his charm. His devilishly handsome appearance attracted the many women present while Gu Lingsha, of course, received many looks of admiration too.

    Mary brought Qi Weier to the newlyweds¡¯ side. She was holding onto Mary tightly as she was afraid, especially when she saw the unhappy-looking Doris frowning off-stage. Qi Weier became even more uneasy and held onto Mary¡¯s hand tightly.

    When Mary saw Doris¡¯s nce, she pulled Qi Weier to the side. However, Qi Weier had caught the attention of the crowd. As one of the best men, Qi Lei went upstage and stood beside the six other dashing best men.

    ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s hear our bride and groom read their vows,¡± the emcee said a little emotionally.

    Qi Feng turned to look at Gu Lingsha, his handsome face full of tenderness. His gaze was also unexpectedly brimming with gentleness, and she could help but be bashful at this sight.

    Moments after that, Qi Feng took the marriage certificate from the emcee, opened it, and took over the microphone. Upon seeing the vows on it, he did not immediately read it aloud. Instead, he looked up and observed the crowd before his raspy voice began speaking, ¡°I¡¯ve known Shasha for more than 20 years now. You can say that we grew up together. From what I remember, she¡¯s always been a very kind and understanding, considerate and gentle woman. I¡¯ve watched her grow up from a carefree little girl into a graceful young girl, and now an intellectual woman. I¡¯m honored that I could be by her side for this short yet long time of more than 20 years.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s raspy voice was sentimental and had a strong charm to it. When Gu Lingsha heard this, her blue eyes could not help but tear up from happiness and from being moved.

    ¡°I, Qi Feng, have also passed thirty years of age. Throughout these long years, my heart has only ever been concerned about Shasha. Today, I¡¯m grateful that I¡¯m getting married to you, and in the days toe, I look forward to spending them with you. I¡¯m willing to give all my love to you in return for a lifetime with you.¡±

    Towards the end, he looked deep into Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes while she was already moved to tears. She nodded hard and lifted a hand to cover her face as she gazed tearfully at him.

    Qi Feng smiled dotingly at her and took the pen from the emcee to swiftly sign his name on the marriage certificate. At that moment, thunderous apuse came from the crowd below.

    Next up was for both parents to give their speech on stage.

    Qi Qiming expressed a simple thanks and wished the newlywed¡¯ the best before he handed the microphone to Gu Qiwu. On both sides, therge screen captured the joyous expressions of everyone on stage very clearly.

    Gu Qiwu took the microphone, falling silent for a moment, and was about to say something to the microphone when suddenly¡ª

    Pa!

    Ka ka!

    A weird sound was heard before all the lights at the banquet venue were suddenly switched off. The hall fell into bluish darkness. The blue light wasing from arge screen on both sides of the hall...

    Someone from the crowd cried out loud!

    Soon, the blue light from therge screen faded away before slides of yellowed pictures were put on disy. They should be from thest generation, and those pictures showed a woman smiling.

    There was a woman ying the piano, ying the violin, and singing on stage...

    With the maneuvering of the mouse, a video was yed. It was the scene of a woman singing on stage...

    Someone was even eximing from below that this scene looked terribly familiar!

    ¡°Oh my gosh, isn¡¯t that Mu Zi?¡±

    ¡°Mu Zi! Yes! It¡¯s her...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her! That¡¯s her, alright. I was obsessed with her years ago!¡±

 Chapter 1108 - Banquet (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1108: Banquet (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was as if Mu Zi¡¯s memories were being yed on the screen, starting from the time she began her career. Many photos were included in the video, as well as some old videos presented in the form of aic. There was also a scene showing the elders of the Mu family objecting to her starting a career in the entertainment industry. Everything felt so real...

    Mu Zi¡¯s legend was being presented to everyone, reminding them of their past memories of her, right from when she had still been a nobody, showing her experience little by little.

    As an exceptional beauty with an amazing voice, her talent was discovered when she entered a singingpetition. With her own efforts and herpany¡¯s contribution, Mu Yinan supported her in the dark. She became a superstar as a singer, and all of these were being presented to the crowd.

    A man¡¯s figure slowly appeared in the video. He was wearing a cap and a pair of sunsses. Every time Mu Zi performed, she would try to search for him in the corners, but no one could see the man¡¯s face clearly.

    It was as if she always knew where he would be. Her smile was bright and brilliant when she looked at him.

    The atmosphere was turning heavy as the video continued to y.

    The video was beginning to show how Mu Zi fell into depression, how she met the mysterious man, and how she had to retire from her career because she had to give birth to Lingtian.

    Even so, the mysterious man continued to remain anonymous. Mu Zi¡¯s depression became worse after she gave birth to Mu Lingtian. The elders discussed with Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong, and decided to get Mu Tangchuan to take Mu Lingtian in as his son. Mu Tangchuan went from an uncle to a father, and the news of Mu Zi giving birth was kept a secret from everyone. Afterward, Mu Zi actively participated in therapy, so her depression improved and she returned to her career.

    Mu Zi was still popr, so she returned to the top spot in the blink of an eye, but it did notst very long. She was reunited with the mysterious man after a performance, and could not escape from the trap of love. At the same time, this man followed instructions from his family to court a foreign nobledy while dating Mu Zi at the same time...

    He ignored Mu Zipletely after that and had a stunning wedding to show how much he loved this nobledy. The man even gave her half of hispany¡¯s shares as dowry.

    After he got married, Mu Zi still thought she could change him. She tried her best but to no avail. After he left her, she found out that she was pregnant again. Indeed, it was Mu Lingshi this time.

    Her depression became severe as she could not make her man stay. She seemed to be losing her marbles, yet she never once revealed who this man was no matter how many times her family asked her.

    She had once been a prideful woman, but she could only quietly ept the pain because she did not want to bother his peaceful life. While she did not expect it to affect her family, she felt sorry for her parents and her children.

    Mu Zi left the entertainment industry for good and gave birth to Mu Lingshi. However, her depression reached its peak post-partum and she showed signs of schizophrenia. Some time after she gave birth to Mu Lingshi, she ended her life by jumping off a building in the city center.

    The Mu family continued to take care of her children without knowing about their father. They were both put under Mu Tangchuan¡¯s name. The family treated the children like their own. Nearly 30 yearster, the children grew up but still did not know who their father was...

    Until...

    The long video recorded the brilliant side of Mu Zi, at the same time, mourned her short lifespan.

    Not only did the Mu family appear in the video, but there was also Qi Qiming and some people who were very close to Mu Zi when she had still been alive like her manager, Lu Xin, who had passed away.

    Many people among the guests were Mu Zi¡¯s fans. They started to tear up when they watched the video.

    After Mu Zi passed away, Mu Yinan and Qi Qiming did their best to suppress the news.

    Everyone could already guess who the man was. When the fact that a foreign nobledy was mentioned, along with a grand wedding, the first thing that came to mind was when Gu Qiwu married his wife, Doris!

    Who else could it be aside from Gu Qiwu?

    Everyone fell silent after watching the video!

    Mu Zi¡¯s death had always been a mystery. Who would have expected the truth to turn out this way?

    Mu Zi¡¯s short life had ended too quickly. Who else still remembered her? Only her tragic story was left lingering in this world.

    The whole hall turned quiet as if everyone was mourning for Mu Zi!

    If Mu Zi had not met with Gu Qiwu, just how far would she have gone?

    She was the daughter of the Glory World Corporation family, the Mu family¡¯s treasure. Her father was the CEO of Glory World and her mother was military personnel while her brother and sister-inw were well-known figures in the government. She was a woman full of talent and power.

    Who would have expected ady like her to meet her end so early?

 Chapter 1109 - Banquet (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1109: Banquet (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There was another loud sound again!

    The lights on the stage returned shortly after the video ended and the hall returned to its original state. Meanwhile, the reaction of Doris, Qi Qiming, and the others on stage were in full view on the screen!

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened, his eyes in anguish, but Qi Feng was not showing any particr emotion.

    Gu Lingsha was utterly shocked, unable to believe what she just saw. She carefully looked over at Gu Qiwu as he had an odd, frozen expression on his face.

    Pa!

    With anger burning in her eyes, Doris gave Gu Qiwu a loud p on the face before anyone could realize what happened.

    1¡°Gu Qiwu! What did you tell me? I was wondering why you suddenly changed your decision. You gave up on your contracted marriage and decided to marry me, but you were putting up an act weren¡¯t you? Answer me!¡± Her stern voice broke the silence as the sound of her p was still echoing through the hall!

    Doris¡¯s expression was as cold as ice, and her eyes looked like she was about to kill him.

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s happening? Mu Zi and you? What¡¯s your rtionship with her?! Are you saying that Lingtian and Mu Lingshi are my siblings? That¡¯s impossible! Impossible!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Gu Qiwu and her body trembled uncontrobly.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression turned cold as he stared at Gu Qiwu, and everyone¡¯s gaze was fixed on the stage.

    ¡°I never expected the truth to be like that. I should¡¯ve guessed why Zixi always kept her mouth shut when I mentioned you. I thought she was keeping her distance due to the deteriorating rtionship between your family and hers. You¡¯re the person who abandoned her!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was cold as he shot Gu Qiwu a sharp gaze.

    Gu Qiwu endured the pain on his face. Doris had really given that p her all. An obvious mark appeared on his face and the corner of his mouth was bleeding too.

    ¡°Boss! Are you alright?¡± Ah Yong rushed up the stage instantly.

    Gu Qiwu raised his hand and signaled him to stand back before he looked into the questioning gazes in front of him. He took a deep breath and turned towards Doris to try to exin himself, ¡°Doris¡ª¡±

    Pa!

    The second p came before he could finish his sentence, beingpletely inconsiderate of the situation at the moment, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, you bastard! How dare you cheat on me?! I should¡¯ve known a long time ago. The clues I got all these years were cut off somewhere. You must have been behind it all!

    ¡°What else are you not satisfied with? How dare you have another woman behind my back and even have two children? It¡¯s ironic that she called me Sister-inw back then! She¡¯s not worthy of being an idol! She¡¯s a shameless witch!¡±

    Gu Qiwu could not refute her at all, but Qi Qiming voiced out, ¡°Watch your mouth, Doris! Zixi and he are childhood friends. Don¡¯t forget that you were the one who was interested in Gu Qiwu. That¡¯s how the marriage happened!¡±

    1While Qi Qiming found Gu Lingsha capable, he could not bear to listen to her mother¡¯s rude words directed towards Mu Zi!

    ¡°Childhood friends? Gu Qiwu, tell me who your wife is now! Who¡¯s in your heart? Have you ever loved that woman? If the man doesn¡¯t like the woman at all, but the woman decides to stick to the man anyway, what kind of woman would that be?¡±

    Doris¡¯s expression looked terrifying as she red at Qi Qiming. Her aura was overwhelming. Qi Lei quickly pulled Qi Qiming away as he enjoyed this drama unfolding before him!

    Doris pushed Ah Yong, who was shielding Gu Qiwu, away. She looked deep into Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes and demanded, ¡°Answer me!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s mind was still empty. He only felt the world around him spinning. Those two ps were enough to give him a dizzy spell!

    It was the first time Doris was acting like this!

    She still seemed unsatisfied though. When she was about to p him again, Gu Qiwu suddenly grabbed her wrist. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stop right there!¡±

    ¡°How dare you speak to me like that?¡± Doris¡¯s eyes were ring at Gu Qiwu coldly.

    ¡°I told you before that my patience has its limit. Shut up and stay aside!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression turned cold, his patience ran out! He ignored the shocked expressions of the crowd as he turned towards the camera. Although he looked a little awkward with his swollen cheeks, the air around him was still intimidating!

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, I know you did this. You cane out now!¡± His cold voice echoed throughout every corner in the hall!

    Gu Qiwu instantly knew that Mu Yuchen was behind it when he saw the video. No wonder he said had something about giving him a chance! He never expected him to do that.

    There was no reaction for a moment. After that, the crowd started whispering. Some were waiting to see what was about to happen. The reporters were busy taking photos, afraid that they might miss anything!

 Chapter 1110 - Banquet (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1110: Banquet (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, outside the Emperor Hotel, inside a certain ck Bentley, Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were sitting side by side in the backseat. Zhou Zimo had aptop on hisp and was watching his screen in amusement. He caught every one of their expressions, from Gu Lingsha to Doris, while Mu Yuchen sat with an apathetic expression beside him. Mu Yuchen took an unenthusiastic look at the screen, and in the next instant lowered his gaze and casually fixed his sleeves.

    ¡°Doris is quite bold. She didn¡¯t leave a man like Gu Qiwu any dignity either. Look at Gu Qiwu¡¯s face. Ah, how miserable! It¡¯s all swollen! How does Gu Qiwu even endure that? If it were me, I would¡¯ve returned the p! I¡¯ve always had zero tolerance for domestic violence!¡±

    Zhou Zimo watched the screen as Gu Qiwu¡¯s handsome face was clearly swollen. He could not help but take delight in his misfortune. As he turned to Mu Yuchen who remained silent, he said, ¡°Doris¡¯s face has turned ashen. That means she must be quite angry! That or she¡¯s just great at acting!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen elegantly buttoned up his sleeves and said unaffectedly, ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t see a hint of surprise from her eyes. I only saw anger. That means she wasn¡¯t that surprised by this oue.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice came through, sounding a little cold to Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo looked at him hesitantly, and then asked, ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°So, she must have known about Gu Qiwu and Lingshi¡¯s rtionship. At least, before this, she must¡¯ve already found out.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was filled with certainty.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes darkened as he responded, ¡°That does sound logical. However, Gu Qiwu is so sure that you did it. In fact, Qi Qiming¡¯s reaction seemed interesting, but I do know that he had a close rtionship with your aunt before this. How then? What are you nning on doing after this?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was as calm as water. He did not immediately answer Zhou Zimo¡¯s question as he gently leaned back against the seat and silently watched theptop screen. His eyes flickered mysteriously.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have many memories of Aunt either, but from the times that I¡¯ve interacted with her, I could also feel that she was a very innocent woman. My grandparents had hoped that she could live a simple and quiet life, and there was nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, some things remain a hope. Up to this day, the tragedy has never stopped,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a deep voice that was slightly raspy. His fair and slender finger gently held his heavy head. ¡°Whether it was for Aunt, or Lingtian, Lingshi, or the Mu family, Gu Qiwu still owes us an exnation and there¡¯s a score to settle. These things have to be dealt with sooner orter.¡±

    When he said that, his gaze slowly brushed past Zhou Zimo and silently looked at theptop screen.

    At this moment, inside the banquet hall, the door suddenly opened as soon as Gu Qiwu made his speech. A few ck-clothed bodyguards appeared before the crowd as a tall and lean figure suddenly showed up. The crowd made quite amotion as the person was recognized.

    It was Mu Yuchen¡¯s personal assistant, Li Si!

    Behind him were several bodyguards, also in ck, and they were slowly making their way to the stage. The bodyguards even held gifts.

    When he saw Li Si, Gu Qiwu¡¯s cold expression became even more uncertain!

    Li Si reached the stage very promptly. He looked up at Gu Qiwu, Doris, and the rest. Upon seeing their mixed expressions, a cold light shed in his eyes, but then he smiled.

    ¡°Earlier, we heard Mr. Gu call for our Master¡¯s name when we reached the door. Did something happen? Why do you look quite angry, Mr. Gu?¡± Li Si looked up innocently at Gu Qiwu.

    However, just as Li Si said that, Gu Qiwu gave him a cold look and said, ¡°Stop ying dumb. Where¡¯s Mu Yuchen? Tell him to meet me! I know he did this. Does he realize what asion it is today? He¡¯s really overestimated me!¡±

    You could hear the sarcasm from Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice. It seemed as if he was holding back a wave of emotions too.

    ¡°Assistant Li, if you¡¯re here to congratte me and Shasha, we wee you, but if you¡¯re here to cause trouble, then don¡¯t me us for being less than courteous!¡± A hoarse voice came through, and a few dark figures appeared before Li Si, blocking thetter and his group.

    The one who had spoken was Qi Feng. The scene was getting out of hand, and the crowd was still whispering while many people from the press had their cameras aimed at this scene on stage. Qi Feng obviously did not want these things to spread or for things to get out of hand, so he had immediately given Morrison a look. Immediately, Morisson brought his people forward.

    Li Si did not mind as he smiled and said calmly, ¡°Cause trouble? What trouble? I¡¯m just here to bring wedding gifts on behalf of my Master, and at the same time, show you all such a moving story. Mr. Gu, you seem quite worried. Could you really be the man in the video?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression became even darker as if a storm was brewing.

    ¡°Li Si, what is the meaning of all this?! If you¡¯re really here to ruin my wedding, don¡¯t me me if I won¡¯t be courteous! Security! Take them away!¡±

    Gu Lingsha seemed to sense something out of ce, so she quickly called for the security guards with Qi Feng.

    The bodyguards behind Li Si immediately went up to them, but they were stopped by Li Si.

    ¡°No need to get all worked up. I think Mr. Gu knows very well what the meaning of all this is, don¡¯t you, Mr. Gu? Don¡¯t you have anything to say at all?¡± Li Si said, then looked at the irate Gu Qiwu while Doris stood near him. Although they were separated by Ah Yong, she looked terribly unhappy too.

    Before Gu Qiwu could answer, Gu Lingsha already went up and responded, ¡°What do you think my father should say? I think that you¡¯re clearly here to ruin the rtionship between the Qis and the Gus!¡±

    Gu Qiwu did not say anything as he looked at Li Si with a mixed expression. His gaze was filled with silent contempt.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, what do you think?¡± Li Si ignored Gu Lingsha as he looked past the crowd and fixed his gaze on Gu Qiwu. He did not n on letting him off.

    Qi Lei, who kept quiet on the side, enjoyed the show with his hands casually put in his pockets. He silently watched this scene, yet he kept thinking to himself, ¡®What is Mu Yuchen trying to do?¡¯

    Could he really be trying to ruin Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding?

    Still, doing so did not seem very meaningful.

 Chapter 1111 - Sudden! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1111: Sudden! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, Qi Lei did not n on speaking up. He was just going to wait and see how this panned out.

    Gu Qiwu fell silent as he met with Li Si¡¯s gaze and was about to say something when Gu Lingsha suddenly said coldly in a low voice, ¡°Gu Qiwu, you¡¯d better think this through!¡±

    Doris was actually quite clear about the intentions behind ying this video.

    If Gu Qiwu dared to admit his rtionship with Mu Zi right now, it would mean that he had abandoned her, and Doris was the third party that had interfered with their rtionship because everyone was all clear about how Mu Lingtian had indeed been born before she had gotten together with Gu Qiwu. That was Mu Zi¡¯s secret behind her reason for leaving the entertainment industry years ago.

    At that very moment, Doris had to admit that even though Mu Yuchen had done it in a rather despicable manner, the effect was palpable. The crowd began to discuss, and clearly, their fingers were pointing the me on her and Gu Qiwu.

    Mu Zi had be the pitiful, abandoned woman while Gu Qiwu had be a cheater and Doris was the third party that had swooped in and stolen him away.

    Who was Mu Zi? What right did she have to fight for the same man?

    Doris had always been prideful. Obviously, she knew Mu Zi before this, but she had not acknowledged her at all!

    When it came to looks, she had always thought that she surpassed Mu Zi. As for their background, there was nothing to evenpare. After all, Doris was royalty whereas her father and brothers all had high statuses. Compared to Mu Zi, she was clearly victorious!

    In fact, all these years, numerous men have fallen for her charm, and Gu Qiwu was no different.

    ¡°Tell them that person isn¡¯t you!¡± Doris said with amanding tone that did not allow Gu Qiwu to reject her!

    ¡°Father, tell them that the person can¡¯t be you! They¡¯re just here to crash the asion! Father, tell them!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were filled with concern and uneasiness at this moment as she quickly looked at Gu Qiwu and pleaded nervously.

    ¡°Someone, please escort them out. If you¡¯re here to congratte us, then wee, but since you¡¯re here just to crash the event, then please make your way out!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s raspy voice possessed a hint of hostility to it. To emphasize his point, a few men in ck came up to them.

    ¡°They¡¯re just here to ask about a small matter. What are you so worried for? People will think that was really Uncle Gu. Uncle Gu, if it wasn¡¯t you, please exin it to everyone. They¡¯re all waiting for you to continue eating!¡± Qi Le¡¯s demonic voice came through.

    Without objecting, Qi Qiming silently watched this scene before him because he wanted to know what all of this was about too!

    ¡°Miss Mu Zi has waited over 30 years for this exnation, and so has the Mu family. There¡¯s also Master Mu Lingtian, who has passed on, and Miss Mu Lingshi. They¡¯ve waited for many years now! When you¡¯ve all been living a jolly good life, have you ever thought of them? I think that everyone has been kept guessing when the news of Miss Mu Zi¡¯s fall to her death broke, and Elder Madam Mu just passed away a few days ago. All of these tragedies revolve around this man. If you were bold enough to do it, why won¡¯t you be bold enough to admit it?¡± Li Si smiled at Gu Qiwu, his tone saturated with a hint of disdain.

    ¡°Assistant Li, you need to have evidence when ites to the things you say. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t speak off the cuff! Our boss and madam have always been a loving couple. They¡¯re very much in love. Your words are clearly meant to drive a wedge between them so that we won¡¯t doubt you or suspect Chairman Mu¡¯s intentions!¡±

    Ah Yong noticed that the situation was not right, he looked coldly at Li Si and spoke out too.

    Li Si slowly took out a document from the folder that a bodyguard held, and he waved it. ¡°Mr. Gu, don¡¯t you think so too?¡±

    ¡°Morrison, get them out of here!¡± A dark light shed in Qi Feng¡¯s eyes as all his worries became even more prominent.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see what this document says, Mr. Gu?¡±

    The bodyguards beside Li Si went up too to stop the security detail.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression became even more stern and cold as he fixed his gaze on Li Si. If that gaze could kill, Li Si probably would have died quite a few times by now.

    Meanwhile, Doris and Gu Lingsha stared coldly at Gu Qiwu too.

    The entire banquet hall instantly became silent, stifled, and uneasy. The crowd that had still been whispering before this had all stopped talking as they watched the people on stage.

    Even Qi Lei could feel that indescribable feeling of suffocation and see the struggle on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face.

    While Doris pursed her lips, you could see the anger in her beautiful eyes. Despite seeing Gu Qiwu¡¯s swollen face following her p, the fury in her heart did not reduce one bit. She turned to her side and said softly by Gu Qiwu¡¯s ear, ¡°If you want to walk the path to your own doom, then admit to it! I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened. After a momentary silence, he signaled to Ah Yong who understood and took the document to hand to Gu Qiwu. To everyone¡¯s horror, Gu Qiwu did not even look at it before he burned it...

    ¡°Tell Mu Yuchen to talk to me by himself. I know that he¡¯s got a huge prejudice against me, but I think he¡¯s underestimated me by using such tricks. The Mus and the Gus¡¯ rtionship have long been strained. Mu Zi and I...at most, we were just friends. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the meaning of all this, so it¡¯s best if you let him speak to me himself.¡±

    Gu Qiwu had calmed down now. His gloomy expression earlier was now reced with helplessness mixed with feigned innocence.

    Bam!

    Ka ka!

    Right at this moment, Gu Qiwu had not finished when the door was suddenly flung open and the crowd immediately looked towards it.

    A slender figure suddenly appeared at the door.

    Dressed in loose, casual clothes as her beautiful hair fell on her shoulders, she worerge-framed spectacles and looked quite pale. Nheless, she was indeed a beauty. She just looked a little wan and sallow and seemed quite fatigued.

    COMMENT

    Who else could it be but Mu Lingshi?

    She stood quietly at the wide-open door, her hands still positioned in the way as when she had opened the door. Slowly, she looked up and then her cool gaze looked towards Gu Qiwu.

 Chapter 1112 - Sudden! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1112: Sudden! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Li Si saw Mu Lingshi¡¯s familiar figure, he cried out, ¡°Miss Lingshi!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Mu Lingshi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her! I¡¯ve met her before at Imperial Sky Entertainment City! She¡¯s a pretty good DJ. Quite a few of us go there for her sets!¡±

    ¡°They do look quite simr. You can almost see Mu Zi¡¯s shadows in her features. Years ago, when Mu Zi was her age, she looked simr to her now. They are indeed mother and daughter!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s her! Mu Lingshi!¡±

    As the crowd began to discuss, Mu Lingshi could not hide from the cameras.

    With her unexpected appearance, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression froze as he looked at Mu Lingshi in shock. All of a sudden, he was speechless.

    Shocked, Gu Lingsha and Doris exchanged a look. Evidently, they were annoyed!

    Mu Lingshi walked step by step towards them.

    ¡°Miss Lingshi, why are you here? Didn¡¯t Master tell you to stay put at home?¡± Li Si walked up worriedly. She had probably heard what he said earlier. Who would be happy to hear such things?

    Mu Lingshi did not answer and she pushed him away. Then, she took a fruit knife from the dining cart on the side and walked up to Gu Qiwu in a few steps. Everyone¡¯s expressions changed when they saw this. They were worried and stunned as they watched Mu Lingshi.

    Gu Lingsha and the rest took a few steps back reflexively as they cautiously observed Mu Lingshi who was walking over with a murderous air around her!

    ¡°Mu Lingshi! What are you trying to do?!¡± Gu Lingsha shouted a little anxiously.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, then buzz off! Stay away! Go away!¡± Mu Lingsha threatened coldly. She pointed the knife in her hand at Gu Lingsha, frightening thetter until she took a few steps back.

    Then, Mu Lingsha quickly stopped in front of Gu Qiwu. She looked up at him with her gaze as frigid as snow.

    ¡°Ah Shi...¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes were filled with mixed emotions, yet he still called out to her.

    A smile shed on Mu Lingshi¡¯s face, yet that smile looked a little tragic and lonely. ¡°From the moment I could understand, my parents weren¡¯t even my parents. My parents are smart people. They always thought that my real parents abandoned me and Lingtian out of helplessness, and even let us siblings understand them to see it from your point of view so as not to resent them.

    ¡°I believed them. The truth was that I always believed that my real parents had no choice but to abandon us. All these years, my brother, Lingtian and I never stopped looking for our father, but...¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s sorrowful voice suddenly stopped as she red at Gu Qiwu. ¡°My father¡¯s really good to me. He¡¯s my hero. During the summer break when I was seven years old, right before a typhoon, he went to a vige for inspection. He brought my mother and me along with him. It was a bumpy ride. On the first night that we arrived at the vige, I had a fever in the middle of the night. My father ran through the rain with my mother and rushed for 20 to 30 miles before they found a healthcare center. Because of this,ter on, they worked with a cold for more than a month before they slowly recovered.

    ¡°When I was disappointed, my parents would apany me. When I went to school, no matter howte he returned, the first thing my father would ask my mother would always be how the children were doing? How are Ah Tian and Ah Shi¡¯s homeworking along? That¡¯s why I thought that my real father would also be such a gentle and considerate person. How could it be him? Li Si, you¡¯ve all got it wrong. This man could be anybody¡¯s father, but he¡¯s definitely not mine! My father is Mu Tangchuan. My father is Mu Tangchuan. There¡¯s no way it¡¯s him!¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s suppressed voice contained a hint of sorrow. She took in a few breaths and blinked away the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Miss Lingshi...¡± Li Si expression froze, yet his eyes were filled with concern. He went up and wanted to hold her, yet she stopped him.

    ¡°Do you hear that?! Since she¡¯s said so herself, then don¡¯t embarrass us and cause trouble here. It¡¯s my wedding today. Li Si, get your people out of here. We don¡¯t wee you right now!¡± Gu Lingsha quickly seized the opportunity and said, ¡°Mu Lingshi, I think you can all end this prank now. This is not Glory World! Don¡¯te embarrassing yourselves here. Someone, bring them out!¡±

    ¡°Go away! Gu Lingsha, I have a score to settle with you too! Six years ago, my brother died for you, and how did you repay him after that? You were supposed to be my older brother¡¯s fianc¨¨, yet you colluded with someone else, wanting to hurt my brother! You even thought of marrying into the Mu family with someone else¡¯s child. Only someone like you could do something this shameless! There isn¡¯t a single good person in the Gu family!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed. She quickly spoke up to stop her, ¡°Shut up! Mu Lingshi, don¡¯t spew nonsense here!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense? Why don¡¯t you exin how you and Qi Feng¡¯s daughter, Qi Weier, came about then? You were already pregnant when you were supposed to marry my brother! Do you think we don¡¯t know? You went to my brother¡¯s safe and wanted to take a top-secret document, but you were caught by Ah Mo, so you tried to escape and even involved my older brother who then sent out an order to chase after you. Unfortunately, you ended up in a car ident and my brother died. Qi Feng got hurt and still can¡¯t walk to this day, yet you want to me this all on my older brother! You also keep on trying to hurt my sister-inw. Have you told everyone about these?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone was sharp and cold while her eyes flickered with a sharp light that stared at Gu Lingsha¡¯s instantly pale face.

    ¡°Ah Shi, that¡¯s enough!¡± Gu Qiwu frowned as he instructed in a deep voice. He sounded helpless.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, this is between me and Miss Gu. It¡¯s got nothing to do with you, so you can shut up. Also, don¡¯t call me so intimately. You¡¯re nobody to me. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re at that level of closeness!¡± Mu Lingshi scolded Gu Qiwu loudly while her eyes stared at Gu Lingsha coldly!

    ¡°You killed my brother. How could I be siblings with someone like her? My grandmother¡¯s gone too. Why aren¡¯t you people dead instead? Sometimes, I really wish I could just kill all of you! Even thinking of your names makes me feel dirty, so tell me, how could I be family with scum like you?¡±

    ¡°Enough! Ah Shi, stop it now!¡± Gu Qiwu finally walked up to Mu Lingshi and held her back.

    ¡°Go away! Who are you to control me?! Who do you think you are?!¡±

 Chapter 1113 - Sudden! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1113: Sudden! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi pushed him away coldly with a frown as she said disgustedly.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s stern face shed with a subtle struggle. When his eyes met Mu Lingshi¡¯s cold gaze, his hand that reached out to her stopped mid-air, he did not know whether to continue or to pull it back.

    ¡°Ah Shi!¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me. Every one of you from the Gu family disgusts me!¡±

    Mu Lingshi red at Gu Qiwu disrespectfully. ¡°Earlier, you were saying that you wanted my brother toe to talk to you by himself, but you don¡¯t deserve to talk to him. You¡¯re the same as Gu Lingsha. You think so highly of yourself. The whole family¡¯s like that.¡±

    ¡°You do look like Mu Zi in some ways, but this manner of yours...Anyway, I do understand. How could you expect manners from a child with no parents?! You¡¯re the same as Mu Zi! You¡¯re arrogant and rebellious, causing trouble after another. I¡¯m sure that Elder Madam Mu was angered to death by you lot!¡± Doris casually looked at her beautifully manicured nails as she used nonchntly. She did not rage then and there, but you could hear a hint of sternness in her tone.

    ¡°Your good daughter went behind her own fianc¨¨ to have a child with another man before their marriage. She failed to be a spy and eloped with someone else. You really did teach her well with your royal manners! Daughters are just a reflection of their mothers, isn¡¯t that right in your case?¡± Mu Lingshi sneered.

    1Doris¡¯s expression turned ugly at this point.

    ¡°Ah Shi!¡± Gu Qiwu called out again.

    ¡°Shut up! Stop calling me!¡± Mu Lingshi shouted coldly.

    ¡°Mu Lingshi, watch your mouth!¡± Gu Lingsha shouted, looking ashen as well.

    ¡°I think that our Miss Lingshi is right!¡± Li Si decided to add fuel to the fire. Heughed out loud and agreed!

    ¡°What? Unhappy? Did I hit you in the right spot? You look terrible.¡±

    A rude sneer shed across Mu Lingshi¡¯s lips. She looked at Gu Lingsha with a faint smile. ¡°You should know that you look like a clown to other people with your little farce. You thought you were so smart when you¡¯re actually a dumb woman, Gu Lingsha. Sometimes I do feel sorry for you. No matter where you end up, you¡¯re just a pitiful little chess piece! Mr. Gu, why are you looking at me like that? I heard that you dote on Doris like crazy and that you didn¡¯t spare astronomical numbers to marry her, but I do feel sorry for you too. I¡¯m just worried that in the end, you were only paving the way for someone else, and that you¡¯ll end up with nothing!¡±

    Mu Lingshi was implying something with her words. Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression changed at this moment while Doris¡¯s eyes suddenly shed with a sinister light. Mu Lingshi could clearly see that her hands that fell by her side clenched at this moment as if she was holding something back!

    When she saw Doris¡¯s face darken, she chuckled and casually yed with the fruit knife in her hand. Suddenly, she walked behind Doris so swiftly that no one had time to react!

    Gu Lingsha was shocked. She rushed over and shouted, ¡°Mu Lingshi! What are you trying to do?!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Bam!

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lingsha!¡±

    ¡°Mother! Be careful!¡±

    ¡°Argh¡ª¡±

    Amidst the chaos, the crowd could not react in time as they only heard some cries and shrieks.

    Gu Lingsha did not know what was going on. When she saw the fruit knife sway in Mu Lingshi¡¯s hand as she moved to stand behind her, she thought that she was going to do something to Doris. Her expression changed. Before she could consider it any further, she quickly went to Doris because she was worried that Mu Lingshi would go crazy and make a move on Doris!

    As she went up to her, Doris did not have the time to react, the heel on her shoes twisted and she fell forward on the staircase before her. In fact, she rolled down and her shrieks were heard throughout every corner of the venue!

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    ¡°Doris!¡±

    In shock, Gu Lingsha cried out almost at the same time as Gu Qiwu!

    Even though those stairs were not steep, there were at least 20 to 30 of them. Furthermore, Gu Lingsha used too much force, so as Doris rolled down, she really looked like a monkey rolling down a watermelon as she rolled all the way to the ground!

    The blood-curdling screech made Gu Lingsha jump. She could not care less as she rushed down. Gu Qiwu was quick on his feet too as he followed her down the stairs!

    The crowd was in an uproar at this moment as they all surrounded Doris!

    ¡°Mother! Mother! Are you okay? You okay?¡± Gu Lingsha rushed down nervously as she quickly helped Doris, who was crying in pain, up. However, the smell of blood filled the air. Doris¡¯s expression was pale as a ghost while she endured the pain and red at Gu Lingsha. Then, she gritted her teeth and lifted a hand to p Gu Lingsha hard.

    Pa!

    With the sound of a tight p, a swollen mark immediately appeared on Gu Lingsha¡¯s face, and a few of her sharp nails had scratched to show bloody scars as the corner of her lips immediately bled as well. She was stupefied!

    Her ears kept ringing, and the pain from her face did not bring Gu Lingsha¡¯s thoughts back after she was pped silly by Doris! She looked at Doris, stunned, and could not quite react!

    ¡°Mother...you...¡± Gu Lingsha looked at Doris with a dumbfounded expression. She had already forgotten the pain on her face.

    Doris closed her eyes in pain and cried out. Her beautiful face was ashen, and she held tightly onto her stomach as she felt something slowly leaving her body!

    2Nheless, her strong rationality told her that she had to withstand all of this pain. Otherwise, the oue would be beyond repair!

    Everything that she had been working hard to create would all be destroyed!

    Why did she give birth to this moron?!

    ¡°Moron! Quickly send me to the hospital!¡± Doris endured the pain and shouted meanly.

    At this moment, Gu Qiwu had caught up with them. ¡°Doris! Are you okay?!¡±

    When she saw Gu Qiwu¡¯s figure, Doris¡¯s blue eyes shed with a panic that she could not hide. She closed her eyes subconsciously and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯te here! If you won¡¯t exin this whole thing, then let¡¯s get a divorce! I won¡¯t stand for something unreasonable!¡±

    Then, Mu Lingshi¡¯s mockingughter was heard. ¡°Alright, Mr. Gu, I¡¯ll advise you to send Madam Gu to the hospital quickly. Otherwise, she¡¯ll probably lose the baby inside her! I heard that it¡¯s even a boy! Mr. Gu, you¡¯re really working hard. Having a baby at such an age, Madam Gu, you¡¯re quite strong yourself!¡±

 Chapter 1114 - Sudden! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1114: Sudden! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s words were as if a huge rock had just been dropped into a peacefulke, causing quite a ripple!

    Doris got pregnant!

    Doris was pregnant!

    Everyone widened their eyes as they looked over at Doris in Gu Lingsha¡¯s arms. Although Doris looked young and beautiful, she was actually already over 50 years old and her daughter already had a daughter of her own, yet she was now pregnant?

    1Was Gu Qiwu going to have another child at this age?

    However, Doris did not seem well right now as she looked extremely pale at the moment!

    Gu Lingsha was dumbfounded!

    What did Mu Lingshi say?

    Doris was pregnant?

    Her mother, Doris, was pregnant?

    Gu Lingsha was shocked as she almost forgot about the pain from the p. She was not sure whether to be happy about it or find it ridiculous. This sudden reveal was too shocking for her!

    She never thought she would be getting a younger brother or sister!

    No wonder Gu Qiwu had subtly mentioned it to her some time ago, asking whether she would like to have a younger sibling!

    Could Doris have already been pregnant then?

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed and her eyes looked lost as she nced at Doris. However, she noticed that Doris was in pain as her whole body shuddered. Her face looked pale, but she clenched her teeth and did not make a sound.

    Gu Lingsha came back to her senses when she could smell the coppery scent of blood. However, she was not strong enough to lift Doris up, so she looked at Gu Qiwu intently. ¡°Father, send Mother to the hospital right now!¡±

    When he did not reply, she felt a chill when she saw his darkened eyes as if they were sucking her right in.

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Lingsha noticed something was not right, but then she heard Doris¡¯ short breaths.

    ¡°Send Mother to the hospital quickly, or else, it might be toote!¡± She started to freak out when she saw blood pooling between her mother¡¯s legs.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, you might want to act soon, or else, you might lose your son soon! You¡¯re really careless, Ms. Gu. You¡¯d better start praying that your brother gets to live. It¡¯s already been almost two months, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Mu Lingshi grinned as if she was enjoying their reactions.

    ¡°Shut up, witch! Mother, are you okay? Someone, please, send her to the hospital!¡±

    Gu Lingsha thought Gu Qiwu was in shock, so she waved at Morrison and the others. Then, a group of people quickly came over and moved Doris outside while Gu Lingsha followed behind them.

    Gu Qiwu remained stationary as he watched the blood trails on the ground. He seemed to behave oddly.

    Qi Feng and Qi Qiming traded nces at each other. They were filled with doubts. Qi Feng then asked Morrison to bring him to them whilst Qi Qiming stayed to deal with the guests. He gave Gu Qiwu a long, hard stare. Suddenly, Gu Qiwu started talking to Mu Lingshi just as Qi Qiming was about to ask something.

    ¡°Were you telling the truth?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened as he clenched his fists.

    Qi Lei noticed his reaction and quickly went over to Mu Lingshi¡¯s side as he was worried that Gu Qiwu might hurt her.

    ¡°Uncle Gu, shouldn¡¯t you go and take a look at Aunt Gu? Shasha was really reckless this time!¡± Qi Lei put on a sly smile as he turned over and looked at the confused guests. ¡°Everything that happened today was just an ident. The wedding ceremony ends here. Please don¡¯t mind us and continue with the feast. Enjoy the remaining shows!¡±

    Mu Lingshi nced over at Gu Qiwu coldly before turning around. ¡°I¡¯ll remember what happened today. Please remember what you said just now, Mr. Gu!¡± With that cold message, she turned to leave.

    ¡°Ah Shi!¡±

    As Gu Qiwu was about to grab Mu Lingshi¡¯s hand from behind, another hand was quicker than him to hold Mu Lingshi in his arms. Immediately, Li Si and the others went up to shield her as well.

    ¡°Long time no see, Mr. Gu!¡±

    It was Ah Mo speaking. He had observed what happened just now. It felt like the whole drama had nothing to do with them anymore!

    Ah Mo had actually tried toe up with ideas to help Lingshi resolve this issue, especially with Mu Zi¡¯s identity since the main cause of Wang Hui¡¯s death had been this unsightly matter.

    However, he could note up with any idea that could solve everything. He had no idea how to settle this issue as well, but he found it weird that the Master had told Ah Bo to investigate Doris. He did not know that he had found such a piece of information!

    No wonder the Master told him that there was a huge gift for Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha!

    This gift was enormous!

    Doris was pregnant, Gu Lingsha had a brother, and Qi Feng had be a brother-inw!

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression looked horrible, but Mu Lingshi ignored him. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I feel ufortable standing near people like them. Please don¡¯t bother my brother and sister-inw ever again! Or else, you¡¯ll have problems with me!¡±

    Mu Lingshi then turned around and left!

 Chapter 1115 - Sudden! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1115: Sudden! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo witnessed what just happened inside the banquet hall!

    Zhou Zimo could not help but stare at Mu Yuchen after seeing Mu Lingshi leave and Gu Qiwu¡¯s stormy expression. ¡°Gosh, is this the big gift you mentioned? That¡¯s a nuclear bomb right there!

    ¡°Also, is Doris really pregnant? At her age? Gu Qiwu still has got it! Unfortunately, with what happened just now, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be good! Doris gave Gu Lingsha a good, tight p as well. Things are going to get interesting!¡±

    Zhou Zimo chuckled as he looked at Mu Yuchen who still seemed calm and did not say a thing while his gaze was fixed on the yellow streemp.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged. ¡°But, well, why did Lingshi go over? Didn¡¯t you say Li Si and the rest...?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Ah Mo didn¡¯t understand my words at all,¡± Mu Yuchen voiced out momentster. Even he felt annoyed watching what unfolded just now. Naturally, Mu Lingshi, who was more sensitive, could feel it even more. She would surely feel sad after hearing those words directly from Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to overthink this, Chen. Lingshi has her own thoughts. She might just feel responsible for what happened, but for real, this Gu Qiwu is really something. What a scumbag! I feel embarrassed just knowing him. From yours and Lingshi¡¯s reactions, don¡¯t tell me Doris¡¯s child isn¡¯t Gu Qiwu¡¯s! His expression doesn¡¯t seem right! Also, how did you guys find out that Doris is pregnant?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    However, he did not get any reply from Mu Yuchen. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Yuchen told the chauffeur, ¡°Start the car.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Chauffeur Wang noticed that Mu Yuchen was not in a good mood, so he gave a careful reply before starting the car.

    The car slowly drove out and disappeared into the night momentster.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten Ah Bo to keep an eye on Doris. I could sense that there¡¯s something more with Doris ever since I auctioned the pen. I can¡¯t exclude the possibility that she has spies here in City Z, so I told Ah Bo to keep an eye on her in secret, including the condition of Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng. That was also why I always told Ah Mo to not cause a scene because I don¡¯t want them to notice,¡± Mu Yuchen exined himself sometimeter.

    ¡°Ah Bo then found something wrong with Doris. She returns to the UK several times every year, so it shouldn¡¯t be suspicious, but Ah Bo caught onto something at the beginning of this year.¡±

    ¡°Is Doris having an affair with someone?¡± Zhou Zimo caught on.

    ¡°I can¡¯t figure out why Doris kept quiet if she knew about Gu Qiwu¡¯s rtionship with Lingshi. I only realized it some time ago. She was probably waiting for an opportunity. She was a little rushed when Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha got married behind her back. She should¡¯vee out and stopped the marriage sooner if she was actually concerned, but she didn¡¯t!¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly, his eyes darkened.

    Zhou Zimo paused as he closed hisptop and gave it some thought. ¡°I think I know what you mean. She wants to use this chance to expose Aunt and Gu Qiwu so that she can pretend to be an innocent bystander and file for a divorce. Gi Qiwu and her made a promise that one party would give the other 70% of their assets if they cheated on their partner. This is probably why Gu Qiwu didn¡¯t want to admit his rtionship with Lingtian and Lingshi.¡±

    His expression darkened. ¡°However, this means that Gu Qiwu still has feelings for Doris...I feel really bad for Aunt.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°There¡¯s no value in feelings. It only depends on whether you¡¯re willing to give or not. We can¡¯tment on anything as outsiders, and we wouldn¡¯t know about her feelings as well. Only she would have understood.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no but. It¡¯s all in the past now. I just hope that my aunt, Lingtian, and Lingshi won¡¯t be the victims. I can¡¯t do much right now and this is the best I could do. Let¡¯s call it a night here. I¡¯ve been getting busytely. Regarding my grandfather, I might need your grandfather¡¯s help to visit him more often so that he would feel less lonely.¡± Mu Yuchen massaged his temples.

    Zhou Zimo nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    ¡°Chauffeur Wang, stop at the junction in front. Let the people at the back send you home. I¡¯m getting tired and would like to head home first,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly as he closed his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Chauffeur Wang replied and quickly parked the car by the junction.

    Zhou Zimo gave Mu Yuchen a pat on his shoulder. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get off here, and I¡¯ll be keeping on eye on what happens. I¡¯ll tell Su Chen what happened. You should keep your mind free since it¡¯s been so hectic for you. Take a break.¡±

    He then left the car.

 Chapter 1116 - Twisted Affection (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1116: Twisted Affection (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night was gettingte and the cool wind blew as a calm moon hung in the bright sky.

    In the study room on the second floor of Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye was done reading through the pile of documents on the table. She looked at the time on the clock, and it showed that it was almost midnight, yet there was still no sign of the man.

    She thought about it and was worried, so she set aside the pen and took a coat from the bedroom to put on. She took her phone and went downstairs. As she was thinking about getting the car keys, she heard the sound of the car being parked outside.

    Soon, the door was opened and she put the car keys back before slowly going up to the door.

    Before she could reach the knob, Mu Yuchen¡¯s thin and lean figure greeted her sight. Xi Xiaye subconsciously stopped walking and almost walked right into his arms. Thankfully, he was quick enough to hold her.

    ¡°Clumsy one, be careful!¡± His deep voice had a hint of reproach.

    Xi Xiaye reached out to hug his strong waist as she leaned into his arms and sucked in a deep breath. Subconsciously, she hugged him tightly, then looked up a little worriedly at him.¡±Why were you sote? I called you a few times, but it didn¡¯t go through.¡±

    He looked down at her and caught her worried and anxious expression. Immediately, his heart softened and he began to be gentle. His long arms circled her frail shoulders as he held her to walk upstairs. In a deep voice, he assured, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. After today, perhaps we can all loosen up a little.¡±

    She followed his steps and walked upstairs too. Then, she turned to look at him and asked softly, ¡°Did everything go well? You don¡¯t look too good though...What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It went quite well. I¡¯ll tell you all about it in a bit.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just finished showering. Apart from the little coat she wore, she only had on a loose shirt. With Mu Yuchen¡¯s height, when he peered down, he had an unlimited view of what was beneath.

    He had missed her, and his exhaustion from the past few days felt like it needed a breakthrough to drain itself. Then, he suddenly stopped walking.

    When she saw that he suddenly stopped, Xi Xiaye was a little confused. She quickly nced up at him and was about to say something when suddenly her calm gaze met his ming eyes that seemed to contain fireworks...

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful little face was stunned. She could not help but feel the heat, but after a while, she looked away and cleared her throat. ¡°Go take a shower first. I¡¯ll get your clothes for you. Ah¡ª¡±

    Before she could finish, she suddenly felt like she was mid-air. He had swiftly carried her up to march upstairs. Soon, his deep and sensual voice was heard.

    ¡°Later. It feels like we haven¡¯t done it in so long.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! How do you even have the mood for it?! So many things have been happening recently!¡± Xi Xiaye hit his shoulders in objection and frowned.

    ¡°We have to keep moving forward. As sad as we may be, it won¡¯t change things. To Grandmother, as long as we¡¯re doing well, that will be more important than anything else. You and I living a harmonious life is the best constion to her, hmm?¡± he spoke with quite a bit of conviction, and then his hands subconsciously tightened as he drew her towards him.

    ¡°What ridiculous theory is that? Put me down...¡±

    Xi Xiaye struggled for a bit, yet he was stubborn and only walked faster until he walked past their secondary living room and straight for the bedroom. He walked up to the bed before putting her down.

    As the door closed, a strong gust suddenly rushed in and messed up her beautiful, long hair.

    Xi Xiayebed through her head of hair and pushed a lock behind her ear. As she looked up silently, her calm gaze met the man¡¯s deep eyes.

    They were jet ck and so deep that you could not touch them, and in the depths of those pupils was her elegant figure.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that!¡± She was not quite used to this look from him. When she was about to lift a hand to block his view, he held onto her slender wrist.

    He hesitated, and could not help but ask in the end, ¡°Xiaye, tell me, will I always be your one and only?¡±

    Even though he knew her answer, sometimes, he just wanted to hear her say it to him and admit to him that she cared for him. That way, he could find a sense offort from her, even some warmth.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned by this question. Upon seeing the anticipation that gathered in his eyes, she chuckled. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking me that?¡±

    He chuckled, his handsome face filled with tenderness. ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of reasons. Just consider your Mr. Mu unreasonable right now.¡±

    When she heard his reason, sheughed out softly. She reached out with both arms and tiptoed to hold his handsome face and began to very seriously examine it. Then, she said softly, ¡°But I just like you this way! You have already be my whole world. Without you, I¡¯ve got nowhere else to go, so tell me, is it still important whether you¡¯re my one and only?¡±

    ¡°You...mmm¡ª¡± Mu Yuchen wanted to say something more, but unexpectedly, her soft, pink lips already reached his. She gently and urately stopped his words that were about toe after that while her long arms circled him and she pushed up against him so that he fell backward onto the bed!

    Mu Yuchen was surprised as he looked up at her. He only had a whiff of the faint fragrance from her, then there was a softness against him. He quickly held her body and before he could react, another soft and warm touch came again.

    She did not mind using her actions to prove that she cared for him. She heard that all men liked this, but she just was not sure if he was the same.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, tonight, let¡¯s y a game of queen and prince consort, okay?¡± Her gentle and extremely seductive voice was heard.

    ¡°No¡ª¡± he said, then flipped over, so they instantly swapped ces.

    ¡°If we¡¯re going to y, we should y a game of His Majesty and his pampered concubine!¡± His handsome face curved with a devilishly charming smile as the fatigue between his brows suddenly faded away.

    1¡°His Majesty and his pampered concubine? Why not the queen?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m the king, then all the titles in the harem are all yours. Isn¡¯t that the same?¡±

    ¡°What a stretch.¡±

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

 Chapter 1117 - Twisted Affection (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1117: Twisted Affection (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The battle of luststed all the way past midnight.

    As the cool breeze swayed the curtains, Mu Yucheny satisfied with his arms behind his head. Then, he pulled the worn-out Xi Xiaye into his embrace.

    ¡°Doris is pregnant. After Gu Lingsha crashed into her this time, it probably won¡¯t survive. Next up, we can finally sit back and enjoy the show, so let¡¯s catch our breaths,¡± he said in a deep voice.

    Xi Xiaye was still catching her own breath when she heard him say that. She immediately widened her eyes and looked at him with disbelief. Her slightly hoarse voice demanded, ¡°What did you say? Who did you say was pregnant? Doris? You sure it¡¯s Doris and not Gu Lingsha?¡±

    The man looked at her from the side. ¡°Do you think I would spread false news?¡±

    Stunned, she pulled her nket higher and turned on her side to look at him as a faint light shifted in her eyes. ¡°Tell me exactly what happened.¡±

    Mu Yuchen met her bright eyes. He thought about it for a bit, then he briefly exined everything that had happened that night to her.

    ¡°Initially, I was only nning on letting Li Si expose Doris. I didn¡¯t expect Lingshi to go over after that. Ah Mo probably told her about it, but Gu Qiwu just burnt the report without even taking a look.¡±

    Towards the end, Mu Yuchen calmed down.

    ¡°Mmm, he probably thought that Li Si was showing him the DNA report for him and Lingshi. You said that you were going to give them a huge gift. Did you mean this?¡± Xi Xiaye asked, looking at him puzzledly.

    Nodding gently, his long arms brushed past her exquisite and smooth shoulders as he gently held her. ¡°Actually, I couldn¡¯t be too sure of it at first since Ah Bo couldn¡¯t give me any substantial evidence. It was only when Doris left the UK a few days ago that Ah Bo caught the chance. When she went to the hospital, he got that information.¡±

    ¡°So, there¡¯s a huge possibility that the child she¡¯s bearing isn¡¯t Gu Qiwu¡¯s?¡± Xi Xiaye caught the key point and gripped his hand tightly as she quickly asked.

    ¡°ording to the timing, Gu Qiwu probably didn¡¯t have a chance to. Otherwise, Doris wouldn¡¯t have kept it a secret. As for Gu Qiwu¡¯s feelings for her, if this child is Gu Qiwu¡¯s, he would be over the moon, but I didn¡¯t see any happiness on Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression. There was only shock, and like you, disbelief,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she could not help butugh. ¡°Doris is truly...She¡¯s already at such an age and still...but speaking of which, I feel like I can understand why she¡¯d do that. Gu Lingsha married Qi Feng. In fact, she¡¯s not fertile anymore and they only have one daughter, Qi Weier. If she wanted to put all her bets on Qi Weier, it¡¯d seem quite hopeless. And as you said, it¡¯s worth thinking about the reasons Doris married Gu Qiwu. Now that Gu Lingsha has married into the Qi family, she might not even get a share of the pie. That means she has a perfect reason to choose another and...¡±

    1¡°It¡¯s Doris. I don¡¯t think many people could¡¯ve thought of something like this. She will do anything such as use Gu Qiwu and Aunt¡¯s thing as momentum. She will let Gu Qiwupensate her heavily on ount of his feelings for her so that she will easily get what she wants. Once they get a divorce, Gu Qiwu will suffer a loss and watch the woman he loves be inseparable with another man. Not only will he have been cheated on, but she would¡¯ve also gotten away with a lot of his assets. I can imagine that Gu Qiwu would¡¯ve died from fury.¡±

    1Xi Xiaye said with a forced smile as she shook her head, ¡°A woman like that is the cruelest. If he really let her have her way, then she will probably be the biggest winner in this whole game! Gu Lingsha and the rest are just a chess piece of hers. Those little tricks are nothing to her.¡±

    In the end, Mu Yuchen was getting tired of talking about it. He hugged her and pulled up the nket. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much about these now. Let¡¯s talk about themter on. We¡¯ve been quite exhausted these past few days, so let¡¯s rest well for a bit and see how things go on their end.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll see how things progresster then. To them, tonight¡¯s going to be a sleepless one for sure. Is Ah Shi okay?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. There¡¯s still Ah Mo, so she¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go visit her tomorrow. I think she¡¯s probably used to it, and she could¡¯ve predicted the oue. If Gu Qiwu wanted to acknowledge her as his daughter, he wouldn¡¯t have waited for so long. Right now, I¡¯m just curious as to the kind of attitude Gu Qiwu will use with Doris, and how he will face Lingshi...¡± Xi Xiaye spoke in a daze.

    She paused, then could not help but continue, ¡°I think that Gu Qiwu does love Doris deeply. I wonder if he...To be betrayed by a woman he loves would be a feeling that should be enough to stump him. I think it would feel horrible. At least, it makes up for Aunt and Grandmother.¡±

    ...

    Just as Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye expected, things on Doris¡¯s end was a mess.

    Outside the operating theatre at Hospital T, Gu Lingsha was an anxious mess while Qi Feng sat quietly waiting aside. Qi Weier and Mary had already gone back. It was past midnight right now, and the guests had long left. With such a hugemotion, Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s grand wedding had be a joke.

    Qi Feng had no doubt that the newspapers tomorrow would recklessly report about how his wedding was interrupted by earth-shattering news.

    Gu Qiwu sat down quietly at the bench, not saying a word, but Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha could feel the hostility that came from him. You could tell that he was in a terrible mood at the moment. Of course, they could not read his thoughts. They just thought that he was worried about Doris, or was angry about the way Li Si and Mu Lingshi had acted.

    Gu Lingsha thought about it, then frowned. Knowing that she was in the wrong, she walked over to say softly, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry too much. Mother and Little Brother will be fine! Did you and Mother already know about this? Why did you hide it even from me? No wonder whenever I went back to the mansion, I saw Mother consuming so many tonics. I thought that...¡±

    ¡°Enough! Shut up! Stop talking!¡± Gu Lingsha had not finished when Gu Qiwu, who looked gloomy and cold, suddenly shouted. He looked up, a sinister cold light gathering in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on her.

    That re of his was enough to frighten Gu Lingsha as she broke out into cold sweat!

 Chapter 1118 - A Slap, Witch! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1118: A p, Witch! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha trembled when she saw Gu Qiwu¡¯s increasingly stormy face. She felt hot tears in her eyes, as she walked up to him in panic.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father! It¡¯s all my fault! I thought that Mu Lingshi was going to hurt Mother. That¡¯s why I...I didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d make her fall down the stairs. I also couldn¡¯t have known that Mother is pregnant. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have...Father, don¡¯t be sad. Heaven helps the worthy. She and Little Brother will be fine. They¡¯ll be fine!¡± Gu Lingsha started to exin to Gu Qiwu incoherently, yet when he heard that, he seemed to look worse!

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t be like this! Mother will be fine! Calm down!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s beautiful eyes could not help but tear up. She resented Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingshi for causing all this trouble, yet when she thought about that, all the scenes from the past shed into her mind!

    Could Mu Zi really have had a rtionship with her father, Gu Qiwu?

    Were Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi really her siblings?

    Gu Qiwu red at Gu Lingsha, then suddenly called out to Ah Yong, ¡°Ah Yong,e here!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    Ah Yong quickly went over. Gu Qiwu lowered his head and said a few words to him. At first, Ah Yong was stunned, then nodded. Gu Lingsha wanted to listen to their conversation, yet when she moved closer, Ah Yong suddenly got up. His hand identally brushed the fringe on her forehead, so she felt a faint pain, but before she could react, he had already left.

    ¡°Yes! Boss, don¡¯t worry. I promise to get it done!¡± Ah Yong assured and his tall figure immediately walked towards the corridor. Meanwhile, the remaining bodyguards stood guard at the corridor, not allowing anyone to get close.

    ¡°Father, you...¡±

    With regard to Gu Qiwu¡¯s weird actions, Gu Lingsha finally could not help but probe. She did not feel any concern from Gu Qiwu, only anger!

    ¡®Why was he angry? It must be because of thismotion that Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingshi had caused!¡¯ Gu Lingsha thought to herself.

    ¡°Alright, Shasha, that¡¯s enough. We¡¯ll see how your mother is doing first. Things at the banquet are almost done. Father and the rest are rushing over, so it¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t frighten yourself.¡±

    The one who had spoken was Qi Feng. He also thought that Gu Qiwu was in an odd mood tonight. Of course, he was not focused on Doris¡¯s pregnancy but on Gu Qiwu¡¯s rtionship with Mu Zi!

    That proved that the information Morrison had shown him before was true. Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi did have a past. In fact, Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi were definitely Gu Qiwu¡¯s children. Otherwise, a woman like Elder Madam Mu would not have toppled upon such news!

    Thus, the truth was that tonight, Mu Yuchen wanted to use the opportunity to uplift Mu Zi, and get a statement on behalf of Mu Lingshi. However, he did not expect things to y out the way it had.

    No wonder Gu Qiwu looked extremely unhappy. While no one knew about the agreement between Doris and Gu Qiwu, Qi Feng was very clear about it. If Gu Qiwu betrayed Doris, ording to the agreement, not only would he need to divorce her, but he would also have to pay a heavy price.

    This was also the reason why Gu Qiwu had always gone by the book and dared not cross any lines as he focused on loving Doris.

    Of course, everyone understood that Gu Qiwu was indeed loyal towards Doris as well. Now that this mess was made, he was sure that Gu Qiwu must be extremely angry, and next, he would be waiting for Mu Yuchen...

    Like Gu Lingsha, he thought this way, and the doubts that he had at first were instantly resolved!

    Upon hearing Qi Feng, Gu Lingsha stopped, and she looked at Gu Qiwu with a mixed expression before she walked to Qi Feng¡¯s side.

    The light above the operating theatre was still on. They were not sure how long they had waited for, but it was a while that Gu Lingsha felt her legs bing numb. Finally...

    Ka¡ª

    Pa¡ª

    The light of the operating theatre suddenly went off, then the door opened. A doctor donning a white robe walked out.

    ¡°Doctor!¡±

    Upon seeing that, Gu Lingsha quickly went up and anxiously held the doctor by the sleeve. She could not help but look at the operating theatre as she asked worriedly, ¡°Doctor, how did it go? How¡¯s my mother? Is she okay?¡±

    The doctor took off his mask, breathed in, and said with a solemn expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We did our best. The patient is an elderly pregnant woman. That itself was already a fragile condition. In fact, she¡¯s not in the best of health. The fetus was easily affected. This time, the impact was too strong, so we couldn¡¯t save the child. The patient¡¯s in a rather unstable condition too and she¡¯ll need to stay in the intensive care unit for observation.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? You couldn¡¯t save him? What does that mean? How¡¯s that possible? Are all you doctors useless?¡± When Gu Lingsha heard that, she panicked!

    She obviously did not forget the way Doris had pped her hard and shot her a vicious gaze! One could tell that Doris cared a lot about this child!

    If she lost it because of her, Gu Lingsha could only imagine how furious her mother was going to be!

    She dared not imagine it!

    Even though Doris was usually quite good to her daughter, when it came to certain things, Doris was very strong-headed and principled about it. Gu Lingsha had also always been slightly fearful of her mother. In fact, just recently, their rtionship had been strained, and now with this incident, it made things worse!

    ¡°No way! There¡¯s no way you couldn¡¯t save it! You¡¯re lying to me! She just rolled down the stairs. There¡¯s no way she could¡¯ve lost it so easily! Find a way. Think of something!¡±

    Gu Lingsha trembled and she began to feel dazed as she quickly clutched the doctor¡¯s shirt and shook him hard.

    ¡°Miss, please calm down! We¡¯ve done our best!¡±

    ¡°Shasha! Calm down!¡±

    ¡°Madam, please calm down! Let go of the doctor first!¡±

    Upon seeing Gu Lingsha on the verge of losing control, Qi Feng quickly signaled the bodyguards beside him who went up to pull her away.

    ¡°The patient will be sent to the intensive care ward soon because her body is weak and fatigued. She is going to need rest. Later on, the nurse will exin what requires attention.¡±

 Chapter 1119 - A Slap, Witch! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1119: A p, Witch! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Throughout the entire process, Gu Qiwu merely sat on the bench. He seemed to be frozen right there as he did not move at all while he watched this scene before him.

    After a while, the unconscious Doris was wheeled out of the operating theatre and sent to the intensive care ward. Meanwhile, that night was destined to be a sleepless night, especially for Gu Qiwu and the rest.

    Qi Qiming only rushed over afterward. When he heard that Doris had a miscarriage, he felt a mix of emotions that he could not quite identify. There was a hint of endured anger in his gaze as he looked at Gu Qiwu.

    He could not have guessed that Gu Qiwu would be so cruel towards Mu Zi!

    The pitiful thing was that she had protected him till the day she died, and now it had even cost Elder Madam Mu¡¯s life. There was also Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi...

    Following Qi Qiming was Qi Lei who remained silent too. As the scenes from that day reyed in his mind, he had no doubt that this Gu Qiwu was Mu Lingshi¡¯s father!

    He always thought that Qi Qiming was the trashiest father among them all, but he did not expect Gu Qiwu topare to his own father. In fact, he was worse. It turns out that there were indeed more people like him. There was just noparison before, and now he suddenly began to pity Lingtian and Mu Lingshi.

    At least, his mother, Wang Qin, still loved him and would defend him. Right now, Qi Qiming did not seem to be doing much against him for reasons of guilt or whatever, yet what about Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi?

    Before this, he really did not understand why Mu Yuchen had been so persistent and why he would not let go after Mu Lingtian¡¯s betrayal, yet now, he seemed to finally understand a little bit more of how Mu Yuchen felt.

    Being as calm as water with refined fierceness and meticulous thoughts allowed him to hold it all back only to explode today. It must have been for Mu Lingshi, for Mu Zi and Mu Lingtian.

    Qi Lei could not help but feel envy. If he had such an older brother too, would he have suffered as much as he did right now?

    They both had ayer between the bloodlines. Why was it that he could treat them like real siblings while his own elder brother would not even think of leaving him a way out at all even after he had backed down so much?

    When he thought about this, Qi Lei suddenly turned to look at Qi Feng who remained silent too. His expression was indifferent and he did not show any emotions, yet there was a hint of mixed emotions between his brows. Gu Lingsha was still caring for Doris in the ward.

    As if he could sense Qi Lei¡¯s gaze, Qi Feng gathered his emotions and looked towards Qi Lei. When he saw that there was something in his eyes, his charming face shed with a smile. ¡°Thank you for your hard work today, Xiao Lei.¡±

    Qi Lei scoffed in his heart, yet that devilish smile on his face became even more radiant. ¡°As I should. Uncle Gu, CEO Qi, I¡¯ll go handle the hospitalization procedures. I hope that Aunt Gu will recover soon!¡±

    Then, before waiting for their replies, he turned towards the corridor while Yang Sheng followed quickly after him.

    Upon seeing that, Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened. He turned to look at Qi Qiming, but he realized that Qi Qiming was watching Qi Lei walk further away with a gaze that seemed to show a hint of delight.

    Gu Qiwu, who had kept quiet, finally spoke up softly, ¡°All of you, go home first. Qi Feng, today¡¯s an important day for you and Shasha. Don¡¯t dy it because of this incident. You and Shasha go home first. It¡¯s enough with me here.¡±

    ¡°Father...¡± Qi Feng finally called out a little worriedly.

    ¡°Go home, Ah Yong. Get Miss toe out.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone had a sternness that did not allow for objection, so Qi Feng felt like something was not right in his tone, but he could not put a finger on what it was.

    ...

    Inside the ward, Doris was sleeping in a daze. Soon, it was the next day.

    When the warm sunlight streamed in through the half-opened window, Doris felt how heavy her head was. She was ufortable as she slowly woke up and tried to open up her heavy eyelids. As the strong light entered, she could not help but lift a hand to shade her eyes. All of the scenes fromst night suddenly shed in her mind.

    Her pale face suddenly flushed with panic and she subconsciously felt her belly!

    It was no surprise that she could clearly feel that something was missing.

    Stunned, she remembered that Gu Lingsha hade towards her and she had lost her footing and tripped down the stairs. Afterward, Mu Lingshi seemed to have smiled and spoken about her pregnancy, and that it was a boy...

    How did they find out?

    If Gu Lingsha had heard it, then Gu Qiwu must have too!

    She was already so careful. Apart from the one involved, no one else could have known about it, much less Gu Qiwu!

    Right, Gu Qiwu!

    When this name shed in her mind, Doris¡¯s deep blue eyes could not help but reveal a wave of panic. She immediately widened her eyes and propped herself up. When she tried to sit up, she silently examined the scene before her.

    Immediately, she noticed the stern and scolding gaze that came from her bedside!

    She quickly turned to look and saw a dark figure greeting her sight.

    Bathed in a cold aura all over, a chill filled his grave expression and a sinister energy gathered in his deep eyes while he fixed his gaze on Doris. She could feel the coldness that came from him despite wrapping herself tightly with the nket.

    Doris subconsciously shrunk and her blue eyes seemed vignt as she stared at Gu Qiwu. Neither husband nor wife spoke.

    There was clearly air filled with gunpowder between the four eyes and the entire ward felt stifled.

    In the end, it was Gu Qiwu who spoke up first, ¡°You miscarried the b*stard you bore. What¡¯s wrong? Were you nning on keeping quiet? Whose child is it?¡±

    His voice was cold as the first melted snow. When Doris heard him, she shuddered involuntarily, but Doris was not just anyone. She gathered herself and took a deep breath, then a sharp light shed in her blue eyes as she looked at Gu Qiwu coldly.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be exining about you and Mu Zi to me? What¡¯s up with Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi?¡± Her tone was questioning as well.

    ¡°Doris, I told you that there¡¯s a limit to my patience!¡±

 Chapter 1120 - A Slap, Witch! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1120: A p, Witch! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Qiwu shouted coldly, that stern aura of his bing more prominent, ¡°Tell me! Whose child is it?!¡±

    There was a fury in his shout as Gu Qiwu took a step closer, his eyes aze with anger. He stared at Doris¡¯s beautiful face. Frightened by his sudden shout, an uneasiness shed across her pale face. You could tell from the depth of her blues eyes that she was terrified. She shrunk and pulled the nket tightly towards her as she cowered towards the bedhead and fixed her eyes on Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. If I¡¯m pregnant, then it¡¯s obviously yours,¡± Doris lowered her gaze and said softly.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu immediatelyughed grimly. He reached out and held Doris¡¯s chin tightly, meeting her blue eyes. ¡°Doris, do you take me for a fool? I haven¡¯t touched you in at least half a year. How could it be mine? Haven¡¯t I been good to you? Why did you still n on lying to me right now? That you would betray me? Tell me! Whose b*stard is this?! Tell me!¡±

    His violent shout prated every corner of the room. Doris could only feel the pain on her chin that she almost cried out.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡±

    Doris struggled hard for a while, and her expression was pale as she pushed Gu Qiwu away with much effort. She could not help but raise her voice and yell in return, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. Betrayal? You betrayed me first! Gu Qiwu, you haven¡¯t exin about you and Mu Zi to me yet! Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi are your children. You and Mu Zi lied to me for decades! Aren¡¯t you worse? I was deceived for decades. Should I just go with it then? Why are you allowed to cheat on me while I¡¯m not allowed to do the same to you?¡±

    Doris seemed to have found her courage again. The aura that came from her was no less than Gu Qiwu¡¯s. ¡°I told you before that I¡¯m not weak. If you did it, so can I!¡± Her tone was filled with ridicule.

    ¡°Mu Zi and I happened before us. Besides, you¡¯ve always known that I had a past with a certain woman. You said that you didn¡¯t care, and right now you want to use it against me? Doris, don¡¯t take advantage of the patience I have for you!¡±

    ¡°Enough! What patience? What have you been patient with me about? When you and that witch, Mu Zi, had two children, did you tell me? When I married you years ago, do you remember what you said to me? You said that you¡¯d make me the happiest woman on earth, the elegant Madam Gu, and in the end, what have you given me all these years? Haven¡¯t you always been vignt about me at all times? Thinking about how to get back your things from me? All the so-called sky-high priced betrothal gifts and pledge of eternal love...do you really think I¡¯m a fool?¡± Doris mocked in disdain.

    ¡°You went behind my back with Mu Zi! What about her made you so fond of her? You should be grateful that I didn¡¯t find out that the woman was her. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve killed her! At least, she knew it herself and ended her life by jumping off a building, so I didn¡¯t have to do anything.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Doris, I¡¯ve been wrong to Mu Zi all these years. I¡¯ve let Lingtian and Lingshi down, but I¡¯ve never wronged you and Lingsha! What do you think you¡¯ve been relying on? It¡¯s because I do feel some affinity for you! How have I wronged you all these years? Fortune, feelings, what have I not fulfilled you with? In the end, you want to y these tricks and take everything away from me. Aren¡¯t you be a tad bit too greedy?¡±

    While Gu Qiwu spoke through gritted teeth, his hand that pinched Doris¡¯ chin tightened. Soon, there was a bruise on Doris¡¯s fair skin. ¡°What were you nning on doing with another man¡¯s illegitimate child? You hid it from me and were trying to divorce me so that I would pity you andpensate you, weren¡¯t you? Even Lingsha became your chess piece! You treated us all like chess pieces. Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s stern voice held no warmth as he asked coldly.

    Doris only felt a burning pain from his grip as she struggled. ¡°Let go of me! Let me go!¡±

    ¡°Tell me! Whose child is it?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Even if I do, do you think I¡¯d tell you? That man is a hundred times better than you, Gu Qiwu! A hundred times nicer too!¡±

    Pa!

    Before Doris could finish, Gu Qiwu had already let go of her, then a p rang out. Because it was so hard, Doris almost fell off her bed. Shrieking, she fell into her nket!

    ¡°You shameless woman! I¡¯ve always been loyal to you. I was even cruel to Mu Zi and the children, but you dare do this to me. Very well, you want to get a divorce and take all my assets to enjoy with another man, don¡¯t you? In your dreams, I won¡¯t get a divorce with you. I want to slowly waste you away and let you know that this is what happens when you betray me!¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked viciously at the sorry-looking Doris as he spoke cruelly. His gaze was so fierce as if he wished he could just kill Doris.

    Smiling coldly, she slowly propped herself up and wiped away the traces of blood at the corner of her lips before she said, ¡°Gu Qiwu, do you think you can control me? In your dreams! Do you think I¡¯d be afraid of your betrayal? You have no right to talk about betrayal.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just wait and see then. I¡¯d like to see who it is. Doris, I¡¯ll make you pay for betraying me and trampling all over my love.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s bloodshot eyes red at Doris!

    It would be a lie if he said that he did not feel a little depressed and bitter! Only he would understand!

    The kind of feelings he had for this cruel woman¡ª

    It was love and hate at once!

    He loved the way she had an undeniable charm. Gu Qiwu admitted that all these years, he had only ever been patient and caring for this woman, including the way he was willing to cruelly turn his back on Mu Zi, Lingtian, and Lingshi for her.

    He hated her, hated the way she was always scheming against him. She had a dark side to her and used vicious means!

    Even if Gu Qiwu had given his all to treat her well, she still put her guard up against him, tried to control him, and even thought about how to step all over him!

    How terrifying was a woman like that?

    How had he fallen for such a woman and indulged her all these years?

 Chapter 1121 - A Slap, Witch! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1121: A p, Witch! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s gloomy and fierce expression greeted Doris¡¯s sight, yet she did not seem worried at all. Instead, her exquisitely beautiful face broadened with a smile.

    ¡°You should think about how to deal with your problem with Mu Zi. Everyone¡¯s probably talking aboutst night¡¯s incident. You didn¡¯t even dare acknowledge your own daughter. How dare you use wildly at me here?¡±

    Pa!

    Doris only felt a cool breeze graze the pain on her skin that had yet to fade from earlier when another burning ache came. The loud p made her ears ring!

    ¡°Witch, shut up!¡±

    Gu Qiwu returned those two ps fromst night hard. There were traces of blood at the corner of Doris¡¯s lips as her beautiful face swelled and her messy blonde hair fell all over the ce. Even in that sorry state, it could not conceal her outstanding beauty.

    ¡°Why do you think I did it? Witch? Who are you calling witch?¡±

    Gu Qiwu was grinding his teeth!

    As for Mu Zi and the rest, Doris should know very well what mattered most to him!

    ¡°Zixi has always known about your existence. When I asked for a breakup back then, she didn¡¯t want to make things hard for us either. Shouldn¡¯t you be deeply grateful for her? She was even willing to address you as ¡®sister-inw¡¯ while she swallowed all of the pain herself. Now, she has to endure your name-calling. Doris, this is thest straw!¡±

    Gu Qiwu was flipping out in anger now.

    Upon hearing that, Doris immediately chuckled and looked at Gu Qiwu with ridicule in her eyes. She said with contempt, ¡°What? Just a few words from me and already you¡¯re hurt? Did you say you love me? How do you love me?! All these years, I was wondering why every time either the Mu family or Mu Zi are involved, you¡¯d act so weirdly! That night six years ago, when you knew that Mu Lingtian hade along with Mu Yuchen, no wonder you looked so flustered. I think I began to suspect things from that moment on!¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, don¡¯t always talk about how much you care for me. If you could¡¯ve done that to Mu Zi, would there ever be such thing as true love from you? I do hate Mu Zi, but I also pity her and even find it tragic. From the start, I could already feel that you and Qi Qiming treated her in a special way. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t believe much of it then. Otherwise...hmph!¡± Doris scoffed.

    Her pale face was covered in hostility. She wiped away the blood on the corner of her lips and endured the pain from all over her body as she breathed in. ¡°And do you dare to promise that when you married me, it was solely because of me? Don¡¯t lie to yourself now. Even if you and Mu Zi wanted to get together, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy, and you probably cared about my background more. Gu Qiwu, I¡¯m not such a brainless woman. I grew up in environments like this. I¡¯m not Mu Zi who knew nothing because she was overprotected by the Mu family. She was so innocent that she was brainless. Do you think you deserve to talk about love? Don¡¯t make meugh at you, alright?¡±

    Gu Qiwu was stunned while that stern face of his was as dark as the bottom of a pot. ¡°You arrogant woman! Cruel and shameless women like you won¡¯t understand! It was you who eroded all the feelings I had for you bit by bit. All these years, you should know best if I¡¯ve been true to you! From now on, you¡¯d best behave and stay right here. Don¡¯t think about going anywhere!¡±

    Gu Qiwu held Doris by her hand and coldly threatened before he let go of her hard. Without a second look at her, he turned to leave the ward!

    Bam!

    The door was mmed loudly and Doris jumped at the sound.

    Doris bit on her pale lip and looked up at the tightly shut door, yet there was a sneer across her lips. She reached out to touch her ttened belly while her blue eyes glimmered with a cold light!

    Shasha...

    No, it was Mu Lingshi!

    She would pay the price!

    Doris had waited so long for this child.

    Who would have thought...?

    When she thought about this, a chill settled on Doris¡¯s face again. She could not care less about how she looked at the moment. A sinister sharpness shed in her eyes.

    ...

    Indeed as expected, the incident from the night before made it to the papers the next morning. Even the television was reporting about it everywhere!

    Inside the quiet Maple Residence, when Mu Yuchen woke up, Xi Xiaye was gone, but the sweet scent of hers covered the entire room. She rarely woke up earlier than him, but his slumber did feel quite nice. He slept without dreams and slept very well.

    It had been a while since he had such quality sleep, especially these past few days. After Wang Hui passed away, he had actually never let go. That was a grandmother that he loved deeply, an elder that had been the best to him, so how could he have so easily let it go?

    However, he could only endure this because he had to be strong for everyone to walk out of this haziness together.

    He thought about it, then slowly pulled his nket away. He took the pajamas on the side and put it on, got off the bed, and then walked to the bathroom.

    When he reached the bathroom, the water was ready. Mu Yuchen had just taken off his bathing robe and was ready to take a bath when suddenly he seemed to hear something at the door. He thought it was Xiaye, so he simply put on some clothes and opened the door.

    ¡°Mm-hmm¡ª¡±

    The door had just opened when a soft little bun walked towards Mu Yuchen!

    In shock, Mu Yuchen quickly bent down to pick up the clothes behind the little bun and picked him up!

    ¡°Wah ee!¡±

    Who else could that little figure be but Mu Xiaocheng?

    When he realized that he was in his father¡¯s arms, the little guy even began to giggle while iling his hands all around.

    ¡°Son, why are you here? Where¡¯s your mother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows in surprise. He looked outside and did not see Xi Xiaye. When he saw that the little guy had already reached out to put his arms around his neck, he pinched the boy¡¯s soft and cute little face as a heartwarming smile shed on his face.

    ¡°Alright then, since you¡¯re in such a mood, take a bath with me then.¡±

    The bathroom was warm and it was a sunny day, so he was not worried that the little guy would catch a cold.

    Then, Mu Yuchen turned around to take off the little guy¡¯s clothes before carrying him into the bathtub.

    Once Mu Xiaocheng was bathed in the water, he immediately got excited. His gem-like eyes were bright as he began to babble unintelligible things while he yed around with Mu Yuchen.

 Chapter 1122 - My Honor (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1122: My Honor (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye walked into the bedroom, she could hear the sound of the father and son ying with each other. Peering around, she soon saw the half-closed bathroom door. When she walked over to look, the father and son pair were having lots of fun in the bathtub.

    Mu Xiaocheng sat on his father¡¯s tummy while Mu Yuchen steadied him with one hand. His other was scrubbing his little delicate body clean.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let him y for too long. He might catch a cold!¡± Xi Xiaye knocked on the door. Before walking over to pick her son up, Mu Xiaocheng started to wriggle unhappily.

    ¡°Son, Mother¡¯s going to put on clothes for you. You might catch a cold!¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Dry him!¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly took the towel from the side to wrap his little body while he took another towel for himself too.

    ¡°Xiao Rui and the rest will probably only be back in a while. I¡¯ve already told Li Si to contact the school. When we return and school reopens, we can go take a look at the school and adapt in advance,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he picked up to put on the clothes that had been prepared.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly put some clothes on her son as she responded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave it to you then. They¡¯ll probably be back in a few more days. They know about Grandmother too. Grandpa¡¯s been saying that he¡¯s been having lower back pain again. He needs to rest for a few more days before returning. He¡¯s probably worn out from the vacation.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it, then said in a lowered voice, ¡°Find some time for Grandpa to get a full body checkup.¡±

    As he thought about Wang Hui¡¯s abrupt passing, Mu Yuchen realized that when it came to Shen Yue and the rest, it was best to always pay attention to their health. He did not know that Wang Hui¡¯s health had been faltering. As their grandson, he felt like he had not done this role well.

    Otherwise, some things may have turned out differently. Unfortunately, it had happened, and there was no more chance of saving things anymore.

    When he said that, Xi Xiaye subconsciously paused. When she saw the faint sorrow that gathered on his handsome face, she inhaled slightly and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. On the first of May a while back, I brought Grandpa for a full body checkup. The doctor says that he¡¯s quite healthy, but he just needs to maintain a joyful state of mind. Grandpa¡¯s a very strong person and great at self-regtion, so he¡¯ll take good care of himself. Don¡¯t be too worried. I believe that Grandfather will be able to walk out of this sadness soon.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m not worried about that. Grandmother used to always say that she was already over 70 years old and was considered long-lived. Thankfully, she could see us, and Lingshi and Ah Mo get married and have children. In the future, if I ever get to witness this, I think that we should be quite happy¡ª¡± he spoke, yet before he could finish, she suddenly reached out to stop his words.

    There was an afflicted light in her twinkling eyes. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that we¡¯ll live to a ripe old age. We¡¯ll see lots of children and grandchildren. Also, even when we grow old, I want to leave before you so that you won¡¯t leave me all alone in this world.¡±

    Upon hearing that, he suddenly chuckled. He picked up the tie and handed it to her as he smiled. ¡°Live to a ripe old age? Doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll have to be old monsters and be rotten old men and women?¡±

    ¡°Please, even when I¡¯m old, I¡¯ll still be aposed and graceful madam, but I can¡¯t guarantee if you¡¯ll be a rotten old man!¡± Xi Xiayeughed gently, then helped him fix his tie.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go down for breakfast. Are you going to the office? I wanted to return the old residence to visit Ah Shi. Can you take care of our son?¡± Xi Xiaye looked to him and asked.

    He raised his brows and turned to look at the toddler lying on the bed with wide eyes watching them and muttering unintelligible words only he understood.

    Mu Yuchen picked his son up and walked outside as he answered, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll have to make a trip to the office. I¡¯ll bring him with me. You go home for the visit.¡±

    Xi Xiaye swiftly tidied up before she followed him out.

    The family had a simple breakfast before they left the house.

    Xi Xiaye drove while the bodyguards followed them in another vehicle behind. She sent the father and son to Glory World first.

    In the car, Mu Yuchen sat quietly at the front passenger seat while Mu Xiaocheng sat on hisp and quietly stared at the road ahead with googly eyes on the side. The radio was droning on with reports about the incident at Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s weddingst night, as well as Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi¡¯s matter, and Doris. Naturally, the media came up with all sorts of spections.

    Xi Xiaye listened for a while before switching it off and putting on some music instead.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe thatst night¡¯s incident caused quite a ruckus. Gu Qiwu was quite heartless too. However, for Doris, he really did let Aunt and Lingshi downpletely. I think that from now on, Lingshi will definitely...¡± Xi Xiaye sighed and turned to look at him.

    Mu Yuchen looked quite calm while he gently held Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s soft little hands and teased them as if he had not heard the radio earlier.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    ¡°If worrying was useful, I wouldn¡¯t mind worrying. Okay, don¡¯t think too much about it. We¡¯ll just see how things go. Father, Mother, and Grandfather knew about this. In fact, it¡¯s a secret that can¡¯t be kept forever. Today¡¯s oue isn¡¯t too bad. The ones who should worry are them. I¡¯ll get Li Si to visit Doris in another two days,¡± Mu Yuchen answered with a calm expression. He seemed to be quite indifferent to this, taking on the attitude of a spectator.

    Xi Xiaye obviously understood what he meant, so she nodded. ¡°Mmm, we should go over to visit and see if the child made it. I¡¯m quite worried that she¡¯ll me this all on Ah Shi. Ah Shi shouldn¡¯t have gone over.¡±

    ¡°She understands what she should be taking on. No matter what, we can¡¯t change the fact that her biological father is Gu Qiwu. It might not be a bad thing that she found the courage to stand up like this.¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen suddenly paused and sighed before he continued, ¡°After everything that has happened recently, I realized that I¡¯ve got limited capabilities. Many times, it¡¯s not about me wanting to protect you all. The key still lies with me. As for Aunt, I¡¯m afraid this is as far as I can go.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you, sometimes I feel like you¡¯ve lived quite a tiring life, but you¡¯ve done well. When I see you, no matter what happens, I won¡¯t be flustered...¡±

 Chapter 1123 - My Honor (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1123: My Honor (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her gaze was gentle and clear whilst her smiling face contained a faint warmth as she watched him with a fixed gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯m not God. Does looking at me really raise your spirits that much?¡± He chuckled, cleared his throat, and then pinched the silent Mu Xiaocheng who cried out. His little paws caught him, catching Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand to put into his mouth.

    Mu Yuchen then picked up the warm milk bottle and fed him with it. Only then did the little fellow stop creating such chaos.

    ¡°Well, of course, Mr. Mu is a Prince Charming that can easily steal the hearts of many girls. I adore you like the sun,¡± she said, pursing her lips and smiling as she sped up the car.

    Chuckling without a word, he only hugged his son tighter and lowered his head to nt a kiss on the little guy¡¯s cheeks.

    The car still drove on steadily. After a while, Xi Xiaye suddenly called out to him softly, ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± He did not look up as he softly responded before taking the handkerchief to wipe away the saliva at the corner of his son¡¯s mouth.

    She slowed down the car and turned to look at him as she asked softly, ¡°I wasplimenting you earlier. Why didn¡¯t you respond? Are you tired of hearing them?¡±

    He then looked up and met her clear gaze. A faint ripple crossed his handsome face quickly as he said softly, ¡°It¡¯s my honor.¡±

    She pursed her lips slightly and smiled, then she shrugged and slowly drove faster.

    Soon, the car steadily stopped at Glory World Corporation.

    Xi Xiaye swiftly put the bag aside and handed it to the bodyguard by the door, then nted a kiss on Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cheeks before reaching to help Mu Yuchen open the car door.

    However, just as she opened the car door, there was amotion from afar. She looked toward the source of the sound and saw that at the staircase by the entrance, a group of reporters was stopped by the security and bodyguards.

    It must be because of the incident with Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi!

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not show up atst night¡¯s banquet, but the ruckus at the wedding was directly rted to them. Mu Lingshi was pregnant, so to take care of her, Ah Mo had relocated her work to the office headquarters. These reporters were probablying for them. Of course, for them to be able to catch Mu Yuchen and their news would be great too!

    Mu Yuchen picked his son up and looked at the reporters who were snapping away. He immediately frowned.

    ¡°Go in. I¡¯lle to pick you guys up this evening. I¡¯ll probably have lunch at the old residence today. Here, I¡¯ll leave our son to you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took their son before he nodded with an indifferent expression.

    1¡°Be careful. Make Lingshi stay at home for the next few days. As for our parents¡¯ end, I¡¯ve already told them about it. It¡¯ll be okay after a while, so don¡¯t worry, hmm?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, go up then!¡±

    ...

    Afterward, Xi Xiaye drove straight back to the Mu family¡¯s old residence.

    When she walked through the door, it was almost past 11 a.m. and lunch was being prepared in the kitchen, there were not many people at home, it was only Mu Yinan and Mu Lingshi, the grandfather and granddaughter were walking around in the backyard, Xi Xiaye did not bother them either, she went to help out in the kitchen instead.

    ¡°Madam, I can see that the old Master and Missus are in a good mood today. In just a few days, I feel like the old Master has be thinner. I was really worried that he wouldn¡¯t make it through this. He¡¯s been married to Elder Madam for decades. Sigh!¡±

    Every time Aunt Wu, who helped out in the kitchen, thought of Wang Hui, she could not help but sigh. ¡°Now everyone knows about Miss Zixi. It¡¯s no wonder...¡±

    ¡°Did Grandfather and the rest see the news aboutst night¡¯s incident?¡±

    ¡°The old Master knows about it. This morning¡¯s news and the papers are all reporting about it, but although the old Master saw it, he didn¡¯t seem to react too much to it. I think he¡¯s already numb to it. Miss Lingshi woke up really early today. They had breakfast together today, and then the old Master called Miss Lingshi to the backyard, asking her to walk around with him and chat with him. He looks pitifully sad to me.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, her expression froze, then she nodded. ¡°I got it. Steam this fish for a while more. Remember to put in the seasoning after five minutes. I¡¯ll go to the backyard to take a look.¡±

    Then, she took off her apron and left the kitchen.

    At this moment, in the backyard of the Mu residence that was shrouded by the radiant sunlight, Mu Yinan was trimming the potted nt before him while Mu Lingshi sat on the table beside to help steep the tea.

    ¡°Grandfather, have some tea. It¡¯s a little warm today. It¡¯s good for your health to drink more herbal tea. You need to take good care of yourself too. Don¡¯t let everyone worry about you.¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s slightly raspy voice was heard as she filled the teacup up.

    When Mu Yinan heard that, he set the scissors aside after a while and put the pot back to where it was. He then turned around and slowly walked over to take the wet towel from Mu Lingshi to wipe his hands.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t worked on these for quite a while now. Your grandmother was always very worried about the potted nts. In a while, when they grow better, you should bring a few home. It¡¯s good for you to have some of these nts at home,¡± Mu Yinan said as he sat down.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡± Mu Lingshi looked a little worriedly at him.

    Mu Yinan picked the teacup up leisurely and had two sips as he lifted a hand to stop Mu Lingshi from continuing. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You lot don¡¯t need to worry about me. Your grandparents are old. This day was going toe sooner orter. We¡¯re already past 70 years old, and our departure isn¡¯t too far away. Just keep an open mind. Lok at your Grandpa Shen. Didn¡¯t he get through it like that? Actually, your grandmother didn¡¯t leave us either.

    ¡°The best way tomemorate someone is to live well and remember them happily. Your grandmother¡¯s an optimistic person, so there¡¯s no need for you to guilt yourself over it. Forget about all those things.¡±

    Mu Yinan¡¯s aged voice came through. The gloominess from a few days ago was gone from his wizened face, and he seemed to look much more at ease now.

    Mu Lingshi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s great that you can think like that, Grandfather. I was just worried that you...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be worried about. Your grandfather¡¯s someone who¡¯s gone through much as well. I was with your grandmother for more than 50 years. From when we met to falling in love, and then having children, to raising your parents to adults, and then watching all of you grow up, get married and have children, we¡¯ve lived all the happiness of a prosperous life, so we should be content.¡±

 Chapter 1124 - My Honor (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1124: My Honor (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yinan spoke earnestly as rueful sentiments gathered in his aged eyes.

    Mu Lingshi thought for a moment, then could not help but voice out what she had been keeping in mind for a long time, ¡°Grandfather, you and Grandmother must¡¯ve been very loving. Even though the two of you usually bickered, I could feel your love for Grandmother. Sometimes, I do envy the two of you. All these years, I¡¯m most thankful for you and Grandmother, and Father and Mother for being a role model to us. It was all of you who gave us a happy and warm family.¡±

    She finished the tea in her cup in a few gulps before she continued, ¡°Sometimes, I think about how we seem like we don¡¯t quite know how to be contented. We¡¯re always wanting more without learning how to appreciate what we have, and that¡¯s why we sometimes don¡¯t get to keep all that we have instead.¡±

    Suddenly, sheughed at the irony of things, then poured more tea for Mu Yinan. She was about to pour herself another cup when at this moment, a fair and slender hand stopped her from behind.

    ¡°Be careful with your health. You can¡¯t just drink tea as you wish right now, even if it¡¯s floral tea. Drink more nutritious things.¡±

    When the calm voice came through, the two of them turned to see Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure greet their sight.

    ¡°Sis-inw, why are you back?¡± Mu Lingshi looked at Xi Xiaye in surprise.

    Xi Xiaye beamed happily and sat down on the empty space beside her as she looked at Mu Yinan and responded, ¡°I came back to visit. I was worried that you two would be too bored at home. Grandfather looks much better today.¡±

    Mu Yinan chortled. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I know what you mean. I know what happenedst night. You¡¯re all too considerate. Because of your aunt¡¯s matter, everyone¡¯s been worried. I hope that there¡¯ll be an exnation too, but I don¡¯t want this to continue its vicious cycle either.

    ¡°Many times, fate has its reasons for the way things unfold. We shouldn¡¯t ask for too much and can only go with the flow. This was also your aunt¡¯s choice back then. As they say, a child¡¯s errors are the father¡¯s fault. It¡¯s not just your aunt that caused the tragedy today. As parents, your grandmother and I are responsible as well, so you must learn a lesson from this. Don¡¯t let anythinge between you and your children.¡±

    Mu Yinan was a very wise person. Since the matter had progressed the way it had, there was actually nothing else they could do but to reflect and learn from it. Everything we went through could be a wealth of experience if we reflected on it.

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Lingshi exchanged a look and quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, Grandfather. We¡¯ll remember!¡±

    ¡°Good, good that you¡¯ll remember. Just let this be a thing of the past. Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Lingshi, you have to be careful, Doris might not let go of you so easily because of what happened to her. All these grudges and resentments may not be resolved so easily, so don¡¯t go out if you don¡¯t need to. Wait until you¡¯ve given birth.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grandfather, I got it!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Lunch should be ready by now. Xiaye, apany me to pay respects to your grandmother in the afternoon. It¡¯s time to go visit her!¡± Mu Yinan said as he slowly stood up and walked ahead with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Got it, Grandfather!¡± Xi Xiaye answered, then helped Mu Lingshi to follow the old man.

    After lunch, Xi Xiaye left the house with Mu Yinan. The butler had prepared joss sticks for them.

    At Qingshan Cemetery that stood in the tranquility that transcended the mortal world, Xi Xiaye apanied Mu Yinan to the cemetery. Only the two of them went over.

    Xi Xiaye went to buy a bouquet of white daisies from the florist beside the cemetery. When she came back to Mu Yinan, she noticed that there was another person by his side.

    Dressed in a white, long, loose blouse with a simple belt to entuate the waist, her beautiful, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and she wore a pair of sunsses. Her slender figure looked very familiar.

    Who else could this be if not Dongfang Liuyun whom she had met the other day?

    She was talking to Mu Yinan, and it seemed like they had bumped into each other.

    ¡°Hello, Missus Mu!¡± When she saw Xi Xiaye walk over, Dongfang Liuyun took off the sunsses on her and politely greeted her.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Dongfang. Just call me Xiaye! What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Okay, Xiaye, then you should just call me Liuyun like Grandfather Mu does! I just came back from City C and I usually take this route. I saw Grandfather Mu, so I decided toe down to take a look. Are you visiting Grandmother Mu?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun noticed the bouquet in Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms.

    Mu Yinan nodded. ¡°We¡¯re here to visit her. Go on home. Xiaye and I will go up now. We¡¯ll drop by your ce for some tea in a bit.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled serenely. ¡°Sure, you¡¯re wee anytime!¡±

    ...

    When they were walking up the stairs, Xi Xiaye finally could not help but ask, ¡°Grandfather, are you very close to Miss Dongfang?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could tell that Dongfang Liuyun was quite a humble person, but recently Father Su had been having a headache about her because she did not seem willing to be stationed in University A. Father Su had even called her twice but she did not seem to relent.

    Xi Xiaye naturally hoped that someone like her could stay at University A.

    ¡°We¡¯re not that close, I guess, but she¡¯s quite an easygoing person. Your grandmother admired her. Not long ago, she joked about introducing someone to Zhou Zimo, and she was referring to Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°Zhou Zimo? Him and Dongfang Liuyun?¡± Xi Xiaye widened her eyes as a scene suddenly shed in her mind. It seemed like Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were quite close. He actually seemed quite suitable for her!

    ¡°Yeah, but I told your grandmother not to cause trouble over it. Miss Dongfang is already taken. I heard from a while back that she¡¯s with a rich merchant from abroad, Fujiwara-something. Her rtionship with her family¡¯s been quite strained because of that recently. That¡¯s why she¡¯s been staying a lot in her shop.¡±

    Most of what Mu Yinan knew about was from Wang Hui, so he did not know that much either.

    ¡°She¡¯s quite a good girl. She¡¯s ambitious and generous. Your grandmother says she¡¯s very knowledgable and humble too. You should be friends with her if you have the chance.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯d like to get to know her. My father¡¯s recently been trying to persuade her into being a lecturer at University A too.¡±

    ¡°Be a lecturer at University A? Well, I could talk to her about it.¡±

    ¡°Really? Well thank you then, Grandfather.¡±

 Chapter 1125 - Ridiculous Joke! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1125: Ridiculous Joke! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Compared to the peace on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end, things were not going as well on Doris and Gu Lingsha¡¯s end.

    In the afternoon, Gu Lingsha rushed nervously to Hospital T to visit Doris.

    Early in the morning, the news from yesterday was stered all over the media. Qi Kai Corporation was surrounded by a group of reporters too, but Gu Qiwu was nowhere to be seen.

    When Gu Lingsha delivered the soup that she brewed herself, she could see quite a few bodyguards in the corridor from afar. Things did not seem right, so she tried to find out what happened. Eventually, she found out that Gu Qiwu had left angrily in the morning because he seemed to have fought with Doris.

    Gu Lingsha obviously did not know about the conflict between Doris and Gu Qiwu. She did not know about all the things Doris had been doing behind Gu Qiwu¡¯s back!

    2However, she felt oddly uneasy and even a little terrified right now!

    She had caused the miscarriage, and from what she knew about her own mother, Doris, she would not let her off so easily! She was too familiar with Doris¡¯s temperament.

    She stood at the door and hesitated for quite a while, unsure whether she should go in. She lifted her hand and stayed there for a long while because she could not bring herself to knock.

    After a while, as she was thinking about putting her hand down, there was suddenly a stern shout from inside. ¡°You eithere in or go away!¡±

    The unfriendly voice frightened Gu Lingsha. She trembled as she pushed the door open with shaking hands.

    ¡°Mother...¡± Gu Lingsha stopped walking and carefully looked up at the bed.

    Doris was wearing a loose patient¡¯s gown as she leaned against the redhead. Her blonde hair spilled andplimented her frailness. There was a paleness on her face which looked a little swollen, but it did not diminish her beauty at all as she just sat there with a tablet in her hand while looking on unenthusiastically. Before she could move closer, Gu Lingsha could already feel the hostility radiating from her.

    When she heard Gu Lingsha call out to her, Doris did not immediately look up. She merely took a look at the tablet screen, then her silent blue eyes shifted from darkness to light!

    She did not see any spection or scandals about her miscarriage and the child she bore! She kept thinking about it, then she realized that Gu Qiwu had not revealed this! Obviously, it was probably for the sake of whatever kinship that was left between them.

    Doris knew men like Gu Qiwu well. For him to ept news like this was equivalent to killing him!

    Doris was not terribly worried. Since she had made such a choice, she was ready for it all to be exposed, but right now, she was also curious to see how much Gu Qiwu would care for her!

    When she did not hear Doris¡¯s response, Gu Lingsha called out softly again, ¡°Mother...¡±

    Then, Doris looked up indifferently and coolly at her daughter. Her gaze instantly turned sharp and was mixed with suppressed anger.

    ¡°Why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t be at home reflecting deeply right now? Gu Lingsha, you¡¯re so clumsy. Were you trying to kill me?¡± Her cold voice was filled with disappointment as she coldly questioned her.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s little face instantly turned a bit pale as she quickly went up to her. ¡°I made you some soup, Mother. You haven¡¯t recovered yet, so you can¡¯t be triggered. I know that I was wrong. I was clumsy. You can hit me or scold me, but don¡¯t torture your own health. Here, have something to eat first,¡± she said as she quickly poured the soup out and sat down beside Doris. She wanted to feed her, but¡ª

    Dang dang!

    Bam!

    Pa!

    Gu Lingsha had just moved closer when Doris¡¯s hand pushed the soup in Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand away, so the bowl toppled over, and then came the sound of a tight p!

    ¡°Argh!¡± Gu Lingsha cried out in pain. However, she could not care less about the pain on her face as she quickly flicked the boiling hot soup on herself away!

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Gu Lingsha endured the burning pain that stung her as she held her face. She gazed sadly at Doris, and her blue eyes could not help but tear up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me. I¡¯m not your mother! How could I have given birth to such a dumb daughter like you?! Do you know that your clumsiness could¡¯ve killed me?! Lingsha, when are you going to seed and show me what you¡¯ve got? Do you know how long I¡¯ve been waiting for this child?¡± Doris¡¯s angerdened voice was extremely dissatisfied and furious. She red at Gu Lingsha who stood embarrassed by the bed. When she saw that cowering demeanor of hers, she looked even worse!

    ¡°You¡¯re just like your father. You¡¯re all useless! You can¡¯t do anything right, and you only mess things up!¡±

    ¡°Mother, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I didn¡¯t know you were pregnant. In fact, I was just worried that Mu Lingshi was really going to hurt you. I saw that she even had a knife in her hand! Mother, I was just worried about you. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, Mother. Forgive me, Mother!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were teary as she ran to the bedside and held Doris¡¯s hands tightly while speaking sadly and pitifully.

    ¡°Enough! Get out! You spoilt child! I don¡¯t want to see you! Get out!¡±

    When Doris heard her soft plea, she felt even more annoyed and angry! She wanted to explode when she felt the anger, but this was her daughter. This was the first time Doris was feeling such pent-up frustration! One could not imagine how she was feeling!

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! Mother, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s all my fault...¡±

    When Gu Lingsha saw Doris like this, she felt jittery, so she held her mother¡¯s hand tightly and begged, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry with me. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose! It¡¯s all Mu Lingshi¡¯s fault. If it weren¡¯t for her, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this. She was clearly there to ruin the wedding! Mother, is she really my sister? What¡¯s up with Father and Mu Zi? Mother, tell me. I¡¯m going insane from all of this. The reporters are everywhere outside, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening...¡±

    ¡°Get out! I want to be alone in silence! If you want to know the truth, go and ask Gu Qiwu! He knows the truth better than anyone else! Get out. I don¡¯t want to see you!¡± Doris¡¯s expression was morose as she shouted. Finally, shey down wearily and turned her head, refusing to take another look at Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    ¡°Someone, take her out!¡± Doris shouted coldly.

 Chapter 1126 - Ridiculous Joke! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1126: Ridiculous Joke! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha bore the grievance and pain as she walked out of Doris¡¯s ward.

    The second she walked out, she saw Ah Yong talking to the bodyguards.

    She thought about it before wiping away her tears and forgetting about the pain on her face. Then, she walked up in a few huge strides and called to interrupt him, ¡°Ah Yong! Hold on! Where¡¯s my father? Why isn¡¯t he with my mother? Where did he go?¡±

    If it were in the past, Gu Qiwu would have been right by Doris¡¯s side by now, but now he was nowhere to be found. Gu Lingsha thought it was very weird, so she could not help but question.

    When Ah Yong heard Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice, he turned to look and saw the clear mark of a p on her face. Evidently, it was Doris¡¯s work.

    Doris was always like that. Even in a public ce with everyone around, she did not give Gu Qiwu any face at all, much less Gu Lingsha.

    However, from the looks of this, Gu Lingsha seemed to be unclear about what had happened. He thought about it before responding, ¡°Miss Lingsha, Boss isn¡¯t too feeling too well, so he went out...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you where he is right now. My mother¡¯s in such a state. Where else would he have the mood to go? What¡¯s the deal with the thing with Mu Zi? Do you know about it as well? Tell me!¡±

    ¡°No, no! Miss Lingsha, I¡¯m just a subordinate. I don¡¯t know anything! Boss has already returned to the mansion. It¡¯s best if you ask him these things yourself!¡± Ah Yong was quite confused about everything, so he naturally dared notment much.

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath and said a few more things to him before she left the hospital.

    Nheless, she had barely stepped out when the reporters that were stationed outside immediately surrounded her, obviously, to ask about Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi, as well as how she had pushed Doris down the stairs.

    ¡°Miss Gu, what do you know about Mr. Gu and Mu Zi?¡±

    ¡°Are you and Mu Lingshi really sisters?¡±

    ¡°Did Madam Gu¡¯s child make it?¡±

    ¡°You identally pushed Mrs. Gu down the stairs. Did you know about her pregnancy before that?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gu didn¡¯t acknowledge Mu Lingshi. Is it because of Mrs. Gu¡¯s pregnancy? Why won¡¯t you all ept Mu Lingshi?¡±

    ...

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know anything! I don¡¯t know!¡±

    The questions came one after another, each sharper than thest. Gu Lingsha felt like her head was about to explode!

    By the time the bodyguards managed to get her out, she was already in a sorry state to the point that when she reached Qi Feng, she started to sob uncontrobly.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes were profound as he looked at the vulnerable Gu Lingsha. After a while, he sighed helplessly and handed her a tissue. His raspy voice was filled with emotional concern. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t cry now. Get in the car first.¡±

    As he said this, he shifted and made space for her.

    Gu Lingsha sniffled as she sobbed. She blinked her reddened eyes and felt extremely sad. ¡°Ah Feng, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I was just worried that Mother was going to be hurt by Mu Lingshi. I didn¡¯t know Mother was pregnant. I hurt her, but I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± Gu Lingsha exined sadly. Her voice had be hoarse from all the crying too. Right then, she was filled with guilt every time she thought of Doris. She felt like a knife had been plunged in her heart. Initially, their rtionship had already been strained because of Weiwei and Qi Feng, and now from the looks of things...

    ¡°Alright, Mother¡¯s still angry now, but you should calm down too. Go over in a few days.¡± Qi Feng did not know how to console her either. He lowered his gaze and advised her calmly before getting the driver to start the car.

    Gu Lingsha wanted to find out what exactly was the deal with Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi. Last night was a mess and she could not get things straight!

    How was Mu Zi suddenly rted to Gu Qiwu now?

    Was Mu Lingtian her brother? And Mu Lingshi her sister?

    How could this be?

    ¡°Chauffeur Li, go straight to the Gu Mansion!¡± Gu Lingsha had just instructed when Qi Feng immediately spoke up with a different order, ¡°Back to the Qi residence right away!¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng, no, I want to go to the Gu mansion. I want to ask about all of this!¡± She quickly held onto Qi Feng¡¯s arm and said uncontrobly.

    ¡°Shasha, I think right now you need to calm down. Now¡¯s not the time to ask about these things. There are still those reporters following us behind. If you want to make things worse, you can go. I won¡¯t stop you! Weiwei¡¯s frightened and still hasn¡¯t woken up till now. You should care about her first.¡±

    ¡°Weiwei...right, there¡¯s still Weiwei...¡± Gu Lingsha was dazed as she muttered before suddenly turning to look at Qi Feng. ¡°Ah Feng, I¡¯m sure that Mu Lingshi and the rest were behind this. We can¡¯t let them off! I don¡¯t believe that Father would do that to Mother! Tell me, this must be a hoax, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    When she asked that, Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened and he fell silent for a long time without answering her.

    ¡°Answer me!¡± Gu Lingsha urged anxiously while uneasiness gathered in her blue eyes! She was afraid of knowing the answer!

    If Mu Lingshi really was her sister, that meant...

    ¡°I hope that this all isn¡¯t true too, but based on my understanding of Mu Yuchen and the Mu family, no one would joke about this. The thing with Mu Zi has always been a secret. It¡¯s not a bad thing to let it remain a secret. Mu Yuchen was just a step ahead of us. He really gave it a lot of thought!¡±

    You could not quite tell how Qi Feng was feeling underneath that distant tone of his.

    ¡°Does that mean all of it is real? Is Lingtian my older brother? And Mu Lingshi is my younger sister from the same father but a different mother?¡± Gu Lingsha widened her eyes at Qi Feng as her hands thaty on her knees suddenly tightened!

    ¡°Mu Yuchen has no doubt tossed us a bomb this time. I heard about it from Morrison too. A while ago, Mu Yuchen had already sent Father and Mu Lingshi¡¯s DNA for a test, and the results showed that...he was probably holding back till this day. He put all of the wrongdoings on Father and Mother to show that Mu Zi was the innocent one. I didn¡¯t know that Mu Yuchen could pull such a despicable move.¡±

 Chapter 1127 - Ridiculous Joke! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1127: Ridiculous Joke! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng¡¯s voice was hostile. Even Gu Lingsha could feel the chill from the side.

    ¡°Ah Feng, what should we do now? We can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing. If we let things progress like this, I¡¯m worried that things will get worse. With all those reporters behaving like that now, they will kill for things to get stormier. I¡¯m worried...¡± Gu Lingsha sniffled and said worriedly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see how things go. Right now, it¡¯s still too early to tell. We¡¯ll have to mainly see how Father and Mother react. I¡¯ve already told Morrison to suppress it. The good thing is that Qi Kai isn¡¯t implicated, so let¡¯s see how Father reacts to it,¡± Qi Feng thought for a moment before answering.

    When Gu Lingsha heard that, she nodded silently. ¡°Mmm, it looks like Father won¡¯t agree either. Mu Lingshi can dream on about wanting to trample over us!¡±

    ¡°Okay, go home first. We¡¯ll go over to father¡¯s a littleter.¡±

    As Qi Feng finished his sentence, the chauffeur sped up.

    Inside the office of Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman.

    After Mu Yuchen brought Mu Xiaocheng to his office, he set him down on the table. Since the office was covered in a thick carpet, he did not worry about the little fellow catching a cold. He casually picked up a sketch and tossed it to him to y by himself. With the milk bottle set aside on the low stool, he let the little guy pass the time on his own while he began to work on the documents piled up on his desk.

    Once he got busy, he worked all the way to the afternoon until it was close to 1 p.m. Li Si was worried that he was hungry, so he ignored the order earlier and braced himself to send some delicious dishes over.

    He had just entered the office when he saw Mu Yuchen changing Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s diapers for him. The toddler was lying on the clean office table, and Mu Yuchen¡¯s movements were skilled as he handled everything. He put Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s clothes back on, but before he could react, the little guy had flipped over swiftly and quickly crawled forward.

    ¡°Son, be careful!¡± Frightened, Mu Yuchen¡¯s long arm quickly caught the little body that rolled off the table as he broke out in a sweat!

    This little fellow was extremely naughty!

    Even though he did not cry or make any noise that morning, he crawled all over the office. Earlier, he even climbed to the window. Those hanging orchids that Xi Xiaye had put there were now a mess as a result of this little one¡¯s recklessness!

    Mu Xiaocheng did not know how to walk yet, but he could already crawl quickly. When he held onto things, he could somehow stand. Despite his short limbs, he was clever. In fact, he seemed to know how to read facial expressions, so when Mu Yuchen frowned at him, he would widen his eyes and stare at him!

    Like he was doing right then!

    The little one fixed his gaze on the frowning Mu Yuchen, then slowly put his fat little hand into his mouth and began to wail like he was trying to say something to his father.

    ¡°You¡¯re so little and already so naughty. How are you going to be when you¡¯re older? Be good. Let Father and Mother rest a little. You¡¯re really not easy to deal with. I wasn¡¯t that naughty when I was as young as you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen helplessly knocked Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s head lightly. Immediately, Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s hand immediately felt his head, and he blinked his bright eyes, staring at Mu Yuchen.

    Li Si, who had kept quiet at the door, suddenly chuckled.

    ¡°Master, I think that the Little Master¡¯s mischief now means he will be very clever in the future. In fact, now that he¡¯s slightly older, he really looks like you. It¡¯s as if the two of you came from the same mold!¡± hemented before Mu Yuchen looked up.

    ¡°Master, have something to eat. It¡¯s already past 1 p.m. Even if you¡¯re not hungry, the Little Master should be. I¡¯ve told the canteen to make some pumpkin porridge since he seems to quite like it. Feed him some. Thest time I saw the Missus feeding it to him, he had half a bowl!¡± Li Si continued as he brought lunch over.

    Mu Yuchen thought about it, then nodded and carried Mu Xiaocheng to the sofa. He took the wet towel from Li Si and clumsily fed his son.

    Usually, at home, apart from changing the diapers and mixing the milk powder, the feeding would usually be done by Aunt Lin and Xi Xiaye. That was why...

    However, he caught onto it soon. Mu Xiaocheng was clearly hungry too, so he ate happily while Li Si held hand the towel, handkerchief, and whatnot.

    ¡°Right, Master, the hospital called. Gu Lingsha did get scolded by Doris, then she left the hospital sadly. She was surrounded by reporters outside the hospital. After Gu Qiwu left the hospital early in the morning, he¡¯s been nowhere in sight. It looks like they¡¯re nning on using the silent way to evade questions from the media. The reporters downstairs from earlier have all been dismissed,¡± Li Si lowered his voice and reported.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen paused what he was doing. He fell silent for a moment, then continued to feed his son. Eventually, he said in a low voice, ¡°Just observe things after this. There will be even bigger news for them to dig up after this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Right, Master, as for Chief Zhuang, earlier...¡±

    ¡°My father will exin it to her. Just watch Qi Feng.¡±

    ¡°Master, if Qi Feng knew about it, do you think he was nning on using it against Gu Qiwu? After all, he¡¯s not an easy one to deal with. We¡¯ve probably ruined his ns.¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng isn¡¯t such a fool. It wouldn¡¯t benefit him to use it against Gu Qiwu now. In fact, he should understand that this was going to be exposed sooner orter. If we hadn¡¯t been quick enough, then he would definitely have been the one to do the expos¨¦. That way, the meaning would no longer have been the same. I¡¯m not worried about him finding a breakthrough in these things. I¡¯m just worried about the dirty tricks he¡¯ll use.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, a deep whirlpool gathered in his dark eyes. His gaze was hard to fathom.

    ¡°Master, what do you mean?¡± Li Si squinted with vignce as he wanted to grasp the message in Mu Yuchen¡¯s words.

    Mu Yuchen sighed and looked down at his son who had his mouth open, waiting for him to feed him. As he put another spoonful into the toddler¡¯s mouth, he did not answer.

    Li Si thought about it for a while, then asked, ¡°Master, are you worried about Miss Lingshi?¡±

    ¡°Call Qi Lei. Tell him I want to meet,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

 Chapter 1128 - Ridiculous Joke! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1128: Ridiculous Joke! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Meet Master Qi?

    Li Si was stunned, but he dared not ask further and just nodded gently. ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll call Master Qi right away!¡±

    ...

    When Qi Lei received Li Si¡¯s call, he was busy in his own office, yet when Yang Sheng announced it was Mu Yuchen calling, he immediately answered the phone.

    It was past 5 p.m. on the balcony of the chairman¡¯s office at Glory World Corporation.

    When Qi Lei rushed over, Mu Yuchen was sitting leisurely on the rattan chair, drinking tea, and watching the sunset.

    ¡°Things are a mess on my end while you have the mood to drink tea and watch the sunset. I thought you were nning to hide and not let me find you,¡± Qi Lei said as he sat down on the rattan chair by Mu Yuchen¡¯s side with a light-heartedugh.

    Mu Yuchen turned to look at him. He straightened up slightly and handed the other cup of tea to him as he said calmly, ¡°The person who should be hiding right now isn¡¯t me.¡±

    Qi Lei took the tea and had two sips as he squinted at Mu Yuchen and decided to be frank. ¡°I know that it was you, but I don¡¯t understand. How did you know Doris was pregnant? Even from the way Gu Qiwu looked, he didn¡¯t seem to know either. Having a child at such an old age should be a joyful asion, but it looks like they weren¡¯t happy at all!¡±

    He would not have known then Doris¡¯s child was not Gu Qiwu¡¯s. When he had gone over from Qi Kai earlier, he even heard Yang Sheng say that Gu Lingsha was troubled by Doris. Recalling the moment Doris had fallen over, and how Doris had pped Gu Lingsha twice on the spot, he figured that this must have taken quite a huge toll on Doris and Gu Qiwu.

    When Qi Lei said that, Mu Yuchen did not immediately respond. There was only a smile from the corner of his lips which Qi Lei could not help but find odd.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Do you think the whole thing is quite amusing?¡± Qi Lei raised his brows at Mu Yuchen and cleared his throat as he said in a lowered voice.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face then shed with a faint smile that looked cold to Qi Lei. ¡°Amusing? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not as simple as being amusing. It¡¯s a ridiculous joke instead.¡± Then, he gave Qi Lei a side-eye.

    Qi Lei immediately widened his eyes and stopped what he was doing, waiting for him to continue exining.

    ¡°The child that Doris carried hasn¡¯t even reached the second month of the pregnancy term while Gu Qiwu has been living in City Z this entire time. Do I need to continue?¡±

    Pfft!

    Before he finished, Qi Lei had already spat out his tea!

    Thankfully, Mu Yuchen was quick enough to put up the magazine in his hand, so the tea did not spray him as it was blocked by the magazine!

    ¡°Cough, cough! Cough, cough!¡± Qi Lei choked a little, his eyes filled with disbelief!

    ¡°What did you say? Are you saying that the child isn¡¯t even Gu Qiwu¡¯s?¡± Qi Lei cried out. He was stupefied. ¡°How could this be? Don¡¯t tell me that at Doris¡¯s age, she has an affair, and even got herself pregnant! Isn¡¯t that too much of a stretch? She¡¯s quite a valiant one too. She¡¯s already past 50 and she was still nning on having another child? What about Gu Qiwu? This world is crazy!¡±

    He still could not quite believe it. It was very hard for him to ept this as he stared at Mu Yuchen in bewilderment.

    Nheless, Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction was calm. He set the magazine in his hand aside, and slowly stood up to walk to the balcony railing and look out at the setting sun leisurely. ¡°Anything can happen.¡±

    ¡°But such a surprise is too difficult to ept! Haven¡¯t Gu Qiwu and Doris always been loving? Could Gu Qiwu not have satisfied her? This is preposterous!¡± Qi Lei widened his eyes with curiosity. He could not help his vice of gossips as he began to analyze, ¡°There are only a few reasons for cheating to happen within a marriage. The first is that Gu Qiwu couldn¡¯t satisfy Doris with material and wealth. Secondly, Gu Qiwu couldn¡¯t satisfy Doris with <i>that</i> thing, which is definitely not a first, since everyone knows that he¡¯d even bring the stars from the sky to her! It¡¯s only the second possibility left. You¡¯re a married man, so you should know this very well, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    When he heard Qi Lei, Mu Yuchen immediately frowned and looked at him through squinted eyes. His deep voice was colored with a chill. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you had this ability to gossip, Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°Did I analyze it right? You and Xiaye love each other. Could you ept another woman? Unless Doris and Gu Qiwu only <i>seem</i> harmonious!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting close now.¡± Then, Mu Yuchen breathed in slightly and slowly averted his gaze.

    Qi Lei took the napkin and wiped the moisture from his lips before he shrugged and reflected, ¡°If you¡¯re right, then they¡¯re in big trouble. Wouldn¡¯t Gu Qiwu and Doris have a fallout now? The fact that you exposed this would no doubt be like throwing a bomb at them.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve always wanted to control each other. If I didn¡¯t identally find out about this secret, I really wouldn¡¯t have known that Doris would have such meticulous ns thought out.¡± A thought gathered between Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows.

    Qi Lei thought about it for a while, then asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that Doris doesn¡¯t know about Gu Qiwu and Lingshi¡¯s rtionship?¡± Mu Yuchen said, turning to look at him.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei started to ponder.

    When Doris found out about the news of Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi, she did indeed act erratically. However, it was not how she would usually act in public. From what Qi Lei remembered, she would maintain her reputation no matter when and where. If she lost control like that, that must mean...

    ¡°From a while ago, the information that we investigated in City B has shown that Gu Qiwu and Doris have had a weird rtionship, especially after this year¡¯s auction.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression froze for a moment, then he nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then I think I understand something now. The child that Doris had wasn¡¯t Gu Qiwu¡¯s. In fact, the main reason she returned this time was to use the affair between Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi as momentum to get a divorce from him, so Gu Qiwu would definitely have needed topensate her!¡±

 Chapter 1129 - Ridiculous Joke! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1129: Ridiculous Joke! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei came up with his theory, and towards the end, his brows furrowed into a knot.

    ¡°Thus, even if you didn¡¯t reveal everything about Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi then, she would¡¯ve found a way to expose it. Of course, the oue of her expos¨¨ would¡¯ve been different! That way, not only could she rightfully step on Mu Zi, but she would also be showing the Mu family a thing or two. Most importantly, she could easily get what she wanted from Gu Qiwu. Meanwhile, the child inside her should be who she would meticulously nurture afterward.¡±

    Qi Lei was not dumb either. With a hint from Mu Yuchen, he promptly thought it all out!

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that all of us have be her chess piece?¡±

    When Qi Lei thought about this, he could not help but get goosebumps.

    This woman was too terrifying!

    Who was Gu Qiwu to her?

    What about Gu Lingsha?

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, does that mean she knew about this six years ago? Could Lingtian¡¯s death be rted to her?¡±

    Qi Lei dared not think further because the more he did, the more he was scared witless! If women wanted to get vicious, even he would be terrified.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand casually held the railings as he let the cool night breeze brush past his skin. He calmed down and responded, ¡°It¡¯s been too long. I don¡¯t know what the truth is now, but I¡¯ll get someone to investigate it again. I actually asked you toe over because I need a favor from you.¡±

    ¡°A favor from me?¡± When Mu Yuchen said that, Qi Lei shot Mu Yuchen a side look and fell silent for a moment before he spread open his hands. ¡°What is it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen inhaled slightly and turned to sit on the rattan chair behind him. ¡°You should seize this opportunity, and this time, I might not be able to support you for much longer. Once Gu Qiwu and Doris fall out, we don¡¯t know what the oue will be, but from what I can see, the person who¡¯ll benefit the most should be Gu Lingsha, and you should know well enough who is standing by Gu Lingsha¡¯s side.¡±

    At this, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. He said helplessly, ¡°Shasha wouldn¡¯t have thought that she was only a pawn among Doris, Qi Feng, and Gu Qiwu. Gu Qiwu¡¯s not too bad. After all, he does only have one daughter. Oh, there¡¯s also Mu Lingshi now, so two daughters. She might even get some sort ofpensationter on. If it was Doris or Qi Feng...¡± Towards the end, he helplessly forced augh.

    ¡°So, on Qi Feng¡¯s end, you¡¯ll have to take on more trouble.¡±

    Qi Lei shook his head. ¡°No trouble. It¡¯s what I should be doing. Right, let me tell you something. Qi Feng¡¯s receiving treatment from a certain Professor Terl in the next two days. I heard that he might have a chance of recovering. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°A chance of recovering?¡± Mu Yuchen pondered for a moment, then smiled. ¡°If we put aside those grudges, Qi Feng¡¯s someone that I do admire. He¡¯s a very interesting opponent. However, someone like him can only be an opponent and not a friend.¡±

    Suddenly, he paused and turned to look at Qi Lei, his eyes containing profound meaning. ¡°Qi Lei, if you had half his temperament, you wouldn¡¯t have lived such a difficult life.¡±

    ¡°It should be us! If we had half his temperament, we wouldn¡¯t be toiling this hard!¡±

    ¡°This matter won¡¯t die down so fast. I hope that you can wait and see what pans out with us. Of course, I¡¯m hoping to get some useful intel from you too.¡±

    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best. Oh, Gu Lingsha¡¯s having it bad with Doris and Qi Feng continues to be hypocritical. Of course, the matter with Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi won¡¯t pass so quickly! You¡¯re not nning to just leave it like that, are you?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu wille back to beg for Lingshi¡¯s forgiveness. In fact, he¡¯ll acknowledge her.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were filled with certainty.

    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re so sure, I won¡¯t worry about it then. I¡¯ll just watch out instead.¡±

    When Qi Lei finished, there was suddenly a soft sound from the side. He subconsciously turned to look and realized that not too far away from the door, a chubby little one was working hard on crawling over.

    ¡°Done sleeping?¡±

    Before Qi Lei could respond, Mu Yuchen had already walked up to pick that little bun up.

    Mu Xiaocheng hugged Mu Yuchen by the neck and immediately cried out loud as his father carried him back into the office!

    ¡°Hey, Mu Xiaocheng! Mu Yuchen, let me carry him! Let me!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes brightened up as he swiftly followed after them.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye came over to pick up the father and son when it was close to 6 p.m. Qi Lei had just left too.

    ¡°I went to visit Grandmother with Grandfather. That¡¯s why I returned a littlete. The little guy¡¯s sleeping quite soundly!¡±

    Inside the car, Xi Xiaye who was in the driver¡¯s seat helped him buckle up before she pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cheeks while hey in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms andughed gently.

    ¡°Grandfather went to visit Grandmother?¡± Mu Yuchen was surprised.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She rxed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Maybe Grandfather isn¡¯t as vulnerable as we think. It¡¯s a good thing that he can be okay again. Let¡¯s not go home for dinner tonight. I¡¯ve informed Sis Wang earlier. We haven¡¯t gone out in a while. Let¡¯s eat out and walk around before going home. Our son hasn¡¯t even had any pictures with us, so let¡¯s take a few. Sadly, Xiao Rui isn¡¯t around. Otherwise, it¡¯d be nice to have a little family picture too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide,¡± he answered softly without any opinion.

    Upon seeing him answer so simply, she turned to look at him. ¡°Are you tired? If you¡¯re tired, we can just go home.¡±

    ¡°Just drive. We don¡¯t go out much together anyway.¡±

    He then smiled gently. He could not help but admit that he was enjoying this very moment.

    To him, a man¡¯s sess was not about how high he stood, how far he could look, or how many assets or women he had. Instead, it was about how high he could stand with his woman.

    1Starting the car, Xi Xiaye caught the smile in his eyes, so she asked, ¡°What are you smiling about?¡±

    He turned to silently watch her for a while before he grinned. ¡°Nothing. I just suddenly remembered some things that Su Chen said. Right now, I feel like he makes sense.¡±

    Su Chen?

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows and sped up the car. ¡°I want to hear it. What did he say?¡±

 Chapter 1130 - Old Illness (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1130: Old Illness (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye then looked at him.

    He lowered his gaze and chuckled as he took his zer from the side to cover Mu Xiaocheng.

    ¡°Missus Mu, let¡¯s probe into some life philosophy.¡± His deep and sensual voice came through.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye immediately rolled her eyes at him. ¡°What life philosophy could I be looking at? Your wife, Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s mother, and the daughter of my parents, Father and Mother¡¯s daughter-inw, all of these are my life philosophies.¡±

    ¡°You do think of it too simply,¡± he said good-naturedly and fell silent for a moment before continuing, ¡°Do you remember how you were like when we¡¯d just met?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember how things were in the past anymore, and I don¡¯t want to think about those things. I just want to be the way you want me to: a simple person. Right now, my convictions are my rtives, my marriage, and my family. Sigh, Mr. Mu, do you realize that after we got married, our state of mind has changed so much? Had it been in the past, we were so carefree and fine no matter how hard things got. Now after being married, I feel like it¡¯s always on my mind. The first thing I want to do after work is to go home unlike the past when I¡¯d join a gathering to work overtime.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s where your duty lies, Missus,¡± he answered simply.

    ¡°Duties?¡± She thought about it then agreed as well, ¡°Oh, right, you were talking about what Su Chen said. Tell me! I was talking to Ji Zitong a few days ago. I think that their rtionship is going pretty well.¡±

    ¡°He and Ji Zitong was a pair of enemies, but thankfully things worked out. A while ago, Su Chen asked me and Zimo what we thought was a man¡¯s most important achievement, but I couldn¡¯t immediately answer him then,¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes and said calmly.

    ¡°Money and beautiful women? Power and status?¡± She squinted at him and probed.

    He immediately rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Have you fallen into a pit of clich¨¨s?¡±

    ¡°If not, what then?¡± Xi Xiaye shrugged as she asked.

    ¡°How honorable that you¡¯re like that foolish Zhou Zimo who¡¯d think people wereplimenting him by calling him Bro Da Li [1]!¡± Mu Yuchen said unhappily.

    ¡°May I then ask the elegant and unconventional Mr. Mu what your thoughts are?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just like right now. I¡¯m with a wife who likes cheap humor while she¡¯s dressed up all beautifully and driving a nice car while I sit aside and watch her.¡±

    ¡°Likes cheap humor? Mu Yuchen, are you calling me corny?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°You can sleep in the study room tonight. Don¡¯t get into a corny woman¡¯s bed!¡±

    ¡°Pretend I didn¡¯t say that...¡±

    ...

    The situation did not calm down with time. Instead, it became worse!

    Doris was grounded by Gu Qiwu.

    After Gu Lingsha stayed at home for a whole, she received this news! When she heard about it, she had no idea what was going on, so she called Doris but her mother did not pick up. Meanwhile, Gu Qiwu was nowhere in sight either.

    It was then that Gu Lingsha could vaguely feel that something was off with Gu Qiwu and Doris. She struggled for a while, and in the end, she could not help but rush back to the Gu family mansion. She needed to talk to Gu Qiwu!

    ¡°Miss Lingsha, the boss is in the study room, but he says he doesn¡¯t want to see anyone. How about you go home first?! When the boss is calmer, I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±

    In the living room, Ah Yong stood there while looking troubled in front of the anxious Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart was already all clenched up with anxiety. When she heard Ah Yong say that, she felt even more nervous. She quickly looked up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Father? I¡¯ve called many times, but he didn¡¯t pick up. Why is he grounding Mother? She¡¯s already in such a state! If he¡¯s angry, he cane for me!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ah Yong looked helpless. ¡°Miss Lingsha, you can¡¯t me the boss for this. He¡¯s been drinking himself drunk. He just woke up, so he¡¯s in a poor state. In fact, shouldn¡¯t you be asking Madam about this?¡±

    ¡°Drinking himself drunk?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes widened!

    What did he mean by that?

    From what she remembered, her father, Gu Qiwu, had always maintained his elegant image. She had never seen him drink excessively. Could Doris¡¯s miscarriage be the cause of her parents¡¯ falling apart?

    Gu Lingsha thought about it and suddenly felt bad!

    Was she not their daughter?

    Also, she had already said that she did not do it intentionally, but her mother still would not forgive her whereas Gu Qiwu...

    When she thought about it, Gu Lingsha could not help but feel sad. She gave it more thought and could not hold herself back as she ran upstairs.

    ¡°Miss Lingsha, you...¡±

    ¡°Go down! I want to see my father!¡± Gu Lingsha demanded and picked her skirts up to run upstairs!

    Bam!

    The study room door was not locked, so Gu Lingsha pushed it hard and the door opened!

    A strong light entered her eyes, then the strong smell of alcohol assailed her. Gu Lingsha felt nauseous by this smell!

    She calmed herself down for a while, and finally, after letting the nausea settle, she breathed in and looked up and around to find signs of Gu Qiwu. At that instant, she saw Gu Qiwu sitting in the chair before his work desk, his back facing her!

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Gu Lingsha walked up anxiously and reached Gu Qiwu¡¯s side.

    He appeared wan and sallow at the moment while he propped his head up with one hand with his eyes shut, sitting there frozen.

    When Gu Lingsha saw him like this, she could not help but speak angrily, ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong with you?! Why are you grounding Mother? She¡¯s still so weak. Shouldn¡¯t you be taking good care of her?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here? Get out. I don¡¯t want to see anyone.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s raspy voice was filled with fatigue as he said coldly. When he spoke, he did not even open his eyes.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s slightly pale face looked miserable as she breathed in deeply. ¡°Father, if you and Mother are like this because of Mu Zi, then you shouldn¡¯t be angry with Mother. Don¡¯t you understand what state she is in right now? You¡¯re the one in the wrong. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a baseless im. Whatever it is, everyone¡¯s talking about it right now, so we need to face it, resolve it, and not be hiding here like this!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes contained some reprimand. She paused before continuing, ¡°Besides, shouldn¡¯t you be giving me and Mother an exnation about Mu Zi and Mu Lingshi?¡±

 Chapter 1131 - Old Illness (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1131: Old Illness (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Gu Lingsha said that, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression froze, but he did not flip out.

    ¡°I told you to get out.¡± His low and raspy voice did not allow for objection.

    ¡°Father! Why are you like Mother? If not because of Mu Zi but because of Mother¡¯s miscarriage, I¡¯m willing to have the two of you hit me and scold me! I already said that I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! It¡¯s all my fault! Just don¡¯t me Mother for it, alright? You¡¯re wrong about some of these things too. If it weren¡¯t for your scandal with Mu Zi, Mu Lingshi wouldn¡¯t havee looking for trouble, and Mother wouldn¡¯t have fallen down the stairs and have a miscarriage!¡± Gu Lingsha started to lose control and shout! Her blue eyes contained tears from being wronged.

    ¡°I lost my little brother. If both of you want to me someone, just me me. Don¡¯t treat me like this because it makes me sad! Right now, you should be by Mother¡¯s side and not be grounding her. You know how Mother is like! No one¡¯s sadder than her about losing Little Brother¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough! Stop talking! Stop talking! If you say another word, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    Gu Lingsha had not finished when suddenly she felt a breeze. Before she could react, she felt a dark figure on her, then her slender neck was being gripped in a chokehold! With her eyes wide open, when she saw Gu Qiwu with his eyes red with murderous rage, she could not help but feel terrified!

    ¡°Father...Father...¡±

    She could barely breathe as she widened her eyes in terror and stared at Gu Qiwu. She struggled hard and could not finish her sentence.

    Still, Gu Qiwu did not loosen his grip. He held her tighter instead, and there was almost no doubt that if he used more force in the next second, he could break Gu Lingsha¡¯s neck. Her blue eyes were filled with horror and she trembled as she looked at him.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes were scarlet, and a cold and gloomy aura emanated from all over him!

    ¡°Brother? Where did you get a brother? Don¡¯t bring that b*stard up to me! Do you hear me?! Where are you getting a brother from?! Where? Huh?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s incensed bellow was filled with furious gunpowder as if it could instantly incinerate Gu Lingsha!

    Because of the issue with Doris, Gu Qiwu was already mad and on the verge of breaking down. He had been cheated on by a woman he loved while she had done it so confidently without any regard for Gu Qiwu and stepped all over him. On top of that, she had racked her brains, thinking of ways to scheme against him, so how good of a mood could Gu Qiwu be in?

    He wished he could just kill Doris right now!

    When Gu Lingsha brought the child up, it clearly hit Gu Qiwu¡¯s sore spot.

    He gripped her tightly in a chokehold to the point that she could not breathe as she struggled in pain. Her pale little face was all red now while she was terrified and struggled hard as she hit Gu Qiwu, unable to utter a word.

    After a while, Gu Qiwu found a sliver of rationality from his dazed self and suddenly let go of Gu Lingsha!

    Bam!

    Gu Lingsha fell to the ground all limply. As she took in huge breaths, there was still a terror in her eyes. She stared in fear at Gu Qiwu who emitted a chilly aura. Her frail body trembled as she breathed in hard. ¡°Father...Father, what¡¯s wrong? Little Brother¡ª¡±

    Bam, bam!

    Pa!

    As if a storm hadnded, she immediately heard the sound of things shattering on the ground. In an instant, the teapot crashed to the floor!

    ¡°I told you to shut up! What brother? Your mother, that witch, betrayed me. Did you already know about this? And you keep calling him your little brother! All these years I¡¯ve been so good to her, tolerating her, and this is how she treats me?¡±

    Gu Qiwu kicked the chair aside angrily. The loud crash made Gu Lingsha instantly fall into a daze!

    Her eyes widened as she looked at Gu Qiwu in shock.

    What did he just say?

    Betrayal?

    Had her mother, Gu Lingsha, betrayed her father, Gu Qiwu?

    Gu Lingsha could not immediately understand this news! Her mind buzzed and she subconsciously shook her head as she looked at him with wide-open eyes.

    ¡°What are you saying...b-betray...betrayed? How could this be? No way! Father, you¡¯ve misunderstood Mother! There must be some kind of misunderstanding here. Father, calm down. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not what you think...¡± Gu Lingsha started to exin incoherently.

    ¡°Not what I think?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened and his fists clenched tight. His red eyes glimmered with a cold light as he forced augh. ¡°She already admitted it herself. There¡¯s no need for me to imagine it. Do you think I wouldn¡¯t have known if it were my child? That b*stard¡¯s not even two months into term. I¡¯ve been in City Z for the past few months! Tell me, how could it be mine? Could it be? Haven¡¯t I been good enough to her? Haven¡¯t I been good to the two of you? How dare she cheat on me so publicly and even think of scheming against me?! Tell me! You tell me!¡± Gu Qiwu shouted violently at the top of his lungs. He was close to breaking down dejectedly. He no longer looked stern and prideful as he did in the past. Only bitter resentment was left, and there was a murderous aura radiating from him. Even Gu Lingsha was afraid by this sight!

    ¡°Father! Father! Calm down! Please calm down. Maybe it¡¯s not what you think! Don¡¯t be angry first, let¡¯s all calm down, we can¡¯t solve anything by being impulsive, cough, cough, cough¡ª¡± Gu Lingsha rushed over frantically and quickly held him back!

    ¡°Let go of me! I want to kill that witch now!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s fury was aze and he had gone mad now. All that crossed his mind was Doris¡¯s nonchnt expression.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t! Calm down!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me! Go away!¡± Gu Qiwu struggled hard, and because he was too strong, he pushed her to the side while he rushed to the door.

    Bam!

    ¡°Arghh!¡±

    A shriek rang out as Gu Lingsha cried out in pain. She could not care about the pain that came from her wrist as she quickly reached out to hold Gu Qiwu and called out, ¡°Father!¡±

    However, before she could speak and hold onto Gu Qiwu¡¯s sleeve, she suddenly saw his tall figure waver, and then¡ª

    ¡°Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!¡±

    There was the sound of profuse coughing, then came the strong smell of blood with the wind. Before she could react, Gu Qiwu was already holding his belly as he fell t forward.

 Chapter 1132 - Old Illness (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1132: Old Illness (3)</h4>

    The strong coppery smell of blood assailed her nostrils!

    Before Gu Lingsha could react, Gu Qiwu could feel a piercing pain in his belly then came a dark whirlpool as his vision cked out before he fell limp and fell t forward!

    ¡°Father! Father! Are you okay, Father!?¡±

    When she heard him fall hard to the ground, Gu Lingsha then panicked and shouted, s. She ran over frantically and helped Gu Qiwu up. Then, she realized that Gu Qiwu had one hand over his mouth while the other held his belly. There were already dark red seeping through his fingers from the hand over his mouth.

    When Gu Lingsha saw that, her expression changed and she quickly cried out, ¡°Father, Father, are you okay? What¡¯s wrong? Someone,e quickly!¡±

    At the sound of Gu Lingsha¡¯s panicked voice, Ah Yong, who stood guard at the door, immediately rushed in. When he saw the situation, he was shocked and hurried over to his boss!

    ¡°Boss! Boss! Are you okay?¡±

    Gu Qiwu could still stay semi-conscious, but his stern face was as pale as a sheet. He tried to get up as he gritted his teeth and pushed Gu Lingsha away. He did his best but could not muster the strength. As he could barely stand the piercing pain from his stomach, he fell limp again and lost consciousness!

    Then, Ah Yong carried him up in a panic before rushing out!

    Gu Lingsha followed behind him helter-skelter.

    ...

    Gu Qiwu was sent straight to Hospital T while this news immediately reached Mu Yuchen.

    In the corridor by the stairs at the South River Bridge, Mu Yuchen was inspecting the progress of the project with VP Zhang Lan. He had juste up from the work site when Li Si walked over quickly and whispered into his ear, ¡°Master, big news! Gu Qiwu just vomited blood and was sent to the emergency ward. He¡¯s still not out yet!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen stopped what he was doing and frowned at Li Si before he said, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Li Si shook his head as he responded softly, ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened for now, but I heard that Gu Qiwu¡¯s always been a little sick. He has bad gastric problems. It¡¯s probably an old illness ring up. When the hospital has more news, I¡¯ll inform you right away, Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently. ¡°Don¡¯t let this get out first. Let¡¯s observe the situation first.¡±

    Before Mu Yuchen continued to open the blueprint in his hand and study the worksite before him, he turned to Zhang Lan. ¡°Make a copy of this blueprint and send it to CEO Xi of Fuhua.¡± Then, he handed the blueprint over.

    ¡°Got it, Chairman Mu!¡±

    Zhang Lan reached out to take it and bowed slightly. ¡°Chairman Mu, the musical fountain is already halfway done and will probably take form at the end of next year or the year after that. The work progress is smooth. Thankfully, we have Master Qi¡¯s prompt supervision. He oftenes over to inspect it personally.¡±

    ¡°See if he needs any more help and do your best to provide it. Also, next week, the people from the government might being over for inspection, so you all have to be prepared to receive them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu, understood!¡± Zhang Lan responded humbly, then looked up at the sky. She realized that it was noon now. While she was hesitating about whether to have lunch with Mu Yuchen, he had already walked ahead.

    ¡°It¡¯s noon, VP Zhang. Let¡¯s have lunch together,¡± he invited smoothly.

    Zhang Lan then smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s great to have the honor to have lunch with you, Chairman Mu.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been back to the headquarters for a while now, but I haven¡¯t had a meal with you, VP Zhang.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, you¡¯re busy with many affairs every day, so we haven¡¯t had the chance. Coincidentally, we can chat about the South River Project too.¡±

    ...

    After lunch, Mu Yuchen went straight to the provincial hall building.

    Indeed, he was going to look for Mu Tangchuan. When he was at lunch, he received a call from Mu Tangchuan to go over.

    By the time he reached Mu Tangchuan¡¯s office, Mu Tangchuan was returning from lunch as well, but what surprised him was that Zhuang Shurong was there too. She was by Mu Tangchuan¡¯s side, and the husband and wife walked back to the office side by side.

    ¡°Father, Mother.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face revealed tenderness as he called out to the two of them.

    ¡°Chen Er!¡± Zhuang Shurong looked at Mu Yuchen lovingly too.

    ¡°You¡¯re here. Come in!¡± Mu Tangchuan smiled and took out his key to the office door. It was not time to get back to work yet, so it was quiet all around.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, then followed them in.

    Zhuang Shurong took out the tea leaves from Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tea cupboard habitually and steeped some tea for the father and son.

    ¡°Mother, why are you here too?¡± Mu Yuchen sat down on the sofa and asked, puzzled.

    ¡°I happened to be nearby. Your father sent me a message, so we had lunch together. Things are more rxed these few days, so I came over to visit, and I still need to get some things from his colleagueter. I¡¯ve been running about here quite a few times, so I alwayse to visit your father,¡± Zhuang Shurong said as she steeped the tea.

    Mu Tangchuan took off his tie and sat across Mu Yuchen. ¡°y a game of chess with me. We¡¯ll talk as we y,¡± he said while he began to set up the game. It was the game of Go.

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re in such a mood.¡± Mu Yuchen did not reject him and picked up a ck piece to position it. ¡°Father, you called me over about Aunt¡¯s matter, didn¡¯t you?¡± He did not have to guess.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your wife, Xiaye¡¯s been running to both houses these past two days. Your grandfather¡¯s much better now, but about your aunt and Gu Qiwu...I¡¯m still worried. I don¡¯t want to ask too much about what you¡¯re nning on doing, but I hope you won¡¯t make things too difficult for Lingshi. I know that you¡¯re trying to investigate the ident from six years ago again.¡±

    ¡°The ident from six years ago? Haven¡¯t we checked a few times and determined that it was an ident?¡± Zhuang Shurong piped up. Because it involved Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingtian, Zhuang Shurong had paid a lot of attention to this case too, so she knew about the case details very well. They had checked it over many times and the results were always the same. It had indeed been an ident!

    ¡°Mother, my instincts tell me that things aren¡¯t that simple, so I¡¯d like to investigate it once more. Of course, I don¡¯t want the police to be involved. I¡¯ll let some trusted people take over. I¡¯m just hoping that when the timees, both of you can be amodating.¡±

    ¡°For your mother and I, as long as it¡¯s not an issue with principles, we¡¯ll do our best to help,¡± Mu Tangchuan quickly answered softly while he ced the white chess piece in his hand on the board.

 Chapter 1133 - Old Illness (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1133: Old Illness (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen paused, then nodded. ¡°Thank you, Father, Mother!¡±

    They could hear the gloominess in his tone. Mu Tangchuan then looked up at him and smiled. ¡°Alright, these are our responsibilities after all. You shouldn¡¯t be the one who takes it all on.¡±

    Then, he turned to his wife, Zhuang Shurong, who was steeping tea. ¡°Ah Rong, go get that case file from the middle drawer at my work desk.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong served the two of them tea before walking over and bringing the file over to hand to him.

    Mu Tangchuan nced at Mu Yuchen and indicated for him to take it. Mu Yuchen yed the ck chess piece in hand before taking it. After he opened it and had a look, his handsome face flushed with tenderness.

    Mu Tangchuan sighed slightly before he said, ¡°Your mother and I can only do so much. These old cases are considered confidential. There are too few clues, so if you want to investigate again, it won¡¯t be easy. I understand what you¡¯re trying to do, so I don¡¯t want to alert anyone else either. You¡¯ve got to y your own cards well.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, Mother. I¡¯ll do my best, and the two of you don¡¯t need to interfere as well.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, thank you for your hard work. For Doris and Gu Qiwu¡¯s matter, your mother and I know about it. That child isn¡¯t Gu Qiwu¡¯s, is it?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan was not a fool either. He knew some things, so it was no surprise that he could detect that something was fishy.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and answered calmly, ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s not. Because of this, Gu Qiwu and Doris had a fallout. Doris wants to use Gu Qiwu and Aunt¡¯s matter to get ahead. With both your wits, I think you can figure out her reason, so I won¡¯t exin anymore.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong exchanged a look. After a while, the husband and wife nodded knowingly.

    ¡°With your hints, we get it.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, I know that you have your own way of dealing with things, but I hope you can take care of yourself. I¡¯m worried that Doris will go after you. You should know that she isn¡¯t a nice one. She might act out in anger. She¡¯s not a woman that ys by the rules, and her tricks are vicious too. Since she dares to go against Gu Qiwu, she must have something up her sleeve, and if she escapes abroad, it will be hard for us to work with.¡±

    At this point, Mu Tangchuan could not help but frown worriedly. He picked his tea up to take a sip while his eyes remained on the chessboard before him. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve roughly looked through her background. I realize that most of herworks are abroad. You should know that we¡¯ve got limited capabilities. Given a situation like hers, it¡¯s not easy to handle.¡±

    ¡°Your father¡¯s right, so you have to be careful. Also, even if you want to investigate because you have doubts about the incident from six years ago, you have to be careful. Don¡¯t alert anyone else. Got it?¡± Zhuang Shurong said earnestly, her eyes filled with concern.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, Mother. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯m doing these things. I¡¯ll take good care of myself, Xiaye, and the rest.¡± Mu Yuchenughed softly while the smile on his face was slightly strained as he yed the next move.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong exchanged a look, nodded, and then felt more relieved.

    He thought about it before deciding to tell Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong about this news, ¡°Gu Qiwu¡¯s not in great health this morning. He was sent to the hospital. Li Si¡¯s waiting for news at the hospital.¡±

    ¡°For someone like him, even if he¡¯s gotten some kind of chronic illness, he doesn¡¯t deserve pity. Not only did he ruin Zixi¡¯s life, but Lingtian and Lingshi were also implicated. He wouldn¡¯t even acknowledge his own daughter, so how can he call himself a man?!¡± Zhuang Shurong¡¯s cold voice was sharp and unkind.

    Mu Tangchuan thought about it before he said, ¡°I think that he¡¯s just worried about the whole thing being exposed. From another perspective, even if he acknowledged Lingshi, it may not be a good thing.¡±

    ¡°Do you still pity him? Think about how Zixi...I¡¯ll never forget that scene. You won¡¯t understand how cruel it was for Mother who had to witness it personally!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Ah Yong. Let¡¯s not bring this up anymore.¡± Mu Tangchuan dared not recall that scene. It was too tragic!

    ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed Doris¡¯s capabilities. She¡¯s a handful. Back when Gu Lingsha vanished after the car ident, she came to look for your grandmother once, but she wasn¡¯t home, so I entertained her. She doesn¡¯t like me, so you¡¯ll have to be more vignt.¡± Mu Yuchen nodded with some thoughts of his own.

    He did not stay too long, so they could not finish the chess game. Mu Tangchuan¡¯s secretary came over to remind him about a meeting, so he left.

    ...

    When Mu Yuchen called Xi Xiaye to wrap up with work, she thought it was weird.

    It was close to the evening at the moment. The warm, golden light engulfed the whole ce while the evening breeze blew gently.

    ¡°Why did you finish work so early? I wasn¡¯t done with some documents yet!¡± Xi Xiaye had just gotten into the car when Mu Yuchen, who sat in the driver¡¯s seat, leaned over to help her put on the safety belt.

    ¡°It was almost time. You can just finish them tomorrow. I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°What is it? You¡¯re being all mysterious!¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a look while he already picked up a thick file to hand to her. His profound gaze was filled with gloominess as he said, ¡°Take a look at this first. What you¡¯ll have to doter is rted to this.¡± Then, he closed the car window.

    Stunned, she opened it and took out those thick documents before beginning to browse through them while Mu Yuchen started the car very quickly.

    They were details of the car ident six years ago. There were even detailed notes from some of the people involved, a survey of the crime scene, and many photos of the scene!

    When she saw photos of the dripping blood and mutted body, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face immediately turned pale. Her starry eyes could not hide how frightened she was!

    Those terrifying photos...

    They were photos of when Mu Lingtian had been carried out after he died.

    Xi Xiaye looked at them and could not help but shudder. She did not quite dare to keep on looking, so she took quick breaths and turned to look at the man who was silently driving.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. That¡¯s Lingtian.¡± His lowered voice had a hint offort.

 Chapter 1134 - Old Illness (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1134: Old Illness (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye kept the photos and report back into the file while the horror that gathered on her little face remained. She watched him silently without a word.

    The side profile of Mu Yuchen¡¯s face looked calm and cool. After a while, he spoke and drove steadily on the wide road ahead before continuing in a lowered voice, ¡°Haven¡¯t you always wanted to know about the ident? It¡¯s written clearly there. I¡¯m sure you roughly know how it all started and ended after reading it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and put the file back where it came from. She held a hand to her thumping chest and said, ¡°Lingtian...he must have passed away painfully. I...¡±

    He reached out to gently hold her slightly frozen fingertips as he asked softly, ¡°Do you remember what I talked to you about a few days ago?¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a while, then what he mentioned to her shed in her mind.

    ¡°You want Detective Zhang to help out?¡± She turned to look at him.

    One of his hands held the steering wheel steadily as the other held her hand before letting go. ¡°I might not be able to always be vignt against Doris. I think that if I let you help with this, it might be...¡±

    Before he finished, Xi Xiaye already lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°Got it. There¡¯s no need to say more. I understand. I¡¯ll contact Detective Zhang tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get this done well.¡±

    He was d and grateful for her understanding, so he did not say anymore. Tenderness flitted across his calm and smiling face.

    Xi Xiaye quietly kept it away too. ¡°I hope that this time, we¡¯ll find out something more. Even though you won¡¯t say much, I know that you¡¯ve been feeling guilty over this. I can understand how that feels. Mr. Mu, we can¡¯t control life and death. Humans are actually diminutive before life. It¡¯s not up to us to decide on the kind of suffering, difficulties, or hardships we¡¯ll face.¡±

    At this point, she suddenly turned to quietly watch the side of his cool face. She could not help but sigh. ¡°I feel like we have the fate of being worriers our entire lifetime. We have endless things to worry about. Maybe, if we could be a little more selfish, we¡¯d live more peacefully.¡±

    ¡°But everyone has their own way of living life. We¡¯re living based on the principles that make us feel like we¡¯re living more authentically,¡± she said, thenughed gently before turning to lean on his shoulder.

    ¡°Madam Mu, that¡¯s not the way to console someone. You¡¯re having a realization, not consoling me.¡± He squinted at her, then pursed his lips as he smiled while his arm circled her frail shoulders.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of consoling you since you won¡¯t listen anyway, so I might as well do something more substantial. You can¡¯t teach an old dog new tricks. You are always like that. If I still didn¡¯t understand you by now, I would¡¯ve obviously put in a few words of constion, but after knowing you, I¡¯ll just share some of your burdens.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not want to think too much about it or console him. Instead, no matter what he did, she would support him unconditionally and go along with him. ¡°Despite not having your reflection for a long while, your self-awareness hasn¡¯t deteriorated. It¡¯s something that truly makes me happy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just doing this because you¡¯re pretty good to me. I told you, as long as you¡¯re good to me, I¡¯ll do anything.¡±

    She squinted her cold eyes at him while her gaze was sincere and gentle. ¡°You¡¯d do anything? What about murder and arson?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but before that, I¡¯ll definitely tell them that I was doing it on behalf of you!¡±

    ¡°Traitor!¡±

    He did not whether tough or cry as he looked at her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to jail because of this, and then watch you get together with some other young girl. I¡¯m not dumb.¡±

    At this second, Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered Gu Qiwu. She straightened up slightly and looked at him. ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, tell me, even with the feelings Gu Qiwu has for Doris, why would Doris still...?¡±

    ¡°Do you think everyone¡¯s like you? Doris is an ambitious woman. Even though Gu Qiwu¡¯s loyal towards her, he has a bottom line,¡± Mu Yuchen exined.

    ¡°Mmm, Doris wants to swallow the entire Gu family¡¯s assets. It turns out that when some feelings are ced before benefits, they still weaken. All the love couldn¡¯t even stand the test? Mr. Mu, if one day I wanted to swallow Glory World too, would you be the same as Gu Qiwu?¡±

    ¡°You want Glory World? Would you want it if I gave it to you now? With your IQ, can you handle the whole of Glory World? If you were a truly capable career woman, I don¡¯t mind living off a woman. I¡¯d stay home raising our son and make dinner while waiting for you to get home, living the easy life of a glutton.¡±

    ¡°In your dreams! How spineless! If you really became a man that lives off women, then you¡¯ll depreciate in value, Mr. Mu!¡± She shot him a look of disdain.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m a man with a wife and son. So what if I depreciate in value? Other people¡¯s opinions have nothing to do with me. Besides, even if I don¡¯t do anything right now and eat away our fortunes, it¡¯d be enough tost us till the next lifetime. In another year or two, let¡¯s not tire ourselves. I¡¯ve already stopped expanding into markets recently, stabilizing all my existing properties and making steady progress. As for the next 10 or 20 years, however Glory World may grow will be up to our sons,¡± Mu Yuchen said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°10, 20 years? Do you know how old Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng are?!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rui would be 25 or 26, so he¡¯d already be able to take on a lot. After all, I was also at that age when grandfather handed Glory World to me. We¡¯ll hustle for another 10 to 20 years. By that time, you¡¯ll be over 40, and I¡¯ll be 50. It¡¯d be time for us to retire. Whatever it is, I¡¯m done. If you want to continue going for it, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    ¡°Our sons are so pitiful having a father like you!¡±

    ¡°A loving mother spoils her sons! Do you think they came into this world to livefortably?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be too harsh to the children?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a time to slowly discuss how to educate our children.¡±

    ...

    At Hospital T.

    Gu Qiwu had gone in for quite a few hours now. It was only in the evening that he was wheeled out of the operating theatre and put into a ward for observation.

    ¡°The patient drank too much and it caused gastrointestinal bleeding. In fact, he has gastric problems all year round. If he doesn¡¯t take care of his health, it might get worse. I¡¯ve already exined all that¡¯s needed. The nurse willeter to repeat everything that you need to pay attention to. The patient needs rest now, so it¡¯s best if all of you don¡¯t disturb him,¡± the doctor said before he left.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression was tense as she looked worriedly at Gu Qiwu who was sound asleep on the sickbed without an ounce of anger. There were mixed emotions in her blue eyes.

 Chapter 1135 - Divorce? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1135: Divorce? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ah Yong, who had been standing beside her, saw Gu Lingsha¡¯s gloomy¡¯s expression. He thought about it before deciding to lower his voice and speak up, ¡°Miss Lingsha, go home first. I¡¯m here. The boss probably won¡¯t wake up so soon, and the Madam still needs you to care for her, so you should take care of yourself.¡±

    Gu Lingsha sighed as she took a look at Gu Qiwu on the sickbed, then she nodded at Ah Yong. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Father to you then. When he wakes up, call me right away!¡±

    Gu Lingsha could not care less now. Knowing that Gu Qiwu was alright for now made her relieved, but her mind kept reying the things that he had said to her earlier. Right then, there was a burning pain at her neck. Earlier, when she had gone to the washroom, she noticed that there were bruises on her neck!

    Gu Qiwu had always been a person with strong self-restraint, and Gu Lingsha had never seen him this angry before. You could tell that the incident this time had had quite an impact on him. However, how could her mother, Doris, someone whom she had always thought was elegant and appropriate, have done such a thing?

    Gu Lingsha had also seen the way Gu Qiwu doted on Doris. She could tell that Gu Qiwu truly loved Doris. If Doris really did it, how could he not have felt bitterly disappointed and angry?

    Now that she thought about it, if it were true, she probably would not have been able to bear it too!

    She still did not quite want to believe it! She had always admired Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s rtionship. How could she believe such a thing so easily?

    Thus, she was impatient to ask Doris about whether it was all true for herself!

    Doris¡¯s ward was in Hospital T too. In fact, Doris was being grounded by Gu Qiwu right now.

    When Gu Lingsha went over, she could see the four bodyguards that stood guard outside the ward, watching it carefully. Gu Qiwu had ordered them not to let Doris step out of the room at all!

    However, when Gu Lingsha went over, the bodyguards obviously let her through. As she pushed the door open, what greeted her sight was the empty bed. She looked around, then noticed Doris who was by the window and watching the sunset outside.

    Gu Lingsha stopped and watched her silently for a while, before she called out softly, ¡°Mother¡ª¡±

    Upon hearing Gu Lingsha¡¯s voice, Doris, who was enjoying the scenery outside, looked back and then lowered her gaze. ¡°What are you doing here? Didn¡¯t I tell you that I don¡¯t want to see anyone right now?¡± Her cold voice showed no hints of warmth at all.

    Gu Lingsha struggled for a bit before she said, ¡°Mother, you haven¡¯t recovered. Why did you get down from the bed? Let me help you back to bed to rest.¡±

    Doris did not answer.

    Stunned, Gu Lingsha walked over and stopped by Doris¡¯s side. When she looked at her mother¡¯s exquisite yet indifferent face, she sighed. ¡°Mother, Father got drunk and was sent to the hospital because of gastrointestinal bleeding. Right now, he¡¯s in a ward under observation. He said that you...Was what he said all real?¡± Gu Lingsha found it hard to ask.

    Upon hearing that Gu Qiwu was hospitalized, Doris paused and asked, ¡°What? What did he say about me?¡±

    ¡°Mother, she said that the child you had...wasn¡¯t his. Mother, did you cheat on Father?¡± Gu Lingsha asked softly.

    When she heard that, Doris smiled calmly, and then reached out to caress her t belly, a while after she sneered and said, ¡°What did you think?¡±

    ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯d betray Father! Father¡¯s so good to you. You wouldn¡¯t do something like that, right?¡± Gu Lingsha frantically pulled at Doris¡¯s loose sleeve as she said in a rush.

    ¡°Good to me? Betray?¡±

    When Doris heard these words, it was as if she heard a joke. Sheughed. ¡°He had two children with Mu Zi behind my back. Is that what you call being good to me? Betray? Isn¡¯t what he did a betrayal to me? I¡¯m just giving him a taste of his own medicine! I told him that I¡¯m never weak. When Gu Qiwu married me, he should understand that one day, the person who¡¯d control him would be me! And not him controlling me!¡± she sneered and turned to look at the miserable Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s such a good person? He¡¯s good to me on the outside, but he¡¯s still vignt against me in secret. To me, he¡¯s just a hypocritical person. Why is he allowed to betray me with such gusto? If Qi Feng did that to you too, could you ept it? Shasha, don¡¯t act impulsively. Men can¡¯t be trusted. Do you think that Qi Feng will always be good to you just because he is now? Learn from my mistakes. Women should always have a hold on something!¡± Doris turned to look at Gu Lingsha. Her eyes were as sharp as knives as they flickered with a cold light, one that was cold and prating.

    ¡°Qi Qiming could not get rid of Wang Qin because she was a smart woman! She knew how to manage authority. Otherwise, Wang Qin wouldn¡¯t have stood tall in the Qi family with the way Qi Qiming treated her. Shasha, you¡¯ve gone through quite a bit of hardship too. You¡¯ve been wondering about these rtionships. Do you still not get it?

    ¡°Once Gu Qiwu acknowledges Mu Lingshi, you won¡¯t be the only heiress in the Gu family.¡± Doris forced aughed and averted her gaze apathetically before looking out of the window. The warmth of the setting sun could not chase away the coldness that she emitted.

    ¡°You¡¯re my daughter. No matter what, I wouldn¡¯t hurt you, but you¡¯re always disagreeing with me. You missed out on Mu Yuchen, and now you¡¯re caught up with someone like Qi Feng. How could you beat Qi Feng? I¡¯m just worried that when the timees, you were just paving the way for him.¡±

    ¡°Mother, whatever happens, Ah Feng is someone who¡¯s been through a lot with me, and we¡¯re married now. We even have a daughter, Weiwei. Ah Feng wouldn¡¯t do that to me. I trust him! You¡¯re too paranoid. Father and Mu Zi¡¯s incident was many years ago. In fact, Mu Zi¡¯s dead! So what if Mu Lingshi¡¯s still around? As long as Father doesn¡¯t give the green light, she¡¯s nothing! Father loves you so much, yet you did such a thing. He must be bitterly disappointed. Otherwise, take advantage of the guilt that Father feels so that he will treat you and us even better! Mother, from the way I see it, you¡¯re the confused one! In fact, your actions have made me incredibly disappointed! How could you betray Father?¡±

 Chapter 1136 - Divorce? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1136: Divorce? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha started to frown as she did not agree with Doris.

    ¡°Enough! I don¡¯t need you to tell me what to do! Stay out of things between him and me. Just take care of yourself!¡± Doris¡¯s expression instantly darkened and she closed her eyes.

    ¡°He was disloyal to me first. Why should I have to stay loyal to him? Guilt? Do you think he¡¯d feel that? Even if he does feel guilty, it¡¯s only towards Mu Zi and Mu Lingshi, not us!¡±

    ¡°Shasha, you¡¯re too naive! Don¡¯t tell me that this is all you learned from studying psychology!¡±

    Seeing Doris like this, Gu Lingsha could not help but raise her voice. Now, she began to feel bad for Gu Qiwu. ¡°Mother! Why are you still acting all justified even now?! Father¡¯s going mad from anger. He¡¯s breaking down! Can¡¯t you feel sorry for him? You know very well how he¡¯s treated you all these years!¡±

    ¡°Lingsha, are you here to reprimand me? Why don¡¯t you do the same to your father? He did me wrong first!¡± Doris pulled away the nket on her and stood up. She red at Gu Lingsha in an imposing manner. ¡°Isn¡¯t the child gone just as the two of you wished? What more do you want? The two of you are quite united, aren¡¯t you? What about me? Do I deserve it so I should just suffer in silence?¡±

    Sheughed grimly. ¡°Divorce! I already thought of this. Since we¡¯vee to this point, it can only end like this.¡±

    ¡°What? Divorce?¡± Gu Lingsha was shocked by Doris¡¯s words! She widened her eyes at her mother. ¡°Mother! Do you want to divorce Father?¡±

    ¡°What other ways do you think there could be for this to end peacefully? I¡¯ve been done for years now. I think that ending it like this is best,¡± Doris said nonchntly. There was no shift in her blues at all, and they were as calm as water. It was as if the word ¡®divorce¡¯ was just anothermon term!

    Frightened by Doris¡¯s words, she held onto her mother and spoke in a panic, ¡°No! Mother, don¡¯t be impulsive! As long as you talk to Father, he¡¯ll still forgive you! Mother, don¡¯t get a divorce with Father. You know that...¡±

    Doris wriggled free of her hold as she snorted coldly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to discuss at this stage. Do you think that with your father¡¯s nature, he would tolerate me? He¡¯s just a useless coward to me. He¡¯s got a huge ego and is headstrong. Even if he¡¯s willing to forgive me, he¡¯ll definitely keep bringing it up to use against me. I know him too well. I¡¯ll never surrender to a man like this, so divorce is my best option!¡±

    Her eyes were filled with determination. She was not sloppy at all, and there was not a hint of hesitance or reluctance!

    ¡°Mother, there¡¯s no way Father will get a divorce with you unless you leave the marriage with nothing!¡±

    ¡°No way? I¡¯ll make it all possible!¡±

    ¡°Mother! How could you do this to him?¡±

    ¡°How do you think I should be to him then? Divorce is the only way to resolve this. It¡¯s also been something that I¡¯ve always wanted to do. Your father and I aren¡¯tpatible. I¡¯ve long been over it these past few years. Why do you think I¡¯vested so long?¡± Doris looked at Gu Lingsha coldly, not hiding her intentions at all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get mywyer to write up the divorce papers as soon as possible. When the timees, just persuade your father. It¡¯s best if he signs it quickly. Of course, I¡¯ll still be taking the things that should be mine. By the looks of the current situation, the court might not stand on his side. After all, Mu Lingshi was hard evidence.¡±

    A sneer shed across Doris¡¯s lips. Even though this was not exactly what she wanted, they had been married for many years, and she did have some feelings for Gu Qiwu. Nevertheless, Doris had always known what she wanted.

    The truth was that Doris had always been like this. She had always been this headstrong and unwilling to surrender to anyone. Having been raised in an environment like that, she always did everything with a clear goal in mind.

    Since things had yed out the way they did, she could only continue this journey.

    In fact, based on the current situation, even if they brought it to the court, she would not be on the losing end. Gu Qiwu would probably need to silently ept this end that cut the knot as smoothly as it was tied.

    ¡°Enough, get out!¡± Doris coldly chased her out. She admitted that she was still a little angry at Gu Lingsha for causing the miscarriage, but that was her daughter after all. Even if she was angry, what could she do?

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡± Doris said walked to the bedside without any illness showing on her face.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes darkened as she watched Doris quietly for a while. In the end, she left. When it came to being apathetic, no one would be better at it than her mother. Gu Lingsha only truly understood it now!

    How could she so calmly mention divorce? It seemed like Doris did not have much love left for Gu Qiwu!

    When she left the ward, Gu Lingsha could not help butugh bitterly. She never thought that such a day woulde. A family that she had always thought was harmonious had turned into nothing in the blink of an eye. Still, all of this could also have returned to calm!

    However, the more you wanted peace, the more some people would wreck it!

    How could she just watch helplessly as all this happiness turn into nothing? She barely had anything left. Was she going to lose this too?

    Gu Lingsha did not understand why things had to turn out like this.

    This time, upon returning, a friend that had once been close, Qi Lei, was slowly bing distant. Her rtionship with her mother was bing strained too. Besides that, she was now losing even thest piece of kinship...

    Mu Zi?

    Mu Lingshi?

    If all of these had happened because of these people, what should she do?

    Was she going to watch all of this end badly without doing anything?

    The answer was: no way!

    Gu Lingsha leaned against the cold wall. She fell silent for a long, long time before she came back to her senses. Dazed, she suddenly felt her eyes getting misty until a piece of tissue was handed to her before she snapped back.

    She quickly looked up and followed the hand that handed her the tissue. Xi Xinyi¡¯s beautiful little face instantly greeted her sight.

    ¡°For you, Manager Gu. The reporters might appear at any time!¡± Xi Xinyi said softly.

 Chapter 1137 - Divorce? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1137: Divorce? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha sniffled, then took the tissue that Xi Xinyi handed her to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Manager Xi, what are you doing here?¡±

    As someone who could control her emotions well, after a while, Gu Lingsha returned to normal and breathed in as she looked at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°I came to the hospital for some medication. I¡¯ve been having a cold for the past two days.¡±

    She could hear that Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice was slightly raspy and nasally.

    ¡°Manager Xi, you¡¯ve been working too hard for the South River Project as ofte. You should watch out for your health,¡± Gu Lingsha said with considerate concern.

    When Xi Xinyi heard that, a bitter smile spread across her face. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just how things are.¡±

    Then, she turned to look outside the corridor and realized that it was getting dark. She thought about it and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Manager Gu, you should get home soon. I saw reports at the entrance earlier. I think you should go down to the second floor and walk out via the stairs,¡± Xi Xinyi mentioned kindly.

    Recently, Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s incident had caused quite a buzz that did not stop these past few days. In fact, it seemed to be increasing in trend, especially since the news of Gu Qiwu¡¯s hospitalization leaked out. It had indirectly caused another wave. If the whole thing with Doris happened...

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha turned to look out at the sky. She thought about it and then said, ¡°Since we bumped into each other, how about we have dinner together? You¡¯ve been working hard for the South River Project since I was busy with the wedding a while ago, and I should thank you properly.¡±

    ¡°Manager Gu, you¡¯re too courteous. That¡¯s just part of my duties,¡± Xi Xinyi said humbly.

    Gu Lingsha smiled. ¡°Unless you¡¯re not willing to give me the honor, Manager Xi?¡±

    Stunned, Xi Xinyi nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯ve invited me, I¡¯d obviously be happy to go along with you!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Gu Lingsha quickly returned to normal and turned around to walk towards the elevator.

    ...

    Gu Qiwu was too tired, so he slept all the way till the next day. When he woke up with a heaviness in his body, the pain that came from his stomach made him frown involuntarily. He was about to sit up when Ah Yong, who had been guarding at the side, went up to him.

    ¡°Boss! You¡¯re awake!¡± His concerned tone had a hint of a pleasant surprise as he went up to help Gu Qiwu sit up. Ah Yong had been worried for a whole night!

    Gu Qiwu leaned back against the bedhead weakly. He looked frail, and there was a sickly pale on his face, making him look wan and sallow.

    ¡°What happened to me? Why am I here?¡± His raspy voice was heard. When he looked up and saw that his hands were needles in his hand, he frowned.

    ¡°Boss, you drank too much and had internal bleeding. Thankfully, we sent you to the hospital in time. The doctor says you should be more careful. You can¡¯t do that anymore. Otherwise, the situation will get worse. Your gastric has always been bad. Whatever it is, you have to watch out for your health,¡± Ah Yong advised worriedly as he poured Gu Qiwu a cup of warm water.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu shut his eyes tiredly and took a deep breath. He calmed himself down for a while before opening his eyes. He remembered the things he had said to Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Miss Lingsha came earlier, but she¡¯s gone back now. She¡¯lle over tomorrow morning. You¡¯re still very weak. The doctor said that you need to stay in the hospital for treatment before you can be discharged. I¡¯ve done my best to lock down the news, so, Boss, please recuperate at ease. Nothing¡¯s more important than your health. If you copse, there¡¯ll be nothing else.¡±

    He knew that Gu Qiwu had been in a poor state recently, so Ah Yong tried his best to enlighten him. Even though Gu Qiwu was usually a man of few words and was extremely stern, he carried a lot of weight in his heart. However, Ah Yong could see that his boss had not had it easy, especially with Madam.

    Right now with thetest incident, how could he not feel bitterly disappointed?

    Gu Qiwu did not say anything. He just silently lowered his gaze and drank a few sips. Soon, some radiance returned to his pale lips. He returned the ss and reached out to hold his faintly aching stomach. Suddenly, he fell silent and did not move. You could not guess what he was thinking about.

    Ah Yong thought about it, before he responded, ¡°Boss, recover in peace. I know that recent incidents have caused a lot of frustrations for you. As long as we don¡¯t respond, they can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    Gu Qiwu sighed. There was a faint sneer on his stern face as he looked up at Ah Yong. ¡°How¡¯s thepany doing? Bring me myptop!¡± He had already thought that if things out the way they were right now, thepany would definitely be affected, so he executed some precautions.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. Thepany¡¯s alright for now. Even though there were inevitable effects in the stock market, it¡¯s all within controlled parameters. It¡¯s just that...Boss, yesterday Miss Lingshi went looking for Madam. ording to the subordinates, Madam seems to have mentioned ¡®divorce¡¯. Boss, Madam might be thinking of getting a divorce with you.¡±

    When he said thest few words, Ah Yong looked hesitant and concern colored his eyes.

    Indeed, as Ah Yong said that, Gu Qiwu¡¯s handsome face immediately sank!

    ¡°Divorce? In her dreams!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s cold voice did not have a hint of warmth as he smirked coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve been so good to her all these years, yet she cheated on me! This witch! Did she think I¡¯d let her off so easily?¡± When he said this, a cold light shed in his eyes.

    ¡°But, Boss, if you persist, Madam might use the route of the courts. After all, if Miss Mu Lingshi...that¡¯s hard evidence right there, and it wouldn¡¯t be great for us. When the timees for the court to decide, we might lose out big time. Boss, we¡¯ll have to think this through,¡± Ah Yong pondered over the reasons and said softly.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwuughed grimly. ¡°Does it make sense even when Doris has cheated on me? You know very well how I¡¯ve treated her all these years! Even if it¡¯s because of Lingshi...so what? That illegitimate child that she bore wasn¡¯t mine! The other day, I told you to do a DNAparison of that illegitimate child and Lingsha. When will the results be out?¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked up coldly, his sharp gazending straight on Ah Yong.

 Chapter 1138 - Divorce? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1138: Divorce? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Qiwu was no fool. When Doris had a miscarriage, he had already ordered Ah Yong to get this settled.

    With his intelligence, he already had a backup move. Perhaps it was in the midst of their fighting with each other that he was used to having a backup n. As he thought about this, he was not sure whether he should be grateful for his keen vignce or be sad about this unpredictable rtionship.

    Nheless, Gu Qiwu could not careless now. Because of a woman like Doris, he only felt sad and ludicrous for his situation.

    ¡°There are no results for now. I¡¯ve done as you ordered with a few hospitals doing theparisons, Boss. If it can be used as evidence, it¡¯ll definitely be more powerful. Boss, I didn¡¯t know why you wanted to do that before this, but now I know that you were doing it as a backup, it was great foresight!¡±

    Ah Yong could not help but admire Gu Qiwu for ordering him to do that so calmly. If it had been another man, he would probably have been driven mad by Doris.

    He was clear that Gu Qiwu did have some feelings for Doris. However, he did not understand why Doris would do such a thing behind Gu Qiwu¡¯s back. Now, as a subordinate, even he found it unworthy for Gu Qiwu¡¯s sake. At the same time, he felt bad for Mu Zi and Mu Lingtian, who had passed away, and Mu Lingshi as well.

    Gu Qiwuughed grimly and his eyes suddenly darkened as he inhaled sharply. ¡°This won¡¯t pass so soon. Ah Yong, find a way to investigate Doris and find out who the man is. Even if we go to court, Doris won¡¯t be able to shed all the responsibility!

    ¡°This time, Mu Yuchen¡¯s move was truly vicious, but he managed to find out Doris¡¯s secret. I don¡¯t know whether to thank him or to resent him.¡±

    A bitterness shed across Gu Qiwu¡¯s face. His mind suddenly recalled Mu Lingshi¡¯s indifferent expression, and he felt a heaviness in his chest that made it hard to breathe. He took in a fewborious breaths before he calmed down.

    ¡°Boss, are you sure that Mu Yuchen did this?¡± Ah Yong asked.

    ¡°Who else could have such capabilities? Even I don¡¯t know about Doris cheating on me, but he seemed to know it like the back of his hand. In fact, a while back, when he asked me out, he did warn me. Elder Madam Mu¡¯s passing might have moved him to act. He was warning me. I¡¯m sure that right now he¡¯s waiting for me to go to him.¡± Gu Qiwu suddenlyughed bitterly and helplessly.

    ¡°Boss, what should we do now? Mu Yuchen did it on purpose. Not only did he expose these, but he even made you and Madam break up like this. Also, I¡¯m afraid that Miss Lingshi...Boss, are you nning never to acknowledge Miss Lingshi?¡± Ah Yong could not help but ask.

    He knew that Gu Qiwu had not let go of Mu Lingshi and the rest. Whether it was out of guilt or his conscience, the boss still had them on his mind. Otherwise, he would not have visited Mu Zi every year.

    The Ghost Festival [1] was around the corner. Was the boss still going to Qingshan Cemetery to pay his respects?

    However, they were gone, so what was the meaning of doing all this?

    Furthermore, Elder Madam Mu had just passed away too.

    When Ah Yong asked that question, Gu Qiwu did not immediately have an answer. His expression only froze and his eyes darkened.

    Even if he wanted to acknowledge her, he probably...

    In the end, Gu Qiwu did not answer the question. He sighed and turned to look at Ah Yong. ¡°Quickly get the thing done. Also, ask Mu Yuchen out. In three days, I want to meet him for a chat!¡±

    ¡°Boss, you want to meet Chairman Mu? What about Miss Lingshi?¡±

    Gu Qiwu slowly shut his eyes and breathed in. ¡°It¡¯s best not to meet her for now since it won¡¯t be a happy meeting.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it, Boss!¡¯

    ...

    In the evening, the glow of the sunset colored half the sky red.

    In Maple Residence in the Grand Waves Vi area, when he received Li Si¡¯s call, Mu Yuchen was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

    ¡°Master, Gu Qiwu¡¯s awake. He asked to meet you in three days in the pastures of the western suburbs. He says he¡¯s got something to talk to you about.¡± Li Si¡¯s respectful voice was heard through the phone.

    Mu Yuchen paused what he was doing for a while as his profound eyes shed with shifting light. After he hesitated momentarily, he responded, ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet him.¡±

    ¡°Master, I think it might be about Miss Lingshi. Do we want to...?¡±

    ¡°Just respond that way.¡± Mu Yuchen clearly did not want to say more, so he then hung up right away before he continued busying himself again.

    He had just put in the marinated fish to cook when he suddenly felt something tugging at his pant leg. Mu Yuchen was surprised as he looked down and saw his son crawling to sit by his leg. The little guy was pulling at his pant leg as he mumbled and smiled at him. His hands balled into little fists that were put into his mouth.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart instantly melted at his cute demeanor. He kept his phone away and bent down to pick his son up. ¡°Little guy, are you crawling around again? How naughty of you! Mmm?¡± he said as he pinched the little guy¡¯s cheeks.

    Nevertheless, Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s hands iled and smacked his old man¡¯s handsome face. When he heard the loud sound, he even began giggling.

    ¡°Little fool, why¡¯s yourughter so silly? Tell me, what are youughing about? Hmm?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s movements were swifter now, especially since he had been growing and was less restless recently. Ever since he could clutch onto things to stand, he no longer liked being carried, so he would struggle and then crawl everywhere.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye would usually find him under the shelf in the study room or behind the living room sofa, and even in all the corners of the house. Of course, they would not limit his movements.

    Consequently, Mu Yuchen covered the floor with an expensiveyer of slip-resistant carpet. That way, it could keep the little guy from getting cold and make it convenient for him to move around. They just let him y himself, but Sis Wang¡¯s cleaning became a bit harder because the restless little one would always topple many things. He sure was destructive!

 Chapter 1139 - Divorce? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1139: Divorce? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The books on the lowest shelves in the study room had already been torn up by the little guy. Xi Xiaye had to install a door for the shelves so that they could stop the little thing from continuing his destruction.

    Mu Xiaocheng usually liked staying close to his father.

    Perhaps because of the chemistry between father and son, every time the little guy was with Mu Yuchen, he would always have so much fun. Especially now that he could recognize people, he would stick to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye all day.

    What made Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye d was that even though the little guy was very mischievous, he rarely had crying fits. He would merely cry a little when he was hungry, and once they fed him, he would immediately stop. Even Sis Wang and the rest said that Mu Xiaocheng was the easiest child to take care of though he was just mischievous.

    With one hand carrying his son and the other stirring the food in the wok, Master Mu called out towards the door, ¡°Xiaye,e and bring our son out. The kitchen¡¯s too oily.¡±

    When she heard that, Xi Xiaye rushed in. Seeing Mu Xiaocheng in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms, she was relieved. She walked over to carry him and could not help but pat the little guy¡¯s butt with two mini spanks.

    ¡°Naughty kid! I¡¯ll manage you! He crawled over just as I was in the washroom. I was looking all over for him! He¡¯s quite quick, isn¡¯t he?!¡± Xi Xiayeined with a headache.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled as he reached out to pinch Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little face. ¡°You deserve it, you mini devil! Let¡¯s visit the old residence tomorrow, grandfather misses him.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, bring him over tomorrow. I¡¯m meeting Detective Zhang.¡±

    ¡°Alright, go on out then. It¡¯s oily in here. Don¡¯te in.¡±

    As long as he was home, Mu Yuchen would not usually let Xi Xiaye into the kitchen since it was too oily and smoky. Based on what Su Chen said, women would age easily if they were always in touch with such things.

    Ever since Su Chen got married to Ji Zitong, he had practically be a loyal dog to his wife in Zhou Zimo¡¯s words!

    Zhou Zimo had asked him out quite a few times, but he did not go. As a result, Zhou Zimo was so angry that he cursed Su Chen for prioritizing his wife over friends. He would alwaysin to Mu Yuchen. Right then, dinner had just been prepared when there was a sound from outside the door, and Mu Yuchen could hear Sis Wang greeting someone.

    ¡°Hello, Master Mo!¡±

    That was right!

    Zhou Zimo was there to leech at dinner!

    ¡°Good evening! I¡¯m guessing that dinner¡¯s just been prepared?¡±

    Zhou Zimo had just walked in when he saw the dishes ready on the dining table. He sat down and took a wet towel to wipe his hand as he excitedly picked up the chopsticks.

    When Mu Yuchen brought thest dish out, he shot him a side look. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t Ie? Bring another set of cutlery. I¡¯m starving!¡± Zhou Zimo said as he shouted into the kitchen, ¡°Xiaye, bring me another set of cutlery!¡±

    Mu Yuchen red at him, then sat down on a chair while Xi Xiaye quickly brought a set of cutlery over.

    ¡°I was just going to ask you out for a drink. Su Chen¡¯s noting and Qi Lei seems to be quite busy recently. I¡¯m the only lonely one, so I can onlye to your ce to leech at dinner.¡± Zhou Zimo got up and walked to the drinks cupboard. He took out a bottle of whiskey and poured some for himself and Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re just hiding from your family here. I know that Mother Zhou¡¯s been nagging you recently.¡± Mu Yuchen carelessly pinpointed what was on Zhou Zimo¡¯s mind.

    Zhou Zimo looked up at him and replied unhappily, ¡°There really is nothing I can hide from you. My old man¡¯s already said that if I still don¡¯t get anyone by the end of this year, I¡¯m not allowed to go home. Why is it that elders now love to threaten us so easily? How annoying!¡±

    As he finished the drink in his ss, he said gloomily, ¡°They even signed me up for some car club and aic exhibition meetup. How about you talk to my parents for me?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help you out with this. You aren¡¯t young anymore, and you¡¯re the only one left among the three buddies. I understand how Mother Zhou feels.¡±

    ¡°Right now, I kind of regret being so content when we were studying. Otherwise, I could¡¯ve had a girlfriend to go through many years of hardships. That kind of love is one that I envy,¡± Zhou Zimo cleared his throat andmented sadly.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye instantlyughed gently as she handed the chopsticks to the man beside her. ¡°Zimo, the depth of a rtionship has nothing to do with the length of time actually. Chen always tells me about you, and I do think that among the three buddies, you¡¯re the most genuine one.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re my friend! I think so too! No one loves a man who¡¯s overly genuine!¡± Zhou Zimo beamed at her.

    ¡°Your head¡¯s full of tricks. If you were really genuine, then there¡¯s no such thing as innocence in this world anymore,¡± Mu Yuchen objected.

    ¡°Chen, that¡¯s pure nder! To act on those thoughts is true sincerity. I¡¯m being outwardly flirtatious, not like you, cold on the outside but passionate on the inside! I must express it. I¡¯m destined to be flirtatious!¡±

    ¡°Can you keep quiet while eating? With the way you act, even good women would be frightened away. Could you be more chivalrous? Did you really think she wasplimenting you?¡±

    Then, the few of them smirked at one another before holding up their drinks for a toast.

    After dinner, Xi Xiaye brought their son to shower while Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo went to the study room.

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up early. After packing up, he was nning to return straight the old Mu residence, but Mu Yinan had already gone over, and Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were with him too.

    Xi Xiaye left early that day because she had a morning meeting. Breakfast was also rushed as she ate a little before going straight to work. In the afternoon, she was meeting Detective Zhang.

    Compared to a few days ago, Mu Yinan was now in a much better state.

    When he saw Mu Xiaocheng, he could not help but carry him up to y with him while Mu Lingshi went to the backyard with Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu¡¯s hospitalized because of gastrointestinal bleeding. He didn¡¯t respond to this either. Do you me me for leaking out this news on my own ord?¡±

    At the table in the pavilion in the backyard, Mu Yuchen leaned slightly against the handrail behind him as he watched the slightly pale Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Lingshi still looked a little weak right now. Despite having faced such a huge blow, Mu Yuchen actually admired her for being strong and not breaking down. He could understand her anguish.

    She had always been a strong sister that he quietly protected. After the incident with Mu Lingtian, he seemed to havepensated all of his guilt towards her.

 Chapter 1140 - Reject (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1140: Reject (1)</h4>

    Upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi suddenly gripped the teacup in hand a little tighter. She thought about it, then shook her head. ¡°No, Brother, I know you¡¯re doing it for me and the Mu family. No matter what, it¡¯s actually us who owe you too much. This whole thing should¡¯ve had nothing to do with you. Sometimes, I wonder what would I do if I didn¡¯t have you.¡± Her voice bore some bitterness.

    ¡°Why are you saying such silly things? We¡¯re siblings. Who else would I protect if not you? I don¡¯t deny that feeling guilty about you and Lingtian all these years. A mistake remains a mistake. The harm that has been done can never be reconciled just like how Grandmother¡¯s sudden passing didn¡¯t give us a chance to make it up to her,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke in a lowered voice as faint sorrow showed in his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯ve never med me.¡±

    ¡°Brother, you take too much upon yourself. These things were never even your fault. We did wrong by you first. When we were younger, you gave us lots of care and consideration, and we saw all of it. Our parents treated the three of us better than they did towards you. I always tell Ah Mo that I shouldn¡¯t need to feel any regret. After all, what did the other children have that I didn¡¯t?¡±

    Mu Lingshi felt strongly about this. She breathed in, then sighed. ¡°Brother, some things really go beyond blood rtions, not just in romantic rtionships but in kinships too. I¡¯m grateful that I could grow up in the Mu family. I¡¯m thankful that I didn¡¯t fall into having a warped mindset because of everything. I¡¯m grateful for all the positive energy that you all brought me, to allow me to grow in a space with optimism and peace as I face this world.¡±

    ¡°Lingshi, you¡¯ve changed a lot in the past two years. It makes me feel like you¡¯ve really grown up, you¡¯re no longer the little girl that needs your brother¡¯s protection.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face flushed with dness.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve grown up, Brother! I know that everyone hasn¡¯t been doing well these past few years, and it all revolves around the incidents with my mother and Lingtian. We im that these things are in the past, but actually everyone¡¯s been holding onto them to the point that they¡¯ve be a scar in our hearts that can reopen anytime and bleed once again just like how it was with Grandmother.¡±

    She sighed and suddenly looked up at Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face. Then, she slowly held his hand that had fallen by his side. ¡°Brother, these nightmares should leave us now. I trust that you feel the same. After Grandmother left us, our hearts have since been empy. I¡¯ve been thinking these days that perhaps we should think about it from a different perspective.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up silently at her, waiting for her to continue.

    ¡°Lingtian may not have left without any guilt towards you. Even though there was a misunderstanding between Lingtian and you, I feel like he wasn¡¯t all that bad. Whatever Qi Feng told you, it doesn¡¯t matter if they are real or not. Whatever it is, Lingtian did let you down. At this point, you should just forgive him in your heart. I trust that he¡¯s hoping for your forgiveness from the other side too.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that he¡¯s hoping for my forgiveness and not resenting me for making him lose his life because of my insensitivity? Lingshi, guiltes from the heart. There¡¯s a reason for every oue, I am the reason, and Lingtian had suffered the consequences. I admit, that all these years I¡¯ve been gued by nightmares because of this incident, it was only after I married your sister-inw, that the situation improved.¡± Mu Yuchen silently drew his hand away and turned to his side to gaze out at the bright skies.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been looking for an excuse to relieve myself, Lingshi. I¡¯m not as strong as you think I am. I¡¯ve been looking for an outlet to release what I¡¯ve been holding on to, to let my weak self be free of it. You might not understand how I feel. Until you stop asking why, there¡¯s no need to advise me to be relieved of it.

    ¡°If it were in the past, I may still have been holding on to it, but right now, at least, I can face things with a calm heart.¡± This was the first time Mu Yuchen had expressed how he really felt. He had not been willing to face reality, but today he finally could do so calmly.

    ¡°If one day, Gu Qiwu asked you to forgive him, what would you do?¡± He suddenly changed the topic as his profound gaze looked straight at Mu Lingshi.

    Instantly, she froze, yet it was only a momentary thought before she shook her head. ¡°Nothing much would change. The way we are is pretty good. I don¡¯t need another father. After all, I¡¯m someone who holds onto grudges. If he wants me to forgive him and ept him, what would that make me? What about Mother, Lingtian, and Grandmother?¡±

    Mu Lingshi chuckled. ¡°Someone who has sinned as much as him doesn¡¯t deserve forgiveness.¡±

    ¡°There are three reasons he did that. Firstly, for the Gu family¡¯s assets. Secondly, for Doris, whom he loves. Perhaps this has never changed. Aunt was only a...Thirdly, to protect you.¡±

    No matter what, Mu Yuchen felt the need to tell Mu Lingshi about this.

    ¡°It¡¯s not important anymore, Brother. All that isn¡¯t important. From the moment I found out that Gu Qiwu was my father, nothing mattered anymore. Whatever happens, I¡¯ll forever be Mu Lingshi, and I¡¯ll always guard the Mu family.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone was so determined that Mu Yuchen could onlyugh and nod at her. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Brother¡ª¡± Then, Mu Lingshi fell weakly into Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms. ¡°Thank you for all your concern. Ah Mo and I are so lucky to have you in this lifetime!¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed softly without a word as he patted Mu Lingshi¡¯s shoulders softly.

    ...

    In the afternoon at the stairs by the South River, Xi Xiaye did not expect to bump into Qi Feng again.

    Previously, Mu Yuchen had told VP Zhang Lan to send over the blueprint. Coincidentally, she was having lunch with a business partner nearby, so she went over to take a look. She did not expect Qi Feng to be there too. It seemed like he was there to inspect the site.

    South River Project No. 2 was on the other side of Project No. 1¡¯s worksite that Glory World was in charge of. Standing on the stairs here gave one an overall view of the situation over there.

    Qi Feng seemed quite surprised to see Xi Xiaye. His charming face had a warm smile that gave one the feeling of being bathed in the spring breeze.

 Chapter 1141 - Reject (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1141: Reject (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye stood there silently while her brows were knitted slightly. Then, she closed the document in her hand before handing it to Xiao Mei.

    ¡°We meet again, Miss Xi,¡± Qi Feng greeted politely as if there was no evident conflict between him and Mu Yuchen. He acted as if he were an intimate friend with Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye paused, then nodded.

    When Qi Feng saw that hint of vignce in her eyes, the curve of his lips widened. He lifted a hand to gesture for Morrison to stop, and the man consciously stood aside.

    ¡°Interested in a chat?¡± Even though he asked, Qi Feng had already pressed the button to move forward, so his wheelchair slowly moved closer to her.

    While Xi Xiaye did not answer, Xiao Mei knowingly stopped and looked silently at her boss, afraid that Qi Feng would do something. Only after Xi Xiaye gave her a look that told her not to worry, she then felt at ease and moved quietly to the side.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see the two of you at the wedding. I was a little disappointed, Miss Xi.¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t make it, but the gifts did. Those were our kind regards since we were busy, but I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t be thinking of the two of us because of that, were you, Master Qi?¡± she answered in a poised and dignified manner.

    With a calm smile, he stopped what he was doing and stopped the wheelchair. ¡°You have to put up your guard. Even though I did some things against Mu Yuchen, I have a clear distinction between what I love and what I hate. Every evil deed has its instigator, but I wouldn¡¯t put that on you. In fact, my daughter fancies you, so at the very least, you are a good person to me.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye raised her brows in amusement at Qi Feng and was surprised when he suddenly mentioned those things.

    She did not hide her dissatisfaction with Qi Feng at all and calmly voiced out her thoughts, ¡°No, Master Qi, I know about all sorts of grudges between you and Ah Chen. I do also take on his burdens for the so-called responsibilities. In fact, I¡¯m not a good person. I¡¯m always wishing for threatening people like you to disappear, including Gu Lingsha and the rest.¡±

    ¡°Do you know about everything between me and Mu Yuchen? Has he told you all about it? Including Mu Lingtian, his marriage contract with Shasha, and why I ended up like this?¡± Qi Feng smiled faintly and fixed his gaze on her.

    Although she did not answer, her bright eyes already answered him. Qi Feng asked in his low and raspy voice, ¡°Miss Xiaye, do you believe in karma?¡± His eyes were filled with a light that flickered from dark to light, making him seem sly and unpredictable to Xi Xiaye.

    She thought about it for a moment, then answered calmly, ¡°Only if it applies to you, then I believe in it.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± When Qi Feng heard that, an evil smile flitted across his handsome face. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m probably a heinous man to you.

    ¡°Before this, I didn¡¯t seem to understand why Qi Lei would be so different from the way he was six years ago, but right now, I seem to get it. I heard that you¡¯ve made things difficult for Shasha quite a few times now, hmm?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s eyes were filled with probing as he looked at Xi Xiaye mysteriously.

    ¡°Are you nning on how to seek justice for her?¡±

    ¡°Seek justice?¡±

    Qi Feng raised his handsome brows, then smiled to say, ¡°Do I look like the kind of person who¡¯d haggle over every petty thing? Besides, our rtionship right now is quite subtle, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Subtle rtionship? Xi Xiaye squinted.

    ¡°Whether or not you want to admit it, no one can change the fact that Shasha and Mu Lingshi are sisters. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Qi Feng challenged.

    Upon hearing that, a light shed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. She stared at Qi Feng, and her hands that fell to her sides were tensed gently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re saying all of this to me.¡± She did not want to beat around the bush with him. Her instincts told her that the man before her was someone hard to read, and she did not like interacting with people like him, what more with Qi Feng who had so much against Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any intentions. I just want to make a deal with you and I wonder if you¡¯d be interested.¡± Qi Feng raised his brows and smiled faintly at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested. I won¡¯t be interested in any deals with you. If you want to pick on Lingshi¡¯s matter, I can tell you that my position is solid, and I¡¯ll approach it however Mu Yuchen does. If you want to talk about a deal, you should just talk to him.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was not a fool. She did not need to show off her abilities because she trusted that Mu Yuchen would have his own ns. If she made a move rashly, it might mess his ns up.

    Upon hearing her reply, Qi Feng only smiled calmly and did not say anything more. He then slowly turned around in his wheelchair.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, I don¡¯t have ill intentions. I knew about Gu Qiwu and Doris too. Mu Yuchen is capable, but I hope he won¡¯t regret this decision. Perhaps, one day you¡¯ll regret rejecting my offer of a deal today.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s raspy voice contained a faint coldness that reached her ears. Although it was a zing hot day, Xi Xiaye could not help but shudder. The moment Xiao Mei saw that, she quickly went up to hand Xi Xiaye a coat.

    ¡°CEO Xi, put this on first. The breeze by the river¡¯s a little cool.¡±

    Xi XIaye silently watched Qi Feng vanish ahead. A solemn expression gathered on her face. After a while, she took the coat.

    ¡°Master, Xi Xiaye is so disrespectful! How about I get someone to give her a little lesson? That way, Mu Yuchen will also be worried. Hmph, how terribly rude of her!¡± Morrison¡¯s cold voice voiced out. He had heard most of the conversation from earlier.

    ¡°No need for that. Besides, are you sure you can touch her?¡± Qi Feng looked up at the staircase where two ck-clothed bodyguards were watching from above.

    ¡°She¡¯s Mu Yuchen¡¯s Achilles heel. Unless absolutely necessary, let¡¯s not touch her. Besides, to make a move on a woman isn¡¯t what I want. Furthermore, she¡¯s a special woman...¡±

    After that, Qi Feng chuckled. ¡°Did we get any news from Professor Terl?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯lle over to treat you, Master. As long as you¡¯re willing to go with their recovery n, they¡¯re very confident about helping you walk again!¡±

 Chapter 1142 - Going After Dongfang Liuyun? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1142: Going After Dongfang Liuyun? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Morrison¡¯s words made Qi Feng look much happier. He silently looked down at his own legs, and after a long while, his lips curved upwards.

    ¡°These legs have lost sensation for six years now. In these past six years, I¡¯ve forgotten how it¡¯s like to stand.¡± You could hear a coldness in his raspy voice. When Morrison turned to look at him, it was not hard to catch a hint of darkness in Qi Feng¡¯s eyes.

    Morrison knew what Qi Feng was thinking, so he could not help but sigh. ¡°Master, you¡¯ll get better. Six years have passed us by. Whatever happens, we can¡¯t just resign ourselves to this adversity.¡±

    Resign to adversity?

    When he heard these words, Qi Feng revealed a stern smile.

    There was no such thing as resigning to adversities in his dictionary of life! As the saying went, legitimacy belonged to the victor. In his fight with Mu Yuchen, it was still early to see who would be getting thestugh!

    1What was the best way to get rid of resentment?

    He would let that person have a taste of suffering that was many, many more times than what he had gone through!

    If God gave him another hint of hope again this time, did that mean that God did not actually abandon him and still looked over him? Was God letting him have hope to be able to stand again?

    Would he be able to stand on his feet again? Could he?

    Qi Feng thought about it as he hands were already tightly on his knees, gripping onto them. The light in his eyes instantly became a little sharper.

    If he could, then...

    When he saw that Qi Feng did not reply, Morrison asked another question, ¡°Master, what should we do about Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s matter?¡±

    Morrison¡¯s voice was heard once again, then Qi Feng snapped back from his trance. He breathed in slightly and turned to look at the river surface that reflected the sunset afterglow. He paused for a moment, then responded, ¡°That¡¯s between the two of them. There¡¯s nothing we need to do. We¡¯ll just sit back and rx. At this time, choosing anyone¡¯s side won¡¯t benefit us, so our best strategy is to maintain neutral. Of course, we¡¯ll see how things are on Shasha¡¯s end.¡±

    ¡°But, Master, I heard that Doris is nning on getting a divorce with Gu Qiwu who¡¯s already grounded her. I heard she¡¯s been looking for awyer to draft the divorce papers for her. If the two of them get a divorce, I¡¯m worried that it won¡¯t benefit us much!¡±

    Morrison frowned and continued, ¡°In fact, there¡¯s also Mu Lingshi now, we can¡¯t be sure about Gu Qiwu¡¯s attitude just yet. Right now, with Doris¡¯s scandal, we can¡¯t guarantee that Gu Qiwu won¡¯t just acknowledge Mu Lingshi. When that timees...the advantage that Mu Lingshi would have might far surpass our young Missus!¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened, then he grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this. Even if wepromise, I don¡¯t see that anyone will be willing. Has Qi Lei been doing anything recently?¡± He changed the topic, and his gaze averted from the surface of the river back to Morrison.

    Morrison inhaled and quickly responded, ¡°For now, we don¡¯t see him doing anything out of the ordinary. Apart from going to work every day, we don¡¯t see him interacting with anyone else. Oh, a few days ago, he seemed to have been hard on Xi Xinyi for a bit. I tried to find out and heard that Xi Xinyi had some conflict with Xi Xiaye before this. Even though her status in thepany has improvedpared to before, that¡¯s also because we have to see who Xi Xinyi is under! Yue Hai¡¯s capabilities aren¡¯t weak. Isn¡¯t she embarrassing Yue Hai by doing that?¡±

    ¡°Yue Hai¡¯s recent behavior has been odd. The old man¡¯s current state is worrying me as well. Find a chance to ask Yue Hai out. I¡¯d like to talk to him. Also, watch Xi Xinyi. Shasha has been saying that she¡¯s useful as well.¡±

    Morrison quickly nodded in understanding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I got it! I¡¯ll pay attention to that.¡±

    ¡°Leave now,¡± Qi Feng said before quietly looking up the stairs. Xi Xiaye and Xiao Mei had already vanished.

    ...

    The weather that evening was great. The sunset covered half the sky in red while the entire city became busy amidst the intoxicating life.

    After working hard for an entire day, it was finally time for work to end.

    In the lobby of Qi Kai Corporation, Qi Lei had just finished a day¡¯s work when he walked out of thepany building, feeling relieved.

    It was finally Friday again. He thought about it before looking down at the thick books in his hand. He was nning on going straight to the city library.

    He had been going to the library and museum quite a lot recently as one of the ways to pass time. Otherwise, he would be ying games with Dongfang Liuyun, but she seemed to be busy and had not been online for a few days now. Since he was bored ying alone, he would just end the game abruptly.

    It was going to be a weekend of rest since matters at City B had been going well. On Chenye Movies and Television¡¯s end, those old fellows were secretly handling things. Right then, apart from supervising, he would be busy with the design blueprints, thus he had been going to the library quite a lot.

    The city library was located in the city center, nearer to the north of the city where it was quiet and secluded. There were quite a few parks around the area.

    Qi Lei drove over and parked his car at a nearby park. Then, he walked through the park to the library. Usually, he would go alone, but that day, he had Yang Sheng with him.

    When they walked over the stone arch bridge in the park, Yang Sheng saw people leisurely dancing at the za below them, and he could not help but suggest, ¡°Master Qi, today¡¯s sunset¡¯s pretty nice. How about we sit down and rest for a bit? It won¡¯t be toote to go to the libraryter when there are fewer people. It only closes at 9.30 p.m. You¡¯ve been very busy recently as well and you should take the time to rx.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m considered quite free these past few days. They¡¯re all caught up in the mess, so they haven¡¯te disturbing me, and I finally get to enjoy momentary peace,¡± Qi Lei answered leisurely with both hands in his pocket as he walked unhurriedly across the bridge.

    Yang Sheng tried to probe his expression as he squinted at Qi Lei before saying softly, ¡°Master Qi, Manager Gu did call you before this, but I rejected her. With the way things yed out, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s not doing very well.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, he slowly stopped walking.

 Chapter 1143 - Go After Dongfang Liuyun? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1143: Go After Dongfang Liuyun? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Yang Sheng saw that, he subconsciously stopped walking.

    Qi Lei paused for a long while, before saying, ¡°Next time, tell me less about her. Just reject everything.¡± His expression was apathetic. Then, he sighed and continued walking ahead.

    A smile crossed Yang Sheng¡¯s face, then he quickly went up to him. ¡°Yes! Master Qi! I got it. I¡¯ll pay attention to more of Miss Dongfang¡¯s news! Oh, right, Master Qi, Miss Dongfang seems to frequent this library too. This library has a great collection. In fact, she studies archaeology and she really likesing over to research ancient texts. She seemed to be looking into some recently discovered artifacts from the West as well. The research institute called her over for it...¡±

    Yang Sheng paid close attention to Dongfang Liuyun, thus he knew all the news about her very well.

    You could not me him. When he was investigating Dongfang Liuyun, he felt that she was pretty marvelous. In fact, Master Qi seemed interested in her as well, thus he took the initiative to pay closer attention, hoping that some sort of fireworks would happen between the two of them. That way, CEO Wang, who had passed away, could be smiling from where she was!

    Yang Sheng had journeyed alongside Wang Qin before this, so he was loyal to her. Wang Qin was his patron, and because of his gratitude, he was exceptionally meticulous with Qi Lei¡¯s matters.

    Yang Sheng was probably one of the very few people who truly cared for Qi Lei.

    ¡°The research institute called her over?¡± Qi Lei muttered and looked at Yang Sheng in surprise with a meaningful gaze, but he did not expose himself either. Was that she had been busy with recently?

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Yes, Master Qi. I think the research institute is nearby too.¡±

    ¡°You do know a lot about her,¡± Qi Lei smiled faintly as he said.

    ¡°Master Qi, Miss Dongfang¡¯s quite great and is so beautiful. She has a good family background too. All her criteria fit your standards. Don¡¯t you feel some kind of way when you look at her?¡± Yang Sheng lowered his voice and said softly.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows raised and a devilish smile shed across his face. ¡°What? What feeling? What kind of way?¡±

    ¡°The kind of feeling when a man sees a woman...when you feel an increase secretion of hormones like an electric shock!¡±

    ¡°No good words are to be expected from a scoundrel! Do I look like a pervert without integrity to you? When have I ever not maintained a cool gentleman demeanor in front of women? Don¡¯t look at me with such a vulgar look!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you keep going around calling her your wife. What integrity do you have?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a game! Do you understand? Reality isn¡¯t the same. To curry her favor, I even lost a few millions worth of equipment.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, I think you and Miss Dongfang are quitepatible. She really is great. If the two of you could live together and go to work, then go home to y some games like DOTA or something at night, don¡¯t you find that quite a good life? Aren¡¯t you looking forward to it?¡± Yang Sheng smiled dazzlingly and fixed his gaze on Qi Lei.

    ¡°Are you saying I should go after Dongfang Liuyun?¡± Qi Lei squinted at Yang Sheng as he smiled softly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like Miss Dongfang in that way?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled but did not answer Yang Sheng¡¯s question. Instead, he took out his car keys and tossed them to him. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t want to think about this woman right now. Help me send my car for maintenance. I probably won¡¯t be going out for the next two days, so I won¡¯t need it. I¡¯ll just go over myself.¡±

    Then, before Yang Sheng could reply, he quickened his steps.

    After a while, Yang Sheng shouted at Qi Lei¡¯s back, ¡°Master Qi, how are you going to go home?¡±

    ¡°The subway!¡± Qi Lei retorted, then his tall figure vanished in the shadyne into the woods ahead.

    When he reached the library, the sky had already darkened and the lights in the library were bright.

    There were quite a lot of people who usually frequented the library since there was a great collection of books. Recently, the city had been encouraging everyone to read, and there were many new additions to the library as well as donations. Of course, Qi Lei personally donated some materials too. The new storeroom for new books was already full.

    It was dinner time, so there were not many people in the library. He swiped his card and passed through the front desk, took a bookmark, then went straight to the fourth floor where the new books were stored. What Qi Lei needed to refer to were located there. There was also arge study table that could be used to thumb through materials and take down notes. Qi Lei usually went straight to the fourth floor.

    The fourth floor was naturally empty right now. Qi Lei went to the shelf on construction and nned to borrow a few books home to pass his time, yet just as he was taking a book off the shelf, he suddenly heard a cheerful voice.

    ¡°Teacher Dongfang! Teacher Dongfang! Is that really you?¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, he immediately spun to the source of the sound. What greeted his sight were two girls holding books in their arms. They looked innocent and were probably students from the university nearby. However, beyond those two students was a beautifully elegant woman!

    Dressed in a ck off-shoulder cotton dress while her long dark hair was casually tied into azy bun with a hairpin, her beautiful face was on full disy. She also wore an exquisitely vintage jade bracelet on her slender wrist. She had a low-profile and was charged with an Eastern woman¡¯s mysteriously beautiful charisma as if she had just walked out of a painting.

    The two girls¡¯ eyes were fixated on her as they smiled shyly at her. With such graceful mannerisms, who else could it be but Dongfang Liuyun?

    She seemed to be researching something at the moment. The table was filled with books that were flipped open beside a notebook, a magnifying ss, and a pen...

    When those two young girls called out to her, she slowly looked up to them. Upon seeing the two smiling girls, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were filled with puzzlement instead as she looked at them calmly.

    ¡°Teacher Dongfang! It¡¯s really you! How glorious! I¡¯m finally seeing you in person! We¡¯re students from University A. Thest time when you came to our school to do an academic lecture, I was there too. You gave such a great lecture, Teacher Dongfang. You¡¯re amazing! I bought all your books on archaeology as well. Oh, I like you a lot! Teacher Dongfang, can you sign something for me?¡±

    Those two girls were clearly quite excited and their eyes practically lit up as they stared at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ...

    Qi Lei crossed his arms in amusement as he leisurely leaned against the shelf and quietly watched this scene before him.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction was quite calm. She was easygoing and gave an autograph to those two young girls.

 Chapter 1144 - Go After Dongfang Liuyun? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1144: Go After Dongfang Liuyun? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Do teachers have personal cults too?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was about to continue working when suddenly there was a chuckle. She looked up and Qi Lei¡¯s tall figure greeted her sight. She raised her brows in surprise because she did not expect to bump into him here.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Her cold voice questioned. In the next second, she quietly averted her gaze and continued flipping through the materials in her hand.

    Qi Lei shrugged as he put the book back where it came from and walked towards her.

    ¡°I alwayse here to get some books to pass the time, but I never thought that you¡¯d be here too!¡± He walked to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side and pulled open a chair to sit as he stared at the items on her table. She seemed to be referring to a document about a trantion that looked like scribbles to Qi Lei.

    ¡°I don¡¯t usuallye here, but I heard that there are quite a lot of documents for referencing here, so I came over to take a look.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you online in quite a few days now. I was wondering where you went.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that I could live every day so idly like you, Master Qi?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said and stopped what she was doing. She silently began to tidy up the items on the table. ¡°I¡¯m going back first. You take your time here.¡±

    She had already been here for almost a whole day now from morning till right now and had not even had lunch. Right then, she felt her stomach rumbling with hunger. If she did not look for something to eat, she would probably go dizzy at any moment.

    Dongfang Liuyun had always been a workaholic. Once she started working, she would lose track of time, like today. This was amon urrence.

    ¡°Have you been here the entire day?¡± Qi Lei seemed to have understood something and asked in surprise.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Dongfang Liuyun kept everything away and put her own things into a huge sling bag before she slowly got up and turned to look at him.

    Qi Lei raised his brows. He thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°It¡¯s about time. How about I treat you to dinner? I wonder if you would give me the honor, Miss Liuyun?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun gave it a thought, then shook her head. ¡°I probably don¡¯t have time tonight. I¡¯m meeting some friends to y ball, so I probably can¡¯t make it in time.¡±

    ¡°y ball? With this body of yours? y ball?¡± Qi Lei was doubtful as he sized her up.

    Dongfang Liuyun shot him a side look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my body? If we were to y, you might not be able to beat me.¡±

    ¡°Might not? I don¡¯t believe that!¡±

    ¡°You can try!¡±

    ...

    Once Qi Lei got a taste of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s skills, he immediately surrendered!

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ball was actually referring to snooker. They yed at a nearby club.

    When they went over, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s friends had already begun, but when they saw her going over, they immediately went up to her. Their eyes were filled with respect. Of course, there was even adoration that Qi Lei could see quite clearly.

    ¡°This is Ah Jin. He¡¯s the boss of this club. That¡¯s Wang Xueyi. He¡¯s an expert, and the rest are friends that I got to know here. Usually, when we¡¯re bored on Fridays, wee over to y one or two games. Whoever loses needs to pay for dinner.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave Qi Lei a brief introduction to her friends.

    The men called Ah Jin and Wang Xueyi both looked like quite tall men, especially the club owner, Ah Jin. When he saw that Dongfang Liuyun had brought Qi Lei over, he did not look pleased, but she just pretended that she did not see that.

    ¡°Qi Lei¡¯s my friend. Don¡¯t bully him. He¡¯s here to watch us y.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun finished the introductions, the man called Ah Jin immediately smiled and said to Qi Lei, clearly trying to provoke him, ¡°Since you¡¯re Dongfang¡¯s friend, why don¡¯t you y a little? I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re quite good as well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took it all in and frowned. Before Qi Lei responded, she immediately said coldly, ¡°Do you want me to y with you? If you lose, then the bills for the next three months will be on you, alright?¡±

    ¡°Dongfang, I...¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the guts, then don¡¯t put up a front in front of me. You know that I always look down on people like that,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said that without any tact. She turned to look at Qi Lei beside him, then lowered her voice to say, ¡°Don¡¯t take his words to heart. He¡¯s like that, always thinking that he¡¯s all that.¡±

    Then, she put down the bag on her shoulders onto the chair and took the cue stick to start ying.

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He ignored the other people and sat down on a stool, casually watching Dongfang Liuyun y.

    However, it would have been better if he had not watched her because he was shocked by her amazing skills!

    Seven in a row!

    Eight in a row!

    She tortured all her little friends.

    No wonder when she walked in earlier, they had gaped at her like she was a goddess.

    Dongfang Liuyun was a master at many games.

    Qi Lei quietly drew a conclusion about her. In fact, she seemed to have quite a reputation among this group of people.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun stopped after ying only two games, then her hunger made her frown. Her old problem was troubling her again!

    ...

    ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯ll go get you some medicine!¡±

    On the bench by the roadsidete at night, Qi Lei looked concernedly at the woman who walked out of the club grimacing in pain as she sat down only after walking for a long while.

    Dongfang Liuyun breathed in, lifted a hand slightly, and stopped Qi Lei. ¡°I¡±m fine. I¡¯m just getting gastritis from being too hungry. It¡¯s an old issue. There¡¯s a pretty good restaurant in front. Let me catch my breath and I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t care about your health, huh?¡± Qi Lei reached out to help her take her heavy bag and said in a lowered voice.

    The night breeze was a little cold as it gotter. When Qi Lei saw that she was wearing a flimsy dress, he thought about it, then took off his coat to pass to her.

    When she saw the zer, Dongfang Liuyun paused and slowly looked up at him. Her clear eyes seemed surprised, but she was only momentarily stunned before she quickly rejected it. ¡°No need.¡±

    She was never used to people worrying for her and rarely epted kind intentions from others.

    ¡°Put it on. It¡¯s a little cold right now. I¡¯m not telling you to be my girlfriend. What are you worried about? I¡¯m just showing off my chivalry to a beautiful and excellent woman,¡± Qi Lei stated as he put the coat onto herp, then slowly turned around to sit beside her.

 Chapter 1145 - Considerate Prince Charming (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1145: Considerate Prince Charming (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The dim yellow streetlights bathed the ground. From time to time, some cars would drive past, and the air had the faint presence of a cool wind.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked down at the coat on herp, thought about it, and did not reject it. She casually picked it up and put it over her shoulders. Then, she turned to the man beside her and said calmly, ¡°Thank you! You¡¯re a qualified gentleman.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei chuckled and teased her, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m qualified. I¡¯m only a gentleman to gorgeous women.¡±

    ¡°How practical of you, but I do admire your honesty. At least, you¡¯re better than those hypocritical people.¡± Dongfang Liuyun abruptly averted her gaze and looked towards the busy road.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you quite honest and frank yourself?¡± Qi Lei recalled the time she called out that man called Ah Jin earlier.

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to know what he was thinking about and sheughed calmly. ¡°Well, that depends on who I¡¯m talking to. You need to make things clear with some people. Otherwise, they will be egoistic and have an exaggerated opinion of their own abilities.¡±

    ¡°You always hit the nail on the head. You might easily make others unhappy. Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± Qi Lei stared at her, a little surprised while a meaningful light gathered in his gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing to get straight to the point. People nowadaysck that genuinity. Of course, someone like me wouldn¡¯t be good socializing with those in your scene. I¡¯m considered half a schr now. Most schrs are like this, so in my father¡¯s words, I¡¯m destined to be someone who isn¡¯t going to achieve much in life.¡±

    When she said this, she seemed a little helpless as she sighed and slowly propped herself up to stand. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Let¡¯s go find some food. It¡¯s right up front.¡±

    Then, before Qi Lei could answer, she just continued walking ahead.

    The streetlights stretched her long shadow out. When Qi Lei looked up, he seemed to be in a stupor. After a while, he gently picked up his bag and silently followed after her.

    ...

    After she exined what Mu Yuchen wanted to Detective Zhang, thetter hesitated for a moment but agreed to Xi Xiaye¡¯s request in the end. When the two of them left the area, it was already getting dark.

    Xi Xiaye did not return to Maple Residence immediately. Instead, she went back to get some documents from Fuhua before heading home.

    The sky waspletely dark at this point. Mu Yuchen had called from home several times to prompt her now, so Xi Xiaye was looking forward to going home. She took her bag and rushed to leave the office.

    However, she had just stepped out of the elevator when the receptionist respectfully walked up to her. ¡°CEO Xi, the florist has sent over flowers for you!¡±

    Flowers?

    Xi Xiaye frowned, then looked to the receptionist where a bouquet of beautiful yellow roses immediately greeted her sight.

    Yellow roses?

    Who would send her these?

    Mu Yuchen?

    The first person Xi Xiaye thought of was her man.

    However, that was not right. Her man would never send her these flowers as he would either send red or blue roses. What would these flowers mean?

    Surprised, Xi Xiaye then walked over and took the bouquet from the receptionist. She examined it for a while then asked, ¡°Who sent this?¡±

    Thedy at the receptionist shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was the florist that sent it over. Oh, right, I think there¡¯s a card!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye looked around and found a light yellow envelope inside.

    She handed the bouquet to the receptionist before swiftly opening the envelope. She saw a beautiful card inside which said: <i>To apologize for my behavior. Please understand I have no ill intentions!</i>

    Signed by, Qi Feng!

    When the two characters entered Xi Xiaye¡¯s sight. She immediately frowned and her twinkling eyes were filled with suspicion!

    What did Qi Feng mean by this?

    She looked in confusion at this card for a long time, then finally sighed. She nodded to the receptionist and waved the card in her hand before saying calmly, ¡°Got it. Keep the flowers for yourself.¡±

    Then, she walked to the entrance, and her frail figure very quickly vanished out the door.

    Outside the door, a bodyguard had already arranged for a car toe over. When he saw Xi Xiaye, he quickly opened the car door for her and she quietly got in while pondering why Qi Feng had done that.

    When she returned home, it was already past 8 p.m. and only Mu Yuchen was left at home. Mu Yinan had brought Mu Xiaocheng straight back to the old Mu residence. Since Mu Yinan said that it was too quiet alone, Mu Yuchen was considerate about his feelings and he let Aunt Fang and Sis Wang go over with him. That way, it would be easier to take care of Mu Xiaocheng too.

    After the husband and wife finished a simple dinner, Mu Yuchen went upstairs. Xi Xiaye put away the dishes, went upstairs for a shower, then decided that she should tell him about it, so she took the card and slowly pushed open the door to the study room.

    The study room was quiet. The man was sitting still and upright before his desk, focused on the document before him.

    When he heard the door open, he quickly looked up at the door. Upon seeing her slender figure standing at the door, he put down the document and reached out to her as he said softly, ¡°Come over!¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it before carefully walking over.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look like you¡¯ve had something on your mind the whole night. If I don¡¯t ask you, were you not nning on telling me, hmm?¡± His sensitive and soft voice was heard. In the next instant, he pulled her to sit on hisp.

    Xi Xiaye steadied herself and turned to say to him calmly, ¡°Could you tell that something was on my mind?¡±

    ¡°I could already roughly guess what you¡¯re thinking. Do you think I wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell?¡± He shot her a side look.

    ¡°You make yourself sound as if you¡¯re God. Can you tell me what¡¯s on my mind then?¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him, not to be outdone.

    ¡°That I really don¡¯t know. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be asking.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that sheughed gently and rolled her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell you about this at first, but I can¡¯t figure it out myself, so I¡¯ll tell you and you figure it out for me.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What is it that could stump you? Tell me. I¡¯ll help you analyze it!¡± Mu Yuchen looked happily at her while he leaned back leisurely against the chair.

 Chapter 1146 - Considerate Prince Charming (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1146: Considerate Prince Charming (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye smiled dly at him. She pondered for a moment, then sighed softly and lowered her gaze.

    ¡°VP Zhang Lan sent over the blueprints a while ago and I had a business lunch near the South River at the same time, so I went to take a look.¡±

    He casually took the water from aside and handed it to her, but she shook her head, so he took a sip and asked, ¡°Mmm? Was there a problem?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the project. With VP Zhang Lan and the rest supervising, I¡¯ve got no concerns. Since I was at Glory World, VP Zhang Lan and VP Liu are great at their work. I personally admire them very much. With their effectiveness, it¡¯s your honor to be their boss.¡± Xi Xiaye was not stingy with her praises of the two people.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had such a good impression of the two of them. Is this considered swaying me through pillow talk? Do I need to increase their sries?¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled as he watched her. He seemed happy like he was really enjoying their time right now. His long arms tightened around her waist, and his deep eyes revealed a hint of doting.

    ¡°That¡¯s up to you. If I wasn¡¯t worried that you¡¯d be too exhausted, I wouldn¡¯t have poached them...¡±

    ¡°Poached them? You might as well poach me. If you poached me, they¡¯d be yours.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious! Hey, Mr. Mu, how about we merge Fuhua and Glory World? You can oversee them, and at least, I¡¯ll be more assured. I think it¡¯s a pretty good idea to be grouped into a financial group. In fact, our interests don¡¯t sh. I don¡¯t want to take on such a hugepany myself. Given my personality, I¡¯m not suitable to be the highest level decision-maker.¡± Xi Xiaye pondered over the reasons and could not help but share her thoughts with him.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you doing very well right now? It¡¯s like letting you handle one of thepanies under Glory World. Don¡¯t you have the confidence?¡± He shot her a side look.

    ¡°This has nothing to do with confidence, okay? Sigh, forget it. Let¡¯s not discuss that problem for now. Let¡¯s talk about today. I¡¯ve already exined things to Detective Zhang, so it should be fine, but today I met something puzzling. Do you know who I bumped into at the South River stairs?¡± Xi Xiaye waved a hand and paused for a bit although she did not forget what she wanted to talk about.

    ¡°Who?¡± he asked with curiosity now.

    ¡°I bumped into Qi Feng,¡± she said as her long eyshes fluttered to look up and meet his eyes. ¡°He knows about Gu Qiwu and Doris, and Ah Shi too. He said some things about Lingtian as well as about you and him...¡±

    Mu Yuchen fell silent while Xi Xiaye could feel that his arms around her waist seemed to have be slightly rigid.

    ¡°Is that so? What did he say about me?¡± Mu Yuchen asked calmly. You could tell that his eyes had turned cold.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I know that he has a deep resentment for you. I¡¯m really worried if he¡¯ll do something to you. He says that he wants to make a deal with me, but I rejected him. He said that one day we might regret everything we¡¯re doing today. Right now, I¡¯m feeling a little uneasy. Oh, right, when I finished work in the evening, he even got someone to send me a bouquet of flowers. This is the card he wrote. Look at it. I don¡¯t quite understand what he means,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she swiftly handed the card to him.

    Mu Yuchen paused and frowned down at the card for a long while before he slowly took it. He looked quietly at the line of words as a chill shed across his handsome face and gloominess gathered in his eyes too.

    ¡°Mr. Mu...¡± When she saw that he did not speak in a long time, Xi Xiaye softly called out to him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look too good.¡±

    He breathed in. The emotions that he revealed were quickly hidden as he returned to calmness from before. Then, he casually tore up the card and tossed it into the bin. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t be in touch with him anymore. It¡¯s a good thing that you didn¡¯t hide what happened today from me. He¡¯s trying to get through to you. Is this all Qi Feng is capable of doing?¡± His voice was cold and filled with a hint of disdain.

    ¡°What¡¯s he trying to do, Mr. Mu?¡± Xi Xiaye did not quite understand.

    ¡°Not everyone is Gu Lingsha. He must have thought that he¡¯s at least gotten Gu Lingsha from me, but actually right from the start, I never nned on getting to know her. There shouldn¡¯t be any grudges between me and him. If we were really to talk about anything between us, it would only be about Gu Lingsha. Back then, Doris set her heart on my marriage with Gu Lingsha, and this has always made Qi Feng unhappy,¡± Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to massage between his brows as he exined a little helplessly.

    ¡°Could Qi Feng be so narrow-minded? Is he unhappy with you because of these things?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and said in annoyance.

    ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t just see that Qi Feng¡¯s being treated like the First Master of the Qi family although the rightful heir is actually Qi Lei? No matter how he¡¯s treated, when he goes out, he still has the identity of an illegitimate son. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s put in a lot of work to reach where he is today. I suddenly understand why he was so close to Lingtian. Perhaps it was because they could rte to each other. That would¡¯ve been understandable.¡±

    ¡°But, Mr. Mu, do you really believe that Lingtian would do that to you for Glory World?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but ask.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes and fell silent for a moment before responding, ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe that he would, but...¡±

    At this, he stopped, his expression seemed deste.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be sad about this anymore. To think about it, I can actually understand. It¡¯s like me and Xi Xinyi. Mr. Mu, now that I ponder about it, our experiences are exceptionally simr. Sometimes, I see my pitiful self within you. Whatever it is, right now we¡¯ll just do things with a clear conscience, right?¡±

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re right!¡± After that he smiled and responded humbly.

    ¡°As long as you remember that. It¡¯s going to be the Ghost Festival soon. I want to visit Grandfather then...and also Grandmother and the rest...I haven¡¯t paid respects to them in a while now.¡±

    Xi Jiyang and Deng Wenwen...

    Sometimes, when she thought about it, it felt like a very, very long while had passed, and recalling it made it all feel as if it were a dream.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know that you have some things on your mind too, so I¡¯ll just go by myself.¡±

 Chapter 1147 - Considerate Prince Charming (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1147: Considerate Prince Charming (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen could obviously hear what she was implying, and a faint smile was disyed on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Perhaps all those will soon pass. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, I find that you¡¯re quite silly, Mr. Mu,¡± she said as she suddenly reached out to hold his handsome face. ¡°Our son is looking more and more like you. I hope that you can be like him too. Be more rxed and happy.¡±

    ¡°Our son is our son. How could his old man live a more rxed life than the son? But based on his naughty personality, we¡¯ll probably have lots to worry about. It¡¯s a good thing that Xiao Rui¡¯s sensible.¡±

    ¡°They all say that naughty children will make it big in the future as long as they don¡¯t be like those naughty sons of rich families. If they can be like you, I¡¯d be very satisfied,¡± Xi Xiaye quickly expressed her thoughts.

    ¡°Am I that excellent to you?¡± He squinted with some anticipation at her.

    ¡°Of course, Mr. Mu, you¡¯re a considerate Prince Charming. Of course, you¡¯re excellent. Hey, tomorrow night is CEO Hua of Hua Heng¡¯s birthday. Come with me...¡±

    ¡°Every time youpliment me with hidden motives, I know you want something!¡±

    ¡°Are you unwilling?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be my honor.¡±

    ...

    It was a dreamless night, and they had a good sleep until daylight.

    The next morning, when the first glimmer of dawn cast a mesmerizing soft light toward the boundless horizon, Xi Xiaye slowly woke up in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms. The man was still sleeping soundly.

    She carefully pulled his arm away from her waist, then quietly got up from the bed. After she washed up, she went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

    On this rare asion, he slept in and she did not have the heart to wake him up.

    Breakfast was not borate. She just prepared simple fried eggs and porridge with a few tes of side dishes.

    When Xi Xiaye was done, he was still nowhere in sight. She thought about it before going upstairs to call him.

    She pushed open the door to the bedroom, and indeed, he was still curled up underneath the nket fast asleep. Xi Xiaye turned to take a look at the clock on the wall and realized that it was almost 10 a.m., so she walked over and pulled the nket away.

    ¡°Quickly get up and wash up. It¡¯s time for breakfast. Since we have time today, I¡¯ll treat you to some health maintenance!¡±

    As she said that, the man, who still had both eyes shut earlier, immediately opened his eyes. His dark eyes examined Xi Xiaye and he said softly, ¡°I was more looking forward to my wife giving me health maintenance...¡±

    ¡°In your dreams! Get up! I¡¯ve already given the office a heads-up. We¡¯ve been busy with many things recently, but here I am caring for you, and you won¡¯t do me the honors? Quickly get up! I¡¯ll get you your clothes! What are you looking at? Hurry up!¡± Xi Xiaye was annoyed at him as she lifted a hand to smack him.

    ¡°Missus, I think that you have the potential to be a tiger mom¡ªOuch! I¡¯m up!¡±

    When the pillow flew over, Mu Yuchen quickly turned over and rolled off the bed before rushing straight for the bathroom.

    ...

    Mu Lingshi did not expect to bump into Gu Qiwu in the garden behind Hospital T.

    She did remember Mu Yuchen telling her about Gu Qiwu being hospitalized for something about gastrointestinal bleeding, but she heard that it was because he drank too much. Obviously, he had been drinking over Doris¡¯s matter.

    Mu Lingshi was there to check on the growth of her child. She had been in a poor mood for the past few days and was worried that it would affect her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Ah Mo was still listening to the doctor.

    On the quiet path, Gu Qiwu was being helped by Ah Yong. When he saw Mu Lingshi, his grave and stern face turned rigid. He had a mixed expression as he watched Mu Lingshi silently, and when he saw that she stayed quiet, he called out softly to her, ¡°Lingshi!¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression was as calm as water. She only took one look at him before looking away. Then, she slowly lowered her head and turned to walk away. She had nothing to say to Gu Qiwu. In fact, she did not want to see this man at all.

    When he saw Mu Lingshi walk past him, he subconsciously reached out, wanting to hold her, so Mu Lingshi was forced to stop.

    ¡°Can I help you? Mr. Gu?¡± Mu Lingshi looked up coldly and asked indifferently. Her voice had no hint of temperature at all.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ill intentions, and it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to acknowledge you, but you were really too impulsive this time. You...¡±

    ¡°Impulsive?¡± Before Gu Qiwu could finish, Mu Lingshi red at him with ridiculousness in her gaze. ¡°Are you mad at me for identally offending your precious wife? Or are you ming me for not letting your wife tell you about her pregnancy herself?¡±

    An indescribable struggle surfaced on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face as he said softly, ¡°Lingshi, you know that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s not what you meant, then what did you mean?¡± Mu Lingshiughed coldly and lowered her gaze apathetically, scoffing with disdain.

    ¡°Do you hate me?¡±

    ¡°No, I used to think that I should hate you, but right now, none of it is important, and I¡¯m toozy to hate anyone. You and my so-called mother are just a joke to me. Sometimes, I feel like the blood flowing in me is extremely dirty. It¡¯s such a tragic thing to be blood-rted to people like you.¡±

    When Mu Lingshi said this, she forced a smile, breathed in, and looked up at Gu Qiwu. ¡°I really wished that the person who had died was you, and not my innocent grandmother. At this point, I don¡¯t wish for you to do anything good. I just hope that you can let go of my brother. This request shouldn¡¯t be too difficult, is it? Can you do that?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi, Mu Yuchen and I¡ª¡±

    Before Gu Qiwu could finish, Mu Lingshi had already coldly mocked him, ¡°You don¡¯t have any grudges with Brother. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re going after the Mu family¡¯s assets, or if it¡¯s really for Mother or Lingtian, but all that shouldn¡¯t be taken out on Brother! Throughout this entire process, the worst sins you¡¯vemitted and the person who you hurt the most is Brother. Don¡¯t you understand? I don¡¯t understand why all of you keep putting the me on others for your own mistakes. Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t even have the guts to admit to your mistakes!

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that I grew up in the Mu family. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve been influenced to have your vices. I would¡¯ve been so ashamed that I¡¯d kill myself! Right now, you¡¯re the same as your daughter, Gu Lingsha. Today I will just say this here: if you¡¯re going to harm my brother and sister-inw on purpose, including anyone else from the Mu family, I won¡¯t let you go. Even if I die, I will protect them. I¡¯m not my mother. I¡¯ll go to the extreme and do anything!¡±

 Chapter 1148 - Loving The Wrong Person (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1148: Loving The Wrong Person (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Cold and determined, Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone sounded like cold, sharp needles to Gu Qiwu¡¯s ears. However, it only made him feel numb.

    Sometimes, she would really have rather never found out the truth. That way, she could at least have been left with some sense of delusion which would have been better than the father and daughter being enemies right now.

    ¡°Lingshi, I let you down, but please don¡¯t have such huge biases towards them, especially your mother. At least, she loved you. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have given birth to you and Lingtian. I¡¯m the one who let all of you down.¡± Gu Qiwu took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress the waves in his heart as he spoke raspily.

    ¡°Stop it with the crocodile tears. Don¡¯t you know that I find it disgusting to see you like this? I¡¯m pretty sure a woman who you kicked aside after you messed with her is worthless to you, so you don¡¯t have to defend her. I think that my mother was quite dumb. How could she have fancied you? She was the Mu family¡¯s beloved daughter, a superstar, but she abandoned herself and followed you. If I could choose, I would much rather I was never born. That way, Brother wouldn¡¯t be where he is now, and Grandmother would still be alive. It¡¯s a grave sin.¡±

    ¡°Enough, Lingshi! It was all my fault. Your mother¡¯s passed away. Why do you have to say such things about her? I admit that all these years, I owe you all too much. Your mother was only considering it from my perspective.¡±

    ¡°She considered things from your perspective, but have you ever thought about things from hers? Gu Qiwu, you don¡¯t deserve it too! You¡¯ve sinned, so one day you will have to pay and I¡¯m looking forward to your terrible end.¡±

    ¡°Miss Mu is right. When one has sinned, he will have to pay! Doesn¡¯t that mean that your so-called brother should also be repaying us for something?¡±

    Mu Lingshi had just finished when a crisp and stern voice came from behind them. Subconsciously, she turned to look.

    Dressed in a lc cotton dress with an exquisitely beautiful face and the mannerisms of en elegant woman, who else could it be but Gu Lingsha?

    Gu Lingsha was walking unhurriedly towards Mu Lingshi. There was a hint of calmness and disdain in her smile as she stared at Mu Lingshi coldly. Her eyes were filled cynicism.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression instantly sank!

    Gu Lingsha was her sister from the same father but a different mother!

    The fact that the two of them were rted in that manner was absurd enough. What was even more absurd was that Mu Lingtian had liked this woman back then!

    ¡°Repay you? What a joke! What has my brother done to you? Like mother, like daughter. You betrayed my brother first, and now you¡¯re speaking as if my brother let you down. Gu Lingsha, human skin is only so thick, but I didn¡¯t think that the thickness of your face was worth studying!¡±

    Mu Lingshi was not afraid of Gu Lingsha. She had not liked her for a while now since all sorts of misfortune and unhappiness werergely rted to her!

    ¡°Actually, women like you are the most annoying. You¡¯re always in two minds about things. Back then, my brother was already happy to let you and Qi Feng get together, but you thought that you were the Virgin Mary loved by all. Nevertheless, I do admit that you are a sacred green tea b*tch<sup>1</sup>. Did you really think that with your looks, my brother would fancy you? Take a look in the mirror. You flirted with Qi Feng and Qi Lei, and even Lingtian was used by you. In the end, you even tried to get a share of my brother although you didn¡¯t know that right from the start, I already thought that you don¡¯t suit him!¡±

    ¡°You...watch what you say!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression instantly turned gloomy.

    ¡°Besides that, back when my brother agreed to the marriage contract, I objected to it. I even told my mother that you don¡¯t suit him.¡±

    ¡°Whether or not I suit him isn¡¯t up to you.¡±

    ¡°A self-conscious person is much better. I already didn¡¯t like you the first time I saw you. Luckily, my views haven¡¯t changed all these years. Mu Lingtian died because of you. Have you made up for it by killing yourself? No, you pushed all the me onto my brother. Only you would be capable of that, Gu Lingsha!¡±

    Gu Qiwu could not bear listening to this, so he shouted, ¡°Enough, Lingshi, no need to keep going on about it!¡±

    Mu Lingshi shrugged with nonchnce. ¡°What differential treatment. Your son died because of your daughter. Why don¡¯t you look sad at all? If I had a daughter like this, I¡¯d die of shame. Gu Qiwu, your life is tragic!¡±

    ¡°Mu Lingshi, watch your words!¡± Gu Lingsha screamed with a stormy expression.

    Mu Lingshi sneered apathetically at the two of them, turned to a side, and walked past them. The two bodyguards quickly followed after her.

    ¡°Lingshi!¡± Gu Qiwu quickly spun around and called out to her.

    However, Mu Lingshi did not stop walking. She actually resented seeing this pair of father and daughter because, at the sight of them, she would be reminded of Mu Zi¡¯s tragedy, the unworthiness of Lingtian¡¯s death, and the joke of her existence.

    ...

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t think too much about it. It should¡¯ve been a happy day, so don¡¯t ruin your own mood because you bumped into them. I heard everything from earlier too.¡± Ah Mo caught up in a few huge strides to hold Mu Lingshi by her arm.

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m done caring about these things. The baby¡¯s doing well and is very healthy, so don¡¯t worry. Where did you go earlier? Did you need to talk to the doctor for so long?¡± She looked puzzled at him.

    A smile curved upon Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Nothing much. I just briefly tried to find out about their situation. Doris wants to get a divorce with Gu Qiwu, so she¡¯s been trying to get awyer recently, but he¡¯s grounded her. This is going to be good to watch.¡±

    ¡°Divorce, huh? Doris is quite a frank woman. I just wonder how Gu Qiwu will respond.¡±

    ¡°With Gu Qiwu¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t just let go of Doris so easily. Ah, do you think he¡¯s regretting his decision right now? If he had insisted on being with Mother, he wouldn¡¯t be where he is today. Mother had always been loyal towards him...¡±

    ¡°Loyal towards him? Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a tragic joke to be loyal towards someone and end up like this?¡±

    When Mu Lingshi said this, she sighed bitterly and looked up at the blue sky. After a long while, she said softly, ¡°Women are just afraid of loving the wrong person in their lifetime. Perhaps to a woman like Mother, love was her everything. Losing it meant that her heart died, thus she couldn¡¯t care less...¡±

 Chapter 1149 - Loving The Wrong Person (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1149: Loving The Wrong Person (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi fell silent and a faint sorrow could not help but be revealed on her face.

    Ah Mo understood. Even though she appeared strong, who could truly let go of something like this? The more Gu Qiwu sided with Doris and them, he only proved that he did not care about her, Mu Lingtian, or Mu Zi.

    All these years, she should have gotten used to it by now, yet¡ª

    ¡°Alright, Lingshi, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s all in the past now. Whether or not there was love is no longer important. To Mother, even if Gu Qiwu has even a sliver of feelings for her right now, she will nevere back.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s hands gently held Lingshi¡¯s frail shoulders and turned her around to face him. He lowered his head and said, ¡°I heard from Brother that rtionships and marriage are both just a gamble. It¡¯s not up to us to control whether we win or lose.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but she was too silly to have gambled in something with no end in sight, leaving those left behind in such a tight knot.¡± Mu Lingshi took a deep breath, turned around, and slowly walked ahead.

    ¡°Ah Mo, actually, if Mother could¡¯ve been more rational back then, the oue might have been very different right now. Apart from love, there are many things worth caring about in life. Do you think that every couple that ends up together truly loves each other?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Ah Mo answered with certainty.

    ¡°Right, not necessarily...That¡¯s why I¡¯ve always felt that people who would die for love, like Mother, are silly and selfish. They just do things on their own terms, and not think about what those left behind would do. I¡¯m not sad because they abandoned me for so many years. I¡¯m sad because they hurt the people that I care about. Do you understand?¡±

    When Mu Lingshi said this, she suddenly stopped and spun around to look at Ah Mo who quickly hugged her. He was worried about her health. As he looked up, he could see her tears welling up.

    ¡°Maybe Mother couldn¡¯t help herself. No one would want to see such an oue. Perhaps, all of this is understandable. We can¡¯t keep on holding on to it. Otherwise, we¡¯ll only be trapping ourselves.¡± Ah Mo reached out to hold Mu Lingshi¡¯s cold hands. ¡°You¡¯re going to be a mother soon, so don¡¯t despair over these things anymore. I don¡¯t want to see you end up like Mother. You should be happy and carefree.¡±

    Mu Linghsi nodded as she reached out to hold her belly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be hard to be happy and carefree now, but I¡¯ll definitely take good care of the baby. He or she is our closest kin, and I know you¡¯ve been looking forward to the baby for a while now too. Still, apart from the baby, I hope to protect the people I care about too.¡±

    ¡°Trust Brother and me. We don¡¯t need women to take the frontline for us. As long as you and your sister-inw do well, that will be best for us. Alright, let¡¯s go home. Grandfather can probably barely handle Xiao Cheng at home. Brother and Sister-inw aren¡¯t going home tonight. They¡¯re going back tomorrow morning.¡±

    ...

    Shower, health checkup, someone¡¯s birthday banquet, then shopping, and a movie.

    Throughout the entire day, Xi Xiaye dragged Mu Yuchen around like that. In the evening, the husband and wife went straight to the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Of course, they called Su Chen and Ji Zitong, as well as Zhou Zimo and Qi Lei. In less than an hour, everyone arrived.

    The three brothers did not y cards like thest time. They just sang songs, chatted, and drank a little.

    Then, Xi Xiaye found out that Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were pretty talented singers. However, after the whole deal was done, the two buddies seemed to hog the microphone. They belted out one song after another. When Ah Mo came over, they paused for a little.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not join in the fun though. Mu Yuchen was talking to Qi Lei about something while Xi Xiaye was chatting with Ji Zitong.

    ¡°Has the florist business been going well recently?¡± Xi Xiaye poured a cup of pomelo tea for Ji Zitong as she asked softly.

    Ji Zitong smiled calmly and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s going pretty well. Right now, it¡¯s almost Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day, so flowers are selling well and I¡¯ve been busy as ofte. What about the two of you? Are you two doing fine? It looks like you¡¯ve lost a lot of weight, and so has Chairman Mu. The sad incidents...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. They¡¯ve passed. I haven¡¯t thanked you properly yet. Thank you for taking care of Ah Shi these past few days.¡±

    Xi Xiaye actually did not interact much with Ji Zitong. Usually, they were in contact when Mu Yuchen called all his buddies together. On the daily, she and Ji Zitong were both quite busy people, so they did not speak to each other much. However, every time they met, they would get along well. There was nothing odd between them, and they always talked about their daily lives. It was the kind of rtionship with a friend that you had not contacted in a long time, yet felt a close affinity for every time you caught up.

    Ji Zitong smiled dly as she shook her head. ¡°Why are you being so courteous to me? Is Lingshi feeling better now? I saw that she wasn¡¯t doing too well a while back. I hope that she¡¯ll feel better soon. The child in her needsughter and happiness too. Get her toe to my ce whenever she¡¯s free. Sometimes, I go to the flower fields for a stroll. The scenery¡¯s beautiful and the air is good. Perhaps, it will lift her mood.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s been doing better as ofte.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen mentioned her and Gu Qiwu to me, as well as what happened at Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding. If you ever need help, let me know. I¡¯ll be there,¡± Ji Zitong said earnestly.

    ¡°Thank you, Zitong!¡± Xi Xiaye lowered her head to take a sip of tea, then she smiled and said, ¡°I realize that you¡¯ve been looking quite good recently. You seem much more cheerful too. Has anything good happened recently?¡±

    Then, she subconsciously averted her gaze to Ji Zitong¡¯s belly.

    Su Chen and Ji Zitong had been married for half a year now. Was it time for some news?

    When JI Zitong noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze, she just smiled shyly. ¡°We¡¯re not that quick. This year hasn¡¯t been very stable yet. My mother¡¯s health hasn¡¯t been good, so we were nning on having a kid next year. You and Chairman Mu¡¯s two sons are both so cute. Next time, if ever...¡±

    ¡°You could have a daughter to be my son¡¯s wife,¡± Xi Xiaye smiled brightly and teased her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that when the timees, but you could have another daughter too.¡±

    A daughter...

    This was something that Xi Xiaye had always been looking forward to. However, Mu Yuchen did not seem that passionate about children. Every time she tried to hint to him, he would always just say that having two was enough, so she could only shrug helplessly and forget it.

    1

 Chapter 1150 - Bicker (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1150</h4> <h4>: Bicker (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong chatted away while Ah Mo drank with Qi Lei and Zhou Zimo. Once in a while, they would sing too.

    Mu Yuchen sat beside Xi Xiaye, leisurely holding a drink and chatting to Su Chen.

    ¡°Zimo has told me about it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get them to look into the ident information from six years ago. We¡¯ll see if there are any clues. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no way of getting the CCTV recordings. Given the weather that daybined with that road, the recordings won¡¯t be useful. It¡¯s been so many years, so it¡¯ll be quite hard to dig them out again, but since you still have some doubts, we¡¯ll do our best.¡±

    Su Chen was from the traffic bureau, thus it would be rtively easier for him to investigate these.

    ¡°Mmm, thank you for helping me with this. My parents also prepared some details from years ago for me, but there¡¯s not a lot. Even though we¡¯ve investigated it over and over again these past few years, the answeres out the same every time: that it was an ident. Even the reports describe roughly the same contents. I don¡¯t trust the police much,¡± Mu Yuchen turned to look at Su Chen and said softly.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Find someone you can trust to investigate the whole thing. Maybe you¡¯ll get some new discovery, but I do think there should at least be a suspect. That way, it¡¯ll be easier to do a targeted investigation. Of course, this project will be quite a huge one.¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t huge, would I havee to you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen shot Su Chen a side look, then lowered his head and finished the drink in his ss.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Right, the thing with Gu Qiwu and Doris has been going on for a while now, but why does it seem like nothing¡¯s happened? The news these past few days have been about Gu Qiwu and Lingshi, but you seem calm.¡±

    ¡°Thosements are just meant to be conversation topics for those who are bored. As long as it doesn¡¯t cause direct harm to our profits, just let them be. We¡¯ve achieved our goal anyway,¡± Mu Yuchen said nonchntly.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve already done the work. Zimo and I will pay attention to this matter, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    They did not stay out toote. When they finished, it was only slightly past 10 p.m.

    Because Su Chen drank quite a lot, Ji Zitong had to drive them home. Of course, the husband and wife would send Zhou Zimo home first.

    Along the way, Ji Zitong drove carefully. When she turned to look at the man beside her, she saw that he was casually flipping through a magazine. She thought about it, then said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve just given a sum of money to the flower farmer. There are some invoices that haven¡¯t been paid up just yet, so I¡¯m a little tight on cash flow and might use the money from your card.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the card with you?¡±

    Master Su¡¯s card for his sry had already been handed to her. He basically got all his expenses needs from Ji Zitong.

    Ji Zitong thought about it, then answered, ¡°I just wanted to let you know.¡±

    Su Chen turned and squinted at her. Then, he smiled and said in a low voice, ¡°Do you have to be so calctive with me?¡±

    ¡°Just so you know. There isn¡¯t much cash in your wallet anymore, so I¡¯ve just put some on your bedside table. Put them into your wallet by yourself. Also, I don¡¯t think you have much to do tomorrow morning. Could you help me and the flower farmer with picking the harvest? The flower orders recently have been urgent, and they can¡¯t seem to handle it.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just hire one or two people to help out?¡± Su Chen looked puzzled at Ji Zitong, his handsome brows knitted slightly.

    For someone like Master Su, he did not see not the need to do little things like these themselves!

    ¡°It¡¯s not very hard work anyway, and since the great Mr. Su has nothing else to do, just be freebor for me for a day. Is that so hard? Su Chen, how did I not realize that you¡¯re actually quite azy bum? You¡¯ve been exposing more and more of your shorings recently. Do you not realize this?¡±

    Ji Zitong slowed the car down and frowned at him.

    Su Chen cleared his throat and replied quietly, ¡°I¡¯m going for golf with Chief Huang from the headquarters.¡±

    ¡°Who are you trying to fool? Yesterday evening when you came home, you told me clearly that you¡¯d have lots of time in the next two days. You don¡¯t have to try to dodge a bullet like this, Su Chen.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s expression darkened as she looked away.

    ¡°How about I hire two people to help you? You shouldn¡¯t go either. Those roses hurt if their thorns prick you. Then, we¡¯d be the only ones suffering. If thedy boss needs to tend to such small matters too, there¡¯s no point having a florist shop.¡±

    Su Chen had gone to help out before, but after an entire day, his ten fingers were all pricked so painfully by those rose thorns. He had been in pain for quite a few days to the point that it was hard to even hold a pen at work. Of course, he could not cry out in pain in front of her either. After all, she did not evenin, so how could he as a man?

    Right now, Ji Zitong seemed to be able to see through his thoughts, so she then rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This time, just help me hold them and I¡¯ll do the cutting. I¡¯m surprised there are things you¡¯re bad at too. You¡¯re so clumsy with scissors, Instructor Su. Weren¡¯t you were great at darts?¡±

    ¡°How many years have you not trained? You used to be quite tough and had an excellent physique. Are you still up to par right now?¡± Su Chen said, clearly implying something, yet Ji Zitong did not immediately react.

    She followed his line of conversation. ¡°Why not? Even though I haven¡¯t been training recently, when ites to boxing, I might not lose to you.¡±

    ¡°Woman, do you think there¡¯s a need topete? When have you not begged for forgiveness?¡± Su Chen challenged her in amusement.

    Ji Zitong stared ahead defiantly. ¡°What?¡±

    Then, she realized what he was saying, so she red at him through gritted teeth. ¡°Stop fooling around! Howe I never realized that you had such vulgar thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just discussing things based on their own merit. Okay, we¡¯ll stop here. Let¡¯s just hire two part-timers for tomorrow. If things really get too busy at the shop, then hire one more. You¡¯re not one of those working women. Do you really want a man like me to go cut flowers?¡± Su Chen was still quite chauvinistic when it came to certain things such as this.

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    Ji Zitong red at him as her temper rose. She suddenly stopped the car by the roadside as she stepped on the brake. After a while, the car slowly came to a stop.

    Then, Su Chen thought something was up, so he slowly opened his eyes he had just closed. When he saw that the car was parked, he asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you stop the car?¡±

    Then, he turned to look at Ji Zitong and realized that she was frowning and staring at him unhappily.

 Chapter 1151 - Bicker (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1151: Bicker (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong stared at him for a long while, then her eyes turned cold.

    ¡°Are you going to go or not?¡± she asked as she stared at him dangerously. Her tone became hostile while her eyes revealed dissatisfaction.

    Su Chen frowned and sucked in a deep breath before quickly exining, ¡°This is not about whether I¡¯ll go or not. Alright, fine, I¡¯ll arrange for help. You don¡¯t need to go tomorrow either then. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy being with me, Chief Su?¡± Ji Zitong squinted at him.

    ¡°Not happy? How could that be?! You think too much, Missus Su...¡±

    ¡°I think too much? Don¡¯t you realize that every time I ask you toe help, you never seem happy to do so? Do you feel like you¡¯re being forced to?¡± she demanded.

    Su Chen¡¯s handsome brows furrowed into a knot as he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Where did youe up with that? Why would I feel forced? You¡¯ve been thinking badly of me recently. I asked you to go to a banquet with me, but you didn¡¯te either. Did you see me making anyments?¡±

    ¡°So, after all that was said and done, it¡¯s because of this?¡±

    Ji Zitong looked at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that you were so petty. You never seem to be considerate about me. You¡¯ve been leaving early and returning homete, and once you get home, you fall asleep right away. Even when I told you that my mother hasn¡¯t been feeling well these past few days, you don¡¯t seem to care or want to go home to visit with me, yet they think of you as a filial son-inw.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I am a filial son-inw! Alright, this is just a small matter. Don¡¯t be like that. Wasn¡¯t that just oversight? Oversight! We aren¡¯t united at all! Drive. Let¡¯s get going!¡±

    Master Su knew that if this woman was going to start arguing, she could really go on and on until he got terrified.

    ¡°Just one word¡ª¡¯oversight¡¯¡ªand you think you can let it pass? Horrible!¡± Annoyed, Ji Zitong turned her head away and looked at the streetlights out her car window, refusing to look at him although she did not start the car either.

    Su Chen frowned at her for quite a while before he sighed. He took the keys as he said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be angry now. If you don¡¯t want to drive, then let me. Let¡¯s swap seats¡ª¡±

    Pa¡ª

    Su Chen had just reached out when Ji Zitong hit his hand away and looked at him with a poker face.

    His expression darkened. Nheless, he did not want to fight, so he sighed and opened the car door before alighting without a word.

    Bam!

    The door was mmed so hard that it almost frightened Ji Zitong. She looked at him and realized that he was walking ahead with huge strides as he whipped out his cigarette box and took out a stick to light up. Without a second look at her, he continued storming ahead.

    ¡°Su Chen!¡±

    Then, Ji Zitong shouted for him, but he did not turn around. Draping his coat onto his shoulders, he put out a hand to get a cab, then got into the car.

    Ji Zitong had a headache now!

    She fell silent for a moment and then cursed herself for being too serious. After that, she had no choice but to start the car and go after him.

    ...

    She was close to the house now. After another two more traffic lights, the vi area would be ahead.

    After Ji Zitong parked the car in the garage and went to the room, Su Chen had already showered and gone straight to the study room to continue with his work.

    He did not say a word to Ji Zitong.

    Actually, he was not angry. He just felt that he wasted too much effort and time to be tangled up in these problems, so he felt that he should let her calm down. He was not someone who liked fighting. Usually, at such a time, he would only keep quiet.

    Of course, within the six months since Ji Zitong married him, it would be impossible to say that the couple did not have any conflicts, but usually, when they were about to start arguing, Su Chen would behave like this and keep quiet. He would let Ji Zitong go onining by herself because no matter what she wanted to do, it took two to create a quarrel.

    1With women, Su Chen was rather patient because he always thought that it was useless to bicker with them. After all, did he not have a ssic example in his own home?

    After Ji Zitong took a bath, the bedroom was still quiet. She struggled inwardly for a bit, and finally decided to go over to take a look.

    She pushed open the study room door and heard Su Chen¡¯s voice. Then, she looked up and saw that he was sitting at his desk, talking to someone on the phone, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll report in the day after tomorrow. I need to arrange some things in the bureau. Mm, okay, see you!¡±

    Then, he hung up. When he turned to look at who had entered, Ji Zitong was already at his desk and frowning slightly at him, without saying anything.

    Su Chen tossed his phone onto the table, his sharp gaze falling on Ji Zitong. He said in his deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still angry? Can we talk calmly now?¡±

    Ji Zitong sighed. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s angry!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with you. Fine, it¡¯s me. Okay, I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow, but we have to bring two people along to help out. The day after tomorrow, I have to go to the political party school for a while,¡± Su Chen said and then reached out as she silently stopped by his side too.

    ¡°Political party school? Where?¡± Ji Zitong asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just go recently? Why are the sses so frequent?¡±

    ¡°This time, I¡¯m going to understand some awareness of traffic precautions and discuss the update of the traffic monitoring system. It¡¯s just in the city, but I¡¯ll need to stay there for quite a while and might need to visit other cities with the inspection team to observe and emte others. If you¡¯re not up for it, then you can go home to be with Mother-inw or go home to visit Grandfather. My sister¡¯s out of the country for the next two days. Otherwise, you could ask her toe over to hang out with you.¡±

    Su Chen was a little worried about her. Although they had been married half a year now, they had not been separated before. However, this time his study mission was quite intense, so he would be fully upied for many days.

    Then, Ji Zitong fell silent as she thought about it, then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Go and settle your stuff. I¡¯m used to it anyway. How long will you be gone for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure yet. Half a month if it¡¯s a short one, a month if it¡¯s a long stint,¡± Su Chen answered calmly.

    Recently, he had been busy with this with the headquarters too. Even though they had alreadypleted City Z¡¯s road nning again, in the past one to two years, there had been an increase in private cars, so work at the traffic bureau had not been easy.

    ¡°What? That¡¯s long!¡± Ji Zitong immediately frowned.

    ¡°The matters I need to handle are veryplex. I just need to understand them,¡± he said and then closed his document.

 Chapter 1152 - Bicker (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1152: Bicker (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong lowered her gaze, pondering for a moment, then said softly, ¡°Hmm, we¡¯ll get two people to go over and help tomorrow. Let¡¯s drop by at home. We¡¯ll have lunch with Grandfather, and then visit my parents at night.¡±

    Su Chen fell silent for a moment, then nodded happily. He looked up at her and reached out his long arm to circle her slender waist, letting her sit on hisp. ¡°You arrange it then. Are you still angry about today?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s angry. I just feel like you¡¯re too egoistic sometimes. Also, are you getting impatient now?¡± Ji Zitong stared into his eyes with her clear gaze.

    ¡°Egoistic? Aren¡¯t you the one telling me to cut flowers or whatnot like forcing Zhang Fei to do embroidery? Thest time, I came back with ten fingers that couldn¡¯t even grip a pen. You can¡¯t expect me to go to work with all fingers bandaged up, can you?¡±

    Su Chen looked helplessly at her. Soon, he calmed down and said, ¡°Zitong, I didn¡¯t marry you to hustle for me or anything. Just be a gooddy boss. Why aren¡¯t you happy with that? Didn¡¯t Mother ask you to go work at her office? What¡¯s wrong about going over to learn from her? Do you find it hard to get along with her?¡±

    His words surprised Ji Zitong who then responded, ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just feel like I might not be able to handle it, so I might as well manage my flower shop well.¡±

    ¡°What are you worried about? With Mother around, it won¡¯t be that hard. She won¡¯t gobble you up.¡± Su Chen shot her an unhappy nce. ¡°Even though the florist business isn¡¯t bad, you have been doing everything on your own, and you aren¡¯t happy just supervising. You should be more self-aware. I¡¯m not a businessman and I¡¯m different from Ah Chen. I don¡¯t know how to teach my wife to be good in the business world. If you were an office-bearer, I might be able to transfer you to my side and be my secretary<sup>1</sup>...¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be your secretary!¡± Ji Zitong shot him a cold look at him.

    Su Chen chuckled as he hugged her tightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with bing my mistress? I could bring you everywhere.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t like being with people like you who speak politics. It¡¯s tiring to handle them.¡±

    Ji Zitong had attended banquets with him before. With all the bureaucratic rules, it made her feel stifled and she did not like it. After that, she had not been very willing to attend such asions with him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to handle them. Haven¡¯t I been doing it?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t just keep quiet. Remember thest time the person with whom you had an unhappy encounter? Sometimes, I wish you weren¡¯t that kind of person too. When I returned to the old residence, Motherined about Father to me.¡±

    Ji Zitong recalled her mother, Xie Jiajia, and right then, she could not help but smile.

    ¡°Mother? How did shein about Father?¡± Su Chen was obviously clear about how his parents were. They seemed to be ying house.

    Su Zhengxun was more serious, cautious, and inflexible, yet when he was around, Xie Jiajia would always act like a little girl that never grew up. She would always act childishly andin that Su Zhengxun was not romantic or gentle enough.

    Sometimes, Su Chen thought that it was quite hard to believe that his parents could have gotten to where they were, butter he could onlyment that everything was destined.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that Father¡¯s rigid. he didn¡¯t give her flowers this year, what more considerate words, just like you.¡±

    ¡°Flowers and kind words? Do I dare say that I¡¯ve never given you flowers? Also, what is considered considerate words? Even if I say it, you¡¯ll probably call it cringy. I don¡¯t understand you women. Can you not be so fickle all the time? The other night when we were getting all affectionate, I said I...¡±

    Before Su Chen could finish, Ji Zitong had already frowned and covered his mouth. She already believed that he was indeed not a romantic person!

    ¡°Alright, pretend I didn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m going to go down and heat up two cups of milk. Don¡¯t look at these anymore. It¡¯s quitete. Rest earlier.¡±

    Ji Zitong shot him a helpless nce. She was about to get up when he pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get the milk anymore. Go to sleep earlier.¡± Then, he held her by the shoulders and slowly stood up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drink so much next time. Every time you and your buddies gather, you and Zimo always drink too much.¡±

    ¡°We drink more when we¡¯re happy, Ah Chen hasn¡¯t been doing well recently, so I think it¡¯s good to drink to our heart¡¯s content. Still, I¡¯m happy to see that he can walk away from his grief. Grandmother Mu loves Ah Chen very much. Among us buddies, he¡¯s the one with the most on his mind, unlike me and Zimo. If we have any issues, we¡¯ll mostly just voice it out, but he usually keeps it to himself. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t still be holding onto Lingtian¡¯s issue after so many years.¡±

    Su Chen had mentioned Mu Lingtian and Mu Yuchen¡¯s matters briefly to Ji Zitong, so she more or less knew about it.

    ¡°Mmm, Chairman Mu¡¯s quieter, but he¡¯s really good to Xiaye. Thest time when we were at Maple Residence, I chatted with Xiaye and I think he treats her really well.¡±

    Then, Ji Zitong could not help but sigh. ¡°It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect someone like him to deal with such a frustrating matter. It¡¯s true that everyone¡¯s got an unforgettable past.¡±

    ¡°How easy do you think he¡¯s got it? Among us buddies, he¡¯s probably the one who¡¯s got it toughest. But mostly because of the way he was brought up, he¡¯s got a strong sense of responsibility although that doesn¡¯t benefit him. That¡¯s the only w he has, yet that¡¯s what makes him Mu Yuchen,¡± Su Chen said as he could not help but sigh and hold Ji Zitong as they walked towards the door.

    Ji Zitong nodded gently. ¡°That¡¯s true. I feel like he¡¯s the same as Xiaye. They¡¯ve got endless things to worry about.¡±

    She recalled the time when she had protected Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Now it isn¡¯t that bad. Since Ah Chen married Xiaye, he¡¯s changed a lot. He¡¯s the father of two boys now. When Lingtian just passed away, Zimo and I were really worried that he would...forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore and rest earlier.¡±

    Su Chen suddenly felt like there was no need to continue talking about it, yet he was thinking to himself that right now would be a good time to investigate the car ident.

    ...

    Gu Qiwu rested for two days and recovered quite a bit. The situation on Doris¡¯s end was within his control as well. Of course, that included Doris meeting up with awyer.

    Doris was determined on getting a divorce. In fact, she did not care about Gu Qiwu¡¯s subordinates stopping her and she met herwyer brazenly. Outside her ward now were two groups of people: the people that Gu Qiwu sent and Doris¡¯s own bodyguard!

 Chapter 1153 - Marital Strife (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1153: Marital Strife (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside the ward, the experienced Lawyer Li handed the drawn-up divorce papers to Doris who sat on the sofa, dressed gracefully and elegantly. He smiled and said respectfully, ¡°Miss Doris, these are the divorce papers that have been written up based on your orders and consultation. Please approve of them. If all is good, we can hand them to Mr. Gu.¡±

    Doris took the contract leisurely, flipped it open, and carefully began to browse through the contents. Then, she nodded happily. ¡°Mmm, not bad. This is roughly what I mean. Bring this to him to sign. If he won¡¯t sign it, just hand it to the court.¡±

    Then, she put the document before Lawyer Li once again and continued in a cold tone, ¡°Have you prepared all the evidence I told you to gather? You¡¯re a topwyer that I hired at such a costly price. You won¡¯t let me down, will you? Yourw firm is one of the best in the industry. If you really have to bring this to the court, what do you think my chances are of winning?¡±

    Lawyer Li kept away the document and got up with full confidence. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Doris. Ourw firm has never lost cases and we¡¯ll definitely fight for the most benefits for you. Mr. Gu shouldn¡¯t be able to take any advantage. After all, we do have solid evidence.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯ve set my mind at ease. If this is done well, I¡¯ll bank in the rest into your ount. Also, I¡¯ll reward you separately, but if anything goes wrong, you should know how my wrath is!¡± Doris¡¯s eyes instantly turned cold as she looked at Lawyer Li.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will definitely get it done. Also, Miss Doris, please be careful for the time being. Try not to meet anyone just in case.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I know that. Go meet Gu Qiwu. You should know where his ward is.¡± Doris leaned back against the seat in a hostile manner as her blue eyes were filled with a chill, yet at the same time, there was a mix of emotions.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go right away!¡± Lawyer Li answered and quickly left the ward.

    When she heard the door close, Doris massaged the space between her brows that was fatigued. Gloominess gathered on her exquisitely beautiful face.

    It was not Doris¡¯s wish to be where they were today, but right now, they could only end like this. Despite having been married for close to 30 years, nothing remained.

    A sneer curved on the corner of Doris¡¯s lips before she breathed in and slowly closed her eyes.

    ...

    Inside Gu Qiwu¡¯s ward, when Lawyer Li brought over the divorce papers, Gu Qiwu had just finished a conference call with the office.

    Ah Yong kept theptop away and said carefully, ¡°Boss, thewyer that Madam has hired is right outside. He says that he wants to talk to you about the divorce contract. I told him to leave, but he refuses to. He says he must meet you. Otherwise, he¡¯ll hand it to the court and let them resolve it.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression instantly turned cold. The sudden drop of pressure in the air made Ah Yong shudder involuntarily.

    For a moment, Gu Qiwu fell silent before sneering, ¡°That witch couldn¡¯t stand the loneliness after all! Divorce? Since she dares to bring it up, we¡¯ll see what her conditions are. Let him in!¡± He lifted his ss of water and drank it nonchntly.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Ah Yong responded, then waved to the door, so the ck-clothed bodyguards outside the door then let Lawyer Li in.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, I believe that Miss Doris has mentioned this to you. At this point, you and Miss Doris will probably find it hard to keep going. Mr. Gu, you¡¯re a smart and frank person as well. For the sake of your rtionship of many years, she¡¯s willing topromise. This is the divorce contract. If you don¡¯t have any thoughts about the terms, then please sign it. That would be best for you and Miss Doris.¡±

    After Lawyer Li said all of that, he took the divorce papers out from his briefcase and handed it to Gu Qiwu.

    Ah Yong promptly took it and handed it to Gu Qiwu whose expression sank. He casually flipped through it for a look and a smirk appeared on the corner of his lips.

    ¡°505? How greedy of her. I think she just wants the whole of the Hui Gu Corporation!¡± Gu Qiwu snorted. His hand flew out and then the document instantly was flung at Lawyer Li. Suddenly, Gu Qiwu leaned forward and stared at thewyer before saying coldly, ¡°I won¡¯t ept these conditions. Tell her that she¡¯s only got two choices right now. Firstly, leave with nothing, or secondly, forget the divorce and just waste each other¡¯s time.¡±

    Then, Gu Qiwu straightened up and gave Lawyer Li a nce of disdain. ¡°If she wants to bring this to court, I don¡¯t mind ying along. We¡¯ll just fight to the end at the most, but you tell Doris to think this through. It won¡¯t benefit anyone to cause such a scene. Just the matter on Ennd¡¯s end will be hard for her exin. Also, don¡¯t just assume that you¡¯re the only ones with excellent odds of winning!¡±

    Lawyer Li did not appear panicked at all as he calmly picked up the documents that Gu Qiwu had tossed at him. With a smile, he said, ¡°Mr. Gu, I think you should know that with your problem, you probably don¡¯t have suchrge odds at court. In fact, we can easily get the DNA report of you and Mu Lingshi. I hope that you¡¯ll think of your own benefits. You know well enough whether you should sign these papers or not.¡±

    ¡°Did you not hear me properly? I can repeat myself. I won¡¯t sign it. Go back and tell Doris exactly what I said.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gu...¡±

    ¡°Ah Yong, see the guest out!¡±

    Without waiting for thewyer to say anything more, Gu Qiwu dismissed him. Ah Yong quickly went up to escort thewyer out.

    ¡°This way, Lawyer Li!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gu, I hope you will think this through. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to just meet in court.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for my letter from court!¡± Gu Qiwu said indifferently, and then picked up his cup of water to drink it nonchntly again.

    Lawyer Li did not look very pleased, but he could not fend Ah Yong off, so in the end, he could only say, ¡°We¡¯ll give you three days to consider it. If you still insist after three days, then we will...¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    ¡°Someone, drag him out!¡±

    ...

    Then, Lawyer Li was pulled out by the bodyguards outside.

    Bam!

    Just as the door closed, the ss in Gu Qiwu¡¯s hand was flung to the ground hard, so it shattered all over the floor!

 Chapter 1154 - Marital Strife (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1154: Marital Strife (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lawyer Li immediately went back to Doris with what Gu Qiwu said, and naturally, she was furious!

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, since you want to be so cruel, then don¡¯t me me for being disloyal!¡± Doris condemned as she ruthlessly tore up the divorce papers into pieces. Then, she turned to look at Lawyer Li. ¡°Get all the evidence, and send them to the court as soon as possible. I¡¯m determined to get this divorce. Gu Qiwu, you betrayed me first, and now you want to go back on your word. I have the documents that he signed when he first transferred the shares. I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t leave empty-handed! Gu Qiwu might not be the one who gets Hui Gu Corporation in the end!¡±

    ¡°Miss Doris, do we want to reconsider it?¡± Lawyer Li tried to confirm once again.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for further consideration. This is the only way! I know Gu Qiwu too well. He won¡¯t easily change things that he¡¯s set his mind on, so since he won¡¯t willingly sign the papers, we¡¯ll just give him a cardiac stimnt and just get the results we want.¡±

    ¡°But, Miss Doris, you have to think this through. If this thing gets blown out of proportion, it won¡¯t be beneficial for you either. On Ennd¡¯s end...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my problem. Just do as I say. Also, I hope that you can increase your work efficiency. I don¡¯t have too much time to waste here. Later, get Linda to help me arrange things. I want to be discharged in two days. Gu Qiwu should really examine his capabilities before even thinking of grounding me!¡± Her cutting voice spoke again before she averted her gaze.

    Her arrogance made Lawyer Li shudder and he quickly answered, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll get it done right away.¡±

    ...

    After Lawyer Li left, Doris appeared gloomier. Her exquisite little face was covered with frost and her blue eyes were as frigid as snow.

    <i>Leave with nothing?</i>

    <i>Gu Qiwu, oh, Gu Qiwu, is </i>this your so-called love?

    When that man wanted to be cruel, who said that he would admit defeat to women?

    Thankfully, Doris never believed him. Otherwise, she might have ended up like that dumb and slutty woman, Mu Zi!

    ...

    On July 15th of the lunar calendar, which was also the Hungry Ghost Festival, Xi Xiaye woke up very early. After she helped Mu Xiaocheng clean up, she handed him to Sis Wang.

    Then, she left the house to visit Xi Jiyang. She did not bring many people along with her. There were only two bodyguards and Chauffeur Wang who drove.

    At the end of the staircase, Xi Xiaye suddenly said softly, ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll go up alone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi.¡±

    The two bodyguards quickly stopped before Xi Xiaye reached out to take the bouquet and paper basket and continued to walk ahead.

    Very few people visited Xi Jiyan¡¯s gravestone, but it was clean thanks to the sexton.

    She stopped at Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone and studied the face in the photo for a long while before she slowly bent down and put the bouquet on the tombstone.

    ¡°It¡¯s been more than a year now. Grandfather, are you doing okay over there?¡± Her calm voice could not hide the faint bleakness and sorrow in her tone.

    ¡°In this short year, too many things have happened. Now that I think about it, I suddenly feel like things have remained the same, but people have changed...Father and Mother have reconciled. Ah Chen and I had a son too. He¡¯s your great-grandson. Ah Chen named him Mu Zicheng. Also, we adopted a son whose name is Mu Zirui. They¡¯re both very smart children. I think if you were still around, you¡¯d definitely have loved them very much, but...¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled sadly while she gently wiped away the marks on the photos.

    ¡°Grandfather, I heard Father say that you actually loved my biological grandmother very deeply, but...I think you might have never felt happiness in your lifetime. I hope that over there, you¡¯ll meet her again and continue your fate that couldn¡¯t bepleted in thest lifetime,¡± she said as she squatted down and lit up the ritual money and joss sticks in the paper basket.

    ¡°This world is always changing. Now, Ah Chen¡¯s grandmother has passed away too. Grandfather, if you do meet her, please tell her to rest well and that we¡¯ll handle all those things...¡±

    As she watched the swaying mes slowly swallow up the joss sticks and ritual money, Xi Xiaye silently put both palms together and softly muttered a prayer.

    After a long while, she silently opened up her eyes. The sound of familiar footsteps was heard, and there was a familiar fragrance in the air. She did not have to turn to know who hade.

    ¡°What did you say to Grandfather? I saw you silently praying for so long.¡±

    His deep and sensual voice was heard. There was another bouquet of beautiful flowers that leaned beside Xi Xiaye¡¯s bouquet.

    She then averted her gaze from the tombstone and looked at him to ask calmly, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I was worried, so I came to take a look,¡± Mu Yuchen answered in a low voice.

    ¡°Have you paid your respects?¡± Xi Xiaye asked again softly.

    Mu Yuchen obviously knew who she was referring to. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going this year.¡±

    Then, his profound gaze moved away from Xi Xiaye¡¯s face and silently fell on Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone.

    Stunned, Xi Xiaye waited for a long while, but he did not continue. She inhaled and said softly, ¡°I suddenly remember that it¡¯s the Qingming Festival...It might be good not to go too. It¡¯s time to let go of those unhappy things.¡±

    He did not reply, but after a pause, he suddenly reached out to hold her cold hand thaty by her side.

    ¡°What about you?¡± he asked.

    She suddenly turned and her beautiful, elegant face looked up at him. Her beautiful gaze stared and met with his equally profound eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve long let go of it. It¡¯s you who hasn¡¯t been able to get over it and worrying everyone,¡± Xi Xiaye said and calmly averted her gaze before lowering hershes. ¡°There might not be a right and wrong for everything. Not everything I¡¯ve done towards the Xi family was right. Right now, West Park is empty and will no longer experience the cheerfulughter of the past. I can¡¯t deny that I yed a huge part in that.¡±

    ¡°It was not our choice, Xiaye,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a deep voice while his hand that held hers tightened slightly, ¡°Just like how I...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I know. It¡¯s only right now that I seem to be able to see you more clearly, and empathize.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed softly and smiled. ¡°Has there been progress with Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s matter? You look like you¡¯re in quite a pleasant mood.¡±

    She knew that this matter had been on his mind recently.

 Chapter 1155 - Knot (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1155: Knot (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her calm voice gradually floated away with the cool breeze amidst the mountains. It was silent for a long while, yet he did not answer.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him with her bright eyes for a long while, but his gaze only remained on the burning mes. She thought about it, then slowly reached out to gently put her hand on his. The answer was abundantly clear.

    After some time, he said softly, ¡°Doris has already gotten awyer to write up the divorce papers. As expected, Gu Qiwu rejected it. Right now, she¡¯s probably gathering evidence to submit to the court.¡±

    ¡°I heard that they loved each other. It¡¯s only now that I truly understand that no matter the pledge for eternal love, in the end...I heard that, when Gu Qiwu and Doris first got married, the entire City B was shaken by the news. The wedding was extremely grand...Everyone knew how much Gu Qiwu doted on Doris. Who would have expected them to end up like this?¡±

    You could hear that hint of bleakness in Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice. Her clear gaze slowly looked up as she spoke and she looked into his eyes. ¡°How does such deep love be a weak piece of paper when ites to benefits?¡±

    ¡°Because of desire and greed,¡± he answered very quickly as he lowered his gaze silently and watched her. ¡°Everyone desires for different things: money, power, and even more for love. It¡¯s also rted to how you were raised and your own nature. We can¡¯t just deny all kinds of loves¡¯ sincerity because of their example.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she fell silent for a moment and finally nodded in agreement. ¡°You once told me that a love that could change might not have been such a sincere one. Mr. Mu, there¡¯s a question I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you.¡±

    Her eyes brightened up as she looked at him.

    He shot her a side look and nodded. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment, lowered her gaze, and then silently stared at their ovepping hands. ¡°How...how much can you put up with me? What if...¡±

    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like answering such hypothetical questions. Even if I gave you the courage to, you wouldn¡¯t dare do such things, my dear. I know too well what you want. So, sometimes, I¡¯m grateful.¡±

    ¡°You know what I want?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows were raised and a faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it me?¡± His deep and sensual voice came through while his handsome face beamed with delight. His smile contained doting and warmth like the winds that passed through a field of flowers, bringing a mesmerizing tenderness.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned by his words. Moments after that, she realized what he said and looked at him while blushing as she then turned away. ¡°Are you tooting your own horn?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I also tooting your horn while tooting my own? I packaged myself so well. That way, you¡¯ll look good when you bring me out, won¡¯t you, Missus?¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled as he bent down and picked up a piece of ritual money to toss into the fire.

    ¡°You¡¯re always asking me to go for a facial or dress up and all that because of this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t all you women like these things?¡±

    Mu Yuchen straightened up as he watched the ritual money that had been burnt to ashes. He looked at Xi Jiyang¡¯s photo on the tombstone, then said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done here. Let¡¯s go home sooner. Let¡¯s head to the old residence for dinner tonight. Mother just called me.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s little face fell silent and she quickly returned to her calmness earlier. She looked at Xi Jiyang and put her palms together to mutter something again...

    After a while, Mu Yuchen held her hand and was about to leave.

    However, just as they turned, they saw Xi Xinyi.

    She wore a light white muslin dress that day. Her blonde hair was casually tied at the back, and she seemed much more mature, butpared to before, she seemed to look more spirited and there was less vicious energy around her. In the white dress, she looked much moreforting.

    It had been quite a while since theyst met, so when Xi Xiaye saw Xi Xinyi, she was surprised. She stayed quiet for a while before remembering that Xi Xinyi had probablye to pay respects to Xi Jiyang too...

    She held a beautiful bouquet in her arms.

    When she saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, Xi Xinyi was obviously startled. She immediately stopped walking and silently looked up at the couple who was walking over while holding hands. A mix of emotions shed in her beautiful eyes.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to just walk past her, but for some reason, when she was about to pass Xi Xinyi, she suddenly stopped.

    Mu Yuchen stopped with her too. He looked at Xi Xinyi who could not help but shudder, but she did not say anything. She just looked past Mu Yuchen before her gaze silently fell on Xi Xiaye.

    After a pause, it was Xi Xinyi who softly spoke up first, ¡°You¡¯re all...here...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you down there,¡± Mu Yuchen said softly. Before Xi Xiaye could answer, a coat was draped around her shoulders. ¡°The wind is cold here. Be careful.¡±

    Then, he walked past them.

    Only the sisters, Xi Xinyi and Xi Xiaye, were left. They looked at each other for a long while. No one spoke, so only the sounds of the cool breeze brushing through the dense forest could be heard.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that we would bump into each other here,¡± Xi Xianyiughed, then said softly. Xi Xiaye could hear a hint of loneliness in her voice.

    Xi Xiaye silently examined her, and then lowered her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m surprised too.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t visited Grandfather in a long while. I thought about how my days feel like a dream that I haven¡¯t been able to wake up from in a long while recently, but all of this is probably fate.¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s smile faded as she bent down to put the bouquet of flowers on Xi Jiyang¡¯s tombstone.

    When she straightened up, she looked at Xi Xiaye and asked, ¡°When will Father be back?¡±

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while and stared at her.

    Xi Xinyi smiled and said sadly, ¡°I don¡¯t have any intentions. I was just asking. My mother hasn¡¯t been well recently, so I wanted Father to visit her. They used to be husband and wife after all, so they shouldn¡¯t need to cut off all contact. My mother¡¯s already in that state anyway. Will he still be worried that she¡¯ll do something? In fact, do you know who caused my mother to be like this?¡±

    Then, her dim gaze met Xi Xiaye¡¯s.

 Chapter 1156 - Knot (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1156: Knot (2)</h4>

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes seemed neutral, so it was hard to tell what she was thinking about.

    Yue Lingsi became like because she had amassed huge debts at the casino.

    Xi Xiaye forgot about the details since it happened too long ago, but she remembered that she had been pretty concerned about Shen Wenna at that time, so she had left everything to Mu Yuchen to take care, so...

    ¡°It seems like you already know the answer.¡± Xi Xinyi suddenlyughed. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Xi Xiaye, I admit that I¡¯ve lost, or maybe I¡¯ve never actually won against you, but I¡¯ve never regret taking Yifeng away from you. I love him far more than you loved him. I¡¯ve loved him since a long time ago. I love him now, and I¡¯ll love him forever.¡±

    She paused and turned towards Xi Xiaye. ¡°You don¡¯t really love Yifeng. If you were telling the truth, then why did you fall for Mu Yuchen so easily? I don¡¯t think me fighting for my love was wrong. It¡¯s just...¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong to fight for your love, but your methods were wrong. You can¡¯t step on others to achieve your goal. What did I do to hurt you that you had to plot against me every time? If you really love Yifeng, you could¡¯ve always opted for fairpetition. I wouldn¡¯t have interfered if Yifeng and you were truly in love with each other just like how I let go back then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye only felt a tiny bit ufortable when she mentioned the past. ¡°Things could¡¯ve ended right there. Don¡¯t forget who kept pushing my limits. While I care about my family, that doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t have a bottom line and will just let you trample on me. Why should I still be loyal to Han Yifeng after he abandoned me? What¡¯s the point of me waiting for something unfruitful?¡± Her tone was calm.

    ¡°Perhaps what happened to us was just the sequel of our parents¡¯ tragedy. I can¡¯tment on their behavior, but from my own perspective, finding a partner with methods like that won¡¯tst long. You need to learn how to love before being loved. Have you not learned anything from our parents¡¯ incident? Our grandparents? Or even Han Yifeng and you?¡±

    ¡°Yifeng and I are in love. I know that he loves me...¡± Xi Xinyi could feel her heart aching at this moment as she was reminded of the past...

    It had been so long. Would she be able to see Han Yifeng again? Could she still meet her son?

    Mu Yuchen said he would give her a chance, but how?

    The painful sensation in Xi Xinyi¡¯s chest grew stronger.

    ¡°A lot of things can be lost throughout the span of a rtionship. Han Yifeng told me before that he gave you too many chances, and you never appreciated any of them.¡± Xi Xiaye did not feel pitiful for Xi Xinyi at all, and her feelings were growing numb.

    ¡°Did he call you to say that? How¡¯s my child?¡± Xi Xinyi quickly grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and asked.

    ¡°You should call him and ask yourself.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be asking you these questions if he was willing to talk to me?¡± Xi Xinyi yelled impatiently, seeming defeated.

    Han Yifeng had ignored herpletely ever since he left. He would hang up on the call the moment he heard her voice. This kept on repeating every time she called, so she had no way to find out about how Han Yifeng and her son were doing over there. Besides that, the Han family would only give her a half-hearted reply when she approached them.

    On top of Han Yifeng¡¯s secrecy, Xi Xinyi really had no idea what was going on with them.

    Xi Xiaye could sense the sorrow from her. She caught a glimpse of struggle and pain in her eyes. Eventually, she started to find her rtable. Perhaps the memories of the past were beginning to surface. She took a deep breath and turned around to say, ¡°They are great. Father will being back at the end of this month.¡±

    Then, she left her alone.

    Xi Xinyi was stunned for a moment while she wondered what she meant. She turned around and saw that Xi Xiaye had already walked down the staircase.

    Xi Xinyi just remained stationary as she watched her leave, and she started to feel a little lost.

    What had she been working hard for?

    Maybe there was no need for the two of them to be enemies from the beginning. If only she had been more forgiving, if only...

    Unfortunately, they could never go back in time.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen was waiting in the car when Xi Xiaye arrived. He quickly handed her a wet towel when she entered.

    Xi Xiaye took it and cleaned herself, her little face seeming bleak.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did she say something?¡± Mu Yuchen noticed that something was amiss, so he frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to bring her over...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about her. Let¡¯s go.¡± Xi Xiaye put the towel aside. ¡°We talked about the past and I don¡¯t feel thatfortable. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m happy to see her like this too. I¡¯m sure Father has simr feelings as me.¡±

    ¡°Are you pitying her?¡± He tilted his head and nced at her.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not it¡ª¡±

    She suddenly grabbed his hand and looked at her. ¡°Xi Xinyi just told me that Yue Lingsi isn¡¯t doing well. I heard that she wanted Father to go visit her, but I¡¯m worried that Mother might...I hope the three of them could have a talk together, at least, to put an end to this.¡±

 Chapter 1157 - The Past Stays In The Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1157: The Past Stays In The Past (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The conflict between Xi Mushan, Shen Wenna, and Yue Lingsi had been around for the past few decades, and there was still no resolution until today.

    Xi Xiaye knew very well that even though her parents were doing well right now, they would still feel ufortable whenever Yue Lingshi¡¯s name was mentioned. Meanwhile, Yue Lingshi kept finding excuses for Xi Xinyi to visit Xi Mushan as well.

    Xi Mushan had mentioned it thest time she visited them at school.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. It was their affair after all, so it did not feel right for Mu Yuchen to say something about it. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. I guess they can understand. I suppose Grandpa isn¡¯t feeling that great about what happened to Grandmother. They are probably heading back to France right now. Make the arrangements and let them rest for a few days beforeing back.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head on it.

    ¡°I think that guys can be really cruel and scary sometimes. Han Yifeng never contacted Xi Xinyi ever since he left, but she¡¯s still his child¡¯s mother no matter what...I can understand what Xi Xinyi is feeling.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Han Yifeng. If he could do that to you, it¡¯s no surprise that he could do it to Xi Xinyi too. You should be d that you left him early, or else, you¡¯ll surely be cheated by men like him dozens of times over.¡±

    Master Mu was mean and sharp when he talked about Han Yifeng. He was still unhappy with Han Yifeng no matter how much time passed because he was still Xi Xiaye¡¯s first love, and there was no way he could change that!

    1Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s been so long already. You really have to get over it! If I were to meet you first, I¡¯d have fallen head over heels for you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Quite a number ofdies pursued me. If you had done that, we would¡¯ve been married for ten years already.¡±

    ¡°Ten years? I was still a student ten years ago!¡±

    ¡°We could¡¯ve gotten married when you were still studying too...¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t at the legal age yet...¡±

    ¡°An engagement...¡±

    The smile on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face grew wider. ¡°I think it¡¯d be great if we were actually childhood friends...¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t, but maybe our sons...¡±

    When he gave her a long, meaningful nce, Xi Xiaye was instantly reminded of Su Chen and Ji Zitong. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait for Su Chen or Zimo¡¯s children then.¡±

    ...

    They returned to the Mu residence for dinner. Mu Tangchuang and Zhuang Shurong were there as well.

    Ah Mo and Lingshi had been staying over at the Mu residencetely since everyone was pretty worried for Mu Lingshi to stay alone since she was pregnant. Besides that, Mu Lingshi was worried about Mu Yinan after Wang Hui passed away, so she just moved back for now.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong usually left the house early in the morning and would onlye back homete at night, so there were hardly any people at home during the day. The house only became slightly livelier ever since Mu Lingshi moved back.

    After dinner, Mu Tangchuan summoned Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo over. Zhuang Shurong was inside the study room as well. It was obvious what they were going to discuss.

    Only Xi Xiaye, Mu Yinan, and naughty little Mu Xiaocheng were left on therge sofa in the living room.

    Xi Xiaye brewed a cup of flower tea and handed it to Mu Yinan. ¡°Grandfather, have this. I¡¯ll bring more over soon. Tell the servants to prepare some for you every day since it¡¯s good for your health.¡±

    Wang Hui always made this for Mu Yinan when she had still been alive.

    Mu Yinan knew what Xi Xiaye was trying to do. He took a sip from the tea and turned towards Mu XiaoVheng who was having fun on his own. He then held Mu Xiaocheng in his arms.

    ¡°Just bring this little guy over to visit me as much as possible. I¡¯m just getting old. There¡¯s nothing to worry about when ites to me. Just focus on your priorities. I¡¯m still healthy, and I guess I can still hang on for a few more years.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say something like that. If you¡¯re healthy and maintain a positive attitude, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll live long. You might even get to see Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng get married!¡±

    ¡°Watch them get married?¡± Mu Yinanughed as he touched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little hands. ¡°I¡¯d be an ancient monster by then, wouldn¡¯t I? My little sweetheart...¡±

    ¡°You siblings should always be united. Make the younger generation understand the importance of being together as a family. Talk it out if there are problems. Don¡¯t be like your aunt or Lingtian...¡±

    It was Mu Yinan¡¯s first time mentioning Mu Zi and Mu Lingtian ever since Wang Hui had left. Xi Xiaye felt a little awkward. She saw Mu Xiaocheng cheekily scratching Mu Yinan¡¯s face and she quickly held the little guy in her arms.

    ¡°Your grandmother and I are partly responsible for what happened. We didn¡¯tmunicate enough with your aunt as her parents, and with the increased tension between the Mu family and the Gu family, of course, we didn¡¯t want her to be in contact with anyone from the Gu family, but sometimes things just don¡¯t turn out the way you want.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to find fault. I just hope you can all remember this lesson. Both Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng are great children, and your job is to educate them and make sure to not let Lingtian¡¯s incident repeat in the future. It¡¯s been tough for Ah Chen over the years. Please be good to him, Xiaye. He¡¯s beginning to soften ever since he got married.¡±

    Mu Yinan somehow knew about things between Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingtian.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather. Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng won¡¯t be like that. Just look at how great Ah Mo and Ah Chen are doing...¡±

 Chapter 1158 - The Past Stays In The Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1158: The Past Stays In The Past (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to worry about anything, Grandfather.¡±

    Xi Xiaye found herself empathizing with Mu Yinan¡¯s feelings. After going through so much together, it must have been a really tough period of time for him.

    ¡°Ah Chen and you have to stay together from now on too. I¡¯m sure you know him really well now after being married for two years. I guarantee that he will make you happy.¡±

    ¡°I know, Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been married for fifty over years. My heart has been empty after she left. Although we argued with each other from time to time, that was the life I loved.¡± Mu Yinan stared into space nkly as he spoke.

    Mu Yinan chatted a lot after that. Mu Yuchen had Ah Mo bring him back to his room as they came down. Meanwhile, Mu Xiaocheng had already fallen asleep.

    Mu Yuchen carefully took Mu Xiaocheng from Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms. ¡°Be careful. Let me hold you...He feels heavier now...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wake him up.¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed the car keys on the coffee table as she turned towards Sis Wang. ¡°Sis Wang, please stay here for the time being. I¡¯ll be fine with Aunt Lin around. Please take care of Grandfather and Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Missus, I will.¡± Sis Wang was a gentle and kind person, and Xi Xiaye was relieved to have her around.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°You guys should head back soon. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and handed the stuff to the bodyguard nearby before the family of three then left the Mu residence.

    It was almost 11 p.m. when they arrived at Maple Residence. Xi Xiaye quickly gave Mu Xiaocheng a quick shower before taking one herself.

    When she came out of the shower refreshed 20 minutester, she heard the voice of the baby squealing when she stepped out. She looked over to see the two of them ying on the bed.

    Mu Yuchen seemed to be ying a game on the tablet while Mu Xiaocheng sat on hisp and watched intently.

    Xi Xiaye went downstairs and grabbed some warm milk the servant had prepared before going back up. She let them both drink a little and proceeded to sleep after that.

    Mu Xiaocheng was really close to Mu Yuchen, so he wanted his father to hold him as hey on the bed. Then, Mu Xiaocheng slept in his arms, and his wife ended up being separated from him with their son in between them.

    Xi Xiaye looked at the two of them. Mu Xiaocheng did not look like he would be sleeping anytime soon. He nced between Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye as he mumbled to himself.

    ¡°I noticed that he¡¯s beginning to stand when he holds onto something. He might be able to start standing on his own after a month or two, this little guy is pretty strong. I remember he weighed six kilograms when he was born.¡± Xi Xiaye chuckled when she saw the gentle gaze Mu Yuchen had for their son.

    ¡°He¡¯s just a little too naughty, unlike me at all.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled as he held the little guy¡¯s hand. ¡°When are you going to grow up? I can worry less if you can start walking and talking.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have other worries when he grows up. We¡¯ll be getting old by the time he enters school. On one end, I hope time passes faster. On the other hand, I¡¯m worried that we might be getting old too quickly. What Grandfather told me tonight made me think about our future.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a pause before looking at her. ¡°We definitely won¡¯t suffer like them.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure? We might have an even tougher times than them, I just hope our children won¡¯t worry us too much...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll fix them if they get naughty!¡±

    ...

    Although he rejected Gu Qiwu¡¯s invitation thest time, he still came over.

    There were two luxurious ck cars parked by the roadside and Ah Yong was standing outside.

    Mu Yuchen frowned when the car suddenly stopped. He looked up as Li Si in the front passenger seat who had turned his head around.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Gu Qiwu¡¯s people. They seem to be waiting for you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked forward and noticed Ah Yonging near, but the bodyguards from the car in the back stopped him.

    Mu Yuchen gave it some thought as his eyes darkened before he said, ¡°Go down and find out what they want.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Li Si got out of the car while Mu Yuchen returned to looking through his documents.

    Momentster, Li Si came back with Ah Yong. He knocked on the window and Ah Yong stepped forward as the window rolled down.

    ¡°Morning, Chairman Mu, our boss has been waiting here for a long time, hoping to have a good discussion with you.¡±

    ¡°Master?¡± Li Si sounded worried.

    Mu Yuchen raised his head and looked at Li Si. ¡°Tell him to meet at the usual spot.¡±

    He then told the chauffeur to start driving, and Li Si quickly returned into the car as well.

    ...

    An hourter, in a field in the west.

    Mu Yuchen was not fond of meeting Gu Qiwu, but since he came all the way here, they might as well talk it out.

    Gu Qiwu just got out of the hospital. He looked pretty weak overall, and there were some bruises on the back of his hand from the insertion of the needles. Compared to before, he also seemed much older.

    The sun at 9 a.m. was prettyfortable, and the weather was not as hot as before, so it was a good start to the day.

    As Gu Qiwu and Mu Yuchen stood side by side, the older man could sense the coldness from Mu Yuchen. Still, neither initiated the conversation...

 Chapter 1159 - The Past Stays In The Past (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1159: The Past Stays In The Past (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The air in the morning was refreshing. Standing right there during the farming season granted them the view of hardworking farmers plowing their fields. Mu Yuchen just stood there and watched them quietly.

    Gu Qiwu kept his mouth shut, and so did he.

    When he nced over, he noticed theplicated expression that surfaced on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face...

    The two of them stood there in silence for a long time before Gu Qiwu finally spoke up, ¡°Why did you do that? Are you taking revenge on me? You know very well that exposing me like that doesn¡¯t do any good. Did you see what happened? Even if you don¡¯t care about your aunt, can¡¯t you be considerate about Lingshi? Doris and I are in a mess right now. She¡¯s already submitted a divorce request to the court. What do you think you can get out of this?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice continued in a steely tone, ¡°Don¡¯t even try to deny what you did! Mu Yuchen, your behavior against Lingtian is enough for me to hate you as his father. I let you go for Lingshi¡¯s sake. Otherwise, do you really think you¡¯d have survived until today?¡±

    Mu Yuchen grinned at him in mockery. ¡°So, are you saying you¡¯re the one behind the ident in City B? And it was for Lingshi¡¯s sake? Look at you trying to be a kind father here!¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, don¡¯t test my patience. You know I don¡¯t have much, to begin with! I kept quiet about what happened back then and calmed Lingsha down. It was all for Mu Zi and Lingshi¡¯s sake!¡±

    ¡°Really? I think you¡¯re just worried that people might find out about your rtionship with my aunt. Are you angry because you think this incident destroyed your rtionship with Doris? I can¡¯t believe that you still tolerate Doris after what she¡¯s done. You sure have my respect as a man.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put on the perfect smile as he looked at him.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened instantly. Which man could have epted this? He clenched his fists, his expression seeming like he was about to kill someone!

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so arrogant. I¡¯m sure you know what kind of woman Doris is if you¡¯ve investigated thoroughly. I know you¡¯re forcing me to make a choice. You don¡¯t have to pretend anymore. Tell me what you want. I¡¯ll give you anything as long as you¡¯re willing to cooperate!¡± Gu Qiwu clenched his teeth.

    ¡°Forcing you to make a choice? You¡¯re mistaken, Uncle Gu. You¡¯re in need of a favor here, not me. Lingshi is the Mu family¡¯s daughter, and it doesn¡¯t seem like she wants to reunite with you. Maybe you could forgive Doris and continue your life with her. I know you¡¯ve been tolerating her all these years, so it¡¯s not that difficult to do the same again, is it?¡± Mu Yuchen nced at Gu Qiwu coldly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to work me up like that. I admit that I owe your aunt, Lingtian, and Lingshi a lot. I¡¯m happy with Lingtian as my son. I nned to take the two of them in after I took care of everything. Do you really think I wish to abandon them? You know how bold Doris can be. It¡¯s a distant dream for me to reunite with them with Doris in between us!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened when he spoke, and he took several deep breaths before he continued, ¡°The Hui Gu Corporation was in a financial crisis back then, so I asked your father for help, but he declined. I had no other way. I got to know Doris and hoped to get her help, then...I had to pay the price for the help I got. As the rtionship between the Gu family and the Mu family worsened, Doris was on the rise and she tired me out.

    ¡°Your aunt was an understanding woman. Sheforted me every time I got exhausted. She never thought about getting anything from me. I¡¯ve never given her anything else except Xiang She Residence. She¡¯s a fool. She thought she could make me change my mind while I never said I¡¯d marry her. At least, we were happy while we were together.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes stared nkly into space as if he was chasing into his past. ¡°She thought she¡¯d be able to get me back if she gave birth to my children...I care for her, but...¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gotten involved with her if you didn¡¯t love her. She would probably be living a great life now if it weren¡¯t for you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet Doris. If the Mu family agreed to Mu Zi and I being together, there¡¯s a good chance that we might get married, or even fall in love with her for real!¡±

    Gu Qiwu interrupted Mu Yuchen¡ª

    ¡°Especially after Doris gave birth to Lingsha...Lingtian is my son, his surname should be Gu, I did have thoughts of having him take over the Gu family¡¯s business.¡±

    ¡°You think Doris would have agreed to that?¡± Mu Yuchen asked coldly.

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t. That¡¯s why I had to think of another way.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice contained anger as he said, ¡°Did you hope that Lingtian would get something from the Mu family and join forces with you to take Doris on? Or that you could even get that document and start working with Qi Kai? What a perfect n you had! However, if that¡¯s the case, you should have never made Gu Lingsha marry me!¡±

    His eyes darkened as he thought about the past incidents.

    ¡°Who said that I wanted Lingsha to marry you?¡± Gu Qiwu gave him a stiff reply. He turned towards Mu Yuchen and gave him a sly look. ¡°It seems like you have no idea what happened in the dark back then.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes.

    ¡°Lingsha was already pregnant before she was about to marry you. You should¡¯ve at least known about that, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression was cold as he looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression froze and he did not say anything.

    Then, Gu Qiwu took a deep breath and looked away.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about what happened then...¡±

 Chapter 1160 - The Past Stays In The Past (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1160: The Past Stays In The Past (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The breeze blew past the field. Qingshan cemetery was just right across them and they could sense the quietness from afar.

    Mu Yuchen took some time before replying to Gu Qiwu, ¡°I only found out that Gu Lingsha was pregnant afterward, but it seems like you already knew about it a long time ago.¡±

    His eyes turned cold suddenly as he looked at the older man. ¡°Thest time we met, you mentioned that you wanted Gu Lingsha to marry me in order to eliminate Doris¡¯s suspicion of you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s what I originally intended. I was fully prepared back then. Either Qi Feng and you could work. I was more inclined towards you, so Doris started taking action the night you agreed to stay over. She genuinely hoped for Lingsha and you to be together. That¡¯s why she did what she did.

    ¡°However, we never expected you to get Lingtian to rece you. I had no idea until the butler told me about it. I know how Lingtian felt towards Lingsha, so I feel uneasy when I was reminded of Doris¡¯s intention. I¡¯m worried that bad things might happen, so I quickly gave Lingtian a call and told him to leave the Gu residence and visit me. I wanted him to call you back, but I didn¡¯t expect him to call Qi Feng right after that...¡±

    Gu Qiwu put on a bitter smile. ¡°It might¡¯ve just been fate. Qi Feng came over that night and they just happened to be together after that. Doris thought I had no idea what happened, but I knew full well. s, there was no way I could say a word about it. I also lied to Lingtian that there were some misunderstandings between Doris and me, and I told him to not tell anyone about me calling him. Otherwise, the secret I¡¯ve been keeping for so long would have been exposed.¡±

    ¡°This matter would have gone by without anyone noticing. Even if you didn¡¯t like Lingsha, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t mistreat her if she married you. I was sure you¡¯d grant her wish if she requested to join Glory World although I know you don¡¯t fully trust her. However, all of that didn¡¯t really matter because Lingtian was part of Glory World at that time. I¡¯m sure the two of them would¡¯ve been able to rise to a powerful position within Glory World, and then I¡¯d have waited for an appropriate moment before revealing to Lingtian that I¡¯m his biological father. He¡¯s been having a good impression of me after all, so perhaps I¡¯ll get his support that way...¡±

    ¡°However, you didn¡¯t expect your n to fail because of me. Instead, you matchmade Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha. You also didn¡¯t expect Gu Lingsha to be pregnant with Qi Feng¡¯s child, but you didn¡¯t want to let this chance slip away, and you didn¡¯t want Doris to be suspicious either, which is why you still made Gu Lingsha marry me. Weren¡¯t you worried about me finding out?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was icy cold.

    ¡°I already thought of a contingency n to abort the child...I just didn¡¯t expect Qi Feng to pry on Lingsha. I wanted Lingsha to stay put and take actionter, but they freaked out when they found out about their children. Plus, you have eyes all around, so they were worried that it might get exposed. Shasha took the info from you following Qi Feng¡¯s encouragement.¡±

    Gu Qiwu took a deep breath as his grip on the railing tightened. ¡°She was caught in the end, thus she panicked and ran away with Qi Feng. Of course, your subordinates wouldn¡¯t let them get away so easily. That¡¯s why Qi Feng asked Lingtian for help! Lingtian had totally fallen for Lingsha by that time, and he couldn¡¯t bear to see Lingsha be caught by you. In addition to his friendship with Qi Feng, he told Lingtian that Lingsha was pregnant. He also promised Lingtian that he would support him to lead Glory World in the future...¡±

    ¡°I know about this part, but what happened after that?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s face turned slightly pale.

    He did not want to believe it. He did not want to believe that Mu Lingtian had betrayed him just to take Glory World away, but it seemed like benefits and feelings weighed more than his family...

    ¡°Tragedy happened in the process of your pursuit...Lingtian was already dead when he shielded Lingsha with his body. It was only then that I realized how much Lingtian loved Lingsha. Although I was in deep grief, there was nothing I could do. I told Doris what happened and eliminated her doubts. I couldn¡¯t be angry at you as well. Lingtian was from the Mu family after all, so I could only endure the anger within myself.¡±

    ¡°I hate you! You are responsible for Lingtian¡¯s death.¡± Suddenly, Gu Qiwu gave him a sharp nce. ¡°I hate your intelligence and how you skipped the normal path. Things would¡¯ve turned out differently if you married Lingsha earlier. Lingtian wouldn¡¯t have fallen in love with his own sister, and even paid for it with his life.¡±

    ¡°Are you ming it all on me now?¡± Mu Yuchen put on a sly smile as he looked into his cold eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you¡¯re doing everything for Lingtian and Lingshi¡¯s sake! The fact that you¡¯re using your children as your gambling chips disqualifies you as a father!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying my best to get them back into the Gu family, but, Ah Chen, you of all people should understand my situation!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just giving excuses. If you¡¯re really worried about Doris, why do you tolerate her to this extent?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice had zero warmth.

    ¡°If Xi Xiaye acted like Doris and constantly plotted to take Glory World away from you, I believe you¡¯d make the same choices as me! I want to get away from her, but I can¡¯t forget my feelings for her! Ah Chen, I admit that I have disappointed your aunt, but the woman I truly love is Doris. I wish it wasn¡¯t real. I too wish that it was just an illusion¡ª¡±

    Gu Qiwu seemed to be suffering.

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

 Chapter 1161 - The Past Stay In The Past (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1161: The Past Stay In The Past (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen interrupted before Gu Qiwu could finish his sentence, so thetter turned over and noticed his dangerous gaze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try topare my woman with yours. Doris is way out of her league,¡± Mu Yuchen warned.

    1Gu Qiwu smiled as he gave Mu Yuchen a meaningful nce. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re pretty dedicated to Xi Xiaye. Aren¡¯t you afraid that she might be in danger by showing me this side of yours? Have you forgotten what happened a few years ago?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Only people without confidence would think that way. Didn¡¯t you just tell me how much you loved Doris just a moment ago?¡±

    ¡°Our situations are different, Ah Chen,¡± Gu Qiwu squinted his eyes and said quietly.

    ¡°That¡¯s just your excuse. From what you¡¯ve just said, you did all of that just to protect your children, didn¡¯t you?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were hard as if he was treating Gu Qiwu like some sort of a joke.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression froze. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I want to be freed from Doris¡¯ control, but the main point is about the siblings. Believe it or not, I have no reason to lie. Lingtian is my only son. No one could¡¯ve felt worse than me when he died.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I can trust you?¡± Mu Yuchen nced over as he grinned. ¡°Both you and your wife are brilliant! Using your own children as gambling chips, I believe you¡¯re still a notch better than me in this aspect, and so is Qi Feng.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, you¡¯re not me. You wouldn¡¯t understand what I¡¯m going through.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps I really don¡¯t. No matter what your reasons are, it doesn¡¯t justify your lie. Those shouldn¡¯t be the reasons for you to betray a woman and even abandon your own children. I¡¯ve told you before that I¡¯ve given you chances, but you gave them up.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and looked away. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have looked for me today.¡± His chest tightened as he was reminded of how Wang Hui had died with regret in her heart.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve expected my arrival! You kept Doris¡¯ matter a secret. You were just waiting for a chance to strike me down, weren¡¯t you?! And there¡¯s the matter about your aunt too. You¡¯re forcing me to make a choice now!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone turned chilly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that everybody is as cunning and shameless as you! Do you really think Qi Feng would¡¯ve missed this chance if I didn¡¯t tell anyone? I¡¯m just a little bit quicker than him.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gu Qiwu asked coldly.

    ¡°You know very well what I mean. There¡¯s no need to ask me again.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened and he did not say anything.

    ¡°As for Doris, I¡¯m just telling the truth. You can act as if nothing happened if you can stomach it. Continue your life as it is.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think I can still continue my life as if nothing happened? Do you know that Doris has already filed a divorce? Not only did she betray me, but she¡¯s also ripping me off!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s anger was rising within him.

    ¡°She thought she was in control of everything. I¡¯ll make sure she knows that everything she¡¯s trying to protect is nothing but a joke.¡±

    ¡°You should really tell Doris what you just said.¡±

    ¡°No, Ah Chen, I know what your aim is. Lingshi is my daughter after all. I won¡¯t owe her what she deserves, but...¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice turned grim.

    ¡°Are you saying that you intend to officially tell everyone that Lingshi is your daughter?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes at him.

    Gu Qiwu remembered the moment when he met Mu Lingshi in the hospital. Her eyes had been filled with sorrow. ¡°I met with Lingshi once in the hospital, I¡¯m sorry for your loss of your grandmother. I know it¡¯s somehow rted to me, but it¡¯s all in the past now and I can¡¯t do anything to change that. You should know this better than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°She has an extreme bias against me now, so...¡±

    ¡°So, do you mean she should be very grateful for you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Lingshi never hoped to get anything from you. She¡¯s the Mu family¡¯s treasure, and we¡¯re not any worse than the Gus.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, Ah Chen! I just hope she can forgive me. I was wrong.¡± Gu Qiwu took a deep breath as he gripped the railings tightly and stared at the cemetery for a while before he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t doubt my feelings towards the two of them. I¡¯ve been keeping a watch on them closely although I know they might be better off staying by your side. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to believe me, so I¡¯m going to stop talking about them. The reason I asked you toe today is that I want you to convince Lingshi to forgive me. Besides, I believe you wouldn¡¯t want Doris to win thewsuit against me, would you?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who wins. Don¡¯t even think about using Lingshi or me. I just hope you can give my aunt and Lingshi a responsible answer. You owe them that,¡± Mu Yuchen said casually.

    He felt rather pressured. Although he found out about Lingtian¡¯s reason from Qi Feng, after talking with Gu Qiwu, he realized the matters he prioritized might not be that important in the eyes of others.

    ¡°I won¡¯t interfere anymore if you stop hurting the people I care about. I¡¯m respecting Lingshi¡¯s wishes. However, if you¡¯re going to try something funny, I¡¯ll definitely y the game with you, but now, we will leave each other alone.¡± Mu Yuchen then left as he felt tired.

    ¡°Ah Chen!¡± Gu Qiwu called out to him when he was leaving.

    Nevertheless, Mu Yuchen left without any hesitation. He soon disappeared down the staircase as Gu Qiwu took a deep breath and pinched the space between his eyebrows...

 Chapter 1162 - Say It If You Like It (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1162:</h4> <h4>Say It If You Like It (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There were not many things to be done at the office and there was no meeting in the morning as well, so Xi Xiaye decided to bring Mu Xiaocheng along with Aunt Fang so that thetter could help her to take care of the toddler.

    It was already past 10 a.m. when Xi Xiaye arrived. Her current office was previously Shen Yue¡¯s office, and it became hers after a little bit of renovation.

    It was a huge office. The floor was decorated with a thick, clean carpet, allowing Mu Xiaocheng to crawl around everywhere just like in Mu Yuchen¡¯s office.

    Aunt Fang waited in the resting lounge. She would onlye over when Xi Xiaye summoned her.

    It was Xiao Mei¡¯s first time seeing Xi Xiaye bring her son over. She was tempted to y with Mu Xiaocheng since he looked so cute and handsome.

    However, Mu Xiaocheng seemed a little shy. He quickly ran and fled to Xi Xiaye when Xiao Mei approached him. He grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s leg and slowly stood up, making Xiao Mei smile. ¡°CEO Xi, Young Master is pretty smart. It¡¯s obvious to see that he¡¯s Chairman Mu¡¯s son. He looks just like him, but his eyes look like yours!¡±

    ¡°He does look like Chairman Mu, but I wonder who his naughty nature resembles. His father can barely handle him. Luckily, he¡¯s not a crybaby.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she put down her documents and gently lifted Mu Xiaocheng to put him on top of herp. Mu Xiaocheng chuckled a little before wrapping his arms around her neck.

    ¡°Naughty kids often achieve great things. I¡¯m sure Young Master will be as sessful as Chairman Mu in the future!¡±

    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t be a troublemaker, I¡¯ll take care of things here. You can get back to your work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi¡ª¡±

    Rat-a-tat!

    There was a knock on the door before Xiao Mei could finish her sentence.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opened and Xi Xiaye¡¯s secretary entered the room. ¡°CEO Xi, Vice President Qi from Qi Kai is here!¡±

    Qi Lei?

    Xi Xiaye paused for a moment before replying, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    The secretary and Xiao Mei then left the room.

    Xi Xiaye brought Mu Xiaocheng over to the sofa. She then heard the sound of footsteps closing in, so she turned around and saw Qi Leiing in.

    ¡°Why did you bring him here? Are you sure you can handle it?¡± Qi Lei offered to hold Mu Xiaocheng for her. ¡°Little guy, do you still remember the handsome me? Smile for me. Come on, smile! Though you look like your father, you¡¯re much more handsome than him, unlike his icy cold features!¡±

    He lifted up Mu Xiaocheng, and the little guy giggled happily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t spoil him. Even his father doesn¡¯t always do that to him. I¡¯ll get Aunt Fang to feed him now.¡±

    Xiao Mei came in with some tea and Aunt Fang then carried the little guy out of the room.

    ¡°Why are you here? How have you been doing? I heard from Vice President Liu that Chenye Movies and Television is going well. Seeing how rxed you look, it¡¯s not too tough for you, is it?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I just happened to be around the area, so I decided to visit you. About what happened recently...is everything alright?¡± Qi Lei took a sip of the tea and asked.

    ¡°Thank you for asking. Everything is fine. I heard that CEO Qi isn¡¯t feeling well. What happened?¡±

    Xi Xiaye found out from Lan Zng that Qi Qiming had been feeling unwell. She assumed he might have been too furious about what happened at Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding.

    ¡°He¡¯s a little mentally unstable.¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his head and looked at the cup of tea for a while before he continued, ¡°Actually, he seems to be a little odd ever since my mother left. I can sense that he genuinely regrets my mother¡¯s death. What irony.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. ¡°He regrets it? Is he regretful about how he treated CEO Wang before? Or something else? From an outsider¡¯s perspective, CEO Wang and CEO Qi were married for several decades, so I guess feelings could¡¯ve been born from friction. I saw CEO Qi some time ago, and he seemed tired.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to continue. My mother would¡¯ve still been alive if that person even cared for her a little. Well, she isn¡¯ting back anymore. I¡¯m just letting you know that the old man¡¯s health is getting worse. He¡¯s been pretty demotivated to care about thepanytely too.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened.

    He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Qi Feng is going to join thepany in the next few days. I think I¡¯ll be affected when he¡¯s done familiarizing himself with the operations.¡±

    ¡°So, you mean, Qi Qiming is going to let Qi Kai take over Qi Kai?¡± Xi Xiaye was surprised.

    Qi Lei continued drinking his tea and smiled. ¡°I guess so. He already decided way before Qi Feng and Shasha got married that he wanted Qi Feng to get familiar with Qi Kai¡¯s operations after they got married. Now that Qi Feng is by his side, he¡¯s prepared to hand thepany to Qi Feng.¡±

    ¡°What about you? What will happen to you once Qi Feng takes over Qi Kai?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she gave Qi Lei a worried nce. ¡°I thought CEO Qi has been pretty nice to youtely. Does he really trust Qi Feng that much? Has he never doubted Qi Feng at all regarding the incidentst time?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t expect him to change his views about me. He¡¯s decided all along to leave Qi Kai for Qi Feng anyway, so I don¡¯t really care.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was in while his eyes were cold and quiet, not revealing any emotions.

    However, Xi Xiaye could hear a sense of helplessness and bitternessing from him.

    It was not about Qi Kai. Qi Lei never really cared about these superficial matters anyway. What really disappointed him was the difference in treatment.

 Chapter 1163 - Say It If You Like It (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1163: Say It If You Like It (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    No one else could understand this feeling better than Xi Xiaye.

    Was it not the same with Xi Xinyi and her?

    Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi did everything they could to leave Yueying to Xi Xinyi. They had even drugged her and tried to get her into Qi Lei¡¯s bed. Their intentions were as clear as day!

    However, things did not turn out the way they wanted.

    Just how simr could their fate be?

    Just that, she was way luckier than Qi Lei right now.

    Xi Xiaye had no words at the moment.

    ¡°You have to hang in there no matter what. Don¡¯t forget about CEO Wang¡¯s expectations of you. You¡¯ll be able to walk your own path like me even if you leave them. The two of us have oddly simr fates. If I¡¯m lucky enough to escape from my shackles, I believe you will too. Isn¡¯t everything going right on track now?¡± She tried to encourage him.

    Qi Leiughed. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I promised CEO Wang that I¡¯d look after you. I can¡¯t go back on my promise now. I¡¯ve met Qi Feng several times, but I can¡¯t figure him out at all.¡± She spread open her palms, the scars on them still visible.

    Qi Lei paused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for getting you involved.¡±

    ¡°Since when are you so polite? It¡¯s not your fault anyway, so you don¡¯t have to apologize. Gu Qiwu and Doris are filing for divorce right now. I guess Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng aren¡¯t having an easy time at the moment. You should be quick with what you¡¯re doing so that you wouldn¡¯t be too affected when Qi Feng takes over Qi Kai.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about that too. Thewyer Gu Qiwu looked for is Liuyun¡¯s mother. It seems like he¡¯s eager to win this.¡±

    Qi Lei had heard from Yang Sheng that Gu Qiwu invested a lot into hiring Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mother, the undefeatable legendarywyer.

    Liuyun?

    Xi Xiaye seemed surprised. She frowned and gave Qi Lei a meaningful nce. ¡°Are you very close with Ms. Dongfang?¡±

    Qi Lei felt a chill when he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s question. He looked back into her eyes before replying, ¡°Well, not really. We just yed some games together and went out drinking once or twice.¡±

    ¡°Interesting, Ms. Dongfang seems great. Aren¡¯t you the Casanova? It¡¯d be amazing if you could make her your wife. I know a little bit about Ms. Dongfang. My father is convincing her to join University A as a lecturer. They are recruiting for an archeology expert, and it¡¯d be great if she can join.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she looked at Qi Lei.

    He shrugged and gave her his usual nce. ¡°What a heartless woman. The whole world knows that my heart belongs to you. You¡¯d have be my wife already if Mu Yuchen was just a tad slower, and Mu Xiaocheng would¡¯ve been called Qi Xiaocheng! Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll be sad about what you said? Don¡¯t you know that my heart is very fragile?¡±

    1Qi Lei¡¯s expression was calm despite what he was saying, and Xi Xiaye somehow noticed a subtle darkened expression on his face.

    Xi Xiaye went silent as she was not sure what reply she should give.

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. I just feel the need to tell you that I like you. I don¡¯t expect you to reciprocate the feelings. I do feel envious about Mu Yuchen at times. He¡¯s just too lucky. How is he the one who got you in the end?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone became heavy as he continued, ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re a great woman. At the very least, you¡¯re the best among the ones I know although we share simr life experiences. Fate doesn¡¯t want us to be together, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯d be happy if we were together.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find someone better,¡± Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and said.

    ¡°I¡¯m just ranting over here, so pay me no mind. Don¡¯t say something like that to me again. It¡¯s cruel to say stuff like that to a man who was fond of you before. I¡¯m pretty open-minded. I genuinely wish the best for Mu Yuchen and you. If you could find Mu Yuchen for yourself, I believe I can find a woman who suits me too.¡±

    Qi Lei found Xi Xiaye¡¯s awkwardness funny.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and looked at him. ¡°Then, can¡¯t you just keep the feelings inside your heart and not blurt it out? Sometimes, pointing out the elephant in the room isn¡¯t the best idea, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°You might tell Mu Yuchen I told you so that he¡¯ll feel a sense of urgency and cherish you better. I¡¯m doing an extremely generous move right now. How could you criticize me instead of showing gratitude, you heartless woman?!¡± Qi Lei casually touched his nose as he looked at Xi Xiaye. Only he could do this, bending logic and twisting words in his favor.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯re not doing sales or marketing. You can considering over to Fuhua¡¯s marketing department.¡±

    ¡°Go and get Mu Yuchen. He¡¯ll definitely say yes. It¡¯s about time now. I¡¯ll have to go and take a lookter. Remember to tell Mu Yuchen to be careful of Qi Feng. I sense that Qi Feng is a little...I¡¯m feeling uneasy, so just be on alert...¡±

 Chapter 1164 - Giving Flowers (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1164: Giving Flowers (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei got up and took a nce at Xi Xiaye with a gaze that looked so gentle yetplicated.

    Although Qi Lei and Xi Xiaye shared simr experiences, Xi Xiaye might not be able to connect with his true self. Even though he appeared cheeky all the time, he kept a lot of secrets to himself.

    Xi Xiaye never really thought about that. She did not want to find out too much about him due to some other reasons as well, but there was also the rtionship between Qi Lei, Mu Yuchen, and her, so...

    Qi Lei chuckled when he noticed theplicated nce Xi Xiaye shot him. ¡°I¡¯ve told you about it before, and I¡¯m sure you understand it as well. Speaking up about it can make you feel better at times, so take responsibility for your feelings. You don¡¯t have to feel pressured. We¡¯re still good friends. Mu Yuchen is a great man and you deserve him, but at times, I¡¯ll be here when you need me.¡±

    He seemed different than before, and his eyes seemed genuine.

    ¡°Some rtionships aren¡¯t meant to be possessed but to be treated as faith. I want to live my life in peace. I want to find someone to live this life with, just like Mu Yuchen and you. I thought I¡¯d be able to live however I want if I don¡¯t care too much, but...I started feeling like this ever since I met you. Sadly, the person you chose wasn¡¯t me, and you¡¯re not the right person for me as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a normal woman. I¡¯m not as good as you think. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you think you¡¯re good or not. It¡¯s enough as long as the other person thinks that you are,¡± Qi Lei interrupted Xi Xiaye before she could end her sentence, ¡°Xiaye, sometimes I truly hope that we could¡¯ve met each other earlier. Mu Yuchen was just a little faster, so he won the jackpot.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has a dark side they don¡¯t want to show anyone. He might not be the real winner in life. You might not understand what burden he has to bear on his back. Qi Lei, you¡¯ll be able to find a genuine rtionship, so don¡¯t reject it when ites to you. Happiness requires you to discover new things on your own.¡±

    She took a deep breath as she got up.

    Qi Lei froze for a moment before nodding. ¡°I suppose he has to be tougher than me. Though I don¡¯t want to admit it, he¡¯s a better person than I am.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re great too. Listen to me. After things settle down...¡±

    ¡°I know, I will! Goodbye¡ª¡±

    Qi Lei went to open the door when he suddenly saw a figure blocking his way just as he was going to head out. He then noticed Mu Yuchen casually standing by the door with a rxed expression on his face.

    Qi Lei was dumbfounded to see Mu Yuchen right there as he stared at him nkly.

    Mu Yuchen gave him a meaningful nce and spoke up momentster, ¡°Second Master Qi, aren¡¯t you always very generous towards women? Have you given my wife some houses or maybe even cars?¡±

    Stunned, Qi Lei¡¯s face turned beet red instantly. He took a quick nce at Mu Yuchen and decided to escape right away. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. I told her that because I want you to know that the person I like is your...ah¡ª¡±

    Mu Yuchen kicked him before he could finish his sentence. Qi Lei groaned in pain and swiftly fled without even looking back.

    ¡°You little...! It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯ve never gotten a girlfriend,¡± Mu Yuchen mumbled as he looked at Qi Lei running away from him.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised to see the man outside her office door. She seemed a little embarrassed knowing that he had overheard their conversation. Then, she squinted at him and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I be here? Otherwise, I would¡¯ve missed that passionate confession. Aren¡¯t you happy that you¡¯re still popr in the market?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her with those deep-set eyes of his.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face turned red as she took a peek outside and felt relieved when there was no one around. She quickly dragged him inside and closed the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, is it? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s your first day knowing what he was thinking. We¡¯re innocent. Don¡¯t overthink in your head...mmm¡ª¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could exin herself, he grabbed her into his arms and his lips met with hers...

    She was stunned for a moment, then she embraced him.

    Mu Yuchen stopped after a while and took a deep breath as he put an arm on the wall behind her. ¡°Seems like you enjoy hearing those words, huh?¡±

    ¡°What¡ª¡± She nced at him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°I¡¯d be much happier if you said them to me instead. I¡¯ve never heard any confession from you although we¡¯ve been married for so long.¡±

    ¡°I did when we just got married and during our wedding,¡± he looked at her and said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any jealousy from you right now. Isn¡¯t it normal for a man to feel jealous in a situation like this? Don¡¯t you find me attractive anymore?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°Nonsense! Do you think Qi Lei would still fall for you if you weren¡¯t attractive? Fortunately, he¡¯s smart enough to know that he¡¯s no match for me, so I¡¯m at ease now. Only people with no confidence would feel jealous, and we already have a son together, so you can¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    He chuckled as he acted confidently.

    Xi Xiaye seemed slightly defeated. ¡°I realize I¡¯m not as popr anymore ever since we got together. I was one of the most popr ones in Glory World back then...¡±

 Chapter 1165 - Gifting Flowers (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1165: Gifting Flowers (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye pushed him back, but he grabbed her even tighter and looked at her with a sharp nce.

    ¡°Glory World¡¯s beauty, huh? You¡¯re already a mother to two sons now. That shouldn¡¯t be what you¡¯re thinking about. I doubt there¡¯d be any fool who¡¯d try to steal you away from me. I suppose they wouldn¡¯t dare to even if they wanted to, or else, I¡¯ll make sure they suffer...¡±

    He tightened his grip on her waist.

    ¡°You...How can you be like this?¡±

    ¡°Why not? I¡¯m not a good person anyway.¡±

    He lowered his head and caught another taste of her lips again. Momentster, he returned to his usual self and walked towards her work desk. Then, he sat down on the chair and flipped through some documents. ¡°Where¡¯s our son?¡±

    Xi Xiaye straightened her outfit and pursed her lips before walking over. ¡°I got Aunt Fang to get him something to eat. Why did youe here anyway?¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed her hand and she sat down on hisp as she gave him a confused look. ¡°I came to take a look.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath, still feeling pretty gloomy over what happened with Gu Qiwu that morning. ¡°Have you seen the document from Vice President Zhang Lan?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done with it. I don¡¯t really have any problems...¡±

    Xi Xiaye noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone on the table ringing. She took a nce and saw that it was Li Si calling.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Mu Yuchen picked up the call.

    ¡°Master, I just got a call from the hospital saying that Doris forced them to discharge her, and herwyer has already lodged a divorce case with the court.¡± Li Si¡¯s voice came through.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Just keep an eye on her.¡±

    He hung up on the call as he had a cold grin. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s no way for Doris and Gu Qiwu to resolve this. By the way, I suppose you heard what Qi Lei said just now. Qi Qiming is probably letting Qi Feng take over Qi Kai soon. As for Qi Lei...¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming hasn¡¯t been doing well ever since Wang Qin left. He¡¯s invested a lot of resources into Qi Feng. Even if he¡¯s treating Qi Lei slightly more decently now, I doubt he¡¯ll change his initial decision. Sometimes, I find that Qi Lei really had it tough. For Qi Feng...I just hope...¡± Xi Xiaye still had no idea what was on Qi Feng¡¯s mind.

    Knock!

    Before Xi Xiayepleted her train of thought, there was a knock on the door, and it opened from the outside before Xi Xiaye could go and answer it.

    ¡°CEO Xi, there are some flowers for you, and this¡ªChairman Mu!¡±

    Xiao Mei came in with a big bouquet of flowers.

    Xi Xiaye got down from Mu Yuchen¡¯sp, her face slightly pink.

    Xiao Mei lowered her head out of awkwardness and started to regret her tactless behavior.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Mu Yuchen quickly held her hand, worried that she might trip.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath before looking at Xiao Mei who was holding a big bouquet of lilies, as well as arge, ck umbre. She thought the umbre was familiar, but she was not sure where she had seen it before.

    ¡°Who sent this?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Xiao Mei came over with the bouquet of flowers. ¡°I have no idea. Someone from the florist delivered it. There was a message for you too, saying that Mr. Qi thanks you for the umbre!¡±

    Umbre?

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she took the flowers from Xiao Mei. She soon found a small card inside the bouquet with just a single line of message on it: <i>Thank you for your umbre. Weiwei really liked it and didn¡¯t want to return it, so I got you a new one.</i>

    Qi Feng¡¯s signature was at the bottom.

    Xi Xiaye then remembered bumping into the two of them on a rainy day, and she handed her umbre to Qi Weier.

    However, what was Qi Feng¡¯s intentions of doing this?

    ¡°How thoughtful of him.¡± Mu Yuchen snatched the bouquet away from Xi Xiaye and threw it forward, so Xiao Mei quickly grabbed it. ¡°It¡¯s yours now. You can keep the umbre too. Leave us alone for now.¡±

    Xiao Mei was a little startled and she quickly turned towards Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Besides, reject any flowers in the future as long as it¡¯s not from me. It¡¯s up to you how you want to deal with them.¡± His tone was dominating, and Xiao Mei felt pressured just being there at that moment.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips before nodding lightly at Xiao Mei.

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu!¡±

    She then quickly left the room!

    He took the card away from Xi Xiaye and squinted at it. In the next moment, it got dumped into the bin.

    ¡°Mr. Mu...¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave him an uneasy look. While he did not seem angry about what happened with Qi Lei just now, Qi Feng¡¯s act really riled him up.

    ¡°Does he frequently give you flowers?¡± Mu Yuchen asked quietly.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°Not at all. Just that time I told you aboutst time, and this time. I wonder what he¡¯s up to.¡±

    ¡°Is he picking a fight with me?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could say anything, he pressed the inte button on the table. ¡°Come in.¡±

    Xiao Mei came inside the room momentster.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, CEO Xi...¡± Xiao Mei could still feel the pressure in the room.

    ¡°Go and prepare a white chrysanthemum or dioli and send them to First Master Qi. Tell him it¡¯s a token of gratitude from CEO Xi and wish him a speedy recovery.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chairman Mu!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment, but she came back to her senses momentster. ¡°Just what is Qi Feng thinking? Trying to mess with our life?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s ying Taichi with me right now, trying to gauge my bottom line. Just ignore this. Does he really think everyone is like Gu Lingsha?¡± Mu Yuchen seemed disgusted.

    ¡°Is he trying to find a chance with me?¡± Xi Xiaye somehow caught onto what Mu Yuchen meant.

 Chapter 1166 - Gifting Flowers (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1166: Gifting Flowers (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside Qi Feng¡¯s office in Qi Kai Corporation, Professor Terl packed up his equipment with a smile and spoke to Qi Feng with his not-so-fluent Mandarin.

    ¡°Mr. Qi, ording to your condition, if you can even feel a little bit of numbness, that means you have a very high chance of recovery. I¡¯ve checked and noticed not all the nerves on your legs are dead since you¡¯ve been doing massages all these years as well, and there are no signs of withering, so I¡¯m confident that you¡¯ll recover.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great news, Dr. Terl. If you can heal our Master¡¯s legs, we¡¯ll reward you handsomely. Please do your best and help him stand again!¡± Morrison seemed worked up.

    Qi Feng smiled as well as he spoke to Professor Terl humbly, ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear those words from you. Let me know if you need anything from me. I¡¯ll do whatever in my power to aid you to heal my legs.¡±

    Professor Terl smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. If you cooperate with my therapy, I¡¯m sure your wish wille true soon. Alright, it¡¯s time for me to go back now. Just follow my instructions.¡±

    Morrison sent him out.

    ¡°First Master, I think you¡¯ll be able to stand. How exciting!¡± Morrison was overjoyed after he sent Professor Terl out.

    Qi Feng smiled while he lowered his head and looked at his legs with a smile. ¡°After six years, I never thought I¡¯d be hopeful again. God¡¯s blessings are with me.¡±

    Rat-a-tat!

    There was a knock on the door. Gu Lingsha opened the door and came in before he could reply.

    ¡°Missus!¡± Morrison greeted her.

    Gu Lingsha smiled and left some documents on Qi Feng¡¯s table. ¡°These documents need your perusal. Take a look.¡±

    Qi Feng flipped through them as Morrison left the room quietly.

    ¡°The progress of South River Project No. 2? Looks like it¡¯s going smoothly. Xi Xinyi seems capable. I¡¯m surprised the promotion is doing so well.¡± Qi Feng was generous with hispliments.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi is Yue Hai¡¯s subordinate. She¡¯ll have to be up to standards under his wing. However, I have to say that she is indeed capable. I had a talk with her some time ago, and I definitely sensed hatred towards Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye in her tone. Ah Feng, we¡¯re in a passive position right now, and I notice that Uncle Qi has been meeting his privatewyer quite frequentlytely. Do you think...¡±

    Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Feng hesitantly.

    ¡°He sees Qi Lei differently now. He will definitely reward him one way or another even if I take over Qi Kai.

    ¡°But it feels like Lei has been curse. He¡¯s taken Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s side. He was actually defending them. Plus, I really have no idea how to deal with my parents¡¯ issue now. My mother sent evidence to the court, and I¡¯m sure the court summons will reach my father in the next few days. Don¡¯t you have any ideas?¡± She stopped beside Qi Feng and looked at him with those sorrowful eyes of hers.

    ¡°What other methods do you think can solve their problems? You should know your parents better than anyone else.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened when Gu Qiwu and Doris were mentioned and his tone sounded cold as well. ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s not like we can get involved in their matter.¡±

    ¡°Then, what should I do? Just watch them make this mess and actually get divorced? How many people do you think are watching this? Should I let Mu Yuchen and the others justugh at us?¡±

    ¡°Alright, Shasha, let me think about it. The issue is to deal with Mother right now. Father won¡¯t stop if she doesn¡¯t let up. Instead of talking to me, you might as well try to convince your mother.¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng, do these matters really tire you out? You¡¯ve been watching this whole thing like an outsider. There are no benefits to us at all if my parents actually get divorced! If Father officially takes Mu Lingshi back...I know my father too well. He hasn¡¯t been really happy with metely. He actually got his subordinates to do a DNA test between me and him in secret.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was worried. She somehow found out about Gu Qiwu¡¯s task for Ah Yong.

    ¡°Mother¡¯s actions are indeed surprising. Fortunately, the information is still suppressed. It¡¯s not really a big deal if Father keeps quiet about it. The evidence is long gone now, so I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t want to stir it up.¡±

    ¡°But Father and Mother are really against each other right now. She¡¯s determined to get a divorce, and it seems like she¡¯ll be getting a portion of the Hui Gu Corporation shares, but Father doesn¡¯t want to give her anything. If things get to a stage whereby it¡¯s toote, I really don¡¯t know who I should side with. Mother forced herself to be discharged from the hospital this morning, and she warned me to pick a side. Just what does she mean by that?¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re forced to make a choice, we can only stand on your mother¡¯s side. I¡¯m sure you know the reason why.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone was firm.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze for a moment. ¡°Father didn¡¯t seem like he was going to take Mu Lingshi in, or else, he wouldn¡¯t have waited for so long. I met Father in the hospital earlier today. She is in great conflict with Father. It¡¯s not something that can be solved in an instant¡ª¡±

    Rat-a-tat.

    A knock interrupted Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Qi Feng answered.

    Morrison came in followed by a young man with a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in his hands.

    ¡°First Master, this guy is looking for you!¡±

    ¡°Hi, are you Mr. Qi Feng?¡± the young man asked with a smile.

    Qi Feng raised his eyebrows before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±

    The man smiled. ¡°Greetings Mr. Qi Feng, I¡¯m from Smile Florist. CEO Xi from Fuhua sent you some flowers. Please sign here.¡± He then handed the bouquet to Qi Feng.

    CEO Xi of Fuhua? Xi Xiaye?

    Her name appeared in Qi Feng¡¯s head.

    However, his expression darkened instantly when he saw the flowers...

 Chapter 1167 - Doubt and Suspicion (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1167: Doubt and Suspicion (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    White chrysanthemums...

    Those flowers were meant for dead people!

    The atmosphere in the office became heavy. Even Morrison could sense an overwhelming pressure.

    However, it onlysted for a moment. Qi Feng soon put on a sweet smile, the same one that made Gu Lingsha fell for him. He even forgot how unhappy he had been just a while ago.

    Qi Feng slowly took the flowers and signed his name.

    ¡°Please thank CEO Xi for me.¡± His smile was warm and gentle.

    Morrison was confused about the chill that just ran down his spine.

    ¡°CEO Xi also wishes you a speedy recovery. Goodbye!¡± The young man then left.

    Giving him these flowers and wishing him a speedy recovery? Did she really think he did not know what the flowernguage was?

    Qi Feng looked at the white chrysanthemums and smiled.

    Xi Xiaye?

    Interesting...

    Gu Lingsha observed Qi Feng¡¯s reaction. Naturally, she had no idea what Qi Feng was thinking about as she did not know what happened between them before. From her perspective, the chrysanthemum represented encouragement, and Qi Feng seemed to be pretty fond of chrysanthemums.

    It was a sign of friendliness!

    Who else could Fuhua¡¯s CEO Xi be aside from Xi Xiaye?

    Xi Xiaye!

    Gu Lingsha was instantly in a bad mood when she thought about her. Her expression turned cold as she took a deep breath and stared right at Qi Feng.

    ¡°Ah Feng, what is this? CEO Xi? Is this from that witch Xi Xiaye? Why did she give you flowers? Why? Since when were you on such friendly terms with her?¡± Her cold tone was filled with jealousy!

    Qi Feng frowned as he looked over at her. His eyes darkened when he saw the cold expression on her face, and he handed the flowers to Morrison. ¡°Put these inside a vase.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t! Throw them away right now. Do you hear me?!¡± Gu Lingsha grabbed the flowers before Morrison could take it. She then mmed them hard onto the floor! The bouquet was smashed and petals scattered everywhere.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened as he stared at her for a moment. He then turned towards Morrison tomand, ¡°Clean this up.¡±

    ¡°You owe me an exnation for this, Qi Feng. Since when are you on friendly terms with Xi Xiaye? First, there was Weiwei, and now you too! Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know that the umbre Weiwei has been hogging around all day belongs to Xi Xiaye! I¡¯ve been waiting for an exnation for that. Can you say something?¡±

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath beforeshing out in anger. She shot Qi Feng an angry re.

    Qi Weier¡¯s condition was getting worse. She hugged the big, ck umbre all day, yet she was afraid of her own mother getting close to her. She suppressed her anger and tried to get closer, but she was deemed less important than Xi Xiaye whom she had just met several times!

    Gu Lingsha did not know about it at first. She only started trying to find out when she noticed that Qi Weier was obsessed over the umbre. Then, she found out it was from Xi Xiaye! Assuming that it was just a trivial matter, she did not think that Xi Xiaye would influence her long-time rtionship with Qi Feng.

    However, after she heard those words from Doristely...

    Gu Lingsha could not bear children anymore, and with Qi Weier¡¯s current condition, would the Qi family really ept them?

    She did use marriage to bind Qi Feng down now, but was it strong enough to hold him forever?

    After all, her parents, who had been in love for so many years, were now on the verge of a divorce.

    Did true love really exist?

    Did forever really exist?

    Would Qi Feng love her forever?

    She might still have an answer if she had asked herself these questions before, but what about now?

    Could she still answer them earnestly?

    She was afraid...

    She was getting sensitive. How was she going to bear all of these?

    ¡°Manager Gu...¡± Morrison called out to her quietly.

    ¡°Get out!¡± Gu Lingsha stared right at Qi Feng¡¯s face.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    Qi Feng grabbed a pen and signed the document he flipped open just now. He then handed it to Gu Lingsha. ¡°She sent me a flower congratting my return to Qi Kai. It¡¯s just business. Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°Business? Do you think I¡¯m a fool? Why didn¡¯t she give me any flowers when I came here to work? Just what¡¯s going on between Weiwei and her? Have you ever given me an exnation? What¡¯s your rtionship with her? Judging by our conflict with Mu Yuchen, why would she lend you her umbre?¡± Gu Lingsha questioned him endlessly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you that we¡¯re not rted. Believe it or not, it just happened. I¡¯ve signed the document, so take it away. Do not speak about private matters in the office ever again.¡±

    Qi Feng nced at her irritatedly and his tone sounded cold too.

    ¡°Private matters? So you know that¡¯s a private matter too? Didn¡¯t you just say it¡¯s just business for her to send you flowers? It¡¯s a work matter, isn¡¯t it? How is that a private matter? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re bing like Qi Lei!¡± Gu Lingshi could feel anger filling up her whole body.

    ¡°You¡¯re not in your right mind now. Go calm down. You¡¯ve been bing more and more unreasonabletely!¡± Qi Feng sounded annoyed. He took a deep breath and eased his tone to say, ¡°Rest if you¡¯re emotionally overloaded. I know you¡¯ve been under a lot of stresstely.¡±

 Chapter 1168 - Doubt and Suspicion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1168: Doubt and Suspicion (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng did not want any infighting to happen, so he tried to calm the situation down.

    Gu Lingsha was really sensitivetely. Perhaps, she was really upset about Gu Qiwu and Doris.

    ¡°Unreasonable? Ah Feng, how could you say that? Have you ever tried to help me out in any way since my parents were in conflict? You know that I¡¯m having a tough time, and then now there¡¯s Mu Lingshi to worry about. Don¡¯t you know what¡¯s awaiting me?¡± Gu Lingsha bit her lip, her eyes betraying her panic.

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood, Manager Gu. First Master has nothing to do with Xi Xiaye and was about to visit Mr. Gu for a discussion...¡± Morrison could not stand it any longer, so he decided to speak up.

    Gu Lingsha stared at him coldly. He instantly kept quiet and moved aside. Then, he swiftly and quietly left the office.

    Only Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were left inside the room.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind putting in the effort if I can get them to reconcile, but do you think it¡¯s possible now that things have turned out this way?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s eyes turned hard. ¡°Could you ept it if you were them? Do you really think you can help them not be suspicious and unreasonable with each other?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze when she saw his unhappy nce. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Ah Feng, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I¡¯m just worried that Xi Xiaye has some other intentions by suddenly giving you flowers like this. It¡¯s odd. I¡¯m worried that she might try to brainwash you like Qi Lei. The conflict between Mu Yuchen and I can¡¯t be solved with just a few words. Now that you still can¡¯t walk, and with Weiwei like that, plus Lingtian...¡±

    ¡°If you understand that her effort is futile, then why worry? Do you really think I¡¯d forget our purpose here?¡± Qi Feng asked as he left the document on the table. ¡°You¡¯ve not been doing well recently. The psychiatrist will be counseling Weiwei at home. You should stay with her and take a break from work. Father doesn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood too, but I can¡¯t really take time to visit because of work.¡±

    Qi Feng looked at Gu Lingsha with his earnest eyes. ¡°Just stop worrying and focus on being Mrs. Qi. Other women aren¡¯t important, so you don¡¯t have to be suspicious at all. Yes, Weiwei likes Xi Xiaye, but you just have to spend more time with her and let her depend on you. No matter how much of a failure I am, I don¡¯t want my wife to suffer.¡±

    Her anger calmed down a little., ¡°Alright, but...if Xi Xiaye sends you anything else in the future, you have to turn it down! Just who does she think she is?¡±

    1He nodded.

    Gu Lingsha grabbed the document on the table and headed out, trampling on the white chrysanthemums she just threw on the floor on the way out.

    ...

    ¡°First Master!¡± Morrison quickly came into the office after Gu Lingsha left. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Morrison understood Gu Lingsha¡¯s attitude pretty well. She was very suspicious of others, so he gave Qi Feng a worried nce.

    As Qi Feng waved his hand, Morrison went over and pushed towards the working table.

    ¡°She¡¯s not the same person as before now. She panicked after experiencing those stuff. She¡¯s still a woman after all...¡± Qi Feng sounded helpless.

    ¡°First Master, the issue between Mr. Gu and Madam Gu is enough to keep her anxious. With Ms. Weiwei like that too, it¡¯s been pretty tough for her. However, she truly loves you. She¡¯s still been by your side after all these years, hasn¡¯t she?¡±

    Although Morrison was not very fond of Gu Lingsha, he did not want their rtionship to end.

    ¡°I¡¯ve known Lingsha for over 20 years. She¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve been with. I¡¯ve always wanted her to be my wife. If she can continue like this, the position as Mrs. Qi will naturally be hers. However, her performance has been disappointingtely. She bes really irrational every time things involve Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about what happened. If not for Weiwei, she might have actually gotten married to Mu Yuchen,¡± Qi Feng said in a depressed tone while his eyes were filled withplex emotions.

    ¡°So, Master, you think that Manager Gu...she might actually have intended to marry Mu Yuchen at that time?¡± Morrison had been working alongside Qi Feng for many years, thus he could somewhat guess what he was thinking.

    Qi Feng did not answer and just closed his eyes. ¡°Mu Yuchen is influential after all, and I personally admire him a lot. However, it¡¯s just in the past. We can¡¯t go back ever again. Shasha has always been my woman. Moreover, Mu Yuchen has Xi Xiaye now.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is indeed capable. He¡¯s one of the most powerful people in City Z, so it won¡¯t be easy for us to go against him. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo will be troublesome to deal with as well. There¡¯s also Second Master...I¡¯m a bit worried about him, especially with CEO Qi¡¯s attitude recently.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen to Qi Leitely?¡±

    ¡°Not really. He¡¯s been going to work on time and then staying at home after work. He hardly leaves his house. Ever since Wang Qin died, his personality has suddenly changed. I suppose Wang Qin¡¯s death left a huge impact on him and CEO Qi as well.¡±

    ¡°I have my own thoughts about Qi Lei. As for Mu Yuchen, I¡¯ll make sure that he¡¯ll have it roughter on. Give Gu Qiwu a call. I need to have a talk with him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, First Master! I¡¯ll contact him right away.¡± Morrison nodded before leaving the room.

 Chapter 1169 - Bitterness, Aggrieved? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1169: Bitterness, Aggrieved? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng leaned against the chair after the door closed. The chill on his face disappeared and only fatigue remained...

    At times, Qi Feng had no idea what his purpose of living was.

    Was he doing all of these for the sake of revenge or for his family?

    Did he really have a family?

    He never felt like he belonged to a family. He always received sarcasm from Wang Qin and Qi Feng treated him coldly

    1He did not do anything wrong, but why did life treat him this way?

    Just because he was an illegitimate child?

    No matter how well he performed, he was still branded as subpar when he was beside Qi Lei.

    Besides Wang Qin looking down on him, his grandparents sided with her as well, and Doris also looked down on him.

    He always hid his feelings and neverined to anyone. People only saw how Qi Qiming showered him with love, thinking that he always provided him with the best, but no one knew that was the only good thing that happened to Qi Feng.

    He struggled on the brink of death, and now he looked past it all.

    He did not want to believe his life revolved around tragedies. He wanted to make it out, not just for benefits. After all, he just did not want to lead a boring, ordinary life...

    He must not!

    ...

    On the other hand, Qi Lei, who had been caught red-handed by Mu Yuchen, was feeling uneasy after he fled.

    1What a coincidence!

    He quickly finished his discussion with his client before returning to his office. The clueless Yang Sheng followed behind him.

    After they got out of the elevator and was on the way back to Qi Lei¡¯s office, Yang Sheng could not help but ask, ¡°Master Qi, what happened? You don¡¯t seem alright.¡±

    Master Qi had been acting weird and kept blushing since the afternoon. He also seemed a little annoyed as though he was a young girl who just got confessed to!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m fine.¡± Qi Lei took a pause and nced at him although his gaze did not seem very pleased.

    Yang Sheng raised his eyebrows and caught up with him to probe again, ¡°Master Qi, Master Qi, did Ms. Dongfang ept your confession? Or did you steal Ms. Dongfang¡¯s equipment in the game again?¡±

    He could only think of these situations that might have made him flustered. Yang Sheng had been speaking with Qi Lei more casually nowadays, and he found that his boss was actually pretty easygoing after he got to know him better.

    ¡°Yang Sheng, you¡¯ve been rting everything I do to Dongfang Liuyun. Are you interested in her? Don¡¯t you already have a wife? Forget about her. Disregarding the fact that she¡¯s my woman now, do you really think you can keep her under control?¡±

    1¡°Master Qi, how far have Ms. Dongfang and you gone?¡±

    Yang Sheng particrly captured the fact that he mentioned she was ¡°his woman¡±, so his eyes brightened up.

    Qi Lei shot him a disgusted look. ¡°I¡¯m saying that in the game, women like her...¡±

    He took a deep breath and continued, ¡°She¡¯s not an easy target. I have no idea what I need to catch her attention.¡±

    ¡°Antiques! Master Qi! Everyone knows Ms. Dongfang loves antiques!¡± Yang Sheng said.

    ¡°Can you be an antique yourself and let her study you? We¡¯re just friends. We might not be thatpatible.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, I know you like a woman like Ms. Xiaye, but there¡¯s only one Xi Xiaye in this world, and she already belongs to Mu Yuchen, so stop thinking about her. You can¡¯t always cling to her, can you?¡± Yang Sheng gave Qi Lei a worried nce.

    Qi Lei slowed down as he put his hands into his pockets, then said, ¡°Yang Sheng, between Mu Yuchen and I, who¡¯s better-looking? Who would a girl prefer?¡±

    Yang Sheng was shocked by his sudden question, but he smiled. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s you. Chairman Mu seems boring. You¡¯re generous and handsome. Plus, you have a humorous personality, thus I¡¯m sure you score much better than him! It took Chairman Mu so many years to just have one scandal with Ms. Xiaye. How could hepare up to you?¡±

    1¡°Are you an idiot? Do you think I don¡¯t know you¡¯re just ttering me?! I know myself. Mu Yuchen is pretty good...He¡¯s handsome and talented...What¡¯s with that look? I don¡¯t think of him that way...¡±

    ¡°Manager Gu...¡± Yang Sheng suddenly said.

    Qi Lei looked forward and instantly saw Gu Lingsha holding a document in her hand while walking towards his office.

    Qi Lei halted his steps the moment he saw her, and his expression returned to its usual calmness.

    She gave him aplicated nce. It was a confused, doubtful nce. Somehow, she overheard Qi Lei mentioning something about not looking at Mu Yuchen that way?

    Could it be...

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qi Lei interrupted her thoughts.

    ¡°Lei¡ª¡±

    Gu Lingsha felt hurt by his cold and distant attitude.

    Nevertheless, he gave her a cold nce and noticed that she looked pale and exhausted. Then, he opened the door to his office.

    ¡°Come and talk inside. Yang Sheng, get me a cup of tea and a cup of coffee for Manager Gu.¡±

 Chapter 1170 - Bitterness, Aggrieved? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1170: Bitterness, Aggrieved? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei then went into his office.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng took a peek at Gu Lingsha before leaving while she waited for a while before heading inside.

    Qi Lei went to his table and put the documents in his hands on it. Then, he grabbed the documents that had been left on his table to look through them. These documents required his signature to proceed.

    Gu Lingsha came in and stopped behind him, gripping the documents in her hands tightly as she was just dazed watching him from behind. Qi Lei did not notice her standing behind him. He grabbed a pen and started signing the documents.

    He turned around when he heard Yang Sheng¡¯s voice and saw that Gu Lingsha was still there. ¡°Have a seat. Say what you need to, but I have an appointmentter.¡±

    He stopped avoiding her and was just treating her coldly right now. Gu Lingsha felt the pain as their rtionship felt like strangers now.

    While Qi Lei sat down on the other end of the sofa, Yang Sheng handed him a cup of tea. Gu Lingsha pondered for a moment before heading over.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Gu Lingsha took a sip from the coffee Yang Sheng prepared and looked at Qi Lei who was casually enjoying his tea.

    Qi Lei did not particrly like tea in the past. He used to prefer coffee, but he had changed. Simrly, while he used to be called a Casanova, he had stopped visiting entertainment sites. He had made a 180-degree turn and became someone she did not recognize.

    1¡°Do you still hate me?¡± she asked quietly after taking a sip of the coffee again as she put the documents she held down. Her tone sounded helpless, and she emitted a depressive vibe around her.

    Was it because of what happened between Gu Qiwu and Doris?

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the energy to hate someone every day. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being carefree. Moreover, you¡¯re my sister-inw right now, and we¡¯re working in the samepany, aren¡¯t we?¡± Qi Lei lifted his head and nced at her.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze as she lowered her eyes in disappointment. ¡°I feel sad every time I think about it. I never expected things to turn out this way. Conflict has made us forget about the good old times. I don¡¯t know what went wrong between us! Qi Lei, is there no way for us to be like before?¡±

    She seemed lost when she looked at Qi Lei while her gaze seemed fragile as she tried her best to stop tears from falling out. ¡°I thought about it a lot. Perhaps, I¡¯m in the wrong. We might still be able to go back to our past rtionship if you stayed out of the conflict between Mu Yuchen and us. Isn¡¯t that the best option? I only have two friends: Lingtian and you. Lingtian passed away, and I don¡¯t want to lose you...or else, I won¡¯t even have anyone to talk to...¡±

    Her tears started falling as she spoke. She did not want to pretend to be strong anymore. She felt weak, aggrieved, and helpless as she covered her little face and sobbed silently.

    Frowning, Qi Lei just watched her without saying a thing.

    ¡°Is there any way to stop them from getting a divorce? Why must things turn out like this? Qi Lei, tell me, what else can I do?¡± Gu Lingsha clumsily wiped the tears off her face.

    ¡°You should ask Qi Feng instead of me. Do I have to remind you what our rtionship is right now?¡± Qi Lei said coldly, ¡°We have nothing to do with each other anymore, Shasha. I¡¯m not a cruel person, and you know that.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, your brother changed too. I can feel that he¡¯s getting colder towards me. He might not treat me like he used to be. He¡¯s been in contact with Xi Xiaye, and she even sent flowers to him just now...¡± Gu Lingsha sniffed as she gave Qi Lei a helpless nce. ¡°Ever since my parents got into conflict, he...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened to your parents. It¡¯s painful to watch a loving couple end up in divorce, but please adjust your mindset. After all, it¡¯s their private matter and there¡¯s only so much that we can do.¡± Qi Lei somewhat understood what Gu Lingsha meant.

    Xi Xiaye had given Qi Feng flowers?

    He did not know what her intention was, but was there something behind it? She did not even care about Qi Lei, so why would she have her eyes on that disabled guy?

    He was worth nothing!

    So what if he was handsome?

    Qi Lei was rather handsome too!

    ¡°Qi Lei...¡±

    ¡°State your business!¡± Qi Lei impatiently interrupted.

    Gu Lingsha was stunned as she looked at him with her teary eyes.

    He moved the tissue box on the table nearer to her without saying anything.

    Inhaling a deep breath, she put on a bitter, defeated smile as she grabbed some tissues and wiped her tears away. She grabbed her document and threw it in front of Qi Lei. She flung it so hard that his tea spilled everywhere.

    ¡°The project in City B is approved. Please decide on the next course of action!¡±

    She then got up and ran out of the door.

 Chapter 1171 - Bitterness, Aggrieved? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1171: Bitterness, Aggrieved? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei took a deep breath after Gu Lingsha left his office. He stared quietly at the document she left behind.

    He bent over and picked it up.

    Then, he grinned after ncing through the content.

    ¡°Master Qi, what¡¯s in it?¡± Yang Sheng asked when he noticed that something was not right.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°What else could it be? They are trying to get me out of the way after Qi Feng joined thepany. I just didn¡¯t expect her to agree too.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Master Qi?¡± Yang Sheng was confused.

    ¡°Shasha suggested for me to be transferred to City B, with the reason being the development of a new market,¡± Qi Lei gave a simple exnation.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Do you mean that it¡¯s Manager Gu¡¯s idea? But things are fine as they are now in City B, aren¡¯t they? There¡¯s no point transferring there now. Are they trying to remove you?¡±

    Yang Sheng seemed troubled. He felt sorry for Manager Gu about what happened just now, but he did not expect her to do something like this either. It seemed as if she was ming Master Qi for being cold-blooded, when in fact, she was the one acting ruthlessly.

    Yang Sheng gave Qi Lei an odd expression. ¡°Master Qi, then what should we do now? Maybe she wants you out because of your rtionship with Chairman Mu. Does she wants you to stay neutral?¡±

    Qi Lei scoffed as he tossed the document onto the table and continued drinking his tea. ¡°Stay neutral? Does she think I¡¯m a fool? Qi Qiming is just trying to limit my influence. Qi Feng and her want to render me powerless. I¡¯d have no say in important matters at all after being transferred externally for one or two years.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, Master Qi. It took us so long to change the stakeholders¡¯ perspective. Our efforts will be wasted if we leave right now. If you take charge of things in City B, we¡¯ll rarely return here, unlike normal work abroad.¡± Yang Sheng sounded uneasy.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened.

    ¡°We were careless. If we could travel between both ces, that would give us an advantage, but now...¡±

    Qi Lei felt a headacheing on. He also felt bitter because he was reminded about how Gu Lingsha acted just now.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Worried, Yang Sheng hoped that Qi Lei would be able to stand on his own within Qi Kai.

    Chenye Movies and Television was slowly getting on track. Furthermore, it was a crucial time period at the moment...

    Qi Lei paused as he put down his cup and stood up. ¡°I won¡¯t just take this as it is. I¡¯ll take a risk.¡±

    He would ask for Qi Qiming¡¯s opinion. He could not just allow himself to be manipted by Qi Feng. At least, he had to fight for his freedom to travel between two cities. South River Project No. 1 was going smoothly whereas operations within Glory World were settling down too, so...

    ¡°Master Qi, we...¡±

    ¡®September...Don¡¯t overthink it. Have you made the arrangements at the hotel? And someone to pick them up?¡± Qi Lei did not want to continue on this conversation, so he shifted his attention to the client.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made the appropriate arrangements. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°Do not tell anyone about it first. I¡¯ll go talk to my father when I¡¯m less busy.¡±

    Qi Lei was against it, but there was no other way for him as he had no choice.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng noticed that Qi Lei was not in a good mood, so he left the room quietly.

    ...

    The media soon caught onto the matter between Gu Qiwu and Doris, so many people started gossiping about them. Doris umted evidence and handed them to the court, but they did not reach an agreement within a week. Finally, Gu Qiwu received a summon. Their case was set for the 10th of September.

    This matter was getting out of hand with even Gu Lingsha being targeted by the reporters. Mu Lingshi was troubled as well, but fortunately, she was staying in the Mu residence and was hardly affected.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went on with their lives as usual. They had their peaceful dayspared to the chaos Gu Lingsha was facing.

    It was the weekend. Xi Xiaye brought out the breakfast she made and saw the man enjoying some tea while reading the papers.

    Xi Xiaye took a nce at the papers to see news updates on Gu Qiwu and Doris.

    ¡°Have breakfast first. Didn¡¯t you promise Father to y golf today?¡±

    At midnight, Mu Tangchuan had suddenly invited him to y a game of golf that day, thus Xi Xiaye guessed that they would like to have some time for themselves.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t youing?¡± Mu Yuchen asked without even lifting his head.

    ¡°Mother invited me to visit the temple with her.¡±

    The safety charm she got for him had disappeared for some reason. Since things were getting less peacefultely, she decided to follow Zhuang Shurong to the temple. After all, these matters had been handled by Wang Hui when she was still alive.

    To her, she was not being superstitious. She just wanted a peace of mind.

    ¡°Remember to bring the bodyguards. Tell Mother I won¡¯t be going back to the Mu residence tonight, so let our son stay there. You¡¯ve also been quite busytely. Just let my parents take care of him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put the papers down and walked over.

    ¡°Mother told me about it. By the way, Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s divorce case is going to court on the 10th of next month. Mother told me to notify you.¡±

    ¡°I saw it in the papers. Don¡¯t worry and let them fight between themselves. Grandpa and the others should be back in a few days.¡± Mu Yuchen did not seem to care about Gu Qiwu and Doris though they did make him a little uneasy before this.

    ¡°They areing back tomorrow evening. It¡¯s time for Xiao Rui to go back to school again after a few days of rest. With the students returning to school, my parents also need time to prepare.¡±

 Chapter 1172 - Take Care (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1172: Take Care (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They went their separate ways after a simple breakfast.

    Mu Tangchuan was not really a big fan of sports. He only asionally joined his friends for some casual golf and tennis sessions. With both Su Chen¡¯s and Zhou Zimo¡¯s fathers as his good friends, they often hung out together.

    Mu Yuchen drove there with Li Si.

    Mu Tangchuan and Su Zhengxun were chatting when he arrived at the venue. They were just talking about some fun topics instead of serious topics like politics. They had an unspoken agreement with each other, and that was that they would not talk about politics-rted matters when they gathered for entertainment.

    Both men took their coats off and suddenly arm-wrestled with each other. Their faces turned red and they started sweating after a while.

    Thud¡ª

    Mu Tangchuan took a deep breath and quickly defeated Su Zhengxun.

    The waiter soon handed them wet towels, which they gratefully epted, and wiped off their sweat.

    Mu Tangchuan handed the towel back as she spoke to Su Zhengxun, ¡°Your stamina is as great as ever. It¡¯s tough for me to win against you again.¡±

    ¡°I can give you a handicap.¡± Su Zhengxun smiled as he drank the water the waiter offered.

    ¡°Is Su Chen going back to studytely? I saw him at school yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I heard he¡¯s been taking up some courses. Well, at least, it¡¯s educational.¡±

    Su Zhengxun was prettyx when it came to his son as long as he did not do anything too terrible.

    Mu Tangchuan, Su Zhengxun, and Zhou Zimo¡¯s father were good friends. While Mu Tangchuan was gentle and kind, Su Zhengxun was serious and tactful whereas Zhou Zimo¡¯s father was the witty and humorous one. The trio was well known within themunity.

    1¡°Su Chen is a good kid. I¡¯d say he¡¯s on par with you during your prime. Ah Rong mentioned that Ah Chen would probably be more mature now if he had stayed in the military back then unlike now.¡±

    ¡°Tangchuan, since when did we get so hung up on the past? Our children know how to handle themselves. Ah Chen is doing well, I suppose. Politics and business are warzones, so it¡¯s inevitable to face some trouble every now and then.¡±

    Su Zhengxun smiled. ¡°I hardly limit what Su Chen does. Only his grandfather and mother are worried about him. You should learn from me sometimes. I heard about what happened. After Mu Zi has passed away for so many years, there¡¯s no point in doing those things. What matters are those who are left alive.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true that she passed away, but there¡¯re still important things that need to be done,¡± Mu Tangchuan stared at the green grass field as he said.

    Su Zhengxun was stupefied for a moment. He patted Mu Tangchuan¡¯s back before getting up to grab his golf club.

    ¡°Father, Uncle Su!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached them from behind. They turned around and noticed Mu Yuchen standing right behind them.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Mu Tangchuan looked at Mu Yuchen with his kind, loving gaze.

    ¡°Ah Chen,e and have a round with me!¡± Su Zhengxun quickly invited him over.

    Smiling, Mu Yuchen took off his coat and followed him while Li Si just waited aside.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been seeing Zimo and you visitingtely. Grandfather Su missed you two.¡±

    ¡°Zimo went to New York some time ago. I doubt he¡¯ll be back so soon. The three of us do gather quite often, but we hardly visit each other¡¯s ce. I¡¯ll be visiting with Xiao Rui and Xiaye in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Great, you youngsters should hang out more often.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Su. you aren¡¯t old. How¡¯re Grandfather Su and Aunt Su?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°Same old, same old. I had some free time today, so I invited your father out. I just wanted to know how you guys are doing, and to know a bit more about your aunt. Grandfather Su was pretty fond of your auntst time, and he had a hard time getting over it. Now that your grandmother has passed away...¡± Su Zhengxun said quietly as he swung his club.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern. We¡¯re fine.¡± Mu Yuchen was not sure what else he could say.

    ¡°That¡¯s great then. I went to school yesterday. Su Chen told me to hand you something. It¡¯s in the file on the table just now.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed a golf club for himself as he shot Su Zhengxun a curious nce.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be curious about? Among the three of you, I trust you the most. I can somewhat guess what¡¯s inside, but I¡¯m not going to expose you. Just be careful.¡±

    Su Zhengxun was pretty concerned about Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo since he thought of them like his half-sons.

    ¡°I will.¡± Mu Yuchen revealed a humble smile before swinging his club.

    ...

    They went back to their seats after several swings.

    Mu Tangchuan called Mu Yuchen over. Naturally, it was about Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu asked me to meet him, but I rejected him. He sent me an email with very simple content. He told me that he got the summon from the court, and they want us to work with him,¡± Mu Tangchuan informed coldly.

    ¡°How? He really is shameless.¡± Su Zhengxun¡¯s tone turned chilly as well.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need toply with his requests. Just sit aside and watch.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Ah Chen. There¡¯s no point helping him.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen was about to say something else, Li Si¡¯s voice reached him from behind. ¡°Master!¡± His footsteps sounded panicky.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and looked over to see that Li Si¡¯s expression seemed worried.

 Chapter 1173 - Take Care (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1173: Take Care (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    While Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened, he got up slowly and went to the side path the moment he noticed Li Si was hesitant to talk.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    Li Si took a deep breath before he continued, ¡°Master, something bad has happened!¡±

    He caught his breath before saying quietly, ¡°Something happened to Master Mo in New York.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened. He squinted his eyes as he darted Li Si a dangerous nce. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°The newpany was found hiding something. There seemed to be a fight as well. He got injured and was brought away by the police. Ah Bo did his best to keep the news from spreading, so no one else knows about it yet. Master Mo wants you to head over. I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t handle this alone.¡± Li Si¡¯s tone sounded full of concern.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression changed and his gaze turned cool. ¡°Are the managers there useless pieces of trash?¡±

    ¡°Master, things areplicated at the moment. We¡¯re not exactly sure what happened, and Ah Bo was only able to suppress the news at the moment since it¡¯s an emergency. We still need your orders to take action. What should we do?¡± Li Si¡¯s expression was grim.

    Mu Yuchen clenched his fists before turning around.

    ¡°Book a flight ticket to leave today right away. Inform Vice President Zhang Lan and Vice President Wen toe to Maple Residence. I have work for them. Don¡¯t tell anyone about what happened first,¡± he gave his orders before returning.

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll get it done right away!¡± Li Si took a deep breath and went on his way.

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ah Chen? Why do you look uneasy?¡± Su Zhengxun instantly noticed that something was wrong when he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Father, Uncle Su, something has happened at thepany. I might have to leave first.¡±

    ¡°Company matters?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan and Su Zhengxun traded nces at each other before nodding.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. Pleasee and visit my house when you have the time.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen hurried back to Maple Residence where Zhang Lan and Wen Haiming were already waiting outside the door as he arrived. Mu Yuchen brought them into the living room and assigned them their tasks briefly.

    It was nearly afternoon when they left. Xi Xiaye was not home yet, and Mu Xiaocheng was still at the Mu residence, so Maple Residence was pretty much empty at the moment.

    Mu Yuchen packed up some stuff. Although he wanted to wait for Xi Xiaye to return before leaving, it did not seem like she could make it back soon. Even when he gave Xi Xiaye a call, she did not pick up after several tries.

    Li Si grabbed the ck briefcase and frowned a little as he gave Mu Yuchen a reminder, ¡°Master, it¡¯s about time. The ne is taking off in an hour. There probably isn¡¯t any traffic jam at this hour, but it¡¯ll still take us about half an hour to get there.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath before he took a pen and paper out to quickly scribble a note. He left the pen on the table and casually put on a coat over his shoulders.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    He then started walking towards the door.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si followed suit.

    Things could be troublesome this time. Ah Bo¡¯s tone sounded like it was pretty severe. Otherwise, Zhou Zimo would not have mentioned that this should be kept a secret for now. He also wanted Mu Yuchen to be there as soon as possible...

    Mu Yuchen quickly headed to the airport.

    As they were on their way to the airport, Li Si noticed Mu Yuchen frowned throughout the journey.

    ¡°Master, should I ask Vice President Zhang Lan to inform Missus?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ve left a note for her. How¡¯s Zimo doing?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s top priority now was Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°I just heard from Ah Mo. He suffered a fracture in his left arm and is currently unconscious, and from his blood samples...the police...Ah Bo said that there might be a traitor...¡± Li Si sounded hesitant as his expression looked worse by the minute. He eventually stopped talking as Mu Yuchen understood what he did not say.

    Mu Yuchen seemed exhausted. He took a deep breath as his expression turned cold and his eyes darkened.

    ¡°Master...¡± Li Si looked at Mu Yuchen through the rear-view mirror. He was worried about the changes in Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Idiot! I¡¯ve told him to be careful and not to put anyone he doesn¡¯t trust around him! Just who does he think he is? Arrogant! His alertness is way too low. I have no words to describe his low IQ!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was angry and cold. Evidently, Li Si could sense the uneasiness and anxiety in his voice. It was his first time seeing Mu Yuchen behaving like this.

    As he was about to say something, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing.

    Mu Yuchen noticed that he was acting a little wild, so he closed his eyes to calm down for a moment before picking up the call. It was his woman calling.

    Xi Xiaye had just bid farewell to Zhuang Shurong and was about to head home. She did not bring her phone along into the temple. After all, she did not expect Mu Yuchen to call her a dozen times. She felt uneasy and quickly called him back.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I didn¡¯t bring my phone in just now.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice reached him.

    His anger toned down a little the moment he heard her voice. ¡°Xiaye, I don¡¯t have much time to exin, but I have an emergency to deal with in New York. Take care of yourself and our son. I¡¯ll exin to you what happenedter on.¡±

 Chapter 1174 - Take Care (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1174: Take Care (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was filled with anxiety and helplessness.

    ¡°You¡¯re heading to New York right now?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart sank a little. It must have been really urgent if he did not even have the time to exin.

    ¡°Where are you now?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she slowed her car down.

    ¡°I¡¯m on the way to the airport. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll give you a call once I arrive. Discuss with Ah Mo if you face any issues. I¡¯ll tell Su Chen to help out as well. It might take me some time before returning...¡±

    ¡°Wait at the airport. I¡¯m heading over!¡± Xi Xiaye hung up on the call and quickly made a U-turn¡ª

    Mu Yuchen looked at his darkened phone screen as a warm smile appeared on his face and he gently gripped on his phone. ¡°Hurry.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± the chauffeur replied and sped up.

    The airport was not very far away from the Grand Waves Vi Area, so it would only take half an hour to arrive if there was no traffic jam.

    It was 15 minutes before the flight took off. Mu Yuchen was waiting inside the VIP waiting area. Li Si had taken care of all the procedures and was waiting for Xi Xiaye to arrive as well. The gate had already been opened for boarding.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s time to board. I guess Missus isn¡¯t going to make it. Should I tell the staff here? You can give her a call once we arrive there,¡± Li Si suggested.

    Mu Yuchen took a nce at the time. His eyes darkened as he put away the magazine in his hands.

    The group walked towards the boarding gate.

    Xi Xiaye rushed into the airport the moment she got out of her car. She ran towards the boarding gate via the VIP tunnel...

    Panting, she grabbed onto the safety charm she just received from the temple and ran across the airport. Her hair was a mess and she caught a lot of attention from the bypassers.

    ¡°Mr. Mu! Wait!¡±

    There was no one else left at the boarding gate, and she was disappointed for a moment before staring at the boarding tunnel. She noticed his figure amidst the crowd, so she quickly ran towards him, and even disregarded the ¡°do not cross¡± sign.

    Mu Yuchen seemed more rxed when he saw her.

    ¡°I made it. Take this with you and don¡¯t lose it again. I won¡¯t ask any questions since it¡¯s an emergency. Be careful and take good care of yourself there. Remember to call me often.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was really sweaty as she gasped the reminders and passed him the safety charm. For some reason, she always felt uneasy during moments like this, especially this time. Maybe it was because she could not get used to not having him by her side.

    Mu Yuchen smiled gently when he saw what she gave him. He ran his fingers through her beautiful long hair and helped her fix it a little.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of myself though it might take a month or two before I return. Will you be fine?¡± he asked.

    Xi Xiaye wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to strangers, especially the people I specifically mentioned. Just ignore whatever they say. If someone else gives you flowers again, I assume you know what to do, don¡¯t you?¡± he lowered his head and whispered beside her ear.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She pursed her lips and chuckled,ughing at the fact that he still remembered Qi Feng¡¯s flowers the other day. She turned her head over and beamed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I should take whatever I could get?¡±

    ¡°However, you shouldn¡¯t drag your standards down by epting that petty stuff. If he¡¯s as generous as Qi Lei to give you roses made of gold, of course, you should ept it then.¡± He smiled too.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s smile grew wider as she rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. You too. If I find out you¡¯ve been staring atdies, I¡¯ll gouge your eyes out...¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t even handle you. How am I supposed to handle other women?! Alright, it¡¯s time for me to go now.¡± He smiled and patted her head before leaving.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and looked at him for another moment. She did not wear high heels today as she had to climb a steep flight of stairs just now, so she looked much smaller whenpared next to Mu Yuchen at the moment.

    She tip-toed and left a kiss on his face. ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    Blushing slightly, he smiled and patted her shoulder before turning around and boarding the ne.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath, her sight never straying from him.

    He advanced slowly and even stopped before entering to take a nce at her. He noticed that her eyes were slowly turning red...

    Unfortunately, he still had to leave.

    Xi Xiaye stayed there until the ne took off. She sniffled and thought that she was being too emotional.

    1For some reason, she was worried that she could not get used to being separated from him for too long, especially when he had to leave in a hurry. She felt really nervous about his trip this time...

 Chapter 1175 - Debt (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1175: Debt (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The ne turned into a tiny ck dot as it soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon...

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and left quietly. She drove back to Maple Residence. She nned to rx and reunite with Shen Yue and the others the next day, but Mu Yuchen just had to leave at this time.

    Xi Xiaye had no idea what happened, but from Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction, it seemed like it was extremely important. Li Si appeared uneasy as well. After some thought, she called Ah Mo.

    Ah Mo was on the way back from Hospital T after sending Mu Lingshi for her checkup there.

    ¡°Sister-inw?¡± Ah Mo slowed down the car and looked at his phone screen in doubt.

    ¡°Answer it. It might be something important,¡± Mu Lingshi said from the front passenger seat.

    Ah Mo parked the car by the roadside and picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Sister-inw?¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo, did your brother call you just now?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°Brother? What call?¡± Ah Mo was a little confused.

    Xi Xiaye supposed he did not know what happened. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. How¡¯s Lingshi¡¯s checkup?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just on our way home from the check-up. Are you twoing back for dinner?¡±

    ¡°He went abroad for work and said that he will be giving you a call soon. That¡¯s all for now. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±

    She hung up after a brief conversation.

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mu Lingshi asked.

    ¡°Nothing much. She asked me if Brother called me, and it seems like Brother has gone to New York. I never heard about him going abroad. Wasn¡¯t he ying golf with Father this morning? Why did he suddenly go off like that? Could something have happened?¡± Ah Mo looked worried.

    ¡°Brother went abroad?¡± Mu Lingshi frowned in surprise.

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and ask around what happened. Sister-inw doesn¡¯t sound alright. I think you should leave yourself out of this. After all, the doctor said you should stay rxed, rest well, and have a smooth delivery.¡±

    Mu Lingshi caressed her baby bump. ¡°I understand. By the way...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, her phone started ringing. It was an unknown number, but she answered it nevertheless.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice reached the other end.

    ¡°Lingshi,¡± a deep and familiar voice replied to her, and Mu Lingshi recognized it in the first instance...

    Who else could it be aside from Gu Qiwu?

    Her eyes darkened as a cold aura surrounded her. Even Ah Mo could sense it clearly.

    ¡°Lingshi, please don¡¯t hang up. Let¡¯s talk.¡± Gu Qiwu could sense that Mu Lingshi was about to hang up, so he encouraged, ¡°We¡¯re not going to solve the problem by running away. Let¡¯s have a talk, alright?¡±

    Gu Qiwu was practically begging her which Mu Lingshi found ironic. ¡°We¡¯re not really that close. We have nothing to talk about.¡±

    ¡°No, Lingshi, we have a lot to talk about...about your mother, Mu Zi, about your brother, Lingtian, about us, and even the Mu family. I know Mu Yuchen is helping you with these issues at the moment, but I guess you wouldn¡¯t want him to shoulder all the burdens, would you? There¡¯s a lot that we need to talk about, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°So, I¡¯m your daughter now? Don¡¯t you only have Ms. Gu Lingsha as your only daughter? I¡¯m not interested in the Gu family at all.¡±

    ¡°You can decline me, but you know very well we can¡¯t run away forever. Lingshi, I know I¡¯m heavily indebted to you, but I didn¡¯t do it out of my own will. Let¡¯s meet at Bamboo Teahouse at 2 p.m. the day after tomorrow. That¡¯s Xi Xiaye¡¯s ce. I¡¯ll be waiting for you. I¡¯ll tell you about your mother and me, and about Lingtian. I hope you cane.¡±

    Sounding exhausted, Gu Qiwu hung up before Mu Lingshi could reply.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes clouded over after the call ended.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did Gu Qiwu call you?¡± Ah Mo noticed something amiss.

    Mu Lingshi put her phone away. ¡°He wants to meet me at Sister-inw¡¯s teahouse the day after tomorrow. He wants to talk to me. What else is there to talk about?¡±

    Mu Lingshi turned towards Ah Mo and asked coldly, ¡°What does he want?¡±

    ¡°You know very well if you need to talk to him or not. No matter what, I¡¯m fine with it as long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    He then started the car again.

    ...

    In the CEO¡¯s office in Qi Kai Corporation, it was right after lunchtime. Qi Qiming had been absent for thest two days, but he came in for a meeting today, and then he went back to his office for some rest after having lunch.

    Qi Lei did not want toe, but he still came over after some thought.

    He clenched the documents in his hand and he took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

    Rat-a-tat.

    Qi Qiming replied without even raising his head, ¡°Come in!¡±

    To Qi Qiming¡¯s surprise, Qi Lei entered. However, he did not say anything and just watched as Qi Lei walked in.

    Qi Lei closed the door and walked towards the table. Then, he grabbed a chair and sat down casually before Qi Qiming could utter anything.

 Chapter 1176 - Debt (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1176: Debt (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Qiming looked at Qi Lei, expecting him to say something, so he put his pen down.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qi Qiming asked quietly and calmly, unlike his attitude before. He seemed to have changed his impression of Qi Lei. At least, he did not find him annoying right away.

    Qi Qiming had been thinking about Wang Qin ever since she passed away. Even now, he still unconsciously reached out for the other side of the bed. He would sometimes wake up in shock as he could not sense anyone beside him.

    It happened to him numerous times. Qi Qiming started to think that Wang Qin was haunting him due to all his hatred towards her when she was still alive. His assistant offered to get him a safety charm, but he declined.

    For some reason, he was not afraid of Wang Qin haunting him. He was actually afraid that she would not do so anymore.

    He suddenly looked much older in the span of a few months. Lately, he always appeared tired and exhausted.

    He did not have the spirit and motivation to manage hispany anymore, hence he wanted Qi Feng to transition and take over soon. He would thenplete his mission by letting Qi Feng seed Qi Kai.

    Qi Lei looked at Qi Qiming as he took a deep breath and put a document in front of him. ¡°Did you personally agree to this? Do you want to transfer me externally?¡± He went straight to the point.

    With a frown, Qi Qiming quickly took a nce at the document Qi Lei handed him. His eyes darkened slightly before he looked at Qi Lei. ¡°That¡¯s right. Lingsha suggested for you to go. Your brother didn¡¯t seem to agree, but I want you to be trained in another city for a year or two.¡±

    ¡°You know that I have an important project to follow up with Glory World, and I doubt that City B will need a Vice President to go over and monitor the market over there. There¡¯s no need for me to go! I need a reason for this external transfer!¡± Qi Lei stared at Qi Qiming with a cold expression.

    Qi Qiming calmed himself down and closed the document before him. ¡°I¡¯ve given you the reason. I want you to experience and train yourself. There¡¯s a need for Qi Kai to develop externally. This is a great opportunity for you to disy your talents. Lingsha is right. There¡¯s no reason for you to decline. I¡¯m very happy with your performancetely. Moreover, the Gu family will help you out in City B,¡± he exined as he took a sip from the ss of water on the table before he continued, ¡°You know how I¡¯ve been doingtely. I don¡¯t really have the mental capacity to handle thepany anymore, and I¡¯m really pleased about your performancetely. I¡¯m d that you¡¯ve grown.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to praise me. I won¡¯t ept this decision. If you think that this is a great opportunity, I can be generous and give it to Qi Feng instead. There¡¯s no need to thank me.¡± Qi Lei smirked.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression froze for a moment as he looked into Qi Lei¡¯s eyes and noticed the sarcasm in his eyes.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, I hope you can get over this. You¡¯re still being immature. This external transfer gives you nothing but benefits. Your brother needs to stay here in order to learn more about the operations in thepany while you¡¯ve been staying in thepany all these years, so you should know almost everything already. Isn¡¯t this a challenge for yourself? Don¡¯t youngsters love opportunities to disy their abilities? The South River project is already on track now. Your brother and Lingsha will take care of it from now on,¡± Qi Qiming tried to convince Qi Lei.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you I don¡¯t mind giving this opportunity to Qi Feng instead. You know that I don¡¯t care about that. I won¡¯t be leaving City Z. My mother is right here. If you think that I¡¯m a threat to Qi Feng, then you can remove me. I will bring my mother¡¯s possessions and leave Qi Kai, and we can go our separate ways,¡± Qi Lei put on a stiff smile as he said coldly.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression changed and his gaze seemedplicated.

    Just when their rtionship was getting slightly better, Qi Qiming did not want their rtionship to be like before.

    He had given it some thought when Gu Lingsha first suggested it. He thought the brothers would have less conflict if Qi Lei left City Z and if Qi Lei could also maintain a neutral attitude.

    Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship with Mu Yuchen was odd at the moment, but he definitely hated Qi Feng. He just wanted Qi Lei to avoid conflict.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, this is for your own good. Part of Qi Kai belongs to you no matter what, but can you really take everything upon yourself right now if you stay here?¡± Qi Qiming asked.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Qi Leng asked right back. ¡°I won¡¯t leave City Z. You¡¯d better find someone else if you¡¯re seriously considering someone to explore the market over there. I have my mother¡¯s shares, and I have the power to remain here. If you¡¯re worried that I might be an obstacle to your son, suit yourself! Don¡¯tin that I didn¡¯t warn you first.¡±

    ¡°Can you just listen to me once? I won¡¯t mistreat my son no matter what!¡± Qi Qiming felt terrible listening to his words.

    ¡°No, your son is Qi Feng! You insist that you did it for my own good. Do you think I¡¯m a fool? Transferring me externally for several years...Will I still have a ce here even if I actually got a chance to return? New market development? Even if I actually make an impact there, anyone of you can take thebor of my work for yourself! I¡¯m an honest man. You shouldn¡¯t be scamming me like this!¡±

 Chapter 1177 - Debt (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1177: Debt (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei gave a chilly smile as if he was looking at Qi Qiming like a funny clown.

    ¡°How long are you going to keep thinking of me as a fool? My mother is dead, but do you think I¡¯d just do whatever you say without my mother protecting me?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes darkened instantly when Wang Qin was mentioned. ¡°Qi Lei, I don¡¯t mean that.¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending already. Since we¡¯re talking about our family, let¡¯s discuss things between us.¡±

    Qi Lei felt disappointed. No matter how he acted like he did not care, he still could not help but feel sorrowful. He always knew that he was not important to Qi Qiming, and he felt like escaping every time he had to face this issue.

    Sometimes, he even doubted if he was actually Qi Qiming¡¯s son. He then demanded as he gave Qi Qiming a sharp nce, ¡°Am I really your son?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s heart sank when he heard the question, and he nodded. ¡°Of course, your mother has only been with me, so who else could be your father?¡±

    He knew that although Wang Qin had someone she fancied before, her pride would not allow her to keep in contact with that person after she was married to Qi Qiming, and the only man she had ever been with was only Qi Qiming.

    Qi Qiming was afraid to tell Qi Lei that Wang Qin got pregnant with him because Qi Qiming had forced her...

    Perhaps, from then onwards, he felt a little different towards both of them.

    If Wang Qin had been slightly gentler to him or at least respected him as a man, he might still have been able to treat her kindly, and maybe she would not have passed away so early.

    However, she had never prioritized Qi Qiming because her heart was already dead from the day she married him.

    Why would Qi Qiming care about a woman who did not love him?

    ¡°Do you hate my mother? And is that why you hate me too?¡± Qi Lei continued with his questions.

    ¡°Of course not¡ª¡± Qi Qiming answered instantly.

    ¡°No? But everything you did was enough for us to hate you. Why do you have to push your wife and son into a corner? Do you know that I really don¡¯t like you? I thoroughly hate you. I¡¯m a realist who will treat you however you treat me.¡±

    Qi Qiming took a deep breath and went to the pantry corner to grab himself a ss of water. He took several sips before sitting down again.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t even there when my mother died. She was your wife and your son¡¯s mother, yet you didn¡¯t even see her for the veryst time. You¡¯ve never given her happiness. My mother was worried that no one else would help me when she was on the verge of dying, so she grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s hands and asked her to take care of me. Xi Xiaye promised my mother that Mu Yuchen and her would treat me like their younger brother, and until today, they¡¯re keeping their promise.¡±

    Qi Qiming had no idea about that, so he was not sure what to say at this moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s family kinship, but I know what¡¯s good, and they look good to me. Compared to my so-called family who is always plotting something behind my back, I feel much superior to all of you. I can understand why you¡¯d want to transfer me externally, but I¡¯m telling you now that I won¡¯t leave this city¡ª¡±

    Qi Lei slowly got up. He put his palms on the table and stared at Qi Qiming right in the eyes. ¡°Because I¡¯ll have nothing left once I leave here. I¡¯ll lose everything that I care about. I have nothing to lose anymore. I don¡¯t want to lose these feelings and memories too. I don¡¯t think I have a family anymore, so I don¡¯t want to lose my friendship. If you¡¯re forcing me to make a choice, I¡¯d choose them over you right away!¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression looked terrible and his face darkened instantly.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± His breath got shorter as he clenched his fists.

    Qi Lei stood up straight and flipped through the document again before throwing it back onto Qi Qiming¡¯s table. ¡°Did I not make myself clear enough? I won¡¯t leave City Z. If you¡¯re forcing me to make a choice, I¡¯ll choose to stand on Mu Yuchen¡¯s side. I¡¯ll do so even if you force me out of Qi Kai. Getting angry now? I don¡¯t care how you look at me. At least, with them, I can feel the warmth that you¡¯ll never be able to give me.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath as he pushed the chair behind him away.

    ¡°This document is invalid from this point onwards. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± He then walked towards the door¡ª

    ¡°Come back here! I¡¯m your father. It¡¯s not up to you to decide whether we¡¯re rted or not! If you really do that, I won¡¯t call you my son ever again!¡± Qi Qiming yelled at him.

    Qi Lei halted his steps instantly with a bitter smile on his face. He took a deep breath and replied without even turning over, ¡°Finally, you said it. You must¡¯ve been longing for this moment, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Whatever! I always knew that I wasn¡¯t important to you. Do you understand about friends who¡¯ve been through a lot with you? Or about kinship? You don¡¯t understand any of them! Without me, you still have your other amazing son with you, but if I lose these, I¡¯ll have nothing left!¡±

    Qi Lei soon disappeared out of the door.

 Chapter 1178 - Debt (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1178: Debt (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Thud¡ª

    Qi Lei did not m the door, but Qi Qiming felt a huge impact inside him as his body froze involuntarily. He always knew that Qi Lei behaved simrly to his mother.

    Wang Qin had always been like that. She would go over without any intention of having a peaceful discussion.

    If it were in the past, Qi Qiming would have been enraged, but he experienced an odd feeling inside him when he watched Qi Lei leave his office on a sour note. It was not as if he did not care about his son; he was just not sure how he should face him.

    Qi Qiming felt deeply indebted to Wang Qin.

    Just like Qi Lei said, he had been giving Wang Qin nothing but trouble...

    He had forced her and plotted against her.

    However, Wang Qin was dead, so he held the final say in Qi Kai, but why did he feel like it was meaningless now?

    Qi Qiming was dazed.

    He came back to his senses after a long time. Then, he looked at the document Qi Lei brought over and quietly flipped through it. Then, he took a deep breath.

    He suddenly tore the document into pieces before he opened his drawer to take out a lighter and burn it.

    The blue mes engulfed the paper scraps very quickly.

    Rat-a-tat!

    There was a knock on the door when Qi Qiming was deep in his thoughts. The door was already open when he came back to his senses.

    Morrison pushed Qi Feng inside the room.

    ¡°CEO Qi!¡±

    Morrison wheeled Qi Feng right in front of Qi Qiming¡¯s table. Then, he bowed to Qi Qiming and left some documents on his table before leaving.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Father? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Qi Feng was extremely observant, so he instantly noticed the uneasiness on Qi Qiming¡¯s face.

    Qi Qiming grabbed the documents Morrison left and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Are you done with the tasks I gave you?¡±

    ¡°Almost. Things are getting on track and I don¡¯t really face many difficulties. You can hand me the information on South River Project No. 1 so that I can learn more about it before visiting.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s quiet voice was a stark contrast to Qi Lei¡¯s rash words. Qi Qiming felt he would be more at peace if Qi Lei could act this way...

    ¡°Put that on hold for now. We¡¯ll find another suitable candidate to handle the market development in City B. Let Qi Lei stay here and continue monitoring the project he¡¯s working on for now,¡± Qi Qiming carefully put forth his words.

    Qi Feng paused as a cold light shed in his eyes. He did not ask anything and just nodded. ¡°Noted. I¡¯ll get them to find another suitable candidate soon.¡±

    With a dip of his head, Qi Qiming took a nce at Qi Feng. ¡°Xiao Lei is just like your mother. You have to take care of him as his big brother. He¡¯s been working alongside your mother ever since he returned from abroad, and there was some conflict between us, but I don¡¯t want to see our family breaking apart.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I know what to do. He¡¯s my only brother after all. I won¡¯t hurt him.¡± Qi Feng sounded gentle and humble. ¡°He¡¯s always been like this, so I¡¯ve gotten used to it already. It¡¯s not the first day that he has a bias against me. Things would have escted a long time ago if I were to mind him, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    Qi Qiming calmed down after listening to those words. ¡°You¡¯ve been calling Wang Qin your mother for the past 20 years. Although she doesn¡¯t like you, she has never tried to hurt you. I have to admit that I favor you more among my two sons. Your biological mother passed away too early, and I was worried that Wang Qin might mistreat you, hence I put a lot of focus on you. I feel sorry for your mother too, so...

    ¡°Xiao Lei is a good kid. He has a bias against you because I¡¯ve owed him too many things. He has the love of his mother. I...Ah Feng, I don¡¯t care how you want to deal with Mu Yuchen, but after I pass Qi Kai over to you, you have to take care of Qi Lei. Can you do that?¡± Qi Qiming threw Qi Feng a sharp nce.

    Qi Feng lowered his eyes to hide the faint light in them as he nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, I won¡¯tin if you give Qi Kai to him. It rightfully belongs to him anyway. I¡¯d appreciate it if there¡¯s a ce for me to stay.¡± His voice was calm and he did not disy any emotions externally.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I feel much more at ease handing Qi Kai over to you. While Qi Lei is performing welltely, hecks experience. Initially, I agreed with Lingsha¡¯s suggestion to transfer him externally for some training, but after giving it some thought, things might not work out well for him. Having him nearby could be easier to keep an eye on him.¡±

    Qi Qiming grabbed a pen and signed his name on the documents. ¡°Alright, you can head back now if there¡¯s nothing else. I¡¯ll leave the South River Project in your hands.¡±

    Qi Feng nodded and slowly moved his wheelchair towards the door.

    Qi Qiming knew there was some conflict between Qi Feng and Qi Lei, but he had not thought much about it before. Now, he just hoped that they could ept each other peacefully...

 Chapter 1179 - Plotting

    <h4>Chapter 1179: Plotting</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Morrison waited outside the door as Qi Feng left the office.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Because he noticed that something was not right, Morrison carefully probed, ¡°Did something happen?¡± He then went behind him and started pushing his wheelchair.

    ¡°Go and find out if Qi Lei met my father today. Try to find out what happened between them,¡± Qi Feng said.

    ¡°CEO Qi and Qi Lei?¡±

    Morrison seemed surprised, but he did not ask any further questions when he saw Qi Feng¡¯s expression. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll find out soon!¡±

    ...

    Qi Feng was no fool. Qi Qiming¡¯s sudden change in attitude was too obvious. Even he felt shocked by the drastic change, so he guessed that something must have happened between Qi Qiming and Qi Lei.

    Qi Qiming initially agreed for Qi Lei to take over the market development in City B. However, something must have influenced him to change his mind. What was it?

    Qi Feng felt a little uneasy.

    Qi Qiming had been oddtely. He frequently changed his mind.

    Previously, he had been extremely against Qi Lei, but he changed his mind now. While Gu Lingsha¡¯s suggestion was good, Qi Feng was in disagreement as he feared that Qi Qiming might notice that something was not right if they just transferred Qi Lei away so suddenly.

    Hopefully, Qi Qiming would not overthink it.

    Qi Lei was getting more and more important to Qi Qiming who felt sorry for Qi Lei, especially since Wang Qin¡¯s death. There should not be any more issues after Wang Qin died, but it felt like things were getting worse.

    Even though Qi Lei looked like he did not care about his mother on the surface, Qi Feng could tell that Qi Lei was very protective of her. He thought that Qi Lei would just give up and eventually mess up his rtionship with Qi Qiming just like before.

    However, things turned out differently than he expected.

    Mu Yuchen was providing Qi Lei cover, thus things might not be as easy as he thought. Even if he gained full control of Qi Kai, it might be another long battle like the one between Qi Qiming and Wang Qin.

    Qi Feng would hate to see that happen.

    Soon after he returned to the office, Morrison was back after asking around. He whispered beside Qi Feng¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯ve found out what happened!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qi Feng looked at Morrison coldly.

    ¡°Just before you entered CEO Qi¡¯s room, someone saw Second Master leaving his office. It seems like they just had a fight. It must¡¯ve been about transferring him over to City B,¡± Morrison stated his spection.

    Qi Feng nodded as he smiled coldly. ¡°That exins it. That does sound like Qi Lei being the idiot that he is. Why is he trying to act all high and mighty?¡±

    ¡°Master, doesn¡¯t CEO Qi want Second Master Qi to go now? Wasn¡¯t the proposal passed? I remember Manager Gu delivering it personally.¡±

    ¡°Shasha underestimated Qi Lei. Does she still think he¡¯s the same person as before? Since my father mentioned it, we¡¯ll put this on hold at the moment and do what he says. What does Qi Lei think he can do by staying here? He¡¯ll only be the loser if he tries to y mind tricks on me!¡± A cold light shed past Qi Lei¡¯s eyes as he revealed an eerie smile.

    ¡°What are you nning?¡± Morrison somehow knew that he had a n already.

    Qi Feng slowly leaned against the back of his chair. He gave it some thought before saying, ¡°Go to the HR Department. Qi Lei is hiring an assistant, isn¡¯t he? Coincidentally, Xi Xinyi is finishing her current task soon. Shasha wants to test her out and take her in as a subordinate. Tell Xi Xinyi to help Qi Lei out. He needs someone for the project in City B, and Xi Xinyi is the perfect candidate to do so!¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes gleamed intensely as if he was imagining something interesting unfolding before his eyes.

    Morrison smiled, seeming impressed. ¡°That¡¯s a great move. Not only can we test Xi Xinyi and take control of Yue Hai, but there¡¯s also Xi Xinyi¡¯s rtionship with Xi Xiaye. That will surely affect the friendship between Qi Lei and Xi Xiaye. It¡¯s not impossible to destroy their bond! Even if it fails, we lose nothing!¡±

    Qi Feng grinned. ¡°I¡¯m d that you realize that. Give Shasha a call and tell her about my idea. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll understand. By the way, give me Doris¡¯s address. It¡¯s about time I visited her.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Doris? Master, she called you twice before, but she stopped calling after you rejected her. I suppose she might be waiting for you to visit her as well. You also promised Manager Gu to have a talk with Mr. Gu as well, didn¡¯t you?¡± Morrison gave him a confused nce.

    Qi Feng smiled mysteriously. ¡°Morrison, it¡¯s only a few days away from them going to court. Who do you think will be worried between the two of them?¡± he raised his eyebrows and asked.

    Morrison gave it some serious thought before replying, ¡°Naturally, it¡¯ll be Mr. Gu. Doris was the one who wanted the divorce. I think he doesn¡¯t want to give her his assets even though they are getting a divorce. Moreover, I heard that Doris has the share transfer contract signed by Mr. Gu, so he¡¯s at a serious disadvantage here...¡±

    Qi Feng smiled and shook his head. ¡°Not really. He¡¯s an old, sly fox. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d put himself at such a disadvantage. Why else do you think Doris would want to see me?¡±

 Chapter 1180 - Battered, But Not Ashamed! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1180: Battered, But Not Ashamed! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Morrison gave it some thought, then he asked, ¡°So, do you mean that Doris isn¡¯t totally confident?¡±

    As Qi Feng took a deep breath, he straightened up and replied, ¡°She¡¯s a powerful character. She wouldn¡¯t just let this go. I¡¯m looking forward to the chaos that¡¯s about toe.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait and see. By the way, Master, should we keep an eye on Second Master?¡± Morrison asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I doubt he can do much in City Z. You can leave for now,¡± Qi Feng said.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Morrison quietly left the room.

    ...

    The sky slowly turned dark. As the darkness slowly engulfed the veryst rays of the sun, the whole world seemed to fall quiet.

    The night came with silence.

    At midnight in Imperial Sky Entertainment City, Xi Xiaye drove over and parked her car.

    ¡°Director Xi!¡± the manager greeted her the moment she showed up.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and went inside while Xiao Mei followed right behind her.

    Xi Xiaye had just been passing by when Yang Sheng gave her a call and said that Qi Lei was meeting a client there and had drunk quite a lot that night. He also mentioned that Qi Lei had a fight with Qi Qiming, so he was in a pretty bad mood. Therefore, Yang Sheng asked if she could go over to take a look at him.

    As Xi Xiaye entered the corridor to the room, she saw Yang Sheng outside the door.

    He was relieved to see Xi Xiaye and he quickly went up to her. ¡°Ms. Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°What happened? What¡¯s the matter? What happened to Qi Lei?¡± Xi Xiaye halted her steps and looked at Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng sighed. ¡°I forgot to mention it to you and Chairman Mu. Manager Gu suggested to the stakeholders and CEO Qi to transfer Master Qi over to City B and stay there. However, Master Qi is unwilling toply, and he had a fight with CEO Qi today. He¡¯s since been a bad mood for the rest of the day. Manager Gu came to look for him and she¡¯s inside with him right now. Please take a look inside. I¡¯m really worried about Master Qi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned.

    Gu Lingsha?

    ¡°How kind of her!¡±

    Xi Xiaye found it ironic. She was not a fool, so it was easy to guess Gu Lingsha¡¯s intentions.

    On one hand, she said that their friendship was irreceable, but on the other hand, she stabbed him in the back. What a friend!

    She knew how bad the rtionship between Qi Feng and Qi Lei was, yet she used the excuse of love to hurt Qi Lei, and Qi Qiming did the same as well!

    Anger suddenly filled Xi Xiaye!

    A cold light glimmered in her eyes before she headed inside.

    It was midnight, and the guests were sent back under Yang Sheng¡¯s arrangements, so only Qi Lei was left drinking inside the room alone. He felt annoyed especially with Gu Lingsha in the room with him.

    ¡°Go away! I don¡¯t want to see you,¡± Qi Lei frowned as he emptied a ss and said coldly to Gu Lingsha.

    She wanted to take his ss away, but he avoided her.

    Gu Lingsha stared at him for a while. She gave up stopping him and grabbed an empty ss for herself instead before filling it up with liquor and chugging it down. She coughed and then looked at Qi Lei.

    ¡°I know you must be ming me right now, but what can I do? What else can I do?¡±

    ¡°I told you that I hope for you to stand on my side, or to be neutral. Do you want me to watch you and your brother be enemies while you make friends with Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye? With what¡¯s happening to my parents, the Mu family and I will have never-ending conflicts from now on. Qi Lei, I don¡¯t want you to be my enemy. Do you understand?¡± Gu Lingsha sounded angry and anxious.

    ¡°I know what you and Qi Feng are thinking. I¡¯m just a bother, aren¡¯t I?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was chilly while his ck eyes were cool as ice. ¡°Gu Lingsha, you¡¯d better stop challenging my limits!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it if you think of me that way. No matter what, I hope you can follow the arrangements made as that¡¯s the best for everyone! They wouldn¡¯t have dragged you into this mess if they really cared about you. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if you could leave the vortex of conflict from now on?¡± Gu Lingsha replied firmly.

    ¡°You have no right to say those words to me anymore, Gu Lingsha! What right do you have to order me around? Even Qi Qiming wouldn¡¯t talk to me like that. How dare you?!¡±

    ¡°In the end, you just want Qi Kai, don¡¯t you? Let me tell you, Qi Lei. Qi Kai will surely fall into Qi Feng¡¯s hands, and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. I¡¯m giving you a chance to create your own world in City B with the help of Hui Gu Corporation, yet you¡¯re rejecting my kindness! I¡¯m very disappointed in you! Just what do you want me to do?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was telling the truth. From Qi Lei¡¯s standpoint, leaving City Z and starting a new career in City B could be a breakthrough for him, but did she really mean what she said?

    ¡°Stop being a busybody! You¡¯re Qi Feng¡¯s woman. Your job is just to look after him. Who are you to me? I don¡¯t need you to worry about me.¡±

    As Qi Lei smashed the ss onto the table, alcohol and blood spilled everywhere.

    Shocked by Qi Lei¡¯s behavior, Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes widened as she gaped at Qi Lei. She then bit her lip and revealed a bitter smile. ¡°I see. What if Xi Xiaye was the one who told you what I just said? Would you still be acting this way?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t drag another person into things between us!¡±

 Chapter 1181 - Battered, But Not Ashamed! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1181: Battered, But Not Ashamed! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Qi Lei, you¡¯re treating me differently! You¡¯ve pletely!¡±

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath as she looked at Qi Lei¡¯s clenched fist dripping with fresh blood.

    ¡°Qi Lei, I never thought of hurting you, really. I¡¯ve always treated you as a good friend. I admit that I might have used you in the past, or wronged you for Ah Feng, but I¡¯ve always protected you whether you believe me or not.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have known how sad I felt when you talked about how we won¡¯t be able to turn back time anymore. I never knew what happiness was. I thought that marrying Qi Feng, having a daughter, and taking my revenge...all of those could bring happiness...but now, the more I go on, the more afraid I feel...¡±

    Gu Lingsha was speaking from her heart. Ever since she knew that Qi Feng received flowers from Xi Xiaye, she investigated the matter and found out that Qi Feng had been in contact with her. He seemed to have a different attitude towards Xi Xiaye.

    1Although she tried to ask Qi Feng about it, every time she brought this up, Qi Feng would not look pleased, and of course, she dared not ask too much after that.

    She just hoped that he was only doing that because he had some sort of n.

    Doris¡¯s words were still ringing in her eyes. She could not help but be worried.

    She was afraid!

    So afraid...

    If that were true, then Gu Lingsha was merely Qi Feng¡¯s stepping stone. After he was done, she would be kicked aside, and when the time came, what would Gu Lingsha do?

    What could she do?

    When Lingtian had still been around, she could turn to Lingtian or Qi Lei if there was anything, but now that things were the way they are, what else could she hope for?

    Gu Lingsha did not understand. Why was it that the more she tried to hold onto some things, the more she lost her grip on them...

    ¡°Even if you need to fight for your own happiness, you shouldn¡¯t build it upon other people¡¯s pain. If you can never understand that, then you¡¯ll never be able to enjoy it with a clear conscience. I won¡¯t leave City Z. No matter who talks to me, I¡¯ll only have the same answer.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡± Gu Lingsha softly called out

    Qi Lei clenched his fists and could not care less about the sharp pain felt in his palms as he said with a lowered tone, ¡°Go back while I can still hold my anger. Otherwise, you know that I wasn¡¯t raised that well and I can¡¯t guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t hit you.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was stunned for a moment. Finally, she took a deep breath in and stooped weakly to peer down at Qi Lei.

    ¡°Qi Lei, no matter what happens, all these years, we¡¯ve cried together,ughed together, been hurt together, and been happy together. Our rtionship is lost to time and other people, but I still hope that we¡¯ll all do well. If you decide to stay and abandon us, I won¡¯t say anything more. Meanwhile, I can only...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it to fate.¡± Qi Lei smiled coldly.

    When Gu Lingsha heard his reply, her beautiful eyes could not help but feel hot. Finally, she looked up with a deep breath and then nodded. As she turned around, she said with a raspy voice, ¡°Alright, we can only leave it at that then!¡±

    When she finished, she had already opened the door and was about to rush out, yet she bumped into someone standing at the door. She quickly stopped and subconsciously looked up to find Xi Xiaye standing at the door.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye!¡± Gu Lingsha practically cried out instantly!

    Xi Xiaye nonchntly lowered her gaze and looked at Gu Lingsha calmly. Obviously, she heard most of the conversation from earlier.

    ¡°Hope you¡¯re doing well, Missus Qi.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s unfriendly voice was heard while her calm gaze contained a chill as though it came from the moon in the night sky.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Gu Lingsha was obviously quite shocked to see Xi Xiaye who had suddenly appeared. She knew that she must have heard most of the conversation from earlier.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here? This is my turf, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled calmly. ¡°You came all the way here to be this imposing? I really don¡¯t know where you find the sense of superiority to do so.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Move aside¡ª¡±

    Gu Lingsha had only brought one bodyguard along. She saw that Xi Xiaye had blocked her way at the door and there were a few ck-clothed men behind her who seemed tough, so she naturally dared not go overboard.

    Xi Xiaye did not move and stood where she was while she looked indifferently at Gu Lingsha. Her cold gaze made Gu Lingsha feel uneasy.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I actually quite admire a certain quality of yours. Do you want to know what it is?¡± Xi Xiaye examined her and then said softly.

    ¡°What?¡± Gu Lingsha could not hold back her curiosity as she answered.

    ¡°You have a very great sense of ego. You have such a huge contrast of harshness and tolerance within you. You truly understand the meaning of cherishing, and I can¡¯t help but admire you.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression turned rigid. She recognized the sarcasm in Xi Xiaye¡¯s words, so she onlyughed coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t see how important you are. No matter what I do, at least, I still know the meaning of honor and a woman¡¯s principles. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know about you sending flowers to Qi Feng, Xi Xiaye. Qi Feng¡¯s not such a casual person. Don¡¯t you know the meaning of saving your face?¡±

    As Gu Lingsha remembered how Qi Feng had received those flowers, she could not hold back her anger anymore.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind shed to when Mu Yuchen had sent Qi Feng a bouquet of white chrysanthemums with her name. She looked at Gu Lingsha who was clearly angered, pondered for a moment, thenughed. ¡°Miss Gu, don¡¯t misunderstand my rtionship with Master Qi. Otherwise, other people might misunderstand as well. Since you¡¯re so certain that your Master Qi¡¯s an honest person, I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to say those things to you, do I?¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, don¡¯t be so smug now. You¡¯ll suffer for this.¡±

    Gu Lingsha barely caught her own breath, she said softly through gritted teeth by Xi Xiaye¡¯s ear.

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re the one who¡¯s about to cry. Miss Gu, you¡¯re really not that important. Instead of worrying about other men here, you should worry about yourself first. I heard that tonight, right here in Imperial Sky Hotel, Master Qi and CEO Lin are having dinner together with the Lin family heiress who¡¯s also a Caucasian. Most importantly, she¡¯s very young and beautiful. Miss Gu, as Master Qi¡¯s wife, you came over to apany him, didn¡¯t you?¡± Xi Xiaye mocked calmly while she looked forward to Gu Lingsha¡¯s reaction.

 Chapter 1182 - Battered, But Not Ashamed! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1182: Battered, But Not Ashamed! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Indeed, just as Xi Xiaye said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression froze and she tightened her grip on her bag while lowering her gaze...

    Her lowered gaze concealed the shifting light in her eyes¡ª

    When they finished work, she had asked Qi Feng if he wanted to go home together, but he told her that he might need to finish looking through some documents at the office, so he told her to go home first. She did hear about the unhappy incident between Qi Lei and Qi Qiming from thetter.

    After she thought about it, she decided to go over to advise Qi Lei, and at the same time, exin her reasons for doing what she did.

    Unexpectedly, things turned out this way and Qi Feng...

    Gu Lingsha obviously would not be that much of a fool to immediately flip out. Usually, she was someone who could practice self-restraint.

    Xi Xiaye looked at her calmly, then turned to hint at the bodyguards who retreated. Then, Xi Xiaye¡¯s frail figure walked past her...

    When she was about to walk past Gu Lingsha, Gu Lingsha could not help but clench her fists tightly as if she was possessed...

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    A shriek of pain pierced through the silent corridor.

    Gu Lingsha did not have time to react when she felt a sharp pain from the joint of her leg. She was about to pull her leg back when it seemed to be pinned down by something, and a piercing pain made her cry out loud.

    She quickly looked down at her leg and realized that Xi Xiaye had stepped on the leg that she had stuck out.

    Xi Xiaye did not even nce down and her exquisite face did not even show a hint of expression. She was as calm as water just like she had been earlier whilst her frail figure was perfectly upright without even a hint of a nt.

    With the sound of Gu Lingsha¡¯s painful shrieks, the bodyguards and Xiao Mei looked over!

    Clearly, they all caught Gu Lingsha mid-action!

    Gu Lingsha was already depressed, so she thought of tripping Xi Xiaye, but she did not expect Xi Xiaye to have anticipated it and step hard on her leg that was stuck out instead.

    After a while, Xi Xiaye lowered her head and looked at Gu Lingsha¡¯s foot that she was stepping on. A curve shed across her cold face as she silently turned to look at Gu Lingsha who was in pain. Suddenly, she chuckled.

    ¡°Miss Gu, even though I¡¯m not the kind of person who likes to be petty with other people, you can¡¯t possibly be trying to harm me so brazenly, can you? At least, it¡¯s just our people here. If a certain someone took a picture of this, then that wouldn¡¯t be good. You are the wife of Qi Kai¡¯s heir now, the elegant and dignified Missus Qi. You should at least protect that much of Master Qi¡¯s reputation. Don¡¯t you agree, Mr. Qi?¡± Xi Xiaye said in a rxed voice. She did not even need to turn to know who had appeared in the corridor.

    When Xi Xiaye said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s face that was green from the pain instantly turned pale. She could not care less about the pain from her leg as she quickly spun around to look at the dim corridor behind her.

    Indeed, in the shadowy corridor, Morrison was wheeling Qi Feng, and they stopped not too far away!

    On the wheelchair, Qi Feng¡¯s eyes that were shrouded underneath the dim lighting revealed a chill as he looked over calmly. He had witnessed everything that transpired between Gu Lingsha and Xi Xiaye!

    Right now, Gu Lingsha¡¯s pupils instantly shrunk and anxiety shed in her beautiful blue eyes. She wanted to quickly push Xi Xiaye away, but Xi Xiaye was quicker as her hands gripped her shoulder and pulled her back. Gu Lingsha cried out in pain, then Xi Xiaye tossed her out of the private room.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Although she shrieked out miserably, Gu Lingsha¡¯s bodyguard could not react in time as Gu Lingsha was smacked hard against the wall, and fell to the ground because of her unsteady footing.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha cried out in pain and fell in front of Qi Feng. She disregarded the agony from her leg and called out to Qi Feng in distress.

    As he watched her fall before him in a battered manner with every shred of her reputation discarded, Qi Feng instantly frowned and his eyes narrowed. He glimpsed at Gu Lingsha for a moment, then looked at the bodyguards behind him. Immediately, the two bodyguards then quickly helped Gu Lingsha who was in pain up.

    ¡°Miss Xi, I trust that you have been well, but haven¡¯t you gone overboard tonight?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s soft, raspy voice was heard, but you could not hear any hint of questioning in his voice. He seemed very calm as if this was no big deal.

    Xi Xiaye then suddenly turned to peer down at him, her gaze as clear as the wind while she said smoothly, ¡°Is that so? Well then, I¡¯m very sorry. I¡¯m used to walking without looking at the ground. Is she very badly hurt? Poor Missus Qi! Since she¡¯s in such distress, it¡¯s best to rush to the hospital for a checkup. Xiao Mei, you follow them too. I¡¯ll just pay for the medical fees, but I hope that Miss Gu can walk more normally the next time. It¡¯s not every time that someone like me would advise you so nicely. The next person you meet might just identally break your leg.¡±

    Upon hearing that, a hint of amusement shed in Qi Feng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Since you¡¯re so sincere, Miss Xi, we are both naturally beyond grateful.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was enduring the piercing pain, and upon hearing this, she could not help but curse, ¡°Xi Xiaye, you witch! You did it on purpose! Don¡¯t be such an intolerable bully!¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and shrugged, not bothering to cover it up. ¡°You¡¯re right. I did do it on purpose. After all, it¡¯s not news that I don¡¯t like you. I¡¯ve been patient with you for a long time now. Thanks for giving me the chance to vent it out. Xiao Mei, since their mobility is inconvenienced, please make sure you send them off properly on my behalf.¡±

    Then, her frail figure vanished through the door, leaving the bodyguards who stood guard vigntly at the door as they looked to Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha with hostility.

    Qi Feng looked on quite apathetically as Xi Xiaye vanished. There were mixed emotions in his eyes, but a chill dominated his aura. Even Gu Lingsha, who watched him from the side, could not catch any expressions from his face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital,¡± Qi Feng said indifferently when he looked back sharply and saw Gu Lingsha¡¯s swelling leg. Then, he maneuvered his own wheelchair and moved forward...

    When Gu Lingsha saw Qi Feng¡¯s aloof manner, trepidation instantly showed up on her exquisite face. She could not help but call out in a raspy voice to Qi Feng sadly, ¡°Ah Feng!¡±

    ¡°Your recent performance has been disappointing, Shasha,¡± Qi Feng said without slowing down, Gu Lingsha coudl hear a hint of unhappiness from his voice!

 Chapter 1183 - Battered, But Not Ashamed! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1183: Battered, But Not Ashamed! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The light in the private room was quite bright. When Xi Xiaye went in, she saw Qi Lei sitting in the corner of the sofa and staring at the mess before him while deep in thought.

    The floor in front was already wet. One could already smell the dense alcohol mixed with his blood. The mottled traces of it was a ghastly sight.

    Upon realizing that Xi Xiaye was walking over, Qi Lei silently lifted his head. When she appeared before him, his gloomy eyes shed with a faint radiance. His handsome face could not help but force a smile. He asked in a low and raspy voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Xi Xiaye examined him quietly, then her eyes stopped at his clenched fist. ¡°I was nearby, so I came over to talk a look. Get up. Let¡¯s go to the hospital...¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei started to smile bleakly while his eyes seemed a little sad. ¡°Did Yang Sheng call you again? How busybody...Did you hear everything? You shouldn¡¯t havee. Even I¡¯m not used to seeing myself this miserable.¡±

    Xi Xiaye onlyughed at his reply. ¡°Alright, even though you do look quite battered, you¡¯re not ashamed, I suddenly feel like this is more like you, Qi Lei. Your hand¡¯s hurt and it can get infected easily in this weather, so it¡¯s best to get it checked at the hospital. Right now, you should cherish yourself even more, Qi Lei. Don¡¯t be too silly. You should learn from my own sad past. We¡¯re both too silly. We¡¯re too kind to others but so harsh on ourselves. Sometimes, we might do better if we were a little more selfish...Maybe we wouldn¡¯t suffer as much.¡±

    Towards the end, Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone turned dismal.

    Qi Lei sighed mncholically as he blinked his slightly dry eyes sadly and his voice was filled with defeat. ¡°I used to not know what was so annoying about me. Every time I struggled, I would reflect on myself. I thought that if I didn¡¯t care so much and knew how to be content, everyone would do better. Later on, I understood that these things actually aren¡¯t up to me. Even if I didn¡¯t fight for it, it didn¡¯t mean that my life would get any easier.¡±

    Without caring about his bloody hand, he took another empty ss, poured himself a drink, and then finished it in a few gulps. He frowned and continued, ¡°Did you know that in my younger days when I was studying, I would always hand in empty sheets for my exams. My results would always render me as thest in the ranks. That way, after every exam, the teacher would call my parents to the school, and it was only then that I would feel like I had parents. It was alright for the first few times, but afterward, they became annoyed and numb. I wondered if I studied really hard and got good results, would they take notice? So, I began to work really hard...

    ¡°But it was still useless. No matter how hard I tried to make up for certain gaps, it was useless. I was a son for someone else¡¯s interests. In the end, I couldn¡¯t force them to be like those loving couples who would treat each other kindly, be concerned about their son, and care about their family. Xiaye, were you like me? Did you feel extremely helpless? I didn¡¯t even want to go home. I was afraid that every time I went home, I would be met with apathy or mockery...¡±

    Qi Lei was the kind of person who never willingly bring up the past with anyone. However, today he had suffered quite a bit, so he finally blurted it all out.

    ¡°I did feel quite helpless, but as long as we did our best, it¡¯s good enough. Qi Lei, you have to believe that the reason we lost some things was so we could create space for other things. Once we¡¯ve experienced loss and pain, we understand how to cherish it even more. Don¡¯t be sad. We won¡¯t be abandoned by fate,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she slowly bent down to pick up his zer that had been tossed aside, then she looked down at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cower. Get up. I¡¯ll go to the hospital with you.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Mu Yuchen be worried that it¡¯ste and you aren¡¯t home yet? Go home. I¡¯ll be fine myself,¡± Qi Lei lowered his gaze and said softly.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone away for work. Before he left, he told me to watch out for you. He knows that you¡¯ve not been doing too well recently. Also, Qi Lei, thank you for trusting me and Mr. Mu. Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t let you be taken advantage of. To us, kinship is more important than anything else. All those mere worldly possessions...even if we lose them, we can still get them back, but if we lose kinship, then...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue. When Qi Lei looked up, his gaze met her clear and sincere eyes. When he could see the concern in them, his heart suddenly felt sad and his throat could not help but taste bitter.

    He always heard that those who walked alone were actually quite cold-hearted as they usually maintained an indifference to keep people miles away, but once they felt the kind of warmth and concern that they missed, they found it rather hard to ept.

    While, he, Qi Lei¡ª

    Was just that kind of person...

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes and fell silent for a moment. Then, his fists clenched and rxed twice before he finally stood up without a word and walked out with Xi Xiaye...

    Xi Xiaye drove him straight to the nearest hospital, where the doctor professionally disinfected and bandaged his hand for him. She told Yang Sheng and the apanying bodyguards to get the medication. By the time they left the hospital, it was already close to 2 a.m.

    Xi Xiaye drove straight back to Maple Residence since it was along the same way as Qi Lei¡¯s Grand Lake Vi area. Qi Lei sat in her car and behind them were Yang Sheng and the bodyguards.

    When the car was speeding along, Xi Xiaye steadily controlled the steering wheel and asked Qi Lei, ¡°What are you nning to do next?¡±

    ¡°What else can I do? This time, I must fight to stay. I can¡¯t guarantee whether the old man will give in or not, but I¡¯ve already made my ns. If it really doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll just have to have this fallout in advance. Once Iy my cards on the table, I¡¯m sure many people will want to follow me. In fact, Gu Qiwu¡¯s got huge trouble on his end. It¡¯s not like the other people will support Qi Feng either,¡± Qi Feng analyzed.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye nodded as well. ¡°Mr. Mu and I were thinking that too. As long as Gu Qiwu and Doris have a fallout, we don¡¯t see how things can be peaceful on Qi Feng¡¯s end. In fact, Mr. Mu is thinking of...¡±

    ¡°He wants to get Hui Gu, doesn¡¯t he? For Mu Lingshi?¡±

    Having known Mu Yuchen for quite a while now, Qi Lei knew the reason he wanted to do that. In fact, his methods were decisive and did not contain any hesitation. Given his protectiveness over his family, there was no need to guess his intentions.

 Chapter 1184 - Crack (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1184: Crack (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye did not deny and just responded calmly, ¡°He just worries too much, but I understand.¡±

    When she spoke about Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye felt a little uneasy. She was not sure how things were on the other end...

    ¡°You just think of him as Superman holding up the sky for us.¡± Qi Lei smiled helplessly and looked down at his hand that was bandaged tightly. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t leave City Z this time, the days toe won¡¯t be easy. Once the year passes, I¡¯ll be getting ready for some registration matters.¡±

    ¡°Is it for the newpany? Have you thought of what to call it?¡±

    Even though Xi Xiaye rarely asked about the ns between these two men, she more or less knew a little about them.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought of anything for now, but soon, once things on this end have smoothened over, the Chenye Movies and Television brand will be taken down, then it can take on a new lease of life. How about you give it a name?¡± Qi Lei smiled and said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. You can ask Mr. Mu yourself.¡±

    ¡°Alright, for the South River Project, Qi Feng might want to take over and look after it. The reason that old man Qi and those shareholders gave was to let him learn how to take over some things. After all, for South River Project No. 2, that was the first battle the old man Qi gave him. I¡¯ll probably show my face less often after this, Glory World should be more careful with handling him, also, I know that the materials are mainly managed by Fuhua, so you can¡¯t avoid contact. With Qi Feng...be more careful, especially when Mu Yuchen isn¡¯t around. If there¡¯s anything, just give me a call. I guarantee I¡¯ll be there whenever you call me!¡± Qi Lei could not help but remind worriedly when the car was parked on the side.

    Xi Xiaye nodded solemnly too. ¡°I got it. Be careful when you get back. Love yourself more.¡±

    ¡°I got it! I¡¯m getting down!¡± Qi Lei answered, then pushed open the door to get down.

    After an entire night, he felt much better. He was grateful for her. He understood that tomorrow woulde no matter what, and being weak was useless, so he would not be afraid of what was toe, even if it was a storm...

    ...

    Late at night, in a certain hospital ward in New York.

    Mu Yuchen had just gotten off his flight and had not gotten any rest when he rushed to the hospital. By the time he reached, it was alreadyte at night.

    When Zhou Zimo¡¯s personal assistant, Xu Yayan, received the call, he was already waiting downstairs. The second he saw the car stopping ahead, he calmed down and quickly went up to Mu Yuchen in a panic.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s indifferent figure disembarked from the car.

    ¡°Master Mu! You¡¯re here!¡± Xu Yayan went up to him.

    LI Si and the apanying bodyguards swiftly got down from the car too.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was as chilly as frost. He did not even stop walking as he took huge strides into the hospital, and you could hear the worry in his voice as he asked, ¡°How¡¯s Zimo doing?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still in aa. The doctor says it might be a while before he wakes up. He¡¯s severely injured. His left hand¡¯s fractured and he had a knife to the abdomen. Furthermore, his head suffered from a hit and he had a concussion. I think it wasn¡¯t a simple dispute. Those people didn¡¯t seem like they were there for a simple dispute. It seemed like they were targetting Master Mo because they attacked him right away,¡± Xu Yayan quickly kept up with Mu Yuchen¡¯s steps as he exined.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ah Bo?¡± Mu Yuchen swiftly entered the elevator.

    ¡°Ah Bo¡¯s still investigating the incident, but thepany found a huge amount of stock. Master Mu must¡¯ve been drugged as they found it in his bloodstream. Thankfully, Ah Bo handled it in time and no one destroyed the ss. It¡¯s been sent to theb. Hopefully, this can clear Master Mo of any suspicions.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, report to me what enemies Zimo has here, what conflicts he¡¯s had, who he¡¯s been meeting, and all the newpany¡¯s employee details,¡± Mu Yuchen ordered.

    ¡°Yes, Master Mu!¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s ward was on the 25th floor. When Mu Yuchen went over, he could see two policemen standing guard at the door.

    Because Zhou Zimo was a suspect at the moment, he was being monitored.

    Nheless, when Mu Yuchen went over, the two policemen did not stop him. They briefly asked some questions, and then let him in.

    Inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward, Zhou Zimo was still in aa. He looked very weak, pale, and frail. There was also a bandage on his forehead. All in all, he did not look like the Zhou Zimo he knew and Mu Yuchen almost could not recognize him like this.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart sank and his eyes immediately darkened. There was viciousness in his gaze as he stood by his bed and looked at Zhou Zimo for a long time, before walking over.

    Beep beep¡ª

    The ward was very quiet, so only the sound of the machine could be heard.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen leaned down and said softly by Zhou Zimo¡¯s ear, ¡°Rest well and recover soon. I¡¯ll make whoever did this pay for it.¡±

    Besides being unconscious, Zhou Zimo was severely hurt this time. Even Xu Yayan thought he was done for this time, so he panicked, but thankfully Ah Bo was there. He immediately called Mu Yuchen who immediately came, so everyone felt more at ease.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen was travel-worn and extremely tired, but he could not care less about rest. He began to get Xu Yayan and the rest to exin the whole incident.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell the Zhou family for now. Zimo hasn¡¯t made it past the critical stage yet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Mu!¡±

    ¡°When Ah Bo gets back, tell him to meet me at the hotel. Li Si, arrange for another two people to guard this ce and report to me immediately if anythinges up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    When he left the hospital, Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was solemn. After he ordered a list of things to be done, he made his way to the hotel.

    By the time he took a shower and washed away his fatigue, he remembered that he had not called his woman back home yet. He mulled over it for a moment, then called Xi Xiaye.

    When she picked Mu Yuchen¡¯s call up, Xi Xiaye was on her way to the airport. Shen Yue and Shen Wenna, and the rest were about tond.

    The call got through, but even before Mu Yuchen could answer, Xi Xiaye was already frowning as she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it very early in the morning over there? Why aren¡¯t you resting?¡±

    ¡°I just got back from the hospital and wanted to call you. Where¡¯s our son?¡± Mu Yuchen propped up his head, poured himself a ss of water, and then walked to the sofa as he responded.

    ¡°At home. I¡¯m on my way to the airport to pick Grandpa, my parents, and Xiao Rui up.¡±

    ¡°I almost forgot that Grandpa wasing home today.¡±

    ¡°School¡¯s reopening soon. He should be home. This morning, Uncle Su called to ask when my parents would be back. He was worried that they wouldn¡¯t make it in time for the university to reopen.¡±

 Chapter 1185 - Crack (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1185: Crack (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a moment, and before he could say anything, she continued, ¡°Right, something¡¯s happened on Qi Lei¡¯s end. Qi Feng and the rest want to chase Qi Lei out of City Z. Qi Lei¡¯s had a fall out with Qi Qiming over this. Right now, I don¡¯t know what the situation is, but I heard that Qi Qiming¡¯spromised.¡±

    ¡°Fall out? Well, that¡¯s a good thing too. If Qi Qiming gives in, he won¡¯t need to leave. Even if that happens, Qi Feng won¡¯t let this go so easily.¡± Mu Yuchen did not seem surprised by what Qi Feng had done at all.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll watch out for him. Don¡¯t worry. What¡¯s happened on your end? Are you at the hospital? Did something happen to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but something¡¯s happened to Zimo. Keep it to yourself. I might not be able to return so soon since there are a lot of things to handle over here. Take good care of yourself and remember what I told you.¡±

    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a child. Go rest soon. I can hear that you¡¯re quite tired. Just do your things when you wake up.¡±

    ¡°Okay, remember to get our son to call for his father every day,¡± he said.

    ¡°Got it. You¡¯re so long-winded. I¡¯m driving now. Bye.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then hung up, but there was a smile on her face. This man would always use a roundabout way to remind her to miss him. Before they had a son, he did not have an excuse, but now that they had their son, he would always bring this up.

    Xi Xiaye could see through Mu Yuchen¡¯s thoughts, but not as well as he could see through her. He could always immediately tell what was on her mind.

    When she reached the airport, she was right on time. Xi Xiaye had just walked over when she saw Shen Wenna holding Shen Yue and walking out. Shen Yue was dressed in a gray casual outfit with Mu Zirui in hand. Meanwhile, Xi Mushan stood on Shen Yue¡¯s other side, and behind them was a bodyguard in ck handling the luggage.

    Shen Wenna wore a brown dress, a sun hat, andrge sunsses. She seemed very fashionable. Standing beside Xi Mushan who wore a ck leisure outfit, they looked very matching.

    Mu Zirui wore a fresh pair of shorts and a shirt, appearing more tanned than before although he looked very healthy. A rare smile hung across Shen Yue¡¯s aged face too. You could tell that they all had a lot of fun.

    ¡°Mother! Mother! Right here! Mother! We¡¯re here!¡±

    From afar, Mu Zirui saw Xi Xiaye who stood at the departure gate, so he wriggled free of Shen Yue excitedly and ran towards Xi Xiaye.

    His little figure flew through the crowd and soon reached Xi Xiaye as he spread his arms open.

    Xi Xiaye smiled dly and swiftly squatted down to embrace Mu Zirui¡¯s little body. She struggled a little to pick him up as she smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re back! Mmm...you¡¯re much heavier now!¡±

    ¡°We ate well and slept well, and we had so much fun every day. Everyone is a little chubbier, but, Mother, don¡¯t worry. Xiao Rui will definitely watch my weight! Mother, I miss you so much, mmm? Where¡¯s Father? And little brother? Mother, put me down. I¡¯m a grown man. I don¡¯t need you to carry me!¡±

    Mu Zirui then looked a little shyly at Xi Xiaye as he struggled to get down.

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to knock his little head as sheughed. ¡°You little brat, you know how to be shy now, huh? Grown man and all...Your father¡¯s gone abroad for work and your brother¡¯s at home. Your hair¡¯s so long already, hmm? Tomorrow, I¡¯ll bring you out for a cut, and at the same time get you some new clothes. School¡¯s going to reopen soon. Are you done with all your holiday homework?¡±

    ¡°I finished a long time ago. I¡¯ll let you check it tonight, Mother! Great-grandpa, Grandfather, and Grandmother supervise my homework every day.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s good to have fun, but you can¡¯t ck on homework. Otherwise, humans will be stupid!¡±

    ...

    Shen Yue, Shen Wenna, and Xi Mushan quickly came up to them.

    ¡°Grandpa, Father, Mother! You¡¯re finally back! Dinner¡¯s ready at the Shen Residence. It¡¯ll be just in time for us to go back now. Rest well in theing two days to get over the jeg.¡±

    When she saw that they all seemed like they were in a pretty good state, Xi Xiaye felt at ease.

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go home first. You look like you¡¯ve be thin though!¡± Shen Yue looked at Xi Xiaye and began to worry.

    Along the way, he had actually been thinking about Wang Hui. He never expected that optimistic and warmhearted olddy to be gone just like that, so it was a little hard to ept. When he found out about the news, Shen Yue was shocked on the spot. He was stupefied, then he felt gloomy for a few days. After that, they went around for a bit before he recovered.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and did not say too much.

    ¡°Mmm, the car¡¯s outside. Let¡¯s go home!¡±

    The row of them then left the airport in a grandiose manner, making their way to the Shen residence.

    They had dinner at the Shen residence. While they were eating, Xi Xiaye briefly told them about Wang Hui and Mu Lingshi, and all the things that had happened recently. After they listened, they all felt a little gloomy, but they mostly felt deep sorrow.

    Not long after dinner, Xi Xiaye helped Shen Yue upstairs to wash up and lie down to rest. When she came out, she saw Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna on the living room sofa, watching television as they discussed the new semester at the university.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a moment and nned to talk to them, so she walked over and sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°Is your grandpa asleep?¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s tone was gentle as she asked.

    After she reconciled with Xi Mushan, Shen Wenna seemed more elegant and gentle now. As she observed this, Xi Xiaye sometimes suspected that she was not as young as her mother.

    Xi Xiaye nodded silently as she poured two sses of water for them, then replied, ¡°Mmm, he¡¯s asleep. He was probably a little tired from the flight.¡±

    ¡°Your grandfather¡¯s old. This time, when we went around, he clearly couldn¡¯t quite keep up physically, so we need to let him walk around more from now on,¡± Shen Wenna responded as she took the ss of water from Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Father, a while back, I bumped into Xi Xinyi who said that Yue Lingsi¡¯s not doing too well. Before this, Ah Chen talked about it to you and Mother. At this point, it¡¯s time to settle it once and for all. Whether willing or not, perhaps that¡¯s no longer important right now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was not pitying Xi Xinyi or Yue Lingsi. She just felt that this whole matter should have an end to it. Since Yue Lingsi and Xi Xinyi only asked after so long, they must have taken a long time to think this through.

 Chapter 1186 - Crack (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1186: Crack (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As for Xi Xinyi, Xi Xiaye did not feel much about her anymore. She was content just maintaining the current peace.

    When Xi Xiaye said that, Xi Mushan¡¯s steadfast face froze as he subconsciously turned to look at Shen Wenna who sat beside him. Meanwhile, Shen Wenna just looked on with an indifferent expression. She stopped what she was doing, thought about it for a moment, then sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this too. Yue Lingsi has been wanting to meet me too. She previously called me with the help of someone at the sanatorium, but I didn¡¯t respond to her because I didn¡¯t think there was a need to meet up, but now that you¡¯ve brought it up, what else can I say?¡±

    At this, Shen Wenna lowered her gaze, took a sip, and sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive her. Because of her, our family wasted more than 20 years, and now that we¡¯re together again, you¡¯re all grown up. There aren¡¯t many 20 years in a lifetime.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Xiaye, I know what you¡¯re saying. I already wanted to talk to your father about this, I nned to visit her when we got back. Now¡¯s a good time too, let¡¯s go visit her tomorrow, you don¡¯t have to worry about this,¡± Shen Wenna said.

    Xi Xiaye was d. ¡°Mmm, I don¡¯t have much time to worry too much about this either.¡±

    ¡°Are Lingshi and Gu Lingsha really siblings? How did that happen?¡± Shen Wenna asked, concerned.

    ¡°Mmm, there¡¯s no doubt about that. Ah Chen did a DNA test for Gu Qiwu and Lingshi. In fact, their divorce is about to go to court soon. I think it will be quite exciting.¡±

    Xi Xiaye put her ss of water down and got up slowly. ¡°Alright, Father, Mother, I¡¯ll let you see us out then. Even though it¡¯s going to be quite busy once university starts again, don¡¯t forget toe home often to visit. Xiao Rui¡¯s going back to school soon again. I¡¯m worried that Grandpa will be bored alone at home. It¡¯s not early anymore, so I¡¯ll go home now with Xiao Rui.¡±

    Then, she gently reached out to carry Zirui who was sound asleep on the sofa. Xi Mushan went over to help while Xi Xiaye then carried Mu Zirui on her back, and with one hand holding his schoolbag, she went out.

    ¡°I kept some of the dishes from earlier for you. Take them along. We also brought back some local specialties from Europe for you to take home. The day after tomorrow, your father and I will visit Xiao Cheng. Don¡¯t wear yourself out too much. I can see that you¡¯ve grown thinner. Oh, right, I tailor-made two mid-length sleeves <i>qipao</i> before this. They should be about done now, so I¡¯ll bring them over for you...¡±

    Shen Wenna got up and began moving around as she held various sizes of bags and followed Xi Xiaye out. They were all things for Xi Xiaye to bring home.

    ¡°Mother¡ª¡±

    Mu Zirui was sleeping in a daze on Xi Xiaye¡¯s back.

    ¡°Hmm? Sleep, we¡¯re going home.¡±

    ¡°Mother, if Father¡¯s not around, can I sleep with you and little brother?¡± Mu Zirui rubbed his sleepy eyes with his little hands as he asked.

    Xi Xiayeughed gently. ¡°Of course! Your little brother¡¯s not that little anymore. You¡¯ll be able to sleep with little brother more often from now on. Also, you¡¯re the older brother. You have to take good care of your little brother. You two brothers need to be united. That way, you won¡¯t get bullied, got it?¡±

    Mu Zirui nodded, half-understanding. ¡°Mmm! Mother, don¡¯t worry. Xiao Rui will definitely eat properly and grow to be strong like Father to protect you and little brother...Oh, right, Mother, why does Xiao Rui only have a brother and no little sister? Can you and Father get me a little sister?¡±

    ¡°Have another one? Well, that depends on whether your father¡¯s willing...¡±

    ...

    Mu Zirui was very sensible and obedient too, thus Xi Xiaye did not have to worry about him.

    Compared to Xi Xiaye, Gu Lingsha, who was also a mother to a child, did not seem to have it as easy as Xi Xiaye.

    On the same night with glorious lights, inside therge and luxurious Qi residence, a pale Gu Lingsha endured the pain from her leg as she carefully inched towards the sofa.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s leg made her suffer. Thankfully, it was not a fracture. Otherwise, she could not guarantee that she would not rush to see Xi Xiaye immediately.

    At this moment, Qi Weier was also sitting on the sofa without moving. Her eyes were fixated on the television screen and she did not care that Gu Lingsha had sat beside her.

    ¡°Weiwei,e, let Mother help you do your revision. School¡¯s starting soon, but you¡¯ve barely done any of the holiday homework.¡±

    Gu Lingsha bent down with difficulty and picked up Qi Weier¡¯s holiday homework from beneath the coffee table as she held the young girl.

    However, Gu Lingsha had just touched Qi Weier¡¯s hand when the young girl subconsciously shrieked. She stood up and looked vigntly at Gu Lingsha with a gaze...

    Gu Lingsha could not help but feel hurt!

    Qi Weier had been receiving treatment from a psychologist, so she had been speaking more and she seemed more cheerful, but for some reason, she was still on guard against Gu Lingsha. Instead, she was less afraid of Qi Qiming and the butler.

    Gu Lingsha felt defeated and very sad. When it came to Qi Weier, she had put in a lot of thought, and the reason she chose to study psychology wasrgely because of Qi Weier¡¯s illness.

    ¡°Weiwei! Don¡¯t be afraid of Mother. I won¡¯t hurt you. Be good...¡±

    Qi Weier shrunk as she shook her head and refused to go over.

    ¡°Mother wasn¡¯t trying to be harsh earlier. The aunty who gave you the umbre isn¡¯t a good person, so the next time you see her, ignore her. She will hurt you when Father and Mother aren¡¯t around. Do you understand?¡± Gu Lingsh did not give up as she advised again. She did not know why Qi Weier seemed to really like Xi Xiaye, and was very much against her own mother instead.

    Qi Weier did not say anything. She only widened her dull eyes as she looked at Gu Lingsha with a gaze that was filled with timidness and vignce.

    ¡°Weiwei! Do you hear what Mother¡¯s saying? She¡¯s not a good person. The person who hurt Mother¡¯s leg like this was her. She will hurt you too! Listen to Mother. Ignore her the next time, understand?¡±

    Qi Weier widened her eyes and stared at Gu Lingsha. She hugged her Barbie doll tightly and trembled slightly as she used her, ¡°Bad person! You¡¯re a bad person!¡±

    When Qi Weier said that, Gu Lingsha felt hurt once again and her expression sank. ¡°Weiwei, I¡¯m not a bad person. I¡¯m your mother! I won¡¯t hurt you. Come,e to Mother.¡±

    Qi Weier shook her head hard. She was on guard as she looked at Gu Lingsha warily.

    Gu Lingsha felt like her patience had run out, so she could not help but raise her voice, ¡°Come here!¡±

 Chapter 1187 - Crack (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1187: Crack (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Weier shuddered when Gu Lingsha shouted. She looked at Gu Lingsha with fear, subconsciously cowering backward uneasily.

    Upon seeing that, Gu Lingsha could not help but feel the fury in her rising.

    She was Qi Weier¡¯s biological mother, but her daughter was calling Xi Xiaye mother?

    Moreover, this had happened quite a few times!

    She kept hugging that umbre and calling Xi Xiaye mother!

    1Gu Lingsha had gone through so much hardship. Through all those difficulties to give birth to her with her broken body, she had suffered so much and did not hesitate to break rtions with her own mother, making Qi Weier her favorite. However, right now she was calling someone else her mother. How was Gu Lingsha supposed to ept this in stride?

    When she thought about everything that Xi Xiaye had made her go through, Gu Lingsha could not help but feel angry!

    Even Qi Feng seemed to be taking less notice of her, much less Qi Lei, Wang Qin and the rest.

    Now, her own daughter was calling her a bad woman?

    What did this all mean?

    2Gu Lingsha watched as Qi Weier continued to move backward. Unable to stand this, she quickly moved and pulled Qi Weier over.

    ¡°Weiwei,e here, I¡¯m talking to you. Don¡¯t you remember? I¡¯m your mother! I¡¯m not a bad woman. I wouldn¡¯t hurt you. Do you understand? Do you?¡±

    Gu Lingsha held Qi Weier¡¯s shoulders as she shook her. Her pale face seemed gloomy as she was upset. Even if she did not want to be angry, she could not hold her fury back. She needed an outlet to vent!

    2Otherwise, Gu Lingsha felt that if she continued like this, she would have a breakdown and go crazy!

    However, Gu Lingsha¡¯s actions clearly surprised Qi Weier instantly. Fear grew in her eyes quickly, then there were the soft sounds of her cries...

    ¡°What are you doing? Why are you letting your anger out on Weiwei? She¡¯s just a child!¡±

    At this moment, a raspy voice filled with disapproval came from behind her!

    Upon hearing this, Qi Weier wriggled free of Gu Lingsha¡¯s grasp right away and rushed out in terror.

    Gu Lingsha subconsciously turned and saw that Qi Feng wasing out of the room in his wheelchair. His handsome face was dark as he looked at Gu Lingsha unhappily. When he saw Qi Weier rushing over, he reached out to embrace her.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha then called out softly.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t cry now. Father¡¯s here. Don¡¯t be scared.¡±

    Qi Lei shot Gu Lingsha a cold look as he bent down to console Qi Weier and lovingly reached out to wipe away her tears.

    Qi Weier then slowly stopped crying.

    ¡°Mary, bring the little miss to wash up downstairs. Let her rest early.¡±

    After a while, Qi Feng got Mary to bring Qi Weier out. Meanwhile, Mary knew that Qi Feng had something to say to Gu Lingsha, so she carefully closed the door behind her.

    Bam¡ª

    The door closed, and Gu Lingsha felt like something was weighing on her chest. The air felt thin, and she found it hard to breathe.

    Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Feng who had a stormy expression, then she called out softly again, ¡°Ah Feng!¡± Her pale face could not help but be colored with an indescribable sorrow and helplessness.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t vent your anger from your conflict with someone else onto your daughter. What could she possibly understand? Your one act of unhappiness will make all your hard work from before backfire, don¡¯t you get it? What¡¯s the use of being angry at her?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s low and raspy voice reprimanded her.

    ¡°What do you want me to do then? Xi Xiaye hurt me like this, but my own daughter¡¯s protecting her, calling her mother, and saying that I¡¯m a bad woman! Also, you¡¯ve seen how she treated mest night, but did you say anything? The two of you had quite the chemistry instead! Qi Feng, I¡¯m your wife, your woman, your daughter¡¯s mother. Shouldn¡¯t you have protected me then, and stood up for me? What did you do instead?¡±

    When she recalled the incidentst night, Gu Lingsha felt angry and upset.

    The husband, whom she had always thought she could rely on, merely looked at her in a reprimanding manner, making her feel embarrassed.

    ¡°What did you think I should¡¯ve done instead? Go up to Xi Xiaye and beat her up? You tried to trip her and it backfired instead. Did you think it was a good time to praise and express my feelings for you then?¡±

    Qi Feng was not angry. There was only a faint sneer at the corner of his lips. His eyes met Gu Lingsha¡¯s petnt and upset gaze as he smiled and said, ¡°Shasha, where did your smart decisiveness go? Why do you always lose all rationality whenever you¡¯re met with Xi Xiaye? Don¡¯t you know that the more you¡¯re in such a situation, the more you should be calm? How could you do something with such low standards on that asion?¡±

    When Gu Lingsha heard Qi Feng, she was even more angered, so she could not help but say furiously, ¡°Low standards? I¡¯d like to do one or two things that are of standards, but what can I do? You tell me! If you¡¯re capable, do one or two things of standards and show me! You know that Xi Xiaye and I are against each other, but you keep exchanging flirtatious nces with her! I asked you to stand up for me. Did you do that? Haven¡¯t you been doing it half-heartedly? Tell me, are you interested in Xi Xiaye?¡±

    The second she said that, Qi Feng¡¯s expression turned cold and hostility shed in his dark eyes. ¡°I told you there¡¯s nothing between Xi Xiaye and me. I¡¯ll pretend I never heard you say these things, but next time watch what you¡¯re saying!¡±

    ¡°Watch what I¡¯m saying? Are you protecting yourself or her right now? Are you covering up for her?¡± Gu Lingsha could barely believe what Qi Feng had said.

    ¡°How unreasonable of you!¡± Qi Feng shouted coldly.

    ¡°Yes, just say that I¡¯m unreasonable! Otherwise, I won¡¯t believe you unless you stand up for me! You know that witch Xi Xiaye¡¯s always been arrogant! I can¡¯t stand it anymore!¡± Gu Lingsha stared into Qi Feng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯ve got nothing going on with that Xi Xiaye? Prove it to me then! Fulfil your promise! Didn¡¯t you say you were going to take revenge for me? Is it too much that I want you to do what you promised a long time ago?¡±

    Then, her fists by her side sank into the sofa as her voice was filled with dense hatred and rage!

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened and he fell silent for a moment. Then, he sneered and said, ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re so determined, I will satisfy you! Next time, keep those embarassing tricks of yours away! I don¡¯t want to see the same thing tonight happen. Otherwise, we¡¯ll need to talk!¡±

 Chapter 1188 - Unhappy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1188: Unhappy (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes turned cold at Qi Feng¡¯s words. She could not release the pent-up anger in her chest. As she looked at Qi Feng¡¯s darkened and unhappy expression, she suddenly felt a piercing ache in her heart.

    She did not know why Qi Feng was like this recently. He was apathetic and hard to see through, no longer like before. At least, he did not use to talk to her like this. Even though he did not usually say much, he would never use such a tone with her.

    What was happening?

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s beautiful eyes widened slightly and she looked at Qi Feng silently. For a long time, she kept quiet. There was only weakness and sadness in her eyes. After that, she could only take a deep breath in, cover her face, and blink. She took the temporary crutch from the side and turned to walk towards the bedroom without another glimpse at Qi Feng...

    Qi Feng did not go after her. His eyes were only obscure and unclear as he calmed down.

    When Morrison came over, it was alreadyte at night.

    He looked at Qi Feng whose leg was being massaged by the masseuse as he reported softly, ¡°Master, CEO Qi has agreed to let Xi Xinyi be Second Master¡¯s assistant.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, how did Yue Hai react?¡± Qi Feng asked nonchntly, his eyes remaining fixed on the magazine before him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for now, but I think he¡¯ll probably just wait and see.¡±

    Qi Feng then closed the magazine in hand and waved the masseuse away. The masseuse swiftly packed up his things and left.

    ¡°He¡¯s a sly fox too. Don¡¯t you see how he almost always remains neutral at meetings? Father¡¯s attitude is a little vague. Right now, he¡¯s probably having some thoughts, especially after this whole ordeal. I can no longer guess what my father¡¯s thinking about Qi Lei.¡±

    When Morrison saw Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened, he said softly, ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a great thing for things to happen right in front of our eyes too.¡±

    Qi Feng tossed aside the magazine in his hand and massaged the fatigue between his brows. ¡°Qi Lei staying here is equal to a pair of Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. He¡¯s a very strong chess piece. Qi Lei even went against my father for him. I don¡¯t quite understand what he¡¯s up to. From what I can see, Qi Lei might not be after Qi Kai, but because of that, he shouldn¡¯t be so harsh against my father. Could Mu Yuchen have promised him some benefits?¡±

    Obviously, someone like Qi Feng would never believe in anything such as pure friendship. His belief was that¡ª

    1There were no forever rtionships and friends, only benefits.

    Those that put rtionships above all else were only doing so because the other person did not have arge enough bargaining chip.

    ¡°Master, what you¡¯re saying is...¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen must¡¯ve promised him something good. Otherwise, why would Qi Lei be so strong against his own family? It¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t know what the consequences will be if he truly angers my father? Do you remember what happened years ago when Wang Qin sent him abroad?¡±

    When Qi Feng said this, his dark eyes squinted slightly and were filled with amusement.

    Upon hearing this, Morrison paused. He breathed in after a long while and nodded. ¡°Got it, Master, I¡¯ll get people to investigate Second Master and Mu Yuchen right away. Oh, right, Mu Yuchen seems to be...¡±

    Morrison wanted to continue, but Qi Feng suddenly lifted a hand to stop him.

    Qi Feng did not continue the earlier topic and asked instead, ¡°How are things on Doris¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve informed her and are waiting on her reply.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Go home then.¡±

    Qi Feng then moved his wheelchair with waning interest. Morrison nodded before silently leaving the room.

    When Qi Feng returned to the bedroom, it was pitch ck. He felt around for a bit before he found the switch and turned the lights on.

    The bright lights instantly filled the whole room, and he subconsciously looked to the bed¡ª

    Gu Lingsha was already asleep with the nket tightly tucked around her, but Qi Feng had a keen eye and he could see that the person under the nket was clearly trembling.

    He fell silent for a long while. Then, he moved closer with his wheelchair. When he reached her bedside, he heard her sniffling, so he could not help but turn to look at Gu Lingsha with a mixed expression. After he pulled the nket away, he saw her tearful face hidden under the nket.

    Gu Lingsha was not willing to look at him though. She turned away with her back facing him as she could not help but sniffle.

    Qi Feng thought about it, then his soft, raspy voice was heard. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, Shasha.¡±

    Gu Lingsha sniffed, her voice choking on her tears. ¡°Qi Feng, do you remember what you promised me back then?¡±

    When Qi Feng heard that, his gaze froze, then he nodded before answering very calmly, ¡°Of course, I remember. I said that the only person who can stand by my side and be my wife is you, Gu Lingsha.¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes could not help but well up with hot tears. Soon, her cheeks were streaked with tears. She lifted a hand to wipe them away as she spoke with difficulty, ¡°Ah Feng, you know very well how I¡¯ve treated you all these years. I¡¯ve lost too many things. I don¡¯t want to lose you and my daughter too. If that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be, then I don¡¯t want to live anymore.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Aren¡¯t Weiwei and I right here?¡± Qi Feng sighed and calmed down before he responded.

    ¡°Right here? Qi Lei said that he would always be right here too, but now? He¡¯s be our enemy. Do you know what I¡¯m most afraid of? My mother told me to be more vignt because, in front of you, I¡¯ve lost all the upper hand. I can no longer give birth to children for you while Weiwei¡¯s like this...I said that I trust you. I trusted that you wouldn¡¯t let me down. I gambled everything on you, that you would protect me and love me for life, but right now, I want to ask you, Qi Feng, will you let me down?¡±

    As Gu Lingsha said this, she suddenly turned her head, and with teary, reddened eyes, she fixed her gaze on Qi Feng¡¯s deep eyes.

    Qi Feng fell silent, suddenly lowering his gaze. ¡°Shasha, we shouldn¡¯t let these external things affect the trust between us.¡±

    ¡°Trust? I do trust you, but right now with the things you¡¯re doing, and the way you¡¯ve been treating me, what would you think if you were me? You know that I¡¯ve always been a realistic person. I hope you¡¯ll show me your...¡±

    ¡°Enough, Shasha.¡±

    Before Gu Lingsha could finish, Qi Feng already cut her off. ¡°You¡¯ll see it if you ask for it.¡±

 Chapter 1189 - Unhappy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1189: Unhappy (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng turned around in his wheelchair and went out.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Gu Lingsha could not care less about the tears on her face. She suddenly propped herself up and saw him leaving.

    ¡°Sleep first. I¡¯ve still got some documents to handle. Shasha, I hope that you can calm down too. Think about it. What we need right now is to be calm and have faith,¡± Qi Feng said, then his figure slowly vanished out of the doorway.

    Gu Lingsha was stunned. After a while, she sobbed...

    ...

    The afternoon sun was dazzling. The calm breeze rustled through the bamboo forest. When it brushed one¡¯s face, it felt very refreshing.

    When Mu Lingshi walked into Bamboo Teahouse, she could see Gu Qiwu sitting in a corner by the window from afar.

    It seemed like he had been waiting for quite a while. He was steeping some tea, and there were delicious pastries on the table too.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Gu Qiwu quickly noticed Mu Lingshi too. When he looked up at her, his usually stern face looked quite at ease.

    Mu Lingshi stood there looking at him for quite a while. She could see an indescribable bleakness in his gaze. A faint smile shed on her lips, then she sat down.

    He knew that Mu Lingshi was pregnant and could not drink tea, so Gu Qiwu ordered some flower tea instead. He took a cup and poured her some tea. ¡°Earlier when I sat down, I was guessing whether you woulde or not.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was not courteous as she picked the teacup up and took a nonchnt sip. She did not bother hiding the indifference and irony she felt. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to, but I don¡¯t want to be Mother Teresa either.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu looked up to watch Mu Lingshi silently. She still had her sunsses on, so he could not see her gaze underneath them, but when he saw the scar faintly showing, his eyes darkened.

    As if he was thinking about something, Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes were dazed for a moment, then he said softly, ¡°I was betting on you toe. You¡¯re stronger and tougher than your mother.¡±

    ¡°My mother¡¯s Zhuang Shurong. To me, she¡¯s a perfect woman.¡±

    Mu Lingshi did not want to admit it, but she actually did not have much feelings for Mu Zi. After all, she ended her life soon after giving birth to her. From then on, the person who had raised her and taught her life, was Zhuang Shurong and the rest.

    While Gu Qiwu lowered his gaze and looked at the teacup before him, the steam blurred his sight. He fell silent for a while, then smiled and said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so against your mother. She loved you and your brother. I¡¯m the one who let you down. It¡¯s not like I never thought of bringing the both of you back to the Gu family.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gu, you¡¯re funny, I will always be part of the Mu family.¡±

    ¡°No, you know very well yourself that you, Lingtian, are indeed the child of Zixi and I. We¡¯re your biological parents. Although this is hard to ept, it¡¯s the truth. On Doris¡¯s side, she¡¯s long had our DNA report,¡± Gu Qiwu said. His dark eyes suddenly glowed with a cold light, then it turned into sorrow. Lastly, it became the calm after the bleakness.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi suddenly grinned and said in disdain, ¡°So? What are you nning on having me do? Do you want to get rid of us just like how Mu Zi sacrificed herself to let you all be happy? I¡¯m telling you to dream on! I¡¯m not Mu Zi. I wish that you and your wife will be done for. That way, I¡¯ll feel freer from worry.¡±

    ¡°The thing between Doris and me, and also your mother, isn¡¯t something that can be easily exined. Your mother¡¯s a good woman, but...¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t love her. The woman you love is Doris, so for Doris¡¯s sake, you can let any woman down. It used to be Mu Zi, and now it¡¯s me? Tell me what do you want? I already detest that your blood runs through me. If I could sever all ties with you, I would be happy to co-operate.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was tired too. All the news about Mu Zi and Gu Qiwu was endless. Even she and the Mu family were implicated. Naturally, she did not want to see such chaos.

    ¡°Lingshi, you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m sure you know about Doris and me. We¡¯re going to court soon. I¡¯m asking you out because I hope you¡¯d forgive me ande home to the Gu residence with me,¡± Gu Qiwu said in a low voice as his gaze was fixed on Mu Lingshi.

    Nevertheless, when Mu Lingshi heard this, sheughed gently, then took a deep breath before she lowered her head and continued to have another sip of tea. She sneered, ¡°Mr. Gu, I¡¯m not interested in the Gu family at all.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not interested in the Gu family, aren¡¯t you interested in the Hui Gu Corporation? If you aren¡¯t, then what did you do all of that from before for? Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t even know Mu Yuchen¡¯s intentions yourself.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s calm voice came through. In that smooth voice, you could not hear any emotions.

    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re ming us for Doris cheating on you? Haha, Mr. Gu, I don¡¯t know how much you love Doris that you could even ept this. Do you want to protect her so much? No wonder you don¡¯t want to divorce her.¡±

    The more Gu Qiwu showed that he cared about Doris, the more Mu Lingshi felt sad and pitiful for Mu Zi!

    ¡°If you can be so considerate and loyal, why don¡¯t you think about Mu Zi who¡¯s passed away? Do you know that hearing all these make me wish I could just kill you!¡± Mu Lingshi was white from anger while her hands were clenched into fists, and the resentment in her eyes could not be concealed.

    ¡°Lingshi, calm down. Let me finish.¡±

    There were mixed emotions in Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes. He thought about it, then decided to exin to Mu LIngshi, ¡°I couldn¡¯t avoid going to court for the divorce with Doris because the things she wants to take away is enough to waver the Gu family¡¯s family property. She and I only had your sister, Lingsha. Initially, I thought we¡¯d still have your brother, Lingtian, but...¡±

    ¡°Do you want Doris to leave with nothing?¡± Mu Lingshi ridiculed.

    ¡°Yes, she betrayed me. I want her to know that she can¡¯t just do whatever she wants.¡± When Gu Qiwu said this, a sinister chill shed in his eyes.

    Mu Lingshi seemed to be able to feel the love and hatred that Gu Qiwu felt towards Doris.

    ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve been wanting to make it up to you.¡± Gu Qiwu paused, then poured Mu Lingshi more tea. ¡°Apart from Lingsha, I have you too...¡±

 Chapter 1190 - Admit Defeat (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1190: Admit Defeat (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The evening sky was rather mesmerizing as the sunset glow colored half the sky and the cool breeze was faint.

    When Mu Lingshi left Bamboo Teahouse, she was met with the sunset.

    She did not ask Ah Mo toe with her today. She only brought her bodyguard, Ah Quan, and of course, the chauffeur. Things seem to be quite busy at thepany, and Ah Mo had rushed over quite early in the morning.

    ¡°Miss Lingshi...¡±

    When he saw Mu Lingshi walking over, Ah Quan who had been waiting outside went up to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a walk. I want some quiet time,¡± Mu Lingshi said and then walked ahead.

    Ah Quan gave the chauffeur a word before following her. After that, the chauffeur drove slowly and followed them from behind.

    ¡°Miss Lingshi, it¡¯s not that early anymore. How about we get home earlier? Otherwise, Bro Mo will be worried,¡± Ah Quan advised, ¡°Earlier, he called.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s still early. You don¡¯t have to tell Grandfather about meing over today. I don¡¯t want him to worry.¡±

    ¡°Is Mr. Gu still inside?¡± Ah Quan asked.

    Mu Lingshi nodded and sighed sorrowfully, ¡°Ah Quan, why do you think humans are soplicated? He clearly wants to use Brother¡¯s authority, but now he¡¯s making himself sound like a saint. Why would I have such a father?¡±

    ¡°Miss Lingshi, don¡¯t feel troubled by this. Actually, Master and Bro Mo knew it right from the start. You just need to go with your heart. I think you already have an answer. Letting Doris or Gu Lingsha get everything doesn¡¯t benefit us. Besides, there¡¯s also Qi Feng eyeing covetously. To be honest, Miss Lingshi...¡± Ah Quan spoke, and then suddenly paused as he looked to Mu Lingshi who slowly stopped and nced at him too.

    ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d use these rtionships and try to help Master with his burden.¡±

    When Ah Quan said this, Mu Lingshi instantly understood what he meant. She froze for a while and then forced a smile. ¡°You¡¯re right. All along, it¡¯s always been Brother who¡¯s protected us while we...Sometimes, I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s the point of all these so-called moral intensities. If it helps everyone, it¡¯s nothing for me to sacrifice a little.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Lingshi. That¡¯s not what I meant either...¡± Ah Quan exined uneasily.

    As an observer from the sidelines, he only felt that Mu Yuchen carried too much burden. He was worn out from holding it all up while some things could clearly be...

    ¡°No need to exin. I understand. I understand it all. I¡¯ll give it some thought...¡±

    Mu Lingshi breathed in and did not say anything more before she continued walking ahead.

    The setting sun dragged out her shadow, and it looked quite lonely...

    ...

    They had barely rested when the university reopened again. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna returned to the university on the second day and were busy for the entire day. It was only in the evening that they could catch their breath and recall the promise they made before, so the husband and wife made their way to the sanatorium together.

    Yue Lingsi was in a ward alone. Xi Xinyi had even hired a nurse to take care of her.

    When Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna went over, Yue Lingshi had just left her ward as the nurse had wheeled her out for a walk.

    After that, the husband and wife found Yue Lingsi at the pavilion by theke in the garden.

    Yue Lingsi was in a bad state indeed. She was all bloated, and her eyes were dim without any light. Appearing quite stiff, it was hard for her to move her limbs, so she could only sit in the wheelchair and be wheeled by the nurse.

    The sunset engulfed the world while theke was gleaming with reflections of the sun. It was quite a contented sight to behold.

    When she saw Xi Mushan suddenly appear before her, Yue Lingshi was overjoyed, but when she noticed Shen Wenna beside him, the joy left her face.

    ¡°You came together!¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s dull eyes could not help but sh with a cold light as she red at Shen Wenna!

    <i>Xi Mushan, won¡¯t you even give me a chance to be with you alone? Or are you afraid that this witch will misunderstand?</i>

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s hatred for Shen Wenna did not fade. She had stayed there for so long in her wretched state that it made her even colder and twisted. Even though she knew it was her fault from before, she still hated Shen Wenna.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to talk? What¡¯s wrong with sitting down together to talk?¡± Shen Wenna¡¯s cold voice came through as she walked over and slowly sat down on a stone bench.

    ¡°Xinyi bumped into Xiaye and told us about you. Ah Chen and Xiaye mobilized us. Its time for this issue between us to be concluded,¡± Xi Mushan said in a low voice. His stern gaze looked at the nurse behind Yue Lingsi, who looked at thetter for instructions. When she got the hint from Yue Lingsi, she retreated.

    ¡°It¡¯s been more than 20 years. Yue Lingsi, you didn¡¯t think this day woulde, did you?¡±

    Shen Wenna¡¯s voice did not hide her hint of delight and apathy while she looked at Yue Lingsi with a pitiful gaze just as how she had looked at her with an expression that said there was no use crying over spilled milk¡ª

    ¡°I remember that 20 years ago, I had such a miserable day too. When that happened, I looked forward to the day that you, Yue Lingsi, to experience this, and that you¡¯d do worse than me.¡±

    ¡°Evil witch!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Yue Lingsi had just cursed when Xi Mushan frowned and shouted.

    ¡°See? Just like that! Xi Mushan, you¡¯ve always been like that! Every time Shen Wenna¡¯s mentioned, you treat me like this! I was still Madam Xi for over 20 years. Why do you have to be so cruel to me? You didn¡¯t even bother touching me!¡±

    Yue Lingsiughed with a semnce of loneliness. ¡°If you were willing to be nicer to me, we wouldn¡¯t all be like this right now. You know that I love you to your bones, yet you wouldn¡¯t forget Shen Wenna. Do you know how unfair that was to me? I endured all sorts of pain and suffering for you, but you never knew and you¡¯d never be moved. I lost in this lifetime. I¡¯ve lost thoroughly. You won, Shen Wenna...¡±

    ¡°Unfair? What¡¯s fair? When you came in as the third party, why didn¡¯t you think of fairness?¡± Shen Wenna sneered. She lowered her gaze andughed. ¡°Nothing done forcibly turns out good. With the three of us here, let¡¯s just clear things up. Let¡¯s not have any more doubts left so that the children can stop worrying.¡±

    Yue Lingsi thought about it, bit her lip, and then looked up at Xi Mushan with a deep gaze, as she asked, ¡°Xi Mushan, have you ever liked me? Even just a little? Or were you ever moved?¡±

 Chapter 1191 - Admit Defeat (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1191: Admit Defeat (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I can answer you a thousand or a million times, and my answer will be the same. What else can I feel for you apart from loathing? If it weren¡¯t for you, the three of us wouldn¡¯t have needed to suffer so much. The Xi family, would not have turned out like this...¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s deep voice was heard, and one could hear the unhappiness, and sorrow in his voice.

    ¡°From very early on, you knew that I wasmitted to someone, but you forced Wenna to leave and trapped me with marriage. Now, you can understand that some things cannot be forced. You should¡¯ve lived a good life.¡±

    ¡°I really hate you so much right now! I hate the two of you. I hate you as much as you love each other. I¡¯m thoroughly upset.¡± Yue Lingsiughed bitterly. ¡°But even if that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s karma for everything. You¡¯ll have to bear the consequences of your own actions. I don¡¯t care whether you hate me or not, but I¡¯vee here to tell you that, Yue Lingsi, there¡¯s no use forcing what doesn¡¯t belong to you. If the two could¡¯ve felt contented with the way things were, we wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. If you want to me someone, me yourself for asking too much and stepping over someone¡¯s bottom line.¡±

    Shen Wenna looked at Yue Lingsi with an indifferent expression. She did not seem willing to say much, so she only looked calmly at Xi Mushan and got up. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡±

    ¡°Wenna!¡± Xi Mushan called out, worried that Shen Wenna would think too much.

    However, Shen Wenna only looked at the two of them calmly and walked away.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing else to say,¡± she said, and then her frail figure vanished from the pavilion.

    In the pavilion, only Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi were left.

    ¡°The person that I¡¯ve always been thinking of has been Wenna. You know this more than anyone else. You contributed a lot to the Xi family, but that wasn¡¯t what I wanted. Doesn¡¯t the fact that I could give everything up to start over again not exin everything?¡± Xi Mushan sighed and said.

    Yue Lingsi smiled sadly. ¡°After you divorced Shen Wenna, I thought that I¡¯d have a chance, yet I used my entire life to prove that you¡¯re a heartless person. No, I should say that you¡¯ve given all of your heart to Shen Wenna.¡±

    ¡°I lost and I was wrong.¡± She found it hard to face the truth.

    How long could she be stubborn for?

    ¡°Right from the start, you lost. From the first time I saw Wenna, I¡¯d already...I¡¯d already known I had unswerving feelings for her.¡±

    ¡°But I had unswerving...¡±

    When Yue Lingsi wanted to say ¡®unswerving feelings¡¯, she could not finish her words. She did not forget that because she wanted revenge for Xi Mushan¡¯s cruelty, she did betray him. In fact, there had been many times...

    ¡°You know about Xinyi¡¯s situation too. It was all because of you. Xiaye isn¡¯t bothered about it anymore, so I hope you can face the state you¡¯re in too. The grudges between us shouldn¡¯t involve the children. I hope that the two sisters can do well respectively, and it¡¯s time for everything to be concluded right here and now.¡±

    ¡°Do well respectively? Can Xinyi be well? She¡¯s like me. She¡¯s lost almost everything.¡±

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes were filled with mixed emotions. She did not know how she should face Xi Xinyi, her one and only daughter.

    Those hurtful words were still ringing in her ears. Even though their rtionship had calmed down, once some cracks were there, they could never be fixed.

    ¡°She¡¯s not like you. She¡¯s still young, so it¡¯s not toote,¡± Xi Mushan said, ¡°She¡¯s your daughter.¡±

    Yue Lingsi forced a smile. ¡°And yours too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I hope that she¡¯ll do well. The same goes for Xiaye too.¡± Xi Mushan stood with his arms behind his back as he looked at Yue Lingsi. ¡°You probably regret your choices back then now, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of regretting it? If I knew today woulde, I might not have chosen to meet you. I hate Shen Wenna. I hate the way she can lock you down by doing nothing at all while I...¡±

    A teary glimmer shed in Yue Lingsi¡¯s eyes. ¡°But right now, I can only surrender to my fate, so I won¡¯t wish you well either!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s up to you as long as you think you¡¯ll feel better that way. If there¡¯s a next lifetime, just don¡¯t meet me again,¡± Xi Mushan finally said that, and then left the pavilion.

    Yue Lingsi¡¯s stifled cries were heard...

    It was all over. Perhaps, this was truly the end.

    She cried for a while before she felt a warmth on her shoulders as a light-colored coat was draped on her shoulders. She turned around and saw that Xi Xinyi had appeared behind her.

    ¡°Xinyi¡ª¡±

    Yue Lingsi trembled slightly, unable to help her sadness from spilling out.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s gaze was calm as she watched the teary-eyed Yue Lingsi. Her eyes were filled with mixed emotions.

    ¡°You can give up now,¡± Xi Xinyi said.

    Yue Lingsi cried and forced augh. ¡°From the moment I met him, my heart¡¯s never lived. Maybe humans just have no respect for ourselves. The more we can¡¯t get something, the more we want it. I tried so hard, but it was just useless...He¡¯s right too. This is a matter between the three of us. There¡¯s no need to implicate you and Xi Xiaye. I was just too narrow-minded and led you astray. I know life is hard for you right now. Don¡¯t go provoking Xi Xiaye anymore. If the two of you can exist in harmony, or do well respectively, that would be a good thing too.¡±

    Do well respectively?

    Exist in harmony?

    When Xi Xinyi heard these words, she could not help butugh.

    If she really wanted to do all that, it would not be that easy.

    She was still figuring out how to get Han Yifeng and her son back...

    <i>Mu Yuchen, how are you supposed to help me?</i>

    Xi Xinyi did not know why, but she was willing to trust Mu Yuchen. She seemed to see a sliver of hope within him, especially when she received orders for her to work with Qi Lei.

    She knew that her chance hade!

    ¡°Care about yourself first. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Xi Xinyi responded.

    Yue Lingsi smiled bitterly and did not say any more. She waved at the nurse in front of her, and the nurse quickly walked over to wheel her away.

    ...

    The sunny and cloudless weather from the past few days added some heat to the atmosphere. Even the air felt a little turbid.

    It was only when a jubnt pouring of the rain came did the air feel crisp and clean again, making one feel spirited.

    By the window sill of De Bao, Dongfang Liuyun was lying in the rattan chair as always while she casually flipped through ancient texts. The rain continued to pour outside, and De Bao seemed even more unusually quiet.

    No one could be sure how long had passed when suddenly outside the door, the beaded curtains were drawn...

 Chapter 1192 - Ideal Partner (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1192: Ideal Partner (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s delicateshes fluttered, but she did not move much as she continued to quietly flip through the book before her.

    Soon, a courteous voice was heard.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, flowers for you. Please sign for it!¡±

    Flowers?

    Raising her brows, Dongfang Liuyun then looked up to see the flower delivery person already walking over.

    It was a huge bouquet of brilliantly red roses. Every one of the flowers was in full bloom, practically blocking the view of the delivery person.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at therge bouquet of roses before her in shock. Without even taking it, she squinted at the delivery person and asked calmly, ¡°Who sent it?¡±

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, it¡¯s from Mr. Fujiwara...¡±

    Fujiwara?

    A lukewarm smile shed across Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips. She took it and swiftly signed for it, then the young man quickly left De Bao.

    Bam!

    Almost in the next second, a fiery red arc appeared and flew out the window. Immediately, a cry was heard.

    ¡°Argh¡ª¡±

    When she heard the familiar voice, Dongfang Liuyun frowned and got up to look towards the window. She then realized that the person standing outside was¡ª

    Qi Lei!

    Dressed in a tailored suit, he was holding the bouquet that she had just thrown out. He did not have an umbre in hand, so the misty drizzle drenched his shoulders.

    ...

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun continued to sit on the rattan chair while she looked up at Qi Lei before her.

    Qi Lei shrugged, his handsome face shing with a smile. He nced down at the rose bouquet in his arms as he smiled and said, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re quite popr, aren¡¯t you? Which man sent this? Is he broke, sending such tacky flowers?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shot him a side look, but she kept quiet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be unhappy now. I¡¯m being honest. Take me for example. If I were to send flowers, I¡¯d only give women roses made of gold!¡± Qi Lei smiled and said.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gone home for a few months now, so I don¡¯t know anything about my mother. If you¡¯vee because of Gu Qiwu¡¯s court case, then I¡¯m sorry. I really can¡¯tment.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was an observant person. Obviously, she knew about Gu Qiwu and Doris. In fact, her mother was Gu Qiwu¡¯swyer. With the court session happening soon, some people began to be worried as well.

    When Qi Lei heard her statement, he raised his brows and grinned. ¡°You¡¯re really smooth. How did you know my intentions?¡±

    ¡°Instead of worrying about other people, you should be worrying about yourself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun set her book aside, got up, and walked to the small side table. ¡°Tea or coffee?¡±

    ¡°Pu¡¯er tea. That Pu¡¯er from thest time was pretty good.¡±

    Qi Lei sat down on the chair and picked up the book that she had just put down. He flipped through it as he asked, ¡°Do you know about my matters?¡±

    Even though Dongfang Liuyun was not arge-scale business person like Qi Lei, she still knew some things. When she had gone to the library yesterday, she saw Yang Sheng returning some books for Qi Lei. Yang Sheng had a good impression of Dongfang Liuyun. He hoped that she could be someone Qi Lei fancied and he knew that bing Missus Qi would not be something one could achieve within a day or two.

    So, whenever he bumped into Dongfang Liuyun, he would take the initiative to tell her about Qi Lei¡¯s matters. He would avoid the important things and dwell on the trivial ones. What about Dongfang Liuyun? She was a smart one, so she could immediately decipher what he meant.

    ¡°I know a little,¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered calmly as she steeped the tea.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be sopetitive in games and always want to beat others, but in real life, you¡¯re quite honest and dutiful. The way you¡¯re doing it, it¡¯s easy for people to take advantage of you unless you¡¯re like me. Learn about archaeology. Dealing with historical relics and dead things is better than fighting with these live people,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said. Soon, she brought over two cups of tea.

    When Qi Lei heard that, his handsome face froze. He hesitated, then he slowly reached out to get the tea. After he carefully took a sip, he responded, ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to know one¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good but you¡¯ll be easily taken advantage of. If you were in those dramas with power struggles in the pce, you wouldn¡¯t survive to see the second episode.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun casually sat down and smiled faintly at him.

    ¡°Do I look like such a foolish person to you?¡±

    Qi Lei was not pleased to hear that, and his eyes were filled with unhappiness.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows as the curve on her lips widened. She lowered her head to drink some tea, then set aside the cup and slowly got up. She walked to the bookshelf on the side and tidied up the slightly messy books.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your esteemed father and mother. I admire your mother¡¯s bravery very much. I had the honor of meeting her once or twice before this. She¡¯s a very responsible woman. You should be grateful to have a mother like her.¡±

    ¡°You knew my mother too?¡±

    Now, Qi Lei was really amazed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was your mother before this. I just suddenly thought of it afterward. She met my mother before, and I just bumped into them, so I do remember her a little. You should look for a good wife like her. Maybe you won¡¯t have to go through such a tough time then...¡± Dongfang Liuyun suddenlymented and voiced out her thoughts towards the end of her sharing.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Leiughed out loud and just said, ¡°I¡¯m a whole man. Do I need a woman to put up a front for me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun calmly put the book back onto the shelf, as she responded, ¡°It¡¯s not about putting up a front. You¡¯re just not vicious, so you won¡¯t be able to stand your ground. Humans have always found it hard to change.¡±

    Qi Lei examined Dongfang Liuyun for a while and could not help but ask, ¡°I¡¯m not vicious and won¡¯t be able to stand my ground? Miss Dongfang, what does your ideal partner look like?¡±

    ¡°Mine? She looks frigid, and even though she¡¯s really good at games, there¡¯s a hint of apathy from inside her bones, one that can¡¯t be warmed. When you spoke to her, she just feels indifferent.¡±

    He was talking about a woman like Dongfang Liuyun!

    No wonder she was called Liuyun like the flowing clouds!

    It was too fitting for the person that she was.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard that, she did not even pause what she was doing as she answered calmly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I really can¡¯t answer you about that, but he definitely doesn¡¯t look like a man like you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Qi Lei was even more curious now as his eyes fixed on Dongfang Liuyun. Because of her answer, he found it even more peculiar!

    Any man who heard this would feel the same, would he not?

    Why?

    Dongfang Liuyun then slowly stopped what she was doing...

    ¡°Because only those who are strong enough can be with me...¡±

 Chapter 1193 - Ideal Partner (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1193: Ideal Partner (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she said that, for some reason, Qi Lei could actually hear a hint of sadness as if she was mocking herself.

    He looked up at her, yet he realized that she had already turned away and continued to arrange the bookshelf before her. However, he also suddenly saw a trace of bleakness and loneliness.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that the living can fight for some things. It¡¯s better than dead people. Many times, all the so-called not fighting for something is just a weakness. Humans are so insignificant, but we might not be that insignificant either.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused. When she saw that Qi Lei did not say anything, she continued.

    Qi Lei gripped the cup in his hand tighter after a moment. He hesitated for a long while, then smiled and said, ¡°Are you discussing the philosophy of life with me right now?¡±

    Upon hearing that, she stopped what she was doing and silently turned to him. Her beautiful eyes were as bright as the stars as a light of amusement gathered in them while she squinted at Qi Lei. ¡°If you want to think of it that way, that¡¯s fine too. To me, you really do seem like a rebellious student sometimes.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not your student!¡± A devillish smile appeared on Qi Lei¡¯s lips.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows. ¡°If I had a student like you, I¡¯d age quickly.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I see you online as much these days?¡± Qi Lei nonchntly lowered his head to sip his tea as he asked. He obviously did not express that without her online for the past few days, he did not see the point in ying himself.

    ¡°I left City Z for a few days. I had a friend who managed to get quite some gems over there, so I went over to take a look and only returned recently. I¡¯m not so free like you. After all, I¡¯ve got a business to run.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Dongfang¡¯s heir, it¡¯s not a bad thing to just look around. Why do you have to work so hard as a woman? If you¡¯re so capable, men might not like it!¡± Qi Lei began to sound like an egoistic man now. He squinted at Dongfang Liuyun. You could see the fatigue in her eyes. In fact, her dark circles seemed quite obvious too. Even though she had put on simple makeup, you could still faintly see it.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly, the corner of her lips curving up. ¡°Weak men are usually afraid of their own women being too capable. If a man can¡¯t even like themselves, how are people going to like them? Sometimes, I really don¡¯t like men who earn more than I do.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Qi Lei was confused by Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s thought process now. He widened his eyes. ¡°What woman wouldn¡¯t hope for their man to earn lots? What kind of thought process is this?¡±

    ¡°To conquer men through capabilities makes me feel more aplished. Aren¡¯t you men like this too? You¡¯re always hoping that your women can help you step up in career. In politics, you hope that your women can help you have a meteoric rise in your career. In business, you hope your women can merge with you for strength. That¡¯s just reality.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, her tone was calm and you could not hear anything from her voice. Qi Lei wanted to analyze something from her eyes, but he only caught in bleakness.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t your Mr. Dongfang¡¯s heiress too?¡±

    Qi Lei did not quite understand Dongfang Liuyun. It should be women with poor conditions that felt angry and indignant, but now...

    The Dongfang family was considered in the upper echelon within City Z, and Mr. Dongfang and his wife were quite influential in City Z too. Even though he does not have much contact with them, Qi Lei knew that with Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s identity, she was a bright pearl in City Z although she merely had always been low-profile, so the outsiders rarely heard about her rtionship with the Dongfang family.

    ¡°What¡¯s his is his. That¡¯s got nothing much to do with me. That¡¯s his glorious life. Even if I want to be an idle second generation, what difference would it be from rearing a pig?¡±

    ¡°Rearing a pig?¡± Qi Lei was shocked. He then cleared his throat and lowered his head to take a sip of tea. ¡°We can still eat the pork when the pig¡¯s ughtered, but for humans, I don¡¯t think...¡±

    At this, he wanted to say more, but¡ª

    Ding ding¡ª

    At this moment, the beaded curtains could be heard again, so Qi Lei immediately stopped talking and turned to look. When he saw who walked in, he was taken aback.

    ¡°Mayor...Uncle Xi...¡±

    That was right. The person who had walked in was Xi Mushan!

    When Xi Mushan saw Qi Lei, he was clearly shocked too. He stopped walking and asked in surprise, ¡°Qi Lei? What are you doing here?¡±

    Xi Mushan came to visit Dongfang Liuyun personally today. sses were about to start soon and Dongfang Liuyun had yet to agree to lecture at University A. She only agreed to be a visiting professor, so Xi Mushan hade over to talk to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned around. When she saw Xi Mushan, she smiled politely. ¡°Long time no see, Vice-Chancellor Xi!¡±

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, I¡¯ve presumptuouslye to bother you again,¡± Xi Mushan smiled and said humbly.

    ¡°Have a seat. Chancellor Su has told me before, and I¡¯ve been considering it these past few days,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said as she swiftly handed Xi Mushan a cup of tea.

    By now, Qi Lei could tell that this should be about Dongfang Liuyun lecturing at University A. He did know about that at least.

    ¡°We¡¯ve earnestly considered the conditions from you, Miss Dongfang, and I think we can ept them, but we¡¯re just hoping that about applying to study your Ph.D., you could help us out. With your talents, I trust that we¡¯ll have a good chance of sess,¡± Xi Mushan said.

    Dongfang Liuyun sat down casually and pondered for a moment. Then, she nodded and said, ¡°Your university does have the capacity to integrate it, so I¡¯m not too worried about that. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Have you decided to stay and teach at University A?¡± Qi Lei was thrilled.

    Previously, Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be nning on going to the West with an inspection team. He had subconsciously been hoping that she would not have to go far. It was dangerous and she was a girl, so it was best for her to stay here.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve been busy for quite a few years now. I think it¡¯s time to pause for a year or two,¡± Dongfang Liuyun lowered her gaze and answered calmly.

    ¡°That would be really great. We really wee you to our team.¡±

    ¡°No worries, Vice-Chancellor Xi. Just call me Dongfang, or Liuyun works too.¡± Dongfang Liuyun beamed dly. ¡°I know your daughter, Miss Xi, too. Earlier, Elder Mu even called me about this. You have all worked hard.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not hard at all. As long as you¡¯re willing toe teach at University A, it¡¯s a great thing to celebrate.¡±

 Chapter 1194 - For Kinship, For Justice (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1194: For Kinship, For Justice (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As they chattedte into the night, they then decided to have dinner together.

    It was alreadyte at night when they all left respectively.

    When Qi Lei reached his vi, Yang Sheng had already been waiting for a long time on the sofa.

    Upon seeing Qi Lei walk in, Yang Sheng immediately went up to him.

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re finally back!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Qi Lei casually changed his shoes as he asked.

    ¡°Is CEO Qi really going to let Xi Xinyi work with you? Aren¡¯t Xi Xinyi and Miss Xiaye...I¡¯m concerned. Master, they¡¯re trying to drive a wedge in your rtionship with Chairman Mu and Miss Xiaye,¡± Yang Sheng asked worriedly.

    Qi Lei was quite calm as he casually went to wash his hands and then went back to sit on the sofa where Yang Sheng had already poured him a cup of water.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi...¡±

    Qi Lei was obviously worried. He knew that Xi Xinyi was one of Mu Yuchen¡¯s pawns. Mu Yuchen had even especially asked him to secretly watch over her. In fact, Qi Kai did have work coborations with Han Yifeng¡¯spany.

    ¡°If it¡¯s about her, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. I know what to do. Right, what¡¯s Mu Yuchen up to? Why did he just randomly go abroad for work without saying a word?¡±

    ¡°I heard that he¡¯s got something to attend to in New York, so he rushed off that day. Even Miss Xiaye had to rush to send him off at the airport. Otherwise, she might not have made it in time.¡± Yang Sheng did find out a little about it.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Got it. Continue to pay attention to that then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi! Right, Master and Manager Gu seem to be fighting at home. It¡¯s because of Xiaye. Manager Gu thought that there was something between First Master and Miss Xiaye, so she¡¯s been having her suspicions,¡± Yang Sheng updated carefully.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei immediately smiled nonchntly. ¡°Gu Lingsha¡¯s like that...This will only push people away! A cripple like Qi Feng? Did she think Xiaye would fancy him? Does he even deserve it? If I don¡¯t even stand a chance, how could he? Go. You have to let Mu Yuchen use this. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be so calm about this! Why should I be upset while that fellow¡¯s free and unbothered? She¡¯s his woman!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, I¡¯m afraid Chairman Mu already knows about this. I heard that thest time it was Chairman Mu who sent First Master Qi the white chrysanthemums. The First Master was furious!¡± Yang Shengughed.

    ¡°Next time, tell Mu Yuchen to send Qi Feng white paper flowers. That¡¯d be more appropriate!¡± Qi Lei said coldly.

    1...

    In September, the weather was cooler than the two warm months from before.

    Schools were slowly reopening and University A had started sses as well. There was also the orientation for new students, so Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were quite busy. They always left early and returnedte.

    Dongfang Liuyun had agreed to lecture at University A with the archaelogy department. They wanted to make her the department¡¯s head assistant, but she only agreed to be amon staff and did not take on any other positions.

    She could barely catch her breath. Apart from University A, she was still the boss of De Bao, and with the title of visiting professor of several universities, she was naturally quite busy. Usually she would frequent the archaeology research center.

    Meanwhile, Mu Zirui was transferred to another school. On the first day of school reopening, Xi Xiaye personally sent him to school and joined the orientation program.

    With Mu Zirui¡¯s request and Mu Yuchen¡¯s personal assessment, Mu Zirui got what he wanted and enrolled straight into Year Two.

    Mu Zirui walked with Xi Xiaye to the school entrance as he asked curiously, ¡°Mother, why don¡¯t you let me board at school?¡±

    ¡°Right now, it¡¯s still the same timing for school as before. Isn¡¯t that good? You¡¯re still young, so there¡¯s no need to rush for school boarding. In the future, you might not even have a choice to not board at school. Great-grandfather will miss you, understand?¡± Xi Xiaye very gently caressed his little head.

    ¡°Oh, then I want to spend more time with Father and Mother too!¡± Mu Zirui said, holding onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s shirt, ¡°And Grandfather and Grandmother and Great-grandfather!¡±

    ¡°Good that you think of them. Otherwise, you¡¯d be a heartless little thing!¡± Xi Xiaye chuckled.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m not a heartless little thing!¡± Mu Zirui was a little unhappy about Xi Xiaye calling him like that, so he frowned. ¡°Father says that I must be independent and strong so that I can protect you and little brother when I grow older.¡±

    ¡°So, is that why you want to board at school?¡±

    ¡°They say that boarding at school can train one¡¯s willpower,¡± Mu Zirui said.

    ¡°I do agree on that, but you¡¯re still young. Stay by your parents¡¯ side more. I hope that you¡¯ll have a happy childhood and not one that¡¯s just filled with pressure and hardships. Do you understand?¡± As Xi Xiaye thought about it, she remembered herself back then.

    ¡°I¡¯m really happy now!¡±

    ¡°Mother wants you to be even happier! Okay, I¡¯m going back now. I¡¯ll pick you up at night.¡±

    ¡°I can take the subway myself, Mother.¡±

    ¡°No, from now on you must have your family sending you and fetching you personally. No going off with strangers. That¡¯s not safe. Didn¡¯t you see the newstely that many people are kidnapping children to harvest their organs? You need to be more alert. What do you do if something doesn¡¯t seem right? What did I tell you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had been paying attention to the television and news. They were all about children getting lost, and now she could not help but be worried.

    ¡°Gah, Mother! I got it! You¡¯ve already said this over 10 times now! Go to ces with many people. I must shout for help, and if I can¡¯t then bite them, and I mustn¡¯t simply eat what someone gives me. I¡¯ll have to always remember Father and Mother¡¯s phone numbers, and our family address, and also 110...¡± Mu Zirui repeated what Xi Xiaye had told him.

    Even though she knew that she was being naggy, she could not help but tell him all that.

    She was not like this in the past, but ever since she became the mother of two sons, she became worrisome. She would always be worried about the children. Now, she knew how hard it was to be a parent.

    ¡°You little punk! You think I¡¯m a nag. Fine, it¡¯s good that you remember. Quickly go back to ss. I¡¯ll pick you in the evening.¡±

    ¡°Bye, Mother!¡±

    ¡°Bye, son!¡±

    Then, the mother and son parted ways.

    This school was pretty good in terms of surroundings. Even Mu Yuchen thought it was quite great too, so she was quite pleased with it.

    She just did not want her child to have any contact with those people again, so this was good.

    However, Xi Xiaye clearly thought that things were too simple.

    Because on that day after school ended in the evening, Mu Zirui told her that he saw Qi Weier in school!

    Qi Weier had transferred over too, but she was in Year One while Mu Zirui was in Year Two. The two of them were separated by a grade.

 Chapter 1195 - For Kinship, For Justice (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1195: For Kinship, For Justice (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Time seemed endless as if a century had passed, and Doris was still waiting for the court session to take ce.

    Initially, Gu Qiwu thought that he would only see Doris at court the next day, but a day before their session, she returned to the Gu family mansion.

    Their court session was about to take ce soon. However, Gu Qiwu could not just stop managing matters at Hui Gu, so after his meeting with Mu Lingshi at the Bamboo Teahouse, he returned to City B and did not contact Doris.

    Doris hade back to pack up her things.

    They had been together for 20, almost 30 years. The fact that they could just get divorced after something like that had happened, she did not feel guilty at all. Gu Qiwu could not help but feel that everything that he had put into the rtionship was amusing.

    Nheless, Gu Qiwu did not stop Doris. He just sat on the sofa indifferently and continued flipping through the document in his hand.

    Suddenly, a voice was heard saying, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so stubborn. You¡¯d do better that.¡±

    Gu Qiwu paused what he was doing. He then looked up to where the sound came from. Doris stood coldly before him in all her exquisiteness while a burning hurt gathered in those cold, blue eyes.

    When he saw that she was not being friendly, Ah Yong slowly went up to her, but Gu Qiwu said, ¡°Retreat first.¡±

    Stunned, Ah Yong then nodded and answered, ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Then, he retreated.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t? Are you here to tell me what I shouldn¡¯t do?¡± Gu Qiwu smiled coldly as he slowly closed the document in his hand and responded nonchntly in a tone that was filled with disdain, ¡°Haven¡¯t you always thought that everything should be done as you say? Or did you think that you should be betraying me and cheating on me?¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, don¡¯t be so mean with your words. You abandoned me first. That¡¯s the truth no matter how many times you say it. Why do I have to be faithful to you?¡± Doris sneered. One could not tell what she was feeling from those eyes of hers.

    After a long period of recovery, her body had recuperated quite a bit. She was thinner from before, but her imposing manner did not reduce by one bit.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve known that I¡¯m like this. If I had known about your rtionship with Mu Zi back then, do you think you would¡¯ve had it easy?¡±

    When Doris said this, a wave of anger shed in her eyes. ¡°Gu Qiwu, you¡¯re not a man. Are you happy that you messed with Mu Zi and me?¡±

    ¡°Doris! Even if those things are true, ask yourself how have I treated you all these years? And how have you treated me? The thing with Mu Zi was more than 20 years ago. Haven¡¯t I been good to you?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that everything you did could make up for that and cover up your mistakes?¡± Doris jeered scornfully, ¡°Dream on! Some things, once done, are done! Now, let¡¯s just call it even. If you¡¯re willing to agree to my conditions, I¡¯m willing to drop mywsuit.¡±

    ¡°Agree to your conditions? Whatever it is, you¡¯re just aiming for the Gu family¡¯s assets, aren¡¯t you?¡± A sneer shed across Gu Qiwu¡¯s lips and he scoffed, ¡°You can dream on too!¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, if you¡¯re going to be like that, then don¡¯t me me for disregarding our kinship! I will always get what I should get and what I want to!¡± Doris¡¯ cold tone was certain.

    ¡°If you really cared about the kinship we had, you wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing today. Doris, don¡¯t make yourself seem so important. It doesn¡¯t help to use up all of my feelings for you. Not everything¡¯s within your control!¡± Gu Qiwu said and his tone began to sound nonchnt.

    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re so confident, I will look forward to it then. Also, I know that you went to see Mu Lingshi,¡± Doris said, then suddenly paused as she looked at him with a sharp gaze.

    ¡°She¡¯s my daughter with Mu Zi, so what¡¯s wrong with meeting her?¡±

    The smile on Doris¡¯ face instantly looked sinister. ¡°Now, you¡¯re admitting to it quickly, and that¡¯s why there¡¯s a need for us to go to court!¡±

    ¡°Since she was young, Shasha has gotten many things. It¡¯s time I make up to Lingshi now. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Gu Qiwu gave Doris a gloomy look.

    He did not know that this woman was so sinister!

    She had brought Mu Lingshi up for no reason, but Gu Qiwu obviously knew what she was trying to imply!

    Was she also just thinking of getting the Gu family¡¯s assets?

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, let¡¯s wait and see then. There isn¡¯t much that can escape my control. There¡¯s no way you can abandon me and step on me!¡± While Doris did not continue, fury zed in her blue eyes, and finally she suppressed the anger in her heart and turned to walk out the door.

    However, Doris had just walked out when Gu Lingsha¡¯s wan and sallow face appeared before her...

    ...

    Compared to the chaos over there, Mu Yuchen¡¯s situation was not going too well either.

    Zhou Zimo had been unconscious for quite a few days now. Justst evening, he had opened his eyes in a daze and then fell into aa again. Li Si and Xu Yayan were shocked. Later on, the doctor checked on him and said he was fine. He just had a concussion and needed more rest before he could regain consciousness.

    Li Si and Xu Yayan then felt relieved.

    That morning, Mu Yuchen woke up quite early. Because he had been busy handling these things until quitetest night and woke up early today, he looked quite fatigued. Li Si was worried by this sight.

    ¡°Master, how about you rest for a few days? You haven¡¯t had a break for a while now. Have breakfast first.¡±

    When Li Si came to send over some documents, the breakfast was still there on the table and was cold now. Clearly, Mu Yuchen had not touched it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. How¡¯s Zimo?¡± Mu Yuchen propped up his heavy head on one hand wearily and asked in a low, raspy voice. When he was done, he coughed lightly, sounding very hoarse and ufortable.

    Li Si quickly poured him a cup of warm water and walked over. ¡°Master, have a cup of water first. I¡¯ll get you some medicine. You¡¯ve caught a cold!¡±

 Chapter 1196 - For Kinship, For Justice (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1196: For Kinship, For Justice (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Perhaps because he had too much to worry about, he felt both mentally and physically exhausted. These past few years, Mu Yuchen¡¯s body had weakened since his days in the troop. Although he did not fall terribly ill, he would catch a cold easily.

    Xi Xiaye wanted him to get a full-body checkup with her once he was done being busy, but when work piled on, the checkup was dyed. Even Xi Xiaye did not go herself, so they could only wait till the next public holiday before they could get checked.

    He had been busy handling the incident with Zhou Zimo and dealing with the police. If things were not handled well, it would be bad for Zhou Zimo because when the time came, Zhou Zimo might have to go to jail.

    Sadly, Zhou Zimo was still unconscious and it had been quite a few days now.

    On the Zhou family¡¯s end, he was worried that he would not be able to keep a secret from them for long. He had called Elder Zhou before this, and the Elderined about Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    When Mu Yuchen did not answer him for a long time, Li Si went to get the medicine and poured him a cup of water.

    Upon hearing Li Si¡¯s voice, Mu Yuchen looked up wearily and looked at the white pills in the napkin that Li Si handed him, but he did not reject them. He quietly swallowed them and drank some water as he said with a raspy voice, ¡°Call Lawyer Henry and Lawyer Charlie over to take a look. See if we can get Zimo released on bail. No matter how much we have to pay, no one back home must know about this incident.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I got it!¡± Li Si¡¯s tone was unusually solemn. ¡°However, Master, right now all the evidence points to Master Mo. I¡¯m worried that it won¡¯t be good for him. The newpany¡¯s expanding quite well over here, but the way Master Mo does things...has offended quite a number of people.¡±

    ¡°Zimo¡¯s like that. I¡¯m used to it too. I always advised him to be more careful.¡± Mu Yuchen withdrew his hand and breathed in heavily. ¡°If he continues like this, he will be taken advantage of.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Mo...If it were not for Master Su and Master helping out, Master Mo would probably have met a much worse fate. However, Master, this time...I¡¯m worried that you will be implicated. Every time Master Mo gets dragged into things like this, it¡¯s always you that worries. Aren¡¯t they concerned about involving you too? Just like thest time, it was also here that...¡±

    As for Zhou Zimo, Li Si knew about the three brothers very well, especially from Ah Mo. Apart from feeling bad for his Master, he would sometimes be unhappy about Zhou Zimo.

    However, when Li Si said this, he stopped and his indignant voice stopped abruptly because he saw gloominess and sharpness sh in his Master¡¯s eyes that were filling with an imposing manner, so he dared not say anything more!

    He seemed to understand more now. While his Master usually looked profound, calm, and indifferent, he was on the contrary on the inside.

    The Missus and the Mu family, as well as Su Chen and Zhou Zimo, were all his soft spots...

    ¡°Li Si, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo are people who have gone through 30 years with me. To me, they¡¯re not just my friends or even myrades in battle. They are brothers, no, they are more than that, so don¡¯t let me hear what you said today again. This was the second time. If there¡¯s a next time, you can resign.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lowered voice contained a hint of chill, and his gaze made Li Si shudder. He quickly lowered his head and exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I understand. I just...¡±

    1As Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened, he took in a deep breath, then waved to Li Si to say softly, ¡°Go out first. Wake me up in half an hour. I¡¯m going to check on Zimo in the hospital.¡±

    Li Si calmed down and then nodded to say, ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Then, he left in a panic, afraid that Mu Yuchen would be angry.

    When the door closed, Mu Yuchen leaned against the sofa wearily. This medicine seemed to have a drowsy effect. Soon, he could not hold back the sleepiness that came to him, so he fell into a deep sleep to the point that he did not even notice the phone beside him buzzing.

    At this moment, it waste at night in City Z¡¯s Grand Waves Vi.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and watched as the phone screen go dim again. She hesitated, then turned to look at her sons who had fallen asleep. After a while, she got down from the bed and took a cardigan from the side to put over her shoulders before walking out of the bedroom.

    She called Li Si again.

    Li Si did not expect that Xi Xiaye would call him. When he picked up the phone, he thought it was odd. Since he had just been softly reprimanded by Mu Yuchen, he was now careful. When he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice. he felt much calmer.

    ¡°Assistant Li Si, where¡¯s your Master? Why isn¡¯t he picking up my call?¡±

    The call had just gone through when Xi Xiaye¡¯s anxious voice was heard.

    ¡°Missus, the Master¡¯s been working through the night and he seems to have gotten a cold. I¡¯ve just given him some medicine, so he¡¯s probably resting right now,¡± Li Si exined with concern in his tone.

    ¡°A cold?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she frowned even more. He seemed to never know how to take good care of himself.

    ¡°Will you watch over him? How are things on that end?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little sticky. We might need to stay here much longer. Master Mo...¡±

    Li Si was about to mention that Zhou Zimo had not regained consciousness, but then he remembered that the Master might not have mentioned this to Missus yet. He thought about it, then felt like it was best not to say anything.

    ¡°Stay much longer? Would you be back in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet, Missus. Later, when Master wakes up, I will let him know. Missus, please take good care of yourself too.¡±

    ...

    Li Si did not reveal too much, which made Xi Xiaye uneasy. She thought about it for a long time and decided that she could not do much, so she fell back asleep uneasily, but she had already lost sleep for the entire night.

    ...

    Meanwhile, on the other end, when Mu Yuchen rushed to the hospital, the doctor had just finished doing a checkup for Zhou Zimo.

    The doctor exined Zhou Zimo¡¯s condition to Mu Yuchen in English. The rough meaning was that Zhou Zimo¡¯s head had suffered severe injuries, so he needed time to rest. There were no blood clots in his head, thus he would probably wake up quite soon. His other vitals were looking fine too, and he would gradually recover from his injuries.

    Upon hearing the doctor say that, Mu Yuchen felt relieved. He was really worried that Zhou Zimo would not regain consciousness like Ruan Heng.

    However, when he talked to Xiaye on the phone a few days ago, Xiaye did say that Ruan Heng might be waking up soon and would sometimes subconsciously move his fingers.

 Chapter 1197 - For Kinship, For Justice (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1197: For Kinship, For Justice (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen did not think too much. When the doctor left, he walked to Zhou Zimo¡¯s bed.

    It had already been quite a few days. Zu Zimoid there and looked frailer now, and Xu Yayan was very worried to see this.

    As he watched Zhou Zimoy on the bed with his eyes tightly shut, Xu Yayan said softly, ¡°Master Mu, I think our Master Mo must have gotten ahold of some kind of information. Otherwise, he would not have said the things he did before he copsed.¡±

    When Xu Yayan shared that with him, Mu Yuchen looked up at him. ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°He said that he doesn¡¯t think he could handle it this time and that we needed you to quicklye over...¡± Xu Yayan responded softly.

    Stunned, Mu Yuchen he did not say anything more afterward.

    When Xu Yayan and Li Si saw his reaction, they exchanged a nce and then retreated too.

    ...

    Zhou Zimo did not know how long he had been asleep. He felt like he had suffered a century¡¯s worth of dark coldness. Just as all of his rationality was about to be swallowed by the darkness, his heart skipped a beat and his rationality was pulled back.

    He opened his eyes wearily and everything was blurry. After a while, his eyes returned to clear. He subconsciously looked around and realized that he was in the hospital. Suddenly, all the scenes from before shed in his mind, so he frowned and was about to prop himself up, yet just as he moved, he felt pain radiating from his left hand.

    1When he turned to look, he saw that his left hand was fastened and he felt like something was holding his right hand back as well. Upon looking over, he noticed a white figure standing by the window with his hands behind his back.

    Who else could it be if not Mu Yuchen?

    ¡°Chen! Why are you here?¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s dry and raspy voice was heard.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Mu Yuchen quickly snapped back to his senses when he saw that Zhou Zimo had woken up. He felt at ease.

    Because Zhou Zimo was still very weak, Mu Yuchen walked over and helped him sit up. He pressed the button by the bedhead to call the doctor over.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re awake now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo saw the look of concern on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face, but before he could say anything, Mu Yuchen poured him a cup of water and handed it to him. His lowered voice was very hoarse. ¡°I knew that something happened to you here, so I rushed over. Luckily, you¡¯re fine. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t know how to exin it to Elder Zhou and the rest.¡±

    ¡°I got lucky this time. I didn¡¯t think this would happen too,¡± Zhou Zimo said weakly as he epted the ss of water that Mu Yuchen handed him and took a sip, ¡°How long have I been sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Many days now. It¡¯s the tenth today. You did wake up once in between. The doctor said you had a concussion and needed rest, so you should be recuperating well. Leave the rest to me.¡±

    Towards the end, Mu Yuchen even coughed lightly. When Zhou Zimo recalled what happened, he felt a shooting headache. It hurt so much that his hand shook and he dropped the cup. He felt like he was going to faint again.

    ¡°Zimo!¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression changed and he quickly held him before he fell. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t think about it anymore. This matter can still be suppressed for now. You should rest well. I won¡¯t let you be jailed. Of course, I¡¯ll also make the person who did this pay for it! I¡¯m afraid that this incident isn¡¯t just targeting you.¡±

    ¡°But, Chen, I suddenly think that maybe you shouldn¡¯t havee, especially if those people weren¡¯t justing for me alone,¡± Zhou Zimo protested weakly. He did not seem to have even the energy to speak.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m here already, don¡¯t say all this now. You and Su Chen are my buddies for life. There¡¯s no way I would leave you to fend for yourself. Otherwise, why would I go through all the trouble? The Zhou family still doesn¡¯t know about what happened here. If you still hadn¡¯t woken up, I would have a hard time holding things up.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was telling the truth. If Zhou Zimo still had not woken up and the Zhou family asked about him, he would not know how to exin it to them. However, now that he was awake, if he still could not get the evidence to clear Zhou Zimo¡¯s name, Zhou Zimo would definitely be arrested.

    When Zhou Zimo heard that, he felt touched. As he was being embraced like that, he could clearly feel the warmth from his friend.

    Mu Yuchen helped him lie down, then continued, ¡°Recuperate first. Leave the rest to me. Don¡¯t think too much. When you¡¯ve rested enough, you can tell me what happened.¡±

    As he finished, the doctor entered through the door...

    ...

    Today was fated to be a big day.

    Mu Lingshi did not forget that it was the day that Gu Qiwu and Doris were going to court for their divorce. She did not pay much attention to it, but she recalled Gu Qiwu sounding quite confident in winning.

    Their session began at 9 a.m. The reporters knew about this and were long stationed outside the courthouse early in the morning. They were all like hungry sharks waiting to get firsthand news.

    Xi Xiaye did not pay attention to this either. It was only when her assistant, Xiao Mei, came in with the tea that she could not help but mention it. Zhuang Shurong seemed to have mentioned it once too.

    Subconsciously, she did not know who she wanted to win either but based on Mu Yuchen¡¯s worries from before, she was hoping that Gu Qiwu and Doris would continue to go against each other because Detective Zhang had not gotten back with any news. She called Detective Zhang, but his phone was still switched off.

    Xi Xiaye obviously knew Detective Zhang¡¯s rules. When he was investigating, if he was not free, he did not like others bothering him. Therefore, Xi Xiaye could only quietly and helplessly wait for the news.

    Time passed by so quickly. Xi Xiaye had spent the entire morning in her office working through documents. When she was done with them and was about to get up, Xiao Mei suddenly knocked and entered.

    ¡°CEO Xi, Miss Mu is here. She¡¯s right outside.¡±

    Miss Mu?

    Who else could it be if not Lingshi?

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a while, and quickly recalled that Gu Qiwu and Doris were in court today, so she hastily asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going on Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s end? The result should be out about now, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    It was already past noon, so there should be an oue by now.

    Upon hearing that, Xiao Mei smiled and responded, ¡°CEO Xi, I just found out about the oue. The news is reporting all about it. The court seemed to have overruled Doris¡¯s request. They dered the divorce. Mr. Gu only needs to pay Doris a smallpensation fee as damage.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean that the person who won the divorce was Gu Qiwu?¡± Xi Xiaye asked, her eyes widened.

 Chapter 1198 - In The End, The Hate Never Rests! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1198: In The End, The Hate Never Rests! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xiao Mei nodded. ¡°Probably yes. That¡¯s what the media says.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took in a shallow breath, pondered for a moment, and set aside the document in her hand before slowly leaning back against the chair. Her starry eyes flickered from dark to light, and you could not tell what was on her mind. After what seemed like a century had passed, she slowly got up. ¡°Let her in and make us two cups of flower tea.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi!¡± Xiao Mei quickly retreated.

    ¡°Sis-inw!¡±

    When Mu Lingshi walked in, her expression was solemn. She must have known about Gu Qiwu and Doris.

    ¡°Come sit!¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked over and pointed at the sofa beside her.

    Mu Lingshi sat down as Xiao Mei swiftly brought the tea in.

    ¡°Are you here about Gu Qiwu? How¡¯s it?¡± Xi Xiaye handed her a pillow for her to lean against as she asked.

    Mu Lingshi nodded. ¡°The verdict for his court case with Doris is out. The court recognized our rtionship, and the document he let Doris signed before this was fake.¡±

    ¡°So, he kept a trick up his sleeve for himself?¡± Xi Xiaye was shocked speechless.

    1It turned out that their envious-worthy loving marriage had just been built on a foundation of lies!

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye could not help but shudder!

    Based on the fact that Gu Qiwu could do this to Doris, a woman that he imed to love, she could imagine that he must have never loved Mu Zi!

    Everything had been built on the foundation of lies which meant that everything that they had been holding on to and everything that Mu Zi suffered through was a joke! Xi Xiaye could not imagine how she would feel if she ever met someone like him.

    Now, she seemed to understand how Mu Zi had fallen into depression years ago and even jumped from a tall building., Could she have been so disheartened that she would much rather die to end it all?

    Upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi¡¯s face shed with a bitter smile as she nodded. ¡°Yes, he did save a trick for himself, and now I understand that someone like him will never trust anyone. He¡¯ll always be calctive with everyone no matter who it is, myself included. I heard my brother say that years ago, he wanted to go through my brother, and Ah Mo validated it...I believe that he does care about Doris. As he was figuring out how not to ruin their ridiculous rtionship, he was trying to hold Doris down. But this time, I think Doris went too far and that¡¯s why they had a fallout.¡±

    This whole thing just sounded sad.

    Mu Lingshi sighed. ¡°This time he¡¯s wonpletely. When Doris knew the verdict, she fainted from being too angry. I think she won¡¯t let go of this so easily.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that Doris will appeal?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    Mu Lingshi shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but I think she doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who will surrender so easily. Gu Qiwu lied to her for close to 30 years. Do you think she¡¯d be happy and just give up?¡±

    However, when Mu Lingshi said this, a thought came to Xi Xiaye.

    If that was the case, Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s fight would only be worse. That was a good thing for them!

    At this point, Xi Xiaye seemed to suddenly understand Mu Yuchen¡¯s consideration!

    If Gu Qiwu and Doris had a fallout, then the fierce conflict would only expose them even more. If Doris was really behind that incident from years ago, then they would be able to find out more. Had Detective Zhang not been secretly investigating it?

    In fact, at this state, Gu Lingsha would not just sit idle and do nothing. If she could not let it go, how could Qi Feng just look on and do nothing?

    Besides, if the husband and wife were really to have a fallout, that would mean that Mu Zi had seeded. After the interlude at Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding, everyone knew about how Mu Zi had a fatal fate in love.

    Who would not know that Elder Madam Mu had passed away from excessive sorrow and regret over this matter?

    She had to admit that if this trick was used well, the effect that one would get would be twice the amount of effort put in.

    ¡°I heard your brother mention before that Doris isn¡¯t a simple character. Ah Shi, you have to be more careful now. No matter what, you are still Gu Qiwu¡¯s daughter, and Doris might overthink it.¡±

    Mu Lingshi obviously understood what Xi Xiaye was trying to get at.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sister-inw. I understand. Oh, right, how are things on my brother¡¯s end? I¡¯ve called him quite a few times, but he didn¡¯t pick up. I¡¯m worried if anything has happened over there. When I brought it up with Father yesterday, he said that Brother left in a rush that day and didn¡¯t look too right. Even Ah Mo doesn¡¯t know what happened. he feels like there¡¯s something odd about this, so I...¡±

    Mu Lingshi was obviously a little worried. She wanted to talk to Mu Yuchen about the issue with Gu Qiwu today.

    Before the court was in session today, Gu Qiwu had called her!

    At this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression darkened slightly. She understood Mu Lingshi¡¯s concerns very well and was worried too.

    She thought about it for a moment, then responded, ¡°Ah Shi, don¡¯t worry about it first. I talked to Li Si on the phonest night. He says that your brother¡¯s doing fine. He just needs to be there for a while.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°There are no buts. Okay, you just take care of yourself. It¡¯s lunchtime now. Go have lunch. I¡¯ll get them to send you home after.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held back the uneasiness she felt because she did not want Mu Lingshi to worry too much about it. ¡°As for Gu Qiwu, no matter what you decide on, your brother and I will support you. A few days ago, I heard some things from Ah Quan. I won¡¯t say too much, but I¡¯m just letting you know to never sacrifice your own well-being.¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw...¡±

    Mu Lingshi looked at Xi Xiaye in a daze. She wanted to get close to Gu Qiwu to fight for some things. Perhaps, that way it would be better for her brother.

    ¡°Just remember what I said. Why do you think your brother did all of this for?¡± Xi Xiaye helped her get up as her bright eyes twinkled, filled with a faint light.

    This made Mu Lingshi a little speechless. She thought about it, then did not say anything more as she just let Xi Xiaye help her out.

    The two of them had just left the office when they met Xiao Mei who walked towards them.

    ¡°CEO Xi, First Master Qi from Qi Kai just called. He wants to meet this Friday evening at the Emperor Hotel to discuss the South River Project. He even invited VP Zhang Lan from Glory World. Do you...¡±

 Chapter 1199 - In The End, The Hate Never Rests! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1199: In The End, The Hate Never Rests! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    First Master Qi from Qi Kai?

    Qi Feng?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s starry eyes shrunk as she could not help but feel suspicious. After a while, she did not say anything either whist Mu Lingshi and Xiao Mei remained silent as they looked at her silently.

    Moments after that, Xi Xiaye asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation on VP Zhang Lan¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve just informed VP Zhang Lan and she has agreed to the meeting to conclude the first half of the year¡¯s progress on the South River Project,¡± Xiao Mei responded.

    Then, Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s agree to the meeting then. Also, can you get Assistant Lan to make time on Friday evening to apany me for it.¡±

    Lan Zng was very familiar with Fuhua Real Estate. In fact, he was someone who had been in the business world for many years and knew the South River Project like the back of his hand. She wanted to bring him along so that she would not be taken advantage of.

    Even Mu Yuchen was vignt against Qi Feng and reminded her to be careful. She admitted that she was never good at ying tricks, so it was better to bring Lan Zng along. Otherwise, he could also just rece her in attendance.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi!¡± Xiao Mei dared not to have doubts, so she quickly agreed.

    When she saw Xiao Mei leave, Mu Lingshi asked softly, ¡°Sis-inw, is it Qi Feng?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and responded, ¡°Yes, him. He¡¯s returned to Qi Kai recently and is working with Qi Qiming. I think he¡¯s nning on letting Qi Feng take over Qi Kai.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye recalled Qi Lei¡¯s matters, she could not help feeling sad for him. Now, Qi Lei was finally stable, so he did not need to leave City Z, but she heard that Qi Feng had arranged for Xi Xinyi to work with Qi Lei. She did not know how things were like right now.

    ¡°Qi Feng...¡± Mu Lingshi muttered softly while her eyes contained a mix of emotions.

    Her rtionship with Gu Lingsha...

    In fact, Qi Feng and Mu Yuchen¡¯s rtionship...

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your brother knows what he¡¯s doing, so don¡¯t fret about it. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked ahead first. Mu Lingshi hesitated for a moment, then finally followed after her.

    ...

    Inside the Gu family mansion in City Z, Gu Qiwu¡¯s stern face revealed a sneer of disdain as he sat down leisurely on the rattan chair in his backyard. With an indifferent expression, he looked at Doris who stood by the staircase with an expression that indicated a storm was toe.

    He had just gotten home. After the court made its verdict, he went straight home. He and Doris would be handling divorce procedures very soon. Of course, she only managed to getpensation for psychological damage, and that amount was but a drop in the ocean for him.

    Thus, Doris was obviously unhappy about it. She definitely did not expect Gu Qiwu to have another trick up his sleeve.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to trick me like that, Gu Qiwu. We¡¯ve been married for many years. Who am I to you?¡± Doris¡¯s voice was heard through gritted teeth, and anyone could hear the gloom and suppressed anger in it.

    Gu Qiwu took a casual sip of his tea. His expression was cold as he said with a poker face, ¡°Well then, who am I to you? Doris, you¡¯re a smart person. Back when you got married to me, I already told you that as long as you do your part well and be a good Madam Gu, I wouldn¡¯t treat you badly. All these years, ask yourself when have I ever treated you unfairly?¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, don¡¯t cast aside the fact that you cheated on me. Did you treat me well? Do you dare say that you treated me well? What¡¯s up with Mu Lingshi, and Mu Lingtian? Exin to me then! You hooked up with Mu Zi behind my back, and you even had a golden house to hide your mistress. Do you think I¡¯m deaf and dumb? Didn¡¯t you purchase Xiang She Residence for Mu Zi? No wonder you were so mysterious about just razing the ce to the ground. You were worried that I¡¯d find out about something, weren¡¯t you?¡± Doris said as she pointed angrily at him.

    At this point, Gu Qiwu did not hide his scorn as he sneered, ¡°Yes, and what about it? Before I married you, Mu Zi and I already had Lingtian. Besides, weren¡¯t you hinting about wanting to marry me back then too? I just made your dreame through. You married me for close to 30 years and enjoyed high status and great wealth. Have I ever treated you badly? Isn¡¯t Lingsha doing just fine? You should be grateful that Lingsha¡¯s my daughter. Otherwise, this wouldn¡¯t be the way things end for you!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone was exceptionally gloomy while his eyes filled with a sinister light.

    ¡°You lied to me! Gu Qiwu, you despicable person!¡± Dorisined coldly.

    Gu Qiwu only forced a cold smile. ¡°Doris, you should know how I feel about you. If you didn¡¯t do that to me and were a good Madam Gu, I could¡¯ve let that contract be valid if I wanted it to be. Sadly, you are an insidious woman filled with schemes, so you don¡¯t deserve my goodwill. You are great, and you¡¯re the only woman I¡¯ve had my eyes on all these years. That¡¯s right, but you were wrong about thinking so highly of yourself!¡±

    His words were like a cold breeze from the Arctic, instantly submerging Doris in a frigid state.

    She shuddered, unable to believe such heartless words woulde from Gu Qiwu, her former husband who had once expressed how much he had loved her!

    Doris admitted that she was a pretty heartless person, but back then when she thought of betraying Gu Qiwu and wanted to ask for a divorce, at least, she had struggled hard with the decision. However, now, what was with Gu Qiwu¡¯s attitude?

    How terrifying!

    What a cold and heartless man!

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, you¡¯re a truly despicable and shameless man! Turns out you were lying to me all these years, huh? You just wanted to harp on my power, didn¡¯t you?¡± Doris asked.

    ¡°Why else then? I admit that you are indeed a beautiful, charismatic woman, and there are a lot of benefits thate with marrying you. I obviously wouldn¡¯t reject them, but to truly serve a woman like you isn¡¯t an easy thing to do. You wouldn¡¯t face me unless I presented you with even bigger benefits. You have what it takes for me to be infatuated with you, but sadly, you¡¯re too ambitious!¡±

    Towards the end, Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice suddenly became stern. As he set aside the teacup in his hand harshly, the clear sound it made pierced through the stifling silence.

    ¡°You were a woman who slept by my side. Haven¡¯t you always been scheming against me at all times, thinking about how to get the Hui Gu Corporation from me? Doris, you were too greedy and you didn¡¯t know how to be content. You didn¡¯t know how to y your part. Did you really think I¡¯d be so silly to let you plot against me while I did nothing in return?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s chilly voice contained a hint of disdain. He looked up with those dark eyes and fixed them on her exquisitely beautiful face while it seemed like a hint of regret and sadness were palpable in his eyes.

 Chapter 1200 - In The End, The Hate Never Rests! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1200: In The End, The Hate Never Rests! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Doris was stumped for words. She clenched her fists and red coldly at Gu Qiwu.

    At this moment, Gu Qiwu only took a deep breath and calmed himself down as his eyes returned to tranquillity, silently looking at Doris. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Doris, don¡¯t say I don¡¯t care about you. You should know how many chances I¡¯ve given you all these years, but apart from plotting against me, what else have you done?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression showed sorrow and helplessness. With his hand gently covering the teacup, he paused and then continued, ¡°I abandoned Mu Zi and my own son for you. I don¡¯t deny that it was because of the Hui Gu Corporation then, but did you really think that without you, the Hui Gu Corporation wouldn¡¯t be able to go on? If that was the case, then you might¡¯ve thought too highly of yourself!¡±

    ¡°Since you admit that it¡¯s for the Hui Gu Corporation, is there a need to continue discussing this?¡± Doris was not a fool either. She came from a prestigious family and had long seen through those tricks. How could she have believed that Gu Qiwu married her solely because he liked her?

    Preposterous!

    She did not believe it at all!

    ¡°You hiding about you and Mu Zi was dishonesty to me. Had I known you were like this back then, do you think I¡¯d have chosen you? Who are you!?¡±

    Doris was filled with regret now.

    Years ago, apart from Gu Qiwu, many people had adored her. There were so many more men who were better than him!

    Nevertheless, she had chosen to stoop low and fancy a solemn-appearance hypocrite like Gu Qiwu!

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it so harshly. Haven¡¯t you been taking lots of my money too? Doris, don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t give you a chance! If you weren¡¯t so ambitious, I wouldn¡¯t need to constantly be wary against you. Do you think I don¡¯t know who are the people you arranged to be in thepany? I didn¡¯t want us to take this final step, so I tolerated you. I didn¡¯t even want to invalidate the contract which is why I wanted to borrow the outside strength to break away from your control. At least, those things were yours too, but now? How have you treated me?¡±

    The more Gu Qiwu spoke, the colder his tone became. In the end, a dangerous light gathered in his eyes.

    ¡°I tolerated you too much. That¡¯s how you became arrogant, Doris. Only women who know how to appreciate things are valuable. You were wrong for not knowing how to appreciate it while you went about. Instead, you used my feelings for you and did whatever you pleased!¡±

    ¡°Enough, Gu Qiwu!¡± Doris finally could not help but snarl!

    ¡°Don¡¯t make yourself sound like a saint. You are the most disgusting man I¡¯ve ever met! From the moment you did something to the contract, you had no right of saying whether you cared or not. You¡¯ve been wary against me right from the start, so what is this love you¡¯re talking about? You¡¯re a despicable and shameless person! Trash!¡± Doris could not help but curse.

    Gu Qiwu did not look too pleased, but he only smiled coldly and let it be.

    ¡°Enough, Doris, let¡¯s just part without hard feelings. Don¡¯t disregard my goodwill. For the sake of our past, I will leave you some dignity. Otherwise, do you think I¡¯d be talking so nicely to you after what you¡¯ve done? I¡¯ve given you a chance, but you didn¡¯t want it yourself. It¡¯s best if women know their ce. Don¡¯t try to provoke me, or else, it will only be you who loses out!¡±

    Doris looked even worse as she felt mad and wished she just go up and strangle Gu Qiwu to death.

    ¡°You¡¯re both women, but Zixi was much smarter than you. You¡¯re far behind her!¡±

    As matters stood, upon seeing Doris¡¯s conduct, Gu Qiwu finally made aparison in his heart. He suddenly felt like apart from her looks, she was not too different from Mu Zi. She did not have Mu Zi¡¯s tender consideration and none of Mu Zi¡¯s strength, theck of all of which annoyed him.

    At this point, Gu Qiwu had already lived a long 50 odd years, and the women he truly had were only Mu Zi and Doris. He never felt that his apathetic personality could be controlled by women, but the more one rejected some things, the more fate had a way to make one face it. Gu Qiwu could not escape that fate in the end.

    When Gu Qiwu said that, Doris could not help butugh.

    ¡°Zixi? Mu Zi? How can that tactless woman bepared to me? If she were really great, she wouldn¡¯t have made you lose money and you wouldn¡¯t have not cared! She even shamelessly gave birth to not only Lingtian, but Mu Lingshi too! Gu Qiwu, this whole thing sounds like a joke, and this almost killed Mu Yinan and the rest. If it were not for Mu Yuchen, the shameless witch like her should¡¯ve gone down history infamously! How could shepare to me?¡±

    Doris had never attached importance to Mu Zi. When Mu Zi met her years ago, she had even called her sister-inw agreeably. As she recalled that stupid face of hers, Doris felt that she was beneath her!

    When Gu Qiwu heard this, his expression darkened. Even though he did not care much for Mu Zi, hearing Doris demean her like that made him feel angry for some reason. He sneered sinisterly, ¡°The elegant Doris went so far as cheating on her husband behind his back? You¡¯re already 50 odd years old and still so flirtatiously lowly that you got pregnant. A demoralizing woman like you calling herself dignified? Glorious! I¡¯m sure your parents don¡¯t know about the scandals yet, do they? Do I need to call them personally to tell them?¡±

    COMMENT

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ...

    When Gu Lingsha rushed to the Gu family mansion, Gu Qiwu and Doris were in the midst of a huge fight! She went up to helplessly stop them, but Doris pushed her aside.

    ¡°Move aside. Don¡¯t get involved in things between us!¡± Doris said in a stern and sharp voice while her blue eyes burned with sparks.

    In a voice that was as cold as metal, not having a hint of emotions, Doris warned, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, this thing won¡¯t just end like this, Gu Qiwu! You will know the price to pay for plotting against me. When the timees, I¡¯d like to see how you surrender at my feet!¡± Even Gu Lingsha, who endured the pain and wanted to go up to stop them, was frightened to a halt by that gaze of hers.

    Gu Lingsha had always known the kind of character her mother was.

    Doris must have found this oue very hard to ept, so her hatred was probably not going to fade so easily. She and Gu Qiwu could never go back to the way they were before anymore...

    Gu Lingsha could not help but feel depressed...

 Chapter 1201 - Qi Fengâ€™s Trick (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1201: Qi Feng¡¯s Trick (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Doris turned around and left on a bitter note.

    She did not even look at her daughter in the eye. Gu Lingsha felt heartbroken as she turned around and looked at Gu Qiwu who seemed cold and emotionless.

    After giving it some thought, Gu Lingsha decided to chase after Doris.

    She was worried about Doris at the moment. After having always been in a superior position all this time, how could she take it after being lied to by Gu Qiwu?

    As a woman, Gu Lingsha could understand what her mother was going through.

    Doris was getting into her car when she caught up to her. Gu Lingsha quickly got inside as well.

    ¡°Mother! Are you alright?¡± Gu Lingsha asked.

    Doris took a deep breath when she noticed Gu Lingsha. She looked out of the window and started speaking in a calmer tone, ¡°Shasha, do you know what your father is like now? Why do you think I never liked talking to him? Do you still think that he truly loves me?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was speechless as she did not know how to answer her.

    ¡°Mother, Father is...¡±

    Doris put on a cold smile. ¡°I know your father the best. He¡¯s suspicious of everyone and is very good at mind games. I know he¡¯s been wary of me since a long time ago. I knew that we¡¯d end up getting a divorce. Do you really think he¡¯s been working hard for the both of us? Shasha, even you are just a chess piece on his chessboard! If his rtionship with Mu Lingtian had been revealed back then, do you think you¡¯d still be valuable to him?¡±

    ¡°Lingtian? Father and Lingtian...did Lingtian know?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was afraid. Mu Lingtian had been madly in love with her, but who would have expected them to be siblings!? She feared to face this issue, but she had to ept this right now!

    If Mu Lingtian was still alive, how would he have felt?

    ¡°If Mu Lingtian knew, he would never have behaved that way! Shasha, don¡¯t be naive. Qi Feng told me that Mu Lingtian agreed to help the two of you because Qi Feng promised him to help him to take over Glory World in the future. Gu Qiwu had the same idea as well. He wanted to use the Mu family power to step on me.

    ¡°I know your father too well. That¡¯s why I can only make early ns. Even if he leaves the rest to Mu Lingshi, I can still fight for what you deserve. With the stock I have, the Hui Gu Corporation is still in our hands. However, the situation has changed now!¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not forget about the miscarried child Doris mentioned. It had been a boy!

    Gu Lingsha smiled sorrowfully. ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t just talk about Father like that. You used me too, didn¡¯t you? If that child were still safe, whatever you fought for wouldn¡¯t have been for me, would it?¡±

    She was not a fool. She knew what was happening but just decided to be ignorant.

    How pathetic!

    Gu Lingsha started pitying herself.

    Doris¡¯s expression froze suddenly. She turned towards her but then swiftly looked away. ¡°You¡¯re my only daughter now, isn¡¯t that enough?¡± She slowly closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.

    ¡°I have my regrets. I regret that Mu Yuchen and you didn¡¯t get together. We wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this if that happened. You have no idea what I tried to do after what happened between you and Qi Feng.¡± Doris sounded helpless.

    ¡°Whatever, maybe I took all of these upon myself. If you want to live an easier life, then you should keep yourself away from our affairs and focus on running Qi Kai with Qi Feng.¡±

    ¡°Mother, what are you nning?¡± Gu Lingsha was worried.

    Doris smiled as her eyes turned cold. ¡°Gu Qiwu really overdid it. I¡¯m not just going to let this go.¡±

    ¡°Mother, you know how he is. Didn¡¯t I tell you to calm down?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to meddle in my business. Get out of the car. Get out right now!¡± Doris¡¯s tone was firm.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s words could not move her anymore, so she got out of the car, and the car soon sped off...

    The news of Gu Qiwu and Doris was known throughout City Z. All entertainment-rted media were reporting about them, but they were nowhere to be seen. It caused quite a scene in City B as well.

    The storm raged over for several days, and there was no sign of it stopping anytime soon.

    In the Vice President¡¯s room in Qi Kai Corporation.

    ¡°Master Qi, Manager Xi is outside and she says she has something to tell you!¡± Yang Sheng came inside the room as Qi Lei was reading through documents.

    Manager Xi?

    Xi Xinyi?

    Qi Lei was surprised as he almost forgot about her existence!

    She was the ¡°spy¡± Qi Feng had sent to him!

    He was really impressed by Mu Yuchen¡¯s future-oriented vision. Who would have expected Xi Xinyi to be Mu Yuchen¡¯s spy instead?

    1He was really bold. How could he be sure that Xi Xinyi would not betray him?

    Qi Lei smirked as he put the documents down. ¡°Tell her toe in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng nodded and went back out.

    Momentster, Xi Xinyi knocked on the door and entered.

 Chapter 1202 - Qi Fengâ€™s Trick (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1202: Qi Feng¡¯s Trick (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi wore a full ck business suit which was very different from her previous style of dressing.

    Surprised, Qi Lei signaled Xi Xinyi and then said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Xi Xinyi nodded. ¡°Thank you, Vice President Qi.¡± She sat down on the chair and handed him a document.

    ¡°Please go through this and sign your name at the bottom if there¡¯s no issue,¡± she said.

    Qi Lei squinted at her and straightened his back before taking a nce at the document. He then smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to personally deliver this, did you?¡±

    Xi Xinyi returned the smile. ¡°Naturally, that¡¯s not my primary purpose.¡±

    She closed her eyes like she was in deep thought while Qi Lei remained silent and just watched her quietly, waiting for her to continue the conversation.

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and looked into his eyes as she asked, ¡°Has Chairman Mu been out of City Ztely?¡±

    Chairman Mu?

    Mu Yuchen?

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows as he stared right at Xi Xinyi without answering her.

    Xi Xinyi had given Li Si a call, but it did not get through. She had something she needed to tell them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. I know about your rtionship with Mu Yuchen.¡± Xi Xinyi noticed that Qi Lei was wary of her, hence her exnation.

    It was not as if Qi Lei could not trust Xi Xinyi, but he was not particrly fond of her after knowing what she had done to Xi Xiaye before. If Mu Yuchen had not told him, he would have given her a hard time in Qi Kai.

    However, Mu Yuchen seemed to be very pleased with her performance.

    Qi Lei looked at Xi Xinyi wryly. ¡°He¡¯s not in City Z, but he might be back tonight or tomorrow.¡±

    He was not sure what Xi Xinyi would do. Xi Xinyi put on a bitter smile when Qi Lei was careful with his words around her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vice President Qi. I¡¯m sure Chairman Mu has told you something about me,¡± she said in a firm tone.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Qi Lei put on his usual wicked smile. ¡°I did have several meals at his ce, but I don¡¯t remember him telling me anything.¡±

    ¡°No worries, I understand. You wouldn¡¯t have helped me during meetings several times otherwise.¡±

    Qi Lei put the documents down. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. You¡¯re a talented and great worker.¡±

    Xi Xinyi smiled and slowly got up. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. If that¡¯s the case...Qi Feng is nning to invite CEO Xi from Fuhua, Vice President Zhang from Glory World, and several contractors rted to the South River project for dinner at the Emperor Hotel this Friday night. I overheard him asking Manager Gu to call some reporters over as well. I don¡¯t know what are they going to do. I just feel like it¡¯s not a simple dinner. That¡¯s all that I have to say.¡± She looked at him deep in the eyes before leaving.

    1Qi Lei was stunned and his mind went numb for a moment.

    Qi Feng had invited Xi Xiaye for dinner and asked some reporters to go over? What was he thinking?

    1Qi Feng had always been cruel and fierce with his methods. Without Mu Yuchen around now, he had no idea what Qi Feng had in mind.

    Qi Lei started to feel uneasy...

    As he was deep in thought, Yang Sheng came into the room.

    ¡°Master Qi, has Manager Xi left?¡± Yang Sheng called out to him as he noticed a grim expression on Qi Lei¡¯s face.

    Qi Lei came back to his senses. Instead of looking at Yang Sheng, he nced through the document and quickly signed his name at the bottom before handing it to Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Give it to her.¡±

    Startled, Yang Sheng slowly took the document and asked, ¡°Master, is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Leave me alone for now.¡±

    Since Qi Lei did not answer his question, Yang Sheng left the room quietly.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and leaned against the back of his chair after Yang Sheng went out. His phone suddenly started ringing at this second, so he quickly picked it up.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Come over to my office right now.¡±

    It was Qi Qiming. Qi Lei did not even need to guess what they were going to talk about! It must be about Gu Qiwu and Doris again.

    Their divorce was almost certain, but the storm they had created was still raging outside.

    While Gu Qiwu had the upper hand, he was in a stalemate with Doris. Qi Lei was almost impressed.

    However, Doris was pretty close to Qi Fengtely. She probably was not satisfied after having been lied to after being married for so many years!

    ...

    Friday night came by quickly.

    In the CEO¡¯s office in Fuhua Property, Xi Xiaye was still reading through documents when Lan Zng entered the room.

    ¡°Ahem¡ª¡± Lan Zng coughed several times to get Xi Xiaye¡¯s attention. She quickly put her documents down and smiled when she saw him. ¡°Uncle Lan.¡±

    ¡°Working hours have already ended, yet you¡¯re still working?¡± He smiled.

    Xi Xiaye took a nce at the time. It was already 7:30 p.m. She put the document away. ¡°I forgot about the time. The Emperor Hotel...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t run away from this one. Qi Feng sent his assistant Morrison to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°He sent someone?¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled, ¡°This feels really fishy. There must be something more to it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always good to be careful. Vice President Zhang Lan from Glory World has already gone over, and Gu Lingsha will be attending it with Qi Feng too. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not just a simple dinner.¡±

 Chapter 1203 - Qi Fengâ€™s Trick (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1203: Qi Feng¡¯s Trick (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye went to the Emperor Hotel with Lan Zng. She also had four bodyguards with her.

    There were several guards outside the door when they arrived at the designated room.

    Morrison knocked on the door. Then, he turned towards Xi Xiaye after hearing a reply from inside. ¡°CEO Xi, Mr. Lan, wee.¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Lan Zng traded nces at each other and nodded before heading inside.

    ¡°CEO Xi!¡± Zhang Lan was the first to greet her.

    Xi Xiaye nodded to her, and Qi Feng smiled at her as well.

    ¡°Long time no see, Ms. Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him for a moment and quickly went past him. ¡°CEO Qi of Qi Kai isn¡¯t very fond of talking business over a dining table. You sure are different from him.¡±

    Qi Feng just smiled, but Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed after hearing those words from Xi Xiaye. However, Qi Feng red at her as she was about to retort something.

    ¡°I took over some of Qi Feng¡¯s tasks, so it¡¯d only make sense if I built a good rtionship with my coborators, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Qi Lei was weing.

    1Gu Lingsha was on alert this whole time as she stared at Xi Xiaye. She was looking back and forth between Qi Feng and Xi Xiaye, trying to figure out something from their conversation.

    1Xi Xiaye sat down while Lan Zng sat in between her and Zhang Lan.

    ...

    At the same time, on the road to the busy city, Su Chen was driving his car with Secretary He in the front passenger seat.

    As the car passed by a busy junction, Su Chen¡¯s phone started ringing. He took a nce at the screen and quickly picked up the call.

    ¡°Ah Chen?¡± Su Chen¡¯s voice went through the call.

    ¡°I know you just got back today. Zimo and I are having some trouble in New York at the moment, and it¡¯ll take some time before we can get back. Qi Feng has invited Xiaye for dinner tonight. Please go and take a look.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice reached his ears.

    1Su Chen frowned. ¡°What did you say? Zimo and you are both in New York? What happened? You don¡¯t sound right!¡±

    ¡°Chief Su, I just had a talk with Xu Yayan. It seems like there¡¯s something wrong with Master Mo¡¯spany and he¡¯s been injured as well. There¡¯s also a high chance that he might get jailed,¡± Secretary He told him quietly while Su Chen was on the phone.

    Su Chen frowned again as he looked over at Secretary He. He parked his car by the roadside.

    Mu Yuchen spoke again after a while, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Zimo is only slightly injured and he¡¯s already regained consciousness though his family still has no idea what happened, so don¡¯t let them know. I¡¯ll do my best to solve the problem here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo did not want Su Chen to get involved, or else, he would have known about their n already.

    ¡°Solve the problem? Nonsense! What exactly happened? I need you to tell me now. Where¡¯s Zimo? Did that b*stard get into trouble again? Ah Chen, both of you are acting very foolish right now. Have you forgotten how military school taught us that greater strength can be achieved by being united? Two brains are better than one...¡± Su Chen instantly scolded Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo. Now that he thought about it, Zhou Zimo¡¯s suspicious behavior and avoidant speech made sense now.

    ¡°Please look after Xiaye for me. Room 108 of the Emperor Hotel. I¡¯ll tell you about the rest after this. I need to go out right now. Talk to you soon.¡± Mu Yuchen hung up on the call right after that.

    Su Chen¡¯s frown never faded away. He tried to call back again, but it did not connect.

    ¡°B*stard! Is my function to look after your woman now?¡± Su Chen sounded angry.

    1¡°Chief Su...¡± Secretary He called out to him quietly.

    Su Chen started the engine and drove towards the opposite side of the road while dialing Ji Zitong¡¯s number at the same time.

    Ji Zitong was preparing dinner at home when she received Su Chen¡¯s call.

    ¡°Hello? Where are you now?¡± Ji Zitong was mixing some sauce inside the kitchen.

    ¡°I might be homete. You should have dinner without me first.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise toe back for dinner? I made a lot of dishes.¡±

    ¡°Keep it for now then. I¡¯ll exin to you tonight.¡±

    Su Chen did not want to exin too much right now, so he hung up after a short conversation. He sped up and headed towards the Emperor Hotel.

    ¡°Chief Su, the thing between Gu Qiwu and Doris has been getting more and more attentiontely. Qi Feng¡¯s sudden invitation must have some other intentions. Second Master Qi, Qi Lei, initially handled the South River project was initially handled. Both Qi Lei and Qi Feng aren¡¯t exactly friends...¡±

    ¡°I never liked Qi Feng anyway. I wouldn¡¯t give him an easy time even if Ah Chen told me not to. It¡¯s time for him to taste some payback!¡± Su Chen was pretty emotional as he hated Qi Feng ever since Lingtian¡¯s incident! If he noticed something wrong this time, he would surely deal with him!

    ¡°Chief Su, Qi Feng seems to be close to several government personnel...We might be able to track him.¡±

    ¡°There are already people keeping an eye on him.¡±

    Su Chen sped up the car quietly.

    Mu Yuchen suspected there might be hidden details behind the ident and Mu Tangchuan was involved in the follow-up as well. Su Chen had a hunch that the results might be surprising...

 Chapter 1204 - Qi Fengâ€™s Trick (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1204: Qi Feng¡¯s Trick (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was already 9 p.m. when Su Chen arrived at the Emperor Hotel.

    The Emperor Entertainment Club was under the Emperor Hotel operations as well, simr to Glory World¡¯s Imperial Sky Entertainment City, one of the high-end entertainment spots. With it being the weekend tomorrow, it was very lively that night.

    They finally found a parking slot in the za after a while, so Su Chen quickly parked his car.

    Secretary He tagged along too.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I came here. How lively.¡±

    The higher-ups were really strict, and official officers like them rarely approached ces like this though Su Chen often visited Imperial Sky Entertainment City.

    ¡°Did youe here often before?¡± Su Chen squinted his eyes at Secretary He.

    Secretary He was startled for a moment. ¡°I know the manager here. He got into some trouble before and asked me for help.¡±

    Su Chen threw him a sharp nce. ¡°Be alert for what we¡¯re about to do.¡±

    Secretary He was a quick-witted man, so he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chief Su, I understand!¡±

    Su Chen nodded and took out a cigarette to started smoking while Secretary He got out of the car.

    ...

    In the room that Qi Feng reserved, Xi Xiaye took a look at the document Qi Feng gave her. ¡°Master Qi, we should let Vice President Qi discuss these details with us. He¡¯s the professional after all.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being rude now, CEO Xi? Qi Lei isn¡¯t the main person-in-charge of this project anymore. If you¡¯re not being cooperative, it¡¯ll be difficult for us to maintain this coboration,¡± Gu Lingsha refuted as she noticed the defensive tone in Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Difficult? Just like the proposals you showed me thest time, Ms. Gu? I only care about efficacy, and that¡¯s what Glory World cares about as well. Vice President Zhang Lan, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I have the same opinion as CEO Xi. We¡¯ve discussed this before. If Qi Kai wants to pass this project over to someone else, you should be liaising with the previous person-in-charge instead.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you¡¯re all clean and pure. You¡¯ve...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll put this on hold for now. Since we¡¯re continuing our coboration, of course, we need time to understand each other.¡±

    Qi Feng calmly interrupted Gu Lingsha. He did not seem pleased with her reaction, so she quickly kept her mouth shut, but she shot Xi Xiaye a cold stare.

    Qi Feng smiled and tried to make some small talk with Zhang Lan.

    After that, they started talking about the South River project. Qi Feng made sure he thoroughly understood what the project was about, and had a lot of detailed observations regarding the project¡¯s shorings.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised by his insights. Zhang Lan and Lan Zng participated in the discussion actively, and things soon calmed down. Xi Xiaye just there quietly and only spoke up once or twice while Gu Lingsha only kept silent the whole time as she looked back and forth Xi Xiaye and Qi Feng.

    After some time, someone knocked on the door and Morrison entered. Qi Feng and he traded nces at each other quickly, but Xi Xiaye noticed it.

    She already figured that it was not a simple dinner, so she lowered her head and smiled.

    ...

    Gu Lingsha was dumbfounded by Qi Feng¡¯s arrangements, but from what he told her the other day, she could sense that he was going to do something.

    Gu Lingsha really hated Xi Xiaye. She had no good impression of her at all. If stares could kill, Xi Xiaye had probably died over a dozen times that night.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye was not sure how it happened. Perhaps she just drank a tad too much, so she said that she was feeling ufortable and needed to go to the washroom. Gu Lingsha got up and said she needed to go as well. The two of them left the room one after another.

    Qi Feng gave Morrison a nce after Xi Xiaye left the room. In response, Morrison nodded and went outside too.

    The corridor outside was dark. Xi Xiaye felt refreshed as she felt the breeze. However, her steps were a little shaky.

    Gu Lingsha kept a close distance behind her. Suddenly, she let out a coldugh and started rushing towards Xi Xiaye followed by a loud scream.

    1Suddenly, a big crowd rushed into the corridor!

    Before Xi Xiaye could react, there were a lot of shlights around. She turned around when she heard Gu Lingsha screaming and saw thetter charging towards her. Xi Xiaye was dumbfounded by her mad expression and avoided her onught.

    Was she crazy?

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Missus from the Qi family and Mrs. Mu?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s them!¡±

    ¡°What happened? Is she mad?¡±

    The reporters were already blocking the way when Morrison went out. Something must have happened as a smirk appeared on his face. He smiled and gave a signal to the guard beside him. The man nodded as everyone in the corridor heard him say in a loud voice, ¡°Doesn¡¯t she look like she¡¯s overdosed on drugs?¡±

    ¡°Some kind of symptoms?¡±

    ¡°Is Gu Lingsha mad?¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha is doing drugs?¡±

    ¡°Withdrawal symptoms?¡±

    ¡°Most likely! No wonder she¡¯s been looking exhaustedtely!¡±

    Morrison was shocked after hearing thosements, so he quickly rushed into the crowd along with the bodyguards...

 Chapter 1205 - One Level Higher (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1205: One Level Higher (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    What happened next shocked Morrison to his core!

    Gu Lingsha pulled her hair like a madwoman. She was taking short, quick breaths as her whole body trembled, and at times, she screamed for no reason. Her hair was a mess right now and her eyes had lost their shine...

    3It seemed like she was hallucinating.

    Xi Xiaye stood there calmly as she frowned at the sight of Gu Lingsha¡¯s current state. Her bodyguards were properly guarding her against the crowd of reporters.

    How could this be?

    Morrison was stunned and not sure how to react!

    Should this not be Xi Xiaye?

    2Qi Feng, Zhang Lan, and Lan Zng quickly came out when they heard the mor outside.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Go away! No more photos! No more! Make way!¡± Morrison managed to suppress his fear at the moment and tried to chase the reporters away.

    However, with all the ruckus caused, more and more people came over, including the club bouncers and managers.

    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened as he looked at Morrison coldly and asked.

    Morrison shivered as he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Master, I...I will find out what happened. I¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°The police are here!¡±

    ¡°Make way! The police are here!¡±

    1Just as the bodyguard helped Gu Lingsha to her feet, the police arrived.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Stop taking photos!¡±

    ¡°Make way!¡±

    Six police officers came over and separated Gu Lingsha from everyone else.

    ¡°Captain, I found this in her bag!¡±

    The police acted quickly. One of them soon found a packet of white powder in Gu Lingsha¡¯s handbag and handed it to his colleague.

    The middle-aged policeman gave it a slight taste before spitting it out momentster. He nced at Gu Lingsha coldly and said, ¡°Someone, take her away!¡±

    ¡°Yes, captain!¡± two officers replied.

    ¡°Wait! We still don¡¯t know what happened. You guys can¡¯t just take her away!¡±

    Morrison freaked out when the two policemen grabbed Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Officers, she¡¯s not in a state to follow you back at the moment.¡± Even Qi Feng was not sure what to do at this moment, but he could not care less about the reporters taking photos of him. ¡°There must be some kind of misunderstanding!¡±

    Qi Feng clenched his fists. Cold energy gathered in his eyes as he nced at Gu Lingsha who seemed to have lost her mind right now. He then averted his gaze at Xi Xiaye who had been silent this whole time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. It¡¯ll be great if it¡¯s nothing. We¡¯ll be giving her a thorough check-up. Take her away!¡±

    The police were being really strict. Although they knew who Qi Feng was, they did not care about his social standing at all. Gu Lingsha was instantly brought away.

    ¡°Ms. Lingsha!¡±

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    The crowd was dumbfounded as Gu Lingsha was actually being escorted away.

    ¡°Master!¡± Morrison totally freaked out after what happened. He wanted to follow them but the reporters were on the policemen¡¯s tail!

    It happened too quickly for anyone to realize what went wrong!

    Lan Zng and Zhang Lan were still shocked to have witnessed what just unfolded before them.

    Xi Xiaye put on a cold smile after the crowd disappeared. She looked into Qi Feng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Master Qi, it seems like your wife is in trouble right now, so there¡¯s no need for the dinner to continue.¡±

    A light shed in Qi Feng¡¯s eyes after he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words. He nced at the empty hallway with a strained expression. Momentster, he raised his head and looked at Morrison.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone was cold, stunning Morrison for a moment before he pushed the wheelchair and gave chase.

    ¡°Ms. Xi, I¡¯m sorry for what happened today. I¡¯ll be sure to pay you a formal apology in the near future,¡± Qi Feng said before leaving. Xi Xiaye somehow felt he had some other intentions beneath those words, but she just smiled...

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize. You¡¯ll want to rescue Ms. Gu as soon as possible. I¡¯m quite surprised though. She must be under a lot of stress to be using those things. Thank you for dinner!¡±

    Xi Xiaye traded nces with Zhang Lan and Lan Zng before turning around and leaving. The two of them nodded and followed behind her. The bodyguards then trailed on guard behind her.

    Suddenly, only Qi Feng, Morrison, and several bodyguards were left in the corridor.

    ¡°Master...¡± Morrison called out to Qi Feng quietly after Xi Xiaye¡¯s posse left.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was like the moment before a thunderstorm and his tone of voice was chilly. ¡°You¡¯d better have a good exnation for what happened. Why did Shasha be like that and Xi Xiaye is fine instead? Drugs? Morrison, your performance is getting worse!¡±

    ¡°There must be some misunderstanding! Xi Xiaye must have been affected. She had some reaction just now!¡±

    ¡°Reaction? Then, tell me, what happened? You promised me this n would be perfect!¡± Qi Feng threw Morrison a deathly cold stare.

    ¡°Master, I...¡±

    Morrison was shocked by the unexpected turn of events. He had no idea what to say.

    He had given the orders to spike Xi Xiaye¡¯s drink. It was nothing serious, just something that would make her embarrass herself, so they did not expect much out of it. Lan Zng and Zhang Lan were present after all...

 Chapter 1206 - One Level Higher (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1206: One Level Higher (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They just wanted to make Xi Xiaye embarrass herself and show her ugly side to the media to teach her a lesson. It was also meant to give Mu Yuchen a lesson, as well as for Gu Lingsha to stop suspecting Qi Feng and Xi Xiaye.

    However, what happened that day was totally out of their expectations.

    ¡°Something must¡¯ve happened.¡± Morrison took a deep breath. ¡°Could Mu Yuchen have done something?¡±

    ¡°Morrison, you were never someone who¡¯d me your faults on others. Mu Yuchen is busy rescuing his friend in New York. Do you really think he¡¯d know what happened here?¡± Qi Feng sounded angry.

    2¡°Master, something is wrong, but I¡¯ll be sure to find out the truth.¡± Morrison dared not defend himself.

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and tried to keep calm. ¡°Find out what happened and send me to the police station! Also, take care of the news!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Morrison gave a quick reply and wheeled Qi Feng away.

    ...

    It was alreadyte at night when they came out of the Emperor Hotel.

    Xi Xiaye stood by the entrance as she nced over at the big group of reporters and the policemen.

    What happened today was unbelievable!

    ¡°CEO Xi, what happened?¡± Zhang Lan asked quietly.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. Although I know Qi Feng had some other intentions with the dinner tonight, what happened was just unbelievable.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Mu!¡±

    A rather strange voice reached Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears, so she quickly looked over.

    It was a familiar face.

    Xi Xiaye frowned slightly and instantly remembered!

    Secretary He!

    Su Chen¡¯s secretary!

    Why was he here?

    Secretary He grinned when he noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s doubtful nce.

    ¡°Secretary He?¡± Xi Xiaye called out to him.

    Secretary He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m honored that you still remember me. Are you free at the moment? Chief Su is just nearby...¡±

    Su Chen was nearby?

    Xi Xiaye was a little astonished. When she realized that something was up, she nodded and turned back to Zhang Lan and Lan Zng. ¡°Vice President Zhang, Uncle Lan, you two should head back for now. I hope we all can be careful to deal with the aftermath of what happened tonight. Besides that, thank you for looking after Glory World at the moment.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, CEO Xi? It¡¯s my job.¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll head back now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, goodbye!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye!¡±

    ...

    Su Chen was sitting on a long bench by the za ahead, smoking when Xi Xiaye walked over.

    He raised his head when he heard the sound of footsteps. Then, he extinguished his cigarette when he saw Xi Xiayeing near.

    ¡°Chief Su, why are you here thiste at night?¡± Xi Xiaye was surprised to see Su Chen here as she greeted him.

    He looked like he had juste back from somewhere far. Mu Yuchen had mentioned some time ago that he was enrolled in a school of some sort.

    Su Chen smiled. ¡°You can just call me Su Chen. Are you alright?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, but...what happened just now?¡±

    He took a deep breath. ¡°A certain someone was very worried about you even when he¡¯s abroad. He knew that you¡¯d be attending this dinner tonight and told me toe and help out if anything went wrong. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re fine. He¡¯s missing you wherever he goes. I just called the police, but I¡¯m not sure about the others though.¡¯

    Su Chen was telling the truth. Initially, he just wanted Secretary He to find out what happened before deciding their next step, but just as Secretary He was about to talk to the manager, Su Chen received Mu Yuchen¡¯s text telling him to get several trusted officers to head over.

    1Su Chenplied right away.

    He was not sure what exactly happened, and only found out from Secretary He¡¯s observation that Gu Lingsha was showing some sort of drug withdrawal symptoms and was arrested after that!

    It mirrored what had happened to Zhou Zimo there. Su Chen hated to admit it, but he was impressed.

    1¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Xi Xiaye was stunned as she gave Su Chen an odd look.

    Su Chen adjusted his sleeves. ¡°Mmm, I really have no idea. You might know more if you ask Ah Chen. By the way, do tell me if you know anything about what¡¯s happening in New York.¡±

    ...

    At the same time, in an exquisite hotel room in New York, Mu Yuchen was sitting on a rattan chair, looking through some documents Ah Bo gave him.

    The breeze was pretty cold in the morning, and he only had a coat over his shoulders. As he was focused on the documents, his phone started ringing all of a sudden.

    He answered the call and a voice quickly came through. ¡°Master, the n is a sess. Gu Lingsha was brought away by the police, and Qi Feng followed them as well. I suppose this is enough to keep them busy for a while.¡±

    It was Ah Pao¡¯s voice.

    1¡°How is she?¡± Mu Yuchen asked coldly.

    ¡°Missus is fine. She was vignt,¡± Ah Pao replied.

    Mu Yuchen was slightly relieved. ¡°Alright, keep an eye on them, especially Qi Feng.¡±

    Mu Yuchen hung up, looking exhausted but generally much calmer than before. Although he knew she would be vignt, he was still worried, hence he had used such a trick.

    Mu Yuchen, how cunning can you be?

 Chapter 1207 - I Missed You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1207: I Missed You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He hesitated for some time before leaving his phone on the table. Then, he leaned back and closed his eyes in exhaustion.

    After some time, Li Si called out to him, ¡°Master...¡±

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes once again as his usualposure returned.

    Li Si came over with a ss of water and some medicine.

    ¡°Master, take these pills first. You still haven¡¯t recovered. We have someone to look after Master Mo right now, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± Li Si gave him the medicine.

    Mu Yuchen obediently took the pills, coughing slightly before saying, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Li Si somehow guessed what happened. He had overheard his conversation with Ah Pao when he came in just now. It must be because of the Missus. He sat down beside Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Master, are you alright? You can rest easy now knowing that Missus is fine. She has her guard up against Qi Feng anyway, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Li Si said carefully.

    Mu Yuchen pinched the space between his eyebrows. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m despicable?¡±

    ¡°Master...¡± Li Si was not sure what to say.

    ¡°I hate how I did it, but that¡¯s the only way to keep them busy for the moment,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re just letting them have a taste of their own medicine. We¡¯d be the ones suffering if you hadn¡¯t done so. There¡¯s nothing wrong with your methods. Please don¡¯t overthink.¡±

    1¡°How are things at Xiao Rui¡¯s school?¡± Mu Yuchen did not continue the conversation. Instead, he asked somethingpletely different.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found that Qi Weier has indeed transferred over to Master Xiao Rui¡¯s school, but they are in different sses. From what I know, Qi Feng transferred her over to this school because she didn¡¯t want to attend the previous one she enrolled in. Should we find Master Xiao Rui another school?¡± Li Si asked.

    Mu Yuchen frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Changing the environment could be detrimental. We¡¯ve got to trust him.¡±

    ¡°Master, Young Master¡¯s grades are great. When I went to pick him up from school, he told me that the teachers alwayspliment him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll grow up to be a top scorer like you too.¡± Li Si smiled when he thought about Mu Zirui.

    Mu Yuchen put on a proud smile as well, but his tone was calm as he said, ¡°Xiao Rui is a hardworking kid. I just hope that he can grow up with joy. Children don¡¯t have to work so hard. Outstanding people usually have to be burdened with more responsibilities. I want the same thing for the two of my children and their mother: a simple, happy life.¡±

    1Mu Yuchen coughed again.

    ¡°Master, please take a break. You just took the medicine. It¡¯s going to be the Mid-Autumn Festival soon, but I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be back in time. Fortunately, Master Mo has already woken up, or else, it¡¯d be really worrisome.¡± Li Si was concerned.

    ¡°Get thewyers Charlie and Henry over here. Tell them to meet here at 3 p.m.¡±

    Mu Yuchen got up and grabbed his phone as he walked into the room.

    ...

    After Xi Xiaye and Su Chen parted ways, she went back to Maple Residence right away.

    Her children were already asleep, but she was surprised to find that Zhuang Shurong was staying over at Maple Residence that night. Zhuang Shurong was watching television in the living room when Xi Xiaye returned, and they had a short chat before Xi Xiaye went upstairs to wash up. Zhuang Shurong then prepared some supper for her.

    ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have toe over here if you¡¯re busy. Father and you should take a break whenever there¡¯s a chance. With Sis Wang and Aunt Fang taking care of Xiao Cheng and Xiao Rui, there¡¯s no problem at all.¡±

    Xi Xiaye finished the sliced chicken porridge Zhuang Shurong prepared for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your father and I are still going strong. We¡¯re just worried that you might be exhausted without Ah Chen around. The two of you have been burdened with a lot ever since your grandmother passed away, so your father and I decided to transfer the elder butler here. We don¡¯t need that many servants at the main residence and you definitely need some help here,¡± Zhuang Shurong said.

    Xi Xiaye did not argue and agreed right away, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    ¡°Your father is going to be busy, so I¡¯ll be staying over whenever I¡¯m free. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled. She knew she usually came across as strict and stern, but she was really happy that Xi Xiaye was her daughter-inw as she was a very considerate and kind girl. She also knew how to carry out her filial duties and her son respected her although he was not very close to her as her son.

    Xi Xiaye had done a lot of things for the family using Mu Yuchen¡¯s name with the intention of getting them closer, hence Zhuang Shurong cherished her heartwarming behavior.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind...¡±

    ¡°Great, and now it¡¯s time for you to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you should rest early too, Mother. Goodnight!¡±

    ¡°Goodnight!¡±

    ...

    As Xi Xiayey down in bed, what happened today crossed her mind, including what Su Chen told her. After arranging the information together, she somewhat reached a conclusion. She took a nce at her phone, but there was nothing.

    It had been several days since Mu Yuchen called her. He only texted her once in a while, so she thought he was busy, but she was beginning to feel ufortable.

    She could not get used to his absence...

    1She then grabbed her phone and gave him a call.

    Mu Yuchen was in deep sleep when his phone rang. He reached out to his phone after a while and picked up the call while he was still half asleep.

 Chapter 1208 - I Missed You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1208: I Missed You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Xiaye?¡± he called out her name and coughed several times as he sat up in the bed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Xi Xiaye instantly realized that something was wrong with his voice as he sounded like he had a cold. The man was usually pretty susceptible to getting sick.

    Mu Yuchen coughed several times again before he replied, ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s just a little cold. I¡¯ve almost recovered.¡±

    ¡°Your body is getting frail. I told you to take care of yourself.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry!¡± the man quickly admitted his mistake. He paused before asking, ¡°How¡¯re our sons?¡±

    ¡°They are doing great. Xiao Rui keeps asking when you¡¯ll be back while Xiao Cheng always looks around at night, probably waiting for you. He¡¯s starting to recognize faces now. The Mid-Autumn Festival ising soon, and so is the National Day...¡±

    ¡°Bring the children out and have fun during the holidays.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Xi Xiaye wanted to say something else, but she was reminded about what happened that night. ¡°Mr. Mu, about Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng...Su Chen told me that...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all good as long as you¡¯re fine. You shouldn¡¯t have to worry so much...¡± the man interrupted Xi Xiaye¡¯s sentence halfway. He did not want her to know what methods he used.

    ¡°You...¡± Xi Xiaye spoke quietly.

    ¡°I mean, let the past stay in the past. Just leave them be if it doesn¡¯t concern you. Don¡¯t always keep it in your heart. Surely Qi Feng has many ways to make it hard for you to decline his invitation, but you have to be vignt at all times. You might have fallen into his trap if Qi Lei hadn¡¯t informed me.¡±

    ¡°Am I really that stupid from your perspective?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned unhappily.

    ¡°Honestly, yes,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Then, why did you marry me?¡±

    ¡°Because...you¡¯re pretty...¡± a certain someone said something extremely embarrassing with a straight face.

    1Xi Xiaye chuckled, but then she figured out it did not sound right. She was not sure if she should be angry that he was looking down on her, or to be happy that heplimented her looks.

    1¡°I married you because I think you¡¯re good-looking too...¡±

    ¡°You finally speak the truth! Alright, you should head to bed soon. It¡¯s a weekend tomorrow. Rest well.¡±

    ¡°You take care too. Don¡¯t overexert yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to follow your instructions. Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight, Mr. Mu...¡±

    ...

    In contrast to Xi Xiaye¡¯s peaceful night, Gu Lingsha was having a hard time falling asleep.

    She realized that she was at the police station when she regained consciousness. The police were interrogating her like she was some criminal. Only then did she find out what happened.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything! These aren¡¯t mine! I¡¯m being framed! Do you hear me? I suggest you let me go right away or you won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences!¡± Gu Lingsha red at the officers as she had a cold expression on her face.

    ¡°Ms. Gu, I suggest you be cooperative with us. We found these in your bag, and this is your blood test, so what else do you have to say?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take drugs! Believe it or not, these aren¡¯t mine! I want to leave right now. Let me go!¡± Gu Lingsha stood up angrily as she spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t let you go with these as evidence.¡± The police officer was being really strict.

    Gu Lingsha was extremely angry, and had no idea what happened!

    Who had nned all this to frame her? She could sense that Qi Feng wanted to prove something to her, but why was she being framed right now? Should it not be Xi Xiaye?

    ¡°Let me out!¡± she struggled as the officer grabbed her shoulder.

    ¡°Sit down!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me! Let me out! I want to see my husband. I won¡¯t answer any of your questions! I want awyer! I want to see my husband! Do you hear me? Do you even know who I am? How dare you treat me like this?!¡± Gu Lingsha was getting worked up.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see them, but I suggest you tell us the truth or you¡¯ll be very sorry for it!¡±

    ¡°I told you it¡¯s not mine! Not mine! You idiots are trying to frame me! Get your superior here. You guys have no right to talk to me. I want to see your superior!¡± Gu Lingsha mmed the table angrily.

    The officers traded nces shortly before they left the room, leaving her alone.

    She still felt dizzy at the moment, especially after getting worked up like that. She felt exhausted.

    What happened?

    Why her?

    Why her?

    Xi Xiaye should be the one to learn her lesson. Did something go wrong or...

    Did Qi Feng this on purpose?

    Qi Feng had smiled at Xi Xiaye frequently over dinner although they were talking about work the whole time. Things were suspiciously smooth between them.

    Xi Xiaye was Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman, and she knew very well how much Qi Feng hated Mu Yuchen. He was biased towards Xi Xiaye!

    Gu Lingsha also thought that Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm manner during dinner was odd. It was as if she was not worried at all which she should have been very cautious about.

    Why was Qi Feng not here yet?

    As Gu Lingsha was deep in her thoughts, she felt afraid and anxious. She took several deep breaths as her whole body shuddered...

 Chapter 1209 - I Missed You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1209: I Missed You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Gu Lingsha had no idea how much Qi Feng had to do in order to deal with the reporters, but no matter how much he tried, the information still leaked somehow.

    Mrs. Qi was arrested due to suspected drug use!

    The news spread like wildfire over the Inte. There were also photos with the caption ¡°Gu Lingsha disying withdrawal symptoms¡±. The divorce between Gu Qiwu and Doris also caused a huge storm, and with this incident, Qi Kai Corporation and the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s shares took a sharp dive!

    Qi Qiming and Qi Feng quickly held a meeting to find a solution.

    However, they could not do anything. The shareholders med each other in the meetings throughout thest week. Some were sarcastic and subtly hinted that Gu Lingsha had dragged everyone down!

    Qi Qiming and Qi Feng were embarrassed at first, but they got used to it soon after. Furthermore, Qi Lei stoppeding to work ever since the incident.

    In the extravagant office.

    ¡°Manager Xi, where¡¯s Vice President Xi? Is he not in again?¡± Qi Qiming looked at the empty seat beside Xi Xinyi as he asked coldly.

    Qi Lei had been giving all kinds of different reasons to be absent since Monday! He was nowhere to be seen in the past week.

    Qi Feng nced over at Qi Lei¡¯s seat when he heard Qi Qiming¡¯s question. It was empty just like a few days before! His eyes darkened.

    ¡°Vice President Qi called this morning and said...he had diarrheast night because he ate too much watermelon. He¡¯s applied for leave from the HR Department!¡± Xi Xinyi replied calmly.

    1Qi Qiming¡¯s expression turned worse. ¡°Diarrhea? Didn¡¯t he say he had a stomachache just two days ago?¡±

    ¡°Thest time he said he needed to visit the doctor to check on his hemorrhoids...¡±

    ¡°Hemorrhoids? Didn¡¯t he catch a cold?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a cold. I heard he hurt his waist!¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought he was having a migraine.¡±

    ...

    Suddenly, everyone in the room was discussing it.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression became dark like thunderclouds! His rtionship with Qi Lei hade to a standstill again. He wanted to stay at home to rest for some time, yet this unexpected incident happened, so he had to force himself to go to work.

    Qi Lei did not want to show up at all no matter how chaotic the world had be. He was sending Qi Qiming and Qi Feng a clear message¡ªhe did not care about Qi Kai¡¯s survival!

    Just when Qi Qiming was about to lose his temper, he remembered how long it had taken for their rtionship to improve to this point, so he suppressed his anger!

    Qi Lei managed to escape from this, but Qi Feng was not as fortunate. Gu Lingsha was his woman after all. Therefore, Qi Qiming unleashed his fury on Qi Feng!

    Qi Qiming called Qi Feng to his office after the meeting and started lecturing him, ¡°Idiot! Qi Kai is going to be ruined in the hands of you two! What exactly happened? What¡¯s with the drugs?! Give me an exnation!¡±

    He mmed the documents onto his table! Even the cup on the table jumped a little.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s still under investigation. No matter what, I believe Shasha is innocent. She wouldn¡¯t do something like that,¡± Qi Feng clenched his fists as he exined.

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t? Why don¡¯t you tell the police that and see if they¡¯d believe you? Why did you invite Xi Xiaye¡¯s bunch? Why would there be reporters there? And what¡¯s with the police? Have you found out?¡±

    Qi Qiming could not hold his anger in anymore. ¡°I¡¯ve told you that Qi Kai is unlike before. What happened before really took a huge toll on us! Do you really want people to find out Qi Kai¡¯s initial background? Do you know how much time and effort your grandfather and I took to clean it up? If the police start investigating Qi Kai, we¡¯ll be done for! You idiot!¡± Qi Qiming yelled at him.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened, but he did not refute. ¡°Father, there¡¯s no point ming anyone right now. Our top priority is to salvage Qi Kai¡¯s shares! Moreover, the Hui Gu Corporation isn¡¯t doing well at the moment too, so I guess we can¡¯t expect help from them. Shasha¡¯s incident isn¡¯t as simple as it looks. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to prove her innocence once we find out the truth.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes seemed quiet as he was hiding his emotions.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation over at the station?¡± Qi Qiming stopped being angry for the moment and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent awyer over. I¡¯m sure Shasha can manage,¡± Qi Feng replied.

    ¡°What¡¯s with Shashately? How could she make all kinds of stupid mistakes?! Just like Gu Qiwu and Doris!¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s tone sounded cold.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remind her, Father. I¡¯ll find a way out of this.¡±

    ...

    The Mid-Autumn Festival was around the corner. Along with the National Day holiday, there was almost a full week of break.

    In the CEO¡¯s office in Fuhua Real Estate, Xi Xiaye sat on her chair quietly as she assigned tasks to the managers.

    ¡°Alright, go make the arrangements, and then you all can go back at 3 p.m. today to avoid the traffic jam. Be sure to get the work done and make sure thepany¡¯s security is tight. Is there any problem?¡±

    ¡°Nope, thank you, CEO Xi!¡±

    They then left the room.

    Xiao Mei came into the room with some tea.

    Xi Xiaye nced at a certain photo frame on the table. It was her wedding photo with Mu Yuchen and was the same one in Mu Yuchen¡¯s office. She could not fight against her desire anymore, so she put her pen down and said to Xiao Mei, ¡°Xiao Mei, book me a flight to New York.¡±

 Chapter 1210 - I Missed You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1210: I Missed You (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A flight to New York?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words stunned Xiao Mei who stared at her dumbfounded.

    ¡°CEO Xi...are you going on a trip?¡± Xiao Mei asked.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and lowered her head. She did not reply and just looked at the documents before her.

    Xiao Mei did not force her to answer as she seemed unwilling. ¡°Do you want a flight for tomorrow or the day after?¡±

    ¡°Check if there¡¯s a flight for tonight. Also, tell Uncle Lan toe to see me.¡±

    ¡°Tonight!?¡± Xiao Mei was stunned once again.

    Was it that urgent?

    However, she just nodded without asking any questions before leaving the office.

    Xiao Mei quickly booked the flight. It was scheduled at 8 p.m. that night.

    Xi Xiaye went to pick Mu Zirui up soon after. She sent him over to the Shen residence before returning to Maple Residence. She thought that leaving him there would be better since Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan would be free to take care of him during the holidays.

    She met Zhuang Shurong back in Maple Residence. She thought about bringing Mu Xiaocheng along on her trip to New York, but Zhuang Shurong stopped her. ¡°You should just go alone. How are you going to have fun with this little guy around? Your father is on holiday. He nned to spend some time with your grandfather, and Lingshi isn¡¯t going anywhere as well, so just leave Xiao Cheng at home. We¡¯ll look after him.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you going to go somewhere with Father?¡± Xi Xiaye was hesitant.

    Zhuang Shurong smiled. ¡°Where to? It¡¯ll be crowded everywhere during the holiday season, so we might as well stay at home and get some rest. It¡¯s been a tough period of time for the two of you. Ask Ah Chen to bring you around and have some fun. Leave the kids with us.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Xi Xiaye called out to her.

    ¡°Go and pack up. There¡¯s no need to bring clothes. Tell him to prepare them for you over there. Xiao Cheng is asleep now. Let me go make you some dinner before you go. It¡¯s going to be a long flight!¡± Zhuang Shurong put her documents down and removed her sses.

    ¡°Mother, let me do it.¡± Xi Xiaye was a little embarrassed.

    However, Zhuang Shurong already headed inside the kitchen.

    Chauffeur Wang arrived soon after dinner. Xi Xiaye gave Mu Xiaocheng a kiss before handing him over to Zhuang Shurong. ¡°I¡¯ll leave him in your care then. I¡¯ll be back after the holidays. Please let Grandfather know...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Also, tell Ah Chen to rx as well. He doesn¡¯t just y the role of a son to us. He¡¯s also a husband and father right now, so he should understand he doesn¡¯t live for just himself anymore. I know that he¡¯s not been feeling well, but I can rest easy knowing that you¡¯ll be there for him.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was a little worried about Mu Yuchen after all.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother, I will. By the way, I made a booking at Hospital T. Father and you should take this chance and do a full body check-up. I¡¯ve made appointments for my parents too. All of you need to take care of your health as well. The doctor will contact you for further details.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled. ¡°Thank you, Xiaye.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my job. I¡¯ll be going now. Take care.¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Say goodbye to your Mommy...¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye got into the car and left soon after that.

    As Zhuang Shurong stood by the entrance, Mu Xiaocheng clung to her neck. Just when she was about to head back inside, a car came by.

    Zhuang Shurong looked over and noticed that it was Mu Tangchuan¡¯s car.

    Mu Tangchuan got out quickly and walked over. When Mu Xiaocheng recognized him, he opened his arms wide towards Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Let Grandfather hold you. You¡¯re getting heavier now!¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zhuang Shurong grabbed his briefcase from his secretary.

    ¡°Xiaye called me. Have you had dinner? Is there anything left to eat? Please cook something for me. I only had some light lunch this afternoon and I¡¯m really hungry right now,¡± Mu Tangchuan said as he was ying with Mu Xiaocheng.

    ¡°There are restaurants near your office. Why are you sozy?¡± Zhuang Shurong was annoyed.

    ¡°There¡¯s too much work to do. I heard that the court personnel are organizing a trip. Why aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°Let the youngsters go. I¡¯m probably retiring in a few years. I feel that maybe it¡¯s time for us to stop ever since Mother passed away. I should put more focus on my family instead of work. After all, it doesn¡¯t feel as meaningful as my family,¡± Zhuang Shurong said.

    Mu Tangchuan halted his steps and held Mu Xiaocheng tightly. He turned around and squinted at his wife. Momentster, he smiled and teased her, ¡°How rare for you to gain such insight! I thought you¡¯d be fighting with others for your whole life. You¡¯re already a grandmother right now, so it¡¯s time for you to change your personality.¡±

    ¡°Mu Tangchuan, am I really such apetitive person to you?¡± Zhuang Shurong frowned.

    ¡°Do you want to hear the truth?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Zhuang Shurong squinted at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re extremely headstrong andpetitive. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know that your father told me I might not be able to stand you since he himself couldn¡¯t stand staying with you, but we¡¯ve been together for so many years, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked deep into her eyes. ¡°Ah Chen and Xiaye remind me of our past, but we were much luckier than them.¡±

 Chapter 1211 - Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1211: Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong thought about it for a moment, then nodded ruefully. ¡°Yes, but I think our son¡¯s more excellent than you!¡±

    ¡°As excellent as he may be, I¡¯m still his old man!¡± Mu Tangchuan shot her an unhappy nce, then looked down at Mu Xiaocheng who flopped about in his arms. ¡°Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, we¡¯ve all grown old. I understand how you feel. Just do as you see fits then. They n on promoting you with a transfer, but if you don¡¯t want to leave City Z, then there won¡¯t be a chance to get promoted. There are trade-offs. I won¡¯t interfere with your decision, so you decide for yourself.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked.

    Mu Tangchuan paused, then said, ¡°You have always had outstanding results. Many people at the provincial government department rmend you. There were probably people from the municipalmittee who went to talk to you already. The disciplinary inspection department has probably done the reviews, so it¡¯s a very good opportunity for you.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be transferred from here.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you¡¯ll have to give up on this opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s all I can do. I¡¯m worried about how things are right now too.¡±

    ¡°Ah Rong, you¡¯ve calmed down a lot these past few years,¡± Mu Tangchuan said with a faint joy that could not be hidden in his tone.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had been married for more than 30 years now. At first, it felt like they had married tobine their forces on the political scene, and there were not many feelings, to begin with. They just felt like they matched each other, and the two were quitepatible, so they nned to just spend the rest of their lives together.

    Unexpectedly, after they got married, their rtionship was actually great. Zhuang Shurong was verypetitive and would even be stubborn sometimes. She often had differing opinions from Mu Tangchuan, but he was tolerant and rarely bickered with her.

    ¡°Why? Do you think you¡¯ve been tortured all these years?¡± Zhuang Shurong obviously understood what he was implying.

    ¡°Am I that kind of person? What kind of capable man would be petty with his own woman?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re clever with your words!¡±

    1¡°How else could I have survived until now?¡±

    ...

    At a certain airport in New York, USA.

    After a long flight of more than 10 hours, Xi Xiaye felt exhausted. Even though she had fallen asleep for a while on the flight, she was still quite worn out.

    She had not flown for so many hours in a long while. Thest time she had done so was for their weddingst year.

    Xi Xiaye was technically traveling secretly, so apart from the two bodyguards with her, she did not bring anyone else along.

    Late-night New York was charming. This world-famous bustling city could notpare to City Z but, once Xi Xiayended, she could feel a stifling sensation in the air, and she did not like this feeling.

    ¡°CEO Xi, the car¡¯s ready outside,¡± one of the bodyguards said respectfully.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently and calmly responded, ¡°Go straight to Chairman Mu¡¯s hotel.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye walked ahead.

    She had just stepped out of the airport when a cold breeze came from in front. It was fall in October. While fall was not very cold in City Z, it was much colder in New York. In fact, it had been raining for the past two days, so the temperature was quite low. Xi Xiaye was only wearing a ck dress that she had on when she left City Z, so she was freezing when she stepped out.

    Xi Xiaye could not help but shudder as she got into the car quickly. Then, the car slowly drove towards their destination.

    It was close to midnight now, but the flourishing New York was still exceptionally lively.

    Xi Xiaye had previously asked Li Si which hotel Mu Yuchen was staying at, so they did not dy their journey. When they reached the hotel, the gloomy air had anotheryer of moisture to it.

    It was not raining heavily, but when you stood long enough, it was enough to wet your head and shoulders.

    When the car drove past the hotel lobby, Xi Xiaye suddenly said, ¡°Let¡¯s just park here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi.¡±

    The car quickly stopped on the side.

    Xi Xiaye hastily pulled the door open to get down while the bodyguard quickly went over with an umbre.

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to reject him since it was only a few steps. She did not need to be so pampered, but the cold winds that attacked her made her shiver. When she saw that the bodyguards were only wearing a shirt, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll go over. The two of you go arrange other things.¡±

    Then, she walked ahead.

    Many people moved in and out of the hotel that towered into the clouds.

    Xi Xiaye stood at the staircase at the entrance and looked at the tall building that she could barely see the top of. Suddenly, she stopped walking as she felt a wave of emotions rise within her. Right now, it was hard to exin the anticipation and nervousness she felt.

    She had to admit that there was a longing that gathered in her heart. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival today, but you could not see the bright moon here, with this weather...

    When Xi Xiaye looked up at that dreary sky, her beautiful face broadened with a smile. She was about to walk in when suddenly a familiar voice came from behind.

    ¡°Master, the people tonight were clearly targetting Master Mo. Ah Bo has checked. They had some conflicts with Master Mo before and suffered under Master Mo¡¯s subordinates. This time, they¡¯re trying to seize this opportunity and they won¡¯t let it go!¡±

    His anxious voice contained some anger, but Xi Xiaye could hear it very clearly!

    Who else could it be but Li Si?

    When Xi Xiaye heard him, she could not help but be stunned. Then, she suddenly turned around and slowly looked up.

    What greeted her sight was a sh of white...

    Mu Yuchen wore a dark tailored suit with a ck windbreaker on his shoulders. He was walking towards the hotel while his bodyguard in ck held up an umbre behind him and Li Si carried a heavy briefcase beside him.

    At this moment, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face remained still. It seemed to have an addedyer of intensitypared to his usual self. He seemed to look thinner too.

    He passed the dim streetlights and quickly reached the staircase. Li Si and the rest followed closely behind. The row of them all looked like they had a lot on their mind.

    Xi Xiaye stood quietly where she was and did not immediately make a sound until Li Si¡¯s surprised cry cut through the horizon.

    ¡°Missus! Why are you here?¡± His shocked voice exploded like a sudden p of thunder in the stifling air. Instantly, Mu Yuchen subconsciously stopped walking and quickly looked up.

    1Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure trembled slightly in the rustling cold wind. She looked travel-worn and her hair fell on her chest messily while her clear eyes were filled with a mistiness...

 Chapter 1212 - Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1212: Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he saw the travel-worn and slightly miserable looking figure appear before him, Mu Yuchen was obviously quite surprised as well.

    His profound eyes froze a little, and moments after that, there was a faint joy from the depths of his eyes. He did not need to ask anything more.

    Because he knew what day it was, he kept calling her earlier, but her phone was switched off, so he had felt uneasy with worry. He did not expect her to suddenly appear before him...

    If she had onlye over for him, he would feel overjoyed.

    Some things that he had been holding back felt an urge to be expressed right that very moment. After a momentary shock, his handsome face instantly became warm as the wind and a faint curve appeared on his tightly pursed lips as he happily stretched out both hands.

    Just as he spread his arms, Xi Xiaye immediately dove head-in to his embrace. She brought a slight trembling chill with her, and her thin arms hugged him tightly.

    It felt quite surreal like it was a dream. Mu Yuchen was stunned too, then he calmed down and hugged her slightly cold and trembling body. His lowered voice was raspy and sounded like he was reproaching her, ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯s so cold. Don¡¯t you know how to put on more clothes? Why didn¡¯t you give me a heads-up?¡±

    However, his tone was a tender one and had a hint of helplessness.

    Xi Xiaye shrunk slightly and absorbed all the warmth from his chest. Her hands that circled around his waist tightened while her voice came from his embrace difficultly. ¡°I kind of missed you, so I came...I wanted to give you a surprise...¡±

    Upon hearing that, he chuckled and lowered his head to nt a kiss on her forehead. He said raspily, ¡°You know how to let actions show your feelings now, Missus. You¡¯re getting more and more aware.¡±

    ¡°I came from miles and miles away, but you don¡¯t seem very touched!¡± She looked up from his embrace at him. You could see the hidden bitterness in her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know how touched I am.¡± He looked at her meaningfully and then took off his windbreaker to put it on her shoulders.

    Xi Xiaye blushed at that gaze of his. She did not continue talking and only silently looked down for a while. ¡°I¡¯m cold and hungry now, Mr. Mu.¡±

    He then chuckled and held down the surge of emotions in his chest. ¡°This is your true glutton showing, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Then, he put his arm around her shoulders and walked into the hotel...

    Inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s suite¡ª

    Bam!

    The door was quickly opened.

    Li Si and the rest quietly put the documents away.

    ¡°Bring some supper over and some clothes for her to change into,¡± Mu Yuchen ordered.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si answered, then retreated knowingly.

    Bam!

    The door was closed, then Xi Xiaye looked up at the man before her. She met his tender gaze, and the fireworks in his heart found a gap to be released. She could not care less about being reserved as she immediately put her arms on his shoulders and looked at him quietly, her intentions clear...

    ¡°I haven¡¯t recovered from my cold yet...¡±

    They had been married for almost two years now, so they shared chemistry. Mu Yuchen obviously knew what she was thinking about.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you miss me?¡± While she nced at him shyly, Mu Yuchen could obviously feel her arms trembling slightly around his shoulders. He was about to say something but did not want to. She spoke up again, ¡°Whether or not you miss me, the sons and I miss you.¡±

    Then, she tiptoed and her soft, cool lips urately caught his thin, indifferent lips.

    He could not hold himself back as he breathed in deeply and his breath started to quicken. With thest sliver of willpower in him, he said in a raspy voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were hungry?¡±

    ¡°Right now, nothing¡¯s more important than you.¡± She looked up with uneven breathing while flirtatiousness colored between her brows. Once she said that, his rationality crumbled like a dam at sea.

    ¡°Where did you learn to say all this?¡± he asked softly, his gaze avoiding her face.

    ¡°I learned it from you...¡±

    ¡°Have I ever taught you that?¡±

    Why did he not remember?

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

    True, ever since he met her, he had lost all rationality.

    ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll eat somethingter,¡± he said softly, but he did not tell her thatter might be very, very muchter...

    ...

    As expected, after some wanton affection, the husband and wife fell into a deep slumber.

    The next morning, when Mu Yuchen woke up, it was already daybreak.

    Last night¡¯s scene shed in his mind. It all felt like a dream. He lowered his head and subconsciously looked to see the little woman that he was holding tightly in between his arms as his heart softened.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were still closed, butpared to the night before, her fatigue had faded away a bit.

    Her long hair interweaved on her chest like seaweed while her beautiful face was colored with a faint blush. Immediately, he felt...

    He took a deep breath, and with considerable willpower, he carefully pulled her out of his arms. He quickly got out of bed, picked up the clothes from the floor, and casually put them over his shoulders before gently patting the nket that he pulled open back down. Then, he walked to the bathroom.

    ...

    After about half an hour, he changed into a set of clean clothes and walked out of the bedroom all energized. At this moment, Li Si and the rest had already been waiting for a long time outside the suite.

    ¡°Good morning, Master!¡± Mu Yuchen had just opened the door when Li Si greeted him respectfully with two big bags of things in hand. Behind him was an attendant wheeling the dining cart with their breakfast.

    ¡°Master, these are the clothes prepared for Missus. The hotel attendants have prepared a few more. Is Missus awake yet?¡±

    Last night, they had prepared supper, but when he sent it over, the Master had told him to go back and rest. He knew what went down, so he left knowingly.

    ¡°She¡¯s still asleep. Put the things aside first. Let¡¯s rest for a day today,¡± Mu Yuchen sat down leisurely on the sofa and said calmly, his voice still very raspy.

    Li Si nodded. He knew that the Master was being considerate about Missus. That would be good too since the Master had not rested well for quite a few days now. With Missus around, he would probably take it easier and would not work himself to the bone.

    ¡°Got it, Master! Have breakfast first. I¡¯ll get you your medicine.¡±

 Chapter 1213 - Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1213: Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he picked up the magazine before him and began to flip through it.

    ¡°How are things on Zimo¡¯s end?¡± his lowered voice spoke.

    ¡°He¡¯s still slowly recovering. They¡¯ve done a check-up this morning. He¡¯s too severely wounded, so he needs to rest for a while more. With his current situation, the police daren¡¯t do anything to him. Right, Master, Elder Zhou called this morning,¡± Li si said as he quickly handed Mu Yuchen the medicine.

    The attendant left after getting the breakfast ready.

    Mu Yuchen quietly took the medicine and swallowed it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call him backter.¡±

    ¡°Master, do you think Elder Zhou heard something? After all, walls have ears. If we can find out about Qi Feng and the rest, they might know something about us here too. In fact, I think that there¡¯s something strange about the incident this time. The way it has yed out doesn¡¯t seem like a simple framing. An ordinary person would need a reason to do this.¡±

    Li Si said as his expression turned solemn again, ¡°Master Mo himself hasn¡¯t noticed which one was the mole.¡±

    ¡°He trusts his judgment too much. Filter through all those people and look into their background in detail again. Don¡¯t let go of any clues and note down any suspicious situations,¡± Mu Yuchen thought for a moment, then swiftly ordered.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Li Si responded, ¡°Oh right, Master, on City Z¡¯s end, Qi Kai doesn¡¯t seem to be doing too well. Xi Xinyi called. She wants to know what your ns are...¡±

    Xi Xinyi?

    When it came to the incident this time, both she and Qi Lei had been outstanding.

    As Mu Yuchen thought about it, his eyes flickered, then he fell silent for a moment. ¡°Where¡¯s Han Yifeng right now?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still in Boston. His newpany¡¯s expanding there. This year, he¡¯s been running around Boston and San Francisco, but, Master, I heard Ah Bo mention that Han Yifeng will being to New York in the next few days. There¡¯s a discussion for a new product and the meeting location should be nearby.¡±

    Li Si knew about Han Yifeng¡¯s situation like the back of his hand because of this chesspiece, Xi Xinyi. The Master had put in a lot of thought, and now that Xi Xinyi did technically do her part well, she probably wanted to get something from him.

    Han Yifeng wasing to New York?

    Mu Yuchen suddenly fell silent and his dark eyes turned still too. He slowly leaned back against the sofa and seemed to ponder for a long while before he said, ¡°Confirm his travel itinerary and try to arrange for me to meet him.¡±

    Unless Xi Xinyi could turn over a new leaf, Mu Yuchen did not mind helping her seed. After all, she had been a useful chess piece. That also meant that on Xi Mushan¡¯s end...

    When he thought of this, mixed emotions glimmered in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. He did not know whether doing so was right or wrong. He should find a chance to exin all of these to Xiaye.

    Obviously, Mu Yuchen¡¯s words surprised Li Si.

    Li Si knew very well that his Master had not quite liked Han Yifeng, especially because the Missus had once liked him, but he had hurt Missus for Xi Xinyi. Based just on this alone, it was enough to categorize Han Yifeng as trash.

    1However, the fact that the Master could let all of this go and wanted to meet Han Yifeng gave a very clear message!

    ¡°Master, do you want to consider this more? Missus is here. If Han YIfeng sees her...he hasn¡¯t quite given up on her...¡± Li Si probed. He actually did not like Han Yifeng. In fact, every time this name was mentioned, he would be filled with wary and vignce.

    However, when Li Si said that, Mu Yuchen immediately frowned and looked unhappily at him. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you think that there¡¯s any part of me that can¡¯tpare to Han Yifeng?¡±

    1His cold tone made Li Si shudder, so thetter quickly replied, ¡°Master, you¡¯re better than Han Yifeng in everything! Han Yifeng¡¯s not as handsome as you. He doesn¡¯t have your charisma. He¡¯s not even worthy of beingpared to your finger!¡±

    1When he said that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s dismal gaze calmed down a little. He cleared his throat and quietly lowered his head, falling silent...

    No matter what, every time Han Yifeng was brought up, his Master would still be unhappy.

    Li Si could not help but cry over the fact that his Master would be jealous of something so old.

    ¡°I never even saw Han Yifeng aspetition. Whether it¡¯s taste, charisma, or upbringing, he only suits a woman like Xi Xinyi. Don¡¯t put your Missus in the same ss as someone like him.¡±

    1His temper came without a warning and his tone was harsh. Even the air was filled with faint jealousy.

    ¡°Yes, Master! I got it. I will remember! I¡¯ll make the arrangements. Don¡¯t worry, Master! On this earth, only you are suited for Missus. Look how cute the Little Master is. Only a child that Master and Missus gave birth to can...ah¡ª¡± Li Si¡¯s heart tensed as he quickly answered. He wanted to give more praises, yet unexpectedly, as Mu Yuchen kept listening, his expression changed and in the next second, the magazine flew out of his hand and stopped Li Si¡¯s uing words.

    1Shocked, Li Si shut up.

    At this moment, Master Mu suddenly thought that perhaps putting Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi together would be best. That way, he would be certain that Han YIfeng would not have the time to miss his woman since Han Yifeng seemed to have called Xi Xiaye before this.

    He was a man too, and he knew very well what an action like that meant.

    Flowers, calling her...all of that signified that Han Yifeng¡¯s outwardly cold but deeply passionate heart was sprouting for XI Xiaye again!

    Forget about staying friends even if not lovers. Why did Mu Yuchen not stay friends with the women who liked him?

    Now, as he thought about that, he seemed to have neglected Second Master Qi who has always been thinking of Xi Xiaye too!

    1¡°Well, Master, can you guarantee that you¡¯ll persuade Han Yifeng to ept Xi Xinyi again?¡± Li Si asked with puzzlement.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen smiled coldly. ¡°I only promised Xi Xinyi a chance. I didn¡¯t promise her that Han Yifeng would take her back.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye woke up from a drowsy slumber. When she opened her eyes and saw the unfamiliar scene, she was momentarily confused.

    Afterward, her misty eyes became clear again.

    Scenes fromst night shed past her mind, and her face could not help but flush scarlet. After a while, she struggled to get up and soon noticed the clothes prepared for her on the side...

 Chapter 1214 - Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1214: Chasing After A Far Away Husband? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen did not go out that day. After Li Si left, he went to the study desk and took the documents from the table that Li Si had arranged. He turned around in his chair and faced the window before him before silently flipping through them.

    The weather in New York was not that great that day as it was a rainy day. For it to be a rainy day during this season made it quite cold outside. Water droplets gathered at the ss windows, and when you looked out through the French window, the sky seemed gloomy.

    Nevertheless, this did not affect the warmth of the room. The world seemed to suddenly quieten down, so you could asionally hear pages being flipped or a light cough.

    Mu Yuchen was fully focused. When a faint and familiar smell reached his nose and before he could react, a pair of small hands had already gently covered his eyes, so all the scenery was hidden by this pair of fair hands.

    Then, the person did not say anything.

    After a while, he reached up to hold those hands, then pull her into his arms while his soft voice said raspily and sensitively, ¡°Awake?¡±

    Xi Xiaye went along and sat on hisp. She brushed her slightly wet hair and looked at him with bright, starry eyes. ¡°Are you still down with the cold? Has it gone on for a while?¡±

    ¡°Almost recovered. It¡¯s just that my throat¡¯s still hoarse. Are you hungry? Have something to eat,¡± he responded with a hoarse voice while his handsome face brimmed with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, not too hungry.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were hungryst night?¡± He chuckled and squinted at her. His eyes were filled with a meaningful light and his gaze fell onto her fair corbones...

    When she saw his gaze, she felt her face go hot, and then she shot him an embarrassed nce. She pulled up her clothes by her shoulders to cut off his burning gaze. Unexpectedly, he only smiled and said, ¡°What? Do you know how to be shy now? Last night, I didn¡¯t see you...¡±

    ¡°So much to say, hmm? You weren¡¯t shy either!¡±

    Before he could finish, she already seemed annoyed. Her shame was turning into anger now.

    He suddenly lowered his head, but he smiled without a word as his fingers very familiarlybed through her long hair.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that he kept quiet, she asked softly, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Her gaze went to the document in his hand.

    Mu Yuchen wanted to keep it away, but he was toote. Xi Xiaye shot him a suspicious look. ¡°What document is that? Why are you being so mysterious? Won¡¯t you let me take a look?¡±

    As she said that, Mu Yuchen immediately handed the document to her. He said in a low, raspy voice, ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t have any secrets from you. I just didn¡¯t want you to worry too much, but since you want to take a look, then have it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled dly. Then, she pushed his hands away gently. ¡°I don¡¯t want to look then. I trust that as long as you¡¯re good, we¡¯re good. I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Take a look. I came over this time for this too, and right now it¡¯s getting quite sticky. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been stuck here for so long,¡± Mu Yuchen sighed and said.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye was stunned. She was not too clear about the actual situation, but she vaguely knew that something had happened to Zhou Zimo over here. She rarely saw him looking this downcast. Now that she thought about it, the situation must be a tough one to handle.

    She thought about it for a moment, then Xi Xiaye looked through the document, the more she read it, the heavier her expression looked. Towards the end, her brows were furrowed into a knot...

    ¡°How did this happen? Did he sustain such severe injuries? How is he now?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but worry as she asked.

    No wonder after her conversation with Su Chen that night, Su Chen looked worried too. He was about to curse at Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo.

    However, right now, why did Zhou Zimo¡¯s incident seem so familiar?

    She remembered that because of Gu Lingsha¡¯s drug use, she was still detained at the police station and had not been released till now. Qi Kai and the Hui Gu Corporation were affected, and their stocks fell tremendously. Now, Qi Kai was a mess.

    As she thought about it, the incident seemed eerily simr to Zhou Zimo¡¯s situation.

    Xi Xiaye seemed to have some thoughts. She was afraid that after knowing about the problem over here, he decided to copy it and use the same method.

    Had that incident been arranged by Mu Yuchen?

    Su Chen had said that at the time he only called the police over and that everything else had been arranged otherwise...

    When she thought about that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze suddenly froze and she stared at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°He¡¯s conscious now. His injuries are quite severe, so he needs to stay hospitalized for observation. Otherwise, he might need to be brought straight back to the police station to be detained, and that¡¯s why before that, I need to find some strong evidence to prove his innocence,¡± Mu Yuchen exined, the gloom in his tone evident.

    Xi Xiaye paused for a while as she could not help but worry. ¡°But if the evidence is really conclusive, I¡¯m afraid this won¡¯t be resolved so easily. You haven¡¯t told the Zhou family people about this, have you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could imagine that if the Elder from the Zhou family found out about this, he would just faint from anger!

    ¡°Elder Zhou¡¯s not been in the pink of healthtely, so we¡¯ll try not to mention it to him if it can be resolved. Besides, it¡¯s a good thing to keep this a secret from them. Their statuses don¡¯t make them suitable to handle this issue. This was also what Zimo was worried about.¡±

    Elder Zhou was someone who was in the military field while the Zhou family was also important in the political field and the entire family did things with extreme caution. If they knew what happened to Zhou Zimo, it would not be a good thing.

    ¡°But the truth wille out eventually...¡± Xi Xiaye hesitated.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take it one step at a time. Right now, the situation¡¯s not that adverse. When Zimo¡¯s recovered a little more, it¡¯ll be better for us to act.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯sposure returned.

    Xi Xiaye breathed in and nodded. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s the only way. Right, there¡¯s one more thing I wanted to ask you...¡± she hesitated but finally could not help but ask.

    ¡°Mmm? What is it?¡± Mu Yuchen answered, rxed. His long fingers were casually fixing her beautiful long hair as he said in a lowered voice, ¡°It seems like your hair¡¯s gotten longer recently. You¡¯ll need to get it cutter on. Otherwise, it¡¯ll just be hard for you to manage.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t look good with short hair, Mr. Mu.¡±

 Chapter 1215 - Fall Out Once Again! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1215: Fall Out Once Again! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She turned around, her bright starry eyes meeting his and he subconsciously reached to touch her head.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen onlyughed softly, his sensitive voiceing through. ¡°You¡¯re notpeting with those showy young girls anyway. You¡¯re married, and you¡¯re now the mother of two children, so why do you care about those things for? You just do whatever makes you feelfortable. Only I have the right to the ownership anyway, and I think you look nice no matter what,¡± he domineeringly and seriously announced his right to his property.

    1¡°Is that so?¡± She thenughed gently, breathed in, and continued, ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore. Let¡¯s continue what we were talking about earlier. You arranged for Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    When he heard that, he was stunned and a mix of emotions bubbled in his eyes as he looked at her. He slowly lowered his gaze and responded without denying it, ¡°Isn¡¯t the answer quite obvious? I admit that it¡¯s not the best of methods, but I didn¡¯t have any other good ideas then. When Qi Lei called me, you don¡¯t know how I...¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough¡ª¡± When she saw that his eyes were unusually dark, she cut him off and stopped his oing words with her hand.

    Her gentle little face only shed with a tender smile as she held his head and nted a kiss on his cool lips while watching him. ¡°So what if it wasn¡¯t the best? I like that you were unscrupulous for me. If it were me, I would¡¯ve done the same for you, Mr. Mu.¡±

    He paused, and moments after that, he smiled dly. With a long arm, he hugged her tightly. ¡°Missus, am I that important to you now?¡±

    She immediately nodded hard, her bright eyes filled with warmth and sincerity. ¡°Yes, very important!¡±

    ¡°How important? Can I take the first spot now?¡± he continued to ask.

    ¡°What about me? Where do I stand in your heart?¡±

    ¡°Apart from number one, no other spot can fit you,¡± he answered frankly

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she could not help but feel a sourness in her heart. Some of her suppressed emotions would always be so easily riled up by him. She suddenly hugged him by the shoulders.

    ¡°Me too, Mr. Mu. For you, I sometimes wish I can give you all that I have. Even if I have to lose all my family¡¯s fortune, as long as you¡¯re happy, I will. When I want to help you, I always feel so useless. When ites to these things, I don¡¯t know what I can do.¡±

    She knew that his persevering heart was long worn out, but apart from guarding quietly by his side, it seemed like there was not much else she could do. She was too limited in power. Even if she wanted to help with many things, it did not mean she could.

    When she said that, it surprised Master Mu. He squinted and stared at her for a long while, then his handsome face blushed as he cleared his throat and lowered his gaze. He could not help but chuckle and reply softly, ¡°Missus Mu, your love is expressed so clearly. It makes your husband feel a bit at a loss.¡±

    ¡°Are you pretending to be all serious again?!¡± Xi Xiaye refuted with a re.

    He caught her hand that came at him, then he said with a lowered voice, ¡°Okay, I told you before that I don¡¯t need you to do anything. Just stay by my side. You don¡¯t seem to be doing too well without me around. You¡¯ve be thinner, and this part here wasn¡¯t thatrge, to begin with. Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± His longer fingers gently pinched her waist, andstly, his gaze fell on her chest.

    1She turned her face to the side and responded unhappily, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then you¡¯re allowed to go look for bigger buns¡ª¡±

    ¡°But I like your size, Missus!¡± Mu Yuchen immediately expressed his loyalty.

    ¡°I find that you¡¯re bing more and more vulgar with age, Mr. Mu.¡± She frowned and squinted at him.

    At the sight of her tensed up little face, heughed softly. ¡°Your Mr. Mu is getting old now, and more vulgar.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll find you a younger one.¡±

    ¡°What a heartless woman! Didn¡¯t you just say that you were willing to give me your all!?¡±

    ¡°I just said that to curry your favor...ah¡ª¡±

    ...

    The husband and wife messed around for a bit before Mu Yuchen dragged Xi Xiaye down for lunch, then the couple finally calmed down.

    ¡°On City Z¡¯s end, Gu Qiwu and Qi Feng probably aren¡¯t doing well. Gu Lingsha¡¯s still detained at the police station, but I heard that Qi Feng¡¯s working hard at the city hall. I¡¯m not sure if they can get Gu Lingsha out soon enough. Also, Detective Zhang hasn¡¯t gotten back with any news. There¡¯s been no news whatsoever for a while now. I tried to contact him a few days ago, but his phone was switched off,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she opened her mouth to eat the steak that Mu Yuchen fed her.

    ¡°Did Doris do anything?¡± Mu Yuchen took a bite too as he looked up to ask her.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it, then shook her head. ¡°No, ever since she got the divorce from Gu Qiwu, she doesn¡¯t seem to be doing much, but because of the divorce and Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident, the Hui Gu Corporation was affected badly. I think Gu Qiwu¡¯s quite stressed out. As for Doris, I think she might just be waiting and watching. If they have internal strife right now, they¡¯ll be done for,¡± Xi Xiaye quite straightforwardly pointed out her thoughts.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and stuffed another piece of cut-up steak into her mouth.

    ¡°She¡¯s quite smart,¡± he said, and then a sneer shed across his face.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, you couldn¡¯t find any clues over here about that incident?¡± When Xi Xiaye saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s gloomy gaze, she suddenly thought about Mu Lingtian¡¯s incident.

    Mu Yuchen knew what she was thinking about and the curve on his lips widened. ¡°There¡¯s nothing this watertight. I trust my gut feeling.¡±

    ¡°But Doris...I feel like she¡¯s too rational, and she¡¯s good at covering up too. Otherwise, if she had really done those things, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it so cleanly. Furthermore, by now, so much time has passed...¡±

    ¡°No need to be so pessimistic. I feel like we¡¯re getting closer to the truth and this is now a key time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye slowly swallowed her food. ¡°Why don¡¯t you investigate the people that Doris had close interactions with back then?¡±

    ¡°Ah Bao and the rest have been doing this. Otherwise, why do you think I¡¯d trust my gut feeling so much?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled and said.

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xiaye had a thought and she quickly asked, ¡°Do you have a lead?¡±

 Chapter 1216 - Fall Out Once Again! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1216: Fall Out Once Again! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He just smiled as his eyes exuded a mysterious charm. He did not deny it.

    ¡°Ah Bo found something very interesting during his investigation. Although there¡¯s still a need for verification, these hints confirmed my suspicion.¡±

    Interesting things?

    Xi Xiaye frowned, but she could not figure it out. She took a sip of her juice and then said, ¡°Well, you should still be careful. Just like you said, Doris isn¡¯t an easy opponent. I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯ll do if she finds out.

    ¡°Regarding Zhou Zimo¡¯s matter...is there anything that I can help with? You¡¯ve been staying here for so long that our son¡¯s been looking everywhere for you before he goes to sleep every night.¡± She looked at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave things over there to you. Our sons...¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his head and took a deep breath, ¡°Zimo can¡¯t handle it alone here. I have to look after him.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mean it that way. I understand Zhou Zimo and you are good friends, so it only makes sense for you to help him out...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue because she understood that while Mu Yuchen truly loved her, he was also a loyal friend. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo definitely had an important ce in his heart, and it was probably the same in reverse.

    Otherwise, Su Chen would not have been so angry.

    Xi Xiaye gave it some thought before saying, ¡°Mr. Mu, I support everything that you do without a doubt.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was gentle as he just sliced up the steak quietly...

    ...

    Compared to the heartwarming scene here, a storm was brewing over City Z.

    The long national day holidays arrived right after the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it should be a rxing time, but there were some people who were strained.

    Qi Kai was not doing well, and City B was not doing any better either. Although the market was closed during this long holiday, they could expect what would happen when the market reopened. The drop in their share prices would be shocking.

    Gu Lingsha was still locked up in the police station, so Qi Feng sent awyer there to keep an eye on things. The police could not get anything out from Gu Lingsha, so all they could do was just supervise her.

    The weather was getting cold as autumn arrived, especially during such a windy and cloudy day.

    Qi Feng¡¯s mood was simr to the weather. When Morrison helped him into the police station, his expression was calm.

    ¡°Master, Missus is right inside. Her emotions are a little unstable...¡± Morrison suddenly stopped as they arrived at the door.

    Qi Feng nced at the door before him. ¡°Open it.¡±

    Morrison then opened the door as ordered.

    Only Gu Lingsha was inside the interrogation room. She was grabbing her hair as her whole body was curled up.

    She looked towards the door when she heard noises.

    Her ck hair was totally messed up while her pretty little face was pale and she seemed exhausted. It was obvious that her past few days had been horrible.

    ¡°Ah Feng, you¡¯re here!¡±

    She stood up immediately the moment she saw Qi Feng and her eyes widened as she looked at him. Her gaze was filled with helplessness.

    ¡°Why are you only here now? Why did you juste?!¡±

    Dumbfounded, Qi Feng took a deep breath and nced at Morrison who quickly moved him closer towards Gu Lingsha so that he was stopped right opposite her.

    ¡°Leave us for now,¡± Qi Feng looked at Gu Lingsha as he spoke to Morrison.

    Morrison nced through the interrogation room before whispering to Qi Feng, ¡°Master, there are no security cameras here.¡±

    Qi Feng nodded and Morrison quickly left the room.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha calmed down a little after she heard the sound of the door closing. She called out to him again before speaking up angrily, ¡°I really didn¡¯t take drugs. Those aren¡¯t mine! It must be that witch Xi Xiaye who framed me. Just look at how confident she seemed that night. She must have nned this!¡±

    Gu Lingsha kept thinking about it these past few days. She realized that it was not a coincidence, so she came to the conclusion that Xi Xiaye had framed her!

    Moreover, Xi Xiaye was the only one who could have gotten close to her that night. Who else could have hated her so much to frame her like this?

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s hatred towards Xi Xiaye only grew every day, especially in the past few days. Qi Feng did not visit her at all and only gotwyers to see her. Although she had been asked to calm down and refrain from speaking too much, Doris still sent someone over to check up on her, but Gu Qiwu was nowhere to be seen at all!

    ¡°Framing...you¡¯ll need to prove that you¡¯re being framed. The police found those stuff in your bag and your blood samples proved that as well. Shasha, how can you prove that Xi Xiaye framed you?¡±

    While Qi Feng was worried about Gu Lingsha, her unreasonable release of anger annoyed him.

    ¡°It¡¯s her! It must be her! Who else would¡¯ve done that except her? Do you think there¡¯s someone else? Didn¡¯t you see how cheeky she was acting that night? She probably nned it all along! Ah Feng, you told me that you¡¯d take revenge for me. How did things turn out like this? Xi Xiaye is fine, yet I¡¯m stuck here...¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s angry tone was filled with suspicion.

 Chapter 1217 - Fall Out Once Again! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1217: Fall Out Once Again! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    No matter how hard she tried to stayposed, she could not hide her frustration when she saw Qi Feng¡¯s calm manner.

    How could he act so indifferently as her husband after all that she had gone through!?

    1Especially now that she voiced out herints, he was actually unhappy with her. Gu Lingsha¡¯s patience was reaching its peak.

    ¡°Shasha, what happened to your sound mind?¡± Qi Feng frowned as he looked at Gu Lingsha who seemed a little frightening at the moment. ¡°I know it¡¯s been tough for you here. Everyone¡¯s trying to get you out. However, I hope you can think about the consequences before you speak. If you don¡¯t have any evidence to prove that Xi Xiaye did it, you shouldn¡¯t have used her! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be the one who suffers instead of her!¡±

    Qi Feng was not wrong at all. If anyone knew about it, Mu Yuchen might use it against them. He might really get Gu Lingsha into trouble and sue her for defamation. He could even make her issue a formal apology towards Xi Xiaye in public, and things might get worse!

    A detail-oriented person like Mu Yuchen was extremely terrifying! He would not let go of anything that he could use as a weapon.

    While Qi Feng figured all this out, Gu Lingsha did not understand his thoughts at all, and her expression was horrible the moment she heard his words. She stared at him coldly and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Qi Feng! You keep speaking of evidence, but you¡¯re just trying to defend Xi Xiaye! Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice how much fun the two of you were having that night? Evidence? What¡¯s the evidence? My words are evidence! Are you unhappy that I speak of her like this? Who knows? You might have been the one who warned her about what might happen. And she tried to pretend to be wary, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Gu Lingsha mmed the table as she stood up, ring at Qi Feng from above and sounding furious. ¡°Even an idiot would know she did this. How could you still be defending her?¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha, I¡¯ve told you that there¡¯s nothing between Xi Xiaye and me. Suit yourself if you insist that there¡¯s something going on between us! If you¡¯re so sure that it¡¯s Xi Xiaye, she came inte and never left the room after she came in, so how did she do it?¡±

    Qi Feng was getting infuriated by Gu Lingsha. His expression darkened as he looked straight at her. ¡°How could she get close to you and evenmit those acts right under everyone¡¯s noses?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was stunned, but instead of reflecting, her anger rose. ¡°Qi Feng! I don¡¯t understand what benefits she gave you. Why do you keep trying to defend her?! Does she have to do it herself? Even I can figure this out. How can you defend her like it¡¯s nothing?! Do you really think that I¡¯m an idiot? Why aren¡¯t you talking now? Are you speechless?¡±

    Her emotions were getting out of control and tears started welling up in her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m trapped in here, and you didn¡¯t evene to see me. When you¡¯re finally here, you start defending Xi Xiaye from the get-go! Qi Feng, don¡¯t forget about the conflict between Mu Yuchen and you. Xi Xiaye is his woman and Mu Yuchen loves her very much! Shouldn¡¯t you be making her suffer in order to teach Mu Yuchen a lesson? You¡¯ve changed! Ah Feng, you¡¯ve changed!¡± Gu Lingsha shrieked.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened as he could not stand her anymore.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Gu Lingsha! Don¡¯t make this worse than it already is! What should I do to have you trust me? Xi Xiaye and I don¡¯t have the kind of rtionship you¡¯re imagining. I wouldn¡¯t get close to her if not for revenge,¡± Qi Feng raised his voice slightly, ¡°Your emotions have been fluctuatingtely. You should rest at home if you¡¯re able to get out of here safely. You ought to see a psychiatrist!¡±

    ¡°Are you hinting that something¡¯s wrong with my brain? Are you?¡± Gu Lingsha was enraged!

    ¡°I just think you need to calm down. Your sudden changes baffle me. I think you¡¯re under too much pressure and it¡¯s causing you to be stressed out. You need to calm down. Calm down! Just stay with Weiwei for some time!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s cold reply was mixed with disappointment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want that! Do you think that I¡¯m annoying now? Do you?! Now that you¡¯ve almost taken over Qi Kai, you want me to get lost?¡± Gu Lingsha was really worked up as she stared at him!

    While Doris¡¯s words shed in her mind again, all the anxieties and fears within her gushed up all at once!

    Qi Feng did not expect Gu Lingsha to think this way!

    Since when did her trust towards him be so weak?

    It shattered with just a little poke!

    Qi Feng had a wry smile on his face. ¡°Taken over Qi Kai? Gu Lingsha, you probably don¡¯t know, but because of you, both Qi Kai and the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s shares are suffering terribly. We are on the verge of facing bankruptcy! Why can¡¯t you think of the consequences, you idiot? Do you think that matter was just a simple act by Xi Xiaye?¡±

 Chapter 1218 - Fall Out Once Again! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1218: Fall Out Once Again! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Feng could not take the pressure anymore and startedshing out at her. He felt exhausted. Besides the conflict with Mu Yuchen and Qi Kai¡¯s matter, what really made him stressed out was actually Gu Lingsha.

    Qi Feng did not realize when he started losing patience towards Gu Lingsha.

    Gu Lingsha had changed drastically since long ago. She was no longer understanding. Instead, she was getting more and more suspicious and anxious about him. She wouldin the moment she ran into some issue and would act up like this when he did something she disliked.

    1Thepany was in a mess because of her. Gu Lingsha probably had no idea how much effort he put in to solve the issues. He thought she would be able to listen to him calmly, but not only was she not understanding at all, but she also started ming him and criticizing him...

    Qi Feng was tired. Gu Lingsha was not the only one suffering from this incident, was she?

    He had it rough too, but did hein at all?

    Just having to face her parents, Gu Qiwu and Doris, was enough to traumatize him.

    However, Gu Lingsha did not care at all. Her heart was filled with hatred and she could not listen to anything else. She did not want an exnation from Qi Feng at all because the more she heard, the more she doubted him.

    She felt odd about Qi Feng¡¯s attitude towards her recently. She found Qi Feng to be fairly trustworthy before, but that thought of hers was being challenged, especially after this incident!

    ¡°Qi Feng, I¡¯m the one getting hurt here! You¡¯ll never know how it feels to be trapped here! You mentioned that something is odd here. What about Xi Xiaye then? I asked why she¡¯s totally fine. I didn¡¯t even know what you were trying to do. Only Morrison and you knew about the n. Could Xi Xiaye have predicted what might¡¯ve happened then? Otherwise, why didn¡¯t I see anything that I wanted to? You¡¯re disappointed? I¡¯m even more disappointed in you?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s anger was reaching its peak and she looked at Qi Feng with a dissatisfied expression.

    ¡°You need to keep calm. It might not be a bad thing for you to stay inside. I think you need to stay calm. Yourints are getting hard to bear, and it¡¯s not going to solve any issues!¡± Enraged, Qi Feng¡¯s voice was filled with anger.

    ¡°Keep calm? I¡¯m calm! You¡¯re the one who needs to clear your mind. I¡¯m just voicing out my doubts, yet you¡¯re already quick to defend that witch Xi Xiaye. Do you think I¡¯m a fool? Why are you bing like Qi Lei? Why is everyone defending her? Even my daughter is being influenced! Qi Feng, don¡¯t think that I¡¯m a fool. You¡¯re trying toy a path for Xi Xiaye and making Weiwei like her. Are you trying to kick me out and bring her into the Qi family? Say something!¡±

    1Qi Feng¡¯s expression had gotten worse. ¡°Gu Lingsha, just what nonsense are you going on about?! How many times do I need to exin that there¡¯s nothing between Xi Xiaye and me?! Stop doubting us!¡±

    ¡°Nothing? If there¡¯s nothing then why did you send her flowers? And why would she send you some back? Why would she give an umbre to Weiwei? Also, why didn¡¯t I see the lesson you said you were going to teach her this time? The two of you even traded nces many times over the course of the dinner. Do you think that I¡¯m blind? At least, give me some solid reasons!¡±

    Gu Lingsha obviously did not believe him. In this current situation, no woman could probably face this calmly.

    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable!¡± Qi Feng did know not what to say anymore because exining to Gu Lingsha right now was like reasoning with a mad person!

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m unreasonable, alright! Qi Feng, I¡¯ve always been a straightforward person. If you abandon me for some other woman one day, you know what I¡¯m capable of! I¡¯ll be sure to show that woman a lesson, and you¡¯ll regret it for the rest of your life! You hear me!¡± Gu Lingsha felt a strain on her chest as she stared at him coldly.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! Shut up, Gu Lingsha! You¡¯d better shut up before there¡¯s any proof. Simply doubting everything doesn¡¯t help, and you¡¯re even trying to threaten me now! You know what I hate the most!¡± Qi Feng raised his voice as he could not suppress his anger anymore.

    ¡°Have you forgotten what you said to me before? You said that you¡¯d bear with me and protect me no matter what I do. Are those all empty words now? I bet my whole life onto you, and this is how you treat me?¡± Gu Lingsha was almost exploding and fire nearly burned her eyes!

    Qi Feng clenched his teeth as he looked at the ferocious-looking Gu Lingsha. With anger and helplessness mixed together in his heart, he knew that it was not a good time to talk, so he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue with you right now. I¡¯m just stating the truth. I hope you can calm down. I¡¯ll try my best to get you out of here, but you should really stop talking about that nonsense again. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that stupid!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s eyes were cold. Before waiting for Gu Lingsha¡¯s reply, he turned around and moved towards the door.

    ¡°Morrison!¡±

    However, before Morrison could answer, there was a loud noise.

    Thump!

    Thud!

    Gu Lingsha flipped the table over as her furious voice echoed in the room, ¡°Getting impatient with me, aren¡¯t you?! What do you mean by ¡®you¡¯ll try¡¯? Morrison said the exact same thingst time! Or was your n just to make me stay here?¡±

    ¡°I want to leave here! Right now! Do you hear me?!¡±

 Chapter 1219 - Fall Out Once Again! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1219: Fall Out Once Again! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Herrge movements made Qi Feng halt his movements.

    His body froze a little as he turned around.

    The table was flipped over and Gu Lingsha looked like she had lost her mind...

    He felt helpless and exhausted while his patience was reaching its end.

    ¡°Shasha, you¡¯ve changed a lot. I¡¯ve never forgotten about our promise. At least, I¡¯ll still honor the promise. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being heartless. You¡¯ve really been challenging my patiencetely. Do not push me.¡± Qi Feng then looked away.

    Someone from the outside came in after hearing all the ruckus.

    It was Morrison and two officers. The officers frowned when they saw the mess inside.

    ¡°Master, what happened?¡± Morrison asked carefully as he nced at Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Qi Feng did not answer the question.

    ¡°Qi Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha yelled his name when he acted coldly.

    As if he did not hear anything, he continued to move forward. Morrison did not ask further questions and quickly followed him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go away, Qi Feng! We¡¯re not done here!¡± Gu Lingsha tried to follow him, but the officers stopped her.

    Qi Feng soon vanished out of the door, and Gu Lingsha started crying uncontrobly...

    ...

    On the way back to the Qi residence, Qi Feng was silent the whole trip. His expression was grim and his eyes were filled withplexity.

    Morrison was observing Qi Feng from the rearview mirror. After a while, he said, ¡°Master, Missus probably got locked up for too long and became a little too worked up. Don¡¯t worry about it. We just need to keep calm in order to solve the issue.¡±

    ¡°Morrison, what do you think about this incident? Just tell me the first thing thates to your mind,¡± Qi Feng said quietly as he pinched the space between his eyebrows.

    Morrison gave it some thought. ¡°From what we know right now, it¡¯s not just a random coincidence. Master, our people called just now and said they saw someone at the za nearby. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be interested in him.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Qi Feng raised his head and looked straight at him.

    Morrison put on a mysterious smile as he said coldly, ¡°Su Chen! Mu Yuchen¡¯s good brother! I don¡¯t believe his appearance was just a coincidence! Someone saw him in the parking lot!¡±

    ¡°Moreover, he also met Xi Xiaye after that! I think the incident must be rted to him!¡± Morrison¡¯s smile grew colder.

    Qi Feng squinted his eyes. ¡°So, do you mean that Su Chen is the one behind this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it shouldn¡¯t be that far off! With Mu Yuchen out of City Z at the moment, he might be controlling things behind the scene too. We also can¡¯t rule out the possibility that Xi Xiaye asked Su Chen for help.¡±

    ¡°Can we find something out from the police?¡± Qi Feng asked.

    Morrison shook his head. ¡°They keep their mouths really tightly, so I can¡¯t get anything from them. It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll work. I can only check who was present at that time. However, I think that even Mu Yuchen can¡¯t be the one doing this. It¡¯s more possible that Xi Xiaye is behind this.¡±

    Morrison gave Xi Xiaye some credit as he still remembered that she had given Gu Lingsha some trouble before! Moreover, judging from Xi Xiaye¡¯s reaction the other day, she seemed indifferent and confident.

    Morrison was inclined to think that Xi Xiaye was pushing the me towards Mu Yuchen, but Qi Feng was not in total agreement with that line of thought.

    Qi Fengughed coldly a whileter. ¡°If that¡¯s true, she¡¯d be a formidable foe. No wonder Mu Yuchen isn¡¯t interested in Shasha!¡± His heart sank a little.

    1Xi Xiaye and Gu Lingsha were notparable at all!

    What good could in beauty do?

    Gu Lingsha totally lost her cool when faced with such a situation. Besides not helping, she was making things worse!

    ¡°Master, I¡¯m sure Missus has her good points. I guess this incident really scared her and made her lose her cool!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to defend her. I know her better than anyone else. She¡¯s overly sensitive. You¡¯ve seen how she treated me over these years. She takes action whenever any woman gets close to me. She still acted calmly, so I just let her do whatever she wanted, but Xi Xiaye was different. Mu Yuchen wasn¡¯t an easy opponent as well.¡±

    ¡°Master, did we overestimate Mu Yuchen?¡± Morrison frowned as he asked.

    ¡°Overestimate him?¡± Qi Fengughed coldly...

    ¡°I¡¯m more afraid of underestimating him, he always pulls off big moves, just like how he destroyed Yueying Culture Media Company, I¡¯m worried that we might fall into the same trap as well.¡±

    Qi Feng sighed.

    ¡°It won¡¯t happen as long as we¡¯re alert! Mu Yuchen is probably facing a mess right now. I doubt he has any time to deal with us at the moment!¡±

    1¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him anymore, and don¡¯t tell anyone what we talked about today. Now, find a way to schedule a meeting with Doris. I have something to discuss with her,¡± Qi Feng took a deep breath and said quietly.

    ¡°Doris? Master, she seems to be very concerned over Missus. Inparison, Gu Qiwu was pretty cold. Could he be giving up on Missus and prioritizing Mu Lingshi right now? I heard he¡¯s very inclined towards her!¡±

    Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s actions were obvious to see.

    ¡°You should find a way to let Doris know that.¡± Qi Feng put on a cold smile

 Chapter 1220 - Gentle Like Water (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1220: Gentle Like Water (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The cold rain continued on for two days, not showing any signs of stopping in the evening the next day.

    Mu Yuchen had been busy after lunch. When Xi Xiaye was beside him, she only saw him taking phone calls and looking through document after document. There were also two blondewyers who dropped by in the evening.

    He spoke with them in fluent English. Xi Xiaye listened and somewhat figured that he wanted to save Zhou Zimo no matter what the cost was.

    Xi Xiaye could not help at all, except for staying by his side and serving them some snacks.

    The sky turned dark as time passed.

    It was pretty boring for Xi Xiaye to stay in the room for two days. She stayed in the bedroom most of the time iso that she would not bother their conversation.

    The night scene in New York was beautiful despite such weather.

    As Xi Xiaye opened the window, a cool breeze brushed past her along with the fragrance of some unknown flowers...

    She was missing her son, but it did not seem like a good time to call Zhuang Shurong right now. She just looked at the photos they sent over to kill time.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Thinking about our son?¡±

    1As Xi Xiaye was in deep thought, a hand appeared on her waist and embraced her from behind. Suddenly, arge hand grabbed her phone.

    1¡°He looks a bit bigger now after not seeing him for a few days,¡± he said gently beside her ear.

    She chuckled and looked at him. ¡°You can tell he got bigger from just that? You don¡¯t seem all concerned about them at all.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Are you saying that I don¡¯t care? Didn¡¯t I always ask about them whenever I called you? There should still be some difference in treatment between the children and the children¡¯s mother. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that I care about you more?¡± he said as a matter-of-factly.

    Although his sons were cute, he would never tell her that she was the most important person to him. He probably prioritized himself after her too. After all, she was the one who gave his life meaning.

    ¡°Am I really that great? Do I have the potential to be a luscious woman then?¡± Her smile was brilliant.

    ¡°Luscious? Aside from needing to be drop-dead gorgeous, one would also need to make a man lust for them, using all kinds of tricks to keep a man¡¯s heart. How many of those do you have?¡± He grinned.

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m too in?¡± She raised her eyebrows.

    ¡°You¡¯re not someone like that, but you¡¯re great. I¡¯ve started to feel that I¡¯ve been closer to the sun ever since I met you.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    Her heart turned all soft as she turned around and looked deeply into his eyes. ¡°Me too...Mr. Mu, you¡¯re...the best person to me in the world...You¡¯re so great that I feel like I own the whole world every time I think of you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve told you that there¡¯s nothing but benefits when you married me, and I¡¯ll keep my end of the promise.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?! I¡¯m almost 30 now. Will you still treat me the same when I get old and ugly? What if my body goes out of shape after I give birth to a daughter? Every time I attend banquets or dinners, many men like to bring their young female secretaries along instead of their own partners...¡± She frowned and voiced out her concerns.

    He put her phone away and patted her head. ¡°What are you thinking about? You banned female secretaries around me, didn¡¯t you? Moreover, I don¡¯t like being around those women. What a big loss for me!¡±

    ¡°Big loss?¡± She was surprised.

    ¡°You know that I¡¯m always stingy towards other women. Not only do I not send any gifts, but I also won¡¯t even treat them to a meal. I doubt women will like a man like me.¡±

    She chuckled after hearing his humorous remark! ¡°Were you actually thinking of splitting the bill with me the first time we met?¡±

    He smiled quietly and his arm tightened around her waist.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question!¡± She was looking forward to hearing his answer.

    Women were auditory creatures. They would insist on hearing something being said directly.

    ¡°I kind of feel that I¡¯m getting a beer bellytely. Are you going to abandon me because of that?¡± He asked her before waiting for her reply, ¡°And didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t going to have any more children?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯d still like a daughter. We already have two sons! It¡¯d be perfect if we had a daughter!¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she said.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°What if you get another son again? Even if you¡¯re not tired of them, I am!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t afford it, so why are you so against it? However, it does seem weird. Xiao Cheng is getting bigger, and we haven¡¯t been taking any precautions. Then, why...¡±

    ¡°Your body is frail. The doctor says you need to eat more in order to be fit for pregnancy!¡± he quickly interrupted her sentence.

    ¡°Really?¡± Xi Xiaye rubbed her belly and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to rest well. You¡¯d better refrain from drinking and smoking. I want to have a beautiful girl...¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we adopt a daughter too? We should stop...¡±

    Knowing her, she would be devastated to find out the truth about her body.

    After herst delivery, the doctor had said that the chances of her getting pregnant again would be minimal. It was nothing to him as he only wanted one son, but she thought differently.

    ¡°No way!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave this to nature. Xiaye, aren¡¯t you worried about whether I can stand restraining myself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really going to be 30 years old soon after another year. Can¡¯t you think of something else aside from those things?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows!

    She was giving him a lesson instead. Who else was he doing this for? Who else had given him so much trouble before!?

 Chapter 1221 - Gentle Like Water (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1221: Gentle Like Water (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye patted his hand when she noticed his slightly darkened eyes. ¡°What¡¯s that expression? Don¡¯t you agree with what I said?¡±

    He quickly replied, ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll listen to whatever you say. We won¡¯t force it and just let nature take its course. Our sons are still young anyway. Aren¡¯t you worried that your hands might be tied? You¡¯re still young after all. Even our mothers look like they are just over 30 years old. You¡¯re pretty much a teenager at this point.¡±

    He noticed this little woman of his was beginning to worry about her age as ofte. She often asked him if she was looking old or if she had gotten fat.

    ¡°You¡¯re brushing me off!¡± She rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. What happened to your confidence?¡± He looked at her helplessly while she gave him an odd nce. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Am I really that handsome?¡±

    She coughed lightly and smiled. ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m trying to imagine how you¡¯d look if you get fat with a beer belly as big as a baby bump...I suppose I wouldn¡¯t have that muchpetition if you were like that.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to keep myself in check.¡±

    ¡°Not giving up your assets that¡¯ll get you girls, huh?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re interested in me because I¡¯m good looking, aren¡¯t you?¡± he spoke as he dragged her along, ¡°Come inside. It¡¯s cold out here.¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Xi Xiaye followed him inside the room.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go and take a walk around tonight.¡± He would not want her toe all the way here for nothing.

    ¡°It¡¯s wet outside anyway. Let¡¯s just stay inside and watch movies. There¡¯s a kitchen here, isn¡¯t there? Why don¡¯t you cook something? It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve eaten your cooking¡ª¡± Xi Xiaye still liked his cooking best.

    ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± he asked as he was about to prepare the ingredients.

    ¡°Honey-sauce steak...mmm, and...¡± Xi Xiaye named several dishes. Mu Yuchen quickly got the waiter to prepare the ingredients, and they hastily sent the ingredients over in just a while.

    The two of them started cooking in the kitchen.

    ¡°Let me give Li Si and Xu Yayan a call. I¡¯ll get them toe over for dinner as well, and I¡¯ll also prepare some soup for Zhou Zimo.¡± Xi Xiaye had been here for two days, but she had not seen Zhou Zimo, so she nned to visit him that night.

    Mu Yuchen just quietly prepared the ingredients. ¡°Sure, don¡¯t add onions. He hates the smell.¡±

    ¡°You guys sure have the same taste. I heard from Ji Zitong that Su Chen doesn¡¯t like it too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused as he was reminded of something interesting. He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not that they hate it, but they are traumatized.¡±

    ¡°Traumatized?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows out of curiosity.

    ¡°When we were still in school, they liked to y cards along with Ah Mo. The loser would have to eat raw onions, and Zhou Zimo ate the most among them.¡±

    ¡°Zhou Zimo? Why?¡± Xi Xiaye was interested in their story.

    ¡°Because he¡¯s stupid!¡± Mu Yuchen was awfully blunt. ¡°Su Chen often cheated, but Zhou Zimo never realized it after so many years.¡±

    ¡°Who thought of an idea like that? You guys waged to eat onions instead of betting money?¡±

    ¡°Me!¡± Mu Yuchen replied right away.

    Xi Xiaye...

    Li Si and Xu Yayan arrived when dinner was almost ready.

    They had a good chat during dinner. Xi Xiaye was quiet when they started to talk about Zhou Zimo¡¯s matter, and she just refilled their wine sses. She somehow figured out Zhou Zimo¡¯s situation by listening to their conversation.

    Because they actually found arge amount on Zhou Zimo, it was not easy to get him out.

    The problem Mu Yuchen needed to solve here was to stabilize thepany internally and find the mole. They also need to deal with the police and keep Zhou Zimo safe.

    They had been more worried when Zhou Zimo was still unconscious. Luckily, they had some leads now.

    When Mu Yuchen arrived at the hospital, the police had just finished interrogating Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo had mostly recovered. If things were still unresolved after a few days, he would have to go to the police station.

    ¡°Stay outside and keep on guard,¡± Zhou Zimo finished the soup as he said to Xu Yayan.

    Xu Yayan nodded and traded nces with Li Si before leaving the room together. She wanted to leave as well, but Mu Yuchen stopped her. ¡°Xiaye, there¡¯s some tea in the cupboard. Make some for us.¡±

    He then helped Zhou Zimo to move towards the sofa.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and started boiling some water while the men sat down and started talking.

    ¡°Why did you make here all the way here?¡± Zhou Zimo nced at Xi Xiaye as he chuckled. ¡°No wonder you looked so energetic...Ah¡ª¡± Hisughter turned into a shriek!

    ¡°Keep your mouth clean if you don¡¯t want to suffer anymore. No wonder Su Chen says you have no manners,¡± Mu Yuchen warned him.

    ¡°Get lost! How am I dirty now?¡± Zhou Zimo was annoyed.

    ¡°If you have the time to argue with me, then take a look at these.¡± Mu Yuchen did not want to argue any further and just showed him a document.

    Zhou Zimo nced over at his injured arm, then looked back at Mu Yuchen. He opened the document for him. ¡°It¡¯s leaning towards what I thought. You might have to suffer for a little longer.¡±

 Chapter 1222 - Gentle Like Water (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1222: Gentle Like Water (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression darkened before he nodded.

    ¡°Alright, I got it. What¡¯s the situation over at City Z now? Qi Lei is almost done, isn¡¯t he?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not time yet. Although there¡¯s a lot of pressure around Qi Kai right now, from what I know, Qi Feng has something up his sleeve. There should be some kind of deal between Doris and him, or else, he wouldn¡¯t be standing on her side this time. I¡¯m actually surprised that Gu Qiwu has something like this up his sleeve.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone sounded cold.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you that Gu Qiwu is a cunning old fox who won¡¯t back down so easily. Even a woman like Doris fell into his trap. As of now, we don¡¯t know what he wants with Lingshi right now. He shouldn¡¯t be feeling happy about what happened to hispany this time, but I doubt he can sense that we¡¯re behind this, so I guess he¡¯ll be approaching Lingshi soon.¡±

    ¡°Lingshi won¡¯t want to see him.¡± Mu Yuchen would prefer that Gu Qiwu met with Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°That¡¯s just what you think. I doubt Lingshi would like to see you suffer in her stead. These all happened because of them, so I suppose they have something else on their mind too.¡± Zhou Zimo took a look at the document, sucking in a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m a patient right now, so I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. By the way, Su Chen called this morning and told us to leave City Z to him. Gu Lingsha won¡¯t be able to get out so easily.¡±

    ¡°Have some tea.¡± Xi Xiaye came over with brewed tea.

    ¡°You have a seat too.¡± Mu Yuchen moved aside and made space for her.

    Xi Xiaye sat downfortably and said worriedly, ¡°Lingshi is still pregnant. Try not to let her be bothered with all of these, and give her some peace.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll listen to us. Xiaye, I think it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t know about it. Given that both of you are pretty close to Qi Lei, I¡¯m sure Wang Qin¡¯s death is still on your mind. Mu Yuchen told me to keep an eye on things before, so I can tell you her death is likely to be linked to Doris or Qi Feng.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned instantly after she heard Zhou Zimo. She turned towards Mu Yuchen, but he did not seem to be affected at all since he was not surprised.

    Mu Yuchen replied momentster, ¡°I think we¡¯ll have good news from Father after we solve the issue here.¡±

    Zhou Zimo smiled as well.

    It was 11 p.m. when they left the hospital.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were walking out. The rain had stopped, but the streets were still wet.

    Xi Xiaye walked in front while Mu Yuchen was right behind her.

    After several steps, she stopped and looked back at him. She frowned when he seemed to be deep in thought. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu Yuchen almost bumped into Xi Xiaye, but he quickly paused.

    Xi Xiaye waved her hand at him. Then, he gently grabbed her hand without saying anything.

    ¡°Well, you look like you have a lot on your mind. What¡¯s the matter?¡± she dragged him along as she asked.

    ¡°What else could it be? There are only a few things that I can think about right now,¡± Mu Yuchen took a deep breath before he replied.

    ¡°I¡¯ve not seen you rx in a long while. You¡¯re almost bing an old geezer after just a month. I doubt our son will recognize you when you get back.¡± Xi Xiaye meant to tell him off.

    ¡°I¡¯ll spank them if they can¡¯t recognize me!¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, let¡¯s go somewhere together after all of this is over.¡±

    ¡°Where do we find the time? Moreover, we have no idea when things will truly end.¡±

    ¡°It might be soon,¡± Xi Xiaye said, ¡°Sometimes, I really hope our lives could be simpler like ordinary people just like how it is now: quiet and peaceful.¡±

    ¡°Silly girl, there are people who long for our lives too. It can¡¯t bepared,¡± he replied as he put a hand into his pocket.

    They noticed someone selling flowers when they walked by the za, so Xi Xiaye let go of his hand and walked towards the olddy while Yuchen just stood beside a dim streemp as he watched her from behind.

    Momentster, she came over with a big bouquet of champagne roses that were extraordinarily beautiful. Xi Xiaye lowered her head for a moment before looking at him while he just stood there and smiled at her.

    ¡°Here, this is for you!¡± She presented the flowers to him.

    Mu Yuchen observed the flowers before averting his gaze at her face. He took the flowers from her and said, ¡°Thank you, CEO Xi, my dear. However, this should be my job.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Chairman Mu...¡±

    She smiled. ¡°I like giving you flowers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a man, Mrs. Mu.¡± He raised his eyebrows as he spoke. While he was happy to receive flowers from her, was it not too odd to do so?

    He faintly remembered that she had done this once before as well. However, he did not like delicate items like these because while they looked beautiful, they were fragile.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled before rolling her eyes at him. ¡°I know better than anyone else that you¡¯re a man...¡±

    However, she stopped her sentence halfway when she realized that she had made a big mistake.

    The man threw her a meaningful nce, an ever-so-gentle nce.

    Xi Xiaye blushed and her face reddened.

 Chapter 1223 - Threat 1

    1223 Threat 1

    In the end, Xi Xiaye let out a cough as both of them were speechless. They startedughing.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, you¡¯re always setting traps for me to fall into!¡± She red at him.

    Heughed instead and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to, but you jumped into one yourself. While your EQ is getting better, your IQ needs some work.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your fault, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s a saying that one pregnancy can make a woman a fool for three years...I¡¯m getting more and more forgetful nowadays,¡± sheined unhappily.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, alright?¡± He smiled and admitted to it. ¡°Then, why do you insist on having another child?¡±

    ¡°Because you want a daughter, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What if we get another son?¡±

    He was surprised by her reason.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have another one then...¡±

    ¡°Master Mu...¡±

    ...

    On a bright morning in City Z, Mu Lingshi tried to keep herself busy. She hardly paid any attention to Gu Qiwu and Doris anymore.

    Ah Mo had been staying by her side and would always apany her whenever he was not at work. Ah Quan also remained near her at all times though it made Mu Lingshi feel restricted. She tried to get a chance to go out.

    Mu Lingshi nned to head over to the Imperial Sky Entertainment City, but she could not avoid whatever wasing. She knew that this day would arrive sooner orter anyway. Therefore, she did not feel surprised at all when she saw Doris appear before her.

    There was a newly opened coffee shop, but only two customers were inside. They were sitting on the second floor by the window.

    Mu Lingshi could see the beautiful scene outside from where she sat.

    The two of them just sat there without talking.

    Mu Lingshi quietly drank some water while Doris was swirling her coffee around, silently observing Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Lingshi was wearing a pair of huge sunsses, but the scar on her face was still uncovered. Doris hardly had any impression of Mu Lingshi, but upon seeing her right now, she was reminded about how Mu Zi looked like in her prime.

    Mu Zi looked nearly identical, and her personality felt familiar as well.

    Doris never learned about Mu Zi¡¯s rtionship with Gu Qiwu back then, or else...

    Gu Qiwu constantly told her he loved her, just as he had tried very hard to show everyone how much he loved her, but he truly only loved himself!

    He had set up this trap a long time ago. This marriage had been built upon injustice and a pile of lies. How could a prideful woman like Doris stand to be fooled by a man?

    Doris and Gu Qiwu¡¯s marriage had not been destroyed. The court had already sent the summons. Not only Doris did not get anything, but instead...

    Doris suddenly felt a surge of anger in her chest, but she tried her best to suppress it. She did not make a sound while Mu Lingshi stayed quiet and allowed her to stare at her.

    Mu Lingshi was not sure how to feel towards Doris. The people at fault here were Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi. If Doris really had no idea about them, perhaps she was just a in victim herself, but if those matters were rted to her, then things would be different.

    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not surprised by my visit.¡± Doris broke the silence after some time. She was carefully looking at Mu Lingshi¡¯s tiny face, then she averted her gaze and looked at her baby bump.

    ¡°Are you disappointed that I¡¯m not surprised?¡± Mu Lingshi replied coldly.

    Her words harbored no emotions at all, and Mu Lingshi could somehow figure Doris¡¯s purpose of meeting her. It was probably about Gu Qiwu.

    Naturally, Mu Lingshi knew about Gu Qiwu and Doris.

    ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m here today?¡± Doris let out a coldugh as she tidied her hair.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯te to me if you¡¯re here about Gu Qiwu. There¡¯s nothing between the two of us, and I don¡¯t want anything to happen between me and the Gu family.¡± Mu Lingshi was straightforward.

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have a choice, do you?¡± Doris smiled. ¡°I know Gu Qiwu has been paying a lot of attention to you, and you should know that we¡¯re divorced. Don¡¯t you have any thoughts about it? My daughter, Gu Lingsha, isn¡¯t your sister...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not rted to any of you, so I¡¯m going to keep saying the same answer no matter how many times you ask me. If you¡¯re worried that I might be fighting for something, you should go and see Gu Qiwu instead of me!¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re unwilling to admit it, it¡¯s the undeniable truth! I had no idea about your mother¡¯s rtionship with Gu Qiwu back then, or else, I wouldn¡¯t have left it undiscovered until now!¡± Doris¡¯s anger was beginning to show.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know anything about the three of you, and you don¡¯t have to try provoking me either because I¡¯m not interested at all. Moreover, I think you should be more concerned about Gu Lingsha. I heard she¡¯s in quite some trouble right now.¡±

    Doris¡¯s expression darkened slightly as she stared deep into Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 1224 - Threat 2

    1224 Threat 2

    The circle was only that big after all. Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident was already abuzz in City Z, and Mu Lingshi only listlessly watched things unfold.

    When she caught Xi Xiaye¡¯s name in the newspapers, she thought that something was odd, but she did not ask too much either because Xi Xiaye would know what to do.

    ¡°Do you know about Shasha?¡± Doris probed.

    Mu Lingshi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone in City Z does. You didn¡¯t call me here for coffee just to chat, did you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite a frank one.¡± Doris looked impressed at Mu Lingshi. She lowered her head to take a sip and then continued, ¡°I know that Gu Qiwu¡¯s looked for you before. Is he nning on acknowledging you as his daughter? Maybe even let you take over the Hui Gu Corporation? I heard that he¡¯s even secretly watched over your husband, Mu Lingmo, quite a few times now.¡±

    Doris was obviously very clear about Gu Qiwu¡¯s whereabouts, so obviously, the fact that he had met Ah Mo was something she knew about.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that I¡¯m not interested in the Gu family¡¯s matters, so obviously, I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Mu Lingshi lowered her gaze and added coldly, ¡°Even if I did, why would I tell you?¡±

    ¡°Based on your tone, I¡¯ve probably guessed it right! Mu Lingshi, don¡¯t me me for not warning you. Gu Qiwu is a despicable person. Do you think that he¡¯se to his conscience and is epting you if he could take advantage of Shasha and lie to me? You¡¯re wrong. He¡¯s only getting close to you for Mu Yuchen and the Mu family. Don¡¯t forget your mother and your grandmother, oh, no, it should be your grandma, and how they died!¡±

    Indeed, no one could not say these things in front of Mu Lingshi. Once Doris did, Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression instantly fell!

    The truth was that it did not matter whether she was willing to admit it or not, but Wang Hui really did pass away from being too sad over Mu Zi and Gu Qiwu¡¯s incident...

    When she saw Mu Lingshi¡¯s expression darken, a sneer curved on Doris¡¯s lips, and the light that gathered in her eyes was twisted. ¡°We¡¯re all victims. I¡¯m hoping to get some justice. Of course, you can also get some for yourte mother and your grandma, so I hope that when ites to this, you can stand firm on your ground.¡±

    ¡°Stand firm on my ground? What are my grounds? Because of these grudges, should I give up on being in touch with Gu Qiwu, and let all of you bystanders profit? Why? Even though I¡¯m not materialistic, why should I give up on something that could benefit me? Do you take me for a fool? Or did you think I was a dumb woman like Mu Zi?¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone was filled with coldness and disdain.

    Upon hearing that, Doris was stunned. She fell silent for a moment and did not continue with this topic. Instead, she smiled and said, ¡°Mu Lingshi, you and your brother, Mu Lingtian, as well as your mother, Mu Zi are quite different in character.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve said that, give me a price then. $10 million or $50 million? Or $100 million? What will it take for you to give up taking over the Hui Gu Corporation? Right now, Hui Gu¡¯s going through a tough time. Even if you want to get through with it, it won¡¯t be easy. No one knows whether only an empty shell will be left after this or not. If you¡¯re smart, just take this money, you¡¯ll profit and lose nothing for sure.¡± As Doris said this, you could hear a faint hint of gloominess in her tone.

    Mu Lingshi would not have considered things so thoroughly. On the other hand, someone smart like Doris could weigh the pros and cons of the whole situation more urately.

    Just think about it. If Gu Qiwu wanted to use this chance to lean towards Mu Yuchen, because of Mu Lingshi, Mu Yuchen might not have done anything to Gu Qiwu. When the time came, whatever conditions Mu Yuchen asked of Gu Qiwu, thetter would probably just agree to them.

    That meant that Gu Lingsha was in danger!

    Doris understood things. Instead of thinking that the whole incident was pure coincidence, she was more inclined to believe that it was the work of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye!

    Right now, Gu Lingsha was still locked up at the police station. Before Mu Yuchen returned, she needed to quietly and secretly settle all of this well and get Qi Feng on her side. By the time arrived, she might even be victorious!

    Gu Qiwu, Mu Yuchen...

    If they were topare viciousness, they could notpare to her, Doris!

    As Doris thought this, the sneer on her lips became even more bitter and icy cold, but she looked at Mu Lingshi with an extremely calm gaze.

    Of course, if you thought that Doris had met Mu Lingshi just to discuss this, then you would have underestimated her!

    In truth, when Mu Lingshi sat across Doris, on the lower floor of the cafe, through the ss window you could see a ck car parked across the road. A HD camera was taking pictures of this scene.

    Clearly, Doris was capturing all of this to turn into an exquisite gift for a certain person...

    ...

    There was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Boss, Doris has sent you a gift!¡±

    Gu Qiwu had just rushed back from City B and had just entered his study room when Ah Yong¡¯s voice came from outside.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s gloomy and clearly fatigued voice was heard.

    Ah Yong quickly pushed the door to enter. He looked ahead subconsciously and what greeted his sight was Gu Qiwu¡¯s exhausted demeanor.

    Gu Qiwu was undoubtedly tormented and had been going through tough times recently.

    There was the thing with Missus Doris, and then Mu Zi. All of these unfortunate incidents had been quite stressful for him. Forget about his personal reputation which took a dive, but a stock market unrest was natural too. Thankfully, he hade up with some countermeasures before this. Otherwise, it would have been very bad if the situation continued.

    However, before these storms could blow over, something happened to Gu Lingsha again!

    These things came one after another, exhausting Gu Qiwu¡¯s state of mind. Right now, even if he wanted to acknowledge his daughter, Mu Lingshi, she would not forgive him so easily.

    So, in just a few short months, Gu Qiwu turned very gaunt and he seemed to have aged by decades.

    Ah Yong stood for a long time at the door. After a while, Gu Qiwu propped his head up with one hand to close his eyes and rest. Before him was a document that was left open...

    Gu Qiwu did not look up as he asked with a solemn voice, ¡°What is it?¡±

 Chapter 1225 - Threat 3

    1225 Threat 3

    That tone sounded worn out and frustrated.

    Having Ah Yong been by Gu Qiwu¡¯s side for many years now, it seemed like he rarely revealed such emotions. However, right now by the looks of it, Ah Yong could not help but pity Gu Qiwu.

    From what he remembered, his boss was extremely hard to fathom as he schemed a lot. In fact, he was very paranoid and found it hard to trust anyone. Of course, that included Ah Yong too. His boss was someone who did not like to talk much. Many times, even Ah Yong would find certain things he did quite odd.

    He rarely saw Gu Qiwu truly happy as the man was usually umunicative and would keep to himself. He felt like he could never see through Gu Qiwu. Despite being by his side for many years now, he could not say that he truly understood Gu Qiwu.

    He used to think that he truly loved his wife, Doris dearly, but now after the boss and Doris had a fallout, he never saw the boss grieve. Apart from being a little gloomy, he was practically the same as always.

    He was rather cold and calm towards Miss Gu Lingsha too.

    He did not even understand what Gu Qiwu was really trying to do or what he wanted!

    Feelings?

    Women?

    Or money and power?

    It did not seem like any of those!

    If he really wanted money and power, it did not seem so.

    Only Ah Yong knew that his boss would anonymously donate tens of millions to charity organizations every year. That amount was not something the usually rich and powerful would be willing to give away either!

    Nheless, he did not continue thinking about it. Inhaling, Ah Yong walked up a few steps and then said softly as he carefully handed a nicely wrapped box to Gu Qiwu, ¡°Boss, the Missus sent an express delivery and said it was a gift prepared specially for you!¡±

    A gift?

    When Gu Qiwu heard that, he paused. After a while, he breathed in and looked up weakly at the box before him...

    Obviously he did not believe that Doris would give him a gift kindly. That woman wished he was dead!

    Gu Qiwu sneered coldly, ¡°Open it to see.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ah Yong nodded. ¡°Okay, Boss.¡± Then, he took the scissors from the table and swiftly cut it open, taking its contents out.

    Swoosh¡ª

    Before he could finish opening it, a voice was heard and some items slid out from the open gap. With the sound of some things falling, a few photos fell onto the floor!

    Ah Yong was stunned, then he bent down to pick it up!

    When he had a good look at who was in the pictures, his expression turned heavy. He immediately handed them to Gu Qiwu and said anxiously, ¡°Boss, look! It¡¯s the Missus and Miss Mu Lingshi!¡±

    That was right. It was pictures of Doris and Mu Lingshi meeting up at the cafe!

    Gu Qiwu took it to study them. Then, his stern face instantly tensed up and his expression turned solemn...

    Someone as smart as Gu Qiwu obviously knew Doris¡¯s intentions behind sending these over! She had looked for Mu Lingshi. That was equal to telling him that she would do something to Mu Lingshi.

    This was not just to provoke Gu Qiwu, but it was a threat!

    Naturally, Mu Yuchen definitely would not receive these pictures. Because this woman knew his thoughts, she would definitelye up with all sorts of ways to stop him from getting close to the Mu family.

    He just did not know that Doris¡¯s tricks would have gone to this extent, but was she nning on threatening Gu Qiwu with just these? She might have underestimated him now!

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression was gloomy as the sky before a storm as a cold smile shed across his lips. He took a lighter from the side, calmly flicked it, and burned those pictures to ashes.

    Ah Yong stood there quietly, not daring to say much.

    As he watched the blue mes swallow the pictures, Gu Qiwu¡¯s gaze was as cold as the snow that could cut through one¡¯s bones too. He fell silent for a moment, then he took the phone from the table and quickly made a call to Doris.

    While when she received Gu Qiwu¡¯s call, Doris was not shocked at all!

    Doris waited for a while, and when Gu Qiwu did not say anything, she said with a sneer, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve received the things I sent you.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened for a bit, then he said coldly, ¡°Doris, the court has already concluded our matters. Even if you¡¯re not happy about it, you didn¡¯t have to threaten me with Mu Lingshi. I know, I¡¯m a cold person and I never cared about these things.¡±

    ¡°Whether or not you care isn¡¯t just about what you say. Didn¡¯t you say you cared about me before too? But now? I¡¯ve seen through you, you despicable man. Gu Qiwu, I just want to take back what¡¯s mine. Also, you just don¡¯t care about Shasha¡¯s thing at all, do you? I won¡¯t hesitate to tell you that if you don¡¯t find a way to get Shasha out, and if anything happens to her, I¡¯ll definitely make sure your other daughter gets a taste of the same!¡± Doris¡¯s voice was filled with provocation and confidence as she disregarded Gu Qiwu¡¯s angerpletely.

    ¡°Doris! You¡¯d better behave! You can¡¯t hide the truth from everyone. I have many ways of making you pay for it too if you dare to overestimate your own capabilities to threaten me!¡± Gu Qiwu said coldly through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Is that so? You make me so scared! But right now, you only have two options before you, so choose wisely! Gu Qiwu, do you know that you just don¡¯t have the fate? Losing a son is God¡¯s punishment for you, and now that Shasha¡¯s like this, do you really want to fail at protecting yourst remaining daughter too?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re so confident, we¡¯ll just watch and see then. If you dare do anything to Mu Lingshi, the person who won¡¯t let you off will be Mu Yuchen and the Mu family! You wouldn¡¯t be so silly, but of course, if you want to dig your own grave, just pretend I never said anything!¡±

    Pa¡ª

    He finished in a few sentences before Gu Qiwu just hung up.

    When he saw Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression looked even worse, Ah Yong carefully called out to him, ¡°Boss...¡±

    Gu Qiwu propped his heavy head up with one hand and took in a few deep breaths. The pain that came from his stomach made him instantly frown, so he subconsciously reached down to put pressure on where it hurt. His low raspy voice sounded weak too as he said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Go out first.¡±

 Chapter 1226 - Dream-like Reunion! 1

    1226 Dream-like Reunion! 1

    Ah Yong was obviously worried about Gu Qiwu being like this. He thought about it before he said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll go look for medicine for you. Have some rest first.¡±

    Earlier, he had been discharged from the hospital in quite a rush. In fact, he had been overworking as ofte, so these old illnesses were popping up again. It was a good thing that Ah Yong continued to take care of him. Otherwise...

    Gu Qiwu did not say anything and just nodded while his brows had furrowed into a knot.

    Ah Yong found the medicine quickly and poured him a ss of water too. He looked at Gu Qiwu, thought about it, and finally could not help but express, ¡°Boss, I think you should rest well. Thepany matters can¡¯t be rushed either. With the current situation, it¡¯s better to not change much in the face of many changes. You haven¡¯t rested in a long while now. Even if you want to...it might not be what the other person wants. Miss Mu Lingshi is hard to persuade. I¡¯ve been trying to understand this. I think that Xi Xiaye¡¯s a very sensitive person. If we can persuade her, perhaps everything else wille much easier.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu paused and looked up at Ah Yong, indicating for him to continue.

    ¡°Boss, this is the breakthrough that I found only after long observation. If we thought that Mu Yuchen doesn¡¯t have any weak points from before, right now, we can say that Xi Xiaye is his weak point. Humble and reserved, gentle and cruel, loyal to kinships, meticulous in thought...that is the kind of person Mu Yuchen is. Only a few people matter to him. He may not care about Glory World or Fuhua, but he definitely cares about Xi Xiaye.¡±

    At this, Ah Yong paused. He lowered his gaze, arranged his thoughts, and then continued, ¡°While Xi Xiaye is kindhearted with a warm heart despite her cold exterior, the only way to move someone like her is love. I heard that the reason Miss Lingshi could slowly open up and talk about those things and ept Mu Lingmo again wasrgely because of her. Her experiences made her feel deeply. If we have her help to influence Mu Lingshi, I think Miss Lingshi might ept you as her father, but, Boss, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking...¡±

    Ah Yong expressed all his thoughts.

    These days, he had been watching things unfold. He felt that his boss cared quite a bit for his daughter, Mu Lingshi, but for some reason, the concern he disyed appeared to be the kind of concern that was intentionally watered down.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye is Mu Yuchen¡¯s breakthrough. As long as Mu Yuchen agrees, the problem with the Mu family won¡¯t be a problem. It should be time to resolve our grudges that have been going for decades now.¡±

    Gu Qiwu did not say anything for a long time after Ah Yong finished. He just silently lowered his head to drink water.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s fingers brushed his heavy head as he asked with a lowered voice, ¡°Mu Lingshi is still my daughter with Zixi. I¡¯ve let her down for so many years. Obviously, I wouldn¡¯t want my daughter to suffer so much. It might not have been good for her to return to the Gu family so soon those years ago either. Ah Yong, what do you think I¡¯ve been fighting for?¡±

    ¡°Boss...¡± When Ah Yong heard that, he did not know how to answer.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know either. All my life, I have been plotting and struggling against being plotted by others. Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about these things. It¡¯s too hard to try changing someone. We¡¯ll just see how it goes,¡± Gu Qiwu sighed and said helplessly.

    ¡°Boss, what should we do now then? Miss Lingsha is still being detained at the police station...Master Ah Feng and CEO Qi are worried about Qi Kai. They probably don¡¯t have time to worry about that right now, but I¡¯m sure Missus is worried about it,¡± Ah Yong said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to care too much about that. They caused that trouble, so they¡¯ll have to resolve it themselves. I already told her back then not to provoke Mu Yuchen anymore. Haven¡¯t I covered up for them enough?¡± At this point, Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone could not help but sound cold.

    ¡°Boss...¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just leave it at that for now. We¡¯ll see how it pans out,¡± Gu Qiwu answered though he could not help but worry.

    Doris, that vicious, mad woman!

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    ...

    At the Grand Lake Vi, underneath the flower racks of Qi Lei¡¯s vi¡¯s backyard, Qi Lei was casually spending time while lying on his rattan chair when Yang Sheng¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Master Qi, CEO Qi just called. He¡¯s asking you to make a trip home to the Qi Residence.¡±

    His intentionally lowered voice still sounded exceptionally clear in this wide space. The cooling breeze blew, so it was not as hot as before. Right then, Qi Lei was enjoying himself in the clear and refreshing autumn weather.

    However, when he heard that, he frowned and slowly opened up his eyes. He turned to look at Yang Sheng and fell silent for a moment before responding, ¡°I¡¯m not going back.¡±

    He said it simply, and thenid back down.

    ¡°But, CEO Qi says that there¡¯s something important...¡±

    ¡°Important? To me, even if he dies, it¡¯s not important, so what else could be important? Go and get me a good bottle of wine. It¡¯s a rare sight to see Qi Feng all worried.¡± Qi Feng was clearly enjoying this.

    ¡°Master Qi, don¡¯t drink so much. Aren¡¯t you going to be ying golf with CEO Fang and the restter?¡± Yang Sheng could not help but break out in cold sweat.

    Qi Lei then remembered his schedule as he massaged the space between his brows. ¡°I almost forgot about it. Mu Yuchen¡¯s a handful indeed. It¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t go against him back then. Otherwise, I¡¯d probably be the one facing all these problems.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. Master Mu has always treated you as a good friend.¡±

    A good friend...

    When Yang Sheng said that, he suddenly remembered back then, when he had a meal with City B¡¯s CEO Li and the rest in City B, Mu Yuchen had carried him all the way back to the hotel. Now that he thought about, he could not help butment, ¡°I owe him, whether or not I¡¯m willing to admit it. He¡¯s a loyal person, and it¡¯s great to be his bro.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think that Master Mu and CEO Xi are great people too. Master Qi, why do you think Mu Lingtian...¡± Yang Sheng tried to probe.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin these things. Back then, if I hadn¡¯t met Xiaye, I don¡¯t think I could be friends with Mu Yuchen right now. When ites to many things, you might think someone¡¯s wrong, but from another perspective, it might not seem the same.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! Just like CEO Wang, back then, you didn¡¯t agree with her either. Afterward, you understood how she felt in her shoes and truly learned what she dealt with. Still, even so, only unhelpful sorrow remains.¡±

 Chapter 1227 - Dream-like Reunion! 2

    1227 Dream-like Reunion! 2

    After a few days of rest, Mu Yuchen seemed to have recovered decently from his cold, but once he felt better, even with Xi Xiaye watching him, he could not stay idle. He began to leave early and returnte again.

    Xi Xiaye would not intentionally ask him about how things were going, but she could see from between the gradually smoothened out space between his brows that the matter was making positive progress, but he was happy to share these things with her too.

    Like right now.

    On the soft sofa in the suite, Mu Yuchen was casually lying down with pajamas on while Xi Xiaye wore afortable sleeping gown too. She was massaging him to loosen up the joints and he was enjoying it thoroughly.

    ¡°How¡¯s it? Does it feelfortable?¡± Xi Xiaye massaged him in a bnced manner.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s dark eyes were gently shut as he seemed to enjoy himself. ¡°Mmm, you can go harder. Missus, your skills are pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Duh! I could even open up a health center, and do some tui na[1],¡± Xi Xiaye went along and said.

    ¡°You can think about it, but as your husband, I¡¯ll be booking you for 365 days a year and 24 hours a day,¡± he said, then looked up at her.

    Xi Xiaye then coughed lightly. She almost forgot that this fellow was a possessive one. Usually, when she went to rx with him, before she could say anything, he would already ask for a female attendant for her. Although Su Nan used to say that the men had better skills and were stronger, she sadly had no chance of enjoying that anymore.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Unhappy? You seemed to like looking at those foreigners. Are they as handsome as your man? This morning at the bar, you almost lost yourposure,¡± he reprimanded softly and unhappily.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t say anything, did I? I just had a second look at Steven. We already talked about this when you just came back.¡±

    ¡°Just a second look? Was it that simple? You just took a second look at him? Why do I seem to remember that you were very talkative? You even poured him two more cups of drinks. Do you think I¡¯m blind?¡± he scoffed, and before Xi Xiaye could respond, he continued, ¡°Steven¡¯s not just anyone. He¡¯s not a good person either. He¡¯s gotten divorced twice, and already has two children. He¡¯s going to be 40 soon. In fact, he¡¯s got a new girlfriend right now, so you don¡¯t stand a chance. There¡¯s no use taking a second look at him.¡±

    ¡°I just think that he was quite humorous. He¡¯s got very refined facial features and is quite good-looking, so I¡¯m just admiring him. Why are you jealous? Besides, he¡¯s not my type. If we are really going to talk about looks, he¡¯s far from you.¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him, and then the force of her hand increased slightly.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face shed with a faint smile. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°How long are you nning to stay here? I¡¯m probably not going to be returning so soon while you don¡¯t have that many more days off. How about you tell Uncle Lan to put aside thepany matters for now? Stay here for a while longer. When I¡¯m done with these things, I¡¯ll bring you around to the nearby city.¡±

    Even though it sounded like he was asking, his tone was very certain.

    Since she was here, he obviously did not want to let her go home so soon.

    He had to admit that these past few days, he felt much more rxed with her by his side. At least, he did not feel as heavy and burdened as he did the days before.

    Xi Xiaye paused. She thought about it, then nodded obediently. ¡°Mmm, sure, I¡¯ll stay a few more days. I¡¯ll also go visit Su Nan and Ruan Heng in Los Angeles. Then, I¡¯ll just go home straight from there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± he answered simply, then suddenly held her wrist gently before swiftly sitting up and pulling her into his arms. Xi Xiaye went along toy her head on hisp, and at the same time, helped him fix his loose belt as she spoke, ¡°This morning, I just talked to Su Nan on the phone. She said that Ruan Heng seemed to be regaining consciousness. He can move his eyes, but he¡¯s not entirely conscious. Sometimes, his body moves. Right now, I¡¯m a little worried about whether he will experience amnesia after such a severe injury.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows and looked down at her busy hands before he asked with a lowered voice, ¡°Did the doctor mention that he might lose his memory?¡±

    ¡°No, but I saw that TV shows often suggest that. They say that after a car ident, when the head suffers severe trauma, victims might easily lose their memory or something,¡± Xi Xiaye said worriedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s just television. It¡¯s not that easy to lose your memory. The doctor¡¯s report shows that all his functions are normal, so there¡¯s nothing to be worried about, but since we¡¯re talking about this, I have to warn you that Qi Feng¡¯s condition has been improving recently. His legs are starting to regain sensation. If nothing goes wrong, he can probably stand again. So, Qi Lei...¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, he suddenly stopped.

    Xi Xiaye paused before she continued, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean things might be worse for Qi Lei? He¡¯s finally had a chance to shake up Qi Feng. Qi Qiming¡¯s thoughts are hard to guess too. If Qi Feng can really recover, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing for Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°That will have to depend on Qi Lei then. We¡¯ve helped him fight for a lot of time,¡± he said calmly.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯ve done all that we can! Mr. Mu, I always feel like you care more about him than you do about me!¡±

    ¡°What nonsense? Since when have I neglected you?¡± He looked at her unhappily.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it, then poured out all her thoughts. ¡°When we just got married, you¡¯d always ask me to go to the beauty salon and sometimes watch a movie, but right now, you don¡¯t seem to have these thoughts anymore. You only apany me after I¡¯ve mentioned it to you. I don¡¯t see you spending time doing things for me, especially after we had our son. Haven¡¯t you ever heard that if lifecks the asional surprise, it¡¯ll be easy for a married couple¡¯s feelings to fade?¡±

    It was a ssic move of showing obeisance after getting something she wanted!

    ¡°Faded feelings? Who told you these misconceptions? Since when have I failed to satisfy you? Just within these past two days, do you think our feelings have been fading?¡± He nced sadly at her. ¡°You should spend less time with whoever¡¯s filling you up with these thoughts. That¡¯s too narrow-minded and overly suspicious. It¡¯s going to poison your thoughts.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you about that!¡± Xi Xiaye red at him angrily. She propped herself up to sit and met his unhappy gaze. ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more vulgar.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean vulgar? Why didn¡¯t you say thatst night?¡± he said with a serious face, ¡°Otherwise, how would we have our son?¡±

    ¡°B*stard!¡±

 Chapter 1228 - Dream-like Reunion! 3

    1228 Dream-like Reunion! 3

    Xi Xiaye started to sweat after several punches, but he just smiled and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°You have the potential to be a barbaric wife.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her in amusement.

    ¡°Barbaric? Am I barbaric now? Everyone says that I look cold. Barbaric doesn¡¯t describe me!¡± She frowned and defended herself.

    ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re starting to reveal your true nature.¡± He ran his fingers through his hair and helped her tidy her hair.

    ¡°Do you regret it now?¡± She squinted at him and gave him a warning.

    He coughed and just smiled. She kept quiet for quite a while too.

    ¡°Mr. Mu?¡± she called out to him momentster.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± He grabbed her wrist and took a nce at the jade bracelet. ¡°This looks good on you.¡±

    ¡°Any essory looks good on my wrist since my hand looks dainty.¡± She looked into his eyes before continuing, ¡°About Ah Shi and Gu Qiwu, don¡¯t you have any thoughts about them? What if Lingshi really epts Gu Qiwu as her father? Then, you...¡±

    She suddenly stopped talking when she noticed his eyes wandering around, but they returned to usual momentster.

    He straightened up and leaned back against the sofa before taking a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m just going to do my best, and it¡¯s up to Lingshi to choose. I wouldn¡¯t interfere with her decision, but no matter what, I hope her decision will do her good.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really get Gu Qiwu¡¯s thoughts now. Is he trying to repent? I heard from Ah Mo that Gu Qiwu has approached Ah Shi before.¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a confused nce.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he grabbed the ss of water on the table and handed it to her. He then took a sip after Xi Xiaye shook her head.

    ¡°Of course, I know about that. I suppose things will be lively when we get back to City Z.¡± He put the ss down. ¡°It¡¯s about time for loose ends to be tied up.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts. Just believe in me.¡± He lowered his head and looked at her.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips. ¡°Of course, I believe in you. There¡¯s no doubt about that at all.¡± She gave him a gentle gaze as she smiled. Then, she pressed her slightly cold lips against his...

    It was just a light kiss, and she moved away soon after that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get things done quickly and return soon. Our sons have missed you dearly. It¡¯s going to be busy again after this holiday. You really need to take care of yourself. It¡¯s pointless if you¡¯re in poor health.¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be back early tomorrow evening. I have a guest over and we have to greet him personally. I suppose you¡¯ll be surprised to see him.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡¯ Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out tomorrow.¡± He gave her a mysterious smile.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye would never have expected who the guest was.

    The two of them went out early in the morning the next day and visited Zhou Zimo at the hospital. Zhou Zimo had actually mostly recovered, but he still kept the information locked down. If Xi Xiaye had not seen him rxing around his room for herself, she would have thought that he was still in dire condition.

    Xi Xiaye could guess his purpose of doing so, thus she did notment on it.

    ¡°I¡¯m already prepared now. Have you made your arrangements?¡±

    Zhou Zimo switched hisptop off the moment he saw Mu Yuchening in. He handed a packet of cigarettes to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen sat down beside him and lit a cigarette. He let out a puff and left the lighter on the table. ¡°There¡¯s still something to be taken care of, but you can rest easy. I¡¯m going to Los Angeles with Xiaye.¡±

    ¡°Going to LA with your woman?¡± Zhou Zimo raised her eyebrows as he put on a meaningful smile. ¡°Things aren¡¯t done here yet and you¡¯re thinking of having fun with your woman, huh? You can¡¯t be too doting on her. Both Su Chen and you are practically ves now. Are you really leaving me alone here?¡±

    ¡°You can get yourself a woman as well. The nurses here look great, so you can think about it,¡± Mu Yuchen said after taking another puff.

    ¡°You b*stard! You¡¯ve fallen into your woman¡¯s trap.¡± Zhou Zimo felt that it was unfair.

    ¡°Or else, would you like to marry me and bear my children? I only have one woman. If you speak nonsense again, I¡¯ll let you experience a second fracture.¡± Mu Yuchen tapped Zhou Zimo¡¯s bandaged arm and quickly distanced himself away.

    ¡°B*stard!¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as his expression returned to usual. ¡°Seriously though, you¡¯re the only one left single among us. We¡¯re the same age, which means that you¡¯re almost 33 already. It¡¯s no wonder your father is so worried about you.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t outdo you. You¡¯re already a father of two.¡± Zhou Zimo sounded a little frustrated. While he did not want to admit it, he was pretty worried about it.

    He was worried that he could neither find a woman to marry nor find anyone suitable to marry.

    He had never been the lucky one whenpared to Mu Yuchen and Su Chen. Maybe getting himself a wife could change his fate!

    ¡°Your standards are too high. Youin that quiet girls are boring, cute girls are childish, and straightforward girls are too boyish. You¡¯re much more difficult to please than Su Chen and I, but well, it¡¯s not wrong to take your time finding the right one. You might just find someone soon. Your family doesn¡¯t need you to get someone from a powerful background anyway.¡±

 Chapter 1229 - Dream-like Reunion! 4

    1229 Dream-like Reunion! 4

    That was indeed the truth.

    Elder Zhou had already told him that, as long as it was a woman who had no particr issues, the Zhou family would be willing to ept her. It was obvious that the Zhou family was really desperate in this matter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if you¡¯re an expert. I was in a rtionship before. You just got lucky. How could you possibly know better than me?¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes darkened, but a smile returned to his face momentster though Mu Yuchen noticed the changes.

    He took a pause before saying, ¡°Even if I just got lucky this once, it¡¯s much better than you. Stop pretending to be the expert. Admiring doesn¡¯t mean love. If Su Chen were here, he might¡¯ve thought you actually went through something serious.¡±

    ¡°Screw you! Why so serious?¡± Zhou Zimo rolled his eyes at Mu Yuchen and tried to change the topic. ¡°When are you leaving New York? And when are youing back? I¡¯m not going to be able to show my face, or else, all of our efforts will be wasted!¡± he reminded.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have everything arranged here. I¡¯ll be away for a week and we¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow night. I¡¯m just bringing Xiaye around.¡±

    ¡°A second honeymoon?¡± Zhou Zimo raised his eyebrows.

    Mu Yuchen just stared at him silently.

    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll shut up, alright?¡± Zhou Zimo shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll inform Uncle Zhou once the arrangements here have been made. You need to be prepared as it¡¯ll be difficult this time. Clean up your own mess. I¡¯m not going to do it for you.¡±

    ¡°Heartless!¡± Zhou Zimo smiled, but gratitude was reflected in his eyes. He was very grateful to have such good friends in his life.

    ¡°Su Chen gave me a call just now and said that he mighte over if he has the time. Make up some excuse and tell him to go back. Uncle Zhou and he shouldn¡¯t be involved in this mess.¡± Mu Yuchen sounded worried.

    ¡°I won¡¯t being over tonight. Give me a call if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°A date?¡±

    ¡°I have a guest. You take care. I¡¯m going to go now.¡±

    ...

    It was just about evening when the ne arrived in New York.

    Han Yifeng was wearing his usual suit when he got out of the airport.

    Behind him were Secretary Wang and a bodyguard.

    ¡°CEO Han!¡±

    When Han Yifeng walked out of the airport, Li Si was already waiting for him. Li Si had followed Mu Yuchen¡¯s instructions and was prepared for Han Yifeng¡¯s arrival.

    Han Yifeng was stunned for a moment when he saw the familiar face, but he nodded momentster. ¡°Long time no see, Assistant Li!¡±

    Li Si smiled. ¡°Long time no see indeed. What an honor to meet you! How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m great. How¡¯s Xiaye...and everybody else?¡± Han Yifeng¡¯s tone of voice did not sound natural, but he still managed to ask the question.

    ¡°Master and Missus are doing great. Thank you for your concern! It must have been a long journey here. Our Master has already prepared dinner. Please stay over for tonight, and then we¡¯ll send you to the hotel you booked tomorrow. Is that alright?¡± Li Si asked politely.

    Han Yifeng gave it some thought, but he could not figure it out. He did not understand why Mu Yuchen woulde to New York, and how did he know that Han Yifeng nned toe here for work?

    Moreover, what business did he have with him?

    Naturally, he still remembered how Mu Yuchen was like. It had been nothing but trouble when he had to deal with him before, so Han Yifeng was not exactly looking forward to meeting Mu Yuchen.

    Han Yifeng understood that that was not the only reason for his reluctance. It was also because of his jealousy towards him that he had no idea how to face him!

    He would be reminded that Mu Yuchen was the only one who could be with Xi Xiaye every time they met, and guilt and jealousy instantly surfaced inside him. When he thought about how he had lost the right to be with her anymore, an indescribable feeling rose within him.

    It would feel odd to not ept his invitation right now, so Han Yifeng nodded shortly after that. ¡°Alright, then.¡±

    ¡°Please get in the car. It¡¯s just right in front!¡±

    Li Si had the bodyguards pick up the luggage as Han Yifeng nodded and followed them.

    The sky was turning dark as the car left the airport.

    Han Yifeng felt a little on edge as he was on the way to the hotel. His eyes were looking outside the window, and he started to daydream a whileter.

    ¡°CEO Han, it¡¯s been a long time since you returned to City Z, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Li Si suddenly asked.

    ¡°Indeed. Are there a lot of changes to City Z?¡± Han Yifeng paused before answering.

    ¡°It depends on what aspect then.¡± Li Si smiled.

    Han Yifeng took another pause before putting on a smile, and the conversation just ended there.

    There were still some ways left to the hotel. It was already night time when they arrived at the hotel where Mu Yuchen was staying.

    Inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s luxurious room, Xi Xiaye still had no idea who the guest was. Her man started being busy with cooking since the evening. He made Chinese dishes, and most of them were her favorites.

    Xi Xiaye helped Mu Yuchen out in the kitchen, and they got dinner ready after some time.

    ¡°Smells great. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s difficult to find this food here. Mr. Mu, why don¡¯t you consider opening a restaurant here? I notice that a lot of people in New York like Chinese food too, especially authentic Chinese food,¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she washed the ginger.

    ¡°Let Zhou Zimo worry about this. He¡¯s interested in the food and beverage business. We have too much on our te to worry about.¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew his capabilities and how much he could handle.

 Chapter 1230 - Dream-like Reunion! 5

    1230 Dream-like Reunion! 5

    Xi Xiaye agreed with him, ¡°True enough. We spent a lot of time and energy when we ventured into the film industry.¡±

    She was instantly reminded of Qi Lei when the film industry was mentioned.

    A year had passed and Qi Lei was doing better. Everything should be right on track after this year, so she could fulfill her promise to Wang Qin.

    ¡°Mr. Mu...¡±

    Someone rang the doorbell when she called out to him.

    Xi Xiaye stopped halfway and looked at her man.

    He continued cooking as he told her, ¡°Go and open the door.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and went out of the kitchen after washing her hands. She was stunned when she saw Han Yifeng right outside the door.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Han Yifeng was surprised too! He never thought he would see Xi Xiaye again...

    She was wearing a blue dress, and her hair was tied into a bun. She did not look that much different from before, but she seemed rxed and happy. She must be doing great!

    However, seeing her again after all this time felt like a dream...

    ¡°Han Yifeng? Why are you here?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°Missus, Master found out that CEO Han wasing over to New York for business, so he invited him over for dinner,¡± Li Si answered instead when he noticed that Han Yifeng was at a loss.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and moved aside. ¡°Come in. He¡¯s still making dinner and it should be ready soon. Li Si, can you bring CEO Han in? Dinner will be served in a while.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Missus.¡±

    ¡°Wee, CEO Han!¡±

    ...

    Han Yifeng nodded and went in. Then, he saw Mu Yuchening out of the kitchen with a te in his hand. Mu Yuchen nodded humbly at him. ¡°You¡¯re here. Wash your hands and get ready for dinner. Xiaye, please prepare the cutlery.¡±

    Xi Xiaye gave him a brief reply and went into the kitchen.

    Dinner was served momentster. The five of them, including Li Si and Secretary Wang, sat down together around the dining table. While the atmosphere was certainly awkward at first, it improved a whileter.

    As Li Si quickly poured wine for everyone, Xi Xiaye turned towards her man and asked, ¡°Howe you contacted him?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I? We were once romantic rivals after all,¡± he smiled as he whispered beside her ear.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. He returned to his usual expression as he looked at the quiet Han Yifeng. ¡°I know you have a project around here, and your hotel is pretty near too. I suppose there¡¯s a need for us to meet up.¡± His tone was calm as he focused intently on Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression still seemed cold. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s been a long time since west saw each other after all. How are Father and the others?¡±

    Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi...

    No matter what, Han Yifeng still addressed Xi Mushan as ¡°Father¡±.

    ¡°He¡¯s doing well. How¡¯s your son?¡± Xi Xiaye asked. It felt awkward to actually ask about it, but she asked anyway.

    ¡°He¡¯s good. His name is Han Zhexuan. He¡¯s learned how to walk and calls me ¡®Papa¡¯ already.¡±

    No matter how unhappy he was with Xi Xinyi, Han Yifeng loved his son. The main reason he brought his son away from City Z was that he did not want his son to get involved in the conflict. He hoped that his son could grow up happily.

    ¡°He¡¯s still fairly young when you brought him away, but I suppose he¡¯s all grown up now. He¡¯s several months older than Xiao Cheng, isn¡¯t he?¡± Xi Xiaye turned towards Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and looked at Han Yifeng. ¡°I remember that you have a project with Qi Kai too. Don¡¯t you have any ns to head back to City Z? I know yourpany is still running over there.¡±

    Han Yifeng took a deep breath and drank some wine. ¡°I¡¯ve passed it over to a manager to handle it. The Han Corporation is mainly focused on here right now. The investment there will be reduced by phases and will be terminated in the end. I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be many chances of me going back...¡±

    City Z was a ce that was full of unhappy memories for him. There was not much aside from pain and bitterness, and he wanted to seal those memories away.

    ¡°Doing that could work too. Here¡¯s to you.¡± Mu Yuchen just ended the conversation right there. He suddenly raised his ss and offered Han Yifeng a toast.

    Han Yifeng put on a bitter smile and raised his ss as well.

    Several of them could not really taste the food during dinner due to the awkwardness, but Xi Xiaye had a great appetite. Mu Yuchen kept putting food into her bowl, and she finished all of it. Everyone rarely talked with only Mu Yuchen and Han Yifeng asionally speaking a little.

    Xi Xiaye could sense the atmosphere was a little stiff, and it seemed like Mu Yuchen¡¯s attitude towards Han Yifeng was odd.

    Though she could not sense hostility, it just feltplicated.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen and Han Yifeng went out to the balcony after dinner. Xi Xiaye understood they had something to talk about, so she sent two cups of tea to them before returning to the bedroom.

    Unlike the rainy days before, the moon was clearly seen in the sky right now, and it was beautiful.

    Mu Yuchen and Han Yifeng stood beside each other as they enjoyed the sight of the moon.

    After a long silence, Han Yifeng finally spoke up as he turned towards him, ¡°Do you have something to tell me?¡±

 Chapter 1231 - Fickle In Love

    1231 Fickle In Love 1

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen nced to the side and looked indifferently at him. He fell silent for a while, before looking away and turning around to sit down on the deck chair behind him. He took the cup of water from the side and took a simple sip. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    His voice sounded so calm that you could not hear any emotions from it. When Han Yifeng turned to look at him, Mu Yuchen only casually pointed to the seat beside him, indicating for him to sit.

    Han Yifeng did not reject him. He only looked at Mu Yuchen for a while, and then sat down.

    Mu Yuchen very naturally started. Compared to the slightly dazed Han Yifeng, he seemed much calmer as he said while pouring a cup of flower tea for his guest, ¡°How long are you nning on staying this time around?¡±

    Han Yifeng looked at him with slight vignce. Moments after that, he took the tea and had a sip. ¡°I¡¯m staying for about 10 days to half a month I guess.¡±

    Han Yifeng¡¯s tone was heavy. The work he came over for this time was not an easy task. Apart from the previous task, he had another one that was stuck at one of the segments when it was trying tounch in the market. Although he delegated quite a few managers there, they could not resolve the problem. Out of options, he had toe over to personally handle it himself.

    ¡°I heard that yourpany¡¯s new product is nning to hit the markets here, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had found out a little bit of Han Yifeng¡¯s situation from Li Si before this. Right now, he could detect a heaviness in between his brows, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

    Han Yifeng sighed. Even though he did not want to appear weak before this man, upon hearing him ask that, it would not be nice for him to evade discussion about it either, so he just said, ¡°Mmm, we were nning tounch it in the markets in two or three months.¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Han Yifeng had not been too familiar with Glory World before this. He knew that Mu Yuchen had been in Europe for a while, but he did not know whether he expanded his work here. At the moment, since he saw Xi Xiaye around as well, he thought that they were just here on vacation.

    ¡°I¡¯vee to handle the matters at the branch office over here,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly. After he lowered his head to examine the cup in his hand, he thought about it and said, ¡°I thought you¡¯d ask me about how things are in City Z.¡±

    When Han Yifeng heard that, he immediatelyughed and turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Why would I? Why did you think I left City Z without second thoughts back then?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know anything about what¡¯s happening over there. If you¡¯ve asked me toe over for this tonight, then I can definitely tell you that there¡¯s no need to waste time on this. I really have zero interest in anything or anyone over there. I just want to let Xiao Xuan live a carefree life.¡±

    Han Yifeng was being honest. In the past year, he had lived a very calm life with his son, and it had been a simple peace he enjoyed. He obviously did not want that to be disrupted by anything.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite a good father,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly.

    ¡°Compared to you, I seem to still fall a little short,¡± Han Yifeng said in a muffled voice. He actually a little ufortable to be facing such aidback Mu Yuchen!

    ¡°Evading this isn¡¯t the best way to resolve things either.¡±

    As he watched the current Han Yifeng, Mu Yuchen suddenly remembered the way he had been a few years ago.

    Had he not been like this back then too?

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression darkened, then he did not respond. He just smiled and looked coldly at Mu Yuchen. ¡°What do you think then? What else can I do? I know better than all of you the kind of person Xi Xinyi is. Back then, weren¡¯t you hoping that things between us would get worse?¡±

    Xi Xinyi...

    Han Yifeng could forget this name as he did not want to remember their past because every time he thought about it, apart from feeling disappointed, he also felt his heart ache with guilt. In the end, all that was left was further numbness...

    Mu Yuchen listened but did not respond. He only tilted his body slightly andid back leisurely before he looked up at Han Yifeng who did not look veryfortable.

    ¡°I know that she¡¯s been finding ways to bring Xiao Xuan back to her side. All this while, she hasn¡¯t stopped trying to track me down, but I¡¯ve already given her too many chances. I¡¯m done, so you¡¯re much luckier than I am, Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°If we were to talk about luck, shouldn¡¯t it be you who¡¯s lucky?¡± Mu Yuchen asked him back.

    Han Yifeng was stunned. He forced a bitterugh and then lowered his head to drink the tea.

    ¡°A while ago, when I was talking to Father, he mentioned you to me.¡±

    Father?

    Xi Mushan...

    Xi Mushan¡¯s face shed in Han Yifeng¡¯s mind.

    Xi Mushan had been rather kind to him back then. When he had still been with Xi Xinyi, he cared a lot about them. It was only towards the end after the sudden incident with Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen that he turned his heart back onto Shen Wenna and wanted to win her back, so he put less thought into them.

    Actually, when he saw Xi Mushan willing to give up on his thriving career for Shen Wenna, even Han Yifeng found that extremely admirable.

    Back then, if Xi Xinyi could have also chosen that path, would everything not be different right now?

    ¡°Really? What did he say?¡± Han Yifeng asked gloomily.

    ¡°What else do you think he¡¯d ask about?¡± Mu Yuchen put down the cup in hand and casually intertwined his fingers. He did not bring up Xi Xinyi either.

    ¡°I did let him down. How is he now?¡± Han Yifeng breathed in and asked in a downcast voice.

    ¡°You know that he doesn¡¯t care about those things. He¡¯s with Mother right now, lecturing at University A, and they¡¯ll be retiring in a few years.¡±

    Han Yifeng pondered for a long while before he managed to say, ¡°When there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯ll go visit him with Xiao Xuan.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen saw Han Yifeng¡¯s sour expression, he squinted and said in an amused voice, ¡°Are you unhappy talking to me? Technically, you should be calling me brother-inw [1].¡±

    As if what Mu Yuchen just read his mind, Han Yifeng nked out. ¡°No...¡±

    You could hear mockery in that voice!

    Brother-inw!

    That was right. He was his brother-inw!

    Xiaye and Xinyi were sisters with the same father. That was a fact that could never be changed, and so it was true that Han Yifeng should be calling Mu Yuchen brother-inw.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi¡¯s changed a lot ever since you left with your son. Perhaps you should pay attention to her,¡± Mu Yuchen simply said, and then got up with waning interest. He turned around and was about to go in when he saw Xi Xiayeing over with a te of fruits.

    He walked up to her, then turned to look at Han Yifeng before he walked past her.

 Chapter 1232 - Fickle In Love

    1232 Fickle In Love 2

    When he was about to walk past her, he suddenly said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t talk till it¡¯s toote. It¡¯s cold outside.¡±

    By the time Xi Xiaye could react to that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s lean figure had already vanished at the doorway.

    Xi Xiaye fell silent for a moment, and when she saw that he had left, she breathed in and walked over to Han Yifeng.

    They had not met for such a long time. Han Yifeng looked like he still had a lot to say to Xi Xiaye, yet he did not know where to start.

    Xi Xiaye sat down calmly where Mu Yuchen had sat. She nudged the te of fruits over to him. ¡°Have some. They¡¯re good for sobering up.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Xiaye,¡± Han Yifeng responded.

    ¡°Ah Chen said that we had a respected guesting over, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be you,¡± Xi Xiaye said calmly as she took Mu Yuchen¡¯s teacup from earlier and took a sip from it. The tea was still warm.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s eyes darkened, then he smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be here too. Have you been doing well?¡±

    Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m doing really good. Mr. Mu¡¯s really good to me. With their help at thepany, I¡¯m not too worn out.¡±

    ¡°I heard that some unfortunate things happened a while ago. I feel sad to hear about Elder Madam Mu¡¯s passing too. I hope that you will all be able to move on soon enough.¡±

    Even though Han Yifeng did not intentionally pay attention to incidents in City Z, Secretary Wang would still sometimes mention some things to him, so he knew a little bit about Wang Hui¡¯s passing.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s in the past. Even if we don¡¯t move on, she won¡¯te back to us. It¡¯s usually only when we experience such things that we realize that nothing¡¯s more important than being alive. As long as the person¡¯s around, everything will be fine, but once they¡¯re gone, that¡¯s it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye started to sound a little sad. She thought about it, then sighed and held on tightly to the cup. ¡°In the blink of an eye, the years have passed us by. It seems like there aren¡¯t many things we can hold on to like Grandfather, Deng Wenwen, and now Grandmother. Haven¡¯t they all just left quietly? When Grandfather was still around, I never thought of people passing away, but unexpectedly, in just two years, I¡¯ve had to experience the separation of life and death so many times...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad about it. I¡¯m sure that Grandfather¡¯s doing well on the other side. We will just remember him forever in our hearts.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really believe in reincarnation, and I don¡¯t believe in forever anymore. Just as Mr. Mu told me before, nothingsts forever in this world, except for time...When Xi Xinyi came looking for me before this, she was hoping I could persuade to give her another chance, but I didn¡¯t promise her anything because I really didn¡¯t want to get involved between the two of you again.¡± Xi Xiaye did not hide anything as she just frankly told him about this.

    Upon hearing that, Han Yifeng¡¯s expression fell silent, then he forced augh. ¡°She didn¡¯t change at all, did she? She actually went to look for you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head as she said in a solemn voice, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. She¡¯s changed a lot. In the past year, her temper seems to have been calmed down by time. Many people only mature ande to a realization after experiencing some things, just like the way I was before, the way you were before, and right now, Xi Xinyi is going through that. Even Mu Yuchen, Qi Lei, and everyone else...we all have scars that we hide. These scars are what help us grow.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak for her, Xiaye,¡± Han Yifeng fixed his eyes on Xi Xiaye and said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not speaking for anyone. I¡¯m just telling the truth. I think you should know this very well.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate her, Xiaye? The way she treated you, are you willing to let it go?¡± Han Yifeng asked.

    ¡°I used to hate her, but not anymore because I don¡¯t see the need to. Instead of using these thoughts to resent her, I might as well spend more time on work. Making a choice that¡¯s best for me is wisest.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean that you...before this, did you really...?¡± Han Yifeng did not dare continue what he wanted to say as he met Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold gaze.

    ¡°Many things are easy to pick up and hard to put down. No matter what, I think that at least Xi Xinyi cares about the child. I¡¯m a mother too, so I understand how she feels. You can¡¯t take away a mother¡¯s right even if you can¡¯t forgive her.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye, I...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything anymore. I think you have your own considerations. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to calmly face it every time she¡¯s brought up.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s cold gaze was fixated on Han Yifeng.

    Han Yifeng¡¯s expression turned gloomy. He thought about it for a long time, and then his clear gaze met hers. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep pushing me to her. I admit...Xiaye, I probably did love you back then, but we were both too young...¡±

    ¡°The past is just the past. These things are of thest century now, so you don¡¯t have to keep brooding over it. If you bring them up again, you¡¯ll just be deliberately bringing up unpleasant feelings,¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. You know that it¡¯s in the past too, and for Xi Xinyi and me, it¡¯s the same. It¡¯s all in the past!¡± Han Yifeng sounded a little mncholic. He could not help but feel a surge of waves in his heart as much as he tried to suppress it.

    Even if Xi Xinyi had changed a lot, they could not be how they were anymore, much less the current Xi Xiaye.

    To suffer the whittling away of time meant that he could maybe at least have those beautiful memories. As for Xi Xinyi, he felt that his love for her had been long exhausted to nothing. Even if they met again, it would only feel forced and sad.

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she suddenly did not know what else there was to say. She fell quiet for a long while before saying softly, ¡°Han Yifeng, I suddenly find that you haven¡¯t changed much from before. You¡¯re still so...If something hasn¡¯t been resolved, it will have to be one day, even if you aren¡¯t willing to face it.¡±

    Han Yifeng was speechless for a while.

    Afterward, the two of them chatted for a while more, and when Han Yifeng left, it was close to 10 p.m.

    Xi Xiaye tidied up briefly before she returned to the bedroom.

    Mu Yuchen was already done with his shower and was lying rxed on the bed, talking on the phone while leaning against the redhead. It seemed like he was on the phone with Su Chen, so Xi Xiaye did not disturb him. She just got her clothes and went to the bathroom.

 Chapter 1233 - Fickle In Love

    1233 Fickle In Love 3

    About half an hourter, Xi Xiaye got out unhurriedly from the bathroom and simply fixed her wet fringe as she turned to look at the bedside.

    Mu Yuchen had kept away his phone and was casually browsing through her tablet.

    As Xi Xiaye walked over, he kept the things away. Then, he turned to look at her as he helped her pull open the nket and asked in a lowered voice, ¡°What did you talk about with him for so long?¡±

    Xi Xiaye casually pulled together her dark hair and slid underneath the nket.

    ¡°What else could we have talked about? Just the same things. It feels like Han Yifeng¡¯s actually quite cold. When he bes heartless, it¡¯s quite hard to get him back. Mr. Mu, will you be like that too? Be fickle in love?¡± She squinted at him, and then pulled over a pillow and leaned close to him.

    ¡°Fickle in love?¡± Mu Yuchen muttered softly as his dark eyes shed with an indistinct light.

    Xi Xiaye coughed softly. She shifted a bit andy down. ¡°When someone bes heartless, it can really be terrifying. You should learn from this.¡±

    ¡°Why should I learn from this? That¡¯s not a suitable lesson for me. Apart from you, I don¡¯t think anyone else can satisfy me,¡± he said so matter-of-factly, and before Xi Xiaye could react, his slender fingers had urately reached for the sash at her waist. He slowly undid it, and in a sh, the front of Xi Xiaye¡¯s robe was opened.

    She had just finished showering, so she was obviously not wearing anything underneath, to his convenience.

    Xi Xiaye knew what he was up to, so she immediately frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just...¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t do itst night,¡± he said, and then he stripped herpletely without caring about her slightly frowned brows. He covered her body with his and his cold kiss was felt on her lips.

    Xi Xiaye sighed a little helplessly as she reached out to help him undo the sash at his waist too, taking off his sleeping robe. ¡°Let¡¯s rest earlier tonight. Tomorrow will be a busy day and I have to rush to Los Angeles.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been having quite a lot of fun these past few days. I¡¯m not tired.¡±

    After Wang Hui¡¯s passing, Xi Xiaye was used to bringing her son to sleep in her room again, and he often could not have as much fun as he would have wanted.

    The little guy had acute hearing. If you moved a bit too much, it would immediately wake him up. There were quite a few times when they were in the middle of a battle of lust and they turned to see their son sitting right beside them, much to their surprise.

    ¡°I think your potential for bing a pervert is expanding. How did you even survive in the past?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine when you haven¡¯t tried it, but I only feel this way about you. Aren¡¯t you happy about that? What a heartless woman!¡± His soft raspy voice sounded slightly maic as he smiled. ¡°Serve me well, and I¡¯ll bring you to the nearby scenic areas in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Are we roleying as an elderly gentleman and young servant now?¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a look, but her fair face could not help but blush.

    ¡°If you¡¯re willing, we can.¡± Smiling devilishly, his tall figure leaned down tightly against her. Xi Xiaye sucked in a breath and then met his kiss. After that, she only held him tightly and let him demand as he wished...

    After two rounds of lust-filled battles, Xi Xiaye pushed the man that was still on her away and said this with shaky breaths, ¡°Mmm...Mr. Mu, you didn¡¯t use to be like this...not like this....you¡¯re making me feel like you really are....a wolf in sheep¡¯s skin...¡±

    Mu Yuchen panted as he held her slender wrist. He said low and raspily, ¡°Well, that means you really don¡¯t know men, Missus!¡±

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to help him wipe away the thinyer of sweat on his forehead. ¡°Only you would know. Hey, you seem quite tired recently. Apart from bing thinner, your physical strength seems...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Mu Yuchen already squinted his dark eyes that seemed to be filled with a hint of danger. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

    While Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze right now, she did not immediately react. She was about to answer when the atmosphere suddenly did not seem right, so she quickly looked up at him and realized that he was looking at her with a dangerous look.

    She was stunned and could not help but shudder...

    She almost forgot about what a prideful man he was. Besides, there was no way he would spare her!

    Thus, before Xi Xiaye could respond, the third round had begun.

    ¡°I will prove with my actions that your husband¡¯s stamina is still so good that you¡¯ll beg for mercy.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    The results proved that Xi Xiaye was properly dealt with and she even embarrassingly cried in the end...

    The next day Mu Yuchen woke up slightlyte. Xi Xiaye was already awake, but she was hiding underneath the nket and did not get out of bed. Later on, she fell asleep again. When she woke up once again, she realized it was already the afternoon. It was empty outside by the time she washed up and changed before stepping out of the bedroom.

    It was obvious that the man was not around, but Li Si had just walked in through the door.

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re awake.¡± Li Si smiled.

    Nodding, Xi Xiaye poured herself a cup of water and sat down. She took a sip before asking, ¡°Where¡¯s your Master?¡±

    ¡°Missus, Master went to the hospital first thing in the morning, and then he met CEO Han for coffee before he made a trip to the office. He asked that you have something to eat when you wake up, and then leave for the airport at 3 p.m. He won¡¯t being back here and will just wait for you at the airport.¡±

    Noting back here?

    Was he going straight to Los Angeles?

    Stunned, Xi Xiaye subconsciously looked up at the time on the clock and realized that it was already half past 1 p.m., so she quickly nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it.¡±

    ¡°The attendants have served lunch. Have some to eat, Missus. It will take some time to get there, and it¡¯ll be dark by the time you reach,¡± Li Si said.

    ¡°Mmm, thank you,¡± Xi Xiaye responded.

    ¡°Right, what¡¯s your Master going to discuss with CEO Han? Didn¡¯t they meet yesterday?¡±

    ¡°CEO Han has some problems with his project. Since Master has a friendly rtionship with the people here, he was just going to help CEO Han out. The person-in-charge from before was transferred to another post, thus the handover wasn¡¯t clear and CEO Han¡¯s matter was dyed,¡± Li Si answered honestly.

    ¡°Project? Has Han Yifeng¡¯s business expanded here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus, thepany¡¯s invested a lot into this new product. It¡¯s not easy to get into the market here, especially when their foundation in New York is quite weak. If Master doesn¡¯t help out this time, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll need to spend more manpower and resources.¡±

    After that, Xi Xiaye did not ask further and silently had her lunch. When she was done packing up, it was about time, so she made her way to the airport in the car that Li Si arranged.

 Chapter 1234 - Mr. Muâ€™s Teachings

    1234 Mr. Mu¡°s Teachings 1

    The car steadily drove towards the entrance of the departure terminal and had just stopped when Li Si quickly got down to open the door for Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Missus, we¡¯re here. Master¡¯s waiting at the departure lounge. Let¡¯s go over too. There¡¯s still some time before your flight, so you can have a cup of coffee first,¡± Li Si opened the car door as he said.

    Xi Xiaye got down the car very quickly and responded dly, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in.¡±

    The row of them walked through the VIP pathway and soon found the VIP waiting lounge. She saw the man sitting leisurely by the window in a corner and working on hisptop. On the stove beside him was some pomelo tea steeping.

    Xi Xiaye quickly walked over.

    Mu Yuchen, who was focused on his work, vaguely heard footstepsing from behind him. Then, he caught a whiff of the familiar and faint fragrance. Without needing to look, he knew that the woman hade, so he moved aside and turned to look behind him.

    ¡°Have you waited for long?¡± Xi Xiaye went over to him and sat down.

    ¡°I just arrived not too long ago. The snacks here are quite delicious. I ordered some for you.¡± Mu Yuchen deftly pushed theptop in front of him away and got her a cup to pour her some tea.

    ¡°Li Si, please get the procedures done first.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took Xi Xiaye¡¯s handbag and took out some documents to hand to Li Si who quickly nodded and then smiled to say, ¡°Alright, Master!¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached out to fix her sunsses before she took off her mask and took the tea. She sipped at it. ¡°Is it just the two of us going over? What about Li Si and Ah Bo?¡±

    ¡°Li Si¡¯s familiar with the situation here and Ah Bo¡¯s mainly in charge of the matters here too. It¡¯s better to have them watching over things, so it¡¯ll just be us going over. When the timees, I¡¯ll bring you probably around West America. You liked that ce, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    It was rare for them to have a chance like this, thus Mu Yuchen naturally did not want to miss such a good opportunity for them to spend time together alone. Especially when their sons were around, it was quite impossible for them to be as carefree as before. He obviously would not admit that he actually had a young heart. When it was time to y, one should have proper fun.

    Given the season it was right now, the scenery should be quite beautiful, and it was not a bad thing for them to seize this chance to rx properly.

    ¡°Well...how about we visit Aunt Susan?¡±

    Xi Xiaye recalled that after their weddingst year, Aunt Susan would always send her e-mails, and she frequently went around the nearby scenic spots and send her many pictures. It made Xi Xiaye feel warm and fuzzy in the heart, so she always wanted toe over to visit with her man, but she could not do as much as she wished anymore.

    Right now, she finally knew why Su Nan had previously told her to travel around before getting married. Otherwise, it would be like right now. Even if you wanted to do something, you would not have the chance and time anymore.

    ¡°They should be in Europe right now. If theye back in time, we¡¯ll go over to visit,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly and nudged the snacks to her. ¡°Try some. What do you want?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not really hungry. What are you busy with?¡±

    ¡°VP Liu just sent over some data. It did quite well in the recent quarter. Imperial Sky Entertainment City¡¯s business is really good too. He rmends that I could consider preparing for a few more premises so that in the future, we can run a chain brand,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then took over hisptop before beginning to mull over the data again.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye just put down her cup as she thought about it for a moment. ¡°But aren¡¯t Glory World¡¯s main projects rted to entertainment? Be careful biting off more than you can chew. If you really want to do it, you can find a partner such as Qi Lei or Zhou Zimo to do a joint venture. It would be great to run that. You could even start an independent brand. That¡¯s a good idea too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to go down the pathway of creating a chain store brand because it requires lots of time to think over and work on. Well, think about it. We¡¯ll talk about this when the timees. I do intend to cultivate talents in this aspect. When things settle down on Qi Lei¡¯s end, we¡¯ll see if he¡¯s interested.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye saw him focused on hisptop screen, she thought about it before asking softly, ¡°Mr. Mu, do you sometimes feel like it¡¯s quite stressful?¡±

    ¡°Stressful?¡± His handsome brows raised, then he looked at her in surprise. ¡°What are you referring to?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, work. Right now, I always feel quite stressed out. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t do well. Grandpa¡¯s handed over Fuhua to me with its strong momentum. I¡¯m worried that...¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him with a slight loss before she whined, ¡°Haven¡¯t you realized that you haven¡¯t been watching over me recently? I find it so hard to make decisions all the time.¡±

    When she said this, Mu Yuchen frowned at her. ¡°You¡¯re apany CEO, Xi Xiaye. Have more of a backbone! If you¡¯re not petty over the losses and gains, then you wouldn¡¯t care about the so-called results. We¡¯re not asking for a foundation that¡¯s always thriving. As long as you manage it well, it goes. Even if it gets bad, I wouldn¡¯t let you throw yourself out there, would I?

    ¡°Your man¡¯s capable. No matter what, I¡¯ll definitely let you live the life of a rich wife. Don¡¯t you worry about that.¡± He chuckled, then reached out to stuff her mouth with a snack before he lowered his head to continue working.

    Xi Xiaye chewed the food a little messily, as she said vaguely, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that with you, Mr. Mu. Sometimes, I find that you¡¯re quite chauvinistic.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean chauvinistic? I¡¯m an elegant gentleman. Don¡¯t you think that it should be a man¡¯s job to earn money? You¡¯ve been married for so long, but I¡¯ve never seen you ask me for anything. This doesn¡¯t make me feel aplished, Madam Mu.¡±

    Master Mu was speaking the truth. Xi Xiaye had almost never asked anything from him before.

    Jewelry?

    Houses or cars?

    Money?

    Shecked none of it...

    It was exactly because of that that he was not happy. Subconsciously, he was a little worried.

    If she wanted to leave him, she would obviously do just fine. To him, she was a goddess who would steal the attention of many no matter where she went. She was so beautiful too, so she would be a catch no matter where, but not him. He only cared about her alone...

    He always thought to himself that if Xi Xiaye was not around, he would probably just live as a bachelor forever. Someone like him cared very much about feelings.

    Therefore, he could only work hard on treating her well and letting her love him deeply. That way, she would not leave.

    When he said this, she was stunned for a moment. After that, she pursed her lips then smiled at him. ¡°You don¡¯t give me anything just because I don¡¯t ask? If you only mention a gift before you give it, then it wouldn¡¯t be considered a surprise anymore. Also, there were quite a few times when I needed some capital turnaround, I took that from you...¡±

 Chapter 1235 - Mr. Muâ€™s Teachings

    1235 Mr. Mu¡°s Teachings 2

    When he heard that, he only squinted at her casually. Then, he could not help but say softly, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see a man¡¯s sense of achievement from you.¡±

    Grinning happily, Xi Xiaye cleared her throat and quickly stuffed a piece of snack into his mouth. ¡°Well then, I do find that getting you was quite an aplishment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m an excellent man. I told you that dating me would do you good.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still so narcissistic with your attitude thatcks humility at all. Xiao Rui¡¯s influenced by you too. He just started school and a few girls in his sses already fancy him. Every day, hees home with a bag stuffed full with junk food. He even said that he brought them back for his little brother to eat.¡± Xi Xiaye shot him an unhappy nce.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled and sipped his tea. He said nonchntly, ¡°My son¡¯s already so charming at such a young age and even knows how to use it well. This is a good thing. Next time, he¡¯ll definitely be an excellent supervisor.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t feed these thoughts to them. I want them to grow up peacefully like normal children, not like those rich kids who are all self-indulgent. It¡¯ll just be us who have to worry about them,¡± Xi Xiaye said softly.

    ¡°Our son has a high level of self-awareness, so he won¡¯t worry us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite confident.¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°A good environment and family culture have a huge influence on children. As long as we go with the way we are, I trust that my son won¡¯t go too bad. You just like to think of nonsense and worry too much,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he saved the data and casually shut down theptop.

    ¡°But...¡± Xi Xiaye wanted to say something more, but at this moment, Li Si and the rest had already rushed back.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s about time to board the flight,¡± Li Si said.

    Mu Yuchen got up and handed his windbreaker to Xi Xiaye before he kept away the things on the table.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just leave it to you here. Contact me if there¡¯s anything and visit Master Mo often,¡± Mu Yuchen ordered.

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Master, please don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do it well. You and Missus have fun.¡±

    This time, Mu Yuchen did not bring too many people along, he only brought Xi Xiaye and four other ck-clothed bodyguards along.

    It was slightly past 4 p.m. By the time the flight took off, it would be another few hours too. All of them flew first-ss.

    ...

    A while after the flight took off, Xi Xiaye leaned against Mu Yuchen and fell asleep. Mu Yuchen very considerately covered her with a thin nket, and then took out a document from his briefcase to continue flipping through it.

    The ne flew through the thick clouds and the blue sky.

    Xi Xiaye did not know how long she had been sleeping. She just knew that when she woke up in a daze, the sky was already dark outside, and she could hear the sound of paper flipping beside her. She turned to look and saw the man flipping through some documents.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was heard. In an instant, a clean, warm moist towel was handed to her.

    Xi Xiaye took it and simply wiped her hands. Then, she had two sips of clear tea and felt much more awake.

    ¡°How long have I been sleeping and what time is it now? How is it so dark already?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Mu Yuchen slowly closed the document and handed it to the bodyguard as he replied, ¡°You slept quite soundly this time. It¡¯s already been past five hours, so it should be half past 7 in the evening in Los Angeles right now. We¡¯ll be reaching in another half an hour.¡±

    ¡°So soon?¡± Xi Xiaye turned to look out the window, a little shocked as she stretched.

    ¡°You only woke up at noon, but you can really sleep. I think you probably don¡¯t need to rest at night.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it all your fault?¡± She rolled her eyes at him. When he heard that, he only cleared his throat and smiled through pursed lips. ¡°I was just trying to prove that my stamina¡¯s still pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to talk to you about this anymore. Right, Li Si said that you met Han Yifeng again today. Why so mysterious? What couldn¡¯t you talk about yesterday that you had to do behind my back?¡± Her mind suddenly shed with what Li Si had told her.

    When Mu Yuchen heard that, he gave her a side look and asked, ¡°This is business between men.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that? Do you have something on them, or do they have something on you?¡± She rolled her eyes annoyedly at him.

    Heughed helplessly. ¡°Can¡¯t you think of more positive things?¡±

    ¡°What positive things? Have you and Han Yifeng turned to friends from enemies?¡± Xi Xiaye asked with interest as she squinted at him.

    ¡°Are Han Yifeng and I enemies?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s too weak. Only Su Chen and the rest are worthy of being my rival, but sadly we¡¯re buddies,¡± he said without being courteous at all. Then, he looked unhappily at her. ¡°The resources that used to be by your side were quite limited. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have cultivated such cheap taste.¡±

    ¡°Please, aren¡¯t you still jealous of him every single time?¡± Xi Xiaye protested.

    ¡°Why would I be jealous?¡± he said casually, breathed in, and then continued, ¡°It¡¯s for Xi Xinyi. Since we want her to be one of us, I¡¯ll have to give her some benefits at least. How else did you think I would¡¯ve known about you and Qi Feng¡¯s matters?¡±

    ¡°Did Xi Xinyi really be one of your chess pieces?¡± Xi Xiaye looked a little shocked at him.

    He did not respond, but his flickering gaze already answered her.

    ¡°No wonder she was actually all weird before...¡± Xi Xiaye was stunned for a while before she muttered to herself and sighed softly. ¡°Mr. Mu, I actually don¡¯t know how I should face her. I think I really can¡¯t truly let go of all the things she did to me before, but subconsciously, I also don¡¯t want her to...do badly...¡±

    ¡°So, are you telling me that you¡¯ve forgotten past pains and that your wounds have healed?¡± He was irritated at her for being soft, but his gaze was clear.

    Knowing her, he knew that no matter who it was, especially if it was kin, she would not be able to really be heartless. Otherwise, she would not be Xi Xiaye!

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m really weak and easily affected? Using their words, I¡¯m like the Virgin Mary though this Virgin Mary is a word with negative connotations...¡± As Xi Xiaye forced augh, her fair and beautiful face could not help but be colored with self-mockery.

    ¡°A fault confessed is half redressed. I¡¯d much rather give someone another chance if we could really save a bad person and turn them good. However, whether or not someone else gives you a chance, the more important thing is that you need to help yourself. Get it?¡±

 Chapter 1236 - Mr. Muâ€™s Teachings

    1236 Mr. Mu¡°s Teachings 3

    His lowered voice sounded sensitive. Right now, he was like an elder again, imparting wisdom unto Xi Xiaye earnestly.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she fell silent for a while and pondered for a moment. Then, she nodded like an obedient child. ¡°Actually, in my sub-conscience, I¡¯m still hoping that...it would be best if she bes better for the sake of the child. Perhaps, Han Yifeng should give her a chance to care about the child. That¡¯s like robbing a woman of their right to be a mother. It does sound quite cruel.¡±

    Previously, she had heard Su Nan mention that the child was a cute one.

    ¡°Whether or not Han Yifeng agrees, I¡¯m just carrying out Xi Xinyi¡¯s conditions.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not care about these things or have the time for them either. He only agreed to help Xi Xinyi fight for a chance because he wanted to use this chess piece. Of course, it was rted to Xi Xiaye slightly too. The lucky thing was that she could understand it and did not disagree with any of his decisions.

    ¡°Are you confident about getting Han Yifeng to ept Xi Xinyi again?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but question.

    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t ask the question like that. I only promised to give Xi Xinyi a chance back then. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s sessful or not,¡± Mu Yuchen answered casually, then he smiled faintly at her. ¡°You should learn that when ites to some things, it might not be a good thing to help to the end. Help them fight half the battle, then leave the rest to them. When they¡¯re grateful that you¡¯ve given them a chance, they¡¯ll also appreciate it more.¡±

    ¡°Is there really so much technique in helping someone?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, with your EQ, it¡¯s better if you learn properly. Otherwise, you¡¯ll lose out despite doing something good.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯llply with your teachings, Mr. Mu!¡±

    She shrugged helplessly. ¡°Then, how are you nning to help her?¡±

    ¡°That will have to depend on Qi Lei. Qi Kai and the Han Corporation do have a working rtionship. In fact, from what I know, Qi Lei¡¯s in charge of things over here. Qi Kai frequently sends people to be stationed long term at the Han Corporation, so if Xi Xinyi bes one of the people-in-charge, she will have a reason to be in contact with Han Yifeng again,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly as if this was nothing to him.

    ¡°Will that work?¡± Xi Xiaye was doubtful.

    ¡°Why not? Why do you think I¡¯ve been getting Qi Lei to amplify Xi Xinyi¡¯s capabilities recently? To handle someone like Xi Xinyi, you¡¯ve got to be smart. You can¡¯t go too soft but not too hard either, or she won¡¯t be able to handle it. After such a drop in status, she¡¯s really experienced a lot of human change, so now it will be easy for her to move.¡±

    ¡°While it sounds like some profound psychology, it does sound quite logical.¡±

    ¡°Put yourself in their shoes, and you wouldn¡¯t find it too profound. Aren¡¯t you the same?¡± He looked at her meaningfully as a faint smile appeared in the corner of his lips. He stretched out his arms and held her frail shoulders.

    When she heard that, she felt her heart grow warm. Then, she felt like crying. She looked up with twinkling eyes. Her eyes were faintly tearful as she said with a raspy voice, clearly moved, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mu. You always think of everything for me...You¡¯re the most caring and considerate person to me...¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen justughed and hugged her tightly as he said softly, ¡°That can¡¯tpare to the happiness you brought me by crossing miles to see me...¡±

    ¡°But the more you¡¯re good to me, the more I feel like I can¡¯t be a good wife to you,¡± she said carefully while her twinkling eyes flickered. Mr. Mu could see that it was filled with earnest and tenderness.

    ¡°I told you, just stay by my side. That¡¯s how you be the best wife. Enough, you¡¯re being silly. Sit tight now. The ne¡¯s about tond.¡±

    He could not quite bear her sudden sentiments and tenderness towards him, so his handsome face blushed slightly.

    He could not deny that he really enjoyed the way this little woman gazed at him with emotional and gentle eyes. It felt as if he had suddenly stepped into soft clouds like he was floating and suddenly could not find a ce tond. This all made him feel that even if he willingly gave her his all, it would not be enough.

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye saw that he was shy for once, she could not help butugh out gently. She happily turned to her side and her arms suddenly held his head. Her soft, pink lips aimed right for his thin, cold lips. Then, she nted a kiss, recklessly tasting him before quickly pushing him away and looked at him unsatisfied.

    She then realized that his tensed up face was blushing, but he was pretending to look all serious. At that point, she instantlyughed out louder. ¡°Mr. Mu, I suddenly realize that it¡¯s addictive to take advantage of you. I just like seeing the way you look all shy...¡±

    This little girl was beginning to recklessly tease him now!

    Frowning slightly, Mu Yuchen squinted at the bodyguards on the side and realized that they had already quickly turned away. He then looked at Xi Xiaye with a reddened face to say softly, ¡°Why weren¡¯t you this boldst night?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying...¡± Xi Xiaye then cleared her throat and turned away.

    ¡°You¡¯re so lovable...¡± he squinted at her and said.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ...

    The nended steadily at the Los Angeles airport while the couple was messing with each other.

    When they disembarked from the ne, it was already past 8 p.m. at their destination and the sky had darkened.

    The season here was not as cold as in New York and the entire city was extremely lively too.

    ording to the itinerary that Mu Yuchen had nned, they would stay in Los Angeles for a few days first. They had some things to handle here while he would bring Xi Xiaye around. Su Nan and Ruan Heng were not in Boston as well. ording to Professor Harry¡¯s therapy program, Ruan Heng would sometimes need to go over to a hospital in Los Angeles to receive assisted treatment from the most advanced instruments, especially when he seemed to be doing better. Therefore, Professor Harry immediately transferred Ruan Heng there for treatment.

    These few days, Su Nan and Ruan Heng were coincidentally in Los Angeles, so the two of them went over. Of course, apart from that, it was also because Ah Bo had found out some good news here, so Mu Yuchen went along too.

    The husband and wife did not tell Su Nan about how they were going toe over. Once they got down from the ne, they took a cab and went straight to the hospital that Ruan Heng was at.

    At this moment, Los Angeles at night was dazzling and charming. The car drove through the night speedily. After about two hours, the car parked in front of a hospital.

 Chapter 1237 - As If A Century

    1237 As If A Century 1

    The night grewte. While the bright moon hung high up in the sky outside the window, the cold moonlight bathed the ground.

    The main light in the ward was not switched on. Only the dim tablemp by the bed was turned on, but its weak light still looked gentle.

    Su Nan held a warm towel and carefully used it to wipe Ruan Heng¡¯s body whose eyes were still shut as hey in bed. She did it slowly and with detailed focus. By now, she was adept at it.

    A while after that, she was finally done, so she began to massage his arms and legs. When she was done, she was worn out. The weather was cool, yet there was a thinyer of sweat on her forehead.

    When she finally sat down and reached out to gently hold Ruan Heng¡¯s frail hand, she could vaguely feel his hand subconsciously twitch a little, but upon studying his face, his eyes were not open.

    He must be trying hard to open his eyes as Su Nan seemed to be able to feel his tensed up body. Sadly, he still could not open his eyes right now...

    ¡°Ruan Heng, try harder. You¡¯ll be able to open your eyes soon. You¡¯ve already been sleeping for so long now. It¡¯s time you wake up...If you don¡¯t wake up soon, I¡¯m really afraid that I won¡¯t be able tost any longer...Don¡¯t you miss me? Don¡¯t you miss our daughter? It¡¯s been so long. Our daughter¡¯s all grown up now. She knows how to call us ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯. Why won¡¯t you wake up?¡± Su Nan held his hand tightly and put it to her chest as she spoke with a raspy voice.

    ¡°I finally managed toplete the design today, when I handed it to Mr. Rose, he was very happy with it. Professor Harry says that your condition¡¯s looking up right now, so I¡¯m nning to tell Mr. Rose that I¡¯m resigning. I¡¯ll just take good care of you and hope that when you open your eyes, the first person you¡¯ll see is me...

    ¡°I¡¯m missing Xiao Xi a little. When I called her today, I heard her call me Mother. She pronounced it so clearly. Her eyes are looking more and more like yours.¡±

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye stood at the door, she could hear Su Nan¡¯s words from afar.

    The entire ward was very quiet, so Su Nan¡¯s voice sounded particrly clear too.

    Seeing her so sad, Xi Xiaye felt a sudden pang in her heart. She thought about it for a moment before slowly lifting a hand to push open the half-closed door...

    ¡°Nan Nan...¡± Her calm voice had a hint of raspiness, so she sounded dazed and surreal.

    Su Nan thought she was having an illusion!

    Why did she seem to have heard Xiaye¡¯s voice? Still, even as she wondered that, she could not help but turn to look at the door, and when an elegant blue figure greeted her sight, she suddenly trembled.

    She widened her teary eyes and fixed her gaze on Xi Xiaye who had suddenly appeared.

    She was stunned for quite a while before speaking out in disbelief, ¡°Xiaye? Is that really you? Xiaye!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and chuckled gently. She walked over in a few light steps and stopped before Su Nan. ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s me. I was making a trip here, so I decided to visit you. Mu Yuchen¡¯s here too. He¡¯s still talking to the doctor. Are you two doing okay?¡±

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± As she reached out to hold Xi Xiaye¡¯s wrist and feel the warmth from her body, Su Nan could not help but blink her tears back. There was a joy of a long-awaited reunion in her tone. ¡°Why are you back? How did you know we were here? How are both of you here?¡± Her rushed yet grateful voice revealed how emotional she was at the moment.

    ¡°I was worried about you two, so I came over to visit. Have a seat first. You look like you haven¡¯t been taking good care of yourself. You¡¯ve be thinner.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s concerned tone sounded weary, and her clear gaze could not hide her heartache.

    ¡°Xiaye¡ª¡±

    Perhaps because she had endured all the pain for so long and was tired from holding on that right this second, Su Nan suddenly could not help but turn weak. When she heard Xi Xiaye say that, she fell into Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms.

    Xi Xiaye reached out to hold her and quietly consoled, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. It will all get better. I heard Professor Harry mention before this that Ruan Heng¡¯s doing well as he¡¯s beginning to show signs of consciousness. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll wake up soon.¡±

    Then, she gently patted her shoulder.

    Su Nan took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ve heard so much of this that I¡¯m a little numb. Sometimes, I¡¯m really afraid that he won¡¯t wake up, but miraculously, God is giving us a sliver of hope again...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to have hope. We¡¯ll see what Mu Yuchen hears from the doctor,¡± Xi Xiaye consoled as she looked at Ruan Heng on the bed.

    Su Nan nodded and pressed the switch by the bed so that the ward lit up. ¡°He does have some consciousness. Sometimes, when I hold his hand, I can feel him responding to me. He still just can¡¯t open his eyes...¡± she said as she quietly turned to look at Ruan Heng.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that he has some consciousness. He¡¯s a strong-willed person. He¡¯ll definitely wake up soon,¡± Xi Xiaye said before she gently let go of Su Nan and turned to the bodyguards who followed her in. The bodyguard then knowingly brought over the gifts and put it on the table by the bed.

    ¡°Hopefully. Thank you, Xiaye, foring all the way. Did Chairman Mue with you?¡± Su Nan said gratefully. However, before Xi Xiaye could answer, there was the sound of footsteps from outside the door. When the two of them turned to look, Mu Yuchen was walking in.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    When she saw Mu Yuchen, Su Nan still felt dazed and surprised for a moment.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s manner was so imposing. Even if he looked calm and cool, he appeared indescribably pressuring to Su Nan. Despite having gotten closer to him because of Xi Xiaye, she still could not ignore this feeling.

    Mu Yuchen nodded humbly, and then looked at Ruan Heng. His gaze soon fell back onto Xi Xiaye as he said with a lowered voice, ¡°Let¡¯s pack up and go out for dinner first. Su Nan, have some supper with us too. There should be nurses to handle things here.¡±

    They had rushed over as soon as theynded, so the husband and wife had not eaten anything. Mu Yuchen had always been keenly aware of making Xi Xiaye eat on time since she had bad gastritis before this which only finally recovered after a while.

    When he said that, Su Nan was stunned. ¡°Have you not eaten? Aren¡¯t you starving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. We had something to eat on the ne.¡±

    ¡°Did you rush over as soon as younded? Quickly have dinner then. I¡¯m almost done here too. There are nurses to watch over at night.¡±

 Chapter 1238 - As If A Century 2

    1238 As If A Century 2

    They left the ward after packing up.

    On the way to the hospital entrance, Su Nan and Xi Xiaye walked together in front while Mu Yuchen silently followed behind. Lastly, behind them were the ck-clothed bodyguards apanying them.

    Along the way, Mu Yuchen had his hands casually in his pockets as he quietly trailed behind while the two women in front chatted. The car was parked right outside. When they got into the car, Mr. Mu was made to sit in the front passenger seat while Xi Xiaye and Su Nan were in their own world at the back.

    Even though he knew that they were as close as sisters, Mu Yuchen did not expect the two women not to be able to stop talking when they sat together. They chatted all the way until they reached their hotel, and still, they did not seem satisfied.

    When they reached the hotel, the dishes were all prepared, so the three of them sat down right away.

    ¡°Xiaye, how long are you nning on staying over here? Isn¡¯t the long holiday for the national celebration ending soon?¡± Su Nan said as she looked at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye took over the juice that Mu Yuchen served and put it before Su Nan as she said, ¡°No rush. I finally have time to get out, so I n to go around. Since I knew you and Ruan Heng were here too, I decided to visit you as well. I heard the doctor mention that Ruan Heng¡¯s condition is looking up, thus I¡¯m relieved.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you should rx a little. Too many things have happened recently, and you¡¯ve grown thin too. You look quite worn out. It¡¯s good for you to go around. As for Ruan Heng, no matter what, we¡¯ll just have to keep going. The doctor says that we can¡¯t be too impatient with his condition either,¡± Su Nan said. Her tone could not help but be colored with disappointment.

    It had been quite a long time now. Such arduous torment could slowly erase all hope one had, but luckily right now, she seemed to be able to see a hint of flickering starlight on the horizon from her dark, boundless corner of silence. It gave her a reason to keep holding on.

    ¡°Trust the doctor and Ruan Heng, Nan Nan. That¡¯s all I can advise you. Since we were young, you¡¯ve always had a positive outlook, so I trust that you¡¯ll be able to get through this as well, right?¡± Xi Xiaye did not want to say too many consoling words.

    When Su Nan heard that, she only breathed in and picked up her juice to drink a sip. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just miss Xiao Xi. I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time now. I only see her through the pictures my parents send me. A while back, she even called out ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯...I really miss her...¡±

    As Su Nan said this, her voice could not help but turn raspy.

    ¡°Xiao Xi¡¯s doing really well, I visited her a while back. She¡¯s beautiful like you. Her eyes are very much like Ruan Heng¡¯s. They are dark brown and bright. She¡¯ll definitely grow up to be a beautiful princess.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as her fair hands reached out to cover Su Nan¡¯s. ¡°Perhaps, very soon, the two of you will be able to go home.¡±

    Su Nan then held her friend¡¯s hands tightly. ¡°Hopefully. No matter what, I really want to thank you, Xiaye, and Chairman Mu...The two of you have really put in a lot of effort for Ruan Heng and I. I don¡¯t know how to repay you...¡±

    ¡°Alright, Nan Nan, you¡¯ve be more mncholic recently. We¡¯re your friends. Compared to when you used to selflessly protect me during high school, all that I¡¯ve done can¡¯tpare to any of it.¡±

    No matter what, no one could change the fact that Su Nan and Ruan Heng had always protected her together, especially Su Nan who had always yed the role of the older sister.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about these anymore. Quickly eat something.¡±

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

    ...

    After dinner, Mu Yuchen went straight back to the bedroom while Xi Xiaye and Su Nan steeped a pot of pomelo tea and sat together.

    ¡°Xiaye, how did you two bump into Han Yifeng?¡± Su Nan asked curiously.

    Xi Xiaye bent over slightly and elegantly poured Su Nan a cup of tea. ¡°He was in New York for work. Coincidentally, Mu Yuchen found out he was in town, so we had dinner with him.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu invited him personally? Aren¡¯t you worried about what Chairman Mu was thinking?¡± When Su Nan heard that, she looked thoughtfully at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye sighed gently and rolled her eyes at her. ¡°What thoughts could he have? I was happy! Hey, Su Nan, do I look like I can¡¯t be trusted? I think when men deal with these things, it must be...He¡¯s just not like that. In fact, he wants to turn his foes into friends, but he says that Han Yifeng doesn¡¯t even qualify as his rival...¡±

    Su Nan chuckled as she could not help but tease, ¡°That¡¯s true. Han Yifeng isn¡¯t a name that deserves to appear beside Chairman Mu in my opinion. Only someone like Chairman Mu with that confidence of his will make people feel like he wasn¡¯t being boastful.¡±

    ¡°You really think quite highly of him.¡± Xi Xiayeughed helplessly.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. Also, I heard about Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident. What happened? Did she try to plot against you but it bacshed?¡±

    Su Nan had heard some news about her from Father Su and Father Mu since Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were quite close to the Su family. When they got together, they would talk about these things.

    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t lose out, just let them settle the other matters on their own. Right now, as long as we¡¯re doing just fine, all is good. If it weren¡¯t for her, Ruan Heng wouldn¡¯t be like this. Even though I know that this whole thing can¡¯t be entirely med on her, I just can¡¯t help but be angry at her. I don¡¯t need to...¡± Xi Xiaye did not conceal her resentment and dissatisfaction with Gu Lingsha at all.

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s true. It¡¯s best if they lock her up a few years! Also, is Lingshi okay about her parents now?¡± Su Nan asked in concern.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu and Doris are divorced, but Gu Qiwu¡¯s still someone with tricks up his sleeve. Doris...all the so-called love from before and loyalty sound like a preposterous joke right now.¡± A smile shed across Xi Xiaye¡¯s lips.

    ¡°I just pity Lingshi to have a father like him. I didn¡¯t expect the world to be this small. Who would have thought that Lingshi and Gu Lingsha would be sisters?¡± Su Nan began toment.

    ¡°Mmm, sometimes this world is just that small. No one would have expected things to turn around the way that they did. I just hope that from now on, Lingshi won¡¯t have to face too many disputes and that she won¡¯t be like me and Xi Xinyi. I hope that she¡¯ll have a more peaceful life.¡±

    At this point, as Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered the entire drama with Xi Xinyi from before, she felt even more frustrated and sorrowful...

 Chapter 1239 - As If A Century 3

    1239 As If A Century 3

    Su Nan sighed, and then she forced a bitterugh. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯d be an extravagant hope. She¡¯s been looking for so long, and then...¡±

    At this juncture, Su Nan suddenly stopped. She was stunned as if she suddenly remembered something. Her beautiful eyes froze as she suddenly stopped what she was doing and gripped Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Su Nan¡¯s sudden reaction surprised Xi Xiaye who subconsciously looked at her. Upon seeing her reaction, she frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Su Nan breathed in and held Xi Xiaye tightly as she said, ¡°I think I saw Morrison here a few days ago He was that tall bodyguard by Qi Feng¡¯s side. Mr. Ah Bo had just settled us in when I saw him appear in this hospital in a rush. I wonder if he came to see Mr. Ah Bo.¡±

    Xi Xiaye instantly frowned. ¡°Are you saying you saw Morrison? He appeared at the hospital here?¡±

    Su Nan nodded. ¡°Yes, I think I didn¡¯t see wrongly. After that, Ah Bo rushed back to New York. Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear about it. Mu Yuchen never quite tells me much about these things, so I can¡¯t help out either. This time, he¡¯s actuallye because he has some things to attend to,¡± Xi Xiaye muttered.

    ¡°I¡¯m really worried if Qi Feng¡¯s up to something. Morrison is his helpful aide. The two of you have to be careful,¡± Su Nan said a little worriedly, ¡°I wanted to tell Mr. Ah Bo before this, but I couldn¡¯t seem to get through to his phone after that. He was probably on the ne, and after that, I forgot about it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. Does Ah Bo know about this yet?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Su Nan thought about it, then shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. Perhaps not. I saw that Morrison was acting mysteriously too. I was quite worried if he was going to do something to Mr. Ah Bo.¡±

    Ah Bo!

    Xi Xiaye had met Ah Bo before and knew that he was one of Mu Yuchen¡¯spetent assistants, mainly helming all of his matters in America. Mu Yuchen trusted him very much, and he was loyal and capable. If Morrison hade to target Ah Bo, he might be nning on doing something to Ah Bo!

    Or was it to Mu Yuchen?

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye started to feel uneasy and did not quite hear what her friend had to say afterward.

    Later on, Xi Xiaye let one of the bodyguards send Su Nan home. When she returned to her bedroom, the clock on the wall showed that it was midnight.

    Mu Yuchen was on the phone with someone, so Xi Xiaye did not bother him. She went straight to the bathroom...

    When she was done with her shower, and the two of themy down, she could not help but say, ¡°Su Nan said that she saw Qi Feng¡¯s assistant, Morrison, show up here. Did you know about it?¡±

    When she said that, Mu Yuchen paused. Moments after he pulled over the nket to cover them and then held her with one arm, he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t be able to do anything. Ah Bo found out something over here, so he probably came to handle those things.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Is it rted to Qi Feng?¡± Xi Xiaye propped herself up and looked at him doubtfully.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s profound gaze shed with something hard to predict as he smiled. ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s something that makes Qi Feng uneasy.¡±

    Makes Qi Feng uneasy?

    Xi Xiaye raised her brows, but she knew not to ask more after that, She did not want to know too much since she felt assured to leave these things to him. However, Qi Feng was someone with a lot of tricks up his sleeves. He definitely would not be just sitting idly and resign to his fate!

    Early the next morning, when Xi Xiaye woke up, Mu Yuchen was already gone. The temperature beside her had cooled down too. He had left a note, saying that he would need to leave for a day or two and that he would return either the next day or at night on the day after. This was something they had discussed, so Xi Xiaye was not surprised.

    After having breakfast, she went straight to the hospital where Su Nan was. Ruan Heng was going to have a routine check-up, so Professor Harry was present too.

    Xi Xiaye knew that it was probably Mu Yuchen who had called him over. Last night¡¯s call seemed to have been with Professor Harry.

    Professor Harry looked like a very humble middle-aged man. He was polite and easygoing.

    He did a thorough check-up for Ruan Heng and then gave some brain treatment to Ruan Heng. When he was wheeled back to the ward, Ruan Heng looked a little pale.

    When she saw Su Nan¡¯s dazed expression, Xi Xiaye asked worriedly, ¡°Professor Harry, when is he going to regain consciousness? Didn¡¯t you say that his body was fine already?¡±

    Professor Harry looked much more rxed now as he closed the medical record in his hand and spoke in fluent Mandarin, ¡°The blood clot in his head has been cleared up. Theoretically, he should be waking up soon, so don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be giving him more nutrition intake in the next two days, so he should be able to wake up soon. When we were doing the check-up, he had very strong consciousness which is a good sign.¡±

    After he said all that, Xi Xiaye felt more relieved.

    However, Su Nan was still looking worriedly at Ruan Heng who continued to sleep.

    ¡°Thank you, Professor Harry,¡± Xi Xiaye said politely.

    ¡°No worries. Don¡¯t worry too much. ording to the current situation, he should be waking up in the next few days. Perhaps it¡¯s because he¡¯s been sleeping for so long that he still needs some time to get used to it for now. When he wakes up, all of his bodily functions will be able to return to normal, and soon after he does, he¡¯ll be able to recover quickly.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye practically apanied Su Nan for two whole days. They did not leave Ruan Heng¡¯s side in the day time, and at night, she went back to Su Nan¡¯s ce with her. When they had some free time, the two of them went around to the shopping malls nearby. Su Nan bought some things for Xiao Xi and wanted Xi Xiaye to bring it home for her. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye bought some toys for her two sons too.

    After walking around, their arms were full of bags. Even the two bodyguards who trailed after them had their hands full too.

    When they were walking along the empty hallway to Ruan Heng¡¯s ward, Su Nan suddenly suggested, ¡°Xiaye, since we¡¯ve got a chance, let¡¯s have some fun. Chairman Mu¡¯s onlying back tonight, right?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, he called this morning saying that he¡¯s done handling his matters, and if he can¡¯t make it back by tonight, it¡¯ll be tomorrow morning,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she pushed the door open.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m so jealous of you two. Sometimes, I don¡¯t wish for much. I just want to walk around with someone I love. That¡¯s happiness too. I don¡¯t wish for wealth. Take me for example. After Ruan Heng fell into aa, I realized that I¡¯ve been chasing after too many things before this, and they¡¯ve be unimportant now.¡±

 Chapter 1240 - As If A Century 4

    1240 As If A Century 4

    Su Nan¡¯s tone sounded grim.

    Xi Xiaye halted her steps as she turned around and noticed the sorrow between her eyes.

    Experience could make a person grow more mature and stronger. Life made it easier to act and to understand the value of things in life. After all, not all unfortunate events were negative in nature.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that her teacher when she was studying abroad told her that if life could be viewed through a philosophical lens, it could help one see everything as debatable.

    Not all bad things were bad.

    ¡°Nan Nan, you know, I always think that it¡¯s important for one to know what we want. Only then you can turn it into your goal. I remember a ssic quote from a movie I watched when I was little: ¡®How different would you be from a salted fish if you don¡¯t have a dream?¡¯. You¡¯ve always been wild all your life. Ruan Heng is the person who loves you the most in the world, and I bet you can¡¯t bear the thought of losing him,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Su Nan felt her face heating up. She took several deep breaths before speaking, ¡°I know. I understand! I¡¯ve thought about it. Even I would have to admit that my temperament is annoying. It¡¯s a miracle that Ruan Heng could put up with me. I should be nicer to him in response to his kind gesture, I shouldn¡¯t have left him struggling alone while I just ordered him around...¡±

    Her voice turned hoarse at the end of her sentence.

    ¡°Xiaye, if Ruan Heng wakes up safely this time, I¡¯ll be kind to him all my life. I¡¯ll be a great wife to him, and a great mother to my child. I¡¯ll be nice to him and share all his feelings. I only realize that I care about him more than I ever imagined...¡± Su Nan looked quietly at the unconscious Ruan Heng.

    ¡°If he goes on being like this, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any meaning for me to go on anymore.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s never waking up!¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she shot Su Nan a worried nce.

    Su Nan took a deep breath and lowered her head in silence...

    ...

    Dark...

    It was a borderless darkness filled with exhaustion...

    It felt as long as a whole century.

    Ruan Heng had no idea how long he had been in slumber. He just felt like he was struggling in the dark, trying his best to break through the dark clouds, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not break through them.

    He could hear his wife¡¯s worrisome voice. He could feel her cleaning his body and feeding him water...

    Su Nan...

    I want to see you, but I¡¯m shrouded in the dark, I¡¯m afraid of the dark.

    I want to wake up¡ª

    Ruan Heng kept telling himself that. He tried countless times and failed every time, and as he was in pain again, he felt a familiar hand on him. He tried once again with all his might as he yelled deep within his heart and opened his eyes.

    Finally, a striking light rushed into his retinas. It had been ages since lightst entered his eyes.

    Ruan Heng was dazzled for a moment and his eyes were still blurry. He blinked several times before getting used to the light. Then, he turned his head over and felt a great strain on his body.

    He managed to see two figures near the bed.

    Su Nan, his wife, was sitting on the bed, holding onto his hand. Behind her was Xi Xiaye with a worried expression on her face while she frowned at Su Nan.

    ¡°Nan Nan...¡±

    After some time, his parched throat managed to blurt out two words and his fingers twitched ever so slightly.

    Su Nan was not sure how to react while Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at Ruan Heng whose eyes were already opened. She was stunned.

    ¡°Ruan Heng...¡± She could not believe what she was seeing.

    ¡°You woke up! Ruan Heng! Nan Nan! He woke up...¡± Xi Xiaye was very emotional as she shook Su Nan with both her hands.

    Su Nan quickly raised her head and looked at Ruan Heng. When she saw those familiar eyes once again, the tears in her eyes could not stop falling and they rolled down her cheeks.

    Ruan Heng blinked when he saw her cry. He attempted to raise his arm and wipe the tears off her face...

    ¡°Nan Nan...don¡¯t cry...I-I¡¯m back...¡± Ruan Heng sounded like he was struggling to speak.

    Afraid that she might be dreaming, Su Nan just sat there without moving an inch. She came back to her senses momentster, realizing it was all real. She cried uncontrobly, ¡°You woke up! Ruan Heng! You finally woke up! That¡¯s so great! You finally woke up!¡±

    She jumped towards him and buried her face into his chest. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

    She smiled as she looked at the two of them. Then, she took a deep breath and quietly left the room, leaving the lovebirds alone.

    However, the moment she walked out of the room, she covered her eyes with her hands and realized that they were wet too...

 Chapter 1241 - As If A Century 5

    1241 As If A Century 5

    As Xi Xiaye sat down on a bench, she wiped away her tears and sniffed. She took out her phone momentster and called her man¡¯s number.

    Mu Yuchen was on his way out of the elevator when his phone started ringing. He was heading toward Ruan Heng¡¯s room.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡± Mu Yuchen picked up her call as he got out of the elevator.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, when are youing back? Guess what? Ruan Heng woke up! He woke up!¡± Xi Xiaye shared the news with him with excitement filling her tone. She continued without waiting for his reply, ¡°He finally woke up! Su Nan cried, and I was at a loss of what to do when I saw them...¡± Xi Xiaye was more than a little ecstatic.

    Mu Yuchen had a smile on his face.

    What great news!

    He hastened and saw her sitting on the bench from afar, speaking into the phone, but he could already hear her as he went near.

    ¡°Mr. Mu...why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± Xi Xiaye found it odd that he had been quiet.

    The call suddenly ended, so she frowned and was about to call him again when suddenly she heard the sound of footstepsing near along with a familiar scent, so she quickly looked over.

    When she noticed a pair of shiny leather shoes, she raised her head and noticed the man right before her.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Xi Xiaye was surprised and her eyes were still teary.

    ¡°Did you cry?¡± He looked at her from above as he put his hands into his pockets.

    Xi Xiaye rubbed her eyes and still felt a little dampness around her cheeks. ¡°No...¡±

    ¡°Your face is telling me that you did,¡± he teased her with a warm smile on his face.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I just felt...a little touched...¡± She did not want to admit it.

    ¡°Stop denying it. You¡¯ve been a crybabytely. It¡¯s bad. People might think that I¡¯m bullying you. I promised your parents that I wouldn¡¯t make you cry.¡± Although he sounded like he was criticizing her, his tone was gentle.

    Even so, Xi Xiaye felt the urge to cry even more when he talked like this. She got up and hugged him as she took a deep breath. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mu...I remember everything you¡¯ve done for me. Ruan Heng wouldn¡¯t have woken up so quickly if it weren¡¯t for you, and my parents and the Xi family...I think that I¡¯d have copsed if I had taken all of those on alone. Luckily, you¡¯ve always been there for me...Why are you so good to me?¡±

    He had always been kind to her. Each and every deed he did left a bit of warmth in her heart. When she looked back at it all, she realized there was a sun rising behind her, a sun that belonged only to her, apanying her silently.

    He patted her head. ¡°Who knows if you might abandon me one day if I¡¯m not good to you? I¡¯m pretty much an idiot when ites to rtionships if you didn¡¯t already know. I don¡¯t know how else to make you love me.¡±

    ¡°I never knew you cared so much about me.¡± Her heart melted, then she gave him a tight hug.

    ¡°Who should I care about if not you?¡± He rolled his eyes and gently tidied her hair for her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sticking right next to you!¡± She then made funny faces at him.

    In response, he frowned and said, ¡°How ugly!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still your wife no matter how ugly I be,¡± she spoke with a straight face.

    He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re really taking advantage of me now, aren¡¯t you? Too bad that¡¯s all that you can do.¡±

    ¡°You just said that I¡¯m a nice little woman just a few days ago. You said that I never ask much from you and you couldn¡¯t get the satisfaction of being a man from me, yet you¡¯re telling me this now. It¡¯s so hard to figure men out. You¡¯re like the microorganisms under the sea.¡± She squinted her eyes at him.

    ¡°Did I say that?¡± He did not seem to remember.

    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t deny it.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say then. You win. Alright, let¡¯s head inside.¡± He backed off and just let her win the argument as long as she was happy.

    Inside Ruan Heng¡¯s ward, Ruan Heng and Su Nan had a long talk with each other before she then helped him sit up and got him a ss of warm water. She supported him up slowly to sip the water.

    Ruan Heng leaned his back against the headboard. He still looked weak, but he seemed to be in a good mood.

    Xi Xiaye dragged Mu Yuchen inside and called out to him when she saw that he was already sitting up, ¡°Ruan Heng!¡±

    Ruan Heng and Su Nan looked over. They were both happy and grateful when they saw Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchening in. They traded nces with each other before Ruan Heng greeted them, ¡°Xiaye, Chairman Mu!¡±

    He wanted to get up, but Xi Xiaye stopped him. ¡°You just woke up. Stay put and rest for now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Nan Nan gave me a brief overview of what happened during the time when I was in aa. I¡¯m really thankful for both of you, Xiaye and Chairman Mu!¡± Ruan Heng offered his sincere gratitude as he nced at Xi Xiaye as well as Mu Yuchen behind her.

 Chapter 1242 - Showdown!

    1242 Showdown! 1

    Mu Yuchen smiled when he received the grateful nces from Ruan Heng. He nodded before turning towards Xi Xiaye. ¡°Get the doctor over to take a look at him.¡±

    Su Nan took a deep breath and cleaned up the mess on her face. ¡°Look at me. I totally forgot about it! I¡¯ll get the doctor toe right now!¡± She quickly pressed a button beside the bed.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went closer to Ruan Heng¡¯s bed.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Mu Yuchen greeted Ruan Heng who was still on the bed.

    Ruan Heng straightened up and replied weakly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just can¡¯t really muster up strength at the moment, but thank you so much for your help during this period of time. I didn¡¯t expect I¡¯d be in aa for so long...¡±

    ¡°As long as you wake up, take your time to recover. Don¡¯t worry about troubling us. It¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯m afraid that Nan Nan might have broken down sooner if you were still in aa,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke as she looked at Su Nan who was drowning in happiness and excitement at the moment.

    Wiht a nod, Ruan Heng looked at Su Nan and gave her an apologetic grin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nan Nan...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all good that you¡¯ve woken up. You¡¯d be disappointing everyone if you were still unconscious even after Xiaye and Chairman Mu came to visit you. Everyone has been a part of the journey. Fortunately, you¡¯ve finally woken up,¡± Su Nan grabbed Ruan Heng¡¯s hand and said.

    Ruan Heng sensed that Su Nan had changedpared to before. She seemed to have been tamed, and there was a quiet, gentle strength radiating from within her...

    The doctor arrived before he could truly savor this moment.

    Professor Harry came over personally to Ruan Heng¡¯s room. He smiled and greeted Mu Yuchen the moment he entered the room. Then, he quickly performed a checkup for Ruan Heng. The results were satisfactory for everyone.

    ¡°His bodily functions are normal. He¡¯s just a little weak now due to a long period of inactivity. Take note of his nutrient intake and exercise more often. I believe he¡¯ll recover very soon,¡± Professor Harry said.

    ¡°When can he be discharged?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s rmended to stay for a few more days for observation, but I¡¯ve been following Mr. Ruan¡¯s condition, and his wife has been taking good care of him. I¡¯ll do a full body checkup on him tomorrow, and I can discharge him if all¡¯s good. I would suggest he do a checkup every month for at least half a year. He can only be considered fully recovered after that,¡± Professor Harry exined.

    Su Nan and Xi Xiaye were delighted. They traded nces at each other as they were brimming with excitement.

    ¡°That¡¯s great! Xiaye, this is really great! Ruan Heng, did you hear that? The doctor says you can leave tomorrow! We can finally go home!¡± Su Nan shook Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm as she said.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go out somewhere then. There are some nice spots nearby, and it¡¯ll be good exercise for him. Professor Harry, is it alright if we visit the grasnds nearby?¡±

    ¡°Of course, but take note that he can¡¯t over-exhaust himself right now,¡± Professor Harry replied. He gave several other pointers before leaving the room. Mu Yuchen followed him out to find out more about Ruan Heng¡¯s condition.

    The room turned quiet again with just Xi Xiaye, Su Nan, and Ruan Heng in the room.

    ¡°Ruan Heng, Su Nan has gone through a hard time for your sake. You should really think about how to make it up to her. Mu Yuchen nned to bring me around anyway. It¡¯s been a long time since west traveled together. We should travel together before heading back to City Z,¡± Xi Xiaye suggested.

    Su Nan was startled for a moment, and she gave Ruan Heng an indecisive nce.

    Ruan Heng then asked, ¡°Won¡¯t we be bothering you and Chairman Mu?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Of course not. He¡¯s nice enough. You guys just haven¡¯t spent enough time with him. Since the two of you are my best friends, I hope for all of you to get closer.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll take up on your offer.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll get him to arrange something.¡±

    ...

    Ruan Heng waking up was great news, and he was mostly recovered after two days of rest.

    Mu Yuchen arranged for them to stay in the hotel they were staying at after Ruan Heng was discharged, so it was easier to contact them.

    On the third day, the group went to the western grasnds.

    Mu Yuchen drove while Xi Xiaye sat on the front passenger seat. The two of them took turns to drive while Ruan Heng and Su Nan sat in the back, rxing. Fast-paced music was being yed from the yer in the car, and they chatted along the way.

    It was mostly Xi Xiaye and the two passengers in the back talking. Mr. Mu just yed the role of a quiet, responsible driver who would give a brief reply once in a while. Overall, the atmosphere during the trip was harmonious.

    The west felt huge. They were just in time for the most beautiful moments in America as the beautiful, extensive grasnds were on disy. The cool autumn temperature was alsofortable for traveling. Xi Xiaye felt like they were here just at the right time.

    After five hours of driving into the deeper grasnds, they passed a lively little town and went on for another half an hour before arge path of tranquil, beautiful blue appeared before their eyes!

    Su Nan instantly screamed the moment she saw the little vi bathed under the golden sun, ¡°Xiaye! Xiaye! Look! How beautiful! Look, there¡¯s an upside-down view of the scenery over theke! That¡¯s a church there. Oh, gosh, Chairman Mu, how did you find this ce? It¡¯s so beautiful!¡±

 Chapter 1243 - Showdown!

    <h4>1243 Showdown! 2</h4>

    Su Nan had always been a fan of traveling. Before she married Ruan Heng, she frequently traveled to ces alone and nearly traveled through all of Europe, but she hardly visited America.

    Xi Xiaye had always been fond of the American culture. People here were wild and individualistic, and she felt much more open when she thought about it as she wanted to experience such a life.

    Xi Xiaye looked around the vi. It was a typical western-style vi that was tranquil and warm. They would be staying there for the next two days.

    The car slowly stopped beside the vi.

    Mu Yuchen switched off the engine. Su Nan already could not wait to get down. She excitedlyy down on the grasnds, making Xi Xiaye smile. Xi Xiaye turned towards her man who slowly got out of the car and let the bodyguards take care of the luggage.

    The sky turned dark after they settled down.

    ¡°Xiaye, when do you find a man most charming?¡± Su Nan captured Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze and asked.

    Startled, Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and tried to avoid answering. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Su Nan coughed and pointed her finger at Mu Yuchen. ¡°It¡¯s during a time like this! When he was willing to take off his coat and cook for you, I knew that you¡¯d be happy when I saw Mu Yuchen and you standing like this together for the first time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying you have sharp eyes now, huh?¡± Xi Xiaye grinned. ¡°Ruan Heng and you are a great pair too.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s not something to be envious of. We have to appreciate what we have. I hope that things will stay peaceful forever after this.¡± Su Nan gave it some thought before turning towards Xi Xiaye again. ¡°Xiaye, do you think Mu Yuchen loves you more, or do you love him more?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned once more. After a while, she smiled. ¡°I have no idea, but I don¡¯t really care as long as I have a ce in his heart, and I love him, that¡¯s enough. There¡¯s no point finding out who loves who more.¡±

    Su Nan nodded in agreement before she took a deep breath. ¡°I used toin that Ruan Heng didn¡¯t love me enough. Now, I realize that the feelings are always the same although subjective experiences might make it feel different.¡±

    ¡°Just appreciate what you have already. I actually have a hard time imagining a quiet guy like Ruan Heng falling in love with someone with your wild and hot tempered personality. I feel bad for him sometimes, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°Screw you! That¡¯s where my charm is! I love him very much too, okay?¡±Su Nan pursed her lips and retorted.

    Xi Xiaye smiled as she looked at the setting sun over theke. ¡°You should say those words to Ruan Heng. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy.¡±

    ¡°No way. I¡¯ve been with him for over ten years. Saying those words feels...we¡¯re not like Mu Yuchen and you, acting like it¡¯s your honeymoon every day.¡±

    ...

    Compared to the tranquil life Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were having here, there was a storm brewing in City Z.

    Night fell after a busy day.

    Inside Qi Lei¡¯s residence in the Grand Lake Vi, Qi Lei put away a document. Just as he was considering having dinner outside, someone rang his doorbell.

    Qi Lei went down slowly to open the door and a slight drizzle weed him. He suddenly felt a chill.

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    A familiar voice reached him. Qi Lei raised his head and saw Qi Qiming with his assistant beside him.

    Qi Lei squinted, obviously surprised.

    Momentster, he looked into Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re noting back, the only option is for me toe to you then.¡± Qi Qiming nced at him and walked past him before he could react. He went in and sat down on the sofa.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened before he went over.

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qi Lei prepared a cup of tea and put it before Qi Qiming, his tone sounding distant.

    Qi Qiming took a sip before looking at Qi Lei. There wereplicated emotions in his eyes. ¡°I had peoplee to look for you over and over again. You¡¯re this bold now, aren¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you go to the office? Or home?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°CEO Qi, if you¡¯re here to discuss responsibilities, I remember applying for leave from the HR Department. I¡¯ve not been feeling well and that¡¯s why I stayed home. I followed the procedures, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°As a top brass of thepany, shouldn¡¯t you share the burden with us when there¡¯s a crisis?¡± Qi Qiming raised his head and stared at Qi Lei intently.

    ¡°Share the burden? You overestimate me. You guys can take care of it. There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Is Mu Yuchen behind this?¡± Qi Qiming stared at Qi Lei as his tone turned cold.

    Qi Lei put on a cold smile.¡±That¡¯s the question you should ask Mu Yuchen directly. Of course, you can just assume he did it. Putting the me on others is what you do best anyway, so please do if that makes you feel better.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, I¡¯m not here to argue with you today. I just want to have a chat. Why can¡¯t you just speak properly?¡± Qi Qiming was exhausted from talking to Qi Lei.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been talking to you reasonably and politely. Let¡¯s get straight to the point. I¡¯m meeting friendster.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s expression was calm. He leaned back against the sofa as he looked at Qi Qiming.

 Chapter 1244 - Showdown!

    1244 Showdown! 3

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes darkened. His hand movement halted as he stared at Qi Lei.

    ¡°Do you still hate me?¡±

    Although things looked better for the father and sontely, Qi Qiming could sense the rebellious attitude from Qi Lei, especially since their conversation at his office thest time. Their rtionship quickly turned cold again and Qi Feng was unwilling to even see his father.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of hating you? What do you want?¡± Qi Lei was alerted.

    ¡°Are there really no familial bonds between us as father and son?¡± Qi Qiming suddenly asked.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment and he just looked at him without saying anything.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve always been unhappy with me, especially about your mother and about what happened before. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve formed a huge grudge against me since long ago.¡± Qi Qiming lowered his voice and took a deep breath. ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t deny the fact that you share my blood. I¡¯m willing to make it up to you if you¡¯re unhappy with me, but please don¡¯t act selfishly.¡±

    ¡°Make it up to me? Do you intend to? Are you leaving the CEO¡¯s position to me and letting Qi Feng stay at home?¡± Qi Lei put on a cold grin as he spoke.

    As Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened, he seemed strained.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I might consider forgiving you and be your nice Second Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, you¡¯re rash. Unlike Ah Feng¡¯s calm and careful manner, you might not be suitable to handle Qi Kai. Moreover, you¡¯ve always been the unrestricted type. I doubt you¡¯ll be truly happy if you have to handle thepany. I can divide the shares into two, so both Ah Feng and you will have the same amount of Qi Kai¡¯s shares,¡± Qi Qiming said.

    The same amount of shares?

    Qi Lei¡¯s grin grew wider as he looked at Qi Qiming. ¡°Do you mean you¡¯re going to divide the shares on your hands into two, or are you letting me and Qi Feng have the same amount of shares?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thetter...¡± Qi Qiming answered.

    Qi Lei let out a cold burst ofughter. ¡°Say, why are youpromising? I¡¯d look at you differently if you were to choose the former. I have arge number of shares from my mother anyway. If you¡¯re really treating us fairly, I should be the one in your seat right now, and not Qi Feng.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression was grim.

    ¡°Ever since I was a child, you¡¯ve never appreciated no matter what I did. I thought it was because of my mother. I thought that because she decided to marry you and you were forced to marry her although the two of you weren¡¯t in love but were stuck together for over 30 years, it must¡¯ve been tough on you.

    ¡°Do you think my mother really wanted to marry you? You¡¯re a shameless monster. You shouldn¡¯t have touched her if you didn¡¯t love her. Mother thought about finding a reason to divorce you after thepany¡¯s crisis was over, but what did you do? I despise a man who says he doesn¡¯t love a woman but then forces her toply. My mother wasn¡¯t your mistress. It¡¯s the woman the Qi family officially offered a marriage contract to. You should not have done that to her.¡± Qi Lei suddenly felt a headache. He took several deep breaths as he looked at Qi Qiming who turned pale.

    ¡°Whatever, I don¡¯t want to talk about the past right now. However, Qi Feng and I can¡¯t be brothers.¡± Qi Lei paused before putting on a cold smile. ¡°You should know that better than anyone else, so why are you lying to yourself? You probably know what¡¯s going to happen from here onwards too. Qi Kai can only exist with one of us. Well, I don¡¯t really want to have anything to do with you anyway.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s words made Qi Qiming¡¯s face turn red. He voiced his doubts in the end. ¡°So, are you going to take everything you can from Qi Kai and start anew on your own?¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He was on guard as he looked at Qi Qiming whose anger brimmed in his eyes...

    The two of them stared at each other for a while before Qi Qiming summoned his secretary over. The secretary quickly handed him a document, and he nced through it before throwing it before Qi Lei. His tone sounded stern and cold as he said, ¡°This is the information I got from the Finance Departmentst month, as well as the information I got from the private detective this morning. Shouldn¡¯t you exin what¡¯s happening to me? What are these? I want exnations!¡±

    Qi Lei squinted his eyes at Qi Qiming as he grabbed the documents and casually looked through them. He closed the file momentster, not seeming surprised at all.

    ¡°What exnation would you like to hear? Isn¡¯t it written clearly enough already?¡± Qi Lei did not even bother to hide his intentions anymore. Nearly everything was on the right track now and he did not have much to worry about. It was time for a showdown.

    ¡°Why are you doing this? Do you know that your behavior is equal to betraying Qi Kai?¡± Qi Qiming asked coldly.

    Qi Lei smiled and threw the documents back to Qi Qiming as he sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t act like it¡¯s all unbelievable. I¡¯d think that you¡¯d be angry if I were still the same as before. I¡¯m just taking whatever belongs to me right now. What¡¯s wrong about that? You wanted to retire and hand Qi Kai over to Qi Feng, didn¡¯t you? I can¡¯t stand having someone ordering me around, so what¡¯s wrong with trying out something new on my own?¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that to Qi Kai! How much did you take away from Qi Kai? Qi Lei, you¡¯re trying to destroy us, aren¡¯t you?¡± Qi Qiming clenched his fist and said coldly.

    ¡°How should I treat Qi Kai then? I¡¯m just taking what rightfully belongs to me. The connections are mine, and so are the resources. Those old employees willingly followed me too. I think I¡¯m nice enough to not go against Qi Kai for now. What else do you think I should do?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s voice suddenly turned stern!

 Chapter 1245 - Showdown!

    1245 Showdown! 4

    It was rare to see Qi Lei being this aggressive.

    Qi Qiming actually knew that he had been underestimating Qi Lei. Especially ever since Wang Qin passed away, his performance was way above average.

    Qi Qiming thought it was a good thing. If Qi Feng and Qi Lei could work together, Qi Kai would surely reach new heights, but it was impossible for the two of them to work together.

    It was just like Wang Qin and him!

    He thought that if only he could have been more generous in the past, things might not have turned out like this!

    He noticed that he liked to reminisce of the past as he got older. He realized that he regretted what he did. Perhaps he had been too strict with he. She had still been his woman after all. Only Wang Qin could call herself Qi Qiming¡¯s woman, and naturally, Qi Lei was his son, so why did he fight with her until the bitter end?

    What if...?

    Unfortunately, one could not redo life.

    Qi Qiming suddenly turned quiet and his cold eyes darkened as well. ¡°Qi Kai is your mother¡¯s work as well. I don¡¯t want to see Qi Kai fall like this.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure that Qi Kai will fall if I take charge? If you already have this bias from the very beginning, it¡¯ll be pointless no matter what I do,¡± Qi Lei said calmly with an expressionless face.

    Qi Qiming was stunned for a moment before answering, ¡°You have a bias against Qi Feng too, don¡¯t you? Must the two of you really go against each other?¡±

    Although he knew the brothers were not on good terms, Qi Qiming thought...

    ¡°You should ask Qi Feng about that! You knew what Qi Feng did to me, but you act like you didn¡¯t see anything. I suppose I¡¯m dispensable to you. Do you think a father like you deserves my gratitude?¡± Qi Lei put on a cold smile as he pointed at the documents before Qi Qiming. ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, you know very well what will happen to me once Qi Feng takes over your position. I¡¯ll probably be transferred externally or get into an ugly dogfight like my mother and you. Who knows if I might die of an odd incident like my mother?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Qi Lei! Qi Feng wouldn¡¯t do that. I can assure you that no one will challenge your position in thepany with me being around, but Qi Feng is more suitable to be Qi Kai¡¯s CEO than you are. Aside from that, I can fulfill any conditions you want. Give up on working with the outsiders and cooperate with your brother!¡± Qi Qiming grabbed onto the teacup tightly as he stared straight at Qi Lei.

    ¡°What if I insist on the CEO position? Didn¡¯t you say that Qi Feng doesn¡¯t care? I care about that. Why don¡¯t you tell him to quit and let me handle it? He can be the tactician and work under me since that¡¯s what he¡¯s supposed to be. Who says that I don¡¯t care about power and fame? I care! I care about them a lot! Why are you trying to stop me from putting in effort when you can¡¯t give me what I want? Those things belong to my mother, so what¡¯s wrong with me taking those back? If you think that you¡¯re not in the wrong, then shut up and learn to ignore it!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! You¡¯re unbelievable. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m your biological father! Why can¡¯t you speak nicely for once?¡± Qi Qiming coughed several times.

    However, Qi Lei did not seem to bother. He let out a coldugh and enjoyed his tea leisurely.

    ¡°Just when did you band together with Mu Yuchen? Why would he hand Chenye Movies and Television to you? Did you promise him something? What does he want you to do?¡± Qi Qiming asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to go against Qi Kai by working with him, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t try to fight him, I can guarantee with my life that he won¡¯t do anything against you.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°But he¡¯s the one that caused that ident! Your brother Qi Feng turned out like this because of him.¡±

    ¡°Because of Mu Yuchen? Do you think he¡¯d have done that if Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha didn¡¯t do what they did? Has he ever bothered any of you? I once thought it was actually his fault, but after I found out what exactly happened, I realized that wasn¡¯t the full truth.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. ¡°I thought about staying in Qi Kai for a while longer, but it seems like it¡¯s not my ce to be anymore. If you¡¯re unhappy, you can just fire me tomorrow.¡± His tone of voice was calm and cold, and Qi Qiming did not like it.

    It took Qi Qiming some time to find back his voice again. ¡°So, you¡¯ve decided to betray Qi Kai for real and band together with Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Where is the betrayal when I¡¯ve never sworn loyalty? Do you even understand how betrayal works? Moreover, I¡¯m not working under Mu Yuchen. We¡¯re working together. Don¡¯t assume everyone just wants to be like your dear son.¡¯

    ¡°Qi Lei, you watch your mouth!¡± Qi Qiming stood up with a stormy expression.

    ¡°You heard what I said. Do you need any further exnation?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he stood up as well and red at Qi Qiming.

    ¡°Do you really have to go this far? You and Qi Feng are brothers!¡±

    ¡°You were my mother¡¯s husband. Were you ever kind to her?¡±

 Chapter 1246 - Wine Tastes Better With A Friend

    1246 Wine Tastes Better With A Friend 1

    Qi Lei was not giving Qi Qiming any room for negotiation at all, so thetter finally understood that there was nothing he could do to rectify his past mistakes.

    Whether he admitted it or not, he knew it full well. He owed Wang Qin a lot, and she was still the only woman who bore the title of his wife.

    Regarding what Qi Lei mentioned about a divorce, while he might never have nned to spend the rest of his life with Wang Qin initially, he did not think about divorcing herter on. Wang Qin hardly mentioned her intentions of divorce afterward as well.

    While the two of them had not been in love and had always been plotting against each other, they were cautious on the matter of marriage and family. It was hard to believe that they hardly considered a divorce.

    He never thought about having anyone to rece Wang Qin, even if it was Qi Feng¡¯s mother with whom he had been in love once...

    Qi Qiming was reminded about how he officially married Wang Qin up until the moment he forced himself upon her.

    Wang Qin was headstrong, so her reaction during that moment was cold. No matter how much of a beast he was acting as, she did not let even a tear drop. She had put on her dress again and gone to serve tea to her parents-inw.

    After that she had yed the role of a good wife and daughter-inw, but she never wanted to speak to him or ask about his day at all.

    He still loved to force her however because he felt satisfied from forcing her to sumb. Her hatred against him grew stronger by day until she was pregnant with Qi Lei.

    Qi Qiming suddenly felt regretful as there were not many memorable events with her. If only he cared for her more and knew more about her, maybe he would have more pleasant memories. This emptiness inside him was suffocating.

    Perhaps because his stamina had gotten worse or maybe he was just getting old, he felt easily exhausted after Wang Qin passed away. Somehow, he felt that he would not be as tired if she had still been alive.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, your mother and I...¡±

    After some time, Qi Qiming suddenly spoke again, ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to treat her like that. I know I owe her a lot. Both Ah Feng and you are my sons. I just don¡¯t wish to see the both of you be enemies.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote. It¡¯s not that I want to cause trouble, but there¡¯s no way Qi Feng is just going to leave me alone. Perhaps, I wouldn¡¯t even be here today if I didn¡¯t make that little protest, would I?¡±

    Qi Lei was tone was full of irony as he put on a bitter smile. ¡°Now that you know, I suppose I can¡¯t stay in Qi Kai any longer. Chenye Movies and Television will transform into my ownpany after this year. Don¡¯t me me for what I would do if you try to stop me.¡±

    Qi Lei got up and grabbed his car keys before heading over the door.

    ¡°Also, there¡¯s no way to resolve the conflict between Qi Feng and me. He won¡¯t just leave me alone like this, and I won¡¯t give him an easy time as well. If you really think of me as a son, just sit tight and watch what¡¯s about to happen between us and not interfere, or else, our rtionship will just end right away.¡±

    As Qi Feng sounded extremely determined, Qi Qiming¡¯s body froze.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out for dinner. Remember to lock the door when you leave.¡± Qi Lei then disappeared out of the doorway.

    Qi Qiming could not react for a while. He turned over and stared at the empty entrance. Momentster, he put on a bitter smile...

    Autumn had arrived. The weather was rainy and the temperature in City Z had plummeted.

    The weather was not great today. The sky was dark and gloomy, and it looked like it was about to rain soon.

    Qi Lei was driving towards the north of the city. He was hungry and felt like drinking, but suddenly he could not find anyone to call and have a drink with, so he startedughing at himself.

    It suddenly started raining as he passed by a busy street. Then, he remembered that there was a decent restaurant nearby and decided to head there.

    ...

    Inside a pleasant-looking restaurant in the north of the city.

    ¡°One curried fried rice, and give me two of your popr seafood dishes, plus a bottle of Chongyang wine.¡±

    Inside the quiet restaurant, Dongfang Liuyun sat down at a spot beside the window. She put several thick books aside and took off her ck bag as she ordered from the waiter.

    ¡°Noted. Please wait for a moment, Teacher Dongfang!¡±

    This ce was close to University A. Dongfang Liuyun just came over from her antique shop and had not eaten dinner yet. She still needed to go for a lecture for amon course until 10p.m.

    It had been some time since she started being a lecturer in University A and she had a busy schedule, but she felt like her life was fulfilling.

    This restaurant was near University A, and the food here was great, so she came here frequently.

    Dongfang Liuyun picked up a textbook and started flipping through it. She never prepared for her ss, but she had made some notes in the textbook as she memorized most of the knowledge in her head.

    Themon courses in university were not a big deal. Some of them did not even have textbooks. She just needed to discuss based on the given topic because knowledge and experience was more important.

    The dishes were served momentster. Dongfang Liuyun kept her textbook and was about to enjoy her meal when she suddenly heard loud noises from outside and realized that the rain was getting heavier.

 Chapter 1247 - Wine Tastes Better With A Friend

    <h4>1247 Wine Tastes Better With A Friend 2</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun was about to continue with her meal when she suddenly noticed a familiar figure outside.

    Just right outside the window where she was sitting, there was a man drenched under the rain without an umbre.

    Qi Lei was surprised to see Dongfang Liuyun too, and he suddenly put on a grin. No wonder he found the restaurant familiar. He hade by here to have a drink with Dongfang Liuyun before.

    Qi Lei?

    Dongfang Liuyun was surprised as well, BUT she smiled when she saw Qi Lei looking at her. she pointed at the seat opposite her and invited him toe inside.

    Qi Lei went in naturally. He took off his wet coat and sat down across her as she quickly ordered two more dishes from the waiter.

    ¡°Why are you here thiste?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked, not sounding distant at all while she also poured him some liquor.

    Qi Lei took the cup as he nced at the books beside her seat. ¡°I was just around for a bit. I haven¡¯t had dinner yet, so I came over here to take a look, but I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. Are you going to teachter?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a sip of her wine and frowned. ¡°Yeap, from 7.30 p.m. to 10 p.m.¡±

    ¡°How have you beentely?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Not too good but not too bad either. How about you? Seems like something¡¯s troubling you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun raised her head and looked at him. She easily noticed the trouble between his brows. Although he always had a smile on his face, she managed to capture the tiny tint of darkness in his eyes.

    As another person keeping a lot to himself, who did not have some kind of backstory?

    Dongfang Liuyun felt that she should not have asked. After all, she was never the kind of person who meddled in other people¡¯s business, or else, there would not be that many people talking behind her back and saying that she was cold-hearted.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He was shocked by Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s concerned tone, but he replied, ¡°Just some mess at home.¡±

    ¡°Each family has their own issues, I suppose. You have to get used to it.¡± Dongfang Liuyun refilled his cup. ¡°Try the Chongyang wine here. The owner of this ce is from the Miao race and she brewed this herself. It tastes great but has low alcohol content, so it¡¯s good for your health to have it in moderation.¡±

    Qi Lei took another sip. ¡°Not bad. I didn¡¯t expect you to be a fan of alcohol too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. ¡°Drinking helps me to be bolder. Alcohol is great. A few years ago, I happened toe across this Chongyang wine during one of my archeology trips in Miao Jiang, and I¡¯ve been missing it ever since. Although I know it¡¯s avable on the market, I couldn¡¯t find any that tastes like the original until the owner here introduced it to me again a few days ago. I¡¯m so d to have the opportunity to taste it again.¡±

    She then poured herself another ss. After several drinks, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face had turned red.

    ¡°Miao Jiang?¡± Qi Lei mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t know geography, Teacher Dongfang.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the settlement of the Miao race in the East. My subject has something to do Miao Jiang¡¯s culture, but you can research on your own if you like. These cultural sses are pretty fun,¡± she said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly in the mood right now. Give me some time. I was pretty interested in the culture of other races when I was studying too, especially in their unique architecture design.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows. ¡°It slipped past my mind that you¡¯re a genius when ites to architecture.¡±

    ¡°Genius isn¡¯t meant to describe me.¡± Qi Lei lowered his head and took another drink.

    ¡°But being disappointed doesn¡¯t fit you either,¡± she squinted her eyes at her as she said.

    He froze for a moment before smiling. ¡°Am I that obvious?¡±

    She nodded without hesitation. ¡°Yes, obviously. Your eyes and expression areparable with the weather right now.¡±

    He chuckled before suddenly raising his head to look at her. ¡°You have sharp eyes. Then, what do you think happened to me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an oracle.¡± Dongfang Liuyun noticed his expression was getting grimmer. ¡°However, if you¡¯re willing to talk, I don¡¯t mind lending an ear.¡±

    Qi Lei felt calm. After thinking about it for some time, he refilled her ss. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Just have some drinks with me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°Spare me the drinking, but let¡¯s have dinner together. Eat something.¡± She then picked up a pair of chopsticks and started enjoying her food.

    Qi Lei quietly looked at her. ¡°I thought you¡¯d continue asking.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not look at him, but her movements did pause for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to ask if you want to talk, but if you think it¡¯s better to keep it to yourself, I won¡¯t force you. However...sometimes being too stubborn can be detrimental. Being straightforward can make your life easier.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say so?¡± Qi Lei asked. He somehow knew that Dongfang Liuyun was a pretty cold person. At times, he felt she was mysterious, so he was not sure what she actually cared about.

    Power?

    It probably would not be a problem for her at all, especially given her powerful family background.

    Wealth?

    That was impossible. She generously gifted a set of expensive vases to a friendly schr without even batting an eyelid.

 Chapter 1248 - Wine Tastes Better With A Friend

    <h4>1248 Wine Tastes Better With A Friend 3</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed hesitant. She took a deep breath as her expression remained calm. ¡°Everyone has a scale within them. Each side you put weight on will lead to different consequences, so don¡¯t regret it if you¡¯ve made a choice. I think the past should only take on a small part of your heart.¡±

    Qi Lei paused as he listened to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words. He understood what she meant after moments of pondering.

    ¡°However, not everything can just be let go easily. It¡¯s not as simple as just saying ¡®I¡¯ll forget about it¡¯.¡±

    He was reminded of the scene when he had left his home just now. As he thought about what Qi Qiming told him, he felt really bitter. He grabbed the ss and emptied it instantly.

    ¡°You can¡¯t let go because you can¡¯t find a reason to do so yet,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said after a while as she refilled Qi Lei¡¯s ss again, ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about such heavy topics. Since we bumped into each other tonight, we should enjoy ourselves.¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled and nodded, ¡°Wine sure tastes better with a friend. Thank you, Liuyun. I feel rxed every time I talk to you, so here¡¯s to you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun clinked sses with him and emptied the ss.

    They took their time to enjoy their meal. It was nearly 7 p.m. when Dongfong Liuyun realized it was about time for her ss, so she got up and was ready to leave.

    However, the rain was still pouring heavily and it was cold outside as well.

    ¡°Time to go. Goodbye!¡± She thought that it might be toote to wait for the rain to stop, so she was about to run under the rain.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you drive?¡± Qi Lei looked at her and noticed a frown on her face.

    ¡°It was peak traffic when I came out, so I took the subway,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    He acted quickly and covered her with his coat. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you there. My car is just right over there.¡± He dragged her along without waiting for her response.

    Dongfang Liuyun was slightly shocked, but she did not decline his help. Naturally, she would ept help now that someone had offered it, so she followed him to his car.

    Thud!

    The two of them quickly got into the car.

    ¡°Want to listen to music? Pick one yourself,¡± Qi Lei handed her some tissue as he asked.

    She thanked him and wiped the water off her face. Then, she looked around and put a CD into the music yer. Qi Lei was surprised when he heard the sound of instrumental melody. It was one of his favorites.

    ¡°¡®A Faraway Journey¡¯?¡± Dongfang Liuyun quietly read. Her eyes turned quiet as she was reminded of something, but she grinned as she looked out of the window.

    Qi Lei thought she was about to say something, but she just remained silent thereafter. He took a nce at her and just saw her side profile.

    ¡°This song tells us about the origin of Japanese, many stories were incorporated into this song, just like ¡®The Pce¡¯s Memory¡¯, and ¡®Conquering Heaven¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Do you like music with a majestic vibe?¡± Qi Lei caught something in her words as he asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave it some thought before replying, ¡°I like songs that are full of historical value, but of course, the genre is important too. Music like this can be mind-opening.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re really obsessed with history and archeology.¡±

    ¡°Everything passed down from the ancient era was a huge treasure to us, so it¡¯s meaningful for me to investigate these things. However, the essence of these things isn¡¯t appreciated by people of the modern era. What were the four greatest ancient inventions? What were the names of each era in ancient China? I doubt many people can answer that.¡±

    ¡°You sound like a teacher right there. You sure are a nationalist.¡± Qi Leiughed as his curiosity towards Dongfang Liuyun increased.

    What a mysterious woman!

    While she was that same high-level yer she met in the game, with her little speech now, it was obvious to see that she was extremely knowledgeable and hard to fathom.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not deny his words as she just smiled.

    ...

    Unlike the heavy rain over City Z, it was all sunny on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end.

    Xi Xiaye woke up as she heard the birds chirping. Her man was nowhere to be seen, but she could still sense his warmth beside her and his scent was still lingering in the air too.

    She blinked and sat up on the bed as she looked outside the window. The golden sunshine graced upon her. She looked aside and noticed that her outfit had been prepared for her.

    Xi Xiaye scratched her head a little and went to get ready. It was a simple equestrian outfit and a cap.

    Were they going to ride some horses today?

    Surprised, she suddenly heard someughter in the next moment. That should be Su Nan¡¯s voice.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and went outside to the balcony.

    As expected, she saw Su Nan ying tennis with one of the bodyguards while Ruan Heng was resting under an umbre. The scene looked so beautiful and tranquil, especially Su Nan¡¯sughter. It had been forever since she looked this happy.

    However, Xi Xiaye could not find her man anywhere.

    Where did he go?

    She frowned and started to walk down the stairs.

 Chapter 1249 - Together Forever

    1249 Together Forever 1

    The morning sun was weing and it provided a refreshing warmth for anyone who passed under it.

    Just when Xi Xiaye was going down the staircase, something suddenly flew across her line of sight. She noticed a tennis ball right beside her feet...

    She smiled and picked it up. Su Nan saw her at this moment. ¡°Xiaye! You¡¯re up! Come and y with me!¡±

    Xi Xiaye declined her invitation and handed the ball to the bodyguard. ¡°I¡¯ll have something to eat first.¡±

    ¡°I almost forgot that you haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. Mu Yuchen prepared breakfast for you. He told us to make sure that you eat. Ruan Heng¡¯s eating breakfast now too. Go eat ande y with me afterward. By the way, your man is really good. His cooking is awesome! Ruan Heng and I saw him busy cooking in the kitchen early in the morning. Ruan Heng only had praises for his cooking. You¡¯re so blessed!¡± Su Nan smiled before teasing Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled as well. ¡°You got something out of it too, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°All thanks to you!¡± Su Nan patted her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll go and have another round. Go and have your breakfast.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then walked towards Ruan Heng.

    ¡°Morning, Xiaye!¡± Ruan Heng greeted Xi Xiaye and poured her a cup of tea.

    ¡°Morning, you look great today. How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I feel much better now. I¡¯m really thankful for your help during this period of time.¡± Ruan Heng felt really fortunate to have met them.

    ¡°That¡¯s great then. Just rx for now. I¡¯m sure everyone will be happy to see you again back in City Z. You¡¯ve been unconscious for so long and it was really hard on Su Nan. She¡¯s changed a lot since then, so you must treat her right, okay?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt sorry for Su Nan. She had been a carefree girl since she was a little girl, but Ruan Heng¡¯s sudden ident had taken such a huge impact on her, yet she still faced it headstrong and held on.

    Ruan Heng raised his head and looked at Su Nan who was having fun at the moment. His eyes seemed a little broken. ¡°She¡¯s lost a lot of weight, and it¡¯s all my fault...Don¡¯t worry, Xiaye. She¡¯s equivalent to my own life from the moment I decided to marry her.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and looked at Su Nan as well. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always been envious of Su Nan and you. You guys have a decade-long rtionship, and you two were each other¡¯s first love. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a unique experience. However, I realized soon after that that rtionships aren¡¯t meant to be envied.¡±

    ¡°Yes, just like Mu Yuchen and you, as well as Teacher Shen and Uncle Xi...Xiaye, I can feel that Mu Yuchen truly loves you.¡± Ruan Heng smiled.

    In just a few days, he could easily capture the little moments when Mu Yuchen only had eyes for Xi Xiaye, and she was all that he could see. As a man, he knew very well what those eyes meant.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same for Su Nan and you too, right?¡± Xi Xiaye took a sip of some tea. ¡°Rose tea?¡±

    Ruan Heng nodded. ¡°Mmm, Mu Yuchen brewed it. Flower tea is great for a season like this.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s he?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she looked around.

    ¡°He said he¡¯ll be out for a bit and will be back soon. He told us to have breakfast first,¡± Ruan Heng replied.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. ¡°What is he up to?¡±

    Their conversation came to a stop and they continued to have breakfast.

    After Xi Xiaye and Su Nan finished having breakfast, they sat down under the umbre and chatted. Suddenly, they heard the sound of horsesing near, so they looked over and noticed Mu Yuchening toward them on a horse with several more horses behind him.

    The horses came near and finally stopped before them.

    Xi Xiaye raised her head and looked at Mu Yuchen on the horse. The whole scene felt slightly unreal.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Get on the horse. We¡¯re having a pic in the wild today. Everything has been prepared,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he noticed the surprised expression on the three of their faces. He put the hunting rifle back into the slot beside the saddle.

    Su Nan seemed really excited. ¡°Are we going out for hunting?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as heid his eyes on Xi Xiaye and waved his hand. ¡°Come over!¡±

    Frowning, Xi Xiaye turned towards the horse beside him as she seemed hesitant. ¡°Can¡¯t I...¡±

    Mu Yuchen moved forward a little and dragged her up with an arm. ¡°You guys should get on as well.¡± Xi Xiaye was sitting behind him and she had her arms wrapped around his waist as the horse went off.

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng nced at each other and smiled. Then, they got up one after another and got onto a horse.

    The sound of the horses running broke the silence across the field. The weather was windy and sunny today.

    He took out the hunting rifle and handed it to her. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to bring you out since spring, I was worried that you¡¯d be too exhausted taking care of our sons, but I haven¡¯t had the chance to do so. Didn¡¯t you mention that you wanted to try hunting? I¡¯ll fulfill your wish today.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed as she looked at him. ¡°You still remember what I said, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I always keep your wishes in my heart.¡±

    She felt a warmth inside her heart while she grabbed the hunting rifle. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mu.¡±

 Chapter 1250 - Together Forever

    1250 Together Forever 2

    He just smiled as he slowed down the horse and gently held her cold hands.

    ¡°Mr. Mu?¡± she called out to him when he kept quiet.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to say your name,¡± she replied.

    ¡°I like it better when you call my name directly,¡± heughed and said suddenly.

    In his impression, she hardly called him by his name. Instead, she always called him Mr. Mu.

    She raised her eyebrows and gently called his name, ¡°Mu Yuchen?¡±

    He grinned happily before raising her arm and aimed at a point. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll reward you with some game meat today. Hold still. The recoil of this rifle is pretty strong.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, I heard you¡¯re a skilled marksman, hmm?¡± Xi Xiaye held the rifle steadily as she asked.

    ¡°Not as good as professional snipers. I¡¯m alright,¡± he said humbly.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. Without any further questions, she looked at the position he was aiming at. Then, she noticed a furry ball in the midst of the bushes.

    Was that a wild rabbit?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened as she heard the sound of Su Nan¡¯s chuckles from behind...

    ...

    The man was pretty skilled, but Xi Xiaye did not want to actually hunt animals. They found somewhere vast and empty and set up some wood and aluminum cans and targets. After several practice shots, Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm started feeling numb.

    ¡°How long will we be staying over here? Is Li Si asking you to return to New York soon after the phone callst night?¡± She looked over at him who was busy loading up the gun.

    He did not stop his movements. ¡°We¡¯ll stay here for several more days. You¡¯ll return with Ruan Heng and Su Nan after three days. I¡¯ll arrange the flight tickets.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll still be in LA for a little while before returning to New York. It¡¯ll take some time. Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t take too long. I guess everything will be solved by the time I go back to City Z.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Be careful when you¡¯re on your own. I suppose you¡¯re starting to miss our sons right now. You dreamt about themst night, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Her face blushed slightly and she sighed, ¡°Of course, I miss them. There was nothing much for me to care about in the past. I wouldn¡¯t have minded traveling far away at all, but now...¡±

    Suddenly, she looked at him quietly. ¡°I miss you and our sons...I feel empty when I don¡¯t have all of you by my side...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll all be over soon. That day isn¡¯t too far away. Trust me,¡± he said.

    ¡°As far as the situation goes...¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei called me this morning. Qi Qiming has found out what he¡¯s going to do. From what I know about Qi Feng, Qi Lei is going to have a hard time. I¡¯ll rush back as soon as I¡¯m done helping Zimo,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°You have to be careful as well. Morrison¡¯s sudden appearance here is likely not a coincidence. As for Zhou Zimo¡¯s matter, I suppose I won¡¯t ask too much about it, but tell me about it once it¡¯s all over, okay?¡±

    He put down the rifle and wrapped her with his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you now to be honest. From the looks of what happened, it seems like Doris was involved. Adding the fact that Morrison showed up here, Qi Feng might be involved as well. And one other thing I mentioned before...Wang Qin¡¯s death is very unlikely to be an ident.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Wang Qin¡¯s death?¡± She almost forgot about it since it happened a long time ago because the police had not been able to find the perpetrator, but it had been weighing on Qi Lei ever since.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°The investigation of the matter never stopped. You should at least know that, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Of course, Mother told me about it in private. I know Father has been applying pressure on the police, but didn¡¯t they say the perpetrator ran off to Australia? And we¡¯ve got no news about him since, hence the matter got dyed?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The murderer did run off to Australia, but recently someone found tracks of him in LA. This reminds me that Qi Feng stayed in Australia before,¡± Mu Yuchen said quietly.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression turned pale suddenly. She could not believe the thought that just shed across her mind. ¡°Australia? Qi Feng? Do you mean that Qi Feng might be behind Wang Qin¡¯s death? What about Gu Qiwu? Wasn¡¯t he the one trying to frame you back then?¡±

    ¡°While he is a ruthless person, I doubt he¡¯d do that. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d like to see Qi Feng biting him in the back, and I still have no idea what exactly happened to that killer. We can only find out once we catch that person.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why would the killer appear here? And it just so happens that Morrison is here as well.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned uneasily. ¡°Does he have some kind of n in mind? Towards Ah Bo or...¡±

    ¡°Ah Bo is tough. He knows that Morrison is here,¡± Mu Yuchenforted her.

    ¡°No matter what, you need to be careful. We don¡¯t know what he¡¯s trying to do.¡±

    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± His voice sounded firm, and she felt much calmer after looking into his eyes.

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯tment anything on it then.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, here, let me teach you. Aim right there...¡±

    They stopped talking about the problems as Mu Yuchen released her from his arms and put the rifle into her hands.

    ...

    It had been a long time since they had fun together with Ruan Heng.

    When Su Nan felt Ruan Heng right behind her, she suddenly thought that she would not mind for times like this to continue forever.

    ¡°I almost forgot how this feels. Ruan Heng, will we be able to stay like this forever?¡± Su Nan asked.

    ¡°Of course, Nan Nan...¡±

 Chapter 1251 - Anger 1

    1251 Anger 1

    Ever since autumn arrived, the weather had turned really cold in City Z, especially since rainy days kept visiting, so the air was oddly humid.

    From that day when Qi Qiming spoke with Qi Lei, Qi Lei stopped going to Qi Kai to work. He also stopped applying for leave from the HR Department.

    Qi Lei expected Qi Qiming to be furious at him and fire him immediately. However, Qi Qiming just kept quiet.

    Yang Sheng had no idea what happened, and no one else knew what happened that day apart from the two of them. Yang Sheng found it odd that Qi Lei stopped going to thepany for several days without any reason, so he then went to take a look at Qi Lei, but what surprised him was that his house in Grand Lake Vi area was empty. When he called Qi Lei, he could not get through either.

    It seemed like Qi Lei did not return home at all and had been missing for several days.

    However, as cracks existed in nearly every wall in the world, Qi Feng found out about what happened between Qi Lei and Qi Qiming.

    In Qi Feng¡¯s office in Qi Kai Corporation.

    ¡°Master, these are the information you wanted.¡± A subordinate handed a folder to Qi Feng who seemed busy at the moment.

    Qi Feng raised his head and his expression seemed strained. His face darkened the moment he looked through the documents. A dark glint shed in his eyes as well!

    Pa!

    He threw the documents onto the table. Even his cup of coffee spilled from the impact, shocking his subordinate.

    ¡°Qi Lei! I¡¯ve underestimated him! I¡¯ve underestimated him indeed!¡± His tone was cold and angry to the point that his anger made his whole body shudder slightly.

    ¡°What is this? Exin to me!¡±

    Qi Feng always felt something was not right. He noticed there was something wrong with Qi Lei, especially ever since he started to get involved in thepany operations. His connections seemed even broader than Wang Qin¡¯s, and with someone like Mu Yuchen backing him up, as well as Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude towards him, all of these made him find it odd. That was why he hired someone to conduct a thorough investigation of Qi Lei, but he did not expect something like this to happen behind his back.

    Qi Lei wanted to leave Qi Kai and take away almost half of its resources along with him and start anew?

    If Qi Qiming just kept quiet, not only could Qi Lei rely on Mu Yuchen¡¯s power, but he could even use Qi Kai¡¯s name to set up his own newpany!

    However, if Qi Qiming exposed him, it would cause another huge ruckus, and Qi Kai would be the one that suffered!

    How could he!?

    With such a piece of news breaking at a time like this, Qi Feng never knew that his brother was capable of something like this!

    ¡°Master, CEO Qi went to visit Second Master in the evening two days ago and brought these things over. CEO Qi went in angrily, but Second Master left soon after that. Then, CEO Qi left with a defeated expression. From what I heard from the butler, Second Master forced CEO Qi to make a decision: he must either keep a neutral stance or just forget that Qi Lei was ever his son at all. He also said that he might consider forgiving CEO Qi if he hands Qi Kai over to him.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Qi Feng put on a cold grin. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to provoke me.¡±

    While Qi Lei seemed like he did not care, he was feeling uneasy.

    Qi Qiming was beginning to waver. His impression of Qi Lei had changed drastically, and he had been more and more considerate about thetter as well. Taking the case of Qi Lei¡¯s external transfer as an example, Qi Qiming would have agreed without any hesitation in the past, but it might not be the same right now!

    All of this seemed to be linked to Wang Qin.

    Her death...

    It seemed like his n had failed.

    Qi Feng started having a headache, so he took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Is Qi Lei still not at work today?¡±

    ¡°Nope, it has been many days since Second Master has been absent. The HR Department mentioned it, but CEO Qi just said Second Master isn¡¯t feeling well and might note to work for a while, so there¡¯s no need for him to apply for leave as well.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened and his head felt even heavier than before. He had put so much effort in just to barely stabilize Qi Kai¡¯s stock, and now this happened, thus he was feeling a little helpless.

    ¡°Master, Missus sent a message from the police station that she wants to see you, and she doesn¡¯t want to stay in there anymore...¡±

    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to tell me!¡±

    Qi Feng was frustrated and helpless when Gu Lingsha¡¯s name was mentioned. He was really in a bind this time. There was no way he could get her out right now, and he could sense that this whole incident was not that simple. In fact, he was inclined to think that...

    Mu Yuchen was behind all of this!

    Qi Kai was in danger again while Qi Lei left with Glory World supporting him. He did not need to worry about anything at all!

    ¡®Mu Yuchen, just how far have you looked into this!?¡¯

    ¡°Have you found out where Qi Lei is?¡± Qi Feng asked momentster.

    ¡°Not yet!¡±

    ¡°Trash! Useless trash!¡± Qi Feng was furious, and his angered expression was fearsome to his subordinate.

    ¡°Call Morrison right now and tell him to get back as soon as he settles things over there! Find Qi Lei quickly. It¡¯s time to have a good, long talk with him!¡± Qi Feng clenched his fists andmanded coldly.

    His subordinate was terrified. ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll get it done right away!¡± He then quickly fled from the office.

    Thud!

    Qi Feng leaned back into his chair when he heard the sound of the door being closed. His eyes settled on the stack of documents before him.

    ¡°Great work, Mu Yuchen! I don¡¯t fear death, but are you sure that you don¡¯t too? I¡¯ll make you pay for this. You owe me too much! Each and every one of you thinks that you can use me like a chess piece, taking me as a fool? One day, all of you will feel my pain,¡± he said those cold words as he pinched his legs. Despite feeling a sharp pain, he smiled.

    Gu Qiwu, Doris, and even Gu Lingsha, all of them were just using him!

    Otherwise, why would Gu Lingsha be in Qi Kai instead of Hui Gu?

    Did everyone really think that he was an idiot?

 Chapter 1252 - Anger 2

    <h4>1252 Anger 2</h4>

    Once resentment was sown, it grew very easily.

    Qi Feng was never generous by natural disposition. At such a moment, he obviously would not go easy on Mu Yuchen.

    Gu Lingsha was still detained at the police station. Even after so long had passed, they could not find any reason to cleanse her of the crime. It was hard to even get her out on bail because technically she hadmitted a crime with clear evidence. He still not understand how it ended up being Gu Lingsha and not Xi Xiaye. In fact, ording to Morrison¡¯s n, it was not drugs but a hallucinogen, which was obviously targeted at Xi Xiaye.

    That way, he could warn Mu Yuchen and give Gu Lingsha an exnation. Also, the other goal was to stop those reporters so that Xi Xiaye would believe he owed Qi Feng a favor. s, he could not have expected all these ns to be ruined!

    Now that he recalled what happened, Xi Xiaye seemed to have acted quite calmly throughout the whole incident. She did not seem out of ce at all. Could she have had a card up her sleeve?

    Were Gu Lingsha¡¯s so-called instincts right?

    If that was the case, then he really had a whole new level of respect for Xi Xiaye now. However, that woman did not seem like someone that could be pushed around either.

    When he thought about this, Qi Feng could not help but feel worn out...

    ...

    It was also during this hazy autumn day when the cool breeze rustled that Qi Lei. who had been missing for quite a few days now. stood in front of Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone for a long time with arge bouquet of flowers in his hand. Beside him, dressed in tight ck clothes and a sun hat was Dongfang Liuyun.

    Qi Lei bent down and slowly put the bouquet before Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone. He looked fondly and longingly at Wang Qin in the picture but did not say anything for a long time.

    It was not sure how long had passed, and when he still did not say anything, Dongfang Liuyun calmly stated, ¡°Your mother¡¯s very beautiful.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, he chuckled softly and sighed. ¡°When my mother was younger, she was quite a beauty too. Otherwise, just with old man Qi¡¯s genes alone, they could not have had a son as handsome as me.¡±

    Even though he was speaking conceitedly, to Dongfang Liuyun, she could catch a hint of sadness and loneliness. For some reason, she could not help but feel a hint of bleakness in her. She seemed to be able to somewhat understand how he felt because perhaps she felt the same too.

    ¡°Have you heard about my mother before?¡± Qi Lei suddenly turned his head and lowered his gaze to look at the calm Dongfang Liuyun.

    Her gaze only fell on Wang Qin¡¯s picture as she softly replied, ¡°When I went to my father¡¯s, I heard him mention that she¡¯s a tough one in business, quite simr to how my mother is, but probably not as extreme. No matter what, I believe she was a good mother.¡±

    ¡°She and old man Qi didn¡¯t love each other. She never even liked him. Two people who didn¡¯t love each other wasted so many years together. She keeps thinking about fighting while the reason was me. I never quite understood it. I thought she was just using me as an excuse for her greed. Afterward, I realized that I¡¯ve been wrong. I was too narrow-minded and I misunderstood her feelings for me. I¡¯m a very bad son.¡±

    One could hear Qi Lei ming himself, and the loneliness in his voice...

    He was not someone who was easily vulnerable in front of others, but with Dongfang Liuyun, he was quite surprised that throughout the time they spent together, he found her a really good listener. You could feel her calm aura. Perhaps, it was because of the way she did not deal with things with rm and because of heridback personality.

    Dongfang Liuyun gently bent over and arranged the messy bouquet so that it looked tidier. ¡°I can understand. The way you¡¯re acting is simr to those sons of rich families. You feel that they give you too little care and you crave concern from your parents. I¡¯ve always thought that no one is born owing anyone else anything, even if they¡¯re your parents. If you keep craving for care from other people without knowing how to care for yourself, you will always be a child that never knows how to grow up.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, she did not get up either. She was half-squatting and looking up at Qi Lei.

    Her words stunned him and he could not help but meet with her gaze in surprise, yet Dongfang Liuyun had already silently looked away and lowered her gaze to look at the blossoming flowers before her...

    Qi Lei thought she had more to say, but after a while, she did not, so he fell silent for a while before she continued, ¡°To me, there should be no reason to stop us from trying to advance ourselves. You¡¯re living for yourself, not them. Those factors can only affect you, but it shouldn¡¯t influence you. After all, many yearster, it isn¡¯t you who will be by their sides and aging with them.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say so?¡± Qi Lei looked a little shocked at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes flickered a little as she calmly smiled. ¡°No real reason. I don¡¯t have as many realizations as you do. I just like being practical and realistic. I¡¯ve always only wanted to live frankly, so the outside world rarely affects me. I think that when ites to doing what¡¯s right, just do what you want to.¡±

    Now, Qi Lei finally understood what she was getting at. He could not help but frown as he looked at her. ¡°Turns out that all that talk is just meant to lecture me?¡±

    ¡°If you want to see it like that, you can. Remember to pay me tuition feester on.¡± Dongfang Liuyun swiftly stood up.

    Qi Lei then shot her a look of disdain and scoffed, ¡°I¡¯m not your student.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m not a lecturer of psychology either. I teach history and archaeology,¡± she refuted.

    ¡°I suddenly realize that you seem to have a lot of experience in many things...¡± Qi Lei looked at the side profile of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s calm expression, and could not help but be intrigued.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a lot of experience. I¡¯ve just heard too many stories. Don¡¯t forget that my profession is in archaeology. In the long vein of history, many stories are stored. Every story can move you and you can learn a lot from it. This is one of the reasons why I¡¯m passionate about it,¡± Dongfang Liuyun spoke casually.

    Then, she turned and suddenly looked at Qi Lei before she continued, ¡°You¡¯re a genuine person. Under such circumstances, while it¡¯s good to stick to your original aspirations, you¡¯ll only trouble yourself which might not be a good thing either.¡±

 Chapter 1253 - Lucky To Have Met You 1

    <h4>Chapter 1253 Lucky To Have Met You 1</h4>

    As her words threw Qi Lei into a daze, he vaguely remembered that a long time ago, Xi Xiaye seemed to have said something simr to her. However, he was left speechless every single time too.

    ¡°What do you think about my parents then?¡± Qi Lei thought about it and then asked this hesitantly.

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun justughed and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like making too much judgments about other people¡¯s rtionships. Whether it¡¯s love or hate, or deep or shallow, perhaps only they would know themselves best. Sometimes, asrge as a conflict may be, it could also be resolved in an instant, yet the ego of two people...¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said that, she did not continue. Instead, she calmly averted her gaze and bowed respectfully to the tombstone before her, then turned to leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you down there,¡± she said, and before Qi Lei could respond, she had walked down lightly and calmly just as the aloof person she was. Even her aura was calm as the breeze.

    Those words floated in the cool breeze. When Qi Lei turned to look at her, he only saw her frail back. She looked fragile, and showered underneath the hazy autumn sun, she looked extra lonely.

    Actually, Dongfang Liuyun did not think ofing along with Qi Lei. It was only because they were ying games and Qi Lei had beaten her. After some thought, he thought of visiting Wang Qin, but he was afraid of this bleak loneliness, so he thought of getting her to apany him.

    The air fell silent in an instant. It was very quiet, so quiet that he could only hear his own breathing.

    Qi Lei silently looked at Wang Qin¡¯s picture. His voice was low and gentle as he said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯vee to see you today. I wonder if you¡¯re doing well over there...

    ¡°I was wrong. I used to always disobey you and always go against what you want. I¡¯m really a horrible person. You didn¡¯t give birth to me easily either. Not only did I rob you of good days, but I also didn¡¯t even give you any grandchildren. I¡¯ve really let you down.

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry. Your son¡¯s set up his own business now. When everything¡¯s returned to calm, I¡¯ll find a good woman and spend my days well. It¡¯s just that without you around, I feel like my heart¡¯s empty, and it¡¯s hard to find a feeling of home. I don¡¯t know whether after I¡¯ve gotten you a daughter-inw, if I¡¯ll...

    ¡°Do well over there. Your son won¡¯t be bullied anymore. In the next lifetime, don¡¯t marry my father. Without me, you might not have suffered so much either. That way, you¡¯d at least live a happier life. When we pass on, there¡¯s no need for those things. How silly of you...¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei spoke a lot. Towards the end, he did not know what he had said either. He just knew that when he turned around to leave Wang Qin, the weather was great as the warm autumn sun showered its faint rays of twilight on the ground...

    Dongfang Liuyun had been waiting for a long time in the car.

    The car was hers. It was a ck Wrangler, Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, casually browsing through a travel magazine.

    Bam!

    The car door was closed as Qi Lei sat down without a word. His expression clearly showed that something was weighing on him.

    Dongfang Liuyun shot him a calm look, but she did not disturb him. She looked away and continued browsing through that final page, then she set it aside. She casually fixed her messy hair before quietly starting the car.

    ¡°Do you have a lecture in the afternoon?¡± Qi lei reached out to turn on the music as he asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun swiftly made a half-turn and then steadily drove out of the parking spot as she calmly responded, ¡°I don¡¯t have a lecture, but I do have to go get some materials from the research institute. Then, I need to find more materials from the city library.¡±

    She had quite a few things to do today, but she had agreed to the bet, so she must ept the loss, Qi Lei had asked her to go with his conditions, hence she could only go along with it.

    Qi Lei thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat first. I also need to make a trip to the library this afternoon. What a coincidence.¡±

    He had actually been staying at the hotel these past few days. When he left, he had even taken the few books he had borrowed from the library with him since he wanted to return them anyway.

    ¡°This car¡¯s not toofortable. Shouldn¡¯t you change to a morefortable one?¡±Qi Lei did not quite like these kinds of high-performance off-road vehicles as they felt ufortable to sit in.

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun nced at him, then suddenly stepped on the elerator. Qi Lei involuntarily fell backward in surprise. Upon seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not look too happy, he realized he had said something wrong, so he quickly tried to appease her, ¡°I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t like your car. This one costs quite a bit too. I just think that in our city, another car would be morefortable. When you travel out for work, then it¡¯ll be more suitable to drive this one.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard that, she did not answer him. Her twinkling eyes squinted, then she turned up the volume of the music.

    Qi Lei cleared his throat and lowered the music a little. ¡°I got a pretty good car from Mu Yuchen previously. I have many anyway, so why don¡¯t I give you one? Consider it the start of our friendship, or maybe agree to my marriage proposal in the game? I¡¯ve been courting you for so long now that the people of Hero Hall and the allies are allughing at me now. I¡¯ve been chasing you for so long and you¡¯re still as cold as ice. If you agree to me, with thebination of our powers, we can definitely conquer the entire region.¡±

    When Qi Lei brought this up, he felt very much sullen. Whether she was Swift Snowy or Dongfang Liuyun, she was hard to tackle! He did not know what was on her mind like right now. They were technically friends, yet he felt like he could not see through her at all.

    ¡°When we¡¯ve reached the final level of the game, and if we¡¯re both still alive, we¡¯ll talk then.¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was as cool as the wind while her hands were steady on the wheel.

    ¡°When¡¯s that going to happen?¡± Qi Lei frowned as he fixed his gaze on her. ¡°Can we negotiate? I¡¯m willing to pay a sky-high price for the betrothal gift.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no room for negotiation. You know I don¡¯t need those things,¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered swiftly and decisively.

    ¡°Only I¡¯m a match for you in the entire region.¡± Qi Lei looked at her confidently and casually took out a cigarette box from his pocket. He took a stick out and leisurely lit it up.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite confident.¡± Dongfang Liuyun chuckled, revealing a smile that was beautiful and moving. Qi Lei was momentarily stunned at this sight. ¡°Keep it up and good fortune wille.¡±

    Upon seeing his eyes turn misty, she looked away and the smile on her face slowly faded.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the Goddess of Prophecy?¡±

 Chapter 1254 - Lucky To Have Met You 2

    <h4>Chapter 1254 Lucky To Have Met You 2</h4>

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face shed with a happy smile as he turned on his side and leaned against the seat gently. He looked at Dongfang Liuyun amusedly.

    Dongfang Liuyun remained calm while she focused on the road ahead and drove steadily. She did not want to say anything, but after thinking about, she decided to bring it up anyway. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say too many encouraging words. Based on the way you¡¯ve been behaving these past few days, you must have met some trouble.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei was stunned. Then, he turned to look out of the window. ¡°Can¡¯t hide anything from your sharp eyes.¡±

    After he said that, he kept quiet and did not say anything more, yet Dongfang Liuyun did not ask either. She just silently sped up.

    The car instantly fell silent. Apart from the music that yed, they could hear the sound of the wind rustling while a fragrance fluttered in the cool breeze. It came from the woman beside him.

    Qi Lei kept quiet until he felt a light touch on his ears. It was slightly ticklish, so he subconsciously reached out to touch his ears. Then, he realized that it was her hair flying upward...

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what happened?¡±

    She always seemed so uninterested in everything, and her lukewarm demeanor sometimes made him feel...

    ¡°It¡¯s not a good thing for me to know too much. Nheless, when ites to you, if you¡¯re willing to share, I may not be able to help you figure things out, but I can be a listener,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said, and then slowed down the car.

    The car was still traversing ahead. Qi Lei raised his brows, and he watched her from the corner of his eyes as they left Fatong, yet he did not bring up those matters.

    Dongfang Liuyun waited for quite a while, and when he did not say anything, she turned to look at him. What greeted her sight was the side of Qi Lei¡¯s handsome and slightly cool face. From this angle, you could see his flickering, long eyshes. No matter how you looked, he appeared like a frustrated teenager.

    As Dongfang Liuyun watched, her gaze suddenly fell solemn.

    For some reason, she seemed to be able to resonate with him. Perhaps not a lot of people could understand the situation they were in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the library a littleter. I¡¯ll bring you somewhere after we¡¯re done eating.¡± It was not sure how long had passed when Dongfang Liuyun suddenly said this, Qi Lei was a little surprised, so he did not react right away. Eventually, he turned to look at her.

    She had already slowly wound down the window, took off her hat, and put it aside as the car picked up speed.

    The car sped into the city, and made a few turns at many bustling traffic harbors. Finally, they reached an old city district. She was familiar with the ce and brought Qi Lei to a nearby restaurant for lunch. By the time they left the restaurant, it was already past 2 p.m.

    ¡°Come with me.¡±

    When they left the restaurant, Dongfang Liuyun walked ahead.

    It looked like there was a quiet spot for leisure ahead. Given how familiar she seemed, she must havee here quite often.

    It was a very clean limestone pavement that was rather quiet.

    The sound of her treading broke the silence of the alley. Her low-heeled boots clopped on the floor, and you could also clearly see the corner of her windbreaker fluttering.

    Qi Lei watched her gradually walk away. After a while, he snapped back to his senses and quickly went after her.

    The two of them walked through the quiet street one after another.

    Soon, they reached the side of the za that appeared a little old-fashioned. Many children were ice-skating and skateboarding at the za. There were also quite a number of old people walking around while sunbathing, so it was quite lively.

    Qi Lei followed Dongfang Liuyun to the side of the za, and then she suddenly stopped walking. He was about to ask her what she had in mind when the alluring sound of a violin ying was suddenly heard. It sliced through the mor of the za, and gradually, the crowd quietened down too.

    Surprised, Qi Lei quickly turned his head and looked towards the music.

    This was when he realized that not too far away in the middle of the za by the wishing pond, two people had appeared.

    They were a man and a woman who appeared to be middle-aged and were thin. The clothes they wore were not very new, but they were clean.

    The melodious tune came from the violin on the man¡¯s shoulder while the woman stood there by his side, dressed in a clean mauve jacket with an autumn dress underneath. She looked quite beautiful, but Qi Lei noticed that her eyes were not focused.

    ¡®When I am down, and oh, my soul so weary...¡¯

    With the violin¡¯s melodious rhythm, her clear and pleasant singing was heard.

    ...

    ¡®You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains...¡¯

    Her passionate voice was heard far and wide. Many people could not help but stop to quietly watch and listen. Even Qi Lei was mesmerized by her spirited and passionate singing.

    ¡°They¡¯re husband and wife. They used to have arge-scale manufacturing factory. Ten years ago, because of an ident, their factory was set on fire by some bad people, and in that fire, they lost their only son. The wife¡¯s eyes were blinded by the smoke and the husband¡¯s throat was damaged too. Then, they were burdened with debt, and all their rtives distanced themselves from them.¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was heard like a cool breeze by his ear.

    ¡°They were once so in despair that they thought of suicide, but after that, they came to a realization that with their skills, they could start to n new livelihoods once more. The wife¡¯s voice is the husband¡¯s voice whereas the husband¡¯s eyes are her eyes. It¡¯s been 10 years, and they¡¯ve won the respect of many people. Even though they are busking on the streets right now, they no longer undervalue themselves and give up. You raise me up...I love this song the most, and it¡¯s a song they sing every day. Every time I¡¯m feeling down, Ie here...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice gradually softened while a rare mistiness glimmered in her starry eyes. She watched the husband and wife for a long while before continuing, ¡°Look, if even they can go on with life so optimistically, we¡¯re just experiencing asional frustrations. There are many more things in life that will make one feel more despair than death, but we have to ovee it and not be sad and dejected.¡±

    When she said this, she did not turn to look at Qi Lei, yet he could vaguely feel a sense offort from her.

    Suddenly, he felt like all those frustrating things no longer made him feel so depressed anymore.

 Chapter 1255 - Lucky To Have Met You 3

    Chapter 1255 Lucky To Have Met You 3

    As his heart trembled along with the music in the air, he raised his head and watched the performing couple before noticing the girl beside him bing quiet.

    Dongfang Liuyun had one hand in her pocket while the other was just casually resting.

    As he thought about it, his situation was not so bad whenpared to such despair, was it not?

    It was not really much other than a stepping stone on his path of growth. That was all.

    Qi Lei felt much more relieved. He smiled and felt a warmth gushing into his chest, just like the sun that shone upon the world. Hope was rising everywhere.

    Momentster, he started humming along with the tune, and his smile never faded.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and chuckled when she noticed he did not seem depressed anymore. She tapped her fingers along with the music tempo as she hummed as well.

    When Qi Lei looked over, his smile grew wider as her gentle smile seemed encouraging to him.

    Suddenly, the crowd around them started to sing along as well. Those who did not know the lyrics just hummed to the melody as the couple repeated the song again. Some people even seemed teary.

    His nces crossed her asionally.

    For some reason, it felt like Dongfang Liuyun was shrouded in bright light, piercing through the darkness he was left in, rescuing him out into the open, and carefully equipping him with an armor of steel. His eyes turned clear right away.

    ¡°Thank you, Liuyun,¡± Qi Lei said quietly as the song ended.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and nodded, then she turned over and walked forward.

    Qi Lei paused before catching up with her. He walked beside her and noticed her looking around the za, so he then continued, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m thanking you!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyung continued to move as she nced at him. ¡°I¡¯d be much happier if you say ¡®thank you, Teacher Dongfang!¡¯¡±

    He instantly realized that Dongfang Liuyun was setting up a trap there. ¡°Ms. Dongfang, you¡¯re 26 this year, so that¡¯s a bit old for me to address you as my teacher, no? However¡ª¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly stopped. Both his hands were in his pockets as Dongfang Liuyun gave him a surprised look, but she calmly waited for the remainder of his sentence.

    ¡°However what?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged. ¡°I just feel lucky to have met you. At least, this part of my mind feels much better after what happened just now, as well as after yourfort during this period of time. As expected from a teacher, I feel encouraged just by talking to you,¡± he spoke humbly as he pointed at his chest.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. You are the one who reached those insights. There¡¯s nothing I could do if someone doesn¡¯t have the determination. I¡¯ve always believed that you were special anyway.¡±

    She continued forward without looking back at him.

    ¡°Why?¡± Qi Lei was curious. They hardly knew each other, so how could she believe in him?

    He had trusted Gu Lingsha before and thought he knew a lot about her, but who would have known she would have turned out like this?

    Dongfang Liuyun replied briefly after that, ¡°Gut feeling.¡±

    She took a deep breath. ¡°My gut feeling tells me that you¡¯re a great person, and someone trustworthy, thus it won¡¯t do me harm even if you turn out to be not trustworthy anyway. Just like my students, I hope they can learn something from me. I can¡¯t force them to learn, and I can only believe in them.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you¡¯re only semi-passable as a teacher,¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°I doubt you¡¯d understand, but a teacher can only do so much.¡± Dongfang Liuyun did not mind his remark at all.

    ¡°How do you feel right now?¡± She switched topics.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°I feel much better now. I feel like I¡¯ve thought a lot of things through as well. But, wait, I think I won¡¯t go to the library. I have to go back to Qi Kai. It¡¯s time for me to face it.¡± His eyes were brimming with determination as well as gratitude towards her.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°I wish you good luck then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Qi Lei took out a library card and handed it to her. ¡°Please help me return the books in the car. I¡¯ve already gone through them.¡±

    Frowning, Dongfang Liuyun was surprised to see the extra library card from him. She took it from him momentster and did not say anything further as she just walked forward.

    There was a pleasant fragrance in the air as she passed by. When he turned over and looked at her, he could only catch a glimpse of her dark figure and her wavy long hair...

    She seemed cold on the outside, but she was a very warm person.

    Mmm, a beautiful and nice person.

    That was Qi Lei¡¯s impression of her now.

    Many yearster, every time he was reminded of her figure, the same thought appeared in his mind¡ª bless you and have a good life.

    While he had his hopes up, he could not fight against her quiet stance. Her gentle smile alone was enough for his happiness...

 Chapter 1256 - Lucky To Have Met You 4

    <h4>Chapter 1256 Lucky To Have Met You 4</h4>

    He waited there until Dongfang Liuyun finally vanished beyond his sight. He lowered his head with a smile on his face as if he was reminiscing some good old memories. Then, he looked up and took out his phone to call Yang Sheng.

    As for Yang Sheng who was extremely anxious and worried, he was relieved to get a call from Qi Lei, but his tone was still filled with anxiety. ¡°Master Qi, oh my God! You¡¯ve finally contacted me. Where are you? The wholepany is looking for you right now. What happened? Are you okay?¡±

    He was very concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m outside right now. I¡¯ll send you an address so send a car toe and pick me up.¡± Qi Lei went straight to the point and hung up on the call right after he gave his order. Then, he sent an address to Yang Sheng before sitting down on a bench by the za.

    Half an hourter, a car that Yang Sheng arranged for arrived.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± When Yang Sheng got out of the car and saw Qi Lei who was resting on the bench, he let out a sigh of relief before heading over.

    Qi Lei opened his eyes when he heard Yang Sheng¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Where have you been? Chairman Mu and I almost called the police because I thought you went missing!¡± Yang Sheng still looked worried.

    Qi Lei got up and took a deep breath. ¡°You called Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but I¡¯ve told Vice President Liu Lingyu who¡¯s probably informed Chairman Mu.¡± Yang Sheng continued, ¡°Master Qi, where have you been in the past few days? Things have blown up in the office. Master Qi Feng doesn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood, and I heard he got frustrated with the HR department manager this morning, saying something like they are being irresponsible for not checking up on you when you¡¯ve been absent for so long. I can sense there was something else.¡±

    Qi Lei grinned, getting into the car as Yang Sheng opened the door for him.

    ¡°I just went out for a walk. Is that all Qi Feng is capable of? What¡¯s the situation with the old man? Did he discuss anything with Qi Feng in the past few days?¡±

    ¡°Thepany stock has barely managed to stabilize. CEO Qi has been swamped with work. He also went to City C two days ago to urge for a loan payback. He eventually got the funds back and used them to help out thepany situation, only returning to City Zst night. Master Qi Feng went to see CEO Qi this morning, but his request for a meeting was declined. CEO Qi has been working really hard and doesn¡¯t seem to be in a good condition. By the way, CEO Qi was very concerned about youing back to work or not. He sent his assistant to inquire about it and didn¡¯t seem very happy to know that you¡¯ve been absent from work.¡±

    Yang Sheng squinted and carefully observed Qi Lei¡¯s expression from the rearview mirror. Qi Lei¡¯s expression was hardly affected while his eyes were calm, so he had no idea what his boss was thinking about.

    Qi Lei¡¯s grin grew wider and he looked out of the window while being deep in thought.

    Naturally, Yang Sheng had no idea what happened. He found Qi Lei¡¯s recent behavior odd, but since Qi Lei did not say anything, he did not want to intrude on his privacy.

    ¡°Master Qi?¡± Yang Sheng spoke up after some time, ¡°We...I heard that Master Qi Feng went to meet Doris at the hotel this morning. I think they are nning to bail Manager Gu out, but...¡±

    Gu Lingsha?

    Qi Lei frowned the moment her name was mentioned.

    He somehow figured something was going to happen when Qi Feng invited Xi Xiaye over for dinner, but he guessed it would be fine with Mu Yuchen protecting her. He did not realize since when he could start trusting Mu Yuchen so much.

    As proven, Mu Yuchen¡¯s methods of dealing with things truly impressed him!

    What a capable man!

    Not only did he punish Gu Lingsha, but he also restricted Qi Feng and Doris. Even Gu Qiwu had his own fair share of problems while Qi Qiming probably also felt the terrible aftermath too. Qi Lei would not have thought that Qi Qiming¡¯s sudden change in attitude towards him was due to his guilt.

    ¡°I told you to just ignore Gu Lingsha. It will be difficult for her to get out once she gets in there anyway.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes lit up.

    He knew it too well. If Mu Yuchen was just trying to give Gu Lingsha a little warning, he would not have asked Su Chen for help! He nned to make her suffer.

    Yang Sheng took a pause. Just as he was about to say something, Qi Lei continued, ¡°Call the managers as well as Vice President Liu of Glory World. Tell them to gather around this Wednesday afternoon for a meeting.¡±

    ¡°A meeting?¡± Yang Sheng seemed shocked.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and pinched the space between his eyebrows. ¡°My cover was blown and the old man found out, so it¡¯s time for me to get out.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Then, will CEO Qi...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care right now. The progress is nearpletion anyway, so there¡¯s no point staying any longer. Qi Kai¡¯s crisis this time might be an opportunity for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Qi Kai...the funds from City B aren¡¯t enough. If we do so...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the funding. I¡¯ve saved up a lot from stock investments in the past years, and Grandfather also left me a huge sum of money back then. I used them all to invest in other countries. While the dividends I received were not as grand as Glory World¡¯s, it¡¯s more than enough to operate the new projects and thepany.¡±

    He had enough money to spend on several lifespans by just inheriting Wang Qin¡¯s assets. Otherwise, Qi Feng would not be trying so hard to take these away from him, and Qi Lei was not just a wealthy good-for-nothing brat!

 Chapter 1257 - Leave 1

    <h4>Chapter 1257 Leave 1</h4>

    When they returned to Qi Kai, it was close to the evening when everyone left work.

    The wholepany was still very busy. Qi Lei had been absent from the office for quite a few days now. With Qi Feng¡¯s ruckus with the HR Department earlier, everyone thought it was odd that Qi Lei would suddenly show up, especially when they saw their usually yful Mr. Qi looking grim at the moment.

    The moment Qi Lei returned to the office, he went straight to his office.

    ...

    When he saw Qi Lei cidly sit down in his chair and began to leisurely pack away the things on his desk, Yang Sheng said worriedly, ¡°Master Qi, are we just going to leave thepany like this? Do we need to coordinate with CEO Qi to avoid...¡±

    Without even looking at him, Qi Lei reached out to take the photo frame from the table and looked at the photo of Wang Qin. After a while, he put it inside the box. ¡°No need for that. Once I walk out of the door, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get a chance of returning again which will be exactly what they want. I¡¯m just a disposable character to them, after all. Quickly pack up. I want to go home and cook dinner. Also, remember to inform our people that whoever wants to work with me can just report for work at Chenye Movies and Television.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt any of my decisions. I¡¯ve been deploying for this matter for a long while now. The newpany matters have been prepared by my mother¡¯s trusted aides. With them around, it won¡¯t be too tough. I think after the New Year, the newpany can begin business operations. When that happens, the resources for Chenye Movies and Television from here will be transferred over. It¡¯ll just be like changing the name for Chenye Movies and Television.¡±

    As for Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei¡¯s agreement, Yang Sheng did not know about it, and right now at this point, Qi Lei did not feel the need to hide anything.

    However, when Yang Sheng heard this, he was shocked!

    Did that mean that Chairman Mu¡¯s Chenye Movies and Teleivision was just an empty shell?

    Noticing the shock in Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes, Qi Lei picked up a stack of documents from the table and put it into the box as he exined, ¡°Mu Yuchen has invested in the newpany as a partner while the operations will be our job. Chenye Movies and Television still exists. After all, it does have Yueying Culture Media Company¡¯s movies. Glory World¡¯s focus isn¡¯t on the entertainment industry. Mu Yuchen¡¯s projects right now include estates too, and those are enough to worry him. He won¡¯t bite off more than he can chew. He¡¯s not such a thoughtless person. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t do this, but no matter what, his and Xiaye¡¯s thoughts, I...¡±

    At this point, Qi Lei did not continue. He sighed and then continued to quietly put away the documents on the table.

    Yet, inside Qi Qiming¡¯s office, the news that Qi Lei was back in the office had practically reached Qi Qiming right away.

    The secretary had gone to get Qi Lei over quite a few times, but he did not respond, and when they saw him packing up, they quickly rushed back to report to Qi Qiming.

    ¨C

    Qi Qiming thought about it for a moment, then finally could not help but get up and rushed to Qi Lei¡¯s office.

    ...

    Inside Qi Lei¡¯s office.

    Qi Lei roughly packed away his things, and then put his resignation letter on the table before slowly getting up while Yang Sheng carried a half-filled box and followed after him.

    Qi Lei headed towards the door. When they were about to walk out, he still could not help but stop and turn around to look at this office. Complicated sadness involuntarily filled his dark eyes.

    When he saw Qi Lei suddenly stop walking, Yang Sheng hesitated and softly called out to him, ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    Qi Lei sighed, then blinked a little sorrowfully.

    This ce did contain his mother, Wang Qin¡¯s decades of blood, sweat, and tears. At the moment when he left like this, he probably would not be stepping foot in here again. Qi Lei could not help but feel sad. He was not sure if it was because he might miss it or because of something else.

    ¡°We¡¯ll start over. I¡¯ll give my mother a new Qi Kai andfort her soul in the heavens that all her years of work didn¡¯t go to waste and that she didn¡¯t lose to anyone either. Her son won¡¯t lose to anyone. I won¡¯t give in!¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he sounded determined, then he suddenly turned around to pull open the door. However, just as the door was opened, a dark, tall figure greeted his sight!

    Qi Qiming!

    When he saw Qi Qiming¡¯s gloomy andplicated gaze, Qi Lei only felt a coldness sh in his heart, but he did not call out to him. Instead, he looked at him coldly.

    Qi Qiming looked at the unruly Qi Lei and then looked at Yang Sheng who was carrying a box behind him. His expression worsened.

    ¡°What are you nning on doing?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s eagle eyes were fixed on Qi Lei as he asked coldly.

    Qi Lei casually put one hand into his pocket and casually looked at Qi Qiming. He did not look like his usual yful self. Instead, he appeared solemn. ¡°I¡¯ve left my resignation letter on the table. I¡¯ll only take away what¡¯s mine and I didn¡¯t touch any of your things. Tomorrow, mywyer wille over to discuss it with you.¡±

    ¡°Are you abandoning Qi Kai, abandoning the Qi family, and your own father?¡± Qi Qiming said through gritted teeth. As his breathing became a little heavy, you could tell that he was angry!

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so bad. Apart from being my father by name, what have you given me? All these years of fighting have worn me out. Let¡¯s just have nothing to do with each other from now on,¡± Qi Lei said wearily. He sighed and silently lowered his head, not wanting to say too much. He walked past Qi Qiming and wanted to march away.

    ¡°Qi Lei! You¡¯ve been reckless! What¡¯s the meaning of this? Do you want to sever ties?¡± Qi Qiming quickly reached out to hold Qi Lei back. When he saw Qi Lei like this, he could not help but panic. It was like the way Wang Qin had left. His heart felt like it was missing a piece!

    With his arm being held, Qi Lei frowned and did not hesitate to pull away Qi Qiming¡¯srge hand. ¡°Sever ties? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve made Qi Kai my enemy. I¡¯m just taking away what¡¯s mine and what belongs to Mother, can¡¯t I? Or were you already nning on passing on Qi Kai to me?¡±

    As Qi Lei¡¯s questioning voice brought a thick vor of sarcasm with it, Qi Qiming looked even worse.

    ¡°Qi Lei, take back all the words you¡¯ve said today. I can pretend that nothing happened. You¡¯re still Qi Kai¡¯s VP and we¡¯re still family. Do you hear me?!¡±

    Qi Qiming tried hard to suppress the anger surging in him and tried his best to stay calm.

 Chapter 1258 - Leave 2

    <h4>Chapter 1258 Leave 2</h4>

    Even when Qi Qiming gave in, Qi Lei did not seem to appreciate it.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take it back. I¡¯ve made up my mind. I don¡¯t care anymore. Just leave Qi Kai to Qi Feng. I don¡¯t want to see you ever again,¡± Qi Lei said, then shook Qi Qiming¡¯s arm off before walking away.

    Yang Sheng watched Qi Qiming¡¯s gloomy expression and was so frightened that he felt ayer of sweat on his back. He drew in quite a few breaths and bowed to Qi Qiming before going after Qi Lei.

    His steps were not hesitant and his posture was indifferent and decisive! Qi Qiming never knew that his son could be so bold!

    Even Wang Qin may not have been this firm, but Qi Lei was...

    Qi Qiming only felt a blunt pain in his chest. The indescribable sadness made it hard for him to breathe while the anger that was heating up in his heart made him shout sharply at Qi Lei¡¯s back, ¡°You unfilial son! If you dare step out of Qi Kai¡¯s door today, don¡¯t you evere back! The Qi family doesn¡¯t have a backstabbing animal like you!¡±

    Qi Lei paused in his steps as a cold smile shed at the corner of his mouth. He did not turn back when he answered, ¡°As you wish then. Since I¡¯ve decided to leave, I don¡¯t n oning back either.¡±

    ...

    His cold and straight figure very quickly vanished in the walkway. Qi Qiming looked on and suddenly felt like he could not catch his breath. He fell limp and was about to fall when the secretary quickly went up from the side and held him.

    ¡°CEO Qi! CEO Qi, are you okay? Are you feeling alright?¡±

    Qi Qiming breathed hard, and with one hand holding onto the wall, he let the secretary hold him as he said in a trembling tone, ¡°Help me back to my office. Don¡¯t let anyone know about this ande up with a counter n right away. Just im that I let Second Master journey out to gain experience, hoping that he¡¯ll make something of himself and let him start a newpany to practice, and even gave him some resources from thepany too. Also, tell the HR Department to let First Master take over the externally transferred Director Xing¡¯s post first.¡±

    When he said that, the secretary was stunned.

    Was the Master only taking on a director¡¯s role?

    He thought that CEO Qi was about to retire and that Master Qi Feng should be taking on the CEO post right away. Otherwise, he should at least be Deputy CEO, but what was happening now?

    Obviously, the secretary dared not ask too much. He only nodded and responded, ¡°Yes, CEO Qi! I understand. I¡¯ll send word down right away. Let me help you back first. Your health hasn¡¯t been great recently, and the doctor suggests that you recuperate for a while...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. With Qi Kai in such a state right now, how can I recuperate at ease?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness. As he fell limp, he seemed to have aged much morepared to his sharp, imposing manner before this.

    How did they get here?

    Was he really just going to stand by helplessly and watch the brothers go against each other like enemies?

    He and Wang Qin had already gone through such misfortune and suffering. He really could not bear to watch his remaining two sons turn out like this too, taking after them.

    Besides, Wang Qin had died an unnatural death, and this matter had long left a mark on him. If Mu Yuchen was not the murderer, who could it be?

    Did the police station employ a bunch of useless people? They could not even investigate a little matter well!

    As Qi Qiming thought about it, he felt his heart grow even heavier, and he could not help but be dazed!

    ...

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    An hourter, in Qi Feng¡¯s office, his hoarse voice pierced through the silence of the office.

    Qi Feng looked at Morrison without an expression. Meanwhile, Morrison looked travel-worn and his fatigued expression did not look too good either.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve just heard about it from CEO Qi¡¯s men. CEO Qi told the HR Department through his secretary and didn¡¯t go through the shareholders¡¯ decision to let First Master take over Director Xing¡¯s position. Also, CEO Qi just exined that Second Master¡¯s actions are to let him gain experience which seems to have calmed their worries down. Even though they feel sullen, at such a critical time, this might be the best solution.¡±

    You could hear helplessness in Morrison¡¯s voice.

    Qi Kai was not in a good state right now. Given that many things had happened in the past year, as strong as Qi Kai may be, it could not handle one torment after another. Right now, when they finally managed to catch their breath, Qi Lei came up with such trouble. If those shareholders and ill-intentioned people found out, there would be trouble again, so Qi Qiming only did this out of desperation. Meanwhile, they could only watch as Qi Lei freely left to start his own thing with a halo of Qi Kai¡¯s protection above him too!

    It was frustrating!

    Too frustrating!

    Mu Yuchen!

    It must be Mu Yuchen again!

    It was such a simple trick, yet it forced them to give in again and again!

    Bam!

    When Qi Feng thought about this, he almost vomited blood!

    He mmed his clenched fists hard onto the desk before him and his raspy voice was filled with a chill. ¡°I¡¯ve underestimated you! I really underestimated you two, Mu Yuchen, Qi Lei! I won¡¯t let you be happy for too long.¡±

    ¡°Master, what should we do now? Should we look for CEO Qi?¡± Morrison tried to ask because he could feel that the current situation was bad, but he could not quite make a decision either.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and tried hard to let himself calm down. He thought about it for a long time and then replied, ¡°Don¡¯t panic. It¡¯s not too bad yet. As long as Mu Yuchen¡¯s being limited outside, we won¡¯t be too affected by her. Inform Doris that I agree to her conditions, but she must think of a way to save Shasha. As for Weiwei, she¡¯ll have to ept her too. Also, I want her to stop Qi Lei, to kill of Qi Lei¡¯s idea and cripple this arm of Mu Yuchen¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Master, should we let Doris make a move? This...¡± Morrison hesitated as he thought about it, and then continued, ¡°I¡¯m worried that if anything happens to Second Master, CEO Qi will suspect you immediately. If that happens, the gains won¡¯t make up for the losses!¡±

    ¡°Fool! I didn¡¯t say I want them to be killed. As long as his newpany¡¯s stopped, that¡¯s enough. I think the old man will be happy to see him fail too! Also, find a way to break apart his partnership with Mu Yuchen and lose Mu Yuchen¡¯s support. As long as I just want to handle Qi Lei, it won¡¯t be too hard. Does he really think he can have Qi Kai? Even if the old man has changed his mind about him, so what?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s tone sounded calm, but you could hear the coldness in the bones.

 Chapter 1259 - Donâ€™t Want To Leave You 1

    <h4>1259 Don¡°t Want To Leave You 1</h4>

    The evening sunset glow colored half the sky red. Soon, the boundless gray came slowly with the night breeze, swallowing the final light by the horizons, and then the sky quietened down.

    On the streets of Los Angeles early one evening, Xi Xiaye was dressed in a light beige fall dress with a small ck jacket, and her waist-length hair was tied casually into a bun. She walked along unhurriedly on this slightly noisy street.

    Beside her was Mu Yuchen. He held her frail shoulders by habit while his other hand held the jacket that he had just taken off.

    The husband and wife did not say much. They just walked like that for quite a distance until Xi Xiaye then slowly stopped to reach out and pull at his sleeve. She turned and looked up quietly at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Yuchen was surprised that she had suddenly stopped.

    ¡°Settle the problem sooner ande home quickly. I¡¯m worried about you being alone out here. Father and Mother have called to urge you home now. Everyone¡¯s really worried about you.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s soft voice was clearly concerned.

    As he smiled, his hand that held her shoulder tightened and he pulled her into his warm embrace and said in a low, raspy voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise I won¡¯t take too long. Besides, I¡¯m not alone here. Zimo and Li Si are here too. Su Chen¡¯s probablying over soon too.¡±

    ¡°Does the Zhou family know about Zimo already?¡± Xi Xiaye asked with concern.

    ¡°Su Chen¡¯s told them. Even though they are worried, they are willing to trust us. Zimo has exined it to Uncle Zhou. When you go back, just pretend you don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening here. You¡¯re just here to be on holiday with me, okay?¡± he carefully exined.

    She nodded dly and responded, ¡°Mmm, I understand. I¡¯m just here to be on holiday with you, and then go back home with Su Nan and Ruan Heng.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    He reached out to carefully fix her fringe that had fallen on her forehead. ¡°Remember to bring up their father more in front of our sons. Otherwise, they¡¯ll forget me by the time I get back.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye pursed her lips andughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Zirui¡¯s asking when you¡¯reing home every day. Xiao Cheng¡¯s still little. Do you expect him to recognize anyone? But I can almost hear him speak, and I heard Mother say that he can already stand up on his own these past few days. He can walk a few steps and didn¡¯t cry when he fell. Yesterday, Grandpa went to Maple Residence, and our baby was trying to follow him or something.¡±

    When she spoke about her two sons, Xi Xiaye felt very proud.

    ¡°Also, in his monthly exams, Xiao Rui got first ce in his whole grade and was far ahead of second ce. You can praise him when you get back. The little guy loves your praises. He¡¯s still young, so it¡¯s necessary to encourage and praise him,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°Well, of course, he inherited that mind of his from me. He was influenced by me, not you and the way you got thest ce in your grade. When you get home, tell him that I¡¯ll bring home a special gift for him,¡± he said, then pulled her aside to sit down on the bench underneath the streetlights. He considerately put the jacket on his arm onto her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not reject it as she fixed the coat, and his soft voice continued to be heard. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s been going to visit Grandfather often recently. That¡¯s a good thing too.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Grandfather and Grandpa are quite well. I heard Ah Shi say that the two of them and a few other old men signed up for some autumn hiking club. They join the activities organized by the club every day these days, including autumn excursions on foot and some other outdoorpetitions that are suitable for older people, so they¡¯re rather busy now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye only found out about this from the call with Mu Lingshi a few days ago. That was great. At least, they had something to pass the time with.

    Mu Yuchen was quite surprised to hear that. ¡°Grandfather and Grandpa have always gathered together. It¡¯s good that they hang out with Elder Su and the rest too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good, but Ji Zitong mentioned to me that Grandfather Su was paying much attention to her not being pregnant. Su Chen and her have been together for almost a year now, so they can¡¯t help but be worried,¡± Xi Xiaye said and could not help butugh as she could imagine the helpless look on Ji Zitong¡¯s face.

    ¡°Su Chen¡¯s going to turn 34 soon. Do you think he¡¯s still young?¡± Mu Yuchenughed casually and then leaned back against the seat. With one arm over Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulders, he looked up with his profound gaze at the faint streetlights that fell on the ground. He said in a lowered voice, ¡°Who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, 30 odd years would have passed just like that?¡±

    She leaned into his shoulders. ¡°Yeah, time passes too quickly. We couldn¡¯t have imagined where we¡¯d be today.¡±

    He chuckled and did not say anything, merely hugging her tightly.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡± She fell silent for a while, and then suddenly turned over and silently watched him.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± He loved it when she called his name as he looked at her with half-lidded eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that back then if it wasn¡¯t because of what happened that time, and if I didn¡¯t respond to your request, would you have asked me the second time? Would you have asked to marry me a second time?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but have this thought sh across her mind.

    This made Mu Yuchen think for quite a while, and then he responded seriously, ¡°Even though I don¡¯t like repeating myself, you have always been an exception.¡±

    She felt her heart warm, and then she reached out with both hands to hold his hands thaty on hisp tightly. ¡°Me too. I think no matter how many times we can go back in time, I would probably have agreed to you the first time you proposed, and then all those unhappy things wouldn¡¯t have happened after that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re truly an unreserved silly one.¡± Mu Yuchen was amused. Were all women as imaginative as her?

    ¡°Right, Xi Xinyi...are you really confident that you can get her...to Han Yifeng¡¯s side?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but ask.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze, thought about it, then answered, ¡°That would depend on how Qi Lei arranges it then.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that Qi Lei should probably seize this opportunity as well? How will this pan out?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but be worried obviously because of Xi Xinyi. She was worried that if they could not fulfill their promise to Xi Xinyi, Xi Xinyi would be unhappy and then things would change.

    ¡°What are you worried about? Even if we don¡¯t need Qi Lei to worry, there are other ways of moving Xi Xinyi over. It just depends on how much she was willing to sacrifice.¡±

    She understood these words.

    Han Yifeng was in San Francisco while Xi Xinyi was in City Z. One of them would need to choose topromise...

 Chapter 1260 - Dont Want To Leave You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1260: Don¡¯t Want To Leave You (2)</h4>

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a moment, then sighed softly. Her hand that held his tightly loosened up too.

    ¡°Han Yifeng was quite determined before this too. I think that the probability isn¡¯t great when ites to this. You men can sometimes do quite heartbreaking things when you be heartless. You can really show no mercy¡­¡± Xi Xiaye was referring to Xi Xinyi and Han Yifeng¡¯s son, and Mu Yuchen obviously understood.

    ¡°I remember back when Han Yifeng was also this decisive with me, at least, back then, I thought that he must have loved Xi Xinyi to death, that he¡¯d just recklessly unloaded a burden like me, but now that I think about it¡­it¡¯s just that Xi Xinyi bitterly disappointed him while she also¡­ Mr. Mu¡­actually, seeing them like this¡­apart from feeling vindicated at first,ter on, until now, I actually¡­actually feel like I¡¯m not as happy about it as I thought I was¡­¡±

    She dared not continue her rambling because she could already feel the man casting a disappointed nce at her. She thought about it before quickly exining, ¡°I¡¯m just feeling a little uncertain about it, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°I know that when ites to these things, you be an idiot.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also go looking for Han Yifeng for a chat?¡± Xi Xiaye shot him a nce and said, ¡°My original n was just to pretend I never knew them. My parents have finally made it this far. A while back, they even went to visit Yue Lingsi. I heard that she¡¯s doing poorly and might have fallen into depression.¡±

    ¡°Yue Lingsi did spend decades on Father. In the end, it¡¯s a stubbornness that she can¡¯t let go of. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re feeling, but you should know that the reason Xi Xinyi and I are where we are today was because of our parents¡¯ generation. I hope that our children won¡¯t also¡­¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled her concerns again.

    ¡°That will only happen when the children are all grown up, so what are you worried about? It¡¯s not easy to get rid of hatred in one¡¯s heart. If Xi Xinyi really has her son¡¯s best interest at heart, she wouldn¡¯t involve her son into this mess. Of course, if she could reconcile with Han Yifeng and straighten up that attitude of hers, that would be best,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a lowered tone.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded and lowered her eyes and said in a slightly self-mocking tone, ¡°Whatever happens, she¡¯s still my sister from a different mother. This reality can¡¯t be erased. I know that the reason you¡¯re willing to do all of this was also in consideration of my father, but I still hope that you¡¯ll be careful. Just because I wish it would change for the better doesn¡¯t mean it will¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what to do. Don¡¯t worry. She doesn¡¯t have any other options, really. I think that this time, when you get back, she would want to meet you. Do you know what to say?¡±

    ¡°Does she know that we met Han Yifeng?¡± Xi Xiaye immediately caught what he was saying.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°She pays very close to attention to Han Yifeng¡¯s every move. She just daren¡¯t appear hastily because she knows Han Yifeng better than any of us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, with someone like Han Yifeng, the more you grab onto him tightly, the more it will repel him.¡±

    ¡°Do you still have such a strong impression of him? Why don¡¯t I see you paying more attention to me too?¡± Upon hearing her say that, Mu Yuchen shot her an unhappy nce. His gaze was quite thought-provoking.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged and rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just a wolf. You¡¯re cold and noble like the perfect Prince Charming in front of others, but you¡¯re actually a sly fox in private. I¡¯m not going to argue with you since I won¡¯t win. I think it¡¯s almost time now. Is there anything else you want to talk about? Su Nan and Ruan Heng should be rushing over from the hotel now.¡±

    The flight was at about half-past nine that night, so after dinner, Mu Yuchen dragged her out for a walk. He wanted to just stroll around and chat a little since it would be quite a long time before they would be able to meet again.

    Mu Yuchen turned to her, facing the time disyed on the screen of the za wall. It showed that it was close to 8 p.m.

    ¡°There¡¯s not much else. Take good care of yourself and the sons when you get back. If there¡¯s anything, just call me,¡± he said softly with his gaze lowered as he looked at their hands tangled with each other. He thought about it and then said again, ¡°I¡¯ll get you a presentter on.¡±

    She turned and looked helplessly at him as she could not help but whine, ¡°I don¡¯tck anything. Juste home sooner. That would be the best present for me. October¡¯s going to pass us by really soon too. By the time you return, we¡¯ll be reaching the end of the year. With many things to deal with at thepany, there¡¯ll probably be many things to worry about.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s so easy to be a high and mighty female CEO?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I was still hoping to be content being your Director Xi¡­¡±

    ¡°How unambitious!¡± he softly reprimanded, and then pulled her to get up and walk ahead. ¡°Missus, just push through for now. Once the next two years are done, you won¡¯t be so tired anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. I can¡¯t bear to see you do all of it alone, and I¡¯m not the kind of woman that needs protectionpared to the lifestyle whereby women stay home while men work outside. I think it¡¯s better to be hustling with you.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He looked at her meaningfully.

    ¡°Well, of course.¡±

    ¡°I remember that not too long ago, a certain someone seemed to have asked Li Si if I was having dinner with any women here.¡±

    He looked at her amusedly. ¡°It definitely wasn¡¯t me¡­¡±

    ¡­

    The husband and wife chatted idly, and at the end of the street, Su Nan and Ruan Heng reached just in time.

    Mu Yuchen personally sent the three of them to the airport himself as it was almost time to board now.

    At the entrance towards the departure gate outside the VIP lounge area.

    ¡°Go in now. Remember to call me when you get home,¡± Mu Yuchen helped her fix her creased sleeves as he reminded her.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and looked up at him for a long while. Then, she could not help but circle her arms around his waist and lean into his embrace. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be home soon enough. Alright, quickly go in. Don¡¯t make them wait too long now.¡± Mu Yuchen patted her head, and then elegantly lowered his head to nt a kiss on her lips. He hugged her tightly before pulling her out of his embrace.

    As she sniffled because she felt sad about leaving, she felt like crying again. ¡°I¡¯ll go now.¡±

    He nodded gently and smiled as he looked at her.

    ¡°You take good care of yourself too,¡± she said before turning around to walk away, but two stepster, she turned to look at him again¡­

 Chapter 1261 - Problem 1

    <h4>1261 Problem 1</h4>

    Late at night, inside a luxurious hotel room in City Z.

    Doris was wearing a beautiful light golden low-cut dress as she sat elegantly on the sofa. While she had an enticing smile on her face, her eyes were extremely cold.

    She had a thin and long cigarette between her fingers and smoke wafted from between her crimson red lips.

    ¡°Miss, Qi Feng¡¯s assistant Morrison is outside. He says he needs to see you personally,¡± a subordinate reported.

    Doris raised her eyebrows as a faint light glinted in her eyes. She grinned with some sign of interest. ¡°Qi Feng? He¡¯s getting impatient now, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    She gave it some thought for a little while. Then, she grabbed the ss of wine on the table and emptied it. ¡°Let him in!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss!¡± Her subordinate went out.

    Soon after that, Morrison knocked on the door and entered.

    ¡°Ms. Doris!¡± Morrison bowed politely.

    Doris let out another puff of smoke as she nced at him, seeming unfazed by his arrival. ¡°Why did Qi Feng send you here?¡±

    She did not even invite Morrison to speak. Doris always acted all high and mighty toward the subordinates and was always like this every time Morrison came over.

    ¡°Master wanted to call you to talk about it, but it was a serious matter, so he sent me over,¡± Morrison said.

    ¡°A serious matter? What is it? Has Shasha been rescued? Or has Qi Kai¡¯s stock stabilized? Have all the issues been solved?¡± Doris gently flicked the cigarette between her fingers as she said.

    Morrison coughed before saying, ¡°Qi Lei and Qi Qiming got into a fight. He wants to start out on his own. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been informed, Ms. Doris.¡±

    Doris raised her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°I did hear about that. What¡¯s the matter? Didn¡¯t CEO Qi say Second Master Qi requires some training?¡±

    ¡°Do you truly believe that¡¯s true, Ms. Doris?¡± Morrison put on an odd smile.

    As Doris let out a puff and extinguished the cigarette, she folded her arms. ¡°Tell me, what did Qi Feng send you here to do?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Doris, Master means that he agrees to your conditions, but you must do all you can to save Missus, and you have to change your attitude towards Ms. Weiwei as well. Besides that, he would also like you to stop Second Master Qi, andstly, make sure that no one will suspect Master for all of these.¡±

    Doris¡¯s grin grew wider when she heard Morrison¡¯s words and her eyes were gleaming.

    She was not a fool and she already captured the key information from those few words. Instantly, she stared at Morrison and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude towards your Master right now?¡±

    Her sharp nces stunned Morrison for a moment. He felt like this woman read him easily and she was emitting an enormous aura around her. Even Qi Feng had to act cautiously around her.

    Morrison was not sure how to answer her question, so he kept quiet for the moment.

    Doris knew what he was thinking about and she smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to get tensed up. No matter what Qi Feng says, he¡¯s my son-inw, after all, and Shasha is my only daughter. I only help people on my side anyway. I¡¯ll treat him well as long as Qi Feng is nice to my daughter, but if he¡¯s nning something else, then he should be careful.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood, Ms. Doris. Master has always been great to Ms. Shasha. He went through a lot because of her incident and he did all he could to try and rescue her, but probably due to Mu Yuchen¡¯s trap, it was very difficult for him to be of help. Mu Yuchen is pretty influential in the political scene. I¡¯m sure you understand this better than anyone else,¡± Morrison spoke carefully as he noticed Doris¡¯s awful expression.

    He grinned and continued, ¡°Moreover, who could be sure that it wasn¡¯t Mu Yuchen who was behind what happened between your divorce with Mr. Gu? Don¡¯t forget who Zhuang Shurong is. Someone could¡¯ve arranged thewyer that Gu Qiwu looked for. I¡¯m sure that you know about the meeting between Mr. Gu and Mu Lingshi, Ms. Doris? As such...¡±

    Doris raised her hand and stopped him from continuing. Of course, she knew what happened. She was frustrated by Gu Qiwu¡¯s tricks. As such a prideful woman, how could she let Gu Qiwu fool her for decades!?

    She could not ept this at all.

    Mu Zi?

    Mu Lingtian?

    Mu Lingshi?

    Doris grinned. ¡°What happened between Gu Qiwu and me is my own business. You don¡¯t have to remind me about it! Qi Qiming probably has his doubts about Qi Feng now, doesn¡¯t he? Or else, he wouldn¡¯t put him in a mere director¡¯s position. Is Qi Lei trying to take a step back in order to advance?¡±

    Doris had thoroughly analyzed the situation!

    If it was not for Qi Lei¡¯s protest this time, Qi Qiming probably would have let Qi Feng take over Qi Kai soon, but with so many things happening right now, this matter had been dyed. It was apparent that Qi Qiming was beginning to have doubts.

    It would not be an issue if Qi Lei did not achieve great results after starting a newpany on his own, but he actually did aplish something. Considering Qi Qiming¡¯s guilt towards Wang Qin, as well as what Qi Lei already possessed, Qi Qiming might have to reconsider his sessor!

    Qi Feng was in a bind right now.

    What a move!

    Even Doris was impressed by Qi Lei.

    Revealing his cards at a time like this was perfect. Qi Qiming could not even lift a finger against him!

    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that you understand what¡¯s at stake here. You know that Master has it rough. Second Master Qi¡¯s rtionship with Ms. Shasha has broken up, and they won¡¯t return to how they used to be in the past. He didn¡¯t seem worried about Ms. Shasha¡¯s incident at all, and he even ims that he¡¯ll be on Mu Yuchen¡¯s side...¡±

 Chapter 1262 - Problem 2

    <h4>1262 Problem 2</h4>

    Naturally, Doris knew about Qi Lei¡¯s feelings for Gu Lingsha before.

    Although Doris did not know Qi Lei very well, she knew that he was pretty sweet toward her daughter and was polite to her as well, but she did not really care much for him due to her less than desirable rtionship with Wang Qin.

    Doris had always intended for Mu Yuchen to be her son-inw. Besides, Qi Feng was not up to her standards.

    She heard that Qi Lei was pretty concerned about Gu Lingsha¡¯s news in the past few years, but they got into a fight soon after that although Doris had no idea what happened. However, she did feel annoyed right now.

    ¡°How bold of Qi Feng to ask this! Throwing this problem to me and making me the bad guy here...is he trying to get results by doing nothing?¡± Dorisughed coldly.

    ¡°Ms. Doris, please don¡¯t doubt Master¡¯s intentions. You should know that¡¯s the only way now with the situation he¡¯s in at the moment. Both of you are on the same side now. The two of you are working with Ms. Shasha tying you two together, isn¡¯t it?¡± Morrison pointed out their rtionship. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Master always keeps his word. He¡¯ll give you whatever he¡¯s promised. Ms. Shasha is the First Master¡¯s wife. Does it not make sense for him to help her?¡± he assured her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to sugarcoat your words. Is Qi Feng really that innocent? I¡¯m not Shasha! And it¡¯s not like I need Qi Feng to fulfill my wishes.¡± Doris did not seem to care.

    ¡°Ms. Doris, you¡¯re a smart woman. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t want the information Master has gathered to be leaked, will you? Mu Yuchen probably found out about something in New York too. Mr. Gu has also been looking for the child¡¯s fa¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough! Stop!¡± Doris¡¯ expression turned cold instantly. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can threaten me. If it weren¡¯t for Shasha, I¡¯d make sure you regret your words today! Go back and tell Qi Feng that I need time to consider this. Qi Lei isn¡¯t someone that I can just do something about easily, and Qi Qiming¡¯s subordinates aren¡¯t idiots either. Why else didn¡¯t they do something already?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Doris. Master will cooperate with you.¡± Morrison smiled. ¡°However, we hope you can get it done cleanly, or else, we might be in bigger trouble instead.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a mere subordinate of Qi Feng¡¯s to lecture me!¡± Doris nced at Morrison coldly as she started to dislike him. She knew that he had unkind intentions, but his loyalty to Qi Feng was unwavering.

    Morrison was stunned for a moment. Then, he smiled without saying anything.

    ¡°Go back now and tell Qi Feng toe and talk to me himself the next time. Is he that unhappy to see his mother-inw?¡± Doris¡¯s tone of voice was cold, and she did not sound like she actually cared about her son-inw at all.

    ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll go back now!¡± Morrison was angry, but he could not say anything because he knew how powerful Doris was. Even Gu Qiwu and Qi Feng had to be wary of her.

    Morrison soon left the room.

    The room turned quiet all of a sudden.

    Doris¡¯s eyes darkened as she sat stationary. She then suddenly flung the wine ss in front of her.

    nk¡ª

    The sound of ss breaking echoed through the room. Her subordinates dared not make a squeak, but they all knew Doris was not in a good mood.

    ¡°Qi Feng, how dare you threaten me!?¡± Doris ground her teeth.

    ¡°Miss, Qi Feng¡¯s attitude recently...he didn¡¯t take you seriously at all. Ms. Lingsha¡¯s situation isn¡¯t very good, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be trying his best at all. Could it be...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Qi Feng¡¯s ambitions. Qi Lei starting out on his own isn¡¯t weird, but he¡¯s trying to stop him at full force right now. It¡¯s clear to see what his intentions are.¡± Doris pinched the space between her eyebrows as she spoke with a cold tone. Her chest felt suffocated.

    ¡°Miss, should we give Qi Feng a warning?¡± her subordinate asked.

    Doris took a deep breath and raised her hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s not the time to be infighting right now, and Qi Feng realizes that. I¡¯ll remember this. I¡¯ll make sure he knows there are some people he shouldn¡¯t mess with.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss! What should we do now then? I doubt we can be of help with Ms. Lingsha¡¯s case. The police are clinging onto the evidence fiercely and we can¡¯t just get her out easily at the moment. This matter is oddly identical to what happened over in New York. It¡¯s very likely that Mu Yuchen is behind this. Perhaps, Qi Feng was trying to observe our reactions by pushing this problem onto us, so it¡¯s best we proceed with care.¡±

    Doris¡¯s trusted subordinate was called Glenn who was a middle-aged man and had been a trusted assistant of hers. He used to work under Doris¡¯s mother before being reassigned to Doris.

    ¡°To be able to control things from thousands of miles away, Mu Yuchen is much more powerful than we imagined. He managed to make Gu Qiwu and Qi Feng suffer thest time as well, we should be careful. Shasha made a blunder this time, I¡¯m really disappointed that she can¡¯t even deal with Xi Xiaye, what¡¯s the point of getting jealous all the time?¡±

    Doris was unhappy.

    ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t think we can put the me onto Ms. Lingsha. Mu Yuchen was Ms. Lingsha¡¯s fianc¨¨ before, and now that he¡¯s be Xi Xiaye¡¯s husband, as her rtionship with Qi Feng deepens, this issue is probably...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak for her sake. She¡¯s just useless! I warned her that being too emotional is immature! Men have the innate attitude to be enved. The more you care, the more they don¡¯t take you seriously. Just look at what happened to my mother. What a tragedy! Just look at the mess I had to clean up for her all these years!¡± Doris expression was cold. ¡°Shasha¡¯s just like my mother: cowardly and useless. They were born princesses, but they act like ves to their men!¡±

 Chapter 1263 - Disappointed

    <h4>1263 Disappointed</h4>

    As Doris spoke, her tone sounded even gloomier and unhappier.

    Glenn was slightly worried. Even though he understood Gu Lingsha¡¯s current situation, he could not help but be concerned. As Gu Lingsha¡¯s grandparents in Ennd, they were quite worried about Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident and unhappy with Doris and Gu Qiwu¡¯s situation.

    The Madam had always been displeased with the way Doris did things by hook or by crook, but because of Doris¡¯s imposing manner and pressure, she did notment much.

    ¡°Miss, Miss Lingsha¡¯s encounter is rather pitiful. She¡¯s not wrong for loving Master Qi Feng just as how Miss¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to defend her. Weakness is weakness. She¡¯s ipetent. I only care about the results. The process isn¡¯t important. She¡¯s gone through so much, yet she still hasn¡¯t been enlightened. That¡¯s stupidity. Many years ago, she was the same way towards Mu Yuchen, and now, she can¡¯t even handle Qi Feng,¡± Doris spoke as she could not help but feel a little defeated.

    You could not me Doris for thinking this way either. Exquisitely beautiful and elegant, she had always been a noble princess. All these years, every man she met fell for her charm. She had rejected many men while her own daughter...

    As she recalled this, Gu Qiwu¡¯s face shed in Doris¡¯s mind once again!

    She had been tricked by Gu Qiwu in the end!

    When she thought about this, she could not tamp down the anger she felt.

    As he watched Doris¡¯s shifting expression, Glenn dared not speak up. He fell silent for a moment, then said, ¡°I received news that Xi Xiaye¡¯s returning. She should be arriving back in City Z on tomorrow¡¯s flight, anding home with her are Xi Xiaye¡¯s best friends, Ruan Heng and Su Nan. They¡¯re flying in directly from Los Angeles.¡±

    ¡°Ruan Heng?¡± Doris frowned slightly upon hearing this. She asked, ¡°Why does this name sound so familiar?¡±

    ¡°Miss, did you forget? Back when Miss Lingsha got into an ident, it was this Ruan Heng that she crashed into. After that, Ruan Heng fell into aa. It was Mu Yuchen who contacted the hospitals abroad and sent him away. They thought that he wouldn¡¯t regain consciousness again, but now he unexpectedly has.¡± Glenn had capturedprehensive information on this.

    ¡°Xi Xiaye¡¯s friend? Sounds like Mu Yuchen¡¯s quite thoughtful about Xi Xiaye! Hospital abroad, hmm? Right, on Qi Feng¡¯s end, did we hear that if his legs are recovering?¡± Doris quickly remembered.

    ¡°I found out two days ago that he¡¯s been doing quite well. He can feel his legs better and better. As long as he cooperates with treatment and nothing goes wrong, he should be able to stand quite soon. This Professor Terl is quite good. If that¡¯s the case, then we...I¡¯m afraid Miss Lingsha is going to be neglected. With the way Qi Feng thinks, I¡¯m worried that he might not be willing to let Miss Lingsha get close to Qi Kai¡¯s internals. When the timees, he might even bite us back, so we have to be wary.¡±

    When Glenn said this, Doris¡¯s gaze turned solemn.

    ¡°I think that Gu Qiwu must have seen thising too. That¡¯s why he changed so quickly. After all, everyone is just each other¡¯s chess pieces. I don¡¯t understand what Gu Qiwu¡¯s thinking of doing. It¡¯s been more than thirty years, and still, I can¡¯t read him.¡±

    Doris knew very well how outsiders always saw the way Gu Qiwu doted on her. Perhaps there was some genuine love from him, but it was funny. Doris had never been able to touch Gu Qiwu¡¯s innermost being. This man was more reserved than any other man she knew even though they had been married for decades!

    ¡°Miss...¡± Glenn did not know what to say.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about these things now. Just watch Qi Feng. Also, think of a way to see Lingsha and get her to steady herself. I¡¯ll think of a way to get her out,¡± Doris said heavily.

    ¡°Miss, I heard from our people this morning that Mr. Gu and Li Ting from the municipalmittee met up in secret. Looks like it was for Miss Lingsha too.¡±

    Upon hearing that, a sneer shed across Doris¡¯s face. ¡°At least, he¡¯s doing that. Otherwise...¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°Go around a bit and work on looking into those people who joined that night. If nothinges up, just get someone to take it all on. She¡¯s had enough time to reflect in there by now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss! Understood!¡± Glenn responded before retreating.

    ...

    In regard to Qi Qiming¡¯s way of handling things, Qi Lei was quite surprised.

    Based on what he knew about Qi Qiming, he should be outraged and making things difficult for him. However, he did not expect him to have done what he did instead.

    Nevertheless, after thinking about it, he could guess what Qi Qiming was going for. He obviously would not foolishly think that Qi Qiming was just doing it for Qi Lei. He was probably just worried about causing an evenrger crisis for Qi Kai!

    ...

    The autumn mornings were cool, and Qi Lei had been waking up quite early. He wouldplete the tasks at hand before sitting down to rest with some light tea.

    Yang Sheng had beening over early as well as they were busy preparing for the newpany.

    Inside the study room, Yang Sheng handed Qi Lei the steeped tea as he asked, ¡°Master Qi, Director Xi will be arriving in the city on the noon flight. Should we go pick her up?¡±

    Qi Lei took it and had a brief sip as he leisurely leaned back against his chair and his gaze froze for a moment before he took another sip. He responded, ¡°Mu Yuchen will arrange someone to go over. Please arrange for me to meet her at Fuhua on Monday morning. Also, can you prepare two children¡¯s presents, and send them over to Zirui and the little one?¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Okay, Master Qi! Right, Master Qi, there seems to be an antique auction at the exhibition center near De Feng Avenue. I wonder if Miss Dongfang will be going for it as well,¡± he probed while Yang Sheng carefully nced at Qi Lei¡¯s expression.

    When he said that, Qi Lei did pause. He thought about it, then replied, ¡°She¡¯ll be going to City C these next few days. She¡¯ll probably only be back in a few more days.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a busy person. Sometimes, it felt like she was far busier than he was, she rarely yed games now, especially after she started lecturing at University A.

    ¡°Oh...¡± Yang Sheng responded. He clearly felt like it was a missed opportunity, but he noticed that Qi Lei¡¯s expression was unusually calm, and he did not hear anything from his tone.

    He kept it in for a long while before suddenly asking, ¡°Master Qi, do you think Miss Dongfang is better, or is Miss Xi?¡±

    This question clearly stunned Qi Lei who looked up at Yang Sheng. ¡°Do you even think that the two of them can bepared?¡±

 Chapter 1264 - Arrive 1

    <h4>1264 Arrive 1</h4>

    Yang Sheng did not quite know how to answer this. He thought about it, then said, ¡°I feel like Miss Xi is easier to get along with. Miss Dongfang...seems a little reclusive and cold. She doesn¡¯t seem to care about anything.¡±

    Qi Lei fell silent for a moment as he thought about it then said, ¡°After Xiaye met Mu Yuchen, she¡¯s actually changed quite a bit. She and I...are alike while Liuyun...she¡¯s mysterious.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s close by, yet it feels like she¡¯s very distant from us. Every time I meet her, I find her absent-minded,¡± Yang Sheng could not help but blurt out his thoughts.

    ¡°But, Master Qi, she¡¯s a good¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Qi Lei seemed to know what Yang Sheng wanted to say, so he cut him off. ¡°Arrange the documents. Tonight, I¡¯ll rush to City B. We¡¯ll have to discuss these changes with the people over there. CEO Li should have received the news from Mu Yuchen by now.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master Qi!¡±

    ...

    When the flight arrived at City Z, it was slightly past noon.

    Lan Zng and the others went over to fetch them. Xi Xiaye got them to send Su Nan and Ruan Heng home first while she rushed back to Maple Residence.

    As the car sped along the way, Xi Xiaye suddenly asked Lan Zng who sat in the front passenger seat, ¡°How¡¯s it been over here?¡±

    ¡°Rather peaceful, but there¡¯s been quite a lot going on Qi Kai¡¯s end. Two days ago, Qi Lei probablyid all his cards on the table for Qi Qiming. He¡¯s boldly moving in and out of Chenye Movies and Television. I thought that Qi Qiming would denounce and beat him down, but he announced that he let Qi Lei gain experience instead. Also, Qi Feng¡¯s taken on the role of Director at Qi Kai. One can only guess what Qi Qiming¡¯s thoughts are. Right, Qi Lei also said that next Monday, he¡¯ll go to Fuhua to meet you. I think it¡¯s probably for the recent happenings,¡± Lan Zng briefly reported everything to Xi Xiaye.

    As Xi Xiaye listened, she nodded gently. ¡°I got it. Let him know that I¡¯ll be waiting for him next Monday. I have some things to discuss with him as well. But why would Qi Qiming let Qi Feng take on a Director¡¯s role? Didn¡¯t he say that he was nning to get Qi Feng to familiarize himself quickly with Qi Kai¡¯s work and was ready to hand it over?¡±

    Lan Zng thought about it. He was about to say something when Xi Xiaye frowned and spoke up, ¡°Could it be because of Qi Lei? I feel like Qi Qiming¡¯s recent attitude has been quite hard to guess. Even Mu Yuchen has doubts.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure about this. Perhaps it¡¯s because he¡¯s suddenly been hit by his conscience and feels like he owes it to Wang Qin and Qi Lei,¡± Lan Zng said softly.

    Xi Xiaye silently lowered her gaze. She did not continue talking about it and just changed the subject. ¡°How¡¯s Grandpa?¡±

    ¡°The Elder CEO¡¯s doing quite okay. He knew that you weren¡¯t around, but he came to the office the past few days to walk around. He¡¯s been in good spirits recently. The Miss and Mister frequently visit the Shen residence and sometimes walk around with Elder Mu. He doesn¡¯t look as gloomy as before,¡± Lan Zng smiled as he said.

    Xi Xiaye nodded dly. ¡°That¡¯s good then. I kept worrying that he¡¯d be bored. Grandpa has led quite a life.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Elder CEO¡¯s gone through a lot all these years. He knows how to regte his mood. He always says he wants to watch the little Master grow up. A while back when he was free, I even apanied Elder CEO to visit Master Xiao Rui at school. I think you and Chairman Mu need to have a few more children to make the old man happy. They know you¡¯reing home today, so the two families are gathering for dinner tonight. The Miss and Mister will rush over from the university after their lectures.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt her heart warm upon hearing this. She smiled and did not make a sound as she turned to look out of the car window.

    ...

    At two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the autumn sun was warm and dazzling. In Shen Wenna¡¯s apartment at University A, Xi Mushan was prepared. He had put the things they needed into the car, and Shen Wenna slowly went downstairs, carrying Little Apple in her arms.

    ¡°All ready?¡± Shen Wenna walked to the car and looked up to see Xi Mushan who was still busy at the trunk.

    ¡°Almost. Let¡¯s fetch Xiao Rui along the way.¡± Xi Mushan quickly closed the trunk and returned to sit in the car. Shen Wenna got into the front passenger seat too.

    The husband and wife got along harmoniously these days. Xi Mushan seemed to bepensating Shen Wenna with all the love that he had missed out on these years. He was very obedient and doted on her.

    Shen Wenna did not know what kind of love couldst long, but she knew that sometimes, love born out of guilt could sometimes be stronger than other kinds of love.

    Once in the car, Xi Mushan naturally reached over to help her buckle up. He patted Little Apple¡¯s head before starting the car.

    When the car started, his soft voice was suddenly heard. ¡°The maple forest in Fragrance Hill seems to be turning red. Let¡¯s go visit it if we¡¯re not busy this weekend. Xiao Rui also mentioned that he has homework on learning how to make specimens.¡±

    ¡°This weekend? The educational administration has already informed that almost half the semester is done with. I haven¡¯t thought of my student¡¯s graduation thesis topics,¡± Shen Wenna frowned and said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your research topic on using the Linux system to model and analyze polymer activity? I think you can juste up with a topic from this aspect. How many are you guiding this time around?¡±

    When it came to work, the husband and wife shared information. Sometimes, he would help Shen Wenna handle some things such as helping her mark assignments and so on.

    ¡°Lecturer Chu from my office isn¡¯t feeling too well, so she might not be guiding anyone and will send a few over. Right now, I have 15 who have registered. I¡¯m nning to wait for the day before October 1st for them toe over for a gathering, and then I¡¯ll inform them about this properly. Thest batch of students¡¯ employment rate wasn¡¯t too high, thus the research faculty was nning to quickly get the graduation thesis matter sorted out so that they would have more time to find an internship.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite hard to say with these young ones. Right now, universities are expanding their recruitment drive. The supply exceeds the demands with university students, a lot of undergraduate students would also have lots of demands, especially like a famous university such as University A, the students who graduate would usually ask for more, that¡¯s not a good trend. They must know that life in university and in society are twopletely different things.¡±

    As Vice-Chancellor, Xi Mushan was quite worried about these problems. Now, the younger studentscked pragmatism. While they had high standards, they were not aspetent. Because of that, the school had been promoting thought education and had even done a follow-up study. The results showed that within two years of graduation, many had changed jobs six to seven times. The reasons were poor work environment, low wages, or bosses who were hard to get along with.

 Chapter 1265 - Arrive 2

    <h4>1265 Arrive 2</h4>

    Along the way, the husband and wife talked about university matters and nothing else. They went to get some things from the shopping mall before fetching Mu Zirui from school.

    Meanwhile, on the other end, when Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence, it was only slightly past 2 p.m.

    Maple Residence was extremely lively with Shen Yue, Mu Yinan, and Mu Lingshi around.

    When Xi Xiaye walked into the living room, she already heard Mu Lingshi¡¯sughter. Then came her son¡¯s familiar mumbling.

    The little fellow seemed to be learning how to speak now, but he could not speak clearly. Sometimes, he would mutter words to the point that they were unsure if he was calling ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯ or just spitting bubbles.

    As she listened to the little guy, Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart subconsciously tightened. She quickened her pace and walked in, looking toward the sound.

    She saw her son clutching onto the sofa with both hands and walking ahead wobbly. They were afraid that the little guy would fall, so his father had hired people to cover the floor with ayer of soft anti-slip carpet so the little guy would not get hurt even if he did.

    Mu Xiaocheng cried out and spoke in ways that only he understood as he walked shakily along the sofa. That little figure of his was looking more and more like his father¡¯s. He was very cute.

    He walked a few steps before the little guy keenly noticed someone watching him. He looked over, and when he saw Xi Xiaye standing not too far away, the little guy wobbled as if he was trying to search for an important memory. After a while, his amber eyes lit up and his soft little face was immediately filled with a smile. He pped his hands and then fell forward before crawling towards Xi Xiaye at a speed that could bepared to an agile little dragon while he called out to her!

    Xi Xiaye felt her heart melt and turn warm. She quickly put aside her handbag and squatted down to call out to him with longing, ¡°Baby,e to Mother! Do you still remember me?¡±

    Then, Mu Xiaocheng crawled up to Xi Xiaye and hugged her arm. He stood up to mumble before leaning into her embrace.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart went as soft as cotton while she quickly carried him up to tease him.

    At this moment, Mu Lingshi noticed Xi Xiaye and could not hide her joy. ¡°Sis-inw! You¡¯re back!¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her head and nted a kiss on Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cheek. Then, she smiled and looked towards Mu Lingshi. ¡°Mmm, thanks for your trouble. Where are Grandfather and the rest?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s busy in the backyard. Wash your hands and have some food. You should be hungry. Mother and Sis Wang have gone out to buy ingredients. Father¡¯s onlying over at night,¡± Mu Lingshi said.

    The servants quickly came up with a warm wet towel and served delicious snacks.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she put Mu Xiaocheng down on the sofa. ¡°It¡¯s been a few days, but he feels sturdier!¡± Then, she took the towel to wipe her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re back. He seems to be able to recognize people now. He can recognize yours and Brother¡¯s voice. When you and Brother called home, the little guy paid attention and listened on the side. When Mother hung up the phone, he even crawled over to hold the phone. How cute!¡±

    ¡°Has he been obedient? Isn¡¯t it quite tiring taking care of him?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled and picked Mu Xiaocheng up again.

    ¡°Not too bad. He never stops in the day. At night, he falls asleep by 9 p.m. He¡¯s pretty easy to take care of. Mother¡¯s said that he¡¯s much easier to care for than me and Brother. He¡¯s quite good and will fall asleep after he¡¯s fed, right, Xiaocheng? Call me Aunt!¡±

    Mu Lingshi smiled as she looked at Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cute little face, and subconsciously touched her own baby bump. Her eyes filled with anticipation.

    Soon, she would have a cute child of her own!

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. Your brother was worried that you guys wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. I was nning to stay for a few more days, but then I thought about how I missed this little guy, so I came home. Right, where¡¯s Ah Mo? Why don¡¯t I see him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s gone to City B. He might be there for a few days before returning,¡± Mu Lingshi responded.

    ¡°City B? Is it about the Movies and Television development base? Isn¡¯t that being taken care of by VP Liu? Your brother seems to have delegated him a new project, right?¡± Xi Xiaye was a little puzzled.

    Mu Lingshi sat down and poured Xi Xiaye a cup of flower tea. ¡°VP Liu¡¯s been overwhelmed recently. Since Qi Lei is done with Qi Qiming¡¯s end, they are now preparing for the newpany. Brother¡¯s really hidden this whole thing quite well. Since when did he coborate with Qi Lei? No wonder Qi Lei seemed quite close to Brother before this. If Ah Mo hadn¡¯t told me about this, I wouldn¡¯t have known. I just thought it was because of Qi Kai and Glory World¡¯s past coboration.¡±

    ¡°Your brother didn¡¯t even tell me at first, but this was probably worked outtest year,¡± Xi Xiaye exined.

    ¡°Mmm, things haven¡¯t been too peacefultely. Without Brother around, quite a lot of work has piled up at thepany. City B seems to be dealing with something. there are some disputes with the local residents over there, and Ah Mo¡¯s worried that it won¡¯t be handled well, so he went over himself. Coincidentally, CEO Li has some things to discuss too. VP Liu couldn¡¯t pull away.¡±

    ¡°When your brother¡¯s back, tell him to promote some people from the Human Resources Department. There are quite a lot of projects at thepany, especially in recent years, and it has been quite busy. Later, Ah Mo won¡¯t be able to find time to apany you either. Right now¡¯s a critical time.¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and looked at Mu Lingshi.

    Her situation before had not been too bad. When she had been pregnant with Mu Xiaocheng, Mu Yuchen would always be by her side. After that, she knew how important it was to be apanied by her husband.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sis-inw, I can take care of myself.¡±

    ¡°You can take care of yourself? I think you¡¯ve suffered quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just not feeling too well, but, Sis-inw, you look great. It looks like Brother must have given you lots of care on this holiday.¡±

    ...

    The two of them spoke for a while, then Zhuang Shurong returned from grocery shopping with Sis Wang. Xi Xiaye let Zhuang Shurong watch Mu Xiaocheng while she went down to the kitchen with Sis Wang.

    At about 6 p.m., Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna returned with Mu Zirui and Mu Tangchuan. The family gathered in harmony to share a sumptuous dinner.

    During dinner, they talked about everything that happened recently and about the children¡¯s interesting anecdotes. Everyone seemed quite happy.

    Xi Xiaye did not speak much as she mostly listened to them talk. She watched as Xi Mushan and Mu Tangchuan, the two old men, speak. While she noticed the smiles on their faces, she felt genuine contentment.

    What a wondrous feeling this was. The happyughter of the family made her miss the man who was still abroad. With thebination of longing and warmth, this was what home felt like.

    If he and Ah Mo were around too, it would have been perfect.

 Chapter 1266 - Invitation 1

    <h4>1266 Invitation 1</h4>

    After dinner, Shen Yue was having fun with Mu Xiaocheng.

    Zhuang Shurong wanted to make some healthy porridge for Mu Lingshi, but then Xi Xiaye noticed that she was chatting with Shen Wenna, so she volunteered to help her. She then found Xi Mushan looking for a ss when she entered the kitchen.

    ¡°Father, please wait for a moment. I have something to talk to you about,¡± Xi Xiaye called out to him as he was about to leave the kitchen.

    Xi Mushan stopped and looked at her. His face looked slightly reddish. Apparently, he was having fun drinking that night.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked.

    Xi Xiaye lit up the fire and grabbed a towel to clean her hands.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk on the balcony.¡± She then led the way to the balcony first as Xi Mushan soon followed behind her.

    The sky had turned dark, and the two of them just stood by the railings without the lights on.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen and I met Han Yifeng in New York. We got to know that he¡¯s been doing well with his son. Ever since they got into a fight, the Han family started to ignore Xi Xinyi. I know Mother and you visited Yue Lingshi before. I suppose things havee to an end. It¡¯s not important to find out whose fault it was anymore,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she looked at Xi Mushan.

    His expression froze for a moment as he kept quiet.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯ve been keeping neutral about whatever happens between Xi Xinyi and me. At least, I don¡¯t feel too bad about it. However, I understand how you feel¡ª¡±

    ¡°Xiaye.¡± Before she could continue, Xi Mushan interrupted her, ¡°About the things between your mother, me, and Yue Lingsi, the two of you were innocent, and...¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter. What matters now is that we¡¯re all doing well. Mother has already let go of the past and is with you now. That means she has gotten over it.¡±

    ¡°What did Han Yifeng say?¡± Xi Mushan let out a long sigh before asking.

    ¡°He was not sure if he could go back to Xi Xinyi again. I suppose you¡¯re worried about this issue here, right? If that¡¯s the case, Xi Xinyi might...maybe we should give her a chance...¡±

    Xi Mushan was surprised by Xi Xiaye¡¯s words.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m being kind. Aside from being considerate about our blood ties, I don¡¯t want to see a tragedy happen again. Moreover...¡±

    Suddenly, Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone started ringing. She paused before reaching in to get it.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    She waited for a moment, but there was no reply.

    Frowning, Xi Xiaye waited for a while again and was considering hanging up on the call when suddenly, a voice reached her.

    ¡°It¡¯s me...Xi Xiaye!¡± It was a familiar, hesitant voice.

    Who else could it be apart from Xi Xinyi?

    ¡°Xi Xinyi?¡± Xi Xiaye was shocked. She instantly remembered what her man had told her before she left the United States. He had totally predicted it!

    However, Xi Xinyi just acted so much more quickly than she expected.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s me. Are you surprised?¡± Xi Xinyi was standing on the balcony in her house as she spoke. Only she knew how long it had taken for her to muster the courage to call Xi Xiaye. She had to let go of her pride.

    To be frank, she had lost her pride a long time ago. It had already been lost to Han Yifeng and her child.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. ¡°I am surprised indeed.¡±

    Xi Xinyiughed at herself and took a deep breath. ¡°I know you did something that made Father and Mrs. Shen visit my mother. I really don¡¯t want to thank you because I hate you. I hate being in this situation since both of you won. As for my mother and me...I hate myself even more...¡±

    When she was reminded of the past, she felt like knives were stabbed into her heart. It was so painful that it almost suffocated her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to take pity on you.¡± Xi Xiaye could hear the pain in her voice, but her tone was still cold.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your pity!¡± Xi Xinyi replied, ¡°You¡¯re lucky, Xi Xiaye. You¡¯re way luckier than I am!¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not reply as she just grinned. Meanwhile, Xi Mushan could overhear their conversation.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t call me today just toin, did you?¡± Xi Xiaye looked outside at the dim streetmps, and the image of Han Yifeng¡¯s cruel expression surfaced in her mind.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes darkened as she forced her tears back. After struggling for a little while, she said, ¡°I know you just came back from America, and you met Han Yifeng. I want to talk to you about us.¡±

    ¡°You mean about Han Yifeng and you, don¡¯t you?¡± Xi Xiaye sounded cold. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to talk about when ites to us.¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not know that Mu Yuchen had arranged for the meeting in New York, and Xi Xiaye did not n on telling her too.

    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s just say it¡¯s about Han Yifeng and me, so please meet me. I...¡±

    ¡°Meet me at the Bamboo Teahouse at noon tomorrow.¡± To Xi Xinyi¡¯s surprise, Xi Xiaye agreed to the request easily.

    She was stunned for a moment. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head over earlier.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hung up and let out a sigh of relief before she turned back to Xi Mushan. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to settle our sisterly conflict ourselves.¡±

    She turned around and was about to head back inside when Xi Mushan suddenly called out to her, ¡°Xiaye...¡±

    Xi Xiaye halted her steps.

 Chapter 1267 - Invitation 2

    <h4>1267 Invitation 2</h4>

    She turned around to look at Xi Mushan and noticed a serious expression on his face.

    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to hesitate to tell me anything.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice breezed past his ear like the wind.

    Xi Mushan thought about it. ¡°There isn¡¯t really anything I¡¯d like to say. It¡¯s just about Xinyi. You don¡¯t have to be considerate about me. Your mother is an open person, so I suppose she has gotten over it already.¡±

    ¡°I understand how you feel, and I know Xi Xinyi has looked for you several times in order to ask you to convince me. It must be tough for you...but you never said anything to me. I¡¯m sure you were being considerate which I really do feel happy about. I¡¯m d that you care about my feelings.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes brightened as she looked straight at Xi Mushan. ¡°Family can be a shackle to some. It¡¯s not about being willing or not. At times, it¡¯s about responsibilities and feelings. I can understand how you feel, so if Xi Xinyi has promised to change, I think we can give her a chance.¡±

    She found out that all the information about Gu Lingsha was Xi Xinyi¡¯s reporting. That made her change her impression of Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Alright, if Xi Xinyi wants to see you again, just tell her what I just said. I can definitely forgive her.¡± Xi Xiaye then turned around and went back into the house.

    Xi Mushan was stunned for a moment before he then followed her in as well.

    ...

    Worried that it might be inappropriate for her to stay out for too long, Mu Lingshi returned to the Mu residence soon after dinner. It was a littlete when Shen Yue left Maple Residence, but Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui saw him off.

    Since Shen Yue had drunk a little, he had a great time that night. He turned around and told Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui after he entered the car, ¡°Alright, you guys should head back in. Xiao Rui still has school tomorrow.¡±

    Nodding, Xi Xiaye then signaled Sis Wang to put the tonics into the car as she replied Shen Yue, ¡°You should rest earlier too. I¡¯ll bring Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng over during the weekend. Thank you for taking care of thepany during this period.¡±

    Shen Yue smiled as he patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head. His old voice sounded gentle. ¡°You guys must be busy as well. Take your time to rest up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I heard you and some friends have been exercising togethertely. I¡¯ll join you all once I find some time.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re not too busy.¡± Shen Yue nced at Xi Xiaye. ¡°I heard about thepany¡¯s progresstely from Zng. It¡¯s doing well generally, so just focus on securing the bases. That¡¯s how I sustained for this long. It¡¯s normal to face issues, so just take it easy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grandpa! I¡¯ve got it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head back for now. Give me a call if you¡¯reing this weekend. I¡¯ll get the butler to make something nice for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, say goodbye to Great-grandpa now!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, Great-grandpa! Goodbye, Grandpa, Grandma!¡±

    Shen Yue nodded and got into the car with Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna¡¯s car following behind his.

    Xi Xiaye patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head as they watched the cars vanish into the night.

    She took afortable shower after she went back, and then she took a look at Mu Zirui¡¯s homework before heading to bed.

    Mu Xiaocheng was already sleeping sweetly.

    Just as Xi Xiayey down on the bed, Mu Zirui appeared at the door with his pillow in his hands, seeming to expect something.

    ¡°Xiao Rui? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xi Xiaye was confused.

    Mu Zirui instantly blushed. He hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Mother...can I sleep with you and Brother? Father isn¡¯t home...Don¡¯t worry. I have decent sleep ethics!¡±

    Huh?

    Xi Xiaye was surprised.

    When Mu Yuchen was around, he always encouraged independence among the children, so Mu Zirui had always slept alone.

    Mu Zirui seemed disappointed when Xi Xiaye did not agree right away. He was about to turn around, so Xi Xiaye suddenly lifted the nket open and patted the empty space beside her. ¡°Come here. Sleep earlier and I¡¯ll send you to school tomorrow.¡±

    Mu Zirui rushed over happily and climbed onto the bed after he removed his shoes. His eyes widened slightly when he saw his brother sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed. He carefully put his pillow down as he asked, ¡°Mother, does Father sleep on this side?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, did you drink the milk Aunt Wang gave you?¡± Xi Xiaye adjusted his pillow as she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve drunk it!¡±

    He quicklyy down as he took a nce at Mu Xiaocheng beside him. He moved gently and quietly, afraid that he might wake his brother up. Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Act natural. He¡¯s in deep sleep right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    Mu Zirui then asked, ¡°Mother, when is Brother going to grow up? He looks so small now!¡±

    ¡°When you grow big enough to protect him, then he¡¯ll grow up.¡± Xi Xiaye covered him with the nket.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already grown up! Mother, do you still remember the girl, Qi Weier?¡± Mu Zirui sat up as he suddenly remembered something.

    ¡°Qi Weier?¡± The little figure instantly popped up in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind. How could she forget about Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha?

    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a puzzled look.

    ¡°She suddenly passed out in the evening when ss just ended. I saw a lot of people carrying her into the car when Grandma picked me up. The teachers were terrified and followed her along to the hospital. Is she sick?¡± Mu Zirui felt a little frightened when he was reminded of that scene.

    Xi Xiaye was shocked. Was Qi Weier sick?

    She felt pity for that child, especially since she heard that Qi Weier had a frail body ever since she was born. However, she did not want to butt into their business, ¡°She¡¯ll get well soon. Go to sleep now.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, good night, Mother!¡±

 Chapter 1268 - Appointment 1

    <h4>1268 Appointment 1</h4>

    Mu Zirui was pretty tired after all, so he fell asleep soon after he said good night.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to just sleep right away, but then she remembered that she only had sent Mu Yuchen a text message ever since she got back, so she then grabbed her phone and quickly dialed a number.

    However, the call was terminated after just a beep.

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she suddenly felt uneasy. She sat up and dialed the same number again after some hesitation, but then the number was not reachable anymore!

    What could have happened?

    Xi Xiaye was getting worried. She was reminded of the uneasiness she felt in Los Angeles, and her mind started to imagine the worst.

    Her phone suddenly rang after a while. She answered when she saw the man¡¯s name, ¡°Hello? Mr. Mu?¡±

    The man coughed several times. ¡°It was rather inconvenient to answer just now. It should be prettyte already. Why are you still awake?¡±

    ¡°It iste. I just had to call you when you didn¡¯t call me. What are you doing? Inconvenient? You must have some girls over with you, huh?¡± she teased him with a warm tone in her voice.

    He sounded amused as well. ¡°Who else is worthy to be by my side except for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding!¡± Xi Xiaye chuckled, ¡°The whole family had dinner together tonight. Your parents seemed pretty busy, and they left soon after dinner. Everything¡¯s fine at home. By the way, as you expected, Xi Xinyi called me just now. I told her to meet me tomorrow at noon.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, be careful since I¡¯m not there. It won¡¯t hurt to bring more bodyguards with you. Do you understand?¡± he reminded her.

    ¡°I know, I know. You too!¡±

    ¡°How¡¯re our sons doing?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Xi Xiaye turned towards her sleeping sons and smiled. ¡°They are doing great! Xiao Rui seems taller, and his homework is pretty good. Xiao Cheng can already walk several steps while leaning onto the sofa. He quickly crawls over to me whenever I appear near him.¡±

    ¡°My sons are smart. I¡¯m sure the little guy will remember me when I return.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s words were filled with the pride of a father.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you. Alright, it¡¯s time for me to sleep now. I have to send Xiao Rui to school tomorrow. Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you too. Take care of yourself. Good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night, Mr. Mu...¡± Xi Xiaye then hung up.

    ...

    The next morning, Xi Xiaye was woken up by the rm clock. She woke Mu Zirui up, and Mu Xiaocheng woke up after they finished getting ready as well.

    After a simple breakfast, she left Mu Xiaocheng to Sis Wang and Aunt Fang. Then, she sent Mu Zirui to school before heading over to Fuhua.

    Having been absent for some time, several thick stacks of documents were waiting on her table. Xi Xiaye had no time to spare. She started working once she returned to the office and almost forgot about the time as she started working.

    She suddenly remembered her promise with Xi Xinyi when Xiao Mei came into her office with some documents and reminded her to have lunch.

    At the Bamboo Teahouse, Xi Xinyi arrived roughly around 12 p.m. She ordered some snacks and a pot of chrysanthemum tea before she flipped through some magazines and listened to music as she waited for Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye only arrived at the appointment half an hourter.

    ¡°I thought you were trying to make a fool out of me by making an empty promise.¡± Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes lookedplicated as she looked at Xi Xiaye who was helping herself to some tea.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that silly?¡± Xi Xiaye nced at her as she replied.

    Xi Xinyi gave a bitter smile. ¡°I suppose I should be thankful that you came at all.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the two of us could have a moment like this, sitting down, having some tea, and talking peacefully.¡± Xi Xiaye found it ironic. She calmly sipped the tea as she looked out of the window from which she could see the bamboo leaves falling to the ground.

    Xi Xinyi was looking at her instead. She felt like she had never really taken a good look at her sister before.

    Now that she was focused on her, she noticed that Xi Xiaye had the silhouette of their father, but the aura and mannerisms of her mother, Shen Wenna.

    To be frank, Xi Xinyi was jealous of her. She remembered how she had been attracted by Shen Wenna¡¯s aura and beauty the first time she saw her. She was envious that Xi Xiaye had a mother like Shen Wenna while her mother was like that.

    She would have surely felt unbnced before, but as a mother herself, she felt something different now.

    One could not choose their birth, and God did not have the duty to make sure everyone was born lucky and prestigious, just like her child.

    She was worried that her son might be ashamed of having a mother like her in the future.

    She thought that she only lived for herself all these while. She hardly cared about others, and then she pushed the people who cared about her further and further away till she felt bitter inside.

    The sisters sat there quietly for a long while. Although Xi Xinyi felt bitter, she was unwilling to just admit her fault here. After some time, she mumbled, ¡°True enough. I never expected for us to meet under these circumstances.¡±

    Her tone sounded cold and was colored with a tint of self-mocking. She did not want to expose her weak self in front of Xi Xiaye even though she was already defeated.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression was calm as she sipped on some tea and did not say anything.

    ¡®I thought you were lost for a while. I thought you¡¯d return when you were tired. The story behind theplications...I heard about them all from my friends, walking amidst the cold wind during a winter night...¡¯

    Xi Xinyi listened to the song which sounded like it was describing their situation right now. She felt her chest hurt as she listened on. Eventually, she could not help but take a deep breath.

 Chapter 1269 - Appointment 2

    <h4>1269 Appointment 2</h4>

    Her face suddenly turned pale.

    With a tter, the cup in her hand fell.

    When Xi Xiaye turned upon hearing that, she saw Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression that was as pale as a ghost. Even her beautiful eyes darkened.

    Xi Xinyi quickly picked up the teacup, which thankfully did not break. She looked up at Xi Xiaye and met that cold gaze of hers. She then shut her eyes embarrassedly and took in a deep breath, before silently lowering her head and pretending to be calm as she poured herself another cup of tea.

    ¡°Just say what you want to say.¡± Xi Xiaye did not have time to admire her sorry demeanor. Right now, she was indifferent to the sight of Xi Xinyi in such an embarassing state, so she was not too affected.

    When Xi Xinyi heard that, her hand that held the cup subconsciously tightened. The second she saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm expression, she rxed. ¡°You met Han Yifeng in New York, didn¡¯t you? I heard that Chairman Mu...Brother-inw and you both saw him!¡±

    Xi Xinyi was impatient to find out because she remembered the condition that Mu Yuchen had set. She had been waiting to know how he was going to help her resolve this situation with Han Yifeng.

    Perhaps because she knew Mu Yuchen¡¯s abilities, she never doubted the conditions that he determined. In fact, Mu Yuchen did not have many interactions with Han Yifeng. Since he met up with Han Yifeng, perhaps it was about her matter then.

    Xi Xiaye could feel Xi Xinyi¡¯s nervousness as her tense face stared straight at her.

    ¡°How¡¯s my son? He must have told you, didn¡¯t he? Say something. How¡¯s Xiao Xuan? It¡¯s been more than a year. He must be quite grown up, isn¡¯t he?¡± Anxiety, nerves, and uneasiness were entangled within Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°They¡¯re both doing well. The child knows how to call his father now. You can tell that Han Yifeng takes good care of your son. He just wasn¡¯t too willing to bring you up,¡± Xi Xiaye did not hide anything as she answered directly.

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression looked even worse now. Sheughed self-mockingly. ¡°I should have known. He hates me to the bones and is extremely disappointed with me too.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯d know even if he doesn¡¯t say it. He still fell in love with you in the end. Xi Xiaye, you must find it quite ironic, don¡¯t you? In the past, no matter how hard you tried, he didn¡¯t seem to reciprocate, but now he...he likes you,¡± Xi Xinyi spoke without looking up at Xi Xiaye while her voice was bitter.

    ¡°I should have understood that from the moment I broke that bottle of stars you folded for him, I should have understood...I just didn¡¯t want to admit it. I always thought that I had too many beautiful moments in the past with him, that I could use the memorable good times to tie his heart down.

    ¡°But I underestimated you, underestimated his feelings. You don¡¯t know that to me, I¡¯m not sad about him not falling in love with me. Instead, it¡¯s knowing that after liking me, he fell in love with you once again. This makes it worse and harder for me to ept. That truly hit me in the face and told me loud and clear that I might not stand a chance again,¡± Xi Xinyi spoke, seeming to have calmed down and not being as anxious as before.

    This was Xi Xinyi¡¯s first time being so honest and breaking down in front of someone else. Even if she did not want to admit it, what else could she say now?

    ¡°I won¡¯t pity you,¡± Xi Xiaye calmly answered and lowered her head to sip the tea.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying these things to get your pity. You know that I hate that. I just want to know, since the two of you talked to Han Yifeng, how¡¯s his attitude? Is he still as determined as before? Doesn¡¯t he want to give me a chance at all? Not even visitation rights for our son?¡±

    She had not seen her son for more than a year now. Every time she thought about it, she could not help but feel heartbroken. ¡°What does he want? How can I get him to give my son back to me? It¡¯s not like the Han family doesn¡¯t have enough women to bear children with Han Yifeng. Why do they have to take my son away? Why!?¡±

    Towards the end, Xi Xinyi started to sound stirred up. Her fists were clenched as she mmed the table hard.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask him this question yourself. I can¡¯t help you there. I don¡¯t deny that I did talk to him, and the topics revolved around you. I said that you¡¯ve changed a lot in the past year and that I hoped he could face this all more frankly.¡±

    ¡°What about him? What did he say?¡± Xi Xinyi quickly asked.

    Xi Xiaye looked up silently at her pale little face. Moments after that, she lowered his gaze and looked calmly at the teacup. ¡°He said that that¡¯s all there is between the two of you, that it¡¯s all in the past now.¡±

    When Xi Xinyi heard that, her body froze as if she suddenly turned rigid. With some effort, she regained herposure.

    ¡°That¡¯s all there is to us, and that it¡¯s all in the past now? Han Yifeng, when you really want to be mean and heartless, no one else canpare to you,¡± Xi Xinyi muttered. Her eyes could not help but turn moist as she lowered her head and did not look up again.

    Xi Xiaye was not interested in watching her be all broken-hearted, so she put her cup down and got up with waning interest.

    ¡°Hold on! What about Brother-inw!? What did he say? He must have said something to Han Yifeng? Did Han Yifeng mention any conditions so that he¡¯d return my son to me? What does he want? How much money does he want? I¡¯ll give him as much as he wants as long as he returns our son to me! I¡¯m willing to sign the papers and stop bothering him as long as he¡¯ll return my son! Can he? I¡¯m begging you. Tell Brother-inw to let him know. Otherwise, you can let him know too! I¡¯m left with nothing. I haven¡¯t got a single kin with me. I only have one son left. He can¡¯t just take him away from me so heartlessly! He can¡¯t do that! Xi Xiaye, Sister, I¡¯m begging you, please! It doesn¡¯t matter how huge of a price I need to pay. I¡¯m willing to pay it as long as I get my son back! I just want my son back!¡±

    When she saw that Xi Xiaye had turned around to leave, Xi Xinyi did not hold back. She held onto Xi Xiaye¡¯s sleeves in panic and lowered her pride to beg.

    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯m begging you! I¡¯ve got nothing left. If this goes on, I¡¯ll break down. My mother¡¯s not doing great either. You and Aunt have won it all. You¡¯ve won. I just want my son back! I gave birth to him, but I haven¡¯t even heard him call me ¡®Mother¡¯ or watched him grow up. Han Yifeng can¡¯t be so cruel to me. Brother-inw promised me that he¡¯d help me fight for it. he promised!¡± She choked on her sobs as she begged, and her voice scattered in the wind at the end.

    Why was it that, at such a moment, Xi Xiaye felt sad for her?

 Chapter 1270 - Relieved 1

    <h4>1270 Relieved 1</h4>

    Xi Xinyi tried to hold her tears in, refusing to show her weak side in front of Xi Xiaye at all. She did not want to reveal her weakness and pain, but she could not bear it at this moment. Every time she thought about the pain she had gone through, she just could not control her emotions.

    Especially when she was right in front of Xi Xiaye, she had no idea how to express the bitterness and pain within her. She could only put on a tough front when she was working in the office as well.

    It was the first time she felt this alone and helpless. She was worried and afraid, especially when she thought about Han Yifeng and her son...

    Xi Xiaye just stood there quietly as Xi Xinyi grabbed onto her. Her eyes darkened.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help you. This is between you and Han Yifeng.¡± While Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone of voice was calm, she sounded helpless. ¡°I tried to ask him. He...he said he might be able to go back to the way things were again. He loves your son, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll give your son a great childhood and even provide him a smooth path in life.¡±

    ¡°No, you can do something! You can! If you say something and Brother-inw is willing to help, my son will be back by my side! I know Han Yifeng and I can¡¯t go back to the way we were anymore, but I¡¯m willing to do anything to be with my child. You¡¯re a mother too. You must know how I feel. I beg you! I know I¡¯ve made a lot of mistakes in the past. I was foolish and wicked. It¡¯s all my fault. I promise I¡¯ll change. Please?¡±

    For the sake of her child and future, she was willing to cast her pride away.

    ¡°You overestimate me. The one Han Yifeng loves is you. Our rtionship is all in the past now. How do you want me to convince him? Do I tell him that for the sake of our past rtionship, he should give you a chance?¡± Xi Xiaye looked down at Xi Xinyi. She did not feel her revenge fulfilled upon seeing Xi Xinyi¡¯s sorry state. Perhaps, that feeling was lost ever since Han Yifeng left.

    In her life right now, she had Mu Yuchen, her sons, along with her family and friends. Han Yifeng and some other people were in the past. It would just be in awkward even if they met right now, so why should she care?

    She would rather spend more time with Mr. Mu, her sons, and the people she cared about instead of wasting her time hating her.

    ¡°You can! I¡¯m sure you still hold a ce in Han Yifeng¡¯s heart. He has always felt guilty towards you, so he¡¯ll agree to whatever you ask of him!¡± Xi Xinyi grabbed Xi Xiaye tightly as if she was clinging onto her final strand of hope.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi, do you still want me to talk about our old feelings with Han Yifeng? You truly overestimate me. I hold a ce in his heart? Please don¡¯t say things like that ever again, or else, you¡¯ll cause another drama. I want you to remember that my husband and I are very much in love with each other, and it will stay that way forever.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye pushed Xi Xinyi¡¯s hand away, her expression darkened and she looked away before leaving.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember the past anymore. If you want your child to return to your side, you need to be courageous. A lot of things might not be as important as you thought. Be prepared to give up on some of them. That¡¯s what Mr. Mu wanted me to tell you. Take care.¡± Xi Xiaye then disappeared out of the doorway.

    Xi Xinyi seemed a little lost. She only returned to her senses when she heard the sound of the bead curtain making noises. By then, Xi Xiaye had already long gone. She then realized what Xi Xiaye just said.

    She said that she had already forgotten about the past!

    She also said those things about wanting her child to return to her, and that Mu Yuchen told her to pass on that message. Did that mean...?

    Did that mean that she had forgiven her?

    Dumbfounded, Xi Xinyi quickly stood up and chased after her. Her hoarse voice broke through the silence in the teahouse.

    ¡°Sis¡ª¡±

    Her voice was filled with guilt and apology, as well as a ton of bitterness.

    Xi Xiaye paused as she walked down the staircase. She raised her head slightly and looked at the warm sun in the sky. With a deep breath, she continued to walk away after the brief pause.

    ¡°CEO Xi!¡± The bodyguards standing outside quickly came over and opened the car door.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and went in.

    ¡°To Glory World.¡± Xi Xiaye closed her eyes after she stated her next destination.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Xi! But you haven¡¯t had lunch yet...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not hungry. There are some urgent documents to take care of.¡±

    She had received a message from Mu Yuchen that morning telling her to send him several documents to his office, so she had to hurry.

    Xiao Mei did not press the issue further. She nced at the chauffeur and the car was soon on its way.

    The car had already left when Xi Xinyi ran outside. She could only catch a glimpse of the car¡¯s silhouette...

    When Xi Xiaye opened her eyes, she noticed Xi Xinyi in the rearview mirror. For some reason, she felt bitter inside.

    Perhaps, she was trying to convince herself that she felt relieved, or maybe it was because she heard Xi Xinyi called her ¡°Sis¡± at the end.

    Xi Xiaye sighed as she looked out the window, shocked to find herself on the verge of tears. She blinked several times as she told herself that they were sisters after all. They were family...

    Even if they had been in conflict before, if she could change and be good, she deserved a chance.

    She was not as stubborn as she thought. They were family after all.

 Chapter 1271 - Relieved 2

    <h4>1271 Relieved 2</h4>

    When Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened, Xiao Mei happened to notice that expression of hers.

    Xiao Mei had been working alongside Xi Xiaye for a long time now, so she knew quite a great deal about her. Judging by her reaction and Xi Xinyi¡¯s behavior from before, she somehow guessed what happened.

    She then said quietly, ¡°CEO Xi, Xi Xinyi...She¡¯s changed a lot. A few days ago, Manager Xu from the Marketing Department attended Owner Mo¡¯s birthday party. She was troubled by some people from the industry, and Xi Xinyi helped her out in secret.¡±

    Xiao Mei could not really speak up on Xi Xinyi¡¯s behalf, but due to special circumstances, she did pay special attention to her.

    Xi Xinyi had been behaving well in thest few years. She kept a low profile and started working behind the scenes in Yueying.

    Because Xi Xiaye did not reply after Xiao Mei spoke, thetter called out to her, ¡°CEO Xi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye opened her eyes and pinched the space between her eyebrows. ¡°Well, keep an eye out on her. She¡¯s one of us now after all.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped talking after that and Xiao Mei nodded silently.

    ...

    Inside a prestigious room in Hospital T.

    The doctor gave Qi Weier a checkup, then he put the records away.

    ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s Weiwei?¡± Qi Feng asked quietly as he stared at Qi Weier intently.

    The doctor¡¯s expression darkened and handed the medical records to the nurse beside him. ¡°Master Qi, Ms. Weiwei¡¯s condition is worrying, especially in the past month. It¡¯s obvious that she has some psychological obstacles. She needs to cheer up and maintain a good mood, or else...¡±

    The doctor¡¯s words had Qi Feng frowning and he seemed worried.

    ¡°I need you to help her get better no matter what!¡± Qi Feng said.

    ¡°Master Qi, of course, we¡¯ll try our best, but we will need cooperation from Ms. Weiwei as well,¡± the doctor said carefully.

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll try our best to cooperate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! I¡¯ll leave you some time alone for now. Ring the bell if you need anything. Ms. Weiwei might only wake up tomorrow morning. She¡¯s too weak and needs some time to recover.¡±

    Qi Feng just waved his hand quietly, signaling for the doctor to head out.

    The room became quiet suddenly as Qi Feng looked at Qi Weier with a pained expression.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. Weiwei will be fine.¡± Morrison noticed Qi Feng seemed exhausted and he tried tofort him.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I heard that she¡¯s been feeling under the weather since yesterday morning. Mary wanted to take a day off for her, but she refused. Mary was worried that it might upset her, so she just let her be. From what Mary told me, two servants at home discussed what happened to Missus and talked about Doris not liking Ms. Weiwei. That¡¯s why she got unhappy...¡±

    Morrison did not continue when he noticed that Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened like a thunderstorm cloud. It was truly terrifying.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need gossip going around at home! Fire them!¡±

    Hearing his fury, Morrison shuddered slightly. ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°Also, tell Doris to get Shasha out as soon as possible. Let her know that Weiwei isn¡¯t doing well. I hope she can be quicker. Weiwei is her granddaughter after all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, Master! I will! Besides, CEO Qi called just now. He said he¡¯lle and visit Weiwei in the evening.¡± Morrison paused before he continued, ¡°Master, we just got news that Qi Lei arrived in City B. I think we should get him into some ident and push the responsibility onto Mu Yuchen! Just like thest time...¡±

    ¡°Do you think Mu Yuchen is an idiot? How obvious would this be to him? Qi Lei isn¡¯t someone we can go against right now. Why else do you think I wanted Doris¡¯s help?¡± Qi Feng nced at Morrison.

    ¡°Can we truly trust Doris though? She¡¯s such a sly woman! She used you of threatening her. She¡¯s probably getting wary of us.¡± Morrison sounded uneasy. ¡°It¡¯s still possible for Doris to get Missus out when Mu Yuchen had still been abroad, but with Qi Lei, I¡¯m not sure what to do about him or Gu Qiwu as well...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Doris. I¡¯m not sure what exactly she¡¯s going to do, but she has her own ways since she promised us. Though she did suffer a loss from Gu Qiwu, what else has she failed at before? It¡¯s a great deal to us anyhow. I¡¯ll help her hold Gu Qiwu down while she helps me to stop Qi Lei. It¡¯s a fair trade.¡±

    ¡°How is Doris so sure that we can keep Gu Qiwu down?¡± Morrison could not figure it out and he had never heard Qi Feng talk about it before.

    Qi Feng suddenly put on a mysterious smile. It was a cold, eerie smile. He nced at Morrison cruelly. ¡°Do you remember how Wang Qin died? Didn¡¯t Gu Qiwu hire that assassin?¡±

    Morrison¡¯s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered that matter.

    ¡°I just handed Doris a piece of paper with two words: ¡®Wang, Gu¡¯, and she instantly understood everything. However, since she intends to take Hui Gu down, Shasha can¡¯t be in trouble, and she has to make sure that Gu Qiwu won¡¯t hand Hui Gu over to Mu Lingshi out of spite. What do you think she¡¯ll do next?¡±

 Chapter 1272 - Lobby For Him? 1

    <h4>1272 Lobby For Him? 1</h4>

    Qi Feng¡¯s words surprised Morrison.

    His eyes widened as he looked at Qi Feng. ¡°Do you mean that she¡¯s going to do something to Mu Lingshi?¡±

    Qi Feng grinned. ¡°You¡¯re right and wrong at the same time. You¡¯ll find out soon enough. Just wait and see how Mu Yuchen is going to turn this around. Do you really think Doris will work with us without having anything up her sleeve? That woman¡¯s wickedness is unimaginable.¡±

    Knowing Doris very well, he had started investigating her back when the ident with Gu Lingsha happened.

    ¡°So, we can only wait for Doris to make a move now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Mu Yuchen will figure out what I¡¯m thinking. It¡¯s not Doris¡¯s first time nning to take over the Hui Gu Corporation. Just wait. A storm ising!¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s voice sounded cold. He nced over at Qi Weier on the bed and took a deep breath. ¡°I just hope that no one will be able to threaten me again after this. Mu Yuchen, I want you to have a taste of what I experienced.¡±

    Then, he turned around and went outside.

    Morrison quickly caught up with him. ¡°Master, Professor Terl will being over to take a look at your legs tonight. He said you¡¯ll be entering the final phase of the healing process. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to stand again soon!¡±

    He sounded genuinely happy while Qi Feng felt relieved.

    There was hope for him to stand again!

    ...

    Xi Xiaye had been busy working in the past few days and barely had any time to rest. She could only take a breather during the weekend, but there was a surprise visit from Ji Zitong.

    The weather was looking great today. It was cool and windy.

    In the backyard of Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong sat side by side as they enjoyed the blooming chrysanthemums.

    ¡°They look great. They might even be better than the ones in my store,¡± Ji Zitong said.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and sipped some tea. ¡°Grandmother nted these herself. They almost died back when she just passed away and no one took care of them, but Grandfather didn¡¯t give up and took over her job. Now, here they are.¡±

    While she was smiling, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened slightly when she thought about Wang Hui. Ji Zitong turned quiet as well.

    ¡°Time really flies. It happened so long ago, but it feels like it just happened yesterday.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to think too much. Grandmother will be able to rest in peace.¡± Ji Zitong was not sure what to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just saying.¡± Xi Xiaye blinked her eyes as she averted her gaze away from the flowers and looked at the blue sky. ¡°Isn¡¯t Su Chen back yet?¡±

    Ji Zitong sipped some tea before replying, ¡°Not so soon. It¡¯ll take him a few days. The three of them got together, so I bet something has happened, but he didn¡¯t tell me when I asked. He just told me to not ask too much about it as it¡¯s men¡¯s stuff. He did tell me toe and visit you more often. Since my store hasn¡¯t really been busytely, here I am.¡±

    ¡°You should indeede over more often. It¡¯s not like Su Chen can¡¯t support you anyway. There¡¯s no need for you to work so hard. You know what? Let¡¯s go to the spa to rx!¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she looked at Ji Zitong. It was obvious that she was living a happy life with Su Chen.

    Ji Zitong smiled back at her. ¡°Maybe not today. I need to go back to the storeter. Chairman Mu surely can afford to support you too, but you still go to work. I don¡¯t want to be a housewife. It¡¯ll make me feel old. I heard from otherdies that giving everything to your husband and children isn¡¯t really wise.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°How¡¯s Ah Shi doing?¡±

    Mu Lingshi had gotten closer to Ji Zitong since Wang Hui¡¯s death. She would visit Ji Zitong¡¯s store from time to time whenever she was free. Sometimes, Ah Mo would join them together for meals along with Su Chen too.

    ¡°She still looked pretty unwell a few days ago. I guess she¡¯s worried about Gu Qiwu. He¡¯s been sending a lot of people to hertely. I also heard that Gu Qiwu went to the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu came to see Ah Shi recently? You saw him a few days ago?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    Should Gu Qiwu not be in City B right now? Had hispany stabilized?

    ¡°Yes, I think he¡¯s there to meet Ah Shi.¡±

    She was not sure what Gu Qiwu was trying to do. Things seemed moreplicated than she thought.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ji Zitong noticed Xi Xiaye¡¯s odd expression.

    Xi Xiaye came back to her senses after hearing Ji Zitong¡¯s voice. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Have more tea!¡±

    Ah Mo was still in City B at the moment, and Mu Lingshi had never mentioned Gu Qiwu to her. She worried about talking about it because she did not want to make Mu Lingshi unwell, but now...

    Xi Xiaye thought it was appropriate to let Mu Yuchen know, and it might be a good time to have a talk with Mu Lingshi.

    Although she made a decision swiftly, ns could always change!

    After several cups of tea, Ji Zitong noticed that Xi Xiaye seemed uneasy, so she bade her farewell and returned to her store.

    As Xi Xiaye was thinking about whether she wanted to bring Mu Xiaocheng back to the Mu residence, her phone started ringing.

    She picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    A deep, male voice responded to her.

 Chapter 1273 - Lobby For Him? 2

    <h4>Chapter 1273 Lobby For Him? 2</h4>

    ¡°Hello, Miss Xi!¡±

    It was a man¡¯s voice!

    A slightly familiar voice!

    Xi Xiaye immediately frowned. She quickly tried to remember whose voice this was. Moments after that, she recalled!

    Gu Qiwu!

    How could it be him?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She did not reply immediately and just squinted with vignce.

    When he did not hear Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice, Gu Qiwu¡¯s low voice was heard. ¡°Miss Xi, you¡¯re quiet. I¡¯m sure you know who I am.¡± His voice was filled with certainty.

    Xi Xiaye did not hide it either as she calmly responded, ¡°Mr. Gu, I wonder what you¡¯re calling me for.¡±

    Actually, she could already guess that it was probably about Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingshi. At this moment, she suddenly recalled that it was this man who had blocked her in the tunnel before this. Back then, had he wanted to warn Mu Yuchen too?

    ¡°I¡¯m honored that you can still remember my voice.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s soft chuckle was heard. His chuckle made Xi Xiaye frown even more.

    ¡°Not much. I just wanted to ask you out for a chat about Lingshi. I wonder if you¡¯d be willing to give me the honor, Miss Xi.¡± Gu Qiwu did not beat around the bush either as he made his intentions known.

    The honor to meet?

    As Xi Xiaye pondered, a mocking sneer shed across her lips. ¡°What if I¡¯m not willing?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m hoping you¡¯d say yes. You¡¯ve always paid attention to Lingshi¡¯s matter, haven¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice remained low and still sounded calm as if he was certain that she would agree to his request.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve got nothing to say to you. If it¡¯s about Lingshi¡¯s matter, then it¡¯s best that you look for Mr. Mu. I don¡¯t know about these things too well, so I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s not much I can say.¡±

    Xi Xiaye recalled Mu Yuchen¡¯s urges, so she did not make her own decisions. She thought that it was best if she discussed this with Mu Yuchen. If Gu Qiwu really wanted to talk to her, he would not just make this call.

    Then, before Gu Qiwu could respond, she hung up.

    Du-du-du...

    When the sound of the engaged signal was heard, Gu Qiwu immediately frowned and slowly pulled his hand back to look at his phone screen that dimmed. After a while, he casually tossed his phone onto the table and leaned back against his chair. He could not help but lift a hand to massage the fatigue between his brows.

    When he saw that Gu Qiwu did not look too good, Ah Yong quickly asked in concern, ¡°Boss...¡±

    Gu Qiwu sighed while his other hand held a pen. He blinked heavily and responded after a while, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Did Xi Xiaye not agree to meet?¡± Ah Yong said carefully.

    Gu Qiwu did not seem too bothered by this. He calmly responded and quickly rxed, ¡°Xi Xiaye¡¯s not the kind of woman without her own opinions. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s vignt about the way things have turned out. She¡¯s probably going to tell this to Mu Yuchen. When that happens, try to ask her out again. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to meet someone.¡±

    ¡°What about the thing I told you to investigate?¡± He suddenly looked up at Ah Yong. His gaze was dark and cool as a deepke as it met Ah Yong¡¯s eyes. In that instant, Ah Yong felt worried and uneasy by his expression.

    ¡°Boss, no news for now. But Qi Qiming did make Qi Feng a mere director. I think he will be thinking of other ways. In fact, ording to Qi Lei¡¯s current situation, it¡¯s enough to prove that Qi Qiming sees Qi Lei differently now. Right, I also recently heard that Qi Feng¡¯s been meeting Missus quite often, probably because of Miss Lingsha¡¯s problem,¡± Ah Yong responded.

    When Gu Qiwu heard that, he did not immediately respond. He just set the pen aside and picked up the tea to take a sip, and then fell silent.

    ¡°Boss, the people over there have said that they will do their best to settle this. Miss Lingsha will be released soon. Do we want to tell Miss...Doris?¡± Ah Yong clearly detected that Gu Qiwu was not too happy, so in the end, he quickly changed the way he addressed Doris.

    ¡°Whatever she wants to do has got nothing to do with us. Just keep your eye on her. She won¡¯t just let this go so easily. Open your eyes and pay attention,¡± Gu Qiwu said with some thought.

    He knew Doris well. If she let him off so easily after suffering such a loss, she would not be Doris!

    How else could this woman have continued to stay by his side?

    However, did she think that Gu Qiwu was a pushover too? If she were to behave, it might not have angered him. Perhaps he could have treated her better, but now, he did not feel any longing for this woman at all!

    The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this woman made him feel down.

    Even if Gu Qiwu and Mu Zixi had a past. Ever since Mu Zixi left, Gu Qiwu had only doted on Doris alone. He never had anything with any other women and had been loyal to her. Was that not enough?

    What had this woman done to him instead?

    When he thought about this, Gu Qiwu¡¯s lips could not help but sh with a self-mocking smile.

    Upon seeing Gu Qiwu¡¯s shifting expression, Ah Yong quickly responded, ¡°Yes! I got it! Right, Boss, Miss Weiwei is sick and hospitalized...¡±

    ¡°Make the arrangements. I¡¯ll go visit her tonight,¡± Gu Qiwu answered frankly.

    Gu Qiwu did love Weiwei. He continued to y his role as a loving grandfather which was different from the cold Doris.

    ¡°Yes, Boss! Do we want to call Qi Feng first? Miss Weiwei hasn¡¯t been too well recently. I heard that it might be because of Miss Lingsha¡¯s issue. The police station still won¡¯t let her go. It must be because of Mu Yuchen putting pressure. When I talked to them before this, they seemed like they were quite troubled. I¡¯m worried¡ª¡±

    ¡°City Z¡¯s still not Mu Yuchen¡¯s turf. He will know when to stop. He¡¯s clearly targetting Lingsha and Qi Feng with this issue. The fact that they got to this state is a good lesson for them too. They¡¯ve overestimated themselves!¡± Gu Qiwu said coldly.

    Every time Gu Lingsha caused a problem, he would always have to pick up the pieces. This time, he wanted to let Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng understand that they needed to take responsibility themselves!

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Ah Yong listened and could only answer simply.

 Chapter 1274 - Lobby For Him? 3

    <h4>1274 Lobby For Him? 3</h4>

    The sky turned dark by the time she returned to the Mu residence.

    The servants had prepared dinner, but only Xi Xiaye, Mu Lingshi, and Mu Yinan were around the dining table. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had appointments tonight and would not be back for dinner.

    Mu Yinan went out for a walk right after dinner. It sounded like Elder Zhou had called him. They probably wanted to hang out together, leaving Mu Lingshi and Xi Xiaye at home.

    ¡°Have some fruits.¡± Xi Xiaye prepared a fruit tter as Mu Lingshi was watching TV in the living room.

    ¡°Sister-inw! Is Xiao Cheng asleep?¡± Mu Lingsha made some space for Xi Xiaye and poured some flower tea for her.

    ¡°He just fell asleep. What are you watching?¡± Xi Xiaye sat down beside Mu Lingshi as she nced over at the TV. She then realized it was some children¡¯s program...

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s about time to do some prenatal education. I heard that by speaking with the baby and listening to more happy music, the child will turn out more cheerful.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes turned gentle as she touched her baby bump. ¡°Mmm, the doctor said so too, Ah Mo was pretty into it. Sister-inw, my brother was pumped up as well, wasn¡¯t he? How was he?¡±

    She nced at Xi Xiaye curiously as she started wondering how Mu Yuchen did his prenatal education.

    ¡°He read stories to my belly every day and talked like a silly clown...¡± When Xi Xiaye remembered that period, she started grinning.

    Mu Lingshi chuckled. ¡°I can imagine that. He¡¯s just like Ah Mo. I just can¡¯t stop smiling thinking about how these two serious-looking men would act silly for their children.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it soon enough. Your brother was a little awkward when I told him to speak to his child.¡± Xi Xiaye tasted some tea as she fixed her gaze onto Mu Lingshi¡¯s face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have anything to tell me?¡± Mu Lingshi had sharp instincts and instantly read Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye did not reply right away. She slowly put the cup down without averting her gaze away. Then, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°Actually, I came over tonight to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°To talk to me?¡±

    Mu Lingshi was dazzled for a moment. She came back to her senses after a bit as she stared at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Did Brother want you to tell me something?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and shook her head. ¡°Your brother trusts that Ah Mo will take good care of you, so I¡¯m here just to talk to you for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Is it about Gu Qiwu?¡± Mu Lingshi instantly figured it out as she looked into Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. Her voice sounded a little bitter.

    Xi Xiaye nodded her head. Naturally, she noticed Mu Lingshi¡¯s darkened expression. ¡°However, I¡¯ll stop asking if you don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±

    Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and put on a bitter smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ask away. I should be responsible and tell everyone about it anyway. I know everyone is being considerate about me and doesn¡¯t want to ask me about it, but I¡¯m fine actually. I can face it right now. I¡¯m a child of the Mu family after all. I¡¯m not that fragile!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy that you have these thoughts. Your brother is actually very worried about you...¡±

    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m fine. Actually, I have something to tell my brother too. It¡¯s just that there hasn¡¯t been a chance...¡± Mu Lingshi said.

    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll be straightforward with you then.¡± Xi Xiaye turned over to Mu Lingshi and took a pause. ¡°I want to talk about Gu Qiwu. So, what¡¯s your n from now on? I¡¯m sure you know what¡¯s been going on. Gu Qiwu and Doris are divorced, Gu Lingsha¡¯s been arrested, and I know Gu Qiwu has had a change of attitude toward youtely.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was not surprised by Xi Xiaye¡¯s question. She had already decided to speak to Mu Yuchen about it, but she knew that telling Xi Xiaye would be the same as informing her brother, so there was no point for her to hide anymore.

    She cleared her mind and answered, ¡°Naturally, I can¡¯t ept what Gu Qiwu did in the past, but after experiencing all the love and concern from everyone around me, I¡¯m truly touched. After Grandmother¡¯s death, I realized that escaping might hurt other people and cause even greater harm.

    ¡°Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha keep ming the ident on Brother. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ve been plotting revenge all these years. I know I¡¯ve been avoiding the truth, and many people are paying the price of my avoidance. I¡¯ve thought it through. Rather than letting Brother shoulder the burden, I should be strong and fight for what I deserve. That¡¯s better than letting other people use it to threaten him.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone sounded firm while her eyes were filled with renewed determination just like the stars in the sky.

    Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°So, you¡¯re about to meet with Gu Qiwu soon, right?¡±

    Mu Lingshi nodded. ¡°Mmm, he wants to take me back as his daughter andpensate me. He made it sound all nice, but I don¡¯t feel his sincerity at all. I even suspect that he¡¯s trying to give the Mu family a response after all these years and try to get something out of Brother. That¡¯s just who he is.¡± Her tone sounded cold and bitter.

    ¡°He wants you back as his daughter?¡± Xi Xiaye grinned coldly as she said quietly.

 Chapter 1275 - Lobby For Him? 4

    <h4>Chapter 1275 Lobby For Him? 4</h4>

    She was not surprised at all since it was all within her expectations.

    ording to Gu Qiwu¡¯s situation, it would make sense for that to happen.

    Xi Xiaye did not want to know whether Gu Qiwu was being genuine. During Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding, he seemed really sorry about how Gu Lingsha behaved for Mu Lingshi¡¯s sake, but it was great to see that Mu Lingshi could get over it.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure if he¡¯s being genuine, but I can¡¯t forgive him no matter what. My mother, Lingtian, and Grandmother, these tragedies happened because of him, yet he¡¯s living a happy life right now. He doesn¡¯t even feel an ounce of guilt. While I won¡¯t allow myself to hate him, I can¡¯t just let him get away like this.¡± Mu Lingshi did not hide the anger within her.

    Her expression turned cold, and the dim light made her scar seem slightly eerie.

    When Xi Xiaye turned over, she closed her eyes and concealed the anger in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you want to fight for Hui Gu?¡±

    Mu Lingshi opened her eyes instantly after she heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s question.

    Instead of answering Xi Xiaye¡¯s question right away, she smiled and paused. ¡°Yes, even if I can¡¯t get it, I want to destroy it. I don¡¯t want to leave it to either Gu Qiwu or Gu Lingsha.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised and was not sure what to say.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m no longer the weak little girl who needs her brother to protect her any longer. Neither am I that fragile nor am I a fool. I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu called me this afternoon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s words shocked Mu Lingshi and she instantly frowned. ¡°What did you say? He called you? What for? Did he threaten you?¡±

    When Mu Lingshi stood up, Xi Xiaye quickly grabbed her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless! He didn¡¯t threaten me. He said he wants to see me and talk about your brother, but I declined him.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! He sure knows how to scheme. Is he trying to get you to lobby for him now?¡±

    Mu Lingshi managed to figure out what was Gu Qiwu nning.

    This whole matter was unrted to Xi Xiaye. Even if Gu Qiwu wanted to talk, he should be talking to Mu Yuchen, but now he was just trying to exploit Xi Xiaye¡¯s weakness because he knew about her influence over Mu Yuchen. Furthermore, Mu Lingshi herself had nothing but respect towards her brother too.

    Lobby for him?

    Perhaps that was exactly what Gu Qiwu was thinking about.

    ¡°Just ignore him. I hope that you¡¯ll be left out of this. I don¡¯t want these things to drag you down.¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice turned cold as she took a deep breath and left the living room.

    Xi Xiaye felt her chest grow heavy as she watched Mu Lingshi walk up the staircase. Perhaps she should not have brought it up, but even if she did not, things would not just be left as they were.

    It would not...

    Gu Qiwu was a persistent man. When Xi Xiaye drove into the Grand Waves vi area at night, she knew things would not just end there the second she saw Gu Qiwu waiting by the entrance!

    Xi Xiaye stopped her car as another car was blocking the road. Ah Yong quickly came to greet her, ¡°Long time no see, Ms. Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she nced at Ah Yong. Her face was strained.

    ¡°Missus?¡±

    Sis Wang and Aunt Fang both noticed the aura around Xi Xiaye suddenly turn cold. They looked in front and realized these visitors did note with good intentions!

    Xi Xiaye did not say a word and just looked at Ah Yong coldly.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    Her bodyguards rushed forward as soon as possible, including Mu Lingshi¡¯s personal bodyguard, Ah Quan. Xi Xiaye had stayed over at the Mu residence for the whole day. Because Mu Lingshi was worried about her, she had asked Ah Quan to apany her.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Ah Quan was a responsible and experienced bodyguard, so he stared at Ah Yong coldly.

    Ah Yong looked straight into Ah Quan¡¯s eyes fearlessly before averting his gaze away momentarily after. Instead of answering Ah Quan, he continued to speak to Xi Xiaye, ¡°Ms. Xi, our boss has been waiting here for a while. I know that you¡¯re a busy person, but could you spare us 20 minutes or so?¡±

    ¡°Missus, should we just throw him aside?¡± Ah Quan asked for Xi Xiaye¡¯s permission.

    Xi Xiaye nced at him, then looked at the car blocking her way. As she was about to say something, the person got out from the car in front of her. It was a skinny, dark figure.

    Who else could it be if not Gu Qiwu!?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Xi. We mean no harm.¡± It was Ah Yong who spoke.

    Xi Xiaye figured that it was not possible to settle this matter if she did not get out of the car, so she took a deep breath and unfastened her seatbelt.

    ¡°Be careful, Missus! Who are they?¡± Sis Wang was concerned.

    Xi Xiaye turned over and looked at her son who was sleeping soundly in Sis Wang¡¯s arms. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know them. Head on back now. Give the baby a shower if he wakes up. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then got out of the car smoothly.

    ¡°Ah Quan, get someone to send them back to Maple Residence.¡± Xi Xiaye gave her orders.

 Chapter 1276 - Lobby For Him? 5

    <h4>1276 Lobby For Him? 5</h4>

    Upon hearing that, Ah Quan looked vigntly at Ah Yong and responded, ¡°I¡¯ll let them send the Little Master home. I¡¯ll go with you Missus.¡±

    He then turned around to give orders to the two ck-clothed bodyguards. One of them nodded and got into the car to escort Sis Wang and Mu Xiaocheng home first.

    At this moment, Gu Qiwu walked over too.

    When Xi Xiaye saw him stopping before her, she could not help but frown slightly.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, you really are persistent indeed.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm voice was mixed with a hint of displeased mockery.

    ¡°Since you wouldn¡¯t say yes to me, I was forced to do this, Miss Xi.¡± Gu Qiwu did not seem awkward either. He was at ease as heughed.

    Xi Xiaye did not quite understand this man before her. how could he seem so calm at such a time? She was truly amazed by this man.

    Xi Xiaye squinted at him, then turned around to walk towards the roadside as a faint curve shed on Gu Qiwu¡¯s lips and he dly walked after her.

    She had just walked across the road and along that pebble path until a manmadeke beside the Grand Waves Vi area when she stopped. Gu Qiwu had caught up with her while Ah Quan and the rest stood behind vigntly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing much to say to you, Mr. Gu. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯vee looking for the wrong person.¡±

    On that cold night, Xi Xiaye was hostile too, and you could hear her disdain in her voice when she said this. She did not look at Gu Qiwu either.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu only smiled. He looked at Xi Xiaye through narrowed eyes and smiled to say, ¡°Miss Xi, are you still holding a grudge about what happened from before?¡±

    His tone was certain, and it was because of that that Xi Xiaye hated the way he was asking a question that he already knew the answer to, but when she remembered her conversation with Mu Lingshi from before, she calmed the uneasiness in her down.

    ¡°Since you already know, are you trying to y old tricks again?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye remembered the scene when she was first blocked at this tunnel, she could not help but feel irritated. She hated the way people kept using her to threaten Mu Yuchen. If it were not for her, Mu Yuchen might have been living more freely and easily right now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Xi. I¡¯m willing to apologize to you for my previous rudeness, but this time, the reason I want to see you isn¡¯t to give you or Mu Yuchen advice. Rest assured about that.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s low voice was heard, but when she heard him, she only thought he seemed sulky.

    ¡°This time, it¡¯s because of Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°Because of Lingshi?¡± Disdain shed in the corner of her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t remember how you¡¯re rted to Lingshi, Mr. Gu. Are you sure you¡¯re talking about Lingshi and not Lingsha?¡±

    Gu Qiwu could obviously hear the sarcasm in Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone. His expression froze, but after that, he only chuckled. ¡°Why would you say that? You don¡¯t have to provoke me. Now, everyone knows about me and Zixi. Mu Lingshi is my daughter with Zixi. There¡¯s no doubt about that. No matter what, she still has to call me her father.¡±

    It was the first time that Gu Qiwu was being so certain in acknowledging Mu Lingshi¡¯s identity in front of someone else.

    ¡°Even though I¡¯m not Lingshi, I still have to let you know. Please don¡¯t insult the term ¡®father¡¯. At Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding, did you even act like it? These past 30 years, what have you done for her?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was filled with sharpness and unhappiness. Then, her eyes could not help but flicker with a chill as she turned and her eyes fixed on Gu Qiwu¡¯s.

    You could not read any emotions in those jet ck eyes of hers. Xi Xiaye seemed to be able to catch a hint of struggle. She wanted to say something more, but she heard Gu Qiwu sigh softly. He said in a heavy voice, ¡°I don¡¯t deny all of these, and I don¡¯t want to talk about my reasons. You¡¯re all not me, so you wouldn¡¯t know about it.¡±

    ¡°Since you think that way, you shouldn¡¯t havee to look for me today,¡± she replied coldly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like everything will be perfect once I acknowledge Lingshi as my daughter. Otherwise, the incident with Elder Madam Mu wouldn¡¯t have happened. You can put all the me on me, and I will admit it. I¡¯m still trying hard to make it up to Lingshi. That¡¯s why I¡¯vee to you, hoping you can persuade Lingshi and tell her not to resent me so much. After all, in the end, some things can¡¯t be erased. She¡¯s my daughter and I¡¯ve never thought of treating her any less.¡±

    ¡°Enough. What¡¯s your so-calledpensation? To be the Gu family¡¯s second heiress? Or your Hui Gui Corporation? Do you think that Lingshi would care about these things?¡± Xi Xiaye immediately felt angry.

    Gu Qiwu just smiled nonchntly. ¡°Whether or not she cares is not up to you. You don¡¯t care, and Mu Yuchen and the rest might not. It¡¯s not news that they want to kill off the Hui Gu Corporation. You know that I had another son, but now I¡¯m only left with two daughters, so I¡¯d have to leave these things to them. I can understand how Mu Yuchen feels. I want to make it up to Lingshi as well. As long as Mu Yuchen¡¯s willing to coborate with me and get Lingshi to acknowledge me as her father, I promise that she will be treated well.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gu, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯vee to the wrong person. You should tell these things to them, and not me.¡±

    Indeed as Mu Lingshi had guessed, Gu Qiwu had looked for her to help lobby for him.

    However, when Xi Xiaye said that, he felt a wave of helplessness in his heart. If he could have said all these things to Mu Yuchen, he would not need to look for Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to respond to me. Just like thest time, pass on this message to Mu Yuchen. Who knows? We might be on the same side in the future. He¡¯s nning his every move so carefully, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got ns in mind, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    Especially when it came to Gu Lingsha¡¯s incident, Gu Qiwu did not need to guess and knew the answer right away.

    Xi Xiaye remained silent and watched Gu Qiwu¡¯s solemn expression. Her gaze began to shift.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s words were quite interesting. He seemed to justifiably think that all of these incidents were Mu Yuchen¡¯s work.

    On the same side?

    Who would be their opponent then?

    Qi Feng?

    Or Doris?

    Xi Xiaye did not answer him. She only showed amusement on her lips.

    ¡°When¡¯s Mu Yuchening back?¡± Gu Qiwu knew that Mu Yuchen had left City Z. It had been so long, but he was not back yet. This fact alone did not make him rx. He felt uneasy instead!

 Chapter 1277 - Alarmed! 1

    <h4>1277 rmed! 1</h4>

    Yes.

    It was an uneasy feeling, just like the day something bad happened to Mu Lingtian.

    As Gu Qiwu thought this, his heart could not help but tighten. The more he could not contact them, the uneasier he felt.

    However, he hid it very well. Xi Xiaye tried hard to read his expression, yet she could not catch anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m hoping you can consider tonight further. I admit that apart from Lingshi¡¯s matter, I¡¯ve also looked for Mu Yuchen about other things. Besides that, on Lingsha¡¯s end, there¡¯s Doris who¡¯s dealing with it, so she should be released soon. I¡¯m sure you two of all people should know about the actual situation of that incident. I don¡¯t want to look into what happened there anymore, but that doesn¡¯t mean Doris and Qi Feng will just let it go.¡±

    At this point, Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice suddenly turned solemn.

    Gu Lingsha would be released soon?

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart tightened slightly, but her expression did not change one bit.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been married to Doris for decades. I can¡¯t be too sure of her conduct, but she¡¯s definitely not someone who will let things go so easily.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re worried that she¡¯ll do something to you. Is that why you¡¯re looking for Mr. Mu?¡± Xi Xiaye could almost immediately see through his intentions. ¡°Back then it was you alone who provoked this matter. What does it have to do with Mu Yuchen? To be honest, I really look down on people like you. When there are benefits, then you want in. Otherwise, you¡¯re quite quick toy your hands on others. Take Mu Lingtian years ago for example. Why was it him who had to suffer? You know best how Gu Lingsha is like. Since you know that Mu Lingtian and Ah Shi are your children, how could you just let Gu Lingsha marry Mr. Mu? Who do you think they are?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but get upset on behalf of Mu Yuchen. She felt a stifled sensation in her chest and could not hold back the unhappiness she felt. ¡°You are the one who owes it to them, Gu Qiwu., not the Mu family or Mu Yuchen. Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart is tied to the Mu family and the kinship between us all, but still, you won¡¯t find it enough. Aren¡¯t you just out to get the Mu family and Glory World? To respect the deceased, I didn¡¯t want to say too much, but I really can¡¯t hold back anymore!¡±

    ¡°Alright now, Miss Xi!¡± The name ¡®Mu Lingtian¡¯ was a thorn in Gu Qiwu¡¯s heart.

    ¡°The siblings could have been like Ah Mo, living an innocent life, yet what breaks my heart is that you incited him, and made him go against the Mu family and Mr. Mu. Don¡¯t you find it ironic how you have treated Mu Lingtian? Was he a weapon for you to use against the Mu family?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was exceptionally harsh, thus upon hearing this, Gu Qiwu¡¯s cold expression shifted slightly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t just have one daughter, Gu Lingsha alone. Every life is God¡¯s gift, and that represents a responsibility. Even my son understands this principle, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Qiwu was stumped by her words. He did not know what else he could say. It was as if what she said was all valid!

    He found no reason to refute because he had done that back then. Apart from thinking that he loved Doris, it was also because he did not want to find himself between a rock and a hard ce, so...

    Xi Xiaye did not say anymore and stopped where necessary.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already lost Mu Lingtian. Can¡¯t you be considerate about Ah Shi? Her mother passed away soon after she was born. For the past 20 years and more, she didn¡¯t even know who her father was, and even her blood-rted brother has passed away. Now that the grandmother who loved her is gone too, how could you bear to...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue after that. She only turned around, and her calm eyes brushed past him before she walked away.

    As he watched Xi Xiaye gradually vanish down the road ahead, Ah Yong frowned. When he looked at Gu Qiwu, he realized that the man had a downcast expression. He thought about it, then frowned and said, ¡°Boss, do you want me to go stop her¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish, Gu Qiwu lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°No need. Actually, for tonight, as long as I¡¯vee and she mentions it to Mu Yuchen, we will have achieved our goal. Mu Yuchen will understand what I mean,¡± he said gloomily, then turned around to leave.

    Ah Yong stood there, stunned for a moment, yet he could not figure out why!

    ...

    When Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence, Sis Wang had already gotten Mu Xiaocheng sorted, so she went straight upstairs. After a simple shower, Sis Wang served her supper.

    ¡°Missus, I made some red bean soup. Earlier, at the Old Residence you didn¡¯t much either, so have some now while it¡¯s hot.¡±

    When Sis Wang knocked on the door to enter, Xi Xiaye was sitting on the sofa and reading through some documents. Upon hearing Sis Wang, she looked up.

    ¡°Thank you! You should rest earlier too. You¡¯ve been busy the entire day!¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm expression brimmed with a faint tenderness as she spoke with a smile.

    Sis Wang smiled. ¡°No worries. I wasn¡¯t busy with much today, but, Missus, you...you¡¯ve been busy tillte at night since you returned. You should watch your health. Otherwise, Master will be sad to see you torture yourself like this!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he like that too?¡± Xi Xiayeughed helplessly.

    ¡°Missus, Gu Qiwu didn¡¯t do anything to you, did he?¡±

    Earlier, when Xi Xiaye had walked in, Sis Wang keenly noticed that she had not seemed too good, but she dared not ask too much. Instead, she wondered if she should tell Mu Yuchen about it. After all, Master had mentioned taking good care of Missus, and to let him know immediately if anything happened.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she slowly closed the document in her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a small matter. Don¡¯t tell anyone about what happened tonight, especially Grandfather. After I discuss with your Master, we¡¯ll have a n. Definitely don¡¯t let Grandfather know. Gu Qiwu¡¯s been looking for Ah Shi, and tonight he came to see me. Do you understand?¡±

    Her abruptly solemn tone made Sis Wang¡¯s heart clench a little. She was about to say something when Xi Xiaye already picked up her phone from the side and got up. ¡°It¡¯ste. Go home and rest first. I won¡¯t eat these now since I¡¯m not quite hungry.¡±

    She said this as she picked up the documents to turn around and walk into her bedroom.

 Chapter 1278 - Alarmed! 2

    <h4>Chapter 1278 rmed! 2</h4>

    Compared to Xi Xiaye¡¯s faint glumness, things on Mu Yuchen¡¯s end were much quieter and calmer.

    Inside the newpany¡¯sfortable and elegant office, Mu Yuchen was busy at his desk. He was focused and serious. Not too far away from him on the sofa, Su Chen was browsing through a document as well. The drink in his hand was still steaming, and the faint aroma of tea filled the room.

    However, gradually, the more Su Chen read, the more he frowned.

    After that, he could not help but look up at Mu Yuchen who was busy with his head down. ¡°Buddy, the other side might not be able to hold on much longer. Gu Qiwu and Doris are quite capable, and they¡¯ve bribed the people there, so Gu Lingsha will probably be released soon.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± When Mu Yuchen heard that, he slowly lifted his head and looked at Su Chen.

    ¡°They can¡¯t hold on to Gu Lingsha¡¯s matter anymore. If you want her to stay in there longer, there is a way, but I¡¯m just worried that we¡¯ll offend certain people and be affectedter on instead,¡± Su Chen replied after hesitating.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze. He fell silent for a moment then responded, ¡°Let¡¯s just end things as they are. There¡¯s no need to pay attention to that. Your identity is more precarious than mine and Zimo¡¯s. If they catch on to you, it won¡¯t be good.¡±

    Su Chen thought about it and said, ¡°Okay, after all, as you¡¯ve said, we¡¯ve achieved our goals for this thing. Not only did we give them a lesson, but we¡¯ve also managed to drive a wedge between Gu Lingsha¡¯s rtionship and the rest. Also, I think you¡¯re going to find this piece of news quite interesting.¡±

    ¡°What news?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Su Chen¡¯s rxed, handsome face as he casually leaned back against his chair too. His dark eyes examined his friend, seeming quite thought-provoking.

    ¡°Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s daughter, Qi Weier, has just been hospitalized.¡±

    Qi Weier?

    When Su Chen said that, Mu Yuchen thought about it for a while before he remembered who Qi Weier was. He heard that the child had been prematurely born. When the ident had happened years ago, Gu Lingsha¡¯s body had been hurt badly, thus resulting in Qi Weier¡¯s current state of health.

    Back then, when he knew that Gu Lingsha was pregnant after escaping, he thought that the child was Mu Lingtian¡¯s. Thankfully, it was not!

    Otherwise, he would not know how to ept this fact, and Lingshi and the rest would find it even harder.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I don¡¯t see you reacting much. I heard that this daughter is Gu Lingsha¡¯s precious gem. Perhaps, you can add fuel to the fire. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s rtionship is already quite tense right now. If you could add on to that, perhaps they will break.¡± Su Chen looked at Mu Yuchen with a hint.

    Mu Yuchen sighed as he massaged between his brows with one hand propped up on the table, feeling a little worn out. ¡°Don¡¯t go after the children.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Feeling guilty?¡± Su Chen looked at Mu Yuchen. ¡°You should also remember the lesson this time. You and Zhou Zimo are ssic examples of the foolish leading the stupid. Next time, let Zhou Zimo clean up his own mess. Don¡¯t just keep on helping him out. Let him reflect on it too,¡± he spoke in a tone that made it apparent he was annoyed about not seeing any improvements.

    ¡°Don¡¯t settle scores now. He¡¯s not doing well. Besides, you can¡¯t me thetest incident entirely on him, or else, you wouldn¡¯t have rushed over, would you?¡±

    ¡°I was just visiting you guys on my work trip. I don¡¯t have the time to make a special trip to visit you two!¡± Su Chen nced at him, then set aside the documents on the table before picking up the tea and drinking it casually.

    Mu Yuchen was toozy to expose him. They always made these stories up anyway.

    ¡°Things over here are mostly settled for now, so go back to City Z tonight. You can¡¯t interfere with things here anyway. I¡¯ve gotten Li Si to book you a flight ticket,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then he pulled open the drawer to take out a stack of things before tossing them onto the table.

    ¡°I can already go back tonight? What about you? Zhou Zimo¡¯s still being detained, yet you want me to just leave? I¡¯m not leaving. You can leave if you want to. I don¡¯t know how to exin it to Mother Zhou and the rest. Besides, before things get cleared up here, I¡¯ll still be worried. Also, the killer has yet to be caught, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Su Chen did not even take a look at the stack as he lowered his head and continued with his tea.

    ¡°Things haven¡¯t been too peaceful recently, so we¡¯ll see how it goes since Qi Feng¡¯s assistant, Morrison, has appeared here. In fact, the killer¡¯s traces have appeared here too, which makes me slightly worried. Perhaps, I can find some useful clues,¡± Mu Yuchen said. His dark eyes rippled with light. ¡°I¡¯m almost done with handling things over here. If you want to keep staying on, that¡¯s up to you.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows. He kept feeling like there was anotheryer of meaning to his words.

    ¡°The incident in New York isn¡¯t a coincidence. Perhaps, Doris has been plotting on intimidating and restricting me. She wants to go against the people around me. That wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. That would be exactly what Doris wants.¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought that your situation all these years couldn¡¯t be hidden from them after all? I¡¯m sure they had ns. How about you just listen to me, and reduce your power a little? Just go back home. It¡¯s good to be worried about one less problem.¡± Su Chen¡¯s tone was solemn, but Mu Yuchen did not answer him.

    Su Chen sighed, realizing that he could only stop bringing this up. ¡°Right, how¡¯s the investigation going for Lingtian¡¯s thing?¡±

    ¡°Xiaye hasn¡¯t gotten any news as of now though she did notice something odd from the documents that my father delivered over. However, it still needs to be validated,¡± Mu Yuchen did not hide anything as he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s an old case after all, and lots of evidence are gone. If you want to investigate this thoroughly, it will be quite tough. Besides, back then, it had been investigated quite a few times, and all the conclusions point to it being an ident. Do you think you¡¯ll find out anything more from looking into it again this time?¡±

    Su Chen could not quite understand it. While he did not want to believe that it was an ident either, the evidence proved that...

    ¡°An ident?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips suddenly curved into a sneer as his gaze turned stormy. ¡°No, it was no ident. I dare say that it definitely wasn¡¯t. Did you think I was only making Gu Lingsha be detained just for that reason?¡±

    Su Chen fell silent. A light of doubt flickered in his eyes, and after a short silence, he still did not understand what Mu Yuchen meant.

    Mu Yuchen cleared his throat and said calmly, ¡°In the time that Gu Lingsha was detained, I¡¯ve told Ah Bao to do a thorough check on all the people that Qi Feng, Doris, and Gu Qiwu have been meeting. Do you understand what I mean now?¡±

    Now, Su Chen¡¯s eyes really widened!

 Chapter 1279 - Alarmed! 3

    <h4>Chapter 1279 rmed! 3</h4>

    He understood Mu Yuchen without even needing an exnation.

    Since he thought it was suspicious, Qi Feng, Gu Qiwu, and Doris might have some clues on each of them. Therefore, in order for things to be easier in the future, Mu Yuchen investigated all three of them.

    Su Chen seemed impressed. ¡°Wow! As expected of a businessman, cunning and thorough! Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha must really be regretting what they nned! You must be the reincarnation of a famous strategist from ancient times or perhaps a wise king.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not seem to be proud of himself. His reaction was pretty weak. ¡°I¡¯m just lucky. If I didn¡¯t receive news from Qi Lei and Xi Xinyi, we¡¯d be the ones stuck right now.¡±

    Su Chen nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. Things could have gotten really ugly. They were targeting Xiaye when you weren¡¯t in City Z. These people really give you a run for your money.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment. ¡°If we find out that Lingtian...¡±

    Su Chen spoke up when Mu Yuchen went quiet. Unlike the cheerful tone he used before, he sounded bitter. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, all the pain you had to bear all these years, I...¡±

    ¡°I just hope that we can find out the truth. That will be the best gift for Lingtian. We¡¯re brothers, after all, and staying alive is better than being dead. I suppose I¡¯m not a good enough brother to him. It¡¯s unavoidable.¡±

    Although Mu Yuchen still defended Mu Lingtian, Su Chen understood him too well.

    ¡°You¡¯re a great brother, Ah Chen.¡± He was not sure how else he couldfort Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen turned around and watched the scenery outside the window as his back faced Su Chen.

    ¡°Maybe Lingtian has always been introverted since he was a child. If only I cared more for him, perhaps there wouldn¡¯t be a gap between us.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was suddenly reminded of his woman at home, as well as Mu Zirui and Mu Zicheng...

    He would never let his children take the same path.

    ¡°Zimo and I probably have to re-evaluate ourselves if you say that. To be honest, we weren¡¯t really fond of hanging out with Lingtian when we were younger. We were straightforward back then. We didn¡¯t force ourselves to like people we don¡¯t. Now that I think about it, that was pretty mean of us,¡± Su Chen confessed.

    Mu Yuchen stayed silent for a moment. ¡°What a rare sight to see you ming yourself. Just forget about it now. You should head back tonight. Zimo and I can be at ease because we know you¡¯re looking after things over there. Plus, I¡¯ll be leaving New York soon and I¡¯ll leave the rest to Ah Bo and Zimo.¡±

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°If you say so then. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be able to find out who the spy was. That¡¯s probably the case, or else, Doris wouldn¡¯t be so confident. She¡¯s not getting anything from the Hui Gu Corporation at all. What did she do to make the people work for her then?¡± He was pretty confused about that.

    Mu Yuchen grinned coldly as he nced at his own faint reflection on the window surface. ¡°Su Chen, don¡¯t underestimate Doris. She¡¯s a powerful individual on her own. Moreover, she¡¯s been getting a lot of dividends from Hui Gu in the past years. Gu Qiwu is smart. He gave her the dividends from his personal ount. That¡¯s also part of the reason why she lost the case.¡±

    Su Chen suddenly startedughing. ¡°It¡¯s really funny that Doris actually lost. I was actually impressed by Gu Qiwu¡¯s determination as a man. Who would¡¯ve known that he¡¯d created a trap for her to step in from the very beginning?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, Ah Chen, would you be willing to sacrifice for Xi Xiaye?¡± Su Chen asked Mu Yuchen, but Ji Zitong¡¯s face appeared in his mind instead.

    ¡°Xiaye? Glory World?¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Mmm, Glory World...are you willing to give it to Xi Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°Do you think Glory World is all I have? You don¡¯t really care about your mother¡¯spany either, do you?¡± Mu Yuchen turned around and asked him.

    Su Chen shrugged.

    ¡°Well, why would I be so stingy towards my woman?¡±

    ¡°True! We¡¯re truly brothers after all.¡± Su Chenughed and Mu Yuchen smiled too...

    ...

    On a beautiful, sunny afternoon, the blue sky seemed vast.

    A ck car was on its way to the police station.

    Qi Feng sat in the back passenger seat quietly, his expression seeming strained.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯re arriving soon,¡± Morrison turned around and informed him.

    Qi Feng looked up and nced in front. He quickly noticed the police sign and the colorful gs.

    ¡°Be wary of the surroundings. The news hasn¡¯t been leaked, has it?¡± Qi Feng asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master, no one knows yet. We¡¯ll head home right away once Missus is released,¡± Morrison replied before adding, ¡°Master, Doris is really something. She actually managed to get her out! I was pretty doubtful when I first asked her...¡±

 Chapter 1280 - Alarmed! 4

    <h4>Chapter 1280 rmed! 4</h4>

    Morrison was truly impressed with Doris¡¯s capability.

    Qi Feng tried to work through the higher-ups, but none of them could help as the matter was too severe. They only said that they would try their best, but Doris got it done in the blink of an eye, and Gu Lingsha turned out fine right now...

    When Qi Feng noticed Morrison¡¯s reaction, he grinned, ¡°Now you know why I tried so hard to get her help, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Impressive, Master!¡± Morrison smiled.

    Morrison then spoke to the chauffeur, ¡°Park at the side and try not to get too much attention.¡±

    ¡°Noted.¡±

    The car was parked beside a tree.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯re here!¡± Morrison announced their arrival.

    ¡°Take a look at the situation inside and tell Shasha toe here directly once she gets out. I¡¯ll be waiting right here.¡± Qi Feng grabbed a magazine and started reading it casually.

    Morrison nodded. ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    He then left the car.

    On the other hand, Gu Lingsha signed the document with thewyer apanying her.

    ¡°Ms. Gu, let¡¯s head out. Master Qi said he¡¯ll pick you up personally. He should already be waiting for you outside,¡± thewyer said after Gu Lingsha was done with the document.

    A cold smile appeared on Gu Lingsha¡¯s face. Her eyes seemed empty and she just went outside without saying anything.

    After leaving the police station, the bright sunlight and the fresh scent outside made Gu Lingsha squint her eyes. She found the unexpected freedom difficult to apprehend.

    Gu Lingsha had been on the verge of breaking down after being locked up for a month. However, she felt oddly calm at the moment.

    ¡°Why am I suddenly released? Is it my father, Qi Feng, or my mother?¡± she turned around and asked thewyer.

    Thewyer lowered his eyes and replied, ¡°Owner Gu, Master Qi, and your mother have been worried about you, especially Missus. She¡¯s been exhausted in the past couple of days. Thankfully, now that you¡¯ve been released, her efforts weren¡¯t wasted.¡±

    Gu Lingsha then realized that she was released because of her mother¡¯s effort. She just could not depend on her father and husband, could she?

    She was truly disappointed. Her mother was the only one who truly cared about her.

    She had thought about a lot of things during this period of time. She believed she was too self-centered. It was difficult for something to return once it had changed, especially feelings.

    She found a new side to Qi Feng this time around. Perhaps, he did not love her as much as she thought. Their feelings were slowly diminishing...

    ¡°Are my parents in City Z right now?¡± Gu Lingsha asked.

    ¡°Missus has always been in City Z. Mr. Gu went back to City B to take care of some business a few days ago, but he¡¯s already returned, Assistant Ah Yong called this morning and said he needed to meet a client, so he won¡¯t be here today. He¡¯ll meet you back at the Gu residence soon.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s my mother? Is she still staying at the hotel? I remember that she has some properties here.¡± Gu Lingsha wondered how Doris was doing.

    ¡°She¡¯s been staying in a hotel, but it doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s going to stay here for too long. Anyway, Ms. Gu, Assistant Morrison is here. I suppose he¡¯s here to pick you up.¡±

    When Gu Lingsha looked over and saw Morrisoning over, her cold eyes darkened.

    Thewyer continued, ¡°Ms. Gu, I can rest easy now that Master Qi is here. I have some documents to hand over to the police. It¡¯s all over now. Leave things here to me. Call me if you need anything from me.¡±

    Gu Lingsha turned to thewyer and nodded. ¡°Alright, thank you for your hard work during this period of time, Lawyer Wang.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. goodbye!¡±

    Thewyer walked in the opposite direction, and Morrison arrived before Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Missus!¡± Morrison had a rxed smile on his face. He was relieved to see her doing well.

    Gu Lingsha looked exhaustedpared to before. Besides her darkened expression, she looked tired in general.

    She nced at Morrison when she heard his voice, but she did not seem thrilled.

    ¡°Master knows that you¡¯re being released today, so we¡¯ve prepared a feast for you at home. They¡¯ve prepared all your favorite food. I suppose you¡¯ve been suffering insidetely, so...¡±

    Soon, she noticed the two ck cars under the tree.

    Qi Feng seemed to have noticed her looking at him, so he lowered the car window and looked at her too.

    Gu Lingsha felt aplicated feeling rise within her at the moment, and she found herself resisting Qi Feng¡¯s eyes. She could not forget about the argument they had thest time.

    A ss could never be the same again once it was broken as there would be cracks, and for some reason, the crack in her heart was growing wider...

 Chapter 1281 - Alarmed! 5

    <h4>Chapter 1281 rmed! 5</h4>

    Gu Lingsha stood under the cold wind as she and Qi Feng looked at each other for a while.

    ¡°Missus, let¡¯s get into the car. Master is waiting for you, and there might be reporters hiding around,¡± Morrison reminded her, so she took a deep breath and walked towards Qi Feng.

    A bodyguard quickly opened the door for her when she got close to the car. ¡°Wee back, Missus!¡±

    As Gu Lingsha went into the car, Qi Feng¡¯s familiar scent was all over her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home right now,¡± Qi Feng said to the chauffeur although he was looking at Gu Lingsha.

    The chauffeur started the car after a brief reply.

    With the two of them not speaking a word, the atmosphere in the car was a little awkward. Even the chauffeur could feel the weight of it...

    ¡°It¡¯s great to have you back. It seems like you¡¯ve lost weight.¡± Qi Feng finally broke the silence after a while. He nced at Gu Lingsha and noticed her darkened expression. She was probably still mad about what happened before.

    Gu Lingsha kept quiet. She turned her head away and ignored him as she looked out of the window in silence.

    Qi Feng¡¯s grip on the magazine tightened. ¡°Shasha, please stop being mad about what happened before. There¡¯s nothing between Xi Xiaye and me. You know that I only care about you and no other woman. You should at least have some kind of definitive proof before judging me to be guilty.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s tone was gentle. He did not want to get into a fight with Gu Lingsha again. After all, he understood that fighting right now gave him no advantage.

    However, Gu Lingsha grinned coldly. ¡°So, are you saying that I¡¯m being unreasonable? Is it all my fault? Are you suffering because you think I¡¯m doubting you?¡± she spoke in a sharp tone as she stared at Qi Feng.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, Shasha. Please don¡¯t talk to me like that. I just hope we can trust each other and talk it out if we¡¯re doubtful about anything. I apologize if you¡¯re really unhappy about what has happened.¡± Qi Feng frowned, appearing to get impatient.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s attitude made him feel helpless. A woman being suspicious of you could be really infuriating to deal with!

    ¡°How am I talking to you? Tell me! Just how many times have you visited me during this period of time? Do you actually care about me? Qi Feng, what did you promise me back then? You said you¡¯d be good to me forever and would never let me suffer, but where were you when Xi Xiaye bullied me, when my parents criticized me, and when I was in need of help? Have you ever thought about me? I¡¯m a woman too, but why can¡¯t you treat me like how Mu Yuchen treats Xi Xiaye? Can you? You can¡¯t!¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s anger was rising, and she finally found an avenue for her to release it all.

    She was not a fool. It was obvious that Mu Yuchen staged this whole incident in order to take revenge for Xi Xiaye. The information from Lawyer Wang helped her toe to that conclusion. At the same time, she was jealous of Xi Xiaye too! She began to feel how unfair it was to her!

    Qi Feng had never been on par with Mu Yuchen, and Gu Lingsha had never thought that Xi Xiaye would be such a lucky woman. Inparison...

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened instantly!

    Mu Yuchen!

    Mu Yuchen again! He hated peopleparing him to Mu Yuchen!

    Who was he?

    He was Qi Feng¡¯s rival! Even his wife wasparing him against Mu Yuchen now?

    He held his anger down as he stared straight at Gu Lingsha¡¯s face. He tried to keep a calm tone though it still sounded cold. ¡°What did you say just now? So, I¡¯m nothingpared to Mu Yuchen?¡±

    Gu Lingsha shuddered when she heard his distant voice. She turned around and saw Qi Feng¡¯s terrifying gaze, but she was not backing off at all. ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. You can deny it, but you know very well that it¡¯s the truth.¡±

    Her words definitely acted like fuel on fire, and Qi Feng¡¯s anger erupted all of a sudden.

    Bang!

    He mmed the magazine to the side as he red at Gu Lingsha coldly. ¡°Gu Lingsha, you know what I hate the most, and here you are trying to provoke me. You¡¯d better stop and watch your mouth!¡±

    Gu Lingsha grinned. ¡°Just look at you. This is the difference between Mu Yuchen and you. You¡¯reshing out on me right now, aren¡¯t you? You know that¡¯s the truth! You just can¡¯tpare to Mu Yuchen. Don¡¯t even get me started on it! Is your patience running out now? Do you want a divorce?¡±

    ¡°Unreasonable! Gu Lingsha, just take a look in the mirror. Are you really the same person as before? You¡¯re no different from a mad woman!¡±

    ¡°Then, what are you? A wicked, cunning b*stard?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Stop the car!¡± Qi Feng could not stand her anymore as he ordered the chauffeur.

    ¡°Master...¡± The chauffeur was worried.

    ¡°I told you to stop the car. Are you deaf? Now!¡±

    Qi Feng was afraid that he could not suppress his anger any longer. He was worried that he might actually choke Gu Lingsha.

    The chauffeur was terrified of Qi Feng yelling at him, so he quickly stopped the car aside.

    ¡°Get over here, Morrison! I¡¯m going to the office. Send her home!¡±

 Chapter 1282 - Alarmed! 6

    <h4>Chapter 1282 rmed! 6</h4>

    Morrison alighted from the car behind them, but before he could get any closer, he could already hear Qi Feng¡¯s incensed shouts, so he could not help but be rmed.

    He quickly walked up, and at this moment, Qi Feng had already opened the car door.

    Morrison could feel the cold aura radiating from Qi Feng, and he immediately asked carefully, ¡°Master, what...what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the car behind. I¡¯ve got some things to handle at the office. Send her back but help me over first.¡±

    Because Qi Feng¡¯s tone was solemn and mysterious, Morrison felt apprehensive. When he turned to look into the car, he noticed that Gu Lingsha was looking at Qi Feng with a sneer. She turned to look out of the window without any reaction.¡±

    The husband and wife had probably been fighting. Earlier, when Gu Lingsha left the police station, Morrison could already sense her unhappiness, and now...

    Nodding without any hesitance, Morrison helped Qi Feng to the car behind. Qi Feng did not linger any longer and made his way straight for Qi Kai.

    While Morrison got into the car and turned to look at the gloomy Gu Lingsha, he softly asked the chauffeur to drive even before the car started. From the rearview mirror, he could see Qi Feng¡¯s car drive away. Devastated, Gu Lingsha¡¯s heart ached.

    This was Qi Feng!

    Every time they fought, he would be the one in the wrong, yet she would be the one suffering the hurt!

    When Gu Lingsha thought about this, she felt all sorts of sadness and hurt. Her eyes started welling up with hot tears. She sniffled and felt herself choke up. Large drops of tears fell onto her cold hands, and in an instant, she only felt a burning hot sensation.

    She could not help but lift a hand to cover that beautiful face of hers as she tried not to cry...

    The sound of those stifled cries made Morrison sad. He thought about it for a while before he advised, ¡°Missus, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong between you and Master. Perhaps, there¡¯s been some misunderstanding, and you need to sit down to discuss. Master¡¯s been spending lots of energy on your matter to the point that he¡¯s be much more wan and sallow. You should be understanding of him.¡±

    ¡°Understanding? Why won¡¯t he be understanding of me then? Does he think that I wouldn¡¯t be sad? I was in there for so many days, but did he care about me? You heard what he said at the police station thest time, and now he¡¯s left me alone. Am I wrong? Whether it¡¯s about being broad-minded orpetent, he can¡¯tpare to Mu Yuchen. Mu Yuchen¡¯s never let Xi Xiaye suffer, but me? Every time I was hurt and faced something tough, where was he?¡± Gu Lingsha could not control the anger and sadness in her heart, so she spoke angrily with a tearful face.

    However, when she said that, Morrison understood why Qi Feng had suddenly switched cars to leave!

    How could Gu Lingshapare her own husband to someone? And it had to be Qi Feng¡¯s rival!

    That was a huge no!

    In that instant, Morrison could only shake his head helplessly!

    ¡°I¡¯m a woman too. All women wish for their husbands to be a hero, and when hard timese, toe out and help them resolve the crisis. But what did Qi Feng do? He only spares his mind for Qi Kai, doesn¡¯t he? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that the only reason I¡¯m released this soon is because of my mother, Doris! And not him! Not Qi Feng! Do you understand?¡± Gu Lingsha was practically shouting toward the end.

    ¡°Missus, since you¡¯re fine now, why do you have to be petty about these things? As long as you¡¯re released, isn¡¯t that good enough? You must know that because of your issue, Master¡¯s been trying very hard. In fact, he...¡±

    Before Morrison could finish, Gu Lingsha had cut him off harshly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to speak for him! I know better than you the kind of person he is. I have my own conclusions!¡±

    ¡°Missus...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hotel to see my mother!¡± Gu Lingsha suddenly said.

    ¡°Miss Doris is probably not at the hotel now. Besides, the dishes have been prepared at home. You¡¯ve been detained for so long, so it¡¯s best if you rest well first,¡± Morrison said with a sigh.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes dimmed. Finally, she stopped talking, but her reddened eyes remained tearful...

    ...

    The news of Gu Lingsha¡¯s release almost immediately reached Xi Xiaye.

    The autumn sun was dazzling, and the Fuhua Real Estate building was engulfed in ayer of gentle gold.

    Xi Xiaye was busy in her office as always. Xiao Mei walked in and said that she was going to hand some documents over to Lan Zng. When Xi Xiaye snapped back from her busyness and looked at the calendar, she suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Xiao Mei, ¡°Isn¡¯t Qi Lei back yet? I remember him saying that he¡¯lle over today.¡±

    Xiao Mei took over the documents, thought about it, then responded, ¡°Yes, CEO Xi! I thought it was weird too when I saw the schedule earlier, so I called Assistant Yang, but he didn¡¯t pick up.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye frowned. She paused and then picked up her phone. When she found Qi Lei¡¯s number, she quickly called his cell phone.

    The call did get through, but no one answered it though. Xi Xiaye called twice before she decided to give up.

    ¡°Looks like he might still be busy. Go and check whether or not he¡¯s back. When he is, tell him toe over right away,¡± Xi Xiaye ordered softly.

    ¡°Okay, CEO Xi! Got it!¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded, and then kept her phone away.

    ¡°Right, CEO Qi, earlier the police station released news that Gu Lingsha has been released. Qi Feng picked her up personally and they seemed to have gone straight home to the Qi residence,¡± Xiao Mei informed Xi Xiaye of the news.

    Was she out now?

    Xi Xiaye paused and slowly leaned back against her chair. She held up the tea and took an idle sip. ¡°Didn¡¯t Gu Qiwu go too?¡±

    ¡°No, he seems to be at a business meeting with a client.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, okay, go down first and give Qi Lei a call again. Inform me if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay, CEO Qi! I¡¯ll go out now!¡±

    Xiao Mei said, then turned around to leave the office.

    When she heard the door close, Xi Xiaye breathed in, then her calm gaze looked at her phone. She thought about it, and in the end, was still worried, so she picked up the phone and called the Vice President of Glory World, Liu Lingyu.

 Chapter 1283 - Alarmed! 7

    <h4>Chapter 1283 rmed! 7</h4>

    The phone only rang a few times when the call to Liu Lingyu got through.

    ¡°Missus? It¡¯s you...¡± Liu Lingyu¡¯s mellow voice came through.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me. VP Liu, I¡¯ve got some things to ask you.¡± Xi Xiaye got right to the point.

    ¡°Do go ahead, Missus.¡±

    ¡°How are the preparations for Qi Lei¡¯s newpanying along? I remember that his initial n was tounch after the New Year, right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was actually not quite clear about Qi Lei¡¯s matters because it was Mu Yuchen who worried about them. They just let Liu Lingyu help, and Xi Xiaye trusted her abilities. Apart from the asional check-in for assurance, she rarely got involved.

    ¡°Missus, it¡¯s still in preparation. The newpany¡¯s address has been decided between Master and Master Qi, so don¡¯t worry about that, Missus. Also, some of the human resources and facilities still need to be set up. We¡¯ll be busy with this for now. ording to Master Qi and Master¡¯s ns, we¡¯re nning tounch after New Year¡¯s,¡± Liu Lingyu answered.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Mmm, thank you for your hard work! Right, have you been in contact with Qi Lei recently?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi? Thanks for bringing it up. Master Qi said he was going toe over this morning to check on the early stages of work, but he¡¯s still not here yet. I¡¯ve called him and Assistant Yang, but no one¡¯s been answering. I got a secretary to check his vi. However, it looks like there¡¯s no one inside, then I recalled that he said he was going to make a trip to City B. He¡¯s probably not back yet, or is still on the ne.¡±

    When she heard Liu Lingyu say this, Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She could not help but feel a hint of uneasiness.

    She knew Qi Lei. He would usually be punctual for important things. If there were any changes, he would have typically informed her beforehand, but right now, it was clear that something was off.

    If it was something he had nned to do this morning, then logically, he should have already returned to City Zst night. If there were changes in ns and he did not return, he should also have given Liu Lingyu or her a call!

    When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye felt even more worried now and her brows furrowed into a knot.

    Liu Lingyu could clearly feel the uneasiness from Xi Xiaye from the other end, so he immediately asked, ¡°Missus, is something wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt more and more worried now. Her breath felt short, so she inhaled and her clear eyes shed firmly as she quickly said, ¡°VP Liu, I think something¡¯s not right. I¡¯ve also been calling their phones, but no one¡¯s answering. Qi Lei made an appointment to meet me today too. He wouldn¡¯t cancel for no reason. Check for flights to City Z from City B right away, and confirm if Qi Lei¡¯s back or if he¡¯s still on the flight! Also, contact City B¡¯s CEO Li. See what Qi Lei¡¯s situation is. If he¡¯s still not there, I remember Qi Lei mentioning that he was going to discuss business with CEO Li.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s sudden seriousness naturally rmed Liu Lingyu. He quickly asked, ¡°Missus, are you worried that something¡¯s happened to Master Qi?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t answer you about that right now. I¡¯m worried. Confirm Qi Lei¡¯s tracks first. Don¡¯t dy this and do it right away. Call me once you find out anything!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do it right away!¡±

    Liu Lingyu dared not dy this. When she hung up, he got busy right away and called City B¡¯s CEO Li first. Then, he found out that after Qi Lei met him yesterday afternoon, he mentioned that he would return to City Z the night itself!

    Upon hearing that, Liu Lingyu¡¯s heart tightened and he started to feel uneasy!

    Without further ado, he called the airlinepany and quickly checked Qi Lei¡¯s flight details. He found out that Qi Lei did not board the nest night or this morning. However, Qi Lei did book a ticket for a flight back to City Zst night!

    Upon finding out, Liu Lingyu¡¯s eyes widened and he felt even more worried now.

    Did something happen?

    He quickly called the people in charge of the project in City B and found out that Qi Lei had left City B for City Zst night!

    ...

    Meanwhile, on the other end, in Xi Xiaye¡¯s office in Fuhua Real Estate.

    After Xi Xiaye finished her call with Liu Lingyu, she kept pacing back and forth nervously. She found it hard to breathe for some reason as she paced around uneasily.

    When Lan Zng entered through the door, he saw her anxious demeanor. He carefully closed the door and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look worried. Did something happen?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows were furrowed into a knot. When she heard Lan Zng¡¯s voice, she turned to the voice and noticed him before she sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Uncle Lan, it¡¯s you.¡±

    Nodding, Lan Zng walked over in huge strides and set the documents down onto her desk as he asked in concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look too good. Are you not well? If you¡¯re ill, then go home earlier. You¡¯ve been working hard these past few days and should be exhausted.¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head while her voice was colored with a hint of concern. ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m feeling uneasy, Uncle Lan, like...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, her phone buzzed on the table. Xi Xiaye could not care less and quickly walked up in two steps to grab it to quickly answer, ¡°So? VP Liu?¡±

    ¡°Missus, it really is like you said. Something¡¯s not right! I just talked to CEO Li and the project management people in City B. They all say that Master Qi flew back to City Z on the flightst night, but I checked with the airlinepany. It shows that he did buy a flight ticket but didn¡¯t board the flight! There¡¯s no one at Master Qi¡¯s Grand Lake Vi either. I¡¯ve called everyone close to Master Qi, and they don¡¯t know where he is. Right now, I can¡¯t get through to Master Qi and Assistant Yang¡¯s phones either. Do you think something¡¯s happened to them?¡±

    When Liu Lingyu said that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful little face froze and she was not herself.

    Xi Xiaye gasped to herself and suppressed the uneasiness in her heart as she asked softly, ¡°Are you saying that we can¡¯t track Qi Lei down right now?¡±

 Chapter 1284 - If Only You Were Here 1

    <h4>Chapter 1284 If Only You Were Here 1</h4>

    When Xi Xiaye said that, Lan Zng could feel the hint of uneasiness in the air.

    At this moment, Liu LIngyu¡¯s solemn voice was heard once again, ¡°Yes, Missus! To be precise, we¡¯ve lost contact with Qi Lei. Sincest night onwards, even his assistant, Yang Sheng, is missing!¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face fell in an instant. She held tightly onto the phone nervously and took a few deep breaths before she calmed down.

    ¡°Missus, what should we do then? Do we want to make a police report? It seems like it hasn¡¯t been 24 hours yet. Can we make a police report? Also, do we want to tell Qi Qiming? I keep feeling like something¡¯s not right about all this!¡± Liu Lingyu asked for instructions.

    Xi Xiaye could not help but feel a headachee on. With one hand propped on the table for support, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s not panic first. Arrange for someone to contact everyone that Qi Lei is usually in touch with and the ces he might go. Also, check on who spoke to Qi Lei and Yang Shengst on the phone. See if there¡¯s anything suspicious. We¡¯re still not clear of the situation now, so don¡¯t make this public and keep a low profile.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was now slightly worried that something had happened to Qi Lei.

    Gu Lingsha had just been released, and now this happened. Xi Xiaye found it weird no matter how she thought about it.

    ¡°Yes, Missus! I got it!¡± Liu Lingyu answered.

    After she hung up, Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows furrowed into tight knots. From the side, Lan Zng asked in concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Qi Lei¡¯s missing? Did something happen?¡±

    Upon hearing Lan Zng¡¯s question, Xi Xiaye supported herself with the table and said worriedly, ¡°Mmm, Qi Lei and I were supposed to meet today, and then by the end of the day, not only did I not see him, but we couldn¡¯t even get through his phone. We couldn¡¯t contact him. He¡¯s always very punctual or will normally inform me beforehand if he¡¯s dyed, but right now, something¡¯s clearly not right.¡±

    ¡°What about City B¡¯s end? Have you tracked him down?¡± Lan Zng frowned and asked.

    ¡°CEO Liu¡¯s tried asking around. H should¡¯ve flown back to City Zst night, but the boarding records show that they didn¡¯t even get on the flight.¡±

    Lan Zng thought about it for a moment, then quickly assured, ¡°Xiaye, don¡¯t be too worried first! Perhaps, he had something to handle at thest minute and was held back. I¡¯ll get people to look into the hotel that Qi Lei stayed at. Let¡¯s see if there are any clues.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have to trouble you then, Uncle Lan. If anything¡¯s wrong, I¡¯ll call Ah Chen. He has some connections at City B, so it¡¯ll be easier to investigate too.¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. It will be fine. I¡¯ll go and arrange this first. Take a look at these materials, and sign it if it¡¯s all good. Ask Xiao Mei to bring it to me,¡± Lan Zng said before leaving.

    The office was suddenly quiet again. Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze and fell silent for a while. After that she sat back down in her chair, feeling extremely fraught with anxiety...

    ...

    Even though Mu Yuchen was physically in New York, he knew about the situation in City Z like the back of his hand because if anything happened, Ah Bao would let him know immediately. For example, the second when Gu Lingsha just stepped out of the police station, Mu Yuchen was immediately informed.

    It was a splendid, sunny morning in New York at the moment.

    Mu Yuchen had woken up earlier. He handled a few urgent documents before leisurely enjoying his breakfast as he flipped through the newspaper to browse as usual.

    Li Si, who was also leisurely having breakfast beside him, could not help but look up to Mu Yuchen with a calm expression as he smiled and said, ¡°Master, the Qi residence is probably celebrating for Gu Lingsha with a feast.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows raised and his gaze was averted from the newspaper. Then, he looked at Li Si without saying anything. He just turned the page of his newspaper and continued reading while his other hand picked up his fruit juice to drink before he said unhurriedly, ¡°How do you know that it¡¯s not a cloud of gunpowder there?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words immediately made Li Siugh out loud.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re brilliant! I heard that after Qi Feng picked Gu Lingsha up, the two of them were nning on going back straight to the Qi residence, but halfway through, Qi Feng suddenly got down from the car to go to the office. The two of them probably fought. Earlier, I got a call that Qi Feng only left Qi Kai when the sky had turned dark while Gu Lingsha went back to the Qi residence. However, I think that if Gu Lingsha found out that Qi Weier¡¯s been hospitalized, things are probably not that calm there.¡±

    Li Si sounded pleased over someone else¡¯s misfortunes.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression remained calm as a faint trace of amusement shed across his lips. ¡°How¡¯s Ah Bao doing with gathering information over there?¡±

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s almost ready. We just have to sort it out a little and it will be sent over right away,¡± Li Si answered. He paused, then continued, ¡°Master, actually, it might not just be Doris¡¯s work this time. Gu Qiwu probably dealt with it too. However, with Qi Feng, I feel like he¡¯s consciously hiding what he can do.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not dumb. Why else do you think Doris would be wary against him? And Gu Qiwu even more so,¡± Mu Yuchen said nonchntly.

    Li Si¡¯s expression froze and he quickly said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Master, then Gu Qiwu might have a lot on Qi Feng. How would Qi Feng dare to fall out with him?¡±

    ¡°Since he dares to have a fallout, that means that Qi Feng¡¯s got things on Gu Qiwu. That¡¯s enough for Gu Qiwu to not touch him. That¡¯s why he dares to be so reckless. Otherwise, why do you think Doris would have anything to do with him?¡±

    As Mu Yuchen wisely and urately analyzed the situation, Li Si was rmed!

    He thought about it quietly for a moment and then agreed with Mu Yuchen¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re right. Now that I think about it, Qi Feng should be the one to watch out for. He¡¯s good at using other people¡¯s wings to hide his own. It was Qi Qiming before, then Gu Qiwu, and now Doris. Who knows what Gu Qiwu¡¯s thinking about right now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had not been in contact with Xi Xiaye for the past few days. When Xi Xiaye called him before, his phone had been switched off, but Zhou Zimo had told her that Mu Yuchen would be busy for a few days and would not be able to answer his phone much.

    Thus, Xi Xiaye had not had the time to tell Mu Yuchen about the encounter with Gu Qiwu.

    Mu Yuchen muttered to himself for a moment, then closed the newspaper in his hand to say, ¡°Qi Lei wants to establish himself. This is quite a blow to Qi Feng. Tell Ah Bao to pay attention and see if Qi Feng¡¯s been unusualtely.¡±

 Chapter 1285 - If Only You Were Here 2

    <h4>Chapter 1285 If Only You Were Here 2</h4>

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. We¡¯re already on it, but he seems to be in frequent contact with Doristely. Doris¡¯s subordinates are highly alerted, especially Glenn who¡¯s not an easy opponent. Ah Bao is worried that he might be alerted, so he kept his distance and observed quietly.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, just keep them in check. Tell him to report to me if anything odd goes on.¡±

    Mu Yuchen continued with his breakfast.

    ¡°Yes, Master. Master Su will be arriving in City Z soon. I¡¯m sure things will be fine over there. After all, we did give Qi Feng a huge blow with what happened to Gu Lingsha.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned and nced at Li Si who instantly kept quiet.

    Mu Yuchen had always been a careful person. He did not look satisfied even though he had just scored a huge victory. However, he often seemed joyous for the Missus¡¯ sake.

    Li Si remained silent as Mu Yuchen finished his breakfast.

    Soon after that, Mu Yuchen headed to thepany, but he paid Zhou Zimo a visit beforehand.

    Zhou Zimo had nearly recovered. He was discussing some seemingly serious matter with Secretary Xu Yayan but he ordered thetter to leave when he saw Mu Yuchen arrive.

    Mu Yuchen grabbed two sses of water and handed one to him. He took a sip, then Zhou ZImo asked, ¡°Has Su Chen gone back?¡±

    ¡°On a flightst night. He should be home by now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded. ¡°Great, that¡¯s better than being stuck here.¡±

    ¡°What ns do you have in mind? The arrangements are done. Uncle Zhou is worried sick. It¡¯s about time now since we¡¯ve gathered the evidence. It¡¯s not difficult to bail you out early.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Zhou Zimo who waszing around on the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry as long as things are doing well on my parents¡¯ end. Look at me, I finally have several days of peaceful bliss. I think I¡¯ve gained some weight too.¡± Zhou Zimoughed. ¡°Just do it when you think the time is right. I¡¯m fine with anything.¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha¡¯s been released. Doris¡¯s next step should be thinking about how to deal with Gu Qiwu. I doubt they have the time to meddle with things over here. I¡¯ll be leaving New York tomorrow, but Ah Bo will stay. Hopefully, they let their guard down and we can get some evidence.¡± Mu Yuchen turned towards Zhou Zimo. ¡°Will you be alright?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No problem. Go and do your stuff.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished the arrangements, but you should be careful in who you trust in the future. Don¡¯t let the others know too much about top-secret matters, or this might happen again. Doris might just be using this to distract us, but we still have to deal with this personally.¡± As Mu Yuchen took a deep breath, he sounded a little helpless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to pay it back! Doris thinks she¡¯s really brilliant, but she just exposed herself! She was probably worried after getting screwed over by Gu Qiwu. She thought he couldn¡¯t deal with her anymore if you weren¡¯t there! Luckily, you reacted quickly and trapped Gu Lingsha in the police station. Who knows what could have happened if you didn¡¯t do that?¡±

    ¡°Get Ah Bo to help you when things settle down. I¡¯ll head back right away after I¡¯m done. We¡¯ll be waiting for you toe back.¡±

    ¡°Alright, by the way, Qi Lei¡ª¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing before Zhou Zimo could finish his sentence. He took out his phone and pressed on the answer button.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡±

    His voice reached the other end quickly.

    ...

    Night had just fallen in City Z at the moment.

    Xi Xiaye seemed worried as she gave Mu Yuchen a call. She did not expect the call to go through or that her man would answer so quickly.

    She quicklyined, ¡°Where did you go? I called you so many times and couldn¡¯t reach you at all!¡±

    ¡°I went out for a little and couldn¡¯t bring my phone with me, so I left it with Zimo. I nned to call you backter. What¡¯s the matter? You don¡¯t sound alright.¡± Mu Yuchen sensed her worried tone.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. ¡°Mr. Mu, there¡¯s something wrong over here. I¡¯m worried.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mu Yuchen took a sip of water as he asked.

    Frowning, she did not sound as rxed as he was. ¡°Qi Lei has gone missing for nearly a whole day now. We promised to meet at Fuhua to discuss something today. He also had an appointment with Vice President Liu as well, but he just didn¡¯t show up in either ce. I told VP Liu to investigate it. Qi Lei should¡¯ve been back in City Z by yesterday, but the flight information revealed that Qi Lei and Yang Sheng¡¯s names weren¡¯t registered. CEO Li confirmed with us that Qi Lei left City B yesterday. He was the one who sent him off. We have contacted everyone possible, but we can¡¯t find Qi Lei at all. I¡¯m worried that something has happened to him.¡±

    ¡°You know that Qi Lei hasn¡¯t been doing too welltely. I¡¯m worried that...¡± Xi Xiaye finished her report to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen frowned after he listened to her.

    Qi Lei was missing?

    He was deep in thought for a moment. Then, he put the ss of water down and asked, ¡°Have you reported this to the police?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m worried that something¡¯s not right, so I wanted to tell you first. I can¡¯t reach Su Chen as well. What should I do now? I¡¯m feeling uneasy.¡±

 Chapter 1286 - If Only You Were Here 3

    <h4>Chapter 1286 If Only You Were Here 3</h4>

    When Xi Xiaye sounded uneasy, Mu Yuchen frowned.

    Momentster, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Ah Mo is in City B right now. I¡¯ll get him to find out what happened. Don¡¯t let anyone else know first. We¡¯ll handle it once we find out what happened.¡±

    ¡°I think so too. I¡¯m not sure if Qi Qiming already knows, but I bet that he doesn¡¯t. By the way, I have something else to tell you. Gu Qiwu came to visit me some time ago about Lingshi. He said...¡± Xi Xiaye did not forget to tell him about that since she needed to consult him on what to do.

    Mu Yuchen already figured out what Gu Qiwu was considering. He put on a cold smile. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to use you to give me a reminder. Just ignore him.¡±

    Gu Qiwu was trying to use Xi Xiaye to give Mu Yuchen a nudge, but if he had the time to do that, he could be excluded from suspicion of having anything to do with Qi Lei¡¯s disappearance. After all, there was no benefit for him to harm Qi Lei.

    ¡°Mmm, Ah Shi seems to have some ideas of her own though I¡¯m not so sure, and I suppose you should give her a call. Do find out what happened to Qi Lei. I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t have the capacity to work on that right now.¡± Xi Xiaye closed her eyes as she said, ¡°Gu Lingsha was released too. I heard that Doris was behind it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m here. How¡¯s our son?¡± Mu Yuchen did not want her to get involved.

    ¡°Just had dinner. Sis Wang¡¯s bathing him right now. When are youing back? It¡¯s been so long!¡±

    ¡°Soon, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, take care of yourself. Let me know if you find anything. I¡¯m feeling really uneasy.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen seemed secretive when he hung up. His eyes appeared cold as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°Something might¡¯ve happened. Qi Lei¡¯s missing.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. It was hard not to notice the chilly auraing from him. He had overlooked Qi Lei. Although he had considered that something like this might have happened...

    ¡°What? Qi Lei¡¯s missing?¡± Shocked, Zhou Zimo frowned as well. ¡°Who did it? Is this a trap?¡±

    Mu Yuchen pursed his lips and did not say anything.

    ¡°Qi Feng? He seems to be the obvious answer. However, I suppose there¡¯s no point guessing who did it right now. We need to find him first, or maybe it¡¯s just a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Have some rest. I¡¯ll look into what¡¯s happening.¡± Mu Yuchen then got up and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. Qi Lei is a smart guy. He might be able to get something out of this even!¡± Zhou Zimo tried tofort him, but Mu Yuchen waved his hand and left the room.

    ...

    The situation seemed dire, so Mu Yuchen went straight to thepany after leaving the hospital.

    Li Si noticed that Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was grim throughout the whole trip. ¡°Master, maybe we could ask Ah Mo to investigate. He¡¯s in City B right now and it won¡¯t be difficult for him to find out.¡±

    At that suggestion, Mu Yuchen grabbed his phone and called Ah Mo. The call went through, but no one picked up. As his eyes darkened, he dialed the number again, but it ended up the same!

    Suddenly, a thought shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s mind. He quickly called the branch office and got word that Ah Mo had returned to City B yesterday!

    Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes as he kept his phone.

    Li Si was a little terrified when he noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression, so he asked carefully, ¡°Master? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Check Ah Mo¡¯s whereabouts in thest few days quickly! Find out if he met with Qi Lei, and what happened with CEO Li. Who else knows that both Ah Mo and Qi Lei went to City B, and why would they head to City B at the same time?!¡±

    Mu Yuchen was getting more and more worried.

    It seems like not only had Qi Lei gone missing, but Ah Mo was missing as well!

    ¡°Master, do you mean that...Ah Mo¡¯s missing?¡± Li Si¡¯s eyes widened as he asked Mu Yuchen. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Ah Mo is skilled and he¡¯s quick-witted. He wouldn¡¯t just go missing!¡±

    Mu Yuchen clenched his phone tightly and tried to suppress his uneasiness. ¡°This is worse than I thought.¡±

    Having worked alongside him for a very long time, Mu Yuchen knew Ah Mo¡¯s careful ways very well.

    All these coincidences pointed to the fact that they were not flukes.

    ¡°Master...¡± Li Si could sense the severity of the issue.

    ¡°Just do what I said. Dy the schedule for today and find out what¡¯s happened. We might have to head over to City B right away.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Things will be reallyplicated if your guess is correct. Could it be Gu Qiwu? Or is it Qi Feng?¡± Li Si threw out some guesses.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make any guesses now, but if that¡¯s really what has happened, I¡¯ll make sure they know they¡¯ve messed with the wrong person.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll get on it right away!¡± Li Si quickly left the room.

    Mu Yuchen leaned back in the chair after Li Si left. He felt a sudden headachee on, so he closed his eyes for some rest and fell asleep soon after that.

    He was exhausted from all the work he had to dotely, but there was no time for him to take a breather. He thought that things would ease up a little...

    After some time, his phone vibrated, so he took a nce at it. It was a voice note from Xi Xiaye.

 Chapter 1287 - If Only You Were Here 4

    <h4>Chapter 1287 If Only You Were Here 4</h4>

    His eyes immediately softened as he quickly clicked on the voice note. Her clear and familiar voice came through.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I know you¡¯re very tired...If you feel like it¡¯s all too much,e home. Worstes to worst...worstes to worst, we¡¯ll just stop caring about everything, and I¡¯ll take care of you...Hearing your worn-out voice makes me sad...¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice contained a hint of concern that could not be concealed.

    With the husband and wife separated by thousands of miles, Xi Xiaye would not know that a few simple words could instantly move Mu Yuchen to the point that warmth flowed through his heart as if the dry ground was suddenly drenched by a gentle dash of rain.

    He thought about it, and could not help his heart¡¯s urges. Without caring that it was past midnight where she was, he called her right away.

    With Zhou Zimo around earlier, it had not been very convenient for them to talk, so he hung up after a while, but now, he could not help but miss her.

    The phone only rang twice when Xi Xiaye picked up. At the moment, she was still in front of her desk reading through Fuhua¡¯s data from thest quarter.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you asleep yet? It¡¯ste.¡± The man¡¯s low and hoarse voice was quickly heard.

    It had been close to two months, and Xi Xiaye was used to the two of them talking idlyte at night. She switched the phone to her left hand as she flipped through her documents and responded, ¡°I¡¯m looking atst quarter¡¯s numbers. Mr. Mu, let¡¯s not talk about anything else tonight. Let¡¯s just talk, okay?¡±

    She knew that investigating those matters would take some time too, thus Xi Xiaye did not want to talk about them. She just wanted to talk to him or maybe hear him talk. This thought just suddenly sprang into her mind, so she had sent him a voice note earlier.

    ¡°Talk about?¡± His handsome face very quickly shed with a warm smile. ¡°Was what you said earlier for real?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye grinned and her starry eyes were filled with a light that was also earnest. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m for real. If you¡¯re willing, then I¡¯ve got no objections at all. The way you torture yourself, I suddenly find that I¡¯m okay with tiring myself out a little more as long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    His heart softened while his eyes glimmered with faint happiness. ¡°As down in the dumps as your husband may be, he won¡¯t let his wife be the breadwinner for him. Leave me some dignity.¡±

    ¡°Dignity? Mr. Mu, don¡¯t you know that your dignity levels are already in the negatives with me? I don¡¯t care, yet you do? To me, you¡¯ve always been the perfect man.¡±

    ¡°Am I that good in your eyes?¡± He turned around in his chair and faced the French window across him as he chuckled.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯re so great. It¡¯s because as great as others may be, they aren¡¯t mine. Only you are mine...¡± Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and chuckled to say. Mid-sentence, she stopped what she was doing, and her eyes fell onto their wedding picture. A subtle radiance shed in the corner of her eye. It was the reflection of her wedding ring¡¯s flicker.

    ¡°Missus, have you been watching too many romance dramas?¡± Master Mu¡¯s brows raised as he asked unexpectedly.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been watching too many romance dramas.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows instantly furrowed into a knot, and then she suddenly felt shy. She could not believe that something so corny hade out of her mouth. She felt annoyed for a moment, then she thought about it and continued, ¡°Mr. Mu, I find that you¡¯re more and more unromantic as you grow older.¡±

    ¡°Unromantic? Didn¡¯t I satisfy your wishes at the Western grasnds a while back?¡± His cheerful voice was heard. His furrowed brows had eased now, and the gloominess in his heart seemed to have lightened up quite a bit now.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that the longer we¡¯ve been married, the more you haven¡¯t said those sweet things to make me happy like before anymore.¡±

    When he heard her usation, he immediatelyughed. ¡°Missus, how old are you this year?¡±

    ¡°Past 28, and then I¡¯ll be 29. Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already 29 and will soon be in your thirties. You¡¯re not one of those young girls who are still in the prime of their youth. Are you still afterpliments and admiration from the opposite sex?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t someone mention before this that I would always be 18 to him?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s teasing voice contained a hint of a smile.

    ¡°Always be 18? Who said that? Definitely not me¡± he said seriously in his strict tone. Xi Xiaye could imagine through the phone the way he was pretending to be all serious. She immediatelyughed gently and cleared her throat before smiling to say, ¡°I¡¯ve seen much of your shameless behavior. Mr. Mu, I suddenly remember that you used this same tone to tease me back then, saying that you¡¯d go after anyone who said I wasn¡¯t of value.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± he responded. Indeed, marrying her was his life¡¯s biggest gamble, and it was exactly this one that he could not afford to lose.

    Managing a marriage was no easier than managing apany. It did not matter to him how long they had known each other, but they were lucky to have made their rounds in the world and wandered about, but finally, he found the finishing line with her.

    ¡°Alright, I could hear earlier that you weren¡¯t in a good mood, so I wanted to talk to you...Mr. Mu, I want you to always remember that you¡¯re not only your friend¡¯s good buddy, but you¡¯re also my husband, and father to Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng. You¡¯re also Father and Mother¡¯s son-inw, and Father-inw and Mother-inw¡¯s son, so you¡¯re not alone...I just called Li Si to ask. I know that Ah Mo is in the same situation as Qi Lei. I know that you¡¯re really worried, but this time, I can¡¯t let you take it all on alone. Half an hour ago, I received a secret letter from Detective Zhang. I¡¯m not nning on reading it because I want to wait for you to get back to read it together.¡±

    Her suddenly serious tone stunned him for a bit. Moments after that, he suddenly felt like the heavy curtain on his chest was pulled open, and a gentle light shone in as if something just brightened inside.

    Meanwhile, on Xi Xiaye¡¯s end, when she finished, she pulled open the drawer on the side. Insidey a very well-sealed letter that the postman had just delivered. The symbol on it was the code that Xi Xiaye and Detective Zhang had decided upon, so she could quickly recognize that it was news from him.

    Mu Yuchen fell silent for a while, then his dark eyes suddenly lit up. After that, he finally chuckled and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange things over here and rush back to City Z in secret tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 1288 - If Only You Were Here 5

    <h4>Chapter 1288 If Only You Were Here 5</h4>

    In order to find out the answer she wanted, Xi Xiaye put on a warm smile as she sounded like she was having a great time.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll wait for you. At least, you won¡¯t be as tired when youe back. Your parents are going to help too. We¡¯re all family, and you should know that better than me. Moreover, it¡¯s during times like these that the family is going to get stronger together. I definitely prefer having a group to back me up rather than having to fight alone. Mr. Mu, your way of thinking is falling behind.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s grin grew wider. This little girl was starting to be more and more thorough about many things. He was not sure if he should be happy or to start reflecting on himself.

    He had no choice but to admit that her words made sense.

    As he was about to say something, she suddenly started lecturing him again, ¡°I remember sometime after we got married, you told me after a banquet that in high-ss societies, people help one another because they understand working together brings in wealth. The middle-sspare themselves to each other and be jealous of one another...These don¡¯t just apply to businesses. It¡¯s the same for life in general. I respect you because you understand, and I hope we can be a better person emotionally...¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not really remember what she said afterward.

    He felt that the little woman he had been trying his best to protect had grown up. Her mental capacity was beginning to get closer to his.

    He felt joyous andforted that his wife was going to be his best friend, his soul mate...

    To him, there was nothing more joyous than this.

    ¡°It¡¯s your turn to lecture me now, huh?¡± He sighed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? You gave me plenty of lectures and always made me reflect on my behavior, so it¡¯s only normal for me to give you a nudge when you¡¯re doing something wrong. Now, do you understand how I feel?¡± she huffed with a grumpy expression.

    ¡°Do I lecture you? I don¡¯t remember it at all. I¡¯m done for if you¡¯re not happy with me, am I not?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°You sound like an old man when you get serious. You remind me of the discipline teacher in high school. How despicable! Don¡¯t you dare put on a frown when you¡¯re trying to lecture me in the future.¡±

    ¡°Do you expect people to smile andugh when they are lecturing you?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you be more human?¡± She did not seem satisfied. ¡°You¡¯re so gentle towards your parents. You marry a wife to love and care for her anyway, or are you hinting that you don¡¯t like me anymore?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t I love you enough?¡± Mu Yuchen had no idea this woman could be so troublesome once she started sulking.

    ¡°Of course, when I was there, you didn¡¯t y ¡®mature woman with young, fresh meat¡¯ with me! We used to...¡± Xi Xiaye blurted out. She realized what she just said and quickly shut up, but it was toote to take the words back now. Her face turned red instantly and her blushing cheeks were cute in their own way. Unfortunately, Mr. Mu could not see her right now.

    Mu Yuchen was drinking tea as he spoke to her on the phone. He suddenly started coughing and nearly spit out the tea.

    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face turned red after some intense coughing, and it took him a while to calm down. ¡°Mature woman and young, fresh meat? Are you the mature woman? I don¡¯t think I can be called young, fresh meat now, can I?¡±

    ¡°You can y with whatever you want when I get back.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mean that. I just...I¡¯ve told Uncle Lan about what happened. He¡¯ll do his best to search and I¡¯ll let you know if we find anything. Also, Ah Mo seems to be in City B as well...¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened when Ah Mo¡¯s name was mentioned. ¡°I was just about to tell you that Ah Mo¡¯s missing too. Li Si is looking into it. Don¡¯t tell Lingshi first. Her condition is unstable, so spend some time with her if you can.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Ah Mo¡¯s missing?¡± Xi Xiaye was shocked.

    ¡°Mmm, I wanted to ask Ah Mo to investigate Qi Lei¡¯s disappearance, but I couldn¡¯t reach him at all. It¡¯s the exact same situation as Qi Lei.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone became heavy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Mu. It¡¯ll be fine. Get people to work on it right away. Call Father and tell him to help as well. I¡¯m sure he can contribute,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    He nced at the clock and realized that it was nearly midnight in City Z. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m still waiting for Li Si¡¯s report. Anyway, it¡¯ste on your side now. Go to sleep. You still have work tomorrow. I¡¯ll be back in two days.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Okay,e home soon. We¡¯re waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Mu...¡±

    Mu Yuchen held his phone tightly after he hung up. His expression lightened slightly as he looked at the darkened phone screen.

    ¡®As long as you are here...¡¯

    Her words instantly cheered him up.

    After a long time, he put his phone down and leaned back on the chair again, hisposure much more rxedpared to before.

    Li Si knocked on the door sometimeter.

    Just as Mu Yuchen expected, Li Si came in with an anxious expression and walked toward him.

    ¡°Master, I just checked. Ah Mo booked the same flight, but he didn¡¯t board either. Here¡¯s Ah Mo¡¯s schedule for the past few days. Take a look.¡±

 Chapter 1289 - Worried Sick 1

    <h4>Chapter 1289 Worried Sick 1</h4>

    Li Si quickly handed a document to Mu Yuchen who frowned as his expression darkened. He quietly nced through the document, and his frown worsened as he read further into it. Then, he looked up at Li Si.

    ¡°Are you sure that Ah Mo met Gu Qiwu in City B?

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Yes, Master! That has been confirmed. Ah Mo and Gu Qiwu met up at a secret location, but Ah Mo never mentioned it to us. I wonder what he had in mind. Master...since Ah Mo didn¡¯t even tell you about it, do you think...¡± he spoke hesitantly.

    However, Mu Yuchen interrupted his sentence halfway, ¡°Don¡¯t specte. I know Ah Mo very well. He wouldn¡¯t do something meaningless. Moreover, we can¡¯t just deny Gu Qiwu¡¯s rtionship with Lingshi, so their meeting is not unusual. Since we now know that, find out Gu Qiwu¡¯s schedule. Look into his meeting with Qi Lei, and who else saw the two of them that day.¡±

    After he gave his orders, Li Si voiced out his doubts, ¡°Yes, Master! Master, do you think they were kidnapped?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put the document down. ¡°Kidnapped? It¡¯s not likely. We should¡¯ve received demands for ransom already if it¡¯s a kidnapping. Besides, they should know who Ah Mo and Qi Lei are. Unless the kidnappers have a death wish and want to take the risk, money aside, what¡¯s the reason for taking them away?¡± he analyzed with a cold grin on his face.

    Li Si nodded. ¡°Make sense. If it¡¯s not for money, I bet they have some other intentions behind it such as information or something else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to make a conclusion right now. We¡¯ll wait and see what¡¯s going to happen next.¡±

    ¡°Master, could they be in danger? This should have happenedst night, and it¡¯s the stormy season in City B in the past few days, so it will be difficult to search...¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t stop right here. Work on it,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    After Li Si left the room, Mu Yuchen thought to himself for a while. In the end, he decided to make a phone call.

    Back at the quiet Mu residence, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had justin down on the bed when Mu Yuchen called. Mu Tangchuan was surprised to see who was calling, but he did not hesitate to answer.

    ¡°Hello? Ah Chen?¡± Mu Tangchuan¡¯s voice was kind and gentle. ¡°It should be prettyte over there already, but you¡¯re still awake?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong inched closer and listened when she heard her son¡¯s voice.

    ¡°We just got into bed. Your mother was wondering when you¡¯reing home. I know about what happened to Zimo. What¡¯s the situation now? Is everything alright there? Uncle Zhou wasining to me this morning. You need to tell Zimo to settle down soon. He¡¯s not that young anymore.¡± Mu Tangchuan was reminded of Su Zhengxun¡¯s darkened expression this morning.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, things are alright over here. Just believe in us. However, I do have something that I might need your help with.¡±

    ¡°Help?¡± Mu Tangchuan was on alert. Mu Yuchen hardly asked for help from him unless it was something extremely tricky, so it must be some big trouble. He quickly replied, ¡°Fret not. What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    ¡°Did Ah Mo contact the two of you recently?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong traded nces at each other. They could instantly tell something was not right.

    ¡°No, did something happen?¡± Mu Tangchuan sat on the bed with Zhuang Shurong following suit as she had a frown on her face.

    Mu Yuchen briefly exined the situation to Mu Tangchuan, and their expressions darkened after hearing the grim news!

    ¡°Ridiculous! Who¡¯d dare harm one of our family?¡± Unlike his usual humble self, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression turned serious as he mmed the bedside table angrily, taking Zhuang Shurong by shock.

    ¡°Stay calm. Our priority is to think of a way to find them first.¡± Zhuang Shurong sighed. ¡°I¡¯m really worried about this happening right now. What should we tell Lingshi if something bad happens to him? Who would dare go against the Mu family?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened as he got out of bed. ¡°Whoever it may be, I won¡¯t let this person get away easily.¡±

    ¡°Hey, get a coat. It¡¯s cold outside!¡± Zhuang Shurong was worried to see her husband acting in rage, so she quickly put a coat over herself and grabbed one for Mu Tangchuan as she followed him out.

    Mu Tangchuan went to the study room and made several phone calls. Meanwhile, Zhuang Shurong headed over and put the coat over his shoulders. She then stood aside and waited for him.

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone on the phone was serious, Zhuang Shurong hardly saw her husband getting angry, so it had shocked her when Mu Yuchen had been arrested too.

    ¡°Alright, calm down now. Getting angry won¡¯t solve the issue, have some water. You¡¯re always like this when the children are involved.¡± Zhuang Shurong handed him a ss of water.

    ¡°How can you still stay calm? Do you know how chaotic the situation is right now?¡±

    Naturally, Zhuang Shurong understood how he was feeling. The whole family had felt uneasy ever since Wang Hui left!

 Chapter 1290 - Worried Sick 2

    <h4>Chapter 1290 Worried Sick 2</h4>

    Mu Tangchuan grabbed the ss and sat down on the chair.

    ¡°Alright now, doing that doesn¡¯t help. Just try to find out what happened first. I feel terrible listening to Chen¡¯s tone just now. I don¡¯t care. You need to help them out no matter what. Spend whatever resources needed to find them.¡± Zhuang Shurong seemed worried as she looked at Mu Tangchuan¡¯s serious expression.

    Mu Tangchuan patted the back of her hand and took a sip of water. ¡°I¡¯ve made the necessary arrangements. It¡¯ll take some time, so don¡¯t worry for now.¡±

    ¡°Maybe Qi Lei and Ah Mo are together. Thinking about it, the two of them have suffered a hard life. Ah Mo has finally gotten together with Lingshi and is about to be a father soon. As for Qi Lei, I heard he¡¯s preparing to start his newpany soon. I hope they can return safely,¡± Zhuang Shurong spoke in a worrisome tone.

    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s it going with the investigation that Ah Chen asked you about a while ago?¡± Zhuang Shurong did not forget it because she knew it was something that constantly bothered Mu Yuchen.

    Perhaps because a lot had happened in the past year and she was getting older, she was not as passionate at work as she used to be. she had shifted a lot of her attention to her family.

    Zhuang Shurong was a headstrong woman herself, especially since she got into the field of politics. After more than 30 years in the industry, she could proudly im that she was a sessfulwmaker, but she could never im to be a good mother, daughter-inw, or even a good wife.

    Fortunately, the Mu family and Mu Tangchuan supported her journey all these years.

    Zhuang Shurong felt aplished at this stage of her life. Unfortunately, her mother-inw...

    With all these incidents happening one after another...

    Mu Tangchuan just remembered it after Zhuang Shurong reminded him. He put the ss of water down and went to the tall bookshelf. He took a thick folder from the bookshelf before returning to the chair. Then, he opened the folder as he spoke with a cold tone, ¡°Thankfully, Ah Chen insisted, so the police resumed their investigations. They found out that two days before Lingtian¡¯s incident, there was something wrong with his car and he sent it for repair. We wanted to check with the workshop he sent to and ask some questions, but the workshop has already closed down, and the owner is nowhere to be found. The police are still searching. Take a look.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan handed the documents to Zhuang Shurong who frowned as she read through them.

    He sighed. ¡°Everything is back to square one. Even though we have some clues now, it¡¯s still very difficult to search, especially when the incident¡¯s passed for so long. They wouldn¡¯t leave the clues around for so long for us to find.¡±

    ¡°We should let Ah Chen know. At least, he has an idea of what¡¯s going on, but now we should focus on Ah Mo¡¯s matter.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan took back the documents and shoved them back into therge folder. ¡°Mmm, okay, Ah Mo¡¯s matter is much more pressing, and we can only wait. This is too sudden. Things don¡¯t look so good over at City B, and the weather situation is a concern as well. It might also be due to some environmental factors there.¡±

    ¡°Our people have almost flipped City B upside down. Ah Chen also asked Su Chen to look through the security camera footage to find some clues.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for now. I don¡¯t feel very good about this too.¡±

    ...

    Midnight passed. The rain poured down heavily at 3 a.m. in City B, so the whole city looked like it was about to be flooded.

    There were hardly any cars were on the street at the moment. The visibility on the road was extremely low.

    Ah Bao had rushed over from City Z yesterday after receiving the orders. Although the heavy rain continued to fall, he had no choice but to start searching for Ah Mo.

    ording to the hotel security camera footage, Ah Mo and Qi Lei stayed at the same hotel, and they left the hotel one after another, seeming to head to the airport, but both of them never made it to the airport or get on the flight.

    They searched along the road, but their search proved fruitless, and they could not find anything suspicious either.

    While Ah Bao was in the car, he frowned when he noticed a car slowly closing in.

    The car stopped and the door opened despite the heavy rain, a man in a ck suit came out holding an umbre. He quickly walked towards Ah Bao who unlocked the door to let the man enter.

    The man in the ck suit quickly reported, ¡°Bro Bao, we can¡¯t find anything at all. It seems like we¡¯re not the only people searching, Missus and Chief Mu have sent people here to search as well. They searched along the highway and tried to find if there¡¯s anything suspicious too.¡± He dried himself with a towel as he gave his report.

    Ah Bao¡¯s expression was strained. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Masterter. Get me a map of this road!¡±

    The other man in a ck suit in the front passenger seat switched on the light in the car and swiftly grabbed a map for Ah Bao.

    Ah Bao opened the map and studied it closely. ¡°I¡¯ll put a mark on the split road along this way. This path leads to the airport, and the cars only started going from the south side since the new airport was built. The traffic is horrible there, so they must¡¯ve taken this path. Here, here, and here are the blind spots of the security cameras.¡±

 Chapter 1291 - Worried Sick 3

    <h4>Chapter 1291 Worried Sick 3</h4>

    tomorrow afternoonAh Bao held the pen and swiftly marked out a few spots on the map as he spoke with a lowered voice.

    The ck-clothed man followed the pen with his eyes and imprinted every location into his mind as he nodded from time to time.

    ¡°Especially these blind spots, check them thoroughly. Once you notice anything, report it to me right away. More than a day has passed now, and with the continuous rain, many small traces can easily be neglected. Tell everyone to be sharper,¡± Ah Bao said as he suddenly turned to look out at the downpour. The rain poured along the car window. It was a heavy shower.

    Ah Bao frowned, then said, ¡°Forget it. The rain¡¯s too heavy right now. Tell the brothers to rest in the car first and search again when the sun¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Bro Bao!¡± that person responded, then swiftly took out his phone to call a number. After some quick orders, the other end understood, so he hung up.

    ¡°Bro Bao, on Master¡¯s end...¡±

    ¡°Master¡¯s rushing over right away,. He¡¯ll reach City B on the direct flight tomorrow afternoon. Before that, I¡¯m hoping to find some valuable clues.¡±

    When he thought about how Master wasing over the next day, Ah Bao began to worry. The rain was so heavy. Even if there were any traces left behind, it would mostly have been washed away by the rain, and they would not find anything useful.

    ¡°Bro Ba, we can get the CCTV recordings. Perhaps they didn¡¯te from this road, or maybe, they never even left City B.¡±

    ¡°Do you think Master wouldn¡¯t have thought of that? Master Su¡¯s already thinking of ways to get the CCTV footage. Right now, it¡¯s best to just rest first. You¡¯ll be busy again once the skies brighten up. Stay in contact with the people that Missus and Chairman Mu have delegated over and work together. That way, you can be more efficient.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Bro Bao! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already sent the word. They¡¯ll keep searching once it stops raining. With this weather now, I¡¯m sure that even if they were kidnapped, the kidnappers wouldn¡¯t be so dumb to move them away. As long as we watch every exit, perhaps...¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, your a*s. Looking over here, there are mountains there. It¡¯s an area with viges scattered all over. If they want to hide a person or two, wouldn¡¯t that be easy? Be more alert!¡± Ah Bao shot that man an angry nce as he kept the map with a frown.

    That man dared not say anymore and just kept quiet...

    ...

    The next day, Xi Xiaye still woke up quite early. The whole night, she actually did not get any shut-eye because she had been worried about Qi Lei and Ah Mo. Up till midnight, she still could not sleep, so she started to work.

    After an all-nighter, she gained some eyebags and looked quite wan and sallow, so she put on some makeup and managed to conceal it.

    Inside the CEO office of Fuhua Real Estate building, Xi Xiaye handed a document that she had browsed through to Xiao Mei before she ordered, ¡°Deliver this document to VP Liang, and then called Assistant Lan over.¡±

    ¡°Got it, CEO Xi!¡±

    Xiao Mei quickly left the room. After a while, there was a knock on the door.

    Xi Xiaye had just set aside the documents, so she responded, ¡°Come in!¡±

    Lan Zng¡¯s figure soon appeared before her.

    ¡°What is it? Uncle Lan? Is there any news?¡± Xi Xiaye asked anxiously.

    Lan Zng¡¯s expression was solemn as he responded in a lowered voice, ¡°The weather¡¯s not too good over there. We¡¯ve sent people out but haven¡¯t found anything useful yet. They¡¯ve been looking for an entire night.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been two days. How can there be no news at all? Can we still get through the phone lines?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s face could not help but sh a hint of frustration as her brows furrowed into a knot.

    ¡°The calls can¡¯t get through. Now, the less information we have on them, it might actually be better for them. Hopefully, nothing¡¯s happened to them,¡± Lan Zng said.

    ¡°What about the Qi family? How did they react? Hasn¡¯t Qi Qiming noticed yet?¡± Xi Xiaye looked up at Lan Zng.

    ¡°Qi Qiming¡¯s not been in City Z these few days, it seems. He didn¡¯t go home for dinner on the day Gu Lingsha was released either. Because of this, Gu Lingsha¡¯s not too happy about it. Right, Gu Lingsha knows that her daughter, Qi Weier, has been hospitalized. She fought with Qi Feng again, so he¡¯s been staying in Qi Kai till veryte at night these past two days,¡± Lan Zng quickly reported the general situation of the Qi family to her.

    With a sigh, Xi Xiaye slowly propped herself up with the desk, and then massaged between her brows with the other hand. ¡°Uncle Lan, who do you think is most likely behind this?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Lan Zng gave it some serious thought, and then responded, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say because right now there¡¯s no news of them being kidnapped. There are many types of motives. The Qi family does have some background in the underground. Even if they¡¯re clean now, they used to have many enemies. Besides, Qi Qiming¡¯s recent ways have put Qi Lei in the media limelight. If Qi Lei were to be kidnapped, that would¡¯ve been normal. As for Ah Mo, I can¡¯t think of anything immediately.

    ¡°This situation is a little tricky, but, Xiaye, you have to take good care of yourself too. You didn¡¯t sleep at allst night, did you? You don¡¯t look too well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed softly and helplessly. ¡°How can I sleep well knowing that this has happened? Okay, Uncle Lan, you go settle your things first. Just let me know if there¡¯s any news from over there.¡±

    ¡°Okay, right, I heard that you¡¯re going back to the Shen residence tonight, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lan Zng was about to leave when he remembered this.

    Xi Xiaye paused, then answered, ¡°Yeah, Grandpa¡¯s gotten a slight cold recently and he¡¯s not in a great mood, so I wanted to go home to visit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be good. Let¡¯s go together then. I haven¡¯t seen the Elder CEO for almost half a month now, and I do miss him.¡±

    ¡°Alright, when it¡¯s time, I¡¯ll get Xiao Mei to inform you.¡±

    Then, Lan Zng slowly retreated while Xi Xiaye felt limp and leaned back on her chair in a daze.

    ...

    In the afternoon, City B remained bleak with rain. When the sky had brightened up, Ah Bao and the rest continued their search once again, but they got nothing after an entire morning.

    Su Chen¡¯s side quickly got the CCTV recordings, but they did not find anything relevant either though they did see the scene of Qi Lei and Ah Mo getting into the car one after another to leave for the airport.

    It was past 4 p.m. at the local time when Mu Yuchen¡¯s flightnded in City B. He did not rest and went straight to the hotel where Qi Lei and Ah Mo had stayed at.

    Ah Bao waited there for him. Since he did not find any relevant information, the entire row of them was all nervous, worried about how to tell the Master this.

 Chapter 1292 - Worried Sick 4

    <h4>Chapter 1292 Worried Sick 4</h4>

    because he used toe here for work all the time, the suite that ah mo stayed at was booked all year.at this moment, inside the room that ah mo had reserved, mu yuchen stood by the window and silently looked out of it. behind him stood li si, ah bao, and the rest.the row of them dared not say anything. their hearts were filled with reverence and worry becausepared to a master who spoke, they were even more afraid of a master who did not.

    some time passed before mu yuchen calmly said, ¡°exin the situation.¡±

    ah bao and li si exchanged a look before the former took a step to the front and said softly, ¡°yes, master! we¡¯ve already searched through all the locations, but we didn¡¯t find anything relevant. thetv recordings that we got didn¡¯t help either because there are too many blind spots on that road. in fact, there were many side roads too. we¡¯ve searched along all those side roads, but we didn¡¯t find anyone. plus with this weather, i think that even if there were any traces, they were probably washed away by the rain. we couldn¡¯t do our job well. master, please punish us!¡±

    ah bao felt like his heart was exceptionally heavy. he had been buddies for more than 10 years with ah mo and had always sacrificed himself for the mu family, what more the kinship between them. after they searched for so long but did not get a hint of news, ah bao med himself deeply.

    mu yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened a little, but he did not scold him. he just closed his eyes to take a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, he had returned to calm.

    ¡°master, right now, our people are still continuing to search. perhaps we can find something useful,¡± li si could not help but add.

    ¡°couldn¡¯t find them? you know that i don¡¯t want this answer. where are they? how did they just vanish with the car?¡±

    mu yuchen¡¯s tone was rather sharp, so ah bao was fearful upon hearing it. he quickly said, ¡°yes, master! i didn¡¯t do this well. please punish me! we only know that bro mo and master qi¡¯s schedule for those few days. we noticed that bro mo met gu qiwu. in fact, it was more than once. when bro mo left city b, thest call he made was to gu qiwu too. perhaps, mr. gu might know something. we¡¯re worried about the situation, so we didn¡¯t dare alert gu qiwu. we wanted to wait for you toe over and make the decision, master.¡±

    ¡°gu qiwu? what are you trying to say?¡±

    as mu yuchen listened to this, his eyes instantly turned cold. that unfathomable gaze of his made ah bao feel apprehensive, so he quickly exined, ¡°master, master, i¡¯m not saying that bro mo would do anything. i¡¯m just...i trust that bro mo wouldn¡¯t betray you, master...¡± he exined nervously, while mu yuchen¡¯s expression had turned icy now.

    ¡°where¡¯s gu qiwu now?¡± mu yuchen calmed himself down and asked again.

    ¡°gu qiwu¡¯s returned to city z.¡±

    ¡°master, given this weather and thetvs that weren¡¯t ced everywhere, i think that there¡¯s a high probability that they haven¡¯t left city b. as long as we look in detail, i¡¯m sure we can find some clues¡ª¡±

    before li si could finish, the phone in mu yuchen¡¯s pocket buzzed. mu yuchen quickly took his phone out to look. it was su chen, so he quickly answered, and su chen¡¯s low voice came through.

    ¡°ah chen, you¡¯ve reached city b, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°just reached the hotel. how are things on your end?¡± mu yuchen asked with a lowered voice.

    ¡°mmm, let¡¯s not talk about that. i found something.e over right away. i¡¯ll send the location to you.e immediately!¡± su chen said then hung up.

    after a while, mu yuchen¡¯s phone buzzed, so he opened the text and noticed that there was an additional gps location.

    mu yuchen took a look, then abruptly turned around and walked out of the room in huge strides with ah bao and li si following him.

    ...

    actually, xi xiaye knew that they would not be able to hide the news about ah mo from mu lingshi for long. they were husband and wife, after all. if ah mo was not around, he would have called mu lingshi every day, yet now with no news two days in a row, mu lingshi naturally noticed that something was out of ce.

    when she found xi xiaye, xi xiaye said that she was going back to the shen residence, but it looked like she had to forgo that and return to the old mu residence instead.

    when the car drove into the old mu residence, the sky had turned dark and the lights in the house were lit.

    however,pared to the usual hustle and bustle, the moment xi xiaye walked into the living room, she could feel that the atmosphere was exceptionally odd and stifling. before she could react, mu lingshi¡¯s voice of disbelief was heard.

    ¡°mother, what did you say? ah mo¡¯s missing? ah mo¡¯s missing? isn¡¯t he in city b? he even called me two days ago! how could he be missing?!¡±

    mu lingshi was subconsciously afraid now, and the panic in her eyes could not be concealed as she looked at zhuang shurong in shock. beside her, mu yinan frowned slightly too. her eyes were fixed on zhuang shurong.

    zhuang shurong sighed, her voice mixed with concern as she admitted, ¡°we initially didn¡¯t want to tell you all about this because we were worried you would be too concerned, and it would be bad for your health. now that two days have passed, i¡¯m thinking that something¡¯s not right.st night, your brother called your father who has sent people to search in city b, and your sis-inw¡¯s people have gone over too, but it looks like there isn¡¯t much news yet. qi lei from the qi family and qi lei¡¯s assistant have gone missing too.¡±

    ¡°how could this happen? how could it? two days ago, he told me that he¡¯d rush back home soon, so how did this happen? they just vanished? mother, did something happen to ah mo?¡±

    mu lingshi¡¯s little face turned pale now, and a strong sense of uneasiness gathered at her chest as she propped herself up to stand and looked dazed at zhuang shurong.

    ¡°lingshi, don¡¯t be so worked up first! for now, no news is good news. your brother and your father are working hard right now, so it¡¯ll be fine. you should take care of yourself!¡± zhuang shurong quickly got up to hold mu lingshi.

    ¡°can¡¯t the people around him be contacted too?¡± mu yinan was calmer since he had seen quite a fair bit in life and had just gone through the incident with wang hui. in fact, if it was something others did not know, he would understand it.

    ah mo used to work with him, so he knew about his capabilities and his martial arts skills. those highly skilled soldiers were no match for him, and he was confident in ah mo.

    ¡°we¡¯ve contacted everyone that we could, but there¡¯s still no news,¡± zhuang shurong sighed softly and responded.

    ¡°grandfather, mother, ah shi...¡±

    upon hearing this, xi xiaye walked in.

    ¡°you¡¯re back!¡± mu yinan smiled lovingly and greeted her.

 Chapter 1293 - Worried Sick 5

    <h4>bel for="wp-manga-chapter-name">Chapter <bel>1293 Worried Sick 5</h4>

    nodding, xi xiaye turned around to change her shoes on the porch before walking in.¡°have some tea.¡±when zhuang shurong saw xi xiaye¡¯s silhouette, her face that was tense with concern eased a little.

    ¡°thank you, mother.¡± xi xiaye sat down on the sofa aside, took the tea, and had a simple sip.

    mu lingshi¡¯s anxious voice was then heard. ¡°sister-inw, how¡¯s it? haven¡¯t you and brother sent people to search for them? how are things now? did you find them?¡±

    her anxious voice was mixed with endless worry. mu lingshi knew ah mo well too. he would never just disappear without a word. even if he was doing some kind of mission, he would inform her beforehand so that the family would not worry, and of course, he had told her that he was going to be home soon.

    ¡°ah shi, calm down. there isn¡¯t any news now, but with ah mo¡¯s abilities, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± xi xiaye consoled as she reached out to hold her slightly cold fingertips. ¡°the most important thing you have to do right now is take care of yourself and your baby.¡±

    as mu lingshi took a deep breath, her hands clenched into fists and she said in a daze, ¡°i know. i¡¯m just afraid...worried...he¡¯s never been like this...¡±

    ¡°just trust him, okay? don¡¯t be too worried. we¡¯ll let you know first if there¡¯s anything. your brother should be back in a few days¡¯ time. it¡¯ll be fine. sit down. i¡¯ll go take a look in the kitchen.¡±

    xi xiaye was about to get up when zhuang shurong pulled her back and said calmly, ¡°it¡¯s okay, xiaye. sit with her for a while. i¡¯ll go manage things and make you some dishes to take them home. you don¡¯t look too well, so rest more. these things can¡¯t be rushed.¡±

    ¡°mother...¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s alright. sit. i know that you probably have to go hometer, but it¡¯ll be quick,¡± zhuang shurong said, and then walked to the kitchen.

    ¡°sit down. you¡¯re rarely home. don¡¯t busy yourself. are things at work all good?¡± mu yinan spoke up in time as he looked at xi xiaye with eyes that contained faint concern.

    xi xiaye gratefully met with his gaze. ¡°apart from the usual hectess, all¡¯s well. thank you, grandfather.¡±

    he nodded. ¡°you have to watch your own health too. maintain some bnce between work and rest. we¡¯ve heard about zimo¡¯s situation in new york. ah chen, zimo, and su chen are three buddies who have grown up together, so they have a very strong bond. i hope you can be understanding of him.¡±

    upon hearing that, xi xiaye smiled. ¡°grandfather, don¡¯t worry. i understand. things over there are almost settled. don¡¯t worry. ah chen should be returning soon, so, ah shi, you don¡¯t have to be worried. it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    mu lingshi¡¯s eyes were a little dark, but she could only nod. ¡°i guess that¡¯s all it can be for now. just believe him, trust him...¡±

    dinner was soon ready. the dishes had just been served when mu tangchuan returned. the whole family had a simple dinner, then xi xiaye talked to mu lingshi for a while before she was about to go home.

    zhuang shurong prepared some dishes for her to take home. however, mu tangchuan was the one who walked her out.

    ¡°father, you can go back in now.¡± xi xiaye was actually shocked by mu tangchuan¡¯s actions. it seemed like he had something to say to her, but...

    she did not guess wrongly. just as she said that, mu tangchuan interrupted, ¡°hold on, xiaye, there¡¯s something i want to ask you.¡± mu tangchuan¡¯s loving voice was heard.

    xi xiaye quickly stopped her steps and turned to look at him. ¡°father, what is it?¡±

    mu tangchuan nodded before he thought about it more, then said, ¡°did ah chen ask you to find someone to investigate the ident from six years ago?¡±

    lingtian¡¯s incident?

    xi xiaye paused. without hiding, she nodded to say, ¡°yes, he¡¯s always been suspicious about the ident years ago, so he nned to investigate in secret once again. father, with the way ah chen is, do you still not understand? he¡¯s trying to find a reason for him to truly let go. however, his doubts aren¡¯t unfounded. no matter what, i¡¯m willing to believe him, and go with him.¡±

    after she said this, mu tangchuan¡¯s gentle and elegant face very quickly shed with a smile. he beamed happily. ¡°very good, xiaye. if you can think that way, i¡¯m very d. since he¡¯s mentioned this to you on his own ord, i trust that you roughly know what happened years ago.¡±

    ¡°mmm, i¡¯m generally clear about what happened. you actually want to bring doris up, don¡¯t you?¡± xi xiaye was not slow either, so she could catch the hint between his words.

    indeed, once she said that, mu tangchuan did not deny it. ¡°mmm, i should ask ah chen these things, but you know, he doesn¡¯t want to mention this to us. even if it¡¯s to help, your mother-inw and i, we both...¡±

    ¡°don¡¯t worry, father, it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t want to talk about it to the two of you. he just thinks that some things will trouble you and mother. i didn¡¯t n to bring it up to you, but since you¡¯ve brought it up today, i¡¯ll let you know that the entire situation was actually probably one whereby everyone tried to get what they wanted. perhaps, from that time onwards, doris already knew about gu qiwu and aunt¡¯s rtionship...sometimes, a person¡¯s greed can be terrifying, not just doris, but perhaps lingtian...¡±

    at this juncture, xi xiaye did not continue, yet mu tangchuan¡¯s profound eyes unconsciously darkened. clearly, he understood what she meant.

    ¡°father, actually, i have a feeling that the thing with qi lei and ah mo this time is the finishing point of this whole thing. their disappearance is no coincidence. perhaps, it has been nned for a long time now.¡±

    ¡°are you suspecting that it might have something to do with doris? do you have a basis?¡± mu tangchuan asked.

    xi xiaye shook her head gently. ¡°if we¡¯re going to talk about evidence, then i don¡¯t have any. it¡¯s just an instinct. since it¡¯s happened, there should be a reason. qi lei left qi kai a while ago and said that he wants to start his own thing while qi qiming unexpectedly defended him in public. on the surface, it was for qi kai and the qi family, but we can¡¯t neglect that the person whose benefits are directly harmed is qi feng, so he¡¯s got a huge motive. we can¡¯t neglect that aspect. father, i suggest that we thoroughly do a check on qi feng. perhaps, we might find something unexpected.¡±

    ¡°don¡¯t you worry about that. i didn¡¯t forget all the things that should be done,¡± mu tangchuan replied with a smile.

 Chapter 1294 - Worried Sick 6

    <h4>Chapter 1294 Worried Sick 6</h4>

    Now, Xi Xiaye felt assured.

    Something shed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s mind, so she asked again, ¡°Right, Father, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wanting to ask you about.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Mu Tangchuan casually put his arms behind him as he said calmly.

    Xi Xiaye paused while she roughly sorted out her thoughts before asking, ¡°Wang Qin¡¯s matter has passed for a long time now. I want to know if the police had no updates at all. It was clear that someone tried to frame us for that incident. Was there still no oue to the investigation?¡±

    ¡°The suspect has been locked in, but they ran off abroad. You know as well that it¡¯s quite hard to catch a criminal abroad. Besides, he¡¯s consciously evading our capture. I¡¯m sure someone¡¯s helping him out abroad too. However, I did hear that he¡¯s recently appeared at Los Angeles.¡±

    When Mu Tangchuan revealed that, a ray of hope shed in Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart. She thought about it for a moment. ¡°Mmm, then we¡¯ll have to keep troubling you on this matter, Father.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this matter isn¡¯t quite straightforward. I know about it very well since Ah Chen¡¯s mentioned about this to me too. I know that you¡¯re all anxious for an exnation for your friend, Qi Lei. I promise that I won¡¯t let this drag on for too long.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve said so, Father, then I won¡¯t worry about it.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Alright, thank you, Father. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go home first. I will leave Ah Shi¡¯s matter into yours and Mother¡¯s hands.¡±

    ¡°Alright, go home then. Be careful on the road.¡±

    ...

    In the windy and rainy City B, inside an abandoned factory kilometers away from the highway.

    When Mu Yuchen went over, the sky had darkened. After Su Chen made a police report, right now, there were many policemen around the factory and a police cordon had been put up too.

    Su Chen was talking about something with a policeman.

    Suddenly, there was the sound of a car honking. Secretary He, who stood beside them, immediately turned to look. When he saw the car, he said to Su Chen, ¡°Chief Su, it¡¯s Master Mu!¡±

    Su Chen looked up and followed the sound. Indeed, a car had slowly stopped at the car on the vacant space in front. The car door opened quickly, and Mu Yuchen got down to walk straight to Su Chen. In the blink of an eye, he reached Su Chen.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Su Chen greeted Mu Yuchen, and then looked to the policeman beside him as he continued, ¡°Come, let me introduce you. This is Officer Xu who¡¯s in charge of the case this time. Officer Xu, this is Master Mu!¡±

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mu Yuchen,¡± Mu Yuchen greeted humbly.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Master Mu. What an honor!¡± Officer Xu smiled humbly too.

    Mu Yuchen nodded slightly and turned to look at Su Chen. ¡°Any new findings?¡±

    ¡°We found Ah Mo and Qi Lei¡¯s car inside. There¡¯re some traces of blood on it too. Early examination shows that it¡¯s not from Ah Mo, Qi Lei, or Yang Sheng because coincidentally, the three of them have the same blood type as you, which is O. Meanwhile, the samples show that it¡¯s type A, so it should be someone else¡¯s blood.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s lowered voice was quickly heard. ¡°Next up, it¡¯s best if I let Officer Xu exin it to you.¡±

    When Officer Xu heard that, he nodded and continued, ¡°Based on the situation, there were signs of struggle in the car. The two bottles of mineral water in Qi Lei¡¯s car contain roofie[1]. Early spections show that it might be Qi Lei and Yang Sheng¡¯s, but we¡¯ll only know for sure after examining it. So far, it looks like the three of them were captured by seven to eight rogues who used a long and sharp metal rod as a weapon. We could tell from the scratches on the car that there must have been quite a fight here! There¡¯s a mess of footprints at the scene, so it will be a little hard to pick them up.

    ¡°Also, this factory area is a repair shop that¡¯s been abandoned for quite a while now. Rarely anyone passes by. There are quite a few roads that lead outside too. They¡¯re all t cemented paths. After such a long and heavy downpour, many traces have been washed away by the rain, so we can¡¯t find anything relevant for now. Also, this part leads to the deep mountains. I just checked and noticed that there were a few signs that look like the trail marks a car, so we won¡¯t rule out that they¡¯ve escaped into the mountains. One more thing. Come here to look¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that this ce was a car repair shop. There are burnt traces here but look at the new paint over there. It should be quite fresh, so my guess is that the murderer might have painted the car again, and then ran off to evade the CCTVs. And in order not to be noticed, they burnt it all here, We can guess from the stic tanks of gasoline on the ground.¡±

    ...

    Officer Xu exined the general situation to Mu Yuchen. As Mu Yuchen listened, his expression turned solemn too.

    ¡°That means that Qi Lei, Yang Sheng, and Ah Mo might be together right now. They were probably kidnapped by a bunch of rogues, and someone among these rogues was hurt,¡± Su Chen said.

    Officer Xu nodded. ¡°You can say that!¡±

    ¡°Can we find out the direction in which they escaped?¡± Mu Yuchen fell silent for a moment, then asked in a lowered voice.

    Officer Xu paused, thought about it for a moment, then responded, ¡°I can¡¯t answer that for now, Master Mu! But I think that as long as we bring these things back to test and survey the scene again, we should be able to get an answer. Actually, through my conversation with Chief Su earlier, I can boldly specte that they might have left City B by now. Two days is enough to do many things. These two roads pass through 30 kilometers of highway towards a ce beyond the provinces where traffic is busy. The checkpoint inspections might not be so strict either, so it wouldn¡¯t have been too hard for them to escape.¡±

    ¡°Can we pick up any DNA from the location? Perhaps, we canpare it to our database and find out the rogue¡¯s identity.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Mu. We found a few cigarette butts at the scene. We¡¯ll bring them back for tests, and hopefully we¡¯ll find something useful.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sighed as he stood there for quite a while, then walked towards his car. The traces at the scene were clearly very chaotic. Mu Yuchen¡¯s thoughts were leaning more towards the possibility that Ah Mo must have exchanged blows with those people!

    Ah Mo was really alert, so perhaps he found out something. After all, even the usual seven to eight people were no match for him!

    [1] Also known as Rohypnol, a sedative that was made in the early 1970s in hospitals only for deep sedation. It is now a fairly infamous date-rape drug. Has also been known to be used recreationally

 Chapter 1295 - Scheming, Retreating To Advance 1

    <h4>Chapter 1295 Scheming, Retreating To Advance 1</h4>

    mu yuchen watched the scene before him indifferently. his unfathomable gaze possessed an unusual sharpness and depth as he briefly looked around the surroundings and was almost done when he suddenly stopped.

    his line of sign stopped on the door of a ck car.

    he saw that there was vague writing of the letter ¡®d¡¯ on the door, and also a very small triangr symbol.

    mu yuchen¡¯s eyes squinted. as he fell silent for a moment, a mysterious smirk shed across his lips, but he did not say anything. he just turned and walked out.

    ¡°officer xu, i¡¯ll leave this scene to you. i hope that the police¡¯s efficiency will be of a level that the people are satisfied with. when the timese, i will thank you all well!¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re being courteous now, master mu! this is our job that we should be doing.¡±

    ¡°alright, i won¡¯t bother your work then. if there¡¯s anything, just let us know when our cooperation is needed,¡± mu yuchen said, and then he looked back at su chen. ¡°i¡¯ll return to city z right away. are youing along?¡±

    su chen¡¯s brows were raised. ¡°of course! but i think that before that, we should have dinner. booking flight tickets take time. besides, the way you look, if you...keep going like this, you¡¯ll fall. you don¡¯t look good!¡±

    ¡°we¡¯ll eat at the airport. i won¡¯t die from skipping a meal,¡± mu yuchen stated, and then walked to the car.

    shrugging, su chen followed after him.

    ¡°ah bao, stay back to help with investigations. let me know right away if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    ¡°yes, master!¡±

    mu yuchen¡¯s low voice was colored with a hint of fatigue. then, he got into the car as su chen followed behind.

    all of them made their way straight for the airport without stopping.

    the car was still speeding along the highway to the airport, and from the moment mu yuchen got into the car, he shut his eyes to rest. there were clear signs of fatigue between his brows. when su chen looked at him with the help of the light of the car, he could vaguely see his paleplexion.

    that would be no surprise. he had flown for more than 10 hours from the other side. given the jeg as well, he had not even had the time to catch his breath when he rushed over. it was no surprise he could barely stay awake.

    when he thought about this, su chen did not bother him further. he fell silent and took the materials from the side to read through.

    nheless, mu yuchen only rested for about ten minutes. when he heard the faint sound of documents being flipped through, he forced himself to open his heavy eyelids again.

    su chen could sense the man beside him stirring, so he asked, ¡°did you notice anything earlier?¡±

    ¡°you¡¯ve got a keen eye.¡± mu yuchen reached out with his long fingers and held up his forehead, trying to ease the weariness that was gathering within him.

    ¡°we¡¯ve been bros for decades. if i can¡¯t even read that, all our years would¡¯ve been for nothing! tell me, what did you think of that symbol on the car door? could it have been left behind by ah mo?¡± su chen obviously noticed mu yuchen¡¯s gaze too, so he could be sure that he must have noticed something.

    mu yuchen smiled. ¡°you saw it too? if it¡¯s just the letter ¡®d¡¯, i might not have thought of anything, but that triangr symbol is ah mo¡¯s usual symbol. his triangle always has a little trail at the end. because of that, i¡¯ve even teased him about it once. if i guessed correctly, that ¡®d¡¯ might be him trying to tell us something. there aren¡¯t too many coincidences in this world. with what we¡¯ve been gathering recently, the answer¡¯s quite obvious, no?¡±

    ¡°doris?¡± su chen quickly got it right.

    ¡°whether or not it was her, we must do a thorough check. earlier, i received something that my father found out through his investigation in my e-mail. on the day before lingtian¡¯s incident, the car met an ident and was sent to the repair shop. then, not long after the repair shop owner disappeared, and the repair shop closed too. i¡¯ve gotten people to look for the people from the repair shop. right now, i¡¯m quite looking forward to see if the letter that detective zhang sent to xi xiaye will hold any valuable information.¡±

    ¡°mmm, also from today¡¯s situation we can see that ah mo and the rest might not be in a dangerous situation. maybe...but do you really think that ah mo can be trusted? i don¡¯t want the thing with lingtian to happen again. when i went over, someone already told me that he¡¯s been meeting gu qiwu a lot recently. can you be sure that he won¡¯t be the next lingtian?¡± su chen¡¯s tone was heavy as he asked.

    ¡°what do you think? would he do that?¡± mu yuchen did not answer and asked him back instead.

    upon hearing that, su chen¡¯s expression froze he thought about it seriously and answered, ¡°based on my understanding of ah mo, he wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°do you think there¡¯s anything else to doubt then?¡±

    ¡°but how can we exin his frequent meetings with gu qiwu?¡± this doubt was something that su chen still could not figure out.

    mu yuchen sighed softly as he turned to look out of the window and fell silent for a while before he responded, ¡°i think it was probably for lingshi.¡±

    mu yuchen did not forget what xi xiaye had told him about mu lingshi¡¯s matter. after all, doing so would fit lingshi¡¯s personality.

    ¡°lingshi? why does it involve lingshi now? is lingshi thinking of wanting hui gu?¡± su chen kept thinking about it, and it seemed like this was the only answer.

    ¡°lingshi¡¯s thoughts are simple and very straightforward. if she gets hui gu, doris and gu lingsha¡¯s powers will be weakened much more. doris has always paid close attention to gu qiwu. do you think doris will neglect this?¡±

    with mu yuchen¡¯s reminder, su chen suddenly snapped back. ¡°are you saying that doris might think of doing something to lingshi?¡±

    su chen¡¯s lowered voice could not help but be colored with a chill and his dark eyes flickered. ¡°yes, there¡¯s a huge probability of that. right now, ah mo¡¯s incident is enough to prove this! she¡¯s got quite a huge patience. this time, it was most likely nned by her!¡±

    ¡°her good luck can only end here.¡± mu yuchenughed lukewarmly.

    ¡°what are you nning to do about ah mo and qi lei¡¯s matter?¡±

    ¡°if there¡¯s no news, it means they should be safe. besides, if ah mo and qi lei were held down by these people so easily, then all their years in the wild would¡¯ve meant nothing. right now, the most important thing for us to do is return to city z and watch doris. put our guard up against any more incidents. this time, i want doris to pay the price!¡± his calm tone held a hint of hostility.

    ¡°you¡¯re a smart one. alright, i¡¯ll y this game with you!¡±

    a dazzling curve shed on su chen¡¯s lips...

 Chapter 1296 - Scheming, Retreating to Advance 2

    <h4>Chapter 1296 Scheming, Retreating to Advance 2</h4>

    Unlike the Stormy City B, City Z Was Exceptionally Cloudless Tonight. The Bright Moon Hung High in the Night Sky While the Bright Silver Moonlight Illuminated the Ground, Engulfing the Grand Waves Vi in a Mesmerizing Gentleness.

    When Xi Xiaye Returned From the Old Mu Residence, It Was Already a Little Late, and Sis Wang Had Already Coaxed Mu Xiaocheng to Sleep.

    However, Xi Xiaye Still Could Not Help but Go to the Baby¡¯s Room and Watch Her Son for a While Before She Returned to Her Bedroom. After a Comfortable Bath, She Went to the Study Room, All Cool and Rxed.

    Now, the Clock on the Wall Showed That It Was Midnight, but Xi Xiaye Did Not Feel Like Sleeping Yet.

    There Was Still No News About Qi Lei and Ah Mo, So She Was Worried. Because Ah Mo Was Skilled, She Could Still Persuade Herself to Feel Assured, but Qi Lei Was Different. He Had Been an Heir Who Lived Life Unconventionally. He Probably Did Not Have Many Self-defense Skills, and if He Fell Into the Hands of the Bad Guys, He Would Definitely Suffer.

    When She Thought About This, Xi Xiaye Could Not Help but Sigh Softly Again. Her Mind Suddenly shed With the Memory of Her Conversation With Mu Tangchuan That Night. Suddenly, She Thought About Wang Qin Again...

    Back Then, She Had Promised Wang Qin, That Pitiful and Sad Woman Who Was Not Treated Kindly by Fate but...

    ¡®qi Lei, May You Make It Through This Time,¡¯ She Thought to Herself.

    As Xi Xiaye Prayed in Her Heart, She Got Up and Walked to the Window. She Saw That the Moon Looked Wonderful, and as She Was Thinking About Whether to Go Out for a Walk, There Was a Knock on the Door.

    She Then Turned and Responded Towards the Door, ¡°Come in!¡±

    When the Door Opened, Sis Wang Brought in a Tray. There Was a Steaming Cup of Milk and a Bowl of Porridge on It.

    ¡°Sis Wang? Why Aren¡¯t You Asleep Yet?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s Calm Voice Was Heard.

    ¡°Missus...i Saw That You¡¯ve Not Been Looking Too Good, and You Were Busy Until So Late. Last Night, You Were Going at It in the Study Room the Entire Night. You Have to Watch Your Health! Earlier, I Specially Made You Some Bird¡¯s Nest. Have Some and Rest Earlier!¡± Sis Wang Said Caringly.

    With a Smile, Xi Xiaye Said Gratefully, ¡°Thank You. Put It Down First. I¡¯m Not Hungry Yet. I¡¯ll Eat Later. It¡¯s Already So Late, So Rest Earlier Now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Fine. Missus, You Look Like There¡¯s a Lot on Your Mind. Did Something Happen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing Much. We¡¯ve Just Got a Sticky Situation to Deal With. You¡¯ve Worked Hard With Sis Fang to Take Care of Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng Every Day. When Master¡¯s Back, I¡¯ll Tell Him to Raise Your Sries. Next Time, if There¡¯s Nothing Much, Try Not to Go Out So Much. When It Comes to Xiao Rui, Remember to Let the Bodyguards Send and Pick Him Up From School. Also, for Xiao Cheng, Apart From the Mu Family and the Shen Family, No One Should Be Fetching Him Without My Permission for Him to Leave the House. Do You Understand?¡± Xi Xiaye Reminded Worriedly.

    Sis Wang Nodded and Smiled to Say, ¡°Don¡¯t Worry, Missus. The Master Has Already Mentioned This to Us. Master¡¯s Already Paying Us Very Well, and We¡¯re Very Contented Too. Missus, You Don¡¯t Have to Regard Us as Outsiders.¡±

    ¡°I Notice All Your Effort and Hard Work. Everything We¡¯re Giving is What You Deserve. Alright, Put Down the Things and Rest Earlier. I¡¯ve Still Got a Few Documents to Look Through,¡± Xi Xiaye Said, Then Walked to Her Desk to Sit Down Again.

    When Sis Wang Saw That, She Dared Not Disturb Her, So She Set the Things on a Side Table Before She Mentioned a Few More Things and Retreated.

    The Night Was Getting Later, and the Moonlight by the Window Slowly Shifted to the Left. The Curtains Also Revealed Long Shadows.

    Xi Xiaye Did Not Know How Long She Held on to Staying Awake. After a While, She Fell Asleep, and Even the Bird¡¯s Nest Had Gone Cold, but She Did Not Realize It.

    It Was Long Past Midnight, and the Entire Vi Had Fallen Into a Quiet Dream State When Finally, a ck Car Slowly Drove Into the Grand Waves Vi Area With the Moonlight Shining on It. It Stopped Before Maple Residence.

    Li Si Swiftly Got Down From the Car and Opened the Door for Mu Yuchen. ¡°Master, You¡¯re Home!¡±

    In the Car, Mu Yuchen, Who Had His Eyes Closed, Slowly Opened His Eyes and Swiftly Got Down the Car.

    ¡°You Two Go Home Too. Come Over Tomorrow Afternoon,¡± Mu Yuchen Said and Then Reached Into His Shirt Pocket and Took Out a Key Card Before Walking Towards Maple Residence.

    From Afar, He Could See the Light in the Study Room on the Second Floor Was Still Switched on. He Subconsciously Paused His Steps and Was Bathed in This Gentle and Silent Light. In That Instant, He Felt the Fatigue on Him Fade Away a Little More. In the Next Second, He Walked Into the House Impatiently.

    He Did Not Switch on the Light in the Living Room. With the Help of the Dim Light Along the Corridors, He Ran Straight for the Second Floor.

    As Expected, When He Pushed the Study Room Door Open and Looked Towards the Table, He Saw That the Woman Had Fallen Asleep on the Table...

    Xi Xiaye Had Been a Light Sleeper as of Late and Would Be Awoken by Any Slight Movement, So When the Man Walked in, Her Sharp Senses Already Noticed His Familiar Fragrance. She Was Dazed and Thought That It Was All Part of Her Dream Until She Vaguely Heard the Sound of Those Footsteps.

    She Then Looked Up With Her Misty Eyes to Look to the Side. Indeed, She Saw the Man¡¯s Handsome Face and Was Stunned. Quickly, She Rubbed Her Eyes, Dumbfounded.

    Why Did It Feel Like She Was Looking at Mr. Mu?

    Upon Seeing Her Blur Expression, the Man Just Stood Up and Let Her Examine Him While His Thin Lips Curved Up Slightly. ¡°I¡¯d Like to See How Long Your Reflexes Are Going to Take.¡±

    When His Familiar Voice Came Through, Xi Xiaye Snapped Back to Her Senses and Suddenly Held Him. ¡°You¡¯re Back? Why Didn¡¯t You Give Me a Call First?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Still Getting Home Whether or Not I Call. Were You nning to Just Sleep in the Study Room Tonight?¡± His Low and Hoarse Voice Held a Hint of Reprimand Because He Was Unhappy to See Those Obvious Dark Circles Under Her Eyes.

    Xi Xiaye Combed Her Fingers Through Her Slightly Messy Hair and Stretched. ¡°I¡¯ve Been Quite Overwhelmed With Work Recently. I Keep Thinking About a Few Things. Once I Lay in Bed, I Tend to Think a Lot. You Don¡¯t Look Too Good. You Look Travel-worn.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Her, His Gaze as Profound as the Sea. Without a Second Thought, He Pulled Her Up. ¡°Just Pretend It¡¯s Because I Miss a Certain Someone That I Rushed Home.¡±

    Then, Before She Could Say Anything, His Cool Kiss Fell on Her Lips.

    Xi Xiaye Was Bewildered, but She Soon Reacted and Quickly Held Him, Happily Responding to the Tenderness and Passion He Offered.

 Chapter 1297 - Scheming, Retreating to Advance 3

    <strong>Chapter 1297 Scheming, Retreating to Advance 3</strong>

    After Some Intimate Moments, He Restrained His Passion and Held Her by the Waist as He Took the Cold Bird¡¯s Nest With One Hand and Finished It in a Few Gulps.

    Xi Xiaye Then Snuck Out From His Embrace and Helped Him Take Off His Coat and Tie as She Said, ¡°I Thought You¡¯d Only Be Back in a Few More Days, but It¡¯s Good That You¡¯re Back. That Way, I Won¡¯t Have to Keep Feeling Restlessly Worried.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s There to Be Worried About? Aren¡¯t I Here Now? Get Something to Eat From the Kitchen. The Food on the ne Was Really Hard to Swallow. Where¡¯s Our Son?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Sound Asleep Right Now, So You Should Go Shower First. I¡¯ll Go Downstairs and Make You Something to Eat. Coincidentally, Just Yesterday I Returned to the Old Residence. Mother Made Me Some Dishes. I¡¯m Quite Hungry Too, So I¡¯ll Have Some With You! Come Downstairs When You¡¯re Done!¡± Xi Xiaye Said and Then Swiftly Went Out.

    When He Saw the Woman Disappear Out of the Doorway, He Chuckled and Unhurriedly Followed Suit.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s Culinary Skills Had Improved From Before. She Quickly Heated Up a Few Dishes, and Then Prepared a Light Soup to Warm the Belly. When She Served the Food, Mu Yuchen Had Changed Into a Clean Set of ck Pajamas and Was Walking Downstairs While Drying His Dark Hair.

    ¡°All Good Dishes? Looks Like You¡¯ve Been Living Quite the Good Life While I Wasn¡¯t Around, but Why Does It Seem Like You Haven¡¯t Gotten Any Fatter?¡± He Squinted at That Sharp Chin of Hers and Tossed Aside the Towel in His Hand as He Served Them Both Some Soup.

    ¡°No? I¡¯ve Gotten Three Kilograms Heavier When I Weighed Myself Two Days Ago. When You Weren¡¯t Around, Mother Would Always Cook Good Food. You Know How Her Skills Are Like. It Would Be Hard to Even Want to Control Your Weight,¡± She Said as She Handed Him a ss of Red Wine That She Had Poured for Him.

    He Had Two Bowls of Soup First Before He Picked Up the Wine to Have a Sip. ¡°Actually, I Rushed Back From City B.¡±

    Upon Hearing That, Xi Xiaye Paused. ¡°City B? How Are Things Over There? We Haven¡¯t Heard Anything. Ah Shi and Grandfather Have Found Out About It, and Tonight...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Within Expectations. How¡¯s She Now?¡± Mu Yuchen Was Not That Shocked.

    ¡°Her Emotions Aren¡¯t Too Stable, So Mother Will Stay Home to Apany Her These Few Days. Do You Think She¡¯d Be Any Good for Something Like This to Happen Right Now? Grandmother¡¯s Incident Took a Huge Blow to Her. Whatever Happens, Ah Mo Has to Be Fine.¡±

    Xi Xiaye Frowned Slightly. She Could Not Help but Sigh. ¡°You Still Haven¡¯t Mentioned How Things Are in City B. Did You Find Out Anything?¡± She Said as She Picked Up Her Chopsticks to Put Food Into His Bowl.

    He Very Happily Lapped It All Up, and Then Responded, ¡°They Found Their Cars. Qi Lei and Yang Sheng Should Be With Ah Mo Too Since They Haven¡¯t Found Them Yet, but I¡¯m Certain That They Aren¡¯t in Any Danger for Now.¡±

    ¡°Do You Know Who Did It? Father Touched on It Briefly Tonight With Me Too. Right, He Seemed to Have Found Out Something, but Look at You. Rest First Tomorrow, and We¡¯ll Return to the Old Residence at Night. I Think There Are Some Things We Need to Discuss Properly.¡±

    ¡°Whatever You Say. Anyway, Let¡¯s Not Talk About These Things. Eat More!¡± at This Moment, He Suddenly Did Not Feel Like Talking About These Things Anymore. He Just Wanted to Have a Nice Meal With Her and Talk About Her or About Their Sons.

    ¡°I Haven¡¯t Seen Them in More Than Two Months. Our Son Seems a Little Sturdier Now,¡± He Suddenly Looked Up at Her and Smiled to Say.

    ¡°Do You Went to Take a Look at Him?¡± Xi Xiaye shed a Gentle Smile.

    ¡°Mmm, He¡¯s Grown Much Taller Too.¡±

    ¡°Well, of Course, Mother Says He¡¯s Growing Up to Be Like You When You Were Little. Xiao Rui Doesn¡¯t Dare to Carry Him Now. He¡¯s Too Naughty.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Xiao Rui With Homework Recently?¡± Mu Yuchen Did Not Forget to Ask About Mu Zirui¡¯s Studies.

    ¡°He Did Excellently in Every Subject for the Midterm Exams That¡¯s Just Passed. He¡¯s Waiting for You to Come Back and Praise Him. He Told Me a Few Days Ago That Their ss Teacher is an Old-fashioned Woman, So He Wants to Switch to the ss Next Door.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen Heard That, He Swallowed His Food, Took a Napkin to Wipe His Mouth, and Asked in Amusement With Raised Brows, ¡°Why? An Old-fashioned Woman? Is the Teacher Next Door Very Young?¡±

    Xi Xiaye Could Not Help but Roll Her Eyes and Say Puzzledly, ¡°the ss Teacher Next Door is a Young Teacher Who¡¯s Just Graduated Not Too Long Ago. Every Day, She Dresses Up Gorgeously. Xiao Rui Says That All the Students in ss Like Her Very Much.¡±

    ¡°From What You¡¯re Saying, Could Our Son Have Given His First Love to the Teacher Next Door?¡± Mu Yuchen Said Amusedly.

    Upon Hearing That, Xi Xiaye Instantly Laughed Out Gently. She Cleared Her Throat Before Responding, ¡°Hard to Say. This Child Was Previously Like You. He Was Quite Composed and Serious, but Recently He Seems to Be Much Naughtier Lately. Sometimes, He Even Tells Me About Which Boy Has a Crush on Which Girl in His ss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a Normal Childhood. I Don¡¯t Want Him to Be Living Life Like an Adult at Such a Young Age Too. There Should Be Joy and Laughter. We Must Do Our Best to Give It to Them. It¡¯s Enough That We Teach Them How to Be Good People. As for the Rest, There¡¯s No Need to Worry Too Much.¡± He Was Quite Calm About It.

    Xi Xiaye Sighed and Shrugged. ¡°I Don¡¯t Want to Worry Either. I Heard That Their School is Organizing Some New Year¡¯s Day Event Whereby Every ss Needs to Come Up With Two Performances. The ss Students All Rmended Xiao Rui. The Teacher Asked Xiao Rui What Talents He Had, and He Couldn¡¯t Answer. He Came Back and Cried to Me About It for a Long Time. I¡¯m Thinking of Letting Him Learn Something Artistic. What Do You Think?¡±

    ¡°Artistic? What¡¯s He Going to Learn? He¡¯s So Busy With Homework Every Day. Aren¡¯t You Worried That He¡¯ll Be Tired? I Think Right Now We Have the Teachers. When He Gets Back in a Few Days, We¡¯ll See if He¡¯s Interested to Learn the Violin. If He is, You and I Can Take Turns Teaching Him. Are You Worried About Not Teaching Your Son Well?¡±

    Since Xi Xiaye Felt Like It Was a Good Arrangement, She Nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s Quickly Eat. The Food¡¯s Getting Cold.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    After the Husband and Wife Finished Their Supper, They Chatted for a Bit in the Living Room Before Going Upstairs to Sleep.

    He Had Been Busy for So Long. Now That He Was Home and Could Finally Have a Good, Comfortable Sleep, and Given the Fatigue From Many Days of Work That the Two of Them Went Through, They Fell Very Sound Asleep and Stayed That Way Until Noon the Next Day.

    Sis Wang Knew That Mu Yuchen Was Back. She Was Also Aware That They Had Slept Very Late Last Night, So She Did Not Bother Them. She Just Quietly Took Care of Mu Xiaocheng.

    Mu Xiaocheng Was Easy to Take Care of. When He Was Fed, He Would Not Cry or Make a Fuss.

 Chapter 1298 - Scheming, Retreating To Advance 4

    <h4>Chapter 1298 Scheming, Retreating To Advance 4</h4>

    More than two days had passed, and the news of Qi Lei¡¯s disappearance could not be hidden from Qi Qiming.Qi Qiming had been abroad for the past two days. When he reached City Z in the morning, he went straight to thepany.¡°What did you say? Missing? What do you mean he¡¯s gone missing?¡±

    In the luxuriouslyfortable office, Qi Qiming was sitting on the soft chair, yet his cold voice echoed in the entire office. Xi Xinyi trembled slightly at the sound, and her beautiful face could not help but sh with terror.

    She walked up again and spoke in a trembling and uneasy voice, ¡°CEO Qi, I don¡¯t know what happened either. Because of the proposal, I¡¯ve been in contact with VP Qi and Assistant Yang, but I haven¡¯t been able to get them. I¡¯ve gone to ask around at Grand Lake Vi when I found out that VP Qi isn¡¯t even back although the people in City B said that he left City B long ago. I thought something was odd, so I got someone to check on the flight information only to find out that he never even boarded the ne!¡±

    When Xi Xinyi finished, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression sank as he felt an uneasiness rise in his chest. He thought about it for a while, then looked coldly at Xi Xinyi. ¡°What¡¯s the actual situation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure of the details. Right now, I just can¡¯t contact them, and the customer¡¯s rushing for the proposal. VP Qi didn¡¯t finish handing it over when he left, so...I went to take a look at Chenye Movies and Television. They seem to know that VP Qi is missing, but they don¡¯t know what happened either. Things seemed to be in a mess. I was going to look for Director Qi, but I didn¡¯t expect him to...¡±

    When Xi Xinyi said this, she looked carefully at Qi Qiming.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect him to what?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s cold voice came through, and she could not help but feel a chill travel down her spine. She breathed in, then lowered her voice to say, ¡°CEO Qi said that since VP Qi can leave thepany, it¡¯s not within his power to care about his problems...It sounds like Director Qi¡¯s quite angry.¡±

    As Xi Xinyi finished, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression looked worse and his eagle eyes had turned cold. Then, he grabbed his phone from the table and made a call.

    ¡°Hello? It¡¯s me! Investigate right away what¡¯s happened to Qi Lei. Hurry!¡± he said, then he mmed down the phone to hang up, the sound startling Xi Xinyi again.

    ¡°Alright, I got it. Get out first.¡± Qi Qiming tried hard to control her emotions as he coldly told Xi Xinyi to get out.

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi! But what about the proposal?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to send it to you once I¡¯ve looked through it!¡±

    After that, Xi Xinyi turned around to leave Qi Qiming¡¯s office.

    The door closed, and Qi Qiming loosened up a little, but his dark eyes still contained heaviness. After a short while, the phone on the table suddenly buzzed, and Qi Qiming swiftly picked it up.

    ¡°So? What happened these past few days?¡±

    The person on the other end responded very quickly, ¡°It¡¯s huge, CEO Qi! I just found out that Master Qi and his assistant, Yang Sheng, as well as Glory World¡¯s manager, Mu Lingmo, have all gone missing together. The Mu family are all worried about it right now. Mu Tangchuan has already sent people to handle this. All the signs point to them being kidnapped!¡±

    ¡°Kidnapped?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes froze. ¡°Are you saying that Qi Lei was kidnapped?¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi, based on the current situation, this is the only spected possibility!¡±

    ¡°B*stard! Which bold fool dares to touch my people? Are they tired of living? What have you all been doing? When did this happen? How did you only find out now? I think you want to get fired!¡± Qi Qiming could not help but explode in rage. He felt a panic rise in his chest. Even he himself did not know what happened, and he found it hard to breathe. In his mind, the scene of when Wang Qin passed away shed.

    ¡°CEO Qi, please don¡¯t be angry! I¡¯ll get someone to rescue Second Master Qi right away!¡±

    ¡°Wait! Send me a copy of all the information you¡¯ve gathered quickly!¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi, don¡¯t worry. Second Master Qi will be fine! I¡¯ll send this over right away!¡± The person on the other end sighed, yet before he could finish, Qi Qiming had already hung up.

    After a while, theptop before Qi Qiming chimed with the sound of a notification, so he quickly clicked on it.

    His expression began to darken as he read further...

    ...

    In his office, Qi Feng was busy as always.

    After Gu Lingsha was released, the husband and wife¡¯s rtionship quickly became tense again. When he left the house that morning, they even fought. Qi Feng was finding it more and more of a headache now, so he could not help but feel frustrated.

    He did not want to be petty with her. In his helplessness, he could only leave the house early and reach the office sooner without even having breakfast.

    The misunderstood ones were often worn out. Doubt was a seed that once nted, would easily root and sprout, especially for a woman like Gu Lingsha.

    Even if Qi Feng wanted to get rid of her doubts, he still felt powerless.

    Pa!

    His mind could not help be filled with frustration. He could barely catch his breath as he could not help but toss the document in hand and loosen his tie.

    Dong, dong, dong!

    At this moment, the sound of a rushed knock on the door was heard.

    ¡°Come in!¡± a raspy voice spoke, and Qi Feng quickly gathered himself.

    The door opened, and Morrison walked in with a solemn expression. He turned around to close the door and then walk over to Qi Feng.

    ¡°Master, bad news!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qi Feng frowned and nced coldly at him.

    Morrison walked over and said softly, ¡°CEO Qi¡¯s back at the office. He¡¯s asked to see you right away! I heard earlier that he¡¯s got someone to investigate Qi Lei¡¯s disappearance. Do you think he noticed something?¡±

    When Morrison said that, Qi Feng¡¯s expression sank further and the light in his dark eyes began to flicker uncertainly.

    ¡°Master, I wonder how Doris did it. How did Mu Lingmo get dragged into it too? She might have thought that the Mu Lingmo is a simple person, but he¡¯ll probably ruin things instead! I¡¯m really worried right now if something¡¯s going to change!¡± Morrison said very worriedly.

    However, Qi Feng appeared much calmer.

    ¡°Mu Lingmo got dragged into it? Huh, we might¡¯ve been wrong. Mu Lingmo could be Doris¡¯s real target while Qi Lei is only a problem she¡¯s helping us resolve along the way! This woman has never been easy to be taken advantage of. She wants me to help her deal with Gu Qiwu. Before that, she got to help me clean up the obstacles too. Mu Lingshi¡¯s so well protected right now, so she had to find a breakthrough!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s cold and raspy voice waspletely hostile.

 Chapter 1299 - Scheming, Retreating To Advance 5

    <h4>Chapter 1299 Scheming, Retreating To Advance 5</h4>

    Morrison was stunned by Qi Feng¡¯s reminder and only reacted after a while.He stared at Qi Feng in a daze, and then muttered, ¡°Master, are you saying that Doris couldn¡¯t find a ce to strike, so she got to Mo Lingmo? But this seems like a bit of a stretch. Why would she be so certain that Mu Lingmo would be effective? Right now, the Second Master is involved too. I actually don¡¯t think this will go well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how you see it. Doris settling for the second-best might not bring about the best effect. Mu Lingmo is Mu Yuchen¡¯s second limb and Mu Lingshi¡¯s husband too, so controlling him is definitely beneficial to us.¡±

    When Qi Feng said this, his eyes were a little gloomy.

    Morrison took a look at him, thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°Master, are you saying that Doris might do something to Mu Lingmo?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, with that woman¡¯s level of viciousness, is there anything she wouldn¡¯t do?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s tone contained some disdain.

    Qi Feng was sure that part of the reason Gu Lingsha was like this recently was that Doris had been instigating things!

    Doris has always been unhappy with him, and Qi Feng knew this very well. Even if things were now set in stone and Gu Lingsha had married him, Doris was still not satisfied. This was something that had never changed ever since Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were little.

    Upon hearing that, Morrison nodded. ¡°Master, you¡¯re right. Doris might take the extreme route. I¡¯d like to see how she¡¯ll go about this. Let¡¯s just watch first. Even if there¡¯s anything suspicious on CEO Qi¡¯s end, it¡¯s not us who¡¯s doing anything. I think that as long as we can ground ourselves, no one can do anything about us. Oh, right, Professor Terl¡¯sing tomorrow to check on your legs...¡±

    ¡°Got it. Send me up first,¡± Qi Feng¡¯s low voice came through. He did not forget what Morrison had rushed in to say. Since Qi Qiming already knew about Qi Lei and rushed to call him up, he knew what wasing.

    With Qi Feng¡¯s reminder, Morrison snapped back to his senses and quickly got up. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Then, he walked over to wheel Qi Feng out.

    They took the elevator all the way up to the top floor and made their way to Qi Qiming¡¯s office.

    They had just entered when Morrison could already feel the cold and stifling atmosphere. He hesitated as he wheeled Qi Feng in. What greeted their sight was Qi Qiming sitting in front of his desk.

    ¡°Morrison, you can go out first.¡±

    Qi Feng had just stopped in front of his desk when Qi Qiming¡¯s cold voice was heard. As he said this, he did not even look up.

    Morrison was stunned and he subconsciously turned to look at Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng took a nce at Qi Qiming, then silently nodded, so Morrison had no choice but to retreat.

    The door closed, and Qi Feng looked up at Qi Qiming, yet thetter stayed silent and continued to look through the document before him as if Qi Feng was not there.

    Qi Qiming did not start, thus naturally, Qi Feng kept quiet and silently waited.

    A while passed, and a few of the documents on the left of Qi Qiming¡¯s work desk had been switched to the right as the two remained silent the whole time, yet the air in the office was bing more and more stifling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me? Haven¡¯t you waited for so long?¡±

    In the end, it was Qi Qiming who spoke up first, and he said this without looking at Qi Feng while his eyes remained on the document before him.

    ¡°Father, what do you expect me to say? I¡¯ve been waiting for you to tell me something,¡± Qi Feng was steady as he said calmly.

    At this moment, Qi Qiming looked up at him and saw his calm expression. A satisfied look shed in his eyes, yet in that instant, it turned into aplicated, doubtful gaze. Finally, it returned to calmness.

    Qi Feng noticed this series of changes within Qi Qiming, and his heart could not help but sink a little, yet he did not show any changes in his expression.

    Qi Qiming stared at him for a long before he slowly pulled open a drawer and put a document before Qi Feng. ¡°Look at what this is. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know about this!¡± His tone was gloomy.

    Qi Feng reached out unhurriedly to take it, flip through it, and in the end, he just frowned.

    He handed the document back to Qi Feng with a sigh and said in a raspy voice, ¡°Actually, I only found out about Qi Lei¡¯s kidnapping this morning too. I¡¯ve already sent for people to search. I didn¡¯t expect this news to reach you so soon, Father. I didn¡¯t think that such an incident would happen too. You know how Xiao Lei is too. He¡¯s always done things his way. I had some unhappy encounters with him, so when Xi Xinyi came to tell me that Qi Lei couldn¡¯t be contacted, I thought Xiao Lei was just throwing a tantrum.¡±

    At this point, Qi Feng paused as if he was thinking about something, then he continued, ¡°Afterwards, I thought that something didn¡¯t feel right, so I checked and then found out that he¡¯s been missing for two days. Then, I sent for Morrison to find out more. It¡¯s my negligence with this one, Father. You can punish me however you want. I¡¯m willing to ept it.¡±

    Qi Feng did not defend himself and very openly admitted his mistake without hiding the fact that Xi Xinyi had gone looking for him too.

    That was because he knew Qi Qiming all too well!

    As long as he caught a whiff of anything that did not satisfy him, he would begin to worry about the person, and since Qi Feng openly admitted to these things, it validated his need for control. In this case, Qi Qiming did not suspect Qi Feng much.

    Indeed, as soon as Qi Feng said that, Qi Qiming¡¯s tense and gloomy expression eased a little.

    ¡°I know about your conflicted rtionship with Xiao Lei, and I¡¯ve always hoped that as the old brother, you could be more understanding of him. Especially after his mother¡¯s passing, he¡¯s changed a lot. You know Wang Qin too. Even though she was very much unhappy with you, to tell the truth, she never really did hit or scold you, and she¡¯s never treated you poorly,¡± Qi Qiming said a little pensively.

    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s true that given the way things have been before, it was indeed unfair to her. Ah Feng, you had me protecting you before this. All these years, I was much harder on Xiao Lei instead. I hope you can understand my effort. I want you to tell me honestly today, do you still harbor resent for Wang Qin and Xiao Lei? I want you to be honest!¡±

 Chapter 1300 - Scheming, Retreating To Advance 6

    <h4>Chapter 1300 Scheming, Retreating To Advance 6</h4>

    sure enough, as soon as qi qiming said this, a chill flickered in qi feng¡¯s ck eyes while he looked down. when he lifted his eyes and stared at qi qiming again, calmness was restored.

    qi feng did not immediately answer qi qiming. the father and son looked at each other for a long time before he chuckled. it was not difficult to hear a little iciness in his hoarse voice. ¡°since you know how my rtionship is with xiao lei, father, then there¡¯s little point to ask. i don¡¯t deny that xiao lei may seem like a great threat to me from your perspective, but if you think this matter is rted to me, then i have nothing to say. it¡¯s just qi kai, isn¡¯t it? i never thought that i could really inherit it anyway. perhaps qi lei may be more qualified than me to take over.¡±

    qi qiming suddenly felt ufortable, especially when he saw qi feng¡¯s dim expression.

    ¡°all the unhappiness originated from this, whether it was wang qin or xiao lei. i know you¡¯re trying to be considerate about me and in order topensate me, you gave me the position. i¡¯m getting tired. i don¡¯t want to fight for it anymore. perhaps that is for the best. are you satisfied with that?¡± qi feng¡¯s tone was hoarse and low.

    however, qi qiming did not seem very pleased. ¡°ah feng, i don¡¯t mean that. i know you wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, but it¡¯s your negligence if something like this happens! it¡¯s been almost three days. you shouldn¡¯t leave it like that even if you¡¯re dissatisfied with him. no matter what, i still owe him and his mother, wang qin. now that wang qin is gone, he...¡± he halted his sentence halfway.

    ¡°don¡¯t think too much about what has passed now. after all, you¡¯re just doing your best topensate.¡± qi feng took a deep breath and raised his head to look at qi qiming while his eyes were filled with faint worries that qi qiming had never seen before. ¡°you should know about xiao lei¡¯s temperament by now. maybe the quarrel we had back then had something to do with the current situation. morrison¡¯s investigation is simr to what you showed me. the mu family has reported it to the police given xiao lei¡¯s current rtionship with the mu family, especially mu yuchen and xi xiaye. however, i do think the incident this time is highly unusual.¡±

    qi qiming rxed a little, but after careful consideration, he felt that qi feng¡¯s words seemed to hold a deeper meaning. he lowered his voice and said, ¡°do you mean that the mu family might be behind this? but mu lingmo has also gone missing!¡±

    qi qiming was not a fool. naturally, he did not think the matter was so simple. he squinted and looked at qi feng, but he suddenly changed the topic. ¡°how are lingsha and you? and how has weiwei been doing recently?¡± he asked and nced at qi feng. ¡°why do i hear that the two of you have been getting a little tensedtely? i heard you two got into a fight on the day she was released from the police station. what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    qi feng paused before answering, ¡°don¡¯t worry about it. i¡¯ll deal with it. she suffered a lot during her time inside, so it¡¯s normal.¡± while he looked calm on the surface, he was not sure how much more patience he had left to offer her.

    gu lingsha was now different from before. deeply influenced by doris, she was bing more and more suspicious of his rtionship with xi xiaye and would often bring her up in their arguments for no apparent reason.

    qi feng never knew that a suspicious woman could be this annoying to deal with.

    ¡°well, you have to put in some effort too. just look at my marriage with wang qin. to be honest, if it wasn¡¯t for what happened six years ago, i doubt the two of you would be together, especially when someone like doris is monitoring you. by the way, i heard that you¡¯ve been pretty close to doristely, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s just because of sha sha and weiwei. i hope she can stop being biased and ept us.¡± qi feng felt helpless when he said those words.

    ¡°doris isn¡¯t an easy opponent to deal with. be careful of what she¡¯s nning. i¡¯d suggest you keep a distance from her since she¡¯s gotten into such a mess with gu qiwu. besides, you have to keep an eye on what¡¯s happening to xiao lei too. send someone to investigate and make sure that he¡¯s safe! these people are outrageous. if i find out who¡¯s behind this, i¡¯ll make sure they pay for it!¡± qi qiming sounded furious towards the end of his statement.

    qi feng nodded. ¡°yes, father! i¡¯ll make the arrangements right away.¡±

    ¡°go!¡± qi qiming waved his hand at qi feng who called morrison in. soon, he quietly wheeled him out.

    qi qiming looked at qi feng with aplicated gaze. he felt like he could not understand his son anymore. while he used to be considerate and observant of the overall situation, he seemed different now.

    he took a deep breath and tried to forget about it as he started cleaning up his desk.

    ...

    on the other hand, morrison wheeled qi feng back to his office.

    ¡°master, did ceo qi suspect us?¡± morrison asked before handing qi feng a cup of coffee.

    qi feng took a sip and grinned coldly. ¡°he¡¯s not a fool. it¡¯spletely normal for him to have doubts. fortunately, he¡¯s just being suspicious. try to minimize contact with doris for the time being, and keep an eye on the mu family¡¯s movement. we might have a show to watch this time.¡±

    morrison nodded. ¡°understood! by the way, although i don¡¯t know how the situation is over in new york, i heard that su chen rushed over to city b yesterday. it seems like the mu family is getting impatient.¡±

    ¡°mu lingmo and qi lei are both mu yuchen¡¯s people. of course, he¡¯ll be impatient! it¡¯ll be amazing if the two of them are eliminated. let¡¯s just wait and see what doris is going to do.¡±

 Chapter 1301 - Such Threats? 1

    <h4>Chapter 1301 Such Threats? 1</h4>

    unlike the heavy downpour over in city b, the weather was great in city z. the warmth could even be felt through the thick window panes.

    the spring breeze passed by as xi xiaye opened the windows, making the curtains dance with the wind.

    she stretched her back and looked back towards the bed where the man was still sound asleep.

    it had been a long time since he had a good night¡¯s sleep, and he had gone to bed prettytest night. he had to make up for all the hours of sleep that he had missed all at once.

    xi xiaye did not wake him up. she called thepany and informedn zng that she would not be going to the office today. then, she went downstairs to take a look at her son and prepared to make some food.

    ...

    as mu yuchen was sleeping, he could feel something moving beside him. his hand reached out for it without even opening his eyes as he thought it was his wife. he wanted to get her closer to him.

    instead, his hand touched something soft and squishy, and he also felt his fingertips getting wet.

    he instantly opened his eyes¡ª

    the little guy was nibbling on his fingers happily with his teeth that had started to grow. mu yuchen could feel a slight twinge on his fingers.

    mu xiaocheng¡¯s eyes widened when he noticed his father looking at him, and the two of them started a staring contest with each other.

    mu xiaocheng probably did not remember much about his father, so he was looking at him with great curiosity. since he had just learned how to walk, he walked around the bed despite being shaky.

    ¡°mu xiaocheng, do you remember who i am?¡± mu yuchen¡¯s eyes were filled with love as he grabbed the toddler¡¯s small hand.

    naturally, mu xiaocheng had no idea what he was saying, but he could sense that this man before him meant no harm, so he stood up and gave mu yuchen a big smile. he extended his hand upwards and handed mu yuchen his toy with a giggle, giving his father a friendly nce.

    mu yuchen¡¯s heart melted when he looked at his son. he helped him up to sit on hisp. e to daddy, you seemed much stronger now. why don¡¯t you try calling me ¡®daddy¡¯ now?¡±

    mu xiaocheng waved his hands around happily, and the bedroom was filled with the child¡¯sughter.

    ¡°get up if you¡¯re awake. sis wang is preparing breakfast downstairs. he just woke up, so i guess he¡¯s hungry too.¡±

    as the two of them were having fun, xi xiaye came inside the room. she went to the wardrobe and picked some outfits out for him. ¡°i¡¯ve told grandfather that we¡¯re going overter. mother said she¡¯ll cook for us. by the way, su chen called you several times. i think there are updates for ah mo¡¯s matter, so remember to call him backter.¡±

    she draped some of his clothes on the chair before picking up mu xiaocheng in her arms.

    mu yuchen pinched mu xiaocheng¡¯s cheek before getting out of bed. then, he grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom.

    ...

    after a light breakfast, the family headed towards the mu residence.

    the whole family was tensed after something like this happened, especially mu lingshi. she could not sleepst night and seemed to be out of herself. because zhuang shurong was worried sick, she asked dr. zhong toe and take a look at her this morning too.

    the living room was empty when mu yuchen and xi xiaye entered the house.

    ¡°where¡¯s everyone?¡± mu yuchen frowned as he asked the butler.

    ¡°master, elder master is in the backyard. your parents went shopping, and ms. lingshi is resting upstairs.

    ¡°brother, sister-inw!¡± mu lingshi¡¯s voice reached them from above. the two of them raised their head and saw her lumbering slowly down the staircase.

    ¡°what happened to you?¡± mu yuchen noticed mu lingshi¡¯s pale face and frowned. ¡°couldn¡¯t sleep well?¡±

    ¡°i¡¯d be lying if i said i wasn¡¯t worried. is there any news right now?st night was painful for me. this has never happened...¡±

    xi xiaye helped mu lingshi to the sofa. ¡°you only have to worry about your health right now. let the rest of us worry about that. don¡¯t you trust me and father?¡±

    mu yuchen did not seem very happy, but he was genuinely concerned. ¡°i know ah mo¡¯s ability very well. just stay home and try not to go out if it¡¯s unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°are you saying that someone¡¯s trying to harm me?¡± mu lingshi noticed mu yuchen¡¯s grim expression. ¡°ah mo kept telling me that things are going to get chaotic, especially after what happened between gu qiwu and doris.¡±

    ¡°i can¡¯t answer you right now. you¡¯ll just have to stay put at home for now,¡± mu yuchen started brewing some tea as he spoke.

    ¡°but, brother, i...¡± as mu lingshi was about to continue, the servant¡¯s voice reached them from the entrance. ¡°miss, there¡¯s a delivery for you!¡±

    the servant came over with a huge package.

    ¡°a delivery?¡±

    mu lingshi was stunned for a moment, then she examined the package. she had no idea what it was, so she felt it was odd. ¡°wang xiao? i don¡¯t know this person. what¡¯s this?¡±

    mu yuchen sensed that something was strange, so he stopped brewing the tea and nced over at mu lingshi who seemed confused and was about to open the package. however, mu yuchen swiftly took it away from her.

    his sudden movement startled both mu lingshi and xi xiaye!

 Chapter 1302 - Such Threats? 2

    <h4>Chapter 1302 Such Threats? 2</h4>

    ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡± xi xiaye squinted and became alert as she looked at mu yuchen, her face strained while she asked.

    stunned, mu lingshi nced at mu yuchen and soon averted her gaze to the package he was holding. ¡°brother? is there a problem?¡±

    mu yuchen frowned as he held onto the package tightly. ¡°are you sure you don¡¯t know who the sender is?¡±

    mu lingshi and xi xiaye traded nces before nodding. ¡°i don¡¯t, and i don¡¯t know what this means.¡±

    he lowered his head and thought for a moment. then, he hesitated for a while before opening the package. just as he just made a small tear on the package, photos dropped out of it and fell all over the floor.

    xi xiaye looked at the photos on the floor. they were all...

    ¡°ah mo!¡± mu lingshi screamed before xi xiaye could react!

    arge hand quickly grabbed the photos on the floor!

    ¡°brother! it¡¯s ah mo! it¡¯s ah mo!¡± mu lingshi snatched the photos from mu yuchen¡¯s hand and started looking at them closely.

    the photos showed a small white space with ah mo in the middle, tied up to a chair while blindfolded. the photos clearly showed the bruises and injuries on ah mo, and he seemed pretty badly injured!

    ¡°he¡¯s hurt! brother! he¡¯s hurt. do you see that?¡± mu lingshi was terrified as she looked through the photos. xi xiaye nced through them and did not see qi lei, but ah mo¡¯s overall condition still looked safe at the moment.

    ¡°ah mo¡ª¡±

    ¡°ah shi!¡± when xi xiaye suddenly felt a weight crashing towards her, she quickly reacted and grabbed mu lingshi who was falling while mu yuchen swiftly stepped forward and helped as well.

    mu lingshi¡¯s legs gave way as she cked out suddenly.

    ¡°ah shi? are you okay?¡± xi xiaye was worried.

    mu yuchen took mu lingshi in his arms and said, ¡°drive the car over. her condition is unstable. let¡¯s go to the hospital right now.¡±

    ¡°okay!¡± xi xiaye ran out while mu yuchen followed behind with mu lingshi in his arms.

    ¡°master? what happened to miss?¡± the butler asked.

    ¡°we¡¯re going to the hospital. please tell themter,¡± mu yuchen spoke without a pause. he already disappeared out the door by the time he finished his sentence.

    xi xiaye soon drove the car over, and the butler quickly helped to open the door. they quickly headed towards the hospital.

    ...

    the sky had turned dark. in a patient¡¯s room at hospital t, after another round of checkup from the doctor, he kept his stethoscope away. mu lingshi still looked pale and exhausted, and she had not regained consciousness either.

    xi xiaye was worried sick. her frown never left her face while mu yuchen¡¯s expression was grim as he stood beside her.

    ¡°how¡¯s she doing?¡± mu yuchen asked quietly. he walked outside when he noticed that the doctor did not seem very positive, and thetter followed him outside.

    ¡°ms. mu¡¯s emotions are extremely unstable. her nutrition uptake isn¡¯t enough as well, and it might affect her child¡¯s future development. moreover, her health condition is already poorer than an average person¡¯s if she takes on any more burden, the child might be in danger,¡± the doctor said.

    mu yuchen frowned. ¡°shees for her monthly checkup on time every month. if her condition is this bad, then why...¡±

    ¡°master mu, i¡¯ve already told ms. mu during her previous visits that she was still fine about two months ago, but her condition has worsened these past few months, and emotions y a huge part in this change. she might have prenatal depression if this continues. you should spend more time and care for her as a part of her family. do your best to keep her happy as it¡¯ll be beneficial for both her and her child.¡±

    though the doctor tried to be careful with his words, mu yuchen caught the key message.

    his heart sank!

    depression?

    prenatal depression?

    mu yuchen was worried about that. after all, his aunt had been diagnosed with the exact same mental illness thest time. due to ack of control and treatment, it had worsened and caused her to take her own life in the end.

    ¡°don¡¯t worry too much, master mu. while ms. mu¡¯s condition doesn¡¯t look good right now, it¡¯s not really a big issue. just spend more time with her and take care of her nutrition intake. help her to rx and i¡¯m sure things will change for the better,¡± the doctorforted mu yuchen.

    mu yuchen took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°i¡¯ll leave her in your care then. please help stabilize her condition.¡±

    ¡°don¡¯t worry, master mu. we¡¯ll do our best! the patient needs to rest quietly, and she has to be mindful of her emotions too, so...¡± the doctor reminded him.

    ¡°i understand.¡±

    ¡°great. let me know if you need anything else.¡±

    mu yuchen nodded before the doctor left. he turned around and was about to head back into the room when he saw xi xiaye right outside the door.

    ¡°what did the doctor say?¡± worry was written all over xi xiaye¡¯s face. ¡°she doesn¡¯t look well. i¡¯m worried.¡±

    mu yuchen lowered his eyes and stayed silent for a moment before grabbing her by the shoulders. ¡°it¡¯s fine. there are just some problems with controlling her emotions, and her nutritional intake iscking. we just have to spend more time and take care of her better, but it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

 Chapter 1303 - Such Threats? 3

    <h4>Chapter 1303 Such Threats? 3</h4>

    his low and sensitive voice had just fallen when xi xiaye felt at ease. she turned around to look at the ward behind her. through the window, she could see the weak mu lingshi sound asleep on the sickbed.

    ¡°mr. mu, no matter what, you have to get ah mo back in one piece. bring him home. she can¡¯t suffer anymore, or she will break down soon enough.¡±

    fate had not been very kind to her, so she should not be burdened with all these misfortunes.

    as xi xiaye watched mu lingshi lying on the sickbed lifelessly, she felt her chest grow a little heavy in a way that made it hard to breathe. she even felt a little heartbroken.

    mu yuchen nodded, his tone exceptionally certain as he said, ¡°don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°mmm, let¡¯s go in and be with her for a bit,¡± xi xiaye said softly.

    he then held her and walked into the ward.

    after a while, zhuang shurong¡¯s anxious call came. mu yuchen picked it up.

    ¡°you don¡¯t have toe over. it¡¯s alright. she¡¯s justcking some nutrition and hasn¡¯t been in too stable of a mood. tell grandfather, so he doesn¡¯t worry. xiaye and i are here, so we¡¯ll have to leave xiao cheng with you for now, mother.¡±

    ¡°chen er, did something happen? why did she suddenly faint?¡± zhuang shurong was still a little doubtful.

    ¡°i¡¯ll tell you all about it when i get back. don¡¯t worry. it¡¯s fine.¡± it was not a good time to exin all of this now, so mu yuchen only briefly gave his assurance.

    ¡°is it about ah mo? tell us, your father and i are very worried. your father¡¯s about to go over to the hospital to see you all.¡± zhuang shurong¡¯s tone was naturally concerned.

    ¡°mother, tell him that he doesn¡¯t have toe. when lingshi wakes up tomorrow, she¡¯ll be going home in two days if there aren¡¯t much problems. we¡¯ll talk about this again then. it¡¯s quitete already, so have your dinner first. xiaye and i are here. don¡¯t worry,¡± mu yuchen casually said, then hung up.

    mu yuchen actually had it all sorted with regards to mu lingshi¡¯s matter. when li si rushed over, from afar, he saw mu yuchen looking out of the window in the walkway, the dim lights covering him in a hazy chill.

    ¡°master? how¡¯s miss lingshi?¡± li si walked a few steps and reached him as he asked in concern.

    ¡°she¡¯s alright. bring these things to them for analysis. see if you can find out the ce in these pictures. also, find out where doris is right now, and what she¡¯s been doing these past few days,¡± mu yuchen said, then he handed li si a folder.

    filled with doubt, li si quickly took the folder and opened it to look.

    ¡°ah mo? master! how is ah mo? he...is hurt? my gosh, those animals did it!¡±

    li si quickly flipped through therge stack of photos, and after that, he frowned even more. ¡°master, that¡¯s not right, why don¡¯t i see master qi? and yang sheng? weren¡¯t they kidnapped together? where did you get these pictures, master?¡±

    mu yuchen slowly put his arms behind him. ¡°these were sent directly to lingshi.¡±

    ¡°sent to miss lingshi? who sent it? they sent these? what are they trying to do?¡± li si¡¯s heart clenched when he thought about the girl on the sickbed, and he could not help but feel enraged. ¡°are they trying to use these things to threaten miss lingshi?¡±

    mu yuchen did not answer, but the sneer that shed on his lips already told li si his answer.

    ¡°how despicable!¡± li si growled angrily.

    ¡°the cover of the express delivery is inside too. take a look. you must find out who the sender is.¡±

    ¡°yes, don¡¯t worry, master. i¡¯ll get it done right away!¡± li si responded. ¡°oh right, master, master su sent over some documents earlier. he said it¡¯s for you to take a look. it seems to be rted to master lingtian¡¯s ident six years ago.¡±

    when he said that, mu yuchen paused, fell silent for a bit, then calmly answered, ¡°got it.¡±

    ...

    the ident six years ago...

    lingtian...

    if this had not been mentioned, xi xiaye would have almost forgotten about it. because too many things have been happening these past two days, she had forgotten all about that letter!

    detective zhang¡¯s letter!

    ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± mu yuchen had just pushed the door open to enter when she saw xi xiaye standing there. upon seeing her odd expression, he asked in concern, ¡°why do you look so pale? are you feeling unwell?¡±

    ¡°no, don¡¯t worry. it¡¯s nothing. i just remembered that letter i told you that detective zhang sent to me. i left it in the safe at home. it¡¯s still there. i almost forgot about it.¡±

    xi xiaye frowned and chided herself for forgetting about it!

    ¡°it¡¯s fine. once lingshi¡¯s alright tomorrow, we can go back and take a look too. let¡¯s go in.¡±

    ...

    mu lingshi woke up in a daze. she only sensed that her head was nk, and what greeted her sight was a helpless dullness as she felt all limp and weak. it was even hard to get up.

    ¡°ah shi? you¡¯re awake?¡± xi xiaye¡¯s surprised voice came through. she was relieved as she helped her sit up.

    ¡°sister-inw? why are you here? where¡¯s this?¡± mu lingshi¡¯s misty eyes looked at xi xiaye who had suddenly appeared.

    ¡°you fainted all of a sudden, so we sent you to the hospital. you¡¯re in the hospital now. how are you feeling right now? your brother just went out to get mother to bring you some porridge. you¡¯re hungry, aren¡¯t you?¡± xi xiaye quickly poured her a cup of warm water.

    mu lingshi epted it in a dazed state. sipping slowly, her voice was weak and raspy as she held her heavy head and muttered softly, ¡°hospital...how did i end up in the hospital?¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s fine. the doctor just said that youck nutrition, and you can¡¯t be too stirred up emotionally. you have to maintain a good mood. that way, you¡¯ll give birth to a cute and healthy baby. don¡¯t worry, understand?¡±

    once xi xiaye said that, something shed in mu lingshi¡¯s mind and she immediately remembered everything. her face turned pale and she quickly held xi xiaye by the arm. ¡°sis-inw, how¡¯s ah mo now? those people must be treating him terribly. they must be! brother, where¡¯s my brother? brother, quickly help me save ah mo, brother!¡±

    ¡°ah shi! calm down! the doctor said you can¡¯t get too emotional!¡± xi xiaye felt heartbroken seeing mu lingshi like this. she set the cup in hand aside and then hugged her.

    mu lingshi struggled for a while before she weakly fell into her embrace and quietly cried out.

    poor thing! she kept getting hit by one thing after another. she had always been someone who was cold on the outside but soft on the inside. even xi xiaye was moved to the point that she could not keep it all in until now.

    she gently patted her on the back and softly consoled, ¡°it¡¯ll be okay. trust your brother. he¡¯ll rescue ah mo. don¡¯t worry...¡±

 Chapter 1304 - Such Threats? 4

    <h4>Chapter 1304 Such Threats? 4</h4>

    mu yuchen naturally would not have expected that the day after they received these photos, the same thing would ur inside gu qiwu¡¯s study room in the gu residence of city z.

    on gu qiwu¡¯s wide desk were the same pictures that had been sent to mu lingshi. they were all of mu lingmo being held down and beaten up.

    at this moment, gu qiwu was sitting at his desk, and ah yong could feel the tension from him even with the distance of the desk!

    ¡°what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± gu qiwu looked coldly at the pictures on the table and demanded coldly.

    ¡°boss, these were sent over by express delivery this morning. i didn¡¯t know thee were what was inside too. in fact, i checked that the sender¡¯s name isn¡¯t even real. we knew that mu lingmo was kidnapped with qi lei, so i think these were sent by the kidnappers, but we didn¡¯t receive any news of them asking for money. i wonder what these kidnappers are up to!¡± ah yong broke into a cold sweat as he said a little worriedly.

    ¡°since you know something like this has happened, why didn¡¯t you investigate it? qi lei¡¯s been kidnapped too? how did qi qiming react?¡±

    gu qiwu looked at ah yong with a reprimanding gaze as he said sharply.

    ah yong quickly lowered his head. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, boss, it¡¯s my oversight. however, i¡¯ve just quickly contacted our people who say that qi qiming only found out about this just yesterday and was enraged. after that, he called qi feng to his office. i¡¯m guessing that he might have reprimanded qi feng for negligence, or he suspects that this has something to do with qi feng. boss, you know how qi feng and qi lei have been recently too, so there is that possibility.¡±

    ¡°qi feng? does qi feng dare touch ah mo? he doesn¡¯t have anything against ah mo, does he? apart from mu yuchen, he doesn¡¯t have a reason to go for ah mo. he has to give in a little to me at least. to openly go against me doesn¡¯t seem like a foolish thing that qi feng would do! yet, you just told me that mu yuchen and su chen have confirmed that ah mo went missing the same time as qi lei! when did mu yuchen return to the country? why don¡¯t i know about it? didn¡¯t i hear that the matter in new york hasn¡¯t yet been resolved? why is he suddenly back?¡±

    gu qiwu could not figure it out.

    ¡°boss, you¡¯re right. however, boss, we just received bad news too.¡± when ah yong said this, he paused, and his expression subconsciously tensed up as he looked worriedly at gu qiwu.

    ¡°what news?¡± gu qiwu asked coldly and tossed the pictures onto the desk nonchntly. actually, his thoughts seemed to be leaning towards a suspect. most probably, only that evil woman would do such a thing!

    in fact, he did not forget that she had sent him a series of pictures rted to mu lingshi before this. this beautiful yet evil woman was just like a poppy. if it had been back then, gu qiwu both loved and loathed her. however, since the divorce, his feelings for her werepletely erased.

    doris and gu lingsha were actually very simr to each other. they both thought they were inherently noble and all high and mighty with no sense of self-awareness. inparison, gu qiwu suddenly felt that mu zixi and mu lingshi were much more hassle-free.

    nevertheless, with mu lingshi¡¯s current personality, she did not care about acknowledging him as her father.

    ¡°boss, actually, since mu lingmo¡¯s disappearance, miss mu lingshi hasn¡¯t been doing too well. before these pictures were sent to you, a copy was already sent to miss lingshi just yesterday evening. i heard that miss lingshi fainted when she saw these pictures, mu yuchen sent her to the hospital, and she¡¯s still hospitalized right now...¡±

    bam!

    before ah yong could finish, the teacup in gu qiwu¡¯s hand had already been smashed onto the table. he was extremely unhappy, and his grave and stern face was covered with ayer of cold, stormy clouds.

    ¡°boss, are you okay?¡± ah yong broke out in cold sweat as he looked a little worriedly at gu qiwu. ¡°don¡¯t worry, boss. i¡¯ve found out that miss lingshi is alright now, but she might need to rest for a few days.¡±

    ¡°where did you find out about this?¡± gu qiwu held back the anger that he felt and asked ah yong coldly.

    ¡°li si mentioned it...¡± ah yong responded softly.

    then, a dark andplicated light shed in gu qiwu¡¯s eyes. he thought about it for a moment before smiling coldly, ¡°looks like it¡¯s mu yuchen¡¯s orders. without mu yuchen¡¯s green light, li si wouldn¡¯t have told you all of this.¡±

    ¡°boss, are you saying that mu yuchen¡¯s nning on working with you? but why?¡± ah yong did not quite understand it. he remained stunned as he looked at his boss and asked in confusion.

    ¡°hmph, because he¡¯s very smart. he can already guess who¡¯s behind this!¡± gu qiwu viciously picked up the photos on the table and said through gritted teeth, ¡°i wanted to just end things nicely on ount of having been married once, but you won¡¯t take it. well then, don¡¯t me me for being cruel, witch!¡±

    at this point, as patient as gu qiwu was, he finally could not help but curse.

    now, something appeared in ah yong¡¯s mind. he finally caught it and could not help but gasp. just as he was about to say something, gu qiwu spoke up first, ¡°quickly find out doris¡¯s tracks for me right away. she should still be in city z. you must get her to meet me. i think she¡¯ll be very happy to!¡±

    gu qiwu seemed indifferent, then he picked up the stack of photos on the table before tossing them to ah yong. ¡°and these things, burn them all!¡±

    inhaling, ah yong quickly nodded and swiftly packed away all the photos. ¡°yes, boss, don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ll destroy them right away!¡±

    ah yong had just reached the door when gu qiwu spoke again, ¡°also, get my privatewyer over right away. i have some things to consult him about. tell him to rush over in secret. right, just tell him toe past midnight today at 1.30 in the morning. i¡¯ll wait for him at our usual spot. warn him to be more vignt too!¡±

    ¡°yes, i understand, boss! i¡¯ll go get it done right away!¡± ah yong answered with a lowered voice and then left the study room.

    when he heard the door close, gu qiwu fell slightly limp while his stern face was covered in fatigue. he thought about mu lingshi, and worry could not help but sh in his eyes.

 Chapter 1305 - Accompany

    <h4>Chapter 1305 Apany</h4>

    at hospital t, the sun was close to noon was very gentle and pleasing.

    mu lingshi¡¯s baby bump was showing now, but she was still reacting quite badly. especially these past few days with all the worries, it had not been easy.

    at noon, mu yinan personally sent the nutritious tonic soup that zhuang shurong cooked over. when he saw that mu lingshi was alright, he went home.

    mu yuchen and xi xiaye stayed with her at the hospital. because xi xiaye did not feel assured leaving mu lingshi alone, she kept very close by her side while mu yuchen handled ah mo¡¯s matter. there were also quite a few other things to settle. of course, he did not go to the office either because not many people knew he was back.

    e, let¡¯s sit over there for a bit. the chrysanthemum flowers seem to be blooming quite nicely.¡± xi xiaye held mu lingshi and walked on the hospital¡¯s pebble path, then she saw the bench by the flowerbed.

    ¡°okay,¡± mu lingshi responded and walked over too.

    ¡°mmm, the air¡¯s quite nice outside. i feel a little stifled staying all day in the ward.¡±

    mu lingshi sat down slowly with xi xiaye¡¯s help. she looked up gratefully at her and said, ¡°sis-inw, actually, you and brother don¡¯t have to be like this. i know you¡¯re usually overwhelmed with work. you don¡¯t have to spend time with me like this. work¡¯s important, and i¡¯ll be okay alone.¡±

    mu lingshi felt bad, especially upon seeing xi xiaye¡¯s clearly exhausted demeanor. she could not help but feel bad for her, especially because she knew her struggles.

    upon hearing that, xi xiaye only smiled and put the shawl over mu lingshi¡¯s shoulders, she looked up at the autumn sun that was closer to the west, and spoke in a calm, breezy tone, ¡°right now, there¡¯s nothing more important than you. work¡¯s important, but if we don¡¯t take good care of you, what would be the meaning of work or money?¡±

    at this point, xi xiaye paused and calmly turned to look at the pale but grateful mu lingshi as she continued, ¡°do you know that ever since i was young, i¡¯ve tasted all the loneliness and helplessness? so, i can understand how you¡¯re feeling right now.¡±

    when xi xiaye brought that up, mu lingshi was stunned. she seemed to understand something as she suddenly smiled and said, ¡°don¡¯t worry, sis-inw, i know. i trust brother, father, and mother. actually, if we¡¯re talking, i¡¯m much luckier than you. at least, ah mo and i have parents who love and care for us, and we have brother, bro su chen, and bro zimo who protect us whereas, sis-inw, you don¡¯t seem to have anything...¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s not like i have nothing. sometimes, you don¡¯t need so much. one word of concern and encouragement can be the reason to stop you from giving up and even to work hard.¡± xi xiaye suddenly remembered something, so shemented, ¡°sometimes, it¡¯s not too bad having a bumpy life because many people only be mature after experiencing these hardships, especially when ites to rtionships, whether it¡¯s kinship, friendship, or romantic ones...¡±

    ¡°sis-inw, i actually really admire you. if i were you, i would¡¯ve turned bad by now. how could i have persisted being good?¡± mu lingshi could not help sigh. ¡°this time, if ah moes home safely, i¡¯ll definitely treat him better. no one¡¯s having it easy right now. sis-inw, actually, especially since i realized that grandmother has left us for far away, i suddenly find that before time and life, we¡¯re all too insignificant. one or two years ago, i was still thinking of living wild and free, but now...¡±

    ¡°that proves that we¡¯re truly maturing and growing up. your brother taught me this before. he thinks that the mark of a person¡¯s true maturity is when his circle is no longer all sorts of nightclubs or crazy parties. instead, it would be after work every day, to miss those at home, to take off his coat and cook for his family, to drive the family out for a movie and y a game of chess with grandfather, chat about politics with father and mother, and gather with his buddies from time to time for a barbeque at home...¡±

    xi xiaye recalled the words that her man could not help but go on and on about to her, yet right now she could not hide the smile on her beautiful face.

    ¡°no wonder i was saying that ever since my brother returned the year before, he¡¯s changed a lot. even though he never did go out to nightclubs before that, he didn¡¯t seem to miss home. but, sis-inw, ever since you married him, he¡¯s be much more considerate. i think he must have been influenced by you.¡±

    mu lingshi smiled and held xi xiaye¡¯s hand. ¡°sis-inw, do you know that i¡¯ve grown up with my brother for close to 30 years now? you¡¯re the only person who can hold my brother down. love is quite a terrifying thing.¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t quite control him either. it¡¯s he who controls me and holds me down.¡± xi xiaye did not agree with her now.

    ¡°sis-inw, don¡¯t exin anymore. you¡¯re blushing.¡± mu lingshi¡¯s joyous voice came through as xi xiaye only felt her face getting hot.

    ¡°you know that she¡¯s got thin skin. why are you teasing her like that? that doesn¡¯t seem like you!¡±

    mu lingshi had just finished when a low and maic voice suddenly came from the side. it was apanied by a smile and a long shadow on the ground.

    xi xiaye and mu lingshi exchanged a nce, then the two of them smiled and turned to look to the side. indeed, they saw a tall man standing underneath the sun.

    it was none other than mu yuchen.

    he held his coat casually while his other hand held his phone. he looked at them leisurely. however, those unfathomable eyes brushed past mu lingshi and quickly stopped on xi xiaye beside her.

    when mu lingshi saw that, she quickly lowered her head tough as she cleared her throat.

    she seemed to have noticed for a long time now that regardless of when, as many people as there might be, her brother¡¯s gaze would always easily find her sister-inw. he would quickly capture her figure, and of course, ah mo was always like that too.

    perhaps, it had to do with the way they grew up. all of the mu men were like that whether it was their grandfather, mu yinan, or their father, mu tangchuan...

    they were all like that...

    he looked at xi xiaye for quite a while. when she looked away from him, mu yuchen walked up to them and asked mu lingshi, ¡°feeling better now?¡±

    ¡°much better. alright, brother, since you¡¯re here, bring sis-inw home to rest well. i¡¯m fine anyway. i trust you and father about ah mo¡¯s matter. i¡¯ll go back first. i don¡¯t want to be a lightbulb...¡± mu lingshi said, then stood up. without waiting for them to respond, she waved to the bodyguard on the side.

 Chapter 1306 - Trap 1

    <h4>Chapter 1306 Trap 1</h4>

    mu yuchen turned around after mu lingshi left, he sat down beside xi xiaye and then looked at her. ¡°are you tired?¡± he asked while grabbing her hand as she did not seem well.

    xi xiaye shook her head as she grabbed his coat and put it aside. ¡°i¡¯m fine. i¡¯m d that ah shi is getting better. i¡¯m just worried about her unstable emotional state. it¡¯ll be bad if she starts feeling unwell again.¡±

    ¡°it seems like she¡¯s gotten over it. i feel more at ease now.¡±

    ¡°i have to give you the same amount of care i showed her too. i heard from the bodyguards that you didn¡¯t eat lunch. what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s alright. i just didn¡¯t have the appetite. you didn¡¯t have lunch either, did you?¡±

    she red at him. ¡°li si said you were so busy that you didn¡¯t even have time for lunch. are you done with work now?¡±

    ¡°i didn¡¯t have the appetite either. i¡¯ve done what i could. the next step is to just wait.¡± he pinched the space between his eyebrows as he spoke.

    xi xiaye nodded as she nced at the sun for a moment before standing up. ¡°let¡¯s go eat something now. it¡¯s my treat.¡± she smiled while squinting at him.

    ¡°did something good happen? why are you so generous today?¡± he nced at her and chuckled, merely letting her drag him to wherever they were heading.

    ¡°don¡¯t speak as if i¡¯m a stingy person. do i seem like that sort of person?¡± xi xiaye red at him.

    ¡°of course not. i¡¯m the stingy person here. you¡¯ve always been generous.¡± he went along with her.

    she seemed satisfied with his answer. ¡°you¡¯ve been getting better with your wordstely. i¡¯ll bring you to enjoy some top-ss service today.¡±

    mu yuchen raised his eyebrows and smiled. ¡°top-ss service, huh?¡±

    ¡°are you serving me personally?¡± he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered into her ear, ¡°that¡¯d truly be top-ss service for me.¡±

    ¡°i can¡¯t even muster any strength right now, and you¡¯re trying to exhaust me further...ah!¡± xi xiaye rolled her eyes at him, and suddenly the man embraced her in his arms, shocking her with his sudden behaviour.

    ¡°put me down. there are so many people looking at us!¡±

    there was quite a crowd in the hospital right now, and their unusual antics did not go unobserved.

    ¡°so what? i¡¯m just a man holding his wife. is it that odd?¡± mu yuchen was unfazed. ¡°why do you feel lighterpared to when you were in los angeles?¡±

    ¡°my weight is still three digits no matter how light i am now. put me down. i don¡¯t want you to put on a performance here.¡±

    ¡°dear, are you saying that i¡¯ve not been treating you well enough?¡±

    ¡°of course, i don¡¯t mean that.¡±

    ¡°then, don¡¯t use the word ¡®performance¡¯. i don¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°you...¡±

    ...

    their car was parked in the emergency parking lot.

    xi xiaye sat in the front passenger seat with mu yuchen driving this time.

    ¡°let¡¯s go to the pinnacle ind restaurant. there are several new dishes there that look pretty good. let me take a nap right now. wake me up when we arrive.¡±

    xi xiaye leaned back and just let him put the seatbelt on for her.

    ¡°let¡¯s not eat out since you¡¯re tired. we¡¯ll eat at home instead. i¡¯ll cook something for you.¡± master mu was actually not fond of eating out. no matter how delicious the food could be, he still preferred to eat his own cooking.

    ¡°aren¡¯t you tired? i¡¯m telling you that i don¡¯t feel like doing anything. i¡¯m not cleaning up the dishes after that. furthermore, sis wang and the other servants aren¡¯t around, so isn¡¯t it easier eating out?¡±

    ¡°you¡¯ll eat, and i¡¯ll clean up!¡± he stared at her for a moment before starting the car.

    ¡°are you angry?¡± she inched closer to him and asked.

    however, mu yuchen did not want to reply.

    ¡°fine, fine, we¡¯ll eat at home then. i won¡¯tin if you¡¯re willing to put in the extra effort.¡±

    ¡°you need to exercise more. i¡¯m pretty sure that you don¡¯t even spend much time walking, much less going to the gym. the doctor spoke to me about your health report today.¡±

    since they were both in the hospital that morning, they had their health checkup done together. their results came out in the afternoon, and mu yuchen went to get them.

    ¡°how are the results?¡± xi xiaye was interested.

    ¡°i¡¯m fine, but you¡¯re suboptimal. your health condition is poor,¡± he said quietly.

    she frowned and tried to defend herself, ¡°how is that possible? i think i¡¯m fine. did you ask the doctor when it will be suitable for me to have another baby? it¡¯s been almost a year now. dr. zhong mentioned before that i might need several years to recover from my first pregnancy. i¡¯ve been taking quite some tonicstely, so when our son reaches two years old...¡±

    when she started the old topic once again, mu yuchen felt a headache oing.

    ¡°it¡¯s not that simple. just take care of your health for now. we¡¯re still young anyway, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°how can i not be worried? we still don¡¯t...nan nan and ruan heng n to have another one, but i really want a daughter...¡±

    ¡°why do you worry? by the time our sons get married, you¡¯ll have a daughter-inw, won¡¯t you? just look at how mother treats both you and lingshi. it¡¯s so much better than how she treats me.¡±

    while she had to admit it, she still tried to defend her point, ¡°it¡¯s different from our own child...¡±

    ¡°so, do you mean that you won¡¯t be nice to your future daughter-inw? be careful. no girl will want to marry our sons.¡±

    he squinted at her. ¡°sometimes, daughter-inws can be much closer than daughters, especially for those who are married far away. marriage has been unfair todies by default. why else do you think mother is always nice to you? can¡¯t your silly brain think of that?¡±

    xi xiaye felt ashamed, but she had to admit that his words made sense. she then looked out of the window and ignored him for the moment.

    ¡°i¡¯m not criticizing you. don¡¯t be so petty.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m a petty person, alright? don¡¯t talk to me.¡±

 Chapter 1307 - Trap 2

    <h4>Chapter 1307 Trap 2</h4>

    xi xiaye was not happy with his response.

    he chuckled and nced at her. ¡°i¡¯ll repent! please turn over and look at me.¡±

    it was an indescribable feeling. xi xiaye wanted to get angry, but the sparks in her head all fizzled out. it was always like this every time. no matter how much she would love to get angry, it always felt like she was punching a cotton ball.

    nheless, xi xiaye stared at him without saying anything.

    ¡°what are those eyes? i¡¯m genuinely apologizing.¡± he frowned when he noticed that unhappy gaze of hers.

    she did not want to exin herself to him, so she turned and looked out of the window again.

    mu yuchen coughed and nced at her before switching the cd yer on. then, the man started singing along to the tune, ¡°even if there are thousands of songs in theing day, they will float on the road in the distance. even if theing nights are filled with thousands of stars, they can¡¯tpare to your beauty...¡±

    xi xiaye turned back to him and noticed a meaningful gaze. she wanted to scold him, but broke intoughter instead. ¡°how can you feel so good about yourself?¡±

    ¡°aren¡¯t you angry anymore?¡±

    ¡°i wasn¡¯t angry from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°am i being delusional then?¡± he felt defeated. ¡°i¡¯m probably the only one who can stand you. others might have already requested a refund.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m still pretty popr, you know.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re still mrs. mu no matter how popr you are. do you think anyone in city z dares to marry you if i were to say no?¡±

    ¡°how despicable!¡±

    ¡°and shameless too¡ª¡± heughed. during the brief window of stopping at a traffic light, he went over to her side and left a kiss on her lips...

    they messed around until they got home. since it was a sensitive period right now, there was no one else in maple residence since sis wang and the others all had gone back to the mu residence. mu xiaocheng also probably had to stay there for some time.

    ...

    they nned to have lunch, but their trip to the supermarket took quite some time, and they arrived home around the evening, so they started making dinner instead.

    xi xiaye did not eat much. by the time she was done with her meal, mu yuchen was still working through his food. he told her to go take a shower and sleep right after that when he noticed that she looked exhausted.

    mu yuchen had gotten used to this already. by the time he entered the room, xi xiaye had already fallen asleep on the bed and did not even realize when he came in.

    he covered her with the nket before switching the lights off and leaving the room. as he closed the door, his phone on the coffee table started ringing, so he went over and picked it up. it was li si calling.

    ¡°it¡¯s me.¡± mu yuchen¡¯s voice soon reached the other side.

    ¡°master, gu qiwu¡¯s car is heading to the hospital. he should be here to see ms. lingshi. should we stop him?¡± li si sounded worried.

    ¡°gu qiwu, huh?¡± mu yuchen grinned as he casually sat down on the sofa. ¡°no need, but get a few people to keep an eye on them.¡±

    mu yuchen then started making some tea.

    li si was hesitant when he heard the orders. ¡°however, the doctor said we shouldn¡¯t let ms. lingshi get worked up anymore, or else, it¡¯ll affect her health...¡±

    mu yuchen grabbed a cup. ¡°lingshi understands it better than any of us. don¡¯t worry and just follow what i said.¡±

    ¡°please reconsider, master. i¡¯m really worried,¡± li si reconfirmed.

    ¡°i know lingshi much better than you do. she can recover because she¡¯s prepared to face whatever there is toe.¡±

    mu yuchen hung up on the call right after that.

    after several cups of tea, he thought of something, so he picked his phone up again and dialed another number.

    su chen had just finished showering when his phone started ringing. he was about to do start on some work in the study room.

    e to my ce. let¡¯s have a drink,¡± mu yuchen said the moment the call connected.

    ¡°what¡¯s wrong? is there progress on ah mo¡¯s case?¡± su chen asked.

    ¡°we¡¯ll talk when you arrive.¡± mu yuchen hung up after that.

    su chen frowned after the line was cut. then, he walked to his wardrobe and changed his clothes.

    when ji zitong came out of the shower as she dried her hair, she noticed su chen was all dressed up. ¡°heading out thiste at night and all dressed up too?¡±

    su chen turned around and saw his womaning towards him. immediately, he grabbed her towel and helped her dry her hair. ¡°ah chen wants to meet me right now. i might be back a littlete.¡±

    ¡°chairman mu? oh, right, is there any news about mr. ah mo now?¡± ji zitong was concerned too.

    ¡°i¡¯m not sure yet. maybe ah chen has something for me. by the way, lingshi has been admitted to the hospital. perhaps you could go visit her tomorrow. i guess she might feel lonely. could you spend some time with her when your store isn¡¯t so busy?¡± su chen asked in afortable tone.

    ¡°don¡¯t worry. i n to visit her tomorrow anyway. she¡¯s a nice person.¡± ji zitong seemed to be in pain as she continued, ¡°it¡¯s just that fate seems to be unfair to her. she¡¯s such a lovable and impressive person.¡±

    ¡°life is never fair anyway. she had always looked up to me as an elder brother, so you¡¯re her sister-inw in a sense. please take care of her, alright?¡± su chen felt terrible for mu lingshi as well.

    actually, the sus, the mus, and the zhous had more male children, so naturally mu lingshi was one of their favorites among all the children.

    ji zitong stopped su chen¡¯s hands from stroking her hair. ¡°i will! let me do it on my own. you should go now. who knows if it might be something urgent? just let me know if there¡¯s anything i can do though i¡¯m not sure if i can help.¡±

 Chapter 1308 - Trap 3

    <h4>Chapter 1308 Trap 3</h4>

    su chen went on his way soon after that. he arrived at mu yuchen¡¯s maple residence as quickly as he could.

    su chen usually drove fast anyway, so it took him less than an hour to reach maple residence since there was no traffic jam at this time.

    mu yuchen grabbed some wine after he hung up on the call. then, he went to the swimming pool in the backyard. su chen noticed two wine sses and a bottle of wine on the table beside the pool when he arrived.

    when su chen went closer, he noticed movements in the pool.

    ssh¡ª

    mu yuchen came out of the water and swam towards his direction.

    ¡°you got here pretty quickly. want to have a round?¡± mu yuchen grabbed a towel and dried his hair before covering himself with a shower robe.

    su chen casually opened the wine bottle and poured sses for the both of them. he took a sip and said, ¡°i¡¯m good. i¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re fine to swim in such cold temperatures. plus, you still look as great as when you were in the army!¡±

    mu yuchen grabbed the ss and emptied it. ¡°just need to freshen myself up. it¡¯s cold outside. let¡¯s talk in the house.¡±

    he then walked into the house, and su chen quickly followed him.

    mu yuchen changed into hisfortable sleeping robe before going downstairs again. by then, su chen was preparing some tea in the living room.

    ¡°not up for some wine? weren¡¯t you always eyeing my collection? drink however much you like tonight.¡±

    he tightened his sash as he sat down and squinted at su chen when he noticed him boiling some water.

    su chen looked at him. ¡°i still need to driveter. my woman at home also specifically told me to not drink. we¡¯ll drink together once zimo is back. let¡¯s have some tea and a game of chess. it¡¯s been some time since ist yed against you!¡±

    mu yuchen nced at him and smiled. ¡°i don¡¯t remember you being so attentive to what a woman says.¡±

    ¡°depends on which woman. that¡¯s the woman who sleeps beside me every night, after all...¡±

    su chen nced upstairs and noticed that the stairway was empty. he lowered his voice as he looked at mu yuchen and asked, ¡°is xiaye asleep?¡±

    ¡°she looked after lingshist night, so she¡¯s exhausted and has fallen asleep,¡± mu yuchen grabbed some tea leaves from the cupboard as he replied.

    su chen nodded. ¡°when you get into a fight with her, does she stop you from getting into bed?¡±

    mu yuchen paused while throwing an odd nce at su chen who frowned instantly. ¡°why are you looking at me like that? i¡¯m not saying that i have such an issue. don¡¯t pin it on me!¡±

    ¡°did i say anything?¡± mu yuchen casually brewed the tea. ¡°xiaye would never do something so unreasonable. if zitong makes you do that, it means that you¡¯ve failed as a husband.¡±

    ¡°screw you! so many girls went after me back in the day. at the very least, i looked more dependable than you.¡± su chen red at him before cing a ck piece on the chess board.

    mu yuchen put down a white piece after that. ¡°how could you be our brother if you weren¡¯t good enough?¡±

    ¡°gu qiwu went to visit lingshi at the hospital, and i told li si to allow him to,¡± he continued quietly.

    ¡°gu qiwu found out that lingshi is hospitalized? didn¡¯t you just expose to him that you¡¯re back?¡± su chen frowned. ¡°it doesn¡¯t seem like a wise decision.¡±

    mu yuchen was calm. ¡°i told li si to leak the news to him, and it seems like he¡¯s received the same photos as well. i¡¯m pretty confident that i know who¡¯s behind this right now, and gu qiwu must be aware of it too.¡±

    ¡°are you saying that it¡¯s doris? for her to actually do something so risky in order to go against gu qiwu, how desperate is she? does she think that gu qiwu will let her do whatever she wants?¡± su chen widened his eyes.

    ¡°of course not. that¡¯s why he needs us. why else do you think he tried to stop xiaye before? there are still a lot of things we don¡¯t know about doris. i can¡¯t say for sure that i have full knowledge of her background. just like what happened in new york, her behavior suggests that she has something else up her sleeves.¡±

    ¡°so what? she could never have expected you to return so suddenly. unfortunately, ah mo...¡± su chen started to worry.

    mu yuchen put on a mysterious smile. ¡°don¡¯t worry. ah mo will be fine. i wasn¡¯t too sure before, but these photos just told me the answer.¡±

    then, he put on another piece before pulling open a drawer nearby and took out the photos of ah mo being abducted.

    ¡°look at ah mo¡¯s hand. you were in the army before, so i¡¯m sure you understand the message he¡¯s sending.¡±

    su chen quickly grabbed the photos and looked at them carefully. ah mo was showing different hand signs in each of the photos, but they were very easy to miss!

    ¡°he¡¯s safe! qi lei is with him!¡± su chen was able to decipher what it meant.

    mu yuchen nodded. ¡°that¡¯s right. that¡¯s probably what he¡¯s trying to tell us.¡±

    ¡°ah mo! ugh, he really made us worry. just how much do we still not know about him?¡± su chen was surprised.

    ¡°he has always been a capable man. i¡¯m afraid we might be inferior to him in certain skill sets. i believe that we might have discovered something huge this time.¡±

    ¡°oh? i¡¯m looking forward to it then, but i didn¡¯t really hear anything from qi qiming. isn¡¯t he worried about qi lei?¡±

 Chapter 1309 - Trap 4

    <h4>Chapter 1309 Trap 4</h4>

    su chen stopped what he was doing as he looked at mu yuchen and asked.

    mu yuchen reached out to take the pictures back from su chen and nced at them indifferently before putting them back into the drawer. ¡°how strong were you anticipating qi qiming¡¯s reaction to be? qi qiming only realized thiste. in fact, he told qi feng to investigate this, but before that, qi feng seemed to have had an unhappy exchange with him. if that¡¯s the case, are you sure that qi qiming¡¯s all that naive?¡±

    ¡°otherwise, how else do you think he¡¯ll act?¡± su chen poured mu yuchen a cup of tea as he asked.

    ¡°if qi qiming really was that foolish, qi kai would¡¯ve been done for. thest time, qi lei wasn¡¯t made to leave city z, and not too long ago, when qi lei announced that he was going to start his own thing, not only did he not stop him, but he even defended him. wasn¡¯t this sufficient exnation?¡± mu yuchen¡¯s dark eyes flickered with a wise light as he said with a faint smile.

    ¡°however, qi qiming was justpelled by the circumstances then, so that doesn¡¯t seem to exin much.¡±

    ¡°if qi qiming was really the same as he was back then, how do you think qi feng would¡¯ve made qi lei leave city z, especially with qi qiming¡¯s recent attitude? so, i¡¯m making a bet.¡±

    ¡°what are you betting on?¡± su chen took a sip of tea and looked suspiciously at mu yuchen.

    mu yuchen put down another chess piece on the board as he said with a lowered voice, ¡°i bet that qi qiming does care a little bit about his son, qi lei.¡±

    ¡°huh, we have all witnessed qi qiming¡¯s attitude towards qi lei. where did you get this confidence that qi qiming cares about qi lei?¡± su chen seemed to disagree with mu yuchen¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°actually, it¡¯s not that qi qiming doesn¡¯t care about qi lei. it was just because of wang qin back then. not too long ago, ah mo mentioned to me that qi qiming seemed interested in wang qin¡¯s cause of death recently. he¡¯s also hired a private investigator to look into it. only he knows about this. the police station hasn¡¯t evene through with the investigation. if it weren¡¯t for my father¡¯s requests, it would¡¯ve probably been buried by now.¡±

    ¡°qi qiming¡¯s suspicious about wang qin¡¯s incident too? haven¡¯t we found out who the murderer was? but the person¡¯s escaped abroad, so they couldn¡¯t catch him.¡±

    ¡°do you think that an assassin would just try to frame me and kill wang qin for no reason?¡±

    as mu yuchen looked at su chen, he picked his tea up and sipped it calmly. ¡°there¡¯s something i need you to look over. tell them to pay attention to the entry-exit situation. don¡¯t let doris leave. can you do that?¡±

    upon hearing that, su chen raised his brows. he thought about it, then asked, ¡°do you think that she¡¯s still in city z right now?¡±

    ¡°she¡¯s created such a huge trap. if she was going to leave so easily, she would¡¯ve done everything for nothing, especially with things on gu qiwu¡¯s end.¡±

    ¡°okay, if that¡¯s the case, leave it to me. she won¡¯t be able to leave!¡±

    ¡°thanks, buddy.¡± mu yuchen looked up at him and smiled.

    ¡°consider it a thank you for the unlimited freebies at your imperial sky entertainment city. it¡¯s your turn now!¡±

    ...

    in front of a certain higher ss ward in city z.

    gu qiwu stood outside the door. through his silent line of sight, he looked through the window and saw mu lingshi lying on the bed, flipping through some documents. he suddenly stopped his steps as if his feet were frozen, and he did not move for a long time.

    ¡°boss, miss lingshi isn¡¯t asleep yet. do we want to enter?¡± ah yong looked around vigntly, and lowered his voice to say to gu qiwu.

    gu qiwu¡¯s grave expression contained some depth, and an extremelyplicated light gathered in his eyes too. he did not answer ah yong while his gaze remained on mu lingshi who was on the sickbed.

    mu lingshi did not know this was happening outside her room. because she had been asleep the entire afternoon, she did not feel very sleepy now. the doctor said that she needed to stay at the hospital for another two more days of observation and would be discharged once her condition stabilized.

    in the evening, zhuang shurong went over and brought her some soup that she liked. when she suggested staying to watch over mu lingshi, thetter had chased her home.

    right now, she was briefly looking through the quarterly report from imperial sky entertainment city. these things were usually done by ah mo, but these past few days, she would sometimes help to handle some things to lighten his burden.

    gu qiwu stood outside the door for a long time, unsure if he should go in or not. he struggled for a while, and was about to knock on the door when suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps from behind him. he frowned and subconsciously turned to see a few figures appear vaguely around the corner ahead.

    he shot ah yong a look, and then moved to another corner quickly to hide. the footsteps moved closer, and the shadows were dragged out by the light.

    ¡°minister, we¡¯re here. miss lingshi isn¡¯t asleep yet!¡±

    ¡°wait for me downstairs.¡± it was mu tangchuan¡¯s elegant voice.

    ¡°yes, minister!¡±

    mu tangchuan lifted a hand to knock on the door, and mu lingshi¡¯s voice came very quickly from inside.

    e in!¡±

    when mu tangchuan pushed the door open to enter, mu lingshi looked up from her documents. upon seeing his tall figure, a smile shed on her face, and she quickly set aside the documents and wanted to get down the bed.

    ¡°father! why are you here?! it¡¯s sote!¡±

    mu tangchuan walked up to her and quickly held her. ¡°alright, don¡¯t move about now. just lie down and rest. i¡¯ve been busy the entire day. i just got back from the provincial government department, so i came over to take a look at you. how are you feeling now? feeling better?¡± he asked caringly and lovingly as he helped her sit down.

    ¡°much better. i¡¯ll be able to go home the day after tomorrow. it¡¯s already sote, father. why did youe over?¡±

    ¡°i was worried about you, so i came. why isn¡¯t your mother here? didn¡¯t she say she was going to be with you?¡± mu tangchuan looked around, and when he did not see zhuang shurong, he frowned.

    ¡°i chased mother home since xiao cheng¡¯s still home. brother and sis-inw apanied me in the hospitalst night too. they were worried. i saw that sis-inw wasn¡¯t looking too well, so i told them go home first. mother still has to go to work. this isn¡¯t a huge deal anyway, and brother did hire a nurse.¡±

    mu lingshi actually did feel her heart melt, not for anything except the way they were concerned for her.

    ¡°having nurses on standby isn¡¯t as intimate as being taken care by our own people. i¡¯ve just applied for leave on behalf of your mother. i¡¯ll ask her toe over to be with you for a few days. don¡¯t worry about ah mo¡¯s thing. your brother and i are confident that we¡¯ll get him out safely. you take good care of yourself, understand?¡± mu tangchuan looked worriedly at her.

    her little face was as cool as zixi¡¯s. the more he looked at her, the more she looked just like zixi. back then, he did not care enough for her, and that was how the situation became worse. because he did not take good care of her, she met someone like gu qiwu.

    from then onwards, the series of tragedies took ce...

 Chapter 1310 - Trap 5

    <h4>Chapter 1310 Trap 5</h4>

    whatever it was, he could not push the me onto someone else as the older brother. he was not a good older brother.

    every time he thought about mu zixi, he could not help but me himself. all these years, it was also this guilt that drove him to treat mu lingtian and mu lingshi much better to the point that even his own son, mu yuchen, was neglected...

    however, even so, it could not make up for the regret he felt towards mu zixi.

    when it came to this, mu tangchuan could not evenpare to his son, mu yuchen. even though mu yuchen was indifferent as a person when it came to these kinds of things, he cherished them very much and took very good care of it...

    mu lingshi could see the fatigue gathered between mu tangchuan¡¯s brows, so she immediately said with concern for him, ¡°father, don¡¯t worry. i understand. it¡¯s quitete. you¡¯ve just finished work, so you must be quite hungry. quickly go home for dinner.¡±

    mu tangchuan smiled and looked at her lovingly. ¡°i¡¯m alright. look what i¡¯ve brought you.¡±

    as he said this, he mysteriously lifted his arm, and mu lingshi saw that he held a box of food. she widened her eyes in surprise.

    mu tangchuan quickly put the box of food on the table. when he opened it up, a strong aroma filled the air. mu lingshi sniffed it enjoyably and immediately could not help but cry out loudly and happily, ¡°river snails and duck feet in ypot!¡±

    this was mu linghsi¡¯s favorite dish as a child. it was also one that mu tangchuan loved, but zhuang shurong did not let them have it at home because it was not hygienic! in fact, this dish needed to be very spicy for it to be vorful. however, since mu tangchuan had a slight gastric problem, with the word ¡®spicy¡¯ included, zhuang shurong practically banned it.

    mu lingshi now thought to herself that it had been quite a few years since she had had this dish.

    ¡°your mother¡¯s strict, so i secretly bought the ingredients and borrowed the kitchen in the dining hall to cook this. try and see if it¡¯s vorful enough. i put quite a lot of chili, but you can handle the spice. try it... my authentic river snails and duck feet in ypot! but don¡¯t tell your mother. otherwise, knowing her, she¡¯ll smack me after this,¡± mu tangchuan smiled slightly and said as he carefully poured the food out.

    mu lingshi watched mu tangchuan and could not help feel her heart go warm. suddenly, she felt somethinge up in her throat. she did not say anything as she just quietly watched mu tangchuan do his thing. her keen eyes noticed that in between his dark hair were some silver ones, then she sighed to herself.

    e, try this. you haven¡¯t had it for quite a few years now, right? i¡¯ve asked the doctor. it¡¯s fine to have a bit.¡± mu tangchuan brought the small bowl to mu lingshi.

    her heart was filled with even more emotions. she reached out to take it and said with her gaze lowered, ¡°thank you, father...¡±

    ¡°mmm, eat it.¡± mu tangchuan smiled and withdrew his hands as he sat upright and watched quietly.

    she fell silent for a long while and lowered her head to drink a sip of soup before asking softly, ¡°father, since when did you get so much white hair on your head?¡±

    upon hearing that, mu tangchuan smiled. ¡°i¡¯ve always had it. i¡¯m soon to be 60 now, and your brother¡¯s going to be 33 soon too. time waits for no man. in the blink of an eye, i¡¯ve be old.¡±

    when mu lingshi heard that, she was dazed for a while, then she said in a raspy voice, ¡°father, you will always be young to me.¡±

    ¡°i can¡¯t deny that i¡¯m old. the world belongs to you young people right now. you and ah mo, as well as ah chen and your sister-inw...you can live a full life. lingshi, this world is huge. you have to go out there, or you might think that this is all there is to the world and that life is unchanging. whether it¡¯s work or travel, your time is in abundance, so you have to go out more, understand?¡±

    mu tangchuan had found out about mu lingshi¡¯s situation from mu yuchen and the doctor. he hoped that she would not end up like mu zixi, thus he tried to enlighten her.

    mu lingshi picked up a pickled bamboo shoot and stuffed it into her mouth before she muttered, ¡°i know, father...don¡¯t worry, mu lingshi is mu lingshi. i will be like my parents and my brother. i¡¯ll be a strong person. i won¡¯t lean into depression.¡±

    when mu tangchuan heard that, he nodded happily and gently patted her head. ¡°alright, then i won¡¯t go on too much about this. you¡¯re quite like your mother too. she¡¯s such an amazing person. not many people can beat her all these years. it¡¯s good that you¡¯re like her.¡±

    feeling the light touch on her head, mu lingshi felt her heart go soft, and she felt choked up. finally, her eyes could not help but well up in hot tears, and her long eyshes began to turn wet. she lowered her gaze and blinked hard as she silently nodded, yet she could not say a word...

    ¡°is it tasty?¡± mu tangchuan asked softly.

    she then looked up at him and said while a little choked up, ¡°it¡¯s tasty. it¡¯s the tastiest thing i¡¯ve eaten...¡±

    ¡°is it too spicy?¡± when he noticed mu lingshi¡¯s slightly wet eyes, mu tangchuan quickly poured her a cup of warm water. e, have some water.¡±

    mu lingshi shook her head. she held back her sobs and suddenly set aside the bowl and chopsticks to hug mu tangchuan while sobbing out loud, ¡°father¡ª¡±

    her soft crying sounded like a helplessly lost little girl asrge teardrops slid down her beautiful face. in a short while, it soaked mu tangchuan¡¯s shirt at the shoulders.

    mu tangchuan did not say anything. he just took a deep breath. after a while, he patted her shoulders. ¡°don¡¯t be sad. it will all be okay with mother and me and your brother around, okay?¡±

    mu lingshi nodded hard with tears in her eyes. ¡°father, i won¡¯t be so stubborn anymore. i¡¯ll definitely be a good daughter to you and mother. ah mo will be a good son-inw. our family will always be harmonious. nothing¡¯s more important than our family¡¯s happiness and good health, father...¡±

    upon hearing that, mu tangchuan felt moved too. ¡°good...good...¡±

    ¡°quickly eat. it¡¯s getting cold now.¡±

    ¡°mmm, it¡¯s delicious. father, can you make this for me all the time?¡±

    ¡°of course, but we can¡¯t tell your mother. she seems to be nearing menopause now, so she¡¯s getting stricter,¡± mu tangchuan could not help but say.

    when she heard that, mu lingshi just smiled and lifted a hand to wipe away her tears as she said, ¡°father, you and mother are so loving! i hope that when i grow older, i can be like you and mother!¡±

    ¡°we¡¯re an old couple now. where¡¯s the loving? she¡¯s beenining about me recently!¡±

 Chapter 1311 - Trap 6

    <h4>Chapter 1311 Trap 6</h4>

    In the ward, the happy father and daughter would not know that right now out their door stood another person¡ªit was Mu Lingshi¡¯s biological father, Gu Qiwu.

    Gu Qiwu stood there without moving as he silently watched this scene inside the room. He took in everything that happened, including their conversation.

    As he watched them interacting happily, Gu Qiwu could not help but feel an indescribable feeling like something important had been stolen from him.

    Stolen?

    Perhaps it would not be suitable to use that term. When it came to his daughter, Mu Lingshi, he had to acknowledge that he never truly had her and histe son, Mu Lingtian. He never truly had them. It felt as if he had been dreaming, and in the dream, he seemed to own many things, but after he woke up, he was left with nothing...

    Well if that was the case, what did Gu Qiwu truly have all these years?

    Mu Zixi or Doris?

    The children?

    Or the Hui Gu Corporation?

    No, he never truly had anything. He had always walked alone, truly walked the solitary path.

    This sudden realization took him aback. He suddenly felt suffocated in his chest, and that grave expression of his could not hide the paleness that instantly showed. His world seemed to fall silent in that instant.

    Ah Yong stood right beside Gu Qiwu, and he took in all of his reactions. He thought about it, then softly leaned closer to ask, ¡°Boss, shall we go in too?¡±

    He could tell that Gu Qiwu was not too happy, so he quickly made that suggestion.

    The moment Ah Yong said that, Gu Qiwu slowly averted his eyes. He silently lowered his gaze and fell silent for a long while. Finally, he sighed and turned around abruptly before walking towards the corridor ahead.

    ¡°Boss?¡±

    When he saw Gu Qiwu suddenly turn around to leave, Ah Yong was stunned for a bit. After a while, he chased after him.

    Once they were out the door, Gu Qiwu got into the car, and Ah Yong swiftly followed behind. He looked at Gu Qiwu through the rearview mirror and saw his glum expression, yet he dared not say another word.

    ¡°Go straight to the meeting point,¡± Gu Qiwu coldly said and then lifted a hand to massage between his brows. He looked quite dispirited.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Ah Yong responded and looked at the chauffeur who quickly started the car.

    The car slowly drove towards the dim roads ahead.

    The stifled atmosphere in the carsted for a while before Ah Yong could not help but speak up softly, ¡°Boss, Miss Lingshi¡ª¡±

    Gu Qiwu, who was resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them upon hearing Ah Yong. He turned his head to look out the window at the scenery that passed him by. Suddenly, there was a dazed look in his eyes.

    ¡°Mu Tangchuan, is indeed a really good father, to Lingshi,¡± he said though you could not quite hear his emotions through that tone.

    However, he had to acknowledge that as a father, Mu Tangchuan was far better than he was.

    Mu Lingshi was quite like Mu Zixi, sensitive yet strong. The fact that she could just cry out loud in Mu Tangchuan¡¯s embrace was enough to show that Mu Tangchuan must have treated her extremely well...

    When he thought about this, Gu Qiwu suddenly felt unhappy as too many conflicted feelings began to sprout in his heart. What should he do now?

    Mu Lingshi was his daughter, but...

    While Mu Tangchuan could do all of that, what about him?

    What could he do?

    The mottled shadows continued to flicker in from outside onto Gu Qiwu¡¯s stern face which looked unfathomable, and his gaze changed with it too.

    ...

    Perhaps, he should do a little something. If not for anything else...

    He took a deep breath, and suddenly asked softly, ¡°Have you tracked Doris down?¡±

    ¡°Boss, she¡¯s already left the hotel. Our people are looking all over for her. It seems like a while back, she just met up with Miss Lingshi. As long as we follow Miss Lingsha, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to track her down very soon. Oh, right now Miss Lingsha and Qi Feng are falling out quite badly. Even Qi Qiming can¡¯t bear to look on without doing anything. Do we want to have a talk with Master Qi Feng?¡± Ah Yong reported.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Let them be. Lingsha¡¯s mentality is bing more inclined towards Doris¡¯. Something¡¯s going to happen soon enough. When I see Doris, I¡¯ll talk to her about it.¡±

    ¡°Boss, but, Missus...Doris might not listen to you. I¡¯m afraid she...¡±

    ¡°She probably hates me to the bones.¡± Gu Qiwuughed in disdain.

    Years ago, to achieve their goals, the two of them had been people who spared no tricks. Right now, it seemed like Doris was more vicious than Gu Qiwu, but now, what else could he do?

    He was definitely not the kind of person who would sit and wait for his end!

    ¡°Boss, why do we need to meet her now?¡± Ah Yong actually did not understand it. Gu Qiwu had already ended things with Doris, so he did not understand his boss¡¯s thought process.

    ¡°Ah Yong, you¡¯ve been with me for many years now. What do you think I¡¯ve gotten from fighting all my life?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s lowered voice was heard.

    When he said this, Ah Yong was instantly stunned. He looked at Gu Qiwu¡¯s handsome face through the rearview mirror before responding, ¡°Boss, you¡¯ve got status and wealth, and the entire Hui Gu Corporation. You don¡¯t need to worry for decades toe with the new developments.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu just shook his head and chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±

    ¡°Wrong? Boss...¡± Ah Yong could not help but be confused.

    He knew that his boss might not put a huge priority on wealth. Otherwise, he would not have donated so much money every year to organize charity events. He never quite understood Gu Qiwu. Gu Qiwu was an extremelyplex person. Despite being by his side for many years, he never truly understood him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get anything. Status and wealth are just empty things while I¡¯ve gotten into a lot of trouble because of these. My woman, my wife, my daughter, and even my son-inw are all thinking about how to scheme against me. I don¡¯t want to be tricked, so I did it to them instead to protect myself.¡±

    When Gu Qiwu said this, disdain shed at the corner of his mouth, Ah Yong even magically found that his eyes seemed to sh with some sadness and helplessness...

 Chapter 1312 - Incoming 1

    <h4>Chapter 1312 Iing 1</h4>

    The night was gettingte.

    The chess match was over, and the pot of tea had been emptied.

    Mu Yuchen got up and tossed Su Chen his coat. ¡°You still can¡¯t beat me. Time for you to head back. I¡¯ll see you to the door!¡± He then walked forward first.

    Su Chen put his coat over his shoulder and followed him outside.

    ¡°The night scenery is looking great. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have the leisure of enjoying it right now. You seem prettyposed. Aren¡¯t you worried that things might go out of hand?¡± Su Chen caught up to Mu Yuchen and walked beside him as he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like worrying about it will help them to stay within my expectations.¡± Mu Yuchen put on a cold smile.

    Su Chen shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve always had the calmest demeanor among us. Zimo and I could learn a thing or two from you in that aspect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot to learn from the two of you, too. It¡¯s time to show him some concern once he¡¯s back. You wouldn¡¯t want him to fall behind, would you?¡± Mu Yuchen paused before turning around and looking at him.

    Frowning, Su Chen brushed his nose slightly. ¡°Actually...Zimo¡¯s mother spoke to me the other day, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, or else, I would have made him get a marriage certificate already.¡±

    ¡°Just be mean to him. Who knows if it might trigger him to get something done?¡± Mu Yuchen then continued forward.

    Su Chen shrugged and followed behind him. His Land Rover was parked by the street.

    He waved his hand at Mu Yuchen after he got into the car. ¡°You can head back now. I¡¯ll do what I can. Let¡¯s gather again when things settle down. Everything will be fine, so don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Mu Yuchen crossed his arms and gave a slight nod.

    Su Chen¡¯s car moved forward, and it soon vanished under the cold night.

    Mu Yuchen stood there for a moment before returning into the house. It was quiet inside the house with just the two of them inside. He switched the lights off and went upstairs.

    He wanted to go through some documents in the study room, but then he noticed that the woman, who should have been sleeping, was in there reading a document.

    ¡°Why are you up?¡± He frowned and went near her.

    Xi Xiaye turned around when she heard the man¡¯s voice, then she closed the document. ¡°I saw you weren¡¯t there when I got up, so I looked around and heard Su Chen¡¯s voice. Did you guys drink? Has he gone back?¡±

    It was normal for them to drink together, hence her question.

    Mu Yuchen put an arm over her shoulders and sat on the chair as she obediently sat on hisp.

    ¡°He went back. We didn¡¯t drink. We just yed Go chess and drank tea. You can check if you want.¡± He moved closer to her as he said in his maic voice, ¡°There¡¯s only the scent of manliness on me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Be serious!¡±

    ¡°Which eye of yours sees that I¡¯m not being serious?¡± he said with a straight face and his eyes brightened up.

    ¡°Both of my eyes.¡± She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked at him in the eye and called out to him, ¡°Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± Mu Yuchen gave her such a gentle, loving nce.

    ¡°Mr. Mu?¡± she called him again.

    He was enjoying the sight of her as he gave her another reply, ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t insist that you came back, would you have stayed there?¡± she asked carefully and quietly, ¡°Sometimes, I¡¯m envious of the bond you share with your brothers. It feels like they¡¯re more important than me at times...¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Well, Su Chen and Zimo are my best friends. I can¡¯t afford to lose any of them, just like you and Su Nan.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Mr. Mu,¡± she quickly interrupted him, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Then, why are you envious?¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just that I feel less important when the few of you get together.¡±

    Mu Yuchenughed before he left a kiss on her lips. ¡°You just love to overthink things. You¡¯re always the most important one, even more so than me and our sons.¡± He hugged her slender figure tightly.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and pulled him closer. ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t I feel the excitement of reunion after a break from each other?¡±

    She then covered his lips with hers...

    As he enjoyed her rare initiative, he hugged her tightly.

    Things were getting heated up inside the study room. A certain someone¡¯s hand sneaked underneath her garments. As he was about to bring this back into their bedroom, she suddenly remembered something and struggled.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mu Yuchen started panting while still having his hands right behind her back. The sparks in his eyes were unstoppable. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me to stop here.¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She adjusted her messy sleeping robe a little and said, ¡°We forgot about the letter!¡±

    Then, she got down from hisp and went to the bookshelf behind them.

    Mu Yuchen tied up his exposed sleeping robe and turned around, following her movements.

    She reached for a heavy book on the bookshelf, quickly pulling out a letter inside the book before she returned to him.

 Chapter 1313 - Incoming 2

    <h4>Chapter 1313 Iing 2</h4>

    ¡°Is this Detective Zhang¡¯s letter?¡± Mu Yuchen took the letter from her and asked.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°I went to visit his office a while back, but his door was closed and I couldn¡¯t contact him at all. Then, yesterday morning, he suddenly messaged me and told me to be careful. This letter and Detective Zhang¡¯s secretive behavior made me suspicious, but I couldn¡¯t make a decision on my own, so I wanted you to return earlier.¡± Her tone sounded serious.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and slowly opened the letter as Xi Xiaye went closer to take a look.

    He took out the letter and nced at it.

    It was a printed letter, but there was a scrawled signature of ¡°Zhang¡± at the bottom. Xi Xiaye recognized that it was Inspector Zhang¡¯s signature. The letter was not very long. In fact, there was only one sentence:

    ¡®There¡¯s something else behind this. I¡¯ll give you the answer in a month on the night before Christmas Eve in the field where we met previously. Part of the information is kept in the same safe as before, and the password is the even numbers of my contact number.¡¯

    As the two of them traded nces, Xi Xiaye frowned. ¡°A month? What is Detective Zhang doing now?¡±

    ¡°He should be abroad at the moment,¡± Mu Yuchen sounded confident as he said while looking at the letter.

    ¡°Abroad? How do you know?¡± Xi Xiaye was doubtful.

    ¡°When Li Si was investigating Doris¡¯s immigration records, he noticed his name on it. he went to the UK,¡± he replied.

    ¡°The UK?¡± Se let her thoughts ran for a while. Then, she turned over and looked into Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Doris?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Go and fetch the documents tomorrow. You should know the password already, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye grabbed his phone, opened his contacts, and saved Inspector Zhang¡¯s number into it. ¡°Yeap, this is his number. I¡¯ve saved it on your phone.¡±

    Mu Yuchen grabbed a lighter and flicked it before lighting the letter up. He then tossed the letter into a nearby dustbin, and the mes engulfed the piece of paper into ashes.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now. Let¡¯s go to sleep. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired. We...ah¡ª¡±

    He held her by her hips before she could finish her sentence. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were missing the excitement of a reunion? Let¡¯s continue what we were doing before this.¡±

    He walked out with her in his arms, and there was no way for Xi Xiaye to escape.

    ...

    However, it seemed like it was not a peaceful night.

    It was past midnight when Su Chen returned home. He took a quiet shower before returning to the bedroom where Ji Zitong was already asleep, but as usual, she had kept a light on for him.

    Su Chen walked towards the bed quietly and snuck inside. He wrapped his arms around Ji Zitong and asked quietly, ¡°Already asleep?¡±

    Ji Zitong rubbed her eyes and yawned as she shared part of the nket with him. ¡°What took so long?¡±

    ¡°There were things to rify. Are you feeling better already?¡± His hand started exploring underneath Ji Zitong¡¯s garments.

    Su Chen did have a rough time since he had to work abroad quite a while ago. Then, Ji Zitong returned to her parents¡¯ home when he came back. After that, he had gone to New York, but Ji Zitong was on her period when he returned, so he lived like a Buddhist monk for some time. Her cute, sleepy look was seductive enough to get him fired up.

    Ji Zitong wondered for a moment what he meant, then she realized what he was trying to do when he climbed on top of her.

    Su Chen was not the romantic type. His only approach in life was to be straightforward, Even during moments like this, he did not even try to say something romantic. Instead...

    ¡°Take your clothes off. Hurry!¡±

    Ji Zitong rolled her eyes at him. Sometimes, she could not fathom how he usually looked like a gentleman, but during their private moments...

    Of course, Su Chen had no idea what his wife was thinking about. He actually started sharing some funny stories from his workce as well as Ah Mo¡¯s incident while they were doing the deed.

    After several rounds, the sun was almost up, and the war finally stopped.

    Just some time after Ji Zitong fell asleep again, her phone started ringing and woke the both of them up. Her hand reached for her phone and tapped on the answer button. She sounded tired as she mumbled, ¡°Hello?¡±

    Su Chen went closer to her and gave her a gentle hug.

    ¡°Manager, bad news! The store suddenly caught fire, and it¡¯s pretty bad. The firefighters are here. Please hurry over!¡±

    Ji Zitong recognized her subordinate¡¯s voice from her store. The store was on fire?

    She woke up right away, unable to believe what she just heard. ¡°What did you say? The store is on fire?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please hurry over right now. The two stores beside are catching fire too. Everyone is freaking out because we¡¯re not sure if there¡¯s anyone inside!¡± Her subordinate¡¯s voice was shaking, and Ji Zitong could sense the unease within him.

    She took a deep breath andforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll head over right away. Just wait for me.¡±

    She hung up on the call and quickly got out of bed, switching the lights on instantly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Su Chen sat up and noticed that she looked pale and uneasy.

    ¡°My store has caught on fire, and it sounds serious. I have to go and take a look.¡± Ji Zitong was worried as she went to the wardrobe and grabbed an outfit to change into.

 Chapter 1314 - Incoming 3

    <h4>Chapter 1314 Iing 3</h4>

    very clearlyWith a frown, Su Chen was worried and got up as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m going with you.¡±

    When Ji Zitong heard his statement, she paused, and when she turned to him, he had already walked over to her. Before she could respond, he had swiftly taken out some clothes to put on.

    A few minutester, the husband and wife left their homes in a rush and made their way straight to Ji Zitong¡¯s flower shop.

    Before they even got near, they could already see a fire truck and arge crowd congesting the area up ahead. Police cordons were put up too. From afar, they could see a red ze soaring. The firefighters had long been on the task of putting the fire out, and many people surrounded the ce.

    ¡°Manager! Manager! Over here!¡± Ji Zitong had just walked over when the anxious shop assistant went up to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation up ahead? There shouldn¡¯t be anyone inside, right?¡±

    Another female shop assistant had applied for two days¡¯ leave. Earlier, they had also called her parents and confirmed that Mother Ji was not in the shop before Ji Zitong could rx.

    ¡°There¡¯s no one in our store, but I don¡¯t know about the other two shops. Their managers haven¡¯t rushed over yet. Earlier, Captain Xiao of the fire brigade says that he wants to meet you to understand the situation, but right now the fire is still quite strong. They can¡¯t immediately identify what happened either,¡± the young shop assistant responded.

    As Ji Zitong frowned slightly, she pursed her lips tightly and turned around to look to Su Chen beside her.

    ¡°Hello, Chief Su!¡±

    The young male assistant was an employee that Ji Zitong had just hired to be a runner for the flower shop. Because Su Chen frequented the store, he recognized him as well.

    Su Chen nodded calmly in response instead. He turned to look at Ji Zitong. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± Then, he picked up his pace and continued walking ahead.

    ¡°Chief Su! It¡¯s you!¡±

    He had just walked a few steps when Captain Xiao from the brigade and a few of the firemen walked over.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Captain Xiao. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, we initially guessed that it might have been the wire experiencing a short circuit since the fire spread quite quickly and immediately burned all the surroundings too. Thankfully, there was no one in the store. It might take a while for us to put it out. It¡¯s so early in the morning. The sky hasn¡¯t even turned to light yet. Howe you¡¯re here, Chief Su? Oh, this is...¡±

    Captain Xiao seemed like a warmhearted middle-aged man. He looked at Su Chen and Ji Zitong, then immediately raised his brows.

    ¡°This is my spouse. The flower shop that caught on fire is ours,¡± Su Chen exined simply.

    ¡°Oh, Madam Su, honored to meet you!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Captain Xiao!¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation now?¡± Su Chen lifted his head to look at the swaying fiery dragon. Its ze lit up the entire road, and it looked like there would be nothing left of the store.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. Even if we put out the fire, I¡¯m afraid the damage and losses are heavy, especially for the two stores beside yours. They are both high-end fashion stores, but they¡¯re probably going to be wiped out by the fire. Thankfully, there was no one inside. Otherwise, that would¡¯ve been bad. The spreading of the fire is now under control. Su Chen, while you don¡¯t need to worry about that, the fire did start from your store, so you might have to be prepared topensate,¡± Captain Xiao said with a solemn expression.

    Upon hearing that, Ji Zitong frowned even more. Her eyes were filled with worry as she looked solemnly ahead at the fire, then turned to Su Chen.

    Su Chen just looked at the fire before them in contemtion. He hesitated for a while, then as if he suddenly thought of something, his eyes darkened.

    Su Chen was certain that there was a low probability of the fire starting from Ji Zitong¡¯s store because he had personally checked on the store¡¯s circuits. In fact, the store had a main power switch, thus there was no way it would be from a short circuit unless something else had happened.

    Su Chen fell silent for a while, then turned and saw Ji Zitong¡¯s solemn little face. He wanted to console her, but she already spoke up, ¡°But, Su Chen, I remember that when I finished work, I did shut off the main power switch and all. There¡¯s no way the store would just catch on fire for no reason. All of the electrical devices in the store wouldn¡¯t have been switched on, so how could it have just suddenly caught on fire?¡±

    Ji Zitong was certain that she remembered correctly. Last night, she was thest to leave the store, and she remembered switching off the main power unit before leaving very clearly. The store¡¯s safety index was very high, so there was no way this would have happened unless something was amiss.

    When Ji Zitong said that, Captain Xiao looked doubtful and thought about it as he looked at the fire. Finally, he said, ¡°But based on what we know so far, it is proven that the fire started from the store in the middle. In fact, many witnesses saw it for themselves. Because it¡¯s also the dry season in autumn, with some wind, the fire spread quite quickly. It immediately swallowed the two shops on the side too.¡±

    ¡°Her store¡¯s fire prevention measures are quiteplete. There¡¯s something odd about this incident.¡± Su Chen did not hesitate to believe his own wife as he immediately defended her, and as he said that, his dark eyes squinted slightly too. He turned his head and looked around. Soon, his eyes fell on the CCTV cameras by the roadside.

    His eyes darkened slightly while he quickly took his phone out and called his assistant, Secretary He who only answered after quite a while, but his tone was respectful.

    ¡°Chief Su? Good morning, Chief Su! You...¡±

    ¡°Stop sleeping now. It¡¯s almost time for you to wake up. When you get to work this morning, get the footage from the CCTV cameras near my wife¡¯s store right away. I want footages fromst night till this morning. Do you hear me?¡±

    Hearing how heavy Su Chen¡¯s tone was, Secretary He felt uneasy. ¡°Yes! Chief Su! Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it back at the bureau. Get this done right away. Also, get the ones from the nearby road intersections too. Be quick!¡± Su Chen ordered, then hung on the call before turning to look at Captain Xiao. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to handle things over here then. Investigate the cause of the fire properly. If it¡¯s true, we will provide the necessarypensation. First, console those who have suffered damages, and tell them not to panic. We¡¯ll give them a proper exnation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chief Su, this is within our duty!¡±

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange for someone toe over and look overter. If there¡¯s anything, you can discuss it with them.¡±

 Chapter 1315 - Incoming 4

    <h4>1315 Iing 4</h4>

    Upon hearing that, Captain Xiao respectfully responded. Then, Su Chen held Ji Zitong¡¯s hand before walking towards their car.

    Ji Zitong watched as Su Chen just pulled her away. She could not help but ask, ¡°Where...are you going?¡±

    Su Chen turned around to shoot her a nce, but he did not slow down his steps while his lowered voice was filled with concern, ¡°You haven¡¯t rested well sincest night. Considering that it¡¯s burnt to this stage, there¡¯s no use for you to stick around here. You should just go home and rest first. I¡¯ll arrange for someone to handle things over here.¡±

    Under the dim streetlights, Su Chen could already see the fatigue gathered on her face and the concern between her brows.

    Pausing, Ji Zitong, took one look at him, and then worriedly turned around to look at the ze still going at it. After she thought about it, she said with concern, ¡°But right now, with this...I¡¯m still a little worried.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can only worry so much. At this point, we need to wait for them to investigate it thoroughly too, so you should just have a good sleep. When you wake up, they¡¯ll be almost done putting out the fire. You¡¯ll only have the energy to deal with these things once you rest well. Be good! I¡¯ll arrange for someone toe over and watch over this. Get in the car. I¡¯ll send you home. It¡¯s almost time for work now,¡± Su Chen said. Before she could reject him, he pulled open the car door and indicated for her to get in.

    However, Ji Zitong could not help but turn to have a few more nces before she got into the car. Su Chen took his phone out to arrange for an assistant to oversee this situation, then he got into the car while Ji Zitong also called her shop assistant and exined a few things before she could rx.

    After Su Chen swiftly started the car, he turned to look at the woman beside him. He did not miss the uneasiness and worry that gathered in her eyes. As his dark eyes flickered, he consoled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine. Even if the situation turns out bad, we¡¯ll only have to pay apensation fee at most.¡±

    At this point, Ji Zitong sighed helplessly. ¡°Even though you put it like that, but with this, all the hard work from before has gone to waste. It wasn¡¯t easy for the flower shop to get to where it is today. Business was quite bad before this, but we finally managed to get to this stage and finally got on track. However, now this has happened. I...¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s voice was filled with sadness, but mostly helplessness.

    As Su Chen listened, a smile shed at the corner of his lips. He looked at her again and took in that sad and heartbroken look of hers as he chuckled softly. ¡°What¡¯s there to be sad about? You don¡¯t have to think about the store anymore. You¡¯re so tired. I see you worry all day. You¡¯re even more worried than Ah Chen and Xiaye who run a huge corporation, yet you don¡¯t get much in returns. Still, you work quite hard and happily at it.¡±

    ¡°Even if the business or profits are small, I¡¯ve hustled for it myself. Obviously, I¡¯d feel a little sad that it¡¯s been instantly destroyed like this.¡± Ji Zitong rolled her eyes at him.

    As he shrugged, his stern face did not look very glum. He turned on the music yer in the car, and a familiar song instantly filled the narrow space.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad now. Coincidentally, Mother¡¯s been nning on getting you familiarized with the work at thepany. Go over to help then. She¡¯s been thinking of how to lighten this burden on her shoulders. Father might be retiring in a few years too, so you should learn a thing or two from Mother now.¡±

    Su Yu had her own career, and there was no way Su Chen could take over Xie Jiajia¡¯spany with his identity, so this burden was going to fall on Ji Zitong eventually. Therefore, she could not reject it.

    Because of this, Xie Jiajia always looked for Ji Zitong to have heart-to-heart chats. She was worried that someone like JI Zitong would hold onto any burdens in her heart.

    They had been married for almost a year now, so Ji Zitong was actually quite familiar with the Su family now. The Su family was not the big shots she thought they were. Instead, the Sus, the Mus, and the Zhous were all like normal people. Everyone lived together in harmony. In fact, all the families had each other¡¯s backs, and they were all very easygoing families.

    Gradually, Ji Zitong saw them as her own kin too. She was not as awkward as she had been when it came to interacting with them.

    However, at the thought of this, she could not help but be slightly worried again. She did not forget that a few days ago, the elder had gone over to her store and mentioned children again since he was looking forward to it!

    You could not me Elder Su for being anxious either. Su Chen was going to be 34 years old soon whereas Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were already parents to two sons. With that topare, how could Elder Su not be anxious?

    When she did not say anything, Su Chen slowed down the car and turned to look at her. Upon seeing her gazed expression, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look like you¡¯ve got lots on your mind. I told you that you don¡¯t have to worry about this.¡±

    A light shed in Ji Zitong¡¯s bright and moving eyes. Suddenly, it was as if she made a decision, as she suddenly told him, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about this, Su Chen.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Su Chen squinted at her, confused. ¡°Then, what¡¯s it about?¡±

    Ji Zitong took a deep breath, then turned to look at the side of his face before saying, ¡°Su Chen, I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time. I think we should have children soon. I¡¯ve been preparing. If we make it in time now, I¡¯ll be giving birth next year in August or September. I heard that babies born during these two months are very smart, so I thought...instead of having childrenter, we might as well have them sooner.¡±

    She was not quite sure what had been up with her recently. She just wanted children, especially when she saw other people¡¯s cute children. Earlier, when she went to Mu Yuchen¡¯s ce and saw the cute little Mu Xiaocheng, she really liked him and felt envious. Suddenly, she longed for a child that was hers and Su Chen¡¯s.

    The moment Ji Zitong finished, Su Chen was stunned. He could not help but slow the car to a stop and turn to look at her in surprise. His profound eyes locked onto her fair little face as he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    When Su Chen asked that question, Ji Zitong immediately nodded frankly. Her tone was determined as she replied, ¡°Of course, I just want to have a child with you. You wouldn¡¯t reject this request of mine, would you?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we waiting till next year? I was nning on giving you a year as buffer,¡± Su Chen asked.

    He did not know who he had heard this from, but he believed that the moment a woman decided to have children with you, it meant that she was ready to spend the rest of her life with you...

 Chapter 1316 - Heartless 1

    <h4>Chapter 1316 Heartless 1</h4>

    When Ji Zitong heard that, she was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she turned to look out of the car window.

    The sky outside was gradually turning bright. You could see underneath the trees on both sides of the road where there were already cleaners working hard on the streets.

    ¡°No need. Since the store is gone, we might as well use this time to bring forward our agenda for children. Besides, you aren¡¯t that young anymore...¡± Ji Zitong said.

    When she said this, Su Chen became annoyed! What did she mean that he was not young anymore?

    He was only 34! Only 34!

    Not 43!

    He was just about to feel good.

    ¡°What do you mean not young? Are you calling me old now?¡±Su Chen frowned and his expression darkened as he asked unhappily.

    Ji Zitong raised her brows at him, and when she saw that he did not look too happy, she exined, ¡°You don¡¯t seem old, but you¡¯ll have to admit your age. You¡¯re 34. Do you think you¡¯re still young? We¡¯re just getting older, and I want to get this done earlier too.¡±

    ¡°Men be more valuable as we age, get it?¡± Su Chen red at her with a darkened expression before he started his car. ¡°We¡¯ll just go with what you want about the children then. You can rest for a bit too. When you¡¯ve given birth to the child next year, rest for a year or two, then we¡¯ll talk again when your health has recovered.¡±

    In terms of domestic matters, Su Chen did not have many opinions, so he just went along with what Ji Zitong wanted. It was a very clear distinction of him manning the fort outside while she held the fort down domestically.

    Ji Zitong thought about it, then finally nodded in agreement.

    ...

    The night was quickly overtaken by the light from dawn. Slowly, the sky on the east side broke through the thick, misty twilight with a ray of golden light. The holy rays shone towards the unknown sky...

    It was already winter, so the weather was quite cold at this point.

    If one did not switch on the air conditioner, the room would be quite cold, so waking up suddenly required more courage, especially for someone like Xi Xiaye who had fallen asleep quitetest night.

    Inside the quiet andfortable Maple Residence, as usual, Mu Yuchen woke up energetically and cooked breakfast.

    However, right now, Xi Xiaye mmed her rm clock for a long time in the room before she managed to pull the nket away and get out of bed.

    She just felt dizzy while her body felt incredibly heavy too, and even walking took a lot of strength. She forced herself to get up and wash up...

    Cough cough!

    When Mu Yuchen pushed the bedroom door open, he already heard the coughing and instantly frowned as he quickly walked in.

    He had just stepped in when he saw Xi Xiaye walking out of the bathroom with an exceptionally pale expression. She looked...

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Before he could react, Xi Xiaye felt her eyes turn dark, and her head light, she could not stand anymore as she fell forward.

    Mu Yuchen was quickly and managed to catch her in time, his eyes could not help but sh a worry, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    He had just held her when he could feel that something was not right, he felt her forehead and realized that it was quite hot, she looked really pale.

    Cough cough!

    Xi Xiaye could not help but cough a little. Her hands held onto Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeves weakly as she looked at him with a sickly expression. Her raspy voice contained a hint of weakness too. ¡°I feel terrible, Mr. Mu...¡±

    Mu Yuchen pulled his hand back and met her gaze helplessly, he said sadly, ¡°You¡¯re a little feverish. You¡¯re too weak! Lay back down on the bed. I¡¯m going to get you some medicine.¡±

    Then, he carried her back to bed and turned around to look for medicine and water.

    ¡°Mmm, have some. Sleep more, and you¡¯ll be fine once you sweat it out.¡± Mu Yuchen sat by the bedside and handed her the pills.

    Xi Xiaye felt weak all over to the point that even lifting her arms required a lot from her.

    When he saw that, he quickly leaned closer. ¡°Open up your mouth...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did as she was told. When the pills entered her mouth, and a bitterness immediately spread. She almost vomited it out while he considerately brought a cup of water over quickly.

    ¡°Have a few sips.¡±

    Half the cup was downed, and it managed to chase the bitterness away.

    Mu Yuchen took a fever reduction pad and put it on her forehead before helping her lie down. ¡°Lie down for a bit. I¡¯ll cook you some porridge.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded weakly. As she held him, she looked pitifully at him and said in a raspy voice, ¡°Stay at home with me today...¡±

    He chuckled softly, and hisrge hand gently caressed her head. ¡°What else would I do if not stay at home with you? Sleep well. I¡¯ll call you again when the porridge is done.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then let go of him, blinked with her heavy eyelids, and said, ¡°Go then.¡±

    He smiled calmly and lowered his head to kiss on her pale lips before pulling up her nket. ¡°I¡¯ll be quick.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    Mu Yuchen waited until she closed her eyes and seemed to be asleep before he left the room quietly.

    When he received Mu Yuchen¡¯s call, Li Si was about to call him too; they were quite in sync.

    ¡°Hello? Good morning, Master!¡± Li Si answered quickly.

    ¡°Mmm, bring some of the documents from the office to Maple Residence,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°Deliver them to Maple Residence? Master, don¡¯t you have a meeting this morning?¡± Li Si asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Cancel it,¡± Mu Yuchen said simply and was about to hang up when Li Si quickly said, ¡°Master, wait, there¡¯s something I need to tell you!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Mu Yuchen asked calmly.

    ¡°Master, this morning, Madam Su, Miss Ji¡¯s flower shop caught on fire. The fire was really strong and was only put out when morning came. Besides the damages and losses being quite severe, the entire store has turned into ashes. Master Su and Miss Ji rushed over earlier. I just received the news, so I¡¯ve already called him to ask about it. It sounds like this incident isn¡¯t as simple as it seems,¡± Li Si quickly reported what he knew.

    When Mu Yuchen heard that, his eyes darkened slightly. He thought about it for a moment, then responded, ¡°Got it. Arrange for someone to go take a look. Feel free to let us know if he needs any help.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°As for the thing with Doris, watch her closely,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded worriedly.

    ¡°Yes! Master, don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Then, Mu Yuchen hung up while his gaze turned stony.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s store caught on fire?

    He thought about it, then slowly walked downstairs and swiftly called Su Chen.

 Chapter 1317 - Heartless 2

    <h4>Chapter 1317 Heartless 2</h4>

    Xi Xiaye was sound asleep after she took the medicine. When Mu Yuchen finished cooking the porridge and returned to check on her, she was still sleeping soundly, so he decided not to wake her up for now.

    The doorbell rang momentster. Mu Yuchen pulled the nket over Xi Xiaye and ran his fingers through her hair before leaving the bedroom.

    It was Li Si who was sending some documents over.

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve prepared the documents.¡±

    By the staircase outside the door, Li Si handed a ck briefcase over to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Master, is there any progress on Ah Mo¡¯s matter? Miss Lingshi is going to be discharged tomorrow. She asked me about Ah Mo¡¯s situation this morning. By the way, Chief Mu went to visit herst night. Gu Qiwu was there as well, but he avoided showing his face.¡±

    Father went to the hospital?

    Mu Yuchen was surprised. Mu Tangchuan had been busy in the past few days, and he did not even get a chance to see him thest time he returned to the Mu residence...

    Mu Tangchuan had a lot on his te. Not only did he need to help track Ah Mo down, but he also had many other things to investigate as well.

    Investigation?

    A memory shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s mind as he remembered Mu Tangchuan telling Zhuang Shurong to hand him a folder that consisted of information regarding what happened six years ago/ However, because he was busy with what happened to Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo, he did not have the time to look through it. Instead, he had told Xi Xiaye to put it in the study room.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu didn¡¯t go in and see Miss Lingshi. Chief Mu left veryte as well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen went quiet for a moment. ¡°Got it. I probably won¡¯t be going to the office in the next two days, so make the necessary arrangements and postpone the meetings to next week. Besides, take a look into what happened to Ms. Ji¡¯s store.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    Li Si took his leave after a short stay.

    Xi Xiaye was not sure how long she had been asleep, but she had a headache as she struggled to open her eyes. She could hear the sound of papers being flipped near her.

    She turned over and saw her man busy working on the sofa.

    Xi Xiaye stared at him for a long while as Mu Yuchen stayed focused. He flipped a page and nced over at her direction before he finally realized that the little woman had woken up and was watching him quietly.

    ¡°You¡¯re up? Do you want some water? Are you feeling better now?¡± He put the documents down and quickly went over with a ss of water.

    After Xi Xiaye drank some water, she looked much better than before though she still looked pale. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I feel better now after some sleep. What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°Half-past twelve. I made some porridge for you. Have some, alright?¡± Mu Yuchen put a hand on her forehead and was relieved to find that her fever had gone down.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly felt her empty stomach, so she quickly nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll put on a new cooling patch for you. Just stay at home and rest for now. I¡¯ve called Uncle Lan, and we¡¯ll go visit Grandpa when you¡¯re better.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa called?¡± Xi Xiaye coughed several times after she asked.

    ¡°Nope, but Father did. Xi Xinyi went to University A yesterday, and Mother got her to stay over for dinner.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm. He remembered his conversation with Han Yifeng in New York. It was about time for him to meet Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi? Did Mother get her to stay for dinner?¡± Xi Xiaye sat up. Mu Yuchen quickly grabbed a coat and put it over her shoulders before gently holding her up.

    ¡°I can walk on my own...¡± Xi Xiaye wrapped her arms around his shoulders before being able to stand properly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind you relying on me more.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her and smiled. ¡°I feel like it¡¯s been some time since Ist gave you a good hug.¡±

    ¡°You just did when we were on the long path on the Western fields. Am I getting heavier? Will you abandon me if I go out of shape?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been married for almost two years. Sadly, you hardly put on weight. No matter what you be, you¡¯ll always be my one and only goddess, okay?¡±

    She felt her heart warm up at his words. She smiled and dove into his chest, greedily longing for his scent. ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m going to take you for myself forever. No other woman will be able to see how good you are.¡±

    The nicer he was to her, the more she could not help loving him to the point that she would feel anxious whenever there was a tiny speck of uneasy element. She did not care how much feelings were involved anymore. She just knew that she could never leave him again...

    He smiled and stopped suddenly to look at her silky, long hair and hug her tightly, nearly merging her into him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll always be yours,¡± he said.

    Had he not just been waiting for her after so many years?

    ¡°The time spent with you are my happiest moments ever. You¡¯ll never know how blessed I feel when I see the person beside me whenever I wake up. I¡¯m so d that I met you, Mr. Mu...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He felt really happy as he put on a genuine smile. ¡°Then,tch onto me with all your might.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was touched as she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes...

    ...

    ¡°Boss, Doris has replied!¡±

    In the same beautiful afternoon, in the Gu residence, on the balcony of the study room, Gu Qiwu was standing by the railings and enjoying some tea as he gazed out at the flowers in the garden down below. All of a sudden, Ah Yong rushed in and informed him about the news.

    Although Ah Yong tried to lower his voice, it still echoed over the tiny, open balcony...

 Chapter 1318 - Heartless 3

    <h4>Chapter 1318 Heartless 3</h4>

    Gu Qiwu continued looking at the view down below as he replied Ah Yong coldly, ¡°Leave it be.¡± He then lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

    ¡°How¡¯s Lingshi? How¡¯s the investigation process into Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo¡¯s incident?¡± Gu Qiwu asked after a while.

    Ah Yong carefully left the letter on the table. ¡°Boss, Ms. Lingshi is alright. She¡¯ll be discharged soon. As for Mu Lingmo, Mu Tangchuan and Mu Yuchen have sent people to search for him, and so has Qi Feng as well, but the whereabouts of Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei are still unknown.¡±

    Gu Qiwu let out a cold burst ofughter. He turned around and put his teacup on the table, then he grabbed the letter and leaned back in the chair before slowly opening the letter...

    He was familiar with the handwriting. Although it was just a couple of simple lines, he could sense Doris¡¯s cheekiness within it.

    Why would Mr. Gu require my help? Meeting declined!

    With just those lines, Gu Qiwu could imagine how arrogant she was when writing the letter. He grinned coldly and grabbed a pack of cigarettes to slide a stick out and light it up. He then burned the letter...

    What an arrogant woman!

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes were cold and despicable.

    ¡°Find out where she is right now,¡± he said coldly.

    Ah Yong was stunned for a moment. It took him a while to process who the woman Gu Qiwu was referring to. ¡°Yes, Boss! By the way, would you like to meet Miss Lingsha? She doesn¡¯t seem to have been doing welltely. I bumped into her in Qi Kai yesterday. It sounds like she¡¯s having a rough time with Qi Feng...¡±

    Gu Lingsha?

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes calmed down slightly.

    ¡°Boss, regarding your decision with the legal consultants, Miss Lingsha will never agree to it. Moreover, Miss Lingshi is part of the Mu family now¡ª¡±

    Gu Qiwu interrupted Ah Yong, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. She¡¯s my daughter with Mu Zixi. I should still give her whatever she deserves. As for Doris and Lingsha, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever mistreated them all these years. I¡¯ve fulfilled whatever responsibilities that I should, so I don¡¯t owe them anything.

    ¡°I owe Lingshi the most. No matter what, it remains a fact that I¡¯m her father. Mu Tangchuan is just her uncle and nothing more.¡±

    Gu Qiwu was actually triggered by what he saw happen between Mu Tangchuan and Mu Lingshi when he visited the hospital. He could not help but imagine how wonderful it would be if Mu Tangchuan were him.

    Ah Mo was a young and capable man, and he valued Mu Lingshi greatly as well. The two of them were slightly shaken when he mentioned ns against Mu Yuchen, and he was using this chance to think about how to resolve the conflict between him and his daughter, but now it felt like there was no remedy to the dire situation.

    Perhaps, forgiveness was not the most important to him; it would be fine as long as they could live happily.

    Gu Qiwu felt that he had always taken the path of a lone wolf, and it would probably continue being that way in the future too. Anyway, he had gotten used to it.

    ¡°Boss, Mu Tangchuan is pretty good towards Miss Lingshi. I investigated, and it shows that the older Mu couple thinks of Miss Lingshi as their own daughter, giving her even more attention than Mu Yuchen. It was the same when Master Lingtian was alive as well. They were actually slightly estranged from their son Mu Yuchen, but things got better after Xi Xiaye married him.¡±

    Ah Yong was not someone who usually stuck his nose into ces, but he noticed that Gu Qiwu was concerned. His boss was always a cold person, but he was also lonely. As his subordinate, he could not stand to see him like this any longer.

    He did not and could not understand Gu Qiwu. However, sometimes Gu Qiwu¡¯s loneliness made his subordinates feel sorry for him...

    Gu Qiwu was stunned for a moment after hearing Ah Yong¡¯s words, but he did not say anything and just took a deep breath. Then, he left the half cigarette in the ashtray and slowly walked back into the house.

    Ah Yong just followed after him without saying anything.

    ...

    Sickness was tough to endure, and Xi Xiaye was feeling terrible when the fever hit her. She felt weak all over in the next few days. As if topensate for all the strength she overspent in the past, she had no energy and was pale.

    Mu Yuchen stayed by her side and took care of her. Their home became his office, and Li Si woulde over and deliver documents to him every day.

    She had been waking upte at around 10 a.m. every day. She probably would have continued sleeping if Mu Yuchen did not wake her up to take medicine.

    He called Dr. Zhong to take a look at her again, and Xi Xiaye felt slightly better after an injection, so she fell asleep again after a light lunch.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. Missus is just a little exhausted. Perhaps, she¡¯s overworked herselftely, but she¡¯ll be fine after recovering for some time,¡± Dr. Zhongforted Mu Yuchen when he was leaving and noticed the worry in his eyes.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Pleasee over in the morning for the next few days.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Dr. Zhong took a bow before leaving.

    Just as he left, there was the voice of someone greeting from outside, ¡°Good afternoon, Dr. Zhong!¡±

    ¡°Good afternoon, Master Su! Good afternoon, Assistant Li!¡±

    ¡°Good day, Dr. Zhong!¡±

    ...

    Su Chen and Li Si?

    Mu Yuchen paused as he was brewing tea by the sofa, but he then continued what he was doing just moments ago.

 Chapter 1319 - Heartless 4

    <h4>Chapter 1319 Heartless 4</h4>

    Thud¡ª

    A breeze blew into Maple Residence.

    A thick folder appeared on the coffee table as Mu Yuchen was taking a sip of the tea he just made. He raised his head and nced at Su Chen.

    Su Chen helped himself to a cup of tea and sat down after emptying the cup. ¡°Here¡¯s what you wanted: the documents inside Inspector Zhang¡¯s safe box. It¡¯s identical to what Uncle Mu found out. I checked with all the registered car workshops six years ago and looked into the mentioned workshop again.¡±

    He refilled his cup and continued, ¡°This workshop was a medium-sized workshop ording to the documents. Doris and Gu Lingsha mentioned they wanted to go and offer their prayers at Guang Yuan Temple, the reason being, to pray for a good rtionship between Gu Lingsha and you. It was Lingtian who sent them over, and only a few of them went there.

    ¡°The car started having issues on the way back, and it was coincidentally sent to this workshop for repair. It was located in a remote area. The car had a t tire because there was some road construction work that went on nearby, and it seemed pretty normal at a nce. Inspector Zhang did a thorough investigation of the workshop¡¯s owner and workers, and he found out something really interesting. Would you like to know what it was?¡± Su Chen tried to pique Mu Yuchen¡¯s interest.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him before emptying his cup of tea and refilling it again. He opened the folder and started looking through the documents...

    Su Chen shrugged and continued, ¡°The workshop owner¡¯s lover was once the lover of Doris¡¯s subordinate, Glenn, when they were still studying back in Ennd. The owner, of course, had no idea, but he was a typical wife¡¯s ve and wouldn¡¯t defy his wife¡¯s orders. There was proof that Glenn frequently contacted this woman sometime before Lingtian¡¯s ident. It might be worth checking out.¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly looked through the documents and managed to understand the situation. His expression hardly changed, but darkness started rising slowly in his eyes.

    ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve checked the security camera footage. Some street thugs passed by at night andmitted arson. The suspects have been arrested. They confessed that someone hired them to do so, meaning to teach me a lesson. After thinking it through, while I do have a lot of enemies, there aren¡¯t many who would try to go against me publicly, and the recent incidents are pointing me towards one specific answer.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s voice was cold. How could they try to hurt his woman? How dare they!?

    ¡°Doris or Qi Feng?¡± Mu Yuchen managed to capture his message.

    ¡°They sound like part of a group now, don¡¯t they?¡± Su Chen put on a cold smile. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t trying to cooperate with Ah Mo right now, I¡¯d have already taken them into the police station! And it¡¯s very likely that Doris is the one behind Lingtian¡¯s incident. Speaking of which, we assumed that Doris didn¡¯t know about Lingtian¡¯s identity, but Inspector Zhang¡¯s results indicate that she has investigated Aunt Zixi before. Do you really think she had no idea? I¡¯m pretty sure that she was trying to harm Lingtian.¡±

    ¡°Well, she knew about Lingtian¡¯s identity earlier than anyone else. Inspector Zhang already found the workshop owner¡¯s location, but we can¡¯t reveal it right now.¡±

    ¡°He found him? Where?¡± Su Chen was surprised.

    ¡°In a vige near City B. He divorced his wife, and she¡¯s currently one of Glenn¡¯s mistresses,¡± Mu Yuchen said coldly as he put on a grin, ¡°It was the owner who wanted a divorce, the reason being that he didn¡¯t want to burden his woman any longer. The woman went back to the UK after their divorce, and she sends him some money every three months. Inspector Zhang couldn¡¯t find out much from him since probing more than necessary might cause suspicion.¡±

    ¡°So, Inspector Zhang went to the UK and tried to investigate that woman?¡± Su Chen was surprised.

    Mu Yuchen did not reply, but his bright eyes gave the answer.

    ¡°Is there still no news regarding Ah Mo¡¯s incident? Is Lingshi doing well?¡± Su Chen asked quietly.

    ¡°Father is working on Ah Mo¡¯s incident at the moment. Our manpower is limited, after all. It¡¯s good enough that we know he¡¯s fine. I¡¯m interested to see what Doris is up to. Ah Mo will be fine if she intends to put on a full performance up until the very end, but it might be a different case for Qi Lei!¡±

    ¡°True. Qi Feng will want him gone as soon as possible. Fortunately, Ah Mo is with him. If Doris isn¡¯t an idiot, she would let Qi Lei live, but he will suffer a little at least.¡± Su Chen sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m really unhappy with Gu Qiwu¡¯s efficiency.¡±

    ¡°If Doris and he aren¡¯t going to sh, Ah Mo¡¯s sacrifice will be for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If she¡¯s willing to take the risk, she won¡¯t just give up here,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly before putting the documents back into the folder and handing them to Li Si. ¡°Keep this and tell Ah Bao to send more people to keep an eye on the workshop owner. I don¡¯t want Doris to have any escape route this time.¡±

    While his tone was calm, Li Si could sense a chilly aura from his words!

 Chapter 1320 - Heartless 5

    <h4>Chapter 1320 Heartless 5</h4>

    The weather was getting cold as they approached winter, especially towards the end of the year.

    Even though City Z did not experience the bitter cold winter like the northern part of the country, after a downpour of cold, quiet rain, the air suddenly felt humid, and cold winds rustled. The chilly wave instantly engulfed the entire city, turning it frigid.

    Xi Xiaye did not remember how long she had rested, but it was quite a long time since Mu Yuchen forced her to stay home and rest. After quite a few days of nursing her health back to normal, she felt like she recovered a little bit of energy. Her pale face gradually colored with a faint rosiness too.

    During this time, she frequently returned to the Mu family¡¯s old residence and the Shen residence. Of course, everyone seemed to have a mutual understanding of not bringing up Ah Mo¡¯s matter, but you could feel the atmosphere bing tenser and tenser.

    Mu Yuchen left home early and returnedte. He had been quite busy with work recently. Sometimes, when he rested at the old Mu residence, he would find himself chatting with Mu Tangchuan tillte before going back to his room to rest.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s baby bump was showing more and more. Zhuang Shurong apanied her for all the checkups. Only after the doctor dered that all was well and that the child was growing fine, everyone felt relieved.

    Throughout the whole time, Gu Qiwu had looked for Mu Lingshi once. Of course, this was when they were at Maple Residence.

    Mu Lingshi only said a few words to him at the entrance of Maple Residence, and when she came back, she did not look very happy. Xi Xiaye had asked her about it in concern, but Mu Lingshi was not willing to say anything, so she did not ask anymore...

    The weather was getting colder, especially after the cold winter rain. The air suddenly became that much more bitterly cold.

    In an ancient city near City Z, the scenery in the backyard of a holiday vi was very beautiful. The entire yard was blooming with plum blossoms. The pink petals covered the entire ground, and the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance of the plum blossoms.

    Doris sat on the soft bench at the pavilion. She was focused on putting the plum blossoms she had cut into the vases. Beside her was a huge bunch of the blossoms. Of course, there were also other flowers to decorate with. In her white fox fur overcoat, she looked graceful.

    Gu Lingsha stood quietly on the side, watching silently as Doris worked away. Her face that strikingly resembled Doris¡¯s looked gloomy as her red lips were pursed. She opened her mouth slightly as if wanting to say something, yet she dared not make a sound as she was worried that she would disturb her mother¡¯s mood and make her unhappy.

    After a while, the big bouquet of flowers in the vase was carefully arranged by Doris who then noticed Gu Lingsha standing by her side. Doris then unhurriedly nced at her, catching Gu Lingsha¡¯s gaze. Instantly, her eyes turned cold as if she was unhappy with the way she was not meeting her expectations.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone through so much, yet your short temper hasn¡¯t changed a bit. You still get anxious with a little matter like this. Shasha, it seems like you don¡¯t listen to anything I usually teach you.¡± As Doris looked coldly at her, her tone sounded stern.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha was stunned. She tried hard to keep herself calm, but no matter what, she just felt uneasy...

    ¡°Mother, I went to look for Father yesterday, but he wouldn¡¯t see me at all. I heard that he¡¯s been looking for hiswyer quite frequently. Do you think he¡¯s thinking of giving Mu Lingshi something?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling me that he won¡¯t see you? Shasha, I really don¡¯t hope to see my daughter turn out to be a useless person. What¡¯s the point of seeing him? Do you think he¡¯ll pity you? Don¡¯t forget your days at the police station. Gu Qiwu and Qi Feng are probably the same type of men. I¡¯m telling you not to care about Gu Qiwu¡¯s matter anymore. Control Qi Feng well. Is it going in one ear and out the other?¡±

    ¡°No, Mother, Qi Feng said that a while back, Gu Qiwu went to look for Mu Lingshi again...¡±

    ¡°So, did he ask you toe to look for me?¡± Doris¡¯s voice instantly turned cold.

    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t, Mother. I¡¯vee to you myself. Qi Feng¡¯s rarely been talking to me these days, and Weiwei too...¡± Whenever Weiwei was mentioned, Gu Lingsha had to be careful because Doris had never liked the little girl.

    ¡°Huh, I know what he¡¯s thinking! Haven¡¯t I already fulfilled his conditions? Whatever is next depends on him. I don¡¯t have that much time to care. He wants to reap what he hasn¡¯t sown without as much as lifting a finger. Qi Feng thinks he¡¯s too qualified now.¡±

    ¡°Mother, Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude towards Qi Feng is quite odd. They seem to be closer than before, but I do think something¡¯s strange. Right, Ah Feng¡¯s legs have regained senses. Yesterday, I even saw Morrison help him stand up from his wheelchair even though he can¡¯t stand for too long. Professor Terl also mentioned that things are looking up,¡± Gu Lingsha lowered her voice and said softly.

    Upon hearing that, Doris paused. Her cold gaze flickered a little, and she did not say anything. Instead, she continued what she was doing.

    Just as the mother and daughter were chatting, on the straight road outside the vi, three ck luxury cars were driving in a convoy towards the vi.

    In the car, Ah Yong took a look at the holiday vi, then turned to Gu Qiwu who was shutting his eyes to rest. He hesitated, and in the end softly said, ¡°Boss, Boss, we¡¯ve reached the holiday vi!¡±

    When Ah Yong announced that, Gu Qiwu did not react right away. Because Ah Yong thought he did not hear him, he was about to call out again when Gu Qiwu suddenly opened his eyes slowly.

    ¡°Boss, that¡¯s the holiday vi up ahead. I heard from the brothers that early this morning, Miss Lingsha rushed over here, so she¡¯s probably still here. Look...¡± Ah Yong said softly.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s grave and stern face did not reveal any expression, but his heart was filled with rity. With all the trouble this evil woman had cooked up, he knew that Doris just wanted him to have his hands tied and wait to be captured. Did she want him to concede?

    To achieve her goals, she spared no tricks. That was Doris for you!

    The annoying thing was that before he had been free of this woman¡¯s ck magic, he had been so good to her, but in the end, she still plotted against him and cheated on him. She had not repented either!

    After Gu Qiwu had hit her with a vicious p, she did not evene to a realization. Instead, she became even worse!

    When he thought about this, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression became even gloomier. From where he sat, Ah Yong could feel the coldness from him.

    Gu Qiwu turned to look at the scenery out the window as his lukewarm voice rang out, ¡°I¡¯m surprised she could find such a ce and sit still. I¡¯ve underestimated her!¡±

 Chapter 1321 - Heartless 6

    <h4>Chapter 1321 Heartless 6</h4>

    The car slowly stopped in front of the entrance of the vi, and eight bodyguards soon got down from the cars behind. They all marched up in a well-trained manner.

    Ah Yong got down from the car too and walked over to open the car door for Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Boss, we¡¯re here!¡± he said.

    Gu Qiwu disembarked from the car in a rigid manner. When he looked up ahead, a luxurious holiday vi greeted his sight. Naturally, there were bodyguards on guard at the door too, especially when they saw the group stopping there.

    Gu Qiwu looked at the vi through squinted eyes. After a while, he walked ahead.

    ...

    In the backyard of the vi, Gu Lingsha was still trying to persuade Doris, but her mother looked even unhappier.

    ¡°Mother, I think we should make ns as soon as possible. Mu Yuchen has suddenly returned, and Su Chen¡¯s so proactive. You should know that those buddies have the power, especially Su Chen. The reason I was detained thest time was because of him, I...¡±

    ¡°Is that why you resent her and got someone to burn his woman¡¯s flower store? Did you used arson to vent your anger?¡± At this point, Doris could not hold back her anger. She red coldly at Gu Lingsha. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been doing my back? Shasha, I don¡¯t understand if you¡¯re really stupid or if your brain¡¯s malfunctioning. Do you think Su Chen¡¯s as dumb as you are?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression paled as she fell silent for a while. ¡°Mother, they¡¯re the bullies. Su Chen has never been nice to me, so I have to teach him a little lesson. Besides, I¡¯ve handled things well, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that, Mother. It¡¯s not a bad thing for us to toss more worries in Su Chen¡¯s way.¡±

    She did not think that she was wrong. Apart from venting her anger, she could even ruffle Su Chen¡¯s feathers. This would be killing two birds with one stone.

    ¡°Do you really think Mu Yuchen wouldn¡¯t be able to guess that you¡¯re the one behind it? Mu Yuchen¡¯s sudden return was already a bad thing for us. Many things can¡¯t be put to full use. How else do you think Mu Lingshi remains unscathed? If she¡¯s doing just fine, then hmph! You¡¯ll be kicked away soon enough,¡± Doris said as a sneer of disdain shed on the corner of her lips.

    Stunned, Gu Lingsha then said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. Even if they can guess, they wouldn¡¯t have any evidence.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then you¡¯ve just alerted the enemy, you fool! How did I give birth to such a useless thing, you ipetent bungler!? Shasha, you¡¯re going more and more off-track now. I don¡¯t remember you being this foolish! Shit!¡±

    Doris watched on as Gu Lingsha anxiously tried to exin, and she felt even more disappointed. ¡°Shasha, since when have you be someone who only knows how to go after someone and not reflect on yourself? Every failure is meant to build your foundation for the next time you strike. What have I been teaching you? We¡¯d rather overestimate our enemies than think they¡¯re as dumb as you are!¡±

    Gu Lingsha felt annoyed upon hearing Doris¡¯s reprimanding words. ¡°Mother, you have your way of doing things, and I have mine. Qi Feng couldn¡¯ty a hand on them because of Xi Xiaye, so can¡¯t I do something for myself? Besides, I guarantee that I¡¯ve handled things cleanly. Even if Su Chen wants to suspect anything, he wouldn¡¯t find anything that leads back to me!¡±

    ¡°But they have most probably locked their targets onto me! Especially with all the recent incidents, do you think you¡¯re the only one with brains?¡± Doris¡¯s stern voice rang out while her blue eyes shed with a cold light as she looked at Gu Lingsha in irritation. ¡°A little impatience spoils great ns. You know this principle. How are you thinking of controlling Qi Feng? It¡¯s been so many years, yet you can¡¯t even lock down a man!¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡± When Doris hit her sore spot, Gu Lingsha said unhappily, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Xi Xiaye, Ah Feng and I would¡¯ve been fine right now! If we¡¯re going to talk about scheming, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m really not her rival! She¡¯s really hard to deal with right now!¡¯

    ¡°Hmph, if your man can be influenced by another woman, then that only proves to show that you¡¯re too dumb and not charming enough. You can¡¯t even watch your man. How useless of you!¡± Doris said with a disdainful sneer.

    Upon hearing Doris¡¯ triggering criticism, Gu Lingsha finally could not help but raise her voice to say, ¡°If you¡¯re so capable, then Father wouldn¡¯t be like this! Mother, why do you have to say such hurtful things? I¡¯m your daughter, not a toy for you to vent on! Can¡¯t you be less harsh to us?¡±

    ¡°Huh, my thing with Gu Qiwu is different from yours. At least, I can say that I had him for decades! All men are the same! If you don¡¯t take control of your authority as a woman, then you won¡¯t be able to handle any man! They¡¯re all born with the same wicked bones, just like you! If you weren¡¯t the daughter of the Gu family, do you think Qi Feng and the Qi family would¡¯ve epted you? Dream on, Shasha!¡±

    Doris appeared incisive and shrewd when she said all that. Her eyes flickered with an exceptionally sardonic expression while that smile on the corner of her lips seemed to be mocking something.

    As Doris looked at her daughter, she began to speak sincerely, ¡°I¡¯ve seen tons of these things. Shasha, trust me. Men are not to be trusted, even the ones you marry! Your father, Gu Qiwu, has been thinking about how to go against me from the moment we got married. Tell me, how can you hope for any true love in this world? You say you love Qi Feng, don¡¯t you? Let me ask you then. If I gave you a billion, ten billion, or a hundred billion to abandon him, would you be willing to?¡±

    One billion?

    Ten billion?

    One hundred billion?

    As Gu Lingsha listened, she did not quite react to the first amount, then she began hesitating at the second one, and towards the end of thatst amount, her heart began to shift. She could not quite say it, but her heart started to feel confused.

    Doris caught all of Gu Lingsha¡¯s reactions, and she smirked coldly. ¡°See? In your sub-conscience, you¡¯re just like me. Money¡¯s more important. When it¡¯s just a trivial amount, you won¡¯t consider it, but when the amount¡¯s quite significant, you begin to hesitate. This is an inherent instinct, Shasha! You might not love Qi Feng that much. It¡¯s just like how if Qi Feng were to choose, he¡¯d definitely choose that hundred billion and abandon you,¡± she sneered.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed slightly while her lips parted. She was about to say something when there were sounds of footsteps from the corridor behind.

    ¡°Miss Doris, Mr. Gu is here. He¡¯s right outside! Our people couldn¡¯t stop him. He says he wants to see you!¡±

 Chapter 1322 - Vicious! 1

    <h4>Chapter 1322 Vicious! 1</h4>

    The sudden voice interrupted their argument.

    ¡°Father¡¯s here?¡± Gu Lingsha was surprised, and her eyes widened as she looked at Doris. She noticed her mother just acting as usual with her cold eyes. In the next moment, Doris looked at her subordinate. ¡°Oh? Did he force his way in?¡±

    ¡°Miss, should we stop him?¡± the subordinate asked for Doris¡¯s opinion as he was aware of her rtionship with Gu Qiwu.

    Doris grinned coldly, and momentster, she nced at Gu Lingshi. ¡°Go back and reflect on yourself. Stop underestimating people, and use your brain before taking action the next time! Don¡¯t ever show your face before me again if this happens! Get lost!¡± she scolded.

    ¡°Mother, I want to see Father...¡± Gu Lingsha said quietly while lowering her head. Although she was upset, she did not dare to defy Doris.

    ¡°I told you to get lost!¡± Doris¡¯s tone turned serious as she averted her gaze away and started casually arranging the flowers nearby. ¡°Bring that man over.¡±

    Gu Lingsha could not respond with anything, so she just turned around and left.

    The subordinate left after a brief reply too.

    Gu Qiwu and Ah Yong came all the way to the backyard. Ah Yong stopped as they turned into a corridor while the bodyguards were on standby as well. They could see Doris arranging the flowers in a vase.

    Gu Qiwu slowed his steps as he got closer to Doris. She was such a beautiful, fair woman. She pretty much looked the same all these years. However, her extraordinary appearance hid a hideous heart inside! She had the face of an angel but the heart of a devil!

    That was what Doris was like.

    He had been aware of her decisive and bold personality when they were young. If they lived in ancient times, she would probably have been a cold, brutal general. He was once impressed by her beauty and proud demeanor, but now...

    Gu Qiwu thought that he would probably have given her what she wanted if things had been different, but how could he ept her betrayal of him when he had only loved her all these years?

    He was angry and disgusted when he was reminded of why he came here today!

    Gu Qiwu went near her with a cold smile. He soon stopped behind Doris.

    Doris did not even bother to turn around when she heard the sounds of footsteps getting closer. She continued tending to the flowers. Meanwhile, the pleasant scent of the flowers made Gu Qiwu feel refreshed.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes were cold as he looked at Doris. His voice reached her ears along with the wind.

    ¡°What do you think? I don¡¯t understand why you have to rush into my ce and interrogate me, Gu Qiwu. You¡¯ve really never changed at all. Do you think you have the right to ask me?¡±

    Gu Qiwu could sense the chill in her words as well as...hatred!

    With a bitter smile, he sat down beside her and poured himself a cup of hot tea. He only spoke up after taking a sip, ¡°You¡¯re the one who shouldn¡¯t mention the word ¡®right¡¯. If you¡¯re talking about our divorce, you deserved it. You betrayed our marriage of 30 years, and you¡¯re still trying to take more away from me. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a ridiculous joke?¡±

    ¡°A ridiculous joke? Gu Qiwu, aren¡¯t you aware of how cheap a person you are? You already plotted against me when I decided to marry you. 30 years of marriage? Do you think that I¡¯m a fool? You betrayed me first!¡±

    ¡°Be honest. Have I ever mistreated you in the past thirty years? You¡¯ve been getting a lot of dividends from the number of shares you hold. You¡¯ve benefited well, haven¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu red at Doris.

    What a greedy woman!

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to find an excuse for your betrayal. You¡¯ve never intended to be loyal to me anyway, or else, what was up with Mu Zi? What about Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi? You¡¯re the worst. If I¡¯d known she was such a dirty woman, I¡¯d have ended her! You really put in a lot of effort to protect her, didn¡¯t you?!¡± Her eyes zed when she spoke to Gu Qiwu as anger took over her.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Doris! Our matters aren¡¯t rted to a dead person! Do not mention Mu Zi¡¯s name. I¡¯ve done enough for Lingsha and you, but I¡¯ve totally neglected Lingtian and Lingshi! Get a hold of yourself!¡±

    ¡°Really? Then why are you standing here right now?¡± Doris put on a cold smile.

    ¡°That depends on you. About the matter of Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei, you¡¯re behind it, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu asked coldly, and he sounded pretty sure as he stared at Doris.

 Chapter 1323 - Vicious! 2

    <h4>Chapter 1323 Vicious! 2</h4>

    Doris¡¯s expression remained unchanged after listening to Gu Qiwu¡¯s words.

    Gu Qiwu calmly enjoyed his tea even when she said nothing. He just watched as she continued to trim the leaves. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to work on the nts further. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ironic for someone as vicious as you to do something like this? Do you think by acting this way you could hide the dirty, wicked side of yours?¡±

    Doris¡¯s scissors slipped and snipped off a freshly bloomed flower. She tried to fix it by trimming down more parts, but it did not look natural no matter how she tried.

    Meanwhile, Gu Qiwu did not seem very pleased. ¡°Stop wasting each other¡¯s time. You should know that I¡¯m truly disgusted by you and wouldn¡¯t want to see you if possible.¡±

    nk¡ª

    Doris¡¯s expression darkened as she threw away the pair of scissors before hurling the vase right past him. The vase broke and the flowers scattered all over the floor.

    Gu Qiwu just looked at her in disdain. ¡°You don¡¯t have to put on an act anymore. I know you did it. What do you want? Where are Ah Mo and Qi Lei right now? What do you want?¡± He decided it was time to be straightforward because he was sure that no one else could have done this except Doris!

    Only this crazy woman would pull off an insane feat such as kidnapping the Second Master of Qi Kai, Qi Qiming¡¯s son, as well as the Mu family¡¯s son-inw, Mu Yuchen¡¯s top subordinate!

    Doris turned around and looked at him with a smile on her face. She poured herself a cup of tea. ¡°Ah Mo? Aren¡¯t you two close now? Haven¡¯t you decided to get Mu Lingshi to officially be your daughter now?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi is my daughter with Zixi. She belongs to the Gu family, so what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Gu Qiwu nced at her coldly.

    She let out a burst of coldughter. ¡°What are you going to do with Lingsha then? Don¡¯t tell me you did all those things to me because of this, Gu Qiwu. I suppose you¡¯ve never thought of us as important to you, huh?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say. I just want to know what you want by pulling this stunt? Are you trying to threaten me with those photos? I¡¯m here now, so tell me how much you want!¡± Gu Qiwu did not even look at Doris when he spoke. He nced coldly over the broken vase on the floor.

    He could not stand to be considerate about this woman anymore. He was totally ignorant of the anger showing on her face. It might have been impossible for him in the past, but he could actually be calm before her right now. Perhaps, he did not love Doris as much as he thought...

    Was he actually a truly cold-hearted person?

    Doris¡¯s expression did not seem well. Gu Qiwu nced over and noticed her angry, frozen expression while her grip on the teacup tightened.

    ¡°Why do you think that I¡¯m behind it?¡± Doris took a deep breath and suppressed her anger. Her tone was cold when she spoke.

    Gu Qiwu let out a scoff ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to guess. I¡¯ve been with you for 30 years, Doris. Although I can¡¯t say I know everything about you, doing dirty, wicked things have always been your thing, hasn¡¯t it? You only care about the benefits anyway.¡±

    Doris red at him. ¡°You¡¯re the same too, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re heartless and cruel! You already plotted against me long before we were married. Isn¡¯t that even dirtier?¡±

    However, Gu Qiwu just ignored her words.

    She took a sip from her cup of tea before waving her hand and summoned Glenn over. He stopped right before Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, please cooperate with us and let us do an examination.¡±

    As Gu Qiwu raised his eyebrows, he nced at Doris who seemed to be extremely wary of him. Then, he put the teacup down and stood up.

    Glenn nced over at two bodyguards who quickly did a body search of Gu Qiwu and then left after confirming that there was no issue.

    Doris spoke up momentster, ¡°You¡¯re the one who makes things difficult, Gu Qiwu. You shouldn¡¯t have done that to me if you know me. I hate people tricking me, and this person just had to be my husband who imed that he loved me!¡±

    ¡°Enough! That¡¯s insulting! How dare you say something like that when you betrayed me, Doris? Do you think of me as an idiot? Are you forcing me to do what you say and then try to harm Lingshi?¡± Gu Qiwu was angered by her questioning and usations!

    Doris put on a cold smile. ¡°Look at how much you care about Mu Lingshi! But have you forgotten that you have another daughter as well?¡±

    ¡°Just what do you want?¡± His expression darkened as he asked.

    She put down her teacup and nced at Gu Qiwu indifferently. ¡°Nothing much. I just want you to reconsider some decisions. Also, I want you to promise that Mu Lingshi will never be part of the Gu family, which means that Shasha will be your only sessor!¡±

 Chapter 1324 - Vicious! 3

    <h4>Chapter 1324 Vicious! 3</h4>

    Doris¡¯s words were determined while those blue eyes were incisive! There was a gray area in her words that Gu Qiwu could not figure out. It was extremelyplicated!

    That gaze...

    Gu Qiwu had no idea how he tolerated her for 30 years and even saw her as a woman that he truly loved. His eyes turned dark, and in that instant, he suddenly saw shadows of Mu Lingshi!

    Those eyes were surprisingly simr to Mu Zixi¡¯s. Mu Zixi was actually just a pure and simple person, who was as spotless as a white sheet. On that white sheet, apart from the colors of the Mu family, there was probably only Gu Qiwu, yet as he looked at Doris again, she imed that was doing it for Gu Lingsha though it was probably for herself.

    To him, he could only see all her desires and greed, and her dark viciousness of doing things by hook or by crook, thus he suddenly felt confused. What was the reason behind his so-called true love for Doris all these years?

    Gu Qiwu could not determine what it was, but now as he watched Doris closing in hard on him, he did not feel happy. His stern face was as dark as the sky before a storm!

    ¡°The Gu family¡¯s only sessor?¡± Gu Qiwu sneered in disdain, ¡°Mu Yuchen has the DNA report on me and Lingshi. Do you think that even if I say so, everyone else would agree? Doris, you¡¯d best not get on my nerves!¡±

    ¡°Enough, Gu Qiwu, I¡¯ll just tell you the truth. I like making deals with sincere people, and I hate those who don¡¯t know how to appreciate favors. It¡¯s best that you consider this properly. What decision should we make so that we can achieve a win-win situation?!¡± Doris said in a slightly lowered voice. She stared at Gu Qiwu¡¯s face andughed as she said, ¡°You¡¯re someone who knows how to consider things. You want to acknowledge your daughter, but it doesn¡¯t seem like Mu Lingshi wants to, does she?¡±

    Her words made Gu Qiwu¡¯s brows furrow, and his gaze turned cold as he stared at Doris calmly. ¡°Perhaps I could grant this wish of yours, but that¡¯ll depend on how you behave.¡±

    Herughter had a biting cold chill to it. Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression looked worse while Doris instantly stoppedughing and continued, ¡°Transfer 40 percent of the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s shares to my name. In fact, you have to write your will right away and organize a press conference to announce that Hui Gu¡¯s future sessor is going to be Shasha. Those are my conditions,¡± Doris did not beat around the bush as she said with a sneer.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s lips curled downwards as he stared at Doris mysteriously then said with a smile, ¡°You really do know how to demand things. If I do as you say, doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re trying to take down the entire Hui Gu and the Gu family? Do you think I¡¯d agree to that?¡±

    ¡°What do you say? You should know that I¡¯ve always been one with vicious methods. If I do anything to your son-inw, do you think your precious daughter with Mu Zixi will forgive you? I heard she¡¯s quite a few months pregnant. Do you want her to go down the same path as Mu Zixi?¡±

    Dorisughed coldly while her eyes shed with an exceptionally heartless light. When she saw Gu Qiwu¡¯s handsome face darken, she chuckled again. ¡°You should know my methods to go against people. Even though it¡¯s not easy to go against someone as strong-willed as Mu Lingmo, there are ways such as injecting him with drugs, virus antigens, or...¡±

    Bam!

    Before Doris could finish, Gu Qiwu had already stood up angrily. The teacup in hand was smashed to the ground. In that instant it shattered, the pieces of ceramic and tea residue with slightly boiling liquid sttered all over. Even Doris¡¯s face was hit by a shattered piece, creating a thin bloody line.

    Gu Qiwu stared her down coldly, and you could see that his anger was at its peak. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a threat. It¡¯s a negotiation. If you really want to see it that way, then so be it. Either way, it¡¯s not hard for me to ruin someone¡¯s willpower.¡± Doris seemed to enjoy the way Gu Qiwu was acting right now. ¡°Are you feeling very angry? That anger makes you want to just kill...ah¡ª¡±

    However, before Doris could finish, a dark figure hade over. To her shock, Gu Qiwu¡¯s strong hand instantly gripped her by the neck and tightened in an instant. It felt as if he exerted any more force, he could instantly break her neck!

    ¡°Witch! You¡¯re the first person who¡¯d dare threaten me. Who do you think you are? I¡¯m telling you, if you do anything to them, you will end up worse than them!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s gloomy voice was sinister. At that moment when he spoke, his hand gripped her even harder. Doris could barely breathe, and her blue eyes widened with disbelief, yet a viciousness shed in them!

    She lifted a leg and wanted to kick Gu Qiwu¡¯s bottom half as her fingers reached out to grab him!

    But who was Gu Qiwu now?

    He was an agile person with a martial arts background. Doris¡¯s little movement was elementary, thus he was one step ahead of her in letting go, but not before he pped her hard, and on top of that,nding a punch to her jaw.

    You could only hear the loud sound of a p, and a white figure flew to the side. Then came the painful screams. Suddenly, you could see Doris rolling down the stairs!

    ¡°Miss!¡±

    ¡°Boss!¡±

    The row of people who had been watching from the side quickly rushed up!

    ¡°Get lost! You¡¯re not needed here!¡±

    ¡°Glenn, you go away too!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice was heard. Doris could not care less about the pain she felt as she roared too. The people from both parties dared not say much as they retreated to the side.

    At that moment, Doris slowly propped herself up to sit, appearing embarrassed. On her neck, as well as her beautiful face, bruises and the mark of a p were clearly seen. Specks of blood could also be seen on the corner of her mouth as a result of the punch too.

    On the back of Gu Qiwu¡¯s hand were five bloody lines from her scratch!

    Doris lifted a hand to wipe the blood on the corner of her mouth away as she stared at Gu Qiwu resentfully. She did not expect him to reallyy a hand on her. He did not demonstrate a hint of pity at all. Was this his so-called true love all these years?

    Doris silently suffered through the pain as she inhaled quite a few breaths before a mocking sneer shed across her face. ¡°What? Are you afraid now? Haven¡¯t you always feared nothing?¡±

 Chapter 1325 - Vicious! 4

    <h4>Chapter 1325 Vicious! 4</h4>

    As she spoke, she propped herself up. Her blue eyes revealed a fearless staunchness. Doris got up with the help of the railing on the side as she held her face that burned with pain. Her crazy eyes focused on the miserable-looking Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Doris, I won¡¯t ept your threats. If you¡¯re going toy your hands on them, then you¡¯re just forcing me. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve miscalcted! I can tell Qi Qiming about today, and when that happens, the person who¡¯s got more to lose than gain won¡¯t be me!¡± Gu Qiwu warned coldly.

    Upon hearing that, Doris justughed out loud. ¡°Gu Qiwu, I think you¡¯re being foolish now. You want to just blurt things to Qi Qiming without having any evidence. Do you think he¡¯ll believe you? Huh, if you won¡¯t give in, then we shall wait and see whose methods will go harder!¡±

    ¡°If you really want to do things that way, I¡¯ll y along with you. Do you think I¡¯d care about Mu Lingmo? Huh, to me, Mu Lingmo isn¡¯t evenpatible with Lingshi. Only when he¡¯s done for can Lingshi find a better one. She will be the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s sessor. As for Lingsha, because of a mother like you, she might not get anything at all. I was nning to give her a part of Hui Gu, but because you exist, unfortunately, she won¡¯t be getting anything!¡±

    Gu Qiwuughed gloomily, then he lowered his voice to say into Doris¡¯s ear, ¡°Do you think Qi Qiming will let you off? Did you all think Qi Feng could really aplish anything? I¡¯m afraid that even Qi Qiming doesn¡¯t understand his own thoughts right now! Taking these risks will only narrow your own path. Qi Qiming¡¯s not dumb. You¡¯ll only push him further away. You think too highly of yourself. Given your level, you can only do so much. In fact, don¡¯t forget that you still have to handle Mu Yuchen. Are you really all that smart?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice was filled with disdain, as he took a look at Doris. He did not think that he could see this arrogant woman show a moment of embarrassed hesitance and uneasiness on her face in his lifetime!

    As his long slender fingertips lifted her chin, he said coldly with a smile, ¡°Doris, if you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll let them go. Otherwise, you¡¯re just digging your own grave. I know how to be vicious and despicable too. In fact, who do you think has more potential of being a devil? Don¡¯t give me that look. You dirty woman, do you think you are elegant and beautiful? You can¡¯t evenpare to the cheapest prostitute to me. Do you really think you¡¯re a noble princess? How tragic!¡±

    Gu Qiwu was heartless as he coldly said these and then shrugged Doris off. She stumbled and fell down the stairs again. Although she cried out in pain and wanted to get up to p Gu Qiwu, she did not get to because he was already walking away in huge strides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy, Gu Qiwu. You¡¯ll beg me one day! You will!¡± Doris clenched her fists until warm blood leaked out as she watched him walk away. Glenn wanted to go up and stop him, but she shouted to let him leave.

    ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡± Glenn swiftly went up to hold her. He watched as blood dripped from the corner of Doris¡¯s lips and he cursed coldly, ¡°Gu Qiwu¡¯s not a man!¡±

    However, Doris justughed. There was madness in her voice as she said, ¡°No, you don¡¯t know that this is the real Gu Qiwu. When he gets vicious, he doesn¡¯t care who you are. What a selfish, heartless person!¡±

    ¡°He will pay the price for this!¡± Glenn said coldly.

    ¡°Help me back and call thewyer over. Also, get Qi Feng toe over. There¡¯s a change in our ns. If he doesn¡¯t want to get into trouble, tell him to rush over right away.¡±

    Doris endured the pain and her gaze turned cold as she watched Gu Qiwu vanish in the direction ahead.

    ¡°Yes, Miss!¡± Glenn answered and helped her towards the vi.

    On the other end, when Gu Qiwu got out, he went straight into his car and the car drove away.

    The car drove ahead, and after a while, Ah Yong finally could not help but speak up in concern, ncing at Gu Qiwu¡¯s hand, ¡°Boss, let¡¯s go to the hospital to get your hand bandaged first.¡±

    The scratch marks and those lines of blood on the back of his hand were obvious. Even Ah Yong could smell the faint coppery smell in the air.

    When Gu Qiwu heard that, he looked down at his wounds, thought about it, then answered, ¡°No need. Just get it wrapped up when we get home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Ah Yong did not know what Gu Qiwu and Doris had talked about earlier, but from the boss¡¯s expression, he could tell that it probably went badly, and they had both fought too, so...

    ¡°Boss, Doris she...¡± Ah Yong tried to probe.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened and heughed coldly. ¡°She¡¯s quite eager to win. Just for the sake of these few benefits, she can disregard everything. She¡¯s trying to corner me now and leave me with nowhere to go, so can I let her off easily now?¡± He chuckled mysteriously.

    ¡°Boss, what should we do next?¡± Ah Yong asked softly.

    Gu Qiwu fell silent for a moment, then said calmly, ¡°Help me ask Qi Qiming out tomorrow night at the usual ce. I¡¯ll treat him to a meal.¡±

    ¡°Qi Qiming? Boss, you want to meet him?¡± Ah Yong was a little surprised.

    ¡°Just do as I say. I have to talk to him,¡± Gu Qiwu said as he took a tissue to wipe away the blood from the back of his hand before he shut his eyes, feeling worn out.

    Ah Yong nodded. He knew that he was not in a good mood, so he did not dare to step on thendmines.

    ...

    After resting for quite a few days, Xi Xiaye finally recovered a little. The sickly paleness on her face was gone, and now, some healthy rosiness showing too.

    It was a rare weekend and Mu Yuchen was not going to work today. The night before, the couple had returned to the old Mu residence and fetched both their sons home. The weekend at home was going to be livelier, so Xi Xiaye let Sis Wang and the rest off too.

    In the morning, Xi Xiaye woke up early while the man beside her slept soundly. She washed up simply and then got up to make breakfast.

    Not too long after she left the bedroom, the little guy, who was initially still sleeping on therge bed, suddenly opened his eyes. His bright and misty little eyes blinked a few times before he turned to look at his brother, then his little hands reached out to w...

    Mu Zirui, who was still sleeping, vaguely felt his face being tickled, so he opened his eyes immediately and saw Mu Xiaocheng already sitting up and smiling at him. He immediately got up too.

 Chapter 1326 - Just A Chess Piece 1

    <h4>Chapter 1326 Just A Chess Piece 1</h4>

    Naturally, it was not easy to handle work that had been piled up for months, so Mu Yuchen was worn out from work after quite a few days and nights in a row. Finally, he managed to clear them all. He nned to rest well this weekend, so he slept quite soundly when he did.

    However, just as he wasfortable in his slumber, he felt like something was touching his face. He opened his eyes and heard a giggle. Mu Yuchen looked to where the sound came from and saw that his two sons were beside him, ying around.

    Mu Zirui quickly noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze, so he eximed immediately, ¡°Father? You¡¯re awake!¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled as he reached out to pat Mu Zirui¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re awake so early. Why don¡¯t you sleep a while more?¡±

    ¡°Nah, Mother¡¯s awake too, and I¡¯ve got a lot of homework this weekend, Father!¡± Mu Zirui looked at Mu Yuchen pitifully.

    Mu Yuchen just smiled. ¡°Just do what you can, and don¡¯t do what you don¡¯t feel like doing. You don¡¯t have to finish all of the questions. You¡¯ve got to learn how to choose. For example, for those questions that you know how to tackle at a nce, you won¡¯t need to spend so much time on it, so just focus on the topics that need more attention. This is one of the ways to guarantee efficiency. You¡¯ve got to learn how to master a subjectprehensively. Being a steadfast child who doesn¡¯t know how to adapt won¡¯t make you outstanding, understand?¡±

    ¡°Father, are you saying that I can choose not to do those questions?¡± Mu Zirui¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at Mu Yuchen in excitement.

    With raised brows, his father said with a lowered voice, ¡°I do mean that, but right now, you need to make an urate evaluation of your own capabilities. If you¡¯ve grasped all those knowledge well, then you don¡¯t have to spend too much time on them. Just revise asionally, but for the topics that you don¡¯t thoroughly understand, you¡¯ll need to spend more time on them. Assign your priorities logically.¡±

    ¡°Well, Father, how can I make an urate examination of my own capabilities then?¡± Mu Zirui thought about it and asked again.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to grasp this yourself. From the way you know yourself, you should have an idea. You¡¯ve got to train your own judgment, thought process, and eye for detail. I¡¯ll slowly teach you in time.¡±

    Mu Zirui nodded gently like a chick pecking at rice. ¡°Okay, I got it, Father! I¡¯ll go brush my teeth then. You can y with little brother!¡± Then, he slid off the bed and ran to the bathroom.

    At this moment, the little guy who was having fun immediately turned to look when he saw Mu Zirui¡¯s movements. Then, he met his father¡¯s gaze, and his little hands scratched his head. After a while, he mumbled as if wanting to say something.

    ¡°Ba...Ba Ba...Mmm...Wah wah!¡± Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s tender voice babbled.

    Mu Yuchen instantly lit up as he stared at Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little face and tried hard to hold down the surging joy in him. He picked Mu Xiaocheng up and urged, ¡°Come, son, say that again. What did you just say? ¡®Father¡¯[1], call me again. ¡®Father¡¯...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng blinked and looked at him for a while. Obviously not understanding his father, he continued to y with himself.

    Mu Yuchen frowned because the little guy had teased him with the mumble, but now...

    He was about to keep ying with his son when unexpectedly, his phone buzzed. Mu Yuchen carried his son with one hand and picked up the phone with the other.

    ¡°Good morning, Master! Our people followed Gu Lingsha and we did find Doris. She¡¯s at XX Town¡¯s holiday vi. Gu Qiwu went over yesterday, but it seemed like they had a bad discussion. Right, Gu Qiwu has also asked to meet Qi Qiming for dinner tonight,¡± Li Si¡¯s voice was heard.

    Mu Yuchen fell silent for a moment, then he said calmly, ¡°Mmm, got it.¡±

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t forget your meeting with Xi Xinyi tonight. She was worried that you¡¯d forget, so she called to confirm with me,¡± Li Si thought about it before deciding to remind him.

    ¡°Mmm,e over right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen hung up after that.

    Before Mu Yuchen had set his phone aside, Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Who was that who called? Look at how the little guy¡¯s listening intently as if he understands.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lifted his head. Mu Xiaocheng was one step ahead of him, and he slid out of his arms and crawled excitedly towards Xi Xiaye who quickly went up to carry the little fellow.

    ¡°It was Li Si. Get me some clothes.¡± Mu Yuchen quickly got up and took over Mu Xiaocheng as he said.

    ¡°Are you going out? It¡¯s the weekend.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him puzzledly, but she did walk over to the wardrobe to get him a set of clothes.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit. I¡¯ll be back before lunch. What do you want to eat? Should I bring some back for you?¡± Mu Yuchen pinched his son¡¯s little face while he spoke to the woman in front of him.

    ¡°Get Xiao Rui a violin. We told Xiao Rui that we would get him one before this, and he¡¯s quite interested. You¡¯re more familiar with it, so get him one while you¡¯re at it.¡± Xi Xiaye remembered.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± he responded. Xi Xiaye had already picked out his clothes for him, and Mu Zirui was done washing up and hade out of the bathroom.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, change into your clothes now and go out with meter. I¡¯ll bring you along to choose a violin for you,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he looked at Mu Zirui, then he got up to go to the bathroom.

    ...

    After breakfast, Mu Yuchen brought Mu Zirui out with him. Li Si and the rest hade over too, and they were waiting outside.

    Xi Xiaye carried Mu Xiaocheng to send off the father and son. She reminded, ¡°Xiao Rui, don¡¯t run around and stay close to your father.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother, you¡¯ve said this many times now.¡± Mu Zirui shrugged helplessly and looked towards Mu Yuchen pitifully.

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s going through menopause.¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled and patted Mu Zirui¡¯s head.

    ¡°You¡¯re going through menopause.¡± Xi Xiaye shot the father and son a look.

    He smiled without a word, then pointed at the backseat of the car where Mu Zirui slid in knowingly.

    ¡°Later on, I might need to go understand the situation from Father. They might have news on Ah Mo. I¡¯ll be backter.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,e home soonest. I¡¯ll make lunchter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t starve our son now.¡± He smiled, bent down, and gently held Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Son, call me ¡®Father¡¯, ¡®Father¡¯...Call me now,e...Call me ¡®Father¡¯...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng widened his amber-like eyes and stared at Mu Yuchen, then he turned away and leaned into Xi Xiaye¡¯s embrace.

 Chapter 1327 - Just A Chess Piece 2

    <h4>Chapter 1327 Just A Chess Piece 2</h4>

    They were meeting at a teahouse near Glory World Corporation.

    Xi Xinyi had been waiting for a while when Mu Yuchen arrived, but she stood up out of fear and respect when she saw him. For some reason, she had an unexinable fear towards Mu Yuchen. His eyes alone could send a shiver down her spine, and she would be very obedient in front of him.

    ¡°Chairman Mu...Brother-inw...¡± Xi Xinyi was not sure how she should address Mu Yuchen. She was about to pour him a cup of tea because she somehow got to know that he was a tea lover.

    ¡°The Maojian tea here is top-notch. Try it...¡±

    Even though she did not want to put on such an inferior attitude, she could not help herself. She regretted what she did, but she had no other choice.

    Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xinyi and sat down quietly before he waved for the waiter.

    ¡°Sir, do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°Give me a cup of Puer tea,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°Alright, please wait for a moment.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s expression darkened when the waiter left, and it was awkward.

    ¡°Take a seat.¡± Mu Yuchen looked at her before rolling up his sleeves casually. ¡°My body is a little weak right now, so Maojian isn¡¯t really suitable for me. Your sister only lets me drink Puer or Kuding tea at the moment,¡± he exined when he noticed Xi Xinyi¡¯s offended expression.

    Her expression softened momentster before sitting down. He used the term ¡®your sister¡¯, so was he admitting that she was his sister-inw right now?

    Xi Xinyi lowered her head. She was pretty desperate for news about Han Yifeng and her son Han Zhexuan, but she could not bring up the topic in front of this man.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing before he could even say anything else as someone from thepany called. He hung up a few minutester when the waiter served his tea.

    ¡°Xiaye should¡¯ve spoken to you already.¡± Mu Yuchen put down his phone and took a sip from his cup of tea.

    Xi Xinyi nodded. ¡°She told me a lot, including the fact that you met Yifeng in New York. While I didn¡¯t want to admit it, I truly am grateful to her. I¡¯m thankful that she was willing to share that information with a sinful woman like me.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was not hiding anything at all as she went on, ¡°I understand that she might just be considerate about Father, but I know what I¡¯ve done wrong. I was arrogant and materialistic. My greed grew every day, and I was extremely mean to her. I even made many ridiculous mistakes. I finally realize that nothing is more important than rtionships, family, love, friendships...Brother-inw...please help me. I¡¯m willing to do anything if Yifeng and my son will return to my side, please¡ª¡± Her eyes got teary all of a sudden.

    Mu Yuchen nced at her when her voice started turning hoarse. The past year had been really tough on Xi Xinyi, and she looked much skinnier than before.

    Nevertheless, he had gotten someone to keep an eye on Xi Xinyi for the past year. It had taken her a long time to process all her emotions. Especially after Yue Lingsi¡¯s matter, as well as the transition of her furious hatred into love and forgiveness, she had changed a lot.

    Perhaps, Xi Xinyi hade to a realization. While she was not particrly close to Yue Lingsi in the past half a year, she still came over to bring her out for a walk from time to time.

    Mu Yuchen never forgot that Yue Lingsi turned out this way because of his orders. While he did not regret his decision at all, he was willing to give them a chance as long as they were willing to change.

    He continued drinking his tea as he nced at Xi Xinyi. Then, he put his hand into his pocket and took out several photographs.

    Xi Xinyi was a little confused when Mu Yuchenid the photos out before her. ¡°Take a look. They¡¯ve been taken recently. Your son looks very much like his father. Han Yifeng said he already knows how to walk now, and the Han family really dotes on him. They are doing well.¡±

    Stunned, Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes opened wide as she looked at Mu Yuchen. Momentster, she stared at the photos intently. She could not hold her tears back anymore when she saw the tiny human in the photos...

    ¡°Yes, he looks like Yifeng, especially his eyes and mouth...¡± Xi Xinyi grabbed a tissue and wiped her tears. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since Ist saw him. He¡¯s my son. How could Han Yifeng take him away from me? He¡¯s my son, Brother-inw, my son!¡± she vented her pent-up frustration.

 Chapter 1328 - Just A Chess Piece 3

    <h4>Chapter 1328 Just A Chess Piece 3</h4>

    Mu Yuchen did not offer any words offort. He just drank his tea in silence while looking at the scenery outside the window.

    The weather had been getting colder while the scent of plum blossoms was in the air.

    ¡°Brother-inw, you said you¡¯d help me...What should I do for you to get my son back for me? You said you¡¯d give me a chance.¡± Xi Xinyi seemed hopeful as she grabbed onto the photographs Mu Yuchen gave her earlier.

    He averted his gaze back to her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have met with Han Yifeng if I didn¡¯t want to give you a chance.¡±

    He was not lying. He truly did not want to see Han Yifeng at all! Although he knew that Xiaye had totally gotten over Han Yifeng, it just made him ufortable knowing that she had once given this man her love and attention. He did not mind her past, but he could not help getting jealous over losing her first love to someone else.

    When Xi Xinyi noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone sounded unhappy, she looked at him and saw the dissatisfaction in his eyes. She gave it some thought and figured it out momentster!

    She started getting envious of Xi Xiaye. How lucky was she for someone like Mu Yuchen to fall head over heels for her! She felt bitter whenparing Xi Xiaye to herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to you about this,¡± Mu Yuchen continued, ¡°But I can¡¯t do this alone. I need Qi Lei¡¯s help.¡±

    Mu Yuchen revealed his n to Xi Xinyi. ¡°I know that Qi Kai intends to expand externally, and Qi Kai has a project with the Han Corporation abroad. Qi Lei is in charge of these projects. I did some analysis and think it has great potential. Qi Kai and the Han Corporation are investing a lot into it. I suggested Qi Lei appoint an operating manager to stay over in the States, particrly focusing on this project.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes widened, not able to believe what she just heard. ¡°An operating manager in the States?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and this person will be working in Han Yifeng¡¯spany on this project.¡±

    ¡°I know about that, but isn¡¯t this project stuck at the moment? The n is still far from being executable. Even if it runs, there are far more people suitable for this position...moreover, CEO Qi won¡¯t agree to this.¡± Xi Xinyi seemed defeated.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Qi Lei go missing? We don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s alive. CEO Qi is getting frustrated. Moreover, he announced that he¡¯s leaving Qi Kai.¡± She found her chance to be non-existent.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Who do you think will be the actual person to take over Qi Kai? Will it be Qi Feng or Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯ll be Qi Feng. Everyone in thepany knows! It seems like Qi Lei left because of this too. CEO Qi has always been preparing to let Qi Feng take over thepany, or else, he would¡¯ve made Second Master Qi leave. Perhaps, he wanted topensate him, hence he supported his decision to start a newpany,¡± Xi Xinyi said.

    Mu Yuchen put on a cold grin without saying anything as he quietly emptied his cup of tea.

    ¡°Do you have some kind of n?¡± Xi Xinyi asked as he went quiet.

    ¡°Qi Feng being the one to take over Qi Kai isn¡¯t set in stone. Just remember that. If Qi Lei bes the owner of Qi Kai, you¡¯ll be the operating manager in the States. This is the chance I¡¯m fighting for you. You know very well what you need to give up,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care as long as you can let me stay near Yifeng. I don¡¯t even care if I need to give Yueying to my sister, or I can just leave it to somebody,¡± Xi Xinyi said.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you have that resolved. What I need you to do now is to get Yue Hai to apply pressure on Qi Feng, and increase Qi Lei¡¯s influence in Qi Kai. Both Yue Hai and you need to be on the same side as Qi Lei. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll only benefit you if you do as I say. Being neutral isn¡¯t the best option anymore. Qi Lei is Qi Qiming and Wang Qin¡¯s son, so Qi Kai rightfully belongs to him.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was stunned. He was fully supporting Qi Lei?

    Xi Xinyi started contemting it thoroughly...

    Qi Feng had Qi Qiming and Doris backing him whereas Qi Lei only had Wang Qin¡¯s subordinates and no one else, so how could he fight against Qi Feng?

    Even if Mu Yuchen had his back, he was still an outsider after all, so how could he influence anything inside Qi Kai?

    Then again, it was Mu Yuchen, and there was also Xi Xiaye¡¯s influence as CEO of Fuhua. Qi Kai was gearing towards property development, was it not? She also heard that the ex-CEO of Fuhua, Shen Yue, had high expectations of Qi Lei!

    There were also the enormous connections of the Mu family that coulde into y. Qi Kai might as well have been in Qi Feng¡¯s pocket already if the Gu family was backing him, but things had changed now. Mu Lingshi was Gu Qiwu¡¯s daughter! Moreover, Doris and Gu Qiwu were divorced!

    ¡°Alright! Don¡¯t worry, Brother-inw. I¡¯ll convince my uncle to support Second Master Qi! Though Second Master Qi is still missing...¡±

    ¡°His disappearance is the best chance we¡¯ve got to deal a huge blow to Qi Feng, isn¡¯t it? I can assure you that Qi Lei will be fine,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

 Chapter 1329 - Just A Chess Piece 4

    <h4>Chapter 1329 Just A Chess Piece 4</h4>

    Xi Xinyi was no fool. She instantly understood what Mu Yuchen meant after a brief reminder from him. ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± she said in determination.

    Mu Yuchen sipped more of the tea. ¡°I made a deal with Han Yifeng. He promised that he¡¯ll side with Qi Lei if I can help him market his new products. He even promised that he won¡¯t give you trouble if you were to be the US operating manager.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes brightened up as her gloomy expression disappeared in an instant. She was glittering with joy as her eyes went teary. ¡°Really? He agreed? Did he really?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xinyi who was hopelessly happy at the moment, and he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s all that I can do for you. The rest is up to you.¡±

    He stood up and turned towards the staircase.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother-inw, I¡¯ll do my best! I will! Tell my sister that I¡¯m really sorry for what I did. I¡¯ll use the rest of my life to make it up for her! Thank you for giving me this chance. Thank you...¡± Xi Xinyi cried as she thanked Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen did not slow down. Instead, he just said when he reached the stairs, ¡°Xiaye wanted me to help. You should know that she was never a cruel person. She didn¡¯t want to use you like a chess piece, and yet you hurt her over and over again. I just hope that you can finally understand what it means to be a family. Can you at least do that for me?¡±

    He then left Xi Xinyi alone.

    Her face turned pale as tears flowed down her cheeks...

    Family...

    She finally realized how precious family was at her lowest. How could she not have known about this earlier?

    If she could have been more generous, she might have been able to get along with Xiaye, but for almost thirty years, it had never urred to her.

    What was the point of suppressing people she was jealous of?

    Why could she not unite with her and go against the external forces?

    Xi Xinyi felt like she had never been this clear-minded before in her life!

    She did not doubt Mu Yuchen¡¯s words at all. She was not being used as a chess piece. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were looking for reasons to save her. She understood it all now...

    ...

    A chess piece?

    She was not the only one who struggled with this term.

    Inside Doris¡¯s holiday vi, Gu Lingsha looked quietly at Doris who was smoking on the sofa at the moment. She could faintly see the mark on her neck, as well as the scratches on her face, though the p mark had already vanished.

    Gu Lingsha could not believe that he would do such a thing to Doris.

    Gu Qiwu had always doted on Doris and let her do whatever she wanted. He gave the best of everything to her and never messed with any woman outside. They always looked like the best couple to everyone, the model of a married couple.

    What happened?

    How could Gu Qiwu do this to the woman he loved?

    Although Gu Lingsha knew that the recent incidents created some friction between them, she thought they still had feelings for each other, so how could Gu Qiwu have hurt her so badly?

    However, no one else knew what they talked about except themselves, so Gu Lingsha had no idea what happened.

    ¡°Mother, why would Father do this to you? Did you say something to make him mad? Why was he so angry? I heard he looked furious when he left...¡± Gu Lingsha carefully asked.

    She heard from someone that Gu Qiwu initially nned to let her take over Hui Gu, but Doris¡¯s greedy intention to control Hui Gu enraged Gu Qiwu, and she was just Doris¡¯s chess piece used to juggle between Hui Gu and the Qi family.

    Doris wanted to use the Qi family¡¯s influence to pressure Gu Qiwu.

    However, he also wanted her to take control of the Qi family¡¯s influence. She felt that she was constantly being used by Gu Qiwu, Doris, and even Qi Feng to go against each other. Her sudden realization made her feel sad.

    Dorisughed at her question. ¡°He¡¯s just a cheap hypocrite. Do you really think he¡¯s a gentleman?¡±

    ¡°Mother, Father has always been a person with extraordinary self-control. I don¡¯t think he would actually harm you if you didn¡¯t do anything ridiculous. Moreover, you¡¯re the one at fault here. I don¡¯t see Father¡¯s revenge being odd. Why can¡¯t you just let up for once? I believe he will ept you again since he loved you so much. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t just forget about the decades of marriage between the two of you!¡± Gu Lingsha said.

    Doris let out a puff of smoke before staring at her coldly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe that you¡¯re actually my daughter if you didn¡¯t have a face that looks like mine. How could my daughter be this naive and stupid?!¡±

    Gu Lingsha was stunned by her mother¡¯s words, and she bit her lip.

    Doris had always been like this, she had a sharp tongue and would not even be considerate about her own daughter¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°You deserve to be treated just like a chess piece with that IQ of yours!¡±

 Chapter 1330 - Just A Chess Piece 5

    <h4>Chapter 1330 Just A Chess Piece 5</h4>

    Doris¡¯s cold voice was filled with a hint of disdain, and Gu Lingsha suddenly felt a piercing pain in her heart upon hearing that.

    ¡°I told you, men are unreliable. I¡¯ve witnessed many rtionships over the years. Do you think it¡¯s up to you to lecture me? I¡¯ve seen many men. Gu Qiwu? I¡¯ve never believed in his so-called love. Do you think someone so cold would have feelings? Hmph, he even looked at me coldly when we were in bed. What do you know?¡± Doris stated coldly.

    Now that she did not need to hide anything anymore, she was quite frank about everything, ¡°If a man doesn¡¯t even care about sleeping with you, how much love do you think he¡¯d have for the woman? He was just lying to everyone. A man like him only loves himself!¡±

    When Doris said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes instantly widened. She looked at Doris in shock, unable to believe she would say such a thing.

    However, by the looks of that hostile gaze, Gu Lingsha did not doubt the truth in her words! She knew that Gu Qiwu was usually quite busy with work. Whether it was before or in recent years, he seemed to have always been like this. Usually, he liked to rest outside or just stayed at the office to rest.

    He never had scandals with any women¡ªthis Gu Lingsha knew for sure.

    However, now, when Doris put it that way, Gu Lingsha found it hard to fathom!

    ¡°I knew that this day woulde for us. I just didn¡¯t expect him to treat me this way. You¡¯re his chess piece, so how am I not as well? All these years, perhaps he did have some feelings for me, but if you want to talk about love? Ha, don¡¯t insult the word!¡±

    Dorisughed grimly. ¡°You¡¯re in the same situation as I am. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you to be wary of Qi Feng. I heard that the effects of his legs recovering are showing. I think that he¡¯ll be recovering very soon. You won¡¯t seem that important anymore after that. After all, you only gave birth to Qi Weier, a disabled daughter, and you can¡¯t give birth anymore. Why would the Qi family stop producing heirs at you? Haven¡¯t these people always emphasized on carrying on their ancestral line? Even if Qi Weier¡¯s all grown up, do you think she can be your sessor?¡±

    Doris analyzed for Gu Lingsha without holding back, ¡°So, no matter what, if Qi Feng¡¯s seat as Qi Kai¡¯s CEO is firm, he might not need a woman like you. Qi Qiming wouldn¡¯t let this happen either. Otherwise, Qi Feng can only make way for Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Mother, Father has actually mentioned these things to me as well...¡± Gu Lingsha revealed with a pale expression, ¡°But I always thought that Qi Feng wouldn¡¯t be like them. No matter what, he and I are a couple who had gone through a lot together, thus this bond can¡¯t just be erased so easily.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t just be erased so easily?¡± When Doris heard that, she instantlyughed in disdain again. ¡°Then, why did you have a fallout with Qi Feng recently? Weren¡¯t you very worried that Qi Feng would have feelings for Xi Xiaye? To be honest, if I were a man, I¡¯d choose Xi Xiaye without hesitation too, and I wouldn¡¯t look at you, Gu Lingsha! Look at yourself right now. What have you be? Where¡¯s the elegance of an heiress on you? A woman must never be lower herself. Otherwise, you¡¯ll look like a pile of trash to men. Do you understand?¡±

    Doris put out the cigarette between her fingers on the ashtray before her and lightly touched her cheeks that still hurt faintly.

    ¡°Mother, I...¡±

    Doris considered it for a while and then said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. You shouldn¡¯t be staying here like a useless person. That¡¯s not great either. I¡¯ve talked to your grandmother. Go over to be with her since she hasn¡¯t been too welltely. I heard that Weiwei hasn¡¯t been doing well either. Great then, that ce is good for recuperation, so bring her along as well. After all, your grandfather likes her. Go be with your grandfather for a while. I think that it will be a good change for you.¡±

    Her blue eyes shed with concern too. As a mother, Doris had some sense of responsibility as well. When it came to her daughter, Gu Lingsha, she still loved her.

    She did not know if this next series of events would happen smoothly either. If it did not go as nned, it could be considered protection for the mother and daughter. Ennd was definitely safe. While she still needed to stay back and fight with Gu Qiwu, she could not just leave after decades of her time spent here. Otherwise, even Doris would look down on herself!

    So, fight it was!

    She must fight for it!

    Why should she just watch on helplessly as Gu Qiwu handed Hui Gu to Mu Lingshi?

    Doris had never lost to anyone!

    ...

    Night took over. Even though the winter solstice had passed, the weather was still bitterly cold, and the sky darkened earlier than the months before. It was alreadypletely dark at 7 p.m.

    The entire City Z was engulfed in flourishing, dazzling lights.

    Inside the private room of a luxuriously decorated yet isted restaurant in the suburbs of City Z, Gu Qiwu had already ordered food. It was self-service hotpot.

    The waiter had already brought the ingredients while Gu Qiwu began to open the drinks and serve them both. Ah Yong stood beside him.

    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s almost time, but we still don¡¯t see Qi Qiming. He wouldn¡¯t have decided to note, would he?¡± Ah Yong looked worriedly at the time and said in concern.

    Gu Qiwu only sat there calmly, not worried at all as he leisurely held up his drink and took a sip. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t miss our appointment.¡±

    Then, his sharp gaze looked ahead at the corridor. Ah Yong listened and paused, following Gu Qiwu¡¯s line of sight and looked ahead too.

    Indeed, Qi Qiming was walking slowly towards Gu Qiwu with the apaniment of two bodyguards.

    ¡°He¡¯s here, Boss!¡± Ah Yong said.

    ¡°Go out then. Guard the surroundings,¡± Gu Qiwu said lukewarmly.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    The entire restaurant was reserved, so the whole floor was empty. There were people guarding outside as well, thus there was nothing to worry about actually.

    To be safe, Ah Yong still retreated to three tables away to wait.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s people stopped beside Ah Yong too. Qi Qiming continued walking towards Gu Qiwu alone. Soon, he reached Gu Qiwu. Then, he suddenly stopped and looked down at Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ve waited for you for quite a while now, and I¡¯ve ordered things you like.¡± Gu Qiwu did not look up at him as he leisurely picked up the bottle of drink and poured Qi Qiming a ss.

 Chapter 1331 - Warning 1

    <h4>Chapter 1331 Warning 1</h4>

    Qi Qiming lowered his gaze and watched Gu Qiwu for quite a while, then he sat across him.

    Gu Qiwu slowly stopped what he was doing as he looked up at the silent Qi Qiming with a very calm gaze.

    ¡°Are you nning on just staying in City Z? Hasn¡¯t your thing with Doris ended? The project coboration here is on track too.¡± Qi Qiming watched Gu Qiwu silently and picked up his drink.

    ¡°The thing¡¯s been done with, but another¡¯s just begun, so how can I just leave?¡± Gu Qiwu did not hide anything as he spoke. Then, he could not help but lower his head gloomily to look at the drink before him.

    Qi Qiming obviously knew what Gu Qiwu meant. His matter with Mu Zi had caused quite a ruckus before. In fact, he did not doubt that Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi were rted.

    Ever since Mu Zi¡¯s incident, the Mu family and the Qi family¡¯s rtionship was also...much more stifled after Lingtian¡¯s incident.

    ¡°It might not have been a bad thing for you to not turn up, but I can¡¯t help you. I never thought you¡¯d do that to Zixi!¡± When Qi Qiming said this, there was an indescribable pain in his eyes too. A mistiness gathered there like he was trying to recollect something, and a pang of sadness could be felt from him.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve been able to detect Zixi¡¯s feelings for you years ago. I just didn¡¯t look into it. I just thought she felt the same way about you as she did with me¡ªgood buddies. But I didn¡¯t quite want to believe that you¡¯d be the person who yed her and caused her that tragic ending...All these years, have you ever had a clear conscience?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s words were filled with an unhappy questioning. Perhaps because he did not quite have a right to question him, his tone became gentler, yet even so, he could not hide the anger in his eyes.

    Upon hearing Qi Qiming say that, Gu Qiwu paused with his drink in hand. He looked up at Qi Qiming, and then lowered his gaze again. As he watched the swaying drink in his ss, he fell silent for a moment, then his lowered voice was heard saying, ¡°I admit I did let Zixi down when we were younger. Not everything I did might have been right. My mistakes let her down. I¡¯ve always admitted that, and I don¡¯t want to exin anything.¡±

    A trace of regret shed on the corner of Gu Qiwu¡¯s lips as he sighed deeply and frowned before emptying his ss.

    Qi Qiming stared at him coldly. ¡°Do you think your few sentences of exnation can bring Zixi back?¡±

    ¡°I know how you feel about her. If it weren¡¯t for me, I¡¯m sure that Zixi would¡¯ve married you in the end. You¡¯ve always liked her, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice was calm, yet when you listened closely, you could sense that bitterness in between his words.

    When he heard that, Qi Qiming was stunned for a moment, then heughed coldly, not hiding from Gu Qiwu¡¯s questioning gaze. ¡°I do admit that I did quite like Zixi back then. If she had been willing to marry me, I would¡¯ve been happy to marry her, but I didn¡¯t love her. I¡¯ve always seen her as a younger sister. There are many things that we understood between us, but regrettably, she hid this matter about you and her too.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t love her too?¡± Gu Qiwu squinted as if he was shocked to hear Qi Qiming¡¯s words. He thought about it, then continued, ¡°Love between siblings? Who did you love then? Qi Feng¡¯s mother? Lu Xin? Your mistress, Gao Lan? Kong Xiner? Or your first wife, Wang Qin?¡±

    In the face of Gu Qiwu¡¯s questions, Qi Qiming was dazed as he did not quite have an answer.

    Qi Feng¡¯s mother?

    That woman with a sweet smile? If Gu Qiwu had not brought her up, he would have forgotten about this person.

    ¡°You¡¯re different from me, Qiming! Even though I did let Zixi down, at least, I think I did like her while you...women are probably just a pastime to you. As someone who¡¯s never put in real feelings, you don¡¯t have a right to criticize me.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice turned cold.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Zixi¡¯s matter with you right now. There¡¯s no need to drag me into this. Besides, how do you know I¡¯ve never put in real feelings?¡± Qi Qiming looked cold as he refuted Gu Qiwu, crossed by his spection. ¡°It¡¯s true that you let Zixi down. Right now, you don¡¯t have a chance to make it up for it anymore! She¡¯s dead, so what¡¯s the use of talking about letting her down now?¡±

    Qi Qiming hadplicated feelings about this, especially about his attitude towards Mu Lingshi.

    Gu Lingsha was now the daughter-inw of the Qi family and Qi Feng¡¯s woman. He obviously hoped that Gu Qiwu could be on Gu Lingsha¡¯s side, but when he thought about this, he felt guilty towards Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Lingtian had already been sacrificed. If Mu Zi knew this, she would be...

    As Gu Qiwu¡¯s gaze darkened, he poured himself another drink and swallowed it as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you out to talk about Zixi today. I want to talk about your two sons, Qi Feng and Qi Lei.¡±

    When he said that, Qi Qiming was surprised. He looked warily at Gu Qiwu. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so shocked. Talk about Qi Lei¡¯s disappearance has been going around. Half a month has passed, and there¡¯s been no news at all. Aren¡¯t you worried? In fact, Mu Lingmo also went missing with him, and he¡¯s technically my son-inw too,¡± Gu Qiwu said with a lowered voice. There seemed to be a hint of concern there.

    Now, Qi Qiming¡¯s sharp and vignt gaze darkened slightly.

    Yes, half a month had passed! There had been no news at all!

    He only found out from the investigation on Mu Yuchen¡¯s side that their traces suddenly stopped at a certain location, and right now, they could not find them!

    So many days had passed, and Qi Qiming was bing more and more anxious. He was very unhappy with Qi Feng¡¯s efficiency. Helplessly, he added more manpower and pressured the police. Regardless, in a sea of people within this vast world, trying to look for someone was like looking for a needle in the haystack!

    Thus, after many days of worrying, Qi Qiming seemed a little wan and sallow from fatigue. It had been tough for him. As the days passed, the uneasiness and fear he felt grew with each fleeting day too!

    Was Qi Lei fine?

    How was he right now?

    He would not have just left so suddenly like his mother, Wang Qin, would he?

 Chapter 1332 - Warning 2

    <h4>Chapter 1332 Warning 2</h4>

    When he saw Qi Qiming¡¯s expression that was filled with worry, Gu Qiwu seemed to be able to understand his feelings. It was just like when he first heard about Mu Lingshi copsing and being sent to the hospital. It was a feeling that could not help but surge from his heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many days. What have you found out?¡± Gu Qiwu asked softly.

    Qi Qiming lowered his head to take a drink. ¡°Even the police couldn¡¯t find out anything, so what could I have? Ah Feng¡¯s delegated more manpower.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think is the biggest suspect behind this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve offended many people over the years. Many people want to take revenge on me too. Besides, Xiao Lei was quite popr a while back, so I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s hard to guess who could be behind this. I know nothing about how Xiao Lei is doing right now! I¡¯d much rather the kidnapper ask money from me now. That way, perhaps at least, I can know how he¡¯s doing,¡± Qi Qiming spoke, and his voice was filled with helplessness and endless worry too.

    He did not realize that when he spoke about Qi Lei recently, he did not seem as indifferent as before. Right now, there was a sense of warmth from a loving father, and he seemed to have suddenly turned old very quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Qi Feng and Qi Lei. You¡¯re nning on letting Qi Feng take over Qi Kai, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu would never have used to ask questions like these. Now that he brought it up, Qi Qiming was clearly surprised.

    ¡°Qi Lei¡¯s not tenacious enough in temperament. His ability to strategize isn¡¯t as good as Qi Feng¡¯s either. Besides, when you¡¯re always in this seat, you¡¯ll know that it¡¯s not as morous as what others think it is. What¡¯s wrong with having a quiet,fortable life?¡± Qi Qiming said.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu smiled and said, ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re really nning on giving up on Qi Lei and letting Qi Feng have it? But your recent actions have made me find it quite hard to believe that!¡±

    ¡°Hard to believe?¡± Qi Qiming smiled coldly. ¡°What¡¯s so hard to believe? I just want the two brothers to get along well. I don¡¯t want to mistreat either one of them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re set on Qi Feng. I don¡¯t have a ce to say much either, but I advise you to think this through. Perhaps many things aren¡¯t what they seem. I¡¯m not afraid of showing you my cards too. Doris won¡¯t let me off so easily after what¡¯s happened between us. Shasha¡¯s on her side now, and I think I won¡¯t be able to treat them the same away after this. So, you should know well how to bnce this,¡± Gu Qiwu said as he picked up his chopsticks to pick up an ingredient before putting it into the hotpot.

    Being the sharp man he was, Qi Qiming immediately caught the meaning in Gu Qiwu¡¯s words, so he clenched his fists immediately and asked, ¡°What do you mean? Do you know who did it?¡±

    Gu Qiwu did not answer and just poured him a drink nonchntly.

    ¡°Who did it?¡± Qi Qiming could not hold back his impatience as he demanded.

    ¡°I think you probably know. Trust your own judgment. Let¡¯s drink. The two of us haven¡¯t sat down like this to talk and drink in so long.¡± Compared to Qi Qiming, Gu Qiwu was much calmer.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re nning to...on Doris¡¯s end...¡±

    ¡°How do you think I¡¯d treat someone who keeps plotting against me and threatening me?¡±

    Before Qi Qiming could finish, Gu Qiwu¡¯s brows furrowed as he said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve asked you out today to give you a warning and to avoid unnecessary harm. It¡¯s best that you be mentally prepared. Perhaps, like me, some of the things you thought earlier might turn out to be wrong.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Qiming did not say anything as he fell silent...

    ...

    It was the thick of the winter season. The weather was getting colder and colder too, especially after rain, as the air seemed to be frozen.

    This year, the New Year came sooner than before. Not too long after the first month of the Lunar calendar was the New Year, so before Christmas even arrived, thepany had begun the year-end tying up of work, and things were incredibly busy.

    Xi Xiaye finally recovered, but she did not take a moment to breathe before she jumped right into work again.

    She and Mu Yuchen frequently went back to the old residence because they were worried about Mu Lingshi and the rest. In fact, they just let Mu Xiaocheng stay at the old residence. Also, since the weather was cold, Mu Yinan went out less for exercise and stayed at home to look after Mu Xiaocheng.

    Sometimes, Su Nan would go over to visit and bring Xiao Xi along.

    Ruan Heng still rested at home. The husband and wife nned for Ruan Heng to only go back to work after the New Year while Su Nan would start her own studio and do the fashion designing that she liked.

    Xi Xiaye was happy for them. When Su Nan had first brought up her ns, she had gotten people to show her some office buildings with a great environment and helped her set things up. Now, Su Nan was busy with the preparations and nned tounch after the New Year.

    There was still no news about Ah Mo and Qi Lei. Many people were sent out to investigate, but many of them came up with nothing as they could not find any trace of them at all.

    Xi Xiaye would find time to spend with Mu Lingshi every day. She could clearly feel that with the passing of time, Mu Lingshi suppressed more and more of her worries. Sometimes, she even woke up from nightmares!

    In just a short ten days, Mu Lingshi grew thinner again. In fact, her reactions to the pregnancy had not eased!

    Given that this was not a good sign, Xi Xiaye was really worried. She had been apanying Mu Lingshi to sleep for quite a few nights now, just like tonight.

    Mu Lingshi went to bed to rest after her shower while Xi Xiaye briefly looked through the agenda for the meeting the next day before she turned the lights off to sleep. She had just pulled open the nket when she felt the person beside her tossing about restlessly in bed.

    ¡°Sis-inw, do you really think Ah Mo will be fine? I¡¯ve asked Brother who says that Ah Mo¡¯s very safe, but we haven¡¯t heard anything at all until now. Even though I can stay calm, I¡¯m actually very anxious and very afraid. I can¡¯t lose anyone anymore...¡±

    Xi Xiaye had justid her head on the pillow when suddenly Mu Lingshi¡¯s lowered voice came through. Xi Xiaye felt sad to hear her pouring out her worries.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Trust Ah Mo. He¡¯s always been very capable with great martial arts skills that even your brother praises. Your brother has said that he¡¯s an extremely important chess piece of the person behind this, so they won¡¯t dare to harm him easily.¡±

    Even though Xi Xiaye wanted to offer some words of constion, she seemed to sound quite helpless too.

 Chapter 1333 - Escaped! 1

    <h4>Chapter 1333 Escaped! 1</h4>

    Xi Xiaye did not hear Mu Lingshi¡¯s reply. When she nced over and noticed Mu Lingshi shaking, she sat up and studied her.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes were closed, but there were tears at the corners of her eyes...

    ¡°Ah Shi...¡± Xi Xiaye called out to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sis-inw. I just feel exhausted holding on. My luck is really bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and spoke with a bitter tone, ¡°At times, I feel that happiness is right within my grasp, but fate can just make it disappear the next moment. I don¡¯t know what to do...It seems like it keeps happening again and again. Sis-inw, am I that unfortunate?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think so? You¡¯ll have everything that you deserve. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡±

    Xi Xiayey back down and stared at the ceiling. ¡°Moments like these are challenging to a person¡¯s willpower, but it¡¯s exactly during times like this that we can¡¯t give up, or else, we¡¯ll just be falling into someone¡¯s trap. Be strong and find a solution. Giving up on yourself isn¡¯t helping at all. Everyone¡¯s here with you, alright?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sis-inw!¡± Mu Lingshi grabbed Xi Xiaye¡¯s arm as she thanked her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    ...

    Half an hourter, the sound of Mu Lingshi¡¯s steady, gentle breathing reached Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone shed with a notification, so she quickly looked at it.

    Her man had messaged him and asked her toe out for a moment, so Xi Xiaye put on a jacket and quietly left the room.

    Xi Xiaye went downstairs after she left the room. She noticed the man was brewing some tea in the living room.

    Mu Yuchen turned around when he heard some noises, and she sat down beside him.

    ¡°Are you done with work already? It¡¯s time to sleep now. Why did you make tea?¡± Xi Xiaye picked up a grape from the fruit tter on the table and fed him as she asked.

    He ate it without hesitation. ¡°Mmm, I took a nap in the office this afternoon, so I¡¯m not that sleepy yet. Stay with me for a while.¡± He put his arm over her shoulders. ¡°Is Lingshi asleep?¡±

    ¡°She just fell asleep. You look like you have something on your mind. Is it about Ah Mo or thepany?¡± Xi Xiaye could easily tell through his eyes that something was wrong though he looked calm as usual on the surface.

    He smiled and grabbed the cup of tea. ¡°Want to try some?¡±

    Xi Xiaye shook her head, unable to stand the bitter taste. Her gaze continued to lock onto him. ¡°You¡¯re always like this when you¡¯re in a bad mood, Mr. Mu!¡±

    ¡°Your observation skills are improving.¡± He drank the bitter tea without even batting an eyelid. ¡°I got news from Su Chen. It¡¯s highly possible that Gu Lingsha was behind the fire at Zitong¡¯s store, but Doris sent Gu Lingsha abroad several days ago.¡±

    ¡°Gu Lingsha? Why her?¡± Xi Xiaye gave Mu Yuchen a surprised nce. ¡°Could it be due to her arrest and lockup in the police station before?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the only thing she would hold a grudge against Su Chen about, so they were dragged into the mess.¡± He sounded helpless. He never thought about dragging Su Chen and Zimo into this mess, but it still happened inevitably.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand.¡± Xi Xiaye understood how he felt as it was simr to how she felt when Su Nan and Ruan Heng got into a conflict with Gu Lingsha.

    She put her hand on the top of his and gripped his fingers. ¡°You guys are best friends.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and grabbed her hand in return. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know. It¡¯s not my intention for the scale of the matter to grow this big too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s during times like these we feel our insignificance. It¡¯s time to get used to it!¡± She smiled.

    ¡°Lecturing me now, aren¡¯t you?¡± His smile grew wider.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a lecture. I¡¯m trying to teach you a lesson. Well, I¡¯m just going to sit here and have a drink with you anyway.¡± Xi Xiaye got up and went to the liquor cab. She came back with a bottle of wine and two sses momentster.

    ¡°Do you have a new hobby now?¡± As he epted her invitation to drink, he poured two sses full of wine and handed one to her.

    Xi Xiaye clinked sses with him and they both took a sip. ¡°That depends on the drinking partner.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure!¡± Mu Yuchen smiled and raised his ss at her.

    ¡°Why did Gu Lingsha go to the UK so suddenly? Is it because of Zitong¡¯s incident? She seems to have changed ever since she got locked up in the police station. I heard things weren¡¯t looking good between Qi Feng and her. Even Qi Qiming had to talk to him regarding this matter.¡± Xi Xiaye was suspicious. ¡°Could there have been some kind of conflict between them? I heard that Doris never liked Qi Feng. By the way, Mr. Mu, I also heard that the senses in Qi Feng¡¯s legs have returned.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused for a moment, he then took a deep breath before emptying his ss. ¡°As expected.¡± Despite his cold grin, Xi Xiaye also sensed some moodiness from within his eyes. It seemed like things were happening ording to his predictions.

    ¡°That¡¯s all they have, I guess.¡± Xi Xiaye shrugged and acted slightly cheeky.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled when he noticed her response. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be this happy if you find out what caused their conflict.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°Gu Lingsha seems to think that there¡¯s something between you and Qi Feng.¡± He smiled at her, obviously trying to tease her.

 Chapter 1334 - Escaped! 2

    <h4>Chapter 1334 Escaped! 2</h4>

    Something between them?

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and could not hold in herughter when she heard those words. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be interested in Qi Feng even if I were blind! Not only because he¡¯s married, but my husband also is just way better than him. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s better than you in any way. Is Gu Lingsha¡¯s brain working properly? How could we have an affair after just several brief meetings?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not understand it. If that was really the case, it just meant that Gu Lingsha¡¯s rtionship with Qi Feng was terribly weak.

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered there was a period of time when Qi Feng was being oddly nice to her, but she was not sure if he had done it for some other intentions. He could have just been trying to provoke Mu Yuchen or trying to challenge her rtionship with Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen did return the favor, so could Gu Lingsha have fallen into the trap?

    Xi Xiaye tried to sort the whole matter out.

    Everyone loved hearingpliments, including Mu Yuchen, especially when it was from his most loved woman.

    ¡°Just because you¡¯re not interested in others doesn¡¯t mean others won¡¯t be interested in you. Why else do you think there are so many unrequited lovers in this world? Just like a certain fool before,¡± he squinted his eyes at her and said.

    Xi Xiaye red at him. ¡°Do not mention that again. It¡¯s normal to have a few failed rtionships when we¡¯re younger, unlike you who wasted your life without even being in a single rtionship before.¡± Her tone was sharp.

    He raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯d be asking me about my ex-girlfriends if I had any before. Moreover, aren¡¯t you d that you are your husband¡¯s first love?¡±

    He still thought that it would have been great if they could have met each other several years earlier. Then, both of them would not have wasted so much time, and he felt there was not enough time with her right now. He put down his ss and suddenly pulled her close.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised as she felt his body warmth. She then wrapped his arms around his waist and said, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m d. I¡¯m worried that I can¡¯t keep you grounded at times. There are too many women who are better than me in City Z. Sometimes, I wonder if you feel like you could¡¯ve been with some other woman if you¡¯d met them earlier instead. Just like when we first got to know each other, both of us weren¡¯t the type to fall in love at first nce, but feelings are weird. Didn¡¯t you say that feelings aren¡¯t proportionate to the time spent together?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea when you started to be like this. Aren¡¯t you confident in your charms, or do you not have faith in me?¡± he asked in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Just take it as me overthinking then.¡±

    When she shrugged, he smiled and lowered his head to give her a gentle kiss.

    She was longing for more. In fact, she could never resist his tenderness. Her feelings towards him grew every day, and she hoped that they could stay like this forever.

    As warmth filled the space around them, Xi Xiaye¡¯s breathing grew uneven when she grabbed onto his shirt. She also felt a certain someone¡¯s hand sliding into her garment, and suddenly, she was pushed back onto the sofa.

    The lights in the living room were not exactly bright, but the dim, yellow lights created a quiet, harmonious vibe.

    He was getting impatient, unlike his usual calm manner.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep in the room tonight, alright?¡±

    His self-control was impressive. Hisst sense of rationality reminded him they were in the living room at the moment, so he managed to pull himself back from his beastly desires. He grabbed onto her opened, wrinkled shirt while being on top of her as he panted.

    ¡°Nope, Mother has been busytely. I¡¯m worried. It¡¯s gettingte now. Time for you to go back and sleep.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s cheeks were burning. She caught a glimpse of the sparks in the man¡¯s eyes, and it was obvious to see what he was trying to do.

    ¡°What you need right now is a mature man like me, not a pregnantdy. Plus, how could Lingshi get used to a person who has bad sleeping manners like you?¡± Master Mu stared at her.

    Xi Xiaye punched his chest lightly. ¡°You¡¯ve been getting more and more vulgartely.¡±

    Vulgar?

    Master Mu was shocked. How could he be associated with such a term?

    ¡°I¡¯ve guarded the empty room for your sake in the past week. How could you say that?¡±

    He was still trying to fight for his own benefits.

    However, Xi Xiaye was not giving him any chances at all. She made a funny face at him before going upstairs.

    What a cruel woman!

    Mu Yuchen just watched the woman as she slowly disappeared up the staircase. He took another sip of wine before taking out a cigarette.

    The rain continued to pour outside, and the weather was getting cold towards the end of the year, especially in the high altitude mountainous area.

    Bang! Bang!

    The loud noises and the sound of the rain mixed with each other. It was chilly and made people feel uneasy.

    He could not remember when was thest time he was mistreated like this. After being moved around from ce to ce, he arrived here¡ªarge, old mansion where no one had lived before, and weeds grew wild around the ce.

    Qi Lei leaned back onto the cold wall as he nced at the yellow lighting from the gap between the door. The cold forced him to hold tight onto the big coat he had, he shivered.

    Qi Lei thought to himself that these were the toughest days he had had in his whole life.

    Cough, cough!

    The coughing sounds caused him to frown. He turned over and noticed Yang Sheng¡¯s whole body curled up as he leaned against the wall. Unfortunately, his coat did little to guard him against the cold.

 Chapter 1335 - Escaped! 3

    <h4>Chapter 1335 Escaped! 3</h4>

    He only remembered their car stopping halfway because the engine was having issues. Then, Yang Sheng had suddenly lost consciousness when he went to check on the engine. After that, he realized that he was locked up in a dark, abandoned workshop.

    It surprised him to see Mu Lingmo right before him!

    It was Mu Yuchen¡¯s best subordinate, and the Mu family¡¯s son-inw! They had met each other before at the hotel.

    It seemed like he was captured here too, but he had woken up before him.

    Cough, cough!

    Yang Sheng¡¯s coughing was getting worse, especially after he caught a cold following several days of being captured. He did not seem to be getting better, and all of theirmunication devices had been taken away.

    Frowning, Qi Lei took off his coat without hesitation and put it over Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng was shocked by the sudden warmth he felt. He looked upward and noticed Qi Lei looking at him. ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    Yang Sheng coughed several times again before replying, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Master, just a little cold.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s been several days and your condition is getting worse.¡± Qi Lei seemed worried, and he continued before Yang Sheng could say anything else, ¡°I¡¯ll ask them to get you some medicine by tomorrow. I doubt we can get out of here anytime soon. There are way too many guards around.¡±

    Qi Lei sighed as he nced at the tightly shut door. He could see the shadows of people walking outside.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s really cold now. You should put on the coat. You might catch a cold especially since it¡¯s raining right now.¡± Yang Sheng felt embarrassed and handed him back the coat.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened and stared at him. ¡°Put it back on!¡±

    Yang Sheng was shocked by Qi Lei¡¯s tone, so he kept quiet.

    Qi Lei looked away and stood up as he got closer to the door. He looked around and heard a little noise, so he looked over and saw Mu Lingmo quietly staring at the wall. Then, he nodded at him, signaling him to get close.

    Qi Lei tried to peek a nce outside again before going over.

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation? Did you notice anything odd happening outside?¡± Ah Mo went closer and spoke quietly as Qi Lei arrived beside him.

    Qi Lei nced at the closed door and said, ¡°It seems like there are fewer people than before, and the heavy downpour in the past few days made them let down their guard a little. However, I¡¯m curious about what they actually want. Why does it feel like they captured us here just to make fun of us? It¡¯s not like they want money from our family. I don¡¯t understand what they¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s been a month, and I still have no idea where this is!¡± He pinched between his eyebrows as he voiced out his frustration.

    The people who had kidnapped them were different from the bunch watching over them right now. They had been transferred from group to group, and these people seemed to be from the rural areas as they could not understand the dialect the guards were using.

    They were all blindfolded when they were transferred, thus they had no idea where they went and who could be behind all this.

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart sank. Somewhere inside him was inclined towards an answer, but he did not want to go there...

    Ah Mo seemed to have noticed his emotions, so he then said quietly, ¡°I know you don¡¯t feel too good about it, but we can¡¯t afford to have too many considerations at the moment. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized a lot of things during this long period of time, but it¡¯s not all bad! I suppose Master must be worried, and from the way theymunicated, I can tell that Master and Father are trying to locate us. They can¡¯t hide us forever although our situation is getting more and more precarious as time passes.¡±

    Qi Lei hesitated for a moment before he continued, ¡°I also sense that the danger gets graver as time goes on, so we should escape while we can. Otherwise, I¡¯m really worried that your condition will worsen.¡±

    Appearing worried, Qi Lei nced over at Yang Sheng who was coughing non-stop. He was down with a feverst night too. Ah Mo had wiped his body with alcohol and managed to lower down his temperature slightly.

    Ah Mo looked at Yang Sheng as well. ¡°True. We need to find a chance to get out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been observing them closely in the past few days. There are four guardsmen right now, and they take shifts. Given the bad weather right now, they are letting down their guard slightly, and we are pretty much cooperative as of now, so they don¡¯t really feel any pressure. There are times when they are especiallyx after midnight, so that¡¯ll be our best chance.¡±

    A light of hope shed in Ah Mo¡¯s eyes. He grabbed a stick lying on the ground nearby and dragged Qi Lei closer to him. With the dim lighting through the window gap, he drew a simple map on the ground.

    ¡°This is what I figured out from my observation. This is where we are at the moment, this is the kitchen, and their room is right opposite of this. We¡¯ll need to pass through here if we want to escape this ce. The kitchen is right beside it, and the exit is here,¡± Ah Mo analyzed, ¡°Eight people, two cars. Judging from my memory, we¡¯re in a rural mountainous area. I remember being in the car for a whole week before arriving here. Moreover, the roads got bumpier as we got in deeper...¡±

 Chapter 1336 - Escaped! 4

    <h4>1336 Escaped! 4</h4>

    Qi Lei listened silently as well. When Ah Mo was finished, he nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. As you said, this is a remote mountainous area. Even if we manage to escape, we can¡¯t just walk off like that. It¡¯s best if we can get their car keys.¡±¡°Mmm, this is a good n. Along the way, we didn¡¯t seem toe across many viges as well, so I¡¯m guessing that right now it should be quite empty outside too. Thesest days, they¡¯ve only sent food over every few days. If we want to escape, we have to find a way to get rid of them so that they won¡¯t be able to catch up to us. In fact, given that they have guns, we have to be more careful,¡± Ah Mo spoke in a heavier tone now.

    ¡°Think about how we can get a breakthrough. I¡¯ve observed things a bit. The person who seems to be the leader and the driver is that tall bloke. Even though he wore a hood, I could confirm from his voice that it definitely should be him, so the keys to our car should be with him.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the car that followed from behind should be that fat one driving. They seem to call him Fatso.¡±

    It was tough for Ah Mo and Qi Lei because this group of kidnappers was speaking the rural dialect that they did not understand at all. Sometimes, they¡¯d understand a word or two and vaguely try to guess what was happening.

    ¡°Mmm, they don¡¯t guard here at night, so they should be resting in that room. First, we¡¯ll have to settle the two at the door,¡± Qi Lei said as his eyes shed with determination.

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve got to find a way to lure them in and then quickly get to work.¡±

    ¡°Okay, hmm, I do have an idea,¡± Qi Lei lips shed with a devillish smile as he said softly.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ah Mo grinned amusedly and leaned over.

    Qi Lei quickly whispered his idea softly into Ah Mo¡¯s ear...

    After a while, a smile shed on Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face as he disyed a show of excitement. ¡°Sure, your idea¡¯s not bad, and we can dy them too. How do you know I¡¯d be able to get their car keys?¡±

    Shrugging, Qi Lei squinted and looked at Ah Mo through a side nce. ¡°You¡¯re capable enough of being Mu Yuchen¡¯spetent assistant. In fact, even Qi Feng¡¯s always praising you. Don¡¯t forget what background we Qise from. If you aren¡¯t that bit capable, you wouldn¡¯t bring up ideas like that to me, would you?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ah Mo onlyughed involuntarily. Moments after that, he said puzzledly, ¡°Even I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have too much confidence in myself, yet you dare to put it like that. However, as long as we can escape from this house with a courtyard, we won¡¯t be so passive anymore after this. Right now, locking us up here isn¡¯t the usual kidnapper¡¯s agenda. I¡¯m just worried that they want to use us to threaten Master and the rest...you know how it is.¡±

    ¡°Threaten? Then, it might just be you since I¡¯m not of much use. Perhaps they want to see me dead,¡± Qi Lei said, and then sighed helplessly. The silence in the room seemed to be covered by ayer of tension as he looked slightly dazed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. We can¡¯t let these people have their way,¡± Ah Mo advised while patting his shoulders as Qi Lei justughed bitterly.

    The storm outside became heavier whilst the dense raindrops rattled the windows hard. All they heard were the whistle of the storm, paired with Yang Sheng holding back his coughs.

    ¡°Hold on a bit more. We¡¯ll escape this ce soon.¡±

    Upon hearing Yang Sheng¡¯s coughs, Qi Lei was worried now. Worse still, his fever that had just subsided began to rise again, and his face was all red from heating up. Nevertheless, under the splotches of red, he was sickly pale.

    Qi Lei held Yang Sheng and consoled, ¡°Hold on. Why don¡¯t you put on some clothes?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Master Qi, I¡¯m still doing alright,¡± Yang Sheng coughed a bit more and said weakly.

    Qi Lei reached out to feel the temperature on his forehead. ¡°Why would you suddenlye back again?¡±

    ¡°We have to treat him right away, but these animals won¡¯t even give him some medication for his fever!¡± Ah Mo said coldly as he shot Qi Lei a look.

    Qi Lei nodded in agreement, then went close to Yang Sheng¡¯s ear. ¡°Yang Sheng, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get out of here very soon. No matter what happenster, don¡¯t be afraid. Just stick close to me. Later, Ah Mo will get them to open the door and ask them to get you some medicine. They¡¯ll definitelye over to check on you. Just pretend to be lifeless, then suddenly...¡± Qi Lei swiftly exined the n to Yang Sheng who nodded with a heavy head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi, I got it.¡±

    ¡°Can you hold on any longer?¡±Qi Lei was still worried, so he confirmed Yang Sheng¡¯s condition because thetter did not look very good right now. Even speaking took a lot from him.

    Yang Sheng sighed and suddenly clenched his fists. With a nod, he said, ¡°Master Qi, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. I can, and we must leave this hell hole!¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s tone was filled with determination.

    ¡°Okay, your health can¡¯t be dyed any further. We must get out right away. This hell hole is miles away from anywhere. If I get out of here, I¡¯ll kill those b*stards!¡±

    Qi Lei was pissed off. He had had enough, and he was done suffering. As he felt ufortable all over, he thought about how he had never suffered this much all his life.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s best that we get out of here. Given your temper and IQ, without our Master¡¯s help, you won¡¯t be able to win over those people. Being killed by them isn¡¯t an option,¡± Ah Mo could not help saying as he watched Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face instantly darkened and he clenched his fists. Then, he said disdainfully, ¡°It¡¯s not that Mu Yuchen¡¯s vicious enough. If I had his confidence, would I need to be suffering right now?¡±

    When Qi Lei said that, there was actually even more helplessness on his expression.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t vicious enough, you won¡¯t stand firm. Master Qi, you should...¡± Ah Mo did not continue, because Qi Lei had already held out a hand to stop him.

    ¡°Enough, even if that¡¯s true, that doesn¡¯t mean anything. It¡¯s because we¡¯ve lived too selfishly that I even have to tter and curry favor with my own kin. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s quite tragic? I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s so hard for a family to be stress-freely happy and harmonious!¡± Qi Lei could not help but voice out his heart¡¯s conflicts and peeves now.

    ¡°Sometimes, I really think that perhaps if I¡¯d also curried favor with the old man Qi back then, would all of this have...¡±

    ¡°Then, that wouldn¡¯t be you, Qi Lei!¡±

    When Qi Lei finished, Ah Mo smiled and said as he gave him a look, ¡°When you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll go call them.¡±

    Qi Lei exchanged a look with Yang Sheng, and then nodded.

 Chapter 1337 - Escaped! 5

    <h4>1337 Escaped! 5</h4>

    Ah Mo quickly averted his gaze and turned to look towards the door. He reached out and gently patted Qi Lei¡¯s shoulders, then got up to leave...Bam! Bam!

    There was a knock on the door that interweaved with the sound of the storm. Moments after that, they could hear the sound of cursing interspersed with a heavy local ent.

    ¡°What now? Do you want to die?¡± As the person cursed, he looked through the slit in the door.

    A mottled shadow appeared, and Ah Mo¡¯s anxious voice was heard saying, ¡°Brother, our buddy is having a high fever. It¡¯s quite severe. Quickly get someone to take a look, or give him some medication for his fever. That¡¯d be good too. He¡¯s been holding on for so many days now. If this keeps going on, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to hold on much longer!¡± His concerned tone trembled slightly, leaving no doubt of the truth in his voice.

    ¡°Yang Sheng, how are you?¡± Painful groans were heard, and Qi Lei¡¯s worried voice sounded exceptionally anxious and weak.

    Those blokes outside the door had wanted to hack at them with abuse, but through the ajar door, they could see that the situation inside was indeed pretty bad, so they kept quiet.

    The men on guard at the door were two tall and sturdy men. When they learned about the situation inside, they exchanged a look. One of them took out the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. They walked straight in towards Yang Sheng.

    When Ah Mo saw that, he quickly looked at Qi Lei who knowingly let go of Yang Sheng and beelined for the two.

    One of the men moved closer towards Yang Sheng who groaned weakly as he reached out his arm to the man and pleaded feebly, ¡°Save me...I feel terrible...¡±

    The men kept quiet, then reached out to feel his forehead. Indeed, the scalding temperature surprised him! He quickly turned around and was about to discuss with the other guy when he suddenly heard the sound of a grunt, and then he cked out before he could react. He lost all consciousness!

    Bam!

    Bam!

    The sound of two heavy bodies fell, and when they saw that the two guys had fallen to the floor, Ah Mo and Qi Lei sighed a breath of relief.

    Qi Lei quickly went over and searched the unconscious men, but neither did he find any car keys, nor could they find any tools formunication!

    He immediately frowned and looked at Ah Mo.

    ¡°These kidnappers are too sly, how could they not bring even tools ofmunication! It should be with their gang leader, just search them empty and then tie them up first, quick!¡± Qi Lei spoke in an annoyed tone, but he still searched through the two men and took their wallets and some useful things.

    With a shrug, Ah Mo searched them and tied them up. Only someone like Qi Lei could havee up with something so sinister. However, he did not say anything and quickly did as he was told. They stripped the men at their quickest speed and then tied them up.

    ¡°Now, go switch off the electric switch and find a way to get the car keys, I¡¯ll carry him out slowly and wait for you outside, hurry up, I¡¯ll start a fire over there, so even if they wake up, they¡¯ll have to save their own people first!¡± Qi Lei said.

    Ah Mo nodded as he helped Yang Sheng up to put him on Qi Lei¡¯s back. ¡°Be careful. These people are desperate criminals, so we¡¯ve got to be vignt, alright?¡±

    ¡°Okay, you too! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm!¡± he responded, then Ah Mo swiftly walked to the door and probed. When he confirmed that there was no one, he gestured at Qi Lei who followed him...

    Swoosh!

    Indeed, the cold rain was pouring outside, and the wind was biting cold. Qi Lei carried the dizzy Yang Sheng out of the doorway when a gust of wind blew over, so he could not help but tremble.

    ¡°Master Qi...¡± Yang Sheng could sense his reaction from his back, and he quickly softly called out to him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was determined as he looked out into the vast darkness before him and spoke with certainty, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just sleep. When you wake up, we¡¯d have safely left this ce.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Qi! I¡¯m holding the two of you back,¡± Yang Sheng said sadly, his voice tinted with guilt.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to put it that way, you¡¯ve also been dragged into this because of us. Instead of thinking that, you should save some energy to get out of here. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯ll be many dangers along the way. I¡¯ve already told Ah Mo to continue looking for some alcohol. Hold on a while more,¡± Qi Lei felt helpless, especially since Yang Sheng was truly strong for having held on for so many days now.

    When Yang Sheng heard all of these words of concern, he could not help but feel his heart grow warm, but he did not continue saying anything. He just nodded and let Qi Lei carry him shakily.

    Qi Lei had been bing weak as ofte, and now with Yang Sheng on his back, he was quite worn out, but thankfully, he could hold onto the railing for support as he walked.

    This courtyard was probably the type of haunted house that legends were made of. Previously, he vaguely heard about the creepy nature of the house from one of those big blokes. Otherwise, who would be crazy enough to build a house here? In fact, although it was such a lovely house, it was empty. The entire courtyard felt eerie all around, especially on such a cold rainy day.

    As he watched his own shadow and the swaying mottled silhouettes of the trees, with the bitter wind blowing past mixed with all sorts of weird sounds, Qi Lei began to get scared, especially when he saw that the house across initially still had its lights on. Then, suddenly after a few blinks, all the lights went out!

    The entire ce was engulfed in darkness, and you could vaguely see the raindrops pouring. Qi Lei dared not stop there. He steadied Yang Sheng on his back and continued walking ahead through gritted teeth.

    ...

    They managed to walk out of the courtyard gates in one piece to see two well-used Santanas parked there. Qi Lei walked over carefully because the rain was heavy, and he was thoroughly soaked.

    Qi Lei carried Yang Sheng to a car shed to hide from the rain before carefully putting him down.

    ¡°Yang Sheng, stay here quietly. I¡¯m going to go back and check on Ah Mo. I¡¯ll be back very soon!¡± he said as he wrapped him tighter with the coat.

    Yang Sheng was extremely weak at this point, so he nodded without any strength left. Qi Lei touched his forehead again worriedly. It seemed like his temperature had increased even further...

 Chapter 1338 - Escaped! 6

    <h4>1338 Escaped! 6</h4>

    His handsome brows furrowed into a knot as he wrapped Yang Sheng up well in a coat. He said with a lowered voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll definitely rescue you out, I will!¡±His dark eyes shed with anger and sharpness while his fists clenched tightly and he gritted his teeth before turning around to walk back in.

    ...

    Yang Sheng was losing consciousness. Soon, he fell asleep in a daze and only vaguely remembered that not too long after Qi Lei turned around to go back in, he heard cries of rm and fighting. In between those, he seemed to hear Ah Mo¡¯s panicked and uneasy shouts, ¡°Qi Lei, watch your back!¡±

    Qi Lei tensed up and quivered. He instantly turned around and waved the wooden stick in hand without even looking!

    A painful cry was heard, and a short and stout man held his arm while staring at Qi Lei viciously. In the blink of an eye, he reached his waist. When Ah Mo quickly rushed over and hit the fat guy¡¯s hand, a silver flicker gleamed, and Ah Mo swiftly caught it!

    It was a sharp dagger!

    Before Ah Mo could snap back to his senses, the fatty had alreadye up to him once again. This time, Qi Lei reacted quickly. He went up to him and held the guy by the arm before hacking his palm down on his neck. His moves were clean and swift without a hint of sloppiness.

    Ah Mo kept the dagger away and pushed that fatty aside. ¡°We have to leave right away. Even though I¡¯ve locked the door for the people inside, they have guns.¡±

    ¡°Did you get the keys?¡± Qi Lei asked a little nervously.

    Ah Mo nodded as he waved the car keys that he had gotten from the fat guy. ¡°But I only got this bunch! The tall one¡¯s still inside. He has a gun on him, so we¡¯d better not take the risk.¡±

    ¡°You go over first. I¡¯ll go and get two bottles of wine from the kitchen. Yang Sheng can¡¯t hold on any longer!¡± Qi Lei took a deep breath and then said before he ran into the rain.

    ¡°Hurry! We¡¯re running out of time. It¡¯s best to just get out. We¡¯ll see if there are any viges ahead,¡± Ah Mo suggested worriedly as he looked toward the dark corner where lots of foul curses could be heard.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be quick! You go out first!¡± Qi Lei urged, then vanished in the darkness ahead.

    Ah Mo could not help but feel anxious now, especially after hearing the sounds of collisioning from the corner! He did not have the time to think too much, so he followed Qi Lei in the direction he had disappeared into.

    Qi Lei urately found the direction of the kitchen, and with the help of the lighter in his hand, he very quickly found a few bottles of unopened Lao Bai Gan[1].

    ¡°Okay, hurry up! Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to make it! The fire is spreading!¡± Ah Mo who followed him in quickly pulled Qi Lei and rushed out of the doorway!

    At this moment¡ª

    Bam! Bam!

    Two muffled sounds of guns with silencers were heard.

    ¡°Where are they!? Open fire!¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell! How dare they deceive me? Kill them!¡±

    The yells came with the soft gunshots, and the bullets brushed past the stone handrails, creating fleeting sparks.

    ¡°Quickly run! They don¡¯t have a clear line of sight right now. Don¡¯t let them get close! Hurry!¡± Ah Mo said as he pulled Qi Lei to run madly ahead. The heavy rain poured, and both of them were thoroughly wet while the bullets flew in all directions from behind. Still, the two of them could not care less. Qi Lei held onto the wine and did not ck off for a moment. Even when he felt a sharp pang of pain from his left arm, he endured it!

    ¡°That part is on fire!¡±

    ¡°Help! Brother! Help!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Ah Zhu and the rest!¡±

    ...

    Behind them came the anxious call for help, and then the gunshots stopped.

    ¡°Quickly go save them! Damn it!¡±

    ¡°B*stard!¡±

    ¡°Quickly chase after them. Don¡¯t let them escape. Otherwise, we¡¯re done for!¡± the tall bloke said viciously, and then quickly chased after them!

    Ah Mo and Qi Lei quickly went towards the car as soon as they rushed out the door. Ah Mo opened the car door with the keys as Qi Lei tossed the wine into the car before rushing to help Yang Sheng into the car.

    ¡°Quick! They¡¯reing out now!¡±

    Ah Mo reversed the car as quickly as he could, and Qi Lei panted as he helped Yang Sheng into the car while he squeezed in too. Then, he caught his breath, and before he could close the door, Ah Mo had already swiftly gunned the engine.

    Bam! Bam!

    The bullets hit the car, and Qi Lei pushed Yang Sheng¡¯s head down as he reached out to close the car door.

    Ah Mo was a great driver. He sped up and drove ahead while the cars behind trailed them very soon.

    Qi Lei took off his wet clothes and tossed them aside as he asked, ¡°There are two people chasing after us from behind. Ah Mo, you sure you can get rid of them?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When ites to driving skills, these people aren¡¯t mypetition! You watch over him! He¡¯s not looking too good!¡± Ah Mo steadied the steering wheel and sped up slightly as he said.

    ¡°Alright, I trust you!¡± Qi Lei said as he took the wine bottle and pulled the cork out. He opened Yang Sheng¡¯s clothes to reveal his chest and back, then swiftly poured the wine onto his chest as he began to rub the liquid in...

    Yang Sheng was clearly in terrible condition. At the moment, he was beginning to lose consciousness as his fever persisted. His temperature upon touch was shocking, and Qi Lei was worried. He did not stop what he was doing though the car was dense with the smell of wine.

    The bumpy road rocked the car non-stop to the point that even Qi Lei felt dizzy. With the storm raging on outside and hitting the windows, the cars continued chasing after them.

    Ah Mo switched on the airconditioning system with the heater and the car gradually warmed up. Even Qi Lei, whose shirtless body was shivering with cold, got some warmth, but Yang Sheng was extremely cold as he curled up. Qi Lei spent a lot of effort wiping his body, as well as his palms and feet, with the wine and he kept repeating the action.

    Ah Mo¡¯s role was to keep driving. It was a good thing that he had the skills. Otherwise, he probably would not have been able to handle such bumpy mountainous terrains, especially at such a speed.

    These mountainous roads were not great to drive on, Ah Mo was driving quite fast, and he just kept driving straight ahead, ignoring the forks in the road, because he did not know where the hell they were. All around them were tall mountains and not a soul at all. Even the roads that led in had weeds all over. You could tell that rarely any people or cars came here!

 Chapter 1339 - Escaped! 7

    <h4>1339 Escaped! 7</h4>

    The cars continued to chase from behind, but thanks to Ah Mo¡¯s driving skills, they managed to escape. Otherwise, they would have been recaptured with the heavy downpour happening right then.¡°They¡¯re pretty far back now. There¡¯s going to be a fork in the path ahead. Let¡¯s see if we can lose them there,¡± Qi Lei said when he noticed a road sign.

    Ah Mo hesitated for a moment. As he was about to say something, Qi Lei suddenly said, ¡°Stop the car right now!¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Ah Mo gave Qi Lei a confused nce.

    ¡°Stop the car, quick!¡±

    Ah Mo followed his instructions right away.

    Qi Lei opened the door as the car slowed down. He quickly ran towards the road sign and turned it another way, then he dashed back to the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Ah Moughed. ¡°That¡¯s a really smart move!¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your driving skills. Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s going to be a sharp turn right in front. It¡¯s about time you switch off the lights.¡±

    ¡°Sit tight!¡± Ah Mo then stepped hard on the elerator.

    They opened the window slightly to let out the smell of alcohol. However, Ah Mo suddenly smelled blood in the air, so he frowned and nced in the rearview mirror. Then, he noticed that Qi Lei was rubbing Yang Sheng¡¯s palm with one hand while holding a fist with his other hand, and there was a bloody bandage on his arm.

    ¡°You¡¯re injured.¡± Ah Mo sounded worried as his frown grew deeper.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. A stray bullet just brushed past my shoulder when we rushed out.¡±

    ¡°We need to take care of it somewhere. I can¡¯t handle bringing two patients back to City Z.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a vige nearby. Give Mu Yuchen a call and ask for support.¡± Qi Lei was exhausted. ¡°We have no idea where this ce is, and there¡¯s no sign of civilization even after we¡¯ve traveled this far. It took us a week to get in here. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be that easy for us to get out.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not going to be easy. This car canst roughly 200 kilometers judging by the fuel meter, so we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡±

    Ah Mo took off his coat and put it aside. He continued wearing just his half-damp shirt.

    ...

    At the same time, the Gu residence in City Z was engulfed by the winter rain too.

    Two ck cars were slowly advancing and they soon parked right in front of the door.

    ¡°Missus, we¡¯re here!¡±

    The chauffeur quickly opened the door for Doris while Glenn came over with an umbre as well.

    Doris got out of the car. She was wearing a long dark purple dress with a white fox fur shawl, appearing beautiful and elegant as always.

    She nced at the mansion as she put on a cold smile, contemting for a moment before heading in.

    ¡°Open the door!¡± Glennmanded.

    The guards were hesitant when they saw Doris. Instead of letting her in immediately, they informed Gu Qiwu right away.

    Gu Qiwu had justid down to get some rest after reading through some documents, but he quickly got up when Butler Fang came to inform him of Doris¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Let her in!¡±

    ...

    The guards made way after having received Gu Qiwu¡¯s order.

    Doris stared at the guards coldly after being left to wait under the rain for a while. She then slowly walked in and went upstairs, straight into Gu Qiwu¡¯s study after entering the mansion.

    Gu Qiwu was wearing a simple sleeping robe with a coat over his shoulders. He was casually boiling some water and was prepared to make some tea in his study.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Looking for trouble thiste at night? This doesn¡¯t seem like something you¡¯d do.¡± Gu Qiwu put on a cold smile when he saw Doris and Glenn behind her. ¡°This is my turf. Haven¡¯t you learned how to give others some respect?¡±

    ¡°Do you even deserve any?¡± Doris grinned and sat down opposite him. ¡°Leave us alone for now, Glenn. I¡¯ll call you when I need you. Give that to me.¡± She extended an arm towards Glenn.

    Glenn quickly handed a ck folder to Doris. ¡°Yes, Missus!¡±

    Doris waved a hand at him, and he swiftly left the room.

    Gu Qiwu nced at the ck folder in Doris¡¯s hand. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re prepared.¡±

    ¡°Why else do you think I¡¯m here? I see you¡¯re totally ignoring the terms I offered before. You really want me to give your son-inw some special treatment, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened, but the changes in his emotions went unnoticed.

    ¡°My daughter can totally find someone better. She¡¯s the sessor of the Hui Gu Corporation, after all, so it need not be Mu Lingmo! You can do it if you¡¯d like. Do you think I¡¯d care about his life? Don¡¯t think of me as such a kind person!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that Mu Lingshi will hate you for it?¡± Doris did not expect her n to fail. Even then, she would do whatever it took. She would never yield in front of Gu Qiwu. At least, she could sever their rtionship forever!

    ¡°Me? Afraid? It has always been like this all these years. I never expected to be forgiven anyway. It¡¯s not important, so you might want to find something else if you want to threaten me.¡± Doris¡¯s behavior triggered Gu Qiwu¡¯s anger!

 Chapter 1340 - Cold-blooded 1

    <h4>Chapter 1340 Cold-blooded 1</h4>

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s cold stare at Doris only grew colder along with the words he just said.

    ¡°It might be a threat to Mu Yuchen, but that¡¯s nothing to me. Maybe you can try negotiating with Mu Yuchen. Who knows if he might hand Glory World over to you?¡±

    He grabbed a teacup and started making some tea. He handed a cup over to her casually. ¡°Give it a try. It¡¯s good tea. I just got these Longjing tea. I remember that you¡¯re quite fond of it.¡±

    Doris became more vignt when he suddenly acted like this around her.

    After being married to him for so many years, she understood him to a certain extent. He was calctive and cunning, and Doris had never truly seen through him after so many years, she was not sure what exactly he had in mind.

    This was also part of the reason why she regarded Gu Qiwu as dangerous and had to be careful!

    She did not trust Gu Qiwu, and Gu Qiwu did not trust her either. They had just been acting as the perfect couple all along!

    That was the truth of their marriage. Everyone else could only see the surface.

    Doris looked at Gu Qiwu quietly. Although they had been together for decades, she suddenly felt his face had be that of a stranger.

    She remained on guard as she nced at him. Then, she took a sip from the tea before replying, ¡°I doubt anyone could be as cold and cruel as you. Even I have a lot to learn from you.¡±

    Doris put on a cold smile, not doubting Gu Qiwu¡¯s words at all, especially after she saw the indifferent attitude he had. She just knew Gu Qiwu too well at this point. She might have been doubtful if Mu Yuchen were the one who said it, but it was convincing when uttered by Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Me? Cold-blooded?¡± Gu Qiwu looked at Doris. ¡°Do whatever you wish, Mu Yuchen has probably figured it out who¡¯s behind this mess. I just hope you¡¯re ready to face the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, Mu Lingmo is your son-inw and the father of the baby inside Mu Lingshi¡¯s womb right now! How could you!?¡± Doris¡¯s expression looked terrible.

    ¡°Why not? I can easily afford to raise a little child. Mu Lingmo has nothing. Put yourself in my shoes. Would you let Lingshi marry someone who has nothing? Any man in City B is better than Mu Lingmo! I¡¯ve been trying to make Mu Lingmo leave my daughter, but now I actually have to thank you for solving this issue for me!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice was cold, and even Doris could feel the chill in his tone.

    Gu Qiwu!

    Doris suddenly remembered that someone told her that Mu Lingmo had once met Gu Qiwu privately in City B. Was that the reason?

    She nced at Gu Qiwu as she drank the tea while he was casually helping himself to another serving of tea as well.

    The room turned quiet when the two of them stopped talking. The atmosphere was bing suffocating as the sound of the storm and the rain continued outside, highlighting the pin-drop hush inside the room.

    After some time, as Doris was about to say something, Gu Qiwu was just a second quicker than her.

    ¡°Speak if you have something to say. If that¡¯s all you want to say, I¡¯d suggest you give up. It¡¯s useless against me. Please leave if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Gu Qiwu looked at Doris and tried to chase her away coldly.

    Doris put on a bitter smile. ¡°You¡¯ve given me no choice, Gu Qiwu. I thought we could end on a good note even though our rtionship didn¡¯t work out. I wouldn¡¯t just sit around and let you take advantage of me. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to reconsider my terms?¡± she confirmed with him.

    Gu Qiwu stood up and put a coat over his shoulders. ¡°What do you think? Doris, it¡¯s not your style to not know your ce. You¡¯ve regressed.¡±

    Doris put on a cold smile before throwing a folder in front of Gu Qiwu. ¡°I¡¯ll stop trying to be nice then. Take a look at these! I know you¡¯re rted to Wang Qin¡¯s incident. How many years do you think you¡¯ll need to spend in prison?¡±

    Thud!

    A folder appeared before Gu Qiwu.

    Wang Qin?

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes turned quiet when he heard the name. He had never forgotten about Wang Qin, a woman who was killed by mistake, a pitiful woman!

    He stared at her coldly without saying anything.

    Doris seemed to be satisfied with his reaction. ¡°It seems like you only put on such an expression when it concerns you personally. What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want to see what¡¯s inside? Or do you not dare to see it at all? I¡¯m sure you have a clear memory of what happened to Wang Qin!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression turned sour as he squinted and nced at Doris for a moment before sitting back down and grabbing the folder.

 Chapter 1341 - Cold-blooded 2

    <h4>Chapter 1341 Cold-blooded 2</h4>

    He opened the folder and took out its contents. There were also several photos attached. The photos showed when he had contacted the killer along with the relevant information.

    Under such unclear circumstances, Gu Qiwu would be branded as the mastermind behind Wang Qin¡¯s murder!

    How did she get her hands on these?

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened and his eyes turned cold as he stared at Doris. ¡°How did you get these?¡± he questioned her coldly with anger mixed into his tone.

    Satisfied by Gu Qiwu¡¯s reaction, Doris grinned. ¡°Why do you care? However, you appear to be nervous. Are you? Once I deliver these to the police, what were you thinking when you were nning this? Killing Wang Qin and framing Xi Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°Wang Qin¡¯s death has nothing to do with me. Don¡¯t spout nonsense! You wicked woman, don¡¯t even think about dragging me into this mess!¡± Gu Qiwu clenched his teeth and said.

    Doris smiled and sipped her tea. ¡°Really now? You were in contact with the killer. He kept all his records with you, and if he provides evidence of you wiring money into his ount, do you really think you can get away with this? In fact, you actually hired him. You were trying to teach Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye a lesson, weren¡¯t you?¡± Doris said nonchntly.

    ¡°How did you find out about these?¡± Gu Qiwu did not think that she was already aware when he set the n in motion back then, and there was hardly anyone who knew, except...

    Qi Feng!

    It was him!

    His name instantly popped into Gu Qiwu¡¯s mind!

    Only Qi Feng knew what sort of happened. Furthermore, he heard that Doris had been having frequent meetings with Qi Fengtely. Wait...

    Qi Lei!

    Qi Lei had also been kidnapped along with Ah Mo!

    It was not news that Qi Feng wanted to get rid of Qi Lei. Especially when Qi Qiming started to have a change of attitude towards Qi Lei, Qi Feng felt threatened. Doris must have promised some kind of deal with Qi Feng if he gave her this information. She might just get rid of Qi Lei!

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression turned horrible as he red at Doris coldly. ¡°Are you working with Qi Feng now? Ganging up on me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put it that way! I¡¯m just returning the favor of what you did to me. You lied to me and chased me away, stripping me off my pride, so how can I forgive you?¡±

    ¡°We could¡¯ve ended this on a good note. Things wouldn¡¯t havee to this stage if you had fulfilled your promise, but since you¡¯re not going to let me be at peace, I¡¯ll make sure you suffer!¡±

    Doris smashed her teacup onto the floor as she stood up and looked down at Gu Qiwu. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you a chance anymore. I¡¯ll disable Mu Lingmo¡¯s hands first if you still don¡¯t want toply with my terms. I¡¯ll send his chopped off hands to Mu Lingshi and let her know you¡¯re the reason why his husband lost his hands. If that¡¯s not enough, you¡¯ll see his legs chopped off!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll make sure that this information is sent to the police as soon as possible, so think it through!¡± she yelled with a ferocious expression on her face!

    ¡°How dare you threaten me, Doris?!¡± Gu Qiwu snapped, throwing the documents onto the table and standing up as well to re at her. ¡°Do you want to end up like Wang Qin too?¡±

    ¡°You want to kill me now, hmm?¡± Not only was Doris not scared, but she also startedughing. ¡°This is how it should be! I thought you really didn¡¯t care about anything in this world. You¡¯re afraid of being jailed and dead too, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you are to provoke me?¡±

    ¡°Provoke? Do you think all of this is mere provocation? Gu Qiwu, no one has ever embarrassed me as much as you did. You¡¯re going to pay for what you did! I want an immediate answer from you, or else, Mu Lingmo¡¯s hands will be chopped off right this instant!¡± Doris¡¯s pitch went up another notch, and her arrogant attitude made Gu Qiwu frown!

    ¡°I dare you!¡± Gu Qiwu smashed his teacup into tiny little pieces!

    Ah Yong and Glenn, along with the other bodyguards quickly rushed in following the sound of the broken teacups.

    ¡°Boss! Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡±

    They barged in at the same time. Seeing the former couple standing against each other gave them a chill down their spines.

    ¡°Get out!¡± Gu Qiwu said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯te in without my orders!¡±

    ¡°Glenn, leave us alone for now!¡± Doris was determined to get an answer from Gu Qiwu today!

    They could no longer dy this matter. She would have confronted Gu Qiwu much earlier if it were not for Qi Feng¡¯sck of preparedness.

    Naturally, Doris knew that Qi Feng was just trying to dy as long as possible.

    If Gu Qiwu chose to decline her offer, she would definitely harm Mu Lingmo. Since Qi Lei was kidnapped along with him, if Mu Lingmo was killed, Qi Lei would probably end up the same way too!

    That was killing two birds with one stone!

    Doris knew what he was nning, but she would not just wait for him. She had to end this quickly!

 Chapter 1342 - Cold-blooded 3

    <h4>Chapter 1342 Cold-blooded 3</h4>

    When the two of them shouted at the concerned group, thetter had no choice but to retreat!

    Upon hearing the sound of the door close, Gu Qiwu picked the document on the table up and tossed it at Doris before saying harshly, ¡°You should know that even if you have these evidence, it¡¯s not enough to convict me! Besides, I¡¯ve said this before: Wang Qin¡¯s death has got nothing to do with me!¡±

    ¡°Whether or not it has anything to do with you will require you to exin yourself to the judge or to the police! I¡¯m just asking you right now: shouldn¡¯t you agree to my conditions?¡± Doris¡¯s tone was menacing at this point, not a moment¡¯s ease.

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t agree to it?¡± Gu Qiwu fixed his sharp gaze on Doris.

    ¡°Do you think that you can choose not to agree to it? Do you even have a choice?¡± she sneered as she took her phone out from her bag, ¡°I won¡¯t give you a chance to catch your breath. You must give me a reply by today. Otherwise, you know the kind of things I¡¯d do.¡±

    ¡°Huh, Doris, you¡¯re probably afraid of returning to Ennd now, are you? Since you could do such a humiliating thing, I¡¯m sure your family won¡¯t tolerate that and let you go back. I do feel quite sorry for you.¡±

    After they got divorced, Gu Qiwu had secretly sent for someone to investigate on Doris¡¯s situation. Once the news of the scandal reached there, Doris did not have an easy time. Even if she was powerful with tricks up her sleeves, not everyone could tolerate her. Honestly, she was worried about that, which was why she let Gu Lingsha go over. She nned on letting her father do his best to protect her daughter, at least.

    ¡°Those are just your spections, Gu Qiwu. I¡¯m asking you if you agree to it or not. If you sign this document as promised, then I¡¯ll agree to stop everything I¡¯m doing. Otherwise, I¡¯ll get them to cripple Mu Lingmo¡¯s hands right away, and give them to your daughter as a meeting gift!¡± Doris said as she started dialing a number. ¡°Do you agree to it or not?¡±

    Gu Qiwu started to look worse now. His sharp and sinister gaze was about to strike through her. When he saw that she already made the call, he finally could not help but shout harshly, ¡°I dare you!¡±

    ¡°Why would I be afraid to do it? I¡¯m being forced into a corner right now, so what else do I have to lose? I hate those who lie and fool me the most, Gu Qiwu. I never lose. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make that person pay the price!¡± Doris said gloomily.

    She had seen her own father mess with too many women all these years. Even her own mother was not excluded, so Doris used tough and malicious ways to get rid of every woman by her father¡¯s side. She strengthened her mother¡¯s position. In the end, none of her father¡¯s mistresses or lovers could bear him any children, and some of them even had their reputationpletely ruined or suffered disfigurement.

    Doris had always had a hooting madness in her bones, which even her own father admired. If Doris had not married Gu Qiwu, she would have held a very high status in their family n, especially now since her father was in old age. He was gradually not as strong as he wished anymore, thus he wanted her to go home and take over the family business, but this was no simple feat. If it were not for the fact that the initial sessor had been harmed, this chance would not have fallen into Doris¡¯sp.

    Nevertheless, Doris had always been ambitious, so she would not let go of such a great opportunity. She needed to return to the family n, which that she had to divorce Gu Qiwu and return in glory so that she could dominate her position.

    Otherwise, she would not have needed to take the risk.

    At this point, she could not care much anymore. Once her issue with Gu Qiwu got out, she would be...

    ¡°I¡¯m counting to three. If you still won¡¯t agree, Mu Lingmo will lose a pair of hands. Even if you won¡¯t consider it for yourself, you should think of your daughter. Do you want her to be the next Mu Zixi, dying of depression? You¡¯ve already killed Mu Zixi and your son. Do you want to be ruthless to your own daughter and son-inw too?¡± Doris¡¯s sharp shouts were heard while a cold light flickered in her blue eyes, showing off her exquisite appearance, yet making her seem sinister now.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill them, you witch. How dare you say that!? You don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    When this was brought up, Gu Qiwu was finally broken. He picked up the teacup before him and tossed it at her. ¡°If you dare do anything to them, I¡¯ll guarantee that you¡¯ll end up worse than them!¡±

    ¡°Alright, it looks like you aren¡¯t nning onpromising now!¡± Doris said fiercely, ¡°One!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    Before Doris could finish, Gu Qiwu already called out, ¡°Someone! Come here and catch this witch!¡±

    Bam!

    Once Ah Yong heard the orders from outside, he immediately rushed in with his people. In the blink of an eye, five to six ck-clothed bodyguards rushed in and instantly surrounded Doris.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see who dares to touch our Miss!¡± Doris¡¯s capable assistant instantly rushed in with people too. They whipped out their guns and pointed it right at Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Boss! Whoever dares to touch him will be shot dead!¡± Ah Yong was quite quick to react too. When he saw Glenn take his gun out, his strong body whizzed by in a heartbeat and he stood by Doris. The cold muzzle of a gun was aimed right at Doris¡¯s head.

    ¡°Back off! No one touches him!¡± Ah Yong shouted coldly while the muzzle in his left hand was pointed at Glenn.

    Glenn¡¯s expression tensed up. He held on tighter to his gun and stared at Ah Yong, then looked at Gu Qiwu again.

    Nheless, Gu Qiwu¡¯s reaction was calm as he smiled coldly at this sight before him. He did not seem to be surprised at all. In fact, there seemed to be a sneer of disdain on his face as he put his hands behind his back and walked over to Doris.

    Doris had seen plenty in her life too. Her expression remained unchanged despite being under the threat of Ah Yong¡¯s gun. Only her blue eyes shifted coldly as she fixed her gaze on Gu Qiwu who was walking towards her.

    He walked over in a fewrge strides, and his long slender fingertips lifted Doris¡¯s chin like that of someone in a superior position. He peered down at Doris and smiled coldly. ¡°You¡¯re very reckless. I¡¯ve always respected you very much, but you keep trying to step on me! Who made you this bold?!¡±

    ¡°Let go of Miss. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be courteous either!¡± When Glenn saw that, concern shed in his eyes, and he held onto the gun tightly and aimed it at Gu Qiwu.

    Gu Qiwu ignored him while he stared coldly at Doris. ¡°Do you know that I, Gu Qiwu, am not afraid of death? Are you not afraid too, huh?¡±

 Chapter 1343 - Cold-blooded 4

    <h4>Chapter 1343 Cold-blooded 4</h4>

    The voice spoke gloomily through gritted teeth. Even Ah Yong could not help but tremble.

    Ding!

    At this opening, a strong light shed past their eyes. Ah Yong and Gu Qiwu could not help but lift a hand to shield their eyes.

    Bam!

    Ah Yong felt a pain on his arm, and in the next instant, he noticed that his gun had been taken away. His other wrist was in excruciating pain too, then he subconsciously pushed forward.

    There were only the chaotic sounds of movement.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±

    ¡°I dare you! Shoot then!¡±

    Two voices spoke up at about the same time. It was all so quick that Ah Yong did not have the time to react when both his guns were snatched away. He only quickly moved and used this moment when everyone was distracted to move to Glenn¡¯s side and catch his wrist.

    However, at this moment, Gu Qiwu and Doris were both aiming a gun at each other¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Shoot then! Gu Qiwu, do you dare? You sanctimonious, despicable man!¡±

    Doris¡¯s blue eyes flickered with madness as the gun in her hand was aimed right at Gu Qiwu¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away if you won¡¯t agree to my conditions today! You forced me, you lowly man! You im you love me, but what have you given me? It¡¯s all fake! Everything¡¯s fake! You never loved me! I really want to bloody kill you with this gun! Kill you!¡±

    That fierce expression of hers did not hide the hatred she felt.

    ¡°Miss Doris, Boss! Please calm down!¡± Their darkened expressions frightened Ah Yong, and he tried to calm them down.

    ¡°Come at me then. I¡¯d like to see if you¡¯re going to die first, or if Ah Mo¡¯s hands will be crippled first! Doris, you want to gamble on your life with me? You¡¯ve overestimated yourself! A woman like you is the true lowly fool! Are you allowed to talk to me about love? Fool! That¡¯s right. I was just messing with you. Forget about Zixi. You¡¯re nothingpared to a single strand of hair from those prostitutes by the streets!¡± Gu Qiwu sneered as he took a step forward until Doris¡¯s gun was right on his chest. He said coldly, ¡°Come on, shoot me! Do you dare? If I die, everything under my name will be transferred to Lingshi, mywyer will personally handle everything, you dare to kill me?¡±

    ¡°You wicked man, I want to kill you! I want to kill you!¡±

    Pa¡ª

    Bam! Bam!

    With the loud and clear ring of a p, two intense sounds of something being struck echoed. The bullet in Doris¡¯s hand had mercilessly struck the tea set in front of her. In the blink of an eye, the exquisitely beautiful tea set was instantly shattered.

    ¡°Miss!¡±

    ¡°Boss!¡±

    Glenn and Ah Yong dared not say much. Instead, they quickly rushed forward and blocked their masters.

    ¡°Let go of me! I want to kill him! I want to kill him! Wicked man!¡± Doris could not care less about the pain on her face. She struggled hard and shouted her intention to kill Gu Qiwu.

    ¡°Let go of her! Let here over. I¡¯d like to see how capable she is!¡± Gu Qiwu stared slightly madly with his reddened eyes at Doris.

    ¡°Boss, calm down. This woman seems to have gone into insanity mode!¡± Ah Yong endured the pain on his wrist as he reminded.

    Gu Qiwuughed coldly and walked up without a care. Glenn, who was consoling Doris, suddenly responded and his long arm stretched to lock around Gu Qiwu¡¯s neck at the speed of light. The cruel gun in his hand was aimed at Gu Qiwu¡¯s head once again. He pushed the gun in Gu Qiwu¡¯s hand away, and it ttered to the ground.

    ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡±

    Dong! Dong!

    ¡°Mmmph!¡± Doris did not let go of this chance. She watched as Glenn locked onto Gu Qiwu, then she quickly went over and viciously punched Gu Qiwu a few times, not holding back at all!

    ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡±

    ¡°If you dare hurt Boss, I¡¯ll make sure you can¡¯t get out of here!¡± Ah Yong¡¯s expression tensed up as he looked at them gloomily and quickly picked up the gun that Gu Qiwu had kicked over to point at Doris.

    ¡°You two, protect the Miss and get her out!¡± Glenn¡¯s hand that gripped the gun aimed at Gu Qiwu¡¯s brains tightened a bit more.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving! Gu Qiwu, we muste to a conclusion today. If you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll send your daughter a gift right away,¡± Doris just said when her phone buzzed!

    The few of them subconsciously looked at the phone in Doris¡¯s hand while she quickly picked it up.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s me!¡± she spoke very quickly.

    They did not know what the person on the other end said, but Doris¡¯s expression only turned worse. Towards the end, that exquisite face of hers was beyond gloomy.

    Before Glenn could react, Doris had already hung up and her fists were clenched!

    ¡°Miss, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Glenn keenly noticed that something was not right with Doris, so he quickly asked softly with concern.

    She fell silent for a moment and looked sharply at Gu Qiwu as she gritted her teeth. ¡°Get them to do as the n says! Gu Qiwu, if I can¡¯t do well, you can¡¯t either! Let¡¯s go!¡± she said, and then walked out first.

    ¡°Stop them! What do you think my Gu residence is that you cane and go as you wish?¡± Gu Qiwu struggled for a bit, then ordered Ah Yong boldly.

    ¡°You want to trap us here?¡± Doris could immediately see through Gu Qiwu¡¯s motives, so she smiled nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯d advise you not to waste your time. As long as I don¡¯t return to the hotel room by 4 a.m. today, these things will be automatically sent to the police station! In fact, Mu Lingmo might lose more than just his pair of hands...¡±

    ¡°Stop them!¡±

    ¡°Who dares toe?! I¡¯ll kill you with one shot!¡± Glenn unlocked the trigger and said coldly, ¡°Mr. Gu, your life is in my hands. Don¡¯t you want to live?¡±

    ¡°Boss!¡± The rest could not help but exim worriedly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Scram!¡±

    With Glenn aiming a gun at his head, Gu Qiwu was pushed out of the study room as well.

    ¡°They won¡¯t dare to shoot. Stop them!¡±

    Bam!

    ¡°Watch to see if I dare to or not!¡±

    As soon as Gu Qiwu said that, Doris fired at his nk, and he could even feel clearly when the bullet passed through the hem of his shirt...

    Shocked, Ah Yong quickly moved asides, forced to make way...

 Chapter 1344 - Comradeship 1

    <h4>Chapter 1344 Comradeship 1</h4>

    Outside the Gu residence, Gu Qiwu crossed his arms under the cold rain in the morning. It was freezing outside.

    ¡°Boss, are we just going to let them go? They mentioned something about evidence just now...¡± Ah Yong just watched as Doris left, appearing worried. ¡°Doris¡¯s phone call just now was odd. You saw how her expression instantly changed!¡±

    Gu Qiwu looked in the direction where the car left without saying anything. He did not seem like he was cold despite just wearing a sleeping robe in the chilly weather.

    Ah Yong did not say anything else when he noticed Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darken. Gu Qiwu turned and went back into the house as he said, ¡°Call Mu Yuchen¡¯s assistant right away. Something good must have happened on Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei¡¯s end. Also, tell him to protect me no matter what. He won¡¯t have it easy if I¡¯m imprisoned. Moreover, I¡¯ve done my part of the deal, and he needs to recognize that Lingshi is a child of the Gu family.¡±

    ¡°Boss...¡± Ah Yong was taken aback.

    ¡°Just do what I say! We have to stop Doris¡¯s n immediately. That crazy woman will do anything out of desperation!¡± Gu Qiwu said coldly before vanishing out of the doorway.

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up early as usual. He prepared breakfast for the whole family.

    It was quiet downstairs when Xi Xiaye came down. She looked around and saw the man reading the newspaper on the sofa.

    ¡°Why is it so quiet? Where are Father, Mother, and Grandfather?¡±

    The elders in the family had a habit of waking up early, thus Xi Xiaye found it odd to not see them at this time.

    The man averted his gaze to her when he heard her voice. He put the papers away and waved his hand at her. ¡°Christmas ising soon, so they brought our son to go shopping. Grandfather went to see Elder Su, and they won¡¯t be home for lunch. Is Lingshi still asleep?¡±

    Xi Xiaye went near and sat down beside him. ¡°Mmm, she slept prettytest night. Let her rest for now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put an arm around her shoulder before gently kissing her lips. ¡°I¡¯m heading over to the site at South River today. Do you want toe along?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I wanted to take a look there as well. Vice President Zhang Lan told me that the first phase is reaching the end soon, but...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing. The two of them looked over and noticed Li Si¡¯s name shing on the screen. Mu Yuchen put the newspaper away and picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello? Master?¡± Li Si¡¯s voice sounded anxious. ¡°Big news!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply.

    Li Si then continued, ¡°Gu Qiwu¡¯s assistant, Ah Yong, called me at 3 a.m. this morning! Doris brought her subordinates over to the Gu residence to have a discussion with Gu Qiwu...¡± He briefly informed Mu Yuchen what happened over at Gu Qiwu¡¯s ce.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes turned cold slowly. ¡°How did Doris get that evidence?¡± he squinted his eyes and asked coldly. Then, he let go of Xi Xiaye and started drinking the tea he had just brewed slowly while the light in his eyes was flickering. He seemed to have a lot on his mind at the moment.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu guessed that Qi Feng must have provided her with the information. Only Qi Feng knew what Gu Qiwu did at that time. However, Gu Qiwu said he swore on his dignity that he didn¡¯t order the killer to kill Wang Qin. He just wanted Missus to be holding the knife when the lights returned. He didn¡¯t expect the killer to actually kill Wang Qin!¡± Li Si¡¯s tone of voice sounded doubtful as he found the whole situation odd as well.

    ¡°Dignity?¡± Mu Yuchen had a cold grin when he heard those words. ¡°Does he even have that?¡±

    ¡°Certainly not! However, after I analyzed a little, it¡¯s not very likely that was Gu Qiwu¡¯s intentions. The killer either made a mistake, or there was some other intention behind it.¡±

    Li Si offered his own thoughts, ¡°By the way, Gu Qiwu said he can agree to your terms, but he wishes for Miss Lingshi to return to the Gu family.¡±

    ¡°What terms? Gu Qiwu is full of himself. It¡¯s Lingshi¡¯s decision to make whether she wants to return to the Gu family. I won¡¯t interfere with her decision making, but I can¡¯t help with that. As for the rest, I¡¯m willing to cooperate. I¡¯m looking forward to his reaction when the truth about six years ago is revealed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Master, I found out that Inspector Zhang¡¯s flight will be back in City Z in the afternoon in three days. I suppose he already has what we want. I¡¯ve sent someone to keep an eye on the car workshop owner. He rarely goes out, so it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for us to keep him under control.¡±

    ¡°Be cautious about his safety. I¡¯m sure Doris must¡¯ve noticed something going on behind her back already.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! We¡¯ll be able to reveal the truth once we get the evidence! I¡¯m sure Master Lingtian will be able to truly rest in peace by then.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not reply to Li Si. He was taken aback for a moment, so he closed his eyes for some time before replying, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest in your hands.¡± Then, he put the teacup down before hanging up.

    ¡°Stop frowning. It¡¯s good news, after all.¡± Xi Xiaye pulled at his arm a little when she saw him frowning.

 Chapter 1345 - Comradeship 2

    <h4>Chapter 1345 Comradeship 2</h4>

    He did not move an inch and just let her pull his hand around as he gazed into her eyes with his dreamy, starry eyes. He stared at her for a moment before saying, ¡°You¡¯re pretty considerate to help Lingshi out even when you know I¡¯m troubled, huh? Come home and sleep with me tonight.¡±

    He could not abstain anymore ever since he married her...

    ¡°Can your head think of something else? It¡¯s early in the morning! You¡¯re getting more and more vulgar. What happened to the old you?¡± Xi Xiaye pped his paws before throwing him a disgusted stare!

    Mu Yuchen looked calm as usual as he got up together with her and walked towards the dining table with her. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. I wasn¡¯t thinking of anything.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not believing that. Why don¡¯t you prove yourself by abstaining for a month or two?¡± Xi Xiaye looked back and squinted at him with a grin just to provoke him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression darkened. He quickly pulled out a chair for her to sit down. ¡°Just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything just now. Please don¡¯t do that!¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled when she saw his reaction. ¡°You¡¯re annoying!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m being respectful of you. Come on and eat up now. There are a lot of things to do today, and I need to be at the police station this afternoon too.¡± Mu Yuchen added a fried egg onto her te.

    Xi Xiaye was enjoying the service she was being provided. ¡°About Gu Qiwu?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Mmm, Gu Qiwu can¡¯t fall yet for Ah Mo¡¯s sake, or else, he would just be doing Doris a favor.¡±

    ¡°Doris is truly a wicked woman! Fortunately, you were smart back then. Otherwise, you would¡¯ve be her son-inw already.¡±

    ¡°You ought to learn from my wisdom.¡±

    ¡°Look at you, acting all cheeky. I think there is some narcissistic gene in the Mu family bloodline. Our son acts just like you now whenever he¡¯s given apliment! As expected of father and son.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being smart?¡±

    ...

    The rain continued throughout the night, and it was wet everywhere on the road.

    As the car went through bumpy mountainous roads, Qi Lei felt dizzy from all the rocking he experienced. Although he felt like his strength was all drained, he still tried his best to hang on. Yang Sheng¡¯s fever went down slightly after the night, but he was still pretty weak, and the bumpy mountain roads did not help.

    The car¡¯s petrol was depleted by the time morning came, so the three of them continued their journey on foot.

    Fortunately, they were not pursued, or else, they could not have escaped.

    Ah Mo carried Yang Sheng on his back as they walked through the muddy mountain path. Qi Lei followed behind and covered his injured arm. All of them looked horrendous with mud all over them.

    It was even a first for Ah Mo to feel this humiliated! He swore to himself that he would make these scumbags pay for it!

    ¡°Damn it! Where is this ce?! We can¡¯t even find a residential area after driving for a whole night. I¡¯m so tired!¡± Qi Leiined as he wiped the droplets off his face. He could not even tell whether that was his sweat or rainwater.

    Ah Mo turned around and noticed that his expression was pale. He looked like he was about to get sick, much to Ah Mo¡¯s worry.

    They needed to find a ce to settle down; he had no capacity to take care of two patients!

    Qi Lei was obviously suffering from excessive hemorrhaging. If this situation continued, there was no guarantee of whether he could return to City Z alive.

    After Ah Mo and Qi Lei had taken turns carrying him for some time now, Yang Sheng suddenly said while he was on Ah Mo¡¯s back, ¡°Master Qi, Ah Mo, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m being a burden right now. It doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll be able to rest anytime soon. Please let me down and stop letting me be a burden. Perhaps the two of you can still get out. Just leave me...¡±

    He thought that situations like this would only happen in television drama series or fiction. Who would have known that it would actually happen to them? Yang Sheng was touched when Qi Lei and Ah Mo did not abandon him. However, he felt really guilty hindering them right now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. Save your breath,¡± Qi Lei said.

    Ah Mo took a deep breath and paused for a moment, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We¡¯ll be able to get out together, and there should be a vige nearby after walking this far. I¡¯ll never abandon my brothers andrades. Moreover, the two of you are my brother¡¯s friends. I won¡¯t be able to face my brother if I return to City Z myself.¡±

    He then clenched his teeth and continued moving forward.

    ¡°This is nothing. Back then, when Master, Master Su, and Master Mo just joined the military, their training in the jungle was much harsher. Master Qi, it¡¯s not all bad, to be honest. At least, we got something in return, yes?¡± Ah Mo sounded happy.

    ¡°I¡¯m not like your Master. I just want to leave this damned ce as soon as possible.¡±

    While Qi Lei was tired, he had to admit that Ah Mo¡¯s words were right. He was really impressed by Ah Mo¡¯s abilities on their way here. Qi Lei was a humble person, especially towards those whom he respected.

    ¡°For sure we¡¯ll be able to leave. Take a look there.¡± Ah Mo let out a sigh of relief.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment before looking in the direction Ah Mo pointed at.

 Chapter 1346 - Comradeship 3

    <h4>Chapter 1346 Comradeship 3</h4>

    Bare ground greeted their sight, and straight ahead, they could see a lump of something dark on the side like some sort of haystack?

    Qi Lei squinted to look, and in an instant, his eyes suddenly lit up while a smile spread across his pale face!

    ¡°This is the corn stalk haystack that viges gather. That means someone must have farmed on thisnd, so there must be households nearby!¡± Ah Mo thought that Qi Lei did not understand, so he exined.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes shed with joy. He quickly said, ¡°Yes! There must be households nearby! What are we waiting for then? It should be this road ahead. Let¡¯s go quickly!¡±

    Ah Mo responded, and quickened his steps...

    Indeed, about two kilometers ahead, they saw more than ten low-rise wooden houses that were far and few in between...

    ¡°There are households! Ah Mo, look!¡± Qi Lei was relieved as he pointed at the vige ahead.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then! We¡¯ll see if there¡¯s a doctor to treat the two of you first.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ...

    ¡°What did you say? They escaped? Eight people couldn¡¯t even watch over three cold and hungry people?¡±

    Inside the luxurious hotel, Doris listened to the ck-clothed man beside Glenn report to her while her face was gathered with a recklessyer of stormy expression as she coldly looked at the man before him.

    ¡°Sorry, Miss, the rain was too heavy. In fact, they set things on fire and tied our people up, so we could only save our people first, and based on the whole situation, they had nned this way in advanced. They remembered the courtyard¡¯syout very well, andthey...¡±

    ¡°Enough! I don¡¯t want to hear any more excuses. I¡¯m just asking you where they are right now. Where are Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei? Have you caught them yet?¡± Doris put out the cigarette in her hand and clenched her teeth as she said gloomily.

    ¡°Our people have gone out to chase them. However...we lost them, but, Miss, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve already sent out more people. The terrain in that area isplicated. In fact, we¡¯ve gone deep into the mountains, and the car won¡¯t be able tost for long, so it must be very hard for them to get out. Our people are familiar with the terrain. Plus, they don¡¯t have anymunication tools on them, so I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t be able to get out. Give us a bit more time. We¡¯ll definitely catch them!¡± the man in ck said a little worriedly and uneasily. When he saw Doris¡¯ cold gaze about to burst into a fury, he was slightly afraid.

    ¡°Your capabilities are getting worse! If you can¡¯t even handle this one little thing, why should I keep you? Useless! All of you are useless! Get out!¡±

    Doris picked up the cup on the table and tossed it hard to the ground, frightening the man until he quickly knelt to beg, ¡°Miss, please don¡¯t be angry. Give us one more chance. We will definitely catch them again! Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    ¡°Miss, actually, you can¡¯t me them entirely for this. They have to face Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei. Those two aren¡¯t easy characters to deal with. Otherwise, Qi Feng wouldn¡¯t have tossed this to you to do. We cannot be a mess because of this matter. We must speed up our actions.¡±

    Glenn was Doris¡¯s capable assistant, it would not be wrong to call him her strategist since many of the ns required his opinions as a reference too.

    Thus, when Glenn said that, Doris calmed down slightly and looked coldly at the ck-clothed man who suddenly knelt before her. She said coldly, ¡°Get up. Get someone to search for their traces. Block every road entrance. We can¡¯t let them get away.¡±

    When the man in ck heard that, he felt relieved. He did not say anything much. He only responded shortly before leaving, ¡°Yes, Miss!¡±

    Only Glenn and Doris were left in the room now. It instantly fell quiet, and the air subconsciously felt heavier.

    After a while, Doris pointed at the sofa across and said to Glenn as she picked up a cigarette box, ¡°You sit down too.¡± She lit a stick up herself and took a deep breath. Amidst the smoke, Glenn sat down too.

    ¡°Miss, you need to be more careful. Your heath¡¯s been deteriorating recently.¡±

    Doris leaned back and fell onto the sofa behind her while she let out a drag of smoke, and said with some frustration, ¡°This isn¡¯t as simple as it seems. If Qi Feng pushed all of these to me, I¡¯m sure that means he¡¯s also all prepared. Everything from before will go on as nned, and now, suddenly with all these new things popping up, we¡¯re being obstructed once again.¡±

    At this, she suddenly inhaled and rxed a while, then she continued, ¡°Glenn, I suddenly feel like this seems to be slowly getting off track. Why would Mu Yuchen suddenlye back? In this past month, it was because we¡¯ve been ying hide and seek with him that our time got dragged on. Gu Qiwu¡¯s ying guerri warfare with me now too.¡±

    The longer this dragged out, the less it was looking up for them. Look, now something had happened.

    Dorisbed through her hair with her fingers and could not help butugh bitterly. ¡°You know what I¡¯m most thankful for right now?¡±

    ¡°Miss...¡± Glenn called out softly, thought about it then said, ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°The thing I¡¯m most thankful for is that I didn¡¯t confuse myself because of Gu Qiwu, that I wasn¡¯t as dumb as Mu Zi was all those years ago. I¡¯ve been married to him for so many years. Of course, there were good times, but I never lowered my guard as I didn¡¯t want to end up the way my mother did.¡± Doris sighed softly, cleared her throat, and then flicked the cigarette between her fingers. ¡°This all just proves that I was right to do that. Otherwise, today, I could¡¯ve be the second Mu Zi.¡±

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re beautiful and elegant. You can¡¯t bepared to Mu Zi. Miss, you shouldn¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± Glenn could not bear to hear Doris say this, so he consoled her.

    ¡°I know how I am. Since we¡¯ve reached this point, we have to take our time making decisions. On the one hand, we should hasten our ns. We can¡¯t let Mu Yuchen and Gu Qiwu find out that Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei are no longer in our hands. Also, the other thing needs to be considered thoroughly too. We have to prepare to retreat. If anything happens, we¡¯ll be a mess! We must find the three of them again. We have to do something about Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi right away!¡±

 Chapter 1347 - Comradeship 4

    <h4>Chapter 1347 Comradeship 4</h4>

    When Doris said that, Glenn was in agreement. ¡°Yes, Miss, don¡¯t worry, I will arrange for that. However, on Qi Feng¡¯s end...¡±

    Glenn was unhappy with Qi Feng. He just wanted to wait for the fruits of victory instead of putting in too much effort, just as how he had got ten Morrison to send those details about Gu Qiwu over. Clearly, he was intentionally stalling for time. He must probably be nning on letting Qi Lei suffer longer...

    Qi Kai would be having their shareholders meeting after the New Year, and Qi Qiming was already nning on handing his authority over. Qi Feng must be nning on letting Qi Lei out after this was done.

    Doris and Glenn knew his motives very well!

    ¡°Qi Feng¡¯s very sly. Someone like him is actually just perfect as a high-level advisor and isn¡¯t suitable as someone in power or a decision-maker. If youpare them, he¡¯ll lose to Mu Yuchen by miles. Even if he wants to push Qi Lei aside, would Mu Yuchen just sit there? Aren¡¯t we being taken advantage of this time?¡±

    When Qi Feng was brought up, Doris¡¯s blue eyes could not hide her disdain. ¡°He¡¯s just an illegitimate son. If it were not for Shasha¡¯s sake, I wouldn¡¯t even want to look at someone like him. If we¡¯re going topare, Qi Lei must be stronger than he is. If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can just watch. This time, if Qi Lei manages to get lucky and escape, once hees back, good fortune will definitely rain on him,¡± Doris said carefully.

    Glenn nodded, agreeing with this, ¡°That¡¯s right, especially Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude towards Qi Lei right now. Qi Feng could long sense the crisis at hand. Otherwise, someone as reserved as him wouldn¡¯t appear so uneasy.¡±

    ¡°Huh, as for Qi Feng, right now, we have to work with him, but we can¡¯t let our guard down either, just in case they bite us back when the timees. Also, Shasha¡¯s feeling towards him is one of his trump cards too.¡± Doris¡¯s eyes were filled with sharpness. Her gaze seemed to be able to see through Glenn¡¯s eyes and see into his heart.

    ¡°Worry about this a little more right now. When we get back to Ennd, I¡¯ll help you get your wish. After all, you¡¯ve been with me for so many years, so I won¡¯t let you suffer,¡± she promised.

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re being too serious now. I¡¯m just doing my part.¡±

    Doris nodded and waved at him. She could not help but say while feeling slightly tired, ¡°Go down first. I¡¯m a little tired, and I want to rest alone for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Miss, please don¡¯t be too worried. It¡¯ll all work out when the timees!¡± Glenn advised, then left.

    At this moment, the sky outside was already bright, and it was going to be noon soon.

    Glenn had just walked out of the room when the ck-clothed man before him walked over to update him, ¡°Mr. Glenn, earlier, a Mr. Morrison called. He said that he wants to meet Miss Doris and have dinner with our First Master Qi. Do you think...¡±

    First Master Qi?

    Qi Feng?

    When Glenn heard that, a cold smile flitted across his mouth. He thought about it, then nodded. ¡°Tell him I¡¯ll be there. Let him decide on the time and venue,¡± he said before walking away in huge strides.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Glenn!¡± the person responded, and then made way.

    ...

    Close to noon, the rain began to slow down to a drizzle, and the winds were not that strong either. The entire city was much quieter than usual, especially right now by the South River.

    The ck Phaeton slowly stopped at the parking spot by the river. Li Si quickly opened the car door in front, and then held arge ck umbre to walk to the car behind.

    ¡°Master, Missus, we¡¯re here!¡±

    Then, he respectfully opened the door.

    Mu Yuchen got down from the car in his usual cool manner while Li Si quickly put the umbre over him. Mu Yuchen already turned to reach into the car as Xi Xiaye swiftly put her cold hands onto his palms and slowly got down from the car.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye staggering and then steadying herself, he immediately frowned and looked at the heels on her feet. ¡°Be careful. It¡¯s a little slippery. Didn¡¯t I just get you two pairs of ts recently?¡±

    She held his arm and said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little pressured from your height just by standing beside you.¡±

    ¡°Men feel stressed out when women are too tall, so that is good.¡± He turned to squint as her with a faint smile.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye was immediately a little smug. She quickly leaned gently against him andughed softly. ¡°Is that true? Does this make you feel like I¡¯m a little bird relying on you?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard that, he looked at her, and then saw her red outfit. He thought about it, then said in a lowered voice, ¡°More like a red fox or a giant bird. I¡¯ll let you choose between the two.¡±

    ¡°A little bird relying on a pig!¡± She turned poker and shot him a cold stare.

    ¡°Alright, little bird it is then. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    When he saw that she was annoyed, Mu Yuchen merely chuckled as he put his arms around her and practically held all of her underneath his coat while his other hand took the umbre from Li Si before they walked down the stairs.

    Xi Xiaye knew to not overdo it either. She followed him down the stairs as she said, ¡°It¡¯s not quite suitable for work to be ongoing right now since it¡¯s going to be the end of the year soon. When the timees, let them go home sooner for the holidays. It¡¯ll be more convenient too. Otherwise, when the peak season during springes, they might not be able to rush back. The other day, I¡¯ve reminded VP Zhang Lan that when the timees, issue their sries a few days earlier, and let everyone have a good New Year this year. Right, it¡¯s time you chase after thoserger debts you¡¯ve got outside too, or else, when the second phase is on the agenda after the New Year, I¡¯m worried that the cash flow will be a little tight. I¡¯ve just shifted some funds from your end to make up for the materials.¡±

    Even though Xi Xiaye did not hold a position at Glory World, she was quite aware of many things in thepany, especially for the South River Project. To other people, she still held the position of nning Director at Glory World, and Zhang Lan would frequently share about the South River Project with her too, especially in recent times when Mu Yuchen had not been managingpany matters.

    ¡°You decide on it then. If it¡¯s not enough, then get it from the card.¡± He was fine with anything. She was well aware of his assets anyway, and she was capable of managing the finances.

    She looked at him and could not help but tease, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about letting me manage your private reserves? Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll run off with it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked unfettered. ¡°I¡¯ll give it all to you. Are you sleeping in our room tonight?¡±

    ¡°Wow, you know how to throw money away recklessly now! Is this the prelude to bing bad?¡± Xi XIaye smiled as her beautiful eyes brimmed with a faint warmth.

 Chapter 1348 - Coincidence 1

    <h4>Chapter 1348 Coincidence 1</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m only generous when ites to you.¡± He nced at her and said, ¡°My parents are resting these two days. Give them a break and we¡¯ll head back to Maple Residence tonight. I¡¯ll fetch you after workter in the evening.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we...?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°Lingshi wants to know about Ah Mo¡¯s situation every day.¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood things from just that one sentence, so she nodded. ¡°Alright then, but I¡¯m visiting my parents at University A tonight.¡±

    His expression darkened when Ah Mo was brought up, so Xi Xiaye quickly changed the topic back to work. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve given my sign of approval for the materials that arrived a while ago. I told Vice President Zhang Lan to exin to you. Remember to check if there are any problems.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t looked at it yet, but it should be fine,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Mmm, it was stuck at Chief Sun¡¯s side for several days. I¡¯ll look for some time to establish a good rtionship with them, or else, we¡¯ll suffer in the long run! Fortunately, Vice President Wen and Manager Liu are here to save the day,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let me handle it if there¡¯s anything. It¡¯s fine to have a few days of dy. Prioritize being cautious.¡±

    He held her hand and continued forward.

    ¡°Christmas ising soon. Su Nan still has to work on another fashion show despite this weather,¡± Xi Xiaye looked over the mistyke surface as she said.

    ¡°The forecast said it¡¯ll be sunny tomorrow afternoon, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take quite a few days to return to the usual weather. The issue of umted water here is pretty severe. I got Qi Lei to take a look at the proposal done by your side before, and he said we could use the water drainage system.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s face appeared in her mind when she spoke about him. ¡°I wonder how they¡¯re doing right now. Why haven¡¯t we gotten any news by now?¡±

    ¡°If they are being hidden on purpose, it¡¯ll be like searching for a needle in the vast sea. I¡¯m sure they can prioritize saving themselves.¡± Mu Yuchen was calm because from Li Si¡¯s report this morning, he had a hunch...

    ¡°I hope they can get back soon. Besides, we can¡¯t let the perpetrator go unpunished. I keep thinking of the photos every time I go to sleep the past few days...¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long. Don¡¯t worry, alright?¡±

    She took a deep breath and nodded at him.

    ...

    The rain slowed down in the afternoon, and it seemed like it was going to be sunny soon.

    Ah Mo carefully opened the door and went inside the room with a ss of warm water.

    Inside the dimly-lit wooden house, Qi Lei was sitting on an old sofa as the doctor was cleaning his wounds. Technically, the man was the only person in the small vige who had some medical knowledge. He was roughly 40 years old and seemed to be a strong middle-aged man.

    His tone was heavy with a dialect as he advised, ¡°Don¡¯te into contact with water. The wounds will be difficult to heal due to the weather right now, so be careful. You¡¯ve lost too much blood, and it¡¯s best you rest for a few days.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Chen!¡±

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ah Mo moved over and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but his condition is a little dire. Let¡¯s rest here for two days. We¡¯ll find ways to contact the others.¡± As Qi Lei endured the sharp pain when his wound was being cleaned, he nced over at the bed on which Yang Sheng was sleeping on right now.

    Uncle Chen had gotten all of them clean clothing to change into, and they were much morefortable than they had been in their muddy clothes.

    ¡°I took a look around the area just now. It¡¯s pretty hidden. I pushed the car down the mountain valley, so it won¡¯t be easy for them to locate us. We can make ns once your injury gets better in a few days,¡± Ah Mo sat down beside Qi Lei and said.

    Uncle Chen noticed that they were not particrly secretive around him, so he asked, ¡°The signal isn¡¯t really good here, thusmunication might be difficult. You youngsters don¡¯t look like bad people to me. Are there people trying to harm you?¡±

    ¡°Just some conflict about work. Sorry for troubling you!¡± Qi Lei smiled. He suddenly took off the ring on his finger and looked at it for a while before handing it over to Uncle Chen. ¡°Uncle Chen, we literally have nothing else with us. While this ring might not be much, please take this as a token of appreciation for saving our lives.¡±

    Uncle Chen knew his stuff, so he hesitated for a moment before ncing at them.

    ¡°Keep it. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be troubling you in the next few days!¡± Qi Lei put the ring into his hand. The three of them had no valuables with them, and they could not even afford a simple meal.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. You lot are my guests, so please help yourselves.¡± Uncle Chen kept the ring while Qi Lei shot several nces at it before finally lowering his head.

    ¡°Rest well. I¡¯ll go and whip up something to eat in the kitchen!¡±

    Uncle Chen finished bandaging Qi Lei¡¯s wound before leaving.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ...

    Ah Mo looked at Qi Lei after Uncle Chen left. He then asked, ¡°Does that ring mean a lot to you?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and shook his head. ¡°Not really, my mother gave it to me as a birthday present. She likes jewelry a lot and would give me some at times, but she¡¯s already gone now, and I should learn to let go of the past,¡± he spoke calmly.

    ¡°CEO Wang is someone who deserves to be respected. Master once said that she¡¯s one heck of a businesswoman.¡± Ah Mo was not sure how he couldfort him, so he patted the back of Qi Lei¡¯s hand.

    Qi Lei had a peaceful smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now.¡±

    ¡°True, but I believe I can see hints of her in the future you.¡±

 Chapter 1349 - Coincidence 2

    <h4>Chapter 1349 Coincidence 2</h4>

    It might be stating the obvious, but a person¡¯s social circle held great influence over someone¡¯s life.

    Two years ago, Qi Lei could probably describe his life as being crazy, wild, and carefree. He was not living any differently than the other descendants from rich families who just fooled around all day long.

    However, ever since he got involved with Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen, Qi Lei realized he had wasted so much time of his life before...

    His life views, values, and habits had changed drastically. He felt even more different from the woman whom he was impressed with, Dongfang Liuyun!

    Right...

    Dongfang Liuyun...

    That woman felt like an otherworldly wiseman. She could easily encourage people with a few words, just like the story she told him, and the time she brought him to the za to listen to the song.

    For some reason, Qi Lei¡¯s heart softened when he thought about her.

    Mysterious strength coursed through that woman. Unlike Xi Xiaye¡¯s quiet personality, she felt more like a straightforward gale...

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Ah Mo noticed that Qi Lei was deep in thought and only came back to his senses after being called several times!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Qi Lei looked at Ah Mo.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? I called you several times and you didn¡¯t respond,¡± Ah Mo raised his eyebrows and asked.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and shrugged. ¡°Nothing really. Just thinking about when we¡¯ll be able to leave this ce!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve tried to make calls, but the signal here is really bad during rainy weather. Most of the young people in the vige went to work in the city while the vigers here are mainly old people and children. We¡¯ll ask Uncle Chen for help again when the weather gets better. By the way, the children go to school somewhere around 10 kilometers away. We can try to contact my Master from there as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you. I¡¯m pretty tired now and need to rest.¡± Qi Lei was truly exhausted.

    ¡°Alright then. Take care of Yang Sheng too. Leave the rest to me,¡± Ah Mo said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ...

    While Dongfang Liuyun was being missed, she was not having an easy time on her own.

    She had visited Africa with an archaeology team from City C on a month-long trip. She looked much slimmer than before. Fortunately, her skin was not too tanned from all the outdoor exploration.

    The sky was getting dark, and the streemps had already been powered up.

    A ck car went past the city gate and slowly drove into the city center. There was ady in a ck outfit casually driving the car around.

    The car went past the busy streets and parked right outside a restaurant nearby University A.

    ¡°One honey-roasted duck, one boiled beef, crispy chicken, and two vegetable dishes. Also, give me two iced beers!¡± Dongfang Liuyun put her bag aside and just ordered without even looking at the menu.

    ¡°Noted. Please wait for a moment!¡±

    There were a lot of people at the restaurant as it was near dinner time.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave the female stall owner a smile before reading the newspaper on the table.

    Her food was delivered 10 minutester. After pouring herself a ss of beer, her eyes were still fixed on the papers when she saw a familiar face. She started frowning.

    Qi Lei?

    Kidnapped?

    Situation unknown?

    Stunned, Dongfang Liuyun came back to her senses momentster and emptied her ss. She hesitated for a while before dialing a number, but it did not go through.

    What happened?

    As she tried to calm herself down and put the papers away, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and quietly ate her dinner.

    ¡°Ms. Dongfang, it really is you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up when she heard her name. Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen appeared before her eyes.

    The two of them were about to visit Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna, but Shen Wenna had a night ss just now, so they decided to have dinner somewhere nearby after the ss since it waste.

    The restaurant looked pretty decent. If Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna decided not to cook, they would usually dine in the university canteen or here.

    While Xi Xiaye was not particrly close with Dongfang Liuyun, she knew that Dongfang Liuyun was a frequent contact of Mu Yinan and Wang Hui. They had also met several times before this, and her impression of Dongfang Liuyun was positive.

    ¡°Ms. Dongfang, what a coincidence!¡± Xi Mushan smiled.

    Dongfang Liuyun returned the smile. ¡°Principal Xi, Ms. Shen, Master Mu, Mrs. Mu...if you don¡¯t mind, please sit over here.¡± She greeted them and made space before calling the stall owner over to add some dishes.

    Xi Xiaye nced at Mu Yuchen before taking her offer.

    Xi Xiaye sat beside Dongfang Liuyun. She then saw the newspaper that she had left aside just now. ¡°Ms. Dongfang, I heard that you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, you can just call me Liuyun,¡± Dongfang Liuyun interrupted before Xi Xiaye could finish her sentence. ¡°We¡¯re pretty close, after all, so I don¡¯t mind the informalities.¡±

    ¡°Right, Liuyun.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled.

    ¡°How is he doing? I know he¡¯s pretty close with the two of you. I¡¯ve been abroadtely and only found out about this today.¡± Dongfang Liuyun nced at the newspaper.

    ¡°We still can¡¯t find him yet, so...¡± Xi Xiaye put on a bitter smile and looked at the man beside her.

    Dongfang Liuyun filled up the empty sses for them. ¡°Will these do? Maybe I should order some wine. Boss, please give us two bottles of wine.¡±

    The stall owner quickly served the wine, and Dongfang Liuyun prepared new sses for them.

 Chapter 1350 - Coincidence 3

    <h4>Chapter 1350 Coincidence 3</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun was a casual and calm person. That was Xi Xiaye¡¯s impression of her.

    Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were prettyfortable around her, and they have had dinner with her in the university canteen before.

    Mu Yuchen just ate his food quietly. Xi Xiaye sensed that he had something on his mind, but she did not bother asking as it did not feel like the appropriate moment to ask.

    Xi Mushan talked about work with Dongfang Liuyun while Shen Wenna sometimes joined their conversation.

    Sometimeter, Xi Xiaye asked out of curiosity, ¡°Liuyun, are you close to Qi Lei?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. She nced at Xi Xiaye and smiled. Then, she emptied her ss before replying, ¡°He¡¯s my drinking mate. We also y games together sometimes. I¡¯d say we¡¯re considered friends. Why did something like this suddenly happen to him?¡±

    She refilled Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s sses.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but thanks for the concern.¡± Xi Xiaye seemed worried as she nced at the man beside her. She had been really worried this whole while, especially regarding Lingshi...

    Dongfang Liuyun continued to drink, ignoring the slightly judgmental stare from Mu Yuchen. ¡°He¡¯s a determined person, so you don¡¯t have to worry about him. He¡¯s lucky to have friends to be this concerned about him. I can tell from our conversations that he has a lot of trust in both of you,¡± she disclosed.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye traded nces. Mu Yuchen then joined in the conversation. ¡°He mentioned us to you?¡±

    The ¡®us¡¯ being Xi Xiaye and him.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly and emptied her ss again. ¡°I doubt he has that many friends anyway. I¡¯m sure you guys will find him soon.¡± She refilled her ss and then said, ¡°I still have some work to be done. I¡¯ll be leaving after this drink.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment before nodding.

    ...

    What a deep and mysterious woman.

    On the way back, Xi Xiaye could not get Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face out of her mind. She did not even react after her man called out to her several times.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± He raised his voice slightly and stunned Xi Xiaye a little. Instantly, she came back to her senses.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± She turned towards him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What were you thinking about? I¡¯ve been calling you several times,¡± he frowned as he asked her with concern.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°Nothing much. I just felt that there¡¯s something mysterious about Dongfang Liuyun. Do you know anything about her? I heard a little from Grandfather. She apparently has quite a background.¡±

    ¡°Quite a background? I know Grandfather has an eye for her, but the Mu family doesn¡¯t really have many business tradings with her, so I don¡¯t know her that well.¡± Mu Yuchen hardly had any interest in others, especially women.

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re always like this, forever ignorant of others.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t even take care of everything in our family. How do you expect me to mind other¡¯s businesses?¡±

    ¡°True enough. By the way, what were you thinking about just now? You seem to have a lot on your mind...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing. He frowned before quickly answering the call.

    ¡°Master, we found Bro Mo¡¯s trail...¡± It was Ah Bao¡¯s voice.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s fists were clenched as he squinted his eyes. ¡°Where are they?¡±

    ¡°They entered the mountains area in City D about 10 days ago. I checked the security cameras near the entrance and didn¡¯t see them leaving. I¡¯m guessing that they were brought deep inside the mountain area.¡±

    ¡°Find them no matter what,¡± Mu Yuchen gave his orders.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ah Bao replied.

    Mu Yuchen hung up on the call and dialed Zhou Zimo¡¯s number right after that.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything and just listened quietly to his conversation with Zhou Zimo. Although she might not understand everything he wanted to do, she could grasp that it had something to do with Doris, and he mentioned the UK as well.

    Actually, Xi Xiaye did not know very much about Doris, and Mu Yuchen did not want her to worry. She hardly asked about what happened between them.

    ¡°Is Zimo doing alright now?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± He took a deep breath and let out a sigh before turning around and looking out of the window.

    The atmosphere inside the car quieted down.

    Xi Xiaye asked, ¡°Are the people that are going against you two rted to Doris? Herwork is way too wide, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just trying to distract us. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s nned this for a long time. Doris wants to return to the UK and take over her father¡¯s position, but she was still not capable given her current power, especially after the previous exposure. Her family¡¯s reputation was damaged, so it¡¯s impossible for her to have reached that position without some contribution,¡± Mu Yuchen briefly exined to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye nodded quietly.

    ¡°Doris is very skilled at using other people. If it wasn¡¯t for Ah Bao¡¯s intel, we might be suffering from a hard blow right now.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean exposing the fact Doris was pregnant and then miscarried during Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s wedding?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Mu Yuchen.

    With a nod, Mu Yuchen pinched the space between his eyebrows and said, ¡°It¡¯d be wrong to assume that she only relies on Gu Qiwu. Remember that I told you before Ah Bo found something interesting?

    ¡°Doris was the one who set Zimo up...¡±

 Chapter 1351 - Racked Her Brains? 1

    <h4>Chapter 1351 Racked Her Brains? 1</h4>

    ¡°Doris is behind it?¡± Xi Xiaye very quickly processed this information and understood.

    Mu Yuchen nodded calmly. After a while, he continued, ¡°Doris cheating on Gu Qiwu isn¡¯t a recent event. Why do you think she¡¯s been frequenting Ennd these past few years?¡±

    ¡°Well...I remember that you told Ah Mo before that it was because...could it be that man who went after Zimo?¡± Xi Xiaye gasped.

    ¡°It¡¯s as you think. Your guess is almost right. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have let Zimo stay over there. We must cut off all of Doris¡¯s backup. Apart from being vicious, she¡¯s also a very paranoid and indecisive person. On one hand, she needs apetent helping hand. On the other hand, she must make sure the other person is controlled by her.¡±

    Upon hearing him say this, Xi Xiaye came to a realization. No wonder he seemed to be talking on the phone with Zhou Zimo frequently as ofte. It was probably about cutting off Doris¡¯s escape routes. However, Xi Xiaye started to have questions now, and she slowly looked at him. ¡°Are you saying that Doris might be thinking of running off? Is that why you¡¯re cutting off her escape ns?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure. After all, I can¡¯t predict the future oue. I can only n ahead.¡±

    When she heard that, Xi Xiaye sighed softly. ¡°True, for a woman like her, only by cutting off all her hopes will she stop being restless! No wonder you didn¡¯t look worried when I told you that Gu Lingsha went off to Ennd.¡±

    ¡°Why should I be? Without any help, she¡¯s trapped.¡±

    ¡°You speak with ease, but Ah Mo and Qi Lei are still nowhere to be found, and the New Year ising soon...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Doris isn¡¯t such a rash person. As long as we cut off all her wings, she¡¯ll fall into a desperate state. At such a moment, she wouldn¡¯t dare touch a hair on Ah Mo and the rest. They will have to be her trump card to protect herself instead. You need to be a little smarter. It¡¯s good to be well versed in solving problems in a more roundabout way as it can actually be a very useful strategy. Initially, I wasn¡¯t too sure if this could work, but seeing as how Doris sent Gu Lingsha off to Ennd, I¡¯m surer that it could work,¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s lowered voice came through.

    When he finished, Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart could not help but tighten, and she let out a long sigh. Suddenly, she reached out to hold his hand and fixed her eyes on him. Her gaze contained deep love and sorrow as she sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯re really quite bold. Do you know that by doing that, you are no doubt putting in a huge gamble? What if you lose? Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen only chuckled. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m afraid, but based on the way things are going, my luck¡¯s not too bad, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m gambling on my buddies¡¯ capabilities and gambling on all our luck. What else can I do right now?¡±

    At this, he suddenly paused and held her slightly cold hand. ¡°Xiaye, just like how I gambled on you back then, I dared to use my marriage and gamble for a life with you. I betted on the fact that you¡¯d be my woman, my most perfect wife. In that situation with no other choice, did you not gamble your life with me too?¡±

    When she heard him, she felt a warmth in her heart, yet she could not help but feel slightly pained too. She was sad about all the stress and troubles he had to bear...

    Holding his hand, she held it against her own chest as she looked sadly at him. With a faint smile, she said, ¡°If it were me, I would¡¯ve broken down by now. Mr. Mu, every day I spend with you is one full of positive energy. No matter what time of the day it is, I always see hope. I really like this feeling. Thank you!¡±

    He chuckled upon hearing that. Then, he could not help but lift a hand to pat her head. His tone was as gentle as water as he replied, ¡°If you really want to thank me, you need to put in more effort tonight. I¡¯ll y a game of the heiress and the young servant, hmm?¡±

    At this juncture, she suddenly felt as if her face was burning up. She red at him with embarrassment and said through clenched teeth, ¡°I want to y a game of the queen and the pce eunuch!

    ¡°You¡¯ve been corrupted!¡± He shot her a side nce though he was chuckling with pursed lips.

    ¡°Thanks to a certain someone!¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him and smacked his thigh. ¡°I want to have a sundae, Mr. Mu!¡±

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like sweet things?¡± He looked at her questioningly.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you let me?¡± She shot him a nce that seemed to pressure him.

    When she said that, Master Mu proved himself with concrete action. ¡°Chauffeur Wang, turn around and go to the McDonald¡¯s beside the New Era za.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± The chauffeur quickly turned around and drove towards the city center.

    ...

    Aspared to the joy between Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, Doris¡¯s end was beyond gloomy.

    In therge, luxurious living room, Doris was sitting on the sofa with a dark expression. With one hand on the teacup before her, she looked down at the magazine before her silently, yet her eyes were not focused as she seemed dazed.

    ¡°Miss, Qi Feng is here!¡±

    Only when Glenn¡¯s voice came through did she gather her thoughts. She eased her mind as she looked up, and indeed, she saw Morrison slowly wheeling Qi Feng over to her.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Doris!¡± Morrison greeted.

    Nodding, Doris slowly let go of the teacup in her hand, and gave Glenn a look. Glenn quickly made a cup of tea for Qi Feng before retreating, and Morrison followed him out.

    Morrison¡¯s steps had just vanished out the door when Doris¡¯s cold voice was heard. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be so busy that you wouldn¡¯t even have time to meet your mother-inw.¡±

    While Qi Feng¡¯s expression remained unchanged, he answered quite humbly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. There have just been too many things going on at thepany recently. I¡¯m sure you can understand my current situation.¡±

    Qi Feng had been quite busy recently. On one hand, he needed to handle work matters. On the other hand, he had to handle Qi Qiming with regard to Qi Lei¡¯s matter. Of course, he did not want to see Doris either. If Qi Qiming noticed this, he...

    ¡°Situation? Qi Feng, I helped you resolve quite a bit of trouble. You seem to be doing well now.¡± A sneer shed on Doris¡¯s lips as she slowly leaned back against the sofa.

    ¡°I remember that we decided back then that I¡¯d cooperate with you, and provide you with information and evidence, so that constitutes a coboration. I wonder what you mean right now.¡± A cold light shed from the depths of Qi Feng¡¯s eyes, and the smile on his face was not sincere. ¡°I¡¯m very sincere, but, Mother, your attitude is making me very unhappy.¡±

 Chapter 1352 - Racked Her Brains? 2

    <h4>Chapter 1352 Racked Her Brains? 2</h4>

    Qi Feng¡¯s tone was cold, and he did not look too happy.

    Neither did Doris discuss with him, nor did she get his agreement to arrange for Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier to fly off to Ennd. He knew very well what she was nning. Apart from her own ns, it was probably to put her guard up against him.

    On one hand, it was meant to test how much he cared for Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier. Secondly, if he acted out of the ordinary over here, she still had Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier in her hands!

    Qi Feng was smart too. He could obviously tell her intentions while Doris knew that very well too.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re still unhappy about the matter with Shasha, but at the very least, don¡¯t you think that Shasha leaving this troubled ce is a better idea? Your rtionship with her is so tensed right now. It¡¯s good for the two of you to calm down,¡± Doris said indifferently.

    The sneer on Qi Feng¡¯s face deepened. If he had not known how unhappy she had been with him before this, he would have really believed her words, but right now, it was clearly not the same. Qi Feng would be very passive. He had underestimated this woman. She never had quite a position back then, but now...

    Nevertheless, now that the whole thing was at this stage, even if Qi Feng wanted to do anything, it seemed quite useless. He could only do his best to cooperate with Doris unless he did not care about abandoning Gu Lingsha and Weiwei, or about how Qi Qiming would go after with him if he found out about his involvement in Qi Lei¡¯s incident.

    ¡°Mother, you know very well how Shasha and I are. You¡¯ve never liked me, have you?¡± Qi Feng smiled coldly.

    ¡°Not everyone is like Father, or like Grandfather and Grandmother. You shouldn¡¯t impose your experiences on me and Shasha. What you went through can only represent your own experience. On what basis are you rejecting me?¡±

    At this point, Qi Feng suddenly got quite unhappy. If it were not for Doris, she and Gu Lingsha might not have needed to waste so much time taking winding roads.

    However, when she heard Qi Feng, Doris onlyughed and said unconcernedly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that how rtionships are? What else do you think you can do? Do you think you¡¯re different? If that¡¯s truly so, why did the name Xi Xiaye appear between the two of you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye?

    Qi Feng paused. His expression did not quite change though his gaze darkened. He thenughed grimly. ¡°Such baseless usations. Are all women¡¯s paranoia this terrifying?¡±

    When he recalled the fall out with Gu Lingsha, he could not help but hold back a bitter smile.

    Two people had gone through so much together, yet he did not expect the trust between them to be thin as a white sheet. What was more mocking and hurtful than this truth?

    He could not say that he had no feelings towards Gu Lingsha. All along, he had always respected her very much, and they shared many happy events. All these beautiful memories had made a mark that could not be erased in Qi Feng¡¯s lonely heart, what more now that they had a daughter together.

    Qi Feng did not understand why Gu Lingsha and Doris would think that he...

    Was it because of Xi Xiaye?

    A bitter smile shed on the corner of Qi Feng¡¯s smile, and it looked like it was filled with taunting.

    He was actually very clear about what kind of woman suited him. He admitted that he admired Xi Xiaye. Sometimes, he would also be envious of Mu Yuchen¡¯s good luck, but a woman like Xi Xiaye did not suit him. He was aware of his controlling nature, and he would always be sure to control his heart.

    Besides, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were in love with each other, and that was not something that could be easily incited with little tricks.

    As he thought about that, and then reflected on himself, Qi Feng felt fatigue descend on himself...

    ¡°As someone who¡¯s not understood, even if I exin myself more, it¡¯s useless. Shasha and I have been together for many years. I¡¯ve always thought that she would understand me more than anyone else, but it looks like that might not be the case. Understanding someone doesn¡¯t seem to be proportionate to time.¡± Qi Feng smiled coldly. He did not want to keep talking about this, so he turned to look at Doris silently. ¡°Why have you asked to see me so urgently?¡±

    Doris caught sight of all of Qi Feng¡¯s reactions. Right now, from his reactions, she could seem to spot some unhappiness. Doris thought about it and did not know if he actually had real feelings for her daughter. However, if Qi Feng were to say that he was with Lingsha solely for love, she would not have believed it for miles.

    Since this was not the time to make things unhappy, she stopped in moderation and got back to the important things.

    ¡°I have bad news. I have to tell you so that you can be prepared.¡± Doris lowered her head to sip the tea while her voice became gloomy.

    ¡°What is it?¡± When he saw that Doris¡¯s expression had suddenly turned solemn, Qi Feng stopped what he was doing and silently stared at her. He had a bad feeling.

    Doris sighed and said in a heavy voice, ¡°I received news yesterday that Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei have escaped. My people have been going around to ask, but still, they haven¡¯t found them. I have a bad feeling about this. Thankfully, they brought them deep into the mountains. If they want to get out, it won¡¯t be easy for them either. At this point, it¡¯s bing unfavorable for us. What do you think we should do right now?¡±

    Doris¡¯s tone was clearly a little dispirited when she spoke as she lifted a hand to massage the throb between her brows, but she still squinted at Qi Feng.

    Escaped?

    Upon hearing this, Qi Feng was not actually shocked because when Doris anxiously asked him toe over, he had already had some guesses of his own, and that included this one, of course.

    His handsome face appeared slightly tense while his eyes fell silent.

    ¡°Does that mean that it¡¯s been exposed then?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s brows were raised as he fixed his gaze on Doris¡¯s face.

    ¡°We still don¡¯t have news yet, so it probably doesn¡¯t count. I¡¯ve gotten Glenn to make sure all the nearby roads are put under surveince. As long as they appear, we¡¯ll take them down right away.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll advise you not to busy yourself with that. Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei aren¡¯t dumb. I¡¯m afraid they would¡¯ve contacted Mu Yuchen by now. Perhaps, this bold decision was our miscalction right from the start. What did Father say?¡± Qi Feng did not forget the reason why Doris had done all of this.

    ¡°Yesterday morning, I went to look for him...¡±

    At the mention of Gu Qiwu, Doris¡¯s expression did not look great. Based on this, Qi Feng could already guess the results.

    ¡°He must be working with Mu Yuchen. Otherwise, knowing him, he wouldn¡¯t have sat there so calmly.¡±

 Chapter 1353 - Racked Her Brains? 3

    <h4>Chapter 1353 Racked Her Brains? 3</h4>

    Qi Feng¡¯s words stunned Doris for a moment. She then startedughing coldly.

    ¡°I knew he had this side of him after being married to him for over 30 years! I¡¯m done ying nice now. I¡¯ve told Glenn to organize the collected evidence and deliver them to the police as soon as possible.¡± A chill shed in Doris¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°You might want to consider the consequences. I heard that Father frequently visited hiswyer. It might be rted to Hui Gu,¡± Qi Feng frowned and said.

    Doris put on a cold smile. ¡°He would have made those decisions without my interference anyway. I know Gu Qiwu the best! It¡¯s true that my miscalctions have led matters to this state, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep my promise for sure. I¡¯ve prepared an alternative to pull out, but you have to promise me that if something really happens to me...you must give it your all to protect Shasha...and Weiwei. Perhaps, this is my debt to them...¡±

    Doris was not someone who would let her pride get to her head. She had done a lot of thinking and calctions in the past few days, including ruminating about her failure.

    Facing the cold-hearted Gu Qiwu and the smart, powerful Mu Yuchen, who were both tough opponents, Doris thought to herself if she should take the gamble.

    Qi Feng¡¯s heart sank when he heard her words.

    Doris was never someone to admit defeat so easily. Her words proved that the current situation was highly unfavorable. He was not sure what happened between Gu Qiwu and her. Could Gu Qiwu not be scared of getting jailed at all?

    ¡°Mother...¡± Qi Feng wanted to say something but could not find the right words at this moment.

    Doris thought she would be ranting to Qi Feng about her dissatisfaction, but she had lost her mood to do so.

    ¡°Remember what I said. I won¡¯t give up easily. From this point onwards, you and Shasha should stop visiting me in order to avoid trouble. Gu Qiwu is trying to push me into a corner, so I have no choice but to fight back. After all, I do have a chance right there.¡±

    ...

    Doris¡¯s phone on the coffee table started ringing all of a sudden. She took a deep breath and nced at the screen. Her strained expression softened slightly before she nced at Qi Feng. ¡°You can go back now. Glenn, send him off!¡±

    Doris grabbed her cup of tea and headed into her study room before answering the call.

    Qi Feng quietly looked at her. It was not hard to guess the call was very important to her, especially since it was rare to see such an expression on her face.

    ¡°Hello? Alex, it¡¯s me...¡± She spoke fluent English. Naturally, Qi Feng understood her as well, but that was all he heard before she vanished further into her study room.

    ¡°First Master!¡± Morrison¡¯s voice reached him momentster.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Qi Feng looked away and moved his wheelchair on his own.

    ¡°Yes, First Master!¡± Morrison quickly went behind him and quickly rolled his wheelchair towards the exit.

    It was prettyte when they got out of the hotel. Instead of heading right back to the Qi residence, Qi Feng asked the chauffeur to go around City Z. Soon, they somehow arrived at the Grand Lake Vi area, where Qi Lei¡¯s house was...

    He stayed there for quite some time before returning to the Qi residence. Everything that happened was reported to Qi Qiming. Qi Lei was still nowhere to be found after all this time, and Qi Qiming was really worried.

    ¡°How long did he stay there for?¡± Qi Qiming asked with a strained expression.

    ¡°I heard it was for about two hours. There were a lot of cigarette butts on the ground when he left,¡± his secretary answered.

    Qi Qiming went silent for a while. ¡°What do you think about this whole thing?¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi, there¡¯s no evidence that points towards First Master. I¡¯m worried that we might be tricked into doubting one of our own. We need to be cautious.¡±

    Qi Qiming nodded. ¡°You might be right, but why haven¡¯t we gotten any news after all this time? Even Mu Yuchen has nothing. I feel really uneasy as if a storm is about to hit us!¡±

    ¡°I think Second Master will be fine if the matter isn¡¯t directed at him, but with this incident, Second Master¡¯s n to take over the newpany will be dyed, plus...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on Qi Lei?¡± Qi Qiming looked at his secretary and asked quietly.

    His secretary paused and took some time to think. ¡°CEO Qi, to be honest, I think Second Master is pretty decent. Just look at the projects he was handling before. He did a better job than some of the more experienced managers could¡¯ve done. Even Vice President Yue has a better impression of him. I think that perhaps you could cultivate him, CEO Qi. I feel that you might¡¯ve been a little too harsh on him, and we¡ª¡±

    Qi Qiming raised his hand and stopped his secretary from continuing. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I understand.¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should head back.¡± Qi Qiming sounded tired.

    His constant worries made him look aged. Furthermore, his health had not been great ever since Wang Qin¡¯s death, and the constant anxiety was putting a toll on his body.

    At times like these, he began to think that his life with Wang Qin was actually quite enjoyable. Although they fought almost all the time, at least, she was still alive, and no matter how much Qi Lei disliked him, they still met from time to time...

    Qi Qiming felt a painful sensation in his chest. More and more people were leaving him, and he suddenly realized that he was so lonely.

    However, many things were gone forever once they were lost...

    How could he bear losing his son right now?

    There was no way he could allow that!

 Chapter 1354 - Racked Her Brains? 4

    <h4>Chapter 1354 Racked Her Brains? 4</h4>

    Doris thought Gu Qiwu would never go that far, but he had not given any replies in the past two days. Finally, she understood that Gu Qiwu had stated his intentions loud and clear. She still could not get hold of Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei, but she could not stay put any longer.

    Doris paced back and forth in the living room of her hotel room, feeling uneasy.

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve submitted the evidence to the police station. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be taking action soon enough. Gu Qiwu will be meeting his doom!¡± Glenn felt that he had to say something when he noticed how anxious Doris was.

    Doris nodded and stopped in her steps. She suddenly turned around and looked at him. ¡°Great! I shall see what he can do!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss!¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯re almost done here, it¡¯s about time...Settle everything you¡¯re handling right now. We¡¯ll be leaving City Z in three days.¡±

    Doris had spent a lot of effort to suppress her feelings of discontent. Who would have thought things would turn out this way after 30 years of struggling!?

    ¡°Miss, are we going to just leave like this?¡± Glenn asked quietly.

    ¡°What else can I do?¡± Doris slowly sat down on the sofa, appearing defeated. ¡°I fear it might be toote if we don¡¯t leave any sooner.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss, if it¡¯s regarding Mu Lingmo, the people I sent are cautious. While others might be suspicious, they won¡¯t have any evidence because the person-in-charge is in New York right now.¡± Glenn put on a reaffirming smile.

    Doris took a sip of her tea. Although her expression was not as rxed as Glenn, her tone was softer. ¡°It all depends on him right now. Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo are really tough opponents. Who would¡¯ve thought that Mu Yuchen would suddenly return? We can¡¯t afford to drag on any longer. It¡¯s only going to put us at a disadvantage. We have to cover Alex too. Mu Yuchen will be on our trail even if we make a slight mistake. There¡¯s also Mu Tangchuan and the others backing him as well.¡±

    ¡°Miss, do you mean that incident? Mu Tangchuan hardly paid attention to that, didn¡¯t he? All the investigation results showed it was an ident...¡± Glenn tensed up slightly and asked with a frown.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t pay attention? You¡¯re wrong! I found out that Mu Tangchuan requested for the case files some time ago.¡±

    ¡°He wants to reinvestigate the case?¡± Glenn asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not him who wants to investigate it. It¡¯s Mu Yuchen! He sent someone to that workshop not too long ago. I truly regret not cleaning up the leftover mess back then!¡± Doris¡¯s expression darkened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss. Coincidentally, I know about that person. Not only is he crippled, but he also has liver cancer, so he doesn¡¯t have much time to live anyway, and the one he misses is in the UK right now, isn¡¯t he? If we...then there would be no witness for them anymore.¡± Glenn smiled with a faint glow in his eyes.

    Doris nodded. ¡°Thankfully, you were able to get that woman on your side, or else, it would¡¯ve been tough for them to listen to us. However, we need to be cautious this time around in order to get ourselves out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss! I¡¯ll make the preparations right away!¡±

    Glenn then left the room.

    ...

    The constant cold rain finally let up slightly, but the sky still looked gloomy.

    The forecast said that the rainy weather would still continue for some time, and it might persist until Christmas or even the New Year.

    In the study of Maple Residence in the Grand Waves vi area, Mu Yuchen was correcting Mu Zirui¡¯s way of holding the calligraphy brush.

    ¡°Stay firm and don¡¯t let your hand tremble. Rx, there¡¯s nothing to be nervous about. Why is your back so tense?¡±

    Mu Zirui was sitting before the tiny table whereas Mu Yuchen was standing behind him, holding the sleepy Mu Xiaocheng in one arm while teaching the older boy to hold the brush with his other hand.

    ¡°Am I doing this right?¡± Mu Zirui asked.

    ¡°Focus. Try to write something. How do you start writing?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was kind and quiet.

    Mu Zirui took a deep breath and wrote the character ¡®big¡¯ under Mu Yuchen¡¯s guidance. Just as he was going to ask for Mu Yuchen¡¯s opinion, someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    The sudden voice woke Mu Xiaocheng, who was about to fall asleep, up. All three of them looked at the door and noticed Li Si entering the room.

    ¡°Master, and Young Masters, too!¡± Li Si had a folder in his hand.

    ¡°Master, Master Mo...¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped Li Si as he was about to continue. Mu Yuchen looked at Mu Zirui¡¯s writing andmented, ¡°Not bad, but you went a little too quick here, so the stroke seems iplete. Remember to practice more, alright?¡±

    Nodding, Mu Zirui put his pen down and stood up. ¡°Father, you can talk to Uncle Li Si. I¡¯ll go back to my own room to practice.¡±

    Mu Zirui bowed slightly to Li Si. ¡°Hello, Uncle Li Si!¡±

    ¡°Your writing looks good. Keep it up!¡± Li Si patted his head before Mu Zirui left the room.

    ¡°Xiaye,e in for a moment!¡±

    Xi Xiaye came in with two cups of tea.

    ¡°Missus!¡± Li Si greeted.

    ¡°This is some Pu Er tea we just got. Give it a try.¡± Xi Xiaye put the tea onto the coffee table before grabbing her son from Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms.

    Mu Xiaocheng wrapped his tiny arms around his father¡¯s neck while looking at Xi Xiaye, seemingly unwilling to let go.

    ¡°Come to me, my son!¡± She went closer, but Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s grip got tighter. He turned back to Mu Yuchen and started making some sounds from his mouth.

    ¡°Ba...ba...baba...¡±

    It was Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s first time calling someone, and it made Xi Xiaye jealous!

    ¡°Mmm? What did you say?¡± Mu Yuchen had a warm smile on his face.

    Xi Xiaye quickly snatched their son away from him...

 Chapter 1355 - Racked Her Brains? 5

    <h4>Chapter 1355 Racked Her Brains? 5</h4>

    When he saw that Xi Xiaye had carried Mu Xiaocheng out of the door, Mu Yuchen calmly said to Li Si, as he sat down on the sofa, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Master!¡± Li Si sat down respectfully.

    ¡°Master, Gu Qiwu was taken to the police station this morning. His assistant, Ah Yong, came looking for me and said...¡±

    At this, Mu Yuchen could roughly guess the situation. He took his teacup up calmly and had a sip. ¡°Doris moves quite fast.¡± You could not hear the tone in his lowered voice while his dark eyes were filled with a calm light.

    Li Si paused and lowered his voice to say, ¡°Yes, Doris has always been like this. She can truly set her mind to be heartless, but Gu Qiwu was quite merciless too. With a woman like Doris, the more Gu Qiwu doesn¡¯t go along with her, it will be easy for her to just go the extreme end, such as the incident with Ah Mo this time around.¡±

    ¡°However, she didn¡¯t expect Gu Qiwu to not take her bait. Ah Mo and Qi Lei have escaped themselves! Right now, Doris¡¯s people are scouring all over to look for traces of Ah Mo and the rest, so it looks like she might have lost all momentum,¡± Li Si verbalized his thoughts.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. He just lowered his gaze and silently drank his Chinese tea while Li Si continued, ¡°Master, do we want to go see Gu Qiwu? Previously, he said that you must...¡±

    However, he did not continue because he noticed that his Master¡¯s expression had changed. He thought about it and decided to keep quiet.

    ¡°Have things been handled on the media¡¯s end?¡± Mu Yuchen held a hand to his forehead and calmly asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master, it¡¯s been settled. It was a quiet arrest as the situation hasn¡¯t been rified. They wouldn¡¯t dare do things recklessly. Miss Lingshi still doesn¡¯t know about it yet, but Chief Mu and Chief Zhuang...we might not be able to hide it from them.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to keep it a secret from them. I just didn¡¯t want to cause any unnecessary problems. Get ready. We¡¯ll go to the police station to understand the situation. Bring awyer along. We¡¯ll do our best so that Gu Qiwu won¡¯t be made a scapegoat,¡± Mu Yuchen ordered.

    Upon hearing that, Li Si was stunned. He looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise. ¡°Master, how do you know that Gu Qiwu¡¯s just a scapegoat? We haven¡¯t been able to find any evidence about Wang Qin¡¯s incident. Actually, I personally think it was Gu Qiwu.¡±

    ¡°Usually, people who do these things have a goal. If it was him, what do you think Gu Qiwu¡¯s motive was? I don¡¯t believe in guesses, only evidence. Remember, we¡¯ll have to be on guard about this, especially on Qi Lei¡¯s end. Ah Bao has been following the police and investigating all the way. They found traces of them staying over in an empty courtyard, thus we can make a guess that Ah Mo and the rest probably stayed there,¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm as he said.

    Li Si then nodded and responded, ¡°Yes, Master! I understand! I¡¯ll be careful, and I¡¯ll order them to bring him over to you as soon as they find Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, also, at this point, Doris won¡¯t be able to stay calm. Inform Su Chen right away. Tell them to keep their eyes open wide. We can¡¯t let Doris leave City Z. I need her to pay the price for all that she¡¯s done.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was so cold that even Li Si felt a shiver in his heart. He thought about it, then quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, Master! Right, Master, Master Mo has sent some documents over. It¡¯s all evidence from New York about Alex engaging them in business for some unique things, and the incident this time...It¡¯s all here! Master Mo said that if you think it¡¯s fine, give him a call. He¡¯ll have to take revenge for himself!¡± Li Si said as he handed the folder over.

    Frowning, Mu Yuchen quickly took it and opened it to slide out a document.

    He looked through it in detail, and his indifferently handsome face eased slightly. Towards the end, he put the document back into the folder too, then he said with a lowered voice, ¡°Mmm, got it. You tell him that however he wants to do it is up to him, but this time, we must make sure that they won¡¯t be able to get back up again. I¡¯d like to see what Doris is going to find without this hidden trump card,¡± Mu Yuchen said with a hint of a sneer.

    Li Si was slightly stunned to see that.

    Indeed, with someone like Doris, only by doing so would she truly feel despair and suffering! For someone who held her power in such esteem, losing all of these would make her truly feel pain. Besides that, she should receive the due punishment ordingly for all of the things she had done!

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. Master Mo will do it well. I¡¯ve also delegated more people to Doris. This time, she won¡¯t be able to fly even if she had wings!¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head, took a calm sip of tea, and waved a hand. Li Si then knowingly retreated.

    The study room fell silent immediately as Mu Yuchen leaned back against the sofa, h. His dark eyes flickered, but he did not reveal any emotions. However, he seemed dazed and did not even realize when Xi Xiaye ended up at his side.

    Only when a fair, slender hand reached over to take the folder in his hand did he snap out of his thoughts.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? I¡¯ve been standing here for a while now, but you didn¡¯t even notice.¡±

    Her soothing voice came through, containing a hint of worry. Then, she put the folder in her hand down and took the empty teacup. ncing down, she then looked up at him before calmly asking, ¡°Want more?¡±

    Mu Yuchen inhaled, took the cup, and put it onto the table. He held her slightly cold hand, and Xi Xiaye went along to sit down close to him.

    ¡°Where¡¯s our son?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Aunt Fang has carried him to sleep. Why? You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re in a good mood.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him worriedly.

    He breathed in leisurely, and answered calmly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Gu Qiwu¡¯s been detained.¡±

    Gu Qiwu?

    Xi Xiaye quickly understood what he meant, so she frowned. ¡°Is that Doris¡¯s doing?¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡±

    ¡°As for Wang Qin¡¯s thing, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Gu Qiwu either. Otherwise, even if this storm passes, what can Qi Lei do? What should we do about Ah Shi and Ah Mo?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Doris to use this incident too.¡±

    ¡°Gu Qiwu should know about this incident even better than we do. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s him. You can try to find out more about it from him.¡±

 Chapter 1356 - Racked Her Brains? 6

    <h4>Chapter 1356 Racked Her Brains? 6</h4>

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave this forter, as long as we know what to do.¡± Mu Yuchen quickly gathered his thoughts. ¡°I think that Qi Lei¡¯s not such a rash person either.¡±

    Then, he slowly got up and walked towards the window as he silently looked out to watch the gloomy sky.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned. She turned around and silently watched his figure. As she did, she suddenly felt a pang of loneliness. She thought about it, sighed to herself, then got up and walked over too.

    A soft touch came from behind him. Before he could react, a pair of thin arms showed up around his waist, and he felt faint warmth from behind too.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, do you...feel very, very tired?¡± As her voice came through, there was a hint of sadness for him that could not be concealed.

    He paused and then smiled. Suddenly, he reached out to hold tightly onto her little hand around his waist. His low and sensitive voice came, ¡°I¡¯m alright. Compared to before, I¡¯m much better.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, I really can¡¯t help butment about how we seem to have fate to worry about, but it¡¯s also because of that that we live with a clearer conscience. It¡¯s fine to be a little more tired now. It¡¯s so that everyone will do better in time. I will always be by your side no matter where you are...¡± she said, and her arms around his waist suddenly tightened. ¡°I can¡¯t do much, but...¡±

    Before she could finish, the man before her already pulled her arms away and suddenly turned around to peer down at her.

    Xi Xiaye was surprised by his sudden movement. Before she could react, his long fingersbed through her slightly messy long hair and touched her exquisitely beautiful little face. His voice was soft and gentle as he replied, ¡°You¡¯ve done too much already. I wish I could give you everything I have. Instead, it¡¯s me who can¡¯t give you enough. I keep forgetting to ask, from the day you married me, have you ever felt wronged?¡±

    Upon hearing his question and meeting his gaze deep as the sea, she felt a little at a loss. In no time, she suddenly felt her eyes well up with hot tears. She sniffled, shook her head, and dove into his embrace as she said in a raspy voice, ¡°That¡¯s my good fortune.¡±

    Most marriages were built on materialistic needs, especially a marriage like theirs. At first, that was probably what he thought of too.

    He did not want to say that he was the kind of person who did not care about anything except love!

    Back then, he had to admit that the reason he had decided on her was because of her looks and her personality as they had all been pleasing to him.

    He had chosen her, yet she might have been alright without him because she did notck any of those external things. She onlycked true love, and when it came to love...

    Thankfully, he could preserve this love of his and give it all to her. Otherwise, he would really feel like he could not match her!

    Other people always thought that Mu Yuchen was great. However, actually, to him, only the woman in his arms was the best, so much so that he would like to hold on tightly to her with everything he had. Of course, he would not say this in front of her.

    He chuckled, then pulled her out of his embrace, and before she could do anything, he had already lowered his head to nt a kiss on her forehead, and then on her thin cold lips...

    They were affectionate and a bit more loving than just a quick kiss. When they separated, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were slightly misty, and when she looked at him, she was beginning to find this fellow a sly one!

    Not only did he know to use his charms to seduce her, but he even used actions to quietly take over her heart. If this guy really put in the thought, his flirtation skills would be carried out with precise uracy, threatening Xi Xiaye all the time.

    Of course, this feeling had nothing to do with trust. It was just¡ª

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I think I should fatten you up. A man¡¯s value increases with age...¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew exactly what Xi Xiaye was thinking about. When he heard this, he could not help but reprimand softly, ¡°Stop thinking of those things now. If I had those intentions, you wouldn¡¯t be able to get me back even if you let tens of dogs after me. With your prestige, Madam Mu, do you think those people will be able to get close to your man? Even I¡¯m afraid of you.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you say that when love is still here, but no one can predict the future. Maybe one day you¡¯ll fancy some young, beautiful secretary, and when I scold her, you¡¯ll even defend her and p me. No, if that¡¯s the case, I want to be like Doris too...mmm...¡±

    Before she could finish, the man had already invaded her lips with a kiss in a punishing way, pushing her words all the way back.

    ¡°Why are you learning all the bad stuff now, Xi Xiaye?!¡± Mu Yuchen said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Well, then you...¡±

    ¡°The next time thoughts like these appear in your mind again, you¡¯d better watch out.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Gu, our Master sent us over. I¡¯m Lawyer Wang.¡±

    When Li Si went over, Gu Qiwu was very calm before the table. He only nodded slightly when Li Si greeted him, indicating for him to sit down.

    ¡°Yourwyer has already briefly exined everything to us. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Gu, our Master is someone who keeps his word. Even if it weren¡¯t for the promise, our Master wouldn¡¯t just sit by and do nothing for Miss Lingshi¡¯s sake,¡± Li Si sat down and began to speak slowly.

    Gu Qiwu sighed and leaned back against the chair. ¡°I can understand his thoughts. It¡¯s within expectations that Doris would do this. How¡¯s Ah Mo now?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice had the heaviness of someone who had gone through many hardships. He sounded quite calm, but it was easy to notice a rare worry in his eyes. Even Li Si almost thought he had imagined it.

    ¡°We¡¯ve found their most recent tracks, so we¡¯ll definitely be able to find them,¡± Li Si answered softly.

    Gu Qiwu then lowered his gaze and thought about it, before continuing to say, ¡°I wasn¡¯t behind what happened to Wang Qin though it wasn¡¯t an ident either. Tell Mu Yuchen that I want to see him. Also, see if he can help persuade Lingshi as I want to talk to her.¡±

    Without his usual sternness, Gu Qiwu seemed to be much calmer at the moment. For some reason, it sounded like there was an indescribable sadness in his tone.

    ¡°Master and Miss Lingshi don¡¯t want to see you, but Master is saying that you can see Doris if you still have anything to say to her because the reason she did that this time...is...¡±

    However, before Li Si could finish, Gu Qiwu¡¯s coldughter was heard.

 Chapter 1357 - Racked Her Brains? 7

    <h4>Chapter 1357 Racked Her Brains? 7</h4>

    ¡°She just racked her brains and overestimated herself!¡±

    His sneer of disdain rang through every corner of the room while those depth-filled eyes of his brimmed with cold indifference.

    ¡°Want to see who¡¯s more callous? She can never beat me. She¡¯s always overestimated herself.¡±

    ¡°Callous? Mr. Gu, she¡¯s the one who put you in here. Without Master¡¯s help, when do you think you¡¯ll be able to walk out of here?¡± Li Si smiled, and when he recalled everything that had happened, he could not help butment, ¡°All these years, everyone hasn¡¯t had it easy, especially Master. But, Mr. Gu, you know best the root of all these tragedies. Even the old Madam, she...¡± At this, his voice turned heavy.

    No matter what, Wang Hui¡¯s incident was a thorn that could not be removed in everyone¡¯s hearts. Only they themselves knew how deep the thorn was buried in their hearts.

    At the mention of Wang Hui, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression fell silent. His hand that set before him clenched into a slight fist. After a while, he sighed and said solemnly, ¡°I couldn¡¯t have expected for that to happen either, but about the thing between Zixi and I, the responsibility lies on me.¡±

    Gu Qiwu was not the kind to exin too much either. He knew he was wrong, though the mistakes were already made, so there was no point nitpicking who was wrong and who was right.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why when ites to this, Mr. Gu, I¡¯m hoping that you can think of a way topromise, at least, in a way that doesn¡¯t make it difficult for everyone. Even though Master ising from Lingshi and Ah Mo¡¯s standpoint, he could be less petty with many things. As for the old Chairman and Minister Mu...¡±

    At this juncture, Li Si did not continue while Gu Qiwu did not look too happy, but he did not say anything.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Gu, I¡¯ll let Master know your thoughts. As for the oue, I cannot guarantee anything,¡± Li Si said, then got up.

    ¡°Mmm, tell him. He might be interested in some things,¡± Gu Qiwu said, then got up, and silently looked at Li Si.

    Li Si stared at him in a pensive manner, nodded, then quickly turned and left too.

    ...

    The cold rain that had wreaked havoc for quite a few days gradually calmed down, but the weather seemed to continue with the cold gusts, especially since they were deep in the wild mountains.

    Standing by the wooden window, you could already hear trickles of the stream. It was the sound of the water from the mountains, streaming into the rivers. Early in the morning, you could vaguely see a faintyer of white. It seemed likest night¡¯s rain came with some snow.

    Ah Mo lifted a corner of the curtain by the door and slowly walked in. From afar, he could see Qi Lei standing quietly by the window and looking out.

    ¡°What is it? You seem deep in thought. Are you thinking about going home? Aren¡¯t we leaving quite soon already?¡± Ah Mo walked up to Qi Lei in a few huge strides as his mellow and rich voice was heard.

    While Qi Lei smiled calmly, he breathed in and looked fondly out the window, and said in a lowered voice, ¡°When we just got here, I was thinking of leaving, but now, I suddenly don¡¯t quite want to leave. Life here is peaceful and I¡¯m fond of it, unlike the restless dog-eat-dog world out there. This ce is a good ce to rest, especially with this beautiful scenery too.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ah Mo smiled cheerfully too. ¡°Such a ce is great for resting and spiritual cultivation once in a while, but if one were to stay here for a long time, you¡¯d probably fall sick, especially for people like us. So, the next time if you¡¯ve got the interest, you cane over to visit. Otherwise, it¡¯s best that you stay outside. After all, we aren¡¯t people who n on cultivating spiritually.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not like you. You can¡¯t stand loneliness. You have people who miss you outside while I...while I¡¯ve got nothing at all. It¡¯s quite nice to be on my own. If I could have a few dogs, that¡¯d be just nice,¡± Qi Lei said as a faint bitter smile shed on the corner of his lips.

    When Ah Mo heard that, he paused, and then said softly, ¡°That¡¯s not true. Master and Missus definitely miss you. Besides, you¡¯re only 30 and that¡¯s the start of a man¡¯s prime time. You¡¯ll bump into someone you like just as Master did. I remember when he just returned from abroad, he was like you too. Who would¡¯ve known that he¡¯d bump into Missus afterwards? Now, they lead quite a happy life.¡±

    Qi Lei knew about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s story. Back when that incident had happened at West Park, he could still recall it all quite clearly.

    After a while, Qi Lei said, ¡°Your Master¡¯s much luckier than I am. However, I¡¯m also very lucky that he turned out to be the way that he is today.¡±

    His dark eyes flowed with a faint light as Ah Mo watched him, but he could not seem to see through him. He always marked this gaze on Master¡¯s face, but he could not fathom it then either. Of course, he seemed to understand what Qi Lei meant now though.

    Ah Mo thought about it, then said, ¡°Brother says he admires you a lot too, Master Qi. Actually, you click quite well with Brother and Sister-inw. My brother chooses his friends quite strictly. In the past, not many people could get this kind of attention from him apart from Master Su and Master Mo.¡±

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m considered quite lucky then?¡± Qi Lei smiled, then he turned to Ah Mo. ¡°Say, did Mu Yuchen describe me as one who¡¯d grow out of the mud unsullied[1]?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± When Qi Lei said that, Ah Mo did not quite know how to react, but he soon replied, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that. You can ask Brother when we get back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that I said it. Just ask him subtly with skill, got it?¡± Qi Lei cleared his throat and then said softly.

    Ah Mo raised his brows. Moments after that, heughed and said, ¡°Got it, got it!¡±

    When Qi Lei heard his reply, heughed out loud too. ¡°Good. You catch on quite well!¡±

    Ah Mo chuckled along with him. ¡°Right, Yang Sheng¡¯s health is looking much better, so he should be fine to walk. Uncle Chen has gotten us two vehicles for convenience. Since the rain has stopped, let¡¯s get moving after breakfast. I¡¯ve juste from Yang Sheng. He¡¯s pretty much ready. You should put on an extrayer too. It¡¯s cold in the mountains. By the looks of the weather, it¡¯s definitely going to rain again,¡± he reminded.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. I can leave anytime, but they haven¡¯t found us after searching for so many days, so they¡¯ll definitely be watching out at every entrance. Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anywhere we can make a call when we get out. It¡¯s really quite inconvenient with the rainy weather.¡± Qi Lei frowned and looked out at the gloomy sky while his tone was heavy.

 Chapter 1358 - Return 1

    <h4>Chapter 1358 Return 1</h4>

    The rain subsided after breakfast, and the three of them found an old tricycle with Uncle Chen¡¯s help.

    The mountain paths were rough. It was wet and rocky everywhere, but luckily they sort of got used to the terrain. Otherwise, they might have already thrown up.

    ¡°This damned weather and these rocky paths...when will they end? My whole body is breaking apart.¡± Qi Lei sounded annoyed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see a bigger town once we cross this mountain. There should be a mobile signal there. Hang in for now. The rain is getting heavier. Let¡¯s look for some warm clothing over there.¡± Ah Mo nced at Qi Lei and then at Yang Sheng whose lips had already turned purple from the cold, so he helped him to tighten his raincoat around him.

    Qi Lei turned towards Yang Sheng as well.

    Yang Sheng looked much skinnier from the ruckus in the past few days, and his expression was still awfully pale.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Yang Sheng shivered and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can do this.¡±

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll talk to the driver and let you sit in front.¡± Then, Qi Lei told the driver to stop and let Yang Sheng sit with him.

    ...

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so kind to your subordinate.¡± Ah Mo smiled at Qi Lei. He had seen every little kindness Qi Lei showed Yang Sheng during this whole time.

    It was hard to imagine that someone who came from a prestigious family would have cared so much for a subordinate. Just like Ah Mo and Mu Yuchen, he felt pretty touched seeing them.

    Qi Lei looked away and went quiet for a moment. ¡°He¡¯s always been caring for me, especially since my mother left.¡± His eyes brightened up a little when he spoke.

    Ah Mo suddenly understood something and nodded lightly. ¡°He¡¯s a man worthy of befriending.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s during times like these that you understand who are the genuine ones. Back when my mother appointed him to work under me, I thought he was her spy, so I didn¡¯t really like him. Who would have known that he¡¯d be my most loyal subordinate?¡±

    ¡°CEO Wang is trying to be nice. It¡¯s just that...¡± Ah Mo tried to offer words offort. However, it was just not his forte.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point anymore...I kept thinking to myself that if I hadn¡¯t been so arrogant back then, if I hadn¡¯t made her feel disappointed and listened to her instead, perhaps things might have been different. I would at least have had a chance to redeem myself.¡± Qi Lei put on a bitter smile. ¡°Well, I suppose she¡¯s now...¡±

    He raised his head and looked at the dark sky as the rain fell. ¡°She must be in heaven right now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a good person. She must be there.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Master! Master!¡±

    Mu Yuchen was quietly going through documents inside his office in Glory World Corporation when suddenly Li Si barged in with a joyous tone.

    Mu Yuchen nodded as he rushed towards his table.

    ¡°Great news, Master! Ah Bao just called and said they found Ah Mo and Master Qi! I¡¯ve sent people over!¡±

    They found them?

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly and put his pen down before leaning back against his chair.

    ¡°They are in a small town deep in the mountainous area. They had just left for a few hours when Ah Bao reached there, but the signal there is pretty bad, so Ah Bao only managed to give me a call after driving some distance away. Although his voice was not very clear, that was generally what he said.¡± Li Si was slightly relieved.

    Mu Yuchen had some thoughts to himself before replying, ¡°Get them back as soon as possible, and send them to the hospital to do a full body checkup right away.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si quickly left the room.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing as soon as the door was closed. It was Zhou Zimo calling, so he answered it.

    ¡°Why did you take so long to answer the phone?¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice reached his ear the moment the call was connected.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡± Mu Yuchen went straight to the point as he opened a Thermos sk and drank the tea inside.

    ¡°The evidence has been submitted. Wait for the good news tonight. You have to reward me for working so hard!¡± Zhou Zimo chuckled as Mu Yuchen frowned.

    ¡°When can Su Chen and you stop taking advantage of me?¡± He sounded unhappy.

    ¡°Too bad you just have way too much advantage to be taken of. Seriously, we¡¯re lucky this time. I¡¯d be in deep trouble if you didn¡¯t solve the issue in time. My father alone would give me hell!¡± Zhou Zimo was clearly relieved.

    ¡°It¡¯s about to be over soon. Haven¡¯t you been waiting for this day after staying low for so long? Doris can¡¯t do too much over here. Go wild.¡±

    ¡°Got it, just wait for my good news! By the way, Ah Mo...¡± Zhou Zimo was concerned about Ah Mo too.

    ¡°News just came in that they¡¯ve been found. We should be able to bring them back. Su Chen is monitoring the departures, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°You be careful too. Doris can be quite cunning. As for Gu Qiwu...¡±

    ¡°Cunning indeed. Gu Qiwu got detained at the station. He¡¯s been suspected to be rted to Wang Qin¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been married for several decades, but look at them now...¡± Zhou Zimo sounded sarcastic. ¡°How unexpected...¡±

 Chapter 1359 - Return 2

    <h4>Chapter 1359 Return 2</h4>

    Mu Yuchen had a cold smile stered across his face.

    ¡°Just think of it as payback for Lingshi and Grandmother. You know what? I¡¯ll go and get some sleep. I hope I can be home for the New Year. Christmas ising soon too. It¡¯s quite lively over here...¡±

    Zhou Zimo went on and on, and Mu Yuchen hung up on the call without waiting for him to finish.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen did not go to meet Gu Qiwu. Of course, Mu Lingshi did not either, but he delivered Gu Qiwu a message via Li Si.

    ¡°Mr. Gu, Master said he¡¯ll see you, but not now. Also, Miss Lingshi said she doesn¡¯t want to see you. If Doris is the one behind Ah Mo¡¯s kidnapping, and if anything happens to Ah Mo, she¡¯ll never want to see you again...¡± Li Si clearly conveyed Mu Yuchen and Mu Lingshi¡¯s messages to Gu Qiwu.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s reaction was weak as if he already expected this oue. ¡°I got it. Thank you,¡± he blurted out momentster.

    ¡°By the way, Master also told me to tell you that Doris is prepared to back off...¡± Li Si added.

    Gu Qiwu actually smiled. ¡°Really? Getting ready to run away now? How dare she?! Mu Yuchen promised me to find that b*stard she slept with. Is there still no news about him?¡± His expression turned cold as he stared at Li Si.

    Li Si was stunned for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have an idea who it is. After all, you investigated Doris before as well, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯d know best the reason why Doris was so desperate to take Hui Gu away from you. Master said you¡¯re a smart man. It might not be toote to make amends now...¡± He stopped his sentence there.

    Gu Qiwu went silent for a while before taking a deep breath and putting on a bitter smile. ¡°I underestimated your Mu Yuchen! Maybe...I was wrong from the beginning. Lingtian might¡¯ve been better by your side...¡±

    ¡°Ah Yong, tell mywyer to do as nned. Go and meet Mu Yuchen, and I¡¯ll leave the Hui Gu Corporation to my daughter, Mu Lingshi...¡±

    Gu Qiwu then stood up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Gu. Master will find a way to get you out of here before the press conference,¡± Li Si replied.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Staying here has its merits too.¡±

    Gu Qiwu then slowly walked towards the door...

    ...

    Li Si was efficient after he received orders from Mu Yuchen. Since Gu Qiwu had just given his consent, he broughtwyers along and negotiated with Gu Qiwu¡¯swyers.

    For some reason, the reporters found out that Gu Qiwu had been arrested for being a suspect in Wang Qin¡¯s death!

    The CEO of the Hui Gu Corporation, Gu Qiwu, intended to let his illegitimate daughter, Mu Lingshi, take over!

    ...

    The rain got heavier at 2 p.m. in the afternoon, so Qi Lei and the gang decided to rest at the town and only continue when the rain subsided.

    The car was on a muddy path leading them into the small town. Rather than being an actual town, it was just a vige with more houses than the one they were in previously.

    The narrow path could barely fit the car.

    ¡°There¡¯s a restaurant right there. Let¡¯s eat something first,¡± Qi Lei said.

    Ah Mo agreed, and he spoke to the driver before all of them went down, ¡°Give us some of your rmended dishes here.¡±

    Ah Mo ordered while Qi Lei was observing the surroundings. There was a public phone beside the store in front, but as he was about to head over, Ah Mo stopped him!

    ¡°Be careful! Look there!¡±

    Qi Lei quickly halted and looked in the direction Ah Mo pointed. Just several tables away from them, a fewrge-framed men were sitting together while staring at them!

    Yang Sheng¡¯s whole body tensed up!

    ¡°Master Qi, Ah Mo, they are here for us!¡±

    Qi Lei and Ah Mo traded nces and nodded at each other.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just act like they aren¡¯t there.¡±

    Ah Mo was used to dire situations like this, so he was able to stay calm, but it was theplete opposite for Yang Sheng who nodded and tried his best to suppress his uneasiness while lowering his head...

    The group of men would not let them get away so easily.

    The men continued to stare at them. Momentster, the leader signaled one of his henchmen with his eye. They stood up and slowly went closer to them, so the trio was surrounded in a matter of seconds.

    ¡°Would you guys like to join tables?¡± Ah Mo¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but there was a tint of coldness in his eyes.

    No one replied, but they circled them closer.

    Yang Sheng was getting more and more anxious as they got closer. Meanwhile, the driver was already keeping a distance from them.

    ¡°Master Qi, what should we do?¡± Yang Sheng asked Qi Lei.

    No one in the restaurant stepped in. Everyone just watched in silence.

    ¡°You lot are really persistent,¡± Qi Lei said coldly.

    ¡°The boss wants to see you guys. If you still want your pay, it¡¯s best that the three of you show some cooperation!¡± the leader said.

    ¡°Your boss? How do you want us to cooperate with you?¡± Qi Leiughed coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll let him keep the money to prepare for his coffin. We don¡¯t want it anymore.¡±

    ¡°You guys still have a lot of leftover work to hand over, and the boss is an extremely responsible person,¡± the leader replied.

    ¡°What are you guys going to do if we don¡¯t cooperate?¡± Ah Mo clenched his fists slightly as he smirked.

 Chapter 1360 - Return 3

    <h4>Chapter 1360 Return 3</h4>

    Their expressions darkened as they went in closer. Just when they were about to grab Yang Sheng¡ª

    ¡°Mmph!¡± One of the men in ck suits felt a sharp pain on his shoulder and his movements were restricted. Everyone looked over and noticed that he had been ambushed!

    ¡°Ah Bao!¡± Ah Mo released a sigh of relief when he saw the man appear before him, filling his heart with joy.

    ¡°Bro Mo, Master Qi, are you guys alright?¡±

    Ah Mo let go of the man as Ah Bao¡¯s men entered the restaurant. The group quickly crowded the little ce.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine. Good timing there! These people...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave!¡± When the group of assants noticed that the situation had turned disadvantageous for them, they quickly fled the scene.

    ¡°Go after them!¡±

    ¡°Never mind. There¡¯s no need!¡± Ah Mo stopped them before they took off. ¡°They don¡¯t know much anyway, so we won¡¯t be able to get anything from them.¡±

    ¡°Are we just going to let them go?¡± Ah Bao sounded hesitant.

    ¡°Just let them be. We¡¯ll eat something here before rushing back. I¡¯ve got something to report to my brother.¡± Ah Mo then turned towards the restaurant owner who seemed confused. ¡°Please get the dishes out quickly. We¡¯re in a hurry.¡±

    The owner nodded and quickly went to prepare the food.

    ¡°Are you guys alright? Master and the Minister were so worried!¡±

    Ah Bao noticed that Qi Lei and Yang Sheng both seemed a little pale. Both of them were relieved to see Ah Bao, and they could finally rx a little.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. We¡¯ll talk again once we get back. What¡¯s the situation in City Z now? How¡¯s Lingshi doing?¡± He went straight to the point.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s doing fine. Master and Missus are taking good care of her. She just misses you a lot. Master and Missus were both worried sick. As for the situation in City Z, I think it¡¯s better for the Master to tell you.¡±

    Ah Bao then got his men to bring them a thick coat to protect them against the cold.

    ...

    They went on their way again after having a light meal.

    The sky turned dark in the evening, making the whole city look gloomy.

    When the ck car stopped at the entrance of Fuhua Property, the passenger came out before the chauffeur could open the door. Mu Yuchen got out of the car.

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡± The security guard at the entrance recognized him and quickly offered a greeting.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and went inside as he casually adjusted the buttons on his sleeve. When he arrived at Xi Xiaye¡¯s office, he walked in slowly as he noticed she was discussing something with her colleagues.

    Considering that their son woulde to the office from time to time, they had the floor covered with a thick rug, so walking on it made no sound. However, Xi Xiaye saw him walking over. He smiled at her and just sat quietly on the sofa while she continued to talk to the managers.

    Xi Xiaye finally was done discussing matters with them after a while.

    Mu Yuchen handed a cup of tea to her when she got closer to him. She emptied it instantly and handed the cup back to him.

    ¡°Feeling tired?¡± he chuckled and asked when he saw herzy sitting posture.

    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t even get to eat lunch today, so you have to cook something nice for me tonight.¡± Xi Xiaye stretched her back as she nced at him.

    He ran his fingers through her silky hair as he asked, ¡°What do you want to eat? Can you leave now?¡±

    ¡°Just some usual homemade dishes. Everything you cook is delicious anyway. There should still be another half an hour to go, but since you¡¯re here, I don¡¯t mind. Let¡¯s go and pick up Xiao Rui before heading over to the supermarket. There¡¯s a lot to buy.¡±

    She then started packing up.

    The man was looking at her with warmth in his eyes. ¡°Sure.¡±

    His phone started ringing soon after that. It was Ah Bao. Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes brightened up as he quickly answered the call.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± he gave a brief reply.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve found Bro Mo. I¡¯ll let him talk to you.¡±

    The voice on the other end switched.

    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s me...¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned for a moment when he heard the voice again after such a long time. He closed his eyes for a moment before replying, ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re back. Please don¡¯t say anything for now. Ask Ah Bao to bring you home for a check-up. Rest up before meeting me. Is Qi Lei with you?¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Ah Mo felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside him as he replied, ¡°Yes, Brother! Master Qi and Yang Sheng are fine. They are here with me.¡±

    ¡°Great, get them to go with you as well. Ask Ah Bao to send you to see me after everything is done.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Brother! Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Rest well.¡± Mu Yuchen was finally relieved. Thank God he was alright...

    ¡°Have they been found?¡± Xi Xiaye looked over and asked.

    He nodded. ¡°Fortunately.¡±

    With a smile, she looked outside the window and let out a sigh of relief.

    This was great news for Mu Yuchen but was pretty much the opposite for someone else!

    Inside a luxurious hotel room, Doris looked uneasy as she could not believe what she just heard.

    ¡°What did you say? Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei have been found by Mu Yuchen¡¯s men?¡±

 Chapter 1361 - Panic! 1

    <h4>Chapter 1361 Panic! 1</h4>

    Her gloomy voice contained a hint of stifled uncertainty as her fingers that interlocked tightly revealed her uneasiness.

    Glenn nodded. He slowly gathered himself and said softly, ¡°Yes, Li Si brought people over and personally found them. Our people were one step toote. They didn¡¯t want to fight with them, so they left.¡±

    ¡°Useless!¡± Doris clenched her fists tightly and mmed the table as she said coldly, ¡°How do they do things? They can¡¯t even get this little thing right and they keep making mistakes! All of them are a useless bunch!¡±

    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t be angry. Let¡¯s not panic first. Right now, Gu Qiwu¡¯s detained at the police station. This whole thing has already lost its initial intention. We don¡¯t have to bother with that anymore. As long as we handle the rest cleanly, they can¡¯t do anything to us,¡± Glenn said with a lowered voice.

    However, before he could finish, Doris replied coldly, ¡°Panic? Do you think there¡¯s still a chance to fix all of this now? I know Mu Yuchen. He won¡¯t just let things go so easily. He¡¯ll definitely grab this chance. I know him too well. He may look harmless, but...why else do you think Gu Qiwu would be so willing to coborate with him?¡±

    Doris¡¯s fears were not baseless.

    Glenn¡¯s heart sank now.

    She sighed, and then said, ¡°It would¡¯ve been fine if he made any move, but right now, he seems to just be watching from afar. That¡¯s what makes me feel threatened.¡±

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll pay closer attention,¡± Glenn¡¯s voice sank slightly as he said humbly.

    Doris frowned, and then took the cigarette box from the table in frustration. She took a stick out to light, then took a nonchnt drag before leaning back against the sofa. She thought about it for a moment, then continued to say, ¡°Let¡¯s settle this as soon as possible. We¡¯ll leave this ce right away.¡±

    Doris felt even more anxious, and now that she could sense danger, she could not care less. She needed to be alert and make backup ns.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten them to handle the smaller things, so don¡¯t worry, Miss. We¡¯ll leave this ce the day after tomorrow at thetest. As long as we can return to Ennd, we can find a scapegoat for anything that goes wrong here.¡± Glenn was experienced at handling such matters, and he could execute many things well. This was the reason why Doris trusted him so much.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s good if you can handle it. When we get back over there, there¡¯ll probably be an even bigger battle waiting for me to fight. If I haven¡¯t underestimated Mu Yuchen this time, Alex might be back in Ennd by now. We were too anxious that we miscalcted!¡±

    Doris could not help but regret it a little now. She thought that everything would go as nned, but she did not expect Mu Yuchen to still be one step ahead!

    Everything unfortunate began when she had the miscarriage...

    Even so, when did Mu Yuchen find out about that?

    Could it be...?

    Doris now realized that Mu Yuchen had probably been watching her for a long time and already suspected her!

    When she realized that, her chest could not help but tremble. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. Sucking in a few deep inhtions, she then quickly took her phone from the table as she wanted to call the person in New York right now.

    Unexpectedly, the phone seemed to have telepathic abilities as it suddenly buzzed.

    Doris took a look at the name that popped up on the screen, then immediately picked it up. She quickly said, ¡°Hello? Alex?¡±

    ¡°Miss Doris, it¡¯s Airo. I have bad news, Mr. Alex has just been arrested by the American police. They have evidence of all of the things we¡¯ve done. I¡¯m afraid Mr. Alex is in huge trouble this time. He told you to take good care of yourself...¡± A depressed voice came from the other end of the phone.

    Doris did not finish listening to the voice, and her mind just shed with one thought¡ªAlex had been arrested!

    Her mind went nk for a bit. It just went empty as her expression changed and she fell limp.

    ¡°Miss! Miss! What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    When he saw Doris go limp, as well as the way her face suddenly turned pale, Glenn was shocked. He quickly went up to hold her, and she managed to sit up.

    ¡°Miss, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked uneasily.

    Doris¡¯s blue eyes were slightly dazed as she held onto Glenn¡¯s arm tightly. ¡°It¡¯s him! Mu Yuchen, it must be him! He¡¯s known about me and Alex for a while now! That¡¯s why he¡¯s doing this! What a great, great evil move!¡±

    ¡°Miss, what do you mean..?¡±

    ¡°Alex was arrested! What do you think it means? It turns out that all of the news about how Zhou Zimo was still detained inside was fake! They¡¯ve been thinking of how to trap us right from the start! That¡¯s why Mu Yuchen suddenly came home, and we thought...¡±

    Doris felt helpless. She was tired from all the worrying...

    Her fingersbed through her messy hair, and she felt as if she had instantly aged by more than 10 years.

    ¡°How could that be? How¡¯s that possible?¡± Glenn did not want to believe it either. His eyes widened as he looked at Doris. ¡°Is the news true? Didn¡¯t Mr. Alex said it was all good? He wouldn¡¯t be joking around with us, would he?¡±

    Upon hearing that, darkness flitted across Doris¡¯s pale face. She quickly called another number to verify matters.

    However, the person on the other end did not relieve her worries...

    Bam¡ª

    Before the person could finish speaking, Doris¡¯s phone had already fallen to the ground and she was in a daze.

    Upon seeing that, Glenn felt suddenly worried now! By the looks of things now, it was actually already very obvious.

    Mu Yuchen had done things behind them. He had set up a trap and let them jump into it willingly. After that, they just watched things unfold while he seized the chance to cut off all her escape routes: Gu Qiwu, Qi Qiming, and now Alex too...

    When Doris thought about that, she could not help but be scared.

    There was a reason why Mu Yuchen had been carefully scheming to go after her. When she thought about how Glenn mentioned the boss from the car repair factory, the answer that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time finally broke through the lock and surged right out!

    It was the incident from six years ago!

    He must be doing this because of what happened six years ago!

    When she thought this, her expression worsened!

    In the midst of her panic, she quickly got up and held Glenn¡¯s arm a little anxiously before she said worriedly, ¡°Quick, Glenn, contact the flightpanies right away. We¡¯re leaving tonight right away! Right away! We have to leave now! Anyter and we won¡¯t make it!¡±

 Chapter 1362 - Panic! 2

    <h4>Chapter 1362 Panic! 2</h4>

    As Glenn¡¯s arms hurt from Doris holding onto him, he could feel the severity of this!

    In truth, the situation might even be far worse than they had imagined.

    ¡°Miss, are you saying that we¡¯re going back to Ennd right away?¡± he asked.

    She nodded. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go back to Ennd right away, and then think of how to save Alex! Hurry, contact the flightpanies right away!¡±

    Then, he nodded and quickly took out his phone to make a call. However, he did not say much. Moments after that, his expression sank and he silently kept his phone away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The worried Doris could naturally feel that something was not right, so she quickly asked, ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    Glenn¡¯s face was slightly dark as he looked to Doris to say in a slightly solemn tone, ¡°Miss, we might not be able to leave by flight. Hall says that all there are no more seats on the next flights to Ennd, and upon careful checking, he realized that news about us has spread. If we turn up at the airport, I think we will...¡±

    When he said that, Doris fell limp again and slumped against the sofa behind her. Despair was apparent on her exquisite face as she muttered, ¡°How did it end up like this? How? No way...¡±

    ¡°Miss, at this point, we...what should we do?¡± Glenn asked, feeling a little defeated and afraid.

    ¡°It must be the orders from Su Chen!¡± It was only now that Doris understood how much she had underestimated who she was going up against!

    Mu Yuchen was too good. Had he been set on trapping her? Had he wanted her to just sit and wait for her death?

    No way!

    As Doris thought about that, her fists suddenly clenched and her blue eyes shed with a chilly sharpness.

    Anger, gloominess, determination!

    Many emotions raged in her eyes. After a while, she took a deep breath and instantly held back the emotions she felt, remaining calm. ¡°Arrange for a car immediately. We¡¯re leaving the hotel right away.¡±

    ¡°But where can we go? Miss, I think that Mu Yuchen must have delegated people to watch out for us all over!¡± he said worriedly.

    ¡°Tell Jenny to change into my clothes. She must get into the car and drive it towards City B!¡± Doris¡¯s blue eyes were still flickering with some sharp light as she ordered.

    At this point, Glenn immediately understood where Doris was going with this, he quickly said, ¡°Miss, are you thinking of a crafty escape n?¡±

    ¡°Since you understand, then get it done right away! Time is tight. We have to leave quickly!¡±

    Doris could not care less now. After all her orders were issued, she got up and walked to the room beside.

    ¡°Yes, Miss! I¡¯ll get it done right away!¡± Glenn answered, then quickly retreated.

    ...

    After about half an hour, engulfed by the gloomy night, Doris¡¯s car slowly drove away from the hotel and went towards City B.

    The vehicle had just driven out of the city when a call was made to Su Chen.

    At the moment, it was alreadyte at night. Su Chen and Ji Zitong were all showered and prepared to rest by the beach.

    ¡°Chief Su, their car has just driven out of the city area. Do we want to continue following them?¡± the person on the other end of the phone asked Su Chen for instructions.

    Frowning, Su Chen¡¯s determined face was solemn for a moment. He slowly closed the book in his hand as he responded, ¡°Chase them! Go to see what the situation is like at the hotel. See if they¡¯ve checked out. Something¡¯s odd if they¡¯re leaving sote.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief Su! We¡¯ve got it!¡± the person on the other end responded before Su Chen hung up.

    Ji Zitong pulled open the nket andy down. When she noticed Su Chen¡¯s odd expression, she asked concernedly, ¡°It¡¯s quitete. What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just work. How did things go with Mother today?¡± Su Chen put the phone on the table beside him as he pulled the nket open to get out of bed.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There are still many things to learn. It¡¯s a little hard.¡±

    Ever since her flower shop caught on fire, Ji Zitong did not think about continuing as a florist. She also epted Xie Jiajia and Su Chen¡¯s suggestion to start familiarizing herself with the business with Xie Jiajia by her side.

    ¡°Slowly now. You have to follow the process for everything, one thing at a time. When you were in the army camp, you had to learn from marching on the same spot and matching in sync before you learned goose-steps. Aren¡¯t these things like learning how to walk?¡±

    Su Chen was not interested in doing business, but he did understand this logic. Then, he took some books from the top of the cupboard and put it on the little bookcase beside him.

    ¡°Everyone knows this rationale, but it¡¯s quite hard when you start doing it. Right, about the flower store, what¡¯s the update on that?¡± With him overseeing that matter, Ji Zitong felt assured leaving it to him.

    ¡°We caught a few of the young people who did it. Young people these days are so rebellious. They have far more guts than we did at their age. They never think of consequences. Just like how you were back then, you never thought about what woulde after when you did things.¡± When Chief Su said this, he turned and nced at Ji Zitong.

    Ji Zitong was stunned and her expression sank. She could not help but say coldly, ¡°Well, I was young. Of course, I¡¯d be high-spirited! As long as we recognize that and correct it, only after you¡¯ve gone through some things will you be able to...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to defend yourself. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never done those silly things. Some experiences don¡¯t need to be undergone either. You just need to know the severity of the consequences like taking drugs and murder. Do you have to experience those yourself? As for correcting yourself after recognizing mistakes, you don¡¯t get a chance to fix some mistakes. A few days ago, at a nearby vige, there were more than 10 underaged female students who were armed and got into a fight. You can imagine how terrible that could have been. We won¡¯t look into this incident for now so that they won¡¯t have their case files stained as it wouldn¡¯t be any good for them in the future.¡±

    Su Chen walked over, poured himself a cup of water, and had a sip.

    ¡°So, I heard Secretary He say that you¡¯ve been catching those people for ideological education, hmm?¡± Ji Zitong squinted and looked at him with curiosity.

    When Chief Su heard that, he frowned and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Those people are underaged children. They aren¡¯t inherently bad, thus they¡¯ll be able to change with some guidance. Young people these days, and especially in situations like theirs, are just at crossroads. If no one guides them properly, they will easily take on the bent road. The Ministry of Public Security is always troubled by these every year.¡±

    ¡°You people who work for the state don¡¯t actually have it easy.¡± Ji Zitongughed.

    ¡°Not easy at all. Who wouldn¡¯t want to just live life idly? I¡¯m holding this post, so I must concern myself with such matters. If I were a businessman like Ah Chen, I might have been part of the nouveau rich by now.¡±

 Chapter 1363 - Father and Son 1

    <h4>1363 Father and Son 1</h4>

    Noveau rich?When Ji Zitong heard that, she squinted at him with amusement. Then, she could not help but chuckle and say, ¡°That¡¯s true! Among you three buddies, Mu Yuchen, Zhou Zimo, and you, you look most like part of the noveau rich! Mu Yuchen has always had the aura of a master from an aristocratic family, Zhou Zimo is a gentle and humble but pampered son, while you...¡±

    ¡°What about me? Is my body the best among us three? The manliest? When the three of us walk on the streets, everyone can tell that I¡¯m the leader of the crew because I carry the aura of a leader! Ah Chen is the strategist. As for Zimo, he¡¯s just a little footman at most. This opportunist is most likely to be a traitor!¡±

    Chief Su straightened up his back shamelessly. When this was brought up, he could not help but ridicule Zhou Zimo while he was at it.

    Upon hearing that, Ji Zitong onlyughed out loud. She looked at the man who was still intoxicated in his own narcissism with disdain. ¡°Alright now, you can be less narcissistic. I think Mu Yuchen looks like the real king and Zimo is the strategist, while you...you¡¯re a rash general who doesn¡¯t use his head much. As long as Mu Yuchen says to go forward, you¡¯ll just rush ahead like a rash, silly person!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Is Ah Chen manlier than I am? That b*stard has almost be a ve to his wife. As long as Xi Xiaye says no, he won¡¯t daree out. With that behavior, can he even be a king?¡±

    Su Chen was not convinced!

    ¡°I¡¯m toozy to fight with you. Quickly rest now,¡± Ji Zitong massaged the space between her brows tiredly as she said.

    ¡°I want to go to the study room to handle...¡±

    Her tone was not courteous. Before he could finish, she had already cut him off. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a tomorrow? Rest now! Send me to work tomorrow!¡± Ji Zitong shot a nce at him. Those dark circles of his were already so obvious. Why was he still trying to show off?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just get you a new car?¡± Su Chen frowned and asked.

    ¡°Are you not willing to send me?¡± Ji Zitong stared at him and said coldly.

    Chief Su then sighed and pushed his sleeves up as he walked over and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m willing! Of course, I am! Extremely! Why wouldn¡¯t I be? To send his wife to work is every man¡¯s bounded duty! Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be unwilling. Right, Missus, Christmas ising soon, and tomorrow¡¯s a rest day, so I¡¯ll go out shopping with you and get you some new clothes. What do you think?¡±

    Master Su spoke as he slid underneath the nket while his restless hands reached for Ji Zitong¡¯s waist and urately found the sash around her.

    Ji Zitong obviously knew what he was trying to do! This fellow would only pretend to obey her at times like these! She quickly held down his hand and rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Rest earlier tonight. You have to wake up early tomorrow, and we¡¯re both a little tired.¡±

    Su Chen looked at her with a sigh and didn¡¯t miss the fatigue on her face. Then, he turned to lie down beside her and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep then,¡± he said, then the lights in the room were quickly dimmed.

    ...

    As the lights gradually dimmed, the night quickly grew dark, especially on such a misty, rainy night.

    Mu Yuchen was up to date on his end. He almost knew about Doris¡¯s situation immediately, and of course, there was the situation in New York too...

    When he received Zhou Zimo¡¯s call to inform him that Alex had been arrested, his anxious heart was finally slightly relieved. Inhaling, he turned his head, and with the dim light by the window, he could vaguely see that his wife sleeping soundly in his arms.

    He watched her quietly for a while, then carefully pulled her arms that circled his waist away before he got down the bed quietly. Then, he covered her with the nket again. He fixed his sleeping robe before slowly leaving the bedroom.

    The midnight wind was very cold, especially at such a time. The gusts of wind seemed to have brought a sharp knife with it in a way that hurt their faces.

    Mu Tangchuan walked in through the cold. He had just stepped into the living room when from afar, he could vaguely smell the faint scent of cigarette smoke. Under the dim lights, he quickly found his son who was sitting on the living room sofa while leisurely smoking as he drank tea.

    ¡°You¡¯re not someone who likes to smoke, my son.¡± Mu Tangchuan walked over in a few huge strides and sat across Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen calmly flicked away some cigarette ash as he bent down to pour Mu Tangchuan a cup of tea that he had just steeped before he said with a lowered voice, ¡°Just passing some time. Why are you up sote? Will Mother let you off for not going home right away?¡±

    ¡°I told her that I¡¯ll be working overtime for a few days. Your mother¡¯s not a tiger mom or anything, so I don¡¯t have to be so worried. Where¡¯re Xiaye and Xiao Cheng?¡± Mu Tangchuan smiled gently, his voice filled with love.

    ¡°Who¡¯s like you at this hour? I just woke up from my sleep too.¡± Mu Yuchen handed Mu Tangchuan some tea. ¡°Have a cup of tea to warm yourself up. The weather¡¯s a little cold outside.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan took the cup and calmly took a sip as he said, ¡°It¡¯s quite cold. Another one or two degrees down and it¡¯ll probably be the same temperature as when it snows. Those people are too inefficient. We waited for a long time before they finally managed to clean it up a little. I¡¯ve taken a look. It¡¯s roughly like that, and you can go through it for yourself. I can¡¯t believe that it was really her. She probably knew about your aunt and Gu Qiwu¡¯s rtionship for a long while now! This woman is great at holding out. It¡¯s all thanks to your perseverance. Otherwise, Lingtian...¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s voice turned gloomy towards the end while he handled the case file to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°All these years, you¡¯ve been ming yourself for this. I can understand how distressing it must have felt, just as how I didn¡¯t get to save your aunt. The fact that we could be a family is a blessing from many lifetimes. I¡¯ve taught you this before. Based on the fact that you could get to where you are today, I¡¯m proud of you as your father. When you were younger, I¡¯d always worry that you wouldn¡¯t understand. However, knowing that you are now someone else¡¯s father and that you can teach the same values to Xiao Rui and the rest, I finally understood that you actually...¡±

    As Mu Tangchuan spoke sincerely, Mu Yuchen listened silently. He took the case file but did not open it right away.

    Eventually, he paused and looked up to meet his father¡¯s eyes. ¡°As for you and Mother, I¡¯ve always respected you very much. I can consider and understand how it¡¯s like standing in your shoes. To me, a person¡¯s lifetime is meant for repeated introspections and continuous growth. I¡¯m very grateful for the environment of growth that you¡¯ve built for us. As your son, it¡¯s my honor too.¡±

 Chapter 1364 - Father and Son 2

    <h4>Chapter 1364 Father and Son 2</h4>

    When Mu Yuchen said that, warmth flowed through Mu Tangchuan¡¯s heart. He took a deep breath, and then silently lowered his head to take a sip of tea...

    Mu Yuchen could keenly catch that his father¡¯s hand tightened on the teacup while Mu Tangchuan was feeling quite emotional. He thought about it, then suddenly looked at Mu Tangchuan and said, ¡°Father, do you feel like I haven¡¯t carried out my duties as a son?¡±

    ¡°No, you have done very well.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said that, Mu Tangchuan refuted him and his meaningful gaze was loving. ¡°You have your own perspectives. Your mother and I can¡¯t help you. All we can do is just silently bear things and support you. All these years, I¡¯ve put too much time into the political scene that I¡¯ve neglected my family. It was only when your grandmother passed away, and when I saw your aging grandfather that it hit me. Some things that you think are important might not be so important, after all. When ites to this, your mother¡¯s much more enlightened than I am. I¡¯ll have to learn from her.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°Does that mean that you¡¯re not nning to keep challenging yourself now? It¡¯s actually not hard to neglect neither one. Father, you don¡¯t have to stop your dreams because of that. Right now, it should be time for you to rise in your career. As long as you don¡¯t lose heart in many things, we¡¯ll support you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re starting to talk more and more like your mother now. I remember that a few years ago when I was in the phase of just getting promoted, your mother was still just a low-level prosecutor. She didn¡¯t forget to urge me from time to time. Sometimes, when I had to go to the Disciplinary Inspection Department, she would be far stricter with my investigations than the other departments. I was especially afraid of her then, always thinking of how to curry her favor. Otherwise, I¡¯d worry that she would make life hard for me.¡±

    When speaking about him and his wife, there was a gentle smile on Mu Tangchuan¡¯s face.

    ¡°Both your love has always been one that I admire. I think that I¡¯m far luckier than other people to have such loving parents.¡±

    Yes, he was far luckier than other people. Take his woman sleeping upstairs alone for example. When he recalled her childhood, he felt that he had been a thousand times luckier than her. As he thought about this, he could not help but feel his heart hurt a little.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been married to your mother for decades now. It¡¯s not just all talk about love, but don¡¯t tell your mother what we discuss here either¡ª¡±

    It was rare for Mu Tangchuan to tell his son these things. His gentle and calm face blushed slightly, then he smiled and said, ¡°Actually, back then when I married your mother, we really didn¡¯t feel quite strongly for each other. We couldn¡¯t even talk about our dating experience at the wedding. I remember that your mother and I watched a movie twice, and only had five meals together while I went to your grandfather¡¯s ce not more than three times before the wedding was set. In fact, most of the time, when I was with her, we¡¯d be talking about work and politics, never just billing and cooing[1].¡±

    When Mu Tangchuan said that, Mu Yuchen was a little surprised. He found it funny, but he could not help be a busybody, so he cleared his throat and hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Father, have you ever told Mother the words...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not say thest three words, but at this moment, Mu Yuchen had already put out the cigarette in his hand as his handsome face blushed.

    ¡°I honestly forgot whether I said it or not. Your mother¡¯s that kind of woman. She¡¯s not quite the same as other women. She doesn¡¯t fall for that.¡±

    Before his father could finish, Master Mu seemed to echo him in empathy, ¡°Xiaye seems to be the same...¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡±

    At this, the father and son exchanged a look. Moments after that, theyughed out loud at the same time.

    ¡°They¡¯ve just sent the news about Ah Mo and Qi Lei. How are they?¡± Mu Tangchuan did not forget about that.

    ¡°Ah Bao¡¯s already brought them for a full body checkup, so they¡¯ll be back on the private flight tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Good! Good that they¡¯reing home! Also, for Gu Qiwu¡¯s thing, I¡¯ll let them go for it first. Tell your people to be smarter and prepare everything more thoroughly. The evidence can¡¯t be used as direct evidence either unless you can find the murderer to admit that Gu Qiwu prompted him, and provide more straightforward evidence.¡±

    ¡°Ah Bo has already found traces of the murderer, but that person¡¯s good at evading. He¡¯s a desperate criminal. Since he¡¯s served in the army before, he¡¯s very strong in all skills, and it¡¯s not easy to want to capture him.¡±

    ¡°I know, especially now that he¡¯s escaped abroad, it¡¯s made capturing him much harder. The police aren¡¯t just busy with this case either. Many other cases pop up in City Z every day, and you know how many officers and police there are in our city. So, I can only say that we must do our best. I think you know well how it will pan out. y by ear what to do,¡± Mu Tangchuan said and he lowered his head to take a sip of his tea.

    ¡°Mmm, I got it,¡± Mu Yuchen responded.

    ¡°Is there anything new on Doris¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard. Li Si¡¯s arranged for people to be on guard near the hotel. Someone¡¯s just called to say that they¡¯ve gone towards City B. Su Chen has informed the airlinepanies. With these things in hand, we should be able to hand the facts over to the police, but in order to make sure she can¡¯t make aeback, just with these things in hand, on the court¡¯s end...¡±

    At this point, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened, and a gloomy sinister light shed from the depths of them. ¡°I want her to never be able to turn her life around again!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan could feel the cold aura from Mu Yuchen, so he then patted his shoulder. ¡°As much as you resent her, remember to stay rational and be clear-headed. That way, you won¡¯t be pulled into the whole thing. Be more farsighted.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father!¡± Mu Yuchen humbly nodded and sighed. Then, he returned to being calm.

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s more like my son! Your grandfather told me yesterday that he wants to see Gu Qiwu. I¡¯m sure you know why. I¡¯ll let you arrange this, but I hope that you can arrange for when Gu Qiwu gets out. You have to ensure that Gu Qiwu is mentally prepared. Even though your grandfather¡¯s a calm person, unlike your grandmother...¡±

    ¡°Understand! I¡¯ll arrange it properly,¡± Mu Yuchen answered with certainty.

    Then, Mu Tangchuan stood up. ¡°Quickly pull yours back then. Let those who should rest in peace, rest in peace sooner. You should let go too. Your grandfather wants to have a reunion dinner at home for Christmas, and we¡¯ve already told your grandpa-inw, Elder CEO Shen. As for your parents-inw, I¡¯ll let you inform them yourself. Anyway, I¡¯m going home now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you out.¡± Mu Yuchen got up to follow him out.

    [1] An old-fashioned term that means ¡°to kiss and talk quietly¡±.

 Chapter 1365 - Father and Son 3

    <h4>Chapter 1365 Father and Son 3</h4>

    The father and son pair walked out of the door with the older Mu Tangchuan walking in front while the son, Mu Yuchen, followed behind.

    The dim streetlights by the front yard dragged their shadows long.

    This scenery made Mu Yuchen recall many years when he was much younger. Sometimes, his father, Mu Tangchuan, would pick him up from school. It seemed to have been like this too, but the difference was that he would walk in front when he was younger while his father protected him from behind. Now, it was flipped around with the father in front and him behind.

    He was more than 50 years old and would be turning 60 soon. He did not look as healthy as he did from years before. He was someone who had gone through his years now...

    They walked for a while and soon reached Mu Tangchuan¡¯s car. The chauffeur had already turned on the headlights.

    Mu Tangchuan stopped walking, turned around, and looked calmly at his son while he said lovingly, ¡°Alright, go back in. It¡¯ste already and it¡¯s quite cold outside. It looks like it¡¯s going to rain again.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused and nodded. ¡°Be careful on the road. Xiaye and I will be back for Christmas.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll let your mother know. We¡¯ll make some of your favorite dishes. Bye,¡± Mu Tangchuan said, then lovingly patted Mu Yuchen on the shoulder before quickly getting into the car.

    After the car started, it slowly left Mu Yuchen¡¯s line of sight.

    Mu Yuchen watched it for a long while until all the light was gone before he turned around to walk into the vi...

    At this moment, in the second-floor bedroom, Xi Xiaye was sleeping quite soundly. She reached out to her side out of habit, and in a daze, she noticed that she was touching an empty space. She immediately opened her eyes and looked to the side. Indeed, the space beside her was empty, and the temperature under the nket was cold.

    She quickly propped herself up and looked at the bathroom, but she saw that it was pitch-ck with no one in sight.

    Where did he go?

    It was sote!

    She frowned and looked at the time on the screen. Stunned, Xi Xiaye got down from bed.

    She had just walked out of the bedroom when she heard the sound of the door opening, so she subconsciously looked over. The man was walking in with a contemtive expression, but when he saw her standing by the bedroom door, he snapped back to his senses.

    ¡°Why did you get up? Why don¡¯t you put on an extrayer?¡± his lowered voice reprimanded slightly.

    Xi Xiaye rubbed her blurry eyes and walked over to the sofa. She looked at him for a bit and did not miss the folder in his hand. Then, she sat down on the sofa and said, ¡°When I woke up and saw that you were gone, I thought you had gotten up to do work again. Where did you go?¡±

    He walked over and tossed the folder onto the table, and then moved the coat on his shoulders to hers. After that, he boiled some water. ¡°I didn¡¯t go anywhere. Father just came over and brought some documents too. It¡¯s about the car ident six years ago. The information¡¯s been briefly sorted and is all here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen bent down slightly and crossed his arms over his knees while his profound gaze was fixated on the folder before him. His gaze seemed to have a mix of emotions.

    Xi Xiaye keenly caught those emotions, and she could feel them. She thought about it but did not take the folder to look. Instead, she put her hand over his slightly cold hand and said calmly, ¡°Father¡¯s really put in a lot of effort for this. Once this thing is over, don¡¯t think about it so much anymore. Other people keep saying that you¡¯re often cold and detached, but only we understand that that¡¯s not true.¡±

    ¡°You know I never cared about what others think of me. I only care about you and our people,¡± he responded frankly.

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯d always thought that you lead life much more at ease than I do, Mr. Mu, but since I married you, I realized that it might not be as what I¡¯ve seen. Everyone¡¯s got their own worries because different things matter to different people.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare that you can read one¡¯s character just from appearance alone.¡± He smiled and took the water that had just been boiled. He grabbed two sses to pour the water into before handing one to her. ¡°I won¡¯t go to work tomorrow. I want to go out with you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I need to prepare some New Year gifts as well. Your wardrobe needs a change too,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    He suddenly nodded. ¡°For Christmas, Grandfather¡¯s just nning on having a reunion dinner at home, and they¡¯ve already told Grandpa. Let¡¯s give your parents a call tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, but I heard Father mention that Mother seems to have gone abroad to write up an academic report. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯ll be back in time.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just call them and see.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Rest earlier. You haven¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep for a long while now. Although you don¡¯t seem bothered, don¡¯t think of your body as invincible.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± He chuckled and looked at her through squinted eyes.

    In response, she only rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about how I¡¯ll have to worry againter,¡± she said, and then got up, pulling him along.

    With augh, he set aside the ss and let her pull him upstairs to their bedroom.

    The bedroom lights dimmed when the man beside her shut the lights off. Xi Xiaye turned over with him underneath her. She did not continue doing anything as she just leaned against his chest while he subconsciously circled his hands around her. You could hear a doting affection in his lowered voice as he asked, ¡°Are you provoking me now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled devilishly and said, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. I¡¯m just trying to test if this human mattress isfortable.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is, but you¡¯re going to get realfortable after this.¡±

    Then, they switched positions.

    Xi Xiaye then rolled her eyes. This fellow was getting more and more vulgar, yet she was at fault!

    ...

    ¡°Master, bad news!¡±

    Early in the morning, Qi Feng had just finished breakfast at his desk and was prepared to get to work when Morrison¡¯s uneasy voice interrupted his thoughts!

    Qi Feng frowned and looked up to see that Morrison had already stopped in front of his desk, panting and panicked.

    ¡°What is it? You look flustered!¡± Qi Feng nced coldly at Morrison, frowning even more and not sounding pleased at all.

    ¡°Master, I...just got the news that Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei are returning to City Z tonight. I even found out that things might not go as we want it to on Gu Qiwu¡¯s end. Also, I¡¯ve just made a visit to the hotel that Miss Doris was at, but she¡¯s gone! I can¡¯t contact her now. Even Mr. Glenn¡¯s phone is switched off. What do we do? Did something happen? Why does it seem like Miss Doris is trying to escape?¡± Morrison reported to Qi Feng uneasily.

 Chapter 1366 - Dead End 1

    <h4>Chapter 1366 Dead End 1</h4>

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng¡¯s dark eyes instantly turned cold. He fixed them on Morrison, and his handsome face darkened.

    ¡°What did you say? Doris is gone?¡± Qi Feng held the pen in his hand tightly and demanded coldly.

    Morrison took a deep breath, and then answered, ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ve gone to check. Even though they didn¡¯t check out, Miss Doris seems to have left the hotelst night already, and she seems to have left in a rush too. I¡¯ve tried to contact them, but I couldn¡¯t get through. I think something¡¯s not right. Do you think we¡¯ve been exposed and they¡¯re escaping right now?¡±

    Morrison¡¯s words made Qi Feng¡¯s aura turn cold. He thought about it, then said stiffly, ¡°Check the flights with the airlinepany right away. See if they¡¯ve returned to Ennd. Also, watch Gu Qiwu closely and see if they¡¯re doing anything. If Gu Qiwu can use this chance to make aeback, then I¡¯ll really have a whole new level of respect for him! He¡¯s really thinking wishfully if he wants to hand the Hui Gu Corporation to Mu Lingshi. Plus, that¡¯ll have to depend on whether Doris and Shasha are willing to do so!¡±

    With regard to Gu Qiwu¡¯s current decision, Qi Feng¡¯s heart was filled with anger, but he hid it well. He was not the right person to stand up against this. Gu Lingsha or Doris would be more suitable for it.

    However, with Qi Lei¡¯s matter, if Qi Lei returned this time, that meant...

    An uneasiness suddenly cropped up in his heart. Given Qi Qiming¡¯s current attitude, he dared not guarantee what kind of decision Qi Qiming would make for Qi Lei. When he thought about this, Qi Feng could not help but feel a headachee on.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Morrison quickly answered, ¡°Right, yesterday, Gu Qiwu¡¯swyer met Li Si and the rest. I think it should be about inheriting Hui Gu. Master, are we just going to watch them...?¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression looked worse now. ¡°Gu Qiwu is someone who doesn¡¯t like it the hard way. In reality, perhaps right from the start, Doris has been doing it wrongly.¡±

    ¡°Master, at this point, we can only put our own safety before anything else. As for Doris...¡±

    ¡°Let her be. Let¡¯s just watch and see. Watch closely! The person we should be going against is Qi Lei!¡± Qi Feng held his heavy head with one hand and leaned towards the table. ¡°With that fool¡¯s brain, he might not even realize what our intentions were.¡±

    ¡°Master, you can rest assured about that. Miss Doris¡¯s side won¡¯t leave any traces of us. In fact, didn¡¯t she say that this wouldn¡¯t implicate you, Master? After all no matter what, Master you are Miss Lingsha¡¯s husband and Doris¡¯s son-inw. Doris knows about your rtionship with Miss Lingsha too, so she won¡¯t make things too hard for you. Master, don¡¯t worry,¡± Morrison advised.

    Nheless, Qi Feng only sighed and shook his head. ¡°You know, I really can¡¯t just feel assured like that. There¡¯s no evidence, but we can¡¯t erase the doubts in my father¡¯s heart. If he didn¡¯t maintain such a suspicious attitude towards me, he wouldn¡¯t be treating me like this right now. He¡¯s always been slightly unhappy with me. I know him too well. He¡¯ll just sit and watch us fight.¡±

    When Qi Feng said that, Morrison was shocked. He gathered himself and then asked uneasily, ¡°Master, are you saying that CEO might not...n to hand Qi Kai to you?¡±

    With a nod, Qi Feng put his hands gently on his legs that already had some sensation. His eyes were dark while his voice was unfriendly. ¡°Only this exnation fits why he hasn¡¯t made a move after so long. Initially, I thought I could hold on till after the shareholders¡¯ meeting, but unexpectedly, this wasn¡¯t as simple as we thought. How could it just end so hastily? Looks like Doris isn¡¯t that capable after all.¡±

    ¡°Master, actually, you can¡¯t put it like that. In truth, if this n hadn¡¯t involved Mu Yuchen, it would¡¯ve actually been very easy to seed. We can only say that Mu Yuchen is too hard to handle! Second Master Qi had his assistance, so we can¡¯t get close at all. So, Master, I suggest that while we¡¯re fighting, it¡¯s best to prepare to retreat at the same time.¡±

    Morrison was a meticulous person in thoughts too. At this point, he began to feel all sorts of uneasiness, and he felt afraid, so it was best to prepare early for some things. That way, perhaps when the time came, they would not lose out too much.

    When Qi Feng heard that, his expression sank. He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. His voice could not help but contain a hint of fatigue as he said, ¡°Arrange for it then. I¡¯m a little tired, so you can leave first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll go arrange that right away! Oh, right, tonight Professor Terl wille over. Master, you can try standing up with his guidance then.¡± Morrison did not forget to bring this up to Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng¡¯s treatment had been going quite well recently. Thankfully, Morrison would also get someone to massage his legs. That way, Qi Feng¡¯s legs would not suffer from muscle atrophy and had a better possibility of recovery.

    ...

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s already confirmed that the person who left the hotel in a carst night was not Doris. It was her assistant. She must already know about what happened in New York, so she felt threatened, and that¡¯s why she quickly escaped.¡±

    It was a gloomy evening. In the flower corridor in the backyard of Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen was just strolling around with Xi Xiaye. Since they were free, they were nning to look at the plum blossoms in the backyard when Li Si rushed over to report the news to him.

    ¡°Well, she fled quickly enough!¡± Mu Yuchen said coldly as if he was not very surprised by this oue.

    ¡°Yes, Doris is a very smart person. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have made it until now, but don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯ve just gotten off the phone with Master Su. The airlinepanies will pay close attention, and all the other exits are guarded too, so Doris shouldn¡¯t be able to get out of City Z. As long as we inspect thoroughly, we¡¯ll definitely find her. This time, she can¡¯t run even if she has wings!¡± Li Si¡¯s tone was determined.

    Standing with his hands behind him, Mu Yuchen slowly turned and looked at him. He said in a calm tone. ¡°This time, you¡¯ve all been too careless. I¡¯ll give you a chance to make up for your mistakes. In three days, you have to find her no matter what! Think of the ways yourself!¡±

    There was a sharpness in his words that stunned Li Si who quickly responded, ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

 Chapter 1367 - Dead End 2

    <h4>Chapter 1367 Dead End 2</h4>

    After Li Si received his orders, he left with a solemn expression.

    However, Maple Residence seemed very lively today. Li Si had just left when a ck Land Rover slowly drove into the parking spot just outside the entrance of Maple Residence.

    What a shy car! Who else¡¯s could it be if not Su Chen¡¯s?

    Indeed, the car had just stopped when the door opened. Su Chen swiftly got down from the car and went straight into Maple Residence where only Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were. Mu Zirui had returned to the Shen residence while Mu Xiaocheng was at the old Mu residence.

    Su Chen had just walked into the living room when he saw that it was empty. He subconsciously looked towards the kithcen, and indeed, from afar through the ss window, he could see that Mu Yuchen was busy preparing dinner. He then quickened his steps and pushed the door to enter.

    ¡°Mmm! What delicious dishes are you making? I haven¡¯t been here in so long. It looks like I¡¯m going to have a good meal today!¡± he said in a low voice.

    Mu Yuchen, who was preparing the seasoning, paused for a bit and turned to look at Su Chen through narrowed eyes, then quickly looked away. ¡°When would we ever leave you out?¡±

    With a shrug, Su Chen then took off his overcoat and jacket. Like Mu Yuchen, he only wore a shirt and had tossed his clothes onto the sofa outside. Then, he casually undid his cuff links, pulled up his sleeves, and helped to wash the vegetables.

    Hot air circled around in the vi, so it was rather warm, hence wearing a shirt was just nice. ¡°Zimo will be back in two days. That whole fiasco over there is almost done now. He¡¯s held on for so long now, but he was the one who caused the trouble, so that was a good lesson to him. If it weren¡¯t for you, I think he¡¯d probably still be stuck in there for a long while,¡± Su Chen swiftly washed the vegetables as he spoke.

    ¡°Li Si¡¯s just told me abut Doris. I¡¯ll let you y it by ear how you want to track her down. I¡¯m a little overwhelmed,¡± Mu Yuchen said softly.

    Su Chen nced at him with a smirk and said, ¡°I think you can handle it quite easily since you could force Doris into a corner like this.¡±

    ¡°Zimo ims great credit for himself.¡±

    ¡°You and him are considered quite the perfect partners all these years. This time, he¡¯s finally got to reap something huge. At least, that¡¯ll finally resolve what¡¯s been gnawing at you all this time. Plus, Aunt Zixi¡¯s incident can finally be rified. Hopefully, we¡¯ll be able to catch Doris soon and she¡¯ll receive her rightful punishment.¡±

    ...

    Dinner was soon ready, so Xi Xiaye came down to prepare the cutleries. When she saw that Su Chen hade, she was a little surprised.

    The dinner was very harmonious and peaceful as the buddies drank and chatted while Xi Xiaye listened silently by the side.

    After dinner, the two buddies went upstairs to the study to discuss matters. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye swiftly kept away the cutlery, and instead of disturbing them upstairs, she went to watch television in the living room.

    Time passed really quickly. After a while, it waste when Su Chen left. Since it was already past 9 p.m., Xi Xiaye was just thinking of urging Mu Yuchen to rest earlier when he suggested her to change her clothes as they were going to go out.

    She reached out to take the car keys from Mu Yuchen, as she asked doubtfully, ¡°Why are we still going out thiste?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten what day it is today?¡± he squinted and prompted her.

    When Xi Xiaye heard his question, she paused, thought about it for a while, and still could not figure out what the asion was. She could not help but frown and looked at Mu Yuchen quietly. ¡°What do you mean what day it is? Is it an anniversary? Or a holiday?¡±

    ¡°What holiday is it tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Christmas Eve. Why? It¡¯s not like we feel very strongly about this holiday.¡± She squinted her eyes at him.

    He reached out to pat her head as he chuckled and said, ¡°Indeed, since you had our son, your memory has been quite poor.¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him, and could not help but feel wronged. ¡°Did you think that the saying about how pregnancy makes a person stupid for three years is an unfounded im?¡±

    ¡°Why do you insist on giving birth to a second one then?¡± he scolded her softly as he walked around the car and consciously sat in the front passenger seat.

    ¡°I like children. I won¡¯t be happy if I can¡¯t have a daughter.¡± She was quite thick-skinned as she red at him and sat into the car, she quickly buckled up. When she saw that he leaned against the seat leisurely, she swiftly buckled him up too. ¡°You didn¡¯t say it clearly earlier. Where are we actually going?¡±

    ¡°The pastures in the Western suburbs at 11p.m. on the day before Christmas Eve,¡± Mu Yuchen simply said.

    Now, Xi Xiaye remembered that they seemed to have agreed to meet Detective Zhang at this time! When she recalled this, she could not help but lift a hand to knock on her own head. She sighed and said in bewilderment, ¡°How could I have forgotten? I almost made a botch of things!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Quickly start the car. It takes over an hour to get there, and you still have to pray that there isn¡¯t a traffic jam,¡± he said, then he wound up the car windows and switched on the heater in the car before turning on some music.

    She then quietly started the car, and the Cayenne quickly drove into the hazy night ahead.

    He seemed to be in a pretty good mood that night. Even though he looked slightly worn out, he seemed quite spirited. The car sped all the way while he propped his head up with one hand on the car window, humming along leisurely to the music from the yer.

    ¡°You travel in my memories. Every step surprisingly, I¡¯ve walked many steps with you. I can¡¯t bear to turn away...¡±

    He hummed as his long fingers tapped away on his leg.

    Xi Xiaye, who was focused on the road ahead as she drove carefully, frowned and turned to look at him. She could not help but chuckle and say, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re in quite the mood tonight. Tell me what¡¯s worth being happy about. Let me in on the good vibes.¡±

    He listened but did not answer as he merely looked at her from the side and continued to hum, yet something rippled faintly across his lips.

    ¡°How flirtatious!¡± she could not help but tease. Then, she began to hum along softly too.

    The faint and alluring sound of a woman¡¯s voice joined in,plementing the low and maic man¡¯s voice quite well.

    After the song was finished, he suddenly asked, ¡°Missus, have I everplimented you on how melodious your voice is and how beautiful you are?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him without knowing what to say.

    ¡°Much better than those other people.¡±

    ¡°Is it because beauty is in the eye of the beholder?¡±

    ¡°How could that be? You¡¯re so much more than that. That¡¯s amoner¡¯s taste. Don¡¯t cheapen our taste,¡± he went along with her and said.

    She could not help butugh out softly. ¡°I think so too, but you¡¯re really good at saying things to make women happy, Mr. Mu!¡±

    ¡°Your Mr. Mu is an honest man. I¡¯ll never make women happy through elegant but insincere words, Missus.¡±

    ¡°Please! What nonsense!¡±

 Chapter 1368 - Dead End 3

    <h4>Chapter 1368 Dead End 3</h4>

    The husband and wife wereughing all the way as they made their way quickly to the Western suburbs. They did not bring along bodyguards, so it was just the two of them.When the car slowly approached the Western suburbs, it was exactly 11 p.m. It was quiet all around while the rain silently pattered. The dim light from the streetlights fell on their faces through the car windows.

    Xi Xiaye slowed the car down as Mu Yuchen looked ahead. After a while, the car parked steadily by the roadside.

    ¡°He¡¯s already waiting there.¡±

    At the sound of Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice, Xi Xiaye followed his gaze and looked over too. Soon, she saw a figure standing by the pasturnd railings. She then said, ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±

    Then, she quickly turned off the headlights while Mu Yuchen took an umbre to get down from the car. Xi Xiaye locked the car up and followed him from behind.

    ¡°Put this on.¡± Upon seeing that she trembled involuntarily, he considerately put the coat on his shoulders onto hers instead.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Let¡¯s go!¡± Xi Xiaye reached out to thread her arm through his and adjust the coat on her shoulders before picking up her pace and walking forward.

    The wind was quite cold, especially at midnight. It was Christmas eve tomorrow, and it seemed to be colder than usual at this time of the year.

    By the railings, the wind seemed even more bone-chillingly cold, yet it cleared any semnce of unfocused thoughts and reced it with a clear-headed rity.

    The husband and wife had just moved closer when Detective Zhang¡¯s slightly lowered voice was heard. ¡°How have you been, Chairman Mu, Miss Xiaye!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Detective Zhang.¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly stopped walking and slowly let go of Xi Xiaye. He handed a cigarette to Detective Zhang who epted it and lit it up. Then, he casually lit one up for himself too after handing the umbre to Xi Xiaye.

    He casually let out a puff before turning to look at the solemn-looking Detective Zhang. ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time?¡±

    Detective Zhang clearly looked quite travel-worn. He wore a thick ck coat with a regr sports t-shirt inside, and a pair of shades. Xi Xiaye did not think he looked like a private detective. Instead, he seemed like a middle-aged man who really liked sports.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long ago. I¡¯ve just only arrived,¡± Detective Zhang responded softly. You could hear a hint of fatigue in his voice, then he took a drag of his cigarette before looking at Mu Yuchen and then to Xi Xiaye beside the man. Moments after that, he said, ¡°When I was over there, I was already paying attention to your movements. Have you been well?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all within control. Thank you for your trouble, Detective Zhang,¡± Mu Yuchen said very calmly.

    ¡°It¡¯s just where my duty lies. I¡¯ve already investigated all that you need thoroughly, and everything is in this folder. Take a look.¡± Detective Zhang did not dy further as he took out a thick folder from underneath his coat and handed it to Mu Yuchen.

    He continued, ¡°ording to the information that you¡¯ve provided me, I¡¯ve investigated the case file from years ago in detail. Indeed, I found that some things were fishy. I¡¯ve exined them to you in the things I left for you in the safe.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen nodded quietly and calmly responded, ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve taken a look at those. I¡¯ve also handed it to the police. Right now, they¡¯re monitoring the car repair factory owner.¡±

    ¡°I know. Chairman Mu, you sure are farsighted. Back when I found out through my investigation that Doris is involved, I flew straight to Ennd and I found the factory¡¯s previousdy boss. From what she remembers, and ording to the information I got ahold of, I could roughly figure out the whole situation¡ª¡±

    At this point, Detective Zhang¡¯s tone suddenly became heavy as he frowned and took another drag before continuing, ¡°Actually, six years ago or even earlier than that, Doris already found out about Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi¡¯s rtionship. That means that since a very long time, she already found out about Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingtian¡¯s father and son rtionship. In this document, there¡¯s a DNA report from seven years ago. The test was done in a hospital in Ennd, and it¡¯s a report on Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingtian¡¯s DNA. The report proves that the two of them were father and son.¡±

    When Detective Zhang finished, Xi Xiaye was stunned. Shocked, she turned to the man beside her, but his reaction was calm, and his gaze remained steady.

    ¡°A day before yours and Gu Lingsha¡¯s decided upon wedding date, Mu Lingtian drove Doris and Gu Lingsha to the temple. On the way back, the car broke down, so they went to that car repair factory. Glenn went through Lin Ling Er, his schoolmate, who also went on to be his mistress, to get the factory owner to do something to the car. So...I think back then they didn¡¯t dare to use the chance to get rid of Mu Lingtian. Otherwise, they¡¯d have been too ambitious. They could only tamper with a part of the car and let it wear down slowly. Mu Lingtian had always been a lover of cars, so...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know that.¡±

    Detective Zhang did not stop when Mu Yuchen interrupted him gruffly as his handsome face was colord with faint gloominess. ¡°Back then, his car was a Maserati. He begged Grandfather for a long time before Grandfather agreed to give him half the money for the car. He had to think of a way of getting the rest of the money by himself. Because of this, he was a little unhappy about it. After all, he wanted this car as a present for Gu Lingsha, but in the end, Qi Feng presented her with one first. That¡¯s why he kept it and would never let anyone else drive this car, not even Lingshi.¡±

    Mu Yuchen began to somewhat fall into a daze as he recalled these past events. He had thought that Mu Lingtian just loved cars, but it was only when he got that information from Mu Tangchuan did he understand...

    Sadly, Mu Lingtian had just been extremely in love with Gu Lingsha...

    What an ill-fated rtionship!

    Mu Yuchen suddenly thought of these two words to describe the rtionship. Perhaps this was fate. It was no wonder that Gu Qiwu willingly pushed Gu Lingsha to him regardless of everything. Apart from worrying that it would his rtionship with Aunt Zixi would be exposed, it was probably also to guard against Mu Lingtian and Gu Lingsha from ending up together.

    Mu Yuchen could not help butugh bitterly to himself. Thest generation¡¯s grievances had unfortunately implicated the next. Right now, he did not know how he should evaluate his own aunt.

    He had to admit that sometimes, the truth made one suffer more. It was terribly hard. Perhaps, all of this was so-called fate. It was inevitable, and you could only resign yourself to it.

    As Mu Yuchen flicked the cigarette ashes between his fingers, he watched the flickering sparks and fell silent.

 Chapter 1369 - Dead End 4

    <h4>Chapter 1369 Dead End 4</h4>

    ¡°Then, that must be it,¡± Detective Zhang spoke in a hushed tone, ¡°Doris probably did a series of investigations on Mu Lingtian before making a move. I think she wouldn¡¯t have thought that the matter would be exposed at Gu Lingsha¡¯s wedding or she couldn¡¯t have expected the whole escape incident. We can only say that this oue was what she predicted, but timing-wise, she couldn¡¯t have predicted Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng to be in the car as well. I¡¯m afraid she couldn¡¯t have imagined that Qi Feng could persuade for Mu Lingtian to help them escape either.¡±

    The more he listened, the darker Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes became. Xi Xiaye could even feel the cold aura that he emitted, so she quickly reached out to hold his hand tightly and say, ¡°Mr. Mu...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. He just let her hold his hand as he did not move either.

    ¡°Detective Zhang, are you saying that Doris already knew about Gu Qiwu and Lingtian¡¯s rtionship, so she¡¯s been thinking of getting rid of Lingtian all this while?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°You can say that. In the documents, I¡¯ve written clearly the entire case process, and the evidence that Lin Ling Er has provided. Glenn personally signed the bill for the factory owner. Besides that, Doris and Glenn ordered someone to nt an obstacle on the road earlier, so you can arrest the car repair factory owner now. As for Lin Ling Er, I¡¯ve secretly brought her back. It¡¯s extremelyhard to get this woman to speak. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I got hold of evidence against her, she wouldn¡¯t have cooperated. Previously, she even rmed Glenn¡¯s people.¡±

    When he thought about the risk he had taken this time, Detective Zhang still had lingering fears. If it were not for his wits, he would have probably been a puddle of mushy flesh underneath a car, but thankfully he ran quickly enough. After all, that was their turf.

    ¡°Thankfully, you controlled Doris in time, Chairman Mu. If you didn¡¯t swiftly return to City Z and cut Doris¡¯s escape routes, she¡¯d probably be far from City Z and back in Ennd now. I don¡¯t even dare think of how I¡¯d have ended up. Even though I¡¯m in an illegal line of profession, I do appreciate my life very much and am terribly afraid to die. This incident has implicated quite a number of areas. Any moment of distraction and I could¡¯ve fallen into their traps.¡±

    ¡°Detective Zhang, you¡¯ve worked hard. I¡¯ll pay you double the price, especially since I know aboutyour risky encounters in Ennd. Thank you!¡± Mu Yuchen held the document tightly while he spoke humbly in a deep voice.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Just transfer the remaining amount to my ount. I¡¯ll take what I should get since that¡¯s our rule. This is also for Elder CEO Shen¡¯s sake. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be willing to execute such an arduous task.¡±

    Detective Zhang yed it down, but Mu Yuchen knew that actually, over in Ennd, he ran into many dangerous situations every few days. It was all of Doris¡¯s backups and the people that Alex had sent. It was all written clearly in the news that Zhou Zimo had reported.

    When he saw Detective Zhang¡¯s determined expression, Mu Yuchen then nodded and looked down at the heavy document in his hand. After a while, he said, ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t like to owe people too many favors either. If you need help with anything in the future, Detective Zhang, feel free to speak up. I¡¯ll definitely do my best. Of course, I¡¯d like to also use this chance to say that I hope we can be friends. You¡¯re an honest man.¡±

    Mu Yuchen spoke humbly, and the smile on his handsome face was warm as he reached out a hand towards Detective Zhang.

    In response, Detective Zhang smiled, and dly reached out to hold Mu Yuchen¡¯s slightly cold hand too as he said, ¡°People always say that you, Mu Yuchen, are a virtuous person. Very few people can actually say that you¡¯d befriend them. Therefore, I should be considered quite lucky.¡±

    ¡°Detective Zhang, you¡¯re being humble now. To be friends with someone that¡¯s acknowledged by Grandpa is my honor. I¡¯m a businessman. I do usually meet quite a lot of friends, but to be able to meet someone like you is rare. I should cherish it.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Chairman Mu, you speak such kind words! Alright, it¡¯s not early anymore. All you need to know is inside, so go home and take a look. If there¡¯s anything, just send me a message via the private channel.¡± Detective Zhang then put out the remaining cigarette in his hand and patted away the moisture on his shoulders.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m off now. Goodbye!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, Detective Zhang!¡± Xi Xiaye nodded gratefully.

    Detective Zhang quickly vanished in the twilight.

    Xi Xiaye looked back at the contemtive Mu Yuchen as she said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s go home too.¡±

    When she spoke, Mu Yuchen¡¯s unfathomable gaze revealed rity. He then handed the document to her and took the umbre from her while he held her frail shoulders and walked towards the car.

    He drove home. Along the way, the two of them spoke very little, unlike on the way over when they had chatted non-stop. It waspletely silent now.

    She thought about it for a long while before she finally could not help but ask softly, ¡°The truth has finallye to light. Is there anything else still weighing on your mind? Why don¡¯t you look relieved?¡±

    Mu Yuchen skillfully steered the steering wheel while one hand was propped up against the car window to hold his head. He looked at her, then focused back on the road. His low voice then came after that, ¡°So what if the truth is now known? Lingtian is nevering back. In fact, once this gets out, it will just be an old wound reopened to many people. In fact, Doris hasn¡¯t been found yet.¡±

    Before this, he thought that he would feel relieved after knowing the truth of these things, but now that he did, he did not seem to feel too different. He wondered if it was because he had been numb all the while, or because...

    It felt like it was not that important anymore as long as the dead could rest in peace.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re actually very sad...¡± Xi Xiaye said softly. She sighed and did not look at him. Instead, she turned to look at the wet sidewalk. The cold streetlights illuminated the miserable scene of the downpour. Looking at it all made one feel somewhat bitter and deste.

    Upon hearing her say that, Mu Yuchen paused and did not continue. He only slowed down the car as if he was waiting for her to continue.

    ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d be sad too. But, Mr. Mu, if you truly were doing things without expecting anything in return, you shouldn¡¯t feel any more guilt or grievance. Instead, you should just feel a pang of regret. As long as you believe that you¡¯ve done your part as an older brother, that is enough...After all, not everyone will respond with the same kinship and treat you as a brother or as their own kin just because you do that for others...¡±

 Chapter 1370 - Dead End 5

    <h4>Chapter 1370 Dead End 5</h4>

    Even though saying these things would make him unhappy, she could not help it. Then, she carefully looked at him from the corner of her eye.

    While this man usually doted on her and loved her very much, there were still some things that she could not touch. Apart from her being his lover and bing one of the untouchables to him, his brotherhood was also a forbidden zone.

    So, as he listened, that handsome of face of his did not look too pleased, but he did not say anything in response.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that, she could not help but feel her heart ache. She softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    He then rxed and his lowered voice was slightly raspy as he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t say that...I know what you mean. We were once brothers, and he wasn¡¯t all that bad. When I was 15, I went to the factory with Grandfather for an inspection and was identally locked in the cold storage. If it weren¡¯t for Lingtian going around to look for me and opening the door to the storage in time, you might not have met me today. Lingtian didn¡¯t realize this, but I couldn¡¯t forget it. No matter what, I owe him. He¡¯s not inherently bad. He was just like Aunt: a very easygoing person. I didn¡¯t want to believe that he would be someone like that, even if the truth is hard for me to ept.¡±

    Mu Yuchen rarely spoke about these things with Xi Xiaye. Now, as she listened to him, she only felt waves of pain for him, the indescribable kind that was hard to swallow, a stifled emotion that could even be felt as if something was rising from the back of her throat.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, but don¡¯t you forget also that sometimes, in love or in other rtionships, it¡¯s the same. It can change many things, just like you and me. As long as it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll do anything! Because I¡¯m just a woman...¡± Xi Xiaye said while her starry eyes contained deep, moving sentiments.

    She loved him deeply to the bones. What would she not do for him?

    Xi Xiaye thought that perhaps Mu Lingtian could have felt the same way. Actually, it might not have been for the so-called riches, but for Gu Lingsha.

    She suddenly seemed to realize something. Whatever it was, Mu Lingtian did have an awkward existence in the Mu family. Even if the Mu family did not think so, that did not mean that other people did not feel that way. Compared to the inherently honorable and elegant Mu Yuchen and the exceptional Qi Feng, Mu Lingtian was...

    From this perspective, his desire for Glory World seemed so much stronger than Mu Yuchen¡¯s.

    Perhaps he was just a man.

    When Xi Xiaye expressed her thoughts, Mu Yuchen was stunned. He subconsciously parked the car by the roadside and abruptly turned to look at her. Upon seeing her eyes contain sincere feelings, his heart softened and he reached out to pull her into his arm as he chuckled and said, ¡°Do you think everyone¡¯s like you, that they¡¯d do anything for your man?¡±

    She struggled a little and looked up from his arms. Her gaze locked onto his unfathomable eyes as she asked softly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Won¡¯t you also do anything for me?¡±

    He paused but did not answer her. His fingersbed her beautiful long hair as he always did, and then he pulled her towards his chest. It was only that way that he could let him feel that he had her, in a more real sense.

    ¡°You¡¯re more important than I am, Xiaye,¡± he said, then held her hand before lowering his head to kiss the back of it...

    At the string of these words, Xi Xiaye seemed to get all teary-eyed. Without a care for the world, she struggled away from him and then her cold hands held his head while her soft, pink lips kissed his thin lips.

    Her kiss became a little more eager as she recklessly invaded his space, and in the lingering moments, they chased romance. He dly epted her adorning him with her gentle charm and was happy to y along.

    After a while, the car suddenly got all heated up. She panted and pulled herself away from his seduction. Her charming eyes were silky as she looked at him sultrily. Then, quietly and softly, she said into his ear, ¡°Mr. Mu, how about we pretend to be young for once and do it in the car¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    Before she could finish, he had already stopped her lips with his hand. He did not look his usual self while his gaze was locked on her exquisite corbone. With a lot of effort, he held back the surge of waves in his heart and quickly helped her fix her clothes.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a game you can afford to y. We can¡¯t even be free at home, yet you want to do it outside, but the person who¡¯ll suffer is me!¡± he reprimanded softly. He knew her too well, thus he could not be taken advantage of.

    She looked at his furrowed brows before shrugging and saying innocently, ¡°I think you¡¯re a feast for the eyes. I can¡¯t quite control myself, especially with the way you looked at me earlier. You clearly look like a wolf that¡¯s seen a sheep, yet you want to pretend to be all dignified.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite bold now to be teasing me, hmm?¡± Mu Yuchen red at her. ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more reckless.¡±

    The lights in the car were turned on, so she could clearly see him blushing. Xi Xiayeughed even louder. He was already the father of two sons, but this man seemed to get shy quite easily sometimes.

    She pursed her lips and smiled. While looking at that face of his from the side, she cleared her throat and hummed softly, ¡°The shy little rose slowly blooms, slowly burning into feelings that he won¡¯t admit...¡±

    She hummed softly as she shot him looks from time to time. His handsome face was a burning red that seemed out of control...

    ¡°Xi Xiaye, this is thest straw. Otherwise, you¡¯ll suffer tonight!¡± he finally could not help but say through gritted teeth and give her a look.

    ¡°Does me happily singing a song bother you now?¡± When she saw his reaction, not only did Xi Xiaye not stop, but she hummed louder instead.

    ¡°Change the song!¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled happily and epted his suggestion. She changed the song. ¡°I kissed you deeply, yet could not stop your tears...¡±

    ¡°Alright, if you want to provoke me now, just you wait. If I don¡¯t settle you, then I¡¯m not your man!¡± Mr. Mu said thisst sentence through gritted teeth, and when he finished, he floored the elerator and sped up.

    When Xi Xiaye saw that, sheughed inside.

    Good! As long as he was more cheerful, she was willing to put in the effort. All her so-called dignified reputation was no longer important...

 Chapter 1371 - Dead End 6

    <h4>Chapter 1371 Dead End 6</h4>

    Xi Xiaye just leaned against the car window as she propped her head up. Her starry eyes stole nces at him from time to time.

    He did not say anything. He just opened the car window slightly, and let the cold humid breeze pour in from outside. The blush on his handsome face then faded away slightly. When he noticed her looking at him, he responded with an unhappy nce.

    When Xi Xiaye saw his ufortable expression, she lifted her hand to cover her mouth though she did not turn away and just silently watched him.

    He seemed a little less calmer now. When did his woman¡¯s gaze be so domineering? He felt slightly at a loss as to what to do.

    ¡°What are youughing about?¡± he said softly as he looked away for a moment, then turned back silently to the road ahead.

    Xi Xiaye lifted a hand to y with her long hair by her chest while her calm voice contained a smile. ¡°I¡¯mughing at you. I really hope that in 10 or 20 years, or even 30 or 40 years, or longer, Mr. Mu, you will always be like this.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being silly now? I¡¯m going to be 33 years old soon. I won¡¯t be young anymore. I¡¯ll only get older and older. Who knows? I might turn into a sloppy old man with a mustache shaped like the Chinese character ¡®eight¡¯ °Ë...¡±

    When he tried to think of the future, a smile could not help but show on his face as he squinted at her.

    ¡°If you really do be a sloppy old man, then I¡¯ll divorce you. I like being clean.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you toss the books around thest time you used the study room? Do you really like cleanliness? I think even if you said this to deceive our sons, they wouldn¡¯t believe you.¡± Mu Yuchen had no mercy with the banter.

    ¡°I can¡¯t beat you when ites to words.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just left speechless. Someone like you can never be a debater. That¡¯s why you¡¯re easily taken advantage of.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been taken advantage of muchtely...¡±

    ¡°Just lucky, hmm?¡±

    ...

    The husband and wife continued with the banter. When the car drove into the Grand Waves Vi area, it was already 1.am., but the rain continued. The couple had a bath and then got into bed to rest, but before they slept, Mr. Mu did not forget Xi Xiaye¡¯s teasing in the car, so, you know...

    After two rounds of lusty fights, the temperature in the bedroom cooled down. Panting, Xi Xiaye turned to look at the man lying leisurely with his arm for a pillow. When she thought about the information they received that night, she hesitated before switching on the light by her bedside and bringing over the folder from the side. She opened it and took the documents out.

    When Mu Yuchen saw what she was doing, he pulled up the nket and leaned over too.

    ¡°I suddenly don¡¯t feel very sleepy. Let¡¯s take a look at the documents inside,¡± she said as she flipped open the document and began to read it thoroughly.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost the same as what Father managed to get. It¡¯s just that the evidence is more substantial. By handing these things to the police station, they can apply for a warrant to arrest Doris.¡± He held her by the shoulders and took over the document in her hands.

    Nodding, Xi Xiaye turned to look at him from the side, then said softly, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that this thing kept going round and round, and in the end, it¡¯s still on this track. This time, we¡¯vee to a sessful conclusion: Doris is done for. Perhaps, on Ah Shi¡¯s end, she can rx a little, but right now Doris still hasn¡¯t be found, and I¡¯m worried if she¡¯ll escape.¡±

    ¡°Leave that to Su Chen and Father. If we don¡¯t use their help, we¡¯ll find it very hard to handle all this. When this settles down, I¡¯ll still have to meet Gu Qiwu.¡± He did not forget what Mu Tangchuan had said when he came overte at night.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him, puzzled. She remembered that when Li Si came over to speak to him, he had rejected the idea outright.

    ¡°It¡¯s Father¡¯s idea. He wants me to arrange for Grandfather and Gu Qiwu to meet,¡± Mu Yuchen exined.

    However, when he finished, Xi Xiaye frowned immediately. ¡°We can¡¯t do that! Grandfather¡¯s got poor health as it is. Did you forget what happened to Grandmother? If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she found out about the matter with Gu Qiwu, Grandmother wouldn¡¯t have left us so suddenly. What¡¯s the use of meeting someone like that? He can¡¯t make it up to Ah Shi no matter what. He can¡¯t make it up to Grandfather or even the entire Mu family. He doesn¡¯t deserve forgiveness! Mr. Mu, Grandfather...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since it was Grandfather who brought up the request himself, that means that he¡¯s prepared. In fact, Grandfather is a very determined person, so it will be fine. Perhaps, there was a need for them to talk it out,¡± Mu Yuchen consoled.

    After Wang Hui¡¯s incident and with the whole Gu Qiwu matter, the family seemed to be frightened easily due to past experiences. Even he was the same. Right now though, it was Mu Yinan who had brought it up, so that made him feel relieved.

    As she listened to him, Xi Xiaye gathered her feelings. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry about that, but don¡¯t let Gu Qiwu hurt Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, alright, sleep now. It¡¯s turning to light soon.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she responded, then quickly kept the document away.

    They were busy till the wee hours of the morning. After that, the husband and wife fell asleep quite quickly, feeling all worn out.

    ...

    Compared to the rxed pace on Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s end, it was a sleepless night for someone else.

    In a secluded bungalow within the old suburbs of City Z, the sky on the east had already revealed a faint white, and you could hear the winds and rains osciting. It was daybreak again.

    Doris wore an elegant long purple dress with a white fox fur coat. She was dressed as usual, but what was different was an additionalyer of paleness on her exquisite face. Her blue eyes revealed all her dark circles, and she looked dazed, wan, and sallow as well.

    Being trapped here with no escape filled Doris¡¯s heart with anger and resentment.

    She did not expect Mu Yuchen to be so quick. He saw through her crafty escape n so swiftly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ve probably gotten a warrant for my arrest by now.¡±

    Glenn had just gotten up to go to the washroom when he heard movements in the living room, so he went over to look, and indeed, Doris was up and restless. ¡°Miss, it¡¯s still dark out. Sleep for a while more. You haven¡¯t been sleeping well these past few days. Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t find this ce, so we¡¯re still safe for now.¡±

    When she heard sounds from behind her, Doris averted her gaze from out the window and turned to see Glenn walking towards her.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite early too,¡± she responded softly, her tone sounding a little defeated and helpless.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you haven¡¯t rested the entire night, have you?¡± Glenn walked over to the coffee table and poured two cups of hot water.

 Chapter 1372 - Dead End 7

    <h4>Chapter 1372 Dead End 7</h4>

    He handed one of the sses to Doris. ¡°Have a ss of warm water to warm yourself up.¡±

    As Doris reached out to take it, she could not help but sigh softly. Soon, a mocking smile shed across her pale face. ¡°Who would have thought that I, Doris, of the royal bloodline, who should have been...would fall to this stage too?¡±

    ¡°Miss, perhaps things will take a turn for the better!¡± Glenn did not know how he should console her either. At this point, if they could escape safely, they would already be very fortunate.

    Doris shook her head andughed coldly. ¡°Take a turn for the better? If things hadn¡¯t gone wrong on Alex¡¯s end, this could all still have been possible. Now, there¡¯s no counting on them anymore. There¡¯s no way my father will help intervene in this. Right now, I truly understand what it means to be up the creek without a paddle.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen¡¯s too cruel. He must¡¯ve long known about your rtionship with Mr. Alex. That¡¯s why he¡¯s taken this chance to outwit you! And the news of Zhou Zimo getting detained must¡¯ve been fake. They did it on purpose! I remember that previously Su Chen and the Zhou family went over to New York for Zhou Zimo¡¯s matter.¡±

    At this point, Glenn was speaking through gritted teeth. ¡°And the lockdown operation must¡¯ve been Su Chen¡¯s idea too. Shasha was too nice when she tried to give that woman a lesson! If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have let them off so easily!¡±

    Glenn was beginning to lean towards the extreme now. After having experienced grace from Doris, he felt sorry for her. He was very loyal. If not, he probably would have run off by now based on the state of things.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. How are things outside?¡± Doris lowered her head to take a sip and asked in a lowered voice.

    ¡°I just got the news that the traffic police have suddenly been inspecting cars at every intersection. I think there¡¯s no way for us to leave now. They must¡¯ve expected for us to still be hiding in City Z, thus they¡¯re inspecting so strictly. Also, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s impossible for us to escape abroad by flight. Mr. Alex might have been able to arrange something for us, but now, clearly, that¡¯s not possible anymore.¡±

    Glenn spoke gloomily, ¡°One more thing, Miss, that witch, Lin Ling Er¡¯s missing. I¡¯ve checked the airlinepany to see that she¡¯s returned to City Z. Previously, we found out that there was a private detective looking into the incident from six years ago. Mr. Alex said to just leave the matter to him, but now...¡±

    Upon hearing that, Doris was shocked. She fell silent for a moment, then sheughed and said, ¡°Six years ago! The fact that they could investigate Mu Lingtian¡¯s death to this extent is quite amazing! What a huge roundabout and what meticulous nning! Apart from Lingsha being involved, the whole n was actually perfect. Mu Tangchuan investigated it many times too. Why weren¡¯t they willing to just give up?¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen has always med himself for Mu Lingtian¡¯s death. Perhaps he just wants to find an excuse for him to truly be relieved. Miss, if they get the evidence on this, then it¡¯ll be tough for us.¡±

    ¡°All of the evidence from years ago has been wiped clean. They can¡¯t convict us just with one-sided ims from the car repair factory people, can they?¡± Doris smiled in disdain. She was not worried about this incident being exposed. After all, it had been investigated for more than six years now, so she did not think that they could truly find anything out now. It had been so long, and most of the evidence was also worn down by time.

    What she was worried about now was that Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei were back, and the evidence they gathered in New York would make her fall into a quandary...

    ¡°Miss, we can¡¯t underestimate them. In fact, I¡¯ve found out who Mu Yuchen¡¯s private detective is. It¡¯s a very experienced private detective in City Z. Back then, he investigated the matter of Gu Qiwu and Mu Zixi, and Qi Qiming¡¯s thing too. Otherwise, Mu Yuchen wouldn¡¯t have settled all these rtionships so quickly. I suspect that he must have gotten ahold of some evidence...¡±

    ¡°No way! Didn¡¯t you say that all the evidence was wiped out back then? How could it be? They¡¯ve investigated for six years and they couldn¡¯t find out anyway. How could you say such things to me at a key time like this, Glenn?!¡±

    When Doris heard the possibility of her incrimination, she frowned immediately and could not help but raise her voice. Her hand that held onto the cup suddenly tightened!

    ¡°This time, perhaps they have really got ahold of something. Otherwise, that witch Lin Ling Er wouldn¡¯t have left Ennd.¡± Acknowledging this made Glenn feel extremely uneasy, but he had to exin his spections to Doris. That way, they could also be mentally prepared.

    ¡°No way...no way...¡± Doris¡¯ face turned even paler now as she fell backward on the sofa, stunned. Tthe ss in her hand fell to the ground, and it turned into shattered pieces as the water spilled all over.

    Her fingersbed through her messy blonde hair while her blue eyes became dazed with uneasiness. Her tone could not hide her anxiety either. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then...what¡¯s the meaning of all that I¡¯ve done? What¡¯s the point? I didn¡¯t get anything, and I even pushed myself to this dreaded state...¡±

    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t give up or feel discouraged. I¡¯ll call the other end now and inform Miss Shasha. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll think of a way to help you, Miss. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Even though Glenn felt slightly disarrayed and afraid, he could still try to control the turmoil he felt right now.

    Doris¡¯s expression was gloomy and miserable. She silently looked at her opened hands. After a while, she closed them and said softly, ¡°I really didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d see this day! How¡¯s Gu Qiwu¡¯s situation right now?¡±

    ¡°Miss, Gu Qiwu¡¯s still detained at the police station at the moment, but recently hiswyer¡¯s been going back and forth the police station and Glory World Corporation. I think that Gu Qiwu should be asking Mu Yuchen for help. Otherwise, knowing him, he wouldn¡¯t agree to let Mu Lingshi inherit Hui Gu so easily,¡± Glenn answered.

    Upon hearing that, Doris sighed deeply and slowly closed her eyes. After a while, she opened them, and those blue eyes that had panicked earlier now hid it all. Her rm was reced with a reservedness and indifference. ¡°Hand Hui Gu to Mu Lingshi? He¡¯ll have to ask if I agree to it first. If I can¡¯t have it, he can¡¯t give it away so easily. If he wants to do that, it can only be Shasha. Either the fish dies or the splits at most [1]. That way, at least, I can protect Shasha¡¯s status over there. Isn¡¯t that what my father cares about?¡±

 Chapter 1373 - So-Called Love and Hate 1

    <h4>Chapter 1373 So-Called Love and Hate 1</h4>

    A sorrowful smile shed across Doris¡¯s lips while her voice turned distant. ¡°From the moment I¡¯ve be sensible, my father told me that I¡¯d have to work hard to fight for whatever I want. That way, I¡¯d have it for much longer. What someone else gives you isn¡¯t yours. My mother is a ssic example.¡±

    As Doris lowered her head to look at the shattered pieces on the ground, her eyes suddenly colored with a distant look. She would never have brought this up in front of anyone else, especially such unhappy things. She might not have even mentioned this to Gu Qiwu before.

    ¡°My mother¡¯s pure at heart. She¡¯s a very gentle and kind-hearted woman. My father loved her at first, and Mother was meticulous with her care for Father, but men¡¯s hearts aren¡¯t settled just because you¡¯re an understanding woman. Mother¡¯s too silly. She knew that Father had other women outside, yet she stillpromised. She thought that if shepromised enough, she could get Father back.¡±

    At this, Doris took a deep breath and then smiled bitterly. ¡°That scene only appears in fairy tales. Once a man has a change of heart, nothing can pull them back. Your tenderness and virtuousness will turn to weakness and cowardice. But Mother was still so foolish. She didn¡¯t know how to fight. With her status alone, it would¡¯ve been so easy for her to get rid of those women! What makes me even more frustrated was that she told me not to me Father and that I had to be understanding, and requite the bad with the good!

    ¡°How funny! She wanted me to talk about requiting the bad with the good with a bunch of lowly prostitutes? Do they deserve it? Those women who only think of how they can be a homewrecker. They should die a terrible death with no good oue just like Mu Zi did years ago! It¡¯s a good thing she died earlier, and suffered a terrible death. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn¡¯t mind going against her!¡±

    When Mu Zi was brought up, Doris¡¯s blue eyes could not help but sh with a hint of resentment.

    ¡°I can understand how you feel, but perhaps we didn¡¯t have to do those things after that. Mu Lingtian didn¡¯t know these back then. He was just a child of slightly over a year old, and Mu Lingshi was even...¡±

    ¡°Just a child? I could already feel something from the way Gu Qiwu treated him. So what if he was a child? When I was five, I already nned to disfigure one of my father¡¯s mistresses. After that, that mistress died of illness in the refugee hole. The summer when I was six, I nned for thedy that insulted my mother to fall into theke and almost drowned her. If he had known that he was Gu Qiwu¡¯s son, would Shasha and I even have a ce in the entire Gu family?¡±

    While Doris spoke about this dark past without any expression, a distorted expression crossed her pale face. She had gone through so many such deceitful experiences, so right now, these things were actually quite normal. It was just what they called wins and losses.

    ¡°Shasha is like her grandmother. They are both weak women, but if any one of them were a little morepetent, perhaps I wouldn¡¯t need to suffer so much trouble. Sadly, they won¡¯t listen. Apart from disappointing me, it¡¯s just more disappointment...Now that we are finally at this point, I should be used to it by now. Perhaps, all of this is just so-called fate.¡±

    Doris sighed a long sigh. She lifted a hand to massage the space between her brows, paused, and then looked up at Glenn. Her tone calmed down slightly while she said, ¡°You¡¯ve been by my side for many years. Now that Alex has fallen, and I¡¯m also at this stage, leave. Don¡¯t stick with me anymore. I¡¯ve still got two cheques for $10 million in the safe. You can keep one, and get the other one to Shasha. Just say that even though I¡¯m disappointed, I still think of her as my daughter. I hope that she won¡¯t disappoint me anymore.¡±

    ¡°No, Miss, I don¡¯t want that. I¡¯ve told you I will always protect you!¡± Glenn¡¯s expression shifted as he quickly took a step forward and said.

    ¡°No need. I don¡¯t need any more protection now. In fact, I¡¯ve still got some things to do. Leave while you still can. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t able to do that after this. Remember what I told you. Don¡¯t go back straight to Ennd. When the timees, let my mother help you. She might be able to think of a way. Tell Shasha that Qi Feng can¡¯t be trusted, but he can still be used. I¡¯ll do my best to leave some things for her. Next time, tell her not to be so silly. Just be a little smarter so that she won¡¯t be taken advantage of.¡±

    When Doris exined all of this, she seemed exceptionally calm. In fact, she had never been calmer.

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m not leaving!¡± Glenn looked at Doris with determination and said.

    She shot him a side look, then said coldly, ¡°This is an order. I¡¯m telling you to leave, so leave! Of course, you need to help me do onest thing.¡±

    ¡°Miss...¡±

    ¡°What I want you to do is on the note on the table. Burn it after you¡¯ve read it. Leave now. I don¡¯t want to see you anymore,¡± Doris said, then she slowly stood up before turning around to walk into the bedroom.

    A rumble was heard.

    A few bright lights flitted past, then came the deafening sounds of thunder as the storm outside became even heavier now. Glenn could not help but feel cold all over. When he saw Doris gradually vanish through the door, he could not help but call out one more time, ¡°Miss, let¡¯s call home. Maybe we¡¯ve still got a chance!¡±

    ¡°Glenn, do you not want to go home? If you contact them right now, we¡¯ll only drag them into this! Then, Shasha and the rest can forget about a peaceful life! In fact, what will those people think of Shasha? What will they think of my father? No matter what, I won¡¯t ask. At least, I can protect one final bit of dignity.¡±

    Doris¡¯s tone was cold and sharp, but it sounded sad to Glenn¡¯s ears. Perhaps their Miss could have be a hero of the times, but...

    But the Miss¡¯s consideration would always be more well-rounded than his. She was undoubtedly right.

    ¡°The people of my n have got determination in our bones. I¡¯ve always thought so, Glenn. Help me do thesest things, and go far, far away too. It¡¯s been many years now. It¡¯s time for you to find a ce to spend the rest of your life in peace.¡±

    ¡°Miss...I understand! I won¡¯t let you down! But, Miss, please take good care of yourself too. You must,¡± he said, but Doris had already slipped out of the doorway. He did not know if she heard him or not...

    He looked in the direction where she left for a long time. As Glenn felt a cold pierce through his heart, he let out a long sigh, then turned around to take the note from the table before leaving the living room.

 Chapter 1374 - So-Called Love and Hate 2

    <h4>Chapter 1374 So-Called Love and Hate 2</h4>

    The first ray of the morning light streamed in through the window, but the biting wind and rain made it all seem even bleaker.

    It was Christmas Eve, so the whole of City Z seemed to be livelier than usual. When Li Si¡¯s car drove through the bustling city in the morning, he could hear the streets bustling with excitement.

    Apart from Li Si in the car, there was also Ah Mo whom everyone had not met for a long while

    Ah Mo and Qi Lei only returned to City Z at midnightst night. After theynded, Ah Bao arranged for them to stay at a hotel. Early this morning, Ah Mo had gotten up and wanted to quickly see Mu Yuchen, thus Li Si came to fetch him.

    ¡°Thankfully, you¡¯re alright. While you were missing, everyone was very worried, especially Miss Lingshi, but because she didn¡¯t want everyone to worry, she could only endure it. Even though Master didn¡¯t say anything, he was extremely worried as well.¡±

    In the back seat of the car, Li Si handed the document to Ah Mo. ¡°These are the information that we¡¯ve gathered ording to what you wanted. Take a look. If it¡¯s all there, then we¡¯ll hand it to the authorities. Last night, Master asked me to go over first thing in the morning. I think because of this, Doris has escaped, and it won¡¯t be that easy for us to catch her right now.¡±

    Ah Mo took it calmly and flipped through it while gloominess crossed his handsome face. He then nodded, ¡°Everything¡¯s pretty much in here. Is she trying to escape? It won¡¯t be that easy! This whole thing was her idea. If it weren¡¯t for us being alert, I have no doubt that they wanted to kill us.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Master thought about that as well. Earlier, you were all safe, butter on, things on Doris¡¯s end worsened. It was hard to guarantee that she wasn¡¯t going to do anything to you all. Thankfully, you were all quick-witted, and Qi Lei...is he alright?¡± Li Si did not forget to ask about Qi Lei.

    ¡°A bullet did scrape past his arm, but otherwise, he¡¯s alright, Ah Bao has already brought him for a check-up and treatment. His situation isn¡¯t much better than us. He¡¯s been missing for so long, but why didn¡¯t I hear about Qi Qiming sending people out to look for him? With Qi Qiming¡¯s influence, it couldn¡¯t have been hard to look for someone.¡±

    Ah Mo did not forget Qi Qiming¡¯s background and given their disappearance this time, it was enough to make him feel bitterly disappointed.

    Upon hearing that, Li Si could not help but smirk in contempt. ¡°You don¡¯t know this, but Qi Qiming let Qi Feng handle all of this. Say, why would Qi Feng get people to find Second Master Qi so soon? Unless he really doesn¡¯t want Qi Lei in the picture anymore, who knows? He might be behind this incident too. Don¡¯t forget who Doris is to Qi Feng.¡±

    At that point, Ah Mo did not refute and just nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I really do feel sad for Second Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve mentioned this to Master, but Master told me not to deal with that. He wanted to see what Qi Qiming would do, but no action was taken. He just left it all to Qi Feng, the one who doesn¡¯t want Qi Lei around!¡± Li Si said as he could not help but feel worried.

    ¡°Alright, I trust Brother¡¯s judgment. Perhaps, he was considering something. Besides, now that Qi Lei has returned safely, I¡¯d like to know how Qi Qiming ns to face him.¡± When Ah Mo looked at Li Si¡¯s tense expression, he could not help but chuckle and pat him on the shoulder.

    Li Si only huffed a long sigh to himself.

    The car drove slowly into the Grand Waves Vi area and parked steadily in front of the entrance of Maple Residence. When they asked the guards to open the gates, they heard that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had returned quitetest night and were still asleep at the moment.

    Ah Mo and Li Si exchanged a nce and then walked into the vi.

    The living room was indeed quiet. Ah Mo had wanted to sit and wait for a while when suddenly there seemed to be a sounding from the kitchen. In fact, the kitchen light was switched on. He thought about it, then walked over.

    He had just pushed open the heavy ss door when a tempting aroma assailed his nostrils, so he quickly looked up.

    Indeed, he saw Mu Yuchen standing at the stove, frying an egg. He was dressed in a casual lounge outfit and seemed quite focused.

    Perhaps because he could sense movement behind him, Mu Yuchen slowly turned back, and when he saw Ah Mo standing by the door, his eyes studied him for a bit. Upon seeing that he was alright, he averted his gaze and did not say anything. Instead, he asked with a low voice, ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡±

    Ah Mo did not expect Mu Yuchen to ask that, so he was stunned. Then, he smiled cheerfully. ¡°Not yet. I woke up quite early and rushed over with Li Si. It¡¯s Christmas Eve, so the streets were quite lively, and there was a slight jam.¡±

    ¡°Have some breakfast first then.¡± Mu Yuchen put the egg in the pan onto a te and began to cook the next one.

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Ah Mo quickly helped him out.

    Breakfast was ready in a jiffy. There was fried eggs, milk, some pastries, and a vegetable and fruit sd.

    After Mu Yuchen served the breakfast, he took a hot towel from Li Si to wipe his hands before inviting, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Has the Missus...not woken up yet?¡± Li Si asked.

    ¡°She was too tiredst night. Let her rest for a while more,¡± Mu Yuchen answered with a calm expression and then sat down to enjoy his breakfast. The other two then followed suit and sat down.

    Soon after that, when Mu Yuchen was drinking hisst sip of milk, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Ah Bao has told me about your situation over there, I¡¯m aware of the rough situation.¡±

    Ah Mo took a napkin to wipe his mouth as well and responded, ¡°Can we hand the evidence to the authorities now then, and get them to arrest Doris?¡±

    ¡°I was just about to talk to you about this.¡± Mu Yuchen got up slowly and walked towards the sofa.

    Ah Mo and Li Si exchanged a look and quickly followed him.

    After Mu Yuchen poured himself a ss of water and sat down on the sofa, he pointed at the spot across him and indicated for the two of them to sit, so Ah Mo and Li Si took a seat.

    ¡°A while back, Li Si got the information about Gu Qiwu which I roughly sifted through. What led to all of these was just Doris wanting to force Gu Qiwu to give in, but when it came to someone like Gu Qiwu, she clearly miscalcted. Gu Qiwu didn¡¯t fall for it though I have to say that Doris was quite smart to use you as a chess piece. We did get one hit, but because of this, Lingshi was hospitalized.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said that, Ah Mo¡¯s eyes instantly darkened. Li Si had already told him about Mu Lingshi being hospitalized. ¡°I wish I could kill Doris!¡±

 Chapter 1375 - So-Called Love and Hate 3

    <h4>Chapter 1375 So-Called Love and Hate 3</h4>

    Ah Mo spoke through gritted teeth. Even Li Si, who sat beside him, could feel the chill that came from him. He quickly reached out to pat his shoulders and advised, ¡°Don¡¯t get all stirred up. Miss Lingshi is fine now. When she heard about the news of you, she felt more assured, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±

    ¡°This woman is extremely evil. She shouldn¡¯t have put the me for these things on Lingshi. Lingshi is the biggest victim in this whole series of events. Why couldn¡¯t they put themselves in her shoes!? She never wanted to take anything from Gu Qiwu!¡± Ah Mo could not help but voice out angrily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so unrealistic. If everyone were like you, then there¡¯d be no bad people on earth,¡± Li Si shot Ah Mo a nce and said gloomily.

    ¡°Master, these are the information that¡¯s been organized. Have a look,¡± Li Si said as he handed the document to Mu Yuchen. However, Mu Yuchen did not take it He only looked at it indifferently, lowered his head to take a sip of water, and then took a thick folder from the side.

    It was the one that Detective Zhang had given to himst night, and of course, there were the materials that Mu Tangchuan had given him from before. They were all put together.

    His gaze seemed to have more depth at the moment as he stared at that folder for quite a while. He then tossed it to Li Si, and his lowered voice broke the silence, ¡°Send these things to someone that we can trust at the police station, and get them to open this case again. With these and the document in your hand, Doris should be done for for the rest of this lifetime. I¡¯ve already gotten someone to watch the flights, so they won¡¯t be able to leave for now. Get them to move quicker.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Ah Mo and Li Si were stunned. They exchanged a nce, then quickly picked up the folder to look through the documents inside. The more they looked, the tenser Ah Mo¡¯s expression turned. In the end, disbelief was written on his face.

    ¡°How...how could this be? It was her? It was her! Lingtian¡¯s death was her work! How could this be?¡± Ah Mo was shocked and incoherent in speech now. It was really hard to imagine that there was an inside story to this!

    ¡°I¡¯ve also been doubtful of this oue until Detective Zhang brought me the DNA test report for Gu Qiwu and Lingtian from seven years ago. The test was done by Doris, which means that she already knew about Gu Qiwu and Lingtian¡¯s rtionship a long time ago. This woman is far more meticulous than we thought. She kept quiet and tried to get rid of Lingtian, all for the sake of Hui Gu.¡±

    ¡°That means that we have to feel sorry for Gu Qiwu now too. His own son, Mu Lingtian, was killed by a woman he so-called ¡®deeply loved¡¯. In fact, Doris probably only married him for Hui Gu right from the start. Thepetition on the other end was strong, and she needed a strong trump card. Sadly, she ended up with nothing in the end!¡± Li Simented.

    ¡°She tried to be too smart!¡± Ah Mo said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Li Si, bring these things to the police station. Let them do what needs to be done. If they let Doris leave City Z this time, then they should really look into their retraining their skills.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was calm while there was no expression on his handsome face.

    When he finished, Li Si nodded. He dly slid the document into his briefcase and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯llplete the mission smoothly!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded, and Li Si then swiftly left. Only the brothers remained in therge living room which suddenly fell silent.

    ¡°Pack up and go home. Lingshi hasn¡¯t been doing well,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he took the cigarette box from the coffee table. He took a stick out and lit it up. Then, he handed it to Ah Mo who shook his head. ¡°Nah, Lingshi can¡¯t quite stand the smell of smoke. I¡¯ve made you all worry for me, Brother.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re back now. rest well. It¡¯s getting more disturbing for Lingshi now, so stay with her more since she¡¯s the one who has been suffering. In truth, Doris¡¯s goal should have been her, but because we protected her well, unfortunately, you became Doris¡¯s target. Also, maybe she wanted to use this chance to drive a wedge between us,¡± Mu Yuchen let out a puff and said calmly.

    ¡°Brother...¡± Ah Mo called out softly as he looked at him quietly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve joined the Mu family for over 20 years, and I¡¯ve been your brother for over 20 years. How do you think I treat you?¡± Mu Yuchen asked without looking at Ah Mo while he handed over a ss of water to him.

    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re great to me. Like a brother, I too¡ª¡±

    Ah Mo wanted to say something more, but at this moment, Mu Yuchen cut him off, ¡°It¡¯s good that you acknowledge that. In fact, you have to always remember this.¡±

    ¡°Brother...I¡¯m just Ah Mo. I¡¯m not Lingtian...I know that about Lingtian¡¯s matters...¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are you and not Lingtian. Lingtian¡¯s thing is a matter of the past. All these years, you¡¯ve been by my side and you know me. I¡¯m not a perfect person. I might not be able to truly carry out my duty as an elder brother. Did you grumble about me slightly when I didn¡¯t find you in time?¡± Mu Yuchen said. Suddenly, heughed and then casually flicked the cigarette ashes away.

    Ah Mo quickly shook his head. ¡°No, Brother! Brother, you¡¯ve told me that no matter what, I have to first be hopeful for myself because I can only hope for other people¡¯s help. Other people aren¡¯t you. Only you are responsible for yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can think like that. If this were to happen to Lingtian, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯d feel entirely different about it.¡± One could catch that hint of bitterness in Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone as he said, ¡°Next time, if you¡¯ve got any requests or suggestions, you can just let me know. You know how I am. Between us brothers, there¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t talk about.¡±

    ¡°Brother, I know. Lingshi says she wants Hui Gu, but she couldn¡¯t let Gu Lingsha use these things to threaten you. Previously, in City B, I met Gu Qiwu many times about this, but Lingshi doesn¡¯t kow about that, and I don¡¯t want her to know either. It¡¯s best for me to be that greedy, bad person,¡± Ah Mo suddenly brought up, then a grim smile appeared on his handsome face.

 Chapter 1376 - So-Called Love and Hate 4

    <h4>Chapter 1376 So-Called Love and Hate 4</h4>

    When Ah Mo said that, Mu Yuchen smiled dly. He took another drag, then frowned slightly before he said, ¡°You and I thought of the same thing. I knew that when Gu Qiwu got detained this time, he¡¯d ask for my help to get him out. Do you know what was the condition I set?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Ah Mo had heard from Li Si that Gu Qiwu had been detained for being used of killing Wang Qin, and it seemed like he had not been bailed just yet. Li Si had also told him that Gu Qiwu and Master had a deal. However, he did not go into detail about the actual situation and just advised Ah Mo to ask his Master about it.

    ¡°This coboration already has its purpose. Getting him out is only one of the phases. I told him to leave Hui Gu for Lingshi, and to let Lingshi get rid of the title as an illegitimate daughter.¡±

    ¡°What about him? What did he say?¡± Ah Mo asked.

    ¡°He said to let Lingshi change her surname to Gu. Otherwise, he said to let your first child have the Gu surname. I can¡¯t make this decision, so that will be up to you two.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was calm while his unfathomable gaze fell onto Ah Mo¡¯s face.

    When Ah Mo heard the suggestion, he paused, then could not help butugh. ¡°Is he worried about the Gu family not having heirs? If he knew the cause of Lingtian¡¯s death, I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to handle it.¡± His lowered voice was filled with sarcasm.

    ¡°I initially wanted to discuss this with Lingshi, but now that I think about it, it might not be suitable. I think I should leave it to you. It¡¯s Christmas Eve today, and I¡¯ve said I¡¯d go home for dinner and celebrate Christmas. Your sister-inw and I will return in the evening. You should go home first since Lingshi¡¯s going to the hospital for a checkup today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Brother! I¡¯ve got it. I¡¯ll go home first then, and see what news Li Si will bring.¡± Ah Mo slowly got up.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get Chauffeur Wang to send you back so that you can give Lingshi a surprise.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Okay, the wound was treated quite well, thus there¡¯s no infection. Just apply the antibiotic cream on time, and don¡¯t consume any spicy food or alcohol for now. Come back for a check-up in half a month,¡± the doctorpetently instructed Qi Lei about what to watch out for, and Yang Sheng quickly noted it all down.

    After a few days of rest and recuperation, Yang Sheng was feeling much better. Now, he was almost the same as before. Instead, it was Qi Lei whose wounds bled. Futhermore, during such a cold season, it was not easy for wounds to heal, thus this wound could not recover as quickly as they hoped.

    When they walked out of the consulting room, Yang Sheng said to Qi Lei, ¡°Master Qi, I¡¯ll go get the medicine. Have a seat here.¡±

    As Qi Lei looked up at the misty rain out the window, he inhaled and adjusted the coat on his shoulders before he walked ahead.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the car,¡± he said, and his tall figure walked past Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Alright, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng said softly.

    For some reason, after what had happened, he felt like Master Qi seemed to have be much quieter, unlike those days when they had been prepared toe home. The three of them could still have some happy conversations, but in truth, since Ah Bao brought them home, Qi Lei seemed to have be a whole different person.

    Yang Sheng thought about it, and seemed to understand why. It was probably because of Qi Qiming.

    Even if the Master did not say it, he could understand. Master Qi was probably bitterly disappointed about what happened after this incident. He had been missing for so long, yet the first person who thought of looking for him and found him was not his own father, but a friend. It seemed like Qi Qiming did not even care about him!

    When he thought about this, Yang Sheng could not help but feel sorry for Qi Lei. If CEO Wang were still around, she would probably be heartbroken and have a huge fight with Qi Qiming. What else could be more hurtful than this?

    Did he really not care?

    Sometimes, Yang Sheng really wanted to just rush into Qi Qiming¡¯s office and debate with him, yet this might only trouble Qi Lei further. Every family had its own problems, after all.

    The car was parked right outside the hospital.

    Qi Lei hade over straight from Imperial Hotel. He did not return to Grand Lakes Vi, the Qi residence, or Qi Kai. He did not want to see the very two faces that would make him feel sorry for himself. He only brought Yang Sheng along, and he was the one who drove.

    Yang Sheng had gotten the medicine in a short while and got into the front passenger seat.

    ¡°Master Qi, let¡¯s go back straight to Grand Lakes Vi. You¡¯ve been tired for a long time now, so you should rest well. As for the newpany, Master Mu and Manager Wang have been watching over it, so it¡¯s fine. A few days won¡¯t make much of a difference.¡±

    Yang Sheng did not bring Qi Qiming and the rest up because he was worried that it would make Qi Lei feel bad.

    Qi Lei lowered his gaze, took a look at the time on his phone, and then tossed it aside. He fixed the coat on his shoulders and then silently started the car before he said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll send you home first. Your family¡¯s been worried for a long time now. You should rest at home first for this week.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, I don¡¯t need that. I¡¯m already fine. I¡¯ve told my family, I said¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an order. Just obey it,¡± Qi Lei said calmly and drove steadily out of the parking spot as he continued, ¡°I notice your loyalty, and I won¡¯t treat you unfairly. Rest well for now. The newpany won¡¯t fall. The more others want it to fall, the more I won¡¯t let it. Don¡¯t worry. I have my own ways.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi...Master Qi, are you thinking of looking for the Wangs?¡±

    The Wang family was Wang Qin¡¯s side of the family. He heard that after Wang Qin married Qi Qiming, the Wangs migrated abroad, and their properties were left to Wang Qin to handle. Back then, Wang Qin had insisted onbining the Wangs¡¯ and Qis¡¯ assets, thus creating therge-scale version of Qi Kai today. The Wang family had been very against it, but Wang Qin had insisted on doing so. In fact, she steadied her position as Vice President of Qi Kai whereby no one could shake her status. Even Qi Qiming dared not to offend her easily, and this was enough to prove Wang Qin¡¯s power.

    However, it had been many years, and the Wang family had already be the past here. With Wang Qin¡¯s stubborn personality, she would not lower her ego to ask the Wangs for help even if she died. In fact, the old Wang couple got divorced in the earlier years, and both of them had passed away for many years now. Qi Lei only had one uncle left, and it seemed like this uncle was actually the old Wang couple¡¯s adopted son who had also admired Wang Qin wholeheartedly back then.

    Yang Sheng did not know a lot about the Wang family, especially since Wang Qin never brought this up to anyone else either. Perhaps, back then, right from when she decided to marry Qi Qiming, her heart had been dead.

    Qi Lei did not answer Yang Sheng as he only silently sped up...

 Chapter 1377 - So-Called Love and Hate 5

    <h4>Chapter 1377 So-Called Love and Hate 5</h4>

    When he did not hear Qi Lei¡¯s answer, Yang Sheng turned and looked carefully at Qi Lei. Upon seeing that his expression had darkened and that he did not seem to n on answering, he inhaled while hesitating, then Yang Sheng continued softly, ¡°Master Qi, previously, CEO Wang and...¡±

    ¡°I never thought of having anything to do with the Wang family, and I don¡¯t want to have any contact with the Qi family even more. Don¡¯t bring them up in front of me anymore. We shall go our separate ways, and I¡¯ll find my own way. Who says that I have to rely on someone else if I want to start over from scratch? I¡¯ve long gotten used to such dire circumstances,¡± Qi Lei spoke nonchntly. His dark eyes seemed extremely calm as if there was an inmeasurable deep abyss that one could not quite make sense of.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s good that you can take it all on yourself, but you¡¯ll be very tired, and things are finally looking up for us right now. I¡¯m afraid¡ª¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? I¡¯m not even afraid! At this point, what is there to be afraid about? The newpany will beunched as nned after the New Year. Whatever marketing ns must be executed on arge-scale and bombastically,¡± Qi Leimanded while a sneer shed across his lips.

    He felt as if he had written himself off as hopeless and he began to act recklessly. Since there was no other way, he would just charge ahead with full force without any need to say much as it would all work out in the end. He just had to be aggressive and resolve whatever problems that came his way.

    ¡°Master Qi, well...¡± Yang Sheng was a little doubtful.

    ¡°Just do as I say. I have my own considerations. It¡¯s good to be ambitious, but just demand what is ours, and do as much as we can. It¡¯s when you¡¯re certain and win in steadiness that that¡¯s the real path to wealth and sess. Since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°But, Master Qi¡ª¡±

    ¡°No buts, Yang Sheng. Our journey toe will be much tougher than what it is right now. You¡¯re very loyal and meticulous as well, but like me, youck a fierce drive. We must consciously learn to avoid that next time,¡± Qi Lei said with a lowered voice.

    Yang Sheng paused, then responded slowly, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±

    After that, the two of them did not speak anymore. The car drove ahead, and after about half an hour, Qi Lei sent Yang Sheng back to his neighborhood, before driving off.

    The neighborhood that Yang Sheng stayed in was quite near University A¡¯s campus. When Yang Sheng got down from the car, he unconsciously mentioned that it was Christmas Eve.

    When Qi Lei drove along the road, he could see that on both sides of the walkways were young students and couples holding hands while strolling. This area was active with student activity, and there were quite a number of students.

    When he passed by close to the entrance of University A, the steering wheel in Qi Lei¡¯s hand shifted slightly. He thought about it, then drove into University A.

    Previously, he had driven around with Dongfang Liuyun, so he knew where her office was, and he decided to go look for her.

    The director of the teaching and research section was an uncle in his 50s who looked quite friendly. When he saw Qi Lei walk in, he was stunned for a moment. He fixed the sses on his face, then sized Qi Lei up while he asked curiously, ¡°Are you looking for Miss Dongfang?¡±

    Nodding, Qi Lei walked up and smiled modestly. ¡°Yes, may I know if she¡¯s around?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you want to see Miss Dongfang...I think she¡¯s gone for a lecture. Do you want to wait for her here? Her office is over there,¡± the director smiled and said.

    ¡°Oh, no need. I¡¯ve got to see her urgently. May I know which ss she¡¯s in right now?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, let me take a look at her schedule. Ah, this one. Room 507.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you. I¡¯ll go over then! Thank you!¡± Qi Lei thanked him gratefully, then left.

    In Room 507 of the fifth block in University A, Dongfang Liuyun was lecturing the students. It was thest ss of the semester. She mainly needed to arrange for the students the entire semester¡¯s course synopsis and exam topics to focus on, and there were two sses of students together.

    Because there had been some dys before this, she had to rearrange the lecture and put both sses together.

    Qi Lei entered through the back door and chose a seat in thest row. He silently listened to Dongfang Liuyun lecture on the tform.

    The students were usually quite interested in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sybus, so the ss was rarely very noisy. In addition to that, the first few rows were filled with boys...

    However, just as Qi Lei sat down, Dongfang Liuyun already noticed him. She looked at him, paused, and then returned to normal in the next second without reacting much.

    After about ten minutes, the bell rang, indicating the end of the ss. After Dongfang Liuyun was sure that the students had no more questions, she kept her textbook away unhurriedly.

    Soon, a few of the boys went up to her and invited her for a meal.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, do you want to eat together?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Dongfang, let¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°When you¡¯ve all gotten excellent results, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal,¡± Dongfang Liuyun calmly answered, then she held the textbook before leaving the ssroom.

    Qi Lei raised his brows and got up to leave the ssroom to follow after her.

    She did not walk that quickly either. At the staircase, she paused and waited for him to catch up.

    ¡°When did you get back?¡± Upon seeing him get closer, Dongfang Liuyun examined him briefly and her gaze soon stopped on his stiff arm that hid underneath the coat. She calmly asked, ¡°Did you get hurt?¡±

    Stunned, Qi Lei followed her gaze and looked at his arm. With a smile, he said, ¡°I just got back. It¡¯s a little scrape.¡±

    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Dongfang Liuyun looked away and waved the textbook in her hand. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s eat together, but our staff canteen dishes aren¡¯t like the ones a Master like you would be used to.¡±

    Despite saying that, she had already begun to walk downstairs.

    She wore a ck figure-hugging dress today with arge coat on the outside and a pair of t boots simr tobat boots. She had light makeup on her face and seemed quite distant, yet it also made one feel at peace.

    She was not the kind of charming, elegant woman like Xi Xiaye. To Qi Lei, Dongfang Liuyun felt more the kind of leader who kept to herself. Her quiet eyes seemed to have gone through a lot, thus lending her an air of calmness now to be able to control her emotions as she wished.

    Qi Lei watched as her little, cold figure vanish at the corner of the staircase. He brushed his own nose, then followed after her.

 Chapter 1378 - So-Called Love and Hate 6

    <h4>Chapter 1378 So-Called Love and Hate 6</h4>

    In the fourth staff canteen, Dongfang Liuyun brought Qi Lei the dishes that she had ordered. Both sets were the same with equal portions of meat and vegetables.

    Dongfang Liuyun was the kind of eater who needed meat. Besides that, she was a little picky and did not quite like strong-smelling foods. She liked some alcohol, but right now in this situation, she clearly could not order any.

    Dongfang Liuyun handed Qi Lei a pair of chopsticks as she said, ¡°I met Principal Xi and Chairman Mu a while back, and I heard about your situation briefly from them. I was abroad at that time, but since you¡¯re fine, then there¡¯s no need to bring up these unhappy things anymore.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows raised as he epted the chopsticks. Upon hearing her say that, he could not help but nce at her and whine a little unhappily, ¡°Since you know about what happened to me, why didn¡¯t you seem more stirred up earlier? I did just get a new lease of life after a harrowing encounter, so as a friend, shouldn¡¯t you show your concern? Dongfang Liuyun, you really are the most heartless woman I¡¯ve ever met!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun, who had picked up her food and was about to stuff in it her mouth, was stunned upon hearing hisint. She looked up in surprise and stared at him. After a while, she smiled calmly. ¡°It¡¯s greatly fortunate that you¡¯re fine. Even if I expressed any concern, it wouldn¡¯t change anything, would it? Besides, do you think you¡¯re such a delicate person?¡±

    ¡°Delicate? Did you just call me delicate?¡± Qi Lei frowned and squinted at her.

    ¡°You are more delicate than the typical person. Once you¡¯ve experienced more of life and death, you¡¯ll find that this was nothing. Once you go through some things, you¡¯ll understand more. I think that your cmity this time might not have been a bad thing. At least, now that I look at you, you seem different from before. That¡¯s what you¡¯ve reaped,¡± she said. She thought about it, then put the drumstick on her te into his. ¡°This drumstick is to encourage you. Here you go.¡±

    Second Master Qi could not help but feel defeated. Why was it that every time when he was with her, he would feel like he was a rookie in front of an experienced person?

    ¡°You always make it so logical. I wonder when I¡¯ll be able get back at you,¡± Qi Lei grumbled.

    ¡°All humans have their weak points. I can¡¯t tell you what I¡¯mcking,¡± she teased with a smile for once. Then, she looked at him mysteriously, ¡°Your library card is still with me. When you¡¯ve got the time, visit my store. I haven¡¯t been free recently, especially since it¡¯s going to be the preparations for the end of term exams soon, and my project paper needs to be submitted as well. This year, the school managed to apply to do the PhD programme, so there¡¯ll be a bunch of things for me to do at the researchbs.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t there other lecturers?¡± Qi Lei asked, puzzled.

    ¡°I was made to do what¡¯s beyond me, and be the Assistant Head of the teaching and research department. If I don¡¯t set a good example, I don¡¯t have the right to ask more of others. It¡¯s all about attitude. You should know more about this than I do as a businessman.¡±

    ¡°You always speak with such an instructing tone. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re a lecturer. I had a pretty bad impression of my lecturers in the past.¡±

    ¡°I have pretty bad impressions of those poor students who are disobedient too,¡± Dongfang Liuyun did not even look at him as she answered.

    ¡°When I used to study, I had really good results too. I never fell past the top three spots in my year. My mathematics, physics and chemistry marks were great. I just wasn¡¯t great at humanities.¡± Qi Lei could not help but bring up his glorious history though it was his first time bringing up such things in front of others.

    When he said this, Dongfang Liuyun, who was eating silently across him, looked up. Her cold gaze had a hint of surprise. ¡°You were a top student? Well, I did hear that you¡¯re quite knowledgeable when ites to architecture.¡±

    ¡°I just have a unique inclination towards architecture. I was abroad for quite a few years and was engrossed with it.¡±

    ¡°Which country do you think has great architecture? The romantic French one? Italy¡¯s ancient Rome? Or...¡±

    When it came to the arts, the two of them instantly found amon topic and chatted away happily.

    After a meal, it was already past 1p.m. Dongfang Liuyun wanted to return to the office while Qi Lei was going to go home too, but she walked him to where he parked.

    Qi Lei had turned around and was about to get into his car when Dongfang Liuyun took out a thick book from her ck bag and handed it to him. ¡°This book is for you. It¡¯s good to past your time.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qi Lei squinted at it with some curiosity. He studied her beautifully elegant face, and then looked down following her gaze that was lowered on the book in her hand.

    It was the Bible. To be exact, it was the first book of the New Testament.

    She calmly said, ¡°This is my favorite book, and I¡¯m gifting it to you now. This is a book on the record of the Jews. Every person¡¯s life is a form of art. These are theologian and cultural history, which are actually very helpful for spiritual cultivation. I myself am not that enlightened, but I find that I¡¯ve benefited a lot. Hopefully, it can be of help to you too.¡±

    Astonished, Qi Lei stared at the book for a long while, then he looked up silently at her standing before him. When he saw that her eyes were filled with encouragement and sincerity, he finally could not help but smile and take it. He casually flipped through it and saw her cursive signature.

    ¡°Thank you, Liuyun,¡± he said in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun just smiled calmly and nodded, epting his thanks. ¡°Next time when we meet, treat me to a meal. I won¡¯t ept it if it isn¡¯t expensive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll transfer that $5 million equipment to you tonight. How about that?¡± Qi Lei smiled and said as he held the book under his arm.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been brought up to not take advantage of others. Exchanging favors is what I should do. Even though I¡¯m just amon person, at least I know this. When you¡¯ve truly be more enlightened and feel like you¡¯ve benefited, I won¡¯t be too courteous. I¡¯m leaving now. Bye!¡±

    Then, slinging her bag on her shoulder, she turned around to walk along the wet path, then waved to him with her back facing him.

    Qi Lei suddenly looked up to watch her figure as it gradually moved away. Then, he looked down at the book that seemed to have faint traces of her warmth. A while after, he looked up again, and watch her figure that was about to blend into the gloomy rain.

    His lips started, but in the end, he did not say anything. He just watched quietly as she vanished along the walkway.

    Was she treating him like her student now?

    Qi Lei looked down at the book, chuckled, then got into his car.

 Chapter 1379 - So-Called Love and Hate 7

    <h4>Chapter 1379 So-Called Love and Hate 7</h4>

    The weather was a little gloomy. Even though it did not rain, the ground was still quite damp. The hazy sky looked like it was going to rain while the air was filled with mist. The wind was not strong, but it was very cold, and on both sides, it whistled through the trees.

    Walking through the cold breeze, one¡¯s mood would feel slightly stifled. Even walking down the stairs, one could feel a chilly drafte through the soles of the shoes.

    Doris had already forgotten how Mu Zi looked like. It was only when she stood before this cold tombstone right now that she vaguely recalled how she had looked like back then.

    From what she remembered, Mu Zi was neither smart, nor was she a woman who was pleasing to the eye. She could not understand how Gu Qiwu would fancy a woman like this. She looked at those bright and smiling eyes, which were filled with innocence.

    Although Gu Qiwu told Doris that she herself was the only woman he always loved, she did not agree.

    In Gu Qiwu¡¯s heart, perhaps Mu Zi had taken up a more important position, but she did not want to venture to this forbidden area because this so-called love was not one that Doris wanted. Perhaps, this was karma. The more someone wanted something, the more they would not get it. In the end, she lost to a dead person.

    Love?

    What was love?

    Gu Qiwu imed that he had given all his love to Doris, but what was the point of that? He had left everything to Mu Zi¡¯s child.

    How ironic! When it came to the crux of the matter, she was just Gu Qiwu¡¯s so-called lover while Mu Zi was his first wife!

    Long ago, Gu Qiwu already had nned to bring Mu Lingtian back to the Gu family. Back then Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi¡¯s rtionship was very much a secret. If it were not for her smarts as well as that one time she found information on Xiang She Residence by ident and saw Mu Zi¡¯s name, she probably would have been still in the dark.

    No wonder he would always let their daughter, Lingsha, bring Mu Lingtian home to visit. He would also chat to Mu Lingtian about business or his views of life in a very friendly manner. That level of attention was far beyond what he had for their daughter, Shasha...

    After all, Doris was a sharp person too.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should hate you. You¡¯re just a dead person, and the dead win. There doesn¡¯t seem to be a need to talk to you about love and hate now. Thankfully, you¡¯re dead. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee what I¡¯d do to you now.¡±

    Doris took off her shades and put it into her pocket as her eyes looked coldly at Mu Zi¡¯s picture.

    ¡°They all call me vicious, but if I weren¡¯t vicious, I wouldn¡¯t have made it until now or lived the way I do. Mu Zi, I should be lucky that I lived many more years than you did and enjoyed Gu Qiu¡¯s so-called decades of love, so, to be fair, there¡¯s nothing I should be jealous about or hate you for. Initially, your son and daughter could have lived well, but Gu Qiwu doesn¡¯t know his ce. I¡¯ve always hated other people stealing my things, so...

    ¡°You¡¯re a very silly woman. If you hadn¡¯t fallen in love with Gu Qiwu, you wouldn¡¯t have ended up the way you did today. You died quite leisurely now. Everyone says that the deceased should be respected, but they don¡¯t know that you¡¯re the one who¡¯s at fault here. Mu Tangchuan, Mu Yuchen, Mu Lingtian, Mu Lingshi, and even your mother, Wang Hui...which one of them didn¡¯t suffer because of you? I have done many terrible things, and I should go to hell when I¡¯m dead, but, Mu Zi, you deserve hell even more. As someone who wouldn¡¯t even consider their own kin, you shouldn¡¯t be forgiven. The funny thing is, Mu Yuchen and the rest really think they can sort out all this information so that you¡¯ll rest in peace. You should feel guilty even in death.¡±

    Doris actually felt that she and Mu Zi were both heinous sinners. She had always been clear of her position, but the biggest difference between her and Mu Zi was that even if Doris bore any desire for love and resentment, she would never let the people she cared about be hurt. On the other hand, the foolish and terrible Mu Zi only knew how to hurt her kin that loved her. People like these deserve hell more than she did!

    Lowly people were lowly. Their judgment would never be more farsighted than those of royal bloodline. When she thought about this, Doris gave Mu Zi¡¯s a picture a look of disdain. As arrogant as she was, she never thought that a woman like Mu Zi was a match for her. Mu Zi was just a pitiful and foolish woman!

    She did not speak much after that. Then, the phone in her pocket suddenly buzzed. She quickly took it out and saw a foreign number. She did not need to guess that it was a call from Glenn.

    When the call got through, it was indeed Glenn¡¯s anxious voice. ¡°Miss, the people have gone over. Where are you right now? Miss, what are you trying to do? I¡¯ve already contacted the count. He said...¡±

    Glenn was clearly anxious as his tone filled with worry and anxiety.

    ¡°Alright, your mission¡¯s done. You may leave now. Nevere back. I¡¯ve already gotten someone to handle your documents. You can still make it in time if you leave now. Don¡¯t forget what I told you. If you don¡¯t do it well, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡±

    ¡°No, Miss, what are you trying to do? Don¡¯t do anything foolish! There might still be a chance to turn things around. The count says that he can...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll never put any hope on him. I¡¯ve made such a mistake too many times. It¡¯s time I realized it. I¡¯m a little tired. Glenn, I know you¡¯ve been weary all these years too, so this should be enough. I¡¯m just afraid that I¡¯ll die as worthlessly as Mu Zi did, leaving nothing for people to remember me by.¡±

    ¡°Miss¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, when one takes a wrong step, there¡¯s no turning back. I won¡¯t regret all that I¡¯ve done, but tell Shasha to not end up on the same path. I hope she can spend the rest of her life in peace.¡±

    ¡°Miss Lingsha will¡ª¡±

    ¡°As a mother, I might have owed her too much. Tell her not to be my daughter in the next life.¡±

    ¡°Maybe Mr. Gu will give in. He loves you, Miss!¡±

    ¡°Does he deserve to love me? I only have hate for him.¡± Doris¡¯s tone was calm. When she finished, she hung up and took out the phone batteries, then tossed the gadget and batteries into the cemetery. There was a tter as the phone shattered into many pieces.

    She turned slightly and looked down at the many tombstones. An odd sneer shed across her lips. She took out a cigarette box from her shirt unhurriedly, lit a stick, then casually started to smoke. Her gaze slowly fell on the staircase below while she had one hand quietly in her pocket.

 Chapter 1380 - Perish 1

    <h4>Chapter 1380 Perish 1</h4>

    The temperature remained low during the afternoon, but the chill did not matter as they were home.

    Xi Xiaye was rearranging books in the study while Mu Yuchen was busy going through some documents.

    After tidying up the study, Xi Xiaye went to get prepared instead of bothering him. Sis Wang had gone to the Mu residence, and hardly anyone else came by except the servants who visited to clean from time to time.

    It was peacefully quiet inside the study, and he could smell the faint fragrance of tea some timeter. When his woman silently handed a cup of freshly brewed tea to him, he raised his head and noticed her taking away his empty teacup.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as he took a sip.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost 2 p.m. now. Are you about to be done?¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    Mu Yuchen closed the document and left it aside, then he leaned back against the chair. ¡°Almost there. Are you tired?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I just did some simple cleaning. We could go back earlier...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish her sentence, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone started ringing, so she nced over and noticed Li Si¡¯s name on the screen to her surprise.

    ¡°It should be news from the police station.¡±

    Mu Yuchen answered the call, and Li Si¡¯s voice quickly reached him.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s all done! The whole city is on the hunt for Doris. There were signs of her appearing near outskirts in the west. Our people are heading there.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, make sure she¡¯s captured.¡±

    Mu Yuchen hung up as he looked at Xi Xiaye and exined, ¡°Ah Mo and Li Si dropped by this morning. I handed them the documents, and I suppose the police have them now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused before nodding. ¡°We should¡¯ve done that so much earlier. You¡¯ve been suffering so much all these years because of her...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just her. Everything that has happened can¡¯t just be med on one person. Doris is at fault, but Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng yed a role. Lingtian is responsible too, and that includes me as well.¡± Mu Yuchen took another sip from his teacup.

    Xi Xiaye sighed. ¡°No one would¡¯ve expected things to turn out this way. Grandfather and Grandmother¡¯s deaths should be mourned, and moving forward in life is the best we can do for them.¡±

    He chuckled slightly as he looked at her. Then, he put down the teacup and said, ¡°Come here...¡±

    Xi Xiaye went close and allowed him to wrap his arm around her waist.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really that sad, especially after what we¡¯ve gone through the past two years.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always frowning whenever they are mentioned, and you¡¯ll get unhappy if I say anything bad about them.¡± She still remembered his reaction from theirst conversation about Mu Lingtian.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head andughed. It was difficult for him to exin the bond of brotherhood to her, but this was also why he loved her so much...

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say anything further. Pack up and get changed, and put on something thicker. It¡¯s cold outside.¡± Xi Xiaye did not continue the conversation as she patted his hand on her waist.

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go.¡± He stood up together with her.

    ...

    With the warrant to arrest Doris in order, the whole City Z was on the move. Li Si and the other men were also on high alert. No one would have expected that at this moment, in front of Mu Zi¡¯s gravestone...

    Bang!

    The loud sound of a gunshot pierced through the silent air. Mu Lingshi heard a muffled voice as someone grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Miss, run!¡±

    Mu Lingshi was stunned when she saw a bullet wound on Ah Quan¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Ah Quan! Ah Quan! What happened? Ah Quan!¡± She quickly helped Ah Quan get up while the other two bodyguards rushed forward as well.

    Mu Lingshi heard the sound of footstepsing closer behind her, and before she could react, the cold sensation of a steel barrel was felt on her forehead.

    ¡°Long time no see, Mu Lingshi. You¡¯d better not move, or else, he¡¯ll die very quickly.¡± The cold voice was mixed with madness.

    As the cold draft raised the corner of her coat, Mu Lingshi already knew who it was without needing to see the woman¡¯s face.

    ¡°Let go of h¡ª¡±

    Bang!

    One of the bodyguards was shot by Doris before he could even finish his sentence!

    ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t want to die! I¡¯d love to see who can stop me today! Back off! Mu Lingshi, tell them to back off if you don¡¯t want them dead!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Doris! Ah Yi, back off!¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice was cold as ice. Her eyes hidden under the pair of sunsses were hostile as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you, and I finally caught you here. Otherwise, I might have made my way into the Mu residence.¡± Doris sounded triumphant as she grabbed Mu Lingshi tightly from behind and pointed a gun at her forehead. A ferocious expression filled her beautiful face.

    ¡°Move forward. Back off, you, don¡¯t move! I can¡¯t guarantee that idents won¡¯t happen!¡± Doris pushed the gun harder on Mu Lingshi¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and tried to stay as calm as possible.

    This woman was mad! She had already gone into hiding when Ah Mo¡¯s incident was exposed, so why would she appear right now? Would she not want to stay away? Perhaps, she felt like she had nothing to lose anymore.

    When she thought about this, Mu Lingshi clenched her teeth and her eyes darkened. By her side, her hands clenched into fists.

    ¡°What do I want? I want everything toe to an end! Isn¡¯t that what you wanted as well?¡±

 Chapter 1381 - Perish 2

    <h4>Chapter 1381 Perish 2</h4>

    Doris¡¯s voice was exceptionally gloomy and cold while her arm was circled around Mu Lingshi¡¯s neck to the point that Mu Lingshi found it hard to breathe.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt our Miss. We¡¯ll agree to any of your conditions! Please be rational. Just don¡¯t hurt our Miss!¡± Ah Yi, the bodyguard, was clearly panicked now. As he looked at hisrades lying in a pool of blood, his face was as white as a sheet from the fright though he did not forget to care for Mu Lingshi¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Doris, the person you want to hurt is me. There¡¯s no need to hurt them! What do you want? Just say it!¡±

    Uneasiness and dread rose in Mu Lingshi¡¯s chest as she put a hand on her baby bump.

    ¡°No need to put on an act of affection between master and servants now. It¡¯s too unrealistic. Mu Lingshi, you¡¯re just a little stronger than that mean mother of yours, but only just a little. Thankfully, shemitted suicide by jumping off a building. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with her.¡± Doris¡¯s tone of disdain was heard, and Mu Lingshi did not look pleased at all.

    ¡°What went on between you, Gu Qiwu, and my mother has got nothing to do with me! Why do you need to impose your anger on us? We didn¡¯t know about your entanglement. We¡¯re innocent too!¡± Mu Lingshi said through clenched teeth.

    ¡°Huh, you say it quite easily. Didn¡¯t Gu Qiwu announce that he¡¯ll be handing Hui Gu to you? I¡¯ve been with Gu Qiwu for decades. Do you think I¡¯d let him do that? No one has ever trampled over my dignity, but since he dares do that, I¡¯m going to make him pay! Let him feel the pain of losing a child!¡± Doris¡¯s hooting was akin to a hissing snake, and Ah Yi shuddered at this sight.

    ¡°You, quickly call Mu Yuchen. I want to see Gu Qiwu. If he doesn¡¯t want Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi¡¯s daughter to die quickly, get Gu Qiwu to see me! Call him now!¡± Her sharp gaze brushed past Ah Yi as she ordered coldly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too stirred up and don¡¯t hurt our Miss. I¡¯ll call Master right away, right away!¡± Ah Yi dared not dy as he quickly took out his phone and called Li Si.

    At this moment, on Mu Yuchen¡¯s end, he and Xi Xiaye had just left to make their way for the old Mu residence.

    When his phone rang, Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xiaye as he was driving, and she knowingly answered the phone.

    Unexpectedly, Li Si¡¯s anxious voice came through, ¡°Master! Master! It¡¯s me! Bad news! Miss Lingshi has been held hostage by Doris who has a gun. Ah Quan and the rest are hurt. Doris says she wants to see Gu Qiwu. The police have rushed over. Quickly make your way over!¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Ah Shi¡¯s been held by Doris?¡± When Li Si said that, Xi Xiaye was shocked.

    ¡°Missus...¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Before Li Si could react, Mu Yuchen snatched the phone away from Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Master! Where Miss Mu Zi and Master Lingtian are buried.¡±

    ¡°Help me make some arrangements. I¡¯ll rush over right away,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a low voice, then he turned the car around and made his way to the west of the city.

    ...

    On the way over, Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows furrowed into a concerned knot. ¡°Didn¡¯t Ah Shi go home right after her checkup? Where¡¯s Ah Mo? Isn¡¯t Ah Mo with her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Christmas Eve. She¡¯s probably gone to see Grandmother. She has always been holding onto her,¡± Mu Yuchen exined.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye felt an ache in her heart. Wang Hui was probably an torment that could never be erased in everyone¡¯s hearts. It was a pain that could only fade with time, and gradually be concealed, never to fully recover.

    As she thought about this, Xi Xiaye suddenly thought of Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°If anything happens to Ah Shi again, Gu Qiwu will be a sinner forever. Isn¡¯t Doris being too cruel now? Mu Lingtian is gone. Isn¡¯t that enough? She¡¯ll only resent not being able to get anything from Gu Qiwu, yet forget that she had already taken away Mu Lingtian¡¯s life, what could be crueler than that?¡± Xi Xiaye said. Her tone could not help but turn gloomy.

    ¡°If she knew how to think of these things, we wouldn¡¯t be where we are today,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly while his gaze was exceptionally gloomy.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine! Ah Shi is a lucky person, and Heaven helps the worthy.¡±

    ¡°No, you should say that she has always been unfortunate. There was one time when Grandmother brought her to the temple, the fortune teller said that Lingshi¡¯s got a tough fate, we didn¡¯t care, but after that, Lingshi kept it in her heart. Why else do you think she would still be clinging onto Grandmother¡¯s death?¡±

    A bitter smile shed across her lips as she replied, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t believe in fate.¡±

    He paused, but in the next second he sped up. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in it, but that doesn¡¯t mean...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not continue while Xi Xiaye only took one look at that handsome of his and did not continue asking anymore.

    ...

    The cemetery had initially been quiet, but then suddenly many policemen showed up, and when the gunshots were heard, the surroundings were startled.

    ¡°Doris, it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t act recklessly. Let go of the hostage and follow us to the police station. Let¡¯s handle this nicely while we can,¡± Captain Wang from the police force held a gun and pointed it at Doris as he advised.

    ¡°Shut up! Where¡¯s Gu Qiwu? Where¡¯s he? Tell him to meet me!¡± Doris refused to listen. She was determined that she wanted to see Gu Qiwu. Her arm held onto Mu Lingshi tightly again, and Mu Lingshi could not help but cough painfully before she inhaled sharply.

    ¡°He¡¯s already on the way, don¡¯t be rash!¡± Captain Wang tried his best to calm Doris down. He could not have expected that such an exquisitely beautiful woman could do something like this!

    ¡°Doris, why do you have to implicate your grudges with Gu Qiwu onto us? Let me ask you: did you n for Lingtian to die? You knew that Gu Qiwu is Lingtian¡¯s and my biological father, didn¡¯t you? Is that why you¡¯ve been racking your brains thinking of how to get rid of us?¡± Mu Lingshi asked harshly.

    Who could have known that as soon as Mu Lingshi said that, Doris would have justughed out loud and not hide it anymore. Her beautiful eyes gathered with a madness that seemed hell-bent on destroying.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I knew about Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingtian¡¯s rtionship seven years ago!¡±

 Chapter 1382 - Perish 3

    <h4>Chapter 1382 Perish 3</h4>

    Even though she was inclined to this answer, upon hearing Doris admit it herself, Mu Lingshi suddenly felt her heart clench witH pain.

    ¡°Seven years ago, I did a DNA test for Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingtian to prove that they were father and son. Why else do you think Gu Qiwu would have regarded Mu Lingtian so highly? I¡¯ve probed about letting Shasha marry Mu Lingtian, and you should¡¯ve seen the way his face turned pale!¡±

    Dorisughed coldly before continuing, ¡°No one has ever trampled on my dignity. Gu Qiwu kept me in the dark. If it weren¡¯t for my power back then, Hui Gu wouldn¡¯t be here today. Gu Qiwu is disrespecting me if he wants to just use me like that. Does he think I¡¯m as dumb as your mother, Mu Zi?¡±

    ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t have to plot and kill Lingtian! We didn¡¯t even know we were Gu Qiwu¡¯s children, and we never nned on fighting for Hui Gu with you!¡± Mu Lingshi could not help but feel angry now. Her hands were clenched into fists as she red at Doris. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, you evil woman, that ident would never have happened, and Lingtian wouldn¡¯t have died! I wouldn¡¯t have been disfigured while Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng wouldn¡¯t vent out their hatred onto my brother! You¡¯re a lowly, evil woman. You wouldn¡¯t even let go of your daughter! How evil! A woman like you doesn¡¯t deserve any so-called dignity!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Or I¡¯ll shoot you to death! Shut up!¡± When she heard Mu Lingshi reprimanding her like that, Doris¡¯s face instantly turned as dark as the sky before a storm. Her fingers were gently ced on the trigger as she red at Mu Lingshi coldly.

    When Captain Wang and the rest saw this, they quickly tightened the guns in their hand and advised worriedly, ¡°Doris! Calm down! Don¡¯t be rash!¡±

    ¡°Evil? It¡¯s not just you who says that! Lingsha being in the car was a coincidence. Do you think I¡¯d be like that witch Mu Zi and ruin myself for a man who doesn¡¯t love me? Haha, only a lowly woman like Mu Zi would do such a foolish thing! Gu Qiwu is nothing! His son isn¡¯t worthwhile giving up my daughter¡¯s life! Annoying Mu Lingtian! Such a busybody! Who did he think he was?! He wanted to help Lingsha escape, so he should¡¯ve died! He¡¯s got a lowly life like his mother. Do you understand? Do you?¡±

    Doris had fallen into a mad state now. She was not afraid of anything. She wanted to let Gu Qiwu see that even if she lost, she would lose heroically! Even if she died, she¡¯d drag his daughter down with him!

    Even if Doris died, she would die worthily unlike Mu Zi that useless, lowly person!

    ¡°Shut up! You killed him either way. How dare you say such things?! He was so innocent, and I¡¯ve never bothered you, so why do you have to vent out all of your unhappiness on us?! Why?!¡± Mu Lingshi had reddened from fury now. It felt very ufortable with Doris¡¯s arm around her neck, but it was far from the pain she was feeling in her heart.

    Why? Why did it have to turn out like this?

    ¡°Because you just reincarnated wrongly, and became the children of Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi! I¡¯ll get rid of every single person that¡¯s a threat to me, so in your next life, pray that you don¡¯t bump into me again! Yes, I¡¯m the one behind Mu Lingtian¡¯s death. It¡¯s too bad that you were all too foolish. It¡¯s been so many years, but you only know the truth now. When I think about how Gu Qiwu was saying he loved the person who killed his own son, I felt extremely satisfied.¡±

    ¡°Doris, you¡¯re an evil, mad woman!¡± Mu Lingshi used in a dispirited manner. She could not help but feel worn out.

    At this moment, an anxious, familiar voice came, ¡°Lingshi! Lingshi! Are you okay!?¡±

    Mu Lingshi then looked up, and Ah Mo¡¯s worried, anxious face greeted her sight!

    ¡°Ah Mo! Don¡¯te over! This crazy woman has a gun!¡± When she saw that Ah Mo was walking up to her, her expression instantly turned pale. She did not forget that this woman had guns in both hands!

    ¡°Stay back! I¡¯ll shoot whoever darese closer!¡± As Doris¡¯s sharp gaze looked at Ah Mo, she tightened her grip on the guns, and Mu Lingshi was forced to lean backward. Ah Mo felt worried right away.

    ¡°Doris, don¡¯t hurt her. You want a hostage, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll be your hostage. Just let her go. I won¡¯t move. Don¡¯t hurt her. Please don¡¯t hurt her...¡± Ah Mo¡¯s eyes were filled with endless worry and apprehension. After he took off his coat and revealed only a thin white shirt, he raised both hands and walked slowly towards Doris.

    ¡°Stop right there! Huh, Mu Lingmo, the fact that you could escape with Qi Lei and the rest really shows your capability! But right now, you¡¯ve be a tossed chesspiece. Your life isn¡¯t as valuable as hers. Besides, she has a little one in her!¡± Dorisughed grimly. ¡°Back away! Do you hear me?!¡±

    Ah Mo looked worriedly at Mu Lingshi. He dared not act rashly, so he moved backwards slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll move back. Don¡¯t be impulsive. Don¡¯t hurt her. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let go of you either!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t n on leaving this ce alive. Haven¡¯t you all sealed off everywhere, wanting to arrest me? If I die and drag her along with me, then it¡¯ll be worth it!¡±

    Just as Doris finished, a cold and sharp voice was heard. ¡°Shut up! You witch! Let go of Lingshi! Juste for me if you¡¯re unhappy about anything! Why do you have to involve the innocent?!¡±

    Upon hearing that, the people behind automatically opened up a path.

    Dressed in a ck coat, Gu Qiwu was slowly walking over.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, you finally show up! How does it feel to be in jail?¡± Doris¡¯s cool gazended on Gu Qiwu with disdain as she smiled coldly.

    Gu Qiwu did not get close to her. Instead, he stopped and ignored her mocking while he turned to look at the tombstones that had Mu Zi and Mu Lingtian¡¯s pictures on them. His stern face tensed up, but he looked quite dispirited, and he appeared like he had aged by more than 10 years.

    When he stared quietly at the photo on Mu Lingtian¡¯s tombstone, you could see that his hands were clenched tightly by his side as if he was enduring some sort of painful emotion. His eyes were gloomy akin to dense ink that would not dilute.

    ¡°You admitted that you were behind the ident six years ago, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression darkened as his cold gaze looked sharply at Doris as if they had beenced with poison.

 Chapter 1383 - Perish 4

    <h4>Chapter 1383 Perish 4</h4>

    Doris met with his gaze fearlessly, and her arm that locked onto Mu Lingshi tightened much more. Mu Lingshi did not look veryfortable, but she held it in and did not make a sound. Her feet shifted slightly.

    ¡°Have you never suspected me? Huh, Gu Qiwu, stop pretending now. I know that you¡¯ve looked into me. All these years, you always privately found out more about Mu Lingtian¡¯s death. Didn¡¯t you also hate Mu Yuchen to the bones before this? Because your rtionship with Mu Zi couldn¡¯t be revealed, you could only use Shasha as an excuse,¡± Doris sneered with disdain though she now seemed extremely calm.

    Gu Qiwu appeared sour and his voice was gloomy, ¡°I¡¯d say that I¡¯ve never treated you unfairly all these years. Zixi could neverpare to your status, so what else are you unsatisfied with? Zixi and I were a thing of the past. Why do you have to be so vicious to the point that you wouldn¡¯t let go of the children? You even used your own daughter. Doris, I¡¯ve never seen a woman eviler than you!¡±

    ¡°You can say anything you like! I don¡¯t want to exin anything when ites to Shasha¡¯s matter, but no matter how desperate I am, I won¡¯t get my children to settle it for me, and I won¡¯t be like that lowly woman, Mu Zi, who let her kin suffer for her own mistakes!¡±

    ¡°You let go of Lingshi. Everything happened because of me. If you want to hurt someone, thene for me. There¡¯s no need to hurt them. I¡¯ve long had enough of you!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression was exceptionally gloomy, and in Doris¡¯s eyes, it was filled with loathing and anger.

    Doris immediatelyughed in resentment. ¡°You¡¯re distressed now? Back then when Shasha got detained at the police station, I didn¡¯t see you this worried, and you dare say you care about us mother and daughter? If you cared, would you have done this to me? Why should I let you trample all over me?¡±

    ¡°Let go of Lingshi. We can talk it out. It¡¯s got nothing to do with them.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression turned into one that seemed like he was enduring a lot of suffering and his heart clenched. ¡°You just want Hui Gu, don¡¯t you? We can discuss it, but you have to let her go first.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Gu Qiwu! Given today¡¯s circumstances, and all of the things I¡¯ve done, I probably won¡¯t be able to escape out from here. I¡¯m not someone that¡¯s easily fooled. Since I dare to do this today, then I dare say I¡¯ve never thought of getting out here alive. I know you really hate me right now, and I hate you just as much too, Gu Qiwu. Six years ago, Mu Lingtian died. If another Mu Lingshi dies today, do you think you¡¯d be able to handle it?¡±

    Doris¡¯s cold sharp gaze looked straight into Gu Qiwu¡¯s darkened eyes while her finger was trained on the trigger, making Ah Mo¡¯s heart pound in fear.

    ¡°Doris, don¡¯t be rash. Don¡¯t hurt her. Please don¡¯t hurt her!¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s hands were tied, and he turned pale now. The police on the side moved forward slightly, yet with a single gaze from Doris, they retreated again.

    ¡°Doris! Let go of Lingshi. What do you want? Name the conditions. I¡¯ll agree to it!¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s cold voice sounded slightly furious, and you could see the veins on the hands by his side bulging.

    ¡°Doris, just kill me if you dare. If I frown even just a little, then my surname isn¡¯t Mu!¡± Mu Lingshi said coldly.

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Before Mu Lingshi finished, Doris pressed the gun in her hand harder against her. Mu Lingshi could only felt her head hurt.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu, don¡¯t you dare lead a good life in this lifetime. I want you to know, Mu Zi, and your two children died because of you, a cold-hearted man like you. I must make you regret everything that you¡¯ve done to me,¡± Doris said as an odd smile shed across her lips and her finger moved slightly.

    ¡°No, please don¡¯t shoot!¡±

    ¡°Doris, you¡¯re insane!¡±

    ¡°Lingshi!¡±

    ¡°Ah Shi!¡±

    Bam!

    Bam bam!

    The sounds of two gunshots were heard almost at the same time.

    Mu Lingshi had already closed her eyes while her expression was calm. She did not feel the fear of impending death at all. She only felt warmth on her face, and the smell of blood assailed her nostrils. The piercing coppery smell almost made her want to just faint, but she did not feel hurt anywhere. Instead, she knew that Doris was behind her.

    She felt that Doris¡¯s arm seemed to have paused, then she fell limp...

    Pa!

    The sound of a piece of metal falling to the ground was heard before Mu Lingshi could react. Doris had already fallen.

    ¡°Lingshi!¡± Ah Mo quickly rushed up and held Mu Lingshi whose legs had given way. In the next instant, Gu Qiwu went up to hold Doris who had copsed too.

    ¡°Doris...¡±

    Doris had been shot right in the middle on that beautiful forehead of hers, and the blood flowed from her wound over her exquisite face. No matter how you looked at it, one still found her features enchanting and captivating.

    As Doris shuddered, she could not focus on Gu Qiwu who held her. Her hands held tightly onto Gu Qiwu¡¯s shirt, yet she could not say a word. In her flickering eyes, you could see faint hints of tears...

    ¡°Doris...why did you cheat on me? Did I not treat you well enough?¡±

    The anger and hatred on Gu Qiwu¡¯s face had faded, and it was reced with lots of sadness and bitterness. He thought that he had actually loved her before, but no matter how much he did, no one had gotten each other¡¯s hearts.

    Well, they were both equally paranoid people.

    ¡°We could have spent the rest of our lives together,¡± Gu Qiwu hugged her tightly and said softly.

    Doris was losing consciousness, gradually losing all her energy. She understood that after this hint of consciousness left her, she would be silenced forever.

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t regret it...I hate you...¡± She struggled as she managed to muster, then she fell limp and stopped moving.

    ¡°Doris! Don¡¯t die!¡± Gu Qiwu held her wrist, his eyes red. ¡°You haven¡¯t exined to me! I haven¡¯t gotten back at you. Why did you have to hurt Lingtian? Wake up! Wake up now!¡±

    When the police saw, they quickly went up to pull Gu Qiwu away, yet he only looked morose as he shuddered at the sight of Doris on the ground. The fresh red blood stained the tombstone, making a stark contrast.

    ...

    ¡°Master...¡±

    On the stairs not too far away, Li Si took a deep breath as well, and then turned to look at Mu Yuchen who stood underneath the umbre.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face was stony as he did not reveal any expression. He just closed his eyes, eased himself, and when he opened them up again, he had returned to his usual calmness.

 Chapter 1384 - Perish 5

    <h4>Chapter 1384 Perish 5</h4>

    He came over and stood there for a while without saying a word. When the gunshots rang out, Xi Xiaye, who was beside him, could feel that he had suddenly tensed up.She suddenly held his hand tightly and looked at Doris who had fallen, and Ah Mo who held Mu Lingshi, she then breathed a sigh of relief, patted his hand, and reassured him, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, Mr. Mu! It¡¯s fine now. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s all over now.¡±

    Her calm constion reached his ears in his dazed state. Then, he gathered himself and turned to peer down at her looking up at him. He consoled his wife with a sigh. Suddenly, he turned to pull her into his arms, feeling a thin hint of warmth from her, and he felt grounded again.

    Xi Xiaye was engulfed in his embrace as she said softly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It will all be well.¡±

    He did not quite answer. Only after a while did he pull her out from his arms, then turn to order Li Si, ¡°I¡¯ll let you handle the rest.¡±

    After that, he pulled Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand to go downstairs.

    ¡°Master...¡± Li Si muttered, but Mu Yuchen had already gradually moved further away.

    The forensics quickly took Doris¡¯s remains, and Gu Qiwu, who was being held down by the police, could only just watch her be taken away.

    She was gone, forever, just gone.

    Gu Qiwu acknowledged that in his heart, but this made him feel more bewildered. He would always be sad. Back then, when they found out that Mu Zixi had jumped to her death and ended her life, he had experienced the same feeling.

    The Elder Madam Gu who had passed away had imed that she was a cold person who had a strong fate, and was determined to have a tough love life.

    Back then, he had justughed about it. Women were not that important to him. In truth, he himself did not know anything, or what should be important to him.

    The Hui Gu Corporation?

    Love?

    Or kinship?

    When he thought about it, it all did not seem right. He never spent much time experiencing these things, so how could he truly understand the preciousness of these things?

    Mu Zixi had once said she loved him, but he had only smiled and let it pass.

    He, Gu Qiwu, did not need any so-called love until he met the elegant and noble-like princess Doris. He wanted to dominate a woman like her, but...at the same time, he did not want to be resigned to mediocre sorrow...

    Mu Zixi and Mu Lingtian were all his closest kin, and they were gone forever. Right now, Gu Qiwu¡¯s heart suddenly felt a pang of pain as his chest could no longer hide the surge of emotions or numb the agony. He began to spit blood out too.

    Pfft!

    ¡°Boss! Are you okay?¡±

    On the side, Ah Yong quickly held Gu Qiwu, and then looked at his boss who had just spit blood in a panic.

    Left with no energy, Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes turned dark and then he fell forward...

    When Ah Yong went up to hold him, he realized that on the side of Gu Qiwu¡¯s right torso...

    The gun that had hit Doris earlier had been fired by a hidden sniper nearby the area. Doris could not move quicker than the sniper, thus that single gunshot tackled her down. Mu Lingshi managed to escape this by a close shave. However, she seemed quite frightened when she remembered that Gu Qiwu had just gone up to her. As a result, the bullet that hit Doris had brushed past Gu Qiwu¡¯s trunk.

    ¡°Boss! Boss! Someone, hurry! Our boss has been shot!¡± Ah Yong then shouted in panic.

    When she heard the shouts, Mu Lingshi, who had not calmed down, looked to the source of the voice and indeed saw Gu Qiwu falling into Ah Yong¡¯s arms...

    ...

    After the storm, there seemed to be a very long period of silence.

    The news of Doris¡¯s death was handled in a low-profile manner, and it did not create a buzz like thest time.

    The Christmas Eve dinner did not get to happen as nned. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went straight back to Maple Residence. As soon as they got home, he suddenly felt a headache. Knowing that he did not feel good, Xi Xiaye let him go upstairs to rest. He did not say anything and obeyed her stern instructions to go to sleep.

    He had been working hard for so many days now, so she knew that he would not be able to take it sooner orter. She hoped he could be more at ease and rest.

    Xi Xiaye did not bother him either. When she saw his even breaths and he seemed like he had fallen asleep, she went downstairs to prepare dinner.

    However, before that, she still called Ah Mo. When she heard that Mu Lingshi was fine, she felt more relieved.

    Mu Yuchen slept very soundly. When he woke up, the sky had long darkened outside. The bedroom lights were not switched either. Even the wallmp by the window was switched off, so the bedroom was pitch dark.

    He felt much better after a good sleep. He got up, walked to the window, and pulled open the heavy curtains. Faint light poured in, and Mu Yuchen stood there leisurely with his arms behind his back. When he looked up, he suddenly realized that a hazy crescent moon hung high up in the faraway night sky, appearing a little bleak and gloomy.

    He had only stood there for a while when the gentle sound of the piano was heard. In surprise, he turned towards the door, and suddenly the bedroom was lit up as his own wife walked in through the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake? How are you feeling now?¡± She walked over in concern and felt his forehead. When she did not notice anything out of the ordinary, she was relieved.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little tired, I feel much better after a sleep. The night is quite lovely tonight,¡± he said, and then suddenly walked over to switch off the lights, leaving only one lit by the wall as he pointed at the night sky through the window.

    Xi Xiaye looked to where he pointed as well, and the hazy crescent moon greeted her sight. When the man beside her quickly reached out to pull her into an embrace, Xi Xiaye could hear his heavy breathing.

    ¡°Do you hate Doris? Mr. Mu, it was she who...¡± she suddenly asked softly.

    ¡°How could I hate her for long? As long as I know I¡¯m not such a sinner, I can¡¯t be bothered about the rest of it.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel very worn out?¡± She turned and looked up at him.

    The cold moonlight was reflected on his handsome face, and she could not quite look away.

    ¡°If I say I am, would you feel sad for me?¡± he teased with a smile.

    ¡°Pretentious!¡± She shot him an annoyed nce, yet her lips contained a smile. ¡°Li Si just called earlier. I picked up his call. Doris¡¯s matter has been handed over for the police to handle. Gu Qiwu had a gunshot scrape at the waist, so he¡¯s been hospitalized for treatment. Ah Shi is fine. She¡¯s just in shock. Ah Mo has returned to the old residence with her, and Grandfather and the rest are aware of the whole incident.¡±

 Chapter 1385 - Perish 6

    <h4>Chapter 1385 Perish 6</h4>

    He silently listened but did not say anything after that. He only reached out to caress her long hair that fell along her back.

    When she saw that he did not respond, she softly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything you want to say?¡±

    ¡°What do I say? This is what I wanted, and this oue was within my expectations.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to Doris¡¯s end?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    Mu Yuchen slowly moved his arm away from around her waist and answered calmly, ¡°Right from the start, I never thought of letting Doris leave City Z, so I could only cut her wings first, but she was smart too. She arranged for Gu Lingsha to leave, but the move was a step slower than I anticipated.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard his revtion, she could not help but sigh. The image of Doris copsing reyed in her head once again, and her heart could not help but tighten. ¡°What do you think Gu Qiwu feels about Doris? I really can¡¯t see through him. To say that he really cared about Doris, it doesn¡¯t seem quite like it either, much less Aunt.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t know the answer to this either. All of the worries from before might fade with Doris, ande to a full stop. It¡¯s time for these things to end now,¡± he responded, then walked over to switch the lights on again.

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she followed after him. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready downstairs. Come down to eat when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ...

    It was night time, so the wind was colder than in the day. When one stood on the balcony, one could hear the whistling in the ears.

    ¡°Master, Miss Doris is gone...¡± Morrison¡¯s soft voice came through as he carefully watched Qi Feng hold his phone.

    When Qi Feng heard the update, gloominess disyed itself on his face. He could not quite tell what he was feeling. As he silently put his phone aside on the table, his raspy voice contained a forced calmness,. ¡°This is as expected given the fact that Doris was pushed to that extent. Mu Yuchen...how should I deal with you?¡±

    ¡°Doris admitted that she nned that ident six years ago, killed Mu Lingtian, and hurt you and Miss Lingsha. I think the reason she went onto this fatal path was that she wanted to die with Mu Lingshi, perhaps to redeem herself. Glenn said that she didn¡¯t intend to hurt you and Miss Lingsha, but some things were fated,¡± Morrison said, ¡°Thankfully, she took on the whole thing and didn¡¯t expose us for your sake, Master, but now I¡¯m afraid they already know about this in Ennd. I¡¯m a little worried about Miss Lingsha.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression darkened. He looked down at his legs and his gaze was exceptionallyplicated. He never could have guessed that the person who caused him to be like this today would be Doris!

    His mother-inw!

    When he thought about this, he could not help butugh about the irony of it all, and as heughed, he suddenly felt depressed.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu was shot too. He was sent to the hospital. He seemed to be quite affected. I heard he even puked blood. Meanwhile, Mu Lingshi is alright. Mu Yuchen got his personal assistant, Li Si, to settle Doris¡¯s funeral arrangements though it might take a few more days before Miss Doris will be buried. Master, should we let Miss Lingshae home to see Doris onest time?¡± Morrison asked for further instructions.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was sunken whereas his head felt heavy as he propped his head on one hand exhaustedly. He tried to rx for a while, then answered, ¡°Arrange for her toe home. Bring Weiwei along. Go and settle Doris¡¯s funeral, but don¡¯t rm anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Yes, First Master! Right, First Master, Second Master Qi has returned to Grand Waves Vi tonight. CEO Qi has sent people over to ask him to go home, but he ignored them,¡± Morrison quickly updated on Qi Lei¡¯s situation.

    ¡°Is this his rebirth? The fact that he even made it out is quite surprising. If I had known, I¡¯d have been crueler back then, and now we wouldn¡¯t be faced with so many worries. Morrison, say, have I be indecisive now? Is that why I¡¯m being attacked from all sides now?¡± Qi Feng sneered. As for Qi Feng¡¯s passing, he did not seem very sad because he had long prepared for that, so he could only calmly ept all of it. However, he did feel his uneasiness grow.

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t think too much. We¡¯re still safe for now, but caution will do us good. Still, Master, it¡¯s best if we establish our influence at the office right now. Who knows what might happen in between things? CEO Qi¡¯s thoughts have begun to sway. Plus, with Miss Doris¡¯s incident, if CEO Qi were to think from the Qi family¡¯s perspective, he¡¯d probably have to reposition you and Second Master Qi again.¡±

    Even though Morrison did not have the heart to, he had to still brace himself and mention these things.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng¡¯s expression did not change, yet his gaze darkened slightly. He breathed in, then could not help but sigh and say, ¡°I never thought that my younger brother would know how to ride on power, and I thought we were the one controlling the narrative, but it looks like Mu Yuchen might not be weightless. Is he trying to help Qi Lei climb up?¡±

    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t understand how someone like Second Master Qi could have fallen in with Mu Yuchen and the rest. Mu Yuchen clipped Doris¡¯s wings off so that she wouldn¡¯t be able to make aeback. On one hand, it was for Mu Lingshi to have a fighting chance at Hui Gu, and on the other hand, they cut off all our backup help. I¡¯ve always thought that he might not just want to get back Doris.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s someone who won¡¯t make a loss in business transcations. As for the fight between me and Qi Lei, if he must join, then our chances at winning aren¡¯t huge, Morrison.¡±

    Qi Feng was very self-aware of his own capabilities. When it came to his background, what he should do, and what he should not do, he knew it very well. He would do his best meticulously most times. Otherwise, he would have been worn out from all these years of acting.

    When Qi Feng said that, Morrison¡¯s eyes darkened, and he could not help but sigh. ¡°What should we do now, Master? If we really can¡¯t, then we just shouldn¡¯t do it...¡±

    Before Morrison could finish, Qi Feng had already lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°Not unless it is absolutely necessary. I don¡¯t want to take this step. After the New Year is the annual shareholders¡¯ meeting, so we¡¯ll y by ear then. As for Doris¡¯s incident, you can forget about it,¡± he said. Then, he put his hands gently on the armrest of the wheelchair and tried to get up. Although it was tough, he did get a second in. Soon, he fell limp again...

 Chapter 1386 - Realization 1

    <h4>Chapter 1386 Realization 1</h4>

    ¡°First Master!¡± Morrison yelled in shock as he quickly went over to help him up.

    However, Qi Feng pushed him away and clung onto the wheelchair stubbornly as he stood up again. His posture was still shaky, but he managed to stand on his own.

    Morrison saw big droplets of sweat dripping off Qi Feng¡¯s face while his expression was strained from the pain he was experiencing. Veins appeared on the back of his hand, showing just how much force he was exerting.

    Although Morrison watched all this quietly, he was vignt as well in case Qi Feng fell. He was delighted when Qi Lei managed to stand. ¡°Master, you can stand! You¡¯re finally standing again!¡±

    Qi Feng panted and carefully tried to walk...

    Morrison noticed that Qi Feng seemed happy even though his forehead was all sweaty at the moment.

    ¡°Professor Terl is really something. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to fully recover soon!¡± Morrison was really thrilled.

    Qi Feng sat back onto his wheelchair as Morrison handed him some tissue. ¡°Please use this to wipe off your sweat. I bet you¡¯ll be able to stand properly in the near future!¡±

    Qi Feng wiped the sweat off his forehead and took a deep breath. ¡°In the past six years, I¡¯ve been trapped because of this.¡±

    ¡°Master...Ms. Doris said this wasn¡¯t her intention. She was against Mu Lingtian and didn¡¯t expect both Ms. Lingsha and you to be in the car. I think the reason she held Mu Lingshi hostage this time and wanted to get rid of Mu Lingshi was to exact revenge for you.¡± Morrison was not sure how to judge Doris. In fact, he felt sorry for her, but...

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened when Doris was mentioned. Momentster, he said, ¡°I never expected her to be the one who got me stuck in a wheelchair. Morrison, do you understand how I feel?¡±

    It was hard to distinguish the emotions behind Qi Feng¡¯s t tone.

    ¡°First Master, I...¡±

    ¡°Doris yed us on her chessboard. Even Lingsha became one of her chess pieces.¡± Qi Feng suddenly felt his head getting heavy, and he seemed tired. ¡°Mu Yuchen was involved as well. She really did pull a big one on all of us!¡±

    His speech sounded hateful, and the chill that Morrison felt from him sent shivers down his spine. ¡°No wonder she was wary around me all the time.¡±

    ¡°Master, Doris is already gone now. As for this...¡±

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and gave it some thought before replying, ¡°Handle things as they are now. Leave the rest forter. I¡¯m tired. You can go back first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, First Master.¡± When Morrison noticed the chaos in Qi Feng¡¯s eyes, he quickly wheeled him out of the room.

    ...

    It was already the next morning when Gu Qiwu woke up.

    What happened yesterday felt like a dream to him. He stared at the empty ceiling without moving an inch.

    ¡°Master, he¡¯s already woken up. His injuries are alright, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood,¡± Li Si said quietly.

    Mu Yuchen nodded before heading in. The dark shadow at the door caught Gu Qiwu¡¯s attention. He then saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Gu Qiwu sat up as he spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told Li Si to take care of Doris¡¯s funeral. Take your time to heal.¡± Mu Yuchen seemed conflicted when he noticed that Gu Qiwu suddenly looked much older afterst night. He never expected Gu Qiwu to shield Mu Lingshi when Doris pulled the trigger.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. How¡¯s Lingshi?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone sounded t and his voice felt a little weak.

    ¡°She¡¯s alright, just a little shocked.¡± Mu Yuchen stood by his bed and looked at him from above.

    Gu Qiwu was slightly relieved as he leaned back onto the bed and had a rare smile across his face. It was a very bitter smile.

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s karma though I don¡¯t think I¡¯m bound by anything in this world. I had to believe in karma after having gone through so much. I got what I deserve, so there was no escape from this.¡± Gu Qiwu sighed.

    Mu Yuchen watched him quietly for a while before pouring him a ss of water which Gu Qiwu epted as he grabbed a chair and sat down.

    ¡°Ah Chen, how big do you think your heart is? Could you have another woman in it other than Xi Xiaye?¡± Gu Qiwu took a sip of water before asking Mu Yuchen.

    For some reason, Mu Yuchen and Gu Qiwu were able to have a peaceful conversation with each other.

    Perhaps Mu Yuchen found the deep mncholy within this man rtable to himself. That was what he thought at the moment. He actually never knew what Gu Qiwu was truly thinking as the man had always been an unsolvable mystery in Mu Yuchen¡¯s mind...

    And yet, they were having a conversation like this right now.

    Mu Yuchen gave Gu Qiwu¡¯s question some serious thought. ¡°I can¡¯t. It¡¯ll only be her from now till forever.¡±

    A light glinted in Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes as he smiled and said, ¡°The people from the Mu family are so loyal. Your aunt used to tell me that with the same determination and expression that you have.¡±

 Chapter 1387 - Realization 2

    <h4>Chapter 1387 Realization 2</h4>

    Gu Qiwu seemed distracted for a moment.

    ¡°Making just one wrong decision in life can cost you so dearly. If I weren¡¯t so stubborn back then, there might¡¯ve been a good chance that I could be your uncle.¡± Gu Qiwu did not deny the possibility.

    ¡°But you said you had no feelings for her,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Gu Qiwu nodded and sighed. ¡°While it¡¯s true that I can¡¯t say we were in love, I never meant to take her feelings lightly. We were more like friends when we were together. I might not be able to tell Doris about the things I can talk to your aunt about. It sure was rxing andfortable to be by her side.¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not understand Gu Qiwu. If they had been friends, then why...?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make any excuses. In fact, I¡¯ve pondered between whether to regret it or not over the years. However, not knowing how to appreciate things during my earlier years was one of the reasons this happened today.¡± Gu Qiwu paused here and drank some water. He lowered his head and seemed to be reminiscing the past.

    ¡°No matter what you say, you let her down and pushed her into the deep, dark abyss,¡± Mu Yuchen reminded him of the cold, hard truth.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, and I¡¯ve never denied that. Your aunt¡¯s misfortune happened because of me. I don¡¯t expect much from my rtionships. It¡¯s not like I never hesitated when I married Doris back then, but it was a hard time for Hui Gu, so...¡± Gu Qiwu put on a bitter smile. ¡°If we have a chance to go back in time, your aunt might not want to meet me again, and I don¡¯t want things to be soplicated. The current matters wouldn¡¯t happen if there was nothing, to begin with.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gotten involved with her if you never nned to be with her. Although my father mentioned she was rebellious, she was soft-hearted and she didn¡¯t deserve to be trampled over by you. You caused her, Lingtian, and Lingshi pain, don¡¯t you understand? You¡¯re Lingtian and Lingshi¡¯s father, yet you¡¯ve never fulfilled a father¡¯s responsibility to them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to make excuses for my mistake. I don¡¯t mind bearing all the burden if it helps everyone feel better. I thought Lingtian¡¯s sudden death was caused by you, but who would¡¯ve thought that I was the main cause instead?¡± Gu Qiwu opened his palms and looked at them as if he had something dirty on them. ¡°My hands are filled with my son¡¯s blood. I suppose I¡¯ll go to hell after I die...¡±

    ¡°Do you think that you deserve to die because of the sins you¡¯vemitted?¡± Mu Yuchen had a tiny little grin on his face.

    Gu Qiwu took a deep breath and looked at him as his eyes darkened. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him for a moment before averting his gaze towards the window frame. ¡°I can¡¯t make any decision regarding Lingshi. Grandfather said he¡¯d like to meet you though,¡± he finally told him the purpose of his visit.

    Mu Yinan?

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes shrunk slightly as he looked at Mu Yuchen who stood up and casually adjusted his buttons. ¡°Doris is gone now, and the truth of what happened six years ago was revealed. I shouldn¡¯t really have grudges any longer since I¡¯ve proven my innocence now. However, I¡¯m not as happy as I thought. I¡¯m sure you know the reason why.¡±

    ¡°Did you know that Doris was behind it from the beginning?¡± Gu Qiwu asked.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°I might have thought of that if it weren¡¯t for Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s involvement in the ident too, but the truth couldn¡¯t stay hidden forever. What do you think?¡±

    Although Gu Qiwu posed a question, he already knew the answer. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been plotting how to go against us from the beginning? Starting from Qi Feng and Lingsha¡¯s wedding?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at him. ¡°My intention back then was just to try to help Lingshi. I didn¡¯t think that my friend in New York would¡¯ve sent me news about Doris. From the file that I saved, I found that the person who handled this case years ago was someone she knew well. This made me more alert, and of course, there was also that pen that was auctioned. You should remember that, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Doris was an extremely proud person. Why would she turn up at the auction with Lingsha for Lingtian¡¯s sake unless she had some other thoughts? So, I sent someone to look into her. She¡¯s quite good. I spent a lot of time before I finally found some traces from years ago. It was only recently when the DNA test for you and Lingtian from seven years agonded in my hands did everythinge to light.¡±

    Upon hearing Mu Yuchen say that, Gu Qiwu smiled defeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s also because of that that Doris and I are where we are now, including how I found out her infidelity and the truth about Lingtian¡¯s death! Ah Chen, you stabbed all of these right into my heart, and truly, I couldn¡¯t hit back. However, I still have to thank you for letting me know all of this even if I didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Please arrange for the meeting with Elder Mu. I think we do indeed have to meet.¡±

    ¡°Doris¡¯s funeral won¡¯t be held so soon, but you can take onest look at her,¡± Mu Yuchen also said.

    Gu Qiwu shook his head and said in a low, raspy voice, ¡°No need. Some things have been worn down in between conflicts, so it¡¯s best not to.¡±

    ¡°Are your feelings for her stronger than for Aunt?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Gu Qiwu slowly closed his eyes and said calmly, ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t love her as much as I think I did, I still did care for her. Zixi¡¯s different. With her, it was more suitable for us to be intimate friends. Even if I married her back then, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d...If back then, we could¡¯ve all been more rational and clear these things up, we wouldn¡¯t be where we are today.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯d make the mistake of being rash too?¡± Mu Yuchenughed coldly.

    ¡°If you want tough at me, then go ahead,¡± Gu Qiwu said with a lowered voice.

 Chapter 1388 - Realization 3

    <h4>Chapter 1388 Realization 3</h4>

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression was calm. He just shot him a side nce, then dropped his gaze and thought about it for a moment before his lowered voice then rang out, ¡°I have onest question to ask you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Qiwu did not open his eyes when he answered.

    ¡°Did you really have nothing to do with Wang Qin¡¯s death at all?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s silent gaze suddenly turned sharp as he fixed his eyes on Gu Qiwu, not wanting to miss any changes in his expression. ¡°Maybe you have some thoughts on Wang Qin¡¯s death, hmm?¡±

    When he asked his, Gu Qiwu was stunned. Moments after that, he slowly opened his eyes and met Mu Yuchen¡¯s questioning gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with me. I admit that I sent the assassin, but my intention then was just to send you a warning and not have you obstruct my movements in City Z. Sadly, you all managed to get out of that sticky situation. I also got my people to contact that assassin after that, but it seemed like he had vanished into thin air as I couldn¡¯t find him,¡± Gu Qiwu said calmly.

    ¡°Do you know why that happened?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted at him and asked coldly.

    Gu Qiwu fell silent, but he did not answer. A while after, he said, ¡°This incident has passed for so long. Ah Chen, I suggest that you don¡¯t look into it anymore. It doesn¡¯t do you or anyone else any good. Even if you know the whole story, it might not be a good thing. Take me for example right now, or rather, look at us right now. Do you understand?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen only looked at him with an unfathomable gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it, just like how someone like you wouldn¡¯t understand what affection, kinship, friendship, and even romance are. You never understood any one of those.¡±

    As Gu Qiwu listened, he paused, and his expression darkend. He did not say anything more afterwards.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome figure passed him.

    Mu Yuchen was about to walk out of the ward when Gu Qiwu suddenly called out to stop him, ¡°Ah Chen!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s footsteps stopped too.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s worn-out voice was raspy and concealed uneasiness as he asked, ¡°Say, do you think Lingshi will acknowledge me as her father?¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped walking, and while his back faced him, he thought about it before answering indifferently without turning around, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    When Gu Qiwu heard his reply, his face instantly drained to an ashen pale tone, then he forced a smile and nodded. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what you think...Thank you...¡±

    Mu Yuchen then walked out of the door.

    The door closed with a loud bang as if it was a hammer that pounded against Gu Qiwu¡¯s heart.

    He did not know how to describe his feelings right now. Nheless, he released a long sigh, and when he turned to look out the window, he noticed that the sun was high up in the sky. The warm winter sun shone onto a corner of the window.

    He had never been someone who realized things quickly. Furthermore, he was not quite enlightened about anything given all that had happened recently. However, from now on, he could feel that his life was a little dull now. Apart from the loneliness that always apanied him, there was another invisibleyer of bleakness.

    Mu Zixi...

    Her bright little face could not help but sh across Gu Qiwu¡¯s mind.

    He remembered her clearly. She was impressively beautiful, and her grace was one worth cherishing no matter what. Sadly, the good times were a thing of the past, and she was no more.

    Mu Lingtian, their son, was his first child.

    Gu Qiwu admitted that when he first met Mu Lingtian, he was biased towards him. There was not much he could do with the feelings he held in and could not express.

    If he were to go back in time, if he had known that Doris would have used such an extreme method to hurt Lingtian, he might not have chosen to conceal things. Maybe, if he had not felt any love for Doris, that would have been fine.

    Gu Qiwu cleared his thoughts. With the truthid out before him, he finally had to admit that he was just muddling through life. He was not as free and at ease as he thought. His heart clung onto no one, and no one¡¯s heart clung onto him...

    This was true sorrow.

    He did not want to keep thinking about this, and he dared not to.

    ...

    When he walked out of hospital T, Mu Yuchen felt quite heavy though his expression was indifferent. Li Si watched him carefully and could see that he had something on his mind.

    The car drove ahead for quite a distance before Li Si could not help asking, ¡°Master, if Gu Qiwu knows something about Wang Qin, why won¡¯t he say anything? Does he want to spend the rest of his life in jail? Yang Sheng probably knows something about this since he¡¯s calling to ask. I¡¯m worried about Second Qi...¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei isn¡¯t the kind of person who can¡¯t distinguish between right or wrong. He would have his own opinion on things. When this passes, get him to meet me,¡± Mu Yuchen said after snapping back from his deep thoughts.

    Li Si did not dare say more. He then picked up a magazine from the side to flip through.

    ¡°How are Doris¡¯s funeral arrangementsing along?¡± Mu Yuchen asked calmly.

    ¡°Master, Qi Feng sent Morrison to handle the funeral. I¡¯ve ordered the subordinates to be cooperative. Gu Lingsha¡¯s ne might bending in City Z tonight, and I¡¯m worried that...¡±

    He heard that Doris and Gu Lingsha were close, and based on Doris¡¯s final move, Li Si could already guess that she had not intended on letting Mu Lingshi live. That way, Hui Gu could be Gu Lingsha¡¯s, and this was not a difficult possibility to specte. From the way she criticized Mu Zi, he could already sense it.

    When he saw Mu Yuchen fall silent, Li Si sighed and expressed his hope out loud, ¡°May Gu Lingsha ept Doris¡¯s atonement before she died and not go down the same path as Doris.¡±

    After a while, the silent Mu Yuchen spoke up, ¡°Arrange things with Gu Qiwu. Find a way to bail him out, and honor our previousmitment.¡±

    When Li Si heard his instructions, he frowned. ¡°Master, but I¡¯m afraid that the thing with Mr. Gu will be difficult to handle. I¡¯m worried that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s difficult, we have to do it. That evidence can¡¯t be used as direct evidence. Besides, isn¡¯t the murderer still atrge? Let the authorities spend more time catching the suspect whomited the crime,¡± Mu Yuchen coldly cut him off before he could finish.

    Bewildered, when Li Si noticed Mu Yuchen¡¯s cold expression, he thought about it, then softly said, ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

 Chapter 1389 - Realization 4

    <h4>Chapter 1389 Realization 4</h4>

    After that, all Mu Yuchen said was, ¡°Go straight back to the old house. Pick Madam up from New Era za first.¡±Since it was Christmas today, it was very lively in New York. Although City Z could not keep up with New York, it was still livelier than usual. As cars whizzed through the streets, Christmas carols could be heard.Mu Yuchen sat quietly while Li Si just silently observed in the front. The car drove through the streets swiftly and went towards the concrete avenue leading to New Era za.

    From a distance, Xi Xiaye could be seen waiting in her ck coat. Just as the car came to a stop in front of her, Mu Yuchen had already reached out to help her open the car door. She got into the car, her body still chilly.

    ¡°Cold?¡± Mu Yuchen thoughtfully grabbed a Thermos sk, poured her half a cup of hot water, and handed it to her.

    Xi Xiaye brushed her messy hair and then reached out for the cup of water. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Fortunately, today isn¡¯t as cold as yesterday, but it is rather windy.¡±

    ¡°Have the procedures beenpleted?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded. She had gone to the bank to deal with some financial affairs today. Coincidentally, Mu Yuchen was going to the hospital to see Gu Qiwu, so she went along with him.

    ¡°What did Gu Qiwu say? You seem to have something on your mind.¡± She quickly noticed that something was wrong with him. After all, she seemed to be able to read his thoughts more easily now.

    He listened and nced up at her. His tone was very calm as he said, ¡°It¡¯s about Aunt and Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s someone that is hard to read. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s the only person who understands himself. If I were Lingshi, I¡¯m afraid there would be no way to convince myself to forgive him, Mr. Mu. However, this matter should be up to Lingshi to decide for herself. There¡¯s only so much we can do, alright?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was also very calm as she focused on him.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°She makes her own decision.¡±

    She finished the water in the cup and returned it, then pulled Mu Yuchen¡¯s big hand onto herp and held it gently. ¡°This is also a happy matter. Years of being restrained and tolerating have finallye to light.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen gave a chuckle and replied, ¡°I know. It¡¯s not this that I¡¯m worried about. It¡¯s Qi Lei. If his affairs can¡¯t be solved, Xi Xinyi¡¯s matters will be affected.¡±

    Xi Xinyi...

    Upon hearing this name, Xi Xiaye was startled. She had almost forgotten about her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see how it goes. After this incident, it¡¯s really hard to tell how bad Qi Qiming¡¯s rtionship with Qi Lei will get. Based on the current situation, Qi Lei is already independent. Qi Kai is most likely going to be Qi Feng¡¯s. Do you really expect Qi Feng to retreat? In my opinion, that¡¯s simply impossible.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that¡¯s impossible?¡±

    Right after Xi Xiaye said that, Mu Yuchen immediately looked at her while he was deep in thought.

    ¡°Well, do you have any ideas?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him, unconvinced.

    Mu Yuchen smiled mysteriously. ¡°Why do you think Doris took Qi Lei this time? Obviously, she could¡¯ve just taken Ah Mo.¡±

    After the incident between Ah Mo and Qi Lei, everyone was just busy looking for them. No one really went into detail about the root cause of this problem.

    Now that this was brought up, Xi Xiaye was also taken aback and bewildered. She stared at Mu Yuchen in a daze.

    ¡°Doris and Qi Lei aren¡¯t worth much. Moreover, unlike us, they don¡¯t have many grievances. Initially, I didn¡¯t realize this problem until Li Si reminded me about it. This time, Doris was determined to take Lingshi with her and perish together, and I suddenly understood something.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that the reason why Doris kidnapped Qi Lei is very likely because of Gu Lingsha? No, it should be because of Qi Feng! Because Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha are still husband and wife! As long as Qi Lei copses, Qi Feng will mean no threat to Qi Kai, just like this time. If something happens to Lingshi, then Hui Gu will be in Gu Lingsha¡¯s back pocket, is that right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood Mu Yuchen immediately and she stared wide-eyed at the man beside her.

    As he smiled and nodded, he nced at her admiringly and wrapped his long arms around her shoulders before saying proudly, ¡°Missus, you are really getting smarter by the day. I¡¯m such a lucky husband!¡±

    ¡°Hey...¡± Xi Xiaye could feel her face flushing when he said that.

    ¡°It¡¯s apliment!¡±

    As she shyly turned her head away and looked out of the car window, he chuckled and exined, ¡°That¡¯s just my guess. I heard that he suddenly got very close to Doris some time ago. I think his rtionship with her was a little unusualpared to before.¡±

    ¡°Unusual means that something must be going on! Mr. Mu, now that Doris¡¯s matter has been resolved, and Gu Qiwu is also stable for the time being, we don¡¯t have to worry that much. Let¡¯s do a thorough investigation of Qi Feng. Qi Kai is about to convene a shareholders¡¯ meetingter this year, and Qi Lei¡¯spany will also be formed, so there is no room for mistakes.¡±

    ¡°You care about his matters more than you care about me.¡± He nced at her sourly.

    She could not help but turn her head and look at him. ¡°You mentioned it first. I also feel like you are more interested in him than you are in me. Does that mean that there¡¯s something unspeakable going on between you?¡±

    As she said this, her slightly jealous tone made Mu Yuchen pleased. He quickly held her so that she was pressed up against his chest. He smiled. ¡°Nonsense, you know me best. Qi Lei is rugged and stout. How could he be my type?¡±

    ¡°Rugged and stout? Qi Lei? Aren¡¯t you like that too? Otherwise, you...¡± Xi Xiaye gulped as she said, and a beautiful image came into her mind. Yes, she was imagining Mu Yuchen with...

    When Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes sensed something dangerous, he grabbed her wrist. ¡°I¡¯ll prove to you that only you can satisfy me.¡±

    ¡°Ahem! Cough cough!¡± When Li Si heard this from the front, his eyes widened, and he was shocked to overhear the conversation between Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye!

    He did not recognize this Master, certainly not his icy cold Master! Absolutely not!

    Was the Master¡¯s restless hand actually touching the Missus¡¯? He could see it clearly in the rearview mirror from the front!

 Chapter 1390 - Still Father and Son? 1

    <h4>Chapter 1390 Still Father and Son? 1</h4>

    The chilly downpoursted very long, but today there were finally hints of a warm sun. The wind was quite strong, and the wet ground was almost dry now.

    At the entrance of the Grand Lake Vi area, a luxurious ck car slowly drove along the clear road, and along the curved trail, it soon stopped before a posh vi.

    The car door slowly opened, and a man dressed in a tailored suit got down. He looked like an assistant or a secretary. Quickly, he went to the back seat and opened the door.

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯re here. I¡¯ve just checked earlier, and Second Master is home!¡± the secretary said.

    Qi Qiming slowly got down from the car and looked up to squint at this vi before him. He could vaguely remember that Wang Qin had bought this vi a while back, and then given it to Qi Lei to live in. It had quite a pleasant environment.

    Qi Qiming stood there and looked on for a while before walking in. ¡°Let¡¯s go in. Get him to open the door.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi!¡±

    ...

    When he heard the doorbell ring, Qi Lei was leisurely making lunch in the kitchen.

    Actually, a while back, Qi Lei had set his mind to being a good self-reliant man. It had been quite some time since he became very interested in culinary arts, and gradually, the food that he made smelled, looked, and tasted great.

    The kitchen in his vi went from being an open kitchen to a closed kitchen. It was huge, so it was easier to move around in. Right now, there was soup on the stove while two tes of side dishes were set aside. Everything looked quite delicious.

    The doorbell rang for quite a while. He unhurriedly scooped up the third dish from the pan, and then put it onto the dining table before strolling slowly to the door.

    When he saw that it was Qi Qiming outside the door through the screen, he raised his brows slightly. He thought about it for a moment, then pressed the button for the door to open before he turned around to return to the kitchen.

    In front of the door, Qi Qiming had waited for quite a while, but he did not see Qi Lei opening the door, so he began to look unhappy. He kept his annoyance in for a while and was about to call Qi Lei when the door opened automatically. Then, his expression eased before he quickly went in.

    He had just walked into the living room when he saw that it was empty. Qi Qiming looked around and soon saw the few tes of dishes on the dining table which were still steaming. He walked over to take a look, noticing that everything appeared quite appetizing even though it was just a few simple dishes and soup...

    Qi Qiming was stunned. He looked around again but did not see Qi Lei. He hesitated for a moment and was about to walk to the kitchen when he heard a sound from inside. Before he could react, a tall figure suddenly greeted his sight.

    Qi Lei was walking out of the kitchen with a dish and a pair of bowl and chopsticks to Qi Qiming¡¯s surprise. His serene gaze followed Qi Lei¡¯s movements until the younger man put the dish on the dining table, and elegantly wiped his hand with a wet towel. Then, he snapped back to his senses.

    When did Qi Lei learn how to cook?

    Even though Qi Qiming was usually quite indifferent about Qi Lei, he did know his son a little.

    Wang Qin was a very powerful person. She had long thought of how she could cultivate their son, Qi Lei, to be like her, so when it came to things like the culinary arts, she did not seem to agree to him spending too much on it. Instead, she let Qi Lei allocate more time for business and work though Wang Qin herself was a great cook.

    Qi Lei sat down calmly and took the sake from the side. When he saw that Qi Qiming remained standing across him, he said coldly, ¡°Do you want some?¡±

    Qi Qiming did not expect him to offer the drink, so his mind nked out momentarily. He looked down at Qi Lei who had a calm expression, and felt distant from him. He did not know why his heart sank slightly as if he could not breathe easily.

    After a while, he sat down. His assistant swiftly went to get him another pair of bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen and served Qi Qiming the sake.

    ¡°Wait for me outside,¡± Qi Qiming waved and said to the assistant.

    ¡°Okay, CEO Qi!¡± The assistant left the living room quickly.

    Qi Lei did not seem to react as he silently held up his drink and sipped it with ease. After that, he picked up his chopsticks and began eating.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s gaze remained on him. He examined him for quite a while and felt as if he was quite different now...

    After a long time, Qi Qiming picked up the drink and slowly had a taste. Upon seeing that Qi Lei was silently eating and seemed to n on ignoring him, he struggled for a bit, then asked softly, ¡°When did you get back?¡±

    Actually, Qi Qiming knew the answer to this, but he still could not help asking.

    Qi Lei¡¯s hand slowed down to a pause, yet he did not look up at Qi Qiming. Instead, he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. You shouldn¡¯t havee over either.¡±

    Qi Qiming stiffened. When he saw that Qi Lei continued what he was doing, he sighed. This response was within his expectations. He had actually prepared lengthily before going over today. Because he had been thinking hard about many things recently, he admitted that apart from being harsh to this son of his, he wondered if it was because he always thought of Wang Qin, but he felt the guilt increasing by the day, so he had to have a good talk with Qi Lei.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re unhappy with me about the incident this time. In fact, it¡¯s probably not just because of this. As your father, I owe you too much. I¡¯m not qualified to be a father.¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was soft and slow while his voice seemed to carry hints of fatigue.

    However, when Qi Lei heard him, a dim light shed across his eyes. He then looked up nonchntly at Qi Qiming indifferently before saying, ¡°You seem to be quite self-conscious, but from what I see, you¡¯re a very qualified father, but only to Qi Feng. That¡¯s got nothing to do with me.¡±

    After he finished, Qi Lei looked away and continued to eat with his head down.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression darkened. He sighed to himself, picked up the drink, and took a reluctant sip. He silently looked at the tempting dishes, and suddenly remembered that these seemed to be the very ones that Wang Qin used to always make. They were all dishes that Qi Lei liked.

 Chapter 1391 - Still Father and Son? 2

    <h4>Chapter 1391 Still Father and Son? 2</h4>

    Qi Qiming was in a daze again. Haunted by the thought of Wang Qin in his nightmares for days, he was exhausted. Even after seeing a psychologist privately, his symptoms persisted.

    Of course, it was not really about the nightmares. It was how Wang Qin would look at him in disgust every time, or how she turned around in disdain every time.

    He had to admit that Wang Qin had been on his mind. He felt extremely ridiculed by that fact, but he could feel indescribable loneliness and grief in his heart.

    She was gone!

    While his mind still wandered, he finally took his chopsticks and picked up a thin slice of sweet and sour tofu in front of him, and put it in his mouth.

    It tasted very good. It reminded him of Wang Qin¡¯s cooking though he did not seem to recall paying much attention to Wang Qin¡¯s cooking before because every time they sat down together, the tension between them was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. Over time, he just got tired of it.

    While Qi Qiming ate three slices one after another, he ate very slowly. Opposite him, Qi Lei was eating just as slowly as he was. It seemed like he did not even notice that Qi Qiming was opposite him.

    It was strange that even though Qi Lei¡¯s attitude was cold, Qi Qiming felt content at this moment. He seemed to feel a sense of satisfaction and peace of mind. In fact, it had been a while since the father and son sat down and enjoyed lunch together quietly.

    If Wang Qin was still there, it would still be great for the family to get together like this and share a meal.

    While Qi Qiming was eating, there was a lot going on in his heart. It was overwhelming and he found it hard to breathe. After collecting his thoughts, he looked at Qi Lei and said calmly, ¡°You probably don¡¯t want to see me now. Honestly, I¡¯m sad about what happened to your mother. Recently, I¡¯ve been dreaming about me and her in the past, and I have to admit that I was a bit of an a*shole.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that. I don¡¯t want to be reminded or think about all that again. You can go back after this meal. After all, even without me, you still have another son. Mother and I are connected, and one can¡¯t go on without the other. You don¡¯t need to feel guilty, and there¡¯s no need to feel sorry for me or my mother. From your point of view, you¡¯d think you were right if you were more selfish.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was very calm. He did not even look at Qi Qiming as he said this. He looked as if he was dead inside while his face was calm as still water. Qi Qiming could feel the pang of hurt in his heart again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about things these days. Instead of getting disgusted by the sight of me, it would be better for us to just not see each other again. I¡¯m not trying to get anything out of that, unlike Mother. I want to cut all ties, but it¡¯s a pity that the blood I carry is yours and that¡¯s an undeniable fact. I wish I could just remove everything in my body that is yours and return them, but I¡¯m afraid of pain.¡±

    ¡°Lei, you are my son, and that will forever be the truth.¡± He felt hurt by Qi Lei¡¯s words, so he immediately cut Qi Lei off. ¡°You are ming me for this incident...for not getting you out in time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore. Anyway, I¡¯m safe and sound now. Now, I¡¯m giving everyone the opportunity to stand on their own feet, be self-reliant, and stop thinking about Qi Kai. I also don¡¯t want us to meet and get sick of each other. Is it that difficult?¡±

    ¡°I have never thought about driving you out of our family. Lei, you will always remain part of the family, do you understand?¡± Qi Qiming had never felt so powerless, helpless, or even...

    ¡°Do you really think I can still be part of this family now?¡± Qi Lei rebutted while filling the cup in front of him and downing it in one shot. ¡°Please let me be. I¡¯ll be grateful to you. Father, I beg you. If you won¡¯t leave me alone, the next thing I¡¯ll deal with will be death just like Mother!¡±

    Qi Lei gently put the cup in his hand down as he said that. He got up, and without looking at Qi Qiming again, he turned around and walked towards the stairs.

    ¡°Lei!¡± Qi Qiming watched Qi Lei leave coldly, and he suddenly felt deste.

    ¡°Whatever happened to your mother will never happen again!¡± Qi Qiming said determinedly, ¡°I¡¯ll never let go of whoever killed your mother! Gu Qiwu was locked up because of this, maybe it was really him! ¡±

    Qi Lei stopped in his tracks at the stairs when he heard that, ¡°Gu Qiwu? What good would it have done him to kill my mother? Is it because of Gu Lingsha? Or is it because of Qi Feng? He literally just gave Hui Gu to Mu Lingshi now. Do you think he¡¯d kill for Gu Lingsha and the rest? Don¡¯t you think that sounds ridiculous?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s mood darkened. He paused, then continued, ¡°Doris was responsible for what happened this time. Why did she kidnap you?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Why did she kidnap me? The gangsters almost killed us, so what do you think? Why did they take us to the deep mountains and still want to hold us prisoners?¡± Qi Lei turned around as he snapped at Qi Qiming condescendingly.

    Qi Qiming seemed conflicted. Although there was a trace of doubt in his heart, there was no evidence to prove it.

    ¡°You are afraid to find out the answer. Why would youe and ask me?¡±

    Qi Qiming was speechless, and for a while, he did not know what to say.

    ¡°Well, with all that¡¯s said and done, it¡¯s actually not bad. It¡¯s tiring to hide what I want to say. I me myself for that, but I realize it now. I have been giving in, considering the rtionship, but maybe they won¡¯t let me go. Next time, he¡¯d better kill me, or he will die a terrible death.¡± Qi Lei was still calm as he went on while his gaze was devoid of any malice.

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ll show him!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, you...Can we still be father and son?¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s hoarse voice sounded weak.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think and I hope I can¡¯t!¡± Qi Lei left immediately. His tall figure disappeared at the corner of the stairs.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s whole body went limp and he copsed into the chair behind him. He nced at the food on the table, and after a long time, he reached out for the wine bottle and poured himself some.

 Chapter 1392 - Grief and Indignation 1

    <h4>Chapter 1392 Grief and Indignation 1</h4>

    Towards the end, Qi Qiming did not even realize when he left. He just knew that by the time he did, he had drunk all the sake and eaten half the dishes on the table...

    The sun outside was brighter, and the car slowly left the Grand Lake Vi area.

    Along the way, Qi Qiming stayed silent. Thoughts weighed on his mind to the point that even when Assistant Wang called out to him several times from the front, he did not respond.

    ¡°CEO Qi?¡±

    Afterward, Assistant Wang raised his voice slightly, and Qi Qiming was stunned. He then gathered his thoughts from his daze.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s obscuring gaze flickered, his eyes then returned to calm as he softly asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The assistant could hear from Qi Qiming¡¯s tone that he was not very happy, so he then lowered his voice and carefully said, ¡°Should we send someone to oversee Doris¡¯s matter? Miss seems to bending in City Z this evening, and I wonder how First Master will be arranging for her arrival.¡±

    Doris...

    When this name was brought up, Qi Qiming¡¯s gaze darkened. He thought about it for a moment, then took a deep breath before saying in a lowered voice, ¡°Let him handle it himself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, CEO Qi!¡±

    ¡°Also, look into what Qi Feng has been doing recently,¡± Qi Qiming said exhaustedly. Even if he did not want to, at this point, he could not help but have doubts. He was inclined to believe what Qi Lei had said, especially about the search mission to find Qi Lei. Qi Feng had not performed in a satisfactory way after all.

    As a father, he did not wish to see the brothers go against each other, but right now, it seemed like things were not as simple as he thought. What was going on between the brothers was not just disharmony, but...

    ¡°CEO Qi...¡± When the assistant heard Qi Qiming, he began to feel puzzled. He looked hesitantly at Qi Qiming through the rearview mirror and said, ¡°Master Qi, are you saying that you want to investigate First Master?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look into what he¡¯s been doing recently, especially his subordinate, Morrison. Examine them thoroughly. I want information on them from the past six months. Also, revoke the information about the proposal with South River Project No. 2 first. I¡¯ll take over it myself.¡±

    ¡°But, CEO Qi, isn¡¯t First Master in charge of this project? If we suddenly revoke the information, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be a good idea. First Master¡¯s most familiar with the project in the whole of Qi Kai. CEO Qi, you¡¯ll have to think this through!¡± Assistant Wang could not help but remind.

    Yes, he was right!

    South River Project No. 2 was a project that Qi Qiming had fought for to help Qi Feng rise up. Currently, they were coborating with Hui Gu. However, now under the current circumstances, given that Gu Qiwu announced with great fanfare that Mu Lingshi was going to be his heir, he could not guarantee the progress of this project.

    In truth, Qi Feng had been handling this project well, and he was very happy about it, but right now he suddenly seemed to have additional considerations.

    After the New Year, Qi Lei¡¯s newpany would be open for business. The fact that he could reach this stage proved that he was quite extraordinarily capable as well, so...

    Qi Qiming hesitated before saying, ¡°Send Yue Hai over to supervise it, and let them both work on this project. This project is one of Qi Kai¡¯s most important projects in recent years, so we can¡¯t afford to be negligent. Just let Yue Hai go over to supervise.¡±

    Then, Assistant Wang nodded. ¡°Yes, I got it, CEO Qi!¡±

    ...

    The warm sun faded away, and in the blink of an eye, it was evening.

    After having lunch at the old Mu residence and staying for a while, the husband and wife returned to the Shen residence.

    Since Shen Yue retired, he rarely left the house now. It was not too bad when the weather was warmer, but once it got cold, he would curl up at home to read or y chess, and on the weekends he would apany Mu Zirui to practice writing or do some other things.

    The elder¡¯s life was quite a calm one. At least,pared to before, he was much calmer, and he looked more spirited.

    When Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye rushed back, Shen Yue was pruning his bonsai in the backyard. Coincidentally, Lan Zng was there too.

    The elder was dressed in a Tang suit [1], and he held a pair of scissors in his hand, and he hummed his favorite ¡®Katyusha¡¯ [2]...

    ¡°Elder CEO, you look more energetic these days. In fact, you look brighter too. Have you been doing well recently?¡± Lan Zng did not notice Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye behind him. He just smiled cheerfully as he watched the joyful Shen Yue.

    Upon hearing that, Shen Yue¡¯s aged eyes squinted. He fixed the plum blossom in the pot before him as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about anything, so of course, I look spirited. I should have long let go of my burdens. Now, I truly understand the true essence of life. If only Ah Hua was still around! Now, we¡¯ve got grandchildren too, but sadly, she wasn¡¯t that lucky. When we were younger, she suffered so much with me, and by the time we could finally enjoy ourselves, she left us...¡±

    ¡°Elder Madam will feel happy in heaven knowing that you¡¯ve been thinking of her all these years, Elder CEO. Now, it¡¯s good that you can be more at ease. Xiaye¡¯s managing thepany very well, so you can rest assured,¡± Lan Zng said with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you lot handling thepany¡¯s matters. Our Shen family isn¡¯t a famous family, hence we don¡¯t need any heirs to carry forward the family name as long as the children are happy. In the years toe, when you¡¯re dead, none of this will matter. They should fight for the life they want too. Girls may be rich and spoiled but not the boys.¡±

    At this juncture, Shen Yue paused what he was doing but did not look up at him.

    When Lan Zng heard that, heughed and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s quite rare to think of things like you do, Elder CEO. I always thought that you cared a lot about finding an appropriate match for a marriage partner like...¡±

    ¡°Like Wenna and Mushan?¡±

    Before Lan Zng could finish, Shen Yue had already cut him off. His aged eyes narrowed slightly at him.

    Lan Zng paused, then nodded.

    When Shen Yue set aside the scissors in his hand, Lan Znd quickly brought him a cup of hot tea.

    Shen Yue took it and slowly took a sip.

    ¡°Actually, that wasn¡¯t my intention back then. I did look into the kind of family the Xi family was. If it had been possible, I would still much rather have arranged for Wenna to marry you. Otherwise, Ah Chen¡¯s father, Mu Tangchuan would have been great too. He was better than Xi Mushan either way, but after that, I thought it through. Those external factors aren¡¯t as important as I thought. Didn¡¯t I, Shen Yue,e from the origins of being a farmer? When I was younger, I did all the tiring, dirty work. Ah Hua was an heiress from a good family too, but didn¡¯t she end up marrying a poor soldier like me?¡±

 Chapter 1393 - Grief and Indignation 2

    <h4>Chapter 1393 Grief and Indignation 2</h4>

    Shen Yue¡¯s tone sounded somber as he said, ¡°After figuring this out, I¡¯vee to ept whatever that has happened between Wenna and Mushan. Everything will be fine as long as they live happily.¡±¡°Mr. President, it¡¯s great that you seem cheerful now that it¡¯s been resolved.¡± Lan Zng sighed lightly.¡°You¡¯ll have to work for a few more years if you stay with Xiaye in thepany. Come keep mepany when you have time. Let the young ones take care of themselves.¡±

    ¡°Mr. President, are you talking about what happened recently?¡± As someone who had been with Shen Yue for many years, Lan Zng could easily understand what Shen Yue meant.

    Shen Yue lowered his head and took a sip of tea. ¡°Mu Yinan called me some time ago. Everyone has probably heard about it, or at least, most of them have. It has caused quite a stir.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also surprised that Gu Qiwu and the Mu family are involved. I¡¯m a little worried about Chairman Mu now that I think about Mrs. Mu¡¯s misfortune.¡±

    ¡°Worrying doesn¡¯t change anything. From their respective standpoints, it¡¯s actually difficult to tell what¡¯s right and wrong. In most cases, it depends on how much they can tolerate each other, and it may not even be necessary to talk about forgiveness to live together peacefully.¡±

    ...

    As soon as Shen Yue said this, Xi Xiaye, who had been listening for a while, finally called out, ¡°Grandpa, Uncle Lan!¡±

    Shen Yue¡¯s face was gleaming with joy when he heard her voice. Upon turning around and seeing Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye standing not far away, his wizened face blossomed like a flower.

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, Uncle Lan,¡± Mu Yuchen also greeted them respectfully.

    Lan Zng smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Just the right time. Your parents went out to buy groceries, and they should be back soon. Come sit inside. It¡¯s cold outside.¡± Shen Yue set his teacup aside and walked towards the corridor.

    They went to the living room and sat down. Shen Yue could not resist inviting Mu Yuchen to a game of chess. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna had juste back from buying groceries. The men got together and Xi Xiaye did not bother them as she went to help in the kitchen.

    In the kitchen, Shen Wenna was cooking with Xi Xiaye there to help.

    When Xi Xiaye was quietly washing the vegetables, she suddenly heard Shen Wenna¡¯s voice. ¡°A few days ago, Xi Xinyi came to see your father at home. I asked her to stay for dinner. When I saw her, it felt like she has changed a lot. Do you still remember all the things she¡¯s done to you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was bbergasted, but after a while, she said, ¡°Those things are all in the past. There¡¯s no point holding grudges.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good if you can think that way, Xiaye. When you were growing up, I¡¯ve always told you that losing is better than gaining an enemy. This isn¡¯t a sign of weakness, but it¡¯s important to look at the bigger picture. It¡¯s part of the reason why things happened between Gu Qiwu and Doris this time. You should learn something from that.¡±

    ¡°I know, but, Mother, if you were Lingshi, would you forgive Gu Qiwu? Chen took Hui Gu from Gu Qiwu, and Gu Qiwu was willing to make Lingshi the heir of Gu family... ¡±

    Xi Xiaye rarely talked about these things with Shen Wenna. While she always had the impression that her mother was a smart and intelligent person, she rarely confided her concerns to Shen Wenna. However, a lot had changed within these two years.

    ¡°Sometimes, it doesn¡¯t matter if you forgive a person or not. In fact, your heart already has an answer. Just follow your heart.¡± Shen Wenna did not exin any further.

    ...

    Follow your heart...

    How did one follow one¡¯s heart?

    Xi Xiaye pondered and still felt lost. As the gentle rays of the street lights shone on her face, her eyebrows frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯re you thinking about? You seem out of it since dinner,¡± Mu Yuchen, who was driving, finally asked after seeing her stay quiet for so long.

    Xi Xiaye came back to her senses after hearing his voice. She turned to watch him driving the car, and he looked back at her in concern. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the front and leaned her head against his broad shoulder. He gently touched her head. ¡°Tell me, what happened? What¡¯s bothering you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I told my mother about Lingshi, and I learned that Xi Xinyi went to our parents¡¯ a while ago.¡±

    ¡°Are you overthinking?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you, or you might use me of being worried for no reason again! But, Mr. Mu, it¡¯s Christmas Eve. We haven¡¯t had a night out for so long. Let¡¯s go out and have some fun, shall we? Let¡¯s call Zitong and Suchen too. And also Qi Lei, Su Nan, Ruan Heng, and the rest!¡± Xi Xiaye suggested as she admired the vivid lights outside.

    Upon hearing her suggestion, Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows and nced at her. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you need to stop the car now. Give them a call and ask them out. I¡¯ll call Su Nan. Hurry up!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had already reached out for her cell phone to call Su Nan.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen looked at her helplessly, his deep affection for her apparent in his dark eyes. He slowed down the car, took the phone, and called Su Chen who was at home at the time.

    He had juste back from dinner at the old residence and was smoking a cigarette leisurely while reading through some information he had just received from the headquarters. He heard his cell phone vibrate, so he quickly picked it up.

    ¡°Come out and let¡¯s have fun. At the same old ce at Huangtian¡¯s. Bring Ji Zitong along,¡± Mu Yuchen said very simply.

    ¡°Have fun? That¡¯s rare!¡± Su Chen puffed on his cigarette and grinned.

    ¡°Hurry up, I¡¯ll be there with Xiaye.¡± Mu Yuchen hung up after that.

    Su Chen raised his eyebrows and looked at the phone screen that gradually darkened. Only then did he close the file in his hand. He grabbed his jacket, stood up, and walked out of the study. He shouted, ¡°Zitong, change into some warm clothes. Let¡¯s go out to have fun.¡±

    ¡°Go out? Do we have any ns?¡± Ji Zitong had just cut some fruits. She looked at Su Chen in confusion.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when we get there. Now, hurry up and change into something warm.¡±

    Su Chen took a piece of apple and stuffed it into his mouth. Then, he took the fruit bowl from her hand, and signaled her to quickly get changed.

    Despite frowning, Ji Zitong had no choice but to trust his words. She quickly changed into a light-colored long skirtyered with a beige knitted cardigan, which looked very warm and made her seem very attractive. When she walked out of the bedroom, Su Chen did a double-take.

    ¡°Missus, I realize your taste has improved a lottely!¡±

 Chapter 1394 - Grief and Indignation 3

    <h4>Chapter 1394 Grief and Indignation 3</h4>

    Su Chen leaned against the door frame as he squinted at her, then smiled with admiration while ying with the car keys in his hand.

    ¡°Are you saying that I didn¡¯t have taste before this?¡± Ji Zitong rolled her eyes and reached out to take the car key from his hand, then tossed her handbag at him.

    Su Chen caught it urately and frowned at the woman who had already turned to walk towards the door. He felt something.

    Ji Zitong seemed to be less and less courteous with him now, and she had quite the temper, but when did he start to put up with her and even willingly hold her handbag for her?

    He did not think too much as Ji Zitong¡¯s slender figure already vanished out the doorway, thus he could only follow after her.

    After a while, the ck Land Rover slowly drove out of the vi area. Ji Zitong drove while Su Chen sat leisurely in the front passenger seat with his arm as a pillow.

    ¡°This thing with Ah Mo has finallye to an end, hasn¡¯t it? It¡¯s quite surprising to me that Doris would make a move on him,¡± Ji Zitong could not help but say.

    Su Chen nced at him. ¡°What¡¯s so surprising? It¡¯s even hard to believe that she was the mastermind behind the incident six years ago. You should know that because of that ident, Ah Chen med himself for six whole years. When it first happened, the calm that he showed scared even me and Zimo. We almost never left his side for more than a month.¡±

    When he recalled the past, Su Chen still had lingering fears. ¡°Rich and powerful families have got so much conflict and grudges going on. Sometimes, I really think that it¡¯s simpler to be usmon bosses. You don¡¯t have to rush to refute me. I¡¯m not targeting you. I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s mostly like that, especially when facing a huge amount of assets and all sorts of temptations.¡±

    Ji Zitong seemed to understand this because when she thought about it, she could not help but think about her tragedy back then. Did that man not choose another woman because of her mediocre family background?

    Su Chen could keenly sense this too.

    When Ji Zitong said that, his sharp gaze looked over and instantly caught the darkness that shed in her eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you met all the highest qualities, like us Su family and the Zhou family would. As for Ah Chen, I think the others are just plotting against him. The entire Mu family should be his. When he joined the military academy back then, Grandfather Mu had already made that very clear. All three of us buddies didn¡¯t join the academy to go down the path of the army and government. Our elders just thought we were too full of youthful vigor and needed to discipline our will,¡± Su Chen said.

    Of course, he did not think that he would change his career and return to be in the Traffic Bureau. It was not a great thing to be a government official. If you did not know your stuff, the people above would look down on you, and if you did not perform things well, themon people below would criticize you, so it was not easy.

    In fact, in arge city such as City Z, there were so many establishments for office bearers. Just the traffic police department alone was overwhelming to him.

    When he thought about this, Su Chen paused a while, then said to Ji Zitong, ¡°Next time, don¡¯t let our child be a government official. It¡¯s not a great job. Teach him to do business.¡±

    Ji Zitong was surprised by his words. After a while, she reacted. Having thought about what he said, she then responded, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when we have one.¡±

    Initially, they decided on having a child next year, so they should make ns in advance now. ¡°It¡¯s best to control your consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. I notice that you¡¯ve got quite a cigarette addiction. That¡¯s not good for your health.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Su Chen, who was about to reach into his pocket, paused, thought about it, then kept his hand away again. ¡°I don¡¯t have many interests to while the time away. I only have that habit usually, but I¡¯ll do my best to smoke less.¡± Hepromised for once.

    ...

    Su Chen and Ji Zitong rushed over. When they found the private room, Su Nan and Ruan Heng were already there. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye sat together, and the four of them were ying mahjong. On the side, they had already ordered tea, fruits, and pastries, as well as some red wine, which was not as strong as whiskey. Inside the private room, slow and soft music wafted in the air.

    When he saw Su Chen and Ji Zitong walk in, Mu Yuchen handed his cards to Xi Xiaye beside him, then waved to Su Chen. The buddies sat and drank together. Just when they were about to pour another round of drinks, Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw that it was Zhou Zimo.

    Before Mu Yuchen could answer, Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice came through, ¡°Mmm? It¡¯s me. Quickly pick me up. I¡¯m at the airport. Prepare some food. I¡¯m starving!¡±

    Initially, he thought that he could return for Christmas, but now that the days went on, he managed to rush back before New Year¡¯s Day. Otherwise, he really could not stay put any longer.

    Even though Zhou Zimo was reckless and loved freedom, he still missed City Z. it was only when he returned to City Z that he felt at home. Even if some questions were frustrating, this did not stop his love for the ce because, to the buddies, their friends and kin had all met here.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen kept his phone away, but he did not pick Zhou Zimo up personally. He thought about it for a moment and wanted to call Qi Lei. Because they were both not too far away from the highway from the airport, the glorious task of picking Zhou Zimo up was handed to Qi Lei.

    When Qi Lei reached the airport by car, from afar, he could see Zhou Zimo wrapped in a ck coat while his assistant, Ya Yan, was beside him.

    ¡°Quickly get into the car!¡± Qi Lei lowered his car window and said to Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°How did youe over?¡± Zhou Zimo was shocked to see Qi Lei sitting in the front passenger seat.

    Zhou Zimo nodded and pulled open the car door to sit shotgun. Xu Yayan quietly opened the door to the backseat too. He was about to slide in when an urgent and sad voice was heard, ¡°Qi Lei! Wait up!¡±

    Everyone subconsciously paused. Qi Lei and Zhou Zimo exchanged a look, then looked to where the sound came from.

    Not too far away from the car, dressed in a white faux fur coat with long hair was ady who held the back door to another car open, and she had a little girl with her...

    When he saw the little girl, Qi Lei was stunned. He looked up to see the long-haired woman who held her hand.

    Gu Lingsha...

    Why was she here?

    Qi Lei subconsciously frowned.

    ¡°Qi Lei, bring me to the police station, please! The flight was dyed. I couldn¡¯t find the person who was meant to pick me up from the airport! I...¡± Gu Lingsha looked exceptionally wan and sallow whereas her initially alluring voice had turned raspy now...

 Chapter 1395 - Grief and Indignation 4

    <h4>Chapter 1395 Grief and Indignation 4</h4>

    Qi Lei had never seen Gu Lingsha so upset and anxious before.

    Without waiting for Qi Lei¡¯s reply, she followed him into the car after forcing Qi Weier in. ¡°Please take me to the police station. Please!¡±

    Qi Lei and Zhou Zimo were in a daze after hearing her pitiful pleading.

    This woman had always maintained her poise and elegance just like her mother, Doris. However, right now, she was upset and not her usual self. Doris¡¯s incident must have hit her hard. Her bright blue eyes that resembled her mother were clouded with concern.

    Qi Lei seemed conflicted. He nced at her before turning to look at Zhou Zimo beside him.

    Zhou Zimo frowned and contemted for a moment. He then answered, ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s on the way anyway. Send Assistant Xu back first.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei nodded and started the car without saying anything.

    Gu Lingsha let out a sigh of relief. Her teary eyes were still a little red and swollen. After learning what happened to Doris, she could not sit still. She bought a ne ticket and flew straight to City Z. During the journey, she could not control her tears. She finally started to feel the difort in her eyes now.

    The cell phone that Gu Lingsha had just turned on started vibrating shortly after the car started. She nced at the screen to see that it was a call from Qi Feng.

    Her eyes became cold and she took a deep breath. She did not answer the call and immediately put her phone on silent.

    Along the way, they did not speak much. The atmosphere in the car was depressing. In the front, Zhou Zimo greeted Qi Lei, but everyone else was silent.

    Xu Yayan¡¯s home was near the city center, so Qi Lei stopped the car on the side of the road.

    ¡°Take a break for the next two days and return to work next Monday,¡± Zhou Zimo turned and said to Xu Yayan.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zhou! Here¡¯s theplete information on thepany,¡± Xu Yayan said, handing Zhou Zimo a ck briefcase which thetter quickly took.

    It waste, and Xu Yayan was a family man, so naturally, Zhou Zimo was understanding and empathetic towards his subordinate.

    After Xu Yayan got out of the car, they continued their journey.

    Gu Lingsha looked at Qi Lei who had been driving intently in front of her. Her lips trembled and she was trying to say something, but she stayed silent after struggling for a while.

    The car finally stopped in front of Imperial Sky Entertainment City.

    ¡°Alright. Send her there first and I¡¯ll wait for you inside.¡± Zhou Zimo pointed at the side of the road ahead and motioned Qi Lei to drop him off.

    Zhou Zimo had actually been observing Gu Lingsha and Qi Lei along the way. Gu Lingsha looked somewhat pitiful while Qi Lei was just cold.

    ¡°I know that you both had a connection before. You don¡¯t need to put too much pressure on yourself. She¡¯s still your sister-inw, so please be cautious. The call just now was probably from Qi Feng, but she didn¡¯t answer it. You should just be more careful,¡± Zimo leaned over and said when he saw Qi Lei¡¯s troubled expression.

    Qi Lei finally loosened up a little. He nced at Zhou Zimo and saw him nodding encouragingly, then he slowly pulled the car over.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going in. Come here as soon as possible! I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± Zhou Zimo responded and shot Gu Lingsha a vague nce before getting out of the car.

    Qi Lei continued driving while Zhou Zimo watched the car gradually disappear from his sight. He shook his head helplessly, took out his phone from his pocket, and dialed a number.

    The car continued to speed down the road. The atmosphere in the car felt even more depressing now that even little Qi Weier could feel that something was wrong in the car. She looked at Qi Lei, then turned to look at Gu Lingsha again. She clenched her clothes with her little hands, and her blue eyes were filled with anxiety and fear.

    Qi Lei inadvertently nced in the car mirror and caught Qi Weier¡¯s anxious expression. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out to turn on the radio. The joyful tunes of Christmas carols broke the air.

    Qi Weier listened for a while and slowly felt more rxed. Soon, the tension in the car seemed to ease a little as well.

    ¡°Qi Lei, about my mother...¡± Gu Lingsha started tearing up again.

    Qi Lei looked gloomy. While he calmly looked at the bright road ahead of him, he said, ¡°She kidnapped me and Ah Mo, locked us up for a month, and then held Mu Lingshi captive. If it wasn¡¯t for the police and their quick actions, Mu Lingshi might be the one dead instead. I think Qi Feng probably told you about this.¡±

    As Gu Lingsha listened, she could feel her eyes burning, but she seemed to have no more tears left to cry. She suddenly did not know what else she could say.

    ¡°My mother did this to save my father. I still can¡¯t ept the fact that Lingtian and Mu Lingshi are my brother and sister. Lei, would you be able to ept it if it were you?¡± Gu Lingsha sounded lonely and bitter.

    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t want to ept it, what else can I say? At least, before this, you were so much happier than me. I won¡¯t hold you ountable for this. I also hope that this will pass and nothing will happen again. Lingsha, you¡¯re smart and you should be able to understand what I mean. You have chosen Qi Feng, so just stay by his side. You should always be able to stand firm as the head of the Qi family. Don¡¯t think too much. Perhaps contentment in life will make you happier.¡± Qi Lei never wanted to tell her that much, but now that he actually said those words so calmly, he was surprised by his ownposure.

    Gu Lingsha did not utter a word while her eyes still burned. She lowered her head and listened quietly.

    ¡°Shasha, we are actually in a simr situation, but you are luckier than me. You have enjoyed at least decades of love and warmth from your family, but I...have nothing...I don¡¯t mind suffering if it is worth it.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Aunt Wang also having trouble with Uncle Qi because of Qi Kai? Lei, you¡¯re actually mad as well, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Lingsha refuted after hearing Qi Lei¡¯s words.

    ¡°I admit that my mother wants Qi Kai too, but she has never thought of killing Qi Feng. You also need to know that Qi Kai is all of my mother¡¯s hard work and assets. It was Qi Qiming who tried to take it away from her first.¡±

 Chapter 1396 - Grief and Indignation 5

    <h4>1396 Grief and Indignation 5</h4>

    At this point, Qi Lei changed the topic and looked at Gu Lingsha. ¡°But do you know what your mother has done? I can¡¯t believe that she was the one behind the car ident six years ago! Is there anything more ruthless than including her daughter in her schemes?¡±

    ¡°What did you say? That ident from six years ago...wasn¡¯t that an ident? How does it involve my mother?¡± When Gu Lingsha heard Qi Lei, she was surprised and her eyes widened. Those dry eyes wererge and filled with disbelief. ¡°What nonsense are you spewing, Lei!?¡±

    Upon seeing her reaction, Qi Lei only frowned and a sneer shed at the corner of his lips. ¡°Looks like Qi Feng didn¡¯t tell you these truths. Right, I¡¯m sure this thing was quite a blow to him too.¡±

    ¡°What truths?! Spit it out properly!¡± Gu Lingsha leaned forward slightly and stared at Qi Lei.

    ¡°I should just let Qi Feng tell you himself. These things have got nothing to do with me now,¡± Qi Lei said coldly and slowed down the car. He braked, and the car made a huge turn before it stopped.

    Before Gu Lingsha could react, he ordered, ¡°Get out!¡±

    Surprised by his order, she looked up in a daze and realized that they had reached the police station.

    Qi Lei wanted Gu Lingsha to quickly get out the car, but it seemed like it was not quite up to him because as soon as he said that, he looked up and out the window to see Morrison walking over!

    ¡°Second Master!¡± Morrison walked over to knock on the door. Qi Lei¡¯s gaze sank while Morrison had already reached to pull the car door behind open.

    ¡°Missus, please get down. Our people were looking for you at the airport. First Master was worried for a long time too. We thought that you must¡¯vee here first, so we just came over and waited for you for a while,¡± Morrison¡¯s lowered voice came through.

    Gu Lingsha red at him. She thought about it, then looked at Qi Lei in front. She wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she only sighed to herself, got down from the car silently, and brought Qi Weier along.

    Bam!

    The car door closed! Qi Lei did not say a word. He was about to start the car when Morrison¡¯s voice was heard once again, ¡°Second Master, First Master says thank you! Also, New Year ising soon, and he hopes that you can make a trip home as it¡¯d be good to have a reunion dinner together.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face could not help but be colored with a sneer of disdain. He stepped on the elerator right after his voice, which was as cold as ice, stated, ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m worried that the dishes might be poisoned. I don¡¯t want to die yet.¡±

    ...

    Then, the ck car swiftly vanished in the lights ahead.

    Morrison squinted and looked in the direction where the car had vanished as a smile shed across the corner of his lips. He had a steely gaze...

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Missus. First Master¡¯s just ahead, waiting for your return! My condolences. Please don¡¯t be too sad. After all, life and death are fated.¡±

    After a while, Morrison gathered his gaze and looked at Gu Lingsha with reddened eyes. His voice rxed a little, and he was about to pat Qi Weier¡¯s head, but the little girl¡¯s eyes were filled with fear, panic, and loss. She evaded his touch before looking at Morrison in shock.

    Morrison awkwardly pulled his hand back. In fact, he noticed that Qi Weier seemed duller than when she had first left...

    It seemed like her illness had gotten worse.

    Gu Lingsha walked over, and indeed, she saw not too far away on the wheelchair, Qi Feng was staring at them.

    When Qi Weier saw Qi Feng, she ran over. His handsome face widened with a warm smile as he opened his arms to pull her into his embrace.

    ¡°Did you miss me now?¡±

    Along the way, Qi Weier, who did not say a single word, finally called out softly now, ¡°Father...¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s dark eyes were loving as he gently patted her head and lowered his head to kiss her little face. His raspy voice was filled with tenderness. ¡°Weiwei, my baby! Father missed you so much!¡±

    ¡°Father...¡± Qi Weier called him softly again as she shrunk tightly into his embrace.

    Qi Feng patted her back, and after a while, he pulled her out of his embrace to examine her. Then, he looked up and saw Gu Lingsha already standing before him in a sorry state.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± Qi Feng said calmly.

    Morrison then walked over to wheel Qi Feng in.

    ...

    When she saw Doris lying in the cold deep freezer, Gu Lingsha could not help but cry out loud.

    She could not have expected that just a short while ago, her mother, who had arranged for her to leave and wait for her in Ennd, was now suddenly lying here lifelessly. Her pale appearance still looked so exquisite, but why did she leave so suddenly?

    ¡°Mother!¡± Gu Lingsha cried bitterly as she looked at Doris who had passed away. Her legs gave way and she was about to fall.

    ¡°Shasha!¡± The sharp-sighted and deft Qi Feng quickly reached out to hold her. Morrison rushed over to help too.

    ¡°Why...? Mother, how could you just leave like this?! What do I do? What should I do?! Mother...please don¡¯t die...Mother...¡± Her wails sounded exceptionally sad and mournful. Even Morrison could not help but feel sad for her.

    Qi Feng hugged her and quietly held her in his arms. As he patted her back, his raspy voice was gloomy. ¡°You still have me, Shasha...You still have me! Don¡¯t be too sad now. Mother left freely and at ease. She wouldn¡¯t want to see you like this.¡±

    Perhaps, it was only at times like these that Gu Lingsha could feel a hint of warmth from this cold and reserved man When she heard him consoling her, she felt even weaker, so she cried even louder...

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad! I¡¯ll always be here. I¡¯ll take good care of you and Weiwei. Don¡¯t be sad now,¡± Qi Feng softly consoled and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t believe that Mother¡¯s gone just like that! Why?! Why did it turn out like this? Why did she have to take on this path? Did they force her to this point? Did she? I was waiting for so long in Ennd, but I didn¡¯t get any news about her, and I tried to ask around. That¡¯s when I heard Mother¡¯s passport was banned and they couldn¡¯t even get out of City Z! It was them who forced her into a corner and to her end! And Qi Lei was spewing nonsense earlier! That ident six years ago was because of Mu Yuchen¡¯s cruelty of not wanting to spare us mercy. It¡¯s got nothing to do with Mother!¡±

 Chapter 1397 - Grief and Indignation 6

    <h4>1397 Grief and Indignation 6</h4>

    Gu Lingsha screamed at the top of her lungs. Her swollen blue eyes were full of pain and grief. ¡°Qi Feng, tell me the truth! They made her do it, didn¡¯t they?! Qi Lei is lying, isn¡¯t he? Isn¡¯t he?! Say it! Just tell me!¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s dark eyes deepened and he looked down. He stayed quiet for a while before he met her swollen eyes and said solemnly, ¡°Did Qi Lei tell you that?¡±

    ¡°Did he lie to me? It¡¯s impossible that my mother would¡¯ve done such a thing. She and Lingtian have no grievances at all. She treated Lingtian well from the beginning. Have you forgotten about that? How could she have attacked him? What¡¯s more, I¡¯m her daughter! The chances of her attacking me are close to none! This is absolutely impossible!¡± Gu Lingsha reacted very badly and she shook Qi Feng violently.

    Qi Feng was in a daze because of her reaction. In actual fact, even he was unwilling to face the truth, let alone Gu Lingsha.

    After finding out the truth about what happened six years ago, along with all the things Doris had done before her death, he did not know what he should think of Doris, his mother-inw...

    ¡°What Qi Lei said is true. He didn¡¯t lie to you. What happened six years ago was indeed mother¡¯s orders,¡± Qi Feng stated calmly.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re lying to me too! Mother would never have done anything to me! That¡¯s crazy! That¡¯s just crazy! I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe it!¡± Gu Lingsha screamed hysterically immediately while holding on to Qi Feng¡¯s arms tightly and stared at him wide-eyed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out first. We¡¯ll take it slow and I¡¯ll tell you everything. Things are going to take some time here, so the funeral can only be held in three days.¡± Qi Feng patted her on the shoulder andforted her, ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe it either, but whatever has happened has already happened. When you were away from City Z, so many things happened and you may not know about them all. Listen, take a good rest. What you need the most now is rest. Leave everything else up to me. Right now, I just hope you can trust me as you did before. Long before this, I promised Mother that I¡¯d take good care of you for life, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back first and we¡¯ll take care of things here, Missus! Miss Weiwei is still waiting outside.¡± Morrison also stepped forward and held Gu Lingsha who still had tears on her face.

    Gu Lingsha cried out loud and finally nced at Doris. Tears were streaming down her face and her exhausted body could no longer bear the grief and anger at this very moment. Her legs went weak and the lights suddenly went out.

    ¡°Shasha!¡± Qi Feng called out anxiously and hurriedly reached out to hold her. Morrison held her tightly, and Gu Lingsha was finally safe in their arms.

    ¡°Take her home immediately and get Dr. Wang toe over and have a look.¡± Qi Feng looked at Gu Lingsha, appearing conflicted. He did not know how to describe what he was feeling because he could sense the uneasiness in his heart growing ...

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Morrison quickly held Gu Lingsha, who was still unconscious, by her waist, and the bodyguard outside who was dressed in ck also quickly followed Qi Feng.

    ...

    The wind was very cold in the middle of the night. On the wide empty road leading to Grand Lake Vi, a ck car was parked on the side. The engine had been running for several hours.

    Ding!

    Another cigarette butt was thrown out from the car window of the driver¡¯s seat, and the faint smoke wafted in the air. Even the oddly bright street lights could not seem to prate that haze.

    ¡°Cough cough!¡± Qi Feng felt his head aching as he coughed.

    After sending Gu Lingsha off, he did not go to Imperial Sky Entertainment City to meet Mu Yuchen and the others. Instead, he drove aimlessly for a long time and then started driving home without realizing it. As he got closer to the Grand Lake Vi , he pulled over and parked there.

    He had lost count of the cigarettes he had smoked. He had never smoked so many cigarettes like he had tonight. After all, he hardly smoked these days.

    He thought of Qi Qiming who came over today, as well as Gu Lingsha, Morrison, and Qi Feng...

    Death.

    It was a word he feared.

    Nobody knew if death could erase all grievances.

    He had felt so calm when he met Qi Qiming today, and it made him think that maybe he did not hate Qi Qiming as much as he thought. Was it because he had found peace with himself?

    He took a deep breath and could not help but cough a few more times. When he reached out to the side to get some water, he felt a t and hard item beneath his fingertips instead. He turned around and looked to see something reddish- brown...

    [The Bible]

    Dongfang Liuyun had given it to him.

    Dumbfounded, he stared at the book for a while before reaching out and grabbing it.

    He opened the thick book, and the first thing that caught his eye was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s signature. It was strong and precise just like her.

    When he turned to the second page, there were a few lines of words that she had written: ¡°I hope that my future is like the sea where the depths of endless uncertainties will be the unknown that is filled with surprises. There is no need to be afraid of stormy seas for as long as there is a lighthouse that never goes out in my heart, I will never lose my way.¡±

    Was this how this woman motivated herself?

    As Qi Lei read this, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly in a smile and he could not help thinking about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face.

    ¡°Well, it should be. Looking at her and talking to her, I immediately feel calmer and rxed,¡± Qi Lei thought.

    He also thought that if she were to be a teacher in psychology, she would definitely be able to produce great students. However, since she already had high achievements, he felt that she must be someone with rich experiences. Even though she did not admit it, the depths of her eyes could not fool anyone.

    He suddenly became interested in her. This was the first time he felt intrigued to get to know a woman.

    No, it should be the second time!

    The first was Xi Xiaye!

    Xi Xiaye was the kind of woman with poise and elegance, unlike Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mysterious and intelligent personality that would sometimes keep him on his toes!

    After thinking about it, Qi Lei suddenly started the car!

    He had to go home while there was still time and turn on theputer to go online. She could probably still be fighting hard now!

    He had not been online for a long time!

    As Qi Lei thought about it, he floored the elerator and the car zoomed away like the wind.

 Chapter 1398 - Not Important Anymore 1

    <h4>Chapter 1398 Not Important Anymore 1</h4>

    When they left Entertainment City, it was already midnight.

    The entire city lights looked deste. Standing at the top of Entertainment City¡¯s staircase, Xi Xiaye could feel the wind whistling past her ears, and she could not help but shrink a little.

    The man, who stood beside her, very knowingly handed over the car keys. When she heard the jangle, Xi Xiaye looked down and quickly took them.

    The buddies were all quite boisterous from drinking, so this was also the benefit of bringing his wife along. They could drink recklessly and did not have to call the assistant over in the middle of the night or get someone else to drive for them, and they could bond happily.

    ¡°Go home then. Xiaye and I will send Zimo home,¡± Mu Yuchen put an arm around Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulders, then turned to say to Su Chen and Zimo in a lowered tone.

    Su Chen nodded as he lifted a hand to massage between his brows. Even though his head was not as heavy as before when he drank those hard liquor, he did drink quite a bit, and the alcohol levels in him were probably way over the legal limit. He felt very sleepy and did not stay any longer.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go home then. I have a meeting at the headquarters early tomorrow too. Since the New Year¡¯sing soon, you can all happily go on a holiday while we have to suffer. Let¡¯s gather again after the New Year,¡± Su Chen said as he held Ji Zitong¡¯s hand.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Be careful on the road,¡± Xi Xiaye reminded.

    Ji Zitong smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You too. Goodnight!¡±

    ¡°Goodnight!¡±

    ¡°Su Nan, Ruan Heng, both of you go home too.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, thank you, Chairman Mu, Xiaye! We had a lot of fun tonight. It¡¯s been a while since we did! Remember to call us along for your next gathering! We¡¯ll go home now since we have work early tomorrow too! Remember to wash up and then rest when you get back!¡±

    ¡°Alright, bye-bye!¡±

    ...

    When they were done bidding their goodbyes, Xi Xiaye took the car keys out and walked ahead.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡±

    Upon seeing that his woman had gone over to the car, Mu Yuchen looked at Zhou Zimo. When he noticed the fatigue in his eyes, he said in concern, ¡°You really do have the potential to be a workaholic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face shed with dissatisfaction. He clenched his fists and lightly punched Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Well, your IQ has been dropping recently. Certain indexes are dysfunctional.¡±

    ¡°Please! Don¡¯t throw shade at me. Speak like a normal person!¡± Zhou Zimo could sense the meaning in between Mu Yuchen¡¯s words, and he could not help but roll his eyes at him.

    Soon, Xi Xiaye drove the car over.

    Mu Yuchen pulled open the back seat door and got in first. Zhou Zimo followed suit, and Xi Xiaye became their personal driver. The car sped into the night.

    ¡°Exin to me in human words what you were trying to say earlier! What is it? Also, you seemed to be insinuating things to me tonight. About those things you said to me, what did you mean?¡± Zhou Zimo was the kind of person who had to get to the bottom of things, so when Mu Yuchen did not finish his words, he felt extremely dissatisfied and continued asking about it.

    Mu Yuchen looked at him calmly. ¡°A few days ago, I went to the City Bureau and bumped into Chief Zhang. They said that their family member, Zhang Yue, will be back for the New Year for the Spring Festival.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen finished, Zhou Zimo immediately understood. He widened his eyes and looked at Mu Yuchen incredulously. ¡°That crybaby? Why¡¯s she back? Didn¡¯t she decide on permanently residing in Canada?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that either. You can ask her yourself when she¡¯s back.¡±

    ¡°Please! What¡¯s her return got to do with me?¡± Zhou Zimo gave Mu Yuchen a scornful look. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I won¡¯t mess with that woman. Back then, it wasn¡¯t just me who messed with her, so why should I be the one to handle things?¡±

    ¡°Because Su Chen and I have our wives,¡± Mu Yuchen said nonchntly by Zhou Zimo¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Chen, you¡¯re despicable! Do you realize that you will ruin me like this!?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s better than me being dragged into it.¡±

    ¡°You evil, selfish b*stard!¡± Zhou Zimo practically said thosest few words through gritted teeth. When he thought about how he had suffered for so long on that end and think about what this fellow wanted to do now...

    ¡°Ever since you and Su Chen got married, you¡¯ve been pressuring me about this. Even my family has been doing the same. Chen, do you think it¡¯s that hard for me to find a woman?¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s not hard, but the column for a spouse on your household registration booklet remains empty. I didn¡¯t want to bring this up too, but among us buddies, only you are left. Especially after this incident, I think it¡¯s best if you have a sense of belonging. A few days ago, I bumped into Aunty Zhou at the hospital, and she couldn¡¯t help but talk to me about you again.¡± Mu Yuchen brought this up with Zhou Zimo once more.

    Zhou Zimo then fell silent. He hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the scenery of the street moving outside the car window. ¡°They¡¯re like that, and I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡±

    ¡°Are you still thinking about the past?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted at him and said softly.

    Zhou Zimo shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Whether or not you are, please forget them. We can¡¯t turn back time. We can only look ahead. If Su Chen knows about this, he¡¯ll definitely nag you again.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was lowered to the point that only the two of them could hear each other, but Xiaye continued to focus on driving ahead. She did not eavesdrop on them.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. That would be what he¡¯d do. Alright, I¡¯ll take note of this matter, so don¡¯t worry about it. I understand. If I meet someone suitable, I won¡¯t let them go. Anyway, we don¡¯t have to bring up those things anymore unless you want tough at me!¡± Zhou Zimo said as he held a fist up at Mu Yuchen.

    Grinning, Mu Yuchen held up his fist and bumped it with his too.

    ¡°The incident with Doris hase to an end. You don¡¯t have to hold onto that matter anymore. At least, you¡¯ll be able to live a little more peacefully after this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve still got a bunch of things to handle before I can live a little simpler. I¡¯ll have to take it one step at a time. It¡¯s futile worrying about this now.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you probably need some time to handle Doris¡¯ funeral too. Be careful, I think Gu Lingsha¡¯s not in the right state tonight. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge against you for this. If revenge breeds revenge, will there ever be an end to it? I can¡¯t bear to see it go on any longer.¡±

    ¡°Well, even if you can¡¯t, we¡¯ll have to keep going.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Zhou Zimo smiled helplessly and patted his shoulder.

 Chapter 1399 - Not Important Anymore 2

    <h4>Chapter 1399 Not Important Anymore 2</h4>

    It was already the next morning when Gu Lingsha woke up.

    She woke up feeling groggy despite sleeping all night. Her whole body was weak, but all the memories from yesterday were constantly running through her head. Even in her sleep, she still could not forget the bad news that had taken her by surprise.

    ¡°Missus, you need to eat something. Master will go to the police station to deal with Miss Doris¡¯s funeral. He will be back to have lunch with you at noon. You must take care of yourself,¡± Mary became worried after she had seen Gu Lingsha¡¯s haggard face and dazed expression.

    Gu Lingsha raised her eyes weakly and looked at Mary who was standing in front of her. She leaned back softly on the sofa while her hoarse voice sounded a little weak. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Where¡¯s Weiwei?¡±

    ¡°Miss Weier went out with Master and they¡¯ll be back together at noon. Please don¡¯t worry, Missus. The most important thing you need to do now is to take care of your body. Dr. Wang came to see you yesterday and your condition isn¡¯t great. Master even got angry about it. Dr. Wang has prescribed various medicated diets to replenish your body. I just boiled some for you. I¡¯ll bring it over,¡±

    Mary quickly went downstairs and soon brought a bowl of bird¡¯s nest porridge and some nutritious food. ¡°Missus, have some.¡±

    Gu Lingsha looked at the steaming hot food, but she did not have any appetite. How could she possibly have the appetite to eat after what happened to Doris? As she sighed unconsciously, she looked up at Mary and said, ¡°You said Master lost his temper yesterday?¡±

    Mary nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Missus. Yesterday, Dr. Wang said that your condition wasn¡¯t good, and if you don¡¯t do anything about it, your body will be seriously burned out. Master threw the teacup in his hand and it shattered into pieces. He med us for not taking good care of you. So, Missus, you shouldn¡¯t get angry with Master. He still cares about you and Miss Weier.¡±

    In the past, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha had their fair share of differences that Mary had always known. During these times, Qi Feng was always moody and poor Qi Weier had to go through all that. Because Mary was a loyal servant, she certainly did not want to see Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha turn against each other!

    ¡°Furthermore, the whole time you left, Master hasn¡¯t been in a good mood. Missus, we have seen the rtionship between you and Master for the past few years, and we can all feel it. He truly loves you, and I think since both of you have experienced so many things together, the rtionship you both share won¡¯t change so easily,¡± Mary added after thinking for a while.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes darkened. She could not help but sigh lightly. ¡°Did he ask you to tell me this?¡±

    ¡°No, Master is the kind of person who doesn¡¯t really know how to express himself. He wouldn¡¯t let me tell you all these. I was just worried so...¡± Mary murmured while her tone sounded a little cautious.

    Gu Lingsha smiled sadly. ¡°Mary, I¡¯d know if he loves me or not. Besides, you may not know everything between us. What you saw was probably just the surface. All I can say is I can sense his feelings towards me fading away. I think maybe we¡¯ll never go back to where we started...¡± Her face became a little pale as she said this. She did not seem to have any energy left in her.

    ¡°But, Missus, I don¡¯t believe that a strong rtionship like that can be erased so easily. If Master doesn¡¯t care about you, he wouldn¡¯t have lost his temper. He also knew you weren¡¯t happy, so he let you have your own space for a while. As they say, third parties see most of the game, Missus.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t go back. We really can¡¯t. I know it.¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s lonely blue eyes flickered, and she was absolutely frustrated.

    ¡°You can if you really want to!¡± A cold, hoarse voice cut her off before Mary could react.

    Gu Lingsha suddenly turned her head and looked at where the voice came from. She saw Qi Feng motionless by the door. He seemed to have been standing there for a while.

    ¡°Master!¡± Mary greeted him respectfully.

    ¡°Put the things aside. You may leave first,¡± Qi Feng said in a low voice while rolling the wheelchair and moving towards Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Mary obediently put down the tray in her hand and walked out.

    Qi Feng looked at Gu Lingsha who was in front of him, but she lowered her head and did not utter a word.

    After a while, he looked away and reached out to pick up the bird¡¯s nest porridge Mary made. He tested the temperature for a moment, took a spoonful, and held it close to Gu Lingsha¡¯s pale lips.

    The faint and alluring scent startled her. When she looked up and saw Qi Feng¡¯s expression, her heart immediately softened and she could feel her eyes burning. She let all her sorrow and pain out. Suddenly, everything crumbled and she could not hold back her tears.

    As long as she could remember, he would only treat her so tenderly when she was sick and at her lowest. Those times made her feel like he loved her deeply, but how did they end up like this?

    Qi Feng paused for a while after seeing her cry. After a long time, he said huskily, ¡°There, there, don¡¯t cry. We¡¯ll put the past behind us. Let¡¯s be like how we used to. Nothing is going to change.¡±

    ¡°Feng...I¡¯m sorry, don¡¯t leave me! Please don¡¯t leave me...I¡¯m really scared...I have nothing left. You and Weiwei are all I have...¡± Gu Lingsha could not stop crying and Qi Feng had never seen her like this before.

    ¡°I¡¯m terrified at the thought that eventually, you will leave me too. I really can¡¯t bear the pain. I¡¯m really scared...That¡¯s why I can only watch cautiously when Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen are in love. I shouldn¡¯t be so jealous. I knew you were forced to! Feng, please don¡¯t be mad...I promise I will never act like that again. I¡¯ll always trust you, Feng...¡±

    Gu Lingsha began crying even more as she wrapped her hands around Qi Feng¡¯s neck and melted into his embrace.

 Chapter 1400 - Not Important Anymore 3

    <h4>Chapter 1400 Not Important Anymore 3</h4>

    When he felt the faint warmth in his arms, Qi Feng felt his heart ease a little.

    He sighed slightly and gently put the things in his hand back onto the tray beside him. Then, he patted her back gently. His raspy voice contained some elements of tenderness as he exined, ¡°I never med you. Even though I find it hard to keep up with you, as long as we are willing to turn back and be a little more confident with each other, all of this will be worth it.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s words were sensitive as he sighed. Unexpectedly, Gu Lingsha felt joy that she thought she had lost and just regained.

    ¡°Ah Feng...I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t content, and I was too stubborn. Next time, I¡¯ll trust you more. I just hope that you would stay true to me.¡± Gu Lingsha choked on her sobs as she blinked those teary, blue eyes and looked at Qi Feng with a faint light reflected in them. ¡°At this point, I¡¯ve got no other choice. Everything that I used to rely on is now all lost. Ah Feng, are you sure that you still want me? I...really have got nothing left anymore...¡±

    Qi Feng paused with a sigh and lowered his head to kiss her on the head while his dark eyes shed with a faint tenderness. He said in a low raspy voice, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. No matter what happens, you still have me. Just let all those other things past. I admit that I do admire Xi Xiaye, but that¡¯s just an admiration for an opponent just as how I admire Mu Yuchen. On the other hand, you are different from all the other women. Not only are you my wife, but you are also my daughter¡¯s mother.¡±

    At this point, Qi Feng suddenly stopped and reached out to hold Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand. ¡°You should know best how I feel about rtionships between men and women. I¡¯ve got no time for those things, and I¡¯m determined not to go down my father¡¯s path to avoid hurting so many women. In the end, he doesn¡¯t seem to do any better. My mother was just one of the pitiful women who ended up with him. I found out from Morrison¡¯s investigation that she loved him deeply. Perhaps, he did feel something for my mother before this, but no matter what, it couldn¡¯tpare to Wang Qin. Right from the start, she was fated to never be able to join the Qi family...

    ¡°When I grew up, I told myself that I have to be smart, and I wished for true love. First, I¡¯d have to be prepared to give up a lot. It¡¯s not a bad thing to be a cold person. Many times, only when we live a little more selfishly can we lower the chances of getting hurt. This is first time I¡¯m saying these things to you, and hopefully, it¡¯ll be thest too,¡± Qi Feng said in a lowered tone, making Gu Lingsha feel gloomy too.

    She had forgotten that someone as prideful and unfathomable like Qi Feng would never bring up all these unhappy things to her. Even if she had been by his side for many years, this was her first time hearing him bring up his mother and all the unhappy past.

    She thought that perhaps such realization only hit hard since he had experienced it himself.

    However, it made her feel sad to see Qi Feng like this.

    It was also at this moment when she suddenly felt like there was no need to be as stubborn as before. She should trust him, the way Xi Xiaye seemed to trust Mu Yuchen so much. After all, should her rtionship with Qi Feng not be able to stand the test?

    ¡°But, Ah Feng, it was also because my mother was worried about these things and because of me that...I¡¯m afraid we only have Weiwei as our only daughter. How could the Qi family...? I can¡¯t figure out why would Mother have been behind it? How could it have been her? I can¡¯t think of a reason it¡¯d be her! Could it be just because of Hui Gu? Why did Mother hold back when she found out about Father and Lingtian¡¯s rtionship seven years ago?¡± Gu Lingsha asked in disbelief as she lifted a hand to wipe the tears on her face away.

    Qi Feng froze for a while, then smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know why either. Perhaps apart from these things, there were other reasons. Anyway, these answers have all left with her and they are now an unsolvable riddle. Actually, I was thinking, Mother might have had feelings for Father. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have ended up on this path. Before she passed away, she said that she hated Father. If there was no so-called love, there wouldn¡¯t have been such strong hatred.¡±

    Qi Feng had always been very indifferent to romantic feelings, but for some reason, Gu Qiwu and Doris¡¯s matter moved him. He thought to himself that standing from Doris¡¯s perspective, might he have done the same in the end?

    ¡°She never thought of dragging you into it, so this time, she chose to do this to make it up to you.¡±

    As Qi Feng said this, he slowly let go of Gu Lingsha with a downcast expression. ¡°Finish your food first, thene to the study room. I¡¯ll let you take a look at how the whole incident went down. The doctor said you¡¯re not doing too well, so you need to be more careful. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be the one who suffers,¡± he said, and then wheeled himself around and went towards the study room.

    Gu Lingsha sniffled when she watched Qi Feng¡¯s figure vanish gradually into the study room. Then, she sighed and numbly took over the steaming bowl of bird¡¯s nest soup, finishing it downheartedly.

    ...

    After she rushed to finish half the tray of food, Gu Lingsha felt her spirits recover and she quickly got up to walk towards the study room.

    Inside the study, Qi Feng was already sitting silently before his work desk, flipping through a document, seeming gloomy and unhappy. His brows were furrowed into a knot too. When he saw Gu Lingsha walk in, he handed a document to her.

    ¡°Take a look at this. This is how the whole incident is said to have gone down, including Mother¡¯s initial suspicions of Lingtian, the incident from six years ago, and everything that has happened recently. I think once you¡¯ve looked through this, you might be able to understand why Mother did that. When I put myself in her shoes, it might not be hard to understand why.¡±

    Qi Feng tossed the document onto the table with a sigh and calmly picked up another set of documents before continuing to flip through them.

    Gu Lingsha wavered for a moment. She bit her pale lip, then a while after, she walked over silently to pick up the document.

    ¡°Her subordinate, Glenn, is still nowhere to be found. Since the incident was exposed, police have been looking for him everywhere. If Glenn contacts you, it¡¯s best to ignore him so that you don¡¯t get implicated too. This issue is too sensitive at the moment, so we¡¯ll have to be vignt at all times. Don¡¯t make rash decisions on other things that you can¡¯t handle either. Just leave them to me.¡±

 Chapter 1401 - Not Important Anymore 4

    <h4>Chapter 1401 Not Important Anymore 4</h4>

    Qi Feng spoke lightly as he raised his head and looked at Gu Lingsha.

    Startled, Gu Lingsha remained silent. She opened the file slowly and started reading it in silence.

    As she continued reading, her face turned pale. She could not control her tears before she got to the end of the document. The pages were soaked in her tears, and even the text became a little blurry.

    After she closed the document abruptly, she clenched it, and said incoherently, ¡°How could this be? How could it be? How is this even possible?¡±

    ¡°Everything you read is true, and she already admitted to it. Shasha, I know it¡¯s very difficult for you to ept this. It¡¯s difficult for me too. I¡¯ve never thought that the person who kept me in this wheelchair for six years turned out to be her...Your mother, my mother-inw. Well, you...¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s feelings were all over the ce. He had to admit that up until now, he did not know how he should face Doris, but he figured that he should probably be feeling resentment more than anything. However, he did not have the chance to resent her, now that Doris had already passed away. His resentment was suddenly rendered useless and had nowhere to go.

    Moreover, Gu Lingsha was still his wife after all.

    If this had happened in the past, Qi Feng might not have been willing to let things go. However, his recent experiences made him realize that he may not be able to live well if he had chosen to do everything his way. A good rtionship with Gu Lingsha besides resolving their differences would be the best solution just like Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. It would save them a lot of trouble.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were dim with sorrow. She said with tears in her eyes, ¡°I think this was how my mother¡¯s temperament was. I¡¯ve never lost to anyone in my life, but because of my father...He treated her in such a way that she had probably lost all hope. Mu Yuchen and the others were also pressuring her, yet Father...She simply had nowhere else to go,¡± Gu Lingsha said, sobbing and sniffling while she was in a daze.

    Although she finally found out what happened and realized that the change she was going through was because of Doris, she still could not bring herself to resent her mother. She just felt sorry for herself and thought that fate was unfair. Why did she need to go through so many ups and downs? Why could she not be happy like Xi Xiaye, Zhuang Shurong, and the other women?

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do now. Crying won¡¯t make anything better. Mother made a mistake, and there¡¯s no turning back. Father is still lying in the hospital. This incident probably took a toll on him as well. Mother¡¯s intention of holding Mu Lingshi hostage was to die together. It was actually for a final sense of possession over Hui Gu. You should understand what it meant to her. Now, stop putting so much pressure on yourself.¡±

    ¡°How can I not feel the pressure? Feng, I don¡¯t even know how to face her now. Should I hate her or resent her? She made a mistake, after all. I still can¡¯t bring myself to tell Grandmother about this, but Grandfather must¡¯ve already heard about it, and this isn¡¯t a trivial matter.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with the flow and not overthink. If you¡¯re tired, go back and get some sleep. Mother¡¯s affairs are already being processed. I think the funeral should be simple. After all, Mother wouldn¡¯t want it to be too grand.¡±

    ¡°Feng, I want to bring Mother¡¯s body back to Ennd. This ce has given her too many unpleasant memories, and she had always wanted to leave here and return to Ennd when she was still alive. I think, over the years, it was the only ce she has ever truly felt happy. You should go back with me just to wind down and take a vacation. Morrison mentioned that you can stand up on your own now. This could be a good time to take a rest over there. You haven¡¯t really met my grandparents yet, have you?¡±

    As Gu Lingsha went on, she smiled at Qi Feng. ¡°Actually, Grandfather and Grandmother are very kind to me. They told me that I¡¯m very much like Mother, so I think they do actually care about her unlike what Mother said. After all...Don¡¯t worry. If you are worried about being away for too long, it can be a short trip.¡±

    ¡°Let me think about it. There are too many things that I¡¯ll have to deal with in advance if we were to leave for a period of time,¡± Qi Feng said helplessly.

    ¡°It¡¯s your call. I won¡¯t interfere. I¡¯m very tired, so I¡¯ll leave Mother¡¯s affairs up to you. I want to see Father tomorrow. Would you like to go together?¡± Gu Lingsha said with hope in her eyes.

    After he hesitated for a moment, Qi Feng reached out to the ss of cold water on the table and took a sip. He said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital and wait for you outside.¡±

    Gu Lingsha seemed more at ease now and she nodded quickly. Slowly, she walked past the table and made her way towards him.

    ...

    He almost woke upte after a night of drinking.

    When Su Chen woke up, it was already past seven. He would normally wake up around six o¡¯clock, make breakfast, and sometimes clean up the house. It did not cross his mind that he would have overslept that day as the sky was still gray, and he thought it was too early.

    He washed up as quickly as possible and dressed up. Ji Zitong, who was still asleep on the bed, was stirred by his movements. She looked at him with blurry eyes and saw that he was going through the documents in the bag. She said hoarsely, ¡°What time is it? Why are you up so early? Is it already dawn?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already past seven. I have to go to headquarters for a meeting. You can sleep in. I didn¡¯t have time to make breakfast, so I¡¯ve asked Secretary He to buy you some and deliver itter. Remember to have breakfast before going to work. I¡¯m leaving now, and I¡¯ll be back in the evening. What would you like to eat? I¡¯ll go get groceries after I get off work...¡±

    It seemed that this was the peaceful life they had been living as husband and wife. They had been married for almost a year now.

    Su Chen did not know how much feelings he had developed for Zitong after such a long period of time together. He was afraid that he had gotten used to her existence. From seeing her when he got off work every day to eating together and even holding her in his arms every night before going to bed, she had be part and parcel of his life.

    Habit was such a terrible thing.

    Maybe Ji Zitong felt the same way.

    They might not necessarily have had feelings when they got married, but after such a long period of time, they had proven to each other that they were verypatible...

 Chapter 1402 - Not Important Anymore 5

    <h4>Chapter 1402 Not Important Anymore 5</h4>

    Ji Zitong squinted at him and was about to lie back down when she saw him lost in thought, so she could not help but ask, ¡°Mmm, got it. I¡¯ll sleep for a while longer then. What are you thinking about? You look so entranced.¡±

    Su Chen then snapped back to his senses and a smile shed across his lips. ¡°Nothing. I was just thinking about what dishes you like.¡±

    Ji Zitong yawned andbed through her messy hair as she shrugged and said, ¡°Anything¡¯s fine. Something light will be good. Let¡¯s have steamboat at home and not go out for dinner. We¡¯ve been eating heaty food recently. It¡¯s a bit too much. Didn¡¯t you say that you felt heaty yesterday? I¡¯ll make a trip back to my mother¡¯s this afternoon and bring some wild chrysanthemum tea home since it¡¯s good for the liver and the eyes.¡±

    Her concerned tone made Su Chen¡¯s heart soften, and he did not disagree with the suggestion. ¡°I¡¯ll go pick you up at noon then?¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll drive over myself.¡± Ji Zitong was not the kind of delicate woman. She did not need to trouble him for such simple things because she knew that he was usually quite busy, and if he rushed to spend time with her on these, he would need to work tillte at night.

    ¡°Then, go get a few sets of new clothes from Sister then. I heard a few days ago that she said the store¡¯s got some new styles for the Winter/Spring season. Your fashion needs to change up anyway,¡± Su Chen said when he was swiftly done tying his tie. The dark-colored uniform made him look resolute and he seemed very energetic.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve got it. Quickly, off to work now. I¡¯m going to sleep a little while more.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, remember to get up for breakfast. If you¡¯re too tired working with Mother, then it¡¯s fine to rest for a day or two,¡± Su Chen took his hat and reminded her.

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Remember!¡± he nagged before leaving the room.

    When she heard the door close, Ji Zitong pulled up her nket and continued sleeping.

    Ever since the flower store went down, she had been pulled into learning how to manage thepany from Xie Jiajia, and she had felt quite exhausted by it, but at least, right now she could handle it. Although Xie Jiajia usually looked like a cheerful person, when she was strict, she could be quite harsh. Ji Zitong took quite a while to get used to the way Xie Jiajia was distinct between her personal life and her professional life.

    Su Chen felt bad for her. When he saw that she was still reading thepany materials at night, he had also called Xie Jiajia personally to ask her not to torture her own daughter-inw. Fortunately, Xie Jiajia listened to him and reduced Ji Zitong¡¯s workload after that.

    Su Chen had just left home when Ah Mo called to inform him that someone managed to trace Glenn¡¯s tracks and wanted to ask for surveince footage. Therefore, Su Chen quickly got Secretary He to manage it.

    What happened to Doris had given Mu Lingshi quite the shock, especially since Doris had been shot dead by her side, and her blood had sttered onto her face. She could still feel part of her face that felt like it had burned by the stter.

    When she saw Ah Mo slowly hanging up, she asked softly, ¡°How are things?¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng has taken over. Glenn¡¯s still trying to slink off, but we¡¯ve locked down his location. He didn¡¯t leave City Z, so as long as search in time, we should be able to find him quite soon,¡± Ah Mo responded.

    Mu Lingshi nodded and sighed. ¡°I think no one would have expected this oue. I didn¡¯t want to get into all of these too, but it seems like that¡¯s not really up to me.¡±

    ¡°Now that this has passed, don¡¯t think about it too much either. I think Lingtian can rest in peace now. What are you nning to do with Gu Qiwu? Hiswyer has discussed things with Li Si. Brother has silently epted this oue too, but we still respect your wishes first and foremost,¡± Ah Mo said with a downcast voice as he met with Mu Lingshi¡¯s dim gaze. Her eyes contained a faint hint of pain.

    Fate had been too harsh on Mu Lingshi, but it was not easy for her to have persisted with this attitude and outlook. Perhaps because he shared the same experience as her, he could resonate with her and sympathize with her even more.

    He did not know when he became attracted to her. Perhaps, it was 10 or even 20 years ago, or even longer. Ever since he was sensible, and after all that he had experienced, the only woman he wanted to protect was just Mu Lingshi alone...

    ¡°What did Brother say? I don¡¯t want to take on the Gu surname. I want...¡± Mu Lingshi muttered as she lowered her gaze and nonchntly took a sip of the water in her cup. ¡°After so many years now, I¡¯ve long gotten used to being a part of the Mu family. Ah Mo, if you were me, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Lingshi, listen to your heart. No matter what you do, I support your decision as long as you feel good about it. Gu Qiwu¡¯s still hospitalized at the moment. I heard he¡¯s regained consciousness, but his emotions and state seem a little...Brother went to visit him.¡±

    ¡°Brother? Or was it because of this? Why didn¡¯t he look for me himself? Actually, I¡¯d like to hear his opinion,¡± Mu Lingshi said, puzzled.

    ¡°Perhaps, he did not think it was good to say all that to you, or he was worried that you would trouble yourself. No matter what choice you make, he, Father, and Mother, as well as Grandfather will support you. I am of the same opinion as them, Lingshi. In fact, I think that perhaps you should see Gu Qiwu. Just based on the fact that he took a bullet for you, I think, at that moment, he knew deep down that you are his daughter. Besides, now that Gu Lingsha¡¯s back, knowing her, I think she¡¯ll look for you.¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s dark eyes flickered with a concerned light as he silently looked at her. ¡°If we don¡¯t handle all of this follow-up well, I¡¯m worried that a second Doris will turn up. Meanwhile, you and the Mu family cannot handle any more suffering. Do you understand?¡±

    His tone was pertinent, and upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi¡¯s gaze dimmed. She held onto the ss in her hand tightly and did not say anything after a long while.

    A while passed, then she sighed as she said calmly, ¡°Let me think about it. My thoughts are a mess right now.¡±

    ¡°Alright, calm down and think about it then. I¡¯m going to the office because I¡¯ve got quite a few things to handle. I heard Father and Mother¡¯s conversation when I woke up earlier. Gu Qiwu asked Brother to bail him out, so I think it¡¯ll be done in the next few days. I heard that he wants to leave this ce as soon as possible and return to City B. You¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll think it through. Quickly go to work then. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything. Right, does Grandfather know about this?¡±

    ¡°Is there anything we can hide from the old man?¡±

 Chapter 1403 - Not Important Anymore 6

    <h4>Chapter 1403 Not Important Anymore 6</h4>

    When Gu Lingsha arrived at the hospital, it was around 11 in the morning and was almost noon. The hospital was still crowded, especially in the inpatient ward.

    Soon, she found Gu Qiwu¡¯s ward, and from afar, she could see policemen guarding the entrance. She had almost forgotten that he was still under detention because of Wang Qin¡¯s affairs. Thest time Doris made an earnest request to see him, he had been immediately taken to meet her, but he had suffered injuries. Then, he was sent to the hospital to seek treatment.

    Gu Lingsha was standing outside the door. Through the window, she could see Gu Qiwu lying on the hospital bed and looking out of the window. His expression was very calm and he seemed unfazed, but it seemed like he was lonelier than before.

    It was cold like a cool breeze was passing through a bleak and barren forest, and there was an indescribable sense of loneliness.

    Gu Lingsha could not remember thest time Gu Qiwu had smiled at her. For as long as she could remember, her father seemed to be strict and rigid all the time. She could never understand him.

    She had always remembered her father as someone who treated her mother well, and he would always try his best to give Doris whatever she wanted. Whenever he traveled or went on business trips, he would oftene back with gifts for Doris and her. Gu Qiwu had never treated Doris badly. All these years, he had never gotten involved with other women, except for Mu Zixi. People always thought that he and Doris were a loving couple.

    She was na?ve to think that what they shared was love. Once upon a time, she had been envious and had yearned for a rtionship like theirs.

    However, when she looked back, many things were probably different from what she expected. Now that Gu Qiwu and Doris had been separated by life and death, could this be the end of their struggles, grievances, and resentment?

    ¡®Could this be the end?¡¯ Gu Lingsha thought to herself.

    Still, she would not know the answer because...She thought about Doris, who was still lying in the mortuary and had already breathed herst breath...

    She stood watching outside the room for a long time. Inside the room, Gu Qiwu was just lying down and looking out of the window. He appeared motionless and tired. His weary eyes longed to catch a glimpse of the soft sunlight.

    After struggling for a while, she finally brought herself to enter the room. She walked in slowly and stood next to the bed while staring at Gu Qiwu, appearing conflicted.

    Up until this point, she had to admit that she did have some resentment in her heart because if it was not for...Things probably would not have ended up the way they did.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s red lips trembled, and just when she was about to say something, Gu Qiwu whose back faced her, seemed to have realized she was there, so he spoke and interrupted her thoughts, ¡°When did youe back?¡±

    She could not hear any emotions in his calm tone. All Gu Lingsha could think about in this deafening silence was death. Nevertheless, this silence actually suppressed the anger in her heart.

    ¡°My mother is dead. Don¡¯t you feel sad at all?¡± Gu Lingsha said as she stared at Gu Qiwu¡¯s silhouette, expressing her dissatisfaction through her tone.

    ¡°I¡¯d have been sad if she could survive. Maybe I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Gu Qiwu still had his back turned to her as he said indifferently, ¡°Since you¡¯re back, I assume you must¡¯ve visited your mother. Qi Feng should have told you everything.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s face darkened and she nced down. ¡°Father, even if you haven¡¯t treated Mother and me badly all these years, you still shouldn¡¯t have deceived her like that! You were so unfair to her!¡±

    ¡°Then, how would you define fairness? Do you want to talk about fairness? Were Mu Zixi, Lingtian, and Lingshi treated with any fairness? Your mother could go to the extent of killing Lingtian for her own gain. Was that what you call fairness? You once said that if it wasn¡¯t for Lingtian, ??you might not have been able to live until now. The reason you are alive is that Ling Tian traded his own life for yours. Now, he¡¯s gone and the culprit who orchestrated the car ident was your own biological mother...¡±

    When Gu Qiwu said this, he suddenly paused. He slowly turned around and looked at Gu Lingsha. He noticed her little face getting paler.

    ¡°Lingsha, Lingtian, and Lingshi are both your family members. One of them was your brother who traded your life with his own, while the other is your sister who has been neglected for more than 20 years. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone of you, and as a father, all I wanted was...I want all of you to live peacefully.¡±

    Gu Lingsha sneered coldly when Gu Qiwu said that, ¡°Move on and live a peaceful life? Father, do you think that¡¯s even possible?¡±

    ¡°As long as there is a will, there is a way,¡± Gu Qiwu replied.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression dulled. She looked at Gu Qiwu and finally blurted out the question, ¡°I heard that you n to hand the Hui Gu Corporation over to Mu Lingshi. Is that so?¡±

    Gu Qiwu paused, then raised his head and met her gaze. He said faintly, ¡°Is this why you are here today? You¡¯re just like your mother. You¡¯ve always thought about taking over the business.¡± He could feel her intentions crystal-clear in his heart.

    Gu Lingsha smiled coldly. ¡°You¡¯re right, but I still want an exnation. Why did Mother choose to end up like this? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re also responsible for her death? Father, why did Mother end up like this? It¡¯s because she was pressured by all of you! All of you! Do you understand?¡± She was agitated as she raised her voice.

    ¡°If you want things that don¡¯t belong to you, you¡¯ll have to pay a price. I have already nned thepany¡¯s affairs and I know what I should do. You don¡¯t need toe over and say anything anymore since I have my own ns.¡±

    ¡°n? What n? Are you really going to hand the Hui Gu Corporation over to Mu Lingshi? Is she even qualified? Father! I¡¯m your daughter. If you do this, what about me? What can I do?¡± Gu Lingsha clenched her fists and stared at Gu Qiwu in a daze. ¡°Now that Mother is gone, aren¡¯t you...?¡±

 Chapter 1404 - Not Important Anymore 7

    <h4>Chapter 1404 Not Important Anymore 7</h4>

    Before Gu Lingsha could finish, Gu Qiwu had already cut her off unhappily, ¡°Enough, stop now. I¡¯ve already made ns. Lingsha, I¡¯ve never treated the two of you poorly, but you¡¯ve got to know how to be content too. I just don¡¯t want to see you two sisters be caught up in these disputes.¡±

    ¡°Meanwhile, I owe Lingshi too much. Some things might turn out to be a burden for you in your hands. Don¡¯t go thinking that I haven¡¯t done enough for you.¡± He looked at Gu Lingsha with that gloomy expression of his.

    Yes, he did not n to evenly hand Hui Gu over to the sisters. That way, he could still prevent infighting between the sisters just like how Qi Qiming and Wang Qin had. In the end, it could only end in tragedy!

    He had already lost Mu Zixi, and then his only son, Mu Lingtian. Now, even his first wife, Doris, was gone...

    All of the pressure that he had been taking on suddenly found a space to be released, especially after this incident. It instantly overwhelmed everything his heart could take.

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha just smiled sadly. ¡°Father, do you feel like I¡¯mgging far behind Mu Lingshi? Don¡¯t you understand why Mother recklessly risked her own life?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at her disdainfully from the corner of his eyes. ¡°Do you want the Hui Gu Corporation?¡±

    Gu Lingsha bit her plump lips and continued to smile wistfully. ¡°What else did you think? I think it¡¯s unfair! My mother¡¯s gone. You can¡¯t just favor Mu Lingsha. You know how important Hui Gu was to Mother, but you were never willing to relent!¡±

    At this moment, Gu Qiwu finally expressed what he had kept in his heart for so long, ¡°I used to think that Hui Gu was very important too, but ever since your brother, Lingtian, passed away, I suddenly felt that it wasn¡¯t as important anymore. I have always known that your mother wanted those shares. If she could¡¯ve been kinder, I might have given them to her, but after considering how all of these might be exposed in time toe, and Lingshi or more people would be threatened, I couldn¡¯t give them to her.¡±

    ¡°I used to think that your brother, Lingtian, died because of Mu Yuchen. I once wanted to take on Mu Yuchen, but I couldn¡¯t ignore what consequences mighte after that. I had already let Zixi down, and I know how the Mu family treats Lingtian and Lingshi. Because of this dilemma, so I couldn¡¯t truly... I thought this secret could always be kept a secret, but unexpectedly...Otherwise, it¡¯s not a bad thing to just keep on living peacefully like this.

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s sickly pale face suddenly shed with a faint trace. He silently looked at Gu Lingsha, who looked sullen, as he said earnestly, ¡°I know. Perhaps, you resent me for what happened to your mother. Everything happened because of me and should be a burden borne by me. I just don¡¯t want you to be like your mother and trouble your sister, Lingshi. She didn¡¯t know anything, and now she might not be willing to acknowledge me as her father. As for you, if you knew how to be more content, you might be happier.¡±

    ¡°Happier? Father, do you think I can even use this word at this point?¡±

    ¡°I will leave you some assets. I won¡¯t treat you poorly, but when ites to Hui Gu, I hope you won¡¯t interject and fight for it.¡±

    ¡°Father!¡± Gu Lingsha looked at Gu Qiwu sourly.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Alright, I¡¯m tired now. Go home,¡± Gu Qiwu closed his eyes and coldly asked her to leave.

    ¡°To you, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all there is to it while Mother and I can¡¯tpare to Mu Zixi and the rest, huh? I really feel sad for Mother. What do you think outsiders are going to think of me? Or of Mother? Father!¡±

    Gu Qiwu did not answer while his expression was cold. Gu Lingsha¡¯s cheeks were streaming with tears...

    She silently looked at Gu Qiwu who had already closed his eyes to rest. Although she wanted to say something, in the end, she said nothing. Biting her lip, she turned around and walked towards the door.

    When Gu Lingsha was about to vanish through the doorway, Gu Qiwu¡¯s calm voice came through, ¡°When you find that Hui Gu Corporation isn¡¯t actually that important, then you are qualified. You don¡¯t have the right attitude while your sister¡¯s different. This is why I¡¯m hoping you won¡¯t interject. You¡¯re like your mother. You¡¯re too purposeful and you scheme too much. In fact, you¡¯ve got Qi Feng with you...¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha paused and a sarcastic smile shed across her lips. ¡°Father, how dare you say that Mu Lingshi doesn¡¯t have any motive or isn¡¯t scheming? She was just taking one step back in order to advance two steps forward! You owe me and Mother too much! She was forced into a corner by all of you!¡± she snapped before continuing to walk ahead.

    Bam!

    The loud crash of the door closing vibrated through the entire room.

    Gu Qiwu then opened his eyes and looked with a dim gaze at the shut door. When he thought about the way Gu Lingsha mmed the door in such a crossed manner, he could only smile sorrowfully.

    This was his mistake!

    ,..

    Doris¡¯s funeral took ce four days after Gu Lingsha returned to City Z.

    The funeral was low-profile with only people who were frequently in touch with her and some guests that Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha invited in attendance.

    Gu Lingsha wanted to bring Doris home to Ennd, but unexpectedly, after her meeting with Gu Qiwu, she fell sick with a severe cold and even had to get Morrison¡¯s help to attend Doris¡¯s funeral. Thus, the matter of returning to Ennd had been dyed, and Qi Feng arranged for Doris¡¯s ashes to be put to rest at West Hill Cemetery.

    Inside the Chairman of Glory World¡¯s office, Mu Yuchen was standing coldly before the window with his hands leisurely behind his back.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Doris¡¯s funeral today. The ceremony is at 10 a.m.¡±

    After reporting the day¡¯s agenda, Li Si carefully brought up the news, ¡°Missus has sent Lan Zng to go over.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen sighed. ¡°Make a trip there to pay respects on behalf of me too. Also, cancel this afternoon¡¯s meetings.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! Second Master Qi just called. He¡¯s invited you for tea at the Bamboo Teahouse this afternoon at 3 p.m.,¡± Li Si replied.

    ¡°Mmm, okay,¡± Mu Yuchen answered calmly, ¡°Has Gu Qiwu¡¯s matter been settled?¡±

    ¡°If everything goes well, he should be able to be bailed out by noon today, but, Master, I noticed that he doesn¡¯t seem to quite care anymore. Could it be because of Doris¡¯s passing that he now...?¡±

 Chapter 1405 - Reason To Be Strong 1

    <h4>Chapter 1405 Reason To Be Strong 1</h4>

    As expected, Li Si did not dare to finish his sentence. He carefully observed Mu Yuchen¡¯s face and was relieved when he noticed that his expression did not change.

    ¡°If you¡¯re able to settle the affairs, hurry up and do so,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly while slowly lowering his hands. Then, he turned around and walked towards the desk.

    ¡°Yes, Master! By the way, we heard from Ah Bo. They¡¯ve managed to trace the person and he has been staying around Los Angeles. Ah Bo has sent someone over.¡±

    ¡°Notify the police to go easy on the manhunt. Don¡¯t be reckless. I still want to get some information out of him,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a deep voice while sadness shed across his dark eyes for a moment.

    Li Si naturally understood what he meant and quickly nodded. ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let them know!¡±

    ¡°Okay. You may leave now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Li Si finally left. Mu Yuchen slowly sat down in the office chair, turned around, and looked out of the window. It was a beautiful winter day and it had been a while since they had a warm winter day like this.

    He quietly leaned back in his chair while resting his chin on his hand and slowly closed his eyes to nap for a while.

    However, without realizing how much time had passed, he suddenly picked up a light and familiar scent as a pair of soft, cold hands touched and gently massaged his temples. The pressure felt just right, and it was sofortable that it made him feel much better.

    He did not open his eyes though his mouth curved into a smile. His long arm subconsciously reached out to the side, and just as he expected, he felt her soft skirt which he gently grasped in his hand.

    ¡°Why did youe here?¡± his deep gentle voice echoed while he yed with her skirt.

    ¡°I was bored in the office, so I came to see you. Why? Don¡¯t you want to see me?¡± Xi Xiaye paused and leered at him.

    ¡°Of course, I do! I get to enjoy top-notch service, so I couldn¡¯t have asked for more.¡± He smiled tenderly and clenched the skirt in his hand. ¡°Do you want to go out for a walk? The sun¡¯s out today. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had such warm weather.¡±

    ¡°The sun is quite warm, but it¡¯s rather windy. I only came over to have a meal with you. I need to leave afterward to attend a meeting at the office in the afternoon. I also wanted to get a copy of the materials from you,¡± Xi Xiaye said while gently increasing the pressure of her hands.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you back after lunch. I¡¯m also going to see Qi Lei at the Bamboo Teahouse.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei?¡± Xi Xiaye was taken aback and she looked at him for a while, then lowered her eyes and nodded. ¡°Oh, he didn¡¯t go that night either. I should probably go and see him. Well, send him my regards. Also, today is Doris¡¯s funeral, you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have arranged for Li Si to go there. For the sake of the business rtionship between Glory World Corporation and Qi Kai Group, we should go and see him.¡± He let go of her skirt after he said that and reached out to grab her hand instead while opening his eyes.

    Xi Xiaye also stopped before she turned around and walked towards the coffee table. ¡°I ran into Li Si on my way here. He said that Gu Qiwu¡¯s affairs arepleted. Lingshi called me this morning. She happened to go to the hospital for a physical examination today, so she will probably meet Gu Qiwu.¡±

    ¡°She told you that?¡± Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen gazed at her suspiciously.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for Lingshi topromise. Besides, her current situation may not be fit to take over the Hui Gu Corporation. She said that she wants Gu Qiwu to continue managing the business, but to make sure that Hui Gu won¡¯t fall into Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng¡¯s hands, she has drawn up an agreement privately. Should anything happen to her and the kids, all the properties inherited under her name will be directly donated to the Glory World Corporation Charity Foundation,¡± Xi Xiaye said with a grin.

    When Mu Yuchen heard that, his ck eyes glimmered with appreciation. ¡°Lingshi is quite clever. She has already nned a future for herself, which will also prevent Gu Lingsha and the others from plotting anything.¡±

    ¡°I thought she wouldn¡¯t ept this agreement.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter if she agrees or not. It¡¯s a good thing for her to return to the Gu family as the heir of Hui Gu. She can then protect herself and the people she cares about from that position. This is better than watching Gu Lingsha take everything away. I¡¯m just worried about how she¡¯ll face Gu Qiwu alone,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    ¡°I heard that Gu Lingsha has been very sick recently, especially after meeting Gu Qiwu. I think it¡¯s because of this. Her status in the Gu family has been destroyed, but Gu Qiwu did leave her a lot of money though.¡±

    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± He listened and nced at her with a smile.

    ¡°I have my ways...¡±

    Rat-a-tat!

    Before Xi Xiaye could go on, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Mu Yuchen responded simply.

    The secretary quickly opened the door and walked in. ¡°President Mu, Miss Lingshi is here. She¡¯s downstairs and she¡¯d like to see you!¡±

    Lingshi?

    Mu Yuchen raised an eyebrow at the woman on the sofa, and replied, ¡°Ask her toe upstairs.¡±

    ¡°Okay, President Mu!¡±

    As Xi Xiaye also nced at him in surprise, she got up and walked over to the desk. She rummaged through the documents on the desk and quickly found the one she wanted. ¡°Forget about lunch today. Have a good chat with her. I¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    With a nod, Mu Yuchen wrapped his hand around her, lowered his head, and kissed her lips. He gently patted her on the head with hisrge hands. ¡°You can go back first and get off work earlier tonight. I¡¯ll go pick Zirui up tonight and we¡¯ll have dinner somewhere. The newly released animation sounds good. I promised Zirui I¡¯d bring him to watch itst week. It¡¯s time to keep my promise this weekend.¡±

    Smiling happily, she tiptoed and gave him a peck on his face. ¡°Go ahead. Just call meter.¡±

    She then walked towards the door swiftly.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen smiled tenderly while his eyes were still gleaming faintly.

    Just when Xi Xiaye reached the staircase, she happened to run into Mu Lingshi who had juste out of the elevator.

    She was dressed in loose casual clothes and herplexion seemed good, but she had also lost a lot of weight from her struggles. People would never have guessed that she was a pregnant woman if they did not look closely.

    ¡°Sister-inw! You¡¯re here too?¡± Mu Lingshi looked at Xi Xiaye in surprise.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve asked your brother to go back instead ofing all the way here. I only came over to get a copy of some materials. Anyway, see you!¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s slightly disapproving tone was a sign of solicitude.

 Chapter 1406 - Reason To Be Strong 2

    <h4>Chapter 1406 Reason To Be Strong 2</h4>

    Mu Lingshi smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m bored staying home all day anyway, so I came out to walk around. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to thepany, and I wanted to visit. Is my brother busy right now?¡±¡°He¡¯s still free now. Go on in. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Then, Xi Xiaye turned around to enter the elevator.

    Inside Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, Mu Lingshi pushed the door to enter, and from afar, she could see Mu Yuchen steeping tea on the sofa.

    ¡°Come over and sit.¡± Mu Yuchen hinted at the sofa across him and indicated for Mu Lingshi to sit.

    With a nod, she walked over and sat down.

    Mu Yuchen leisurely poured her a cup of flower tea while his lowered voice contained concern. ¡°Are you okay with a little flower tea? Your sister-inw said that you asked to go for a health checkup today. How have you been feeling?¡±

    Mu Lingshi reached out to take the cup of tea. ¡°I drink it all the time at home. It¡¯s pretty good. I¡¯ll go overter. Ah Mo went out to do something, so I¡¯m waiting for him here and decided toe to chat with you.¡±

    Then, she lowered her head and took a sip of the flower tea and paused before continuing, ¡°Brother, Ah Mo¡¯s already¡ª¡±

    However, before she could finish, Mu Yuchen already lifted a hand to stop her. He looked up quietly at her and said earnestly, ¡°Your sister-inw brought it up earlier. Since you¡¯ve already decided on that, then do as you wish. Obey your heart. There will be many things that you¡¯ll have to take on alone in time.

    ¡°In fact, Ah Mo¡¯s a reliable person with foresight, so you can ask him if you¡¯re not sure of anything. Lingshi, I have limited capabilities. When ites to many things, I don¡¯t want to influence your thoughts. I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t much I can do.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen finished, Mu Lingshi immediately shook her head gently. Tears could not help but well up in her eyes as she felt moved. ¡°No, Brother, you¡¯ve done too much already. Let me handle the rest. I won¡¯t let you and everyone else down.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m disappointed or not as long as you do well.¡±

    ¡°Brother, we owe you too much! I¡¯m sorry...I didn¡¯t think that it would¡¯ve been like this...Lingtian, he...I know you¡¯re actually very sad, but I don¡¯t know if...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in the past now. Forget it.¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze and silently drank his tea. ¡°You are you, and Lingtian is Lingtian. I have always been very clear about that. I remember that from the moment I was sensible, Father, Mother, Grandfather, and Grandmother have taught me that no matter what happens, I have to take good care of my younger siblings. I have always believed in that and made it the standard.¡±

    ¡°Brother, thank you...If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯m afraid I...You know, when the incident with Lingtian first happened, I once felt a deep sense of loss and was dispirited for a long time, but I never dared to explode in front of you. I was afraid that you¡¯d take it the wrong way. To me, Brother, you¡¯re forever number one. Even Ah Mo has to stand in line. Because of you, Brother, I have a reason to be strong. Because I¡¯m very clear that once you are struck down, we¡¯d also...¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen suddenlyughed out loud and served Mu Lingshi more tea. He smiled and said, ¡°You mustn¡¯t let Ah Mo hear this now. I¡¯m happy to see the two of you blissful. In the past, I might not have known this principle, but since I married your sister-inw, I¡¯ve probably been influenced by her.¡±

    Mu Lingshi smiled dly too. She held the warm cup in her hand tightly, sighed, and said, ¡°Yeah, even though Sister-inw looks ordinary, she¡¯s actually a very magical person. Even the reason I could let go and reconcile with Ah Mo was thanks to her. And to be honest, Brother, since you married her, you have changed a lot. In the past, I might not have dared face you like this, but now, you¡¯ve be much calmer.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a more sensitive person. Sometimes, she might not be as strong as you are.¡± When Mu Yuchen said this, he could not help but think of her when they first met...

    ¡°Who says so? I think that Sister-inw is so much more excellent than I am, and only she can match you, Brother. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t Gu Lingsha. Otherwise, I¡¯d have cried to death, and I wouldn¡¯t have known whether to call you Brother or Brother-inw!¡± Mu Lingshi said, and then cheekily shrugged as she said unhappily.

    ¡°From the start, it could never have been her. There is no otherwise!¡± Mu Yuchen shot her a side nce, but he also felt thankful at the same time. It was a blessing that they had not been happy back then. Otherwise, how could he have met Xiaye?

    Mu Lingshi watched Mu Yuchen, and pursed her lips before smiling, ¡°That¡¯s why I say that we¡¯re still the lucky ones. I¡¯ve been thinking recently, to be a smart person and choose what¡¯s best for us. Brother, do you think that I¡¯m...?¡±

    ¡°I can only say that you¡¯ve truly grown and can take things on by yourself. That way, if you can really think that way, I¡¯ll worry less from now on,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Mu Lingshi was stunned for a moment, then she nodded gently. ¡°I understand, Brother! I¡¯ll leave now then. Ah Mo might already be waiting for me downstairs.¡±

    ...

    When she walked out of Glory World Corporation, she could spot Ah Mo waiting by the car from a distance. Mu Lingshi quickly got into the car and they went straight to the hospital.

    They had an appointment with the doctor, so the checkup could be done as soon as they reached, and the whole process was quick. After about an hour, it was done.

    Underneath the tree outside the hospital entrance, Mu Lingshi was looking at the photo in hand while her face brimmed with faint joy. The child was quite healthy. Compared to before, it seemed to have grown quite a bit.

    She looked at it for a while, then slowly kept the photo away, but before she could look up, she already felt someone moving closer to her. She quickly nced up and Gu Qiwu¡¯s frail figure greeted her sight.

    ¡°How is it you?¡± Mu Lingshi immediately frowned.

    Gu Qiwu wore a ck coat. Even underneath this faint, warm sun, you could seem to notice a hint of sickly pallidness on his pale face.

    Mu Lingshi did not forget that he had been hurt from before.

    Gu Qiwu did not answer as he just silently looked at Gu Lingshi for a while, then looked up at the warm winter sun. After a while, he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to sit.¡± Then, he walked ahead.

    Mu Lingshi seemed to also remember that not too far away ahead was a coffee shop. She slowly turned around and watched as Gu Qiwu gradually walked away. Then, she took a deep breath and pulled out her phone to send Ah Mo a message before following after him.

    The coffee shop was less than 100 meters away. The father and daughter walked in and found a quiet corner to sit down.

 Chapter 1407 - Reason To Be Strong 3

    <h4>Chapter 1407 Reason To Be Strong 3</h4>

    If it was not for the calm conversation with her brother, Mu Yuchen, before this, Mu Lingshi might not have been willing to sit down with Gu Qiwu like this now.

    Gu Qiwu considered Mu Lingshi¡¯s pregnancy and did not order coffee. He asked for a pot of grapefruit tea and some snacks instead.

    ¡°How was the result of the examination? Are you alright?¡± Gu Qiwu greeted though it was rare for him to show concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything is fine,¡± Mu Lingshi responded weakly. Her tone was somewhat robotic as she looked down at the cup in front of her. She did not intend to waste any time and wanted to be straightforward, so she continued, ¡± Now that the cat¡¯s out of the bag and everything has be clear now, do you have anything to say?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Gu Qiwu paused and his pale face was a little stiff. He stayed silent for a long time before he mumbled, ¡°What else can I say when all the truth isid out right in front of me?¡±

    Mu Lingshi sneered, ¡°Yes, a heartless person like you wouldn¡¯t be able to feel empathy. Nevertheless, you¡¯re responsible for my mother and my brother¡¯s death, even Grandmother¡¯s misfortune. I cannot fathom how you can still sit here with peace of mind.¡±

    ¡°I should¡¯ve resented Doris, but then I realized I couldn¡¯t bring myself to begrudge her. My mother and I weren¡¯t close, and neither was Lingtian...What made me sad were Big Brother and Grandmother... So, you¡¯re the one I should hate the most.¡±

    ¡°I understand your hatred towards me, and I¡¯m not going to ask for forgiveness. I made an agreement with Mu Yuchen which I think he should have told you about.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let my child grow up with the surname¡¯Gu¡¯. I wish that he¡¯ll still have the surname¡¯Mu¡¯ when he grows up. In my eyes, this surname represents happiness and unity. On the other hand ...you should know that going back to the Gu family with you is something I¡¯m strongly opposed to, but if this allows me to take some weight off my elder brother¡¯s shoulders and to protect the people that I care about, then I ¡®m willing to ept it. Anyway, it¡¯s still better than allowing Gu Lingsha or Qi Feng to benefit from this,¡± Mu Lingshi did not conceal her intentions at all.

    Gu Qiwu looked at her silently for a long time and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Actually, from a long time ago, I never nned to hand the Hui Gu Corporation to Shasha. She¡¯s not fit to be in charge of Hui Gu, let alone with Qi Feng alongside her.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d believe you? You didn¡¯t even want to admit to us in the beginning!¡± Mu Lingshi said in disdain and her voice became cold.

    Gu Qiwu listened as his eyes darkened. Mu Lingshi¡¯s prejudice towards him was too deep. Nothing he said would be able to change her mind about him as a father, especially in such a short time.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe it or not. What¡¯s important is that you can consider it, and that¡¯s all I ask for. I haven¡¯t been able to find the best solution for everyone. Instead of letting Doris humiliate or hurt you, staying here with the Mu family will be better than staying with the Gu family.¡± Gu Qiwu sounded depressed, and Mu Lingshi also felt a little down for no reason after hearing that.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot recently, and I¡¯ve finally sorted out whatever happened in the past. I¡¯m determined not to let you and Shasha go down that road like the others. After Lingtian passed away, I¡¯ve always been in favor of you being the sessor of the Hui Gu Corporation, but I can¡¯t let you return to the Gu family right away. You know Doris very well and what she was capable of. If it weren¡¯t for Mu Yuchen, she probably wouldn¡¯t have fallen as quickly as she did...I¡¯ve always thought that your brother, Lingtian, died because of him. So, emotionally, I¡¯m also very conflicted.

    ¡°With all these conflicts, I have to be cautious dealing with Mu Yuchen. On the other hand, I had to be wary of Doris as well. Nheless, it¡¯s a good thing that you could stay out of it.

    ¡°Stay out of it? Do you think I can? Even if I wanted to, your woman and your daughter probably wouldn¡¯t have let me go! Do you resent your eldest brother for all these things and causing Doris¡¯s death?¡± Mu Lingshi asked as her gaze sharpened and she gripped the cup tightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think of me like that. No matter what, Doris was indeed mywful wife, but you and Lingtian are both my children. You¡¯re both innocent, and I care about both of you. After the incident, I hope everything can be peaceful again. I will hand the Hui Gu Corporation over to you and leave a sum of money for your sister, Shasha. I hope that you sisters can live together peacefully and not hurt each other.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone became calmer. ¡°When my matters are done and over with, I¡¯ll go right back to City B. I probably won¡¯te around much, and since Shasha has married into the Qi family, she belongs to them now Meanwhile, I hope you and Ah Mo can go back to City B with me. All the projects in City Z will be handed over to the regional manager, so you guys don¡¯t have to get too involved with Shasha, Qi Feng, and the others. I mentioned these conditions to Mu Yuchen, and he did say he¡¯d like to know your thoughts about it...¡±

    When Gu Qiwu said that, his deep eyes were gleaming faintly with hope.

    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to take this opportunity, I¡¯ll try my best to make up for all the responsibilities I haven¡¯t carried out as a father. In the past few decades, I don¡¯t really know what I was looking for. If I had this opportunity, I wouldn¡¯t have let myself get so busy and lose sight of what¡¯s important. I can never abandon any of you sisters. I¡¯ll be content as long as both of you live a good life. There¡¯s only so much I can do, and the decision is up to you, Lingshi...¡±

    ¡°You can think about it. You can take Ah Mo and leave here with me to return to City B, or stay here. It¡¯s up to you to decide. You¡¯re smart, much smarter than your mother, and I believe you¡¯ll know what¡¯s best for you and make the right decision.¡±

    It was Mu Lingshi who turned quiet this time. She lowered her head and took a sip of tea before inhaling a deep breath. She turned her head and looked out of the window, not answering Gu Qiwu for a long time.

    ¡°One of these days, I¡¯m going to meet Mr. Mu and ask him for forgiveness. I¡¯ll also tell him about this matter and ask for his consent. You don¡¯t have to worry...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask him. I¡¯m willing to leave here and return to City B with you, but I want you to promise that from now on, you will stay out of all the grievances between the Mu family and the Qi family!¡±

 Chapter 1408 - Who Will Compromise? 1

    <h4>Chapter 1408 Who Will Compromise? 1</h4>

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice was determined and decisive while her eyes were exceptionally bright as they were fixed on Gu Qiwu. ¡°Can you agree to this request?¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s stiffened and surprise shed across his eyes, yet he felt even more suppressed joy as he answered with a lowered voice, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll agree to you! When we go back this time, I¡¯ll never step foot in City Z again, and I won¡¯t interfere with any matters or decisions between Shasha and Qi Feng. I¡¯ll stay out of it forever!¡±

    He agreed to her without hesitation.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and finished the tea in her cup and set it aside. She closed her eyes and calmed down for a long while before slowly getting up and suddenly turning around to leave.

    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re done arranging everything. Actually, give me a heads-up a few days in advance so that I can be prepared too,¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s calm voice floated in the air, and then her figure gradually disappeared out of the doorway.

    Gu Qiwu watched her leave quietly, and he was not sure how long had passed when he suddenly felt his eyes well up with hot tears.

    This was something that had never happened before...

    He did not know if he could call these feelings he felt anticipation or was it something else?

    ...

    At West Hill Cemetery, Doris¡¯s ashes were temporarilyid to rest. The funeral was a simple one. At this moment, most of the people who attended the funeral had left. Before this tombstone, only Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng were left. Of course, behind them was also the ck-clothed bodyguard holding up a ck umbre for them.

    The monotonous ck was reflected in the ck and white photo on the tombstone. Everything looked serene. The longer Gu Lingsha looked at the photo on the tombstone, the sadder she felt. Before that, when she saw Doris¡¯s body wheeled in to be cremated into ashes, she had almost fainted from crying. Thankfully, Qi Feng had supported her by the side.

    Perhaps it was at this moment that she could truly feel who was the one guarding her side...

    Her swollen red eyes could not cry anymore. They hurt from the dryness and had swelled up a lot. She sniffled and her voice was extremely raspy when she said, ¡°Mother, rest peacefully here for now. When I¡¯ve handled things here, after I feel better and have stabilized things, I¡¯ll bring you away from this ce. We won¡¯t return to City B anymore. I know that¡¯s where you felt unhappy too, so we won¡¯t return there. Instead, I¡¯ll bring you home to Ennd and bury you on the beach that you love, Mother...¡±

    When Qi Feng heard that, his heart sank. His expression looked exceptionally silent as he stared at Doris¡¯s photo. After a while, he reached out to hold Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Alright now, don¡¯t be too sad. She will rest peacefully. Us doing well would be the best way to repay her.¡±

    Qi Feng did not know whether he should resent Doris. If it were not for her, he would not be like this right now, but before Doris died, she did not rat him out either. Instead, she had taken it all on herself. In fact, from her standpoint, she just wanted to let Gu Lingsha have something, so...

    Perhaps many grudges ended just like that. With a person¡¯s forever silence, it gradually faded away. He was willing to let go, but with the path before him paved like that, who would truly let Qi Feng go?

    Upon feeling the faint warmth from Qi Feng¡¯s hand, Gu Lingsha subconsciously held his tightly and sniffled nonstop.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m still here. Don¡¯t worry! I will take good care of you and Weiwei. Don¡¯t be sad now.¡± Qi Feng was not one who knew how to console others, so saying all that was hard for him.

    Gu Lingsha felt like crying even more. ¡°I¡¯m tired and heartbroken. It feels like someone has cut away a piece of my heart.¡±

    Gu Lingsha choked on her sobs. ¡°When Mother was still around, no matter what happened, I wouldn¡¯t feel afraid. She was my shelter, but now that she¡¯s suddenly gone, I just...It feels like I¡¯ve lost my home, Ah Feng. I¡¯m a mess right now, and I feel helpless. You¡¯ll never leave me, right? You swore to never leave me. You won¡¯t be like mother, will you?¡±

    When she said that, Qi Feng¡¯s eyes shed with a rare tenderness towards her. His hand on the side lifted slightly to gently pat her arm. ¡°I won¡¯t leave. Don¡¯t worry. Alright, we should go home now. It¡¯s cold, and you haven¡¯t recovered. It won¡¯t be good if you feel worse when we get back.¡±

    Gu Lingsha nodded and let him pull her along while the bodyguard wheeled him to slowly turn around too.

    She turned to take onest look at Doris¡¯s photo on the tombstone before wiping away her remaining tears and walking for quite a distance before she pulled her gaze away. The entire cemetery fell silent again as the sound of the wind rustled past and white flowers were scattered all over the ground before the tombstone. There was also a chill that made one short of breath in the air.

    After a moment, at the foot of West Hill Cemetery, a ck luxurious car slowly stopped by the side.

    The car stopped for quite a while before Ah Yong carefully turned around to say to Gu Qiwu who was resting with his eyes shut in the back seat, ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve reached West Hill Cemetery.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu opened his tightly shut eyes. After a few days of being detained, he looked much frailer. Even his eyes were not as sharp and imposing as before, and he seemed to have dimmed quite a bit like someone who had lost much vigor.

    That would not be surprising. How could he not be hit hard by something like this?

    ¡°Go up and take a look on my behalf. Just get a bouquet of ca lilies. I won¡¯t be going up,¡± Gu Qiwu said in a lowered voice. He did not want to go up and face Doris anymore even if she was...

    Then, he shut his eyes again, appearing dazed and beaten overall.

    ¡°Boss...ca lilies are Miss Mu Zi¡¯s favorite flowers. Missus likes...¡± Ah Yong softly reminded.

    ¡°I know. Just give her a bouquet of ca lilies. I¡¯ve always yielded to her. I want her to understand now that I won¡¯t always be so amodating. Go, I¡¯ll wait for you in the car. You don¡¯t need to say anything. Just tell her I don¡¯t want to resent her either. If she can let all of this go with her passing, then I will be thankful.¡±

    The heavy tone of his voice made Ah Yong¡¯s heart sink. Soon, Ah Yong finally nodded, pushed open the car door, and slowly got down from the car.

    Ah Yong might not understand all these grudges between the boss and Doris, but he knew that her passing did make the boss sad.

    His boss might not actually be as indifferent as he seemed...

 Chapter 1409 - Who Will Compromise? 2

    <h4>Chapter 1409 Who Will Compromise? 2</h4>

    As the cool breeze swept through the bamboo forest in the afternoon, the sound of the bamboo rustling echoed through the air, and the clicking of the bead curtain swaying could be heard.

    In a secluded room, Qi Lei sat down and ordered a pot of tea.

    When Mu Yuchen arrived, Qi Lei had already flipped through several magazines and drank a few cups of tea.

    ¡°Have you waited for long?¡± Mu Yuchen sat opposite Qi Lei and handed him a folder. ¡°The documents are ready and you can go through them. Liu Lingyu has been busytely. The preliminary work is almost done so you can go there and have a look.¡±

    Qi Lei quickly took the folder but did not open it immediately. ¡°I trust you.¡±

    He raised his hand to pour Mu Yuchen some tea and said, ¡°Doris¡¯s funeral was very simple. It wasn¡¯t crowded and no one from Ennd visited. This incident was definitely a big blow to Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng, so they probably won ¡®t have the mood to plot anything for a while. It¡¯s almost the end of the year, and everyone is going to be busy. Qi Kai Group¡¯s general shareholders¡¯ meeting will be held right after the New Year.¡±

    Mu Yuchen picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said lightly, ¡°I also want to have a peaceful year. There¡¯s something about Qi Kai that you should be warier about. It¡¯s about what I told you regarding Xi Xinyi before.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and hesitated upon hearing that. ¡°Xi Xinyi? Is she getting transferred to where Han Yifeng is?¡±

    ¡°The conditions I gave her before could be a good thing given the circumstances and uncertainty right now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was calm but Qi Lei could not help but smile. ¡°You really are apetent brother-inw, constantly worried about everything. You¡¯d probably feel less exhausted if you had less conscience. Just the affairs about Mu Zixi alone are enough to drag you down. Sometimes, I really admire your courage.¡±

    ¡°Life must go on even when you¡¯re exhausted. Comfort is for the dead. Afortable life isn¡¯t handed on a tter to you. You have to always fight for it. If you have any thoughts, you need to take action . Otherwise, you¡¯ll be very passive in the future. People like us can¡¯t justpromise on everything.¡±

    At this point, Qi Lei could not help sighing faintly. He finished his cup of tea and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We can¡¯t justpromise.¡±

    ¡°As long as you get the idea. You should know what to do and I won¡¯t interfere,¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes and said calmly.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Never mind. These are family matters anyway, so let me handle them myself. I know what to do.¡±

    He did not want to let Mu Yuchen interfere either. The problems between Qi Feng and him could only be solved personally so as not to involve the innocent. After all, a depressed person like Qi Feng might end up like Doris if he had nowhere else to go.

    Qi Lei had nothing to worry about since he had nothing to lose, but Mu Yuchen was different. He still had to think about Xi Xiaye and the Mu family.

    He had to admit that he held some respect and admiration towards Xi Xiaye in his heart. Although it was nothing more than that, he could not bear to let her go through any trouble. The reason he met Mu Yuchen today was to rify those things .

    After pouring a cup of tea, Qi Lei looked down at the fragrant tea in front of him in silence and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve always been a person who doesn¡¯t simply ept help from others, but, Chen, I really appreciate you and Xiaye. You¡¯re intelligent, and if I were in your position, I¡¯d probably do everything I can to my opponent considering the rtionship with Xiaye. Instead...you have the generosity that I don¡¯t, and I admire you for that.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled after hearing his words and he shook his head disapprovingly. ¡°No, I might not be as epting as you are. At least, in Qi Feng¡¯s case, I probably wouldn¡¯t stay silent if I were you. You can say that I¡¯m more realistic as I only keep people who are worth something by my side and be genuine with them just like you. The biggest difference between you and Qi Feng is that you are pure, righteous, and peaceful by nature, and I think we can be friends.¡±

    Qi Lei also smiled and sipped his tea, then he said, ¡°Your guess is indeed urate. I am honored.¡±

    ¡°We are just pursuing a win-win situation. I¡¯m a businessman myself, and I¡¯ve always sought after benefits. I haven¡¯t suffered any losses when working with you, so you don¡¯t have to thank me. You always put in a lot of thought and effort when ites to things like these, far more than I do. Really, I should say thank you just based on the fact alone. However, I hope that we¡¯ll never need to mention this between us,¡± Mu Yuchen said sincerely, moving Qi Lei¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Such humilitying from you is rather umon, Mu Yuchen. Xi Xiaye made the right decision to choose you. Fine, I won¡¯t be a stranger and make polite conversation next time. After getting these documents today, you don¡¯t have to worry about me anymore. I can handle them. The Hui Gu Corporation is now in Mu Lingshi¡¯s hands, so Qi Kai, Qi Feng, and the others are probably brazen in their assurance. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a little difficult for me toe forward now, but I¡¯ll try my best to arrange your request.

    ¡°Also, in theing future, we should meet less and you should have less contact with Qi Kai and his people so as not to aggravate Qi Feng. If he could do this to me, he can definitely do the same to you. It¡¯s better for you to just stay put and keep quiet,¡± Qi Lei reminded him in a heavy tone.

    Mu Yuchen raised his gaze at Qi Lei who had a serious look on his face. ¡°Can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°I can handle it. Don¡¯t worry. The worst that can happen is losing. I¡¯m not afraid as I have nothing to lose. What else can I lose?¡± Qi Lei said sarcastically, ¡°I sold some of the shares from some foreignpanies that I joined, and my mother also left me a lot of money over the years. It won¡¯t be hard to financially support the newpany.¡±

    ¡°But you still need to watch Qi Feng¡¯s actions. Also, I heard that someone from the Wang family contacted you.¡± Mu Yuchen nced at him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened and he lowered his head to drink his tea. ¡°I have nothing to do with them anymore.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen could hear the bitterness in his tone, he stayed silent for a while. He did not question him any further and both of them continued drinking their tea in silence.

 Chapter 1410 - Who Will Compromise? 3

    <h4>Chapter 1410 Who Will Compromise? 3</h4>

    Even though Gu Qiwu got bail, he could not leave City Z immediately. In the time that came, he stayed at the Gu family mansion, and only managed Hui Gu remotely.

    It was great that the higher management of thepany handled things well, so the crisis this time around was still manageable in terms of how it affected Hui Gu.

    After Doris¡¯s incident, things seemed to have slowly quieted down. The entire city soon returned to its usual calm.

    With the days that passed, the New Year grew closer. There was a lot of work closer to the end of the year. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye both started work early and endedte, what more Su Chen and the rest. For quite a while, apart from the asional phone call, they did not have time to meet up.

    The weather grew colder and colder. After the huge snowfall in the north when a cold wave quietly struck City Z, Elder Mu and Mu Yinan went to meet Gu Qiwu at Bamboo Teahouse while he was sick.

    Gu Qiwu was not as cold as he usually was before Mu Yinan. Only his quiet, apologetic behavior remained. At least, when he faced Mu Yinan, he could not help but hold himself back.

    Mu Yinan was a man who had gone through many hardships. Right now, sitting before Gu Qiwu, he was calm. His peaceful eyes did not shift much, but when he looked at Gu Qiwu, thetter felt pressured in ways he did not understand.

    Gu Qiwu did not even know how to begin. From what he remembered, he probably had not sat like this with Mu Yinan for decades now.

    After a while, Mu Yinan suddenly frowned. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and coughed for a long while until there was sweat on his forehead.

    When Gu Qiwu saw that, he quickly poured him a cup of tea. ¡°Uncle Mu, please have some tea.¡±

    Mu Yinan took a deep breath and held back the difort in his throat as he looked at the cup of tea that Gu Qiwu handed him. He fell silent for a long while before reaching out to ept it and taking a brief sip.

    ¡°Do you know why I¡¯vee to see you?¡± You could hear the age in Mu Yinan¡¯s lowered voice. Gu Qiwu also saw that his hand seemed to be trembling slightly as he held the teacup.

    The old man did not seem very energetic, and there was a sickly pallor on his face.

    Gu Qiwu nodded silently. Had it been in the past, he might have been a little more unyielding before Mu Yinan, but right now, he understood that he owed them too much. ¡°I owe the Mu family a lot, whether it¡¯s Zixi or Lingshi and the rest...¡±

    ¡°If their grandmother was still around, I might not have been willing to meet you,¡± Mu Yinan said in a lowered voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I...¡± Gu Qiwu wanted to apologize when he knew that these words were the most useless thing in the world.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point harping on these things anymore. You don¡¯t need to say more. I didn¡¯te to see you today to hound you on taking responsibility. I¡¯ve been thinking a lot in recent days. Back then, the Gu family was interested in being connected to the Mu family by marriage, but when I considered the Mus and the Gus¡¯ rtionship that gradually grew colder, and the fact that I didn¡¯t want my daughter to be sacrificed for a family n¡¯s benefit, I let her decide on her own marriage and respected her choices. I didn¡¯t rmend her to marry into the Gu family, and I didn¡¯t want to let a scheming person like you be the son-inw of the Mu family.¡±

    At this point, Mu Yinan could not help but sigh deeply while his aged eyes held an indescribable sense of me for himself. ¡°Back then, Zixi was already reacting oddly. I thought it was because she didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for me, so she was against it, but I didn¡¯t expect that...¡±

    ¡°It was I who went after Zixi first, Uncle Mu...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say that. Zixi was wrong in this too, and so were we, but the bigger fault lies with you. As a man, not only did you not take on the duty of protecting your woman, but as a father, you didn¡¯t take on the duty of raising your children too. You have failed terribly. This proves that my judgment was right back then. Gu Qiwu, you¡¯re an irresponsible person. My daughter would¡¯ve done better marrying a pig or dog than an animal like you.¡±

    Even though Mu Yinan spoke these angry words, his tone was very calm. He had no more energy to go after these things anymore because...

    ¡°Ah Shi has told me about her considerations and thoughts. I¡¯m old now, so I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have many years left...¡± Mu Yinan sighed.

    ¡°No, Uncle, you¡¯ll live long!¡± Gu Qiwu did not know why, but despite being quite indifferent initially, he suddenly felt his heart clog up upon hearing Mu Yinan say that. He seemed afraid of the idea of death.

    ¡°I know my own body. After their grandmother passed away, I¡¯ve grown weary and death will probablye in the next few years. It is because I¡¯ve gone through too many struggles and misery that I don¡¯t want to see my children suffer through such long misfortunes. I¡¯ve let go. As long as the children are happy, as a man in my final years, I¡¯m content.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let me finish.¡±

    Mu Yinan breathed in, had a sip of tea, and continued again, ¡°I understand Ah Shi¡¯s thoughts very well. She¡¯s afraid that she will burden Ah Chen and the rest. The fact that you came to this means that you must have thought it through as well. From a long-term perspective, this might not be a bad idea. Leaving this ce, being miles away, and returning to your turf, you can protect them well. On one hand, you could also avoid any unnecessary conflict. It is indeed a solution with the best of both worlds.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, are you agreeing to it?¡±

    When Gu Qiwu heard that, he looked at Gu Qiwu in disbelief. He thought that Mu Yinan would be incredibly difficult, or at least reprimand him a little, but...

    ¡°What did you think that? Will reprimanding you and making you pay some price calm this anger? I, Mu Yinan, will not do such a thing, but don¡¯t feel like you¡¯ve gotten away. I¡¯m willing to let you go for the children. I don¡¯t want anything on my end to cause them any burden. I already can¡¯t do much for them, and I don¡¯t want to hold them back further. I will hold back all of these unhappy grudges, and even if I can¡¯t let them go in the end, I¡¯ll let them leave with me,¡± Mu Yinan said, yet he did not know that Gu Qiwu felt sad and guilty as he listened.

 Chapter 1411 - Who Will Compromise? 4

    <h4>Chapter 1411</h4> <h4>Who Will Compromise? 4</h4>

    At that moment, he wished Mu Yinan would just yell at him. At least, that would make him feel better.

    ¡°Uncle...It¡¯s my fault and I¡¯m really sorry. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lingshi and Lingtian were with us for years, and we were very happy. Tangchuan and Shurong only had one child: Mu Yuchen. The Mu family isn¡¯t big. With the addition of Lingtian, ??Lingshi, and Ah Mo, the house has been lively, so that was great. Over the years, the whole family has been very content.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Zixi wasn¡¯t as lucky. If she hadn¡¯t met me, she wouldn¡¯t have been so unfortunate. I let her down. Neither do I want to make excuses, nor will I ask for forgiveness, but I will try to make up for it and protect Lingshi,¡± Gu Qiwu said solemnly.

    ¡°You can save those words for yourself. When Lingshi told me that, I didn¡¯t give her an immediate answer. I thought about it for a while before I made the decision. If this decision is right for the children, then there¡¯s no reason not to ept it. Livingfortably is better than being depressed. I¡¯m now relieved that Lingshi has Ah Mo by her side.¡±

    Mu Yinan sighed before continuing, ¡°Ah Mo is a very self-motivated person. He¡¯s been with me and Yuchen for many years, and he knows how to do his job. You should mentor him properly and take good care of the couple. Lingshi has never lived in City B before. She¡¯s been moving back and forth between France and City Z all these years, so I¡¯m afraid that she might not be used to it. When the timees, the two servants from the old house can also be transferred to her ce, so at least, she will be around some familiar faces...¡±

    When Mu Yinan said that, he knew in his heart that he was unwilling to let Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo go, and he felt an inexplicable sadness. It was so hard to let go!

    For more than 20 years, nearly 30, he finally watched these two grow up and he hoped that they could have their own family and children. Just when he finally got closer to his hope, both of them were going to leave home for the faraway City B...

    ¡°Uncle, thank you for your generosity and blessings. I¡¯ll always remember your kindness...Don¡¯t worry. From now on, I won¡¯t let the Mu family down. Lingshi and Ah Mo are both free toe back whenever they want. You can also go visit when you miss them. I¡ª¡±

    Gu Qiwu could feel how downhearted Mu Yinan was, and he was truly grateful for the tolerance and generosity this old man had given him.

    Only people like him could truly care for their children with all their hearts. Therefore, it was apparent why Mu Yuchen and Mu Tangchuan were so protective of their own people. Zixi probably felt the same. She probably also thought that having the children stay with the Mu family was better than staying with Gu Qiwu.

    Mu Yinan finished his cup of Chinese tea and set the cup aside. He picked up his cane in one hand and slowly stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back. You should deal with your matters as soon as possible. Although I have no intention of pursuing the matter further, I still hope Lingshi¡¯s father isn¡¯t a suspect. My family hasn¡¯t done anything to bring disgrace to our ancestors, except for Zixi¡¯s case. We...I sympathize with you, Gu Qiwu, but I also hope you can understand where we¡¯reing from. In our eyes...¡± Mu Yinan paused as he said this, and he turned his head to gaze at Gu Qiwu. ¡°There should be nothing more important than your children. They still have a future ahead of them.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, I understand!¡±

    ¡°As long as you understand. I hope you won¡¯t let me down. Don¡¯t disappoint your children again. Anyway, I¡¯m leaving. Let¡¯s see Zixi and Lingtian before I go back.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down!¡±

    Click-ck!

    The sound of the bead curtains ttering could be heard as Mu Yinan¡¯s figure slowly made his way out the door and went out of sight. Gu Qiwu felt a little down though he could not quite exin it.

    He understood that Mu Yinan could go to great lengths for the sake of Mu Lingshi and Mu Lingtian. He thought to himself that maybe only people who had been through hardships could have the maturity like that. He thought...

    Nothing was more important than the children.

    A qualified father should think this way, should he not?

    The happiness of their children should be ced above all else, even when they were treated unfairly.

    Gu Qiwu sat for a long time. When he left, the tea in his cup was already cold...

    However, both of them probably would not have figured that when Gu Qiwu exited through the door, in the room next to theirs...

    Mu Lingshi was already in tears. The tears streamed down her delicate face and into the teacup in front of her. Her tear-stained face looked as if it was burning.

    She sniffled and reached out for the tissue that Mu Yuchen offered as he sat opposite her. Although she covered her nose and her mouth, she could not control the tears in her eyes.

    They had heard the conversation between Mu Yinan and Gu Qiwu just now. Mu Lingshi was worried that they might get into an argument, so she had gone to take a look, but in order to put her at ease, Mu Yuchen had made arrangements for her to sit in the next room so that she could hear everything they said.

    Mu Lingshi was surprised by Mu Yinan¡¯s decision, but when she thought about it, it actually made sense. He simply loved his children so much.

    ¡°Brother, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sad...I know that Grandfather is actually very sad too...I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m making the right decision. I really don¡¯t want to leave Grandfather and this city...but I...¡± Mu Lingshi could not stop sobbing and sniffling as she said that.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you crying? As long as you feel like you made the right decision, you should stick to it. No matter how far you go, this will always be your home. If you and Ah Mo can understand Grandfather¡¯s good intentions, then that is all that matters,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a low voice.

    Mu Lingshi nodded vigorously and said, ¡°I know. Thank you, Brother!¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled calmly and could not help reaching out and patting her head. ¡°You cry too muchtely, unlike the Lingshi I knew before. Just learn to let go sometimes. No matter where you go, you must remember my words: whenever you have a difficult decision to make, think about which decision will be the best for you and the people you care about. Just choose the best solution without hesitation. It¡¯s okay to lose sometimes as long as you feel it¡¯s worth it.¡±

    ¡°I know, Brother!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°Well, Gu Qiwu¡¯s problem isn¡¯tpletely resolved yet. If you want to prove his innocence, you must find new evidence. I¡¯ll try my best to stay here for the New Year.¡±

 Chapter 1412 - Disappointed 1

    <h4>Chapter 1412 Disappointed 1</h4>

    As they neared the end of the year, everyone seemed to be busier than usual.

    For quite a few days in a row, the weather has been surprisingly good and was not as cold as before. It was sunny, and the warm sun stayed for an entire day while the temperature slowly increased too, so it eventually got very warm.

    After an entire day of work, it was time for the sun to set again.

    When Qi Lei walked out of the office, the sun was setting, and the horizon was showered with ayer of gentle golden, appearing warm and inviting.

    When he walked down the stairs at the entrance of the office, Assistant Yang Sheng, who followed from behind, suddenly brought up, ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s the weekend, so you should rest tomorrow. How about we go out for a meal today? Consider it a celebration for exceeding the quota of today¡¯s assignment.¡±

    Qi Lei stopped for a moment to look up at the setting sun and responded, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want to eat out. If you¡¯re keen toe to my ce, I¡¯ll cook since I still have the ingredients I bought yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, are you nning to open your own canteen?¡± Yang Sheng smiled and teased.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Qi Lei shot him a side look and responded.

    Yang Sheng raised his brows, then smiled. ¡°Well then, consider me lucky.¡±

    ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Qi Lei walked down the stairs and casually tossed his car keys to Yang Sheng who swiftly caught them.

    Apart from being Qi Lei¡¯s assistant recently, he had also been Qi Lei¡¯s part-time chauffeur, but seeing Qi Lei in high spirits now and almost behaving like a different person, he felt genuinely happy. As tired as he might be, he thought it was worth it, and he prayed that Wang Qin would be able to see all of this from heaven. That way, she could truly rest in peace.

    Thepany was still in preparation mode, but the earlier period had been doing well, and the projects in City B were on track. Qi Qiming did not make things difficult either and even helped them out with several projects. Qi Lei epted his assistance without question and did not say anything.

    Even though thepany was still in preparation mode, the fewrge projects that they had been running made thepany¡¯s operations seem promising, so the senior figures that joined them felt genuinely happy. It was in these moments that they worked even harder, so the entire atmosphere at thepany was great.

    Qi Lei was still devilish as usual though he was different from before. When he needed to be strict, he would be stern, and he was more efficient with work too. Many people seemed to see a shadow of Wang Qin from years ago. The difference was that Qi Lei was more charming and mysteriouspared to his mother. He even seemed to have surpassed her.

    The days went by, and he lived quite calmly, but there was one thing that Qi Lei was at a loss on what to do. This moment was one such instance.

    Yang Sheng had just parked not too far away from the door when he looked up and saw Qi Qiming standing right there. His secretary, Wang Chun, was beside him, and Secretary Wang seemed to be holding arge bag of ingredients...

    Qi Lei could not remember how many times he hade by now.

    Qi Qiming had been shamelesslying over to leech on for meals. When he came over, the father and son would not mention Qi Feng or bring Wang Qin up. They would just eat and have tea.

    Qi Lei basically would not speak to him, ignoring him, but Secretary Wang would be more proactive. When he saw that Qi Lei did not prepare utensils for Qi Qiming, he would prepare them for Qi Qiming by himself.

    Qi Lei did not want to speak much to Qi Qiming since it was just another mouth, so no matter how tormenting it was, he did not care. He just hoped that he would quickly leave when he was done eating so that he could have some peace and quiet.

    On the outside, he would not go against Qi Qiming. Because the newpany was getting on track, it was not good for him to have any scandals, so he let him be.

    ¡°Second Master, you¡¯re back! We¡¯ve been waiting for you for quite a while. There¡¯s fresh fish. CEO Qi went to a vige to inspect the construction site and brought this back. It¡¯s a wild breed, and there is some first-rate game that¡¯s been cleaned too. Since it¡¯s the holidays, let¡¯s eat well tonight. CEO Qi didn¡¯t have time to eat lunch today.¡±

    When Secretary Wang saw Qi Lei walking over, he smiled tteringly and buttered up to him. His eyes flickered back and forth between Qi Qiming¡¯s stiff expression and the unsmiling Qi Lei.

    Yang Sheng carried a heavy briefcase and followed behind. When he saw Wang Chun, he expressed sympathy! They had it hard as assistants and secretaries!

    Qi Lei walked over in huge strides, ignoring him. However, he looked at Qi Qiming with a side nce, not slowing down as he took out his key card and swiped it against the sensor before the door automatically opened.

    Yang Sheng dared not follow after right away. He looked respectfully at Qi Qiming, smiled, and indicated for him to enter first.

    The silent Qi Qiming watched as Qi Lei walked in. He felt relieved because he was afraid that he would hear some unwee news from him.

    While when he thought about this, Qi Qiming could not help butugh at himself. Who would have thought that Qi Qiming would experience such a day too!?

    It was karma!

    After he walked into the vi, Yang Sheng and Secretary Wang stayed in the living room knowingly. Apart from taking the ingredients to the kitchen, they dared not stay in the kitchen.

    Qi Lei just swiftly took his coat off and revealed a gray shirt underneath. He elegantly unbuttoned his sleeves, rolled them up, and walked into the kitchen. Qi Qiming sat on the sofa for a while, then turned hesitantly to look at the brightly lit kitchen. He seemed to struggle for a bit. Finally, he got up and walked to the kitchen.

    He pushed the heavy ss door open to enter, and what greeted his sight was Qi Lei cutting the ingredients.

    When he heard the footsteps from behind, Qi Lei paused for a moment, then continued what he was doing.

    ¡°Have the Qi family servants quit? Or couldn¡¯t you find a single ce to eat in the whole of City Z?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s voice came through, sounding calm, but there was an unwee hostility.

    Qi Qiming could not help but feel sad upon hearing that.

    ¡°It¡¯s the weekend, so I¡¯vee to see you. How¡¯re the preparations for the newpanying along? A while back, I heard that there was a barrier with the industry andmerce office. Chief Zhang from that office is my old friend. I can just talk to him...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you juste the day before yesterday? When have you started to be so clingy now?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s voice was mixed with thick sarcasm.

    He did not think that Qi Qiming¡¯s sudden concern was because he suddenly came to his conscience. Perhaps, he had some other ns. It was the end of year now, and the shareholders¡¯ annual meeting was to be held after the New Year. Was heing to get support for Qi Feng now?

 Chapter 1413 - Disappointed 2

    <h4>Chapter 1413 Disappointed 2</h4>

    When Qi Qiming heard Qi Lei¡¯s sarcastic tone, his face darkened. He did not reply. Instead, he took a deep breath before taking two steps forward to stand right in front of the kitchen sink. He nced at the unwashed vegetables and started rolling up his sleeves.Before he could help, Qi Lei went on and said, ¡°Get out. We don¡¯t need you here. Don¡¯t be pretentious, or I¡¯ll think that you¡¯re actually feeling guilty about what happened to me and my mother though someone like you certainly wouldn¡¯t feel that way. If you¡¯re trying to get something from me because of Qi Feng again, then you should just leave. I have nothing more to give to him. Well, unless he still wants my life, then he shoulde and take it.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡± Qi Qiming called out before he could go on, ¡°I¡¯m not here for anything. I just want toe and see you for a few days, and it¡¯s not for Qi Feng. I know about the grudge between you and him, but no matter what, both of you are brothers after all. I believe that you won¡¯t put him in a tight spot, and I also hope that he won¡¯t do anything to you.¡±

    ¡°Really? Do you hope so? If all your hopes could be fulfilled, would I have ended up like this? You should go back and tell Qi Feng about all the things you just said instead of telling them to me. Growing up, have I given him any less? In your eyes, Qi Feng is your only son. Even if you had a bad rtionship with my mother, I can¡¯t let you do whatever you please, and I don¡¯t care if you hate me. I just don¡¯t understand why I can¡¯t just have a few days of serenity and away from all these matters!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the second master of the Qi family, and with that being said, you can¡¯t live a life without any struggles. Xiao Lei, no matter what, I still hope you can return to the Qi family and Qi Kai. Even if it was your eldest brother that took over Qi Kai, thepany still needs you. The worst thing that can happen to a family is not having unity and harmony. I thought you were stubborn and ignorant, so I let your elder brother take over instead. You should know how much the Qi family has devoted to the Qi Kai Group. It represents the hard work of many generations!¡±

    When Qi Qiming spoke about this, he felt helpless but did not know how else to exin it.

    ¡°After the matters about the Qi family¡¯s property were resolved, it hasn¡¯t been easy to get to where we are today. The reason your mother wanted to merge the Wang Corporation with Qi Kai in the first ce was for Qi Kai to expand so that everybody else could live a better life. This was also your mother¡¯s promise to your grandfather. Otherwise, do you think she would have been this foolish?¡±

    Qi Qiming took a deep breath while thinking about the past. His eyes started turning red. ¡°None of us are willing to tolerate it just like you and Qi Feng now. I understand this very well, so when you said that you¡¯d like to set up a newpany by yourself, I contemted over and over again before I agreed.¡±

    ¡°Since you already knew about it, why did you still treat her like that? Aren¡¯t you just trying to take everything out of her hands and fulfill whatever Qi Feng wants?¡±

    Since everything was out in the open, Qi Lei did not bother covering up the truth. He stopped in his tracks and his gaze became sharp.

    ¡°You may not know everything between me and your mother, but she never believed in me. She always thought that I was plotting against her. She was very paranoid. Even when I did nothing, she wouldn¡¯t believe me. So, I might as well do something and let her have something to worry about!¡± When Qi Qiming said this, his tone was a little agitated.

    To Qi Lei, what he really saw was Qi Qiming was getting agitated because of Wang Qin!

    ¡°Paranoid? Hmph, didn¡¯t you also have suspicions about her? When did you ever believe her?¡± Qi Lei sneered.

    ¡°Believe? Well, I did want to believe her, and the thought of growing old with her had crossed my mind, but she never took me to heart. She was in love with somebody else when she married me. She even despised my touch, so what could I do? What else could I do? I was nothing to her! All she ever thought about was her hatred towards me and plotting against others. You know your mother better than I do!¡±

    As Qi Qiming went on, he was reminded about some memories that were buried deep in his heart, and he had no way to suppress all the turbulent emotions!

    For someone full of pride like him, were there any women he could not get?

    None of his young, beautiful, charming, innocent, and kind mistresses would be inferior to Wang Qin. However, Wang Qin was the only one who refused him and even hated him.

    In the first few years of their marriage, he really wanted this proud and cold-hearted woman to give in to him. However, after decades of disagreements, he still did not get what he wanted. In the end, it was just two people hating each other.

    ¡°Okay, Qi Lei, I don¡¯t want to talk about this now. You know that I¡¯d never agree to it if you don¡¯t want to be my son anymore. I can respect the decisions you¡¯re making now, and you can still continue to work on your own matters, but as a member of the Qi family, this is where you belong and that¡¯s the bottom line. I might as well let you know that the shareholders¡¯ meeting of Qi Kai Group next year may not necessarily be in favor of Qi Feng. I intend to postpone the shareholders¡¯ meeting, but the date is yet to be determined.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s face suddenly became serious while his dark eyes shed with a stern gaze.

    Qi Lei listened and paused. After a while, he smiled calmly. ¡°That¡¯s your business. It has nothing to do with me. I have nothing vested in Qi Kai anyway.¡±

    Qi Qiming froze for a moment and took a deep while looking at Qi Lei. He then said, ¡°Xiao Lei, I can be patient, but if you keep acting like this, then we¡¯ll just go on without any resolution.¡±

    Without waiting for Qi Lei to reply, he turned around and left the kitchen.

    Bang!

    Qi Lei mmed the kitchen knife on the chopping board bitterly as the sound of footsteps softened, but he appeared to be very calm.

    After a while, he went about what he was doing earlier.

    He thought that after the unpleasant conversation just now, Qi Qiming had probably mmed the door and left. To his surprise, he saw Qi Qiming sitting on the sofa in the living room and watching TV when he brought the dishes out.

    Secretary Wang Chun and Yang Sheng were cautiously at his service. When Qi Lei brought the dishes out, Wang Chun quickly went to set the table.

    The atmosphere of the dinner was awkward as the father and son did not speak. Wang Chun and Yang Sheng were also very wary and did not dare to say anything. After dinner, they did not utter a word until muchter when Qi Qiming answered a phone call and left solemnly.

    Worried, Yang Sheng sent Qi Qiming off.

 Chapter 1414 - Disappointed 3

    <h4>Chapter 1414 Disappointed 3</h4>

    After he watched Qi Qiming¡¯s car drive further away and finally disappear into the hazy night, Yang Sheng turned around to go back in.

    ¡°Master Qi, I feel like CEO Qi¡¯s quite different from before. Did he want you to do something for him?¡± Yang Sheng looked at Qi Lei puzzledly as he asked softly.

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He just nonchntly lowered his head to drink the water in his cup. Moments after that, he said calmly, ¡°He¡¯s been acting out of the ordinary recently. I can¡¯t quite make out his intentions either, but I think it can¡¯t be anything good. You don¡¯t have to care about it too much. Just be on alert.¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Alright, Master Qi. Right, the documents from the industry andmerce office have arrived. It¡¯s going to be the Spring Festival soon, so everyone¡¯s quite busy and worn out. In fact, the newpany¡¯sunching after the New Year, and I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll have to return sooner to work, so...¡±

    ¡°After the weekend, try to get the end-of-year work done next week, and let them go home for the New Year early. You and the other two VPs can organize the work to be done after the New Year. We¡¯ll be very busy, so you should have a peaceful rest too.¡±

    Qi Lei took a sip of water and leaned back against the sofa, changing into a rxed position.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange for that, Master Qi. Also, thepany¡¯s opening ceremony guest list has been prepared. It¡¯s in the folder in the briefcase. Master Qi, please have a look through, and if it¡¯s all¡¯s good, we can print the invitations.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll give it to you on Monday. It¡¯s quitete now. Go home.¡± As Qi Lei massaged the space between his worn brows, you could hear a hint of fatigue in his voice.

    After many days of being busy, he could gradually feel the exhaustion these past days. It was a good thing that everything seemed to be looking up, so he could catch his breath.

    ¡°Alright, Master Qi, you should rest well in the next two days too. You¡¯ve been overworked recently, and you should be quite tired,¡± Yang Sheng said a few concerned words before he left.

    You could hear the sound of the car leaving outside, then therge vi suddenly fell silent. The living room was extremely quiet, so only the rustling sounds of the wind from outside could be heard.

    He sat there for quite a while until he finished his cup of water before he slowly walked upstairs.

    Dongfang Liuyun had not been online for a long time now that the university break had begun, but she was still quite busy, and they had not bumped into each other for many days, so Qi Lei did not switch hisputer on. A while back when he passed by De Bao, the doors seemed to be still closed. He heard that she had gone away again. She was indeed a busy person as well.

    Sitting before his desk in the study room, Qi Lei did not switch on hisptop, but he took the thick book from the side and continued to flip through it.

    It was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s Bible that she had given him.

    When he first started reading it, he did find it a little profound and hard to understand, but hisprehension skills were still pretty good. What the book talked about was what he needed to understand too.

    Because of this, he suddenly realized that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s wide knowledge and mysterious demeanor was something that he admired, especially for a woman...She was really great and excellent, yet he thought to himself that it must be quite tiring for her.

    ...

    Inside the luxurious living room of the Qi residence, the butler looked at Qi Feng who was flipping through a magazine on the sofa as he carefully asked for instructions, ¡°Master, the dishes are cold now. Should I heat them up? I think CEO Qi should be home quite soon.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng paused and looked up at the butler. Then, he nced at the time on his wrist. The time showed that it was 9 p.m., so he hesitated for a moment before saying in a calm voice, ¡°Alright, please heat up the dishes.¡±

    ¡°Alright, First Master! Has CEO Qi been very busy with work recently? He seems to alwayse homete and disregard dinner too,¡± the butler said worriedly.

    ¡°Work at the end of the year is always a little busy. Next time, you can prepare dinner a littleter.¡±

    ¡°Alright, First Master,¡± the butler answered, then ordered for the servants to heat up the dishes again.

    They had just taken away the dishes when Morrison suddenly walked in with huge strides from outside. His expression was solemn as he held his phone in his hand. He walked over to Qi Lei¡¯s side.

    ¡°First Master!¡± Morrison said in a lowered voice.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qi Feng flipped to another page of the magazine in hand as he calmly answered.

    Morrison¡¯s expression was tense. He hesitated, then bent down slightly to say softly by Qi Feng¡¯s ear, ¡°First Master, earlier, our people called to say that they saw CEO Qi going over to the Grand Lake Vi area. Also, Secretary Wang Chun brought some ingredients along too. They stayed at Grand Lake Vi for more than two hours before they left. When they left, CEO Qi seemed to be in a pretty good mood.¡±

    When Morrison finished, Qi Feng stopped what he was doing. He looked at Morrison with a gloomy gaze while his raspy voice had an air of suppression. ¡°Is this true?¡±

    Morrison nodded to confirm. ¡°It must be. CEO Qi¡¯s been going there quite often. In fact, Second Master¡¯s newpany isunching soon, so I think it must be because of that. CEO Qi doesn¡¯t seem to put much heart into the annual shareholders¡¯ meeting, First Master, do you think CEO Qi¡¯s got some kind of n? I feel like his recent movements have been quite odd. We can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s trying to do.¡±

    Morrison could not help but bring up his suspicion. As he thought about all that had happened recently, he had a feeling. It seemed as if the whole thing was gradually leaving their control. Some of these variables made them uneasy, and the suspense only intensified.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes dimmed as he looked at the bleak lights out the window. His silent face turned stiff, and he could not help but feel faintly disappointed...

    He did not know why, but he suddenly felt as if he was slowly losing something. Suddenly, he frowned.

    ¡°Master, what should we do now? At such a critical time, we can¡¯t let there be any drastic changes!¡± Morrison said worriedly.

    Since they had been preparing for so long, he did not want their hard work to just go to waste. Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude was very important, so they dared not treat this lightly.

    Qi Feng did not say anything. He fell silent for a long time before reaching out to use the walking stick on the side and slowly standing up.

    After another long treatment, his legs had recovered much more, and right now he could walk quite a distance with the help of a walking stick.

    ¡°First Master!¡±

    When he saw Qi Feng walk away, Morrison could not help but call out anxiously. However, he only heard Qi Feng¡¯s raspy and cold voice.

 Chapter 1415 - Lost Without You 1

    <h4>Chapter 1415 Lost Without You 1</h4>

    ¡°Tell the kitchen staff that they don¡¯t have to reheat the dishes.¡±

    Qi Feng walked towards the front stairs after saying that. As he walked up the steps, he appeared to be struggling, but he continued walking determinedly. Morrison did not dare to step forward.

    ¡°Master, you...¡± Morrison murmured.

    Qi Feng did not respond either as his thin figure slowly made his way further up the stairs and eventually disappeared from sight...

    When Gu Lingsha walked in, she saw what was happening, so she frowned. Her eyes darkened as she looked at the empty stairs. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Morrison took a deep breath, unable to hide his worries, so he said, ¡°Maybe Mr. Qi¡¯s matters made him feel ufortable...¡±

    Gu Lingsha listened and she could vaguely feel that something was wrong. Her brows were knitted. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Exin.¡±

    ¡°President Qi went to Grand Lake Vi. I heard that he goes there quite often these days and stays for dinner. Tonight was no different. The young master waited all night, and the food was reheated twice already, but we haven¡¯t seen Mr. Qi yet. I¡¯m afraid that Young Master won¡¯t be in the mood to eat now,¡±

    As Morrison said that, he took another deep breath. ¡°Missus, please console the young master. I¡¯ve noticed that his condition hasn¡¯t been very goodtely, and it¡¯s a critical time for his legs to recover now. It would be best to make sure that nothing goes wrong.¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes darkened, and she calmed herself down before nodding. ¡°Ask the kitchen to make some century egg and meat porridge.¡±

    Gu Lingsha then made her way upstairs.

    Meanwhile, Qi Feng was using all his strength to push the door and he was already sweating profusely. His whole body felt a little weak. While he used the door frame as support with one hand, he was about to step inside the room. Unfortunately , his legs did not have enough strength and he leaned forward.

    Bang!

    There was a loud sound, and he immediately felt a sharp pain.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡±

    As soon as Gu Lingsha rushed up and saw him, she was extremely worried. She hurriedly went forward and helped him up.

    However, Qi Feng gritted his teeth and pushed her away with a sullen face. Then, he stood up painstakingly with one hand holding the cold door frame as support. He looked a little pale, and she could tell that he was in pain, but ...

    ¡°Ah Feng! Are you injured? Does it hurt? The doctor said that you just need to exercise moderately and you can¡¯t just rush it. Look at you. Your face is so pale!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s azure blue eyes were full of pity as she said that. She walked over and held his arm. ¡°Let me help you. You should rest well.¡±

    However, Qi Feng freed himself from her grip and pushed her away while he said hoarsely, ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it myself!¡±

    Gu Lingsha stiffened after being pushed away. Seeing how he gritted his teeth and put on a tough face, she could feel her heart aching. After hesitating for a while, she stood by him silently and carefully reached out her hands to protect him.

    She had always known what Qi Feng¡¯s temper was like. When he got stubborn, no one could do anything about it just like when he was silently enduring the pain in his legs without mentioning it to anyone at all.

    However, the more this happened, the sorrier she felt for him.

    It felt as if a century had passed when Qi Feng finally returned to the sofa in the room, looking exhausted. He was gasping for air as his clothes were drenched, and his forehead was also beaded with sweat.

    Gu Lingsha quickly prepared a warm towel for him and wiped the sweat off his forehead. She carefully massaged his legs. ¡°How do you feel? Is it painful? Do you need Professor Terl toe over and took a look? If it hurts too much, a painkiller will help. You¡¯ve been exercising too much these days. Remember that too much of anything is bad, Ah Feng!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know my own body.¡± Qi Feng took a deep breath and bent over to pick up the ss of water on the table in front of him. However, hisplexion did not look very good.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to be tough. Morrison already told me about what happened. Maybe Father just wanted to savor his rtionship with Qi Lei. After all, Qi Lei is still his son. With regards to Aunt Wang, Father has issues that he just can¡¯t fix, so how he reacted is natural. Don¡¯t think too much. I think Dad...¡± Gu Lingsha tried to persuade him while she quietly looked at Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng clenched the cup in his hands. After a long time, he lowered his gaze and sneered, ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Shasha...I know Father better than anybody else. It was different before, but now... I don¡¯t want to hurt anymore, and I don¡¯t want you all to hurt either.¡±

    ¡°Ah Feng, don¡¯t worry. Qi Kai will be yours. We have put so much effort into the business. We¡¯ll have to wait for the shareholders¡¯ meeting next year since Father¡¯s health hasn¡¯t been greattely. Since Aunt Wang passed away, he was already struggling to find the strength to do things. Moreover, wasn¡¯t it his intention to give you more experience by making all the arrangements before? Now that Qi Lei has left the Qi Kai Group, what¡¯re you still worried about? Father has always loved you very much,¡± Gu Lingshaforted Qi Feng, but the smile on his face slowly faded and turned into a mocking smile...

    He did not want to exin any further to her. Even if he did, she probably would not understand it. If there was really no other way, then he had no choice...

    Qi Feng¡¯s gaze flickered over Gu Lingsha, and as he looked at her, he felt dazed. He wanted to say something, but he did not know what...

    As it went deeper into the night, the cold wind was howling outside while the lights and shadows danced.

    In the study on the second floor of Maple Residence. Xi Xiaye had finished reading another document. She subconsciously looked up at the clock on the side of the wall, and it was already 11 o¡¯clock at night, but she still had not seen the man she was waiting for. She had made several phone calls to him, but he did not answer either. If she had not called Li Si just now to find out that he was still working overtime at the office, she might have been. ..

    Whoosh!

    The wind outside was getting louder. Xi Xiaye frowned and looked out of the French windows only to see that it was pitch-ck outside. She could vaguely see faint silver shes of light, thus she quickly got up to take a look and realized that it was hazy outside...

    She hesitated for a while but could not stop thinking about it. She hurriedly left the study, took her coat off the rack, and grabbed her car keys before she hurried down the stairs.

 Chapter 1416 - Lost Without You 2

    <h4>Chapter 1416 Lost Without You 2</h4>

    There was a lot of work to do before the year ended as many things needed to be arranged, and thepany¡¯s foreign debts needed to be collected too in order for there to be solid funds to run the projects. While Glory World Corporation was arge corporation, it may not be as easy to operate as others may have thought.

    Just take thepany¡¯s foreign debts from this year. They had taken up a huge part of thepany¡¯s profits, but by the end of the year, many were behind payments, so Glory World¡¯s upper management was busy chasing after these funds.

    It was in this dead of the night, in Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman¡¯s office that Mu Yuchen was going through the documents for these debts.

    It was the weekend tomorrow. It had been quite a while since he had properly spent time with Xiaye and his sons, so Mu Yuchen wanted to get these matters done so he could have a rxing weekend. Therefore, once he got busy, he would forget the time until he finished going through all documents. Finally, realized that it was already past 11 p.m.

    He frowned and quickly pulled open the drawer to take out his phone. That was when he realized that his phone had been on silent, and he had missed many calls from Xiaye.

    He immediately called her back as he got up and swiftly tidied his table before leaving the office quickly.

    When the phone rang, Xi Xiaye was already reaching Glory World Corporation by car.

    ¡°I¡¯m downstairs. Quicklye down. It¡¯s already sote.¡±

    Xi Xiaye slowed the car down and picked up the phone. Before the man could say anything, she had already spoken up. Her tone seemed to contain a hint of enforcement, so Master Mu could not help but raise his brows. He tilted his head to the side and squinted at his phone.

    However, the woman on the other end had already hung up.

    He was stunned for a moment. Then, his handsome face shed with a faint smile as he locked the door and went downstairs.

    He had just walked out of the office entrance when the two guards by the door greeted him respectfully. He nodded gently and then his cold figure walked past the door. Soon, he saw the Cayenne parked by the entrance. She was in the driver¡¯s seat with one hand propped up by the car window as she waited for him.

    He got into the car very quickly.

    He buckled up, looked at her, and asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Why have youe?¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him and could not help but sigh. ¡°You didn¡¯t pick up when I called, and it¡¯s already sote. I feel lost without you around, so I decided to juste over. I find that you¡¯re bing naughtier now. Even if you n on working overtime, you should give home a call.¡±

    ¡°In the morning, Mother brought our son over. The little fellow was sleeping, and I was worried about waking him up, so I put my phone on silent. There are too many foreign debts to handle. I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be thiste when I¡¯d be done with work,¡± he said softly as his lips curled up slightly. Upon seeing the way she furrowed her brows, he smiled and said, ¡°What were you worried about? Are you angry now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to be angry. This isn¡¯t your first time. The next time if you won¡¯t be home before 8 p.m., please update me with your movements. You haven¡¯t been honesttely. The night before yesterday at that banquet, that Miss Dong seemed quite interested you. You¡¯re happy about that, aren¡¯t you? She kept calling you Yu Chen and all. Even I don¡¯t call you that, and you chatted quite happily with her.¡±

    She started the car as she shot him a look.

    ¡°She was my next-door ssmate when I was studying. If you didn¡¯t bring it up, I would¡¯ve forgotten about it. How do you have the mood to think of these things?¡± He chuckled helplessly, yet his eyes contained a faint sentiment.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling insecure. Can¡¯t you tell that I¡¯m jealous?¡±

    ¡°What brand of jealousy is that?¡± he raised his handsome brows and asked with a smile.

    ¡°The Mu Yuchen brand,¡± she said without concealing her feelings.

    He thenughed out softly. ¡°This is good for your beauty, Missus. So what if she calls me by my name? There¡¯s something that no one else can call me, but you...do you know which one that is?¡± he said, and then gave her a meaningful nce with those eyes filled with love.

    Upon hearing that, she paused, then smiled. ¡°Husband?¡±

    Her light voice had a hint of tenderness. When Mu Yuchen heard her, his handsome face was instantly colored with a suspicious blush, so he cleared his throat and turned to look out of the car although he wore a hidden smile.

    ¡°What a pretentious man...Hey, Mr. Mu, I find that you¡¯re actually quite cute when you¡¯re shy. The way you are right now reminds me of back in high school when Ruan Heng received a reply from Su Nan and looked like she was high up in the clouds.¡±

    She was in a good mood and enjoyed watching the man beside her being ufortable, so she did not let go of the chance to tease him now.

    Mu Yuchen cleared his throat, gave her a side look, and instantly returned to his usual calmness. ¡°I¡¯m so thick-skinned that I don¡¯t know what being shy is.¡±

    ¡°Please! But I¡¯m serious. Sometimes, I really want to just tie you down.¡±

    ¡°If I had those intentions, it wouldn¡¯t work no matter how much you tie me down even if you had ten dogs chasing after me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite proud of that, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°How dare I?¡±

    ¡°At least, you¡¯re tactful.¡±

    ...

    When the husband and wife returned to Maple Residence, it was already past midnight. They heated up the dishes from earlier and began to eat.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu¡¯s thing is almost wrapped up, isn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t you say two days ago that the murderer has been tracked down?¡± Xi Xiaye suddenly recalled.

    Mu Lingshi had already made the decision, and the family all supported her. Zhuang Shurong wanted her to stay there for now, and only go when she¡¯s given birth, but it looked like that might not happen.

    Mu Yuchen paused before he responded, ¡°Thetest information and evidence have been sent over. It can be transferred to City B. As long as he doesn¡¯t leave the country, he can stay in City B. The police station over there is handling the transfer procedure, so he can probably leave City Z before the New Year. On Lingshi¡¯s end, it¡¯s up to her. Of course, it¡¯ll be great if she can stay to celebrate the New Year.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be possible. Ask Aunt Lin to go over with her. With her taking care of things, I feel better. Grandfather will definitely miss her. Hold on. Once Ah Mo and Ah Shi leave, the house is going to feel quiet. Grandpa will be alone at home. I thought about it. We could redecorate the second floor and let Grandfather move in with us. There¡¯s Sis Wang here, and our sons are always around too, so it¡¯s good to meet every day.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather¡¯s the kind of person that likes his peace and quiet. I brought this up to him before, but he will miss the old residence.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather loved Grandmother deeply. After she passed away, how could he not feel lonely?¡±

 Chapter 1417 - Farewell 1

    <h4>Chapter 1417 Farewell 1</h4>

    Xi Xiaye sighed deeply and finished the red wine in her ss with a frown. ¡°Sometimes, I just can¡¯t bear to see them unhappy.¡±

    ¡°Getting emotional? Well, it¡¯s something that had to be done, so don¡¯t overthink,¡± heforted her and thoughtfully poured half a bowl of soup for her. ¡°Eat more and stop worrying. Just go with the flow. Although you can finally take a breather, you don¡¯t seem to be putting on any weight.¡±

    ¡°I know there¡¯s no point worrying about it. Take it slow, Mr. Mu. There¡¯s a long road ahead of us. I hope Lingshi can adapt to the new city as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are projects there, so if there are any business trips, we can still visit her. Otherwise, I really can¡¯t stop worrying about her. Do you think Gu Qiwu will genuinely treat her well?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard this. ¡°If he ever hurts them, I won¡¯t let him go.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong found it hard to ept Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo¡¯s decision to leave, and it took her a while to process it. It was already one o¡¯clock in the morning after they had dinner. Suddenly, Mu Yuchen¡¯s cell phone vibrated.

    Mu Yuchen was drying his hair at the time while Xi Xiaye was still in the shower.

    ¡°Mother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was surprised to receive Zhuang Shurong¡¯s call.

    ¡°Yuchen, I thought you¡¯d probably still be awake. Let¡¯s talk for a while.¡± On the other end of the line, Zhuang Shurong deliberately lowered her voice, ¡°Your father just fell asleep. His workload has been heavytely, and he¡¯s been very busy.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Mu Yuchen sat down by the bed and asked calmly.

    Zhuang Shurong sighed. ¡°Yuchen, is there no other way to deal with Lingshi¡¯s matter? How could she just leave like that? Although I do support her decision, for so many years, I...¡±

    ¡°Mother, I know you¡¯re unwilling to see her leave, but this might be the best option for them. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to see them depressed. All the things that have happened to Aunt, Lingtian, and Grandmother are pain that will constantly haunt them. Maybe a change of environment will make their lives easier, and rtively speaking, they¡¯re also safer there.¡±

    In Zhuang Shurong¡¯s eyes, Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo had been just like her own children for so many years, but they were suddenly being taken away from her. She was certainly upset and unwilling to see them leave...

    ¡°Sigh, I¡¯ve been thinking about it these days and I¡¯m just unsettled. I raised these children for years. How is it fair for Gu Qiwu to just take them away?¡±

    ¡°Mother, they¡¯re all your children wherever they go, so what¡¯re you worried about?¡± Mu Yuchen was a little surprised that Zhuang Shurong, who had always been a strict mother, would say things like that. If this happened in the past, he probably could not understand it, but now that he was a father of two children, he could empathize with her feelings.

    ¡°How could I not be worried? You knew Lingshi wasn¡¯t in a good ce before this, so I can¡¯t just let her go. Can¡¯t she just wait until the baby is born first? It¡¯s her first child, and if no one can take care of her when she needs help, it will take a toll on her body in the future.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye just mentioned that Aunt Lin should follow her. Don¡¯t worry, Mother. We can work this out, so don¡¯t think too much. You should rest early. I¡¯ll go back with Xiaye tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll talk about it when youe back.¡±

    The mother and son then hung up the phone.

    ¡°Was that Mother?¡± Xi Xiaye sat down next to him and nced at him suspiciously, ¡°It¡¯s already sote.¡±

    ¡°It was about Lingshi.¡±

    ¡°Is she reluctant to see her leave?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ...

    Gu Qiwu was notified on Tuesday that he could leave City Z and return to City B, but he could not leave City B that easily. He initially thought that he could still make it in time to celebrate New Year, but it seemed like he could not make it.

    With so many things happening there, Gu Qiwu was struggling to cope. After receiving the notice, he had no ns to stay anyway. He asked his subordinates to pack up his belongings, and he nned to return to City B in the next few days.

    ¡°Boss, the arrangements have been made. Do you want to call Miss Lingshi now and inform them to get ready as well?¡± Ah Yong said to Gu Qiwu, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room of the Gu¡¯s family old residence with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Let the helpers over there prepare everything, and find a few assistants that are more agile to help her out. By the way, send this to Lingsha.¡± Gu Qiwu slowly opened his eyes and handed Ah Yong a folder that was on the desk in front of him. He continued in a firm tone, ¡°There¡¯s also a letter to Qi Feng in it. Give it to him in private and don¡¯t let anyone find out.¡±

    Ah Yong stayed alert as he listened. ¡°Yes, Boss! I¡¯ll send it by myself. By the way, Boss, are you sure you don¡¯t want to see Miss Lingsha?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. Even if I saw her it wouldn¡¯t change anything,¡± Gu Qiwu responded lightly, obviously not willing to exin much.

    He wished that she could understand his good intentions as he certainly did not want history to repeat itself or for the sisters to go through whatever that had happened to Lingtian.

    ¡°By the way, Boss, Master Mu asked Li Si to give you a message.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Qiwu responded as he straightened up slightly.

    ¡°He said he will always be watching you...¡± Ah Yong said in a low voice.

    Gu Qiwu paused and his stern face dimmed. After a long silence, he still did not say anything. He bent down, poured himself a ss of water, and drank it.

    ¡°Boss...¡±

    ¡°Go and do what you¡¯re supposed to. We¡¯ll leave the day after tomorrow, so go and book the flights first, including Lingshi¡¯s and Ah Mo¡¯s,¡± Gu Qiwu said as he put the cup down, got up, and walked towards the staircase.

    Ah Yong could only nod and agree.

    Gu Qiwu hesitated for a long time after he went upstairs and decided to call Mu Lingshi. He initially thought that she might not answer so quickly, but surprisingly, she picked up the call almost immediately.

    ¡°Lingshi, I¡¯ve arranged for our return to City B the day after tomorrow. You can still decide when you want to leave. If you don¡¯t feel ready yet, you can go back next year.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Ah Mo. What time will the flight be?¡± Mu Lingshi asked calmly.

    ¡°At two in the afternoon, so it will be dinner time when we arrive. What would you like to eat? I¡¯ll ask them to make it for you.¡± Gu Qiwu sounded like he had been through a lot to be where he was now.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can just eat whatever there is. I¡¯ll wait for you at the airport with Ah Mo at two o¡¯clock in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. Besides Ah Mo, the family has also arranged four other assistants to go there with me. You can make the necessary arrangements for that. ¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let them go ahead with that.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Lingshi¡ª¡±

    However, upon hearing Gu Qiwu¡¯s response, she hung up the phone before he could continue.

 Chapter 1418 - Farewell 2

    <h4>Chapter 1418 Farewell 2</h4>

    As he watched the phone screen dim, Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes darkened too, but he breathed in, calmed himself down, and soon returned to normal.

    No matter what, as long as they were willing to go home with him, that was a good thing. As for the rest, they could take it slow.

    Now, even if he had not realized it, he was looking forward to a life like this.

    For half his life, he practically led a lone ranger life, yet there were not many days when he truly enjoyed the life of a harmonious family because all these years, he had been mostly running around, and all his thoughts were put into Hui Gu.

    However, all the recent things that happened suddenly made him feel quite worn out and exhausted.

    He thought to himself that if he could start over, he probably would not have chosen the life he led.

    The days seemed to pass by calmly, and it was only in such calm that it suddenly felt like the degree of stiffness before their departure intensified.

    The day they left on was a Thursday. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not go to the office but went over to the old Mu residence instead. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were around too, so the family gathered and had a reunion lunch. After a brief rest post-lunch, the whole family walked Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi out.

    At the entrance of the old Mu residence, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were busy helping put the luggage into the car while Zhuang Shurong held Mu Lingshi and reminded her reluctantly, ¡°When you¡¯re there, remember to call us. Whenever you want toe home,e home, and call home often, alright?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan stood silently by the side too while Ah Mo held Mu Yinan.

    ¡°I will! Grandfather, Father, Mother, there¡¯s no need to send me off. Just go back in. It¡¯s cold out here. Brother and Sister-inw will send us to the airport. Once it¡¯s the Lunar New Year and when the baby¡¯s here,e over. I heard City B¡¯s a pretty good ce too. I should be able to adapt quite quickly, so don¡¯t worry about us. Ah Mo went there frequently before this. It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mu Lingshi held back the sadness she felt as she consoled.

    She looked up at this heartwarming old residence and her eyes that hid underneath those shades suddenly teared up. She would miss it.

    She was reluctant to leave this ce, a ce that she had lived in for many years. It held all of her good memories.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep the long story short. It¡¯s about time now. Don¡¯t miss your flight. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re rushing off anywhere. Whenever you want toe home,e home. Home will be right here. You¡¯re all grown up now, and you should have your own lives. As young people, you¡¯ll live a full life when you¡¯ve got something to go after. You don¡¯t have to worry too much about us over here. If anything doesn¡¯t go well there, just give Grandfather a call. It¡¯s not easy to get used to a new ce, so the two of you must take care of yourselves and discuss with each other if you need anything,¡± Mu Yinan spoke earnestly.

    He turned to Ah Mo and said, ¡°Take good care of Lingshi. Make sure your wife¡¯s taken care of. If you can¡¯t solve anything, call home. We¡¯ll all help.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grandfather, don¡¯t worry. We know. You take care of yourself too,¡± Ah Mo responded.

    Mu Yinan nodded and patted Ah Mo¡¯s wrist. ¡°Alright then. Get into the car.¡±

    ¡°Get in. Your rooms at home will be kept for you, soe home whenever you want to.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, take care, Grandfather! Father, Mother, take care of yourselves too.¡±

    ¡°You two take care of yourselves too. Get into the car!¡±

    ...

    She could not bear this scene of departure. When Mu Lingshi turned to get into the car, her eyes were all wet, so Ah Mo gave her a tissue. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were sitting in front with Xi Xiaye driving.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged for everything over there, so you can go to the office branch if there¡¯s anything. However, it¡¯s not the office over here, so you¡¯ll have to be careful too. That ce is considered Gu Qiwu¡¯s turf, but it¡¯s better than hiding about here.¡±

    After the car had driven for a while, Mu Yuchen who had not made a sound suddenly turned to look at Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi behind.

    Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi exchanged a look, then the two of them nodded. ¡°We got it, Brother. Don¡¯t worry too much about us. We¡¯ve been out there for many years now, so we know how to protect ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the way you two are right now makes me feel more assured. Don¡¯t get involved in those things now. You¡¯ve finally got rtively peaceful days, and I don¡¯t want the two of you to be dragged into those matters anymore, understand?¡±

    The two of them may not realize the amount of thought that Mu Yuchen had put into things. It was not easy to have gotten to this point. Others might not know how much he had sacrificed, but Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were well aware.

    That was why Mu Lingshi epted things without hesitation. She did not want to let everyone down. She wanted to be a brand new Mu Lingshi to be able to protect the people she cared about.

    ¡°Yes, Brother, I won¡¯t let you down. No matter what happens, I will always be Mu Lingshi, the Mu family¡¯s daughter,¡± Mu Lingshi said in a slightly raspy voice.

    ¡°Just take good care of yourself. After New Year the next year when the child¡¯s here, I¡¯ll go over to visit you with your sis-inw.¡±

    ...

    Along the way, the few of them chatted, and even though the journey was long, it felt extremely short. In what seemed like a few breaths, they reached the airport.

    They had just gotten down from the car when they saw the people that Gu Qiwu had sent for in the VIPne.

    The few of them did not have time to say much as it was already time to board the ne. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye only had time to give Mu Lingshi a hug.

    Gu Qiwu was waiting at the boarding gate. When he saw Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo, he seemed to be relieved. Upon looking up to see Mu Yuchen and those unfathomable eyes of his, he felt slightly pressured.

    However, Mu Yuchen did not go forward. He just held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and quickly looked away to watch Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo walk towards the boarding gate...

    The airne cabin door finally closed slowly, and all their figures went out of sight.

    The ne soon rolled out onto the runway and made its way into the blue sky. Eventually, therge ne turned into a little ck dot and vanished in the faraway sky.

    Xi Xiaye was actually in a bad mood. She did not know why, but as she watched the empty sky, she suddenly felt an indescribable sadness.

    Sometimes, in love and in life, people had no choice but topromise, and very unfortunately, they were people who had to experience these circumstances.

    She was a little sad, so when the man beside her interlocked his fingers with hers, she could not help but turn and lean into his embrace to say softly, ¡°I hope they¡¯ll be happy.¡±

    Stunned, he lifted a hand to hug her tightly and responded, ¡°They will be.¡±

 Chapter 1419 - Dare to Bet? 1

    <h4>Chapter 1419 Dare to Bet? 1</h4>

    It was a bright and sunny afternoon, making it rather warm outside today.

    A car was moving forward steadily, and the man in the back seat was quietly going through somepany information that the vice president had submitted. As he noticed the car slowing down, he subconsciously raised his head and looked out of the window. At the same time, he heard Yang Sheng¡¯s voiceing from the front.

    ¡°Master Qi, please wait here. I need to get some documents.¡±

    Although Qi Lei had always been independent, many of the projects he was handling were those that he had taken over from the Qi Kai Group from the beginning. Under Qi Qiming¡¯s consent, he would still exchange data and information with Qi Kai.

    Since the car happened to be in the vicinity of the Qi Kai Group, Yang Sheng decided to drop by to get some documents.

    Qi Lei reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone to check the time. He took a nce and turned his head to take a look outside before he said, ¡°Pull over and park in front.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! The weather is pretty nice and warm today. Let¡¯s get out and walk around. After a long day, it¡¯s time to take a break.¡± Yang Sheng smiled and motioned the driver next to him to park the car at the side of the road. The driver quicklyplied.

    ¡°Take the invitation letter too,¡± Qi Lei said as he opened the car door when the car came to a stop.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Yes, Master Qi! You just saved me another trip.¡± He then took his briefcase and got out of the car.

    Qi Lei raised his head and briefly nced at the skyscraper towering into the clouds. It was difficult to tell if he felt any emotions. He sat down on a bench with a flowerbed next to him and basked in the sun leisurely.

    Under the warm, bright sun, he felt at ease andfortable, but it did notst long as he could feel that something was wrong. There seemed to be footsteps in front of him, and he could vaguely see a figure slowly approaching him.

    He raised his head and Qi Feng¡¯s face caught his eye. He was wearing a dark coat and had a crutch in his hand...

    Could he actually stand again?

    Qi Lei was a little surprised, but he remembered that Qi Feng had been receiving treatment from Dr. Terl for his legs recently, so he finally calmed down.

    Qi Feng also stopped in his tracks and fixed his eyes on Qi Lei when he realized that he was looking at him. The two brothers looked at each other for a long time, separated by a distance of less than three meters.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± It was Qi Feng who spoke first in his calm, hoarse voice, and there was no emotion in his tone.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Qi Lei smiled faintly and looked at Qi Feng indifferently. He then scanned him from top to bottom. ¡°You seem to be doing pretty welltely. Well done.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes flickered. He stared at Qi Lei for a long time before continuing to walk forward. He finally stopped beside Qi Lei and sat down next to him.

    ¡°Seeing me like this, you don¡¯t actually feel happy for me, do you?¡± Qi Feng smiled coldly and replied.

    Qi Lei shrugged as he heard that and said disapprovingly, ¡°Are you just really good at observing, or is my attitude not genuine enough? You¡¯re a much better liar than me. Maybe that¡¯s why you can tell when people lie.¡±

    ¡°Your prejudice against me is still strong, Xiao Lei,¡± Qi Feng sneered.

    ¡°Someone stabbed you and you almost died. Can you still act as if nothing happened between you and the person?¡± Qi Lei asked indifferently as Qi Feng¡¯s face stiffened. He lowered his head and silently arranged his cufflinks. ¡°It¡¯s really tiring to talk to you because you talk to us nicely. Aren¡¯t you tired of living with a mask for so many years?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s remarks certainly made Qi Feng¡¯s face grow visibly tense.

    However, as a man with strong self-control, it did not take Qi Feng long before he returned to his calm self.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you like that too? Once you put all these masks on, you can¡¯t take them off. Over time, they be part of your emotions and it presents one¡¯s happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy. You should also be familiar with this feeling, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    With a hint of irony in Qi Feng¡¯s hoarse voice, he red at Qi Lei and said, ¡°You¡¯re good at it, so why don¡¯t you show me?¡±

    ¡°Like you said, doesn¡¯t having such a despicable brother cause you stress and sleepless nights?¡± Qi Lei said calmly with a faint smile.

    Yet, these words caused Qi Feng to raise his eyebrows inadvertently as if he had discovered a new world. He stared at Qi Lei and said, ¡°Brother? Have you ever treated me like one? I guess I didn¡¯t realize it.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart sank when he heard Qi Feng¡¯s words. He raised his gaze to meet Qi Feng¡¯s deep eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t know? It seems like I¡¯m not qualified now. Well, I guess if someone else was your brother, they wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this, would they? Qi Feng, do you really think you¡¯ll always be luckier than me?¡±

    ¡°Lucky? What¡¯s that? I¡¯ve never been lucky so why would I think that?¡± Qi Feng sneered disdainfully and continued, ¡°However, I¡¯m more courageous and a better strategist than you. You can rely on your parents, but I can¡¯t. If I don¡¯t fight for what I want, who would know who Qi Feng is?¡±

    Qi Lei paused and nced at Qi Feng¡¯s handsome expression gradually turning cold. He did not say anything.

    ¡°No one will know who I am. No one will know who Qi Feng is. The name I carry is just that of an illegitimate child of the Qi family,¡± Qi Feng sneered and went on, ¡°You haven¡¯t experienced this kind of feeling, so you¡¯ll never understand it. Brother? Tell me, what¡¯s a brother? Joining hands with Mu Yuchen to plot against me, is this what you call being a brother? Be honest. You probably wouldn¡¯t want to be my brother regardless, right?¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng, are you ming me for everything?¡±

    ¡°You know it in your heart, Qi Lei, so don¡¯t insult the word ¡®brother¡¯. All these years, have you ever called me a brother? And now you want to talk about being brothers? Seriously?¡± Qi Feng smiled mockingly and looked at Qi Lei¡¯s gloomy face. ¡°Anyway, I also think I¡¯m not as lucky as Mu Yuchen. I heard that you had a great time working with him, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng, there¡¯s no need to involve others. This is just between you and me,¡± Qi Lei reminded coldly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really say much, did I?¡± Qi Feng disagreed with a hint of mockery in his hoarse voice.

 Chapter 1420 - Dare to Bet? 2

    <h4>1420 Dare to Bet? 2</h4>

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he watched him coldly for a while, then smiled. ¡°All the while, it was you who was prejudiced.¡±

    When Qi Feng heard that, he looked at him in amusement.

    ¡°You know very well yourself if you¡¯ve truly cared about our kinship all these years.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s words made Qi Feng¡¯s eyes fill with an unfathomable depth, and he smiled in disdain. ¡°The person who¡¯s having a fall out with the entire family is you, not me. Aren¡¯t you aware of that?¡±

    ¡°Family? Do you know what family means?¡± Qi Lei said coldly as he looked up with a fixed gaze at Qi Feng whose face had darkened a little.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, we can do an experiment. Do you dare to bet on it? Bet with me. If you win, I will disappear from your life forever. How about that?¡± Qi Lei asked, his eyes filled with calm. They seemed to be undisturbed as though it was hard to provoke him at all.

    ¡°Bet on what?¡± Qi Feng squinted at Qi Lei and asked coldly.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face shed with a smile as he reached into his pocket and took out a coin. With both hands put together, he held the coin in his palm. After a while, he split his hands and held two fists.

    ¡°Guess which hand has the coin, and I¡¯ll disappear. How about that?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was calm while he showed his two fists to Qi Feng.

    When Qi Feng¡¯s expression tensed, the light in the depth of his eyes turned exceptionally sharp. He stared at Qi Lei¡¯s hands, and moments after that, he looked up at Qi Lei again. His eyes flickered. He stared at those two hands, hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out to grab Qi Lei¡¯s right wrist. As he squinted at Qi Lei, he then opened that hand.

    Qi Feng could clearly feel that when he held onto Qi Lei¡¯s cold wrist, thetter had stiffened, so he opened the palm even more certainly, but when he opened up that hand, the palm was empty. There was not a coin in sight!

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes instantly sank, and he subconsciously turned to look at the other hand.

    However, at this moment, Qi Lei could not hide his smile though it looked faintly sad. Under Qi Feng¡¯s sharp, watchful gaze, he slowly opened his left hand, which he revealed to be empty as well...

    Upon seeing that, Qi Feng¡¯s expression looked terrible. He coldly looked up and squinted at Qi Lei, and you could hear a harshness in his raspy voice as he used, ¡°Are you messing with me?¡±

    Qi Lei sighed and got up in a rxed manner while he nonchntly fixed his sleeve. He said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m messing with you. Someone like you doesn¡¯t deserve to be talking about brotherhood. Don¡¯t you just wish for me to disappear? Do you dare say that you didn¡¯t hope to find a coin in that hand?¡±

    These words were like the biting cold de of a wind, instantly tearing through the mask on Qi Feng¡¯s face. His expression instantly darkened while the fists by his side were clenched tightly as he coldly watched Qi Lei walk out.

    ¡°Is this what you¡¯vee to now, Qi Lei!?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you! I cared for our brotherhood before this, so I might have held back, but now, I would also like to have found the hand with the coin,¡± Qi Feng coldly said, then his tall figure vanished on the road ahead.

    Qi Feng¡¯s hands that were by his side balled up. After a while, he slowly let go, but by then, Qi Lei was long gone...

    ...

    When Qi Lei returned to the car, Yang Sheng had rushed back as well. Yang Sheng had witnessed the scene from before. Even though he could not hear the brothers¡¯ conversation, he could tell that Qi Feng did not look very happy. Instead, his Master Qi remained unbothered.

    He recalled that when he went up, he had bumped into Qi Qiming who had his roundabout way of asking about Qi Lei. Yang Sheng suddenly thought that something was odd, so he could not help but ask, ¡°Master Qi, did First Master say anything to you?¡±

    Qi Lei sighed as he closed his eyes quite calmly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yang Sheng sighed to himself too and did not ask further. He just hinted at the chaffeur before thetter slowly started the car and the they drove unhurriedly ahead...

    The car drove steadily all the way. After quite a distance, Yang Sheng saw through the rearview mirror that Qi Lei had opened his eyes and was quietly looking out of the car window, so he hesitated before saying softly, ¡°Master Qi, I heard Li Si say yesterday that Gu Qiwu¡¯s matter has been settled, and as expected, he¡¯s gone straight home to City B today. Right, Mu Lingmo and Mu Lingshi went with him too. Do you think they will...?¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei had already calmly spoke, ¡°It¡¯s good for them to have left. At least, for them, they can stay far away from this gunpowder-filled battlefield.¡±

    Mu Lingshi and Mu Lingmo were people that Mu Lingtian cared about too. No matter what, he and Mu Lingtian were once best friends, and there was his rtionship with Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye too. Based on this alone, he hoped for Mu Lingshi to do better.

    ¡°True, I heard that Gu Qiwu¡¯s nning on letting Mu Lingshi take over Hui Gu and only leave a small part for Miss Gu Lingsha. Gu Lingsha hasn¡¯t been in City Z these past few days, so she might not have heard the news of them leaving. I wonder if Mr. Gu intentionally tried to evade her. I hope this matter will be settled just like that since that will be good for us too.¡±

    Yang Sheng was clearly happy with these arrangements.

    ¡°That¡¯s another matter. I don¡¯t want to feel lucky because of that. I don¡¯t want to implicate my matters with Mu Lingshi and the rest either.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you say that, but you must understand that back then, Mr. Gu was also a great help for First Master Qi. Had he fully supported First Master, our chances would¡¯ve been much lower. Just based on the newpany¡¯s matter alone, if he had stopped the investment in South River Project No. 2, CEO Qi would be very pressured too. That way, CEO Qi might have sacrificed you, Master Qi...¡±

    Yang Sheng saw it all very clearly, instantly hitting things right on the nail.

    ¡°Apart from it being for Miss Mu Lingshi, Master Mu probably also considered this when he severed the First Master¡¯s helping hand. If Mr. Gu stays out of it, and with VP Yue and Manager Xi roped in, if we work a little harder and CEO Qi¡¯s thoughts are wavered, First Master might not smoothly take office during the shareholders¡¯ meeting after the New Year.¡±

 Chapter 1421 - Joy and Sorrow 1

    <h4>Chapter 1421 Joy and Sorrow 1</h4>

    Yang Sheng murmured as his eyes glistened faintly.

    They had been at a disadvantage, buttely, they seemed to be slowly picking up and getting better. Recently, everyone had worked extremely hard, and they seemed to have caught a glimpse of the glorious future of their new journey.

    After such a long period of working together, everyone gradually realized that Qi Lei was not at all as unruly as people said. On the contrary, he was a very wise and intelligent man. When his unruly fa?ade many knew him for was stripped away, he was actually a very profound person, so profound that even Yang Sheng, who had been working with him for a long time, could not read his emotions. He could never tell Qi Lei¡¯s true feelings and thoughts.

    He felt as if Master Qi was Master Qi, but at the same time, he was not exactly himself.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is very clever and cunning. If Qi Feng weren¡¯t cruel enough, he wouldn¡¯t be his opponent at all. However, Mu Yuchen actually has ws. He cares too much about the people he wants to protect. Since this incident, Gu Qiwu has fallen silent. Based on my understanding of Qi Feng, he¡¯s not going to give up willingly. Buried grievances can¡¯t be erased that easily, so I¡¯m still Qi Feng¡¯s target, and Mu Yuchen probably can¡¯t be excluded from the matter as well. Our people should watch Qi Feng because I¡¯d rather he direct all the hatred towards me than me owing Mu Yuchen even more than I already do.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, his gaze was still fixed on the street outside the car window.

    At this time, City Z was already close to dusk, and the soft yellow sunset enveloped the entire city, but Qi Lei felt slightly uneasy in his heart.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen has spent way too much money this time, but fortunately, Gu Qiwu shared some of it. So, we must do our best to prevent Qi Feng from taking over the Qi Kai Group at the shareholders¡¯ meeting this time,¡± Qi Lei added after pondering for a while.

    Yang Sheng nodded when he heard that. ¡°Yes, Master Qi. I know. We will try our best.¡±

    ¡°Some time ago, Father casually mentioned that the shareholders¡¯ meetingte this year may not be held as scheduled. I think he¡¯s trying to test the waters, so we should not act rashly, Instead, we should just sit back and watch. We won¡¯t give in. Qi Feng has always been tolerant, but this time, we¡¯ll see if he can really hold back,¡± Qi Lei said indifferently, but his dark eyes seemed to say otherwise as he appeared to be conflicted.

    He could not determine Qi Qiming¡¯s intention clearly. Perhaps, he never could even thought they were father and son because how many fathers and sons were like them?

    ¡°It won¡¯t be as scheduled?¡±

    Yang Sheng immediately raised his eyebrows and his face beamed as he said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it will be great for us. It would be best if the Qi Kai Group can hold back and give us their acquiescence. This will reduce our pressure tremendously. Recently, there have been rumors saying that you and Master Qi aren¡¯t on good terms because you n to stand on your own and cut all ties with him. These rumors will negatively impact the development of our newpany.¡±

    ¡°Take one step at a time and see how it goes. It would be great to avoid these rumors, but if people believe them, then so be it. Tai Yu Corporation mustn¡¯t hide under Qi Kai¡¯s shadow.¡±

    The newpany Qi Lei registered was named Tai Yu Corporation. Thepany could not be registered as a listedpany at such an early stage, but it was not formed on a small scale at all.

    Yang Sheng obviously understood what Qi Lei meant. Qi Lei wanted to break free from Qi Qiming¡¯s control.

    It made sense because Qi Lei had probably given up on Qi Qiming. After the incident with President Wang, the rtionship between the father and son was probably beyond repair no matter how much effort they put.

    In the back of the car, it was suddenly quiet again, and the car was still moving forward steadily.

    Qi Lei had been looking out of the car window, and when the car was driving through the vicinity of De Feng Avenue, he was reminded about some familiar streets. He suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°Stop the car.¡±

    Yang Sheng was surprised by the sudden voice and it took quite a while to react. He then asked dazedly, ¡°Master Qi?¡±

    ¡°Pull over next to the street light in front. You guys can go back to the office,¡± Qi Lei ordered.

    The driver at the front could see Qi Lei¡¯s serious expression through the rearview mirror, so he did not dare to say anything. He hurriedly turned the steering wheel, drove to the side, and parked the car.

    As soon as the car came to a stop, Qi Lei got out of the car. Yang Sheng did not have time to ask anything. When he turned to look, he could already see him walking towards the sidewalk. His figure somehow looked a little empty and lonely...

    As he walked through several streets, remembering the route from memory, Qi Lei quickly found the quiet street where De Bao House was.

    Under the hazy soft light, the quiet street seemed to be like another world. The bare branches of the withered weeping willow beside the artificialke swayed in the evening breeze, and right opposite him was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s De Bao House...

    As he approached the building, he realized that De Bao House was still the same. The door was still shut securely. It seemed that it had been closed for a long time as there was dust collecting on therge lock on the front door.

    Qi Lei stood on the stairs in front of the door and looked at the closed door before him disappointedly. He took a deep breath before turning around slowly and gazed at the warm sun shining from the sky. Sitting down on the stairs while basking in the sunset leisurely, he reached into his pocket, and just when he was about to grab his cigarette box and light a cigarette...

    He could vaguely hear the sound of a car driving into the street, so he raised his head and tried to find out where the sound wasing from.

    On the street, a ck Jeep draped in soft golden sunlight was slowly driving towards him, and in the driver¡¯s seat was...

    Qi Lei immediately stood up in front of the stairs as he quietly watched the approaching car.

    The car quickly came to a stop at an open space next to the willow tree. The door was opened and a small figure came out of the car gracefully.

    She wore a tight ck dressyered with a ck hooded coat with gloves only on her left hand. Donning a pair of field boots that seemed to be a little dusty and time-worn, her long hair was a little messy. Her delicate face was calm, and she looked like she just had a long day.

    Who else could it be if not Dongfang Liuyun?

    It felt like Dongfang Liuyun could sense someone staring at her. After shutting the car door, she suddenly looked up, and there she saw the man standing at the top of the stairs...

 Chapter 1422 - Joy and Sorrow 2

    <h4>Chapter 1422 Joy and Sorrow 2</h4>

    Amid the bleak night breeze came her calm voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I was passing by, so I came to look, but the door was closed. I thought you weren¡¯t back yet,¡± Qi Lei calmly replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun picked up her pace and walked up too. She took out her keys from the pocket of her coat to open the door. ¡°I made a trip to Xinjiang and stayed for quite a few days.¡±

    ¡°It should be quite cold there at this time of the year.¡± Qi Lei followed after her. As he watched her, he felt as if she had grown thinner, and she looked slightly pale. Her starry eyes could not hide the hint of fatigue.

    ¡°It¡¯s the season of Great Snow over there right now. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been back so soon,¡± she said and she pushed open the door, then kept the keys in her pocket. She set the ck backpack on her shoulders onto the counter, then turned to walk out and to the trunk of the car. She opened it and took a piece of ck luggage out. It looked very heavy and she seemed to carry itboriously.

    When Qi Lei saw that, he walked up to her to take it.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not reject his help. ¡°It¡¯s quite heavy. Be careful.¡±

    ¡°I went to the underground city of the Holy Land. The terrains there were ratherplicated, and it would¡¯ve been quite hard for me to have gone through it alone. I managed to force my way through the guardian with a full body of armor. Plus, there were holy beasts guarding the area,¡± Qi Lei picked up the luggage quite easily as he said to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°You got the map to the Holy Land? You went in when you haven¡¯t even finished putting together the scattered pieces of the map. Your courage sure deserves praise.¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to go online these days. The new server upgrade should be pretty good. I¡¯ll check it out in another two days. I have to rest first.¡±

    ¡°You really work quite hard,¡± Qi Lei shot her a side look and said with a lowered voice.

    ¡°An inspection team in Xinjiang has discovered a group of tombs. I thought it might have something I was interested in, so I went to look, but then I got caught in the weather and stayed in the desert for quite a few days. Since I couldn¡¯t run my usual inspection in such a short amount of time, I came home. I¡¯ll go look again when the weather gets warmer after the New Year.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rarely spoke about these things to anyone first, but since Qi Lei was waiting around here and she was in a good mood, she briefly told him about it.

    ¡°What about you? I heard you¡¯ve been preparing for the newpany. When are you nning onunching it?¡± She had also heard a bit about Qi Lei¡¯s matters from Yang Sheng before this, so she decided to ask him about it.

    Qi Lei never really talked much to anyone about work either. He and Dongfang Liuyun felt like they had been friends for many years now. When they gathered, they would mostly drink and chat, or talk about some interesting things. Their rtionship felt quitefortable.

    He put the luggage onto a rack on the site. Then, Qi Lei took out a red invitation from his pocket and handed it to her. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to get you an invitation. It¡¯s to beunched on the 15th after the New Year during the Lantern Festival. Will youe?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped walking and calmly took a look at the invitation before her. She looked up slightly and gave Qi Lei a tilted nce as her fair, slender fingers reached out to take it and casually flipped through it.

    Moments after that, she closed the invitation and chuckled lightly. ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Show up and congratte me then. I¡¯d be happier.¡± Qi Feng smiled at her. Taking a look at the weather outside, he then continued, ¡°Pack up. Let¡¯s find a ce for dinner. Consider it a wee home for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve no need for a wee home now. Let¡¯s just find a simple ce for dinner. The library¡¯s closed tomorrow, so I want to rush over to get a few reference books before that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite something.¡±

    ¡°Just get used to it. I feel more fulfilled in being busy.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone is this dedicated to their work and being in this state of mind!¡± Qi Lei thought about it then responded.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows and looked at him with amusement as she smiled. ¡°Such as you, you mean?¡± Then, she lifted up the beaded curtain and walked in.

    ¡°I¡¯m a young man who works hard too,¡± Qi Lei brushed his nose as he exined devilishly and followed after her.

    Her frail figure passed through the long walkway before she took off the coat on her and tossed it casually onto the couch on the site. Qi Lei, who followed behind, then realized that De Bao had such arge kitchen. As he stood at the door, he could see that the clean and tidy kitchen had everything. The rack across wasplete with all sorts of knives and kitchen tools. Even his newly furnished kitchen might not be asprehensive as this.

    ¡°As a man independent at 30, do you think you¡¯re still a young kid? No need to go out now. We have noodles here. If you¡¯re okay with it, then stay and put up with it. Otherwise, there¡¯s a restaurant with pretty good ambiance when you walk out about 100 meters to the right,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said. Then, she tied her long hair into a casual bun, unbuttoned her sleeves, washed her hands, and began to get busy.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows. Of course, he was not going to miss this chance, so he offered to help, but she chased him off to go close the door outside.

    ¡­

    It was the evening as the gentle golden light streamed into Maple Residence.

    Mu Yuchen was about to go down to the kitchen to prepare dinner when Sis Wang suddenly came over to inform him, ¡°Master, Master Su and Master Mo are here.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen was quite surprised. He casually unbuttoned his sleeves, folded them up, then asked after moments, ¡°Do we have any more good ingredients at home?¡±

    ¡°Missus says she¡¯s getting tired of some dishes now, so I just cleared the fridge, I was thinking that since I¡¯m going home tonight, I¡¯ll go buy some fresh ingredients when I return tomorrow morning,¡± Sis Wang replied.

    ¡°No worries. Please take your rest as nned.¡± Mu Yuchen saw that Sis Wang was all packed up already and about to go home, so he said that as he turned to walk upstairs and shouted, ¡°Xiaye,e down for a bit!¡±

    Sis Wang smiled and did not want to bother them, so she quietly left.

    Xi Xiaye was watching a cartoon with Mu Zirui. When she heard her husband calling for her, she got up and went out.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    She had just walked to the door when she saw the man standing there.

    ¡°Su Chen and Zimo are here. They must be here for dinner. Go buy some ingredients from the supermarket. Just get whatever you like. Also, remember to get Xiao Rui a new drawing board.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she raised her brows then put out a hand to Mu Yuchen.

    He nced at her thenughed softly before reprimanding her, ¡°Lazy bum!¡±

    Nevertheless, as he said that, he reached into his pocket and quickly took out a ck wallet to hand to her.

    Xi Xiaye took it very quickly as she turned to say to Mu Zirui who was still watching television, ¡°Son,e grocery shopping with Mother.¡±

 Chapter 1423 - Joy and Sorrow 3

    <h4>Chapter 1423 Joy and Sorrow 3</h4>

    As soon as little Mu Zirui heard this, he quickly got up. ¡°Oh, okay, Mother! But what should I do if Brother is still sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Your father will watch him. Hurry up!¡±

    As Xi Xiaye went downstairs, she said to Mu Yuchen. ¡°Xiaocheng is still asleep. Watch him for a little while.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go ande back soon,¡±

    Mu Yuchen guessed it correctly. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo had just arrived together.

    Ji Zitong went to the countryside with her mother for a few days, so it might be a while before they returned. Su Chen had been going to Zhou Zimo¡¯s for several days already. After he found out that Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were leaving Z City that day, he initially nned to send them off, but on second thought, he did not want to go through the sorrow of saying goodbye, so he made a phone call and went over to check out the situation here instead.

    The three brothers sat leisurely on the sofa in the living room while Zhou Zimo made tea.

    ¡°The police have tracked down where Glenn is and sent people to arrest him. He¡¯s still in City Z. You don¡¯t have to worry about Lingshi and Ah Mo now,¡± Su Chen told Mu Yuchen the news he had just received.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long. Your police team is pretty efficient,¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze and said calmly.

    ¡°Do you think police officers only work for their own family affairs? How many police units are there in the entire City Z? How many cases are there every day? Do you think you can even keep track of them? Besides, Brother, I work at the Traffic Management Bureau. We¡¯re not in charge of investigating and tracking, so stop picking on us.¡± Su Chen gave him a dissatisfied look.

    ¡°I hope the police can bring him back this time. Only then will this matter finally be over. We were so relieved when Doris¡¯s matter came to a closure. This woman was powerful, and we suffered a huge loss just because of what happened in New York. She was good at toying with men to get what she wanted, and she also had her own ways with people and connections.¡± Zhou Zimo still had lingering fears when he thought about that incident.

    ¡°How can you learn to be smarter if you haven¡¯t suffered any loss?¡± Su Chen lectured Zhou Zimo in a low voice while reaching out to take a cup of tea from him and taking a sip.

    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that they would fail such an easy task?¡± Zhou Zimo rubbed the space between his brows and said.

    ¡°By the way, Mu Yuchen, since Ah Mo and Lingshi have decided to leave with Gu Qiwu so suddenly, didn¡¯t Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha respond at all? Isn¡¯t that kind of abnormal? Shouldn¡¯t they be freaking out already? It¡¯s going to be the end of the year soon. Isn¡¯t there a shareholders¡¯ meeting at the Qi Kai Group?¡± Su Chen frowned and asked.

    When Zhou Zimo heard that, he raised his brows and looked at Mu Yuchen with interest.

    ¡°The news probably hasn¡¯t reached them yet. Gu Qiwu left in such a hurry and he also deliberately suppressed the news because he was worried that Glenn hadn¡¯t been arrested yet. When Gu Qiwu¡¯s assistant sent the documents to Gu Lingsha, he did not see her.¡± Mu Yuchen obviously knew everything about Gu Qiwu¡¯s ns.

    ¡°Gu Qiwu did it quite promptly and obviously, so the result was ideal. However, Gu Lingsha may not be satisfied. However, with the huge amount ofpensation from Gu Qiwu, it could probablyst her a few lifetimes, so she should be satisfied,¡± Su Chen said lightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Qi Feng is with Gu Lingsha. He¡¯s the one we should be careful about. As you said before, Gu Qiwu has reservations about us, and it may be because of Gu Lingsha or Qi Feng. I¡¯ve been thinking about it and something still feels wrong. Do you think that Wang Qin¡¯s death was caused by Qi Feng?¡±

    Deep down, Zhou Zimo became increasingly inclined to this answer.

    ¡°You¡¯re on the same page as Mu Yuchen. This theory makes sense based on the information we have, but if Gu Qiwu knew the truth of this matter, why would he still be a scapegoat for Qi Feng? Mu Yuchen, I remember you saying that the reason Gu Qiwu got into trouble this time was entirely because of the information that Doris provided to the police station, and the information was said to be from Qi Feng. I don¡¯t think Gu Qiwu would be the kind of person who repays grievances with virtue. Also, is there even evidence to prove it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mu Yuchen. If this is the case, I¡¯m afraid Qi Lei¡­¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face suddenly stiffened after hearing this. After a while, he pressed his hand to the center of his forehead and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see it end like that either.¡±

    ¡°It would be extremely cruel to Qi Lei.¡± Zhou Zimo shrugged, yet he could not help but worry about Qi Lei.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t the killer been found yet?¡± Su Chen immediately asked as his face darkened.

    ¡°He got away, and some of the policemen there were injured,¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were dark when he responded calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if professional assassins can be arrested so easily. Based on this, Gu Qiwu shouldn¡¯t be excused either. Only you can tolerate that and not hold him ountable,¡± Zhou Zimo said with a cold gaze.

    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s a different matter, so let¡¯s forget about that. You have to consider Lingshi¡¯s feelings after all. Who would willingly make themselves ufortable?¡± Su Chen was a little depressed and his voice sounded helpless.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± Zhou Zimo turned his head to look at Mu Yuchen who was quietly drinking tea with a frown.

    Mu Yuchen put the teacup aside and was about to say something, but right at that moment, there was a faint sound from upstairs, followed by a vague, innocent voice.

    ¡°Baba¡­Baba¡­Baba¡­¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately turned his head towards the voice. He discovered that Mu Xiaocheng had climbed to the top of the stairs and was standing unsteadily while holding onto the handrail at the side. He looked like he was going to fall down, but the little guy did not even know it as he kept smiling with his little arms and legs still bobbing up and down. Meanwhile, he grinned happily at Mu Yuchen who was downstairs.

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo looked at him and gawked, but no one dared to make a sound!

    Mu Yuchen was frightened. He did not care about anything else. He immediately got up to rush upstairs and held Mu Xiaocheng tightly just when he was about to fall down the stairs.

    ¡°Little guy, are you trying to scare me to death?¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt like he had never been so nervous and frightened. When he was holding his son¡¯s delicate little body, he broke out into a cold sweat. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo finally felt at ease after seeing the child safe, and the fear in their eyes faded.

    When he was in his father¡¯s arms, Mu Xiaocheng was even happier. He did not know the danger he had just avoided. He held Mu Yuchen¡¯s neck tightly while turning his head to look at Su Chen and Zhou Zimo with a smile.

    ¡°Xiaocheng,e give Uncle a hug!¡± Zhou Zimo reached his arms out to Mu Xiaocheng with a smile, but the boy suddenly shrank back into his father¡¯s arms and stared at Zhou Zimo with his clear eyes for a while¡­

 Chapter 1424 - Joy and Sorrow 4

    <h4>1424 Joy and Sorrow 4</h4>

    Xi Xiaye soon brought home two full bags of groceries. When she saw that the men and her son were having fun in the living room, she quietly brought the groceries to the living room and nned on cooking herself. However, she had just begun to wash the rice when the man walked in.

    He took over the groceries from her as he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Sis Wang made some porridge earlier. Our son might be hungry, so feed him some first. Let me cook.¡±

    ¡°The little fellow isn¡¯t shy with strangers at all. Did I hear him calling ¡®uncle¡¯ just now?¡± Xi Xiaye turned to take Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s bowl from the cupboard for the porridge.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to be a year old soon. He knows how to say simple words, and he recognizes them, so he¡¯s quite clingy too.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she pursed her lips and smiled.

    Their son had been growing day by day, and he was very adorable, but that little face of his was looking more and more like his father¡¯s now. When he grew up, he might resemble him closely. If that was the case, then they definitely had nothing to worry about.

    She had just walked out with Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s minced meat porridge in her hand when Su Chen walked over from across. He was nning to help Mu Yuchen out.

    When Xi Xiaye went over to feed Mu Xiaocheng, Zhou Zimo was helping Mu Zirui out with his winter break homework. When he saw Xi Xiaye walk over, he could not help but smile and say, ¡°Xiaye, Xiao Rui¡¯s results are even better than Chen¡¯s back then. With a little more guidance, he¡¯ll definitely turn out to be a little genius.¡±

    Xi Xiaye beamed while her starry eyes looked proud though she seemed calm. ¡°Don¡¯t praise him now or he¡¯ll get all arrogant.¡±

    Instantly, Mu Zirui turned to look at Xi Xiaye as he guaranteed with a solemn vow, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m humble. I¡¯ll never be arrogant.¡±

    ¡°Alright, action speaks louder than words. Go do your homework upstairs, ande down in half an hour after you¡¯ve washed your hands so that your brother doesn¡¯t disturb you. You can use the study upstairs,¡± Xi Xiaye patted his head as she said.

    Mu Zirui quickly packed up his homework and nodded obediently. ¡°Mother, I want to go to the Shen residence tomorrow to see Great-grandpa.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll Get your father to send you over tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    As she watched her son gradually vanish up the stairs, Xi Xiaye smiled calmly and carried Mu Xiaocheng over while he was ying, and Zhou Zimo helped her put the bowl on the table. When she saw Xiao Cheng¡¯s cute little face that looked like Mu Yuchen¡¯s, she could not help but feel her heart melt as she reached out to pinch his cheeks.

    You could tell that Zhou Zimo liked children, just as Su Chen did. Every time they came over, they woulde up with tricks to make Mu Xiaocheng happy, so you could tell that all these men had soft hearts.

    After she fed Mu Xiaocheng a mouthful, Xi Xiaye thought about it, then looked at Zhou Zimo and said softly, ¡°If you like children, why don¡¯t you have one of your own? Ah Chen said that Mother Zhou seems to be quite eagerly attentive about managing things for you.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Zhou Zimo only shrugged and sighed. ¡°Do you think I can just have children when I want to? I¡¯m not as lucky as the other two of them.¡±

    When she heard that, Xi Xiaye that, she chuckled. ¡°Lucky? Why do you say that? You¡¯re the entire City Z¡¯s most eligible bachelor. Why would you say such things?¡±

    Although Xi Xiaye had heard about Su Chen from Mu Yuchen, her husband never really said much. He usually just looked gentle and humble like a gentleman, and he had an aura like Mu Tangchuan¡¯s, but he was privately quite a yful person.

    Nevertheless, Xi Xiaye thought he looked even moreplex than Su Chen. Between the three buddies, Su Chen was steadfast and honest while Zhou Zimo was gentle and cultivated yet unfathomable. Xi Xiaye did have some interactions with Zhou Zimo when it came to business, so she knew the way he did things.

    Now, Zhou Zimo¡¯s words puzzled her.

    ¡°Eligible bachelor? So, you think of me that way, hmm? I don¡¯t have the potential to be Prince Charming. I just want to be a normal person who gets through life steadily.¡± Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was calm and humble as he lowered his gaze and took a nonchnt sip of tea.

    ¡°No need to be so sad. Some things aren¡¯t rted to luck either. When the conditions are right, it will happen, but you¡¯ll have to first be prepared and go with the flow. Don¡¯t hide away from certain destinies from closing in. You have to be prepared to meet your destiny. That way, you won¡¯t find it so sudden.¡±

    Zhou Zimo silently smiled and did not say anything. He just reached out to pick Mu Xiaocheng up from the sofa.

    Mu Yuchen and Su Chen were quite quick. Soon, the table was filled with a sumptuous dinner. There were delicious dishes and yummy drinks too.

    While the few of them sat around the dining table, it was dark outside at the moment. The night breeze whistled past, and even the sound of it seemed cold.

    At dinner, Xi Xiaye did not eat much. Instead, the three buddies who chatted and ate quite enthusiastically.

    After that, she finished dinner first, so she went upstairs and watched over her two sons showering. She watched cartoons with them for a while, and by then, the wall on the clock showed that it was 10 p.m. She could still hear the man talking downstairs, so she could only coax her sons to sleep first.

    Su Chen and Zhou Zimo stayed till past 11 p.m. before they left. When Mu Yuchen went upstairs, the entire bedroom was silent and the lights were dimmed. He thought that Xi Xiaye was probably coaxing their sons to sleep in the room next door, so he went to shower first.

    ...

    After about 20-odd minutes, Mu Yuchen walked out of the room all fresh and clean. However, he still did not see his wife in the bedroom. He thought about it for a moment, then tossed his towel onto the rack beside before walking over to the room next door.

    Indeed, she had just pushed open the door and saw under the dim, gentle light that Xi Xiaye had fallen asleep while leaning by their son¡¯s bed. She was still holding onto a children¡¯s storybook in hand...

    Tenderness shed across his handsome face when he saw the two little beds with their sons sound asleep. Then, he looked at the thermometer and thought the room was quite warm, thus he bent down to pick Xi Xiaye up.

    Xi Xiaye did not know when she had fallen asleep either until she felt someone carry her. She opened her eyes and look upwards sleepily. The man¡¯s handsome face greeted her sight, and she could not help but rub her eyes sleepily and ask in a raspy voice, ¡°Have they gone back?¡±

 Chapter 1425 - Joy and Sorrow 5

    <h4>Chapter 1425 Joy and Sorrow 5</h4>

    He easily carried her and left the room as he said, ¡°I just came in, but there are things that need to be rified. Close the door.¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly reached out and closed the door.

    ¡°I guess I fell asleep because it¡¯s been so busytely. Fortunately, it¡¯s going to be the New Year holidays in a few days. Do you want toe to thepany¡¯s annual meeting next Monday?¡± Xi Xiaye said as she quickly tucked herself in after he gently lowered her onto the bed.

    Mu Yuchen alsoy next to her while reaching out his hand to turn off the light, leaving only a dim wallmp next to the full-length window.

    ¡°Is it at seven in the evening on the seventh floor of the Imperial Sky?¡± he asked in his low voice while his big hands circled her slender waist and pulled her close.

    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t tomorrow the annual meeting of Glory World Corporation?¡± she responded as she turned her head and looked at him under the dim light, but he had already closed his eyes.

    ¡°I have asked Li Si to order the gown and send it straight to you. You can get off work early tomorrow. I may have to go to City Hall first, so I¡¯ll pick you upter, okay?¡± He could feel the alcohol kicking in from the drinks earlier. As he spoke, he leaned over towards Xi Xiaye, and his grip around her waist tightened.

    She faintly replied, ¡°How much did you drink? You look tipsy.¡±

    ¡°Not much. It¡¯s okay. Sleep early. We need to get up early tomorrow,¡± he said to her followed by a gentle goodnight kiss.

    However, while this couple had a lovely moment on this dark, quiet night, in the Qi residence...

    ¡°Young Master, Missus, I have confirmed that Gu President, Mu Lingmo, and Mu Lingshi have returned to City B. This is what President Gu asked his men to send over. Young Master, there¡¯s also a letter for you from President Gu.¡±

    It was already midnight, and Gu Lingsha had just returned from supper when Qi Feng¡¯s assistant, Morrison, rushed over to deliver the news.

    Gu Lingsha was shocked when she heard the news, and she looked at Morrison coldly. ¡°What did you say? My dad has returned to City B? With Lingmo and Lingshi? What do you mean?¡±

    Qi Feng did not look pleased either. He sat silently on the sofa and nced at Gu Lingsha for a while before reaching out for the folder that Morrison had brought over.

    However, Gu Lingsha beat him to it and opened it. She hurriedly pulled out the documents inside and began reading.

    Unfortunately, the more she read, the darker her face became. By the time she got to the end of the document, her face was as cold as ice!

    ¡°Impossible! This is impossible!¡±

    Bang!

    Gu Lingsha threw the documents on the table with a force so strong that the cups on the table almost tipped over.

    ¡°Did he really just abandon me like that? Cutting all ties? What does he mean by ¡®look out for yourself¡¯? What does he mean? Mu Lingshi actually became the heir of the Hui Gu Corporation, the legal heir of the Gu family. Well, what about me? What am I? She¡¯s just an illegitimate daughter, so why her? Why did Father give up on me like this? Have I be his abandoned daughter? Have I?¡± Gu Lingsha said in disbelief as she gawked at the documents on the table with her big blue eyes.

    She thought that everything was just a rumor. Gu Qiwu only did what he had done in the past because of the pressure from Mu Yuchen, but now, what could this mean?

    Qi Feng¡¯s reaction was just as bad. He was probably influenced by Gu Lingsha¡¯s emotions as well.

    As he looked at the sentence written on the white paper in front of him, Qi Feng¡¯s expression was extremely gloomy and cold. Even Morrison, who was standing far away, could feel his iciness and was taken aback. He instinctively looked at Qi Feng who had already closed his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably best to put an end to everything now and treat Shasha well. Otherwise, Wang Qin¡¯s matters will only drag on.¡± Gu Qiwu had merely said to Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng tore the paper in his hand into half and took out the lighter from his pocket. He lit the paper on fire and watched the me engulf all the pieces of paper before he threw it...

    ¡°Young Master?¡± Morrison asked worriedly when he realized that something was wrong.

    ¡°Ah Feng, what should I do? Father actually took Mu Lingshi and the others back to City B. What do you think it means? What does he mean?¡±

    Gu Lingsha took the stack of documents on the table with her trembling hands and handed it to Qi Feng. ¡°How could he do this? Mu Lingshi is just an illegitimate daughter, but she¡¯s taking my ce now! Why!? Aspensation? Who wants thatpensation? What do they want me to do?¡±

    Gu Lingsha was agitated. She felt more distressed than sad. In fact, she felt extremely distressed as though she was being abandoned.

    Why Mu Lingshi?

    She was the beloved daughter of the Gu family, the apple of their eye, was she not?

    Gu Lingsha could not help but feel even more pain now. Why was she slowly losing everything when she obviously tried so hard to keep them? Why?

    ¡°Missus?¡± Morrison asked anxiously after seeing how the husband and wife reacted. He could not think of anything else, so he quickly stepped forward and reached out to take the document from Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand before reading through it.

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and nced at Gu Lingsha beside him. Her eyes were red.

    Morrison could probably guess what the document was about without reading it. Sure enough, his face changed when he read it. He then looked at Qi Feng anxiously...

    ¡°Young Master, President Gu...He¡¯s trying to stay out of the matter, so he brought Mu Lingshi back to City B to avoid us. He then told Missus that he would nevere to City Z again and that if it¡¯s convenient for Missus, she could send Miss Doris back to Ennd or City B for burial. Also, he said that he hopes Missus and her sister, Mu Lingshi, can live in harmony...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any sister! My mother, Doris, was of noble birth and she only had one daughter¡ªme, Gu Lingsha! I have nothing to do with Mu Lingshi! Who¡¯s her sister? Impossible! She¡¯s an illegitimate daughter!¡± Gu Lingsha retorted when Morrison said that.

    As she was talking, she got so agitated that she reached out and flipped the table in front of her. She then got up and said coldly, ¡°I won¡¯t be her sister! They can¡¯t do this to me! Wasn¡¯ t it enough that they hurt my mother? Why are they getting all the advantages? Who does Lingshi think she is? What does she have?¡±

    Gu Lingsha gritted her teeth before she turned around and rushed upstairs begrudgingly.

    ¡°Missus, calm down!¡± Morrison said fearfully when he saw her storm off in fury.

 Chapter 1426 - Joy and Sorrow 6

    <h4>Chapter 1426 Joy and Sorrow 6</h4>

    Gu Lingsha ignored Morrison and disappeared up the stairs.

    ¡°Master, what do we do?¡± Morrison could only look away and turn to Qi Feng who remained silent with a gloomy expression.

    Qi Feng was much calmer than Gu Lingsha. He slowly reached out to take the document from Morrison¡¯s hand, and casually flipped through it to look. His expression was unchanged. Only his eyes darkened slightly.

    ¡°Master, Gu Qiwu is clearly making his attitude quite clear to you now that he¡¯s on Mu Lingshi¡¯s side. That¡¯s not very good for us, Master!¡± Morrison could not help but be worried now.

    This was what he had been worried about the most. Initially, they thought that with Gu Qiwu locked up, Hui Gu would have no one to hold down the fort. Perhaps, it would then be handed over to Gu Lingsha to handle in advance. That way, it would be of great help to Qi Feng, but who would have thought that Gu Qiwu would have made such a decision?

    ¡°When did Gu Qiwu get these thoughts?¡± Morrison looked at the silent Qi Feng in confusion.

    A sneer shed across Qi Feng¡¯s lips. ¡°Gu Qiwu? If you think that this was only him, then you¡¯re too naive! How do you think Gu Qiwu got out? If it were so easy to rid him of suspicions, Doris wouldn¡¯t have looked for us to coborate so easily. I was ready for this incident to be exposed once again because I wanted to use this chance to hold Gu Qiwu back.¡±

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re saying...¡± Morrison widened his eyes slightly as he looked at Qi Feng.

    As Qi Feng took a deep breath, he could not help but massage his brows tiredly. ¡°Actually, long before Gu Qiwu was detained and those rumors came about, I already had a feeling that this might not have worked, and that continuing it would¡¯ve garnered the opposite of what we want. Perhaps, even before that, we were wrong to have made this move. I underestimated Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, no one would have thought that he would suddenly return and use the incident in New York as bait.¡± At this point, Morrison felt helpless. ¡°Otherwise, with such a perfect n, as long as you stuck to the original n, if it had seeded, it would¡¯ve been great for us, but now...¡±

    ¡°If I guessed correctly, Mu Yuchen was probably behind why Gu Qiwu managed to get bailed out so easily.¡±

    ¡°Well, of course, Master. When Gu Qiwu was still locked up, Mu Yuchen¡¯s assistant, Li Si and Gu Qiwu¡¯s assistant, Ah Yong, as well as theirwyer, were frequently seen meeting up. I think it must¡¯ve been for this. So, as I said before already, that news might not be true,¡± Morrison said worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said long before that we can¡¯t underestimate Mu Yuchen. This time, Doris and I have miscalcted. If they didn¡¯t have his help, do you think Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi would have the oue today?¡± Qi Feng said. He could not help but feel his head ache, hence he massaged the space between his brows again.

    ¡°Master, Mu Yuchen¡¯s good at scheming, and so is Second Master. Therefore, it¡¯s easy to understand how he could do this. Besides, Mu Lingmo was initially a very obedient dog to the Mu family. With him providing support, Mu Yuchen didn¡¯t need to worry about anything. Mu Yuchen even let such a chess piece be by Gu Qiwu¡¯s side, so I¡¯m really worried that this time, with Gu Qiwu, we won¡¯t be able to...It looks like it¡¯s best if we make ns in advance, Master,¡± Morrison said as even he could not help but feel pessimistic now.

    Recently, all of the incidents that came one after another were bad for them. Their luck had been terrible.

    ¡°Master, what should we do now? It¡¯s a key period for us right now. If we let those at the shareholders¡¯ meeting know about this, it will definitely affect our ns for after the New Year. I¡¯m worried.¡± Morrison began to feel uneasy now.

    The situation was bing grimmer and grimmer, especially now that Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude had been affecting them greatly. He could not be as calm as before because too many factors made him feel the uncertainty of the unknown. He was not as confident as before.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened slightly as he coldly bent over to pour himself a cup of water, drank it, then said, ¡°At this point, what else can we do? Put all of our efforts into the shareholders¡¯ meeting. It¡¯s going to be thepany¡¯s annual meeting soon. Father has told me to handle this, so I can¡¯t be distracted. Let¡¯s put aside these things for now. If it really affects the shareholders¡¯ meeting after the New Year, we can¡¯t do anything about it either. Besides, there¡¯s still no news about the shareholders¡¯ meeting for now, so who knows what Father¡¯s thinking?¡±

    Qi Feng could not quite fathom Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude recently, and he even began to have a bad feeling about things.

    ¡°Master, what does CEO Qi mean? There should have been news about the shareholders¡¯ meeting by now. I thought it was weird before how news of it seems muchter this year, I¡¯ve tried to ask CEO Qi¡¯s secretary, Wang Chun, but that guy is tight-lipped. He just said he¡¯ll wait for CEO Qi¡¯s instructions and that he doesn¡¯t know CEO Qi¡¯s thoughts either,¡± Morrison thought about it as he spoke.

    He paused, then continued to say, ¡°Master, do you think there¡¯ll be a shift in the situation? CEO Qi seems to be caring more about Second Master recently. In fact, Second Master¡¯s Tai Yu Corporation seems to beunching after the New Year. Will CEO Qi wait to see how things are on Second Master¡¯s end?¡±

    When he heard this, Qi Feng¡¯s heart sank. He then set aside the teacup in hand and took his walking stick. He stood up with much effort, and his gloomy expression tensed slightly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that possibility either. You can go home first. Let me think these things through, but do pay attention to the annual meeting matter,¡± Qi Feng sounded tired as he said, then walked towards the stairs.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Morrison wanted to say more, but Qi Feng¡¯s interest was already waning, and he could also sense that he did not seem to be in a great mood.

    Therefore, Morrison could only sigh to himself as he shook his head. He silently kept away the documents on the table.

    This document was still a very valuable one with arge amount ofpensation!

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up quite early as always, and he looked at the space beside him.

    Xi Xiaye was still asleep together with their son, Mu Xiaocheng. Last night, Mu Xiaocheng had woken up in the middle of the night, so she had to carry him over to sleep together.

    He watched the mother and son for quite a while. Then, he slowly lifted the nket to get out of bed. Unexpectedly, he had only moved slightly when the little guy beside immediately stirred. When Mu Yuchen turned to look, Mu Xiaocheng had already opened his bright little eyes and was staring at him.

 Chapter 1427 - Getting Along 1

    <h4>Chapter 1427 Getting Along 1</h4>

    Just as the little fe wanted to get up from bed, Mu Yuchen shushed him by cing his finger on his pouting lips and nced towards the woman sleeping beside him.

    Who would have guessed that as soon as he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression, that little baby was confused for a moment and immediately turn his head to the side and chuckle out loud? The crispugh echoed through the calm dawn, leaving a clear and melodious tone behind, and the smile on his little cheeks was extremely adorable.

    ¡°Cutie pie!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart melted as he stared at the scene. Without him realizing it, the little kid was alreadying at him with open arms and cooing, ¡°Dada...Dada...hug...¡±

    At that moment, Mu Yuchen could only think of doting upon the kid, especially with his radiant eyes, which closely resembled those of his mother¡¯s. He quickly hugged him and kissed him on his chubby cheeks, then covered Xi Xiaye with the nket before both father and son strolled to the bathroom...

    When Xi Xiaye woke up in the morning, the father and son, who were supposed to be beside her, were gone. She then snuck out of bed, freshened herself up, and got changed. When she went downstairs, she realized that all three of them, father and sons, were in the living room, watching the morning news. Mu Yuchen was sitting in the middle with each son on either side, and their postures were so simr that the scene made her grin from ear to ear.

    ¡°Gotten out of bed already, Missus? Good morning. Help yourself to some breakfast!¡± Sis Wang greeted Xi Xiaye, who was standing at the stairwell, while she brought the breakfast out from the kitchen.

    ¡°Good morning!¡± Xi Xiaye responded to Sis Wang¡¯s greeting with a smile as she averted her gaze from the pleasant scenery in the living room.

    ¡°Good morning, Mommy!¡± The little Mu Zirui¡¯s crisp voice rang out in the air.

    ¡°Now,e and eat your breakfast. Chop-chop. Later, Daddy will fetch you to your Great-grandpa¡¯s. Mommy has an early meeting in the office, so I won¡¯t be sending you there. Is that okay with you?

    ¡°Remember to bring your homework. The scented tea stashed in your backpack is for Great-grandpa. Do remind him to make himself some whenever he¡¯s free since it¡¯s good for his health, and if you have doubts when tackling your homework, go to him and Grandma for answers. Also, there are plenty of storybooks in their study, so you can ask them for a few to read. No ying games and no watching the television all day long, do you hear me?¡± Xi Xiaye walked towards her son while checking his backpack for him.

    ¡°Yes, I know. You¡¯ve already reminded me several times yesterday! By the way, can I ask Great-grandpa to bring me out for a sundae? It¡¯s been a long time since west went there...¡±

    ¡°Sweets are also a no-no. You do n to keep your teet, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Mommy, I brush them three times every day. Plus, they don¡¯t hurt at all.¡±

    ¡°Them not aching doesn¡¯t mean that they¡¯re perfectly fine. Nody would like a man with a mouthful of vicious corals,¡± Xi Xiaye teased with a smile. At the same time, she caught a glimpse of Mu Zirui¡¯s earnest face.

    ¡°You¡¯re always so discouraging, Mommy! I¡¯m the school heartthrob! People in school officially acknowledge me as the best-looking boy.¡±

    When Master Mu overheard the conversation between the mother and son, he stood up with Xiao Cheng in his arms, and murmured in his muffled voice, ¡°Okay, okay, hurry up and eat your breakfast. It¡¯s still a big no to too many sweets. Eat more fruits and rice. Only then will you be more handsome, and maybe as breathtaking as Daddy...¡±

    Having heard that, Xi Xiaye could not stop herself from giving that man a sidelong nce. She was wondering why Mu Zirui had be so narcissistic recently, and she soon found her answer to the mystery. An apple never fell far from the tree!

    With that, she could already foresee that Xiao Cheng might even surpass the father and his elder brother in the future.

    As expected, Mu Zirui¡¯s perception towards his dad was an exact duplicate of his Mommy¡¯s: ¡®Daddy is super handsome. He is the best-looking man in the world, and of course, my Mommy, Xi Xiaye, is also the fairest of them all.¡¯

    With that belief in mind, Mu Zirui firmly replied, ¡°Okay, got it, Daddy!¡±

    Assured by his son¡¯s response, Mu Yuchen shot Xi Xiaye with an eloquent nce while she just rolled her eyes.

    After breakfast, Xi Xiaye departed to her office while Mu Yuchen and Mu Zirui left just behind her.

    It had been a long time since the couple went back to visit their grandparents, so Mu Yuchen stayed for a short while when he fetched Mu Zirui there. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna had just finished their breakfast and were having tea.

    When Shen Yue saw Shen Wenna bringing Mu Zirui upstairs, he turned to Mu Yuchen and asked, ¡°Xiao Cheng will be a year old the next Lunar New Year. Why don¡¯t we organize a birthday party to celebrate that?¡±

    ¡°I understand that Xiaye doesn¡¯t like a boisterous party, so I think a smaller one will do. I¡¯ve gone through the weather forecast. The weather will be in our favor during the Lunar New Year as it will be warm and sunny. I have discussed the n to bring the whole family to the Maldives with Xiaye. Grandpa will also tag along, so I¡¯d like to know whether you guys will join us,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke as he sipped on the tea.

    ¡°Will we depart after the Lunar New Year?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll depart on the second day of the Lunar New Year on a private ne. It¡¯s said that the weather over there is fantastic, and the views will leave you in awe, so we n to stroll around,¡± Mu Yuchen advised.

    Shen Yue thought about the suggestion, and agreed, ¡°Okay, since nothing much has been happening recently, and Xiao Rui¡¯s school will only resume after the Lantern Festival, I¡¯ll let them know about the tripter. If not, I guess my joints will start to grow moldy.¡±

    ¡°But you look great,¡± Mu Yuchen imed with a smile.

    Shen Yue sighed and said, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not as hale and hearty as I used to be. Although I still feel great mentally, being able to let go of certain obsessions makes me feel less drained. I stay at home to work in the garden, read some books, and drink tea. Otherwise, I go out and y chess with friends, practice tai chi, or go fishing. Life¡¯s great. It¡¯d be even better if your grandma were still here. Then, I could spend some time with her.¡±

    ¡°Grandma is now living her afterlife in a better ce. You don¡¯t have to miss her that excessively. Every bullet has its billet, so we will leave that to fate. Xiaye has always been telling me tales about you and Grandma. Your love for each other is out of this world and you have been a great inspiration to me,¡± Mu Yuchen asserted humbly.

    Shen Yue took a sip of tea, then smiled with slight resignation. ¡°That¡¯s how it is when one starts to age. I have been rather contented all my life, and nothing seems to have gone against my way. The only thing that I regret is that I feel like I have failed your wife as a grandpa. If I were to have another chance, I would¡¯ve never let myself neglect her due to my busy schedule.¡±

    With that being said, Mu Yuchen thought of thest time Shen Yue shared the same sentiment as him. It seemed that he was able to understand his feelings better this time. After giving it some thought, he reassured him, ¡°We understand, Grandpa , and please don¡¯t worry. I have learned a lot from you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great to know that you were able to pick up a few things here and there. Life is more or less so. When you¡¯re my age, you tend to take plenty of trips down memoryne and look back at things that you ¡®ve done, and those are the most precious assets that you will own at such an age.¡±

 Chapter 1428 - Getting Along 2

    <h4>Chapter 1428 Getting Along 2</h4>

    Shen Yue spoke calmly. When Mu Yuchen turned to look at him, he could see a sh of distantposure in those aged eyes from someone who had gone through the hardships of life. Perhaps, only someone like Shen Yue, who had gone through a lot, could be in such a state of mind.

    The years had helped him settle down, however. Right now, he was old...

    It was at this moment that Mu Yuchen suddenly understood why Xi Xiaye held onto this grandpa of hers and even felt admiration for him. It was because this old man was worth respecting and learning from.

    ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡±

    Even a man like Mu Yuchen was in admiration of Shen Yue.

    ¡°You¡¯ve always done very well, Ah Chen. I already said from long before that I wouldn¡¯t have judged wrongly. It¡¯s Xiaye¡¯s luck to have married you.¡±

    ¡°No, Grandpa, it¡¯s my honor. She may or may not be the best, but she¡¯s the best for me.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was filled with sincerity as he lowered his gaze and looked silently at the teacup in his hand. He stroked it slightly, thought about it, then continued, ¡°She¡¯s the only person I truly want to care for after all these years. When I was younger, I remember my grandfather talking to me and my father once. They¡¯d told me then that to be a smart and resolute person I can¡¯t rely on luck but focus on being steadfast instead. Rtionships are like that. I didn¡¯t know whether they were right or wrong back then, but I can¡¯t deny that these words did influence me.¡±

    ¡°So, are you trying to say that my girl Xiaye can give you that grounded feeling?¡± Shen Yueughed.

    It was actually quite a wonderful feeling. The fact that a grandfather and grandson could sit down together so calmly to talk about such topics was a wonder, and at this moment, they were doing exactly that.

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face softened while a faint curve shed across his face as he nodded dly.

    Shen Yue thenughed out loud. ¡°Haha, I knew it! Back then, when I made the deal with your grandmother, I told her that her grandson might not be that good and could be taken down by my Xiaye. Your grandmother wouldn¡¯t believe me then, sayng that her grandson was admired by many...¡±

    ¡°You won, Grandpa.¡± Mu Yuchen could not help but chuckle though he did not care about that as long as the old man was happy. His heart was set on Xi Xiaye anyway, and he would not be able to leave her in this lifetime, so...

    When he heard that, Shen Yue guffawed even louder!

    ¡°Good, good! Actually, as long as the two of you are doing well, I¡¯m not very worried. If you and Xiaye could have a few more children, we¡¯ll definitely be even happier! The Mus and the Shens have very few heirs, so we¡¯re relying on the two of you now. Now that it¡¯s not as hard to raise children as before, you two can even have a dozen! I think the old Mu Yinan will be d to see that happen too...¡± Shen Yue said happily.

    However, when he heard this, Mu Yuchen only lowered his gaze and smiled. Mu Xiaocheng was turning a year old soon. The fact that Xi Xiaye was thinking of giving them another daughter was not new either. Every time she brought it up to him, she would be filled with anticipation, but it was him who did not know how to talk about it to her.

    When they went for a check up, he had even specially exined to the doctor that she was quite weak from before. Every time he thought about this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze could not help but turn slightly gloomy.

    He would not forget that it was Gu Lingsha who had done this!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Not speaking now? Right now, things aren¡¯t so busy yet, so you can consider it.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯ll go with the flow for this one. It won¡¯t help to worry. You have two grandsons now. Don¡¯t you find it lively enough?¡±

    ¡°You call this lively? Even if you two have ten or twenty, I won¡¯t find it lively enough,¡± Shen Yue immediately expressed his stance while Mu Yuchen only smiled.

    ...

    The winter sun was faint. The slightly warm breeze swayed the curtains and released a rustling sound.

    When Mu Lingshi pulled the curtains apart, a stream of faint warm light shone in, falling before her feet. Not too far away on the stone table by the seesaw on thewn, Gu Qiwu sat with a document in hand. His assistant, Ah Yong, stood beside him, and the two of them were discussing something.

    This was the Gu family¡¯s old residence which resembled a pce. It was evenrger than the old Mu residence and was probably simr to her brother¡¯s Male Residence.

    However, Mu Lingshi did not react much to it. She had trouble sleeping in any bed that was not her own, so she could not sleep the whole nightst night, but thankfully, Ah Mo had apanied her.

    This ce seemed to have just undergone renovations. ording to the servants, Doris and Gu Lingsha both like an elegant purple color, but Mu Lingshi did not quite like it. She preferred warm tones, and Gu Qiwu had somehow heard about that, so the residence went through a drastic change with many things she liked. For example, in the living room, there was a newly bought Qinghua vase and famous paintings were hung...

    Even the servants were switched. There was also Aunt Lin, who hade along, and of course, Ah Quan who had just recovered. They were trsuted and experienced people, hence Mu Yuchen felt assured with this arrangement.

    Just as Mu Lingshi was deep in thought, Ah Mo¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind, and a shawl was draped over her shoulders. ¡°What are you looking at? You didn¡¯t respond when I called out to you.¡±

    Mu Lingshi was stunned for a moment. She slowly turned her head, and Ah Mo¡¯s handsome face greeted her sight.

    ¡°Nothing much. Where did you go? I didn¡¯t see you early in the morning,¡± Mu Lingshi reached out to fix the shawl as she asked him.

    Ah Mo walked up and followed Mu Lingshi¡¯s line of sight, naturally he saw the person sitting down there.

    ¡°I went out for a jog. The sun¡¯s pretty nice today, go down for a walk, so it¡¯ll be good for you and the baby. Are you still dizzy now? Should we get the doctor toe over to take a look?¡± Ah Mo asked softly in concern.

    Mu Lingshi shook her head, but she did let Ah Mo hold her hand to go downstairs.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. There¡¯s no need for that. It was just motion sickness. Since I became pregnant with this little one, my health has suffered and I feel lethargic every now and then,¡± Mu Lingshi said, yet she looked down at her baby bump with anticipation. ¡°I really hope our child will be like you when he grows up.¡±

    When he heard that, Ah Mo smiled. ¡°It¡¯s better if it¡¯s a girl. Boys are too naughty. It will be very worrisome, so it¡¯d be good if it¡¯s a girl like you. Brother has always wanted a daughter too.¡±

    ¡°Haha, sadly, Sis-inw only bore him a son, and with Xiao Rui, they have two sons. They¡¯ll have much to worry about in time,¡± Mu Lingshi said as she could not helpughing.

 Chapter 1429 - Getting Along 3

    <h4>Chapter 1429 Getting Along 3</h4>

    The gloomy mood wore off a little as he walked down the staircase and his skin caught the warm rays of sunlight.

    ¡°Hey, Ah Mo, aren¡¯t you required to be at the office today?¡±

    Glory World Corporation owned arge market share locally. Knowing that Ah Mo could only stay here in the future to be by Mu Lingshi¡¯s side, Mu Yuchen had given him a position as a regional manager to oversee all the local affairs here.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you for a few more days before I depart. Everything here is already on track, so not much attention is needed,¡± Ah Mo imed.

    ¡°I know that he told you to go work in the Hui Gu Corporation, and I don¡¯t know much when ites to such decisive matters, so you might need to suffer a little. I only wish to pursue the career that I love . Can you do that for me?¡±

    Mu Lingshi knew her position very well. She was not like Mu Yuchen, her elder brother who was born a leader. She thought she fit best somewhere in the middle of the leadership tree, and she was definitely not a person suited to make the final call. After all, she did not possess such boldness, and this was what made her brother a much more suitable candidate. With that being said, she preferred to take a step back, stay behind Ah Mo, and be his capable assistant, which sounded a lot better for her.

    When she was done speaking, Ah Mo wavered for a second because he did not know how he should respond at that moment.

    ¡°You know my personality. I¡¯m already your wife. Plus, our baby ising soon. You¡¯ll be his father and you¡¯re my husband, so you have the responsibility to make life better for us. I¡¯d like to be a woman of no worries just like my sister-inw. No matter when or what the situation is, my brother is always there protecting her in the front. He gives her and their family all the support they need. I believe in your strength, Ah Mo. You have the ability to prove your worth. Although all this will be a tough challenge for us, I hope we can face it together.¡±

    When Mu Lingshi was speaking, her eyes overflowed with determination. ¡°Because if you¡¯re not in front of me, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to withstand it. Although it¡¯s a decision made without much hesitation, it¡¯s painfully difficult to execute in the real world.¡±

    Having heard that, Ah Mo inhaled sharply. As he turned his head towards her, he lowered his vision and gazed at her while tightening his palm which was hanging on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I won¡¯t let my woman lead the way in the front all by herself. Never. And if possible, I wish that you can lead a happier and simpler life. As for the toils, they¡¯re meant for us men.¡±

    When she heard him make that im, Mu Lingshi could not take it and she burst into a chuckle. ¡°Since when have you started upholding male chauvinism?¡±

    ¡°Is this considered as male chauvinism? If it is, doesn¡¯t it make you a feminist inside-out all this while?¡± Ah Mo nced at Mu Lingshi with a frown, and his eyes were filled with reservation.

    ¡°I thought you enjoyed it in your everyday life. You said it yourself that you can always be the man behind the scene.¡±

    ¡°Bullsh*t! Since when did I say so? That¡¯s impossible!¡± Ah Mo could not stand not defending himself.

    Mu Lingshi then shot him a smile, which made him blush on the spot. Instantly, her smile escted into waves ofughter. ¡°You look so adorable when you¡¯re embarrassed. I don¡¯t think anyone else will even believe that it was me who took your first kiss the gangster way. Thinking back, you were so pure. Yeah, your reaction then was exactly a duplicate of what I see now. Aw, check out those cheeks!¡±

    ¡°Ah Shi, stop it!¡± Ah Mo¡¯s face was on fire. And glimpsing at the look of the woman beside himughing her butt off, he felt the temperature go up by a few more degrees. He could not bear throwing a tantrum at her, but...

    Her clearughter flowed with the wind and traveled far, Even Gu Qiwu and Ah Yong, who were talking about work at the marble desk, could hear it. They exchanged a nce subconsciously and made a move towards the couple.

    Sure enough, they found Mu Lingshiughing out loud. On the other hand, Ah Mo was blushing with a hint of awkwardness and bashfulness.

    Gu Qiwu was startled as he stared at the scene of his daughter and his son-inw. Somehow, he wished that they could live just like that. In that split second, it felt like he was able to connect to what they referred to as contentment. However, the moment passed by just as quickly as it arrived because as soon as Mu Lingshi saw him, her smile subconsciously faded.

    She went back to being the girl who had been alienated and calm. This intense transition dragged his heart straight back into an abyss. Gu Qiwu paused for a little, then closed the files in his hands and passed them to Ah Yong who tacitly retrieved them.

    ¡°It¡¯s already the end of the year,¡± Ah Yong mumbled.

    ¡°Allocate 5 million to the foundation anonymously on my behalf. Just tell them that the project has been approved. Don¡¯t wrong the children. Those who should go to school should go. Regarding this agenda, you don¡¯t have to report back to me. Just make the call yourself. Let¡¯s hope we can get good news in July. Now, get going, and also please inform every department that we¡¯ll host the annual shareholders¡¯ meeting at three this evening. Get the attendees to prepare for it. I will be back by then,¡± Gu Qiwu instructed.

    Ah Yong nodded immediately and said, ¡°Yes, got it, Boss! I will cascade the information to the others now!¡±

    He collected the documents as he spoke, then he excused himself.

    When Gu Qiwu arrived in front of the couple, he gave it a thought and then spoke softly, ¡°Let¡¯s sit over there.¡±

    Mu Lingshi hesitated for a while, then she followed him.

    The maid had already served some fruits and snacks. Meanwhile, the stone benches were covered with thick cushioning to avoid the unpleasant cooling touch when one sat on them.

    ¡°Had a rough night, huh?¡± Gu Qiwu asked Mu Lingshi out of concern. It was rather obvious as her eye bags were overflowing with fatigue. Plus, they seemed to be a tone darker than usual.

    ¡°It was okay,¡± Mu Lingshi replied to him perfunctorily as she genuinely had no idea what she should say to him. In such an unfamiliar environment, she...

    ¡°If you need anything, just let the butler know. Make yourself at home. Also, just take it easy and be natural. There¡¯s no need to show so much restraint. If you¡¯re starting to feel bored, the butler can always bring you out for a stroll. Just remember to bring along the bodyguards since it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry,¡± Gu Qiwu spoke firmly in his bold voice while taking a sip of tea. ¡°I heard that both of you haven¡¯t stayed in City B before this, so traveling around will definitely help you get to know the city better. City B¡¯s pace of life is slightlyidbackpared to City Z. The weather is much colder too, so do take good care of yourself.¡±

    Speaking of that, that was the first time Gu Qiwu had ever cared about somebody else¡¯s health. Sometimes, even he thought of himself as a cold and detached person who might not even be able to care that much about Doris, who had passed away.

    With that being said, he did not know how to care for another person even though she was his daughter. Knowing how to live a life was just not his forte.

 Chapter 1430 - Getting Along 4

    <h4>Chapter 1430 Getting Along 4</h4>

    Mu Lingshi silently listened to Gu Qiwu and did not say anything. She just quietly turned to look at the swing under the flower arch...

    Gu Qiwu felt a little embarrassed when he realized that she remained silent. The moment he stopped speaking, the atmosphere became awkward.

    When Ah Mo turned his head to look at Mu Lingshi, he could sense how isted and cold she felt about the matter. He thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°Thank you. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m quite familiar with City B, so I¡¯ll take her out for a stroll.¡±

    He only said this to avoid the awkwardness. Now that they had decided to move in together with Gu Qiwu, they would have to see each other all the time, so it would be bad if they had to live in such difort. Ah Mo was starting to have second thoughts as he thought about it.

    Gu Qiwu nodded, but he stared at Mu Lingshi with a deep gaze before he said, ¡°Tomorrow will be the Hui Gu Corporation annual shareholders¡¯ meeting. Once you¡¯re well-rested, you should introduce yourself and say hi to everybody. I ¡®ll let Ah Yong sort out some information about thepany¡¯s senior management team for you so that you can get to know them a little better, which will help in the future employment process.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. I¡¯m still a little tired, so you don¡¯t have to rush it. We¡¯ll wait until we get used to this new environment first. I heard that Glory World Corporation had some disagreements with apany under the Hui Gu Corporation over somend acquisition problem at the film location. I think¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered them to let things go. Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t cause our own people trouble. You should rest if you¡¯re tired, but it¡¯s still necessary to show up. After all, this matter is no longer a secret to thepany, so it¡¯ll do you good when you officiallyjoin thepany. Ah Mo, what do you think?¡± Gu Qiwu asked as he turned his head and looked at Ah Mo who was beside him.

    Ah Mo paused and subconsciously nced at Mu Lingshi next to him. However, she did not seem to have much reaction, so he pondered for a while before he replied, ¡°You can make the arrangements. Just let us know when and we¡¯ll make our way there.¡±

    Gu Qiwu nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll arrange for Ah Yong toe and pick you guys up.¡±

    The warmth of the west sun pierced through the director¡¯s office of Fuhua Real Estate in City Z.

    When Xi Xiaye finished reviewing thest document in her hand, her secretary, Xiao Mei, also happened to walk in after knocking on the door.

    ¡°Director Xi, President Mu has asked someone to bring the gown over. He¡¯ll be able toe to pick you up at about six, and it¡¯s almost time now, so you need to hurry up and get ready.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked up and saw the gift box in Xiao Mei¡¯s hand just as she expected. She nodded as she put down the pen in her hand and reached out to Xiao Mei. ¡°Come, let me see. He always criticizes my taste and aesthetics. Now, let me see what he¡¯s chosen this time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt puzzled as she thought about it. Some time ago, she had her eyes on a dark purple halterneck dress with slits when she had gone shopping. It was perfect on her, but when she walked towards him and did a twirl, he had immediately criticized her and told her that she did not have the quality to pull off clothes like that. She might as well just wear a formal suit. At least, it would make her look more energetic!

    She had been annoyed, then he had said that he would take care of all her outfits in the future. At that time, she had thought about it. If that meant she could stop worrying about her outfits in the future, why not?

    Xiao Mei handed it over with a smile while helping Xi Xiaye open the box. A brilliant carnation red peeked through, revealing two bands of a V-shaped neckline. Although it was a simple gown, the color was very vibrant.

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and could not help but nce at the gown. She had never tried this color before because she always thought she could not pull off such a bright shade. Was he trying to challenge her?

    ¡°Director Xi, this looks like it will be ttering. Go and try it on! It¡¯s so nice that President Mu always prepares your outfits personally!¡±

    The smile on Xiao Mei¡¯s face seemed like she was teasing her, and Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes while her secretary tried to hold back her smile.

    ¡°You should go and change now since it¡¯s almost time. I¡¯ll just put your hair up in a bunter,¡± Xiao Mei urged.

    Xi Xiaye nced at the time on the table and finally had no choice but to get up. She took the dress and went to the lounge...

    After a while, Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice could be heard from inside, ¡°Xiao Mei,e help me fasten the straps. Why do I feel like I¡¯ve recently gained weight? It¡¯s a little tight...¡±

    Xiao Mei smiled, and just when she was about to walk in, she heard footsteps from behind, so she turned around. To her surprise, she saw Mu Yuchen walking in. He had obviously heard what Xi Xiaye said earlier.

    ¡°President Mu!¡± Xiao Mei greeted him respectfully.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, but his gaze immediately fell on the slight opening of the lounge door.

    ¡°You can go out first. I¡¯ll be here,¡± he ordered.

    Xiao Mei smiled and nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, President Mu!¡± she replied as she left the room.

    Xi Xiaye had been waiting for a while, but she had not heard from Xiao Mei, so she tried to call her again. When she could vaguely hear the door opening behind her, she continued, ¡°Quick, help me fasten these straps. Do you think Mister Mu really likes women with curves? Obviously, I have gained some weight around my stomach, but why is he still saying that I¡¯m slim? I never realized he has such taste in women.

    ¡°By the way, have you heard the news? Since when were Miss Dong and Mister Mu ssmates? Do you think she¡¯s in good shape? She always has her head up and her chest forward whenever I see her. It makes me ufortable. I heard that she¡¯s also going tonight. Do you think I should put her in her ce? I want to let Mister Mu realize who he¡¯s dealing with. Since when does he have such awful taste?¡±

    The person behind Xi Xiaye began to tie the straps of her dress as she prattled on, but something felt wrong...

    Xi Xiaye suddenly felt like something was odd, and she could faintly smell a familiar scent. She quickly turned around as she said, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Xiao...Ah!¡±

    She eximed and gawked at the man who was behind her. Immediately, she lost her bnce and stumbled to the side. ¡°Why are you here!?¡±

    ¡°Silly!¡± both of them said at the same time and he quickly reached out to hold her and keep her from falling.

    If he had been standing behind her all along, he must have heard everything she said just now!

    Xi Xiaye was blushing from embarrassment, and she red at him as she pounced on him and started hitting him.

    ¡°As*hole, you did this on purpose!¡±

 Chapter 1431 - Getting Along 5

    <h4>Chapter 1431 Getting Along 5</h4>

    Mu Yuchen caught her fist and pulled her into his embrace while his hand swiftly circled her waist. He tightly pulled her into his arms and held her head, then he lowered his head before a cold kiss abruptly stopped her words.

    She struggled for a bit, but her little wriggles were just amusing to him.

    Before she could react, she felt something cold behind her, and she found herself trapped before the wall with his tall figure looming before her.

    The man recklessly had a taste of her, and then with one hand propped against the wall, he looked down at her with an unfathomable gaze. His eyes seemed as if they wanted to swallow her. She could not help but tremble slightly as she subconsciously pushed him away. ¡°Don¡¯te so close. I can barely breathe.¡±

    ¡°Say those words from earlier again. Who¡¯s got cheap taste now?¡± His lowered voice had a hint of pressure to it!

    Oh no, he had heard her!

    Xi Xiaye looked up at him embarrassedly, and then silently lowered her head, not making a sound. She knew all too well that keeping quiet now was better than saying anything more.

    When he saw her acting like a young married woman, he said unhappily although he actually thought it was funny, ¡°Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re off the hook just cause you keep quiet. I have ways to make you speak up. You¡¯re quite the hardy one, aren¡¯t you? You want to put who in their ce? Tell me again.¡±

    ¡°I was just rambling...Mister Mu, please don¡¯t take it to heart. I didn¡¯t mean it...¡± she exined in a daze.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote for you to admit your mistake now!¡±

    ¡°What...? Mmm!¡±

    ...

    When he pushed her against the soft bed behind her, Xi Xiaye¡¯s first reaction was to practically shout out towards the door, ¡°Xiao Mei,e in!¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s allowed toe in!¡±

    Just as she said that, the man¡¯s low and intimidating voice was heard. Xiao Mei, who had just walked up to the office door, immediately stopped and ran far, far away.

    ¡°I was wrong, Mister Mu. Can¡¯t I be wrong? It¡¯s almost time!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you off this time, but it won¡¯t be this easy the next time.¡± He shot her an unhappy nce, then nipped her neck as a punishment. She cried out and then kicked him unhappily. ¡°Are you a dog?¡±

    When Master Mu heard that, his expression sank. He looked at her and then said cruelly, ¡°I¡¯ll get back at you tonight!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite the rebel now, are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not just a rebel. I¡¯m unreasonable too, so what about it?¡± Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him as she pulled her skirt down. ¡°If you take another step forward, I won¡¯t go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned in bewilderment. His girl seemed to have more of a temper recently!

    He thought about it, then asked obscurely, ¡°Are you on your thing?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was puzzled by this question.

    Thing? What thing?

    She thought about it, then realized what he was referring to, so she immediately grabbed a pillow from the side to toss at him angrily.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one on your time of the month! You really can¡¯t say anything good, can you!?¡±

    ¡°You show me how!¡± He looked at her with a chuckle, then reached out a hand to her. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not go too far now. Gather yourself and then we can leave. Your hair¡¯s looking like a bird¡¯s nest.¡±

    She paused, then put her hand into his warm palm.

    The resting lounge had a simple dressing table. However, when she saw her hair in the mirror, she was quite shocked.

    That fellow was quite good with his hands. At first, he was not great at it, but she let him torment her hair a few times, and now he could create a simple and beautiful bun. While the pattern was one that she did often, it was done quite neatly.

    When the husband and wife left Fuhua Real Estate, it was already half past 6 p.m. The car was waiting at the entrance, and the two of them got in quickly.

    Glory World¡¯s annual meetings had always been held at Imperial Sky Hotel these past few years. In fact, every year it was done on a huge scale. They had joined the movies and television scene for quite a while now and signed many artistes on. A-listers like Caitlin woulde over every year to add to the fun which was the annual meeting¡¯s highlight. Besides that, people like Chairman Mu and his wife were well known public figures in the scene. Every year they would show up together, which was a rare sight to see.

    Everyone knew that Chairman Mu rarely attended such banquets because of his Madam Mu. If he could not attend events, he would reject them unless it was an asion that he had to show up at.

    When the husband and wife went over, the banquet had begun. Vice President Zhang Lan was giving a speech as Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went straight to their seats.

    However, what surprised Xi Xiaye was the fact that Yang Sheng hade over too. His seat was at the same table as theirs. She smiled and nodded at Yang Sheng to greet him while she asked the man beside her, ¡°You invited him?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was speaking to Vice President Liu Lingyu beside him at the moment. When he felt Xi Xiaye nudge him, he stopped talking and turned to look at her. His gaze quickly went to Yang Sheng and he responded, ¡°It should be Qi Lei who¡¯s here, but I guess he can¡¯t make it, so Yang Sheng decided toe.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Xi Xiaye asked, puzzled, while her brows were furrowed into a knot.

    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for him to show up at the moment. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s overwhelmed with work these past few days. Earlier, VP Liu told me about the situation on his end. There¡¯s nothing much. They can start after the New Year. The newpany¡¯s opening ceremony will be on the 15th day after the New Year, which coincides with the Spring Festival. The invitation has been sent to me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood Mu Yuchen, so she nodded. ¡°Good then. We can invite him to Xiaocheng¡¯s first birthday too. Since it¡¯s just a family dinner, there aren¡¯t many people anyway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told him already, and he¡¯sing.¡±

    ...

    After a few sses of drinks, Xi Xiaye could feel the alcohol kicking in, so she went to stand on the balcony while Mu Yuchen continued to chat with some business partners. She did not want to disturb him anyway.

    ¡°CEO Xi!¡±

    Xi Xiaye had just lowered her head to take a sip of tea when she heard someone call out to her from behind.

    Stunned, she quickly turned to look and saw Yang Sheng walking towards her.

    ¡°Assistant Yang? Are you happy with the banquet so far?¡± Xi Xiaye held her tea as she drank to him.

    Yang Sheng responded to the courtesy and took a sip of his drink too before he continued, ¡°Very good, very happy. Glory World¡¯s progressing quite well. Even Master Qi¡¯s in admiration. You and Chairman Mu are both capable people, CEO Xi.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Qi Lei? We haven¡¯t been in much contact since his return.¡±

    Knowing that Mu Yuchen would help resolve matters made her feel more at ease. Beneath that sub-conscience of hers, she could feel that Mu Yuchen assured her. Even when it came to Qi Lei, he could definitely resolve things well.

 Chapter 1432 - Drunk 1

    <h4>Chapter 1432 Drunk 1</h4>

    Yang Sheng gazed at Xi Xiaye gratefully and responded, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Vice President Xi. Master Qi is doing great nowadays. I appreciate the supporting from you and Chairman Mu along the way. Because of you, Master Qi has changed a lot for the better and we are truly d about that. I think if Vice President Wang were still alive, she would¡¯ve felt the same way.¡±

    As Yang Sheng borated, he felt like there was a virtual hand tightening its grasp over his heart in his chest cavity.

    Some people may not be remembered after they had cashed in their chips, but that was not the case for Wang Qin. She had left a legacy behind, thus although she departed swiftly and all of a sudden, she was still remembered by many.

    Just like Yang Sheng, if Vice President Wang had not epted and acknowledged him in the first ce, he would still be a hobo who had aplished nothing today. Due to Wang Qin¡¯s acknowledgment, he had be the person he was today. Moreover, he was able to provide for his family. That was why he had been grateful to Wang Qin.

    Apart from showing his gratitude towards Wang Qin, Yang Sheng also felt sorry for Qi Lei, thus he always treated him as his younger brother.

    After all, after having gone through so much, they were not just superordinate and subordinate. They cared for each other subconsciously. They might not be biologically rted, but they treated each other like they were family by blood.

    Having heard that, Xi Xiaye weed the updates with a smile. ¡°Frankly speaking, I haven¡¯t done much on the way. All the credits should go to Chairman Mu. However, I¡¯m relieved after hearing what you have to say. ¡±

    ¡°Well, Master Qi won¡¯t dare to turn back to his old ways. Even Ms. Dongfang has shown concern for him. From what I see, Master Qi will only get better and better,¡± Yang Sheng imed with a contented smile.

    ¡°Ms. Dongfang?¡± Xi Xiaye captured the key point immediately.

    ¡°It¡¯s Ms. Dongfang Liyun. She¡¯s a friend of Master Qi,¡± Yang Sheng exined.

    Hearing that, Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah, having a few friends is good. At least, when he feels vexed, there are a few people that he can spend his time with just like Su Nan, the bunch, and I. ¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more. I guess Master Qi should have fully experienced and understood this. All these years he has been¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still young. It¡¯s great to just be able to see him change for the better, but he¡¯s also considered lucky to have a person who is as dedicated as you to be his assistant. I¡¯ve heard about it from Mu Yuchen during the inauguration ceremony of the newpany. Just let us know when you have any needs.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu says so too, huh? Don¡¯t worry. Master Qi should be able to handle those matters by himself. He can¡¯t always rely on somebody else. Don¡¯t underestimate Master Qi. He¡¯s quite apetent man. He¡¯s just a littlecking in the heart department, but he has grown a lot after experiencing everything that has happened,¡± Yang Sheng asserted while grinning from ear to ear.

    ¡°Oh yeah, how is Ah Mo?¡± he expressed his concern because he had heard that Mu Lingmo and Mu Lingshi had departed City Z to City B together with Gu Qiwu, and they nned to reside there permanently. He thought about that time when Qi Lei and he were on the run, and Ah Mo had chosen not to abandon them then. Based just on that incident, he was extremely thankful to him.

    ¡°Both Ah Shi and him are fine. Everything has been smooth. I was on a call with Mu Yuchen while I was on my way here, and he assured me. Ah Mo has stayed there before this due to his frequent business trips to City B, so don¡¯t worry. Anyway, thanks for the concern.¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded and said, ¡°Fair enough. That¡¯ll save me from worrying about what might happen there. However, Vice President Xi, I hope that you will be more alert too. I have heard gossip back in the Qi residence saying that Gu Lingsha threw a tantrum at home this morning. She almost argued with the Elder Master about something about Master Gu, so do be more careful.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a moment, then she immediately thanked Yang Sheng. ¡°Got it, thanks.¡±

    Dinner ended quitete in the night. Mu Yuchen brought Xi Xiaye home first as she was a little high on alcohol.

    While they were on their way back to Maple Residence, Xi Xiaye felt a little befuddled, so shey on his thighs for a short nap. The car swayed a little all of a sudden, which caused her to open her eyes in a daze. She then witnessed her man silently gazing down upon her with those loving eyes while his fingers were moving along her forehead,bing the few strands of fringe which had escaped her hairdo, and the other hand was firmly sping her waist.

    When he saw her opening her eyes, he asked in his deep voice, ¡°How are you? Are you still feeling ufortable? Hangovers caused by cocktails are worse. You should know that.¡±

    She tried her best to blink her heavy eyelids. She stared at him for a while, and spoke after quite some time, ¡°Those cocktails were out of this world, but if I were to reject them, you¡¯d have to take my ce , and I dislike how you¡¯re like when you¡¯re drunk. Burp!¡±

    She was able to remain conscious, burp, have a conversation, and caress his attractive face all at the same time. While doing all that, she pondered for a moment and thought of something, so she raised her voice abruptly and asked, ¡°Let me get it clear. Why didn¡¯t we see Ms. Dongfang at the party? Xiao Mei told me that she might be there...Xiao Mei also told me that she knocked into her looking at gowns when she went out shopping, and she imed that it was for the Glory World Corporation Annual G.¡±

    While Mu Yuchen could notprehend that, on the other hand, he fully understood that he would not be able to handle her when her sense of crisis emerged. At the same time, his heart was filled with jubtion. Looking at those eyes which were filled with a daze, a thought came to him and he embraced her tightly in his arms. Then, he stared her in the eyes and spoke in his deep, alluring voice, ¡°You feel threatened when you see her, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Didn¡¯t you notice the gorgeous yet seductive dress? Those disgusting grins? And that intimate appetion! And you, you knew that I don¡¯t have any positive feelings about her, and still you have invited her to the g . Have you not considered how I¡¯d feel about your actions? You have never done so to any other woman, but why is she an exception?¡± She pinched his cheek to show her displeasure as she remonstrated.

    ¡°Oh my, you really should consider stopping all these imaginations. I have exined to you, haven¡¯t I? It¡¯s just a business acquaintanceship,¡± he replied to her discontentment with an amused tone. It was rare to see her in a drunk state, but he loved it.

    ¡°No, I disapprove of that too! Hey, you haven¡¯t told me yet. Why wasn¡¯t she at the g? Is it one of your conspiracies?¡± she proimed and burped at the same time. Her vision was so dazed that she was going in and out of focus. As she looked at his handsome face, he then turned into multiple faces like she was in a kaleidoscope. Still, she would not let go of that insistence of hers.

    He continued to hug her tightly and he responded to theint with a smile, ¡°When ites to a rival whom my dear wife despises, it¡¯s natural for me toe up with ideas to prohibit her appearance in the g. I got someone to keep herpany in the middle of things. I¡¯m a man of great taste. How could I have taken a fancy to such a woman? You have a slenderer stature, you are nice and kind, and better yet, she¡¯s not the mother to my sons. You¡¯re overthinking, darling.¡±

    ¡°So, you do know your position, huh? Let me tell you, I still have quite the line of suitors out there. You should be the one feeling threatened. I forbid you from ogling any, and I mean any, other women. ¡°

 Chapter 1433 - Drunk 2

    <h4>Chapter 1433 Drunk 2</h4>

    ¡°Also, those women who tried to approach you don¡¯t have good intentions. You must always be vignt and not make any mistakes, or else, no one can save you. I won¡¯t hesitate to end you...¡± She waved her hands and shook her fist at him as she threatened him.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, you won¡¯t do anything bad, will you? Tell me...tell me...¡±

    She was obviously drunk!

    Mu Yuchen grabbed her hand quickly and patientlyforted her. Finally, she rxed a little.

    When Mu Yuchen thought about her, he finally came to a conclusion that this woman must be jealous. She may seem calm as usual, but deep down she was probably feeling aggrieved.

    Mu Yuchen began to reflect on himself as he pondered. He wondered what had he done that made her feel so insecure?

    At this time, Xiaye, who was lying on hisp, opened her eyes again and stared at him silently, but her eyes could not seem to focus. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my question?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±

    ¡°Then, I believe you,¡± she responded with peace of mind.

    ¡°Xiaye?¡± he called her suddenly.

    She closed her eyes and responded, ¡°Yes?¡±

    He cleared his throat and tightened his hand around her waist. Then, he bent down slightly to get closer to her, and whispered seductively in her ear, ¡°Since you are so wary of other women around me, does it mean that you.. .¡±

    After he said this, he suddenly stopped and did not continue.

    ¡°Mean that I...?¡± she asked after waiting for him to finish his sentence but he did not.

    ¡°Do you... love me? Truthfully? Is it far more than the feelings you had for Han Yifeng, the kind of love that will never leave?¡± he asked cautiously.

    ¡°Of course, I love you. You¡¯re my husband and the father of my children. You¡¯re handsome and sweet to me. Who else would I love if not you?¡± she replied loudly without hesitation. Her deration made Li Si, who was in the front, look back and identally meet Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze. He quickly looked away and Master Mu drew up the partition in the car to block Li Si from looking again.

    Covering his mouth, Li Si could not helpughing.

    That was definitely not his master. Master Mu had always been cold and distant. How could he have asked the Missus those questions like a young man who had just fallen in love?

    Nevertheless, Master Mu and Miss Xiaye had already continued their conversation.

    He was obviously ted to hear her deration of love. He continued, ¡°Xiaye, then tell me, in your eyes, am I your number one priority?¡±

    She seemed to be a little surprised by his question. After thinking about it, she looked at him with a sneer and said, ¡°That¡¯s childish!¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned when he heard that.

    Childish? Was she talking about him?

    ¡°Are you angry, Mr. Mu? Look at your furrowed brows! I¡¯m going to kiss you then...¡±

    Before he could react, she had already lowered her soft pink lips to his, so he had no time to think about it as she pulled him closer...

    He certainly would never refuse such bliss!

    It was rare for her to take the initiative, but her alcohol tolerance was really...

    He could not remember if it was at the annual shareholders¡¯ meetingst year or two years ago when she seemed to have gotten drunk too. Nheless, he secretly rejoiced and lowered his head to kiss her. He was not going to let go of such a good opportunity.

    Xi Xiaye, who waspletely wasted, obviously had no recollection of everything that happened, but she could vaguely remember that a man had carried her back to her bedroom, and they had done the deed in every way possible. In the end, she could loosely remember that she had cried shamelessly and begged the man to let her go...

    Anyway, she felt so humiliated!

    The next morning, she could not care less about the soreness her body was feeling as she hugged her nket and tried to recall the memory of what happened yesterday. At times, she would carefully nce at the man who was slowly getting dressed next to the bed. She was so focused that she did not even notice her son standing beside the bed with his little hands reaching out to tug her nket, probably trying to wake her up.

    ¡°Mama...Mama...¡± the little boy called out after he saw that Xi Xiaye did not respond.

    His voice brought her back to reality, and she quickly reached out to pick her son up without realizing she was naked under the nket. The little boy was just about to melt into his mother¡¯s embrace, but his father was a step quicker and he immediately held the boy in his arms while holding her nket down with one hand.

    ¡°Well, whatever happened has happened. You should rest more since it¡¯s an off day anyway. I¡¯ll take our son out for a walk,¡± heforted her as he tried to hold back the smile in his heart after seeing her gloomy expression.

    ¡°What did I dost night?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she became red in the face.

    When he was getting dressed earlier, she saw five scratches on his back. Could that be her masterpiece?

    ¡°What do you think? What do you think you did?¡± He gave her an ambiguous look, obviously wanting to see her embarrassed reaction!

    ¡°Would I have asked you if I could remember?¡± As she nced at him, she knew that something did not feel quite right. It was rare to hear him humming when she woke up in the morning. Even her son looked at him with eyes wide in shock.

    There could not have been a striptease and she did not tease anyone, did she?

    She nced at him to try to find out what happened, but he was holding Mu Xiaocheng and beckoning to her while holding his little hand.

    ¡°Nothing much happened. We had a good night. That¡¯s all you have to remember. I told Grandfather already and they will be going with us. The sun¡¯s out today, so it¡¯s time to wake up, freshen up, and have breakfast. We¡¯re going out.¡±

    ¡°You can go if you want to. I still want to sleep!¡±

    How could she find the energy to go if she was exhausted? She pulled her nket over herself and went back to bed.

    Mu Yuchen smiled but did not bother her anymore. He went out while holding his son.

    ¡°Take a quick nap and get up soon. You haven¡¯t eaten anything sincest night,¡± he reminded before leaving the bedroom. Xi Xiaye pulled the nket and covered her head, pretending not to have heard him.

    Just when she closed her eyes, the cell phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated. She struggled a little, and it took her a while to answer the phone. It was Su Nan.

    ¡°Hello? Xiaye? It¡¯s me! It¡¯s the weekend already. You promised to do some New Year shopping with me. You didn¡¯t forget, did you?¡±

    Su Nan!

    New Year shopping?

    Xi Xiaye just remembered that Su Nan had called her the other day, and she hadpletely forgotten about it! She could not help but knock her head!

 Chapter 1434 - The Closest Person 1

    <h4>Chapter 1434 The Closest Person 1</h4>

    After she hung up, Xi Xiaye could not care about the ache she felt all over. She quickly got out of bed and took the clothes that Mu Yuchen had draped on the chair for her before walking towards the bathroom.

    She practically washed up and changed at the quickest speed. After some simple makeup, she went downstairs.

    When Sis Wang saw Xi Xiayee down, she conveyed Mu Yuchen¡¯s message, ¡°Missus, you¡¯re awake! Quickly have some breakfast. Master and the Little Master have gone out. Master said they were going to visit Master Mo and have lunch there. He also said that Chauffeur Wang can send you over when you¡¯ve woken up. Otherwise, you can also just stay at home. He and the Little Master will return sooner then.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve already gone out? Why were they so quick?¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked to the table and picked up the steaming hot milk as she stuffed a piece of pastry into her mouth, then finished half a cup of milk in a gulp. She washed it all down with some tea and took the napkin to wipe her mouth before walking straight to the living room.

    ¡°Su Nan and I have ns. Where¡¯s Chauffeur Wang? Tell him to send me to the World Trade Center,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°The World Trade Center? Missus, aren¡¯t you going to go over?¡± Sis Wang asked.

    ¡°No, I already have ns to go shopping with Su Nan. I might be back in the afternoon or at night. It¡¯s the weekend, and it¡¯ll soon be the end of the year already. Sis Wang, please inform the servants to clean up everything that needs to be cleaned in the next two days. Arrange for some people to stay behind to take care of things. You will all be on holiday quite soon, so get some New Year¡¯s gifts for everyone. Please help settle all that,¡± Xi Xiaye requested as she took her handbag.

    ¡°Alright, Missus, I got it. Chauffeur Wang¡¯s outside. I¡¯ll get him to drive the car over right away.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xi Xiaye responded, and then she quickly walked to the door.

    ...

    When the car reached the World Trade Center, Su Nan had already been waiting for quite a while at the coffee shop next door.

    Before Xi Xiaye walked closer, Su Nan was already waving at her. ¡°Xiaye! Here! Hurry!¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked over and quickly sat across her. ¡°Have you waited for very long?¡±

    ¡°Not too long. Here, have some pomelo tea. I finally found some time. I¡¯ve been so incredibly busy recently. If it weren¡¯t for Ruan Heng bringing Xiao Xi out, I might not have been able to escape.¡± Su Nan could not help but put a hand to her forehead exhaustedly.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen brought Xiao Cheng out too. Otherwise, I might have to take care of him at home too. How are you? You look quite tired. How about we go rx first?¡± Xi Xiaye drank the cup of pomelo tea as she suggested.

    ¡°Alright, I had the same idea too!¡± Su Nan responded dly.

    Thus, the twodies left after finishing their cups of tea.

    Xi Xiaye had not been as passionate about the enjoyment of self-maintenance and rxation before this. It was only after she went along with Zhuang Shurong or Shen Wenna quite a few times, and after Mu Yuchen encouraged her to go for more did she now find time on the weekends to unwind.

    She was a regr at the beauty parlor now, and she had her own beautician, so when Xi Xiaye went over, her needs were arranged quite swiftly. She and Su Nan were arranged to be in a VIP room.

    ¡°How¡¯s Ruan Heng now? Has he been going for checkups recently? I¡¯ve been so overwhelmed with worktely though I actually wanted to visit him.¡± Xi Xiaye sucked in a breath as she lifted a hand to tell the masseuse to go a little lighter.

    Su Nan turned to look at her with a smile and said, ¡°He¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all very busy end of the year. He¡¯s alright now. He just went for a checkup a few days ago. All the signs show that he¡¯s normal, and he doesn¡¯t feel ufortable anyway. The doctor said it should be all fine as long as he doesn¡¯t wear himself out. Don¡¯t worry now. Everyone¡¯s doing quite well.¡±

    ¡°How about you though? I heard that Lingshi and Ah Mo left City Z. How¡¯s that going? Are they doing fine? Can they adapt to life over there? I heard about Doris¡¯s matter too. I wanted toe over to look, but Ruan Heng said we shouldn¡¯t add more trouble to you, so I held back,¡± Su Nan asked as her eyes were filled with concern.

    When Mu Lingmo and Mu Lingshi were brought up, Xi Xiaye could not help but sigh softly again. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they are for now, but I think with Ah Shi¡¯s personality, it isn¡¯t possible for her to pretend as if nothing happened and to go on happily. Mu Yuchen also said before that they probably need to break into life there, but leaving this ce might not be a bad thing for them. Even though it¡¯s like starting over again, Ah Shi can¡¯t let go of what happened here. Mu Yuchen and I wish she would live a little lighter. She should never have been burdened with those things.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Su Nan nodded as well, and she sighed softly. ¡°Yeah, it shouldn¡¯t have been a burden for her to bear. Of course, you and Mu Yuchen shouldn¡¯t be burdened by it either, but who told us to be the one who cares? If it were me, I think I wouldn¡¯t hesitate either. Mu Lingshi might not have been thinking of you guys or the Mu family when she was willing to leave. No matter what it is, the Gu family might be her true family.¡±

    ¡°The Mu family will always be her family too. I can¡¯t bear to see her live a pressured life. Besides, in her current situation, it¡¯s good for her to have a safe and rtively peaceful ce to live.¡±

    ¡°Are you still worried about Gu Lingsha and the rest?¡± Su Nan was not oblivious either, hence she could understand what Xi Xiaye was trying to say.

    Xi Xiaye did not answer as she just smiled. She could not help but worry because what Yang Sheng told herst night suddenly rang in her ears again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pressure yourself too much. We¡¯ll just do our best. In fact, I trust that Mu Yuchen won¡¯t let anything terrible happen,¡± Su Nan consoled.

    ¡°I know. I can¡¯t worry too much about these things either. Our whole family might go abroad for a holiday for a few days after the New Year. Do you and Ruan Heng want toe along as well?¡± Xi Xiaye did not want to continue this topic either, so she changed it.

    ¡°Celebrate the New Year? By going abroad for a holiday?¡± Su Nan looked at Xi Xiaye, slightly surprised. She thought about it, then shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t. I have to go back to our hometown with Ruan Heng for the New Year to visit his grandmother. Xiao Xi¡¯s older now, and Ruan Heng¡¯s grandmother is getting older too, but she hasn¡¯t met Xiao Xi yet, so next time then.¡±

    ¡°You two have fun then. Oh right, it¡¯s going to be your son¡¯s first birthday soon. I¡¯ve prepared a gift for him, and I have a New Year present for Xiao Rui. Remember to bring them back with youter. You¡¯ll be nning a lively banquet, won¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 1435 - The Closest Person 2

    <h4>Chapter 1435 The Closest Person 2</h4>

    After hearing that, Xi Xiaye replied with a smile, ¡°We n to organize a small family gathering. What can a one-year-old possibly know? Plus, we don¡¯t want it to be a troublesome affair and drain everybody else in the process.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s your only baby darling, yet you really wish to wrong your son? And has Master Mu agreed to this?¡± Su Nan questioned with a chuckle.

    Come to think of it, Mu Yuchen had done an impable job protecting their sons in the past year. He had never let them be exposed to the media. Moreover, there were always guards surrounding Mu Zirui and Mu Zicheng, some of them even covert .

    Especially after Xi Xiaye delivered Xiao Cheng prematurely due to the ident, these arrangements could not have been tightened further.

    ¡°Grandpa is also not someone who takes such matters seriously. He just wants the family to be happy, so he left the decision to the both of us...¡±

    Thud!

    ¡°Damn you, woman. What do you think you¡¯re doing? Are those eyes of yours freaking blind or what?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what were you looking at? Did your parents teach you how to walk?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the ones who were not paying attention to your surroundings, gossiping while walking around! How many eyes did you bring along today?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you have some guts to talk back, huh? You still think that you¡¯re right after bumping into me like that, huh!? Even my contact lens has dropped! Do you know how much they cost? It¡¯s a couple hundred thousand! Are you even capable of paying for it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who knocked into me. What makes you think you have the right to confront me with such aggression? What are you up to, huh?¡±

    ¡°I demand to speak to the manager. What kind of person is this? Do you think this is a ce that wees all people? Hmph!¡±

    The mor of quarrels butchered its way through the hallway and into the room. Even Xi Xiaye and Su Nan started frowning. What intrigued them even more than the incident was one of the voices as it seemed very familiar. The two were a little puzzled. They exchanged nces and directed their sight towards the doorway of the room. Coincidentally, an assistant was bringing in hot towels for them.

    With that opportunity, their visions extended through the door gap and beyond the room, but what came into their sight was¡ªXi Xinyi! That familiar voice belonged to Xi Xinyi!

    Immediately, the frown on Xi Xiaye¡¯s forehead tightened even more, but before she could react any further, the taller woman standing across from Xi Xinyi had already pounced onto her. She pulled her hair and started beating her up. Naturally, Xi Xinyi began to fight back and the two started to wrestle in a matter of seconds.

    The women were very aggressive. Suddenly, all Xi Xiaye could hear were screeches, followed by a few shrieks. The actions of the two women were very swift, and it was obvious that Xi Xinyi was nowhere near on par with them. She was being pinned on the floor and taking the beating of her life. All she could do was cover her head while muffled voices of pain surrounded the hall.

    When the argument broke out, the two masseurs stopped the massage.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s frown could not have been deeper. She got off the beauty bed, undid her towel, and started putting on her clothes at almost lightspeed. Then, she burst out of the room.

    The hallways were crowded, full of customers who came for their spa sessions. All of them only stood there and watched the scene, but not even a single person lent a hand. Two of the masseurs went in to stop the fight but to no avail. They even got shoved aside while trying to help.

    Xi Xinyi was held on the floor and being beaten up. One of the women even sat on her and started pping her.

    When Xi Xiaye saw all the actions and reactions, what remained in her eyes was only despair. She pushed into the crowd to make herself a path through the throng. Then, she grabbed the woman sitting on Xi Xinyi and shoved her off.

    ¡°Stop it! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Xi Xiaye shouted at the top of her lungs while she dragged Xi Xinyi behind her for protection.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s actions were followed by Su Nan running out of their room at maximum speed. When she took a look at Xi Xinyi, all she could see were bruises all over her face. She even saw blood oozing out from a corner of her lips, so she bent down and helped her up.

    ¡°Oh, another busybody, huh?¡± The two women stared at Xi Xiaye with sour expressions.

    ¡°I would advise restraint from this point onward. Also, here¡¯s a reminder to you about where we are. Is this somewhere you can just randomly start fights?¡± Xi Xiaye stated the obvious while returning those stares with a cold re at the same time.

    ¡°She bumped into me and ruined my contact lens which costs a few hundred thousand! Can she afford them? And she dares to disrespect us after taking up our VIP room! Judging from her look, a beating is considered mercifulpared to asking her to pay me back! Now, beat it! I wouldn¡¯t care less about beating you up too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better watch that tone of yours. This isn¡¯t your house!¡± Su Nan asserted while trying her best to manage her temper as she would have cked out if she were to lose her head and escte the situation with those arrogant women.

    ¡°Why waste your time trash-talking with these people? They¡¯re clearly on the same team. We¡¯ve reserved the VIP suite in the first ce, so who are they to say crap about that? Just beat all their sorry butts!¡±

    ¡°How dare you?!¡± Xi Xiaye did not even have the time to react to anything. She just got a whiff of strong alcohol before she felt an intense pain in her shoulder.

    Su Nan saw the whole process, and she lost it this time. Letting Xi Xinyi go, she rushed into the scene and pulled Xi Xiaye behind her. Meanwhile, she pulled the hair of the woman who had assaulted Xi Xiaye with one hand and swiftly pped her in the face with the other twice.

    ¡°Look at that stance! And look at that arrogance!¡±

    ¡°Ugh! Ah Meng, call Brother Hui to summon his men here immediately. We¡¯ll teach them a lesson!¡±

    The situation had escted into chaos, and the woman managed to make the call. As a result, seven to eight men gushed into the building within three minutes. Even the employees of the spa center could not do anything to stop them!

    Their vicious looks were so intimidating that even Xi Xiaye felt a sense of uneasiness.

    When Mu Yuchen¡¯s mobile rang, he was drinking the freshest tea at Zhou Zimo¡¯s ce, and Xiao Cheng was there with him too. As soon as he saw the name which appeared on the screen, he picked it up immediately.

    ¡°Hey, how¡¯s everything? Do you want toe over?¡± His deep voice cut through the call.

    However, the first answer that he got from the other side was a wave of random noises.

    After that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s anxious voice came through, ¡°You need toe over now. I¡¯m in a bit of a pickle here. We¡¯re surrounded by a few gangsters, and the police are already on their way. You can go to the police station directly.¡±

    Xi Xiaye hung up the phone after saying that.

    Immediately after receiving this information, the radiance and confidence in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes disappeared instantly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Zimo asked out of concern while making tea. He could tell that something was not right from his expression.

    Mu Yuchen ced his teacup down, carried Xiao Cheng who was ying just beside him with his other hand and stormed out of the room. He took thergest strides he was capable of taking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll skip the meal. Xiaye ran into some trouble and I need to leave now. Let¡¯s meet some other day.¡± Just as he finished speaking, Mu Yuchen had disappeared from the doorway.

    Zhou Zimo was left there with a frown. He thought about it for a second and could not convince himself to not think about the situation, so he decided to tag along...

    At the police station, Su Nan and Xi Xinyi were in interrogation rooms while Xi Xiaye was standing in the hallway waiting. Concern could be read all over her face.

    She was not hurt because Su Nan had stood in front of her when the two maniacs started their assault. After the gangsters arrived, all her bodyguards were there to stop them from getting near her. Compared to her, Su Nan and Xi Xinyi looked awful as both of them had bruises all over and were still being interrogated.

 Chapter 1436 - The Closest Person 3

    <h4>1436 The Closest Person 3</h4>

    Xi Xiaye was worried because she did not know if the fight would be in the police records.

    Fortunately, the bodyguards dealt with it in time before the media could expose it. Otherwise, they may be in the headlines tomorrow for fighting with other women!

    Although Xi Xiaye was unsettled, she could only calm herself down. She quietly found a seat in the corner and patiently waited with her head down.

    She had no idea how much time had passed when she suddenly heard footsteps. Before she knew it, someone had stopped in front of her and she could smell a familiar scent. She raised her head subconsciously and saw the man standing in front of her. He frowned as he scanned her up and down.

    Before she could say anything, he reproached in a hoarse voice, ¡°Are you hurt? Why are you trying to bite off more than you can chew? Why did you fight them? Look at you. Do you think you can fight those people? ! I just told you that you have acute consciousness and you immediately prove me wrong! That¡¯s zero consciousness!¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not control the anger in his heart when he saw her injured face.

    She nced at him and took a deep breath before turning her head to look away.

    ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go home,¡± he said calmly while looking at her and reaching out his hand.

    ¡°What about them?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can leave now. You can get in more fights if you¡¯ve got nothing better to do in the future, and maybe the police force can award you with a badge of honor.¡± He shot her a sarcastic nce.

    While he was on the way here, he had already heard about what happened from the bodyguard. Therefore, he had asked Su Chen to make some calls. Otherwise things would not have been solved this easily. As soon as those people heard who they had been fighting against, they could only choose to settle peacefully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight either, but I just can¡¯t stand it when they kept picking on us. Maybe you can, but not me!¡± she defended.

    He could not believe her audacity! However, because he could tell that she was furious from her flushed cheeks, he could only keep quiet and take a deep breath.

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about it now. We¡¯ll talk about it when we¡¯re home and behind closed doors,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Xi Xiaye could hear the door open just as he said that. She quickly looked over and saw Su Nan walking into the corridor with Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Nan Nan, are you okay?¡± Xi Xiaye said worriedly after she saw the bruises on Su Nan¡¯s face. The injuries on her body were probably worse.

    She could feel her heart aching for Su Nan, so she quickly helped her up.

    Su Nan smiled and immediately realized what happened after seeing Mu Yuchen in front of her. She felt embarrassed and nodded to him as she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a minor injury. I just couldn¡¯t stand those two arrogant women who thought I was an easy target. Even though I got punched a few times, I did manage to knock their front teeth off, so I guess that¡¯s a win!¡±

    Su Nan had always been this bold and straightforward.

    ¡®It must be pretty difficult for Ruan Heng to tolerate a wife with such bold temperament,¡¯ Mu Yuchen thought.

    ¡°You¡¯re injured too! Don¡¯t worry. Just go to the hospital and get your wounds treated.¡±

    ¡°Nan Nan!¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye was speaking to Su Nan, they could hear Ruan Heng¡¯s voice from the front. When she looked up, Ruan Heng had already rushed over.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why are you here?¡± Su Nan said softly. She was anxious because she did not know how to exin the injuries on her face.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re okay when you¡¯re clearly injured?! Nan Nan, you¡¯re already 30. Can you stop being so impulsive? You¡¯re lucky those people didn¡¯t have any weapons, or else, you might¡¯ve been the one at a loss,¡± Ruan Heng chided anxiously.

    ¡°Okay, Ruan Heng, take her to treat her injuries first,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Ruan Heng realized that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were still standing beside him, so he quickly greeted them, ¡°President Mu, Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and waved to the bodyguards next to him. One of the bodyguards in ck immediately stepped forward. ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Take them to the hospital to treat their injuries.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    They slowly walked forward after hearing Mu Yuchen¡¯s order.

    ¡°President Mu, Xiaye, we¡¯ll make a move first,¡± Ruan Heng and Su Nan left after excusing themselves.

    Xi Xiaye watched their silhouettes slowly disappearing out of the doorway. After a while, she turned around to look for Xi Xinyi, but she had left her side. She started searching around and quickly found her in another corridor in front.

    Xi Xiaye saw her scrawny figure that seemed lonely. Her injuries were probably more serious than theirs.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a while and her eyes darkened. Just as she was about to step forward to hold her, Xi Xinyi seemed to be unable to hold herself together anymore. She cked out and her body fell forward.

    ¡°Xinyi!¡± Xi Xiaye called out without even realizing it.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and signaled the bodyguard beside him. The bodyguard quickly rushed over and held Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first!¡±

    They hurriedly rushed to Hospital T.

    At the hospital, the doctor carefully checked Xi Xinyi as shey in the hospital bed and instructed the nurse to apply some medicine and bandage her wounds.

    ¡°She¡¯s suffered two fractured ribs, and there were also many bruises on her body. I¡¯m afraid that she might need to rest for a period of time. She needs to be admitted for a few days for further observation. As long as she rests well, she should recover very soon,¡± the doctor said to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and looked at Xi Xinyi, whose eyes were still closed as shey on the hospital bed. He thought for a while and asked, ¡°When will she wake up?¡±

    ¡°She had a slight concussion and she¡¯s also probably been too tired recently, so she won¡¯t wake up until the evening. I suggest that she gets a good rest. Her body is already weak, and her condition isn¡¯t very good,¡± the doctor said as he nced at Xi Xinyi on the hospital bed.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, her eyes darkened and she did not know what to say for a while. After pondering for a long time, she could only nod her head and said, ¡°Okay, we understand.¡±

    She then turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°You can arrange for them to settle the hospitalization procedures first. Also, about this incident...I¡¯ll let you decide if you want to tell Father or not.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not identify what she felt when she saw Xi Xinyi like that. She only knew that seeing Xi Xinyi so vulnerable did not make her as happy as she had imagined. For a moment, she thought that she felt a little distressed.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he gazed at her as he took a deep breath, then he wrapped his hand around her thin shoulders and took her in his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stress about it as long as you don¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    He knew exactly what she was thinking.

    Xi Xiaye was worried because she did not know if the fight would be in the police records.

    Fortunately, the bodyguards dealt with it in time before the media could expose it. Otherwise, they may be in the headlines tomorrow for fighting with other women!

    Although Xi Xiaye was unsettled, she could only calm herself down. She quietly found a seat in the corner and patiently waited with her head down.

    She had no idea how much time had passed when she suddenly heard footsteps. Before she knew it, someone had stopped in front of her and she could smell a familiar scent. She raised her head subconsciously and saw the man standing in front of her. He frowned as he scanned her up and down.

    Before she could say anything, he reproached in a hoarse voice, ¡°Are you hurt? Why are you trying to bite off more than you can chew? Why did you fight them? Look at you. Do you think you can fight those people?! I just told you that you have acute consciousness and you immediately prove me wrong! That¡¯s zero consciousness!¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not control the anger in his heart when he saw her injured face.

    She nced at him and took a deep breath before turning her head to look away.

    ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go home,¡± he said calmly while looking at her and reaching out his hand.

    ¡°What about them?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can leave now. You can get in more fights if you¡¯ve got nothing better to do in the future, and maybe the police force can award you with a badge of honor.¡± He shot her a sarcastic nce.

    While he was on the way here, he had already heard about what happened from the bodyguard. Therefore, he had asked Su Chen to make some calls. Otherwise things would not have been solved this easily. As soon as those people heard who they had been fighting against, they could only choose to settle peacefully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight either, but I just can¡¯t stand it when they kept picking on us. Maybe you can, but not me!¡± she defended.

    He could not believe her audacity! However, because he could tell that she was furious from her flushed cheeks, he could only keep quiet and take a deep breath.

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about it now. We¡¯ll talk about it when we¡¯re home and behind closed doors,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Xi Xiaye could hear the door open just as he said that. She quickly looked over and saw Su Nan walking into the corridor with Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Nan Nan, are you okay?¡± Xi Xiaye said worriedly after she saw the bruises on Su Nan¡¯s face. The injuries on her body were probably worse.

    She could feel her heart aching for Su Nan, so she quickly helped her up.

    Su Nan smiled and immediately realized what happened after seeing Mu Yuchen in front of her. She felt embarrassed and nodded to him as she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a minor injury. I just couldn¡¯t stand those two arrogant women who thought I was an easy target. Even though I got punched a few times, I did manage to knock their front teeth off, so I guess that¡¯s a win!¡±

    Su Nan had always been this bold and straightforward.

    ¡®It must be pretty difficult for Ruan Heng to tolerate a wife with such bold temperament,¡¯ Mu Yuchen thought.

    ¡°You¡¯re injured too! Don¡¯t worry. Just go to the hospital and get your wounds treated.¡±

    ¡°Nan Nan!¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye was speaking to Su Nan, they could hear Ruan Heng¡¯s voice from the front. When she looked up, Ruan Heng had already rushed over.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why are you here?¡± Su Nan said softly. She was anxious because she did not know how to exin the injuries on her face.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re okay when you¡¯re clearly injured?! Nan Nan, you¡¯re already 30. Can you stop being so impulsive? You¡¯re lucky those people didn¡¯t have any weapons, or else, you might¡¯ve been the one at a loss,¡± Ruan Heng chided anxiously.

    ¡°Okay, Ruan Heng, take her to treat her injuries first,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Ruan Heng realized that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were still standing beside him, so he quickly greeted them, ¡°President Mu, Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and waved to the bodyguards next to him. One of the bodyguards in ck immediately stepped forward. ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Take them to the hospital to treat their injuries.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    They slowly walked forward after hearing Mu Yuchen¡¯s order.

    ¡°President Mu, Xiaye, we¡¯ll make a move first,¡± Ruan Heng and Su Nan left after excusing themselves.

    Xi Xiaye watched their silhouettes slowly disappearing out of the doorway. After a while, she turned around to look for Xi Xinyi, but she had left her side. She started searching around and quickly found her in another corridor in front.

    Xi Xiaye saw her scrawny figure that seemed lonely. Her injuries were probably more serious than theirs.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a while and her eyes darkened. Just as she was about to step forward to hold her, Xi Xinyi seemed to be unable to hold herself together anymore. She cked out and her body fell forward.

    ¡°Xinyi!¡± Xi Xiaye called out without even realizing it.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and signaled the bodyguard beside him. The bodyguard quickly rushed over and held Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first!¡±

    They hurriedly rushed to Hospital T.

    At the hospital, the doctor carefully checked Xi Xinyi as shey in the hospital bed and instructed the nurse to apply some medicine and bandage her wounds.

    ¡°She¡¯s suffered two fractured ribs, and there were also many bruises on her body. I¡¯m afraid that she might need to rest for a period of time. She needs to be admitted for a few days for further observation. As long as she rests well, she should recover very soon,¡± the doctor said to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and looked at Xi Xinyi, whose eyes were still closed as shey on the hospital bed. He thought for a while and asked, ¡°When will she wake up?¡±

    ¡°She had a slight concussion and she¡¯s also probably been too tired recently, so she won¡¯t wake up until the evening. I suggest that she gets a good rest. Her body is already weak, and her condition isn¡¯t very good,¡± the doctor said as he nced at Xi Xinyi on the hospital bed.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, her eyes darkened and she did not know what to say for a while. After pondering for a long time, she could only nod her head and said, ¡°Okay, we understand.¡±

    She then turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°You can arrange for them to settle the hospitalization procedures first. Also, about this incident...I¡¯ll let you decide if you want to tell Father or not.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not identify what she felt when she saw Xi Xinyi like that. She only knew that seeing Xi Xinyi so vulnerable did not make her as happy as she had imagined. For a moment, she thought that she felt a little distressed.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he gazed at her as he took a deep breath, then he wrapped his hand around her thin shoulders and took her in his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stress about it as long as you don¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    He knew exactly what she was thinking.

    Xi Xiaye was worried because she did not know if the fight would be in the police records.

    Fortunately, the bodyguards dealt with it in time before the media could expose it. Otherwise, they may be in the headlines tomorrow for fighting with other women!

    Although Xi Xiaye was unsettled, she could only calm herself down. She quietly found a seat in the corner and patiently waited with her head down.

    She had no idea how much time had passed when she suddenly heard footsteps. Before she knew it, someone had stopped in front of her and she could smell a familiar scent. She raised her head subconsciously and saw the man standing in front of her. He frowned as he scanned her up and down.

    Before she could say anything, he reproached in a hoarse voice, ¡°Are you hurt? Why are you trying to bite off more than you can chew? Why did you fight them? Look at you. Do you think you can fight those people?! I just told you that you have acute consciousness and you immediately prove me wrong! That¡¯s zero consciousness!¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not control the anger in his heart when he saw her injured face.

    She nced at him and took a deep breath before turning her head to look away.

    ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go home,¡± he said calmly while looking at her and reaching out his hand.

    ¡°What about them?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can leave now. You can get in more fights if you¡¯ve got nothing better to do in the future, and maybe the police force can award you with a badge of honor.¡± He shot her a sarcastic nce.

    While he was on the way here, he had already heard about what happened from the bodyguard. Therefore, he had asked Su Chen to make some calls. Otherwise things would not have been solved this easily. As soon as those people heard who they had been fighting against, they could only choose to settle peacefully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight either, but I just can¡¯t stand it when they kept picking on us. Maybe you can, but not me!¡± she defended.

    He could not believe her audacity! However, because he could tell that she was furious from her flushed cheeks, he could only keep quiet and take a deep breath.

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about it now. We¡¯ll talk about it when we¡¯re home and behind closed doors,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Xi Xiaye could hear the door open just as he said that. She quickly looked over and saw Su Nan walking into the corridor with Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Nan Nan, are you okay?¡± Xi Xiaye said worriedly after she saw the bruises on Su Nan¡¯s face. The injuries on her body were probably worse.

    She could feel her heart aching for Su Nan, so she quickly helped her up.

    Su Nan smiled and immediately realized what happened after seeing Mu Yuchen in front of her. She felt embarrassed and nodded to him as she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a minor injury. I just couldn¡¯t stand those two arrogant women who thought I was an easy target. Even though I got punched a few times, I did manage to knock their front teeth off, so I guess that¡¯s a win!¡±

    Su Nan had always been this bold and straightforward.

    ¡®It must be pretty difficult for Ruan Heng to tolerate a wife with such bold temperament,¡¯ Mu Yuchen thought.

    ¡°You¡¯re injured too! Don¡¯t worry. Just go to the hospital and get your wounds treated.¡±

    ¡°Nan Nan!¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye was speaking to Su Nan, they could hear Ruan Heng¡¯s voice from the front. When she looked up, Ruan Heng had already rushed over.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why are you here?¡± Su Nan said softly. She was anxious because she did not know how to exin the injuries on her face.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re okay when you¡¯re clearly injured?! Nan Nan, you¡¯re already 30. Can you stop being so impulsive? You¡¯re lucky those people didn¡¯t have any weapons, or else, you might¡¯ve been the one at a loss,¡± Ruan Heng chided anxiously.

    ¡°Okay, Ruan Heng, take her to treat her injuries first,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    Ruan Heng realized that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were still standing beside him, so he quickly greeted them, ¡°President Mu, Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and waved to the bodyguards next to him. One of the bodyguards in ck immediately stepped forward. ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Take them to the hospital to treat their injuries.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    They slowly walked forward after hearing Mu Yuchen¡¯s order.

    ¡°President Mu, Xiaye, we¡¯ll make a move first,¡± Ruan Heng and Su Nan left after excusing themselves.

    Xi Xiaye watched their silhouettes slowly disappearing out of the doorway. After a while, she turned around to look for Xi Xinyi, but she had left her side. She started searching around and quickly found her in another corridor in front.

    Xi Xiaye saw her scrawny figure that seemed lonely. Her injuries were probably more serious than theirs.

    Xi Xiaye hesitated for a while and her eyes darkened. Just as she was about to step forward to hold her, Xi Xinyi seemed to be unable to hold herself together anymore. She cked out and her body fell forward.

    ¡°Xinyi!¡± Xi Xiaye called out without even realizing it.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and signaled the bodyguard beside him. The bodyguard quickly rushed over and held Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first!¡±

    They hurriedly rushed to Hospital T.

    At the hospital, the doctor carefully checked Xi Xinyi as shey in the hospital bed and instructed the nurse to apply some medicine and bandage her wounds.

    ¡°She¡¯s suffered two fractured ribs, and there were also many bruises on her body. I¡¯m afraid that she might need to rest for a period of time. She needs to be admitted for a few days for further observation. As long as she rests well, she should recover very soon,¡± the doctor said to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and looked at Xi Xinyi, whose eyes were still closed as shey on the hospital bed. He thought for a while and asked, ¡°When will she wake up?¡±

    ¡°She had a slight concussion and she¡¯s also probably been too tired recently, so she won¡¯t wake up until the evening. I suggest that she gets a good rest. Her body is already weak, and her condition isn¡¯t very good,¡± the doctor said as he nced at Xi Xinyi on the hospital bed.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, her eyes darkened and she did not know what to say for a while. After pondering for a long time, she could only nod her head and said, ¡°Okay, we understand.¡±

    She then turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°You can arrange for them to settle the hospitalization procedures first. Also, about this incident...I¡¯ll let you decide if you want to tell Father or not.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not identify what she felt when she saw Xi Xinyi like that. She only knew that seeing Xi Xinyi so vulnerable did not make her as happy as she had imagined. For a moment, she thought that she felt a little distressed.

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he gazed at her as he took a deep breath, then he wrapped his hand around her thin shoulders and took her in his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stress about it as long as you don¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    He knew exactly what she was thinking.

 Chapter 1437 - The Closest Person 4

    <h4>Chapter 1437 The Closest Person 4</h4>

    She sighed to herself as well and held onto his shirt. After she calmed down, she let go of him and responded, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let them go and settle the procedures. Go back when you¡¯re done. Tell Sis Wang to make some soup and bring it over. Also, is Zimo alright with taking care of our son?¡±

    Earlier, when Zhou Zimo had chased after him, Mu Yuchen had passed Mu Xiaocheng to him and asked for his help to take care of him for a day.

    That way, Zhou Zimo could experience how it was like to be a father. Mu Yuchen thought that letting Zhou Zimo be a super stay-at-home dad for a day would be an honor to his friend.

    ¡°Of course, he can. Don¡¯t worry. Zimo will good care of our son,¡± Mu Yuchen said certainly.

    With that, Xi Xiaye felt assured and she urged Mu Yuchen to settle the procedures again.

    ...

    Obviously, Mu Yuchen had guessed right. Zhou Zimo adored Mu Xiaocheng very much, and they were now in Zhou Zimo¡¯s spacious and luxurious living room.

    Mu Xiaocheng was now lying on the soft sofa and ying around. All over the floor, Zhou Zimo had told the servants to bring a few thick carpets to cover the floor. There were many toys too. Zhou Zimo sat aside with his pen and flipped through the document before him while his other hand held Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s baby bottle. Inside the bottle was some powdered milk that he had just asked Mu Yuchen to teach him to make.

    Zhou Zimo swiftly signed the document, then looked to his left, and saw that Mu Xiaocheng did not drink a single drop, so he went over. ¡°Xiao Cheng,e on. Drink some. You didn¡¯t eat much at lunch. Don¡¯t starve now and drink some quickly,¡± he cajoled as he handed the milk bottle over.

    However, Mu Xiaocheng was having fun ying, and when Zhou Zimo suddenly disrupted him, he was unhappy. His little ws reached out for Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face and smacked it. He was so quick that Zhou Zimo could not evade the strike in time, and he subconsciously cried out too.

    When he heard Zhou Zimo crying out, Mu Xiaocheng instantly chuckled and started wing at him again. Zhou Zimo quickly caught his little hands and kissed them, then patted his little head as he softly coaxed, ¡°Alright now. Don¡¯t cause me trouble. Quickly sleep now. Come on, I¡¯ll nap with you...¡± he said as he walked upstairs.

    However, a problem soon rose. He had just carried him upstairs when Mu Xiaocheng started to cry and would not stop no matter how much he coaxed. Giving him milk did not work either. Zhou Zimo was worried now. He thought about it and felt something was not right, so he pulled Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s pants down.

    Damn it!

    He wanted to immediately call Mu Yuchen so that he would take his son back

    Perhaps because he could sense Zhou Zimo¡¯s thoughts, Mu Xiaocheng stopped crying and stared wide-eyed at Zhou Zimo! Those eyes were so simr to his father¡¯s!

    Zhou Zimo thought it was creepy. After thinking about it, he braced himself and pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little cheek. ¡°You little fellow, are you trying to wear your Uncle Zhou out? Come on, I¡¯ll bring you to wash up! I¡¯ll make you all nice smelling. You stink!¡±

    ...

    The warm sun gradually fell to the west, and when the final stream of sunset fell below the horizon, the entire sky instantly fell silent.

    Inside a suite in Hospital T.

    Xi Xinyi woke up in a daze. When she felt the pain all over, she instantly frowned. She moved and sensed that there was someone beside her, so she turned and Xi Xiaye¡¯s figure greeted her sight.

    She was sitting by her bedside, dressed in a beige coat with her head propped up on one hand. Her beautiful hair fell on her shoulders while her beautiful face looked the same as before. However, right now, she seemed to look even more beautiful. Her other hand was on her nket, and she looked quite tired. Right now, she had fallen asleep with her eyes closed and her breath was even.

    Even if it was quite cold outside, the ward was not.

    Xi Xinyi did not think that the person sitting right here would be her sister. She thought about how after their rtionship fell apart, they had be enemies, and how they tried to get rid of each other.

    Nheless, she never thought that things would have turned out this way.

    If it were back then, she definitely would not have done anything about that incident in the morning. She might have even made a fuss, but...

    She did not know why, but her head was a mess at the moment. Her mind could not help but sh back to the scenes from before. Suddenly, her heart hurt and she could not seem to breathe.

    She watched Xi Xiaye who was sound asleep, and then for some reason, she was hit by a pang of sadness in her heart, and her eyes could not help but well up with hot tears.

    She cried. When the first drop of tears fell from the corner of her eyes, she felt it. This tear seemed to be heavier than before, so much so that she was at a loss.

    She quickly lifted a hand to wipe away her tears as she turned to look out at the grayness outside her window, but the hot tears that welled up in her eyes simply would not stop.

    Xi Xiaye felt some movement, so she quickly opened her eyes and blinked her misty eyes. As soon as she looked at Xi Xinyi, she saw that Xi Xinyi had her head turned away and was silently crying.

    Frowning immediately, Xi Xiaye watched her and said with a raspy voice, ¡°Are you feeling ufortable?¡±

    Her tone was even, and you could not quite hear any emotions from it while her gaze was calm.

    Xi Xinyi sniffled and lifted a hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes as she took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°You were hurt quite badly. The doctor said that you¡¯ll have to be hospitalized for observation for a few days. Since you¡¯re awake, have something to eat. I told Sis Wang to make some shredded chicken porridge. She¡¯s quite a marvelous cook,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she opened the Thermos sk by the table and poured out half a bowl of the shredded chicken porridge for Xi Xinyi.

    The tempting aroma immediately filled the air. Immediately, Xi Xinyi felt really hungry, but when she saw Xi Xiaye hand the bowl of porridge over, she was stunned and did not immediately take it.

    Although Xi Xiaye saw that she did not move, she just held the bowl and looked at her silently.

    She could see that Xi Xinyi was feeling a mix of emotions, so Xi Xiaye calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about the other things now.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you...?¡± Xi Xinyi spoke in a daze. Her bruised face seemed pale and her eyes seemed nk while she looked at Xi Xiaye in confusion.

    ¡°I told you before. Neither do I remember the things from the past anymore, nor do I want to recall them. If you insist on holding onto the past, I can¡¯t help you either,¡± Xi Xiaye said coldly, but she did not withdraw the bowl in her hand.

    When Xi Xinyi heard that, she paused again and could not help but bite her lips.

 Chapter 1438 - The Closest Person 5

    <h4>Chapter 1438 The Closest Person 5</h4>

    Xi Xiaye did not speak up after then while Xi Xinyi stared at her all this time.

    The two sisters just sat there without uttering a single word. It took quite a while before Xi Xiaye continued speaking, ¡°The doctor said your body hasn¡¯t been doing well. You shouldn¡¯t stay upte all the time. What you should do is to pay more attention to your nutrition intake. That way, your body will recover faster.¡±

    She was unsure whether it was her tone of concern, but Xi Xinyi had an indescribable feeling while listening to her sister¡¯s advice. After hesitating for quite some time, she epted the bowl of porridge under Xi Xiaye¡¯s delicate gaze and quietly started eating it with her head bowed down.

    While looking at her sister in silence, Xi Xiaye pulled a napkin from the side table and passed it over. Xi Xinyi extended her arm to take it.

    Meanwhile, both the sisters could not have known that amidst all the silence, two sturdy silhouettes were witnessing everything through the gap of the door from just outside the room.

    ¡°She is still who she was. She worries about her all the time, thus she has never truly made up her mind, Father,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke with slight resignation in his deep voice.

    Speaking of that, her personality was the exact duplicate of his. No matter how inhumane they might be to others, they could never really do the same to the people who were close to them just like how he treated Mu Lingtian. Maybe that was the reason why he managed to find such a profound resonance within her.

    That was why he found it emotionally impossible to tear himself away from his attachment to her. Sometimes, he just wished that she could be a little more heartless. Then, she would be more rxed and not face too much pressure.

    It was not that he loved her kindness. If she was part of the equation, he could put up with anything that came with her, including her so-called viciousness. Plus, if he had chosen to be with her in the first ce, he must be someone who would willingly get his hands dirty with her and not someone who would despise her malice. This had nothing to do with kindness since he was not a saint of any kind to start with. However, it was those imperfections of hers that made him feel lucky.

    Xi Mushan remembered every action and detail that took ce in the ward, including the conversation between both sisters, word for word. He nodded and sighed lightly before he retracted his gaze from his daughters, turned his body away slowly yet silently, then took a few steps to the side while Mu Yuchen followed him from behind.

    ¡°Her personality resembles her mother¡¯s a lot. However, she¡¯s a soft-hearted person. Some see it as a strength while to others, it¡¯s a shoring. If Xi Xinyi can realize that, it¡¯s naturally the best-case scenario, but if she can¡¯t, the person that she¡¯ll hurt the most is definitely Xiaye,¡± Xu Mushan said faintly.

    ¡°But after all that has happened, I do also hope that Xinyi can let bygones be bygones. You have been giving in to amodate Xiaye although that should be tiring. Thanks to you, she has an easier way out,¡± he continued while staring at Mu Yuchen with his grateful eyes.

    In fact, when he knew that Mu Yuchen and his daughter were going out, deep down, he was filled with contentment and satisfaction.

    Although he had changed his career path and was now an educator, he had been in politics for many years, and with his career advantage plus his rtionship with Shen Wenna, he had learned a lot about the Mu family. After all, Mu Tangchuan was a rather prestigious name in the government, and this man standing in front of him was also a legend himself...

    ¡°Moreover, when ites to both of us, I¡¯m afraid that even a biological son wouldn¡¯t have treated us better, and for that, I¡¯m grateful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m lucky if you appreciate what I¡¯ve done so far. As for Xi Xinyi, I have been discussing it with Xiaye. How did Han Yifeng and her end up in their current situation? There are many details that we don¡¯t know. Xiaye won¡¯t forgive her, but I know she won¡¯t want things to be how they are now. I have promised Xinyi that I¡¯ll help her fight for another chance, and I¡¯m already on it. I¡¯ll be assigning her to San Francisco as a regional manager.¡±

    ¡°San Francisco? Where Han Yifeng is?¡± Xi Mushan asked.

    Mu Yuchen replied with a nod, ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t an easy task to aplish, but now I guess it¡¯s for the best if I can make it happen as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Father. I will do all the thinking. I¡¯m thinking maybe after the Lunar New Year, but you don¡¯t have to rush to tell her that just yet. As for Yue Lingsi...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll transfer her there when Xinyi has settled down. Then, we¡¯ll hire a private nurse to look after her. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± When speaking about Yue Lingsi, Xi Mushan¡¯s feelings did not fluctuate much. She was a stain he could never erase. All he felt whenever the name came up was his guilt towards Shen Wenna.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you make the final call on that.¡± He did not wish to upset his wife by needing her to deal with such matters, so it was best if they could resolve the issue in one go.

    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll get Li Si to arrange a nurse. She hasn¡¯t been getting enough rest these few days, and there¡¯s much to do at the end of the year, so I think we should return home. If there is anything, just call me. Mother knows you¡¯re here, so you should go home earlier too.¡±

    Xi Mushan nodded. ¡°Yeah, sorry to have bothered you. Go home. I can see that Xiaye is tired...¡±

    Both father and son-inw strode back to the door while chatting.

    Meanwhile, back in the ward. Xi Xiaye took the empty bowl from Xi Xinyi anddled out another half a bowl. Xi Xinyi epted it silently though without much thought given.

    ¡°Do you know that restraining your temper a little will make you suffer less? Taking a step backward for a moment of peace and safety is always the best policy. You¡¯re only one girl, so you don¡¯t have to go all out and mess with them. You¡¯re considered lucky today, but luck will not be bestowed upon you all the time, and it¡¯s not always a good thing for one to always fight for her own rights,¡± Xi Xiaye advised after some thought when she saw that Xi Xinyi had wiped her tears dry and started to gulp her porridge down.

    As soon as Xi Xiaye¡¯s words hit her, Xi Xinyi¡¯s dried eyes immediately got warm and tears started rolling down again. She could not stand any word of concern from Xi Xiaye even if it was just a little as it would only remind her of how terrible she had been before this, and that made her feel disgusted about herself.

    Seeing Xi Xinyi go silent, Xi Xiaye did not n to continue her lecture any more and she slowly stood up.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen has asked Li Si to get you a nurse. Rest well and call the doctors or nurses if anything happens,¡± Xi Xiaye advised before taking her leave.

    As the steely scent faded away, Xi Xinyi raised her head in an instant and stared at Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender back. Following a moment of strenuous struggle, she called out to the silhouette in her hoarse voice, ¡°Sorry, Sis! I¡¯m terribly sorry...¡±

    When the apology struck her, Xi Xiaye halted for a moment, but then she swiftly continued her movement out of the room without looking back or saying a single word.

    As soon as she left the ward, she ran into the two men standing out there: Xi Mushan and Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Dad?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Xi Mushan in shock.

    ¡°I was the one who called him here,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°I was informed about the incident, so I came by to check on you girls. Are you okay?¡± Xi Mushan expressed his concern.

 Chapter 1439 - The Closest Person 6

    <h4>Chapter 1439 The Closest Person 6</h4>

    Xi Xiaye shook her head and replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. You guys should go back first. It¡¯s been a long day,¡± Xi Mushan said.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll make a move first,¡± Mu Yuchen had already reached out to hold Xi Xiaye as he said this.

    She frowned when he held her and inhaled sharply before she decided to follow him.

    When Xi Mushan walked into the ward, Xi Xinyi was in a daze while holding half a bowl of porridge in her hand. She slowly raised her head when she heard footsteps. ¡°Father? Why are you here?¡±

    Xi Mushan walked a few steps closer. ¡°Ah Chen called, so I just wanted to drop by and visit. Are you alright? What¡¯s the matter? Why did you get into a fight?¡± he asked as he was slightly worried.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Those women drank too much and there was some disagreement. The alcohol also kicked in, thus I just went for it without much thought. Fortunately, Brother-inw got there in time to break up the fight. Su Nan was also injured. Is she okay now?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. Eat your porridge while it¡¯s still hot,¡± Xi Mushan said as he pulled a chair from the side and sat down.

    ¡°Do you still me your sister?¡± he looked at Xi Xinyi¡¯s pale face and asked in his low voice.

    Xi Xinyi paused when she heard this. After a while, she broke into a bitter smile and said, ¡°How could I bring myself to hate her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you can think like that and have an open mind. She¡¯s the closest person to you after me and your mother. She¡¯s your sister.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Father.¡±

    ¡°Get well soon. Remember that no matter what, you should never let anyone or anything hurt your own people because, at the end of the day, they might be all you can rely on. Your grandmother and mother didn¡¯t understand this, and I hope you won¡¯t be like them because you¡¯d be going down a road of no return.¡±

    ¡°Father, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t have to say anything as long as you truly understand. Now, take a good rest.¡±

    Xi Xinyi sniffled as she looked down at the steaming bowl of porridge in her hand. Her eyes welled up a little.

    ...

    It was dark when Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen finally returned to Maple Residence. Sis Wang had already prepared dinner and was waiting for them.

    Zhou Zimo had also sent Mu Xiaocheng back and gone out to socialize before he could have dinner.

    The couple washed their hands, had dinner, and went upstairs.

    Although Xi Xiaye was tired, she called Ruan Heng just to make sure there was nothing serious about Su Nan¡¯s injuries.

    After her shower, Aunt Fang came and took Mu Xiaocheng away.

    The little guy seemed to be exhausted from ying today. Xi Xiaye yed with him for a while before he stopped paying attention to her. He then crawled to the middle of the bed and fell asleep, setting her mind at rest.

    Mu Yuchen was still taking a bath. It was just past nine o¡¯clock and Xi Xiaye did not normally go to bed early, so she started reading a book as shey on the bed.

    She was so focused on reading that she lost track of time, but suddenly she could smell a strong scent of Chinese liniment followed by a shadow in front of her.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and quickly raised her head, only to see a man in a dark blue bathrobe who had already sat down next to her. He was holding a bottle of Chinese liniment and some cotton in his hand.

    ¡°Take your clothes off.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Xi Xiaye was dumbfounded and she looked at him with a frown.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t apply some medicine on your chest, you¡¯ll have to suffer the pain longer.¡± He red at her furiously.

    Xi Xiaye just remembered that she had been punched by the drunk woman, and she felt a little sore. While she was taking a shower, she could feel the pain with just a slight movement in her hand.

    She slowly removed her shirt, revealing the bruise on her chest near her right shoulder. It was small but quite obvious.

    ¡°If you ever encounter something like that in the future, don¡¯t get involved. For someone your size, you¡¯ll only suffer,¡± he scolded her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the two women to be good at fighting, but Su Nan was pretty amazing herself. They also got their front teeth knocked out, didn¡¯t they?¡± Xi Xiaye could not help but smile as she remembered the tragic expression on the two women¡¯s faces. ¡°Su Nan didn¡¯t let me do it, but I did it anyway and showed them who¡¯s boss.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel proud of it? You¡¯ll only cry about it if you lose. You¡¯re already in your 30s, but you still think you can fight like a thug in school! Only irresponsible and immature teenage girls would do stupid things like that,¡± he reproached angrily while applying the medicine-soaked cotton on her bruise. You¡¯re mature and wise. You¡¯re already in your 30s!¡±

    She nced at him disdainfully. ¡°You¡¯re indirectly saying that I¡¯m old and less charming now, aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°Then, I have tomend your IQ now that it seems like it has improved. It¡¯s not easy to read between the lines,¡± he said as he red at her and the pressure of his hands slightly increased, so she started crying in pain.

    ¡°Ouch! Be careful! Don¡¯t you know that it hurts!?¡±

    ¡°How would you remember it if it didn¡¯t hurt? Your temper has gotten worse recently. Was the docility that I saw when we first got married just a show? Now, you¡¯re showing your true colors!¡± Mu Yuchen said. However, he could not help but smile when he saw her furrowed brows.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same? Also, do you believe I can easily list more than ten of your weaknesses?¡± Xi Xiaye was certainly unimpressed and she immediately rebutted.

    He listened but shot her a wry look.

    Xi Xiaye thought he did not believe her, so she immediately started counting, ¡°You call me a clean freak and picky eater, but when I say something about you, you just ignore me! You¡¯re also narrow-minded as if you¡¯re the only good man in the world. Sometimes, you can even be petty with your own son. Also, sometimes you like to pretend like you¡¯re a deep thinker, but I can see right through you now!¡±

    ¡°Then, do you know what I want to do now?¡± He did not seem to be angry when he heard what she said. Instead, he started smirking. Xi Xiaye felt her back going numb and her hair stood on end!

    ¡°You...want to strangle me?¡± she raised her eyebrows and smiled nervously.

    ¡°There¡¯s a secret I¡¯ve been wanting to tell you. Do you want to know what it is?¡± There seemed to be a touch of seduction in his tone.

    ¡°What?¡± Of course, she wanted to know!

    ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t just start having a spare tire around your waist recently. You actually have one more!¡± he smiled innocently as he said.

    Xi Xiaye was taken aback, and it took her a while to figure out what he meant. Her face turned sour and she struck him with the pillow next to her with one hand. ¡°Get out! You¡¯re sleeping in the living room tonight!¡±

    He ignored her and grabbed the pillow with one hand while putting the medicine bottle on the table next to him. Then, hey down next to her...

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you to leave...Hey!¡±

    ¡°If you want our son to see any obscenity, then shout all you want!¡±

 Chapter 1440 - Another Year has Passed 1

    <h4>Chapter 1440 Another Year has Passed 1</h4>

    Gosh!

    This fellow!

    How annoying! Shameless! So shameless!

    Xi Xiaye cursed on the inside, but the man behind her had already taken her book away and swiftly switched off the lights before closing his eyes.

    ¡°Rest early. You¡¯ve been quite worn out these past few days. Otherwise, let¡¯s do something else!¡±

    He seemed to emphasize the words ¡®something else¡¯, and Xi Xiaye obviously knew what he meant. She gritted her teeth and silently epted it. It seemed as if she could never defeat him. He just had a way to smooth things over when she was unhappy!

    She thought about it, then asked, ¡°Why did you call Father over?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± he asked instead, and reached out to pull her into his arms.

    She hesitated, then said quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t know if doing so was right or wrong. Even though I¡¯m not willing to talk about forgiveness, I don¡¯t feel great thinking about how she is now. I think Father must be thinking about that. Perhaps, that would be a good ending for her, or for us. I really hope these things won¡¯t leave any trauma. Just as how we¡¯ve suffered, maybe we are fated to owe each other some things. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± he simply answered with two words.

    ¡°When can you transfer her away?¡± She looked up, and under the dim lights, she could see his eyes were gently shut.

    ¡°After the New Year. It depends on Qi Lei since it will be much better for him to do it. It wouldn¡¯t be too much to ask him back for a favor, would it?¡± His eyes were half-closed as he shot her a nce.

    She then leaned on his chest and smiled. ¡°Not much, but I feel like Qi Lei¡¯s changed a lot. I remember the first time I met him, he looked like the ssic rich yboy. He was so annoying then, all devilish.¡±

    ¡°What? Do you suddenly find him extremely charming now?¡± As he listened, his eyes that had just closed suddenly opened again and he looked at her.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, to be honest, your flirting skills just aren¡¯t as good as his. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you were handsome, women would go for him first. Do you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Who are you hoping to go for now? If I¡¯m not good, then I wouldn¡¯t have gotten you. You are Missus Mu now, Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman. You are none of Qi Lei¡¯s business.¡± He gave her a cold stare to show that he was not happy.

    Xi Xiaye then smiled and nted a peck on his cold lips. ¡°But you are my type.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a car...¡±

    ¡°Oh right, cars can be changed, but men can¡¯t...Ah!¡±

    ¡°Who are you thinking of changing? Change...¡± The man¡¯s growl showed his unhappiness.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I want to change...Ah! My hair, you¡¯re pinning it down...¡±

    ...

    Xi Xinyi stayed in the hospital for quite a few days before she was discharged. On the day she was discharged, Xi Xiaye did not go over. However, she did get Sis Wang to make some porridge and soup to send over. As Xi Xinyi had recovered quite quickly, her initially paleplexion looked much better now.

    On the day she was discharged, it was Xi Mushan who picked her up.

    She had felt quite pressured before this, so she had moved out for a while, but after that, she moved back to the ce where she had lived in with Han Yifeng when they were still married. Han Yifeng had left everything here for her just so there was still some part of them here.

    To take care of her, Xi Xiaye had hired an experienced nurse as well.

    When they returned to the vi, it was close to noon.

    ¡°What do you want to eat? Let¡¯s have lunch at home. The servants have prepared quite a lot of ingredients.¡± Xi Mushan set aside the cup in hand as he spoke to Xi Xinyi who was carefully adjusting herself on the seat beside him.

    ¡°Let Sis Fu do it. Don¡¯t worry yourself with that, Father. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve the day after tomorrow, so you should be quite busy too. There¡¯s no need toe all the way here,¡± she said.

    However, Xi Mushan had already gotten up, taken off his coat, and gone straight to the kitchen without a second word.

    Xi Xinyi turned and watched as he vanished at the kitchen entrance. Suddenly, she felt stunned...

    Lunch was soon ready. Although there were only some simple dishes, they all looked and smelled good. This was something that Xi Xinyi had not enjoyed in a long time now.

    The father and daughter sat across each other at the table. Xi Mushan served Xi Xinyi some soup as he said in concern, ¡°I¡¯ve told Sis Fu to make some tonic soup for you every day.¡±

    He thought about it before continuing, ¡°I visited your mother yesterday. The nurses are taking care of her very well and she¡¯s much calmer now, but I didn¡¯t tell her about you getting hurt.¡±

    As Xi Xinyi lowered her head, her hand that held the spoon paused. ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to do that. I don¡¯t want Aunt to be unhappy. My mother...Just let her be...¡±

    ¡°I know that you must still be brooding over the thing between me, Wenna, and your mother, but right now, I don¡¯t want to hide anything from you. The marriage between your mother and I has always been a transaction, and I¡¯ve never liked her. I could never let go of Wenna. I think you know about the incident back then. Wenna was chased away, and she hasn¡¯t had it easy all these years. As for your mother, I admit that apart from the fact that I didn¡¯t quite love her, I never treated her poorly. As for you, I have done my part as a father too.¡± Xi Mushan¡¯s tone was calm while his expression was indifferent too.

    Xi Xinyi fell silent. After a while, she said, ¡°But Mother loves you deeply. She...she didn¡¯t mean to betray you, so...¡±

    ¡°Whatever it is, she was despicable to have been the third party between me and Wenna. That¡¯s the truth. I hope you can understand that and truly ept it. You can also think of it from your sister¡¯s perspective. As people, we can¡¯t only live for ourselves, can we? Why else would you want to have your son back and return to Han Yifeng¡¯s side then?¡± Xi Mushan said these heartfelt words.

    Xi Xinyi paused. Soon, she looked up, ¡°Grandmother and Mother always told me before that one must fight for the things we like. I thought they weren¡¯t wrong either. There aren¡¯t that many good people around, are they?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to fight for what you like, but there is a bottom line to this fight. You¡¯re not the only person in this world. There are many good people in this world. You have been limited by such narrow perspectives. That¡¯s why you were so easily led astray. The way you think was probably influenced by your mother.¡±

    Xi Mushan looked at Xi Xinyi quietly, but when he saw that her expression had darkened, he did not continue.

 Chapter 1441 - Another Year has Passed 2

    <h4>Chapter 1441 Another Year has Passed 2</h4>

    The Lunar New Year was just around the corner, and it was time for all the people who were working in the cities and far away from their hometowns to travel back home. It was early in the morning of the Lunar New Year Eve, and the whole city was almost empty, so it was a lot more spaciouspared to a normal day.

    In Maple Residence, after grabbing their breakfast, the husband and wife, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went to the cemetery to offer their prayers to their grandma, Wang Hui. After the worshipping session, they departed to the Shen residence and nned to have their lunch there before heading back to the Mu¡¯s.

    Shen Wenna had been preparing the ingredients since early morning while Xi Mushan was also there lending a hand. Meanwhile, Shen Yue was in a good mood and was writing couplets with his great-grandson, Mu Zirui, just beside him, practicing his calligraphy with a tiny brush.

    When the couple carried Xiao Cheng back to the Shen residence, Shen Yue had already finished writing a few couplets. Upon seeing Mu Yuchen arriving, he passed his brush to him and asked him to showcase some of his skills.

    Not wanting to ruin the aesthetic atmosphere, Xi Xiaye left Xiao Cheng who was fast asleep on the sofa just beside the two men. She covered him with a nket and ordered the duo to keep an eye on him, and she went straight into the kitchen.

    In the kitchen, Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were preparing the fish. He was ting up while she was making the seasoning. All their actions showed that they were operating with tacit understanding.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to walk straight in, but after a moment of dilemma, she decided to abort her n.

    ¡°What happened?¡± As she took a few steps backward, Mu Yuchen just arrived in the kitchen for a ss of warm water.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s just leave them to their chores,¡± Xi Xiaye chimed.

    She extended her arm to grab the ss from him and drank a few mouthfuls. Then, she continued, ¡°I heard from Mrs. Wu that they have been getting along really well. The news was quite a relief to me. Also, Grandpa isn¡¯t as gloomy as he was in the past. Look at where he is now. It¡¯s not an easy achievement.¡±

    She took a nce into the kitchen as she was speaking. After studying those silhouettes that were upied by chores, she then turned to Mu Yuchen and gazed at him without uttering another word.

    Mu Yuchen looked at her casually while taking his ss back, then asked, ¡°Do you want more?¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s put on the couplets. I see that Xiao Rui¡¯s calligraphy is looking neat and clean.¡± She moved towards Shen Yue¡¯s direction while saying so. At the exact moment, Mu Ziruiid his brush aside and pulled Shen Yue¡¯s shirt to ask his opinion about his handwriting. With that light yank, Shen Yue looked at him with a smile.

    ¡°He has been learning from his grandpa for quite some time already. I see that he has been able toe up with a few words here and there. Caligraphy does depend on one¡¯s mentality. It¡¯s a practice that promotes self-cultivation, and it¡¯ll uplift his mind and spirit,¡± Mu Yuchenmented in his bold voice.

    Having heard that, Xi Xiaye burst intoughter. ¡°Is there anything that has nothing to do with mentality when ites to you? You just can¡¯t change your habit of looking into the minds of others, huh? I¡¯m not like you, and we¡¯ve discussed this already. We won¡¯t force the kids into things that they don¡¯t like. I don¡¯t care much about the self-motivation rubbish. I just want them to have a happy and rxed childhood, and we parents y a big role when ites to that. In fact, we¡¯ll only need to be a good example for them, and we shouldn¡¯t impose too many concepts and ideas on them.¡±

    ¡°A wise choice, Missus! But since when have you picked up such deep and profound feelings about this matter? I thought you were still worried about this a while ago.¡± He stared at her in astonishment, and the corners of his lips raised into a slight curve.

    However, she returned his smile with her signature roll of the eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re the only one whom I¡¯ll allow to have such thoughts! I have always believed that a mediocre life isn¡¯t a bad one to live in. Ordinary people achieving ordinary goals isn¡¯t bad either. Of course, self-motivation is a good thing to nurture in our kids. However, I have been thinking that I will be content as long as they are healthy, safe, and are capable of leading a happy life. You should know me. I am a woman of no will.¡±

    ¡°What fighting spirit do you need? Leave that to the men,¡± he agreed with her, ¡°If not, you¡¯ll be exhausted. Do you think all thosepetent women truly love sitting on the top of the food chain?¡±

    He seemed to understand the feelings of such women too.

    ¡°They surely don¡¯t like it, but they¡¯re forced into eptance. Who wouldn¡¯t want to be a smart, elegant, and gorgeous-looking woman? I was once a tough woman with a proud spine, but I have lost everything ever since I started dating you.¡±

    ¡°A tough woman with an arrogant spine? Back then? Oh please, you¡¯ve always been a softdy. Tough women carry pails single-handedly. They wear shorts and flip-flops on the streets during summer. Do you have the guts to do so? You should know that the phrase ¡®tough woman¡¯ is apliment.¡±

    ¡°Are you implying that the phrase and I don¡¯t go well together?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as soon as she heard hisment and she gave him the cold shoulder.

    Upon seeing that, Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows, smirked faintly, and continued, ¡°Your IQ and EQ have improved extensively recently, huh? A woman of your standard can only match mine.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was left speechless...

    When they were done hanging the couplets and washing their hands, it was already a few minutes past four in the evening. Around the same time, Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan came out from the kitchen with dinner, so the whole family sat down in a circle and had an early reunion dinner.

    Shen Yue was in a great mood, and he had a few drinks more than he should with Xi Mushan and Mu Yuchen. After all, his spirits were high up in the sky.

    Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were very delighted too. It seemed that it had been a long time since thest time everybody sat down in such a rxed atmosphere and had dinner together. Getting together was rare nowadays.

    After dinner, the mother and daughter were in the kitchen, doing the dishes. ¡°Xiaye, do remember to express my gratitude to Ah Chen. After all these years, I¡¯ve been truly blessed and satisfied. Your dad and I were talking about you twost night. It¡¯s not easy for you both, especially having to take care of us and everything else in the Xi family.¡±

    Speaking of this, Shen Wenna paused in the middle of rinsing the dishes, and after a short while, she turned to Xi Xiaye, who was quietly doing the dishes. She stared at her and said, ¡°Frankly speaking, if it wasn¡¯t because of you, your father and I might not have started all over again. Ever since that incident, I have been reflecting on myself...¡±

    ¡°You have been a great mother. At least, to me, you¡¯re up there on the scoreboard. I may not have always been able to understand the reason why you were so cold and distant to me, but after that, I discovered that you were also...In short, I¡¯m grateful to have you as my mother. You haven¡¯t raised me to be an extremist. Mother, you have a kind heart, and based on that alone, I admire and respect you with all my heart.¡±

    ¡°In most cases, human beings will only achieve an epiphany after experiencing all the ups and downs. However, the price that I had to pay was so hefty that I sincerely hope that you won¡¯t encounter a simr experience. In your case, it¡¯s best if you and Ah Chen can stay in love and apany each other for the rest of your lives. Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng will eventually grow up and leave you both just like the day you left me.¡±

    ¡°Apany each other till the end of days? Mother, does that mean that you are in love with Father all over again?¡± After listening to what Shen Wenna had to say, Xi Xiaye stopped her actions, smiled, and with those hopeful eyes, she shot her mother that question.

 Chapter 1442 - Another Year has Passed 3

    <h4>Chapter 1442 Another Year has Passed 3</h4>

    When Xi Xiaye asked that question, Shen Wenna fell silent.

    After a while, she replied, ¡°When you reach our age, you¡¯ll understand that we don¡¯t talk about love anymore. We just stay on and live our lives together. You know, I¡¯ve told you since you were young that like me, some women aren¡¯t made to just live their whole lives with their me. If I had cried and fought with your father, things may not have ended like this now.

    ¡°Xiaye, no matter what happens, as women, we have to stay calm. Our mentality is also equally important. I hope you¡¯ll try your best to be an intellectual and intelligent woman.¡±

    Although Shen Wenna had spoken about these thoughts to her before, she had never really instilled them in Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Especially when you get older, as a woman, you should have your own space and a life of your own. Women can¡¯t care as much as what you¡¯re doing now. Although I know that Ah Chen treats you well.. .¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not the same as Father and the other guys. I¡¯m not you either, so I do believe in him. He¡¯s a good man,¡± Xi Xiaye defended her man before Shen Wenna could finish speaking.

    Shen Wenna smiled as she merely listened. She watched her daughter frown in dissatisfaction and said calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about him. Look at you being so protective!¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand it when people say that he¡¯s not a good man,¡± Xi Xiaye murmured.

    As they said, beauty was in the eye of the beholder. ¡°I remember you telling me about the qualities of an ideal husband before. In fact, he fits the bill perfectly. He¡¯s a gentleman who is also like a close friend, a father, and a brother to me. He can give me a sense of security that no one else ever has. Sometimes, I wish I can just keep him by my side at all times.¡±

    Shen Wennaughed out loud when she heard that, and she gently said, ¡°Your father and I were like this in our early years. You love him deeply, Xiaye, and he loves you just as much. You can tell whether a man loves you or not from the way he looks at you. Rtionships that grow gradually are actually the strongest. I wouldn¡¯t have wanted both of you to have a wild, passionate rtionship right from the start, or else, after going through long periods of learning and maturing, many of your initial perceptions of each other will change.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s also because I¡¯m lucky. If it was another man, it may not have been like this.¡±

    ¡°Your temperament has changed a lot after marriage. For instance, your stubbornness.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s also because I¡¯m older now...¡±

    ¡°True, we¡¯re all mothers now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could finally talk to Shen Wenna about topics like these naturally, and the rtionship between mother and daughter became much more harmonious.

    After spending time together for a while, there was a call from the Mu family, asking if they were on their way back, so they finally got up and left.

    ¡°What did you and your mother talk about in the kitchen just now? I didn¡¯t know that washing a few dishes and chopsticks could take half an hour,¡± Mu Yuchen asked the woman beside him while ying with his son, who was sitting on hisp, as they were in the car back to the Mu family¡¯s old residence.

    Xi Xiaye gently held her elder son, Mu Zirui, with her slender arms while fixing his cufflinks with one hand. When she heard the question, she tilted her head and nced at him. ¡°It¡¯s a secret between us women.¡±

    He looked at her with a smirk and said, ¡°You don¡¯t even need to tell me because you and your mom always talk about Father, me, or Grandfather. When your mother came out just now, she had this look on her face, so I guess you must have been talking about me.¡±

    Master Mu¡¯s jet ck eyes looked like they were full of wisdom, and sometimes his attentiveness could be quite admirable.

    ¡°It¡¯s scary that I can never hide what¡¯s on my mind. Zirui, you¡¯d better not show too much emotion in front of your father in the future. He¡¯ll figure out everything that¡¯s in your heart, and there will be no secrets and privacy,¡± Xi Xiaye said.

    ¡°Father doesn¡¯t have X-ray vision, so how can he see what you¡¯re thinking about, Mother?¡± Little Mu Zirui curiously turned to look at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye as he raised his head. His gaze wandered between them.

    ¡°Because Father and Mother can read each other¡¯s minds.¡± Mu Yuchen grinned while stretching his big hand out and touching Mu Zirui¡¯s head.

    ¡°Read each other¡¯s minds?¡± Mu Zirui asked after thinking for a while.

    As the night crept in quietly, the empty streets of City Z were immersed in bright lights.

    City Z was no longer caught up in the hustle and bustle of the New Year. It had be quiet now. Since it was New Year¡¯s Eve, every household was probably having their reunion dinner at home.

    It was evident that everyone had gone back to celebrate the New Year as most of the shops on both sides of the streets were closed. It was certainly difficult to find a ce just to have dinner.

    Qi Lei drove the car aimlessly, not knowing where he could go. It was supposed to be very lively during the New Year though he had nothing to do with all the festivities.

    He drove down the street for a long time, but when he saw the intersection ahead, he immediately turned left out of habit. The library was not too far ahead, so he thought about going in and maybe reading some books to kill time. However, when he got closer to the library, he suddenly remembered that today was New Year¡¯s Eve, thus the library was obviously closed as well.

    He raised his head and looked inside. It was dark as he expected with only some shadows and light reflected from the surrounding cars and streetlights.

    He sighed in annoyance and sat quietly in the car for a long time. In the end, he could only continue driving forward and turn around at the front intersection.

    Traffic was quite pleasant at this time, and it was rtively quiet. There was a park behind the library where people in City Z often went to rest and rx, so the environment was nice and quiet though the traffic on weekdays could be quite busy. If it was not for New Year¡¯s Eve today, there might still be a traffic jam at this hour, but it was now smooth.

    After driving for a while, Qi Lei turned the car around skillfully. However, when the car had just passed the pedestrian crossing, a red figure on the stairs in front of a building next to the road immediately caught his eye!

    He froze for a moment, then pulled up at the side of the road. He parked under a tree as he wanted to see the figure clearly under the street lights.

    Sure enough, with the dim streetmp, he could clearly see the womaning down the stairs.

    She casually wore her long hair up as she was dressed in a red coat, a ck bodycon dress, and a pair of ck knee-high boots while holding a ck briefcase in her hand...

 Chapter 1443 - Another Year Has Passed 4

    <h4>Chapter 1443 Another Year Has Passed 4</h4>

    Who else could that graceful figure be but Dongfang Liuyun?It seemed like she had just finished work too!

    Despite already being New Year¡¯s Eve, this woman was still busy working at the researchb. Did she have to work so hard?

    Her steps were extremely resounding and settled as she soon walked down the flight of stairs.

    From what Qi Lei remembered, Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have always been like this. She would always exude that frank aura on her, even from the way she walked. However, behind this frankness, there was an air of mystery that she carried.

    His gaze slowly followed her movements, and when she turned at the corner and was about to walk across the pedestrian crossing, he suddenly honked.

    The sudden sound surprised Dongfang Liuyun, so she subconsciously turned around and looked behind her. Under the dim streetlights, she could see Qi Lei who sat in the car while he had lowered his window to wave at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun quietly watched him for a moment, then walked up to him.

    She walked over to the car in a few steps, then steadily stopped. She lifted a hand to knock on the car window. Qi Lei quickly wound down his entire window to turn to look at her as his handsome face widened with a rare smile.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked calmly.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows and smiled. ¡°Miss Dongfang, it seems like every time we meet, this is the dialogue we start with. Can wee up with something new?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had her hands on her hips as she looked at him indifferently. She thought about it for a moment then continued, ¡°It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve, so obviously, I¡¯m a little surprised.¡±

    ¡°You realize it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve too?¡± he immediately asked her, ¡°Why are you still here sote at night? I¡¯m sure your research center wouldn¡¯t be so mean as to force you to work overtime on a holiday, would it?¡±

    ¡°I came here to get some documents. Since we¡¯re going to be on break, I wanted to bring them home to look into them.¡±

    Qi Lei paused before asking finally, ¡°You...aren¡¯t you going to go home for New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner with your parents?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze paused for a moment, her expression remained calm and indifferent, yet she did not answer Qi Lei¡¯s question either.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t rushing to get home, let¡¯s hang out then. Going into the New Year like this is quite lonely,¡± said Qi Lei as he watched her silently.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it, then pulled open the car door to get in. Qi Lei took her briefcase to put on the seat behind. He then pointed at the safety belt, indicating for her to buckle up.

    Dongfang Liuyun quietly fastened the safety belt while Qi Lei then started the car and drove ahead.

    As she leisurely yed music on the radio, she leaned back against the car seat.

    The radio yed a very low and raspy alluring voice.

    ¡®In the wind, the cold winds of the heart, dreams were lost; before it could pass, it was lost...¡¯

    As she listened, Dongfang Liuyun closed her eye. Although her pale face seemed tired, her slender fingers intertwined as theyid on herp, and she looked quite rxed. The car window beside her was still wound down. With the cool breeze, Qi Lei could clearly get a whiff of her faint fragrance.

    He did not drive quickly either and they just sat in silence.

    When she sensed that they had driven for quite a while, Dongfang Liuyun finally asked softly to break the silence, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Qi Lei asked softly in return while his gaze remained focused ahead.

    Dongfang Liuyun then lifted a hand to the space between her brows and calmed herself down before responding, ¡°It¡¯s quite hard to find a ce to eat right now. Since there¡¯s nowhere we can go, I¡¯ll bring you somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Qi Lei turned to look at her, puzzled.

    Dongfang Liuyun slowly opened her eyes. ¡°Park aside and let me drive.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei was stunned for a moment, but he snapped back to his senses quite quickly and silently parked the car aside.

    The two of them swiftly switched ces. Dongfang Liuyun drove while Qi Lei sat in the front passenger seat.

    She swiftly made a turn with the car, and they started driving towards the north of the city.

    They did not get stuck in any traffic jam since the roads were smooth, and after about half an hour, the car finally stopped at the entrance of a hot spring bath center.

    The center looked like it was decorated quitevishly, but it did not lose its elegance. From the looks of it alone, you could tell it was one of those higher-end recreational centers.

    Qi Lei used to frequent this ce, but in the past two years, he rarely stepped foot into it. Furthermore, he was a VIP diamond guest at this ce!

    What a coincidence!

    Did Dongfang Liuyun frequent this ce too?

    She seemed quite familiar with it!

    It was a one-stop service inside, and it was quite surprising that it was not closed on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    The car stopped steadily in front of the entrance, and the valet attendant immediately went up to open the car door respectfully. When he saw who it was inside, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he greeted courteously, ¡°Master Qi! Miss Dongfang! You¡¯re both here!¡±

    When the valet attendant greeted them as such, Dongfang Liuyun was surprised. She looked at Qi Lei in astonishment. Was he a regr here as well?

    Qi Lei only responded to her with a smile before getting down from the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun swiftly got down and tossed the car keys to the attendant before she walked after him.

    There were not many people at the center. The fact that Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun had turned up at this time surprised the attendants, and even the manager felt the same, but they dared not say much. They only quickly smiled and went up to them.

    ¡°Master Qi! Miss Dongfang! Long time no see!¡±

    Before the manager could finish, Qi Lei had already spoken up while Dongfang Liuyun stood aside quietly with an exceptionally indifferent expression, ¡°Enough nonsense. One-stop service as always, and I hope I don¡¯t see any news that shouldn¡¯t be showing up.¡±

    The manager who stood beside them could vaguely feel the chill that Dongfang Liuyun emitted.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I understand. I got it! Master Qi, Miss Dongfang, this way please!¡± The manager brought the two of them to the suite that Qi Lei had previously booked for the whole year.

    It was a rxing and elegant room meant to replicate the antiquities.

    They ordered some drinks and dishes, which were delivered efficiently. Soon, the table was covered with delicious-looking dishes. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun sat on opposite sides.

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯ve recently got a few new Japanese female singers who are pretty good. They¡¯re skilled in all sorts of musical instruments too. Would you like them toe y some songs for you to add to the fun?¡±

 Chapter 1444 - Another Year has Passed 5

    <h4>Chapter 1444 Another Year has Passed 5</h4>

    ¡°Get them toe over,¡± Qi Lei spoke casually while he picked up the slightly warmed jug from the stove and poured a ss for Dongfang Liuyun before getting some for himself too.

    Qi Lei raised his ss and stared silently at the ss which was full of wine as he spoke in his bold voice, ¡°This is the most deste year that I¡¯ve ever had. Without any thoughts or expectations, I¡¯m just sitting down here in peace and drinking this wine.¡± As soon as he was done speaking, he lifted his head and emptied the ss within two gulps. At the same time, it was not hard to capture the hint of mncholy on his attractive face.

    Dongfang Liuyun gazed at him without uttering a word. After she watched him ce the empty ss aside, she reached for the jug and refilled his ss.

    ¡°While your circumstances might still be the same year after year, yourpanion has changed. Let your obsessions go. God didn¡¯t grant you life just for you to waste it wallowing in self-pity. You have to actualize the value of your existence. As for the intangible that¡¯s beyond our control, we can only take it as ites.¡± Her delicate voice was like a cool breeze brushing through a bamboo forest, and listening to her brought one into a trance.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes lost its shine in an instant as she lectured Qi Lei, and he seemed to have failed to capture a glimpse of any emotions that were lingering in her dark pupils.

    She also picked up her wine and made a gesture of proposing a toast. Then, she gulped the whole ss in one go. As soon as the warm wine entered her stomach, a gush of warmth swept through her body, making the chill wrapping her body gradually dissipate, and her whole body started to feel flushed.

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun finished talking, Qi Lei paused for a moment. He then turned his head and nced at her. Before he could say something, there was already the sound of doors opening from outside. Then, rhythmic footsteps produced by clogs knocking against the floor rang out through the shivering cold air and reached the duo.

    From outside the bead curtain in front of them, the footsteps continued as the soft and gentle voices of a few women in Japanese were heard. ¡°Hello there, our distinguished guests!¡±

    ¡°Just y us a few songs on the other side of the curtain. You don¡¯t have toe all the way in.¡± Those women had not even finished what they were saying when Qi Lei¡¯s calm and detached voice was projected from behind the curtain. The three gorgeousdies in kimonos stopped walking towards the next room, exchanged nces, then found themselves a spot to sit down.

    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know you speak Japanese.¡± Dongfang Liuyun stared at Qi Lei in awe.

    Qi Lei chuckled while extending his arm to pour Dongfang Liuyun some wine. ¡°This is nothing. I¡¯m pretty good at picking up newnguages. I¡¯ve dabbled in Japanese, German, French, and also Spanish, so I have no problem holding a simple conversation in them.¡±

    ¡°So, you lovenguages, huh? If not, you wouldn¡¯t have the determination to learn them,¡± she said with a wide smile.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯re also an expert innguages.¡± Qi Lei had not forgotten about the information regarding Dongfang Liuyun that Yang Sheng had extracted through his investigation.

    ¡°I learned all thosenguages ??because of my love for archeology and my passion for the history of the world¡¯s civilization because the studies require me to pick a nativenguage or two. If you were to ask me to study thosenguages ??just by themselves, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it,¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded softly.

    So, that was why he felt that she always radiated an aura full of elegance and mystery. At that moment, he thought that it might have something to do with her job.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your legend, Dongfang Liuyun.¡± He lowered his eyes while his tone was calm, but there was a smile on his face.

    ¡°What about me is so legendary? Is it me being a genius in archeology? Or the schr during my years in school?¡± Dongfang Liuyun listened and smirked. The smile on her face contained a hint of disdain.

    ¡°When I was studying abroad, my lecturers didn¡¯t let me pass several courses during my freshman and sophomore years, so I had to give up a few treasures just to win them over. Myte grandfather was a well-known archaeologist expert in the world, and even my father was in the antique business. I¡¯ve just been exposed to and intrigued by these things since I was a child as a newbie whose predecessors were stepping stones. That¡¯s all.¡±

    Listening to her, Qi Lei was a little perplexed and he paused for a second. It turned out that these days, there were still people who exposed their own shorings in front of others, huh?

    ¡°From my point of view, that isn¡¯t something worth parading. Some people are just inherently unsuitable for wearing big names, for example, someone like me.¡±

    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you belittling yourself?¡± he asked in surprise.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled cheerfully and finished the ss of wine while listening to the sweet and tuneful melody from the other side of the curtain. ¡°It¡¯s because I wish to lead a simple life, and live freely.¡±

    Having heard that statement, Qi Lei burst intoughter and raised his ss. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that what limits ourselves is this!¡± At the same time, he pointed his finger at his chest.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not reply to that while she refilled the sses.

    ...

    Unlike Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun who were lonesome at that moment, the Mu residence was very lively.

    Large, rednterns were hung at the gates, and there was also a row ofnterns strung up neatly along the corridor in the courtyard. The Mus were sitting together in the boisterous atmosphere, having their New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.

    After the dinner, the whole family, including the youngsters and the elderly, cuddled together on the sofas, watching the Lunar New Year festival g on television.

    The floor in the living room was covered with a thick, soft non-slip carpet, and the space was so warm that walking barefoot in the living room would not send chills up one¡¯s feet. Xiao Cheng was holding onto the sofa and walking from one side to the other on his bare feet. His tiny body did not seem to feel tired at all although he had not stopped ever since waking up from his nap. He had been busy ying with his toys too.

    Mu Yinan liked it a lot naturally. He hugged the little kid from time to time, and let him sit on his thighs, then teased him merrily. Soon, the living room was filled with Xiao Cheng¡¯s loud, innocentughter.

    Boom!

    Boom! Boom!

    Loud noises were hearding from outside, and they were followed by colorful and dramatic light streams in the sky. The whole family looked out of the French windows subconsciously.

    Beautiful fireworks burst and bloomed one after another in the distant sky while the cheers of the people in the neighborhood could also be heard faintly.

    ¡°Father, Mother, I want to go outside and y firecrackers too. Didn¡¯t the butler buy quite a lot of fireworks? Can I y, please?¡± Mu Xiaorui was excited as he begged.

    Xi Xiaye, who was walking into the living room with a freshly prepared tter of fruit, paused for a while and reminded him in an uneasy tone, ¡°Go but be careful and alert. Those things are dangerous, so you have to be cautious, alright?¡±

 Chapter 1445 - Another Year has Passed 6

    <h4>Chapter 1445 Another Year has Passed 6</h4>

    Xi Xiaye then turned to look at the man who was drinking a cup of tea beside her and pursed her lips. ¡°Let the butler go with him. It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± she said.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and had a sip of tea. He raised his gaze and looked at both of them before beckoning to the housekeeper who immediately stepped forward.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°Take Xiao Rui to y with the fireworks. Be careful. It¡¯s really dangerous,¡± Mu Yuchen instructed in a hoarse voice.

    The butler quickly nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Master, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He turned to look at Mu Zirui after speaking and he could see that the kid was really excited. ¡°Master Xiao Rui, let¡¯s go. The servants have already set up the fireworks outside.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Father, Mother. Thank you, Uncle Butler!¡± Mu Zirui said excitedly as he rushed outside like a flying swallow.

    As Xi Xiaye looked at the little figure that disappeared through the doorway, her beautiful face became a little gentler. She quietly took a deep breath, and just when she was about to look away, she suddenly felt something tugging on her skirt lightly. When she looked down, she realised it was Xiao Cheng pulling the corner of her skirt. He was hugging her leg with his little hands while raising his head to look at her with his bright eyes. He had a sweet smile on his adorable face.

    His eyes welled up when he noticed Xi Xiaye looking at him. Then, he suddenly reached out to her for a hug.

    ¡°Mama...hug...Mama...hug...¡± Mu Zicheng¡¯s pronunciation was quite clear, and she remembered that it was actually his birthday today, but because it was also New Year¡¯s Eve, she had intentionally arranged his birthday celebration to be the next day instead.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart softened and she quickly bent over to pick him up. The little guy meekly hugged her neck, wriggled into her arms, and turned his head to see Mu Yuchen smiling at him and Xi Xiaye. His bright eyes flickered and he immediately reached out to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Dada...hug...¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled when she heard him calling out for Mu Yuchen. She grabbed his little hand and kissed him. ¡°Hey, little guy, how can you change your mind so quickly?¡±

    However, Mu Zichengpletely ignored her. He kept looking at Mu Yuchen and reached out his hands towards him, insisting that his father hold him.

    Everyone could not helpughing when they saw the situation.

    Mu Yuchen finally reached out and hugged him. He lowered his head and kissed his little cheek lovingly. ¡°Let Father hear you say that again. Come on, say¡¯Dada¡¯...¡± he said softly in his low voice.

    ¡°Dada...¡± Mu Zicheng said immediately after he heard Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen could feel his heart melt. He quickly took him into his arms and said with a faint smile, ¡°You can listen and understand me now. When you grow older and can actually start walking, your mother and I will worry less then. ¡±

    ¡°This little kid changes every day and he¡¯s growing up so fast, aren¡¯t you, Xiao Cheng? Come here. Let Grandma hold you...¡± Zhuang Shurong also pampered Mu Zicheng a lot, especially since she had more time now that the court did not have that many matters. She always helped take care of Mu Zicheng when she had the time, so she also had a rather close rtionship with him.

    Mu Yuchen handed Mu Zicheng over, and it only took a while before Mu Zicheng started ying with Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong.

    Xi Xiaye quietly watched them with a smile on her face, but she suddenly turned her head and looked out of the window when she heard a bang!

    Against the silent, dark night sky, there were bright and colorful flowers in full bloom.

    She was quiet for a while, then she turned to look at Mu Zicheng who was ying and smiling happily. After that, she stood up silently and left the living room.

    It was a little chilly at night and the wind was cold.

    As soon as Xi Xiaye walked down the stairs, she could feel the chill in the air and it made her tremble a little, but she could hear Mu Zirui¡¯s cheerful voice at the same time. She looked over and watched him setting off fireworks with the butler not too far away.

    While she stood on the staircase and saw the smiles on their faces, she smiled. She sat down on the stairs and quietly watched them.

    ¡°Mother! Mother, look over here! Look at my fireworks, Mother! Look!¡± Mu Zirui¡¯s cheers could be heard in the distance, and the colorful glitter in the night sky illuminated Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face.

    The cool breeze picked up slowly and lifted the strands of her silky hair. When she stretched out her hand to brush her hair, she suddenly noticed a familiar scent. Before she could turn around, she could already feel his weight on her shoulders and his warmth on her back.

    When she turned to look, there was already a dark jacket on her shoulders. The jacket was still warm from his body heat. She quickly raised her gaze and saw the man standing behind her.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold at night. Don¡¯t sit on the ground.¡± His low voice sounded emotional, but his intentions came from a ce of concern although he was somewhat scolding her. He reached out towards her while talking.

    In a daze, she took a breath before slowly putting her hand into his.

    As it started getting colder, Mu Yuchen slowly pulled his hand away. ¡°Didn¡¯t Sis Wang make you tonic soup every night? Why are you still so cold?¡±

    It appeared that after giving birth to Mu Zicheng, her body had not recovered very well. He had still been thinking about having a daughter a few days ago, and until now, he was still that she might be disappointed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been like this, but it doesn¡¯t feel that cold anyway,¡± she said as she pulled the coat over her shoulders, but her eyes were fixed on Mu Zirui, who was still ying happily.

    After a pause, she called out to him gently, ¡°Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± he responded softly.

    ¡°I kind of wish that the children could grow up faster, but at the same time, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll grow old just as fast. I just feel like my life and my youth have just begun...¡± Xi Xiaye looked up at the fireworks in the sky and muttered.

    He chuckled when he heard her say that. He wrapped his long arms around her shoulders and embraced her. ¡°Who cares if you grow old? You are married to me anyway, and you¡¯re a mother of two. Do you still want to be one of those young girls? Who stays young forever? Your Mr. Mu will grow old too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed and nodded. ¡°That makes sense. After this New Year¡¯s, I¡¯ll be 29, and soon I¡¯ll be 30!¡±

    ¡°So, do you think you¡¯re still young?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Time sure flies. It still feels like we just got married not too long ago.¡±

    ¡°This timest year, you changed my life.¡±

 Chapter 1446 - Opening Ceremony 1

    <h4>Chapter 1446 Opening Ceremony 1</h4>

    Credit that could not be erased?

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she immediately raised her brows and looked at him. Her beautiful eyes were as dazzling as the stars when they met with his gaze that contained a smile. His eyes then turned and fell onto the window. Through it, he saw Mu Yinan and the little one having fun.

    Their son, Mu Zicheng...

    Her lips curved up slightly as her eyes were filled with a faint tenderness. She subconsciously held tightly onto his hand as she smiled and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s continue on this way and have another one or two more!¡±

    There she went again!

    She really liked children. There was no doubt about that. With the orphanage, even when she was busy, she would insist that Xiao Mei visit them every month. Every Chinese New Year or on other festivities, she would send gifts and financial aid over. Sometimes, she would even personally pick gifts for the children.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about going out of shape?¡± He shot her a side look helplessly. Naturally, he did not want to bring that up with her.

    ¡°I used to be woried, but not anymore.¡± She smiled at him mysteriously.

    ¡°Mmm? Why? Why do I seem to remember that a few nights ago, a certain someone was acting like a spoiled child and asking me if I would turn my back on her? I wonder who this foolishly cute person was?¡± His lips contained a faint smile, and his flickering gaze looked meaningful.

    Upon hearing this, Xi Xiaye immediately rolled her eyes at him as she said uncourteously, ¡°Definitely not me. I¡¯m not worried. I¡¯ll have a few more children. If you run off, I¡¯ll still have our sons. When the timees, our sons will be on my side. Then, we¡¯ll see who¡¯ll take care of you in old age. Also, our sons will definitely stand up for me.¡±

    ¡°Our sons are still young, but you¡¯re counting on them already? They¡¯re also half of me since I¡¯m their father,¡± he said.

    ¡°Also, Missus, the person by your side in the future is definitely going to be me. Our children are going to have their own partners when they grow up, and they will have their own lives. Instead of relying on them, you might as well rely on your Mr. Mu,¡± Mu Yuchen said with a frown as his hand that held hers suddenly tightened and squeezed.

    ¡°Celebrate Xiao Cheng¡¯s birthday earlier tomorrow. We¡¯ll leave the morning after tomorrow. Since we¡¯re having a quiet New Year, Ah Mo and Lingshi called home this morning too. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that it isn¡¯t too convenient for Lingshi, they would¡¯ve gone over with us.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s getting heavier now, it¡¯s better to be careful, earlier mother was missing her too. She¡¯ll be going intobor after the New Year. When the child¡¯s here, we must go visit them.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± he responded.

    The fireworks blossomed in the night sky looked even more dazzling now. It was such a beautiful night, so one should be feeling happy, but...

    ¡°Father, you called for me?¡±

    At the Qi residence, in Qi Qiming¡¯s study, Qi Feng stood behind Qi Qiming while holding his walking stick.

    Qi Qiming was standing before the window with his hands behind his back at the moment as he watched the fireworks silently. There seemed to be a red invitation in his hand.

    This sudden voice made Qi Qiming snap back. He turned to look at Qi Feng, then pointed at the sofa beside him. His voice was low, and you could hear that he was not in a great mood. Earlier at dinner, he only had a few bites before he set aside the chopsticks and went upstairs.

    The New Year¡¯s Eve dinner had been personally prepared by Gu Lingsha, but the way Qi Qiming acted annoyed Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Qi Qiming said and walked over to the sofa before slowly sitting down.

    Qi Feng paused, then went after him. ¡°Father, is something on your mind?¡±

    As Qi Qiming let out a long sigh, he looked up and silently stared at Qi Feng. ¡°Didn¡¯t you call Xiao Lei? What New Year is this? There¡¯s barely any of us!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Feng¡¯s gaze flickered, then he said, ¡°I called him over 20 times, but not one of the calls went through. If he truly wanted toe home, we wouldn¡¯t have to invite him home personally.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m old, Ah Feng! I know that things between you and Xiao Lei are tense. There are some things I know about too. Ah Feng, I¡¯ve always thought highly of you, and I¡¯m proud of you, but I hope that you can act carefully. I definitely hope that you won¡¯t be pointing your gun at your own brother. Qi Lei has got my blood in him too, and he¡¯s your younger brother. I hope that your heart can fit him too.¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was exceptionally solemn, and Qi Feng¡¯s gaze turned sharp at this point.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darkened, and he fell silent for a moment before he responded calmly, ¡°Father, do you think I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t want him around?¡±

    ¡°If not, what then?¡± Qi Qiming asked in return as the light in his eyes turned sharper. ¡°Do you dare guarantee me that you have been frank about Xiao Lei? Ah Feng, you¡¯re a smart boy. You should know what I mean.¡±

    ¡°No, father, I don¡¯t know what you mean. I have always respected you and Qi Lei, of course, only you would know yourself if you have been the same to me,¡± Qi Feng replied.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes instantly darkened and he squinted at Qi Feng.¡±Alright, since you¡¯re going to put it that way, I¡¯ll let Wang Chun inform all the shareholders that the shareholders¡¯ meeting will be postponed, and even dyed till after August. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have no opinions on that. After the New Year, Xiao Lei¡¯s newpany, Tai Yu Corporation, will be opening, I want him to continue being the CEO of Tai Yu Corporation with the title of Qi Kai¡¯s VP, and be in charge of all of Qi Kai¡¯s projects in City B. Meanwhile, I¡¯m afraid, you¡¯ll have to continue with your current position and steel yourself for a year. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t have any objections, hmm?¡±

    When Qi Qiming said this, that sharp gaze of his fixated on Qi Feng¡¯s face, so he did not miss any changes on thetter¡¯s expression.

    As Qi Feng listened, his hand that held the walking stick suddenly tightened. His lowered gaze hid the hostility that shed in his eyes, but he held back the storm that surged in his heart and kept quiet.

    ¡°Initially, I was set on having you be Qi Kai¡¯s heir. I wanted you to take over Qi Kai from me as soon as possible, but with the recent incidents, I can¡¯t help but hold back for now. I think it might not be a good idea to hand Qi Kai over to you right now. Just with Hui Gu alone, you have both...The old fellow, Gu Qiwu, has reduced the initially agreed capital investment by half, and he ns to phase out of all City Z projects. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re very clear why.¡± Qi Qiming was obviously upset and having mixed feelings about this.

    He did not expect Gu Qiwu to really make Mu Lingshi the heir of Hui Gu. It seemed like he was not interested in having anything to do with the Qi family anymore...

    When Qi Qiming said that, Qi Feng¡¯s expression subconsciously darkened!

 Chapter 1447 - Opening Ceremony 2

    <h4>Chapter 1447 Opening Ceremony 2</h4>

    He should have realized it long ago!

    He should have realized it! As a matter of fact, he knew about all the uneasiness he felt in his heart. He did not understand it. Although he had already tried his best to achieve his wishes, no matter what he did, everything just backfired!

    Why was his luck so bad?

    Qi Feng seemed a little mentally fatigued at the moment. His eyes were dull and vacant, but his tensed face did not change much. He kept his eyes looking downward in silence as he just let Qi Qiming peer at him while he did not seem to have much reaction.

    After quite some time, Qi Feng still had not spoken. The atmosphere in the study seemed quite depressed to the point that it left everybody in it almost breathless.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you speak up? What are you thinking deep down now?¡± Qi Qiming asked in his bold voice. His piercing gaze had never shifted away from Qi Feng¡¯s good-looking face. However, it seemed that he had failed to capture anything of value.

    A momentter, Qi Feng raised his eyes quietly, and they seemedposed. ¡°Since you¡¯ve made up your mind, what I think doesn¡¯t seem to matter much anyway. Just go with your idea.¡±

    His tone was calm, and there were no surges in his tone at all.

    ¡°Ah Feng, I know you¡¯ll feel dissatisfied, but I also hope that you¡¯ll understand my intentions. Your mum and I have been fighting each other for our whole life. I understand this feeling all too well. No matter what, you shouldn¡¯t be pointing guns at your own people,¡± Qi Qiming sighed while he advised his son.

    While listening to that, Qi Feng raised the corners of his lips and sneered. He leaned back onto the sofa as he lifted his eyes and stared into the ceiling.

    ¡°Father, what do your so-called¡¯ own people¡¯ mean? When your own people are helping yourpetitor to plot against you, and when your own people cut off your wings step by step just like your opponent, are those who you mean by my¡¯own people¡¯?¡±

    If Qi Lei considered him as his so-called¡¯ own people¡¯, he would have appeared. Then, Qi Qiming would not have had toe and talk to him about this.

    Qi Feng¡¯s cold tone pierced through the air, and a smirk of disdain appeared on his face. There was also a hint of self-mockery in his tone. ¡°I guess my rtionship with him is somewhat crystal clear to you. Frankly speaking, I¡¯m only an outsider in this family. What I wish to pursue always seems to be so far out of reach. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m nowhere nearparable to him. After all, he¡¯s more official and proper than I¡¯m in every way.¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s words put a frown on Qi Qiming¡¯s face in an instant. ¡°But you should know that the Qi family and I have never treated you shabbily. We¡¯re a lot harsher on Xiao Lei.¡±

    ¡°Plus, don¡¯t you have any exnation for me about the incident with Qi Lei from before? Why would Doris go for Xiao Lei? They¡¯ve never had any grudges. Ah Feng, I hope that you cane clear about some of the matters.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s flickering eyes were studying Qi Feng¡¯s posture. However, his son chuckled nonchntly. ¡°What is there to exin? What do you expect me to say, Father?¡±

    ¡°Since you have doubts deep down, just do what you should do. I admit that the conflicts between Qi Lei and I are abysmal. While he won¡¯t take me as his elder brother, I might not call him my younger brother willingly either. Isn¡¯t he nning to checkmate me during the opening of Tai Yu Corporation?¡±

    While Qi Feng was halfway through his sentence, he smiled scornfully all of a sudden. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the brains to think to that extent, Father. You can do whatever you want. I don¡¯t have much to say about it. I may not even have the ability to worry about those matters. As you can see, I¡¯m still a cripple now.¡±

    Having heard that, Qi Qiming¡¯s expression changed drastically, but as he was about to say something, Qi Feng had already struggled to get onto his feet. ¡°It¡¯ste, and I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ll take my leave now. Rest earlier, Father.¡±

    Qi Feng did not seem to want to talk much. With those few words, he staggered out of the room on his crutches.

    Qi Qiming turned his head and nced at Qi Feng¡¯s somewhat lean and lonely figure, then he shouted with a frown, ¡°Ah Feng!¡± However, Qi Feng did not slow his pace down, and his silhouette disappeared out of the doorway.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s creased his eyebrows even more...

    ...

    The night had gottenter, but it was getting more and more boisterous outside. The sound of fireworks exploding could be heard non-stop as florid and magnificent light streams could be seen from a distance in the dark sky. Such a night was destined to be a sleepless night, and anybody would be able to feel the celebratory mood in the air just by standing under the sky and enjoying the view with their heads held high.

    On a gorgeous and hopeful night like this, those who usually went to bed early would usually be filled with anticipation, and sleep would normally be difficult toe by. For example, Wei Wei, who was used to sleeping early, slept veryte tonight.

    Gu Lingsha watched the fireworks with her for a long while until she got a little sleepy. After tucking her to bed, she felt a little exhausted at that moment given that she had been busy all day, so she hurried back to her room.

    After taking a warm shower and going back to her bedroom, she saw Qi Feng leaning against the bedhead with his eyes closed while resting.

    He did not look well, and his eyebrows were wrinkled as his hand supported his forehead. His appearance looked a little pale. It seemed that he was enduring some pain.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression changed slightly, and she rushed towards him, then asked anxiously, ¡°Ah Feng, is everything alright? Are you ill, huh? Is there anything that hurts? Why is your face so pasty?¡±

    Concerned, she extended her hand to test his body temperature, and all she felt was a cool touch on her fingertips.

    Qi Feng pushed her hand away and took a deep breath. His hoarse voice sounded a little frail as he requested, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. Bring me my medicine. It¡¯s the one on the grid of the bookshelf to the right of my study. ¡±

    ¡°Another headache?¡± Gu Lingsha suggested in a worried tone, ¡°Have you been under too much pressure recently? You¡¯re always getting headachestely. Professor Terl said that you should get more rest. Can¡¯t those difficult matters be tackled at a future date?¡±

    As she spoke, she went out searching for his medicine. She also poured him a ss of water when she was back.

    Qi Feng consumed the medicine. Then, he inhaled sharply, slowly closed his eyes, and continued resting.

    ¡°Was it something Father said? Otherwise, why would you be like this all of a sudden? I already noticed that something was off with your father during the dinner. What happened?¡± she could not help but ask.

    ¡°DO you think he was a little moody tonight?¡± Qi Feng asked faintly.

    Gu Lingsha paused and thought about it for a second, then stared at him in silence. ¡°Is it because of Qi Lei?¡± She was cautious with her words while looking at his gloomy expression.

    Immediately, Qi Feng sneered while opening his eyes. Then, he took a glimpse at her. ¡°Did you just guess that too?¡±

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression stiffened.

 Chapter 1448 - Opening Ceremony 3

    <h4>Chapter 1448 Opening Ceremony 3</h4>

    Qi Feng reached out for the nket and sighed faintly as he grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the bedside table next to him before lighting a stick up.

    He took a deep breath, and amidst the smoke, there was a hint of mncholy in his hoarse voice as he asked, ¡°Shasha, will you ever regret being with me if I lost everything?¡±

    His gaze met her beautiful face as he said that.

    However, Gu Lingsha was in a daze. She suddenly raised her head to look at him and for a while, she did not know what to say.

    ¡°How many years have we known each other, Feng?¡± she asked after pondering for a long time instead of answering his question.

    Qi Feng exhaled and took a moment to think about it before replying, ¡°It¡¯s been more than 20 years.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s been more than 20 years. Since years ago, I¡¯ve already known your intentions, and now we¡¯ve been together for almost ten years. After such a long time, we¡¯ve gradually be part of each other¡¯s lives, and you already know all my strengths and weaknesses. We had our fair share of arguments as well, so you¡¯ve probably lost patience at some point, right?¡±

    As Gu Lingsha said that, her beautiful eyes seemed a little sad. ¡°Even after all that, I¡¯ve never thought about leaving you, and I¡¯ve never questioned or regretted my choice even though I was indeed very angry and disappointed. This is because I think you¡¯re the only one I can be with in this life, and we still have Weiwei...¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s sullen face eased a little. He suddenly chuckled when he looked at her beautiful face, and she was obviously confused. ¡°Why are youughing?¡±

    Qi Feng then held the cigarette between his fingers closer to the ashtray next to him and flicked the ashes away. He smiled and said, ¡°You know, since I was a child, my dream was to be a hero, and it seems to me that you¡¯re the perfect woman for a hero.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was taken aback by what Qi Feng said, and it took her a while to realize what he just said. Her face suddenly became warm as she looked at Qi Feng bashfully.

    What Qi Feng did not tell her was that it was all in the past...

    However, he realized that there was no need for him to say anything more since she was happy. ¡°As long as you have no regrets. I also wish to give you and Weiwei a better life.¡±

    ¡°I know how hard you¡¯re working, Ah Feng! I know it¡¯s been difficult for you especially because of my father¡¯s matters. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll try my best to convince Father to support you in the uing shareholders¡¯ meeting . As for Father himself...¡±

    ¡°There may be no shareholders¡¯ meetings in the near future,¡± Qi Feng already cut her off before Gu Lingsha could even finish.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    Qi Feng exhaled his cigarette smoke and sneered as he put out the cigarette between his fingers in the ashtray beside him. He pulled the nket off and slowly got out of the bed without giving her any exnation.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡±

    Seeing Qi Feng¡¯s figure gradually disappearing outside the door, Gu Lingsha frowned and followed behind him.

    Ding!

    Bang!

    Amidst the vivid bursts of fireworks, a cold night breeze crept in from the half-open window and the bead curtains gently swayed. There was the faint scent of wine lingering in the air while the beautiful melody from the piano was still ying.

    Qi Lei had lost track of how many drinks he had, but he knew that Dongfang Liuyun had drunk just as much as him...

    He was in a trance and his dark eyes were struggling to focus. He tried his best to stay awake and look at the woman who was elegantly pouring his drink opposite him, but his effort was in vain. He could feel himself losing consciousness. Soon, he cked out...

    Bang!

    The ss in his hand fell over and half a ss of wine spilled as though it was dering that Qi Lei had enough...

    Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at him as she was still pouring herself some wine. Seeing him asleep on the table made her smile. Her eyes were still as bright as the stars, and she did not seem to be tipsy at all.

    She raised his head and drank another ss before telling the Japanese women who were ying instruments outside in fluent Japanese, ¡°All of you may leave now.¡±

    The women responded and quickly left. The room was immediately quiet again.

    Dongfang Liuyun gently leaned over to look at Qi Lei who was sound asleep.

    She could not help but sigh. They were probably the only people here to pass time at this hour. When she saw this man fighting his silent battles alone, it reminded her of herself back then.

    If loneliness could be something she enjoyed, maybe she would not have felt so sad. After all these years, she had gotten used to it.

    ¡°Loneliness is also simplicity. After all that you¡¯ve been through, you should feel that there¡¯s nothing wrong with being lonely because you live simply and that¡¯s good enough,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly after a long pause. She had another ss of wine before reaching out to her pocket and took out her phone which had been vibrating for a while. When she saw the name on the screen, she put her phone back and ignored the call.

    She got up abruptly after putting her ss aside and took her ck briefcase in one hand. Suddenly, she could hear the sound of bead curtains swaying. She turned over to look at Qi Lei who was still sleeping and thought for a while before she covered him in her red coat just as she was about to leave.

    As soon as Dongfang Liuyun walked out of the room, the lobby manager who had been waiting outside greeted her, ¡°Miss Dongfang!¡±

    ¡°Put it on my tab. Also, no one should know that I was here today, understand?¡± Dongfang Liuyun ordered him without slowing down her pace at all.

    ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± the lobby manager responded.

    Her thin figure then disappeared in the corner ahead.

    The manager finally pushed the door open and entered the room after much hesitation.

    ¡°Master Qi? Master Qi?¡±

    Qi Lei felt someone shaking him violently just when he was in the middle of a deep slumber. He raised his head restlessly and saw Yang Sheng in front of him. He thought he was seeing things, so he tried to shut his eyes and shake his head before opening his eyes again. However, he still saw Yang Sheng in front of him and he immediately looked around.

    ¡°Howe you¡¯re here?¡±

    He could not find Dongfang Liuyun!

    ¡°The lobby manager called. Why are you here on New Year¡¯s Eve?¡± Yang Sheng asked worriedly. He had been watching the Spring Festival G with his family earlier when the lobby manager called and told him that Master Qi was drunk. Worried, he quickly rushed over.

 Chapter 1449 - Opening Ceremony 4

    <h4>Chapter 1449 Opening Ceremony 4</h4>

    Qi Lei sighed while he rubbed his heavy head, and he was about to get up when he sensed something fell from him. He subconsciously turned to look.

    A sh of red greeted his sight!

    Was that her garment?

    He hesitated before picking it up and then staggered to the entrance.

    From behind, Yang Sheng was stunned for a while before he reacted and followed after him.

    ...

    The car was engulfed in the cool breeze as it drove underneath the dazzling fireworks amidst the rumbles and the cheers. He watched therge clock on the screen at the za count down, and then with a roar, a new year crept in...

    Qi Lei watched this scene through the car window, and he sighed to himself. He shut his eyes silently, then quietly made a wish for the New Year. He wished for things to look up in the New Year!

    At this moment, Yang Sheng who was driving beside suddenly smiled and wished him, ¡°Master Qi, Happy Chinese New Year! May you have a prosperous one!¡±

    Qi Lei paused, then turned to look at Yang Sheng with a smile and said, ¡°Happy New Year, have a prosperous one!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I believe that it will be a year of great returns, Master Qi. The dawn of a new victory is right in front of us, and I trust that it will get better.¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s voice was filled with joy.

    ¡°Work well. I won¡¯t treat you all poorly.¡± Qi Lei smiled back at him.

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯ve always been generous. Everyone¡¯s really looking forward to this new era that belongs to us. As the days grow nearer, we¡¯re all beginning to feel a little nervous. Quite a few managers have already bought their tickets to be back on the third day of New Year to prepare for the opening ceremony. Everyone¡¯s working very hard, Master Qi. I¡¯m confident that our Tai Yu Corporation will soar high!¡± Yang Sheng could not help but say passionately as his eyes were filled with hope and anticipation.

    ¡°Yeah, work steadily, and you will all achieve your aspirations at Tai Yu Corporation.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was much calmer now as he continued, ¡°Many things still require careful handling of things, so get everyone to be on high alert and keep their spirits up. If all of this goes smoothly, then we¡¯ll have a much easier path from here on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master, we understand. Right, Master Mu and Miss Xiaye are going off to Malta for a holiday tomorrow, so they won¡¯t be back in time for our opening ceremony. Also, Master Mu has invited you to Little Master Mu¡¯s birthday banquet. Do you want to go? I¡¯ve already prepared the gift for you.¡± Yang Sheng had always been very dedicated to his work.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s just their son¡¯s birthday family banquet, I won¡¯t go over. Please just send the gift over on my behalf in the morning.¡±

    Yang Sheng thought about it and could not help but say, ¡°Master Qi, Master Mu was hoping you could show up. Actually, you don¡¯t have to feel like an outsider with them, Master Qi. You should know what it means given the fact that he is personally inviting you to a family dinner. Su Chen and Zhou Zimo will be going too. While Master Mu only invited these few people, it means that he sees you as a good buddy. These rtionships need to be cultivated through interactions.¡±

    Qi Lei sighed. With one hand propped on the car window to support his heavy head, he looked out quietly at the streets and fell silent for a bit, then he responded, ¡°Being friends with them is something very much worth being happy about. Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go then.¡±

    It was only then that Yang Sheng nodded happily. ¡°Master Qi, earlier, CEO Qi called me. He was asking about where you were...¡±

    By the looks of it, while he knew that Qi Lei did not go back to the Qi residence, he did not know whose red windbreaker that was in his boss¡¯s hand. From the looks of that style, there was no doubt that it belonged to a woman.

    Despite having questions, Yang Sheng dared not bring them up, so he continued to drive quietly.

    ...

    The first day of Chinese New Year was the Mu family¡¯s Little Master, Mu Xiao Cheng¡¯s birthday.

    Early in the morning, the old Mu residence was already lively.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye did not n to have a grand birthday celebration, so it was just a simple family banquet, and they did not invite many people. There were just a few buddies and some people they were close to.

    Su Chen and Ji Zitong, as well as Zhou Zimo, went over quite early, and they were very generous. Soon, Mu Zirui and Mu Zicheng¡¯s pockets were filled with red packets.

    When Qi Lei rushed over, Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo were drinking tea while sunbathing in the pavilion in the backyard, appearing contented.

    As they saw Qi Lei walk over, the buddies immediately waved him over to sit. Zhou Zimo poured him some tea too.

    ¡°You live so close by. Why are you sote instead?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    Qi Lei reached out to touch his slightly heavy head as he responded, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Last night, I drank quite a bit and my head was still heavy when I woke up this morning.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s thepany opening ceremonying along? I was just asking Ah Chen about it. You¡¯re quite swift. I think I should quit and just trade with you. I¡¯ll have to be back on the work shift the day after tomorrow, so I won¡¯t be having a full-blown celebration of the New Year.¡±

    The nature of Su Chen¡¯s work was as such. It was always when everyone was the most idle that his work would be the busiest. Even though his position was the Deputy Chief of the Traffic Control Bureau, it was the same, and Ji Zitong could not help but grumble a little about it.

    ¡°Alright now, don¡¯tin. You can¡¯t be suffering as much as I am.¡±

    When Su Chen finished, Zhou Zimo rolled his eyes at him.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei smiled and sipped his tea. He nced at Zhou Zimo and said seriously, ¡°What are you suffering from? Is your family rushing to set you up for blind dates during the New Year?¡±

    When Qi Lei said that, Zhou Zimo immediately raised his brows and squinted at him. ¡°You can always read my mind. How did you guess that!? Chen, I¡¯m telling you, I want to go over tomorrow too, so please arrange for that.¡±

    ¡°What? No! Does Mother Zhou really want to...?¡± Su Chen raised his brows and looked amusedly at Zhou Zimo. His face brimmed with a smile that showed how delighted he was over his misfortune, and Zhou Zimo wanted to p that face of his!

    Mu Yuchen, who had been keeping quiet all along, squinted at him. ¡°Do you really want to take refuge with me now? It¡¯s happening sooner orter anyway, so I might as well be frank about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easier said than done!¡± Zhou Zimo red unhappily at the two of them, then he turned to Qi Lei. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and then shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have the same pressure as you. I¡¯m on a solitary path and I do as I please. You¡¯re not the same as me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s different? Aren¡¯t we both men!? You¡¯re not that much younger than I am,¡± Zhou Zimo said.

    ¡°We told you to put more thought into this. There¡¯s no need to be so repelled. Ah Chen¡¯s children can call their Father and Mother now.¡±

    Su Chen looked helplessly at Zhou Zimo. Unexpectedly though, this fellow only rolled his eyes at him!

 Chapter 1450 - Opening Ceremony 5

    <h4>Chapter 1450 Opening Ceremony 5</h4>

    While the brothers were chit-chatting, Xi Xiaye had not been idle. She was busy entertaining the guests. It was a shame that Su Nan and Ruan Heng could note over since they had already returned to their hometown.

    After Ruan Heng¡¯s incident, Su Nan had changed a lot. She seemed to know how to manage a family better and was more thoughtful than before. Moreover, since she had been more considerate with Ruan Heng, the husband and wife had been living in harmony.

    During this new year, the couple went back to their grandma¡¯s house back in their hometown. However, they left Xiao Cheng a birthday present before they went off, and they called during the ceremony too.

    Naturally, Xi Xiaye did not have the time to answer the call. She hung up only after a few simple words, then moved on to tend to the guests.

    ¡°Hey, guys, let¡¯s take a huge family photo for memory¡¯s sake!¡± Zhuang Shurong waved at everybody from awn not far away.

    ¡°Butler, go and get Ah Chen and the other young masters here from the backyard. It¡¯s such a rare asion, so let¡¯s grab a photo. Maybe we can save it as a memento of the day. Go on!¡± Zhuang Shurong nced at the direction of Mu Tangchuan, who was carrying Xiao Cheng, and signaled them to go over to thewn.

    ¡°Photo time!¡± Mu Yinan led Mu Zirui to the photo spot while Xi Xiaye stopped what she was doing and followed the crowd over.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, Qi Lei, and Zhou Zimo also rushed over.

    Xi Xiaye stood right behind Mu Yinan and Shen Yue, who were sitting in the front row. The man standing beside her was naturally Mu Yuchen whereas Shen Yue carried Xiao Cheng on his thighs while Mu Zirui stood right in front of Mu Yinan.

    Xi Xiaye stood in her spot quietly, but suddenly she felt a weight pressing down on her shoulders. She turned her head subconsciously just to find out that the man beside her had stretched out his arm and ced it on her shoulders to envelope her in his chest. It seemed that he was able to sense that she was ncing at him, but he did not turn to her. A bold voice was then heard, ¡°What are you looking at? Look at the camera!¡±

    Xi Xiaye beamed from ear to ear as she extended her arms into his pockets, then stared lovingly at the camera in front of them.

 Chapter 1451 - Opening Ceremony 6

    <h4>Chapter 1451 Opening Ceremony 6</h4>

    Yang Sheng quickly took the file and looked through it before nodding to confirm.¡°Yes, Master Qi, I¡¯ll send the orders as soon as possible. They¡¯re still working overtime at thepany tonight. The opening ceremony will be at noon tomorrow, but there are still many things that aren¡¯t settled yet, so I¡¯ll go take a lookter,¡± Yang Sheng said as he stored the documents in his briefcase.

    ¡°I might still need to trouble you to take care of the matters there. After the opening ceremony, I¡¯ll share a portion of the profits with all of you. It¡¯s only two days away. Now that thepany is on track and everything¡¯s going smoothly, there¡¯s no need for everyone to be anxious and stressed out. In business, you just have to try your best and leave the rest,¡± Qi Lei encouraged him after thinking for a while.

    Yang Sheng said gratefully, ¡°Yes, thank you on behalf of everyone, Master Qi. Everyone has been very tired these days, especially you. Take some time off tonight and rest early to regain your energy for tomorrow. By the way, Master Mu and President Xi areing back tonight too, and they¡¯ll attend the opening ceremony of Tai Yu Corporation tomorrow. Master Mu¡¯s assistant, Li Si, personally called and sent us his regards just now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it. You should go back first and call me if there¡¯s anything so that everyone can go back and rest as soon as they¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng replied before turning around and leaving with the briefcase and car key in one hand.

    When he saw Qi Qiming, he bowed and left the room.

    It was just the father and son left in the living room. Qi Qiming¡¯s assistant, Wang Chun, was waiting in the car outside.

    Qi Qiming took a sip of tea and immediately tasted the bitterness in his mouth. He felt helpless but could not seem to find a better solution than this. While he was not satisfied with their way ofmunicating, it was still nice to be able to see his son.

    ¡°Are you nning to never return to the Qi family?¡± Qi Qiming finally asked after pondering for a long time. Even though he knew the answer would disappoint him, he still could not help but ask it anyway with a glimmer of hope in his heart.

    Qi Lei paused when he heard Qi Qiming¡¯s question. He lowered his head and looked at the cup in front of him quietly.

    ¡°I believe so.¡± Qi Lei did not try to conceal his intention in the slightest. As soon as he said this, Qi Qiming was certainly hurt and he could feel a blunt pain he had never felt before.

    ¡°Do you hate me?¡± he asked again while staring at Qi Lei with his deep gaze. ¡°Do you hate me so much that you don¡¯t even bother talking?¡±

    Qi Lei sneered when he heard that and then broke into a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t even hate you. In fact, you don¡¯t have to do this at all. I¡¯ve told you, if you¡¯re trying to gain something for Qi Feng, you can just be straightforward. I want to see for myself what else you guys want to take away from me. What else do I have that draws your interest?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei, you don¡¯t have to think like that because I¡¯m not doing this for Ah Feng. I might have been too eager and forceful before about the matter between you and Ah Feng without considering your feelings, but I don¡¯t think any father would want to see his children falling out,¡± Qi Qiming said in a serious tone.

    ¡°Who do you think is the culprit of our falling out? You think that as long as I¡¯m with Qi Feng, then we brothers can be in harmony. Let me ask you. Since we were kids, have I ever tried to fight with him over anything at all? From the very beginning, your choice for the heir of Qi Kai Group has always been him, and the only son you think about is him. Have I ever said anything about it? I¡¯ve tolerated it for years, and I¡¯ve taken so many steps back until there¡¯s nowhere else left to go. Why haven¡¯t you thought about how I feel? What more do you want?¡±

    It had finally got to the point whereby it was too difficult for Qi Lei to conceal the sadness in his heart. ¡°Do you want me to be just like my mother? So that you¡¯ll have one less hurdle when I suddenly disappear one day?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei, I¡¯ve never said that it was all your fault. I know Feng¡¯s temper...Over the past few years, I¡¯m afraid it has only gotten worse. All these years, I haven¡¯t treated you well because of your mother. It was also partly because I couldn¡¯t convince myself to do so. After your mother left, I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time, and I do want to make it up to you,¡± Qi Qiming quickly expressed his intention. He seemed a little uneasy talking about it. ¡°Some things were out of my control. The sudden loss of your mother made me sad too. I was also anxious when you went missing...¡±

    The distantness in Qi Qiming¡¯s voice was gone, and there was a hint of unexinable mncholy and sadness instead. He did not know when and how these feelings came about!

    When he returned home every day, seeing his empty home and walking through the long corridor reminded him that he could no longer see the vases that Wang Qin liked before or even the oil paintings that were hanging on the wall. He could not exin the loneliness and emptiness he felt. It was often those times that made him feel extremely alone.

    It was the kind of loneliness and emptiness that could never be filled, and he only seemed to feel better when he visited Qi Lei asionally or have a meal with him.

    He even got tired of the life he had lived before as all his beautiful mistresses lost their appeal in an instant. It made him feel bored, even a little repulsive when he saw them, so he just gave them a sum of money and sent them away. Things seemed to be slightly easier now.

    However, he did not know that whatever he said was nothing but a ridiculous joke to Qi Lei.

    The damage had been done, and nothing else would make it better.

    If he could realize his mistakes earlier, Qi Lei would not have to work so hard, but that was in the past, and it did not matter anymore because Wang Qin could nevere back and Qi Lei did not care anymore.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything because it means nothing to me. At least, people still think we¡¯re father and son and that will be our rtionship at best, so if you cane tomorrow, thene. If you can¡¯t, I don¡¯t care either,¡± Qi Lei said as he put his cup down.

    ¡°All things will pass, but, Xiao Lei, the Qi Kai Group shareholders¡¯ meeting will be dyed. No matter where you go, you¡¯re still part of Qi Kai, and I hope you will continue to serve as thepany¡¯s vice president. If you really want the Qi Kai Group, there¡¯s a possibility that I may not choose Ah Feng as the heir, but the premise is that you must return to Qi Kai and the Qi family!¡±

 Chapter 1452 - Opening Ceremony 7

    <h4>Chapter 1452 Opening Ceremony 7</h4>

    Upon hearing that, Qi Qiming¡¯s voice sounded firm, so firm that Qi Lei thought he was hallucinating.

    He immediately turned to Qi Qiming. His sharp gaze could practically see through Qi Qiming as he stared at him, yet he did not say anything for a long time.

    Qi Qiming remained silent too as he let Qi Lei examine him.

    After a long while, Qi Lei suddenlyughed. His expression turned slightly dazed. ¡°We can¡¯t turn back time now. We just can¡¯t. You¡¯re fated to owe Mother and me. Go home and watch Qi Feng. You still have him as a son. You¡¯re annoying, and I don¡¯t like you. If you could just disappear before me forever, that would be best. As for the rest, you can save it.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s hatred for Qi Qiming was not new, and he felt that he had been extremely benevolent to have done what he did thus far.

    ¡°Xiao Lei, I¡¯m your father!¡± Qi Qiming clenched his fists tightly as he said.

    Qi Lei got up with waning interest. ¡°Nonsense. I don¡¯t have a father!¡± Then, he smiled coldly and abruptly turned towards the stairs.

    ¡°Xiao Lei!¡± Qi Qiming shouted out, yet Qi Lei pretended to not hear him. He did not pause for even a second.

    ...

    Finally, Qi Qiming could only silently watch as Qi Lei¡¯s figure vanished at the stairs.

    He remained distracted for a moment, then he was stunned for a long while. In the end, he barely remembered how he had left.

    In the car on the way back to the Qi residence, Qi Qiming did not say a single word. Secretary Wang Chun, who noticed this from the front, felt worried too. He was about to say something when Qi Qiming, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke, ¡°Have you prepared what I told you to?¡±

    When Wang Chun heard that, he breathed in and quickly responded, ¡°It¡¯s been prepared. Also, the private investigation agency has sent news back. Take a look at these materials.¡±

    Then, Wang Chun handed him a sealed folder.

    Qi Qiming quickly took it to swiftly open. Then, he flipped through it. His expression did not change much, yet his eyes darkened significantly.

    When he read it till the end, he finally lifted his head, shut his eyes, and took a deep breath!

    It turned out that the more you were afraid something would happen, the more it would turn out to be...

    Was this what they called inevitable fate?

    If that was true, then Qi Qiming could only say that this was truly karma!

    It was with much effort that he held back the storm that surged in his heart. He remained silent for a long while, then suddenly said, ¡°Hand me the document.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Wang Chun¡¯s expression suddenly turned solemn. ¡°CEO Qi, you must think this through. There might not be a need to prepare this item just yet. With the postponement of the shareholders¡¯ meeting, these issues and the consequences of these are still uncertain, so shouldn¡¯t we continue to ponder over it first?¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ve thought it through. I¡¯ll sign to let this go into effect, and I¡¯ll let you supervise the follow-up of this matter. Bring this to justice tomorrow to avoid any unexpected situations.¡±

    Qi Qiming sounded so decisive that Wang Chun dared not suggest anything else. He only nodded and said, ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Then, he quickly took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to Qi Qiming.

    Qi Qiming set aside that folder to take the document and swiftly sign it...

    ...

    It was the 15th day of the New Year, also known as the Lantern Festival. It crept up to them just like that.

    It was the annual reunion festival, so naturally, things were very lively. Rednterns were hung up high, and the streets were filled with Lantern Festivalmercials.

    At the International Exhibition Centre in City Z.

    It was already very lively the first thing in the morning here. A red carpet wasid out across the stairs with hundreds of steps, and it went all the way into the exhibition halls. Fresh flowers filled the floral entrance, which was nked by hundreds of scrolls with well wishes, and they rustled and swayed in the wind. Theyplemented the neatly arranged rows of baskets of flowers, and it all looked extremely lively and bright.

    The opening ceremony for Qi Lei¡¯s newpany, Tai Yu Corporation was going to be held here.

    Even though Tai Yu Corporation was a newpany, it had grabbed the attention of many. Besides the fact that the CEO of Tai Yu Corporation was Qi Lei, the Second Master of the Qi family and Qi Kai¡¯s young master, there was also Qi Lei and Glory World Corporation Chairman Mu Yuchen¡¯s friendly rtionship. Glory World Corporation and Fuhua Real Estate¡¯s full support for Tai Yu Corporation was also enough for the industry to be filled with anticipation for the newpany.

    Tai Yu Corporation was practically the attention of all, especially as a newlyunchedpany that had been born amidst bright starlight.

    Therefore, many people from and beyond the industry had given face to Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s opening ceremony, and all of them came over to wish well or join the fun.

    They had been busy the entire morning, and now it was close to noon when the ceremony was about to start.

    Inside the hall, Yang Sheng was losing his head and going weak in the legs as he was busy getting things done, but he was exceptionally happy.

    ¡°Assistant Yang, this is the program agenda you wanted.¡± The young assistant handed a paper to Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng quickly took it and had a rough look at it. Then, he nodded and returned it as he asked, ¡°What time is it now? Have all the guests arrived? Are Master Mu and CEO Xi here already? Also, did you see Master Qi? Why isn¡¯t he here yet?¡±

    Yang Sheng had wandered around the whole morning, but he still had not seen any signs of Qi Lei, thus he began to worry now.

    ¡°Assistant Yang, I¡¯ve just called to confirm earlier. The CEO is still at the office. He should be rushing over quite soon, so please don¡¯t worry. Also, Master Mu and CEO Xi are rushing over. There¡¯s still about half an hour before the banquet begins. They should be able to reach right on time,¡± the assistant said. ¡°As for the guests, most of them are here. Everyone else is still slowly making their way over. Our sound system guy is still testing the microphones.¡±

    ¡°Tell them to be more alert. Once you see Master Mu and the rest arrive, then let me know right away! We can¡¯t afford any mistakes today. You got that?¡± Yang Sheng was quite strict now because this was a very important day for Tai Yu Corporation and Qi Lei. They could not make a single mistake!

    ¡°Yes, Assistant Yang. Please don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll try our best!¡±

    When Yang Sheng heard the assistant¡¯s answer, he red at him unhappily. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to try your best. You must do your best! Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! I understand!¡± the assistant inhaled and responded.

 Chapter 1453 - Shocked 1

    <h4>1453 Shocked 1</h4>

    In the director¡¯s office of Qi Kai Group.

    ¡°First Master, President Qi has departed. He did go to the Grand Lake Vi and had his dinner therest night,¡± Morrison reported to Qi Feng, who was sitting on the office chair, resting with his eyes closed.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was very apathetic as if this news had lost its magic to stir the waves in his heart. He waved his hand without even opening his eyes and spoke in a deep voice, ¡°You figure that out yourself. No matter what, the shareholders¡¯ meeting must be convened as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, First Master! In fact, we don¡¯t have to be so pessimistic, it¡¯ll be okay.¡± Staring at Qi Feng¡¯s long face, Morrison could not help but suggest.

    ¡°Pessimistic? Me? I won¡¯t lose to anybody else, except myself.¡± Qi Feng smirked while asserting. Only then did he slowly open his eyes, and sheer cold determination filled his eyes in an instant. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to having a real duel with Mu Yuchen, but he¡¯s a cunning one, so cunning that he had been able to avoid each of the challenges I¡¯ve posted. And he actually managed to promote Qi Lei up the line in order to limit my movements. He¡¯s quite an unfathomable one.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen is a typical outstanding representative of the business world. It won¡¯t do us any good if we¡¯ve provoked him. However, we¡¯ve had the tiger by its tail. I¡¯m afraid that...¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Morrison had not finished his sentence when Qi Feng had indifferently cut him off. Morrison raised his head and gazed at him, but Qi Feng did not continue his sentence. He thought about it and held himself back from asking more .

    ¡°Off you go. I want to be alone.¡± Qi Feng did not seem to want to continue the conversation anymore and closed his eyes once again...

    ¡°First Master, actually we...¡±

    ¡°No more actually¡¯s. I only value the results now. The process is no longer important to me. Dying the shareholders¡¯ meeting anyter will only make it more detrimental to us. It¡¯ll only cause those shareholders who originally believed and supported us to lose their confidence. By that time, even if I want to move up the line again, it will be difficult to win back their support,¡± Qi Feng imed grimly.

    Morrison could understand the meaning behind Qi Feng¡¯s words. Doris¡¯s death, Gu Qiwu¡¯s apathy, and Qi Qiming¡¯s change in attitude...all these had made them more and more passive. However, it seemed that they had no way to change the tide now. They could only sit aside and watch things happen.

    ¡°First Master, we¡¯ve underestimated Mu Yuchen. I feel like he¡¯s the one manipting the chess piece, and Second Master is only one of his pawns. The difference is that the maniptor has developed emotions for his chess piece,¡± Morrisonmented after thinking about it for a while.

    ¡°Emotions have been developed, huh?¡± Qi Feng replied faintly.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen and the Second Master are like brothers now. Mu Yuchen invited Second Master personally to attend his son¡¯s birthday banquet. The party was very important to the Mus, and all the invitees are prestigious individuals who are really close to the Mus. From that banquet alone, it¡¯s obvious that the Mus have a profound background. So, it¡¯s clear that...¡±

    ¡°I know about everything that you¡¯ve said. It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to go on.¡±

    ¡°Yes, First Master, then I shall...¡± Morrison saw Qi Feng¡¯s slightly creased brows and stopped the conversation.

    ¡°Then, I shall leave now.¡± He left the office after that.

    ...

    In fact, Morrison was not sure how he felt now. While he was quite a strategic person in many aspects, when it came to making the final call, he was far from possessing the determination that Qi Feng owned. Take the current incident as an example. When things had reached its present situation, he may not have Qi Feng¡¯s calmness, but he might possess a simr level of boldness!

    So, as soon as he walked out of Qi Feng¡¯s office, Morrison¡¯s expression became slightly stern. He thought about it for a bit and seemed to have made a decision. Looking down, he stretched out his hand and took out the cellphone from his pocket. Then, he dialed a number.

    ¡°Hello?¡± A hoarse voice was hearding from the other end of the phone call. It seemed to be a little ill given how the person was coughing.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Just go ording to what I said. I¡¯ll let the young mistress know when it¡¯s done, thus don¡¯t worry. However, this will expose yourself, so you¡¯d better think about it,¡± Morrison spoke in a serious voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, and I hope you pay more attention to Ms. Doris¡¯s matters. Also, if I¡¯m not spared, I hope you can send Ms. Doris and me back to Ennd. We like it better there. And Mr. Alex...Please tell Mr. Alex that Ms. Doris is very dependent on him, and she trusts him too, but...please apologize to him on her behalf. And tell Ms. Shasha, that Ms. Doris loves her a lot. She hopes that Qi Feng and her can be well in their life. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye will pay for what they¡¯ve done. Ms. Doris really wished that she can reconcile with First Master Qi Feng...¡± After saying this, the recipient hung up the phone without waiting for Morrison¡¯s response.

    Morrison paused for a second, then stared vacantly at the screen of his cellphone that had just darkened. He then fell into a trance and his head suddenly went nk.

    When he chose to do so, would he be right? Or was he wrong?

    If he did not do so, everything that they had sacrificed before this would be in vain. If that was the case, it was uneptable. It was a make or break situation. Qi Feng might even think so himself too.

    ...

    In the meantime, Qi Qiming¡¯s car was cruising smoothly on the freeway leading to the exhibition center.

    Secretary Wang Chun, who was seated in front of him, saw that he was in a good mood, so he asked in a deep voice, ¡°President Qi, we¡¯ll reach in about ten minutes if the traffic is smooth. Should we give Yang Sheng a call first?¡±

    ¡°No need, just go ahead,¡± Qi Qiming said faintly. He raised his gaze and turned his head to nce out of the car window.

    ¡°Okay, President Qi.¡±

    ¡°Go faster. We¡¯re going to bete.¡± Qi Qiming urged.

    ¡°Yes, President Qi, I will...Argh!¡± The driver only got to respond with a few words before he immediately eximed in horror as he elerated the car.

    Wang Chun raised his head and looked in front subconsciously. The only thing he saw was the huge truck from the oppositene, which had just lost control, charging towards them.

 Chapter 1454 - Shocked 2

    <h4>Chapter 1454 Shocked 2</h4>

    Boom!

    The sound of a heavy thud could be heard through themotion.

    Qi Qiming never knew that the world could be so quiet that it seemed as if there was no sound at all around him. His mind went nk and he could only hear the thud echoing in his ears...

    Beep beep!

    As the emergency rm system went off, there was the smell of blood in the air. It was the coppery smell that would bring out the fear in people...

    However, Qi Lei was rushing over to the International Exhibition Centre at this very moment.

    Screech!

    The car brakes squealed loudly!

    Bang!

    Qi Lei mmed forward as he was looking through the documents in the back seat when his driver suddenly hit the brakes. The documents in his hands flew everywhere and a gust of strong wind blew the sheets of paper out of the car window!

    ¡°What happened?¡± Qi Lei demanded with a frown. He felt a little heavy-hearted and he could not quite grasp what he was feeling.

    ¡°Master Qi, there seems to be a car ident in front!¡± the driver in front said to Qi Lei as he stopped the car.

    Qi Lei¡¯s brows furrowed when he heard that. He looked at the documents that had already flown out of the window and checked the traffic by looking behind him before opening the car door to pick up the documents.

    Silence. There wasplete silence...

    Qi Qiming felt as if the whole world had calmed down, and the sky suddenly felt closer to him.

    ¡°President Qi! President Qi! Wake up! President Qi!¡±

    He could hear Secretary Wang Chun¡¯s worried and anxious cry.

    Qi Qiming could taste the strong scent of blood when he swallowed, and he was trying hard to keep his eyes open. Secretary Wang Chun could almost catch such a glimpse of death in his eyes, but Qi Qiming reached out and held him tightly by his cor as he struggled to find strength.

    ¡°Remember...to take...the documents...the certified documents...to the general meeting...before it starts...Watch over Qi Lei...watch over him...¡± It took Qi Qiming every ounce of strength left in him to say that. Blood streamed down the corner of his mouth and he slowly lost consciousness.

    ¡°President Qi! President Qi!¡± Secretary Wang Chun held Qi Qiming¡¯s blood-stained body as he desperately called out to him.

    At this moment, Qi Lei had just retrieved the documents. When he heard the cries, he quickly turned around and searched for the voice.

    All he could see was red, and Qi Qiming who looked like a fallen leaf swaying in the wind. He obviously could recognize his own father and the secretary next to him.

    Qi Lei never thought that this would happen. He thought he would hate Qi Qiming who he thought was not worthy to be his father, but after seeing what happened, why did he feel like he was suffocating?

    Why was he sad?

    Why did his mind go nk? He could not control himself as he anxiously rushed over before grabbing Qi Qiming from Secretary Wang Chun¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Are you okay? Are you? Are you okay?¡± he cried, horrified by what he saw, and he embraced Qi Qiming into his arms.

    Qi Qiming seemed to be able to suddenly regain his consciousness when he heard the familiar voice. He struggled to keep his eyes open, and when he saw Qi Lei holding him, there was a hint of sce on his pale old face.

    He never knew how warm it felt in the arms of his son. At least, he would not feel so cold.

    His son still cared about him, and it proved that the father-son rtionship could not be erased that easily. Still...

    ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry...It¡¯s okay, I want to see your mother again...and make it up to her in our next life...She¡¯s...a good woman...After she left, I...I¡¯ve been thinking about her...and I¡¯m going to see her soon...¡± Qi Qiming¡¯s voice was almost too weak to be heard.

    Qi Lei was in a daze and he could not control the warmth in his eyes. He was in distress as he said, ¡°If you go, Mother and I will never forgive you! Do you hear me!¡±

    ¡°Ambnce! Call an ambnce!¡± Qi Lei picked Qi Qiming up and rushed forward as he shouted.

    At the reception of the International Exhibition Centre, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had just gotten out of the car and were making their way up the stairs. Li Si walked over with a solemn face and whispered to Mu Yuchen anxiously, ¡°Master, something terrible has happened. Qi Qiming had a car ident on his way here and Master Qi has taken him to the hospital. He¡¯s in critical condition, and I¡¯m afraid that he might not survive. The perpetrator has been caught, but the situation is still critical and the opening ceremony is about to start. What should we do¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned when he heard the news from Li Si. He turned and gave Li Si a cold look. ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°Master, Qi Qiming had a car ident and is in a critical condition. Master Qi has already taken him to the hospital. What should we do now?¡± Li Si took a deep breath and reiterated.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s face darkened and Xi Xiaye looked at Li Si in disbelief.

    ¡°How could this be?¡±

    ¡°It is what it is. I¡¯ve heard from the hospital that he was severely injured and things don¡¯t look too good, but we still have the opening ceremonying up, so what should we do?¡± Li Si felt nervous and anxious for Qi Lei. He had worked so hard and finally gotten to this point. How could this happen?

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath, and he could not help rubbing his aching temples. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, ¡°You need to inform Vice President Liu immediately so that he can keep the situation under control and let Zimo step up if necessary. Also, just briefly exin to Yang Sheng about the matter so that they won¡¯t panic and can try to keep the guests under control. You must also arrange for Ah Bao to investigate the driver who caused the ident. Su Chen should be able to get the surveince video, but you must act fast,¡± he exined calmly in a logical manner and turned to look at the woman beside him.

    Heforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Just go to the hospital now and check on the situation. Qi Lei¡¯s there alone, so just console him. I¡¯ll be thereter.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and said, ¡°Be careful. I¡¯ll check what¡¯s going on and call you back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, now go. Wear a coat. It¡¯s a little cold.¡± Mu Yuchen took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders as he said that. She was in a ck toga evening dress, so the cold weather and icy breeze were certainly a little unbearable...

 Chapter 1455 - Shocked 3

    <h4>Chapter 1455 Shocked 3</h4>

    Xi Xiaye did not reject the coat, and she fixed it on her shoulders.

    ¡°Because this is all too sudden, it¡¯ll probably have a bad effect on things over here. We must handle it properly,¡± Xi Xiaye reminded worriedly.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Then, he gestured for the ck-clothed bodyguard beside him, who walked over quickly.

    ¡°Send her over. It¡¯s the hospital in the city center, right?¡± Mu Yuchen said. The closest one here was probably the hospital in the city center, so Mu Yuchen could already guess which one it was.

    Li Si nodded very quickly. ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go over first then,¡± said Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen nodded gently and said in a lowered tone, ¡°Go then.¡±

    ...

    Outside the operating room in the hospital, Qi Lei remained stunned as he stood there. He looked up, and his eyes were fixated on the tightly shut door to the operating room. He could not care less about how he was covered in blood. While he was still in a frazzled state, the air continued to be filled with the smell of blood that would not go away. It was so thick that it felt suffocating.

    ¡°Master Qi, don¡¯t worry. Heaven helps the worthy. CEO Qi will definitely get through this safely.¡±

    Wang Chun was severely injured too, but after a simple bandage dressing, he rushed over to wait with Qi Lei because he was just too worried!

    Earlier, when he saw Qi Lei carry Qi Qiming to run like mad towards the hospital, he actually felt slightly shocked.

    When he recalled the way Qi Lei had been indifferent towards Qi Qiming as ofte, he did not expect the man to act like this. However, in the end, Qi Lei could not help but show how he really felt through his actions. Nheless, was CEO Qi not the same?

    Whether or not it was ate realization or born out of guilt, the truth was enough to show that their father and son rtionship could not be erased so easily. Perhaps that could only be applied to a father and son pair like Qi Qiming and Qi Lei, for people who cared for each other and not...

    At this point, Wang Chun suddenly remembered what Qi Qiming had asked him to do before he had fainted.

    That order actually made him feel quite uneasy!

    Why would CEO Qi suddenly make such a decision?

    Upon hearing Wang Chun, Qi Lei only smiled indifferently, and his voice was filled with bitterness. ¡°Heaven helps the worthy. I¡¯m just worried because he¡¯s not quite worthy.¡±

    As much as he might be dissatisfied or resentful against this father of his, he never thought he would end up like this. He only hoped for him to disappear from his sight. He never imagined such an ident like this to happen to him!

    ¡°Second Master...CEO Qi...he...¡±

    ¡°How did this happen?¡±

    Qi Lei sighed and looked distractedly at the operating room while his tone sounded exceptionally solemn. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure exactly what happened. I just saw that therge truck in front suddenly lost control and crashed towards us, but the chauffeur couldn¡¯t react immediately either and the car was hit from the side. The car door sprang open and I fell out. CEO Qi was on the other side. If it weren¡¯t for the chauffeur turning the steering wheel quickly in time, the truck might have just hit the middle and none of us could¡¯ve escaped...¡±

    When he spoke about the experience from earlier, Wang Chun still had lingering fears. If it had been another weaker-hearted person, their legs would probably still be trembling right now.

    ¡°Suddenly lost control?¡±

    Qi Lei squinted. After going through so much, he seemed to be able to keep calm at such a moment. He thought about it before continuing, ¡°Where¡¯s the driver behind this?¡±

    ¡°They told us that the driver was also severely injured. He¡¯s still being rescued at this hospital as well, but we don¡¯t know what things are like at the moment. Nevertheless, the car¡¯s been taken over,¡± Wang Chun said.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened slightly as he looked down at his hands covered in red and felt his head being heavy. Meanwhile, his chest felt suffocated too. He silently took a step back and fell back onto the bench behind him, stunned.

    ¡°Second Master, you...¡±

    Wang Chun wanted to say something more, but Qi Lei already lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°You¡¯re quite badly hurt too, go down and get yourself treated, it¡¯s enough that I¡¯m here.¡±

    His tone was calm, and you could not quite hear any emotions, yet for some reason, Wang Chun seemed to be able to hear a nk and deste feeling from his voice.

    ¡°No, Second Master, I think it¡¯s best that I wait here too.¡±

    Of course, Wang Chun was worried. He was someone who had been by Qi Qiming¡¯s side for many years now. Qi Qiming was great to him, so to him, the man was not just a superior. On arger extent, perhaps he could also be considered a really good friend to Wang Chun. Just based on the trust he had for him right before he fainted, Wang Chun felt that he should stay.

    However, when he thought about how severely injured Qi Qiming was...

    Wang Chun felt pessimistic about things, especially when he saw that ghastly sight of red on Qi Lei¡¯s hands.

    Qi Lei did not say anything more. He just silently looked down at his hands as his expression tensed up with mixed feelings. His heart had turned into a mess!

    He stared at them for a long time before he clenched his fists slightly and took a deep breath. Then, he looked up and blinked his eyes that were welling up with hot tears...

    ¡°Second Master, CEO Qi has been thinking of you recently. He said that even if you find him appalling or hate him, he still can¡¯t help but...he said that even if he still gets to see you, that would be good enough. There¡¯s no need for forgiveness or anything. CEO Qi doesn¡¯t want to say sorry either since he says that he thinks those are the most useless words in the world.¡± Wang Chun, who was across Qi Lei, watched him for quite a while and took in all of Qi Lei¡¯s reactions.

    This irritated Qi Lei, who felt terrible, but it was like something was holding on to him, and he felt stifled.

    Upon hearing this, he did not feel much apart from sorrow.

    However, he did not wish for anything bad to happen to Qi Qiming. He did not want his father to be like Wang Qin and leave so suddenly without a single thought to leave behind. He had to admit that he was terrified of this feeling!

    When he saw that Qi Lei was not looking too well, Wang Chun called out softly to him, ¡°Second Master, you...¡±

    ¡°What else did he say to you?¡± Qi Lei clenched his fists as he asked in a lowered voice.

    ¡°CEO Qi rarely talked about Second Master or Mrs. Wang, but I know that after Mrs. Wang passed away, CEO Qi hasn¡¯t been himself, and he¡¯s been speaking much less...¡± Wang Chun said softly as he looked worriedly at the operating room door that was still shut.

 Chapter 1456 - Shocked 4

    <h4>Chapter 1456 Shocked 4</h4>

    Click-ck...

    A series of pressing footsteps can be hearding from the aisle all of a sudden. Wang Chun was the first person to react to the sound, and he turned his head. The person who was advancing towards them was...

    Xi Xiaye? Director Xi of the Fuhua Corporation, the young mistress of Glory World Corporation?

    Xi Xiaye had naturally left some impression on him.

    ¡°Director Xi?¡± Wang Chun looked at Xi Xiaye, who was frowning anxiously, and could not help but call out to her. However, Xi Xiaye only took a glimpse at him, her gaze soon fell on Qi Lei who was in front of him. Qi Lei was standing there with his head lowered and he nced at his own hands without looking at her.

    Xi Xiaye slowed down and went to his side, looking at him condescendingly.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was quite calm, but in Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears, his voice was emitting a forlorn aura.

    She stared at him for quite some time, then looked up at the closed operating theatre doors. Only then did she sit down beside him and say softly, ¡°Li Si heard about the news. Ah Chen is already dealing with matters at the banquet hall, but I¡¯m worried about you, so I came to take a look.¡±

    As she exined, she saw his hands and had a thought. Then, she took a nce at the bodyguard who had followed her there. Appearing to have understood her, the bodyguard nodded, turned away, and left, but after a while, he came back with a warm wet towel.

    ¡°Wipe them.¡± Xi Xiaye gestured to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei raised his downcast eyes for a second and epted the towel to wipe his face. Then, he cleaned his hands. However, it was way too obvious that he was in a trance as his expression was all dazed, and all the wiping actions faded off rather quickly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. The same tragedy won¡¯t happen twice, so don¡¯t you worry.¡± Xi Xiaye did not know how she couldfort him now, but that was the only thing she could say at that moment.

    Listening to her constion, Qi Lei stayed quiet for a long time without responding, hence Xi Xiaye refrained from saying anything and apanied him in silence while staring in the direction of the theatre doors from time to time.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, and my emotions don¡¯t bother me much right now, so there¡¯s no need to console me. Every bullet has its billet. Whether will Father get over this isn¡¯t my decision to make. I¡¯ve made peace with this a long time ago,¡± Qi Lei said after a long period of silence.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that you¡¯ve made peace with it. I know that you wouldn¡¯t want him to leave just like this. Actually, I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯s now the only person in the world that still holds a special ce in your heart. The feeling of loneliness is only true when you¡¯re not able to see someone anymore in the rest of your life, and this has nothing to do with forgiveness.¡± Xi Xiaye seemed to feel the same, especially in such a moment.

    Qi Lei put on a bitter smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ve always felt lonely. My mother never cared about me, let alone him, and when I was in school, most of the students were friends with Qi Feng. If it weren¡¯ t for Shasha and Lingtian, I wouldn¡¯t have had any friends. It only got better after I grew up and went abroad. Then, it felt a lot quieter.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just like me. We think that modesty is a good thing, but we also overlook the greed of our opponents, so we have to draw a line somewhere in our lives. I don¡¯t want to feel sorry for you, but I do hope you can persist and fight through this. Some things can¡¯t be avoided. I¡¯m afraid that there¡¯s a limit to how much we can do,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke very faintly, but the words she uttered spoke volumes.

    Taking a breath, he lowered his head and buried his face in his sheer cold palms.

    Upon seeing that, Xi Xiaye stopped her advice and sat by his side silently.

    It was unclear how long the procedure took. They waited until Xi Xiaye started to feel her whole body turn stiff and the sun started to set. The door of the operating room, which had been shut, was suddenly opened, as a doctor walked out and took off his face mask single-handedly.

    It was a young doctor.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the patient¡¯s family?¡± The doctor¡¯s voice shed through the silence.

    ¡°I am!¡± Only then did Qi Lei snap out of the trance and greet the doctor while Xi Xiaye stood up with him.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    The doctor sighed a breath of relief, and his tone was deep and serious. ¡°We¡¯ve tried our best, but the patient was badly injured as his brain took a heavy blow. His sternum suffered aminuted fracture, and there are multiple traumas all over the body. As for now, although the procedure went well, his condition is still very critical. Whether he can survive this depends highly on the next 48 hours. However, the patient¡¯s will to survive doesn¡¯t seem to be strong, so... I¡¯d advise some mental preparation.¡±

    As the doctor finished his exnation, Qi Lei¡¯s nce became still in an instant while his expression could not help but be pale...

    Xi Xiaye, who was behind them, felt her heart clench, and she was worried about Qi Lei.

    ¡°Xiaye, why are you here?¡± Just as Xi Xiaye was feeling worried and distressed, an amiable voice was hearding from the front. She quickly raised her head and looked in the direction where the voice came from and a white silhouette came into view.

    It was a familiar face! Surprised, Xi Xiaye called out immediately, ¡°Aunty Zhou!¡±

    The Aunty Zhou that Xi Xiaye was referring to was a petite, elegant, and demure middle-aged woman. She had a faint, gentle smile on her delicate facial features, and all those details made her look like an extremely friendly woman.

    She was Zhou Zimo¡¯s mother, Liang Jing, the chief surgeon of the city hospital. It was said that she was an expert in andrology before this but was transferred to the surgical teamter on.

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen paid their visits to the Zhou family quite often. Whenever they were there, Liang Jing would entertain them earnestly. She treated Mu Yuchen and Su Chen just like her own sons. There was once when Xi Xiaye was so moved by the rtionship between the Mus, the Sus, and the Zhous that she felt a little envious. Mu Yuchen and Su Chen sometimes even addressed the Zhou family couple as Daddy Zhou and Mummy Zhou.

    Liang Jing checked the man beside Xi Xiaye out for a bit, seeming to recognize Qi Lei since she had heard her son talk about him before this, so she had also paid special attention to him.

    ¡°Is this the Second Master Qi?¡±

    Qi Lei was a little shocked by her question.

    ¡°Yes, Aunty Zhou, the person in the operating theatre is President Qi of the Qi Kai Group. I rushed here when we learned the news amidst everything. Ah Chen will alsoe overter, but we don¡¯t know much about President Qi¡¯s condition.¡±

    Liang Jing nodded and thought about it for a while, then she replied, ¡°His condition is indeed very critical, and there are many uncertainties. He¡¯ll be monitored closely in the intensive care unit for 48 hours. Judging from his current condition, it¡¯s a little weak since the patient¡¯s will to survive isn¡¯t strong. We almost lost him a few times during the procedure, but don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s still in aa. Well, Xiao Chen, please exin it to the department. I¡¯ll handle this patient for now, at least, until the critical stage has passed.¡±

    ¡°But, Chief, you haven¡¯t been getting much rest for a whole week alr¡ª¡±

 Chapter 1457 - Shocked 5

    <h4>Chapter 1457 Shocked 5</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s a lounge here. I¡¯ll leave the arrangement up to you,¡± Liang Jing said.

    ¡°Thank you, Chief Liang.¡± Qi Lei was sincerely thankful for her.

    Liang Jing nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve seen patients who had injuries that are way worse than his and they eventually made it. Just take good care of him. We¡¯ll send him to the intensive care unit first,¡± Liang Jing replied before several nurses behind helped wheel Qi Qiming out of the operating room.

    Since he was wrapped in gauze, they could hardly recognize the charismatic Qi Qiming they used to know. When Wang Chun saw him, his heart was wrenched and he muttered, ¡°President Qi!¡±

    When Qi Lei saw the unconscious Qi Qiming, his whole body tensed up. Xi Xiaye gave him a pat to snap him out of his daze. ¡°Send him in first. I¡¯ll let them do all the necessary procedures.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded and followed the nurses in front of him as they pushed Qi Qiming to the intensive care unit.

    It had been a busy day, and by the time everything was done, it was already dusk.

    Qi Qiming was sent to the intensive care unit. When Xi Xiaye was standing at the door and looking through the ss window, she saw Qi Lei standing by the bed. She thought about it for a while and did not end up entering the room. She stood still in front of the door and silently watched them instead.

    She finally turned around when she smelled the familiar scent of the man. Then, she saw the man who had already been standing behind her for some time.

    ¡°When did you arrive?¡± she said calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for quite some time already. I was just checking in with Aunty Zhou earlier. Is he okay?¡± Mu Yuchen said as he nced inside the room.

    Xi Xiaye turned around and pulled him aside to sit on the bench in front of the room. ¡°He just had his operation, and everything should be fine. What¡¯s the situation on your side? Have you figured out everything about the car ident?¡±

    ¡°The opening ceremony was managed in a timely manner, so everything went well, but do you know who the perpetrator of the car ident was?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice suddenly became gloomy.

    ¡°Who was it?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    Mu Yuchen took a breath and said, ¡°It was Glenn. The police have tracked him down, but he managed to escape.¡±

    ¡°Glenn? How is that possible? Why would he want to hurt Qi Qiming? This...¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Only Glenn can answer that, but unfortunately, there might be no way for us to know the answer. I just got the news that his injuries were fatal and they couldn¡¯t rescue him on time. He¡¯s gone. I asked them to check the call history on his mobile phone, but there wasn¡¯t anything.¡±

    ¡°How could this be?¡± Xi Xiaye mumbled as she lowered her gaze.

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t an ident but a deliberate murder. It must be Qi Feng! He must have plotted it!¡± She clenched her fists as she could not believe that Qi Feng would be so vicious!

    Qi Qiming was his biological father after all, and he had always treated him well!

    Could he really hurt his own father just for the Qi Kai Group?

    Mu Yuchen frowned when he heard that, but he did not say anything.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see how things go first. I¡¯ve arranged for people to stop the news from spreading, but it all happened too fast, so the news might still break out. We¡¯ll see what Qi Lei has nned.¡± Mu Yuchen found it hard to conceal the helplessness and exhaustion he felt in his heart. He suddenly felt that he was so much luckier than Qi Lei.

    At this very moment, in Qi Feng¡¯s office in the Qi Kai Group...

    Bang!

    The tablet in his hand was smashed into pieces. Qi Feng¡¯s expression was unusually gloomy while he red at Morrison before him, who appeared to be petrified. His voice was extremely cold. ¡°That was you? You did that? Morrison! Did you do it?! Why would Glenn suddenly appear? Was that your idea?¡±

    Qi Feng looked disconste. As he stared at Morrison, he was afraid that he might lose control and choke him to death by ident!

    ¡°Master, it was Glenn who did it, and he did it for you and Madam. Moreover, he¡¯s dead now, so he used hisst breath to serve you and Madam. You should just¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You always have this wishful thinking that things will go our way as long as we hurt and kill them. Haven¡¯t youe to your realization after what happened to Qi Lei previously? Do you think they¡¯re all fools?¡±

    ¡°Master, this incident was caused by Glenn and only Glenn. It has nothing to do with you, and you only found out about it just now, didn¡¯t you? So, as long as we don¡¯t say anything, then there¡¯s no evidence to prove anything since Glenn is now dead. We don¡¯t need to worry. Master, in my opinion, this is a good opportunity for us. President Qi has fallen, so the shareholders must be panic-stricken. We must hold a shareholders meeting immediately. You can keep everything under control, then the whole Qi Kai Group will be controlled by you.

    ¡°I also heard that President Qi is in a critical state. Even if he wakes up, his vitals will be severely injured anyway. As long as we seize the opportunity to get the current situation under control, the whole Qi Kai Group will eventually be ours!¡± Morrison¡¯s eyes were glimmering with hope as he seemed to see the dawn of their victory!

    ¡°Shut up, Morrison! Whatever has happened in the past, I¡¯m going to let it slide, but this time, the victim was my own father. Do you really think I¡¯m someone who would stoop so low? Did Glenn contact you?¡± Qi Feng said furiously as he stood up with his hands on the table!

    ¡°Master, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Does Shasha also know about this?¡± Qi Feng gritted his teeth and asked.

    ¡°No, Master. Madam doesn¡¯t know about this. The reason why Glenn did this was because of Doris. He said that he hopes you can have a better life with Madam!¡±

    ¡°Who cares about what Doris said! She¡¯s dead! She¡¯s still so self-righteous after she¡¯s gone! Are you a dimwit? Only you would think about things like that! Morrison, I¡¯m afraid no one canpare to you when ites to being vicious! I¡¯ve said it a long time ago that I don¡¯t care about Qi Lei. As for my father? I¡¯ve already said that no one should even think about it, but what did you do?¡± Qi Feng stared at Morrison angrily. Morrison shivered subconsciously as he felt like his cold eyes could almost swallow him whole!

    ¡°Master, whatever happened has already happened. If you think yelling at me will make you feel better, then I don¡¯t mind!¡±

 Chapter 1458 - Shocked 6

    <h4>1458 Shocked 6</h4>

    While Morrison spoke calmly, his eyes were filled with determination as they focused on Qi Feng.

    Qi Feng met Morrison¡¯s eyes coldly too. His fingersbed through his hair as he fell hard against the chair behind him, and his tensed expression could not help but darken. His hands held the document before him, and in the blink of an eye, that paper was all crumpled up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard, Morrison!¡± Qi Feng said weakly. He could not help but feel a stifled pain in his heart.

    He took a deep breath, then said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a mother since I was young. Father brought me back to the Qi family and never treated me any lesser. Under his protection, I didn¡¯t need to be troubled by Wang Qin. Qi Lei¡¯s dissatisfaction was obvious. I have to admit that in terms of our actual position, I¡¯d always be far ahead of Qi Lei. If it weren¡¯t for the elders and Wang Qin, it would never be Qi Lei¡¯s turn to be the head of the family. He¡¯s never treated me unkindly, but now...¡±

    At this point, Qi Fengughed bitterly and became dazed.

    ¡°A great man has to be ruthless, First Master...¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You can be so cruel because that man isn¡¯t your father. It¡¯s one thing to not get any evidence about this, but everyone will know. How am I supposed to face him and everyone else?¡±

    Qi Feng held his heavy head as he could not hold back the uneasiness and pain he felt. Suddenly, he pushed all the things on the table to the ground. ss shattered!

    ¡°First Master...¡± Morrison was so frightened that he dared not say much. He just retreated to the side silently.

    ...

    At this moment, outside Qi Qiming¡¯s Intensive Care Unit ward.

    Qi Lei took the document from Mu Yuchen¡¯s hands and looked through it briefly. Darkness gathered in his eyes. It corresponded with the dim sunset, and he seemed exceptionally cold.

    ¡°What did you say? The driver that caused this was Glenn? Doris¡¯s previous assistant?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s cold tone came through while his eyes were filled with disbelief and gloominess as they were fixated on Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Yes, the authorities have confirmed that it¡¯s Glenn. He was too severely hurt and couldn¡¯t be saved, so he¡¯s gone now. But this ident was no ident. It¡¯s premeditated murder that was a long timeing with the target being your father, Qi Qiming.¡±

    Even though Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was calm, one could hear the heaviness in it.

    ¡°I heard that Qi Qiming was nning on dying the shareholders¡¯ meeting, so...¡±

    ¡°How cruel of him!¡± Qi Lei said through gritted teeth. Before Mu Yuchen could finish, he had already walked away. His stiff back made one¡¯s heart feel cold.

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to go up and stop him, but Mu Yuchen held her back. ¡°Let him go. He¡¯ll know what to do, Xiaye!¡±

    Because she was held back, Xi Xiaye could only stop and look worriedly in the direction that Qi Lei gradually vanished towards.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, was it really Qi Feng? Would he be so heartless? I can tell that he¡¯s very protective of his daughter, Weiwei. He doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who¡¯d do this.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was still in disbelief that Qi Feng would have really done such a thing to Qi Qiming.

    Mu Yuchen put a hand across her shoulders and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Whether or not that¡¯s true is no longer important.¡±

    Then, he paused and turned to look at Qi Qiming whoy lifelessly on the sickbed. ¡°Now, the only important thing is what will happen next. At this point, the hardest step might¡¯ve already been taken. We can¡¯t really be sure of whates next anymore.¡±

    ¡°The human heart is truly terrifying!¡± Xi Xiaye could not help butment.

    ¡°There are many ssic stories in history about seizing the throne by force. It¡¯s nothing new.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded as she sighed helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t wish for Qi Qiming to die. Otherwise, Qi Lei...¡±

    She did not finish her sentence towards the end...

    ...

    Screech!

    At the entrance to Qi Kai Corporation, the sound of a car braking was heard. When they saw the car that sped over, the guards at the entrance became on high alert too. However, when they saw the familiar car number te, they retreated.

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    The moment they saw Qi Lei get down from the car, the guards went up to him quickly.

    Qi Lei swiftly flung open the door and ignored the bodyguards that came up to him before he walked into the office with huge strides.

    ¡°Second Master...¡±

    ¡°Vice President Qi!¡±

    ¡°Greetings, VP Qi!¡±

    Along the way, many people naturally greeted Qi Lei. Qi Qiming and the shareholders did not steal Qi Lei¡¯s position. Thus, in Qi Kai Corporation, Qi Lei was still the Vice President by position, and everyone was respectful of him.

    However, with Qi Lei¡¯s cold and sharp demeanor, everyone dared not say much. They only silently watched as he walked over and everyone automatically opened up a path for him.

    Working hours were ending soon, so most of the employees were rushing to leave work.

    Qi Lei walked into the elevators, pressed the button for the floor he wanted, then walked through a long pathway to get to his destination.

    ¡°Second Master Qi!¡± Morrison, who had just walked out of Qi Feng¡¯s office looked up and was surprised to see the stormy-looking Qi Lei walk over, especially with his sharp and cold gaze.

    Earlier, their people had called to inform them that after Qi Qiming got into the ident, it was Qi Lei who had sent him to the hospital. They were all roughly aware of the situation now. Qi Feng and the customers chatted for the entire afternoon. It was only when he received Wang Chun¡¯s call that he found out about the incident.

    Now, Qi Feng was about to rush to the hospital when Qi Lei came over!

    ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Feng?¡± Qi Lei looked coldly at Morrison and asked indifferently.

    ¡°Second Master Qi, what are you going to do? We¡¯re at work...¡± Morrison was surprised by the hostility from Qi Lei as well, but he could not stop him in time.

    Qi Lei frowned and pushed him away. ¡°Back off!¡±

    Morrison only felt a chilly aura, and before he could react, Qi Lei had pushed him aside and walked past to make his way towards Qi Feng¡¯s office!

    Bam!

    The loud crash came through as the heavy door was suddenly pushed open!

    The sudden noise surprised everyone inside!

    Gu Lingsha shrieked in reflex and looked towards the door, ¡°Ah!¡±

    Qi Feng, who was getting up with the help of the table, was surprised too. He quickly nced towards the door. He had just been about to rush to the hospital with Gu Lingsha.

 Chapter 1459 - I Wonâ€™t Lose! 1

    <h4>1459 I Won¡°t Lose! 1</h4>

    ¡°Qi Lei! Why are you here...Argh!¡± Gu Lingsha could not even finish her sentence when Qi Lei had already pushed her away with a hand after striding over. Gu Lingsha staggered and almost fell, but fortunately, her reaction was swift enough that she held onto the wall by the side in time.

    A cool breeze swept by her body and she could not react. She then heard a bang, so she quickly turned around and saw that the ashtray on the coffee table had fallen to the ground.

    Qi Feng was taken aback and was just about to say something. However, with his aura of pure savagery, Qi Lei had gained on him. Before he got the chance to utter a word, Qi Lei had already reached out and grabbed him by the hem of his cor. He was almost lifted into the air, and as the ferocious aura hit him hard, he seemed to be unable to breathe for a split second.

    ¡°Qi Lei, what are you doing?!¡± Gu Lingsha was shocked when she saw this, so she approached the brothers quickly.

    Nevertheless, without giving her the time to take another step forward, Qi Lei shot her a cold re. ¡°You, get out.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was near sub-zero that Gu Lingsha could not help but shiver deep down. She stopped moving forward instantly and stared nkly at the two.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself. This is between me and him. Now, get out!¡± Qi Lei instructed coldly as Gu Lingsha had frozen. He tightened his grasp as he finished his sentence.

    Qi Feng grunted with a sullen face, then uttered in a deep voice, ¡°Leave us, Shasha. Nobody enters without my order!¡±

    Looking at the brothers¡¯ gloomy expressions, Gu Lingsha pulled a long face and hesitated for a second before she left silently in the end.

    Bang!

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    As soon as the door was closed, Qi Feng tried to struggle, but a chill brushed his face and he felt an intense pain in his jaw immediately. Blood even spurted out of his mouth!

    ¡°Was it you? Was it you?!¡± Qi Lei tossed Qi Feng to the side and red unconcernedly at him while gripping the desk in embarrassment.

    The excruciating pain from his jaw made Qi Feng frown, but amidst all the agony, he swallowed the metallic sweetness in his mouth and gazed calmly at the feral human standing in front of him. He then raised his arm and casually wiped off the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? How dare you say so? How dare you?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s reply undoubtedly ignited Qi Lei¡¯s wrath. As his re grew colder, he took two steps forward and reached out to grab him by his neck and choke him. This time around, Qi Feng¡¯s reaction was swift. He quickly grasped Qi Lei¡¯s wrist. ¡°Qi Lei, don¡¯t be too presumptuous. Not everybody is born to tolerate you!¡±.

    ¡°Presumptuous? Who else could be more despicable than you?! Who do you n to fool now? Father is in the hospital now, hovering between life and death, and you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t know sh*t about it. Who do you think I am? A three-year-old?! I can tell, even with my eyes closed, that the person who called the shots was you! How heinous and vicious can you be? He¡¯s our father who has dedicated his life to protect you from everything, and you were able to make such a call. I¡¯ve really underestimated you! You chose toy your hand on your own father when you couldn¡¯t get to me!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s stern tone resembled the sheer cold wind of December as it shed through the air across the room.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me! Let go!¡± Qi Feng pushed Qi Lei away while his eyes were filled with indifference and defiance. ¡°You¡¯re just ying the role of a fake protagonist. When I say it wasn¡¯t me, it wasn¡¯t me. You¡¯re not the only one that draws lines here!¡±

    Qi Lei clenched his fists and stared at Qi Feng. ¡°And you expect me to believe you? I know that you were the one who took a shot at me and Yang Sheng! Qi Feng, you¡¯re such a despicable hypocrite, and that stance of yours disgust me! No matter how badly I¡¯m doing, at least, I would nevery a hand on my rtives. Only a person as mercenary as you would be able to do something like that!¡±

    ¡°I told you that it wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me! I¡¯m upset about Father¡¯s ident too. However, you¡¯re the opinionated one to be putting all the me on me.¡± Qi Feng put on a scowl while his re was intense.

    Qi Lei gave a disdainful sneer. ¡°I know you down to your bones, Qi Feng. How dare you say this has nothing to do with you? Is it because our father postponed the shareholders¡¯ meeting and a sense of crisis struck you? Your insecurity made you feel uneasy, so you deliberately wanted to get rid of me. And when you couldn¡¯t do so, you just changed your target!¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, I can tolerate you saying these here today, but you¡¯d better not cross my line. If you¡¯re certain that I nned everything, then show me proof. Convince me.¡± Qi Feng inhaled sharply to endure the severe pain. He then slowly sat back in the office chair behind him.

    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯de without any proof? Glenn is proof! He¡¯s Doris¡¯s man, so he wouldn¡¯t have done it without your instructions! So, go to hell, Qi Feng!¡±

    ¡°I just found out about Glenn too. Whether you believe it or not, this incident has nothing to do with me!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s expression was serious, and his tone was calm.

    mping his jaw, Qi Lei took a breath and chuckled. ¡°Okay, maybe you just neglect everything. However, since you want the Qi Kai Group that badly, I¡¯ll abolish it before I let it fall into your hands!¡±

    Having heard that, Qi Feng¡¯s eyes turned gloomy. He raised his head and gazed at Qi Lei. After a while, he said with a smirk, ¡°You¡¯d better have that ability since you¡¯re merely relying on that Mu Yuchen. Let me tell you, he won¡¯t be able to shield you forever. How noble of you to go against your own people with an outsider. You¡¯re just like your mother, all bumptious.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to drag others into this matter of ours. It won¡¯t just go away! You don¡¯t have the final say in the Qi Kai Group too. Do you really think that you own thepany? After all, you are just a b*stard. Grandpa didn¡¯t agree to let you be the heir of the Qis! Father defended you up till today, yet you bite the hand that feeds you. Qi Feng, you¡¯re really unmatched when ites to being despicable and shameless.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei! Mind your words! I¡¯ve told you. I have nothing to do with Father¡¯s incident.¡± Qi Feng¡¯s expression became more gloomy and terrifying because Qi Lei¡¯s attitude while determining him as the culprit behind the ident made him very furious. Even though he had not made the call, and Morrison was the one who had taken the initiative, he still felt a little uneasy. Therefore, he could not control his anger and dissatisfaction.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you? Apart from you, Qi Feng, the person with the most direct motive, who else would have the guts to do so?¡± Qi Le¡¯s voice was as cold as stone.

 Chapter 1460 - I Wonâ€™t Lose! 2

    <h4>Chapter 1460 I Won¡°t Lose! 2</h4>

    ¡°The most obvious motive? Since when did you be a private investigator?¡± Qi Feng sneered as he took the ss of water from the side and had a few sips to get rid of the taste of the blood in his mouth, but it barely did anything.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I learn that from you? I still have to thank you for that.¡± Qi Lei also loosened up a little. He said to Qi Feng with a mocking smile, ¡°The more you want something, the harder it is to get it. You¡¯ll know what it¡¯s like sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Really? So, are you dering war on me?¡± Qi Feng sneered as he raised his gaze and looked at Qi Lei silently.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re even worthy of that?¡± Qi Lei smirked. ¡°Comparing myself to a scumbag like you will only bring me down.¡±

    Qi Feng grew tense.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned something new. You talk just like your mother. Anyway, no matter what, I won¡¯t lose, Qi Feng. Don¡¯t you like gambling? Now, would you dare to bet against me one more time? Let¡¯s bet that I¡¯m going to take over the Qi Kai Group sessfully,¡± Qi Feng said as he lowered his head and took a sip of water.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened and he stared at Qi Feng quietly.

    ¡°What? Are you scared?¡± Qi Feng smiled as he slowly put the cup in his hand down.

    Qi Lei nced at Qi Feng before reaching for the half-filled cup of water in front of him and tilted it. The water in the cup spilled and wet Qi Feng¡¯s face, but he did not say anything. Instead, he just stared at Qi Lei quietly.

    Qi Lei then threw the cup in his hand towards Qi Feng. As a result, the cup fell and broke right in front of him, but Qi Lei seemed unbothered.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see how you take over thepany. This isn¡¯t just a bet. You¡¯re not afraid of death, and neither am I! I¡¯ve got nothing to lose, but you do!¡±

    ¡°Shall the loser leave City Z?¡± Qi Feng said with a disdainful smile.

    ¡°And leave empty-handed!¡± Qi Lei added.

    ¡°Very well. It¡¯s a deal! For the sake of our brotherhood, I won¡¯t let you leave penniless even if you lose.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know who¡¯s going to lose! Let¡¯s wait and see!¡± Qi Lei sneered and suddenly turned his head to look at Qi Feng before spinning around again. Qi Feng frowned slightly, and before he could react, Qi Lei had already made a fist and swung at him again.

    Bam!

    Qi Feng grunted as he fell down with his chair.

    ¡°This is the price you¡¯ll have to pay for overrating yourself!¡± Qi Lei mocked as he shook his aching hand.

    Qi Feng spat some blood out pathetically and clenched his fists as he tried to stand up. If his legs were strong enough to stand up, he would have definitely given Qi Lei a few punches without hesitation! However, Qi Lei did not give him the opportunity as he immediately turned around and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡± Gu Lingsha called out after waiting outside for a long time. The door sprung open and Morrison was with her too.

    Qi Lei did not even look at them as he walked past them coldly.

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡± Gu Lingsha called out for him again as she turned to face Qi Lei¡¯s back, but he did not seem to slow down at all. In the blink of an eye, his figure had disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

    ¡°First Master!¡±

    When Morrison rushed into the office first, he saw Qi Feng struggling to stand up as he tried to push himself up by pressing on the table. He quickly rushed over to help Qi Feng up.

    However, Qi Feng avoided him and gritted his teeth before he stood up on his own. Morrison could only help him hold his chair.

    ¡°Ah Feng! Are you okay?¡± Gu Lingsha asked worriedly. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw bloodstains on his face.

    However, Qi Feng had a stern expression as he sat on the chair quietly. The emotions in his eyes seemedplicated and unusual.

    Meanwhile, Qi Qiming was still unconscious at the hospital.

    The sky had already fallen dark. The lights outside were starting to be turned on and they illuminated the city.

    Wang Chun and Yang Sheng were watching over Qi Qiming outside the ward through the ss window. He was still lying unconscious on the hospital bed.

    Earlier today, the attending physician, Liang Jing, hade over to examine him again and she had told them that he was not doing too well. The patient¡¯s pulse was very weak, so they were given a notice of critical illness.

    Wang Chun was extremely worried because Qi Lei was not there, and he had already called Qi Feng but he had not seen him yet.

    It had felt manageable earlier since Mu Yuchen had been there, thus he seemed to feel more at ease. Now that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had gone back, only two of them were left and this made them anxious.

    ¡°How could this have happened? He suffered such serious injuries...Why did Glenne back for President Qi? I don¡¯t understand!¡± Yang Sheng obviously did not know about Qi Qiming¡¯s n. He had recently noticed the change in Qi Qiming¡¯s attitude , thus he started to see him differently. There seemed to be less prejudice now and more sympathy instead.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it was premeditated.¡± Wang Chun was still worried and although there was some uncertainty in his tone. He actually felt deste as he thought about what Qi Qiming said before he lost consciousness. Did he have a change of heart?

    Wang Chun certainly did not expect to see Qi Lei rush forward and hold Qi Qiming when the ident happened. If President Qi could have seen it, he would have been overjoyed...

    ¡°President Qi...I really hope he¡¯ll make it through...¡± Yang Sheng mumbled.

    ¡°President Qi is very happy with what the Second Master has achieved. In fact, President Qi has always been unhappy about President Wang¡¯s matters. He said that he doesn¡¯t like being emotional, but I think that President Wang holds a ce in his heart. He just didn¡¯t want to admit it,¡±

    When Wang Chun said this, Yang Sheng listened silently, but for some reason, he felt bitterness in his heart.

    If that really was the case, then this father and son were actually quite simr!

    Qi Lei also initially thought that he did not care about his mother, Wang Qin.

    Why did people often learn how to cherish something only after they have lost it?

    ¡°President Qi is actually very stubborn. I¡¯ve been by his side for many years and I¡¯ve never seen him bow his head, let alone admit his mistakes. Still, he¡¯s someone who will change once he realizes his mistakes and I think you can probably feel it too. Even I¡¯m surprised by how President Qi has changed...¡±

 Chapter 1461 - Crisis 1

    <h4>Chapter 1461 Crisis 1</h4>

    The temperature dipped very low at night. Even with a skintight garment on and an additional windbreaker, it was not enough to withstand the cold night breeze.

    The streetlights were dim, and the shadows on the ground appeared long.

    A cold breeze came and rustled the yellow leaves that fell all over the ground until they danced gently.

    Dongfang Liuyun wore a long ck windbreaker. With her hands kept in those thin pockets, she slowly walked along the street engulfed with cool winds from every direction. The clear and rhythmic sound of her high heels against the clean floor could be heard.

    Right now, thete night street was actually quite quiet. The liveliest time had passed, and soon the Lantern Festival would be over with the next morning about to arrive.

    She had walked along this quiet and endlessly long street many times. After this traffic light, there will be another one ahead, then another one, and another one. Outside the city, there would be that wide road...

    She walked through the sidewalk and reached the za that she used to frequent.

    From afar, she could hear distant singing. However, it was not the song she usually heard but another one...

    It was still the same with quite a number of people surrounding the ce.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped her steps and found a nearby bench to sit on. She leaned against the chair and silently shut her eyes as she quietly listened.

    ¡®There was a youngdy who sent her warrior to war. They said goodbye in the dark of the night on those flights of steps...¡¯

    As she listened, for some reason, her eyes began to lose focus until a familiar presence appeared beside her. When she turned to look, she saw that Qi Lei was sitting beside her.

    ¡°I¡¯vee here many times after that, but this is my first time seeing you here.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s low voice was heard though he did not look at Dongfang Liuyun. His gaze was quietly fixed on the people before them instead.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not all that free. I heard about your father. Are you okay?¡± Dongfang Liuyun looked at him from the side and asked calmly.

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m not okay?¡± he asked instead.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on consoling you not to be sad or anything since that isn¡¯t practical. But it wouldn¡¯t be great if anything happens to him either, so you¡¯re wishing for him to get well.¡±

    ¡°Other people would console me to not be sad or to not worry. You¡¯re quite the odd one.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tightly furrowed brows slowly eased up as he squinted at her.

    ¡°Odd one?¡± Dongfang Liuyun softly muttered. She thought about it and then continued to say, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m too cold?¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you realize that too? Many times, talking to you feels like I¡¯ve walked into a refrigerator. No matter how enthusiastic one might be, it¡¯s hard to keep the zest,¡± Qi Lei sighed and said calmly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t nder me. I¡¯m a very passionate person. Cold beauties only appear in fairy tales,¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled and defended herself on this rare asion.

    ¡°Life is somewhat like a story too. In a thousand years, can you guarantee that we won¡¯t be the protagonist or a supporting character in fairy tales?¡± Qi Lei responded in a lowered voice.

    ¡°A hundred years? A thousand years?¡± Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows and looked at him.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± He nodded.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it for a long while before she suddenly asked, ¡°Do you believe that a person¡¯s soul still exists after they¡¯re gone?¡±

    Stunned, Qi Lei paused, then said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I want to believe in that. That way...¡± Although he did not finish, from the tone of his voice, he sounded deste.

    Dongfang Liuyun leaned forward slightly and propped her chin on her hand as she silently watched the surrounding crowd. ¡°If there¡¯s such a thing, then your mother would¡¯ve been reincarnated now, but all we can do is cherish the memory of them. Even though I studied history and learned from the many stories and events of previous generations, the more I got into it, the more I felt the miracle of life. Humans are actually so insignificant, yet we can make our lives so great.¡±

    Qi Lei fell silent for a moment, then turned to her and asked, ¡°Do you believe in it too then?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed and suddenly leaned back against her chair. Qi Lei waited for a long while, but she did not answer.

    After a long while, she said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving for City Z tomorrow. May your father get well soon.¡±

    ¡°Leaving? To where?¡± Qi Lei subconsciously frowned.

    ¡°The inspection team wants to go to a historical site in the Gobi Desert near Xinjiang. University A¡¯s application for a doctorate program has been approved, so I¡¯ve be freer. Then, I applied for leave from the university,¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered as her calm gaze looked at him in a lukewarm manner while her tone was filled with encouragement. ¡°I hope that by the time I get back, everything will have turned out for the better for you.¡±

    Qi Lei paused, then silently nodded. ¡°I¡¯m counting on that. You take good care of yourself too.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled softly. ¡°As they say, I¡¯ve traveled quite a fair bit, thus naturally I¡¯ll know how to take care of myself. You¡¯re different. Only you will understand your own stressors and hardships. You need to take care of yourself more.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about today. It should¡¯ve been a happy asion.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was a little helpless and sorrowful.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to me yourself for it since it was unexpected. I don¡¯t want to pity you either because that¡¯s not a good thing for us.¡±

    ¡°Are you so proud that you don¡¯t want other people¡¯s pity?¡± Qi Leiughed.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her gaze, fell silent, and did not say anything towards the end. She slowly got up as her hands snuck back into the pockets of her windbreaker habitually.

    ¡°Go home. It¡¯s quite chilly outside. I¡¯m going home now. When I get back, I¡¯ll treat you to a drink,¡± she said, then her firm steps walked ahead, leaving only so much as a cold figure behind.

    ¡°Let me send you home since it¡¯s along the way anyway.¡± Qi Lei got up and reached into his pocket to take out his car keys.

    When she heard that, Dongfang Liuyun paused, turned to look at him, and her eyes seemed surprised.

    ¡°There¡¯s only one road that leads ahead from here, I¡¯m going to the hospital too,¡± Qi Lei exined.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s exceptionally beautiful face shed with tenderness as she shook her head. ¡°No need. I want to take a walk alone. Goodbye now.¡± Then, she continued to walk ahead, and soon her frail figure drowned in the twilight ahead.

    Qi Lei did not chase after her, and he did not hesitate to walk towards his car before quickly starting it...

    He had merelye over to take a look when he was passing by. After beating Qi Feng up, he felt much better. As for that bet, he did not give a toss about it!

    Did Qi Feng really think that Qi Lei was still that young and reckless fool he knew?

 Chapter 1462 - Crisis 2

    <h4>Chapter 1462 Crisis 2</h4>

    When the lights were already fading, the car passed by quickly. Through the side mirror on the right, Dongfang Liuyun could be seen mooching forward on the sidewalk. She appeared to be bothered today.

    He decelerated subconsciously and finally pulled the car over by the side. He then lowered the window, reached out, and opened the door of the passenger seat. After that, he just sat in the car and waited silently for Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Get in!¡± When she approached, Qi Lei¡¯s bold voice made it seem like there was no room for rejection.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped in her steps and frowned. She saw that Qi Lei had already sat back in the driver¡¯s seat with a determined expression. Finally, she gave it a thought and got in the car after all.

    She closed the door and fastened the seatbelt while Qi Lei started the car.

    ¡°Since you have ample time, just treat it as another chit-chat session with me,¡± Qi Lei suddenly said after driving for some time.

    Having heard that, Dongfang Liuyun, who was stretching her arm out to turn on the radio, froze for a second or two. After a while, she pressed the power button with her slender finger, but she also turned the volume down subconsciously.

    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about you.¡± Qi Lei replied while he turned his head and took a nce at her. He then continued, ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about me all this time, so shouldn¡¯t we talk about you this time around? ¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was startled for a while, and then she said calmly, ¡°I have nothing much to say about my life. It is as you see. Plus, you might not be interested if I were to talk to you about history and archeology.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that I wouldn¡¯t be interested? Professor Dongfang, do you always think that you have the superpower to understand everything?¡± Qi Lei drove carefully, so the car was not speeding too fast.

    ¡°Am I not convincing enough?¡± She nced at him casually.

    Qi Lei did not answer her, but he gave her a pregnant squint and elerated the car slightly.

    ¡°My family has been very strict since I was a child, and I¡¯ve been running around since I was in middle school, I¡¯ve been to Japan, Southeast Asia, Africa, and many countries in Europe, but of course, academics were never abandoned. However, my time in school was not long, and most of my time then was dedicated to working and studying part-time. So, if I were to talk about myself, it can be summed up by the word ¡®hectic¡¯,¡± Dongfang Liuyun thought about it for a bit and said simply.

    ¡°You¡¯re a girl. There¡¯s no need to work that hard. It¡¯s not that you¡¯re rushing to make big bucks, start apany, build a mansion, own luxurious cars, and get yourself a wife,¡± Qi Lei responded with a tad bit of disapproval.

    It was undeniable that Dongfang Liuyun had actually led a far more tiring life than he did, maybe even more exhausting than anyone he knew. However, she always seemed to be more rxed than anyone else.

    ¡°That was all in the past. When times get tough, just hold on and it¡¯ll pass somehow. Both of us are individuals that don¡¯t wish to rely on their family¡¯s status, so you should be able to understand how it feels, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Our starting point is just much superior to many people, but those are the achievements of the family. You should know that we might be nobody after leaving them. My mother often asks me to review and reflect on my life because she doesn¡¯t want me to rely on their achievements or grow up under their shelter. After all, my mother is a very inspirational person herself.¡±

    ¡°Your mother?¡± Qi Lei raised his brows in surprise. He only knew that Mrs. Dongfang was a prestigious, well-knownwyer in the legal field. She was also a well-respected figure who held quite a status in politics.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded faintly. While Qi Lei was waiting for her to continue with the conversation, she just turned her head to the other side and looked out of the window and did not go on any further.

    ¡°Turn left at the intersection ahead and enter Grand Summer Bay. It¡¯s number 17 of the Riverside Vi area.¡±

    The Riverside Vi, huh?

    Qi Lei knew that area naturally. Like the Grand Lake Vi area, it was a ce with a fantastic environment, but it seemed to be an old area. He nodded indifferently, then turned the steering wheel slightly into the leftne...

    It took about twenty minutes before the car drove slowly into the Riverside Vi area.

    They soon arrived at vi number 17 in the Riverside Vi area.

    It was an independent vi. From the outside, it had abination of Chinese and European decorative elements. The front courtyard was huge while the street lights in the courtyard were very bright and the trees on both sides were very dense. The vi seemed to be hidden from the hustle and bustle of the city.

    After the car stopped in front of the vi, Dongfang Liuyun then pushed the door open and got out of the car.

    ¡°Would you like to go in for a cup of tea?¡± she asked faintly.

    Qi Lei thought about it for a second and replied, ¡°Maybe next time. I still need to get back to the hospital.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Okay, goodbye then. Thanks for the ride.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye.¡± A hint of ease crossed Qi Lei¡¯s attractive face, and he then started the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched as the car drove off. She stood at the doorstep in silence for a while, then she reached out into her pocket and took out the keys.

    ...

    When he returned to the hospital, it was already around one o¡¯clock in the middle of the night. Wang Chun and Yang Sheng were still there waiting intently, and as soon as they saw his silhouette, they breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Second Master Qi, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s stiffened face eased a little. He and Wang Chun had been restless for the whole night.

    ¡°How¡¯s everything?¡± Qi Lei stood right in front of the ss window, staring at Qi Qiming, who was lying on the hospital bed inside as he asked faintly.

    ¡°Still the same as before. Chief Surgeon Liang checked in on President Qi several times and said that his current condition is fairly stable. Oh yeah, First Master came by too, and he stood here for a long time. Manager Gu was with him, but it seemed that he wasn¡¯t feeling too well, so Manager Gu asked him to go back to rest first.¡±

    Qi Feng hade earlier with a swollen face, but luckily, he was wearing sunsses. Otherwise, it would have been more obvious. When they recalled that Qi Lei had stormed out ferociously before that, they were not sure if it was...

    Yang Sheng thought to himself while ncing at Qi Lei secretly. Nheless, Qi Lei did not turn the slightest and he just listened to the report expressionlessly.

    ¡°Right, the deputy directors called your cell phone just now, but they couldn¡¯t reach you, so they were worried all evening,¡± Yang Sheng updated anxiously.

    ¡°Get them to handle all the matters at hand first. I¡¯ll be back in the office when things have stabilized here. Both of you should go back first. I¡¯ll be fine here. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Qi Lei raised his arm to rub his bulging eyebrows and took a breath.

    ¡°Assistant Wang, you¡¯ve been worrying for the whole day. You can go back first. I¡¯ll stay back and apany Second Master Qi.¡± Looking at Qi Lei, it was impossible for Yang Sheng to not worry about him at that moment since he might even have not eaten his dinner yet.

    Wang Chun froze for a second, pondered for a while, and then nodded. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll head back first. Be sure to notify me immediately if there¡¯s any progress with President Qi!¡±

    He still had to sort out the documents and bring them for notarization. Those were what mattered the most. Furthermore, they must be handled secretly!

 Chapter 1463 - Crisis 3

    <h4>Chapter 1463 Crisis 3</h4>

    As Yang Sheng nodded in response, he turned his head to look at Qi Lei who had stopped in front of the ss window and was silently looking at Qi Qiming in the room.

    After thinking about it for a moment, he quietly turned around and followed behind Wang Chun as they left together.

    Qi Lei stood in front of the ss window in a daze. After hesitating for a long time, he finally walked towards the door and opened it before entering the room and standing next to Qi Qiming¡¯s bed.

    It had never crossed his mind that Qi Qiming would go through something like this.

    His impression of his father had always been paranoia to him. For many years, he could only seem to recall unpleasant memories when he thought about Qi Qiming. Qi Lei knew that if he had a choice, he would definitely not have chosen this man to be his father.

    However, many things seemed to be destined and there was no way to change it, especially blood rtionships. Qi Lei could only ept the fact that they were rted.

    His mother, Wang Qin, was an arrogant and fearless person. He used to have a bad impression of her, and it was not until her sudden death that he suddenly realized that many things did not seem to matter as much anymore.

    As they said, happiness was not about having everything. Instead, it was to care less. Therefore, he had always been epting and tolerant to the point where he had nowhere else to go, so...

    Qi Lei convinced himself that even if it had nothing to do with grievances, he was just trying to fulfill his duty as a son since there would probably be many people watching and judging him. Thinking this way made him feel better.

    After taking a deep breath, he pulled a chair out and sat down slowly as he quietly looked at Qi Qiming. Yang Sheng, who just came back with some hot supper, hesitated for a long time as he waited outside. He finally knocked gently on the door.

    It was certain that a night like this would be a restless night, and Qi Lei was not the only one who could not fall asleep.

    At the Maple Residence, the lights in the entire house had dimmed. Even the wallmp by the window that used to be on all the time was off. asionally, there would be lighting in from the reflection of the street lights in the front yard.

    Xi Xiayey on her side, then tossed and turned until she wriggled out of the arms of the man behind her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you feel well?¡± he asked because he noticed that she had been on edge the whole night and she had not eaten well during dinner either.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just feel uneasy and I¡¯m afraid that something¡¯s going to happen.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed. She would not normally feel this way, except for the time when her grandmother, Liang Fuhua, had passed away. She had also felt the same disquietude in her heart.

    Mu Yuchen slowly reached out to turn on the bedsidemp when he heard herment. The bright light immediately lit up the entire bedroom. He sat up straight and turned to look at the woman next to him. He saw that she had also opened her eyes and sat up.

    ¡°Are you still worried about Qi Lei?¡± His deep voice expressed concern, and his eyes were as deep as the ocean. When Xi Xiaye turned her head to look at him, she was immediately drawn to him.

    In fact, she had never been able to resist him when he looked at her like that.

    ¡°I can¡¯t exin it, but I feel a little uneasy and it doesn¡¯t feel good,¡± Xi Xiaye said while brushing her hair with her lean fingers.

    ¡°Why are you worrying so much? Just let it be,¡± Mu Yuchen said to her disapprovingly. He pulled the nket off his body and tied his messy bathrobe. Then, he left the room and returned with a ss of water shortly after that.

    ¡°Have some water.¡± He sat down next to her and passed her the ss of water in his hand.

    Xi Xiaye inhaled and took the ss before taking a few sips distractedly. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the year has just begun and there are already so many problems. I feel like I can¡¯t cope, especially in the past two days. I¡¯ve been feeling a little burned out.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Dr. Zhong say that you¡¯re under too much pressure? What are you stressed about? Uncle Lan and the others are already taking care of everything at thepany. Don¡¯t you think your man is capable of handling things?¡± he seemed a little upset.

    She raised her hand to drink up the water in the ss and returned it back to him.

    ¡°Do you want more?¡± he asked calmly.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head andy down on the bed. She looked at him and said calmly, ¡°You worked really hard today, and thank goodness you did in time. Otherwise, Qi Lei would have suffered even more. Mr. Mu, I actually feel like my life experience is quite simr to Qi Lei¡¯s, but I think I¡¯m more fortunate than him. Do you feel sorry for him? You seemed to be really concerned about him.¡±

    ¡°Who else do you think was the reason behind this if not you?¡± Mu Yuchen pointed out as he nced at her. He calmed down and continued, ¡°You know, Qi Lei and I were sort of enemies, so why would I be concerned about him?¡±

    ¡°So, do you mean...you did it because of me?¡± The corners of Xiaye¡¯s mouth curved into a smile as she nced at him.

    ¡°Why else would I do that? I don¡¯t like trouble, and I¡¯m not one who can just befriend my enemies. Moreover, there are plenty of other good people in the world, and he¡¯s not the only one. Understand? ¡°he told her with a re.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled after he said that, and her slender arms gently wrapped around his shoulders. She leaned towards him and her silky hair that fell over her shoulders fell right in front of him.

    ¡°Okay, I know, I know. You treat me well, and my decision to choose you right from the beginning wasn¡¯t in vain, right? I made the right decision, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    His expression seemed more rxed now. He wrapped his long arms around her and let her lie down on his thigh as he ran his fingers through her soft silky hair. ¡°I told you from the very start that I will never let you suffer if you marry me.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know that yet. When we get old, will you still treat me the same way as you do now? You can only prove it by doing so.¡±

    ¡°Then...should I just hire a female secretary tomorrow?¡± he nced at her and said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± She red at him with her cold eyes before he could go on. ¡°I¡¯ll get the Human Resources Department to fire her immediately! Do you still want a female secretary?¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re always worried about me otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just be dramatic? You¡¯re so popr that every time you go out alone, I feel so much pressure that I have to be around you to feel secure!¡±

 Chapter 1464 - Crisis 4

    <h4>Chapter 1464 Crisis 4</h4>

    She always spoke so justly.

    Actually, it was not that she was worried about him. Instead, the more she cared for him every day, the more she was worried about how long this happiness wouldst. She wanted to just stick to him for the rest of her life...

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart instantly melted. To him, nothing made him happier than hearing his own wife saying that she cared about him.

    ¡°Alright now, don¡¯t overdo it. You¡¯re already the mother of two children. Why are you still so affected? If I was really thinking about it, I wouldn¡¯t have waited until now. I have standards that are much too high, and I only picked you out of the entire world. Are you not confident about yourself, or do you not trust me enough?¡±

    ¡°There are too many uncertainties, so I can¡¯t help but worry. After every storm when I think that we could live peacefully again, it doesn¡¯t seem to turn out that way. It always...Alright, I¡¯ll stop talking. Don¡¯t frown now...¡±

    When she saw that he frowned, she stopped rambling.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry,¡± he patted her head as he consoled her.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded. ¡°Just go with the flow then, but I still can¡¯t sleep,¡± she said as her starry eyes suddenly lit up and look meaningfully at the man.

    Upon seeing that gaze, Mr. Mu¡¯s lips immediately shed with a telepathic smile. With one hand holding her, he switched off the lights and the entire room fell into darkness.

    A while after, soft moans could be vaguely heard in the darkness...

    He conquered her eagerly, much more eagerly than he usually was.

    After he tossed her around, she suddenly recalled something and said to him through panted breaths, ¡°Mr. Mu, Xiao Cheng is a year old now, and we have been going at it. Why do you think we still haven¡¯t gotten any good news yet? I see other people being pregnant almost every year or every two, three years. It should be time for us to have the same news too, shouldn¡¯t it? Su Nan has also been pondering over whether to have a second child or not.¡±

    When she finished, the man paused slightly above her. Then, in the next second, he continued with even more passion without answering her question.

    Xi Xiaye did not have half the mind to think about it further as she fell into a daze.

    ...

    The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up slightlyter. When he had washed up and walked downstairs, Sis Wang had already prepared breakfast.

    ¡°Master, have some breakfast first. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be cold soon. Is the Missus awake?¡± Sis Wang delivered a freshly-made soya drink as she asked.

    Mu Yuchen sat down leisurely and said with refreshed spirits, ¡°Wake her up a littleter. We slept quitetest night.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Master,¡± Sis Wang smiled, then responded, ¡°Right, the Madam called this morning to tell you to leave the Young Master at the old residence. Since the two of you have just gone back to work, you¡¯re probably quite busy, and she¡¯s coincidentally on break for the next two days.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, pack some things to bring overter. We¡¯ll be quite busy in the next few days over here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Sis Wang responded. She wanted to say something more when the doorbell suddenly rang.

    She quickly went to get the door while Mu Yuchen continued to have his breakfast slowly.

    It was Li Si who came rushing in happily.

    ¡°Master!¡± His voice could not conceal the happiness as he rushed up to Mu Yuchen in a few huge strides.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and slowly stopped what he was doing. He turned to look at Li Si, catching sight all of the happiness on Li Si¡¯s face. Then, his lowered voice was heard, ¡°What great thing has happened now? Has Qi Qiming regained consciousness?¡±

    Li Si took a deep breath and Mu Yuchen hinted at Sis Wang who very knowngly poured Li Si a ss of water...

    Li Si took it courteously, finished it in a few gulps, and then calmed himself down before he said, ¡°Master, great news!¡±

    Li Si went closer to Mu Yuchen and said softly, ¡°Earlier, Ah Bo called from Los Angeles saying that they¡¯ve caught the assassin, but in the process, he fell down some stairs and broke his legs. He¡¯s fine though. Right now, he¡¯s still in aa. When he wakes up, they should be able to get something out of him. Also, he¡¯s been captured by the authorities over there for now, so there¡¯s no need to worry that he¡¯ll run off. Ah Bo has already given special instructions. Master, you don¡¯t have to worry!¡±

    When Li Si said that, Mu Yuchen paused what he was doing, and his exceptionally handsome face shed an unfathomable smile as he slowly set the chopsticks and bowl in his hand down. He took the ss of water from the side, had two sips, and then abruptly got up to leisurely take the towel from Sis Wang to wipe his hand before walking towards the sofa.

    Li Si walked over too.

    ¡°Master, this is great news. In fact, Ah Bo has already gotten people to lock down the news, doing our best not to startle anyone else. Wang Qin¡¯s incident was a thorn in both Master Qi and Missus¡¯ hearts. Right now, we just need to get this information from the assassin and the truth should surface very soon!¡± Li Si said brightly.

    God knew that to catch this person, they had really put in a lot of effort.

    ¡°Right, Master, the Minister should have found out by now as well. The police have gotten wind of some of the news.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sat down coldly, thought about it, then said in a lowered tone, ¡°We have to be careful. Get Ah Bo to find out the ins and outs of the whole thing from the assassin. Gu Qiwu isn¡¯t willing to bring up this assassin anymore, but of course, it will be hard for him to rid himself of all connections. It¡¯s actually easy to guess who he¡¯s trying to protect.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said that, Li Si fell silent for a moment then nodded knowingly. ¡°Master, I got it! I¡¯ll get people to check Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng right away and see if they¡¯ve got any links to this assassin.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll let you handle that. Send Ah Bao to assist Ah Bo right away. As for Qi Qiming¡¯s thing, leave it to Qi Lei. He should know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Master, I¡¯ll get it done right away! Oh right, Wang Chun got four bodyguards for Qi Lei this morning. He¡¯s worried that someone will do something to Master Qi. I think it doesn¡¯t seem right. Could this have been something that Qi Qiming arranged for beforehand? Qi Feng didn¡¯t seem to have beefed-up security!¡± Li Si asked puzzledly.

    Mu Yuchen thought about it then said in a gruff voice, ¡°That¡¯s between them brothers. From now on, we¡¯ll let Qi Lei and Qi Feng handle matters between each other.¡±

    ¡°Master, what about Qi Feng?¡±

    ¡°For certain grudges, they need to resolve it themselves. Don¡¯t underestimate Qi Lei. He¡¯s not that dumb.¡±

 Chapter 1465 - Crisis 5

    <h4>Chapter 1465 Crisis 5</h4>

    Li Si nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, I see, Master. The hospital just called too. Qi Qiming¡¯s situation hasn¡¯t gotten any better. He even underwent an emergency procedure in the emergency ward around three o¡¯clock in the morning, and his condition is currently still not very stable yet. As for Second Master Qi, he¡¯s been waiting there all this while...¡±

    He reported Qi Lei¡¯s situation to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°What about Qi Feng? Is there no response from his side?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°He got his *ss kicked by Second Master Qi yesterday, but he did go to the hospital with Gu Lingsha. However, he left early due to his condition, so there hasn¡¯t been much movement since then. But, Master, is it true that he¡¯s the person behind this incident? If that¡¯s so, then he truly is frantic!¡± Li Si creased his brows and said as he could not stand it anymore.

    Mu Yuchen lookedposed as usual as he responded, ¡°He does have a motive. When ites to being vicious, I admit that indeed, I lose to him.¡±

    A hint ofment was mixed in his deep voice. ¡°At least, he won¡¯t think twice when ites toying a hand on Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Does this make you think of Master Lingtian? Actually, I don¡¯t think Master Lingtian will really want to do that. Maybe he just can¡¯t stand seeing Gu Lingsha being caught by us. After all, at that time...¡± Li Si spoke cautiously, but when he saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s face stiffen, he held back his words.

    ¡°The matter between me and Lingtian is different from the grudge that exists between Qi Feng and Qi Lei. Don¡¯tpare them with Lingtian and me in the future.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone dove straight into the sub-zero zone, which made Li Si tense up subconsciously and he replied at once, ¡°Yes, Master! I might have gone overboard with thatparison. Please forgive me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lifted his arm to support his bowed head in the center of his eyebrows. ¡°You can go back first and get Vice President Zhang Lan to host today¡¯s meeting. I¡¯ll take two days off to rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si did not dare to say anything else and left directly.

    It was already ten o¡¯clock when Xi Xiaye woke up. Fortunately, Lan Zng had moved the morning meeting to the afternoon in time. Otherwise, she would not have been able to make it in time.

    When she went downstairs after freshening up, he was on the sofa, going through some documents leisurely. The French windows at the side were opened, so the warm rays covered the whole room, and the air was filled with a hint of floral fragrance. She looked over at the windows subconsciously, and sure enough, she saw the freshly reced champagne-colored rose bouquet on the shelf.

    ¡°Did you go out in the morning?¡± she spoke softly while walking down the stairs.

    The man, who was reviewing the documents attentively, raised his head in an instant. When he saw her, his stiff, attractive features eased slightly. Following her gaze, the bouquet of roses came into view, and he smiled. ¡°Do you like them?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite ingenious sometimes.¡± Xi Xiaye walked down the stairs and went straight towards him. He put aside the documents and poured her a ss of water. ¡°Sit down. Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°A little. Where¡¯s Sis Wang? Are you the only one here? Are you on leave today?¡± she asked as she took the ss from him for a few sips.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking the day off. I also called Uncle Lan and told him that you¡¯ll only be back in the evening. Sis Wang has gone to the Shen residence while our sons will stay there for two days, and the meal will be ready soon.¡±

    ¡°Mother rarely gets to rest for two days. Xiao Cheng is so naughty. Why don¡¯t you let Mother rx for a day or two?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    The little kiddo had grown to be a lot more mischievous in the past two months, especially after he learned how to walk. Even Aunty Fang struggled while taking care of him, thus they were lucky that Sis Wang was there to help. It had been less difficult now ever since Mu Yuchen transferred two more servants from the old residence.

    ¡°Mother is no longer young. She¡¯s naturally happy to see her grandsons.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, and the same applies to Grandpa too. We¡¯ve renovated the room upstairs, but he...¡±

    ¡°There are things that he misses over there, so leaving our sons there with them from time to time is more practical than anything else.¡± He gave her a sidelong nce and put all the documents on the desk away on the shelf on the side. He then stood up, walked towards her with the controller, and turned on the sound system in the living room. The room was filled with soft and soothing music in an instant.

    ¡°Your sons sound like cheap toys to you as you speak. I sometimes get a feeling that you don¡¯t care much about them. Be careful that they might grow distant from you,¡± Xi Xiaye said with a disapproving gaze.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who should be careful with your temper. Don¡¯t spoil our sons. As for me, they won¡¯t grow distant from me as long as I pay attention to the way I get along with them. We adults shouldn¡¯t protect them too much during this period anyway. Don¡¯t worry. I grew up under Grandpa¡¯s watch too,¡± he spoke while returning her gaze with a sidelong nce.

    He would never admit that when their sons were home, she would only give all her attention to them. For example, after dinner, she had to bathe Xiao Cheng, tuck him into bed, then help Mu Zirui with his homework. After that, she would bathe, then go to bed. He basically did not matter anymore. It was not like when they were newly married and living freely as husband and wife. Back then, all she thought of was him...

    ¡°I¡¯m okay with anything, but I¡¯m just worried that this will make them grow apart from us, especially us since we¡¯re so busy. We can only be with the kids for a few days in a month. Xiao Rui is starting to form his own opinion about things, and I don¡¯t want my childhood misfortune to happen to him. I hope he can have aplete and colorful childhood. After all, they¡¯re just like other children.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s no need to stick together every day to be able to foster our rtionship. Our sons are destined to be no ordinary men. As for now, I just hope that they can take after some of our qualities. The apple never falls far from the tree, so why worry?¡± He gazed at her helplessly. Nowadays, their topic of conversation revolved mostly around their sons. Mu Yuchen finally understood that this was inevitable. He also understood the good intentions of his father Mu Tangchuan, and his mother Zhuang Shurong.

    However, he could also understand the worries Xi Xiaye possessed. After all, she had had it differently. Her childhood had been full of ws and imperfections, hence it would only be natural for her to wish to provide her children with a different childhood.

    ¡°You seem to have faith in them.¡± She rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Of course, I do. They¡¯re my sons, and they¡¯ll be as outstanding as their father when they grow up,¡± he fiddled with his cufflinks while he asserted.

    ¡°I found out that the older you get, the more narcissistic you get. What makes you so sure that they won¡¯t overtake you in the future? Or even me?¡±

    ¡°You? You¡¯re, at most, a cute little foodie, and you want them to overtake you?¡± He squinted at her with a smirk.

 Chapter 1466 - Crisis 6

    <h4>Chapter 1466 Crisis 6</h4>

    Xi Xiaye responded by throwing a pillow at him. ¡°I told you not to bad-mouth me in front of our sons. It makes me lose my dignity!¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly caught the pillow. ¡°They¡¯re not here right now, are they? Can¡¯t you just satisfy a man¡¯s pride and vanity?¡±

    His eyebrows were slightly furrowed when he said that. The way he was looking at her looked a lot like the face Mu Xiaocheng pulled when he could not get his toy. It was no wonder they were father and son.

    She raised her eyebrows and stared at him for a while before she turned her head and coughed sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you care about male pride and dominance. Is it because I¡¯ve be more charmingtely and you¡¯re starting to feel a sense of crisis? Hey, where are you going? I¡¯m not done yet!¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Mu Yuchen had already left to go to the kitchen...

    He seemed to be quite rxed today. The husband and wife were enjoying their afternoon tea leisurely after lunch. Xi Xiaye was just about to go to the office when Mu Yuchen had already grabbed the car keys after noticing that.

    ¡°Are you going to send me there?¡± She was holding her handbag while looking at the man who had already walked out the door with the car key.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you there, then stop by Su Chen¡¯s ce to hang out for a bit.¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure then disappeared out of the doorway.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged as she watched the figure of the man disappear. It took a while before she finally followed behind him.

    In the blink of an eye, it was already the afternoon, and in Qi Qiming¡¯s ward at City Z Hospital, the attending doctor, Liang Jing, had just performed a checkup on Qi Qiming. Her frown eased slightly as she handed the medical records to the nurse beside her while she removed her mask.

    ¡°How is he doing?¡± Qi Lei said hoarsely as he looked at Liang Jing with his bloodshot eyes.

    He had not gotten any sleep at all, and he had been busy with thepany¡¯s opening ceremony since a few days ago, so his body was weak. He felt a little groggy and extremely exhausted.

    Qi Lei had asked Yang Sheng to go back and get some rest in the morning. Other than a few bodyguards that Wang Chun had arranged, Qi Lei was the only person left at the hospital. Wang Chun had returned to the Qi Kai Group, and the news about Qi Qiming¡¯s ident had been made known to the Qi Kai Group internally. Nobody knew what would happen. Qi Feng was also trying his best to keep everything under control.

    Certainly, after such a tragic ident, some reporters would not let the opportunity to get first-hand information slip away, so there were a few reporters in disguise at the hospital. Fortunately, Qi Lei had made prior arrangements, or else, it would probably be chaos.

    ¡°His condition seems to be slightly stabler now, and I hope that whatever happenedst night won¡¯t happen again. He¡¯s still in critical condition, so we will need to monitor him carefully. However, you also need to be mentally prepared because he was severely injured. Even if he¡¯s lucky enough to make it through, I¡¯m afraid that it will also be very challenging down the road since it will take a long time to recover, and he may have limited mobility in his left hand,¡± Liang Jing reminded him in a serious tone.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath as he listened and he looked at Qi Qiming on the hospital bed. ¡°I understand. Thank you for all your hard work. Please try to save him no matter what...¡±

    ¡°You can rest assured that this is our priority, and I will do my best. You haven¡¯t gotten any sleep at all. It¡¯s best to take a rest. Otherwise, you might fall first before he even gets through the critical stage. His condition is fairly stable now, and there are critical care unit nurses watching over him. They¡¯ll notify me in time if anything happens. Don¡¯t worry about it and just take a good rest.¡± Liang Jing was kind to him since Qi Lei was also a good friend of Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo¡¯s.

    Qi Lei nced at her gratefully and nodded. ¡°I know. Thank you. Thank you so much. I¡¯ll stay a little longer.¡± He sat on the sofa opposite after saying that.

    Liang Jing looked at him with a deep gaze, and she could not help but sigh. She had seen many cases like this, but it was certainly not easy for Qi Lei to go to this extent, especially during the emergency procedurest night...

    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best and leave the rest. You don¡¯t have to feel too depressed. His condition isn¡¯t that bad,¡± Liang Jingforted. She rarelyforted the family members of patients that way because at times like these, destiny could not be avoided, andforting would not do anything. However, after seeing Qi Lei, she still could not help butfort him.

    She seemed to have heard of Qi Lei from her son, Zhou Zimo. She knew that he also had a pretty tough life. Therefore, she admired Qi Leipared to her son who had given her quite a bit of trouble.

    ¡°I know. Thank you,¡± Qi Lei generally did not like to say ¡°thank you¡± very much, but he realized that he had been saying it quite a lot recently. He would hardly say those two words before this.

    Liang Jing smiled and nodded before leaving the ward.

    Not long after she left, the critical care unit nurse also came in to check on the patient. Qi Lei finally left the ward.

    When Yang Sheng visited with some afternoon tea, Qi Lei was sitting on a bench at the corner of the corridor and smoking a cigarette. There was faint smoke in the air and his figure seemed a little lonely.

    ¡°Master Qi, you haven¡¯t eaten much in the afternoon. Here¡¯s some porridge and your favourite flower tea,¡± Yang Sheng said as he stood beside him with food in his hand.

    His voice interrupted Qi Lei¡¯s thoughts. He raised his gaze and nced at Yang Sheng as he flicked the ashes off the cigarette in between his fingers. He frowned and took another puff before he left half of the cigarette in the tray beside him.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s gaze followed Qi Lei¡¯s motion and saw that the tray was already filled with cigarette butts.

    ¡°How¡¯s thepany doing?¡± Qi Lei asked with his husky voice as he reached out to Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng quickly put the food container on the ss table next to him and swiftly poured the porridge out for him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. It was managed in time, so everything is pretty much under control. It¡¯s also thanks to the vice presidents and Master Mu that our Tai Yu Corporation is doing so much betterpared to the chaos in the Qi Kai Group.¡±

    Qi Lei silently took the steaming porridge that Yang Sheng handed over and tested the temperature before slowly eating it.

    Yang Sheng felt relieved as he watched his boss eat. He continued, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about thepany, Master Qi. President Qi¡¯s condition is what we should be worried about right now. I heard from the employees of the Qi Kai Group that the shareholders are worried after hearing about President Qi¡¯s condition, and it seems like they might want to bring the date of the shareholders meeting forward.¡±

 Chapter 1467 - Crisis 7

    <h4>Chapter 1467 Crisis 7</h4>

    When Yang Sheng said that, Qi Lei paused. Then, in the blink of an eye, he continued without any change in expression. His silent eyes were calm as if it was something within his expectations.

    Upon seeing that Qi Lei did not say anything, Yang Sheng paused and loked at Qi Lei silently too.

    Qi Lei finished the bowl of porridge, then served himself another one. He finished it slowly before leisurely having his cup of floral tea too.

    When he saw Qi Lei put down the bowl in his hand, Yang Sheng carefully called out to him, ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    Qi Lei took the wet handkerchief Yang Sheng handed him then wiped his hand casually. His bloodshot eyes squinted, then he said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s normal. If something so huge happened and they didn¡¯t think of using this chance to overthrow the leadership, then that would¡¯ve been odd.¡±

    ¡°What do we do then? CEO Qi did say to postpone the shareholders¡¯ meeting before this. If it were brought forward with CEO Qi in his current state, First Master would definitely use the chance to control those shareholders. Most of CEO Qi¡¯s trusted aides are already inclined towards First Master, and they will have no qualms letting First Master take lead. CEO Qi probably won¡¯t be regaining consciousness anytime soon. I¡¯m worried that right now in the entire Qi Kai, only Yue Hai has remained neutral while most of those shareholders are on First Master¡¯s side. Even though we¡¯ve left Qi Kai, to just watch helplessly as it falls into First Master¡¯s hands...¡±

    As Yang Sheng said this, he felt extremely uneasy. Quite a few projects under Tai Yu Corporation were from Qi Kai. Previously, because of their kinship, Qi Qiming did not make things hard for them and was even willing to help out. However, once Qi Feng took leadership, would he just let Tai Yu Corporation do well?

    Thus, if Qi Feng assumed the position of CEO, it would definitely be a terrible thing for them!

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment. He was wiping his hand when he stopped as a chill shed in his eyes. Moments after, he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Just manage matters at the newpany. I¡¯ll know what to do with everything else. Watch Qi Feng. I¡¯d like to see if he can get his way and be the CEO of Qi Kai!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi do you have some sort of n?¡± Yang Sheng asked carefully.

    Qi Lei tossed aside the handkerchief and said coldly, ¡°The information I asked you to gather on the shareholders should be almostplete, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s prepared, but Master Qi, what do you want those things for?¡± Yang Sheng asked puzzledly.

    ¡°Email it to my inbox right away. I need it,¡± Qi Lei ordered right away. His handsome face did not seem as cunning as usual. Right then, there seemed to be an added hint of caution and detachment on his face.

    Yang Sheng was actually not familiar with this version of Qi Lei as he rarely saw him like this. He did not realize when it had happened, but his Master Qi did not seem to have the brashness of his youth like before. Now, you could see in his steps that there seemed to be profoundness and wisdom that came with time.

    He thought that if VP Wang were still around, she would definitely be very happy to see Master Qi today. Sadly, she would never be able to witness it.

    Too much had been sacrificed for Master Qi¡¯s growth. From when he used to loiter yfully to the reserved person he was today, it had not been easy.

    As Yang Sheng thought about this, he felt gratified.

    He fell silent for a moment before responding, ¡°Alright, Master Qi! I¡¯ll send it to you right away.¡±

    Qi Lei had already gotten up leisurely at the moment. He fixed his slightly wrinkly shirt then said, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit. Send the things to me right away. Also, arrange for a few more people to stand guard here and inform me right away if anything happens. Stop anyone whoes over. Apart from me, Doctor Liang, and those two nurses, no one else is allowed near the ward, got it?¡± Qi Lei exined seriously.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. I understand! I will arrange things well.¡±

    Qi Lei then turned and was about to leave when Yang Sheng suddenly remembered something and quickly called out to him, ¡°Hold on, Master Qi!¡±

    As he called out to him, he rushed up to the man.

    Qi Lei slowed down his steps and waited for Yang Sheng to catch up to him before he shot him a side look and waited for him to continue.

    ¡°Master Qi, earlier, when I passed by De Feng Avenue, I saw Miss Dongfang. It seemed like she was going abroad. She said to thank you and to wish you good luck. When she¡¯s back, she¡¯ll treat you to a drink,¡± Yang Sheng said.

    Yang Sheng did not know why he would tell him this. Earlier, when he had passed by De Feng Avenue, he had a sudden thought to go take a look at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ce. He kept feeling that when Master Qi and Dongfang Liuyun chatted, they were verypatible. In fact, Master Qi seemed to be himself more without much pressure.

    It was not because of any other intention. He just thought that perhaps Master Qi could have more friends like Master Mu or Miss Xi Xiaye, which would be a great thing. At least, sometimes, there could be one other person to hang out with Master Qi.

    When he rushed over, he unexpectedly bumped into Dongfang Liuyun closing the doors. She had exined that she was going abroad.

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei paused and turned to look at Yang Sheng.

    When his eyes met Qi Lei¡¯s gaze, Yang Sheng could not help but shrink his neck and say softly, ¡°Actually, I suddenly thought of Miss Dongfang when I was passing by De Feng Avenue. I knew that she went yesterday, but...Anyway, I made a trip, and bumped into her leaving.¡±

    ¡°Busybody!¡± Qi Lei frowned as he softly reprimanded Yang Sheng and then walked ahead with a sunken expression.

    Yang Sheng was stunned. He scratched his head and followed after him.

    ...

    The afternoon sun was very warm. The bright sunlight streamed in through the half-opened window, and the green bonsai on the side seemed that much more alive.

    In the office of the Deputy Chief of the Traffic Control Bureau, Su Chen stood before the shelf and took a folder. He tossed it to Mu Yuchen who sat at his desk before he sank down in his chair. He took a cigarette from the side, took a stick out, and began to smoke it without the slightest scruple.

    ¡°Take a look at it. It wasn¡¯t easy getting these either. Why don¡¯t you get Uncle Mu to do this for you? Do you feel bad asking help from your old man?¡± Su Chen teased as he let out a puff of smoke while nonchntly watching Mu Yuchen take the document and begin flipping through it.

    Mu Yuchen did not even look at him as he flipped through those materials with his head down. ¡°You¡¯ve beening over to my ce to leech on meals. Do you feel troubled that I asked you for a little favor now? You¡¯ve got so much to say!¡±

 Chapter 1468 - Crisis 8

    <h4>Chapter 1468 Crisis 8</h4>

    Su Chen rolled his eyes and gave him a sideways nce. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being so free that you¡¯d be so calctive about money with me. By the way, what¡¯s going on on Qi Qiming¡¯s side? Don¡¯t tell me that it was Qi Feng¡¯s doing,¡± he said with furrowed eyebrows.

    ¡°I want to know that too. He has the most motives in many of the incidents. Plus, his signature is all over those events, but it¡¯s just that there¡¯s no evidence to prove that it was him. If what we think is true, he does know how to hide and protect himself since he doesn¡¯t make a move easily,¡± Mu Yuchen did not raise his head while hemented in his indifferent, emotionless tone.

    ¡°No matter how well he knows how to conceal himself, it¡¯s impossible to be wless. If there¡¯s his shadow in one or two things, it can be said to be a coincidence, but if it¡¯s on everything, then it means that something¡¯s fishy. We¡¯re both not people that believe in coincidence, are we?¡± Su Chen said disapprovingly while he stood up from the chair and walked towards Mu Yuchen. After casually taking out a packet of tea leaves from the tea cab, he sat down opposite Mu Yuchen, grabbed the kettle that was just boiling at the side, and began to brew some tea.

    Mu Yuchen skimmed through the documents, and his charming face stiffened as he did so, but it returned to normal after that. He then kept the folder silently and ced it aside while Su Chen handed him a cup of freshly brewed tea.

    ¡°I think so too, but there¡¯s no evidence. Everyone can only see the oue, and ultimately, now even after so many coincidences, he¡¯s still fine. He sure has got some luck there,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he reached out for the tea to take a sip leisurely.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a huge project that it lies in your hands. I¡¯m powerless from now on. You asked me to find a way to get my hands on these materials. You must have doubts regarding Wang Qin¡¯s misfortune, don¡¯t you? But this matter has been silent and there hasn¡¯t been any result yet, so I feel it¡¯s strange too. And I thought Uncle Mu cared a lot about this issue too.¡±

    ¡°Li Si came by this morning. He said that the murderer has been found in Los Angeles, but he has been unconscious ever since he was injured,¡± Mu Yuchen said in his deep voice.

    Instantly, Su Chen raised his eyebrows. ¡°So does this mean that there¡¯s a way now? As long as the murderer wakes up, we¡¯ll know who hired him?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy since he is a killer. Also, we don¡¯t know how many lives he has taken. They are people with their lives on the line, and they should know that once they¡¯re caught, they¡¯re as good as dead, so they might not give up their employer. A real killer usually has great professional ethics. The information I got from my father is that the killer is an orphan and a loner. He was in the military and is quite the sniper,¡± Mu Yuchen poured all the information that he had out calmly.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Then, it won¡¯t be easy to get him to talk.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took another sip of tea as he glimpsed at the clock opposite him and discovered that it was already 3 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. He then suggested, ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity for us to catch up, and since it¡¯s about time, let¡¯s pay Zimo a visit and have dinner together tonight.¡±

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s go to Dragon Hot Spring. It¡¯s been some time since west enjoyed ourselves,¡± Su Chen agreed.

    ¡°Won¡¯t your wife lock you outside of your room when you go home?¡± Mu Yuchen gave Su Chen a pregnant gaze when he heard that suggestion.

    Su Chen replied to his gaze with rolled eyes and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m a decent man. Plus, what¡¯s wrong with enjoying myself? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m out looking for another woman.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I smell something fishy there. Is there something wrong between you and Ji Zitong?¡± Mu Yuchen quickly caught the anomaly in Su Chen¡¯s tone and said with certainty.

    Su Chen did not bother him. He ced his teacup aside before standing up suddenly to grab his police uniform jacket on the side in one hand and drape it over his shoulders. ¡°I thought you said we¡¯re going to Zimo¡¯s ce. Let¡¯s go. You¡¯ll drive!¡±

    While speaking, he had already taken his hat from the table to wear on his head, and he strode out the door.

    Mu Yuchen took a nce at the tall and bold silhouette that had just disappeared at the doorway while a trace of amusement brushed the corners of his lips. He then caught up with Su Chen.

    ...

    ¡°First Master, we¡¯re doomed!¡±

    In the evening, Morrison knocked on the door of Qi Feng¡¯s office and rushed in nervously while his eyes overflowed with panic and anxiety.

    Qi Feng, who was looking down and reviewing the documents, creased his eyebrows. When he raised his head and red at Morrison, his expression stiffened as he seemed to be dissatisfied with Morrison¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Qi Feng asked coldly.

    ¡°First Master, this is bad. We might have screwed up! The man has disappeared, and there¡¯s no trace of him now. I worry that he might have been caught by the police! I heard him say a while ago that many people have their eyes on him. I¡¯m afraid that...¡± Morrison reported his findings restlessly.

    Upon listening to that, Qi Feng frowned slightly in an instant and clenched the pen in his hand. Uncertainty could be seen in his eyes.

    ¡°Master, is there a possibility that the cops might have...¡± Before Morrison could finish his sentence, Qi Feng had already raised his hand to hush him.

    ¡°He¡¯s not a man that opens up that easily. Furthermore, we can¡¯t be sure whether he¡¯s fallen into the hands of the police, so don¡¯t sh*t your pants.¡± Although Qi Feng felt uneasy, he did not panic sincenot many people knew about the man who was involved in the matter. Moreover, the people that he found were ones that he trusted. The only thing that bothered him at the moment was whether the person, who deliberately clung tightly to the matter, had gotten any proof that tied him to it.

    ¡°You¡¯re right too, Master. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m truly worried. Mu Yuchen isn¡¯t a man to be trifled with. Ever since he was apprehended for a few days for Wang Qin¡¯s incident and got out, he has never given up on searching for the truth. He went to the Maldives a while back. I think it was more than just a vacation.¡± Morrison frowned and his tone sounded very serious.

    Qi Feng raised his arm and rubbed his bulging be, then he spoke in an abnormally cold tone, ¡°This isn¡¯t his first time ruining my ns. Time after time, since when did he not get involved in my ns? He¡¯s always there dealing with me deliberately!¡±

    ¡°First Master, so what should we do now? I just came back from the hospital. President Qi hasn¡¯t awakened. Second Master and his bodyguards are on guard there, so we couldn¡¯t get close to the room. So far, President Qi isn¡¯t out of the woods yet, and his condition escted just now. Fortunately, the doctors made it there in time. Why don¡¯t we...¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t worry about things from over there. Is all this still not chaotic enough for you? Since when did I tell you that you can make such calls yourself?!¡±

 Chapter 1469 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 1

    <h4>Chapter 1469 Shareholders¡° Meeting 1</h4>

    Annoyed, Qi Feng immediately cut Morrison off. Morrison was startled when Qi Feng looked at him with a stern gaze. He gasped and quickly mmed up.

    ¡°Master, I...¡± Morrison felt like he was in the wrong, so he did not dare to say more.

    ¡°Do you think this situation is good for us? We¡¯re being forced to take action. You¡¯re too ignorant, Morrison.¡± Qi Feng was feeling light-headed and he seemed exhausted.

    In fact, he had not been able to rx for quite some time and had always been in a state of nervous tension. He started making ns because he had begun to feel helpless, especially after Doris¡¯s misfortune.

    ¡°But all we can do is to keep going. Those shareholders are also on your side, Master. However, some of President Qi¡¯s people seem to be out of it and they don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on. They seem to have some doubts about President Qi¡¯s matter. When President Qi said that he wanted to postpone the shareholders¡¯ meeting, they strongly agreed to it, but now, they seem to be keeping their options open...¡± Morrison said frustratedly.

    ¡°First Master, I feel that they¡¯re just a bunch of fence-sitters who can¡¯t make up their minds. I don¡¯t get what Yue Hai¡¯s thinking either. It seems like he¡¯s just on his own. President Qi has always kept his guard up against him. When Second Master was still at thepany, he seemed to be quite friendly towards him, but now...¡±

    ¡°The Qi Kai Group is in a tough spot now. The most important thing right now is to make sure that the shareholders¡¯ meeting is on the agenda. Everything was unexpected, so they can¡¯t really say no,¡± Qi Feng said as he took a sip of tea from the cup beside him.

    Morrison nodded. ¡°Exactly. I¡¯ve heard from the hospital that President Qi¡¯s still in critical condition, and it may be difficult to recover even after he emerges from the critical period. Moreover, ording to reliable sources, he might...¡±

    Although he wanted to go on, he noticed Qi Feng¡¯s eyes darken when he said that. Therefore, he immediately held his tongue and observed his boss carefully.

    Qi Feng took a deep breath and gripped the cup in his hand tightly. ¡°Keep an eye on President Qi¡¯s condition at the hospital and see if there¡¯s any way to help him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, First Master! I¡¯ve already ordered our people to contact a foreign specialist. If things take a turn for the worse, we can also...¡±

    ¡°Do you swear that this has nothing to do with Shasha?¡± Qi Feng asked as he raised his head and looked at Morrison.

    Morrison nodded quickly and replied, ¡°Madam knows nothing about this. Glenn initially wanted me to pass on some message to her, but I think Madam seems to be moody recently and I¡¯m worried if I tell her these things, she will...However, I didn¡¯t expect Glenn to sacrifice himself for someone else. In my opinion, he must¡¯ve had a deep affection for Doris. Many couldn¡¯t resist her charm, even Alex and Gu Qiwu. People were right about her.¡± Morrison seemed to bementing.

    Qi Feng listened and his eyes darkened. He leaned back and said, ¡°It¡¯s better not to have anything to do with Doris. You should tell Madam about Glenn since she has the right to know. Also, arrange for them to start setting up for the shareholders¡¯ meeting in seven days. After being in a deadlock for so long, they can only take it head-on ande to a decision as soon as possible.¡±

    Qi Feng also felt that he was somewhat powerless. At this point, it would probably be easier to end things sooner rather thanter.

    Morrison¡¯s eyes gleamed with joy and he said, ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, First Master. I¡¯ll make the arrangements so that Manager Chen will discuss the shareholders¡¯ meeting with the rest at the meeting tomorrow morning. By the way, should we also keep an eye out on Second Master?¡±

    ¡°What else can he do now? Even if I didn¡¯t know what my father meant before, it still wouldn¡¯t be very difficult to inherit the Qi Kai Group. Sometimes, the more you care, the more trouble you get. Now, all we can do is just go with the flow.¡± Qi Feng could not care too much. He could only soldier on and keep going.

    Morrison could hear the gravity in Qi Feng¡¯s tone. He thought about it and said, ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. Everything will work out for the best. We¡¯ve done so much and we¡¯ll eventually seed. No one¡¯s more suitable for that position than you. President Qi has always thought the same, hasn¡¯t he? If it wasn¡¯t for Mu Yuchen who stirred things up and influenced Second Master to quit the Qi Kai Group, and President Qi who pitied Second Master because of Wang Qin, we wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. Moreover, all the good things that would¡¯ve followed were obviously ruined too.¡±

    Morrison was disgruntled when he talked about Mu Yuchen who had investigated him before. He still held a grudge against Mu Yuchen because of his previous ident.

    ¡°Just keep an eye on them. Qi Lei can¡¯t do much now that most of his people have left thepany with him while the rest won¡¯t support him either.¡±

    ¡°Then, should we call him to the uing shareholders¡¯ meeting? President Qi did not remove him from his position as the Qi Kai Group¡¯s Vice President. I think it probably won¡¯t be a big deal to tell him and it¡¯ll stop people from talking too. By the way, Master, it¡¯s best to tell Madam about this matter first. If you can get Gu Qiwu¡¯s support, it should be much easier. Although Gu Qiwu isn¡¯t on our side, those shareholders do take his decision into consideration. He has nothing to do with Qi Lei, so he¡¯ll definitely support you, First Master,¡± Morrison continued after pondering for a while.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the arrangements up to you and I¡¯ll go to the hospitalter. My kind brother has been there for so long and it seems a little inappropriate if I¡¯m not there,¡± Qi Feng said sarcastically.

    He could hardly control the rage in his heart when he thought about what happened yesterday. His jaw was still stinging although his bruises had healed quite a bit this morning after Gu Lingsha applied ice packs on his bruisesst night. Otherwise, he...

    Qi Lei had surprised him. In the past, he would definitely not make the same mistake.

    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll make the arrangements. By the way, Madam said that she¡¯lleter with Miss Weiwei. Miss Weiwei wants to see you,¡± Morrison added.

 Chapter 1470 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 2

    <h4>Chapter 1470 Shareholders¡° Meeting 2</h4>

    Miss Weiwei?

    When his daughter was brought up, Qi Feng¡¯s dark eyes could not help but glimmer inposure.

    Actually, he admitted that he was a very selfish and extreme person, but when it came to his daughter, Weiwei, he genuinely loved her. Perhaps, it was also because he had been by her side watching her grow ever since she was born. Every time he saw her struggle with her illness, he seemed to see shadows of his old self.

    The father and son and duo sympathized with one another, so as a father, Qi Feng still loved Qi Weier very much. Because of Qi Weier, he put in a lot of effort. Thankfully, her health had improved a lot since, and she seemed to be doing better in terms of mental health as ofte too.

    Previously, Gu Lingsha had been depressed because of Doris¡¯s passing. In order to avoid being affected by Gu Lingsha¡¯s emotions, Qi Feng had especially separated the mother and daughter for a period of time. When he heard that Gu Lingsha was doing better, he let them stay together again.

    Even though Gu Lingsha was still working at Qi Kai, because of her previous emotional instability, she kept on taking leave although Qi Feng got used to it.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve made the arrangements, then go fetch them. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gone out,¡± Qi Feng said calmly.

    ¡°Alright, First Master, I¡¯ll go right away.¡±

    Then, Morrison let out a sigh of relief before he retreated.

    ...

    The sky gradually darkened, and the warm, gentle sunlight shone on the horizon. Moments after that, the sun set into the horizon, and the vast world appeared dusky.

    When Xi Xiaye walked out of the office, the sky had darkened, and it was early evening.

    She had just walked down the stairs when the chauffeur and bodyguards drove the car over while the guard by the door respectfully went up to open the car door for her.

    She quickly got into the car.

    ¡°Go to the hospital in the city center.¡±

    Her man had called her earlier, saying that he would have dinner with Su Chen and the rest that night and would be returning homete. Every time he went out, he would knowingly report his movements to her so that she would not need to worry about not being able to find him.

    ¡°Alright, CEO Xi.¡±

    She was worried about things on Qi Lei¡¯s end. Earlier, when she had called him, his phone had been switched off, so she called Yang Sheng and found out that he had been staying at the hospital.

    Fuhua Real Estate was not too far from the hospital. It took only an approximately 40-minute drive. When they passed by the bustling city center, Xi Xiaye asked the bodyguard to get dinner for Qi Leei.

    The hospital was naturally quite quiet at night. As she walked along the empty corridor and listened to the clear sound of her own footsteps, Xi Xiaye was actually slightly afraid. She had always been quite nervous about the hospital, but thankfully, there were the two bodyguards behind her that Mu Yuchen had arranged for.

    Before she reached Qi Qiming¡¯s room, she could see Qi Lei from afar. He was standing at the ss window looking in from outside, and his figure actually looked quite lonely.

    She walked lightly, but her rhythmic steps were heard. Qi Lei turned to look in an instant. He followed the sound, and Xi Xiaye¡¯s elegant, slender figure soon greeted his sight. Relief shed across his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached his side in a few steps with a nod, and then looked towards the sickbed. Qi Qimingy still on bed.

    ¡°How¡¯s he doing?¡± she asked with concern as she turned to look at Qi Lei, catching a hint of fatigue in his bloodshot eyes.

    Qi Lei breathed in. ¡°He¡¯s alright. He was stable by the afternoon. Earlier, the doctor just came to check, and he said that if he can safely get through tonight, and his condition stabilizes, he¡¯ll be able to get through the critical period for now, but we don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll regain consciousness.¡±

    Then, he turned around and pointed to the chairs behind him. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and sat down too. ¡°You look really tired. You should rest, or you might copse yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei closed his eyes for a while, then opened it and calmed himself down before saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can handle it still. I was just a little tired a few days ago, but earlier, I had a quick shut-eye in the car on the way here, so I feel much better already.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. I got you some dinner. Quickly have some,¡± Xi Xiaye said as she waved to the bodyguard beside her. The bodyguard knowingly brought the lunchbox forward and respectfully handed it to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei massaged the space between his brows. He did not reject the food and put it on the ss table beside him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to make a trip all the way here. Nothing¡¯s changed.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s lowered voice sounded raspy.

    ¡°I was worried, so I came to look. Even though I don¡¯t want to say too much, I do hope you¡¯re doing better, and that all will be fine and things will look up again.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye turned her head and looked at Qi Lei¡¯s worn out expression, she felt sorry for him. He has had too much too bear, and she really hoped that everything he was going through right now would be rewarded with happiness just like how she had it back then.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to console me, but of course, I¡¯m happy that you care about me. Perhaps this is just my fate: to be a lone wolf,¡± Qi Lei said in what seemed like a very calm tone.

    ¡°When did you believe in fate? We¡¯re all good people and we haven¡¯t done anything terrible, so we shouldn¡¯t be abandoned by fate. Don¡¯t be too pessimistic now. Even I found happiness. You¡¯re better than I am. How could you be left behind?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled calmly.

    ¡°These words sound familiar like someone else asked a simr question before...¡± Qi Leiughed softly as his fingersbed through his dark hair while he sighed helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m not such a great person. I¡¯ve lived to be 30 years old and I haven¡¯t done a single good thing. Instead, I¡¯ve caused endless trouble. Sometimes, I really wish I could turn back time. Perhaps I could change many things.

    ¡°But there are no what-ifs now. I don¡¯t like what-ifs or simr terms anyway. Sometimes, those terms are just a way of finding excuses for our past mistakes.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see things thoroughly back then and forced myself into dire straits. Xiaye, you¡¯re a good woman, and I¡¯m grateful to have met you. At least, right now, I¡¯ve still got a friend like you visiting me and talking to me.¡±

    Qi Lei sighed, and then his dazed gaze fell onto the sickbed inside...

 Chapter 1471 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 3

    <h4>Chapter 1471 Shareholders¡° Meeting 3</h4>

    No one would have expected it toe to this stage.

    His reminiscence of the time when he was young and frivolous only brought about mncholy. If he had known that his fate was destined to be bumpy, Qi Lei might not have chosen to live the lifestyle he had back then. s, many things were beyond his control, and what was done was done. The past was the past, and he could not change anything about it. However, he might be able to do something about the future.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen always told me that in the past. If only I had met him sooner, maybe it wouldn¡¯t have been as difficult as it was for each of us. Or maybe we wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much time back then...¡±Xi Xiaye said softly before she paused suddenly. She then turned towards him, shooting him a faint nce, and continued, ¡°I also think that if both of us had met each other earlier, it actually would¡¯ve been much better. I was the same as you back then. I often felt lonely, especially during my time abroad.¡±

    ¡°Was I as lucky as you were? I think I was unfortunate.¡± The corners of Qi Lei¡¯s lips twitched, and he gave her a wry smile.

    Xi Xiaye smiled in agreement when she heard him, ¡°Howe? But luck is reserved for people who are optimistic and courageous. As for your luck, it¡¯s probably just not here yet. You¡¯re only 30 years old, and that¡¯s young. I just about ran into Mr. Mu when he was at your age.¡±

    ¡°He should already be more than 30 years old back then. Do you want some?¡± As Qi Lei spoke, he took the meal box on the side out and started eating it.

    He was extremely hungry as he had only eaten the porridge that Yang Sheng had delivered in the morning and had not eaten anything since then.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°Nah, you can have it yourself. I¡¯m not hungry. Get some restter. The nurses are watching him, and I¡¯ll be here for a while, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I won¡¯t be courteous when ites to you,¡± Qi Lei said before starting to indulge in the soup.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him and smiled. She then got up without saying a word to avoid disturbing him and walked towards the ss window in front of her. Through the window, she nced at Qi Qiming who was lying in the room and then took a glimpse at Qi Lei who was eating his dinner.

    Qi Lei was satisfied and stopped after finishing most of the food and downing arge cup of scented tea. Upon seeing Xi Xiaye still standing and guarding by the window, he could not withstand the fatigue in the end. Hey down on a cushioned bench beside him, closed his eyes, and fell asleep in a few blinks.

    When Xi Xiaye looked back, she found that he had already fallen asleep.

    It was the early spring season, so the night was still rather cold, especially since the window on the side was notpletely closed. Qi Lei¡¯s clothes were quite thin, so he curled up slightly while sleeping. Xi Xiaye wanted to wake him up and get him to sleep in the nurses¡¯ room, but she could not bear to do so after seeing his appearance, so she winked at the bodyguard on the side.

    One of the bodyguards turned away and left withrge strides while the other walked to the window and closed it.

    After a while, the bodyguard who left returned with a thick and soft nket in his hand. The chauffeur had brought it down from the car.

    The bodyguard handed the nket to Xi Xiaye, and she covered Qi Lei with it gently and sat next to him. She then stretched her arm towards the bodyguards who quickly handed over several documents to her.

    ¡°Missus, it¡¯s already sote. Do you want to go home first? There are nurses and guards here, so it¡¯ll be fine,¡± one of the bodyguards lowered his voice and said cautiously.

    Xi Xiaye raised her gaze slowly from the documents and took a nce at Qi Lei, who had fallen asleep next to her. She then sighed softly, ¡°No hurry. We¡¯ll leaveter. Just let him sleep a little longer. Call Master to see when he wille back, and ask him toe to the hospital to pick me upter.¡± After giving the order, she lowered her head again and continued to review her documents.

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡± the bodyguard in ck responded, then turned away and left.

    The aisle became quiet once again. asionally, all that was heard was the rustling wind outside and the sound of paper flipping over from time to time. The light was naturally bright, but the shadows on the ground were very faint and almost invisible.

    It was unclear how long had passed after Xi Xiaye had gone through several different documents, and the brilliant lights from the outside seemed to have dimmed slightly. Xi Xiaye was still busy while Qi Lei just turned over on his side and continued sleeping.

    Yang Sheng saw the exact same scene when he came over. It was so quiet and peaceful that he did not wish to disrupt it. However, at that moment, some people just could not do as he wished.

    Yang Sheng wanted to lighten his steps and walk over slowly, but unexpectedly, a series of footsteps came from behind him suddenly, echoing clearly in the empty walkway as they were deliberately heavy. He looked back immediately. Qi Feng, Morrison, and his men caught his eye!

    The sound of these footsteps interrupted Xi Xiaye¡¯s thought too, so she then raised her head and looked in the direction where the sound came from.

    It was Qi Feng¡¯s unfathomable and gloomy eyes that met her sight, and she frowned immediately.

    Why did hee at this time?

    Thinking about it, her pretty eyes could not help but project a hint of distress. She then gazed at Qi Lei who was still sleeping.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Ms. Xiaye!¡± a deep, hoarse voice shed through the air of the aisle. Qi Feng smiled and gave Qi Lei, who was on the side, a sidelong nce before his gaze then locked on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face.

    Xi Xiaye did not want to have too much contact with this person. Plus, she might not be able to take this man on. It was not wise to go head-to-head with him, but she could avoid it, so she nodded and then gave Yang Sheng, who was standing behind Qi Feng, a meaningful gaze.

    Taking a deep breath, Yang Sheng then walked towards Qi Lei and nudged him gently. ¡°Master Qi, wake up!¡±

    Although Qi Lei slept deeply, he was actually a light sleeper. He had noticed it when Qi Feng first arrived, but he really did not want to meet that guy.

    He opened his eyes, sat up straight, and red at Qi Feng with a poker face. Then, he nced at Xi Xiaye. His voice was gentle as he said, ¡°It¡¯s already ratherte. You should go home first.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked back and forth between the brothers several times. After giving it some thought, she then said, ¡°Okay, Ah Da, both of you stay here and keep watch. Inform me if there is anything.¡±

    The two bodyguards thought about it, then nodded discreetly.

    Xi Xiaye then tidied up her documents and left alone.

    Naturally, Qi Lei gave her a pregnant nce as she walked past him. He then caught up with her in a few strides.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

 Chapter 1472 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 4

    <h4>Chapter 1472 Shareholders¡° Meeting 4</h4>

    Xi Xiaye casually responded as she kept walking.Qi Lei did not look at Qi Feng either as he walked past him.

    It was alreadyte at night when Qi Lei sent Xi Xiaye downstairs. It was quiet outside. They walked side by side with Xi Xiaye on the left and Qi Lei on the right.

    ¡°Okay, I can go by myself now. You should head back. Tonight will be extremely crucial, so please let me know if anything happens. Also, you shouldn¡¯t butt heads with Qi Feng for the time being. It¡¯s just not the right time. Mr. Mu will be watching here, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Xi Xiaye finally stopped and said.

    Qi Lei was surprised to hear that from her, but he immediately responded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°You should go.¡± When Xi Xiaye said that, Qi Lei nced at her before turning around. His figure seemed bleak under the dim light, and all Xi Xiaye could do was just sigh.

    After a while, she looked back and the chauffeur hade to pick her up.

    As soon as Xi Xiaye got into the car, her cell phone in her pocket rang and she quickly took it out. When she saw that it was from the man, she tapped on the answer button.

    ¡°Are you okay? Are youing back?¡± she asked calmly.

    ¡°Xiaye,e over to Zimo¡¯s. I had a few drinks with Su Chen and the others, so I can¡¯t drive. Come pick me up.¡± The man was slightly drunk, and it was obvious in his deep voice.

    Xi Xiaye frowned when she heard that. ¡°Why did you drink so much? Didn¡¯t I tell you to watch it?¡±

    ¡°Juste here first. Hurry up.¡± He hung up right after he said that as he was probably feeling ufortable.

    Xi Xiaye put her phone away and told the chauffeur the address.

    Mu Yuchen did not really enjoy social situations. Even if there were only a few of his close friends, most of the time, they would just cook at one of their houses where they would just drink and chat.

    When Xi Xiaye arrived, Zhou Zimo¡¯s chauffeur had just sent Su Chen back. She could see the man standing and waiting at the stairs in front of the door while Zhou Zimo, who was beside him, also seemed a little drunk.

    Mu Yuchen could barely stay awake, and he smelled like alcohol. Xi Xiaye could smell the strong stench when she got closer.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m heading home,¡± Mu Yuchen turned and said to Zhou Zimo beside him as he passed the car key in his hand to Xi Xiaye.

    Zhou Zimo nodded. ¡°Alright, be careful on your way home.¡±

    Xi Xiaye also nodded at Zhou Zimo before taking the car key from Mu Yuchen and walking towards the parked Cayenne.

    Mu Yuchen quickly entered the car.

    ¡°You guys always get drunk when you get together. Can¡¯t you drink moderately? And do you have to drink? You could just have some tea since you guys are so fussy about your tea anyway.¡± She nced at him disapprovingly while helping him put his seatbelt on.

    ¡°We were enjoying ourselves, so we had one too many. They always get drunk, but I rarely do. Look at me now. I¡¯m still quite sober, aren¡¯t I?¡± he said casually as he subconsciously looked to the side and red at her.

    The strong odor of alcohol in the car made her frown and she said, ¡°Would you have called me toe to pick you up if you weren¡¯t drunk?¡±

    She quickly fastened her own seat belt and sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯ll probably never understand the brotherhood between you guys. I¡¯m d you¡¯re happy, but your health should be your priority. Zitong told me before that Su Chen smokes too much. If they want kids, he should cut down smoking.¡±

    ¡°You think too much. I didn¡¯t quit drinking or smoking in the past, but my sons are still healthy and smart, aren¡¯t they? Moderation is key. Su Chen and Ji Zitong seem to be a little unhappy recently. Please talk to her when you have the time. Su Chen has always been hotheaded and a little bit of an alpha male, so it¡¯s better for her to not take things so seriously.¡±

    ¡°Did Su Chen tell you that he was unhappy with Ji Zitong?¡±

    ¡°We were drunk and he briefly mentioned it. Just drive,¡± he said downheartedly while urging Xi Xiaye to keep driving.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you talk to Su Chen instead and persuade him to make it up to Ji Zitong?¡±

    ¡°Do you think every man is like me?¡± He rolled his eyes when he heard that.

    She responded by making a face at him. However, he was right. Every time they have an argument, he normallyposed himself and eventually gave in, so even if she wanted to be mad, she just could not seem to.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re patient and you¡¯re a great person, or else, wouldn¡¯t I be proving myself blind by being with you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t been blind before,¡± he replied with a faint smile and red at her before leaning back in the chair leisurely as he lowered the window of the car. The expression on his face seemed contented.

    ¡°How are things at the hospital?¡± he asked in concern without forgetting what had happened.

    Xi Xiaye stepped on the gas steadily as the car elerated. ¡°Qi Qiming hasn¡¯t woken up yet and he¡¯s still not out of the critical stage. When I got there, I happened to meet Qi Feng on the way, so I asked Ah Da and a few others to stay, thus we don¡¯t have to worry. Qi Lei seems depressed, but somehow he seems different than before. I can¡¯t really pinpoint what¡¯s different about him. I just feel that he¡¯s a little unpredictable,¡± she said.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t changed. He¡¯s just showing his true self now. You don¡¯t really know him,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to know him either. I just hope that he¡¯ll get better. Seeing him like that is like seeing myself in the past, so I can¡¯t bear to see him like that.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed softly and said, ¡°Especially seeing Qi Feng who¡¯s like a wild card, I¡¯m really worried about what might happen.¡±

    ¡°I just heard the news that Qi Feng is nning to hold the shareholders¡¯ meeting in a week,¡± Mu Yuchen mentioned the news he had just received after hearing her concern.

    ¡°A weekter? Is he trying to seize the opportunity to take over as President of the Qi Kai Group?¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes widened while she turned to look at Mu Yuchen in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be difficult for Qi Qiming to recover in such a short time, and even if he regains consciousness, he may not have control over the situation. When will Qi Feng take action if not now?¡± Mu Yuchen replied casually.

    ¡°Then, what will Qi Lei do? Just watch him take over? How can we stop Qi Feng? I have no idea, so it¡¯s all up to Qi Lei himself. After all, even if Qi Feng fails, he still has Tai Yu Corporation. As long as thepany is managed well, it will be as good as Qi Kai after a few years.¡±

 Chapter 1473 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 5

    <h4>Chapter 1473 Shareholders¡° Meeting 5</h4>

    Xi Xiaye nodded slowly as she sighed, and then silently sped up while the man wound the window back up and slowly closed his eyes as he leaned back against the chair.They drove ahead for quite a distance, and the light shone upon them with different depths. The man¡¯s side profile seemed even more extraordinarily handsome when she looked at him and did not bother him. She just carefully increased the temperature in the car.

    She was about to pull her hand back when the man¡¯s slender and slightly cool fingers suddenly reached over to y some music. Then, he held her hand gently as their fingers interlocked. She could feel a slight warmthing from his palm.

    She shuddered slightly. Her clear eyes remained focused on the road ahead, but her tone was surprisingly gentle as she said, ¡°I¡¯m driving!¡±

    When he heard that, he held her hand even tighter, then let go and pulled back...

    ...

    Qi Lei had rarely experienced such a tormenting situation, and now he finally truly felt it.

    After another round of resuscitation in the middle of the night, Qi Qiming¡¯s situation finally stabilized, and the tough 48 hours passed.

    At the city centre hospital, inside Qi Qiming¡¯s Intensive Care Unit ward, the chief doctor gave Qi Qiming a thorough check-up once again. When she looked at the data recorded on the medical records, her tensed expression eased a little.

    ¡°How¡¯s my father?¡± Qi Feng, who had been staying by the bed, asked.

    ¡°The critical period has passed, but his head has suffered severe injuries and a concussion, so for now, I can¡¯t be sure when he¡¯ll regain consciousness. Perhaps it might be a few days or even longer. We¡¯ve warned you about this before, so you¡¯ll have to be prepared,¡± Liang Jing said calmly. She looked away from the medical records in her hand and watched Qi Lei, who had kept standing quietly by the door. She wanted to say something more, but Qi Lei abruptly turned around and left.

    His figure seemed more relieved than before. She kept the medical records away and said a few more things to Qi Feng and the two nurses before she left the room.

    Liang Jing walked out of the room and looked around at the turn of the corner. Indeed, she saw Qi Lei smoking while sitting on the bench.

    ¡°How are you? Feeling relieved?¡±

    Upon seeing her walk over, Qi Lei put out the cigarette and thanked her humbly, ¡°Thank you, Dr. Liang.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just carrying out my duties. Don¡¯t worry too much. just put in more effort to take care of him after this. We¡¯ll also do our best.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded as a rare tenderness shed across his worn-out expression.

    ¡°Right now, you really need rest. Now that his condition is more stable, you can rest too. If anything happens, I¡¯ll inform you right away.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it, then nodded in the end. ¡°Alright...¡±

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi, bad news!¡±

    Qi Lei had just left the hospital and gotten into his car when Yang Sheng, who sat at the front passenger seat, turned around with a solemn expression.

    Qi Lei looked quite indifferent as he lifted a hand to massage the fatigue space between his brows. ¡°What bad news?¡±

    Yang Sheng breathed in, lowered his voice, and then said softly, ¡°First Master has begun to sway a few shareholders. The shareholders have agreed to have the shareholders¡¯ meeting next Wednesday. First Master will definitely bring up his taking over CEO Qi¡¯s position. Master Qi, what should we do?¡±

    Shareholders¡¯ meeting?

    Take over the old man¡¯s position?

    That would fulfill Qi Feng¡¯s biggest wish, would it not?

    Qi Feng sneered in a way that did not reach his eyes. He turned to watch as the streets passed him by outside the car window, but he did not say anything.

    Instead, it was Yang Sheng who began to feel anxious upon seeing this because he thought that Qi Lei had was acting like this out of helplessness and speechlessness. He thought about it, then said, ¡°If First Master takes the position, he definitely won¡¯t be making things easy for us. All of the recent projects have just only started to look up. If they are disrupted...that would be...Everyone¡¯s put in quite a lot of effort...¡±

    Qi Lei understood Yang Sheng¡¯s concern. It had not been easy for Tai Yu Corporation to get to where they were. Things were finally looking up. If Qi Lei ruined things, then all of the hard work from before would be wasted. Back then, when Qi Qiming handed the project to him, Qi Feng had already been unhappy about it. Otherwise, Gu Lingsha and a few shareholders would not have tried to stop it by making insinuations at the meetings. Thankfully, with Mu Yuchen¡¯s help back then, he had managed to pull through.

    At Qi Kai, after Wang Qin left, he barely had anyone to count on. Naturally, he could notpare to Qi Feng¡¯s strength.

    When he thought about this, Qi Lei could not help smile bitterly. He knew who had caused all of this, yet when he saw Qi Qiming fall, his heart was...

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everyone¡¯s efforts won¡¯t go to waste. Everyone left Qi Kai to build Tai Yu Corporation without a second thought. I won¡¯t let everyone lose this bet. There will be a day when they have even more glorious days than when they were at Qi Kai.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, his tone was exceptionally certain.

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    Yang Sheng was stunned, he could not help but turn and look right at Qi Lei whose close to indifferent side profile greeted his sight. The dim yellow twilight rays shone in and fell on his silent face, making the narrow space suddenly seem that much more bleak and lonely.

    Yang Sheng wanted to say some consoling words, but after seeing Qi Lei like this, he did not know how to console him. He thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°When ites to many things, as long as we do our best, even if we really lose, we aren¡¯t afraid, Master Qi. We can start over if anything...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve all been doing very well already, especially those managers and VPs who were with my mother for so many years. It¡¯s naturally not just based on my merit that Tai Yu Corporation can be where we are today. It¡¯s all of your hard work. I¡¯m betting on the fact that it will continue to stand tall, and even be more glorious than Qi Kai at its peak.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯re assured by these words of yours. No matter what, we¡¯ll all carry it with you! Even if First Master bes CEO of Qi Kai, we won¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°CEO of Qi Kai?¡± Qi Lei chuckled, and you could hear a hint of mockery in thatughter of his. ¡°Even if he wants to snag the spot, he¡¯ll have to see if everyone agrees to it,¡± he calmly said, then averted his gaze from the window before quietly closing his eyes.

    Yang Sheng was puzzled by Qi Lei¡¯s words. He felt like Master Qi had something up his sleeve. However, he thought about it from Qi Lei¡¯s perspective for a long time and could not think of any good n unless CEO Qi regained consciousness right away and overruled Qi Feng personally.

    But was that possible?

    The answer was, of course, negative!

 Chapter 1474 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 6

    <h4>Chapter 1474 Shareholders¡° Meeting 6</h4>

    So, right now, they could only see how things turned out after they had proceeded with the n. It should not be that bad, right?

    Yang Sheng was worried, but looking at Qi Lei¡¯s unconcerned expression, he took a breath before continuing, ¡°Master Qi, then what should we do now? We can¡¯t just sit and watch the First Master do whatever he wants.¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, what do you think we can do now?¡± With a tranquil expression, Qi Lei gave Yang Sheng a sidelong gaze.

    Yang Sheng held his breath, thought about it for a moment, but he could only shake his head after that. ¡°When things get to this point, I¡¯m a little worried that this might already be a checkmate.¡±

    ¡°Since when did you be more pessimistic than me?¡± As Qi Lei smiled, he arranged his cufflinks casually, then chuckled indifferently.

    ¡°Otherwise, Master Qi, can you think of how can wee back from the situation that we¡¯re in?¡± Yang Sheng asked him uncertainly, but upon noticing his calm expression, he seemed to feel a little more at ease.

    ¡°Business is no chess. Isn¡¯t checkmate a thing here? I don¡¯t know about that. What I know is that where there¡¯s a will, there is a way. So, don¡¯t overthink. Everything will mend in the end, so who said I am on the losing side?¡±

    ¡°But, Master Qi...¡± Yang Sheng wanted to say something, but at the same time, the mobile phone in Qi Lei¡¯s pocket started vibrating.

    Yang Sheng stopped talking immediately while Qi Lei reached out into his pocket and took out the vibrating cell phone. He then took a nce at the caller ID, swiped the answer key downwards.

    ¡°Master Qi, I¡¯ve collected a copy of all the information that you want. The rest will be sent to youter on.¡± The voice of the person on the other side of the phone was deep yet hoarse, and there was a strong foreign ent in his tone.

    After hearing that, Qi Lei lowered his sight and responded lightly, ¡°Great, sorry to have bothered you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send them to you via email anonymously.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qi Lei gave a short yet simple response before hanging up indifferently. He then ced the phone back into his pocket, turned his head, and looked out of the car window. His expression remained the same as though nothing much had changed. However, Yang Sheng, who had been staring at him, seemed to have caught something in his gaze, and a sheer cold ray shed through his eyes.

    Yang Sheng wanted to voice out and ask about it, but when he lifted his head and looked at Qi Lei after giving it a thought, his master had already closed his eyes, and only fatigue could be read on that attractive face.

    He was extremely exhausted and needed a break badly, especially since things had been so worrisome and draining recently.

    Yang Sheng could not bear to disturb him, so he thought about it, turned up the air conditioning of the car in silence, then shifted his sight away from Qi Lei...

    ...

    He thought that such peaceful days shouldst a long time. However, he did not expect it to be interrupted so quickly.

    In B City, at the pavilion in the backyard of the Gu residence. Gu Qiwu was sitting at the side of the table habitually, looking at the documents intently. With the pen in his hand, he annotated something on the documents asionally. Some of the documents on the left-hand side had been moved to the right.

    ¡°Boss!¡± Just when Gu Qiwu was busy concentrating, Ah Yong¡¯s voice came from the front out of a sudden, and of course, a hint of caution could be heard in the voice.

    Sure enough, Gu Qiwu, who was in deep thought, was suddenly interrupted. His expression turned a little sour naturally. Frowning, he paused his actions for a while, then raised his head slightly and gazed to the front.

    At this moment, Ah Yong was standing just in front of the staircase outside of the pavilion, his face appearing a little solemn and his eyes were gloomy.

    Something had happened!

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s already creased brows tightened further in an instant. He then shot an unfathomable nce at Ah Yong and easily caught the anxiety in his expression. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Qiwu asked indifferently.

    Ah Yong approached and stopped right next to Gu Qiwu, then responded softly, ¡°Boss, Miss Lingsha just called and informed that she¡¯sing back real soon. She should¡¯ve entered the urban area of City B now, and I got the news that the Qi Kai Group will be holding a shareholders¡¯ meeting in theing two days. Although Qi Qiming¡¯s condition has stabilized, he¡¯s still in aa. The Qi Kai Group can¡¯t be without a leader. Qi Qiming was very fond of Qi Feng taking over thepany, so everybody thinks it¡¯s normal for Master Qi Feng to temporarily take over as the acting president of the Qi Kai Group.¡±

    Having heard that, Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression changed several times. His creased brows loosened, then tightened again.

    ¡°But I also heard that Qi Qiming has changed his thoughts about Qi Lei recently, so nobody can confirm Qi Qiming¡¯s take on this matter. Especially a few of Qi Qiming¡¯s trusted followers, they¡¯re all skeptical about the car ident while Yue Hai is neutral about it. Hence, I¡¯m afraid that Master Qi Feng might be under a lot of pressure now, and I guess Miss Lingsha¡¯s homing is probably because of this issue too.¡± Ah Yong put forward his opinion boldly.

    As Ah Yong finished his report, Gu Qiwu¡¯s eyes shifted a bit. He then said softly after a while, ¡°So what? I¡¯ve done almost all that can be and should be done.¡± He had promised Mu Lingshi that he would no longer interfere with Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha¡¯s affairs, but now...

    Some things were inevitable after all. He told himself to look away, there was nothing wrong with keeping the peace.

    Mu Lingsha seemed to have adapted a lot recently. At least, she was not like who she was when she just arrived here. At that time, she hardly said anything to anybody else, except for those who followed her here from the Mus. Then, there was himself. Even though they gathered together for a meal every day, she basically did not talk much to him.

    The situation had finally gotten better after such a long period of time whereby she would utter a few words at the dining table. She would also go to the Hui Gu Corporation every day, and together with Ah Mo, they had started to get familiar with the agendas within thepany. Originally, Gu Qiwu nned to present Ah Mo with a position in the administration, but Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi had rejected it. They chose to start by managing a small team. By now, after such a long time, the two had learned a lot about the Hui Gu Corporation and would talk to him about the issues that they had encountered in the management.

    Gu Qiwu was naturally somewhat satisfied with his peaceful life now. Seeing his daughter and son-inw by his side every day, hope and contentment, which were feelings that he had never felt, were sown and grown in his heart. He kind of hoped that this life would go on forever.

 Chapter 1475 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 7

    <h4>Chapter 1475 Shareholders¡° Meeting 7</h4>

    ¡°Boss, you should talk to Miss Lingsha. Maybe both of you will be able to resolve your differences,¡± Ah Yong mumbled.

    Recently, Gu Lingsha had been calling the Gu residence or the Hui Gu Corporation very often all for Gu Qiwu, but he never answered. Ah Yong was afraid that he might be in a dilemma.

    Now that Gu Lingsha had decided toe back, Gu Qiwu probably had nowhere else to run. If she had gone to thepany to confront Miss Lingshi instead, it would be even worse.

    Gu Qiwu had certainly thought about the situation Ah Yong was worried about.

    After pondering for a moment, he put away the documents in his hand and nced at Ah Yong coldly. ¡°If she doese back here, just let her.¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s expression was very cold when he said that. Before Ah Yong could say anything, he got up and turned around to walk towards the side of the pavilion with his arms behind his back. He looked calm, but Ah Yong could not see through his emotions at all.

    Gu Lingsha took a direct flight to City B. She had not been back here for a long time. Thest time she returned, Doris had still been there. In fact, she did not dare to return because she was afraid that it would remind her of Doris after seeing this familiar city. However, she was surprised to find that the Gu residence had undergone a major change. The design style was no longer what she and her mother liked. It had beenpletely renovated into another style, and there was no trace of the house she remembered...

    Gu Lingsha raised her head and silently looked at all the great changes in front of her. As she stood in the simple and elegant hall, it felt as if there was arge hand clutching her heart tightly.

    She did not expect her cold father to do all these for Mu Lingshi!

    Were all the good times they had not enough to make up for what happened?

    She could not help but feel sorrow in her heart. All these were supposed to be hers, but now...

    She thought about the stark differences between her circumstances and Mu Lingshi who had gained from everything that had happened.

    Gu Lingsha felt bitter and resentful as she looked at the unfamiliar surroundings. She clenched her fists tightly.

    ¡°Miss Lingsha, Boss asked you to go see him at the pavilion in the backyard where he¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± She was struck by Ah Yong¡¯s voice from behind.

    Gu Lingsha took a deep breath before turning around and walking towards the side door.

    When she reached the pavilion in the backyard, she could see Gu Qiwu from afar as she stood at the staircase. He was facing away from her as he stood near the railings of the pavilion with his hands behind his back, gazing at the Jade Lake underneath the pavilion.

    It was still the same tall, built figure, dressed in a neat ck suit. He seemed punctilious. She could feel the pressure and tension as she watched from afar.

    Gu Lingsha hesitated for a moment before walking up the steps and stood behind Gu Qiwu.

    Her red lips trembled slightly. Just when she was about to say something, Gu Qiwu had already spoken, ¡°You came back.¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not know how to deal with a conversation starter like this. All the questions and confrontations suddenly felt like they were stuck in her throat and she could not seem to get them out. After a long pause, she still could not utter a single word...

    ¡°Why did the house be like this?¡± Gu Lingsha finally asked after pondering for a long time.

    ¡°Lingshi¡¯s here for the first time, and she¡¯ll be staying here permanently, so we changed the house to the style they like. Your room¡¯s still kept the same. If you¡¯re genuinely back here to visit, then it¡¯s certainly good. You may stay longer,¡± Gu Qiwu said calmly as if he did not know Gu Lingshi¡¯s intention at all.

    ¡°You really care about her, Father. Do you have nothing to say to me?¡± Gu Lingsha questioned him coldly as she could no longer contain the dissatisfaction in her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that growing up, I was at least average in your eyes, but I never expected...¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re still talking about the Hui Gu Corporation, then you need not say more. You¡¯re not the right person for thepany.¡± Gu Qiwu cut Gu Lingsha off without waiting for her to finish.

    ¡°Why? Why? Why do you say that I¡¯m not? Is Mu Lingshi really the right person? Why makes her worthy of the position? Father, you can¡¯t just deny my capability like this. I¡¯m upset because I¡¯ve done so much for the Hui Gu Corporation. Father, why would you deny me and let Mu Lingshi take the Hui Gu Corporation away without any effort at all? You¡¯re being unfair!¡± Gu Lingsha burst out in anger after hearing what he said. She looked at him distantly as she stepped forward and tried to suppress the rage in her.

    ¡°Fair? Tell me what do you mean by fair? When you were growing up, have I failed my responsibility as a father? Have I ever treated you and your mother poorly? Moreover, Ipensated you with arge sum, haven¡¯t I?¡± Gu Qiwu frowned and finally turned to look at her beside him.

    ¡°Mu Lingshi deserves it for having such a horrible mother! Arge sum? Why don¡¯t you give her the money instead? Father, I know that when ites to Mother, you¡¯ve always been resentful, but you failed her first. Even though Mother didn¡¯t do the right thing, you shouldn¡¯t deny me because of that!¡±

    ¡°Your mother and I...and Zixi¡¯s affairs are none of your business and I have no prejudice against you because of them. The reason why you¡¯re not fit to be the Hui Gu Corporation¡¯s heir is just your personality and character. There¡¯s nothing wrong with just standing by Qi Feng with content and not thinking about other things. It¡¯s not a bad thing at all to be content,¡± Gu Qiwu said in a deep voice, but it made Gu Lingsha sneer.

    ¡°Sounds like a glorified reason. Father, do I mean nothing at all to you? Is Mu Lingshi your only daughter now? Otherwise, why would you not bother to answer even a single phone call?¡± Her tone became harsher and her beautiful eyes were filled with anger as Gu Lingsha clenched her fists.

    However, despite her growing anger, Gu Qiwu had be much calmer. He frowned and nced at her. ¡°Lingsha, Lingshi¡¯s your sister. I hope you won¡¯t direct your negative emotions towards her.¡±

 Chapter 1476 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 8

    <h4>Chapter 1476 Shareholders¡° Meeting 8</h4>

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone was naturally heavy.

    As a father, he did not wish for his two daughters to begrudge each other, yet it seemed like there was not much he could do right now. What he had tried hard to avoid still happened in the end.

    However, Gu Lingsha could not truly understand Gu Qiwu¡¯s intentions. When she heard him, the fury that she held back could not help but explode, ¡°Targeting her? What do you mean I¡¯m targeting her? Father, is Mu Lingshi the only daughter to you?¡±

    She was already miserable, but upon hearing Gu Qiwu now, she felt even sadder. ¡°If you can be so protective over her, why can¡¯t you think of me? Ah Feng is your son-inw too. I know that you haven¡¯t been picking up my calls because of Qi Kai¡¯s internal situation. Can¡¯t you just help me and Ah Feng out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said very clearly on the letter that I won¡¯t be joining in any of your power struggles. You know very well where my bottom line is. You should understand why I have to do so. All these years, I¡¯ve owed Zixi, Lingtian, and Lingshi too much, but the only people I don¡¯t owe anything to are you and your mother, Doris!¡±

    Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone was exceptionally firm as his dark eyes subconsciously dimmed. These were things that he did not want to recall, but now...

    ¡°I¡¯ve said before that if only you learned how to be slightly more contented, you wouldn¡¯t suffer so much. Lingsha, you were a very smart person before, and you once made me very happy, but ever since your return, and with your mother inciting you, what have you be?¡±

    ¡°Enough! You have no right to talk about my mother no matter how she is. She was forced to a dead end because of you two, and now you¡¯re still ming her. Isn¡¯t that going a bit too overboard! Content? What do you mean content? If you were me, would you be able to let it go? Why can¡¯t you just see things from my perspective?¡± Gu Lingsha could not help but shout coldly.

    When Gu Lingsha finished, a cold voice cut through, ¡°You keep asking others to see things from your perspective, but have you done that for others? Don¡¯t speak as if you have always been so selfless. You have never done that yourself, so how can you ask that of others?¡±

    Gu Qiwu and Gu Lingsha were both shocked as they turned around to the voice and saw Mu Lingshi standing at the bottom of the staircase.

    She wore a loose ck leisure outfit with a showing belly. She did not wear any shades, so the scar across her face looked slightly malevolent. Her indifferent expression made her look that much meaner.

    Gu Lingsha was stunned and could not quite react immediately as she stared at Mu Lingshi who stopped by the stairs.

    Actually, Mu Lingshi was not surprised by Gu Lingsha¡¯s apperance. Even though she was in City B, she was always aware of the situation in City Z, and she had been paying attention to the situation of the Mu family. Therefore, she was quite in the know of everything happening over there.

    ¡°Have you finished work early today?¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice broke the silence, then Gu Lingsha snapped back and her expression changed. ¡°Why are you here too?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I be here?¡± Mu Lingshi asked back coldly. She had heard all of Gu Lingsha¡¯s words from earlier, thus a hint of disdain hung on the corner of her lips.

    ¡°I asked him not to interfere with any issues on the other end. There¡¯s no need to put your anger onto others.¡±

    Mu Lingshi walked up the staircase with an indifferent expression. Even though she might not care for any father-daughter kinship with Gu Qiwu, she did not need to let him take on any me for her since she would bear responsibility for her own words.

    ¡°What gives you the right to do that?¡± Gu Lingsha started to look unhappy now as she questioned.

    ¡°Nothing, really. You have your intentions while I have my bottom line and principles too. Not everyone¡¯s like you and Doris. I think you should know the intentions behind why he¡¯s trying hard to avoid this matter.¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s tone was not courteous either.

    Gu Lingsha was about to say something when Gu Qiwu¡¯s voice came through, ¡°Let¡¯s all sit down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to talk about with her. I just wanted to remind you about our agreement. Also, Gu Lingsha, if I were you, I would advise Qi Feng to be aware of his own capabilities and not to make further mistakes. It¡¯s great to be all high and mighty, but don¡¯t forget the bottom line as a person.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s indifferent tone contained some warning. ¡°I hope that we can coexist harmoniously, but if you reach my bottom line, I won¡¯t be nice.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s face turned cold and she wanted to say something, but Mu Lingshi had already turned around.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Qi Feng¡¯s matter. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t havee here. Instead, I¡¯d think about how to capture the hearts of the people at thepany. I didn¡¯t want to say much, but on ount of some sisterly kinship, I could say something. If you don¡¯t go against us, we won¡¯t go against you either. However...¡±

    Mu Lingshi did not finish her sentence towards the end. Instead, she turned to look at Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°After going through so much, you should¡¯ve realized some things by now. Besides, you have a daughter as well, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s words stunned Gu Lingsha to the extent that she could not quite answer her.

    It was at this distracted instance that Mu Lingshi had already vanished before her. At the pavilion, only she and Gu Qiwu, who kept quiet as he watched Mu Lingshi gradually move away, remained...

    ¡°I won¡¯t interfere in anything between all of you, and I won¡¯t help you out from behind like I used to, but this is still your home. It¡¯s still a shelter for you.¡± Gu Qiwu¡¯s tone was exceptionally smooth as he added, ¡°For Lingshi too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m old now. I don¡¯t want to care about those grudges anymore, so I¡¯ll let you all be.¡± He felt worn out. Perhaps this was the best choice...

    ¡°Father, if on Ah Feng¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done all that I can. The rest will be up to you. I don¡¯t want to see you sisters end up like Qi Feng and Qi Lei, so I hope you know what to do.¡±

    Indeed, when Gu Qiwu said that, Gu Lingsha¡¯s expression instantly sank.

    ¡°Ah Feng he...He¡¯s just...¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng¡¯s not as simple as he seems, Lingsha. I hope you can make better ns for yourself. If the most recent incident is tied to him, you should know what the consequences will be.¡±

 Chapter 1477 - Shareholdersâ€œ Meeting 9

    <h4>Chapter 1477 Shareholders¡° Meeting 9</h4>

    In the chairman¡¯s office of Fuhua Real Estate, Mu Yuchen was sitting on the sofa in front of Xi Xiaye looking through the documents in his hands.

    When an abrupt ringtone rang, Xi Xiaye raised her head slightly, nced at the cell phone that was vibrating at the side with a frown, and took a good look at the name popping up on the screen. She then picked up the call immediately.

    ¡°Ah Shi?¡±

    ¡°Sis-inw, isn¡¯t my brother in?¡±

    Only then did Xi Xiaye realize that the cell phone belonged to Mu Yuchen, and she responded quickly, ¡°He¡¯s here. One second.¡±

    She handed the phone to Mu Yuchen as she spoke, ¡°It¡¯s from Ah Shi. She¡¯s looking for you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused for a while, got up, and walked over to Xi Xiaye. He stopped by her side and reached out for the phone.

    ¡°Hello? It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s me!¡± Mu Lingshi¡¯s voice soon rang out. Xi Xiaye stood up tacitly to give space to Mu Yuchen. She turned around, walked towards the shelf behind her, and started to search for documents on the shelf.

    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Mu Yuchen stretched his arm out to grab the teacup beside him while talking into the receiver, and in the blink of an eye, he had already taken a few gulps of the warm tea in the cup.

    ¡°Gu Lingsha is here visiting Gu Qiwu regarding the shareholders¡¯ meeting of the Qi Kai Group. Is everything okay on your side? I heard about Qi Qiming¡¯s ident. Qi Feng is definitely waiting for this opportunity to move up the line.¡±

    Gu Lingsha went back to visit Gu Qiwu?

    Having heard that, a pregnant beam shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes, but not much reaction was reflected on his face as if everything was in his expectation.

    ¡°Brother, Ah Mo told me about your n. I guess you don¡¯t want Qi Feng to be able to take the position that smoothly too, do you? Because Qi Lei is...¡± Mu Lingshi asked tentatively.

    ¡°Has Gu Qiwu agreed to Gu Lingsha¡¯s request?¡± Mu Yuchen did not answer Mu Lingshi¡¯s question but threw another one at her instead.

    ¡°Not really. I saw Gu Lingsha leave with a little dissatisfaction, but she won¡¯t dare to do anything temporarily possibly because of Lingtian¡¯s influence.¡±

    After Mu Lingshi finished her sentence, it took a long time before Mu Yuchen continued the conversation unconcernedly, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in this matter. As long as Gu Qiwu isn¡¯t a fool, he¡¯ll know what to do. He should know better than anyone else about what kind of person Qi Feng is.¡±

    His words confused Mu Lingshi a little.

    ¡°He should know? What does that mean?¡± she could not help but ask.

    Mu Yuchen leaned back in the chair behind him casually. He turned his head and looked out of the French window beside him. There was a lot of sunshine outside the window, and a warm breeze was blowing while the air was filled with a faint fragrance from the unknown purple flowers that Xi Xiaye had nted on the shelf.

    After taking a shallow breath, his deep voice was heard on the other side of the phone, ¡°Just believe in me. You and Ah Mo should just focus on doing your own things. You don¡¯t have to think too much about the other things happening around you. Gu Qiwu is a man who knows how to make choices. If you really have something that you want to aplish, just go with your heart. Without help from Gu Qiwu, Qi Feng will have one less token to y.¡±

    ¡°Brother, are you doing this for Qi Lei? If it¡¯s because of him, it¡¯s like...I¡¯m worried...After all...¡± Mu Lingshi wanted to say something else but faltered.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s earnest voice interrupted her, ¡°Qi Lei is now a good friend of mine and your sister-inw¡¯s. We can all trust him. Vice President Wang Qin entrusted him to your sister-inw before she died, so we¡¯re now just taking care of a deceased friend¡¯s son.¡±

    Although he spoke very lightly, Mu Lingshi could feel the weight in his tone.

    Mu Lingshi creased her eyebrows and did not ask further. She then said indifferently, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Brother. Gu Qiwu won¡¯t mess with you. I¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°Good. Take good care of yourself, especially recently. Mother might go to City B on a business trip, so let her know if there is anything that you would like her to bring to you.¡±

    ...

    The siblings caught up and exchanged a few more words. Later on, Mu Yuchen was the one who hung up first.

    ¡°What happened? You and your sister had a very pleasant chat.¡± After seeing him put the cell phone down, Xi Xiaye poured a ss of water and walked over.

    He raised his head and caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eyes while stretching his hand around her slender waist. ¡°Gu Lingsha went to visit Gu Qiwu but left crestfallen.¡±

    Crestfallen?

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows, then sheughed. ¡°Because of Qi Feng¡¯s matter?¡±

    ¡°If not that, what else?¡± he asked rhetorically with a hint of disdain in his indifferent tone, ¡°When all his wings are cut off, Qi Feng only has these abilities left.¡±

    There had been no news from Ah Bo so far. Otherwise, if it was proven to be as he thought, it would be checkmate for Qi Feng! However, if that truly was the truth, then what kind of pain would it spell for Qi Lei?

    Mu Yuchen felt helpless for Qi Lei, but he did not want to sympathize with him either. At least, Qi Lei was now a lot more mature than before. He was also someone who had gone through the ups and downs and had settled down through the years.

    ¡°You¡¯re worried about him again. I¡¯ve never seen such enthusiasm when ites to me!¡± She could not help but give him a sidelong re andin.

    When he heard that, he smiled and quickly pulled her into his embrace, then lowered his head to kiss the back of her hand. He then said, ¡°I won¡¯t even care about these troublesome matters if I¡¯m not enthusiastic about you. It¡¯s better to let me worry about it than to let you do so. You can just put all your attention on me.¡±

    ¡°Stingy man!¡± She pursed her lips and chuckled. Then, she stood up straight and started tidying the documents on the desk. ¡°But that¡¯s what I like about you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows when he heard that. Then, he shot her a long gaze as his deep voice was filled with sensuality as he challenged, ¡°Is there anything about me that you don¡¯t like?¡±

    ¡°Your narcissistic pig!¡± she reproached lightly.

    ...

    The shareholders¡¯ meeting took ce as scheduled.

    The day was a rare overcast day, which was different from all the previous days. The sky was a bit gloomy and gray and the weather was cooler than the previous days.

    Early in the morning, in Qi Lei¡¯s Grand Lake Vi...

    ¡°Hack hack! Hack hack...¡±

    The intense coughing broke the tranquility of the morning when the sky outside had just turned bright.

    ¡°Master Qi, let¡¯s not go to the office just for today.? You are so sick!¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s worried voice was also full of concern. He came over very early naturally, but he did not expect Qi Lei to have such a severe cold. He already sensed that his master was ufortable yesterday, so he wanted to grab him some medicine, but he leftte and forgot about it.

    He did not expect that just overnight Qi Lei would...

 Chapter 1478 - If Thereâ€™s A Will, Thereâ€™s A Way 1

    <h4>Chapter 1478 If There¡°s A Will, There¡°s A Way 1</h4>

    Qi Lei coughed and started breathing heavily again.

    Yang Sheng quickly poured him a cup of warm water and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. The preparations are done. You should take a break these few days and not worry about thepany. You must¡¯ve been very tired after working so hard for so many days.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation at the hospital?¡± Qi Lei asked instead of replying to him.

    ¡°President Qi¡¯s condition is still quite stable, but there¡¯s still no sign of him waking up. The doctor said that his brain has suffered a traumatic injury and there was a blood clot in his brain disrupting the nerve, but so far, the blood clot seems to be slowly disappearing on its own. Hopefully, President Qi will be able to wake up once the blood clot is gone, but we can only sit and wait now,¡± Yang Sheng said as his eyes darkened.

    He had been observing Qi Lei¡¯s every move recently. When it came to Qi Qiming, Qi Lei was actually still conflicted, but no matter what, he still could not bring himself to turn a blind eye to Qi Qiming...

    For so many days, he had still been watching over Qi Qiming with barely any time for himself. Qi Lei had lost a lot of weight because of that, and now, it seemed like his body could not take it anymore.

    Qi Lei started coughing again. He lowered his head and had a few sips of water before taking a deep breath. ¡°Try to see if the doctors can do anything else to help him wake up as soon as possible. Ask them to do their best and we¡¯ll do anything they want.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was cold and indifferent when he said that. He could not discern the emotions he was feeling. It felt like regret, but he also felt numb...

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi, I understand.¡±

    In actual fact, this was not the first time Qi Lei had mentioned this. He had actually brought it up several times already, but he seemed to have forgotten what he said before.

    ¡°Master Qi, today is the day of the Qi Kai Group shareholders¡¯ meeting, as notified by someone from thepany. Would you like to go?¡± Yang Sheng hesitated for a long time before asking but he immediately regretted it because he caught Qi Lei¡¯s reaction from the corner of his eye...

    Qi Lei did not say a word. He quietly lowered his gaze to look at the cup in his hand while swirling the water in the cup. His gaze flickered and he remained silent for a long time.

    Yang Sheng felt ufortable and he was a little worried, ¡°Master Qi, the First Master is...¡±

    ¡°Will all shareholders attend this meeting?¡± Qi Lei asked before Yang Sheng could finish speaking. He then lowered his head and had another sip of water.

    ¡°Yes, all shareholders will be present, including those who aren¡¯t very supportive. Given the circumstances and President Qi¡¯s condition, they have no choice. Recently, the Qi Kai Group¡¯s performance in the stock market has been vtile. If this matter doesn¡¯t get resolved, I¡¯m afraid that the impact on thepany will be even worse. Those shareholders have no choice but to consider the future of thepany.¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s tone was unusually serious.

    At that moment, Qi Lei lowered his gaze and became quiet again as he sunk deeper in thought.

    ¡°Master Qi, what can we do now? First Master is too...President Qi¡¯s still lying in the hospital and he hasn¡¯t visited him much. He¡¯s always making excuses that there¡¯s too much work and that the Qi Kai Group needs him to keep going. Now, he¡¯s taking advantage of President Qi¡¯s absence and wants to seize the opportunity to take over thepany...¡±

    ¡°You should take the documents back to thepany first. I¡¯ll go backter.¡±

    After Qi Lei coughed violently, it took him quite a bit of effort to breathe. He threw the documents in front of Yang Sheng as he put the cup in his hand down before slowly walking towards the stairs.

    Yang Sheng wanted to say something when Qi Lei¡¯s thin figure had already disappeared up the stairs. He quietly took a deep breath before he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the car outside, Master Qi!¡±

    After he said that, he bent down to pack up his things and left the living room.

    It had already been ten minutes when Qi Lei changed into a ck fitted suityered with a trench coat when he finally made his way downstairs.

    As soon as he walked out of the vi, Yang Sheng and the bodyguards were already waiting in front.

    Qi Lei quickly got into the car and headed to Tai Yu Corporation.

    Tai Yu Corporation was located in an affluentmercial area at the junction between the city center and the north of the city. Qi Lei had taken the entire Hua Tai Building as thepany headquarters. It was originally amercial building under Wang Qin¡¯s name and was where the Wang family originally started. The building used to be on lease, but now, Qi Lei had taken it back into his own hands.

    With the solid basis that Wang Qin had left him, it would be easier for Qi Lei to keep hustling. Otherwise, just the problem with thepany¡¯s location would give him enough to worry about!

    Qi Lei had just arrived at the office when his cell phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. When he got on the phone, the voice on the other end of the phone surprised him.

    ¡°Lei, it¡¯s me...¡±

    There was a trace of concern in that soft voice. ¡°I heard from the critical care nurse in the hospital that you were a little sick yesterday. Are you feeling better now? You don¡¯t need to worry too much about Father. The doctor said that his condition has stabilized now, so you need to take care of yourself instead.¡±

    Who else could this voice be if not Gu Lingsha¡¯s?

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes immediately darkened.

    He obviously would not be so naive to think that Gu Lingsha was just concerned about him while making the phone call!

    He heard that she had gone back to City B to find Gu Qiwu, probably to talk about Qi Feng¡¯s possible ownership of thepany. Now that Qi Feng had a better understanding of the internal situation at the Qi Kai Group, he presumably thought it would be a good idea to increase his chances of winning through Gu Qiwu, but they did not expect that thetter might not be willing to intervene anymore because of Mu Lingshi.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s strategy was indeed impressive. He had cut off Qi Feng¡¯s wings with every step so when he could no longer fly, he would be trapped and forced to fight against the beast!

    ¡°Anything?¡± he asked coldly.

    His tone caused Gu Lingsha to give a little shiver. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She did not get angry though as she said, ¡°Qi Lei, don¡¯t talk to me like that. I haven¡¯t done anything to you, have I? Are you disgusted just by hearing my voice?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be?¡± Qi Lei disapproved, ¡°Has the shareholders¡¯ meeting started?¡±

 Chapter 1479 - If Thereâ€™s A Will, Thereâ€™s A Way 2

    <h4>Chapter 1479 If There¡°s A Will, There¡°s A Way 2</h4>

    Gu Lingsha fell silent for a moment on the other end, and Qi Lei seemed to be able to hear her heavy breathing.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time, Lei. I t-think...¡±

    Gu Lingsha stammered for a bit, intending to say something, but Qi Lei¡¯s indifferent voice interrupted her, ¡°Go on and have your meeting then. Why did you call me?¡±

    Then, without waiting for her to respond, he nonchntly hung up.

    When it came to Gu Lingsha, he felt nothing for her anymore. From liking her at the start to finding her appalling, and finally, this indifference...

    Perhaps, he himself was not a good person. At least, it seemed so to Gu Lingsha because he did not protect her till the very end. Thus, sometimes he could not help butment about how things were always changing, and many things did not go as nned.

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    Qi Lei had just hung up when Yang Sheng¡¯s voice came through. He held the documents that had just been handed over to him.

    Qi Lei straightened up slightly. With his fingers interlocked, he propped his arms on the table before and asked with a lowered voice, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Manager Liang called earlier. All of the shareholders have reached and are just waiting for you now. They¡¯re asking me if you¡¯re going over. First Master¡¯s gone over especially early today too, and so have a few of the shareholders as well...Right, Secretary Wang Chun called to tell you not to worry and just let them work for it. What¡¯s yours should be yours no matter how much others try to fight for it because it will be useless,¡± Yang Sheng spoke very softly, afraid that Qi Lei would get unhappy.

    Nheless, Qi Lei reacted quite calmly and tossed the document before him aside as he picked up his tea and took a nonchnt sip. Then, he turned around in his chair with his back facing Yang Sheng and looked towards the gloomy sky outside.

    ¡°Whatever is meant to be is meant to be and cannot be avoided. There¡¯s no such thing as someone being entitled to something.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s voice was followed by a sigh. ¡°If this were in the past, I might not have understood this. I thought that everything was as it should be. Even though I might not have cared, I was still a little unhappy, but now...¡±

    At this point, Qi Lei suddenly averted his gaze and lowered it slightly to look at his hands. He tossed them about and watched them for quite a while as if his fair hands had been soiled with something. A long while after that, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s only now that I understand how some things aren¡¯t up to us to choose. What should be done has still got to be done, and many things are only meant for the capable ones to be a part of. Meanwhile, I¡¯ve missed that chance.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re already doing very great. There¡¯s no need to be bothered by those things. You¡¯re bearing too much burden right now, and you will be worn out.¡±

    As Yang Sheng watched Qi Lei, he only felt his heart ache for him. Initially, he should have been a carefree young master of a wealthy family. Sadly, in the end, he was left to take go down this path alone.

    ¡°If it¡¯s an exhaustion that¡¯s worth it, I wouldn¡¯t mind. I was afraid of letting myself get worn out in the past, which was why...¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he took a deep breath and his fingersbed through his dark hair. Hezily brushed his thigh as he leaned to the side and looked out the window calmly before he smiled grimly and said, ¡°If I could fantasize about my future, I wish to continue living peacefully. I don¡¯t want to think too much and invite so much trouble. I¡¯d much rather live more calmly.¡±

    Yang Sheng could not bear to see Qi Lei in his state of loneliness, so he could not help but say, ¡°No, Master, you¡¯re only slightly over 30. You¡¯ll definitely find yourself a good wife and have little princes or princesses, and you¡¯ll lead a happy life.¡±

    ¡°Do you think someone like me still stands a chance?¡± Qi Leiughed while his tone sounded like he had given up.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Yang Sheng said certainly.

    A cold smile shed across Qi Lei¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the chance anymore,¡± he said while not realizing that in time toe, he would be experiencing a profoundly moving love. It was only then that Qi Lei would realize that he too could give it all up, and be madly in love with a woman...

    ¡°No, Master Qi, I believe that you will find happiness too, just as Master Mu and Miss Xiaye did,¡± said Yang Sheng a little anxiously.

    Qi Lei did not respond as the curve on his lips only became even more prominent...

    Ding ding¡ª

    At this moment, Qi Lei¡¯s phone that was set aside on the table suddenly buzzed. Qi Lei breathed in and then picked it up.

    ¡°Master Qi, the items you need have been arranged, and I¡¯ve emailed it to you, so please take note,¡± the person on the other end of the phone was unhesitating as he spoke swiftly.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you handle the remaining things then,¡± Qi Lei responded, then hung up and turned around. He moved hisptop to be in front of him then swiftly switched it on...

    At this moment, inside Qi Kai Corporation¡¯s high-level meeting room.

    The high-level meeting table was surrounded by the shareholders who came to join the meeting, as well as some members of the upper management.

    The seat in front that belonged to Qi Qiming was naturally empty, and in the seats next to his were Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha. The husband and wife were sitting together while across them were Yue Hai and Xi Xinyi. Then, further down, it was Qi Lei¡¯s seat as Vice President.

    ¡°Since everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s begin,¡± Qi Feng¡¯s low and raspy voice broke the meeting room¡¯s heavy atmosphere. He spoke as he coldly looked sideways at Qi Lei¡¯s empty seat although his gaze was hard to read.

    The chairperson looked at the calm Qi Feng tteringly as he announced, ¡°Alright, the shareholders¡¯ meeting officially begins...¡±

    The meeting was actually quite simple. It immediately began to discuss Qi Qiming¡¯s misfortune. Then, of course, it was followed by a rmendation for a new person to take charge of thepany. Once this suggestion was brought up, many of the upper management people endorsed Qi Feng.

    ¡°I think that Director Qi should take on such an arduous task. In fact, CEO Qi has always been getting Director Qi to familiarize himself with thepany¡¯s work. I think everyone can agree that Director Qi has worked hard for thepany.¡±

    ¡°But CEO Qi didn¡¯t explicitly mention who was to be his sessor. I think we should wait for him to regain consciousness before we discuss this.¡±

    Gu Lingsha was obviously fully in support of Qi Feng. Without waiting for those shareholders to dere their stances, she expressed her thought, ¡°Thepany still needs to keep operating. We all know how CEO Qi¡¯s situation is like right now, so what do you think, VP Yang, VP Fang, and VP Wang?¡±

 Chapter 1480 - If Thereâ€™s A Will, Thereâ€™s A Way 3

    <h4>1480 If There¡°s A Will, There¡°s A Way 3</h4>

    The several people whose names had been called were all veterans of the Qi Kai Group. They were not only capable employees but also people who held very prominent positions in thepany. Another simrity among them was that they were close to Qi Feng. Their endorsements were crucial in supporting his decision to bring forward the shareholders¡¯ meeting.

    When Gu Lingsha asked that question, they exchanged nces and then shot a glimpse at Gi Feng subconsciously while Qi Feng was looking down at the files calmly.

    The few people nodded secretly, and Director Yang, who had been named, cleared his throat. However, just when he was about to speak up, the cell phone in his pocket vibrated suddenly. Although the phone was already set to the vibration mode, the two people beside him could still feel it, so they nced at him together.

    Director Yang did not want to answer the call, but when he took it out and saw the caller ID, he frowned. After he gave it a thought, he stood up with the cell phone in his hand and walked aside with a peculiar expression, then picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Director Yang, I heard that you lost tens of millions at a casino in Macaust month and sold a real estate under your wife¡¯s name to cover up the debt. You also bought a private seaside vi for your mistress, Miss Lu Sha. I¡¯m afraid that your wife has no clue about those events, does she?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep,idback voice came through the speaker and Director Yang felt a shudder travel all over his body from head to toe. His eyes widened in an instant, and he said, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    His panicked tone soon entered Qi Lei¡¯s ears.

    In the president¡¯s office of Tai Yu Corporation, Qi Lei was sitting in a chair with his back to the desk while facing therge French window in front of him. He had a phone in one hand, and a cigarette in the other.

    No emotional turbulence could be heard in his deep, calm voice. However, the words made Director Yang, who was on the other side of the phone call, feel unusually frightened.

    ¡°I¡¯m a discreet person. I know my ce very well, but I hope that you, Director Yang, can satisfy me during today¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting.¡± Qi Lei hung up the call casually after leaving such a message. He then dialed another number leisurely.

    Sitting at the side, Director Fang naturally noticed Director Yang¡¯s weird expression as he walked by, so he was also shocked when he felt the cell phone in his pocket vibrate. He took the phone out immediately and was startled by the caller ID too. Then, he took a nce at Director Yang¡¯s empty seat, which was located right next to him. Inhaling a breath, he nodded apologetically to everyone, and then went out to answer the call.

    Naturally, Qi Lei was the caller.

    Director Fang felt a little uneasy deep down when he picked up the call, especially when he saw Director Yang walk back into the room with a preupied expression while he exited. Moreover, he seemed to have seen the same caller ID appear on Director Yang¡¯s phone when he peeped over just now...

    He swiped the answer button down after taking a deep breath.

    ¡°Hello? Vice President Qi?¡± There was a hint of uncertainty in Director Fang¡¯s voice when he put out his feelers.

    In fact, they had very little interaction with Qi Lei since they generally had more contact with Qi Feng. They even shot a few barbed statements at Qi Lei when they were with Qi Feng. Moreover, Wang Qin¡¯s acting and managing style from back then was very vigorous and stern. She was so strict that personal rtionships were never taken into consideration when she decided to make any move, so she had always been a pain in the *ss to them. So, when Wang Qin¡¯s administration came to an end, they were the happiest among all the employees.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Qi Lei sat in the office chair, casually smoking the cigarette. He then coughed lightly amidst the faint smoke while his low voice was a little hoarse. ¡°Your son took drugs in a nightclub and raped one of the waitresses. You did a good job of covering the matter up, but I guess you¡¯d be very interested in getting a better view of the scene from that time. I do have a video here, and I think you¡¯ll be surprised by it.¡±

    After hearing about that, Director Fang¡¯s expression changed drastically!

    The incident had taken cest month. Did he not resolve everything? He had even given the girl arge sum of cash and asked her to leave town besides preventing the drug abuse incident from being exposed. So, how did Qi Lei get his hands on this news?

    Had all the traces not been wiped out?

    As Director Fang¡¯s heart skipped a beat, he felt a sheer cold sensation move down his spine and he almost forgot to breathe. ¡°Where...where did you get the news? That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve settled everything...It¡¯s impossible for you to know about the incident. How is this possible?¡±

    ¡°The footage will be sent to you in a bit, and if you misbehave and displease me today, I won¡¯t mind uploading it to the inte.¡± Qi Lei dropped the mic and hung up.

    ¡°Wait a second! Vice President Qi! Vice President Qi!¡± Director Fang wanted to say something else, but all he heard was only a busy dial tone. Taken aback in shock, as he was in a trance, the phone in his hand that had just gone dark lit up again all of a sudden. He looked down immediately to see a video. He tapped on it once, and sure enough...

    His face turned pasty from the shock! If the video was leaked, his son¡¯s life would be over!

    Director Fang felt like his heart had been grasped tightly from within and he could not breathe. Because of that, his forehead even perspired a little after that call. He quickly turned off his phone and took a few deep breaths in a row. Subsequently, his expression changed as if he had made a major decision. He then straightened his back and returned to the conference room.

    In the room, everyone had started whispering as they were naturally discussing the agenda of the meeting.

    Director Fang sat back in his seat anxiously, feeling extremely restless deep down. He then took a sideways nce at Director Yang, who was sitting beside him, and saw that thetter was a little dazed and seemed very out of his mind...

    It seemed that Qi Lei had also threatened him with certain materials!

    Director Fang inwardly took a breath and was about to avert his gaze. However, Director Yang seemed to have detected his gaze, so he looked over instantly and their sights met each other¡¯s...

    ¡°Director Yang? What happened? You don¡¯t look so good. Are you not feeling well?¡± Gu Lingsha saw that Director Yang¡¯s face was pale, so she asked out of concern immediately. Qi Feng, who had been looking down at the information next to her, finally raised his head slightly to look at Director Yang who was sitting opposite of him. Looking at Director Yang¡¯s sullen face, Qi Feng squinted his eyes and red at him fixedly.

    Director Yang lowered his gaze, took a deep breath, and replied in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I might have eaten something bad, so my stomach isn¡¯t feeling too well. By the way, President Qi is still in the hospital, thus I suggest that everyone work together to stabilize thepany¡¯s affairs first. As for the other agendas, let¡¯s discuss after President Qi has awakened. Plus, I notice Second Master Qi¡¯s abilities as well, so we should just leave the decision to President Qi! I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not feeling very well. Excuse me!¡±

 Chapter 1481 - If Thereâ€™s A Will, Thereâ€™s A Way 4

    <h4>1481 If There¡°s A Will, There¡°s A Way 4</h4>

    He then quickly got up and grabbed the documents in front of him before leaving the meeting room in a hurry.

    Everyone was surprised by his sudden reaction. When the door mmed shut, everyone came to a realization about what just happened!

    ¡°I also think what Mr. Yang said earlier made a lot of sense. My wife is down with a fever and cold today, so I¡¯ve to go back and take care of her. I¡¯m really worried! I think it¡¯s not toote to wait for President Qi to wake up first before making the decision. Now, everyone should just allocate the tasks rationally. I have to go now!¡±

    Mr. Fang also got up anxiously when he saw Mr. Yang disappear out of the doorway. He started packing up his things on the table while talking and left swiftly!

    When Mr. Wang, who had not made any move, saw that they were all leaving one after the other, he also quickly got up and said, ¡°My mother-inw ising to City Z today. I have to pick her up at the station, so I¡¯ll get going!¡±

    Obviously, as soon as he saw the two cunning foxes in a panic just now, he could tell that something was wrong, so it was better to just take some time to consider first! There might still be a chance to turn things around, thus protecting himself was definitely his utmost priority!

    Mr. Wang thought to himself as he quickly got up and left.

    The entire conference room was in a state of shock. The situation seemed a little odd!

    The rest of the people started exchanging looks as nobody knew what was going on. They looked around and ended up looking at Qi Feng, only to see that he was staring nkly at the empty chairs. His eyes were cold as ice, and everyone could not help but shiver when they saw that!

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave! Come back right now! How dare you show such an attitude!?¡± Gu Lingsha quickly stood up and yelled at Mr. Fang and Mr. Wang who were about to leave.

    The two, who had just walked towards the door, stopped in their tracks and exchanged nces before turning around to look at Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha.

    ¡°Director Qi, Manager Gu, this shareholders¡¯ meeting is indeed a bit chaotic. President Qi must¡¯ve had his own reasons for postponing the shareholders¡¯ meeting for now. Anyway, as long as everyone works hard together, thepany will ovee this challenge. We should wait for President Qi before deciding on the new president,¡± Manager Fang practically had to force himself to say.

    However, he had no choice but to say that. He could not take his son¡¯s future lightly. Anyway, Qi Feng only intended to give them trivial benefits. Since they had been doing well, he should not risk his son¡¯s future over insignificant benefits like that!

    He was going to lose something either way, so he could not do this! However, he really did not know how Qi Lei could have known about his secrets when he obviously...

    After everything that happened, Mr. Fang and the others seemed to realize that the Second Master of the Qi family was not as ipetent and worthless as people said he was. On the contrary, it seemed that he was just hiding his light under a bushel!

    Otherwise, how would he be able to support the entire Tai Yu Corporation? His performance in a few of their projects was outstanding, and so was his current performance!

    Could it be that still waters ran deep and Second Master was not who people thought he was?

    Why did President Qi think about attending the opening ceremony of the Second Master¡¯spany in person? Why did he even postpone the shareholders¡¯ meeting?

    There were too many factors that made them feel troubled about the situation. At the moment, it would be best if the meeting could be dyed and just wait and see.

    Qi Lei¡¯s move had certainly caught them off guard, surprising Yang Sheng too!

    He stared nkly at the phone and looked at Qi Lei who was staring outside the window with a cold expression. He gulped and finally said, ¡°Master Qi, you...when did you find these?¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always disregarded their affairs? I thought that there¡¯s surely no other way this time! I¡¯ve already prepared for the worst!¡±

    Qi Lei slowly leaned back in the chair and put out the cigarette between his fingers in the ashtray when Yang Sheng said that.

    ¡°If there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way. In this world, there may be no actual ending. It depends on how you make your decision or your effort. As long as you don¡¯t fall, then everything else won¡¯t crumble either,¡± Qi Lei said calmly.

    He started coughing after saying that. His face turned pale and hisplexion was a little odd. Yang Sheng quickly poured him a ss of water and handed it to him. ¡°Master Qi, have some water. Yourplexion looks bad. Do you want to...? God! You¡¯re burning! You have a fever, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng did not have time to finish his sentence. He was shocked when he identally touched Qi Lei¡¯s burning hands.

    ¡°Fever?¡± Qi Lei coughed a few more times. He quickly raised his hand to feel his forehead. After testing the temperature for a while, he said gloomily, ¡°No wonder I¡¯ve been feeling a little dizzy.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, let¡¯s go to the hospital first. We shouldn¡¯t wait! Wait, it¡¯s better to take some medicine first before going to the hospital. Your health is no joke!¡±

    Yang Sheng hurriedly walked to the side of the sofa and found the fever medicine from the drawer. He hurried back and quickly handed Qi Lei a few tablets. ¡°Master Qi, take some medicine first.¡±

    Qi Lei rubbed his temples ufortably as he reached out and took the pills obediently.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Inform them that the meeting will be postponed to the afternoon tentatively. I¡¯m heading out,¡± he muttered as he was still dizzy.

    Mu Yuchen just called and asked to see him. It happened that he also had something to tell him. The situation was not looking good anyway, so it was better for him to go meet him first.

    ¡°But, Master Qi...your body...¡± Yang Sheng hesitated.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a nap for half an hour. Wake me upter.¡± Qi Lei got up lethargically and walked towards the lounge.

    He did not want to care about anything else anymore. Whatever should be done had been done. He just needed to wait for the results now.

    He did not believe that Qi Feng would seed in securing the position this time. Growing up, he had kept himself away too many times. This time, Qi Lei did not want to back down anymore. Even if he had no intention to take over the Qi Kai Group, he did not want Qi Feng to get it either!

 Chapter 1482 - If Thereâ€™s A Will, Thereâ€™s A Way 5

    <h4>Chapter 1482 If There¡°s A Will, There¡°s A Way 5</h4>

    At this moment, inside Qi Kai Corporation¡¯s high-level meeting room.

    A stifled air instantly engulfed therge office. The office was very quiet as no one made a sound. They just looked silently at Qi Feng who kept quiet.

    VP Fang and VP Wang both felt uneasy. They exchanged a look and were about to say something when the pen in Qi Feng¡¯s hand clicked, interrupting their thoughts. When the two of them looked up at him, they noticed that his expression was as always, but his eyes seemed to be filled with a dark storm.

    He slowly leaned back against his chair and looked up silently at the two people standing across him. He kept quiet while taking the cigarette box from the table and sliding a stick out. He lit it up idly and nonchntly took a drag while his dark eyes shed with a sharp light.

    When Gu Lingsha saw him like this, she could not help but worry as she called out softly to him, ¡°Ah Feng, you...¡±

    Qi Feng ignored her. He did not look at her as he breathed in quite a few times before turning to the two people and saying calmly, ¡°Qi Lei called? What did he say?¡±

    When he asked that, the two people were stunned. Their expressions changed, but they still did not utter a word.

    Qi Feng smiled calmly though it looked slightly cruel. He spoke as he looked towards Morrison behind him, ¡°Forget it. If you two leave this meeting room today, forget abouting back to work anymore. I was going to show you some due respect, and if you won¡¯t appreciate it, don¡¯t me me for it.¡±

    Morrison quickly handed him several documents.

    Qi Feng¡¯s words surprised the duo as they quickly spoke up, ¡°What do you mean? Forget abouting back to work?¡±

    The smile on Qi Feng¡¯s lips curved even more as he casually flipped through the documents in his hand and then unhurriedly handed it to the duo.

    The two of them felt panicked and quickly took it over to flip through it. When they had a good look at the contents of the document, their expression changed before they looked at Qi Feng in disbelief.

    ¡°You...Qi Feng...When did you procure our shares? This is impossible! Impossible!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your signatures right there. Do you think it could be fake? I¡¯ve never forced the two of you, and you¡¯re both ready to jump ship anytime. I should be slightly vignt, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± Qi Feng answered quite frankly while his raspy voice contained endless coldness.

    ¡°Qi Feng, how dare you y these dirty tricks on us?! You¡¯re a despicable person! Forget about your vain attempts to take over the position as Qi Kai¡¯s CEO! Who knows? You might be the shameless one behind what happened to CEO Qi!¡±

    ¡°It must be him! How dare you treat us like this?! Without our support, would you be where you are today? To abandon people once you¡¯ve achieved your goals shows that you truly are an illegitimate son. Even your tricks are so lowly!¡±

    Their curses only made Qi Feng frown a little as he nonchntly shouted, ¡°Get someone to drag them out!¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng! How dare you?! If you dare do this to us, then you¡¯ll definitely be doing this to many more in due time. CEO Qi¡¯s incident is still filled with doubt. Everyone¡¯s worked hard with CEO Qi over the years. Don¡¯t you get away with this! Second Master is more suited to be Qi Kai¡¯s CEO!¡±

    ¡°Take them out!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s voice was extremely cold.

    Soon, quite a few ck-clothed bodyguards rushed in from outside and pulled VP Fang and VP Wang up, ready to drag them out.

    ¡°Qi Kai is the blood and sweat of everyone. Are you willing to watch Qi Kai fall into this despicable person¡¯s hands?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let Qi Feng take over!¡±

    The two of them struggled and shouted.

    After this short interruption, the few people, who were initially unhappy with Qi Feng, now exchanged a look as if they had made up their minds about something, and slowly stood up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this when CEO Qi regains consciousness. We¡¯ll go with CEO Qi¡¯s wishes!¡±

    ¡°I think that makes sense too. Electing a new CEO is no small matter. In fact, VP Qi didn¡¯t attend today either, so we can¡¯t just decide on this. It¡¯s better that we get CEO Qi or VP Qi to oversee this personally!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agree with that!¡±

    ...

    In an instant, the entire meeting room was chaos, and close to half the people had slowly dered their stances. The meeting did not seem like it could go on any longer.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression finally darkened, and Gu Lingsha¡¯s brows furrowed too. She got up to dissuade them as she turned to look at Qi Feng. Meanwhile, Qi Feng only hinted a nce at Morrison, and thetter knowingly moved towards the door. More than ten ck-clothed bodyguards were already blocking the entrance.

    ¡°Dear all, First Master is one who follows things through. We¡¯ve spent quite some effort preparing for today¡¯s meeting, and with the current situation, we don¡¯t know when CEO Qi will be regaining consciousness. First Master is just considering this for the whole of Qi Kai. It¡¯s good to make a decision now too. In order for Qi Kai to develop methodically, we muste to a decision for today¡¯s meeting. We ask for everyone to understand First Master¡¯s painstaking efforts,¡± Morrison spoke without a change in expression while his voice sounded sharp.

    At this moment, everyone began to remember the way Qi Kai had whitewashed its business from what it was back then. Qi Qiming often cornered people into doing things his way, and now from the way Qi Feng looked, he clearly had the intention of using force.

    ¡°I personally suggest letting First Master temporarily assume the position of Qi Kai¡¯s CEO. When CEO Qi wakes up, we¡¯ll decide again on what to do then.¡±

    ¡°I agree to let Director Qi take on the position of CEO temporarily. Right now, Qi Kai¡¯s in a shaky state, so we urgently need someone to hold down the fort. I think we¡¯ve all been a witness to Director Qi¡¯s capabilities, thus I agree for Director Qi to step up and be the new CEO!¡±

    ¡°I am of that opinion as well!¡±

    At this moment, the people on Qi Feng¡¯s side began to dere their stances. Suddenly, the meeting room¡¯s atmosphere became tense, and some who were still hesitant earlier seemed to be more inclined towards Qi Feng now because they knew that even if they did not agree with Qi Feng, they could only support him in the current state.

    Qi Qiming was still unconscious whereas VP Qi Lei did not show up at all. In fact, he had not shown up at thepany at all in recent times. Besides, he had Tai Yu Corporation. Back then, CEO Qi Qiming was very supportive of it too, so they all figured that he probably had his own ns for the brothers to each take on apany. That way, it would be to everyone¡¯s satisfaction.

    However, what VP Fang said earlier made them all have some doubts. Could Qi Feng have been behind CEO Qi¡¯s incident?

 Chapter 1483 - Plot Twist! 1

    <h4>1483 Plot Twist! 1</h4>

    The door was still tightly blocked, and it seemed impossible for them to get out...

    Everyone¡¯s expression changed, and for a few short minutes, some of the people were secretly staring at Qi Feng and cursing him. However, they did not dare to say much and the atmosphere froze.

    ¡°Everybody, please sit down first, and we¡¯ll discuss this matter calmly. Today¡¯s meeting was to discuss this matter, after all. Abandoning things halfway isn¡¯t your style, is it?¡± Morrison said when everybody had calmed down a little.

    Everyone took a breath and looked at each other. Although they already had a lot of dissatisfaction with Qi Feng, they endured the discontentment and sat down again.

    ¡°Since everyone is interested in staying back and continuing this meeting, it¡¯s best to remain calm and not do anything stupid. If not, Director Yang was the best lesson for everybody else in the room. What the Qi Kai Group doesn¡¯tck the most are talented people, so if there¡¯s anyone in this room that doesn¡¯t want to stay anymore, there are plenty waiting to get their hands on the seats that you¡¯re sitting on now. It¡¯s not easy for you to have gotten to where you are today, so think wisely.¡± Morrison seemed to be satisfied with everyone¡¯s reaction, and as he issued his warning, he nced at Qi Feng, whose expression was still gloomy.

    Gu Lingsha was also a little worried because she obviously noticed that Qi Feng¡¯s expression was totally off. He must not have expected the current situation to happen.

    It was destined to not go well. As a result, everyone¡¯s dissatisfaction with Qi Feng would only increase, so it was impossible to determine whether he could get to the top of the food chain in the Qi Kai Group. It was already no longer the era in which the Qi family could y gangster. As soon as the Qi Kai Group redeemed their name after the whitewashing process, many things could be transparent, so if all these people did not support Qi Feng sincerely, they would not be able to do anything to salvage the situation.

    As she thought about this, Gu Lingsha felt even more worried! Qi Feng was her beloved husband, and she naturally hoped that he could sessfully secure the position as the President of the Qi Kai Group. Did Qi Lei not always show his indifference about thepany? Why was he doing otherwise now?

    Thinking of the call which she did not make clear just now, Gu Lingsha felt strained deep down. At first, she wanted to say something tofort him, but luckily she did not. Who would have known that he would stilly his hand on Qi Feng?

    Gu Lingsha was feeling a little distressed at this moment. The feeling she had in her heart was beyond words.

    After a long silence, Qi Feng¡¯s hoarse and dry voice shattered the air, ¡°Since there¡¯s no objection orment, let¡¯s continue with the previous discussion.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that no discussion is needed for the issue. President Qi has already favored the first master as the Qi Kai Group¡¯s heir before this, hence I¡¯m personally in favor of the First Master taking over thepany in advance. Those false usations that were being thrown at First Master maye from people who want to disrupt the situation. We¡¯ll y into the hands of the other party if we hold a grudge against him because of the nder. Therefore, we should act decisively in this matter and proceed ording to President Qi¡¯s original intention.¡±

    ¡°I think so too. I¡¯m afraid that no one suits the position more now.¡±

    ¡°I propose letting Director Qi act on behalf of the president temporarily first. However, we¡¯ll wait for President Qi¡¯s final decision on that. Plus, Deputy Director Qi should pull some weight too since that¡¯s much more appropriate!¡±

    ...

    Suddenly, everyone began discussing the matter again.

    ¡°Then, what should he do if President Qi can¡¯t wake up for a long time? Deputy Director Qi still has to take care of Tai Yu Corporation, so I think it¡¯s best if Director Qi can take over directly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think so too. It¡¯s an irond fact, and there¡¯s no need to think about it too much.¡±

    ¡°But President Qi postponed the shareholders¡¯ meeting before this, which shows that he may have other ns in mind! We should take a far-sighted view!¡±

    ¡°Manager Xing, you seem to be dissatisfied with Director Qi.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only looking at the issue objectively. President Qi has never dered that Director Qi is the true heir to the Qi Kai Group. Who in this room can guarantee that Deputy Director Qi isn¡¯t a more suitable candidate? Isn¡¯t he a person who is capable of being up there and leading us as well?¡±

    Manager Xing, who had been called out, was a former subordinate of Wang Qin. Wang Qin had promoted him a lot in his career. He had always been thinking for thepany and was closer to the people who sided with Wang Qin.

    Everyone became quiet again once Manager Xing put forward his opinion. Without the support of Director Yang and Director Fang, although Qi Feng was able to maintain his stance and suppress the situation temporarily, it was obviously a little strenuous.

    Morrison¡¯s eyes became disconste as he wished to tear Manager Xing and those who opposed them into pieces!

    ¡°This is a well-known thing. Do we need to bring it up tantly?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, President Qi has already let Director Qi follow him around the office for him to understand thepany¡¯s operations better. Furthermore, since Director Qi has been with us for so long, he has much more knowledge about thepany than Second Master. We can¡¯t rest assured with the idea of handing thepany into the hands of an inexperienced kid!¡±

    ¡°So, you guys want to take the position by force now! If President Qi were to know about what¡¯s happened today, he definitely won¡¯t agree to it!¡±

    Qi Feng, whose expression became increasingly gloomy, could not restrain the emotional uproar in his heart. He coldly extinguished the cigarette in his hand in the ashtray on the side while his sheer cold voice shed through the air of the conference room, ¡°It¡¯s too noisy. If you don¡¯t want to work here anymore, just get out! Security!¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng, you¡¯re not in the position to do so! I¡¯m a member of the Qi Kai Group¡¯s senior management. Even if you want to expel me, you need to seek the consent of the Human Resources Department and the other shareholders. You don¡¯t have the final say!¡± Manager Xin shouted angrily.

    ¡°I want him out of my sight!¡± Qi Feng had never had patience, so the wrath in his chest burned more intensely when he heard what Manager Xing said.

    As soon as the order was given, Morrison quickly shot a nce at the bodyguards by the door. The two immediately stepped forward, clutched Manager Xing, and were about to drag him to the door. However, there was a ruckus outside the door at that moment.

    ¡°Wait! Stop it!¡± a bold shout pierced through the doors. Everyone raised their eyes and looked forward subconsciously. Only then did they realize that the person who had walked in was President Qi¡¯s right-hand man, Wang Chun!

    He was someone that President Qi trusted a lot. President Qi would let him handle many things without thinking twice a lot of the time, and he was a very prestigious man in the Qi Kai Group!

    ¡°Secretary Wang!¡± Many people seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as soon as they saw Wang Chun while Qi Feng, Morrison, Gu Lingsha, and the others felt a little uneasy deep down. They exchanged nces and stared at Wang Chun closely again. With that, they naturally noticed the two middle-aged men in suits, who came in behind Wang Chun, were familiar faces!

 Chapter 1484 - Plot Twist! 2

    <h4>Chapter 1484 Plot Twist! 2</h4>

    Qi Qiming¡¯s personal legal team had always worked for him exclusively. Moreover, Wang Chun came over this time with quite a few bodyguards along with Mr. Fang and Mr. Wang, who had just been kicked out of the room!At this moment, everyone could vaguely tell that the shareholders¡¯ meeting today would be interesting and that there must be something going on.

    Everyone stopped talking and looked at Wang Chun and Qi Feng with suspicion. They would probably be surprised by today¡¯s turn of events.

    ¡°Assistant Wang, long time no see!¡± Gu Lingsha was the first to greet him.

    They had not seen Wang Chun since Qi Qiming got injured. Although Qi Feng had sent some guys to search for him, they could not find him. Why did he suddenly appear now? Moreover, with such a big team, no less?

    Gu Lingsha thought to herself and the anxiety in her heart gradually grew as she stared at Wang Chun with her beautiful eyes.

    Wang Chun walked towards Qi Lei and sat in his seat while Qi Feng kept staring.

    ¡°Assistant Wang, howe you have the time toe instead of taking care of my father at the hospital?¡± Qi Feng seemed to know something in his heart. It was likely that Wang Chun was here to stop this meeting.

    Morrison noticed that something was wrong, and he secretly wished that Glenn had murdered Wang Chun! What a pain in the neck!

    Wang Chun had given him a hard time when working at the Qi Kai Group, so he knew that the man was deliberately against him.

    However, it was actually Morrison that took it the wrong way. Wang Chun had always been a careful person whereas Morrison would often abuse his power as Qi Feng¡¯s right-hand man and was bossy and arrogant when working at thepany. Because Wang Chun could not stand it, he would sometimes teach him some lessons. As a result, Morrison was fed up with him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about having the time toe here, but it would be unprofessional of me to be absent from something as significant as the shareholders¡¯ meeting today, especially as President Qi¡¯s personal assistant. Besides, for a high-level meeting like this, how is it still going on as usual when so many shareholders are absent?¡± Wang Chun said while he opened the briefcase in his hand and motioned to the twowyers behind him and Mr. Fang. They proceeded to sit down silently.

    Wang Chun took out several documents from his briefcase and lowered his gaze while randomly flipping through the documents. He looked around and continued, ¡°Okay, now that most of the shareholders are here and the attendance is over 90%, this meeting is deemed effective. I didn¡¯t want toe here initially, but since everyone has decided to proceed with the shareholders¡¯ meeting anyway, I have no choice but toe over and officially announce the final decision made by President Qi.¡±

    Wang Chun stretched out his hand and introduced the twowyers around him, ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone is familiar with these two. They¡¯re Master Qi¡¯s personalwyers, Lawyer Wang and Lawyer Zhang. I invited them to be here with me today as witnesses and to help answer any queries.¡±

    ¡°I came here today for the sole purpose of dering President Qi¡¯s will, so that everyone would know what to do next¡± Wang Chun said calmly but everyone was shocked to hear that!

    President Qi¡¯s will!

    President Qi wrote a will?

    This news came as a surprise to everyone, like dropping a boulder into a calmke and causing rippling waves in the water!

    Qi Feng also frowned as he looked at Wang Chun before him and clenched his fists tightly!

    When did the old man write his will? Was it from before?

    Qi Feng was secretly hopeful that the will would be the previous will since Qi Qiming just had an ident. In other words, the will should be about him taking over the Qi Kai Group!

    Qi Qiming had told him before that he should familiarize himself with thepany¡¯s business as soon as possible so that he could eventually hand over Qi Kai Group to him!

    If that was the case, then he could save a whole lot of trouble. He had invested quite a lot of effort into thepany. If he knew that Qi Qiming had written a will, he would not have to work so hard.

    Qi Feng felt a little relieved as he thought about it but at the same time, he also felt very conflicted. If he had the choice, he probably would not let Morrison do what he did. Glenn was too ruthless and they even hid it from him.

    No matter what, Qi Qiming was his father, and seeing him like that was certainly unbearable, but...

    It was rare for him to actually feel a little guilty...

    ¡°The document in my hand is a copy of the will. The original has been notarized and is temporarily stored at the notary. ording to the will made by Master Qi, should anything happen to him, the Qi Kai Group...the Qi Kai Group will be handed over to...Second Master, Qi Lei. This means that Qi Lei, the Second Master, also known as Vice President Qi, will be Qi Kai Group¡¯s new president. All of you must work together to help Second Master manage the Qi Kai Group sessfully.¡± Wang Chun distributed the documents in his hand as he made that announcement.

    However, the moment he dropped that bombshell, the entire conference room was in shock!

    In President Qi¡¯s will, it was Second Master, Qi Lei, that would take over the Qi Kai Group? How could that be possible?

    ¡°How is this possible? It¡¯s impossible! You¡¯re lying! Father obviously prefers Ah Feng to take over the Qi Kai Group! It can¡¯t be Qi Lei!¡± Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes widened as she could not believe it at all!

    ¡°No way! This isplete nonsense!¡± Morrison also insisted coldly as he snatched one of the documents and quickly read through it.

    As he read on, his expression started changing drastically!

    When he got to the end of the document and saw the official seal, his body almost went limp!

    He read it right. It was indeed Qi Lei¡¯s name with Qi Qiming¡¯s signature and fingerprint...

    It was Qi Qiming¡¯s will that he had personally written!

    How could this be?

    Didn¡¯t President Qi always want Qi Feng to be his heir?

    President Qi had always been dissatisfied with the Second Master, hence he was cold towards him and gave all his love to Qi Feng. This was a fact known by many insiders, but now, nobody understood what it meant.

    Several executives saw the document and were taken aback as well. Some of them did not know how to react.

    Qi Feng¡¯s features turned stiff and his eyes darkened. He quickly reached out to grab the document from Morrison¡¯s hand and started reading it...

 Chapter 1485 - Plot Twist! 3

    <h4>Chapter 1485 Plot Twist! 3</h4>

    His silent eyes instantly went cold and darkened while his hands that held the documents began to tremble.Even Gu Lingsha, who sat beside him, could feel the chill that came from him. She pulled at his sleeves worriedly and leaned over to look.

    ¡°The document¡¯s contents are true indeed. CEO Qi asked me to handle this before the incident happened. Thewyers have also verified repeatedly that this was CEO Qi¡¯s intention, and there are no other problems, so it came into effect after notarization. If anyone¡¯s got any questions, you may ask Lawyer Wang and Lawyer Zhang. They¡¯ll be very happy to clear everyone¡¯s doubts,¡± Wang Chun¡¯s sharp gaze caught the reactions of everyone present as he said this calmly while his gaze fell onto Qi Feng across him.

    Qi Feng¡¯s expression sank and was uncertain. When he eased back, his handsome face was filled with a sneer. He held onto the document in hand tightly, then in the next second, tore it into pieces as his dark eyes contained hostility.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve known! The foolish thing was that I believed him!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s raspy voice had a piercing coldness.

    The broken pieces of paper fell from his hand, and one could see an instance of dullness in those dark eyes of his. The paper swayed gently in the wind and swirled into a floor of bleakness.

    ¡°Ah Feng, are you alright?¡±

    Gu Lingsha had seen those words on the document too. Of course, she was unhappy with Qi Qiming. He had promised her before, so how did it turn out like this?

    Qi Feng reached out to pull away Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand on his arm as he looked coldly towards Wang Chun. His tone remained calm as he asked, ¡°Are you saying that he wrote this will before the incident? That he¡¯s always wanted Qi Lei to take over while I was just paving the way for my own brother?¡±

    ¡°Master, CEO Qi made the final decision about this actually...CEO Qi had his own thoughts on many things. I think that he was just helplessly disappointed when he made this decision. I think you know what I mean,¡± Wang Chun met Qi Feng¡¯s gaze and said calmly.

    ¡°Know what you mean? What do you mean? Would I have known that I was paving the way for Qi Lei? I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s never quite trusted me while I trusted him too much. If he really wanted me to take over, he wouldn¡¯t have dragged it on for so long.¡±

    Qi Feng had his own thoughts about this. If Qi Qiming had really wanted to leave Qi Kai to him, he would not have waited until now. Ever since Wang Qin passed away, he had be demotivated, and it was then that he should have let go.

    Qi Qiming and Wang Qin had fought each other for half of their lives. Qi Qiming always thought that he only felt dissatisfaction and resentment for Wang Qin. On the contrary, Qi Feng could feel that Qi Qiming actually did have feelings for Wang Qin.

    It did not matter how many women Qi Qiming had outside. He never let those women step over Wang Qin. He would never remember another woman¡¯s birthday, including the legendary woman that imed to be Qi Qiming¡¯s true love, Qi Feng¡¯s mother, or Mu Zi, or even Lu Xin, yet he remembered Wang Qin¡¯s birthday.

    On Wang Qin¡¯s birthday, he would reach home early. Even if it was just to fight, at least, he gave Wang Qin due respect. He would always nitpick on Wang Qin. Sometimes, he would even mock Wang Qin for wearing colors that were too bright, or if her makeup was too much, or for wanting to seduce other men...

    However, Qi Feng seemed to have caught wind of what Qi Qiming was jealous of between the lines. Qi Feng¡¯s mother had always worshipped Qi Qiming. She even knew Qi Qiming¡¯s secret, which was that when he was with women, he would always want the woman to be the one who served, yet he forced himself onto Wang Qin over and over again...

    Perhaps Qi Feng knew nothing about love, but these things made him realize that she had an extraordinary ce in Qi Qiming¡¯s heart.

    After Wang Qin passed away, Qi Feng thought that he had it all nned out for himself. Qi Qiming might be demotivated from the guilt, or work himself too hard from the anger while Qi Feng had cleared such a huge barrier to pave way for himself in Qi Kai. However, he did not expect so many things to happen one after another, and for Qi Qiming to still hold on tightly to the entire Qi Kai Group. He even gave Qi Feng the tiny position as director while the useless Qi Lei could be his Vice President!

    What was even more annoying was that when Qi Lei left Qi Kai to start his own thing, this old man had unexpectedly agreed strongly to it. Not only did he not nitpick on Qi Lei¡¯s responsibility to thepany, but he had even provided much support!

    Previously, he had said to let him take over Qi Kai and that he did not care about Qi Lei. He had also imed that he was unhappy with Qi Lei and resented Wang Qin. All of that was bullsh*t!

    ¡®Qi Qiming, as a father, you broke your promise to me. You said you¡¯d let me take over Qi Kai in a grand manner and let him take charge of thepany, but this was all empty talk!¡¯ Qi Feng was too foolish to have believed such nonsense. After all, ever since he was young, what had he truly gotten?

    He had done his best to get himself to excel and had continued to shape himself ording to what Qi Qiming liked. Nevertheless, in the end, this had all be just a ridiculous joke...

    He thought that he could fight for it too, but every step he took turned out to be extraordinarily difficult. He did not understand why God would be so unfair to him! Why did Qi Lei get everything without doing anything while he, Qi Feng, was empty-handed despite so much blood, sweat, and tears in scheming?

    ¡°First Master, that¡¯s CEO Qi¡¯s decision. He hopes you can assist Second Master well and that you two brothers can work together to run Qi Kai well...¡±

    Wang Chun did not know how he could respond to Qi Feng¡¯s words. If it were Wang Chun himself, he probably would not be able to ept this, but when he thought about Qi Qiming who stilly in the hospital, Wang Chun¡¯s heart sank slightly.

    ¡°His decision?¡± Qi Feng scoffed as a mocking sneer shed on his lips. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He did not say anything more but suddenly stood up and slowly walked towards the entrance.

    ¡°Ah Feng! Where are you going?!¡± Gu Lingsha, who had been watching Qi Feng worriedly, was concerned to see him like this, so she quickly stood up and called out to his back.

    However, Qi Feng only left her and the crowd with an indifferent view of his back...

 Chapter 1486 - Plot Twist! 4

    <h4>Chapter 1486 Plot Twist! 4</h4>

    In the office of the chairman of Glory World Corporation.After learning that Mu Yuchen was in the office, Qi Lei pushed the door open and walked in. He then lifted his eyes and looked inside. His eyes caught Mu Yuchen¡¯s precious and impassive silhouette.

    Mu Yuchen was wearing a dark, slim suit while standing in front of the French windows with his back facing the door. He was seen making a call. It was probably Xi Xiaye on the other end.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get off work earlier in the evening. I¡¯ll pick you up. will you treat me to dinner?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about all that. Let¡¯s cook at home. Your digestive system hasn¡¯t been very healthy recently, mostly because we¡¯ve been eating out these days. Alright, I¡¯ve got to go. Someone¡¯s here. Remember to get off work earlier this evening. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs.¡±

    Mu Yuchen could also sense Qi Lei sitting down on the sofa behind him, so he left a few brief messages, then put the phone away and turned around slowly. Sure enough, he saw Qi Lei who had already sat down on the sofa leisurely, boiled water, and was nning to make tea.

    Qi Lei was already very close to Mu Yuchen now, so just like Su Chen or Zhou Zimo, he would not restrain himself and do everything unceremoniously when he went over. It was just like his own office since everything was more casual now.

    Mu Yuchen squinted at him, then walked over unhurriedly and sat down opposite Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei could not help but cough a few times. His face was also abnormally pale with a faint hint of red. He then shifted the tea leaves directly to Mu Yuchen, signaling him to do it.

    After Mu Yuchen picked it up, he took out the tea leaves skillfully and started brewing it leisurely. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good. What happened?¡± he gave him a sideways nce and asked.

    Qi Lei raised his arms and rubbed his be, then coughed slightly. His voice was somewhat hoarse. ¡°No big deal. It¡¯s just a simple cold and fever. Yang Sheng just got me some medicine. I feel better after taking them. And you...you seemed quite rxed.¡±

    Right away, Mu Yuchen chuckled and reced the tea leaves in the cup directly with chrysanthemum tea. ¡°I thought that you should be sitting in your office anxiously waiting for the oue of the meeting at this moment instead of having such a rxed time toe over and have tea with me.¡±

    Qi Lei gave him a sidelong gaze and said unconcernedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t have high hopes for that matter. I just feel great whenever things aren¡¯t going well for Qi Feng. What should I feel nervous about? I never thought about obtaining the Qi Kai Group. What¡¯s yours will eventually be yours. If it¡¯s not, it¡¯s pointless forcing it,¡± Qi Lei coughed again and frowned as he said.

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows and nced at Qi Lei in amazement. He then moved the freshly brewed chrysanthemum tea towards Qi Lei and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s quite an insight you have there. That does demonstrate the level of your perception and sensibility. I thought that you were still the same as before, still a person with a low IQ and EQ just like Xiaye.¡±

    Feeling a little offended by Mu Yuchen¡¯s judgemental gaze, Second Master frowned and shot him a re. He thought about it for some time and said, ¡°Bullsh*t! No matter how bad I am, I won¡¯t be worse than your wife. I¡¯m one of the highest-achieving students who graduated from the Department of Architecture. There¡¯s no way that my IQ is low.¡±

    Having heard that, Mu Yuchenughed and coughed a little. He picked up his tea for a sip and continuedughing. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive, but from what I can see, you¡¯re still a fledgling who has just gotten its wings. You need to settle for a while before you can spread them and fly off.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just boasting. There¡¯s something that even you, Mu Yuchen, are inferior to me in.¡± Qi Lei gave Mu Yuchen a sideways nce before he picked up his teacup and took a sip carefully.

    The unsweetened organic chrysanthemum tea had a slightly bitter taste, but Qi Lei feltfortable drinking it, so he lowered his head and took another two gulps. With that, his dry throat felt more soothed.

    ¡°Oh? Try me. In which aspect am I not as good as you are?¡± Mu Yuchen gazed at him with an intrigued look.

    ¡°Your pick-up and flirting skills aren¡¯t as good as mine! Yours is just not as pure and simple as mine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m truly not as simple as you are and I¡¯m not as simple to read as you are. However, I¡¯m now the father of two children whereas you¡¯re still all alone by yourself, and you have the guts to say so, huh?¡± As Mu Yuchen spoke, his tone became low and calmed. It was just like talking to his own brother. He lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea.

    Then, he ced one hand on his knee and looked at Qi Lei diagonally with a faint sigh. ¡°I remember that you¡¯re only 30 years old this year, so I should be a tidbit elder than you, and I¡¯ve been out exposed to the world a lot longer than you. Frankly speaking, when I first met you, I thought you were just a spoiled brat who protected himself by surrounding himself with debauchery.

    ¡°People be mature by experiencing things that the world throws at us. I think Xiaye and you both share the same experience. The environment changes people most of the time, and they have to adapt to the circumstances. Thus, we have to learn the skills and also polish up our minds to live and coexist in this environment. With the attitude that you used to have, you¡¯d have died very quickly in this society.¡± He rarely said such things to Qi Lei.

    Upon hearing the advice, Qi Lei paused. His tranquil eyes could not help but be a little dazed. After some time, he took a breath and said helplessly, ¡°It only dawned on me a little toote...¡±

    He paused as he spoke, lowered his head as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he took another sip of tea and continued, ¡°If I met you earlier, it wouldn¡¯t have been so hard and I wouldn¡¯t have been so lost. All I really want is to be a simple, ordinary person.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not difficult. Once you have the ability to grasp onto the positive things that ur around you, it¡¯s not difficult to achieve what you want.¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡± Qi Lei sighed faintly. He did not n to continue with these topics anymore, and his attractive face stiffened slightly. ¡°Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s business has already gotten onto the right track, so you can actually withdraw now. I¡¯ve gotten Yang Sheng to draft the contract. It¡¯ll be delivered hereter, so you just need toe over to sign it then.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°How¡¯s Qi Qiming?¡± He did not interfere much with this matter since he had always known his position very well.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s still the same. He¡¯s still in aa. Nobody has any idea of whether he can wake up or not. I hired people from a private detective agency to investigate the car ident and knew that Glenn had been hiding in City Z all this time, and hasn¡¯t been in contact with Gu Lingsha. However, before the ident, Glenn sent her two cheques in the name of Doris, so I presume that he nned to die. He should have had feelings for Doris.¡±

    It must not have been easy to do so. As a man, Qi Lei could naturally discern those emotions within Glenn.

    ¡°Moreover, before Glenn acted, Morrison received a call from an unknown number that matches the timeline before the incident, so I think the whole thing isn¡¯t that simple.¡±

 Chapter 1487 - Progress 1

    <h4>Chapter 1487 Progress 1</h4>

    As Qi Lei went on, destion filled him and reminded him of something. He could not conceal the sadness in his dark eyes.¡°I¡¯ve tried asking them to find the evidence, and if this was really...¡± He suddenly paused and did not continue but Mu Yuchen knew what he was going to say.

    After thinking for a while, Mu Yuchen did not interrupt him either. Maybe Wang Qin¡¯s incident was...

    He did not know if Qi Lei could take it if it really happened.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze and took a sip of tea. At this moment, Qi Lei¡¯s cell phone suddenly vibrated and Qi Lei picked it up without hesitation.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen leaned back in the chair and continued drinking his tea. Sitting opposite him, Qi Lei answered the phone and his brows furrowed before he did a little stretch. Before he hung up, he seemed shocked and confused.

    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± he said before he hung up with a surprised look on his face.

    ¡°Good news from Qi Kai?¡± Mu Yuchen asked calmly.

    Qi Lei inhaled quietly and shrugged. He coughed a few times before replying, ¡°Our wish came true, but Wang Chun presented the will Qi Qiming made. It says that the heir to the Qi Kai Group is me. How ridiculous!¡± Qi Lei sneered mockingly.

    Mu Yuchen was a little surprised to hear that. He raised his eyebrows and stopped in his tracks. ¡°You¡¯ll be taking over the Qi Kai Group?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Did he think that I¡¯d forgive him if he did this?¡±

    Although he was shocked by the news, he did not necessarily feel grateful for Qi Qiming or that he could forgive him.

    However, he was still stunned by Qi Qiming¡¯s decision.

    Before the ident, Qi Qiming had been trying really hard to make things up to him. Had he actually been genuine? Or was it about something else? Could it be another conspiracy? Or was it because of Qi Feng?

    Or did he find out about Qi Feng¡¯s crimes and made ns so that the Qi Kai Group would not fall into Qi Feng¡¯s hands? Or was it a strategy?

    It was so unexpected it made Qi Lei keep his guard up, and he inevitably had a lot of thoughts running in his head. His eyes were clouded with confusion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about forgiveness now. Now that Qi Qiming had already done this, the key is to see what Qi Feng will do.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought for a moment and said, ¡°You should know Qi Feng better than me. I hope he won¡¯t be pushed too far.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard that...

    At this very moment, in Qi Feng¡¯s office...

    Swoosh!

    Bang!

    The sound of ceramic shattering echoed in the dark gloomy space. When Gu Lingsha rushed in, the office looked like it had been swept away by a storm. Everything that had been neatly disyed on the desk was scattered all over the floor like remnants...

    Qi Feng was sitting in his office chair with his back facing the door as he looked out the window with a lit cigarette between his fingers. The sound earlier was from the cell phone he had just flung.

    ¡°Ah Feng, don¡¯t do this. Calm down...¡± Gu Lingsha was shocked when she saw the mess in the room.

    She had never seen him so angry before. In the past, no matter how angry he got, he would just bottle it all in. The situation had obviously crossed his line and he probably had no other way to control his anger.

    ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡± His voice was cold as ice.

    ¡°I dropped by because I¡¯m worried about you. Father is¡ª¡± Gu Lingsha mumbled, but when Qi Qiming was mentioned, Qi Feng could not hold it in anymore and immediately cut her off.

    ¡°Enough! Don¡¯t mention him in front of me. Get out! I just want to be alone.¡± His tone was cold and somber.

    ¡°Ah Feng, I¡¯m just worried about you. Even though things didn¡¯t turn out well, I think maybe Father is just...¡± Gu Lingsha was also furious about Qi Qiming¡¯s decision since it had ruined her efforts with Qi Feng. While she did not know what to do next, she was terrified to see Qi Feng like this.

    ¡°I know him better than anyone, and he blindsided me!¡± Qi Feng gritted his teeth as he said in a hoarse voice. It was obvious that he was furious, but no one could figure out what he was thinking about through his dark eyes.

    He certainly had not forgotten that in the past, Wang Chun had reminded him that Qi Qiming knew exactly what he would do. Could his secrets have been exposed?

    He believed that he had concealed those secrets well, so how could that be?

    ¡°Ah Feng...¡±

    ¡°Get out! I¡¯m telling you to get out now! Ask Morrison toe to see me!¡±

    His voice made Gu Lingsha tremble. She wanted to say more, but Qi Feng turned around and red at her. She did not dare to say more, so she turned around and quietly left the office.

    Morrison quickly entered the room and immediately shut the door.

    ¡°Master...¡± He was uneasy when he saw the office that looked like a storm had swept through it.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the guy?¡± Qi Feng asked coldly.

    Morrison broke out in a cold sweat and said, ¡°Master, he¡¯s been controlled by Mu Yuchen¡¯s people and the police. I¡¯m trying to find someone to kill him because as long as he can¡¯t speak, there¡¯ll be no proof that can lead them to us. We made the arrangement without your presence, and I did it through...so don¡¯t worry. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem. As for Second Master and President Qi, there won¡¯t be any problem either since it was Doris and Glenn who did it. Now that they¡¯re both dead, no one will be able to find any clues. Even if they manage to get any information, we need to stay calm and not worry.¡±

    Morrison took a deep breath to suppress the anxiety in his heart when, in fact, he was just unsure.

    As expected, Qi Feng sneered when he heard that. He raised his gaze and stared at Morrison coldly. ¡°Mu Yuchen! It¡¯s Mu Yuchen again! Every time! It¡¯s always him ruining my ns! It¡¯s easy for you to say it, but why is Mu Yuchen holding onto Wang Qin¡¯s matter? He obviously has doubts in his heart, and given his intelligence, he can obviously link it back to us, can¡¯t he?¡±

 Chapter 1488 - Progress 2

    <h4>Chapter 1488 Progress 2</h4>

    Qi Feng felt as if he was on a lone boat at the mouth of a storm. Any moment he became distracted, he could be swallowed by the storm!This was the first time he felt the torment of such anxiety and apprehension!

    ¡°First Master¡¯s right, but right now, that person has yet to regain consciousness. Perhaps, it¡¯s nothing to be worried about. I was nning on arranging for a sniper to shoot him dead, but the police are watching him very closely, so it¡¯s hard for them to make a move. That¡¯s why...¡±

    Upset, Qi Feng, who had never quite been harsh, could not help but say this now, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any excuses, just results! I only want results! You should be very clear about what awaits us if this gets exposed! Look at how things are right now! We can¡¯t make any more mistakes on our end! Right now, when ites to the old man¡¯s matter, do you think Qi Lei will let go so easily? Don¡¯t be naive. God knows that he¡¯s probably looked for a private investigator and is secretly looking into this. You made this decision and now we¡¯ve fallen into this state. Morrison, when have you been so impatient for results?¡±

    When Morrison heard that, his heart could not help but sink, and he felt a little sad!

    Had he not done this for Qi Feng?

    Even though he admitted that he wanted to also get what was his at the first opportunity, he was not doing it all for himself!

    ¡°First Master, I was indeed too impetuous about the thing with CEO Qi, but at this point, I¡¯m afraid we can only do this. Don¡¯t tell me that we¡¯re going to wait until CEO Qi personally offers Second Master the position before we make a move. No one could have expected things to turn out this way on the shareholders¡¯ end,¡± exined Morrison.

    Qi Fengbed through his hair with his fingers and breathed in to calm himself down. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave things up to chance. If things get exposed, then what awaits us is just a dead end. I, Qi Feng, am someone who cherishes my life, so these hidden threats have to be resolved right away. Thepany¡¯s matter has been settled conclusively. We¡¯ll just have to stabilize the situation for now. Figuring out how we¡¯re going to protect ourselves is the most important.¡±

    Qi Feng also knew how helpless he sounded at this moment while saying these things, but he was feeling more and more uneasy. He felt that this time around, things might not go as smoothly as they did thest time. Perhaps, this time what awaited him would be...

    Out in the open, the police watching closely, and in secret, Mu Yuchen was interfering. Qi Feng had never felt this powerless. Trapped in between all this, he felt as if he was surrounded by enemies and isted without any help...

    Morrison could detect the uneasiness in Qi Feng¡¯s heart, and he knew that he was feeling the same way as him. They were equally nervous.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, First Master. I¡¯ll go get it done right away. I guarantee that I won¡¯t leave any traces behind!¡± Morrison said while his eyes were filled with an unhesitating firmness.

    Upon hearing this tone, Qi Feng looked up slightly at the tense Morrison, and he frowned while he said with a low, raspy voice, ¡°You¡¯re nning on...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to book a flight ticket and rush over to end him myself!¡± Morrison said with a cold voice.

    Morrison had been in the military base before, so he was not unfamiliar with these skills. In fact, he was a careful person, hence in this situation, the fewer people knew the better. Thus, he thought for a long time and decided to take this risk out of desperation. Otherwise, things would not end well if they were exposed...

    When he heard Morrison, Qi Feng took a deep breath and said, ¡°I trust you to get things done, but you must ensure your own safety. Don¡¯t fail at the task and lose your life. I can provide assistance anytime on my end. Once you get any news from the other side, make contact through the private channels. Right now, we¡¯re being watched closely by everyone. If you want to protect yourself, it won¡¯t be easy to send messages either.¡±

    Morrison nodded again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, First Master, I know what to do. If the whole thing gets exposed, then, First Master, it¡¯s best that you make other ns as well. They shouldn¡¯t be able to detect those assets you have in the banks abroad. You should shift them as soon as possible and pave a way out for yourself just to be safe.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Your new identity has been arranged. Once things are settled on the other end, use your new identity right away and find somewhere no one knows you to hide for a while. Don¡¯t worry about things on my end.¡±

    Qi Feng did not need Morrison¡¯s reminder. He had always been someone who was used to making ns in advance. Back when Doris was shot dead, he had already been making preparations.

    ¡°What about Missus?¡± Morrison asked.

    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes then darkened slightly. He took in a deep breath before he continued, ¡°Let¡¯s not involve her in these things, if anything happens to me, at least, she¡¯ll still be alive and there¡¯ll be one kin to raise Weiwei. If we drag her into this, what will be of Weiwei?¡±

    It was only when Qi Weier was mentioned that Qi Feng¡¯s cold heart warmed slightly.

    Morrison knew very well that the vicious-hearted Qi Feng actually had his weaknesses too. His weakness was that when it came to his daughter, Qi Weier, he would be extremely gentle and kind. It was only in those moments that Morrison could feel that Qi Feng was still alive.

    ¡°Yes, First Master. If Miss Weiwei knows how much you love her, she¡¯ll be very happy,¡± said Morrison softly.

    However, when Qi Feng heard that, he just smiled bitterly. ¡°Only we don¡¯t know how much more times like these we have left. I¡¯ll do my best to arrange for things in the next two days. Let the two of them leave City Z. It¡¯s too chaotic here. If we can get through all of this, then we¡¯ll fetch them back. Otherwise, just let them leave this ce, find a new one, and start over.¡±

    When Qi Feng spoke like that, it was clear that he was nning for the worst.

    For some reason, Morrison felt his heart being stifled. He had been nning for the worst too.

    Right now, they could only give it their onest fight. They had nned and schemed for so much, yet they found themselves in this dire state...

    ¡°That¡¯s good too. Leave this ce. It¡¯ll be more peaceful elsewhere.¡±

    Morrison said, ¡°Alright, First Master, I¡¯ll go prepare now and rush over right away. I¡¯llplete my mission smoothly.¡±

    Then, he took onest dazed look at Qi Feng before abruptly turning around.

    ¡°Morrison, wait!¡±

    Morrison had just reached the entrance when Qi Feng suddenly could not help but call out to him.

    He stopped walking and turned around to look at Qi Feng. ¡°Anything else, First Master?¡±

    As Qi Feng slowly stood up, his dark eyes met Morrison¡¯s equally dark eyes quietly. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

 Chapter 1489 - Of Course I Hate You! 1

    <h4>Chapter 1489 Of Course I Hate You! 1</h4>

    Startled for a moment, Morrison nodded slightly. He then turned and left without saying anything.Watching Morrison¡¯s figure disappear out of the doorway, Qi Feng felt a moment of weakness, so he sat down on the chair behind him in a trance again. Things were alreadypletely out of his control. Judging from the current situation, he was in a very passive position. Furthermore, he could not be sure whether after Morrison left, would things...

    As he thought about this, Qi Feng felt a sharp paining from the bottom of his head. That turmoil made his head feel like it was about to explode. He could not help but take a few breaths before standing up and leaning over on the desk with his arms spread apart. Breathlessly, he searched for bnce and support.

    He lowered his head and stared at the documents that he had flung all over the floor for a long time. Then, he bent down and picked them up.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Gu Lingsha had been waiting outside the door. When she saw Morrison walk out of the room without saying a word, the anxiety in her heart grew stronger. She took a glimpse at Qi Feng¡¯s closed office door, took a deep breath, then chased after Morrison immediately.

    ¡°Morrison, wait up!¡± It was not difficult to pick up the tension in her lowered voice.

    When Morrison heard her, he stopped his pace and turned his head to gaze at Gu Lingsha who was catching up to him. With that, he got a sight of the nervousness in her eyes. ¡°Missus, is there anything else?¡± he asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on in there? Why did it be like this? Did both of you hide something from me? Was what Wang Chun said back then about how we should know about the matter very well deep down referring to the incident with Qi Lei? It was about the abduction of Qi Lei, wasn¡¯t it? I thought I made it clear that the incident was my mother¡¯s...no, Glenn¡¯s doing? Why is Ah Feng involved?¡± Gu Lingsha obviously did not forget the innuendo that Qi Lei had made during her phone conversation with him. This made her feel more uneasy. If he really thought that it was Qi Feng who had made the call, then...

    She could not bear to think any further.

    Morrison took a faint inhtion while there was an indescribable dimness in his eyes. He had never felt so helpless before. ¡°Missus, when ites to certain matters, the less you know, the better. First Master chose not to tell you for you and Miss Weiwei¡¯s sake. In fact, First Master already started feeling a little powerless after returning from Australia. It¡¯s all because I persuaded him to leave Australia. Otherwise, given his capability, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to create an empire in Australia,¡± he said with a hint of chagrin self-me in his tone, ¡°I regret what I did back then. Maybe...¡±

    ¡°What happened? Isn¡¯t this just a missed opportunity for the position of President of Qi Kai Group? It¡¯s not so bad. We don¡¯t have to be so pessimistic. Maybe Father will change his mindter on,¡± Gu Lingsha said.

    Morrison gave a vague smile and sighed. ¡°It¡¯d be great if it¡¯s that simple. Oh yeah, Missus, there are things that I¡¯ve always wanted to tell you, but I almost forgot because I was too busy before this.¡±

    At this point, he suddenly recalled Glenn from before. Perhaps, he might end up just like Glenn this time, but would he be luckier than thetter?

    He had not conveyed what Glenn had told him before this clearly to Gu Lingsha because he was worried. However, at this moment, he was about to leave this ce, and he did not know if he would have a chance toe back ever again, so he should just say it there and then. ¡°Mr. Glenn told me before that you should just send him and Miss Doris back to Ennd if it¡¯s convenient for you. After all, that¡¯s the ce they like the most. He also said that Miss Doris loves you very much and that they hope that you and First Master can stay together forever.¡±

    Morrison suddenly paused as he spoke as if he was thinking about something. He then continued after a while, ¡°If everyone is lucky enough to get through this, why don¡¯t we go back to Australia? First Master may want to arrange for you and Miss Weiwei to go back there, so when the timees, please don¡¯t reject him. You¡¯ll understand all his intentions in the end.¡±

    Gu Lingsha did not understand a word that Morrison said. She just felt that these sounded like hisst words before the apocalypse. Had they really done something?

    ¡°Morrison, tell me honestly, did something happen? Is it true that Father¡¯s incident was also Ah Feng¡¯s doings?¡± Gu Lingsha had heard of some gossip about the incident before this, and she was naturally furious about it.

    Although Qi Feng was an unpredictable man, she had always believed that he would nevery his fingers on her father. Moreover, based on his feelings for Weiwei, she also believed that he still valued family above everything else, at least she was willing to believe him.

    ¡°First Master has nothing to do with President Qi¡¯s ident, I can assure you of this. Alright, Missus, please take care of First Master, as for other matters, it¡¯s better to ask less and don¡¯t interfere with them, otherwise, it¡¯s really won¡¯t do you any good.¡± Morrison left behind a few words of exhortation, he then strode forward with a heavy pace.

    ¡°Morrison, wait!¡± Gu Lingsha still wanted to say something, however, Morrison had already disappeared in the corner ahead...

    Gu Lingsha creased her brows. After giving it some thought, she could not help but walk towards Qi Feng¡¯s office. She pushed the door open carefully and saw that Qi Feng was squatting down, picking up the documents that had fallen from the desk. The atmosphere in the office was more depressed than before, and she could feel the gloomy atmosphere as soon as she walked in, making her a little breathless.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to get out? Why are you here again?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s cold voice shed through the silent air.

    ¡°Ah Feng, did something happen? I just heard what Morrison said. Something felt wrong. You need to tell me what¡¯s the matter. Does it have something to do with Qi Lei? I can go to Father. He can definitely help you, and I can beg those friends that Mother made before this. They¡¯ll definitely be able to help,¡± Gu Lingsha persuaded worriedly.

    ¡°Who asked you to beg them? They are people who cannot be relied on. Since when have I not solved things on my own along the way?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s somber voice pierced through the air as soon as she finished speaking.

    He had believed Qi Qiming, but this was how he ended up! He no longer wanted to look into the rights and wrongs. If he lost, he lost. It was simply unfortunate that the oue came so suddenly that he was caught off guard.

    ¡°So, this is it? You¡¯re just going to give up?¡± Gu Lingsha could not help but raise her voice as tears could be seen welling up in her pretty eyes.

 Chapter 1490 - Of Course I Hate You! 2

    <h4>Chapter 1490 Of Course I Hate You! 2</h4>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know what I¡¯m doing. I asked them to make the arrangements for Australia. Recently, City Z has been chaotic, so it¡¯s best if you go there with Weiwei for now. I¡¯ll be busy and I can¡¯t take care of everything, thus it would help me worry less if you both stayed there for a while,¡± Qi Feng said calmly.¡°I won¡¯t go! I want to stay here with you! Ah Feng, don¡¯t push me away. I understand what Morrison was talking about. You must¡¯ve been in trouble. I¡¯ve never seen you like this before , so no matter what happens, I¡¯m not going to leave. I won¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll stay right here, Ah Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha choked up when she said that. She reached out to grip his sleeve. ¡°We¡¯re husband and wife, and I don¡¯t care anymore. I just hope we can go back to the start and go through all the hardships together.¡±

    Gu Lingsha actually felt guilty. She felt sorry that since she came back, they had been fighting and hurting each other because of the misunderstandings between them. Regardless of what happened, she felt that perhaps they were meant to endure it together.

    ¡°What can you do? If you stay here, you¡¯ll only get in my way. It¡¯s best if you can leave and take Wei Wei with you,¡± Qi Feng said solemnly.

    Suddenly, the phone on his table vibrated. He took a breath before turning around to pick it up.

    ¡°Hello, is this Mr. Qi Feng?¡±

    As soon as the call was connected, he could hear a female voice on the other end.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± Qi Feng responded and his eyes shed with doubt.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Qi. I am Qi Weier¡¯s form teacher. Qi Weier identally fell down the stairs and bumped her head. She¡¯s now at the infirmary. Pleasee over immediately...¡±

    Qi Feng¡¯s face suddenly became gloomy like the sky before the storm.

    ¡°How is she now? The school must be ountable for this matter!¡± He hung up the phone after he said that and immediately marched towards the door with his car key.

    ¡°Ah Feng...¡± Gu Lingsha followed.

    ¡°Wei Wei had an ident at school, so let¡¯s head over there first. We¡¯ll talkter,¡± Qi Feng said as he increased his pace.

    He was walking normally now, but he still needed to be careful. Due to his anxiety, he walked a little faster and his legs started aching, but he could not care less about his pain now.

    When Gu Lingsha heard about their daughter, her eyes widened in shock. ¡°What are you talking about? Wei Wei...what happened to her?¡±

    Qi Feng turned his back and walked away coldly.

    Mu Yuchen got off work early and left thepany at half-past two to drive to Fuhua Real Estate. The road was smooth as it was non-peak hours, so he arrived at the entrance of the building in less than half an hour.

    He parked the car at the za in front of the entrance and walked in straight.

    ¡°Hello, Chairman Mu!¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    Many people greeted Mu Yuchen along the way as most of the staff knew him. He would oftene to pick President Xi up from work, especially during this period of time. Whenever they saw the power couple, they would look up to them excitedly.

    The perfect pair was a match made in heaven, and they were most definitely pleasing to the eye.

    Mu Yuchen took the private elevator to the top floor where Xi Xiaye¡¯s office was. When he was walking to the office, he ran into Xiao Mei who just came out of the office.

    She smiled when she saw Mu Yuchen. ¡°Chairman Mu, you¡¯re here early today?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded his head and asked, ¡°Is she in?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she just came back from the construction site and reviewed two important documents. She¡¯s a little tired and is taking a break now,¡± Xiao Mei replied.

    Then, Mu Yuchen pushed the door open and walked in.

    Xi Xiaye was standing by the windows and watering the nts. She was wearing a white toga spring dress that made her look soft and delicate.

    She had never liked white clothing very much because she always thought that it did not look good on her. Mu Yuchen also felt the same about the color white because it did not suit someone like him.

    However, he thought she looked pretty elegant now.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do I not look good?¡± Xi Xiaye noticed that the man had stopped behind her. He was quiet, so she turned around and looked at him before stretching out arms and did a twirl. ¡°It¡¯s from Su Nan¡¯s new spring clothing line, and this is the only piece in the world. She wanted me to try this white. What do you think? Although I do feel it makes my waist a little chubby, I don¡¯t look that fat, do I?¡± she said while staring at him as she did not want to miss the expression on his face.

    The man nced at her indifferently and raised his eyebrows before walking towards her desk while tidying up her documents. He casually replied, ¡°Not that fat, but still fat!¡±

    Xiaye immediately frowned when he said that. She nced at her own body in disbelief and said with displeasure, ¡°How is that possible?! Xiao Mei said I look good!¡±

    ¡°Subordinates will never say anything negative about their boss, don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows furrowed when she heard this.

    ¡°Moreover, men and women have different tastes when ites to women, so you should just please me.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡±

    ¡°Come on. Time to pack up and get off work. Look at those dark circles under your eyes.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯ve been a lot of things going on recently and there are matters to be dealt with at the construction site. I can¡¯t feel my feet anymore. Will you give me a leg massage tonight?¡±

    ¡°Dream on.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll just go to the hot spring and find a skilled masseuse.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re all grown up and threatening me now, hmm?¡± he chided while carrying her briefcase and handing her the coat in his hand.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I also know the remedy.¡±

    ¡°Impressive!¡±

    She had also made ns to leave work early anyway and buy some good ingredients to make a sumptuous dinner herself, but just as the couple walked out of thepany and got into the car, the teacher from Mu Zirui¡¯s school called.

    ¡°Hello? Is this Mrs. Mu? Yes, I¡¯m the ss teacher of Mu Zirui. There¡¯s been an ident. He fell down the stairs and was seriously injured. He¡¯s being treated at the infirmary now. Could you pleasee over? I¡¯m really sorry!¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned ashen when she heard the news.

 Chapter 1491 - Of Course I Hate You! 3

    <h4>Chapter 1491 Of Course I Hate You! 3</h4>

    She had to calm down before she found her voice, and her fingers that held Mu Yuchen¡¯s wrist tightened before she quickly asked anxiously, ¡°How¡¯s Xiao Rui? Where is he hurt? Is it serious? How did that happen?¡±¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Missus Mu. He fought with a fellow student and identally fell down the stairs.¡±

    ¡°How could that be?! Our Xiao Rui wouldn¡¯t fight with others. What happened?¡±

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there right away!¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and said worriedly before she hung up.

    She knew what her son was like. Mu Zirui had always been a quiet and reserved child. Something must have happened that caused this fight.

    Mu Yuchen, who was driving by her side, had obviously heard everything she said. He frowned and turned to look at her. When he saw that she looked anxious and pale, his heart sank as he consoled her, ¡°Don¡¯t be too worried first. Since they are at the infirmary, then it shouldn¡¯t be too serious. Let¡¯s go over and take a look first.¡±

    Then, he stepped on the elerator.

    When they reached the school¡¯s infirmary, school had ended, so the school grounds were empty. Once in a while, they would see several children ying around by the roadsidewn. The gloomy sky made one feel even more downcast.

    ...

    Inside the infirmary, Mu Zirui was sitting on the long, wooden sofa. The doctor, who was dressed in a white coat, was cleaning and disinfecting his wound while Mu Zirui¡¯s little face was all tensed up as he endured the stinging with a pale expression. Across him was an equally young boy who had the same wound on his leg as the one on Mu Zirui¡¯s arm. It was a pretty long scar. The little boy was currently bawling loudly while his parents stood beside him. The husband and wife were dressed in bright-colored clothes, and you could tell that they were not ordinary people.

    The little boy¡¯s father hugged the little boy while the mother red coldly at Mu Zirui and said terrible things from time to time.

    ¡°Where did this wild childe from? How do your parents educate you? Already knowing how to hit people at such a young age, and even hurting our Xiao Lin so badly! What¡¯s wrong with this school? Didn¡¯t you say only good quality students can enter? Look at the kind of students you¡¯ve enrolled! How upsetting!¡±

    ¡°Madam Lin, please watch what you say. This whole incident isn¡¯t Xiao Rui¡¯s responsibility alone. If you want to talk about who¡¯s wrong...¡±

    Teacher Wang, who stood by Mu Zirui¡¯s side, could not bear to keep listening to this. In fact, she knew about Mu Zirui¡¯s background, so she was quite worried about letting this woman just recklessly scold him.

    ¡°Enough! You should be counting your blessings that we¡¯re not going after you as the ss teacher. How dare you spew nonsense? It was this little brat that pushed my son down the stairs. What¡¯s it got to do with my son? If my son¡¯s leg is disfigured or if anything else happens, I won¡¯t let you all off!¡±

    Once Madam Lin spoke a little louder, the soft sounds of crying came through too.

    When they followed the sound, they noticed that behind the bench that Mu Zirui sat on, Qi Weier¡¯s eyes were flickering with tears as she looked at Madam Lin fearfully. Beside her were Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha consoling her gently.

    Qi Weier had a bandage on her forehead, and her pale face had a slight graze. There was also a scrape on her arm.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t touch him. He fell down the stairs by himself and even crashed into Qi Weier. Don¡¯t think that just cause there are many of you that you can bully me. I¡¯m not afraid!¡± Mu Zirui gritted his teeth to endure the pain of the needle as he defended himself.

    ¡°Oh, wow, still want to quibble, do you? Our Xiao Lin says that it was you who pushed him, yet you still won¡¯t admit it? Our Xiao Lin has never lied before. Who are your parents? How did they raise a child like this? Since you¡¯re wrong, you have to humbly admit to your mistakes. Didn¡¯t they teach you that?¡±

    Mu Zirui¡¯s pale little face was red with anger now!

    However, he did not want to reveal who his parents were. His father had mentioned that he could not reveal his identity too much at school and that he should be a low-profiled and cultured person.

    The little guy thought about it, then he said coldly, ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to know who my parents are! I¡¯m not afraid of you since I wasn¡¯t in the wrong. Qi Weier, you¡¯re trying to drag me into this again. I really hate you! You only know how to cry. I don¡¯t want to be your friend!¡±

    When Qi Weier heard that, she wailed even louder. Qi Feng could not help but frown and look at the haughty Mu Zirui. Damn it! He could actually see shadows of Mu Yuchen in this little guy!

    ¡°Why are you talking like that, child? Can¡¯t you see that Weiwei¡¯s already crying so much? Are you bullying people now? I think you¡¯re probably the one who¡¯s behind all of this!¡±

    Gu Lingsha was upset to see Mu Zirui act like this, so she red coldly at him and then continued to coax Qi Weier.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! It was she who kept following me around and pulled me into this. Lin Xiao Lin pushed her!¡±

    ¡°I think it was you!¡±

    ¡°Not me! I hate you all. You¡¯re using me without even figuring out the whole truth!¡±

    Mu Zirui¡¯s angered and aggrieved face had reddened, and when his arm moved, the doctor¡¯s needle hurt even more until he gritted his teeth. However, he did not cry despite his welling eyes. Xi Xiaye felt heartbroken at this sight, so she quickly rushed in without a care and pulled Mu Zirui into a hug.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, are you okay? Does it hurt really badly? Let Mother take a look...¡±

    The long wound entered her sight, and his flesh was apparent. While the doctor¡¯s needle was still stitching him up, Xi Xiaye could not help but get all teary-eyed seeing this.

    When he felt the familiar and warm hug, Mu Zirui¡¯s tense feelings finally softened, and he could not help but hug Xi Xiaye with one hand. ¡°Mother...Mother...It doesn¡¯t hurt that much. I¡¯m a man. This little pain is nothing.¡±

    Even though he said that, the moment he finished and the doctor continued, the little guy could not hold back the tears welling up in his eyes and they fell. Xi Xiaye could only hug him tighter...

    ¡°Chairman Mu!¡±

    When Teacher Wang saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, she quickly greeted them respectfully. The husband and wife looked at Mu Yuchen and Xixiaye. When they saw Teacher Wang¡¯s behavior, they seemed to have detected something and began to uneasily hold back their arrogance and threatening manner.

    Mu Yuchen only looked coldly at the two people and hinted at the ck-clothed bodyguards behind him. The bodyguards then knowingly nodded and tried to understand the situation from Teacher Wang.

    Mu Yuchen was clearly quite shocked to see Qi Feng here as well. Should he not be staying in the office and thinking of ways to handle the current crisis right now?

 Chapter 1492 - Of Course I Hate You! 4

    <h4>Chapter 1492 Of Course I Hate You! 4</h4>

    Mu Yuchen took a glimpse at Qi Feng, and he withdrew his eyes the next moment. He then took two steps forward and stopped next to Mu Zirui.

    ¡°Daddy...¡± Mu Zirui looked up from Xi Xiaye¡¯s embrace and nced at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze and looked at Mu Zirui¡¯s arm. The doctor had alreadyid the sutures and had started the bandaging. With a frown, Mu Yuchen raised his arm to knock Mu Zirui¡¯s head gently and said in his deep voice, ¡°Son, you can cry if it hurts.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t cry.¡± Mu Zirui lifted his arm and wiped his chubby cheeks while his young voice was filled with stubbornness.

    ¡°Then, exin to us what happened. I¡¯m listening.¡± Mu Yuchen did notfort him. Instead, he lowered his sight and stared at Mu Zirui fixedly.

    ¡°Lin Xiaolin wanted to lift Qi Weier¡¯s skirt, so she resisted and identally fell down the staircase. I was just passing by and wanted to give her a hand, but Lin Xiaolin ran into me. I got this from the corner of the handrail,¡± Mu Zirui exined very simply.

    Just as Mu Zirui finished exining, the boy opposite him started using him furiously, ¡°Nonsense! I didn¡¯t! It¡¯s him! Daddy, Mummy, it¡¯s him who wanted to lift Qi Weier¡¯s skirt, not me!¡±

    Mu Yuchen creased his eyebrows, then he turned his gaze and looked at Teacher Wang who was standing next to them. The director of the students¡¯ discipline office seemed to be standing outside of the room now, and it was quite the scene.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter to the school. I hope you¡¯ll investigate it clearly.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Chairman Mu, we will! I¡¯m so sorry to have wronged your son. Xiao Rui has always been a great student in both character and academics in school. I think there must be some misunderstanding in this matter. We¡¯ll investigate the matter as soon as we get back.¡±

    ¡°Who said my boy is a savage? It¡¯s not all talk when ites to upbringing!¡± As Mu Yuchen red askance at the Lin couple, the husband and wife could not help but tremble. They dared not say anything at that moment, and the arrogance that had blustered from before was nowhere to be seen.

    ...

    Mu Zirui was badly injured and had a dozen stitches on his arm while there were also several bruises on his legs. ording to the doctor, he could rest at home for a day or two.

    When they were walking out of the infirmary, Qi Feng asked Gu Lingsha to take Qi Weier to the car first while he walked toward the figure standing in the corridor outside the infirmary. In fact, he rarely spoke to Mu Yuchen face to face, but deep down, he had always known that thetter had been a formidable opponent to the extent that all Qi Feng¡¯s precise deployments were urately nullified, and all his ns and efforts were destroyed.

    When he was a few steps away from behind Mu Yuchen, he suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, he took out the cigarette packet from his pocket and lit a stick. He then took a few sips before walking forward again.

    ¡°Surprise, surprise. I thought we would never meet again, and you¡¯ve always been the man behind the curtains. So, how does it feel? When you sessfully brought me down, the person sitting in that position wasn¡¯t me after all. Are you happy?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s still tone shed through the air. Although it sounded calm, Mu Yuchen could also capture such a hint of coldness between the lines.

    ¡°The man behind the curtains, huh?¡± Mu Yuchen crossed his hands and turned his head, shooting Qi Feng a faint sideways nce.

    ¡°Stop acting. I know that you were behind many of the incidents, including the incident with Qi Lei, the ident with Qi Qiming, even now...You¡¯ve been targeting me from the dark since day one. Are you trying to get rid of me using the police force?¡± Qi Feng puffed out a mouthful of smoke coldly and nced at Mu Yuchen fixedly.

    As Mu Yuchen was listening, the corners of his lips twitched and he gave off an indifferent sneer. He then said disapprovingly, ¡°Then, what about you? Are you not going to deal with me too? You already nned to use Lingtian before he died. I won¡¯t deny that I once thought of handing over Glory World Corporation to Lingtian, he must have told you that, right?¡±

    Qi Feng smirked. ¡°You¡¯re right. He did tell me that. Moreover, Lingtian was very excited about it. It¡¯d be great if he could be in charge of thepany since he¡¯d have been of great help to me.¡± Qi Feng did not bother to even hide his true colors.

    ¡°You thought if Lingtian were to be in charge of Glory World Corporation, then he¡¯d be of great help to you when you want to seize the Qi Kai Group. You knew he liked Gu Lingsha, so you hitched her to your side of the game to make them both your pawns. With that, you didn¡¯t have to worry that Lingtian was not on your side. You were gambling on Lingtian¡¯s feelings for Gu Lingsha,¡± Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and said unconcernedly. His dim eyes glistened with a beam of cold light while staring at the silent sky before him.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, Mu Yuchen, you¡¯re really as smart as advertised, but you¡¯re only half right about that matter. I don¡¯t deny that I got myself an insurance policy because I was worried about Wang Qin¡¯s influence. However, whether you believe it or not, my feelings towards Shasha are genuine. I once loved Shasha. I¡¯ve only loved one woman in my life, and that woman is her.¡±

    When Qi Feng said this, he calmed down, threw the cigarette in his hand to the ground, and continued, ¡°Back then, she was as charming and elegant as the princess of a fairy tale, so it was normal for me to have feelings for her, but what you don¡¯t know is that she only had her eyes on you that time. I felt a little resentful when I knew that she was your fianc¨¦e. Fortunately, I still got her in the end.

    ¡°But it¡¯s a pity that Doris screwed the n up in the end, which caused those absurd matters to take ceter. They happened so suddenly that it caught us off-guard too! Lingtian died, and we were...It was you who screwed things up that time. Everything wouldn¡¯t have happened if you hadn¡¯t left at first. You still hold some responsibility for the death of Mu Lingtian because you were the leading role in that incident, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei was just a piece of trash back then. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d underestimated him or you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, the Qi Kai Group should¡¯ve been mine now. And you still want to doom me to death, don¡¯t you? Mu Yuchen, I¡¯ll give let you be frank. Do I have the right to hate you?¡±

    ¡°I know that you hate me, but don¡¯t you want to doom me to death too? The incident in B City, Xiaye¡¯s prematurebor, the incident with Wang Qin, and the incident with Xiaye at the hotel...You¡¯re very smart and know where my soft spot is, so you want to provoke me. If you¡¯d seeded in thetter and my wife was hurt even to the slightest, you dying thousands of times still wouldn¡¯t be enough to vent my hatred.¡± As Mu Yuchen said so, his tone suddenly became cold. It seemed like a ck cloth that was covering his face had been pulled off, revealing a stern and menacing expression.

 Chapter 1493 - Of Course I Hate You! 5

    <h4>1493 Of Course I Hate You! 5</h4>

    Qi Feng was startled. When he looked at the stern and cold Mu Yuchen in front of him, he could feel the pent-up anger within the heart of this introverted man. However, when he realized this, he suddenly felt a little relieved.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve be a Casanova now? I remember those cruel things you said to Shasha. Didn¡¯t you dere that you¡¯d never fall in love with anybody else in this life?¡±

    There was a hint of sarcasm in Qi Feng¡¯s cold tone and his eyes were as deep as the ocean, clouded with a darkness that no one could see.

    However, Mu Yuchen was extremely calm. He nced at him disapprovingly. ¡°How could I possibly be a Casanova when I can¡¯t evenpare with you? If you hadn¡¯t touched her heart, why would she have chosen you? There¡¯s no rtionship between Gu Lingsha and I. I¡¯ve never acknowledged her as my fianc¨¦e, so you don¡¯t have to say that to provoke me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a master maniptor that even Qi Lei has be a pawn in your game. I¡¯ve underestimated you. I¡¯m very upset, especially with you.¡± Qi Feng sighed as he looked at the gloomy sky before him and smiled . ¡°Actually, the results today didn¡¯te as a surprise when I think about it. My life has always been rough and I¡¯ve worked hard. Since I was little, I knew I needed to fight for what I want. I ¡®m not like you whoes from a noble family. My mother was just an unknown actress. If I want to be at the top, I can only fight for it myself. I have to work hard, especially to go against someone like Wang Qin.

    ¡°At the time, I¡¯ve always thought that the old man would pass on before Wang Qin since he was a little older than her. He was also always worried about things, and she would often take her anger out on him. When that time came, I would lose his protection and be like an ant that Wang Qin could squish to death anytime she wanted. However, she unexpectedly passed away first.¡±

    When Qi Feng said this, Mu Yuchen turned his head slowly and red at him, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted? You¡¯ve always wished death upon Wang Qin. You¡¯re upset because of your less privileged background. You always think about ways to prove yourself and ways to keep Qi Lei at your feet. You even feel resentful that the world is being unfair to you, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You seem to be a psychic. You know everything that I¡¯m thinking about and what I want to do.¡± Qi Feng did not conceal his thoughts either. He smiled generously. ¡°I can see that you understand me quite well, and I¡¯m honored.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I understand because no one knows you better than yourself. It¡¯s not wrong to fight for what you want, but using any means to achieve your goal is wrong, including even hurting your own brother and father. So, based on just this fact alone, it shows that I really don¡¯t understand you.¡± There was a chill in Mu Yuchen¡¯s cold voice, which made Qi Feng a little ufortable.

    ¡°So, what do you want to do with me?¡±

    ¡°Wang Qin¡¯s incident was part of your n, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    After a brief silence, they spoke at the same time. They then exchanged nces, and they could not discern each other¡¯s emotions.

    Obviously, no one answered either question, but they both knew the answer.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen asked, ¡°Have you ever considered Qi Lei your brother?¡±

    Qi Feng smiled coldly when he heard this. He nced at Mu Yuchen before suddenly turning around and walking away.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Qi Lei if he sees me as his brother? We made a bet, so did he think he¡¯s really won? I¡¯ve always been a lone ranger and I don¡¯t need any brothers. If I really lose someday and never have the chance to look back again, maybe I¡¯ll think about the word ¡®brother¡¯ then.¡± His hoarse voice echoed in the evening breeze, and in the blink of an eye, his lonely figure disappeared around the corner in front.

    Mu Yuchen kept quiet as he nced at the empty corner. His eyes darkened and he was about to turn around, but he could hear footsteps behind him.

    When Xi Xiaye walked out of the door, she happened to see Qi Feng passing by. She saw him in deep thought, so she could not help asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What did that person tell you?¡±

    She was carrying Mu Zirui on her back as the little guy had injured his knee and she felt bad for him.

    Mu Yuchen turned around when he heard her calm voice. He looked at his wife and son who were already standing behind him. After a while, he broke into a smile. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, alright?¡±

    He then stretched out his hand to take Mu Zirui from Xi Xiaye¡¯s back. ¡°Come, let me carry you.¡±

    Mu Zirui nodded obediently and quickly got down from Xi Xiaye¡¯s back. When he identally grazed his wound on the leg, he inhaled sharply. ¡°Dad, I can walk on my own.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in so much pain you looked like you almost cried. Can you really walk on your own? Sometimes, it¡¯s okay for us to spoil you,¡± Mu Yuchen said seriously. When he said that, he bent down slightly. Mu Zirui hesitated for a moment and then slowlyy down on Mu Yuchen¡¯s back. Mu Yuchen picked him up easily and turned to look at his wife beside him. When he saw her following them, he proceeded to walk forward in long strides.

    ¡°Father, didn¡¯t you say that boys can¡¯t be spoiled by their parents? Father, when will you and Mother give birth to a baby sister? My younger brother will probably be a cool guy in the future. If we could have another sister, it¡¯d be perfect.¡±

    ¡°You can dream on. Who knows for sure that it¡¯s going to be a younger sister if I gave birth? Look at you. You even know how to be a hero and save a beauty at this tender age. Does it hurt?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was dumbfounded. How would the little guy even knew that having a younger brother and sister would make things perfect?

    ¡°The hero saves the beauty? Are you talking about Qi Weier?¡± Mu Zirui asked as he looked at Mu Yuchen wide-eyed while wrapping his arms around his neck.

    ¡°Who else would it be?¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Even if I want to be a hero and save the beauty, she can¡¯t be it! Grandpa said that I¡¯ll have a lot of choices in the future, so I don¡¯t have to worry. Uncle Zhou, Uncle Qi, and Uncle Su Chen¡¯s daughters can all be considered in the future.¡±

    ¡®Ahem! ¡®

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye who had been silent for a long time started coughing lightly when Mu Zirui said that. The couple exchanged nces, and they broke out in a cold sweat.

    Mu Zirui was still so young and he already had a goal like this. If Su Chen and Zhou Zimo knew, they would surely teach this kid a lesson!

 Chapter 1494 - Roll The Dice? 1

    <h4>Chapter 1494 Roll The Dice? 1</h4>

    On the way home, the sky had turned dark.Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha sat in the back of the car with Qi Weier in the middle.The atmosphere in the car was tense. The chauffeur driving in front barely uttered a word. He dared not say too much as he could clearly sense that something was off.

    Qi Weier was still sobbing softly because of the wound on her forehead. When they were leaving the infirmary, she kept on turning back to look at Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui. Qi Feng clearly noticed this scene.

    Qi Weier seemed to really like Xi Xiaye and Mu Zirui. He remembered that Xi Xiaye¡¯s umbre from back then seemed to still be hanging in Qi Weier¡¯s room. Although Qi Feng had sent over a new umbre to Xi Xiaye, he did not know if she had ept it.

    ¡°Father...it wasn¡¯t...it wasn¡¯t him...¡±

    A while had passed when her timid voice softly came through. If you did not pay attention, you probably would not have heard her clearly.

    When Qi Feng heard her say that, he turned and lowered his gaze to look pitifully at his own daughter. He pulled her into his arms with one hand over her shoulders as he consoled, ¡°I know. Don¡¯t be sad. You¡¯ll have many, many friends the next time. Firstly, Weiwei, you have to get better and get healthy. Make yourself happy and you have to be courageous enough to speak to people. That way, they¡¯ll notice you, understand?¡±

    Seeing his daughter like this, he only felt like doting on her. He tried his best to find ways for Qi Weier to get better, but no matter what he did, not much changed with her. Especially when she was with Gu Lingsha, she spoke even less. Sometimes, Gu Lingsha would get impatient too, so...

    Qi Weier did not say anything and just sat there nkly.

    ¡°Weiwei, that¡¯s just one Mu Zirui. When you grow up, you¡¯ll have even more excellent friends. There¡¯s no need to be sad since they aren¡¯t good people. Don¡¯t get too close to them. Soon, you should return to Australia with me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡±

    When Gu Lingsha said that, Qi Weier instantly held tightly onto Qi Feng¡¯s sleeves and stared at Gu Lingsha. That gaze was enough to make her mother feel disillusioned.

    ¡°I want Daddy...¡±

    ¡°Weiwei, don¡¯t be scared. Mommy won¡¯t hurt you. Mommy...¡±

    ¡°I want Daddy!¡± Qi Weier looked at her timidly and buried her head into Qi Feng¡¯s embrace.

    As Qi Feng quickly hugged her tightly and looked down at his frail daughter, he could not help but feel sorrow.

    He did not know how much longer of such times they would have with each other. He did not know if they could safely and smoothly get through this cmity.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here. I¡¯m not going anywhere. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m right here...¡±

    His raspy voice was colored with a rare tenderness, yet Qi Feng¡¯s eyes were dim. His heart gathered with uneasiness and worry about the unknown.

    ...

    If Morrison could escape unharmed this time around, then perhaps they would just return to Australia. At this point, that was probably their only way out: to return to Australia and start over. Even if he felt much anger and reluctance, they probably did not have much choice...

    Morrison left City Z that night itself in a rush. Qi Feng did not send him off either. He just sent a trusted aide to send Morrison a tightly wrapped box.

    ¡°Mr. Morrison, First Master says he wishes you good luck! Whether or not things go well, it¡¯s most important that you stay alive. He hopes that in the near future, he¡¯ll see you in Australia, and he reminds you to be extremely careful. Take care!¡± The ck-clothed bodyguard conveyed Qi Feng¡¯s words.

    When Morrison heard that, he was dazed, and he lowered his head to look silently at the box in his hand. After a while, he took a deep breath and quickly opened it to look. He realized that there was a pistol inside...

    Stunned, Morrison quickly closed the box and his hands tightened.

    ¡°First Master said that he kept one of what¡¯s in the box for himself too.¡± The ck-clothed bodyguard did not know what was in the box as he only conveyed Qi Feng¡¯s words as they were.

    Morrison immediately understood what Qi Feng meant.

    Morrison had said before that he would never fall into the hands of the police. Life in prison was no life at all. He had experienced it himself before, hence he never wanted to go back in, and that was why Qi Feng had sent this over...

    He remembered!

    When he thought about this, Morrison felt a hint of gratitude for Qi Feng.

    Actually, he and Qi Feng shared the same fate. If things did not work as nned, then both of them were done for. Otherwise, they would be able to keep on living.

    He took in another deep breath before holding onto the box tightly and looking up at the bodyguard. He said softly, ¡°Go back and tell the First Master that I¡¯ve received his message and that I won¡¯t let him down!¡±

    He left these words in a rush, opened the car door with that box, and swiftly got down from the car.

    ...

    Once Morrison¡¯s figure vanished from the car park, the bodyguard quickly called Qi Feng.

    Right now in the Qi residence, Qi Feng was ying Jenga with his daughter, Qi Weier. The family of three had just finished dinner, and Gu Lingsha has already gone upstairs to shower.

    The call had just gone through when the bodyguard immediately reported, ¡°First Master, Mr. Morrison has already made a move.¡±

    When Qi Feng heard that, his expression eased and he fell silent for a moment before responding, ¡°Mmm, got it. How are things on the hospital¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°CEO Qi is still the same, but Second Master went to visit him in the afternoon. Second Master rushed over from Glory World Corporation, probably to see Mu Yuchen.¡±

    ¡°Let him be. For now, just stifle any rumors about Qi Kai,¡± said Qi Feng calmly.

    Even if he were to leave, he would not be leaving a whole Qi Kai for Qi Lei.

    ¡®Qi Qiming, you want to leave Qi Kai for Qi Lei, don¡¯t you? If you knew that thepany you have worked so hard to manage is about to turn into an empty shell, would you and Qi Lei be so angry that you puked blood? If you would, then I¡¯d feel better,¡¯ Qi Feng thought to himself as a chill shed in his dark eyes.

    ¡°Yes, Master! I understand!¡± the other end responded respectfully before hanging up.

    Qi Feng slowly kept away his phone as his eyes flickered from dark to light. His shifting gaze appeared dazed. He was so deep in thought that even when Qi Weier pulled at his sleeve from the side, he did not notice...

 Chapter 1495 - Roll The Dice? 2

    <h4>Chapter 1495 Roll The Dice? 2</h4>

    It was alreadyte at night, and Maple Residence was shrouded in the dark sky full of lonely stars. After dinner, Xi Xiaye bathed Mu Zirui carefully. She also helped him to change into his clean pajamas before taking him back to his room. Mu Yuchen went through all his homework with him tacitly and tucked him to bed only after he had finished his homework.

    ¡°Daddy, I don¡¯t actually need to take a break from school. I hurt my arm, not my brain, so there¡¯s no need to stay at home from school,¡± Mu Zirui pulled the nket to cover his body and insisted to Mu Yuchen, who was also drawing his nket over him by the bedside.

    ¡°Your professionalism is about to catch up with your mother¡¯s already. Okay, don¡¯t overexert yourself. Taking a few days off won¡¯t do you any harm anyway. You see, Daddy can¡¯t even rest even when I want to. Don¡¯t other kids think about how can they loaf on their studies now and then?¡± As Mu Yuchen said so, he reached out and rubbed Mu Zirui¡¯s little head.

    ¡°Did you often y truant and skip ss when you were young, Daddy?¡± Mu Zirui blinked his eyes and stared at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Of course not. Your father used to be a great student. I could get the ¡®Triple-A Student¡¯ award every semester, and schrships were just the cherries on the top. Back then, studying wasn¡¯t as easy as it is now. When ites to studying, you should always strive to reach the top. Whenever you¡¯re studying, you must devote all your efforts to it so that you won¡¯t waste any time. Do you remember that quote from Theodore Roosevelt?¡± Mu Yuchen said in his deep voice.

    Mu Zirui nodded his head swiftly. ¡°Of course I do. ¡®When you y, y hard; when you work, don¡¯t y at all!¡¯ Mum told me about his storiesst month. He¡¯s quite a legend.¡±

    ¡°Your mother told you about him? Since when did she be so knowledgeable? But that studies cker can only show off in front of you.¡± A hint of amusement was sensed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep tone while he then patted Mu Zirui¡¯s little head.

    ¡°Daddy, are you saying that Mommy is a studies cker?¡± Mu Zirui was so sharp that he caught the keywords in Mu Yuchen¡¯s statement.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible? Daddy was the studies cker. Mommy was a study schr, a super study schr! Alright, now go to sleep and get up earlier tomorrow. We¡¯ll go pay Great-grandpa and the others a visit. Have you been missing your little brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I can carry him on my back already. I¡¯ve grown two centimeters taller, Daddy...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to carry him when you grow another five centimeters. Now, be a good boy and sleep earlier, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, good night, Daddy!¡±

    ¡°Good night, son!¡± Mu Yuchen said softly as he pulled the corner of the nket over the boy, and turned off the bedsidemp. Only the lights in the corridor were left on. He then left the room.

    When he got back to the room, Xi Xiaye had already bathed and was sitting on the sofa in the side hall, talking with Zhuang Shurong over the phone. She was naturally asking about Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s situation. The little guy had just uttered his first ¡°Daddy¡± and ¡°Mommy¡± under the persuasion of Xi Xiaye and Zhuang Shurong, thus Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart was as soft as a ball of cotton at the moment. They chatted for a long time, and she did not even care when Mu Yuchen passed her. She hung up the phone only after he finished his shower.

    ¡°You see each other once in a few days. What¡¯s there to talk about? You can still talk on the phone for more than half an hour. Did you help me charge my cell phone?¡± Xi Xiaye fetched herself a ss of water and turned on the television while the man sat down next to her and asked.

    Xi Xiaye turned her head and squinted at him. ¡°I have things that I want to say. Yeah, it¡¯s already fully charged and it¡¯s by the bedside.¡±

    He stretched his arms over and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then, he turned his head and took a gulp of water from her ss before taking the remote control from the side. He started changing the channel.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, Qi Feng didn¡¯t seem to have taken a hard hit from yourst maneuver when I met him today. Do you think that he still has some tricks up his sleeve? I originally thought that he might at least rush over to look for Qi Lei,¡± Xi Xiaye asked while she reached out and patted his thigh.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes did not move away from the screen in front of him, but he replied, ¡°Only you would think of doing this. Do you want Qi Feng to rush directly to Qi Lei and stab him twice?¡±

    ¡°What then?¡±

    ¡°The Qi Kai Group is just not in Qi Feng¡¯s possession for the time being. Do you think that a person like him will do things himself when he¡¯s not in despair? Now, things are rather smooth and nothing has happened to him, so everything else is rtively safe.¡±

    ¡°I know that this is still the case! We can¡¯t even bring him down this time. Later on, he...¡±

    ¡°Soon, don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t you notice that you didn¡¯t see his assistant Morrison when we rushed over there today? Su Chen just called to say that Morrison¡¯s passport had just been used to travel to Los Angeles. They don¡¯t even bother to hide their actions now. How anxious do you think they were?¡± Mu Yuchen¡¯s pregnant tone made Xi Xiaye understand a small part of the big picture. Her pupils constricted slightly as she waited for his exnation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s boring to spoil it now. All you need to do is just wait for the show.¡±

    ¡°Shameless!¡± Xi Xiaye nced at him disdainfully,. ¡°However, I really didn¡¯t expect Qi Qiming to have made such a will. Did he change his perspective towards Qi Lei? Or was his intention always the same?¡±

    ¡°I got news from Li Si saying that Qi Qiming actually sent someone to investigate Qi Feng. He knew the details behind the abduction of Qi Lei. So, I presume that on one hand, he felt sorry for Qi Lei, but on the other hand, he was afraid that Qi Feng would be disappointed. That¡¯s why he made such a decision.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not the only reason. I heard Qi Lei mention something about Qi Qiming and Wang Qin. To be honest, I believe Qi Qiming may still have some feelings for Wang Qin, just like how my mother treated my father in the end. It¡¯s a pity that he didn¡¯t realize it, and now he can only...reminisce...¡± Xi Xiaye sighed lightly. ¡°However, even so, Qi Lei probably still won¡¯t forgive him.¡±

    ¡°That depends on Qi Lei. His disposition and temperament have changed a lot over the past few years.¡± Mu Yuchen paused for a second, then turned his head and gazed at her. ¡°Which means you¡¯ve aplished what Wang Qin entrusted you with, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Listening to that, Xi Xiaye nodded faintly. ¡°Yeah, well, thanks to you, I didn¡¯t do much.¡±

    ¡°If you know that it¡¯s my credit, why didn¡¯t you thank me? It¡¯s about time to reward me already, isn¡¯t it?¡± He smirked, and a faint light could be seen glistening in his eyes.

    ¡°This is something that you should do for your wife, so why should I reward you? That sounded so distant! And unreasonable!¡± She caught him in a rare logic gap and rejected him with his previous words.

    Having heard that, he chuckled while he reached out and pinched her fair and pretty cheek casually. ¡°Wow, it seems that somebody has grown a temper. Even a savage girlfriend won¡¯t be able to catch up to you. You have to at least pretend!¡±

    ¡°A savage girlfriend? Mr. Mu, I¡¯m Mrs. Mu, not your so-called girlfriend. You should also be more self-aware!¡±

    Mu Yuchen was left speechless.

 Chapter 1496 - Roll The Dice? 3

    <h4>1496 Roll The Dice? 3</h4>

    After the shareholders¡¯ meeting, Qi Feng returned to work after taking two days off. He had spent the majority of his time at home with Qi Weier while also waiting for news from Morrison.

    Morrison should be there already by now. Unquestionably, he needed to figure out the situation first before taking action.

    Fortunately, that person had not woken up yet, or else, if Mu Yuchen could get hold of any news from that person, Qi Feng would probably be in trouble.

    Thank goodness!

    Qi Feng actually liked the word ¡®gambling¡¯. Even though he did not think he had much luck, he still wanted to challenge it. He wanted to change his destiny and what people think about him.

    However, he might not be able to escape this time.

    It had been four days since the shareholders¡¯ meeting. This morning, the warm sun shone on the entire City Z and everything seemed clearer than usual.

    Mu Yuchen woke up very early today, as did Xi Xiaye. After the couple had a simple breakfast, they left the house at the same time and went to work separately. Before getting into the car, Xi Xiaye reminded Mu Yuchen to get off work early in the evening and go back to the Shen residence for dinner.

    Since Mu Zirui was injured and his wound was quite serious, Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen were worried when they left for work, so they sent him to the Shen residence, where Shen Yue would take care of him. It would set their mind at rest.

    The car moved forward steadily as Mu Yuchen was sitting in the backseat while looking at the documents prepared for the next meeting. Li Si was sitting in the front passenger seat, going through Mu Yuchen¡¯s schedule while his master listened quietly.

    At this moment, the cell phone in the car suddenly vibrated. Li Si quickly picked it up and greeted the caller before turning to look at Mu Yuchen, ¡°Master, it¡¯s from Ah Bo!¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard that, he stopped in his tracks, and reached out for the phone.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me,¡± he said in a deep voice.

    ¡°Master, just as we expected, Morrison pretended to be a doctor and added *** in the infusion bottle. He¡¯s been detained by the police, and that person spoke up too. The collected evidence is being processed and will be sent back to the country soon. He also provided several of Qi Feng¡¯s ounts in the Swiss bank. Qi Feng used those ounts to transfer the money to his ount. Moreover, when we secretly went through Morrison¡¯s luggage, we found that Glenn had given him the schedule for the remittance and it was dated before Qi Qiming¡¯s ident. We also found information on his collusion with some people in the public service,¡± Ah Bo reported as soon as he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send the information to your email immediately. It includes the evidence on Qi Feng and Morrison that has been collected. Captain Wang from the police force came over as well. Once all the evidence is collected, we can apply for an arrest warrant and capture Qi Feng.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I get it,¡± Mu Yuchen responded coldly and hung up. He reached out to get his notebook and quickly turned it on. When he opened his mailbox, there was indeed an email from Ah Bo. He quickly opened it, and as he skimmed through the information, his eyes darkened. There was not much change in his facial expression, as if everything was within his expectations.

    ¡°Master?¡± Li Si cautiously asked after seeing him quiet.

    ¡°Hurry up and go back to thepany now. We¡¯ll dy today¡¯s meeting to tomorrow. I¡¯ll send you the information, and you can sort it out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    At this very moment, in the president¡¯s office of Tai Yu Corporation.

    Thest few days had been stormy, but Qi Lei was still calm as he continued working in his office. He was still working as usual, going out early anding homete. Qi Kai was probably in a mess now.

    Qi Lei knew that Qi Feng nned to transfer his assets. He also knew that Qi Feng had several ounts in the Swiss bank and that the money he transferred was directly transferred to those ounts. Gu Lingsha was still helping Qi Feng with this matter. Qi Feng already made ns to dispatch all the funds raised by the South River Project No. 2, so it would be extremely easy for him to use the money.

    He wanted to squeeze the Qi Kai Group and leave Qi Qiming with an empty vessel. If Qi Feng emptied those funds, then Qi Kai Group might face an economic crisis or even bankruptcy.

    Qi Lei examined Qi Feng¡¯s information that he had obtained from his subordinates, and he knew Qi Feng¡¯s ability to collect funds.

    His elder brother did not show mercy at all!

    Qi Lei silently read through the information that Yang Sheng had just sent and he could not help but sneer. He slowly closed the file in his hand as he took a deep breath and turned his chair around to look out of the window. He held a lighter in one hand and lit the paper in his other hand on fire...

    Knock knock!

    There was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Qi Lei said coldly. The door opened and Yang Sheng was standing in front of it.

    ¡°Master Qi, Master Mu is here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen?

    Qi Lei frowned but quickly replied, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    Yang Sheng left silently as Mu Yuchen strode in.

    ¡°What brings you here?¡± Qi Lei was still sitting in his office chair. He leaned slightly and red at him.

    ¡°Am I not weed?¡± Mu Yuchen stopped and asked while pulling a chair in front of Qi Lei¡¯s desk before sitting down.

    ¡°Seeing you like this can¡¯t mean anything good, can it?¡± Qi Lei looked at him calmly and threw the paper left in his hand away.

    The smell of burnt paper made Mu Yuchen frown. He nced at Qi Lei and replied, ¡°It could be good or bad for you,¡± he said before tossing the file in his hand on Qi Lei¡¯s desk.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. He raised his gaze to look at Mu Yuchen for a moment. He thought for a while and something shed through his mind. He could almost tell what was going on, and for quite a while, he did not reach out to take it.

    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Mu Yuchen crossed his hands and stared at him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened and he subconsciously clenched his fists. After a while, he bent over and reached out to take it. Mu Yuchen noticed that his slender fingertips were trembling. He knew this was cruel, but he felt that Qi Lei had the right to know the truth.

    ¡°I know you thought about investigating this, but you stopped in the end. Why?¡± Mu Yuchen said in his hoarse voice while his eyes seemed as deep as the sea, ¡°Are you afraid to know the truth?¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen, I actually hate talking to you,¡± Qi Lei responded.

 Chapter 1497 - Roll The Dice? 4

    <h4>1497 Roll The Dice? 4</h4>

    As Mu Yuchen chuckled, he raised his brows unaffectedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I like you,¡± Qi Lei scoffed before he lowered his gaze and took a deep breath. Then, he slowly flipped open the documents.

    He only had a few glimpses before his expression instantly turned pale. Then, he instantly turned stiff. He looked up at Mu Yuchen through squinted eyes as his gloomy gaze was filled with pain and struggle. After a while, he lowered his head again and continued to look through them.

    Bam!

    After a few pages, he did not have to finish reading it before his expression changed and turned ashen. Soon, it turned gloomy as a stormy sky. He tossed the document in his hand and then his fingersbed through his hair as he barely caught his breath.

    He was in disbelief. Even if he had thought about it before, this truth was still exceptionally hard to ept, and his sunken heart felt as if a hand was clutching it tightly, and he felt suffocated for a moment there.

    Mu Yuchen naturally caught all of his reactions.

    ¡°Captain Wang has already gotten ahold of evidence on Qi Feng¡¯s offenses, and they¡¯ve handed in an application for an arrest. It should be ready in two days. Morrison is abroad and wanted tomit murder to silence, but he was caught by the American police and they even found a pistol on him. ording to Morrison, it was Qi Feng who gave it to him. As for Qi Feng...good luck to him.

    ¡°Also, Morrison exined that it was Glenn who acted on Qi Qiming. Before the incident, he knew about it, but Qi Feng didn¡¯t, so perhaps, Qi Feng really didn¡¯t have anything to do with Qi Qiming¡¯s incident. Furthermore, Qi Feng has already been nning on getting Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier to leave this ce,¡± said Mu Yuchen softly. Of course, he was looking at Qi Lei when he said that.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to leave. Wang Chun has handed the details over to the authorities. Gu Lingsha was illegally shifting a huge amount of Qi Kai¡¯s funds. I know Qi Feng has booked her a flight to Australia for tonight, but she won¡¯t be able to leave.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s gloomy voice sounded a little helpless and dazed as he propped his heavy head up with one hand. He looked terribly pale.

    Mu Yuchen paused, then said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you have your own ns.¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his gaze and did not make a sound, but Mu Yuchen could already feel his pain.

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say too much then. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± He obviously knew that right now what Qi Lei needed was some peace and quiet, so Mu Yuchen got up to leave.

    Qi Lei did not make a sound. Even when the door closed, he did not feel anything. He looked down in bewilderment at the document on the table before him and struggled for a while before he picked it up to read through it again. Before he could finish, the paper had already slipped through his slightly trembling fingers...

    It really was him...

    It really was him...

    Why?

    Qi Lei looked nkly at his empty hands. A whileter, he lowered his head to look at the sheets that were strewn all over the floor.

    The scene of when Wang Qin had fallen began to y in his head again. As he recalled it, his eyes suddenly began to well up with hot tears...

    He took in many deep breaths before he blinked. He turned around in his chair, and with his back to the door, hebed through his hair and looked out of the window. He suddenly felt like he did not even have the energy to get angry.

    The truth was as such. His mother had passed away on Qi Feng, his own brother¡¯s orders. When they were very young, he already knew that Qi Feng was his elder brother, yet he had killed his mother...

    He had to admit that sometimes, the more you refused to ept something, the more that thing would emerge as the truth.

    ...

    News did note from Morrison for a long while, and Qi Feng felt more and more uneasy now. Actually, from the moment that Morrison¡¯s ne took off, Qi Feng knew that they were not going to be as lucky this time.

    If someone as smart as Mu Yuchen could have thought about things to this point, how could they not have thought about how to be on guard against them?

    s, he wanted to gamble onest time, to see if he could be as lucky as he had been before...

    The saying about one careless move and the whole game being lost was probably about Qi Feng at this point. He could not help but think about the word ¡®if¡¯. If he had not left Australia back then, he would not have been in such a terrible situation, would he?

    If Qi Qiming could have handed Qi Kai to him sooner, he would not have fallen to this state. In the end, Qi Qiming still took Wang Qin into consideration. In those years that he had been abroad, it was not that he did not think of controlling Qi Kai, but Qi Qiming would always say that Wang Qin was watching him and that he could not lose to her...

    Inside Qi Qiming¡¯s ward, Qi Feng stood by his bed and watched Qi Qiming who remained lifeless. His gaze was exceptionally morose, but he felt that at this moment his heart was calm as the sea without any wind.

    Inhaling, he pulled a chair from the side and sat down unhurriedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if your consciousness is intact right now, but I¡¯m afraid that this might be thest time we talk as father and son. I do have quite a few things to say to you.¡±

    When Qi Feng¡¯s calm voice was heard, it rang in thisrge ward. Suddenly, a fewyers of lonely desteness was felt.

    ¡°You must think that I must be grateful to you, and love and respect you as my father because you have always been so good to me, don¡¯t you?¡± Qi Feng said as he took out a cigarette and nonchntly lit it up to take a short drag. Amid the smoke, he suddenly chuckled softly. ¡°Old man, you thought wrong. From the moment you let my mother give birth to me and didn¡¯t n on marrying her, you should have expected this day toe. I won¡¯t be grateful to you, or love and respect you. You have no idea how much I¡¯ve resented you right from the start until now I¡¯m too tired to even be hateful.¡±

    At this juncture, Qi Feng let out a drag of smoke and said nonchntly, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have understood how I felt when other people looked at me, the illegitimate son. Who says you love me? You just used me as a tool to go against Wang Qin, so don¡¯t think so highly of yourself. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m the only one who saw through you. Didn¡¯t Qi Kai fall into Qi Lei¡¯s hands in the end? I told you before that I only care about results. The process doesn¡¯t matter to me!¡±

    It was the first time Qi Feng was speaking so calmly to Qi Qiming, and in his truest form, no longer like before when he always wore a mask.

 Chapter 1498 - Roll The Dice? 5

    <h4>1498 Roll The Dice? 5</h4>

    A natural smile shed across his handsome face. However, no matter how one looked at it, a hint of coldness could be seen in that smile. He suddenly stood up, using his knees as support, and walked towards Qi Qiming¡¯s bedside. Then, with one hand on the bedhead, he leaned slightly forward and whispered into Qi Qiming¡¯s ear, ¡°Let me tell you the truth. Although I haven¡¯t gotten much chance to talk to you in my life, a few words now won¡¯t hurt.

    ¡°Actually I¡¯ve always known that you still have feelings for Wang Qin and Qi Lei. In fact, I don¡¯t me Wang Qin for treating me like trash. After all, she¡¯s your first wife, and that makes Qi Lei the official son of the Qi family, so who¡¯s Qi Feng? Who am I? I¡¯m a nobody! Do you know that you¡¯re really a sh*tbag? My mother was stupid, and so was Wang Qin. Both of them were out of their minds when they chose to marry or be with you. You¡¯re not a good father, and neither were you a great husband. You see, even I¡¯m more loyal than you. At least, I love my wife and my daughter.

    ¡°You said, ¡®How could someone as outstanding as me be your son?¡¯ You shouldn¡¯t have given birth to me before you were ready to bear the consequences. I didn¡¯t do so for my mother either. She was a stupid b*tch. Both of you are not worthy of being my parents.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ve been taking precautions against me since a long time ago, haven¡¯t you? Who said you really care about me, your son? Didn¡¯t you just sacrifice me in order to help your other son? As a matter of fact, I can even understand you. Ever since Wang Qin passed away, the scales in your heart havepletely tilted towards Qi Lei, which of course, is normal, since he¡¯s also your son. Without me, you still have your other son.

    ¡°Everybody else says that I am lucky because you love me. However, since I was a kid, was there anything that I¡¯ve done that wasn¡¯t your arrangement? Even when I came back to Qi Kai, I was only assigned as a tiny departmental director, but I don¡¯t me you. Neers always start from scratch, don¡¯t they? I don¡¯t have the life of Qi Lei that I can do whatever I want.¡±

    Qi Feng flicked the cigarette ash in between his fingers and slowly stood up straight. ¡°I remember thest time when you asked me if I did those things, the answer that you have in your heart is the truth. Father, this might be myst time calling you Father. Let¡¯s not deceive ourselves anymore. I¡¯m not that significant. Even I feel that I¡¯m not important at all, so just treat me as a psychopath. If someday, you have to choose to give up either Qi Lei or me, who would you give up?¡± he asked with a low voice, but he did not seem to want to know the answer either.

    As soon as he finished the sentence, a disdainful sneer was seen at the corners of his lip. ¡°Actually, I can¡¯t reconcile myself to this failure. After nning it for so long, I¡¯ve gotten nothing in the end. Maybe this is life. It¡¯s life, and maybe mine doesn¡¯t look good at all no matter how hard I try to change it. I only wanted to roll the dice and make a bet, but still, I lost in the end.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Survive and live well. Although I hate you, I don¡¯t want you to die just like this. If you die now, how could you witness the downfall of the Qi Kai Group? That¡¯s something that you¡¯ve been proud of all your life...¡± Qi Feng left such a statement. He then slowly turned around and left the ward without bringing a trace of nostalgia with him.

    However, what he could not see was that when the heavy door was closed, tears were rolling down from the corners of Qi Qiming¡¯s tightly closed eyes...

    When he came out of the hospital, Qi Feng went directly to the Qi residence. Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier had already packed their luggage. The chauffeur and bodyguards hadpetently loaded all the luggage into the car while Mary, the servant, had put on a white princess dress for Qi Weier who held a Barbie doll in her arm. The little girl was staring at the huge ck umbre that Mary was carrying, and she looked lifeless.

    Outside the door, Gu Lingsha ran into Qi Feng, who was rushing back home. She was very reluctant to leave Qi Feng. As soon as she saw his silhouette, her tears started to well up in her eyes. She could not help but take a fewrge strides towards him and reach out her arms to hug him. Her voice was hoarse from all the crying. ¡°Ah Feng,e with us/ I really don¡¯t want to leave your side, and Weiwei can¡¯t do it without you either. Ah Feng, why won¡¯t youe with us? Even Morrison has left too. You¡¯re all alone here! I¡¯m really worried. I have nothing left. I never want to lose you again. I really don¡¯t want to lose you...¡±

    With a lump in her throat, Gu Lingsha¡¯s tone was filled with hardship and suffering. Her hoarse voice sounded rather heart-piercing. Qi Feng¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he felt a sudden pain in his heart. After a long time, he stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly.

    Qi Feng had never been a sentimental person. Even though he loved Gu Lingsha very much, he usually did not show her much fondness. He had always been an indifferent person in Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes.

    Mu Yuchen may have always been a cold person too, but he would express all his affection when Xi Xiaye was around. On the contrary, Qi Feng would not do so. He had been a very rational person, and there had always been a kind of indifference within him as if he had seen all the coldness in the world. He was so emotionless that even Gu Lingsha could not understand him.

    There was a gentleness in his hoarse voice which she rarely felt as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Travel there with Weiwei first. I¡¯ll meet you there once the rumors aren¡¯t as pressing here. I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll return to you and Weiwei safely.¡± His embrace tightened as he spoke.

    ¡°Leave all the unhappiness behind. Treat Weiwei well when you¡¯re over there. You must keep those cards that I¡¯ve given you. They¡¯re enough to support you and Weiwei for a few lifetimes. Also, don¡¯t tell her anything about me. Just let her know that her father will always be kind to her, and will always love her. Just let her be an ordinary and mediocre person in the future,¡± Qi Feng said calmly, sounding like he was delivering hisst words.

    Gu Lingsha could not help but shake her head vigorously and cry, ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to! Ah Feng, Weiwei and I will be waiting for you over there. If you don¡¯te, we¡¯ll follow you too ...¡±

    ¡°Alright, Shasha, don¡¯t be capricious. Weiwei is still young. We can¡¯t be unqualified parents, and we can¡¯ty the tragedy that happened to me on her. We also can¡¯t let her resent us in the future. Do you understand?¡± As Qi Feng said these words, he finally failed to calm himself down, and his gloomy eyes had be bloodshot. While saying so, he turned his head and looked at Qi Weier, who was ying with the Barbie doll in her arms.

    Gu Lingsha felt like her heart was being torn apart. While she cried her heart out. Qi Feng patted her shoulders before letting her go. He walked towards Qi Weier and bowed down. Then, he opened his arms and picked Qi Weier up.

 Chapter 1499 - Do You Hate Me? 1

    <strong>1499 Do You Hate Me? 1</strong>

    He was brushing Qi Weier¡¯s long blonde hair very gently as if she was a rare treasure.

    In fact, his daughter was indeed his gem, but sometimes no matter how much one cherished someone, they might not be able to stick with them till the end.

    ¡°Weiwei,e give Daddy a hug. Call me ¡®Daddy¡¯ again, will you?¡± Qi Feng said softly.

    Qi Weier seemed to be able to sense something as her tired eyes suddenly lit up. She looked at Qi Feng in front of her who was holding her tightly, and after a long time she finally called out timidly, ¡°Daddy...¡±

    Qi Feng felt his heart melt when she called him that, but he could feel a lump in his throat.

    He suddenly thought that while many of the things he had done in the past may not all be right, who cared what was right or wrong? What had Weiwei done wrong? Why did she need to go through all this?

    He thought about himself too.

    What had he done so wrong that he needed to put up with all the hardship?

    There was no right or wrong, was there?

    However, that was just how fate worked and they did not have a choice.

    Qi Feng seemed to ept it too. He stretched out his hand and touched his daughter¡¯s head lovingly and said, ¡°Think about me often, okay? Daddy will miss you very much.¡±

    ¡°Daddy...¡± Qi Weier was in a daze. She looked at Qi Feng with a nk expression and held his hands tightly with her little ones as if she was also feeling uneasy as well.

    Qi Feng patted her lightly. ¡°Well, listen to Mommy and Aunt Mary when you get there. Remember what Daddy told you, okay?¡±

    ¡°Daddy...¡± Qi Weier held him even tighter.

    Qi Feng hugged her tightly and finally lowered his head to give her a kiss on her forehead. He walked towards the car with her in his arms and seated her in the car before turning to look at Gu Lingsha and said, ¡°Well, you should also get in the car now. It¡¯s almost time. Remember to call when you get there. Take care of yourself and Weiwei.¡±

    Gu Lingsha could not stop her tears from falling and she could not answer him at all. She just nodded silently and got into the car.

    ¡°You muste over soon. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you, or else, I¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°I know. Now, go. Don¡¯t miss the flight.¡±

    Without waiting for her to finish, Qi Feng mmed the car door shut and signaled the chauffeur to drive off.

    ¡°Ah Feng!¡± Gu Lingsha shouted.

    The car engine had already started.

    ¡°Ah Feng! I want to know, have you ever truly loved me?¡± Gu Lingsha asked in a hoarse voice.

    Qi Feng paused and quietly looked at Gu Lingsha who was sticking her head out of the car window.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qi Feng said in a deep voice and with a smile on his face, ¡°All my life, I¡¯ve only lucked out a few times, and you¡¯re one of those.¡±

    Gu Lingsha burst into tears after hearing this. She nced at Qi Feng for thest time, pulled her head back in before covering her face with her hands and burst into tears...

    Could they not leave like this?

    Could she ask for another option?

    She did not want to leave like that, especially without him.

    Actually, Gu Lingsha had already seen Qi Feng¡¯s ning. He must be helpless, which led him to make this decision. She could not do anything for him because they still had a daughter to care for, and that was Qi Weier.

    Gu Lingsha was heartbroken when she thought about this. She had never felt heartache as terrible as this to the point where she felt suffocated. She would never forget the agony.

    She remembered when she had met Qi Feng for the first time, and the 20 over years they had spent together. She had to admit that although he was cold, he had never mistreated her and she was also the only woman next to him, both in the past and in the present.

    Why did she overthink and insisted that there was something going on between him with Xi Xiaye?

    The journey to the airport was actually very long, but Gu Lingsha felt that it was a lot shorter. Before she realized it, the chauffeur in front reminded her that they had arrived at the airport...

    Gu Lingsha led Qi Weier into the airport in a daze while Mary followed behind closely.

    However, she did not expect to see several policemen in uniforms at the boarding gate in front. They stood in front of the gate like a mountain that was too high to reach. She felt so small that she would never be able to cross the mountain.

    When they handcuffed her wrists with the cold metal, Mary reached out and covered Qi Weier¡¯s eyes as she did not want her to see that scene.

    Gu Lingsha¡¯s eyes were still red and swollen. She took every ounce of energy to tell the policeman, ¡°Can you save me a little dignity? I want to go on my own. I don¡¯t want to let my daughter see this. She¡¯s autistic, please!¡± she pleaded with a hoarse voice.

    The policeman looked at the tearful Gu Lingsha, then turned to look at Qi Weier whose eyes were being covered by Mary. After thinking about it, he nodded. ¡°Then, please cooperate with us, Miss Gu. Come to the police station with us .¡±

    In the end, they still could not escape. She did not know why, but she felt a little relieved.

    She did not have to be that far away from him either. In fact, she had already nned for the worst from the beginning, so she was not that surprised by the situation now. However, her daughter, Qi Weier, would suffer. What should she do next?

    She turned to look at Qi Weier in sorrow as she thought about it. She walked over and squatted down to hold her in her arms.

    ¡°Weiwei, I¡¯m sorry. It was all my fault...Daddy and Mommy are sorry. You must take care of yourself! Promise me, you must take care...¡±

    ¡°Missus...¡± Mary could not bear to look at them in this painful situation, and she started tearing up.

    Gu Lingsha seemed to be prepared as she took a letter out of her handbag and handed it to Mary. She wiped the tears on her face and confessed, ¡°Take Weiwei to City B and the Hui Gu Corporation. Give this letter to my father. He promised me before that he¡¯ll help me take good care of Weiwei. He¡¯ll understand when he sees this letter. Also, Mary, I also hope that you can stay with Weiwei over there, or else, she won¡¯t have anyone close to her left. She¡¯s been close to you since she was a child...I¡¯m worried that after this, she¡¯ll be left alone... ¡±

    Gu Lingsha bawled as she earnestly reached out and grabbed Mary¡¯s hands as if she was herst straw of hope.

 Chapter 1500 - Do You Hate Me? 2

    <h4>1500 Do You Hate Me? 2</h4>

    When Mary took the letter, she felt very emotional and a sour feeling came up in her throat. She held onto Gu Lingsha¡¯s hand tightly with teary eyes and said through choking sobs, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Missus. I¡¯ll take good care of Miss Weiwei. I¡¯ve long seen her as my own child. I won¡¯t leave her and I¡¯ll take good care of her. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go look for Boss Gu right away and get him to save you. It¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll all be fine, Missus. It¡¯ll be fine...¡±

    Mary said that it would be fine repeatedly, but she and Gu Lingsha knew very well that this time it would be hard for Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha to get away. Otherwise, the First Master would not have had the heart to let go of his daughter, and let the mother and daughter leave while he stayed in this city.

    Gu Lingsha breathed in heavily and her teary eyes showed her current helplessness and vulnerability. She lifted a hand to wipe away those tears on her face and suddenly bent down to hug Qi Weier in her arms again. ¡°Weiwei, go live with Grandfather. Daddy and Mommy have to go somewhere very far away and we won¡¯t be back so soon. When you¡¯ve grown a little older, Mommy will be back. You¡¯ll have to listen to your grandfather and Aunty Mary. Eat and sleep well. Don¡¯t fight with others and don¡¯t simply mix with other people as you wish, understand?¡±

    Qi Weier looked at Gu Lingsha nkly. Although her eyes were lost in confusion, she kept her mouth tightly shut and did not say anything.

    ¡°Weiwei...you must remember Daddy and Mommy, okay? We¡¯ve done some things we shouldn¡¯t have. You have to be a good and honest person the next time. That way, you¡¯ll be rewarded for your virtues. Remember Mommy¡¯s words. You must remember them, understand?¡± Gu Lingsha said as she shook Qi Weier by the shoulders. Mary, who watched from the side, wept, and even those policemen could not help but be moved.

    After a while, Gu Lingsha finally let go of Qi Weier. She took onest look at her before slowly walking ahead, and the police swiftly followed after her too.

    At this moment, Qi Weier watched Gu Lingsha¡¯s figure as she suddenly called out to her, ¡°Mommy...¡±

    Gu Lingsha paused, and the tears started falling, but she did not turn back in the end and walked away even quicker in the next second.

    Qi Weier hugged the doll in her arms and watched as Gu Lingsha¡¯s figure gradually vanished before her eyes. Her frail little figure looked so sad and pitiful. Then, Mary bent down and pulled her into her embrace...

    The news that Gu Lingsha was taken away was almost immediately made known to Mu Yuchen, Qi Lei, and the rest.

    Right now it was close to evening. The sun was setting and a gentle golden yellow light covered the entire ground.

    Inside the Glory World Corporation office, Mu Yuchen was lying on the rattan chair by the window as he looked at therge disy screen across him, browsing through the stock market information when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Mu Yuchen responded calmly.

    Li Si quickly pushed the door to enter. He walked up to Mu Yuchen a few steps before Li Si carefully called out to Mu Yuchen, ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was still holding a half-filled ss of green tea in hand while he leisurely tore up a note to shreds before rolling it into a ball and tossing it into the waste paper basket.

    Li Si thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°I just received news that the authorities at the airport have stopped Gu Lingsha, and Qi Feng did indeed arrange for her and their daughter, Qi Weier, to go to Australia. Right now, Gu Lingsha has been taken back to the police station, but before she was taken away, she told her servant, Mary, to send a letter to Gu Qiwu, and she entrusted Qi Weier to Gu Qiwu. I think that Gu Lingsha must have gone to Gu Qiwu before and agreed on this arrangement. That¡¯s why she returned so quickly.¡±

    Taken away by the authorities?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s indifferent expression did not seem to change. His gaze remained calm as he suddenly remembered what Qi Lei had said from before.

    The truth was as such. Gu Lingsha did not manage to escape in the end.

    It was not for nothing. Qi Feng wanting to shift his assets and empty out the entire Qi Kai was not a matter of a day or two.

    ¡°Master, do you think that Gu Lingsha will...¡± Li Si said hesitantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? It¡¯s not that Qi Feng didn¡¯t anticipate reaching this point today. It¡¯s just that he wasn¡¯t as quick as us. I think he probably had doubts against Qi Qiming. He¡¯s a very well-prepared and patient person. You can tell from the fact that he stayed hidden abroad for four to five years before returning home,¡± Mu Yuchen said as he lowered his head to look at the clear green tea in his hand. He breathed in and said, ¡°Do you think he really wanted Qi Kai?¡±

    ¡°Well, Master, he¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Making Qi Kai his own is his true goal. He¡¯s someone who holds onto grudges, but at the same time, he¡¯s lonely. I think that if he had another chance to do it again he might not have done these things. After all, he had things he was reluctant to leave too,¡± Mu Yuchen said, then calmly took a sip of tea while his expression was tranquil.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re referring to Gu Lingsha and his daughter Qi Weier, aren¡¯t you? I actually think that every man would¡¯ve done the same. He must¡¯ve known about things on Morrison¡¯s end. Someone as smart as him probably would have guessed the oue, but I don¡¯t know why they still took the risk.¡±

    Li Si thought that for someone like Qi Feng, it was just too pitiful. If he had not gone on that path, he could have lived a good life, but for some reason, he decided to go the other way...

    ¡°Maybe not. The fact that could calmly stay put right now does make me admire him. He saw this daying. I didn¡¯t go through what he did, so I don¡¯t want toment on anything. He¡¯s just gone too far with his methods. He was deliberate in thought but just not smart enough.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his phone that was set aside vibrated. He turned to look and saw that it was Su Chen calling, so he picked it up.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    You could not quite hear anything from his lowered voice.

    ¡°Mmm, let me tell you good news. Congrattions! I just received news that an arrest warrant for Qi Feng has been released. The police should be rushing over to arrest him now...¡±

 Chapter 1501 - Do You Hate Me? 3

    <h4>Chapter 1501 Do You Hate Me? 3</h4>

    It was not difficult to sense the hint of joy in Su Chen¡¯s voice. No news could sound more pleasing to his ears than this. ¡°I just got news from the city police station. His criminal evidence is solid. Captain Wang will arrest him by himself, but he has a gun, so I hope he¡¯ll not fight back.¡±...

    ¡°Okay, I got it, thanks,¡± Mu Yuchen did not give a huge reaction as he replied faintly before hanging up the phone.

    Su Chen, who was on the other end of the phone call, could naturally sense that and quickly said, ¡°Wait, don¡¯t hang up first. Why don¡¯t I hear the joy in your words? Qi Feng is finished. Shouldn ¡®t you be over the moon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy about it. Let¡¯s go out for a drink tomorrow night. I¡¯ll wait for you at Imperial Sky. Call Zimo along too.¡± After issuing the invitation, Mu Yuchen put away his cell phone without waiting for Su Chen to say anything.

    ¡°Master, is the warrant for Qi Feng¡¯s arrest out?¡± Li Si, who was on the side, was able to guess vaguely.

    Mu Yuchen nodded while putting the cup in his hand on the side table. ¡°You can leave first if there¡¯s nothing else. I wish to be left alone.¡±

    ¡°But, Master, what about Gu Qiwu? If Qi Weier were to go to him, I¡¯m worried that Miss Lingshi will...The father-daughter rtionship between them is still very rigid, and I worry that...¡± Li Si said hesitantly.

    Listening to this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes dimmed slightly. ¡°Since Gu Lingsha thought of entrusting Qi Weier to Gu Qiwu, it means that she was prepared herself mentally before that. I guess Gu Qiwu should know what to do. We¡¯ll see how it goes.¡±

    Seeing that Mu Yuchen was a little disinterested at the moment, Li Si said tactfully, ¡°Yes, Master! I¡¯ll get someone to look into it. I¡¯ll leave first for now.¡± He left after that.

    Unexpectedly, as he walked towards the doorway and raised his head, he saw Xi Xiaye, who was standing by the door. Hust when he was about to greet her, she had already ced her finger on her lips and made a silent gesture.

    Li Si nodded and made way for Xi Xiaye silently. She nodded to him in response and stepped into the room. Li Si then tacitly closed the door for the couple.

    Xi Xiaye tiptoed carefully behind the man. She took a nce at him and found out that he was resting with his eyes closed while mncholy was apparent from between his brows. When she was about to say something, he suddenly stretched out his arms without even lifting his eyelids. His deep and sentimental voice hinted that he would not take no as an answer as he said, ¡°Come here.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her gorgeous eyebrows, took two steps forward, and stood beside him. He then reached out his long arm and encircled her slender waist urately.

    ¡°What happened? I heard Li Si say something about Qi Feng¡¯s arrest warrant, and also something about Gu Qiwu and Ah Shi. Is something wrong?¡± she asked in a soft voice.

    ¡°Qi Feng¡¯s arrest warrant has been issued, and Gu Lingsha was also apprehended by the police at the airport just now. Gu Lingsha has entrusted Qi Weier to Gu Qiwu, so Li Si was worried about Lingshi,¡± Mu Yuchen tightened his arm slightly while he briefly stated the facts.

    Having listened to that, Xi Xiaye¡¯s pretty face froze for a split second. Taking a light breath, she reached out, wrapped his shoulders, and leaned forward. ¡°This is good news. However, it doesn¡¯t seem to bring up anything happy.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to sympathize with them. They had iting. It was just a matter of time. Just think about Wang Qin¡¯s incident and many other things, and you may feel more at ease. I was the one who collected all the evidence. Although I¡¯m not a righteous person, he was trying to bring me harm, so I couldn¡¯t just ignore it.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re still dissatisfied with them due to Lingtian¡¯s incident. If it weren¡¯t for them, Lingtian wouldn¡¯t have ended up like that. Hence, that sulky feeling of yours is also one of the reasons why you want to go against Qi Feng. I can understand that. That¡¯s why I supported your decision. You¡¯re so smart, so you shouldn¡¯t be bothered by any obstacles and unhappiness, right?¡±

    ¡°You never opposed any of my decisions. In your eyes, your man is good at everything, isn¡¯t he? Mrs. Mu?¡± He finally opened his eyes at this moment, and there was a rare gentleness in his eyes when he turned his head and gave her a sidelong nce.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult for me if you think that you¡¯re perfect in your lover¡¯s eyes. I only thought that since I¡¯m tied to you anyway, my life would be better if yours is too. As for the details, I can¡¯t manage so many other things. However, Mu Yuchen, let me ask you. If it were you...¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make such stupid mistakes, so there is no such thing as ¡®if¡¯.¡± He had already cut her off without even waiting for her to finish.

    ¡°Things that happen are usually closely rted to the environment and can¡¯t be separated from a person¡¯s experience. We should be thankful that Qi Lei hasn¡¯t be such a person. But this is the end of it. It has been a long-fought battle. Even I feel exhausted at this moment,¡± Mu Yuchen said in his deep voice. He rarely said such things, and since he said it at this moment, it meant that the matter really did drain a lot from him.

    ¡°Okay, not that the turmoil is over, it¡¯ll be more peaceful. Should we go on a trip?¡±

    ¡°Where do I find myself the spare time? There¡¯ll be tons of work after the beginning of spring. Speaking of which, fancy a job? You can be my secretary for a few days. Since you work extremely swiftly and efficiently, I¡¯ll be able to rx more.¡±

    ¡°Alright, my sry will be settled daily, and in order for me to work, it¡¯ll have to be hefty.¡± She might have rolled her eyes, but at the same time pursed her lips and chuckled.

    ¡°I won¡¯t have the guts to hire you if the price isn¡¯t high enough.¡±

    ¡°Okay, stop all that nonsense already. Tidy up and let¡¯s get off work. Mother and the others happen to be here too, and they¡¯re cooking our favorite dishes.¡±

    ¡°You get such benefits only when I tag along. How will you thank me?¡± He reached his arms out to her and she tacitly pulled him out of his chair.

    ¡°Then, how do you want me to thank you?¡± she squinted at him and gave off a pregnant gaze with her clear eyes.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± He threw the question right back at her.

    With a wide grin, she turned to her side, stood on tiptoe, and then gave him a kiss on his cheek. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his shoulders before crawling onto his back. ¡°I¡¯ll let you carry me for a while.¡±

    He subconsciously stretched his arms backward to support a body to prevent her from slipping off. His dim eyes were instantly filled with a trace of amusement. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that you¡¯re already the mother of two kids. How can you still act like a little girl? Now, get down!¡±

    ¡°I would like to get off you too, but the problem is, can you let go just a little bit?¡± Sheughed, leaning her head against his. She nced at him sideways and teased him, ¡°Why? Do you not have the guts to carry me downstairs?¡±

    ¡°If I dare, will there be any reward?¡± He gave her a mischievous re.

    After marrying her, he never had the chance to care about his image anymore, but he was hers anyway.

 Chapter 1502 - Do You Hate Me? 4

    <h4>Chapter 1502 Do You Hate Me? 4</h4>

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she raised her eyebrows and thought about it for a moment before she said, ¡°Then, what do you want in return?¡±He immediately gave her a meaningful look with a yful gleam in his eye.

    ¡°Missus, you know what I want best,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°You want me to go fishing at the riverside with you tomorrow evening? Or go for a run? Or maybe y some kind of fun game with you?¡±

    ¡°What game?¡± His eyes lit up.

    ¡°nts vs. Zombies...¡±

    Master Mu was speechless and he had no choice but to say, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll satisfy your vanity.¡±

    ¡°Huh, how do you know if it¡¯s vanity?¡±

    ¡°Because I often think so too!¡±

    ¡°In that case, we really are husband and wife! You¡¯re as dramatic as I am.¡± She chuckled softly but did not end up letting him give her a piggyback ride. She knew that he would, and that was all she needed to know.

    ¡°Master Qi, we just heard the news that Gu Lingsha was taken away by the police before boarding at the airport. The police have already obtained the arrest warrant for First Master issued by the higher levels. Miss Qi Weier and Mary went straight to City B with the bodyguards.¡±

    Qi Lei, who was reviewing the documents on his desk, heard Yang Sheng¡¯s voice from behind, and he stopped in his tracks. However, it was only a brief pause before he resumed what he was doing.

    ¡°Where is he now?¡± Qi Lei asked in a somber tone as he looked down, concealing the sadness in his eyes.

    ¡°After sending Gu Lingsha and Qi Weier off, he returned to Qi Kai and has been staying in his office since. He should still be in the office now. The police have probably gone over, and they seemed to have arranged a significant number of men because the First Master has a gun,¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°Master Qi, we should...¡± Yang Sheng wanted to say something, but before he could, the phone on Qi Lei¡¯s desk suddenly vibrated, and the name that showed up on the screen was so familiar...

    Brother!

    Qi Lei was in a daze as he stared at the screen. He even forgot to pick it up.

    Yang Sheng nced at the phone screen subconsciously and stiffened.

    Qi Lei finally answered the phone.

    ¡°Qi Lei, I¡¯m in my office. Come over. It seems like it¡¯s time for us brothers to have a talk,¡± Qi Feng said in a hoarse voice, but it was as calm as the ssy sea on a dark night.

    Qi Lei listened and froze. He subconsciously turned to look outside the window and realized that the sun had already set and the light had somewhat faded. As Qi Lei continued to stare, he suddenly felt chills on his body. He stayed quiet for a long time.

    ¡°Why? Are you afraid? Are you afraid that I¡¯m going to kill you?¡± Qi Feng said as he snickered after not hearing from Qi Lei for a long time.

    ¡°So, are you going to kill me?¡± Qi Lei asked calmly.

    ¡°Will I? Maybe I will!¡± Qi Feng answered after thinking about it for a long time. He then hung up without waiting for Qi Lei¡¯s answer.

    Qi Lei was taken aback as he looked at the dark screen of his cell phone. He was in a daze for a long time and his eyes were as dark as a stormy night.

    After a while, he finally got up and grabbed his coat in one hand before draping it over his shoulders. He then grabbed his car key in the other hand and strode towards the door!

    Yang Sheng¡¯s expression changed drastically when he saw that. It was as if he just came to a realization. He quickly turned his head and shouted at Qi Lei, ¡°Master Qi! Where are you going?! Where are you going?!¡±

    However, all he could see was Qi Lei¡¯s deste and lonesome figure. In an instant, his figure disappeared outside.

    ¡°Master Qi! He has a gun! He¡¯ll kill you! Master Qi! Don¡¯t go! You mustn¡¯t go!¡± Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes were full of fear, and he quickly followed his master...

    When Mu Yuchen¡¯s cell phone vibrated, he was on the way to the Shen residence.

    ¡°Master Mu, bad news! Second Master went to Qi Kai to see First Master. You have to persuade him! First Master has a gun in his hand and he¡¯s not going to let Second Master go! We can¡¯t let anything happen to Second Master again. Please talk to him and ask him not to be so impulsive!¡± Yang Sheng begged in a frightened tone before Mu Yuchen could say anything.

    Qi Lei went to see Qi Feng?

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he thought for a moment. His eyes flickered before he replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. Qi Lei is no longer as reckless as he used to be. He knows that the police are on their way there, and they¡¯ll keep him safe. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Let¡¯s go over and have a look.¡±

    ¡°Master Mu, you and Miss Xiaye should persuade Second Master not to go there. I don¡¯t want him to make any mistakes. Now that things have got to this point, it¡¯s meaningless to say anything and there¡¯s no need for it either. First Master treated Second Master poorly and even caused Mr. Wang harm. No matter what, there¡¯s no way for him to escape from his sins, and there¡¯s no need to talk to him...¡±

    Yang Sheng was worried. He saw Qi Lei as his family and did not want to see anything happen to him. Mu Yuchen could understand his feelings too.

    After thinking about it for a while, Mu Yuchen replied, ¡°I¡¯ll try. Don¡¯t worry. Go over and check the situation first. I¡¯ll rush over immediately.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master Mu! Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± Yang Sheng expressed his gratitude.

    Mu Yuchen put his phone away and turned to look at the woman driving beside him. ¡°Turn around. Qi Lei went to Qi Kai to meet Qi Feng. The police have already rushed over, but let¡¯s go and have a look just in case anything happens. It¡¯ll set our minds at ease.¡±

    Xi Xiaye also froze when she heard this and she was worried stiff. ¡°He¡¯s gone to Qi Kai to meet Qi Feng? He¡¯s going to die! What if Qi Feng loses control?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was calling Qi Lei on his cell phone at this time, but thetter seemed to have turned his phone off...

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze and put his cell phone aside. His face darkened.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t you get through?¡± Xi Xiaye asked as she nced at him while slowing down the car.

    ¡°His phone has been turned off. Turn around and let¡¯s head over there now,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xiaye inhaled as she was secretly anxious. She started driving faster and finally turned around at the intersection in front.

 Chapter 1503 - Do You Hate Me? 5

    <h4>Chapter 1503 Do You Hate Me? 5</h4>

    The car sped along the way like the wind, but at the traffic lights, they met a traffic jam.Qi Lei sat in the car and lit a cigarette while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

    For some reason, he currently felt a detached calmness. It was a calm that made him feel that he could face all of this with frankness and that he could peacefully consider Qi Feng¡¯s current situation.

    He recalled the scene of when he had rushed Wang Qin to the hospital with blood all over him, when he had been forced to leave Qi Kai, and then those near-death experiences with Yang Sheng when they had been kidnapped and tried to escape, as well as the scene of Qi Qiming lying in a pool of blood...

    He could not deny that all of these misfortunes or sins were started by Qi Feng. They all originated from him!

    Such a sinful person should not be pitied...

    But why was it that right now, he started to feel sad for him?!

    If he could choose to let him have Qi Kai so that all of these did not happen, Qi Lei would be willing. In fact, he had always been willing.

    Onlymon people would never understand this, and it was only at such moments that one would reflect upon oneself with no way of remedying it, none at all!

    The cigarette between his fingers was half-burnt before the car in front slowly started up. He gathered his thoughts quickly and put out the cigarette that he only took two drags from. He stepped on the elerator and continued to drive ahead.

    When he reached Qi Kai Group, the sun was beginning to set in the west. The police had yet to reach, but they should be over quite soon because he already heard the sirens from behind. There were many vehicles, not just one or two.

    Qi Lei drove to the entrance Qi Kai Group and got down from the car unhurriedly. He tossed his keys to the guard, and before thetter could greet him he had already walked inside.

    Qi Kai¡¯s employees were all rushing to go home by now, and half the employees had finished work. When Qi Lei went over, he bumped into a few employees going home, and they respectfully greeted him.

    The contents of the shareholders¡¯ meeting were no secret to Qi Kai internally. Qi Lei was now technically their acting CEO. Of course, the prerequisite would be that Qi Lei himself had to be willing to take on the burden.

    In truth though, since the shareholders¡¯ meeting, they never saw Qi Lei show his face at Qi Kai Group as if their new acting CEO might not be willing to take over Qi Kai. They heard that he was doing very well with Tai Yu Corporation!

    Of course, Qi Lei had no mood to greet them. He just nodded indifferently and walked past them.

    At this moment in Qi Kai Corporation, the police car sirens were heard downstairs. The sharp sound of the sirens tore through the silence of the sunset. On this considerably calm evening, more than ten police cars drove into the Qi Kai Group za one after another.

    The cars stopped very quickly, and with Captain Wang leading the group of skilled policemen, they got down from the vehicles. The SWAT team and even snipers were called over, and it was a rather dramatic scene...

    They swiftly rushed into Qi Kai Group and stood guard at all the entrances, shocking the employees who were finishing work and leaving.

    Captain Wang and the rest had just positioned themselves. Yang Sheng, who followed Qi Lei over, rushed in too. When he saw all the police in ce, he felt anxious, so he quickly went over and said worriedly while barely catching his breath, ¡°Captain Wang! Captain Wang! Save our Master Qi! Tell everyone not to be rash. Our Master Qi is inside. He¡¯s in Qi Feng¡¯s office! You must guarantee his safety! You must! Please!¡±

    His words made Captain Wang frown immediately!

    ¡°What happened? I just received news that it was only Qi Feng alone in his office! When did Qi Lei show up?¡± Captain Wang¡¯s tone was filled with gravity.

    ¡°Earlier, Qi Feng called our Master Qi and told him toe over. I didn¡¯t expect Master Qi to reallye, and Qi Feng has a gun! He just wouldn¡¯t listen, so...¡± Yang Sheng exined while being deeply worried.

    ¡°Madness!¡±

    When Yang Sheng finished, Captain Wang immediately shouted in exasperation with a heavy expression on his face. He quickly picked up his walkie-talkie and said anxiously, ¡°Everyone, pay attention. Everyone, pay attention. Qi Feng isn¡¯t alone in his office. Qi Lei is there too. Please be careful and do as I order. Don¡¯t make him angry and hurt the hostage. Please acknowledge if you heard me. Please acknowledge if you heard me!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    All the policemen responded before Captain Wang eased a little, then he looked up at the skyscraping Qi Kai Group building. After a while, he walked in!

    ¡°I want to go in to take a look too! Captain Wang, let me in! I¡¯m worried about our Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng rushed in without a care and followed right behind Captain Wang...

    ...

    The corridor was very quiet. Qi Lei walked unhurriedly. In the empty walkway, you could hear his cold footsteps echoing.

    This corridor usually felt quite short, but now it seemed endless, making Qi Lei feel as if he had walked a very, very long while before he reached Qi Feng¡¯s office.

    The office door was open. When Qi Lei stood at the entrance, he could already smell the faint fragrance of the hibiscus from afar. He heard that Qi Feng liked this smell, and apparently Qi Feng¡¯s mother had also liked this flower.

    Qi Lei stopped his steps and stood at the door for quite a while before he entered.

    What greeted his sight was that empty office desk. He looked around and then saw the curtains that swayed continuously by the window, but Qi Feng was nowhere in sight...

    Creak!

    At this moment, there was the sound of a door opening. Qi Lei immediately looked to the sound with vignce and saw that the door to the lounge area was open. Qi Feng walked out from inside dressed in a suit while his dripping hand held a transparent heat-preserving cup. Inside it was some chrysanthemum tea...

    ¡°You really dide.¡±

    His profound gaze looked at Qi Lei as he took a towel from the side to wipe his hands. Then, he walked over to his desk. He put down the tea in hand, lowered his gaze, and did not look at Qi Lei while he calmly tidied the documents on his desk. He said inly, ¡°Actually, I guessed that you¡¯de anyway.¡±

 Chapter 1504 - Do You Hate Me? 6

    <h4>Chapter 1504 Do You Hate Me? 6</h4>

    His husky tone was very calm. Not even a hint of tension could be sensed. He did not seem to have heard the police sirens, let alone know that the police wereing for him. It just seemed that he had never thosemitted crimes at all.Qi Lei had to admire Qi Feng¡¯s calmness at the moment. He walked in slowly without saying anything.

    Qi Feng was standing at the desk. He did not sit down for some reason. After realizing that Qi Lei hade in, he threw the towel in his hand onto the table next to him, raised his gaze, and nced at him in silence.

    ¡°Your ability to specte has never diminished, has it?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s nce dimmed. There was no visible expression on his attractive face. He looked at him indifferently. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. The Qi family treated you well. Although my mother didn¡¯t necessarily like you, she was never harsh on you, so why did youy your hands on her? Because of you, the Qi family ended up as it is today.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Lei, to me, you¡¯re just too na?ve. If everyone were to ask themselves the question that you¡¯ve just thrown at me, and if they could all look for the answers to their doubts in their hearts, do you think there¡¯d be evil people in this world?¡± Qi Feng said calmly, and silently ced all the books that he tidied up back on the shelf behind him. ¡°I¡¯m a wicked person, and also a sinner. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary for me to answer that question of yours.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve always been resentful that fate hasn¡¯t been fair to you, but nobody has treated you badly all these years. Still, you¡¯re not satisfied. I told you a long time ago that I don¡¯t care about the Qi Kai Group or the Qi family. If you wanted something, I just gave up on it. I¡¯ve never wanted to contend with you, but you¡¯ve forced me to step by step up until today.¡±

    Qi Lei pressed his palms on the desk in front of him as he spoke. He then leaned slightly forward and gazed at him. ¡°I only want to live a simple and serene life. Why is that so difficult?¡±

    ¡°From the second you were born, you were destined not to have a simple and serene life. Don¡¯t forget that you had a verypetitive mother. Even if you¡¯re not in it for the Qi family, you still need to always think about your mother, don¡¯t you? Why do you think she married the old man?¡± With a scoff, Qi Feng turned back and stood under the bookshelf before ncing at Qi Lei, whose expression suddenly dimmed.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s very clear in your heart that although you don¡¯t want to, there are things and responsibilities that you can¡¯t leave behind. Do you really think you can truly be free and easy? Unless there¡¯s nothing you care about in the whole world and you¡¯ve be a saint. However, such a saint has no emotions, so can you even be such a person?¡± His tone was calm as usual, and there was also a trace of irony in his gloomy eyes. It was not clear whether it was directed at Qi Lei or at himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s just what you think.¡±

    ¡°So, you want to tell me otherwise? I admit that I can¡¯t be a saint. I¡¯m a sinner, so don¡¯t be na?ve. You¡¯re someone who lives in a fairy tale made by yourself. A flower that was grown under a roof would never be able to experience the cruel weather. That¡¯s the biggest difference between me and you.¡±

    Qi Feng approached the table slowly so that he was now standing in front of Qi Lei. He then leaned slightly forward to take a good at Qi Lei. ¡°Your mother protected you well. I should also be envious of your personality. Your purity is something that I don¡¯t share. We ledpletely different lives, but you are actually luckier than me, Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Lucky? You¡¯ve always owned a lot of things that I don¡¯t have. Moreover, if it was your identity that caused you to be so cynical, to do all those things to hurt others, toy your hand on my mother, and even the old man, then you¡¯re too cruel! You should know that plenty of people in this world are leading harsher lives than you do, so why is it that they can uphold a good attitude while you can¡¯t?¡± Qi Lei gave a sneer and looked at Qi Feng coldly.

    Qi Fengughed without saying a word and gazed at Qi Lei quietly. It seemed like he had read Qi Lei as a whole. Meanwhile, Qi Lei did not utter a single word either.

    After a long while, he smiled coldly and said hoarsely, ¡°What should I do, you say? If everyone has treated me badly, how can I convince myself to virtuously repay them and you guys? You won¡¯t understand that feeling. Don¡¯t always opinionatedly think that you¡¯re the good people, that you know what righteousness and kindness are. I¡¯m a sinner, but at least, I know¡ª¡±

    ¡°At least, you know how to tell love and hatred apart, and if others treated you well, you¡¯d repay them?¡± Qi Lei did not wait for Qi Feng to finish speaking, and he had already truncated his speech coldly as a sheer cold chill radiated out of his eyes.

    ¡°I know you wanted to say this, but do ask yourself if you have aplished it yet? The man lying in the hospital now is your father, the person who gave you life! Do you dare to say that you have nothing to do with him being in the condition that he¡¯s in now? To whom have you repaid the kindness? What has been repaid? Qi Feng, don¡¯t deceive yourself anymore. If you were referring to Gu Lingsha and your daughter, Qi Weier, then I can tell you that Gu Lingsha couldn¡¯t leave on time. She was arrested by the police at the airport a while ago, and she¡¯s probably in the police station now!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice became abruptly cold.

    As soon as Qi Lei said that, Qi Feng squinted!

    ¡°What did you say?¡± There was still a cold chill in his voice, and he red dangerously at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to escape. No one can escape! Your right-hand man, Morrison, has long been apprehended by the American police, and Gu Lingsha has also been stopped, so you¡¯re all alone now. Do you understand that?!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Nonsense! Bullsh*t! I watched the mother-daughter duo board the car. It¡¯s impossible for the police to have gotten them! They didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s face dimmed at this moment while he gritted his teeth and then said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to deceive yourself anymore. You should¡¯ve foreseen this ending long ago. The person who caused all these is you. You keep saying that you love your wife and your daughter, but why didn¡¯t you think about it for their sake? How were you able to hurt my mother and your father with such peace of mind?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯ty my hand on my father. The person who nned it was Morrison. It was Morrison! I don¡¯t have the heart to bear such a crime!¡±

    ¡°It was because of you. Why would Morrison make the call if not because of you? You¡¯re forever a sinner!¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Qi Feng¡¯s stern voice shed through the air in the room, and before Qi Lei could react, he already felt something hard and cold against his temple...

 Chapter 1505 - Do You Hate Me? 7

    <h4>Chapter 1505 Do You Hate Me? 7</h4>

    Qi Lei paused and his dark eyes flinched a little, but he was not afraid at all.He seemed to be one who would not miss anything about his life. Life and death did not matter to him now. Sometimes, he would think about going with the tide and just die so that he could forget about many things. Liberation was a luxury for him, so he was not afraid of anything at all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you believe that I¡¯ll do it?¡± Qi Feng asked in a deep voice when he saw Qi Lei¡¯s calm expression.

    The curve of Qi Lei¡¯s mouth disappeared a little and he responded calmly, ¡°If I said I didn¡¯t believe you, would it change your mind?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t change my mind easily,¡± Qi Feng answered him simply.

    ¡°So, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s redundant for you to ask such a question?¡± Qi Lei replied candidly, ¡°Since I chose toe over today, I obviously don¡¯t care about my life. Anyway, I¡¯ve lived enough and I have nothing to miss. You¡¯re not like me, Qi Feng. You have a wife and a daughter that you love, so do you think you can be as devil-may-care as me? There are police officers outside who are waiting to arrest you and bring you to justice. It¡¯s all over now! You¡¯ve lost, and you¡¯re destined not to be as free as I am.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Qi Feng suddenly burst outughing. ¡°You despise me, don¡¯t you? I know you hate me very much. You hate me for killing your mother and almost killing you. You have every reason to hate me. Even I feel that you should hate me.

    ¡°I often think that if we weren¡¯t brothers, we might actually be very good friends just like Lingtian. Do you know why Lingtian and I are good friends? It¡¯s because he could really understand my true feelings. Come to think of it, all my life, I¡¯ve never done anything I truly regret, except for what happened to Lingtian.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. People always me Mu Yuchen for Mu Lingtian¡¯s death, but in fact, the reason he died was because of you, Gu Lingsha, and Doris! All of you were the ones that killed him,¡± Qi Lei said coldly .

    Qi Feng smiled and suddenly put away the gun in his hand...

    He threw it on the table at the side and reached out to take the brewed chrysanthemum tea. He slowly unscrewed the bottle cap while looking at Qi Lei. His eyes were calm as the ocean in the middle of the night with boundless depth and darkness. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a sinner. It¡¯s actually great now that we¡¯ve already talked things out. You¡¯d better pray not to have a brother like me in the next life. I don¡¯t want to be your brother either, but for the sake of our blood rtion, I have two things to ask.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart sank when he heard that as if he just realized something. However, he hesitated for a while despite eventually not fully grasping what he meant. Before he could react, Qi Feng continued, ¡°Please help take care of my daughter, Wei Wei. Also, please collect my body and bury me in the Qingshan Cemetery. Lingtian¡¯s also there. Get me a quiet corner high up. I want to be able to see farther. Thank you!¡± Qi Feng said as he raised his head and drank the floral tea in his cup.

    Before Qi Lei could fully process what he meant earlier, he had already covered the cup in his hand and ced it back on the table.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were fixated on the ssh in the cup before he suddenly understood something. His eyes widened and Qi Feng suddenly stretched out his hand to support himself on the corner of the table. In a somber tone, he said, ¡°Maybe I did you wrong too...¡±

    He could not finish the rest...

    Bang!

    There was not a trace of strength left in him as he copsed and blood oozed out from the corner of his mouth.

    A sense of fear and panic could be seen in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes. He immediately stepped forward to support his brother¡¯s body from falling, but he only managed to grab the shirt on his chest. Qi Feng¡¯s cold lips trembled and he breathed hisst breath before he could say what he wanted to say. However, before hisst gasp of air, he could see the sparkle in the red eyes of the person that was holding him...

    Qi Feng gradually breathed hisst in Qi Lei¡¯s arms and died peacefully. He let go and dropped his hand that was holding on to Qi Lei¡¯s clothes...

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Qi Lei wailed and tears streamed down his face. He suddenly burst into tears as he held Qi Feng tightly. His cries were filled with bitterness and grief. He did not know why he felt sad.

    The policemen outside finally rushed in when they heard his wail!

    They saw Qi Lei holding Qi Feng¡¯s body and crying. His agony and sorrow made everybody else feel his pain. Chief Wang was in a daze after seeing him like that, and it took him a while before he walked over. With white gloves on his big hands, he picked up the gun on the table as well as the cup of flower tea...

    When Yang Sheng saw Qi Lei, he wanted tofort him, but...

    He had never seen Qi Lei like this before. Even when Wang Qin passed away, Qi Lei had endured it and kept it all in. He did not expect him to break down and let all his pain out like he had done today.

    The police began to search and collect evidence in the office. Qi Lei cried for a long time, and finally, he raised his hand to wipe the tears off his face. Then, he hugged Qi Feng in a daze before walking towards the door...

    ¡°Chief!¡± The new policeman frowned helplessly when he saw Qi Lei¡¯s action.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just let him be.¡± Chief Wang looked at Qi Lei¡¯s back with a conflicted expression on his face. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Well, all of you should search carefully. Don¡¯t miss anything. Be vignt!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    ¡°Notify the other teams and get them to close the case!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    The sound of the police sirens seemed to have quietened down and the heavily armed special police force retreated. After a while, the ground floor of the Qi Kai Group seemed to be quiet again, leaving only a few police officers that were guarding the door.

    However, the setting sun that had been on the horizon for a while had also started to darken. The entire sky had fallen silent.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye stopped the car by the za next to them and swiftly got out. They were about to rush to the Qi Kai office, but just before they got to the staircase, they saw Qi Lei walking out while holding the lifeless Qi Feng in his arms...

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes widened.

    She was about to reach out to him but the man beside her held her back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go. He¡¯s already dead.¡±

    His deep voice brought calmness to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was taken aback and she could not help but stare nkly at Qi Lei, who was slowly walking down the stairs with red eyes and a pale face.

 Chapter 1506 - Tomorrow Youâ€œll Have To Begin Again 1

    <h4>Chapter 1506 Tomorrow You¡°ll Have To Begin Again 1</h4>

    While her mind went nk in that instant, Xi Xiaye watched as Qi Lei slowly walked past her. Even from far away, she could feel that sadnessing from him. The way Qi Lei looked in that instant made her heart break.She thought to herself that Mu Yuchen must have been like that too.

    She took in quite a few deep breaths before she held back the sourness rising from her throat and turned to the man beside her.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s calm gaze remained as deep as the sea. You could not see a hint of change from his handsome face, yet his hand that held her by the wrist tightened. She could feel him tensing up but she did not make a sound.

    Moments after that, Mu Yuchen said that with a lowered voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go home. This ce doesn¡¯t need us anymore. I¡¯ll give Li Si a call. Het him to help Yang Sheng with the funeral.¡±

    While he announced that, he pulled Xi Xiaye back towards the car as he took out his phone and called Li Si¡¯s number.

    Li Si picked up the phone shortly.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Inform Yang Sheng that Qi Feng has passed away and help out with the funeral,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°Qi Feng¡¯s gone?¡± Li Si¡¯s confused and disbelieving tone came from the other end. ¡°Did the police shoot him dead? Is Second Master alright? Earlier, Yang Sheng called to say...¡±

    When he saw that Xi Xiaye remained dazed, Mu Yuchen spoke gently, ¡°He¡¯s fine. Come over and help manage this,¡± Mu Yuchen responded, then kept away his phone and sighed to himself. After he pulled Xi Xiaye to walk over, he opened the car door to the front passenger seat for her, then said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much now. Get in. He¡¯ll be fine. Right now, he needs peace and quiet the most.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded silently and sat in too. Mu Yuchen then went to the driver¡¯s seat and slowly started the car.

    The car soon vanished into the silent and vast gray twilight.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a little cruel? I never thought of letting him go right from the start.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye turned to look silently at the streetlights that lit up outside the car window, Mu Yuchen¡¯s lowered voice suddenly broke the silence. Upon hearing that, she turned to look at him and sharply caught the faint dimness in his eyes. She thought about it, then suddenly shook her head.

    ¡°How could this be your fault? He¡¯s done many terrible things. Today¡¯s end is his karma. I¡¯m justmenting why can¡¯t people just live life a little more simply? Why couldn¡¯t we just let go and live more calmly? All of the grudges are caused by a dissatisfaction in the heart, including me in the past, and you in the past. Even Qi Lei of the past was like that. Yet, that is reality. This is life,¡± Xi Xiaye spoke softly as her lowered gaze fell silently on his hands that held the steering wheel steadily. She could not help but sound a little downcast as she said, ¡°While this...is the true end...¡±

    Mu Yuchen kept quiet, and just listened silently. The car was not too fast as he drove steadily.

    When he did not say anything, she said, ¡°Qi Lei cried...¡±

    ¡°Because now he is truly alone. To cry in front of others requires huge courage. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, he wouldn¡¯t have,¡± Mu Yuchen seemed to resonate with Qi Lei as he exined to Xi Xiaye.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she thought about it for a long time, then seemed to detect the message between Mu Yuchen¡¯s lines.

    Qi Feng had killed his mother, and then he had technically forced Qi Feng to his death. They should have been a loving family, but in the end...

    It turned out that so-called kinship was only as such. If you cared, it would be very important to you. If you did not, then it would be nothing, and could even be a hindrance.

    She thought about it for a long time before she suddenly understood that for someone as pure as Qi Lei, he would definitley be heartbroken right now. There was the release of resolving past grudges, but there was also...

    A while after, Xi Xiaye suddenly called out to him, ¡°Mu Yuchen...¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± Mu Yuchen responded softly.

    Xi Xiaye did not say anything in the end and just called out his name.

    ...

    The day after Qi Feng passed away, Gu Lingsha received the news in detention.

    When she received the news, she was very calm. Then, the next morning after the prison guard told her about the news, he found her cold body in the lock-up. She had ended her life with stockings.

    When the police called to inform Qi Lei, it was Yang Sheng who picked up.

    Actually, Qi Lei did not think it was out of the ordinary since he knew this was how Gu Lingsha was like.

    She could not have suffered through all of this alone. Losing Qi Feng meant losing everything she relied on, thus she had no courage to keep going. She was quite simr to Doris in that way.

    ...

    On a quiet afternoon in City B, before the Gu residence¡¯s broad gate.

    When Gu Qiwu saw Qi Weier, the call from City Z hade, informing him of Qi Feng¡¯s passing and Gu Lingsha¡¯s sacrifice for love. He almost fainted. Thankfully, Ah Mo, who was behind him, held him in time.

    As he looked at the lonely Qi Weier, his slightly aged eyes reddened. He reached out to her with trembling arms, and she looked timidly at him, not going to him after a long while.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s belly was really huge now, so it was a little hard for her to walk. She had found out about everything from Ah Mo, and watching Qi Weier right now, she felt sad for her.

    Such a young child should not have to be burdened with all these.

    ¡°Boss Gu, this is the letter Miss Lingsha left for you. She hopes that you can finish reading it and that you could take care of Miss Weiwei since she has no kin left, and also...¡±

    Actually, what Mu Lingshi had said before did shake Gu Qiwu. He wanted to go see Gu Lingsha onest time. She was his daughter after all, but in the end, he did not make it in time. Everything had happened so suddenly.

    Gu Qiwu took the letter from Mary. He opened it to read, but there were only a few lines of words and a cheque with arge sum.

    Father, I¡¯m sorry! I was wrong. If anything happens to me, please help me take care of Weiwei. Tell Mu Lingshi that I don¡¯t actually hate having her as a sister. It¡¯s just that fate was too harsh to us.

    As Gu Qiwu read this, he could not help but start crying...

    The letter in his hand fell to the ground. Ah Mo picked it up. After he took a look, he looked at Mu Lingshi with aplicated gaze.

 Chapter 1507 - Tomorrow Youâ€œll Have To Begin Again 2

    <h4>1507 Tomorrow You¡°ll Have To Begin Again 2</h4>

    The past few days had been very peaceful. Everybody¡¯s lives have not changed much as they still went out early and returned homete every day. No bad weather stopped the regrmute either.

    It was the same for Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. They led such hectic lives that they only saw the night sky when they finished working.

    Li Si and Yang Sheng were helping with the funeral of Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha, so it seemed that everyone was very busy. Qi Lei had not been in thepany for several days, and no one could locate him after looking around. Even Yang Sheng did not know where he had gone to.

    Mu Yuchen had called him once, but the call indicated that his phone had been turned off, so he stopped trying after that as he knew very well that he would not want to be in contact with anybody throughout these few days. At least, that was what he had done when Lingtian died.

    While Mu Yuchen understood and respected Qi Lei¡¯s disappearance, Xi Xiaye was rather worried.

    This was how things went by for many days. Finally, the funeral of Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha was scheduled for today.

    It was a breezy morning, and the temperature was slightly low, so it was not as warm as the previous days. Wearing a windbreaker would not even withstand the cold during such days, especially in a gloomy ce like a hospital. Qi Lei walked through the long walkway in a ck mid-length trench coat. When he arrived at Qi Qiming¡¯s ward, he stretched his hand, opened the door, and walked in.

    Coincidentally, a nurse had just put on the intravenous drip for Qi Qiming and was about to withdraw from the room. She was shocked when she ran into Qi Lei, who gave off an extremely gloomy expression, but she also knew that thetter was Qi Qiming¡¯s son, so she nodded and greeted him, then left.

    Qi Qiming was still lying on the hospital bed, and as usual, his body still did not have any sensation.

    When Qi Lei went to the side of his bed, he seemed rather cold and worn out. He took a nce at Qi Qiming in the hospital bed.

    Qi Lei¡¯s face looked a little haggard and pale. In fact, he was full of fatigue and depression. Nowadays, it was easy to sense his deep depression. While he seemed to have be another person, he was still himself at the same time...

    ¡°I came to tell you that your beloved son, Qi Lei has passed away. Gu Lingsha followed him and is now a gone case too, and their funeral is today.¡±

    Taking a breath, Qi Lei took his hands out from his pockets, swept his fine ck hair back, and brushed his face. He then continued, ¡°No one got any advantage in this battle, and no one won either. Qi Feng was never a great brother, and neither have I. Since he killed my mother, you can also perceive it as me having pushed him off the edge of the cliff¡ª¡±

    Speaking of this, Qi Lei suddenly bent down and whispered into Qi Qiming¡¯s ear, ¡°Do you know, this is what I call karma? It¡¯s what you¡¯ll need to bear for the rest of your life, and the same goes for me.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t n to take over the Qi Kai Group, but seeing you in this condition and how the people in thepany won¡¯t be able to support it any longer, I n to merge it with Tai Yu Corporation and together, we¡¯ll make a new entry into the business realm. I can provide it with a new start, but I can¡¯t give you or me a new beginning. Come to think of it, there¡¯s been too much resentment which is all pointless, and I¡¯ve grown tired of it. So be it. If you were to keep sleeping like this, it might be a relief for you.

    ¡°Frankly speaking, I¡¯ve never liked Qi Kai since it has never been a goodpany for me. It emits a menacing aura from the very center of its core, so it¡¯s a good thing that it¡¯s gone now. Human obsession is a very terrifying thing. I think I can¡¯t me you for everything that happened between you and my mother. It¡¯s also because of my mother¡¯s deep obsession andpetitiveness that she wouldn¡¯t yield before you and vice versa. That¡¯s why when she was defeated, she left nothing behind. I only see tragedy in her life. I guess it must have been very tiring for her too.

    ¡°Oh yeah, it seems that Qi Feng wasn¡¯t very satisfied with you either, and so was I. Come to think of it, you¡¯re quite a failure yourself. You¡¯ve lost me before this, and now you¡¯ve lost your other son which must be devastating for you. However, since I have to endure such pain too, I can feel better deep down.

    ¡°Okay, I shall stop here. You should live. Just live like this because such peace is also some sort of happiness for you. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.¡± Qi Lei had spoken a lot to Qi Qiming, so he then straightened up his stance and left calmly.

    ...

    Qi Lei still fulfilled Qi Feng¡¯s dying wish and buried him next to Gu Lingsha in the Qingshan Cemetery.

    Gu Qiwu came unexpectedly on the day of the funeral and brought Qi Weier along. The grandpa-granddaughter duo was dressed in solemn ck clothes. Qi Weier¡¯s face was still all innocent and inert as she did not seem to know what had happened, let alone understand that the concept of life and death was actually forever.

    Until she saw the two monochrome photos on the tombstone and seemed to realize what all the ceremony was for, she then started screaming. Gu Qiwu hugged her in his arms and then brushed her hair tofort her patiently while ncing at the tombstone in silence. Later on, Ah Mo helped him out of the cemetery, and Gu Qiwu left early with Qi Weier. It was obvious that he could not bear such grief.

    Gu Qiwu seemed to have grown a lot older. After all, it was a gut-wrenching thing to watch the daughter die before her own father did.

    Not many people came to attend the funeral since they only notified some rtives and friends. Qi Feng did not have many friends while Gu Lingsha had no other rtives around, so the funeral was as simple as it could be. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye and his wife were there, but of course, it was not because of Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha but because of Qi Lei.

    The weather today was not optimal. The gray sky looked a little gloomy. The burning white candles illuminated the two tombstones more clearly while the reflection of the mes looked a little ring.

    Watching her man next to her pluck the white flower on his chest and ce it in front of Qi Feng¡¯s grave, Xi Xiaye plucked hers slowly and ced it in front of Gu Lingsha¡¯s tomb. When she stood back up, he immediately held her hand. There was a slight warmth in his palm thatforted her.

    She turned her head and took a glimpse at him. He was talking to Qi Lei who was standing beside him inplete silence, ¡°My condolences. Some endings are destined, and all we can do is ept it. Don¡¯t be too sad. It¡¯ll slowly but eventually pass. We¡¯re still alive, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    His sentimental voice carried some warm constion that Qi Lei was able to sense, so he nodded without looking at him. Then, he quietly stared at the photo of Qi Feng on the tombstone and then said hoarsely, ¡°I understand. It won¡¯t take me long. You should go back first. I wish to stay back alone for a while longer in silence.¡±

    Having heard that, Mu Yuchen nodded and gazed at the sky. ¡°Okay, but the weather doesn¡¯t look too good. It might rain in a while, so don¡¯t stay too long.¡± He raised his arm and patted Qi Lei on his shoulder as he was reminding him. Then, he left...

    There was only silence left in front of the tombstone. Although the world was huge, it seemed infinitely calm at this moment.

    He only stood there for a long time. Later on, he felt a faint chill on his face and instantly heard faint footsteps behind him...

 Chapter 1508 - Tomorrow Youâ€œll Have To Begin Again 3

    <h4>1508 Tomorrow You¡°ll Have To Begin Again 3</h4>

    The steady footsteps gradually got closer, and he could smell a light and familiar scent in the cool breeze. He turned his head and there she was...

    Dongfang Liuyun.

    She was wearing a ck mid-length trench coat like him with her long hair hanging over her shoulders and a pair of ckbat boots that were slightly stained with dust. She put one hand in her pocket while holding a big ck umbre in the other as she walked towards Qi Lei. Finally, she stopped beside him.

    She nced at Qi Lei¡¯s face before her eyes fell on Qi Feng¡¯s tombstone.

    ¡°Why did youe?¡± Qi Lei asked in a hoarse voice as he looked at her quietly with his deep eyes.

    ¡°I heard about it as soon as I got home, so I came to visit,¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded calmly without offering any condolences to Qi Lei. She just stood beside him for a while.

    ¡°People say that death is pure and that there¡¯s nothing to worry about anymore. All the grievances will end right here,¡± Qi Lei said after taking a deep breath.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened after hearing this. She thought about it for a while and replied, ¡°This is only for the dead, and the living would suffer.¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t a good brother, and I wasn¡¯t either, but I¡¯ve never thought that this would be our ending. Fate is sometimes ridiculous,¡± Qi Lei said hoarsely while his tone sounded helpless and deste.

    ¡°Do you believe in fate?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe in it before, but now I¡¯m starting to,¡± Qi Lei responded before bending down to carefully rearrange the white flowers that had been blown away by the cool breeze. At this time, the gloomy sky started drizzling, apanied by thunder and cold wind.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were as cold as the wind as she stared at the figure beside her that was drenched in the cold rain. After thinking about it, she offered him the umbre in her hand.

    ¡°Well, since this is the end, then let it pass. Tomorrow you¡¯ll have to begin again,¡± she said as she handed him the umbre in her hand.

    Qi Lei was in a daze. He nced at Dongfang Liuyun who looked a little worn out, and then slowly reached out to take the umbre.

    She suddenly turned around, and before Qi Lei could react, she had already walked down the stairs slowly, leaving only her cold shadow behind...

    He thought for a moment and turned his head to look at the two tombstones in front of him for a long time before leaving dejectedly.

    It was just another chapter of his life. Qi Lei knew that he was only in his 30s and still had a long road ahead of him. When he felt lost, he soldiered on. When he was in pain, he soldiered on too, and soon it would pass. No matter what, this too shall pass, for this was life...

    ¡°Boss, my condolences,¡± Ah Yongforted when he saw Gu Qiwu in a trance.

    Gu Qiwu nodded. His stern face was grim as he held Qi Weier¡¯s hand. Ah Mo had returned with him this time since it would be inconvenient for the pregnant Mu Lingshi toe along.

    They were also waiting downstairs at the time. Ah Mo greeted them when Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye came down.

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    ¡°Ah Mo, why didn¡¯t you tell us that you wereing back?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as he stepped forward and slowly let go of Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It was a sudden decision though I¡¯ll be heading back tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s go home for a visit. Grandpa, Father, and Mother have missed you. Mother¡¯s been quite free these days, and I¡¯ve asked Father to go home early. I also have something I want to tell you,¡± Mu Yuchen said and nced at Gu Qiwu. He did not say anything further.

    Ah Mo nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m nning to go visit anyway.¡±

    He then turned his head to look at Ah Yong and Gu Qiwu, and said, ¡°You guys can go back to the hotel first. I¡¯m going back for a visit and I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow morning.¡±

    Gu Qiwu nodded while Ah Yong responded, ¡°Okay, Uncle!¡±

    ¡°Mommy...¡± Qi Weier¡¯s faint voice could be heard when Mu Yuchen held Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand as they were about to leave.

    Taken aback, Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze immediately followed the voice only to see Qi Weier¡¯s meek and dazed expression.

    The people around them were surprised as they watched in silence.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Qi Weier for a while, but before she realized it, the little girl had already reached out to gently tug on the corner of her clothes and refused to let go...

    After a long time, Xi Xiaye slowly bent down and reached out to touch her head, then tied her messy hair back. She tied a bow though she was not very good at it. She then took a deep breath before looking at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Your father and your mother are now stars in the sky. When the sky¡¯s clear at night, you can look up and see them. They¡¯ll be the brightest stars...¡±

    She was never good at lying because as she said this, her eyes glistened with tears. After taking a few deep breaths, she blinked hard to hold her tears back.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you crying? Stars are beautiful...¡± Qi Weier stretched out her thin hand and touched Xi Xiaye¡¯s face.

    Xi Xiaye calmed down and inhaled before holding her hand. ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Mommy...¡± Qi Weier seemed to be fixated on the word as she called out again timidly.

    ¡°Weier, I¡¯m not your mother. You can call me Aunt Xiaye, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mommy...¡± Qi Weier held her tighter. She seemed soft and vulnerable, and it made Xi Xiaye feel sorry for her. After thinking about it, Xi Xiaye seemed to have some reservations. She then turned her head and looked at Mu Yuchen who was able to see right through her eyes.

    ¡°How¡¯s Lingshi?¡± Mu Yuchen asked Ah Mo calmly.

    Ah Mo certainly understood what he meant and quickly replied, ¡°Lingshi¡¯s definitely fine with it. She¡¯s just a child. However, her autism symptoms are quite serious, and this is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard her speak...¡±

    ¡°I looked it up, and she was actually doing well before, but because of Gu Lingsha, her condition took a turn for the worse again. Qi Feng was worried about her, so he always sent her to see a psychiatrist for treatment,¡± Ah Mo said and sighed lightly as he looked at Qi Weier in sympathy.

    Aas an orphan himself, he could understand that feeling very well. Fortunately, he had met someone from the Mu family and did not live a miserable childhood.

    ¡°Then, is she close to Ah Shi?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

 Chapter 1509 - Tomorrow Youâ€œll Have To Begin Again 4

    <h4>Chapter 1509 Tomorrow You¡°ll Have To Begin Again 4</h4>

    On the way back to the Mu residence, Mu Yuchen drove. He could not take the original route back, so he had to take the long way around the North Ring Road to rush home.The car sped steadily along the way. Xi Xiaye leaned gently against the car seat with one hand propped up by the car window. While her calm gaze looked out of the car window at the streetscape, the husband and wife did not speak much in mutual understanding and just remained silent.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± A while after, Mu Yuchen¡¯s low and sensitive voice broke the silence. ¡°Still thinking about Qi Weier?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± When Xi Xiaye heard his question, she turned to look at him, surprised by his sharp observation. In the next second, she calmed down.

    He could always see through her if anything weighed on her mind and did not need to ask.

    ¡°I can never hide it whenever something¡¯s on my mind. Am I that obvious?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him helplessly and said calmly.

    ¡°You¡¯re my wife. Of course, I should be able to tell.¡± He chuckled as his eyes were filled with a faint tenderness as he squinted at her. ¡°Ah Shi¡¯s a very patient person. Since she¡¯s agreed to it, that means she¡¯s already prepared for it. Don¡¯t worry. She and Ah Mo will take good care of the little girl. I know you¡¯ve always wanted a daughter, but the thing about children is that you¡¯ve got to go along with fate. You¡¯re tired enough with the two little boys at home. Just this once, forgive me for being selfish. I¡¯m hoping you could care for me a little more.

    ¡°Besides, after you gave birth to our son, your health has deteriorated. If you really want another one, you¡¯ll have to wait another year or two. Right now, things are finally more peaceful. We¡¯ll have a lot more time to get to it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had already nned it out. Now that things were finally more peaceful and since she kept thinking about it, he could only go along with her. He would find a good doctor to give her a check-up, and then they could go with the flow.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye nodded gently. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to see if Ah Shi can handle it. She¡¯s still pregnant after all, and Qi Lei¡¯s still single, so it¡¯s not quite suitable for him to raise a child. Since we don¡¯t mind raising another one, when the timees, if she really can¡¯t, then let Qi Weiere over. I don¡¯t want such a young child to live in such trauma forever. We¡¯ve got to find a way to help her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you since I know you¡¯ll worry. Let¡¯s see how the situation pans out first.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her helplessly. More and more things were taking up her attention while it seemed as if his position was quite precarious now.

    ...

    This storm passed rather quickly. No matter what, time would not stop and life had to go on.

    The Qi Kai Group was no longer in existence as it had merged with Tai Yu Corporation because the twopanies were initially linked professionally, so it was not too hard to arrange for the merger. Of course, Qi Lei would be the CEO of Tai Yu Corporation.

    He took over Qi Kai, and the first thing he did after settling everything else was to honor his promise to Mu Yuchen and promote Xi Xinyi to be a manager stationed in America, assuming the position in San Francisco.

    When Xi Xinyi received the news, she was grateful and had especially called Mu Yuchen, wanting to personally thank him. However, Xi Xiaye had picked up. The sisters spoke on the phone calmly for the first time, even if it were only a few short sentences.

    However, what surprised Xi Xinyi was that on the afternoon she left, it was Xi Xiaye who had personally gone over to drive her to the airport.

    On the highway towards the airport, Xi Xinyi who sat in the front passenger seat suddenly said softly, ¡°Thank you, and help me thank Brother-inw too. Thank you for not being petty for the way I was before, for being unreasonable and narrow-minded. I hope you won¡¯t take that to heart. I¡¯ll be a good person from now on. I¡¯m sorry, Sis.¡±

    You could hear that her voice was filled with apologetess and a guilty conscience. ¡°Thank you for your understanding. It was all my fault for causing today¡¯s awkward state. I brought it upon myself too. Sadly, I¡¯ve realized it toote, and now I¡¯m bearing all of this quite exhaustingly.

    ¡°I talked to Father for a long time yesterday. Aunt was there too. They talked to me calmly for a long time, and I benefited a lot from it. I¡¯ve always been envious of you for having such a smart and kind mother such as Aunt. You¡¯re like her too, a charismatically good woman. My mother and I can¡¯tpare to you. I got people to send my mother over too. In time toe, you won¡¯t have to worry anymore. I truly wish that you will all be healthy and happy forever.¡±

    Xi Xinyi said a lot, but Xi Xiaye had not said a word. She drove silently until Xi Xinyi stopped and the car had quieted down before she said calmly, ¡°You should thank your brother-inw. It was he who saved you. Even though he did do it for me, in many aspects of the ways of the world, he¡¯s been my teacher. Since you¡¯ve decided to start over, then work hard and keep at it. Han Yifeng did have feelings for you once. I hope you¡¯ll be able to win him back and find a home that belongs to you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much! No matter what, I¡¯ll work hard. I¡¯m much luckier than many people, especially with a sister like you who¡¯s so forgiving. I should learn from you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tiring to bicker too much. I just hope for everyone to live calmly and peacefully.¡±

    ¡°Yes, calmly and peacefully without any so-called bickering. It¡¯s only now that I realize it too...¡±

    ¡°I wish you good luck then,¡± Xi Xiaye said, and then the car slowed to a stop as they reached the airport.

    Xi Xinyi took her luggage down from the car, and then Xi Xiaye started the car.

    ¡°Call us when you get there,¡± Xi Xiaye said before driving away slowly.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Sis!¡± Xi Xinyi shouted after the car that drove away. She did not know if Xi Xiaye heard her, and her face actually started to redden...

    ...

    When she returned to Maple Residence, the sky had darkened. She parked the car in the garage and went to the living room. From afar, she could see her son, Mu Zicheng, crawling about the thick carpet having fun while Mu Zirui was quietly doing homework at his little deck by the floor-to-ceiling window.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    When Mu Zirui heard her voice, he quickly looked up at Xi Xiaye. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back! Daddy¡¯s cooking in the kitchen!¡±

    ¡°Mama...Mama...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye asked this, Mu Xiaocheng had already swiftly climbed up to her and began to stand up while pulling at the hem of her skirt. His sparkly eyes were blinking at Xi Xiaye, appearing very cute, and Xi Xiaye loved it...

 Chapter 1510 - Cozy

    <h4>1510 Cozy</h4>

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart melted for a second, and she immediately bent over to pick him up. ¡°Kiddo,e and hug me! Xiao Rui, you continue to finish your homework. Your father will check it for youter.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mommy!¡± Mu Zirui responded, lowered his head, and continued toplete his homework.

    As for Xi Xiaye, she carried Mu Xiaocheng and walked into the kitchen. When she was at the doorway, she saw the busy figure of the man inside. As if he also noticed someone opening the door to the kitchen, Mu Yuchen turned around and took a glimpse. Seeing his wife holding his son and watching him, he gave a faint chuckle. ¡°So, you¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s on the menu tonight?¡±

    ¡°Honey zed steak, yours and Xiao Rui¡¯s favorite. Just give me a few more minutes,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Dada...hug, hug...¡± At this time, the little fe in Xi Xiaye¡¯s arms suddenly reached out to Mu Yuchen unexpectedly.

    Mu Yuchen raised his well-groomed eyebrows and immediately grabbed his son with one hand. Of course, he still had the spat in his other hand.

    ¡°Okay, you should continue cooking. This little kiddo is too naughty, so I¡¯ll bring him out. I¡¯m looking forward to your sumptuous dinner, Mr. Mu.¡± She smiled cheerfully and reached out, wanting to grab the kid back, but Mu Xiaocheng stretched his tiny arms out. He wrapped them around his father¡¯s neck and did not want to let go. He then happily called his ¡®Dada¡¯ repetitively.

    As the curve on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face widened, he put the things in his hand down and gently pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s chubby face. Mu Xiaocheng suddenly reached out to grab his fingers by surprise. He then shouted ¡®Dada¡¯ and drooled all over his chest.

    ¡°Alright, go out with Mommy and wait for dinner. Daddy will finish soon.¡± Mu Yuchen lowered his head and kissed Xiao Cheng on his forehead. Then, he passed him to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°I found out that this little fe is getting more and more attached to you now. Moreover, as he grows a little every day, he resembles you a little more. Life¡¯s amazing.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my son. Who else could he look alike if not me?¡± He smiled.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, up until now, I still want to say ¡®thank you¡¯. Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for me and the people around me. When I sent Xi Xinyi to the airport just now, she asked me to thank you before boarding the ne,¡± Xi Xiaye said faintly.

    Having heard that, Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes became still for a while. He then responded after some time, ¡°I just took advantage and used her. She didn¡¯t have to thank me. Plus, when she gets to the States, I can¡¯t guarantee whether will things work out between her and Han Yifeng.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t always help people all the way. Anyway, just let her be. I only want to live a peaceful life for a few days now,¡± Xi Xiaye said before leaving the kitchen.

    However, unexpectedly, she heard footsteps from the outside when she was about to exit the kitchen doorway. When she came out, it turned out to be Su Chen, Ji Zitong, and Zhou Zimo...

    Was there a dinner gathering tonight?

    All of them were carrying two big bags. Of course, the husband-wife duo Ruan Heng and Su Nan were there too...

    Xi Xiaye was naturally a little shocked when she saw that scene. Was everybody there for a gathering?

    Seeing all the guests entering the door, Sis Wang came over and grabbed Mu Xiaocheng from Xi Xiaye. She also took Mu Zirui back to his room upstairs to finish his homework.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡± When Su Nan saw Xi Xiaye, she took a fewrge strides towards her, reached out, and hugged her directly. ¡°I miss you so much! It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw you. Why have you lost so much weight? I only just praised your curves some time ago, but you¡¯ve lost it together with all the weight!¡±

    Xi Xiaye could only smile helplessly, letting her embrace her. She then replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been so busy, do you think that my life is as easy as yours? However, after not seeing you for a while, you¡¯ve be curvier.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m fat?¡± Su Nan was very keen to have captured the meaning of Xi Xiaye¡¯s words.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled with pursed lips. Then, she lifted her head and nced at the people who were catching up to Su Nan. She then said with a smile, ¡°Is it because great minds think alike, or have all of youe to an agreement to organize a gathering?¡±

    After hearing that, Su Chen raised the mitten crabs in his hand and said with his deep voice, ¡°Tomorrow is my off-day, and nothing seems to be wrong with celebrating now. Zimo brought some wine too. You guys can chat for a while. I¡¯ll go help in the kitchen.¡± There was no suspense since Su Chen and the others already knew that Mu Yuchen should be in the kitchen cooking.

    Su Nan and the other, who were idle, started ying mahjong naturally. The group of people seemed to get along well and harmoniously. As she watched them y happily, Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled. She also made them a pot of fragrant tea...

    After about an hour, the dining table was already full of luxurious wine and delicious dishes, and everybody sat down around the table.

    ¡°Today¡¯s dinner is very meaningful. Thank God that everything has passed. So,e on, cheers!¡± Su Chen was not the type that liked giving ceremonious speeches on such asions, so he picked up his wine ss and went with a simple sentence.

    Xi Xiaye also picked up her wine ss with a smile. Taking a sideways nce at the man who was wiping his hands gracefully with a table napkin, she gave it a thought and said softly, ¡°Thank you for your concern, especially Su Chen and Zimo. We¡¯ve bothered you a lot with our business. So, here¡¯s a toast from Ah Chen and me to the both of you, thanks.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. We seldom use the word when ites to Chen since we grew up in the same courtyard. We¡¯re still great brothers and a family no matter where we are,¡± Zhou Zimo said gently, ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to say anything else. Cheers!¡±

    ¡°Cheers!¡±

    With the sound of wine sses clinking, the wine swaying in the ss seemed to have seeped into her heart slowly. Come to think of it, yes, was this not what she had always wanted?

    Things were peaceful, everyone was well, and that was it...

    ...

    It was already dusk, and the faint afterglow scattered all over the ce. There was a faint chill in the warm rays as the evening wind was cooler than the afternoon one.

    In a quiet corner of the cafe on the edge of the small za, a dark silhouette was sitting at the table, and there were unfolded documents on the table in front of him. A thick pile of documents had been ced on his left-hand side. The slender man carefully scanned through the document in his hand. The coffee on the table was just refilled. It was still steaming, and the entire space was filled with a rich aroma.

    ¡°It¡¯ste already. We shall go back first. Tomorrow¡¯s an off day. Whatever that should be arranged has been arranged, so you should be able to get a good rest during the weekends. You seem very exhausted these days,¡± Yang Sheng, who was on the side, suggested as he felt a little distressed when he looked at Qi Lei, who had been working for seven or eight hours straight.

    As soon as he voiced that out, Qi Lei slowly looked up from the file and nced out of the window subconsciously. Only then did he realize that it was alreadyte...

    ¡°You should go back first. I want to walk around alone.¡± Closing up the file in his hand, Qi Lei slowly got up from the chair...

    Yang Sheng gazed at Qi Lei¡¯s bleak figure and could not help but call out, ¡°President Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s body froze for a while, and a dim, cool light shed across his restrained and deep eyes. He thought about it for a second but did not say anything after all the thinking. Then, he continued to walk forward...

    How could he tell him that he actually despised those two words? He had to pay such a high price just to get something that he did not want from the very beginning. He thought that this was perhaps how the rest of his life would look like already...

 Chapter 1511 - Sheâ€™s Like The Wind 1

    <h4>Chapter 1511 She¡°s Like The Wind 1</h4>

    Summer seemed to have arrived early this year. After May Day, the weather had slowly be warmer. The sun was scorching in June and boiling in July, signifying that it was midsummer. In the blink of an eye, several months had passed.During this period of time, everyone¡¯s life seemed to have returned to peace.

    They had gone back to the quiet and simple life of going out to work early and returning from workte at night.

    In the past few months, nothing out of the ordinary happened. However, a month ago, Mu Lingshi gave birth to a boy in the Townsperson Hospital of City B. Ah Mo and Gu Qiwu were both ted. A few days before the expected due date, Zhuang Shurong had also rushed over. When everyone back at City Z heard the news, they were ecstatic.

    Ah Mo requested Mu Yinan to christen the child. The old man thought about it for several days, and finally named the child Mu Qiye, which meant precious and bright, in hopes that he could have a bright future.

    The good news felt like billows and waves in the quiet days. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went to see Mu Lingshi as well. They were relieved to see that she was recovering well after giving birth, and she had grown plumper than before.

    It was sunset again and there was a faint afterglow at dusk.

    At this very moment, at the Vice-Chancellor¡¯s office of University A in City Z, Dongfang Liuyun was there in a long white shirt, paired with a pair of cropped trousers and white canvas shoes. She wore her waist-length hair down and was standing in front of the Vice-Chancellor, Xi Mushan¡¯s desk, with a ck backpack in her hand.

    She still had the same expression that was as cold as the wind. In fact, Xi Mushan never seemed to feel any other emotions from this young girl. He only knew that she was just like his daughter as they were both very capable. However, the woman in front of him was wiser and more mysterious than Xiaye.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Teacher Dongfang?¡±

    Xi Mushan put down the file in his hand and was about to get up. However, Dongfang Liuyun, who was standing in front of him, reached out and left a letter in her hand on the desk in front of him.

    ¡°Vice-Chancellor Xi, this is my resignation letter. I don¡¯t want to teach anymore.¡±

    Her sudden request took Xi Mushan by surprise, he asked, ¡°Resign? Why? Is it because you think that our welfare isn¡¯t good enough?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head, and her mouth curved into a faint smile. ¡°No, I never cared much about teaching. Now that the doctoral degree of University A has been confirmed, it¡¯s time for me to leave. Being a teacher doesn¡¯t really suit me.¡±

    ¡°Why would you say so? I personally went to a few lectures of courses you taught. I thought it was well done. Moreover, your lectures are always full. You¡¯re loved by the students and are a role model to the teachers. Why would you quit your job all of a sudden? I always thought that you¡¯d be happy working here.¡±

    Xi Mushan was bewildered. In fact, the school¡¯s application for the doctoral degree would not have passed the assessment so quickly if it was not for her efforts. Otherwise, the application might still be pending at the moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before that I¡¯m actually not too interested in teaching. I devoted myself to the job because it¡¯s my obligation and that¡¯s my principle. Moreover, I¡¯m...not just a teacher,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said faintly.

    Xi Mushan could not tell her emotions from her eyes that were as deep as the sea, but he thought about it, and suddenly, he seemed to understand something...

    That was right. Dongfang Liuyun was not just a legend. Her background was also impressive. She was a woman with a remarkable background, beauty, and wisdom. Even Xi Mushan himself admired her, especially her personality.

    Actually, ording to his understanding, Dongfang Liuyun was a very simple and intelligent person. She was very smart, and she had a pair of piercing eyes that could see through the world.

    She never depended on the status or power of her parents as she was verypetitive. However, she did not seem to have a good rtionship with her family. The Dongfang family remained mysterious in City Z. The Dongfang couple were the ones that often appeared in front of the media and they were a loving couple.

    The majority of the news about the Dongfang family were rumors because no matter how the media tried to dig up their news, they kept their silence and never stood up to exin or rify anything.

    ¡°I almost forgot that you have the Dongfang family behind you...¡± Xi Mushan sighed lightly. Just like Xiaye, the weight on his shoulders were heavy.

    ¡°If I could choose, I don¡¯t want to either. Well, I¡¯ll leave my resignation letter here. Please approve it. I¡¯ve packed up my things and informed two other teachers about the final exam. They¡¯ll be in charge of my two sses, so you don¡¯t have to worry about the progress of the course and the students¡¯ final exams.¡±

    ¡°I certainly have faith in your working ability. If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t say more. Let¡¯s organize a department dinner for all the teachers from the Archaeology Department tonight...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. My stomach hasn¡¯t been feeling well these days and I don¡¯t have any appetite. The doctor told me not to drink for the time being, so let¡¯s do this another time. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯lle back to visit all of you, goodbye!¡± Dongfang Liuyun said indifferently and turned around. Her thin figure quickly disappeared outside the door.

    The sunset had faded and the afterglow was still lingering while the tall trees in front of the campus rustled with the evening breeze.

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked out of the campus gate, a ck limousine stopped in front of her slowly and precisely. As the window was slowly lowered, she saw the ck figure in the driver¡¯s seat.

    He had a gorgeous face and deep, dark eyes, and he was wearing a pair of dark trousers with a dark gray shirt. Who else could it be if not Qi Lei, who recently topped the list of the most popr man crush?

    Unlike his cynic self in the past, Dongfang Liuyun felt that he had be reserved and matured.

    ¡°Get in.¡± Qi Lei nced at her and put his sunsses back on before looking away

    Dongfang Liuyun paused and raised her eyebrows but did not refuse. She reached out to open the car door and got into the car.

    ¡°How did you know that I¡¯m back?¡± she asked as she pulled the seat belt and fastened it.

    ¡°I have my ways,¡± Qi Lei red at her and responded calmly.

 Chapter 1512 - Sheâ€™s Like The Wind 2

    <h4>Chapter 1512 She¡°s Like The Wind 2</h4>

    As Dongfang Liuyun shot him back a nce, her starry eyes flickered, and her indifferent lips shed in ease. She did not say anything as she reached out to take a magazine from the side and began to flip through it.¡°Did you really resign from your job at the university? Didn¡¯t you quite enjoy your time there? I remember you telling me before that you found it fulfilling to live life like this.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s lowered and raspy voice was heard. He did not look at her as he spoke. Instead, he looked quietly ahead. The car sped along, but it did so steadily.

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun propped her head up on one hand. Her beautiful face could not hide a hint of fatigue. ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s not about just doing whatever I want. I did live 20 over years of a carefree life, so it¡¯s time I changed up my lifestyle.¡±

    ¡°To hear this from Dongfang Liuyun does put me in slight disbelief.¡± Qi Lei chuckled.

    ¡°Disbelief? I¡¯m human too. To suffer through such pressure for a long period of time wears me out, so it¡¯s good for me to change my lifestyle anyway. You¡¯ve changed quite a lot too. I haven¡¯t met you in about half a year. Why do you seem so mysterious and profound now?¡± Dongfang Liuyun calmly asked back.

    ¡°When youe visit me at my office and face those subordinates as well as those business partners, you¡¯ll understand why.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was actually somewhat helpless, but he thought about it and just smiled.

    When she heard that, Dongfang Liuyun obviously understood. She had seen such a thing before. Her mother always taught her how to cultivate one¡¯s charisma and vigor.

    Her mother was awyer, and in fact, she was quite a famous one whose imposing manner made even the judges suffer from stage fright sometimes.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Sometimes, it¡¯s only like this that your opponent won¡¯t be able to catch on to you. You¡¯ve changed quite a bit in a short amount of time, and I¡¯m amazed.¡± Dongfang Liuyun was happy for Qi Lei.

    ¡°Enough about me. What do you want to eat? I finished work early to treat you to a meal, so consider it a celebration for thest time we attacked the underground military base thest time.¡±

    ¡°The underground military base? It¡¯s been so long. Did you really want this meal so much? Let¡¯s have Chinese. I¡¯ll let you decide where.¡±

    A light glimmered in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s starry eyes while she lowered her gaze and flipped another page of the magazine as she spoke absent-mindedly. She leaned back against the seat and slowly shut her eyes.

    Upon seeing the fatigue that gathered between her brows, Qi Lei did not make another sound. Instead, he changed the CD to another more rxing piano tune, and then continued to silently drive.

    After about 20 minutes, the two of them reached their destination. It was a rather high-end looking eatery with an elegant atmosphere. It had the charm of canal towns, exuding a style with a homely feel to it.

    Once they walked into the eatery, they could hear the sound of water flowing, and then came a refreshing feeling that made Dongfang Liuyun feel more awake.

    The two of them found a booth in a quiet corner to sit.

    When Qi Lei handed over the menu, Dongfang Liuyun just casually waved. ¡°You order. I¡¯m not too picky about my food. Just don¡¯t order alcohol.¡±

    He instantly looked up from the menu when he heard her. Then, he gave her a nce and his concerned gaze fell onto her quickly. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s minor. My stomach¡¯s not been feeling too well, but it¡¯ll be fine in two days,¡± she said nonchntly.

    Qi Lei flipped open the menu unhurriedly and said calmly, ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for a while now, and we¡¯ve gathered many times, but I really don¡¯t know what you like such as whether you like lighter vors, savoury, or sweet.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t pursue vegetarianism. I¡¯m one who loves meat,¡± replied Dongfang Liuyun as she held up the tea before her to take a sip.

    ¡°Only people like you who don¡¯t seem to get fat no matter what you eat would have such boldness. Alright then, I¡¯ll order some things that are easier on the digestive system.¡±

    Qi Lei then swiftly ordered the food and even got some shredded chicken porridge for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Since they were there during dinner time, there were many customers at the eatery. However, despite the crowd, everyone spoke quietly. On the round 360-degree stage upfront, there was a live band ying in the middle. Dongfang Liuyun could see it when she turned. They were eye-catching and the song that was being sung felt quite apt too.

    The dishes were soon served, and they picked up their chopsticks in unison.

    ¡°Are you not nning on going away again after your return this time?¡±

    She would always disappear for a month or two, or for quite a few months, so Qi Lei was used to Dongfang Liuyun busy and running around.

    Dongfang Liuyun held up her bowl and finished half of it before she responded, ¡°For the short term, I might need to stay put before I make ns again. For the next one to two months, I¡¯ll be resting first. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be quite as free anymore after this. While I still have a chance, I¡¯ll cherish it.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Mr. Dongfang wasn¡¯t too healthy before this. You must have rushed back for him.¡±

    Even though Qi Lei was not too clear about the information on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s end, he roughly knew that the Dongfang Group was a financial group that ran in the family. They were a listedpany with a long history, run by a well-known and mysterious family enterprise. If one were to go into concrete details, it should be simr to Qi Kai¡¯s previous incarnation.

    The range of businesses that they were involved with was broad with jewels and antiques as the main sector. They also broke out of the conventional sole manufacturing mode and expanded into light decorations and electronics, as well as packaging and other businesses.

    The real person wielding power at Dongfang Group was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s grandmother, Dongfang Shuman. As a legend from the same generation as Mu Yinan, she was an eminent and unapproachable person at the top of the pyramid.

    Apparently, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s real name was Shuman while Dongfang was her husband¡¯s surname, but she changed it when she got married to Old Master Dongfang. After Shuman married him, they gave birth to Dongfang Gan, who was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s father, and they had another daughter called Dongfang Xue. Dongfang Xue was their daughter that they had at 40-odd years old, but right now, she was 36 years old without anyone to settle down with.

    However, it seemed like these past few years Dongfang Shuman had been retreating from the business scene. A few years ago, she even fell severely ill. Outsiders were unsure about whether she was alive and well or not. Previously, even Qi Lei and Yang Sheng thought that Dongfang Shuman was gone. If it were not for the fact that she had been brought up once by chance, he would not have known.

    However, the current CEO was Dongfang Gan. The Dongfang Group¡¯s internal structure was actually quiteplicated. Old Master Dongfang did not just have one son alone since he had gotten married once before. His first wife also bore two sons for him: Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi. After they were divorced, the two sons followed Old Master Dongfang, and after that, he had married Shuman.

    Also, Old Master Dongfang was not the family¡¯s only son. He was the eldest and had quite a few siblings after him, so...

 Chapter 1513 - Sheâ€™s Like The Wind 3

    <h4>Chapter 1513 She¡°s Like The Wind 3</h4>

    As he thought about this, Qi Lei suddenly understood why Dongfang Liuyun had such a mindset. She seemed to be able to see everything very clearly and always had keen and deep insight. Maybe it was because she had been living in such an environment for many years.Qi Lei also suddenly remembered that a long time ago, when he had asked Dongfang Liuyun questions about her health, the answer that she had given was, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I had a gastric ulcer and got hospitalized for a few days, but I¡¯m recovering well now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not like to mention her family affairs, and it was not difficult to see that. In fact, her beautiful brows would frown slightly every time she talked about matters rted to the Dongfang family just like they did in this moment. Sometimes, it might even seem repulsive to her.

    ¡°Okay now, you should eat something.¡± Qi Lei stopped the conversation just in time. Dongfang Liuyun also nodded and started to reach out silently for the dishes.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I have something for you. Just ept it as a thank you gift for your concern from before. I think you¡¯ll like it.¡± A faint smile appeared on Qi Lei¡¯s face as he said so. He picked up the dark paper bag next to his heavy briefcase and handed it to Dongfang Liuyun, who was opposite him.

    As Dongfang Liuyun raised her pretty eyebrows, she stopped her actions to lift her gaze and nce at Qi Lei. She seemed surprised, but she did not reach out for it for a while.

    ¡°Take a look at it. I know that you¡¯ve been searching for it for quite some time already. I went to Europest month and found it after searching a lot of ces, there¡¯s nothing much that I can use to express my thanks, so I hope you¡¯ll like it.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice shed through the air in between the two.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a second before putting her chopsticks aside. She reached for the gift, opened it, and took its contents out...

    It was a few books which paper was already yellowed. They seemed to be books that had been published a while back, and they were still wrapped in kraft paper.

    ¡°The Lord of the Rings! But how...how did you find them?¡± Dongfang Liuyun skimmed through the pages of the yellowed book in glee, and her voice was overflowing with joy. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking around for a long time. I can¡¯t believe that you found them...¡±

    ¡°I heard you mention it before. I thought of it when I went to a bookstore during my business trip, so I asked a friend to find them in order to give it to you as a thank you gift for the book you gave me back then.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled cheerfully while she carefully put the books away properly, and gazed at Qi Lei. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to be so courteous, but then, I won¡¯t pretend to refuse, so I¡¯ll ept them.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I was worried that you¡¯d reject them,¡± Qi Lei replied humorously.

    ¡°You can take me as a person who¡¯s very fond of courteous reciprocity. It¡¯s very useful to me.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ...

    After dinner, the two went to a small square nearby to sit down. In the end, Qi Lei sent Dongfang Liuyun directly back.

    In Vi number 17, in Beach Vi District, Grand Summer Bay.

    As soon as the car stopped, Dongfang Liuyun opened the door and got out of the car. ¡°It¡¯s still early. Would you like toe in?¡±

    ¡°Maybe next time. I still need to go to the hospital for a while, and then go back to my office for some documents. It¡¯s rare to get two days rest during the weekends, but there are still tasks that need to be handled in time.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and then walked inside with her backpack. Meanwhile, Qi Lei waited until the lights in the vi lit up before he ignited the engine and drove off.

    Qi Qiming had been in aa for a very long time. His condition was just like Ruan Heng¡¯s previous state as he could not wake up and could only lie in bed. Qi Lei got two nurses to take care of him, and he himself woulde to visit two to three times a week.

    At this moment, in Qi Qiming¡¯s advanced ward, Qi Lei had just scrubbed Qi Qiming. He was already sweating like crazy by the time he finished the routine. Coincidentally, Liang Jing entered the ward as it was time for her to be on duty.

    ¡°Hey, Aunt Liang, how¡¯s he? Has his condition improved?¡± Qi Lei nced at Qi Qiming on the hospital bed and asked faintly.

    Liang Jing flipped through the medical records in her hand and frowned slightly. ¡°ording to the data, it stands to reason that his situation has been improving. The blood clots in his head are disappearing, and all his body functions are returning to normal gradually. However, he¡¯s still not showing any tendency to wake up, which is a little odd. I think his own will to survive isn¡¯t strong. Maybe it¡¯s because he himself doesn¡¯t want to wake up. Let¡¯s do a full-body inspection for him tomorrow. I did warn you to be mentally prepared before this, so...¡±

    ¡°I know that. Thank you, Aunt Liang.¡± Qi Lei did not need to listen anymore, so he interrupted.

    Liang Jing nodded. ¡°There are no thanks needed. After all, it¡¯s my job. Oh yeah, have you seen Zimo these few days? I went to hispany several times, but I didn¡¯t run into the fe. He¡¯s probably avoiding me deliberately.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Liang, Zimo has his own n. If you keep asking him to find himself someone through a blind date, I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t like it. Especially for a person like him, fate is something very important to him. This applies to me too. There¡¯s no way for us to ept the idea of getting married to a woman that we don¡¯t know. We can¡¯t guarantee the quality of the marriage. That¡¯s why it¡¯s impossible for us to try it out.¡±

    ¡°You fes only pay attention to the so-called mutual affection and the resonance of the souls. I know, and I understand that too, but Zimo is already 33 years old this year, not 23. He¡¯s getting older, and so is his grandfather. The old man is looking forward to him getting married and having children. He has high standards, and those women can¡¯t make his cut. The ones I introduced him to before this aren¡¯t bad as long as they¡¯re not doctors or actresses in media, film, and television. Doctors are too tired to take care of him while thetter type has a ratherplicated circle, which he won¡¯t fit in.¡± Liang Jing knew what kind of woman would match her son.

    ¡°Moreover, you always talk about the resonance in the souls, but it¡¯s not something that you can just discover. It¡¯s totally not the case when ites to me and his father. We¡¯d only seen each other a few times. The first time was when he came to my house for a visit, the second time was when he sent me home, the third time was when I went to his house. We got engaged after that and were married within three months. Yeah, things might get rough throughout the journey, but we managed to get by, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s parents underwent a typical sh marriage. They were also considered a military marriage. Up till today, it was still popr for soldiers to marry doctors or nurses,and Liang Jing and Chief Officer Zhou were undoubtedly such a pair.

    When she was young, Liang Jing was a doctor in the affiliated hospital of a military region. Chief Officer Zhou, who was still the head of the regiment, had gotten injured and was hospitalized, and that was how they met. After that, the family arranged for them to have a blind date, and then they got married. They had only known each other for less than three months when Chief Officer Zhou had already filed a marriage report, and because of that, Liang Jing could only marry him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know his father¡¯s character. I wanted to return the goods and ask for a divorce in the first week after I married him. I didn¡¯t even see any merit in him since he was always only thinking about the matters of the military regions. Ugh, forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about such things. By the way, Qi Lei, you¡¯re no longer young. You should take this matter to heart too.¡±

 Chapter 1514 - Iâ€™m Not You 1

    <h4>Chapter 1514 I¡°m Not You 1</h4>

    Qi Lei understood Liang Jing¡¯s good intention, so he justughed it off.He did not think about marriage anymore because he felt that he probably would never be as lucky as the others his whole life. Marriage would be a lifetimemitment, and he felt sorry that he was not brave enough to take the risk now. Neither did he know if he had the courage.

    After Liang Jing left the ward, Qi Lei stood by the bed and looked at Qi Qiming for a long time. He spoke to the nurse before leaving the hospital and immediately rushed back to the office.

    For the past few months, he never had time to rest and would always be busy from dusk to dawn. He devoted himself to work and had no time for breaks. Now that thepany¡¯s operations were finally on track, he could finally rx a little.

    At the same time, in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s simple and elegant vi located at No.17 Beach Vi District, she was standing calmly on the stairs while staring condescendingly at the woman who was looking at her by the door.

    The woman looked like she was in her 30s or 40s. She was dressed in a formal ck dress, had a short and clean haircut, and a pair of piercing eyes that could spot everything. Although she had a fairplexion, a slender figure, and seemed full of life, she exuded the vibes of being rather domineering.

    She was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mother, Song Siting, a starwyer in the legal sector. She also knew how to fight and was good at it. In the legal sector, it was normal forwyers to often cause offense to many people, so it was necessary to learn some moves for self-defense. That was also the reason why Dongfang Liuyun was agile too. It was mostly her influence.

    Song Siting became famous when she was very young at the age of 26 or 27. When she was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s age, she was already a well-knownwyer in the sector. She only started working with Dongfang Gan after being headhunted by Dongfang of the Dongfang Group. They then became a power couple, and Song Siting was still the seniorwyer consultant of Dongfang Gan and the chief consultant of the Dongfang Group. Her achievements were extraordinary, but she never interfered much in matters other than thepany¡¯s legal affairs. She and Dongfang Gan had clear boundaries when it came to work, but it was just portrayed as such. When they were behind closed doors, she would turn into a tigress and Dongfang Gan would be submissive, leaving everything up to her.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was wearing a fitting navy blue nightgown with her waist tie hanging loose and she made her way down the stairs step by step.

    Song Siting walked toward the sofa in the living room and put down the handbag in her hand. ¡°Since you never go back, I decided toe here instead. Your father has just been discharged from the hospital two days ago and the doctor said that he needs to rest for a month. Don¡¯t you care?¡±

    ¡°What should I care about?¡± Dongfang Liuyun nced at her calmly as she walked to the water dispenser beside her and poured her a ss of water.

    ¡°27. You¡¯re already 27. You know what you promised me back then.¡± Song Siting¡¯s tone was very calm, somewhat robotic.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard that, the corners of her mouth curled into a faint cold smile. She passed the ss of water in her hands to Song Siting before sitting down on the sofa opposite her and crossed her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve quit my job at the university, and De Bao House has also been handed over to Uncle Ming. You don¡¯t have to be that concerned. Are you worried that I¡¯ll hold you back? Ever since I was a child, everything that I¡¯ve done was to bring you honor, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re fed up with me and think that I¡¯m too strict with you, but I¡¯m awyer and I¡¯ve seen so many cases. I know that¡ª¡±

    ¡°You know what a woman should do and how she should do it in order to avoid getting hurt in the future. You want me to be resilient and independent, to endure hardships, and be a strong woman just like you!¡± Dongfang Liuyun cut Song Siting off before she could finish, ¡°I know you wanted to say this, and I¡¯ve heard enough over the years, but I¡¯m not you. Your path may not be for me. You¡¯ve got your own opinions, but so do I.¡±

    ¡°Your own opinions? Are they as dubious as your father¡¯s? Just thinking about makes me angry!¡± Song Siting looked cold when she said that.

    ¡°That¡¯s just how Father is like. He¡¯s kind and gentle. He also values the people around him. Not every family is like what you¡¯ve experienced so if you could stop looking at things with your judgemental eyes, and start looking with eyes that are open to learning, maybe you¡¯ll feel much better,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said lightly.

    Song Siting nced at Dongfang Liuyun and said with displeasure, ¡°You¡¯re just like your father, always so good at talking. You can stop all your antics. I have my own concerns. You¡¯re not always at the office, so obviously, you¡¯ve no idea what¡¯s going on. Did you really think your father was hospitalized for days over a simple stomach ulcer?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be?¡± Dongfang Liuyun red at Song Siting.

    Song Siting took a breath and had a few sips of water before she answered coldly, ¡°He got injured some time ago when he went to Myanmar to see the newly mined jade. He was afraid that it might affect thepany, so he rushed back to China overnight despite his injury. Your father and I were very worried about you. You¡¯re our only daughter and the mostpetent heir of thepany, so you¡¯ll be their target. Moreover, you¡¯re not familiar with thepany, and you don¡¯t have much experience either, so as a long-term n, don¡¯t you have a sense of crisis? Don¡¯t talk to me about choices. This is your obligation, understand?¡±

    As Song Siting went on, her tone became more serious. ¡°Do you think I want to force you to hold these responsibilities? For years, I¡¯ve fought hard for your father, and I have to manage his rtionships for him. Otherwise, how could he hold his ground with his temperament? We¡¯ve had issues with them, but our interests are above everything else. However, even if we took a step back, it would still be impossible to turn things around. Dongfang Rouer may be engaged to the eldest son of the Jin family soon, and the circumstances may be unfavorable for us. Well...Fujiwara¡¯sing in a few days...¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you¡¯re eager for me toe back. Do you want me to entertain him?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked calmly.

    Song Siting¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked back at her. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°I remember telling you multiple times that it¡¯s impossible between me and Fujiwara, but you seemed to be more involved than me.¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was cold and icy, and no emotion could be heard. ¡°I¡¯ll investigate Father¡¯s matters, but if you want to use my marriage as a bargaining chip, don¡¯t me me for turning against you. You know what my temper¡¯s like.¡±

 Chapter 1515 - Iâ€™m Not You 2

    <h4>Chapter 1515 I¡°m Not You 2</h4>

    Song Siting¡¯s gaze darkened after a series of sarcasticments.She knew how her daughter was like. She was too much like her. They held true to their words. Between them, they had many disagreements, and they both had their reasons, but as long as her daughter could grow stronger, she did not mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Fujiwara? His feelings for you weren¡¯t developed over a day or two unless you¡¯re still¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s reallyte now. You can go home. Don¡¯te bothering me for no reason. I¡¯ll visit home tomorrow. It¡¯s best you go home and have a think about whatever you want to say or talk about. If you¡¯re anticipating for me to be more efficient at work, get Father to also arrange for a set of printed information on the Dongfang Group from the past few days. Print two copies then pass it to me tomorrow.¡± Dongfang Liuyun got up a little unhappily and her beautiful brows were knitted.

    ¡°Also, just focus on official matters. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t ask too much about my personal life. There¡¯s no need to say it¡¯s in my best interest. If you respect my decisions without condition, that would be in my best interest. I don¡¯t like people going against my decisions. Of course, if you really do think I¡¯m that foolish, then pretend I never said these things to you,¡± she responded with waning interest and then turned around to walk up the stairs.

    ¡°Apany Father more if you¡¯re free. There¡¯s no need to watch me over here. You¡¯ve been watching me for more than 20 years. Even if you aren¡¯t tired, I¡¯m tired and I find it annoying. Honestly, it¡¯s good that you don¡¯t want to suffer a loss, but you¡¯re being just as harsh to your own daughter. Aren¡¯t you worried I won¡¯t be able to handle the pressure one day and break down? Your daughter is human too. In fact, I¡¯m a woman. Do you think everyone¡¯s like you, a fighter among the sessful career women?¡±

    Song Siting fell silent for a moment, and when she wanted to respond, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure had already vanished at the stairs...

    She remained stunned for a long while, then she sighed to herself before turning around to leave.

    ...

    Inside the wide and cozy study room on the second floor, Dongfang Liuyun sat by the floor-to-ceiling window and leaned against the seat behind her. Her indifferent eyes watched quietly Song Siting as she gradually moved further away. Moments after that, she turned around in her chair and moved towards the elevated table on the side. She stood up and began to type on the chatbox open on herptop.

    Y: Email a copy of the Dongfang Group¡¯s recent developments and information to my inbox.

    X: You¡¯re back?

    Y: Mmm.

    X: I¡¯ll send it tomorrow.

    Y: Okay.

    X: I¡¯ll be back the day after tomorrow. Let¡¯s find a time to meet. It¡¯s been a while.

    Y: Time and location?

    X: 8 p.m. at our usual spot

    Y: Okay.

    ...

    The short conversation ended very quickly.

    After that, Dongfang Liuyun read untilte at night before she got into bed to rest. She was not used to sleeping early either since she was practically like this every day and would only sleep past midnight.

    The next day, Dongfang Liuyun woke up really early. She had the habit of a morning jog that usuallysted for about 40 minutes. She did not have any servants at home as she enjoyed the peace and quiet of living alone.

    When she was done with some work and getting ready, it was past 9 a.m., so she left the house. Of course, she did not make her way home right away. Instead, she made a trip to De Bao House, but to her surprise, there was an uninvited guest at the shop.

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here. Fifth Lady has been waiting for you for a long while now.¡±

    Uncle Ming poured Dongfang Liuyun a ss of water as he looked over at the girl dressed in a pink dress and fiddling with the antiques on the rack behind the beaded curtains. His aged eyes flickered with a light as he looked uncertainly at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun casually took the ss of water that Uncle Ming handed her as she took two sips nonchntly before walking inside.

    Ding ding!

    When the sound of the swaying beaded curtains was heard, Dongfang Rouer, who was in a trance of admiration, immediately gathered herself and slowly turned around. When she saw Dongfang Liuyun walking in, she raised her shapely eyebrows as she silently looked on.

    Dongfang Rouer was her uncle¡¯s youngest daughter and the youngest heiress among the Dongfang n¡¯s direct line of descendants. She was the fifth in line while Dongfang Liuyun was fourth, so at home, everyone called her the Fourth Lady.

    Dongfang Rouer had always had poor health since she was young. Apparently, her mother had been tripped by the mischievous Dongfang Liuyun when she was pregnant with her. She had fallen down the stairs and had a premature birth. After that, both the mother and daughter had poor health and were quite frail in nature.

    Dongfang Rouer inherited her mother¡¯s alluring beauty. Her mother had initially been a famous beauty in the movies and television scene before marrying Dongfang Ren. Dongfang Rouer was quite a few years younger than Dongfang Liuyun and should be 24 years old this year. She had been obedient and sensible since a young age and was doted on by everyone. She was also well-known in the industry and would frequently appear among circles of high society, especially since she was one of the more famous youngdies in City Z.

    Her iparable charm and charisma made her the dream lover of many men. Furthermore, that alluringly gentle voice of hers was just like her name and was extremely attractive.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s apathetic voice was heard, and before Dongfang Rouer could respond, she had already sat down on the table beside her,

    ¡°Am I not weed?¡±

    Dongfang Rouer¡¯s rather pale face shed with a faint crescent-shaped smile. She looked at Dongfang Liuyun indistinctly, and when she did not make a sound, she continued to say, ¡°I was doing something nearby. I heard you were back, so I came over to see you. I can tell that you¡¯ve been doing quite well recently.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at her with a gaze as profound as the sea. She did not utter a word as she listened silently.

    ¡°Are you slightly disappointed that I¡¯m doing well?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be? You¡¯re my Fourth Sis. Obviously, I hope that you¡¯re doing well. I heard that Third Uncle¡¯s health hasn¡¯t been doing too well recently.¡± How could the observant Dongfang Liuyun not detect Dongfang Rouer¡¯s voice vaguely containing a probing tone?

    ¡°He was in the hospital for a few days because of a stomach ulcer. It¡¯s an old illness. Don¡¯t you all know this too?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Rouer with raised brows while her expression was as calm as the window and her lips shed into a faint curve. ¡°You seem to care about this more than I do. It looks like you¡¯re more like his daughter than I am.¡±

    ¡°Fourth Sis, you¡¯re being funny now, Third Uncle¡¯s been working day and night for thepany and worrying about the family n matters. I should care about his health, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at her meaningfully and did not make a sound to answer. Instead, she lowered her gaze and continued to drink her water. She casually leaned to a side and then met with Dongfang Rouer¡¯s gaze without batting an eyelid while she sized her up.

    ¡°Instead ofing here to feel me out, why don¡¯t you go home and think of ways of how to handle it?¡±

 Chapter 1516 - Return 1

    <h4>1516 Return 1</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was still as cold as usual. There was not much reaction on her dazzling, gorgeous face that was still calm.

    These few words of hers burst in Dongfang Rouer¡¯s head like thunder, making Dongfang Rouer¡¯s beautiful eyes flicker. She looked at Dongfang Liuyun faintly and took a breath.

    ¡°Are youing back to the Dongfang Group?¡± Dongfang Rouer asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun put the cup in her hand on the table next to her and stood up indifferently. ¡°I¡¯m offering you a chance. As long as you obey the orders and do your job, you¡¯ll naturally be rewarded, but if your raging ambitions burn me, then don¡¯t me me for neglecting our kinship. I like to speak bluntly, and of course, you can convey this message to your father. The Dongfang Group didn¡¯t reach its current achievements due to a person¡¯s ability. It¡¯s the result of everyone¡¯s joint effort. I don¡¯t care about these things, but at the same time, I¡¯m not someone who will stand to lose and ce herself at a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°Those are some strong words, Fourth Sister. We¡¯re all loyal to the family,¡± Dongfang Rouer spoke softly.

    Loyal to the family, huh?

    The eyes of Dongfang Liuyun dimmed, and her slender eyshes fluttered. She flicked her slender eyshes to hide the coldness in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s best if it¡¯s as you said. You know me, the rules are my code. Next weekend is Uncle¡¯s birthday . Do you have any ns for him?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I came here today just to tell you about that. It¡¯s Father¡¯s 60th birthday. Mother ns to throw him a fabulous birthday party, and knowing that you¡¯re back, I was thinking of telling you about it. You¡¯ll be there in person, won¡¯t you?¡± A sense of expectation could be seen in Dongfang Rouer¡¯s gentle eyes, and Dongfang Liuyun had gotten used to this look of hers.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s his 60th birthday, and it¡¯s a good day. It¡¯s wrong to not show up.¡±

    ¡°Great to hear that, Fourth Sister, then I shall go home and let Father know about that. I hope to see you there in person that day. It¡¯s been a long time since many of usst met each other. After all, we¡¯re still a family, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    The corner of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips twitched and curved slightly. She then gave her an unconcerned sidelong nce as she responded, ¡°If you insist on saying so.¡±

    ...

    In Dongfang Rouer¡¯s recollection, it seemed that Dongfang Liuyun had always been like this. She could only describe thetter as an unfathomable and inscrutable person. Dongfang Rouer rarely caught any of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s thoughts because she was never someone who easily showcased her emotions or thoughts on her expressions. In Dongfang Rouer¡¯s eyes, she had always been a very sensitive and enigmatic person. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was sophisticated, sleek, and very capable. Above all, she was the person that Dongfang Rouer feared the most.

    ¡°Missus, I heard that the Fourth Lady has resigned from her school. Last night, Attorney Song rushed to Beach Vi in the night and only came back after around half an hour. I think the Fourth Lady should be going to work in the Dongfang Group this time, I also heard the President mention her a while ago.¡± On their way back, Ah Kang could not help but tell Dongfang Rouer, who was sitting behind in the car.

    Ah Kang was Dongfang Rouer¡¯s assistant and bodyguard, who was in his thirties. Tall and attractive, he had once been Dongfang Ren¡¯s assistant, but after being transferred to Dongfang Rouer, he was still a very loyal subordinate.

    Dongfang Rouer frowned her slender brows again, and after giving it a thought for a while, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t let my father know about this first. I¡¯ll discuss this with my brotherster and we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus.¡±

    ¡°Grandma¡¯s body is receding day by day. She¡¯s lost much of her vitality especially after herst copse, and now she¡¯s almost only lingering. Given the frequent trips that Third Uncle¡¯s been making recently, my father¡¯s been feeling a little agitated by all these matters.¡± Dongfang Rouer¡¯s eyes were beaming with anxiousness as she said so.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Missus, as soon as you¡¯re engaged to Young Master Jin, your momentum will overwhelm theirs. Plus, the Fourth Lady has nevere into contact with any of thepany¡¯s matters, so it¡¯s not so easy for her to get started. ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that the young master of the Fujiwara family has a thing for her. This is also one of the reasons why Father is worried. She has always been lucky.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I feel that she has always been blessed with all the good things, but, Missus, you can rest assured that the Fourth Lady has no feeling for Mr. Fujiwara. Because of this, things went slightly sideways between the Fourth Lady and Attorney Song. I think she might have some other ns brewing,¡± Ah Kang advised after thinking about it for a second.

    ¡°Grandpa used to favor her and he said that she has a good mentality. However...¡± Thinking of this, Dongfang Rouer could not help but feel a little bitter and astringent deep down. Nheless, the second half of the sentence did not escape her mouth.

    ¡°The old president does appreciate the Fourth Lady quite a bit, but your ability is nowhere near inferior to hers. However, with all due respect, the Fourth Lady must¡¯ve also invested a lot of effort to achieve the status and fame that she has today, especially when Attorney Song¡¯s high-stress parenting policy is brought into the equation.¡± Dongfang Rouer nodded after being reminded by Ah Kang. Her pretty eyes shed when she replied, ¡°What you just said makes sense too. Let¡¯s just monitor the situation first since they¡¯re still not that dominant in thepany.¡±

    ¡°Of course, after all, the Dongfang Group belongs to the Dongfang family. How could someone who would be an outsider be in charge?¡± Ah Kang said with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, most of the candidates are only inserted into the list for consideration¡¯s sake, so now, I look forward to the position that Third Uncle will arrange for Fourth Sister.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see!¡± Ah Kang chuckled and responded.

    ¡°By the way, Missus, I heard someone said before this that Mr. Fujiwara ising over. I think Song Siting won¡¯t let the opportunity slip this time. So, shall we...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly. It¡¯s a critical period, so let¡¯s take a step back and monitor the situation first. Fujiwara is also not someone with whom we can afford to go head to head, so let¡¯s take a look first. I¡¯m more inclined to know more about Fourth Sister¡¯s life in the past two years.¡±

    ¡°The Fourth Lady has either been teaching at university or went abroad for some archeological excursions. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much action. Furthermore, she had a very indifferent rtionship with the family originally, so...¡± Ah Kang had never paid much attention to Dongfang Liuyun, but now that she was back, he looked into her a little bit more naturally.

    Inhaling, Dongfang Rouer thought about it. ¡°You don¡¯t know her. I grew up with her since I was a child, so I know her abilities too well. I heard that she has quite a rtionship with President Qi of Tai Yu Corporation. You should know that South River Project No. 1 and 2 are now in the hands of the Glory World Corporation and Tai Yu Corporation, so Qi Lei ys a very important role in those projects. My father has always wanted to secure the interior decorating project of these two undertakings, but now it¡¯s obviously a little difficult as we don¡¯t have a deep connection with them.¡±

 Chapter 1517 - Return 2

    <h4>Chapter 1517 ¨C Return 2</h4>

    The sunset had cast a golden afterglow into the silent night sky, and everything was covered in the hue of a warm yellow. A few leaves had fallen quiet, and as the cool breeze howled, a ck car zoomed by and stopped in front of a luxury vi at the end of the street.

    The gate opened immediately just as the car stopped in front of it. The guard greeted the driver respectfully, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re back!¡±

    His voice sounded joyful. Dongfang Liuyun was a legend and she treated them well, so they really liked her.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded at them and drove the car in.

    After she parked the car and walked into the house, she saw the helper, Aunt Wang, weing her from afar.

    ¡°Miss! You¡¯re back! We¡¯ve been looking forward to this day. Madam ordered us to prepare some of your favorite dishes this morning. We woke up early in the morning, thinking that you were going to be back for lunch! ¡°Aunt Wang said as she reached out to take the ck backpack in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I came back to deal with something. Are my parents around?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked while walking to the sofa beside her.

    ¡°Something came up at Madam¡¯s office, so she went there. Master Dongfang went out for an afternoon tea session with his friends and he should be back soon. Sis Liu is already preparing dinner. Madam told us to call her when youe back, so she¡¯s on her way back right now. By the way, Miss, this bag¡ª¡±

    ¡°Take it to my study,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said before reaching out to take the remote control and turning the TV on.

    ¡°Yes, Miss,¡± Aunt Wang responded and brought a cup of warm water for Dongfang Liuyun before taking her belongings upstairs.

    Dongfang Liuyun had just sat down when she heard the sound of a car driving in. Shortly after that, she heard the maid, who was cleaning the courtyard outside, greet politely, ¡°Master Dongfang is back!¡± She could tell that her father had probably returned.

    Sure enough, she heard footstepsing from the door after a while, and before she could turn her head to look, she could already hear an enthusiastic and deep voice calling out, ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    When she heard this, her gaze immediately went from the TV screen to a tall and well-built figure.

    Dongfang Gan was the father of Dongfang Liuyun. He had a pair of ck-framed sses on his handsome face, and he was wearing a pair of straight ck trousers with a white shirt. He looked very smart and gentle like a talented, well-mannered, and polite schr. It seemed a little unfitting for someone like him who was of noble status.

    All the years had not left many marks on him. He still looked the same even though he was already nearly 60.

    ¡°Father,¡± Dongfang Liuyun called out faintly as she scooted over to the side to leave him a seat. Dongfang Gan strode over and sat down beside her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone at all after waiting all day. It¡¯s good you got back in time for dinner. There¡¯s not much work at thepany these days, so you should stay home for a few more days. You seem like you don¡¯t really like living with your mother and me,¡± Dongfang Gan said calmly, but his deep dark eyes were a little bleak.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sidelong nce and replied, ¡°No, I just want to have my own personal space. Mother is by your side, so that¡¯s good enough.¡±

    ¡°I know that you don¡¯t have a good impression of your mother and me. Your mother has a strong personality, and she always strives for the best in everything. Even if you don¡¯t like it, just try your best to deal with it. There¡¯s no need to force yourself into everything that you do. She¡¯s an extremely insecure person. For years, she wished that she could just put us in armor to protect us all. I hope you can understand that eventually, someone needs to take a step back.¡± While Dongfang Gan¡¯s calm tone was a little serious, it was not difficult to sense love and gentleness from his tone.

    ¡°Yes, someone needs to take a step back, but maybee back and tell me this again when she truly understands the value of rtionships. Then, maybe I¡¯ll think about it. I know you care about Mother, but personally, I¡¯m not satisfied with the way she does things.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, I¡¯m just trying to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say. I don¡¯t want to talk about the past. How¡¯re you feeling?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a sip of tea, and said with concern, ¡°Mother went to my cetest night and told me about your situation. Do you know who did it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure, but it¡¯s nothing serious, just a minor scratch. It could also be due to ourpetitors over there. You know, the jade industry has been verypetitivetely. If it wasn¡¯t for the pressing matter over there, I wouldn¡¯t have gone over,¡± Dongfang Gan said as he frowned subconsciously.

    ¡°Pressing matter? Was it caused by someone else? I¡¯ve been paying attention to the news over there. Hasn¡¯t it been pretty peaceful?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s because the jade market hasn¡¯t been steady. In the past few years, our local jewelry businesses haven¡¯t been doing so well. In the past, we¡¯ve always created styles that are revolutionary, but it wasn¡¯t widely epted by customers. Therefore, we want to expand our customer base since foreign markets have great potential as well. We need to further expand the market while making sure that there are enough high-quality materials. This is our top priority.¡±

    ¡°As far as I remember, hasn¡¯t our mine been supplying the materials as usual?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked doubtfully as she raised her eyebrows slightly.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been involved in thepany¡¯s matters, so you don¡¯t really know the situation. The mining situation hasn¡¯t been great in the past few years. Even thergest jade field will eventually be emptied, so I¡¯ve been scouting for new locations over thest few years. We also sent our professionals to investigate and survey, hoping to hear some good news. Your uncles spent a lot of time on this matter too, therefore this has surely put a lot of pressure on thepany,¡± Dongfang Gan exined in a heavy tone.

    ¡°Not too long ago, I heard that the Jin family seemed to have lucked out, so your uncle nned to¡ª¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sharp gaze and interrupted, ¡°I know what they¡¯re thinking about. Anyway, I asked Mother to sort out thepany¡¯s information for me yesterday. Is it ready? I¡¯ll meet you when I have a better understanding of what¡¯s going on.¡±

 Chapter 1518 - Return 3

    <h4>Chapter 1518 ¨C Return 3</h4>

    When Dongfang Liuyun finished, Dongfang Gan thought about it for a while, then nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine too. Do as you wish then. I¡¯ve told Ah Fei to prepare the information, he¡¯ll send it overter.¡±

    Then, he inhaled and turned his head to look at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression that was indifferent and hard to read. ¡°Since you¡¯ve quit your job at the university, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re mentally prepared as well. Take some time to rest first. Slowly get familiar with everything elseter on. Thepany¡¯s situation is veryplicated, and I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to take it all on immediately. When you think you can thene to the office to work, be my assistant first.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be your assistant. I¡¯ll go straight to the marketing department. In fact, I applied for an advertised position. I know thepany¡¯s marketing department has been looking out for a business manager.¡±

    When Dongfang Gan finished, Dongfang Liuyun immediately interrupted him, ¡°Business manager?¡±

    Dongfang Gan frowned and took the tea that Aunt Wang handed him for a sip. He hesitated for a moment before he continued, ¡°That¡¯s a tough job. Why would a girl like you go and do that? There are so many positions in the whole Dongfang Group. Why did you have to choose that of all things? No way, I disagree. You should just be my assistant. I¡¯ll ensure you get familiar with thepany¡¯s business. Then, when the time is right, I¡¯ll arrange a more suitable position for you.

    ¡°In the past two years, I¡¯ve aged quite a bit too. Your mother¡¯s heart isn¡¯t doing well either. I kept saying I¡¯d go on a holiday with her, but it¡¯s been so many years, and this wish has yet to be fulfilled. Now, you¡¯re not that young anymore. When will you take the matter of marriage to heart?¡±

    Dongfang Gan rarely brought up these things to Dongfang Liuyun because he knew that his daughter was always stubborn with her own opinions and ns. Her mother had always wanted to groom her into a sharp and imposing career woman, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s bones only inherited Dongfang Gan¡¯s reserved and gentle personality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I know what I should do.¡± Dongfang Liuyun was tired of topics like these.

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you. Your mother¡¯s brought up about you and Fujiwara. His feelings for you aren¡¯t new. He¡¯s determined on marrying you, but such a sad thing as connecting families by marriage isn¡¯t something I want to happen to my daughter. To live in such a huge family is already frustrating, and marriage is a matter of a lifetime. If you can¡¯t even make your own decision about that, what¡¯s the point of living?¡± Dongfang Gan took a sip of tea and spoke quite frankly.

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curved into a cold smile. ¡°You say this quite incisively. If my mother can think the same way, that will make me very happy.¡±

    Then, she set aside her ss and slowly stood up. ¡°What do you want to eat? Since I¡¯m in the mood tonight, I¡¯ll cook you a thing or two.¡±

    When Dongfang Gan heard that, he set aside his ss too. ¡°Let me help you with that.¡±

    Then, he followed after her.

    The kitchen at home was huge, and a few servants were busy in there. When they saw Dongfang Liuyun and Dongfang Gan walk in, they could not help but stop what they were doing and were about to greet when Dongfang Liuyun waved. ¡°You can all go out. We¡¯ll cook by ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss, CEO Gan,¡± the few of them responded and then left the kitchen.

    The father and daughter began to get cracking.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s culinary skills were pretty good while Dongfang Gan was terrible. He could only help her prepare the ingredients, though of course, he enjoyed spending time like this.

    Usually, Dongfang Gan was a stay-at-home man. He did not have much of a temper, unlike Song Siting. Usually, if he provoked Song Siting, he would just keep quiet and let her be.

    So, to outsiders, he was a henpecked male.

    Dongfang Liuyun was the same, probably because she was influenced by him. She probably would not know that this was actually the kind of time that Dongfang Gan enjoyed the most. If his wife could also return calmlyter on, that would be best.

    ¡°Move back and stay with us. I¡¯m worried about you living alone over there. Besides, the residence is so huge and we have servants while you¡¯re alone over there. How can that be morefortable than being at home? It¡¯s not safe for you to be alone too.¡±

    He was watching Dongfang Liuyun as she sliced the vegetables skillfully. She seemed thinner than before, especially in therge white shirt she wore. Of course, Dongfang Gan felt worried at the sight of this.

    He only had one precious daughter, and he loved this daughter of his more than anything else.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing quite fine alone there. Don¡¯t worry. I want more peace and quiet. When I think of moving backter on, I¡¯ll let you know again.¡±

    Knowing that her father had good intentions, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone softened. ¡°Come visit me when you have time. It¡¯s quite near the office anyway, so going over for dinner is quite convenient. I¡¯ll be mostly at home for now.¡±

    ¡°What about De Bao?¡±

    ¡°I handed it over to Uncle Ming. I¡¯m considered an idle person for now,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said as she squinted at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be idle. You haven¡¯t quite slowed down and rested in a while. I told you before that there¡¯s no need for girls to live such a tired life. Do you have to be like your mother? You know that I¡¯ve always wished that you could be a carefree daughter.¡±

    ¡°Being carefree isn¡¯t suitable for people like us. This was how you went through things as well, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was calm. She thought about it for a while then continued, ¡°My mother¡¯s always saying that we father and daughter fail to live up to her expectations. Father, actually I understand you.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said that, Dongfang Gan¡¯s movement turned stiff. After a while, he continued what he was doing. ¡°Your mother¡¯s just showing off with her abilities. She doesn¡¯t know how to conceal herself. Because of this, I have been very much worried all these years, especially with her unforgiving zeal that¡¯s enough to drive people crazy. We understand her, so we know that she¡¯s actually a very kind person, but just because we know that that doesn¡¯t mean others do too.

    ¡°The conflict between me and her is from the past, and it¡¯s a gradual one. Father, I suggest that you don¡¯t care about these things. The fact that you can tolerate her and go through this life is a great thing.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, okay, let¡¯s not talk about your mother then. Do you want to get this skin peeled or just cut it into strips?¡±

    When he noticed that Dongfang Liuyun did not lookfortable, Dongfang Gan just switched the topic. ¡°Cut it into strips.¡±

    ¡°Right, today Dongfang Rouer came looking for me at the store,¡± Dongfang Liuyun suddenly recalled.

 Chapter 1519 - Get Together 1

    <h4>Chapter 1519 ¨C Get Together 1</h4>

    ¡°Rouer?¡± Dongfang Gan froze for a moment and then looked at Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°Why did she go to you?¡±

    ¡°She heard that I¡¯ve resigned from the university. She was, of course, worried about me. If that¡¯s not it then what else?¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded unconcernedly. She hesitated for a second, then poured all the vegetables on the te into the wok, and continued saying, ¡°My mother has always been very wary of them, especially this time when there¡¯s such a big movement. It¡¯s always good for us toe up with ns earlier. I¡¯ll personally attend Uncle¡¯s 60th birthday. Dongfang Rouer came over and told me about the party.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not news that they¡¯re unfriendly to you, so why bother delivering your head to the guillotine?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a thing that I should face sooner orter, so if I don¡¯t even dare to face it now, then what else can I aplish after this? Dongfang Rouer will definitely want to peek at the cards that I hold during this period so that she can get a hold of my details, thus please take good care of me when the timees, Father.¡±

    ¡°I know that. Don¡¯t you worry.¡± Dongfang Gan inhaled and then nodded.

    ...

    When Song Siting came back, the dishes were just ready and were served on the table. The family of three sat down at the dining table. In fact, for their family, a meal with all three members of the family around was hard toe by since Dongfang Liuyun was hardly home and her rtionship with Song Siting had always been rigid. Although Dongfang Gan did his best to smoothen things out, the rtionship between the mother and daughter was still...

    After dinner, the sky was already dark. Dongfang Gan¡¯s assistant, Ah Fei, delivered the documents. When Dongfang Liuyun did not stay for another second and left the house directly, Song Siting and Dongfang Gan sent her out together.

    ¡°Liuyun, just listen to me. Move back here and stay with us so that it¡¯ll be easier for us to take care of each other.¡±

    ¡°Your father is right. This is what I hope for too. It¡¯s better for you to move back to stay with us. Go back and pack your luggage. I¡¯ll get them to go over and pick them up in another few days,¡± Song Siting ordered her directly.

    ¡°If you really want me to do these things, let me have a few more quiet days.¡± Dongfang Liuyun lifted the thick folder bag in her hand and nced at the couple, and before they could react, she had already gotten into the car and ignited the engine.

    ¡°Hey, Liuyun!¡± With a frown, Song Siting looked at the car that was driving away and could not help but sigh. ¡°Why is this kid always like this? I advised her to do so only for her own safety. Isn¡¯t it obvious that I worry about her?¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t overthink. Our daughter¡¯s temper has always been so, hasn¡¯t it? And you, don¡¯t always talk to her so aggressively. She¡¯s not your subordinate, hence there¡¯s no need to be so harsh on her. Besides, we do owe her that, so can¡¯t you just talk to her a tad bit more nicely?¡±

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t I see her talking to me more nicely? Do you think I do so just to make myself happy?¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, you¡¯re still doing it your way! Okay, I won¡¯t quarrel with you anymore. Just do whatever you want.¡± Dongfang Gan knew Song Siting¡¯s temperament, so he rolled his eyes and then turned around to walk back into the mansion.

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t mean that. What do you mean by I¡¯m still doing it my way? You¡¯ll have to rify this. Exin it to me. I...¡± Song Siting listened and turned around to chase after him.

    ...

    In the Grand Lake Vi, it was the same silence in the dead of the night.

    Qi Lei¡¯s stiff features finally eased up after checking thest set of data in the notebook. He then took the cell phone on the side, made a call to Yang Sheng, and briefly exined a few matters about work. After hanging up, he wanted to cook himself some supper, but unexpectedly, Mu Yuchen called.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You miss me?¡± Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen had naturally be very close with each other, so he teased directly after the call went through, but to his surprise, it was Xi Xiaye who was calling.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. It¡¯s an off-day tomorrow. Mu Yuchen and his brothers are ying poker at the barbecue, and Su Chen and the others have just arrived. He asked me to call you. Do you want toe since you live nearby,¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s faint voice said from the earpiece of the cell phone.

    Barbeque and poker?

    Qi Lei gave it a thought and responded, ¡°I was just thinking about making myself supper, so of course, I won¡¯t say no to that invitation.¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t eaten? At this time?¡± Xi Xiaye creased her brows and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s been hectic recently. I¡¯ve gotten used to it. Anyway, I¡¯m heading out now.¡±

    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll get Sis Wang to make you some pumpkin porridge.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Lei grabbed his car keys and left his study after hanging up the call.

    ...

    In the backyard of Maple Residence, in front of the barbecue grill, Li Si was skillfully flipping the skewers in his hands, and the rich and mouth-watering aroma was hovering all over the yard. Under the flower racks of the pavilion on the side, Mu Yuchen was holding a handful of poker cards, battling it out with Zhou Zimo, Su Chen, and Ruan Heng. Mu Yuchen was as elegant and enigmatic as usual. His poker skills were naturally good, and after a few rounds, Su Chen and Ruan Heng had lost quite a few pennies.

    ¡°Dada...¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng, who was sitting in his arms, kept his head outstretched and stared at the poker cards in his father¡¯s hand as if he knew what they were.

    ¡°Now, what¡¯s this, son? Do you remember this?¡± Mu Yuchen tightened his embrace while drawing a card from the pile and showing it to Mu Xiaocheng. He asked him to recognize the suites.

    Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s glistening eyes widened as he stared at the cards in front of him for a long time. He then shouted, ¡°Dada!¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you little dunderhead, you¡¯re just like your mummy. Everything is your Dada now. Now tell Dada, what card is this?¡± Mu Yuchen rubbed his tiny head with a frown and then asked.

    ¡°Flower...Flower eight...¡± Mu Xiaocheng stared at the card for a long time before blinking his eyes at Mu Yuchen and replying.

    Having heard that, a satisfied grin flickered on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face while Su Chen stretched his arm out and pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s chubby cheek gently. ¡°Boy of wonder!¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen, I think your son is as brilliant as you were when you were a kid.¡± Zhou Zimo also smiled while reaching out to hold Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s hand.

    Mu Xiaocheng was only one and a half years old, and he could basically walk steadily. He was already able to utter words quite clearly with a wide vocabry. He also had a magnificent memory. It was like he had inherited Mu Yuchen¡¯s extraordinary brain. On the other hand, Xi Xiaye was the person who had been losing everything. She had already forgotten where she left her purse or bag several times. It was Mu Xiaocheng who magically found them out of nowhere while staggering or crawling around, then brought them to her.

    The lives of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had always been very harmonious, and it had been very peaceful over the past six months. They had even flown over to City B and visited Mu Lingshi while she was in confinement after herbor. However, after considering the inconvenience to Mu Lingshi, Mu Yuchen finally agreed to Xi Xiaye¡¯s idea and they had since then adopted Qi Weier.

    Qi Weier stayed in Maple Residence now, where Xi Xiaye even got a room decorated in a warm-colored princess design especially for her.

 Chapter 1520 - Get Together 2

    <h4>Chapter 1520 ¨C Get Together 2</h4>

    At this moment, in therge living room of Maple Residence, Mu Zirui and Qi Weier were sitting on the sofa as they watched cartoons. They were both dressed in clean pajamas.

    Xi Xiaye was sitting on the sofa beside Qi Weier when she looked through their homework.

    ¡°Weier, you¡¯re not doing well in abacus math. Don¡¯t you understand what the teacher taught? Or do you think that the homework assigned by the teacher is too difficult?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned as she flipped through the workbook in her hand.

    ¡°Mommy, their ss teacher is very irresponsible. For situations like Wei Er¡¯s, the teacher was supposed to give her more guidance, but she made her sit at the back, and those at the front were all tall, so Weier can¡¯t see the ckboard at all,¡± Mu Zirui said before Qi Weier could speak.

    ¡°I only found out when I passed by their ss today, and I saw several girls in their ss bullying her. Fortunately, I asked my buddy to take care of her. Otherwise, she¡¯s going to cry from being bullied by those little girls. ¡±

    ¡°How could this be?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned. Xiao Mei had helped handle the school transfer procedures when Qi Weier transferred back. Did she not inform the school about Qi Weier¡¯s situation?

    ¡°Their headteacher is the new Teacher Li. Mommy, I think you¡¯d better go to school to talk to the teacher when you have the time. Otherwise, if this goes on, her academic performance will only plummet,¡± Mu Zirui said as he nced at Qi Weier who silently lowered her head.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyebrows furrowed and she could not help but worry. ¡°Weier, why didn¡¯t you tell me about this? Are you getting bullied a lot at school? Is the teacher finding fault with you?¡±

    She certainly knew Qi Weier¡¯s temperament. Although she did find the courage to speak a little more since living with them, she still could notmunicate with strangers, thus Xi Xiaye was quite worried about this.

    ¡°Mommy...¡± Qi Weier raised her gaze to look at Xi Xiaye and called her in a daze.

    Xi Xiaye took a breath and put the workbook in her hand on the side table. She stretched out her hands and said, ¡°Weier, don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy and Daddy will protect you, and so will Brother and your grandparents. So, if anyone dares to bully you, you have to tell Mommy. You¡¯re a very good girl. You¡¯re smart and capable, so don¡¯t be discouraged. In the future, if there¡¯s anything you¡¯re not happy about, just tell Mommy and Daddy, and don¡¯t hold yourself back, okay?¡± Xi Xiaye gently squeezed her little hand.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I discuss with the teacher immediately and see if you can be transferred to the front? We can then hire a home tutor to make up for the previous homework. For the final exam, if your grades for all the subjects are at least Bs, Mommy and Daddy will take you and your brother to the amusement park and have sundaes, okay?¡±

    Qi Weier was excited when she heard Xi Xiaye say that, but she remembered that when Mu Zirui spoke to Mu Yuchen a few days ago, Mu Yuchen had rejected him, so she said, ¡°Mommy...Daddy said sundaes are bad for teeth...¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and reached out to touch her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay to eat them once in a while. Okay now, Mommy can teach you about abacus math. Where¡¯s your book?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s here...¡± Qi Weier quickly turned around and rummaged through her schoolbag. She found a book and handed it to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Xiao Rui,e take a look too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was always busy, but she would always still take time to pay attention to the children¡¯s homework no matter what. Usually, either her or Mu Yuchen would take turns, so both of them could understand their children¡¯s studies well.

    When Qi Lei rushed over, everyone was having fun. He let Sis Wang take his son upstairs to sleep. Only then did the few men gather around to drink whereas Su Nan and Ji Zitong were helping Li Si out.

    ¡°I ran into Chief Liang at the hospital some time ago. She said that your standards are too high and that if you go on like this, you¡¯ll end up like me sooner orter, so be prepared to be single.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned slightly when he heard that and he downed the whiskey in his ss in a shot. He nced at Zhou Zimo who was beside him. ¡°Someone is turning 33 this year!¡±

    Zhou Zimo immediately red at him. ¡°I could be 40 and still be more popr than you. I can get married anytime, but I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°If your poprity is really that high, show us then. You guys are indeed far behind me and Ah Chen, but there are many good women now, so it¡¯s better to keep this in mind. I¡¯m always anxious for your sake,¡± Su Chen said.

    When he was done talking, he nced at Mu Yuchen, who had been silent for a while. He raised his eyebrows and seemed to be interested to hear what he had to say. ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you going to say a few words?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re single, not me, so what do I need to worry about? Instead of worrying about them, it¡¯s more practical to think about what breakfast to prepare tomorrow,¡± Mu Yuchen spoke in a calm tone.

    As he said that, he reached out and poured some whiskey for Qi Lei. ¡°The first phase of South River Project No. 1 is about to bepleted. The government hopes to take this opportunity to promote the development here as andmark at South River. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll need to pay more attention to your design. I have no doubts about your design, but I hope there won¡¯t be any mistakes in the interior design.¡±

    ¡°You can rest assured when I¡¯m handling the job. We¡¯ll let the professionals perform thetter work. Let¡¯s use the traditional method this time,¡± Qi Lei grew serious and said sternly when he started talking business.

    ¡°Do you n to call for bids?¡± Mu Yuchen could instantly guess Qi Lei¡¯s intentions.

    Qi Lei nodded without hiding either. ¡°Yes, we can only use this method. Although Tai Yu Corporation is strengthening itsprehensive strength in construction, we¡¯re not nning to expand into interior design for the time being. I¡¯ll get my staff to draw up a proposal. Meanwhile, you can think about what you want, so you send me yourments next Tuesday, and I¡¯ll summarize everything.¡±

    ¡°I may not be able to be of much help. For a project this huge, the averagepany may not be able to handle it. It¡¯s best to consider a few recognizedpanies and I can look into it these two days. I happen to have a friend who does interior design, and he knows the industry very well,¡± Zhou Zimo said after thinking for a while.

    ¡°Then, send a copy of the information to Qi Lei and me on Tuesday morning. Is there a problem?¡± Mu Yuchen said without trying to be polite at all.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 1521 - Get Together 3

    <h4>Chapter 1521 ¨C Get Together 3</h4>

    The buddies chatted till quitete before they went their separate ways, but they did not drink till they were drunk like they used to, thus they were still quite sober when they left.

    Mu Yuchen had already gone upstairs to shower, and Xi Xiaye walked Qi Lei out. The two of them walked side by side while the dim yellow lights made their shadows look long, but with one long and one short, it looked quite harmonious.

    ¡°How have you been? I haven¡¯t gone over to visit in a while since I¡¯ve been quite busy recently.¡± Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm voice broke the silence between the two of them, and one could hear the concern in her voice.

    ¡°Pretty good, just much busier than before, but I must say that I¡¯ve been living a much more fulfilled life recently. It feels good. What¡¯s with that look of yours? I¡¯m a serious person now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled as she shot him a nce. ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re quite something when you get all serious. The project in City B is making rather good progress. Uncle Lan was just telling me to praise you properly. If it weren¡¯t for you, the project might not have gotten on track so quickly. Fuhua¡¯s foundation in City B is quite weak, and there are indeed many obstacles to setting things in motion.¡±

    ¡°If you want to thank anyone, it should be your Mr. Mu. I didn¡¯t do anything. I was only thinking of my own benefits, so you don¡¯t have to thank me. Instead, it was Mu Yuchen. Glory World didn¡¯t get many advantages out of this,¡± said Qi Lei humbly.

    ¡°Him helping me out is what he should do.¡±

    ¡°He and I are of different identities. I know you¡¯re saying that. Alright, since we¡¯re so close, I don¡¯t want to hear all these boring thank yous. How¡¯s Weiwei? Actually, I was thinking...¡±

    Before Qi Lei could finish, Xi Xiaye had already spoken up to cut him short, ¡°She¡¯s doing very well. Letting her stay here is much better for her than anywhere else. Her recent situation has improved much more. It¡¯s just that she can¡¯t quite keep up with her grades, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll guide her well and see if she can catch up with the rest. You¡¯re still a bachelor, thus you don¡¯t have experience with these things. In fact, an additional child will just be a burden and you won¡¯t be able to manage her. It¡¯s much better on my end since I¡¯m already raising two, so one more isn¡¯t a problem.¡±

    Qi Lei stopped walking now and looked deep into her eyes. Then, he continued walking. ¡°You¡¯ve got a great reason. As her biological uncle, hearing you say that makes me feel like I¡¯m a very irresponsible person.¡±

    ¡°Weier enjoys life over here. Actually, she¡¯s a very pitiful child, having met with many difficulties in life. Of course, I¡¯m hoping that she will have a good childhood. I hope that those incidents won¡¯t cast too much of a shadow on her childhood. That way, she can be like normal people when she grows up, and live a more carefree life.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had given it much thought before. To leave Qi Weier on Mu Lingshi¡¯s end might not be the best choice. The more she deliberated over it, the more she decided that the girl shoulde with her and Mu Yuchen. Mu Yuchen had always been a good influence, and with him around, it would benefit the children¡¯s education.

    She just wanted to help out this pitiful girl who should have aplete and beautiful life, not a nightmare that scared her. While it proved that her considerations were correct right now, at least, Qi Weier was doing much better now than before.

    ¡°With a temperament like yours, I do feel inferior.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Weier. Instead, it¡¯s you. Right now, thepany¡¯s basically steady. Haven¡¯t you thought about your personal matters?¡± Xi Xiaye looked at him with a meaningful expression while a faint smile shed across her lips.

    ¡°You and your husband have the same thoughts. Earlier, Mu Yuchen asked this question too.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were colored with a helpless smile.

    ¡°He cares quite a lot about you. He sees you like a brother,¡± Xi Xiaye exined.

    ¡°I know both of you are concerned about me, but you shouldn¡¯t worry too much about those things. Right now, I feel at peace. Neither can I seem to love anyone, nor can I bear another rtionship. It¡¯s not a bad thing to live life alone and be a little quiet. In fact, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have a chance at another rtionship. My heart¡¯s too tired...¡± said Qi Lei inly.

    When Xi Xiaye heard that, she frowned immediately and looked at him disapprovingly. ¡°Why do you say that? I remember thest time when you said the same thing, I reprimanded you. You¡¯re only in your early 30s. Mr. Mu only met me when he was about your age whereas Su Chen¡¯s only got together with Ji Zitong at 31 years old.¡±

    At this point, Xi Xiaye could not help but sigh softly as shemented, ¡°Actually, Qi Lei, you say you¡¯re tired, yet it¡¯s not just you who are tired. I used to think that way too. I always feel like you¡¯re walking down the same path that I¡¯ve taken. Who wouldn¡¯t be tired living in the now, for today or tomorrow? We wish for different things, so we suffer different burdens of the heart. Next time, you¡¯ll understand that having another person by your side might help you share much of the burden like what¡¯s weighing on your mind...¡±

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯vee to a huge realization.¡± Qi Lei grinned, but his smile looked a little bleak and lonely. Xi Xiaye felt sad to see this.

    ¡°I always tell Mr. Mu that our experiences are simr, and that¡¯s why I always resonate with you. Many times I can understand how you feel, but I have to also admit that I¡¯m right now a tad luckier than you. The more one climbs up thedder, the more one will feel lonely. I understand this feeling too, but we can¡¯t just grow old alone. You¡¯re 30, just 30. You¡¯ve only gone through a third of your life.¡± Xi Xiaye looked at Qi Lei with some tenderness in her eyes.

    ¡°Time flies. In the blink of an eye, 30 years have passed. It feels like I haven¡¯t done anything in time, and just like that, 30 years have passed by.¡± Qi Lei sighed. From the corner his eyes that looked at Xi Xiaye, concern gathered. Finally, he was moved, so he thought about it, then said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry now and don¡¯t send me off. I know. When the time is right I¡¯ll find a good woman, get married and have children. I¡¯ll fight for a good life for myself.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye only smiled and stopped walking because Qi Lei¡¯s car was right in front of them.

    ¡°You seem to sound quite helpless. I¡¯m not forcing you.¡± She smiled.

    Qi Lei shot her a side nce. ¡°Is this not forcing? You¡¯re going the soft and hard way at the same time now. Alright, I¡¯m going home. I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Then, he pulled open the car door and sat inside before he waved to Xi Xiaye and started the car...

 Chapter 1522 - Get Together 4

    <h4>Chapter 1522 ¨C Get Together 4</h4>

    Back in the room, Mu Yuchen had just taken a shower and went to see the children. When he pushed the door open to enter the room, Xi Xiaye had also just walked in from outside the room.

    ¡°Has he already gone back?¡± As his deep voice shed through the room, Xi Xiaye subconsciously raised her head and looked forward. The tall and well-built figure of the man caught her eyes.

    Xi Xiaye paused for a second while he walked over to help her close the door. ¡°Yeah, I just sent him off. It¡¯s been some time and he seems a lot more settled. I can see the more reserved version of you in him recently. Sure enough, everyone needs to experience life in order to truly learn and mature. I think he¡¯ll get better and better.¡±

    She walked towards him, stretched her body, and sat down on the sofa beside him. ¡°Get me a ss of water.¡±

    Having heard that request, Mu Yuchen got up from the sofa and silently went over to pour her some water.

    She grabbed the ss from him and emptied it almost immediately.

    ¡°Do you want more?¡± he asked.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good. Let me tell you something.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rui told me just now that Weier isn¡¯t doing very well at school. Can you do something to arrange for the school to take care of her? At least, she should be transferred to the front of the ss first. You should¡¯ve realized that her abacus result isn¡¯t ideal at all,¡± Xi Xiaye said anxiously while her eyebrows furrowed.

    With a somewhat helpless gaze, Mu Yuchen grabbed the cup she handed over and said in his deep voice, ¡°You worry a lot, huh? It seems that thepany hasn¡¯t ced enough matters on your te. You pampering Weier won¡¯t do her any good. If she thinks that her seating in the ss is affecting her studies, you should teach her how tomunicate with her teacher and get the teacher to move her to a more suitable location in the ss.¡±

    ¡°But look at her situation. How can she harness the courage tomunicate with her teacher?¡± Xi Xiaye gave him a disapproving nce. ¡°She faces problems even when trying tomunicate with her ssmates and people with whom she isn¡¯t very familiar. There are only a few people that she dares to talk to now. Isn¡¯t the leap toorge for her? She needs time and a process to adapt to all these.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you should encourage her to meet people and adapt to the environment. There¡¯s no such thing as life or the environment adapting to people, only the other way around. She can¡¯t always be surrounded by the people that she knows and only live in the bubble they¡¯ve made for her. If this situation continues, she¡¯ll never be able to leave herfort zone, let alone make her own decisions and lead an independent life.¡± His tone became a little serious, and his exnation made Xi Xiaye feel a little unbearable. Nevertheless, when she came to think of it, he seemed to have a point, so she did not know what to think at this moment.

    ¡°So, what do you think we should do? I have no idea at all. Weier has been staying with us for a while already. She basically doesn¡¯t dare tomunicate with anybody except for the few of us. As for her ssmates at school, probably...¡±

    ¡°Her personality has been shaped by a certain lifestyle for a long time. I think it¡¯s impossible for her to change in such a short time. She needs to be guided slowly. We should let her voice out her thoughts when we see the right opportunity. At that point, we should only be the party that gives her support and mentors her. Okay, now don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll apany her to school personally on Monday. I¡¯ll then encourage her to take the initiative to discuss this matter with her teacher while being beside her.¡±

    Xi Xiaye breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the n. She hesitated and then continued to add, ¡°Then, you should pay attention. Her condition isn¡¯t great, so mind your tone when you¡¯re talking to her. Tell her things and discuss things with her nicely. As for her ssmates, you can also teach her a trick or two and see if you can alleviate the situation.¡±

    ¡°Since when have I needed you to worry about my ways of tackling things?¡± Mu Yuchen gave her a sideways nce.

    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not easy being your kid,¡± Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and responded helplessly.

    ¡°Otherwise, do you think that it¡¯d be a blessing to be my child? I don¡¯t care how much sess they will achieve in the future, but they should at least always be optimistic and positive. I don¡¯t need them to conquer the pyramid and be on the top of the food chain. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being ordinary.¡± He stretched out his hand to her as he said so, and she also ced her hand in his warm palm tacitly.

    Then, she stood up with his help while replying, ¡°You seem quite zen about this matter. Don¡¯t you expect your children and grandchildren to be prosperous in the future?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind wishing for it, but think about it this way. We can only live for a few decades. What¡¯s left of us after hundreds of years is just a pile of dust, so you can only worry this much. Our kids and grandkids will have their own lives to live. It¡¯s already not easy to lead an honest and dignified life.¡±

    He seemed to have gotten over that concept of life and was at peace with that thought of his. Sometimes, even Xi Xiaye had to admire his attitude towards life. She thought about it and understood what he meant. ¡°You¡¯re right. The more we think, the more we desire. There are so many root sources that cause humans to sin, and desire is definitely one of them...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that we¡¯re on the same page about that. I hope I won¡¯t see these in our children. It¡¯s actually very difficult to live as a person, let alone be a good person. It¡¯s already a blessing if a person doesn¡¯t turn out evil.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch that part. You sound like you got that from some Buddhist scriptures. Anyway, I just wish that they can grow up healthily and safely just like us. I¡¯m a little scared of what I¡¯ve experienced over the years, and I really hope that they won¡¯t tread the same path that we did.¡±

    ¡°Of course, they won¡¯t, so don¡¯t worry, okay?¡±

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye took a breath as she tilted her head to nce at him, and then nodded happily. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this already. Just don¡¯t forget about Monday. By the way, I¡¯m going to Japan on a business trip for a few days on Monday. We need to do some surveying before we decide whether to cooperate with them.¡±

    ¡°Is it the coboration on the Glory World Flourish City project?¡±

    It was a newly proposed project that Fuhua Real Estates had been considering for the past two years. Apart from that, it was also a project in coboration with the government to attract more foreign investment. The scale of the project was huge, thus it was a rather strenuous project for Fuhua Real Estate, not to mention they had considerablepetitors, so everything had to be done cautiously.

    Xi Xiaye nodded. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s that project, and since you¡¯re not going to work tomorrow anyway, just stay at home and help me check on the feasibility of the proposal. You cane up with some issues or breakthroughs so that I feel more reassured.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go through the proposal for you tomorrow. Oh yeah, have you taken the medicine that Sis Wang made for you?¡± Mu Yuchen asked out of concern.

 Chapter 1523 - Hope You Can Compromise 1

    <h4>Chapter 1523 ¨C Hope You Can Compromise 1</h4>

    The special diet was something that Mu Yuchen had asked the doctor to prescribe so that Xi Xiaye could restore her health.

    Since Xi Xiaye gave birth to Mu Xiaocheng prematurely, her body suffered a lot of physical trauma after that, and the chances of getting pregnant were very slim. In fact, Xi Xiaye had vaguely noticed that deep down, even though Mu Yuchen was okay with it, she had always wanted a daughter, so she had been worrying about that.

    In desperation, Mu Yuchen could only ask an experienced doctor to prescribe a special diet for her to restore her health. Herplexion was much better recently, and she was not as thin as before. She used to be so frail that it seemed like she could get blown away by the wind, but now, she had gained a little bit of weight.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been drinking these for more than a month now. Why isn¡¯t there any news yet? I just had my period a few days ago...Do you think we really aren¡¯t destined to have a daughter?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? How could it happen so soon? You have two sons and one daughter now. What else are you unsatisfied with? Let¡¯s go with the flow. Mu Xiaocheng is already your greatest achievement, so don¡¯t be discontented.¡± He did not know how else tofort her.

    ¡°Well, forget it. I can only resign to my fate. I¡¯m already more fortunate than most people.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best to think so. If we get a son again, we¡¯ll see what you do.¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    ¡°No room for discussion. This is my biggestpromise.¡±

    It was alreadyte at night, and the people walking around the za gradually left. The za seemed a little lonely, but the lights were very bright. The midnight wind was not as hot as in the day, and it felt much more refreshing.

    On a bench under the street light by the za, Dongfang Liuyun was sitting steadily as she looked at the thick stack of documents in her hand attentively. While reading through it, she held a ck signing pen in her hand and was marking something on the document.

    She did not know how long she had been there until she felt that her neck had gone stiff and numb. She took a breath and raised her head carefully while squeezing the back of her neck and massaging her shoulders. Finally, she closed the document in her hand and was about to leave, but just as she was about to raise her head and stand up, a bottle of water was handed right in front of her.

    She stopped in surprise and raised her gaze subconsciously to see Qi Lei standing in front of her.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote already. Why did youe?¡± Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised though she did not refuse the water in Qi Lei¡¯s hand. She said softly, ¡°Thank you¡±, then took a few sips.

    ¡°I just happened to go to Mu Yuchen¡¯s ce for a small get-together, so I came here on the way back. You¡¯re still hustling at this hour,¡± Qi Lei said in a deep voice as he looked at the file on herp condescendingly.

    Dongfang Liuyun also nced down at the file on herp and smiled. ¡°Just like you, you can¡¯t just sit still and be idle. Since you¡¯re in a good mood today, let¡¯s just y a few rounds,¡± she said and kept the documents in her hand into the ck backpack beside her before standing up.

    Qi Lei nced at the mobile phone in his hand to look at the time. It was already midnight. He nced at Dongfang Liuyun and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m interested, but maybe not today since it¡¯s already midnight. You should go back early and get some rest. It¡¯s bad for your health if you stay upte so often, especially since you¡¯ve returned this time, yourplexion seems worse than before.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was taken aback. She pulled the backpack on her shoulders and red at him. ¡°We can do it some other time then.¡±

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡± Qi Lei asked as he seemed to be aware that she was acting a little different than usual.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it for a moment and calmly replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thefortable life I¡¯ve had is now suddenly controlled, so it¡¯s just a little ufortable. Since you¡¯re here,e take a walk with me.¡±

    She had already walked forward as she said that. Her slender figure passed through the dim light, actually seeming scrawny and lonely. The evening breeze kept blowing and her hair was a little messy.

    Qi Lei hesitated for a moment, then took off his coat and followed her before slowly draping it over her shoulders. Dongfang Liuyun paused and turned her head to look at the draped coat on her shoulders. She seemed confused as she raised her gaze and looked at him quietly.

    ¡°Put it on. It¡¯s a bit cold now.¡± He put one hand into the pocket of his pants and went on.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    When she saw his figure walk past her, only then did she stop refusing and pulled the coat tighter before following behind him.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really like this city,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said as she looked at the lights that were still brilliant in front of her. There seemed to be a little sadness in her voice.

    ¡°Is it because it left you with bad memories?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°I actually don¡¯t have much impression of this city. When I was young, I grew up in the countryside. I was brought here after I was five years old, and I studied under so much pressure. My mother always wanted me to be able to be someone capable like her, but I just want to be an ordinary person. I didn¡¯t like the life I had to live, so naturally, I also didn¡¯t really like this city.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was never someone who easily confided her thoughts. She always kept her thoughts to herself, and when she talked about it today, she found it amusing too.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t be cynical. Your mentality is much better than mine. I didn¡¯t know this before, but after all that I¡¯ve been through, I suddenly realize that this is probably what life¡¯s like, and it¡¯s a blessing to be able to live an ordinary life.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and suddenly looked at her while his ck eyes flickered. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I just want to be ordinary, but there¡¯s only so much I can do. From the very beginning, I have to understand that my future was alreadyid out, and it doesn¡¯t matter if I want it or not.¡± Dongfang Liuyun paused for a while, and then continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I really understand what you went through.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past, and we can only look forward. Do you n to take over the Dongfang Group?¡± Qi Lei asked with concern as he could tell the pressure she was feeling from her words.

    ¡°I¡¯m still learning about thepany and I n to start with the marketing department.¡±

    ¡°You really have perseverance. It¡¯s not easy to work in the marketing department. You¡¯re a woman and you have to think about it thoroughly.¡±

    As the leader of argepany himself, he certainly knew about the difficulty of each job.

    ¡°This is how I can have an actual understanding of thepany¡¯s operations. I can learn about internal matterster on.¡±

 Chapter 1524 - Hope You Can Compromise 2

    <h4>Chapter 1524 ¨C Hope You Can Compromise 2</h4>

    The two of them walked along this pedestrian path for quite a distance until the splendor of lights ahead came to an end before Dongfang Liuyun said to turn back. Qi Lei agreed.

    The streetlights past midnight seemed brighter than before. They walked for quite a while and then reached their parked cars. Qi Lei, who did not say much throughout the walk, suddenly spoke up, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s the wee hours of the morning. Go home earlier. From what I recall, this isn¡¯t quite like you.¡±

    When she heard that, sheughed. ¡°Sometimes, I just say things. There are times when I feel down and lonely too. Alright, that¡¯s enough. Here, take back your coat.¡±

    Then, she took off the coat from her shoulders and handed it to him.

    Qi Lei silently looked on for a while, then finally took it back. He thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to give yourself so much pressure. You¡¯re just one woman.¡±

    When she heard that, she was stunned. Eventually, she smiled to say, ¡°When ites to many things, I don¡¯t have the right to say no. Thank you for your kind intentions. Now, go home.¡±

    Then, she abruptly turned and walked to her car.

    Qi Lei did not manage to say another word before the car was started. The ck vehicle drove ahead, leaving him with only the lonely view of the car driving away.

    For some reason, he could clearly feel that Dongfang Liuyun seemed a little...

    Everyone had a story of their own though hers was probably not quite ordinary.

    ...

    A considerably serene weekend passed by just like that. Dongfang Liuyun had been staying put at home for the past few days. She had looked through all of the Dongfang Group¡¯s information in detail several times, as well as those files she had asked Lan Xiu to send to her.

    After a few days, she almost lost track of time in the real world. It was only when Lan Xiu called that she remembered that they were supposed to meet.

    The evening had passed, and the sun had set for quite a while now. The world was a vast grayness.

    When Dongfang Liuyun rushed to the meetup location by car, Lan Xiu had already ordered some dishes and was waiting for her.

    Lan Xiu was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s best friend. He was Singaporean, but years ago, he had stayed permanently in City Z with his parents. He was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s schoolmate, and they even went abroad to further their studies together. He was considered her senior in school. They had practically no secrets between one another.

    Lan Xiu was a casual person. He had anky figure and his handsome looks made him seem reserved. While his profound eyes revealed the light of wisdom, he looked like he had flirtatious feminine energy. In Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, he was definitely a rarity that made women jealous.

    Dongfang Liuyun sat right across him.

    When he sensed movement across him, Lan Xiu looked up unhurriedly from his magazine and looked at her sitting across him. Tenderness soon shed across his face. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite the enthusiastic one. Aren¡¯t you tired from your flight that was over 10 hours?¡± Dongfang Liuyun picked up her chopsticks, the table was filled with dishes that she liked.

    ¡°To eat with you, I¡¯d brace myself even if I were tired.¡± Lan Xiu¡¯s low and raspy voice was as charming as a cello.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up slightly and nonchntly nced at him. ¡°I¡¯ve looked through the things you sent me. They are quite detailed. Thank you. Let me toast to you.¡±

    Then, she was about to fill up the ss before her when Lan Xiu was a step ahead of her and stopped her. ¡°You¡¯ve been having poor digestion recently. Drink less and have more water. It¡¯s been so many years. Why are you still so reluctant to take good care of yourself? Are you trying to break yourself?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s tensed handsome face looked concerned while his low and raspy voice mixed with a hint of reprimanding as well.

    Dongfang Liuyun was forced to stop what she was doing. She looked up and met Lan Xiu¡¯s gaze. A while after that, she looked away and pulled her hand back. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a small problem, but I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡±

    ¡°I heard Fujiwara¡¯sing to City Z quite soon. Have you nned on meeting him? This time, he¡¯s prepared quite a bit when he was back in Japan. He¡¯s not going to give up on you, Liuyun. He¡¯s got such strong feelings for you. Won¡¯t you consider it? Don¡¯t reject him because of his older brother¡ª¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could finish, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s initially unhappy face was covered with some paleness as she coldly cut him off, ¡°Enough, stop right there!¡±

    ¡°Liuyun!¡± Lan Xiu¡¯s raspy voice was slightly raised as well. His handsome brows were furrowed into a knot as his eyes fixed on her.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already shut her eyes as she took in several shallow breaths at a go. Finally, she opened her eyes and took a ss to drain the water it contained. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. I forgot about those things. Fujiwara and I will never happen.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just forget some things just cause you said you have! Fujiwara is a mad man. I¡¯ll be honest with you. He¡¯s personally visited your grandmother. In fact, they enjoyed talking to each other. If I guess it correctly, the so-called project he¡¯sing to City Z for isn¡¯t the real reason. His target is you. He wants to bebined with the Dongfang Group by marriage. I¡¯ve thought about this from quite a few points. It¡¯s highly possible your grandmother will say yes to this. Liuyun, you¡¯d better n early!¡± Lan Xiu¡¯s words were mixed with thick worry.

    Upon hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun looked miserable. ¡°Isn¡¯t Grandmother unwell? Why would she have the mind to be talking about these things with him.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, tell me honestly, how do you feel about Fujiawara?¡±

    ¡°From the moment he turned away, he and I have got nothing left. I don¡¯t want to look into whose fault it was. He had his reasons for doing that, so I don¡¯t me him either. There¡¯s no way I can go back and ept a wed rtionship, just as Lan Qi can¡¯t...can¡¯t...be revived...¡±

    Bam!

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish, she suddenly turned pale, and the cup in her hand fell to the ground.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡± Lan Xiu was quick to hold her wavering body. He went over and caught her in his arms. ¡°It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t be afraid, Liuyun! Don¡¯t be afraid...He won¡¯t me you. He wouldn¡¯t...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took in quite a few breaths before she calmed herself down. Then, she pushed Lan Xiu away. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve long been fine.¡±

    She turned away and looked at the glorious lights outside the window. ¡°I can¡¯t let this piece of happiness go, I guess...¡±

 Chapter 1525 - Hope You Can Compromise 3

    <h4>Chapter 1525 ¨C Hope You Can Compromise 3</h4>

    As Lan Xiu gazed at her in silence, her cold profile was still as calm and distant as always.

    Indeed, she was someone who had experienced plenty of life and death. He might not understand that feeling, but he knew that she had been suffering all this time. She was also someone who had always struggled with life, thus she had stronger courage than he did.

    After a while, Lan Xiu sat back and poured some water for her. ¡°It¡¯s great to know that you¡¯re able to get over with it. How can you be med for this matter? So, don¡¯t put pressure on yourself now that my brother¡¯s soul might be waiting for its reincarnation already. If you still care...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dead. Do you believe that souls or reincarnation are a thing?¡± Dongfang Liuyun withdrew her gaze unconcernedly and nced at Lan Xiu, who was opposite her. She then reached out, picked up the ss, and took a gulp from it.

    ¡°If you believe that it exists, then it exists. Otherwise, it just doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just how the world finds a reason tofort themselves, but I don¡¯t need any of it. Plus, reminiscence doesn¡¯t seem to carry much practical meaning. What can be done is to continue what he¡¯s not aplished to help him fulfill hisst wish.¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone returned to its former indifference as she also calmed down.

    ¡°You have a very staunch sense of responsibility, Liuyun. It¡¯s very tiring.¡± Lan Xiu looked at her, and it was not difficult to sense the distress and pity in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll me you if you really want toe back to him. You should know that he has always cared about you. I suppressed all the news after that incident, hoping that you could continue to live peacefully instead of being so depressed. Otherwise, what do you think is the reason for me doing all this?¡±

    ¡°You know, Fujiwara won¡¯t give up that easily this time. The Fujiwara family have pressured him a little, or else, he¡¯ll be asked to marry Nako Yamaguchi...¡±

    ¡°Who he¡¯ll be marrying is none of my business. I just don¡¯t want to see him again.¡±

    ¡°I know the reason behind you traveling around these years and refusing to stay here for a longer period of time is that you don¡¯t want to see him, but the situation is different this time. You should¡¯ve read the information that I gave you before this. Others might not necessarily give you the chance even if you need some time to catch a breather. You have to think more for yourself,¡± Lan Xiu advised in all earnestness, but Dongfang Liuyun was woolgathering.

    ¡°I can naturally decide how to deal with matters by myself, Lan Xiu. There aren¡¯t many things that I care about and you should know that.¡± There was a hint of coldness in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent tone. She then thought about it and her eyes dimmed. ¡°I won¡¯t give them the chance to threaten me.¡±

    ¡°Then, what can you do? If things go on like this, I¡¯m afraid that even your mother will hope that you canpromise...¡± Lan Xiu asked with creased eyebrows.

    As Dongfang Liuyun raised her head again, she finished the water in the ss and gazed up at Lan Xiu. After a while, she lowered her eyes and did not answer his question.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already resigned from the university and will report directly to the marketing department of the Dongfang Group in a few days. Most of my focus should be ced on thepany¡¯s agendas in the future. I wish they can just cut me some ck in the rtionship department. If I were to be forced one day, I wouldn¡¯t even mind...¡± Dongfang Liuyun stopped all of a sudden.

    Lan Xiu waited for her to continue for a long time, but she did not, and when he nced up at her, she had already silently picked up her chopsticks to go for the dishes. He gave it a thought and did not ask anymore.

    ¡°It¡¯s Dongfang Ren¡¯s birthday in two days. I¡¯ll be going back,¡± Dongfang Liuyun took a bite of food and said slowly.

    ¡°Dongfang Ren? Dongfang Rouer paid you a visit, huh?¡± Lan Xiu asked.

    ¡°She went to De Bao House to find me and even tested me there. She¡¯s a threat to me since she¡¯s the clever one, not to mention her connections in the Dongfang Group. I¡¯ve roughly skimmed through the information my father gave me. It¡¯s obvious that they¡¯ve been plotting against him non-stop ever since he took over thepany temporarily. My father isn¡¯t the type to take up such a position. He¡¯s been thinking of letting go since a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°It must¡¯ve been very hard for Uncle Dongfang.¡±

    ¡°While there isn¡¯t any major crisis for the time being, there have been plenty of undercurrents within thepany. Everyone is looking for something to be used against my father, and now that he¡¯s returned from Myanmar with an injury, it shows that they can no longer hold back. This is also why I¡¯ve decided toe back without hesitation.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had always been like this. She always exuded a very strong sense of purpose when it meant business. That was also why she had always been a very efficient person.

    When he heard that, Lan Xiu nodded without saying a word, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s great toe back earlier. Anyway, it¡¯s just a matter of time. You just have to be careful since you¡¯ve never been in contact with the Dongfang Group before this. I¡¯m afraid that you might need to put in a lot of extra effort in many of its agendas. As for your contacts in thepany, you¡¯d better let Uncle Dongfang and Auntie Song sort them out for you so that you¡¯ll be fully prepared for everything thates your way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know that.¡±

    ¡°Do you need me to apany you to Dongfang Ren¡¯s birthday?¡± Lan Xiu thought it would not be that simple as it might be another trap since Dongfang Rouer had personally invited her to attend the banquet. He understood that it was normal for the Dongfang family to have secondary intentions.

    ¡°Nah, you seldom mingle with the family, and I don¡¯t want to drag you down with me if anything were to happen. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be courteous with you when there¡¯s a need.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said so, Lan Xiu had already picked up his chopsticks and added dishes into her bowl. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be staying here for a while. I can finally rest well after all the hustle and bustle.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know that. I¡¯m going to stay in Beach Vi District in the long run. The environment there is marvelous, so I don¡¯t n to move anytime sooner.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you can stay there. I still have a few more houses under my name, and they¡¯re all empty,¡± Lan Xiu responded in his deep voice while refilling her ss, ¡°Just let me know if you have any needs. Since you¡¯re new in City Z, there are only a few ces that one can go. Let¡¯s y a game when you have the time. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist touched a billiard cue, and I hope I haven¡¯t gone all rusty.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t yed for a long time. The environment there isn¡¯t great, and I don¡¯t like it very much.¡± Dongfang Liuyun remembered the unpleasant incident that had taken ce when she brought Qi Lei there. After that, she had almost stopped going.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to go for a walk around the city.¡±

    ¡°I know you mean well. Don¡¯t worry, I can take care of myself. By the way, I¡¯ve sent what you want directly to your office, so go back and check if you¡¯re satisfied with them,¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded indifferently.

    ¡°Okay, I know. Now, eat something. You seem a lot thinner than before when you came back this time, and you look a little pale.¡±

    ¡°You should stay there for a while and we¡¯ll see what changes would happen to you when you¡¯re back.¡± Dongfang Liuyun squinted at him, and a sense of relief could be seen on the curving corners of her lips.

 Chapter 1526 - Sick 1

    <h4>Chapter 1526 ¨C Sick 1</h4>

    They left the restaurant right after dinner.

    It was already bright outside. On the sidewalk ahead, pedestrians were constantly passing by, and the night breeze was still a little warm from the heat during the day. The za in front was still crowded with people who were taking strolls. The sound of people chatting and theirughter could be heard, and it was very lively. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car was stopped in the parking space in front.

    Lan Xiu sent Dongfang Liuyun over, and they walked side by side but did not say anything.

    When they reached the side of the za, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly slowed down and called Lan Xiu, ¡°Lan Xiu...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked as he turned his head to look at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a breath and thought for a while, then suddenly she turned her head and looked at the cute children ying in the za next to her, and said in a light tone, ¡°Have you ever thought about getting married?¡±

    ¡°Getting married?¡±

    Lan Xiu was startled when he heard her question, and for a while, he was still in a daze. He did not know how to answer her question. However, his eyes that were looking at Dongfang Liuyun seemed to darken.

    After a long time, he still did not say anything.

    Dongfang Liuyun waited for a while and did not hear his answer, so she turned around and looked at him. ¡°Do you find this question very difficult to answer?¡±

    ¡°No, I just don¡¯t know how to answer it,¡± he replied.

    After a brief silence, Dongfang Liuyun asked another question, ¡°If I told you that I¡¯d marry you, would you be able to ept it?¡±

    As Lan Xiu listened, he immediately stopped in his tracks and gaped at her in shock. He was stretching out his hand and he immediately tightened his palm. It was evident how shocked he was by her words!

    In fact, he never thought that Dongfang Liuyun would mention the word ¡°marriage¡±. In his eyes, she was too good and perfect. She only deserved the best. No one around them could be worthy of Dongfang Liuyun, including the powerful Fujiwara, or his kind and considerate brother.

    However, she was saying such things to him now, and it made him...

    ¡°I know the answer. Thank you, Lan Xiu! I¡¯m leaving!¡± Dongfang Liuyun said without any changes in her expression. She strode forward to open the car door and immediately got in.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡± Lan Xiu called her and wanted to catch up, but she had already started the car and was already slowly driving away towards the brightly lit street ahead.

    However, at this very moment, Qi Lei was in the office of the President of Tai Yu Corporation.

    After a busy day, he had finally finished the job he had been working on for the past few days. He looked at the time and realized that it waste. He got up and looked outside to see that it was already a bustling night.

    ¡°Master Qi, have a cup of warm water to warm your stomach. It¡¯s sote, so don¡¯t go back home to cook dinner. I¡¯ve already asked the hotel to send dinner. They¡¯re all light vors, so you can have some.¡±

    Yang Sheng was certainly very concerned about Qi Lei and dared not interrupt his thoughts because he knew about Qi Lei¡¯s temper after working with him all this while. He did not like getting interrupted when he was busy, and things that he prepared must be done on the same day, so staying upte was something he did often.

    ¡°Just put it aside.¡± Qi Lei did not feel very hungry after going out for afternoon tea in the afternoon.

    ¡°Master Qi, you need to take care of your body and not exhaust yourself. Now that thepany matters are getting on track and the situation has stabilized, you should rx too. By the way, Master Qi, the human resources department has approved the interview, and the new secretary meets all the requirements, but she¡¯s a woman¡ª¡±

    ¡°Change it to a guy,¡± Qi Lei interrupted him before he could finish speaking. He turned his head and grabbed the coat on the side with one hand as he was about to leave to go outside. When he saw the porridge in Yang Sheng¡¯s hand, he thought about it for a while before stepping forward and taking it with one hand. He had a few mouthfuls and drank the ss of water that was next to him, then he took a napkin and wiped his mouth before walking towards the door.

    ¡°Clean up and get off work early.¡±

    The tall and slender figure then disappeared outside the door.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng yelled subconsciously, but Qi Lei¡¯s footsteps did not stop. He sighed helplessly.

    Initially, he wanted to find a beautiful female secretary for Qi Lei since he knew that he did not normally have any contact with women. Business partners or people in the industry always tried to introduce their daughters to Qi Lei, but he had always shown ack of interest, so Yang Sheng was also quite worried.

    This time, he proposed to hire another secretary for Qi Lei. He actually thought that if he could find a beautiful woman with good family background, she might be able to develop an office romance with Qi Lei, but he did not expect him to repel women to this extent...

    Could he still be thinking about Miss Xiaye?

    As Yang Sheng thought about this, he could not help but grumble secretly...

    The ck car slowly drove out of the za in front of Tai Yu Corporation and towards the wide road ahead before disappearing out of sight after a while.

    Inside the car, Qi Lei lowered the windows out of habit. The car was not going too fast, and the shadow of the car was passing through the dim streetlights slowly as he drove straight to the city hospital.

    He was indeed on his way to see Qi Qiming, who was still lying unconscious in the hospital...

    However, at this time, on the avenue leading to the Grand Summer Bay Beach Vi District...

    Screech!

    A sharp squeal of brakes could be heard through the silence of the night, and the ck shadow of the car hurriedly stopped on the side of the road.

    In the driver¡¯s seat, Dongfang Liuyun was looking pale as she pressed her stomach with one hand. She was hurriedly looking for the familiar medicine bottle by turning to the backpack beside her but could not find it after trying for a long time...

    She could only feel that her mind was going nk due to the pain, and her starry eyes were also losing focus.

    Her stomach had not been well. She had been traveling around these few years, and she did not eat regrly or rest well. It was no wonder that her body had suffered. If it were not for Lan Xiu¡¯s persuasion, she would not have gone to the hospital because she was afraid to find out what sickness she had. Fortunately, after the doctor gave her a thorough examination, she was told that it was just a gastric problem, but she needed to take some medicine to get better and that she would definitely not be able to drink as much as before.

    After a short rest, the pain did not ease but got worse instead. Dongfang Liuyun was breaking into a cold sweat from the pain, and she could feel every cell of her body moring because of the pain. Even her eyes became a little hazy. Her fingers trembled as she turned to rummage through her bag pack, and she finally found her phone...

 Chapter 1527 - Sick 2

    <h4>Chapter 1527: Sick (2)</h4>

    When the phone rang, Qi Lei¡¯s car had just passed through the traffic port ahead. The second he heard his phone ring, he turned to look and saw two words pop up on his screen, so he swiftly picked up.

    ¡°Hello, Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu...can youe over? I¡¯m at the Grand Summer Bay highway intersection...I...I can¡¯t hold on till the hospital anymore...¡± Dongfang Liuyun only had so much energy to whisper that before her hand fell limp and her phone fell to the ground.

    Duu duu¡ª

    Before Qi Lei could respond, the busy signal of the phone rang and he immediately tensed up. It seemed that Dongfang Liuyun was not feeling too well!

    As he thought about it, his dark eyes squinted and then a darkness shed through them. He immediately had a bad feeling!

    Did she not mention the Grand Summer Bay highway intersection?

    Something must have happened!

    When he thought about this, Qi Lei could not care about anything else. He narrowed his eyes as he sped up and turned around at the crossing in front...

    He practically sped all the way to his destination. It was probably 40 kilometres from where he was, and he only took 20 minutes. Thankfully, there was no traffic jam that night.

    At the Grand Summer Bay highway intersection, as Qi Lei drove over, he could see the ck Jeep parked on the side underneath the streetlights from afar.

    The Grand Summer Bay was considered an area nearer to the suburbs, so there were not many cars that passed through this road. At most, there were only one or two cars that whizzed past.

    Qi Lei swiftly parked his car and quickly rushed over to the ck Jeep. He pulled open the door and indeed saw Dongfang Liuyun leaning against her seat with her eyes tightly shut. Under the dim lights in the car, he could see the paleness and pain on her beautiful face. Her fair forehead was covered in sweat, and her hands thatid on her knees were clenched into tight fists. From a distance, he could feel the coldness that engulfed her being.

    Upon seeing that, he could not help but frown. Without a second thought, he quickly leaned over and carried her.

    ¡°How are you feeling? Let me send you to the hospital. Hold on a bit more! Hold on!¡±

    When she felt movement, Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously opened her eyes and looked at Qi Lei. Se was obviously slightly shocked, yet she had no energy to say any more, ¡°Why...is it you...?¡±

    She thought she had called Lan Xiu...

    ¡°Forget about that first. Does it hurt a lot? We¡¯ll go to the hospital now. Just hold on for a bit.¡±

    When he saw her subconsciously holding onto her belly, he could guess what was wrong. No wonder she was trembling in cold...

    Naturally, Dongfang Liuyun did not have much energy to think much. Qi Lei had just put her into the car and buckled her up before she fainted...

    ...

    Two hourster, Dongfang Liuyun was admitted into a suite at the hospital.

    While the doctor did a series of checkups for her, and then looked at the medical records on hand as well as the image of her stomach, he had a solemn expression.

    Qi Lei took a look at Dongfang Liuyun whoid on the sickbed with an intravenous drip as he asked with a lowered voice, ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always had gastritis. In fact, it¡¯s quite severe, and she hasn¡¯t been doing well. Plus the fact that she did have injuries near her stomach, there were some signs of inmmation. That¡¯s why it hurt even more. It¡¯s a good thing that she¡¯s always been taking her medicine. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve turned out worse. Also, she¡¯s probably been overstretching herself from work, hence she¡¯s quite weak now. If she isn¡¯t more careful, there will be severe consequences, and she might even need to cut out a part of the stomach if there are changes to this illness.¡±

    When he heard the doctor, Qi Lei¡¯s brows that had just rxed furrowed once again. ¡°How could that be?¡±

    She did not seem like someone who was ill at all.

    ¡°The situation is quite bad, so she needs to be hospitalized for a few days of observation. Her wound can¡¯t be inmed again. From now on, it¡¯s best to quit alcohol and avoid spicy food, and after a few months of recuperation, she should be able to recover slowly. However, the injury at her stomach is still there, and with gastritis, it¡¯s normal for it to hurt from time to time. There¡¯s no need to worry too much. Just remind her to take her meds on time. You may handle the hospitalization procedures first.¡±

    The doctor briefly exined some important things to take note of before he left.

    Dongfang Liuyun, whoy on the sickbed, was still knocked out.

    Qi Lei looked at her quietly for a while, and then finally he sighed to himself and took out his phone to give Yang Sheng a call. He told him to arrange for a few people toe over.

    After he hung up, he thought about it, then pulled out the chair by the bed and sat down.

    Naturally, he was not quite used to seeing her this vulnerable, in Qi Lei¡¯s impression, Dongfang Liuyun had always been a strong goddess. He caught on a lot of energy from her that he did not have within him, but now...

    He did not expect someone like her to topple too.

    When he saw the doctor¡¯s expression, he figured that the wound should be quite serious.

    ¡°What kind of person are you? I¡¯ve never met a woman like you. You¡¯re so hard to grasp...¡± Qi Lei silently watched that elegantplexion of hers, and softly said before he pulled her nket over her. Then, he switched off the bright light by the bedside table and left the wallmp switched on.

    Even when Dongfang Liuyun was unconscious, she did not sleep particrly well. Her brows remained furrowed into a knot, andyers of cold sweat gathered on her forehead as if she was struggling against something. She also clenched onto a corner of her nket tightly, yet her pale lips remained tightly shut.

    ¡°Liuyun...what¡¯s wrong? Liuyun...¡±

    Qi Lei naturally felt that something was not right, so he quickly got up. Unexpectedly, her cold fingers locked onto his wrist tightly as if she was holding on for dear life and it felt like she could practically break his wrist!

    ¡°Liuyun, wake up! Wake up! Doctor, doctor, quicklye and take a look at her! Doctor!¡± Qi Lei¡¯s heart clenched as he quickly pressed on the button by the bed and shouted.

    When he finished, the doctor rushed in...

    The medical staff got busy for a while and increased the dosage of tranquilizer for her before she recovered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Qi. The patient¡¯s not too emotionally stable, but she¡¯ll be fine in a bit. She¡¯s fallen asleep for now. She should wake up in six hours. If anything else happens, call us again.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded and waved them away though his heart had clenched up.

    ...

    Yang Sheng had rushed over in the quickest of time with two bodyguards. They quickly handled the procedures as Qi Lei had asked them to before rushing over to the ward, and when they stood at the door they could see Qi Lei by the bed inside...

 Chapter 1528 - Sick (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1528: Sick (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng stopped at the door and did not enter, he made a hand gesture to signal the two ck bodyguards behind him, and the duo stood on both sides of the door knowingly.

    ¡®It turns out that Master Qi left suddenly just now because of this Miss Dongfang.¡¯

    When he came to think of it, Yang Sheng took a breath and thought about whether he should reorganize all the information about Miss Dongfang.

    He merely wanted to find out who was the yer of the in-game character ¡°Swift Snowy¡± in the beginning, so he had only dug into her general information. If Dongfang Liuyun could really be friends with Master Qi, or even develop a more intimate rtionship, then he must investigate the circumstances clearly.

    Yang Sheng felt relieved with this idea in his mind. After hesitating for a long time, he was thinking about turning around and walking in, but at this second, there was the sound of the door opening. Taken aback, he raised his gaze at once and Qi Lei¡¯s calm and handsome face came into view. No expression could be seen except a pair of gloomy pupils that were full of depression.

    ¡°Master Qi...is Miss Dongfang okay?¡± Yang Sheng lowered his voice as he craned his neck to look into the ward. He saw Dongfang Liuyun lying on the hospital bed, devoid of any response.

    ¡°Her condition doesn¡¯t look very good. How are the procedures?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s calm voice pierced through the air, and he sat down on the bench at the side as he asked while Yang Sheng handed him the briefcase in his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s done, and Miss Dongfang...she...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gastritis and some illnesses from the past. You can go already if you¡¯ve done everything, bute earlier tomorrow, and bring some porridge over,¡± Qi Lei responded faintly while grabbing the briefcase from Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Great, Master Qi, but it¡¯s veryte already. You should also go home. I¡¯ve gotten the hospital to assign two nurses here. You haven¡¯t even eaten your dinner yet, and these few days have been hectic. I¡¯m worried that your body will be overwhelmed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you should go.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi...¡± With not much else to say, Yang Sheng left the hospital, but he went downstairs and brought some supper up to Qi Lei before going back.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun could only feel that she was struggling in that long and somber dream again while dark mist covered the whole world. Everything in front of her seemed gloomy and she could not see anything. The only thing that she could feel was the faint warmth in the palm of her hand, and all she could do was hold on tighter to that sensation.

    Her name, Dongfang Liuyun, meant flowing clouds that moved with the wind and scattered with the rain, so what was there to hold on to?

    It seemed that such a message was being conveyed in the depths of her mind. That was why she released her grip subconsciously, so her hand that was sping Qi Lei¡¯s wrist suddenly let go and retracted. Qi Lei looked down only to realize that his wrist was bruised from all the squeezing.

    At this moment, he suddenly discovered that the feeling of loneliness emitted by this person in the hospital bed was so vivid, and it made him think of himself, who alwaysy wide awake in bed at midnight. Was this not the same feeling?

    ¡°You only made it sound simple. I¡¯m afraid that while you were encouraging me, you were also motivating yourself, huh?¡± he said with a sigh. He then leaned forward, put her arm under the nket, and sat down on a chair beside her. After that, he took a few documents out of his briefcase and started going through them.

    ...

    The night seemed to have be shorter. The morning breeze was blowing gently while the dim light of the dawn was getting brighter and brighter while its rays, which had a hint of warmth, beamed diagonally into the quiet ward. Dongfang Liuyun finally woke up from the sedation and opened her eyes in a daze.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, you¡¯re awake!¡± As she was about to sit up, a familiar voice came from the side of the bed.

    Dongfang Liuyun lifted her head and what caught her eyes was Yang Sheng¡¯s face, beaming with joy.

    ¡°Thank God, you¡¯ve finally woken up. That¡¯s great!¡±

    ¡°Why am I here?¡± Dongfang Liuyun carefully shifted her stiff body and took a good nce at the ward. She quickly came to the conclusion that she should be in the hospital at the moment. Then, she thought about it, and every scene from yesterday came into her mind.

    She remembered that she had driven home directly after separating from Lan Xiu, but when she was near the intersection of the Grand Summer Bay Expressway, suddenly...

    Did she not call Lan Xiu?

    How did Qi Lei appear?

    ...

    ¡°You fell ill, and it was Master Qi who sent you to the hospital. He was here the whole night and just left in the morning to go straight to thepany because there¡¯s an important meeting at the office this morning. But he told me to wait here for you to wake up. You should drink a ss of warm water to warm up your stomach, The porridge that I brought over is still warm. Here, I shall pour you some. The doctor said that your condition isn¡¯t very ideal and you need more rest. You¡¯ll be hospitalized temporarily for them to monitor your condition, and you¡¯ll be discharged after you¡¯ve stabilized,¡± Yang Sheng said while turning around and pouring a ss of warm water for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already sat up against the headboard of the bed. Her eyes were looking around aimlessly, trying to capture and organize every piece of information that she had when she was unconscious yesterday.

    However, she was a little surprised. Did Qi Lei really stay here all night?

    A lot of information was intertwining in her mind, and her pale face became a little bleak.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± After epting the ss that Yang Sheng handed over, Dongfang Liuyun thanked him in her hoarse voice. She then lowered her head and took a few sips.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Miss Dongfang. Are you feeling better? Oh yeah, there¡¯s the medicine. You have to remember to take it!¡± Yang Sheng was a little diligent and solicitous as he did have some feelings for Dongfang Liuyun deep down. In fact, t would be perfect if...if...if...

    As he was saying that, he handed the packet of medicine that the doctor had given to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded her head gratefully as she grabbed the medicine packet weakly, opened it, and took the pills silently. She then opened the nket and got out of bed...

    ¡°What are you doing, Miss Dongfang? You can¡¯t get out of bed and walk around...¡± Yang Sheng was shocked when he saw that, so he approached her immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m feeling quite good, so there¡¯s no need for hospitalization. Please thank him on my behalf. I shall go home first.¡± As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she endured the weakness in her feeble body and staggered towards the door of the ward.

    She could not let the news of her hospitalization reach the interested party. Furthermore, she had always hated the hospital, thus she must leave this ce as soon as possible.

    ¡°Go home? No, Miss Dongfang, you¡¯re in no condition to do that. The doctor said you need to be hospitalized for further monitoring. Plus, you shouldn¡¯t be working...Miss Dongfang...¡±

    Regardless of what Yang Sheng said from behind, Dongfang Liuyun had already stumbled out of the door. With herrge white blouse, gray cropped trousers, and her long messy hair, everything made her look extremely haggard and fragile. Despite that seeming the case, her slender figure looked extremely determined.

 Chapter 1529 - Sick (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1529: Sick (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun did not stay for long and she walked outside the hospital as soon as she left.

    In the office of the Tai Yu Corporation President, Qi Lei had just returned to the office after a meeting and was about to briefly read through the meeting documents when he received a call from Yang Sheng. He did not expect Yang Sheng to call, so he immediately picked up.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± His deep voice was a little hoarse because he had not rested recently.

    ¡°Master Qi, Miss Dongfang has already woken up, but she went home straight away and asked me to thank you for her...¡± Yang Sheng said in a low voice.

    Qi Lei paused and stopped his hand movement for a while before he responded, ¡°I see. Just go through with the formalities.¡±

    What a stubborn person...

    Qi Lei left Yang Sheng with his instructions and hung up the phone. He stayed quiet and continued to look down at the documents in his hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun dragged her tired and weak body to take a taxi back to the Beach Vi District. She then realized that she did not have a key with her, and she did not even know where her backpack was. Fortunately, she had set up a fingerprint lock before.

    When she got back home, she fell asleep on the sofa before she had the time to do anything.

    The day passed quickly. When Yang Sheng knocked on the door of Qi Lei¡¯s office, it was already time to get off work in the evening.

    ¡°Master Qi, this is the bag that Miss Dongfang left at the hospital, as well as the medicine prescribed by the hospital. Do you think someone should send it to her? The bodyguard drove her car back to De Bao House, so only this bag was left...¡± Yang Sheng said in a low voice when he saw Qi Lei flipping through an architectural magazine while standing under the bookshelf.

    When Qi Lei heard this, he raised his gaze and looked at Yang Sheng to see a ck backpack in his hand. ¡°Just put it aside, I¡¯ll take it to herter.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s on the way anyway,¡¯ Qi Lei thought in his heart.

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi, then I¡¯ll leave it on the sofa...¡± Yang Sheng walked towards the sofa and put the backpack there as he carefully nced at Qi Lei. He noticed that he was looking at the book in his hand calmly.

    He did not dare to say anymore and carefully left without disturbing Qi Lei.

    The night quickly approached though it was not a starry one. There was a rare crescent moon in the sky. The night breeze was refreshing, and it kept blowing the curtains that grazed the ground. The faint moonlight was shining through the French windows and illuminated the floor.

    Dongfang Liuyun slept like a log on the sofa. Since returning home, she had slept for several hours but was still groggy. If not for the doorbell that she vaguely heard, she would probably be still asleep now.

    She nced at the video on the side with her heavy eyelids, and when she saw the person standing at the door, she was a little surprised. She pressed the button on the door anyway and pulled the door open.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asked as she watched Qi Lei pass through the clean concrete pathway to the steps in front of her door.

    ¡°I came to see you and to bring you this, as well as the car key,¡± Qi Lei lifted the ck backpack in his hand and said. He raised his gaze to look at her standing on the steps.

    As the night wind blew, her clothes started swaying, and the shadow on the ground also danced constantly, making her appear even thinner.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to invite me in?¡± When he saw that she did not respond, he gave her a rare smile.

    Dongfang Liuyun took some time to react. Her pursed lips rxed a little and she nodded slightly. She turned around and silently motioned a weing gesture to him.

    Qi Lei climbed up the stairs and walked in, and Dongfang Liuyun slowly followed behind him.

    ¡°Drinks?¡± she asked afterbing her long, messy hair.

    Qi Lei walked towards the sofa and put the things in his hands down. He looked at the somewhat messy sofa and subconsciously turned around to look at her. She looked sleepy and her face was still pale. He looked around and did not seem to see any servants in the house. After some thought, he asked, ¡°Haven¡¯t you had dinner yet?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was not thinking about food at all, but now that he brought it up, she suddenly felt that her stomach was empty. The hunger pangs made her frown. ¡°Haven¡¯t you had dinner too?¡±

    ¡°I just came from the office,¡± Qi Lei responded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go out for dinner. Dinner¡¯s on me to thank you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun leaned over the sofa as she tried to find her purse in the backpack, but he had already reached out to stop her. ¡°Well, don¡¯t try to act tough if you¡¯re feeling sick. I don¡¯t actually like dining outside.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun then sat down. When he saw that she was silent, he said, ¡°Is there still food in your refrigerator?¡±

    Surprised, she raised her eyebrows. ¡°Do you want to cook by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Consider yourself lucky. I haven¡¯t shown anyone my exclusive secret technique.¡± Qi Lei red at her and took his coat off leisurely.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her head and smiled indifferently. ¡°Well, since you brought it up, it seems unfair if I don¡¯t give you this opportunity. The kitchen is on your right, and there are ample ingredients in the refrigerator, so you can show off your cooking skills as you wish.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. By the way, you should take your medicine first. You left the hospital in the morning. Do you happen to hate that ce too?¡± Qi Lei said and reached over to pull out a big bag of medicine from her bag. He prepared it for Dongfang Liuyun ording to the instructions and poured her a cup of warm water.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a long time after hearing what he said. She then reached out to take the ss of water he handed along with the medicine and wash down the bitter taste in her throat. She sighed lightly. ¡°That¡¯s where I have experienced life and death countless times, so I¡¯m a little scared.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, he paused, and then nodded in sympathy. ¡°I can understand how you feel.¡±

    For a long time after Wang Qin had left, he was terrified to go to a hospital, not to mention the gloominess and the smell of disinfectant in the hospital that seemed obnoxious to him.

    ¡°Sit down. Dinner will be ready soon,¡± Qi Lei said as he unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up before walking towards the kitchen.

 Chapter 1530 - Not A Simple Banquet (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1530: Not A Simple Banquet (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s movements were quite swift. After so long, his culinary skills were still quite good.

    There were sufficient ingredients in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s fridge were quite sufficient, but in consideration of her health, he just made a few simple and light dishes, and cooked up some in shredded chicken porridge, but it all looked quite good. With such a tempting aroma, Dongfang Liuyun had just sat down to take a look at the dishes before a look of approval shed in her eyes.

    ¡°How rare for a Master like you to be able to cook.¡±

    As someone who also came from a rich family, Dongfang Liuyun could understand how these families usually conducted themselves. For example, most of the younger generation of the Dongfang family were aloof masters anddies. Usually, they would not be happy to even serve themselves a bowl of rice, much less cook themselves.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to cook before this, but I didn¡¯t want to starve myself all the time, so I just had to learn by myself. Aren¡¯t you the same?¡± Qi Lei¡¯s tone was calm as he spoke while serving Dongfang Liuyun half a big bowl of porridge.

    ¡°I¡¯m not like you. I lived in the vi when I was younger and then returned to City Z after that. My grandma is a native viger who was a teacher when she was younger, and afterward, she became the principal of the primary school over there. She¡¯s a very pure and good-natured person. She taught me many things, including being independent and cooking for myself.¡±

    If one had to use a term to describe Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s life before, then she felt that ¡®adrift¡¯ might be the most suitable.

    When she was younger and lived in the vige, she would frequently go to the city and benefit from her grandmother¡¯s supervision and influence, she had been very clever from a young age. At school, she had very good grades and would always get first ce in her exams. In fact, she would be far ahead of the one in second ce. You could call her a super top student. She even skipped grades quite a few times and was epted into a famous school abroad that made an exception for her. However, Dongfang Liuyun herself did not ck off one bit. She remained steady and continued to enrich herself.

    In Lan Xiu¡¯s words, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s life could only be described with two words: busy and valiant.

    However, studies were just studies. In terms of life, she was not that great at it, or at least, Dongfang Liuyun thought so. She was a victorious warrior in academics but was defeated by life and reality.

    ¡°Not that different. I used to think that the process was very important, but now I slowly feel that perhaps the results are more important to me. We¡¯ve all been on the path to chase for results,¡± said Qi Lei with a lowered voice as he nudged the bowl of porridge towards her and handed her a spoon.

    Dongfang Liuyun epted it and lowered her head to have a taste. She was not stingy with herments, ¡°Not bad. It tastes pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Give me face and have another bowl then,¡± Qi Lei replied calmly.

    When Dongfang Liuyun saw his delighted expression, she thought about it and made a rare joke, ¡°If someone cooked it and it isn¡¯t good, I wouldn¡¯t just tell them directly. Otherwise, you won¡¯t cook again the next time.¡±

    ¡°I have confidence in my culinary skills.¡± He looked at her very calmly and answered, ¡°I used to be quite against it, but after I tried it out, I suddenly realized that it was a good way of passing my time leisurely.¡±

    ¡°Are you enlightened by the true meaning of life now?¡± Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows and chuckled.

    ¡°The truth has always been there. Do I need to be enlightened? Have more.¡±

    ¡°You have some too. I¡¯m quite hungry since I haven¡¯t eaten anything for an entire day.¡±

    Fromst night till now, it had been a day and she had not had anything, thus right now she was starving.

    ¡°You should pay more attention to your meals since you have gastritis. Perhaps it¡¯d be better if you hired a servant.¡±

    ¡°I rarelye home usually. Besides, I like living alone since it¡¯s quieter.¡± Dongfang Liuyun liked her quiet time and was not used to having other people in her personal space. It had been so many years, so she was used to this now.

    ¡°The doctor says you need to rest up for quite some time, especially in terms of your diet. Yang Sheng has asked the doctor who said that your gastritis looks like it might be inmed soon. He suggests that you be more careful. If you don¡¯t want to be hospitalized, it¡¯s best that you be more diligent with your hospital visits. At least, you have to be sure your wound won¡¯t get inmed. Otherwise, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to suffer.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone had a hint of concern, but he did not ask how the wound came about. He never liked asking people about their past unless there was a need to. Clearly, he did not quite see the need right now.

    ¡°Mmm, thank you, I¡¯ll know how to take good care of myself.¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression quieted down, and then she responded with gratitude, ¡°Sadly, I can¡¯t drink right now. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think about alcohol now. You¡¯ll have to abstain for quite a long while. Your health is your capital to be revolutionary. Without that, you¡¯ve got nothing left. It¡¯s not easy to ask for a life of good health and free of worries. I truly hope that we won¡¯t be people who are too harsh on ourselves from now on.¡±

    Qi Lei sighed as he could not help but think of those unhappy things that had happened a while back, so he felt strongly about this.

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun agreed. She held up her bowl and lifted it towards him. ¡°As you said, let¡¯s not be too harsh on ourselves. Eat well, drink well, sleep well, and as for the rest, let¡¯s leave them forter.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and nodded gently too.

    ...

    The dinner ended in such a harmonious atmosphere, and both of them were quite impressed. Qi Lei did not forget to leave Dongfang Liuyun some food as supper because eating less but more frequent meals was the way her dietary habit should be.

    After dinner, Qi Lei kept the bowls and chopsticks away whereas Dongfang Liuyun felt much more at ease now. When she noticed that the moon looked lovely, she went outside to chill by the balcony.

    By the time Qi Lei was done tidying up and walked out, he saw her leaning against the railings.

    When she heard the sound of footsteps from behind her, Dongfang Liuyun did not turn around as she said, ¡°The moon looks quite nice tonight. I haven¡¯t had a good look at this city¡¯s moon for quite a while now. Sadly, it¡¯s not a full moon, but it¡¯s still quite beautiful.¡±

    Qi Lei walked over in two steps and stopped beside her. With both hands propped on the railings, he looked up at the new crescent moon hanging in the sky as well. The light breeze blew and as they stood there, he could smell the faint fragranceing from her. He vaguely felt something brushing past his ear and turned to realize that it was her long hair...

    Her expression was calm and distant just like the first time he met her. He could not forget that scene...

 Chapter 1531 - Not A Simple Banquet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1531: Not A Simple Banquet (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a while, Qi Lei finally retracted his gaze in silence.

    ¡°After knowing you for so long, this is the first time I feel that you¡¯re actually different from the usual you that I know, and this surprises me,¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t feel trampled by the changes you see in me. It takes a long time for a person to truly know another person. Neither am I a saint nor am I the fabulous and perfect Dongfang Liuyun that I was known to be. Just like you, the only person who will truly know you is always yourself. The persona that you exhibit might not be the real you too, so many people are living beneath a mask these days and I¡¯m just one of them, another ordinary human being.¡±

    There was a hint of coldness in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone, and it was not difficult to sense the self-deprecation in her words. ¡°However, no matter what, one must always be held ountable for their own life. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve already gotten used to it now.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you n to return to the Dongfang Group.¡± Qi Lei was naturally able to obtain some information regarding this.

    Dongfang Liuyun closed her eyes, then opened them after some time. ¡°I¡¯m the only daughter of my father, so it¡¯s only natural that I pick up the responsibility.¡±

    Having heard her exnation, Qi Lei was absorbed deep into his own thoughts while he stole a glimpse at her and did not say another word.

    After that, the two stood silently in the breeze in a tacit understanding. They just waited until it was time for Qi Lei to leavete in the night, and Dongfang Liuyun sent him off.

    Standing at the doorsteps, Dongfang Liuyun uttered politely, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say those words again if you still take me as a friend. I¡¯m going now, so off you go. Remember to take your medicine, and also maintain a healthier eating habit and diet,¡± he reminded her while she nodded in silence.

    The car quickly drove off into the twilight ahead and disappeared after a while. Dongfang Liuyun stood there for a while more before turning around and going back in...

    After resting for several days, Dongfang Liuyun felt better.

    In the blink of an eye, it was a weekend again, it was Dongfang Ren¡¯s 60th birthday. Dongfang Rouer and the others nned to celebrate it on arge scale for him, so it would be very boisterous at the Dongfang mansion today.

    Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi had been staying in the Dongfang mansion. Of course, Dongfang Xue returned there very often too. The mansion was huge, and the siblings of Old Master Dongfang were also living nearby, so the Dongfang mansion was always very lively. As for Dongfang Gan, because Song Siting was unwilling to stay with theseplicated people, and the unpleasant incident that had happened to Dongfang Liuyun a while back, he had immediately moved out of the ce. However, the people living in the mansion still retained their original residence.

    As usual, Dongfang Liuyun woke up early today. She did some simple cleaning in the house and went through some files. After having a light lunch, she packed her gift for the party and went straight out.

    Specifically speaking, the Dongfang mansion should be arge manor with many independent and beautiful vis in it. There were also a few traditional ancestral shrines and courtyards in the old manor. The members of the Dongfang family lived together in this ce, and they were obviously just like a big family that had existed for hundreds of years ago.

    Rumor had it that the rtionship between Old Master Dongfang and his ex-wife had never been very good. His ex-wife was a very well-known person in the uppertendom that many people pursued before her marriage. Even so, she was still surrounded by titbits of scandals with other men even after her marriage with Old Master Dongfang. That was why Old Master Dongfang doubted whether Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi were his biological sons, and he could only rest assured after a DNA verification. However, he still preferred Dongfang Shuman anyway.

    Dongfang Gan was Old Master Dongfang¡¯s favorite son to whom thetter handed thepany directly over when he passed away because he admired his extraordinary capability and means. As a legend in the businessmunity at that time, Dongfang Shuman was definitely a ruthless person. However, she had not been feeling too well in recent years, so she could only pass thepany to Dongfang Gan while she recuperated abroad.

    As the only daughter of Dongfang Gan, Dongfang Liuyun was theoretically the first heir to the family business. However, because she was a woman, and based on the family nature of the Dongfang family, many people in the family did not feel very optimistic about her. They did not think that she was capable of taking over such a huge family business.

    With that thought in mind, some people in the family were already putting their best foot forward, ready to make a move. The whole situation seemed a lot like a battle for an ancient throne.

    Dongfang Liuyun despised such feelings. However, she could not help but fight for it because of her identity, to say nothing of the promise that she made to Old Master Dongfang before he breathed hisst.

    With great power came great responsibility! That was how she felt deep down all this while.

    For more than twenty years, Dongfang Liuyun had always been very aware of the various schemes and plots that were attracted by the vortex in the family, and because of that, she had gotten the chance to see all the dimensions of all sorts of people. That was why she could always keep things cool and under control during such times. She had always known very well that attending such asions was like going into a battlefield. Furthermore, the battlefield that she was about to walk into might have been specially set up just for her.

    When the car drove steadily into thepound of the Dongfang mansion, the guards in the front gate were in awe when they discovered that the driver was actually Dongfang Liuyun. As soon as the car stopped, a bodyguard in ck came forward to help her with the door.

    ¡°Fourth Lady, you¡¯re back!¡± His tone sounded very respectful.

    Dongfang Liuyun got out of her car slowly and handed her car keys to the bodyguard. She subconsciously looked at the small square to the side of the mansion where the za was already densely packed with vehicles. Standing at the doorstep, she could already hear the faint sounds of congrattions and rejoice from the courtyard ahead.

    ¡°The fourthdy is here!¡± A shriek of surprise sounded. It was the housekeeper!

    ¡°Mr. Xavier,¡± Dongfang Liuyun greeted him indifferently, ¡°Are my parents here already?¡±

    ¡°Madam Song called earlier, iming that she has urgent matters to attend to in Singapore. President Gan said that he has a meeting with Yu Heng Corporation¡¯s President Sun at four in the afternoon, and he won¡¯t be back until around five, but I guess he should be here anytime soon,¡± Mr. Xavier replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back. The fifthdy told everybody that you¡¯ve returned here, but we found it hard to believe. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you haven¡¯t been back for many years, have you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation inside?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked while being greeted by a servant who handed her a wet towel. She then strode into the mansion while taking the towel to wipe her hands and giving it back casually.

    ¡°Almost all the guests are already here. Elder Madam also asked someone to bring back a gift for President Ren from abroad. We also heard that an important announcement will be made during this birthday banquet, so we were guessing that it might be about the marriage between the fifthdy and the young master of the Jin family.¡± The butler monitored Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression and lowered his voice while reporting.

 Chapter 1532 - Not A Simple Banquet (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1532: Not A Simple Banquet (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened, but her expression did not change. She replied indifferently, ¡°You also said it was a good thing, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°But, Fourth Lady...If you do that, you...¡±

    In the entire Dongfang Residence, Mr. Xavier was well aware of what was happening under the table, like undercurrents. Inparison with the congenial Dongfang Rouer, he actually looked up to the humility and maturity of the Fourth Lady and admired her capability.

    However, Dongfang Rouer was not that simple either. Dongfang Xin, her elder brother, along with Dongfang Yu, the son of the second brother, were both Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s strongest opponents and they had been fighting for the position. On the surface, they had been cordial all these years, but when the curtains were pulled back, it was like a battle to the death.

    ¡°Mr. Xavier, you¡¯re a smart person. In this family, you only need to mind your own business. You¡¯d better not pay too much attention to other matters, or you¡¯re the one who will suffer. Do you understand?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said as she stopped and turned to look at Mr. Xavier.

    Mr. Xavier was taken aback and he seemed to suddenly realize something. He quickly replied with a stiff expression, ¡°Yes, Fourth Lady. I¡¯ll be more careful. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Just remember, protecting yourself is what you should do and there¡¯s no point worrying about whatever is happening at home. You¡¯ve been with Grandpa for many years and I hope you can live a stable life,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said with a hint of mncholy in her voice.

    Mr. Xavier was an old man who had been with the old Master Dongfang for many years, and he had been extremely kind to him when he was still around. He was also very kind to Dongfang Liuyun, so he was one of the few people that she thought she could talk to in this house. In addition to that, she respected him.

    Mr. Xavier could certainly understand what Dongfang Liuyun was implying, so he responded, ¡°Fourth Lady, you¡¯re too kind. I know, but I¡¯m still a little worried about you...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. It¡¯s nothing. They should all be back by now, shouldn¡¯t they?¡± Dongfang Liuyun continued to walk forward as she asked.

    ¡°Yes, Master Xin and Master Yu are all back. President Ren and the rest are all in the lobby hosting the guests, but President Yi hasn¡¯t returned yet. The Second Lady has made several calls, but he didn¡¯t answer. There were noisesing from their homest night, and I think the couple got into an argument again. Third Lady wanted to stop them, but she identally cut her wrist on a broken vase, so they called a doctor over that night,¡± Mr. Xavier said as he lowered his voice.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard this, she sneered and said, ¡°It¡¯s about time they started arguing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Yi is having an affair with a young woman. I heard that the woman just graduated from university a few years ago and was a Masters student. She was in the marketing department before and had just been assigned to thepany¡¯s public rtions department...People were saying it¡¯s because of President Yi, thus the Second Lady argued with him because of this. However, she doesn¡¯t know much about that woman since all this information came from the detective agency...¡±

    Mr. Xavier was close to Dongfang Gan, and Song Siting trusted him too, so it was normal for him to know all these.

    ¡°Really? She still likes doing things like that as always,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said coldly. He could not tell what she meant from her tone.

    ¡°Fourth Lady...¡±

    ...

    On the stairs leading to the main hall of the old Dongfang house, the red carpet was rolled out all the way to the hall. Therge front yard was filled with flower baskets and decorated with colored balloons. Therge courtyard was lined with buffet tables on both sides, filled with all kinds of exquisite snacks and fine wines. A simple and elegant small stage was set up on the stairs in the front. On the small stage, a band was giving a live performance, and the ce was packed with guests. These guests included those who often appeared in magazines or newspapers, as well as those that were popr in the entertainment and fashion industry.

    Dongfang Liuyun had a general impression of these people. With the information she had obtained from Lan Xiu before, she also roughly knew who these people mingled with.

    Although she did not like attending a banquet like this, she had no other choice this time.

    Many of those who attended were young talents, trust fund babies, sessful entrepreneurs, or pretentious wealthy girls from rich families. Dongfang Liuyun had been ustomed to it since she was a child. In fact, events like these were essential to provide these people with opportunities to get to know each other. Therefore, each banquet might be a life-changing event for some people.

    Romantic Latin dance music echoed throughout the yard, and it was certainly fitting for the event. Many people went on the dance floor in front of the stage in pairs.

    Dongfang Liuyun slowly stopped in her tracks and stood at the end of the red carpet as she watched the scene indifferently. She looked around with her sharp gaze but did not see Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Rouer. She pondered for a while and lowered her eyes indifferently. She had no intention to go back into the house. Instead, she turned around and took a cup of warm water from the dining table beside her and found a quiet ce to sit down.

    At this very moment, a ck limousine was parked next to the New Era za.

    In the back seat of the car, Qi Lei was looking at theptop screen on hisp attentively. The faint blue light from the screen made his handsome face seem lonely. Yang Sheng was looking at him from the front passenger seat, not wanting to disturb him, but he took a deep breath and finally interrupted as he thought about the schedule, ¡°Master Qi, Dongfang Ren¡¯s birthday banquet should begin soon. He intends to work with us since they¡¯ve always wanted to get South River Project No. 1. I think it¡¯s good to make connections even if we don¡¯t work with him. We don¡¯t normally talk to the Dongfang family, but it¡¯s not a bad thing for us to be cordial with such a big family. In the future, maybe Miss Dongfang can also...¡± As Yang Sheng went on, the softer he spoke and in the end, he went silent...

    ¡°Go on,¡± Qi Lei said when he noticed that Yang Sheng had gone quiet.

    Yang Sheng took a deep breath and had to bite the bullet as he continued, ¡°Miss Dongfang may inherit the Dongfang Group in the future. However, all the deceit and deception in the Dongfang family may be hard on Miss Dongfang. I also feel that this birthday banquet¡¯s not that simple, or else someone like Miss Dongfang wouldn¡¯t have attended it. As far as I know, she rarely attends such asions...¡±

 Chapter 1533 - Not A Simple Banquet (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1533: Not A Simple Banquet (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng then carefully looked at Qi Lei again. When he saw that his expression remained calm as usual, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    He had been paying close attention to Dongfang Liuyun as ofte, especially after she was hospitalized. The private detectives had yet to give him an urate report, but Yang Sheng vaguely know about theplexities of the Dongfang family¡¯s internal matters, and it seemed the waters ran quite deep.

    Thus, he could not quite exin clearly what the situation on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s end was like.

    However, even he said that it was quite the storm over there, so would Master Qi go?

    After all, Master Qi never liked meddling in other people¡¯s business and was not willing to have dealings withplicated people. Yang Sheng did not know why he said it anyway...

    Nevertheless, a long while after Yang Sheng finished, Qi Lei did not answer. However, his gaze had already moved away from hisptop screen and he turned to look out of the car window. The sun was already setting outside and the warm twilight covered the entire ground.

    Qi Lei did not make a sound as he sat there quietly, and even when hisptop screen had dimmed, he did not realize it.

    Yang Sheng did not dare make a sound to disturb him.

    It felt as if a century had passed when his lowered and slightly raspy voice came through indistinctly, ¡°Let¡¯s return to the office.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, aren¡¯t we going over?¡± Yang Sheng asked a little nervously.

    Qi Lei did not answer. He just silently gathered his gaze and looked at theptop screen on hisp again.

    Yang Sheng dared not say anything else. He turned to hint at the chauffeur with his eyes before thetter quickly started the car and made their way to Tai Yu Corporation.

    Even though everything was on track, Qi Lei¡¯s work was not easy. Tai Yu Corporation was still very young while Qi Kai was a well-known listedpany and they had some inside information. Merging both of them together perfectly was not easy.

    Therefore, sometimes, Qi Lei would still need to spend some time handling disagreements. In the past few days, he had practically been resting in the office. With only those few hours of rest, Yang Sheng felt sad.

    The New Era za was not too far away from Tai Yu Corporation. It was only a 10-minute journey when there was no traffic jam.

    When they reached Tai Yu Corporation, Qi Lei suddenly said as he opened the car door to get down, ¡°Choose a gift to send over.¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could react, he walked straight into thepany building.

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    Instead, Yang Sheng was the one who could not quite react immediately. Only a while after he snapped back did he do as he was ordered.

    ...

    The sky gradually turned dark. After a couple of drinks, the people who were intoxicated on the dance floor continued to linger around. Dongfang Liuyun found a pir by the corner of the winding corridor to sit down and coldly watch all the happy faces chatting away. Her indifferent lips remained gently pursed though her gaze was filled with hostility.

    Dongfang Ren had walked out of the residence with thepany of his son, Dongfang Xin. He was standing out front and greeting the guests warmly while the table on the side was piled with gifts. Dongfang Ren seemed radiant, unable to hide his delight and happiness.

    He was only slightly older than Dongfang Gan and was slightly chubby although he looked very high in spirits. You could not quite see any shadow of Old Master Dongfang within him whereas his brows looked very much like their mother¡¯s when she was younger. Majestic in appearance, when they were younger, Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi were famous young heirs in the circle. Besidesing from a good family background, their looks were, in fact, rather outstanding too. Above all, they were admired by many upper-ss youngdies.

    Right now, Dongfang Ren was introducing his son, Dongfang Xin, to the influential people in the circle, and of course, some upper ss youngdies from decent family backgrounds.

    The youngest generation of the Dongfang family¡¯s direct line of descent were all not married, thus today¡¯s banquet was meant to be quite a lively one. Many people put their focus here because as long as they could catch either one of them, they would benefit greatly.

    The banquet seemed like it was about to begin. Upfront, Dongfang Ren was smiling as he took over the microphone that the host held. He made some conventional greetings earnestly and was nning to continue when there was suddenly amotion at the entrance that made everyone looked over.

    At the flower arch, a tall figure greeted their sight.

    The man dressed in a dark tailored suit had a handsome face and exuded an elegant aura while his eyes were profound as a deepke. His thin lips were pursed slightly, and there was a coldness about him, yet his appearance made everyone, especially the heiresses present...

    The First Master of the Jin family was Jin Sheng, the Jin family¡¯s most mighty and outstanding figure, and also the most likely sessor of the Jin family!

    His outstanding looks made one envious. Jin Sheng was no doubt every single youngdy¡¯s ideal partner. Many of them who wanted to befriend him only got a look of disdain. He rarely had any scandals about him. Apart from the recent talk about how he had been getting close to the Fifth Young Lady of the Dongfang family, Dongfang Rouer, and how they were suspected to be dating, you did not hear too many rumors about him.

    ¡°First Master Jin is here!¡±

    ¡°Quickly go in and call my sister toe out!¡±

    When Dongfang Xin saw Jin Sheng walk in, he quickly went up to him eagerly as he called for the servants to call Dongfang Rouer out. His meaning was actually quite obvious.

    ¡°Okay, First Master!¡± the servant replied, and then quickly turned around to walk into the residence.

    After a while, before the crowd could react, a graceful figure appeared. Everyone subconsciously looked over to see Dongfang Rouer¡¯s figure greet their sight.

    Dressed in an off-shoulder dress patterned with red-crowned cranes and adorning a dazzling diamond ne on her chest with her beautiful hair up in a bun to reveal that exquisitely beautiful face of hers, she looked noble and as holy as a goddess. Even though she looked slightly frail, that only made people feel a tenderness toward her.

    The main highlight of this birthday banquet was actually not Dongfang Ren but Dongfang Rouer.

    In the corner, Dongfang Liuyun, who leaned against the railing, watched all of this without a change in expression, but a faint curve shed on the corner of her lips. She lowered her gaze and continued sip the warm water.

    ¡°Rouer.¡± Jin Sheng who was greeting Dongfang Xin very quickly turned and looked at Dongfang Rouer tenderly.

    ¡°Ah Sheng, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Dongfang Rouer walked down the stairs elegantly and over to Jin Sheng.

    At this moment, Dongfang Ren smiled and walked over too. Jin Sheng averted his gaze and took a step forward.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Uncle Dongfang. May you always bask in the glory that you have today,¡± Jin Sheng wished simply, and then reached out to indicate for his assistant to present the gift.

 Chapter 1534 - 1533ç«  é¸¿é—¨å®´ï¼ˆäº”ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 1534: 1533ÕÂ ºèÃÅÑç£¨Îå£©</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Ren murmured her assent a few times and then got Dongfang Rouer to escort Jin Sheng in to rest. Dongfang Rouer held Jin Sheng¡¯s arm reservedly while he turned his head and smiled at her. The scene seemed to be implying something, which many people were already discussing.

    It seemed that the marriage between Dongfang Rouer and the young master of the Jin family was truly just around the corner, just by looking at those flirting winks between the couple.

    Dongfang Liuyun kept her indifferent gaze as she stared at the scene in front of her. She thought that as long as she attended the party and stood there in silence, her time at the banquet might pass by peacefully. However, her thoughts were obviously too simple. When the gloomy gaze of a man caught her eyes, she already knew the reason behind Dongfang Rouer¡¯s invitation.

    Jin Sheng was not some random individual. He was a figure that Dongfang Liuyun was familiar with, the man who almost became her fianc¨¦ before this, but their rtionship was not close. They had only had a few opportunities to meet each other in person. When Old Master Dongfang was still alive, he had been quite satisfied with him and had the intention to betroth Dongfang Liuyun to him. However, who knew that Fujiwara would have appeared?

    Fujiwara, Fujiwara...

    Thinking of the name, Dongfang Liuyun felt a tingling sensation in her head. Nevertheless, the stern gaze naturally dragged her back from the trance.

    Jin Sheng had always been a person in the spotlight at the banquet, so when he stopped and looked ahead, everybody in the courtyard naturally followed his gaze, including Dongfang Rouer, Dongfang Xin, and others...

    Despite being ced in the center of attention all of a sudden, Dongfang Liuyun did not feel nervous at all. Her cold and indifferent stare pierced through the crowd as she nced at Jin Sheng for a split second. Her gaze swept by swiftly and finally stopped on Dongfang Ren who was standing not far behind Jin Sheng.

    She finally took a step forward after a while, still holding the ss in her hand. The air around her seemed to have condensed suddenly, and everyone¡¯s gazes fell on her.

    Dressed in ck casual wear and a pair of sandals of the same color, her long straight hair cascaded down her shoulders and ended at her waist. As usual, she wore her cool-looking expression. However, despite the low profile and ordinary attire, she still attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    That had always been the case for her. She could always be the center of the spotlight just by standing in the crowd, and there had never been a need to dress up for it. However, it was a pity that she hardly attended such asions throughout the years, so not many people know her. The crowd started whispering, trying to figure her identity out.

    ¡°Fourth Sister is here!¡± Upon seeing that Dongfang Liuyun had already arrived in front of her, Dongfang Rouer smiled faintly as she tightened her grasp on Jin Sheng¡¯s arm, and her pretty eyes nced fixedly at the former. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te!¡±

    ¡°You delivered the invitation to my doorstep personally, so this is the least I could do. I don¡¯t n to wear the dunce hat for the second time, not to mention that it¡¯s Uncle¡¯s birthday, which is another reason for me to be here.¡± Dongfang Liuyun gave her a sideways nce, not even taking a glimpse at her tightening grasp on Jin Sheng¡¯s arm. She also could not care less about sparing them another gaze. She walked past them, holding a red brocade box in the other idle hand, and then handed it to Dongfang Ren.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Uncle,¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gentle and soft voice greeted.

    The crowd was taken aback at this moment. Everyone seemed to be able to get a hold of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s identity. Besides, her facial features did somewhat resemble those of Dongfang Gan, so there was almost no need to guess her identity.

    She must be Dongfang Liuyun, the gorgeous and the smart legendary archeologist of the family.

    Seeing her here today was a surprise, and meeting her in person left everyone in shock.

    Looking at the brocade box that Dongfang Liuyun presented in front of him, Dongfang Ren was stupefied at this moment. He had heard the news of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s return before this, but Rouer had actually invited her over to the banquet!

    After a while, he nodded and was about to reach out to receive the gift, but another arm came out of nowhere and beat his to it unexpectedly.

    Bang!

    Dongfang Liuyun felt like something shed by in front of her eyes, and she let go of the box when she saw the hand approaching the box. However, the hand loosened its grip abruptly, and a crisp and clear sound followed. Before she could make a sound, she subconsciously lowered her head and looked at it, only to find out that the brocade box had already fallen to the ground. Heralded by that brittle sound, it seemed that the contents of the box were...

    Dongfang Liuyun creased her brows subconsciously. A sh of pity beamed through her eyes, but her expression was still as calm as always.

    ¡°What¡¯s this? This was the case on my birthdayst time, and you¡¯re still doing it during your uncle¡¯s birthday. If you feel reluctant, you don¡¯t have toe. After all, you haven¡¯t taken care of the family on such asions over the years!¡± Before Dongfang Liuyun could make a sound, the cold and dissatisfied voice of the owner of the hand, which had been hanging in the air in front of her, had already shed through the whole hall.

    What a slippery trick! Dongfang Liuyun could almost know who it was without hazarding a guess!

    It was Dongfang Rouer¡¯s mother, Dongfang Ren¡¯s wife, Lin Yuanyuan. She was her aunt, a woman who excelled in pinning a person down without having to lift a finger of hers. Dongfang Liuyun had suffered a lot due to this woman.

    In her usual festive ck and red cheongsam, she emitted an imposing aura on her domineering face filled with fury. Looking at her and the scene that she had just created, Dongfang Liuyun almost thought that it was she who had dropped the brocade box at her feet.

    Dongfang Ren¡¯s expression dimmed as he squinted his eyes and red unconcernedly at Dongfang Liuyun.

    With an indifferent gaze, Dongfang Rouer witnessed the whole drama on the side. Meanwhile, Jin Sheng, who was standing next to her, constricted his pupils slightly and stared at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s fair face for a moment. Meanwhile, Dongfang Xin was getting ready for the show, just like everyone else.

    Who was Dongfang Liuyun?

    She had grown invulnerable to such farce over the years.

    Lin Yuanyuan was trying to show her who the boss was. Since Dongfang Liuyun was going to start working in the marketing department, and Lin Yuanyuan would be her superior in the department, how could she forget that?

    Dongfang Liuyun felt extremely inexpedient at this moment as she realized that her life would definitely not be easy in the future.

    She took a glimpse at Lin Yuanyuan indifferently before calmly bending down to pick up the brocade box on the ground. She then opened the box and found out that the jade Buddha statue had indeed shattered into pieces!

    Its value was in the millions, but that was a price they were willing to pay just to create a scene.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked down at the fragments in the brocade box and felt a painful bummer deep down, but she just sighed and closed the box. She handed it to the butler who had followed her there. Then, she raised her eyes to meet Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s unweing gaze.

 Chapter 1535 - 1534ç«  æˆ‘å¨¶ä½ !ï¼ˆä¸€ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 1535: 1534ÕÂ ÎÒÈ¢Äã£¡£¨Ò»£©</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She smiled faintly and took a step forward before whispering into Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s ear, ¡°You can only y dumb tricks like that. Don¡¯t you ever get tired using the same trick?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s face stiffened and a chill shed across her eyes as she red back at Dongfang Liuyun with a sharp, cold gaze!

    Lin Yuanyuan had always hated Dongfang Liuyun, but of course, much of her hatred for Dongfang Liuyun came from Song Siting.

    What was Song Siting like?

    She was a vicious woman who did not care about her own family. With the mere ability that she had, she had almost forced them to death. She was the reason why the formerly sessful Lin family ended up in such a downfall!

    She would never forget the time when she almost got on her knees and begged Song Siting, but the evil woman did not merely refuse to help her, but she had also ridiculed her. Later, the Lin family lost their power, and she gradually lost her status in the Dongfang family. Otherwise, it would not have been Dongfang Gan that inherited the family business!

    When Old Master Dongfang took into ount the strong background of Song Siting and Dongfang Shuman, he had to hand over thepany to Dongfang Gan.

    She always had such wishful thinking!

    Therefore, the aggravation Lin Yuanyuan felt was just how much she hated Song Siting and Dongfang Liuyun. Her intention of destroying this family of three had always been clear, but Song Siting was very smart. She was always cautious and alert, and it made her matchless. Although Dongfang Gan always looked calm and peaceful, he was not easy to deal with either. There was also Dongfang Liuyun, who was thoughtful and careful. She could always emerge safely out of challenges and would often defeat her opponents instead.

    All of these made Lin Yuanyuan feel a deep sense of frustration, and having to suppress it made her angry.

    Dongfang Liuyun certainly knew what she was thinking.

    She did not bother to look at Lin Yuanyuan anymore but red at Dongfang Rouer who was beside her. She turned slightly and kept her volume down so that only the people in front of her could hear her, ¡°I know you guys have put together a well-nned show for me, so now that I¡¯m back as you wish, how are you going to entertain me? Your mother can¡¯t wait to start plotting against me.¡±

    ¡°Fourth Sister, don¡¯t try to me this on me. You were the one who embarrassed me, so it¡¯s not my call to start a fight, is it?¡±

    Although Dongfang Rouer was weak, she was imposing. Despite lowering her voice, Jin Sheng, who was beside her, heard it clearly, and there seemed to be some deep meaning in his eyes. He immediately looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face.

    ¡°Do you mean I should save you some pride and wait until we get upstairs before starting our argument? I don¡¯t believe you¡¯d let such a good opportunity slip.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at her, and spoke softly so that only both of them could hear it, ¡°You should stop your plot right now. If you want to y your tricks on me, then I¡¯ll definitely fight you to the end. You¡¯ve always lost and I know you¡¯re upset. So, do you want to show off in front of me and crush me?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, she nced casually at the man next to Dongfang Rouer, only to see that he was staring at her in deep contemtion. His expression made Dongfang Liuyun silent for a moment.

    Undoubtedly, those words pained Dongfang Rouer. To many people, she was indeed congenial and loved, but in front of Dongfang Liuyun, she did not have the confidence because no one knew better about the grudges between them.

    Dongfang Rouer suddenly clenched her hands tightly and took a few breaths. She tried to control herself so that her repressed anger would not erupt.

    ¡°So what? No matter what, I¡¯m still better than you. A woman like you isn¡¯t favored by the Jin family, and if it weren¡¯t for your grandfather who protected you, you¡¯d already be a dishonorable woman by now. Why would you say that I¡¯ve lost now that Ah Sheng is about to get engaged to me?¡±

    There was a smirk on Dongfang Rouer¡¯s face, and she never needed to hide her true self in front of Dongfang Liuyun. If it were not for the special circumstances, she would not have been so polite to Dongfang Liuyun.

    A people-pleaser was what Dongfang Liuyun would describe Dongfang Rouer as.

    With goodmunication skills, she was a public rtions manager at a subsidiarypany of the Dongfang Group. She was good at using her delicate appearance and tactics to attract clients. Dongfang Liuyun did think she should at least admire her because of this, but...

    When Dongfang Rouer said this, she turned her head and gave Jin Sheng a gentle look. He also smiled quietly. They looked good together, and Dongfang Rouer thought that they looked conspicuous to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to seize this opportunity to share good news with everyone.¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Ren was already holding the microphone and there was another couple beside him. It was Jin Sheng¡¯s parents, and also Lin Yuanyuan who had joined them and was having a pleasant chat.

    When the crowd heard this, they snapped out of their daze. They found the situation a little inexplicable, but they did not have much time to think either because Dongfang Ren had already continued, ¡°My family, the Dongfangs, and the Jin family have decided toe together as one. Rouer and Ah Sheng have been together for many years, and the time has finallye. We¡¯ve discussed it and we n to hold an engagement ceremony for them the next month on the 8th of August. All of you are wee toe to witness the ceremony!¡±

    When Dongfang Ren said that, everyone was really surprised!

    Although they knew that Dongfang Rouer had a close rtionship with the Jin family, they did not expect the two to marry so quickly!

    Everyone was obviously shocked. The Dongfang family was very significant in the jewelry industry. In several foreign countries, they almost dominated the market. They were rich in wealth and were a powerful family consortium. Now that they were going to form an alliance with the Jin family, their influence would certainly change drastically.

    But why was Dongfang Rouer getting married instead of Dongfang Liuyun?

    Something interesting seemed to be happening!

    Before this, there had been rumors that Dongfang Gan¡¯s daughter, the mysterious Dongfang Liuyun who was well known in City Z, was going to marry into the Jin family, but that was many years ago. Some of the elders present had also heard about the rumors years ago, and they vaguely remembered that on old Master Dongfang¡¯s birthday, the old guy seemed to have announced that before although it was not as formal as it was now...

 Chapter 1536 - I Will Marry You! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1536: I Will Marry You! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they thought about this, they could not help but turn to look at Dongfang Liuyun who stood on the side. Those eyes kept looking back and forth at Dongfang Liuyun, the Jin husband and wife, Jin Sheng, and Dongfang Rouer. Naturally, they could easily catch that the Jin husband and wife were ring at Dongfang Liuyun not too happily.

    The crowd could not help but suspect that it was Dongfang Liuyun who had made them unhappy.

    As Dongfang Rouer lowered her gaze and held tightly onto Jin Sheng, no one could see through her.

    At this point, Dongfang Liuyun could basically guess Dongfang Rouer¡¯s thoughts. She just wanted to dampen Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s spirits, but sadly, she did not know about the truth back then. If she did, all of this meticulous nning today would just be a joke!

    At the thought of this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold and outstanding face shed with a smile as she looked meaningfully towards Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rouer. Jin Sheng¡¯s gaze sank.

    ¡°I wish you two the best of luck.¡±

    Amidst the crowd¡¯s long apuse, Dongfang Liuyun lifted her ss of water slightly and smiled calmly. Just as she turned around and was about to leave, her calm tone sounded hostile. ¡°Next time, if you want to make me look bad, use a smarter trick. You know I don¡¯t care about these things.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t? Why do I hear jealousy in your words then?¡± Ling Yuanyuan¡¯s voice was heard once again.

    ¡°She¡¯s still thinking of the Fujiwara family. After all, I heard that Fujiwara has a fianc¨¨ now.¡±

    ...

    Although Dongfang Liuyun squinted, her eyes dank and her expression remained calm and unchanged. She was about to say something when suddenly someone called out ¡®President Gan¡¯ from behind, and then after that, she heard her father call out her name.

    She abruptly turned around and realized that Dongfang Gan had already walked up to her.

    ¡°Father,¡± Dongfang Liuyun quickly greeted Dongfang Gan softly.

    ¡°You¡¯re back. Why didn¡¯t you wait for me to bring you over?¡± Dongfang Gan¡¯s tone was filled with concern. His calm gaze looked towards Dongfang Liuyun as he sized her up. When he saw that she was fine, he averted his gaze while Dongfan Ren and the rest had walked up to him.

    ¡°Third Brother, you¡¯re back.¡± It was Dongfang Ren who had spoken.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s gaze fell silent for a moment. He looked at Dongfang Ren, then turned to look at the Jin family who stood aside with Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rouer. Darkness shed in his eyes as he could naturally read the family¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Brother,¡± Dongfang Gan said, then nced at his assistant, Ah Fei. Ah Fei swiftly handed a heavy gift box over to Dongfang Ren.

    ¡°Third Brother, you¡¯re too kind now. There¡¯s no need for this, we¡¯re family.¡±

    ¡°Gifts are still necessary. But Sister-inw¡¯s hands aren¡¯t too sturdy, so let them take it first. Otherwise, unnecessary misunderstandings will arise. This time, Liuyun wasn¡¯t quick enough that she couldn¡¯t catch it in time. Thest time, Ah Ting was swifter. Otherwise, all these well wishes will go to waste.¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at Lin Yuanyuan beside Dongfang Ren, but thetter¡¯s expression suddenly sank, appearing rather repugnant. She just silently lowered her gaze and gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Just a misunderstanding. Your sister-inw hasn¡¯t been doing too well recently. I¡¯m sorry, Liuyun. It¡¯s fine. Quickly go in and have a seat.¡±

    ...

    After the wholemotion, Dongfang Liuyun naturally lost her mood. Actually, if Dongfang Gan did note, she might not have nned to be petty with these people. She was going to join thepany as a newbie soon. If she were to really take over the Dongfang Group when the time came, there would be many who would not be convinced by her, and she could no longer do as she pleased in many situations.

    Now that she thought about it, she did feel a little affected, but it seemed like there was nothing she could do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to leave. If you don¡¯t like banquets like these, thene sit with me in my study. There are a few people I wanted you to meet anyway.¡±

    On the balcony by the living area on the second floor, he saw that Dongfang Liuyun stood alone by the railing while watching the guests walk about below. Dongfang Gan left the guests around him and went over.

    When she heard the voice, Dongfang Liuyun turned to look and saw that Dongfang Gan had already stopped beside her and followed her gaze to look below.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Mother won¡¯t be around for the next few days, so I¡¯ll go home and stay with you for a day or two,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly.

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Gan easily smiled. ¡°That would be best. As for the thing earlier, Mr. Xavier told me about it. Don¡¯t take it to heart. These people are shortsighted, and they can¡¯t change no matter how many years it takes. In time toe, what you¡¯ll have to face isn¡¯t them, but...¡±

    ¡°I know, Father. I don¡¯t care about them either,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly as she lifted her head to finish her ss of water. She set the ss on the flower pot beside. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, ¡°If they arebined in marriage with the Jin family, will that mean a lot of pressure for you, Father?¡±

    As she said this, Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at Dongfang Gan. Her gaze was sharp.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes darkened slightly, but his voice did not seem to reveal too much emotion. ¡°Naturally, there will be pressure.¡±

    ¡°When Mother came looking for me before this, she told me about it. I do notice the pressure that you two feel, plus the fact that it hasn¡¯t been too peaceful recently, and we don¡¯t know how much more Grandmother¡¯s health can keep up. Even though you¡¯ve been the acting President all these years, they haven¡¯t stopped pressuring you on the sly.¡±

    ¡°Where there are benefits, there will be struggle. You¡¯ll get used to this in time. I know what you¡¯re trying to say too. To live in such a huge family like this is unfortunate. I do hope that you¡¯ll be able to live a happier life in time. That¡¯s why I¡¯m hoping that you can have a good marriage thatsts till the very end to make up for all that you¡¯ve lost. So, no matter what it is, I¡¯m willing to go with your choice. You don¡¯t have to care about what your mother says. With me around, you¡¯ll definitely be making your own decisions when ites to your marriage.¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at his daughter with a gaze filled with tender affection.

    He knew all too well what he was about to face. He really did not want Liuyun to bear these unhappiness and stress from life. Otherwise, life would be meaningless, then what would be the point?

    He was quite lucky. Although he needed to bear those things, he did not want to. At least, he had a wife who loved him back, and a daughter like Liuyun who made him proud and happy. But right now Dongfang Liuyun still had nothing...

    ¡°I¡¯m obviously happy that you are so supportive of me, but clearly with this family, we can¡¯t just get what we want because we think that way.¡±

 Chapter 1537 - I Will Marry You! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1537: I Will Marry You! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Okay, now don¡¯t think too much. Even if something were to happen, I¡¯ll still be here sharing the burden.¡± Dongfang Gan raised his arm and patted Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shoulder while offering his weighty but earnest advice, ¡°However, you¡¯re way past the optimal age for marriage. You should start to take things more seriously, but you should search slowly. There¡¯s no need to rush. You¡¯ll definitely end up with your Mr. Right.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my only daughter. I worry that no one will be there to take care of you when your mother and I grow old. So, before both of us reach that point, I certainly hope that you can find a man who suits you and to whom I can safely entrust my daughter¡¯s happiness. A huge family like ours is nowhere near better than others. The circle is just tooplicated. You have to keep your eyes wide open. As for those incidents in the past, let¡¯s just not think about it, okay?¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s deep tone was full of concern. He was very sentimental, and it somehow made Dongfang Liuyun feel a little embittered deep down, but she just took a breath as she suppressed the sour difort in her throat and nodded.

    ¡°I have news for you. Fujiwara will arrive in Z City next Saturday. You should know that the Fujiwara family owns quite a few branches over here, so if he¡¯s here to deal with theirpany¡¯s agenda, I¡¯m afraid that he might be staying here for quite a long time. I think you should understand what this is about.¡±

    Having said that, Dongfang Gan took a good look at Dongfang Liuyun. Seeing that there was still no response on her beautiful face, he finally sighed. ¡°Your mother has always liked Fujiwara, but it¡¯s up to you. Still, be careful. He¡¯s not a man to be trifled with. How long has it been since he started to have a thing for you? Ten years?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember, but no matter how long has it been, it¡¯s already reached the end.¡± Dongfang Liuyun retracted her gaze and turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll go back tomorrow. I¡¯m going out for some air.¡±

    Such a conversation made her feel suffocated because she knew her situation too well. Her options were always pathetically limited.

    ¡°Liuyun...¡± Dongfang Gan wanted to stop her, but her silhouette had disappeared at the stairwell.

    ...

    It hurt!

    Dongfang Liuyun had just exited the door and was about to walk to her car when excruciating pain from her stomach made her frown. Her face turned pale instantly while her forehead started perspiring a little. At that moment, she held onto the car door with one hand and pressed against her stomach with the other.

    Given the level of pain, even a mere breath would lead to oppressive suffocation.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, are you okay?¡± A familiar voice rang out, and before she could react, a pair of strong arms had already held on to her and supported her.

    She took in a deep, cold breath as she turned her head around to look, only to realize that it was Yang Sheng.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Help me grab my medicine. It¡¯s in the car. Thank you,¡± Dongfang Liuyun moved her body slightly and said weakly.

    ¡°Alright, okay, just a second. I¡¯ll grab them for you right away.¡± Yang Sheng opened the car door to go through all the contents of the car. He found the medicine and gave it to Dongfang Liuyun. She then took a pill and felt better after a while.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun thanked him again. Yang Sheng was about to say something, but the phone in her pocket vibrated suddenly. She took it out and saw that it was Lan Xiu calling. She thought about it for a while and then answered.

    ¡°Liuyun? How was it? Did they embarrass you?¡± Lan Xiu¡¯s deep and hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone call and a hint of concern could be sensed between his words.

    As Dongfang Liuyun paused for a split second, her eyes lit up and flickered. She then said, ¡°Can you meet me? Let¡¯s meet at the New Era za, right next to the musical fountain. I¡¯ll wait for you there.¡± She hung up immediately after conveying the message, enduring the faint paining from her stomach while she got into the car directly.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, you¡¯re not feeling well. You shouldn¡¯t be driving, Miss Dongfang!¡± Yang Sheng wanted to catch up to her, but she had already started the car.

    He could not help but feel anxious. Looking at the pallid face of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s just now, it was a no-brainer to him that it must be...

    After giving it a thought, he could only take out the cell phone from his pocket and dial a number swiftly.

    Of course, the call went directly to Qi Lei, who was still busy in the office.

    ...

    Half an hourter, at the New Era za.

    The sky had gone dark and silent. The streetlights around the za were lit up, and there were not many people in the center of the square. Maybe it was just time for dinner.

    Dongfang Liuyun endured the faint pain and pulled the car aside. Soon, she saw a ck luxury sedan parked in front of hers. The license te number was naturally familiar since it was Lan Xiu¡¯s car.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Lan Xiu¡¯s voice came from the front when she just got out of the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up and saw him standing beside the car in front of her.

    In light-colored casual wear and a pair of sneakers, he looked like he was at a racetrack or a golf course. After all, these two sports were Lan Xiu¡¯s favorite. Besides, Dongfang Liuyun had always been aware of Lan Xiu¡¯s habits, he would spend some time exercising during the weekends, especially at this time.

    ¡°Did I disturb you?¡± Dongfang Liuyun closed the car door and walked towards the bench beside her while Lan Xiu followed suit and sat down next to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, but you did call me out in a hurry. What¡¯s the matter? Did Dongfang Ren do something to you again?¡± Lan Xiu asked out of concern.

    ¡°They won¡¯t be able to plot against me that easily, but I just learned from my dad that Fujiwara ising over next weekend.¡± Her faint voice pierced through the still air, and her eyebrows frowned slightly while her back was already drenched with cold sweat.

    Lan Xiu listened and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I just got the news. At first, I wanted to tell you tomorrow, but it seems that Uncle Dongfang¡¯s eyes and ears are very efficient too.¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Rouer and Jin Sheng will get engaged on the eighth of next month.¡± His eyes froze for a while when the news hit him. He then sucked a breath in. ¡°If that¡¯s so, you...¡±

    ¡°My grandma is someone who always focuses on the big picture. She had the courage to marry my grandpa, andter on, take over the whole Dongfang Group from him. You can see her means from all that. Back then, while my father married my mother, both families were never considered equal in both their financial and social status, and because of that, my mother has been trying her best to prove herself. Therefore, the rtionship between grandma and my father has been rather rigid. I really don¡¯t want to relive such tragedy.¡± Having said this, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly turned her head and looked at Lan Xiu quietly.

    A gloomy light shed across Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes. His body stiffened a little, and he stared fixedly at Dongfang Liuyun. However, when he saw the determination and despair in her eyes, his heart sank once again.

    ¡°Liuyun, do you like me, or do you love me?¡± While he threw the question, his palms, which were ced on his knees, were silently clenched.

 Chapter 1538 - I Will Marry You! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1538: I Will Marry You! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun was startled when she heard that, and there was a hint of reluctance in her eyes for a moment.

    She could not give him an answer.

    Lan Xiu looked at her as she remained quiet. His eyes gradually darkened and he broke into a smile. However, his smile seemed deste. He was silent for a while and he finally continued, ¡°You¡¯ve never had feelings for me and you don¡¯t love me, so it¡¯ll be unfair to force ourselves to do it.¡±

    ¡°I just want you to remember that no matter what, I¡¯ll always be there for you, Dongfang Liuyun. We will always be each other¡¯s confidant, and that¡¯s enough...¡± Lan Xiu said. Although he sounded lonely, saying so made him feel better.

    Lan Xiu had always been very clear about his feelings and admiration towards Dongfang Liuyun, but a woman like her might not choose someone like him. Forcing her would only change the rtionship between them, or he might even lose her...

    He would do anything for the person he loved, which was her, and only for her. However...

    When Dongfang Liuyun saw Lan Xiu¡¯s gloomy expression, she forced a smile and turned to look at the fountain beside her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lan Xiu. It was just wishful thinking, and I shouldn¡¯t drag you into it. I never thought about using you. It¡¯s just...¡±

    She did not go on. Even after a long wait, Dongfang Liuyun did not continue.

    ¡°No, Liuyun, it¡¯s not wishful thinking. I just hope that we can be more cautious. Sometimes, when things change, they can never go back. No matter where you go, you¡¯ll always be the closest person to me...¡±

    ¡°Just like a brother?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked as she turned to look at him.

    Lan Xiu paused for a while, but he nodded and smiled bitterly. ¡°Yes, just like a brother and a sister. But besides that, we¡¯ve still been best friends for many years, and nothing will change the rtionship between us. In the years toe, we¡¯ll still be the same. That¡¯s what I hope for.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun listened, she suddenly fixed her gaze and stared at him in a daze. After staring at him for a long time, she looked away and sighed. ¡°I understand. There¡¯s no need to exin. I understand your intentions, and I know I¡¯m very fortunate. Anyway, you should go back first. I need some time alone.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...¡± Lan Xiu whispered, ¡°No matter what, I wish you happiness, but I can¡¯t...marry you. Forgive my selfishness because I¡¯m afraid that once I marry you, I¡¯ll lose you forever...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not reply, but she seemed to have calmed down a little. ¡°Then, let¡¯s stay just like this. Now, go back and let me have some time alone. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, you...¡± Lan Xiu could not conceal the worry in his dark eyes. He looked at her silently and stopped in his tracks.

    ¡°Go back,¡± she repeated calmly as she closed her eyes and leaned back quietly without saying anything.

    Lan Xiu looked at her for a long time and finally sighed. ¡°Things may not be as bad as you think. At least, Uncle Dongfang won¡¯t force you to marry Fujiwara.¡±

    However, Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. She simply closed her eyes and sat quietly.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re in a bad mood, Liuyun, but I hope you can be more sensible, and there¡¯ll always be a way. I¡¯ll head back first, and I¡¯lle to meet you again when you feel better. You must take care of yourself. Call me if there¡¯s anything, okay?¡± Lan Xiu said before he headed to his car. He looked at her worriedly for a while, but in the end, he sighed and drove away.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard the sound of his car driving away, she slowly opened her eyes and watched the silhouette of the car leaving until it disappeared in the traffic ahead. She continued watching it in a daze for a long time before finally looking away.

    The pain from her stomach suddenly felt apparent when it was quiet. The surroundings suddenly became dead silent, and the stillness felt oddly suffocating.

    She thought she should be able to live more freely, and she had almost forgotten the life she would be forced to live in the future.

    She did not want to be trapped in this bubble. Many people in her family had been sacrificed, but she had tried hard to break away from this fate. However, human beings were infinitely small in the face of fate, and she was no exception.

    She did not dare to imagine her own future. The future she could foresee was probably the same as her aunt, Dongfang Xue...

    Her heart felt heavy thinking about it, and that was why she was never one who liked to dream and be reminiscent.

    Shebed through her silky hair with her fingers. Finally, she covered her face with her hands and crouched down. All she wanted was to capture the tranquillity of this moment...

    However, there seemed to be a faint fresh scent from the evening breeze and it smelled familiar. Before she knew it, there were footstepsing from her front at a steady pace. She moved her hands away slightly and saw a pair of bright, clean leather shoes standing in front of her.

    Her gaze froze for a moment and then followed the man¡¯s trousers up until she saw the calm, handsome face in front of her.

    Qi Lei?

    ¡°Why¡¯re you here?¡±

    She could not hide the surprise in her eyes as her gaze met his deep eyes.

    He seemed rxed with one hand in his pocket and the other in his suit. He was looking at her and was relieved when he saw her expression slowly at ease.

    ¡°That man isn¡¯t that great. If you want to get married, why don¡¯t you consider me?¡± Qi Lei said earnestly as he looked at her and pondered for a long time.

    When Qi Lei said that, Dongfang Liuyun was startled and did not know how to react. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she looked at him quietly. ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°I said, if you¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll marry you! Anyway, I¡¯ve always had feelings for you. I¡¯d be ted if the story in the game cane true. Also, I think I¡¯m better than that man just now, so if you have to, you should consider me first!¡±

 Chapter 1539 - Marrying Not For Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1539: Marrying Not For Love (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s words were no doubt like arge rock that had been dropped into the peacefulke, instantly startling it into many great waves.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand thatid by her side suddenly clenched tightly as she looked at him. Moments after that, she lowered her gaze as she said calmly, ¡°Did you hear what I said earlier?¡±

    ¡°Without a word left out, I heard it very clearly,¡± Qi Lei admitted frankly.

    He had actually reached earlier than Dongfang Liuyun and had just gotten down the car when he saw her car arrive. Unexpectedly, someone from the car in front of him got down, so he sat down on a bench not too far away and heard the two discussing this.

    He was not dumb either. From their conversation, he could vaguely catch a thing or two. From a certain perspective, it seemed like Dongfang Liuyun wanted to get married to this man, but he had rejected her and even said a bunch of nonsense.

    For some reason, even Qi Lei himself got furious hearing those words. If he did not want to marry her, then so be it. Why did he have to drag out so many excuses that were all nonsense!?

    However, he began to feel sorry for Dongfang Liuyun.

    The Dongfang Liuyun he knew had always seemed so aloof and otherworldly. He never thought that she would be bothered by these matters too. That meant that all her free and easyposure from before once everything else had settled down was...

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun looked straight at him and said in a calm tone, ¡°Since we¡¯re allies and friends, keep this secret for me. I want to die with dignity.¡±

    It seemed as if there were no more of that bleakness from before. Was she trying to change the topic?

    Qi Lei was not going to give her the chance to.

    ¡°Answer my question earlier. I¡¯m proposing to you, Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    There was some determination between his brows as his gaze was locked onto Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re quitepatible, don¡¯t you think? Whether it¡¯s in the game or in life.¡±

    When Qi Lei finished, Dongfang Liuyun asked, ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡±

    Her clear gaze was filled with a calm and seriousness like never before. ¡°You¡¯ll need to suffer a lot of stress if you marry me. Even I¡¯m worried I won¡¯t have the courage to. Besides, even if we really get married, I can¡¯t guarantee that I won¡¯t use you.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Qi Lei only smiled and tossed his coat onto herp. His intentions were clear while his dark eyes flickered. ¡°The wind is quite chilly here. Put this on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the right to use me openly then since I¡¯ve just been living life alone anyway. You¡¯re my ally, and you even bear the title of my wife in the game. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to turn something fake into reality.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was filled with sincerity. When Dongfang Liuyun looked at him, she tried hard to catch something from his eyes, but she realized that this time, she could not read any of his emotions at all.

    ¡°The game is just a game, and reality is reality. After all, you¡¯re my friend, and I don¡¯t want to...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about wanting to or not. You should choose me even more actually because...I¡¯ve got nothing to lose. Although reality is reality, my face is like Eastern Gust in the game. I¡¯m all alone in the world, so I don¡¯t have that many worries.¡±

    Now that he said that, Dongfang Liuyun was quite speechless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate too long. Tai Yu Corporation seems to need ady boss to hold the fort down too. I¡¯ll feel assured with you taking this spot. If you¡¯ll feel better knowing that, that¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to know.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t love each other, and we aren¡¯t a harmonious couple. We¡¯re both too rational.¡± Dongfang Liuyun lowered her gaze and said slightly bitterly, ¡°I admit that the pressure from my family¡¯s making it a little suffocating. I never thought of sacrificing my marriage to get any so-called benefits. You should know that this is the bottom line I have for my life.¡±

    ¡°That way...Well, how about this? If you meet someone you like in the future, as long as you say it, I will let you go any time. However, please do keep at it for at least a year or two. That way, everyone can settle down a little,¡± Qi Lei suggested with a smile, yet his eyes contained some bleakness.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take such a huge advantage of you. At least, I wouldn¡¯t do that with you,¡± she responded while her smile hid a hint of helplessness.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, apany me for a few more years then. Who knows? After we get married, we might just go on with our days and find ourselves with a lifetime.¡±

    The corner of Qi Lei¡¯s lips was decorated with his devilish smile that had not been seen for a long while now. He watched her and then looked up to survey around before he said, ¡°Wait here for me.¡±

    Then, his tall figure walked past her and went towards the center of the za.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a look at him and then took a deep breath. Her fingers slowlybed through her beautiful long hair as she massaged her temples. The pain in her stomach seemed to have reduced. When she felt the chill attack, she pulled the coat closer and briefly put it over her shoulders.

    After a few minutes, Qi Lei returned with a huge bouquet in his arms.

    They were not blooming red roses but a bouquet of cape jasmines that seemed a little more refreshing and elegant, unlike those beautifully alluring red roses. Qi Lei liked this flower.

    He carried the bouquet of flowers and walked up to Dongfang Liuyun before handing it to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get married, not for love, but for an alliance. We can still be like we are in the game. I¡¯ll let you have my back and you can safely let me have your back. Don¡¯t reject me. I¡¯m afraid of losing face too. If you reject me, I¡¯ll have tomit seppuku.[1]¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were filled with earnestness whilst his tone was exceptionally solemn too. Dongfang Liuyun actually felt quite moved by this.

    She was not one to admit that she was moved, and she rarely epted the good intentions of others, but right now, after hearing Qi Lei¡¯s words, she had to admit that she felt grateful for him. At least, in such an embarrassing state, he had stepped up for her.

    He was a good partner, a goodrade, and an ally...

    She looked down at therge bouquet of cape jasmine. In that instant, she could feel the faint warmth flowing through her heart, but she only gave him a lonely smile. ¡°Thank you. I know you have good intentions, but you¡¯re finally living some peaceful days now. I hope that you¡¯ll live well. I¡¯m not a good person and I have my ws too. We...¡±

    ¡°Do you have someone you like?¡± Qi Lei frowned and asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun calmly shook her head.

    ¡°Then, what are you hesitating for? It¡¯s me. Here, catch this.¡±

 Chapter 1540 - Marrying Not For Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1540: Marrying Not For Love (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as he finished speaking, and before Dongfang Liuyun could respond, he had already stuffed the bouquet in his hand directly into her arms.

    Dongfang Liuyun received the bouquet subconsciously, thus it did not fall right to the ground. However, at this moment, she stared at Qi Lei profoundly. He had a smile on his face. ¡°This is it. Don¡¯t think too much. Just take it as an alliance. You¡¯ll know more about it from now on.¡±

    ¡°But from what I¡¯ve listened so far, this whole thing sounds a lot like a trap that you¡¯ve set up especially for me.¡± Dongfang Liuyun nced down at the bouquet in her arms before raising her eyes to gaze at him.

    ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯re wee to name your terms,¡± ??Qi Lei said generously.

    ¡°But marrying me won¡¯t do you any good.¡±

    ¡°Whether there are any benefits, that¡¯s up to me to decide,¡± he replied while staring at her fixedly, ¡°Hesitating? Hmm, that¡¯s so not you. We¡¯ve known each other for so long. Have you thought of me as someone who takes advantage of my friend?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gazed at him without uttering a single word. Sshe took a light breath after a while, leaned back into the chair behind her, and looked up at the bright half-moon in the sky until her eyes were dry. After a while, she stood up slowly all of a sudden, bowing her head. She sniffed the bouquet in her arms, then walked forward without looking at Qi Lei.

    ¡°Thank you, Qi Lei! You¡¯re a good person, and I¡¯m very touched. Marrying me may not provide you with happiness, but I¡¯ll do my best. As for your proposal, I¡¯ll ept that kindness of yours. I¡¯ll go directly to your office at three in the afternoon and wait for you downstairs, and I¡¯ll call you beforehand, so remember to bring your documents along. Of course, we still have one whole night to think about whether we should start such a marriage...¡± Her gentle and faint voice traveled in the air and was soon brought away by the cold breeze.

    A faint beam shed across Qi Lei¡¯s eyes while he watched as the slender figure get into the car, ignite the engine, and leave...

    ...

    The car rushed towards the Beach Vi District.

    In the driver¡¯s seat, Dongfang Liuyun was driving silently. Light jazz music was being yed in the background in the car, and in the front passenger seaty the gigantic bouquet that Qi Lei had just given to her.

    She took a deep breath, stopped the car, and waited for the next green light ahead. She turned her head and nced at the bouquet of cape jasmine while waiting. The pure, bright white petals were quivering gently in the night wind. She then fell into a trance, and Qi Lei¡¯s voice repeated in her head, ¡°Let¡¯s get married, not for love, but for an alliance. We can still be like we were in the game. I¡¯ll let you have my back, and you can safely let me have yours...

    ¡°After we get married, we might just go on with our days and find ourselves with a lifetime

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll marry you!¡±

    ...

    For a moment, she suddenly felt that her eyes were scorched and dry...

    A conversation between Lan Qi and her came to her mind abruptly.

    ¡°Liuyun, some people are destined to be lonely, just like you and me. Will we keep being like this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I might.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Maybe you¡¯ll find someone who treats you sincerely in the future. As for that person, I hope he can tolerate you. I also hope that he will be the person to whom you can entrust your back with and vice versa.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a game.¡±

    ¡°Life is a game and you have keen insight. You¡¯ll surely find that person.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not lucky enough, so maybe I won¡¯t have that honor.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the other person is the lucky one who¡¯ll run into you.¡±

    ...

    All the scenes began to reappear in front of her eyes until the green light ahead lit up. Only then did Dongfang Liuyun recover from her trance. She quickly started the car after being honked at by the car from behind.

    She could not help but sigh deeply as she forced the warm sensation in her eyes back. With a few blinks, she turned her head to the side and took another nce at the bouquet.

    The cell phone next to her rang suddenly, so she lowered the volume of the music in the car before picking up the phone. She took a glimpse at the caller ID and found out that it was Qi Lei. After a thought, she then hit the ¡®ept¡¯ button.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go over and pick you up at two in the afternoon. You should rest early.¡±

    She paused for a split second, then responded, ¡°Okay.¡± She hung up after the reply...

    ...

    The night was destined to be an extraordinary night. After putting away his phone, there was not much change in Qi Lei¡¯s expression. It seemed that the things he had said and done tonight were totally normal, but...

    Marriage...

    It was a phrase that should be very foreign to him originally, but now it became so real all of a sudden.

    He drove straight back to the Grand Lake Vi District and took afortable bath. After that, he got some sleep and waited for the arrival of the next day.

    Compared to Qi Lei, Dongfang Liuyun was equally calm. She did some cleaning up after arriving home, took her medicine, and went straight to bed. She was a little exhausted and wanted to have a good rest since there were many things that she would have to deal with after this.

    The night seems to have be infinitely short. In Grand Lake Vi District, Qi Lei felt that he had not slept for long, but the corner of the dark sky had already been lifted. He got out of bed when he vaguely saw the first rays of the dawn sun shining in through the French windows.

    He got into a clean suit after freshening himself up. Then, he went downstairs, nning to make himself a delicious breakfast. However, Yang Sheng was already there with breakfast.

    ¡°Master Qi, your schedule for the day is as follows: a joint meeting with the Commerce and Marketing departments at nine sharp in the morning. President Wang of the Wang Corporation will being over to discuss matters about the game development at eleven. After that, you¡¯ll be having lunch with President Wang. At three in the afternoon, you¡¯ll be going to¡ª¡± Yang Sheng started reporting Qi Lei¡¯s itinerary to him while he was enjoying his breakfast elegantly.

    However, Qi Lei cut him off before he could finish the whole report, ¡°Keep the morning¡¯s itinerary and cancel everything in the afternoon for me. I¡¯m going out.¡±

    ¡°Cancel? But the person-in-charge wanted to...¡±

    ¡°You can get Vice President Wang and the others to arrange for it. I have something to attend to. Also, go up to my study and bring me the document folder ced on the third row of the second bookshelf,¡± Qi Lei lowered his gaze and ordered.

    ¡°Master Qi...Oh, okay, I¡¯m on it now.¡± Yang Sheng wanted to ask something at first, but upon seeing Qi Lei lower his head and continuing to enjoy his breakfast, he took back his words and went upstairs to retrieve the folder.

    The folder was used to store all of Qi Lei¡¯s papers such as his identity cards or passport, and Yang Sheng had always been taken care of it, so he was familiar with it.

    However, what would Master Qi need these for?

    He still could not understand after thinking about it for a long time, so he did not continue to specte and brought the folder downstairs.

    At this moment, Qi Lei had finished his breakfast. He then took a few sips of tea, got up, and exited the house as soon as he saw Yang Shenging down.

 Chapter 1541 - Hi, Missus! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1541: Hi, Missus! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng clearly felt that Master Qi was different today. He seemed to be more energetic and his footsteps were lighter to the extent that Yang Sheng even needed to walk briskly to keep up.

    ¡°Master Qi, there was a call from the hospital yesterday. They said that President Qi¡¯s physical examination report is finally out. All the indicators are normal and there¡¯s no sign of muscle atrophy. The blood clots in his head are slowly receding and his condition is stable. He may have to undergo a head examination in the next few days so that Chief Liang and the others can arrange a specific treatment n for him,¡± Yang Sheng told him the news that he received yesterday.

    Qi Lei was silently looking out of the car window. When he heard that, his eyshes fluttered as he said, ¡°Check our schedule. Pay close attention to the situation at the hospital, and please visit Weier more often. If she still can¡¯ t settle down there, let¡¯s bring her back.¡±

    As he said this, he suddenly thought about the scene right before Qi Feng left and felt his heart ache. He clenched his fists slightly and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Miss Weier? Master Qi, don¡¯t worry. When I went there to deliver some things two days ago, Miss Xiaye said that Weier¡¯s doing well, and Master Mu¡¯s been teaching her well too. He personally apanied her to school the other day so that she could talk to the teacher herself about the change in seat arrangements, and Miss Weier actually got the change done. Based on Miss Xiaye¡¯s tone, she must really like Miss Weier and Master Xiaorui. They¡¯re getting along very well,¡± Yang Sheng briefly told him about Qi Weier.

    ¡°She¡¯s from the Qi family after all. I trust her to be under Xiaye¡¯s care, but when she grows up, I¡¯ll try tomunicate with her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! By the way, the documents you went to notarize before are done, and you need to ask Miss Weier...¡±

    ¡°No need. Leave it first. When Weier reaches adulthood, she¡¯ll be eligible to inherit those things, so it¡¯s not toote to tell her then.¡±

    He did not want the tragedy that befell Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha to repeat, so he must care more about Qi Weier. With parents like Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, she should grow up healthy, should she not?

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi.¡±

    When Yang Sheng turned his head to look, Qi Lei had already turned his head and looked out of the car window.

    ...

    It was almost afternoon and the sun was scorching hot with heat lingering in the air.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s car slowly drove through the entrance of Glory World Corporation.

    As soon as the car door was opened, someone addressed her.

    ¡°Missus!¡± the guard greeted her respectfully.

    Xi Xiaye handed over the car key and nodded. ¡°Just park the car at the za in front. Is President Mu back?¡±

    ¡°President Mu just got back, Missus.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded and walked in.

    At Mu Yuchen¡¯s office, he was sitting at the desk while looking through and reviewing a document in his hand with a serious expression.

    However, just as he was reading attentively, he suddenly felt something tugging on his trousers. Before he could respond, he heard a childish voice saying, ¡°Dada...Dada...¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze, and sure enough, the little guy was standing while holding on to his thigh. His adorable little face was full of wet tea leaves, and so was his soaking wet body. Mu Yuchen frowned when he realized that the teacup on the side table had been knocked over, and the tea had spilled on the floor, soaking the carpet.

    ¡°Wet...wet...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng could not make aplete sentence, but he could still convey simple messages. This time, he probably felt ufortable because he was wet and dirty, so he grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s thigh to try to tell him that.

    ¡°You¡¯re so mischievous. Who did you take after? Did you take after your mother?¡±

    A tenderness shed across Mu Yuchen¡¯s dark eyes as he hugged Mu Xiaocheng lovingly. He stood up and removed the child¡¯s clothes with one hand. ¡°Daddy¡¯s going to change your clothes.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong had gone to Mu Lingshi¡¯s ce whereas Aunt Fang had something on, so she had gone back. The couple was not too busy these few days, so instead of going to Fuhua, Mu Xiaocheng followed Mu Yuchen to Glory World Corporation. It was summer anyway, and the ground was covered with thick carpets, so they did not have to worry that the little guy might catch a cold.

    Mu Xiaocheng was easy to take care of. Under normal circumstances, he would y on his own as long as he was full or just sleep. He seldom made a fuss, and when he did, it was not too difficult to handle. However, he was a little mischievous. In just a few days, the low cab in Mu Yuchen¡¯s office had been rummaged by the little guy. The tea leaves were scattered everywhere, and the secretary had to clean it up every time.

    When Xi Xiaye opened the door and walked in, she found that the office was empty with the sofa beside her in a mess. She knew whose masterpiece it was without even thinking about it.

    She looked around, and soon heard a faint voice from the front. She hurriedly walked over, and just as she expected, she heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s voiceing from the lounge.

    ¡°How are you still so little after so many days? When can you grow up?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng answered him with words only he could understand.

    Mu Yuchen quickly changed Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s clothes and helped him up as he wiped his face with a warm towel. ¡°Let Daddy take a look. Let¡¯s wipe that little face, okay?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng revealed his face and motioned for Mu Yuchen to wipe it.

    ¡°Dada...Mama...Wa...¡± The little guy babbled and his amber-like eyes were wide open as he stared at something in front of the table and stretched out his hand to try to grab it.

    Mu Yuchen followed the little guy¡¯s gaze and noticed that he was trying to get the baby bottle on the table. He smiled and was about to reach for it, but someone beat him to it. The bottle was brought to his son¡¯s mouth, and the little guy immediately opened his mouth.

    ¡°Why are you here? Didn¡¯t I say that I¡¯ll pick you up?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at his wife in surprise.

    Xi Xiaye nced at him and gave two light kisses on her son¡¯s cheeks affectionately while hugging him. ¡°I came over after getting my work done. Grandpa will go pick Xiao Rui and Weier up today. I have a real estate eventter, but Uncle Lan has something on. All the attendees are important people, so I¡¯ll need to personally pay a visit.¡±

 Chapter 1542 - Hi, Missus! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1542: Hi, Missus! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°When and where?¡± Mu Yuchen sat down by the bed and looked up at the mother and son whilst his eyes contained faint tenderness.

    ¡°3 p.m. near the International Exhibition Centre, so I came here to let you know. Tonight, you can go home with our son first. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to leave so soon,ter on I¡¯ll just get them to send me over.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. It¡¯s on the way anyway. Later, I¡¯ll finish work early. I just have one more document to look through. Watch our son first. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡±

    He reached out to pat his son¡¯s little head as he turned to nt a light kiss on her forehead. Then, he smiled and left the resting lounge while Xi Xiaye just smiled through pursed lips and put their son on therge bed.

    Mu Xiaocheng might have gotten tired from ying around, especially since it was the afternoon, so he had justin down to y when he fell asleep. His milk bottle was tossed aside too.

    As Xi Xiaye watched the little guy sleep silently, her gaze was as gentle as water.

    The little fellow seemed to be growing up now, and his face was beginning to resemble Mu Yuchen¡¯s more and more. She hoped that when he grew up, he could be like his father. That way, they would worry less.

    ¡°Son, your father¡¯s hoping you can grow up quick too, so hurry up and grow up, alright?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng who was sound asleep did not know what his mother was muttering beside his ears. His little hands stretched out cutely and changed into a different position before he fell asleep again, and the smile on Xi Xiaye only grew ever more dazzling.

    It would be nice if they had another daughter...

    She inhaled and covered him with a thin nket before she quietly left the room.

    Outside, Mu Yuchen had just sat back down on his chair.

    Xi Xiaye did not bother him either. She walked quietly to the bookshelf behind him and took a book out to flip through. She had just looked through several pages when she suddenly called out to him softly, ¡°Mr. Mu?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± the man answered quickly though he did not stop what he was doing.

    ¡°I received Xi Xinyi¡¯s call earlier. She roughly brought up to me about how things have been in recent times. She seems to have seen her child for quite a few times, but Han Yifeng was as cold as ice to her. I wonder if she can take it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly recalled that when she came over earlier, Xi Xinyi had called her from America.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she want to see her child from before? That way, at least she gets her wish. What are you worried about? Some things can¡¯t be rushed, and she¡¯s no stranger to these rtionship matters. She might even know more about it than you do. You just need to rx,¡± heforted softly.

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye could not help but feel relieved. ¡°I¡¯m not worried. It¡¯s just that she suddenly called me today and I wanted to tell you about it. She said that Han Yifeng is being super cold to her right now. He does let her meet their son, but he won¡¯t even say more than a word to her. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to get Han Yifeng back anymore.¡±

    At this point, she paused. After a while, she continued, ¡°When you men want to be cruel, you can really be quite...¡±

    He swiftly signed on one corner of the document, closed it, and looked up to her as he said, ¡°That¡¯s just Han Yifeng, not other men. When have I ever been mean to you? Alright, let¡¯s not talk about these things anymore. Leave their problems up to them. If Han Yifeng¡¯s feelings for her from before were deep enough, I think it¡¯s not impossible for them to get back together, butmunication is important. Xi Xinyi has experienced so many low points. If she cane to a realization herself, that¡¯d be great, and if she doesn¡¯t, well, we¡¯ve done our best.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Forget it. Let them struggle at it themselves,¡± she said inly and flipped a page of the book while he watched her lost in thought.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Noticing that his gaze stayed on her face for a long while, she looked at him, slightly puzzled.

    His lips shed a curve as he chuckled and reached out to her. ¡°You seem much better mentally than before, and you look great too.¡±

    ¡°Well, of course. Those medicinal concoctions were health supplements. All of you have been urging me to drink them. I can feel that my clothes are tighter now. Look, I¡¯m going to be 30 soon. If my figure changes anymore, I¡¯m going to embarrass you.¡±

    She frowned and reached out to circle his shoulders and leaned close.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. I¡¯ll just pretend like I¡¯m bringing a penguin out with me. That should turn many heads.¡± He smiled and held her head while he held her by the waist too.

    ¡°You¡¯re the penguin! You¡¯re the penguin!¡± She rolled her eyes at him, breathed in, and then suddenly her tone calmed down again.

    She gave it some thought then said, ¡°Actually, to be honest, Mr. Mu, I should be quite grateful that you¡¯ve been loyal to me from start to finish, and you¡¯ve never seemed annoyed at me. You know, many couples can¡¯t be the way they used to be after marriage. Life brings up so many problems and often causes conflict between them and even change their dynamics. Even Su Nan and Ruan Heng sometimes have these problems too while we...¡±

    ¡°Realistic rtionships cannot escape the impediment of life. I should be grateful that there isn¡¯t a hierarchy in our rtionship, and I should be grateful that we are in tune with our views. Every time we face unhappiness, you always consider me first.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she felt very touched. How lucky was she to have met Mu Yuchen?

    ¡°To go against your own woman isn¡¯t what wise men do. That would just be like going against yourself. Of course, the prerequisite would be that the man already sees the woman as their own. Take us for example, Madam Mu. If I were to go against you, who will be the one on the losing end in the end?¡± he said this and then nced at her meaningfully. She paused, and her beautiful little face instantly flushed crimson.

    ¡°Missus, you should be grateful for such a self-aware man like me.¡±

    ¡°Will we always be this way then? Like this till the end of time?¡±

    ¡°This is a huge undertaking. I can¡¯t be sure, but we should be able to stand the test of time.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye chuckled softly and could not help but put her hands around his neck to pull him down. With a loving gaze, she gently nted a kiss before softly muttering by his ear, ¡°Good job, Mr. Mu. You¡¯ve made me quite happy today. We can y a game of Your Majesty and the empress tonight, hmm?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    When she said that, his dark eyes squinted and he quickly held her by her slender wrist.

 Chapter 1543 - Hi, Missus! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1543: Hi, Missus! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes flickered as she shot him a pregnant nce.

    ¡°Then, I shall ask for a payment for the interest now.¡± His fingers had already brushed through her morous long hair as he spoke. He then pulled her into his arms. His soft peck uratelynded on her forehead, and then on the corners of her lips that curved slightly upward...

    She chuckled joyfully and responded to the kisses.

    After two and a half years of marriage, and soon to be three years, there had not been many conflicts between them. What they had was just harmony and amity. His feelings for her grew by the day. Even when he was away on a business trip for a day or two, he would still miss her and the kids.

    Mu Yuchen had always been a person that kept a low profile and liked his serenity, and his life had always been simple. Apart from going to and fro work and all the work-rted social events, he spent almost all the rest of his time at home with her and the kids.

    He sometimes felt that he seemed a little old already. All he wanted was to maintain this lifestyle until they were in their autumn years...

    ...

    The afternoon sun was naturally more vicious. Fortunately, a cool breeze was blowing in the air from time to time. Otherwise, such a sultry day would make people feel a little bit more irritable.

    In the Beach Vi District, Dongfang Liuyun slept until a little past ten in the morning. The exhaustion made her oversleep as soon as she fell asleep.

    Of course, she had not forgotten the promise that she had made to Qi Lei yesterday.

    As a matter of fact, even though she had always wanted to be in control when it came to the phrase ¡®marriage¡¯, she actually did not have much feeling about the phrase. She had never looked forward to a wedding ceremony. Whether it was before or now, she had never yearned for it.

    Because she did not have any expectations from the very beginning, her feelings about this incident were very t, and not much enthusiasm was harnessed.

    She would not mind as long as she was not sacrificed as a pawn though it might hurt the other party of the marriage.

    Although she was grateful for his help, she did not want someone like Qi Lei to be involved in another family vortex. Qi Lei might have done so out of a momentary impulse, so she did not take it seriously until she heard the chime of her doorbell.

    ¡°Judging from your expression, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re regretting it all of a sudden after a night of thinking. Ast-minute retreat doesn¡¯t seem to be Swift Snowy¡¯s ystyle.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned while he stared at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s calm expression. He then strode up the doorsteps and entered the vi regardless of whether she was cool with it or not.

    Dongfang Liuyun froze for a while, then turned around and followed in indifferently. He had already sat down on the sofa at the side and she poured him a ss of water.

    ¡°That being said, have you considered it thoroughly?¡± Dongfang Liuyun was all rxed while she sat down opposite Qi Lei as if the two were about to start a negotiation.

    ¡°I need to rify the problem on my side to you again. I¡¯m doing this because of my family. I don¡¯t want to be trapped, so our marriage isn¡¯t built on love, and of course, it¡¯s also not a mutual rtionship since you don¡¯t benefit from it. I¡¯m obviously taking advantage of you. You could¡¯ve lived a more carefree life, but if you really choose to marry me, my problems will be yours too.

    ¡°Furthermore, I¡¯m not a casual person, so I can¡¯t stand a marriage joke. This is also not a contractual marriage. Divorce is impossible in a short period, for at least one or two years. I don¡¯t want ourpanies¡¯ stocks to plummet because of such an incident. You¡¯ll need to try your best to y along with me. Of course, I¡¯ll try my best not to bother you, to just be your wife, and to adapt to your life.¡±

    Having said this, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but sigh faintly. She lowered her gaze and remained silent for quite some time before continuing, ¡°Such a marriage is unfair to you. This is a life gamble for me now, and I¡¯m betting on the chance that we can live together for a lifetime. So, is there anything that you want to say now?¡±

    What a rational woman!

    Qi Lei nced calmly at the cold woman in front of him and could not help but feel rueful. He then lowered his gaze and bowed his head to take a sip of water silently. His voice sounded sentimental and hoarse as he replied, ¡°I have nothing to say. I just want to find someone to tie the knot with. It¡¯s also a good thing to get an ally that I know well. So, don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll y my part well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stared at him and became silent.

    Qi Lei gave her a mischievous smile. ¡°Now, since we¡¯re already at it, shouldn¡¯t you be packing all the documents already? We can go through the formalities first.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so solicitous and in a hurry. It makes me think that you have an ulterior motive.¡± Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sharp gaze, but she still stood up to walk towards the shelf beside the window and grabbed a file from it.

    Qi Lei paused for a while as he nced sideways at Dongfang Liuyun and did not utter a single word.

    She returned with the file very soon, and while opening it, she took out several documents from it. After searching through the pile of documents, she found a maroon book. She opened it for a glimpse at its contents, then took it out.

    It was her household register.

    She then took out her identity card from the wallet beside her, stacked the two items together, and handed it to him.

    Qi Lei quickly grabbed them from her for a check and put them away. However, at this time, Dongfang Liuyun had already taken out a pair of sunsses from a drawer on the side to slide onto her face and exited the door in a stride.

    He nced at the slender figure meaningfully, then put the ss in his hand down. He picked up the documents and followed her out of the house.

    They strode to the front of the car and Dongfang Liuyun headed straight for the driver¡¯s side and stood there. She stretched out her hand while she saw Qi Lei approaching as he tacitly took out the car keys from his pocket and threw them to her. Meanwhile, he moved to the other side of the car and got into the passenger seat.

    Dongfang Liuyun entered the car swiftly. She took a nce at the man who was going through her documentation. Sucking in a breath, she started the car. As soon as the engine was ignited, a clear voice rang out, ¡°In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, my bank ount was cut off from my family¡¯s ount since I was still a young kid. Madam Song doesn¡¯t want me to take advantage of my family¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°Madam Song? Is that your mother?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun drove off smoothly while responding, ¡°Yup, she¡¯s someone with whom I just can¡¯tmunicate, but you¡¯ll meet her real soon. Just ignore her when you do. You don¡¯t have to talk to her.¡±

 Chapter 1544 - Hi, Missus! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1544: Hi, Missus! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Although Dongfang Liuyun was mentally prepared, she still hesitated when she was about to sign her name on the paper.

    She lightly squeezed the pen in her hand and turned her head to look at Qi Lei, only to find that he was already filling in his information intently.

    Dongfang Liuyun was in a daze, but somehow she started writing as well even though she was still a little lost.

    She did not know whether the decision was right or wrong because she knew very well that once she signed her name on this document, it would mean the start of a fresh beginning and a new life...

    The phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated and she took it out. She saw a text message from Lan Xiu that said: ¡°Liuyun, if you insist, I¡¯m willing to do it.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun read that, she suddenly felt a sense of bitterness in her heart. She smiled bitterly as she put the phone back. When she looked back at Qi Lei, who had already signed the document, she took a deep breath andbed her long hair with one hand while clenching her other hand tightly. She stopped thinking about it and quickly signed the paper without hesitation: ¡°Dongfang Liuyun¡±.

    The whole procedure went smoothly, and both of them were exempted from the premarital examination, which was not a difficult procedure.

    When the marriage certificates were handed over to them, they were both still in disbelief, and they exchanged nces before each reaching out to take the certificate.

    As she left the Civil Affairs Bureau, she could see the twilight during sunset. The warm afterglow covered the city, and on the opposite sidewalk, there were parents picking up their children from school. It was a beautiful evening indeed.

    Dongfang Liuyun sucked in a breath and silently looked away as she turned her head to look at the man beside her.

    Just a few minutes ago, this man had just be her legal husband. In fact, Dongfang Liuyun could not really point out how she felt, but she did not feel too bad at all.

    Qi Lei opened the marriage certificate which came in the form of a little red book. He looked at it and closed it before turning his head to meet the gaze of the woman next to him.

    ¡°You take it.¡± Qi Lei handed the red book in his hand to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked a little surprised but did not refuse it.

    ¡°What? Do you regret it? Are you worried that you¡¯ll get mistreated after getting married to me?¡± Qi Lei asked when he noticed that she did not seem excited. He looked at her quietly with his eyebrows raised.

    ¡°I went from a single woman to a married woman in the blink of an eye. I¡¯m just reminiscing the times as a single woman since I can¡¯t go back now. Do you have a problem with that?¡± She red at him while taking the folder in his hand and quickly kept the red book in the folder. She walked down the stairs in front of her and continued, ¡°Well, the procedures have beenpleted, so from now on, you¡¯ll be Mr. Qi, and I¡¯ll be Mrs. Qi.¡±

    ¡°That was a quick adjustment!¡± The corners of Qi Lei¡¯s mouth curved into a perfect arc, which rarely happened. Heughed and followed her.

    ¡°Hi, Missus!¡± He strode to the side of the car and stopped in front of her as he stretched out his big hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows when she saw this, but after staring at him, her icy expression seemed to ease a little, and she reached out with her cold bare hands to gently hold hisrge hand.

    ¡°Nice meeting you!¡± After saying that, she let go and looked away at the sky before her, and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to eat. There are some things that we need to discuss. It¡¯s still early now. Why don¡¯t youe to my ce? I have plenty of ingredients in the refrigerator anyway, and this is your car, so it¡¯s easier for you to drive back home at night.¡±

    ¡°You seem to have overlooked something, Miss Dongfang,¡± Qi Lei said in a deep voice after listening to her suggestion.

    Dongfang Liuyun steadied the steering wheel and nced at him with doubt in her eyes. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ncing back at her, he then closed his eyes calmly and leaned back in the chair behind him. He said in a deep and peaceful tone, ¡°Since we¡¯ve already gotten the certificate and the marriage is final, when will you move to my ce? What style of interior design do you like?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was slightly startled when he said this, but she quickly recovered.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I go over tonight? I¡¯ll ask Yang Sheng toe and pack things up tomorrow. The Maze Tomb opened today, and I heard that a remnant map of the Holy Land has been unearthed. We can¡¯t miss the opportunity this time,¡± Qi Lei suggested as he looked at her in anticipation.

    ¡°The Wind of ck Hell destroyed my set of equipment worth several million gold coins. They¡¯ll probably go this time too, huh?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression suddenly stiffened when she said this, and a chill shed across her eyes.

    ¡°They certainly won¡¯t miss this opportunity,.¡± The smile on Qi Lei¡¯s face was also a little odd.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. So, this time we¡¯ll sneak in and wait for the opportunity to trample them to death,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said casually with a faint smile on her cold face.

    Qi Lei grinned. ¡°The fifth best yer on the list. Do you dare think about it?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ...

    The setting sun went silent, and the whole world was cloaked in gray. The vi that was usually dead silent during this time actually felt lively today.

    In the kitchen, Qi Lei was preparing thest dish while preparing the tableware.

    In the living room, Dongfang Liuyun was standing next to the tall bookshelf while looking at the picture of the sunset in front of her. Her starry eyes were gleaming, and there were all kinds of vases and antiques on the shelves.

    When Qi Lei brought out the dishes, he saw her standing in front of a blue and white porcin bowl on the shelf. Her gaze seemed a little different as her eyes gleamed, so he exined, ¡°These were all collected by my mother before this. Her research on antiques was one of her few hobbies, so she left a lot of treasures over the years. I don¡¯t understand this very well, so they just seem like old items to me.¡±

    ¡°You naturally won¡¯t understand that this item has a high collection value and represents the wisdom of people in the past. You¡¯re not an artsy person, so obviously you won¡¯t understand the potential value of these items,¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded indifferently without even looking at him.

    ¡°Come over here for dinner first.¡± Qi Lei reached out as he pulled the chair opposite him and poured some juice into the ss.

 Chapter 1545 - Hi, Missus! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1545: Hi, Missus! (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun was not courteous or pretentious as she sat down and took a nce at the dishes on the table before she said calmly, ¡°Looks pretty good. How rare.¡±

    ¡°Then, give me face and eat more.¡± Qi Lei nudged the fruit juice he just poured towards her as he responded, ¡°My life is simple. Every day, I just work as usual, and you roughly know what my family situation is like. I think family pressure won¡¯t be a problem for you from my end.¡±

    When Qi Lei said that, his tone was mixed with some coldness.

    Of course, there would be no pressure since he was the only one left in the entire Qi family. Qi Qiming was still in aa while Wang Qi, Qi Feng, and Gu Lingsha had all passed away. Right now, he was the only one left. Sometimes, when he thought about it, he would feel quite lonely. He did not even want to step foot into the empty Qi residence anymore.

    After he said that, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand that had just picked up her chopsticks paused. She thought about it, then said, ¡°Forget about those unfortunate things. Life has just only begun again. I¡¯m not one who likes to remember the past. If you can¡¯t let it go, then you are just trapping yourself, and I don¡¯t want you to be like me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun then picked up his bowl to calmly serve him some soup. The two of them did not seem like husband and wife who had just registered their marriage but good friends who had been at it for many years like always. They interacted naturally and did not feel out of ce.

    Qi Lei took the bowl, and as if he suddenly remembered something, he quickly got up and walked to the kitchen. Momentster, he took out a few tablets for Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°Eat your medicine first, and then drink some soup.¡±

    He knew that her gastritis had not been greattely, so dinner consisted mostly of light dishes.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun took it and silently swallowed it.

    ¡°No need to be so courteous anymore. I notice that you¡¯re treating me more and more like an outsider.¡± Qi Lei gave her a napkin, and a hint of a smile gathered on his handsome face. ¡°I¡¯m a very easy-going person, so what are you nervous about?¡±

    ¡°Nervous?¡± When she caught that word, Dongfang Liuyun looked up and shot him a side nce. ¡°How do I look nervous now?¡±

    He smiled and did not answer, only silently lowering his head to drink the soup.

    Halfway through dinner, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly said, ¡°After dinner, let¡¯s y for a bit, then send me home, or you can hand me your car keys too.¡±

    ¡°I already told Yang Sheng to prepare some clothes for you to change into. Tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll go over since I have a whole day to help you pack tomorrow.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s straightforwardness gave Dongfang Liuyun no room to refute. She thought about it.

    Why should she be all pretentious? They were married anyway!

    She sighed to herself and then resigned to her fate as she quietly lowered her head to continue with her meal.

    After dinner, Qi Lei washed the bowls. When he was done and went upstairs, he could already hear the sound of the game being yed from inside the study, so he walked over with two sses of water.

    Inside the study, Dongfang Liuyun was already sittingfortably on the chair at his desk while theputer was switched on.

    It was not like they had experienced a moment like this before. Previously, in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s store, the two of them would gang up and work together for a few rounds, so right now it did not feel awkward since it was merely a change of location.

    Qi Lei quickly took out hisptop, pulled out a chair, and connected a backup keyboard before he logged in as well.

    ...

    Moments after that, the study was filled with the sound of keyboards being smashed, and sometimes they would talk to each other.

    ¡°Watch your back. That mysterious person is missing.¡±

    ¡°I know. You go front, and I¡¯ll cover the back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I think there¡¯s a dense forest ahead, so be careful.¡±

    ...

    It seemed as if nothing much had changed. The two of them did not seem to realize that they were newlyweds. They were immersed in the game, and even when time whizzed past midnight, they did not realize it.

    Suddenly, a puzzled voice was heard and broke this silence.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Why don¡¯t I see them?¡±

    ¡°I think something must have happened at thebor union. A while ago, I heard that theirbor union had some sticky matters to deal with. Alright, it¡¯ste. Go offline then. I¡¯ll prepare your bath water first.¡±

    Qi Lei kept away hisptop and slowly stood up to walk out the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched the figure vanish at the door, then she massaged the space between her brows. She leaned back against the chair, feeling worn out, as she took a book from the side to flip through.

    It was a book on modern buildings. When she flipped it open to read, a bookmark fell out.

    Dongfang Liuyun caught it swiftly, but just when she slid it back in, her gaze unexpectedly brushed past a photo frame on the side.

    It was quite an artistic picture of the beach during sunset. The sky and sea engulfed the back of a person, and you could tell that the back belonged to Qi Lei himself. He just looked a little lonely.

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly. Suddenly, she bent slightly and took the frame, lowering her head to study it in detail. After a long while, a faint smile rippled across her face, then she put the frame back and continued to flip through the book in her hand.

    Soon, she heard Qi Lei¡¯s shouts from outside, so she closed the book and got up to go out.

    ¡°They forgot to send over the pajamas with the clothes, so you might have to wait a while. I¡¯ll call them right now,¡± Qi Lei pointed at therge back on the bench at the end of the bed that the bodyguards had just sent over as he exined.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked over and casually took out the clothes to scrutinize. He probably did not know her size, so they were all leisure clothes, but they would do.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just go back and get it tomorrow. As for tonight...I¡¯ll just put up with it for a bit,¡± she said, and then her gaze averted to the dark blue sleeping robe on the chair beside her.

    ¡°There¡¯s a clean one. Wait for a bit,¡± Qi Lei said knowingly as he walked to the closet. After a while, he came back with a clean sleeping robe that Dongfang Liuyun epted.

    ¡°The towel and toiletries are on the upper left side of the cupboard by the sink. Call me if there¡¯s anything. I¡¯ll go to the study and send them an email. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll keep your clothes in the closet,¡± Qi Lei picked up those clothes as he said.

    ¡°Mmm, you go get busy then. I can handle this myself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun felt odd as she held the sleeping robe in her hand tightly. She sighed to herself, then turned to walk into the bathroom beside them.

 Chapter 1546 - Thank You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1546: Thank You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The entire bedroom suddenly became quiet, and the lights were dim.

    Dongfang Liuyun could hear the sound of the door closing when Qi Lei left the room, and the water in the bathroom was ready.

    After washing her face, she could feel the cold on her face which made her realize that she was not dreaming. Everything that happened today was real and not an illusion...

    In spite of everything, she did not feel terribly emotional. She felt like she had been prepared to do this a long time ago.

    After washing her face several times, she stopped and walked to the bathtub beside her.

    However, she was not the only one going through emotional turmoil.

    In the study, Qi Lei finally had time to rest after sending a document to the person-in-charge via email. He slowly leaned back in the chair and turned it around leisurely. It was dark outside and as he looked at the courtyard that was dimly lit, his eyes seemed oddly dark.

    He did not know if it was right or wrong to have done what he did, but he seemed to have a certain expectation for his future now. It might be because he had lived alone for too long and for a moment, he felt that if someone were to appear in his world, it seemed like it would be good.

    He really hoped that Dongfang Liuyun was the one who would be his muse.

    With a deep breath, he could not help but reach out for the cigarette pack. He took one out and lit it. As he puffed out leisurely, the faint smoke instantly filled the air with the scent of burning tobo...

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know how much time had passed, but she finally got up when she realized that the water had gone cold. She finally left after cleaning up.

    Qi Lei was the only one who lived In the Grand Lake Vi. Although there were several spare rooms, there was only onerge bedroom with a huge bed. The style of the house was changed to a European designst month, so it looked luxurious, warm, and clean. It was a vibe that Dongfang Liuyun liked.

    Dongfang Liuyun was not tall and had a slim figure. Qi Lei¡¯s bathrobe was veryrge on her since he was almost six feet tall. It would normally reach his knees, but when she wore it, it came down to her ankle.

    When she came out of the bathroom, the bedroom was still empty and Qi Lei was nowhere to be seen.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought it over and finally gave up finding Qi Lei. Shebed her long hair and then went to bed. She was really tired because she was overworked some time ago and her body was overwhelmed, so it would take a while to recover.

    She could sleep just as well in a bed that was not her own, but she was a light sleeper.

    Therefore, when she was sleeping, she could still vaguely hear the door being opened even though the footsteps of the person walking in were very light. She soon heard the sound of water in the bathroom, and then...

    She heard the faint sound of rustling from the other side of the bed. Soon, she could feel that the other side of the bed had sunken a little.

    She was still a little groggy but cautious. She wrapped herself in half of the nket tightly like a cocoon.

    She did not sleep in this position because of him. Qi Lei did that quite often as well. He would wrap himself tightly with the air conditioner on in the bedroom so that the temperature was low. He could not fall asleep otherwise without the nket because he would feelpletely exposed, and it made him feel extremely insecure, which he was not used to...

    He carefully slipped beneath the nket. The nket was very big, so even if she had wrapped herself with arge portion of it, he could still cover himself with it.

    After taking a bath, he was wide awake, and so were his senses. He had just gotten into bed and could immediately smell a fresh and elegant scent.

    It came from her.

    They both slept on their backs. Her breathing was shallow, which made him think that she was asleep. When he moved his body, the woman beside him suddenly reached out and held him, saying in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired, so if you¡¯re not in a hurry, I hope you can give me some time.¡±

    When Qi Lei heard that, he was taken aback. He sat up and looked at her under the dim wall light, only to find that she still had her eyes closed, but he could tell from her trembling hand that was holding on to his wrist lightly.

    She was nervous...

    Qi Lei could not helpughing out loud when he saw this. His dark eyes were filled with joy. When he saw her expression, he grabbed her slender wrist with his hand and teased, ¡°What if I¡¯m in a hurry?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not reply, but she silently opened her eyes and met his deep gaze. For a long time, she did not say anything and continued to close her eyes in silence. The bedroom was suddenly silent. It was as if the conversation earlier was just casual chatter.

    Qi Lei could recognize her exhaustion from her expression, so he smiled and lowered his head to kiss the back of her fair hand lightly before tucking her hand back into the nket.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although I¡¯m not some pure-hearted man, I¡¯m not going to force a woman, especially you who have just be my wife. Rest early and we¡¯ll go pick our rings tomorrow.¡±

    She could still hear his faint, hoarse voice and feel the slight warmth that seemed to linger on the back of her hand. Dongfang Liuyun was actually still in a daze, but she stayed quiet with her eyes shut as she remained motionless.

    After a long time, she did not notice any movement from the person beside her. It seemed like...

    At that moment, she opened her eyes and met Qi Lei¡¯s deep gaze. After she thought about it, she responded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    He raised his eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards as he looked at her quietly with his clear eyes. After thinking about it, he said in a gentle tone, ¡°Then, I¡¯d like to have some reassurance first. Today¡¯s our wedding night after all.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him and did not say anything. However, after a while, she closed her eyes again.

    Qi Lei let out a light cough and he leaned in silently. His thin, cool lips gently pressed against her rosy pink lips.

    It was as soft and elegant as he had imagined, but he also tried his best to control himself.

    Just a taste...

 Chapter 1547 - Thank You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1547: Thank You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night seemed to have be infinitely short, and it seemed to have been a long time since both of them had gotten a good night¡¯s sleep. Their sleep quality that night was rather good.

    Dongfang Liuyun was not used to the abrupt existence of a man beside her on the bed, so her consciousness was maintained throughout the whole night. The same went for Qi Lei who had always been a light sleeper. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sudden appearance actually made him a little ufortable. The twoid on their backs quietly.

    Listening to her uniform breathing, he seemed to be able to feel the numbing aura that surrounded her. she was as exceptionally cold and indifferent as she usually was, and he could not sense any huge emotional fluctuations from her.

    It was an abrupt marriage. It stood to reason that making peace with the idea was a little...even for him...

    However, she...

    Her reaction was very calm, calm enough to make him feel a little skeptical.

    He had known her for more than a year, and even longer than that in The World of Warcraft. They had met each other and chatted over some drinks several times. He would asionally attend one of her sses or pay her a visit at Bao De House, but he would not say that he knew her very well. He only knew that she never opened up easily. With a calm andposed stance, a remarkable drinking capacity, and a sharp gaze, she had always been a very smart and wise person.

    In fact, even Qi Lei himself did not expect things to have suddenly developed to this point.

    However, he was surprised that Dongfang Liuyun would be trapped by these mundane matters. It turned out that even such a calm and unconcerned person was not immune. This naturally made him feel...

    He admitted that when he saw the man reject her at that moment, he felt a little unbnced deep down, so he had thrown the question out without much hesitation. He then thought about it carefully when he got back, and there was nothing wrong with the whole n. At least, they were familiar with each other. Who could say for sure that there must be no interaction between them?

    He gazed at her with a hand supporting his chin while the air around him was filled with her quiet and charming fragrance.

    Qi Lei was actually feeling a bit ufortable. He calmed himself down in the darkness for a long time. Finally, sucking in a breath, he turned to his side to not look at her again and closed his eyes silently...

    ...

    It seemed to be a very wonderful night. The two of them had been lonely for many years and were often awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night. However, on such a bright and breezy night, they finally got to sleep soundly from dusk till dawn.

    The corner of the dark sky was lifted by the first rays of the day, and the serene night passed just like that.

    It was a rare scene in which the weather was great, the wind brought in a little refreshing and faint scent from the balcony, Dongfang Liuyun woke up from her deep sleep and slowly opened her eyes, she then quickly realized that she was in an unfamiliar environment, and she sat up immediately.

    The scenes from yesterday flicked through her mind. She turned her head to the other side of the bed for a nce subconsciously, the person who slept beside her was no longer there, but the nket was spread out neatly.

    After a while of aying her emotions, Dongfang Liuyun lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and walked to the bathroom.

    The closet was located right next to the bedroom, and the clothes that had been sent over suited her nicely. She wore a ck loose casual dress, which made her look very slim.

    Dongfang Liuyun went downstairs after freshening herself up, but it was still empty. Nobody seemed to be home. With a frown, she strode downstairs, took a good look around the house, and soon found breakfast set up on the dining table at the side.

    She gave it a thought, then moved towards the table.

    It was a scrumptious Cantonese breakfast, which was her favorite. She nced around and quickly saw a note stuck on the corner of the table. The handwriting was vigorous and confident.

    ¡®There¡¯s an important contract signing ceremony in the morning. Wait for me at home after breakfast. I will be back at noon.¡¯

    In the footer of the notepad was Qi Lei¡¯s signature.

    Dongfang Liuyun stared quietly at the note in her hand for a long time, and then a faint smile of relief could be seen on the corners of her lips. She then put the note away, picked up the chopsticks on the side, and started to enjoy her breakfast in silence.

    ...

    In the president¡¯s office of Tai Yu Corporation.

    As soon as Qi Lei sat down at the desk, Yang Sheng had already knocked on the door. There was also a document in his hand. ¡°Master Qi, the Strategy and nning Department has handed in their proposal. You might want to go through it and see whether there¡¯s anything that you wish to revise,¡± Yang Sheng passed the document to Qi Lei as he said.

    It was an urgent document, so Yang Sheng had to send it there directly.

    Qi Lei subconsciously turned his gaze and nced at the clock on the table. While reaching out to grab the file, he skimmed through it and replied, ¡°Set it aside for now. I¡¯ll take a look when I go back. Get the director of the Strategy and nning Department to meet me here tomorrow at nine in the morning. Furthermore, cancel all my meetings in the afternoon. I won¡¯t be in the officeter.¡±

    Having heard what Qi Lei had to say, Yang Sheng was startled.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be in the office? But, Master Qi, President Wang from the Wang Corporation will being over to talk about the game IP development in the afternoon...¡± He stared at Qi Lei hesitantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. President Wang and I are very close friends. Just exin it to him and make another appointment with him.¡± Qi Lei closed the documents in his hands.

    Yang Sheng thought about it for a moment, then nodded silently. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll give President Wang a call now.¡±

    Seeming to be able to sense the difference in Qi Lei¡¯s mood today, Yang Sheng stole a few more nces at Qi Lei and found that the gloom that he usually exuded was gone for good, and he seemed to be a little more rxed than usual.

    He wanted to ask something originally, but Qi Lei had already collected the documents and slid them into his briefcase on the side. He then handed the ck briefcase to Yang Sheng and ordered, ¡°Help me ce this in my car, and you don¡¯t have to follow me. I¡¯m going home.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, are you feeling ill?¡± Upon hearing what Qi Lei said, Yang Sheng panicked for a moment!

    Qi Lei had never left during working hours. He haD always been a man of principles, especially when it came to time management.

    Qi Lei red at him as soon as he heard what he said. At this moment, Yang Sheng lowered his head silently, not daring to say another word.

    ¡°Take it downstairs. I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡± Qi Lei did not answer the question directly.

    Yang Sheng did not dare to even gasp. He nodded quickly and responded repetitively, ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. I¡¯m on it! I¡¯m on it now!¡± He quickly picked up the briefcase on the table as he said so, and withdrew swiftly.

    Thud!

    Hearing the sound of the door closing, Qi Lei slowly leaned back in the chair behind him and closed his eyes silently. After a few minutes of rxation, he opened his eyes. The subtle shine in them glistened with a more unusual and colorful glow.

    He naturally did not forget what he had said to Dongfang Liuyunst night.

    She should be awake at this point...

 Chapter 1548 - Thank You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1548: Thank You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He was nning on having an idle day, but Yang Sheng had called him first thing in the morning to remind him about the contract signing. Since he could not dy it, he gave up on any idea of rest.

    He actually thought it felt quite surreal. In the blink of an eye, he was married.

    However, when he thought about the person he was going to spend his life with, something in him shifted and he could not quite tell if it was bewilderment of excitement. He just knew that it felt quite good.

    He did not get to have lunch. After work was done, Qi Lei drove back to the Grand Lake Vi area.

    While it was lunch rush hour at this moment, the sun was quite ferocious outside and the air was stifling hot. Only the asional gust of wind could bring a hint of cool.

    Inside the Grand Lake Vi area, Dongfang Liuyun was leisurely lying on the sofa by the window with a book in her hand. She was casually flipping through it. On the table by the side, there was a cup of steaming freshly brewed tea.

    She woke up quitete, so it was almost noon after she had breakfast. She was nning to return to her ce at the Beach Vi District, but then she remembered that she did not have her own car. Qi Lei did have many cars in his garage and they were all good cars. From the looks of it, this fellow should be a car lover. Given his number te alone, you could see that he was quite a show-off.

    She wanted to call him to inform him, but when she thought about what he wrote on the note, she decided against it.

    She was a very rational person. While Qi Lei was quite amodating toward her, she was clear that she should also reciprocate with an equal level of respect. Perhaps, they should find a chance to sit down and properlymunicate, not for anything else but for their life together ahead.

    Dongfang Liuyun was an efficient person. Of course, many times, her efficiency came from her being good at nning. Whenever there was a problem, she would resolve it or just turn over a new leaf.

    At this stage, if she were to continue life with Qi Lei, sitting down to talk about it would be very important as it was about their life from hereon. Dongfang Liuyun hated inconvenience. Many times, having two people sit down to talk about things could avoid unnecessary trouble or jealousy.

    ...

    When Qi Lei walked into the living room, he surveyed his surroundings subconsciously and soon caught that little figure on the sofa.

    He thought about it, then leisurely unbuttoned his sleeves and walked over.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun was lying on the sofa and the opened book was covering her face.

    It was a book about architecture. Qi Lei obviously recognized that it was a book he had been looking through quite often recently, and he remembered that he kept it on the table by the sofa.

    Her breathing was even. She had probably fallen asleep while reading. When Qi Lei walked closer, she did not quite react, but by the looks of her poster, she seemed to be at ease without any awkwardness.

    Could it be because they were quite familiar with each other?

    He did not feel awkward around her either. Everything had felt so natural. Even though everyone practically recognized Swift Snowy as Eastern Gust¡¯s wife in the game, they were now not in a game after all. This was reality.

    Qi Lei looked down at her for quite a while. He hesitated for a moment, then finally lifted a hand to pick up the book on her face, but her slightly cold hand was one step ahead of him. She took the book and slowly opened up her eyes. When she saw that he had suddenly appeared, she propped herself up to sit.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded as he pulled his hand back and casually rolled up his sleeves. ¡°Did you not have lunch? Have you had your meds?¡±

    His concerned tone sounded quite natural.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I woke up quitete, so I¡¯m not very hungry either,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly and poured him a cup of tea to hand to him. ¡°I just took the tea leaves from your tea cupboard. This season is quite suitable for drinking some green tea, and it tastes pretty good.¡±

    ¡°I asked someone to get these tea leaves gathered at spring from its ce of origin. You sure know your stuff.¡±

    His lips shed a smile and he did not reject her as he reached out for it. He lowered his head to take a sip and then sat down on the sofa beside her. ¡°I thought that you¡¯d be missing when I got back, so I¡¯m feeling a little lucky.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve known me for quite a while. Even though you don¡¯t know me very well, I think you roughly know the kind of person that I am. Apart from the so-called feelings as a foundation, we are considered two people who¡¯ve known each other for quite a while. Were you worried that I¡¯d scam you?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, her brows raised slightly too, and then she looked at Qi Lei in amusement.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes shifted from the teacup and looked silently towards her. He fell silent for a moment then said, ¡°Yes,pared to many others who have lightning weddings, we don¡¯t seem to quite fit the term. After all, we¡¯ve known each other for more than a month or two. That¡¯s why I dared to ask you. You¡¯re great. I¡¯m worried that if I missed this chance, I wouldn¡¯t have another, so...¡±

    So, he decided to just marry her first and work it outter. Someone like him might not have the mood to handle women, so Dongfang Liuyun was a very good choice for him. They were simr in many values and interests, and they had each other for games too.

    She was simr in game and in reality, and he admired all that she was. Of course, he would not say all these things to Dongfang Liuyun though.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good with words. I took a look at some information on you. I know that you¡¯re a top student in a famous school abroad in architecture. You¡¯ve been overachieving since you were young, and you don¡¯t have a good rtionship with your family. You didn¡¯t return home right away after graduation. Instead, you started your ownpany with friends abroad. You¡¯re one of therger shareholders. All these years, your scandals were endless. You¡¯re quite a famous yer in the upper-ss society circle, so you don¡¯t have a great reputation.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him calmly as she put a bookmark from the side into the book before closing it.

    Upon hearing that, a devilish light shed in his eyes as he silently looked at her before he chuckled and said, ¡°Have you been paying that much attention to me? You wouldn¡¯t have been thinking about me for a long time, have you? Since I asked, did you decide to seize the opportunity, and are you secretly happy that the heavens helped you?¡±

    When he said that, a faint smile shed on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gently pursed lips. Her calm tone had a rare tone of happiness to it. ¡°Your information is no secret. You¡¯re famous in the circle.¡±

    ¡°But all those aren¡¯t true. I, Qi Lei, am definitely a man of honor and a good person. I¡¯d never be so unprincipled as to go around womanizing...¡±

 Chapter 1549 - Thank You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1549: Thank You (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone sounded quite smooth, and his ck eyes also seemed very calm. He appeared to be quite credible.

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve yed around before, but I¡¯ve never really messed around with any women. I have high standards, so you don¡¯t have to worry about any womaning to your doorstep or the sudden appearance of illegitimate children.¡±

    This was actually the first time Qi Lei had confided to others about his love life over the years.

    He ended up like this because of messy rtionships, hence he was more sensitive than anybody else when it came to issues like that.

    Qi Feng no longer wanted to continue pursuing those issues, but because the damage was done, they left indelible wounds in his heart. He had been hurt, and he certainly would not allow himself to go down this path, or let his child go through what he had.

    ¡°You actually have the courage to tell me about all these.¡± Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly and frowned as she drank a cup of Chinese tea.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know about your past. Our pasts came to an end when we signed our names on the marriage agreement, and what we¡¯re about to face is the beginning of married life as a couple.¡±

    She continued, ¡°I¡¯ve to say that I¡¯m a very rational person. I believe in both realism and idealism, so being with me may be very tiring, but I¡¯ll try my best to y the role as your wife. Since you know about my situation, I¡¯ll try to sort out everything in two days and briefly update you about the situation in my family. By the way, Mrs. Song won¡¯t be home for a period of time, so let¡¯s go back and tell them about us next month on Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day.¡±

    She actually wanted to give each other some time to process things and be more familiar with each other, which was probably a good thing.

    ¡°I respect your opinion, so I¡¯ll let you decide.¡± Qi Lei had noment.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Thank you for being amodating. Don¡¯t worry. Uou won¡¯t be mistreated if you married me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to me to decide if I¡¯m mistreated or not. Actually, if we announce our marriage on the news, the stocks of ourpanies will most definitely skyrocket. However, I think you wouldn¡¯t be so high-profile about it,¡± Qi Lei said while looking at her with a sharp gaze as if he could read her mind.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard this, she suddenly smiled, and slowly put down the teacup before standing up with the book to walk towards the opposite bookshelf. She put the book back on the bookshelf and answered, ¡°You¡¯re right, and that could be our showdown. I¡¯ll be the business manager at the marketing department of the Dongfang Group soon. While it isn¡¯t a great job, it¡¯ll bring me benefits. We need to hide this news for now and see how it goes when I can finally get in touch with the higher levels of the organization.¡±

    ¡°What about the wedding?¡± he asked.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I want to have it after I take over the Dongfang Group. At least, that¡¯ll be considered a real wedding, whereby it has nothing to do with anything else but just our wedding. Of course, if you¡¯re not satisfied, then just forget what I just said,¡± Dongfang Liuyun simply made her point rationally, and her eyes shed sincerity and calmness. She looked at him quietly before continuing, ¡°Also, I want to tell you in advance that I¡¯m actually a little insensitive to many things, so if you have any thoughts in your head, just tell me honestly. We can talk it out to avoid unnecessary troubles. I hope that we can minimize the friction between us as much as possible and achieve the harmony of a husband and wife. Do you agree?¡±

    ¡°Why do I always feel that talking to you feels like a business negotiation? You¡¯re always so straightforward. Why not be more interesting?¡± Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and gazed at her deeply.

    ¡°It¡¯s better to talk things out. If you could walk on t paths, why would you choose a rough mountain road? Don¡¯t tell me that the rough mountain roads have beautiful sceneries because I¡¯m old now, and I no longer have the passion of young people.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean old? Aren¡¯t you only 27?¡± Qi Lei red at her. ¡°That¡¯s a woman¡¯s prime. I¡¯m also afraid of walking on rough mountain roads, so I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡±

    ¡°Do I need to thank you for your thoughtfulness?¡± Dongfang Liuyun shot him a look.

    ¡°No need for that, Mrs. Qi! Anyway, clean up and let¡¯s go out to take a look at our rings. I¡¯ve made an appointment with the designer, so we can go and see what styles you like,¡± Qi Lei said as he put his teacup aside.

    ¡°I have all kinds of rings in my jewellery store...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different. Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll grab something to eat first,¡± Qi Lei grabbed the car key and got up. He walked out and left no room for negotiation.

    ...

    The afternoon sun was brilliant, and the car zoomed past the hot air before stopping in front of a luxurious jewellery shop.

    The husband and wife got out of the car with their sunsses on.

    ¡°President Qi, you¡¯re here! Miss Lisa has been waiting for you. This way please!¡± the front desk manager greeted him warmly.

    Qi Lei nodded and held Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand as they walked inside.

    Lisa was a well-known French jewellery designer. Dongfang Liuyun had also heard of her before. The Dongfang Group had tried to hire her as a luxury jewellery designer for thepany, but she had politely rejected them, so she now felt honored that she got to meet her in person.

    She was a very elegant and poised woman who looked like she was in her 30s, but she was actually in her 50s and was well-known in the industry.

    ¡°Miss Lisa¡¯s husband was my tutor at university. When I was about to graduate, she told me that she would personally design a pair of unique wedding rings for me. You¡¯re the one with whom I¡¯m sharing the moment, and I feel honored,¡± Qi Lei turned his head and looked at Dongfang Liuyun as he whispered into her ear.

    Dongfang Liuyun followed his gaze earlier and nced at Lisa. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about her, and the Dongfang Group has tried to hire her with a high sry. She¡¯s someone with principle and originality.¡±

    ¡°A master of her craft indeed. What do you think?¡± Qi Lei whispered before leading her in.

    ¡°Qi Lei, there you are!¡±

    When Lisa heard their footsteps, she raised her gaze and looked over with her kind-looking eyes. Her gaze shifted and stopped on Dongfang Liuyun who was standing next to Qi Lei. However, the smile on her face seemed a little intriguing...

 Chapter 1550 - 1549ç«  è°¢è°¢ä½ ï¼ˆäº”ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 1550: 1549ÕÂ Ð»Ð»Äã£¨Îå£©</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°So, thisdy is the purpose of your visit, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lisa shot Qi Lei an ambiguous gaze, then her stare fell on Dongfang Liuyun.

    Qi Lei took off the shades on his face and turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun, who was standing next to him, while she returned the gaze and took off her sunsses too.

    ¡°This is my wife, Dongfang Liuyun. Liuyun, this is Lisa.¡± Qi Lei kept the introduction short and simple.

    Dongfang Liuyun greeted Lisa politely with a nod. She then stretched out her fair hand and said gently, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Dongfang. You look gorgeous. Qi Lei is a lucky man!¡± Lisa could not take her eyes off Dongfang Liuyun while the smile on her face was unabated, and her expression was full of admiration. ¡°My God , Qi Lei, you bad boy. You actually...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very lucky. That¡¯s why I need you to personally customize a token tomemorate this meaningful event,¡± Qi Lei said in his deep voice.

    ¡°Okay, I see. I do remember, I actually already knew that you¡¯d bring some great news when I saw your email yesterday. So, please take a seat first. It just so happens that I just came up with a few designs here. You can take a look and see if you¡¯re satisfied with them. If you like any of them, just pick it out, and I¡¯ll get the guys to start working on it immediately.¡± Lisa approached her desk while she spoke, and then came back with a few design drawings. ¡°Also, this batch of wedding rings are newlyunched. They¡¯re all limited editions, so if you¡¯re not pursuing uniqueness, you can also take a look at those. We have some samples here that you can try on.¡±

    Qi Lei held Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand and sat down on the couch at the side while grabbing the pamphlet from Lisa.

    ¡°Take a look and see which one you like.¡± He browsed through the pamphlet and found that everything looked fabulous. He then handed it to the woman beside him.

    Dongfang Liuyun had never been a jewelry enthusiast. She had seen quite a number of morous jewelry, but looking at his devotion, she could not bear to disregard his intentions, hence she took the drawings from him gracefully and went through them attentively.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with this pair of tinum rings. They look pretty good. The design and style are simple, but they seem to carry a profound and intriguing message.¡± Dongfang Liuyun had always been very familiar with this industry, so she had some unique insights on jewelry. After skimming through the designs, her gaze quickly stopped on a pair of in and simple tinum diamond rings.

    The style was the same. It was just the size that was different.

    As soon as she made up her mind, Lisa, who was standing beside her immediately gave her a gaze of emzonment.

    ¡°Oh my, Miss Dongfang, you do have really good taste. These are a pair of tinum rings modeled after an antique design. As you can see, what¡¯s embedded on the ring is a unique custom abbreviation. Plus, the diamond you see on the ring is a blue diamond which is very rare. As for the design, we¡¯re only making a pair of each, which means it¡¯s the one and only, just like both of you. For better and for worse, through thick and thin, you¡¯ll still be the one for each other, so this design does suit the both of you. Especially you, Miss Dongfang, this diamond ring will be the most perfect existence on your finger.¡±

    Qi Lei looked fixedly in the direction in which Dongfang Liuyun was staring, reached out suddenly and grabbed her hand. He nced back and forth between her slender hand and the drawing of the ring. Then, without waiting for Dongfang Liuyun to make a sound, he just said, ¡°Okay then, this is it. I hope we can get this as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that. The order will be attended to immediately after this. Both of you are very lucky. Several newlyweds also took a fancy to these wedding rings too before this, but they didn¡¯t close the deal as I wasn¡¯t here to talk them into the design.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. We¡¯ll take this design which should suit him too. Let¡¯s talk about the size,¡± Dongfang Liuyun took a glimpse at Qi Lei¡¯s big and slender fingers and said faintly.

    ¡°Okay, since both of you like this pair, I will give you a reference for the measurements now. After this, I¡¯ll get the people in there to start working on them right away and they¡¯ll be done as soon as possible. Lastly, I wish you a happy marriage.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun exchanged a nce tacitly, then responded as a husband-and-wife duo.

    ...

    It was almost dusk when they left the jewelry shop, the two rushed directly to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ce in the Beach Vi District.

    Dongfang Liuyun actually did not have much luggage. There were just books and some materials. Yang Sheng, who had received a phone call from Qi Lei, rushed to the location along with seven to eight bodyguards. He was taken aback when he saw his master standing with Dongfang Liuyun, and heard Qi Lei saying something about packing and moving all the luggage back to the Grand Lake Vi District.

    ¡°Master Qi, what are you talking about? Do we need to move all these things to the Grand Lake Vi? Are you nning to move in with Miss Dongfang?¡± Yang Sheng eximed while his eyes widened as he stared at Qi Lei.

    So, that was why he had to cancel all those important itineraries in the afternoon. He had other agendas nned!

    Upon hearing what Yang Sheng said, Qi Lei frowned and red at Yang Sheng. Only then did Yang Sheng realize that he seemed to have overreacted a bit, so he quickly covered his mouth. He nced cautiously at Dongfang Liuyun, who was packing behind them, then leaned towards Qi Lei. In a suppressed voice, he said, ¡°Master Qi, you need to think this through. I have totally no objection to you pursuing Miss Dongfang. She¡¯s beautiful and very capable, but I have to remind you that she¡¯s not someone with whom you can trifle casually. Her mother is Song Siting and her father is Dongfang Gan, she¡¯s the heir of the Dongfang family, cut and dried. Furthermore, the family business is humongous, it¡¯s status in the business world is neck and neck with Tai Yu Corporation. So you need to know that if this news of you sleeping with her were to be caught by the media, or someone in her family, those are some fire that you shouldn¡¯t y with. So, please be cautious, Master Qi!¡±

    ¡°You put away those dirty thoughts of yours. She¡¯s now the rightful Mrs. Qi, and it¡¯s justified that I sleep with her. Who dares to object to that?¡± Qi Lei gave Yang Sheng a cold re as soon as he finished expressing his concerns, and his voice was exceptionally stern too.

    ¡°What? Mrs. Qi? Master Qi, what¡¯s the meaning of this? What Mrs. Qi?¡± Yang Sheng caught the keyword immediately and could not process it at that instant. He stared at Qi Lei in a daze, then shifted his gaze to Dongfang Liuyun, who was busy with all the luggage.

    ¡°Her name is written on the spouse column in my household registration book, so you¡¯d better be polite to her in the future.¡± Qi Lei gave him a sideways nce, then leaned forward to pack up the books on the desk in front of him.

    ¡°But no, wait, Master Qi, you married Miss Dongfang?¡± Yang Sheng was shocked by the news!

    He stared at the two.

    This was definitely a piece of terrifyingly shocking news!

    ¡°Otherwise, what do you think happened?¡± Qi Lei responded lightly, ¡°I need you to arrange something tomorrow. Get everything ready at home. In addition to that, transfer the housekeeper, Aunt Xu from my mother¡¯s private vi here, and two trustworthy servants. You can discuss with Aunt Xu what to do.¡± A long time after Qi Lei had finished giving the orders, Yang Sheng still had not recovered from the shock.

 Chapter 1551 - Thank You (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1551: Thank You (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Have a ss of water.¡±

    Just as Qi Lei was busy arranging the stack of thick books on the table, a ss of water was delivered to him at the table.

    He stopped what he was doing and turned to look from the corner of his eye. He then realized that Dongfang Liuyun was standing by his side and leaning against the table. She held half a ss of water and was watching him.

    Qi Lei put the few books on his hand onto the thick stack beside, then took the ss of water for a few gulps as he asked, ¡°Almost done?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked around. Her starry gaze gathered with a sad reluctance, moments after she nodded, ¡°Almost.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to leave this ce?¡± Qi Lei naturally caught the feelings that gathered in her eyes.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her gaze calmly and she was quite rxed as she responded, ¡°I wasn¡¯t too willing to live with my parents before this. That¡¯s why I moved out. I wasn¡¯t staying here earlier. I only bought this ce from my friend five years ago. I¡¯ve had quite a peaceful life here. Now that I¡¯m suddenly leaving, it does feel weird, but if I really think about it, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything I can fondly recall.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t one to reminisce about the past?¡± Qi Lei chuckled and casually reached out to fix her slightly messy hair that had fallen on her chest.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her gaze and looked at that slender hand by her shoulders as she replied, ¡°It¡¯s nice to have some memories. Just don¡¯t get stuck on reminiscing the past. Okay, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m almost done.¡±

    She took the ss from his hand.

    ¡°Mmm, see if there¡¯s anything else you¡¯ve left behind.¡±

    ¡°For now, it¡¯s just these things. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll get someone to get a bookshelf up. I think the study is quite big, but the shelf is full. Those are the materials and books that I usually use. In another two days, I might return to my parents¡¯ ce. There are lots of materials from the Dongfang Group that I need to thumb through soon,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said, and even if she felt much reluctance, it was something she could not help. Earlier, in the car when she called home, Ah Fei had mentioned that her father had arranged everything for her.

    ¡°No worries. Slowly, you¡¯ll be able to adapt and understand. It wasn¡¯t easy when I first took over as well. Get them to list out an outline for you. Understand the situation in all the departments. Of course, it¡¯s best that you observe things yourself. That way, you¡¯ll have a more in-depth understanding. I¡¯ll look through it with you tonight when we get back. Coincidentally, mypany seems to require understanding how things have been in yourpany recently too.¡±

    He did not hide this fact and brought it up briefly.

    Now, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly recalled that they had brought it up before. Like how Dongfang Ren had been trying to fight for the South River Project with Tai Yu Corporation, Qi Lei was probably considering the Dongfang Group too.

    However, she heard that quite a fewpanies were fighting for this project at the same time. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi want to fight for it too, especially Dongfang Ren. This time, he entered the marriage with the Jin family because he wanted to use it to get the project.

    It was only when he brought it up that Dongfang Liuyun thought about it.

    However, she wondered if they found out that she had married Qi Lei, how would they feel?

    ¡°Are you nning on opening the back door for me since you¡¯re telling me this?¡± She fell silent for a moment, then nced at him. Her tone was a thought-provoking one.

    Qi Lei raised his brows. He thought about it, then chuckled. ¡°Well, of course, I¡¯ll have to watch over my wife. How can I let someone else get to it?¡±

    ¡°With these words of yours alone, I think I should fight for it properly. However, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to master things so soon, so thepany might not let me touch this project for now because the project is huge, and from what I know, Dongfang Ren has been wanting to let Dongfang Xin and Dongfang Rouer be in charge. They are both my rivals. Next time, if you really do meet them, don¡¯t be too nice, and if you can watch over them especially, that would be good.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone sounded matter-of-fact. In fact, she was not pretentious at all.

    She was so straightforward that Qi Lei was a little surprised, yet he admired her frankness and honesty. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°You really are quite bold. Technically, at this moment, shouldn¡¯t you be working hard to maintain your image such as showing off your kindness or tolerance?¡±

    His words only made Dongfang Liuyunugh out loud gently. With the back of her hand on her forehead, she said justifiably, ¡°It¡¯s best if I reveal my true self sooner. I told you before that I¡¯m not a good person. I¡¯d better not make you be disgusted with me for being a fake and pretentious person.¡±

    ¡°All your rebuttals always render me speechless, but it¡¯s good like that. We don¡¯t need to wear ourselves out being suspicious of each other.¡±

    ¡°Yes, for a single-celled organism like you, it¡¯s best to be simple and straightforward.¡±

    ¡°A single-celled organism?¡± Qi Lei looked at her, puzzled.

    The curve on her lips grew bigger as she nced at him in amusement. Then, she said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you¡¯re quite innocent, which is a good thing.¡±

    ¡°Are you indirectly saying I¡¯m not intelligent?¡± Qi Lei was no fool. He could obviously catch her meaning between the lines and immediately frowned.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun only shrugged casually. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. You understood it that way yourself. However, there really aren¡¯t many men like you anymore.¡±

    A vibrance shed in Qi Lei¡¯s dark eyes as he asked, ¡°So, are you saying you got lucky then?¡±

    ¡°Whether or not I got lucky, I¡¯ll find out in time,¡± she said and then turned to walk out the door.

    Qi Lei stayed where he was as he watched her figure gradually vanish out the door. His eyes flickered for a bit and then heughed to himself.

    Of course, he was an exceptionally good man!

    This was his target. What a challenging one!

    ...

    Outside the door, Yang Sheng had already ordered the bodyguards to put the things into the car. There were quite a lot of things, but most of them were books and some antique calligraphy and paintings. Dongfang Liuyun herself really did not have many things.

    When Yang Sheng saw Dongfang Liuyun walk over, he quickly went up and said, ¡°Miss Dongfang...Oh, wait, no...Missus....Your things have been put into the car...¡±

    Right now, he was not quite sure how to address Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°Shall we return to the Grand Lake Vi area now then?¡± Yang Sheng asked.

    She turned to look at this vi situated with a concealed tranquility as she fell quiet for a while.

 Chapter 1552 - Encounter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1552: Encounter (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She finally looked away after a long time and as her gaze swept across Qi Lei, she whispered, ¡°When I think about the possibility of being away for a long time, or not having the chance toe back again, I suddenly feel like I¡¯m going to miss this ce a lot. I hope...that it¡¯ll always be here. When I miss this ce, I want to be able toe back.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was unusually calm when she said this and her eyes seemed like she was deep in thought. Qi Lei was able to read and understand her logic. After thinking about it, he replied, ¡°I won¡¯t give you a reason toe back and stay here for long. Let¡¯s go now. It¡¯ste.¡±

    He reached out to hold her and got into the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped looking at the familiar house and lightly inhaled before finally getting into the car.

    The driver quickly started the engine...

    On the way back to the Grand Lake Vi, both of them barely spoke in the back seat. The driver in front was also very cautious and tense as he drove the car intently.

    It was already getting dark as the car was zooming in the faint afterglow. It was quiet inside the car as Dongfang Liuyun just sat and looked out of the car window at the streets that were constantly moving backward as the car kept going.

    Meanwhile, Qi Lei looked at the documents he was holding in his hand. He needed to take a good look at the contract he got this morning.

    This silence was not actually a form of mutual understanding but more like repression. The cell phone in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s pocket suddenly vibrated, finally breaking the silence.

    ¡®If I do not have tearsing into my eyes, can I have a bashful face when I see you again after the passage of years...¡±

    The ringtone of her phone went on for a long time, but Dongfang Liuyun did not seem to have any reaction until she felt that Qi Lei was looking at her. When she noticed his gaze, she finally reached out to grab her phone.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s name was disyed on the phone screen.

    Dongfang Liuyun stared at the screen for quite a while but did not end up answering the call. When the screen went dark again, she wanted to put the phone away. However, just when it had gone silent, the phone started ringing again, and it was still Lan Xiu.

    Dongfang Liuyun was quiet, but she finally answered the phone. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Liuyun? Where are you?¡± Lan Xiu asked worriedly as soon as he heard her voice, ¡°Why did it take you so long to answer your phone?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused and responded, ¡°I¡¯m out now. What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up right now. I have something to tell you. You can decide on the location.¡± Lan Xiu sounded determined.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned subconsciously and lowered her gaze for a long time before replying, ¡°It¡¯s almost time for dinner, so I¡¯ll pass. Let¡¯s meet some other day.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡± Lan Xiu¡¯s voice became more anxious. ¡°I went to the hospital and heard that you were hospitalized a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s nothing and I didn¡¯t actually need to be hospitalized.¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was very soft while her eyes were still staring out of the car window.

    ¡°After so many years, you still don¡¯t know how to take care of yourself. Liuyun, when will you make me worry less? Why don¡¯t you move into my ce? I¡¯ve thought about it, and I agree. ..¡±

    ¡°Okay, Lan Xiu, I¡¯m a little tired. Let¡¯s talk about this some other day. I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...¡± Lan Xiu still wanted to talk, but Dongfang Liuyun had already hung up.

    She simply threw the phone to the side and raised her hand to rub her temples tiredly.

    Beside her, Qi Lei continued to look through the documents in his hand.

    ¡°Was that the man from the other day?¡±

    Qi Lei obviously saw Lan Xiu that day, and based on his feelings, he could tell that the man was not that simple. He also heard most of their conversation at the time and felt that their rtionship was probably that of more than just normal friends, or else, Dongfang Liuyun would not have spoken to him about her situation.

    That man?

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly turned her head and looked at him, but he did not look up either as he continued to study the documents in his hands.

    ¡°He¡¯s Lan Xiu, my childhood friend. We¡¯ve known each other since we were young,¡± Dongfang Liuyun simply exined, ¡°We¡¯re friends, and you¡¯ll get the chance to know each other in the future.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows, but he seemed a little interested. ¡°I hope he¡¯s not going to tear me up, is he?¡±

    Tear him up?

    Dongfang Liuyun paused and immediately understood what he meant. ¡°We¡¯re just good friends. Be it the past, present, or the future, this won¡¯t change.¡±

    Her eyes were clear as crystal, so he did not doubt her words at all.

    ¡°He¡¯s been taking care of me. Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t cause you any trouble, but of course¡ª¡±

    ¡°But, of course, I need to treat you even better, don¡¯t I?¡± He interrupted and smiled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s telepathy, but you¡¯re right,¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone sounded more rxed now. She thought for a moment and continued, ¡°I initially wanted to go back after two days, but I made the sudden decision to visit C City tomorrow. I may be there for a few days for a literary salon. One of my friends happens to be here, so...¡±

    She almost forgot to tell him...

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the airport. What time is the flight?¡± Qi Lei closed the folder in his hand and looked at her silently.

    She was quiet for a while and finally nodded. ¡°Okay. The flight¡¯s at nine o¡¯clock tomorrow morning, and I¡¯ll be back on Monday afternoon.¡±

    ...

    It was rush hour and there was some traffic congestion on the road. When they finally got home, the sky was already dark. Yang Sheng and the bodyguards quickly organized and cleaned everything up. There were also two more people moving into the house: Butler Xu and Aunt Wang who had been transferred here by Yang Sheng.

    Moreover, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clothes and shoes in the walk-in closet were all ready. They were extremely efficient.

    Dongfang Liuyun made dinner on her own. Qi Lei wanted to help, but the cell phone in his pocket vibrated. When he took it out, he realized it was Su Chen.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me,¡± Qi Lei responded quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. We¡¯re at Room 808 of the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Come over and have a few drinks with us. I don¡¯t know where Zimo went and he¡¯s not even answering his phone. Ah Chen¡¯s already on his way, so you shoulde quickly.¡± Su Chen¡¯s voice could be heard from the other end of the phone.

    Out for a drink?

    Qi Lei hesitated and looked at Dongfang Liuyun who was ting the dishes. After a long time, he finally said, ¡°I¡¯ve got something to do today, so I won¡¯t be joining you guys.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s time for a break now,¡± Su Chen asked in confusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a small businessman. Do you think I¡¯m like you, working as a senior government officer? We have to wake up early and hustle in the dark while you just sit aroundfortably. There¡¯s no way topare us.¡±

 Chapter 1553 - Encounter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1553: Encounter (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯sughter echoed.

    ¡°You know, saying a few decent things won¡¯t kill you. Forget it then. I shall see you next time. Take care of yourself, and don¡¯t work yourself to death.¡±

    ¡°Okay, if I were to work myself to death, please submit my name for the model employee award,¡± Qi Lei said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Model employee award, my *ss! A¡¯you definitely deserve it¡¯ award sounds better. It suits you. Okay now, let¡¯s end the party here.¡± He hung up after saying that.

    ¡°What has Qi Lei been up totely? I haven¡¯t heard about how busy he can be, working all day long. Is he just working blindly?¡± In the corner of the sofa, Su Chen was leisurely leaning on the side of the sofa, holding a ss of wine. Behind him was a female attendant massaging his shoulders.

    Mu Yuchen, who was bowing his head and drinking silently, lifted his gaze from the ss and gave him a sideways nce. ¡°Otherwise, do you think everyone is always at leisure just like you? The early stages of the South River Project areing to an end, so it¡¯s only natural that there are lots of agendas on our tes.¡±

    ¡°When I¡¯m busy, aren¡¯t you and the others taking it easy?¡± Su Chen disagreed and refilled Mu Yuchen¡¯s ss again.

    ¡°I sense something wrong with you.¡± Mu Yuchen stared at him and said indifferently, ¡°Did you get into another fight with Ji Zitong?¡±

    Having heard that, Su Chen froze for a while. He inahled, took a nce at Mu Yuchen, and continued with what he was doing. There was a hint of helplessness in his deep tone as he replied, ¡°It¡¯s not her. She¡¯s fine. Ah Chen, do you think that I¡¯m getting old?¡±

    ¡°Old?¡± As soon as he heard what Su Chen had to say, Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Su Chen¡¯s physique from head to toe, and said thoughtfully, ¡°Well, at 35, you¡¯re definitely not young anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not 35 just yet, so how can I be that old? I¡¯m only 34.¡± Su Chen seemed a little irritated and shot Mu Yuchen a dissatisfied look. He then picked up the ss that was just refilled, drank all the wine in one breath, and said in an annoyed tone, ¡°My family is rushing me, and I can¡¯t help but feel a little ipetent.¡±

    ¡°Is it about having kids?¡± Mu Yuchen caught the message immediately.

    Su Chen took another breath and nodded. ¡°Yeah, she doesn¡¯t want to have kids with me, and she said that there¡¯s a generation gap in between us.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Mu Yuchen was surprised to hear what was on Su Chen¡¯s mind. Ji Zitong seemed to be very attentive when it came to Su Chen and did not look like someone that would have such thoughts.

    ¡°She¡¯s not such a woman.¡± Mu Yuchen gave it a thought while his tone was full of affirmation. ¡°I remember Xiaye once telling me that Ji Zitong likes Xiaocheng very much. She could see the anticipation in her eyes, and I recall that both of you said before that this year¡¯s the time.¡±

    ¡°That was before, and this is obviously now. Her ex got transferred to my precinct a few days ago, so I¡¯m his superior. Zitong came to the precinct the other day...¡±

    ¡°You got caught giving him a hard time, huh?¡± Mu Yuchen said indifferently.

    ¡°You got it. She said that I was being childish and narrow-minded! Do you think that I¡¯m such a person?¡± Su Chen said with a frown.

    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be your first time trying to sabotage someone. How could you make such a stupid mistake? Have you never considered how to make that person look bad but at the same time showcase your magnanimity?¡± Mu Yuchen gave him a pregnant gaze.

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand that b*stard. He used a woman as a stepping stone in order to move up thedder, and now he¡¯s trying toy his hands on my wife. Who does he think he is? How can I not make his life a living hell?¡±

    ¡°Did he go to see Ji Zitong privately?¡±

    ¡°Of course, and naturally Zitong thought I didn¡¯t know. That b*stard, Dong Wentao, was so presumptuous yesterday that he went into my office and lectured me about true love and first love. Who gave him the guts to do so? Does he think that all the men in the world are dead and that he¡¯s the only one left?¡± Su Chen finally could not suppress the wrath in him, and his voice was also sharp.

    ¡°Ji Zitong is now your official wife, Mrs. Su. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°You have a smooth rtionship with Xiaye. Of course, you won¡¯t understand my worry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you also worry about your rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Just make fun of me if you want. I know this is my retribution. I shouldn¡¯t have mocked you before this. Alright, let¡¯s just drink. Zitong has already gone back to her mother¡¯s house. I guess she won¡¯t be back in another two days while I happen to be leaving Z City for an expedition and study for a few days. Please help me look up all the information about Dong Wentao, then send it to my email. Let¡¯s see how I can get back at him.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your gentlemanly demeanor?¡±

    ¡°F*ck demeanor. If you don¡¯t help me with this, you¡¯ll see the madman in me.¡±

    ¡°Virtue, my friend, virtue!¡± Mu Yuchen nced at him, picked up his ss, and made a toast to him. ¡°As you told me before, isn¡¯t it easier to give her a reason to fall for you all over again? Anyway, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never been despicable and mean.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Su Chen red at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me with my own words. I¡¯m serious.¡± Su Chen¡¯s tone sounded helpless at the moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Mu Yuchen took the wine bottle and filled his ss. He raised his gaze then chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine that karma actually caught up with you.¡±

    ¡°Stop the gloating mockery. Karma¡¯s a b*tch, and it already caught up a long time ago. Otherwise, do you think that I¡¯m a saint? Even you can¡¯t be a saint, so why do you think I get to be one?¡± Su Chen gave Mu Yuchen a dissatisfied re as he picked up the ss which had just been filled, and emptied it in a few mouthfuls.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before. Our hands are helplessly tied ever since we stepped into marriage. You¡¯re facing it, and so am I, and Zimo won¡¯t be able to escape it in the future too.¡±

    Su Chen naturally knew that Mu Yuchen had adopted Qi Weier for quite some time already, and he was actually a little worried deep down, so after thinking about it, he could not help but ask, ¡°You seemed to have made peace with it. And let¡¯s be honest, do you really n to keep and raise that little girl named Qi Weier like this? Aren¡¯t you worried that Lingtian¡¯s tragedy will happen again? Or are you nning to raise her as Xiao Rui¡¯s wife?¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his slender brows, giving Su Chen a disapproving gaze. He slowly leaned backward and waved at the woman behind Su Chen. Thedy acknowledged the signal and left the room immediately.

    Bang!

    Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze calmly when he heard the sound of the door closing.

    ¡°What other oue can youe up with? The adoption is a definite green light already. As for what will happen in the future, I¡¯ll leave that to fate. What we told Xiao Rui is that Weier is his elder sister.¡±

    ¡°So, are you saying that your son is a righteous boy who¡¯ll nevery his hands on a nearer and easier target?¡± Su Chen said.

    ¡°If he were to choose to go for the nearer one, your daughter would be the perfect target.¡± Mu Yuchen smirked and gave Su Chen a mischievous gaze.

    ¡°My daughter? Keep dreaming! Even if I were to have a daughter, she¡¯s definitely not going to marry your son. The apple never falls far from the tree. He¡¯ll definitely grow up to be another profiteer just like you. I¡¯ m not going to allow my perfect little girl to fall for the bad boys.¡± Su Chen creased his brows in disapproval. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it the other way around? My son marrying your daughter?¡±

    ¡°Bro, you need to have one first.¡±

 Chapter 1554 - Encounter (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1554: Encounter (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, Dongfang Liuyun woke up quite early. When she woke up, Qi Lei was still sleeping all wrapped up in his nket like a silkworm.

    He had fallen asleep reallytest night, and she only vaguely sensed that as she was about to fall asleep, he had carefully walked into the bedroom to shower and then go to sleep. His movements were light as if he was afraid of waking her up.

    She obviously pretended to have fallen asleep as she stayed still. That way, she could also avoid any unnecessary awkwardness, though of course, she had still been a little unhappy because of the game earlier.

    At 7 a.m., Qi Lei woke up on time and realized that the woman beside him was gone, so he got up quickly too. When he saw the packed ck backpack, he breathed a sigh of relief, then swiftly washed up before helping her carry it downstairs.

    ¡°Good morning! I was just about to go upstairs to call you down for breakfast.¡±

    He had just walked a few steps down the stairs when a clear voice rang out. He looked down and saw Dongfang Liuyun walking towards the dining table with breakfast.

    The ck lounge outfit on her thin figure made her look more spirited, and her hair was all pulled up into a bun, held together with an exquisite hair roller. She looked exquisitely beautiful, and her eyes held a faint light, giving Qi Lei an amiable feeling.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there Aunt Wang? Why did you cook yourself? Despite it being quite early, you¡¯re full of zest.¡± Qi Lei continued to walk downstairs and set the bag aside on the sofa before he walked to the dining table. He sat down elegantly and looked at her with interest.

    Dongfang Liuyun put the food onto the table and nced at him before she pulled out the chair to sit. ¡°I thought you¡¯d at least express how touched you are. Try it. It¡¯s my first time making special spring rolls.¡±

    She nudged the te before her towards Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyebrows raised as he looked at her, then he lowered his head to look at the so-called spring rolls on his te...

    Was she sure that this was not the legendary Cuisine of the Dark Regime<sup>1</sup>?

    Qi Lei suddenly felt a shudder from the depths of his heart. After a while, he still did not pick up his chopsticks.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give me face?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s starry eyes flickered and then she stared at him.

    No one would dare believe that the genius Miss Dongfang was good at culinary skills and dishes, but when it came to these side dishes, she was terrible. It was not for any reason but because she liked trying to make side dishes that she had tasted before at certain shops. However, every time she made them they were all quite...

    Qi Lei looked at her so-called spring roll and actually had a bad feeling, but under her anticipatory gaze, he picked up his chopsticks and slowly made his way to pick up the spring roll.

    ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Just as Qi Lei was about to put the spring roll into his mouth, she suddenly stopped him.

    ¡°Come. Add some wasabi and some vinegar. That way, it¡¯ll taste better.¡±

    Before Qi Lei could react, she had already put some wasabi and a brush of mature vinegar onto the spring roll.

    Qi Lei frowned and looked at the thing between his chopsticks. He hesitated for a moment, then said in a lowered tone, ¡°Miss Dongfang, I¡¯m not a fan of heavy vors...¡±

    Upon hearing that, she raised her eyebrows and smiled to say, ¡°No worries. You can try it and give me your opinion.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯d know better by eating it yourself?¡±

    ¡°Right now, you¡¯re my most loyal customer, so don¡¯t be shy.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t about...¡± Qi Lei sighed and then put it into his mouth...

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡±

    Before she could finish, Qi Lei had choked and his eyes had involuntarily welled up with heat as he almost cried!

    He swore that he had never eaten a worse-tasting spring roll!

    When Dongfang Liuyun saw that, she squinted and looked at him with a silent expression as she was thinking of something. She subconsciously reached out to touch her chin and asked puzzledly, ¡°Is it that terrible?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nice. It¡¯s not bad. How about you try¡ª¡± He forced a smile that was uglier than if he were crying, then stuffed half the spring roll that was left on his chopsticks into Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her head to a side and evaded it. She smiled at him from the side and said, ¡°I feel assured then. Since you think it tastes good, I¡¯ll make it for you often.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to use such ways to repay me. Even though I know right now you might be feeling grateful towards me, you could use another way to show it such as...¡±

    ¡°I heard that to win over a man, I¡¯d have to first win over his stomach,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said with a grin.

    ¡°You know that¡¯s just a saying. You¡¯re doing this on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so foolish to the point of no return. I can tell,¡± Dongfang Liuyun admittedly frankly and looked at him from the side with that ¡®I¡¯m messing with you on purpose¡¯ expression.

    ¡°You¡¯d better hand over the equipments that you hidst night. You said we were going to share equally, but you kept more than half of the things to yourself. Do you think you¡¯re worthy of being paired with ¡®Swift Snowy¡¯?¡±

    When she said this, Qi Lei was dumbfounded. Moments after that, he realized what Dongfang Liuyun was saying.

    That was right. Last night, they had worked together once again to infiltrate the underground and had even gotten many gems from there. Previously, they had agreed to share equally, but he thought she did not know, so he...

    No wonder she did not seem too happy after they went offline. It turned out...

    ¡°How could that be? I¡¯m not hiding it from you, just leaving it for your dowry in the future.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m quite serious about everything I do. Qi Lei, you¡¯re not only my partner right now, but you¡¯re also my husband. I don¡¯t want you to lie to me over some small benefit. You might as well just tell me, and I won¡¯t fight over it with you. This is a warning.¡±

    Qi Lei obviously did not know that for a rather long time, this spring roll would be a hint for when Dongfang Liuyun was angry or unhappy!

    Right now, he just cleared his throat and gathered himself...

    ¡°I¡¯m not your student, Miss Dongfang. You don¡¯t have to do this to me.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing quicker and meaner than this to handle a single-celled organism like you. Besides, it¡¯s highly efficient.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Qi Lei was unexpectedly speechless. Usually, he would always have something to say, but when it came to her...

    ¡°Next time, if you are in the same situation as I am, you can do the same to me. Then, we won¡¯t be worn out from being suspicious of each other since I¡¯m most worried about that.¡±

    Right now, Dongfang Liuyun moved away from the spring roll and poured herself a ss of warm milk.

 Chapter 1555 - Encounter (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1555: Encounter (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    They had a simple breakfast, and it was already 7.30 am when they headed out. There was still plenty of time if they took the highway.

    Qi Lei was driving while Dongfang Liuyun sat in the passenger seat beside him. She was dressed in ck casual clothes with a cap of the same color and a pair ofrge beige sunsses. Although she was all covered up, it showed off her beautiful lips on her little face, which looked very distinct with the contrast in colors.

    ¡°I have asked Butler Xu to list all the things that you need. Everything will be ready when you get back. Regarding what happened this morning, I understand now, so if I have any good equipment in the future, I¡¯ll keep them for you first before taking the rest.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be surprised by him.

    ¡°Just remember what you said. I¡¯m not difficult to get along with. Since we¡¯re both in this together, I won¡¯t abandon you,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said while looking at him intently. Her eyes were clear and sincere.

    Qi Lei nodded without looking at her, but his tone was full of affirmation. ¡°I believe you, but I always feel that those words shoulde from me. I feel like I don¡¯t have the dominance of a man in front of you , Mrs. Qi.¡±

    He did not even try to hide his thoughts.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face suddenly filled with relief when she heard that, and she silently looked away to look out of the car window. ¡°You have your own strengths too, just like everybody else. I¡¯m not that strong either. For example, I was also very fragile when I was sick. I still cry when I watch sad TV series. I¡¯m also very new to business matters and have never done anything like that, so it will be very difficult for me in the future.¡±

    Qi Lei felt better, but he still looked at her in surprise as he wondered, ¡°Are you the kind of person who cries when you watch dramas? You don¡¯t look like it at all.¡±

    ¡°Not when I watch dramas, but I often do when I watch documentaries. A few years ago, when I made a trip to Africa and saw the tragedy that was happening over there, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t watch too much of those in the future. Also, just take it slow when ites to business matters.¡±

    Qi Lei had made his way up all by himself. Now that Tai Yu Corporation was on the right track, and he had the support from the Qi Kai Group, he did not have to go through those useless battles anymore. In fact, he could still manage such a hugepany by himself.

    ¡°Help me out so that I can feel more at ease.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always so straightforward when you speak,¡± Qi Lei red at her and smiled wickedly.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be straightforward? I¡¯m not one who likes beating around the bush. At least, I can save myself from going through detours,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied disapprovingly, ¡°You can do the same in the future. Most gentlemen are hypocrites though. I hope you¡¯re not like that.¡±

    ¡°Then, what kind of person do you think I am?¡± Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and asked.

    ¡°A single-celled organism,¡± she immediately replied.

    Qi Lei nced at her, but there was a rare smile on his face. He stepped on the elerator and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯vepletely evolved. Remember to call when you get there. Also, when do you n to make things official? I feel like I¡¯m not even a secret lover now.¡±

    ¡°The marriage agreement was signed with our names, and that¡¯s self-exnatory. If we were to go back in time and I had to choose again, I think I¡¯ll still say yes without hesitation.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, he sighed softly. ¡°We were still good friends, and this sudden change was certainly something new for both of us, but since we¡¯ve already taken this step, we might as well just try.¡±

    ¡°Are you confident about our marriage?¡± Qi Lei asked in a low voice while his gaze was fixed on her face.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked rhetorically with a warm smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied very sincerely because he really did not know how to manage a marriage, and most of the marriages he saw did not end well, so he...

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer but nced at him indifferently and turned her head to look out of the car window. The car had slowly driven into the parking space on the side of the road, and Qi Lei stopped the car steadily. After they both got out of the car, he carried her luggage for her before locking the vehicle.

    They went straight into the airport through the VIP passageway.

    It was almost time when she picked up her ticket, but being the considerate man he was, Qi Lei sent her off at the boarding gate.

    ¡°Be careful and remember to call when you get there,¡± he reminded as he passed her the backpack in his hand. Qi Lei looked at her with depth in his dark eyes, and she could not determine his emotions.

    Dongfang Liuyun took her backpack and carried it on one shoulder as she raised her head to look at him.

    The height difference between them was actually quiterge. Dongfang Liuyun was just 1.61 meters tall. Although she was not that tall, she was lean and slender, which made her look taller than she actually was. However, Qi Lei was almost 1.82 meters tall.

    ¡°Okay,¡± she finally answered after a long time. She lowered her gaze, and when she was just about to turn around, Qi Lei suddenly bent down slightly and stretched out his hand to hold her in his arms. He said emotionally in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m worried that this is all just a dream...Dongfang Liuyun, listen to me. You made this choice, so you can¡¯t give up before I let go...I don¡¯t have much left, so you...¡±

    Although he did not continue, she was able to capture the message he wanted to convey through his eyes.

    She thought about it and gently wrapped her hands around his waist, and leaned against his chest as she patted his back lightly. She chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯m just like you, so I¡¯m not any better. I guess we¡¯re now...just seeking warmth from each other, so...¡±

    Warmth from each other?

    Qi Lei looked at her and seemed happy to hear what she said.

    After thinking about it, he wanted to say something. However, before he could, he suddenly felt himself being pulled down, followed by a faint cold fragrance and softness on his lips that warmed his heart.

    Taken aback, he could not even react.

    When he finally came back to his senses, the warmth on his lips had already subsided.

    ¡°We have just started, and happiness is often in our own hands, Mr. Qi. Goodbye...¡±

 Chapter 1556 - Encounter (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1556: Encounter (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her soft voice came through, and her calm breath started to fade. He reached out, trying to grab her subconsciously. However, she had already turned around.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. You should go back too. It¡¯s time to rush back to your office.¡± As she bade him goodbye, her indifferent crimson lip line twitched, and before he could respond to her reaction, she had already walked towards the boarding gate. Her slender figure then disappeared in the aisle in front of him.

    Qi Lei suppressed his urge to chase after her. He raised his hand and touched his lips as he felt the warmth on them dissipate. Only then did he realize that the people around him were staring at him, and he immediately felt a slight warmth on his cheeks for no special reason. He cleared his throat and took onest glimpse at the empty aisle before lowering his head silently. Then. he turned around and left...

    As he passed through the VIP passageway, the enchanting scene kept on appearing in his mind. While he walked towards the exit of the airport, there was the sound of disordered footstepsing from behind him. Then, there was a thud as if something had fallen to the ground.

    Qi Lei turned around to take a look subconsciously, only to witness a middle-aged woman on the ground in the aisle. On the side, there was another woman, who was also wearing a ck formal suit, trying to help the middle-aged woman get back on her feet. While doing so, she anxiously asked out of concern, ¡°Attorney Song, are you okay? You haven¡¯t been resting for the past three days. It can¡¯t be dyed any longer. If not, you¡¯ll copse before the court.¡±

    The woman known as Attorney Song looked exceptionally pale. The dark circles under her eyes were so obvious that even the makeup that she applied on her face could not hide her fatigue. The woman beside her should be her assistant. She was carrying a few bags and briefcases in her hands, hence it was not convenient for her to move around at the moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. The Tian Hai case must be won. The opponent¡¯s tone sounded very affirmative, so they must still have something else up their sleeve. We can¡¯t afford to lose this battle. Otherwise, we don¡¯t need to rush this.¡± The middle-aged woman stood up, pressed against the wall with one hand for some support, while her other hand was applying pressure to her abdomen area. However, her sight went dark suddenly and she dropped to the ground again before she could stand back up.

    ¡°Attorney Song!¡± When the woman beside her saw this, her expression changed all of a sudden. She reached out to try to support her, and everything she was carrying scattered to the ground.

    Qi Lei hesitated for a split second before he approached them immediately and grabbed Attorney Song, who had dropped to the ground out cold. He said in his deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s send her to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please, yes. Thank you. Miss Song hasn¡¯t slept much for days. She must¡¯ve burned herself out. She also hasn¡¯t been eating well, and herplexion has been very pallid these few days. Her stomach has never been at its best...¡± the younger woman exined while catching up with them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get her to the hospital for an examination first. She doesn¡¯t look very good.¡± Qi Lei picked her up directly and rushed towards the exit.

    ...

    The car rushed to the hospital in the city. There was a hint of anxiety in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes too as he had already guessed the identity of Attorney Song.

    She should be the mother-inw that he had not gotten the chance to meet yet, was she not?

    No wonder she looked very familiar to him. Such celebrities often appeared in front of the media, and she had single-handedly won thewsuit between Gu Qiwu and Doris. She was the reason why Gu Qiwu beat Doris in court that easily.

    Besides, it seemed that Dongfang Liuyun inherited some of her prepossessing facial features, which was why Qi Lei did not doubt his judgment at all. He also seemed to recall that Dongfang Liuyun also referred to her mother as Miss Song.

    Song Siting had woken up in the back seat when they were halfway to the hospital. She then said feebly, ¡°Pull over ahead.¡±

    ¡°Miss Song, you¡¯re up!¡± Her assistant nced at her in relief.

    ¡°It¡¯s better if you go to the hospital for an examination. You don¡¯t look too well,¡± Qi Lei decelerated the car and advised her.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to the hospital. I haven¡¯t had enough rest, which gave me an upset stomach. That¡¯s it. I just need to get back home, get some rest, and I¡¯ll be fine. Thank you for your concern and help, kind young man,¡± Song Siting thanked Qi Lei gratefully, ¡°I need to get back to my firm for an important matter, so just pull over ahead. And if you don¡¯t mind, Xiao Yu will take your phone number down. I¡¯ll repay your kindness when there¡¯s a chance.¡±

    ¡°Miss Song, I think you should go to the hospital for...¡±

    Song Siting shot Xiao Yu a stern re before she could finish the sentence.

    ...

    Qi Lei gave it a thought and did not insist on it. He pulled the car over at a bus stop ahead to make it easier for them to call for a cab.

    When the car stopped, Qi Lei turned his head to the back of the car and exhorted, ¡°Your body ys a crucial role in your sess in life, so do take good care of yourself, Miss Song.¡±

    ¡°Of course, thank you, young man. This is my business card. I owe you one for what happened today. I hope we¡¯ll see each other soon.¡± Song Siting cast a gaze at Xiao Yu when she said so, and thetter nodded while handing a business card to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei received the card in silence and politely nodded at the two women. Both of them then got out of the car after that...

    He did not stay for another second longer as he started the car and drove off immediately.

    Watching Qi Lei¡¯s car drive off, Song Siting took a deep cold breath and found somewhere to sit down. She took out a bottle of pills from her handbag instantly, poured a few pills out, and took the medicine with the water that Xiao Yu handed her. After a while, her condition and pain lifted. However, her back was already slightly drenched due to all the cold sweat.

    ¡°Miss Song, I¡¯ll work a little harder these days and try to prepare as much information as possible. You should just rest well for a while. Your condition doesn¡¯t look good at all. You¡¯ll fall ill if this continues,¡± Xiao Yu said worriedly. After several days of working from dawn to dusk, and from dusk to dawn, she could not bear to witness it anymore. Although she knew that Miss Song had always been an absolute workaholic, she could not help but worry about her current condition.

    Furthermore, she was already in her fifties, so how could she live through such an excruciating working style?

    Song Siting grabbed the tissue paper that Xiao Yu passed to her, her stern gaze fading gradually. She then took a breath as her voice was filled with fatigue and faintness. ¡°I have to get through this even if my condition is bad. This case is way too important. If we were to fail, our opponent might start to plot something else with Dongfang Ren. In the end, the party who would suffer will be...Forget about that, you have to keep this matter a secret. We can¡¯t afford to alert the opponent by acting rashly, so just act as though we don¡¯t know anything.¡±

    ¡°Miss Song, we¡¯d better tell President Gan about the stakes in this matter. Otherwise, we may not be able to handle such a huge agenda,¡± Xiao Yu advised with a frown.

    Song Siting heaved a sigh of relief while her expression dimmed for an instant. ¡°Do you think he wouldn¡¯t know?¡±

 Chapter 1557 - Worry (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1557: Worry (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The morning ended just like that, and inside the Imperial Sky Hotel¡¯s luxurious VIP suite, when Su Chen woke up, it was already afternoon.

    He propped himself up to sit on the bed and looked around to realize that he was in the Imperial Sky Hotel. His mind immediately shed tost night¡¯s scene.

    He only remembered thatst night he had dragged Mu Yuchen to drink lots. In the end, almost the whole table was filled with empty bottles. After that, his consciousness slowly became blurry to the extent that he only seemed to remember that he was drunk. Then, Mu Yuchen had brought him here where he fell asleep as soon as he got to the bed.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    Before he could return to his senses, a low voice came through.

    He quickly turned to the sound and saw Mu Yuchen was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, drinking a cup of tea as he looked out of the window.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Su Chen scratched his head as he pulled open the nket and got out of bed.

    ¡°I came over to inspect the situation here and decided toe to take a look at you too. Your clothes are on the chair, so clean up and put them on. I¡¯ve applied for a day off for you. Your flight itinerary has been changed to 8 p.m. tonight. I¡¯ve gotten Li Si to arrange for your flight ticket to be put into the pocket of your clothes,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a deep voice as he pointed towards the chair by the bed. Su Chen followed the direction of his finger to see that there were indeed several bags there.

    ¡°Wash up. I¡¯ll wait for you outside. Your sister called me this morning, asking me to talk to you,¡± Mu Yuchen said before turning around to leave the room.

    ¡°What is there be to talk about?¡± Su Chen nced at him in puzzlement.

    ¡°Do you think I want to talk to you? Dong Wentao¡¯s woman bumped into Ji Zitongst night and there was a small dispute. Ji Zitong had minor injuries and Sis Su stayed with her at the hospital for the whole night. She only went home after a check-up in the morning. I¡¯ll let you decide whether you want to go home and take a look at her or not.¡±

    ¡°Dong Wentao! Him again? I¡¯ll get him. He can¡¯t even control his own woman! How is she? Where did she get hurt? Was it that severe that she had to be hospitalized?¡± Su Chen practically jumped out of bed in that instant and swiftly put on his clothes, but Mu Yuchen had already disappeared out of the doorway.

    Su Chen practically changed into his clothes at the quickest speed. After he washed up, he walked out with a head of wet hair while Mu Yuchen was drinking tea leisurely on the sofa.

    Su Chen walked over and poured himself a cup of hot tea then finished in several gulps while he fixed his clothes and demanded, ¡°What happened? Tell me the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°The car¡¯s already ready downstairs. Li Si will exin the whole thing to you, but I must remind you that even though Dong Wentao is a nobody, Wang Yanran does have some family background. Right now is a critical time for Uncle Su, so it¡¯s best that you handle this matter well. Otherwise, you¡¯ll invite unnecessary trouble.¡±

    Su Zhengxun was a well-known figure in the political scene, and right now it was a critical period. Therefore, he needed to keep going and had to be wary of the influence of public opinion. After all, the citizens did not care about the so-called truth since seeing was believing.

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll watch out for that.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t handle this well, you can call Ah Mo. He¡¯s best at handling these things. Don¡¯t create unnecessary problems,¡± Mu Yuchen still carefully reminded him again.

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Su Chen was obviously slightly worried.

    Ji Zitong was hurt?

    He wondered how she was doing now!

    However, before Mu Yuchen could say more he had already left the room.

    As he watched Su Chen leave, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face only shed with a helpless smile.

    Rat-a-tat!

    At this moment, there was suddenly a knock on the door. Mu Yuchen calmly answered and the secretary soon walked in and respectfully bowed at him as she spoke, ¡°Chairman Mu, the Young Master and Miss Weier are back. They¡¯re waiting in the car downstairs. Missus says that you can bring them around the yground but she reminded you to be careful and to go home tonight. Remember to give her a call.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was going abroad for work these next few days, so the little fellows would all be with Mu Yuchen. In fact, it was the children¡¯s summer holidays right now, thus they did not need to go to school. They would either be at the Shen residence ore to work with Mu Yuchen. Nevertheless, the children were easy to take care of. They only needed to eat and sleep, and they would y with each other without disturbing him.

    When the secretary finished, Mu Yuchen set his teacup aside and got up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    When he walked out of the hotel, the car was parked at the entrance. Mu Zirui and Qi Weier were already waiting in the car. Meanwhile, Sis Wang was carrying Mu Xiaocheng and standing on the side too.

    ¡°Dada...Dada...¡±

    Mu Yuchen had just gotten close when Mu Xiaocheng began to cheerfully dance with joy and wave at him.

    As Mu Yuchen lowered his gaze and watched the little fellow¡¯s cute demeanor, his heart softened before he walked over and carried him. ¡°Come here. Let Daddy carry you. Call Daddy and Mommy...¡±

    ¡°Mama...¡±

    When Xi Xiaye was mentioned, the little guy looked around to search for Xi Xiaye, but he could not find her after a long while. He then held Mu Yuchen by the neck and called out, ¡°Mama...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll only be back after a few days. I¡¯ll bring you out to y. Where¡¯s your brother?¡±

    ¡°Daddy!¡±

    At this moment, Mu Zirui and Qi Weier¡¯s voices were heard from the car too.

    Mu Yuchen then carried Mu Xiaocheng and got into the car.

    Inside the car, Mu Yuchen carried Mu Xiaocheng and sat in the middle while Mu Zirui and Qi Weier sat on both sides.

    Qi Weier was wearing a cute T-shirt and shorts, unlike her princess dresses from before. Xi Xiaye had mentioned that she hoped she could be more lively, so the clothes that she prepared for her were all changed to cute cartoons or more casual outfits. Qi Weier did not seem to reject this either. When she saw that Mu Zirui was always dressed up like a cool little young master, she got used to it and even started to fancy such styles.

    Her blonde hair wasbed into a cute little bun on her head as Xi Xiaye usually tied her hair as such. With a bow, she became a charming little princess.

    As the car drove ahead, Mu Zirui suddenly said, ¡°Daddy, the final exam results are going to be released soon. I¡¯m fine, but Weier only got 39 marks for Math, and she barely passed Languages. Great-grandfather said that Weier should spend more time at the Shen residence so that Grandmother can help her with the subjects.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard that, he carried Mu Xiaocheng to sit on hisp while he turned to Qi Weier beside him.

 Chapter 1558 - Worry (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1558: Worry (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In response to Mu Yuchen¡¯s gaze, Qi Weier lowered her head and said in a weak voice, ¡°I...I¡¯ll...work hard...¡±

    ¡°Just try your best and don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Not doing well in your studies doesn¡¯t mean that you won¡¯t have a bright future. Your mother used to be bad at her studies but look at her now. Isn¡¯t she outstanding?¡± Mu Yuchen looked at Qi Weier with kind and gentle eyes.

    Taken aback, Qi Weier quickly raised her gaze to look at Mu Yuchen in surprise, but after a while, she nodded.

    ¡°You have to try to talk to your ssmates more and y with them. You can still slowly make up for your bad grades. Just do your best in everything, but when ites to your grades, you must also find out the root of the problem. For example, if your math isn¡¯t good enough, you¡¯ll have to study harder. If you don¡¯t understand anything, you should ask the teacher or Xiao Rui, understand?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had a lot of patience with Qi Weier. Although he had to admit that he and Qi Feng had a lot of grievances in the past, and many would think that it may not be appropriate for him to raise Qi Weier, he and Xiaye still wanted to take this risk. A child¡¯s future was inherently important, and he did not want their grudges to stay unresolved in the future.

    Therefore, he was willing to try taking Qi Weier in so that she could have a healthy and stable life in the future.

    Qi Weier had changed a lot during this period. She was more willing to speak, and hermunication problem had been alleviated, much to Xi Xiaye¡¯s delight.

    Qi Weier listened and nodded obediently. ¡°I understand, Daddy.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then patted her head. ¡°You¡¯re a good girl. Mommy and Daddy love you very much. You have to love yourself too before others can love you.¡±

    Qi Weier nodded again. Her blue eyes were gleaming, and it was obvious she liked Mu Yuchen, but she felt that her father could be stern sometimes, which made her a little scared. She still liked her mother more.

    Mu Yuchen took the time off to spend time with them all afternoon.

    They had sundaes and went to the yground. The family had a great time, especially Mu Zirui and Qi Weier, who finally had the courage to y with other children. Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s steps were still a little wobbly, so he could only watch as Mu Yuchen held him...

    Unlike Mu Yuchen¡¯s harmonious joy, Su Chen¡¯s situation was quite depressing.

    On the sofa in the living room at home, Ji Zitong sat there while leaning back into the backrest with ayer of bandage wrapped around her left arm. Su Chen¡¯s sister, Su Yu, was drinking a cup of tea with her legs crossed while watching Su Chen walk over.

    ¡°Where the heck did you go? I called you all night, but you didn¡¯t pick up at all. Zitong got beaten up by that shrew while you were out having fun and drinking. If it wasn¡¯t for Secretary He, we wouldn¡¯t know where you went either!¡± Su Yu reproached angrily before Su Chen even got there.

    He stopped in front of the sofa and nced at Su Yu. His gaze soon fell on Ji Zitong who was beside her. He scrutinized her up and down several times, and his gaze was gloomy when he saw the bandage wrapped around her arm.

    Ji Zitong also nced at him and lowered her gaze indifferently without saying anything.

    ¡°My phone ran out of battery,¡± he said as he threw the phone in his hand on the table. He looked at Ji Zitong¡¯s pale face with a deep gaze and said, ¡°Sis, you should go back first. I¡¯ve already asked Aunt Wang toe over.¡±

    As Su Yu listened, her gaze traveled back and forth between Su Chen and Ji Zitong, and she could tell something was wrong!

    No wonder Zitong seemed to be a little unhappy as if she had a lot on her mind. When Su Yu had asked her to call Su Chen before this, she did not seem like she wanted to do it, so maybe they had an argument.

    ¡°Then, please take care of Zitong. Her wound shouldn¡¯t be exposed to water. Ah Chen probably told you about the situation, so I¡¯ll leave it up to you. Also, just be rational. I don¡¯t want Grandpa to hear about all this, okay?¡± Su Yu stood up and gave the young couple some time alone.

    Su Chen nced at her without saying anything, so Su Yu shrugged and walked away.

    ¡°Zitong, be careful. I¡¯lle back to see you tomorrow,¡± Su Yu said worriedly before she left.

    ¡°Thank you, Sis. Let me send you off!¡± Ji Zitong replied in a gruff voice. Just when she was about to get up to send Su Yu off, Su Chen grabbed her arm with one hand as she stood up. Su Yu looked at them and raised her eyebrows as she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Sit down and get some rest. Goodbye!¡± She red at Su Chen when she said thatst line, and finally left.

    Click ck!

    Her footsteps slowly faded and she was finally gone. Ji Zitong looked away after staring at the door for a long time. Su Chen¡¯s big hand that was holding her arm was slowly tightening, and his sharp gaze was still fixated on her.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± she said coldly as she looked at the hand sped on her arm.

    ¡°Last night, I drank too much with Ah Chen. I got drunk and Ah Chen helped me so that I could rest at the hotel.¡±

    Su Chen started exining, which he did not usually do, ¡°Li Si told me about what happened between you and that crazy woman. At the end of the day, it¡¯s still about Dong Wentao. Zitong, you see it now, don¡¯t you? Dong Wentao can¡¯t even control his own woman and he¡¯s just a shameless man who relies on and takes advantage of his woman. What makes him think that he can talk about loving you? Zitong, you have to know that he¡¯s already long gone in the dating game. Even if you can¡¯t forget about him, there¡¯s no way you guys can get back together.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen, I¡¯ll repeat myself. I have nothing to do with Dong Wentao. You don¡¯t need to talk to me like that. When did I ever say that I miss him? It was you who has jealousy issues, but I can¡¯t bear these false usations! I¡¯ve never even thought about getting back with him!¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s eyebrows furrowed and her cold gaze met Su Chen¡¯s ck eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you mean what you say. His woman came to look for you, so do you still think that it¡¯s not serious? It¡¯s only a minor injury this time, but you can¡¯t guarantee that it won¡¯t be acid or a dagger next time. Also, do you really think I wouldn¡¯t find out about you seeing Dong Wentao in private? If you were more open about it, we could at least be honest about it!¡±

 Chapter 1559 - Worry (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1559: Worry (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen¡¯s tone was abnormally gloomy, and the emotions condensed in his eyes were also exceptionallyplicated. He might not even realize how much emotions he had been containing within himself all this time.

    He did not want to touch any topic such as love. All he knew was that he was feeling extremely furious and anxious because of the wound on her arm and the coldness on her face.

    ¡°I met him only because of his sister. If you don¡¯t even have basic trust in me, then there¡¯s no need for me to exin further. Su Chen, you¡¯re getting more and more unreasonable now. You are so naive that you want toy your fingers on Dong Wentao because of such a trivial matter. If that¡¯s what you want, then I have nothing else to say. Just go and do whatever you want!¡±

    Ji Zitong was also trying her best to suppress the wrath in her chest while ring at him coldly. ¡°Also, do you know why Wang Yanran came looking for me? Apart from questioning me and Dong Wentao as always, she thought I was deliberately challenging her!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the unreasonable one? Ji Zitong, think about it yourself. Who am I doing this for? Are you saying that you¡¯d feel bad when I act on him? Do you dare to admit that you feel bad for him?¡± Su Chen¡¯s firm and handsome face became so somber as he thought about the concern that he felt deep down as well as her reaction to his feelings. All of those were just a shits*ack full of f*cking karma!

    ¡°I simply can¡¯tmunicate with you. You can think however you like and whatever you like!¡± Ji Zitong took a deep breath and did not want to argue with him anymore. She swiftly stood up to walk out of the door and go downstairs.

    ¡°Sit down. We¡¯re not done yet!¡± As soon as Ji Zitong took her first stride, Su Chen¡¯s raging roar came from her back, almost startling her. ¡°I want to listen to the reasons that you cane up with. Don¡¯t you forget that you¡¯re now Mrs. Su, my wife. Your name is printed on the spouse column of my household register. So, this is how you do things, huh? Partnering up with that b*stard Dong Wentao to point fingers at your own husband? I see, so you¡¯ve grown a pair ever since our marriage, huh? What will you benefit from all these? I¡¯ll admit that I made his life a little harsh, but even if I don¡¯t make a move, does he intend to get promoted with this shitty performance and attitude of his? You really are na?ve!

    ¡°Not to mention the municipalmittee, he wouldn¡¯t even make it through our internal discipline inspection. I only gave them some information that they want as a favor, so why not?¡± As Su Chen sneered and sat down opposite Ji Zitong, he took out a cigarette packet from his pocket fretfully. He pulled a cigarette out, lit it, and took a puff. He then nced at Ji Zitong and saw her frowning unpleasantly, so he exhaled and snub out the cigarette that had just been lit in the ashtray on the side.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you think. You should remember that he¡¯s someone that should¡¯ve been eliminated from your life long ago, so you¡¯d better don¡¯t meet him that often in the future. I don¡¯t want to suspect anything. When a rtionship has ended, I¡¯d rather see a clean-cut between both parties in the end instead of hanging around on strands. I would at least feel more relieved if you took my feelings into consideration.¡±

    Su Chen ayed the rage in his chest. ¡°Sometimes, trying to be a good person isn¡¯t an easy thing to aplish. If either one of us were to bring any endless trouble back home, we¡¯re the only ones who¡¯ll suffer at the end of the day. If you haven¡¯t been able to truly divert your mind from him, then you¡¯ll never be able to truly let go of the rtionship.¡±

    Ji Zitong was taken aback for a second when she heard that. The tiny reflection in her eyes flickered. She then took a breath, lowered her gaze, and said in a soft voice, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think. I¡¯ve exined everything that should be exined. I admit that I might have troubled you with this matter, but there¡¯s nothing between Dong Wentao and me. We¡¯re innocent. But, Su Chen, no matter how powerful you¡¯re in the precinct, you should never abuse your authority over the people. I don¡¯t care who the victim is!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve abused my authority?¡± As soon as he heard these words, the wrath in Su Chen¡¯s chest rekindled instantly and he was on the brink of losing it again. He did not know what it would take for him to suppress the uproar from within his chest. ¡°You¡¯ve been married to me for so long. Do you think I¡¯m such a person?¡±

    Ji Zitong did not answer him as she turned around and looked out of the window.

    Su Chen¡¯s expression was abnormally gloomy while he stared at Ji Zitong fixedly. Seeing that she did not respond, a hint of sadness could be sensed shing at the depths of his eyes. He then gave a self-deprecating scoff. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe in your eyes, I¡¯ve be a despicable scoundrel while Dong Wentao has always been the gentleman. It¡¯s true. I¡¯ve always known that I¡¯ve never been a good man.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Hearing his downcast and dejected tone, Ji Zitong exined softly, ¡°I¡¯m only displeased with the way you do things, and you don¡¯t even trust me.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about you? Have you ever trusted me? If so, why did you prevaricate with me and give me such a reason? Ji Zitong, trust is a mutual feeling. No matter how much trust I have in you, it won¡¯t help if you yourself are on guard against me all the time.¡±

    Su Chen turned around and gazed at her. ¡°I have no magnanimity, especially when ites to dealing with women and rtionships. I¡¯ve always been honest with you, but you...Forget it. I¡¯ll be away from Z City for a few days. You¡¯re injured, so you should rest well. I¡¯ve asked Auntie Wang and the others toe over and take care of you.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes were very dim. He knew he could not control his temper at this moment, but naturally, he did not want to hurt her because he was irrational, so he felt that it was best if they have their own space and time to calm down. Therefore, after telling her his n for the next few days, he turned around and left without looking back.

    Bang!

    There was a loud thud when the door closed as if a sledgehammer had just mmed Ji Zitong¡¯s heart. She felt a feeling of asphyxiation at that instant. She turned her head subconsciously and stared at the empty doorway, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a faint warmth in her eyes.

    This feeling was naturally unfamiliar to her, but now, especially after she married him, her state of mind and emotions were no longer as controble as they had been before.

    After a while, she blinked her eyes and raised her arms to wipe away the moisture that had condensed at the corners of her eyes. With a deep breath, she walked upstairs silently.

    ¡°Su Chen!¡± Su Chen had just walked out of the door when his sister, Su Yu, called out to him. She was waiting for him outside. Obviously, she suspected something had happened between the couple.

    ¡°Sis, why are you still here? I thought you¡¯ve gone back.¡± Su Chen flicked the cigarette between his fingers as he frowned at Su Yu who was waiting by the side.

    ¡°Okay, get into the car. I know that you¡¯re catching the eight o¡¯clock flight. There¡¯s still some time.¡±

    ¡°I need to get back to the precinct for a while.¡± Su Chen took a glimpse at her.

    ¡°Get into the car. I¡¯ll drive you there!¡± Su Yu¡¯s tone sounded like she would not take ¡®no¡¯ as an answer. Furthermore, her re rang with a sense of warning. Su Chen nced at her, then strode towards the passenger seat and got into the car.

 Chapter 1560 - Worry (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1560: Worry (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car sped ahead with Su Yu at the wheel.

    Indeed, as Su Chen expected, they had just started driving when Su Yu could not help but ask, ¡°Did you fight with Zitong?¡±

    ¡°I knew Zitong didn¡¯t look quite wellst night. I thought she was just unhappy because of those incidents, but then I noticed her just now and was sure that you two were fighting. Aren¡¯t you nning on telling me? Maybe I could help you with it.¡±

    ¡°When did you find the time to care about these things now? We¡¯ll settle our own problems. Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no need to get so many people involved,¡± Su Chen said gloomily.

    ¡°How can you say that this involves too many people? You know not to worry your family too, huh? Su Chen, I¡¯m telling you, even though I¡¯m your sister, I¡¯m on the side of reason, not just kinship. You¡¯ve grown up under my watch since young, so I know very well how your temper is like. You¡¯ve been spoiled by the family since young.¡± Su Yu rolled her eyes at Su Chen as she went on and on.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡±ve been spoiled. All these years, when has anything been done ording to what I want?¡± Su Chen objected as his gaze could not help but darken. ¡°I don¡¯t want you all to interfere with us. We¡¯ll settle it ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I know you¡¯re in a bad mood. But I must tell you first that managing a marriage isn¡¯t the same as the way you handle official matters and that right or wrong can be figured out. Zitong is your wife. As a man, you needn¡¯t be so petty and it¡¯s not wrong to give in a little. Zitong doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of woman who would be worse,¡± Su Yu sped up the car as she said.

    Su Chen lowered his gaze and did not answer. He just turned to look out of the car window.

    ¡°You¡¯d better be paying attention to what I say. That way, you¡¯ll go through this more peacefully. Haven¡¯t you heard how they say that incapable men go home with a temper? Look at Ah Chen. He¡¯s rarely like you, getting angry all the time. Can¡¯t you just talk about things calmly? Also, look at our father. You can¡¯t even stand Mother¡¯s temper but hasn¡¯t he adapted to it and tolerated it over the years?

    ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Are you listening? This isn¡¯t about principles. You don¡¯t have to be such an egoistic man. Zitong is always thinking of you, so what else are you unhappy about?¡±

    ¡°How do you know she¡¯s always thinking of me? Did she tell you that?¡± Su Chen turned and fixed his gaze on Su Yu.

    ¡°Well, who else is she going to be thinking of? Last night, she was staring at her phone the whole night in a daze, obviously waiting for you to call her, but God knows where you ran off to. If it weren¡¯t for her, I would¡¯ve told Grandfather already and gotten him to scold you publicly,¡± Su Yu responded inly.

    At this juncture, Su Chen¡¯s expression looked slightly better as he cleared his throat and said, ¡°There¡¯s trust issues between me and her.¡±

    ¡°Trust issues? Everyone has problems. I know that this time, you must have made things unhappy because of her ex-boyfriend Dong Wentao, on this, I can¡¯t say who¡¯s wrong or who¡¯s right, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to be unhappy over this little thing. Even if you want to get back at him, that¡¯s not how you do it, Su Chen oh Su Chen, you¡¯ve been alive for more than 30 years now, why are you still so childish?¡±

    Even Su Yu could not help but scold him, ¡°Since I¡¯m talking about this, you need to reflect as well. Later, I¡¯ll find a way to probe and talk to her. No matter what happens, we can¡¯t just put the me on one someone else. We have to first reflect on ourselves! This is the most basic thing our grandfather has asked of us. Ah Chen and Zimo do this very well. Instead, it¡¯s you as the eldest that hasn¡¯t been a good role model.¡±

    ¡°Sis, are you really my sister or not? Are you criticizing me right now?¡± Even though Su Chen¡¯s tone was filled with dissatisfaction, it sounded calmer than before.

    ¡°If you keep going on like this, it won¡¯t just be criticism, I¡¯ll send a punitive expedition against you. I just think Zitong is great, so I¡¯ve got to protect her so that she won¡¯t be bullied by you. I know very well that you can exercise restraint if you want to,¡± Su Yu said very calmly.

    Nevertheless, Su Chen only threw her a cold nce. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not Mother and Father¡¯s biological daughter.¡±

    ...

    He was busy the entire day, and in the blink of an eye, it was sunset.

    Since he knew that no one would be home, Qi Lei did not want to return home so earlier either. He settled all his documents until hunger struck him. He then looked up at the glorious lights outside his window and realized that it was already veryte.

    Yang Sheng had already gone back, thus only he was left alone in the office. Even the bodyguards had left.

    He packed up and then picked up his car keys to leave the office.

    He did not go straight home either. Instead, he drove to the library and picked up several books before he rushed back. He held a simple bowl of noodles and sat down on the living room sofa then switched on the television.

    After a few bites of his steaming noodles, he subconsciously picked up his phone and was hesitating about whether to call Dongfang Liuyun.

    When shended, she only sent him a text message that she had reached, and then there was no more news.

    At this moment, the person on the other end seemed to have telepathically felt it too. He had just clicked on two numbers when his phone suddenly buzzed, shing with Liuyun¡¯s name.

    With his handsome brows raised, a charming smile curved on his lips as he quickly answered the call.

    ¡°Hello? Have you had dinner already?¡± he spoke up first.

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ve just made a sand picture with my friend and am nning to return to the hotel. Are you still at the office?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was calm as if such a greeting was extremely normal.

    ¡°I just came home to make dinner.¡±

    ¡°You made noodles?¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled and said as if she could see what was happening over there.

    ¡°How smart of Madam Qi. Indeed, you guessed it right,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°I understand that it¡¯s not easy to make dinner for one person. Besides, most of what¡¯s in your fridge are just noodles.¡±

    ¡°Omniscient now, are you? Why did you suddenly think of calling me? You¡¯ve slid into character quite quickly.¡±

 Chapter 1561 - Illusion (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1561: Illusion (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei turned on the speaker and continued enjoying his noodles as he asked his question.

    Dongfang Liuyun said softly, ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to call, but I didn¡¯t think it was appropriate not to, so I did. Since you also mentioned carrying out my role, it means I do have such a responsibility.¡±

    Qi Lei paused but did not answer.

    ¡°What are your parents¡¯ standards for a son-inw?¡±

    He suddenly remembered Song Siting, whom he had met at the airport this morning. She looked like an extraordinary woman who had set high standards for herself and her daughter, so she probably had high standards for her son-inw as well.

    As soon as he asked this, Dongfang Liuyun paused and smiled. ¡°Why? Are you worried that you can¡¯t get through my parents?¡±

    ¡°I obviously have my worries. Since I¡¯m now their son-inw, I have to be someone they will be proud of. Now tell me so that I can make all the necessary preparations in advance. It¡¯s going to be Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day soon after all,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    He seldom spent his time dealing with things like that, and he had never thought about pleasing or honoring his parents before. Now that he had parents-inw, he certainly had to spend more effort and time to make a good first impression.

    ¡°As I told you, there¡¯s no way tomunicate with my mother. You just need to be polite to her. My father is a very kind person. He¡¯s a friendly old gentleman, so you don¡¯t need to worry much about that. ¡±

    ¡°Tell me about their hobbies,¡± Qi Lei said with persistence in his tone and his eyes flickered.

    Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in a car on her way back to the hotel at the time. When she heard his question, she raised her hand and rubbed her forehead. After thinking about it for a while, she replied calmly, ¡°Mother believes in Buddhism. I think it¡¯s probably because she¡¯smitted too much evil.¡±

    A hint of sarcasm could be heard in her tone, but Qi Lei found it a little strange. He remembered the haggard and weary Song Siting he had seen that morning.

    After a pause, he was about to say something but Dongfang Liuyun continued, ¡°My father likes antiques, especially sculptures. If it weren¡¯t for his identity, I think he would¡¯ve been a master sculptor. However, he had to give up on his dream in the end.¡±

    When she spoke about this, she seemed to suddenly remember something that made her sigh. ¡°Do you remember what I said about you? Actually, I can see my father in you sometimes. There are too many people who had to give in to destiny, and that includes my father and you, even myself. We were given a life that we had to live, and it¡¯s actually very unfair for us humans. I think we were all born to enrich our lives and change our destinies.¡±

    He heard what she said, and at that moment, he suddenly felt like he found his purpose. Warmth flooded his heart. He rarely understood this kind of feeling, but he was d that she could think this way.

    ¡°But I¡¯m not your father. I¡¯m your...husband and your life partner,¡± Qi Lei reminded her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was in a daze as she looked outside of the car window and she chuckled. ¡°I know. Let me tell you the truth. I actually felt sympathetic towards you at the beginning because of what happened to you and your personality. However, I thought about myself and suddenly realized that it felt like the pot calling the kettle ck.¡±

    ¡°Talking to you is no fun at all. It feels like I¡¯m being observed because you¡¯re so sharp and that leaves me nowhere to escape to, Mrs. Qi.¡±

    When he heard that, he smiled indifferently as he swallowed the food in his mouth. ¡°Mrs. Qi¡± did not sound odd at all. ¡°To be honest, I feel like nobody in front of you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a rising star in the business, and I can¡¯t everpare to that. Also, aside from having any sense of aplishment, I¡¯m just a woman no matter how powerful I am. Women are inherently weakerpared to men,¡± she said modestly.

    Qi Lei feltfortable talking to her. He agreed, ¡°I also agree that by nature, women should be protected, but I¡¯m very curious why someone like you would feel this way too.¡±

    ¡°Well, can¡¯t I?¡± she asked back.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just think...¡± Qi Lei wanted to exin something, but he did not know what else he could say, so he gave up.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything at all. They were silent for a while, but Qi Lei ended up reaching for the phone. ¡°It¡¯ste now, so go back early and get some rest. By the way, I¡¯m a little busy these days, so I may not go online. As for the equipment, you can just log in to my ount and send it as a gift or transfer it to yourself. The password is ¡®easterngust¡¯ in lowercase plus the first four digits of my phone number.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it. If I go online, I¡¯ll help you with your ount too,¡± she smiled and replied.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, enjoy your noodles. Bye.¡±

    ...

    After the phone call ended like that, he could not really tell what he felt. Qi Lei felt that he was probably feeling joy because he realized that there was someone thinking about him. Therefore, no matter what reason it was, he felt ted.

    It was much better than not having anyone who cared about him and being forgotten by everyone.

    ¡®She¡¯s a good woman, so you should treat her well. If she can really be with you till the end, you should be willing to give her everything...¡¯ Qi Lei said to himself in his heart.

    He had to admit that sometimes, he was also afraid of loneliness because he was alone...

    After pondering for a long time, he took a breath and calmed down a little before lowering his head to finish the noodles in his bowl. However, at this very moment, it was not just him who had thoughts running through his head.

    Inside the car, Dongfang Liuyun silently squeezed her phone as she looked at the darkened phone screen in her hand.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, shall we go back to the hotel now?¡± the driver in front suddenly asked.

    She snapped out of her trance and turned her head to take a look at the street outside before responding, ¡°Go back now.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Ge and the rest are waiting for you in Dynamic Entertainment City. When the salon is over, they will be taking a trip to the Maldives. They¡¯ll probably discuss some travel ns...¡±

    ¡°Go back and tell your boss that I¡¯ll return to City Z immediately after the salon. Mr. Lan Xiu wille personally in a few days,¡± Dongfang Liuyun cut the driver off.

 Chapter 1562 - Illusion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1562: Illusion (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°But, Miss Dongfang, our boss wants to talk to you personally about something.¡± The driver in the front hesitated and decelerated the car slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll send him a message to exin when I arrive at the hotel. All you need to do is just drive me back to the hotel,¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded indifferently, and at this moment, the driver could only give up.

    This night seemed the same as before, but what made Dongfang Liuyun feel that there was a subtle change was that she would actually call Qi Lei. In her opinion, no matter what led her to do so, it was all a little...

    The night was gettingter andter. After putting the kids to sleep, Mu Yuchen went back to the bedroom tiredly and took a bath. Just as hey down, the phone on the bedside vibrated, and he knew who was calling him without guessing, so he pressed the ¡®answer¡¯ button without ncing at the caller ID.

    ¡°Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Have the kids gone to bed?¡± Sure enough, the voice of a womanining came through, and Mu Yuchen also leaned back on the bedhead with the nket. He grabbed the book on the side with one hand, opened it, and replied, ¡°They¡¯ve slept, and I just finished showering. Are you back in the hotel? Don¡¯t socialize until toote in the night. Get them to drive you back to the hotel when it¡¯s time.¡±

    He was very worried every time she was on a business trip and always felt troubled because he was not there to watch over her.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just got back to the hotel. Today¡¯s banquet was quite arge affair. I had a few drinks, so my head is a little groggy at the moment.¡± Xi Xiaye sighed lightly as she sat on the sofa, raised her hand, and rubbed her be.

    ¡°Your drinking capacity has regressed. It seems that you¡¯ve be more finicky, Director Xi.¡± A faint smile shed across the corners of his lips while he turned a page with his hand and replied to her, ¡°Ask the front desk to get you a mug of ginseng tea, then take a good bath, and rest early.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who has been spoiling me? I used to have quite a high tolerance level when ites to drinking, but now I can¡¯t do it anymore. By the way, Uncle Lan should¡¯ve sent you the information about the South River project, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Xi Xiaye remembered this all of a sudden after she had had the time to alleviate the difort.

    Mu Yuchen paused for a second and quickly recalled the document that Li Si had handed him in the evening. He then put down the book in his hand, got out of bed, and walked towards his stuy.

    ¡°Let me go and take a look.¡±

    ¡°The first phase of the project is almost over. You should talk to Qi Lei about the rest of the project and see if bidding is a more suitable way to go at it. Since you¡¯re closer to him, you¡¯ll be able to rest assured if you leave the project to him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly went to his study and found the document on the shelf. Then, he opened it and went through it attentively.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many problems with the data. I¡¯ll arrange for the inspection team to conduct another system check. Then, I¡¯ll go to Qi Lei once it¡¯s deemed problem-free. When will you be back?¡± His eyes stopped on the files in front of him as he asked her that question on the phone.

    ¡°Well, this matter is rather urgent, so figure it out yourself. I was a bit too busy back then, so you¡¯d better be warier when ites to the data. Be careful that I might¡¯ve tricked you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been waiting for you to trick me, but I haven¡¯t seen you in action. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of it ande back as soon as you¡¯re done. The children have been looking for you these few days.¡± He closed the files in his hand whilst there was a hint of sentiment in his deep tone.

    ¡°Then...how about you, President Mu?¡± she lowered her voice and asked softly.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± he raised his good-looking eyebrows and asked rhetorically.

    ¡°How would I know what you¡¯re thinking about? However, I feel very bored just thinking about staying here for several days.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days and you seem to be having a bad time over there.¡± The smile on the corners of his lips became more and more obvious, and there was deep affection in his eyes.

    ¡°I admit that I miss someone very much, and I often wake up from sleep at night. I¡¯m especially grateful to God for bringing him to my side and letting me be with him...Do you think I should thank him well?¡± She smiled and yed along with him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that there¡¯s no need to thank me? But if you can give me some substantial rewards, I¡¯d certainly feel extremely honored,¡± he said in a low voice.

    ¡°So, do you also think that I should thank my sons? Then, I¡¯ll take them and Weier to a nearby beach for a vacation when I go back. The weather recently should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So, now that you¡¯re more capable, you¡¯re thinking of leaving me alone when you have ns like this?¡± he said irritably, secretly annoyed that he actually fell for the verbal trap that she set.

    Xi Xiaye just gave him a faintugh from the other end of the phone call...

    ...

    The husband and wife talked for a long time until Mu Yuchen got an iing call, and they had to hang up.

    It was from Li Si.

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve sorted out Dong Wentao¡¯s information. Shall I send it to you now?¡± Li Si¡¯s deep voice came through.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes lit up as he slowly leaned back in the chair behind him and replied, ¡°Just send it to my email.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master. By the way, I heard from Miss Su Yu that Master Su and Miss Ji just had a fight, and Wang Yanran is now going back too. Do you want to...¡± Li Si asked for instructions cautiously.

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment and then responded after a while, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this matter when I didn¡¯t instruct you to do so. Since it¡¯s a family matter, we can only let them solve it by themselves, and try not to let the old man know about this matter. As for what happened yesterday, please take care of that. I don¡¯t want to hear rumors that shouldn¡¯t be out there.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had learned something in the officialdom from Mu Tangchuan, so he knew that Su Zhengxun had been caught in a critical moment recently, and if nothing were to happen, thetter would soon be the one who would move upward in his career. Nothing should go wrong at this critical point, so Mu Yuchen could only suppress this news as much as possible.

    ¡°Besides, you should investigate whether the matter between Wang Yanran and Ji Zitong was an ident or if someone deliberately did it immediately.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone sounded unusually cautious, so Li Si naturally understood his master¡¯s concerns when he listened to his instructions and quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, Master! But do you want to let Master Su know about this matter?¡±

    ¡°Since he came to me and asked me to investigate Dong Wentao, he must know it deep down. After all, he has been in the scene for many years and is far more sensitive to these things than us. It¡¯s better to talk less and let actions speak for themselves.¡±

    Naturally, Mu Yuchen did not worry about Su Chen¡¯s affairs. What bothered him was his temperament as it seemed that this unpleasantness would not pass so quickly.

    Among the three brothers, Mu Yuchen was the calmer one, but Su Chen was different. There had always been a bit of male chauvinism in him. He was decisive and always meant what he said. He also tended to be rather impulsive, scrupulous, and methodical while Ji Zitong was also a stubborn person. The couple was now living together with such personalities, so naturally, Mu Yuchen would not believe it if there was no conflict.

 Chapter 1563 - Illusion (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1563: Illusion (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In fact, if he were to think about it himself, he actually did not think Su Chen and Ji Zitong were the most suitable for each other.

    However, suitable or not, it required breaking in, so he would not personally interfere with his buddy¡¯s rtionship choices.

    The two of them had been married for more than a year now, and he could see the changes in Su Chen. Even though there were unhappiness sometimes, he felt that he was doing better than before.

    ¡°Yes, Master, I know. I¡¯ll send the information over to you right now,¡± Li Si responded, then Mu Yuchen hung up and opened theptop before him.

    After a while, Li Si sent an email. Mu Yuchen briefly read through the information and began to frown slightly. He thought about it for a long while before sending it to Su Chen.

    ...

    The weather remained warm, and Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day was closing in. The entire City Z seemed livelier than before.

    The atmosphere of Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day was quite lively in City Z. As one of the country¡¯s traditional festivals, it was quite important to everyone. It was the so-called Valentine¡¯s Day for the people, thus despite just beginning July, the road was already packed with more people selling flowers than before at night.

    The lights were already waning before Ji Zitong unhurriedly packed up the documents to walk out from the office. When she passed through the lively street, many of the children came up to her and asked her to buy flowers.

    While as she watched the blossoming red roses before her, Ji Zitong only had a dazed expression. In truth, she had not been doing too well in the past few days.

    Since that night when Su Chen left sulkily, he never sent her a text. He merely sent two quick-witted servants over from the old residence to serve her.

    Ji Zitong obviously felt quite terrible over this, but...

    Maybe he did not care about her as much as she thought he did.

    She took a deep breath and thought this to herself.

    After being married to Su Chen for so long, the two of them were actually quite careful. When they interacted with each other, they still had some reservations. He was good to her, but Ji Zitong kept feeling like she could not touch his heart while she herself also...

    In a daze, she suddenly heard someone call out to her from behind, ¡°Zitong?¡±

    Ji Zitong then stopped walking and turned around. She then realized it was Su Yu standing behind her!

    ¡°Sis? Why are you here?¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s beautiful eyes shed with a puzzled look as she stared stunned at Su Yu who had suddenly appeared.

    ¡°Why? I was waiting for you. What were you thinking about? I was calling out to you for quite a few times but you didn¡¯t respond. Are you too tired from work? Or are you still thinking about that b*stard, Su Chen?¡± Su Yu¡¯s face brimmed with her warm smile and she walked towards Ji Zitong.

    When Ji Zitong heard that, her eyes fell silent for a moment, then she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s because of what happened the other day, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Su Yu smiled and nodded, not hiding it. ¡°Since you know then that¡¯s good, I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t eaten since you¡¯ve been working till now. Let¡¯s go have supper together first!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not very hungry...¡±

    ¡°Just apany me then. That shop over there isn¡¯t bad. Let¡¯s go.¡± Su Yu went up and pulled Ji Zitong towards the restaurant.

    She ordered a pot of pomelo tea and some delicious dessert. The two of them then sat down and the waiter soon served the food.

    ¡°Come have some. The dessert here is quite good.¡± Su Yu poured Ji Zitong some tea.

    Ji Zitong nodded and quietly epted it.

    When Su Yu saw that Ji Zitong did not look too good, she had to admit, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t just leave the other day. I waited for Su Chen for a while and then sent him back to his bureau. I know how my little brother¡¯s temper is like. He¡¯s been like that since young. If he makes you unhappy, put up with it a little. I¡¯ve already lectured him.¡±

    ¡°Sis, don¡¯t worry about this. We...¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t not worry knowing that the two of you haven¡¯t been doing well these past few days. Initially, your marriage was something that we only found out after you got married, and while the Su family doesn¡¯t care about family background or anything, we do hope Su Chen can live a happy life. So, since you are his choice, we choose to respect the two of you too.¡±

    ¡°I know. Thank you for your understanding.¡± Ji Zitong looked gratefully at Su Yu.

    ¡°Su Chen hasn¡¯t called you these past few days, has he?¡± Su Yu took a look at the phone that she had cast aside and asked.

    Ji Zitong paused without answering and only lowered her head quietly to drink tea. Her answer was clear.

    When Su Yu saw that, she could not help but sigh inside. Indeed, it was true to Su Chen¡¯s way of doing things!

    ¡°Are you feeling a little tired of this marriage already?¡± Su Yu asked softly as if she could rte to her sister-inw¡¯s feelings.

    At this, Ji Zitong smiled bitterly. ¡°Maybe a little. Even though we were never like other marriages before this, right now, it feels like the passion has faded and cooled down. We...¡±

    ¡°Marriage is like that. As heated as feelings can be, they will eventually cool down. That¡¯s marriage for you. Little irrelevant things can erode your passion. The two of you should understand this philosophy, right?¡± Su Yu said with a smile.

    Ji Zitong lowered her gaze and said gloomily, ¡°I¡¯m worried that he and I might not bepatible in personality. I¡¯m not understanding enough. Someone of his status should find a better wife that¡¯s better at being understanding. I...¡±

    Before Ji Zitong could finish, Su Yu had already looked at her a little reprimandingly and cut her off. ¡°Don¡¯t you just go about saying such things!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean he should? Look at Father and Mother. Ask yourself, do you really think their personalities arepatible? Look at Mother. she¡¯s like a little girl who can never grow up while Father is a calm and serious person. Haven¡¯t they made it through though? Don¡¯t think too much. Since you¡¯re already at this point, you should continue with this. I don¡¯t want the two of you to end up like me and your brother-inw.¡±

    When Su Yu said this, her eyes could not help but dark slightly. Clearly, some not too happy memories had been brought up for her.

    ¡°Brother-inw?¡± Ji Zitong looked at Su Yu with a puzzled look.

    Had the two of them not been getting along very well?

    Su Yu nodded. Her tone was helpless as she said, ¡°Yes, you probably don¡¯t know this, but your brother-inw and I had an unhappy period of time, and we almost got a divorce. You have no idea how disgusted I felt every time I finished work and had to go home to see that face of his. I only thought that he looked extremely ugly, and when I thought about how I had to spend many more long decades with him, it made me feel nauseous and depressed!¡±

 Chapter 1564 - Illusion (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1564: Illusion (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Yu was an honest and straightforward person. When she was talking about her husband, her brows were knitted.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Brother-inw pretty nice?¡± Ji Zitong was a little surprised.

    Every time she went home and saw the couple, they seemed to have a great rtionship, but now that she thought about it, Su Yu seemed to be really depressed for quite some timest year. She thought it was because she was too tired of managing the store, so she did not ask much.

    Su Yu smiled disdainfully when she heard that. ¡°What¡¯s nice about him? You don¡¯t really know your brother-inw. He was with another woman behind my back, and he woulde homete every day. He thought I wouldn ¡®t find out. You don¡¯t know how upset I was during that period! The thought of him sleeping with another woman and thening back to me makes me sick!¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Brother-inw doesn¡¯t seem like that kind of person!¡± Ji Zitong stared at Su Yu in surprise as she could not believe her ears!

    In her opinion, Su Yu¡¯s marriage was a happy one and they had such lovely children...

    ¡°That¡¯s just a facade, Zitong. There were many things that I just don¡¯t want to mention. Besides, I¡¯m confident that I can solve them on my own.¡±

    Su Yu paused after saying that, but she lowered her gaze and casually picked up her tea to take a sip before she continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t pick a fight with them right away. Instead, I went to see the other woman and told her that even if my husband and I got a divorce, he would have nothing left under his name and I even revealed my identity. I also penned the divorce agreement and gave it to her so that she could let him sign it personally. I¡¯ll be more than happy to give them my blessings.¡±

    ¡°What about Brother-inw? What did he say?¡± Ji Zitong looked at Su Yu in surprise and asked.

    ¡°That woman obviously didn¡¯t believe me, so she gave the divorce agreement to your brother-inw, but he didn¡¯t want to sign it, so they fought about it. You have to know that once there¡¯s a crack in their rtionship, it¡¯ll be extremely hard to mend it. I don¡¯t need to do anything else either and this is how we got through it. I am now turning 40, and rtionships don¡¯t matter as much anymore. Without your brother-inw, my life will still be fine.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you dared to take the risk and trusted that Brother-inw won¡¯t just abandon you for her? Is it because of the faith you have in your rtionship with him?¡± Ji Zitong looked at Su Yu nkly and asked.

    Su Yu shook her head and smiled. ¡°No, ites from the confidence in myself. Your brother-inw and I did fall in love with each other, but in time, the passion of love would¡¯ve been weakened by the trivialities of life already. It¡¯s in men¡¯s nature to seek excitement and thrill, and I get that. Therefore, I don¡¯t want to care too much either, but I¡¯m not going to let them do whatever they want either.

    ¡°Well, speaking of that, I should be thankful that I could still stick to my career after marriage, so I didn¡¯t have to rely on him and can just take it easy. When I found the woman and made them choose their own decision, I was actually prepared for the worst. In the end, it did create disagreements between them, but I won¡¯t take the initiative to talk to him about this.

    ¡°Your brother-inw secretly broke up with that woman after that and he started going home early every day. He also became more diligent. I know he feels guilty and sorry towards me, so he¡¯s been living like that until now,¡± Su Yu said while the teacup in her hand was already empty.

    ¡°What about you, Sis? Do you think you still feel love for Brother-inw now?¡± Ji Zitong asked.

    ¡°The rtionship we had in the past is almost gone now, and we¡¯re just living an ordinary, boring life. I can¡¯t even say that I like him. I just think I can put up with him and continue living together. Besides, my life isn¡¯t just about him. I have my children, my family, and my friends, all of whom are the elements of an enriched life.¡±

    ¡°I also have a career. He¡¯s just a drop in the ocean.¡±

    ¡°But I can tell that he really cares about you now by the way he treats you. A few days ago, he went fishing at the river early in the morning because he said that you like wild river fish over there,¡± Ji Zitong murmured.

    ¡°That¡¯s his problem. I can¡¯t treat him the way I used to anymore, but as long as he turns over a new leaf, I¡¯m still willing to live with him because I¡¯m old now. You¡¯re different from me because it hasn¡¯t been long since you got married, and you don¡¯t have any children. Your life has just started. I know Su Chen¡¯s temperament. He¡¯s just like me even though...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re both loyal to our marriages. You don¡¯t have to worry about him in the future. You just need to open up and ept each other. If you really love each other, you wouldn¡¯t mind a in old boring life with each other.¡±

    Su Yu sighed softly and suddenly reached out to pat the back of Ji Zitong¡¯s hand. ¡°Those things are in the past, so don¡¯t let them affect you anymore. After all, you live in the present and you must remember that in the future, Su Chen will be the one who is going to be with you until the end. He¡¯s your husband and the father of your future children. As a woman, I can feel that you don¡¯t care much about him. Maybe it¡¯s because you haven¡¯t really loved him.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Ji Zitong wanted to exin herself, but right now, she did not know what else she could say.

    ¡°If what I said tonight has offended you, please forgive me for being presumptuous and honest. Su Chen is my beloved brother and I don¡¯t want him to be sad, but you¡¯re also my sister-inw and I obviously don¡¯t want to see you sad either. However, I hope this is a wake-up call. More often than not, those so-called feelings diminish with time, and before you know it, they¡¯re gone...¡± Su Yu finally ended her talk.

    She got up silently. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not go on anymore. Don¡¯t think too much about it. The Su family is very happy to have a daughter-inw like you, and we hope that both of you can live happily. However, happiness doesn¡¯t just show up at your door. Sometimes, you¡¯ll need to fight for it.¡±

    ¡°Sis, I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. If Su Chen doesn¡¯t treat you well, I won¡¯t let him go either. However, you¡¯ll always need to give each other a chance, so make full use of this time-out to figure out what you both want. I¡¯ll head back first. I need to go back to the store to get some stuff.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back/¡± Ji Zitong also stood up.

    Su Yu¡¯s remarks actually made her feel a little ufortable, but she could not deny that what she said was indeed...

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll drive myself. You should go back early and get some rest.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen...¡± Ji Zitong initially wanted to ask when Su Chen would return, but Su Yu had already walked past her.

 Chapter 1565 - Illusion (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1565: Illusion (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the blink of an eye, it was already the weekend.

    Since the matter was finally resolved, she originally nned to go back earlier, but the change in the itinerary was sost minute that there was no ne ticket left. Therefore, Dongfang Liuyun could only wait to rush back on Monday.

    The morning in City C was very pleasant and beautiful as the sun shone faintly and the breeze was very cooling. There was also the mild and elegant fragrance of orchids.

    When Dongfang Liuyun opened the window to look at the scenery, she could vaguely hear a melodious flute ying from outside the window. The melody sounded very familiar as it was a ssic: ¡°The Sound of Silence¡±.

    She subconsciously followed the sound, which led her to discover a few elderly people sitting by theke not far ahead, and some of them were ying the flute. Meanwhile, the young florist had already started to work hard on the t and clean path by the side.

    She inhaled a deep breath, took two sips of tea from the cup, and gazed down at the morning ensemble. She was in a good mood, which was rare for her. So, perhaps, it should be shared.

    A thought came to her when she nced over to the side and saw a certain book that she had already read. Then, there was a rare warmth shing across her delicate and fair face, and she took the cell phone from the side to dial a number.

    When the phone vibrated, Qi Lei was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. He was surprised to see Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s call so early in the morning, but he immediately picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello? Mrs. Qi?¡± Qi Lei carefully flipped the fried eggs in the pan with one hand while responding.

    ¡°Are you making breakfast? Howe you¡¯re up so early on the weekend?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ears were very keen, and she soon heard the sound of oil popping over on the other side of the phone.

    ¡°Wow, my wife is definitely wise. Master Qi is frying eggs, and the milk is still boiling on the stove by the side. Have you had your breakfast?¡± Qi Lei carefully ced the fried eggs on the te and turned off the stove while asking.

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re in a good mood and enjoying yourself. I¡¯m having tea with dim sum. Since I¡¯m feeling upbeat, I called you. I¡¯ll be going back tomorrow and I¡¯ll arrive at 4 p.m. Come to the airport to pick me up. Is there any gift that you¡¯d like? I can bring something for you as a reward. Do you need anything?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun acted as if it was a natural thing to ask that question. Maybe it was because the two were too familiar with each other or because they had already gotten used to the way they got along as friends from before and nothing had changed.

    However, it did not seem to be the same. Both of them knew the fact that they were now husband and wife.

    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t say no to a souvenir. I don¡¯t want the inexpensive ones or anything with bad taste, so you should figure it out yourself.¡±

    ¡°Well, cologne or a watch? Or maybe a leather belt? It seems that women usually give things like these to men, right?¡± Dongfang Liuyun started considering it seriously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t use perfume, I don¡¯t like wearing watches, and there are dozens of belts in the cloakroom, so you¡¯ll have to think harder.¡± A wicked smile appeared on the corner of Qi Lei¡¯s lips. He really made it difficult for her.

    However, came to think about it, it seemed that something was wrong.

    Howe he felt that the roles between him and Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have been reversed? He had be a woman staying at home while she had be the husband that handles the external affairs.

    This could not be.

    Where was his self-esteem?

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want anything. Now tell me, what gift you want. I¡¯ll buy it for you. Take it as a wedding gift from me!¡±

    ¡°I like money,¡± Dongfang Liuyun smirked and replied when she heard his question.

    That was direct.

    Qi Lei could not react to that and was taken aback for a moment. He then recovered from the trance, cleared his throat, and replied, ¡°Do you mean that you want control over the finances of the family?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± The smile on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face became more and more obvious, and she could imagine the expression on Qi Lei¡¯s face at the moment. ¡°Why? Are you hesitating?¡±

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m totally okay with it. I¡¯ll get Yang Sheng to count all my properties and hand them to you when youe back. As long as you don¡¯t ask me hypothetical questions like if you and my mother were to drop into the water at the same time, who will I save first, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±

    Anyway, he had a lot of private pocket money, and a lot of money was being deposited into his personal ount every month, thus it did not matter if the finances were handed over to her. Furthermore, she was his wife, right...Right?

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled lightly and quickly continued, ¡°Since you asked, who will you save first?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it would be my mother. She can¡¯t swim, but this assumption won¡¯t hold anymore,¡± Qi Lei answered very honestly.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded, and her chuckle continued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m very content with your answer, and there won¡¯t be such situations as I can swim. As a matter of fact, I even won a swimming championship before this. Only stupid women would ask such a question, especially in those old-fashioned romantic dramas.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the finances to you since I know you¡¯re an expert in finances. I¡¯m even nning to transfer some of my personal savings to you so that you can help me invest, but let¡¯s be frank upfront. If you¡¯ve made some earnings, I¡¯ll take all of them, but if there¡¯s any deficit, you have to fill it up for me. I only run businesses that make a profit,¡± she said boldly.

    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m a sitting duck just waiting to be taken advantage of? I¡¯ll suffer from both oues! I¡¯m not going to do it.¡± He frowned and refused.

    ¡°How about I give you the Heavenly Grass that was stolen from the Holy Land?¡± Dongfang Liuyun lowered her voice in a negotiating tone.

    ¡°The Heavenly Grass? Then what about the set of equipment worth eight million gold coins that you¡¯ve stolen from me before...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll return them to you,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied generously.

    ¡°Okay, deal! How much money can you invest from your private ount?¡± Qi Lei gave it a thought and then nodded.

    ¡°A million,¡± she replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! I saw the text message on your phone which showed that there are nearly two million dors. Are you telling me that you have only one bank ount?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all. I spent the rest on equipmentst night.¡±

    ¡°You prodigal mother...¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Before Qi Lei could finish the sentence, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gentle voice had alreadye through.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, I said you¡¯re really brave. You truly deserve to be the legend that even a top-rank yer has failed to defeat in the arena.¡±

    ...

    The husband and wife hung up the phone after a long chat. Dongfang Liuyun stared at the darkened cell phone screen, and just when she was about to put it away, the phone vibrated abruptly. She took a glimpse at the screen.

    It was Lan Xiu calling.

    She hesitated for a while, then lifted her head and finished the tea in the cup, and picked up the call leisurely.

    ¡°Liuyun? Who was on the call with you just now? Why were you on the phone for so long? Have you had your breakfast? How¡¯s your stomach?¡± Lan Xiu¡¯s concerned voice came from the other end of the phone call.

 Chapter 1566 - Illusion (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1566: Illusion (6)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze fell silent for a while. With one hand propped up on the window sill before her, she silently looked down and responded, ¡°Nothing much. What¡¯s up? Why are you calling me so early in the morning?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I was just worried about you. I¡¯ve thought about it regarding Mr. Ge¡¯s end. You just do your best. If you can¡¯t, then we¡¯ll just think of other ways. I heard that you didn¡¯t go over that night. I know it¡¯s because of Fujiwara. Anyway, Fujiwara should be arriving in City Z on tonight¡¯s flight. You...¡±

    ¡°Whether or not hees has got nothing to do with me. Also, I didn¡¯t meet Mr. Ge because I was a little tired and wasn¡¯t feeling well, so I returned to the hotel to rest earlier. Besides, if it¡¯s about the project, I don¡¯t have a need to spend time meeting him either. If he won¡¯t give me the project, there¡¯s no use no matter how much I express goodwill. Your capabilities are right there. In fact, because of Fujiwara, he¡¯s very much likely set on you,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said as the smile that was on her lips earlier faded away, changing to her usual indifference.

    ¡°You seem quite certain. I¡¯m very worried about you, Liuyun.¡±

    As Lan Xiu took a deep breath, he felt uneasy and could not help but say, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Fujiwara¡¯s return this time around...Between you and him, there¡¯s been a misunderstanding. If you are still...¡±

    ¡°Enough, Lan Xiu. I don¡¯t want to hear the name ¡®Fujiwara¡¯ every time I speak to you. This person has long been removed from my life. If you want me to feel better, it¡¯s best if you can think from my perspective as well. As for Mr. Ge, I¡¯ve already spoken to him, but he still has some doubts. It¡¯s best if you make a trip over yourself. This time, I¡¯m really tired. I don¡¯t want to interfere in this anymore. In fact, I¡¯m going to be joining the Dongfang Group quite soon, so you need to watch out for yourself,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said solemnly while her breathing was still uneasy.

    ¡°Alright, I know. I¡¯ll make arrangements for someone to take over from you as soon as possible. Are you rushing back by flight tomorrow? What time is your flight? I¡¯ll go pick you up.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s lowered voice was filled with the warmth of concern, and it did warm Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart to hear that.

    She and he had always been like this, had they not?

    They had always been quietly caring for each other, but they could only be good friends of many years. Perhaps that was a good thing for them, yet it seemed like some things were bound to be changed.

    She did not forget the sudden appearance of a man who could be called her husband in her life, Qi Lei.

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ve got someone to fetch me tomorrow, so you do your own thing. I¡¯ll go look for you in another two days. Also, about Fujiwara, I hope you can stop caring about that. Just pretend you don¡¯t know him since that¡¯s best for us all,¡± she reminded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have my own considerations. Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go with you. You should be careful.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m hanging up now,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly before hanging up. She sighed and tossed the phone onto the sofa beside her. She then walked over and poured herself a cup of tea although her starry eyes could not conceal a slight gloominess.

    ...

    Meanwhile, on City Z¡¯s end, inside a luxurious manor engulfed by the first rays of the morning sun, Lan Xiu wore a dark sleeping robe and was looking down at the swimming goldfishes in theke while he propped himself on the railings. His hand held tightly onto his phone that had just dimmed with his brows furrowed tightly, and he tossed some food to the fishes below from time to time.

    For some reason, he felt vaguely uneasy.

    Something seemed to have happened with Dongfang Liuyun, especially after he rationally rejected her. She seemed to have changed slightly. Of course, he would not be foolish enough to think that Dongfang Liuyun would me him for this and intentionally distant herself from him.

    Instead, something must have happened.

    Actually, when Dongfang Liuyun had first asked, he almost did not hold himself back and wanted to agree.

    Too many men had been attracted to the excellent Dongfang Liuyun, and that included Lan Xiu. However, he understood that she was not someone that anyone could measure up to. He hoped that she could forever live a happy and carefree life as she did right now.

    After all, no one knew better than Lan Xiu the pain and hardships she had gone through.

    However, when he heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s nonchnt tone, he could not help but feel a hint of stifled pain like the illusion of being disappointed about losing something. He was suddenly not sure if he had made the wrong choice. If he had agreed then, would he be secretly delighted right now?

    At this moment, his assistant Ah Li spoke and interrupted Lan Xiu¡¯s thoughts, ¡°President Lan, this is the information from City C. Miss Dongfang has informed Mr. Ge that you¡¯ll be personally going over, and Mr. Ge indicated that he looks forward to your visit.¡±

    Lan Xiu turned around and looked at the document that Ah Li handed him. He then took it calmly and flipped through it a few times before handing it back. ¡°Alright, arrange for a trip then. It¡¯s best if we can go over next week. Also, find a way to find out Mr. Ge¡¯s recent movements, and who he has been in touch with recently. Arrange for Vice President Wei to familiarize himself with this project as quickly as possible since he¡¯ll have to personally take on this project after this,¡± Lan Xiu ordered immediately.

    Assistant Ah Li quickly nodded. ¡°Alright, President Lan! I¡¯ll go arrange for this right away! Oh, right, President Lan, Miss Dongfang¡¯s flight should bending in City Z tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. Do we need to arrange for a car to fetch her? It¡¯s your birthday tomorrow, and we¡¯ve previously made reservations at Xiang She Er restaurant. If we go fetch her, then it will be just in time for dinner.

    When Ah Li said that, Lan Xiu paused and gave it a long thought before he said in a lowered voice, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll pick her up personally. Just get things prepared.¡±

    At this point, Ah Li nodded. ¡°Sure, President Lan, what flowers should we prepare for Miss Dongfang?¡±

    ¡°Hyacinths,¡± Lan Xiu thought about it, then answered quickly. As he said this, he sighed and put his phone into his sleeping robe. He began to toss food towards the goldfishes in theke again.

    The assistant nodded and kept the documents away before he softly answered, ¡°Okay, President Lan.¡±

    Then, he quietly retreated.

    The corridor instantly fell silent, and Lan Xiu watched as the fishes swam in theke below. His elegant face shed with a smile, yet he looked lonely...

 Chapter 1567 - Missed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1567: Missed (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    What if one day, she actually ended her current life and married another man? What should he do?

    What should he do?

    He really did not know what he should do...

    Could he ever get her back?

    He did not know...

    He could not see clearly in his dream because it was covered in white fog, and he could only feel a dull pain in his chest. The pain was suffocating, and he struggled to breathe...

    His face turned pale amidst the light tremors and his long eyshes fluttered. His forehead and palms of his clenched fists were covered in warm sweat. He struggled with all his might and cried out of shortness of breath. His hoarse voice clearly had a hint of restraint in it as he called out, ¡°Liuyun...Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°President Lan! President Lan! Wake up! Wake up, President Lan! You¡¯re having a nightmare!¡±

    At this time, Lan Xiu suddenly opened his eyes after hearing his assistant, Ah Li¡¯s voice. He sat up immediately and took a few deep breaths as he looked around, only to find that he was sleeping on the sofa in the living room of his own home and was drenched in sweat.

    ¡°President Lan, what¡¯s the matter? Were you having a nightmare? You kept calling Miss Dongfang¡¯s name. Take this. You look so pale.¡± Ah Li quickly handed him a hot towel when he saw his pale handsome face because he was worried.

    Lan Xiu took a few deep breaths before he finally calmed down. He took the hot towel and wiped the sweat off his forehead. After a while, he asked, ¡°What time is it? Why are you still here?¡±

    He often forgot the time whenever he fell asleep, so he was still in a trance.

    ¡°President Lan, you didn¡¯t sleep at allst night because you wanted to finish reading the project materials you got from City C. When you woke up in the morning, you only had a little porridge. It¡¯s your birthday today, so Miss Dongfang will rush back. It¡¯ste afternoon now, thus she should still be on the ne,¡± Ah Li said indifferently.

    ¡°A day has passed?¡± Lan Xiu was in a daze as he clearly remembered that he had just finished talking to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Yes, President Lan. You always skip your meals and not get any sleep when you work, but your body will not be able to tolerate that. I¡¯ve asked the servants to prepare some porridge for you in the kitchen. You can have some,¡± Ah Li said worriedly as he took the towel back from Lan Xiu.

    ¡°Just put it aside. I¡¯ll go upstairs and take a shower. Arrange for a car to pick her up at the airport.¡± Lan Xiu tidied up the clothes on his body and stood up slowly.

    ¡°Okay, President Lan, I¡¯ll ask them to make all the necessary preparations,¡± Ah Li answered.

    Lan Xiu had already walked towards the bedroom.

    ¡°What happened to Fujiwara? He should be in City Z now, right?¡± Lan Xiu suddenly remembered this, and he stopped as he turned his head to ask Ah Li.

    ¡°Not yet, President Lan. I was about to update you. When Mr. Fujiwara was on his way to the airport yesterday, he had a car ident and ended up with minor injuries. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t serious, but he was sent to the hospital for observation. His boss has forced him to cancel the trip since it will probably take a while for him to recover. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able toe to City Z anytime soon,¡± Ah Li quickly reported.

    ¡°A car ident? Minor injuries?¡±

    When Lan Xiu heard this news, he paused and a gloomy light shed across his ck eyes, but he suddenly smiled. ¡°This is interesting. This car ident could¡¯ve happened anytime, but it happened when Fujiwara was on his way here? It seems like there are many people who don¡¯t want him here.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good? President Lan, both you and Miss Dongfang probably didn¡¯t want to see...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going overboard, Ah Li!¡± Lan Xiu frowned and interrupted him.

    Ah Li¡¯s face stiffened and he quickly bowed his head apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, President Lan. I shouldn¡¯t have crossed the line. I¡¯ll never do it again!¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes darkened and he closed his eyes. After he calmed down, he said unhappily, ¡°Just watch yourself in the future. Just do what you should do.¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Lan! I¡¯m sorry! I promise I won¡¯t do it again in the future!¡± Ah Li did not dare to even breathe as he could only answer with his head down.

    Lan Xiu slowly opened his eyes and he did not say anything as he continued to walk forward.

    When Ah Li saw the figure disappearing at the doorway, he finally breathed a sigh of relief even though he was still feeling a little unsettled. He had been with Lan Xiu for many years and knew his temper well.

    President Lan seldom got angry and hardly lost his temper, but when he did, anyone would be frightened from the icy aura he radiated without him actually doing anything at all.

    Moreover, he could obviously tell what President Lan¡¯s feelings about Miss Dongfang were, but he did not understand how both of them could be so oblivious about it.

    He thought that President Lan was verypatible with Miss Dongfang, but Fujiwara seemed to be in the middle of it all!

    President Lan probably did not like Mr. Fujiwara, but they were good friends before and he did not know how they felt about each other. Also, President Lan seemed to pay a lot of attention to the matter between Mr. Fujiwara and Miss Dongfang. Could it be...

    Without thinking any further, Ah Li quickly went over and asked the servant to prepare something for Lan Xiu to eat. When they were almost done, Lan Xiu had changed into a set of grayish-ck casual clothes and walked out of his bedroom.

    His jet ck hair was still a little wet, and his dark casualwear made him look tall and lean. However, his face was still slightly pale.

    ¡°President Lan!¡±

    When Ah Li saw Lan Xiuing over, he quickly pulled the chair for him to sit down slowly.

    ¡°President Lan, Dongfang Rouer and Jin Sheng¡¯s engagement party is on the 8th this month, which is in a few days. Dongfang Ren¡¯s secretary personally sent the invitation this morning. Shall we attend it?¡± Ah Li said as he handed the invitation card he had just received to Lan Xiu.

    Lan Xiu had two mouthfuls of porridge. He pulled a napkin and wiped his mouth before reaching out to take the invitation card. After ncing through the card, he sneered, ¡°What a spectacle!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never had much connection with the Dongfang Group. This time they¡¯ve sent this invitation to our door, most probably because they want to befriend you. However, Miss Dongfang doesn¡¯t seem to like it very much...¡±

    Ah Li had not finished speaking, but Lan Xiu had already raised his hand to stop him.

 Chapter 1568 - Missed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1568: Missed (2)</h4>

    Ah Li was stunned for a moment. He had no choice but to stop talking and stare at him worriedly.

    ¡°You only know these things on the surface. I can understand her mindset naturally, but...¡± When Lan Xiu said that, he did not continue anymore but lowered his head in silence and continued to eat his porridge instead.

    After hearing that, Ah Li took back his words and waited quietly at the side.

    ...

    The sun was not very hot in the afternoon, but the summer sun gleamed arge swath of scorching hot rays into the blue sky. There was a faint breeze in the air as clouds passed by asionally, making it a rare overcast day. In general , the heat was not as unbearable as it had been a few days earlier.

    It was almost 3 pm in the office of the president of Tai Yu Corporation.

    Qi Lei had just closed the document in his hands. He nced at the clock on the opposite wall subconsciously and straightened up slightly. He then raised his hand and rubbed his be before he took the cooled tea on the side with one hand. After finishing it in a few mouthfuls, he grabbed the car key on the other side and stood up nimbly.

    He loosened his cufflinks gracefully and strode out of the office through the door.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Just as he was walking out of the door, he ran into Yang Sheng, who was about toe in with some documents in his hands.

    ¡°Pack them up if they¡¯re urgent documents. Then, send them directly to my car. Let¡¯s get off work earlier today,¡± Qi Lei said without stopping his pace.

    ¡°Master Qi, do you want to leave work early? Miss Han asked you out for dinnerst week and I¡¯ve made an appointment for you. Now, she should...¡±

    ¡°Then, you can apany her to dinner by yourself.¡± Qi Lei squinted at him and walked ahead.

    ¡°Master Qi...Master Qi, but she...¡± Yang Sheng was a little puzzled right now. He had mentioned something that he should not have! Their master now had a wife!

    Miss Dongfang!

    Yes, the legendary woman was now their youngdy. Come to think about it, the two of them must be a good match, were they not?

    Yang Sheng could not help but think about a scene in which Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were together. Such a scene was just so beautiful no matter how he looked at it!

    Unexpectedly, Master Qi¡¯s skills at picking up girls had not diminished at all, and they had be more and more proficient instead. However, Dongfang Liuyun did not seem to be a simple person. Although he had asked some parties to investigate her, there was no news about the progression so far. The Dongfang family was not as simple as they seemed to be.

    He just did not know how Master Qi...

    At this moment, Yang Sheng could not help but worry about Qi Lei because he was very aware of his overwhelming pressure. He had experienced too many tragedies before this, and he was now going to be dragged into all these turmoils again.

    Thinking of this, Yang Sheng could not help but sigh. However, Qi Lei naturally did not know the details that bothered Yang Sheng, so he disappeared in the aisle ahead before thetter could even react.

    After a while, Qi Lei had left Tai Yu Corporation in his car and headed straight for the airport.

    Tai Yu Corporation was very far from the airport, hence it would take an hour to arrive even if one avoided the traffic, not to mention if there was a traffic jam, especially the one on the Northern Ring Freeway.

    Ten minutes had passed, and the car had hardly moved. Qi Lei could not help but feel helpless in the car. Stealing a glimpse at the time, he noticed that it was almost 4 p.m. soon. He called her, but her phone was still turned off.

    However, at this exact moment, at the airport exit, a white luxury sedan slowly pulled over at the arrivals gate, and the door was quickly opened.

    Ah Li, who was in the front passenger seat, quickly got out of the car and came over to open the door for the person in the rear seat.

    Lan Xiu got out of the car swiftly to stand steadily, taking a quick look around. Then, he nced down at the watch on his wrist and walked towards the arrival gate. Ah Li grabbed arge bouquet of purple hyacinths on the back seat of the car, ced it in his arms, and caught up with him.

    ...

    The nended on time.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not have much luggage apart from the ck backpack which she carried on her shoulder.

    Wearing a pair of ck trousers and a blouse, all her hair was hidden under a ck cap. She also had arge pair of ck sunsses on her face, which made her delicate and alluring features even more mysterious.

    She did not make more stopovers after the ne had stopped at the apron. She just took her backpack and got off the ne while taking out the cell phone in her pocket. Then, she turned it on and called Qi Lei. However, what surprised her was that the phone prompted her that the phone number was temporarily unavable.

    After trying several times in a row, she could not help but wonder why Qi Lei had blown it at such a critical time.

    She did not think too much as she lifted the backpack on the shoulders, elerated her pace, and walked out.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go outside and wait and see,¡¯ she thought deep down.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang!¡±

    As she walked out of the arrival gate, a familiar voice pierced through the crowd and reached her. She immediately raised her gaze and looked in the direction of the voice. Soon, she found Lan Xiu and his assistant, Ah Li, in the crowd ahead.

    Her eyebrows were knitted while she walked directly over.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little surprised.

    ¡°Just take it as my honor. I¡¯vee here to pick you up specially. Are you tired?¡± Lan Xiu gazed deeply at her. With a chuckle, he took a tissue out from his pocket and handed it to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows, but she grabbed it naturally to wipe her hands and handed the backpack on her shoulder to Ah Li, who was on the side. ¡°Are you here to know more about the project, or is there any other purpose?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember what day it is today?¡± Lan Xiu asked with a smile.

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged while taking out a brocade box from her pocket and handing it to him. ¡°I know it¡¯s your birthday, and I¡¯ve prepared a gift for you, but I¡¯ve been very poor recently, so just put up with it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, all your gifts are priceless. You must be hungry. I¡¯ve already reserved a spot at Xiang She Er, so let¡¯s go there and eat something first. Some big guns wille overter, and you should have a chat with them since it¡¯ll benefit you when you enter the Dongfang Group in the future.¡±

    As he spoke, Lan Xiu turned his body slightly, standing side by side with her, and motioned her to go first.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun was taken aback for a while. She then turned her head subconsciously and searched around for a while, but she did not see Qi Lei¡¯s figure. Therefore, she raised her hand and rubbed the space in between her brows in desperation. Then, with a nod, she walked forward.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    A smile flicked across Lan Xiu¡¯s face and he caught up with her.

    The car was stopped just outside the airport, and Ah Li quickly stepped forward to open the door for the two of them.

    As soon as he got into the car, Lan Xiu handed Dongfang Liuyun the bouquet of hyacinths.

    ¡°Take it. It¡¯s for you.¡±

    Stunned, Dongfang Liuyun stared at the beautiful bouquet in front of her in surprise. She did not take it after a long time...

 Chapter 1569 - Missed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1569: Missed (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Her calm gaze contained a hint of surprise as it paused on Lan Xiu¡¯s handsome face. That sharp and clear gaze seemed like it could see through the deepest depths of his heart. Feeling at a loss, he could only turn away and look out of the car window.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite rare to see you present me with flowers,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said as she finally epted them. She looked down at them and said, ¡°But thank you.¡±

    ¡°As long as you like them,¡± Lan Xiu quickly answered, and then gave Ah Li a look before thetter asked the chauffeur to start the car. Soon, the car slowly started and drove away.

    However, at this moment, in the car right behind them, Qi Lei had steadily parked the car when he saw the car in front gradually drive away. He frowned slightly.

    Lan Xiu?

    He would not have seen it wrongly. Lan Xiu had personallye to pick Dongfang Liuyun up...

    He fell silent and thought about it for a while. Then, a gloominess that he did not even notice before shed in his eyes. He sighed deeply and his fingersbed through his hair. He started the car and drove ahead. After a short while, he picked up his phone from the side and checked. There were no messages, so he then tossed it onto the front passenger seat beside him.

    At this moment, inside Lan Xiu¡¯s car, Lan Xiu turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun who was looking at her phone. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no signal on my phone. Forget it. I¡¯ll just exin when I get back.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave up and kept her phone away.

    ¡°Jin Sheng and Dong Rouer¡¯s engagement ceremony is happening in a few days. Have you got any ns?¡± Lan Xiu asked and looked at her meaningfully.

    Someone as sharp as Dongfang Liuyun very quickly caught on to the key information. ¡°Did they send you an invite?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Lan Xiu¡¯s lips shed with a smile as he shot her a look from the side. ¡°Your ability to catch insights is still as terrifying as always. Take a look yourself,¡± he said and then quickly reached out his hand to Ah Li in front. Ah Li quickly handed over the fiery red invitation.

    Lan Xiu took it and casually flipped through it before handing it to Dongfang Liuyun beside him.

    However, she just squinted at it and did not take it. She only lowered her gaze calmly. ¡°They¡¯re ying their cards very well. I¡¯m affected right now because of this too, but did they think I¡¯d give in just like that?¡±

    ¡°You have to avoid them as much as possible. After all, you¡¯ve just taken over, so caution is the parent of safety.¡± Lan Xiu looked at her worriedly.

    Nevertheless, she did not make a sound and just silently turned her head to look outside at the view of the streets.

    Lan Xiu looked at him from the side and saw that she was still silent, so he did not make any more sound to disturb her and the car instantly fell silent.

    When they were rushing to Xiang She Er restaurant, it was peak after work traffic time and the roads were quite congested.

    Lan Xiu also made a stop at his office along the way to get some documents before they went over.

    When they had ordered the dishes, the sky outside had fallen silent and the early evening lights were lit.

    Lan Xiu was pouring a cup of tea for Dongfang Liuyun as he asked in concern, ¡°I know you can¡¯t really drink recently, so I didn¡¯t order any. Have some tea that warms the belly instead. For my birthdayst year, I was abroad and you weren¡¯t around which was quite a pity.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lightly pointed her fingers to indicate her gratitude before epting the tea and taking a nonchnt sip as she said casually, ¡°That¡¯s not the first time anyway. Friends like us are more apart than we are gathered together, but now we¡¯ve all returned, so there should be many more chances in the future.

    ¡°I apologize for ourst unhappy encounter. Perhaps I was too serious. If...¡±

    ¡°I can understand how you feel, so you don¡¯t have to apologize. You¡¯re right! It¡¯s better for us to be friends. You¡¯ve been my ymate since we were young...my true friend, my close friend. This will never change. That¡¯s why I feel that I have always been so lucky.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not wait for Lan Xiu to finish before she cut him off as she lifted her tea to toast to him.

    However, she would not have thought that when she finished speaking, Lan Xiu¡¯s gaze would have darkened as he felt an indescribable hurt. Nevertheless, he could only lift his teacup to respond to her toast and smile to say, ¡°It¡¯s good that you can think that way.¡±

    Still, how was he to say that actually he...

    He was hesitant and afraid that he could not give her the happiness she wanted. In the end, he could only watch her be sad. He could not let these things happen to her. He thought to himself that if they could always be like this, it was not too bad. At least, in her heart, Lan Xiu still held a spot.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always taken your care for me to hear. Before this, I didn¡¯t consider things through. Even though I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll fall deep into the pit of the Dongfang family¡¯s problems and not make it out, naturally I don¡¯t want you to also be pulled into this. In fact, I can understand when I put myself in your shoes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly as her expression remained calm as water, yet Lan Xiu felt oddly stifled.

    ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that in the end, I¡¯d even lose my bottom line, so I want to try my best to salvage whatever I can. You know how I am. When benefit is involved, I¡¯m also worried that I...I can¡¯t avoid trouble just because I don¡¯t want to fight over some things. I¡¯ve been drifting for so many years now. I think you and I know what it means to not always do things as we like.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll definitely have your back the way you had my back back then. You¡¯re not only my true friend but someone to whom I¡¯m indebted...¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes contained a heartfelt sentiment that was hard to read, but he fixed his gaze on Dongfang Liuyun.

    She just silently lowered her head at this moment and continued eating, not seeing the emotions in his eyes as she said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s too much to say you¡¯re indebted to me. Just consider that it was because we were ymates. Otherwise, just see that for the sake of Lan Qi, I should have also given my all to help you out. Luckily, you didn¡¯t disappoint everyone. You made it till today, and you¡¯vee quite far.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re my lucky star. There¡¯s no doubt about that.¡±

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then give sacrificial offerings to me like a Buddha. You know that I¡¯m someone who isn¡¯t satisfied with small gains.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the Lan family¡¯s properties have always been open to you,¡± Lan Xiu smiled and said dotingly.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled sweetly too. Her brows were raised as she asked, ¡°Am I allowed to bring my family along to enjoy it together?¡±

    When she said this, he paused and thought that she meant Dongfang Gan and Song Siting, so he smiled and said, ¡°Well, of course!¡±

 Chapter 1570 - Missed (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1570: Missed (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun trusted him wholeheartedly, so she nodded in satisfaction before raising her arm to pour him some tea.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you said today. Let¡¯s start eating. The food here is really good and since today¡¯s your birthday, I wish you a lifetime of happiness.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Liuyun.¡± Lan Xiu looked at her and smiled contentedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading backter because I¡¯m a little tired. I¡¯ll meet those people next time. After hustling for so many days, I need some time to rx. I don¡¯t want to do anything else other than sleep all day. You can take care of the matter between Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rouer by yourself. It doesn¡¯t matter if you go or not because I don¡¯t care about them,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said as she lowered her head while eating.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back then,¡± Lan Xiu offered.

    ¡°No need. You can go on with your work. I¡¯ll take the subway back by myself to skip the traffic jam. I¡¯ll visit you in two days since I need to go over the project details with you before you go there. Mr. Ge isn¡¯t easy to deal with, so the more you know, the more leverage you have when negotiating. I¡¯ll then leave the matterpletely up to somebody else. My father has made all the arrangements for me, so after Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rouer¡¯s engagement, I¡¯ll immediately start working in the marketing department of the Dongfang Group.¡±

    ¡°Actually, revealing your identity right from the start may save you from all the trouble.¡± Lan Xiu looked at Dongfang Liuyun worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. No matter how hard and tiring it is, I¡¯ve made it through. It¡¯ll also be better for me in the long run. I¡¯m not afraid of hardships, but I¡¯m afraid when all those hard work goes in vain.¡±

    ¡°Your belief makes you a good entrepreneur since you wouldn¡¯t take any losses. However, this worries me a lot, Liuyun,¡± Lan Xiu said helplessly as he poured her another cup of tea.

    ¡°Well, then when I ask you for help the next time, you just need to be there.¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled and nced at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s expected, and you will always be my priority.¡±

    ¡°What a good friend you are.¡± She grinned in satisfaction.

    They finished up their meal quickly as she did not eat much. Then, they stayed for a little while after eating before she got up and said goodbye and Lan Xiu sent her off.

    ¡°Do you really not need me to send you back?¡± Lan Xiu asked again.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him indifferently and took her backpack from Ah Li. ¡°No need. There¡¯s a subway station just in front. I¡¯ll just go back by myself, and I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Bye!¡±

    She walked forward as she spoke and waved at Lan Xiu. After a while, her thin figure disappeared into the city lights.

    However, Lan Xiu stood in ce for a long time as he watched her figure being submerged in the twilight. His expression was a little dazed and deste...

    Dongfang Liuyun squeezed her way into a busy subway station and hesitated for a long time when she was at the ticket counter.

    She did not know where to go back to: to her parents, the Beach Vi, or to Qi Lei¡¯s Grand Lake Vi. After struggling for a while, she remembered the missed call and finally chose the subway station near the Grand Lake Vi area without hesitation.

    About 40 minutester, she finally came out of the subway station.

    Dongfang Liuyun navigated her way using the map on her phone and found the location of the Grand Lake Vi area. She was not familiar with this area at all since she was not even familiar with City Z, let alone this small area here.

    After walking for about 15 minutes, she finally found the familiar vi.

    At this very moment, Qi Lei was sitting in front of the sofa with the freshly cooked egg noodles in the vi. He turned on the TV and watched the news. Just after eating a few mouthfuls, the doorbell suddenly rang, and he quickly slurped another mouthful before putting it aside. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth quickly before having a sip of tea and walking towards the door unhurriedly.

    Through the screen on the side, he immediately saw Dongfang Liuyun standing outside the door. As his eyes flickered, he took a deep breath before pressing the button to open the door and waited there.

    Her slender figure quickly passed through the clean concrete path. In the blink of an eye, she was already in front of the staircase at the door. When she saw him waiting there, she stopped in her tracks and raised her head to watch him silently. She did not speak either.

    They did not speak for a long time. Afterward, Qi Lei made the first move by leaning in and opening the door slightly.

    Dongfang Liuyun continued to walk up. As her figure moved past his, she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go? I waited for a while and I didn¡¯t see you, so Lan Xiu went to pick me up.¡±

    Qi Lei closed the door and watched her figure for a long time before following behind her. ¡°I was behind your car and saw you getting in. I couldn¡¯t have just dragged you off like that, could I?¡±

    ¡°I called you, but the call didn¡¯t get through. Later, I found out that my phone was still in airne mode. Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it. Want some tomato and egg noodles? Have you had dinner yet?¡±

    As she offered, she threw the backpack on her back onto the sofa. Qi Lei had sat down again and continued to eat his noodles. He raised his eyebrows and took the chopsticks on the other side in one hand.

    ¡°I initially nned a date with a beautiful woman, but in the end, you were out having fun.¡± He nced at her irritably and handed her the big bowl of noodles in his hands.

    Dongfang Liuyun red at him and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for ruining it. My stomach doesn¡¯t feel too good, so no matter how delicious it is, I just can¡¯t finish it. Are there still noodles left in the pot?¡±

    She took the bowl and enjoyed it without holding back.

    ¡°There¡¯s none left,¡± Qi Lei responded and gave her a ss of water before getting up.

    ¡°Oh, then you can go make the next one for yourself. I¡¯m starving,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said while holding the remote control and surfing channels.

    Qi Lei¡¯s brows were furrowed. How could she be such a natural at this?

    Normally, girls would at least give an exnation such as, ¡°Lan Xiu and I just ate together and nothing happened between us¡±, or ¡°I was just talking to Lan Xiu¡±. Girls would normally say things like that, would they not?

    He frowned and looked at her for a long time. When he saw that she was eating heartily, he inhaled helplessly as he could not say anything. He turned around and walked towards the kitchen.

    He was also starving!

    However, he ignored her. Dongfang Liuyun was not a typical woman anyway. Since she was not like other women, he obviously should not expect her to do everything as nned.

    If he did, then it would be like the sun rising from the west!

    That was how he felt about her after having spent over a year with her.

 Chapter 1571 - I Wonâ€™t Do It

    <h4>Chapter 1571: I Won¡¯t Do It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After about ten minutes, Qi Lei finally came out of the kitchen in satisfaction, holding a bowl of fragrant noodles. He then went to the sofa and saw that Dongfang Liuyun, who was sitting next to him, had already finished arge bowl of egg noodles!

    He was not mistaken!

    There was nothing left in the bowl. Even the soup was finished, and she was already holding her tea while leaning against the sofa, watching an old-fashioned Charlie Chaplinedy contentedly.

    ¡®Is this woman a pig?¡¯ Qi Lei was shocked deep down. It was such a big bowl that he might not even have been able to finish it all by himself, but unexpectedly, she had! Sure enough, one should never judge a book by its cover.

    ¡°You do have a good appetite,¡± he cleared his throat and said in a low voice when he saw her looking over at him.

    ¡°The vegetables were overcooked. Its texture was like pig feed,¡± sheined.

    ¡°Hmm, howe do you know so much about pig feed?¡± Qi Lei nced at her and raised his handsome eyebrows.

    ¡°Are you implying that I¡¯m a pig? I¡¯m very sensitive when ites to paronomasia, so don¡¯t try to y word games with me.¡± Dongfang Liuyun gazed at him with a challenging stare.

    ¡°Innuendo is also not my style.¡± Qi Lei also nced back at her, his aura unabated.

    ¡°I won¡¯t believe you for a second. Anyway, I¡¯ll go up and take a bath first.¡± With a grin, she grabbed her backpack with one hand and was about to head upstairs.

    Before she could take another step, Qi Lei¡¯s voice interrupted, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wash your bowl?¡±

    Only God knew that he disliked doing the dishes the most.

    Upon hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun froze for a second. She nced at Qi Lei in slight shock and looked over at the empty bowl that she had ced aside. She then asked after a while, ¡°Won¡¯t you wash it?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I won¡¯t do it!¡± Qi Lei refused directly, not showing the demeanor of a gentleman at all, but he felt that he could never pay attention to things like demeanor when living with a woman like Dongfang Liuyun!

    Sure enough, it was as expected.

    After listening to what he said, Dongfang Liuyun gave it a thought and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to wash it either. Well, let¡¯s draw cards.¡±

    Before he agreed to it, she had already taken out a deck of cards from her backpack and quickly spread them out before shuffling them. After a short while, shey them on the table in front of him proficiently and said, ¡°The one who gets the smaller card between the two will do the dishes, and this applies to all the dishwashing in the future.¡±

    ¡°Why should I be afraid? Out of all the games that you get to choose, still, you chose poker. You just dug your own grave!¡±

    The corner of Qi Lei¡¯s lips curved as he gave her a triumphant and wicked smile. He then took a big mouthful of noodles before he reached out to draw a card at random and flipped it over.

    The ace of clubs!

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly, and she also flipped the card in her hand.

    The three of diamonds!

    ¡®F*ck!¡¯ Dongfang Liuyun cursed secretly deep down but still had that unconcerned expression on her face. She gave him a pregnant nce, thought about it for a second, and said, ¡°Mr. Qi, I must first dere that I¡¯ve never used detergent when I do the dishes...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Anyway, you only need to wash them until they¡¯re clean. Sit down and have a cup of tea first. I won¡¯t eat that fast.¡± There was a sh of delight in his dim eyes and an arrogant smirk on the corners of his lips.

    A bet was a bet, so Dongfang Liuyun conceded her defeat in the game opened-heartedly. She dropped her backpack and sat down again.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop me?¡± she gave it a slight thought and asked, ¡°Since you were just behind us.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to stop you originally, but when I thought about it, other people might not want you to bring your family members along. I¡¯m a man that upholds my integrity, and there¡¯s no need for me to go and look at other people¡¯s displeased and unwilling faces.¡±

    As he said that, he gave her a sideways nce, showing her his dignity, his pride, and his integrity in his gaze.

    However, looking at his mischievous and triumphant expression, Dongfang Liuyun could not help butugh out loud. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll bring you along the next time. Lan Xiu is a very good listener thus, he¡¯s very easy to talk to, but he¡¯s also a very stingy person. He seldom lets others take advantage of him. He has taken a lot of treasures from me without paying a single penny for them recently. So, you have to find a way to get them back for me in the future. Don¡¯t hesitate whenever you get the chance to one-up him. By the way, he just added a limited-edition Porsche to his garage collection recently. I like it very much, and I¡¯m thinking of how I can grab it from him.¡±

    ¡°I have a lot of cars. They¡¯re all in the garage, and you can drive whichever you like directly. All the car keys are in the front drawer. His is just another inferior car. Mu Yuchen just lost another car to me not long ago, so you can use it if you like it. They¡¯re all equipped with the highest configurations!¡± Qi Lei replied disdainfully, looking down on Lan Xiu¡¯s status.

    Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo liked to y poker. Although Mu Yuchen¡¯s card skills were naturally good, when it came to ying poker, he still had to bow down to Qi Lei as thetter did not just be a yboy for thirty years for nothing.

    He was often found in ces like ska and Macau, surrounded by all sorts of beauties. Speaking of which, he had been quite a scumbag back then.

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged and looked at him profoundly. ¡°Your stance and attitude make you look like a parvenu from Shanxi. You don¡¯t need to show off your style and status like that.¡±

    ¡°Am I showing off? I¡¯ve always had style, so I don¡¯t think I need to highlight it forcefully. Keeping a low profile is always the best way of showing off.¡± He gazed at her disapprovingly and then lowered his head to continue eating his noodles.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised. She raised her arm to rub her nose, and just when she was about to say something, Qi Lei suddenly turned his head and stared at her. ¡°Have you taken your medicine?¡±

    It was not difficult to sense faint concern in his indifferent tone, which made Dongfang Liuyun feel a slight warmth deep down. She then nodded. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not those squeamish little girls. I care about my own body. More than anybody else, I¡¯m afraid of dying.¡±

    ¡°You say that as if I¡¯m not afraid of dying,¡± Qi Lei replied. He thought about it as he looked at her silently, then asked, ¡°Now, Mrs. Qi, when are you going to take me back to meet our parents?¡±

    The topic turned so quickly that even the wise Miss Dongfang could not react to it. She eximed when Qi Lei asked and stared at him in a daze, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Do we have to wait until after the Magpie Festival? It feels like we¡¯re having an affair and nobody can know about us, but I heard that Father is an easy person to persuade.¡±

    ¡°Father? Mr. Qi, you seem to have gotten really deep into the y. Don¡¯t worry. If you can¡¯t pass my father¡¯s test, it¡¯ll be useless no matter how sweet you calling ¡®Father¡¯ sounds. Wait until the Magpie Festival. I¡¯ll tell my family when the timees. We¡¯ll go back for dinner, and they should all be there. However, since you¡¯re so shameless, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for you to deal with them.¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled cheerfully.

    ¡°I have incredible confidence in my own charm,¡± Qi Lei squinted at her intensely and said calmly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± Dongfang Liuyun shrugged as she stretched out her arm to take a tomato from his bowl and put it in her mouth.

 Chapter 1572 - Itâ€™s Here (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1572: It¡¯s Here (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei raised his brows and very knowingly handed his chopsticks to her. ¡°What did Lan Xiu treat you to? You look like you¡¯re the reincarnation of a hungry ghost. I thought you didn¡¯t like noodles.¡±

    She epted it very uncourteously and ate the fried egg, then returned the chopsticks. ¡°Am I eating noodles right? But to tell the truth, your noodle cooking skills are really getting better and better.¡±

    ¡°Of course! As long I set my mind to learning something, I¡¯ll ace it.¡± Qi Lei epted the chopsticks with confidence and continued to eat heartily.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused and took over the napkin he handed to wipe her mouth, then she agreed, ¡°I do agree with you. All skills are learned from ground zero, and it¡¯s good to learn more.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? What¡¯s this?¡± When Dongfang Liuyun tossed the napkin into the bin beside her, her gaze brushed past the table and was attracted by a sh of red. She quickly picked it up.

    It was a red invitation.

    Qi Lei squinted and swallowed his food before slowly replying, ¡°It¡¯s an invitation from the Jin family. I think it¡¯s an invitation for the young master of the Jin family¡¯s engagement to Dongfang Rouer of the Dongfang family. It¡¯s happening the day after tomorrow,¡± Qi Lei said quite nonchntly since he did not have a very meaningful engagement with those people.

    Usually, he would asionally bump into them atrge-scale business event banquets, so when they sent the invitation, Yang Sheng was surprised too. However, when he thought about the recent South River Project, he seemed to have understood something.

    As Dongfang Liuyun fixed her eyes on the invitation in hand, her eyes started to darken. Her gaze flickered, and Qi Lei could sense something out of the ordinary. He looked at her from the side and quickly caught her reaction.

    After he thought about it for a moment, he was about to ask something but did not in the end. He just gathered his gaze and lowered his head to continue eating his noodles...

    Following a pause, Dongfang Liuyun kept the invitation away and put it back without saying anything.

    Qi Lei swiftly finished the noodles in his bowl and pushed the bowl aside before he wiped his mouth in satisfaction and drank his flower tea before continuing to watch television.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally epted her loss and quietly kept the bowls and chopsticks away.

    When night fell, it was pitch-dark outside. Unlike the cloudless starry sky from a few days ago, the weather forecast said that it would be a rainy week. There were already typhoons in the coastal areas, and right now the winds were quite strong outside, causing the curtains to swoosh away.

    After Qi Lei showered he got into bed while Dongfang Liuyun went to the bathroom after she tidied her things up.

    He reached out to take a book from the side as usual when he saw the poker cards. It was the deck of poker cards that Dongfang Liuyun had pulled out earlier.

    It was a special deck with golden backing. The drawings on them seemed to be sand art and they looked unique. Earlier, he had scrutinized it closer and noticed that it was the kind of cards that were wear-resistant.

    He examined it for a bit, then began toy them out to y by himself.

    Suddenly, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°I got someone to make this especially for me. It was a sand art theme this time around, and it¡¯s a present for you. What do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei then looked up towards the sound of the voice, and indeed, he saw her walk out of the bathroom with her messy hair. She lowered the temperature of the room with the remote control while her beige sleeping gown suited her very well. Then, shebed her hair with her back to him.

    It was then that he noticed how long her hair was that it reached her waist.

    Qi Lei watched her for quite a while, then he lowered his gaze and looked at the cards in his hand. He yed around with it before smiling to say, ¡°Not bad, but are you just going to just dismiss me like that?¡±

    She did not even look at him before she answered, ¡°Be grateful. Stingy people like me rarely give anyone gifts.¡±

    He carefully kept the cards away and put them into the drawer beside him before he took out an exquisite gift box. After he examined it, Dongfang Liuyun turned around to look at him too.

    ¡°Come here!¡±

    Qi Lei looked up at her with a hand reaching out towards her.

    As Dongfang Liuyun looked at the gift box in his hand, she seemed to understand something. She thought about it, then walked over and sat down beside him.

    ¡°Is it ready?¡± she asked calmly.

    ¡°Naturally, the model existed. It just needed a little bit more work. Here, try it on.¡±

    He opened the gift box and quickly took out the ring. He held her hand to slide it onto her ring finger. Finally, he looked at it and felt extremely satisfied, but he saw that her gaze was calm and cautious. ¡°You have to think it through now. Once you put this on, you¡¯ve truly be a married woman now.¡±

    Upon hearing that, she only rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°When we signed our names on the papers, you became someone¡¯s husband, and I, Dongfang Liuyun, also became a married woman. That¡¯s a fact now.¡±

    When she said that, Qi Lei was toozy to speak more as he put on the ring properly before handing her his and then held out his fingers towards her.

    Dongfang Liuyun epted it and calmly helped him put it on. ¡°Now, it really feels like we¡¯re married.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at the flickering circle of light on his ring finger and smiled thoughtfully. ¡°The world has lost another Prince Charming and Husband of the People. Many women must be in despair!¡±

    When she heard that, a faint smile shed on her lips as she turned to look at him. She saw that his handsome face contained faint joy and happiness. She felt as if her mood had been infected by his, especially when her eyes met his profound gaze...

    She paused and looked deeply into his eyes while Qi Lei let her examine him.

    The air suddenly froze, and the swaying curtains were swooshing, making the entire bedroom seem even quieter. Only the temperature in the bedroom seemed to be rising.

    The husband and wife stared at each other like that for quite a while, and the smile on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face became even more evident. After a while, she reached out slowly and the sparks on the ring swayed, gently reflecting on his handsome side profile. With her soft touch, he felt something stir within him.

    She held his face gently and then leaned forward to close the distance between them. He could even clearly smell the faint fragrance on her, immediately inciting the impulse in his blood.

 Chapter 1573 - Itâ€™s Here (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1573: It¡¯s Here (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This woman was really something else!

    Qi Lei suppressed the rising blood pressure in his body and tried his best to calm down by taking deep breaths. He was Master Qi after all and was still able to keep a straight face and look at her calmly.

    Dongfang Liuyun inhaled and stared at him. Her low voice was hoarse but seductive as she greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Qi.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y with fire or you¡¯ll regret it.¡± He exhaled and quickly reached out to grab her slender wrist.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a while when she heard this. A faint flicker of light shed across her eyes. When she saw him forcing himself to look away, she chuckled and said, ¡°Are you being shy?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Qi Lei originally wanted to say something, but her petite body leaned in and her soft pink lips pressed against his.

    Qi Lei was dumbfounded...

    He had been in love with countless people and had seen many women, but now...

    Nevertheless, his reaction was quick enough.

    He did not need to think about anything. He had something nice sent his way, so he would just take it unless he was a fool!

    Obviously, Qi Lei was never a fool. He would not let such a good opportunity just slip through his hands. However, this was his wife, so he was not exactly taking advantage of her, was he?

    Before he could think too much, he put all these annoying questions behind him and quickly wrapped the woman¡¯s waist with his long arms before hugging her.

    ¡°This is what you asked for. Don¡¯t regret it.¡±

    A wicked smile appeared on his face as he rolled over and stayed on top of her. Then, he lowered his head to kiss her soft lips...

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and clutched his shirt at the chest with one hand as she tried to kiss him back.

    While he seemed like quite an amateur at kissing, he was pretty skilled at flirting!

    Hisrge hand quickly crept to her waist and unbuttoned her clothes. When he was about to reach into her shirt, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt a familiar dull pain in her abdomen, then...

    Her face quickly turned pale and cold sweat broke out on her forehead almost instantly.

    There was no way this was happening now!

    While Qi Lei was hugging her, he immediately noticed that she was acting weird. He stopped all his actions and gazed at her. When he saw that her face was pale, he asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sick? Does your stomach hurt?¡±

    He quickly moved away and helped her sit up. ¡°I¡¯ll get your medicine. Ah, never mind. Let¡¯s just go to the hospital.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun inhaled and quickly raised her hand to stop him. She said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s here, so...¡±

    It should not be here for a few more days. She had probably been too busy and tired recently, so it came earlier. Dongfang Liuyun kept breaking out in cold sweat.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s here?¡± Qi Lei frowned and pulled the quilt to cover her body.

    ¡°As a woman, I¡¯ll always experience this a few days every month. It¡¯s okay. Is Aunt Wang here?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked as she raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat on her forehead.

    ¡°Yes, but she¡¯s probably asleep now.¡±

    ¡°Wake her up.¡±

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and lowered his head before nodding embarrassedly. ¡°I¡¯ll get her toe up.¡±

    He quickly left the room. After a while, Aunt Wang came up. It was very sudden, but fortunately, it was not toote, thus she was able to prepare a cup of hot ginger tea for her.

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s probably because of the cold, so just be careful these days. Have a ss of ginger tea every day and avoid eating cold things. You young people don¡¯t take your bodies seriously and you only regret it when you¡¯re in pain.¡±

    Aunt Wang had been transferred from Wang Qin¡¯s vi. She used to take care of Wang Qin just like Butler Xu. Besides having been with Wang Qin for many years, she was also loyal and caring towards Qi Lei.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened modestly and nodded before drinking arge ss of ginger tea. ¡°Thank you, Aunt Wang. I know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good if you know, but you also have to remember it. Young Master should also take care because he often stays up until midnight, but even the strongest body can¡¯t take that. Before Elder Madam left, she always worried about his body and about finding the Young Master a partner. Madam, now that you¡¯re finally part of this family, I hope the both of you will take better care of your bodies.¡±

    As an older woman, Aunt Wang could be a little naggy, but she was a good person, and Dongfang Liuyun could feel it too.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pay more attention to my body.¡±

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯ll be fine. Rest early and I¡¯ll make some red bean porridge for you tomorrow morning.¡± Aunt Wang finally left the room.

    Qi Lei was sitting on the sofa in the living room while flipping through a magazine. When he saw Aunt Wang emerge, he asked, ¡°Is she okay? Do I need to call Dr. Wang over?¡±

    The worry in his eyes was obvious.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master. It¡¯s normal. She just needs to take a good rest for a few days. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Aunt Wang smiled and took a look at Qi Lei before she continued, ¡°Master, you¡¯ve changed a lot. You now know how to care for others. Madam is blessed. I hope you can have a baby soon. Master, I¡¯m still tough and strong, so I can take care of the baby for you, hence you can work with a peace of mind. Although Elder Madam left early, you still have me and Butler Xu. We¡¯ll take care of the Little Master.¡±

    As Aunt Wang said that, she smiled like a blooming flower as if she could envision the harmonious family of her young master.

    However, Qi Lei just smiled when he heard that. That dream was too far away since they were not even close. He never thought about the day when a kid would call him ¡°Dad¡±.

    ¡°I know. Rest early. You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± he responded calmly.

    Aunt Wang smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, Master. You guys should rest early too. I¡¯ll head down first.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded lightly.

    Aunt Wang then left and silently closed the door.

    When he heard the door being shut, he slowly closed the magazine in his hand. He got up and walked to the bedroom after thinking for a while. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Dongfang Liuyuning out of the bathroom. Herplexion already seemed better.

    ¡°How are you doing? Are you feeling better?¡± he asked in a low voice as he stopped and looked at her with his eyes full of concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun wiped her hands and walked to the bed. ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s not my style to pull out at thest minute,¡± she exined calmly.

    On the contrary, Qi Lei coughed unnaturally and replied, ¡°You can¡¯t escape anyway...¡±

    She broke out into a smile when she heard that.

 Chapter 1574 - Itâ€™s Here (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1574: It¡¯s Here (3)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun did not dream all night though she slept more lightly than ever as she was not feeling veryfortable. Therefore, she woke up very early in the morning, changed into a set of gray casual clothes, and went downstairs directly after freshening up.

    Aunt Wang and the other servants had just gotten up too. Aunt Wang stayed with the servants in a small bungalow next to the vi. Since Qi Lei did not like being served by someone when he was at home, Aunt Wang had purposely made such arrangements.

    However, when she came down, she happened to see Aunt Wang preparing to start making breakfast. Dongfang Liuyun told her that she would do it herself, so Aunt Wang left the kitchen with a smile.

    When Qi Lei woke up, he naturally did not see the woman beside him. He quickly got up to freshen up and put on clean casual wear, then went downstairs unhurriedly.

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was preparing breakfast, did not look back when she heard the movement from the staircase. She poured some juice into the ss and greeted directly ¡°Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Why are you up so early? Just leave these chores to Aunt Wang.¡± Qi Lei walked down the stairs and approached her in a few strides. He took the juice from her and nced at her. He then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that herplexion was no longer as pale asst night and that she was as calm and indifferent as before.

    ¡°She¡¯s gone out for some groceries. When I was in the front yard, I heard that students are now on summer vacation. Aunt Wang¡¯s grandson is staying in the countryside now due to the holiday, so why don¡¯t we let her go back and pay him a visit? Anyway, we don¡¯t need so many people to take care of the house. It would be nice for her toe back after summer vacation,¡± Dongfang Liuyun suggested as she turned her head and raised her glistening eyes to gaze at him.

    His eyes were still for a split second, and he nodded happily. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. I¡¯ll talk to her about thatter.¡±

    He also sat down while saying so.

    ¡°Remember to reward her from time to time. I heard that she¡¯s been serving your mother for a long time.¡± Dongfang Liuyun poured him another ss of juice and then sat down opposite him.

    ¡°Oh my, you do know how to be considerate about them, don¡¯t you?¡± He seemed to have realized something, and the corners of his lips curved as he gave her a sideways gaze.

    ¡°Have I been busted? Anyway, I believe that all rtionships between people are mutual. Not to mention, I¡¯ll be living with you for many years toe, so I¡¯ll benefit from all these simple efforts, thus I don¡¯t see why shouldn¡¯t I do so,¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered calmly without hiding her thoughts at all. As she exined, she handed Qi Lei half a bowl of millet porridge that she had just prepared.

    After Qi Lei took it from her unceremoniously, he looked down at the porridge in the bowl and stirred it a bit with the spoon. He did not look at her as he replied, ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯re starting to grind and shape yourself into a businessman, but I strongly agree with what you said.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m suitable to be a brazen businessman like you?¡±

    Facing her scrutinizing gaze, Qi Lei answered without hesitation, ¡°No, you¡¯re only suitable in bing an inscrutable, superb businessman. The word ¡®brazen¡¯ is apt for someone like me.¡±

    She then gave him a sideways nce, lifted the corners of her lips, and lowered her head to enjoy her breakfast.

    When breakfast was over, he suddenly raised his head to look at her and asked, ¡°What are you going to do today?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not stop her actions and calmly replied, ¡°Tomorrow is a big day, so I have to prepare some gifts.¡±

    ¡°For the engagement banquet between Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rouer?¡± Qi Lei recalled the red invitation card that she was flipping throughst night immediately.

    ¡°Well, of course. I have to go back and attend it.¡±

    ¡°Whatever is urring back home seems to make you feel rather uneasy.¡± Qi Lei seemed to be ruefully moved deep down and he gave her a pregnant nce.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s movements paused for a second, and she smiled after a while. ¡°Every family has its issues especially for a big family like mine. Otherwise, what do you think? However, this has been how I live since I was a child, and I¡¯ve already gotten used to it. Well, I¡¯ll roughly sort out the rtionship between the members of the Dongfang family and send it to you via email tonight.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded before hesitating for a moment, and said, ¡°There¡¯s almost nobody in my family now. You know everything except...¡±

    He wanted to say something after that, but when he thought about it, it seemed that there was no need for that, so he paused for a moment and did not continue. Dongfang Liuyun also raised her eyes to nce at him as she thought about it and responded, ¡°I can roughly understand your situation. You¡¯re leading a very peaceful life now. Marrying me may not be a good choice for you. That¡¯s a fact that with your conditions, there are so many great women to choose from.¡±

    ¡°Just assume that you have earned it from the choice that I¡¯ve made.¡± With a smile, Qi Lei took a piece of tissue from the side to wipe his mouth gracefully and looked at her with a heavy gaze. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m quite picky when ites to women. I¡¯ve tried almost every type that the world has to offer, so if when ites to you, I don¡¯t mind having it the hard way because...¡±

    ¡°Because we were partners and allies before this, and I know that you don¡¯t love me either. Us being together right now has nothing to do with love, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the right thing to do. Still, some things need to be practiced. So, since we¡¯ve both chosen, we can only bet on it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a shallow breath as she suddenly picked up the cup and stared ahead in a trance before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a hypocritical woman. Since I have the guts to marry you, I¡¯m mentally prepared for anything to be thrown at me, so if you¡¯re not blindly pursuing something like love, I think I¡¯ll be very suitable for you.¡±

    She raised the cup in her hand and motioned a toast to him.

    However, Qi Lei was a little surprised when she said that, and his gaze became a little unpredictable and enigmatic.

    ¡®If I¡¯m not blindly pursuing something like love?¡¯

    Well, if...

    ¡°What if love is truly what I pursue? Can¡¯t you give it to me?¡± he could not help but ask after giving it a thought for a long time. His eyes were fixed on her indifferent eyes, not wanting to miss the change of emotions in her gaze.

    When those words came hurtling out, Dongfang Liuyun was taken aback for a second. She remained quiet for a while as she put the ss in her hand down and silently lowered her gaze. After some time, she raised her eyes and looked at him. Honesty was all he could see in her eyes as she said, ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t even know whether if I still have this feeling within me. I reckon that I can¡¯t even give it to myself, so how can I give it to others?

    ¡°Furthermore, we...are allies. It¡¯s a husband-and-wife rtionship formed based on arades-in-arms partnership, which is also a good choice, although I might have wronged you a little in that sense.¡±

 Chapter 1575 - Father-in-law? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1575: Father-inw? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was at ease, and her gaze was surprisingly colored with some tenderness too.

    ¡°Not everyone has the same boldness. I should be grateful that you¡¯d ept me. At least, up till now, I¡¯m still quite grateful,¡± she said calmly.

    Upon hearing this, Qi Lei¡¯s gaze fell silent and a delighted smile spread across his face as he smiled meaningfully at her. ¡°You make me sound like I¡¯m really suffering. Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll have ulterior motives?¡± he said. Then, he examined her up and down in amusement before he smiled and continued, ¡°Like you...you¡¯ve got pretty good looks...I can¡¯t deny that you¡¯re one of the most unique and charismatic women I¡¯ve met. Your beauty is top-notch.¡±

    ¡°Well then, I should feel honored that my parents did such a good job at giving birth to me,¡± she answered without a hint of modesty. Then, Qi Lei chuckled.

    It was nice talking to her. At least, he felt himself all loosened up, unlike when he spoke to other people and would always feel worn out.

    ¡°We¡¯re still young. We¡¯ll have what we should have. I do have that confidence and I hope you do too. I¡¯m an exceptionally good man, and you deserve to have me,¡± he said good-naturedly.

    With nothing more to lose, he was truly a person with nothing else to worry about. If the partner in question was her, what harm was there trying out?

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled without a word. She just silently drank the fruit juice in her ss as Qi Lei watched her and did not make a sound either.

    ¡°I never thought that I¡¯d get married, and in such a rush too. What more unexpected is that the person would¡¯ve been you.¡± She spread out the bowl and chopsticks before her and leaned back against her chair before calmly looking up to meet his dark eyes.

    Qi Lei paused and nodded. ¡°I know. If I didn¡¯t ask, you wouldn¡¯t have asked me. Did you only think of marrying Lan Xiu?¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu is myrade and my true friend. He¡¯s also helped me out. If he meets someone he likes in the future, I would¡¯ve yielded my position too.¡±

    He fell silent for a moment, then said softly, ¡°Your feelings...they¡¯re quite cold-blooded...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am a little cold-blooded, but these things aren¡¯t up to me either.¡± She actually did not look like a very openhearted person. There were some things that she would rather forget, and there were also some people she would rather have forgotten than recall.

    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty great person. At least, from what I see, you¡¯re amazing, but...¡± she said, then paused.

    Qi Lei waited for a while, and when she did not continue, he thought about it but did not ask anything after that. Instead, he reminded, ¡°Remember to take your medicine. The doctor has asked you to go in for a checkup since you have time today, so you should go over.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m quite okay.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the doctor¡¯s orders, so just obey them.¡±

    She instinctively wanted to reject the offer, but Qi Lei¡¯s tone was quite firm, and she could not think of a reason to say no. Before she could say anything else, he had gotten up and began to clear the table.

    ...

    After breakfast, the husband and wife made their way to the hospital for Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s checkup with the same doctor from thest time.

    ¡°Watch your diet after this. Keep taking your meds consistently for a month, ande for a checkup every half a month. Rest more too,¡± the doctor wrote the prescription as he reminded.

    Dongfang Liuyun sat there with a calm expression. Although no one could ascertain if she heard anything the doctor said, it was Qi Lei who stood behind her that nodded in response.

    When they left the room, they had to wait for the medicine to be dispensed. With many people at the hospital, they needed to wait for quite a while.

    The husband and wife found a spot to sit at, and Qi Lei had been on his phone nonstop. He seemed quite busy. He had just sat down when his phone began to buzz again.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched as he just rejected the call, so she suddenly said softly, ¡°Just go to the office if you¡¯re busy with work. I¡¯m fine on my own since I know the way.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s nothing urgent. I¡¯ve gotten Yang Sheng to prepare tomorrow¡¯s gift for you, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    He searched for the game page on his phone and handed it to her.

    She took it over uncourteously and began to y. ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re quite the enthusiast.¡±

    ¡°Can I not be enthusiastic?¡± he calmly replied.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to strive to be the perfect good husband. Women counting on their partners to give up their time and energy with noints is a dumb thing. After all, women have to be aware of their own importance. I¡¯ve never felt that it was a matter of fact for any one person to be good to you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun lowered her head to look at her phone screen while her long and slender fingers moved nimbly.

    ¡°Exactly because of that, when that person is suddenly not as good to you, you¡¯ll feel like they owe you something, and you¡¯ll feel unhappy about it. However, you know you must know that in the long process of getting along with someone, your feelings won¡¯t be unswerving from start to finish, and the other person won¡¯t be able to put up with you as they always have. So, I¡¯m hoping that you can just keep it casual with me. There¡¯s no need to deliberately be good to me and I won¡¯t need to pander to you too. Between us, we should go for a more naturally bnced point.¡± She did not hesitate to tell him all that she felt because Dongfang Liuyun believed that it was necessary.

    ¡°You¡¯re too defensive. At least, to me, this is all expected, of course,¡± Qi Lei frowned and said.

    Then, she raised her brows and looked at him. When she saw that he seemed to disagree slightly, she smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your male ego getting in the way?¡±

    ¡°You are my woman, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with me protecting you and sharing your burden, is there?¡±

    ¡°Alright, you win. Then, treat me slightly better.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Qi Lei looked at her and asked.

    ¡°Me? I want to be a carefree queen, and do anything as I wish,¡± she smiled and said.

    ¡°In your dreams! With your attitude, you can only be an imperial concubine and not even a senior one!¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be a senior concubine? Do you think you¡¯re qualified?¡± The corner of her lips brimmed with faint warmth as she locked her gaze meaningfully onto his handsome face.

    ¡°More qualified than you are...¡± Before he finished, Qi Lei suddenly stopped. ¡°Are you digging a trap for me to fall into?¡±

    She shot him a side nce and shrugged, then continued to y her game.

    At this moment, there was a broadcast that it was time to collect the medication, so Qi Lei got up and walked over.

    He had just left when there was suddenly a familiar voice¡ª

 Chapter 1576 - Father-in-law? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1576: Father-inw? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Liuyun?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard the voice, she paused and turned around. Her gaze followed the voice, and Dongfang Gan came into sight.

    ¡°Father?¡± Dongfang Liuyun was obviously a little surprised. She stared nkly at Dongfang Gan, who suddenly visited her, and froze. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Despite being surprised by his sudden appearance, she immediately put away her phone and took a deep breath as she got up subconsciously.

    ¡°An old friend is in the hospital, so I came to visit. How about you? Why are you here? Are you sick? You look pale,¡± Dongfang Ganmented as he walked over and looked at Dongfang Liuyun in concern. His eyes were filled with tender love.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I just came here for a checkup. The doctor said there¡¯s nothing wrong. Are you going back now?¡± She took Qi Lei¡¯s folder away from the seat beside her to give her father a seat.

    Dongfang Gan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t need the seat. Your mother rushed back a few days ago. Didn¡¯t you say that you would go home? Why haven¡¯t you visited for so long? I made some delicious food for you. Why did you look like you¡¯ve lost a lot of weight these days? Were your assignments difficult?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. My stomach hasn¡¯t been feeling too well recently, so I can only have a little porridge every day. Tomorrow is Dongfang Rouer¡¯s engagement party with Jin Sheng, so I may not be able to make it back for the next two days. Let¡¯s just wait for Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day, I¡¯ll go home then. Be prepared. There may be a surprise for you guys,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Surprise? What¡¯s the surprise? I heard that Lan Xiu is back. Could the surprise be himing back to the house with you?¡± Dongfang Gan guessed.

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ll know when the dayes. If you¡¯re busy, you should make a move first.¡±

    ¡°Being so mysterious? It¡¯s time for lunch and I¡¯ve invited a customer to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. Do you want toe with me? We haven¡¯t eaten together for quite some time now.¡±

    ¡°You can go ahead. I still have to meet someone. You can go first if you¡¯re busy.¡±

    With such a sudden appearance, Dongfang Liuyun really did not know how to exin it to Dongfang Gan. After thinking for a while, she decided it was better to wait until Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day so that she could have time to make some preparations.

    However, he nced at her after seeing her reaction. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯re hiding from me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged and nced at him with her hands spread out as she sat back without saying anything.

    Dongfang Gan smiled helplessly. ¡°Okay, take care of yourself. I¡¯ll make a move first. Remember to go back on Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day. Also, if you don¡¯t want to go tomorrow, then don¡¯t. As my daughter, you don¡¯t have to force yourself to do this for them as long as you feelfortable,¡± he advised her because he was still a little worried.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard that, she smiled happily and said, ¡°Father, you should understand my temperament. It¡¯s not my style to run away from a battle. Besides, I¡¯m about to join thepany soon, so if I can¡¯t even do this, I¡¯m afraid I might lose all their respect. We don¡¯t want them to use this as an excuse to defeat us, do we?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m just worried that you might feel wronged.¡± Dongfang Qian felt a little ufortable in his heart.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll take care of myself.¡±

    Dongfang Gan gave her a pat on her shoulder before he left.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at the back of his retreating figure. After a while, she finally snapped out of her daze.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I called you several times, but you didn¡¯t respond.¡± She suddenly heard Qi Lei¡¯s voice, and when she turned her head to look, she realized that he was already beside her.

    ¡°Nothing, I just ran into my father, but he¡¯s already left. I told him that I¡¯ll go back on Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day.¡±

    ¡°My father-inw? Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± Qi Lei asked as he bent over to pick up the folder and turned his head to look at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not prepared. Besides, there are so many people here. My father is a public figure, so I didn¡¯t call you unless you want to be in the spotlight.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said that, she stood up slowly and lowered her cap as she put on her sunsses. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She then walked towards the door and Qi Lei followed after ncing at her.

    The car was parked in a temporary parking space outside the hospital.

    When the couple got there, they got in immediately with Dongfang Liuyun in the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for lunch first before I go back to the Beach Vi District. You can go to thepany and do your thing,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said to the man beside him as she started the car.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask the bodyguards to send you there,¡± he replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but nce at him. ¡°It¡¯s unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure,¡± he replied indifferently.

    The car moved forward quickly and disappeared into the sea of vehicles ahead.

    However, at this time, both of them did not know that opposite their car, there was a ck limousine with a pair of sharp eyes watching their every move from inside!

    They saw the husband and wife walking out of the hospital side by side. Although both of them intentionally went out with sunsses, still...

    ¡°President Gan, it¡¯s Missus. That person seems familiar, but it¡¯s most definitely not Master Lan Xiu,¡± Ah Fei frowned and whispered after thinking for a while. He was in the passenger seat as he stared closely in the direction that the car was leaving.

    Dongfang Gan sat in the back seat and was staring fixedly at the front as he listened to Ah Fei. After thinking about it, he raised his hand and rubbed his temples as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Check the background of that man. His license te number, his identity...I want all the detailed information.¡±

    Ah Fei nodded. ¡°Noted, President Gan! I¡¯ll ask them to check immediately.¡±

    Having said this, he quickly took his cell phone out from his pocket and made a quick call to exin the matter.

    However, at this moment, Dongfang Gan was still a little surprised. Although he did not know much about his daughter¡¯s affairs, Ah Fei often reported about her affairs to him regrly and they were extremely wary of the people around her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was still too young and temperamental...

    She was his only precious daughter. His daughter and his wife were almost his everything, and he obviously wanted to protect his daughter. He knew that she may not need it, but...

    Now, there was suddenly a man next to her. From the way they had walked out side by side earlier, he could tell that their rtionship was not that simple. What made him even more surprised was that the man actually held his daughter¡¯s hand, and she had even taken her car keys from thetter...

 Chapter 1577 - Taking A Step Back (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1577: Taking A Step Back (1)</h4>

    The couple, who were speeding away in the car, naturally would not have realized that was happening.

    After turning at several traffic ports, Dongfang Liuyun drove straight into the old city, and finally stopped in front of a small restaurant near the river.

    The atmosphere of the small restaurant was very elegant and clean. It was close to the wharf by the river. Business was usually good, but today was Tuesday, and it was not as crowded as usual on weekends and evenings.

    Dongfang Liuyun found a seat by the window and sat down. From this seat, she could see the fishing boats below the window and the busy pier across from her.

    She took the menu from the waiter and looked at it without holding back. She asked, ¡°You¡¯re not allergic to seafood, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Qi Lei responded, and Dongfang Liuyun looked away from the menu to look at him. Seeing that he responded, she was about to order from the waiter, but Qi Lei was already one step ahead of her. He listed some dishes on his own, and Dongfang Liuyun realized that he had ordered vegetarian dishes!

    They were very light dishes too!

    He only ordered a bowl of shredded chicken congee!

    She immediately frowned and said in confusion, ¡°It¡¯s my treat today. You can choose the more expensive dishes. I brought you here to have a seafood feast, not be a white rabbit eating vegetables. I¡¯m someone who can¡¯t live without meat. ¡±

    Qi lei nced at her and reached out to take the menu from her hand. He closed it and handed it to the waiter beside him. He said very politely, ¡°That is all. Please hurry up. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir! ¡± The waiter quickly took the menu and replied.

    ¡°Wait! One kilogram of braised prawns, a signature seafood congee, and a fruit tter. ¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun saw that the waiter was about to leave and immediately spoke.

    ¡°Someone with gastritis should not eat seafood for the time being. Did you not hear what the doctor said?¡±

    Qi Lei stopped her. He waved at the waiter and the waiter left.

    ¡°Did the doctor say that?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows and asked doubtfully, ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that I¡¯m practically recovered now? ¡±

    Qi lei nced at her and did not say anything. He just quietly raised his hand to clean the cutleries for her and then poured water for her. She quietly took it and took a simple sip. She looked at him with interest and said softly, ¡°You¡¯re quite concerned about me.¡±

    It was a in statement, but the smile on her face was filled with a faint warmth.

    ¡°You¡¯re now the official Mrs. Qi. If I don¡¯t worry about you, even I would have to doubt my own character,¡± answered Qi Lei very calmly.

    He did not even look up at her. He quietly poured water for himself, picked it up, and took a sip. He looked out at the scenery of the river outside the window. His handsome face was very calm, but at this moment, it seemed... illusory and distant.

    This guy was quite a handsome man when he was quiet.

    She rested her chin on one hand and watched him quietly.

    ..

    You stand on the bridge and gaze at the scenery. Those who gaze at the scenery are looking at you from upstairs. The moon decorated your window, while you decorated other people¡¯s dreams..

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun did not know why, but such a familiar phrase suddenly appeared in her mind. She followed his gaze and looked down as well, the dock was very busy...

    After a long while, she retracted her gaze and looked at him. She pondered, and then suddenly stretched out her slender, fair fingertips and brushed away the muslin curtain that flew onto his shoulder.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m grateful from the bottom of my heart,¡± she suddenly said this.

    ¡°Were your previous gratitude not from the bottom of your heart as well?¡±

    As she finished speaking, Qi Lei replied, ¡°Also, the words ¡®thank you¡¯ and ¡®sorry¡¯ are the two most meaningless phrases in this world. ¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say it at first, but now I feel that it might be more appropriate to say it. You¡¯re a person who easily touches others, and you¡¯re purer than many people. However, such people are usually lonely, or even alone.¡±

    As she spoke, she took another sip of water.

    ¡°What about you then?¡±

    Qi Lei asked with a calm gaze. ¡°You rarely talk about yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a person who likes to reminisce... ¡±

    After she said this, the two of them suddenly fell silent again.

    ..

    The nended steadily on the runway of the airport.

    When Su Chen dragged his exhausted self out of the airport, it was alreadyte at night.

    Secretary He was already waiting outside the airport early in the morning. Once Su Chen came out, he got into the car and sat in the passenger seat.

    It was the time when the lights were dim. The brilliant lights made the city even more gorgeous and charming. However, even such scenery did not seem to affect Su Chen¡¯s mood..

    He wanted to go back as soon as possible, but he did not know if he should go back as soon as possible.

    He had not called her for a few days, and she did not look for him.

    ¡°Chief Su, Chief Huang and the others are at Emperor Entertainment. Do you want to go over now? ¡±

    Secretary He drove steadily. He looked at Su Chen, who was leaning against the back of the chair and resting with his eyes closed, and asked carefully.

    Su Chen listened and slowly opened his eyes. He nced at the street outside the car window. After some thought, he replied, ¡°I¡¯m not going. Let¡¯s go home. ¡±

    ¡°But, Chief Huang... ¡±

    Secretary He wanted to say something, but Su Chen had already closed his eyes again. Finally, he did not dare to continue.

    The car sped along. When it reached the entrance of Su Chen¡¯s vi, it was already past midnight.

    Su Chen quickly got out of the car and carried his suitcase. ¡°You go back first. I¡¯ll drive myself back to the bureau tomorrow morning. Prepare the report for the meeting tomorrow. ¡±

    After saying these few words, he took out his keys from his pocket and walked home.

    ¡°Yes, Chief Su! ¡±

    Secretary He answered respectfully.

    ..

    ¡®Kacha¡ª¡±

    When the door opened, Ji Zitong was sitting on the sofa in the living room, flipping through thepany documents. When she heard the door open, she subconsciously turned her head to look ¡ª

    Su Chen¡¯s tall and upright figure immediately came into view.

    He was also used to finding her first thing every time he entered through the door. Su Chen¡¯s sharp eyes searched around and soon saw the woman sitting on the sofa staring at him in a daze.

    The husband and wife did not speak. They just looked at each other silently.

    After a long while, Su Chen finally averted his gaze, turned around, and closed the door. He then changed his shoes.

    Ji Zitong lowered her eyes and struggled for a while. Finally, she could not help but stand up slowly. She poured a ss of water and carefully walked toward him...

    ¡°You¡¯re back... ¡±

    Ji Zitong handed the water to him and said this as she reached out her hand to him.

 Chapter 1578 - Taking A Step Back (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1578: Taking A Step Back (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen stood where he was and looked down at her for quite a while. The light in his ck eyes flickered for a moment. He handed her the coat in his hand and took the ss of water from her hand. He took two sips before his hoarse voice came through.

    ¡°Why are you still up sote? Didn¡¯t I tell you to go to bed at 10:30? Are you feeling better?¡±

    There was some reproach in his tone, and it was not difficult to hear the faint concern in his voice. He was not as gloomy as before he left.

    Under his sharp gaze, she could only lower her eyes quietly. ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better. Sister said that you would be back tonight, so I just waited. Have you had dinner... ¡±

    Before thest syble fell, Su Chen had already ced the cup in his hand on the table at the side. He spread his arms and pulled her into his embrace. The force was so strong that it seemed like he was going to break her slender waist, he held her tightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This time, it was my fault.¡±

    His low and hoarse voice brushed past her ears. She felt that it was surreal to hear that.

    In fact, it was rare for a man like Su Chen to say something like ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ to a woman.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s heart ached slightly when she heard this. She then reached out and wrapped her arms around his strong waist. ¡°It¡¯s not entirely your fault. I was wrong too. I didn¡¯t consider your feelings.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t like that person,¡± exined Su Chen.

    ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. Between us, there¡¯s only the past. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever had your former love rival dangling before your eyes every day? Could you be as calm too?¡±

    He asked her this question. His slightly calloused hand gently brushed her beautiful long hair behind her back. ¡°If I can really remain unmoved, then our rtionship would really be in danger. ¡±

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment. After a while, she nodded silently and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say these words. I just hope that you can keep me in your heart. Your present and future would only have to do with me, Su Chen. It has nothing to do with that person anymore.¡±

    He hugged her and dered in an overbearing manner, ¡°You are now the rightful Mrs. Su.¡±

    ¡°That would make me look like I have no human rights.¡±

    ¡°As long as your focus is on me, you can have whatever human rights you want. I¡¯m old, Zitong. I feel more insecure than anyone else. Even if I don¡¯t want to admit it, it¡¯s the truth...¡±

    This was the first time Su Chen showed vulnerability in front of someone else.

    ¡°You are only in your thirties. Why are you calling yourself old?¡±

    She felt a little ufortable when she heard his gloomy tone. She suddenly hated the way she could not hold back from being pretentious.

    They should have been a couple that could have been together quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not young anymore, I¡¯m thirty-four or thirty-five years old now...,¡± he suddenly sighed and said in a low voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s not old at all. That¡¯s the prime of your life. ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a child. It¡¯s not something that will happen in a day or two,¡± he suggested.

    Ji Zitong paused for a moment and quickly replied, ¡°Okay... ¡±

    As she spoke, she clutched slightly at thepels of his clothes. He pulled her out of his embrace and gave her a deep look. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her soft red lips.

    However, he had to stop there because of the hunger in his stomach, he had no choice but to temporarily give up on this momentary warmth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare some food for you. ¡±

    Ji Zitong seemed to sense something as she looked at the travel-worn him. It would be a lie to say that she did not feel sorry for him, especially when she saw his handsome face that had clearly be thinner.

    He nodded and helped herb through her messy hair before slowly letting go of her. Ji Zitong also quickly headed to the kitchen.

    Su Chen was really tired. When Ji Zitong came out with a bowl of noodles, he had already fallen asleep on the sofa. Ji Zitong nudged him a few times before he woke up and simply gobbled up the food in the bowl, then, he went upstairs to take a shower.

    By the time Ji Zitong finished cleaning up and went upstairs, he had already curled up in the nket and fallen asleep.

    Actually, this was not his fault. In the few days that he had been away, he had been suffering from insomnia every night. He was already used to her being by his side every night, especially the recent troubles that had made him feel bad. In addition to that, he had a lot of work to do, so no matter how strong his body was, he can be worn out too. Now that he had finally returned home and knew that she was here, his heart seemed to have calmed down a little, and so...

    She stood under the bed and saw that he had fallen asleep. Her eyes flickered for a moment. After a long while, she sighed softly and walked over to help him pull up the nket. When she was about to pull away her hand, she did not expect that he would urately grab her wrist and get pulled into the bed.

    She cried out in shock. Before she could react, she fell into his familiar and warm embrace. Immediately after, the lights in the room dimmed and the entire bedroom fell silent.

    ¡°Did you think of me?¡± His hoarse and sleepy voice rang out.

    ¡°Yes, I have. I was thinking about how long you¡¯d n to keep fighting with me,¡± answered Ji Zitong honestly.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t take the initiative to look for me either?¡±

    He tightened his grip on her waist and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°I... ¡±

    Ji Zitong did not know how to answer him.

    ¡°Forget it. If this is the case in the future, I can lower my ego first, but you can¡¯t give me attitude either. I¡¯m saving face. You¡¯re my wife, if even you won¡¯t give me face, I¡¯d feel worse than death,¡± he whispered into her ear.

    ¡°You¡¯re just too proud and very chauvinistic. Women usually don¡¯t like people like you.¡±

    Ji Zitong nudged him and moved her body.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about those women court death, as long as you like me, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t move. My willpower isn¡¯t that good, but I¡¯m really tired tonight. I¡¯ll let you go first. I¡¯ll make up for the past few days tomorrow! ¡±

    He lifted his leg to press down on her chaotic legs and took a deep breath. His voice was clearly low and hoarse.

    As Ji Zitong listened, she subconsciously trembled.

    She had too much experience with this man¡¯s fighting strength. He was as energetic as he was during the training. How could he say that he was old?

    Thinking of this, she suddenly felt like crying.

    The man beside her did not know what she was thinking. He pulled the nket over the two of them, hugged her tightly, and fell into a deep sleep.

 Chapter 1579 - Youâ€™re Not As Pretty As Her! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1579: You¡¯re Not As Pretty As Her! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dawn quickly tore open a corner of the sky, and the next morning slowly arrived.

    It was a rare cloudy day. Dongfang Liuyun rarely slept until ten o¡¯clock before she got out of bed. She subconsciously turned her head to look beside her, but Qi Lei was still asleep!

    Last night, the husband and wife worked together again and exploded an underground pile, snagging a lot of things. Unexpectedly, they neglected a greater danger when trying to snag this narrow gain. They were chased and chased for a long time before they finally got rid of those people. When the two of them went offline, it was already past two in the morning. It was almost three in the morning when they were going to bed.

    ¡°Hey, hey, wake up. Don¡¯t you have to go to work today?¡±

    She rubbed her eyes that were still a little drowsy. She casually scratched her messy hair and kicked him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s reaction was to move his body but did not answer and continued to sleep.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him, then got down from bed and pulled the nket off of him before tossing it onto a chair. He reached for the air-conditioner remote control and turned the temperature to the lowest. Then, she walked unhurriedly to the bathroom.

    Hearing the sound of water, Qi Lei wanted to sleep for a while more, but then the nket was gone and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped. He could not help but shiver, and he instantly became much more awake. He reached out to feel for the nket for a long time but could not find it. Then, he quickly sat up.

    He realized that the temperature of the air conditioner had dropped. He wanted to look for the remote control, but he could not find it for a long time. He was puzzled for a moment before getting out of bed.

    He had already realized that it was definitely the woman in the bathroom who did it on purpose!

    He frowned and could only go to the wardrobe to find some clothes to change into.

    When Dongfang Liuyun came out of the bathroom, Qi Lei had already changed. When he saw her walk out, he red at her, but she shrugged innocently.

    ¡°I¡¯m the boss. Even if I don¡¯t go to thepany for a day or two, no one will dare to fire me. Don¡¯t worry, even if I don¡¯t go to work, I can raise you until you¡¯re happy and healthy for a few lifetimes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun only heard these few words when his figure vanished through the bathroom door.

    He was quite the talker?

    The corner of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth curved into a gentle smile. She shook her head helplessly and went downstairs.

    About 10 minutester, Qi Lei finally finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom. The temperature in the room had eased a little. Suddenly, he felt hungry and left the room.

    Downstairs, Mama Wang had already prepared lunch. Dongfang Liuyun was sitting at the table in casual home clothes, she was enjoying her lunch while flipping through the morning papers.

    ¡°Hello, Master! Come and have your lunch quickly. You missed breakfast this morning. Did you sleep verytest night?¡±

    Mama Wang¡¯s tone was a little ambiguous, Qi Lei just nodded. He walked over to the dining table and sat across Dongfang Liuyun.

    It was a very exquisite and delicious Chinese dish. A few simple home-cooked dishes were served with rice.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked like she had a huge appetite. She ate a bowl of rice and looked like she had a bigger appetite than Qi Lei.

    After lunch was finished, the couple sat on the sofa and drank tea.

    ¡°Are you nning to go over today? It¡¯s at Emperor Hotel, I heard that it¡¯ll be quite grand.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun poured him tea, he finally asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not even lift her eyes as she poured him tea, instead, she replied, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I go? After all, I¡¯m the fourthdy of the Dongfang family. If I don¡¯t attend such an asion, I¡¯ll be at a disadvantageter on.¡±

    ¡°Do they have a deep prejudice against you?¡± Qi Lei asked. His deep eyes were locked on her indifferent and delicate little face.

    ¡°If they want to rise to power and be the person in charge of the Dongfang family, they¡¯ll have to kill me first. Do you think they have a deep prejudice against me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied with a question.

    She nced at him and picked up the tea that she had just poured. She took a sip and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve sent the general situation of the Dongfang family members to your email. Take a good look for yourself and differentiate between friend and foe.¡±

    ¡°My grandmother is Dongfang Shuman, my grandfather¡¯s second wife. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi were both born to the previous matriarch. My grandmother gave birth to my father, Dongfang Gan. My father and my grandmother were very unhappy because of my mother. My grandmother doesn¡¯t like my mother. So, don¡¯t mention these things in front of them in the future. Also, I have an aunt who is my grandmother¡¯s biological daughter. Dongfang Xue is forty years old. She¡¯s not married, but she has a good rtionship with my grandmother. She¡¯s also an ambitious person. In these were ancient times, she¡¯d probably have wanted to be Wu Zetian[1].¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun briefly told him about the situation at home. Qi Lei naturally remembered it in his heart.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t father and mother very close?¡± Qi Lei sensed the sadness between her brows and asked softly.

    ¡°They¡¯re naturally very close. My father is a very good man. In this world, only he can tolerate my mother. However, my mother isn¡¯t a good person. You¡¯ll find out in the future.¡±

    He could sense that Dongfang Liuyun was very reluctant to mention her mother. Then, the scene of meeting Song Siting the other day suddenly shed in Qi Lei¡¯s mind.

    It seemed like there was some resentment between the mother and daughter.

    ¡°The Dongfang family¡¯s matters are veryplicated. If it¡¯s possible, I don¡¯t want to drag you down with me. For now, I can still bear the responsibility. If I need your help in the future, I hope you can help me. Just because of our rtionship, is that okay?¡±

    When she said this, her gaze was very sincere and honest as she silently looked at him.

    He paused for a moment before suddenly reaching out to hold her thin and weak shoulder. A faint gentleness appeared on his smiling and clear face as he replied in a very low voice, ¡°That¡¯s natural, just based on your title of Madam Qi, I should do my best.¡±

    She then breathed in lightly and nodded happily, before she lowered her eyes and continued drinking her tea.

    At this moment, Qi Lei had already put down the teacup in his hand and reached into his pocket. He quickly took out his wallet and opened it, then casually pulled out a credit card and tossed it in front of her.

    She looked down and was a little surprised. She subconsciously turned her head to look at him, he had already put his wallet away.

    ¡°Thest six digits of the password for the game ount. ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. ¡±

    ¡°Just think of it as satisfying my manly pride and vanity. This is something that many women want. I¡¯m also very stingy, but I gave it to you,¡± he answered very matter-of-factly.

 Chapter 1580 - Youâ€™re Not As Pretty As Her! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1580: You¡¯re Not As Pretty As Her! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her beautiful eyebrows and was stunned for a while. She then bent over and took the card. After a while, she smiled¡ª

    ¡°Is this the meaning of handing over the financial power? I have to tell you that I don¡¯t really know how to manage money, and my ability to squander is not weaker than any woman.¡±

    She was telling the truth, she often wandered between antique auctions or various antique stores money was naturally easy to spend. As long as it was something she liked, she really did not care about the price, this was also the reason why she had always been short of money.

    However, if she sold her collection of antiques, then...

    ¡°In your dreams. There won¡¯t be any left after you use it up,¡± he narrowed his eyes at her and said. He did not tell her how much he had stored in there.

    This time, Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and unceremoniously put it away. ¡°Alright, I got it. You go on with your work. I¡¯ll tidy up the study and it¡¯s about time to set off.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, do you want to drive there yourself or do you want me toe and pick you up?¡±

    He nned to go over and take a look. After all, he might need to get in touch with the Dongfang family.

    ¡°No need. You do your thing, I¡¯ll drive over myself. Oh right, you can¡¯t bring a womanpanion. I¡¯ve read the gossip about you, the women around you are too ugly and pretentious. I really don¡¯t understand what kind of taste you have that you actually seem to enjoy it so much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun poured tea for him as she turned and gave him a sideways nce.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I bring you along in the future?¡± Qi Lei gave her a meaningful nce.

    ¡°That will only lower my status. Before that, unless you be a lover, Second Master Qi, and turn over a new leaf to fall madly in love with Dongfang Liuyun and turn into a National Good Husband. I guarantee that the two of us will be the new model couple in City Z.¡±

    ¡°Only a retarded person would show love like that! That¡¯s not how a veteran in love shows love.¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes and looked at her with a faint smile.

    ¡°Really? Then how does a veteran in love show love?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes lit up as she looked at Qi Lei with some anticipation.

    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±

    He turned his body slightly and his long armszily wrapped around her shoulders. From the corner of his eyes, he nced at her indifferently. The corner of his mouth contained a smile that was filled with evil.

    She closed her eyes and nodded lightly.

    He smiled and suddenly lowered his head, quietly staring into her starry eyes. Before she could react, his indifferent thin lips had already pressed down on her

    On her smooth forehead, followed by the crimson lines of her lips...

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes. In the air she inhaled, all she could feel was his aura.

    In just a split second, he stepped back and pulled her into his warm embrace. He hugged her gently and did not say anything.

    Dongfang Liuyun quietly allowed him to hug her. After a while, she raised her hand and patted his back. Her clear voice was a little hoarse. ¡°It feels good...¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± he responded and slowly let go of her. He grabbed the car keys on the table with one hand, got up, and left.

    The steady footsteps faded into the distance and finally disappeared outside the door. Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and turned to look at the empty door. Then, she looked at the credit card on the table in front of her. There on her exquisite and beautiful face was a rare hint of gentleness...

    ..

    Qi Lei left home. He did not go straight to thepany, instead, he went to the hospital.

    Qi Qiming was still unconscious. Qi Lei did not know if he wanted to continue lying down like this...

    The attending physician, Liang Jing, briefly exined Qi Qiming¡¯s recent situation to Qi Lei before leaving the ward.

    Qi Lei stood silently by the bed. He looked quietly at Qi Qiming, who was still unconscious on the bed. After a while, he slowly undid his cufflinks, rolled up his sleeves, and took out a basin of clean water to wipe down Qi Qiming¡¯s body.

    He actually did this twice a week. He could only spare two days a week to visit him.

    He did it very seriously. More than half an hour had passed when he was done. Yang Sheng, who was waiting outside, was a little anxious. He only heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Qi Leie out.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s almost time for the meeting at three in the afternoon. Let¡¯s hurry over.¡±

    Yang Sheng came up with a heavy briefcase.

    Qi Lei nodded. He took the napkin from the bodyguard and wiped his hands while walking forward.

    ¡°Oh right, Master Qi, Master Mu asked you to go through the information on the South River Project. If there are no problems, sign it and give it to him. He even asked me what you¡¯ve been doing recently since it¡¯s been a long time since he¡¯s seen you.¡±

    Yang Sheng followed behind him as he spoke.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he being pestered by the children at home? ¡±

    Qi Lei recalled what Yang Sheng had said before about Xi Xiaye going on a business trip and Mu Yuchen taking care of the children.

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right, Master Qi. It¡¯s really hard to imagine a person like Master Mu personally taking care of a few children. A few days ago, the reporters even took pictures of Master Mu bringing the children to y at the amusement park. After that, Li Si suppressed it, so this matter didn¡¯t cause too much of a stir,¡± Yang Sheng smiled and said.

    ¡°He¡¯s willing to endure it. Actually, I didn¡¯t really understand him before. Later on, I seemed to have realized some things from him. At least his attitude makes me admire him very much,¡± said Qi Lei very calmly.

    ¡°Master Qi, from now on, you¡¯ll be like this with Miss Dongfang¡ª oh, no, it¡¯s Missus. Missus is very good and very smart. She¡¯s a good match for you, Master Qi,¡± said Yang Sheng.

    As Qi Lei listened, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned his gaze away and narrowed his eyes at Yang Sheng, who had caught up with him. Yang Sheng was shocked.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a good match for her? ¡±

    As he listened, Yang Sheng eased up a little. He nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. ¡°Yes, very much so!¡±

    ¡°Which eyes of yours see that I¡¯m a good match for her?¡±

    ¡°Both my eyes, Master Qi! Only someone like you, Master Qi, would bepatible with a powerful woman like Miss Dongfang.¡±

    ¡°You mean that she¡¯s too good and I¡¯m almost notpatible with her too?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at Yang Sheng and continued walking forward.

    ¡°Of course not! Both of you arepatible. Most importantly, Master Qi, you willingly chose Miss Dongfang. This shows that you feel the same way,¡± exined Yang Sheng.

    Qi Lei took a shallow breath. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯repatible or not. The key is to get along with each other. You wouldn¡¯t understand even if I told you... ¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I understand? I¡¯m a married man too! ¡±

    Yang Sheng was unhappy...

 Chapter 1581 - Youâ€™re Not As Pretty As Her! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1581: You¡¯re Not As Pretty As Her! (3)</h4>

    Qi Lei naturally did not answer him. He continued walking forward, but the faint smile on his face revealed his current mood...

    Yang Sheng, who had caught up with him, could clearly feel his joy at this moment. After thinking for a moment, he lowered his voice and continued speaking.

    ¡°Well then, Master Qi, can you get along with Missus? She seems to be a pretty nice person. Also, why haven¡¯t I heard of you going to the Dongfang family¡¯s house for a visit? Are we not going to organize this wedding? The Dongfang family¡¯s influence in City Z is quite extraordinary, you must be careful about your marriage with the Missus. In fact, President Wang has already prepared a generous gift for you. It¡¯s for you to use when you get married in the future. It¡¯s the dowry that President Wang got when she first married over from the Wang family...¡±

    Yang Sheng had been by Wang Qin¡¯s side for many years, so Yang Sheng naturally handled this matter personally. He was very clear about how devoted Wang Qin was to Qi Lei.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei also stopped walking slightly. He turned his head to look at him and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said that President Wang left her dowry for you as a betrothal gift when you marry the Missus in the future,¡± answered Yang Sheng in a low voice.

    At this moment, Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. His dark eyes could not help but sh with a faint light. Finally, he just took a breath and did not think about anything else. He picked up his pace and continued to walk ahead.

    ..

    Time passed very quickly, and it was still a cloudy afternoon. Dongfang Liuyun tidied up the study and ced the books she had brought from the Beach Vi on the empty bookshelf at the side.

    The bookshelf was prepared by Qi Lei. It was very tall andrge, and its capacity was enough to hold many of the books she had brought.

    She was busy for a long time before she tidied everything up. Looking at the row of bookshelves that she had filled up, Dongfang Liuyun finally felt that this unfamiliar room had a sense of familiarity.

    Standing at the door and looking around the entire study, she finally heaved a sigh of relief.

    At this moment, the sky outside had fallen silent. It was already sunset.

    The entire house was very quiet. After Mama Wang received the news in the morning, she had also packed up her things and booked a train ticket back to the countryside tonight.

    ¡°Missus, I¡¯ve already prepared the ingredients for the next few days in the fridge. Master said that you have gastrisitis, so I¡¯ve prepared food that are light and easy to digest. You must remember to take your medicine on time every day. Also, Master is usually picky about food. He doesn¡¯t like to eat food that¡¯s too heavy in vor. He doesn¡¯t like to eat things like internal organs either, Missus can supervise him at any time. Previously, when Madam was still around, she liked to boil those things into soup to drink...¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun had just walked down the stairs, she met Mama Wang, who was carrying bags of luggage.

    At this moment, Mama Wang was still worried.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked over to her unhurriedly and nodded lightly. Then, she handed a thick leather envelope to Mama Wang, ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you. I understand. Go back and rest for two months. Come back after the summer vacation ends and after the Double Ninth Festival, take these as your reward. Qi Lei said that you¡¯ve taken good care of him all these years and treated him very well, so there¡¯s no need to be courteous.¡±

    ¡°No, no, Missus I can¡¯t take it, Master has been very good to us. He¡¯s given us twice the sry of other people¡¯s families. I¡¯m very satisfied, so I can¡¯t take these.¡±

    Mama Wang quickly declined, but her eyes were filled with gratitude.

    ¡°He gave them to you. If you don¡¯t want them, return them to him yourself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately bent down and ced the envelope in her luggage, ¡°It¡¯s time to get off work. It¡¯s not convenient for you to squeeze into the subway alone with your stuff. Let the butler send you there. If you take the Fast Lane, you shouldn¡¯t be caught in the traffic jam.¡±

    As she spoke, she called Butler Xu over and casually poured herself a ss of water.

    Mama Wang felt a wave of gratitude in her heart. Suddenly, she did not know what else she could say. She could only nod, ¡°Thank you then, Missus. I¡¯ll rush back as soon as possible. I¡¯m worried about you. I¡¯m going back now Missus.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded slightly and watched her leave the vi.

    Hearing the sound of the car leaving, Dongfang Liuyun also looked up at the clock on the wall. Realizing that the sky was almost dark, she went upstairs to change her clothes and rushed to the Emperor Hotel.

    Dongfang Liuyun drove there herself.

    When she arrived near the Emperor Hotel, her father, Dongfang Gan, had already called.

    ¡°Father, are you here with mother?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun slowed down her car and asked calmly.

    ¡°Your mother has been busy with a case these past few days and is still in the countryside. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to make it back in time. I¡¯m already here, the dinner banquet is about to start. When are youing over?¡± Dongfang Gan asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment before replying, ¡°Let her be. She has never been on good terms with them, meeting them might not be peaceful. I¡¯ll be there soon. That¡¯s all for now.¡±

    With that, he hung up the phone and slowly drove the car into the parking lot in front of the Emperor Hotel.

    ...

    Tonight Emperor Hotel was destined to be extraordinary. The entire hotel had been reserved for this grand engagement banquet. There were many invited guests, seats were full, and there were a lot of reporters, you could see how extravagant the event was this time.

    At this moment, Dongfang Ren, who was at the top, had already begun to express his gratitude for everyone¡¯s arrival. The smug smile on his face could not be hidden. Of course, there was also the Jin couple¡ª

    It could be seen that the parents of both parties were very satisfied with this marriage alliance. Standing in the middle of the stage, Jin Sheng, who was dressed in a neat suit, and Dongfang Rou¡¯er, who was dressed in a pink gown, looked extremelypatible. They looked like a beautiful couple, both of their faces were brimmed with a rare smile that looked very happy.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked into the banquet hall almost soundlessly. The hall was already filled with people. She walked around to the side and was about to find a quiet seat to sit down. Unexpectedly, the two people who had just made a deration of love and generously taken photos for the media, noticed her with sharp eyes.

    Unsurprisingly, Dongfang Liuyun had already expected that Dongfang Rou¡¯er would not let her off so easily. In fact, they immediately proved her guess. When Dongfang Rou¡¯er held a cup of wine and Jin Sheng¡¯s arm, as she walked towards her with her head held high and her chest puffed out like a victorious queen, she immediately stopped in her tracks and silently watched the couple walking towards her.

 Chapter 1582 - Youâ€™re Not As Pretty As Her! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1582: You¡¯re Not As Pretty As Her! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Today, Dongfang Liuyun did not deliberately dress up differently from usual.

    She was only wearing a casual and loose CS battle attire. Her light military green shirt and trousers made her figure even more slender and thin. Her long hair draped over her shoulders and the back of her head, her delicate and beautiful face was slightly covered with light makeup. Her pink lips were matched with some bright lipstick. Her beautiful eyebrows made her look very spirited, mysterious, and full of temperament.

    He had always known that this Dongfang Liuyun had a devilish charm. To many men, her charm was enough to make them go crazy. At the same time, even Jin Sheng could not resist such a visual feeling.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could clearly feel that when the man she was holding saw Dongfang Liuyun, he froze for a moment. Moreover, it took quite a while for him to calm down.

    Naturally, she would not be so stupid as to lose his temper on the spot.

    She knew that Jin Sheng¡¯s feelings towards Dongfang Liuyun were veryplicated.

    It was no wonder, after all, the Dongfang Liuyun in front of him was once the woman who had almost be Jin Sheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e. He did not expect thatter on...

    When she thought of this, she was a little unhappy. However, when she thought that the person who would be the Eldest Young Lady of the Jin family was her, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, she could not help but feel a surge of confidence in her heart.

    ¡°Fourth Sister is here. I thought you wouldn¡¯te!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er softly opened her mouth and spoke. The smile on her face was naturally a little stiff. As she spoke, she extended her hand and took a cup of wine from the tray that the waiter beside her carried. She added a little more wine into the ss, and it was half full, before she handed it to Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard this, her eyes swept meaningfully across the swaying translucent wine in the ss in front of her. The corner of her mouth curled into a smile. A momentter, she extended her hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re wee. You and I are sisters. It¡¯s only right that I shoulde to your engagement party.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Thank you for thinking so, Fourth Sister. At first, I thought that Third Aunt had some prejudice against me, that¡¯s why she didn¡¯te to my engagement party. Now that I think about it, it seems that I¡¯ve judged the heart of a gentleman. I¡¯m very sorry... Ah¡ª¡±

    ¡®Bang Bang¡ª¡ª¡¯

    The sound of wine swaying could be heard. The cold temperature swept across the back of her hand and she felt something slip through the palm of her hand.

    She looked down and saw that half of the wine in the wine cup that she was holding firmly in her hand had already been spilled.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze was tinged with a hint of mockery. She swept a disdainful nce at the two people in front of her and raised her head to finish the wine in one gulp. Then, she narrowed her eyes at the two people and directly extended her hand to fill the two wine sses in the waiter¡¯s tray to half full, she then held up the ss and handed it to the two people in front of her at the same time.

    ¡°Fifth sister is still as polite as ever. These two sses are for you. Remember to hold the wine sses steadily. It is not every time you are careless that I can catch it. Congrattions to you for being united forever and may you live a long happy life together. It is indeed very important for two people to be well-matched, Mr. Jin, my Fifth Sister¡¯s experience is very simr to yours. She can also be considered a person who has gone through hardships toe to a good end, she resonates more with you. I wish you all the best.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, a very gentle smile hung on her exquisitely fair face. That appearance was filled with sincere blessings.

    However, when Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er heard this, their faces immediately fell silent. Their eyes also became somewhat gloomy!

    Simr experiences and gains from hardships?

    Well-matched?

    Actually, no one knew this matter better than them!

    Dongfang Liuyun was secretly reminding them of their origins!

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng¡¯s mothers were actually one of the mistresses who had followed their father for many years. The act of a mistress ascending to the throne was not simple either. It could even be said to have caused a sensation, especially for Jin Sheng, at that time, the Jin family did not acknowledge him. They were forced to go for a DNA test several times before the Jin family reluctantly epted him.

    When Lin Yuanyuan gave birth to Dongfang Xin, she had not entered the Dongfang family yet. Old Master Dongfang did not like her. If it were not for Dongfang Xin, Lin Yuanyuan would not have been able to marry into the family. Even though Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s family background was not bad, Old Master Dongfang did not like her manner.

    Even when Old Master Dongfang passed away, he did not give Lin Yuanyuan a good look. He was dissatisfied with this woman¡¯s sharp calctive methods and her dirty thoughts. Of course, he also saw her making things difficult for Dongfang Liuyun, therefore, he was always very dissatisfied with her.

    Seeing that the two of them did not move, Dongfang Liuyun also kept a straight face and looked at them with a calm expression.

    After a long while, the two of them exchanged a look. They secretly gritted their teeth and took the wine before they drank it in a few mouthfuls.

    ¡°It¡¯s a woman who¡¯s more well-matched, aspared to some women with loose morals, I¡¯m clearly more qualified! Dongfang Liuyun, if it wasn¡¯t for grandfather¡¯s timely suppression of the news, do you think you¡¯d have the right to stand here in the open? You¡¯re the most shameless woman I¡¯ve ever seen. Don¡¯t be too proud. When you join thepany, you¡¯ll know that your good luck only ends here! If those things were to be exposed, who in the whole of City Z would dare to marry you?¡±

    Dong Fang Rou¡¯er lowered her voice and whispered eerily into Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ear.

    As she listened, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression did not change at all. She nced indifferently at her, ¡°You still feel so good about yourself. You should know very well in your heart what exactly happened. You, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, are pure and noble, but you only picked up the leftovers from me. Moreover, I¡¯m waiting to see how all of you n to deal with me!¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, a faint smile shed across the corner of her mouth. She raised her beautiful brows and turned around to walk towards the seat beside her.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression instantly turned ugly. Jin Sheng, who was at the side, also subconsciously furrowed his brows¡ª

    Although he did not hear what the two of them said, when he saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s disdainful expression, he could not suppress the anger in his heart. Therge hand hidden under his sleeves suddenly tightened!

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s looked very unhappy. She turned her head to watch Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s departing figure. Just as she was about to say something to Jin Sheng, she suddenly felt amotioning from the crowd beside her. She subconsciously turned to look, however, she saw her father, Dongfang Ren, with a smile on his face, walking ahead to wee someone.

    She exchanged a look with Jin Sheng and looked in the same direction. In front of the red carpet, she saw a tall and upright figure¡ª

    He was wearing a dark casual suit and had fine ck hair. His eyes were as deep as the sea and his handsome face was filled with a charming smile. He had azy and demonic posture as he casually fixed his cufflinks with one hand. His every move showed his nobility. However, the look of that smile exudes an estranged coolness...

 Chapter 1583 - Youâ€™re Not As Pretty As Her! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1583: You¡¯re Not As Pretty As Her! (5)</h4>

    If that signature demonic charm was not the legendary Second Master Qi, who else could it be?

    He had not appeared in public for quite some time now. Even at any banquet or public ce, they have not been able to catch any traces of him recently. His entire persona had be mysterious, especially after what had happened, it was as if he suddenly disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight. It was extremely difficult for many media outlets to interview him.

    He was now the President of Tai Yu Corporation, a mega tycoon in the film and television industry. He had practically monopolized the entire film and television industry in City Z, and his influence intimidated the entire southeast region. Moreover, he was involved in the construction industry and his achievements were very impressive. President Mu of Glory World Group and President Xi of Fuhua Real Estate were both his good friends, it could be seen that he was quite high in status.

    Even Dongfang Ren had to be courteous to him, especially those ns he had in mind, he had to fight for them.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was naturally very clear about this matter. When she saw Qi Lei walk over, she quickly followed him.

    ¡°Such a handsome and dashing man, only our President Qi has such charisma. Haha, it¡¯s rare to see you here! Thank you so much! Thank you so much!¡±

    Dongfang Ren strode forward with enthusiasm and pride until he reached Qi Lei.

    Yang Sheng and the bodyguards quickly went up to protect Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei stopped in his tracks and smiled politely. He reached out to take the wine that Dongfang Ren handed to him with a smile, clinked sses with him, and said, ¡°Thank you for your kind invitation. It¡¯s my honor to be acquainted with a old senior like President Ren.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re too kind! You¡¯re too kind! Come,e, cheers!¡±

    Dongfang Ren was instantly overjoyed. He happily drank the wine in his ss in one gulp, then personally brought Qi Lei to the seat in front of him and sat down.

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng walked over. They were very tactful with their words, but Dongfang Rou¡¯er keenly noticed that Qi Lei¡¯s attention did not seem to be on them, but...

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er followed Qi Lei¡¯s line of sight. Soon, a faint military-green color came into view!

    From her angle, she could see that Dongfang Liuyun was chatting enthusiastically with a man. That man seemed to be quite a famous figure in the circle, but she heard that he was also a very noble person. He was someone who had never interacted with them, but she did not know why Dongfang Liuyun was...

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er nced at Qi Lei again and realized that he seemed to be watching Dongfang Liuyun from the corner of his eyes. In a trance, she seemed to have recalled something, and her eyes could not help but darken.

    ¡°President Qi, you know my Fourth Sister too?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked softly with a gentle and generous smile on her beautiful face.

    Qi Lei did not even look at her. Having been in the world rtionships for so many years, he had long seen through the faces of these kinds of women, he knew how they were. Dongfang Rou¡¯er was clearly hostile towards his Missus Qi, he automatically ssified Dongfang Rou¡¯er as an enemy.

    ¡°Fourth Sister gets along with just anyone, if only I had half of her social skills, I¡¯d be content. They all value Fourth Sister very much, I believe you¡¯ve heard of the legend my Fourth Sister, right?¡±

    Seeing that Qi Lei did not respond, Dongfang Rou¡¯er could only smile awkwardly and continue.

    However, that tone sounded harsh to Qi Lei. He felt that there was a hint of innuendo in her words, which made him unhappy, and he did not care if he was being petty. He turned his head, and gave Dongfang Rou¡¯er a sideways nce. His gaze was sharp as he suddenly said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s normal. You¡¯re not as pretty as her! Men care about looks, how is your face worthy? Didn¡¯t you know that?¡±

    These words hit the nail on the head and pierced right into Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s heart. Dongfang Rou¡¯er almost could not snap back. After she regained her senses, she was extremely embarrassed. The smile on her face could not be maintained. Her face instantly turned stiff and pale as she looked at Qi Lei in a daze, she muttered, ¡°I... I thought that an outstanding man like President Qi would value a woman¡¯s inner qualities, so...¡±

    It was fine if she did not say that, but the more she spoke, the more Qi Lei got unhappy!

    What did she mean by valuing a woman¡¯s inner qualities?

    Did she mean that his madam Qi was not beautiful on the inside?

    ¡°If a woman has a face that is so disgusting, do you think you would be interested in getting to know her inner qualities? Inner qualities are not something that can be disyed through pretense, it¡¯s inherent in your temperament. You really need to learn more from your sister. A realdy from a prestigious family should be like her. I admire her very much.¡±

    Qi Lei did not try to hide it at all.

    When he said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression became even worse. She was secretly unconvinced!

    There was a nasty person screaming in her heart¡ª

    You were all deceived by her illusion! If those things were to be exposed, she, Dongfang Liuyun, would be an unbearable woman!

    Qi Lei¡¯s protective outburst hit the nail on the head. Jin Sheng, who was on the side, also heard it. Naturally, he was a little dissatisfied. He carefully sized up Qi Lei, trying to catch something from his deep gaze. However, all he could see was only his calm gaze...

    Actually, Qi lei might not have wanted toe to such an asion. However, when he thought about Dongfang Liuyuning over, he was a little worried. After some thought, he decided toe as well. Now, he could indeed sense the undercurrents here, especially the conversation between Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi earlier. Oh, right, why had he not seen Dongfang Gan, his father-inw?

    However, at this moment, Qi Lei was not the only one who realized this problem. Dongfang Liuyun was also searching for his father. She looked around and naturally saw Qi Lei.

    The husband and wife looked at each other. There seemed to be a moment of stillness in the air. Later, Dongfang Liuyun raised the wine ss in his hand slightly to Qi Lei and toasted him from afar.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face quickly softened. Just as he raised the ss, he suddenly realized what was in her ss and immediately frowned.

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was across him, had already raised her head and downed the ss in a few mouthfuls...

    Qi Lei watched and his frown deepened. Just as he was about to get up and walk over, he suddenly saw a tall man walking in front of Dongfang Liuyun as if he wanted to say something to Dongfang Liuyun. His expression looked very grave...

    Qi Lei¡¯s entire body tensed up as well. His gaze was locked tightly onto Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s small face...

 Chapter 1584 - Danger Zone (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1584: Danger Zone (1)</h4>

    The man walking towards Dongfang Liuyun was Ah Fei, Dongfang Gan¡¯s right-hand man!

    Ah Fei was also the one who Dongfang Liuyun had beckoned over.

    ¡°Miss!¡±

    Ah Fei looked at Dongfang Liuyun very respectfully.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my father? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked directly.

    Ah Fei¡¯s expression was also a little heavy, ¡°I was just about to look for him. President Gan went to the washroom earlier and told me to wait for you in the lobby. But now, more than 10 minutes have passed, and I still haven¡¯t seen him return. I went to the suite he was in to look for him, but I still haven¡¯t found him. Even when I made a call, no one answered. I was just thinking about going to the public washroom to look for him.¡±

    After he said this, Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned. After thinking for a moment, her expression became a little solemn¡ª

    ¡°I have never liked using the public restroom. Moreover, there is his private suite upstairs. He has no reason to go to the public restroom!¡±

    As she said this, her little face became even more tense and she vaguely felt that something was odd. She narrowed her eyes and a chill quickly shed across them. She quickly said, ¡°Ah Fei, immediately send someone to seal off all the exits. Don¡¯t let anyone go. Also, go to the hotel¡¯s surveince room right away and check on it. Report any abnormalities immediately. Find everyone who has left this hotel within these past 10 minutes. Arrange for people to immediately search every corner. We must find him immediately!¡±

    ¡°Contact the hotel¡¯s manager right away and have theme up immediately!¡± Dongfang Liuyun instructed as she turned around and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go right away!¡±

    Ah Fei seemed to have sensed the seriousness of the matter and immediately followed her out as he took out his phone from his pocket!

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart sank as he watched Dongfang Liuyun leave in a hurry. He gave Yang Sheng, who was beside him, a look before standing up and walking straight to the exit.

    ¡°Sorry, our young master Qi has to leave first...¡±

    Yang Sheng politely exined to Dongfang Ren, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, and the rest before following Qi Lei and the bodyguards.

    This naturally surprised Dongfang Ren. He suddenly felt that something was not right..

    This included Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er, who were toasting the guests at the other table!

    ..

    Qi Lei immediately chased after them. Just as he turned around the corridor, he saw Dongfang Liuyun quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

    ¡°Liuyun! ¡±

    He quickly caught up with him!

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart was like a huge rock. Her uneasy thoughts trapped her tightly, and she felt like she was suffocating¡ª

    In fact, she rarely felt this way, but every time she felt this way, something difficult to ept would always happen. It was the same many years ago, and it was also the same a few years ago. It was the same when her grandfather, Old Master Dongfang, suddenly passed.

    As soon as the hotel manager received Ah Fei¡¯s message, he immediately rushed over and cooperated unconditionally to search for Dongfang Gan.

    Fortunately, the entire hotel was booked today, so it was a little more convenient to search.

    Dongfang Liuyun went straight to the monitoring room and quickly pulled up the surveince video of every corridor. Ah Fei had already begun to lead his people to search the entire hotel. His actions were very fast.

    ¡°Miss, we haven¡¯t found anyone leaving the hotel within the past 10 minutes. However, we haven¡¯t found any sign of the President yet!¡±

    When Ah Fei¡¯s reply came, Dongfang Liuyun leaned over and looked at therge screen of surveince videos in front of her. When she heaved a sigh of relief, her heart immediately burned with anxiety. Her starry eyes shone with a sharp light!

    ¡°Tell them to continue searching. Don¡¯t let go of any corner. Even if the entire hotel is turned upside down, we must find him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and tried her best to calm herself down. She calmly gave the order.

    ¡°But, this hotel is reserved by President Ren and the others. What we should do... ¡±

    Ah Fei was a little troubled.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything, just tell them to look for me directly. Even if they want to settle the score, they can only me it on me. Hurry up and go!¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied very quickly.

    ¡°Yes! Miss!¡± Ah Fei responded and immediately left.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, there are two blind spots here! The northeast corridor on the eighth floor and the surveince camera on the rooftop on the 19th floor are broken. It was still working this morning!¡±

    At this moment, the staff in front suddenly spoke up.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and turned to look at the hotel manager beside him. ¡°You¡¯d better check if anyone has entered this surveince room. Also, arrange for a few people to go to the blind spot on the eighth floor. I¡¯ll go to the 19th floor!¡±

    As soon as she finished, without waiting for the hotel manager to respond, her slender figure disappeared quickly out the door.

    ..

    ¡°Master Qi, what¡¯s going on? Did something happen to Missus?¡±

    However, the only thing that answered him was Qi Lei¡¯s back as he hurried past.

    Bang¡ª

    The sound of a door being knocked could be heard!

    Dongfang Liuyun had just left when Qi Lei rushed into the surveince room the next moment. The technician and the hotel manager were shocked and subconsciously turned their heads!

    ¡°Tell me, where is she? Where is Liuyun? Where is she? What happened?¡±

    Qi Lei did not have time to say anything. He grabbed the hotel manager¡¯s cor and asked.

    ¡°President... President Qi...¡±

    He was also a frequent customer of Emperor Entertainment, so the hotel manager recognized him.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang... She¡¯s looking for the President. President seems to have disappeared. She went to the 19th floor... rooftop...¡±

    Qi Lei quickly pushed the hotel manager aside and turned to walk out the door.

    ¡°Master Qi, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Yang Sheng, who had caught up, was panting. He asked Qi lei breathlessly.

    ¡°Go to the rooftop on the 19th floor and take a look. Also, arrange for someone to block all exits of the hotel no matter how. Check the surveince cameras around the hotel as well to see if there were any suspicious people. Something might have happened to Dongfang Gan. Send someone to help search immediately,¡± instructed Qi Lei as he walked towards the elevator.

    However, there were four elevators on both sides. The two elevators on the right and one on the left were working normally. There was a sign indicating that the elevator was under maintenance on the left. Qi Lei quickly scanned the area and swiftly walked into one of the elevators on the right, a bodyguard in ck followed closely behind him.

    The bodyguard in ck looked for the button for the 19th floor, but this elevator was only for the double-numbered floors. After thinking for a moment, he pressed the button for the 18th floor. The elevator quickly went up, and after a while, there was a sound. The elevator had reached the 18th floor, the door opened, and Qi Lei rushed out. There was a hint of nervousness in his dark eyes. However, before he rushed out of the elevator, he subconsciously nced at the floor disyed¡ª

    The 18th floor!

 Chapter 1585 - Danger Zone (2)

    <strong>Chapter 1585: Danger Zone (2)</strong>

    He rushed up the stairs and quickly reached the 19th floor. When he turned at the staircase, all he saw was the empty walkway in front of him. He hesitated for a moment before turning around to look at the staircase, however..

    There were signs in front of the two elevator doors on the left that indicated that the elevator was under repair!

    Qi Lei frowned. Just as he was about to rush towards the rooftop, something shed across his mind¡ª

    He remembered that when he first came up, only one of the elevators was under repair, but now..

    Qi lei seemed to have realized something. He quickly walked towards the two elevators and pressed the button. However, the elevator did not respond, while the other elevator made a ¡®ding¡¯ sound, and the door suddenly opened. Qi Lei rushed to the door almost immediately!

    Sure enough, a hint of military green immediately entered his eyes. He did not have time to notice anything. He only noticed that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was a little pale. She wanted to rush out of the elevator, but unexpectedly¡ª

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    A loud sound was heard. Qi Lei¡¯s face instantly turned pale. Without thinking, he rushed in and wanted to reach out to pull her out.

    ¡°President Qi, be careful!¡±

    ¡°Stupid! ¡±

    The ck-clothed bodyguard¡¯s voice and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s scolding were heard at almost the same time.

    Dongfang Liuyun only felt a pair of long arms pull her over. Immediately after, there was a rumbling sound. The feeling of weightlessness was transmitted, and her entire body crashed into a broad and warm embrace.

    ¡°Hold tight.¡±

    An urgent voice was heard. Qi Lei pressed all the buttons for the row of floors as fast as he could. His back was pressed against the wall of the elevator, and he held onto the handrail by the side with one hand!

    The elevator fell rapidly. Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously held onto the handrail with one hand too. Although she was a little nervous and afraid, it was not to the extent of messing things up¡ª

    Her many years of life-and-death experiences had allowed her to experience quite a number of such life-and-death situations. Even in such a situation, she was still able to remain calm in the face of danger.

    The man who was hugging her tightly with one hand did not make a sound. Instead, he quietly tightened his arms and hugged her tightly in his embrace.

    The elevator fell for a moment before it suddenly became stuck. Dongfang Liuyun was also hugging his waist tightly with one hand. She looked around before she sighed in relief. After which, she lifted his head to look at him. She could see that although his handsome face was calm and solemn, there was also a trace of paleness within it. The dark light that was gathered within his starry eyes were a little deeper than usual. After watching him for a while, she suddenlyughed, ¡°You are quite bold. If this elevator were to directly fly down, we would be reduced to a pile of meat paste.¡±

    There was no fear in her hoarse voice. Instead, it seemed to be a little more gentle than usual. ¡°Others will think that you are sacrificing yourself for me.¡±

    ¡°You wish. I¡¯d be widowed at such a young age, it¡¯s not nice to be a widowed husband.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her and could not help but say coldly.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her gaze, smiled quietly, and shrugged.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Qi Lei asked as he signaled for her to take out her phone from his pocket to make a call.

    ¡°There¡¯s no signal. I tried. When I came in, the elevator shook, and then I realized that there was a problem with the elevator. It was targeted at me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was rather calm.

    ¡°My father suddenly disappeared. When I remembered about the incident in Myanmar, I had to be careful. Maybe the other party set up a trap to me and my father suffer a little.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows, ¡°All sorts of idents have happened over the years, I¡¯m used to it. It¡¯s precisely because of this that I won¡¯t let it go. I, Dongfang Liuyun, have never been a good person. The more it¡¯s like this, the more I want to fight for what belongs to me. This is a responsibility and a duty.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. Therge hand around her waist tightened again. That kind of strength could almost break her waist¡ª

    He could understand Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s feelings very well because he had once suffered just like that. Even if you did not want to fight for it, or take it, fate would not necessarily let you be. This was reality, the thing that one looked forward to and longed for, in fact, it had always been so simple, but...

    She should have a deeper understanding of this feeling. She had always struggled in this predicament. That was why she was able to say those words calmly when he was down and out, perhaps it was because she had tacitly agreed to her own path from the start that she was able to remain calm?

    At the thought of this, Qi Lei suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart.

    The elevator seemed to have stabilized and did not descend. Dongfang Liuyun wriggled out of his arms and nced at him. Then, he leaned against the cold wall behind him and slowly sat down. Qi Lei looked down at her from above, then, he sat down next to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    The two of them were silent for a long time. Qi Lei suddenly spoke in a low voice. When he said this, he did not look up at her. Instead, he quietly looked at the ground in front of him. On the clean floor, he could vaguely see the shadows of the two of them lying on the ground, one was tall and the other was short. Looking at them made him feel a sense of satisfaction and peace.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused when she heard this. Then, she turned to look at him. Her gaze did not waver for a moment. After a while, she smiled faintly. ¡°You are a very sincere partner, you are arade that is worthy of being trusted to have my back.¡±

    ¡°I will also be a very qualified husband,¡± Qi Lei nced at her and quickly added.

    ¡°If I were to go back another 10 or 20 years, I wouldn¡¯t mind being adopted into your family to be your bride first. However, this is fate. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem toote now. We will still get to know each other if it was meant to be. This is a good thing,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly. After that, she looked up at the narrow space and took a deep breath. Then, she suddenly stood up and began to search the surroundings.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My people know that I¡¯m inside. They¡¯ll immediately arrange for someone to rush over to fix it. As long as your father is still in this hotel, we should be able to find him. However, I think that today¡¯s incident is not so simple.¡±

    Sensing the worry between her brows, Qi Lei softly consoled her.

    Dongfang Liuyun silently observed the elevator for a while before replying, ¡°The Dongfang Group has had quite a number of enemies with the outside world over the past few years. Even if we put that aside, dealing with internal conflict has been tiring enough for us.¡±

 Chapter 1586 - Danger Zone (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1586: Danger Zone (3)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun knew what she was doing, especially since the market had been verypetitive over the past few years. As a long-established family, the Dongfang family had made countless enemies, especially in their recent business in Myanmar...

    ¡°A few days ago, my father had an incident in Myanmar, so he rushed back to the country. He was worried that there would be sudden changes within the Dongfang Group,¡± Dongfang Liuyun exined simply.

    Qi Lei listened and paused. Just as he was about to say something, he vaguely heard a sound from outside. It sounded like Yang Sheng and the others. He was about to get up to answer, when¡ª

    ¡®Bang bang!¡¯

    ¡®Boom¡¯

    The elevator stopped for a moment and began to shake violently. Dongfang Liuyun did not have time to stabilize herself before she fell forward.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Qi Lei was shocked as well. He quickly reached out to grab her and quickly pulled her into his arms again. The familiar and warm embrace came again, and Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously hugged him tightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Hold onto the handrail, Quick! ¡±

    Qi Lei pushed her to the side of the handrail and protected her inside.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded, but both of their palms were wet from shock. Although Dongfang Liuyun did not look too frightened, a thinyer of sweat could be seen on her smooth forehead.

    ¡®Ka¡ª¡ª¡¯

    A piercing sound was heard. The elevator slowed down as if it was stuck at another point.

    The couple took a deep breath. Dongfang Liuyun said in a hoarse voice, ¡°What if we die here today?¡±

    Qi Lei listened and tightened his grip around her waist. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that we¡¯d be so unlucky. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart was very calm. He did not know why, but at that moment, he felt a little more at ease. He was not afraid. Perhaps he had long seen through life and death.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled, raised her eyebrows and looked at him. He did not say anything after that.

    Soon, they heard the anxious cries of Yang Sheng and the othersing from outside...

    Yang Sheng was so worried that he was sweating all over. Especially that fall just now, he was so scared that he almost had a heart attack!

    He immediately rushed over with the staff.

    ¡°Master Qi! Master Qi! Are you okay?¡± Yang Sheng leaned against the elevator door and asked nervously.

    ¡°For now, I¡¯m fine. Hurry up and open the elevator door and save us!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice could be heard from inside.

    ¡°That¡¯s good! That¡¯s good. Master Qi, don¡¯t worry. The elevator¡¯s electrical switch has been switched off. It won¡¯t fall anymore. We¡¯ll get the staff to open the door immediately. Calm down, lean against the wall and hold on to the handrail. You are now stuck between the 12th and 13th floor. The staff will open the door from the 13th floorter, and you can bothe up with the rope!¡±

    Yang Sheng broke out in a cold sweat. When he heard Qi Lei say that he was fine, he was relieved. He quickly urged the people next to him to do something.

    ¡°You must be careful. If anything goes wrong, you can¡¯t afford it! You have to give us an exnation for this incident! How could this happen!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, this is our fault. Now, let¡¯s get them out as soon as possible first.¡±

    The hotel manager was sweating profusely as he urged the maintenance staff to hurry.

    About 10 minutester, a bright light suddenly came through. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun stood up slightly.

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯ll put down the rope, grab it quick! We¡¯ll pull you up!¡±

    As he said this, he quickly put down the rope.

    ¡°Hurry!¡±

    Qi Lei quickly pulled down the rope and quickly tied a knot around Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s waist. However, Dongfang Liuyun lengthened the rope out methodically, with one end tied around Qi Lei¡¯s waist¡ª

    ¡°Just in case, this is general knowledge!¡±

    As she said that, Qi Lei looked at her intently, and his dark eyes showed a rare tenderness. He nodded happily and hugged her, gesturing for her to climb up as he said, ¡°Hurry up, I don¡¯t want to be trapped in this damned ce.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly grabbed the rope and went up. When they reached the staircase, Yang Sheng and the others quickly rushed over¡ª

    ¡°Missus? Are you okay?¡± Yang Sheng asked worriedly.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not have time to answer him. She turned around and extended her hand to Qi Lei. Only then did Qi Lei grab her hand and quickly followed.

    ¡°Master Qi! Are You Okay? ¡±

    ¡°President Qi!¡±

    The moment Qi Lei stepped out of the elevator, a group of people came up to greet him.

    Qi Lei fixed his clothes as he turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun beside him. He looked her up and down and only heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that she was alright. However, looking at her slightly pale face, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders¡ª

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    His concerned voice was very deep.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Look for my father. Hurry!¡±

    As she said this, Dongfang Liuyun said nothing else before giving him a look, reaching out to pull his coat over her shoulders, and then she walked towards the stairs.

    Qi Lei frowned and turned to look at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Our people are already searching. If there¡¯s any news, we¡¯ll definitely inform you immediately. Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. The surveince room is already investigating,¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°We have to be quick!¡± Qi Lei said and followed in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s direction...

    Dongfang Liuyun headed straight for the 19th floor. She did not care about anything else. She walked through the long corridor. Her sonorous and hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. However, just as she was about to rush towards the blind spot on the rooftop, the door of a suite at the corner of the rooftop opened and a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of her eyes!

    That figure, who else could it be but Dongfang Gan? She could only see him bent over slightly and he did not look too good...

    ¡°Father! ¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hurriedly went up to him.

    At this moment, Dongfang Gan, who was already in a daze, heard his daughter¡¯s voice from behind him. He heaved a sigh of relief and quickly turned around to look at Dongfang Liuyun. He wanted to say something, but his entire body suddenly lost its strength, his entire body went limp and he fell forward!

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned pale with fright and quickly went forward to hold Dongfang Gan. At that moment, Dongfang Gan had already lost consciousness.

    ¡°Liuyun! ¡±

    Qi Lei quickly caught up and helped Dongfang Liuyun hold Dongfang Gan.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and quickly checked on Dongfang Gan¡¯s condition. She quickly came to a conclusion¡ª

    ¡°He must have been drugged. Take him to the hospital for a check-up. Immediately arrange for someone to search the room to see what happened. Act quickly. Don¡¯t let others get there first!¡± Dongfang Liuyun said cautiously.

 Chapter 1587 - Meeting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1587: Meeting (1)</h4>

    ¡°Alright,¡± Qi Lei replied and nced at Yang Sheng who was following behind him. Yang Sheng quickly understood and took Dongfang Gan from Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s arms. He rushed forward and Dongfang Liuyun followed closely behind.

    Qi Lei quickly entered the room and the two bodyguards in ck followed closely behind.

    ¡°Search everywhere. Don¡¯t miss out on any suspicious corners.¡±

    After Qi Lei said this, he quickly rushed inside.

    ¡°Yes! President Qi!¡±

    After saying this, the two bodyguards in ck followed him in and quickly searched the entire luxurious suite.

    ¡°Master Qi! There¡¯s someone on the bed!¡±

    Not long after, a voice suddenly came from the bedroom inside. Qi Lei quickly walked in and followed the gaze of the bodyguards in ck by the door. As expected, he saw a woman lying on the soft andfortable bed in front of him, the woman¡¯s appearance looked a little familiar. Qi Lei vaguely sensed that she was a B-list female celebrity who had just risen in the film and television industry. Her clothes were revealing, but they were still quite neat!

    The nket on the big bed also looked quite t...

    He quickly sized her up and suddenly seemed to realize something. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, but soon, his eyes fell silent again!

    The female celebrity¡¯s forehead was obviously swollen with arge red swell. There were some traces of blood, and there was a heavy ashtray on the floor beside the bed..

    ¡°Search carefully. Don¡¯t let go of any corner!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he said coldly.

    ¡°Yes, President Qi!¡±

    The bodyguard in ck responded and began to search everywhere.

    However, after searching for a long time, he did not find anything suspicious. Qi Lei¡¯s brows furrowed even more!

    ¡°Master Qi, this woman must have swallowed a Spanish fly[1]. We found the packaging in the toilet.¡±

    A momentter, the bodyguard in ck had already brought over a small piece of wrapping paper.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes narrowed. After some thought, he walked to the bedside step by step. He nced at the unconscious woman on the bed and suddenly realized something. He suddenly turned his head and looked across the bed. He saw arge vase on the opposite side of the bed, the vase was filled with blooming red roses!

    Qi Lei strode toward the vase and reached out to pull away the red roses. As expected, he soon found the object¡ª

    It was a ck, invisible camera the size of a button!

    ¡°President Qi, this is...¡±

    The ck-clothed bodyguard looked at Qi Lei in surprise.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. It was as he and Dongfang Liuyun had expected!

    This method was not very clever, but the effect was extremely strong!

    Dongfang Gan must have realized it, which was why he smashed the woman and insisted on escaping. However, the person who set such a trap was really malicious!

    If Dongfang Gan really did something that should not have happened with this woman, and if this video was posted online or given to the media, Dongfang Gan¡¯s reputation would probably be damaged, and their image would be lost. The Dongfang Group would probably be deeply affected, and Dongfang Liuyun would definitely not have an easy time either!

    Such sinister intentions!

    Even Qi Lei felt a little angry!

    ¡°Search it carefully again immediately! Go and find out who did this! Also, find out more about this woman, including her background, who invited her here, and who she met before. I want to know everything. She¡¯s in your hands now!¡±

    Qi Lei nced coldly at the woman on the bed before turning around and leaving.

    ¡°Yes! President Qi!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, President Gan is fine. He was only injected with hallucinogens on his arm. There are no other problems, but we gave him an injection, he will only wake up tomorrow morning.¡±

    In a certain high-ss ward in Hospital T, the doctor said to Dongfang Liuyun respectfully after giving Dongfang Gan a checkup.

    Dongfang Liuyun calmly swept her gaze over Dongfang Gan, who was sleeping quietly on the hospital bed. She then nodded and looked at the doctor with a sharp gaze. ¡°If you wish to stay here any longer, you¡¯d better keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?¡±

    Hearing this, the doctor nodded repeatedly and said somewhat fearfully, ¡°Yes, Miss Dongfang, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t know anything! ¡±

    ¡°You may leave!¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said those three words, the doctor left.

    ¡°Missus, the doctor said that the President is fine. You don¡¯t have to worry too much! I¡¯ve already sent people to seal off the news, Master Qi ising over soon. Ah Fei and Wang Chun are already investigating at the hotel, I believe that they will definitely get to the bottom of tonight¡¯s matter.¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression turn grave, Yang Sheng quicklyforted her.

    As soon as Yang Sheng finished speaking, he heard the faint sound of footsteps behind him. He subconsciously turned his head to look. Indeed, Qi Lei¡¯s tall and upright figure had already appeared in front of him¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi! ¡±

    Yang Sheng deliberately lowered his voice and said respectfully.

    Qi Lei nodded. Yang Sheng immediately understood and left. In the huge ward, other than Dongfang Gan who was lying on the hospital bed, only the husband and wife were left.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Qi Lei stopped beside her. His gaze fell on Dongfang Gan, and his voice was filled with obvious concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes flickered. She could not help but raise her slender, white fingertips to press it against her slightly dizzy forehead, ¡°I made a mistake! The whole thing was out of ce, but I couldn¡¯t detect it sooner, so I suffered.¡±

    ¡°You did your best, and it was still in time. You¡¯re lucky that nothing out of control happened.¡±

    As Qi Lei thought about the spections he had, he felt that they should rejoice.

    ¡°Did you find anything in the room?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and silently looked away. Then she looked at him and asked.

    Qi Lei turned to meet her gaze. He nodded heavily and took out a transparent stic bag from his trouser pocket. Inside it was the small spy camera. He handed it to her.

    ¡°I found this in the vase at the end of the bed. There¡¯s a woman in the room. She must have been knocked unconscious by your father. The specific situation is still being investigated and sorted out. What I mean is that we should keep a low profile. If this matter gets exposed, it does nothing good for us. The person who did this saw this point and acted without restraint,¡± Qi Lei said with a solemn tone.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a moment. She nced indifferently at the thing that Qi Lei handed over. After a while, she nodded, ¡°This is the only way to handle it. When I came over just now, I had Ah Fei check the surveince footage in the surveince room. That ce happens to be the blind spot of the surveince footages. Unless we can find strong evidence, otherwise, this matter... ¡°

 Chapter 1588 - Meeting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1588: Meeting (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun did not continue. She nced at Dongfang Gan, who was lying on the bed, and turned to the sofa opposite her¡ª

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    As she spoke, she took two empty cups and poured water into them. She moved one of the cups to the seat beside her.

    Seeing this, Qi lei also walked over and sat down beside her.

    ¡°Father should be a little vignt. There¡¯s no problem. The news has been suppressed.¡±

    Qi Lei took a sip of water. His gaze swept across her face that had be calm. He looked out the window and realized that the lights outside seemed to be waning.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked down at the ss of water in her hand. After a while, she raised her hand and drank a few mouthfuls. She leaned back in her chair and watched his handsome face from the corner of her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you for what happened tonight. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d be mentally and physically exhausted. I won¡¯t say thank you anymore, but I¡¯d like to trouble you with something.¡±

    She was toozy to argue. Since Qi Lei was involved in this matter, and it just so happened that he might be able to help share some of the burden, she did not mind asking. Originally, she wanted to ask Lan Xiu for help, but after thinking about it, perhaps it might be more appropriate to ask her husband in name to help.

    The two of them had known each other for a long time and had been partners for a long time. Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have automatically ssified him as arade she could trust, so she did not feel awkward at all when she opened her mouth, instead, she seemed very at ease.

    ¡°Hmm? Tell me!¡± Qi Lei looked at her generously and replied.

    ¡°I know that you have a lot of connections. The owner of Emperor Hotel seems to be quite friendly with you. I hope that you can help me find out about what happened tonight. This thing was carefully nned by some people. They probably won¡¯t be willing to see their results destroyed in an instant. I already know about the situation at the hotel. Other than your people, Ah Fei and the others probably still don¡¯t know what happened to my father, so I have an idea now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun fell silent for a moment. A faint light shed across her starry eyes, and a calm voice was heard.

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun, and his interest was piqued. He could not help but stare at her with amusement.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her head and drank all the water in her ss. She bent down slightly and poured herself more at a leisurely pace, as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s lure the snake out of its hole. When you got this camera, it should have been on the whole time, right?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. There was some doubt in his eyes.

    ¡°If we can capture the scene from the earlier parts, we can edit a clip and put it on the Inte. Then, we can pretend that someone from the hotel identally intercepted this video. As an explosive piece of news, I think there will be people willing to buy this video at a high price, such as my father!¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi lei paused for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he immediately understood what Dongfang Liuyun meant!

    He had just watched the full version of the video and did not see any explosive scenes, but...

    As long as he did not say anything, then...

    A sinister smile suddenly appeared on Qi Lei¡¯s face. He looked at the woman beside him with admiration and smiled, ¡°What you mean is that some of the shy parts of this video would be posted online, and then you¡¯d use your father¡¯s name to buy this video at a high price. You would identally let the other party know about it, and then... ¡±

    ¡°Then, the other party will definitely want theplete version of this video more. You¡¯ll take the opportunity to ckmail them and make them pay a high price. Then, I¡¯ll pay a higher price, and you can take the opportunity to make a profit as a reward.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finished his sentence.

    As Qi Lei listened, the dark light in his eyes became brighter and brighter. He could not help but chuckle, ¡°You¡¯re quite bad, Mrs. Qi.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly threw him an indifferent look. ¡°Touch¨¨!¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled. He lifted his hand and drank up the water in his ss. He put the ss down and smiled. ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll do as you said then, I guarantee that you¡¯ll be satisfied! ¡±

    ...

    At the same time, at the edge of the za not far from Emperor Hotel, a white luxury car was steadily parked.

    In the car, Ah Li slowly put away the phone in his hand and turned to look to the back seat of the car. Lan Xiu was ying a game on his tablet. His expression was a little heavy, and his voice was very low as he said in a very low voice, ¡°President Lan, Miss Dongfang has already left. I just talked to President¡¯s assistant, Mr. Ah Fei, on the phone. President Gan is in trouble, and Miss Dongfang was almost trapped in the elevator tonight. Fortunately, she was rescued in time, or else the consequences would have been unimaginable. Also, President Gan is currently at Hospital T. Mr. Ah Fei will send the address overter. Miss Dongfang should be there too. I think the situation is not good!¡±

    Ah Li told him all the information he had gathered in one breath. After he finished, he stared at Lan Xiu¡¯s handsome face under the dim yellow light.

    Sure enough, when Lan Xiu heard this, his handsome face immediately darkened. He looked up at Ah Li and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Ah Li¡¯s expression also changed. He replied, ¡°I said that something might have happened to Miss Dongfang. The President is currently in Hospital T!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s voice was cold as he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. It seems that Mr. Ah Fei¡¯s side is also... ¡±

    Lan Xiu could not help but feel dizzy. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Go to Hospital T.¡±

    ¡°Go to the hospital?¡±

    Ah Li was stunned for a moment and could not help but remind him, ¡°President Lan, you are flying to City C on the next flight. Mr. Ge has already said that he will send people to pick you up. If we can¡¯t get there in time, I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t be too good?¡±

    Ah Li was also thinking about Lan Xiu. It was already very difficult to win this project, and it was not easy to have a turn for the better. If they were dyed because of this matter, the people on the other side would definitely be unhappy, this would also greatly affect whether they could sessfully win this project.

    ¡°I will exin it to him clearly. I will rush to the hospital now. I don¡¯t want to hear any more nonsense.¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath. He could not hide the worry in his eyes. After calming down for a while, he turned to watch the scenery outside the car window for a long time. Then, he closed his eyes and leaned against the seat behind him¡ª

    ¡°Also, find out what happened tonight.¡±

    He could not help but worry about her...

    As Lan Xiu spoke, he subconsciously reached out and gently pressed his slightly aching chest. His pair of dark eyes then closed...

 Chapter 1589 - Meeting (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1589: Meeting (3)</h4>

    When they arrived at the hospital, it was already quitete at night.

    Lan Xiu went directly to Dongfang Gan¡¯s ward with Ah Li.

    At this moment, Dongfang Gan¡¯s ward was naturally very quiet. Dongfang Liuyun fixed the corner of Dongfang Gan¡¯s nket before turning around to leave the room. Qi Lei followed behind.

    Outside the door, two bodyguards in ck were guarding the door.

    ¡°You have to go to work tomorrow. It¡¯s gettingte. Why don¡¯t you go home first?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned around and sat down on a bench at the side. She tugged at the coat on her shoulders and looked up at him silently.

    He met her gaze from above and then sat down next to her. His deep voice was gentle, ¡°I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just waiting for him to wake up. The doctor said that I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun crossed her hands in front of her knees. She bent down slightly and looked at the ground in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I told you before. I¡¯ll have to trouble you with this. ¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you won¡¯t be courteous with me?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her. He seemed to be dissatisfied with her attitude, ¡°Also, about this matter, about your mother... ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. There¡¯s no need to tell her for the time being. She¡¯s out on a business trip, so she might not care about our matters. But don¡¯t worry, my father is fine. I still have to go home and take a look during Qixi Festival,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied and turned to look at him.

    She thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, ¡°What do you think? Do you regret it now? My side is really a mess. I want to break free from it all the time, but it¡¯s useless to just break free. It¡¯s such arge hole, we can only fill it up so that we can truly be at peace, and not have to worry about being dragged into it.¡±

    As she spoke, her arms held her knees. Her beautiful long hair interweaved like seaweed in front of her chest. She should be used to it, so she could say these things so casually. However, in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes, he could sense the fragility of this woman being wrapped up by her strength.

    She should be the wild rose swaying in the wind on the cliff. The heart wrapped in the flower was fragile, but the outside was a protective thorn.

    He knew this feeling very well himself. After some thought, he replied, ¡°If I regret it in the future, then I¡¯ll ept my fate.¡±

    ¡°ept your fate?¡±

    She repeated softly and said, ¡°Do you feel negative and pessimistic?¡±

    ¡°No, there are many things a person can change. How can I just admit defeat? Because the person is you, I can believe in a future where happiness lives. ¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he suddenly lowered his eyes and slowly reached out to gently hold her slightly cold hand thatid on her knee, ¡°At least you¡¯ve been influencing me in positive ways. You¡¯ve also been encouraging me, so... the reason I dared to ask you back then was also because I believe in you.¡±

    Qi Lei spoke these words from the bottom of his heart¡ª

    Yes, when it came to the rtionship between him and her, they might not have the rtionship between a man and a woman, but their rtionship asrades and allies was iparably sincere.

    When she heard this, she was stunned.

    Qi Lei lowered his gaze and watched the back of her fair hand. The ring¡¯s shing halo was abnormally beautiful. He shook it before slowly releasing it, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much. At most, I¡¯ll just treat it as another dungeon. I¡¯m not afraid. Are you worried, Swift Snowy?¡±

    As he spoke, he suddenly stood up slowly, ¡°Wait for me. we didn¡¯t eat anything tonight. You have gastrisitis, so you have to be careful.¡±

    With that, the tall figure walked past her.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not reject him. She was really a little hungry. She turned and watched his back as he left and said, ¡°Get me something that can tackle my hunger. When I came over, the roasted chicken leg beside the hospital seemed pretty good, or the roasted sweet potatoes if they don¡¯t have that.¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei responded, and the tall figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

    However, after Qi Lei disappeared for a while, two figures suddenly appeared on the other end of the corridor. They gradually approached, and footsteps could finally be heard behind them. Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a sensitive person, she immediately turned to look¡ª

    A tall figure came into view.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang!¡±

    The first person to greet them was Lan Xiu¡¯s assistant, Ah Li.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised. She raised her gaze slightly and fixed them on the two people who were walking over.

    Lan Xiu walked all the way to her side before he stopped.

    ¡°I heard that Uncle Dongfang had an ident. How¡¯s the situation now? Are you alright?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s dark eyes were filled with deep concern and worry. He quickly looked Dongfang Liuyun up and down several times to make sure that she was alright. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief...

    ¡°Where¡¯s uncle? How is he?¡± Lan Xiu asked with concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun also slowly stood up then, ¡°He¡¯s fine. He was just drugged. Shouldn¡¯t you be rushing to City C?¡±

    ¡°On the next flight. I was worried about you, so I came over to take a look,¡± Lan Xiu lowered his head to look at her and replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes, ¡°I detected it in time, it¡¯s just a small matter, don¡¯t worry about it, I... ¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish his sentence, Lan Xiu couldn¡¯t help but hold her delicate shoulders and gently pulled her into his embrace, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Liuyun... If you¡¯re tired, turn around and look to me, I¡¯ve always been behind you... Can I take back what I said? Marry me... Marry Me, okay?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was startled by his words, and her body subconsciously tensed up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have feelings for me. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m willing. Marrying you... is better than watching you and Fujiwara get together. Liuyun, I¡¯m worried about you... ¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s low voice was hoarse and emotional¡ª

    Dongfang Liuyun thought that if Lan Xiu had told her this back then, she would have happily agreed, but now...

    Her hands, which had been stiff for a while, finally regained consciousness. She took a deep breath and could only lift her hand to pat his shoulder. She withdrew from his embrace and raised her clear eyes to look at him silently¡ª

    ¡°No, I was too selfish before. Lan Xiu, you are a good person... Actually, I can understand your feelings. I don¡¯t want to lose you as a friend. Therefore, continuing the way we are is our best choice.¡±

    ¡°Many things, or feelings, once they are revealed, or if they suddenly change, will be lost. ¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed lightly when she said this.

 Chapter 1590 - Meeting (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1590: Meeting (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°No, Liuyun, I... ¡±

    Lan Xiu wanted to say something, but Dongfang Liuyun had already raised her hand to stop him¡ª

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no chance now. You¡¯re my most respected friend andpanion. I hope that you can live authentically, happily, and not sell your marriage out of sympathy. You¡¯ve had it tough these past few years. We even agreed that when you get married, I would at least prepare a generous gift for you. I¡¯ve already prepared the gift, but I haven¡¯t had the chance to give it away yet... ¡±

    ¡°Liuyun! You know very well that I don¡¯t have any sympathy for you, you know my feelings for you, but... With my abilities now I should be able to protect you, I can protect you and not be like before. I can do better, why do you... ¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s dark eyes were filled with traces of pain. He reached out and grabbed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shoulders, locking onto her cold eyes tightly¡ª

    However, in those eyes, he could only see a calmness, or a sense of helplessness and disappointment in the depths of her eyes...

    ¡°You know the reason. You¡¯re great, Lan Xiu. I know, but as you said, we¡¯re more suited to be best friends or confidants. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that of you. At least, we can get along more at ease now, still the same as before.¡±

    ¡°I was crazy to have refused, Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Lan Xiu. Don¡¯t bring this up again in the future. You go to the airport first, don¡¯t make Mr. Ge anxious, it wasn¡¯t easy to persuade him. This thing can¡¯t be wasted just like that. Ah Li, send your President Lan to the airport immediately, I¡¯ll give Mr. Ge a call. If we make it at this time, we should be able to make it through the express ring. If anything, we¡¯ll talk when we get back.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very determined. As she spoke, she took out her phone and called Mr. Ge, when the call was answered, it was Mr. Ge...

    ¡°Liuyun... ¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want my previous efforts to be in vain.¡± Dongfang Liuyun had a simple conversation with Mr. Ge on the other end, then hung up the phone and said to Lan Xiu, ¡°But, thank you for your concern. I¡¯m doing well, and I will continue to be. When there¡¯s a need, I won¡¯t be courteous with you. Alright, go now. Come to my house again when you¡¯re back, my father misses you quite a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Lan, let¡¯s go quickly. It¡¯s still not toote to rush over now. You can talk when we get back.¡±

    This time, Ah Li also went forward to ask for instructions.

    At this moment, Lan Xiu took a deep look at Dongfang Liuyun. Finally, he could only pull his hands back, his gaze darkening, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll talk about it when I get back then. Liuyun, there are some truths that you¡¯ve known all along. We may not be able to choose those that we¡¯re willing to hear or see... it¡¯s just that we¡¯re unwilling to face them head-on. For instance, how I feel about you... ¡±

    At this point, Lan Xiu paused for a moment. Finally, he could only take a deep breath and walk towards the ward at the side. He stood at the door and looked at Dongfang Gan, who was lying on the hospital bed. After a long while, he finally turned around and left. However, unexpectedly, he had just taken a few steps forward when he saw two tall and upright figures.

    The two of them walked forward one after the other. The handsome man in front of them looked very familiar to him. When Lan Xiu walked past him, he took another look at him, Qi Lei, who walked past him, also subconsciously frowned¡ª

    Lan Xiu?

    Why was he here?

    How did he find out about the news so quickly?

    However, he quickly reacted. When he was about to cross over, he politely nodded at Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment, but then he politely returned the greeting.

    ¡°Master Qi, this chicken drumstick seems quite fragrant. Missus will definitely like it. Do you want me to buy one for you? Also, I bought some congee for the President, it¡¯s kept in a thermos bottle to keep warm, it¡¯ll be perfect for him to have when he wakes up.¡±

    Yang Sheng suddenly said as he walked over and the two of them took two more steps each.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. He¡¯ll only wake up in the morning, you can prepare it then, it¡¯ll be fresher,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    However, as soon as he said this, Lan Xiu heard it and subconsciously stopped walking. He had a feeling that something was wrong, but when he thought about it, there did not seem to be anything unusual. He did not have time to think too much, Ah Li had already urged him as he said, ¡°President Lan, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get the South River Project done soon. Also, that person seems to be President Qi from Tai Yu Corporation. Previously, he was Second Master Qi from Qi Kai Group. This time, Dongfang Ren is trying his best to rope him in. The South River Project Phase One that he¡¯s partnering with Glory World Group is about to bepleted. They all want to get this project.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this person before. He seems to be very close to Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and the others.¡±

    ¡°Of course, including President Xi from Fuhua Real Estate. She¡¯s also a good friend of his. Her background is formidable too. They are capable of shutting down manypanies within a few hours. Otherwise, Dongfang Ren wouldn¡¯t be so eager to befriend him.¡±

    Ah Li was quite familiar with the matters within the circle, so he could easily tell Lan Xiu about Qi Lei¡¯s general situation, ¡°However, I heard that President Qi seems to be very cold and doesn¡¯t really like Dongfang Ren. Dongfang Rou¡¯er has arranged several appointments, but she still hasn¡¯t been able to get an appointment with him. It must be about the South River Project.¡±

    ¡°This kind of person isn¡¯t a short-sighted person. There are still rumors in the industry about the Qi family. For him to be able to go from being a useless hedonistic Young Master to where he is today, it¡¯s naturally not that simple. Moreover, those matters have nothing to do with us. We don¡¯t need to pay too much attention to them,¡±?reminded Lan Xiu.

    Ah Li nodded. ¡°I understand, President Lan. But Miss Dongfang is about to enter the Dongfang group to work. Don¡¯t we need to... ¡±

    ¡°She always has her own ideas when doing things. We¡¯ll just watch. If there¡¯s anything we need to help with, we¡¯ll help.¡±

    Lan Xiu did not look too happy. He could sense Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s attitude¡ª

    She probably would not give him that chance.

    Sometimes, once an opportunity was lost, it was gone for good. Perhaps, rtionships were just like that, indecisive and instead...

    Of course, Lan Xiu would not know what he had lost. He thought that... it seemed like he could no longer expect of anything...

    ..

    ¡°He knows? ¡±

    Looking in the direction where Lan Xiu had disappeared, Qi Lei asked in a lowered voice as he handed her a fragrant roasted chicken drumstick and a cup of warm water.

    ¡°Mm, he must have gotten the news from Ah Fei.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun epted it without hesitation and replied...

 Chapter 1591 - Son-in-law? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1591: Son-inw? (1)</h4>

    The next morning, when Dongfang Liuyun woke up, Qi Lei had already disappeared. However, his coat was still firmly draped over her shoulders¡ª

    Last night, the couple rested on the bench just like that.

    She washed up briefly, and Yang Sheng just happened to bring over the breakfast that he had prepared. She briefly had some, and then Dongfang Gan woke up.

    ¡°Father, what exactly happenedst night?¡±

    The doctor had juste over to check on Dongfang Gan and left when Dongfang Liuyun asked directly.

    Dongfang Gan took a deep breath and reached out to receive the towel that Dongfang Liuyun handed over. He wiped his hands and walked towards the door, ¡°Let¡¯s talk while we walk.¡±

    Ah Fei had alreadypleted the procedures. Dongfang Gan naturally did not like the hospital as well. He walked out withrge strides. Dongfang Liuyun could feel that Dongfang Gan¡¯s expression was a little gloomy. After pondering for a moment, she followed him out¡ª

    The car was already waiting at the entrance of the hospital. The father and daughter immediately got into the car.

    ¡°Return to the Tanshan Vi.¡±

    Tanshan Vi was the ce where Dongfang Gan and Song Siting were currently staying.

    ¡°Yes, President!¡±

    The driver in front responded in this manner and quickly started the car.

    ¡°Ah Fei also told me a little about the matter just now. Yesterday¡¯s incident was indeed targeted at us father and daughter.¡±

    After the car drove for some distance, Dongfang Gan drank two mouthfuls of water and said.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun nodded in agreement, ¡°Yes, but their timing was too good. Moreover, they were able to read my thoughts. This person is really not simple. Father, can you think of who it could be? Is it an internal or external problem?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her dark eyes and looked at Dongfang Gan beside her.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes darkened. After a moment of silence, he replied, ¡°We can¡¯t be sure who did it, nor can we tell if it has anything to do with what happened in Myanmar. I remember that I told Vice President Zhang of thepany some things. After he left, I had to return to the banquet hall. I didn¡¯t expect to run into a hotel waiter at the corner... ¡±

    ¡°I knocked down her cart, and the things on the cart scattered all over the floor. When I bent down to help her pick them up, someone injected something into my arm from behind. After that, I was a little dazed. They brought me directly to that room. With myst bit of rationality, when I saw that woman pouncing on me, I could already guess what was going to happen, so I had no choice but to use all my strength to pick up the ashtray beside and knock that woman out... ¡±

    Dongfang Gan frowned as he tried to recall.

    ¡°Do you still remember the faces of those people?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°They were all wearing masks, so it was impossible to see their faces clearly. Moreover, I could tell that their methods were very professional, clean, and not sloppy. The only thing I could confirm was that the waiter who pushed the cart was a man disguised as a woman. Moreover, there was a small red mole on his right shoulder and neck.¡±

    ¡°The whole of City Z is so vast, if it¡¯s just based on this piece of information, it will really not be easy to find that person. Not to mention that they must be in hiding.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. She thought that there was no way to get any useful information from Dongfang Gan. She could only wait for Qi Lei and Ah Fei to see if there was any new progress.

    Dongfang Gan nodded solemnly, ¡°This matter is a little tricky. Let¡¯s see what Ah Fei can find out.¡±

    ¡°From now on, let the bodyguards follow you closely. Don¡¯t leave their sight, it¡¯s safer this way. We¡¯re not always so lucky.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was not a person who liked to take chances. It was best to be on guard.

    Dongfang Gan also replied solemnly, ¡°We were too careless. To be able to make a move on such an asion, we have really underestimated our opponent. Right now, we still can¡¯t determine who did it!¡±

    ¡°Is there a high chance that it could be Dongfang Ren and the rest?¡± Dongfang Liuyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Not necessarily. Yesterday was Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s engagement ceremony. Dongfang Ren went through great difficulty to arrange this marriage. Of course, he would not wish for anything to go wrong. If we have to be suspicious of them, then one other party¡¯s motive is even greater.¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Yi?¡±

    Dongfang Liu Yun muttered softly. She thought for a moment before replying, ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s got a strong motive.¡±

    ¡°I will get Ah Fei to properly investigate him. If we really find out that he was the one behind this, it will be very good with thepany. Moreover, I¡¯ll be able to give your grandmother some exnation.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes were as silent as the stars on a rainy night, they looked a little dimmed.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned when she heard this. She could only remain silent after that.

    ¡°Right, when I woke up, who was the person who brought breakfast over?¡±

    Dongfang Gan naturally did not forget Yang Sheng who he seemed to have met previously. He thought about it and asked directly.

    The person who delivered breakfast?

    Yang Sheng?

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it for a moment. When Qi Lei left in the morning, he had almost arranged everything. In fact, she should have told Dongfang Gan about the fact that she and Qi Lei were married, but...

    She did not know how Dongfang Gan and Song Siting would react to such sudden news.

    After hesitating for a moment, Dongfang Liuyun finally decided to test the waters with Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°He¡¯s Yang Sheng, the person who sent you to the hospitalst night.¡±

    After saying this simple sentence, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Father, who would you like to have as your son-inw?¡±

    Dongfang Gan was stunned when he heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words. He suddenly turned to look at his daughter. His tensed and gloomy face suddenly rxed, and his deep dark eyes showed some gentleness¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? My daughter is finally enlightened. Is she thinking of finding a son-inw for me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and looked at her quietly.

    Dongfang Gan calmed down and looked at Dongfang Liuyun with a profound gaze. His tone seemed to be sincere¡ª

    ¡°Actually, you should think about this. You¡¯re already 27 or 28 years old. You¡¯re not young anymore. It isn¡¯t a day or two that your mother and I have been thinking about your future, but we know your temper, I don¡¯t want to force you. On your mother¡¯s side, I know that she has given you pressure. The same goes for thepany.¡±

    ¡°I just want you to be happy. I¡¯ve told you before, as long as you like them. It¡¯s not easy to meet someone you like and who likes you too. If you don¡¯t have extravagant demands for a rtionship, then listen to your father and find someone who truly loves you, like Lan Xiu... ¡±

 Chapter 1592 - Son-in-law? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1592: Son-inw? (2)</h4>

    Lan Xiu...

    Dongfang Gan had always liked him. He did not have the style of those good-for-nothing young masters. He was upright, sincere, and very modest. He was a very good choice. He had been looking at Lan Xiu in a different light for a long time. No matter how he looked at him, he felt satisfied.

    Even so, he would not interfere with his daughter¡¯s choice.

    ¡°Lan Xiu knows everything and treats you very well. A few days ago, when we spoke on the phone, he had a very concerned tone. Trust father, he is definitely a good choice. You two have known each other for so many years. Isn¡¯t it logical for you two to be together? With us watching, Lan Xiu will only treat you well.¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at Dongfang Liuyun quietly. After saying these words, Dongfang Liuyun did not know what to say. She was silent for a long time before she replied¡ª

    ¡°Logical? Sometimes, it¡¯s precisely that I¡¯m afraid of logical. Life seems to follow a predetermined path. What¡¯s the point of living in such a future without any aspirations? I don¡¯t want my future to be like this...¡±

    ¡°You inherited your mother¡¯s ways in your bones, Liuyun...¡±

    Dongfang Gan said somewhat helplessly, ¡°Forget it. As long as you¡¯re happy, it¡¯s fine. However, the burden on your shoulders is too heavy. It¡¯s not easy to find someone who can share that burden with you. My opinion is that Lan Xiu is your best choice.¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu and I are just friends. We¡¯re just good friends. I¡¯m afraid that that¡¯s all we¡¯ll be in this lifetime.¡±

    A smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent face. As she spoke in a low voice, she turned her head to look out of the car window¡ª

    It was the start of the day. The sidewalk beside them was still filled with the footsteps of pedestrians who passed by in a hurry...

    ¡°Father, if I really choose to marry someone one day, I hope that you can support me wholeheartedly. Can you fulfill this request?¡±

    After some time, Dongfang Liuyun said this. As she did, she looked up at Dongfang Gan.

    When she said this, Dongfang Gan was instantly stunned. He looked at Dongfang Liuyun in confusion before Dongfang Liuyun continued, ¡°Other people won¡¯t like what everyone thinks. Even if he marries me, his days toe might not be better than his previous life. In the end, it¡¯s very likely that we have wronged him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly raised her hand and rubbed the space between her brows. She had not rested for the entire night, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot, ¡°Lan Xiu also came to see youst night, but he had a Project in City C, and he had to catch a ne, so I let him busy himself first. The day after tomorrow is Qixi[1]. Tomorrow I¡¯ll pack up and prepare the ingredients. After Qixi, I¡¯ll officially enter thepany to work.¡±

    ¡°You go back and rest well for a day or two. After Qixi, you can go back to work. I¡¯ve already asked Ah Fei to take care of the relevant matters. You can rest well for two days. I¡¯ll go back the day after tomorrow morning and prepare more good dishes. I might have to bring people back. Alright, Uncle Zhang, stop at the subway station in front. I still have some things to take care of.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun gave her instructions, she did not n to go back to Tanshan Vi anymore.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going home for dinner? Father will make you some good food and get some ingredients too...¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at Dongfang Liuyun and frowned.

    ¡°I still haven¡¯t figured out what happenedst night. I don¡¯t have time to enjoy it for now. I¡¯ll go home the day after tomorrow.¡±

    While Dongfang Gan could only sigh to himself¡ª

    ¡°After Ah Fei has sorted out the information, I¡¯ll ask him to send you another copy. You have to be careful too. Tomorrow, father will transfer two bodyguards for you...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need them. Leave them to Ms. Song. She has offended many people. Arrange more people so that we don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    The car slowly came to a stop. Dongfang Liuyun got out of the car very quickly and waved at Dongfang Gan in the car before walking toward the subway station.

    ...

    In Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s President¡¯s office.

    When the phone on the table rang, Qi Lei was still focused on reading the documents in hand.

    The phone kept ringing. Qi Lei signed the document and then, he slowly took the phone from the side. Upon seeing the words on the phone screen, Qi Lei¡¯s frown finally eased, he quickly picked up¡ª

    ¡°Missus Qi?¡±

    He actually called her that consciously, but it sounded quite pleasing to the ear.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows. The light in her eyes was somewhat bright and clear. She stood under Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s skyscraper that towered into the clouds. She raised her head to look at the top floor that could not be seen. She said faintly, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    What are you doing?

    Hearing her question, Qi Lei could not react in time. He was stunned for a moment before he recovered. His deep voice was apanied by an ufortable raspiness. ¡°Reviewing documents.¡±

    It was a very short answer.

    ¡°What about after you¡¯ve reviewed the documents? Are they very important documents?¡± She paused for a moment before continuing to ask.

    ¡°They¡¯re quite important. They¡¯re almost done. How¡¯s father?¡± Qi Lei closed the documents in his hands as he replied. He took a cup of tea and took a sip leisurely.

    ¡°He¡¯s awake. He¡¯s already home. Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t have anything important to do today. I¡¯m downstairs at yourpany. Pack your things ande down quickly. It¡¯ll take five minutes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly said these few words. Before he could answer, she hung up the phone.

    However, Qi Lei was a little stunned. He thought he was hearing things. He looked at the phone in his hand for a long time. It was only when the screen dimmed that he realized what the woman had said!

    Was she downstairs?

    After regaining this awareness, Qi Lei packed his things on the table, put them into his briefcase, and left the office.

    ¡°President Qi, where are you going?¡±

    Just as he walked out of the door, Wang Chun walked towards him. Seeing Qi Lei walk out with his briefcase in his hand, Wang Chun naturally felt that it was a little strange.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. If anything, wait for me toe back first.¡±

    With that, Qi Lei continued walking forward. In a short while, his tall and upright figure disappeared from Wang Chun¡¯s sight.

    About a few minutester, Qi Lei took the private elevator and arrived at the lobby on the first floor. Along the way, there were naturally many people who greeted him. He nodded in response and did not slow down as he walked out.

    Just as he reached the front of the stairs, he looked to a certain military green from the corner of his eye. As expected, he saw a certain woman by the side of the flower bed across from him, with long hair hanging down, she was squatting calmly while ying with a windmill in her hand...

 Chapter 1593 - Son-in-law? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1593: Son-inw? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression softened. After a while, he walked down the stairs and headed straight for her.

    When he reached her, she slowly stood up.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Qi Lei felt a little strange. At this moment, he thought that she should be apanying the Dongfang Gan at Tanshan Vi. Otherwise, she would have gone home to rest. He saw that her eyes were already filled with fatigue.

    ¡°I only have ten dors left, so I definitely won¡¯t be able to make it back in time. It¡¯s eight dors to take the subway to you, and there¡¯s two dors left to buy this thing for you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun handed the windmill to him and continued, ¡°Anyway, you didn¡¯t sleepst night. If there¡¯s nothing important, you can go on strike for a while. Go back and rest well for a day. Tomorrow¡¯s work will be more efficient.¡±

    Qi Lei did not respond for a long time. He just lowered his head and looked at her silently. His gaze was as deep as the sea as it stopped on the windmill she handed him...

    ¡°Take it! What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    She stuffed the windmill into his pocket as she reached into his pocket. As expected, she quickly found the car keys and turned around. Qi Lei¡¯s car was near the flower bed behind her. It was a designated parking spot¡ª

    This guy seemed to have kept a low profile recently. After a few days together, Dongfang Liuyun realized that he rarely used the shy luxury cars in the garage. If he drove, it would usually be this ck Acura. The license te number was also very simple, it was definitely the type that would be ced in the sea of cars and not attract anyone¡¯s attention.

    Seeing her open the car door and get in, Qi Lei retracted his gaze. He reached out for the windmill in his pocket and lifted his hand slightly. A gust of wind blew, and the blue windmill began to spin...

    He hesitated for a moment before following her.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Closing the car door, Qi Lei quickly pulled on his seatbelt. She quickly started the car and turned on the music yer in the car.

    ¡°Are you worried that you¡¯ll get into trouble? The control of this car isn¡¯t as good as the previous cars.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun drove the car out of the small za steadily as he spoke.

    He nced at her but did not reply. However, he gave her a look of acquiescence.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go rx. There¡¯s a newly opened underground entertainment city in the city. There¡¯s wild jungle warfare, and there are manyrge-scale games in the underground city. Let¡¯s try it out and see how it feels. What do you think?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun often went to ces like the gaming city.

    After she said that, Qi Lei, who was beside her, did not react for a long time. She nced at him, ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll take it that you agree.¡±

    After she said that, she sped up.

    Sometimes, he really had to admire her attitude, she did not seem to be worried. Instead, she could y these things naturally. However, for some reason, every time he was with her, he could always feel himself suddenly veryfortable and rxed. This was something he had never felt from anyone else before.

    Reality proved that this woman was indeed a strong and strong character. Even when she yed the game, she was so valiant!

    Qi Lei stood beside her and watched her crazily shoot the video game machine gun at the screen in front of her. He thought about how she seemed to be the same in the game. Qi Lei seemed to have understood something...

    She was a hardcore-level gamer, and she was in a pretty good state. Qi Lei naturally did not forget about the high-speed racing game!

    ¡°Why are you standing there? Give it a try!¡±

    Seeing that he did not move, she threw the machine gun in her hand at him. Qi Lei reacted fast enough to catch it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t live too seriously, you¡¯ll grow old quickly. When it¡¯s time to y, you still have to y. Otherwise, twenty yearster, you¡¯ll be an old man, and I¡¯ll still be like this. It¡¯s inevitable that I¡¯ll dislike you.¡±

    After saying this, she took another machine gun and continued shooting at the one in front of her.

    This time, Qi Lei nced at her with disdain, ¡°You speak as if you¡¯re so young. You¡¯re also about to turn thirty. Besides, I can find an 18-year-old girl in my fifties and sixties. Can you get a 17-year-old boy in your fifties and sixties?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have such a strong taste. It¡¯s shameless for a person who can be a grandfather to attack a girl who¡¯s like a granddaughter, are you that kind of person?¡±

    She did not even look at him. With one hand on her sunsses, she said casually, but her starry eyes were tightly locked onto the screen in front of her. Her movements were swift and violent.

    Qi Lei was so angry that he almost vomited blood¡ª

    It seemed like it had always been like this. She was used to striking his vital points with a knife!

    He thought to himself, that when the timees, he probably would not be able to do it. Moreover, he was not someone who had a strong taste. Female charms were no longer attractive to him, perhaps it was because of the years he had in the game of rtionships, he had long seen through those temptations. Anyway, he was not interested anymore. He had already withdrawn his heart. Now, it seemed that he just wanted to live a good life with her.

    ¡°You can think whatever you want. I don¡¯t have such an old granddaughter!¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he picked up his machine gun and followed her footsteps...

    The couple yed around for almost a day. They also went to prepare some gifts for the Qixi Festival the day after tomorrow. By the time their car drove into the Grand Lake Vi area, it was already dusk.

    Dongfang Liuyun ced the two bags of things in her hands onto the table. She copsed onto the sofa behind her, exhausted. She took a deep breath and said without waiting for the man beside her to put down the things in her hands, ¡°Go and cook. I¡¯m a little hungry. Hurry up.¡±

    Qi Lei had just put down the things in his hands when he turned to look at her with a frown. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you cooking? You¡¯re the one who let Mama Wang go.¡±

    <i>He</i> was the one who had invited Mama Wang over to cook. This woman wanted to be a good person, but he was the one who gets tired out, naturally, he was a little unhappy at this.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been shopping all day. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Call for takeout!¡±

    Qi Lei also took off his jacket and tossed it aside. He sat down, took the teapot, and began to boil water to make tea.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to eat takeout today. Alright, same rules, let¡¯s y cards.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, a deck of cards appeared out of nowhere. She shuffled the cards swiftly and spread them out beside Qi Lei¡¯s hand, ¡°Take one. The bigger valued one has to get things done obediently. Noints are allowed. You¡¯ll also have to do the dishes afterwards. If you don¡¯t have any objections, take one.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and leisurely washed the tea set. He nced at her with disdain and casually took one and flipped it open¡ª

    Four of clubs!

    Dongfang Liuyun also flipped the one in her hand...

 Chapter 1594 - Son-in-law? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1594: Son-inw? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ace of Clubs!

    Not only did Dongfang Liuyun feel a wave of powerlessness, she rubbed the space between her brows and looked at Qi Lei suspiciously. She asked, ¡°I said that the one with the smaller number is the one who does it all, right?¡±

    Qi Lei answered her with a look of indifference.

    Only then did Miss Dongfang sigh weakly to herself. She stood up silently and walked towards the kitchen.

    Seeing her figure walk past, Qi Lei turned to look at her. His ck eyes were filled with a rare evil smile¡ª

    Girl, fighting with him was a ssic case of courting death!

    About half an hourter, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He subconsciously turned to look. As expected, Dongfang Liuyun had already brought food out of the kitchen¡ª

    ¡°Come wash your hands and eat,¡± she said simply.

    ¡°So fast! What delicious food did you cook?¡±

    Qi Lei quickly got up and walked to the dining table. He took the wet towel from her hand and wiped his hands as he looked at the food on the dining table..

    It was actually just simple noodles, vegetables, ham, sausages, and some ingredients. He immediately frowned and nced at her, ¡°Why this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not think much of it. She looked back at him and sat down calmly. She picked up her chopsticks calmly, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about it? Noodles and meat both smell quite enticing. Just make do with it. Didn¡¯t you say that the days of pampered young masters are long gone?¡±

    After saying this, she scooped up the noodles and blew on it before stuffing it into her mouth.

    Qi Lei was speechless. He took a deep breath and sat down unwillingly. He had thought that there would be delicious home-cooked dishes tonight. This woman¡¯s cooking was actually pretty good, previously, she was the one who had done almost everything at De Bao House. At the time, he had thought it was hard to believe that a Missy like her could actually cook. However, after they got married, she...

    Qi Lei picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

    Just as he picked up the noodles, he looked up at her who was quietly eating. He looked down at her bowl and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he reached out to grab the chopsticks in her hand and stood up¡ª

    ¡°Forget it. Wait for a while. You have a weak stomach. In the future, it¡¯s better to eat less of this stuff. Wait here, I¡¯ll cook.¡±

    As soon as he finished, he directly put the tworge bowls of noodles into the tray and strode into the kitchen.

    Dongfang Liuyun could not react for a moment. She looked at her empty hands and after a long while, she raised her gaze to look out of the gray window. Finally, her gaze stopped at the empty kitchen door...

    After a while, she could vaguely hear the sounds of working from the kitchen.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused. Finally, she picked up the water beside her and drank a few mouthfuls. Then, she got up and followed after him.

    In the kitchen, Qi Lei had already washed the rice, put it in the pot, and started the porridge. He was busy washing the ingredients and cutting them up.

    Standing behind him and watching him busy himself, he looked like a good, domestic man.

    She looked at him silently for a while before saying, ¡°Forgive myziness, because I was really not in the mood to cook.¡±

    She thought for a long time before exining.

    Qi Lei was stunned when he heard that. He could not help but look up at her, ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t me you. I didn¡¯t marry you to cook for me.¡±

    His gaze was very magnanimous, and there was a hint of a smile on his handsome face.

    She paused for a moment and leaned against the door. She bent her leg and had her arms cross her chest leisurely. There was a rare glimmer of softness in her beautiful eyes. The scenes fromst night shed through her mind, and she could not help but sigh, ¡°I¡¯m d that you didn¡¯t hesitate. When you jumped in, weren¡¯t you worried that something might happen to you?¡±

    At that moment, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but ask.

    When he heard her say that, Qi Lei¡¯s hand froze for a moment. Then, he continued to get busy. ¡°Are you trying to express your gratitude?¡±

    His back was facing her, and the light in his dark eyes was faint. He did not seem to have any emotions.

    ¡°Of course there are some. Every woman wants her husband to be like an unrivaled hero. He always appears when she needs him the most. Moreover, aren¡¯t the female and male protagonists always like this on television or in novels? Although the plot is arranged in such a coincidental way, everyone likes to watch it. It¡¯s just a view of the hope in everyone¡¯s heart, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dongfang Liuyun lowered her voice and said faintly.

    ¡°You say these theories like those dialectical materialism methods that analyze the problem before answering the question. Naturally, I can¡¯t beat you. But, listen, it seems to make sense.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a political course, my major is archaeology.¡±

    She smiled and walked over to him.

    ..

    After dinner, the sky outside had already fallen silent. In the distant sky, there were only a few lonely stars.

    They did not have a good restst night, and it was another day of torment today. After the couple finished bathing, they did not have the mood to y games, so they went straight to bed to rest. However, before they went to sleep, Qi Lei did not forget to bring her a cup of ginger brown sugar water.

    Dongfang Liuyun also epted it.

    ...

    They slept through the night until it was close to noon the next day. When they woke up, Qi Lei had already gone to work. However, he called herter to tell her that he would be backter that night. Tomorrow was Qixi, which happened to be in time for the weekend, he might be a little busyter.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not go out the entire day. She only stayed at home to familiarize herself with Dongfang Group¡¯s information.

    In a blink of an eye, the day passed just like that.

    As the night deepened, the shadows of thenterns became clearer and clearer.

    Tanshan Vi District, Dongfang Gan¡¯s study room.

    Dongfang Gan was flipping through the information in his hands when he was suddenly startled by a knock on the door. He frowned as he nced at the door and replied unhurriedly, ¡°Come in!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the door was immediately pushed open. Ah Fei walked in with a heavy expression.

    ¡°President!¡±

    Ah Fei walked all the way to the desk and called out to Dongfang Gan with a grave tone. Even Dongfang Gan could hear something strange in that tone. He hurriedly raised his head from the document and looked at him¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? That expression? Have you investigated everything that happened yesterday?¡± Dongfang Gan asked in a low voice.

    Ah Fei¡¯s expression was even darker. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, ¡°President, it¡¯s not about what happenedst night, but it might be more shocking than what happenedst night. It¡¯s rted to Miss.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    At the mention of Dongfang Liuyun, Dongfang Gan immediately frowned. His eyes could not help but show some worry.

    ¡°President, ording to your instructions, I investigated Miss¡¯s matter. I found that Miss Liuyun has registered her marriage a few days ago, and...¡±

 Chapter 1595 - Son-in-law? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1595: Son-inw? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What did you say? Who registered to get married?¡±

    Before Ah Fei could finish his sentence, Dongfang Gan had already stood up swiftly. His eyes were tightly locked on Ah Fei, thinking that he was hearing things!

    Seeing this, Ah Fei could not help but break out in cold sweat behind him. He hesitated for a moment and sucked in a breath of cold air. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Liuyun. She registered her marriage not long ago, less than half a month ago. I especially went to Miss Liuyun¡¯s Beach Vi and found out that she has moved away from there for quite a few days!¡±

    ¡°Who is it? Who is the man she registered her marriage to? Lan Xiu? Or Fujiwara?¡±

    Dongfang Gan could not believe his ears. This news was too sudden!

    How was this possible?

    How could his daughter hide such a huge thing like marriage from him?

    Dongfang Gan could not ept it immediately. His hands subconsciously clenched the document in his hands tightly, and the document immediately became wrinkled.

    ¡°It¡¯s not Master Lan Xiu, nor is it Mr. Fujiwara...¡±

    Actually, it was not strange that Dongfang Gan would ask this. From what he knew, if Dongfang Liuyun were to get married, it was most likely these between two people. Fujiwara had a chance because of their previous rtionship, as for Lan Xiu, he was his daughter¡¯s best friend. In his opinion, he was the most suitable person for his daughter!

    Dongfang Gan was most satisfied with Lan Xiu. He has hoped that Lan Xiu would be his son-inw for a very, very long time now.

    But now, Ah Fei actually told him that it was neither of them. He could not help but be a little surprised!

    ¡°Who is it? Who is so bold! Marriage is such a big thing, but even I don¡¯t know about it. Does he think that my daughter is so easy to marry?¡± Dongfang Gan said in a deep voice.

    ¡°President, don¡¯t be angry. In my opinion, this person is not necessarily bad. Besides, it has already happened, and it is a fact that he is your son-inw. I think President must be familiar with this person¡ª¡±

    ¡°Son-inw? My daughter is not so easy to marry! I only have one daughter!¡±

    Dongfang Gan frowned, and there was a dark look in his eyes that was difficult to hide¡ª

    For some reason, when he heard this news, a corner of his heart suddenly became empty. He felt like the treasure that he had loved for more than 20 years was about to be snatched away by someone. This feeling made him feel a little angry!

    ¡°Who is it? ¡± Dongfang Gan¡¯s expression turned cold as he asked.

    ¡°The Second Master of the Qi family, the current President of Tai Yu Corporation, Qi Lei,¡± Ah Fei replied.

    ¡°The Second Master of the Qi family, Qi Lei?¡±

    Dongfang Gan muttered softly and his brows furrowed even tighter, ¡°It¡¯s the Second Master Qi who has been in quite the limelight a while ago, right?¡±

    ¡°It should be him. This is his information, I¡¯ve already prepared it. Please take a look, President!¡±

    At this moment, Ah Fei handed the document in his hand to Dongfang Gan.

    Dongfang Gan quickly took it and flipped it open to read it carefully...

    ¡°Miss Liuyun has moved to his ce now. Moreover, he was the one who protected her when she was trapped in the elevator yesterday. Fortunately, nothing happened after that. I¡¯ve investigated Qi Lei in detail. His experience also makes one feel...¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei? Wang Qin... This Wang Qin should be the eldest daughter of the Wang family back then, right?¡±

    Dongfang Gan quickly captured the key information.

    ¡°Yes, President! Wang Qin was indeed the eldest daughter of the Wang family back then. She was the original wife of the former film and television tycoon and the CEO of Qikai Group, Qi Qiming. Unfortunately, she was harmed by bad peopleter on.¡±

    ¡°Wang Qin... Wang Qin... I haven¡¯t said this name for many years. I remember when my father was still alive, he took me to the Wang family. The Wang family seemed to only have one daughter, but she adopted a foster son. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°You always have a good memory! However, back then, when the eldest daughter of the Wang family joined Qi Kai without hesitation, she was opposed by the Wang family. After that, it became very tense. At that time, the Wang family wanted to move overseas. In the end, I heard that they broke off their rtionship. Later on, the Wang family really moved overseas, and I never heard of them again.¡±

    Ah Fei did not actually know much about what had happened back then. He had investigated Qi Lei¡¯s information recently, but knew little about it.

    ¡°President, since things havee to this, what should we do now?¡± Ah Fei asked for instructions.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s dark eyes narrowed slightly. He scanned the information in his hands and slowly put it away. He suddenly thought of his daughter¡¯s strange words from recently, and the matter of returning home on Qixi that he had told him yesterday...

    At this moment, Dongfang Gan vaguely realized that his daughter probably nned on bringing Qi Lei home tomorrow!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you manage to find out what happened between them? How did a Qi Lei suddenly appear? I¡¯ve never heard of such a person by Liuyun¡¯s side!¡±

    Although he roughly knew of Qi Lei¡¯s identity, Dongfang Gan was not necessarily satisfied!

    Marriage was such a huge matter, yet they, as parents, were still kept in the dark. It was typical of her to act first and reportter, it was very much like his daughter¡¯s style.

    ¡°I only roughly know that Miss Liuyun and President Qi have known each other for a long time. They already knew each other at Elder Madam Mu¡¯s funeralst year. Furthermore, I¡¯ve inquired from Uncle Ming at De Bao House and found out that President Qi often goes to De Bao House for tea. Miss is quite close to him. They should have been good friends all along,¡± exined Ah Fei.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s brows furrowed even more when he heard this!

    With this attitude, he would definitely turn the world upside down the next day!

    Dongfang Gan knew very well what kind of temper his wife had. Song Siting had always wanted Fujiwara to be her son-inw, and now...

    Even though Qi Lei was not bad, but...

    Dongfang Gan was someone who had been through a lot. After the initial shock, disbelief, and struggle, he could finally remain calm. He could not help but raise his hand to rub the space between his brows, he flipped through the information on Qi Lei on the table again. After looking at it for a while, he sighed helplessly and waved at Ah Fei, ¡°You can leave first. Don¡¯t mention this matter to anyone without my instructions, including Lawyer Song. Let me think about what to do after some time.¡±

    ¡°Alright, President! However, forgive me for saying a few words. President, Miss Liuyun has always had her own way of doing things. Although this matter is sudden, I think she probably has her own ns in mind. President, why don¡¯t you have a good talk with Miss Liuyun first? Lawyer Song will be back in City Z by 9a.m. tomorrow morning. It¡¯s naturally the best choice to sit down and have a good talk.¡±

    Dongfang Gan nodded and waved his hand to signal him to leave.

    Ah Fei naturally did not dare to say anything more and silently retreated out.

 Chapter 1596 - Qixi Festival (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1596: Qixi Festival (1)</h4>

    It was alsote at night, and the Grand Lakes Vi area was still brightly lit.

    In the second-floor suite, in the side hall outside the bedroom, Dongfang Liuyun had just finished bathing. She had changed into afortable short-sleeved shirt and shorts and was lying on a soft,rge sofa. Her pair of snow-white and delicate long legs were ced behind the man, she leisurely leaned against the soft pillow. The screen in front of her was ying a movie. This side hall was directly made into a home theatre, and there was a very exquisite and luxurious bar counter.

    Qi Lei¡¯s previous yboy reputation was not undeserved. At least when it came to enjoyment, he would never mistreat himself.

    The second floor had a huge cloakroom, a home theatre, and arge study. On the roof, there was a luxurious indoor swimming pool with its own gym. Today, Dongfang Liuyun was specially given a storage room. Dongfang Liuyun simply divided it into twopartments, one was nned to be renovated to store fine wine, while the other was used to collect some of her rare books. Naturally, those antiques stays home.

    Dongfang Liuyun was currently leisurely trimming the hooks on her fingertips. Her mind was not on the movie at all, but Qi Lei was rather focused on watching it.

    After she was done, she sized up her hands. After she was generally satisfied, she reached out to hold Qi Lei¡¯s hand.

    This sudden action naturally surprised Qi Lei. He turned his head and saw that she was leisurely helping him trim his nails. He paused and narrowed his eyes at her. Seeing that she was not looking at him, he retracted his gaze and continued to watch his movie.

    ¡°Your hands are quite nice-looking, they¡¯re slender and clean.¡±

    She rarely praised him.

    ¡°Of course. They¡¯re the hands of a typical Prince Charming. You can only envy them, unlike the calluses on your hands.¡±

    He replied, his tone naturally not showing any modesty.

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    She nced at him. ¡°They are calloused from the desert some time ago. I should be grateful that I didn¡¯t lose ayer of skin.¡±

    After she said this, he lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then turned to look at her and said, ¡°Then don¡¯t go to those ces in the future. Even if you say you¡¯re interested, those days have passed. You¡¯re going to join thepany soon, so you have to make more ns.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. There are some things that can¡¯t be let go just like that. Someone has to do it. There are some beliefs that need to be persevered on,¡± she said indifferently.

    She did not look at him, but held his other hand instead, ¡°After some thought, I still have to tell you something that you need to pay attention to tomorrow. With a single-celled creature like you, I¡¯m a little worried that you won¡¯t be able to handle them. I¡¯m guessing that you¡¯ve read about the Dongfang family¡¯s genealogy as well. There¡¯s not much that the Dongfang family needs to know. You¡¯ll know that I¡¯m on my father¡¯s side and the rest will just be divided into factions.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you worried. Are you that afraid that I won¡¯t be able to pass the test in front of your parents? We¡¯re now married and registered. If worsees to worst, just tell them that you¡¯re pregnant with my child and they¡¯ll definitely agree. There¡¯s nothing to say about getting married with a child.¡±

    Qi Lei gave Dongfang Liuyun a sideways nce, but Dongfang Liuyun gave him a ¡®you¡¯re indeed a single-celled organism¡¯ look!

    ¡°Me pregnant with your child? They¡¯ll let me give birth, and they¡¯ll even sever all ties with you. This child will be directly surnamed Dongfang. If It¡¯s a boy, they¡¯ll be even happier! Do you know why there are so many people in the entire Dongfang Group who don¡¯t agree with me and my father?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone became a little cold¡ª

    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m not a man, but Dongfang Xin and Dongfang Yu are. You might find this old-fashioned preference for sons somewhat inconceivable. After all, this is a modern civilization, but the Dongfang family has a hundreds of years of history, and some of their beliefs are deeply rooted.¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel a wave of powerlessness in her heart.

    ¡°Ever since I was young, in order to reduce the pressure on my father, I had to suppress Dongfang Xin and Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Just like you and Qi Feng, I could see things from his perspective and understand why Qi Feng worked so hard. I can¡¯t lose to the ridiculous reason of gender, and I don¡¯t want to be a person who only lives for herself. At the very least, I still have a responsibility towards my parents. Of course, there was also grandfather¡¯sst request before he passed away.¡±

    ¡°Also, I¡¯m afraid that the child¡¯s matter won¡¯t be so fast for us, right?¡±

    He had forgotten that she would probably need to take medicine for a long period of time for her stomach ailment, and it seemed like they...

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. If it can reduce your burden, I¡¯m willing to cooperate. For example, the child will have your surname...¡±

    At this moment, Qi Lei thought seriously for a moment before saying this.

    However, when he said this, Dongfang Liuyun paused. Then, she looked up at him in surprise. The flowing light in her eyes froze as she looked at him in a daze. His smiling face was filled with warmth, his dark eyes were filled with sincerity. It was as if there was a trace of love towards her¡ª

    ¡°I understand your feelings. I can understand that kind of grievance. In any case, I don¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t have much feelings towards the Qi family. That ce has never been my home. These are just symbols. If I hadn¡¯t met you and married you, I would probably still be wandering alone and have already made up my mind not to get married,¡± he said in a low voice. His tone sounded very calm, but Dongfang Liuyun could catch a hint of destion and loneliness.

    She stopped moving and quietly lowered her eyes as if she was thinking about something. She suddenly looked up at him from behind and shook her head gently, ¡°No, I can¡¯t let you down too much. After all, you¡¯re my husband. The rest isn¡¯t really very important... ¡±

    Can¡¯t let you down too much?

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. Looking at her serious little face, an indescribable warmth suddenly surged in his chest. He could not help but reach out to wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her up...

    Her bright eyes flickered as she tacitly reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulders to wee him¡ª

    The light flirt unceremoniously swept his slightly cold lips and gently bit him. In pain, he grabbed her waist and pounced on the sofa behind her, easily regaining dominance.

    The lingering warmth was a little intoxicating. He had to admit that he seemed to have fallen in love with her aura and her scent, so he would not tell her that these past few days, he, who had been pure of heart and abstinence for a long time, was suffering, suffering!

 Chapter 1597 - Qixi Festival (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1597: Qixi Festival (2)</h4>

    It was already past midnight, and the wind after midnight seemed to be more refreshing than before.

    The Tanshan Vi area, which was hidden under the dim lights, also fell into silence.

    ¡®Cough cough¡ª¡¯

    A light cough was heard, and the cool breeze seemed to be apanied by a faint smell of tobo.

    By the railing of the rooftop, Dongfang Gan was leaning against the railing. There was a half-lit cigarette between his fingers on his right hand. When the wind blew, the tip of the cigarette flickered intermittently. Looking at it, he felt a little lonely.

    After hesitating for a long time, Dongfang Gan still did not call Liuyun, even though he was burning with anxiety.

    However, it seemed that even so, he could not change anything because he still believed that his daughter was not such a reckless person. Therefore, it was better to wait for the child to exin herself.

    What he needed to do now was to understand Qi Lei¡¯s situation clearly. He must not let his daughter suffer.

    He would see what the child would say when she returned tomorrow, and he would see how it goes.

    Dongfang Gan could only tell himself this. Even though his heart was heavy, it did not seem to be of any use. Dongfang Liuyun was a very independent person, she had always had high expectations of herself. When he thought of that, Dongfang Gan felt slightly better.

    ¡°Director Gan, it¡¯s sote. Why aren¡¯t you resting?¡±

    After a while, an aged voice was suddenly heard from behind. Dongfang Gan turned his head and saw the butler¡¯s figure.

    ¡°I was thinking about something. Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±

    Dongfang Gan pointed at the chair beside him and gestured for him to sit down.

    The butler only shook his head, ¡°I got up to take a look and realized that the lights were still on. I came up to take a look. Are you worried about Miss?¡±

    Dongfang Gan nced at him and thought for a while, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°There is no one else who can make President Gan so worried. Miss is already so old and has her own ideas. President Gan should let go of her appropriately.¡±

    ¡°All these years, I haven¡¯t really restrained her, so how can I let go? It¡¯s just that I feel that this ce¡ª¡±

    Dongfang Gan exhaled a mouthful of smoke and suddenly pointed at his chest. He sighed and said, ¡°This ce is empty. She¡¯s my only daughter. ¡±

    ¡°President Gan... ¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Rest early. Tomorrow is the Qixi Festival and Liuyun will be back. Remember to instruct the family to prepare some things tomorrow. If there are any problems, just tell me directly. I will also be home.¡±

    Dongfang Gan did not seem to want to say anything more. He put out the cigarette in his hand in the ashtray beside him and immediately turned around to leave.

    ¡°Okay, President Gan!¡± The butler replied, then he could only watch as he walked in.

    ...

    ¡°Father, you can go back to sleep now. You don¡¯t have to wait for me to fall asleep. Sister and brother are already asleep anyway.¡±

    Inside Mu Zirui¡¯s room at Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen was holding a storybook and telling him a story.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Father won¡¯t read it to you anymore. You should go to sleep. It¡¯s toote today, tomorrow we¡¯re going back home for the holidays, you have to wake up early.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand to pat Mu Zirui¡¯s little head.

    ¡°Oh, goodnight then, father!¡±

    ¡°Goodnight! ¡±

    After the father and son said goodnight, Mu Zirui closed his eyes tiredly. Not long after, he fell asleep as well.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen got up, turned off the lights, and left the room.

    ¡°Asleep?¡±

    He had just returned to his room when he saw Xi Xiayee out of the study room. Her beige nightgown was tied loosely.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve yed with them all night, I¡¯m worn out. Let¡¯s rest early.¡±

    He turned around and closed the door, then went straight to the bedroom.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been watching them for a few days and it really seems to have worn you out.¡± Xi Xiaye chuckled and followed him.

    He went straight to the bed andid down, ¡°You think it¡¯d be easy? I¡¯ve already gotten Li Si to get a few more bodyguards and servants. In the future, we don¡¯t have to do everything ourselves. The children will have to get used to being on their own sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Make the arrangements. I won¡¯t object this time.¡± Xi Xiaye thought about it and agreed. She walked over, ¡°Take off your clothes. I¡¯ll massage your back for you.¡±

    When he heard this, he turned sideways and wrapped his long arm around her waist, pulling her directly into bed, ¡°Don¡¯t busy yourself, it¡¯s already past midnight, rest early. You still have to wake up early tomorrow. Otherwise, let¡¯s do something else?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by something else?¡±

    She raised her beautiful brows and looked at him under the light.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you with actual actions.¡±

    When he said this, his body also attacked her, yet she reached out and grabbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯m really tired too. Rest early.¡±

    ¡°Just once. I¡¯ll make up for the restter.¡±

    When he was in the mood, how could he hold it in? He did not care whether she was willing or not. As he said this, before Xi Xiaye could react, she had already been stripped clean. In the end, there was no need to guess. She was a fool to believe him!

    After two rounds of battle, she was so tired that she could not open her eyes. She panted slightly and looked at him. He was leaning on his arm with one hand around her waist.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, what¡¯s your horoscope?¡± She asked while panting.

    He nced at her and did not think much of it. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t believe in that either.¡±

    ¡°Su Nan said that Scorpio men are lustful. You must be a Scorpio... I¡¯m really worried that you will be a lustful and bald little old man when you get older in the future!¡± She panted for a moment and continued.

    ¡°What kind of stupid theory is this? What does a person¡¯s personality have to do with this horoscope? If human nature is really so easy to analyze, the police won¡¯t have to work so hard to solve cases. Besides, your man can¡¯t be that horoscope! And he won¡¯t be bald!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I¡¯ll look into your horoscope tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°By the way, it¡¯ste this month. I should head over to the movies and television base to take a look. Try to minimize your schedule to the middle of the month. Since it¡¯s summer vacation now, let¡¯s bring Weiwei over. We can take the chance to see how Ah Shi and Ah Mo are doing. Ah Shi even called me two days ago. She has a headache and can¡¯t take care of her child. She¡¯s crying nonstop, unlike Xiao Cheng who¡¯s easy to take care of,¡± Xi Xiaye simplybed her messy hair as she spoke.

    ¡°He¡¯s a child, what can you expect him to know? Get a few more experienced confinement nurses.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, but she sent me a photo of Xiao Ye. He looks quite simr to Ah Mo, let me show you.¡±

    As she spoke, she did not wait for him to reply. Instead, she propped herself and slowly got up. She reached out to grab a nightgown and put it on. Then, she reached for her phone and took it. Very quickly, she found a photo from her album¡ª

 Chapter 1598 - Qixi Festival (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1598: Qixi Festival (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The fair and tender baby had eyes that looked like Ah Mo. Other than that, she did not seem to see hints of Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s not a girl. Otherwise, I could really think about having her to be for Xiao Rui¡¯s wife in the future.¡±

    Mu Yuchen stared at the photo for a while before he said thoughtfully.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye suddenly smiled, ¡°In your dreams. You said it yourself before, let the children make their own decisions. Don¡¯t get involved in matchmaking the children for marriages anymore. If the children grow up in the future and can¡¯t make their own decisions for rtionships... ¡±

    ¡°How do you know that if that¡¯s really the case, Xiao Rui won¡¯t like it? Rtionships also need to be nurtured, just like us.¡±

    ¡°Our situation is different. Didn¡¯t you not like Gu Lingsha back then? Come to think of it, she¡¯s considered your arranged wife.¡±

    She nced at him and put her phone away.

    ¡°But speaking of her, I¡¯m a little worried about Wei¡¯er. Will she be affected by these things when she grows up? ¡±

    ¡°Teach her well and do your best. Of course I hope that she can recover from this trauma.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s just a child... ¡±

    ..

    Qixi arrived as promised. Early in the morning, Yang Sheng and a few bodyguards in ck rushed over. Of course, they also prepared a lot of gifts!

    Today was Master Qi¡¯s first visit to his inws. He naturally had to make more ns for this matter, and he had to be cautious!

    Yang Sheng did not sleep at allst night. He asked his wife for help about today¡¯s matter. He recalled the first time he went to his mother-inw¡¯s house, how it was, and what gifts and red packets he should have prepared, he confirmed them one by one and personally checked them. It was as if Qi Lei was going to his mother-inw¡¯s house to send betrothal gifts. Early in the morning, he only had a few mouthfuls of porridge for breakfast before heading straight to Grand Lake Vi District.

    On the side of Grand Lake Vi, Dongfang Liuyun only got up after Yang Sheng arrived. When she finished packing and went downstairs, Yang Sheng had already brought out delicious breakfast from the kitchen, Qi Lei changed into a slightly more formal outfit as he sat on the sofa and flipped through the morning paper¡ª

    He had fine ck hair, a handsome face that did not lose its delicate features, straight casual pants, a ck shirt, and gorgeous crystal cuffs that were slightly rolled up. He looked quite spirited and handsome.

    ¡®Tap Tap Tap¡¯

    When he heard footstepsing from the stairs, Qi lei slowly lifted his head from the newspaper and looked in the direction of the sound¡ª

    Her long, beautiful hair was casually tied up with a simple hair clip, revealing a delicate face. It was beautiful and light, and her eyes were bright like stars. The few strands of bangs that fell down revealed a different kind of messy beauty, inside was a beige in strapless dress, paired with a long ck muslin shawl.

    This kind of essories worn on her undoubtedly showed a cold and aloof air. Qi Lei knew that she did not usually smile. This kind of her reminded him of the first time he saw her. At that time, she seemed to be the same at De Bao House, however...

    She was very beautiful. She was even the most beautiful and unique woman he had ever seen.

    Therefore, he did not hesitate to give her a look of appreciation!

    Sensing his gaze, Dongfang Liuyun also nced at him before going downstairs unhurriedly.

    ¡°Hello, Missus!¡± Yang Sheng smiled as he looked at Dongfang Liuyun who was walking down the stairs and greeted her respectfully.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded politely at him, ¡°Good morning. Why are you so early? It¡¯s Qixi Festival today.¡±

    She knew that Yang Sheng was Qi Lei¡¯s special assistant and was loyal to Qi Lei, so Dongfang Liuyun respected him very much. She did not hesitate to give him a smile.

    ¡°I know that today is a special day, so I couldn¡¯t prepare much in time. I was so excitedst night that I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I woke up early in the morning. Master Qi, Missus, you guys have breakfast first. I¡¯ll go check on the preparations.¡±

    Yang Sheng pulled out the chairs for the two of them and quickly disappeared out the door.

    ¡°You should be d that you have such a good assistant. He¡¯s a good person.¡±

    Seeing Yang Sheng¡¯s figure disappear outside the door, Dongfang Liuyun said this as she sat down beside him.

    Qi Lei walked over and sat across her. He took a wet towel and wiped his hands, ¡°He¡¯s a very good person and very loyal. On this point, I need to be grateful to my dead mother.¡±

    ¡°Your mother really loved you. You should be grateful to her.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and poured him some fruit juice. ¡°The mid-autumn Festival is just a few days after Qixi. When the timees, go pay your respects.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and was silent for a moment. Then, he said softly, ¡°Okay, I was going to tell you about this. Before she left, she was also thinking about my marriage. If you were her daughter-inw, I think she¡¯d be very satisfied.¡±

    Wang Qin had high expectations for her daughter-inw. It was not because of her origins or family background. Otherwise, she would not have objected to Gu Lingsha¡¯s good qualities. On the contrary, she valued quality more. She wanted to protect her son, Gu Lingsha was not liked by Wang Qin because Wang Qin looked down on Gu Lingsha from the bottom of her heart, so...

    ¡°Make the arrangements. Don¡¯t think about it. Eat some. These snacks are pretty good.¡±

    Seeing that his eyes were a little gloomy, Dongfang Liuyun did not want to continue this topic. She moved the stack of snacks in front of him to him, ¡°Treat yourself well. It¡¯s the greatestfort to the dead. Everything will get better.¡±

    Hearing her words, Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. After a moment, he looked up. His handsome face had already softened. ¡°Everything<i> will</i> get better. At least for now, there is some hope.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled and picked up a spring roll from the te in front of him with his chopsticks, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with looking forward to the future. At least, I¡¯m full of confidence. Life is like this. If I avoid it, I¡¯ll only fall further. I¡¯ll face it head-on and strive to be better. Even if I don¡¯t gain much, at least if I work hard, I¡¯ll be able to feel at ease. A strong person must have a strong heart and know to motivate himself when he¡¯s down and out. Qi Lei, I hope you¡¯re such a person, and I¡¯m also expecting this of myself as well.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and nodded happily, ¡°You¡¯re right. A person like that needs a strong heart that cannot be broken. Even if I¡¯m a little Ah Q[1], it¡¯s still good, no need to live life so tiredly. Thank you for the lesson, Missus Qi!¡±

    He raised his cup to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and smiled happily. She also raised her cup swiftly, ¡°You too!¡±

 Chapter 1599 - Qixi Festival (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1599: Qixi Festival (4)</h4>

    The weather was very good. The sun was not scorching, it was a cloudy day. When one looked up at the sky, one could only vaguely see the sun hidden in the clouds.

    A cool breeze blew by, and it was somewhat refreshing. It did not have the stuffy feeling before the storm. However, in a stand alone vi in the Tanshan Vi area, the atmosphere was somewhat gloomy¡ª

    ¡°What did you say? Tell me again! Who got married? Who? ¡±

    Song Siting, who was travel-worn, stared with wide eyes at Dongfang Gan, who was standing by the railing and drinking a cup of water. Her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief!

    Dongfang Gan drank a mouthful of water and sighed helplessly in his heart. He replied in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s our daughter, Liuyun. She¡¯s married. It was less than half a month ago. I¡¯ve already told you the general news. The person she¡¯s married to will be here soon. Although we can¡¯t really say how we feel about this marriage, I still hope that you¡¯ll be more polite to herter. After all, our daughter is married to him. We also need to take Liuyun into consideration. You¡¯re too straightforward, if you have a little patience, it will make the child feel better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! Impossible! I don¡¯t believe it! Marriage is such a big thing, yet she didn¡¯t even tell her family. What does she mean by that? Does she still care about us as her parents? She¡¯s angry with me, provoking me! She¡¯s dissatisfied with me!¡± Song Siting said in a flustered and exasperated manner.

    ¡°Calm down! Based on your temper, even if Liuyun has any thoughts, she wouldn¡¯t dare to tell you! Ah Ting, our child has grown up, we can¡¯t worry too much about her. We just let them do as they please and don¡¯t have to care too much. I¡¯m really worried about what happened this time. She hid this from us first as a way to deal with us. ¡±

    Dongfang Gan was also a little worried about this matter.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. When can she change her stubborn personality? Fujiwara was already very good to begin with. How many years has he been in love with her? He was so good to her and had a good family background. Why didn¡¯t she marry him? Her grandmother and I both like Fujiwara. Moreover, it was most suitable for her to marry Fujiwara. Has she gone crazy?¡±

    Song Siting clenched her fists. She was so angry that her face turned pale.

    ¡°Enough. You don¡¯t have to keep bringing up Fujiwara. You know that this name is a taboo with Liuyun. Aren¡¯t you intentionally making the child feel bad?¡±

    ¡°Why would she feel bad? She just can¡¯t get over Lan Qi, right? At that time, who wouldn¡¯t choose to do that? Who did she think she was? She was running away. I absolutely wouldn¡¯t allow her to run away like a coward! She would understand that what I said wasn¡¯t wrong. Fujiwara was the one who truly loved her with his life. Her deep hatred for Fujiwara could only prove the depth of her feelings for him back then!¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s tone was filled with determination. Her tone actually rendered Dongfang Gan speechless.

    ¡°That only represent exins yourself. We¡¯ve never been able to understand Liuyun¡¯s thoughts. Those matters of the heart may not be that important to her anymore. Besides, the brothers Lan Qi and the Lan Xiu have been with her since they were young. It¡¯s not something that can be easily erased. We might not even understand those things...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak up for her. I won¡¯t agree to this matter anyway. I definitely won¡¯t agree. She can only marry Fujiwara. I trust that he will treat Liuyun well.¡±

    ¡°I think Lan Xiu isn¡¯t bad either, should I force my daughter to marry him as well? Ah Ting, I advise us to stay out of this matter. Even if we don¡¯t agree, we can¡¯t just lose all decorum and discuss this with Liuyun. I¡¯ve already gotten someone to investigate...,¡± Dongfang Gan said worriedly.

    ¡°I feel like exploding just thinking about this matter. I won¡¯t agree to it. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be satisfied either, right? No matter what, we have to make her cancel this marriage! So what if they¡¯ve registered it? As long as she¡¯s still alive, she can be free of it!¡±

    As Song Siting spoke, she took a deep breath and suppressed the tiredness in her eyes. She turned around and returned to the living room. She sat down on the sofa listlessly.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s face darkened. He could only sigh and turn around worriedly before returning to the living room.

    ...

    On the road that led to the Tanshan Vi District.

    The driver was Dongfang Liuyun. Qi Lei was sitting in the passenger seat. The car was naturally filled with rhythmic music. Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at him when she felt the silence in the car, he realized that this guy was leisurely tapping his knees along to the rhythm of the music.

    ¡°You seem quite at ease, aren¡¯t you even a little nervous?¡± She raised her eyebrows and asked calmly.

    ¡°Do I have to tell you if I¡¯m nervous? If I were nervous, would your parents ept me then?¡±

    Qi Lei stopped and answered, ¡°Can you turn the car around now and let me go back?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun answered honestly, ¡°I can only ask my father not to make things too difficult for you, but Ms. Song is a difficult person tomunicate with. As long as you don¡¯t care about her attitude, we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean that you¡¯ll marry me no matter what? For me, you can...¡±

    ¡°I, Dongfang Liuyun, am not someone who values lovers that much. Besides¡ª¡±

    At this point, Dongfang Liuyun shot him a meaningful nce. There was a hint of mockery in her tone, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to get my hands on you... You¡¯re blushing now, President Qi.¡±

    Her light teasings almost ignited the spark that Qi Lei was suppressing in his chest. The scene fromst night shed through his mind again!

    He took a deep breath and suppressed the surging emotions in his heart. He nced at her indifferently, ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that you had the potential to be a female hooligan.¡±

    ¡°I have a lot of potential. You¡¯ll need a long time to get used to it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied as she sped up the car, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My rtionship with them is a little tense anyway. If I don¡¯t win their favor, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Respect is mutual. Although we¡¯re juniors, it¡¯s fine as long as we have a clear conscience.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun didn¡¯t seem to care. In fact, she could already foresee the situation when they returned.

    At this point, the two of them suddenly fell silent. After a long while, he continued¡ª

    ¡°Your parents... maybe they just...¡±

    ¡°Just care about me in their own way?¡±

    Before he could finish, she had already cut him off, ¡°I know you want to say this, and I also know that they care about me. I just don¡¯t like their way. From a moral point of view, I still respect them, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I have to listen to everything they say. If it¡¯s useful, I¡¯ll take it to heart. If it¡¯s useless, if it doesn¡¯t suit me, I won¡¯t ept it, even if it¡¯s unpleasant.¡±

    Her voice fell, the car also slowly drove into the Tanshan Vi area...

 Chapter 1600 - It Must Be Him! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1600: It Must Be Him! (1)</h4>

    ¡®Beep beep¡ª¡¯

    The car horn sounded. After a while, the tightly shut gate in front of them slowly opened on its own.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly drove the car into the vi. On the cement road in front of the vi, the butler and several servants were already waiting there. Dongfang Liuyun parked the car by the side of the flower bed.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Get out of the car. Remember what I told you. Getting married is only our business. If we can¡¯t even make our own decision on getting married, then this would be a meaningless life. We won¡¯t live with them in the future, just be your usual self.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she pushed open the door and got out of the car.

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. Then, a ray of interest shed across his eyes, and a wicked smile hung on his handsome face, ¡°You seem to be very worried about me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll embarrass me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and quickly closed the car door.

    Qi Lei was stunned. He raised his hand to touch his nose. Then, he pulled open the car door and got out. Yang Sheng and a few bodyguards¡¯ two cars followed behind. The cars were parked side by side.

    ¡°Miss is back!¡±

    The butler brought the servants to wee her. He looked respectfully at Dongfang Liuyun, whose footsteps were sonorous.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and turned to look at Qi Lei, who was following beside him. After some thought, she reached out to grab his wrist and half-dragged him inside as he said, ¡°This is your new Master. Where are my parents?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had brought a man home with him. The butler and the servants were already surprised by the ostentation. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s exnation shocked everyone!

    New Master!

    What did she mean?

    Could it be that Miss Liuyun was with this man?

    No wonder President Gan had specially instructed the family to prepare well yesterday. Was it because the Miss wanted to bring their son-inw home today?

    Everyone could not help but shift their gazes to Qi Lei, who Dongfang Liuyun was pulling at.

    Seeing that he had his head slightly lowered and his other hand hanging down naturally, he looked a little embarrassed, but he nodded politely to them and greeted them. He looked quite modest¡ª

    He had an outstanding appearance, a demonic and profound aura that did not lose its dignity. He looked extraordinary, and it seemed that this person looked a little familiar. It seemed like they had seen him somewhere before?

    By the time they reacted, Dongfang Liuyun had already pulled Qi Lei into the vi. Behind them were Yang Sheng and the others, who were instructing their bodyguards to carry the things inside.

    Dongfang Liuyun pulled Qi Lei all the way to the steps in front of the door before slowly letting him go. This was because she realized that Dongfang Gan was already standing in front of the door, about to walk out.

    Dongfang Gan was dressed in casual attire for the day. He looked gentle and peaceful. The way he looked at Dongfang Liuyun was very amiable. He was not as unreasonable as outsiders said.

    Qi Lei knew Dongfang Gan very well, so he could naturally recognize him at a nce.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s calm voice traveled over. His gaze swept over Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s demure face and quickly stopped on Qi Lei who was beside her.

    ¡°Yes, father. This is Qi Lei. We¡¯re already married. He¡¯s your son-inw now. Qi Lei, this is father.¡± Dongfang Liuyun introduced him briefly.

    Dongfang Gan was stunned when he heard this, but Qi Lei already bowed politely. ¡°Hello, father. I¡¯m Qi Lei. I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m only paying you a visit now.¡±

    Dongfang Gan was silent for a moment. He sized up Qi Lei in front of him. His gaze was naturally a little domineering. It made Qi Lei feel like he was being arrested by the teacher in highschool.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in first.¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Gan retracted his gaze and nced at Dongfang Liuyun. After saying this, he turned around and walked into the house.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He didn¡¯t put on a stern expression when he showed his power to you. This means that he doesn¡¯t have much dislike for you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her head and whispered this into his ear. Then, she walked with Dongfang Gan. Qi Lei, on the other hand, paused for a moment before following him in.

    ¡°Sit down. The butler and the rest woke up early in the morning to prepare your favorite dishes. What do you want to eat? Father will make it for you.¡±

    Dongfang Gan walked to the sofa and sat down slowly. He took out four cups from the side. There was already boiling water on the side, and he began to make tea leisurely.

    Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei sat down directly opposite him.

    ¡°I only found out about the two of you yesterday. Liuyun told me about Qixi the other day, that¡¯s when I realized that she was probablying home to tell us about this. I have a general understanding of your situation. Is there anything you need to tell us now?¡±

    Dongfang Gan appeared very calm as he stared at Qi Lei. His deep gaze was so sharp that it was as if he could see through Qi Lei.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to say, father. We¡¯re already married now. I hope that the both of you can support us.¡±

    Without waiting for Qi Lei to speak, Dongfang Liuyun spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking to him. I didn¡¯t ask you. You can go upstairs first. The house has added a row of bookshelves for your study ording to your wishes. Why don¡¯t you go up and take a look?¡±

    ¡°Is there anything that I can¡¯t listen in on?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately realized that Dongfang Gan wanted to send her away, so she frowned and looked straight at him.

    ¡°I want to talk to him alone,¡± said Dongfang Gan.

    At this moment, Qi Lei turned his head to look at Dongfang Liuyun and gave her a look that made her feel at ease.

    Dongfang Liuyun then took a shallow breath, took a sip of tea, and slowly stood up, ¡°No matter what, I hope that you can respect my choice. I won¡¯tpromise on this matter. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s married, and the one who has a life to live, so... I hope that you¡¯ll respect my wishes on this matter. This request shouldn¡¯t be difficult, right?¡±

    With that, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s slender figure had already passed by and walked towards the stairs in front of her.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s expression froze when he heard that. However, he could only take a deep breath and look at her before he looked away and stopped at Qi Lei.

    ¡®Click ck¡¯

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure disappeared at the stairs, Qi Lei suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

    ¡°Madam, Miss and the Master are back!¡±

    It was the Bbutler¡¯s voice!

    ¡°Where did the Mastere from? ¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s unhappy voice was heard immediately. It was clear that there was some displeasure in her tone. The butler and servant were so frightened that they did not dare say anything¡ª

 Chapter 1601 - It Must Be Him! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1601: It Must Be Him! (2)</h4>

    Qi Lei turned his head and followed Dongfang Gan¡¯s gaze. As expected, he saw Song Siting walk in from outside. Her expression was tense, and it was obvious that she did not look happy.

    This was something Qi Lei had expected.

    ¡°Come and sit. Our daughter has just returned. Where did you go just now?¡±

    Dongfang Gan coughed lightly and subconsciously moved to his left to give her some space. Song Siting also walked over inrge strides. Without looking at Qi Lei, she sat down on the sofa and took a sip of the tea in front of her.

    Qi Lei was calm as usual. He sat in silence and looked at the couple who had be his inws.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    Song Siting stopped what she was doing and looked at Qi Lei. When she saw Qi Lei¡¯s face clearly, she was stunned. She looked at Qi Lei, unable to react.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face smiled, ¡°So it¡¯s Lawyer Song. Sorry, I didn¡¯t recognize you in time thest time.¡±

    Song Siting frowned. She seemed to find it hard to ept this.

    Her daughter had chosen the person who had saved her at the airport!

    So...

    She thought about it for a moment before her expression looked slightly better. She nodded, ¡°So it¡¯s you... You and Liuyun... How did you...¡±

    Qi Lei held his cup lightly and looked at the two elders across from him. He was silent for a moment before speaking softly, ¡°I¡¯ve known Liuyun for more than a year. We¡¯ve been getting along with each other for more than a year and realized that we¡¯re verypatible with each other. That¡¯s why I proposed to her over 10 days ago. I¡¯m very d that she agreed to my proposal. I¡¯m sure you have both investigated my situation clearly, please believe in my determination and sincerity in marrying Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not visiting before making the decision. I hope that father and mother can forgive me and bless us.¡±

    Dongfang Gan and Song Siting did not say anything for a long time after Qi Lei finished speaking. However, both of them did not look too good. They seemed to feel a well of indescribable feelings.

    ¡°We did not know of your existence before this. How could you... Besides, not just anyone is suitable for Liuyun. What makes you think that you can marry our daughter? Although your qualifications are not bad and there isn¡¯t much of a gap between you and our Dongfang n, there are many people who are far more suitable for Liuyun than you. Why should we trust you with our daughter?¡±

    The person who spoke was Dongfang Gan. At that moment, his gaze on Qi Lei became even sharper.

    After Dongfang Gan finished speaking, he subconsciously looked at Song Siting beside him. Seeing that Song Siting¡¯s brows were still tightly furrowed, it could be seen that Song Siting was not very satisfied with Qi Lei.

    ¡°Furthermore, if I remember correctly, Second Master Qi is a famous yboy in the circle, your reputation is notorious. Do you think that I could let Liuyun be married to someone like you?¡±

    Dongfang Gan was not polite at all as he spoke frankly.

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment, but there was no change in his expression. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. His tone was very modest and rxed, but the nce in his dark eyes were unusually confident and determined. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Oh? ¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at him and seemed to be interested. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him meaningfully.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes shed with a mysterious light. He slowly put down the cup in his hand and gestured to Yang Sheng, who was standing by the sofa without saying a word. Yang Sheng immediately went forward with a ck briefcase, he opened it and took out a thick document. He handed it to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei quickly reached out and took it. He casually flipped it open and looked at it. Then, he closed it and slowly handed it to Dongfang Gan. His deep voice was filled with sincerity, ¡°In my eyes, she¡¯s a unique existence. Since I¡¯ve chosen her, I¡¯ll use everything I have to protect her.¡±

    ¡°This is 90% of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s shares under my name. I have investment shares in various restaurants and other projects. There¡¯s Grand Lake Vi District, the Qi family mansion, and more than a dozen properties under my name. This includes a few pieces ofnd in the city¡¯s east that I bought a few years ago. She knows the password to my personal credit card. Thewyer has already arranged it for me. Take these...¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, his expression was as calm as water, ¡°This is all I have. As long as Liuyun signs it, all of this will belong to her. Please believe in my sincerity and determination to marry her. I admit that I¡¯ve lingered in many rtionships before this and my reputation isn¡¯t too good, but ever since I met her, I¡¯ve stayed away from those affairs. I can¡¯t see any other women anymore, I admit that I¡¯vepletely fallen for her and am willingly trapped by her. I¡¯ll use the rest of my life to protect her. I hope that the both of you can bless us.¡±

    His sincere words stopped Dongfang Gan, even Song Siting listened in disbelief. She turned to look at Dongfang Gan. Dongfang Gan had already reached out to take the document. He flipped it open in surprise, and he read it carefully¡ª

    As expected, Dongfang Gan¡¯s expression changed after reading the first few pages. His movements became a little stiff. His dark eyes were filled with shock. He suddenly looked up and locked his gaze on Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face¡ª

    Qi Lei let him examine him.

    After a long while, Dongfang Gan took a deep breath and handed the thing in his hand to Song Siting¡ª

    He was surprised that Qi lei had such boldness and generosity!

    Even he was shocked. Everything he had?

    If he had to do this for Song Siting back then, he probably would not have been able to do it, but now...

    However, he could not be sure that these were Qi Lei¡¯s sincere actions. However, his actions made him feel a heartfelt admiration. At least, his courage and boldness made Dongfang Gan see him in a new light.

    Song Siting took the document and flipped through it. She was stunned for a moment, and her tense expression eased a little. She frowned, closed it, and ced it on the table in front of her.

    Yang Sheng, who was standing on the side, was extremely anxious!

    He had never thought that the materials Master Qi had asked him to prepare were actually for...

    He was so anxious that his palms were sweating!

    Those were all Master Qi¡¯s assets. If they were all taken away, what would Master Qi do?

 Chapter 1602 - It Must Be Him! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1602: It Must Be Him! (3)</h4>

    The Dongfang couple exchanged a look, and both of them fell silent.

    Dongfang Gan was silent for a long time before he slowly said, ¡°Perhaps this is not important to Liuyun. Besides, this is not what we want. Do you know Liuyun¡¯s past? How much do you really know about her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to pursue her past. All I can see is the present and look forward to tomorrow, because everyone has their own past. Since it has already happened, we don¡¯t have the ability to change it. The only thing we can grasp is the present and n for tomorrow.¡±

    Qi Lei was very open-minded. He had thought that perhaps Dongfang Liuyun had a past that was not beautiful, and he, Qi Lei, was he not also a scum in the past? If she could choose him, why did he have to worry so much? It would naturally be best if they could let go of all this.

    Moreover, Dongfang Liuyun was mostly clear about his matters. When he was down and out, even he looked down on himself. She could even calmly drink and y games with him, treating him as an ally, a good partner, a goodrade. Just based on these, he felt that she would definitely be a choice that he would not regret.

    ¡°This thing about tomorrow isn¡¯t just talk. To be honest, I don¡¯t approve of the two of you being together. She should...¡±

    Although Song Siting was slightly moved by what he said, she still had some rationality. Inparison, she understood Fujiwara better, and Fujiwara...

    She preferred Fujiwara more. This was not an opinion that could be easily changed.

    ¡°I should what?¡±

    However, before Song Siting could finish her sentence, a cold voice came from upstairs.

    The few of them immediately turned around and saw Dongfang Liuyun standing on the stairs. She was leisurely holding the railing with one hand and looking down at them from above. There was an indifferent expression on her calm face, it was as if one could always catch a hint of mockery.

    ¡°Go on, I¡¯m listening. I want to see what kind of person a person like me can match up to.¡±

    Seeing that they had not spoken for a long time, Dongfang Liuyun walked down unhurriedly. Herzy posture gave off an imposing aura. Song Siting and Dongfang Gan could not help but exchange nces, the husband and wife both slightly restrained their overbearing manner.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked down the stairs and walked towards them in a fewrge strides. She stopped when she reached the table. She lowered her gaze and casually nced at the document. She reached out and picked it up. After flipping through it, a smile quickly appeared on her face, she nced at Qi Lei, who was coughing lightly and reaching out to snatch the document back.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned to avoid him. She looked at him and smiled. ¡°Do you really want to give me control over the finances?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Qi Lei cleared his throat and replied in a low voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s better not to bring out these things casually. I was the one who forced myself on you and forced you to marry me. Did you really think that I treated you just as a ymate because I¡¯ve been asking you out for drinks and ying games with you every night?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear voice came through. Her starry eyes were filled with mockery as she looked at Qi Lei with a profound gaze. It was as if there was a darkness that gathered in the depths of her eyes that could not be dissolved.

    ¡®Cough cough¡ª¡¯

    Qi lei choked on his words. He stared at her with his eyes wide open. When he saw her affectionate expression, he waspletely stunned¡ª

    What did she mean by forcing him?

    What did she mean by forcing him to marry her?

    Also, what did she mean by thatst part?

    After being stunned for a while, Qi Lei¡¯s sharp eyes caught the teasing look in her eyes. Only then did he react. Thus, they cooperated very well. He stared at her in a daze and said with some doubt, ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun closed the document in her hand and casually handed it to Yang Sheng, who was also stunned. She took a deep breath, picked up a cup of tea on the table, and drank it. Then, she frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of one or two days that I¡¯ve taken a fancy to you. I, Dongfang Liuyun, have never believed in a man that I can¡¯t conquer. I like the charisma on you, it reminds me of how I was back then. I thought, if I could spend the rest of my life with another me, that wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. It was my fault for taking advantage the other night, I drank too much as well,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun indifferently.

    Dongfang Gan and Song Siting¡¯s expressions changed drastically. They had yet to react!

    What did she mean?

    Did their daughter mean that she was the one who had..

    Dongfang Gan could not believe it. His dark eyes locked tightly onto Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s small face. He tried his best to catch any traces of it. However, it seemed like he knew his daughter well. She did not seem like she would joke about something like this.

    Song Siting was also a little flustered and exasperated. She stared coldly at Dongfang Liuyun and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re a girl. How can you say such a thing? Shameless! How did I give birth to a daughter like you!¡±

    ¡°Currently, only the few of us know. If you want the entire world to know what your daughter has done, you can say it out loud. I¡¯m trying my best to remedy this mistake. Everyone is happy. What¡¯s wrong with that? Anyway, you often tell me that I¡¯m in myte twenties and not young anymore.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re really going to make me so angry that you¡¯re willing to do that, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Song Siting took a deep breath. She did not want to lose her temper, but...

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is now. Anyway, it must be him! Legally, we are already a couple. If you want to make my life more difficult, you can maintain your attitude. I respect you, but I don¡¯t want to leave my fate in your hands, so I chose the person I like. We are of equal status, and I didn¡¯t bring shame to you. I think you should support me and respect me. At least, this is mutual, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very calm. She had always been like this. Compared to a heart-wrenching expression, she would rather remain calm. At least, she could remain calm and clear-headed at all times.

    ¡°Liuyun, don¡¯t talk to mother and father like that. They¡¯re only concerned about you.¡±

    Qi Lei could feel the helplessness and coldness from Dongfang Liuyun. After thinking for a moment, he reached out and gently held her slightly cold hand. He turned to look at Dongfang Gan and Song Siting, ¡°Father, mother, Liuyun knows that you all mean well. Don¡¯t worry. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll treat her well.¡±

    ¡°In this matter, I have to follow my own heart. I have to make my own decisions about my marriage unless you want me to follow your path.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was unusually determined.

 Chapter 1603 - Possession (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1603: Possession (1)</h4>

    Song Siting¡¯s expression darkened as she stared intently at Dongfang Liuyun. Her gaze lingered on Qi Lei for a moment, but she did not say anything.

    Dongfang Gan nced at the two of them, then turned to look at his wife. After a while, he said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this for now. Since things havee to this, let¡¯s... have dinner first. Qi Lei, after dinner,e to the backyard. I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    Although Dongfang Gan was a little unhappy, he did not want to dismiss his daughter like this. The atmosphere was so tense now. Qi Lei reached out and gently held Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand. Naturally, he did not want the situation to be too tense.

    ¡°Alright,¡± replied Qi Lei simply.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Song Siting suppressed the gloominess in her heart and said this to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°We just about the same things, I¡¯m a little tired of it. Let¡¯s leave this matter at that.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was clearly unwilling to bring up the old topic with Song Siting. She put down the teacup in her hand and looked at Dongfang Gan. ¡°I¡¯ll go straight to the Marketing Department tomorrow. Get me a copy of the Marketing Department¡¯s information.¡±

    Not wanting to continue this topic, Dongfang Liuyun changed the topic.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready. I¡¯ll get Ah Fei to bring it to youter,¡± replied Dongfang Gan.

    He noticed that the atmosphere between the mother and daughter was still a little stiff, so he suddenly stood up. ¡°Liuyun, help me out.¡±

    With that, he walked straight to the kitchen.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Song Siting and then looked at Qi Lei. He seemed to sympathize with this man. The situation was indeed as bad as she had imagined.

    Qi Lei gave her a reassuring look and slowly let go of her, ¡°Go. I happen to want to talk to mother too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. She took a deep breath and nodded lightly. She nced at Song Siting and followed Dongfang Gan into the kitchen.

    In the kitchen, lunch was almost ready. Dongfang Gan was preparing thest two dishes. When he walked in, he sent the servants away. Only the father and daughter were left in the kitchen. Dongfang Gan was cooking while Dongfang Liuyun stood by his side.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take your mother¡¯s temper to heart. After a while, she will slowly ept it. She has always been loyal to Fujiwara. You know this. She also thinks that you and Fujiwara can be happy together. After all...¡±

    ¡°No after all. Father, you know me best. I won¡¯t look back after that one time. Things between us aren¡¯t asplicated as you think. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m too cold. I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with him in the future. I want to live a new life.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused and walked over. She turned on the tap and washed her hands as she spoke, ¡°Lan Xiu and I are too close. We can only be best friends. We¡¯re not suited to be partners. As for Qi Lei, you might not be satisfied with his character, but I think he might be suitable for me. He treats me very well. I hope you won¡¯t make things difficult for him. I forced him to get married.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already speaking up for him. I¡¯ve never seen you defend anyone else like this before.¡±

    Dongfang Gan sighed as the gloominess in his eyes faded.

    ¡°He¡¯s not someone else now,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied as she looked up at Dongfang Gan. ¡°Father, are you agreeing to our union?¡±

    At this point, Dongfang Gan let out a long sigh as he silently looked at Dongfang Liuyun, ¡°What else can I say? Aren¡¯t you worried that we won¡¯t agree to this? Although I don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ve said that I¡¯ll respect your say on this matter. After all, you¡¯re the one who married him, and you¡¯re the one who has to bear the burden. However, I still think that Qi Lei¡¯s not so simple, I¡¯ll have to test him properly.¡±

    ¡°His background?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned.

    ¡°Yes, you might also know that Qi Kai¡¯s background is quite interesting. Back then, when the business world in City Z was in turmoil, the Wang family wanted to borrow the Qi family¡¯s stability. That was why Qi Lei¡¯s mother, Wang Qin, was forced to marry Qi Qiming. Of course, do you believe that Wang Qin¡¯s motive for marrying him was simple? Previously, although the Wang family and the Qi family were polite on the surface, they were not as harmonious in private as they appeared. Everyone knows that Qi Qiming and Wang Qin were not on good terms. Later on, the Wang family withdrew from City Z. I think this matter is definitely not simple.¡±

    Dongfang Gan knew these past events quite clearly. Back then, Old Master Dongfang and the Wang family had some friendship. Dongfang Gan more or less knew some of these things.

    ¡°But now that the Qi family is over, I don¡¯t want to pursue his past. I¡¯m not a person without tricks myself, and I don¡¯t have much right to ask of others.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll suffer.¡±

    ¡°Do I look like someone who will suffer? Father, I really don¡¯t want you to be influenced by mother¡¯s thoughts. Life isn¡¯t work, so you don¡¯t have to look at others with a critical gaze. Otherwise, all you can see is that person¡¯s shorings that have been magnified endlessly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about the past. I still have a tomorrow. My expectations are with Qi Lei.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she lowered her eyes. Dongfang Gan was stunned. Looking at his daughter¡¯s calm expression, he could only sigh to himself...

    ..

    Half an hourter, the food was ready. When they sat around the dining table, Dongfang Liuyun noticed that Song Siting¡¯s attitude seemed to have softened. She did not know what she had said to Qi Lei just now.

    After lunch, Dongfang Gan called Qi Lei to the backyard while Dongfang Liuyun went back to her room to tidy up some things.

    Just as she was done packing, the door was suddenly pushed open and Song Siting walked in.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped for a moment, but she did not turn her head to look.

    Song Siting stood at the door and looked at her for a while before walking over. She stopped beside her and handed the things in her hand to Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡°This document...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t sign it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun knew Song Siting¡¯s intention the moment she opened her mouth. She took the document and flipped through it indifferently. ¡°What do I need these for?¡±

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    ¡°I know what you want to say. When you married my father without any hesitation, did you think about these things too? Or did you really like my father?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    Her gaze was also filled with a faint light as she looked quietly at Song Siting, ¡°I really want to live my life with him. You¡¯ve made many arrangements for me since I was young. This time, please give up. I want him. If you can ept it, then ept it. If you can¡¯t, then forget it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was also tired from talking. She closed the document with one hand, carried the ck backpack by the side, and walked towards the door.

 Chapter 1604 - Possession (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1604: Possession (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Stop right there! What kind of attitude is this!¡±

    Song Siting shouted at her back, but Dongfang Liuyun did not stop¡ª

    Do not me her!

    She really did not know how tomunicate with her mother, Madam Song. The only thing she could do was to avoid her as much as possible and speak less, so as to reduce unnecessary quarrels or unhappiness.

    As she watched her daughter disappear outside the door, Song Siting could not help but feel a headache. She lifted her hand to support her forehead¡ª

    She just wanted to remind her to be careful. Since Qi Lei had taken out those things, they could be used as a safeguard. However, every time, her worry and kindness bes an ulterior motive in her daughter¡¯s eyes!

    She had been awyer for so many years, and she had seen hundreds of cases, if not thousands of them. Countless blood and tears had taught her that some things needed more nning. Naturally, she wanted her daughter to be vignt at all times. It was not that she could not be trusted, instead, she had to have a sense of self-protection, especially living in such an environment and family. Was she wrong?

    It was not as if she had never suffered such a loss all these years. Why could she not understand her good intentions?

    Fujiwara¡¯s affection for her was something that even she, as a mother, was moved by. As a mother, she knew her daughter, it would be strange if she believed that she would fall in love with that Qi Lei!

    Even so, she would rather her marry Fujiwara. At least Fujiwara loved her deeply and would treat her well, furthermore...

    In the backyard, Dongfang Gan and Qi Lei were chatting. The father-inw and son-inw did not have any conflicts. The conversation was rather harmonious, but Dongfang Gan felt ufortable that his daughter had been snatched away by Qi Lei, he did not feel too happy talking to Qi Lei.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Liuyun¡¯s sake, Qi Lei. I only have one daughter. To be honest, you¡¯re not the best son-inw that I fancy. However, based on your sincerity and Liuyun¡¯s intentions, I can onlypromise. However, let me be clear. If she suffers any grievances from you, I will definitely not let you off.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, father. I won¡¯t make things difficult for her even if I have to make things difficult for myself.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me father. It¡¯s annoying to hear that!¡±

    Dongfang Gan wiped Qi Lei¡¯s smug face away and waved his hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, father-inw. I won¡¯t make things difficult for her. As long as you¡¯re willing to support me with all your might, I don¡¯t mind if your grandson¡¯s surname is Dongfang. This is a secret agreement between us. How about it?¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly stood up. He slowly leaned over and whispered into Dongfang Gan¡¯s ear.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes instantly widened. A wild joy shed across his eyes as he stared at Qi Lei, ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes and revealed a fox-like smile. ¡°Of course! This matter can only be known to the two of us. Otherwise, the agreement will be void.¡±

    ¡°Alright! If you really have such magnanimity, I¡¯ll agree to it!¡± Dongfang Gan pped his thigh and replied.

    Qi Lei nodded meaningfully as a smile shed across his heart.

    He only said that the child¡¯s surname was Dongfang. He did not say that all the children would be Dongfang, and he did not say which one of them would be. Anyway, he did not care about carrying on one¡¯s ancestral line!

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun still did not understand why Dongfang Gan¡¯s attitude towards this fellow had changed so quickly. When he sent them out earlier, Dongfang Gan looked at Qi Lei as if he was a father-inw looking at his son-inw, and he looked very satisfied too.

    Dongfang Liuyun was puzzled. After a long while, she finally could not help but ask the man beside him...

    ¡°Did you do something shady with my father? Otherwise, my father wouldn¡¯t have changed his attitude towards you.¡±

    Qi Lei, who was driving, nced at her happily, ¡°Since it¡¯s a shady deal, I naturally can¡¯t tell you. This is an agreement between men. You won¡¯t be able to understand it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a lukewarm look. ¡°My father isn¡¯t that easy to fool. If you want to take advantage of him, I advise you to give up as soon as possible. Otherwise, I won¡¯t stand on your side when the timees.¡±

    ¡°Burn the bridge after crossing the river? Just now, you said that you had decided on me. I am now your real husband. Aren¡¯t you going to help me?¡±

    He nced at her and suddenly thought of something. Suddenly, an evil smile appeared on the corner of his mouth as he teased her, ¡°However, Mrs. Qi, I am really surprised that you can tell the two elders that you forced yourself on me without blushing or a thumping heart. You have once again refreshed my view of modern women like you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused when she heard this. She turned her head and looked out of the car window quietly. Her tone was very calm, ¡°What else do you think I can say? I knew they wouldn¡¯tpromise so easily. In fact, they have doubts about the reason I did this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Mrs. Song¡¯s attitude. You¡¯re considered lucky that she didn¡¯t humiliate you. Anyway, I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    ¡°You have a deep grudge with mother.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her meaningfully. He suddenly remembered that he had treated Wang Qin the same way before, but...

    ¡°Maybe she cares about you in her own way.¡±

    ¡°I know, and I understand. But I don¡¯t have to ept every time she says she cares about me in name. There is a ss issue between us, and there are even more issues with our worldview, values, and view on history. There¡¯s no way tomunicate with her. In this world, apart from father, no one can tolerate her.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sounded a little helpless when she said this, but Qi Lei did not catch a hint of resentment from her tone.

    ¡°She¡¯s my mother, so I have to respect her. I can only evade things that I don¡¯t agree with, you know this well, I can¡¯t change her. After all, it¡¯s been decades. Some of her thoughts and ideals have long been ingrained. Perhaps, after she retires and stops asking about those things, our rtionship will improve.¡±

    ¡°Of course, she can¡¯t change me. I don¡¯t want to see my fate like a train, following the predetermined path. What¡¯s the point of living like this?¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I agree with your point of view.¡±

    Qi Lei expressed his stance. After some thought, he continued, ¡°However, I hope that neither of us will give ourselves the chance to regret it. After my mother left, I realized this deeply. At least you did better than me. You can be considered tolerant towards your mother and have some expectations in your heart, but I¡¯m different.¡±

    ¡°Humans are like that, we always wait until we lose something before we regret it. You should be d that your mother still loves you so much.¡±

 Chapter 1605 - Possession (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1605: Possession (3)</h4>

    When they returned to the Grand Lake Vi area, the sky had already fallen silent.

    The sky outside was much gloomier than usual, and the air was much hotter than before. Looking at the dark clouds shrouding the sky, the street lights in the courtyard also seemed a little lonely and dim.

    Dongfang Liuyun held a ss of water and leisurely wore a light-colored nightgown as she stood outside the rooftop on the second floor. She looked at the flowerbed in the front yard below and at the man who was squatting down to fix the morning glory. His movements seemed to be quite agile, from time to time, lightning shed across the sky. With the help of the dim light, she could clearly see the focused expression on his face.

    ¡°Crash¡ª¡±

    After a dazzling silver light streaked across the sky, bean-sized raindrops finally fell quickly. The busy man below could not help but curse a few times. He immediately pulled up the stic film to cover the morning glory that had not been fixed in time, he did not care about his body that had just been drenched.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t wrong when I called you a single-celled organism.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun watched and could not help but shake her head. She put down the ss of water in her hand and went straight downstairs. She took arge umbre at the door and left.

    On the other end, Qi Lei, who was busy, heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned his head to take a look. When he saw Dongfang Liuyun walking towards him with an umbre in hand, he did not stand on ceremony, ¡°Quick! There are still a few more over there. Hurry up and fix them. They¡¯re going to bloom soon. I¡¯m afraid this rain willst for a while.¡±

    ¡°You seem to be quite qualified as a flower protector.¡±

    She nced at him and reached out to grab the rope by the side.

    ¡°Of course. This is a rare morning glory seed. I got a friend to bring it back from abroad and gave it to Mu Yuchen. This guy said that I don¡¯t have the skills to grow it. Isn¡¯t that a joke? When I was ying with the wild flowers, that rich guy was still acting cool on their school team. In terms of ying, none of them are my match!¡±

    Qi Lei did not stop his hand as he spoke. His tone was filled with dissatisfaction. When the entire garden of morning glory flowers blooms, I¡¯ll invite them over to take a look and show them what nting skills are!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell that I¡¯m mocking you? With your stance, you still want others to be blinded by you? Look at yourself. What¡¯s so special about a few morning glories?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and squatted down as well. She carefully fixed one of the morning glory flowers in her hand.

    ¡°When the flowers bloom, I¡¯ll blind your eyes first and then you¡¯ll know what I¡¯m capable of.¡±

    What a narrow-minded perspective. Back when he was overseas, Qi Lei had personally nted all the flowers and nts in his manor, butter on...

    He did not have the mood to do so. It was only in the past one or two years that he remembered this interest. On a whim, he got his friend to bring some flowers back from overseas. He wanted to nt some rare flowers and nts around the vi, it was also great for him to look at when he was free.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually not that interested in flowers.¡±

    ¡°Who would believe that? Women love flowers. Oh, right, Mrs. Qi, I seem to have not given you a gift for Qixi. I almost forgot.¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly remembered something. He paused for a moment and looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    He saw that Dongfang Liuyun had thrown the umbre in his hand to the side. Just like him, she was busy in the rain. Her clothes were already a little wet. Silver light shed across the sky from time to time. The muffled sound of thunder could be heard. She was not nervous at all.

    ¡°What gift? If it¡¯s not expensive. I won¡¯t ept it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately expressed her stance. Her hands did not slow down in the slightest.

    ¡°Of course. How can the gift I, Qi Lei, give not be expensive? Otherwise, it would lower my taste if I gave it away, not to mention that you¡¯re my wife!¡± Qi Lei replied in a low voice.

    He looked up at the sky, ¡°The weather isn¡¯t good. Otherwise, it would be a good choice for us to go out to the sea at night. The sunrise on the sea is quite eye-catching.¡±

    ¡°You often go out to sea to watch the sunrise?¡± Dongfang Liuyun looked at him in surprise.

    ¡°Yes. asionally, on a whim, I¡¯ll go out to watch the sunrise or go fishing.¡±

    ¡°You know how to swim?¡±

    She raised her eyebrows and looked at him.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei nced at her with dissatisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate my ability and IQ.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyunughed and shrugged. ¡°Then let¡¯s go bungee jumping another day.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Afraid?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m afraid of pain and death. If I die, no one will remember me. I¡¯ll be reduced to ashes. No matter how I think about it, it¡¯s a little sad.¡±

    He fixed thest morning glory in his hand and held up the stic film to block the storm. Then, he picked up the umbre beside him and covered her head.

    ¡°When the timees, it¡¯s not up to you anymore,¡± she said in a casual tone.

    ¡°Okay, hurry up. Your clothes are wet! Go back and wash them!¡±

    Another muffled thunder sounded. The dark night sky was instantly illuminated. The thunder suddenly became sharp and ear-piercing, and the rain also became heavier. He quickly wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a little cold.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously shrank her body.

    ¡°Take a hot bath. I¡¯ll go get you some water.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not too wet. I¡¯ll just change my clothes. You should hurry up and wash up so that you don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±

    The couple quickly returned to the vi.

    Once they returned to the room, Qi Lei immediately went into the bathroom. Dongfang Liuyun changed her clothes and boiled water to soak two cups of medicine. She drank one cup and saved one for him.

    The rain was heavy, and the wind was unusually strong. Large raindrops hit the ss window crazily in front of them. The rain poured down the ss. Dongfang Liuyun stood in front of the window and watched for a while before reaching out to close the curtains, unexpectedly, the phone on the table by the side suddenly vibrated.

    She frowned and turned her head to look over subconsciously.

    It was an unfamiliar call. She only took a look but did not pick it up.

    The phone vibrated several times in a row. In the end, Dongfang Liuyun had no choice but to mute the phone. However, after thest big shock, Lan Xiu called after a while.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it and finally picked it up.

    ¡°Happy holidays, Lan Xiu.¡±

    Without waiting for the person on the other side to reply, Dongfang Liuyun had already opened his mouth. ¡°How¡¯s the discussion going?¡±

    ¡°Happy Qixi, Liuyun.¡±

    From the other end came the rather cheerful voice of Lan Xiu

    ¡°I just finished dinner with Mr. Ge and rushed back to the hotel. The coboration shouldn¡¯t be a big problem. In the future, there will be an assessment before the final coboration can be confirmed.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions in advance.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you. Mr. Ge mentioned you, and he said that Fuji...¡±

    ¡°Got it. Help me thank him for this favor.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied and immediately hung up the phone.

 Chapter 1606 - Possession (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1606: Possession (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The storm outside was getting heavier. Thunder and lightning shed across the sky from time to time. Dongfang Liuyun casually threw the cell phone in her hand onto the table at the side. She looked out of the window at the storm that was still frantically hitting the window. After a while, she turned around and suddenly left the room.

    She came back in a short while, but there were already two clean sses and a bottle of wine in her hand.

    She opened them and poured into both sses. She held one ss and drank it in a few mouthfuls. Then, she poured another ss...

    When Qi Lei walked out of the bathroom while wiping his half-dry dark hair, he could faintly smell the faint fragrance of wine in the air. He quickly looked up to search for that figure, soon, he saw her by the floor-to-ceiling curtains. She was leisurely drinking a ss of wine.

    He immediately frowned and walked over.

    Dongfang Liuyun was also very sensitive to the sounding from behind. She withdrew her gaze and quickly turned her head to look at him¡ª

    She had the refreshing feeling of a beauty fresh out of a bath, wearing a simple dark blue nightgown.

    ¡°Have two sses, and have some beauty treatment before you go to bed.¡±

    She waved the red wine in her hand and nced at the red wine that had already been poured on the table.

    ¡°The doctor said that you can¡¯t drink yet. Is it so difficult to stop drinking for a few days?¡±

    He nced at her and reached out to take the wine ss in her hand. He finished the wine in the ss in one gulp.

    She then looked up at him and shrugged, ¡°One or two sses is fine. If it were not for the time, it would be fine to drink a few more bottles too.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve got great tolerance, but you have to watch the time too. Are you still worried about what happened during the day?¡±

    Qi Lei did not know what it was but earlier he could feel her emotions fluctuating, so he thought it was because of what happened during the day.

    When she heard this, she raised her eyebrows and did not think much of it, ¡°Not to that extent yet. Anyway, I¡¯ve made preparations before I went back. However, I¡¯m quite surprised that father epted you. As for Ms. Song, don¡¯t take it to heart. She always thinks that she has all the logic in the world. Everything she says and thinks is for the good of my father and me. It doesn¡¯t matter if we ept it or not. You think I¡¯m used to it, but I¡¯m just tired of dealing with it, so I can¡¯t be bothered to say anything.¡±

    In Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes, her mother, Song Siting, had always been a very powerful existence, and she waspletely unreasonable.

    ¡°You, if you can take her down, I¡¯ll be very grateful to you.¡±

    A rare warm smile appeared on her indifferent face. As she spoke, she turned to look out the window, at the wind and rain that was crazily swaying and attacking, ¡°It¡¯s said that a person¡¯s environment of growth and experience often determine a person¡¯s character. Madam Song has suffered a lot in the past, and it wasn¡¯t easy for her to get to this stage. She herself is very inspirational. To arge extent, I also saw a role model in her, so I don¡¯t me her, and I can understand her very well.¡±

    ¡°However, not everyone¡¯s experience applies to another person, nor would they feel the same feelings.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned even more. He was very clear about such feelings, just like how Wang Qin had asked him before. It was just that he simply ignored it.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded lightly, ¡°That¡¯s right. It only depends on what value you¡¯veprehended. That¡¯s why I still respect them. I remember my grandfather telling me that if a person really knows how to tolerate,prehend, and improve, then they have truly grown up. And this is a big lesson.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather?¡±

    Qi Lei softly muttered. Old Master Dongfang¡¯s name was very famous in the circle back then.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s a highly respected wise man in the circle,¡± Qi Lei thought about it and said.

    ¡°Yes, he was also a wanderer in his early years. Even after he inherited the family business, he didn¡¯t stay idle and experienced many things. He doted on me very much when I was young. The first time I went on an archaeology trip with him, I went to Xinjiang. However, that was a long time ago. When I remeber that he¡¯s gone, there were a few years when I didn¡¯t want toe back. It was only during these two years that I finally recovered.¡±

    She suddenly turned to look at him and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I could empathize with you.¡±

    ¡°You really acted like a wise man who transcended the secr world, an existence like the goddess of light.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows raised, and a rare gentle smile appeared on his handsome face.

    Unexpectedly, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. She raised her starry eyes and stared at him quietly. After a long while, she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s a realm that only a Taoist nun or Buddhist nun can attain. A goddess with a silk, a male god with a demon. Which one do you think I am?¡±

    As soon as she said this, Qi Lei was stunned. He stared at her with his dark eyes. After a long while, he reached out with his idle hand. His slender fingers gently supported her delicate and beautiful face, the light in his eyes was already tinged with a burning heat.

    Her starry eyes blinked, and her faint lips curved. She obediently moved closer. Her slender hand reached out and gently grabbed his shoulders, pulling him down. Her calm and soft lips moved closer as well.

    Qi Lei naturally would not let go of such an opportunity. Hisrge hand wrapped around her slender waist, and he lowered his head to catch her. The wine ss that he had just filled up in his hand was thrown to the ground. With a bang, his extremely hoarse voice also carried a hint of charm¡ª

    ¡°So you¡¯re a demoness? Whether it¡¯s real or not, we¡¯ll only know after we try it.¡±

    ¡°You mean you think you¡¯re a Prince Charming?¡±

    She chuckled and lifted his chin with her fingertips. He reached out and grabbed her wrist. ¡°I must be your Prince Charming, and a good husband for the nation.¡±

    He smiled mysteriously. Before she could react, he had already carried her by the waist, turned around, and strode toward the big bed. Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously reached out, but she only had time to close half of the floor-to-ceiling curtains.

    Her entire body was ced in the soft bed, and a warm kiss alsonded on her. His actions were somewhat urgent, and after a while, she could feel a chill on her shoulder. When she turned her head to look, she saw that there was already a mess of clothes on the ground.

    Her hurried breathing could be heard. Sensing her awkwardness and stiffness, he paused for a moment. Suppressing his wild beast nature, he asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Do you need to turn off the lights?¡±

    She took a deep breath and held his big hand tightly. ¡°No need. This way, I can be clearer.¡±

    ¡°My control is not as good as you think... Mmm!¡±

    His dark eyes were as deep as the sea as he stared at her. He did not hide the sparks that were burning in his eyes. Before he could finish his sentence, the woman under him had already approached him¡ª

    ¡°We¡¯re just having sex, why do you have so much to say?¡±

 Chapter 1607 - Possession (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1607: Possession (5)</h4>

    Qi Lei almost went crazy when he heard this!

    What did she mean by ¡®why do you have so much to say?¡¯ He was trying to restrain himself from thinking about her!

    However, since she could be so calm, he would not pretend to be innocent. After all, it was not a matter of one or two days for him to get her. He would not go against himself.

    After thinking about it, he no longer had any scruples. His actions became swift and agile, and the bestiality hidden in his body was fully awakened¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret saying this.¡±

    He gritted his teeth as he said this, and a punitive kiss fell.

    ..

    If he did not feel it for himself, it would really be quite hard for Qi Lei to believe it!

    She could be so calm to this extent, and it was still...

    Seeing her pale face and how she subconsciously reached out to grab the nket by the side, he cleared his throat and said happily, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll be gentler, I thought...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her head away. Other than enduring the pain, she did not feel anything in his heart. She did not reject it.

    It was normal to do intimate things with her husband.

    However, she did not have time to think too much. In just a short while, she was engulfed by the storm Qi Lei stirred up. She was almost deprived of her breath.

    Reality proved that this guy¡¯sbat ability was pretty good. His movements were very skillful.

    When the first round of battle stopped, Dongfang Liuyun was panting slightly and holding tightly onto the nket that covered the two of them. Her blurry eyes nced at him and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Which number am I? Seeing you, you¡¯re practically experienced.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and kissed him silently. He smiled wickedly, ¡°Do you mind? I was young, If I knew it would be you, I would have promised to keep it for you. However, I swear that I haven¡¯t slept with any woman in the past few years, so I¡¯m rtively clean. Missus, please don¡¯t despise me...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and nced at him. She reached out to push him away, but he pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently on the lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you will be thest one, Liuyun...¡±

    He whispered her name and started another round of attacks...

    It was as if he was going to give her all the passion that he had been holding back. She was a little helpless at resisting it and could only fall asleepter on...

    The storm outside was still raging. asionally, he could hear the muffled sound of thunder. The entire world was shrouded in destion, but the bedroom was as warm as spring. Itsted until the second half of the night before it became quiet.

    ...

    The night seemed to have be very short. Qi Lei felt that he had not slept for long when the sky was already bright. Sensing the delicate softness in his arms, he immediately turned his head to look to the side and carefully lifted the nket.

    The scenes fromst night immediately flooded his mind. He almost could not believe that the feeling that he felt deep in his bones was an illusion.

    She was still asleep. Her messy hair covered the entire pillow like a dark cloud. Her sleeping face was as quiet and indifferent as her own.

    He breathed in softly. After a while, he lifted the nket and carefully got out of bed...

    She was sleeping soundly. Even after Qi Lei finished cleaning up, she still had not woken up.

    Qi Lei went downstairs to make breakfast. She had to report to Dongfang Corporationter, and he had an early meeting in the morning, so he woke up as early as usual.

    ..

    When Dongfang Liuyun woke up, the man next to him had disappeared. She dragged her exhausted body into the bathroom. After washing up, she was more awake and did not forget about today¡¯s business.

    When Qi Lei finished making breakfast and went upstairs to wake her up for breakfast, she was in the study, packing up the documents that needed to be prepared.

    Standing in front of the bookshelf, she tiptoed to get a document. Unexpectedly, just as her fingertips touched the document, the folder fell with a whoosh, and the papers that flew out scattered all over the floor.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at it and only frowned. She squatted down and picked them up.

    A pair ofrge hands was already one step ahead of her, picking up the pieces of paper on the ground neatly...

    ¡°I was just about to go upstairs to see if you were up. Are you okay?¡±

    Seeing the tiredness between her brows, he asked her considerately. As he tidied up the documents in his hands, he handed them to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    She took them, tidied them neatly, and put the documents into her backpack.

    ¡°I was too reckless...¡±

    He cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at her.

    She only gave him a sidelong nce and walked to the door with her backpack while saying¡ª

    ¡°That Acura is mine. You can change to that one yourself. The Dongfang group isn¡¯t very close to your Tai Yu Corporation and home. I¡¯ll have lunch at thepany in the afternoon and talk to someone about something in the evening. I¡¯ll be backter.¡±

    Hearing this, he heaved a sigh of relief. His tensed heart seemed to have instantly returned to normal. He was worried that what happenedst night would leave a bad impression on her¡ª

    Thinking of this, Qi Lei could not help but me himself. When did he need to care so much about a woman¡¯s difort?

    He thought about it and felt that it did not make sense. Then, he followed her out.

    By the dining room downstairs, Dongfang Liuyun had already sat down and started eating breakfast with her chopsticks.

    Qi Lei had prepared a delicious Cantonese breakfast. This had always been Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s choice of cuisine. There was also breakfast tea.

    ¡°The car keys are in the drawer. Do you need me to send you there?¡±

    Qi Lei pulled a chair to sit down and said. He noticed that there seemed to be a thickyer of powder on her neck, and he could not hide the smile on his face.

    ¡°Watch those eyeballs!¡±

    Before he could stop the smile on his face, a cold sentence came from her, as well as the fierce look in her eyes.

    At this moment, he stopped the smile on his face and very considerately picked up half of the rice flour rolls for her. He said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not obvious. Without sharp eyes, no one would be able to tell.¡±

    ¡°Be mentally prepared. This weekend, I want to invite my parents over to our house and discuss our marriage. I¡¯ve already prepared the betrothal gifts. I¡¯m not in the mood to be your secret lover now. The wedding can be postponed, but I have to settle all the formalities within this month.¡±

    Afterst night, he gave it some thought. He could not wait to announce that he was her true husband. At the very least, he had to first obtain the recognition of Dongfang Gan and Song Siting. He knew very well that Dongfang Gan had always been interested in Lan Xiu, he had to prevail as the neer. He had to stabilize his position first so that he would not have to worry too muchter.

 Chapter 1608 - Possession (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1608: Possession (6)</h4>

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we discuss this before?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze and looked at him with a frown.

    ¡°Are you willing to wait until the matter is spread and have others say that your husband doesn¡¯t have anything to offer to marry you?¡±

    He looked at her disapprovingly and lifted his hand to pour her a cup of tea, ¡°I don¡¯t intend to spread the news of our marriage either. In the current situation, a private marriage is good for you. I¡¯ve already gotten Wang Chun to handle the relevant matters. Since you¡¯re in the Marketing Department, why don¡¯t you take a look at the proposal of the South River Project and get to know about it? Tai Yu is currently assessing the strength of yourpany. You can start from this aspect ande up with some projects and data that we¡¯re satisfied with.¡±

    ¡°Which aspect of projects and data do you n to study?¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze and met his gaze. Her eyes did not conceal the anticipation in them.

    ¡°That is an internal secret.¡±

    Heughed softly and looked at her with a gaze filled with interest, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to yourpany passing. The other twopanies areparable to your Dongfang group¡¯s strength and may even be above yours. They are both veteranpanies that have cooperated with Qi Kai before. If I were to directly offend them, it wouldn¡¯t be very good either.¡±

    As he spoke, he had already dipped his finger in some water and wrote down a few projects on the side. Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes as he watched and very quickly memorized those few projects.

    ¡°Will youe personally for the assessment?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Wang Chun will bring the inspection team over. This project is very important. It has a lot of benefits to Mu Yuchen, Glory World, and Xi Xiaye. I can¡¯t be rash. If Dongfang group really has the ability, of course, I¡¯m willing to leave it to you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and then nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it when the timees. Dongfang Ren has been fighting for this project all along. Many troubles are waiting for me. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not strong enough.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already saying such discouraging words before you even enter?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her.

    She quietly lowered her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t like these scheming situations. Scheming and scheming makes people exhausted, but there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    As she spoke, she swallowed the half of the rice flour rolls in a few mouthfuls. Finally, she drank a few mouthfuls of tea. She pulled a tissue from the side and wiped her mouth. Then, she stood up with her backpack¡ª

    ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯ve already burned the document from yesterday. Although I know you might not care, I do. Also, I¡¯ll think about the marriage. I can¡¯t hide this matter for long because my grandmother¡¯s birthday ising up... forget it, I¡¯ll tell you about thister.¡±

    After saying this, Dongfang Liuyun walked to the drawer at the side and quickly found the car keys.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. If you get off work early tonight, go to De Bao House and help me get my things. I¡¯ll exin it to Uncle Ming.¡±

    As soon as she said this, her figure disappeared through the door...

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He silently watched her figure vanish out the door. After a while, he lowered his eyes and a rare rxed smile appeared on his handsome face¡ª

    It was as if he was suddenly looking forward to the rest of his life.

    After thinking about it, he suddenly finished the tea in his cup in a few gulps. He reached out and wiped his mouth with the napkin. Then, he took his briefcase and followed her out.

    ...

    ¡®Bang¡¯

    The sound of the door closing could be heard. Dongfang Liuyun turned to see the man sitting in the front passenger seat and frowned. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Send me to work. It¡¯s on the way anyway.¡±

    He gave her a sideways nce and then turned his head to look out of the window, pretending that he did not see her dissatisfied gaze.

    ¡°There are so many cars in the garage. Can¡¯t you drive one yourself?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said in puzzlement.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be with me?¡±

    When he heard this, he immediately frowned and turned to look at her¡ª

    This reaction was not right, it was not right at all!

    Theoretically speaking, should she not be a little warm and cuddly at this moment?

    No wonder he felt that something was not quite right. Only then did he realize that something was not right!

    Her reaction was too calm!

    Logically speaking...

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    She retorted unhappily before starting the car. ¡°Just to be clear, I¡¯ll be home veryte at night. Do you want Yang Sheng to pick you up from work? And where are your bodyguards?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be busy untilte too. When you¡¯re going home,e pick me up. Call me when you get there and I¡¯lle down,¡± he replied calmly.

    ¡°How are you going to settle dinner?¡±

    She narrowed her eyes at him before steadily driving the car out of the door. She increased the speed of the car and drove forward.

    He did not answer. He simply turned his head away and closed his eyes silently. He leaned against the back of the chair and closed his eyes to rest.

    However, after a while, Qi Lei¡¯s phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He reached out and took it out. He looked at the caller ID and saw the name shing on it. Then, he sat up slightly¡ª

    ¡°Zimo?¡±

    He read it and then swiped the answer button.

    ¡°Qi Lei? It¡¯s me, Zhou Zimo.¡±

    The call went through, and Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice soon came from the other end. His voice sounded a little hoarse, and there was a faint cough.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened, and he became a little vignt. ¡°Where have you been fooling around recently? Mu Yuchen and Su Chen have been looking for you for quite a few days. A few days ago, your mother went to the hospital and asked me about you. What have you been up to?¡±

    Zhou Zimo had gone missing quite a few times this time. If it were between the few of them, Zhou Zimo was the one who liked to be all mysterious now. He was often elusive, so it was difficult to find him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything more, drive to the western suburbs right now. At the foot of Guangming Temple Mountain, at the intersection next to the parking lot, in the direction of the limestone path... Get lost, don¡¯te over... Do you hear me? Hurry up ande over. Mu Yuchen and Su Chen, these two bastards, I can¡¯t get through them on the phone. Don¡¯te over... Hurry up ande over yourself. Just you. Hurry up! Otherwise, someone will bloody die!¡±

    Zhou Zimo only had time to say thest few words. Then, Qi Lei heard a ¡®Pa¡¯ , and then there was no sound.

    What was going on?

    Qi Lei realized that something was wrong. From Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone just now, it seemed like he was in some kind of danger. He seemed to have heard a very fierce dog bark. Could it be...

    Qi Lei frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so pale?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her and quickly dialed Yang Sheng¡¯s number. He told him to immediately drive to the nearby za to fetch Dongfang Liuyun. Then, he turned to Dongfang Liuyun and exined, ¡°Zhou Zimo seems to have encountered some trouble. I¡¯ll go take a look and have Yang Sheng send you over.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1609 - Apologetic (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1609: Apologetic (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    The car fell silent for a moment before Dongfang Liuyun finally asked. Even though she did not want to ask anything, she saw his slightly furrowed brows and asked anyway. She drove the car into a parking space in the sidene.

    ¡°Zimo seems to be in a bit of trouble. I have to go over quickly, you...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, quickly go, that¡¯s more important. There¡¯s a subway station up front, I¡¯ll just take the subway. It¡¯ll be pretty fast and I won¡¯t get stuck in the traffic jam,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun as she unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and got out of the car.

    Qi Lei also quickly got out of the car and helped her get her backpack.

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to take it. Just as she was about to turn around, her slender figure had just passed by when Qi Lei suddenly reached out to grab her¡ª

    He did not know why, but when he saw how nonchnt she was, he suddenly felt a little ufortable. ¡°Yang Sheng has already rushed over. Wait for him. The subway is too crowded, so it¡¯s not convenient...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also stopped in her tracks. She turned her head and looked up slightly at him. Naturally, she could see the apologetic and helpless look in his eyes. She could not help but chuckle, ¡°Alright now, I¡¯m not some ignorant woman. If you really feel bad, lend me that sunset dusk painting...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you. I¡¯ll give it to you when I get back!¡±

    Without waiting for her to finish, Qi Lei had already finished her sentence.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows. A faint ripple appeared on the corner of her indifferent mouth. She nodded happily, ¡°Alright, go on then.¡±

    As she spoke, she reached out and gave him a symbolic hug. Before he could react, she quickly retreated and strode towards the entrance of the subway station.

    The faint fragrance faded. By the time he regained his senses, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure had already disappeared at the entrance of the subway.

    ...

    A momentter, he quickly got on the car and rushed to Guangming Temple in the western suburbs.

    Guangming Temple in the western suburbs was only a small temple. It was located halfway up the mountain in the western suburbs. Normally, the incense was not very strong, but it was very quiet here. Zhou Zimo would asionallye here because the scenery was lovely.

    Qi Lei rushed to the parking lot and stopped the car there. He followed the direction that Zhou Zimo had just told him and walked into the limestone path. Behind him were two bodyguards in ck that Yang Sheng had arranged for him.

    At this moment, there was no one around. It was very quiet. The cicadas¡¯ chirping made the surroundings even quieter.

    ¡°President Qi, this path seems to lead to the back of the mountain,¡± one of the bodyguards in ck reminded him.

    The few of them had already walked a long way down the path. Qi Lei was still calling Zhou Zimo¡¯s cell phone, the call went through, but no one picked up.

    Qi Lei had no choice but to put away his cell phone. He frowned and quickened his pace.

    ¡®Woof woof¡¯

    ¡®Woof woof, woof woof¡¯

    After walking for some distance, they suddenly heard a fierce dog barking in front of them. The few of them immediately became alert. Qi Lei also subconsciously stopped walking. Two bodyguards in ck blocked Qi Lei behind him, and the few of them continued to walk slowly.

    ¡°Go away!¡±

    ¡°President Qi, it¡¯s President Zhou!¡±

    The bodyguards in ck in front sharply recognized Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice and said in surprise.

    ¡°Quickly go over and take a look!¡±

    Qi Lei hurriedly quickened his pace. Soon, as the dog barking became clearer, the few of them soon arrived at an open space at a turn. Fiverge dogs were surrounding a tree and barking fiercely under it. That stance...

    Qi Lei suddenly seemed to realize something. He looked up from the tree trunk and saw Zhou Zimo squatting on the branch. His hands were tightly hugging the branch beside him. His handsome face was filled with fear, his legs were trembling as he looked at the dogs barking at him. That look...

    He quickly took a few steps back and gestured. He could not help butugh, but he held it in. He raised his hand slightly and said softly, ¡°Get Ah Yuan to get some meat. Hurry up. Don¡¯t act rashly.¡±

    ¡°Okay, President Qi!¡±

    The bodyguard in ck quickly made a call.

    Zhou Zimo, who was on the tree, cursed with a livid expression¡ª

    ¡°Bloody hell, where were you?! Why did you take so long to get here? Hurry up and get rid of these mad dogs. Hurry up! Get lost¡ª¡±

    He coughed a few times and roared hoarsely.

    The mad dogs surrounding the tree had naturally noticed Qi Lei and the others long ago. They gave them a few sidelong nces and ignored them. Their target was still Zhou Zimo on the tree!

    How did this fellow offend these ferocious big guys?

    Qi Lei could not help but be surprised.

    ...

    ¡®Cough cough¡¯

    ¡°Laugh if you want to. Don¡¯t act like this, stupid!¡±

    When they returned to the car, Zhou Zimo took the wet towel and wiped his face and hands. Looking at Qi Lei who could not help butugh, he could not help but say coldly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I, Zhou Zimo, would one day be bullied by dogs!¡±

    He gritted his teeth as he said this, yet his eyes were filled with helplessness.

    Qi Leiughed out loud as he looked at the aggrieved Zhou Zimo, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you here so early in the morning? Mu Yuchen and the others have been looking for you for quite some time. You¡¯re so elusive. Aunty Liang went to your office to arrest someone, but she didn¡¯t see anyone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I don¡¯t even dare to go home now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo raised his hand to rub the space between his brows, ¡°The old man at home has gone soft with his tricks when he can¡¯t take it anymore. He¡¯s used all sorts of tricks, especially when Chen ispared to those two bastards, Su Chen. Now, the two of us are in the same boat.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows raised when he heard this¡ª

    ¡°Did the old man give you a death order again because of the matter with his granddaughter-inw?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Recently, I¡¯ve been hiding as much as I can. Before the blind date banquet, there were no less than 20 matches. I¡¯m about to go crazy! Thinking of how quiet this temple has been for a few days, I didn¡¯t expect to be targeted by a group of vicious dogs. When a person is unlucky, even drinking water can choke them to death.¡±

    Zhou Zimo threw the towel in his hand to the side. His dark eyes could not help but turn cold.

    ¡°You should indeed find a woman,¡± Qi Leiughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do this. I¡¯m telling you, be careful, or I¡¯ll really break up with you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo reached out and brushed his messy ck hair. He red at Qi Lei, ¡°I¡¯ll stay at your house for two days.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not convenient.¡± Qi Lei rejected him without thinking.

    ¡°I can arrange a hotel for you.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Are you hiding a mistress in your house, or is there something shameful in your house?¡± Zhou Zimo frowned.

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who talks too much. If Aunty Liang or your grandfather finds out about this, they¡¯ll skin me alive!¡±

    Qi Lei replied calmly, ¡°Besides, hiding like this isn¡¯t a solution. You still have to solve it from the root.¡±

 Chapter 1610 - Apologetic (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1610: Apologetic (2)</h4>

    ¡°Miss, this is your office. Do you have any areas that need changes or improvement?¡±

    In the Dongfang group, Dongfang Liuyun had just arrived at the Marketing Department when someone came to wee her. The young and capable woman in front of her was the secretary Dongfang Gan had assigned to her. She had been transferred directly from Dongfang Gan¡¯s office, Ah Ling.

    She was around 35 years old and had been by Dongfang Gan¡¯s side for many years. She was highly regarded by Dongfang Gan. Dongfang Gan had transferred her to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side for a reason. Firstly, he wanted to help Dongfang Liuyun familiarize herself with thepany¡¯s business as soon as possible, secondly, he wanted to know Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s situation at all times.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally knew Dongfang Gan¡¯s motive, so she did not reject him. She walked in and roughly sized up the entire office before sitting down in the chair in front of the desk.

    ¡°It¡¯s good, no need to change anything. You can call me Liuyun from now on.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun pulled open the keyboard drawer in front of her as she replied.

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll call you Manager Yun.¡±

    ¡°Bring me a detailed set of information on the situation in the Marketing Department, as well as information on the various staff members. Bring over all the ns and projects that the Marketing Department has done in the past five years.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun put the backpack in her hand into the cab and ordered.

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun! Oh, right, President Gan wants me to introduce you to the various departments of thepany. Now, we...¡±

    ¡°I got it. You cane back in half an hour.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes tiredly.

    Ah Ling carefully sized up Dongfang Liuyun. Her long hair that was hanging down turned into a ck cloud in front of her chest, making her look even thinner and weaker¡ª

    It was said that this was President Gan¡¯s daughter, Miss Liuyun...

    She had never seen her before, but she had heard many legends about her. She knew that she was President Gan¡¯s beloved daughter. At first, she thought that she was arrogant and unreasonable like those daughters of the rich and powerful. But after hearing about her, and now that she hade into contact with her personally, she knew that it wasn¡¯t like that.

    She should be a... very diligent and smart girl, right?

    Without the high-profile and noble aura of the Public Rtions manager, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, the Dongfang Liuyun in front of her was obviously more mild.

    Ah Ling looked at Dongfang Liuyun with admiration. After a while, she left.

    However, just as Ah Ling walked out of the door, she saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er walking over.

    ¡°Manager Rou!¡± Ah Ling quickly greeted her.

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er saw Ah Ling, her eyes naturally paused as if she was a little surprised. However, she quickly returned to normal and smiled, ¡°Why is Assistant Ding here?¡±

    ¡°The personnel department transferred me over to be Manager Yun¡¯s assistant. Is Manager Rou looking for Manager Yun for anything?¡±

    Ding Xiaoling was very clear about the conflict between Dongfang Ren¡¯s faction and Dongfang Gan¡¯s faction. Therefore, Ding Xiaoling had always been very vignt against Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    Seeing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes turned cold, but the smile on her face did not disappear. If one did not look carefully, there was no time to catch the sh of coldness in her eyes.

    However, these reactions obviously could not escape a shrewd person like Ding Xiaoling.

    ¡°I want to talk to her about work. Is she inside?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll inform Manager Rou.¡±

    As Ding Xiaoling said this, she turned around and knocked on the door, opening it.

    ¡°Manager Yun, Manager Rou from the Public Rtions department is here.¡±

    ¡°Let her in.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear voice was heard. Dongfang Rou¡¯er also took a step forward. She nced at Ding Xiaoling before walking in.

    In the office, Dongfang Liuyun had already sat up straight. Her fingers were crossed as she propped herself up against the table. She looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with an indifferent expression as she pushed the door open and walked in. No emotions could be seen on her face.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er walked in and stopped in front of the desk. She looked down at Dongfang Liuyun, after a while, she did not move.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at her and shot a nce at the chair on the side. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sit? Or do you like to look down on others like this, even though it¡¯s not very useful to me.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression darkened as she said this. Then, she pulled out a chair on the side to sit down.

    Dongfang Liuyun casually took a sip of the tea and looked at her, ¡°If you want to drink tea, make your own. It¡¯s right there. If you¡¯re not here to drink tea, say what you want to. I know you don¡¯t really want to talk to me, and I feel the same way about you.¡±

    ¡°You finally joined the Dongfang group after all. Haven¡¯t you always been disdainful? I remember when you left home, you let it be known that you wouldn¡¯t take over the Dongfang group. Why? Are you going back on your words now? Are you still reluctant to part with this big cake, or were you just putting on a show for everyone back then?¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment and took a sip of tea before replying, ¡°If I don¡¯t take over, are you going to take over? I¡¯m really sorry, but I¡¯m the first-in-line sessor. As long as I¡¯m not dead, none of you will be able to get it. Even if it¡¯s not me, there¡¯s still Dongfang Xin, Dongfang Yi, or Aunty. It wouldn¡¯t reach your turn, right? You¡¯ve worked so hard over the years only to pave the way for others. I can understand how you feel.¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, don¡¯t even think about trying to sow discord.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked a little upset as she warned.

    ¡°Sow discord? Congrattions, you¡¯re not too stupid to be able to hear it... It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t pretend to be all innocent in front of me like that. At the very least, I admire your frankness. It¡¯s good for a woman to be ambitious. However, since you¡¯re a chess piece, you should be ced in your own position. If you extend your ws too far, you won¡¯t even know why you lost your hands.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke in a light tone as she looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s sunken expression with great admiration.

    However, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was not a character that was easy to deal with. Hearing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sarcasm, she naturally did not feel good about it. However, she had been able to withstand pressure ever since she was young, so she did not seem to mind at all as sheughed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to sarcastically mock me like this. I know my position better than anyone else. Moreover, whether or not I¡¯m the first in line to seed isn¡¯t up to you to decide. This war has just begun. Dongfang Liuyun, it¡¯s hard to say who will have thestugh. Do you understand?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er lowered her body slightly, the smile in her eyes was unusually strange, ¡°Do you really think that you¡¯ll be lucky forever?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯ve never been lucky. That¡¯s why you¡¯re seeing the person I am today,¡± replied Dongfang Liuyun.

 Chapter 1611 - Apologetic (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1611: Apologetic (3)</h4>

    The cold smile on Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face became even more obvious as she stared at Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡®Pa¡ª¡¯

    A sound rang out as a gust of cold wind brushed past her hair. Dongfang Liuyun lowered her head to take a look and realized that there was a blue folder in front of her.

    ¡°This is the n for theunch of the new products for the Mid-autumn Festival next month. The higher-ups have decided to n an event to raise the poprity of the new products. Our Public Rtions department and the nning Department have a lot of things on our hands, so the higher-ups have decided to let your Marketing Department n and host the event. In any case, your Marketing Department should be the one who understands the market the most. I¡¯ll leave this task to you. I hope that you can give thepany a satisfactory answer on the day of the Mid-autumn Festival.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled cheerfully. Her eyes were filled with encouragement, but Dongfang Liuyun could detect a trace of yfulness within them.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at her for a while. She reached out to open the folder and took a few nces. In her heart, she had a rough idea of what to do¡ª

    It was basically iplete information, and the information given was very general. To make it a hot topic within a month¡¯s time was clear that they wanted to see Dongfang Liuyun as a joke. Furthermore, these information were prepared by the nning Department, if she was unhappy with the nning Department because of this matter, it seemed to be exactly what this woman wanted.

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out and moved the document back, ¡°Send the information over after it is fully prepared. The time is very short, and I don¡¯t want to dy the progress of the work because of some unnecessary trouble. Plus, you¡¯re not my immediate superior. After you have prepared this information, please hand it over to Vice President Zhang, who is in charge of our Marketing Department. I don¡¯t remember when Dongfang group¡¯s departments could directly do things without having to pass it on to the higher-ups, especially for such arge project. Manager Rou, haven¡¯t you memorized thepany¡¯s rules before you came in? Or have you been wasting your time here these past few years, turning a blind eye to thepany¡¯s rules?¡±

    When she said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was startled. Her face turned pale and she replied, ¡°There¡¯s Manager Lin¡¯s signature at the end of the page. I didn¡¯t overstep my authority. You¡¯d better watch what you say.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I forgot to read it, but since that¡¯s the case, you still have toplete the information and hand it over to Manager Lin. Our Marketing Department has quite a few managers. Who knows if she thinks I can take on this role? Also, I will carefully study the information she prepared for me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said bluntly, ¡°Ah Ling, send Manager Rou out.¡±

    Following that, the eviction order was given.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and took the document back. She nced at Dongfang Liuyun and did not get angry. ¡°Sometimes, I really have to admire your meticulous thinking. It¡¯s really hard to make you suffer, Fourth Sister.¡±

    ¡°I will also treat today¡¯s matter as a test for you, Fifth Sister. However, I don¡¯t know if you are satisfied with my performance?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and quickly took over Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s words.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was stunned for a moment before she smiled. ¡°Of course I¡¯m satisfied. Fourth Sister is indeed Fourth Sister.¡±

    After saying that, she picked up the document in front of her and stood up. She then turned around and walked towards the door.

    Ding Xiaoling had just walked in. When she heard the words of the two sisters, she heaved a sigh of relief. She watched Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s figure as she walked past. After a long while, she looked at Dongfang Liuyun, who had already turned on herputer, and asked, ¡°Manager Yun, are you okay? Manager Rou¡¯s expression doesn¡¯t seem right. ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You can go out first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun.¡±

    ...

    When the door closed, Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a moment. Then, she took her cell phone and dialed a number. The person who answered the call was Lan Xiu.

    ¡°When will you arrive in City Z?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°Do you want to pick me up? I¡¯ll arrive at six in the evening. Let¡¯s have dinner together,¡± Lan Xiu coughed a few times and said.

    ¡°Do you have a cold?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could hear it with her sharp ears.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, the air conditioning was just too strong at night. Come out for dinner tonight. It¡¯s just you and me. I can tell you about Mr. Ge. Otherwise, I can ask Ah Li to buy some ingredients to cook at home.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tonight. I have an appointment with my father. I want to meet a few people.¡±

    ¡°You have an appointment with Uncle Dongfang? Okay, I can¡¯t fight with Uncle Dongfang. You have to be careful. I heard about Uncle Dongfang¡¯s incident and what happened in the hotelst time. I have also roughly checked. It was done by people who were fired from the Dongfang group. These are troubled times. You have to be careful,¡± said Lan Xiu with concern.

    ¡°I know, and you too. I¡¯ve roughly looked through the information you sent me. Since there are no problems with Mr. Ge¡¯s side, he should be able to pass.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, you know about this project. Actually, Fujiwara was also involved in it. The reason why Mr. Ge agreed so quickly was because he had considered Fujiwara, so...,¡± Lan Xiu said hesitantly.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment and then replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Since we¡¯ve decided to let this pass, we¡¯ll have to face it sooner orter. Lan Xiu, we just need to be ourselves. We don¡¯t need to care about anything else. If he wants to be involved, then let him be. We just need to make sure we don¡¯t lose out. As for other people, we can¡¯t care too much.¡±

    ¡°Is he ¡®other people¡¯ now? Liuyun?¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Liuyun finished, Lan Xiu immediately asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her head slightly and took a deep breath. Her starry eyes blinked for a long while before she said, ¡°It can only be that way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sad.¡±

    An affirmative tone came from the other end of the line.

    Dongfang Liuyun eased up a little before she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m sad. I¡¯m just feeling a little emotional. I think perhaps I won¡¯t be anymore.¡±

    ¡°I heard that he¡¯s not doing well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing well either. Don¡¯t always speak up for him. Besides, you don¡¯t have to change anything because of me. No matter what, I can understand your position. I won¡¯t me you and I cherish our friendship.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she did not want to continue. ¡°That¡¯s all for now. Let¡¯s talk when you get back.¡±

    When she put away the phone, there was a knock on the door. Ah Ling walked in, followed by a woman who was holding arge bouquet of flowers. She looked like someone from the flower shop.

    ¡°Manager Yun, this is thedy boss of the flower shop. She has something to hand to you personally,¡± said Ah Ling.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly and looked at the woman in front of her with some doubt.

    The woman took a step forward respectfully and brought a bunch of blooming white roses to Dongfang Liuyun. She smiled and said¡ª

 Chapter 1612 - Unromantic (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1612: Unromantic (1)</h4>

    ¡°Hello, Miss Dongfang! This is the flower Mr. Qi gave you. He said he was very sorry about what happened this morning.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned when the woman said that¡ª

    Qi Lei?

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately recalled the expression on his face when the two of them parted this morning. She could not help but smile. Without hesitation, she reached out and took it. She quickly signed on the form and calmly said to the woman, ¡°Thank you. The flowers are very beautiful. I like them very much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you like them. Mr. Qi chose them personally. He asked us to wrap them up before sending them over,¡± the woman smiled and said.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°He has already left.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun gently nodded, ¡°I understand.¡±

    As she spoke, she lowered her head and looked at the bouquet in her hand. A momentter, she could not help but smile. The woman who had sent the flowers over had already slowly left the office under Ah Ling¡¯s hint.

    ¡°Put the flowers in the vase.¡±

    After a while, Dongfang Liuyun handed the bouquet to Ah Ling.

    ¡°But the orchids in the vase have just been changed this morning. Why don¡¯t I bring another vase?¡± Ah Ling asked.

    ¡°No need. Take the orchids. This white rose seems to be blooming well. I¡¯ll take it. Put it in the vase and put it beside the bookshelf.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, her eyes quickly scanned the ce. Soon, her focus stopped at the edge of the bookshelf.

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun.¡±

    Ah Ling then took the bouquet.

    ...

    ¡°President Qi, President Zhou received a call from Chairman Mu on the way here. We sent him directly to Glory World Corporation. He told us toe back and told us to tell you that if this matter was exposed, he said he would take your life.¡±

    In Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s President¡¯s office, the bodyguard in ck looked carefully at Qi Lei who was resting with his eyes closed by the floor-to-ceiling window.

    ¡°He deserves to be bullied. How could he say such things to his savior? Does he think Mu Yuchen can take him in again?¡±

    Qi Lei did not even lift his eyelids as he said this. He thought about it for a moment before continuing, ¡°The original hotel should still be booked. Let¡¯s see if he wants to stay there. That ce is very close to Mu Yuchen¡¯s Maple Residence. It¡¯s convenient for him toe over for a meal anytime.¡±

    As he said this, he waved his hand and signaled for the ck-clothed bodyguard to leave.

    The ck-clothed bodyguard nodded and then carefully nced at the book in President Qi¡¯s hands. It was thick and he seemed to be quite engrossed reading it just now¡ª

    ¡®The Bible¡¯

    When therge words greeted his eyes, the ck-clothed bodyguard was stunned!

    The Bible?

    Their President Qi actually reads such a book?

    It was unbelievable!

    However, he dared not say anything more. After replying, he quietly retreated.

    Qi Lei¡¯s entire body was still asleep with his eyes closed. The book in his hand had already been closed and ced to the side.

    Such an afternoon naturally made people feel a little drowsy, so he fell asleep. Even when Wang Chun knocked on the door a few times and walked in, he did not notice. Only when Wang Chun came to his side and stopped walking did he silently open his eyes.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡± Wang Chun called out to him softly.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes and asked as he looked at the ring sunlight outside the window.

    ¡°I seem to have found some progress on that matter. After the incident, the person who was fired disappeared without a trace. The police only caught him as an aplice, so they don¡¯t know anything about it. Oh right, when I was investigating this, I found out about the rtionship between Jin Sheng and the Missus. Jin Sheng was originally the Missus¡¯ marriage partner, but for some reason, the marriage didn¡¯t pull through. However, the Jin family has some resentment toward Missus and CEO Gan. Therefore, the marriage between Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er might be because they want revenge,¡± said Wang Chun.

    Qi Lei frowned and looked at Wang Chun. His eyes shed, ¡°What¡¯s the background of the Jin Family?¡±

    ¡°Just nepotism. They¡¯re rted to Old Master Dongfang¡¯s ex-wife. They had some dealings with the Dongfang family before, so Old Master Dongfang just gave them some face. Oh, right, they seem to be interested in thend near the city¡¯s east square. I heard that they want to buy it and develop an amusement park there. Previously, President Qi always wanted to sell it to help Qi Kai tide over the crisis. However, our current n is to build the department store there.¡±

    ¡°Amusement park? Does the Jin group have such a huge amount of money?¡±

    Qi Lei did not think much of it.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely impossible for them to take it down by themselves. However, if the Dongfang group is willing to cooperate, then the chances are very high.¡±

    Wang Chun exined, ¡°The Jin family has been going downhill for the past few years, and the transformation of the real estate industry is also imminent. They have set their sights on the service industry, so they have some foresight. Right now, the development of the east and south of the city is very fast, and the poption density is very high. If this project goes ahead, there might be some profits to be made. This is a big cake.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a big cake. Let¡¯s see if I¡¯m willing to sell thend to them. Do you think I can sell it?¡±

    Qi Lei brushed his ck hair with his fingers, ¡°However, I can y with them.¡±

    As he said that, Qi Lei¡¯s lips curled into a smile. His dark eyes were filled with a strange look. Wang Chun could not help but feel a chill as he watched.

    ¡°Continue to investigate that matter. Also, how are things on the hospital¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still the same. Director Liang said that President Qi¡¯s condition is more or less recovered now, but perhaps his subconscious is unwilling to wake up, so... I think that President Qi probably knows about the eldest Master¡¯s matter and can¡¯t let go... and he...¡±

    When Wang Chun said this, his eyes were carefully watching Qi Lei, afraid that he would be unhappy.

    However, Qi Lei¡¯s reaction was very calm. This time, Wang Chun was slightly relieved. ¡°Master Qi, why don¡¯t you bring Missus over? Maybe President Qi will wake up when he sees Missus...¡±

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want to wake up, it¡¯s useless no matter what I do. The son in his heart is already dead. The rest means nothing,¡± Qi Lei said with an indifferent expression.

    He put his hand on his knee and slowly stood up, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need to find another doctor. Just let the special nurse take good care of him. He can wake up whenever he wants. Just one more person or one less person. It doesn¡¯t really make much of a difference.¡±

    There was a hint of loneliness in his lowered tone, and more of it was helplessness.

    In fact, Wang Chun wanted to ask Qi Lei if he still hated Qi Qiming, but¡ª

    He,

    did not dare!

 Chapter 1613 - Unromantic (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1613: Unromantic (2)</h4>

    The afternoon sun seemed to feel very short-lived. After familiarizing herself with thepany with Ding Xiaoling, she was also busy in her office. It was not until the evening when Dongfang Gan called that she realized that it was alreadyte.

    When Dongfang Liuyun packed up the documents and left the office, the employees outside had almost finished their work. She took the elevator directly to the parking lot on the second floor of the basement.

    Soon, she found her father, Dongfang Gan¡¯s car.

    It was a modest ck-colored car, and Dongfang Gan was driving. When he saw his daughtering over, he quickly went over to help her open the car door.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting for a long time, haven¡¯t you? Is there any water?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took off the backpack on her shoulder, threw it into the backseat, and closed the car door.

    ¡°The bottle on the side is clean. You¡¯re all sweaty, wipe yourself dry. It¡¯s already autumn, and the weather is still very hot. Let¡¯s go shopping at night, you can buy a few cotton skirts to wear to keep you cool. I¡¯ll also get a few for your mother. She¡¯s been busy with work for the past two months, so she hasn¡¯t been taking care of herself.¡±

    Dongfang Gan turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun as he started the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out for the water bottle, opened it, and raised her head to drink a few mouthfuls. She wiped her sweat as she replied, ¡°Father, every time you go shopping with me, you have an ulterior motive. In name, you go shopping with me, but in reality, it¡¯s mostly for the sake of Madam Song at home. Sometimes, I still don¡¯t understand how a sessful person like you would fall for a woman like my mother. Isn¡¯t it said that people at your level like gentle, virtuous, and talented women?¡±

    ¡°Which one is your mothercking in? Your mother took care of the family all these years for the sake of us father and daughter. When I first joined the Dongfang group, it was very difficult. Your mother and I fought our way through it step by step. We¡¯re an old married couple. I don¡¯t have the mood anymore. You¡¯re already so old.¡±

    Dongfang Gan thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Besides, for many things, I still need your mother to hold down the fort. You might not understand even if I told you. If you really meet him in the future, you might be able to understand. I¡¯ve roughly observed Qi Lei and checked him out. Overall, he¡¯s not bad, even though he had a previous reputation of being flirtatious. But if such a person can be faithful, he¡¯ll be more loyal than those who are so-called faithful from the start. Father is also a man, when I haven¡¯t chosen your mother in the early years, I spent a lot of time like him too, so I can understand a little.¡±

    It was rare for him to give a pertinent opinion. Dongfang Gan had been thinking over and over again for the past two days¡ª

    Since his daughter had already made such a choice, he could not force her to do anything. After all, the path was her own choice, so he should just let her do whatever she wanted. He had to believe in his daughter. Moreover, no matter what, he would still have his daughter in the future, as Dongfang Gan¡¯s daughter, she would always be the noblest princess.

    ¡°Do you really think that you¡¯re counting on me to marry Lan Xiu?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Dongfang Gan in surprise. She watched as Dongfang Gan skillfully increased the speed of the car. She took a deep breath and continued, ¡°I¡¯m too familiar with Lan Xiu. In fact, it¡¯s not suitable for us to get married. He knows my background very well. It¡¯s not a good thing for some rtionships to go with the flow. There¡¯s no sense of anticipation.¡±

    ¡°You mean that Qi Lei makes you feels a sense of anticipation? I can¡¯t tell how much you really like him from your eyes, but he¡¯s very sincere to you. However, sincerity isn¡¯t love. You can¡¯t hide it from my eyes.¡±

    Dongfang Gan nced at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun leaned back and leaned against Dongfang Gan. She was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°He¡¯s pretty great. At least, I don¡¯t feel too much pressure when I¡¯m with him. asionally, I feel a little happy. His rxed and optimistic state can deeply affect me. You know, I need these healing things myself. In this day and age, who would want to carry a burden for the rest of their life?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun recalled some things about Qi Lei. It seemed to be true. It was only during such times that she could feel more rxed and the shackles in her heart could be temporarily released.

    ¡°If you want me to talk about marriage, I¡¯ve always felt that the most important thing is to bepatible, not whether it¡¯s how things should be. Compatibility is a truth proven through practice, and how things should be is just a subjective matter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use such materialistic dialectics to tell me these things. I don¡¯t understand, and I don¡¯t want to understand. You chose the path yourself. You have to walk it yourself while you¡¯re crying on your knees.¡±

    Dongfang Gan red at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately chuckled and reached out to pat Dongfang Gan¡¯s shoulder. Dongfang Gan shrunk his shoulders and looked at her with disdain, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Every time you reason with me, the reason is always on your side. Your mother is the same. I¡¯m the only one who suffers the most at home.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m right. I¡¯ve left you speechless! Alright, father, I know that you care about me and cherish me, but I¡¯m already so old. I know what¡¯s right and wrong. Besides, have you seen me cry all these years? I won¡¯t embarrass you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand and fiddled with her bangs.

    ¡°I¡¯ll knowter if I¡¯m embarrassed or not. Tonight, be more positive, it¡¯s all the big shots in the industry and some of my good friends. The dinner was arranged in your name. You should know what to do, right? Can¡¯t you keep away the ring on your hand? Maybe you might even take a fancy to a certain young master.¡±

    Seeing the sparkling ring on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand, Dongfang Gan subconsciously frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯m already married, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with wearing a wedding ring. Besides, I didn¡¯t embarrass you. It¡¯s not tacky, and it¡¯s quite nice and expensive. Take a look.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she extended her hand that was wearing the diamond ring to Dongfang Gan.

    Dongfang Gan red at her, ¡°Take it back. It¡¯s an eyesore! It¡¯s ostentatious!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just announcing my status as a taken woman to avoid unnecessary trouble. They might not know who I¡¯m dating anyway,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

    Qi Lei¡¯s words suddenly shed across her mind, and she continued, ¡°Oh right, father, Qi Lei said that he wants you and mother to pick a time toe home and discuss the marriage. He wants to find a date to betroth.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a betrothal, why don¡¯t you get him toe over and tell us himself? Do you think that my daughter is easy to marry?¡± Dongfang Gan replied unhappily.

    Thinking about how his daughter, whom he had doted on since young, had immediately be another man¡¯s, he could not help but feel ufortable.

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you in advance. Don¡¯t vent your anger on him. He didn¡¯t mistreat your daughter,¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled and said.

 Chapter 1614 - Unromantic (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1614: Unromantic (3)</h4>

    At night, in the President¡¯s Office of Tai Yu Corporation.

    Qi Lei, who had been busy for the entire afternoon, was still flipping through the information. The entire office was very quiet. He did not turn on all the lights. The only thing that was on was the bright and gentle tablemp in front of his desk. asionally, the silhouette of the neon lights was reflected from outside.

    ¡°Master Qi, Master Mu just called. Master Mo and Chief Su are at Imperial Sky. He wants you to go over quickly. Master Mo is treating tonight!¡±

    Yang Sheng pushed the door open and walked in, reminding him softly.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being caught? I¡¯m not going. Call Mu Yuchen back and say that we¡¯ll do it another day.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that bad? Master Mu still wants you to go over quickly,¡± Yang Sheng hesitated.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Tell him that I¡¯m a little busy. I¡¯ll go look for them in two days.¡±

    ¡°Master Mu is going to City B in two days. I was going to invite you over to take a look at the situation over there and bring Ms. Weiwei back to take a look. After all, Gu Qihao¡¯s side...,¡± said Yang Sheng.

    Qi Lei was silent for a while. Then, he looked up at Yang Sheng, ¡°Tell Mu Yuchen that I¡¯ll be a guest at his house tomorrow night. If he¡¯s fine, go home early.¡±

    Then, he closed the documents in his hands and slowly got up. He briefly packed the documents, then took his coat and walked to the door. Soon, he disappeared too.

    Yang Sheng only reacted after a long while and quickly chased after him¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi, where are you going?¡±

    However, Qi Lei¡¯s back was the only one who answered him. He thought about it and chased after him while taking out his phone to reply to Mu Yuchen.

    Outside, it was still early in the evening. Qi Lei drove straight to the shopping mall in the city center, and Yang Sheng followed closely behind.

    ¡°Master Qi, should we go for dinner first? It¡¯s quitete already,¡± suggested Yang Sheng.

    However, Qi Lei did not pay attention to him. He walked straight into a rather high-end children¡¯s clothing store and began to pick out clothes. Not long after, he saw that he had already carefully picked out a few beautiful children¡¯s clothes. There were some cute and casual dresses, there were also some little shirts and shorts.

    Yang Sheng realized that Qi Lei was probably picking out clothes for Qi Wei¡¯er, Mu Zirui, and the rest. He had seen this many times anyway. Master Mu did not have to worry about the children¡¯s clothes or anything.

    There were clothes, shoes, and some small toys. After a while, when the ck-shirted bodyguards that were called over could not hold it all anymore did he give up. Naturally, he did not have time to attend to dinner. After he had prepared these things and returned to the car, he felt a little hungry.

    ¡°You guys go back first. I¡¯ll go home myself.¡±

    He sent a message to Dongfang Liuyun. She said that Dongfang Gan would send her back. Since it was her father-inw, Qi Lei was naturally relieved.

    At this moment, he drove straight home.

    In a VIP room at Imperial Sky Entertainment.

    Mu Yuchen, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were sitting in front of the sofa ying cards. Mu Xiaocheng was sitting in Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms. In the entire room, there were only the three of them, and Mu Xiaocheng was just like a little bun.

    Xi Xiaye brought Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er back to the Shen residence. She would be backter, so Mu Yuchen could not be bothered to go back and work on his own. Coincidentally, Zhou Zimo was there too, so he came over and called Su Chen.

    ¡°What has Qi Lei been busy with recently? I haven¡¯t seen him in a long time. Thest time I called him out, I didn¡¯t see him either. could he be having a good time with some woman? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s the kind of person who prioritizes a man over a friend?¡±

    Su Chen tossed a card from his hand as he spoke.

    ¡°No matter how much he prioritizes rtionships over friends, it¡¯s not as much as you. When I called you this morning, do you dare say that you weren¡¯t doing something with your wife?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at Su Chen with special disdain.

    ¡°You know everything I do? You have irvoyance? I can see that you¡¯re full of resentment. You stab whoever you find. Even Ah Chen dislikes you, and Mu Xiaocheng dislikes you even more. Come, Xiaocheng, give your uncle Zimo a look of disdain. Let him learn his lesson and reflect on himself. Otherwise, he¡¯ll think that we¡¯re lying to him!¡±

    As Su Chen spoke, he reached out and tugged at Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little hand, gesturing to him!

    However, Mu Xiaocheng pursed his lips and gave him a sideways nce. Then, he lowered his head to look at the card in his father¡¯s hand.

    Seeing this, Zhou Zimo burst intoughter. He quickly leaned over, hugged Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little head, and nted a heavy kiss on his pink little face. He smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re really uncle¡¯s good baby. It¡¯s not in vain for uncle to love you so much. Little guy, you have to remember that this Uncle Su in front of you is not a good person!¡±

    ¡°Are you a good person? A good person wouldn¡¯t act like this!¡± Su Chen squinted at Zhou Zimo and said nonchntly.

    ¡°Both bad!¡±

    As soon as Su Chen finished speaking, Mu Xiaocheng suddenly spat out these two words. Although he did not say it clearly, everyone could hear what he meant. At this moment, Mu Yuchen, who had always been calm and peaceful, could not help but chuckle, he reached out and grabbed Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little hand, ¡°My good son!¡±

    ¡°Good... Daddy...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng hugged Mu Yuchen¡¯s arm as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re both the same!¡±

    Su Chen nced at Mu Yuchen, took the wine by the side, and drank a mouthful before looking at Zhou Zimo, ¡°But to be honest, I really can¡¯t take the pressure anymore. On my side, grandfather Zhou and mother Zhou call me every day to ask about your situation. The day before yesterday, the old man even personally came to my bureau. If I didn¡¯t report it, I would have been dragged out to be criticized. Ah Chen¡¯s situation is the same as mine. Hiding like this is really not a solution. We can¡¯t dy thepany¡¯s matters.¡±

    After Su Chen said this, Zhou Zimo paused. His eyes darkened and he took a deep breath. Suddenly, he tossed the cards in his hand onto the table in front of him and said with a rare bit of annoyance, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hide either, but if I don¡¯t hide, what do you think I can do?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give in to them?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve all found someone you like, so naturally, you won¡¯t understand my feelings. Do I, Zhou Zimo, look like the kind of person who just gives in?¡±

    Zhou Zimo brushed his ink-ck hair with his fingers as his expression tensed up, ¡°I can¡¯t stand living with a woman that I reject no matter what.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you reject all the women in the world,¡± Su Chen suddenly said this.

    Zhou Zimo drank his wine impatiently while Mu Yuchen was ying with his son.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡±

    Su Chen frowned as he looked at him and asked.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you said everything that needs to be said? It¡¯s most important that he listens.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at the two of them disapprovingly before his gaze finallynded on Zhou Zimo.

 Chapter 1615 - Unromantic (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1615: Unromantic (4)</h4>

    Zhou Zimo looked into his calm eyes and drank up the wine in his ss¡ª

    ¡°If you have something to say, just say it at once. Wake me up now, I want a bowl of chicken soup for the soul too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked away and fed Mu Xiaocheng some food as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have chicken soup, but if you keep acting like this, I think the elder will invite us to drink human meat soup soon.¡±

    ¡°If you really are against it, there¡¯s another way we could try.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes instantly lit up as he stared at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Castrate yourself and be a monk¡±

    Mu Yuchen carried Mu Xiaocheng and stood up as he replied.

    ¡°Damn it, bad friend! Get lost!¡±

    When he said this, Zhou Zimo could not help but throw the wine ss towards him.

    Mu Yuchen quickly turned and dodged it. Su Chen wasughing so hard that he could not even straighten up.

    ¡°A contract marriage. The prerequisite is that you really have to keep this matter under wraps and control yourself.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him with some disappointment. Then, he carried Mu Xiaocheng and walked towards the door. Su Chen also finished the wine in his ss and stood up.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned when Mu Yuchen said that. He thought about it and suddenly felt that this was a good idea, but...

    ¡°But where can I find that woman? Hey, don¡¯t go! Since you said that, there must be a way. Chen! Su Chen... You, wait for me, you got to help me all the way, you two bastards! Bastards! ¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not help but curse as he watched the two of them leave. He was a little mad!

    Meanwhile, Mu Yuchen and Su Chen, who had already walked out, were walking side by side.

    ¡°Can your method really work?¡±

    Su Chen still looked at Mu Yuchen suspiciously.

    Mu Yuchen held Mu Xiaocheng in one hand while the little guy leanedfortably on his shoulder. When he saw the bodyguards in ck behind him, his sparkling eyes were wide open like stars. The expression on his face was adorable and very cute, he did not bother his father and Uncle Su talking at all. The bodyguards behind him could not help but look at the little guy and hold back theirughter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand how Zimo is? Speaking of his unruly nature, among the few of us, he¡¯s actually the most spontaneous. If we don¡¯t give him any pressure, he wouldn¡¯t submit obediently. This is the best way to deal with a rtionship idiot like him,¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°But, what kind of person should we find? Besides, other girls don¡¯t want to be taken advantage of like this. Could it be that you¡¯re nning to be a matchmaker?¡± Su Chen frowned and asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s indeed a problem. You know Zimo¡¯s personality. He definitely doesn¡¯t like women like Zhang Yue. I don¡¯t want to see him get restless either. Let¡¯s get him to settle down as soon as possible so that he won¡¯t be taken advantage ofter on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you¡¯ve seen it too. There really aren¡¯t many women that can catch Zhou Zimo¡¯s eye!¡±

    Su Chen could not help but sigh, ¡°Besides, who knows if he¡¯s healed from his past trauma? Maybe it¡¯s because of that that he¡¯s been living like this.¡±

    ¡°It was just a verbal promise. I¡¯ve checked. That woman is already married. She¡¯s married to a local rich businessman and has a child. It¡¯s been so many years, and he hasn¡¯t brought it up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. For example, if Xi Xiaye leaves you for ten years, or even longer, can you forget her?¡± Su Chen said.

    ¡°Don¡¯tpare with me and Xiaye. I wouldn¡¯t give her the chance to leave me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him unhappily.

    Su Chen shrugged and said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but this idiot is really stupid. He had a rtionship that costed him tens of millions, yet he didn¡¯t get anything out of it. Luckily, he could keep it a secret. Otherwise, he probably would¡¯ve lost all dignity.¡±

    ¡°Let this matter remain untouched. In any case, only the few of us know about it. He should be able to get through this haze. Actually, it¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t any candidates. A few days ago, I went to Uncle Zhou¡¯s ce for a visit. I bumped into someone. You will definitely be very surprised to know who it was.¡±

    ¡°Who was it?¡±

    ¡°Qin Su, do you still remember? When we were sent out on a mission, she was the female undercover. She even saved Zimo¡¯s life and her arm was grazed by a bullet. After that, Zimo always wanted to thank her, but she was immediately transferred to the Northwest Military Region. She recently returned and is now working as an instructor in Uncle Zhou¡¯s military region.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, right, right! Qin Su, I remember now. She graduated from the Information Major. I heard that she¡¯s really good withputers. Back then, it was her and Zimo who joined hands to hack into the opponent¡¯s website to steal a lot of data. How could I forget this person? Zimo, that bastard, praised her a lot back then. Isn¡¯t she married yet?¡±

    Su Chen looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise.

    ¡°Not yet. She¡¯s 28 now. Uncle Zhou has been going around talking nonsense with me. He actually wanted me to get them together. This Qin Su is the daughter of Uncle Zhou¡¯srade-in-arms. She¡¯s under a lot of pressure too.¡±

    ¡°Good for you, bastard. You¡¯ve gone round and round, and this is how you¡¯ve set Zimo up? And you¡¯ve probably managed to win him over. If it¡¯s Qin Su, with his attitude of repaying favors, he¡¯ll definitely seed! The problem is, can you guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to convince Qin Su?¡±

    ¡°This matter is a little difficult. Uncle Zhou wants to turn her into his daughter-inw, but he can¡¯t bring down his old face, so...¡±

    ¡°For the sake of that idiot brother, you¡¯ll have to work a little harder. At most, you can ask Zhou Zimo to give you double the money for your matchmaker. How about it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite optimistic. Why don¡¯t you go look for Qin Su? You guys know each other anyway!¡±

    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s a pity that Zitong is one or two yearster than her. If they knew each other, we could¡¯ve let her do it. Otherwise, you can ask your wife to help out.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe up with any good ideas. I¡¯m going back now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at him with some disgust and quickened his pace.

    Su Chen paused for a moment. Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure had already passed by, but Mu Xiaocheng, who was lying on his back, smiled at him. That adorable look made Su Chen chase after him immediately and pinch his face.

    ...

    The night was getting darker. The lights in the entire city were not as brilliant as before. The car steadily drove past the waning lights and headed towards the Grand Lake Vi area.

    The car had just reached the entrance of the Grand Lake Vi area when it stopped steadily.

    Dongfang Gan turned on the lights in the car and turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop here. Go back and take a good shower and rest up. You still have to go to work tomorrow. You must take what I told you tonight to heart. Also, remember to take the things.¡±

 Chapter 1616 - Unromantic (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1616: Unromantic (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Dongfang Gan finished speaking, Dongfang Liuyun tidied up her messy hair. She turned and met his gaze¡ª

    ¡°Since we¡¯re already here,e in and have a seat. Qi Lei should be back by now.¡±

    ¡°Next time, I¡¯lle with your mother, I¡¯m not prepared today and it¡¯s already sote, so I don¡¯t want to disturb your peace. Did you listen to what I said to you?¡± Dongfang Gan looked at her with a frown.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I remember. I have my own ns. I know what to do. Father, go back and talk to mother. I really want to live a peaceful life. Qi Lei, he¡¯s very good to me.¡±

    Dongfang Gan listened and could not help but pat Dongfang Liuyun on the head, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve just married him and already know how to defend him. I¡¯ve never seen you treat anyone this special. You seem to care about him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s now my real husband, your son-inw. How can I not care for him?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged and opened the car door as she spoke. She quickly closed the door and walked to the backseat to get her things. Then, she walked over and continued, ¡°Alright, you can go back now. Drive carefully on the road.¡±

    ¡°You can go in first. Father will look after you.¡±

    Dongfang Gan said this and silently looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled and did not say anything else. She suddenly turned around and walked into the vi area. Her slender figure disappeared into the night in front of her. At this moment, Dongfang Gan slowly started the car, and left...

    There was still a short distance between the entrance of Grand Lake Vi area and Qi Lei¡¯s vi. The street lights on both sides of the clean cement road were naturally very bright. When she looked up, she could see a few moths flying around.

    She walked along the road under her feet and soon arrived at the door of the house. To her surprise, she realized that the lights in the courtyard were very bright. It seemed like they were left on purpose. Usually, only the street lights in the front yard were turned on, but now, even the lights in front of the door were on.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, but she quickly reacted. She continued walking forward, swiped her card, and entered through the door.

    At this moment, in the brightly lit living room, Qi Lei was sitting on the sofa. The television in front of him was turned on. He was holding a big bowl in his hand and eating with chopsticks in one hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun had just walked through the door when she noticed his figure. The sound from the television was quite loud, and he did not even notice that Dongfang Liuyun had put down her things.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him for a while before she rxed her steps and walked over.

    ¡°What are you watching? Why are you so engrossed in it? What are these? A bunch of them. For me?¡±

    Soon, she saw that the sofa beside him was filled with shopping bags.

    The sudden sound startled Qi Lei. He swallowed the food in his mouth and turned to look at her. He had no idea when she stood behind him, ¡°Why are you sote? You didn¡¯t pick up your phone.¡±

    ¡°When you called me, I was almost home. Egg fried rice? You seem to really enjoy it.¡±

    She raised her eyebrows and reached out her hand at him.

    Qi Lei paused and handed over his chopsticks. Without hesitation, she picked up the tempting fried egg and put it to her mouth. She ate it slowly and narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°It¡¯s a little salty.¡±

    Then, she returned the chopsticks.

    Qi Lei looked back at her. ¡°The eggs are salty and delicious. Who sent you back? Did you take a taxi? Did father really send you back? Why didn¡¯t you let hime over?¡±

    As he spoke, he poured her a ss of water and moved it over.

    Dongfang Liuyun took it naturally. After drinking two mouthfuls, she replied, ¡°Mmm, it was toote. Besides, wouldn¡¯t you be nervous if hees over?¡±

    ¡°My father-inw, which means I¡¯m practically half his son. Why would I be nervous? Besides, the circumstance is settled. It¡¯s useless for them to object!¡± Qi Lei spoke with conviction.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know where your sense of superiorityes from?¡± She shook her head and smiled.

    ¡°Superiorityes from self-confidence. Self-confidencees from Qi Lei himself. You won¡¯t be able to defeat me. I know where my charm lies.¡±

    He looked at her proudly, a wicked smile on his lips.

    ¡°Did you receive the flowers I sent you?¡±

    He suddenly thought of this.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Only a person like you would give such a tacky flower. However, I won¡¯t ept your apology for what happened this morning.¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you ept it? I just think that red roses are too tacky and rustic, so I chose white roses. They look nicer, but you actually think I have no taste?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and looked at her with some dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Your taste is indeed quite low.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such an unromantic woman. I don¡¯t give flowers to women easily. The bags next to them are the dresses I bought along the way. Try them on.¡±

    Dresses?

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously turned her head to look at the bags on the chair beside her...

    Just now, when she was shopping with Dongfang Gan, her attentive father had also bought her a few bags. Was it the shopping festival today?

    ¡°Why do you have time to go shopping?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked him in surprise as she reached out to take the few paper bags. She opened and looked at them. They were all new dresses with good designs. Needless to say, the quality was not bad. This guy still pursued the brand and quality, the clothes in the closet were all high-end goods, be it his or hers.

    ¡°Weiwei might be going to City B in two days. She¡¯s the only child Qi Feng and Lingsha left behind. In theory, I should be taking care of her as her uncle. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she¡¯s happy with Mu Yuchen and Xiaye and it¡¯s good for her, I¡¯d like to bring her back too. You...¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her hesitantly.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and put the clothes away, ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections. This is indeed your responsibility. Do as you see fit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m bringing her back. She¡¯s doing quite well over there. I don¡¯t really mind.¡±

    ¡°If you feel that you¡¯re treating her unfairly, then you should show her more concern on a daily basis. Of course, this concern isn¡¯t just about material things. I think you know what to do. ¡±

    ¡°I know. When we¡¯re stable, you should meet her. My instincts tell me that she¡¯ll like you very much,¡± Qi Lei said this before continuing to eat his meal.

    ¡°Alright, make the arrangements. I¡¯ve told father about your suggestion, and he didn¡¯t object to it. However, I¡¯ve thought about it. Let¡¯s have him and Ms. Songe over for dinner next Saturday night. Do you have any objections?¡±

 Chapter 1617 - Can Only Be A Regret (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1617: Can Only Be A Regret (1)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally would not tell him Dongfang Gan¡¯s exact words. However, Qi Lei was not a fool either. When he heard her say this, he immediately turned his gaze away and narrowed his eyes at her with a faint smile. He coughed lightly and lowered his voice, he asked¡ª

    ¡°Your father must be very dissatisfied with me, right?¡±

    ¡°How satisfied do you expect him to be with you then?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun met his deep gaze with disapproval.

    Qi Lei¡¯s movements paused for a moment. He raised his handsome eyebrows and nodded, ¡°That seems to be the case. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t be happy either. I¡¯d raised my daughter for nothing. In the end, I benefited for nothing?¡±

    As he spoke, he could not help but chuckle again. That look made Dongfang Liuyun frown. After thinking for a while, she could not help but say, ¡°Of course. In my father¡¯s eyes, you and I are akin to a cabbage being twiddled by a pig[1].¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡±

    After these words were said, Qi Lei almost spat out his rice. He coughed violently for a while before looking at her, ¡°A cabbage twiddled by a pig? It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a cabbage. You have a good image. But I can¡¯t be a pig, have you ever seen pigs as handsome as me? To father-inw, all the men who marry you are pigs who twiddled his cabbage. I won¡¯t say anything about that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen many handsome men. You¡¯re definitely not the most outstanding one. Take back your sense of superiority. The day after tomorrow afternoon, father will ask you to y a few rounds at the western suburbs golf course. I¡¯ve already agreed on your behalf. You can also have a good talk with him yourself.¡±

    ¡°Afternoon the day after tomorrow?¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it for a moment before ncing at Dongfang Liuyun with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Qi, for helping me maintain a good image in front of my father-inw.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. I¡¯ll go up first. Come up after you¡¯ve tidied up. It¡¯s a mess!¡±

    She got up and took her backpack upstairs.

    ¡°There¡¯s soup in the pot. Aren¡¯t you going to drink it?¡± Qi Lei stared at her back and asked.

    ¡°What soup?¡±

    ¡°White fungus and red dates...¡±

    ¡°Bring them up to meter. I still have some documents to read.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun left this sentence and went upstairs.

    Seeing her figure disappear at the stairs, Qi Lei retracted his gaze and continued eating his food. He took the remote control with one hand to change the channel.

    In the room, once Dongfang Liuyun returned to the bedroom, she immediately went to take a shower. When she was done with her work, Qi Lei had note up yet. Thinking of the documents that she had not finished reading in the afternoon, she could only continue to work through them.

    When Qi Lei walked into the study with a big bowl of soup, Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in front of the desk, flipping through the documents. She held a pen in her hand and asionally wrote something on the documents.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already sensed him with the faint fragrance on him, so she stopped what she was doing and looked over.

    Qi Lei ced the tray on the table. She did not stand on ceremony and picked it up. After taking two sips, sheplimented him generously, ¡°It tastes good. The heat control is not bad either.¡±

    ¡°Finish it then.¡±

    After he said these words, he reached out and pulled a napkin from the side. He wiped his hands and nced at the documents in front of her. It was some information from the Marketing Department.

    ¡°You really n to start from the Marketing Department?¡± He frowned and asked.

    ¡°What else do you think we can do? It could also be the Commerce Department, but obviously this is more suitable, so I don¡¯t mind being a little tired.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped what she was doing and followed his gaze.

    ¡°When you go all out, you really should be called a super female warrior.¡±

    ¡°Female warrior? I¡¯ll take it as apliment.¡±

    She took a few more sips and swallowed the food in her mouth. Then, she continued, ¡°Has Dongfang Ren not visited you recently?¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you going to be a corporate spy?¡± He nced at her with interest.

    ¡°Do you think I have the potential to be a corporate spy?¡±

    As she said this, the bowl of soup was emptied. ¡°I¡¯ve put aside the bath water for you. Take a bath. And you can help me with this too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun moved the empty bowl in front of him as she took the napkin and wiped her mouth.

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at her and looked at the bowl she put over. After a while, he said, ¡°Remember to take your medicine. Turn off the lights and rest before 11.¡±

    As he said that, he packed his things and left.

    ...

    There was a thunderstorm. It would be like this for the next few days. Yesterday afternoon¡¯s weather was already unusually hot.

    Boom¡ª

    A sh of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by the sharp sound of thunder that broke the silence of the night.

    Just as Qi Lei was in a deep sleep, he was awakened by the sudden lightning. He opened his eyes subconsciously and suddenly realized that someone was holding onto his waist tightly. He looked into his embrace with the help of the dim wallmp, soon, he saw the woman who was frowning and curling up close to him. Clearly, she was also awakened by the lightning.

    Her messy hair draped over her shoulders. It was rare to see that there was still some undisguised fear in her eyes. She did not seem to expect him to suddenly wake up. At this moment, she looked a little dazed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t be afraid, Don¡¯t be afraid...¡±

    His heart softened. He quickly pulled her into his arms andforted her, ¡°There have been frequent thunderstorms these past few days. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    She wrapped her arms around his waist and took a deep breath, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just suddenly woken up. I was scared for a moment.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and then reached out to turn on the bedsidemp. The bedroom was instantly lit up. He propped himself up to sit. His fingertips could feel that the back of her nightgown was slightly soaked.

    Dongfang Liuyun was surprised by his action. She sat up as well and looked at him with a slightly dazed gaze.

    ¡°Change your clothes. I¡¯ll get you a ss of water.¡±

    With that, he lifted the nket and got out of bed.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand to wipe away her cold sweat and nodded. In a blink of an eye, he had already brought her a robe and went out to get her water.

    When he returned to the bedroom, Dongfang Liuyun had already changed out of her soaked clothes. She was sitting by the French window, watching the swaying wind and rain outside. The heavy curtains that hung down were also half opened.

    The temperature in the bedroom was still okay.

    ¡°Drink a ss of water. Were you very scared?¡± He handed her a ss of water and smiled.

    She quickly took it, nced at him, and drank two mouthfuls before saying, ¡°It¡¯s too sudden. It¡¯s still okay at home. If you were outside at this time, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be scared too. What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s past four in the morning, almost five. I can sleep for another two hours,¡± he replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping anymore. y chess with me.¡±

    ¡°Chess?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her in surprise, while she had already stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll go make a pot of tea.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her in a daze. However, seeing that she was in such a rare mood for it, he was naturally happy to apany her.

 Chapter 1618 - Can Only Be A Regret (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1618: Can Only Be A Regret (2)</h4>

    Although they were ying chess, it seemed that everyone¡¯s mind was not on the chessboard.

    After half a game of it, the woman across him was already a little sleepy. She held her head with one hand and her starry eyes were half-closed. At a nce, her mind was not on the chessboard at all!

    The storm outside was still ongoing, and the sound of thunder could be heard from time to time.

    The next chess piece was already out, but she did not move for a long time. When he looked up, he realized that she had fallen asleep.

    He chuckled softly and reached out to y with her hair. He did not see any reaction from her. After some thought, he put down the chess piece in his hand and slowly got up...

    ...

    A joyous heavy rain fell, and the air was less hot. When the sun rose, the rain was less intense.

    When Dongfang Liuyun woke up, Qi Lei was already gone, but breakfast was prepared. She simply finished her breakfast and went straight to the office.

    Fortunately, Qi Lei set her rm clock. Otherwise, she would have beente for work. She practically reached on the dot.

    ¡°Manager Yun, this is the document Manager Lin asked his secretary to send over. It¡¯s an event for the Mid-autumn Festival¡¯s new productunch next month. They let our Marketing Department n it, this is the information. Take a look.¡±

    At noon, when they were about to rest, secretary Ding Xiaoling suddenly brought a document over to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and took it. She flipped through it and found that it was indeed the document that Dongfang Rou¡¯er had sent over yesterday.

    She was not the least bit surprised. She knew that Dongfang Rou¡¯er was someone who would not give up until she achieved her goal. As for how Lin Yuanyuan was like, she was also the clearest about it. However, the information that she had prepared was much moreplete than yesterday.

    ¡°This is Vice President Zhang¡¯s signature. By the way, Vice President Zhang said that we can ask the people in the nning Department to cooperate with us.¡±

    ¡°I got it. Gather the people from the department and prepare for the meeting at three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.¡±

    Trying to show off?

    Dongfang Liuyun smirked and closed the document with a ¡®Pa¡¯ sound. She reached out and took a document that she had prepared and handed it to Ding Xiaoling, ¡°Make a few copies of this document. Everyone will have one copy for the meeting in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s almost time to rest. Manager Yun, have your lunch first. President Gan asked you to go to his office directly.¡±

    ¡°Okay, tell your President Gan that I don¡¯t need him to give me special treatment. I¡¯ll settle it in the canteen of thepany...¡±

    However, as soon as Dongfang Liuyun said that, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated. Seeing that it was a call from Dongfang Gan, Dongfang Liuyun answered it¡ª

    ¡°Father?¡±

    ¡°Your mother and I are in the Western restaurant opposite. Come down and have lunch.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and could only rub the space between her eyebrows helplessly. She packed the documents and left the office.

    When she arrived at the restaurant, Dongfang Gan and Song Siting had already ordered the food. Song Siting was skillfully cutting the steak for Dongfang Gan. Seeing here over, Dongfang Gan quickly poured some juice for her.

    ¡°Who¡¯s treating today?¡± Dongfang Liuyun sat down and elegantly took a towel to wipe her hands as she asked.

    ¡°Your father,¡± Song Siting replied while ncing sideways at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Upon hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun immediately waved at the waiter beside her and ordered a bottle of top-grade red wine.

    ¡°Did father buy a new bracelet? When did father be so tasteful?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sharp eyes quickly discovered the bracelet on Song Siting¡¯s wrist. She nced at Dongfang Gan in surprise.

    Song Siting¡¯s gaze also paused for a moment. She nced at the bracelet on her wrist with satisfaction and did not reply. However, Dongfang Liuyun could guess who it was. Her eyes darkened for a moment before she lowered his head, she quietly cut her steak.

    The sudden silence caused Dongfang Gan to frown. He nced at Dongfang Liuyun and looked at Song Siting with some dissatisfaction. In a low voice, he asked, ¡°You have so many essories. Why do you have to wear this?¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s expression sunk slightly. She inhaled a breath of air before she extended her hand and forcefully removed the bracelet on her wrist. Then, she kept it in her bag¡ª

    She had gone out early today and liked it, so she brought it with her. She did not think too much about it. However, seeing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent expression, Song Siting felt a little ufortable. She thought about it and exined, ¡°Fujiwara asked someone to bring it to me for my birthdayst year. You weren¡¯t there either.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not respond. She ate a steak and took a sip of wine. Then, she looked up at Dongfang Gan and said, ¡°Lin Yuanyuan asked me to take care of the Mid-autumn Festival¡¯s new productunch event. I hope that you won¡¯t get involved, father.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this matter left to the Public Rtions department and the nning Department to work on together?¡± Dongfang Gan frowned.

    ¡°They¡¯re rushing to show me who¡¯s boss. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve roughly looked through the information. It¡¯s still not toote to prepare now,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

    ¡°You can do whatever you want. I can¡¯t stop you from doing whatever you want. However, if there¡¯s anything you need, you can consult Ah Ling. She has been in thepany for many years and is very familiar with all aspects of the situation. She¡¯s very loyal.¡±

    ¡°Can you guarantee that you didn¡¯t send her here to watch over me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gauging the heart of a gentleman with your own mean measure!¡±

    ¡°Did you just find out how your daughter¡¯s like?¡±

    Dongfang Gan said so, and Song Siting agreed. At this moment, the atmosphere between the few of them finally eased up a little.

    After lunch, Song Siting went straight back to her office. Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Liuyun were still sitting and having some drinks.

    ¡°That¡¯s how your mother¡¯s like. She¡¯s also a little careless. Don¡¯t take it to heart. I discussed the matter between you and Qi Lei yesterday. Since it¡¯s already a foregone conclusion, it¡¯s useless for us to oppose it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s been through a lot too. Father, I hope you can love him as much as you love me. I feel moved by him. You know how the Qi family is. No matter what, I trust that he¡¯s a good person.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re set on him, aren¡¯t you?¡± Dongfang Gan asked, his eyes filled with a deep light, ¡°Lan Xiu and Fujiwara, you both...¡±

    ¡°Yes. If being with him makes my life more peaceful and happy then I think that¡¯d be pretty good.¡±

    Dongfang Gan sighed softly after Dongfang Liuyun said this, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said that, what else can I say? Actually, Qi Lei called me this morning and personally agreed to the appointment for afternoon the day after tomorrow. He¡¯s quite sincere. I told your mother about what¡¯s happening next Saturday. Since she didn¡¯t say anything, it means that she tacitly agreed. I¡¯m a little worried about your grandmother now.¡±

 Chapter 1619 - Can Only Be A Regret (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1619: Can Only Be A Regret (3)</h4>

    When he said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent face froze for a moment. After thinking for a moment, she replied¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. She can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I do have a bit of faith in Qi Lei. Rtively speaking, he can do as he pleases. There aren¡¯t too many restrictions holding him back, as for Lan Xiu...¡± Dongfang Gan said.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer. In fact, the reason why she agreed to Qi Lei back then wasrgely because she used him as a shield. Therefore, she knew deep down that she was very unfair to him, and she could not really feel at ease.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t Bother Lan Xiu about the Dongfang family¡¯s matters.¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu doesn¡¯t know about you and Qi Lei, right?¡±

    Dongfang Gan naturally understood the meaning behind Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered his eyes and said helplessly, ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to tell him. He¡¯s been busy these few days.¡±

    ¡°What a pity. Such a good young man. It¡¯s not a matter of one or two days that I¡¯ve been looking forward to him bing my son-inw. It¡¯s really not easy to find someone who treats you well. When I think about it, I can only feel regret. A very, very great regret. I¡¯ve always thought of him as my son-inw.¡±

    ¡°You can make him your godson. I¡¯ve always been a friend to him. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll exin it to him clearly.¡±

    ¡°Tell him that I¡¯ve always thought of him as my child. When he has time, it¡¯ll be good for him toe over and sit with me, y basketball, and chat with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Then...

    It was still dark in the evening, but it was not raining. The ground was already dry.

    When Qi Lei drove to Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had just gotten home from work.

    Sis Wang was preparing dinner while Xi Xiaye was busy in the kitchen. The children were ying on thewn in the front yard.

    On the rooftop on the second floor, Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei stood side by side against the railing as they watched the three children y.

    ¡°Wei¡¯er seems to be much more cheerful. I remember that she didn¡¯t dare to y much before.¡±

    Qi Lei had brought Qi Wei¡¯er for a physical checkup not long ago. He knew that her body was much better than before. Now, when he saw Qi Wei¡¯er ying happily below, he was relieved.

    ¡°She¡¯s just a little closed off. As long as we have the patience to enlighten her, she¡¯ll slowly return to normal. She¡¯s been doing pretty well recently. I heard from Xiaye that she could even y a few moves of chess yesterday. It¡¯s summer vacation, I don¡¯t n to let them have any sses anymore. Let them y to their heart¡¯s content.¡±

    Mu Yuchen held the railing in front of him with both hands as he looked down at the children below. His eyes were filled with a fatherly gentleness.

    Qi Lei also looked down

    Mu Xiaocheng was hugging a big ball and ying with little apple. Qi Wei¡¯er was very interested in the butterflies in the flowers while Mu Zirui was ying with the puzzle.

    ¡°Wei¡¯er is doing well here. You Don¡¯t have to think about bringing her back. Just let her grow up here. This is actually Lingshi¡¯s responsibility. In terms of responsibility, you¡¯re at the bottom. Besides, Xiaye has always wanted a daughter,¡± said Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°You can have another one with Xiaye. She¡¯s still young anyway.¡±

    Qi Lei said as he looked at these cute children. For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of envy.

    Mu Yuchen was undoubtedly happy and had everything, but could Qi Lei also have such luck?

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. He just quietly lowered his eyes.

    ¡°What happened to Zimo that day?¡±

    When he averted his gaze, Mu Yuchen had already turned around and sat down on the rattan chair.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he tell you?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows.

    ¡°What did he say?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei instantly smiled and shrugged. He sat over as well and said with a smile, ¡°Then, there¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just a little ident. I know that his family is very tight-lipped, so I kind of sympathize with him.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve always been tight-lipped, but he¡¯s just like that. Su Chen and I can¡¯t do anything about him either.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took the tea Qi Lei handed over and took a sip.

    ¡°Are you going over tomorrow?¡± Qi Lei asked

    ¡°Mmm, the flight is tomorrow afternoon. I was in a hurry thest time, so I didn¡¯t get to visit Lingshi and Ah Mo properly. I want to stay a few more days this time,¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he nced at him.

    Very quickly, he caught the wedding ring on Qi Lei¡¯s ring finger. Surprise shed across his eyes as he stared at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with your hand?¡±

    Qi Lei did not deliberately hide it, so he did not care about the thing on his hand that announced his married status.

    Qi Lei followed his gaze and nced at his ring finger too. He paused for a moment before saying in a deep voice, ¡°Exactly what you think is up, I¡¯m a married man.¡±

    ¡°Who is she?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was a little surprised. He knew Qi Lei¡¯s background pretty well. He had never heard of him having a very close rtionship with any woman, but he had been through it before, so he was not too shocked.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun. You should know her,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    ¡°Her? Dongfang Gan¡¯s Daughter?¡±

    This time, the surprise in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes deepened as he looked at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei nodded silently, ¡°It¡¯s her.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, he calmed down a little. Then, he quickly returned to normal, ¡°It¡¯s beyond my expectations.¡±

    ¡°I can tell.¡±

    Qi Lei took a sip of tea and smiled, ¡°Even I¡¯m a little surprised.¡±

    ¡°The Dongfang family¡¯s situation is veryplicated. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in love with her. Why her?¡±

    After some thought, Mu Yuchen stared at Qi Lei and asked.

    Qi Lei stopped what he was doing and thought about it for a moment before replying, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know why. After so many years, I¡¯ve only thought of the word ¡®marriage¡¯ when I see her. Maybe I thought that marrying her would allow me to ept it calmly.¡±

    ¡°I remember that you were still thinking about my wife before this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen squinted at him.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei raised the corners of his mouth in disapproval, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m the kind of person who can¡¯t let go? You and Xi Xiaye are in love. I¡¯m not a fool. I¡¯ve worked my way up. I admit that I did like Xiaye back then, but it¡¯s not that I have to have her. Besides, my current Mrs. Qi is both talented and beautiful. I can win a round too.¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him disdainfully. ¡°Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Otherwise, it¡¯s worthless. But you have a good eye.¡±

    ¡°Really? You think she¡¯s not bad too? She¡¯s very pretty and has a lot of charisma, right?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Qi Lei finally asked proudly.

 Chapter 1620 - Disappointed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1620: Disappointed (1)</h4>

    As Mu Yuchen listened, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Qi Lei meaningfully¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you praise a woman like that,¡± Qi Lei replied with a mysterious smile and then continued drinking his tea.

    ¡°Su Chen was wondering why you haven¡¯t been aroundtely. So, you¡¯ve spent all your time on your woman? Valuing your partner over your friends?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like you guys care more for your friends than your partner. Weren¡¯t you the same as him before? When Zhou Zimo and I were drinking, you both hugged your wives and slept soundly without any worries. The pot calling the kettle ck, I really don¡¯t like it!¡±

    Qi Lei shot Mu Yuchen a disdainful nce.

    Mu Yuchen coughed lightly and lowered his head to drink his tea, pretending he did not hear what he said.

    The two of them chatted for a while more. Then, with Sis Wang¡¯s help, Mu Xiaocheng crawled over and dragged Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei¡¯s trouser legs, asking to eat. Qi Lei carried Mu Xiaocheng up and kissed and coaxed him, then went downstairs.

    The dinner was quite sumptuous, but Qi Lei did not have time to stay for dinner. He just talked to Qi Wei¡¯er for a while before getting up and saying that he was going to go home.

    Mu Yuchen sent him out. Of course, Qi Lei was still carrying Mu Xiaocheng in his arms. When he reached the door, he could not bear to let go. He turned to look at Mu Yuchen who stopped behind him and kissed Mu Xiaocheng again, ¡°Mu Yuchen, if I have a daughter in the future, can I be your inw? Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng are both good!¡±

    Mu Yuchen carried Mu Xiaocheng over. ¡°That¡¯ll have to wait until you have a daughter. My two sons are both in demand right now. You¡¯re not the only one I¡¯m thinking about.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My daughter will definitely be great. Liuyun is talented and beautiful. Our daughter is definitely a super heir. People like Su Chen can only give birth to sons but not daughters. Not to mention Zimo. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s going to be single for the rest of his life!¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to pinch Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little face again. Mu Xiaocheng actually smiled cutely at him again, causing Qi Lei¡¯s heart to ache.

    ¡°Mu Xiaocheng, say goodbye to daddy! Hurry up,e...¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to grab Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little hand and waved at him.

    ¡°Uncle... meet...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Daddy...,¡± Qi Lei said seductively. His appearance was no different from a weasel meeting a chick.

    ¡°Son, tell him to get lost¡ª¡±

    Master mu said to Mu Xiaocheng.

    ¡°Uncle... get lost!¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng was very cooperative with his father. He even revealed a very cute smile.

    Qi Lei had the urge to pounce on Mu Yuchen and strangle him to death.

    ¡°Mu Xiaocheng, you¡¯ll definitely be my son-inw in the future. Uncle will torture you to death and your father to death. Do you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Bad...¡±

    When he saw Qi Lei¡¯s frown, Mu Xiaocheng spat out another word. Although he was very young, he could definitely tell the kindness and malice on a person¡¯s face. With Qi Lei¡¯s gnashing of teeth, it would be strange if Mu Xiaocheng thought well of him!

    Qi Lei looked at the father and son pair who wereughing wildly in the wind in frustration. He could only get into the car and leave.

    When Mu Yuchen came back and told Xi Xiaye what Qi Lei said, Xi Xiayeughed so hard that she could not stand straight.

    ¡°Daddy? Only he could think of that. We haven¡¯t even seen his daughter yet. It looks like he¡¯ll be working hard to make a baby tonight, but I¡¯m quite surprised that he¡¯s actually together with Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had naturally seen Dongfang Liuyun before. She was a woman who was both talented, beautiful, and extremely intelligent. Even she admired her very much. She had even heard from her father that Dongfang Liuyun had resigned from her job at the university, at that time, Xi Mushan¡¯s tone was filled with regret. His entire being revealed his admiration for Dongfang Liuyun and his pity for her resignation.

    ¡°That¡¯s a legendary woman,¡± Xi Xiaye sighed.

    ¡°They¡¯re quitepatible.¡± Mu Yuchen thought about it and said.

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Just a feeling,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Since when did you believe in such subjective feelings?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him and her hands did not stop moving. She was packing her things into her suitcase.

    He did not answer. Instead, he came over to help her pack. After a while, he also packed up and put the suitcase aside.

    ¡°Did he say when the wedding will be?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°If there¡¯s news, he¡¯ll send out the invitations. We have to prepare a generous gift. I don¡¯t know when we can give Zimo his gift either.¡±

    ¡°Zimo... I don¡¯t know what kind of woman will catch his eye.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. He¡¯ll give in one day.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave her a mysterious smile, which made Xi Xiaye find odd. She was about to ask something, but the man had already urged her to take a shower, so she could only give up.

    Downstairs of the Dongfang Group building.

    When Dongfang Liuyun came out of the office with her backpack, it was already early in the evening.

    Qi Lei¡¯s car was parked in the parking lot in front of them. They could see it from afar.

    Qi Lei had just arrived. He called Dongfang Liuyun and she went downstairs.

    She opened the car door and sat inside. As she buckled her seatbelt, she said, ¡°It¡¯s toote. You¡¯re not going to cook, right? It¡¯s my treat. Let¡¯s go eat barbecue?¡±

    ¡°You really do like meat. Where should we go?¡± Qi Lei started the car and asked.

    ¡°The barbecue restaurant on North Chaoyang Avenue, Chaoyang za. It¡¯s closer to home,¡± Dongfang Liuyun quickly said.

    Qi Lei nodded silently and started the car.

    At this moment, the couple naturally did not know that not far behind their car¡ª

    A ck luxury car was quietly parked there. The people in the car had a clear view of the situation in front of them.

    ¡°Mr. Lan, just now, Miss Dongfang seemed to...¡±

    Ah Li turned his head to look at the silent Lan Xiu behind him and said in a low voice.

    ¡°Investigate that car and the people in it, immediately!¡± Lan Xiu said in a low voice and could not help but cough a few times. His voice was very hoarse. As he spoke, he silently turned his head and watched the car slowly disappear into the twilight in front of them. His expression clearly became silent, his eyes could not help but be a littleplicated.

    ¡°Okay, President Lan. I¡¯ll get them to investigate right away!¡±

    Ah Li also felt the atmosphere in the car suddenly be silent. He quickly responded. He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

    Seeing the car in front disappear, Lan Xiu slowly closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and suddenly felt an ominous, dull pain in his heart. He did not know if he was thinking too much. Something did not seem right

 Chapter 1621 - Disappointed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1621: Disappointed (2)</h4>

    Something was not right...

    He could feel that something had changed.

    Lan Xiu was undoubtedly sensitive. He did not remember when he had be so sensitive when it came to her. Perhaps it had happened a long time ago.

    His fingersbed through his ink-ck hair. Lan Xiu took a deep breath and turned his head to look out the car window. He lowered the window silently. The streetlights that shone in became brighter, but suddenly, it seemed that they could not illuminate a corner of his heart.

    He suddenly understood that he was now worried, afraid, and afraid of something. He did not dare explore it.

    It was very quiet in the dark night. Lan Xiu did not know how long he had been looking out the window. Ah Li, who was in front of him, looked and did not dare to make a sound. He did not dare to answer until the call came in. However, after listening to the conversation on the other end, his expression became a little solemn.

    ¡°So?¡±

    Seeing Ah Li hang up the phone, Lan Xiu, who was behind him, asked directly.

    ¡°President Lan...,¡± Ah Li answered softly. He hesitated for a moment before he braced himself and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already found out. It¡¯s the President of Tai Yu Corporation, Qi Lei¡¯s car...¡±

    Qi Lei?

    Lan Xiu immediately recalled the night he left City Z. When he went to the hospital, he saw Qi lei. At that time, could it be that the person beside her was Qi Lei?

    How was that possible?

    When did Liuyun get to know Qi Lei?

    A look of confusion shed across Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes. The image of Dongfang Liuyun getting into the car without hesitation appeared in his mind. His heart instantly sank, and a feeling of suffocation surged into his heart, it instantly made his face tensed and pale.

    ¡°President Lan? President Lan? Are you okay?¡±

    Ah Li called out to him several times, but he could not react. Ah Li had no choice but to raise his voice, and only then did Lan Xiue back to his senses...

    ¡°President Lan, should we follow them?¡± Ah Li asked for instructions.

    Lan Xiu withdrew his disappointed gaze. He took a deep breath and replied, ¡°No need, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    He was well aware of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s character. If he chased after her now, she would be unhappy. As for him, he was someone who did not even want to see her frown, so how could he bear to see her...

    He could only return home first and talk to her another day.

    ¡°But President Lan, Miss Dongfang and President Qi...¡±

    ¡°Perhaps they are discussing business matters. Go back and check Qi Lei¡¯s information for me. Also, check his recent contact with Liuyun. The more detailed the better.¡±

    Lan Xiu could only give this reason. In fact, even he himself did not believe it.

    ¡°Yes, President Lan...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Lan Xiu slowly leaned back in his chair and said in a hoarse voice.

    Ah Li nodded and gestured to the driver beside him before the driver started the car.

    The car sped along. Lan Xiu thought that he could hold it in, but in the end, he could not. He took out his phone and sent a message to Dongfang Liuyun. It was just a few simple words¡ª

    <i>Where are you?</i>

    ...

    When she felt the phone in her pocket vibrate, Dongfang Liuyun was leisurely looking out of the car window.

    She took out her phone and saw that it was a message from Lan Xiu. She quickly opened it and looked at those few words, then quickly replied¡ª

    <i>Out, going for dinner.</i>

    When Lan Xiu received the message, his heart seemed to feel a little better. He thought about it and wanted to ask who she was with, but after typing one word, he was not satisfied. He pondered for a long time and suddenly did not know what to say next or what he should say.

    After thinking about it, he could only put his phone away...

    ¡°Whose message is it?¡± Qi Lei saw her frown and asked.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at him. She sighed and replied, ¡°Lan Xiu.¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu? Your father seems to have always wanted him as son-inw, right?¡±

    Qi Lei had already averted his gaze and was focused on the road as he said.

    ¡°Lan Xiu is close to my father. My father practically watched him grow up and knows everything about him. Plus, he has a gentle personality and is very tolerant. He treats me very well. My father has always thought that he¡¯s a good candidate and has treated him like half a son since he was young. I¡¯ve been friends with him for more than twenty years and have always treated him like a close friend. He¡¯s quite a good person. We¡¯ll find a time for you to meet him some day.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also had some indescribable feelings in her heart. It was impossible for her not to understand Lan Xiu¡¯s intentions, it was just that...

    Right now, she could only feel somement at most. It was as if she was also somewhat d that Lan Xiu did not agree to it back then. Otherwise, it might have been a different situation now. No matter what, she was satisfied with the current situation for now, deep down, she was also a little positive and optimistic.

    ¡°My instincts tell me that he will find me very unpleasant. It¡¯s obvious that he actually likes you very much.¡± Qi Lei thought for a moment and calmly said these few words.

    Suddenly, an uncontroble surge of emotions rose in his heart, making him feel a little ufortable.

    As he said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze froze. She lowered her eyes and thought for a long time. Then, she took a shallow breath and turned to look out the car window. Her low voice could be heard, ¡°We¡¯re just good friends. We¡¯ve been friends for many years. I pity and care for him too. He¡¯s simr to you and is also alone. His family has been friends with the Dongfang family for a long time. All these years, his life hasn¡¯t been any easier than yours. Others may not understand his persistence and hard work, but at least I know.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t reject him. He¡¯s actually a very good person. He¡¯s very kind, so kind that... when he sees a stray dog get hurt, he¡¯ll feel sorry for it. The two of you might be good friends.¡±

    This was the first time Dongfang Liuyun spoke to him in such a downcast tone with hints of how she cherished him. Qi Lei listened, and for some reason, he suddenly felt unhappy. Of course, it was not that he was jealous, but that feeling when she talked about these things, it made him feel very stifled, so stifled that he wanted to struggle and escape...

    ¡°He rejected you back then,¡± Qi Lei said softly and did not look at her.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fortunate that he rejected me. Actually, we¡¯re not suitable for each other. Otherwise, no one would have waited for so many years.¡±

    Lan Xiu was meticulous, but he was a little indecisive when it came to rtionships. Perhaps it was because he had too few rtionships that he was more afraid of losing them.

    Thinking about it, it made sense. He was clearly such a lonely person. After Lan Qi passed away, was he not the only one left?

    She knew very well how he came to be. He also knew how she came to be.

    ¡°Do you feel regretful or... a little unwilling...,¡± Qi Lei asked.

 Chapter 1622 - Disappointed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1622: Disappointed (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing his question, Dongfang Liuyun fell silent. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head¡ª

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to regret. Lan Xiu and I... We¡¯re two parallel lines that won¡¯t intersect. However, we will always be a presence that sees each other and moves forward with each other. From the very start, we both knew where we should be.¡±

    Having said that, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly paused and thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°On this point, Lan Xiu himself is actually much more rational than me. I shouldn¡¯t have opened my mouth. If something changes, it¡¯s because of my impulsiveness.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very concerned about this Lan Xiu. You¡¯re not worried that I¡¯ll be jealous?¡± Qi Lei nced at her and said.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to let you know about these things. It¡¯ll also prevent you from suspecting our rtionship in the future. You have to understand that if there¡¯s any rtionship between me and Lan Xiu, it¡¯ll be friendship or something that can be sublimated into kinship. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to marry me.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, a smile shed across her face.

    ¡°From what you said, it sounds like you¡¯re saying that I¡¯ve taken a huge advantage by marrying you.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you admit before that you and I are like a cabbage being twiddled by a pigs¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun used his previous words to refute him.

    Qi Lei was puzzled in his heart. It seemed like when he argued with her, his chances of winning were almost zero?

    He was a little unhappy, but on second thought, it made sense. Anyway, he had already slept with her. Who cares? He already had her...

    After thinking about it, he suddenly thought of some untimely sexy images. He could not help but nce at the woman beside him. It moved down andnded on her chest...

    ¡°Watch those eyes of yours! They¡¯re full of vulgarity!¡±

    A cold voice sounded like a golden spear slicing through ice and snow. Qi Lei could not help but tremble slightly. He coughed lightly and quickly retracted his gaze. His handsome face began to heat up for no reason, if one paid attention, they would definitely be able to see theyer of pink on his face...

    ¡°Don¡¯t use the word ¡®vulgar¡¯ to describe me in the future. If others know about it, my image will be tarnished,¡± Qi Lei lowered his voice and said. His voice was so soft that even Dongfang Liuyun could barely hear it. It was fortunate that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hearing was sensitive enough.

    ¡°You worry about tarnishing your image? In some feudal countries in the Middle East, with just the look in your eyes earlier, you¡¯d be blinded by now,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said bluntly.

    ¡°Your premise is all wrong. You¡¯re my Mrs. Qi now. What¡¯s wrong with looking at you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and gave him a cold look, ¡°This meal is on you!¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Qi lei nced at her. Seeing her frown, he could only cleared his throat and exin, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m very serious. I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything. No, what I meant was that I was wrong. This meal is on me as an apology... Look, the moon tonight is so round...¡±

    Miss Dongfang turned her head and looked into the night sky. There was no full moon. The lonely night sky was flickering with lightning and signs of rain...

    ...

    A thunderstorm that had been brewing for quite some time had quietly attacked this bustling metropolis.

    Su Chen really hated this damned weather, especially on such a night. Not only was the road slippery and prone to car idents, but the lightning and thunder made people feel uneasy when they went out.

    In the past few days, traffic idents also happened frequently, and the probability of them happening was much higher than usual.

    For example, tonight, just as he was about to get off work, the city bureau immediately sent an emergency mission. There was a major ident on the highway in the south of the city. Arge truck was overloaded, and the speed of the car was too fast, causing the brakes to skid. The entire car flipped over, and the car behind it rear-ended, because the car was too fast, it flew off the high bridge after the collision. The driver who caused the ident died on the spot. What was even more difficult to deal with was that the car that flew off the high bridge was the son of a high-ranking official in the provincial department. This person definitely would not survive, moreover, it was a drunk driver...

    After the incident, when he heard that the high-ranking official in the provincial department was filled with grief and indignation, he immediately requested for a thorough investigation of this matter. Therefore, Su Chen could only rush to the scene of the incident.

    They talked about these traffic matters almost every day, reminding him of it at all times, but...

    Su Chen frowned as he looked at the tragic scene of the car ident in front of him. His heart was iparably heavy. Although he had seen many such ident scenes, numbed to the point of numbness, but every time...

    ¡°Chief Su, there was only one driver in the heavy truck, and two people each including the drivers for two cars. Five lives were lost just like that...¡±

    Secretary He walked over to Su Chen with an umbre in hand. His tone was extremely grave, ¡°Chief Huang wants you to give the higher-ups an exnation. The responsibility on who needs to get this investigated...¡±

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need for you to say it. I know! With such a strong smell of alcohol, how did the traffic police at the intersection do their job? Recently, they had been emphasizing that they were overloading and being strict with arrests for drunk driving. Were they doing nothing? Give an exnation to the higher-ups. What kind of exnation do they want? Of course we¡¯ll give them the exnation they deserve!¡±

    Before Secretary He could finish his words, Su Chen¡¯s face had already darkened and his voice had already turned cold.

    When Secretary He heard this, he instantly felt a wave of grievance in his heart¡ª

    Recently, there had been a little more matters , but this was also an order from the higher-ups. Chief Su, even if you are unhappy, you cannot vent your anger on me. Even if you vent your anger on me, it would not be of any use. I would not feel good either...

    However, before Secretary He could say anything, the phone in his hand suddenly rang. He hurriedly reached out to answer it. Su Chen had already reached out to take the umbre in his hand and walked forward, swiftly giving instructions.

    ¡°Chief Su, Chief Su! Chief Huang¡¯s call!¡±

    Secretary He did not know how much pressure he had to endure before he dared to walk over and pass the phone to Su Chen.

    Su Chen took a deep breath and took the phone. After calming himself down, he replied¡ª

    ¡°Hello, Chief Huang?¡±

    ...

    ¡°You know, I will do my job well. Don¡¯t worry, Chief. Let¡¯s leave it at that for now!¡±

    When Su Chen heard this, he replied with a slightly unhappy tone. After he hung up, he returned the phone to Secretary He.

    ¡°Chief Su, does Chief Huang have any instructions?¡±

    Secretary He saw that Su Chen¡¯s expression did not look too good, so he asked carefully.

    Su Chen nced at him but did not say anything. Secretary He could only silently withdraw his gaze and lower his head...

    ¡°When we get back, tell them to be on high alert. If I get embarassed at this meeting at the headquarters, be careful that when I get back, they will all be embarassed too! These people, when something happens, they only know to ask for an exnation. Why don¡¯t they look at the cause of the ident?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Chief Su. I just checked. This noble young master was stopped by the traffic police oncest month. He was also drunk driving...¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop talking. Hurry up and get to work,¡± Su Chen said solemnly.

 Chapter 1623 - Disappointed (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1623: Disappointed (4)</h4>

    ¡°Inform the family members as soon as you¡¯ve confirmed the identity.¡±

    Looking at the scene in front of him, Su Chen¡¯s mood was needless to say, foul. The sky was still filled with lightning and thunder, and the rain was getting heavier and heavier. Many of the evidence left behind at the scene could not be preserved, so this night was destined to be not very peaceful.

    After he finished his work, it was already past one o¡¯clock in the morning. After packing up, Su Chen changed into a clean set of clothes and drove back.

    When he reached home, he saw that the lights in front of the door were still on and the streetmps were still on. However, the lights in the house seemed to have quieted down.

    Su Chen drove straight in and parked the car. He did not even bother with his umbre and rushed home.

    The house was quiet. Ji Zitong should be asleep by now. Su Chen turned on the lights in the living room and nced at the wall clock on the wall. He realized that it was almost two in the morning.

    He took off his coat and felt a hunger in his stomach, so he went straight to the kitchen.

    The food in the pot was no longer warm. He simply heated it up and then sat on the sofa in the living room with arge bowl of mixed food. He picked up a fashion magazine at the side and casually flipped through it.

    He had just eaten a few mouthfuls when he suddenly heard footstepsing from upstairs. He subconsciously looked up and saw Ji Zitong walking down the stairs. She looked sleepy and obviously had just woken up. Her nightdress was very thin, however, she also had on hisrge shirt.

    ¡°Why are you sote? It¡¯s almost two o¡¯clock. How busy have you beentely? Do you have to handle all the matters in the bureau?¡± Ji Zitong frowned.

    She thoughtfully poured him a cup of warm water and sat down beside him.

    Su Chen took it and drank a few mouthfuls in a row. ¡°I¡¯ll be quite busy in theing days. There was an ident at the city south highway. The person who died was the son of a higher up from the provincial department. The situation is still unclear, so it got a littlete. Did I wake you up?¡±

    Ji Zitong shook her head and rubbed her eyes, ¡°They look for you every time something like this happens. Didn¡¯t some second-generation official crash into someone and looked for you again a few days ago,? Your Chief Huang really knows how to be courteous, putting you responsible for all this mess. Also, I remember that the city south is under Deputy Chief Du¡¯s jurisdiction, right?¡±

    ¡°He is still doing publicity outside the province. If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have passed on the job to him.¡±

    Su Chen nced at her. Their rtionship had been a little tense, so he did not want to leave for the time being. He had managed to persuade Chief Huang to change the candidate to Chief Du, but now it was clear that...

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t frown. I¡¯m used to doing things in my position. Pour me another cup!¡±

    As Su Chen spoke, he handed over the empty cup in his hand.

    Ji Zitong quickly took the cup. Su Chen had already lowered his head and continued eating his meal.

    ¡°Grandfather called in the evening. You haven¡¯t been home for a long time. He wants you to find some time to go home and visit. Mother hasn¡¯t been feeling well these past two days and caught a cold. She has been resting at home for two days. Father has been apanying her at home these past two days. Let¡¯s go back and visit,¡± Ji Zitong poured him another cup and suggested.

    Su Chen took it and took another sip.

    ¡°She might be a little busy these next two days. How about this, tomorrow evening when you get off work, you go straight back. I¡¯ll go overter after work.¡±

    Su Chen frowned and asked again, ¡°Is she alright? Didn¡¯t sis go back to visit?¡±

    ¡°Sis went overseas these past few days and said that there¡¯s a fashion show. Oh, she seems to have gone with Su Nan. Hasn¡¯t Su Nan been looking for inspiration for her work recently?¡±

    Su Chen knew about Su Nan. She was Xi Xiaye¡¯s good friend. Those who did not know would think that they were rted. After all, both families were surnamed Su. However, Su Zhengxun and the others <i>had</i> been busy with the cultural industry recently, they visited University A before, so they were quite familiar with each other.

    Su Chen nodded, ¡°If you have time these two days, spend more time with her. Mother¡¯s temper is like a child¡¯s. Father and I are very busy, so she can only pester you and Sis.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s a good person.¡±

    Ji Zitong really liked Xie Jiajia as a mother-inw. She was really like a child, but she was also very smart in business. She was already so old, yet she was quite fashionable. Fashion brimmed and exhibited on her body in full disy.

    She was often pulled by her to do beauty and recuperation, and she would go shopping and soak in hot springs...

    ¡°Yeah, just call me or father if you have any problems. How are things at mother and father¡¯s martial arts centre?¡±

    Su Chen hadn¡¯t apanied Ji Zitong back for a while, so he asked about these things as well.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. My mother misses you a little. Oh, grandfather does talk to my father asionally.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be more free after I¡¯m done with work. I¡¯ll apany you back to take a look then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t eat too much. I¡¯ll go up and find you some clothes in case you feel ufortableter.¡±

    ...

    After the previous unhappiness, the husband and wife were much more tolerant of each other. Knowing that Su Chen was busy with work, Ji Zitong was more concerned about him now. She was already thinking about him, but after thinking about it, he was not wrong.

    No matter what, she was indeed his Mrs. Su. With his status and family background, perhaps he should be more careful than the average family.

    In fact, Su Chen was very easy to please, so she could only care for him a little. He was the kind of person who would treat you several times better. Just like now, when he saw that she was casually washing his shirt, he stopped her¨C

    ¡°Let me do it. The water is quite cold. It¡¯ll be fine once it¡¯s gone through the water.¡±

    As he spoke, he swiftly took the wet shirt from her hand and handed her a soft dry towel. Then, he washed it himself.

    After he was done, he went to bed to rest. It was almost three in the morning, so he did not have any more thoughts. He hugged Ji Zitong and asked for a goodnight kiss before falling asleep. Ji Zitong was quiet for a while, not long after, she heard the sound of his heavy breathing. She turned around and looked¡ª

    He was indeed sleeping like a pig!

    She reached out and gently pushed him. In response, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. Without even lifting his eyelids, he fell asleep again.

    She had wanted to talk to him, but seeing him like this, Ji Zitong could only helplessly take a deep breath. She lifted her hand and reached over to turn off the light beside her. Then, she pulled the nket and fell asleep as well.

    The storm outside was still ongoing, but the room was warm and cozy. She longed for this peace and tranquility...

 Chapter 1624 - Disappointed (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1624: Disappointed (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next afternoon, after Qi Lei finished his work, he went to see Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye off.

    Qi Wei¡¯er did not really dislike Qi Lei. At least, when Qi Lei spoke to her, she could call him ¡®uncle¡¯ timidly.

    ¡°Listen to father, mother, and grandfather over there. If you have time, you can call uncle, okay?¡±

    In front of Maple Residence, Qi Lei squatted down and patted Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s head as he said softly.

    Qi Wei¡¯er nodded timidly and replied softly, ¡°Okay... uncle...¡±

    ¡°Okay, be careful. Eat and sleep on time. Don¡¯t be too yful and don¡¯t run around alone, okay? You have to be with Zirui and the others...¡±

    Qi Lei was worried and reminded her again.

    ¡°Uncle Qi lei, don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s very well-behaved. We¡¯ll take good care of her.¡±

    When he saw that Qi Lei was worried, Mu Zirui finally could not help but say this.

    When she heard Mu Zirui say this, Qi Wei¡¯er turned to look at him and smiled, ¡°Thank you, little brother<i>.</i>..¡±

    Mu Zirui just pouted and ran over to pull Mu Xiaocheng who was hugging Xi Xiaye¡¯s leg.

    Qi Wei¡¯er ran over as well when she saw this.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry about the child being with us. This time, we¡¯ll treat it as a trip. They¡¯ve been wanting to go on this trip. We¡¯ll take this opportunity to satisfy their wishes.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm voice sounded as she bent down to carry Mu Xiaocheng. The smile on her face looked very gentle and satisfied. Not far away, Mu Yuchen was exining some work matters to Li Si, the bodyguards had already put their luggage in the car and were ready.

    ¡°Mmm, shall have to trouble you two then.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Xi Xiaye with some gratitude.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen and I really like Wei¡¯er. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll treat her like our own daughter. Also, Xiao Rui, we¡¯ve never hidden their backgrounds. We also want to...¡±

    ¡°I know. Thank you for your care. I believe that they¡¯ll be happy in the future.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m willing to believe that too. Also, you just cultivate your rtionship with Mrs. Qi. Mu Yuchen told me about it, I¡¯m very happy for you. I sincerely wish you all the best,¡± Xi Xiaye said earnestly.

    Qi lei coughed lightly and smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t ept verbal blessings. Go back and discuss it with Mu Yuchen, see what kind of gift you¡¯re going to prepare for me. When Liuyun and I hold our wedding, I¡¯ll open your gift right in front of you.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be shabby. Can I sell Mu Xiaocheng to you to be your son-inw?¡±

    ¡°Mommy... bad...¡±

    Although Mu Xiaocheng was young, he could still understand some of the words. When he heard the word ¡®sell¡¯, he could vaguely sense something...

    When the tender voice came out, Qi Lei and Xi Xiaye could not help butugh out loud. Qi Lei even reached out to pinch Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s face and smiled, ¡°Sure. Mu Xiaocheng will be my son-inw. Uncle¡¯s little princess must be very beautiful and talented. I don¡¯t want to keep the good things for outsiders now, so I¡¯m letting you benefit for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Does he understand what you¡¯re saying? If you really want to kidnap my son, you¡¯d better go back and work hard with Liuyun. Let¡¯s see if we¡¯ll hear of your daughter next year. Two or three years younger than Mu Xiaocheng, that¡¯d be perfect.¡±

    ...

    It was only two o¡¯clock in the afternoon when he sent the family off. Qi Lei did not return to thepany but went to the hospital instead.

    Naturally, he went to see Qi Qiming, but this time, Wang Chun went with him.

    As usual, he gave Qi Qiming a simple wipe and settled him down.

    ¡°You¡¯ve slept for so long and escaped for so long. If you want to sleep forever, that¡¯s up to you. It¡¯s the Mid-autumn Festival in a few days. I want to bring Liuyun, your daughter-inw to pay respects to my mother. I don¡¯t n to bring her over to see you. If you want to know what she looks like, you can wake up and take a look yourself. I¡¯ll go over to Qi Feng and Lingsha¡¯s as well. I know they¡¯re probably the ones you¡¯re worried about the most.¡±

    ¡°Wei¡¯er has been raised very well by Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.¡±

    ..

    Every time Qi Lei came over, he would simply say a few words to Qi Qiming. Although his tone sounded cold, Wang Chun could always hear a glimmer of hope from within¡ª

    Second Master Qi must also be hoping that Qi Qiming would wake up, right?

    Moreover, was Second Master Qi¡¯s marriage not what you were looking forward to, President Qi?

    Wang Chun looked at Qi Qiming on the hospital bed, and he could not help but feel pain in his heart. He did not know when he would wake up. If he could wake up, he believed that he and Second Master Qi would definitely be able to reconcile?

    They would not be petty about the past and continue to live in peace. Second Master Qi would have children, and then President Qi bes a loving grandfather, would that not be great?

    When he was done, almost an hour had passed. It was alreadyte outside. After giving some instructions to the nurse, Qi Lei left the hospital unhurriedly.

    ¡°Second Master, if President Qi continues to be in this state...¡±

    At this moment, Wang Chun seemed to be more used to calling Qi Lei ¡®Second Master¡¯. After all..

    ¡°If he wants to keep sleeping, we won¡¯t be able to wake him up no matter how hard we try. Let him decide himself. There¡¯s no need to contact the doctors anymore. They¡¯ve already done more than ten tests. Every hospital has given the same conclusion. No matter how hard we try, the result will still be the same.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was very calm, and his dark eyes were as calm as water.

    Wang Chun listened and took a deep breath before nodding. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid President Qi really doesn¡¯t want to wake up on his own. The incident with the First Master must have been a huge blow to him. He knows that the First Master hascked love since he was young, so...¡±

    ¡°In my eyes, he¡¯s just Qi Feng¡¯s father. Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t want to care about that anymore. It¡¯s all in the past, so let it be.¡±

    Qi Lei did not want to think about those bad memories anymore. At least, facing him like this would make him feel better. It was a pity that Wang Qin died like that, she should not have. Now Qi Feng was dead too, a life for a life?

    Would Wang Qin be able toe back to life?

    As Qi Lei thought about it, he could not help but look up at the gloomy sky outside and take a deep breath¡ª

    Every time he thought about these things, he could not help but feel pain in his chest. It was not because he could not let go, but because the memories left behind were too deep.

    ¡°President Qi actually cares about you a lot too...¡±

    When Wang Chun saw Qi Lei like this, he felt very bad. To be honest, even he felt a little sorry for this child.

    ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t meaning anymore, don¡¯t need it anymore now. I¡¯m old enough now, no need for others to care about me.¡±

 Chapter 1625 - Tit-for-tat (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1625: Tit-for-tat (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as he finished speaking, the figure quickly passed by.

    Wang Chun sighed quietly. Watching Qi Lei¡¯s figure walk ahead, he could not help but turn to look at Qi Qiming¡¯s ward. Finally, he could only withdraw his gaze and follow him.

    ¡°Second Master, Dongfang Rou¡¯er from the Dongfang Group called me today to make an appointment to talk to me. I think it¡¯s about the South River Project.¡±

    Wang Chun caught up and said in a low voice, ¡°Dongfang Ren had already probed me before. When President Qi met him at a dinner party, he also mentioned brought this up, so they should have been watching this project for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Ren? Hasn¡¯t he always wanted to rece Dongfang Gan¡¯s position in the Dongfang Group?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and so does Dongfang Yi. The three of them have been secretly dealing with each other for many years, and there¡¯s also the powerful Dongfang Xue. The Dongfang family¡¯s waters are very deep, so Second Master, Young Madam, it¡¯s not easy for her. ¡°It¡¯s hard for her to deal with these people...¡±

    As Wang Chun spoke, he suddenly thought of Dongfang Liuyun. Thinking about how such a proud person fought with these people, he really felt that it was tough for Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    This was practically the same as the court battles in ancient times.

    As Qi Lei listened, his eyes darkened. After thinking for a while, he suddenly said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s not easy, but she won¡¯t lose. What belongs to her can only return to her hands forever.¡±

    Qi Lei could understand that feeling because when he thought about it, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s current situation was actually simr to how he was in the past?

    Qi Kai, back then, even the Qi family¡¯s elder personally agreed for Qi Lei to inherit it. Now, Dongfang Liuyun was Dongfang Gan¡¯s only daughter, but because of her identity as a daughter... This was the old conversative thought process, why was she still so unfortunate to have it affect her.

    At the thought of this, Qi Lei suddenly felt a little sad because of the predicament Dongfang Liuyun faced.

    ¡°You should respond to her for the time being. I won¡¯t interfere in this matter. Let¡¯s follow the original n for the coboration with Dongfang Group. Of course, I don¡¯t want to see anyone appear in front of me to negotiate with meter, other than your Missus. Do as you see fit.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Wang Chun was stunned. After a long while, he finally understood what Qi Lei meant¡ª

    It was obvious that he wanted him to do everything he could to drag the Missus into this and then openly go easy on her. Could there be such a thing?

    Wang Chun could not help but cough. He said, ¡°I understand, Second Master. I¡¯ll do as I see fit!¡±

    Hearing him say this, Qi Lei gave him a sideways nce and walked towards the car in front.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive myself back. You guys should leave too. I¡¯ll rest for the next two days. Don¡¯t disturb me if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    Qi Lei said this and quickly opened the car door. He got in and drove away.

    ..

    The air was stiflingly hot. As he drove slowly across the road, he could see sweaty pedestrians everywhere. Qi Lei nced at the time on the screen and saw that it was almost six o¡¯clock. The sky was a little dark, the thunderstorm had not passed yet. After some thought, he called Dongfang Liuyun.

    When she received Qi Lei¡¯s call, Dongfang Liuyun was packing up to get off work.

    ¡°Are you off work? I¡¯m about to arrive at your office.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice came through. Today, he went for a discussion with the President of anotherpany, so he sent her to work as well. Dongfang Liuyun did not drive to work today.

    ¡°I just packed up my things and was preparing to go downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    Qi Lei said these two words, then hung up and sped up.

    A few minutester, Dongfang Liuyun also packed her things and went downstairs. However, to her surprise, just as she walked to the door, she saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s slender figure in front of her¡ª

    She wore a custom-made light muslin dress and held an exquisite high-end handbag in her hand. She had the style of a perfect goddess.

    Even Jin Sheng, who was waiting for her with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, could not take his eyes off her. His eyes were filled with an amazement that could not be concealed as he silently watched Dongfang Rou¡¯er approach him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you dumbfounded?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s lips curled into a perfect smile as she looked shyly at Jin Sheng, who was in a daze.

    Jin Sheng did not mind and withdrew his gaze. He took a step forward and handed the bouquet of lilies over to Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er received it generously. She lowered her head and asked before smiling to say, ¡°It smells so good. Thank you!¡±

    As she spoke, she held Jin Sheng¡¯s arm with one hand and smiled, ¡°Where are you nning to treat me to dinner? I¡¯ve already said it. It¡¯s your turn this time. I was the one who paid for itst time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you. However, you were the one who fought to buy itst time. I¡¯m very innocent.¡±

    Jin Sheng¡¯s joyfulughter could also be heard. The two of them walked out together. That scene naturally caused many people to be envious.

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was walking behind them, slowed down a little. She watched the two of them walk out of the door together before she walked over unhurriedly.

    Initially, she thought that it would be less troublesome if she did not go up too much. However, sometimes, there were people who just could not bear to see her beingfortable!

    As they walked past the door, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s gaze swept past the ss door at the side. She actually noticed Dongfang Liuyun, who was walking not far behind them. Her eyes flickered for a moment before she suddenly pulled Jin Sheng and turned around to look behind her.

    The person in front suddenly stopped. Dongfang Liuyun also stopped walking at an unhurried pace in the next moment and raised her gaze to look at the two of them.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

    ¡°Did Fourth Sister just get off work?¡±

    Their voices were heard almost at the same time.

    Dongfang Liuyun calmly retracted her gaze and nodded, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be sincere in inviting me to dinner. Can you move aside? I still have to get to the supermarket to buy ingredients and cook.¡±

    ¡°Since when did Fourth Sister learn to cook? From what I remember, you lead quite a pampered life.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise. She nced at Jin Sheng, who had aplicated expression on his face, and smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you know me so well. I¡¯m afraid your impression of me is still the same as when we were children. Moreover, what you said made me a little dissatisfied. When you were seven years old, didn¡¯t you take the cake that I personally baked to give to grandfather as a birthday present? Didn¡¯t you know already know then that I¡¯m not that pampered?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a teasing look. She looked on with satisfaction at her suddenly stiff and taut little face.

    ¡°Dourth sister, you must be joking. That was the cake that Auntie Wu found for me. I didn¡¯t know that you personally baked it. It¡¯s not my fault...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s also one of your people, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

 Chapter 1626 - Tit-for-tat (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1626: Tit-for-tat (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was rendered speechless, but her reaction was quick enough. Looking at Dongfang Liu Yun¡¯s indifferent face, she thought for a moment and replied with a smile, ¡°If it helps you feel better then I don¡¯t mind what you think.¡±

    Retreat to advance?

    Dongfang Liu Yun raised her eyebrows and looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in surprise, ¡°I am somewhat gratified by your improvement. In my impression, you have always been someone who likes to take the initiative to attack. Retreating to advance is not your style.¡±

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, you don¡¯t have to always target my fianc¨¦e. Judging from your tone, you seem to be very dissatisfied with her. I hope you can show her some respect.¡±

    ¡°Master Jin, I¡¯ve said it before. I¡¯ve always thought that respect is mutual. If it weren¡¯t for you guys blocking my way, your so-called target wouldn¡¯t exist. Of course, if you really intend to be a protector to show off your outstanding image, or if you want to make tomorrow¡¯s entertainment headlines, I don¡¯t mind helping.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had never been a person who would swallow her pride. She knew very well who she could tolerate and who she should deal with. She did not need to expect Dongfang Ren and the others to be merciful in exchange for her backing down, she had long seen through such a scenario.

    Therefore, she did not expect any sisterhood from Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Dongfang Liuyun knew very well that Dongfang Rou¡¯er was just like her. They were both proud people. Perhaps one day, one of them wouldpletely copse, only then would the battle end.

    And, was this Jin Sheng not a sign that she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, was dering war?

    Jin Sheng¡¯s expression sank as expected!

    He naturally knew that a woman like Dongfang Liuyun was a thorny rose. When he had firste into contact with her, he had not taken advantage of her. The radiance on her body was too dazzling, even though he knew that it was not something an ordinary man could control, he still gritted his teeth in hatred. He really did not know what kind of scene it would be if such a woman were to crawl under his feet!

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression softened because of Jin Sheng¡¯s protection. She reached out to stop Jin Sheng, ¡°You don¡¯t have to interfere in the matters between Fourth Sister and I. Anyway, this isn¡¯t something that happens once or twice. I¡¯m already used to it.¡±

    ¡°Your words are easy to misunderstand. Fifth Sister, you have to be clear. The person who wants to embarrass everyone is you. I have no interest in apanying you to tarnish your image in public. Also, if you want to use me as a touchstone to show your gentleness and kindness, or to disy your unique temperament, then I advise you not to have any ideas about me. I¡¯m an extraterrestrial meteorite. I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to control the degree and will directly lose yourself. That won¡¯t be good.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s silent gaze with great pleasure¡ª

    She admitted that she was happy to see her opponent in such a dejected state, but this was only the beginning.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, I have always respected you, but your attitude towards me makes me very disappointed. You don¡¯t have to target me like this. We all have Dongfang blood flowing in our veins.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to use blood ties to tell me. The things you have done are enough to erase these words. Oh right, I forgot to congratte you. You have seeded in putting me in my ce. Your mother, Lin Yuanyuan, did indeed let me be in charge of that project. If you feel a little more bnced in your heart, then you can step aside now.¡±

    A cold expression appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s small face. She indifferently withdrew her gaze, lifted the backpack on her shoulder, and strode over.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and pulled Jin Sheng to the side, making way for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked down the stairs, and her thin and sonorous figure quickly disappeared from their sight.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s hands were already tightly clenched. She had endured this kind of endurance many times over the past twenty years.

    Dongfang Liuyun, one day you will be at my feet. I want to let everyone know that I, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, will never be inferior to you. Moreover, I am also the woman who has the most right to stay by his side!

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er stared at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure as she gradually disappeared from her sight. She clenched her teeth as she screamed in her heart in a heart-wrenching manner.

    However, if she could not bear it, then she would mess up the big n!

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er knew this logic too well. Therefore, every time, she had to rely on her powerful self-control to pull her rationality back.

    ¡°Fourth Sister is always like this. Don¡¯t take it to heart. Just pretend that what happened today never happened.¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Rou¡¯er slowly let go of Jin Sheng¡¯srge hand and walked forward.

    Jin Sheng unhurriedly retracted his gaze and turned to look at Dongfang Rou¡¯er. His gaze instantly became gentle as he replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was just worried that you would be taken advantage of. Has she always been targeting you like this?¡±

    ¡°You saw it too, didn¡¯t you? She has always been brooding over the matter of the sessor. Actually, you can¡¯t me her.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and lowered her eyes. Her voice could not hide the bitterness in it as she said, ¡°You are also very clear about the situation here, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Jin Sheng nodded and stretched out his hand to hold Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. I¡¯ve always known that the rtionship between the two of you is a little stiff.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a little stiff, it¡¯s very stiff. In her words, this is the historical inevitability between us. I¡¯ve gotten used to it all these years. I¡¯ve carefully handled the rtionship between these people. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to maintain a barely peaceful situation. She¡¯s different from me. She¡¯s always been a person who does whatever she wants. I can only tolerate her.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness. As she spoke, she let out a bitterugh, ¡°Jin Sheng, I¡¯ve told you before. I¡¯ve never thought of pretending to be a gentle and kind woman in front of you. I¡¯m not convinced, and I¡¯m not willing either. I also hope that one day, in such a huge Dongfang Group, there will be a position that truly belongs to me, Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Can you understand this feeling?¡±

    ¡°You might not know how many times I¡¯ve wanted to lose my temper on the spot, but I can¡¯t do it. I don¡¯t want to see any ws in my image or my hard work.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and slowly walked down the stairs as she spoke.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be as unbridled as her because...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not continue speaking. She merely lowered her eyes andughed.

    Jin Sheng watched on and hesitated for a moment before following her. He quietly followed beside her.

 Chapter 1627 - Donâ€™t Be Sad (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1627: Don¡¯t Be Sad (1)</h4>

    The ck car slowly passed through the side road and steadily stopped at a parking spot in front of a bench in front of the flower bed.

    The stifling sky appeared very gloomy. Qi Lei lowered the car window and a few wisps of coolness entered along with the cool wind. Immediately after, his face felt slightly wet. He turned his head to look out of the car window and realized that it was already raining outside.

    The stuffy air seemed to have suddenly dropped in temperature and became cooler.

    On the bench next to him, Dongfang Liuyun was sping her hands together and lightly pressing them against her forehead. She had her head lowered as if she was resting with her eyes closed. When she heard the movement from the car, she quickly raised her head. When she saw the man waiting in the car, she stood up, carried his backpack and walked over.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    She threw her backpack to the back seat and fastened her seatbelt.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look too good. Did you suffer at work or did someone offend you?¡±

    Qi Lei silently started the car. When he saw that her face was a little tense and her brows were slightly furrowed, he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired from work, and mentally and physically exhausted. Is that okay?¡±

    She replied him with a sidelong nce, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry to go home. Let¡¯s go to the hot spring tonight and get a few skilled masseuse to rx. The hot spring club that I often go to has quite a few skilled ones. You don¡¯t mind men and women, do you?¡±

    ¡°Do you often call for a male or female masseuse?¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Lei immediately asked. His dark eyes narrowed at her as well. There was no need to say anything with those eyes. There was some danger in them, but it was not enough to threaten Dongfang liuyun.

    ¡°Are you stupid? Usually, men call women and women call men.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sideways nce and looked at him as if he was looking at an idiot.

    ¡°Can¡¯t your taste be a little higher? For example, wouldn¡¯t calling a beautiful woman be more pleasing to the eye? Male masseuses are mostly ugly. Why would handsome people be doing those things? What kind of look is that? I¡¯m not jealous. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll be taken advantage of, so I want to help you improve your taste...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call for female masseuse number seven for youter. Her skills are very good, and she¡¯s also very pleasing to the eye.¡±

    She did not respond to his words, but instead threw this sentence at him.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Qi Lei paused for a moment and immediately replied.

    ¡°This is called wishful thinking. Have you memorized this word?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him with a fake smile. He looked at his handsome face that had suddenly darkened with satisfaction and actuallyughed happily

    She suddenly realized that teasing him really made her feel good and happy.

    An hourter, in a VIP room in the hot spring club.

    The husband and wife were lying side by side on the bed. Dongfang Liuyun kindly found Qi Lei a very beautiful female masseuse while she found a very handsome young man.

    Initially, it was quite enjoyable, but President Qi was not in the mood to enjoy it at all. He allowed the woman to massage his shoulders with all her might. His gaze and attention were focused on the woman beside him.

    ¡°Buddy, just massage her legs and shoulders. Yes, yes, just massage her feet. She¡¯s my wife. It¡¯s up to you. Do you understand?¡±

    When the young man heard Qi Lei¡¯s words, he could not help but cough lightly. He tried his best to hold back hisughter. Of course, he did not dare to act rashly.

    Dongfang Liuyun despised himpletely and dismissed him. She swore that she would never bring this guy here in the future!

    The clubhouse had a package for their service. The husband and wife had a simple dinner inside. When they left, it was already past 10 p.m.

    The rain outside had stopped at some point. When the car drove past New Era za, she saw someone roasting chicken drumsticks by the roadside. The alluring aroma really made her unable to resist the temptation. She admitted that she had always been a foodie.

    ¡°Do you want one?¡±

    She took a few tender roasted chicken drumsticks back to the car. She had already finished off half of them impolitely.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s unhygienic!¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her with some disdain

    This woman was actually still...

    He almost forgot that whenever he used to have dinner with her at night, she would go to the food stall and eat skewers with beer every time.

    ¡°Try it. Take it!¡±

    She stubbornly handed one to him.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and could only take it. He slowly took a bite. Mmm, it tasted really good!

    However, he swore that this was the first time in his life that he had eaten in the car so sloppily with a woman...

    She finished off both of the drumsticks perfectly and turned to look at the man beside her. Seeing that he was still eating elegantly with the chicken drumstick in his hand, she could not help but purse his lips and chuckle, ¡°A person like you would definitely not be able to survive if you were thrown into the wilderness. There¡¯s no need to live so prudently in this world. As long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    Qi Lei slowly swallowed the food in his mouth and rolled his eyes at her. He said disapprovingly, ¡°A person like me would only be an elegant and charming lion king in the wilderness!¡±

    She shrugged, ¡°Do you have the ferocity of a lion king?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    He took a tissue and wiped his mouth. He passed the remaining chicken bones to her. She cooperated and quietly tidied them up. She opened the car window and threw them into the trash bin at the side.

    ¡°No,¡± she answered straightforwardly.

    Qi Lei nced at her and took the water from her. He drank a few more mouthfuls before saying, ¡°You¡¯re naturally morefortable than I am. I admit that my mentality is not as good as yours. I¡¯m bound by too many things.¡±

    ¡°You should be more affectionate. There¡¯s actually nothing bad about this. Did you send off that girl named Qi Wei¡¯er today?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked calmly.

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Qi Lei was a little surprised. He had only quietly gone over this matter. He did not want her to...

    ¡°I guessed,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied. She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Actually, when I left thepany just now, I bumped into Dongfang Rou¡¯er and her fianc¨¦, Jin Sheng.¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er, Jin Sheng? It was because of them that you didn¡¯t look too good before, right?¡± Qi Lei frowned.

    ¡°Yes, they were a slight influence,¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered very honestly.

    ¡°I heard that the eldest Master of the Jin family was actually married to you, but for some reason, it didn¡¯t work outter. Now, the candidate has be Dongfang Rou¡¯er. They¡¯re borrowing the power of the Jin family...,¡± Qi Lei asked tentatively, his dark eyes quietlynding on her face.

    Hearing this, she could not help but sigh¡ª

    ¡°Where should I begin...¡±

 Chapter 1628 - Donâ€™t Be Sad (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1628: Don¡¯t Be Sad (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a moment of silence, she continued¡ª

    ¡°From the very beginning, I was against this matter.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, Jin Sheng is also very dissatisfied with your attitude. This engagement with Dongfang Rou¡¯er...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about their affairs, but from a profit point of view, their marriage has caused me a lot of pressure.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she raised her hand and rubbed the space between her brows, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded and did not say anything else. He started the car.

    ..

    It was alreadyte at night when they reached home. They did not have time to go online and y games. After a simple shower, they went straight to bed to rest. Dongfang Liuyun was really tired after a tiring day. Qi Lei received a call, then he went to the study to handle some urgent emails. When he came out of the bathroom refreshed, Dongfang Liuyun had already fallen asleep on the bed inside.

    She felt the nket lift up and the space beside her sink in. Then, she quietly turned around and looked over with her starry eyes.

    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡±

    He reached out to turn off the light and hugged around her waist with his long arms, his entire body moved closer as well. A faint fragrance entered his nose, naturally, he could not help but feel a surge of undercurrents in his chest. His idle hand slowly passed through her smooth hair, therge hand around her waist suddenly tightened.

    Dongfang Liuyun was half-awake. His broad embrace came over, and she finally regained some of her energy. The gradually rising temperature made her sense his passion. She was stunned for a moment, but she did not stop him. She stretched out her hand and pulled him down, she kissed him.

    She needed to get used to him, and she was not a pretentious woman. She did not reject him, so...

    They were familiar with each other¡¯s aura, and they were giving and requesting flirtatiously. For the first time, Dongfang Liuyun realized that even a handsome and charming man like Qi Lei could turn into a beast under such circumstances, she was almost shocked by his enthusiasm.

    When they stopped, it was already the wee hours of the day. She took a few deep breaths with some difficulty and turned to look at the man beside her who was resting with his head on his arm and hugging her with one hand. After calming down, she reached out and gently put her hand on his shoulder, with a slightly hoarse voice, she asked, ¡°Have you really kept your virginity for the past few years?¡±

    He narrowed his eyes at her and said with a faint smile, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she replied very honestly.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and hugged her tightly as he said seriously, ¡°Although there has been a lot of gossip since I returned to China, I¡¯ve gotten used to it after seeing a lot of it. I actually don¡¯t really like the smell of their perfume, let alone their behavior. At that time, even if I wanted to find a reason to degenerate into a good-for-nothing, I still had a bottom line in my heart. I was also afraid of getting into trouble. After all, I¡¯m not Qi Qiming.¡±

    Qi Lei was very clear about his father¡¯s actions over the years. He had countless mistresses over the years. Whether it was because he wanted to dere war with Wang Qin like Wang Chun said or because of something, Qi lei had always thought that any reason was not enough to be an excuse to be unfaithful.

    It was because of this unpleasant experience that he told himself that he could not follow the same path as him. Of course, no reason could be an excuse to make him fall from grace. It was just that he hade to this realization a littlete...

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and thought for a moment. She seemed to understand what he meant. After a moment¡¯s thought, she suddenly moved her hand down and held hisrge hand. He moved his arm that he rested his head on and hugged her firmly.

    ¡°I should be d that you¡¯re different from them, but you have a good mentality. People like us might be the kind of people who have strong mental strength in the game. Every time I feel helpless, I think of myself and others. Suddenly, I realize that there are many people who have it worse than us. If others can persevere, what right do you have to not fight?¡±

    Hearing her say this, Qi Lei¡¯s face immediately softened. His eyes could not help but reveal some gentleness. He asked, ¡°In your eyes, do you think that I¡¯m a special existencepared to them?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and silently retracted her gaze. She did not answer.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, chuckled. He hugged her shoulders and pulled the nket. He did not continue. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead. He said softly, ¡°Rest early. Goodnight!¡±

    ¡°Goodnight.¡± She replied simply and closed her eyes silently...

    ...

    Compared to Qi Lei¡¯s cozy and warm situation, Zhou Zimo¡¯s situation was clearly not too good.

    Liang Jing had originallye to see if her son had returned. She did not expect to see the lights in the vi still on when she drove over.

    Zhou Zimo usually lived alone here. Since the lights were on in the house, it meant that this guy was definitely at home!

    It had been a few days since she had found him. Even when she went to thepany, she had not seen Zhou Zimo. Now that she had seen him, Liang Jing could not help but want to go up to Zhou Zimo and give him a heads up, however, when she saw the worn out Zhou Zimo in front of her, all of Liang Jing¡¯s thoughts disappeared.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you not feeling well? Why are you so warm? Your fever is so bad! Where have you been all this time? My God, your fever is terrible. Hurry up and put on some clothes. Mother will bring you to the hospital. Hurry up!¡±

    Liang Jing reached out and touched Zhou Zimo¡¯s forehead. When she touched his forehead, she was immediately shocked by his temperature and quickly pulled him up from the sofa.

    Zhou Zimo frowned and struggled free from Liang Jing¡¯s hand. He replied tiredly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. I¡¯ve already taken my medicine. I¡¯ve been in the cold for the past few days and my head has been aching. I¡¯ve been sleeping for the whole day and I¡¯m a little hungry. Mother, cook something for me.¡±

    Zhou Zimo lifted his hand and grabbed his messy hair. As he spoke, his entire body went limp and he fell asleep on the sofa.

    ¡°Just starve to death! It¡¯s been so long, and you haven¡¯t even called me back. The whole family is worried about you again, but you¡¯re acting like nothing happened. Your grandfather is furious. You¡¯re already an adult, why are you so insensible?¡±

    Liang Jing stared at Zhou Zimo with a cold face. Her eyes could not hide her anger, but there was also a hint of heartache!

    She really could not do anything to this son of hers!

    As she scolded him, she quickly got up and walked towards the bathroom. After a while, she brought a basin of water over and wrung a towel to cover Zhou Zimo¡¯s forehead. Then, she went upstairs and found a thin nket to cover him, before she turned around helplessly and walked towards the kitchen.

 Chapter 1629 - Donâ€™t Be Sad (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1629: Don¡¯t Be Sad (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Liang Jing searched the kitchen for a long time, but she could only find ingredients like noodles and eggs. In desperation, she could only cook some in porridge for Zhou Zimo.

    Just as she put the rice into the pot, the man at home called. Liang Jing quickly picked up

    ¡°Hello? Old Zhou? I¡¯m not going back today. I¡¯m at our son¡¯s ce, Huh? Yes, he¡¯s at home, but he has a high fever. He hasn¡¯t eaten anything at the moment and I¡¯m cooking some in porridge for him. There aren¡¯t any ingredients left. How can the supermarket still open at this hour? You should sleep first. There¡¯s no need to wait for me... are you going to leave in the morning? When will you be back? Didn¡¯t the military exercise just take ce in May? Why are there so many things happening in your military district? Alright,e over then. See if there¡¯s anything else in the fridge at home. Pick some light dishes and bring them over.¡±

    After the couple talked for a while, Liang Jing hung up. The child¡¯s father was about to leave City Z and was about to go out for some military exercise. It would probably take some time for him toe back. Before he left, he had toe over to see his son no matter what.

    About half an hourter, Liang Jing finally finished cooking the porridge. She filled a big bowl, poured a cup of warm water, and walked to the sofa in the living room.

    Zhou Zimo was also in a daze. Liang Jing put the porridge on the table at the side and reached out to take the towel from Zhou Zimo¡¯s forehead. She washed the towel and handed it to him, ¡°Zimo, get up. The porridge is ready, have some. You¡¯re all sweaty. Eat something hot and sweaty. Don¡¯t be in a hurry to take a shower. Have a good sleep. Get up!¡±

    As she said that, she reached out to pull the thin nket on his body.

    Zhou Zimo finally got up in a daze. He took the towel and wiped his face and hands. His handsome and elegant face still had some morbid redness. He sat leisurely and looked at the bowl of porridge in front of him. After a long time, he reached out to pick it up.

    ¡°Tell mother where you¡¯ve been these days. Why can¡¯t I get through to your phone? Are you hiding from us?¡± Liang Jing¡¯s astute gaze swept across Zhou Zimo¡¯s face as she spoke.

    Zhou Zimo swallowed the food in his mouth without quite tasting it. Without even looking at Liang Jing, he replied, ¡°Mother, what are you thinking? I was just out on vacation. I wandered around by myself and then wandered around the neighborhood.¡±

    ¡°How can a vacation make you so thin?¡±

    Liang Jing clearly did not believe him. Just as she was about to continue speaking, she suddenly heard footstepsing from outside. The footsteps were steady and sonorous. The mother and son both subconsciously turned their heads to look at the door. As expected, they saw a sh of tall and straight military green that caught their eyes.

    That¡¯s right, the person who came was Zhou Zimo¡¯s father, a well-known figure in the military, Zhou Zhenjun!

    Even to name his son, Old Master Zhou had given him such an inspring one, he was indeed worthy of being a revolutionary of the older generation.

    Father Zhou had always disliked such a vulgar name. When he was young, he often thought of changing this name. Hence, he dide up with another name and was beaten up by the Old Master at home, he immediately changed back to a vulgar name like ¡®Zhou Zhenjun¡¯. In the end he got used to it.

    Zhou Zhenjun actually looked quite simr to Zhou Zimo, but Zhou Zhenjun looked taller and more powerful. He also had the profound look that came with time, and he looked like a reserved and steady person. Perhaps it was because he had been busy recently, he was tanned now though he still very handsome.

    Wearing a neat set of summer clothes on his body, he also gave off an imposing aura.

    At the moment, he was holding a thermos sk in his hand. He walked over in a few big strides and ced the hat in his hand on the table at the side.

    ¡°Father? Why are you here too?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked a little stupefied at his father who had suddenly appeared in front of him and asked in a daze.

    Zhou Zhenjun passed the thermos sk in his hand to Liang Jing and nced at Zhou Zimo. ¡°If I didn¡¯te, would you go back? Look at you! I¡¯m so angry!¡± Zhou Zhenjun said in a disappointed tone and sat down across from Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo cleared his throat and lowered his head, pretending not to hear him. He continued to eat his porridge. Liang Jing, on the other hand, opened the thermos sk swiftly and took out a few light dishes that were still slightly warm.

    ¡°Alright, eat your fill first. You¡¯ve tormented yourself to such a state. You should find someone to take good care of you. You¡¯re already in your thirties. If I were talk about you when I¡¯m out with others, I wouldn¡¯t even dare tell them your age, you know that? Look at Ah Chen, he¡¯s your age, he¡¯s already the father of several children. Now look at you, you¡¯re really a good-for-nothing!¡± Liang Jing said with a frown.

    Zhou Zimo listened and paused for a moment. He quickly picked up his chopsticks, picked up the food, and ate silently without making a sound.

    ¡°I agree with your mother, I feel the same! It¡¯s time for you to find a wife. I¡¯ve said this so many times, even if you don¡¯t find it tiring, I¡¯m tired of saying it myself. Your grandfather is extremely anxious. You, Zhou Zimo, one, are not ugly and quite handsome too. Two, you¡¯re not a yboy. Three, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t get a girlfriend. You pretend to be all cool, well if you really are so cool, why don¡¯t you find a daughter-inw for your mother and me? To put it bluntly, you have high standards! All these years, I think there were a few of the women by your side who were pretty good!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s not talk about anyone else, just Zhang Yue, you remember her right? That girl who used to chase you guys around, I think she¡¯s pretty good. She¡¯s lively and cheerful, the youngdy looks quite pleasant, and she¡¯s also very considerate and knows how to take care of others. She¡¯s always liked to stick to you, she¡¯s perfect for you!¡±

    ¡°Perfect my ass!¡±

    After Liang Jing said this, Father Zhou didn¡¯t wait for Zhou Zimo to respond before he directly exploded, ¡°That youngdy is more like a granddaughter for us! Look at Su Zhengxun¡¯s wife, Jiajia, right? He¡¯s had to endure a lot. Zimo, don¡¯t look for a woman who¡¯s like a daughter. Sooner orter, you¡¯ll be annoyed to no end. If you want to look for someone, get someone like Tang Chuan¡¯s wife, Ah Rong, Ah Rong¡¯s virtuous wife.¡±

    ¡°Ah Rong? A great wife, isn¡¯t she? Why do I hear some insinuations from your words? Are you trying to say that I¡¯m not some virtuous wife?¡±

    Liang Jing immediately caught onto Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s words and gave him a cold look with some dissatisfaction.

    ¡°I¡¯m just using it as a metaphor now. You can¡¯t use us as an example for our son, you can order me around. With Zimo¡¯s character, do you think a woman could order him around. He¡¯ll have to find a powerful woman to control him no matter what.¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun immediately exined as he looked at Zhou Zimo, ¡°These standards can be changed, but you have to find a beautiful, good-looking, and unsophisticated one. You¡¯ll understand when you¡¯re older!¡±

 Chapter 1630 - Donâ€™t Be Sad (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1630: Don¡¯t Be Sad (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zhenjun lowered his voice as he whispered these words into Zhou Zimo¡¯s ear. Liang Jing, who was at the side, shot him a dangerous look, and he only responded with a mysterious smile.

    Zhou Zimo stopped what he was doing and nced at his father. Zhou Zhenjun, however, had already retracted his gaze and said in a serious tone, ¡°This is a mission. You know what your grandfather wants. I also know how you¡¯re like, if no one forces you, you definitely won¡¯t be able toplete it. If you don¡¯te home with a daughter-inw this year, you don¡¯t have to go home either, we¡¯ll throw you into exile in the northwest!¡±

    ¡°I agree with that too!¡± Liang Jing said.

    ¡°Alright, take good care of yourself and be in good spirits. Go back and visit your grandfather, he¡¯s been missing you. I don¡¯t want to pursue this matter any further. You just need to know what you¡¯re doing. When a man is older, it¡¯s time to get married, take heart!¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun stood up and patted Zhou Zimo¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I might only be back in a month or two. Go back and visit your grandfather and your mother more often. Also, as I always say, if I find out any gossip, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson when I get back!¡±

    After saying this, he strode out as he grabbed the hat on the table with one hand.

    ¡°I got it. Bye, father!¡± Zhou Zimo replied with a sickly voice.

    Liang Jing quickly got up and followed him¡ª

    ¡°Get them to prepare a few thicker clothes for you. It¡¯s raining now, the weather will be a little colder after this. Also, remember to wipe the medicinal wine on your wrist frequently and eat on time. Your have bad gastric...¡±

    Every time Zhou Zhenjun went away for work, Liang Jing would patiently repeat the same words to him. Zhou Zhenjun did not seem to be tired of hearing it. When he was packing at home just now, he felt like something was missing because he missed his son, and did not have her long-winded words, so he came over to take a look.

    Zhou Zimo took a deep breath and turned his head to look at the couple who had already disappeared at the door. After a while, he shrugged and continued to eat his porridge.

    Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s car was parked outside the door. As soon as he saw Zhou Zhenjun walk over, the security guards immediately opened the car door for him and greeted Liang Jing respectfully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t agree with pushing our son too hard. Ah Jing, you just need to check-in on him more often, don¡¯t bother too much about his love life, otherwise, he¡¯ll hate uster. He¡¯s already so old, in his thirties and close to 40. He knows what he wants.¡±

    It was still drizzling outside. As Zhou Zhenjun spoke, he turned around and saw his wife standing in the rain with him. He reached for the coat in his car and carefully draped it over her shoulders.

    Liang Jing nodded and tugged at the coat obediently. ¡°I got it. You have to remember to call often. You haven¡¯t been eating well recently. I¡¯m worried about your health.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just had a medical report, it says I should be worried about my stomach. I¡¯m leaving now. You have to take care of father and yourself. Leave the matter of your son to him. I¡¯ll have a good talk with him when I get back.¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun reached out and hugged Liang Jing. He patted her shoulder and soon let go. He turned around and got into the car¡ª

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s raining hard. Let¡¯s go back. I¡¯m leaving too!¡±

    ¡°Be safe on the road. Be careful!¡±

    Watching the car drive away, Liang Jing chased after it.

    The shadow of the car soon disappeared into the twilight ahead.

    Liang Jing stood there for quite a while before she turned around and went back...

    Zhou Zimo had finished the bowl of porridge in the living room, and the ss of water beside him had been emptied. When Liang Jing returned to the living room, he had already gone upstairs, back to his bedroom and immediately fell asleep.

    ...

    When she woke up, the sky was already bright, and the man beside him had disappeared without a trace.

    Dongfang Liuyun also got up very quickly. When she finished cleaning up and went downstairs, she found that the living room was empty, but the breakfast on the table had already been ced. Even his portion was not found in the kitchen.

    After searching for a while, she found him at the corridor outside.

    He was still wearing the dark blue pyjamas fromst night, holding a cup of hot water as he stood in front of the stairs, watching the morning glory that was messed up by the wind and rain in front of him. His tall and uprightt figure stood in the cool breeze, no matter how she looked at it, he seemed deste and lonely as he was shrouded by the vast rain.

    After hesitating for a moment, she walked over and stopped beside him.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    He quickly turned his head and lowered his gaze to look at her. He handed her the still warm water in his hand.

    She nodded and reached out to take it. She drank a few mouthfuls of it before returning it to him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to work today? Aren¡¯t you going to change your clothes?¡± She asked faintly, but her gaze stopped on his handsome face

    The quiet him seemed to have a hint of peace and tranquility. She felt quite at ease by this sight of him.

    Qi Lei ced the cup on the armrest as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m not going, nning to rest. It¡¯s the Mid-autumn Festival soon. I have to go visit my older brother.¡±

    As he spoke, he slowly walked down the stairs and put away a morning glory seedling.

    ¡°What flowers do you like? A friend is on a business trip in Hond these two days. I asked him to bring some beautiful flowers back and nt them in the flowerbed over there. Maybe they¡¯ll bloom in the next spring,¡± he said as he bent down to pull off the stic film.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°What about you? What kind of flowers do you like?¡±

    ¡°I like this one.¡±

    As he listened, he turned his head to look at her and pointed at the morning glory in front of him. ¡°After the storm, it will continue to climb up and the flowers will bloom beautifully.¡±

    At this moment, a warm smile suddenly appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face. She silently squatted down and quietly looked at him, who was still busy.

    The cool breeze of the morning carried a hint of moisture, but the air was very fresh. It brought with it a faint fragrance as it bathed this world

    This kind of morning was exceptionally beautiful.

    ¡°I have time in the afternoon. Aren¡¯t you going to take me to see your mother, my mother-inw?¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun said these words calmly.

    When Qi Lei heard this, he also paused for a moment. He slowly turned to look at her. His eyes were filled with surprise as he locked his gaze on her...

    Dongfang Liuyun just leisurely lowered her crossed hands and smiled as she turned to look at therge patch of morning glories...

 Chapter 1631 - Donâ€™t Be Sad (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1631: Don¡¯t Be Sad (5)</h4>

    Her smiling face caught his eye, and he could not help but feel his heart skip a beat. He suddenly thought that she was very pleasing to the eye. Her hands were crossed and her ring was glowing slightly...

    He thought for a moment, and then said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up in the afternoon and go see our mother then.¡±

    She turned around and looked at him, then nodded happily. ¡°You make the arrangements. I¡¯ll go along with it.¡±

    Qi Lei straightened his body and walked over to her. ¡°Go back and have breakfast. I¡¯ll send you to workter.¡±

    She responded with a grunt and slowly stood up.

    Qi Lei put one hand on her shoulder and the other hand picked up the cup by the side. The two of them then walked into the room.

    After a simple breakfast, Qi Lei sent Dongfang Liuyun to work while he drove back to the Qi family¡¯s old mansion.

    It had been a long time since he had returned. The servants were still the same as before. They would often clean the house, so the house was still quite clean. Everything was the same as before he left.

    Qi Lei stood quietly in the living room and looked at the luxurious and grand house. His expression was very calm. The original butler stood behind him, and his heart was filled with many emotions and sighs.

    The Qi family old mansion had been so lively back then.

    The Qi family¡¯s ancestors were all in the mafia. Later on, because of the changes in the situation, Qi Qiming had no choice but to transform the Qi family¡¯s business into Qi Kai, but now...

    This ce had be lifeless in the end.

    Thinking back, how lively was the Qi family back then?

    In the end, it could not withstand the erosion of time, and the erosion of reality. In the end, the family n still fell into a decline. In fact, it could not be called decline. At least, the potential of the Second Master¡¯s Tai Yu Corporation was not something that Qi Kai couldpare to, perhaps it was because Qi Kai¡¯s fate had run out.

    ¡°Second Master, there are still people cleaning this ce every day. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s too wasteful to leave such a huge house idle. This is where you grew up, Second Master, it¡¯s your home. Why don¡¯t you move back here? It¡¯s better to have some people in the house. With President Qi in the state that he¡¯s in, this house...¡±

    The butler stood behind him and spoke softly.

    Qi Lei listened and did not say anything.

    In fact, he had never thought of this ce as his home. Qi Lei had never known where his home was in this vast world, and where it could be?

    He turned to look at the outer courtyard that was shrouded in a hazy rain outside the window. He walked over and drew the half-closed curtains. Arge expanse of beautiful purple and red entered his eyes. He stood for a moment before saying quietly, ¡°Just keep things the way they are, in the future...¡±

    In the future, perhaps Qi Qiming would wake up and he woulde back to live here. This ce was the painstaking work of several generations of the Qi family. Even if Qi Lei did not care...

    ¡°Second Master, when you get married in the future, won¡¯t you move back here?¡± The butler asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s answer was naturally very certain. What this ce brought to him were only those unpleasant memories. Why did he have to make himself suffer? Besides, he liked the Grand Lake Vi area very much now, Liuyun also said that she liked the style andyout there.

    ¡°But, this ce...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no harm in leaving it empty.¡±

    After Qi Lei said this, he turned around and walked out¡ª

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    The butler chased after him, while Qi Lei had already walked down the steps in front of the door.

    ¡°In a year or two, when the situation stabilizes, we¡¯ll sell the house here. There are some memories that don¡¯t need to be remembered. It¡¯s not a good thing if something deeply rooted affects future generations. There¡¯s nothing wrong in starting over.¡±

    Qi Lei said in a low voice, but his footsteps did not stop¡ª

    Qi Qiming was the only one who lived here. If he does not wake up, he...

    When Qi Lei said this, the butler¡¯s expression changed drastically

    ¡°No, Second Master. This is the Qi family¡¯s blood, sweat and tears. We can¡¯t sell it!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s lips curled into a smile. He did not reply. His tall and upright body slowly passed through the hazy rain...

    After leaving the Qi family¡¯s old residence, it was almost noon. Qi Lei went to the South River to check on the construction situation. By the time he was done and went to pick up Dongfang Liuyun, it was already past three in the afternoon.

    Outside City Z, Qingshan Cemetery.

    Countless people were buried here. Wang Qin, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha were here too.

    In the end, Qi Lei still went to see Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha. They were just two tombstones that were engulfed in the wind and rain, their ashes buried underneath. They remained silent with the silence of the Pure Land[1] and would never wake up again.

    This time, Qi Lei did not say anything. He just lit a cigarette and ced it on Qi Feng¡¯s tombstone. He told him that Qi Wei¡¯er was fine and let him rest in peace...

    ...

    In front of Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone.

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun stood side by side like this.

    It was not Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s first time here. She remembered that thest time she came was with him.

    Qi Lei bent down slightly and was about to light the incense for Wang Qin, but Dongfang Liuyun was one step ahead of him. She took a few thin sticks of incense from his hand. ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    As she spoke, she took the lighter in his hand and lit it up silently. Not long after, the incense was lit.

    Dongfang Liuyun inserted the incense and ced the bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone. Then, she straightened up. When she turned to look at Qi Lei, she soon noticed the gloominess in his eyes. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly reached out and grabbed hisrge hand, her voice was a little hoarse. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯m sure she has already ascended to the paradise.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe those lies that they tell children? When someone dies, don¡¯t they just turn into a handful of ashes? There¡¯s no such thing as ascending to paradise. It¡¯s just a hope of the living about the dead,¡± Qi Lei replied in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face lit up with warmth. ¡°I thought you neededfort, but I¡¯m not that good atforting others.¡±

    ¡°A person who knows how tofort others may be even more fragile than the person who needsfort.¡±

    Qi Lei retracted his gaze after saying that. He looked at Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone in front of him and wiped the photo that was slightly drizzled with rain, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, mother. I miss you. I came to see you today and brought along your long-awaited daughter-inw. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like her.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent. Although she had never interacted with Wang Qin, she trust that Wang Qin must have been a pretty good person. Following Qi Lei, she respectfully changed her way of addressing her¡ª

    ¡°Hello, mother. I¡¯m Liuyun, Qi Lei¡¯s wife. I¡¯ll be by his side from now on. I won¡¯t let him be too lonely. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

 Chapter 1632 - How Could I Lose It? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1632: How Could I Lose It? (1)</h4>

    Later on, the couple even bowed three times to Wang Qin in tacit understanding. This was the first time Dongfang Liuyun had visited the Qi family as Qi Lei¡¯s wife, but...

    After staying for a while, the couple left.

    It was already evening when they left the cemetery. The rain had stopped and there was some sunlight, but the air was still hot and stuffy. It would probably rain soon.

    The couple headed straight back home, and rushed to the supermarket near the vi area to buy some ingredients before that.

    When they got home, Dongfang Liuyun decided to show off her skills with rare interest. Qi Lei was naturally very happy. He leisurely watched TV in the living room and waited for Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s dinner.

    More than an hourter, the food was served on the table.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the promise you made with father tomorrow. He hates people who don¡¯t have a sense of time.¡± Dongfang Liuyun suddenly reminded him when she was serving soup to Qi Lei.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m taking this to heart.¡± Qi Lei took it and replied. He drank a few mouthfuls of the soup in enjoyment.

    ¡°You¡¯d better be concerned. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be easy for you to pass the test over there. Although I don¡¯t approve of the Dongfang family¡¯s actions, there are some things that I can¡¯t change for the time being. You need to get along well with father. I¡¯ve gotten along well with father since we were young. Apart from being father and daughter, we¡¯re also friends and he¡¯s my teacher. He usually respects my choice, and since he¡¯s asked you out like this, it means that he acknowledges you,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Are you so worried that mother and father won¡¯t acknowledge me?¡± Qi Lei stopped what he was doing and looked at her meaningfully.

    She did not have much of a reaction. She continued to drink her soup. ¡°If they don¡¯t approve of you, we¡¯ll need more time to deal with them. So, what do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei listened and suddenly smiled. He nodded happily and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡±

    ...

    The night gradually grewte. The city near midnight was much quieter than during the day, especially in this kind of weather. The bright lights were also much dimmer than before.

    Lan Xiu stood on the balcony outside the study and quietly looked at the street lights below. There was a trace of worry between his brows that even he did not notice. He was holding an open document in his hand.

    ¡°President Lan, I just found out that at the end ofst month, Miss Dongfang and President Qi of Tai Yu Corporation had already registered their marriage. Moreover, a few days ago, they had already gone back to see President Gan and the others, President Lan...¡±Ah Li said carefully.

    Looking at Lan Xiu¡¯s face, he realized that his face had already turned a little pale. There was also an inexplicable hint of loneliness or sadness in his dark eyes?

    ¡°I understand. There¡¯s no need to continue.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s low voice was heard. His hands that were holding the railing in front of him had already tightened¡ª

    He could no longer describe the feelings in his heart. He could only numbly feel waves of dull pain assaulting him. There was a suffocating feeling of darkness that almost took away all of his rationality and breath.

    Actually, he should have been able to guess then.

    Married?

    Dongfang Liuyun, you are re still...

    ¡°President Lan, are you alright?¡± Ah Li, who was standing behind him, asked worriedly. He went forward to hold Lan Xiu.

    However, Lan Xiu raised his hand to stop him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You can go down first.¡±

    ¡°President Lan, you¡¯ve only just recovered from your cold slightly. It¡¯s already sote. You should rest first to prevent it from getting worse. Let Miss Dongfange over tomorrow. Perhaps you¡¯ll be able to find out what¡¯s going on.¡± Ah Li lowered his voice and said.

    ¡°You should go back first. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Lan Xiu said indifferently with a cold tone.

    Ah Li knew Lan Xiu very well, so he could only turn around and leave immediately.

    Hearing the sound of the door close, Lan Xiu¡¯s five fingers brushed across his scalp. He held his suddenly aching head, and he began to feel a little dazed...

    He wanted to call her, but he held back. Even if he knew that he would immediately hear her voice if he pressed the button...

    ..

    Dongfang Liuyun did not expect that Lan Xiu would just show up. The next day, after she finished reading through some documents, the two of them agreed to meet at a coffee shop near the Dongfang Group.

    It seemed like he was not in great condition...

    His face was a little pale. As she looked at him, she instantly frowned. She walked over in a few steps and sat down across him.

    ¡°How did you end up like this? Have you been busy recently?¡± A concerned tone was heard. It was as simple and natural as before.

    Lan Xiu ordered a cup of herbal tea to warm her stomach. The waiter served it just as she sat down.

    Seeing that she had lowered her head to take a sip of the herbal tea, Lan Xiu picked up the cup of coffee in front of him and took a sip. His dark eyes could not hide the hint of mncholy. He looked at her for a long time before he said in a low voice, ¡°I have a cold. I¡¯m fine. How have you been recently? You look pretty good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You have to take care of yourself. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re in a hurry to be a top-notch big shot. Didn¡¯t we already say that we shouldn¡¯t work too hard? Also I should be the one looking for you. I didn¡¯t expect you toe looking for me first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun held the cup lightly with one hand and lowered her eyes indifferently.

    ¡°I thought that if I didn¡¯te looking for you, you wouldn¡¯te to me.¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at her and his tone was a little deste. After pondering for a moment, he continued, ¡°The night after the day I returned, I was waiting for you downstairs at your office. I wanted to give you a surprise, but you surprised me instead.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment when Lan Xiu said this. She looked up at him and thought for a moment. She seemed to have suddenly thought of something and asked...

    ¡°Is it about me and Qi Lei getting married?¡±

    There was not the slightest ripple in her calm tone. Dongfang Liuyun lowered her head as she spoke. She continued to drink her tea, ¡°I wanted to talk to you about this. The day after you rejected me, I agreed to his proposal.¡±

    ¡°Why? You don¡¯t like him at all, yet you still agreed to his proposal?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s hands tightened slightly as he looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s unperturbed face. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it person me? Liuyun... Why isn¡¯t it me? You know very well...¡±

    ¡°You know the reason, Lan Xiu. You¡¯re right. If you had agreed to me back then, a lot of things would have changed. We¡¯re so familiar with each other. You know me very well, and I know you very well too.¡±

    Although she said this, it was like a sharp de that pierced into Lan Xiu¡¯s heart...

 Chapter 1633 - How Could I Lose It? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1633: How Could I Lose It? (2)</h4>

    The stinging sensation of obstructed breathing!

    This was the first time he had experienced such a profound and painstaking experience¡ª

    His heart, which was riddled with holes, had just healed a little, but it was soon pierced by this news. The only words he could still see in the bottom of his heart were those words that he could not face¡ª

    Serves him right, stupid, getting married, losing..

    He once again tasted the pain in his heart, each time getting deeper and deeper.

    He raised his head slightly and took a deep breath. With some difficulty, he blinked his slightly hot eyes. His ten fingers were sped tightly together, propping up his forehead. After a long while, he turned to look out the window.

    The air suddenly became somewhat stifled. Dongfang Liuyun did not speak, only silently looked at him.

    Lan Xiu did not know how long he had been silent. He only felt that his entire body was numb. He suppressed the bitterness in his throat and turned his head. What greeted him was her eyes that were as indifferent as the wind...

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for things to turn out this way. I once thought that the person you would marry in the end would be Fujiwara. If it was him, I wouldn¡¯t find it so hard to ept. After all, many people think that you should get together. However, I never thought that it would be Qi Lei? Liuyun, why him? I don¡¯t remember you having such a deep friendship or rtionship with him. If you could consider him, why did you...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore, Lan Xiu. If I had really considered too many reasons back then, I¡¯m afraid that Qi Lei wouldn¡¯t be the one I chose today. This is good too. I can start a new life. I hope that everything in the past can end here. We¡¯re still very good friends.¡±

    Without waiting for Lan Xiu to finish, Dongfang Liuyun interrupted him.

    ¡°Besides, Qi Lei treats me very well. I¡¯m looking forward to the future at least.¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at Dongfang Liuyun quietly. He could not bear to hear it, and he did not want to hear it either. He took a deep breath and finally got up. He turned around and left...

    He was afraid that he would not be able to control himself...

    Dongfang Liuyun could only silently watch as Lan Xiu disappeared out the door. She did not try to stop him or go after him.

    ..

    Western Suburbs, golf course.

    Under the umbre, Dongfang Gan and Qi Lei wereying side by side in the rattan chair.

    ¡°Liuyun doesn¡¯t want me to meet you like this, but I still think it¡¯s necessary to talk to you.¡±

    Dongfang Gan turned his gaze to Qi Lei, who had a hand behind his head and was looking at the meadow in front of him.

    ¡°I know. She¡¯s very protective of me.¡± Qi Lei replied calmly. ¡°She¡¯s a good woman, father. I really want to marry her. In this life, she¡¯ll be the first and thest person I want to marry. I¡¯ll treat her well for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I believe you can do it. Liuyun isn¡¯t an ordinary child. She¡¯s been very sensible since she was young. When other children mor to go out to y, she¡¯s mostly studying. She always strives to be better. But even so, she doesn¡¯t care if others think highly of her. She¡¯s always been like this. She lives as she pleases, but she¡¯s also very tired.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s words were profound. Qi Lei turned to look at him, thinking that he would continue. However, Dongfang Gan did not continue. He slowly got up and stood with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°You are also a very ambitious person. I hope that handing my daughter over to you like this, all I will see is a fulfilled and happy daughter in the years toe. Although I am very reluctant to part with my only daughter, and I love her too much to part with her, I don¡¯t even want to marry her off. However, I can¡¯t be with her forever. So, you, Qi Lei, must take good care of her. Even if you hurt yourself, you can¡¯t hurt her. Can you do that?¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s tone was a little downcast, and the way he looked at Qi Lei was unusually serious.

    Qi Lei stood up and nodded solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ll protect her with my own life.¡±

    Dongfang Gan nodded in relief, ¡°Alright, remember what you said. Go back. It¡¯ste. Don¡¯t worry too much about your mother. I¡¯ll try my best to convince her.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±

    ...

    When they returned home, the sky had darkened.

    Dongfang Liuyun had just walked into the living room when she smelled the alluring aroma of food from afar. She changed out of her shoes and walked in. As expected, she saw a few dishes on the dining table, and the bowls and chopsticks were ready.

    She pulled out a chair and sat down. She reached for a wet towel and wiped her hands. Without waiting for the busy man in the kitchen, she filled two bowls with soup and began to eat with her chopsticks.

    ¡°Just in time. Are you hungry?¡±

    When Qi Lei walked out of the kitchen with two bowls of rice, he saw the woman sitting at the table eating with relish.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up from the bowl, nced at him, and swallowed the food in her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t make it in time for lunch, so I made do with a few snacks. The dishes tonight are quite delicious, but you¡¯ve put in a little too much ginger in the soup.¡±

    ¡°You can ask someone to send some easily digestible food, such as some porridge,¡± Qi Lei replied and handed one of the bowls of rice to her. He sat down, picked up the soup in front of him, and drank it in a few gulps.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter. I¡¯ve been well taken care of recently. I feel much better. What did you talk to father about today?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital for a checkup this weekend.¡± Qi Lei responded and filled the bowl with soup before continuing, ¡°We didn¡¯t talk about anything. He just wants us to live a good life.¡±

    ¡°That simple?¡± She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

    ¡°Howplicated did you think it could be?¡± Qi Lei did not think much of it.

    ¡°Let me tell you something,¡± Dongfang Liuyun picked up a dish and said.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Qi Lei did not even lift his eyelids as he continued to drink his soup.

    ¡°This afternoon, Lan Xiu came to look for me. He found out about our marriage.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused and opened her mouth to eat a mouthful of food. Qi Lei, who was across from him, was a little surprised when he heard this. He looked up at her, ¡°And then? How did he react? Does he want to kill me?¡±

    Qi Lei was not a fool. It was obvious that Lan Xiu liked Dongfang Liuyun. He just did not know what he was thinking at that time. Since he liked her, he should have went for it, right?

    Why did he reject her then?

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at him. ¡°How else do you think he¡¯d react? I was thinking that perhaps it would be good for the both of you to find time to meet.¡±

 Chapter 1634 - How Could I Lose It? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1634: How Could I Lose It? (3)</h4>

    Qi Lei immediately stopped what he was doing and looked up at her.

    ¡°You two will meet sooner orter. Lan Xiu is a very amiable person. He won¡¯t make things too difficult for you, but...¡± Dongfang Liuyun suddenly stopped and stopped what she was doing.

    ¡°I know. I won¡¯t bully him. Don¡¯t worry! Your friend is my friend. Eat, the food is already cold.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he put a dish into her bowl.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and did not continue. The husband and wife began to eat quietly.

    ...

    After dinner, Qi Lei was the one who cleaned up the dishes. When he finished cleaning up and went upstairs, Dongfang Liuyun had already finished bathing. She was sitting at the desk in the study, ying a game. Hisputer was also turned on, and she even helped him log on.

    The husband and wife sat down again, unmoved. Theybined their swords and yed the game for more than an hour before going offline to wash up and rest.

    The bathroom was separated into dry and wet sections. When Dongfang Liuyun washed up, Qi Lei was showering inside.

    When the sshing sound of water stopped, Dongfang Liuyun was also wiping her face.

    ¡°When do you guys n toe over for the inspection? Today, I probed Vice President Zhang, who is in charge of our Marketing Department. Thepany hasn¡¯t decided who to hand this matter over to yet. Other than Dongfang Ren, Dongfang Yi also thinks highly of this project. I¡¯m wondering if I should prepare as well,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said to him through the curtain.

    Qi Lei did not immediately make a sound from inside. Instead, she heard the sound of a hair dryer. A momentter, she heard a whoosh. The curtain was drawn, and the man walked out from inside while drying his half-dry jet ck hair, he was wearing a simple pyjamas.

    ¡°You have to prepare and think of a way to win this project over. Regardless of whether the result is a coboration or not, this also shows off your capabilities. Dongfang Rou¡¯er has already asked Wang Chun out. It must be for this.¡± Qi Lei recalled what Wang Chun had told him previously.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes twinkled slightly as she listened. ¡°She¡¯s quite active. No wonder she didn¡¯t have time to hold a new productunch event.¡±

    It was obvious that she wanted to embarrass Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Just prepare ording to what I told you before. It¡¯s almost done. Actually, we already know the things and data that need to be inspected. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re nning to cooperate with the Dongfang Group?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately caught the key point in his words. She turned her head with interest and looked up at him.

    He smiled mysteriously and threw the towel in his hand into the basket beside him. He reached out to hug her and looked down. His voice was deep and charming, ¡°We¡¯ll have to see who the Dongfang Group sends out to be in charge of this coboration.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about Mu Yuchen and the others by going easy on me so openly? Or aren¡¯t you worried about what others will think of you?¡± The corners of her mouth curled up into a smile as she put her hands leisurely around his shoulders and asked calmly.

    ¡°The data is pretty much done. If I¡¯ll personally supervise it, with my father-inw and my wife executing, I¡¯m sure Mu Yuchen himself would be eager to get on this. He¡¯s a shrewd person, and he¡¯s eager to tire me to death. You can use this opportunity to get more manpower over from his side to serve us for free. For my sake, he definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to say anything, but if I were to say anything, that might not be the case!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s smile was extremely sinister.

    When she heard this, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but chuckle softly¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re using your rtionship card on me?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled happily, ¡°When you¡¯re dealing with someone like him, you have to be smarter at all times. Anyway, he and Xiaye now know about our rtionship. Xiaye even said that she admires you very much.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye? Xi Xiaye?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly thought of Xi Xiaye¡¯s bright and beautiful little face and could not help but smile, ¡°She¡¯s also an excellent woman. I¡¯ve heard about her and Mu Yuchen. I¡¯m a little touched.¡±

    ¡°When they¡¯re back, we¡¯ll go be guests at their ce. Mu Yuchen¡¯s cooking is very good, but it¡¯s definitely not as good as yours.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Then... mmm...¡±

    She wanted to say something, but he had already lowered his head and kissed her cold and soft lips. He tasted it recklessly, and therge hand around her waist suddenly tightened, pulling her into his embrace tightly.

    The sudden wave naturally surprised Dongfang Liuyun, but she quickly reacted as well.

    She reached out and lightly grabbed hisrge hand that was around her waist. Her fingers lightly sped together, and her free hand pushed him. He took two steps back, and his back was pressed against the cold wall. He sucked in a breath of cold air and subconsciously wrapped his arm around her shoulder, only then did he realize that her curly hair had already fallen down and spread over her shoulders. Her exquisite and beautiful face looked exceptionally alluring at this moment.

    His heart was suddenly beating fast. Looking at her like this, he suddenly acted like a young boy with sweaty palms.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s breath quickened and he could not help but turn his head away. He secretly cursed this woman for being a vixen. Just one look and he could barely hold back already. Where did his previous calm and self-control go?

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a happy smile, and was about to slowly let go of him.

    He quickly took a step forward and carried her by the waist. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re thinking, I want to do something bad to you now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the one doing all the work anyway.¡± He said this with confidence.

    ¡°Your physical strength doesn¡¯t seem to be as good as mine. Tell me about how you usually work out. Running? Mountaineering? Or basketball?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun wrapped her arms around his neck. After some thought, she asked in a soft voice...

    She thought that since she was going to be his wife, it was necessary for her to get to know her husband. At the very least, she needed to live with him for the next few decades. She needed to understand his interests and hobbies, she thought that this was the most basic respect and sincerity between husband and wife.

    Forgive her for not having any relevant experiences. All she knew was what she remembered from the way her father treats Miss Song at home. Of course, there were also things that she believed in.

    ¡°Nonsense, you fainted the other day, and my stamina is the terrible one? Who likes running and basketball? I like fencing and riding a bike...¡±

 Chapter 1635 - How Could I Lose It? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1635: How Could I Lose It? (4)</h4>

    Any man would be afraid of his woman saying this, not to mention Second Master Qi!

    His unconvinced tone naturally carried a hint of dissatisfaction. However, as he spoke, he carried her out of the room with ease.

    Fencing?

    Upon hearing his words, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. She was a little surprised, ¡°You like fencing?¡±

    He nced at her and said in a low voice, ¡°What do you think? When I was in university, I was the champion of fencing for several consecutive years. Actually, I have always admired the warrior spirit since I was young. Every man has a heroic dream in his heart, and I¡¯m no exception. If I could choose, I hoped that I could be a carefree swordsman. I can be happy in the world of martial arts, of gratitude and grudges.¡±

    ¡°Swordsman?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun muttered softly and smiled, ¡°I can see that the in-game you are actually quite simr to the real you. To be a top-notch swordsman requires very strong mental resilience. Moreover, the so-called world of martial arts doesn¡¯t exist anymore. The world of business is like a battlefield, the so-called world you want isn¡¯t as free and unrestrained as the legends say anymore.¡±

    ¡°I realized that you always like to say things that ruin my spirits.¡± Qi Lei frowned.

    He ced her on the soft bed andid her on top of him. His passionate kiss carried a punitive nature...

    ...

    ¡®Bang¡ª¡¯

    Another empty bottle fell to the ground. The enclosed space was filled with the strong smell of alcohol.

    Lan Xiu did not remember how many sses he had drunk, but it was not like what others said, that getting drunk could solve a thousand worries. He was bing more and more sober. At least, he had never felt as sober as he did now.

    He still could not believe it.

    Why did Liuyun marry Qi Lei just like that?

    ¡°President Lan, don¡¯t drink anymore. You can¡¯t drink anymore either. Be careful of your health!¡±

    Ah Li could not stand it anymore and reached out to grab the bottle in his hand. His heart was extremely gloomy, ¡°Miss Dongfang¡¯s feelings for you have never been ordinary. That Qi Lei just came out of nowhere. If you really love Miss Dongfang and can¡¯t lose her, then take her back now! Miss Dongfang would definitely not want to see you like this.¡±

    Lan Xiu broke free from Ah Li¡¯s support and looked at him coldly. He coughed violently a few times before saying in a hoarse voice, ¡°What¡¯s unusual? If I never had it, how could I lose it? Get out, I want to be alone for a while.¡±

    Lan Xiu ced his hands on the table and took a deep breath. He tried his best to suppress the surging waves in his chest.

    ¡°President Lan...¡±

    ¡°Get out! Get out, get out!¡± Lan Xiu could not help but point at the door and look at Ah Li coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, I¡¯m leaving! President Lan, don¡¯t be angry. Miss Dongfang cares about you. Since you really like her, you should get her back from him. President Lan, it¡¯s been so many years. Anyone can see that you have deep feelings for her. She must also know...¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    It would have been better if Ah Li did not say that, but as soon as he said it, Lan Xiu¡¯s face turned even paler!

    Ah Li was startled by this shout. He then looked at Lan Xiu worriedly and silently retreated.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    The sound of the door closing was heard. Following that, everything on the table was swept to the ground by Lan Xiu, and the ground was soon in a mess¡ª

    She does not love me. She does not love me. She does not love me at all...

    Those were the only words that echoed in Lan Xiu¡¯s mind!

    No matter how close he was to her, she still did not love him.

    How could he make her, Dongfang Liuyun, fall in love with her?

    There was no other way!

    This realization came from the depths of his mind, causing the pain in his heart to intensify. He suddenly regretted why he hesitated in the first ce. He clearly wanted to her, but...

    He had to admit that sometimes, fate was like this. Once you missed out on it, you could not start over again.

    In the past, because he knew that she and Fujiwara had a memorable rtionship, he had always thought that they would eventually end up together. That was why he had willingly restrained all of his feelings and waited by her side, he would rather be her best friend for the rest of his life. However, he did not expect that she and Fujiwara were not fated to be together in the end.

    As for Lan Qi, that gentle man, his elder brother whom he respected, he also had deep feelings for her and loved her more than himself. So, if it was him, he, Lan Xiu, would still be willing to quietly fulfill her wishes and hide all of his feelings, but...

    This time, it was not them. Dongfang Liuyun did not love Qi Lei at all. How could he, Lan Xiu, be willing to ept it?

    This time, he could not let go anymore. He had to muster up the courage to pursue her until she...

    If she has fallen in love with Qi Lei, he will let go!

    Taking a deep breath, Lan Xiu, who had struggled for a few days, finally made this decision. He had to protect her until she found happiness with him or happiness with Qi Lei, but would he really do it?

    Lan Xiu himself could not answer it...

    ...

    The thunderstorm that had been going on for a few days finally stopped after yesterday¡¯s unusually violent storm. The next morning, there were still raindrops outside, but the sky had cleared up. The wind was a little cold, and the ground was gradually drying up.

    When Dongfang Liuyun entered the office, Secretary Ding Xiaoling had alreadye in with arge pile of documents.

    ¡°Manager Yun, these are all the relevant information about theunch of the new product that you asked for. Manager Rou from the Public Rtions department asked someone to send them over. Oh right, Manager Rou also specially reminded you that this matter is of great importance and asked you to submit a satisfactory answer sheet to thepany. The final result of this event nning will be your assessment result. If we can¡¯t produce satisfactory results, then the HR department will handle things impartially.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling¡¯s face darkened slightly as she ryed Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s words to Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned when she heard her¡ª

    ¡°She¡¯ll act impartially if the results are unsatisfactory?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled coldly, ¡°What do you mean? She wants to remove me from my position?¡±

    ¡°Even if she can¡¯t remove Manager Yun from your position, it¡¯s most likely just to embarrass you,¡± Ding Xiaoling exined, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction between her brows¡ª

    Unexpectedly, this Dongfang Rou¡¯er was really getting more and more impudent! Does she really think that the entire Dongfang Group is her territory?

    ¡°She¡¯s using my words against me.¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled disdainfully.

    Only then did she slowly stretch out her hand to take the document. After casually flipping through it a few times, she tossed it back to Ding Xiaoling, ¡°Take it back to their Public Rtions department. Tell them to get the previous person in charge of this event from the Public Rtions department toe over and give us a general ount of the situation. Also, see how far they have progressed. Let them set on the time and we¡¯ll have a meeting.¡±

 Chapter 1636 - Stop (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1636: Stop (1)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun was not a pushover either. It was not certain who was going to give in to whom!

    Ding Xiaoling¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard this. She immediately beamed with joy and hurriedly took the document, ¡°Yes, how could I have forgotten! The higher-ups had spoken and asked them to do their best to cooperate with our work. Now that they haven¡¯t finished handing over the work, we can certainly ask them toe over and exin things to us personally. When the meeting documents are handed over, they won¡¯t be able to find fault with us if something is wrong. Manager Yun, you¡¯re the smartest!¡±

    Ding Xiaoling¡¯s eyes shed with admiration. She was somewhat impressed by Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s nimble mind.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyes and looked at her. She was satisfied with her reaction. ¡°Hurry up and get to work.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling nodded and quickly left the office.

    Dongfang Liuyun also got up and left the office. She went straight to the top floor, the President¡¯s office.

    When she walked into the office, Dongfang Gan was on the phone. When he saw Dongfang Liuyun enter, he pointed to the seat in front of him and gestured for Dongfang Liuyun to sit down. He simply exined some things to the person on the other end.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not stand on ceremony and sat down. She reached out to take the document in front of Dongfang Gan and started flipping through it¡ª

    It was the South River Project¡¯s proposal...

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and flipped through a few more pages, roughly skimming through the document.

    ¡°This is the proposal submitted by your Second Uncle.¡± Dongfang Gan hung up the phone and said as he looked at Dongfang Liuyun, who was flipping through the document in front of him.

    ¡°He wants to get this project through you, father?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a yful smile as she said with interest, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but what makes him think that you will help him get it? Isn¡¯t Dongfang Ren also looking forward to this project? Moreover, as far as I know, Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the others are very enthusiastic about this project and have done as much preparation as they did. This proposal is well written. When it was sent to you, the other Vice Presidents and some shareholders should have received it as well. Is he nning to take advantage of the meetingter to propose a preemptive strike?¡±

    ¡°This is a move your Second Uncle has always used. Him sending this proposal to me is making things quite difficult for me.¡±

    Dongfang Gan reached out to take the document from Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand. After pondering for a moment, he continued, ¡°We can only wait and see what your uncle will do next.¡±

    ¡°Let them fight it out on their own. Didn¡¯t Tai Yu Corporation say that they would send someone to inspect? You could just pass on these two proposals to them.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t y around with me here. I know Qi Lei will definitely reveal his secrets to you. If this project is to be done, the amount of work will be huge. I can¡¯t take the risk and just hand it over to you. I¡¯ve already asked Vice President Zhang to do a data analysis and n. I n to let him be in charge of this project, but you can be the Executive Manager,¡± said Dongfang Gan.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun did not think much of this, ¡°I won¡¯t be the Executive Manager. Instead, I can be Vice President Zhang¡¯s temporary special assistant to assist in the development of the work. As for the Executive Manager, I think Lin Yuanyuan would be more suitable. Of course, let one of Second Uncle¡¯s people be Executive Director. Father, don¡¯t you think this arrangement is the most perfect?¡±

    ¡°Let them all participate in this project. Our people will just watch from the outside. First Uncle and Second Uncle are both bent on taking down this project. If you choose either side or make it clear that we are working alone, then we will offend the other side. If this is the arrangement, then it seems like we can watch from the outside. Not only can we shut their mouths, we can also...¡±

    At this point, Dongfang Liuyun did not continue. Yet, Dongfang Gan also came to a sudden realization. His dark eyes could not help but sh with admiration. He looked at his daughter with great satisfaction and said with a smile, ¡°Good! Good! Good idea! As expected of my daughter. With your talent and resourcefulness, father is not worried about handing over thispany to you!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about thepany, so I can only talk about the facts. I¡¯ll leave the rest for you to worry about. Besides, I still have to organize the new productunch next month. Qi Lei has actually passed the inspection of ourpany in private. The rest will be up to you.¡±

    ¡°Is he doing this for your sake?¡± Dongfang Gan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at her meaningfully.

    ¡°The South River Project is a very huge project, and its impact is very wide and far-reaching. In business matters, he follows his principles. It¡¯s not a joke, and I won¡¯t let him give me face. If the Dongfang Group really doesn¡¯t have the ability, I would be against it too. This is a matter of principles.¡± Dongfang Liuyun spoke very frankly.

    ¡°However, I have enough confidence in our Dongfang Group. The prerequisite is that we can¡¯t let internal conflicts affect the development of the project. This is also the reason why I gave the earlier suggestion.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Gan nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood up leisurely. ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted to talk to you about, I¡¯ll leave the rest up to you. Oh, right, father, what did you want to talk to Qi Lei about?¡± Dongfang Liuyun was curious about their conversation, so she asked.

    Dongfang Gan nced at her. ¡°Why? Are you worried that I would give Qi Lei a hard time?¡±

    ¡°His ability to withstand pressure is beyond your imagination. I told him about Lan Xiu, and his reaction was very calm. So I think you must have mentioned Lan Xiu to him. Father, those memories are not good memories. I hope that we can forget and not care about each other¡¯s past, perhaps we¡¯d live a little more freely.¡± Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and said so.

    Dongfang Gan fell silent. He quietly looked at his daughter standing in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if...¡±

    ¡± Lan Xiu...¡±

    ¡°He found out about my marriage with Qi Lei. He even came to me because of this. I told him that we were impossible and that we can only be friends for the rest of this lifetime. Father, I don¡¯t mind you taking him in as your foster son. If that makes him feel better, let him... at least, he¡¯d feel a sense of belonging. He¡¯s said that he has always treated you like a father.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked down indifferently, and a hint of helplessness suddenly appeared in her tone. ¡°He is a very good person. It¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t have that kind of good fortune. I¡¯ve let him down.¡±

    She had let him down. If she had not asked that of him back then, they might not be in their current position and situation. They might not have fallen into a stifling stalemate...

 Chapter 1637 - Stop (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1637: Stop (2)</h4>

    These words naturally surprised Dongfang Gan, but on second thought, he seemed to be able to understand her reason for doing so.

    After some thought, he said, ¡°I won¡¯t interfere in the matters of you young people. Lan Xiu has always been very good to you, and I also feel that it¡¯s a pity, but no matter what, I hope that he can live a happier life.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I hope that he can live a good life too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. You should think carefully about what I told you.¡±

    Dongfang Gan nodded, and Dongfang Liuyun left the office.

    ..

    ¡°Master Qi.¡±

    By the railing at the bottom of the steps in the backyard, Yang Sheng found Qi Lei sitting in a chair with a sketchbook sketching a corner of theke in front of him.

    He was so focused that he did not even notice Yang Sheng walking over. Yang Sheng¡¯s words quickly drifted in the wind. When he got closer, he saw a half-finished drawing on Qi Lei¡¯s sketchbook.

    Qi Lei finally came back to his senses when he noticed the footsteps behind him had stopped. His hands did not stop either. He continued to draw a few fine lines with his eyes lowered.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± His deep voice carried a hint of peace.

    He had always known that his Master was a genius in the construction industry and had seen the drawings he hadpleted. However, it was rare for him to draw a scenery. However, from the looks of it now, their Master was also skilled in drawing.

    Yang Sheng did not know how to draw. He only felt that the drawing on his Master¡¯s paper was very good and somewhat realistic.

    ¡°Oh, Master Qi, Special Assistant Wang Chun asked me to send you the inspection report on the Dongfang Group. Take a look. If it¡¯s approved, sign it and hold a high-level meeting tomorrow to discuss the next work n for the South River Project. In addition, during the meeting, an investigation team will be set up to conduct various inspections on thepanies that bid. There¡¯s also a proposal for the work n here. Take a look.¡±

    It took Yang Sheng a long time toe back to his senses. He quickly exined the purpose of his visit and handed over the two documents in his hands.

    Qi Lei listened and gave him a sideways nce, but he quickly averted his gaze and continued to finish the drawing on the paper.

    Yang Sheng naturally did not dare to disturb him. He silently took back the documents and sat down quietly. He waited by the side until about half an hour had passed before Qi Lei put away the pen in his hand in general satisfaction, he also put the sketchbook in a corner of the table.

    ¡°He¡¯s quite efficient.¡±

    Qi Lei casually poured a ss of water and drank a few sips. As he spoke, he pointed to the seat opposite him. ¡°Sit.¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly walked over and sat down obediently. Qi Lei also leisurely poured a ss of water for him.

    ¡°Special Assistant Wang Chun was President Qi¡¯s most capable assistant in the first ce. President Qi is a strict person, so he¡¯s very appreciative of his abilities. Also, I heard that he and President Qi are like teachers and friends for each other. President Qi treated him very well. Now that thepany has settled down so quickly, he¡¯s actually very useful.¡± Yang Sheng could not help but praise him.

    Qi Lei raised his head and narrowed his eyes at him as he reached out. ¡°You have quite a high opinion of him.¡±

    Yang Sheng handed the document over and smiled, ¡°Of course. When I first joined thepany, I worked under him. He was meticulous in everything he did. I admire him very much. Even Vice President Wang had high praises for him. VP Wang only admires this Wang Chun among the people around President Qi.¡±

    Qi Lei paused for a moment. He thought about it then said, ¡°I was a little hesitant at first, but now that you¡¯ve said it, I¡¯m certain.¡±

    ¡°What are you certain of, Master Qi?¡± Yang Sheng asked curiously.

    ¡°I n to transfer Yue Hai to City B. He¡¯s quite capable, and he¡¯s skilled too. The boss of the Yue family has been transferred to City B. Qi Kai¡¯s internal structure is no longer the same as before. I¡¯ve switched up a few people in a row, and Yue Hai understands my intentions. He¡¯s learned his lesson. He applied to transfer me to City B himself.¡±

    ¡°Transfer to City B?¡±

    Yang Sheng was a little surprised, but on second thought, a smile shed across his face. ¡°This is a good thing, Master Qi. It¡¯s rare for Yue Hai to take the initiative to make such a request.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not as reckless here as before. Now That Xi Xinyi is doing well in America, I¡¯ve given him quite a lot of benefits. If he wants more, he can only walk out.¡±

    Qi Lei flipped through the document in front of him and started browsing through it.

    ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case then Master Qi, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re nning to let Wang Chun take over Yue Hai¡¯s position as Vice President? Be in charge of Qi Kai¡¯s affairs?¡± Yang Sheng guessed Qi Lei¡¯s motives.

    ¡°Mmm, Wang Chun is undoubtedly the clearest about Qi Kai¡¯s situation. His prestige in Qi Kai is quite high, and his rtionship with the higher-ups is very harmonious. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a long time.¡±

    Qi Lei flipped through a page of the document, paused for a moment, and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s wait until the inspection is over. After he¡¯s assigned, your side will be too busy. You can pay attention to the HR department now and ask them to rmend a capable secretary to help you with your work.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay Master Qi! I got it. I¡¯ll instruct the HR department to pay attention to itter,¡± replied Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Oh right, Master Qi, the things you asked me to prepare have all been settled. The date has also been chosen. Based on the birth dates of you and Missus, it should be after August 15th next month. August 20th is the most suitable date for the betrothal. What do you think...,¡± Yang Sheng asked carefully.

    ¡°August 20th? What¡¯s so suitable about it? Are there no good days this month?¡±

    ¡°There are, but I¡¯ve invited a few gentlemen to take a look. They all say that this is the best day. Everything will be smooth sailing in the future. The husband and wife will be harmonious and grow old together. The rest of the days will be...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stick to this day then. We still have to wait for so long!¡± Qi Lei frowned.

    Yang Sheng looked at him and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Master Qi. You¡¯re already registered with the Missus. Even if you don¡¯t betroth her, Missus is now yours. With the marriage certificate in hand, the Missus won¡¯t be able to escape, and the Dongfang family won¡¯t be able to me anyone either.¡±

    ¡°Nothing goodes out of that mouth of yours! Do I look like someone who can¡¯t even afford a wife?¡± Qi Lei red at Yang Sheng unhappily.

    ¡°Even if I let down the whole world, I won¡¯t let down the woman who marries me. I heard that when you married your wife, you only gave your mother-inw¡¯s family 10,000 yuan. Is that true?¡±

    When Yang Sheng heard that, he immediately felt embarrassed. ¡°Back then... well back then we didn¡¯t have the money. Also, we... did a shotgun wedding...¡±

 Chapter 1638 - Stop (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1638: Stop (3)</h4>

    Qi Lei was amused by Yang Sheng¡¯s words. He smiled and said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that you¡¯d be that kind of person. I¡¯ve seen your wife before. She¡¯s petite and delicate. You have good taste.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Master Qi, are you and Missus the same? I also think that Missus is very beautiful. I¡¯ve always liked Missus. She¡¯s very beautiful. She¡¯s the most beautiful woman among those that you know, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng could not help butugh.

    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m like you? I respect women the most. If I don¡¯t marry her, I wouldn¡¯t touch her. Of course, I also think that she¡¯s very beautiful...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re that kind of well-behaved conservation! Men, you know how it is!¡±

    Yang Sheng clearly did not believe Qi Lei¡¯s words. He gave Qi Lei a look that only men could understand. Qi Lei could only see the word ¡®wretched¡¯ from there. He averted his gaze with some disgust and closed the document in his hand.

    ¡°Let Wang Chune see me in the evening. The weather is a little hot. I¡¯m going to soak in the hot spring. Do you want to go?¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he stood up.

    ¡°Soak in the hot spring, of course I have to go!¡±

    Yang Sheng was overjoyed.

    ...

    The afternoon sun was scorching, and the wind in the air was also a little stuffy.

    It was already autumn, and the weather was still so hot. It made people a little irritable.

    At the city¡¯s Northern Traffic Control Bureau.

    Su Chen¡¯s tall and straight body strode through the imposing guardhouse. With one hand, he dropped his hat. The uniform on his body was already soaked in sweat. His handsome face was also covered in ayer of sweat. Secretary He followed behind him, he was carrying a heavy briefcase in his hand, and his body was also drenched.

    When he returned to the office, Su Chen went straight to wash his face and changed into a clean set of clothes. Only then did he walk to his desk and sit down. Secretary He also handed over the documents.

    ¡°This damn weather is really killing me. A few days ago, it was still cold with the rain. When it gets hot, it really is killer. Director Su, have a ss of water.¡±

    Secretary He looked at Su Chen¡¯s gloomy face and handed a ss of water to Su Chen¡¯s hand. After holding it in for a long time, he finally could not help but say, ¡°Chief Huang didn¡¯t have a choice. Chief Su, this matter is a little serious. No one would have thought that it was Master Li who crashed into someone from the military first. The one who died, Staff Officer Zhang, was Division Commander Feng¡¯s distant nephew. The military also wants to hold him ountable. I just asked around and two calls were made to Chief Huang. He even scolded Chief Huang to the point of swearing. How good could Chief Huang¡¯s temper be? Chief Su, don¡¯t be angry. This matter still needs to be dealt with properly. It won¡¯t be good if we offend both sides.¡±

    Secretary He was also very helpless. No one had expected this ident to be so serious. The reason it was so serious was because the people who had died were all people of status and had people backing them up. Now, it was wearing out those who were caught in the middle.

    ¡°I also want to think of a way to achieve the best of both worlds. This matter has be so serious that it has been thrown to me.¡±

    Su Chen raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows with a headache.

    ¡°Yes, now the anger is directed at us. It¡¯s as if we are the ones who killed people, Chief Su. But... otherwise, let¡¯s look for Mr. Su...¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t just go looking for him all the time. I¡¯ll handle my own matters. He can¡¯t be bothered with these things.¡±

    Before Secretary He could finish his words, Su Chen interrupted him.

    Secretary He naturally understood the kind of person Su Chen was. In official work, he and his father, Su Zhengxun, did not interfere with each other. When the provincial office held a meeting, father and son would sometimes meet, however, the father and son pretended not to know each other and each had their own circles.

    It was not easy for Su Chen to climb to his current position. Many people also knew that he was Su Zhengxun¡¯s son, so there were many people who secretly used him of relying on his nepotism. Chief Du from the south of the city was one of them. Because of this matter, Su Chen was very angry, after taking office, he almost never went to look for Su Zhengxun.

    ¡°I misspoke, Chief Su!¡±

    Noticing that Su Chen¡¯s expression was very ugly, Secretary He took a deep breath and said slowly.

    Su Chen waved his hand, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t mention my father in front of me anymore. He¡¯s in a critical period now, I don¡¯t want anything to go wrong. This matter had to be properly dealt with. Send someone to the military area to take a look. Chief Huang said that these funerals will be done in the next two days and that the military area would send someone to follow up on the work. Staff Officer Zhang who died was not simple, he was an important spy in the military district. This time, we are in big trouble. Cooperate with the investigation team and get the details of those people¡¯s identities. Organize a copy and send it to me. When those peoplee over, I will have an exnation. Also, make sure to console the families.¡±

    Su Chen also took a deep breath. He suppressed the anger in his heart and gave an exnation to Secretary He.

    Secretary He nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it right away.¡±

    He heaved a sigh of relief and quickly left as well.

    Seeing Secretary He¡¯s figure disappear out the door, Su Chen leaned back in his chair. His phone vibrated at this moment. When he saw that it was Ji Zitong calling, Su Chen quickly picked up¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± A deep voice was heard.

    ¡°I¡¯m at the Ujima Caf¨¨ in the square opposite your office. Come out and have a cup of coffee with me. It¡¯s after work anyway.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°I just saw you and Secretary He return.¡±

    ¡°When did you find such enthusiasm? You want to treat me to coffee?¡± Su Chen asked with interest.

    ¡°I just closed a good deal and signed a contract. I¡¯m in a good mood and just happened to pass by,¡± Ji Zitong exined.

    ¡°Wait ten minutes.¡± Su Chen quickly hung up after saying this. He got up, grabbed his phone, and left his office.

    When he rushed over, Ji Zitong had already ordered the coffee and some snacks. Su Chen sat down opposite her. He wiped his hands, picked up the coffee, and took a sip.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t look too good from earlier. Now that I look at you, you do seem tense. Who made you angry now?¡±

    Ji Zitong moved the te of snacks in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s not sweet. Try It.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like these things. I¡¯ll tell you about it when I get back tonight. Are you still getting back to the officeter?¡±

    Su Chen had never liked these snacks.

    ¡°I want to go home for a while. Can you drive overter to pick me up?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you drive over?¡± Su Chen asked.

    ¡°I got into mother¡¯s car, then I was dropped off here.¡±

    Ji Zitong looked at Su Chen innocently.

    ¡°I was wondering why you were in the mood to treat me to coffee. However, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve visited them. Since there¡¯s still some time left, I¡¯ll go buy some things for them to bring over. I¡¯ll go over for dinner tonight.¡±

 Chapter 1639 - Stop (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1639: Stop (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Su Chen spoke, he took a sip of his coffee and handed her the car keys¡ª

    ¡°Drive the car back. I¡¯ll take a taxi after work.¡±

    Ji Zitong nced at him and epted the car without hesitation. She put it into her bag and took out a few hundred yuan notes. She ced them on the table and looked at the man who was still drinking his coffee.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Su Chen looked up at her and suddenly stood up.

    The husband and wife rarely went out like this. Su Chen was usually very busy with work and had been traveling often recently, otherwise then it would be Ji Zitong who was too busy. Now that she thought about it, they had not gone out like this for at least one to two months.

    Without that eye-catching uniform, Su Chen and Ji Zitong were like a normal couple as they walked through the square in front of them.

    The couple shuttled through the bustling underground street for a while. When they came out, Su Chen¡¯s hands were upied with tworge bags.

    ¡°Do you want to know news about him?¡±

    When they reached the station to pick up the car, Su Chen put the things in the car and suddenly asked her this question.

    Ji Zitong paused for a moment and looked at him in a daze. She did not reply for a moment. After a while, she retracted her gaze, opened the car door, and sat inside.

    ¡°He was transferred to a town under City Z. He will leave tomorrow. It was my suggestion.¡±

    Su Chen thought about it and did not hide it. He really did not want to see Dong Wentao. Especially when he thought about the things between him and Ji Zitong, he felt ufortable. Back then, Ji Zitong almost escaped from the training for him, under such circumstances, he could understand that they were still deeply in love at that time.

    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to exin anything. I¡¯ve said it before. We¡¯re a thing of the past. You don¡¯t have to worry about him. If there really was something, I wouldn¡¯t have married you.¡±

    Ji Zitong took a deep breath and slowly started the car.

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you can¡¯t forget him.¡±

    Hearing this, Su Chen could not help but stare at her in exasperation¡ª

    What a heartless woman. If it were not for her, he would not have lowered himself to argue with such a person. The current him was nothing like he was before.

    Ji Zitong listened and her heart sank. She then turned to look at the man who was standing beside the car window and looking at her.

    ¡°The person I¡¯m married to right now is you, not him, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re as petty as a needle.¡±

    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t petty, you should be worried. Let¡¯s just put this behind us. Cook something delicious tonight, I¡¯ll get off work early today and rush over.¡± Su Chen finally replied at this moment.

    Ji Zitong rolled her eyes at him before she drove off. In a short while, the car disappeared from Su Chen¡¯s sight.

    ...

    After a busy afternoon, the sky quickly quieted down. Evening arrived quietly. After spending an entire afternoon, she finally finished reading the information on hand. Dongfang Liuyun was also very tired.

    She was usually quite afraid of seeing these numbers, but sometimes, the more afraid you were, the more you had to get into it.

    ¡°Manager Yun, it¡¯s almost time to get off work. You look quite worn out today. You should get off work early.¡± The secretary, Ding Xiaoling, said as she packed up the documents and came over.

    ¡°Mmm, you can go home first. I¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡±

    ¡°Alright, see you tomorrow, Manager Yun.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    After the secretary left, Dongfang Liuyun simply tidied up her desk, took the car keys and left the office.

    The car was parked in the underground parking lot of the Dongfang Group, on the second floor.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not expect to run into Jin Sheng in the elevator, just the two of them.

    She frowned and saw that at thest second, just as the elevator was about to close, Jin Sheng squeezed in. Just like her, he was on his way to the second floor.

    Dongfang Liuyun automatically retreated to a corner and quietly watched on as the elevator moved down. Jin Sheng was standing in front of her.

    A strange feeling was spreading rapidly in this narrow space. When the figure in front turned around, Dongfang Liuyun instantly frowned.

    ¡°Are you still pretending not to know me? Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    There was a cold aura in his voice, and also, was there a hint of resentment?

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s to greet, you should be the first one to do so, right? Fifth Brother-inw?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were calm, but there was a hint of mockery in them. She met Jin Sheng¡¯s gaze without blinking.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to provoke me like that. I thought you could really marry Fujiwara. What¡¯s wrong? I heard that he already has a fianc¨¦e. You¡¯re just an abandoned woman, Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

    When he thought about how this woman treated him back then, Jin Sheng really wanted to go up and strangle her to death.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so indignant. Before this marriage was proposed, I already didn¡¯t approve of it. Dongfang Ren wants to make you his good son-inw, so there¡¯s no need to involve me. I know you want to know what¡¯s going on. You can go ask Dongfang Rou¡¯er or Lin Yuanyuan. They might have all the answers,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

    ¡°Fujiwara and I were also set up by someone. You¡¯re just a chess piece. Believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put it so nicely. Do you really think that I didn¡¯t know about your rtionship with Fujiwara back then? It¡¯s just a show between you and Fujiwara, you¡¯re just a shameless b*tch. Your grandfather already agreed to our marriage back then. Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    Jin Sheng gnashed his teeth in hatred at the mention of this matter.

    ¡°Was it Dongfang Ren who told your grandfather that he agreed to this marriage?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun fixed her gaze on Jin Sheng.

    Jin Sheng¡¯s expression darkened for a moment. He did not reply and just looked at Dongfang Liuyun coldly.

    ¡®Ding!¡¯

    The sound of the elevator arriving could be heard. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a sneer as her slender body quickly walk past him¡ª

    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t agree to something, grandfather will never force me. And I have never agreed to this marriage. I¡¯ve told you this more than once. I can¡¯t help it either if you won¡¯t believe me. Moreover, you¡¯ve also chosen Dongfang Rou¡¯er now. Those things aren¡¯t necessarily that important.¡±

    ¡°Stop right there! Let¡¯s make things clear today! Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun passed by, Jin Sheng suddenly reached out to grab her and pressed the button to close the elevator door with one hand. The elevator door that had just opened immediately closed again.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°No! Give me a reason. What part of me isn¡¯t good enough for you? This question has been bothering me for a long time! Was it you who sent people to surround me? Or was it Fujiwara? Tell me!¡±

 Chapter 1640 - Cool Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1640: Cool Night (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Jin Sheng¡¯s grip was very strong, so strong that even Dongfang Liuyun could feel the pain of his grip on her wrist.

    ¡°I told you to let go, don¡¯t make me repeat myself for the third time!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows were tightly knitted together, and the gaze she used to look at Jin Sheng was unusually cold and stern. However, Jin Sheng¡¯s grip was getting tighter and tighter¡ª

    ¡°I just want a reason. Don¡¯t you know that because of that ident, I...¡±

    ¡®Mmm¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, a ck shadow shed past, followed by a muffled groan.

    He turned around to look at the source of the sound. Jin Sheng was already leaning against the elevator wall with a livid expression. He red hatefully at Dongfang Liuyun, one of his hands still holding the elevator wall. His expression was quite unsightly.

    He knew from before that Dongfang Liuyun was quite a skilled martial artist, she would be at a disadvantage if she went up against Fujiwara. He did not expect her to get this good already. Before he could defend himself, Dongfang Liuyun had grabbed his shoulder and pinned him against the wall, he did not have the strength to move at all.

    ¡°Jin Sheng, don¡¯t make me lose my patience! A reason? What is a reason? I want a reason more than anyone else. The Dongfang Group has always been in turmoil. If you want to use Dongfang Rou¡¯er to go against me, or if you have other intentions, don¡¯t me me for being impolite. I don¡¯t need to do anything to handle you. If you think it¡¯s Fujiwara, then you should go get even with him. Don¡¯t point your gun at me! Blindly guessing will only make me want tough at your stupidity!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face was filled with coldness. Her cold tone carried a hint of disdain. As she spoke, her grip grew stronger. It was so strong that Jin Sheng suspected that his shoulder would be crushed by her in the next second!

    Jin Sheng¡¯s face was so ashen that it was somewhat pale. However, he gritted his teeth and endured this heart-piercing pain. His dark eyes still endured his stubbornness as he looked at Dongfang Liuyun without making a sound.

    ¡°Why should I believe that it wasn¡¯t you?¡± Jin Sheng gnashed his teeth as he spoke.

    ¡°Why? What do you think? Where did you get the confidence that I, Dongfang Liuyun, would take a fancy to you and eveny my hands on you? You think too highly of yourself. The way you consider all these things show that your level of intelligence is at a low level. In the future, it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t always appear in front of me like a victim. That way, at least I think of you as a man and not a wronged little woman!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words almost made Jin Sheng vomit blood. He did not even manage to catch his breath. His entire face was flushed red as he red hatefully at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly retracted his hand. His face was flushed red as he coughed violently and took in deep breaths.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him from the corner of her eyes. He was obviously in a sorry state. She retracted his gaze indifferently and opened the elevator door. Then, she walked out of the elevator.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, one day, I will make you kneel under me! I will!¡±

    As he watched Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure gradually disappear into the distance, Jin Sheng endured the pain from his shoulder and supported himself against the wall of the elevator. He lowered his voice and gritted his teeth as he muttered. His dark eyes were filled with determination and coldness.

    ...

    When he returned home, the sky had already darkened. In the blink of an eye, it was already the early evening.

    Dongfang Liuyun parked her car in the garage. When he returned to the living room, he realized that there was a person sitting on the sofa in the living room¡ª

    Wang Chun?

    Qi Lei¡¯s special assistant?

    There were documents all over the table in front of him. At this moment, Wang Chun was also holding a document in his hand as he looked through it with a focused expression.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze subconsciously swept over it, but she did not see Qi Lei. She immediately frowned and thought about it before taking off her high heels.

    When he heard the movement behind him, Wang Chun instantly turned his head. When he saw Dongfang Liuyun, he immediately smiled and said, ¡°Missus is back!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded politely. ¡°Busy? Where¡¯s Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°Second Master is busy in the kitchen. He said that he¡¯ll cook tonight,¡± replied Wang Chun.

    ¡°Have some tea. It¡¯s almost time to go back. There¡¯s no need to work so hard.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said this politely and put down the briefcase in her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just sitting around anyway.¡± Wang Chun smiled at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°As you wish then. I¡¯ll go take a look in the kitchen.¡±

    After saying this, she turned around and walked to the kitchen.

    As expected, just as she reached the door, she saw the man inside preparing the seasoning with a pair of chopsticks. He was on the phone.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked over and washed her hands before reaching out to take the seasoning bowl from his hand.

    ¡°There¡¯s still no salt and sugar.¡±

    Qi Lei reminded her in a low voice before walking to the balcony at the side. He continued to exin things to the person on the phone. Dongfang Liuyun took over his work after that. After he finished, Dongfang Liuyun had already put the fish in the pot onto a te.

    ¡°Why are you back sote today?¡± Qi Lei rolled up his sleeves and walked over as he asked.

    ¡°I ran into some trouble. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s settled.¡±

    ¡°I see that you don¡¯t look too good. Who offended you? Tell me about it.¡±

    He reached out to take the spat from her hand. He narrowed his eyes at her and continued with what he was doing.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I don¡¯t like showing my emotions?¡±

    She nced at him from the corner of her eyes. She leaned against the cab at the side and looked at him indifferently.

    He paused for a moment and turned his head to look at her meaningfully, but he did not answer.

    ...

    After dinner, Qi Lei and Wang Chun went upstairs to the study room. Dongfang Liuyun cleaned up the dishes tacitly too.

    In the study room, Qi Lei was on the sofa while Wang Chun was sitting across from him.

    Qi Lei handed the document in his hand to Wang Chun. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this proposal for now. The inspection team is ready as well. Make a report on the situation of the fewpanies in the next few days. Then, send a copy to Mu Yuchen.¡±

    Wang Chun took the document and skimmed through it. Then, he nodded. ¡°Okay, Second Master, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of this. Oh right, I heard from Yang Sheng that you¡¯re nning to visit the Dongfang family next month?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned. He nced at Wang Chun and said, ¡°When did Yang Sheng be so talkative?¡±

    Even if he wanted to go, it would be with Dongfang Gan and Song Siting. He did not want everyone to know about it.

    ¡°Second Master, don¡¯t misunderstand. Yang Sheng just wanted to consult for opinion. He¡¯s afraid that things won¡¯t be done satisfactorily.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s quite loyal and hardworking,¡± Qi Lei said unhappily.

    ¡°When does Second Master n to hold his wedding with the Missus? You¡¯ve been married for some time. It¡¯s about time...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take it slow with this, after a little while.¡±

    He had to ask Dongfang Liuyun for her opinion too...

 Chapter 1641 - Cool Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1641: Cool Night (2)</h4>

    When Wang Chun left, it was already 10:30p.m.

    The night was beautiful. The silver light scattered all over the ground, and the dry ground looked as if it was covered with ayer of silver.

    After taking a shower, the couple was not in a hurry to rest. They sat leisurely on the rooftop, admiring the moon, and made a pot of cooling flower tea.

    Not long after Dongfang Liuyun sat down, Qi Lei¡¯s footsteps could be heard behind her. There was a strange smell in the air. She quickly turned her head and saw Qi Lei holding a small transparent bottle anding to her side, he was holding a few cotton swabs in his hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun saw him stop beside her, and she immediately raised her eyebrows in surprise.

    ¡°Roll up your sleeve. Who¡¯s got such animosity for you that they can actually scratch up such a bloody mark?¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, his gaze stopped on her left arm.

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised. She subconsciously rolled up her left sleeve¡ª

    There was indeed a five-finger scratch mark left there. It was the scratch by Jin Sheng, it was burning and the bruise was quite obvious.

    She frowned and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a minor injury. I bumped into Jin Sheng after work. I had some grudges with him before, so he vented his anger on me.¡±

    However, as she spoke, she extended her arm.

    Qi Lei squatted down and picked up her arm to look at it. His brows were furrowed. ¡°Bear with it. Disinfect it first and apply some medicine.¡±

    ¡°I know that Jin Sheng probably has a grudge against you. That night at the banquet, he was looking at you weirdly. Your grudge with him seems to run deep.¡±

    Qi Lei carefully dabbed some disinfectant on her wound to sterilize it.

    The burning pain came, and Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about the grudge between me and Jin Sheng?¡± Dongfang Liuyun looked at Qi Lei, who was focused on treating her wound, and asked thoughtfully.

    Qi Lei paused when he heard this. He thought for a while before looking up at her and taking in her expression. A momentter, he retracted his gaze and continued what he was doing¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ve said before that I don¡¯t care about your past. I¡¯ve married you anyway. I might have cared in the past, but now, I don¡¯t. The most foolish I¡¯ve done is I always used it to punish myself.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised. She hesitated for a moment before suddenly smiling. ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to have such an understanding. If you¡¯d been more eptinf earlier, you wouldn¡¯t have had such a hard time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I met you guys a little toote,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    You guys?

    Dongfang Liuyun carefully considered this phrase. After a while, she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you and Mu Yuchen. Birds of a feather flock together. Actually, you¡¯re quite lucky.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re not lucky?¡± Qi Lei suddenly asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so lucky. I¡¯ve given up more than others ever since I was young, so the results I want are naturally different. As a person, if you think about giving first, then think about having or receiving, you¡¯ll feel much better. Many times, giving and receiving are actually proportional. I never me the gods or use others. If I can¡¯t achieve the results I want, it can only mean that I didn¡¯t prepare enough and didn¡¯t do well enough. It has nothing to do with luck. The so-called luck, in my opinion, is probably just some kind of fate.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very calm. When she said this, the expression on her face also seemed a little quiet and distant.

    ¡°Let it be. We¡¯re already here now, we just need to keep going.¡±

    Qi Lei put away the disinfectant and carefully applied the medicine on her.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re by my side from now on, nothing else is that important. Who doesn¡¯t have a past?¡± Qi Lei thought for a moment and added.

    As she listened, she suddenly fell silent. She did not say anything and just quietly watched Qi Lei apply the medicine on her...

    After cleaning up, Qi Lei sat down. The husband and wife sat side by side, and they did the same thing¡ª

    They put their hands behind their heads leisurely and calmly watched the deep night sky.

    ¡°Do you feel like the sky is actually quite far away from us right now? Standing below, you¡¯re as tiny as a speck of dust?¡± Dongfang Liuyun looked at the full moon in front of her and suddenly said.

    ¡°Mmm, it does feel that way,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    As Dongfang Liuyun listened, a faint ripple appeared on the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that you¡¯re tiny, what matters is that you care. You look at it and feel that you¡¯re tiny, but looking at you and me, I don¡¯t feel that tiny at all. Liuyun, do you think that we¡¯re the people who humbly promised each other to the entire world?¡± Qi Lei asked, and the gaze he used to look at her suddenly became a little profound.

    Dongfang Liuyun retracted her gaze and looked at him. She hesitated for a moment before replying softly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. A lifetime is a very long time, and it¡¯s a process to verify too. Let¡¯s just keep walking and see how it goes.¡±

    She really could not tell. She just felt that if this continued, it should be pretty alright. She hoped that it would continue to be like this.

    Hearing this, Qi:ei nodded happily. ¡°Yes, I hope that we¡¯ll continue to be like this.¡±

    A smile suddenly appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will. I¡¯ve always known what I want, and I¡¯ve always known my position and my bottom line. So, I¡¯m not at a loss, and I won¡¯t hesitate. Since I¡¯ve chosen to marry you, of course, I¡¯m going to grow old with you. If I didn¡¯t make a principled mistake, I wouldn¡¯t just toss you aside.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually worried that I¡¯ll lose you.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Lei nced at her from the corner of his eyes. He took a cup of tea and took a sip leisurely.

    ¡°Are you not confident in yourself, or are you not confident in me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°What do you think? Confidence is rtive. Knowing how to give it to someone is an important knowledge.¡± Qi Lei¡¯s lips curled into an evil smile. The look in her eyes was unfathomable.

    ¡°Also, it seems that I have more than one opponent. Missus Qi, if one day...¡± Qi Lei spoke calmly and Dongfang Liuyun listened to him.

    However, Qi Lei suddenly stopped and did not continue. When Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at him, he only lowered his head and silently looked at the thing in his hand...

    She waited for a long time, but Qi Lei did not make a sound. After a while, he put down his cup and stood up with some disinterest. He suddenly turned around and walked back into the house.

 Chapter 1642 - Cool Night (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1642: Cool Night (3)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun was quiet for a long time before she took a deep breath. She also raised her head and drank up the tea in her cup before she left.

    Qi Lei had already tidied up andid down on the bed. When Dongfang Liuyun lifted the nket andid down, his eyes were closed as heid quietly. When he heard movement from the side, he turned his body and hugged her gently.

    ¡°I won¡¯t give you the chance to regret, so there¡¯s no ifs.¡±

    With that, he tightened his arms and pulled her into his embrace.

    She paused for a moment before wrapping her arms around him too. She said softly, ¡°I¡¯m the one who chose you. This time, I¡¯m definitely sticking to it. Don¡¯t say you¡¯ll give up, just say you¡¯ll persevere, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he replied and buried himself in her hair. ¡°Rest early. I¡¯ll send you to work tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± She smiled calmly and leaned against his chest...

    After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly heard the sound of his breathing. She propped herself up to look. When she saw that he was sleeping peacefully, her heart rxed slightly. Although she felt a little tired, it was difficult for her to fall asleep at this moment...

    When she woke up the next day, Dongfang Liuyun had a pair of dark circles under her eyes. She looked a little exhausted and had to put on some makeup to barely cover it up.

    ¡°Do I need to ask for a day off for you? You don¡¯t look very well.¡±

    After breakfast, Qi Lei frowned as he looked at her and asked again.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already walked out¡ª

    ¡°There are too many things that I haven¡¯t taken care of, if I asked for a day off now, I¡¯d give Lin Yuanyuan the chance to catch me and I don¡¯t want that, especially during this critical period.¡±

    With that, her slender figure disappeared outside the door.

    Qi Lei hesitated for a moment and could only follow after her.

    ...

    After staying at home for a few days, Zhou Zimo finally felt that he had recovered some of his energy today.

    Liang Jing had been staying at his ce for the past few days. Since Zhou Zhenjun was not around and Zhou Zimo did not have a single servant at home, she was naturally worried. Hence, she would return his ce after work every day.

    Naturally, she did not forget about thepany¡¯s matters. Every day, the secretary would send the documents home.

    In the morning, Zhou Zimo woke up early as usual. He coughed for a few days, but his voice was still hoarse.

    Liang Jing had already prepared breakfast. After the mother and son had a simple breakfast, Liang Jing had to go to the hospital to work.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll send you over. I¡¯m going to Su Chen¡¯s ce. It¡¯s on the way anyway.¡± Zhou Zimo put down his bowl and said that.

    Liang Jing turned to look at him, feeling a little surprised¡ª

    Her son had never taken the initiative to send her to work.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Liang Jing thought for a moment and answered quickly.

    The car soon sped all the way to the hospital.

    ¡°Do you want to tell me something? You¡¯ve been quite calm these past few days. Son, when did you be so well-behaved? When you came to the house before, you didn¡¯t care about anything and didn¡¯t see anyone all day long.¡± Liang Jing looked at Zhou Zimo meaningfully.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I sick right now?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t behave well even if you broke your leg! I think you have nowhere to go, right? Su Chen is married. Ah Chen is the father of a few children and has his own family. Do you really think that you can still mingle around like before? You¡¯re the only one left now. You should feel quite lonely, right?¡± Liang Jing seemed to be able to see through Zhou Zimo¡¯s thoughts with a single nce as she smiled and said.

    Zhou Zimo nced at her helplessly when he heard this and replied, ¡°You seem to have quite a sharp eye. Look at me, where do you see the word ¡®lonely¡¯? Even if Su Chen and the others are married, we are still brothers after all. Whenever I make a call, they¡¯d show up obediently.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight with you. You know how it feels. It¡¯s not up to me to say it.¡±

    Liang Jing saw that his expression did not look too good, so she did not continue to exin.

    ¡°Your grandfather has been missing you recently. In a few days, when your body has fully recovered, go back to see him. Your father will be busy in recent times. You have to think about your own matters. You don¡¯t want to be forced by us, but at least let us see some hope, right? The matter of a marriage isplicated, but it¡¯s actually not thatplicated. Essentially it¡¯s just a couple trying to get along. That¡¯s how your father and I got along.¡±

    As Liang Jing said this, her gazended on Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°How many couples do you think are like you and father? Your rtionship model is only suitable for you, not for me. That¡¯s the old way. Human beings have evolved for decades, do you think they have stayed in the same ce?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re full of theories. What¡¯s the new rtionship model now? If you really knew of it, why don¡¯t I see my daughter-inw anywhere?¡±Ah Chen is already the father of a few children. If you don¡¯t hurry up, you¡¯ll be far behind him. If all your theories are right, how many couples can there be in this world?¡± Liang Jing did not think much of it.

    ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t agree with your method.¡± Zhou Zimo increased the speed of the car and said.

    ¡°Well you know quite a few girls, Zhang Yue, Miss Zhang, Miss Han, I think all of them are pretty good, and they like you very much too. Their looks and temper are also good. Why don¡¯t you like them? They¡¯re better than those female celebrities and actresses!¡±

    Liang Jing felt a little sullen when she mentioned this. Over the years, she had liked many girls, but Zhou Zimo did not like them.

    ¡°I want to ask myself why I don¡¯t like them too. If I could force myself, I wouldn¡¯t have waited until now.¡± Zhou Zimo thought for a moment, suddenly sighed, and replied in a low voice.

    ¡°But, you can¡¯t stay single forever, right? ¡°You¡¯re going to be 34 soon. Time won¡¯t forgive you, son! It¡¯s time for you to seriously think about this matter. Life is only so short for a few decades. It will pass in the blink of an eye. Marriage has its beauty. At least when you¡¯re old, you can still have a partner. When something happens, the husband and wife can still discuss. No matter how bad it gets, that¡¯s still one more person to talk to. Why are you so stubborn?¡± Liang Jing said with disappointment.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t stubbornness, mother. This is my attitude towards life. Your marriage with father was like a bet. It was like a child¡¯s y! You should be d that you met father who¡¯s a good person. Otherwise, can you be sure that if it were a different person, you¡¯d have a rtionship like what you have with father right now?¡±

    Zhou Zimo had his reasons, too.

 Chapter 1643 - From Behind (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1643: From Behind (1)</h4>

    After saying this, Liang Jing suddenly did not know how to continue.

    After a moment of silence, she finally calmed down and frowned. ¡°I can understand how you feel, but after so many years, you are no longer a child. At this age, many people may not be like you, still thinking about chasing after some love. I told you, did you really think that there was love between your father and me when we first started?¡±

    Liang Jing usually did not voluntarily talk about her and Zhou Zhenjun, but seeing her son like this, she felt that there might be a need to talk about it.

    ¡°In those first few years when your father and I were just married, it was terrible. We were both in a period of adjustment, and it was so serious that we almost got a divorce.¡±

    ¡°My father¡¯s job is just like that, and you¡¯re a doctor, so you don¡¯t spend much time together to begin with. Besides, my father doesn¡¯t know how to maintain his rtionships, it¡¯s normal for you two to have problems.¡±

    ¡°See, you know that your father isn¡¯t perfect, and neither are you. No one is perfect, so can¡¯t you...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this for now. The hospital is just ahead. I¡¯ll pull the car over, and you can get down by the roadside.¡±

    ¡°Zimo...¡±

    The conversation ended on a bad note.

    As she watched Zhou Zimo car drive away, Liang Jing¡¯s heart ached for no reason¡ª

    She wondered what was up with her child...

    ...

    Half an hourter, at the Traffic Management Bureau, in Su Chen¡¯s office.

    ¡°Chief Su, Master Mo is here. He¡¯s heading up!¡± Secretary He said to Su Chen with a smile as he delivered the documents to him.

    At this moment, Su Chen was reading through the documents. When he heard his words, he immediately raised his eyes. His ck eyes were filled with surprise¡ª

    ¡°Zimo? What is he doing here?¡±

    ¡°He must be here to catch up with you, Chief Su. I¡¯ll leave these documents here for now. They are to be sent out the day after tomorrow.¡±

    As Secretary He spoke, he also ced the documents in his hands in a corner of his desk. Then, he quickly went over to boil water and make tea for the two of them.

    As expected, just as Secretary He finished brewing the tea, Zhou Zimo appeared at the door.

    ¡°Master Mo!¡±

    When Secretary He left the office, he even greeted him respectfully. Zhou Zimo nodded with a smile and then turned around to close the door.

    ¡°Why are you here? I heard from Mother Zhou a few days ago that you weren¡¯t feeling very well. What happened?¡± Su Chen put away the pen in his hand and walked towards him as he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small cold and fever. How big of a deal can it be? I¡¯m almost better. Where¡¯s Chen? Invite him out for lunch.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice was still hoarse. As he spoke, he coughed a few times, feeling a little ufortable. ¡°I¡¯ve been bored at home these few days. My mother has been nagging me about a daughter-inw almost every day. I¡¯m so tired listening to her.¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen is still in City B at the moment. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be back anytime soon. Besides, I¡¯ve been very busy recently. Look at all the documents on my desk.¡±

    Su Chen had been annoyed to death by the pressure from the higher-ups recently. The car ident had a huge impact. The only thing he could do was to handle it impartially. He was also prepared to be reprimanded by the higher-ups.

    ¡°Why is he in City B? Did he got visit Lingshi and Ah Mo?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    Mu Lingshi, Ah Mo, and the others were all there, and Mu Yuchen seemed to miss them too.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably about the project. I went to visit Ah Mo and the others. Oh right, how¡¯s Uncle Zhou doing recently?¡±

    Su Chen suddenly remembered the matter that Mu Yuchen had mentioned before. He could not help but squint at Zhou Zimo and ask tentatively.

    ¡°He¡¯s been doing some military research recently, so he¡¯s out so probably won¡¯t be back for a long time. Since he¡¯s not home, the pressure on me is much less now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not hide the sense of relief he felt at the moment.

    ¡°It¡¯ll get to you sooner orter! I¡¯ve told you before that hiding like this isn¡¯t a real solution. You have to find a way to solve it. I think Ah Chen¡¯s suggestion is pretty good.¡±

    Su Chen touched his chin and took a sip of his tea. He looked at Zhou Zimo with a meaningful gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but not every woman can y the role of husband and wife together. If they don¡¯t handle it well and break up, the consequences will be very serious. Especially my grandfather, he¡¯s like your old man, these old guys are all smart.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was extremely annoyed at the mention of this matter.

    ¡°I told you that you¡¯re stupid, but you still won¡¯t admit it? No matter how much of a fuss you make, at least the marriage certificate is real. Moreover, it won¡¯t leave any traces of your transaction. Won¡¯t that be a perfect way to smooth everything out? At worst, when the timees, you can be a little more thick-skinned and say that it¡¯s as simple as a husband and wife falling out.¡± Su Chen smiled.

    ¡°But where can I find a woman like that? At the very least, I have to find a woman who won¡¯t make me feel disgusted. You know that I hate those women!¡±

    Zhou Zimo frowned. ¡°I asked you and Ah Chen to keep an eye out before. Is there still no news?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better for you not to make things difficult for your buddies when ites to finding a woman. You know what type you like best. You might not like our tastes either.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I know your tastes, along the lines of Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong, you and Ah Chen really fell for that! In the future, I definitely won¡¯t be like you guys, be eaten up by a woman!¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at Su Chen with disdain and sipped his tea nonchntly, ¡°Only you guys can handle this matter. You guys are halfway through anyway. I don¡¯t believe that Chen would suddenly think of such a method. I¡¯ve been with him for so many years. Do you guys really think I¡¯m a fool?¡±

    When Zhou Zimo said this, Su Chen raised his eyebrows in surprise¡ª

    ¡°When did you suddenly be smart again?¡±

    ¡°F *ck off! Let¡¯s go drink tonight!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. I promised Zitong that I would be home early.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you promised. I have to go tonight. My friend¡¯s store has just opened. I¡¯m going to join in the fun and support. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you to flirt with women. Why are you so nervous? Look at your expression. It looks like you¡¯ve really be a saint of love. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know about you watching those videos with the dorm next door.¡±

    Zhou Zimo gave Su Chen an evil look, but his handsome face was still as calm as ever.

    ¡°I really am a love saint. What kind of look is that? Zitong and I often watch it together... If you¡¯re jealous, go find yourself a wife!¡±

    ¡°Why do I always end up with a bunch of bad friends like you! If you keep being so smug, I¡¯ll tell Ji Zitong that your red underwear was stolen by a lecherous woman!¡±

    ¡°Zhou Zimo, choose a pose that will make your death look good!¡±

 Chapter 1644 - From Behind (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1644: From Behind (2)</h4>

    The afternoon sun was scorching, and the wind in the air was hot.

    Qi Lei had just walked out of thepany when he was greeted by waves of heat. Yang Sheng walked behind him and actively held an umbre for him. However, Qi Lei raised his hand to stop him and walked outside under the sun.

    ¡°Master Qi, the sun is too hot!¡± Yang Sheng chased after him as he said.

    The bodyguards had already driven the car over. Qi Lei quickly opened the car door and sat in. Yang Sheng sat in the front passenger seat.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Gasping for breath, Yang Sheng turned to look at Qi Lei. ¡°Master Qi, what did Master Mu Say?¡±

    ¡°Book the ne tickets immediately and fly to City tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    Qi Lei, who was sitting in the back seat, had already turned on hisptop and started to look at the meeting minutes.

    ¡°What? Are we going there tomorrow afternoon?¡±

    Yang Sheng was naturally a little surprised as he looked at Qi Lei in a daze.

    ¡°There are a few potential problems at the film studio that need to be discussed. President Li has also requested that I go there personally to talk about it. This trip is definitely going to be done. As for thepany¡¯s matters... as usual, let the few Vice Presidents be in charge,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Yang Sheng asked curiously.

    ¡°Go to Glory World Corporation to get the information. Mu Yuchen will get Zhang Lan to bring it over. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, the car drove out smoothly.

    ¡°Master Qi, how long will this trip take? From Master Mu¡¯s tone, it doesn¡¯t seem to be that simple over there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rainy season over there right now, the typhoon has also arrived too, so the film and television base has naturally been affected. The losses are not small, and the hidden problems have been exposed. We need to solve the root of the problem, so we have to go and take a look personally. We might have to leave for a month.¡±

    This sudden news made even Qi Lei find it difficult to adapt to. Compared to his usual straightforwardness, at this moment, he was a little worried about Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    The two of them had only been together for a short while, but he had to leave for such a long time. To think about it, it was not something he wasfortable with.

    ¡°So long!¡±

    Even Yang Sheng was a little surprised.

    Things over there were quite troublesome. Previously, he had rushed over many times to deal with them. He had finally managed to catch his breath recently, unexpectedly the problems started toe again.

    ¡°Vice President Yue just went over. Can¡¯t we just hand the matters over to him directly?¡±

    Yang Sheng had been by Qi Lei¡¯s side for many years. At this moment, Qi Lei was frowning and thinking about something. Yang Sheng was more or less certain.

    Hearing Yang Sheng¡¯s question, Qi Lei¡¯s frown deepened. Yang Sheng naturally did not dare to continue. He could only silently look away.

    ...

    When Qi Lei¡¯s unique ringtone rang on her phone, Dongfang Liuyun was in her office. However, at that moment, an uninvited guest had arrived in the office¡ª

    Jin Sheng!

    ¡°Why are you here? I don¡¯t remember any project of mine having anything to do with your Jin family. If you¡¯re not here about work, please leave.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and nced at Jin Sheng as she picked up the phone¡ª

    ¡°Hello? What¡¯s up?¡±

    Her tone softened a little, and her furrowed brows rxed a little.

    ¡°When do you get off work? I¡¯ll pick you up. Let¡¯s go home earlier tonight, I¡¯ll cook.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice was heard along with the sound of the waves as the wind blew past.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been in charge of the kitchentely? Are you at the beach?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was sharp in her senses.

    ¡°I¡¯m at the beach of a small vige in the suburbs. I heard that the seafood here is pretty good. Didn¡¯t you say that you were quite fond of having a seafood feast? Since your stomach is better, I can satisfy your wish a little. Moreover, the chinese mitten crabs in this season are pretty good.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice from the other end sounded quite happy and in a good mood.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment then said, ¡°Send me your specific location. I¡¯ll go over after work. You don¡¯t have to pick me up. It¡¯s quite nice to see the sea at this time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send you the address. You can get off work earlier and watch the sunset by the sea. It should be close to that picture of the sunset at home.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied with a simple word and hung up.

    Jin Sheng, who was standing in front of her desk, also frowned and stared at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face. ¡°Was that a call from Lan Xiu?¡±

    He had always known about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s rtionship with Lan Xiu, so Jin Sheng asked that question.

    ¡°You can leave now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun coldly gave the order to leave. She slowly stood up, turned around, and walked to the bookshelf behind her. She took a document and began to read it carefully.

    Jin Sheng¡¯s expression became gloomy and uncertain. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°I heard from Rou¡¯er that you epted the August event.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already know? Didn¡¯t Dongfang Rou¡¯er tell you that she was very sessful in using this to make things difficult for me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Jin Sheng meaningfully, but her expression remained calm.

    ¡°You need to prove yourself, so she gave you a chance. Shouldn¡¯t you be grateful to her? Why are you making things difficult for her? I heard that you even asked her to personally hand over the work to your Marketing Department. You¡¯re quite a tough one.¡±

    Jin Sheng¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile as he stared at Dongfang Liuyun without blinking.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been plotted against all year round, so I have to be on my guard. If you really want to stand up for Dongfang Rou¡¯er, then I¡¯ll do as you wish and pass this matter on to her. Now, can you leave?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that I wanted toe here? Dongfang Liuyun, I don¡¯t like your cold attitude the most. You¡¯re just like Fujiwara, both thinking that you¡¯re all superior!¡±

    Towards the end, Jin Sheng could not help but raise his voice. He looked at Dongfang Liuyun with an unusually gloomy gaze. However, he took a document and tossed it directly on the table in front of Dongfang Liuyun with great force, it caused the teacup beside Dongfang Liuyun to shake violently.

    With a ¡®whoosh¡¯ sound, the teacup fell. More than half the cup was spilled, soaking half of the table. Even the documents on the table were damaged.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at the pile of documents in front of her that were soaked, and quickly grabbed them with one hand, her gaze instantly turned sharp. She suddenly turned to look at Jin Sheng and her tone was as cold as steel¡ª

    ¡°Why are you venting your anger on me when you¡¯re not at peace with yourself? You are the perfect match for Dongfang Rou¡¯er! You¡¯re both people who want to trample on others to elevate themselves, but the heavens have not given you a proper position. Superior? You, Jin Sheng, stood here today and arrogantly questioned me. That word is more suitable for you, don¡¯t you think?¡±

 Chapter 1645 - From Behind (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1645: From Behind (3)</h4>

    Jin Sheng¡¯s expression turned cold as he clenched his fists tightly¡ª

    ¡°What did you say!¡±

    ¡°I said that there¡¯s a problem with your IQ and EQ and that you need to take a good look.¡±

    She was Dongfang Liuyun.

    She had always known how to speak to others in anguage that they would understand, but with Jin Sheng, she did not need to give him any face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send the document to Manager Lin after I¡¯m done with it. You can leave now. You can wait for Manager Lin¡¯s reply.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun opened the document and casually looked at it before speaking in a formal manner.

    ¡°Secretary Ding,e in for a moment and send Master Jin off for me!¡±

    Without waiting for Jin Sheng¡¯s reply, Dongfang Liuyun had already pressed the call button and called Ding Xiaoling in.

    Of course, Ding Xiaoling quickly came in as well as soon as she received the call. When she saw Dongfang Liuyun who was looking at the document with his head lowered and Jin Sheng with a gloomy expression, she naturally realized that the atmosphere was not quite right. She quickly smiled and went forward¡ª

    ¡°Master Jin, please! Manager Rou seems to have just gone down. She should be waiting for you downstairs, right?¡±

    Hearing this, Jin Sheng nced at Dongfang Liuyun coldly, turned around and left with huge strides.

    Ah Ling nced at Dongfang Liuyun and silently sent Jin Sheng out.

    After a while, she came back with a ss of ice water in her hand.

    ¡°Manager Yun, why was Master Jin here?¡± Ding Xiaoling asked curiously.

    ¡°Nothing much, just information for the event. Can you help clean up the table.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and looked at the mess on the table.

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling quickly walked over and cleaned the table. ¡°Manager Yun, Master Jin is from Manager Rou¡¯s side. President Gan...¡±

    ¡°I know the situation of thepany very well. You don¡¯t have to worry about this. You should spend more time on the event. We¡¯ll talk about other thingster. Also, someone from Tai Yu Corporation wille inspect ourpany soon. The things and materials I asked you to prepare, you must pay attention to it. Try your best to prepare them in the next two days, show them to me so that there won¡¯t be any mistakes.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said without even lifting her eyelids.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it well. Manager Yun, don¡¯t worry. The data and materials are all being prepared. They should be ready by tomorrow, I¡¯ll send them over then.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and nced at the clock on the table. She turned her head to look at the sky outside. After some thought, she also packed up the documents.

    ¡°Manager Yun, where are you going?¡±

    Ding Xiaoling, who was tidying up, was a little puzzled.

    ¡°I have finished dealing with the matter. I will get off work early today. You can send this document to them and divide the work among them. We will talk about it after I finish the market research in the next few days.¡± Dongfang Liuyun gave her instructions very quickly.

    As soon as she finished speaking, her slender body had already walked passed the table.

    When she reached downstairs, Qi Lei had sent her the address. It was a small town in the northern suburbs of the city that was about to be developed into a tourist attraction. At this moment, the town had yet to open.

    She did not know how he found this ce.

    It was a small town close to the sea and a small vige. It had the quiet and elegant atmosphere of a Jiangnan water town. In front of the town was the parking lot. Dongfang Liuyun had just arrived at the entrance of the town when she saw Yang Sheng waiting at the entrance from afar.

    Yang Sheng saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car from afar and immediately waved at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already taken Qi Lei¡¯s car. At this moment, she was driving the Acura that Qi Lei had always liked. This license te number was created by Yang Sheng back then, so Yang Sheng remembered it very clearly.

    Dongfang Liuyun slowed down the car as she rolled down the car window.

    ¡°Missus, here! Park the car inside!¡± Yang Sheng quickly walked up and gave instructions.

    Dongfang Liuyun also quickly parked the car and got out. The sunlight outside was not as hot as she had imagined. It was almost sunset, and the wind was still quite cool, the golden sunlight quietly bathed the entire town. There was an inexplicable peace in the air. Standing here, Dongfang Liuyun could almost smell the faint smell of the sea breeze...

    ¡°What time did you guyse over?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Yang Sheng in surprise. ¡°He didn¡¯t want toe over for lunch, but came to this ce to enjoy himself?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Missus. Master Qi just came over oo. He went to Glory World earlier to get some materials. Clearly he wants to be romantic now?¡± Yang Sheng said with a cheeky smile.

    ¡°Romantic? Could your Master Qie up with romantic things to do?¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    ¡°Of course, Master Qi is usually quite romantic. It¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t like to show it. Missus, our Master Qi is very romantic. Moreover, our Master Qi is very principled. He doesn¡¯t mess around, so...¡±

    Yang Sheng tried his best to put in a good word for Qi Lei. However, the more he spoke, the more cheeky the smile on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face became. She narrowed her eyes and cut him off, ¡°I can see that you have a very high opinion of your Master Qi. Don¡¯t worry. Even if you say bad things about him, I won¡¯t tell him. Tell me about the bad side of him. Has he been throwing tantrums at you or is he very close to that female celebrity?¡±

    ¡°No! No, absolutely not! I can swear on my life! Master Qi dislikes those women for being too flirtatious... no, what I mean is, Master Qi doesn¡¯t like those women. He is absolutely loyal to you, Missus!¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s face tensed up and he quickly stretched out his hand to swear.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and nced at him disapprovingly. ¡°No matter how flirtatious they are, they¡¯re not as flirtatious as him. No matter how romantic things are, it bes tacky when he does them. If he has such intentions, he might as well get home and cook a few more delicious meals.¡±

    ¡°No, Missus, don¡¯t you like romance?¡±

    Yang Sheng looked at the figure who had already walked forward and hurriedly followed.

    ¡°All women like romance,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied very calmly, ¡°It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t have toe up with such an idea.¡±

    ¡°How did Missus know that this idea was from me?¡±

    Yang Sheng looked at Dongfang Liuyun in surprise, somewhat admiring her sharpness.

    ¡°I guessed.¡±

    ¡°Missus, you...¡±

    Yang Sheng followed her with his eyes wide open. He suddenly felt that the Missus and Master Qi seemed the same, both bullying him.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Dongfang Liuyun threw the car keys in her hand to Yang Sheng as she asked.

    ¡°He thought you wouldn¡¯t be here for a while, so he went to the beach and walked along this road to the end. This ce is going to be developed into a resort, and it hasn¡¯t been opened yet, so the beach over there is pretty nice. The water is very clean, and the beach isn¡¯t polluted. You could pick up shells too if you go over right now...¡±

 Chapter 1646 - From Behind (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1646: From Behind (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Following the road Yang Sheng pointed out, Dongfang Liuyun walked for a long distance. After passing through the silent street, she followed the mossy road under her feet all the way to the end. She found a wide road and followed it all the way, soon, she saw arge stretch of soft and white beach.

    On the other side of the beach was a small town. Standing there, she could see some inns and small houses built by the sea. Beside them, there were small boats stranded. The fishermen were rowing the boats back, bathing in the warm sunset, this was undoubtedly a very beautiful sunset view.

    She took off her shoes and walked along the beach. Finally, she found the figure of a man on the other side of the wooden bridge.

    He was sitting quietly on the soft beach. A dark shadow with ck pants and a shirt. The cuffs were opened and the sleeves were rolled up. On the surface of the sea, the sun near the mountain was about to set. Only half of it remained, seemingly unwilling to set. The surface of the sea was sparkling, the sea breeze was faint, the afterglow from the refraction stretched out his shadow¡ª

    That nted view of him from behind looked as if there was a sense of destion. She could not help but feel a sense of loneliness in her heart, as if she could empathize with this feeling.

    She watched him silently for a while before walking over and sitting down quietly beside him. She did not turn to look at him. Instead, she asked in a low voice, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    He turned his head to look at her for a long time before he averted his gaze.

    ¡°Nothing much. Why are you here so soon?¡±

    ¡°Consider it as an excuse to get off work earlier.¡± She smiled calmly.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I be the bad person then?¡±

    ¡°Just bear with it. I¡¯ve wanted toe out for a breather recently anyway. You¡¯ve found a pretty good ce, the scenery here is very lovely,¡± she said quietly as she reached out for the phone beside her. She unlocked it and looked at the time. It was almost seven o¡¯clock in the evening.

    ¡°Do you have anywhere you want to go? Apart from the wedding, I owe you a honeymoon trip.¡± He asked.

    ¡°Do you think I have time to go on a honeymoon trip now? Let¡¯s think about thister. I haven¡¯t even been to De Bao House in such a long time. I¡¯ve been busy with the Mid-autumn Festival¡¯s event for the new productunch recently. I can¡¯t spare so much energy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just asking if there¡¯s anywhere you want to go, not right now.¡± Qi Lei nced at her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to too many ces over the years, don¡¯t think there¡¯s anywhere I want to go in particr. Let¡¯s skip the trip, when I have time, I¡¯d rather watch you tend to the flowers at home.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really easy to satisfy. Don¡¯t all women like going on some super luxurious honeymoons?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned as he looked at her¡ª

    The more she did not ask for anything, the more he felt distant from her.

    ¡°Do you really want to go on a honeymoon?¡± She heard his tone and thought for a moment before asking.

    ¡°Yes.¡± His answer was naturally affirmative.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go somewhere you want to go, October,¡± she said.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go to Dunhuang and the prairie over there.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m going on a business trip. It might take quite some time. I¡¯m going to City B. I¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon. You can send me off at the airport.¡±

    After a while, he suddenly spoke up.

    ¡°Tomorrow? Are you going to be gone for a long time?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned and was a little surprised.

    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be around a month or so. I¡¯m not sure yet. If things go smoothly, I¡¯ll be able return sooner. Mu Yuchen is over there. He won¡¯t be able to handle it by himself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows were knitted together, and her hands paused. ¡°Then,e home for lunch tomorrow afternoon. I¡¯ll talk to my father.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve already called father. He said that we can go over tomorrow morning.¡±

    ...

    The setting sun soon fell silent, and the sky began to darken. The evening wind became a little stronger, and the waves across them crashed loudly. The air was filled with the saltiness of the sea.

    Suddenly, he felt something slide across his face. Qi Lei raised his hand to brush it, and a few strands of ck hair appeared in his hand. He slowly turned to look at her. He saw that she was also quietly watching the sea and sky, her beautiful face was calm and distant.

    He suddenly realized that her hair had grown very, very long. When he first met herst year, it seemed like it was almost to her waist. Back then, she...

    He did not expect that she would be who he ended up marrying.

    As he thought about this, a warm feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

    ¡°Is it okay for you to stay at home by yourself?¡± He asked in a low voice.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him. ¡°I¡¯ve said before that I¡¯ve been around for a long time and know how to take care of myself. However, you seem to be very worried?¡±

    Upon saying that, Qi Lei red at her. ¡°If you weren¡¯t my Mrs. Qi, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to worry.¡±

    Although his tone was mocking, as he spoke, he put his arm around her delicate shoulders.

    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet at home. Sometimes, even I¡¯m a little scared. Are you sure you¡¯re not worried?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s low voice came through, and he even took a shallow breath.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine once I get used to it. Don¡¯t worry. You can focus on your own things. I¡¯m not one of those clingy girls who always need someone to apany me. However, when youe back, remember to pick a gift for me, you¡¯ll feel more at ease.¡±

    Her smiling face was also filled with a rare gentleness.

    ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t mistreat you when ites to gifts. I do wish you¡¯d be more pampered.¡±

    He gave her a meaningful nce.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got many days ahead of us. Living a normal life is the most important thing. Actually, I don¡¯t think that managing a marriage is a simple matter. We should be at ease with each other, being the most authentic version of ourselves is very important for us to get used to each other in the future. Do you feel very pressured when you¡¯re with me?¡±

    She turned her head and met his gaze.

    ¡°Pressured?¡± Qi Lei listened and muttered softly. He seemed to think seriously before chuckling, ¡°Do I? I don¡¯t think so, from the moment I proposed to you, I was sure about marrying you. I don¡¯t feel pressured, I do hope that my shoulders are wide and safe enough for you to lean on.¡±

    As she listened, she heaved a sigh of relief. There was a rarely seen expression on her face. She blinked her dry eyes and smiled¡ª

    ¡°Your words are too moving. I feel, quite touched.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the first person that made me feel like I really wanted to marry, and you¡¯ll be thest. I hope that this ring on your hand will not only trap your person, but also your heart. If that¡¯s really the case, I¡¯m willing to believe that God has always watched over me.¡±

    As he spoke, he held her hand and looked at the sparkling ring quietly...

 Chapter 1647 - ultured Woman Hooligan (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1647: Cultured Woman Hooligan (1)</h4>

    She did not say anything and allowed him to hold onto her hand. When her palm felt warm, she reached out her idle hand and gently covered the back of his slightly cold hand. She did not say anything.

    After thinking for a long time, she replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need for God to watch over us, for most of these things, we¡¯d be the ones managing and maintaining ourselves.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯re not people who believe in fate. Thank you, Mrs. Qi.¡±

    His handsome face showed some gentleness as he looked at her quietly.

    She lowered her eyes and smiled happily. ¡°President Qi, you¡¯re too courteous.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be courteous then?¡±

    He looked at the gentleness on her face and suddenly smiled evilly. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, a cold kiss had alreadynded on her lips.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment before pushing him away. ¡°Are you nning an attack?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I was being too courteous?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you down to fish¡ª¡±

    With that, she got up and pushed him into the waves that surged forward. The sshing waves drenched Qi Lei. However, Qi Lei was quick enough to reach out and pull her, the two of them fell into the waves.

    Dongfang Liuyun was drenched as well. She nced at Qi Lei and sshed water on him. The sound of them running andughing could be heard from the beach. Under the silent sky, this moment seemed to be frozen in time.

    The couple yed until the sky fell silent before leaving. However, when they returned, it was Qi Lei who carried Dongfang Liuyun back. Both of their clothes were soaked, but Dongfang Liuyun was still wearing his coat.

    ¡°Mrs. Qi, how much do you weigh? You don¡¯t feel too heavy.¡±

    Qi Lei guessed and asked with some doubt.

    ¡°Net weight is more than three digits. I have muscles, so I look smaller.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not care about discussing weight. She answered, thought about it, and asked again, ¡°What about you? How much do you weigh?¡±

    ¡°130, not a pound less.¡± He did not mind.

    ¡°You¡¯re too skinny. With your physique, you need around 150 to be considered normal.¡±

    As she spoke, she reached out and touched his waist.

    ¡°So fat? I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll be scared when you see something like that sleeping next to you when you wake up at night. My figure is pretty good.¡±

    Qi Lei was confident in this aspect.

    ¡°To be portly is a prosperous look. You¡¯ll be like that in the future.¡±

    ¡°Impossible! I want to maintain this figure forever.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that your belly has gotten fatter recently? I remember that you used to wear the gray casual pants with a belt, but now you don¡¯t need it anymore.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was very observant and quickly told Qi Lei the truth.

    Qi Lei was quick-witted. He paused for a moment before stopping in his tracks. He subconsciously reached for his waist¡ª

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t deny it. I didn¡¯t say that I dislike you anyway. subconsciously, I prefer a man who¡¯s a little chubby.¡±

    ¡°You have a strong taste! Miss Dongfang, actually, I have something to tell you too.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Your chest is a little small, it looks like...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    ...

    The couple bickered their way back along the street. The ce they stayed at night was an inn by the river. The atmosphere felt good. The bedroom was on the second floor. When they pushed open the window, they could see the sea view across from them. The lights were brilliant and there were manynterns. It was really beautiful.

    The husband and wife took a shower and changed into clean clothes. When they came out, dinner was already prepared in the corridor outside. It was a very pleasant candlelit dinner, but the ceramicmp above them was still on.

    It was the seafood feast that Dongfang Liuyun had been craving for.

    Qi Lei was very considerate as he peeled the crabs for her. She was also leisurely enjoying his service as she looked at him. ¡°Have youe here today because you feel guilty?¡±

    ¡°You have sharp eyes. You¡¯ve figured out my thoughts quite well.¡± Qi Lei did not deny it. In truth, she had a delicate heart.

    ¡°I know you. We haven¡¯t been married for long. It¡¯s normal for you to feel wronged when you suddenly have to leave for so long. But really, I¡¯m fine. At most, when you¡¯re not around, I¡¯ll think of you a little. I won¡¯t be used to having no one to cook or warm the bed for me.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she looked at him with some amusement.

    His hands paused and he nced at her. ¡°So that¡¯s what I am to you!¡±

    She smiled quietly and looked down.

    ¡°Wang Chun¡¯s inspection team is going over in the next two days. How are your preparations going? Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s offer to Wang Chun is very tempting. You have to consider it carefully. Let¡¯s do it the way I discussed it with you. It¡¯ll be beneficial to you.¡±

    Qi Lei took a tissue to wipe his hands as he said this.

    When they talked about business, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face gradually turned serious¡ª

    ¡°Our thoughts coincide. I¡¯ve already mentioned the n to father. He thinks it¡¯s a good idea too, so he¡¯ll probably ept our suggestion. However, let him handle the specifics himself. I don¡¯t have that much free time to deal with them.¡±

    ¡°Is Lin Yuanyuan keeping a close eye on you?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Of course. They can¡¯t wait to catch me with something. I¡¯m having a hard time now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged and stuffed a peeled shrimp into her mouth. Her tone sounded a little helpless.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard for you to fight on the front line, but don¡¯t worry. When I return, I¡¯ll give you a surprise. As for what it is, I¡¯ll leave it as a surprise first.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled mysteriously, his gaze a little strange.

    ¡°Still ying with secrets? You¡¯re smiling so sinisterly.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help butugh. She reached out and poured him a ss of wine.

    ¡°No, this is a smile of wisdom.¡±

    Listening to his exnation, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled softly. ¡°Mr. Qi, let me ask you a question¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of a poem by Lu You? It¡¯s called ¡®Sleeping Spring¡¯. Can you recite it?¡±

    ¡°Sleeping Spring?¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Dark plum sniffs the flowers, and sleeping branches hurt the bottom of my heart... from afar, it smells like water, easy to see through the green of the spring... the shore is green... Are you messing with me?¡±

    He read the rest of the poem with some difficulty. Qi Lei looked at the smile on her face and finally realized something. He could not help but gritted his teeth as he said, ¡°You¡¯re messing with me?¡±.

    Dongfang Liuyun finallyughed out loud. She could not help but reach out and grab his shoulder. She leaned over and kissed his indifferent lips¡ª

    ¡°Do you know what my nickname was?¡± She asked seductively.

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    It was not easy for him to catch her wanting to reveal her nickname. Naturally, he could not let this go!

 Chapter 1648 - Cultured Woman Hooligan (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1648: Cultured Woman Hooligan (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze very mysterious.

    ¡°Tell me about it?¡± Qi Lei said.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. ¡°You really want to know?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then finish reciting thest few words of that poem?¡±

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t want to know. At most, you¡¯d be called a cultured woman hooligan!¡±

    Qi Lei had an evil smile on his face. He would not fall for it so easily.

    Dongfang Liuyun coughed lightly and sat back down quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you next time.¡±

    ¡°When is the next time?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his ss to toast her. She happily picked up her ss. ¡°Just wait. Is the situation over there very serious that you need to go over personally? I remember Chairman Mu and the others should be over there, right?¡±

    ¡°Some professional matters, the matter of the film and television base. It¡¯s not a big deal. If I can settle it sooner, I¡¯lle back earlier.¡±

    ¡°Just let me know if you need anything. I might not be able to participate in your matters, but I might be of help for the simpler ones.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finished the wine in her ss.

    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± Qi Lei smiled meaningfully.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned and gave him a sideways nce. As she pointed at the wine bottle beside her hand, she gestured for him to pour the wine. She said, ¡°If saying this makes you happier, I don¡¯t mind admitting it.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei smiled happily and poured the wine for her. ¡°You also have the potential to be a nationally recognized good wife.¡±

    When she heard this, her beautiful eyebrows raised. ¡°I think so too. I¡¯ve always been very confident in myself. As long as I put my mind to it, I¡¯ll definitely be able to do it well.¡±

    Qi Lei had always felt that there was something about her that could give people positive energy. He suddenly felt lucky that he had paid attention to her back then. Otherwise, how could he have her now?

    ¡°Of course, I have the same confidence in you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Qi Lei was a little doubtful of her confidence in him.

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve been paying attention to Eastern Gust for a long time in the game. Your name in the service area is above mine. We¡¯ve almost be rivals several times,¡± Dongfang Liuyun paused at this point. ¡°Actually, I can observe a person from many details. If I hadn¡¯t interacted with you in the game, I might not have dared to agree to you so rashly. I¡¯m more afraid of losing a bet than anyone else.¡±

    Hearing her say this, Qi Lei thought about it and seemed to understand what she meant¡ª

    The burden on his shoulders was already so heavy that he could not breathe. If marriage and rtionships were to make people worried, living such a life was indeed very difficult. A person¡¯s heart was filled with negative emotions, and once they had too many negative emotions in their hearts...

    ¡°You won¡¯t lose this bet.¡± He was silent for a long time before he said this to her.

    She smiled happily and nodded to toast him.

    ...

    After dinner, the couple sat in the corridor and brewed a pot of flower tea. They faced the sea and leisurely enjoyed the sea breeze. They yed cards for a while. Only when the fisherman¡¯s lights were out did the two of them realize that it waste at night.

    When Qi Lei came out of the bathroom, Dongfang Liuyun was already lying down. She was on the phone with Dongfang Gan, probably talking about their return home the next day. However, when she saw Qi Leie to bed, she put away her phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote. Is father still awake?¡± Qi Lei quickly pulled the nket aside and asked as heid down.

    ¡°Ms. Song isn¡¯t back yet. He¡¯s still waiting for her.¡±

    ¡°What has mother been busy with recently? Remember to remind her to take care of her health.¡± Qi Lei recalled what happened when he first met Song Siting.

    ¡°Father usually watches over her health. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned off her phone and ced it on the bedside table. She turned off the lights. The only dim light in the room was the light refracted from the corridor, and there was a flickering light from a fishing boat on the river outside the window, the dim light made the room inexplicably flow with warmth.

    Qi Lei came over and skillfully wrapped his arms around her slender waist. His entire body was on top of hers, and his low and hoarse voice rang in her ears¨C

    ¡°Can you satisfy me tonight?¡±

    When he thought about how he had to leave for a long time, he suddenly felt terrible all over.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. Her starry eyes were like the stars as she quietly stared at him. After a long while, she reached out to wrap her arms around him, and with one hand, she pulled away the belt on his waist...

    A sense of joy shed across Qi Lei¡¯s heart, and only then did the warm kissnd on his lips.

    Not long after, the temperature in the room soared. His fiery passion made it difficult for her to withstand it, he ravaged her again and again. In the end, she could not take it anymore and wanted to push him away, but he held her wrist tightly as he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Don¡¯t refuse. I won¡¯t be back for a long time!¡±

    After saying that, there was another surge of violent waves. Dongfang Liuyun almost fell asleep after that. When she fell into a deep sleep, she suddenly regretted that she had tacitly agreed to cooperate with him!

    She really brought this upon herself!

    ...

    The next morning, Dongfang Liuyun endured the pain all over her body. Qi Lei got someone to prepare a change of clothes. It was a printed beige dress. It looked pretty good on her. Her long hair was casually put up, showing off her elegance.

    When she came out of the room, Qi Lei was sitting leisurely at the table in the corridor, waiting for her to wake up and have breakfast with him.

    When Dongfang Liuyun pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, a look of surprise shed across his eyes. Without hesitation, he praised, ¡°Looks quite suitable on you. Is my taste getting better and better?¡±

    He spoke as he took a sip of his tea leisurely.

    ¡°How dare you! I have to correct you. I¡¯m not A, I¡¯m B.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was quite vengeful towards this topic. Naturally, he did not forget what Qi Lei had said when the two of them returnedst night.

    ¡°Is that so? Could it be that I¡¯ve been working too hard recently?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s lips curled into an evil smile. His face was full of mischievousness.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows were knitted together. She rolled her eyes at him and quietly lowered her head to eat breakfast.

    Seeing this, Qi Lei¡¯s smile disappeared slightly. He poured her some juice. ¡°I¡¯ll remember.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you about thepany. It¡¯s a rest day, so there shouldn¡¯t be any overtime. We¡¯ll go over after breakfast. Father called just now and since you were still asleep, he didn¡¯t want to wake you up.¡±

    ¡°You can arrange for the thingster. You can tell father yourself.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said this without even lifting her eyelids.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told them that when Ie back, Yang Sheng has already picked the dates. The 20th of August next month is pretty good. Let¡¯s make it a date to send the betrothal gifts to father and mother.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t in a hurry?¡± Dongfang Liuyun looked up doubtfully at this moment.

    ¡°Just take it that I can¡¯t wait to be promoted.¡± Qi Lei replied simply, his tone filled with determination...

 Chapter 1649 - Opinion

    <h4>Chapter 1649: Opinion</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Tanshan Vi Complex.

    When Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun rushed back, it was already close to lunchtime. Dongfang Gan personally cooked. By the time the two children walked in, the food was almost ready.

    Thest two dishes were brought to the table. The few of them washed their hands and sat down.

    ¡°Where¡¯s mother?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned and looked at the empty seat.

    Dongfang Gan wiped his hands and slowly sat down as he said, ¡°She said that the case was urgent and didn¡¯te backst night. She went to the countryside with Xiao Yu early in the morning, think she was going to collect some materials. Let her be.¡±

    ¡°What case has she been busy with recently?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the Tianhai case? She has been putting in a lot of effort recently because of this matter. If she doesn¡¯te up with more evidence in the second trial, the situation will be very unfavorable for your mother.¡±

    As Dongfang Gan said this, he could not help but frown.

    Dongfang Liuyun had also heard of this case, and it seemed to be rted to the Dongfang Group in some way. However, she did not ask too much about it. She had always disliked Song Siting¡¯s style of doing things, so she basically did not ask about her matters. Of course, for her, other than making her work harder and things like that, Song Siting usually did not have time to care about her. She was not supervising as strictly as she did before.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not continue asking. Instead, she picked up her bowl, chopsticks, and quietly picked up the food.

    Qi Lei turned to look at her. He saw that she was still very calm and focused on eating.

    ¡°Alright, she¡¯s been busy these past few days. Don¡¯t take it to heart. Come, have a ss of wine. Qi Lei,e. You¡¯ll be going away alone, be careful. I¡¯ll talk to your mother about it. You¡¯re busy with your own things, so you can go ahead.¡±

    Dongfang Gan understood.

    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to take the wine ss.

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was beside also stopped and picked up the wine ss.

    With a clink, a ss of wine was quickly downed.

    ¡°Liuyun, you¡¯ve been working quite well recently. Secretary Ding told me about the general situation. Regarding the August event, you must do your best. This will indeed affect your assessment results.¡±

    Dongfang Gan suddenly thought of this.

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. Father, don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s focus on the South River Project first,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently as she turned to look at Qi Lei.

    ¡°Wang Chun is in charge of the expedition team. It should be over in the next two days. I hope father can cooperate with us.¡± Qi Lei followed her hints and replied.

    Dongfang Gan nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared everything that I need to prepare. Liuyun, how prepared are you with the materials you have?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked Ah Ling to prepare them. She said that she¡¯ll bring them over to me today. I¡¯ll send him to the airport in the afternoon and return to thepany right away. After the inspection ispleted, it should be almost done.¡±

    ¡°Alright, as long as the data and materials are fine, the rest won¡¯t be too big of a problem. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ...

    After lunch, the servants quickly tidied up the dishes.

    Qi Lei went upstairs to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s room, while Dongfang Liuyun was called to the study by Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°Father, you want to talk to me about something?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood in front of Dongfang Gan¡¯s desk with both hands on the table. She leaned over slightly to look at her father who was sitting in a chair in front of her and asked.

    Dongfang Gan narrowed his eyes at her and suddenly seemed to have noticed something. He looked her up and down before finally stopping his gaze on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s neck¡ª

    Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be some traces left behind after the incident.

    At that moment, he frowned ufortably and coughed a few times before calmly withdrawing his gaze. ¡°It seems like you have been living quite well recently. My son-inw treats you quite well. Where did you run off tost night?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard this, she raised her brows and subconsciously tugged at her clothes. ¡°He¡¯s always been nice to me.¡±

    ¡°Get a shawl from your roomter!¡± Dongfang Gan said with a dark expression. He looked quite awkward. When Dongfang Liuyun saw this, she could not help butugh. She did not mind saying¡ª

    ¡°Alright, father. You¡¯ve done many simr things to mother.¡±

    ¡°Your mother and I are an old married couple. Don¡¯t make fun of us. But I see that you¡¯re not young anymore. While father is still here, why don¡¯t you settle the matter of the child first? When I retire, your mother and I can help you take care of him. Look at Qi Lei¡¯s parents... sigh, bring him back more often in the future.¡±

    Dongfang Gan was leaning towards Qi Lei. After all, his daughter had chosen him. Qi Lei was now half a son to him. Naturally, he needed to slowly ept this reality.

    ¡°Regarding the child¡¯s matter, we¡¯ll let nature take its course,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied in a low voice.

    After thinking for a moment, she continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to get involved in this mess at first. It¡¯s also a good idea to let him be my peaceful support. Father, I don¡¯t want to owe him too much. This marriage is already a little unfair to him, so...¡±

    ¡°I know what you want to say, but Liuyun, do you know the meaning of the phrase ¡®husband and wife¡¯? Since you¡¯re already married to him, you have to bear a lot of things together. In my opinion, there¡¯s no such thing as who owes whom between husband and wife. It¡¯s just whether they¡¯re willing or not. On this point, I really admire Qi Lei¡¯s actions. If the roles were reversed today and Qi Lei¡¯s situation becameplicated, I definitely wouldn¡¯t let you stand idly by. You have to stand on the same side as him, understand?¡±

    Dongfang Gan spoke with a heavy heart as he looked at his daughter with disapproval.

    Dongfang Liuyun was startled when she heard this. She lowered her eyes silently as if she was considering whether Dongfang Gan¡¯s words were right or not.

    ¡°You have yet to grasp the concept of a union between husband and wife. You¡¯re still looking at marriage from an individualistic point of view. It¡¯s good to be able to remain rational at all times, but there are some things that can¡¯t just be about rationality. Rationality is often used to restrain people. You, if you can add a bit of perceptual awareness to this rational foundation, the two of you will do very well. At least, I agree with Qi Lei. He¡¯s a person who knows how to live his life, but I¡¯m worried about you.¡±

    Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Liuyun were not only father and daughter, they were also like friends to arge extent. He was a very low-key and rational person, and some of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s characteristics were naturally inherited from him.

    It was actually verymon for the father and daughter to exchange their opinions.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want everyone to live a difficult life. This isn¡¯t a good thing. If we can implicate one less person, then we should. Haven¡¯t you always objected to mother interfering in these matters?¡±

 Chapter 1650 - Qin Su (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1650: Qin Su (1)</h4>

    1

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were filled with sincerity. At the same time, there was also a hint of helplessness in them¡ª

    ¡°We often want to be like a devout guardian who wants to protect the things we care about and the people we care for, but we are afraid of our own insignificance. I don¡¯t want to be that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°But you will be under a lot of pressure. This way, you will also make the people around you feel a lot of pressure.¡±

    Dongfang Gan moved a cup of tea to her side while he picked up another cup and took a simple sip.

    ¡°A few days ago, I identally saw a saying that goes like this ¡ª life is like a pressure cooker. If you are under too much pressure, you will get used to it. How to share the pressure and disperse it is also crucial. Don¡¯t expect yourself to have the strength to hold up the sky that you want, that would be foolish. By the time you manage to hold it up, you will no longer have the chance to enjoy it.¡±

    ¡°I understand, father.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and was silent for a long time before she said, ¡°Anyway, he is involved in it. As for Grandma... I hope father can...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my son-inw now, would I treat him poorly? You know that you¡¯re concerned about your mother¡¯s attitude. It¡¯s not a matter of a day or two before your mother is satisfied with Fujiwara. Although Qi Lei¡¯s family background isn¡¯t bad, your mother¡¯s preconceived notions have always been very strong. It¡¯ll probably take some time for Qi Lei topletely satisfy her. Not to mention that Qi Lei¡¯s reputation was in tatters before this,¡± said Dongfang Gan helplessly.

    ¡°Fujiwara may not be that great either. Father, you¡¯re not the kind of person who only looks at surface.¡±

    ¡°I know that you and Fujiwara... Sigh, a few days ago, Lan Xiu called me. He might being over for dinner tomorrow. Do you want toe back and visit?¡± Dongfang Gan took a deep breath and asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment before replying, ¡°No, I want to go back to De Bao House tomorrow. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been there. Uncle Ming called me several times and asked me to go over to take a look. He just collected a few new items.¡±

    ¡°As you wish. I¡¯ll let him know that you¡¯re busy.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ..

    The father and daughter continued chatting. Dongfang Liuyun noticed that it was about time, so she left the study.

    Qi Lei had been waiting downstairs for quite a while.

    The couple said goodbye to Dongfang Gan before heading straight to the airport.

    At the airport entrance, Yang Sheng and a few other bodyguards in ck were already waiting there.

    Dongfang Liuyun slowly pulled the car to the side and stopped.

    ¡°Be careful now, take care of yourself. Give me a call when you get there.¡±

    After steadily stopping the car, Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at the man beside her.

    Qi Lei unfastened his seatbelt and turned to look at her. He suddenly nodded. After some thought, he finally could not control himself and reached out to grab her shoulders. He nted a kiss on her lips. After lingering for a while, he let go¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You take care of yourself too. I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    With that, he opened the car door and put on his sunsses as he swiftly got out of the car.

    He was in a hurry and did not stay any longer. Under the protection of the few of them, he walked straight into the airport.

    Seeing his tall figure disappear at the entrance, Dongfang Liuyun eased up a little. Only then did she slowly start the car and leave...

    ..

    It was evening, and the sun was still hot.

    At the Northern Traffic Control Bureau.

    Secretary He carried a document and quickly passed through the imposing gatehouse. Soon, he went straight to Su Chen¡¯s office.

    In Su Chen¡¯s office, when Secretary He knocked on the door, Su Chen was on the phone with Chief Huang of the Central Bureau.

    It should be about the car ident again. It could be seen that the higher-ups were very anxious. Su Chen¡¯s face was also tensed up, and he did not look too good...

    ¡°Chief Huang, I got it. I will handle it impartially. Let them wait for the news!¡±

    Secretary He could also hear the dissatisfaction in Su Chen¡¯s words. When he heard Chief Huang on the other end of the line, Su Chen mmed the phone into thendline.

    ¡°Chief Su, are they urging us again?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going too far! They should be responsible for this matter. How can they be so confident with such a request? I¡¯ll see what they can do!¡± Su Chen said coldly.

    ¡°Chief Su, there¡¯s no need to be angry. No matter how unreasonable they are, they can¡¯t go against the people from the military region. The information we just got back from there are very serious this time. It¡¯s definitely necessary to investigate. Tomorrow afternoon, the military region will send people to coordinate with this matter. This is the information.¡± Secretary He said as he handed the document in his hand to Su Chen.

    Su Chen quickly took it and flipped it open to take a look. Only then did his tightly knitted brows rx a little. ¡°Do you know who the person sent by the military region is?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but the other party¡¯s background isn¡¯t small to begin with. This matter has gotten a little huge, and the two officers above are already a little unhappy. If this matter isn¡¯t resolved perfectly, I¡¯m worried that...¡± Secretary He said with some hesitation.

    Su Chen also raised his hand slightly to stop him¡ª

    ¡°I know what to do. Chief Huang just threw this burden to me because of mywork. This old fox! Let them do as they are told, and the result will be as it is. We aren¡¯t the only ones who havee to a conclusion. I just heard that there should be someone on Chief Huang¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it, Chief Su!¡±

    ¡°Go and make your preparations first. Tomorrow, there will be people from the military region. Naturally, they will also need to look at the information.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Chief Su!¡±

    Secretary He then retreated.

    Only then did Su Chen lean against the back of the chair behind him. He could not help but feel a headacheing on.

    ...

    At dusk, at the headquarters of Military Region A.

    A military jeep drove like a strong wind towards the heavily guarded entrance of the headquarters and stopped in front of the door.

    The security guard by the door quickly walked towards the car and saluted the officer in the driver¡¯s seat¡ª

    ¡°Hello, please show me your identification!¡±

    The driver quickly rolled down the window and a small military-green figure came into view¡ª

    It was a pretty and slightly serious oval face, a pair of beautiful ck eyebrows, skin as white as jade, a sharp chin, and a pair of eyes filled with the sharpness of forbearance. She had crimson red lips, and her hair was all tied up behind her head. She was wearing a summer uniform and looked a little petite, however, her aura could not be concealed.

    She was definitely a beauty!

    She handed her identification card to the guard. After the guard confirmed it, he let her pass. The woman swiped her card, opened the door, and drove the car in.

    This was the headquarters of the military region. Compared to the administrative region below, it was naturally more heavily guarded. As they drove along the straight road, the sound of soldiers training could be heard. Turning at a corner, they immediately saw the majestic headquarters.

 Chapter 1651 - Qin Su (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1651: Qin Su (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After parking the car steadily in the parking lot, the woman quickly got out of the car.

    She was well-trained and looked very energetic.

    ¡°Good morning, Staff Officer Qin!¡±

    When they passed through the yground in front of the administration building, they met a sergeant who came out of the administration building. The matter here was rted to the woman in front of them¡ª

    Qin Su had just been transferred back from the Northwest Military Region not long ago. She was originally transferred to the administration as a staff officer. Later on, due to theck of an instructor in one of the barracks under their jurisdiction, the headquarters had transferred her over from here to be a temporary instructor.

    It was said that this Qin Su graduated from the Information Major and was aputer expert. She was outstanding in all kinds of skills and was a model for the military region. In the early years, she was mainly engaged in undercover work. She had cooperated with the task force many times to carry out counter-terrorism activities and destroyed several drug lords, it was only until the most recent time when she suffered a serious injury to her arm that she withdrew from the front line.

    The most beautiful flower in the entire military region was also an icy beauty who was very difficult to deal with. She was a very strict and serious person. In the words of the people in the military region, Qin Su was born to be a soldier. She had the straightforwardness and decisiveness of a soldier, with her sharp intuition and decisive judgment.

    Qin Su also nodded, the sonorous footsteps on her feet did not slow down at all. She walked straight into the office building.

    She went straight up to the fifth floor. In this kind of weather, her body was slightly drenched in sweat.

    ¡°Staff Officer Qin is Here!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Officer Hu!¡± Qin Su also spoke.

    Her voice was very hoarse. During an actual anti-terrorism battle, her vocal cords were damaged by the smoke. After that, her voice could not return to its previous clear and melodious sound. It was a little more raspy. She could not speak too loudly, or her voice would crack.

    ¡°Division Commander Feng has been waiting for you inside for quite some time. Hurry up and go in.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After replying, Qin Su took two steps forward and knocked on the tightly shut door in front of her¡ª

    ¡°Reporting for duty!¡±

    ¡°Enter!¡±

    A low and slow voice soon came from inside.

    Qin Su quickly pushed the door open and entered. What greeted her eyes was Division Commander Feng, who was sitting right in front of his desk and processing documents.

    ¡°Division Commander, you were looking for me?¡± Qin Su bowed and then asked.

    Division Commander Feng raised his head and looked at Qin Su¡¯s figure. A warm expression appeared on his face¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re here! Take a seat!¡±

    As he spoke, he put down the documents and stood up to walk over.

    ¡°Thank you, Division Commander!¡±

    Qin Su did not stand on ceremony and sat on the sofa.

    ¡°I called you all the way here, you must be tired, right? During the recent seminars in the military regions, I coincidentally bumped into your father. Sigh, you¡¯ve been back for so long, and I haven¡¯t had the time to ask you toe over. When your father asked me about how you¡¯re doing, I really didn¡¯t know. Today, I¡¯ve asked you toe over and have a chat.¡±

    Division Commander Feng and Qin Su¡¯s father could be considered closerades. During the seminars in the military regions, they often bumped into each other. Of course, he knew Qin Su¡¯s background very well.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Division Commander. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°The conditions in the lower districts may not be that good. You¡¯re a girl, but you still have to return to your post. When the new instructor can be arranged, you can go back to the headquarters. After all, transferring you there is a waste of talent. I was hoping that you could help me organize the information system here.¡±

    Division Commander Feng poured two cups of water and said as he walked over.

    ¡°Thank you, Division Commander.¡±

    Qin Su took the water that Division Commander Feng handed over and thanked him.

    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s still one more thing that I asked you toe over for this time. I¡¯ll get straight to the point. Your regimentmander should have told you about it.¡±

    Division Commander Feng looked at Qin Su firmly.

    Qin Su¡¯s expressionless face softened and she nodded. ¡°When I came here, the regimentmander looked for me. Staff Officer Zhang is a very important person. This car ident is quite serious. The military region asked me to assist the police in their investigation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I personally ordered the general. We have analyzed it and felt that this car ident is a bit unusual. Perhaps the other party found out about our people and tried to silence them. Staff Officer Zhang¡¯s anti-detection ability is very strong. Before the ident happened, he had already lost contact with the task force for more than a month. Therefore, after some discussion, we agreed that this car ident is not that simple.¡±

    As he said this, Division Commander Feng felt a little ufortable. His sharp ck eyes were also filled with uneasiness.

    It was said that the deceased Staff Officer Zhang was his distant nephew. He had always been very capable. Division Commander Feng had always thought highly of him. He did not expect such a thing to happen.

    ¡°May the deceased rest in peace. Division Commander, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±

    Qin Su thought for a moment before saying this in a hoarse voice. After pausing for a moment, she continued, ¡°I¡¯ve looked through the information and have had a general understanding of the situation. I will do my best to assist the police in their investigation. Division Commander, have you found more information on the heavy truck driver?¡±

    ¡°All the information should have been sent to you. If there¡¯s any new information from the police, they will send it over. You can go over tomorrow afternoon. First, go to the Traffic Control Bureau to understand the situation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, understood.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you with this matter. Take this opportunity. After this matter is over, it¡¯s about time for you to take a break. You didn¡¯t take a breakst year, so you should take a good rest this year. Also, you should be more mindful of your personal problems. Your father has also been worried about this matter. He even urged me to find you outstanding military officers in the military region. If you fancy anyone, you must tell me. I¡¯ll help you with it.¡±

    Division Commander Feng could not help but feel a little worried when he said thetter part of his sentence. It was a worry that came from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°You¡¯re turning 28 this year, right?¡±

    Qin Su furrowed her brows when he brought this up. However, she could still maintain her usual tense and serious expression. ¡°I¡¯ll be 28 next month,¡± her hoarse voice replied very calmly.

    ¡°See, so many years have passed in an instant. You¡¯ve grown so much and you are already a youngdy, you should take this matter to heart. How about this? After this matter is over, I will grant you a month¡¯s leave. You should take this opportunity to quickly resolve your personal problems.¡±

    ¡°Is that an order?¡± Qin Su frowned and asked.

    ¡°An order?¡±

    Division Commander Feng looked up doubtfully. Seeing Qin Su¡¯s tensed expression, he could not help butugh, ¡°If you think so, then so be it! I order you to quickly solve your personal problems. After all, you¡¯re already so old. You can¡¯t dy your personal life because of work. Otherwise, I could help you find a few?¡±

    ¡°No need. Thank you, Division Commander. I¡¯llplete the mission.¡±

    Qin Su took a deep breath before standing up. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back and pack my things first.¡±

    ¡°Go on!¡±

    Qin Su also saluted before turning around and leaving the office.

 Chapter 1652 - Qin Su (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1652: Qin Su (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she came out of the office building, the sky had already fallen silent.

    Qin Su walked down the stairs and raised her head to look at the somewhat silent sky. She took a deep breath and felt a cool breeze enter her throat. She could not help but cough twice. After a while, she finally felt a little better.

    A momentter, she also walked straight to her car. She got into the car calmly and drove away on her own.

    The car shuttled through the vast night. The car sped along, and the road was very quiet. It was so quiet that only the sound of the wind rustling could be heard as the car drove past. The car window was also opened, and the night breeze continued to pour in, there was a hint of refreshing feeling that was not felt in the day.

    asionally, there would be the shadow of one or two speeding cars shing by, and the entire wide road was very quiet.

    Qin Su drove at a very high speed. The breeze that blew in became even stronger and faster, causing her bangs to be very messy.

    Personal problems?

    Personal problems again!

    She could not help but feel a headacheing on. Why did she have to solve her personal problems?

    In their line of work, it was really not easy to find a solid partner to marry. How many people could tolerate their partner staying in the military for most of their lives? Especially Qin Su, who had originally nned to stay in the military her whole life.

    She admitted that she did not have the mood to care about family matters. Last month, Commander Li and Instructor Fang both divorced at the same time. Commander Gao¡¯s wife simply cheated on him, and they had gone to court, she really did not have the confidence to manage such a marriage herself.

    Moreover, was it not the same situation at home?

    Thinking of this, Qin Su suddenly felt a little tired and helpless.

    Twenty-eight!

    Yes, in such an awkward age, she had nothing.

    She was even a little afraid to go home and face her resolute and inflexible father. As for her mother...

    She did not even know why they got married in the first ce. They quarreled and ridiculed each other. After quarreling for most of their lives, she had never seen them loving each other. Therefore, she could only flee far away, far away from the battlefield that was filled with smoke and gunpowder.

    Sometimes, Qin Su thought, since the two of them were torturing each other, why did they not mention splitting up?

    Could it be because of her, their daughter?

    What a joke!

    They were both selfish people. They would never consider her in their decisions.

    After being transferred back from the Northwest Military Region for so long, she had actually not gone home. She had always stayed in the military region, though she might have to go back today...

    She was not a fool. It was obvious that her being transferred back from the Northwest Military Region was her father¡¯s idea. He had always been like this, and he was used to using his own tough methods to do things, perhaps it was because people who were used to giving orders were all like this.

    When the car drove into the military region¡¯s courtyard, it was already past eight o¡¯clock at night. The sky waspletely dark. Every household in the courtyard had turned on their lights. When the car drove past the clean cement path, one could still hear theughtering from the houses.

    However, suchughter only belonged to others, and Qin Su had never experienced it before.

    Very soon, the car stopped in front of a bungalow.

    The bungalow was quite new. Although it was not very big, it looked very clean and warm. The outer courtyard was quite big, and it was surrounded by metal fences. The front courtyard was filled with green grass and flowers.

    There was a parking space outside the courtyard. Qin Su parked the car in the parking space. There was a military jeep next to it. It was her father¡¯s car, and the other car was her mother¡¯s.

    Standing outside the door from afar, she could already see the lights in the house, but it looked a little lonely.

    Qin Su got out of the car, locked it, then strode home with her luggage bag.

    Just as she pushed the door open, a tensed and familiar smell of gunpowder filled the air¡ª

    The house was eerily silent.

    She stood at the door and scanned the empty living room. Soon, she saw her father, Qin Yi, on the sofa in the living room, eating with arge bowl in his hand!

    ¡°Let me tell you, Mei Xiaoyue, I will never starve to death if you don¡¯t cook! At worst, I will go to the canteen in the military district tomorrow to settle it. You still have reason with you. It¡¯s because of your bad temper that your daughter won¡¯te home! How old are you? Every time you quarrel, you don¡¯t cook. Don¡¯t you see that I don¡¯t know how to cook? Do you really think that I like your cooking? Childish!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m childish? Why don¡¯t you say that you¡¯re childish? If you¡¯re so great then don¡¯t expect me to cook for you in the future. Every time, it¡¯s like feeding a rice bucket! I¡¯m so angry. How could I marry a sloppy and hateful person like you! I just wanted to change the chandelier in the house. How is it bothering you? How is it bothering you?!¡±

    As soon as Qin Yi¡¯s voice fell, her mother Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s voice came from upstairs.

    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with your aesthetic sense. The original warm white light was so good, but you insisted on changing it to this damn blue light. Even if you don¡¯t find it creepy, I find it creepy. It annoys me!¡±

    ¡°Qin Yi! You old bastard. You¡¯re so selfish. Do you have to be satisfied with all the furnishings in the house? Are you the only one living here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m selfish? You¡¯re the selfish one! You lost your temper and didn¡¯t even cook, and you have the nerve to say that! Just now when Old Zhang came over, you really made me lose face! Now he knows that we have such a fierce woman in the house!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the tigress? If you¡¯re so great then go find a gentle little girl! Go ahead! Aiyo, I can¡¯t live like this anymore...¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t then don¡¯t!¡±

    ...

    It was a very familiar scene, a constant argument. If one would notpromise, the other would not back down.

    Qin Su was too familiar with this scene.

    She took a deep breath, walked in, and turned around to close the door.

    ;Bang!¡¯

    Hearing the sound of the door closing, Qin Yi, who was eating dinner on the sofa, immediately turned his head. His sharp eyes swept across the room. When he saw Qin Su¡¯s figure, his tense and serious face rxed¡ª

    ¡°Xiao Su is back!¡±

    Qin Su threw her backpack onto the sofa and sat down tiredly. She nced at the big bowl in her father¡¯s hand¡ª

    It seemed to be filled with leftovers. From the looks of it, it should have been left over from the afternoon.

    ¡°Mother isn¡¯t cooking again?¡±

    Her hoarse voice sounded very calm. ¡°Every time Ie back, I see you guys arguing. Don¡¯t you guys get tired?¡±

    ¡°That was her doing. She insisted on making things difficult for me. She knows that I don¡¯t like those damn things, I felt chills all over my body just by looking at it. She insisted on making the house such a mess. Let me tell you, your mother is too scheming. She clearly wants to drive me away and ditch me. Do you think I don¡¯t understand her childish thoughts? Hmph!¡±

    As Qin Yi spoke, he could not help but gnash his teeth. ¡°Your mother is definitely going through menopause. Her temper is simply out of control recently. Just now when your Uncle Zhang came over, she was being defiant and didn¡¯t consider my feelings at all!¡±

 Chapter 1653 - Qin Su (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1653: Qin Su (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qin Su just sat there, quietly looking at her father who could not hide his anger.

    ¡°Your daughter is back, if you still don¡¯te down to cook, are you expecting us father and daughter to eat out in the middle of the night!¡±

    Seeing that there was no movement upstairs, Qin Yi stopped what he was doing and shouted upstairs again.

    As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps came from upstairs. He looked up and saw that it was Mei Xiaoyue, who was also angry.

    Mei Xiaoyue was also an officer in the military region. She met Qin Yi in a social gathering. Later on, they got married and had Qin Su.

    ¡°You¡¯re back! What do you want to eat?¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s eyes fell on Qin Su, which eased up a little.

    ¡°Just anything would do,¡± replied Qin Su.

    ¡°Stir-fry the beef in the fridge and make some side dishes to go with the wine. Also, stir-fry some peanuts!¡±

    Qin Yi¡¯s voice rang out as well. Mei Xiaoyue immediately shot him a cold re as she poured her daughter a ss of water. ¡°Sit down first. Why didn¡¯t youe home when you¡¯ve been back for so long?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m busy with something in the military region,¡± Qin Su replied as she reached out to take the water. ¡°Thank you, mother.¡±

    ¡°Alright, sit down for a while. Sleep with me in my room tonight, I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    As Mei Xiaoyue spoke, she nced at Qin Yi from the corner of her eye¡ª

    This was amon urrence. Every time they quarreled, Qin Yi would never get into her bed. That was it.

    Qin Su turned to look at Qin Yi. Sure enough, his old face was gloomy. He put down the big bowl in his hand, took the phone and car keys from the side with one hand, and got up to walk outside.

    ¡°Father, what are you going to do?¡±

    Qin Su also stood up and frowned as she watched Qin Yi walk past her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out to get some fresh air. I¡¯ll stay in the dorm tonight!¡±

    After saying that, Qin Yi had already walked to the door. Not long after, she heard the sound of a car starting.

    ...

    Qin Su sat back in a daze. She could not help but feel that it was a little ridiculous, but more so, she felt helpless.

    By the time Mei Xiaoyue came out of the kitchen with the dishes, it was already past nine o¡¯clock. She was still a little surprised when she did not see Qin Yi¡ª

    ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡±

    ¡°He went out to get some fresh air. He¡¯s staying in the dormitory tonight,¡± Qin Su replied, washed her hands, and sat down. She silently picked up her chopsticks.

    Mei Xiaoyue paused for a moment. She did not say anything else and sat down as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long, yet you and father only get more fired up every time. Sometimes, I really don¡¯t understand why you got married in the first ce. Is there love between you two, mother?¡±

    Qin Su frowned as she looked at Mei Xiaoyue. There was some doubt on her tensed and beautiful face, ¡°You guys are quarreling every other day. I really don¡¯t get the point of you guys living like this. If you can¡¯t stand each other, I¡¯d rather you guys get a divorce and live your own lives. I haven¡¯t stopped you guys from doing that anyway.¡±

    ¡°Divorce? Do you really think that divorce can be brought up so easily? Your father is too selfish. He doesn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s feelings at all. He¡¯s autocratic and narrow-minded! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he¡¯s still honest and dutiful, I really wouldn¡¯t be able to keep this up anymore! He only cares that he¡¯sfortable, and not whether others arefortable or not. Why do I have to put up with him like this? It¡¯s been so many years, but his temper hasn¡¯t changed at all! How can there be anyone so selfish?¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue found it hard to hold back her anger at the mention of Qin Yi.

    ¡°You¡¯ve always known how his temper is like! He¡¯s just like a child. You said it yourself, if you can tolerate it, then continue to keep at it, andin less. If you can¡¯t tolerate it, then get a divorce. Isn¡¯t that normal?¡± Qin Su rubbed the space between her eyebrows with a headache.

    Mei Xiaoyue took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in her heart. In the end, she did not say much.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring up divorce so easily. Xiao Su, you¡¯re not young anymore. You should also consider your personal matters. Although your father and I bicker a lot, we¡¯re still married and it can be considered aplete life. In life, there will always be things to worry about. Even though your father is not all that great, it¡¯s been decades.¡±

    After a long while, Mei Xiaoyue finally said this.

    Qin Su did not say anything. She just lowered her head indifferently and continued eating her food.

    ..

    Grand Lake Vi Complex.

    When Qi Lei¡¯s call came back, Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in front of the study desk, thinking about the August event.

    Her phone was on loudspeaker, and her hands did not stop moving.

    ¡°Did you just get there?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was the first to speak.

    ¡°No, I went to the film and television base after I got off the ne. Mu Yuchen is there too. The situation is a little serious, but he handled it in time. There¡¯s not much of a problem. It¡¯s just the workter on that I need to work on.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s slightly tired voice was heard.

    ¡°Rest up. Go back to the hotel and rest well.¡±

    ¡°I just came back from Mu Yuchen¡¯s ce. I¡¯m at the hotel. What about you? Are you still in the study room at this hour?¡±

    Even when Qi Lei was thousands of miles away,, it was as if he could see her from there and he guessed it right away.

    ¡°Mmm, there¡¯s some data that needs to be processed. My analysis of the data is a little inurate.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand to support her head as she said.

    ¡°Send it over. I¡¯ll show it to you. Is it the document you showed me earlier?¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°It¡¯s more or less. It¡¯s the information Ah Ling collected and preparedter. Alright, it¡¯ll let you work harder then, help me take a look. I¡¯ve been looking at the data these past two days. My eyes are blurry. Turn on theputer and I¡¯ll send it to you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    As the couple spoke, Dongfang Liuyun quickly found an ount and logged in. Soon, she sent the data over¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m not very sensitive to numbers, especially the analysis of the results of these linear distributions. Since yourpany has already made a decision, you can just put on an act with the data,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said to the phone.

    Hearing that, Qi lei chuckled. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always been clear about your work and personal life? It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re going easy on me. I thought you wouldn¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who went easy on me first. If I don¡¯t ept it, it would be pretentious. Anyway, I can¡¯t wait for you to go easy on me. Of course, I won¡¯t let you suffer a loss.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun answered matter-of-factly. ¡°I believe in our Dongfang Group¡¯s strength.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t suffer a loss? If I do suffer a loss, you can use other methods to repay it. For example...¡±

    He did not continue speaking. However, his mocking tone had already caused Miss Dongfang to sniff an abnormality. Her starry eyes flickered for a moment before she spoke with an implicit tone, ¡°Have I ever told you that you exude a wretched aura from the inside out?¡±

 Chapter 1654 - For You I Let Myself Go

    <h4>Chapter 1654: For You I Let Myself Go</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night breeze whizzed past in a rush. The faint crescent moon hung over the vast sky, and the night was as cool as water.

    The sounds of small animals could be heard. It was exceptionally quiet this night.

    Lan Xiu, who was sitting in the rattan chair outside the corridor, finally closed the book in his hand. Seeing this, Ah Li, who was beside him, quickly went forward and poured him a ss of water¡ª

    ¡°President Lan, I¡¯ve checked. Qi Lei left City Z and seems to be going to City B to settle some matters. His return journey hasn¡¯t been decided yet, so I¡¯ve waited for some time before asking him out. Miss Dongfang is still busy every day. She should be busy with the new productunch event in August. Lin Yuanyuan and the others really won¡¯t let go of the opportunity to make things difficult for Miss Dongfang.¡±

    Ah Li gave a simple exnation.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu frowned. ¡°It¡¯s within my expectations. She¡¯s not someone who would ask for favors easily. Let¡¯s go over in two days and take a look.¡±

    Thinking about it, she might not be willing to see him. Otherwise, there would have been more phone calls these past few days. They seemed to have fallen silent and did not interact with each other anymore?

    ¡°There¡¯s no news from Japan?¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and blinked. Looking at the silent night sky outside, he asked this in a low voice.

    ¡°The Fujiwara family is worried about Master Fujiwara being injured of course. Moreover, they have been wanting to get Master Fujiwara a fianc¨¦e, it¡¯s just that Master Fujiwara can¡¯t let go of Miss Dongfang. His rtionship with his family is quite strained now. If this continues, I¡¯m really worried that the Fujiwara family will want to put Master Fujiwara under house arrest.¡±

    Ah Li felt helpless when he said this.

    ¡°Fujiwara-san is an unruly person. It Won¡¯t be easy to put him under house arrest. I¡¯m a little worried that if he finds out about Liuyun and Qi Lei, will he...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Fujiwara-san will break down. Won¡¯t he go crazy and kill Qi Lei?¡±

    Ah Li knew a little about Fujiwara-san, especially his feelings for Dongfang Liuyun. Even President Lan...

    ¡°We won¡¯t get involved in this matter. Let¡¯s see how Liuyun ns to handle it.¡±

    ¡°But, President Lan, if...¡±

    ¡°If Qi Lei can¡¯t even take down Fujiwara, what right does he have to have Liuyun? Does he really think that it¡¯s so simple, that he could have her once he¡¯s married her? We only need to care about Liuyun. As for the other two, whether they live or die depends on them. I know Liuyun, if the situation is serious, she won¡¯t be willing to implicate the innocent. I don¡¯t think highly of their marriage.¡± Lan Xiu lowered his head and drank a mouthful of water as he said indifferently.

    Hearing this, Ah Li also took a breath. After some thought, he nodded solemnly, ¡°But, President Lan, shouldn¡¯t you do something? If you just stand by and protect her, Miss Dongfang won¡¯t be able to see that. In my opinion, you and Miss Dongfang are the mostpatible couple in this world.¡±

    ¡°Beingpatible is only the opinion of others. Only we¡¯d know best in our hearts whether we are trulypatible or not,¡± Lan Xiu replied and slowly leaned back. ¡°Even if I wanted to fight for some things, I might not have a chance to. Perhaps, these things are fated. I remember that Liuyun once used a sentence from Mr. Yu to tell me about what truly belongs to us¡ª¡±

    When Lan Xiu said this, he paused for a moment. Ah Li also looked over, waiting for his next words.

    ¡°If you want something, let it go. If ites back to you, it will be yours forever. If it doesn¡¯te back, then it was never yours...¡±

    He had protected her for so many years, but she had never turned back to look at him. If that was the case, how could she truly belong to him?

    Could he force himself to ask for more?

    He, Lan Xiu, did not want to be lowly in love. Even if Dongfang Liuyun was not the kind of person who would hurt him just because he liked her, he loved her. This reason would make him feel lowly in his heart.

    And, it just so happened that Dongfang Liuyun hated these things the most.

    As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Li also ruminated over these words. After that, he seemed to have understood something and could not help but nod his head, ¡°President Lan, I understand... However, I feel that if you want something, you should strive for it. Quietly waiting for fate is not a wise method. In the past, my mentor who trained me always told us not to wait, to be quick and urate, because as long as you are half a beat slow, the person who loses might be you.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu also silently smiled. ¡°I know. Thank you, Ah Li! What you said makes sense. Let¡¯s take it one step at a time. I don¡¯t want to lose more things because of mishandling anything.¡±

    ¡°President Lan!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anymore. I know what you want to say. Liuyun also said the same thing about me before. I have strategy and am a cautious person, but I don¡¯t have enough courage, especially when ites to rtionships. I hesitate and am overcautious.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Xiu did not care at all and spoke out his shorings.

    ¡°President Lan, that¡¯s not entirely true. You¡¯re also a strongpetitor in the business world. You¡¯re only like this when ites to Miss Dongfang.¡±

    <i>The more you love someone, the more you overthink. You care too much about Miss Dongfang. Otherwise, with your position and status, you could have any woman you want.</i>

    Of course, Ah Li did not dare to say the rest to Lan Xiu.

    In these past few years, Lan Xiu was not considered very...

    He did not necessarily want to marry Miss Dongfang. He probably just wanted to keep her by his side, hoping that one day, Miss Dongfang would fall in love with him, and then...

    However, reality proved that there was no point in keeping her by his side. He could only watch her walk to another man¡¯s side.

    How could one not be heartbroken by such an oue?

    In the past, he always felt that his circle was too messy and might not be suitable for her. Previously, he also thought that she wanted to escape from the Dongfang Group. He did not expect her to return without hesitation and marry Qi Lei with no second thoughts.

    As such...

    ¡°Yes, only she can do that. Forget it.¡±

    Lan Xiu was silent for a long time before he said this indifferently.

    ¡°Continue to stay updated on their news. If anything, report to me immediately. Also, prepare some gifts for me, I want to visit Uncle Gan.¡±

    After Lan Xiu left these words, he stood up and walked back into the house.

    Ah Li was in a daze for a moment before he followed behind¡ª

    ¡°Alright, President Lan, I¡¯ll get them to prepare immediately.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, if there¡¯s nothing else, you can go back first. No need to rush over in the next two days of rest. I¡¯ll call you if anything.¡±

 Chapter 1655 - Unexpected Guest (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1655: Unexpected Guest (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, Qin Su got up very early. After a simple breakfast, she also went out.

    As expected, Qin Yi did note back. He probably really did stay in the Military Districtst night. Every time they quarreled, it was the same way. Qin Su was used to it.

    She looked through all the information in her office and roughly understood the whole situation of the ident. However, by the time she finished organizing it, it was already noon. After having lunch in the Military District, she immediately set off for the city.

    Qin Su¡¯s trooppany base was quite far from the city. Even if she did not get stuck in a traffic jam, it would still take her nearly two hours to drive there.

    Qin Su was not too familiar with City Z. She grew up in the militarypound and went to a Military Management School. Later on, she was admitted to the Commanding Officer School ording to her wishes, after graduating, she was assigned to the army. Over the years, she had been transferred to several ces.

    Therefore, Qin Su was not very familiar with City Z. She only roughly know a few important ces, mainly where the government offices were at.

    When the car entered the city, it was already past two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. The sun in the sky was scorching, and the streets on both sides were full of people holding umbres as they walked. The air was very hot, and there was no wind at all.

    Qin Su followed the navigation on her phone as she drove ahead. After crossing a few broad streets and roads, they finally entered the city¡¯s northern district.

    ¡°Staff Officer Qin, the city¡¯s Northern Traffic Control Bureau seems to be just a turn ahead!¡±

    When they turned into a traffic port, the Deputy Officer, Xiao Xu, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, finally spoke.

    Qin Su nodded, ¡°City Z has changed a lot. When I came here a few years ago, there weren¡¯t any flowers on either side. Also, it seems that these two buildings haven¡¯t beenpleted yet.¡±

    ¡°Of course, especially the south side of the city, which is under development. If you go there, you won¡¯t believe that it was the wild south side of the city before. Now, City Z has put out an advertisement saying that they want to build another bustling city south like the north side of the city. The government has also invested a lot in it. It¡¯s much livelier there now than before.¡±

    Xiao Xu was from another province and was assigned here after graduation. He was very familiar with City Z.

    ¡°Staff Officer Qin is from this city, right?¡± Xiao Xu asked.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from this city, but I¡¯m very unfamiliar with it,¡± Qin Su replied in a serious manner. There was no change on her beautiful and serious face, even though she had returned to the city that she had not seen for many years.

    As he listened, Xiao Xu turned around and nced at her. Seeing that she was not smiling, he stopped talking. At this time, the car slowly drove into the gate of the city¡¯s Northern Traffic Control Bureau.

    She showed the security guard her identification card. Soon, the car drove in as well.

    ...

    At this moment, in the office of the Deputy Director of the Northern City Traffic Control Bureau, Su Chen.

    Su Chen had just returned from the eastern side of the city. He had lunch with a few colleagues over there. After lunch, he rushed back to work and had reached on the dot.

    ¡°Chief Su, the people from the Military Region just called. Their people have already rushed over. It should be about time.¡±

    Secretary He made a cup of tea and reminded Su Chen.

    Su Chen nodded. He stood up and went to the shelf behind him to take out a document. He looked at it briefly before putting it back. ¡°How many people will there be?¡±

    ¡°I think there are two. They are mainly here to help investigate the real cause of the car ident. I think the Military Region must have some considerations.¡±

    Secretary He was experienced too. The fact that the Military Region took it so seriously meant that this car ident was not simple. Perhaps it really was not an ident, but a deliberate murder?

    However, with the involvement of Master Li, the case had be a littleplicated.

    Su Chen took the tea and took a sip. ¡°We¡¯ll leave their matters to them, we¡¯ll just cooperate as best as we can. Recently, idents have been happening quite frequently, so we have to be more careful. We have to strengthen the investigation and publicity work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief Su! I understand!¡±

    ¡®Knock, knock¡ª¡¯

    As soon as Secretary He finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Su Chen¡¯s deep voice was heard very quickly.

    The door opened very quickly, and a sh of military-green came into view. Su Chen and Secretary He subconsciously looked towards the door.

    He thought that the woman standing in front of the door looked somewhat familiar, as if they have met before.

    ¡°Should be from the Military District!¡±

    Secretary He quickly reacted and moved to Su Chen¡¯s side. He lowered his voice and reminded him.

    Su Chen¡¯s handsome eyebrows also slightly raised as he silently looked at the woman in front of him. Behind her was a man who was also wearing a summer uniform.

    The woman took a step forward and very naturally saluted. Her hoarse voice was also heard¡ª

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Qin Su from Division A, Division Commander Feng sent me to assist in the 81X car ident. This is my colleague, Xiao Xu. These are our documents.¡±

    As Qin Su said this, she quickly reached out to Xiao Xu behind her, and Xiao Xu tacitly handed over the documents.

    Qin Su!

    When Su Chen heard this name, he immediately shuddered!

    Qin Su, Qin Su!

    Was she not the woman that Mu Yuchen had mentioned earlier?

    No wonder he thought this woman looked familiar. It was actually Qin Su.

    After not seeing her for a few years, she had not changed much from before. She was still as beautiful and cold as ice, but her voice seemed to have changed. It was a little hoarse. It seemed like...

    After calming down, Su Chen came back to his senses. He quickly stood up and walked over¡ª

    ¡°Hello, Staff Officer Qin, Comrade Xu. Wee. Please take a seat!¡±

    The two of them listened and nodded. They followed him and sat down.

    Secretary He quickly poured tea for the two of them.

    ¡°Staff Officer Qin looks very familiar. I think we¡¯ve met before. I wonder if Staff Officer Qin feels the same way about me?¡±

    Su Chen looked at Qin Su who leisurely leaned back on the sofa. He held his tea and took a casual sip.

    Hearing this, Qin Su also frowned. She stared at Su Chen for a long time. Her eyes were sharp and immediately thought that he looked familiar. Hence, she quickly racked her brains. After a while, he seemed to have found the answer¡ª

    ¡°You are... you are... Su Chen?¡±

    Su Chen smiled when he heard this. He smiled happily and said, ¡°It¡¯s my honor. It seems that Staff Officer Qin can still remember my name. We haven¡¯t seen each other for many years!¡±

 Chapter 1656 - Unexpected Guest (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1656: Unexpected Guest (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qin Su was stunned when she heard Su Chen. She thought about it for a moment before nodding¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite a few years. I didn¡¯t expect to see you again.¡±

    Qin Su was naturally a little surprised as well. It must have been a long time ago. Back then, she had just graduated from the Military Academy and epted an undercover job. Then, she had a working rtionship with them.

    Not long ago, she seemed to have met another partner in the military headquarters, Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the person sent by the Military Region would be you.¡±

    Su Chen smiled and straightened his back slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it before. Not long after the mission waspleted, you were transferred to the Northwest Military Region. How have you been all these years?¡±

    He remembered that before, Zhou Zimo wanted to thank her properly, but when they went to look for her, she had already left. Zhou Zimo was disappointed for quite a while too.

    Now, after going around in circles, it seemed like everyone was gathered together once again.

    No wonder Mu Yuchen had thought of such a method before. However, if it really worked, Zhou Zimo might be able to...

    When he thought of this, Su Chen¡¯s eyes could not help but sh with a meaningful look. That gaze was quite meaningful, causing Qin su to frown slightly as she looked at Su Chen warily.

    Only at this moment did Su Chen withdraw the smile on his face. His expression quickly returned to normal. He lowered his head and sipped his tea before speaking in a serious manner, ¡°The detailed information has almost been submitted. I also asked them to gather the surveince routes in the vicinity. The special task force has already taken it back for analysis. This is the new data that they havepiled, we¡¯ve sent it over to the special task force. Take a look at this.¡±

    As Su Chen spoke, he took the document that Secretary He handed over. He casually flipped through it a few times before passing it to Qin Su.

    Qin Su¡¯s tightly furrowed brows finally rxed a little. She took it and flipped open the document as well, looking through it carefully.

    Her sharp eyes stared at the document for a while, but her expression became somewhat solemn. After a long while, she slowly closed the document and raised her eyes. ¡°This information is very important. I will consider it. Thank you, Chief Su.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. The impact of this car ident is very great, the higher-ups also take it very seriously. We have done a detailed investigation on the driver of the ident as well. I will send you more detailed information as soon as possible.¡±

    Su Chen sipped his tea, and a smile hung on his handsome face.

    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. I will contact the special task forceter and look for you to understand the situation. This matter is moreplicated, so...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. our Traffic Control Bureau will do our best. If you need anything, just let us know.¡±

    Before she finished speaking, Su Chen had already spoken up.

    At this moment, Qin Su¡¯s face softened. She handed the document in her hand to Xiao Xu beside her then stood up, ¡°Okay, thank you, Chief Su. I still have to go to the special task force to see what news there is. After we familiarize ourselves with the case, we may have to briefly gather our opinions, so....¡±

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be at the bureau for the time being, feel free to get in touch.¡±

    Su Chen also stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Secretary He, send Staff Officer Qin off on my behalf.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Chief Su.¡±

    Secretary He quickly responded and walked towards Qin Su¡ª

    ¡°Staff Officer Qin, please, Officer Xu, this way!¡±

    Qin Su thanked him once again before leaving the office.

    Su Chen watched Qin Su¡¯s figure disappear outside the door. There was a hint of meaning in his dark eyes, and a rare smile shed across his handsome face.

    This Qin Su seemed to be the same as before. There did not seem to be much change in her appearance, but she seemed to be more feminine than before. Just like before, she was as cold as ice!

    Perhaps this was Qin Su.

    She was strict and serious.

    Su Chen was looking forward to it now. If she really got together with Zhou Zimo, with Zhou Zimo¡¯s personality, would Qin Su be able to ept him so easily?

    There was nothing more to be said, the only thing waiting for Zhou Zimo was change, right?

    When he thought of this, the smile on Su Chen¡¯s face became even wider. It was as if he was already very certain that Zhou Zimo and Qin Su could be a thing.

    Zhou Zimo was not someone that ordinary people could control. Liang Jing and the others were also quite worried about this.

    This time, perhaps Qin Su would seed?

    As he thought about it, Su Chen¡¯s expectations surged again. He thought about it and could not hold back anymore, so he called Mu Yuchen who was far away in City B¡ª

    Meanwhile, on the other end of City B, when the phone rang, Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei were discussing the project on the rooftop of the hotel. They had just finished discussing it.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Xiaye? Why haven¡¯t I seen her these past few days?¡± Qi Lei slowly closed the document in his hand as he asked.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and sipped his tea. ¡°The children are having fun over at Lingshi¡¯s ce, it¡¯s good for her to rest for a few days. She¡¯s probably gone to the beach with Lingshi in the past two days.¡±

    As he said this, he took out his phone that was vibrating non-stop¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering how much longer it¡¯d take for you to answer my call. Are you still busy? It¡¯s time to get off work.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s smiling tone reached him. Mu Yuchen could hear it from his sharp ears. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy. From your tone, you seem to be in a pretty good mood. Did something good happen? Or are you waiting for me to treat you when I get back?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was tinged with interest.

    ¡°Damn it! Forget about the meal, there¡¯s news that¡¯s even more exciting than the meal.¡±

    As Su Chen said this, he could not hide the smile on his face.

    ¡°Mmm? More exciting than the meal? Ji Zitong has got good news?¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment. He could roughly guess the answer.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not me. It¡¯s Zimo! Guess who I bumped into just now?¡±

    The smile on Su Chen¡¯s face grew wider.

    ¡°Mmm?¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally could not be bothered to guess, so he asked curiously, ¡°Tell me.¡±

    Su Chen cleared his throat, ¡°It¡¯s Qin Su. I bumped into Qin Su. In a car ident that I¡¯m handling, a person from their Military Region died. She came over to understand the situation. I really didn¡¯t expect her to be back. In fact, she seems to be much prettier than before, but she¡¯s also...¡±

    ¡°Mmm. She¡¯s been back for quite some time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was a little surprised, but he was not too startled.

    ¡°What do you n to do about what you told me before? Is she really still single? When do you n to go and talk to her? Or should I tell Zimo that she¡¯s back now? I feel like if he finds out, he¡¯ll definitely go look for her right away, he¡¯s never been...¡±

    ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t ruin things. Wait for me to get back.¡±

    Before Su Chen could finish, Mu Yuchen had already interrupted him.

 Chapter 1657 - How Despicable! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1657: How Despicable! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Su Chen raised his brows with interest

    ¡°What? Do you n to make a move yourself and look for this Qin Su or Zimo to hint them?¡±

    Su Chen was a little puzzled by Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction. It seemed like he already had a n.

    ¡°Curiosity can kill a cat. Just do what you have to do. Zimo¡¯s mood hasn¡¯t been very stable recently, so you do what you have to do. If you have time, go out with him and get him to rx. I even got a call from himining about you while I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°This guy is just making a fuss about nothing. Alright, since you know the situation, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I don¡¯t care anymore, let me know if anything. When are you getting back?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take a while. Things here aren¡¯t very optimistic. Otherwise, Qi Lei wouldn¡¯t have been called over.¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not help but rub his forehead as he spoke. Qi Lei had already flipped open the documents in his hands and continued to look down, browsing through them. His long eyshes fluttered as he was very focused.

    ¡°I won¡¯t get involved in your business matters, you can do as you see fit. If there¡¯s anything you need, just let me know. I¡¯ll treat you guys to a meal when I¡¯m back since it seems like you¡¯ve been thinking about this meal for quite a while now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember.¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled and then hung up.

    ¡°Su Chen called?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen hung up, Qi Lei asked nonchntly, his gaze did not leave the document in front of him. He did not even look up.

    Mu Yuchen sipped his tea leisurely

    ¡°Mmm, Zimo¡¯s been quite worried recently.¡±

    ¡°Zimo?¡±

    When Qi Lei heard this, he looked up at him suspiciously. He thought about it and seemed to have caught the answer. ¡°Are you thinking about how to find him a partner?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him, ¡°What else? Before this, he thought that you were in the same situation as him. Until now, the two of them still don¡¯t know about your marriage, but now, he really is the only one left. We¡¯re buddies, no matter it was, all these years, no one has left anyone behind. Even in this matter, we should put some thought into it.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows raised as a smile shed across his lips. He reached out to take a cigarette packet from the side and took one out himself. He lit it leisurely and blew out a mouthful of smoke before passing the cigarette packet to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen took it and also took a cigarette to light it up.

    ¡°It¡¯s you guys that make me understand what sincere brotherhood looks like. Sometimes, I really envy you guys. No matter what happens, you stick to your beliefs.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he puffed on his cigarette leisurely and flicked the ash between his fingers.

    ¡°I admire you too. If I were in your position back then, I might not be as persistent as you. Compared to the consideration of gains and losses, I admit that I¡¯m not as open-minded as you. At least, I¡¯ve been disappointed by my own efforts before.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not try to hide it at all.

    Qi Lei paused for a moment when he heard that. He pondered it with some thought before turning to look at him, ¡°Actually with Lingtian... everyone has a scale in their hearts, it depends on how you use it to measure things. It¡¯s the same for brothers and friends. He very much cared about you as his older brother. As long as you know that, that¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t actually hate Qi Feng that much, right? Even if he was the mastermind that caused you to lose your mother.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, he suddenly asked him the same question.

    Qi Lei was stunned. He took two puffs of smoke in a row, and the smoke that filled the air was quickly blown away by the night breeze¡ª

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t hate him, but these feelings suddenly began to dissipate the moment he fall.¡±

    Qi lei sighed, ¡°You might not be able to me Lingtian. I¡¯m the same with Qi Feng. From the day we became sensible, we had an unbreakable connection. This is fate.¡±

    ¡°Compared to you, I¡¯m a little luckier.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m lucky or not anymore. We can¡¯t be handing our fate to the heavens, we need to fight for many things ourselves.¡± Qi Lei flicked the cigarette ash between his fingers and replied.

    ¡°To have such a realization, you¡¯ve really impressed me. Are you looking forward to your life in the future? It seems like you and Ms. Dongfang are getting along quite well. At least, looking at you now, you seem to be leading a happy life.¡±

    Qi Lei did not answer. Instead, he smiled.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you and Xi Xiaye the same? I also seek a peaceful life.¡±

    ¡°However, the Dongfang Group won¡¯t let you live a peaceful life. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s status isn¡¯t ordinary to begin with, even I would consider before getting myself associated with such trouble.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment before saying this.

    Qi Lei nced at him disapprovingly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you marry Xi Xiaye back then without second thoughts? That depends on who it is too, since I was able to make up my mind to marry her back then, I won¡¯t think too much about it. Do you think there¡¯s anything I can¡¯t afford to lose right now?¡±

    When he said this, Qi Li coughed lightly and frowned. He put out the cigarette between his fingers¡ª

    ¡°I want to bet on her. I bet that she¡¯ll fall in love with me and stay by my side forever.¡±

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen could see that Qi Lei¡¯s silent ck eyes were shining faintly, and his tone was filled with determination.

    After some thought, Mu Yuchen asked, ¡°Do you like her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. At least, I admit that when I¡¯m with her, I feel an unprecedented sense of security. This sense of security makes me feel very calm. It makes me feel like I¡¯m not alone. It¡¯s very strange. I don¡¯t know why I have such confidence in her. She¡¯s stronger than me, but she¡¯s actually very fragile too, only that she never lets anyone know.¡±

    Qi Lei said this very calmly. He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ve said before that she¡¯s the first woman who made me think about getting married. Of course, she¡¯ll be thest. I actually don¡¯t have much hope in life. If she¡¯s willing, I¡¯m willing to give her anything.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that you were such a romantic.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him and chuckled, but he knew this feeling very well¡ª

    Was he not the same with Xi Xiaye?

    ¡°Romantic is too serious of a word. I¡¯m just doing my duty as a husband. No matter who I¡¯ve wronged, I can¡¯t wrong my own woman. This is something I¡¯ve made up my mind about ever since the day I became sensible.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and suddenly understood. Actually, Qi Qiming and Wang Qin¡¯s incident had a huge impact on Qi Lei, and he was a little d that they had a positive influence and not...

 Chapter 1658 - How Despicable! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1658: How Despicable! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night arrived quietly, and the cool breeze blew.

    When Dongfang Liuyun drove the car into the Grand Lake Vi area, it was already eight o¡¯clock at night.

    She dragged her exhausted body out of the car and was about to walk into the house when the doorbell rang. She quickly turned around and looked at the door, only to find that there was a person standing outside the door, holding arge bouquet of flowers in his hand, he also seemed to be holding something else too.

    When she walked closer, she realized that it was Wang Chun!

    ¡°Secretary Wang?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and looked at the person in front of her with some confusion.

    ¡°Good evening, Missus! These are the flowers that Second Master got you, and here¡¯s your dinner. He said that since he is not here during this period of time, I will personally take care of your meals and everyday life. Coincidentally, I live in the neighborhood not far from here. This is the dinner that my wife cooked. Second Master had specially exined your taste to me, so...¡±

    Wang Chun smiled as he looked at Dongfang Liuyun, who had a surprised expression on her face.

    ¡°He... why would he instruct you to do these things?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked as she stretched out her hand to receive therge bouquet of champagne roses that Wang Chun handed over.

    Wang Chun smiled but did not reply. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°The food is still warm. It¡¯s all light food that warms the stomach. Missus, you should hurry up and wash your hands to eat so that you don¡¯t get hungry. From now on, I¡¯ll deliver it to you on time every night. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to eat in particr, just let us know.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble. I can make it myself....¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be in the mood to do it yourself. No need to be so polite, Missus. I¡¯m not too far away anyway. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s quite convenient.¡±

    Wang Chun was a reliable person. The reason why Qi Lei had entrusted this matter to him was because he trusted him.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. Then, she reached out to take the box of food. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re wee. It¡¯s already our fortune that you¡¯re willing to be our Missus. These are things that we should do. Second Master is actually a great person, if Missus can truly stay by his side for the rest of your life, I believe that the both of you will definitely lead a happy lif.¡±

    Wang Chun looked into Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear eyes and could not help but say.

    Dongfang Liu Yun paused for a moment before nodding. ¡°I know what I am doing. Thank you all for being so devoted to him.¡±

    ¡°We are only doing our duty. Although the Second Master¡¯s experience is very unfortunate, but...¡±

    ¡°I have heard of his matters, but I do not wish to pursue his past. It has nothing to do with me. I only care about his future.¡±

    Before Wang Chun could continue, Dongfang Liuyun cut him off.

    Wang Chun nodded. ¡°I understand, Madam.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. It¡¯s gettingte. Thank you for dinner. You can go back first. Call me if there¡¯s anything else.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Missus! Goodbye!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye!¡±

    ..

    When Qi Lei called home, Dongfang Liuyun had just washed her hands and was about to brew a pot of flower tea.

    ¡°Did Wang Chun go over?¡± Qi Lei immediately asked when he heard her answer.

    Dongfang Liuyun tilted the bouquet of champagne roses on the side and opened the box of food. When the enticing smell assaulted her nose, she said calmly, ¡°Yes, the way he looked at me was a little strange. You¡¯re going to make them think that I¡¯m a good-for-nothing who doesn¡¯t know how to cook, when actually I¡¯m an all-rounder myself.¡±

    ¡°Then let them think that. The more you know some things, the more you¡¯ll need to do them. If we have a daughter in the future, I won¡¯t let her learn how to cook.¡±

    On the other end, Qi Lei spoke with confidence.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll talk about it after you give birth to a daughter.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one giving birth?¡± Qi Lei frowned.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at the phone and turned on the loudspeaker.

    Qi Lei could feel her nce from thousands of kilometers away when he did not hear her. He thought about it and asked, ¡°Do the flowers look nice?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re a little tacky.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t women like champagne roses? Why would they be tacky?¡± Qi Lei was a little puzzled.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mu Yuchen bring you out for drinks?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer his question, but instead she asked this.

    ¡°No, someone like Mu Yuchen wouldn¡¯t dare go out to drink. Unless Xi Xiaye is with him, he definitely wouldn¡¯t dare go, he¡¯s not like me... Oh, no, I didn¡¯t mean that, Mrs. Qi. What I meant was that I¡¯ve never thought of going to that ce. I¡¯ve gotten sick of going since a few years ago, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re worried that I¡¯ll be outside...¡±

    Qi Lei was secretly d that he reacted fast. Otherwise, he would have really fallen straight into it¡ª

    This woman was very calctive when it came to worming information from conversations.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard this, a smile appeared on her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have another younger sister in the future. You have to remember what I said.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei immediately chuckled and cleared his throat, but he did not reply.

    ¡°Actually when you¡¯re tired, I don¡¯t mind if you go out and have some fun. It¡¯s fine as long as you know your limits, you¡¯re married now.¡±

    After some thought, Dongfang Liuyun said this¡ª

    What should she say?

    She and Dongfang Gan often went there, but Madam Song did not like that ce. She always felt that it was not proper. Every time, the father and daughter would go out secretly.

    ¡°When you get back, let¡¯s go together.¡±

    As she spoke, before he could react, Miss Dongfang happily made this decision.

    Such a huge reversal made Qi Lei too stunned to react. After a while, he recovered¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m not going!¡±

    ¡°Why not? Are you afraid that I¡¯ll eat you up? Last time I saw you, you were quite happy, I¡¯ll get you a pretty girl? A neer in a nurse¡¯s uniform. Oh right, the woman who passed you a towelst time, is the mole on her chest on the left or right side?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun drank a mouthful of soup and suddenly asked with some confusion.

    ¡°Which woman? I only remember that the mole on your abdomen is on the right side...¡± Qi Lei feigned seriousness and answered.

    Did she think that he would be fooled again?

    She had underestimated his IQ!

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily. ¡°Your morning glory is almost dead. You haven¡¯t watered them in a few days.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Why aren¡¯t you watering them for me? Those are all rare species!¡±

    When he said this, Qi Lei immediately frowned with heartache.

    He had forgotten to tell her about his flowers!

    ¡°Thene back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Not so soon. The film and television base has been quite busy these few days. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t want to stay here. Help me water them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine too. I want two drops of the bottle of life force from the XX dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I only have three drops in total. Why don¡¯t you just rob me?¡± Qi Lei immediately said with a pained expression when he heard that.

 Chapter 1659 - How Despicable! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1659: How Despicable! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Those few drops of life force were all snatched from the underground city of XX with his life. Because of this, he had been hunted down by various sects and factions, so he had no choice but to ditch this headache. After a few twists and turns, it finally returned to his hands in a thrilling manner. He had hidden it as if it was a priceless treasure. He had never thought that this woman would actually target his life force.

    ¡°Can¡¯t bear to part with it? I want two drops of your life force right now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun swallowed the food in her mouth and furrowed her brows.

    ¡°Nope, leave just one drop for me then. I feel like I¡¯ve reached a bottleneck recently, so I want to hustle a little.¡±

    ¡°What a waste of a heavenly treasure. Even if to break through your bottleneck, you don¡¯t have to waste such a good thing. I¡¯ll get you a Bodhi heartter. The effect will be even better.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before saying.

    ¡°You have that thing?¡±

    Qi Lei was a little surprised.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have it, but I know who does.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, the corners of her mouth curled up into an unfathomable smile.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Qi Lei muttered and then a sh of inspiration shed through his mind. He immediately understood what Dongfang Liuyun meant¡ª

    ¡°You mean to just snatch it from that person?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not too dumb. Alright, you should have food and wash up before you go sleep. I¡¯ll go online and get it for you after dinner. I¡¯m the only one who can do such a thing.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged nonchntly.

    ¡°How despicable! But that person is...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s snatching it from him. It¡¯s me who want to exchange the Bodhi Heart for the life force with you, it¡¯s a very simple exchange, what are you nervous about? You¡¯re only making the exchange with me because of your rtionship with me, can¡¯t you differentiate between priorities now?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked disapprovingly.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei coughed lightly and said in a low voice, ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I meant. No matter what, I should be the one to snatch such a thing, and not...¡±

    ¡°I have no intention of sticking up for you. I¡¯m only doing this for myself. I, Swift Snowy has always been one who holds my own. I don¡¯t like to owe others either. I can¡¯t let you suffer too much of a loss. Alright, don¡¯t overthink it. I¡¯ll get it for youter. If you¡¯re really touched, bring me two gifts when youe back. Let¡¯s be clear in advance, I won¡¯t ept things that are mediocre or not valuable.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she stuffed another mouthful of food into her mouth. Her tone was a little unclear. ¡°Did you bring that book with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to pass the time. Do you still have the Genesis section?¡±

    He was talking about the Bible that Dongfang Liuyun had given him previously, but it was only the New Testament section. There was also the Genesis section that Dongfang Liuyun had not given him.

    ¡°Not everyone is fated to read this book. At the very least, I picked it up and put it down several times before I was able to really read itter on. If you can understand it, it means that you are fated to read it. You don¡¯t have to have a deep understanding of it. Just treat it as a pastime.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty good.¡±

    ¡°As you wish. The Old Testament is ced on the second shelf in the study. It¡¯s on the left side of the third floor. You can look for it yourself when you get back.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s gettingte. Rest early. I¡¯ll try to go home sooner. You¡¯re not allowed to reject what I had asked Wang Chun to do for you, that¡¯s that.¡±

    His tone was filled with an irresistible determination. It made Dongfang Liuyun shrug her shoulders helplessly. ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Later on, the couple finally hung up the phone.

    After hanging up, the surroundings instantly became quiet.

    Outside the corridor of the hotel suite, Qi Lei was still holding a ss of wine and drinking it carelessly.

    He put the phone in his hand aside and looked down at the big city from above. He watched the mesmerizing lights and at this moment, he felt especially clear-headed, and he wanted to return to City Z.

    In the past, he did not have any so-called desires to go or return to any ce. He always felt that as long as there was a quiet ce for him to rest, he would not have any other pursuits. But now...

    ...

    The night continued. Tonight the moon was not as bright as a few nights ago. Instead, it was full of stars. The next day would be a clear day.

    In the backyard of Dongfang Gan¡¯s vi in Tanshan Vi District, Dongfang Gan and Lan Xiuy side by side on the rattan chair and looked at the quiet starry sky in front of them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think too much. Even if that¡¯s the case, you¡¯ll always be a good son to me. Now that Liuyun has made such a choice, I can¡¯t change her decision. Although I feel a little regretful, Qi Lei seems like a good person. As a father, I can only wish them well.¡±

    Dongfang Gan put down the cup in his hand and sighed.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve waited for her for many years. To be honest, sometimes, I¡¯m touched by your intentions. Actually, it¡¯s not that Liuyun doesn¡¯t know of your feelings. It¡¯s just that she... sigh, it¡¯s quite a pity. I¡¯ve always looked forward to having you as my son-inw. To me, you are indeed more satisfactory than anyone else, I¡¯d be happy to ept you as my son-inw. However, my opinion can not represent Liuyun. You know how she is.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness. He looked at Lan Xiu with a pained expression¡ª

    In reality, he was still in shock and disbelief at his daughter¡¯s sudden choice. He had always thought that his daughter¡¯s choice would be between Fujiwara or Lan Xiu, who would have thought that Qi Lei would suddenly appear out of nowhere and marry his daughter!

    ¡°Uncle Dongfang, there¡¯s no need to say this. Liuyun¡¯s choice has nothing to do with you. I understand that you love her. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not good enough and couldn¡¯t get her. But this won¡¯t affect us, no matter what happens, I¡¯ll protect her. To me, she¡¯s always been the only family member that I, Lan Xiu, need to protect. That will never change.¡±

    A smile appeared on Lan Xiu¡¯s elegant face. However, Dongfang Gan could clearly see a hint of loneliness and deste in that smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early in the night. Uncle Dongfang, why don¡¯t we y a game of chess? It¡¯s been a long time since we yed chess.¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath. Without waiting for Dongfang Gan to reply, he had already beckoned Ah Li on the side. Ah Li quickly took the chess board from the table.

    Dongfang Gan gave him a long look before nodding. Seeing that Lan Xiu had picked up a white piece, he picked up a ck piece at a leisurely pace¡ª

    ¡°Ah Xiu, you have to know that sometimes in life, it¡¯s like ying a game of chess. You have to think carefully about which step to take. Once you¡¯ve made a decision, don¡¯t hesitate too much, or else...¡±

 Chapter 1660 - Promise? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1660: Promise? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll miss out on a golden opportunity. It¡¯s the same in the world of business and rtionships. Uncle Dongfang, I¡¯m afraid that no one has experienced this more deeply than me.¡±

    Before Dongfang Gan could finish, Lan Xiupleted his sentence.

    He put down the white chess piece in his hand and sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯m too cautious. I was afraid of cracks appearing in many things, so I¡¯ve always been careful. I¡¯m afraid that once I take that step, I won¡¯t be able to go back to how it was.¡±

    ¡°Love and marriage are like a gamble. After taking that step, there are only two oues ¡ª eptance and rejection. However, it¡¯s only when you¡¯ve done it that you won¡¯t have any regrets. If you¡¯ve been working hard to fight for it, you might not have lost to Fujiwara and Qi Lei. I know my own daughter. She¡¯s not the type of person who would give up everything for love. Instead, she¡¯s an extremely protective person. Since things havee to this, Xiu, I¡¯m afraid that you can only...¡±

    ¡°I know that she¡¯s very protective of Qi Lei now. After all...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. You¡¯ve been on your own for so many years, and you¡¯re not young anymore. Don¡¯t wait any longer. You don¡¯t have much to look forward to. It¡¯s time for you to worry about yourself. I promised your father that I would take good care of you. If you¡¯re not doing well, I won¡¯t know how to exin to your father. Don¡¯t be too silly, waiting is often useless, especially when ites to matters of the heart,¡± Dongfang Gan advised.

    ¡°I know. Uncle Dongfang, please don¡¯t worry. I know what to do. I¡¯m not putting much thought into these matters at the moment.¡±

    If it was not going to be her, how was he to ept it?

    The name Dongfang Liuyun had long been around him. He could even smell her breath when he closed his eyes. How could he ept other women? Since he could not have them, he might as well...

    ¡°There are many nice girls in this world. Don¡¯t focus only on Liuyun. If you¡¯re willing, Uncle will...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, Uncle Dongfang. Other girls are nice, but they¡¯re also other people. There are many girls in this world that are worth having, but they¡¯re not Liuyun. They may be excellent, even better than her, but they may not understand the things I¡¯ve experienced and what¡¯s on my mind.¡±

    Lan Xiu stopped what he was doing and said this.

    ¡°Just like how Auntie Song is irreceable to you, Uncle Dongfang.¡±

    Dongfang Gan was stunned when he heard that¡ª

    ¡°But Auntie Song and I are different. We¡¯ve been husband and wife for decades after all, and you and Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°Uncle Dongfang, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m used to it already. It¡¯s just that I should have one less person to miss now, the rest hasn¡¯t changed much. However things were in the past will stay the same in the future. So, Uncle Dongfang, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. We¡¯re all people who want Liuyun to live a good life. I¡¯ve always respected you as if you were my father, and she, she¡¯s my sister. Although I admit that I¡¯m very unwilling, if Qi Lei can really help her live a better life then I won¡¯t say anything¡ª¡±

    ¡°If Qi Lei doesn¡¯t give her the life she wants, I won¡¯t give up again.¡± Lan Xiu said this with a deep voice. His tone was firm, but only he understood that the chances of the future were too small. Dongfang Liuyun was someone who would not turn back since she had made her choice, unless...

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can think like that, but listen to me. If you find the right person, don¡¯t let go of the opportunity. In this lifetime, many people don¡¯t just live it, they live and endure it. Don¡¯t mistreat yourself. You can decide the kind of life you want to live.¡±

    As Dongfang Gan spoke, the chess piece in his hand quickly fell onto the chessboard.

    Only then did Lan Xiu nod. ¡°I understand. Uncle Dongfang, no need to worry about me. How are things going at thepany recently?¡±

    Ever since he met Dongfang Liuyun thest time, Lan Xiu had not gone to look for her. Instead, he had sorted out his emotions. He did not pay too much attention to the matters of the Dongfang Group, but he knew that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s days were probably not smooth sailing.

    ¡°It¡¯s still the same. It¡¯s not easy on Liuyun¡¯s end. Next month¡¯s Mid-autumn Festival new productunch will be handled by her team. This is a test.¡±

    ¡°I believe in her capabilities.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. It¡¯s just that my heart aches a little. She¡¯s only been in thepany for a short while, but she¡¯s already lost a lot of weight. She¡¯s already as thin as a sheet.¡±

    As Dongfang Gan spoke, his dark eyes were filled with fatherly care and love.

    ¡°The things I brought over just now are all good nutrition products. In addition, Uncle, your culinary skills are so good. If you get her toe home more often, she will be able to make up for it soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°She rarelyes back. She had a bit of a falling out with your Auntie Song. You know, she has always been unhappy with your Auntie Song¡¯s actions. She has a deep grudge against her, so she doesn¡¯t want to make things unpleasant when shees back,¡± said Dongfang Gan helplessly.

    ¡°She often tells me that the problem between her and Auntie Song is historical, hierarchical, and they have different values in life.¡±

    ¡°Both of them are so domineering and independent. How can you expect them to be calm? The fire in this backyard of this house was not something that happened in a day or two. I have long been used to it. I will be fine as long as it¡¯s two against one. Come, let¡¯s y chess. It¡¯s your turn.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡±

    ...

    With people like Lin Yuanyuan pressuring her, it was expected that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s work would not go smoothly, just like today.

    ¡°Secretary Ding, is today¡¯s report not here yet? I¡¯m about to go out. Hurry up and send the report over.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood under the shelf with her head lowered. As she flipped through the information in her hands, she said to Ding Xiaoling, who was clearing up the table.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked the secretary to go and get it, but there¡¯s still no news. Previously, Manager Lin said that our report didn¡¯t meet the standards, so Secretary Zhang took it back and redid it before submitting it again. I remember it was in the morning, and it¡¯s already afternoon. Logically speaking, Manager Lin should have finished reviewing it by now, right?¡±

    As Ding Xiaoling spoke, she was also a little worried.

    Meanwhile, Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly as she listened. She suddenly raised her head from the document and looked at Ding Xiaoling

    ¡°You handed it in this morning? Call and ask immediately. I¡¯m a little pressed for time here.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun. I¡¯ll call and ask now.¡±

    As Ding Xiaoling spoke, she quickly dialed Secretary Zhang¡¯sndline number...

 Chapter 1661 - Promise? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1661: Promise? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Manager Yun, Secretary Zhang¡¯s side has already submitted the report, but there seems to be no news from Manager Lin. She just asked once and was sent away by the people there. They said that manager Lin has important guests to receive, so...,¡± Ding Xiaoling said with some hesitation.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful eyebrows were knitted together. ¡°I remember that the report had already been prepared a few days ago. Why hasn¡¯t it been done yet?¡±

    ¡°Secretary Zhang submitted it many times, but...¡±

    ¡°But Manager Lin didn¡¯t approve it. Is that so?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold voice cut off Ding Xiaoling¡¯s words as she closed the document in her hand.

    Ding Xiaoling nodded. ¡°Now it¡¯s Manager Lin who¡¯s stuck. It seems that because the report isn¡¯t standardized, Secretary Zhang has modified it several times. This time, he can¡¯t submit it, so...¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened. Then, she walked to his desk and picked up the phone on the desk with one hand. Soon, she made a call to Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office.

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    Soon, the voice of Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s secretary came from the other end.

    ¡°Hello, this is Dongfang Liuyun, the manager of the Marketing Department. Please let your Manager Lin take the call.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was quite calm.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, our Manager Lin is now hosting a very important guest. Manager Yun can call backter.¡± The secretary on the other end quickly replied.

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hung up the phone swiftly. Her slim body had already straightened up, and she strode out of the door.

    ¡°Manager Yun, what are you going to do?¡±

    Ding Xiaoling quickly followed her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going over to take a look. You should be busy with your work.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said these two words, her slender figure disappeared outside the door.

    ¡°Manager Yun, but...¡±

    Ding Xiaoling wanted to say something, but Dongfang Liuyun had already disappeared. Ding Xiaoling had no choice but to stop in her tracks. After thinking for a moment, she finally followed her.

    Dongfang Liuyun took the elevator straight to the floor where Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office was located. After getting out of the elevator, she went straight to Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office.

    ¡®Dong dong¡ª¡¯

    She walked up to the door and knocked on it. Without waiting for the person inside to answer, she pushed the door open and walked in.

    ¡°Manager Yun! Why are you here?!¡±

    Upon hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, a surprised voice was heard.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped in front of the door. He scanned his surroundings with his clear eyes and soon found the two people sitting on the sofa¡ª

    Lin Yuanyuan and Jin Sheng!

    The two seemed to be chatting about something.

    The one who spoke was Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s secretary.

    ¡°Manager Yun, What¡¯s wrong with you? Can¡¯t you see that I have a guest now?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold and indifferent little face and immediately understood why she hade. She immediately frowned and her tone carried some reprimand.

    ¡°I know that you have a guest now, but I believe that brother-inw is also one of us. Since he is one of us, I don¡¯t need to speak like an outsider. May I ask, First Aunt, what is wrong with the report that I submitted? Why have I not been able to pass it even after changing it several times? It is necessary to be more cautious, but because of some unnecessary caution, it has dyed the actual work. I don¡¯t think you would be happy to see it, First Aunt. Or is there some deeper test in your heart for me, or is it a test from the shareholders? Do I need to exin this to the Board of Directors right now?¡±

    There was no emotion in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s calm tone. She was still as silent as ever, but the warning contained in her tone was unusually obvious.

    Jin Sheng looked at Dongfang Liuyun and his ck eyes could not help but narrow. It was not difficult to catch a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. Unfortunately, Dongfang Liuyun had automatically filtered him out.

    ¡°The format of the report that you guys made is not up to par. It has been changed a few times and it still looks the same. I simply just stopped it. I was nning to look for you guys to exin it to you in detail after I was done with my work, but you came straight here.¡±

    She knew Lin Yuanyuan, she had done this kind of thing many times, naturally she knew how to deal with it.

    After saying that, she stood up and walked to her desk. She picked up a document and casually flipped through it a few times before tossing it at Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you guys do this report. It¡¯s full of loopholes. Not just the typos, even the data is wrong. The Marketing Department you manage has be a ce for useless people?¡±

    As Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s unhappy tone fell, Dongfang Liuyun quickly reached out and grabbed the document. She gave Lin Yuanyuan a sidelong nce. Then, she opened the document and looked down, as expected, she saw an unimportant piece of data circled by Lin Yuan with a red pen¡ª

    It was obvious that she was looking for trouble. However, Dongfang Liuyun was unable to refute her words because she was not wrong. In terms of work attitude, she had to be strict. This was also Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s usual style and principle.

    After closing the document indifferently, Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything else and turned around to leave Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office.

    ¡°Thank you for your strictness!¡±

    After saying this indifferently, her thin figure quickly disappeared outside the door.

    At this moment, Jin Sheng¡¯s gaze became unexpectedly profound. He continued to chase after Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure until she disappeared...

    This scene naturally fell into Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes. Unexpectedly, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s gaze became a little dark. However, she did not say anything and endured it.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun took the documents and returned to the office. Along the way, her face was a little tensed and serious. Ding Xiaoling looked at her and was a little worried. She watched as Dongfang Liuyun sat down in front of the desk and asked carefully, ¡°Manager Yun, did Manager Lin... deliberately make things difficult for us?¡±

    ¡°This report was made by Secretary Zhang, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun waved the document in her hand and asked.

    ¡°Yes... Yes, Manager Yun, Secretary Zhang stayed up all night to finish it, because of the huge amount of data, so...¡±

    Ding Xiaoling noticed that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was not quite right, so she began to probe her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t ept any excuses that will make me make mistakes. Tell Secretary Zhang to go home and have a good rest for the next two days, and then go to the HR department to learn up next Monday. When they first joined thepany, what did the HR department teach them? I won¡¯t allow such a low-level mistake to happen again. She will understand the importance of the report data. This time, I will do it again, but I won¡¯t give her a second chance. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 1662 - Promise? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1662: Promise? (3)</h4>

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, Secretary Ding¡¯s heart tightened. She quickly nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Manager Yun! Secretary Zhang¡¯s condition isn¡¯t very good these few days. I¡¯ll talk to her about it. This matter...¡±

    ¡°You can leave. Just tell her what I said. I won¡¯t give her a second chance. She should be d that the data this time is just for reports. If it were any other project data, the losses wouldn¡¯t be what she, or even what I, can bear.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun coldly said these few words. She had already lowered her gaze and continued to check and modify the data on theputer.

    ¡°Yes, Manager Yun!¡±

    Ding Xiaoling slowly retreated at this time.

    Dongfang Liuyun was a person who had a clear priority. Now that she had found the problem, she naturally solved the problem quickly. As for the rest, she would deal with themter.

    She was also a very efficient person. An hourter, the new report was ready. After checking it several times, she called Ding Xiaoling in¡ª

    ¡°Send this report to Manager Lin immediately. Tell her that I did it. If there are no problems, ask her to sign it quickly. If she has anyints, tell her toe to me directly. Prioritize the matter. I trust that she is not a person who doesn¡¯t know her limits.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, Secretary Ding was also stunned. Then, she replied, ¡°Yes, Manager Yun!¡±

    <i>Secretary</i> Ding only took the document at this moment. When she left the office, she heaved a sigh of relief¡ª

    She had a feeling that sometimes, the pressure on Manager Yun was no less than that of President Gan, especially when she became serious. Even she herself had been by President Gan¡¯s side for many years, at this moment, she also felt a little suffocated by the seriousness.

    Manager Yun was usually very nice to her subordinates and very generous. However, when she does get as serious as she is now, it makes her revered by others.

    She seemed to know Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s temper very well. This time, Lin Yuanyuan did not seem to be able to find anything wrong with her. Under Ding Xiaoling¡¯s watchful eyes, she could only silently sign her name on the report.

    ¡°I remember that Secretary Ding was working by President Gan¡¯s side for many years. Why? Why have you be Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s secretary now? is President Gan unhappy with you?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan nced at Ding Xiaoling. She was very clear about Ding Xiaoling¡¯s abilities. She had worked by Dongfang Gan¡¯s side for many years and was very familiar with Dongfang Group. She was also a friend of Song Siting, Lin Yuanyuan could not take advantage of her and had been dissatisfied with her for a long time.

    ¡°Manager Lin, you¡¯re overthinking. Manager Gan treats me very well. It¡¯s just that Manager Yun has just started working with thepany, so he asked me to follow her well. President Gan had always been very strict with Manager Yun. This time, it¡¯s all thanks to Manager Lin. Manager Yun also humbly epted Manager Lin¡¯s advice. I think President Gan would be very happy if he knew.¡±

    When she said that, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression changed slightly¡ª

    It was obvious that Ding Xiaoling was implying that she would tell Dongfang Gan about this matter.

    Although Dongfang Gan looked gentle and subdued, Lin Yuanyuan knew very well that he was a person who killed without spilling any blood. Moreover, he was absolutely protective of his daughter, Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Manager Lin. Manager Yun is still waiting for the report. I¡¯ll go back first,¡± said Ding Xiaoling tentatively. Looking at Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s slightly gloomy face, she could not help but smile in her heart. Then, she did not say anything else. She took the document and left the office.

    When she returned to the office, Dongfang Liuyun had already packed her briefcase. It seemed that she had expected Secretary Ding to be able to handle this matter well.

    ¡°Manager Yun, Manager Lin has signed and approved it.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling handed the document to Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun received it very quickly and flipped through it simply. After making sure that there were no problems, she nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time to get off work. You can all go back first. I¡¯ll handle this matter myself.¡±

    ¡°But, Manager Yun, these documents will be used during the meeting on Monday. Can you handle it by yourself?¡±

    Ding Xiaoling looked at Dongfang Liuyun worriedly.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to help. You¡¯ve already done most of the things that you need to do. It has been quite a tiring period of time, you should go home early and have a good weekend. Next week¡¯s tasks are a lot and you need to be in a very good state. How about this, it looks like it¡¯s about time for tonight, let¡¯s do it at Imperial Sky Entertainment City, everyone in our department can join and they can bring their families. I¡¯ll treat everyone and let everyone have a happy weekend. Please handle this for me, I¡¯ll reimburse youter. I¡¯ll be thereter.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she had already walked out of the office.

    ¡°Manager Yun...¡±

    Secretary Ding wanted to say something else, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure had already disappeared out the door with a swift and decisive look.

    As she watched her figure disappear into the distance, Secretary Ding sighed a little helplessly after a long while. She could only withdraw her gaze and tidy up the office briefly before leaving the office as well.

    The colleagues of the department were naturally ted when they heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s treat. Taking advantage of the fact that it was the weekend, they happilypleted their task.

    After the arrangements were made, Dongfang Gan called Secretary Ding over.

    ¡°President Gan!¡±

    Secretary Ding pushed open the door and walked in. What greeted her eyes was Dongfang Gan standing in front of the ceiling-to-floor window with his hands behind his back.

    Hearing the voice behind him, Dongfang Gan turned his head slightly to take a look. When he saw Ding Xiaoling stopping behind him, he pointed to the sofa at the side and said very calmly, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just stand here, President Gan!¡±

    Ding Xiaoling smiled and said, ¡°President Gan, you want to find out how Miss Liuyun has been doing, right?¡±

    Dongfang Qian nodded. ¡°I have a general idea of the situation that went down with Lin Yuanyuan just now. How are things now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, President Gan! This was indeed our fault. We didn¡¯t do our job well, so Manager Yun had some small issues. But now that it has been settled and Manager Yun has personally revised the report, Manager Lin couldn¡¯t find anything that she wasn¡¯t satisfied with. She signed it. Now Manager Yun has set off with the report. Oh, by the way, Manager Yun even invited the department for dinner tonight. She said that we could bring our family, which made everyone quite happy...¡±

    Ding Xiaoling quickly told Dongfang Gan about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s situation.

    After listening to that, Dongfang Gan nodded his head in satisfaction. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that she¡¯s doing that.¡±

    In fact, Dongfang Gan felt that he did not have to worry about his daughter. She was very good at dealing with all kinds of unexpected situations. Even he himself felt very appreciative and proud of her.

 Chapter 1663 - Promise? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1663: Promise? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Remember to help her out a little. She may not have aplete understanding of thepany¡¯s situation. I don¡¯t want her to suffer in their hands.¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Dongfang Gan said this.

    Secretary Ding nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Gan. Manager Yun is very tactful and knows her limits. Don¡¯t worry. She is much more outstanding than we thought. As long as we give her some time, I think ten Manager Lin¡¯s might not be her match.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling clearly thought very highly of Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Gan felt a lot more assured when he heard that.

    ¡°Okay, you continue to watch over her carefully. If there are any problemster, you must let me know immediately. Also, we should get more experts in the Marketing Department, especially for the new productunch next month. I¡¯m worried that she won¡¯t be able to handle it by herself. Later, I¡¯ll ask Vice President Zhang to put aside his tasks and go over to give pointers.¡±

    ¡°President Gan, you don¡¯t have to do this. I¡¯ve roughly seen the first half of Manager Yun¡¯s proposal, and it looks pretty good. So I think this time, we can let Manager Yun do it. Otherwise, we might actually hinder her! I believe that she has the ability,¡± said Ding Xiaoling.

    Dongfang Gan thought about it for a while, and then replied, ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s take a look first. Well, it¡¯s almost time to get off work. You can get back to your work.¡±

    ¡°Okay, President Gan!¡± Secretary Ding replied and then slowly left.

    ...

    The curtain was slowly pulled open.

    Dongfang Liuyun was covered in a cool breeze. It was already past eight o¡¯clock at night when she dragged her exhausted body back to thepany.

    She had just finished work and had not had time to have dinner yet. Some of the data on hand still needed to be processed immediately, so she could only go back to thepany directly.

    The time to get off work had long passed. At this time, the entirepany was very clean. It was the weekend, so there were not many people working overtime. Dongfang Liuyun went straight to her office, took out the documents in her briefcase, and continued to be busy.

    At this moment, in the parking lot in front of the entrance of the Dongfang Group¡¯s building.

    A white luxury car was slowly driving in, steadily parking in a parking space at the side.

    Just as the car stopped, the door of the front passenger seat was opened. Ah Li got out of the car swiftly, and with two big strides, he reached the back of the car and opened the door respectfully.

    ¡°President Lan, we¡¯ve reached the Dongfang Group. Miss Dongfang¡¯s car is still parked in its original position. She should still be in the office. This is the prepared dinner.¡±

    Just as Lan Xiu got out of the car, Ah Li carried a box of food and went forward.

    Lan Xiu raised his head and looked at the tall building in the pitch-ck night sky. After a while, he retracted his gaze and reached out to take the box of food from Ah Li¡¯s hands¡ª

    ¡°You guys wait in the car. I¡¯ll call you if anything.¡±

    After saying this, Lan Xiu walked into the Dongfang Group.

    Obviously Lan Xiu knew where Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s office was situated. He took the elevator to the floor where her office was.

    From afar, he could see the office that was still lit up.

    ¡®Knock knock¡ª¡¯

    In the office, Dongfang Liuyun was busy and focused when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. Without even lifting her eyelids, she replied indifferently, ¡°Enter!¡±

    As soon as she finished, Lan Xiu pushed the door open and walked in. What greeted his eyes was Dongfang Liuyun writing at full speed in front of her desk.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote, yet you¡¯re still here. You¡¯re really putting your life on the line.¡±

    Lan Xiu stood at the door for quite a while and did not see any reaction from Dongfang Liuyun. Only then did he let out a soft sigh and spoke in a low voice. There seemed to be some worry in his tone.

    A familiar voice sounded causing Dongfang Liuyun to be startled. She hurriedly averted her gaze from the document in front of her and raised her gaze. When Lan Xiu¡¯s figure entered her sight, she was clearly a little surprised¡ª

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± She asked in surprise.

    ¡°Can¡¯t Ie over?¡±

    A smile appeared on Lan Xiu¡¯s face. He ced the box of food in his hand on the coffee table in front of the sofa. There was no awkwardness on his face. It was as if the previous unhappiness had turned into a fleeting cloud.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her beautiful eyebrows. She slowly put down the pen in her hand and stood up.

    ¡°Who can stop you? If you really wanted toe over? What do you want to drink?¡±

    As she spoke, she walked over.

    ¡°Just a ss of water will do. You haven¡¯t had dinner yet, right? I brought some for you. It¡¯s still warm, have some.¡±

    Lan Xiu moved the box of food in front of her. She quickly poured a ss of water for him.

    ¡°How did you know that I was still in the office?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not stand on ceremony. She did not eat anything in the afternoon, and now she really felt hungry. She reached out to take it and opened the box of food. Inside were all her favorite dishes.

    Lan Xiu had known Dongfang Liuyun for more than twenty years, and they were very good friends. He had long understood Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s taste, so the food he prepared was naturally what Dongfang Liuyun liked to eat.

    ¡°I called Uncle Dongfang. I know that you have to work overtime these few days, even when it¡¯s the weekend tomorrow, you probably won¡¯t get to rx. So it¡¯s very normal for you to work overtime tonight.¡± Lan Xiu lowered his head and drank a mouthful of water as he replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun swallowed the food in his mouth and replied, ¡°It definitely won¡¯t be rxing these days. I haven¡¯t gotten used to all of these yet, so it will take some time. I always knew that it wasn¡¯t easy for you guys in this industry, but I never that it could be this tiring.¡±

    ¡°Do you think there are any industries where work is easy? Do the dishes taste good? Ah Li cooked them personally,¡± Lan Xiu replied, and his deep gaze quietly fell on her face.

    ¡°I thought it was you who cooked it, but Ah Li¡¯s cooking has improved. It¡¯s just slightly salty,¡± Dongfang Liuyunmented without holding back.

    ¡°He probably won¡¯t be happy to hear that. Have you been well?¡±

    Hearing his concerned tone, Dongfang Liuyun stopped what she was doing and turned her gaze to look at him. Only then did she realize that Lan Xiu had lost a lot of weight after not seeing him for such a long time. Moreover, his slightly pale face was somewhat haggard.

    After thinking for a moment, she nodded and retracted her gaze. She continued to lower her head and pick up her food¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m doing quite well, but I¡¯m worried that you¡¯re not. I hope that you¡¯re doing better. If I can take on a little responsibility and change the current situation, then perhaps everyone will be better off...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was filled with sincerity.

 Chapter 1664 - Promise? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1664: Promise? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Lan Xiu heard this, his eyes darkened. He leaned back on the sofa and eased up a little.

    ¡°We might not have to deliberately change anything, Liuyun...¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s low and hoarse voice traveled over. If you listened closely, you could catch a hint of disappointment¡ª

    ¡°It has already happened. This is how things are now. You know, I have never been willing to interfere with your choice. I always thought that...¡±

    At this point, Lan Xiu suddenly stopped speaking. He was unwilling to continue.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment.

    ¡°Neither of us can interfere with each other¡¯s choice. Lan Xiu, oftentimes we don¡¯t have to end up together to be considered to havepleted our merits. We each have our own ces where we belong to. Like for us, the ces best for us are as closest friends, confidants, or goodpanions.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a sip of the water and said indifferently, ¡°After so many years and experiencing so many things, I should have been able to ept it. I thought that I could be more free and easy than before too, but now that I think about it, I might not be able to be so rxed, especially when facing you guys.¡±

    ¡°I admit that sometimes, I can be quite selfish. In many aspects, you, Lan Xiu, have to be more thorough than me. You¡¯re great, in fact, you might be eeven more outstanding than Qi Lei, but fate has now tied us tightly together. So, I can only go with the flow. He treats me very well. He¡¯s not like what outsiders say, a yboy. He¡¯s actually a very simple person, at least, I admire the calm temperament he¡¯s always had.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the same as me. You¡¯ve been through a lot, so you should understand what this means. I think to myself, could I really spend the rest of my life well?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were unusually calm when she said this.

    ¡°Are you apanying him, Qi Lei?¡± Lan Xiu asked softly. There was some pain in his eyes that could not be dispelled. He looked at her without blinking.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled cheerfully. She lowered her eyes slightly. After a while, she smiled¡ª

    ¡°If it¡¯s not him, who else can it be? He is now my rightful husband, and I am also his Missus Qi. I thought that I would at least be quite resistant, but now that I think about it, it¡¯s actually not that hard to ept. What¡¯s important is how we set our mindset.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun probably did not know then, but the more she said this, the more Lan Xiu felt his heart ache.

    He began to suspect that if he had not hesitated back then and had agreed to her request, would the two of them be getting along harmoniously now? He just had too high hopes and always wanted to take over her heart, he was unwilling to just live like this.

    Actually, thinking back now, as long as she was by his side, so what if he was unwilling?

    In any case, he had always cared about her...

    ¡°But you don¡¯t love him. Liuyun, your heart has long been like still water. You don¡¯t love him. If that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t you choose me? At least, you know that I... that I, I...¡±

    ¡°I did choose you. Have you forgotten?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun cut him off before he could finish his sentence. There was a faint glow in her eyes as he looked at him¡ª

    ¡°Did you know? Qi Lei proposed to me after you left that night... I should be touched by this. Although I¡¯m not someone who is easily touched, I was content with his selflessness.¡±

    ¡°Every woman hopes that the man she admires, or her future husband, will be a heroic guardian knight who will appear when she needs him the most... I¡¯ve always been clear about what I want. All these years, I¡¯ve rushed ahead without any hesitation. I¡¯m fearless, but I want a sacrednd behind me that can shelter me from the wind and rain. I don¡¯t know if Qi Lei can give that to me, but from the moment he took this step, I felt that I had to protect him. Feelings and sacrifices are mutual.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had a profound understanding of this. Now, this was the first time she confessed her feelings in front of others. It was not too bad. Everything seemed to be going ording to n.

    Lan Xiu seemed to see his heart begin to bleed again. Even for Fujiwara from before, she might not have such thoughts. But now, for this Qi Lei...

    Lan Xiu understood Dongfang Liuyun too well. She was the type of person who would respond to a kindness by tenfold. He was suddenly mad with jealousy towards the man called Qi Lei, but more than that, there was nothing he could do!

    Did she really want to stay by Qi Lei¡¯s side?

    ¡°Mutual... Liuyun, the current you makes me speechless. I don¡¯t know what else I can say. Back then, because of Fujiwara, because of Lan Qi, I was willing to let go, but this time... I...¡±

    ¡°As for Fujiwara and Lan Qi, that¡¯s all in the past. Didn¡¯t you always expect me to live a new life? The way things are now is good, actually.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she suddenly smiled and nced at him. She then lowered her head and continued eating her food.

    ¡°As long as... As long as you¡¯re happy, that¡¯s fine. However, since we¡¯ve been friends for so many years, can you make a deal with me?¡±

    After some thought, Lan Xiu finally spoke in a low voice.

    ¡°Oh? What promise?¡±

    It was rare to see Lan Xiu so serious. Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little surprised as she looked at him silently.

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and suddenly clenched the cup in his hands. His ck eyes met Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear gaze. He mustered much courage before he said in a deep voice...

    ¡°If there¡¯s a day when you and Qi Lei are separated, then please give me a chance to marry you, okay? Of course, I want you to be happy too. It¡¯s also good if this promise cannot be fulfilled. I just... I just hope that you won¡¯t have to live a hard life. I¡¯m most afraid of... seeing you unhappy, unhappy, and living a hard life... Liuyun, this is the only request. Can you agree to this promise?¡±

    When Lan Xiu said these words, his eyes were filled with uncontroble emotions¡ª

    He had always known what Dongfang Liuyun knew all along, she just did not want to expose it, nor did she want to pursue it.

    Between her and Lan Xiu, they could only be friends. They could only be the best of friends. That was all.

    As for the promise?

    If...

 Chapter 1665 - Promise? (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1665: Promise? (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun pondered for a long time before she finally shook her head¡ª

    ¡°I can¡¯t agree to it. If this marriage is really unfortunate, I won¡¯t try it a second time. I don¡¯t expect much from these two words in the first ce. If I tried my best and end up with such a result, then at least I¡¯ve justified it to myself, at least I¡¯ve tried my best.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a very straightforward person. At this point, she was already very clear about the impossibility between her and Lan Xiu. If that was the case, then she would not have any expectations. At least, she thought that it would be good for Lan Xiu.

    ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m fine. You take care of yourself. Nothing will change in time toe. Qi Lei has gone to City B recently, when hees back, you can meet him. He¡¯s a good person. I think you might be friends with him.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re love rivals. How can we be friends?¡± Lan Xiuughed bitterly.

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head with amusement. ¡°I know you, Lan Xiu. You¡¯re not such a shallow person. At the very least, you know how to differentiate right from wrong. So, I think you can both get to know each other.¡±

    ¡°What about Fujiwara? Do you think Fujiwara can be friends with him?¡±

    Lan Xiu had no choice but to remind Dongfang Liuyun again.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze turned cold, and a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth. ¡°He¡¯s got nothing to do with us, there¡¯s no need to get to know him.¡±

    Her tone suddenly turned cold, and the atmosphere in the office instantly froze. Even Lan Xiu could faintly feel a suffocating feeling..

    When he turned to look at her, she had already lowered her head and continued eating dinner..

    Lan Xiu was stunned. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled again and asked, ¡°Have you told Qi Lei about Fujiwara? Will you hide it...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and paused again. After a while, she suddenly closed the box of food in her hand and ced it on the table in front of her. She turned to look at Lan Xiu, ¡°Lan Xiu, I¡¯ve never thought of hiding anything from Qi Lei. I don¡¯t care about his past, just like how he can ept me calmly. No matter what his original intentions are, it takes a lot of courage to dare to take on a marriage with an uncertain future. As my friend, I hope that you can stay neutral on the matter regarding Fujiwara. No matter what happens in the future, I hope that you won¡¯t overstep or interfere in the matters between us and Fujiwara. Can you do that?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very direct with a hint of displeasure, causing Lan Xiu¡¯s heart to clench for no reason.

    Without waiting for Lan Xiu¡¯s reply, Dongfang Liuyun had already stood up and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window at the side. She looked at the brilliant lights outside with her back facing Lan Xiu. Watching her back, there was an indescribable sense of loneliness.

    ¡°Lan Xiu, you should know that I don¡¯t have much fighting spirit. I don¡¯t want many things either. I can¡¯t get rid of all my burdens, so I can only carry it. I don¡¯t want to be a good person who saves all living things. I just want to make sure I don¡¯t have a guilty conscience. This is what I¡¯ve always believed in. If Qi Lei really cared about all of this, I wouldn¡¯t deliberately hide it. Even though it¡¯s not a glorious past, I¡¯m afraid that the people trapped are only ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, I didn¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m just worried...¡± Lan Xiu could hear the coldness in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone and quickly exined.

    ¡°I bet that he¡¯s not that kind of person. I bet that he¡¯s not such a shallow person. Also, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose. Do you believe me?¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could finish his words, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s determined tone had already reached his ears, instantly silencing the words that were about toe out of his mouth. For a moment, Lan Xiu was actually unable to reply. He could only stare at Dongfang Liuyun in a daze, his gaze contained a faint trace of mncholy and an indescribable bitterness.

    The aura that had gathered in the air suddenly became somewhat stifled. In the end, it was Lan Xiu who eased up a little. He said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was a slip of the tongue. I didn¡¯t mean to say anything bad about him. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m a little worried about you. That¡¯s all...¡±

    ¡°I know that all of you are questioning my decision. You don¡¯t agree with Qi Lei from the bottom of your hearts. There are many reasons. You think that you don¡¯t understand him, and you think that you¡¯re right... but I¡¯ve said before that those things aren¡¯t important to me. As long as he treats me well and cares for me, I don¡¯t care too much. Who can guarantee that I won¡¯t fall in love with him in the future?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not agree.

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about the rest. In the future, I don¡¯t want you to express these things. You just have to remember that Qi Lei is now my legitimate husband. He will be your friend. That is all.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was unusually sonorous, carrying an aura that could not be rejected.

    Lan Xiu felt an indescribable pain in his chest again. Finally, he did not know what else he could say. He suddenly put down the cup in his hand¡ª

    ¡®Bang¡¯

    With a crisp sound, Lan Xiu stood up and stared at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s thin back. A resolute look shed across his handsome face¡ª

    ¡°Liuyun, you have your persistence, and so do I. I just can¡¯t let go of your matter. If Qi Lei really treats you well, I won¡¯t say anything. But if he can¡¯t make sure you lead a good life then I don¡¯t mind being that bad person! Whether you¡¯re willing or not, this matters to me too!¡±

    After leaving these few words, Lan Xiu mmed the door and left!

    From what she remembers, Lan Xiu rarely spoke to her like this. He was not even willing to throw a tantrum.

    But now, the more he saw how she protected Qi Lei, the more ufortable he felt. The pressure in his chest made him want to explode, he did not know how much strength he had used to suppress it.

    He was afraid that he would lose control of the anger in his heart andsh out at her, so he could only leave.

    Pain, sadness, and even a sense of regret washed over his head, making him feel like he was suffocating, unable to breathe.

    The feeling of not being able to obtain love was indeed heart-wrenching.

    Every time he struggled like this, it made him feel like he would die in pain, but...

    Standing in the elevator, Lan Xiu held himself up with the elevator and took a few breaths in a row. He had to rely on his strong self-control to gather his thoughts back.

    At this moment, the elevator reached the first floor...

    After calming down, he blinked and calmly walked out of the elevator...

 Chapter 1666 - So Calculative (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1666: So Calctive (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Meanwhile, in the office, Dongfang Liuyun did not turn around as she listened to Lan Xiu m the door and leave.

    Her hands propped up against the cold floor-to-ceiling window in front of her as she looked at the flickering lights below. She was in a daze as she took a deep breath. For some reason, her heart felt heavy.

    However, what else could she say.

    There were some people who could only be met by chance and not sought after. They would not feel regret because...

    However, it seemed that this was also the position that they should be in. Dongfang Liuyun had always been very clear in her heart. She was also very clear about her own position. Therefore, if she was given another chance, she would definitely not have asked Lan Xiu.

    ¡°I wish you good luck!¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun gently sped her hands together, closed her eyes quietly, and muttered softly.

    Her very soft voice drifted in the air after that, as if she had never said anything.

    The phone on the table was shing this whole time. It was muted, so Dongfang Liuyun could not hear it.

    ...

    It was amon thing to leave early and returnte these days. After a few days, Su Chen also felt a little exhausted.

    Qin Su¡¯s follow-up work was quite smooth, but things were tough on Su Chen¡¯s end. He needed to provide a lot of detailed information and cooperate with the investigation of the task force. It was found that this car ident was indeed not an ordinary car ident, but was premeditated.

    It was a very bad car ident, so it was not great on Su Chen¡¯s end and not easy for Qin Su¡¯s side either.

    It was already close to midnight, in Su Chen¡¯s office.

    Qin Su was still sitting on the sofa, focused on reading the information Su Chen had just collected. Xiao Xu was also sitting on the side to help.

    ¡°These are the information from the surveince footage we just found. The truck¡¯s information is also roughly clear. You¡¯d probably have to go to the countryside with the task force tomorrow. It¡¯s already veryte. Staff Officer Qin, you should go back and rest early. You¡¯ve been busy day and night for so many days. You should rest well.¡±

    Su Chen slowly stood up and looked at the woman who was still sitting on the sofa. He reminded her in a low voice.

    Hearing this, Qin Su shifted her gaze away from the document in front of her. She looked up at the clock and realized that it was already veryte!

    Closing the document in his hand, she said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve forgotten the time. I¡¯ve wasted a lot of your time. We¡¯ll go back now.¡±

    Su Chen looked at the time on his phone. After some thought, he said, ¡°It¡¯s almost midnight. I didn¡¯t even manage to have dinner. If Staff Officer Qin doesn¡¯t mind, let¡¯s have supper together. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all hungry.¡±

    Supper?

    As soon as he said that, Qin Su suddenly felt a sense of hunger in her stomach.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    As he said that, Su Chen also took the briefcase by the side, took the hat, and walked out of the door.

    Qin Su frowned. A hint of hesitation shed across her stern face. It disappeared in a sh. Then, she gave Xiao Xu a look and the two of them followed him out.

    Secretary He, who had been waiting outside for a long time, quickly closed the door as well.

    There was no longer the hustle and bustle of the day and the heat. The night was a little cool with stars everywhere. It was a very clear night.

    They went to Imperial Sky Entertainment City.

    Su Chen was used to this ce. The atmosphere was pretty good. It was not that kind of rock ¡®n¡¯ roll and deafening heavy metal music. This ce was obviously more suitable for rxing. Moreover, the food here was very delicious. Most importantly, Mu Yuchen was paying, he would definitely not stand on ceremony.

    However, what surprised Su Chen was that Liang Jing was here too!

    ¡°Mother Zhou, why are you here?¡±

    After they booked the private room, Su Chen quickly pulled Liang Jing out.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone celebrating their birthday, and it¡¯s my day off, so I wanted to rx a little. Good boy, who¡¯s that very beautiful woman? How dare you bring another woman to a ce like this? Be careful, or I¡¯ll cut you! You should learn from the good, not from the bad! Be careful, you better cut off that girl or it might have a bad effect. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that I won¡¯t mention it to your father. I guarantee that he¡¯ll break your legs right away!¡±

    Liang Jing¡¯s words were naturally very serious, and her eyes were filled with disapproval.

    Su Chen frowned, pulled Liang Jing, and walked to a corner¡ª

    ¡°Mother Zhou, you¡¯re overthinking it! Do you also think that girl is very beautiful? That girl over there!¡±

    While pulling Liang Jing aside, Su Chen lowered his voice and asked.

    Liang Jing carefully recalled how she looked when she saw Qin Su just now, and there was still a hint of surprise in her eyes¡ª

    ¡°She is beautiful, but all beautiful women are poisonous. Su Chen, don¡¯t have such thoughts, understand? You already have Ji Zitong, so don¡¯t think about getting more when you already have something in hand. You¡¯d better give up on this as soon as possible, understand?¡±

    ¡°No, Mother Zhou! That¡¯s Zimo¡¯s! Zimo¡¯s partner!¡±

    Su Chen took a deep breath and quickly turned his head to whisper in Liang Jing¡¯s ear!

    ¡°Since you think that the girl is not bad too, then I think that Zimo might really have a chance this time! We didn¡¯t intend to talk about this matter. Now that you¡¯ve exposed it, we might as well talk about it! Her name is Qin Su, and she¡¯s a Staff Officer of Father Zhou¡¯s military region. She¡¯s 28 this year, and she¡¯s a very nice person. Her parents are both officials of the military region. Father Zhou has always wanted her to be Zimo¡¯s wife for a long time now...¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s words immediately made Liang Jing¡¯s eyes widen. She looked at Su Chen in disbelief. She did not seem to hear what Su Chen said after that. She could only hear these few words in her mind¡ª

    Zimo¡¯s lover!

    Could that girl be her son¡¯s lover?

    Liang Jing looked at Su Chen in a daze.

    ¡°Mother Zhou, don¡¯t look at me like that. We¡¯re just trying to think of ways to bring Zimo and Qin Su together. Moreover, they have known each other for a long time and Zimo has a good impression of her. Therefore, it¡¯s not impossible to get her. Whether or not he can get such a good girl depends entirely on whether or not Zimo has the ability!¡±

    Of course, they could not tell Liang Jing about the contract marriage.

    Zhou Zimo was such a person. If they did not hold him down and force him to the edge of the cliff, he probably would notpromise as quickly. Therefore, now that Liang Jing knew about it, she would give him some proper pressure to ensure that he would have a better sense of urgency.

    ¡°Are you saying that you want to set up Qin Su and Zimo? Do they know each other from before?¡±

    Liang Jing narrowed her eyes and looked at Su Chen.

    Su Chen nodded¡ª

    ¡°Yes, Mother Zhou. Qin Su saved Zimo once before, and Zimo is very grateful to her. He even said that he wouldn¡¯t marry anyone other than Qin Su, but he didn¡¯t dare to show it. We need to help him. Of course, we can¡¯t let him and Qin Su know, otherwise...¡±

 Chapter 1667 - So Calculative (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1667: So Calctive (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The two of them had been conspiring for a long time before they finally smiled at each other.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you guys with Zimo. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do my best to cooperate. I¡¯m looking forward to him starting a family, so...,¡± Liang Jing smiled.

    ¡°Zimo is our brother, so we¡¯ll take his matter to heart. Don¡¯t worry, Mother Zhou. The fate that should belong to him won¡¯t get away no matter what. There¡¯s no point to worrying, we can only create opportunities for him.¡±

    Su Chenughed loudly, when he saw Liang Jing¡¯s worry, a trace of warmth surged from the bottom of his heart as he hurriedly said this.

    Liang Jing then nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll have to trouble all of you to worry about him. Don¡¯t worry about me. I know what to do. It¡¯s time to put some pressure on him. Your grandfather Zhou almost got hospitalized because of him. He has been home for the past two days. I¡¯ll find some time to chat with him again and then pressure him a little. I think with his character, he might not be as bad as what you said, but really...¡±

    ¡°However, since Qin Su is a good girl and his father agrees with her, she should be pretty great. I think she looks quite nice. As long as her family background is clean and Zimo likes her, I won¡¯t have any problems with her.¡±

    Liang Jing quickly expressed her thoughts. ¡°As long as she likes our Zimo, it¡¯s fine. He¡¯s turning 34 soon. I¡¯m worried that she might not like our Zimo because he¡¯s older.¡±

    ¡°A man establishes himself at thirty, and Zimo is in his prime. There are plenty of women in City Z who want to marry him. The most important thing is Zhou Zimo himself must like them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Then I¡¯ll fan the mes when I get back. I must make set up a trap for this child!¡± Liang Jing was not fooling around.

    Su Chen listened and smiled with his eyes narrowed. The smile on his face was despicable and shameless!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go over first. You watch over that girl for our Zimo. Later on I¡¯ll discuss it with his father. That old thing actually didn¡¯t tell me about this. It really makes me angry!¡±

    Only then did Liang Jing leave as sheined.

    ...

    When they returned to the private room, the waiter had already served supper. Qin Su was drinking the tea in her cup carelessly. She had a pensive look on her face and was as serious as ever.

    Xiao Xu and Secretary He had a small drink and were chatting happily.

    The music in the private room was not as deafening as before. Instead, it was very soothing piano music. Listening now, it seemed a little quiet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want a ss yourself?¡±

    Su Chen brought over a ss of red wine.

    Qin Su shook her head and raised the teacup in her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll drink this. I have to drive back to the Military Districtter.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t persuade you to drink anymore. How have you been? I didn¡¯t expect you to leave so soon back then, and that was a perfect coboration too. Zimo had always wanted to thank you, but when he went to look for you, you were already gone.¡±

    Su Chen toasted to her as he spoke.

    ¡°Back then, I received a temporary mission and went to the border to help with the work, so I didn¡¯t have time to say goodbye. I also felt very happy about the coboration back then. Thank you for all your cooperation.¡±

    ¡°You are a woman that is a match for men. We have a lot of respect for your skills in all aspects. Back then, when our senior officer told us that one of our own was a woman and that her performance in all aspects was no less than ours, we disdained it and refused to believe it. But when I saw it with my own eyes, I knew that I would make such silly mistakes too.¡±

    As Su Chen spoke, there was a hint of a smile in his tone.

    ¡°I just spent a little more time familiarizing myself with the project. Your skills have also made me see you in a new light, especially in the sniper project, which was beyond my reach.¡±

    Qin Su was very modest and calm. Even though she had been rated as an excellent Military Officer almost every year, she had never felt any sense of superiority because of this, she was no different from the way she usually acted.

    ¡°There are specializations in your profession. You¡¯re not a sniper by profession, so...¡±

    ¡°At first I thought that you guys would always stay in the army. I didn¡¯t expect for you guys to all retire ande back.¡±

    Qin Su lowered her head and sipped her tea. She looked at Su Chen thoughtfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a life that needs to be experienced. If we really stay in there for a lifetime, the few of us would really go crazy if we were to tell the truth. Especially since we are all such restless people.¡±

    Su Chen did not hide how he felt at all. After leaving the army for so many years, he suddenly recalled some memories when he was talking to such arade.

    ¡°However, a life like that does make one nostalgic.¡±

    ¡°When you have time, you should go back to the Military District to visit. Someone like you should have the chance toe back.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s reply was somewhat formal. Perhaps it was also because of her usual style.

    Su Chen looked at her and thought about it for a long time before he lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Have you contacted Zimo? Since thest time, I saw that he was determined to thank you back then. Also, your arm should be fine now, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve been moving around a lot over the years. Even if I wanted to contact him, I might not have been able to. I was just doing what I was supposed to do, there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±

    Su Chen actually wanted to test Qin Su¡¯s impression of Zhou Zimo, but he was not an enigmatic person like Mu Yuchen. Even if he wanted to ask, he would not be able to. He was worried that it would be too sudden, so now, he could only be anxious!

    After a ss of wine, Su Chen took a deep breath and looked over at Qin Su. He then realized that she was quietly eating snacks with her head lowered. Her movements were still as strict as a soldier. When he saw her like this, it made Su Chen recall their life in the army back then.

    ¡°Are you still used to getting up every day and running five kilometers in the morning?¡±

    Su Chen remembered that Qin Su seemed to have such a habit. Back then, when he, Zhou Zimo, and the others came back from their overnight camp, they saw Qin Su running around the field before dawn. After that, they would asionally run together. Back then they were also somewhat amazed by how fit she was.

    At this moment, as she listened, Qin Su also raised her gaze. The cold light in her star-like eyes dissipated a little and she suddenly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m still doing it, but not as frequently as before.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    Su Chen remembered that she was a person with strong willpower.

    Qin Su lowered her eyes and her clear gazended on one of her ankles, ¡°I hurt my leg a few years ago, and it took me a long time to recover. The doctor said that I can¡¯t endure too much exercise for a long time, so I can only persevere appropriately.¡±

 Chapter 1668 - Iâ€™ll Accompany You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1668: I¡¯ll Apany You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Qin Su said this, Su Chen suddenly paused...

    He frowned slightly and followed her gaze. His handsome face was also somewhat gloomy.

    ¡°As for those so-called skills from before, I might not be able to use them now.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s tone was cold and indifferent, not much different from before. However, Su Chen seemed to be able to catch a hint of destion as he listened.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Su Chen suddenly said.

    Qin Su did not say anything. She just lowered her head and continued to drink the tea in her hand.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you consider changing careers? In the future, with your conditions, you should be able to find a very good unit.¡±

    Su Chen did not approve of women working too hard. Life in the army was not free. In fact, it was not very suitable for women, especially for girls like Qin Su. Even if he was standing in the position of a friend, he did not approve of Qin Su staying in the army all the time.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see how many years it takes. It¡¯s not time yet.¡±

    In fact, Qin Su had never thought of changing her career. This was because ever since she was sensible, she had been influenced by life in the army. She had long been used to this kind of life, so she did not feel that it was too different, she had not reallye into contact with the outside world. Of course, this did not mean that she did not understand. After all, she had been undercover for several years. She had experienced all kinds of situation.

    In this way, she did not feel that the outside world was really that great. It was better to be quiet in the army. Just like when she was a student, she lived her life in school. Only when she left school and truly integrated into society did she realize the cruelty of society.

    ...

    When she left Imperial Sky Entertainment City, it was already past one o¡¯clock in the morning. Qin Su and Officer Xiao Xu returned straight to the Military District, while Su Chen went straight home.

    He had beening back veryte these few days, but Ji Zitong had left a light for him.

    It was the same tonight.

    Driving the car through the door, he could see the bright lights in the living room from afar. The lights in the study on the second floor were still vaguely lit, so she probably had not slept yet.

    Su Chen parked the car steadily, then got out of the car with his briefcase and walked straight home.

    The house was quiet. He changed his shoes, drank a ss of water, and went upstairs.

    He took off his tie and pushed open the study room door. When he entered, Ji Zitong was indeed in front of the desk. However, she had already fallen asleep on the desk¡ª

    She was dressed in a soft beige nightgown. Her hair draped over her shoulders, and she was sound asleep.

    Even when Su Chen walked to her side, she did not wake up.

    Su Chen stood there and looked at her silently for a while. He then took a deep breath and bent down to pick her up. He then walked towards the bedroom.

    Ji Zitong did not wake up after being ced on the soft bed. She turned and continued to sleep.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t stay upte then no need to wait on me, after all, my home is here...¡±

    Su Chen brushed her messy hair with his slender and rough fingers. He then tucked her in and covered her with a thin nket before he went to the bathroom.

    Ji Zitong was dazed in her sleep as well. She seemed to be able to hear the sound of water in her trance. After struggling for a while, she opened her eyes. Her eyes were drowsy. When she heard the sound beside her ear, she turned to look at the bathroom, the lights inside were still on.

    His tie and clothes were tossed onto the chair on the side.

    Ji Zitongbed through her messy hair and pulled the nket aside to get out of bed.

    ...

    When Su Chen came out of the bathroom, Ji Zitong was tidying up the clothes he had tossed aside.

    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Su Chen asked as hebed through his half-dried ck hair. He was wearing a dark-colored robe.

    ¡°Why did youe home sote? You getter by the day, your bureau is not <i>so</i> busy, is it?¡± Ji Zitong picked up the clothes and ced them in a basket on the side as she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯ll get better in a few days. I¡¯ve been a little busy recently.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to eat something? Did you eat outside again?¡± Ji Zitong asked with concern.

    ¡°I bumped into a formerrade. She¡¯s a woman named Qin Su. We used to go on missions together. Ah Chen and Zimo know her too, so we went to Imperial Sky Entertainment City together.¡± Su Chen leisurely tied the sash around his waist as he said this.

    ¡°Woman? When did you be so intimate with a woman? Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll overthink?¡±

    Ji Zitong nced at him with a meaningful look in her eyes.

    Su Chen did not even look at her. He sat down by the bed and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Would you?¡±

    As he spoke, he turned to look at her.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Ji Zitong stood where she was and stared at him silently.

    Su Chen smiled and retracted his gaze. He lowered his eyes and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never been able to guess what you women are thinking, so I don¡¯t want to guess anymore. It¡¯s better to just ask you directly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always so direct, no fun at all.¡±

    ¡°Fun? What is that? You can¡¯t expect me to hang a deration of love for you in the building across the street and then show up with a big bouquet of roses to confess to you. Is that what you would call fun?¡±

    Su Chen raised his handsome eyebrows and looked at her.

    ¡°I can¡¯t bring myself to do that. Those young people are impulsive for love. I¡¯m a mature old man, and you¡¯re not a little girl. If you tell me, what fun can we talk about? If I really do that, you might think that I¡¯m acting and showing off.¡±

    Su Chen was a person who hit the nail on the head. He was right.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I just feel like we¡¯ve been married for so long and it¡¯s too peaceful. We¡¯re like in water without much anticipation.¡±

    As Ji Zitong spoke, she sat down next to him.

    ¡°Anticipation? Are you feeling unhappy?¡±

    Su Chen immediately frowned and looked at her.

    Ji Zitong, on the other hand, shook her head. ¡°Not really. You¡¯re very good to me. Father, mother, and grandfather are also very lovely, I just think that we... actually, I went to the hospital for a checkupst month.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What did the doctor say?¡± Su Chen sat upright as he asked.

    Ji Zitong lifted a hand and touched her lower abdomen. She was a little puzzled as she said, ¡°The doctor said that my emotions aren¡¯t very stable. It¡¯s also possible that our lives arecking some kind of passion, so...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! When have I not worked so hard to make you faint, your lifecks passion? Would a lifecking passion do that? Don¡¯t believe those doctors¡¯nonsense. It¡¯s just that your body hasn¡¯t recovered properly and you¡¯re too stressed. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll tell mother to give you a month¡¯s vacation. When we¡¯re done with this busy period, we¡¯ll go out.¡±

    ¡°On a trip?¡± Ji Zitong¡¯s beautiful eyes lit up as she asked expectantly.

    ¡°Mmm, is there anywhere you want to go?¡±

    ¡°Where I want to go? How about the beach...¡±

 Chapter 1669 - Iâ€™ll Accompany You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1669: I¡¯ll Apany You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen naturally could not bear to reject Ji Zitong¡¯s anticipation. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and a smile appeared on his handsome face¡ª

    ¡°Alright then. I heard that Qinghai is pretty good this season. Let¡¯s go there and take a road trip.¡±

    Hearing this, Ji Zitong paused for a moment before nodding happily. She smiled and said, ¡°Alright! I¡¯ve been wanting to go there anyway, and I want to go to Dunhuang to take a look too.¡±

    Su Chen nodded. Suddenly, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace, ¡°As you wish. Have a good rest, eat what you need to eat and nourish what you need to nourish, you¡¯re too thin. Even if you get pregnant, you¡¯ll be the one suffering. I can¡¯t share the burden even if I wanted to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not very thin anymore. In fact, my waist has be a lot fuller. Don¡¯t you feel it? In the past, the belt on my skirt was on the first buckle. Now, it¡¯s the second buckle.¡±

    ¡°Is it? Let me check. Anyway, you¡¯re still the same here... ouch!¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Ji Zitong had already punched him. Su Chen cried out in pain too.

    ¡°Do you really care about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course. When the lights are off, that¡¯s what I can tell...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?¡±

    ...

    Time flew by quickly. When August was over, Dongfang Liuyun had only finished half of her work. Then came the many days of marketing.

    After more than half a month, she had lost a lot of weight. She was very thin to begin with, and now she was so thin that her chin was sharp. However, she was still busy day and night because the Mid-autumn Festival wasing!

    She had gotten off work for quite a while now, and the entire city was once again immersed in the brilliant lights.

    In an office on the upper floor of the Dongfang Group¡¯s building that towered into the clouds.

    At this moment, as usual, the lights were still on in the office. At her desk, Dongfang Liuyun was still flipping through the implementation results of the activity n.

    The entire department¡¯s employees had also gone back. After nearly a month, everyone was very busy and tired. Tomorrow was a rare weekend, and the Mid-autumn Festival was next week. Therefore, Dongfang Liuyun told everyone to go back and rest earlier, for them to preserve their energy and be prepared for next week¡¯s activities.

    The entire office was quiet. asionally, they could hear the sound of paper flipping and typing on the keyboard.

    ¡°Manager Yun, have some supper first. Red bean porridge and snacks. I was worried that you would be hungry, so I was going to go downstairs and prepare some food for you. I didn¡¯t expect Vice President Wang Chun to personally deliver it. Have some, it¡¯s still warm!¡±

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun was engrossed in her work, there was a knock on the door, followed by the voice of her secretary, Ding Xiaoling.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up and saw Ding Xiaoling walking in with arge food box.

    Actually, this was amon urrence. She had been working overtime until midnight recently. Wang Chun would call her to ask if she wasing home on time. If it was like tonight, he would bring the food straight to thepany.

    Dongfang Liuyun was grateful. Of course, she also felt warmed because of Qi Lei¡¯s thoughtfulness.

    ¡°Put it aside. Let¡¯s eat some together. After that, you can go back first. I have to be finished with this document. I have to hand it in for the meeting tomorrow.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she put down the document in her hand and walked over.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s eat something first, you must be starving!¡±

    Ding Xiaoling smiled and poured out some red bean porridge for Dongfang Liuyun as she took out the snacks.

    Dongfang Liuyun took them without hesitation and enjoyed them in silence.

    ¡°By the way, Manager Yun, President Gan asked me to let you know that the preliminary approval for Tai Yu Corporation has been passed. In two days, someone from there wille to discuss the specific cooperation with ourpany. President Gan asked you to slow down the event and personally receive the inspection team from there with Vice President Zhang.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling suddenly thought of this matter.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to give this matter to Vice Presidents Ren and Yi? How did it be Vice President Zhang?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned and asked doubtfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Naturally, the two Vice Presidents Ren and Yi are also in charge of this matter. However, Manager Yun, you should talk to President Gan. President Gan has his own ns in mind.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling had never questioned Dongfang Gan¡¯s decision. Moreover, she knew that Dongfang Gan was a fox that would not easily reveal his tail. Otherwise, after all these years, with his weak strength back then, he would not be able to sit firmly in this position.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and nodded silently, ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Also, Manager Yun, President Gan asked me to remind you not to forget Elder President Shu¡¯s birthday at the end of the month. He asked you... to remember to bring your husband back. Also, it¡¯s best to be more attentive when ites to gifts. Master Jin and Manager Rou have been going around for gifts recently, they were very attentive. You...¡±

    When Ding Xiaoling said this, her eyes were also looking at Dongfang Liuyun cautiously¡ª

    She knew that Dongfang Liuyun was very resistant to such words, but she could only bite the bullet and say it.

    As expected, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was a little tense, and her eyebrows were knitted together!

    After thinking for a long time, she replied, ¡°I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Manager Yun, it¡¯s better for you to pay more attention to this matter. Elder President Shu¡¯s mood has been a little unstable recently. It seems she¡¯s met with some unhappy things.¡±

    ¡°There are many things that she¡¯s unhappy about. If she¡¯s feeling happy, then when she gets happy, it would be because of us.¡±

    A meaningful smile shed across Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent face. Then, she lowered her head and continued to eat her porridge.

    ¡°But, Manager Yun, we can¡¯t be vague about this matter! Especially now that Master Jin and Manager Rou are both... We are also worried that you and your husband will be at a disadvantage. President Gan has emphasized it repeatedly.¡±

    ¡°I know what to do. I¡¯m not in the mood to drag an innocent person to deal with those hypocritical people. The olddy doesn¡¯t like to put on airs, so I don¡¯t need to curry favor with her.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s answer was straightforward. ¡°Just help me prepare a simple gift. As long as you can afford it, just tell me when you find it. I will transfer the money directly into your ount.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was cold and indifferent, and there was a chill in her tone. Ding Xiaoling did not dare to continue listening to her.

    ¡°Then, Manager Yun, when is President Qiing back?¡±

    Ding Xiaoling was actually a little curious about Qi Lei. Actually, it was only her and Ah Fei who were curious about Qi Lei¡ª

    Of course, they wanted to know the person who could actually marry their Manager Yun, the beloved daughter of President Gan...

 Chapter 1670 - Iâ€™ll Accompany You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1670: I¡¯ll Apany You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at her and also took in the curiosity in Secretary Ding¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°So what if he¡¯s back?¡±

    She asked indifferently, but Secretary Ding carefully observed her expression and then smiled, ¡°I¡¯m quite looking forward to it. Miss, when will you let us get to know your husband? Actually, in the past two years, the evaluation of your husband in the industry has been pretty good, especially now that Tai Yu Corporation is soaring. Our Master¡¯swork has been doing well in the past, and the viewership ratings for a few of the newly released dramas have been very high recently...¡±

    Secretary Ding subconsciously began to speak up for Qi Lei. For some reason, before they even met, she already had an inexplicable good impression of Qi Lei. Perhaps it was because she trusted Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s judgment.

    Someone who could catch the eye of someone like Dongfang Liuyun must be great, right?

    That was what Secretary Ding thought in her heart.

    Qi Lei was a person that many magazine coverspeted to report on. Previously, he often appeared on the cover, but after two years of increasing precipitation, he rarely appeared in front of the news media. Their understanding of Qi Lei was only from the media reports.

    ¡°Whether you see him or not, he¡¯s just that kind of person. When hees back, perhaps you¡¯ll be able to meet him.¡± Dongfang Liuyun simply swallowed the food in his mouth as she replied.

    ¡°Miss, do you want your husband to treat you?¡±

    Secretary Ding smiled.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun was quite straightforward. After finishing her supper, she felt much morefortable. Otherwise, she would have been so hungry that her stomach would have hurt.

    ¡°You should go back first. I have finished cleaning up. We been quite worn out recently, pay attention to your rest. Next week¡¯s tasks will be more important.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finished the water in her ss and stood up.

    ¡°Okay. Manager Yun, you should also clean up early and go home to rest. You are the one who has been tired the most these days.¡±

    Secretary Ding said as she cleaned up the table.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything more. She sat back down and continued to work.

    Secretary Ding watched and could only sigh. Then, she carefully left the office.

    After Secretary Ding left the office, it was already past nine o¡¯clock at night. Dongfang Liuyun went through the data again. When she packed up and was about to go back, she took her phone and realized that her phone had been set to silent mode. There were more than a dozen missed calls.

    Some were from Lan Xiu, and of course, there were also Qi Lei¡¯s...

    And Dongfang Gan¡¯s.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly returned Dongfang Gan¡¯s call. He was talking about Wang Chun¡¯s recent inspection of Dongfang Group. He had already started thinking of the partnership.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about work for now. Come home tomorrow. Your mother is home too. Let¡¯s have a meal together. Lan Xiu wille over as well. When Qi Lei gets back, let hime back often. Especially with Lan Xiu, you have to deal with these rtionships well. I can¡¯t and don¡¯t want to interfere with the affairs of your young people.¡±

    Dongfang Gan reminded her as he spoke.

    ¡°I understand, father. I¡¯ll go back with Qi Lei when he gets back. I¡¯ve been a little tired these past few days. I want to rest well for a few days. I haven¡¯t been to De Bao House for quite a while. Uncle Ming wants me to go over and take a look.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before replying. She had arranged the time well.

    On the other end, Dongfang Gan was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Up to you then.¡±

    ...

    When Qi Lei¡¯s call came again, Dongfang Liuyun was driving home.

    The streets at night were still quite quiet. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s speed was neither fast nor slow. When she slid down the answer button, Qi Lei¡¯s voice came through¡ª

    ¡°Are you driving? I made a lot of calls.¡±

    Qi Lei, who was at the end of City B, was walking on the quiet sidewalk. His tall and upright figure passed through the dim street lights. He pulled his suit jacket over his shoulder and was on the phone with Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Congrattions, you guessed right. I just came back from working overtime at thepany. Wang Chun sent the midnight snack to thepany just like yesterday. He¡¯s very dedicated. Come back and treat him to a meal or give him a raise. It¡¯s rare to have such a loyal and capable subordinate.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned off the music in the car and turned on the speakerphone.

    ¡°The person he serves is you. You¡¯re the one who should treat or reward him. Why should I give him a raise?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows, and a rare satisfied smile appeared on his handsome face.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear to reject your kindness. I naturally epted your arrangement. Don¡¯t forget what you said to me when you signed the Marriage Agreement,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly.

    ¡°What did I say?¡±

    ¡°You said that I¡¯m the Queen and you¡¯re a Knight.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fool me. I would never say something like that.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice of protest sounded, but the smile on his face widened slightly. ¡°However, I admit that I was indeed trying to curry favor with you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration. When will you be back?¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied unhappily.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a few more days. I have to rush back too. It¡¯s going to be the Mid-autumn Festival soon.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he handed his coat to Yang Sheng, who was carrying a briefcase behind him. Yang Sheng took it swiftly.

    ¡°I was thinking about you tonight. I was wondering when you would be back. Come home for dinner on the night of the Mid-autumn Festival.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly recalled the conversation she had with her father, Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few days. Are you still not done with your Mid-autumn Festival activities?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done. I¡¯ll make a report at the meeting tomorrow and hand in the documents.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t tomorrow the weekend? Do you have to work overtime?¡± Qi Lei frowned.

    ¡°The meeting with the higher-ups is too tight, so I can only squeeze in time for a meeting. Wish me luck tomorrow. I¡¯ve been busy for so long. After tomorrow, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Next, it¡¯s just a matter of execution.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said with a hint of exhaustion in her voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished the data sets for you. I¡¯ve sent them to your email. You can check it yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I saw it. I¡¯vepleted the execution image. If the event can bepleted sessfully this time, you¡¯ll also be a great contributor. I have to thank you properly.¡±

    ¡°How do you n to thank me then?¡± Qi Lei asked expectantly.

    ¡°Name the conditions, but I¡¯ll state in advance that I won¡¯t serve you.¡±

    ¡°Serve what?¡±

    Qi Lei touched his nose wickedly as he asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t I serve you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to be serious here.¡±

    Miss Dongfang¡¯s brows furrowed.

 Chapter 1671 - Iâ€™ll Accompany You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1671: I¡¯ll Apany You (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei finally stopped. He cleared his throat and thought about it seriously before replying in a low voice¡ª

    ¡°Bring me to Sky Restaurant No. 1 then. I haven¡¯t been there in many years, the scenery there should be much more beautiful now. In the past...¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he paused for a moment. His dark eyes suddenly shed with a trance.

    The ambience there was pretty good, the dishes were decent. Most importantly, he enjoyed it very much, the mood was great. A few years ago, he had wanted to ask Gu Lingsha to go with him, but it did not happen.

    Now that he thought about it, it seemed like everything had changed.

    Among the four of them, Qi Feng, Gu Lingsha, Mu Lingtian, and him, Qi Lei, he was the only one left...

    Thinking of this, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could naturally sense that something was wrong with him, so she slowed down slightly and asked in a low voice with a hint of concern in her tone.

    Qi Lei only slowed down at this moment, and his footsteps continued¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m wondering if you can fulfill this condition of mine.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily. ¡°Of course! Let¡¯s go on the night youe back. Confirm the time, I think we¡¯d need to make a reservation.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He answered simply.

    ...

    The couple chatted for a while. When they hung up, Qi Lei had arrived at the hotel.

    ¡°Master Qi, it¡¯s sote. You should rest early. Things here are just finishing up. Chairman Mu and President Xi will probably be back the day after tomorrow. School has already started for quite a while, they¡¯re worried about the children being home alone.¡±

    When Yang Sheng was preparing midnight snacks for Qi Lei, he could not help but say when he saw that Qi Lei was still fixated on the document in his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just need to improve the design on my side. I¡¯ll work on it tonight. I should be able to hand it over to President Li tomorrow. Call Vice President Yue now and ask him toe over tomorrow afternoon. When I hand this document over to President Li, he¡¯ll be in charge of things here. Also, make a reservation for the flight back to City Z tomorrow night. We¡¯ll rush back tomorrow.¡±

    Qi Lei reached for the cigarette packet on the table and took one out. He lit it up and took a leisurely puff. As he flipped open the document in front of him, he continued to read it.

    ¡°Tomorrow?¡±

    Yang Sheng was stunned and said in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too rushed, Master Qi?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as the mission ispleted. We¡¯ve been out for almost a month. If you like it, you can keep staying here. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Qi Lei answered without turning his head.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll definitely go back with you!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly replied, ¡°Do you want to tell Chairman Mu then?¡±

    Yang Sheng had already automatically ssified Qi Lei¡¯s decision as that their Master Qi was definitely missing the Missus at home!

    As he thought about it, he carefully narrowed his eyes at Qi Lei. Seeing that he was focused on flipping through the documents, he could not help butugh.

    ¡°Do as you see fit. Anyway, I have to return to City Z before eight o¡¯clock tomorrow night,¡± Qi Lei said.

    Only then did Yang Sheng clear his throat and quickly replied, ¡°Yes, Master Qi! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do it right away.¡±

    ¡°Make me a pot of tea first.¡±

    It was obvious that he wanted to stay upte toplete the task at hand¡ª

    Their Master Qi was really eager to return home!

    If Qi Lei knew that Yang Sheng thought so, he might have rolled his eyes at him!

    He had been staying out for nearly a month now, and he was already tired of staying out. After some time, he naturally wanted to go home and rest quietly for a few days.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun had been very busy recently, leaving early and returningte.

    She had restedtest night and was very tired in the morning. The dark circles under her eyes were also very obvious. She had to put on a light make-up to barely cover up the fatigue on her face.

    It was the weekend, but because the Mid-autumn Festival was fast approaching, the activities were also somewhat urgent. Thepany often held update meetings on Saturday mornings. As a project manager, Dongfang Liuyun had to attend this meeting of course.

    She arrived at thepany early in the morning. After Dongfang Liuyun had finished preparing the proposal, she sent it over straight to Lin Yuanyuan.

    The meeting was at nine o¡¯clock, and it was now past eight o¡¯clock. In theory, this proposal was meant for Lin Yuanyuan to go through.

    ¡°Manager Yun!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had just walked to the door of Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office when she saw Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s secretary walk out.

    ¡°Yes, is Manager Lin Inside?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°Manager Lin hasn¡¯te to work yet, but it should be about time. Are you here to deliver the proposal?¡±

    The secretary looked at Dongfang Liuyun and was polite. She had seen the scene that day and knew that Dongfang Liuyun had a great background. Therefore, she did not dare to neglect her now.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned when she heard this. She thought for a moment and was about to turn around and leave when the secretary spoke again, ¡°Manager Yun, Manager Lin will be here soon. You can leave this proposal here for now. Once Manager Lin gets to work, you will be able to handle it immediately.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°Then I will put it on her desk. You can remind herter that it is a document that will be used in a meeting. It is very urgent.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Manager Yun!¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, Dongfang Liuyun walked into the office and ced the document on Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s table, right in the middle where it was very eye-catching.

    After that, she instructed the secretary before leaving.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun probably would not know that not long after she left, another person came over.

    ¡°Good morning, Manager Rou!¡±

    Upon seeing Dongfang Rou¡¯er, the secretary greeted her respectfully.

    ¡°Mmm, good morning! Is my mother not here yet?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked as she walked towards Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office.

    ¡°Not yet, she should be here soon. Manager Rou, you should wait for a while. Usually she¡¯ll be arriving soon at about this time. I¡¯ll go make you a cup of coffee first!¡±

    ¡°Okay, hurry up, add a little more sugar!¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er walked towards Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office desk and said.

    ¡°Okay, Manager Rou! Please wait for a moment, it¡¯ll be ready soon!¡±

    The secretary quickly left.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er satfortably in Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office chair and leaned backfortably. Her beautiful eyes scanned her surroundings and soon found the document on the table. She was about to take it over and flip through it, however, a sound came from the door. The secretary had already brewed coffee and walked over.

    ¡°Manager Rou, please have some coffee¡ª Aiya!¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Dongfang Rou¡¯er subconsciously reached out her hand and identally touched the cup. The boiling hot coffee instantly spilled out...

 Chapter 1672 - Iâ€™ll Accompany You (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1672: I¡¯ll Apany You (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dark liquid spilled all over the table!

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! Manager Rou! I didn¡¯t mean it, I thought...¡±

    The secretary¡¯s flustered apology was quickly transmitted over as she pulled a tissue from the side to help Dongfang Rou¡¯er wipe her face.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face was somewhat unsightly, and her silver-gray long dress instantly became a mess. She had relied on her strong control to restrain herself from letting out that scream, however, the burning pain on the back of her hand really made her want to p her!

    ¡°Go away, get out!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not suppress her anger. She pulled a tissue at the side and began to wipe herself.

    Hearing what Dongfang Rou¡¯er said, the secretary¡¯s entire body subconsciously trembled. She stopped her actions in fear and looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er anxiously!

    ¡°What are you still standing there for? I told you to get out! Go to the HR Department on Monday and settle your sry. You don¡¯t have toe to work next month!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er endured the pain on the back of her hand and said with a darkened face.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! Manager Rou! I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I just...¡±

    The secretary¡¯s pitiful pleading sounded, but Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face seemed to be covered with ayer of ice and snow¡ª

    ¡°You should be d you spilled your coffee on me today. If it were any other important client, you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it! Thepany has always been particr about being strict in handling matters. Look at yourself! Get out!¡±

    ¡°Manager Rou...¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me, did you? Do you need me to call security?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone did not contain the slightest bit of room for discussion, and her heart was filled with annoyance and frustration!

    The secretary retreated with a face full of tears.

    ¡®Bam!¡¯

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at her own messy state and could not help but clench her teeth in her heart!

    Not to mention, she had to endure the pain from the back of her hand. She took a ss of water from the side and rinsed the cold water in it. Only then did she feel a little better. She looked at her own hand again, and the back of it was already red.

    She took a deep breath and looked down at herself. Then, she took out her phone and dialed a number for her secretary. She asked her to prepare a new set of clothes for herself.

    After the phone call, she began to tidy up the mess on the table. Of course, the document that Dongfang Liuyun had left on the table was swept straight into the trash bin by the side without even a second look.

    After tidying up, Lin Yuanyuan arrived at the office.

    ¡°Why is there a strong smell of coffee?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan had just walked through the door when the strong smell of coffee made her subconsciously frown.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er raised her gaze and looked at Lin Yuan who had just walked in. She took a deep breath and stood up from her chair¡ª

    ¡°Your secretary iscking in standards. The one from before is still the best. She couldn¡¯t even make a cup of coffee without getting it all over me. Look! So, I told her to go straight to the HR Department on Monday to settle her sry before telling her to leave!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked coldly at the stains on her and spoke in a cold tone.

    Lin Yuanyuan also nced at her and her brows furrowed even tighter!

    ¡°Enough, I know you have that temper. I like this secretary quite well, it was just a moment of carelessness. You don¡¯t have to go to the extreme.¡±

    ¡°Thepany isn¡¯t a ce where sympathy overflows. If you can¡¯t even do such a small thing well, what right do you have to stay on?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not think much of it.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that this matter will affect you badly. Sometimes, you¡¯re too serious, although that could be a good thing, you still have to... Ah! is your hand going to blister? Why is it so red!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan wanted to say something, but when she saw the red back of Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s hand, she immediately stopped what she was about to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just apply some medicine on itter.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said somewhat irritably, ¡°Hurry up and give me the information. I still have to look at it and then go back and change my clothes! The meeting is about to start!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better deal with your hands first, or else they¡¯ll get blistered!¡±

    As Lin Yuanyuan spoke, she ced her handbag on her table and her gaze quicklynded on the back of Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s just a burn! I don¡¯t want to watch how Dongfang Liu Yun will step on meter. Her wanting to dere war on me has been a long timeing!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er naturally couldn¡¯t forget what Dongfang Liuyun had said to her earlier¡ª

    And Jin Sheng...

    She had already silently sworn to herself that in her lifetime, she would firmly trample Dongfang Liuyun under her feet, especially to thwart her arrogance. She would see if she could still be so arrogant!

    ¡°Alright, then go back and bandage it properly. I¡¯ve also gone through the documents and information. You¡¯ve done a good job. I stayed up all nightst night to revise it for you. It should be about done now. You can take it back and digest it properly, it¡¯ll only be good things when you go up and make your statementter.¡±

    As Lin Yuanyuan spoke, she took out a document from her briefcase and handed it to Dong Fang Rou¡¯er.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er epted it very quickly. After thinking for a moment, she asked, ¡°Mother, has that Dongfang Liuyun not handed the proposal to you yet?¡±

    ¡°Who knows what¡¯s up with her? If she doesn¡¯t hand it over, her position will be threatened!¡±

    When Lin Yuanyuan said this, her tone was filled with disdain¡ª

    She felt that if Dongfang Liuyun were to continue on like this, her position would definitely be unstable!

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that behind her is Third Uncle and Song Siting. Those two are the old foxes. Mother, it¡¯s not necessarily a good idea to deal with her like this. It was a mistake for her to enter thepany. The cake is too big, and everyone wants a piece of it. However, I¡¯m afraid there are only a few who can truly enjoy it.¡±

    ¡°However, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s performance has been very good recently. Her overall strength is probablyparable to yours back then. Therefore, you have to be careful! The olddy isn¡¯t such a pedantic person. Moreover, when your grandfather was on his deathbed, he personally handed the Dongfang Group over to her. She knows what to do.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan lowered her eyes thoughtfully and said unhurriedly.

    ¡°You still want to count on grandma? Mother, are you out of your mind? Third Uncle is her real son. If she doesn¡¯t help her own son, what else could she do?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was filled with a trace of disdain.

    ..

    In Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s office.

    Dongfang Liuyun sent the documents over and then returned straight to her office to pack up some documents that she needed for the meeting. She waited for quite a while and the meeting was about to begin in ten minutes, but there was still no news about the document that was sent out!

    A strange feeling arose in her heart. After some thought, she dialed the number to Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office!

 Chapter 1673 - Iâ€™ll Accompany You (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1673: I¡¯ll Apany You (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The phone rang for a long time, but it was not picked up. She had probably gone straight to the meeting.

    Dongfang Liuyun had some doubts in her heart. Of course, there was also a hint of unease. After some thought, she packed up the documents. To be on the safe side, she printed out a few copies of the data Qi Lei had sent her, she then rushed to the meeting room.

    When she arrived at the meeting room, it was nine o¡¯clock on the dot. The people in the meeting room were almost all seated.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly found her seat and sat down. The seat most in front was where her father, Dongfang Gan, sat. On both sides were a few Vice Presidents of thepany. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi were not present, because it was not a decision-making meeting of thepany, it was mainly an update meeting of a few projects of thepany and a few departments.

    Lin Yuanyuan and Dongfang Rou¡¯er were also sitting across each other. They sat before Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s seat, their authority were higher than Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s.

    Not long after Dongfang Liuyun sat down, the sound of footsteps came from the door. Everyone subconsciously looked over. As expected, it was Dongfang Gan, his secretary, Ah Fei, and another secretary who walked in.

    He sat on the main seat and subconsciously nced around. Everyone who should have arrived had arrived. Dongfang Gan then gave Ah Fei a look. Ah Fei nodded and handed the documents in his hand to Dongfang Gan.

    Therge and luxurious meeting room was very quiet at this moment. It gave people a tensed feeling, especially when Dongfang Gan calmly opened the document in his hand and suddenly frowned.

    Everyone was tensed and silent for a moment before Dongfang Gan withdrew his gaze slightly. He turned his eyes away and shot a nce at Vice President Zhang beside him. Vice President Zhang nodded before opening his mouth to speak¡ª

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin the meeting. This time, the meeting will focus on the understanding, assessment, and work report of the few projects that thepany has in hand. The first project is the Jinjiang Project. Manager Zeng, you are in charge of this project. Why don¡¯t you give a brief introduction to everyone and the progress of your work?¡±

    As soon as he said this, everyone quickly turned their attention to a certain position. They saw a middle-aged man sitting in that position. The middle-aged man had a dignified appearance and looked capable. He reached out to take the document and flipped it open, using the multimedia on the other side of Dongfang Gan, he began to report on his work.

    Although these projects were not under Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s responsibility, Dongfang Liuyun listened very closely as she quickly analyzed, she also had some preliminary understanding of these projects.

    At the end of the presentation, Dongfang Liuyun had a general understanding of these projects¡ª

    These projects were the most recent projects of the Dongfang Group, and they were also projects with great influence, just like the project she was currently in charge of.

    When she retracted her gaze, she inadvertently nced at Lin Yuanyuan. She had wanted to ask about the status of the document she had just submitted, but...

    She keenly realized that the secretary who had been following Lin Yuanyuan all this time seemed to have disappeared. In the past, the secretary would always follow her for every meeting. When she came over just now, she did not see the secretary in the waiting room. Where did she go?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s delicate brows knitted together. She hoped that it was not what she had thought...

    ¡°Manager Yun, let¡¯s talk about the preparations for the Mid-autumn Festival¡¯s new productunch.¡±

    Soon, he heard this sentence.

    Dongfang Liuyun came back to her senses and reacted quickly.

    She took a deep breath and took the document in her hand. She flipped through it and was about to speak when Lin Yuanyuan suddenly spoke up¡ª

    ¡°Manager Yun, you seem to have forgotten something important! I asked you to hand in the document yesterday, but I still haven¡¯t seen any trace of your document? How are you doing your job?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s tone carried a hint of displeasure. Shepletely ignored Dongfang Gan, who had stopped reading the document.

    Dongfang Gan naturally looked at Lin Yuanyuan with a frown!

    Although he knew that this Lin Yuanyuan would make things difficult for his daughter, he did not expect her to be so arrogant!

    Dongfang Gan looked at his daughter again, he wanted to see how she would deal with it.

    Sure enough, Dongfang Liuyun calmly stood up and looked at Lin Yuanyuan, then calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already handed the document to your office. It¡¯s on your desk. Your secretary personally saw me hand it over. I¡¯ve been waiting on you for a long time, but you still haven¡¯t approved the document. If the previous incident happened again, I¡¯d admit to it. Without the document, I can still clearly report the work situation.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had read the document many times, and many of the items were clearly imprinted in her mind. In addition, she was a lecturer before, so it was not difficult for her to give a speech on the document.

    When she was teaching at University A, she had taught several sses in a row. Often, she did not need to bring a textbook to exin the points urately.

    Her cold gaze swept across Lin Yuanyuan with a hint of sarcasm. Without waiting for Lin Yuanyuan to react, she had already taken the document to where the multimedia was and pulled down the ckboard that had been put away, she sent down the few data graphs that she had just printed and began to exin with the data graphs...

    At this point, she could not help but admire Qi Lei.

    Previously, because the data was tooplicated, the entire document was filled with more than ten pages. Even Dongfang Liuyun was dizzy from reading it.

    Since Qi Lei had engineering background, his sensitivity to data was definitely above Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s. Hepressed more than ten to twenty pages of items onto this thin piece of paper, and Dongfang Liuyun outlined the main points sinctly, all the key points were clear at a nce.

    She gave a simple and fluent narration. Unlike the abstractions of the previous few, Dongfang Liuyun presented the key points very well. After twenty minutes, everyone felt that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s narration was not simply about a project, instead, it was a speech with art and humor.

    This kind of narration made everyone present feel a sense of enjoyment. Of course, from the beginning to the end, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful little face was meticulous.

    Arge ckboard was already filled with data and various key points. It was no different from her lecturing in a university.

    Even Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes were filled with praise¡ª

    He knew that his daughter would not be bad. Now look, who dared to say that his daughter did not have the ability to shoulder the burden on his shoulders?

 Chapter 1674 - Iâ€™ll Accompany You (7)

    <h4>Chapter 1674: I¡¯ll Apany You (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After more than twenty minutes, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression turned ugly, and even Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes darkened¡ª

    When Dongfang Liu Yun mentioned the document on Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s table, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had already thought of what happened in Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office this morning!

    She had probably thought that the document was trash and threw it into the dustbin!

    The entire meeting was suddenly filled with warm apuse. Amid everyone¡¯s praise, Dongfang Liuyun only gave a modest nod before quietly returning to her seat.

    Dongfang Gan looked at Dongfang Liuyun with satisfaction and said, ¡°You spoke well, but you still have to do what needs to be done. When you go back, make another copy of what you said today and hand it over to Manager Lin for approval.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Dongfang Liuyun quickly agreed.

    The meetingsted for nearly three hours. When it ended, it was already close to noon.

    They had started to rest in the afternoon.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun could not leave immediately because she had to chase that copy out.

    When Dongfang Gan went downstairs, she went straight to her office.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going back yet? I asked you make a copy of the document, but I didn¡¯t ask you to do it right away.¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at her daughter who was writing furiously at her desk and asked helplessly.

    ¡°I have to take advantage of the fact that I still remember most of it in my mind and quickly do it. Otherwise, I might forget somethingter. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go out to eat somethingter. I¡¯ll rush back and will finish it tonight. I definitely won¡¯t have time to do these things next week. Next week, I¡¯ll have to do marketing all day. Time is too short.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she did not even lift her eyelids. She began to quickly and nimbly type on the keyboard in front of her.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll apany you for a while! Let¡¯s talk! Did Lin Yuanyuan deliberately put away the document? Did you really hand in the document?¡± Dongfang Gan asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m 100% sure that I ced the document right in the middle of her desk. Even a blind person would be able to find that document. Of course, as for how it disappeared after that, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want to make wild guesses. It¡¯s just a document. At worst, I¡¯ll just do it again. I don¡¯t have time to quarrel with them. Father, you don¡¯t have to worry about this matter for the time being. We should prioritize things. It¡¯s fine if you want to know the reason, but right now, it¡¯s not the main thing.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not mind. It was always best to endure and not speak out.

    ¡°It¡¯s naturally for the best if you can think of it this way. I¡¯m also worried about a fire in the harem. If it were your mother, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to take this lying down. With your personality, I don¡¯t have to worry about many things.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s tone became more sincere. He pulled out the chair opposite Dongfang Liuyun and sat down¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ve long expected that they wouldn¡¯t let you have it easy either. Otherwise, I¡¯ll arrange a few bodyguards for you. That way, I¡¯ll feel more at ease and directly be your chauffeur.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, father! I¡¯m a low-profile person, and I don¡¯t want to go out in a grandiose manner every time. I¡¯ve been out here for so many years, and I¡¯ve experienced many dangers. I know how to protect myself, so you¡¯d better think about yourself and Ms. Song. The incident where you were injured in Myanmar made me worry for a while. I¡¯m not able to take care of myself now. Father, you have to be careful. Don¡¯t let anything happen to you, or else I won¡¯t be able to clean it up myself.¡±

    ¡°Are you cursing me?¡±

    Dongfang Gan nced at Dongfang Liuyun unhappily while Dongfang Liuyun just shrugged¡ª

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m just reminding you to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Oh right, when will Qi Lei return? After the Mid-autumn Festival, I might have to go to Myanmar in September. There¡¯s a problem with the mine there, and I have to go. The dispute there can¡¯t be easily resolved,¡± said Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°Go to Myanmar?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped what she was doing after Dongfang Gan said that. She silently looked up at Dongfang Gan with a serious look in her eyes¡ª

    ¡°Must you go? The situation there isn¡¯t very stable. It would be very dangerous to go there at this time. Besides, you¡¯ve experienced it before.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was filled with disapproval. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Can¡¯t we let other people go there?¡±

    ¡°The secret of the mine is one of the biggest secrets of the Dongfang Group. A lot of the raw materials ourpany producese from there, and we work with the people there. If they find out about it and take control of it, I¡¯m afraid that this hugepany will have no ce for us sooner orter. I don¡¯t have anything to do with it. The main thing is you and your mother. If we don¡¯t handle this properly, a lot of people will be implicated. So, I have to personally handle this matter,¡± said Dongfang Gan quietly.

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned and carefully considered her father¡¯s words. Naturally, he felt that it was very reasonable, but...

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll go over a few dayster. After grandmother¡¯s birthday, there¡¯s still Qi Lei¡¯s side...¡±

    Dongfang Gan nodded, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know. Let¡¯s quickly settle the matter between Qi Lei and you. It¡¯s nothing much at this stage. Your grandmother is a shrewd person. Although I¡¯m her son, it doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯s biased towards me. It¡¯s the same for you. The rise and fall of the Dongfang family is tied to her. You have to be understanding of her.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there that I don¡¯t understand? She has always wanted to be a great and righteous person, a wise person in the family. I can understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your grandmother was so strong all her life, but she lost to... However, it¡¯s naturally best that you cane to your senses. Each of us has our own standpoints. By standing in the other party¡¯s position and analyzing their thoughts, we will be able to understand our opponents more clearly.¡±

    ¡°Alright, father, I know what you want to say. I don¡¯t feel not at ease in my heart. I am very open-minded. In fact, there is nothing that I can¡¯t see through. Things have alreadye to this point. When you want to go over, you must be fully prepared. Safetyes first in everything. If you lose your life then nothing else matters,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun calmly.

    Dongfang Gan smiled and took a shallow breath, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know what I¡¯m doing. Your mother is probably tacitly agreeing to the matter between you and Qi Lei. Don¡¯t think too much about it. Just live your life. I¡¯ll be very happy when you have a child and I be a grandfather. We¡¯re not young anymore.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s fair face turned slightly red. ¡°Let nature take its course. It¡¯s not something you can manifest just by thinking about it. Ms. Song only had me after being married to you for more than two years. I can¡¯t be anxious about it.¡±

 Chapter 1675 - Returning Home Late At Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1675: Returning Home Late At Night (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a round of conversation, when the father and daughter came back to their senses, it was already past two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. They were not going to make it for lunch.

    Dongfang Liuyun closed the document in her hand, took her cell phone and car keys from the side, looked at her father who was flipping through the document and said¡ª

    ¡°Put down the document. Let¡¯s go have afternoon tea, father!¡±

    Dongfang Gan stopped what he was doing and looked at Dongfang Liuyun. Naturally, he agreed readily.

    ...

    Zhou Zimo did not expect Su Chen toe looking for him.

    He had been hiding for quite a while, and there were some things that had been piling up at thepany. In addition, the old man at home had not been feeling well recently, so he rushed home to take care of the old man for a few days. Now that it was the weekend, he did not have time to rest, he came to thepany early in the morning to deal with the pile of work.

    ¡°Why did you suddenlye to visit me out of the blue?¡±

    Zhou Zimo brewed two cups of tea and walked over. He looked at Su Chen with some doubt. Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice echoed in the luxurious and grand office. Su Chen, on the other hand, was sitting leisurely on the sofa, flipping through a magazine in his hand.

    ¡°I just came from your house. Grandpa Zhou¡¯s health doesn¡¯t seem to be in good shape. He said that if you don¡¯t find him a granddaughter-inw, he¡¯ll be in the hospital soon. Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡±

    As Su Chen spoke, he put down the magazine in his hand and took the tea. He took a simple sip and asked.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo could not help but feel helpless. He said in a low voice, ¡°I know. In the past, I thought he was just pretending. But this time, I personally took care of him for a few days before I realized...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. You should think about it carefully. After all, you¡¯re really not young anymore. I didn¡¯t want to bring up those things to you because I don¡¯t want to dig up your scars, but there are some things that you can only choose to forget once it¡¯s passed. It can only be said that fate is not your cup of tea. No matter how you think about it, it¡¯s useless. I don¡¯t want you topare the past with the present. There are many outstanding women out there. Without this one, there is still the next one waiting for you. Do you understand?¡±

    At this moment, Su Chen looked at Zhou Zimo with some disappointment. His heart was filled with helplessness...

    ¡°Ah Chen said that among us brothers, you are actually the most easygoing person. However, from the looks of it, you are also the one who likes to get into a dead end. If you continue to be like this, I think you wouldn¡¯t find the true love of your life.¡±

    ¡°True love? What is true love? Don¡¯t tell me that I still have the chance to talk about true love at my age! Are you kidding me?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at Su Chen disapprovingly. After he finished speaking, he thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°I don¡¯t want to think too much about it now. Since it¡¯s already like this, I don¡¯t dare to think about matters of love anymore. If I¡¯m forced to find a woman to marry, I can only find one that is suitable for marriage. I don¡¯t have the time to think about these personal matters anymore.¡±

    Su Chen listened and could not help but nce at him, disagreeing, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll talk about it when the timees, you might fall in love with someone, when the timees, you won¡¯t be able to say such a definite thing. Ah Chen¡¯s suggestion, you can consider it. Seeing that you¡¯re a spiritual person, it¡¯s really too difficult for you to find a woman whose soul ispatible with yours. It¡¯s normal for a man to have a few female confidants. If you can¡¯t bear to part with these...¡±

    ¡°F *ck off, do you think I¡¯m the same type of person as you? I, Zhou Zimo, have always been a good person and never messed around. Can those vulgar cosmetics make me fall for them? You¡¯re the one with female confidants! Don¡¯t think that you can lecture me just because your rtionship with Ji Zitong is harmonious. I know all about your first times!¡±

    Zhou Zimo red at Su Chen in anger.

    Su Chen¡¯s handsome face changed when he heard this. He cleared his throat and could not hide the awkwardness on his face¡ª

    ¡°You have to forget about this. Otherwise, I, your brother, will break off rtions with you, do you hear me?¡±

    ¡°You know shame too? If you doubt me again in the future, I¡¯m definitely not afraid of exposing these scandals to Ji Zitong! You act like a pure and innocent virgin, but in fact, the most boring person is you, Su Chen!¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at Su Chen wickedly, his gaze stopping on a certain part of Su Chen.

    ¡°Alright, now your entire body is filled with a strong scent of perverted hormones. Zhou Zimo, I¡¯m speaking to you very strictly now, I¡¯m not telling any dirty jokes!¡±

    Su Chen knew Zhou Zimo¡¯s personality well, at this moment, he began to protest with some dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Keep pretending! Even if I really want to do this, I don¡¯t necessarily have the resources. Otherwise, you can introduce me to the most beautiful female traffic police officer in your station. I might consider it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still as shallow as before. Do you think that a beautiful woman is really suitable for you?¡±

    ¡°You also know my character, Zhou Zimo. A woman will either choose someone with good character and good looks, or choose someone with good looks and not much abilities. In any case, there has to be something about her that I want to explore. Otherwise, why would I be so patient and stay with a person whom I have no feelings for?¡±

    ¡°Since when are you such a shallow person?¡± Su Chen frowned and asked.

    ¡°What I said is just the truth. What kind of foundation do you think a marriage without feelings is built on? In my opinion, it is definitely a condition! Ask yourself what do you think about your marriage with Ji Zitong?¡±

    Su Chen was stunned when Zhou Zimo said this. He then seriously considered Zhou Zimo¡¯s words. After thinking for a long time, he finally said¡ª

    ¡°You might not really understand me and Zitong now. At least, I like her now.¡±

    Su Chen did not hesitate to reveal his feelings for Ji Zitong. ¡°She¡¯s the first woman I really like, and she¡¯ll be thest.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sure. How do you exin the art teacher from before then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s purely appreciation. Don¡¯t make things moreplicated for me. You and Ah Chen know best what those things are like. Alright, Zimo, listen to me. Don¡¯t think about those things anymore. Let yourself go and pursue a new life.¡±

    Su Chen did not tell Zhou Zimo. Through his investigation, he already knew that a certain someone did not seem to be very happy after getting married. Recently, she seemed to be in the midst of a divorce. who could guarantee that she would note back?

    He was really afraid that this silly boy, Zhou Zimo, would fall head over heels for her again. So, now, he had to make sure this guy had no way out. That way, he would not have too many choices!

 Chapter 1676 - Returning Home Late At Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1676: Returning Home Late At Night (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Su Chen said this, Zhou Zimo rolled his eyes at him.

    ¡°Only you are allowed to admire her purely, and I can¡¯t?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was filled with protest. After a moment¡¯s thought, he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t overestimate her influence in my heart. I just don¡¯t have too many thoughts...¡±

    ¡°You just don¡¯t have too many thoughts on women. Enough! I know you want to say this!¡±

    Before Zhou Zimo could finish, Su Chen had already interrupted him and said disapprovingly, ¡°When ites to not having the mood to fall in love, I¡¯m afraid that only people like me have the least amount of energy. You¡¯re in charge of argepany after all. Do you think that I¡¯m worried of you not having the time to fall in love?¡±

    Su Chen exposed Zhou Zimo¡¯s thoughts without hesitation.

    ¡°I can still believe a person like Ah Chen, but I won¡¯t believe too much from your mouth, especially a person like you who abandons yourself to a life of pleasures!¡±

    ¡°Then you really think too highly of me. Of course I wouldn¡¯t deprive myself of a life of pleasures. I obviously can¡¯tpare to Qi Lei though, he¡¯s the one who takes in much pleasures.¡±

    Zhou Zimo shrugged his shoulders disapprovingly and sipped his tea leisurely.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about you now. Don¡¯t drag Qi Lei into your problem, I even feel bad for him! You¡¯ve never faced this problem head-on before. Every time I say it, it goes in one ear and out the other. Can¡¯t you be a little more serious?¡±

    At this moment, Su Chen was finally irritated by Zhou Zimo. His tone instantly carried some pressure.

    ¡°Alright, I got it. Don¡¯t put pressure on me anymore. I¡¯m going crazy!¡± Zhou Zimo also erupted.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t gone crazy now, have you? It¡¯s fine if you¡¯ve gone crazy, can just find a random woman to stop you, but you aren¡¯t crazy yet, are you? If Ah Chen were here today, you would be despised for a while!¡± Su Chen said in a bad mood.

    ¡°How mean of you guys. I just wanted a little peace and quiet. Don¡¯t tell me that I have to get married before I can live a peaceful life? Who set the rules? Who set the rules that I have to get married to carry on the family line? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m some pig!¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not suppress the anger in his heart. He could not help but put down his cup and roared.

    ¡°It really is like that. If you don¡¯t get married, don¡¯t even think about peace. Who asked the Zhou family to have only one precious child, which is you? Even if you don¡¯t think for yourself, you have to think for the family. It¡¯s not easy for them. Just take it that you have to sacrifice yourself to satisfy everyone, who hasn¡¯t gone through that? To tell you the truth, I had the same thoughts back then! But after we got married, I realized that I didn¡¯t feel the same anymore.¡±

    As Su Chen spoke, he ced the cup in his hand down heavily. With a thud, the water in the cup sshed out in all directions. He stood up and his expression did not look too good.

    When he heard this, Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment. He looked at Su Chen with a meaningful gaze.

    ¡°Are you trying to say that you¡¯re sure that you¡¯re in love with Ji Zitong?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    Su Chen took the hat from the side and put it on his head, ¡°She¡¯s the rightful Mrs. Su. What¡¯s so strange about me falling in love with her? Rtionships are hard to predict. When everything is done, you¡¯ll realize that you won¡¯t be able to resist fate. When the timees, I hope that you won¡¯t reject it and ept it bravely. The current you is too muddle-headed, I have to knock some sense into you!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t say more. You can do as you see fit. On Grandpa Zhou¡¯s side, he is really disappointed in you. Before he gets old, haven¡¯t you thought of letting him witness his granddaughter-inw carry his great-grandson?¡±

    Su Chen nced at Zhou Zimo and did not say anything else. He strode out of the door.

    The sound of the door closing was heard. Zhou Zimo raised his gaze to look at the closed door. His eyes darkened, and his entire body went limp. His ten fingers ran through his ck hair. He took a deep breath and leaned back into the sofa behind him¡ª

    He was feeling more and more shakened, and the pressure on him was also increasing.

    However, could such a thing be achieved, especially if he was forced to?

    Would he have needed to wait until today then?

    However, he had to admit that in the past two years, all of his brothers had gotten married. Even if he wanted to ask them out for a drink like before, it might not be convenient for them toe out. After all, they were all people with families, although the feelings between the brothers had not faded, but..

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo felt even lonelier. He could not help but feel a sense of loneliness in his heart.

    After a long pause, he stood up slowly and returned to his desk to continue working.

    Now, only by making himself busy could he feel a little relieved. He knew that Su Chen was actually not wrong. It was just that he wanted to follow his heart too much. He did not want topromise and make do. He also did not want to let his feelings..

    ...

    When Su Chen came out, he naturally did not look too good.

    Today, he specially went to visit Old Master Zhou. Of course, Ji Zitong also went with him. When Su Chen went to look for Zhou Zimo, Ji Zitong was waiting in the car. She knew that the two brothers had something to talk about, Ji Zitong knew what to do and stayed in the car.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look good? Didn¡¯t you have a good chat?¡±

    Seeing the man sitting in the driver¡¯s seat with a bad look on his face, Ji Zitong quietly started the car. She shifted her gaze away from the clothes and magazines in front of her and looked at the man.

    Su Chen drove the car out of the parking spot swiftly. His thin lips were tightly pursed. He looked very serious and his handsome face was a little tense. One look and one could tell that he was in a bad mood.

    ¡°I can¡¯tmunicate with him now. It¡¯s better to wait for Ah Chen to get back and have a good talk with him. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be of any use. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll be angered to death by him. I can understand how Grandpa Zhou and the others feel now.¡±

    Su Chen raised his hand to rub his slightly sore forehead and said weakly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, in fact, for someone like Zhou Zimo, he knows most what he wants. It¡¯s useless to try to reason with him. He probably just doesn¡¯t want to be wronged. He doesn¡¯t even have the courage to face the uncertain life in the future. It was the same for us in the past. It wasn¡¯t easy to take that step, we couldn¡¯t even convince himself.¡±

    Ji Zitong understood and said, ¡°Give him some time to sort it out. He¡¯ll figure it out on his own. Besides, these are things he can¡¯t worry too much about.¡±

 Chapter 1677 - Returning Home Late At Night (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1677: Returning Home Late At Night (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Ji Zitong¡¯s words, Su Chen¡¯s expression eased up a little. He fell silent for a moment before he said¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that he¡¯ll really be all alone. Ah Chen and I are already married, he¡¯ll definitely feel helpless and lonely! We¡¯ve never left him out whenever we did anything, this time it¡¯s the same, of course we¡¯ll have to nudge him more.¡±

    Su Chen was actually very worried about Zhou Zimo. To be honest, he was really worried about the few of them. Indeed, Zhou Zimo was an idiot. Mu Yuchen was a deep and shrewd person. Su Chen was not too bad, but Zhou Zimo might not be, although he seemed to be ying well on the field, in reality, his temper might not be as good as Su Chen and Mu Yuchen¡¯s.

    ¡°But even if you want to control it now, it¡¯s useless.¡±

    Ji Zitong rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°I know. Am I not troubled right now? I¡¯m more anxious as the observer than the one involved! I thought things weren¡¯t that serious before. You saw how Grandfather Zhou was like just now. He¡¯s also worried to death because of this matter. He¡¯s using all sorts of methods. This time, he¡¯s really fallen sick. His heart is burning with anxiety, just like my old man at home. It¡¯s not too good.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness. ¡°I do regret nudging him toote. If not, perhaps now...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if worrying could resolve the problem then I won¡¯t stop you! He knows what to do, we¡¯ll see how it goes. Mother and father are probably preparing dinner at home, let¡¯s go back early. We still have to rush back to the old residence early tomorrow. Grandpa¡¯s recovery isn¡¯t too bad. I¡¯ve prepared some things at home, we¡¯ll have to go back to take it.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in a good condition. Why don¡¯t I drive and you can take a nap?¡± Ji Zitong suggested.

    Su Chen thought about it and nodded. Then, he pulled the car to the side and quietly got out of the car. He switched ces with Ji Zitong before Ji Zitong steadied herself and continued to drive ahead.

    ...

    In a luxurious and beautiful vi in City B.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had already packed their things while Li Si was instructing his subordinates to move the things into the car.

    Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi personally sent Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye out, their faces filled with reluctance¡ª

    ¡°Bro, sis-inw, why don¡¯t you guys stay for a few more days? You only stayed here for a short while before going back. We haven¡¯t really gone out to walk around yet. Thest time, we only went to some nearby ces with sis-inw. If it weren¡¯t for the children starting school in time, we might have been able to hang out for a few more days.¡±

    Mu Lingshi reached out to hold Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen¡¯s hands as she tried to persuade them.

    Xi Xiaye exchanged a look with the man before she replied with a smile, ¡°We¡¯ve been here for a month already, how is that not a long time? There¡¯s been a lot of work that have been piling up at thepany. Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er are over there, I¡¯ll be worried if I don¡¯t get to see them. There will be many more opportunities in the future. Next August and September, your brother ns to go to Europe for a trip, if you and Ah Mo can, maybe we can go together.¡±

    ¡°August and September? We¡¯ll see then, we¡¯ve just only gotten familiar with thepany, I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll have things sorted by then, but I¡¯ll definitely go back to spend new years there.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, okay, bring our little nephew back. Grandfather, as well as mother and father will definitely be overjoyed.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled happily.

    ¡°Mmm!¡±

    ¡°Bro, I¡¯ll keep an eye on things here too. Don¡¯t worry, there won¡¯t be any problems!¡±

    Ah Mo also felt a little heartache as he looked at Mu Yuchen, who had been so busy recently.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t be apanying you guys tonight. President Li has arranged a banquet at the hotel. Your sister-inw and I also happen to be staying at the hotel. We still have some finalizing work to discuss. We¡¯ll head straight back to City Z tomorrow. You two don¡¯t have to speciallye over to send us off. Time is pretty tight. Whenever you¡¯re free, juste home to visit. As long as you both do well, we¡¯ll be relieved.¡±

    It was Mu Yuchen who spoke. There was a rare gentle smile on his handsome face. As he spoke, he looked at Mu Lingshi beside him.

    Mu Lingshi then nodded with her eyes slightly hot. She quickly nodded, and her voice was already filled with some uncontroble sobs¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ve been away for so long and haven¡¯t been home much. Bro, actually, I¡¯ve been missing home a lot. I...¡±

    Then, she could not help but throw herself into Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and let this girl hug him. He patted her shoulder gently. ¡°If you¡¯re homesick,e back! Nothing has changed at home. Your room is cleaned every week and it¡¯s still there.¡±

    When she heard such emotional words, Mu Lingshi¡¯s teary eyes suddenly heated up. The tears in her eyes could not help but fall. She suddenly hugged Mu Yuchen tightly. Behind her, Ah Mo went up and pulled her away. He hugged her very considerately¡ª

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re grown up now, it¡¯s not like you can never go back. After we¡¯re done with the matters at hand, let¡¯s go back and visit.¡±

    Ah Mo consoled her sensitively.

    Mu Lingshi then sniffed and nodded.

    Mu Yuchen looked down at the scene in front of him. The smile on his face widened a little as he felt a wave of softness in his palm. He did not look at it, but he immediately tightened his grip on that softness. After a while, he looked away.

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly as she met his gaze.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to send us off. We¡¯re getting into the car. We can call when we have time! Also, you two must do well okay!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, goodbye brother, sister-inw!¡±

    The few of them then reluctantly said their goodbyes.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye looked at each other and smiled. After that, Mu Yuchen gently held Xi Xiaye as they walked towards the car. The husband and wife silently got into the car. Very quickly, the car drove on and soon, it disappeared into the vast twilight.

    At this moment, the sky had long fallen silent. Under the vast sky, there was a gray and empty scene.

    Mu Lingshi looked in the direction where the car had disappeared, and she did note back to her senses for a long time.

    Even Ah Mo who was hugging her called her a few times, but she did not seem to be able to react.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been away for so long. Every time I see them, I realize that I actually miss them very much. Ah Mo, do you feel happy?¡±

    After an unknown amount of time, Mu Lingshi finally snapped out of her thoughts. She turned her head and looked up at Ah Mo as she asked softly.

    Ah Mo was stunned by her question. He thought about it seriously for a moment before suddenly hugging her tightly and whispering in her ear¡ª

    ¡°I feel very happy. With them, you, and my son, this is the greatest happiness for me. I have no choice but to thank the heavens for their kindness...¡±

 Chapter 1678 - Returning Home Late At Night (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1678: Returning Home Late At Night (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s face was filled with tears as she listened...

    Yes, she could not help but feel grateful for the blessings of the heavens. She felt truly happy now. So many people missed her. She floated in this world, going around in circles, but she also knew that the people she loved the most stood behind her.

    It was often said that one had to lose to gain something. If all the misfortune and suffering in the past were for this moment, then she suddenly felt lucky. Perhaps those things did not matter at all?

    Ah Mo hugged her even tighter as she leaned into his embrace and sobbed silently.

    Ah Mo just took a deep breath and patted her shoulder gently. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. Everything is good now, just cherish it.¡±

    It was rare for Mu Lingshi to be so fragile. Even in difficult times, she might not cry like this. However, the more she felt like this, the more she could not control herself.

    ...

    Mu Lingshi was not the only one who felt like that, Xi Xiaye, who was sitting in the car also felt the same way.

    After they got into the car, the husband and wife did not say anything. Xi Xiaye just sat there and quietly watched the scenery outside the car window as it continuously retreated. Her gaze was a little absent-minded. The entire space seemed a little surreal as well.

    Mu Yuchen just sat beside her and did not say anything. He gently leaned against the back of the chair behind him and was leisurely closing his eyes to rest. When he noticed the faint downcast mood that came from her beside him, he thought about it and then asked¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t bear to part with them?¡±

    A deep and emotional voice slowly sounded.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye took a shallow breath. She propped her head by the car window as she said calmly, ¡°I <i>am</i> a little reluctant to part with them, but when I see that they¡¯re doing well, I feel a lot more at ease. I just feel a little sad that they had to leave City Z and start a new life here. Hey, Mr. Mu, actually, if it were me, I might not have such courage.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the courage because you wouldn¡¯t have me. Aren¡¯t you convinced that you can¡¯t leave me now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen opened his eyes and nced at her with a smile that Xi Xiaye could not understand.

    She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You don¡¯t know that. Don¡¯t try to use this to pin me down.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you pin me down too?¡±

    He smiled disapprovingly as he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace.

    Xi Xiaye obediently leaned into his embrace as she tugged at his tie. ¡°If you¡¯re restless, even if I get ten dogs to watch you, it won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°So, are you praising me?¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly caught the main point of her words.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled without saying anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you praised me like that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if your narcissistic little universe is about to explode, but don¡¯t spoil the children. Don¡¯t forget your strict father¡¯s image. But, to be honest, you¡¯re more dignified in front of the children. Usually, even if I keep a straight face, it doesn¡¯t mean that the children are really scared. Why is your gaze so lethal?¡±

    ¡°A person¡¯s charisma isn¡¯t something that ordinary people can learn.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really getting more narcissistic as you get older. When we hurry back tomorrow, let¡¯s go straight to the Mu residence. My son is over there, I miss them very much now. Last night, they called me and called to us for a long time, asking us when we¡¯d be back...¡±

    ¡°Mmm, just let Li Si arrange it. Go back and rest early tonight. I still have work to finalize with President Li, it might get a littlete. If it¡¯ste, you should rest first. You don¡¯t have to wait for me.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. It¡¯s easy for me to lose sleep by myself,¡± replied Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked down at her. His arms around her suddenly tightened as well.

    ...

    ¡°Qi Lei seems to have gone back today, right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that Qi Lei had been very busy recently. Ever since he arrived in City B, she had almost never seen him idle. Every time she saw him, he was always busy. The two of them basically did not get to chat, she wondered how he was doing with his new wife, Miss Dongfang.

    She was a dazzling woman. At least, in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes, she admired her from the bottom of her heart. However, it seemed like it was often that kind of woman whose hearts seemed especially cold. When was Qi Lei confident that she would fall in love with him?

    Moreover, she did not hear about Qi Lei going after Dongfang Liuyun. How did this fate start just like that?

    ¡°Mmm, he should only arrive in City Z in the evening. He¡¯s been away for so long. With someone there, he naturally can¡¯t stay.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was hinting at something.

    When XI Xiaye heard this, she immediately smiled and understood, ¡°I was worried about him before, but now, I¡¯ve finally seen him give himself up. Miss Dongfang is a pretty good person. If I were a man, I think I¡¯d definitely be deeply attracted to her. I¡¯ve only met her a few times, but every time I see her, it¡¯s always...¡±

    ¡°Then, I should be d that you¡¯re not a man, or else...¡±

    Before she could finish, Mu Yuchen had already nced at her from the side, causing her to immediately stop speaking. She could not help but lower her gaze and clear her throat as she exined, ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯m just making a metaphor to express my personal appreciation.¡±

    ¡°Alright, with your personality, even if you¡¯re an outstanding yboy, it doesn¡¯t mean that others will take a fancy to you. In the end, you still have to return to my side.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible! My market demand isn¡¯t inferior to yours at all.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was obviously not convinced.

    ¡°What I said is also the truth. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun are actually quite suitable from my point of view. A person like Qi Lei isn¡¯t someone that just anyone can get. For example, if you were really given to Qi Lei back then, even after you get married, you might not be able to control him because even though your experiences are simr, in terms of personality...¡±

    ¡°I know...¡±

    Before Mu Yuchen could finish, Xi Xiaye had already cut him off

    ¡°We were actually filled with negative energy back then. If we really got together, I¡¯m afraid it would have just...¡±

    In fact, she knew very clearly how it would have turned out.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know, but Dongfang Liuyun is different. The temperament and tenacity that she exudes is exactly what Qi Lei needs, and you need the same thing. I should be d that there are still people who arepatible with each other in this world. They let us meet in the vast sea of people and not miss out on each other.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his tone was filled with an indescribable calmness...

 Chapter 1679 - Returning Home Late At Night (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1679: Returning Home Late At Night (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At night in City Z, the lights were exceptionally enchanting.

    The nended steadily on the runway. When Qi Lei walked out of the airport¡¯s VIP Lane, it was already past seven o¡¯clock in the evening.

    The person who came to pick him up was Wang Chun.

    Seeing Qi Lei walk out of the airport from afar, Wang Chun also squeezed in.

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    Wang Chun and the two bodyguards in ck called out to Qi Lei. Qi Lei and the rest soon noticed them as well.

    He was dressed in an iron-gray slim suit. The cuff links had already been opened. His handsome face was very calm and no expression could be seen on it. His ck eyes should be as deep as the still sea. The noble aura around him was very obvious at this moment.

    However, there was a hint of hidden fatigue between his brows. Yang Sheng followed behind him with his briefcase.

    Qi Lei nodded when he saw Wang Chun and the others.

    ¡°Get in the car quickly!¡±

    Wang Chun quickly opened the car door. Qi Lei quickly got in as well. Wang Chun also sat in the front passenger seat.

    ¡°Drive.¡±

    As Qi Lei said that, Wang Chun quickly signaled to the driver beside him. The driver quickly started the car.

    The car drove out steadily. Behind it was the car that the ck-shirted bodyguard and Yang Sheng were sitting in.

    ¡°How is she?¡±

    After the car drove for a long distance, Qi Lei, who was sitting at the back, asked in a low voice. Perhaps because he was a little tired, his voice was slightly hoarse.

    She?

    Wang Chun was stunned for a moment, but he quickly came back to his senses. He knew who Qi Lei was referring to.

    ¡°Second Master, Missus is quite well. But recently, she¡¯s been quite busy. She always returning homete. She went to thepany for a meeting early this morning, and something seemed to have happened. She¡¯s still working overtime at thepany and hasn¡¯t even eaten dinner. When I knew that Second Master wasing back, I didn¡¯t make dinner and send it over,¡± Wang Chun quickly replied.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Qi Lei frowned as he listened.

    ¡°I asked around. It was Missus¡¯ documents that were sent to Lin Yuanyuan, but the documents disappeared. Fortunately, Madam was quick-witted and got through with a few data graphs. However, she needed to hand in the documents. She¡¯s working overtime at thepany because of this.¡±

    Wang Chun¡¯s ability to do things was naturally extraordinary. He had expected that Qi Lei would ask about this, so he had already asked around.

    Qi Lei¡¯s frown deepened.

    ¡°Lin Yuanyuan?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Dongfang Ren¡¯s first wife. She¡¯s a capable woman. When she was pregnant with Dongfang Xin, she hadn¡¯t entered the Dongfang family yet. Old Dongfang didn¡¯t really approve of her. It actually wasn¡¯t easy for her to get to where she is right now. She has quite a few people in the Dongfang Group. Maybe this is the disadvantage of the family business. Her family background isn¡¯t simple, so Dongfang Ren has to worry about her. After all, if she wants to seize power in the future, she¡¯ll probably have to rely on her support.¡±

    Wang Chun quickly analyzed Lin Yuanyuan.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze suddenly became deep. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°I know. I asked someone to gather information about her before.¡±

    Qi Lei more or less knew about Lin Yuanyuan and Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s background. He also said that he wanted to give Dongfang Liuyun a surprise, he wondered how that wasing along with the person he ordered to get it done.

    ¡°Second Master, actually, Missus has not suffered a loss in this matter. Missus¡¯ decision to endure it shows that she has her own considerations, so...¡±

    Wang Chun saw that Qi Lei did not look too happy, so he said carefully.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, took a calm breath and turned to look at the scenery outside the car window that was constantly moving backward¡ª

    The streetlights on both sides of the road were already lit up, and the shadows of the cars flowed endlessly. The psychedelic lights and shadows looked a little absent-minded, illusory and unreal.

    ¡°Second Master...¡±

    Seeing that Qi Lei did not speak, Wang Chun called out softly.

    After a long while, Qi Lei said softly, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already married her, I can¡¯t just sit idly by and do nothing about many things.¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly had this thought in his heart¡ª

    He wanted her to know, and he also wanted to tell her that he was definitely someone she could rely on, even though he knew that she had too many secrets, just like him.

    What could he say? For a moment, did he really have the idea of working hard to be someone she trusted?

    It was not a subtle change in their feelings, but he felt that between them, they were probably two people who are seeking for warmth. He could not abandon her, and she could not be indifferent towards him.

    Wang Chun listened and seemed to understand, but looking at Qi Lei¡¯s silent expression, he did not continue. Instead, he changed the topic, ¡°The South River Project has passed the review, but Second Master, you still need to reach an agreement with Glory World Group. If there are no objections, then we can confirm that it¡¯s Dongfang Group.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already agreed with Mu Yuchen on this matter. He himself thinks highly of Dongfang Group too. He¡¯s just taking into ount the internal problems of Dongfang Group, but I think with Dongfang Gan personally overseeing things, the Dongfang Group can take down this project.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s natural. We can¡¯t underestimate the background of these well-known corporations. Just like Qi Kai back then, even though it was hit repeatedly, it didn¡¯t copse fundamentally. Now that it¡¯s merged with Tai Yu Corporation, it managed to disy its huge advantage. In my opinion, this is definitely a good thing.¡±

    When Wang Chun said this, he could not help but feel a sense of relief¡ª

    However, President Qi could not see all of this. If he woke up and saw the current Tai Yu Corporation, he would definitely be very happy.

    ¡°How is he? Did the doctor have any news?¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he suddenly thought of Qi Qiming in the hospital.

    ¡°President Qi is still the same. Last week, Dr. Liang had another systematic check-up with him. He¡¯s still the same. His entire body has recovered, but he can¡¯t feel anything. He can¡¯t wake up. ording to Second Master¡¯s instructions, I found two very good masseurs to massage President Qi¡¯s entire body every day. This way, his muscles won¡¯t atrophy and when he wakes up, he won¡¯t be like other people who can¡¯t move.¡±

    Wang Chun was also very considerate to Qi Qiming. When he was more rxed, he would go to the hospital to visit Qi Qiming.

    To him, Qi Qiming was someone he had worked with for many years. Apart from the simple rtionship between superiors and subordinates, they were actually like friends. He did not want toment on the things that Qi Qiming had done, but in his heart, Qi Qiming was a good person, but...

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard that. He turned to look out of the car window and did not say anything.

 Chapter 1680 - Returning Home Late At Night (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1680: Returning Home Late At Night (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The car window was open. Qi Lei closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the chair to rest. Wang Chun, who was in front of him, did not speak again. asionally, he would look at him carefully through the rearview mirror in front of him.

    After an unknown period of time, Qi Lei suddenly felt a chill creeping in. Immediately after, he felt a slight chill on his face. He could not help but raise his hand to touch the chill, only then did he realize that his fingertips were already wet.

    He hurriedly opened his eyes and looked outside. Only then did he realize that it was raining outside. The drizzle quickly wet the streets, and the entire sky was immersed in gloom.

    The cool wind kept sneaking in through the car window with the rain. After a while, Qi Lei felt that his face was more than half wet, but he was not as tired as before. At this moment, he seemed to be somewhat awake.

    He quietly rolled up the car window. After a while, the driver¡¯s voice came from the front¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯ve arrived at the Dongfang Group.¡±

    As he spoke, he slowly stopped the car. He was at the roadside by the square in front of the Dongfang Group.

    The car behind them quickly stopped as well. Yang Sheng and two bodyguards in ck came down to open the car door. Yang Sheng was holding arge, ck umbre in his hand.

    ¡°You guys go back first. I¡¯ll be fine alone here.¡±

    Qi Lei got out of the car and reached out to grab the umbre in Yang Sheng¡¯s hand as he spoke.

    ¡°But, Master Qi, at this time...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go back with her. We¡¯ve been busy for a long time, you should rest well for the next two days, it¡¯s just in time for the weekend. If there¡¯s nothing much in the next two days, don¡¯te looking for me either.¡±

    After Qi Lei said this, he walked towards the magnificent Dongfang Group building ahead.

    Yang Sheng watched Qi Lei¡¯s figure pass through the square before him. After a while, he sighed helplessly and got into the car. After a while, the three cars slowly disappeared into the vast rain.

    Meanwhile, in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s office.

    Dongfang Liuyun quietly packed up the documents and put them into her briefcase. Then, she carried her briefcase and left the office.

    When she walked out of the Dongfang Group building, it was a little cold outside because of the rain. She was only wearing a light muslin dress. She could not help but shiver, she covered her head with the briefcase and strode into the rain.

    The car was parked at the square by the entrance.

    Dongfang Liuyun rushed to the side of the car and opened the door. Just as she was about to get in, she bumped into the car door. The documents in her hand fell to the ground!

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but curse in her heart. She had no choice but to bend down in the rain to pick up the documents that were scattered on the ground.

    The wind and rain were naturally very strong. The documents that were put away were already wet. She could not help but find that she was a little unlucky!

    It was not easy to fix up those documents. When she returned, she was afraid that she would have to re-print and re-annotate them.

    She gathered them together somewhat helplessly. At this moment, arge hand also quickly collected the scattered pieces of paper. Dongfang Liuyun also felt that the wind and rain that had been attacking her just now seemed to have suddenly stopped.

    She was stunned for a moment. It was not until she saw the circle of light on the ring on therge hand and vaguely smelled the strangely familiar fresh fragrance in the air that she realized something. She suddenly raised her head and realized, the person who had suddenly appeared in front of her...

    Qi Lei?

    He looked travel-worn. He held arge, ck umbre in one hand and had already swiftly collected all the pieces of paper that had fallen to the ground with the other.

    ¡°How... How is it you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little surprised. Did he not say that he would only be back in a few days?

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Why sote? Did the Dongfang Group impose an oppressive policy on you?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s sensitively low voice sounded as he slowly straightened his back.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment before she stood up as well. Her eyes were as bright as the stars.

    He handed the umbre to Dongfang Liuyun and kept the documents in his hands.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. She just raised her head and looked at him silently¡ª

    Sometimes, she had to admit that when this man gets serious, he was indeed very attractive.

    His long eyshes, his handsome yet noble face...

    Sensing that she was looking at him, he nced over. Seeing her calm look, he could not help but smile faintly. ¡°Why? I haven¡¯t been away for too long, you look as if you don¡¯t recognize me anymore?¡±

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun smiled and said in a calm voice, ¡°I¡¯m just surprised. You seem to have be more tanned, you¡¯re not as handsome as before.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned. He could not help but touch his handsome face and asked foolishly, ¡°Really? It¡¯s impossible for me to get a tan. I¡¯m rarely exposed under such scorching sun!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun pursed her lips andughed softly. She turned her head away. Herughter sounded very pleasant.

    Qi Lei finally reacted. He lowered his head to look at her. After thinking for a while, he finally could not help but reach out and pull her into his embrace. He hugged her firmly and quietly felt her breath.

    When the warmth of the man¡¯s body reached her, it dispelled some of the coolness on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s body. She froze for a while before her hand that was suspended in mid-air slowly hugged him.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if I¡¯m really tanned, right? You won¡¯t not like me, right?¡±

    His low voice could be heard by her ear.

    Dongfang Liuyun froze when she heard this. She was silent for a moment before she replied, ¡°Of course. You can¡¯t return the goods anyway.¡±

    When he heard that, he pulled her away slightly. He lowered his head and looked down at her. Soon, he caught the sincerity in her eyes. At that moment, he could not help but hold her wrist and kiss her.

    Dongfang Liuyun closed her eyes and epted it naturally.

    It was not a good time to have a little taste. Qi Lei only had time to have a little taste before letting go of her.

    ¡°Get in. I haven¡¯t had dinner yet. You¡¯re treating tonight. I¡¯ve already made a reservation at Sky Restaurant No. 1.¡±

    ¡°Did youe all the way back just to let me honor this meal?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun went around the car and sat in the passenger seat.

    ¡°My wife is smart. She can see through my thoughts with one look.¡±

    Qi Lei was not stingy with hispliments. Then, he quietly got into the car, closed the door, fastened his seatbelt, and started the car.

 Chapter 1681 - Meet (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1681: Meet (1)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at him and leaned back against the seat leisurely.

    ¡°Give me a call when youe back next time so that I can get off work earlier, I¡¯ve been quite busy recently.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been quite busy, so I came over personally to pick you up. You aren¡¯t crying with gratitude in your heart, are you?¡± Qi Lei gave her a sideways nce and replied.

    ¡°I was a little grateful at first, but now that you¡¯ve said it, I don¡¯t feel much anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been away for so long. Don¡¯t you miss me at all?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned as he listened and asked directly.

    ¡°I asionally think of the days when there was no one to warm the bed.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke in a serious manner, but as she spoke, she turned her head to look at him. She crossed her chest leisurely, and her gaze looked as if she was enjoying something visually.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly when he heard that. Under her burning gaze, he actually felt a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat and sped up slightly. He did not look at her.

    He had to admit that sometimes, her gaze could make him restless. Just like at this moment, there was an uncontroble surge in his chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m not only useful in warming the bed, but I admit that I did miss you.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s calm voice sounded. He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll be suffering a loss.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable to be at a disadvantage. Just don¡¯t fall in the same ce.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡±

    Qi Lei was like a very obedient baby. He nodded and agreed with her.

    She then nced at him. Seeing that his face was still wet, she naturally took the tissue in front of her and wiped it for him. ¡°Is everything going well over there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s going well. Otherwise, I¡¯d have to stay there for a few more days.¡±

    ¡°Your Tai Yu Corporation project is quite big, and the pressure is quite high.¡±

    ¡°Of course. In order to support my family, I work hard too, Mrs. Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a meaningful nce.

    She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to support me now. My sry is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re also a rich woman with all your assets added up.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled quietly.

    ...

    When they arrived at Sky Restaurant No. 1, it was already nine o¡¯clock at night. It was a littlete for dinner, but it was time for supper.

    The business here was very good because of the elegant environment. There was a beautiful sky garden, and sitting by the window, they could see half of City Z from a bird¡¯s eye view. It was a high-end consumer area.

    Qi Lei¡¯s reservation was the best spot for the view. There was a luxurious private room upstairs, and there were not many people at the moment. The private room was very quiet.

    The two of them ordered western food.

    While Dongfang Liuyun poured the red wine, Qi Lei also helped her cut the steak on the te in a gentlemanly manner.

    Outside the floor-to-ceiling window next to them, half of City Z was lit up. It was colorful and connected to a beautiful scene.

    However, looking at it with her chin propped up, she felt a little absent-minded and surreal, especially when she saw the man opposite her focusing on helping her cut the steak.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought that it was actually a pretty good feeling to have such a person who waspletely devoted to her.

    Many people always feel discontent even when they had something. They always thought that they might be able to pursue a better enjoyment, but they never considered what level they were at, so...

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice sounded. When Dongfang Liuyun looked up, she realized that he had already stopped what he was doing and was toasting her.

    She happily raised her wine and returned the toast¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s quite nice here. You really know how to choose a ce.¡±

    He chuckled, ¡°I might not know anything else, but if it¡¯s about enjoying life¡¯s pleasures then there are probably not many people in City Z who canpare to me. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve had enough of it in the past two years. However, if you want to enjoy it, I don¡¯t mind finding an opportunity to bring you around the entire City Z.¡±

    Qi Lei was previously a famous yboy in City Z. Was there anywhere he had not been before?

    He almost became a spokesperson for enjoying life¡¯s pleasures. However, after some time in this life, he felt that it was nothing more than that. He often felt tired, and these things made him lose interest, in the end, he could only return to his original self.

    And after that, Qi Lei realized that this peaceful and simple life was the only thing he truly hoped for.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and was silent for a moment. However, she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m already past the age where I¡¯m yful. If I have time, I might as well find a ce to drink tea, read books, and sleep.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like you¡¯re in your 70s or 80s. It¡¯s not that you¡¯re not yful, it just depends on who you¡¯re ying with,¡± said Qi Lei with certainty.

    As he spoke, he took a fork and put a piece of cut beef into her mouth.

    She did not feel that it was rude at all. Instead, it felt very natural. Dongfang Liuyun also tacitly opened her mouth to ept it.

    As the food entered her mouth, she elegantly chewed a few times before saying, ¡°Mmm, not bad. Give it a try.¡±

    ¡°The steak here is very famous, the vors were delicious and I¡¯d asked Yang Sheng to get steak from here practically every time. It¡¯s just that these past few years, I no longer have that kind of interest.¡±

    ¡°I can imagine how Yang Sheng was tormented by you. But I have to say, he is indeed a very good assistant.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she picked up her wine and took a simple sip.

    ¡°You¡¯ve praised him more than once. I have to wonder if he gave you any benefits.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her meaningfully.

    ¡°Do I look like the kind of person who is easily bribed? Look forward, a person like me is definitely the most suitable to be a spy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was also exuding a sense of confidence at this moment. Her passionate appearance was reflected in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes, causing his heart to skip a beat uncontrobly. As he looked at her, he only smiled quietly.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, did I tell you that you actually look very good-looking when you smile?¡±

    After staring at her for a while, he suddenly said this...

    When she heard this, Dongfang Liuyun was subconsciously stunned. She looked at him, unable to react...

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes, took the bottle, and poured her some wine, ¡°I¡¯ve actually been thinking about our interactions, I have to admit that my originally calm state of mind actually have some anticipation. You¡¯re a very good person, and I...¡±

 Chapter 1682 - Meet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1682: Meet (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei did not continue, but Dongfang Liuyun understood.

    She frowned and poured the red wine into her mouth. After a while, she said, ¡°If you really think so, then let¡¯s guard this feeling together.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel like this too?¡±

    Qi Lei heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words and could not help but feel a little happy. He quickly asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded quietly. ¡°Yes, of course I feel that way too. I don¡¯t really have a deep understanding of these things. I¡¯ll just go along and see how it goes.¡±

    Qi Lei was overjoyed when he heard that. He poured wine for Dongfang Liuyun again. ¡°I thought that I might not have any expectations for my future life, especially after experiencing so many things. I didn¡¯t expect...¡±

    ¡°How can you say that you don¡¯t have expectations? As long we¡¯re alive, we have to have expectations and hope. Aren¡¯t you a little pessimistic?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t be braver the more I suffered. Now that I think about it, I suddenly realized that I really didn¡¯t do a good thing, nor did I fulfill anyone¡¯s expectations. This perception sometimes makes me feel like I really have nothing.¡±

    Qi Lei drank a mouthful of wine and said with a frown.

    ¡°You just don¡¯t have a good mindset. I used to be like you, but after experiencing a lot of things, you get used to it. Putting aside those restrictions, you¡¯ll feel that the peaceful and simple life now will make us all feel content.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she suddenly put down the wine ss in her hand and reached out to take the cigarette packet she put aside. Under Qi Lei¡¯s surprised gaze, she took out a cigarette, turned on the lighter, lit it, and casually took a puff before handing it to Qi Lei¡ª

    ¡°Take it!¡±

    Qi Lei did not understand, but he followed her words and took it. He took a puff as well. Amid the smoke, the cigarette was burning...

    Dongfang Liuyun silently looked at the cigarette that was quietly burning between his fingers. After a while, he spoke, ¡°I feel that life is actually just like this lit cigarette. If you take a deep puff, it will burn even faster. You will slowly taste it, but it will eventuallye to an end. However, from the moment it is lit to the end of it, it is a process. You know that smoking is bad, but since you lit it, you have to end it. This journey, how to grasp it is actually up to us.¡±

    ¡°Do you enjoy it, or do you frown and burn it to the ground? Then, when it burns to the end, you have no choice but to let it go. You know, I think this is fate.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was extremely calm.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze fell on his fingers as he listened. He looked at the slowly burning cigarette. Suddenly, he did not dare to take another puff. After a long time, he...

    As expected of Dongfang Liuyun. Perhaps only someone as intelligent as her could have such an epiphany?

    Qi Lei was silent for a long time. It was only when he felt a burning pain between his fingers that he subconsciously let go. The cigarette buttnded on the ashtray at the side, and some of the ash fell.

    When he raised his head to look at Dongfang Liuyun, she had already continued to lower her head and quietly pour the wine.

    ¡°A very vivid metaphor.¡± He said softly.

    ¡°So, don¡¯t bother about other things. The most important thing is to live well at this moment. Enjoy today. No matter where we go, I hope that we can firmly remember these words of today. That way, we won¡¯t live so exhaustedly. In this world, there are many people who are frustrated. For love, for money, or for other things, no one canpare to anyone, and no one can rece anyone.¡±

    As she spoke, she raised her ss to toast him.

    ¡®Clink¡¯

    A crisp sound rang out. The wine swayed, and the faint light that was outlined made people feel a little intoxicated.

    She continued to finish her two sses of wine. She turned to look out the window, while Qi Lei looked at her. The rain outside was still pouring, constantly invading the cold floor-to-ceiling windows. The brilliant lights outside looked a little dim and dazed.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, was looking at her quietly. He only felt that her face was calm and distant...

    ¡°Yes, just like how no one can rece you.¡±

    A momentter, Qi Lei suddenly said this in a low voice.

    As she listened, she suddenly looked away from him. Instead, he smiled and very considerately pulled a piece of napkin toward the corner of her mouth to wipe away the wine stains.

    ¡°We will always be together.¡±

    Because it was her, he dared to bet everything he had on it. All because her name was written on the spouse column in his household register...

    He did not know if there would be a day when he would fall in love with her and be willing to relish all the time they spent together. However, just as she said, the most real and important thing was to enjoy this moment and enjoy today.

    A warm hand silently attached itself to the back of her cool hand, and a faint warmth was transmitted...

    Dongfang Liuyun looked down for a long time, and a rare softness appeared in her eyes. She did not reply, but suddenly nodded her head.

    After supper, the husband and wife enjoyed it very much. As they ate, they looked at the scenery outside. After such a long time, the fatigue from the past few days had lessened quite a bit.

    When they left, it was already close to midnight.

    The rain outside was still ongoing, but it was much less than before. The ground was wet everywhere. They walked on the street, and they did not use umbres. Instead, they walked for a long distance before their shoulders got wet.

    The husband and wife walked side by side on the quiet and damp sidewalk.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shoulder was still covered by someone¡¯s warm jacket, and one of her hands was gently held by the man beside him.

    The street at midnight was very quiet. The couple walked for a long distance, but they did not meet anyone. There was only the asional cars that whizzed past on the side of the road.

    ¡°Sing a song, Liuyun.¡± Qi Lei suddenly requested.

    When she heard that, Dongfang Liuyun paused in her footsteps. She looked away and narrowed her eyes at him. It seemed like she thought about it for a while before she walked forward again without saying anything.

    ¡°My singing voice is not outstanding.¡±

    Her voice was low.

    ¡°I¡¯m also tone-deaf,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    Then, he heard her heave a sigh of relief as she stretched out her slender white fingers and pulled at the jacket on her shoulders. Soon after, a very soft humming sound was heard. There were no lyrics, and there was only humming, but it was very pleasant to listen to.

    He listened quietly. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face and he put his arm around her shoulders in a good mood¡ª

 Chapter 1683 - Meet (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1683: Meet (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was already past one in the morning when they returned to Grand Lake Vi District. The couple quickly took a hot shower.

    Because they took a walk in the middle of the night amid the cool breeze, Qi Lei made some hot soup to drive away the cold. The two of them drank some and felt much better after that.

    Of course, Dongfang Liuyun did not sleep right away because the documents that had been blown away still needed to be sorted out.

    When Qi Lei came out of the bathroom after washing up and did not see anyone, he frowned and went straight to the study. As expected, he saw her frowning as she sorted out the pile of slightly wrinkled documents.

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun was focused on reading, she suddenly felt something behind her. She subconsciously turned her head back to look, and her entire body was already in the air as she was lifted up by Qi Lei.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already two in the morning. Rest early. You can do these tomorrow. There are more important things to do now. I¡¯ll help you tidy up tomorrow. It¡¯s time to rest anyway.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he turned around and walked towards the bedroom.

    He was so obvious that Dongfang Liuyun naturally understood what he meant...

    ...

    Needless to say, Qi Lei¡¯s enthusiasm that night gave Dongfang Liuyun a fright. After a few rounds of battle, when she held him down, he grabbed her shoulder and said with some restraint, ¡°Don¡¯t move. How long has it been since midst month?!¡±

    Less than a month, how long could it be?

    Dongfang Liuyun almost vomited blood!

    When the wind and rain stopped and the two of them fell asleep, it was almost dawn.

    ...

    The next day, Dongfang Liuyun really could not get up. She had been working day and night for a few days. It had been a long time since she had a good rest. Subconsciously, she told herself that today was a day of rest, so she took this opportunity to have a good sleep.

    Qi Lei woke up quite early, but he slept with her until it was almost noon. Then, he unhurriedly got up, washed up, and changed into a clean set of casual clothes before going downstairs to make lunch.

    There were actually no ingredients in the fridge at home. Fortunately, it was early enough, so Qi Lei drove out to buy some food. When he came back, he prepared the food, but Dongfang Liuyun was nowhere to be seen.

    After preparing the food, he was about to go upstairs to call her when he suddenly heard amotion upstairs. He quickly looked up and saw Dongfang Liuyun slowly walking down the stairs¡ª

    She was dressed in a long white shirt that covered her thighs and light-colored shorts. She was dressed very simply.

    Although it was still raining outside and the weather was a little cold, it was just right to be home.

    ¡°What delicious food are you cooking? You can smell the aroma from afar.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun went straight to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.

    ¡°Try it. It¡¯s all your favorite food. I was just about to go upstairs to call you.¡±

    Qi Lei brought her a bowl of rice.

    Dongfang Liuyun also picked it up and looked at the full bowl of rice. After some thought for a while, she put half of it into his bowl, ¡°I woke up from hunger as well. I haven¡¯t finished organizing the documents from yesterday, so I can¡¯t leave them behind. I have to go to the market tomorrow to take a look. There are too many things to do and I can¡¯t manage the time. I¡¯ll probably have to leave early and returnte in the next few days.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said that, she picked up her bowl, picked up a dish, and ate elegantly.

    Qi Lei unhurriedly scooped half a bowl of soup for her and moved it over as he replied, ¡°You¡¯re going all out. What do you n to do? A jewelry exhibition?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is one of the projects. I also n to hold arge-scale charity auction at the same time to auction off some of the antiques I have on hand, including the newly listed jewelry. I¡¯ve already contacted the foundation. All the funds raised will be donated to the out-of-school children in the countryside to help them build new schools. There¡¯s been a lot of rain recently, and many schools in ces with poor conditions have copsed.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a person who traveled far all year round. She had been to many ces and had left her kind heart in many ces.

    ¡°Smart!¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a look of approval. ¡°Your idea is quite bold. Aren¡¯t you worried...¡±

    ¡°You should know that I¡¯ve always been a person who doesn¡¯t care about what others think. I¡¯ll do what I can to do the best I can. Being a businessman is all about efficiency, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not wait for Qi Lei to finish his sentence. She already knew what he wanted to say, so she cut him off.

    Qi Lei listened and nodded immediately. He thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the invitation?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to help?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him in surprise.

    Qi Lei was leisurely drinking his soup. He lowered his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll invite a few guests to support you. Some of the highly popr artistes signed by thepany will go over to support you. Perhaps there will be some obvious effects. You can organize a simple charity show. There are still a few days until then. It¡¯s enough to arrange.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes lit up. She said unceremoniously, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking right now?¡± Qi Lei replied nonchntly before lowering his head to continue drinking his soup.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but smile faintly. Suddenly, she reached out and picked up a dish from her bowl, ¡°Then, help me settle this matter. I¡¯ll give you the specific procedurester and insert the program into it. We¡¯ll also need to add some content to the promotional n immediately.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Qi Lei simply replied with these two words before picking up his bowl and eating. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it after lunch. Eating is more important now. I¡¯m feeling a little hungry too.¡±

    ¡°Then eat more. It¡¯s a reward for you!¡±

    As soon as Qi Lei finished speaking, Dongfang Liuyun put a few more dishes into his bowl and instantly filled it up.

    Qi Lei nced sideways at her. ¡°You do know how to reward others with the fruits of theirbor.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged. ¡°Otherwise, you can stop eating too. I can wrap all these up.¡±

    ¡°In your dreams.¡±

    Qi Lei reprimanded her in a low voice. After some thought, he said, ¡°Actually, your appetite is quite amazing. It¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t grown any flesh. You¡¯re just a pile of bones.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight too.¡±

    She looked up from the bowl and said the same thing to him.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite worried about you. Wang Chun said that you¡¯ve been working quite hard recently. Why don¡¯t you get the Human Resources Department to assign you an additional secretary? At least you won¡¯t have to work so hard.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were filled with concern as he met her gaze quietly.

    ¡°Just think of it as all for the future. It¡¯s hard to convince the public when you¡¯re parachuting in. I¡¯m sure you understand this better than I do.¡±

 Chapter 1684 - Meet (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1684: Meet (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, she lowered her head and continued eating her meal.

    Qi Lei thought about it and did not say anything else. He also began to eat in silence.

    After lunch, the couple did not go out. Instead, they went straight to the study to handle official business. Dongfang Liuyun upied the desk while Qi Lei sat on the sofa and began to call Yang Sheng to arrange for an artist to perform, there was also the matter of modifying Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ns and promotions.

    Qi Lei had always been involved in the activities that Dongfang Liuyun was responsible for, so it was not difficult for him to familiarize himself with them. Moreover, Qi Lei was already familiar with this area. It seemed like it was amon urrence for him to be involved in the promotion of movies and artists, he was even more adept at modifying and dealing with it.

    Dongfang Liuyun was on her way to work on her proposal. She had to hand it over to Lin Yuanyuan the next day, and she did not want that woman to use it as an excuse. After all, she was very busy right now.

    Qi Lei finished his tasks very quickly, but Dongfang Liuyun lost track of time when she was busy.

    After an unknown period of time, Dongfang Liuyun did not have time to react to the fragrance of the tea. An exquisite rectangr brocade box was handed to her. She was stunned for a moment and stopped what she was doing. She quickly looked up and realized that Qi Lei was standing beside her without her knowing. He was holding a brocade box in his hand and handing it to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s a gift that you brought back. Whether you want to keep it or not, you¡¯ll have to see for yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice sounded.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes. ¡°If it¡¯s too cheap. I won¡¯t ept it!¡±

    As she spoke, she reached out and took it over. She slowly opened it.

    As soon as she opened it, she could faintly feel a cool and faint fragrance permeating the air. It was refreshing, and what greeted her eyes was a faint glow of jade.

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately tensed up and narrowed her eyes. When she saw what was in the brocade box clearly, her starry eyes froze for a moment. She was in a daze for a moment before she suddenly raised her head to look at Qi Lei and said in shock, ¡°Violet Jade? This hairpin... Where did you get it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not hide the shock in his eyes. As he spoke, he pulled open the drawer and took out a magnifying ss. He began to examine the hairpin in his hand

    It was a very beautiful hairpin. Its entire body was full of top-grade violet jade. It outlined the blooming roses and the falling tassels swaying.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at it and could not help but exim in admiration.

    ¡°Good stuff! The water head is so good. It¡¯s almost perfect! Where did you get it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face showed a rare hint of eagerness, and his eyes did not hide his liking for it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you like it. Don¡¯t ask where it came from. This is brand-new. I know you like these strange things.¡±

    Qi Lei was clearly affected by the smile on her face as he said coolly.

    Dongfang Liuyun tightened her grip on the hairpin in her hand. She could not help but look up at him and beckoned with her finger. Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and lowered his head obediently. Dongfang Liuyun generously reached out and hooked her neck, she quickly nted a kiss on his indifferent thin lips¡ª

    ¡°I like the gift very much. Won¡¯t be courteous!¡±

    If she wanted it, she naturally wanted it. She epted it as a matter of course.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. The faint warmth faded away. Her breath was still there, but he could not help but feel a slight warmth on his face.

    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll give you a bracelet and...¡±

    ¡°This is enough. If you have sufficient funds, you can show off your skills at the charity banquet. You won¡¯t feel bad if you use the funds at a crucial point. These things are just the value of a collection. If you keep more of them, they¡¯ll be of great use, just like this time.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a person who was easily satisfied.

    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t embarrass you.¡± Qi Lei smiled.

    ¡°Just put on your cold and aloof demeanor,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently, then carefully put away the brocade box.

    ¡°With you by my side, others may not be able to get close to me without me needing to be cold and aloof.¡±

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about, but you still can¡¯t bring a femalepanion with you this time.¡±

    ¡°You want to be my femalepanion?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her with some anticipation.

    However, she gave him a sideways nce. ¡°I have mental mysophobia. I don¡¯t want to face a husband who has many femalepanions every day. I saw a sentence in the past that made a lot of sense. I¡¯m willing to share it with you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    Qi Lei took the cup of tea from her hand and took a sip before returning it to her as he asked.

    ¡°A truly sessful and intelligent man will be loyal to his marriage and his family because he knows very well that only in this way will he be able to fully realize his ambitions. I¡¯ve always been disgraced by the sess of my career, my rtionships, and the failure of my marriage. You don¡¯t have to refute my words. At least to me, I think what I said is right. Any reason for their rtionship and marriage to be unfaithful is an excuse. In the long time they¡¯ve been together, they¡¯ve had countless opportunities toy their cards on the table.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was unusually heavy and determined when she said these words.

    Qi Lei did not want to defend her. He just felt that the way she looked made him feel... inexplicable!

    That was what he thought before. Qi Qiming¡¯s infidelity to Wang Qin...

    The impact of his childhood made him deeply touched.

    ¡°Alright, as long as you know these things. It shouldn¡¯t be our turn. If you¡¯re like me, your thoughts aren¡¯t on love. We¡¯re not young anymore, so there¡¯s no need to pursue the so-called true love.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei immediately raised his eyebrows and said coldly, ¡°How do you know that there¡¯s no need for us to pursue true love?¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to us?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mind spun very quickly, and she quickly realized what Qi Lei meant.

    Qi Lei did not deny it. He squinted at her with interest. ¡°What if I say yes?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s normal. It would be dangerous if we weren¡¯t attracted to each other or tolerant of each other. I¡¯ve said it before. I admit that my past may not have been so bright and beautiful, but I¡¯m a person who views loyalty as her life. Of course, these things are mutual.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered his head and took a sip of tea. ¡°I want to be a smart and simple person. What about you, Qi Lei?¡±

    She rarely called him by his name. At this moment, when he heard her say this, he could not help but feel a surge of emotions in his heart.

    Did he want to be a smart and simple person?

    Actually, he also wanted to..

    ¡°Of course, live a simple andfortable life.¡±

    He replied with certainty.

    Only then did Dongfang Liuyun smile happily. ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s create and protect it together.¡±

    At this moment, Qi Lei suddenly did not know what to say. He just felt that, in an instant, his heart became even braver and stronger!

 Chapter 1685 - Meet (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1685: Meet (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a day of rest, he had finally recovered.

    On Monday morning, Dongfang Liuyun woke up very early. When she woke up, she also prepared breakfast. She did not wake Qi Lei up. Instead, she simply had some and went straight to work.

    As for Qi Lei, he slept until close to noon. After that, he received a call from Yang Sheng. Then, he unhurriedly got out of bed to wash up and eat breakfast.

    When Yang Sheng rushed over, Qi Lei was looking at his morning glories under the corridor in the backyard. Dongfang Liuyun and the housekeeper were taking good care of them. They were growing luxuriously, and a few purple flowers were already in full bloom.

    The drizzle outside continued. The Mid-autumn Festival was about to arrive. It was autumn, and the air was slightly cold. Qi Lei was dressed in light gray household clothes, and he wore a simple coat on his shoulders.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s voice came from behind.

    Qi Lei listened and pointed to the seat beside him. He was holding a cup of slightly hot water and drinking it carelessly.

    ¡°How are the arrangements?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice came from behind.

    ¡°ording to Master Qi¡¯s instructions, we are preparing in an orderly manner. We won¡¯t let down Missus. Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. The invitation has been sent out, and the few artistes will follow thepany¡¯s arrangements,¡± said Yang Sheng confidently.

    Only then did Qi Lei nod. ¡°Alright, the rest is up to you. Don¡¯t neglect the matter.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll handle it well,¡± replied Yang Sheng.

    Qi Lei casually poured him a ss of water and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of this matter for the time being. You can temporarily put aside thepany¡¯s matters. You can make ns for the restter.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Master Qi! However, thepany¡¯s matters have piled up quite a bit. You might be a little busy in the next few days. Oh, right, Wang Chun and I have already prepared the betrothal gifts for the auspicious day after the Mid-autumn Festival. We¡¯ll definitely handle it smoothly. The gift for the Mid-autumn Festival for you to return to your father-inw¡¯s house, Master Qi. Hehe... We¡¯ve also prepared it.¡±

    Yang Sheng was a very dedicated person. He was so dedicated that Qi Lei could not help but look at him approvingly.

    ¡°Assistant Yang, you¡¯ve done your best for me. Even your Missus has praised you and suggested that I give you a raise. What do you think? What kind of treatment or reward do you want? I¡¯m in a good mood today. Tell me and I¡¯ll try my best to satisfy you.¡±

    Qi Lei said generously, and then he took another sip of water.

    Yang Sheng was stunned when he heard that. He thought for a long time before he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for any reward. Master Qi, the treatment you gave me is already good enough. Ordinary Vice Presidents can¡¯t evenpare to it. I was thinking when you and Missus have a Young Master, and then I¡¯ll be satisfied.¡±

    ¡°These words should have been said by my mother. How did it be your line?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he said.

    Yang Sheng coughed twice before replying, ¡°Master Qi, just take it that I¡¯m bbering and helping Vice President Wang remind you. Vice President Wang was waiting on this day for a very, very long time. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t see it. However, I believe that she¡¯s in heaven watching down, and if she sees that daye, she¡¯ll definitely be very happy.¡±

    Speaking of Wang Qin, Yang Sheng actually did not feel too good. He was very grateful for Wang Qin.

    If it were not for Wang Qin back then, there would not be the Yang Sheng today. He might have been working as aborer in some corner of the world, and be living a stressful and urgent life every day.

    ¡°I did let her miss it, so you guys have to be more mindful. Don¡¯t follow my path. In this life, I¡¯ve never done anything that I regret. The only thing that I regret is this.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he suddenly took a deep breath and looked up at the gray sky outside. His expression was a little gloomy.

    He did not want to say anything regretful, but now..

    His five fingers pierced through his fine ink-ck hair, and his dark eyes reflected some mncholy.

    Every time he mentioned Wang Qin, other than regret, he also felt an unbearable sadness. He could not really let go, and he still felt a little breathless

    After all, he had carried Wang Qin into the hospital like that. In the end, Wang Qin had died in front of him.

    The world was unpredictable. who could control the separation of life and death in the world?

    People would never know what tomorrow would be waiting for them...

    ¡°Master Qi, Vice President Wang has long gone to the Elysium World. She won¡¯t suffer the pain she suffered before. You don¡¯t have to me yourself so much. Vice President Wang is actually a very good person, but...¡±

    Yang Sheng wanted to persuade Qi Lei to do something, but before he could finish, Qi Lei had already cut him off¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s just that her life wasn¡¯t good. When she joined the Qi family, she made a mistake. If she had rejected it back then, the rest wouldn¡¯t have happened. But then again, if that¡¯s the case, I, Qi Lei, wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath, put down the cup in his hand, and leaned back in his chair. ¡°If I gave her another chance, she might not have chosen to marry Qi Qiming.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, that might be the case. Vice President Wang loves you so much. I think she would still choose to give birth to you,¡± Yang Sheng disagreed.

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to talk about these hypothetical questions anymore. It¡¯s meaningless to say more. It¡¯s just a topic to pass the time. Do your job well today, and I won¡¯t mistreat you.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s interest waned as he said this. He was about to stand up straight when the phone on the table next to him started ringing.

    Qi Lei leisurely took it over and looked at the caller ID. It was a very unfamiliar number...

    He frowned and did not pick up.

    However, just as he hung up, the phone started ringing again. At this moment, Qi Lei picked it up¡ª

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    A casual voice was heard.

    ¡°Hello, is this Mr. Qi Lei?¡±

    The person on the other end quickly replied politely.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Qi Lei responded faintly as well. He was very sure that he did not seem to know who the other party was. However, when he heard this voice, he thought it was a little familiar as if he had heard it somewhere before.

    ¡°Hello, President Qi. I¡¯m Lan Xiu, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s good friend. I¡¯d like to meet you. Is it convenient for you now?¡±

    Lan Xiu!

    When these two words entered Qi Lei¡¯s ears, it surprised him. He immediately froze...

 Chapter 1686 - Iâ€™m Not Your Rival In Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1686: I¡¯m Not Your Rival In Love (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a moment of silence, Qi Lei replied¡ª

    ¡°When and where?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had already informed him beforehand. Lan Xiu knew about their rtionship, so it was only a matter of time before the two of them met. Qi Lei did not object to this, and he did not know much about Lan Xiu¡¯s situation, he did not deliberately investigate the people around Dongfang Liuyun, but he knew that Lan Xiu was very good to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun probably had deep feelings for Lan Xiu too. Those feelings might not have anything to do with love, but it contained many emotions, such as trust, tolerance, and concern...

    Actually, the current him might not beparable to him. At the very least, Dongfang Liuyun did not give him the same trust as Qi Lei. The more she did not want anything from him, the more he felt the distance between them.

    On the other end, Lan Xiu quickly reported an address¡ª

    ¡°South of New Era za, Ind Caf¨¨. If it¡¯s convenient, let¡¯s do it now.¡±

    ¡°See you in an hour.¡±

    Qi Lei replied indifferently and hung up.

    ¡°Master Qi, who called?¡±

    Noticing that Qi Lei¡¯s expression did not look right, Yang Sheng asked the question.

    ¡°Why are you so curious? Alright, that¡¯s all here. Just do what I told you to do. I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±

    Qi Lei stood up and walked into the house after saying that.

    ...

    In a corner of the Ind Caf¨¨ on the south side of New Era za.

    The waiter had already brought up a cup of rich Blue Mountain. His fingers were interlocked. Lan Xiu, who was looking at the scenery outside the window, quickly came back to his senses. He nodded politely at the waiter before taking a sip of his coffee.

    ¡°President Lan, it¡¯s been almost an hour. Why isn¡¯t Qi Lei here yet?¡±

    Ah Li looked at the watch on his wrist from time to time and said with a frown.

    ¡°The hour isn¡¯t up, is it?¡±

    Lan Xiu was very calm. He reached out for the magazine at the side and casually flipped through it.

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°You can go down first. Wait for me in the car,¡± said Lan Xiu.

    Ah Li looked at Lan Xiu hesitantly. Seeing that his expression was as calm as water, he naturally did not dare to be tactful. He responded softly and then turned around.

    And just as he turned around, a ck figure came into view¡ª

    It was Qi Lei!

    He was wearing a straight ck suit pants with only a ck shirt on top. The cufflinks had already been opened. He was handsome and extraordinary, but he was also unpredictable. When he saw Ah Li, the corner of his indifferent mouth curled into an evil smile.

    ¡°Have you waited long?¡±

    He nodded politely at Lan Xiu. Without waiting for Lan Xiu to speak, he sat down across from him. He reached out for the menu and casually opened it. He nced at it and gestured to the waiter beside him.

    ¡°A cup of salted lemon 7up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. Please wait a moment.¡±

    ...

    Lan Xiu began to silently size up Qi Lei who was sitting in front of him. Qi Lei also sat there, allowing him to size him up.

    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know why Liuyun chose you. I don¡¯t deny that your conditions are good. You¡¯re the person in charge of the Qi family, the young President of Tai Yu Corporation. This identity is indeed a very good condition for the Dongfang family. However, she has too many choices. You have a reputation, and there are many things that don¡¯t necessarily meet Liuyun¡¯s standards. Why did she choose you?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s calm tone came through, and his deep eyes looked at Qi Lei quietly. He could not hide the depression and sadness in the depths of his eyes. Qi Lei looked at him at that moment, but he had an indescribable feeling

    Should he be angry? Or should he be sympathetic or pitiful?

    ¡°I can¡¯t answer this question either. You should ask Liuyun. She told me about you. I know that you¡¯re her very good friend and ymate.¡±

    Qi Lei took the salted lemon 7up from the waiter and took a sip. ¡°She said that you¡¯re a good person and treats her well. She even said that we can be good friends. I wonder if I, Qi Lei, have such an honor?¡±

    ¡°She... really said that?¡±

    Lan Xiu paused and asked silently. He did not look up at Qi lei. Instead, he looked down at the coffee in front of him.

    ¡°Actually, many people want to marry Liuyun. Among them, there are many young talents whoe from good families and have good characters. They are the same as you, including me. She is too outstanding. So outstanding that sometimes, you even suspect that you are just a speck of dust in front of her, while she is a dazzling pearl. In fact, I can¡¯t see where you two arepatible. At least, among the many suitors of Liuyun that I know, you really aren¡¯t the most outstanding.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s words were a little bitter.

    ¡°Just take it that I¡¯m lucky. If this makes you feel better, then I¡¯ll let you know. She¡¯s indeed a very good woman. Since you¡¯re so familiar with her, you must know that she has never approved of your self-belittling. You¡¯re also a very outstanding person.¡±

    Qi Lei was not angry at this moment. There was actually nothing to be angry about. It slipped through his fingers. This was probably the most appropriate way to describe Lan Xiu. He had let Qi Lei get it all for nothing. However, just because of these things, they caused a ruckus, it was not Qi Lei¡¯s original intention. Anyway, Dongfang Liuyun was now Qi Lei¡¯s person. He should be more magnanimous.

    ¡°Me? Not really! Do you know what Liuyun wants?¡±

    Lan Xiu suddenly asked.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows. He did not say anything but looked at him silently.

    ¡°Although I have been good friends with her for more than twenty years, I have never understood her. She is almost a perfect person. At least, in my opinion, she is that kind of person. Since you¡¯re so honored to be able to marry her, I don¡¯t have any right to object. I just hope that you can treat her well. Otherwise, the first person who won¡¯t let you off would be me.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say this. She¡¯s now my Mrs. Qi.¡±

    Qi Lei answered firmly.

    ¡°It¡¯s best that you know. Do you even know Liuyun¡¯s past? Can you say such resolute words?¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at him silently.

    ¡°I won¡¯t participate in her past. I can¡¯t change what has already happened. As long as her future is mine, it¡¯s fine. I know that her past may not be simple, just like me. Back then, I saw her speak to you with my own eyes. You didn¡¯t agree and you gave up. So, no matter what, you¡¯ve already been ruled out. The only thing you can do is to bless her. As for the rest, I¡¯ll deal with it myself.¡±

    Qi Lei put down the cup in his hand and looked at Lan Xiu with a serious expression.

 Chapter 1687 - Iâ€™m Not Your Rival In Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1687: I¡¯m Not Your Rival In Love (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ruled out!

    When these words entered Lan Xiu¡¯s mind, he could not help but turn pale. His hand that was holding the cup tightened!

    Yes, he was right. He, Lan Xiu, was ruled out!

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze turned sharp. Seeing that his expression was not good, he slowly stood up¡ª

    ¡°I know you like her, but from the moment you rejected her, you¡¯ve already lost all your right. Also, you¡¯ll know that in this world, there¡¯s absolutely no one more suitable for her than me, Qi Lei. This is fated. She¡¯s mine.¡±

    Qi Lei gritted his teeth as he finished the rest of his sentence. His gaze was unusually determined!

    Lan Xiu¡¯s breathing stopped for a moment. When he looked back at Qi Lei, he had already taken a step forward..

    ¡°Your love rival isn¡¯t me. I¡¯ve always been the guardian behind her, that¡¯s all.¡±

    In the end, Lan Xiu said this to Qi Lei¡¯s back.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment, but his footsteps did not slow down at all

    He could talk about the restter. Who cared about his love rival? Anyway, he and Dongfang Liuyun were progress well now. Why should he disturb the peace between them because of these trivial matters?

    This was extremely unwise. The conflict that caused trouble was the most unjust!

    ...

    Qi Lei left just like that. When Lan Xiu came back to his senses, his figure was long gone.

    He sat there for a long time before leaving in a daze.

    On the way home, the chauffeur drove, and Ah Li was in the passenger seat.

    Ah Li had been looking at Lan Xiu in the back seat through the car mirror.

    He saw that Lan Xiu had a depressed look on his face and seemed to be troubled.

    ¡°President Lan, it¡¯s the Mid-autumn Festival soon. Do you want to prepare a gift? President Gan called. He said that he will prepare food and wine at home on the night of the Mid-autumn Festival, that you and Miss Dongfang should go home. Every year, you...¡±

    ¡°Just prepare a gift and send it over for me. This year, I won¡¯t go over.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s indifferent tone sounded unperturbed.

    Yes, if he was in City Z, he would definitely go to Dongfang Gan¡¯s ce on the Mid-autumn Festival. But this year, it seemed..

    It was only at this time that he could deeply understand that the so-called liveliness belonged to them. He felt that he had nothing.

    ¡°President Lan...¡±

    Ah Li was shocked and turned his head to look at him. All he could see was the gloomy side profile of Lan Xiu.

    ¡°President Gan will definitely feel very regretful.¡±

    Ah Li thought for a moment before replying.

    Lan Xiu closed his eyes and thought for a long time before saying, ¡°Then let¡¯s go over on the 16th.¡±

    It was their family reunion. It was expected that there was nothing for Lan Xiu to do. If he went, it would be bad. However, he still had to go over to Dongfang Gan¡¯s side to take a look.

    ¡°Alright, I understand, President Lan!¡±

    Ah Li replied with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not know that Lan Xiu had gone to look for Qi Lei.

    At this time, Dongfang Liuyun was busy with the Mid-autumn Festival event. The matter of the previous proposal had gone unanswered. Later on, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had actually gone back to rummage through the forest garden¡¯s paper basket, but it seemed to have been disposed of. She had not found it in the end.

    Later on, because of the uing event and theck of manpower in the Marketing Department, Vice President Zhang transferred Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s people over to assist.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s ability was also famous in thepany. Her methods were amazing. The people in thepany had long heard of her and were very impressed.

    Thus, the problem came¨C

    ¡°Who asked you to arrange the process like this?¡±

    In the International Exhibition Center, Dongfang Liuyun was supervising the staff¡¯s arrangement of the venue. Ding Xiaoling brought a document over for her to look at. Dongfang Liuyun frowned as he looked at it and turned to look at Ding Xiaoling, his gaze was very sharp. ¡°What about the process that I said before? Who told you to make the decision on your own?¡±

    ¡°Manager Yun, this was sent by Xiao Zhang. He said that Manager Rou insisted on her changing it. Manager Rou is still there. She said that you have no experience in this aspect, Manager Yun. This process is the most suitable.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling withstood that extremely oppressive gaze and exined in a low voice.

    Hearing this, the corners of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth curled up into a smile, ¡°You go and tell them that the person in charge of this activity is me, Dongfang Liuyun. If I say what to do, then do it. Otherwise, if the activity goes wrong, that so-called experienced person will be responsible. Just cause I give her some face it doesn¡¯t mean she can step on me. I, Dongfang Liuyun, have never been a patient person.¡±

    Her sonorous tone caused Secretary Ding to tremble slightly.

    ¡°Yes... Manager Yun!¡±

    Secretary Ding took a deep breath.

    ¡°If you have any problems, just let here to me directly. Making things difficult for her subordinates is something that only a fool who bullies the weak would do. Help me ask her if she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, is such a person. You just need to tell her exactly what I said.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun threw the document in her hand into the trash can at the side and walked forward. ¡°Do as I said before. Hand it over to me before work.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun!¡± Ding Xiaoling replied and then turned around to leave.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression naturally did not look good when she directly passed on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words to Dongfang Rou¡¯er. However, her strong control prevented her from exploding on the spot. Instead, she chose to endure it.

    On the other hand, her mother did not have such good endurance.

    In Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression was extremely gloomy. The floor was already littered with papers. Lin Yuanyuan propped herself up at the desk in front of her with both hands, her entire body filled with stagnant anger.

    ¡°Manager Lin, don¡¯t be angry first. This is the decision of the higher-ups, and it isn¡¯t just Vice President Ren who has the final say. We still don¡¯t know what situation Vice President Yi is in. If we can¡¯t hold it in now, we will be at a disadvantage when the timees!¡±

    The secretary reminded him.

    Lin Yuanyuan listened and took a deep breath. She could not hold back his anger and said, ¡°They really know how to do it. We went through a lot to get this project, so why should we let second brother get a piece of the pie? Those old families didn¡¯t want to offend either side. Even Dongfang Gan had tossed away this problem. Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s attitude was still unclear, but they had made these things happen quite quickly! Why didn¡¯t we see them actively mobilize over there back then? They¡¯re obviously ready-made. Second brother, he¡¯s always been such a shrewd person!¡±

    ¡°Manager Lin, this is actually not a bad thing. This project is soplicated, it¡¯s naturally best if we can share some of the burden...¡±

 Chapter 1688 - Gathering (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1688: Gathering (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What do you know!? You can¡¯t understand how shrewd Second Brother is. Vice President Ren has been defeated by him many times, not to mention Third Brother and the others. If we really do this project, even if the results are good, it won¡¯t just be Vice President Ren¡¯s credit. Besides, with Second Brother watching, who knows if he will deliberately make things difficult for us? The two of them have always been at loggerheads. I really don¡¯t understand what Third Brother is trying to do. It¡¯s already decided by their votes. They clearly know that those old fellows are people that no one wants to offend!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan grumbled, and her expression was extremely unsightly.

    The secretary wanted to say something else, but a series of knocks came from outside the door. Both of their gazes turned towards the door, and only then did they realize that Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s figure had already entered their sights.

    ¡°Manager Rou!¡±

    The secretary quickly greeted her.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er walked in and gave the secretary a look. The secretary quickly understood and left.

    ¡°Mother, why are you still so angry? Are you still angry about what happened this morning? I just came back from outside and went to father¡¯s ce. He wasn¡¯t even angry or anxious, but you¡¯re the one who couldn¡¯t hold your temper first! We still don¡¯t know what Tai Yu Corporation is thinking, so don¡¯t be anxious!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er frowned slightly.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m going crazy with anger. I¡¯ve done so much work, and now we¡¯re going to let Second Brother and the others toe over and get a share. With those eyes staring at us, do you think we can easilyplete this project? Not to mention that all the preparations we made before are for him to know. Thinking of this, I feel unconvinced! This project is the result of our hard work. If it wasn¡¯t for us, would the Tai Yu Corporation team have settled this matter so quickly?¡±

    ¡°Rou¡¯er, we have to think of a way to squeeze Second Brother out. Otherwise, our work will definitely be very restrained and passive! Otherwise, it will be meaningless to win this project!¡±

    ¡°Mother! How can you say such things now! We¡¯ve been fighting for this project, if we were to throw it out now, wouldn¡¯t it be letting others take advantage for nothing? Furthermore, how would others view us? I¡¯m afraid we can only ept it this problem. That¡¯s what father wants. He¡¯s worried that you won¡¯t be able to keep your cool and do something, so he asked me toe over and give you some advice.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er sighed helplessly. As she spoke, she pulled out the chair in front of Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office desk and sat down.

    ¡°Your father is really able to keep his cool.¡±

    Only then did Lin Yuanyuan ease up a little.

    ¡°What can we do if not keep your cool? Unless we can convince the people from Tai Yu Corporation to personally appoint us as the only ones to work together? I¡¯ve looked for him several times. Forget about Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s President Qi, I haven¡¯t even seen his secretary. President Qi doesn¡¯t ept any of our appointments at all. The news from Vice President Wang Chun will onlye after the inspection. Right now, the attitude over there is generally satisfactory. I don¡¯t know what arrangements they have made over there.¡±

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er said this, she could not help but get a headache!

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you go to Tai Yu Corporation again tomorrow? If one won¡¯t do, then two, three times! I think with the current situation, the people over there shouldn¡¯t be so disrespectful.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan thought for a moment, then paused before continuing, ¡°If that¡¯s not enough, then we can only let your father make a trip over personally. We have to consider this matter from a long-term perspective. I¡¯ll get someone to investigate what exactly President Qi¡¯s hobbies are. If we can find the right way to solve this, it might save us some trouble.¡±

    ¡°Who knows, mother! This Qi Lei used to have a reputation. With the huge change in the Qi family, his personality seems to have be much more restrained. Now, we can¡¯t see through him at all. Moreover, you should have heard of his tricks in the past one or two years. In the film and television industry, Tai Yu Corporation, is practically a monopoly, not to mention his cooperation with Glory World Corporation and his connections. I feel that he is a little mysterious.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er pondered as she spoke.

    After hearing this, Lin Yuanyuan stopped moving and slowly sat down on the chair behind her. ¡°What you said isn¡¯t unreasonable. But if that¡¯s the case, what else can we do? Sigh, just thinking about this matter gives me a headache!¡±

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s okay. You shouldn¡¯t worry so much, worrying won¡¯t solve anything anyway. Let Father and Brother worry about it. Aren¡¯t they the ones who make the decisions every time? Our opinions are just for reference. They¡¯re experienced in handling matters, so they should be able to think of some good ideas,¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er advised.

    Lin Yuanyuan nodded, ¡°Alright, I got it! Oh right, weren¡¯t you sent to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side to help? Why did youe back all of a sudden? Be careful that she and the Human Resources Department expose you. There¡¯s nothing that little witch wouldn¡¯t dare to do. This temper of hers is inherited from her mother, Song Siting! She¡¯s pervasive! If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll be stabbed by them!¡±

    At this point, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression turned even uglier. The scene of the meeting on Saturday once again surfaced in her mind!

    It would have been fine if Dongfang Liuyun had not been brought up, but when she mentioned it, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes instantly turned cold!

    She remembered the words that her secretary Ding Xiaoling had passed on to her!

    ¡°Where she is, there¡¯s no room for me! Mother, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that her self-righteous nature has always been dependent on us. I¡¯ve said that one day, I, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, will definitely trample her under my feet. I will definitely not lose to her, definitely!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s beautiful eyes flickered with a determined light.

    ¡°Yes, you can definitely do it, Rou¡¯er! I can¡¯t stand her arrogant attitude either, she thinks she¡¯s all that. Her mother, Song Siting, is just a wild girl who came from the countryside. With her status, did she really think that she bes a phoenix just because she married into a wealthy family? Let me tell you, this peasant will always be a peasant! Don¡¯t think that just because she has a few phoenix feathers on her body, she has be ady from a famous family! She should look in the mirror, looking all like a poor monkey with a sharp mouth and cheeks! Just looking at her makes me feel disgusted!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan did not mind at all as she scolded Song Siting. Everyone knew that she and Song Siting did not get along well. Every time the two of them met, it was almost as if they were mocking each other. Behind the scenes, Lin Yuanyuan did not shy away from saying bad things about Song Siting. Dongfang Rou¡¯er had long gotten used to it!

    ¡°Alright, Mother, stop scolding her. Even if you scold her, she won¡¯t be able to hear it now! Leave this matter to Father. I¡¯ll go over to Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s ce tomorrow. Don¡¯t lose your cool!¡±

 Chapter 1689 - Gathering (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1689: Gathering (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not help but advise her again.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s tensed face rxed for a moment, and she leaned against the back of the chair behind her. ¡°Alright, I got it. You can go back and do your work!¡±

    ¡°Just remember, this is a critical period, and father doesn¡¯t want anything to go wrong. You can just focus onpleting what you¡¯re doing. Also, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s nning to do for the Mid-autumn Festival. It seems to be quite grand and mysterious. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s nning to do!¡±

    ¡°Of course! Didn¡¯t they say that the invitation was already sent out? It¡¯s a charity dinner! She¡¯s nning to hold a jewelry show in the name of the charity dinner. She¡¯s really good ating up with such ideas. If she were to receive both fame and fortune this time, who knows what she¡¯ll do after this!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s tone was also sour.

    She had seen the n that Dongfang Liuyun had submitted, so she was very clear of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s intentions.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes darkened. She lowered her gaze and was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°She¡¯s really smart!¡±

    ¡°You were originally in charge of this event. You must not go for wool ande back shorn! But from the looks of it now...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. This event is not a simple matter. If the follow-up results are not as expected, she won¡¯t be able to pass. The Dongfang Group is so big and has manypetitors. No matter how outstanding she is, she can¡¯t bepared to Brother. Brother is the most qualified person to inherit the Dongfang Group and family.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but the person in charge of the Dongfang Group is Dongfang Gan, your Third Uncle, not your father, Dongfang Ren! Not to mention your Second Uncle and the others. How can it be easy to rise to the top?¡±

    As she said this, Lin Yuanyuan could not help but feel heavy in her heart, and the light in her eyes dimmed.

    ¡°If it was easy, we wouldn¡¯t have waited until now. Mother, as long as we work together, the winner will definitely be us. Second Uncle¡¯s schemes are unfathomable. This time, we have to be more cautious. Father and Brother also have the same intentions. I heard that two days ago, Second Uncle went to look for Third Uncle. I think this decision is not necessarily rted to Second Uncle. You know, Third Uncle¡¯s side is still more biased towards Second Uncle.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said with a frown.

    ¡°Your Second Uncle is a shrewd person. It¡¯s only natural. We just need to not rx.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you too, Mother. Don¡¯t be angry. Don¡¯t let these things affect us negatively. Truly intelligent people won¡¯t reveal their true thoughts so easily. In the future, there will be many simr things that we have to face. We have to learn to endure it. Just like Second Uncle and the others.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright! I understand. I know it was your Father who asked you toe over and tell me this. I¡¯m just a little angry, and I can¡¯t really go all out. Go do what you need to do. I still have a lot of things to settle.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan finally recovered.

    ¡°Yes, alright. I¡¯ll go back then.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er left the office as she spoke.

    ...

    After leaving the caf¨¨, Qi Lei did not go home immediately. Instead, he drove to the International Exhibition Center alone.

    The car slowly stopped at the parking spot. He did not get out of the car right away. Instead, he sat in the car and silently looked at the entrance of the exhibition center.

    Dongfang Liuyun stood on the stairs in front and skillfully instructed the staff to get busy.

    It was still drizzling outside. It was not too heavy, but Secretary Ding was very considerate to hold the umbre for her.

    In the end, Qi Lei did not get out of the car and go forward. Instead, he quietly watched for a while before driving away from the back.

    ...

    In the evening, the ne passed through the vast rain and steadilynded on the runway.

    The person who came to pick them up was Su Chen.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had just walked out of the airport when they saw Su Chen who had been waiting for a while.

    With the help of the bodyguards, they quickly moved the luggage into the car. Mu Yuchen got into the car while Xi Xiaye went straight back to Maple Residence.

    Su Chen had especiallye to pick up Mu Yuchen. Zhou Zimo was preparing dinner. Qi Lei had a sudden inspiration in the afternoon, he prepared a bunch of ingredients and went straight to Zhou Zimo¡¯s ce. Later on, Zhou Zimo called Su Chen, the buddies had already made an appointment, so Mu Yuchen wouldn¡¯t miss it, naturally.¡±

    ¡°Are you tired? Drink some water.¡±

    Su Chen drove the car out steadily as he said this.

    Mu Yuchen fixed his sleeves. ¡°Not bad. I slept earlyst night and woke upte today.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re reluctant toe back. Do you still want to spend some time alone with Xiaye?¡±

    Su Chen squinted at him indifferently.

    Mu Yuchen did not even look at him as he continued to fix his sleeves elegantly. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you and Ji Zitong haven¡¯t thought about spending some time alone?¡±

    ¡°Wanting to and not having done it are two different things. I¡¯m not as carefree and free as you. Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯ve been worked like a dog recently?¡± Su Chen said tiredly.

    ¡°Is it still because of the car ident? Doesn¡¯t the main person-in-charge have a special task force? It¡¯s not up to you. How can you be so busy?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°You think too simply. It¡¯s not easy to work together either. The person the Military Region sent over is Qin Su, you know this.¡±

    Su Chen raised his hand to rub the space between his brows as he said this.

    ¡°I heard from Li Si before and you also saidter that the matter hasn¡¯t been settled yet?¡±

    ¡°Far from it, I heard that the case is quiteplicated, so it¡¯ll probably take some time. However, I tried to probe Qin Su before, and it seems that she doesn¡¯t have a deep impression of Zimo either. Thinking about her icy beauty, I¡¯m really worried that she won¡¯t like Zimo¡¯s personality. Although this fellow looks human in front of others, we¡¯ve known him in private for a long time and know that he looks likes to put on airs.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re much better than Zimo. Why would Ji Zitong like you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not even frown as he went straight to the point, leaving Su Chen speechless.

    He thought about it for a while before he said, ¡°What I mean is that Qin Su is even more...¡±

    ¡°No matter how big the change is, it can¡¯t be separated from her nature. I think the two of them will do well.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I admit that Qin Su is good-looking and has a cold personality. She is able to attract Zimo, but it¡¯s just attraction. Every fool knows that an ice beauty like her is not suitable to be a wife!¡±

    ¡°How do you know that she has always been an ice beauty? In my opinion, she is rather amiable. When she was serving in the northwest, I heard that she raised many small animals and took in many stray cats.¡±

    ¡°Stray cats? No way, Don¡¯t you know that Zimo is most afraid of those stray cats and dogs? Aren¡¯t you digging a hole for Zimo to jump into? If Zimo finds out, won¡¯t he kill you?¡±

 Chapter 1690 - Gathering (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1690: Gathering (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen thought it was not quite right, there was some doubt in his dark eyes as he quietly looked at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°One thing begets another. Don¡¯t look at others with your narrow eyes. Uncle Zhou also said before that Qin Su is a person with very strong control. Who can guarantee that she won¡¯t be able to subdue Zimo? I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, he gave an unfathomable smile.

    Su Chen trembled slightly and coughed lightly. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯tment on this. When Zimo finds out that he¡¯s been tricked, it has nothing to do with me. You can take it on yourself!¡±

    ¡°Such conduct!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him, his dark eyes filled with disdain as he looked down on him.

    Su Chen just shrugged and said nonchntly, ¡°Terrible conduct is nothingpared to my life!¡±

    Mu Yuchen scoffed.

    When they arrived at Zhou Zimo¡¯s vi, the sky had already turnedpletely silent. The courtyard was also shrouded in a dim yellow and gentle light.

    The two brothers went straight through the corridor by the frontyard and entered the living room shortly after.

    Mu Yuchen took off his coat while Su Chen made some tea.

    ¡°They¡¯re cooking themselves, we¡¯ll just wait to eat. I¡¯ll go to the wine cer downstairs and get a few bottles of wine to drink up.¡±

    Su Chen did not wait for Mu Yuchen to answer as he got up and walked towards the basement.

    Mu Yuchen took two sips of tea before walking towards the kitchen.

    In the kitchen, Qi Lei was the chef while Zhou Zimo was the helper.

    Just as he pushed the door open, an alluring aroma assaulted his nostrils.

    When they heard themotion, the two of them turned around and looked over.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Zhou Zimo said.

    ¡°Su Chen called right after we got off the ne. What delicious food are you making?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at the few dishes that had already been prepared leisurely as his handsome brows raised.

    ¡°Some seafood, we¡¯re having a seafood feast, consider yourself lucky. We went to the vige at the port this afternoon to take a look, just happened to be in time.¡±

    It was Qi Lei who replied.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re pretty lucky. A few days ago, my mother said she wanted to go over too, but the weather was too hot and the sea was stormy. The fishermen rarely went out to fish, so we didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye didn¡¯te along?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s in a hurry to see the child. She¡¯s went back to Maple Residence and then will go back to the old residence. She went back first. I have to go back to the old residenceter too.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Mu Yuchen replied as he took the wet towel from Zhou Zimo and wiped his hands.

    ¡°Alright, take the dishes out first. There are still two more dishes to go.¡±

    Qi Lei put the dishes in the pot on the te and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did as he was told.

    The table was full of delicious dishes. The few of them started drinking as well. After a toast, Mu Yuchen looked up at Qi Lei across from him, ¡°Qi Lei wouldn¡¯t have such free time to just treat us to a meal. Are you nning to hold a wedding with Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    Hold a wedding?

    Dongfang Liuyun!

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes widened when he heard the news. He looked at Qi Lei in surprise and could not quite snap out of it.

    Su Chen was much calmer than him. He had heard about this from Mu Yuchen before, but Zhou Zimo did not know yet. He only knew that Qi Lei seemed to know Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun was not a stranger to the buddies, so Zhou Zimo naturally knew who he was referring to.

    ¡°Qi Lei, you and Dongfang Liuyun? You and her? The youngest professor at University A, Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at Qi Lei in surprise. ¡°Not bad, how did you get a share of the action with that legendary woman?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at him indifferently and replied in a low voice, ¡°Why do I have to have ulterior motives? I¡¯ve always focused on emotional exchange, I¡¯m not that kind of person with ulterior motives.¡±

    Mu Yuchen narrowed his eyes and exchanged a look with Su Chen. The two of them nced at Qi Lei disapprovingly before clinking sses and taking a sip.

    ¡°Bring her over next time!¡±

    Su Chen spoke up after that.

    ¡°Hey, Qi Lei, when did that happen? Why did you get married without saying anything?¡±

    Zhou Zimo only recovered at this moment.

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while. I had to go on a business trip, so I got dyed. I didn¡¯t n to hide this matter.¡±

    Qi Lei was straightforward.

    ¡°What happened with you guys? There wasn¡¯t any news before, how did you guys get married just like that? You should at least turn to Su Chen, let us know.¡±

    ¡°Wrong. The time I¡¯ve really known her isn¡¯t any shorter than Su Chen and Ji Zitong. We¡¯ve yed countless dungeons together and entered and exited many bases. She¡¯s my person in the game.¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at Zhou Zimo and said disapprovingly.

    This time, Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and teased, ¡°So it¡¯s an online rtionship?¡±

    ¡°Get lost! What do you mean online rtionship? We¡¯re together in real life and online.¡±

    It was not an online rtionship!

    In reality, they often went out to drink and chat to pass the time. They also met many times, so how could it be an online rtionship? Although he admitted that they did meet through the game and online.

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo couldn¡¯t help but sigh¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re really lucky, you really fell in love online? You just yed a game and got a wife so easily. I also y games almost every day, why don¡¯t I have that kind of luck?¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not help but feel a little depressed.

    ¡°Your fate might not be worse than his. Maybe it¡¯s just around the corner.¡±

    Su Chen could not help butugh when he saw Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome frown. He gave Mu Yuchen a look, but Mu Yuchen¡¯s reaction was calm. A sly smile appeared on his lips as he lowered his head and continued to sip his wine.

    ¡°This is a scene that only appears in fairy tales. Don¡¯t talk to me like that, but since that¡¯s the case, I can only wish you the best. Just don¡¯t forget to send out the invitation for the wedding. It seems like you won¡¯t be able to escape being the best man again this time. Can you be the best man three times?¡±

    Zhou Zimo took a deep breath and shrugged.

    ¡°If you like it, no one will stop you even if you do it a thousand times.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice came through as he looked at him. ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to be the best man again after this. You should change.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about me again. It¡¯s Qi Lei who¡¯s telling us about his marriage now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was a lot more sensitive to this issue.

    ¡°Look at your temper! Almost all the buddies are here, and you¡¯re the only one left. Aren¡¯t you embarassed trying to change the topic? You have to face it seriously. There¡¯s no sense of tension at all. Who¡¯s my daughter going to ask for a son-inw from?¡±

    Su Chen suddenly scolded him in such a low voice.

    ¡°Ji Zitong is pregnant?¡±

    As soon as Su Chen said this, Zhou Zimo immediately widened his eyes and looked at Su Chen.

    ¡°Not yet, but I feel that with my current efforts, it¡¯s about time!¡±

    ¡°F*ck off. Let¡¯s talk about it when the child is born!¡±

 Chapter 1691 - Iâ€™ll Protect You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1691: I¡¯ll Protect You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo shot Su Chen a disdainful nce before he looked away and quietly lowered his head to pour the wine.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and smiled while Qi Lei peeled the prawns himself.

    ¡°What do you need to pay attention to when you give the betrothal gifts?¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly asked after they finished eating.

    ¡°I told you that your meal wouldn¡¯t be that simple!¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Su Chen instantly smiled and turned to look at Mu Yuchen with a victorious smile.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows raised as he looked at Qi Lei meaningfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t all look at me like that. I¡¯m just asking casually. If you don¡¯t want to answer, then no need to.¡±

    A wicked smile shed across Qi Lei¡¯s lips as he shrugged nonchntly.

    ¡°You know how to retreat in order to advance too?¡±

    Su Chen saw through Qi Lei¡¯s thoughts at a nce.

    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no secret. Isn¡¯t it just like that? Look at what kind of person your father-inw is. If you apply the right medicine, it shouldn¡¯t be a big problem.¡±

    ¡°You said things without saying anything, I¡¯m not counting on you anymore.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at Su Chen, then his gaze stopped on Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen seemed much more rxed. His dark eyes looked at Qi lei for a while before he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t prepare yourself?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t hide things from you,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    ¡°I know that Song Siting isn¡¯t a very easy person to deal with. Can¡¯t you get past her?¡±

    A wise light shed in Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes as he looked at Qi Lei with interest.

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, just not that friendly. Forget it, it¡¯s over. Drink!¡±

    Qi Lei took a breath and poured the wine again.

    ...

    It was a littlete when they left Zhou Zimo¡¯s house.

    Dongfang Liuyun had said to Qi Lei that she woulde home veryte, so when Qi Lei came home, he did not see Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure. He gave it some thought and decided to cook her some supper.

    The supper had just been cooked when he heard the sound of a car stop outside. Qi Lei served the fragrant porridge and prepared a bowl before walking out.

    Just as he ced the porridge on the dining table, he heard the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw Dongfang Liuyun walking in.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you resting at this time of night? It¡¯s almost twelve.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s calm voice was heard. Her bright eyes nced at the wall clock on the opposite wall. The clock was almost pointing to midnight.

    ¡°When have I ever slept by midnight? I¡¯ve prepared supper for you. Eat some.¡±

    Qi Lei was considerate enough to help her fill half a bowl and move it to the opposite seat.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment and put down the briefcase in her hand. She took off her coat and washed her hands before walking over. She looked at the porridge and was a little surprised, ¡°Treme Lotus Seeds? You¡¯re quite energetic doing all this at night, you¡¯re being suspicious. Tell me, where did you fool around tonight? I can smell the scent of wine as I walk past. Seafood feast, wine, top-grade wine. The vintage isn¡¯t bad. You¡¯re quite good at enjoying life¡¯s pleasures.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment when Dongfang Liuyun said this. He only came back to his senses after a moment. He quickly sniffed himself and said in surprise, ¡°Really? Why can¡¯t I smell It?¡±

    ¡°If you find out how, how can I catch you cheating if you cheat in the future?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled mysteriously at him before picking up the porridge and eating it slowly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone more beautiful and charming than you who¡¯ll be enough to make me cheat.¡±

    Qi Lei squinted at her for a while before saying this. As he said this, he reached out and took out a cigarette from the packet beside him. He lit it casually and took a drag.

    Upon hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun took two sips before she slowly looked up at him. She thought for a moment before she said calmly, ¡°No, in this world, there¡¯s noparison between people. Just because you think I¡¯m good, others might not think so. I hope that what you can see now is all my faults instead. You should know that from the day I married you, I¡¯ve never tried to hide the real Dongfang Liuyun

    ¡°You¡¯re the real Dongfang Liuyun, and I¡¯m the real Qi Lei. I know what you¡¯re trying to say. I¡¯ve heard people say that many couples get along the same way. There will always be a period of fatigue when they get along with each other. After being together for a long time, the ws between two people will be more and more exposed. Some of the strengths that I thought were strengths will be weaknesses.¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish, Qi Lei cut her off.

    In the faint clouds, when Dongfang Liuyun looked at him, she suddenly felt that his gaze was much deeper than before. That depth made her feel slightly pressured.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, I finally understand now. Do you feel... guilty towards me?¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he looked at her with a fixed gaze. He did not want to miss the slightest change in her expression.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused and looked at him for a long time. After a long while, she retracted her gaze and lowered her eyes. She nodded without denying it¡ª

    ¡°Yes, I admit that I have strong motives, this is very unfair to you. And the marriage principle that I have always adhered to does not allow me to have such a strong motives. I have taken advantage of you. I have the suspicion of dragging you down with me. We have always been very good allies, good partners, and friends. Take this South River Project as an example. I am actually not that confident about the future. I am a little afraid that I will mistreat you. I am more worried that I will let you gamble your life this time and bet on the wrong treasure.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she took a deep breath and turned her head away. Without looking at him, she blinked her strange eyes.

    As Qi Lei listened, a smile appeared on his handsome face. That smile looked very gentle. He thought about it for a moment before hisrge hand suddenly could not help but reach out to grab her slightly cold hand on the table, the deep voice sounded very emotional¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m willing. If that¡¯s really the case, then it must be because I¡¯ve lived terribly before and God is punishing me. If it¡¯s not, then God is looking out for me. Either way, I¡¯m very happy now. Compared to the past 30 years, this period of time is truly a happy time.¡±

    She suddenly smiled and patted the back of his hand with her other hand. ¡°You sound so pitiful. Don¡¯t try to change the topic, where did you go to fool around tonight?¡±

    Then, she retracted her hand and continued eating her food.

    The gloomy atmosphere just now was instantly swept away. Qi Lei raised his brows and exined honestly, ¡°I didn¡¯t fool around. I was just having dinner with Mu Yuchen and the others at Zhou Zimo¡¯s house.¡±

 Chapter 1692 - Iâ€™ll Protect You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1692: I¡¯ll Protect You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°It¡¯s that simple?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes.

    Qi lei immediately raised his hand and said, ¡°I swear it¡¯s really that simple! I haven¡¯t been to those romantic ces for a long time. Even if I go in the future, I¡¯ll have to bring you along.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. ¡°I won¡¯t apany you to ces of low quality. Actually, I¡¯m quite curious about how you messed around when you were a yboy.¡±

    ¡°When you have time, I¡¯ll bring you to experience it for yourself, then you¡¯ll know.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled mysteriously.

    Dongfang Liuyun drank thest mouthful of porridge in her bowl and moved it over.

    Qi Lei tacitly filled another bowl for her as he asked, ¡°Is the taste okay?¡±

    <i>¡°</i>It¡¯s improved a littlepared tost time. Next time, use less water.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave a very pertinent evaluation.

    ¡°Why are you so busy today? You shouldn¡¯t still be setting up the venue in the middle of the night, right?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun took the bowl and handed it to him. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I had dinner with father and a few partners. I didn¡¯t eat much, but I went back to thepanyter to get some things. Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his hand to stop her. ¡°No, I¡¯m full from eating at Zimo¡¯s.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and continued eating.

    ¡°By the way, where are the keys to the Cayenne in the garage? I identally scratched the car. You should apply for insurance tomorrow or sometime. It seems like it¡¯s almost time for maintenance. If not, we can wait for when I¡¯m free.¡±

    ¡°I remember that your driving skills aren¡¯t bad.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. You should know how tight the parking lot at the International Convention Center is. It wasn¡¯t easy to find a parking space, but a BMW beat me to it. If that beautiful driver wasn¡¯t so overbearing, I would have been generous enough to let her have it.¡±

    ¡°You two had a fight?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun in surprise. With her personality, she would not take the initiative to provoke others, right?

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I should have let you admire my parking skills. Just as the woman turned the steering wheel and wanted to reverse in, I stepped on the elerator and rushed in, one step ahead of her. I almost made the woman¡¯s face turn green with anger.¡±

    It was rare for Dongfang Liuyun to tell Qi Lei about these things, Qi Lei enjoyed listening to it.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite impressive.¡±

    ¡°This is called strategy! When dealing with such people, you can only beat them by suppressing them better.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. Then, he lowered his eyes and continued to have her porridge.

    Dongfang Liuyun finished three and a half bowls in a row before she was satisfied. She put down the bowl and went upstairs.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wash the dishes?¡±

    Qi Lei turned his head to look at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure as she walked up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, her slender figure disappeared from the stairway.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Qi lei frowned. He did not know what else to say.

    After packing up and returning to the bedroom, Dongfang Liuyun was still taking a shower. Qi Lei even helped her carry her briefcase up.

    It was already past twelve o¡¯clock. At this time, Grand Lake Vi district was very quiet. The wind outside was quite strong, and the rain had stopped for a while.

    ...

    ¡°Yang Sheng went over in the afternoon. I¡¯ve also met the people that were arranged.¡±

    After he was done, Qi Lei returned to the study to get his phone. Dongfang Liuyun was still packing up documents in the study.

    ¡°If you have any problems, just look for Yang Sheng directly. I¡¯ll arrange for him to be your assistant for a while.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he told me. Oh right, on the night of the Mid-autumn Festival, we¡¯ll go back to Tanshan Vi District for dinner. Then, the charity banquet will be held on the 16th. Can you arrange it on your side?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Qi Lei replied and took his phone from the table. ¡°Rest early. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    ...

    He did not really rest before Qi Lei had to get busy again. While he was away in City B, a lot of work had piled up for him. For the next few days, he was like Dongfang Liuyun, leaving early and returningte.

    Mama Wang had already returned from her vacation. Mama Wang usually prepared breakfast. For lunch, the husband and wife would make do in their respectivepany¡¯s cafeteria. At night, Dongfang Liuyun would pick Qi Lei up when she drove past Tai Yu Corporation.

    ¡°President Qi, Dongfang Rou¡¯er from Dongfang Group has called three times to make an appointment with you. She insisted on seeing you. Look...¡±

    Qi Lei had just rushed back from the construction site. When he walked into the office, the newly transferred secretary, Bai Xiaowei, came up to him.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er?

    Qi Lei frowned. If he remembered correctly, this woman had made more than three appointments. She was really determined. Wang Chun had dealt with her a few times. If it was not for his Mrs. Qi, he would at least have had a different opinion of this woman.

    After thinking for a while, Qi Lei replied, ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s in the hall downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Let her in. I¡¯ll only give her 10 minutes.¡±

    Qi Lei put down the teacup in his hand and slowly walked towards the bookshelf in front of him. He tidied up the documents on the bookshelf.

    ...

    Not long after, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was led by his secretary, Bai Xiaowei, to Qi Lei¡¯s office door.

    ¡°Alright, Rou¡¯er, you can go in by yourself. If there¡¯s no summons, President Qi doesn¡¯t really like people near his office. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to get promoted, and I¡¯m still on probation, so...¡±

    Bai Xiaowei was beautiful and generous. She was quite capable. She was the secretary that the Human Resource Department had just temporarily transferred to Qi Lei. It seemed like she was only on her second day of work here.

    Bai Xiaowei and Dongfang Rou¡¯er were schoolmates. Although they were not very familiar with each other before, they had gotten to know each other during the previous two alumni gatherings. Dongfang Rou¡¯er had bumped into her when she came to Tai Yu Corporation a few times before.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er had even specially invited her for afternoon tea twice, so the two of them could be considered to be somewhat familiar with each other.

    ¡°Thank you, Xiaowei. I can¡¯t thank you enough for your help. Let¡¯s make a proper appointment next time. I¡¯ll go in first! Thank you!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er had a gentle smile on her face as she looked gratefully at Bai Xiaowei.

    Bai Xiaowei smiled modestly as well. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s nothing much. You can go in. I¡¯ll be busy now.¡±

    ¡°Alright! Thank you!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er thanked her again, then gently knocked on the door and walked in.

    As soon as she entered the office, a faint fragrance of Chinese eaglewood wafted over. It made her tense nerves ease. She subconsciously looked up and around, soon, she found Chinese eaglewood burning beside her. She looked inside and saw the owner of the office standing by the shelf, flipping through a document.

 Chapter 1693 - Iâ€™ll Protect You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1693: I¡¯ll Protect You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The youngest President of Tai Yu Corporation, Qi Lei!

    Naturally, Dongfang Rou¡¯er recognized Qi Lei at first nce.

    At this moment, Qi Lei was also with his back facing her. He was looking through the documents that Wang Chun had submitted regarding the South River Project.

    He was very focused. The dim light that shone in from the corner made his handsome face look even more profound and handsome. His long eyshes flickered. Looking at him like this, it was naturally very peaceful and somewhat pleasing to the eye.

    ¡°Hello, President Qi!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er did note back to her senses for a long time. She only spoke softly when Qi Lei suddenly turned around with the document in his hand and walked towards the desk beside him.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was still on the document in front of him. From the document that Wang Chun reported, it could be seen that Dongfang Liuyun and the rest had made quite a lot of preparations. All of the data was able to meet their expectations.

    However, Dongfang Ren did not hand in the data through Dongfang Gan¡¯s nod. This made him frown. It was higher than the actual data Dongfang Liuyun gave him. It was obvious...

    ¡°Alright, thank you, President Qi!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled politely. She pulled out the chair in front of Qi Lei¡¯s desk elegantly and sat down.

    Qi Lei looked up from the document and ced the document on the table in front of him. He leaned against the back of the chair and looked at the smiling face in front of him that did not look like Dongfang Liuyun, the depths of his dark eyes could not help but darken, but there was no change in his expression.

    ¡°Dongfang Group¡¯s Manager Rou? I heard that you came to my ce many times and insisted on seeing me. May I know what is the matter?¡±

    Qi Lei maintained his usual gentlemanly demeanor and asked calmly.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled sincerely. ¡°How nice of President Qi to remember me, it¡¯s an honor. Actually, it¡¯s a little presumptuous of me to do this, but I still have to do this. I hope that President Qi won¡¯t mind.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and nced at her. He did not reply. Dongfang Rou¡¯er paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°President Qi has always been a straightforward person, so I¡¯ll be direct. Actually, I¡¯m here because of the South River Project. I¡¯ve looked for yourpany¡¯s Vice President Wang Chun before, but...¡±

    Just as Dongfang Rou¡¯er said this, Qi Lei, who was sipping his tea, suddenly stopped. He raised his hand and interrupted her¡ª

    ¡°Regarding the South River Project, I¡¯ve given full authority to Vice President Wang Chun to handle. I¡¯m not personally in charge of this matter. Manager Rou, I think if the Dongfang Group has any questions about the South River Project, they wouldn¡¯t have asked you, a Deputy Public Rtions Manager, toe over to discuss it, right?¡±

    ¡°Right now, the matter of whether Tai Yu Corporation and Dongfang group want to cooperate is still under discussion. Moreover, even if the twopanies want to cooperate, does the Dongfang Group want to hand such an important project over to you?¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with some amusement.

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er heard this, she was stunned for a moment, but her reaction was quick enough. She quickly replied with some apology, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, President Qi. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. It¡¯s just that I participated in the analysis of this project¡¯s data proposal previously. I believe President Qi has seen the proposal before. It was meticulously prepared by us. In order to allow us to have a more perfect cooperation, I dared to look for President Qi today...¡±

    Qi Lei was a little surprised by her calm attitude in the face of danger. After thinking for a moment, Qi Lei reached out to open the folder in front of him and handed a document to Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡ª

    ¡°Manager Rou, are you referring to this proposal?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er quickly took it. She picked it up, flipped through it, and then nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s this document, President Qi...¡±

    ¡°If Dongfang Group really can only get me a proposal of this level, the cooperation will naturally be impossible. Manager Rou, you¡¯re a smart person. You know what I¡¯m talking about. I, Qi Lei, am a businessman. Businessmen are all about win-win. When Tai Yu Corporation decide on whether to cooperate with the Dongfang Group, we have already done a thorough investigation of your background. To be honest, your attitude has disappointed me. However, yourpany¡¯s Vice President Yi is somewhat sincere, but now I have some doubts. If this project is handed over to the Dongfang Group, who from yourpany will be in charge of this project?¡±

    Qi Lei said with a straight face, and his brows subconsciously furrowed.

    Vice President Yi?

    Second Uncle Dongfang Yi?

    A cold light shed across Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes, and her willow-like brows furrowed¡ª

    She had always known that her father, Dongfang Ren, and Dongfang Yi were secretly at odds with each other on this project. Neither side was willing to submit to the other because Second Uncle Dongfang Yi also had a proud son, Dongfang Yu. Speaking of which, Dongfang Yu¡¯s talent was no less than that of her eldest brother, Dongfang Xin.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er thought about it for a moment, and then she had an idea.

    She wanted to say something more, but Qi Lei did not give her another chance. He nced at the clock on the table, and his deep voice sounded a little indifferent. ¡°10 minutes are up. Manager Rou, you can go back now.¡±

    ¡°President Qi, I...¡±

    Without waiting for Dongfang Rou¡¯er to finish, Qi Lei had already pressed the call button and said to the person on the other end, ¡°Come in and send the guest off for me.¡±

    As soon as he said that, someone came from outside.

    It was Bai Xiaowei. Seeing Qi Lei¡¯s indifferent look, she naturally did not dare to say anything. She quickly nced at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er eased up a little before saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being presumptuous today, President Qi. But please believe in my sincerity. I didn¡¯t mean anything else. I just wanted the project to be done better.¡±

    Qi Lei continued to look down at the document as if he had not heard anything.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could only turn around and walk out of the door awkwardly.

    Bai Xiaowei bowed respectfully to Qi lei, then turned around and walked out as well.

    Bai Xiaowei followed Qi Lei¡¯s instructions and sent Dongfang Rou¡¯er downstairs.

    ¡°Miss Bai, your President Qi...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was silent for a long time before she asked tentatively.

    ¡°President Qi is like this. Manager Rou, don¡¯t take it to heart. President Qi is also very decisive in handling matters. Previously, when he was on a long business trip, thepany¡¯s matters piled up. President Qi has already frozen quite a few managers in the past few days of meetings,¡± Bai Xiaowei consoled her.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at her gratefully and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s alright. This kind of thing often happens. I¡¯ve always been mentally prepared! How is it? Are you used to the work here? I see that you¡¯re quite capable, I even want to poach you over. When you¡¯re in the mood,e to the Dongfang Group for a visit!¡±

 Chapter 1694 - Iâ€™ll Protect You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1694: I¡¯ll Protect You (4)</h4>

    Hearing this, Bai Xiaowei¡¯s eyes lit up, and she quickly smiled, ¡°With my qualifications, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to do any work there, right?¡±

    ¡°No, with your qualifications, it won¡¯t be difficult for you to be a member of the management team. I¡¯m just afraid that you won¡¯t be willing to part with such good treatment and environment here!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled happily.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thank you. If I don¡¯t make it in the future, I¡¯ll look for you. You can¡¯t refuse!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei smiled sweetly.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve always kept my promise. I¡¯ll naturally wee you toe. Oh right, can you tell me about President Qi¡¯s situation? This project is very important. I want to try my best to win it. If I sessfully win it, I¡¯ll definitely thank you.¡±

    ¡°President Qi...¡±

    As Bai Xiaowei said this, she frowned and thought about it seriously, ¡°Actually, I can¡¯t tell you about President Qi¡¯s daily life. I just transferred here not too long ago. Previously, I wasn¡¯t even able to meet President Qi. Oh, by the way, before I came, the Human Resource Department gave me some instructions. Also, I¡¯ve been observing him for the past two days. Let me give you a brief exnation.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was overjoyed.

    ¡°You should have heard some rumors about President Qi before. I won¡¯t say anything else. President Qi is very quiet now. He¡¯s not as cheerful as before. Oh, he¡¯s also a lot more low-key. He has rejected many public asions. There are also some beautiful socialites that he has never paid any attention to. He¡¯s a bit of a loner. With that personality, however, I feel that President Qi is now giving off a mysterious aura. He¡¯s also so handsome!¡±

    At this point, even Bai Xiaowei could not help but be a little infatuated, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that President Qi is now the Prince Charming in the hearts of all the female employees in thepany? Who knows how many people want to invite President Qi to dinner every day? Not to mention those movie stars and those popr celebrities. For example, Miss Han from the Han Corporation and Miss Lei from the Lei Corporation. Those super socialites oftene over in person, but President Qi has never epted any of their invitations.¡±

    ¡°President Qi doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend or a date?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked in surprise.

    Bai Xiaowei thought for a moment, then shook her head, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not too sure about that. If he didn¡¯t have a date, why would President Qi ignore those women? Theye from good families and have good looks. I also noticed that our President Qi has a ring on his ring finger. I don¡¯t know what that means. I¡¯ve never heard of President Qi getting married, but after some analysis, I think it should be his date.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I heard that there was a very beautiful woman driving President Qi to work. I think that mysterious woman is President Qi¡¯s girlfriend.¡±

    Most of Bai Xiaowei¡¯s information were rumors, so Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not have much information. When she wanted to ask more, the elevator had already reached the lobby on the first floor.

    ¡°Manager Rou, I¡¯ll send you until here then. Take care. If there¡¯s anything, we¡¯ll call you!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei quickly walked out of the elevator and said politely.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er nodded and walked out of the elevator as well. ¡°Okay, thank you, Miss Bai. Let¡¯s have afternoon tea together next time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, take care. Bye!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye!¡±

    With that, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s figure quickly passed through the grand and luxurious hall. Her petite figure quickly disappeared outside the door.

    ...

    ¡°Why is she here?¡±

    Just as Bai Xiaowei was about to turn around and go back, she was caught off guard when she heard a familiar voice. She was shocked and quickly turned around to look, only then did she realize that Yang Sheng and the two bodyguards in ck were already standing not far behind her.

    ¡°Assistant... Assistant Yang!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei muttered under her breath, clearly still in a daze.

    There was a hint of wariness in the depths of Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes. He looked at Bai Xiaowei without blinking. That kind of gaze made Bai Xiaowei feel a little ufortable. She hurriedly said, ¡°Assistant Yang! You¡¯re back! That¡¯s manager Rou from the Dongfang Group. She specially came to look for President Qi. President Qi saw her for a moment and it seemed like they didn¡¯t have a very pleasant chat. Then, President Qi asked me to go in and send Manager Rou down,¡± Bai Xiaowei quickly exined.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes darkened. After thinking for a moment, he could roughly guess the purpose of Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s visit!

    It was no wonder that Master Qi was unhappy. How could she have the face toe here after making things so difficult for their Missus? It must be for the South River Project!

    ¡°Are you familiar with her?¡±

    Yang Sheng stared at Bai Xiaowei and asked.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not familiar with her. I just know her.¡±

    Bai Xiaowei took a deep breath and replied. She looked at Assistant Yang¡¯s expression and felt a little uneasy.

    ¡°Alright, you can go back to work first.¡±

    Only then did Yang Sheng reply.

    ¡°Alright, Assistant Yang!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei heaved a sigh of relief and then hurriedly walked into the elevator.

    The elevator door quickly closed. Yang Sheng quickly turned to look at one of the bodyguards in ck and instructed seriously, ¡°Immediately go and investigate this Bai Xiaowei¡¯s rtionship with Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Also, sort out Bai Xiaowei¡¯s social circle while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Assistant Yang!¡±

    The ck-clothed bodyguard replied before leaving.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me. Go and do your thing. I¡¯ll go up for a while.¡±

    Yang Sheng instructed and walked to the empty elevator to the President¡¯s office.

    When Yang Sheng knocked on the door, Qi Lei was still flipping through the documents of the South River Project in the office.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice soon came from inside. Yang Sheng pushed the door open and walked in as well.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng called out to Qi Lei, who was in front of his desk.

    ¡°Mm, have you settled the matters over there? You¡¯re back so soon?¡±

    Qi Lei put down the documents in his hands and stood up to walk over to the sofa. Yang Sheng was already skilled in boiling water and making tea.

    ¡°Missus said that she has enough people on her side and asked me toe back. I¡¯ll make some arrangements ande back when I¡¯m not needed. Oh, right, Missus said that she¡¯lle to pick you upter tonight. Tomorrow is the Mid-autumn Festival holiday, so she might be busy until veryte.¡±

    Qi lei nodded and sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°Master Qi, I bumped into Dongfang Rou¡¯er when I returned just now. Why was she here?¡±

    Yang Sheng looked at Qi Lei curiously. After some thought, he continued, ¡°Was it about the South River Project?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at him and replied, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, she must be trying to convince me to ept their opinion and let me appoint the person-in-charge from Dongfang Group.¡±

 Chapter 1695 - Iâ€™ll Protect You (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1695: I¡¯ll Protect You (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s sharp insight could naturally guess Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s motive, but he still met her. It was for no other reason than to reduce the pressure on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side.

    ¡°Appoint the person in charge? Appoint Dongfang Ren? She¡¯s really daring! She should take a look at her own weight!¡±

    Yang Sheng was amused by Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s goal.

    ¡°That¡¯s not where her perspective is from, if Dongfang Ren could make the decision to give up more benefits, and if this were in the past, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for them to work together. You should at least know that the undercurrents within the Dongfang Group aren¡¯t as simple as Qi Kai back then. Dongfang Ren has always been vying for the position of the person in charge.¡± Qi Lei analyzed calmly.

    Yang Sheng nodded as he listened, ¡°That¡¯s right, Master Qi. That¡¯s true. If Dongfang Ren¡¯s offer is more attractive, it¡¯s not impossible for us to cooperate with him, it¡¯s just that on the Missus¡¯ end... Why don¡¯t we discuss it with the Missus and see how big of a bargaining chip Dongfang Ren offers?¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t consider that. Let¡¯s listen to her on this matter. I¡¯ll cooperate,¡± Qi Lei said leisurely.

    He took the cup and poured himself a cup of water. When Yang Sheng was about to make tea for him, he raised his hand to stop him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink anymore. I drank too much today and can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t have to go to work tomorrow. I have to leaveter tonight. Master Qi, why don¡¯t we go out for dinner tonight? My treat. It just so happens that it¡¯s my wife¡¯s birthday. How about calling Missus?¡±

    ¡°Why do I remember that your wife celebrated her birthday just a month ago? How many wives do you have, or how many birthdays does your wife have?¡±

    Qi Lei rolled his eyes at Yang Sheng and quickly exposed his words.

    Only then did Yang Sheng feel a little embarrassed. He turned off the water and smiled, ¡°I just felt that the Mid-autumn Festival was approaching. Actually, I really wanted to have a reunion dinner with Master Qi¡¯s wife. You¡¯ve watched over me quite a lot over the years, and also that Vice President Wang used to watch over me before. My family is very grateful. When my parents celebrated their birthday, Master Qi, you even gave them such an expensive gift...¡±

    As Yang Sheng spoke, his heart was filled with gratitude. At this moment, there was some anticipation in his tone.

    Upon hearing this, Qi Lei paused for a moment before smiling, ¡°That¡¯s what you deserve. I¡¯m just being considerate to my capable subordinates as a superior. Oh right, I¡¯ve already informed the people in the Finance Department this morning that your sry will be doubled. You can go back to the Finance Department to confirm your signature.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Yang Sheng was instantly stunned. He stared at Qi Lei with his eyes wide open. After a while, he subconsciously stretched out his finger and did a simple calction..

    If his sry was doubled, did that not mean that he was...

    Haha, he was rich!

    However, did he not say that Master Qi and Misssus should have a Young Master before..

    After some thought, Yang Sheng suddenly asked out of the blue¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi, do you and Missus not n on having a Young Master for the time being?¡±

    When he said this, Qi Lei frowned and nced at Yang Sheng. ¡°You¡¯re really thinking about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Wang Chun and the rest are also looking forward to this day. If there¡¯s a Young Master, Master Qi, you¡¯ll be set. Who knows, President Qi in the hospital might be so surprised by this great news that he might wake up immediately!¡±

    Yang Sheng said with anticipation.

    At the mention of Qi Qiming, Qi Lei¡¯s heart could not help but darken. He lowered his head and drank two mouthfuls of water. ¡°Wishful thinking woulde faster.¡±

    He, Qi qiming, probably did not want to wake up in this lifetime, right?

    At least Qi Lei did not have any expectations for him anymore.

    ¡°Master Qi, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to...¡±

    When he noticed that Qi Lei¡¯s mood was not quite right, his expression darkened. Yang Sheng immediately realized that he seemed to have said something he should not have, so he quickly apologized.

    Qi Lei raised his hand and brushed his fingers through his fine ck hair. ¡°It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, why don¡¯t we try to contact a hospital from abroad? Previously, Miss Xiaye¡¯s friend, Mr. Ruan Heng, was the same. They went abroad for treatment, and then Mr. Ruan recovered after that? He did not feel any difort at all. It seemed like Mr. Ruan is now a Vice President. Apart from the frequent checkups he had to do when he came back, everything else was normal. Vice President Wang Chun even asked about it before. If it¡¯s possible, we can ask Master Mu for the hospital¡¯s address or the doctor¡¯s contact information. Why don¡¯t we try it too?¡±

    Yang Sheng looked at Qi Lei and felt helpless at times.

    ¡°Professor Terl came over to give him a systematic check-up a long time ago. His condition is different from Ruan Heng¡¯s. Ruan Heng was unconscious because of his body¡¯s condition, but he¡¯s different. His bodily functions are fine, and his muscles haven¡¯t atrophied. Logically, he should have regained consciousness, but he didn¡¯t. Obviously, even the doctor said that he didn¡¯t want to wake up.¡±

    Qi Lei exined nonchntly.

    Qi Feng¡¯s incident must have left a deep scar on him. Otherwise, he would not have ended up like this.

    ¡°Master Qi, then we... We don¡¯t have any other options?¡±

    Yang Sheng asked, unwilling to give up

    If Qi Qiming could wake up, Master Qi could be considered to have an additional family member. It was better than having only the Missus to apany him, right?

    ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to worry about these things. Wang Chun will take care of them appropriately. Your Missus will be very busy these few days. Moreover, this event will have a great impact. Try to arrange for people to watch over it secretly. Don¡¯t let anything go wrong. If you don¡¯t have enough people, you can mobilize some people from the casino. Don¡¯t use my name. Ask Wang Chun to mobilize people for you. Tell him what I said and he will understand.¡±

    Qi Lei instructed as he looked at Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng quickly nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. I¡¯ll pass on Master Qi¡¯s words to Vice President Wang Chunter. Coincidentally, there¡¯s a shortage of people to look after the ce.¡±

    ¡°Let Wang Chun choose the manpower. Just arrange it well. Find some smarter ones.¡±

    Qi Lei was still a little worried.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Yes, I guarantee that the mission will bepleted smoothly. Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯rete for the Mid-autumn Festival. Help me send my regards to your mother and sister-inw, I¡¯ve prepared gifts for them too. Later, go downstairs and have them send them to your car. There¡¯s nothing much to do tonight, so you should get off work early. As for the dinner you mentioned just now, we¡¯ll leave it to the future. There¡¯ll be plenty of opportunities.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment, and then said so peacefully.

 Chapter 1696 - Iâ€™ll Protect You (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1696: I¡¯ll Protect You (6)</h4>

    Gratitude appeared on Yang Sheng¡¯s face as well. He did not say anything more and quickly nodded¡ª

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Master Qi. When you have time, you muste over and visit.¡±

    His voice was naturally filled with anticipation.

    Qi Lei nodded calmly.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Yang Sheng responded briefly, but he was also filled with gratitude. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get back to work then, Master Qi.¡±

    ...

    That night, Dongfang Liuyun came to pick up Qi Lei quitete. By then, the sky had already turned dark, and the entire City Z was surrounded by brilliant lights.

    The couple did not go home directly. Instead, they followed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s instructions and had a nice western meal in a French restaurant. After leaving the restaurant, Dongfang Liuyun even dragged him to the night market.

    They walked through the square and along the bustling street. When they reached a small inn near the river, they suddenly saw a pub. From it came the familiar tune of Beyond¡¯s ¡°I Like You¡±.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly stopped and looked in the direction of the song.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei, who was holding her hand, also stopped walking and looked at her in surprise.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly retracted his gaze and nced at him. She raised her head slightly and said calmly, ¡°Treat me to a few drinks, President Qi? I don¡¯t have anything on me.¡±

    Hearing that, Qi Lei looked at her with his deep eyes. Then, he smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s my honor.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun liked to go to bars to drink, but he usually went to pubs instead of those bars with loud heavy metal music.

    Qi Lei recalled that in the long time they had known each other, Dongfang Liuyun had often invited him to such pubs. Every time he went there, he would usually find a quiet corner with a good view and drink some wine.

    The bar was open-air.

    The couple sat next to each other. Outside the guardrail was the corridor by the river. Through a ss window, they could see the scenery by the river below.

    ¡°Sir, Miss, what would you like to order?¡±

    The waiter quickly came forward.

    Qi Lei took the menu and quickly nced at it. ¡°A long Ind iced tea, a bottle of brandy, this and this tter.¡±

    Pointing at the menu, Qi Lei returned it.

    ¡°Okay, Sir and Miss, please wait a moment. It¡¯ll be ready soon.¡±

    ¡°I want a whiskey?¡± Dongfang Liuyun nced at Qi Lei and said.

    ¡°No.¡± Qi lei answered straightforwardly, ¡°Actually, you¡¯re not suitable to drink that kind of strong liquor. It¡¯s even worse when you get drunk after mixing it.¡±

    ¡°Your alcohol tolerance isn¡¯t as good as mine.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him with amusement.

    ¡°You feel really good about yourself, but I remember that every time we went out to drink, you¡¯re always the one who got drunk.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled lightly.

    Qi Lei saw the faint smile on her face. At this moment, Qi Lei felt his heart inexplicably skip a beat¡ª

    Of course, he would not tell her why he was the one who got drunk most of the time?

    That was because he would drink two sses when she drank one ss.

    Who would believe that a person who had been in a romantic rtionship for more than ten to twenty years would not be able to hold his liquor?

    He had to be more gentlemanly, especially in front of a smart woman like Dongfang Liuyun.

    However, his beer tolerance was not great, other white or foreign wines were not a problem.

    Qi Lei looked at her quietly for a long while. He did not say anything after that until the waiter brought the tter and wine over.

    Dongfang Liuyun poured him a ss. She added some ice-cold drinks for him to mix with. She picked up her ss and the couple casually clinked it before taking a sip.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been a little busy these past few days, so I didn¡¯t make it in time to do any health care. It¡¯s quite niceing to a ce like this. You used to be good at ying around, but your state of mind is different. You haven¡¯t yed to the core.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun put down his ss, grabbed a few peanuts, casually opened them, and handed them to him.

    He simply picked one up from her palm and ate it. After that, he stopped eating, but he did peel it for her quite consciously.

    ¡°I was young back then, who wouldn¡¯t go crazy? A few years ago, when I was studying abroad, my brothers and friends who were on good terms with me were frequent customers of bars or entertainment centres. We all had our fixed VIP seats. The record we kept was that we messed around in entertainment cities for three months in a row. Other than returning to school asionally, we never went back to our apartments.¡±

    ¡°After that, we drank until our stomachs bled and we went to the hospital. My mother rushed over from City Z, and the moment we met, she nagged me a lot. Afterwards, I don¡¯t know how Qi Qiming found out about this, but he flew into a rage and told me to pick up my books and pack up my luggage to go back to China. I was only a freshman then, of course my mother wouldn¡¯t agree. My good friend advised me for a long time before I gave up on the idea of going back to China.¡±

    Qi Lei had never been willing to mention his time while studying abroad because, indeed, they were quite reckless back then.

    ¡°What happened after that?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him with some confusion. ¡°I remember that your grades were very excellent when you were abroad. You got an excellent for your graduation thesis, a top student in the architecture department, and you even got a double master¡¯s degree?¡±

    ¡°Those are nothing. However, I relied on my grades to get my tutor to not give me too bad grades, so my mother and the others actually don¡¯t know much about my life abroad. My tutor and I have a pretty good rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and nced at him.

    Qi Lei nced back at her. He lowered his eyes and moved the peeled peanuts over. Then, he picked up the wine and took a sip. ¡°What else?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun pursed her lips and smiled. She supported her chin with one hand and looked at him seriously as she casually picked up the peeled peanuts in front of her and ate them.

    ¡°Mrs. Qi, I¡¯ll bet you that the girl opposite you doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend. Also, she didn¡¯te to the bar to wait for someone. She came to fish for someone. Do you believe me?¡±

    President Qi, who was an expert, suddenly gestured to his wife with his eyes and said with interest.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun also looked in the direction of his gaze. A beautiful and gentle girl with a pure appearance came into view.

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Dongfang Liuyun raised her beautiful brows and asked.

    ¡°Do you want to make a bet?¡± Qi Lei said softly.

    ¡°What bet?¡±

    ¡°Whoever loses will go up and sing a song?¡± Qi Lei asked tentatively.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a while before nodding. ¡°Sure, but the way you look at her is too direct. I noticed that she doesn¡¯t seem to be stealing a nce at you. She doesn¡¯t think you¡¯re a pervert, does she?¡±

 Chapter 1697 - Iâ€™ll Protect You (7)

    <h4>Chapter 1697: I¡¯ll Protect You (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Won¡¯t you know after a little probing?¡±

    Qi Lei had frequented many ces like this, and he had seen many people. He was very confident in his own judgment.

    As he spoke, he nced at Dongfang Liuyun and waved at the waiter beside him.

    The waiter quickly walked over

    ¡°Sir, do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°Send a ss of Pretty in Pink to thedy opposite. Tell her it¡¯s from thedy beside me.¡±

    Qi Lei quickly instructed.

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    The waiter quickly left. About five minutester, the waiter returned and smiled at the couple. ¡°Thedy said thank you. Also, she asked me to give this note to this gentleman.¡±

    As the waiter spoke, he quickly handed Qi Lei a small note.

    Qi Lei took it and opened it to take a look. It was a string of numbers. It was obvious that it was a phone number. Then, he smiled triumphantly and handed the note to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun took the note and took a look. Her beautiful brows raised even higher¡ª

    ¡°Can I go back on my words?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not your style,¡± Qi Lei replied confidently.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and stared at him for a while. Then, he took the half-full ss of wine in his hand and drank it in one gulp. The smile on his face was enchanting in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes.

    She narrowed his eyes and put the empty ss back. Then, she walked briskly to the stage.

    At this moment, the band on stage had just finished their song.

    She walked up and briefly talked to the lead singer of the band. The young and handsome boys nodded happily as well. Many people in the audience had already cast their eyes on Dongfang Liuyun.

    Qi Lei suddenly regretted it, did he really want to share her beauty with others¡ª

    Dongfang Liuyun was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen with both elegance and beauty. The few people beside him stared at her until their eyes stopped moving. He could not help but want to poke his eyes out!

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun had alreadymunicated with the lead singer of the band. The lead singer had already moved aside and picked up another electric guitar.

    Dongfang Liuyun very politely bowed to him, then stood in front of the microphone and moved aside the stool.

    At this moment, the guests in the venue suddenly fell silent. They silently focused their gazes on the small stage in front of them, waiting to hear the kind of auditory experience this rarely seen beauty would bring to everyone on the stage. However, this visual experience was already pretty good.

    ¡°I offer a song, ¡®An Instant¡¯ to you, and everyone!¡± Dongfang Liuyun said this calmly.

    Naturally, no one knew who she meant by ¡®you.¡¯ However, following her gaze, they saw Qi Lei sitting diagonally in the opposite corner, he was also quietly looking at Qi Lei on stage.

    Cheers rang out in an instant. Dongfang Liuyun gave the lead singer a look, and the band¡¯s apaniment immediately began to y rhythmic music.

    <i>¡°It was at this moment that I realized that you were right beside me. It was at this moment that I realized that I had lost your face...¡±</i>

    Dongfang Liuyun was not that great at singing, but her tune was very urate. With her cool and pleasant voice, this song naturally had a different vor¡ª

    This was an upbeat song with tambourine music. Qi Lei knew that Dongfang Liuyun liked music with tambourines. The yer in the car often yed this kind of music.

    Qi Lei had asked Dongfang Liuyun about it. Dongfang Liuyun said that the sound of the drums gave her a sense of passion and excitementpared to other musical instruments.

    People like Dongfang Liuyun did not like soft things. Even things that cultivated her character were energetic. Many times, he could feel a vigorous vitality from her.

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun who was singing on the stage. His eyes were in a daze, and his slender fingers were subconsciously following her beat.

    Her long hair that reached her waist hung down. The evening wind that blew slowly felt cool.

    She raised her hand to tidy up her messy hair, but her eyes were very clear as she looked at Qi Lei. Her body was also following the beat of the drum.

    Qi Lei was surprised that Dongfang Liuyun had such grace!

    Thinking of this, he could not help but recall what Lan Xiu had said earlier¡ª

    He said that Dongfang Liuyun was a woman so outstanding that she was almost perfect. Even he, Lan Xiu, felt that he was not good enough for Dongfang Liuyun..

    At this moment, Qi Lei did not know why, but he suddenly heaved a sigh of relief!

    Fortunately, he acted quickly and took a bold step forward. Dongfang Liuyun was now his wife, Qi Lei¡¯s woman.

    Intoxicated by her charm, Qi Lei finally raised his head and drank the ss of wine that he had just filled. He ced the ss down heavily, and his deep eyes could not help but burn with passion. He fixed his gaze on the woman on the stage, who was singing with a faint smile¡ª

    ¡°I will protect you, Dongfang Liuyun! You will fall in love with me. No, we will fall deeply in love. Definitely!¡±

    He told himself so firmly and clearly that he must have all of her and be with her for the rest of his life.

    ...

    Before the song ended, Qi Lei finished a few sses of wine as well.

    ¡°Sir, are you alone?¡±

    Just as Qi Lei was staring at Dongfang Liuyun on the stage, he suddenly heard a gentle voice. Qi Lei did not react until the woman reached out and grabbed his arm to push him, only then did he react violently and push the woman¡ª

    ¡°What are you doing! Get lost!¡±

    He reprimanded her in a low voice and looked at the woman in disgust.

    It was the pure-looking girl from the bet.

    The woman was pushed to the railing at the side. She cried out in surprise and stared at Qi Lei with wide eyes. She bit her lips pitifully.

    Qi Lei gave her a cold nce. His disdainful gaze scared her a little.

    He took out a few bills from his pocket and threw them on the table. He stood up abruptly and walked directly to the stage. Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish the song, he had already dragged Dongfang Liuyun out.

    Dongfang Liuyun had a look of surprise on her face. Before she could react, she was dragged out of the bar by him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned as she was dragged by him for a long while. Finally, she could not help but ask.

    Qi Lei did not answer, but the hand that was holding her wrist tightened.

    ¡°You... mmm!¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, he stopped and turned around. He lowered his head and kissed her lips...

 Chapter 1698 - Festival (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1698: Festival (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the way home, Qi Lei drove.

    He was driving smoothly and skillfully. Dongfang Liuyun, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was silently looking out of the car window.

    The couple did not say anything, but the atmosphere in the car was harmonious and calm.

    ¡°Will we always be like this? Liuyun?¡±

    After an unknown amount of time, Qi Lei suddenly asked in a low voice without turning to look at her.

    The light in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment before she replied calmly, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Her simple and powerful tone was an oath of her determination.

    As he listened, a hint of gentleness appeared in Qi Lei¡¯s deep eyes. ¡°I think so too. I will protect you well. Don¡¯t worry. You are my wife, my woman. No matter what you want to do, I will definitely support you with all my strength and will never retreat.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to realize that something was wrong with him. She suddenly turned to look at him.

    ¡°No reason. I¡¯m just determined to protect you well. Actually, a few days ago, Lan Xiu came looking for me. I can tell that he really loves you, but he didn¡¯t have the courage to make you happy.¡±

    Qi Lei said very calmly.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment, then retracted her gaze. ¡°He didn¡¯t make things difficult for you, did he?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s really a pretty good person. He cares a lot about you,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun eased up a little, ¡°That¡¯s good. Lan Xiu is a very gentle person. You¡¯ll understand once you get to know him. My father has always hoped that he could be his son-inw, but we couldn¡¯t cross that step. Perhaps this is the so-called fate. He sees him like a son, so Lan Xiu has a good rtionship with my father. You don¡¯t have to care too much about father¡¯s end, just treat him like an older brother and treat him with respect, like I do.¡±

    ¡°I understand. He¡¯s actually quite dependable, and he speaks with pertinence. I look at how he feels about you, and I sometimes doubt that...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubt anything. Between me and Lan Xiu, we know our ces very well, we won¡¯t have a rtionship that goes beyond that. Of course, we won¡¯t bepletely unrted either. I¡¯ve told you before. Lan Xiu¡¯s past isn¡¯t any better than yours. He¡¯s no different from an orphan now. His situation is simr to yours.¡±

    ¡°My father dotes on him quite a lot, and so does Ms. Song. He has his own room in Tanshan Vi District. I rarely went home to City Z in the past few years. Over the years, he¡¯s been by my parents¡¯ side more. To a certain extent, I¡¯m...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it. I understand.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her and gave her a reassuring look.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good that you know. I don¡¯t want any unnecessary suspicions and misunderstandings between us because I think those are all avoidable foolish acts.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she brushed her bangs. ¡°I¡¯m also learning to be a qualified wife. If you have any dissatisfaction, you must bring it up. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t know what you men are thinking either.¡±

    ¡°If you want to understand me, I won¡¯t deny you a chance.¡±

    A meaningful smile appeared on Qi Lei¡¯s face.

    ¡°How are you going to do that? Dig out your heart?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of pain.¡±

    Qi Lei answered honestly.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun turned to look out the window. The corners of her mouth rose slightly, forming a faint arc.

    ...

    The night fell. Due to the gloomy weather in the past few days, they had not caught up with the clear sky. It was rare to see a trace of the setting sun in the evening. At this moment, the night sky was still somewhat gloomy, and there was no sight of the gentle moon.

    At this time, thepany of troops was more lively than usual at night.

    Tomorrow was the annual reunion festival. The soldiers were at their most homesick, but the officers and soldiers who could not take a holiday could only stay in thepany.

    Life in the army was actually very monotonous. Most of the time, they only trained and did some homework during their free time. Whenever the festivities came around, they would also spontaneously organize some entertainment programs to add to the fun.

    Just like tonight.

    When Qin Su walked out of her office, she heard the sound of a melodious flute from afar. If she listened closely, she could still tell what tune it was ying.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, isn¡¯t it? Old Xiong of yourpany is ying, ¡®I Love The Northern Border Snow¡¯. His lover teaches music, and this is the tune he ys the best. Back then, he conquered Teacher Wei with this tune.¡±

    It was the Third Company Commander behind Qin Su who spoke.

    Qin Su turned to look at him. His stern face was not as cold as before.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t our Company Commander meet the requirements to join the army?¡±

    After some thought, Qin Su asked in a low voice, her voice was a little hoarse.

    ¡°Teacher Wei¡¯s job is not easy to adjust. Moreover, your Company Commander¡¯s mother is old and not in good health. Your Company Commander is the only son in the family. It is not that simple to join the army. This ce is also quite far from the city. If he could find a job in the city, it would be fine. Your Company Commander¡¯s son should be in school this year.¡±

    The Third Company Commander sounded a little helpless. He could empathize with Qin Su on this aspect. Fortunately, his wife was a local. However, they usually only met once or twice a week.

    Qin Su lowered her eyes and thought for a while. ¡°Our line of work is really...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±

    The Third Company Commander seemed to realize what Qin Su wanted to say, so he stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t ever have such thoughts. If you know how to manage, our rtionships and marriages can alsost long. It¡¯s more difficult to say for the lower-level cadres and soldiers like us, to be our other half is also much more difficult. This requires sufficient courage and boldness. How can it be as beautiful as what they write on TV or in novels? After all, life is not really an idol drama.¡±

    ¡°Every partner of a soldier is worthy of respect, especially when they face it alone. Third Company Commander, I know that. Oh right, I just came back from the regimental division, they are nning to hold arge-scale social event at the end of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. The participants are the doctors and nurses from several hospitals, as well as some members of the public who are supporters of the army.¡±

    ¡°Instructor Qin, this time?¡±

    The Third Company Commander looked at Qin Su with a smile.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with me. The Third Company Commander is responsible for informing yourpany and getting them to practice hard.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Thank you, Instructor Qin!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Qin Su replied and then walked away.

    She still had to rush home tomorrow. Although she did not really want to go back, Mei Xiaoyue had already called her personally. Otherwise, she would have directly called the regimental division. Qin Su could onlyply.

 Chapter 1699 - Festival (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1699: Festival (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The weather forecast said that there would be rain during the Mid-autumn Festival, and it was not wrong. After noon, the rain poured down.

    The rainfall in City Z was quite high all year round, but now that it was autumn, the rain was naturally a little cold.

    When Qin Su drove through the streets of the city, the streets were quite deserted. Not sure whether it was because of the rain or because everyone was rushing home for the festival.

    The car drove along the road. When she passed by a florist, she suddenly slowed down and stopped at a temporary parking space on the roadside in front of her. She did not bring an umbre with her, so she had to lock the car, carrying tworge boxes of gifts, she rushed to the florist in the rain.

    ¡°Hello, Miss. Would you like to buy flowers?¡±

    Qin Su had just rushed to the front of the shop when she stopped and bathed in the fragrance of the air. When she looked at the beautiful flowers that were in full bloom, thedy boss of the shop also came forward to wee her.

    Qin Su lowered her head and carefully looked at all kinds of flowers. She nodded slightly. The eye-catching suit on her made her look very imposing, as well as her cold and beautiful face, the shop owner could not help but be a little stunned.

    ¡°Give me a bunch of carnations. Are they delivered to door?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, they are delivered to your door.¡±

    It took thedy boss quite a while to react.

    ¡°Well, then hurry up and pack them. A bunch of carnations. Also, please help me send these gifts over, I¡¯ll write down the address for you.¡±

    As Qin Su said that, she took out a letter paper and pen from her pocket and wrote down the address quickly. Then, she handed a fewrge red notes to thedy boss.

    ¡°Is it enough?¡±

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s definitely enough!¡±

    Not only was she good-looking, she was also so straightforward and generous! It was really rare!

    ¡°Okay, then please bring this letter and these things too. Is that okay?¡± Qin Su asked.

    ¡°No problem, don¡¯t worry! I will write the receipt for you right now, Miss. Oh, no, it¡¯s Officer. Please wait a moment!¡±

    Thedy boss beamed with joy and quickly wrote a receipt for Qin Su.

    Qin Su also reached out to take the receipt. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, thedy boss behind her called out to her¡ª

    ¡°Wait a moment, Officer! This is a rose from our shop. Today is the Mid-autumn Festival, and you are the 20th customer of our shop, so we¡¯re gifting you a stalk of champagne rose.¡±

    As thedy boss spoke, she handed over a blooming champagne rose.

    Qin Su paused and hesitated for a moment before taking the rose. She lowered her eyes and looked at it for a moment before replying, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Officer!¡±

    Before thedy boss could finish her words, Qin Su¡¯s straight figure had already disappeared outside the door.

    ...

    Meanwhile, on the road, a ck luxury car was slowly driving by.

    In the car sat Zhou Zimo and his personal assistant, Lian Ziyao. It was the driver who drove.

    Zhou Zimo was actually rushing back from the Military District. Zhou Zhenjun had some things that he needed to bring back, so the Military District called him to pick them up.

    ¡°Master, the rain is a little heavy. Should we go straight back to the old residence? At this time, I¡¯m afraid that Su¡¯s Bakery won¡¯t open, especially at a time like today.¡±

    The driver in front asked softly.

    Zhou Zimo, who was resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes. He turned to look out the window. Sure enough, the rain outside was gradually getting heavier.

    He frowned and was about to say something when, out of the blue, a military-green figure appeared in front of his eyes

    It was a military-green uniform with a slender and petite figure. Her beautiful long hair was tied up into a bun. She looked cold and serious. She was tiptoeing and left a champagne rose on the handrail of the streetmp.

    The blooming flower and the windy rain gave her an entirely different feeling, like the person herself.

    Zhou Zimo could not shift his gaze away as his eyes followed that figure!

    He did not even need to think before he could recognize the owner of that figure!

    Qin Su!

    There was no mistake!

    She was the only one who could maintain such a serious and tense face, yet it revealed a different kind of seductive charm.

    The coldness that was revealed from her bones was beautiful!

    ¡°Stop the car!¡±

    Seeing Qin Su¡¯s figure walking towards the side of the car, Zhou Zimo hurriedly said.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    The driver in front thought that he was hearing things, so he spoke with certainty.

    ¡°I told you to stop the car! Hurry up! Pull over and stop the car!¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was filled with a trace of urgency, causing the driver to have no choice but to calm down and slowly pull the car to the side.

    Without waiting for the car to stabilize, Zhou Zimo had already pulled open the car door and walked towards the direction of Qin Su¡¯s car.

    However, at this moment, Qin Su had already started the car and pulled out of the parking spot.

    ¡°Qin Su! Stop!¡±

    Zhou Zimo chased after her, and the pouring rain soon drenched his entire body.

    However, it was obvious that Qin Su did not hear him. She increased the speed of the car and the silhouette of the car quickly disappeared into the vast rain in front of him!

    ¡°Qin Su!¡±

    Zhou Zimo watched as the silhouette of the car disappeared into the rain and could not help but clench his fists in frustration. His entire body was already drenched by the wind and rain. He raised his hand to wipe away the rain on his face and fixed his gaze on the direction of the car in front of him.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Lian Ziyao hurriedly caught up with him with an umbre in hand. ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    Zhou Zimo panted slightly and raised his head to look at the big umbre that covered him. He then looked in that direction before taking a deep breath. He turned around to look at the champagne rose that was left on the streetmp by the side. After some thought, he walked forward and took down that rose...

    ¡°Master, what...¡±

    Lian Ziyao did not quite understand Zhou Zimo¡¯s reaction this time. However, looking at his expression, it did not seem right!

    It should be her, Qin Su. With that appearance and that grace, Zhou Zimo felt that he would not be mistaken.

    How long had it been since theyst met?

    10 years?

    Has It been 10 years?

    If it has not been 10 years, it should be seven or eight, right?

    Back then, Qin Su seemed to have just graduated from the Commander Academy not long ago. She was specially recruited and was very young!

    At this thought, Zhou Zimo could not help but raise his hand to hold his left chest¡ª

    There was a rather deep scar there. If it had not been for Qin Su, he would have gone straight to see Marx!

    He remembered that her arm was also severely injured. The bullet had passed through her arm and had even been shed. He did not know if she was better now.

    When the mission had ended, he wanted to visit her. He heard that she had not rested for long in the hospital before she left. Back then, he had almost exhausted all his means to find out that she had been transferred to the Northwest Military Region...

 Chapter 1700 - Festival (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1700: Festival (3)</h4>

    After that...

    After that, he never saw her again!

    Now...

    After being in a daze for a long time, Zhou Zimo finally returned to the car.

    ¡°Go straight back to the vi.¡±

    After getting into the car, Zhou Zimo thought for a moment before saying this.

    ¡°Master, but the Elder Master asked you to...¡±

    Lian Ziyao tried to persuade him.

    Zhou Zimo did not answer. He only looked at the champagne rose in his hand as if he was deep in thought. He was a little absent-minded...

    Lian Ziyao dared not say anything more. He gave the driver a look and the driver nodded, increasing the speed of the car.

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the Grand Lake Vi area, when the couple got up, it was already close to noon and Mama Wang had prepared lunch. The two of them had a simple meal and drank two cups of tea before the butler and Mama Wang brought the gifts to the car.

    It was still raining heavily outside.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little cold outside. Go and change your clothes.¡±

    Qi Lei changed into a neat dark-colored suit and walked down the stairs. When he saw Dongfang Liuyun still sitting on the sofa leisurely eating fruit and drinking tea, he said in a low voice.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze and looked over. As expected, she saw Qi Lei standing on the stairs leisurely fixing his cufflinks while looking at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was not in a hurry. She leanedzily against the back of the chair behind her. Her clear eyes did not hide the fact that she was sizing Qi Lei up and down a few times. There was also a hint of admiration in her eyes that could not be hidden¡ª

    If this fellow were to really dress up, he would be quite attractive. At least, she found him very pleasing to the eye right now, so she did not hold back, ¡°Hey, to be honest, you¡¯re really quite handsome. You must have been a campus hot stuff when you were in school, right?¡±

    Hearing her say that, Qi Lei¡¯s face froze for a moment. Then, he smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t rely on my looks to get what I want.¡±

    ¡°Then you really don¡¯t know how to use resources rationally. You¡¯re a person who can use your looks to get what you want.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily.

    Qi Lei gave her a sidelong nce before walking down the stairs.

    Only then did Dongfang Liuyun get up and slowly went upstairs to change her clothes.

    About 10 minutester, she changed into an ibis white casual dress and came down. It matched Qi Lei¡¯s dark suit quite well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She took the car keys on the coffee table and nced at Qi Lei, who was fiddling with the flower pot by the bookshelf across from her.

    Qi Lei quickly stopped what he was doing. He wiped his hands and followed her out.

    Grand Lake Vi district was still quite a distance away from Tanshan Vi district, needless to say, they got caught in a traffic jam.

    At this moment, in Tanshan Vi district.

    Dongfang Gan had already received many Mid-autumn Festival greetings. Sincest night, his phone had not stopped ringing. The only thing he could do was switch off his phone.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Madam?¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Gan had just walked out of the study. He looked around, but Song Siting was nowhere to be seen, so he asked the servant.

    ¡°Madam went out to buy groceries, President Gan!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t everything ready? Why is she buying groceries?¡± Dongfang Gan asked in surprise.

    ¡°Madam said that she hasn¡¯t cooked for a long time, so she wants to make a few of your favourite dishes, President Gan.¡±

    ¡°I like what Miss likes to eat. Isn¡¯t it all prepared in the kitchen already?¡±

    Dongfang Gan frowned, ¡°How long has she been gone?¡±

    ¡°She should be back soon. It¡¯s been almost an hour. Madam usually buys groceries from the nearby supermarket,¡± replied the servant replied.

    However, before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a car driving in could be heard from outside. Dongfang Gan then walked downstairs.

    As expected, not long after, he saw Song Siting walk in with sonorous footsteps. The servant behind her was still carrying some groceries.

    ¡°Take the groceries back to the kitchen first. Take care of what needs to be handled. It will be faster to put them into the potter.¡±

    Song Siting instructed the servant.

    ¡°Yes, Madam!¡±

    ...

    ¡°There are so many ingredients prepared in the kitchen, why did you go out to prepare them personally?¡±

    Seeing that she was sweating slightly at the forehead, Dongfang Gan poured her a ss of water considerately.

    Song Siting wiped her sweat and took it. She drank it in a few gulps and sat down on the sofa. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been back for so long. I know she doesn¡¯t want to see me. You father and daughter are close, but it doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s close to me, her biological mother.¡±

    There was a hint of helplessness in Song Siting¡¯s tone, but her eyes were sharp and bright, ¡°I really don¡¯t wish for her to be too much like you. The Dongfang family is too deep in the waters. I can¡¯t imagine if she really sits in your position one day, if she¡¯ll be tortured by those people? Dongfang Gan, don¡¯t forget, back then...¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough. I understand all your considerations. All that just to say that youck confidence in our daughter. You didn¡¯t even get to know her, how would you know her potential? If you ask me, her current depth isn¡¯t inferior to you! Siting, the child has already grown up, the more you want to hold on to her, the more she wants to break free.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my only daughter! How can I not be worried?¡±

    When Song Siting said this, her tone became much more irritable, ¡°All these years, I¡¯ve been holding it in for so long that I¡¯m going crazy! Dongfang Gan, if you¡¯re a man, you have to protect your daughter at all costs. Hurry up and get rid of those people! How could you promise Liuyun to transfer her to the Marketing Department. Don¡¯t you know that Lin Yuanyuan and the others are her immediate superiors? What nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Our daughter is like you, she means what she says, what do you think I can do about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really going crazy. If it weren¡¯t for you not supporting me, Liuyun and Fujiwara would have be a couple a long time ago. Fujiwara has strong feelings for Liuyun, they have always loved each other deeply, he would do anything for our daughter. Plus, with the powerful Fujiwara family backing him up, Liuyun wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard, especially with their rtionship in Myanmar. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be so miserable right now!¡±

    Song Siting could not help but feel a headache when she brought this up.

    ¡°Qi Lei, I admit that he¡¯s very good. His conditions aren¡¯t necessarily worse than Fujiwara¡¯s, but you have to understand that the Qi family and the Dongfang family haven¡¯t really interacted. If something really happened, would he be able to support Liuyun? Besides, you know how Liuyun is like. Do you really believe that she could forget Fujiwara and fall in love Qi Lei? If she really could, she wouldn¡¯t have kept quiet about Fujiwara!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lottely. I close my eyes every day and think about this. Sometimes I feel like you shouldn¡¯t have taken on this responsibility from the start.¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s tone was a little weak. She rubbed the space between her eyebrows and said, ¡°Even I¡¯m tensed, living such an anxious life every day.¡±

 Chapter 1701 - Festival (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1701: Festival (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°You put too much pressure on yourself and have too high of expectations, that¡¯s why you feel pressured.¡±

    Dongfang Gan nced at her and sat down on the side. After some thought, he continued, ¡°You should be like me, support Liuyun fully. She¡¯s still the one who has to walk this path in the future. In my opinion, Qi Lei is quitepatible with her. ording to my recent observations, ever since she married Qi Lei, she seems to be doing well.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on her side, so I can¡¯t beat you. I¡¯ve got nothing to say about Qi Lei¡¯s performance as a son-inw for now, it¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ve underestimated the Qi family. Do you think that a family that has a history of more than a hundred years can really bepletely wiped out even after it¡¯s whitewashed? Why did the Wang family insist on a marriage alliance with the Qi family in the first ce? Furthermore, with Wang Qin¡¯s personality, Qi Kai alone might not be enough to make her have to rely on Qi Qiming. The Wang family is also a powerful family.¡±

    Dongfang Gan did not continue after that.

    Song Siting thought for a moment and seemed to have thought of something. However, she could not say anything. She thought for a moment and asked, ¡°What happened? Back then, the Wang family suddenly retreated from City z. I also felt that it was quite strange. I don¡¯t know what exactly happened. I just think that it doesn¡¯t really make sense only because of what happened to Wang Qin.¡±

    ¡°Other than the Wang family, Qi Qiming is probably the only one who knows about this. Even Qi Lei might not know. I¡¯ve tried to probe Qi Lei before, but he doesn¡¯t know about this. But Qi Qiming¡¯s current situation isn¡¯t very optimistic. Whether he¡¯ll regain consciousness or not is unknown. Sigh, speaking of which, Qi Lei¡¯s story is quite heartbreaking. Based on our rtionship with the Wang family, we should watch over him more.¡±

    Dongfang Gan thought about it and naturally wanted to convince Song Siting.

    Song Siting was silent for a moment before she finally took a breath. ¡°I don¡¯t have any prejudice against Qi Lei, it¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have any prejudice, then open your heart as a mother-inw and ept him. I think he should be a pretty good son-inw. This way, your rtionship with your daughter will also be eased. We¡¯re both old, you can¡¯t control the children¡¯s matters even if you want to. Why don¡¯t you just save your worries and restrain yourself a little? Isn¡¯t it better to seek harmony in the family?¡±

    It was rare for Dongfang Gan to say this to Song Siting.

    Even though Song Siting was a little unhappy, she could only nod in the end.

    ...

    The husband and wife chatted for a while before they went to the kitchen to get busy with dinner.

    They made a table full of good dishes.

    It was Reunion Festival today. ording to the usual practice, if the servants and the butler did not take leave, they would rush to join in the fun and have dinner around the table.

    When Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei¡¯s car slowly drove into Tanshan Vi district, it was already close to evening.

    ¡°Miss, President Qi!¡±

    ¡°Miss! Master!¡±

    The butler and servant quickly came out to wee them.

    ¡°M.m, move all the things in. My parents are at home, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun got out of the car and took the umbre from the servant. As she walked to the driver¡¯s seat, she held the umbre for Qi Lei.

    ¡°Yes, Miss! President Gan and Madam are preparing dinner in the kitchen. Knowing that Miss loves seafood, President Gan asked the servant to prepare the freshest ingredients early in the morning.¡±

    The butler instructed the servants to move the gifts into the house as he spoke.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and let Qi Lei to take the umbre. The couple walked home side by side.

    Just as they entered the living room, they saw Dongfang Gan walking out of the kitchen. He was dressed in loose casual clothes and looked very energetic. When he saw his daughter and son-inw, a smile appeared on his face¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re back! Your mother cooked crabs. They¡¯re quite fresh. Have a taste. Come, Qi Lei!¡±

    Dongfang Gan carried arge bowl of freshly cooked crabs and ced it on the table at the side.

    Qi Lei nodded modestly. Dongfang Liuyun, on the other hand, did not stand on ceremony at all. She pulled out a chair at the side and sat down. She wiped her hands, picked up one, and started peeling it¡ª

    ¡°We¡¯d have this every year. Where¡¯s Lan Xiu? Isn¡¯t he back yet? Leave some for him.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she handed the peeled crab to Qi Lei.

    ¡°There¡¯s still some in the pot, but he called just now. He probably won¡¯t being tonight. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s tone contained a hint of ament, but as he spoke, he looked at Qi Lei and exined, ¡°Lan Xiu is a frequent visitor in the family. Every time there¡¯s a festival, he woulde over and take care of Liuyun like a big brother. I¡¯m afraid you haven¡¯t seen him before, right?¡±

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re overthinking. I¡¯ve met Lan Xiu before. He¡¯s a pretty good person,¡± Qi Lei replied very modestly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve met him?¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at Qi Lei in surprise. After a while, he nced at Dongfang Liuyun who was beside. Dongfang Liuyun was currently focused on peeling crabs, as though she did not pay attention to their conversation.

    Qi Lei nodded and subconsciously looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    After a moment¡¯s thought, Qi Lei suddenly turned around and reached into his pocket¡ª

    ¡°Excuse me...¡±

    Before Qi Lei could finish, Dongfang Liuyun had already reached out and grabbed his wrist.

    ¡°Let me do it, Qi Lei!¡±

    Hearing this voice, Qi Lei paused for a moment. When he turned to look at her, she had already stopped what she was doing. She took her phone and quickly dialed a number¡ª

    When the phone rang, Lan Xiu was still working overtime at thepany.

    It was a holiday, yet he had nowhere to go, so he could only work overtime at the office. He did not want to stay home alone and enjoy the so-called silence and loneliness.

    Looking at the caller ID on the phone screen, Lan Xiu hesitated for a moment. Then, he could not help but take the phone and swipe the answer button¡ª

    ¡°Hello, Liuyun?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s voice was immediately transmitted over.

    ¡°Lan Xiu, dinner is almost ready. When you get back, we¡¯ll have dinner. Are you trying to stop me? Or are you trying to stop someone else?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold voice was transmitted over, causing Lan Xiu to instantly frown. He was thinking of an exnation¡ª

    ¡°Liuyun? Listen to me, I...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any exnation right now. This is the time for a reunion dinner. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have time. This isn¡¯t your style, Lan Xiu.¡±

    It was not hard to hear a hint of dissatisfaction in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice.

    ¡°You shoulde back immediately. Otherwise, the whole family will go hungry. That¡¯s all for now.¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could say anything, Dongfang Liuyun had already hung up.

    Lan Xiu looked at the darkened phone screen and frowned. After hesitating for a moment, he could only pack up and take the car keys before leaving the office.

 Chapter 1702 - Festival (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1702: Festival (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun put away her phone. When she looked up, she realized that Dongfang Gan and Qi Lei were both looking at her quietly.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me? Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Qi Lei and asked.

    ¡°Enjoy yourself. Qi Lei,e with me to the study. I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    Dongfang Gan nced at his daughter before patting Qi Lei on the shoulder. The husband and son-inw looked rather harmonious.

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes at them, but they already turned around and walked upstairs to the study.

    ...

    ¡°Sit down and drink some water. It¡¯s almost time for dinner. Don¡¯t drink the tea.¡±

    Dongfang Gan poured a cup of warm water for Qi lei. His tone was rather amiable.

    ¡°Thank you, Father.¡±

    Qi Lei politely took the water from his hand.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s still about the South River Project.¡±

    Dongfang Gan also spoke directly.

    Qi Lei paused for a moment and lowered his head to take a sip of water before replying, ¡°Wang Chun told me about this matter. I¡¯ve also read the information and n. I¡¯ve looked into some of the data that Liuyun has been processing recently.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Then you should be very familiar with this project,¡± said Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°Liuyun¡¯s subsequent proposal is pretty good. Later on, Wang Chun will go over to discuss the specifics of the coboration. Oh right, Dongfang Rou¡¯er came to look for me at mypany. I met her.¡±

    ¡°Rou¡¯er? Was it for the South River Project?¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s tone was filled with a hint of certainty.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. It was about the South River Project. In fact, she¡¯se a few times before. Father should be able to guess her purpose foring over.¡±

    ¡°She wants you to appoint Dongfang Ren directly, right?¡± Dongfang Gan said nonchntly.

    There was no change in his expression. ¡°This matter has been tough on you.¡±

    ¡°Father is being too polite. Let¡¯s follow Liuyun¡¯s n. Dongfang Ren will execute it and Dongfang Yi will supervise. In fact, the quality of this project might be more guaranteed,¡± said Qi Lei calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making a fool out of you.¡±

    ¡°No, Father, I understand. Actually, you handled these matters very well. You¡¯re very wise,¡± said Qi Lei very humbly.

    He did not tter Dongfang Gan so much. Indeed, a person like Dongfang Gan could sit firmly in his position. He could easily push Dongfang Group to a new height between Dongfang Ren and the others. Qi Lei was very clear about the difficulties involved, was that not what the Tai Yu Corporation had gone through too?

    ¡°It¡¯s not wise, it¡¯s something that has been nurtured. Let¡¯s not talk about it. You¡¯re already married to Liuyun, no matter what, you¡¯re still our Dongfang family¡¯s son-inw. You probably don¡¯t know much about the Dongfang family¡¯s matters, right? Has Liuyun told you about the Dongfang family¡¯s matters?¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at Qi Lei and asked in a low voice.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°She told me a little, but she didn¡¯t discuss it in depth. I have a general idea of the situation.¡± Qi Lei said very sincerely.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that she took the initiative to tell you. Liuyun doesn¡¯t like to talk about family matters. Even if it¡¯s Lan Xiu, she might not be willing to talk about family matters with him. Since she took the initiative to mention these matters to you, it means that she truly has set her mind on you.¡±

    ¡°The Dongfang family has quite a long history. In the past, we relied on antiques and jewelry to start their business. Our foundation is simr to the Qi family. In the early years, the Dongfang family was practically a monopoly in this area. Just like the Qi family¡¯s glory at that time. However, in the end, your Qi family had no choice but to whitewash your business because of the circumstance. Our Dongfang family wasn¡¯t affected much.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I heard about the history of the Qi family from my grandfather before. After the family¡¯s businesses were whitewashed, the family¡¯s forces were actually also vigorously reduced.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was greatly reduced. However, all that is left behind were all elites. Your grandfather wasn¡¯t a fool, he has been in the underworld for so many years. It doesn¡¯t mean that he can truly abandon the life an ouw just because he¡¯s left it. When there is a potential threat, he must save some strength to survive. Of course, the development of Qi Kai Group has also made everyone look at him in a new light. Your grandfather was a person with good skills and wisdom.¡±

    ¡°Was Father very familiar with my grandfather?¡±

    Qi Lei was a little surprised by Dongfang Gan¡¯s words, so Qi Lei asked the same question.

    Dongfang Gan shook his head, ¡°Not really. Our Dongfang family doesn¡¯t actually have much interaction with your Qi family, we¡¯ve only met each other at public assions. However, the Qi family is in the same scene, we¡¯ve more or less heard of you, and we have to be polite to you too.¡±

    ¡°Those are all things from the past.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled.

    ¡°M.m. I¡¯m actually not very familiar with your father, Qi Qiming. I¡¯m also deeply moved by the Qi family¡¯s experience. However, I¡¯m d that you, Qi Lei, have endured it to this day. This is also the most important reason why I¡¯m sure of you.¡±

    Qi Lei was silent, but his gaze became a little profound.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Father. Leave Liuyun to me. I¡¯ll be responsible for her to the end.¡±

    After that, Qi Lei said this in a deep voice.

    Dongfang Gan nodded. He lowered his eyes and said in a sincere tone, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to show your loyalty. I just hope that Liuyun¡¯s choice is right. She mustered a lot of courage to have gambled her entire life on you, you must not let her lose the bet. That way, her mother and I can be at ease. After the Mid-autumn Festival, I¡¯ll make a trip to Myanmar immediately. This trip will probably take a long time before I return. I¡¯ll get Vice President Zhang to follow up on the South River Project. He¡¯s my man. Take care of things here, especially on Liuyun¡¯s side. Without me here, I¡¯m quite worried that she won¡¯t be able to carry out her work.¡±

    ¡°Father is going to Myanmar?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and thought for a moment before replying, ¡°It¡¯s not very peaceful over there now. Can¡¯t you postpone it to see how the situation goes first?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t postpone it. If it wasn¡¯t for the preparation of another important project of thepany, I¡¯m afraid I would have rushed over long ago. Things are a little tricky and can¡¯t be dyed. Don¡¯t worry, if things go smoothly over there, I should be back soon. Right, you might be in time for your grandmother¡¯s birthday. You need to put in some effort. Otherwise, suppress the news first. I can bring you guys back to visit her when I return.¡±

    Dongfang Gan still looked at Qi Lei worriedly, ¡°Liuyun¡¯s grandmother isn¡¯t an ordinary person. Even if I, her biological son, was in front of her, she might not give you any face. Besides, she¡¯s like your mother-inw, she¡¯s always wanted Fujiwara as Liuyun¡¯s husband. However, your abilities are clear too, she won¡¯t be too harsh on you, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±

    ¡°Father, when are you nning to leave?¡±

    ¡°Ill need a few days to handle thepany¡¯s business, might only be able to leave on the 20th or 21st of this month.¡±

 Chapter 1703 - Festival (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1703: Festival (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Gan only spoke after careful consideration.

    ¡°Then, please leave on the 21st. The 20th is an auspicious day, I n toe to the house to betroth her. Although Liuyun ns to postpone the wedding, she won¡¯t be wronged by these matters.¡± Qi Lei said in a low voice.

    Dongfang Gan smiled, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not those old fogeys. As long as you can make Liuyun¡¯s life a little happier and easier, that would be better than anything else.¡±

    ...

    When Lan Xiu drove over, dinner was almost ready. However, Dongfang Gan and Qi Lei were still talking in the study, Song Siting was still preparing dinner and Dongfang Liuyun was alone in the living room.

    ¡°Why are you alone? Where¡¯s Uncle Dongfang?¡±

    Standing by the sofa and looking down at Dongfang Liuyun for a long time, Lan Xiu finally broke the silence.

    ¡°Discussing something with Qi Lei in the study. Have a seat, it¡¯s about time for dinner.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said calmly as he poured him a ss of water.

    Lan Xiu sat down obediently.

    ¡°You just came from work?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lan Xiu replied.

    ¡°I hope that the rtionship between us, between you and our family, won¡¯t change. It will still be the same as before, unless you no longer need it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun bent her body slightly and crossed her hands on her knees. She looked sideways at Lan Xiu without blinking. Her cold eyes were sharp.

    ¡°Do you know the biggest difference between you and Lan Qi?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rarely took the initiative to tell Lan Xiu about Lan Qi. Now that he heard Dongfang Liuyun say this, he was stunned. He could not help but look at Dongfang Liuyun with a dazed expression.

    ¡°Both of you brothers value friendship and loyalty, but Lan Qi has more courage and boldness than you. Sometimes, being timid and thinking too much will only increase your own worries. Back then, you rejected me because you wanted to maintain the current situation, right? Now, everything is going ording to your own wishes, but you¡¯re holding back. Lan Xiu, this isn¡¯t the you that I know.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows furrowed as she spoke.

    However, a smile appeared on the corner of Lan Xiu¡¯s lips. That smile seemed a little lonely as he spoke in a low voice¡ª

    ¡°Liuyun, you know very well that I¡¯ve never been able to remain calm as usual when ites to you. There are some things that I don¡¯t want to say anymore. You¡¯re married to Qi Lei. As long as you¡¯re happy, I¡¯ll definitely respect your choice, just like how I silently supported you and Fujiwara back then. I just want to return to the safest position. That way, there won¡¯t be any problems between us and Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t control our feelings. Naturally, I don¡¯t want to destroy this peace.¡±

    ¡°However, based on your previous considerations, you¡¯ve already destroyed the peace. You didn¡¯t see the disappointment on my father¡¯s face just now. He has always treated you like a son. What you¡¯re doing is actually making us all feel even more unhappy. Also, you don¡¯t feel good about it either, let alone Qi Lei. You should know that my parents didn¡¯t agree with his attitude to begin with.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally protected Qi Lei in her heart. In fact, she could not describe what she felt. All this while, whenever she saw Qi Lei, she could not help but feel protective over him, whether it was before or now.

    Perhaps it was because she could see her past self in Qi Lei. When she thought of the simr pressure and depression in their hearts, and how he could still be as pure despite having struggled in such an environment, she could not deny that she did feel a faint sense of pity.

    ¡°You care about him a lot, Liuyun...¡± Lan Xiu looked at Dongfang Liuyun and said.

    ¡°He is now my husband, the son-inw of the Dongfang family. How can I not care about him?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Lan Xiu, ¡°I¡¯ve decided on this matter. You must be friends with him, and you can only be friends. Unless you are determined to go against me. Otherwise, you can continue to remain calm and not interfere in the Dongfang family¡¯s matters anymore. We are still friends, clearly friends.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°Tell me your answer, Lan Xiu.¡±

    ¡°You clearly know that I cannot ignore you or Uncle Dongfang.¡±

    ¡°You have chosen the first answer, then?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes and asked indifferently.

    Lan Xiu was silent.

    ¡°In the future,e home often and sit down. Just treat it as filial piety on my behalf. I know that I am not a good daughter, but you are a good son. Lan Xiu, will you always treat us as your family?¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu¡¯s grip on the cup tightened. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Remember what you said. We¡¯ll be family. You¡¯re not alone. Love isn¡¯t everything. To me, some things are more important. In my heart, you¡¯re as important as Qi Lei. It¡¯s just that the roles you y are different. He¡¯s my husband, and you¡¯re my brother.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had also made things clear.

    ¡°In the future, will you go against me or Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He could hurt himself and not her, so how could he go against her?

    Thinking of this, Lan Xiu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After calming down for a while, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Alright, Liuyun, I know what you¡¯re trying to say, and I know what you¡¯re thinking. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be good again. We¡¯ll be as united and friendly as family. I personally admire Qi Lei very much. We¡¯ll definitely be good friends in the future. I¡¯m not the kind of person who¡¯s narrow-minded and unconventional. I know what I should do. There won¡¯t be any conflict between us.¡±

    As soon as Lan Xiu finished speaking, a round of apuse suddenly sounded. Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment. He hurriedly raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound. Only then did he realize that Dongfang Gan was walking down the stairs, followed by the profound-looking Qi Lei.

    ¡°Well said, Lan Xiu!¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at Lan Xiu approvingly. There was a kind smile on his gentle face.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can think like that. I was worried about you too, but now it seems that you didn¡¯t disappoint me. From now on, Liuyun is your biological sister, Qi Lei is your brother-inw, and you are the Elder Brother. You have to protect the two of them.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Dongfang!¡±

    Lan Xiu stood up subconsciously.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Dongfang Gan sat down. ¡°I wanted you guys to meet each other. I didn¡¯t expect for you two to meet already. That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready!¡±

    At this moment, Song Siting¡¯s voice came from the side.

    When he turned around, the table was indeed filled with a sumptuous table of dishes.

    The whole family sat down around the table...

 Chapter 1704 - Gradually Thickened (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1704: Gradually Thickened (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The reunion dinner was quite harmonious.

    Song Siting also restrained herself. She actually did not have much prejudice against Qi Lei. She just felt that he was not as suitable for her daughter as Fujiwara was. She actually quite admired Qi Lei herself.

    As for Lan Xiu, after his conversation with Dongfang Liuyun, the atmosphere eased up quite a bit.

    The rain outside had stopped a long time ago. After dinner, although the night sky was not clear, one could vaguely see a faint moon hanging in the distant sky.

    The air after the rain was very fresh, but it was also a little cold.

    Qi Lei and Lan Xiu had been called over by Dongfang Gan to y cards, and the three of them just happened to be enough yers for ¡®Fight the Landlord¡¯.

    Dongfang Gan liked to y this game. Usually, Dongfang Liuyun would be pulled over to make up the numbers when there was a shortage of one. Dongfang Liuyun was naturally not too happy because she did not really like this game, she preferred Pai Gow[1].

    The night was cool as water. Dongfang Liuyun drew open the curtains. As she walked out of the rooftop, she saw gorgeous and dazzling fireworks blooming in the sky. The sound of them rang in her ears.

    The colorful fireworks lit up the entire silent night sky, making the moon hanging in the sky appear even more hazy.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked slowly to the railing and stopped. She leaned against the railing and looked at the cold moon in the sky.

    After a long silence, she took a deep breath, crossed her fingers, and bowed. She closed her eyes and prayed piously. At this moment, she looked peaceful and distant.

    The cold wind blew at the corner of her clothes. She looked like a curled and swaying cloud. Her indifference was like the wind that passed through her fingers.

    ¡°Are you mourning him?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep and slightly emotional voice suddenly came from behind her.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not move. Instead, she maintained her gesture and continued to recite something silently. It was not until Qi Lei stopped beside her for a long while that she slowly opened her eyes.

    ¡°Who is it that you¡¯re referring to?¡± She turned around and asked softly with her bright eyes.

    ¡°Grandfather?¡± Qi Lei asked tentatively.

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head lightly and looked away to look at the cold moon in the sky.

    ¡°Grandfather passed away, so there¡¯s nothing to regret. Sooner orter our day wille too. As long as he¡¯s doing well over there.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, then what are you praying for?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°I suddenly remembered a good friend who passed away. He was a very warm person, the ssic warm personality of the boy next door. If you had known me a few years earlier, you might have be good friends with him. He¡¯s Lan Xiu¡¯s older brother, Lan Qi. The three of us grew up together. He¡¯s a few years older than me, and Lan Xiu is a little older too. It was them who took care of me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun calmly mentioned this name.

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He just looked at her quietly.

    ¡°If he hadn¡¯t left, I might have married him.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly said this. Her long eyshes fluttered slightly. Qi Lei could not hear anything from her tone, but he could not deny that he felt a little ufortable hearing her say this.

    ¡°You... You liked him?¡± Qi Lei asked softly.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled sadly and shook his head, ¡°No, I respect him like an elder brother. Theoretically speaking, I¡¯m still considered his fianc¨¦e. It was just a verbal agreement, so it can¡¯t be taken seriously. When he proposed to me, I was hesitant then, but he left without waiting for me to answer. Actually, I wanted to agree to it, but I was also afraid, just like what happened with Lan Xiu.¡±

    ¡°So, many times, life is like this. You can¡¯t control your fate. Even if you ept your fate, you can¡¯t admit defeat in your bones. Otherwise, we¡¯ll fall. Don¡¯t give yourself any excuses.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about these things. Tell me what you talked about with Father.¡±

    ¡°The South River Project, and that he¡¯s going to Myanmar in a few days, but after I give you the betrothal gift.¡± Qi Lei said in a low voice.

    ¡°Betrothal gift?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned in confusion.

    ¡°I told you before. On the 20th of this month, I¡¯ll give you the betrothal gift. I¡¯ll marry you openly and give you a wedding that you¡¯ll never forget.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. After some thought, she asked, ¡°Do you really want to have a grand wedding with me?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Qi Lei immediately replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. After pondering for a moment, she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine too. But it¡¯s already August, so I won¡¯t be able to make it in time. At the end of the year, you can marry me to get through winter, I¡¯ll have someone to warm my bed.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I been warming your bed? And it¡¯s exclusive too.¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a sideways nce and stood with his hands crossed against the railing.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do as you say. Let¡¯s make it the end of the year. If we make it in time for the Spring Festival, we¡¯ll go on our honeymoon overseas. I¡¯ll apany you to wherever you want to go and do whatever you want to do.¡±

    Qi Lei would definitely follow her orders on this matter.

    ¡°Yes, okay,¡± she replied indifferently and suddenly turned to look at him. ¡°Will you regret signing our marriage agreement?¡±

    ¡°Regret?¡±

    He muttered softly and suddenly reached out to hold her hand. He looked at the ring on her slender fingers, before he replied in a deep and emotional tone, ¡°I¡¯ve never made such a decision before. It must be the most right thing I¡¯ve ever done in my life.¡±

    Looking at his deep and determined look, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. ¡°I also think that I¡¯m quite lucky. You¡¯re really great. Compared to all the men I¡¯ve met, you¡¯re the only one who makes me feel like I can catch my breath.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯m your stress relief package?¡±

    Qi Lei was amused.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, we¡¯re two people who seek warmth from each other. You¡¯re alone, and I¡¯m all alone in the world. Think about it. How simr are we now from how we were in the game?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s slender fingers casually fiddled with Qi Lei¡¯s crystal-zed cufflinks as he spoke.

    ¡°You have the care of your parents and the care of Lan Xiu. As for me...¡±

    At this point, he suddenly paused and turned to look at her, ¡°You¡¯re probably the only one I have. You¡¯re not going to abandon me, are you?¡±

    It sounded very calm and casual, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sharp ears caught a hint of destion.

    She took a breath and suddenly tilted her head to lean against his shoulder. She said softly, ¡°We have a lifetime...¡±

 Chapter 1705 - Gradually Thickened (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1705: Gradually Thickened (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei listened and suddenly felt a little soft in his heart. He could not help but lift his arm to wrap it around her shoulders.

    The refreshing fragrance caressed him, making him take a deep breath in enjoyment, but he did not forget to care for her¡ª

    ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    ¡°A little. I won¡¯t be as cold if we¡¯re closer. Today¡¯s autumn seems to havee quite quietly. It¡¯s already Mid-autumn Festival before we know it. At this time in the northern city, autumn was beginning to show.¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Qi Lei hugged her even tighter.

    ¡°Yes, but with your physique, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to withstand the cold over there unless you hide at home and don¡¯te out. I actually quite like our capital. I went there once a few years ago and stayed there for a month. I rented a courtyard house in the alley at the end of the street. The environment was very nice and quiet. It just didn¡¯t snow in winter.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go north for the wedding? A wedding in the snow?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too cold.¡±

    ¡°Wear more clothes, just like how you always roll yourself up like a silkworm baby in the morning.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t rolled myself up like that in the past few days!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ...

    When he rushed back to the Grand Lake Viplex, it was already past 10 o¡¯clock at night. Fortunately, it was still a rest day tomorrow, so he did not have to rush so much.

    Dongfang Gan and Song Siting sent Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun to the car outside the door.

    ¡°Liuyun, take these dishes. They¡¯ll be ready to eat once you heat them up when you get back. Your mother has already prepared them and packed them up. You¡¯ve been quite tired these past few days. Tomorrow¡¯s activity is at night, so you can go thereter in the morning.¡±

    As Dongfang Gan said this, he took the food box that was well-packed from Song Siting¡¯s hands and handed it to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded, ¡°Thank you, Father and Mother.¡±

    ¡°Go home early. It looks like the weather will be the same for a while. Get the servants to boil some hot soup to drive the cold away. Otherwise, it¡¯s easy to catch a cold in this weather.¡±

    Song Siting was also concerned. Unlike her previous attitude, she was much more rxed now.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered simply and handed the car keys to Qi Lei beside him.

    Qi Lei epted them tacitly. He took the food box with one hand and ced it in the trunk of the car.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go home now then. When Mother and Father are free, you shoulde over to visit,¡± said Qi Lei very politely.

    ¡°Okay. Drive carefully on the road. Remember to give us a call when you get home,¡± said Dongfang Gan kindly.

    The two of them nodded and then got into the car.

    The car soon left Dongfang Gan and Song Siting¡¯s line of sight, gradually disappearing into the night.

    ...

    It was almost 12 midnight when they got home and showered. Naturally, the couple did not do work. Dongfang Liuyun was lying leisurely on the sofa in the side hall, putting on a mask, when she saw Qi Lei walking over in a pyjamas, she asked kindly...

    ¡°Do you want one?¡±

    ¡°Enjoy yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her and only applied some moisturizing cream on his hand.

    ¡°I remember giving you a diamond card earlier. Why didn¡¯t you go? Isn¡¯t that a paradise for women? I remember Xiaye and Ji Zitong often go there.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun doubtfully.

    ¡°That depends on whether I have the time too. I¡¯ve basically been working through night and day, I haven¡¯t been able to rest properly on the weekends either. If I really had time to rx, I wouldn¡¯t just go to the spa, I¡¯ll definitely take care of all of my health.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes at him and did not hide it at all.

    ¡°Since getting to know you, I now know what it means to not judge a book by its cover,¡± said Qi Lei meaningfully.

    ¡°Yang Sheng will go over to help tomorrow morning. You can go over after lunch. I¡¯m going out tomorrow and have an appointment with a client. I¡¯ll rush over in the evening. You should be at the venue by then, right?¡±

    Qi Lei poured a ss of water, lowered his head, and took a sip as he said.

    ¡°Yes, I should be over there. You can go there right away. Call me when you get there, it¡¯ll be very lively over there tomorrow, and there¡¯ll be many people. I¡¯m worried that I might not be able to handle it then.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get them to prepare a dress for you. If it¡¯s suitable for the theme, will a Qipao be okay?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her inquisitively.

    ¡°Qipao? I don¡¯t wear it much. Do you think it¡¯ll be suitable for me?¡±

    ¡°You have a good figure. You¡¯ll look good in anything.¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s just a perfunctory thing. There¡¯s no need to prepare. I¡¯ll just go straight to the dress in the wardrobe tomorrow. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in a hurry to go to the beauty pageant, it¡¯s Dongfang Rou¡¯er who won¡¯t miss the chance to show off her beauty. I¡¯m a married woman, so I¡¯ll save it.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she extended one of her legs towards Qi Lei¡¯s thigh.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, began to massage her.

    ¡°I absolutely believe in your loyalty, Madam, but I think what you said is absolutely right!¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    ..

    And it was also in the dead of night.

    In Su Chen¡¯s vi.

    The couple had gone back to the old mansion for dinner tonight. They had just rushed back to take a shower. The couple was having a delightful exercise before bed, but their phone by the bedside was vibrating non-stop.

    Su Chen had no choice but to stop for a moment. He hugged Ji Zitong tightly and tried his best to calm down. Then, he reached out to grab the phone by the side and answered the call¡ª

    ¡°Zhou Zimo, you better have something important! Otherwise, I¡¯ll chop you up right now!¡±

    He gritted his teeth.

    On the other end, Zhou Zimo moved his phone away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It sounds like you¡¯re not satisfied with your desires. Would I call you at this time if it wasn¡¯t important?¡± Zhou Zimo said.

    ¡°Then hurry up and say what you have to say!¡±

    Su Chen gritted his teeth and said¡ª

    This bastard must have done it on purpose. He did not know how hard it was for him to endure!

    He has done this several times!

    Several times when he was in the middle of something, this fellow would called. Why did he not see him harassing Ah Chen like this?

    ¡°Did you eat a bomb? My ears have been deafened by you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo rubbed his ears and said with a frown.

    ¡°I think I saw Qin Su, Su Chen...¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s low voice sounded with a hint of confusion.

    However, after Zhou Zimo said this, Su Chen¡¯s side immediately quieted down.

    ¡°Hello? Su Chen, are you listening? Qin Su, I said I think I saw Qin Su. Back when we were carrying out our mission, that woman who almost blinded you, Qin Su! Do you still remember? That woman who saved my life and whom I¡¯ve been looking for for a long time, Qin Su, the very pretty one! Do you have any impression of her?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was a little hurried as he spoke.

    ¡°Hey! Say something. Can¡¯t you get lostter? Su Chen! Su Chen! If you¡¯re not dead, just let me know!¡±

    When he did not hear Su Chen¡¯s voice for a long time, Zhou Zimo said this.

 Chapter 1706 - Struggle (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1706: Struggle (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen naturally did not make a sound. He had heard Zhou Zimo¡¯s words clearly just now¡ª

    Qin Su!

    At this moment, his heart was filled with anticipation!

    After some thought, Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes were already burning with excitement. He cleared his throat and said yfully, ¡°Qin Su? Which Qin Su? I don¡¯t really remember her. Why do you remember her so clearly? Also, I¡¯m not as shallow as you make me out to be.¡±

    ¡°F*ck off!¡±! Stop it! You must have remembered. You just don¡¯t dare to admit it. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell Ji Zitong! Anyway, you¡¯re a married man now. Who can be more certain about what happened before? I bumped into her on the road today. She was at Jiefang South Road. Hurry up and check if she¡¯s transferred somewhere or if she¡¯s just back on vacation. I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. I¡¯ll go to your ce next week and ask for the results.¡±

    Zhou Zimo immediately gave Su Chen an exnation.

    Su Chen immediately raised his eyebrows and said unexpectedly, ¡°What do you mean! If you want to find out about her, you can just do that yourself. Why do all of you treat me like your intelligence agency?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not treating you like that, you <i>are</i> our intelligence agency. Hurry up and give the instructions, isn¡¯t it easy enough for you to investigate this?¡±

    ¡°Are you a fool? Your father is in the army, why don¡¯t you use that kind ofwork? I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be fast enough to find someone in the army for Master Zhou.¡±

    ¡°If I could do it myself, why would I look for you? Alright, this matter is settled. I¡¯ll look for you next week, continue on with what you were doing!¡±

    Zhou Zimo said impatiently. After that, he did not wait for Su Chen to reply and hung up the phone.

    This time, Su Chen could not help but rub the space between his brows!

    As expected, this guy really missed this Qin Su. Although it was not that kind of so-called rtionship, by the looks of it, this was definitely a good sign!

    At this moment, Su Chen could not help but admire Mu Yuchen.

    How did this guy know that Zhou Zimo was still thinking about this? Qin Su had indeed saved Zhou Zimo¡¯s life before. Was this the so-called fate?

    When he thought about this, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on Su Chen¡¯s lips. It was not until Ji Zitong, who was pressed under him, pushed him that he finally reacted.

    ...

    At this moment, on Zhou Zimo¡¯s end.

    Zhou Zimo had just hung up when there was a knock on the door. Before he could answer, the door was pushed open and Liang Jing came in with a ss of milk.

    ¡°Mother? Why are you still awake in the middle of the night?¡±

    Zhou Zimo quickly tied the belt around his waist as he spoke to Liang Jing.

    ¡°I saw that the light in your room was still on and knew that you weren¡¯t asleep, so I came up to take a look. Drinking a ss of milk will help you sleep better. Here, drink this.¡±

    As Liang Jing spoke, she passed the ss of milk in her hand to Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo frowned, ¡°Mother, you know I¡¯m not used to drinking this stuff. I¡¯m sick of even the smell.¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at the milk with disdain.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to drink it, why so much nonsense?¡±

    Liang Jing looked at him unhappily. This time, Zhou Zimo had no choice but to reach out and take the milk. He stared at the milk for a while and almost finished it while holding his breath. Then, he immediately poured a ss of water and drank a few mouthfuls.

    ¡°When is Fathering back? He¡¯s been gone for so long.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t call me, how would I know? You know, your father is very mysterious when he works. I can¡¯t be bothered to care about his stupid things. But he has indeed been gone for so long. Why is there no news of his return? Your grandfather has asked him several times. When you went to the Military District today, didn¡¯t you ask your Uncle Hu or Uncle Zhang?¡±

    At this moment, Liang Jing asked with a slight frown.

    ¡°I ran into them. I wanted to go over and take a look, but they had guests, so I left on my own,¡± Zhou Zimo replied indifferently. At this moment, he was a little absent-minded¡ª

    Because he thought of Qin Su whom he had met on the way.

    He remembered that Qin Su was from his father¡¯s Military Region, right?

    He had heard that there was a transfer of personnels a while back. He did not know if Qin Su had been transferred back. It was a pity that she had left in a hurry at that time and was caught in such a heavy rain. Otherwise, he would definitely have been able to stop her, he still owed her.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? You were out of it for a long time!¡±

    Liang Jing patted his shoulder, and he finally recovered.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Are you listening to what I¡¯m saying? The daughter of my good friend who I told you about two days ago just came back from Australia. She¡¯s a Senior Actuary. She¡¯s good-looking and has a very good temper. I was worried that she didn¡¯t meet your standards, so I went to meet her. As expected, she¡¯s really good-looking and capable. You should find a chance to meet her next week. If it works out and she joins thepany to help you, you¡¯ll be able to rx a little, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Liang Jing looked at Zhou Zimo with hope.

    However, Zhou Zimo suddenly frowned and looked at Liang Jing with doubt and displeasure, ¡°Mother, didn¡¯t I tell you about this? I don¡¯t want to go and I won¡¯t go. No matter what, I don¡¯t need to go on a blind date! If you really can¡¯t wait, I¡¯ll find a random woman to marry tomorrow. Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Zimo, I¡¯m not rushing you, I¡¯m just worried about you. You say, this Zhang Yue is actually quite good. She¡¯s innocent and cute, and she likes you so much. Yet, you¡¯re not satisfied with her, and the introductions are all oka, but you either think that they aren¡¯t pretty enough or have a bad temperament. Zimo, what kind of girl do you want? I think those girls are all pretty good, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s too picky. You don¡¯t like them, but you should also look at yourself too, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that great, my son.¡±

    Liang Jing could not help but sigh. When she mentioned this, she could not help but feel a little dejected.

    ¡°Those in my generation in my department have all be grandparents. I¡¯m the only one left. I¡¯m going to retire soon, and I¡¯ll probably only have time to return to the outpatient department. Right now, I¡¯m counting on you to quickly get married and have a child. Then, I won¡¯t care about the world of young people anymore. I¡¯ll take care of my grandson. Is this really a difficult request? You¡¯re going to be 34 soon. Aiyo, I¡¯m too embarrassed to mention your age. I¡¯m dying of anxiety! Zimo, not to mention your grandfather! Your grandfather is already a man of old age, it¡¯s just a small wish. You have to think of a way to satisfy him, right?¡±

    Zhou Zimo listened and slightly clenched the cup in his hand, remaining silent.

    ¡°Son, say something? Do you have someone in your heart? Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have not liked any of those many girls, . Those girls are all carefully selected, they are all girls with good qualities, you...¡±

 Chapter 1707 - Struggle (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1707: Struggle (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°No, Mother, don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. I just don¡¯t have any expectations for marriage. I¡¯m used to being free.¡±

    Before Liang Jing could finish her sentence, Zhou Zimo had already cut her off.

    ¡°Then you have no reason...¡±

    ¡°Do you think that every person who doesn¡¯t get married is thinking of someone else?¡±

    Zhou Zimo retorted with a question that was rarely seen on his gentle face, his eyes were as silent as the stars in the silent night¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m not, so don¡¯t project your spections on me. I¡¯ll take your considerations to heart. I¡¯ll find a wife that everyone is satisfied with as soon as possible.¡±

    After a long silence, Zhou Zimo replied in a low voice.

    This time, his tone was not as perfunctory as before. Instead, it sounded a little serious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me anymore, if you don¡¯t want me to never get married in my entire life. I know myself better than any of you, if there¡¯s one that I¡¯m satisfied with, I wouldn¡¯t let it go. If I don¡¯t even like them, there¡¯s no point in marrying them. I don¡¯t have the courage to be like you and Father. Father is very broad-minded, and I have too many things to consider. Besides, not every woman can be as sensible as you, Mother.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said in a deep voice.

    ¡°Pfft, do you hear what you¡¯re saying. It wasn¡¯t easy to say for your Father and I. In all these years, there have been times when we¡¯ve quarrelled. Fortunately, your Father hasn¡¯t been so calctive with me. He¡¯s just a pain in the neck, no matter how much you make a fuss, he can¡¯t be bothered with you. Later on, your anger will just fade.¡±

    When Liang Jing talked about her husband, Zhou Zhenjun, there was a gentleness in her eyes.

    In fact, back then, love was really simple for them. Instead now, with the development of the times, the rtionships of the younger generation have made it difficult for them to see clearly.

    ¡°Your rtionship with father at that time was more pure. I heard from father that you had quite a lot of choices in the beginning?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not know much about his parents¡¯ rtionship, but when Liang Jing brought it up, he was a little curious.

    ¡°Of course. Your mother was young and pretty at that time. Your father¡¯s criteria for choosing a partner was the same as yours. He was an extremely arrogant yboy back then, he only had eyes for young and pretty girls. Before he was with me, your father had a few girlfriends. Did he think that I didn¡¯t know about his affairs? I¡¯m Liang Jing?¡±

    Liang Jing narrowed her eyes and said.

    ¡°Also, let me tell you, I had a partner at that time, but it was because I was in a different city...¡±

    ¡°Because you were in a different city, so you guys just let it go. Later on, my father forcefully conquered you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo raised his handsome eyebrows and could not help but say this. A smile also appeared on his face, but that smile seemed a little lonely, ¡°Actually, I do long for the kind of love that the two of you had back then. After you and Father got married, Father was not always by your side, but the two of you could stay together until now. However, not everyone can do the same.¡±

    ¡°This also depends on the person. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that your father treated me fairly well and that your grandma and grandpa were on my side, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure it. I didn¡¯t suffer much before, it¡¯s after marrying your father that it was hard, especially after giving birth to you.¡±

    ¡°Father is quite amodating.¡±

    ¡°If he isn¡¯t amodating, the sky would turn upside down! With your father¡¯s character, sometimes I even wonder if I married the wrong person.¡±

    Although Liang Jing said this, the gentleness on her face was even more intense.

    Zhou Zimo also lowered his gaze and smiled.

    ¡°Mmm, just admit that for the rest of your life, you¡¯ve fallen into my father¡¯s hands.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in the blink of an eye, more than half my life has passed just like that. Time flies, I feel like I haven¡¯t done much yet. So, son, you have to hurry up, you¡¯re really not much younger anymore.¡±

    As she said this, Liang Jing could not help but worry again.

    ¡°Okay Mother, I got it. It¡¯ste, you should go back and rest early.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you should also wash up and rest early. You¡¯ve been pretty tired these past few days. I can see that you have dark circles under your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Okay, goodnight, Mother!¡±

    ¡°Goodnight!¡±

    Only then did Liang Jing get up and leave.

    ...

    ¡®Bang¡ª¡¯

    The sound of the door closing could be heard. Zhou Zimo took a deep breath and leaned back on the sofa behind him. He could not help but feel a headacheing on.

    The current him felt like he could notnd on his feet, he felt lonely and adrift.

    Usually, he would call Su Chen or Qi Lei toe out for a drink, but now...

    His buddies had their own lives, and he was the only one left.

    Get married?

    This was something that had always felt far away for Zhou Zimo. At least before this, he had never thought of spending the rest of his life with a woman.

    However, in the end, being alone was not as carefree as he had imagined.

    Otherwise...

    ...

    Mu Yuchen only found out about Zhou Zimo and Qin Su from Su Chen the next day¡ª

    In the backyard of Maple Residence.

    Mu Yuchen woke up early and was pruning the nts when the butler suddenly came to report.

    ¡°Master, Master Su is here!¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen did not stop moving. Instead, he responded with a grunt.

    When the butler left, Su Chen¡¯s footsteps could be heard.

    ¡°The chrysanthemums in this courtyard seem to be blooming quite well. I just came in and smelled a refreshing fragrance. Why are you alone? Where are Xiaye and Mu Xiaocheng?¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s voice rang out, and he stopped behind Mu Yuchen with a few big strides.

    ¡°Back to the Shen Residence. Why are you here now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put down the scissors in his hand and took a towel to wipe his hands. Then, he turned around and sat on the rattan chair behind him.

    Su Chen had already leisurely poured the chrysanthemum tea that was brewing on the side. He took a sip before saying, ¡°What if I said that I came specially to see you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen picked up the tea and nced at him from the corner of his eyes, then quickly averted his gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you, Su Chen, to talk about these things for fun. Besides, it was just the Mid-autumn Festival yesterday. You should apany Ji Zitong back to your father-inw¡¯s house at this time,¡± said Mu Yuchen calmly.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t apany Xiaye back to the Shen Residence either?¡±

    Su Chen raised his eyebrows and looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen did not answer. He just put down the teacup in his hand.

    ¡°Alright, enough with the opening remarks. I dide here today because I have something on my mind, guess what.¡±

    Su Chen looked at Mu Yuchen with interest.

    ¡°The reason you¡¯ve been looking for metely is usually because of Zimo¡¯s matter. This time, it should be no exception.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s sharp eyes nced at Su Chen as he said casually.

    When he said this, Su Chen raised his brows and could not help butugh. ¡°You¡¯re really good at reading my thoughts. You really guessed it right!

 Chapter 1708 - Struggle (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1708: Struggle (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen casually leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guess what it is again?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t serve food here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not even lift his eyelids as he said calmly.

    Su Chen then nced at him andid down as well.

    ¡°Zimo called me in the middle of the nightst night. He said that he bumped into Qin Su in the afternoon and asked me to investigate her. I can tell that he still misses Qin Su, but I don¡¯t remember when Zhou Zimo became such a grateful person. I think it¡¯s not impossible that Zhou Zimo wants to give his life to her. Besides, I think with Qin Su¡¯s beauty and ability, it¡¯s very possible for Zimo to be moved.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen was silent for a while before he slowly opened his eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve be a love analyst. Since we¡¯re in the same city, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they bump into each other. Since he wants to find information on Qin Su, that is a very good sign.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re asking me to really help him investigate Qin Su?¡± Su Chen asked.

    ¡°Do you think you can not give him the results?¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied, then he squinted at Su Chen before continuing, ¡°On this matter, I advise you not to be too enthusiastic. Zimo isn¡¯t a fool. When he gets smart, even I can¡¯t do anything to him. However, with his personality, it¡¯s not easy for him to develop any feelings between him and Qin Su.¡±

    ¡°Qin Su didn¡¯t take Zimo¡¯s matter to heart. To be more specific, she might not have a good impression of Zimo. In terms of personality, their personalities are practically pr opposites. I can only say that Zimo has to pray for himself now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen held the teacup in his hand and said calmly.

    Su Chen nodded in agreement. ¡°I agree with that too. However, I¡¯m a little worried about Qin Su¡¯s side now. I¡¯ve probed her a while ago and she seems to be against marriage, so...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were against marriage before? What happened in the end?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Su Chen meaningfully.

    Su Chen cleared his throat before he took a deep breath. Hebed his hair with his fingers and replied, ¡°My situation was special, not everyone is like me. Otherwise, how would there be so many people against marriage in this world? There are many people who have never married.¡±

    ¡°Zimo¡¯s luck has always been better than yours.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled softly as he rested his hands behind his head.

    ¡°F *ck you. If you make a mistake this time, you have to take full responsibility!¡±

    Su Chen red at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Just do as Zimo says and see how it goes.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I got it. But on Qin Su¡¯s end, I really don¡¯t have much confidence. It¡¯s very difficult for a woman like that to admit defeat, let alone...¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t only think about herself for some things.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, think of something. I know you had a pretty good rtionship with her back then. Most of the time, your ideologies were basically the same.¡±

    ¡°If it was really that simple, I would¡¯ve done it long ago. If it were you, what would you think? In the end, Zimo still has to rely on himself.¡±

    Mu Yuchen paused for a moment. ¡°And what we can do is just give him some guidance.¡±

    ¡°I know how to add fuel to the fire. Forget it, I don¡¯t think we can do anything about this. We can only pray that the two of them can seed. Initially, we nned to create a fortuitous encounter between the two of them, but it seems like there¡¯s no need for that now. On the other hand, Mother Zhou said that she would give Zimo some pressure. I¡¯ve been thinking about this fellow and I¡¯m guessing that he¡¯s very puzzled right now.¡±

    ¡°How else do you think he would feel?¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed to understand this feeling too¡ª

    Grandmother had urged him like this before...

    If she was still alive..

    When he thought about this, Mu Yuchen could not help but feel his head getting a little dizzy.

    Mu Yinan¡¯s health was starting to deterioriate.

    In fact, ever since grandmother left, he had suddenly be much older. Even though he himself had struggled and walked out of this shadow, it could not be denied that grandfather¡¯s heart had already left with her.

    Fortunately, his son, Mu Xiaocheng, and Mu Zirui could make the old man happier.

    ¡°I heard that Grandfather Mu has been feeling unwell recently. What¡¯s wrong? is he feeling better?¡±

    Su Chen suddenly remembered this.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he said, ¡°He¡¯s fine now. He caught a cold a while ago and had a feverter on. He¡¯s feeling better now, but his spirit isn¡¯t as strong as before. Xiaye took him to the hospital two days ago for aprehensive check-up. The doctor said that he¡¯s not in great condition.¡±

    When he heard this, Su Chen frowned and said worriedly, ¡°How did this happen? I remember that Grandfather Mu¡¯s body has always been quite strong. He doesn¡¯t even catch a cold!¡±

    ¡°When grandmother was still around, she would take him out for a walk every day. Now that she¡¯s gone, he¡¯s cked a lot. Plus, he misses grandmother, it¡¯s quite a torture for him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen rubbed the space between his brows and replied.

    ¡°Especially during this period of time, every time he goes back to the old residence, he¡¯s mostly telling us about how he¡¯s getting old and that he¡¯s not as strong anymore.¡±

    ¡°The Elder and your grandmother were close. Grandma left too suddenly, and he...¡±

    Su Chen could not help but sigh as well.

    ¡°If you have time, don¡¯t think too much about thepany. Go back and spend more time with him. I really wanted to freeload at your ce, but now I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. I have to go to the Mu family¡¯s old residence. I haven¡¯t seen the Elder in a long time.¡±

    Su Chen stood up as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, I have to get back too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put down the teacup in his hand and propped himself up.

    ¡°Okay. We can chat while we¡¯re at it. Call Zimo over too. We¡¯ll go buy some good dishes.¡±

    ¡°Let him calm down. Don¡¯t disturb him with these things for now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then walked forward. He took his phone and made a call to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye quickly picked up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm voice came through.

    ¡°Go back to the old residence with Su Chen. You and the children have dinner there. I¡¯ll pick you up tonight.¡±

    When he heard the woman¡¯s voice, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face softened a little.

    ¡°Mmm, alright. Don¡¯t drink.¡±

    Xi Xiaye reminded him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The driver will drive.¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied, ¡°Is Grandfather alright?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, just missed you since you didn¡¯te back with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to visit next time.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, got it. Alright, I¡¯m talking to Father about something. You do your thing, see you tonight.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    When he heard a busy tone from the other end, Mu Yuchen put away his phone.

 Chapter 1709 - Struggle (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1709: Struggle (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Initially, she wanted to rush over after lunch, but Dongfang Liuyun was still worried. After a simple breakfast, she went to the International Exhibition Center. Qi Lei also went afterwards.

    On South River¡¯s end, Qi Lei had just finished negotiating with the client. Yang Sheng wanted to remind him to return to thepany, but Qi Lei still came to inspect the project.

    At this moment, Qi Lei was leaning against the railing by the South River. Between his slender fingers was a cigarette that he had just taken out. The river was covered in misty rain.

    ¡°Master Qi, look over there. In just a few years, there has been a huge change. There¡¯s also the South River Project over there. It¡¯s ourpany¡¯s. In another two years, it will definitely be prosperous over there. The housing prices here have already risen a lotpared to a few years ago. Fortunately, Vice President Wang had the foresight to buy a piece ofnd over there. There¡¯s also thend in the east of the city. The Jin family has always been thinking about it.¡±

    Yang Sheng stood behind Qi Lei and looked at him as he spoke with a smile on his face.

    Qi Lei lowered his head and turned on his lighter. He lit a cigarette and took a leisurely puff. Qi Lei did not say anything in the midst of the lingering smoke.

    ¡°The Jin family has already sent people over to inquire many times. I heard from Vice President Wang Chun that Master Jin hase here before.¡±

    Yang Sheng continued.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes turned cold when he heard that. Yang Sheng could see a hint of amusement in his eyes.

    ¡°Since when was he interested in this area? The Jin family wasn¡¯t in the real estate business before this.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s calm voice came through.

    ¡°Many businesses aren¡¯t easy to do. Some people with foresight don¡¯t just think about developing their own industries. They want to diversify their industries. I heard that they want to partner with the supermarket.¡±

    ¡°The Jin Family? They did not have that much money. Even Glory World on Mu Yuchen¡¯s end did not dare talk about the supermarket easily. Moreover, that was an old city area. The government would not approve it easily unless they were confident that they could get the government to approve it.¡±

    Qi Lei answered very quickly.

    ¡°Yes, this project is very difficult, but once it¡¯spleted, the profits will be very generous. I think they¡¯ve thought of this too. Master Qi, actually, I think this project is pretty good. We can...¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could finish his sentence, Qi Lei had already raised his hand to stop him.

    ¡°Yang Sheng, you¡¯ve been by my side for many years. You should know my style of doing things. You can¡¯t bite off more than you can chew. Currently, Tai Yu Corporation has quite a number of industries, and there are quite a fewrge projects in operation. Although there aren¡¯t any funding problems now, we still need to be cautious. Every project needs a strong fund to support it. It won¡¯t be so easy to calcte the manpower and material resources.¡±

    Qi Lei exhaled and paused for a while before continuing, ¡°Anyway, thend is there, so it¡¯s only a matter of time before we develop it. In these next two years, we¡¯ll firstplete the projects on hand one by one, and then we¡¯ll consider new projectster.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! I was too impatient and was afraid that someone else would seize the initiative!¡± Yang Sheng said.

    However, Qi Lei smiled.

    ¡°In the entire City Z, there probably aren¡¯t many who would dare to take down such a huge project, right? If the government wants to bring in outside resources, just the approval alone will take a long time. Moreover, we have ready-madend now. If they want to move it to another ce, thend acquisition will be enough to give them a headache. Don¡¯t worry. Things aren¡¯t that simple. If they¡¯re really interested, we¡¯ll wait until the film and television base in City B ispleted. Then, we¡¯ll see if Mu Yuchen is interested.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you can definitely take it down with Missus!¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s face was filled with excitement.

    Qi Lei nced at him and thought about it before looking at Yang Sheng meaningfully¡ª

    ¡°You have other things in mind.¡±

    Then, Yang Sheng smiled.

    ¡°Of course. I think that Master Qi and Missus really need a chance to mix together, especially when ites to the Dongfang Group and our Tai Yu Corporate problem. If Master Qi wants to help Missus take down the Dongfang Group, it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    As Yang Sheng finished, his expression turned slightly solemn.

    ¡°Especially at this time, there¡¯s quite a lot of pressure on Missus¡¯ end.¡±

    ¡°Of course I understand what you¡¯re saying. Don¡¯t worry, they shouldn¡¯t be in the mood to create trouble for the time being. Has the investigatione to a conclusion?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s already out, but the person hasn¡¯t been found yet. He owes nearly 300 million in gambling debts in our casino, and the interest is rolling in. Now, it¡¯s probably an astronomical figure. However, no one from the Lin family knows about this for the time being. The deadline for repayment is near, and Lin Yonghua is most likely unable toe up with this amount of money. In addition, the Lin Corporation hasn¡¯t been operating properly all these years, and the gap in capital was already quite huge, right now it¡¯s only holding on.¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly reported to Qi Lei.

    Hearing this, Qi lei nodded slightly, ¡°Very good. Cut off Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s wings first. When the Lin Corporation is facing bankruptcy, Dongfang Ren¡¯s side will have fewer guards of honor. Let Wang Chun handle it. Find a way of letting Dongfang Yu know that Lin Yonghua has a huge gambling debt with the casino and is hiding. Make them believe that what Lin Yonghua couldn¡¯t resist because he was lured by Dongfang Yu. If you tell Wang Chun what I mean, he¡¯ll understand my intentions. Let hime to my office tomorrow.¡±

    Yang Sheng was stunned when Qi Lei said this. He thought about it seriously for a while before he finally understood what Qi Lei meant. He could not help butugh, ¡°Master Qi, this is really a good idea. Those people wouldn¡¯t know even if they racked their brains. We¡¯ll be the mastermind. Not many people know about the behind-the-scenes boss of the casino.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take any chances. We have to be more vignt at this time.¡±

    Qi Lei did not seem rxed. He looked rather solemn.

    ¡°I understand, Master Qi! Oh, right, Vice President Wang Chun sent people over today in the name of protecting thepany. He said that Master Qi can feel rest assured.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. You go over and help out first. I¡¯ll stay here for a while and go over directlyter. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to handle it on her end.¡±

    ¡°But Master Qi, Missus isn¡¯t letting me appear in public because...¡±

    ¡°I know. If our rtionship is exposed, a lot of things would get hard to do. Just do as she says,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Alright, Master Qi, I understand. I¡¯ll head over first. Do call meter when Master Qies over.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, Master Qi. I wonder if Master Mu and the others wille over?¡±

    ¡°They never had lots of dealings with the Dongfang family. There¡¯s no need to drag him into this.¡±

    Qi Lei calmly replied.

 Chapter 1710 - Charity Banquet (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1710: Charity Banquet (1)</h4>

    Yang Sheng paused for a moment before nodding as if he understood something.

    ¡°Yes, I understand, Master Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei did not say anything else. He just turned his head and looked at the surface of the river that was covered by the misty rain as he breathed in the clouds leisurely.

    Yang Sheng quickly retreated.

    Soon, Qi Lei was the only person left by the river. He stood there for a long time. When he was about to leave, it was already a long, long whileter.

    ...

    The sky gradually fell silent. The weather in City Z was very gloomy in the evening, but it did not rain. The street lights were turned on early in the morning.

    When the lights shed, the noise of the entire city seemed to be livelier than usual.

    The International Exhibition Center, bathed in brilliant lights, was no longer as quiet as before, it was bustling with activity.

    In front of the magnificent entrance, guests were constantlying and going. At this time, many people from the upper-ss society had already arrived.

    The appeal of the Dongfang family has always been great, especially since they were the leading antique jewelrypany in the city. People in the circle naturally gave them face, not to mention that the items on disy tonight had attracted the interest of many people. Of course, and this was an extraordinary charity banquet.

    On the stairs in front of the entrance of the venue, Dongfang Liuyun was standing leisurely at the side, looking down at the documents that Ding Xiaoling had just sent over.

    ¡°Manager Yun, the invited guests have almost all signed up. Vice President Ren hasn¡¯t arrived yet, but Vice President Yi has alreadye over. He was looking for you just now.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling reported carefully.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not show any expression on her face when she heard this.

    ¡°Why is he looking for me? What did he donate tonight? Remind him not to embarrass the Dongfang family. I don¡¯t want the same thing to happen again.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words immediately stunned Ding Xiaoling!

    Of course, she knew the meaning behind Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words the best.

    The Dongfang family¡¯s prestige in the circle was very high. They had previously held a charity g, but at that time, Dongfang Yi...

    Of course, Dongfang Yi could not be med for that matter. At that time, he was overseas and his wife had donated in his name. It just so happened that the person in charge was Dongfang Yu, so the result was naturally somewhat embarrassing.

    Thinking of this, Ding Xiaoling could not help butugh and hurriedly said, ¡°Manager Yun, don¡¯t worry. Vice President Yi was very diligent this time. Oh, right, President Qi also asked Yang Sheng to send over the donated auction item, the price is quite high. After the appraisal, it should be at least this amount. We n to put this item at the end of the finale.¡±

    ¡°Did he send anything? Didn¡¯t he send a string of coral bracelets before?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned.

    Ding Xiaoling coughed lightly, lowered her voice, and moved closer to Dongfang Liuyun, saying, ¡°It¡¯s a nine-eyed heavenly jewel bracelet... Obviously, he wants to support Missus.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! What a spendthrift man! Take it back! I don¡¯t even have this thing, how can I take it out for auction? Just that coral bracelet is already pretty good. Does he think that these people in the circle really care that much? They¡¯re just a group of people who put on the appearance of phnthropists. If I wasn¡¯t the organizer, I wouldn¡¯t even be willing to take out the treasures that I painstakingly collected.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately said so without saying anything else.

    ¡°Go make some arrangements and intercept the items.¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    ¡°This is an order,¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned and said unhappily.

    ¡°Yes, I understand, Manager Yun!¡±

    Only then did Ding Xiaoling reply.

    And Dongfang Liuyun felt her heart ache just thinking about it!

    ¡°Manager Yun, look, it¡¯s manager Rou and the others!¡±

    At this moment, Ding Xiaoling¡¯s voice was heard again. Dongfang Liuyun followed her gaze and looked over. Indeed, he saw Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er walking towards the entrance together.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was wearing a backless, light golden evening gown that trailed on the floor. She was dressed elegantly. Of course, Jin Sheng was also dressed in a ck slim-fitted suit. Standing together with Dongfang Rou¡¯er, they looked like a perfect couple.

    The moment the two of them appeared, the shes at the entrance kept shing at the two of them.

    Of course, Dongfang Rou¡¯er also gently waved at the media. There were reporters asking questions like ¡®when are you and Mr. Jin getting married?¡¯ and Dongfang Rou¡¯er was smart, she only gave Jin sheng a gentle look, and Jin Sheng hugged her very tacitly.

    ¡°I want to bring her home as soon as possible obviously, wait for our good news.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun crossed her arms in front of her chest with interest. Watching Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er below her, a rare smile appeared on her cold and otherworldly face.

    ¡°Manager Yun, ever since the two of them got engaged, they have been very high-profile in front of the media. Do you think they are trying to gain the support of public opinion by doing this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not think much of Ding Xiaoling¡¯s words and nced at her casually. ¡°Do you think that public opinion will be of much use? Will it make a difference to their respective holdings? Or will it make them do something?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not say that this is an internal matter within the Dongfang Group. If they want to create public opinion, they have to see what kind of material they can give to the media. Although the internal strife within the Dongfang Group is very serious, they will not do anything that will harm thepany¡¯s interests. Otherwise, we can totally use the incident that they created to bite them back.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun analyzed it very incisively. After saying that, she looked at Ding Xiaoling and said, ¡°You¡¯re still a little impatient. You¡¯ve been by my father¡¯s side for many years, but you still haven¡¯t learned this little bit of his ability.¡±

    Secretary Ding smiled awkwardly and helplessly, but her tone was very sincere, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Manager Yun. I¡¯m just a little anxious. President Gan has always been calm andposed. Manager Yun, I¡¯ve been by your side for a long time. I suddenly find that you¡¯re quite simr to President Gan. You¡¯re always so calm and rxed. You¡¯re also like Lawyer Song. You have a pair of sharp eyes and a sharp mind. I really admire you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to praise me. I know my level and ability very well. For example, right now, I don¡¯t think I have the ability to deal with them. I¡¯ll most likely have to rely on President Gan¡¯s n.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, it was obvious that she did not want to continue this topic, so she said, ¡°Alright, you go deal with what I told you just now. It¡¯s about time.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Secretary Ding then turned around and walked inside. Of course, at this moment, Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er also walked unhurriedly into the venue.

    Dongfang Ren did note over, but Dongfang Yi did.

    This seemed rather interesting.

 Chapter 1711 - Charity Banquet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1711: Charity Banquet (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Qi Lei rushed over, the banquet had already begun. It was Dongfang Yi¡¯s opening speech.

    Dongfang Liuyun was sitting far away on the stairs outside. She could hear waves of warm apuseing from inside. She was a little tired. Since the event had started, her work could be considered finished.

    After a busy day, she did not even have time to eat lunch. She was quite tired. Only now did she feel that her legs were not hers. They were numb and sore!

    ¡°Are you waiting for me?¡±

    Not long after Dongfang Liuyun sat down, a familiar and deep voice suddenly sounded in front of her. She immediately looked up and indeed, Qi Lei had appeared in front of her without her noticing¡ª

    He was wearing a casual suit that was as low-profile as usual. He did not deliberately dress up, but it matched the light-colored professional dress that she was wearing now.

    Behind her was Yang Sheng and a few bodyguards in ck.

    ¡°Why are you sote?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cold on the ground, get up!¡±

    The two of them said almost at the same time, but they had the same tacit understanding

    Qi Lei reached out to her, and she reached out to him at the same time.

    He pulled her up and answered, ¡°I went back to thepany to deal with some things. Later, I realized that I waste. It should have started inside, right? Why are you sitting here by yourself?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun staggered and her mind went nk for a moment.

    She had always had low blood sugar.

    Seeing her like this, Qi Lei suddenly thought of something. He suddenly reached into his pocket and a few delicately packaged chocte appeared in his hand.

    ¡°I grabbed a few. They taste pretty good. Try them.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes at him and took one without hesitation. She peeled one and stuffed it into her mouth. As she chewed, she replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been busy all day and my legs are weak from exhaustion. It¡¯s going on normally inside. They¡¯ll be watching, I¡¯m taking a breather.¡±

    ¡°Father didn¡¯te over?¡±

    Qi Lei was very considerate as he helped her fix her slightly wrinkled clothes.¡ª

    ¡°He drove by before the start of the show and came down to take a look. He rarely meddles in these matters. At this moment, he should be discussing about Myanmar matters with his friends. I have a feeling that the situation this time is quite serious. He¡¯s been dealing with those matters for the past few days,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    Qi Lei paused with a smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a friend over there. Let him take care of it when the timees.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine. Father has always been low-key and cautious. The situation over there is unstable, so it¡¯s normal for his business to be affected. Alright, let¡¯s go in. It¡¯s been quite a while since we started inside. I took down the things that you sent, it¡¯s not worth it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d have such thoughts too.¡±

    ¡°I admit that I¡¯m very generous with my money, but...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really generous with these things, but you¡¯re actually very strict with yourself. I know many people with your status who are wrapped up in big brands.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her.

    ¡°Real taste doesn¡¯t need to be wrapped up in big brands. I¡¯m not used to living a luxurious life. Of course, antiques are an exception! My money doesn¡¯te from the wind. I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that money is something I quite like. The money that my father usually gives me usually has to go through Madam Song¡¯s restrictions. If I didn¡¯t work a few more jobs, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t have been able to support myself.¡±

    She spoke very frankly.

    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t mind people saying that I¡¯m living off a rich man, like living off of you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an heiress of the Dongfang Group.¡±

    ¡°But thepany isn¡¯t mine now. Those halos belong to the family. What I said just now was also my ability.¡±

    ¡°Your views are really surprising, but why do I feel like this you¡¯re looking a little like me back then? Do you have a moral bottom line?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her with interest as he leisurely put one hand into his trouser pocket.

    ¡°You¡¯re single and I¡¯m a bachelor, what do you think? This tastes quite nice, is there more?¡±

    As she spoke, she had already dug into the pocket behind him.

    ¡°No, I just took a few. Do you like chocte too?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I used to eat it a lot when I was abroad, but I haven¡¯t really thought about it in the past two years. You should eat less of this stuff. I keep feeling like your stomach has growntely. This stuff is simr to a fertilizer.¡±

    Qi Lei... was a little speechless, but he still touched his stomach suspiciously. He did not feel like he had grown any more...

    ...

    Inside the exhibition center.

    When the two of them entered, the auction inside was already in progress. The new products were already in the first half of the show. In fact, it was simr to a broadcastmercial, and the effect was pretty good.

    The seats that were arranged were basically full.

    The couple found two seats at the back and sat down quietly. The lighting in the venue made it so that the two of them were not noticed. Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the stage in front, and Yang Sheng was sitting on the other side of Qi Lei, behind him was the bodyguard in ck.

    ¡°Have some, I¡¯m not expecting the steak to be so delicious. The snacks are still okay, have some.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s interest was not on the stage in front of her. She was famished. She picked up her knife and fork and cut the steak on the te neatly. Her skills with the knife skills was obviously good. After cutting, she moved the te of food she had cut to Qi Lei, and then took the te in front of Qi Lei and cut it neatly.

    Qi Lei did not say anything. Instead, he watched her cut it. Yang Sheng, who was at the side, was naturally not thinking about the stage in front of him. Instead, he smiled and held his head as he watched the couple in silence.

    At this moment, Yang Sheng suddenly felt that this was the most beautiful scenery in the world!

    ¡°The ring on disy now is specially designed for young people. It¡¯s a pair of rings. Many young people prefer tinum rings. I think this light-colored gemstone is a pretty good choice for a ring actually. This one, for example, is a more modest version, the meaning behind is mutual respect in a marriage, and mutual help in humble circumstances. Inside of the band there are sculptures of dragons and phoenixes. Young people these days don¡¯t pay too much attention to the cultural treasures left behind by our ancestors. We¡¯ve been to many ces over the years and understand a variety of cultures. In the end, we still prefer our own country¡¯s customs and culture.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun ate, she exined to Qi lei.

    ¡°So, this batch of new products seem to have elements that have our own characteristics in them?¡±

    Qi Lei naturally noticed the problem.

    ¡°Yes, this is also why I¡¯m holding a charity banquet to publicize it. Many phnthropists, I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re real phnthropists or fake phnthropists, and I don¡¯t care why they¡¯re trying to increase their exposure, as long as they show their intention to truly help those in need, then it¡¯s better than those who do nothing but point fingers at others. It¡¯s not the process that matters, but the result.¡±

 Chapter 1712 - Charity Banquet (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1712: Charity Banquet (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, how could I not tell before that you¡¯re quite the angry youth[1]?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei responded with amusement.

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at him and continued to eat her steak.

    Qi Lei smiled and then lowered his head.

    ¡°Master Qi, Master Jin and Dongfang Rou¡¯er seem to be quite photogenic today. Many people have gone to greet them! I¡¯ve already asked them to record down anyone who has talked to them for more than three minutes.¡±

    Yang Sheng said carefully from the side, ¡°However, I don¡¯t seem to see Lin Yuanyuan.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and stopped his actions. He nced to the front and indeed saw Jin Sheng chatting happily with someone.

    ¡°Continue to keep an eye on him. Don¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± Qi Lei replied in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ...

    After Yang Sheng left, the auction immediately resumed. Qi Lei did not pay much attention to what was being auctioned. His attention was on the woman beside him.

    Meanwhile, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s attention was on the food on the te.

    The husband and wife were still chatting casually. However, just as they were chatting happily, they suddenly heard amotion in front of them. They seemed to have heard a scream earlier!

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned. She suddenly sensed that something was wrong. She quickly raised her head and looked forward. Many people in front of her had already stood up and their eyes were focused on the stage in front of them!

    Dongfang Liuyun used the dim light to look at the stage. She saw that there seemed to be someone who had fallen on the stage!

    ¡°Oh no, Manager Yun! Something has happened!¡±

    At this moment, Secretary Ding came over with a serious tone.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun wiped her mouth with a napkin and asked with a frown.

    ¡°The model on the stage fell while disying the auction items. The auction items...¡±

    Ding Xiaoling said carefully with an apologetic look on her face

    ¡°Sorry, Manager Yun. It was our negligence. We didn¡¯t manage it well. Sorry!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows furrowed even more tightly. She quickly got up and nced at Qi Lei, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look. Wait for me here.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Be careful. Yang Sheng has gone over too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After replying, she quickly walked towards the stage.

    Just as she walked in, she could already hear the model¡¯s stifled cries. Of course, there was also Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s reproachful voice¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t you know the importance of this auction item? If you¡¯re not in a good state, why don¡¯t you take a leave of absence?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes shed with coldness. She quickly pushed aside the onlookers and walked in.

    She saw that the model¡¯s ankle had swollen up. It was obvious that she had twisted her ankle. She was a very young girl. She has probably just debuted, she did not know how to deal with this matter at all. She cried pitifully.

    Of course, the broken jade pieces on the ground were also very obvious!

    It was the jade coral bracelet that Qi Lei had donated. The jade pieces on it had been shattered.

    ¡°Get out of the way. Those who are not involved, return to your positions! Secretary Ding, treating her is more important. Let the security take this youngdy down to treat her injuries first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold and imposing voice was heard. Even Dongfang Rou¡¯er was stunned. She subconsciously looked at Dongfang Liuyun. The moment she met with Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold gaze, she could not help but freeze.

    She had always known that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s aura would always made her feel stifled. Dongfang Rou¡¯er naturally took a deep breath to calm herself down.

    ¡°Manager Yun, you came at the right time. How did you do your job? How dare you use a rookie! You must know that the bracelet that she broke was donated by the president of Tai Yu Corporation, President Qi. You need to think about how to exin this situation to him! You ruined things instead of aplishing anything, how did a perfectly fine dinner party turn out like this, is this the extent of your capabilities?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not wait to make things difficult for Dongfang Liuyun!

    She could not suppress her anger with regards to the proposal matter from thest time!

    The moment Dongfang Rou¡¯er said this, the model immediately said in panic, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Manager Yun. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I was just careless. I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    ¡°Secretary Ding, take her away to treat her injuries. We¡¯ll discuss the other thingster. Tell the others to leave and pack up. The auction will continue.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun made a prompt decision. She did not want to affect the entire banquet because of these things.

    ¡°Yes, Manager Yun!¡±

    Secretary Ding immediately responded and thenmanded the staff to take the injured model away.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, thepany has sent me over to assist you. Don¡¯t be so impudent. Do you think you can escape responsibility just like that?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was furious that Dongfang Liuyun did not look her in the eye. She could not help but question her.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and turned to look at Dongfang Rou¡¯er. She could not help but say coldly, ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er, if I were you and there weren¡¯t any problems here, I definitely wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for my own people. Unless this farce was nned by you and you want me, Dongfang Liuyun, to suffer! I will know how to exin it to Qi Lei. If not, would you go on my behalf? You¡¯ve been in thepany for so many years. Haven¡¯t you learned your work ethics andpany rules at all? How did you get into thepany? And how did you get your current position as the Assistant Manager of Public Rtions? Is the mighty Dongfang Group filled with trash like you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was obviously annoyed. Her voice was still calm, but there was a cold and warning tone in her tone. Instantly, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was rendered speechless!

    ¡°You!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was so angry that her face turned ugly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be tactless. There are a lot of media here, unless you want to expose your ugliness in front of them! I have my own ideas on how to handle this matter. If you¡¯ve got nothing else to do, just move to the side. Don¡¯t cause trouble for me. Get out of the way!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was clearly a little impatient. She raised her hand and gestured for the security guard beside her to send Dongfang Rou¡¯er away, while she squatted down and used the dim light to scan the surroundings. After a while, as expected, she found a few transparent ss beads on the side!

    She sneered and quickly picked up the two ss beads. She stuffed them into her pocket and quickly stood up.

    At this moment, the host also took the microphone and walked over, delivering it to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun calmly took the microphone and looked down to the crowd.

 Chapter 1713 - Charity Banquet (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1713: Charity Banquet (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun rarely appeared in public like this, but this did not mean that she was not well known. In fact, the legend about her was far from beingparable to Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s.

    This was also one of the reasons why Dongfang Rou¡¯er was very unwilling to give in to Dongfang Liuyun!

    The two of them were clearly on par in strength. She did not know why Dongfang Liuyun had more charisma than her, making it easier for people to respect her. Although she was also very loved by the servants at home, this was not what she wanted!

    What she wanted was the respect and admiration that Dongfang Liuyun could easily get without any effort!

    As Dongfang Liuyun stood there, people below were already eximing in surprise. Of course, it was not only because Dongfang Liuyun did not need to deliberately show her noble beauty, but also because of her legend!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Dongfang Liuyun. Last time, I saw her attending the antique chamber ofmerce with President Gan!¡±

    ¡°God, she is indeed as beautiful as a deity. I heard that she is very knowledgeable about those rare ancient calligraphic style. I just got a rubbing of inscription not too long ago, and I¡¯m looking for an expert to help me study them.¡±

    ¡°Get her! She is still working at the research institute. I met her when I went to get the identification results not long ago!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t she abroad all these years? Why did she suddenly return to the country?¡±

    ¡°She returned to the country a long time ago. She was a lecturer at University A for a period of time and is now a visiting professor at University A. Although she no longer works there, she still has a title. I wonder how University A managed to hire her. But I advise all of you not to trouble yourselves, she won¡¯t ept anything rted to the industry recently. She¡¯s probably back to take over the Dongfang Group.¡±

    ...

    The people below were already discussing Dongfang Liuyun. Naturally, when these words entered Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s ears, they made her feel like ice-cold and hard thorns were piercing into her ears one after another, this made her subconsciously clench her fists and coldly look at Dongfang Liuyun who was standing on the stage.

    Dongfang Liuyun could not be bothered to pay attention to her. At this moment, she began to slowly say¡ª

    ¡°Good evening, everyone. I am Dongfang Liuyun, the person in charge of tonight¡¯s program. There was a small ident just now that caused everyone to be shocked. I am very sorry. We have already made appropriate arrangements. I, Dongfang Liuyun, will fullypensate for the shattered auction items. Of course, we have also obtained our President Qi¡¯s understanding, thank you! Now, our auction will continue. In order to express our apology, I am willing to auction off another Ming dynasty ancient jade ring. Our auctioneer will introduce the details to everyer!¡±

    After that, everyone cried out in surprise, followed by apuse!

    Soon after, the lightsnded on Qi Lei, who was sitting at the back. Qi Lei also smiled and waved his hand tacitly...

    The tense atmosphere just now instantly copsed. Everyone was naturally very interested in the item that Dongfang Liuyun had brought out.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly left the stage and the auction continued!

    It was as if the ident just now had never happened.

    ...

    ¡°Manager Yun, thank God for your quick wits!¡±

    Ding Xiaoling herself was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat. As soon as Dongfang Liuyun walked down, she went up to her and said somewhat nervously.

    ¡°How¡¯s the model?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked very calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to send her to the hospital. ording to the preliminary results, she should have sprained her ankle. Sigh, this time, we were really too careless. She might be a neer who has never been on such an important show before, so she might have been a little nervous,¡± said Secretary Ding helplessly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not her issue. I looked around on the stage just now and found this. Take a look.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took out the two transparent ss beads from her pocket and handed them to Secretary Ding.

    Secretary Ding reached out to take them. Her face was filled with shock as she stared at the ss beads for a long time¡ª

    ¡°Manager Yun, you mean that someone threw this on the stage and the model stepped on it, causing her to fall?¡± Secretary Ding asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t rule out that possibility. Investigate this matter properly. Do whatever you need to do. Be quick. Also, tell that injured model not to spew nonsense. Understand the situation clearly and give her some correspondingpensation. Be careful of your actions,¡± Dongfang Liuyun instructed swiftly.

    Hearing this, Secretary Ding paused for a moment. She thought for a long time before replying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get someone to investigate immediately. However, I feel that this matter is definitely targeted at you, Manager Yun. There must be someone who doesn¡¯t want you to finish this event perfectly, so they made a move in secret. ording to my analysis, it¡¯s very likely that it¡¯s Rou...¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    Secretary Ding¡¯s words were suddenly cut off by Dongfang Liuyun. Secretary Ding was shocked, but she quickly stopped speaking and looked at Dongfang Liuyun silently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to make any guesses about this matter now. You need to investigate it immediately. I only believe in evidence. Perhaps the matter isn¡¯t as simple as we think. If we have a preconceived notion, it¡¯s inevitable that we will be misled by others. So, find the evidence and prove to me who did this. Also, before this matter is clear, forbid the discussion within thepany. Otherwise, let them pack up their things and leave! The Dongfang Group cannot have people casually spreading rumors.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke straightforwardly and decisively. Ding Xiaoling thought carefully for a moment and understood Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s intentions. At this moment, she could not help but admire Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s thoughtfulness.

    ¡°There are only a few reporters invited today. Be careful not to let them write about it.¡±

    After some thought, Dongfang Liuyun instructed again before walking forward.

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun. It¡¯s almost at the end of this event. Tonight¡¯s event is pretty good. I saw that a few of thepanies below are already secretly asking about our new product.¡±

    ¡°Well, as long as the quality of our new product is good enough and attractive enough, we don¡¯t have to worry about not having a market. The next thing to do is to do our best to promote it. That¡¯s not my problem.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finally felt slightly relieved. Over the past month, she had spent a lot of effort on this event, right now, all the major media and advertising walls outside should also be doing their best to promote theunch of the new product. Tomorrow will be the first day of sales, so they would have to see how the sales would go.

    ¡°Well, Manager Yun, you should take this opportunity to have a good rest. President Gan will probably let you watch over the South River Project Cooperation. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Ding Xiaoling was someone who knew some inside information, so she felt sorry for Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Well, you too. You have all been very busy recently. After the event this time, you should rest for a day or two.¡±

 Chapter 1714 - Wait For You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1714: Wait For You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun left this sentence and her slender figure quickly disappeared into the corner in front of her.

    She still had to go backstage to direct the work behind the scenes.

    At this moment, the backstage had also returned to normal.

    The event was nearing its end. Dongfang Liuyun also made some simple arrangements for theter stages of the work. Qi Lei called and said that he was waiting for her in the car.

    About 10 minutester, Qi Lei left early.

    When he walked out, it was quite quiet outside. Yang Sheng followed behind him.

    The street lights were a little dim. Qi Lei walked down unhurriedly. His car was parked in a temporary parking space on the roadside.

    ¡°Master Qi, is everything alright with the Missus?¡±

    Yang Sheng asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We should investigate the matter tonight. I don¡¯t think it was that simple.¡± Qi Lei instructed.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already sent people to investigate. It seems like Missus has discovered something. We¡¯ve already put a tight watch on her, yet we still couldn¡¯t prevent it. I¡¯m sorry, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng felt apologetic as he spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you wanted to happen. If they really want to make a move, they¡¯ll definitely find a loophole. It was going to be difficult for her to deal with them anyway.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he frowned slightly

    In fact, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s situation was not much better than his previous situation.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Master Qi! To be honest, Missus¡¯s life doesn¡¯t seem quite easy. It might have been fine before, but now that she¡¯s in thepany, naturally...¡±

    ¡°Just do what I told you to do.¡± Qi Lei pondered for a moment before replying in a low voice, ¡°These things are things that we will have to face sooner orter. Since we¡¯ve experienced it once, we won¡¯t be afraid for it to happen again. You must all be on your guard.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi.¡±

    ...

    At this moment, in the venue.

    Jin Sheng was a little surprised by what had just happened. He looked at Dongfang Liuyun, who was directing the staff to work. He thought for a long time before turning his gaze to Dongfang Rou¡¯er, who was beside him. His gaze was a little profound.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also turned to look at him. When she met Jin Sheng¡¯s gaze, her gaze was very clear¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. This has nothing to do with me. I didn¡¯t do it.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was naturally very resolute. ¡°I have always been a person who dares to take responsibility for my actions. I disdain using such a method. If something goes wrong during this event, I won¡¯t be able to escape responsibility. Do you think I¡¯m such a foolish person?¡±

    After saying this, Jin Sheng¡¯s eyes flickered. After a while, he finally spoke, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. It¡¯s just that this was too much of a coincidence. Why did that model suddenly fall? Moreover, the thing that fell was something belonging to President Qi of Tai Yu Corporation. Do you think that¡¯s reasonable?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was silent for a moment. She quietly thought for a while and her expression tensed up a little. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this either. Perhaps it might not have been done by our own people.¡±

    As she said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er nced sideways at Dongfang Ren, who was talking to someone else. She was not certain about it.

    In her impression, this Second Uncle of hers did not seem to be a brainless person. Moreover, this was a matter that concerned the reputation and interests of the Dongfang Group. He would not make such arrangements.

    Could it be a coincidence?

    It did not seem to be...

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun will investigate this thoroughly. Knowing her, she might suspect me again. Just wait and see. In the next meeting, she will make things difficult for me.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and looked at Dongfang Liuyun with a cold and stern gaze.

    ¡°Your prejudice against her is no less than her prejudice against you.¡± Jin Sheng said this in a low voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know where the both of us stand? This current situation is not what I wanted. You¡¯re very clear about the current situation of the Dongfang Group too. When we got engaged, I had already clearly analyzed the pros and cons with you. Ah Sheng, I have already told you. If you still can¡¯t let go and want to go back to Dongfang Liuyun, I will let go of you freely. You are still free right now. However, if you dare to betray me after we get married, I definitely won¡¯t let you off so easily.¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s voice suddenly turned cold as she silently looked at Jin Sheng. Her gaze was filled with determination.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want all the feelings that I¡¯ve given up to go to waste. Not everyone can understand the pain of not being able to get what you love. I know that you admire Dongfang Liuyun in your heart. I won¡¯t care about that, but please remember my bottom line. I, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, don¡¯t have to have you. I won¡¯t let others trample on my dignity.¡±

    Hearing this, Jin Sheng¡¯s face stiffened. Seeing Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s stubbornness, his heart softened. He quickly grabbed her wrist andforted her, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. My mind is focused on our future and I only like you. We¡¯re already engaged, don¡¯t think too much. Let¡¯s get married once this phase of work is done. That way, I hope that you can stand by my side with a more reasonable identity.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression softened when she heard this. She thought for a moment and slowly stood up. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when the timees. Marriage isn¡¯t such a simple thing. Give us some time to think things through.¡±

    After saying these few words, she took a deep breath and turned around to leave.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er!¡±

    Jin Sheng¡¯s expression darkened for a moment before he hurriedly stood up and chased after her.

    ...

    ¡°Rou¡¯er!¡±

    After chasing her all the way to the staircase outside the door, Jin Sheng held Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s hand and panted slightly as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I really don¡¯t have any other intentions. My attitude has always been very clear and definite. I¡¯ve long wanted to marry you. After we get married, our lives won¡¯t be any worse than now, right? Don¡¯t you believe that I can treat you wholeheartedly? Rou¡¯er!¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Rou¡¯er was determined to move forward, Jin Sheng finally could not hold it in any longer and held her by the wrist, pulling her into his embrace...

    ¡°Give us a chance. We both feel that it¡¯s very tiring to persevere and let us rely on each other, okay? If you¡¯re still worried about any changes, we¡¯ll immediately prepare for the wedding and get married at the end of the year, okay?¡±

    Jin Sheng could not help but feel anxious. He also felt uneasy. In fact, marrying Dongfang Rou¡¯er as soon as possible would be very beneficial to him. He did not mind bringing forward the agreed deadline.

    ¡°Our two families have discussed this matter very clearly. We¡¯ll postpone it for now. How long have we been engaged for?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was not someone who was blinded by feelings. Moreover, it was too easy to get someone like Jin Sheng. To her, it was not a good thing.

    She had interacted with Jin Sheng for so long, so she could more or less understand his temper.

 Chapter 1715 - Wait For You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1715: Wait For You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Initially, she had hoped to marry Jin Sheng as soon as possible, but the situation was different now.

    Jin Sheng was not bad, he had a good family background, and he was a decent person, but...

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and blinked. She seemed to have recalled something, and her eyes dimmed slightly. She allowed Jin Sheng to hug her. After a while, she reached out to hug Jin Sheng.

    ¡°Thank you, Ah Sheng. I will try my best to be your wife, but...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will support you with all my strength.¡±

    Before Dongfang Rou¡¯er could finish her sentence, Jin Sheng cut her off, ¡°I will treat you sincerely!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the future in the future. Now...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er withdrew from his embrace and looked up at him, ¡°You are very clear about the rtionship between me and Dongfang Liuyun. If you want to let go, I will give you a chance. However, if you insist on being with me, then please mind your own heart. Because, you can only stand on my side. I have never hidden my grudges against Dongfang Liuyun in front of you. I am also not a kind person. Ah Sheng, I¡¯m not asking you to love me to the bone. However, if you choose me, then, can you please look at Dongfang Liuyun less?¡±

    ¡°I know you suspected me at the first instance for what happened tonight. However, I can swear to the heavens that this really had nothing to do with me. I didn¡¯t do it, it had nothing to do with me at all. To be honest, Ah Sheng, I¡¯m quite disappointed. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re worried about Fourth Sister, but no matter what, in this matter, I...¡±

    Having said that, Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not continue speaking. Instead, she eased up a little, then broke free from Jin Sheng and walked down the stairs.

    This time, Jin Sheng did not continue to chase after her. Instead, he stopped where he was and silently watched Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s figure disappear into the twilight in front of him. His gaze suddenly became somewhat absent-minded.

    He stood there for quite a while and did not move a single step until he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. There was a faint, serene aura in the slightly cold wind. It was somewhat familiar.

    He quickly turned around and looked in the direction of the sound.

    He saw Dongfang Liuyun walking down the stairs with a cell phone in her hand. She was probably calling Dongfang Gan¡ª

    ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. You should rest early too. Goodnight, Father!¡±

    After saying that, she hung up the phone.

    Seeing Jin Sheng who stopped in front of her, Dongfang Liuyun frowned and put away her phone. She did not stop walking.

    ¡°Are... are you okay?¡±

    After some thought, Jin Sheng still asked. The look in his eyes when he looked at Dongfang Liuyun was not as dim as before.

    Dongfang Liuyun always thought that Jin Sheng seemed to be a little contradictory and not what he seemed to be. She did not like having deeper connections with such a person.

    ¡°Yes, thank you for your concern.¡±

    With that, her slender figure also walked past.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    For some reason, Jin Sheng could not help but call out to her as he watched her walk past him. He subconsciously clenched his fists.

    ¡°Why? You¡¯ve never been willing to give me a reason, what about Fujiwara? Why didn¡¯t he marry you? Why? Did you...¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t rified on this yet? Who told you that I must marry Fujiwara? Sometimes, being too rigid with the so-called reason will make your life more tiring, because this answer won¡¯t change anything. Dongfang Rou¡¯er is very suitable for you. Putting aside the unhappiness between us, from the perspective of an older sister, I still hope that you can treat her well. If you¡¯re smart enough, you won¡¯t be at a disadvantage.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said these words and turned around to look at him.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so foolish as to rush to the front, right?¡±

    As she asked this question, Dongfang Liuyun did not wait for Jin Sheng¡¯s answer, because the answer was not important to her.

    Her slender figure soon disappeared into the waning lights in front of her.

    Jin Sheng¡¯s eyes darkened. He pondered upon Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words and a cold smile quickly shed across his handsome face¡ª

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er?

    She was indeed not bad, but how could he be willing to be abandoned by you, Dongfang Liuyun?

    ...

    When Dongfang Liuyun followed Qi Lei¡¯s directions and went over, she quickly found Qi Lei standing under the streetlights by the roadside. There was no one around him.

    Yang Sheng and his bodyguards were dismissed by Qi Lei. At this moment, he was standing quietly by himself. The sight of that nted shadow on the ground looked a little lonely.

    The wind at night was naturally quite cold, and there was a faint sense of moisture in the air.

    Qi Lei had one hand in his trouser pocket and the other holding his phone. He seemed to be thinking about something. He did not realize even when Dongfang Liuyun walked closer. It was only when she stopped and a familiar aura brushed past that he snapped back.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? Why didn¡¯t you go home first? The winds here is a little chilly and it¡¯s easy to catch a cold.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s calm voice sounded. It seemed to contain a faint warmth.

    He turned his head and realized that she was already standing beside him. There was a hint of gentleness in her eyes that were as silent as stars. He lifted his hand and passed through the slightly cold air to grab her by the shoulders, his emotional voice was very gentle¡ª

    ¡°I wanted to wait for you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun fell silent for a moment when she heard that. Then, she nodded gently and looked up at him quietly. ¡°Thank you for tonight. I¡¯m very grateful that you can understand my thoughts and support me silently instead of...¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and seemed to understand. ¡°I was worried that you would me me for not rushing out to save the damsel in distress.¡±

    ¡°If you rushed out, I would have... Remember, Dongfang Liuyun will never need you, Qi Lei, to rush in front for her. Instead, she needs you to help her hold up a blue sky that allows her to fly freely. Even if there are ten thousand excuses, the flying bird still cannot lose the courage to fight against the blue sky and travel through the clouds to wee the wind and rain.¡±

    ¡°So, thank you for understanding me, Qi Lei.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words were very calm, and there was a gentleness in her tone that was not present in the past. ¡°Putting aside the situation before us, do you know what kind of partner I¡¯ve always hoped for?¡±

    ¡°The rtionship I hope for is nothing more than ¡®you¡¯re making a scene and he¡¯s smiling¡¯. I¡¯m not trying to tie someone down, or make some soul-stirring vow of eternal love.¡±

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He just chuckled softly, bent down, and lowered his head slightly to kiss her soft and indifferent lips.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment, but she reacted quick enough to reach out and wrap her arms around him, cooperating with his peaceful request...

 Chapter 1716 - Wait For You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1716: Wait For You (3)</h4>

    When he let go of her, their breaths were already unsteady.

    He helped her tidy her messy hair in a gentlemanly manner. He held her shoulders and walked towards the car in front.

    ¡°It¡¯s already sote. I don¡¯t think you have had anything to eat, let¡¯s go to the riverside inn and have some supper.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also helped him fix his slightly messy tie as she suggested.

    ¡°We still have work tomorrow, let¡¯s go home early and rest. Call Mama Wang if you want to eat anything.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be very quick. It¡¯s only 10 o¡¯clock. Otherwise, we can go to the food stall near our vi area. The sweet potato porridge there is quite good. We can be home before 12 o¡¯clock. My treat!¡±

    Sheughed calmly and reached into his pocket for the car keys...

    ...

    The ck Porsche sped past the quiet street and stopped steadily at a food stall near the suburbs north of the city.

    It was midnight, and the weather was not too hot. There were quite a lot of people having midnight snacks, so it was very lively here. Qi Lei hade here for quite a few meals before he married Dongfang Liuyun. The environment was not too bad, it was quite clean.

    ¡°Boss, give me a small portion of purple potato porridge and a grilled fish. A dozen raw, cold ones.¡±

    ¡°Wait, just four bottles is enough, boss.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, Qi Lei stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him, then tacitly agreed.

    Not long after, the dishes and drinks were served, and the purple potato porridge was still warm.

    Qi Lei scooped half a bowl for Dongfang Liuyun, then casually moved it in front of her. ¡°Eat something to fill your stomach.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took it unceremoniously, then lowered her head and ate it.

    She was really hungry. She had been busy for the whole day and did not eat well just now. Moreover, she did not seem to like western food very much.

    ¡°You should have some too. You didn¡¯t eat much just now. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ditch you, a man has to have some weight. There¡¯s nothing wrong with having a little meat. As long as you don¡¯t get sloppy as you get older, I¡¯m not particr about it.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she took a spoon and scooped a bowl for him. She moved it in front of him. ¡°Finish it.¡±

    Her clear voice had an unquestionable and irrefutable tone.

    Qi Lei nced at her and picked up the spoon as well. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you gain any weight either. Every time I go back to the Tanshan Vi area, I¡¯m really worried that my parents will me me for making their daughter thin.¡±

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun smiled, ¡°You think too much. A few years ago, I dealt with anorexia and lost 80 pounds. Now, I¡¯ve been maintaining a triple-digit weight. I¡¯m not that thin, I¡¯m sturdy now, I just look like I¡¯m only around 90 pounds. Eat more. It¡¯s a blessing to be able to eat.¡±

    ¡°Father said that you¡¯re very skilled, that you¡¯re a martial artist.¡±

    Qi Lei said with his eyes lowered as he picked up some cold dishes that she liked from the te in front of her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the fencing hall on the weekend, let¡¯s try out your skills.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him. ¡°I missed itst time, let¡¯s try this time, you should be free then.¡±

    ¡°My honor!¡± Qi Lei replied in a low voice

    That would depend on how she yed. This sport was Qi Lei¡¯s forte. He did not expect for their hobbies to be quite simr, such as fencing and ying games...

    The couple tacitly refused to talk about what happened tonight, especially at this time.

    After opening two bottles of wine, the husband and wife pair began to drink.

    At this time, the husband and wife pair felt exceptionally rxed. Suddenly, they felt as if they had returned to the time when the two of them were drinking and chatting like this. They did not feel any pressure in their conversation.

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation at the hospital? I identally overheard Yang Sheng say a few words today. I think he was on the phone with Vice President Wang Chun. We¡¯ve been married for so long, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve officially met your father. This doesn¡¯t seem to be in line with etiquette. Aren¡¯t you going to make some arrangements?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had indeed not met Qi Qiming.

    She did not bring it up because she knew very well that there was friction between Qi Lei and Qi Qiming. She wanted to see how Qi Lei would react.

    Sure enough, when Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei¡¯s actions paused. He looked up at her without batting an eyelid. Facing her faint gaze, he only retracted his gaze after a long while. He continued to give her a piece of fish as he said¡ª

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in going to see him, he doesn¡¯t have any consciousness right now. I think this should be God¡¯s punishment for him. People like him usually can¡¯t die peacefully.¡±

    There was a hint of loneliness in his deep tone. The darkness under his eyes could not hide the loneliness.

    He poured himself a ss of drink and took a sip. Frowning, he could not help but take a cigarette packet from the side. He took one out, lit it, and took a puff. Amid the faint smoke, he continued unhurriedly, ¡°For some things that you look forward to, the more you want them, the more you want to possess them, it will create a deeper barrier instead. The more you cannot get them, the more you will lose them. I am quite tired, especially after so many things. I understand that letting nature take its course is rare.¡±

    At this point, he frowned and raised his head to drink up his ss.

    ¡°When I was young, I always envied Qi Feng. I envied him for his good grades and the love and admiration he got from my father. Qi Feng¡¯s grades were very good, he was excellent at everything. Every time he took his report card home, he would receive praise from the old man. The old man brought Qi Feng to go riding and swimming, and I never had a part in it. When he taught Qi Feng how to swim, I could only secretly watch from the side.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect that my mother would find out that I was secretly watching him teach Qi Feng how to swim. Later, my mother taught me, but it wasn¡¯t untilter that I realized that at that time, my mother didn¡¯t know how to swim at all. She went to a swimming academy to learn for nearly two months before she mastered it. She only taught me after she came back. I never knew about this until after she passed away. I tidied up her things and saw her calendar, only then did I realize.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like to keep a diary, but she likes to keep a calendar.¡±

    ¡°The word ¡®father¡¯ should be very unfamiliar in my dictionary. I have never experienced the love of a father before.¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel sorry for him when she heard him speak of this matter so calmly.

    ¡°If it makes you feel better, I wish I got to know you sooner. At least I could have been someone who understood you.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned when she said this. He looked up at her but did not say anything for a long time.

 Chapter 1717 - Sore Point (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1717: Sore Point (1)</h4>

    When they went back, it was already quitete. It was almost midnight.

    The husband and wife did not speak. It was Qi Lei who drove.

    The road at midnight was very quiet. Lanterns hung on the trees by the road leading to the Grand Lake Vi district. They lit up and formed a row. The cool midnight breeze blew lightly, and thenterns swayed. It was quite beautiful.

    The clouds and mist in the sky had disappeared at some point, revealing a full moon. The moonlight was brilliant, illuminating the ground with ayer of pure and holy light. The night seemed particrly cold.

    The moon is perfectly round on the day after mid-autumn day...

    When the couple got down the car, they subconsciously raised their heads to look at the distant sky above them. They watched it silently for a long time. When they retracted their gazes, they looked at each other and smiled.

    ¡°Do you remember Su Shi¡¯s poem, Water Melody?¡± She suddenly asked softly.

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and said uncertainly, ¡°I do remember the content of the poem. It¡¯s a model poem from middle school. The start of it is something about the autumn of Bing Chen year, remembering Zi You? Zi You is Su Zhe, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the mood of this poem is very good and it fits the situation very well. The students at the moment also had a deep impression of this poem. Now that I think about it, I suddenly feel that it suits us now. But it¡¯s us, not you, and not just me.¡±

    As she spoke, she suddenly looked at Qi Lei. A faint smile suddenly appeared on her elegant face. ¡°I remember the first time we met...¡±

    Her faint voice drifted in the deste night breeze. Qi Lei waited for a long time, but he did not hear what she said next. He only heard her take a deep breath¡ª

    ¡°The fate between us is not shallow, but I¡¯m also a little d that you took the first step. A lot of times, fate is like that. If you hadn¡¯t been curious about who ¡®Swift Snowy¡¯ was and didn¡¯t want to find out, you and I might have been on different sides now.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the heavens still favor us. Forget about those unhappy things. We¡¯ve got to look forward, not backwards. Over the years, I have hurt many people. Many others have hurt me. Many others have chosen to forgive me. I have also chosen to forgive many people. We cannot really judge the so-called right and wrong, so we can only start from the bottom line in our hearts.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know all the things that have happened between you and your father, but I have heard about your experience, so I can more or less understand it. I won¡¯t ask you to forgive him and embrace him, but I just want to say that you¡¯re his son. This is an objective fact, and it¡¯s your duty as a son to do your best. This isn¡¯t a question of whether it¡¯s worth it or not. It¡¯s a very traditional middle-of-the-road mentality.¡±

    ¡°Just like the conflict between me and Ms. Song. Although I don¡¯t agree with her on many points of view, and I¡¯m very unhappy with her way of doing things, I still have to respect her. In order to avoid too much friction with her, I¡¯d rather go home less.¡±

    ¡°Be a good son. There are many things you can do that will make you feel better than not doing it. Don¡¯t give yourself the chance to regret it, like with your mother.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not continue after that.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression was a little uncertain.

    After a while, Dongfang Liuyun reached out to pull him. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much. If you don¡¯t like hearing these, just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t have the right to make you change your mind...¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish, Qi Lei cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s not just that. He doesn¡¯t want to wake up. Even if I wanted to... There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    After saying this, Qi Lei walked ahead.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. She watched as his figure disappeared through the dim street lights and into the door in front of him. It took her a while toe back to her senses. After some thought, she finally took a deep breath and followed him in.

    The house was quiet. Mama Wang and the others had already gone to bed.

    Qi Lei went straight upstairs while Dongfang Liuyun washed her hands. She realized that Mama Wang¡¯s chicken soup was still warm in the kitchen, so she finished two bowls of it herself. Then, she got another bowl for Qi Lei before going upstairs at a leisurely pace.

    When she returned upstairs, Qi Lei was showering. When he came out of the bathroom with a towel to wipe his half-dry hair, it was already nearly 10 minutester.

    He saw Dongfang Liuyun sitting on the sofa watching television, so he sat down as well.

    ¡°The chicken soup tastes good. It¡¯s still warm. Drink some,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    Qi Lei stopped what he was doing and looked over as well. However, his gaze soon stopped on her. He was silent for a long time before he asked in a low voice, ¡°After I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll bring you to the hospital to see him. He¡¯s not quite conscious. The doctor said that all the functions of his body have been restored. The reason why he hasn¡¯t regained consciousness is probably because he subconsciously doesn¡¯t want to wake up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked some experts to diagnose him. Everyone¡¯s conclusion is almost the same. This makes me feel... you know, he has never liked or even hated me as his son. Qi Feng¡¯s death is directly rted to me. I think that he might not be willing to face me when he¡¯s awake. The way that he is now isn¡¯t too bad.¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a long time when she heard this. She did not say anything. She just took the soup that was still warm on the table with one hand and the towel in his hand with the other, she began to help him dry himself.

    Qi Lei also took it. He lowered his head and drank two mouthfuls silently.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think, I believe. I think he would be very happy to see you today.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a long time before she said this¡ª

    Although she had never known how tofort others, now...

    ¡°Do you have that much confidence in him?¡±

    Qi Lei turned to look at her silently.

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head and said happily, ¡°It¡¯s not that I have confidence in him. It¡¯s that I have confidence in you. I think that anyone who isn¡¯t too stupid can see that you¡¯re actually a very good person. Moreover, that person is your father. If he didn¡¯t have any expectations for you, he wouldn¡¯t have done his best to support you in starting up Tai Yu Corporation. Also, if he really wanted to hand Qi Kai over to Qi Feng, why was Qi Feng only a small Director when he died? And you¡¯re the mighty Vice President of Qi Kai?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words left Qi Lei speechless. To be honest, he could not see through Qi Qiming¡¯s motive back then.

    Until now, he could not answer Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s question.

    Qi Qiming was probably the only one who knew these answers. No one else could see through him...

 Chapter 1718 - Sore Point (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1718: Sore Point (2)</h4>

    At the thought of this, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face turned gloomy again, and his eyes flickered.

    ¡°I¡¯m just making an objective analysis, you¡¯re the person involved, so you¡¯ll naturally have your own subjective thoughts.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes also flickered with a wise light. She quietly watched him, paused for a moment, and continued, ¡°Let me ask you, have you seen your father¡¯s trusted aide, a capable assistant like Wang Chun, assisting Qi Feng? Also, as far as I know, Yue Hai seems to be your father¡¯s capable aide too. Putting aside his loyalty, I don¡¯t see Qi Feng being able to curry favor with him.¡±

    ¡°As for you, when you founded Tai Yu Corporation, both of them were sent over to help you. Qi Feng could only intervene in the South River Project until his death...¡±

    When he heard this, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes shed. He suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Dongfang Liuyun. His gaze was unfathomable.

    ¡°You investigated my matter?¡±

    Qi Lei asked softly after a while. It was not a displeased question, but a meaningful one.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her head andughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t need to investigate you for your information to be sent straight to my email.¡±

    ¡°Was it Lan Xiu?¡±

    Qi Lei was a smart one?

    He could think of an answer in a moment.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded happily. ¡°That¡¯s right. Since I¡¯m married to you, they naturally have to find out your background. Also, I¡¯m afraid that there are a lot of information on you from Father¡¯s side. Don¡¯t take it to hear, they¡¯re just worried about me.¡±

    Hearing that, Qi Lei smiled, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind. Since it¡¯s a well-known fact, I¡¯m not afraid of others looking into it. However, Lan Xiu is indeed very concerned about you. He might not be happy when you became my Mrs. Qi so rashly.¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu does have some feelings for me. Moreover, it¡¯s been many years. I know, but I¡¯ve never wanted to expose it. I me myself for not being cautious in the beginning and making such a request to him, he¡¯s been alone all these years. I think it¡¯s time to find him a partner.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice sounded like she was sighing.

    ¡°Is there no one else in the Lan Family?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Back then, Yang Sheng had secretly investigated Lan Xiu¡¯s background, but the results he obtained made him feel somewhat incredulous.

    ¡°He used to have an older brother named Lan Qi. I¡¯ve told you this before, he was also my good friend, but now... their life isn¡¯t any better than yours. They were also from a rich family in their early years, so of course, they were not from our City Z. Lan Xiu¡¯s mother was a very kind person. She worked in the customs. When Lan Xiu was very young, his father had an affair so obviously that started a war in the family. One night, Lan Xiu¡¯s mother was patrolling the dock. Someone broke into the dock and caused trouble. Unfortunately, she fell into the sea. When she was rescued, she was already dead.¡±

    ¡°Later, his stepmother came into the picture, his life with Lan Qi was naturally not easy. When Grandpa Lan and the others were still around, their lives were better. When Grandpa Lan and the others passed on, there was no ce left for them. They could be considered to have been indirectly expelled from the Lan family. Until today, it really hasn¡¯t easy for him.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she suddenly thought of something and stopped what she was doing

    ¡°After that, they came to City Z. It was their grandmother who took them in, their grandmother was just a retired veteran. Of course, Grandfather Lan and my grandfather were good friends, so...¡±

    ¡°Up until now, they haven¡¯t gone back. Although there has been news from there, Lan Xiu doesn¡¯t care anymore. Of course, they haven¡¯te to look for the two brothers before. Of course, this is only the rough story. Only Lan Qi and Lan Xiu know what they really went through, but they never mention this to anyone, including me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed. As she spoke, she took a deep breath and put away the towel in her hand, ¡°So, don¡¯t pity your own experience, and don¡¯t be dissatisfied. Compared to many people, we¡¯ve got it so much better. Perhaps we have never encountered a true dead end. This is an era of peace, so how can there be so much despair? Any excuse for difficulty isn¡¯t enough to be a reason for us to indulge and degenerate. Alright, drink up. Wash up and rest early. Wash the dishes yourself. I¡¯ll go take a bath.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, her slender figure quickly disappeared from the door.

    When Qi Lei turned to look at her, she was long gone from the door.

    ...

    The event was held satisfactorily. For the next few days, the number of orders for new products was on the rise. In addition to the intensity of the event, there were many customers.

    The incident at the dinner party was suppressed and did not affect much. It was thanks to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s prompt decision.

    Dongfang Gan had been very busy for the past few days and did not go to thepany. Dongfang Liuyun only saw him in the evening on the third day after she finished her leave.

    ¡°Father, where have you been these past few days? I couldn¡¯t get through to you on the phone either?¡±

    In Dongfang Gan¡¯s office, Dongfang Liuyun frowned as she looked at Dongfang Gan, who had a hint of fatigue between his brows.

    Dongfang Gan pointed to the seat in front of him and gave a look to Ah Fei, who quickly poured a ss of water for Dongfang Liuyun before leaving.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly sat down as well, her gaze still fixed on Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°Discussed with the other partners about the matter over there, it¡¯s nothing much. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve heard the details of the event. It¡¯s been hard on you. Secretary Ding also told me about the matter of the investigation. I was the one who told her to stop the investigation. It¡¯s a critical period right now, I think you can understand my reason for doing so.¡±

    Dongfang Gan remained standing. As he spoke, he turned around and walked towards the bookshelf behind him. He took out a document from the bookshelf above and continued to speak, ¡°The truth of this matter is not that important. However, the result can cause one to ponder over it.¡±

    His profound gaze swept over Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun was quiet for a moment. After some thought, she finally nodded. ¡°I understand, Father! Silence is better than words. I know what to do. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at his daughter with approval and smiled amiably, ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. You¡¯ve always been smart, you understand with just a hint from me. After tomorrow, when I leave home, remember toe home often. Your mother will be home alone, I¡¯m worried too. She doesn¡¯t object your rtionship with Qi Lei anymore. In fact, as long as you¡¯re happy, your mother and I will be satisfied. The thing we¡¯re most worried about is you not doing well.¡±

 Chapter 1719 - Sore Point (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1719: Sore Point (3)</h4>

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m almost 30 years old, and I have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Besides, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s getting married, and I¡¯m not the kind of person who would put myself through this. Don¡¯t worry, all of you. Qi Lei treats me very well. I admire him very much. I think that spending the rest of my life with him is something worth looking forward to.¡±

    ¡°You can make your own decisions about these matters. We¡¯ve never been able to control your matters, I just hope that you can sessfully take over my position. Of course, if you can give me a grandchild earlier, I¡¯ll be very happy. Father is still strong and can still hold on for a few more years. When you get used to it and the child is a little older, you¡¯ll be in your element with the job.¡±

    Dongfang Gan was really hooked onto the idea of a child.

    He did not forget to mention it to Qi Lei during the Mid-autumn Festival.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression was a little different from usual. She lowered her eyes and quietly drank the water in her ss. Then, he said, ¡°Father, why are you bringing this up again?¡±

    ¡°Because Father is old and wants to see you settle down and take root as soon as possible. You¡¯ll be happy and your mother and I will be at ease.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said this before, let nature take its course. If it happens, we¡¯ll have it. If he doesn¡¯te, even if I wanted to give you a grandchild, that¡¯s something I can only hope for.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not deliberately avoid this topic. In fact, she thought that having a child with Qi Lei was a pretty good thing.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you think that way. Qi Lei is a good person. He¡¯s just one person, if you have a child and have a family, your home will be livelier. Also, with your personality, you have to give in to Qi Lei when appropriate.¡±

    ¡°Father, the way you¡¯re speaking sounds like Qi Leiined about me to you? Am I the kind of person who would bully him?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because he didn¡¯t say anything that I have to remind you. You have to know that not every man in this world can be as tolerant of you as your father. Moreover, marriage does need to be managed,¡± said Dongfang Gan in a friendly tone.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. ¡°In my heart, Father will always be the person I respect the most. All of you are very important to me. Your daughter actually doesn¡¯t have much faith.¡±

    She just hoped that everyone would be safe and that the people she cared about would be safe. That was all.

    Dongfang Gan nodded gently and walked over to Dongfang Liuyun with her hands sped behind her back. She patted her shoulder lightly, ¡°That¡¯s good! Alright, go home early today to rest. You and Qi Lei have to get up early and rush back tomorrow. Qi Lei even called me just now to let you go home earlier. I got off work early too, I¡¯m going to pick up your mother. If It¡¯s on the way, I¡¯ll send you to Qi Lei¡¯s ce.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before nodding and getting up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back and pack my things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance downstairs.¡±

    Dongfang Gan left this sentence and walked towards the door. Ah Fei quickly came in to pack up the documents and locked the door as fast as he could before following him.

    ...

    ¡°Chief Su, Master Mo is Here!¡±

    Secretary He subconsciously slowed down his footsteps and softly reminded him. He gently knocked on the door, afraid that he would interrupt Su Chen who was engrossed in reading the documents.

    However, his deliberately lowered voice was exceptionally clear in this quiet office. Su Chen slowly raised his gaze and nced at him before replying indifferently, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Chief Su!¡±

    After receiving the order, secretary he quickly retreated.

    A momentter, Zhou Zimo¡¯s tall and straight figure quickly appeared at the door.

    ¡°How is it going? Have you found any news? I¡¯ve especiallye to look for you today. Don¡¯t tell me that you haven¡¯t settled this matter for me!¡±

    Zhou Zimo walked over withrge strides and leaned over the table to look at Su Chen.

    Su Chen also raised his eyes to look at him and slowly closed the document in his hand, ¡°You¡¯re quite attentive towards this matter. Does this mean that you¡¯ve been thinking about her all these years? Could it be that Ah Chen and I misunderstood before and the person you¡¯re thinking about is her? And not...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about others! Qin Su is my savior. I¡¯m just purely trying to thank her, can¡¯t I do that? I¡¯m a person who knows how to repay kindness. Don¡¯t implicate me in those useless nonsense!¡±

    Zhou Zimo immediately flew into a rage.

    However, Su Chen smiled calmly and narrowed his eyes with interest as he said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t deny it. I can see that this Qin Su doesn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary existence to you. However, I¡¯m a little curious as to why you haven¡¯t gone to look for her all these years. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult for you, Zhou Zimo, to find someone, right?¡±

    ¡°You only know one thing and not the other. Even if I told you, you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me. I¡¯ll leave it at that. If you don¡¯t exin this matter clearly today, don¡¯t even think about getting the information from me. Ah Chen and I are still so worried about you. You haven¡¯t even been honest with us.¡±

    Su Chen leaned against the back of the chair and changed into afortable position.

    ¡°I told you, it was nothing. It was just a simple expression of gratitude.¡±

    ¡°Who would believe you? I remember that you guys were alone together for almost an entire night. Who can guarantee... could it be that you guys...¡±

    ¡°Please! I¡¯m impressed by your imagination. She was injured back then, even if I really wanted to do something, I might not be able to seed! Moreover, her skills are so good, I might not be able to really deal with her!¡±

    After saying this, Su Chen raised his eyebrows.

    ¡°Enough, don¡¯t overdo it! Hurry up and give me the information.¡± Zhou Zimo stared at Su Chen and said.

    ¡°I can give it to you, but you have to tell me, do you have any special feelings for Qin Su?¡±

    ¡°I know that you all think in that direction, but you¡¯re really thinking too much. Even if I wanted to hook up with her, she wouldn¡¯t be willing to hook up with me!¡±

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and nced at Su Chen.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally revealed your wolf-like ambition. Do you think we don¡¯t know about your sullen mood?¡±

    Su Chen had a look of disdain on his face, but he reached out to open a drawer at the side, took out a document file from inside, and tossed it in front of Zhou Zimo¡ª

    ¡°She¡¯s a special personnel. I only did a simple check on her situation for you. If you want to know the details, you can ask your father yourself. He has more detailed information.¡±

    ¡°She has been transferred back to City Z. She has just been transferred back not long ago. She is now apany instructor in the Military Region.¡±

 Chapter 1720 - Reunited (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1720: Reunited (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Su Chen finished speaking, Zhou Zimo had already reached out to take the document file.

    He opened it and swiftly pulled out the document inside. After flipping through it for quite a while, he put it back.

    ¡°She¡¯s really transferred back?¡±

    Zhou Zimo muttered in a low voice. After some thought, he put the document back.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s transferred back. After so many years, she¡¯s even more beautiful. However, she¡¯s also more strict and cold than before. She¡¯s still alone. If you really like her, you might still have a chance. It seems like she¡¯s been under a lot of pressure recently. You know what kind of pressure I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    Su Chen closed the drawer and leisurely lit a cigarette as he said this.

    Zhou Zimo did not answer, but his gaze was a little deep.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time to get off work. Let¡¯s go to my house for dinner. Zitong is going back to her mother¡¯s ce today. Call Secretary He to make the three of us and it should be about right.¡±

    As Su Chen said this, he tidied up the things on the table.

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to cook yourself. Let¡¯s go to the hot springs. What kind of look is that? It¡¯s my treat! Did I ask you to pay the bill? Are all officials like you? So stingy!¡±

    Zhou Zimo red at him and said with some disdain.

    ¡°My little sry isn¡¯t enough for you to stuff your teeth in! Don¡¯t criticize me here. Alright, pack up and leave! I¡¯ll call Ah Chen.¡±

    As Su Chen said this, he picked up his briefcase and called Mu Yuchen on his phone, but Zhou Zimo stopped him.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t call him. I just came from the Mu Residence. Grandfather Mu hasn¡¯t been feeling well these past few days, so Chen has been apanying him there for the past two days.¡±

    ¡°Still not feeling better?¡± Su Chen frowned.

    ¡°He¡¯s much better now, Grandfather Mu was doing much worse before. Even with Chen and the others apanying him, they still can¡¯tpare to Grandma Mu. Sigh, I don¡¯t know how else tofort him. When we spoke to him, he was the one whoforted us instead.¡±

    Zhou Zimo recalled what Mu Yinan had said to them at the Mu family¡¯s old residence, and he could not help but feel a little sour in his heart.

    ¡°He and Grandma Mu were deeply in love, so naturally... if you have time, visit him more often.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter. After thinking about it, he could only say so.

    ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll talk to my old manter and ask them to visit more often. The weather is crisp in autumn, so a trip to a nearby city is not a bad choice.¡±

    ¡°The premise is that you have to be able to persuade them.¡±

    Su Chen did not think so.

    ...

    At dusk, the setting sun covered the ground in brilliance.

    On the way to Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s headquarters, Dongfang Liuyun and Dongfang Gan were sitting in the car, followed by Ah Fei and the bodyguards.

    The driver was naturally Dongfang Gan.

    Although Dongfang Gan was born in a prestigious family and had extraordinary status, every time he went out with his wife and daughter, most of them liked to drive themselves. It made him feel closer to them.

    ¡°Father, when youe back from Myanmar, it will be your 30th wedding anniversary with Ms. Song. Go out for your second honeymoon. You haven¡¯t had a good rest in all these years. If you¡¯re lucky, you might even bring me news of a younger brother?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said as she flipped through the magazine in her hand.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Gan was quite used to it. His daughter always spoke like this, so he was quite used to it.

    ¡°Even if your mother has that ability, your father can¡¯t do it anymore. After we had you, I went for surgery. In this life, I only have you as my daughter. If I had a second daughter, I wouldn¡¯t have doted on you so much.¡±

    Dongfang Gan replied very calmly.

    Dongfang Liuyun coughed lightly and said with a smile, ¡°I can understand that you¡¯re a womanizer and don¡¯t want to make a low-level mistake, that¡¯s why...¡±

    ¡°Gosh, even your mother doesn¡¯t dare to tease me like that. You really have no filter!¡±

    Dongfang Gan reprimanded her in a low voice and nced at her from the side. ¡°Thest woman I¡¯ll touch in this life is your mother, and it will always be like this. Your mother has taken good care of herself and is young, beautiful, and elegant. Would I still need to go out and hunt for more?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking to you! What¡¯s with that look? Oh right, there are a few sets of cosmetics for you in the trunk. The ones that are tied together, remember to bring them alongter. The ones that aren¡¯t tied together are your mother¡¯s. You also need to take care of yourself properly, otherwise you¡¯ll age easily.¡±

    ¡°I already have so many sets of cosmetics. You don¡¯t have to get them for me every time. Just get them for Madam Song, she likes these things anyway. Your daughter is naturally beautiful, she doesn¡¯t need those things. Oh right, Father, you can only ept one-third of the generous gifts Qi Lei prepared tomorrow. You have to return two-thirds of the gifts to us. After all, you don¡¯tck anything...¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, Dongfang Gan gave her an extremely displeased look

    ¡°You just said that Father was very important. You¡¯re feeling bad for Qi Lei now just for a little betrothal gift? Do you still care about me and your mother? My daughter is a priceless treasure, can Qi Lei just marry you because he wants to? You¡¯ve let him take advantage of him for nothing!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun coughed lightly. ¡°Father, your logic is wrong. It was me who proposed to Qi Lei. It¡¯s true. I swear! I was the one who proposed the marriage first.¡±

    ¡°So what? Your heart is leaning towards him, Liuyun. As someone who has been through this before, Dad will tell you that men are not so well-controlled. The more you take him seriously, the less he will cherish you. Look at how well your mother controlled me. Well it¡¯s not entirely like that, I do respect your mother more.¡±

    ¡°You admit that you¡¯re a wife ve?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at Dongfang Gan and said disapprovingly, ¡°Putting aside my dissatisfaction with Madam Song, I¡¯m actually quite envious of the rtionship between the two of you. I have to thank the both of you for allowing me to be influenced by such a good environment since I was young.¡±

    ¡°I think that you and son-inw will be the same. I can tell that Qi Lei is also a person who knows how to lead a good life. We¡¯re all a little frivolous when we¡¯re younger. To be able to focus and live a good life, such a person is even rarer. It¡¯s not easy for him to have such a realization after experiencing so many temptations. Liuyun, believe in your father for once. Don¡¯t think about the things that have happened. Forget everything that needs to be forgotten. Stay by Qi Lei¡¯s side and live a good life.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s sudden words made Dongfang Liuyun stunned. After a long silence, she replied¡ª

    ¡°I know. When I signed the marriage agreement, I had already steeled my beliefs and stance. I know what you¡¯re worried about, Father, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯d rather hurt myself than hurt Qi Lei. He¡¯s innocent. He¡¯s more suitable for me than Fujiwara. There¡¯s nothing else between me and Fujiwara besides the past.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was firm and full of affirmation.

 Chapter 1721 - Reunited (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1721: Reunited (2)</h4>

    Dongfang Gan turned his gaze and nced at Dongfang Liuyun before nodding¡ª

    ¡°Father didn¡¯t mean anything else, nor did he force you to make up your mind. Your mother always said that you wouldn¡¯t be happy if you married someone you don¡¯t love. In fact, Fujiwara is the most suitable for you in all aspects. After all, you had a very sincere and pure rtionship with him in the past. But you and Qi Lei didn¡¯t have any basis for a rtionship.¡±

    Dongfang Gan suddenly took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°You have to know that a marriage like this is very dangerous, especially for people who don¡¯t know how to manage it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore, Father... I¡¯m sorry that I made you guys worry about me... I admit that I loved Fujiwara very deeply. Back then our rtionship was intense, but I only had so many feelings for him, there¡¯s none left after I used them up. How many people in the world end up marrying the person they love the most? And how many people get married purely because of love?¡±

    ¡°Father, you¡¯ve been through it before, and I¡¯m not naive. I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I really haven¡¯t fallen in love with Qi Lei yet, but I think that it¡¯s only a matter of time. His tacit understanding and care aren¡¯t something any man can give me. Tacit understanding is very important. I¡¯ve never felt any pressure when I¡¯m with him. I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m more and more willing to believe that he¡¯s the one who can support the sky behind me and allow me to soar fearlessly...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not hide her feelings for Qi Lei at all. Her sincere and confident manner made Dongfang Gan feel much more at ease.

    Dongfang Gan thought about it for a long time before saying softly, ¡°That¡¯s good! Actually, there¡¯s no need to hide the matter between you and Fujiwara from him. He¡¯ll find out sooner orter. As soon as the news of your marriage with Qi Lei is announced, many unfavorablements will appear. You know how it goes, so you have to be mentally prepared. I also hope that Qi Lei can...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s even worse news. Fujiwara will return to City Z on the ninth of September to pay respects to his ancestors. Of course, he ns to stay in City Z for a long time. You have to be mentally prepared. He was dyed because he was injured previously. This time, the Fujiwara family has sent many bodyguards to protect him. He...¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s words caused Dongfang Liuyun to suddenly fall silent. She did not say anything. She just turned to look out of the car window. She extended her hand and pressed down the car window. She allowed the faint night breeze to brush past her face. Her loose hair was soon messed up.

    The car slowly drove into the auxiliary road in front of Tai Yu Corporation.

    ¡°Just park here. I¡¯ll wait for him downstairs. You can park right in front, Father!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun averted her gaze.

    ¡°Mmm, remember to take the things. Come home early tomorrow morning, Father will cook something delicious for you. What do you want to eat? Qi Lei seems to prefer lighter vors.¡±

    ¡°Anything is fine, but no seafood feast. I¡¯ve been eating too muchtely. I lost myposure today. Don¡¯t take it to heart, Father, and don¡¯t tell Madam Song. Alright, I¡¯m getting out of the car. Open the trunk!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said this before getting out of the car as well.

    Dongfang Gan shook his head helplessly and opened the trunk as well.

    Dongfang Liuyun picked up her things and waved at him, indicating for him to start the car. He had no choice but to start the car...

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at the tall building that towered into the clouds in front of her. After thinking for a long time, she finally decided to put away the phone in her hand. She took out a pair of sunsses from her pocket and put them on. Then, she walked forward.

    ¡°Miss, may I know who you are looking for?¡±

    The receptionist at the front desk quickly came up and stopped Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said politely, ¡°I¡¯m looking for your President Qi. It¡¯s almost time to get off work, right?¡±

    Another person who wanted to ask their president out. Recently, there had been many wanting to ask Presdeint Qi out!

    The receptionist looked at Dongfang Liuyun up and down vigntly. Although she was quite amazed by her beauty, their President Qi was not someone who one could meet just because they wanted to. However, they still had to have basic etiquette.

    ¡°May I ask if you have an appointment?¡± The receptionist asked.

    ¡°Appointment?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly remembered thest time she came over, it seemed to be the same, so she said, ¡°I don¡¯t have an appointment, but you can call your President Qi and tell him that there¡¯s a Miss Dongfang waiting for him downstairs. My phone is out of battery, sorry to trouble you!¡±

    The receptionist was skeptical, but she still returned to the front desk and called Qi Lei¡¯s secretary¡¯s office. The person at the top only asked her to serve the guest before hanging up in a hurry.

    In less than 10 minutes, they saw their President Qi walk out of the private elevator in a hurry. He walked very quickly and soon arrived beside Dongfang Liuyun, who was standing beside the floor-to-ceiling vase.

    The receptionist was shocked!

    In the past, the women who came to ask President Qi out were sent away before they could even meet him. But now, President Qi came down personally to get her, and he seemed to be in a hurry!

    Many people who saw this could not help but secretly guess the woman¡¯s identity!

    ...

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me first?¡±

    Qi Lei strode over and quickly put his arm around her shoulders.

    ¡°My phone is out of battery! Father just drove over to pick up mother and dropped me off. You should be getting off work soon, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun waved the phone in her hand. Qi Lei also reached out to take a bunch of bags from her and handed them to the bodyguard behind her.

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s almost time. Yang Sheng just needs to send down the documents he packed. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    As he spoke, he held Dongfang Liuyun and walked out.

    The car was already parked outside. As soon as they got into the car, Yang Sheng had already caught up with them with his briefcase.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    Naturally, he greeted her politely before passing the briefcase to Liuyun, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

    ¡°Assistant Yang,e over early tomorrow. Have breakfast at our ce.¡±

    Qi Lei did not forget to remind Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi! I promise that everything will be done properly. I will confirm it again! Please don¡¯t worry, Missus!¡± Yang Sheng said with a smile.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and said happily, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s been hard on you. Go back early.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Missus! See you tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°See you!¡±

    With that, Qi Lei started the car, and it soon left everyone¡¯s sight.

    At this moment, the receptionist from before came forward and asked¡ª

    ¡°Assistant Yang, the woman just now was...¡±

    Yang Sheng nced at them and replied, ¡°She¡¯s the President¡¯s wife that you have all been curious about! In the future, be more polite when you see the Missus!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1722 - Reunited (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1722: Reunited (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng¡¯s words naturally shocked everyone!

    President¡¯s wife?

    What did he mean?

    ¡°When did President Qi have a wife? No, when did President Qi get married? Assistant Yang?¡±

    ¡°Yes, why haven¡¯t I heard of President Qi¡¯s marriage? Has it been registered?¡±

    ¡°Then whose family is President Qi¡¯s wife from? She was really quite elegant!¡±

    The sounds of discussion followed.

    However, Yang Sheng did not stop. He turned around and walked toward the parking lot.

    ...

    The car sped home. When they reached home, Mama Wang was still cooking dinner. The butler was also methodically preparing for the engagement the next day.

    After dinner, the couple finally yed a game that they had not yed for a long time.

    ¡°Are you nervous?¡±

    After clearing a dungeon, Qi Lei logged out of his ount and turned to ask her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was leisurely drinking the white fungus lotus seed soup that Mama Wang had just sent over. When she heard what he said, her brows raised. ¡°Are you referring to that? For what happened just now or what¡¯s about to happen tomorrow?¡±

    As she spoke, she finished the food in her bowl and served him a bowl, ¡°Eat some!¡±

    Qi Lei raised his hand, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not hungry, have some. You¡¯ve been busy all night. Don¡¯t worry about tomorrow, everything will go smoothly. Don¡¯t be nervous.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun moved the bowl in front of him and leaned against the table to squint at him.

    ¡°Do I look nervous?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her casually. ¡°You know that me wanting to marry you hasn¡¯t been just a matter of a day or two, you know that very well.¡±

    ¡°So eager? To tell you the truth, now that what¡¯s done is done, it is futile to oppose it. We¡¯re all living separate lives anyway. You don¡¯t have to worry about my parents, but once it gets out there, things will be uncertain in the Dongfang family. I have to give you a heads-up, my grandmother, Dongfang Shuman is a very dictatorial person, and although my father is also her biological son, they don¡¯t have a very good rtionship. I have an aunt named Dongfang Xue. I¡¯ve told you before that she¡¯s someone close to my grandmother.¡±

    ¡°My aunt is very capable. She¡¯s a rtively neutral person. She might be a little ambitious. Now that she¡¯s out of the country, she might only return at the end of the year. During the annual meeting conclusions, she¡¯s usually the one who presides over the situation outside.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother? Aunt?¡±

    Qi Lei softly recited these words. He felt that these words were a little unfamiliar.

    ¡°Grandmother¡¯s birthday is at the end of the month. When that timees, do you want to go home with me? Of course, this time it will be a little simpler because grandmother isn¡¯t doing very well health-wise, she canceled her original ns to hold a big party. This time, it will just be a family reunion dinner.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t let you go back alone. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to hold her hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t be that hazardous. I just look small, but I do pretty well in the family, I won¡¯t let you suffer.¡±

    As she spoke, she bent down slightly and patted his handsome face.

    Qi Lei quickly reached out to grab her little hand that was causing trouble. He coughed lightly and turned his head away in embarrassment. He felt a little ufortable.

    Should he not be the one doing this? Why did it be her move?

    ¡°When you get shy, you look quite... Mmm!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun wanted to tease him a little, but..

    Qi Lei pulled her into his arms. His hard chest hurt a little, but she was soon surrounded by warmth.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and nced at him. She looked at the faint redness on his face and chuckled. She casually sat down on hisp and put her arm around his shoulder.

    ¡°You know, my father actually has a good impression of you. When he sent me here today, he told me to control my temper and not bully you too much. Do you think you¡¯re someone I can bully?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her voice and quietly watched him. The four eyes merged together, and at that moment, they seemed to be particrly harmonious and tacit.

    Qi Lei listened and thought about it seriously. Then, he met her gaze and said in a deep and emotional voice, ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re bullying me. Besides, you don¡¯t have to control your temper. The way you are is pretty good.¡±

    At this point, there was silence again. Then, he said with more certainty, ¡°From the moment we signed the agreement, I¡¯ve be your husband. You can bully me.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun was startled. Looking at his sincere and warm eyes, she felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart and an indescribable joy. Naturally, she felt a little happy because of his words.

    She took a deep breath, lowered her eyes and calmed down. Then, she looked at him and said, ¡°Can I really bully you?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± sheughed, and suddenly subconsciously reached out to hug him tightly, leaning her entire body against his chest¡ª

    ¡°10 years from now, I hope that we will still be like this, our original intentions not changed, and I will protect you, as you have you treated me. Let¡¯s upgrade our rtionship, being allies seems a little shallow, especially for people like us. What do you think?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s low voice sounded, and he could not suppress his joy.

    ¡°Then when you return tomorrow, would Swift Snowy also agree to Eastern Gust¡¯s proposal?¡±

    ¡°You wish.¡± Dongfang Liuyun gave him a side nce andughed.

    ¡°Why? In the entire service area, besides me, no one is worthy of you. I have already defeated most of the people on the strong rankings. Who else would dare to marry you?¡±

    ¡°Where did you get your confidence from? There are many masters in the service area. After leveling up once, we still have to continue,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°We¡¯re already in this rtionship, yet you still won¡¯t let go?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled silently.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    Seeing that she was silent, Qi Lei asked the same question.

    ¡°Fate is so wonderful. Whether it¡¯s in the game or in reality, it seems like we¡¯re destined to be together. But now, I¡¯m quite enjoying this feeling. What¡¯s with your expression? I¡¯m expressing my favorable impression of you.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she looked at Qi Lei¡¯s surprised raised brows. Her tone became a little displeased.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not teasing me? Are you addicted to it? I might be thin-skinned, but I¡¯m not weak.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he carried Dongfang Liuyun by the waist.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯sughter became louder. She kissed the corner of his mouth without holding back.

 Chapter 1723 - Reunited (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1723: Reunited (4)</h4>

    The night was getting more and more intense. It was already past 10 p.m. when she coaxed Wei¡¯er to sleep.

    Mu Zirui skipped another grade. He was no longer in the same ss as Qi Wei¡¯er. However, they were still in the same school.

    Mu Zirui had been very conscious during this period of time that he would go straight back to the Shen residence after school. Shen Wenna happened to pick him up, but Qi Wei¡¯er was still following XI Xiaye closely.

    Her condition was getting better and better. It had been quite a while, and she was starting to interact with her ssmates. Xi Xiaye was relieved.

    Xi Xiaye spent a lot more time on her than her other two sons. For example, Mu Zirui did not need Xi Xiaye to tell him stories anymore. Instead, he was considerate enough to let Xi Xiaye read Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid to Qi Weier.

    However, Mu Zirui and Mu Xiaocheng were closer to Mu Yuchen, perhaps it was because of their nature.

    ¡°Later on, the mermaid finally turned into bubbles on the sea...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s low and gentle voice was heard as Qi Weier hugged her arms tightly.

    ¡°Mother... Why doesn¡¯t the prince like the mermaid? Can¡¯t he recognize the mermaid?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t like her, Wei¡¯er. Our Wei¡¯er must be an elegant person with substance in the future, only that way can you be truly respected and liked by others. Although the mermaid couldn¡¯t get together with the prince, she has the entire ocean. Who knows, she could forget the prince and like the fishes in the ocean instead?¡±

    ¡°Oh... is she happy then?¡±

    ¡°Of course she¡¯s happy. The prince is alone now. When she returns to the sea, she might be able to have everything else instead?¡± Xi Xiaye said softly.

    ¡°Oh, then, the mermaid will be happy in the end too, right?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    When she heard Xi Xiaye say this, Qi Weier finally fell asleep at ease.

    ...

    After Qi Weier fell asleep, Xi Xiaye went to look at Mu Xiaocheng again. When she realized that the little guy was sleeping soundly, she then returned to the bedroom with ease.

    When she returned to the bedroom, she realized that the man had alreadyid down on the bed. He was reading a book quietly.

    ¡°Is grandfather feeling better?¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly walked over and pulled the nket aside to lie down.

    Mu Yuchen flipped open the book in his hand and his deep voice came through. ¡°He¡¯s much better now, don¡¯t worry. The doctor said that he needs to go out more often to keep active and maintain a happy mood.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve already told grandpa. He said that he¡¯ll be more diligent during this period of time and ask grandfather out more often. Grandfather Su and Grandfather Zhou seem to have said the same thing, they can actually y mahjong together.¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached out to turn off the light by her bed and slowlyid down, ¡°Sometimes, I feel quite sorry for grandfather too. Maybe it¡¯s fate. Like grandmother, she worked too hard. Even though grandfather didn¡¯t say it, he¡¯s fallen ill from missing her too much. And we don¡¯t know where grandmother is now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up at her and quickly looked away, ¡°Grandfather isn¡¯t as weak as we think, it¡¯s just that he misses grandmother too much. They¡¯ve been husband and wife for decades.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Mr. Mu, do you think we¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll live a long life together. Don¡¯t think about these unlucky things.¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Mu Yuchen interrupted her. Then, he put in the bookmark, closed the book in hand, and put it on the bedside table. Then, he reached out to hug her.

    ¡°Have a good rest in the next two days. You¡¯ve been very busy these past few days. You¡¯re the one who¡¯ll suffer when you work yourself too hard. I¡¯ve already asked Li Si to find a new tutor for Wei¡¯er. Li Si just replied that he¡¯s found one, they¡¯re quite friendly. From now on, you don¡¯t have to personally supervise Wei¡¯er on her homework, just hand it over to the tutor. Just apany her for y.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a moment before she said softly, ¡°Mmm, you make the decision on this. Wei¡¯er isn¡¯t so resistant to strangers anymore. In the beginning, I can watch from the side first. It¡¯ll be fine once she gets used to it.¡±

    ¡°Right, how¡¯s Qi Lei and Miss Dongfang? I don¡¯t seem to have heard about the wedding either.¡±

    Xi Xiaye naturally did not forget about Qi Lei.

    Ever since Qi Lei got married to Dongfang Liuyun, he seemed to have be much more well-behaved. Xi Xiaye was happy for him.

    ¡°I heard from Li Si that it¡¯son the 20th, so it should be tomorrow. He¡¯ll go to the Dongfang residence for the betrothal. The news of the wedding shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it and quickly remembered what Li Si had reminded him before.

    ¡°Tomorrow?¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a moment. ¡°Tomorrow is a good day. He now has a pretty good home, Vice President Wang¡¯s spirit in heaven should be at ease.¡±

    ¡°His days don¡¯t seem to be easy. The Dongfang family¡¯s situation is veryplicated. Li Si got some hints from Yang Sheng. It¡¯s not that easy for Dongfang Liuyun to rise to the top.¡±

    ¡°I know about the Dongfang Group, but Fuhua Real Estate doesn¡¯t have much contact with their people. Even if I wanted to help, I might not know where to start,¡± said Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Leave it to Qi Lei. He¡¯ll be able to handle it. I¡¯m worried about Zimo now.¡±

    ¡°Zimo? Didn¡¯t you say that there was a girl named Qin Su? It seems like Zimo has been looking for her for a long time. Is She Zimo¡¯s first love?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was curious now.

    ¡°Of course not. Qin Su was the one who saved Zimo¡¯s life when he was on a mission. Even now, I¡¯m afraid that her wound is still very clear. Zimo has always been grateful to her.¡±

    Mu Yuchen exined briefly, ¡°In fact, Qin Su is Uncle Zhou¡¯s chosen daughter-inw. I bumped into her when I went to the Military District to do some work. Uncle Zhou happened to tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°From the looks of it, this Qin Su must be very outstanding. Otherwise, Uncle Zhou wouldn¡¯t have told you that.¡± Xi Xiaye said softly.

    ¡°I think he¡¯s very suitable for Zimo. It¡¯s hard to control someone like Zimo. Qin Su¡¯s personality is strong and meticulous. When Zimo bumped into her, he seemed to have met his nemesis.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, among the three of you, the most unruly one is Zhou Zimo. He lives a more carefree life.¡±

    ¡°You only know the first part, but you don¡¯t know the second part. Being unruly doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that he¡¯s free-spirited. His worries aren¡¯t any less than mine and Su Chen¡¯s. Why do you think he¡¯s avoided talking about his feelings and dragged this on until now?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his tone was a little low. When he said this, he suddenly stopped speaking. Xi Xiaye waited for a long time, yet he did not continue. After a moment of silence, when she turned her head to look at him, she realized that he had already closed his eyes...

 Chapter 1724 - Reunited (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1724: Reunited (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, Yang Sheng rushed over early in the morning.

    Qi Lei was still in a daze on the bed. Dongfang Liuyun was in his arms too. The couple only woke up when they heard sound from downstairs.

    Dongfang Liuyun grabbed her messy hair and struggled out of Qi Lei¡¯s arms. She sat up in a daze.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early. Let¡¯s sleep for a while!¡±

    Before she could sit up, a pair of long arms reached out and pulled her back.

    ¡°It¡¯ste. It¡¯s past seven already, hurry and get up!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lifted the nket and got out of bed. She walked swiftly to the bathroom.

    Qi Lei felt a chill on his body. He reached out and grabbed for the nket for a while. When he could not find it, he climbed up and sat up...

    ...

    The couple washed up and went downstairs. Almost half an hourter, the sky outside was bright. The morning light was faint, and the autumn air was crisp. They could faintly smell the faint fragrance of flowers in the air.

    ¡°Master Qi, the investigation you asked for hase to a conclusion. The person who did it was someone who protected the venue. ording to his description, someone gave him a sum of money and asked him to throw a big bag of things onto the stage. That person told him that it was to liven up the atmosphere on the stage. That person did not realize anything and did as he was told, so...¡±

    Yang Sheng lowered his voice and said to Qi Lei, who was reading the morning paper while sipping his tea on the sofa.

    Qi Lei did not seem to be too affected upon hearing that. He just flipped a page of the newspaper in his hand. ¡°Have you found out who¡¯s behind this?¡±

    At this point, Yang Sheng leaned over and lowered his voice even more¡ª

    ¡°We were almost at the bottom of it, but I found out that the person beside President Gan is that Ah Fei. He suddenly stopped Missus¡¯s people from investigating further. I think President Gan must have found out something. However, ording to the current analysis, I think it¡¯s very likely that it was someone from Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s end. However, the person who did it was someone who knew Dongfang Yu, seems to be a friend of Dongfang Yu.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Qi Lei silently stopped his actions. He then raised his eyes and looked at Yang Sheng. That pitch-ck and deep gaze made Yang Sheng instantly stunned.

    After a while, Qi Lei looked away and a rare smile appeared on his handsome face, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then Dongfang Yi must¡¯ve been the one who did this. Go tell Vice President Wang Chun about this, say that it¡¯s my idea and I¡¯ll let him n on how to arrange it. I want everything to look logical and reasonable.¡±

    Yang Sheng understood what Qi Lei meant and nodded immediately. ¡°Yes, Master Qi! Have breakfast with Missus first. I¡¯ll make the arrangements right away.¡±

    ¡°By the way, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything wrong on President Gan¡¯s end and why he suddenly stopped the investigation,¡± Qi Lei added on.

    ¡°Alright, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng replied and then left.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun and Mama Wang had just prepared breakfast.

    Breakfast was a very ordinary Hong Kong-style morning tea. It was also Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei¡¯s favorite.

    ¡°Master, Missus, everything is ready. The bodyguards have moved all the things into the car.¡±

    The butler came to report.

    Qi lei nodded.

    ¡°This is the list, Master!¡±

    The butler handed over a fiery red notebook.

    Qi Lei took it and casually flipped through it. He quickly closed it and handed it back to the butler. ¡°Hand it over to Assistant Yang.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ...

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to move all yours treasures to the house over there. My parents aren¡¯t people who would be polite to you. I¡¯ve already asked Yang Sheng to remove some of them. It¡¯s just a ceremonial ceremony. Even if you don¡¯t offer the betrothal, my father and the others won¡¯t be able to do anything to you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at his focused and serious handsome face and felt a warmth in her heart.

    Qi Lei looked up at her but did not answer. He sized her up and then looked at his suit. After some thought, he said, ¡°Go up and change into a bright-colored dresster, we¡¯re not going to work.¡±

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun looked down at herself. She was dressed in a grayish-ck professional suit. It was very formal. After some thought, it did not seem to be suitable, so she nodded.

    After that, Dongfang Liuyun changed into a beautiful one-piece dress. Then, the couple went out.

    It was not like before. When the couple went back, Dongfang Gan and Song Siting went to wee them at the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun knew that Dongfang Gan must have said something to Song Siting. Otherwise, knowing Song Siting, she would not have tacitly agreed to her marriage with Qi Lei so quickly.

    However, regardless of whether they admitted it or not, it did not affect her very much. After all, she did not really care about their opinions. This could be considered as the freedom that she could fight for for herself.

    Dongfang Gan was in a good mood and had a good attitude towards Qi Lei. As soon as Qi lei sat down on the sofa, he had already taken the initiative to talk to Qi Lei about some work-rted matters.

    Dongfang Liuyun saw that the two of them were chatting happily, so she did not disturb them and went to the backyard alone.

    The backyard was a garden of flowers and nts. Song Siting liked these flowers and nts, so Dongfang Gan built a beautiful garden for her.

    Although it was already autumn, some of the flowers in the yard bloomed just right, such as the colorful chrysanthemums in front of her.

    ¡°This is the seed your father brought back from Hond two years ago. It took two years to grow these few flowers. This kind of flower is not easy to cultivate. A big bag of flower seeds only produced this few flowers.¡±

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun was leisurely closing the purple chrysanthemum in front of her, her mother¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not turn around. She continued to silently look at the flowers until Song Siting walked over and watered the flowers. Only then did she shift her gaze away.

    ¡°Father kept the nts alive?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s low voice was heard.

    ¡°You know how it is. How does Qi Lei treat you.¡±

    Song Siting was still concerned about Dongfang Liuyun after all. After thinking for a moment, she finally asked the question.

    Upon hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun turned and took a nce at her. She then nodded gently and said, ¡°He treats me very well. He is very amodating and tolerant, just like how father treats you.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, Song Siting did not know what to say because she did not know whether Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words were true or false.

    Her daughter had always harbored prejudice against her. Every time she wanted to calm down and have a good talk with her, she would end up unhappy.

    ¡°Not everyone can be like your father, if Qi Lei...¡±

 Chapter 1725 - Reunited (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1725: Reunited (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this point, Song Siting suddenly paused. After some thought, she continued¡ª

    ¡°Your father told me about Qi Lei, in fact, he saved me before. My old illness red up thest time, it was all thanks to him for sending me to the hospital in time. Actually, he¡¯s a pretty good person, especially after observing him for some time.¡±

    ..

    ¡°But Liuyun, will you be happy marrying him like this? You don¡¯t love him at all! Your gaze can¡¯t fool anyone. Even if you¡¯re protective over him, I can still tell that there are no deep feelings between the two of you. Mother has seen too many examples like this. I really don¡¯t wish for you to be unhappy.¡±

    When Song Siting said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened. She thought for a moment, and a cold and indifferent smile appeared on the corner of her indifferent mouth. Her tone was very calm¡ª

    ¡°Happy? What do you think is happiness for me? I don¡¯t even know what that is. How can I have It? You don¡¯t have to always use your viewpoint to demand things of me and restrict me. You just have to manage your own problems, I¡¯m not your employee. How many things have I been able to do ording to my own wishes all these years? What else do you want from me? Divorce Qi Lei and marry Fujiwara ording to your wishes?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze suddenly turned sharp as a de. She looked coldly at Song Siting and her tone instantly turned as cold as ice¡ª

    ¡°That will never happen! I will only follow my own heart. Moreover, Qi Lei and I are already a legitimate couple. I want to see how the both of you n to oppose me!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s attitude naturally caused Song Siting¡¯s expression to instantly darken, but Song Siting could still suppress the raging anger in her heart. ¡°Even if I tacitly agree to the both of you, don¡¯t forget that your on grandmother¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°I never agreed to use my own marriage as a foil for my family. If she wants to interfere in my marriage, she¡¯ll have to see if I¡¯m willing to let her. In the past, when grandfather was still around, he didn¡¯t dare to interfere in my marriage either. Is she really that bold!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s also doing this for your own good. In this matter...¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s really for my own good, then respect my choice. Don¡¯t stop me from going my way. I¡¯ve always respected you. As a mother, you¡¯re a very good role model for me.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve always wanted to control me. Your desire for control is too strong. I¡¯m not like father, who can handle it with ease. I have my own path in life, and you can¡¯t help me finish it. No one has the right to set the path for others, even parents. I¡¯ve never liked emotional ckmail, always saying that it¡¯s for my own good, and wanting to arrange everything for me.¡±

    ¡°Marriage is my bottom line. I can¡¯t face the person I hate to spend the rest of my life with me. If it were you, would you be able to do that? I¡¯m very firm on this issue, and I don¡¯t want to talk about these things every time Ie home. I only want to live a simple and ordinary life now. Please don¡¯t force me.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Song Siting could not help but feel a headacheing on. This was happening again!

    Before she could say anything else, Dongfang Liuyun had already turned around and left¡ª

    ¡°I know Fujiwara wants to return to City Z, but don¡¯t harbor any illusions. I¡¯m already Qi Lei¡¯s wife now. I won¡¯t be abandoning what I started. He used everything he had to bet on this marriage, I won¡¯t let him lose even if it kills me. The past is in the past, who can guarantee that I won¡¯t fall in love with him?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words drifted in the cool wind, and her slender figure disappeared into the corridor in front of her.

    Song Siting was stunned and did note back to her senses for a long time...

    Was she really just going to let her do as she pleased?

    Or had it always been like this? Had she been doing it all wrong?

    No!

    If she had not supervised her, she would not have been so outstanding today. One¡¯s potential was limitless, sometimes, it was necessary. She had long yed the role of a strict mother.

    If she could have a better life in the future, she did not mind that she hated her more now.

    ...

    When they returned to the living room, Dongfang Gan and Qi Lei were still discussing the South River Project. Dongfang Liuyun walked over silently and sat down beside Qi Lei.

    From their conversation, Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be able to catch a hint of admiration for Qi Lei on Dongfang Gan¡¯s face.

    Dongfang Gan was a veteran in the business world. To be honest, Dongfang Liuyun knew that her father had always been a reserved person. It was rare for him to have such an expression towards anyone.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do as you say. My flight is tomorrow afternoon at two o¡¯clock. Before I leave, I¡¯ll get Vice President Zhang to finalize the agreement. If the matter over there ends quickly and I can rush back earlier, we can talk about this proposal sooner. Otherwise, Liuyun can supervise it on my behalf. She knows quite a bit about this case,¡± said Dongfang Gan.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I¡¯ll keep an eye on this side.¡±

    ¡°Yes. In short, I¡¯ll have to trouble you. You¡¯re already married to Liuyun now and can be considered a member of the Dongfang family. I¡¯m afraid Liuyun will need you to keep an eye on her in the future. Although she is quite smart, she doesn¡¯t have much experience in the business world. I¡¯ll try my best toe back as soon as possible. Don¡¯t worry about your mother. Although she didn¡¯t say anything, she has tacitly acknowledged you. Our requirements are actually very simple.¡±

    Dongfang Gan suddenly turned his gaze to Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°Just treat her well and don¡¯t let her fight alone.¡±

    ¡°Enough, Father! Don¡¯t ask for so many things. How do you know it¡¯s not your daughter who¡¯s fighting alongside him? He¡¯s not familiar with the Dongfang family¡¯s matters, so don¡¯t make things too difficult for him. There are some things that I can resolve on my own. If I can¡¯t resolve them on my own, I won¡¯t be too polite with him either.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was speaking the truth. She felt very at ease asking Qi Lei to help her. It was like in the game, she seemed to have the final say, and Qi Lei himself was very willing to cooperate with her, as long as it was not a matter of principle, he would do his best to satisfy her.

    On this point, she was quite grateful. Of course, she also understood that there were not many people who could do the best.

    When you first meet Qi Lei, you might not think much of him. However, after getting to know him better, you would know that he was also a sensitive person. Of course, he had the gentleness of a man too.

    No matter what, he was really good to her. It was also because of this that Dongfang Liuyun was even more determined about her feelings. That was why she answered Song Siting like that.

 Chapter 1726 - Reunited (7)

    <h4>Chapter 1726: Reunited (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Gan did not say anything after Dongfang Liuyun said this. Instead, he looked at her meaningfully and nced at Qi Lei who was beside him. He realized that Qi Lei¡¯s deep gaze was fixed on Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Gan was very sensitive. He could catch a hint of gentleness in that gaze.

    Dongfang Gan was stunned. His gaze moved back and forth between the husband and wife for a moment before he looked at his daughter quietly. He suddenly realized that there was a hint of relief between Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows. There was a hint of joy.

    He had to admit that Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be happier than before after he married her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask Qi Lei for anything. I just told him that I¡¯m going to hand my daughter over to him and let him take good care of her.¡±

    Dongfang Gan only said that after that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I will.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he gave Dongfang Liuyun a sideways nce.

    Dongfang Liuyun just shrugged. ¡°If I don¡¯t behave myself, even if you let a bunch of dogs watch over me it wouldn¡¯t work, let alone a pair of eyes like his.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei, don¡¯t give her the chance to leave you then.¡± Dongfang Gan smiled.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Qi lei chuckled and replied.

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a bad conversation with Liuyun again?¡±

    While Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei were going upstairs, Dongfang Gan asked Song Siting, who had a terrible expression on her face.

    When Song Siting heard this, she could not help but sigh¡ª

    ¡°I can¡¯tmunicate with her. She doesn¡¯t want to listen to my exnation at all. Every time I bring up these things, she will... now that things have developed to this point, what else can I say? Moreover, you have followed her wishes, what else can I say?¡±

    Song Siting raised her hand to rub her slightly aching temples. ¡°I¡¯m worried to death. These things have always been... forget it, let¡¯s just think about how to deal with your mother¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Let them deal with these things on their own. In any case, there¡¯s no need for you toe forward. If Liuyun insists on doing something, no one can stop her. This point is very clear to me. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡± Dongfang Gan consoled her.

    ¡°You seem quite at ease, what if mother makes things difficult for Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just worried that it will affect Liuyun¡¯s image in thepany? My position can only be epted by my daughter. Don¡¯t forget, before Father left, he made a will. When he let Mother take charge of the Dongfang Group, he also specified that he would hand over 20% of the shares of the Dongfang Group to Liuyun as the dowry for Liuyun¡¯s marriage. Of course, this is an internal secret. Not many people know about it.¡±

    Dongfang Gan paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Other than Liuyun, no one else has more inheritance rights than her. This is also Father¡¯s wish.¡±

    When Song Siting heard this, she eased up a little, ¡°Father is extremely good to Liuyun, so good that even they are jealous. Although this is good, it makes Liuyun a lot more weary than the average person. That¡¯s why I hope that Liuyun will work harder and not disappoint her grandfather¡¯s expectations. It¡¯ll also prevent some people from wanting to see a joke.¡±

    ¡°In a family like this, having more siblings may not necessarily be a good thing, especially when it involves benefits. That¡¯s why when I think about Qi Lei now, I actually think that Liuyun marrying him is quite good as well. It can avoid a lot of unnecessary disputes and trouble. On this point, Fujiwara might not be able to do the same,¡± said Dongfang Gan in a lowered voice.

    When she heard this, Song Siting was suddenly startled. She thought about it carefully and seemed to think that Dongfang Gan¡¯s words made sense.

    ¡°When I¡¯m not around, you have to be careful too. Bring more people with you when you go out. Whether it¡¯s your job or because of family matters, there are hidden dangers. When I¡¯m not by your side, I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s been so many years. Of course, I know how to protect myself. You, on the other hand, have to be more careful this time. Bring a few more bodyguards with you. If you see something wrong, don¡¯t get too close. Nothing is more important than your life. I don¡¯t want what happenedst time to happen again. Otherwise, I won¡¯t forgive you! Do you hear me?¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s tone was very firm, and her eyes were full of worry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    ...

    It was a rare cloudy day in the afternoon. The wind in the air was quite cool. It was not as hot as before, but the weather now was much more refreshing.

    In front of a clean little restaurant on the roadside of the city that led to Jiefang South Road.

    A military jeep quickly drove across the t and wide road, and soon stopped at the Lin¡¯s parking space under the trees on the roadside of the little restaurant.

    Soon, the door of the jeep was opened and a small military-green figure quickly got out of the driver¡¯s seat.

    After mming the door and locking the car, Qin Su strode towards the restaurant.

    She had juste out of the Military District and had been busy all morning. She did not even have time to eat lunch. At this moment, she was nning to find a ce to eat.

    The dishes in this Li¡¯s restaurant were all delicious. Qin Su was also a regr customer here.

    ¡°One serving of winter melon soup and one serving of honey BBQ pork. Hurry up.¡±

    Qin Su pushed the door open and walked in as she said to thedy boss in front of the cashier.

    ¡°Okay, Officer Qin, it¡¯s you!¡±

    Qin Su nodded slightly, took off her hat, and walked inside. She found a seat by the window and sat down.

    Thedy boss quickly poured a ss of water.

    ¡°Wait a moment, Officer Qin, it¡¯s almost ready!¡±

    Qin Su nodded and took the water. She took a simple sip and took out her phone from her pocket. She looked at the time and realized it was almost 2:30 in the afternoon.

    No wonder she was so hungry.

    The food was served in a short while. Qin Su put down her phone and focused on eating.

    Of course, Qin Su did not know that her every move had been caught by a pair of eyes.

    Outside the ss window, a ck luxury car was parked by the roadside.

    Zhou Zimo was sitting in the back seat. He was wearing a pair of sunsses on his handsome face. He was looking through the ss window at the woman who was eating elegantly with her head lowered.

    As expected, there was not much of a change from before. However, her temperament seemed a little colder than before. Perhaps, she was also a little more reserved too.

    Zhou Zimo thought for a long time. Finally, he reached out his hand to open the car door and slowly got out of the car.

    ¡°Drive back to thepany first. I¡¯ll get back myselfter!¡±

    After leaving this sentence for the driver, he walked away.

    ...

    He had imagined the scene of their reunion, but he had never thought that it would be in such a calm and natural manner!

    He had also imagined how she would react when she saw him again, he wondered if she would remember him.

    Zhou Zimo did not know how long he stood there before he picked up his steps and walked over¡ª

 Chapter 1727 - Pleasure To Meet You! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1727: Pleasure To Meet You! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qin Su instantly felt the sudden refreshing aura, she had always been very vignt.

    However, she did not stop moving, she knew that this was her usual reflex. It was not until the person behind her sat down across her that she stopped moving. She frowned and casually nced at him, very quickly, she lowered her eyes and continued eating her food.

    Zhou Zimo, who had always been in high demand, was the focus of attention wherever he went. Only this Qin Su seemed to have never looked him in the eye, whether it was before or now!

    Could it be that Zhou Zimo¡¯s charm index had dropped?

    Zhou Zimo could not help but doubt his own charm. After some thought, he realized that the sunsses on his face had not been taken off yet. At this moment, he quickly reached out to take off the sunsses on his face.

    ¡°Qin Su.¡±

    A low voice sounded, which surprised Qin Su. She raised her head and looked over.

    Her calm eyes froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. She must have remembered the identity of the person who hade.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo?¡±

    Qin Su quickly captured the name in her mind.

    Upon hearing this, Zhou Zimo smiled charmingly. ¡°I¡¯m very lucky that you can still remember me. Have you recovered from your injuries?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that after so many years, there would still be any injuries on my body that haven¡¯t healed?¡±

    Qin Su thought that this Zhou Zimo was rather interesting. Previously, Su Chen had also said that this Zhou Zimo was quite concerned about her injuries. Furthermore, when she was in the northwest, she had also heard that he had looked for her. It was probably because of this matter.

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment. He had always been good at speaking, but now, he suddenly did not know what to say. He did not know if it was because the Qin Su in front of him was even more imposing than before.

    ¡°After that, I looked for you. I did not expect you to be transferred to the Northwest Military Region. I have never properly thanked you for that matter.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Zhou Zimo finally said this.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was just doing my duty. You don¡¯t have to take it to heart,¡± replied Qin Su replied very courteously and politely.

    ¡°No matter what, I have to thank you properly. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve lost my life long ago. When did you return?¡±

    Zhou Zimo raised his hand and gestured for the waiter to pour him a ss of water.

    Thedy boss seemed to be able to sense that the two of them knew each other and did not go over to disturb them. However, she quickly poured a ss of water and sent it over.

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while,¡± Qin Su replied and continued to lower her head to eat her food.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good for your health to be eating these things all the time.¡±

    Zhou Zimo found out from Su Chen that during this period of time when Qin Su was busy outside, two out of the three meals were taken care of here.

    ¡°Well you¡¯re not eating it, are you?¡±

    Qin Su did not even lift her eyelids, but responded with this sentence.

    ¡°I heard that you were working as a instructor in thepany, didn¡¯t you think about changing your career? With your background, you want to...¡±

    Zhou Zimo wanted to say something, but when he saw Qin Su suddenly stop moving, he immediately stopped talking.

    ¡°What do you want to talk to me about?¡±

    Qin Su had always been a person who got straight to the point. She never quite liked to chat with others, especially with people like Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. ¡°How did you know that I¡¯m here to look for you?¡±

    When he said this, Qin Su frowned subconsciously and did not look at him anymore. She took out a bill from her pocket and ced it on the table. She took her hat and car keys with one hand, got up, and walked out in big strides.

    ¡°Hey! Qin Su!¡±

    Only then did Zhou Zimo quickly get up and followed her.

    ¡°If you have anything to say, just say it. If it¡¯s still the so-called ¡®thank you¡¯, then there¡¯s no need. That was just my duty.¡±

    ¡°Screw the duty, your hand was almost crippled. I know that you can¡¯t hold a gun anymore, right?¡± Zhou Zimo chased after her and asked.

    ¡°Who told you that I can¡¯t hold a gun? Even if I can¡¯t hold a gun and stepped back to the second line, I think it¡¯s pretty good too,¡± replied Qin Su.

    Actually, it was not that serious. It was just that when she held the gun, her hand would be a little weak and slightly trembling. It was not as agile and urate as before.

    In the beginning, she was also a little sad, but now, she did not think much about it.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. I have to thank you!¡±

    Seeing Qin Su open the car door and get in, Zhou Zimo quickly opened the door of the front passenger seat and got in the car.

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    Qin Su frowned and looked at the person who suddenly appeared in the front passenger seat.

    ¡°Give me a ride on the way.¡±

    ¡°How do you know if I¡¯m going the same way?¡±

    ¡°This is the only way to Jiefang South Road. We¡¯re very much going the same way, Officer Qin Su.¡±

    Zhou Zimo turned around and gave her an innocent and pure smile. Qin Su frowned even more when she saw him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone who goes all over the world to chase after someone who wants to repay a debt of gratitude. Zhou Zimo, you¡¯re still the same as before, you¡¯re quite a scoundrel. I just wonder if your punches and kicks have improved.¡±

    The formal voice sounded a little cold.

    Zhou Zimo smiled, ¡°If you¡¯re interested, Officer Qin, we can find an opportunity to spar.¡±

    Qin Su gave him a sidelong nce but did not reply.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to spar. If you really want to express your gratitude to me, you can just treat me to a meal some other day.¡±

    As Qin Su said this, she increased the speed of the car.

    Zhou Zimo smiled. ¡°No problem. One meal isn¡¯t enough, I can manage a few more. Oh right, the person who fired the shot was killed in the end.¡±

    ¡°Evil does not prevail over good.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have such courage at that age. Hiding among those people was already very dangerous. You¡¯re just a girl, where did you get such courage?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a life. It¡¯s the duty of a soldier to obey orders. Courage is secondary,¡± Qin Su replied indifferently.

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect that after so many years, you would still stick to this post. Su Chen, Ah Chen, and I have all retired.¡±

    ¡°Many disciples with backgrounds are like you, the life of the army is more or less the same after a few years, there¡¯s no need to reallye in and suffer for a lifetime. It¡¯s not umon to meet people like you for the Military Region, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you why you didn¡¯t change careers?¡±

    ¡°The military camp suits me, why should I leave?¡± Qin Su asked back.

    ¡°But...¡±

    However, before Zhou Zimo could finish his sentence, Qin Su had already stepped on the brakes and pulled the car to the side.

    ¡°The downtown area is ahead, I¡¯m taking the route around Lang Shan. Get out of the car.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s cold and indifferent tone was soon heard.

 Chapter 1728 - Pleasure To Meet You! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1728: Pleasure To Meet You! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    The car door had just closed when Qin Su already started the car and sped off to the side road.

    Zhou Zimo stood where he was and watched Qin Su¡¯s car drive off. After a long while, he retracted his gaze and a smile appeared on his face.

    He shook his head and cleared his throat before walking forward along the road.

    Was she not curious about how he found her?

    Also, why was she not surprised that he found her just like that?

    Qin Su was still the same as before. She was a little unreasonable and even spoke coldly.

    ...

    When they left Tanshan Vi District and returned to Grand Lake Vi District, it was already close to evening.

    The sunset was very beautiful, dyeing half the sky red.

    The moment Qi Lei returned, he went straight to the backyard. Dongfang Liuyun was sitting on the sofa in the living room watching television when he suddenly heard Mama Wang¡¯s voice from outside¡ª

    ¡°Missus, Master wants you to go to the backyard immediately!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously turned her head and happened to see Mama Wang walking in from outside.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Master only said that you should go over as soon as possible!¡± Mama Wang replied.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and ced the ss of water on the table. Then, she stood up and left the living room.

    The backyard was the same as the Tanshan Vi District. The flowers and nts were still blooming well.

    Walking along the corridor from afar, he could already smell the faint fragrance of the flowers. It was not like the chrysanthemum fragrance in the Tanshan Vi District, but other faint-smelling flowers. Dongfang Liuyun could not name them.

    As she walked along the corridor, she soon saw Qi Lei fiddling with the trumpet flowers by the stairs below.

    The flowers bloomed very well. They were colorful and looked exceptionally beautiful.

    When he heard footsteps behind him, Qi lei subconsciously turned around. When he saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure, he immediately said happily, ¡°The flowers that were nted have all bloomed. We agreed to invite Mu Yuchen and the others over to admire the flowers once they bloom. The weather is pretty good today, I¡¯ve already asked Mama Wang and the others to prepare dinner. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye will being over tonight. They might be on their way already.¡±

    Someone wasing over?

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Qi Lei in surprise and fell silent for a moment. She did not say anything after that.

    She took a few steps down the stairs and came to Qi Lei¡¯s side. She stood there and quietly watched him go about things.

    ¡°Want to call Lan Xiu too?¡± Qi Lei asked. His hands did not slow down.

    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s probably not in City Z right now, should be in City C.¡±

    He still needed to deal with the partnership. This morning, he had sent her an email, the content made it very clear.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite clear of his whereabouts.¡±

    Qi Lei said this in a lowered voice. He turned his head and looked up at her.

    ¡°I was in charge of a partnership that he¡¯s working on now. I have some shares in hispany now, so obviously I¡¯d need to know thepany¡¯s direction. Alright, don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯ll get you a really good gift when I get my bonus at the end of the year.¡±

    Seeing his expression, Dongfang Liuyun could not help butugh.

    ¡°You want to dismiss me with a gift?¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°Help me arrange the flowers. Do what I did and tidy them up.¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a look.

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes and slowly crouched down...

    ...

    After working for a few days in a row, Ji Zitong felt quite exhausted. Xie Jiajia looked like she was going to leave her in charge, so she handed over a lot of decision-making documents to her.

    It was the same today. After she finished reviewing the documents, it was time to get off work.

    ¡®Knock, knock!¡¯

    There was a knock on the door. Ji Zitong raised her head and looked over.

    Su Yu walked in with a smile on her face.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going? You¡¯ve been working all day!¡±

    ¡°Sis, when did you get back?¡±

    Ji Zitong smiled as well. She stood up slowly and was about to tidy up the documents on the table.

    ¡°I just arrived this morning and came to see you guys. Let¡¯s have dinner together tonight. Su Chen¡¯s office will probably get off work veryte, so we won¡¯t bother about him. Mother has already gone down to wait for us!¡± Su Yu said as she walked over to Ji Zitong.

    Ji Zitong nodded. She was about to start packing up the documents when that familiar feeling of nothingness flooded her again. She felt her eyes go ck and her entire body went limp.

    ¡°Zitong!¡±

    Seeing this, Su Yu was shocked. She quickly rushed over and held Ji Zitong.

    ¡°Wake up! Zitong! What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Ah? Are you not feeling well?¡±

    She shook Ji Zitong a little, but she only felt that her eyelids were a little heavy and that she had lost all her strength!

    In fact, she had been feeling very worn out for the past two days. Today, Su Chen had forced her to rest at home, but thinking about the work that she had notpleted, Ji Zitong did not have the mood to rest.

    Seeing that Ji Zitong did not reply, Su Yu was panicking and hurriedly shouted at the door¡ª

    ¡°Someone, quick, someone!¡±

    As soon as she said that, someone came from outside.

    ¡°Prepare the car immediately for the hospital! Hurry!¡±

    ...

    Su Yu naturally did not have the strength. It was a department manager who carried Ji Zitong down. The car was soon ready in front of thepany. When Xie Jiajia saw the unconscious Ji Zitong, she was shocked and anxious!

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s going on? Xiao Yu, what¡¯s wrong with her? Why is she so pale? is she feeling unwell?¡±

    Xie Jiajia asked worriedly as she held ji Zitong¡¯s hand. She felt that her hand was frighteningly cold. Her entire body was covered in cold sweat, and her smooth forehead was covered in ayer of fine sweat.

    ¡°Zitong? Zitong? What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Xie Jiajia anxiously wiped the sweat off her forehead with a tissue. Su Yu also urged for the driver to drive.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened either. She was fine at first, but she fainted all of a sudden. But she didn¡¯t look well before. Mother, did you give her too many tasks? She looks all worn out.¡± Su Yu frowned and said.

    ¡°No, I saw that she was tired recently, so I didn¡¯t dare to arrange too many things for her. I even let her rest at home for the past two days. I didn¡¯t expect that she wouldn¡¯t be willing to rest either. Did this child suffer from fatigue?¡±

    As Xie Jiajia said this, her face showed some self-me.

    ¡°Okay, Mother, don¡¯t jinx it. From what I see, she didn¡¯t rest well. That¡¯s why she¡¯s like this. Don¡¯t worry, Zitong also has low blood sugar. Do you have any sweets in your pocket? Let her have some first.¡±

    ¡°No I don¡¯t...¡±

 Chapter 1729 - Good News (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1729: Good News (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In a high-ss ward of Hospital T.

    The doctor was very focused on giving Ji Zitong a checkup. Xie Jiajia and Su Yu watched anxiously.

    It was not until she saw the doctor remove his stethoscope that Xie Jiajia went up to him and asked anxiously, ¡°How is it? How is it? Doctor? How¡¯s my daughter-inw? Why did she suddenly faint? Is it really because her low blood sugar? Or is it because she¡¯s too tired from her work? It¡¯s all my fault for being too careless. I knew that this work was too tedious, but I didn¡¯t take care of her health!¡±

    Xie Jiajia could not help but me herself.

    ¡°Alright, Mother. Let the doctor exin the situation first. What happened?¡±

    Su Yu also came over and looked at the doctor silently.

    The doctor calmly closed the medical record. He looked at Xie Jiajia and smiled, ¡°Madam Su, don¡¯t worry, Missus is fine. However, I have to congratte you. Missus is pregnant, it¡¯s only been four weeks. She¡¯s a little overworked and didn¡¯t rest well. She fainted due to exhaustion, it¡¯s not a big deal. However, her nutrition can¡¯t keep up. You guys...¡±

    Xie Jiajia could no longer hear what the doctor said!

    She only heard one piece of news¡ª

    The Missus was pregnant!

    Ji Zitong was pregnant!

    In other words, Xie Jiajia was going to be a grandmother, Su Chen was going to be a father, and Su Zhengxun was going to be a grandfather!

    At the thought of this, Xie Jiajia could not help but feel ecstatic. Sheughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! That¡¯s great! There¡¯s finally news! I have to tell your father the good news immediately! He¡¯s going to be a grandfather! Yes! Call your father and tell him!¡±

    As Xie Jiajia said this, she could not help but feel ecstatic. She quickly took out her phone from her handbag and dialed a number for Su Zhengxun in the provincial office..

    Su Yu had long been used to her mother¡¯s temperament. She shook her head helplessly and listened to the doctor¡¯s instructions. She asked a few more questions that needed attention before she let Xie Jiajia¡¯s secretary and the nurse handle the procedures.

    Xie Jiajia was fast enough. After she called Su Zhengxun, she also called the old man at home. Both of them were happy. The old man Su could not wait to rush over from home to take a look, fortunately, Xie Jiajia stopped him in time.

    ¡°Okay, Mother! Let Zitong tell her brotherter. Zitong needs to rest now. She¡¯s poor in health, go back and make some soup for her. When she wakes up, she can fill her stomach.¡±

    Su Yu also spoke at the right time.

    Xie Jiajia smiled, ¡°Right, I forgot! It¡¯s good that Zitong is fine. I didn¡¯t expect there to be good news. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! I¡¯ll go back and make some soup now. I¡¯ll send it to herter. You can stay here with her now. Oh, right, call Su Chen and tell him to get his ass over here. Zitong is already like this! It¡¯s time for him to get off work, not to be like your father, always thinking about work!¡±

    When Xie Jiajia mentioned Su Zhengxun, she felt a little dissatisfied, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since your father went shopping with me. I think Su Chen is just like your father! If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have let him join the army. I shouldn¡¯t have let him enter the political scene. What¡¯s so good about being like your father? It¡¯s better to live a carefree life like this!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Mother, don¡¯t think too much. Now that Zitong has good news, he should be happy. Why are you getting involved in all this? Father has his own duties and responsibilities. You, don¡¯t be stubborn. Be careful that Father won¡¯t be able to stand you!¡±

    Su Yu rolled her eyes. In the end, there was nothing she could do about her mother.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t stand it, then so be it! Get rid of him as soon as possible so that your mother can find a second chance at life. At home, it seems that your father¡¯s face is everywhere. I¡¯ve seen it for decades, and I¡¯m tired of it!¡± Xie Jiajia said calmly.

    ¡°Mother! Be careful that others hear your words, especially my father. Otherwise, you won¡¯t know how badly you¡¯ll be scolded by him when you go back!¡±

    In Su Yu¡¯s eyes, the rtionship between her parents, Su Zhengxun, and Xie Jiajia was also an unbelievable love.

    She could not understand at all how her stern and reserved father would take a fancy to Xie Jiajia, who was like a little girl who would not grow up!

    Fortunately, Su Yu and Su Chen were not like Xie Jiajia. Instead, they took on their father, Su Zhengxun¡¯s personality. Otherwise, she would really...

    ¡°There¡¯s no one else here. Anyway, he can¡¯t hear it! Unless you¡¯re going to be a traitor!¡±

    Xie Jiajia rolled her eyes at her daughter. Then, she walked over and helped Ji Zitong pull up the nket. She continued, ¡°I¡¯ve waited so long for this grandchild. If Su Chen doesn¡¯t treat Zitong better, I¡¯ll call your father or your grandfather to punish him!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Mother! Hurry up and go back to make soup! It¡¯ll be fine with just me here. I¡¯ll call Su Chen right now! Hurry up and go back! Don¡¯t disturb Zitong¡¯s rest!¡±

    Only then did Su Yu push Xie Jiajia out.

    Xie Jiajia turned back to look at Ji Zitong on the bed and said, ¡°Call me if you need anything. If you can¡¯t reach me, call your father...¡±

    ¡°Aiyo, I know, I know! I can¡¯t stand you anymore!¡±

    ¡°You despise me! You...¡±

    ...

    In the office of the Deputy Chief of the Northern Traffic Control Bureau.

    It was already time to get off work. The setting sun outside was a little darker than before, and it was about to turn gray again!

    When his phone vibrated, Su Chen was reading the reports of the two traffic cases that had just been handed in. He flipped through the documents in his hand and nced at the screen of the phone. He saw the words jumping on it, then, he reached out and took it. His gaze did not leave the documents in his hand¡ª

    ¡°Hello? Sister? You¡¯re back?¡±

    Su Yu had gone to France to attend a fashion show some time ago, she did not even make it back for the Mid-autumn Festival.

    ¡°I justnded this morning, why? It¡¯s already sote. Are you still working?¡± Su Yu frowned and said.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done, just got another two more documents to look through. If you¡¯re free, go find Zitong and go out for a bit. If you want to buy anything, just charge it to my ount,¡± said Su Chen.

    ¡°You sure know how to send people away. That¡¯s enough! Quickly pack up ande to Hospital T, Building X, Ward XX. Zitong suddenly fainted when she got off work. Mother and I sent her over for a check-up...¡±

    Su Yu said, but before she could finish, Su Chen had already stood up swiftly¡ª

    ¡°What did you say? What happened to Zitong? She suddenly fainted? Why? Didn¡¯t I tell her to rest at home? Why did she go to work again?¡±

    As he spoke, he tidied up the table. His tone was a little harsh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t me her. She¡¯s pregnant. The child is already four weeks old. How do you spend your days with her? She¡¯s in such poor health, but you didn¡¯t take good care of her. Do you even know how to love your wife?¡±

 Chapter 1730 - Good News (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1730: Good News (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Yu¡¯s words were like a huge stone thrown into theke that was Su Chen¡¯s heart, creating countless waves!

    What did Su Yu say just now?

    She was pregnant?

    Zitong was pregnant?

    Su Chen held his breath in disbelief, thinking that he had heard wrongly. After a moment of silence, he said tentatively, ¡°Sister, what did you say? You just said... She¡¯s pregnant? You mean, Zitong is pregnant, right?¡±

    ¡°Who else? Who do you think I¡¯m talking about? Zitong is already four weeks pregnant and you¡¯re going to be a father! Hurry up and get over here! Hospital T, Room X, Ward XX! Hurry up! She¡¯s still unconscious!¡±

    Su Yu¡¯s helpless voice came through.

    ¡°I¡¯ll rush over right now!¡±

    Su Chen felt as if he had just woken up from a dream. He quickly hung up, packed his things on his desk, took his coat, and carried his briefcase out of the office in a hurry.

    In Ji Zitong¡¯s ward at Hospital T.

    It was already dark outside, and Ji Zitong was in a deep sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she did not have any strength left in her body. She felt that she was somewhat awake, but she could not open her eyes.

    Someone was gently wiping her sweat with a towel.

    Ji Zitong took a deep breath and struggled to open her eyes. At this moment, she finally saw arge, gentle light in front of her.

    ¡°Zitong, you¡¯re awake? How do you feel? Do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡±

    Ji Zitong had just opened her eyes when Su Yu¡¯s worried and gentle voice sounded.

    Ji Zitong blinked her dry eyes and sat up. She looked around and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Where am I? What¡¯s wrong with me? Is this the hospital?¡±

    Su Yu helped her sit up and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. This is the hospital. You suddenly fainted, so Mother and I sent you to the hospital. Are you feeling better now?¡±

    Ji Zitong took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just haven¡¯t been resting well recently, so it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°You say it¡¯s not a big deal! You¡¯re already four weeks pregnant! Don¡¯t you feel anything? You¡¯ve been so busy, what if something happens to your body? You¡¯re too careless!¡±

    Su Yu reprimanded her, but her tone was gentle.

    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant?¡±

    Ji Zitong was also stunned by Su Yu¡¯s words!

    She stared at Su Yu with her eyes wide open.

    ¡°The doctor has already examined you. You¡¯re indeed four weeks pregnant, but your body is a little weak. You¡¯ve been too tired recently and haven¡¯t rested well, so you¡¯re exhausted! I¡¯ve already told Mother to arrange your work first. You should stay here and recuperate, there¡¯ll be more to tire youter.¡±

    As Su Yu spoke, she poured Ji Zitong a ss of water.

    Ji Zitong, on the other hand, was in a daze. She could not help but reach out to touch her t belly. She was still in a daze¡ª

    She was finally pregnant!

    It was her and Su Chen¡¯s child!

    The child he had been looking forward to!

    It must have been conceived after they got through that unhappy time together!

    Thinking of this, Ji Zitong could not help but feel a faint warmth in her heart. Naturally, she was looking forward to it.

    Would it be a boy or a girl?

    Would it be more like her or more like Su Chen?

    Ji Zitong looked down at her belly in a daze. She did not say anything for a while and did not reach out to take the water from Su Yu...

    Su Yu watched on and did not say anything. She quietly took it back and looked at Ji Zitong¡¯s stunned expression. She could not help butugh. ¡°Do you find it hard to believe? I was just like you back then. I was very happy, but I was also at a loss.¡±

    ¡°I... I¡¯m feeling a little... I can¡¯t believe it...¡±

    Ji Zitong did not know how long she had been looking forward to this child...

    However, with how hard she had worked for Su Chen and how she had been recuperating during this period of time, if she did not get pregnant soon, she <i>should</i> be anxious!

    Now, it was finally here, her wish hade true!

    ¡°But it¡¯s all true, I¡¯ve already called Su Chen. He should be here soon. Are you hungry too? Mother has gone back to make some soup for you and is rushing to deliver it. Don¡¯t worry, this is a good thing. You just wait to enjoy the treatment on the level of a national treasure!¡±

    Su Yu looked at Ji Zitong¡¯s stunned expression and could not help butugh.

    Just as Su Yu said this, there was a knock on the door. The two of them subconsciously looked towards the door and realized that Xie Jiajia had already walked in with the thermos sk.

    ¡°Zitong? You¡¯re awake? How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?¡±

    A concerned voice immediately sounded.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Ji Zitong also called out in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m much better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good! Take good care of yourself and get well. I¡¯ve specially cooked some light porridge for you. Su Chen said that your appetite hasn¡¯t been very good these past few days. You¡¯re really too careless. It¡¯s already been four weeks and you still haven¡¯t noticed it!¡±

    Xie Jiajia walked over and swiftly served Ji Zitong porridge.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a little chaotic these past few months, I thought it was just a normal exhaustion. Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Sister. I¡¯ll take note,¡± said Ji Zitong gratefully.

    ¡°We¡¯re a family. Don¡¯t be so polite! Have some, I¡¯ll feed you!¡±

    Su Yu smiled and reached out to take it...

    At this moment, Su Chen was also driving over, but it was also rush hour at night. Whenever he gets caught up in a traffic jam, he would have a headache!

    Su Chen could not help but look at the imprable traffic ahead. He tried his best to suppress the dark surge in his heart before he resisted the urge to abandon his car and leave.

    After about 20 minutes, the road ahead was finally cleared.

    The ck Land Rover drove through the wide street like a hurricane and soon arrived at Hospital T.

    After getting out of the car, Su Chen also rushed straight to Ji Zitong¡¯s ward.

    Just as he reached the door of the ward, he saw that the door was open from afar. He could faintly hear a burst ofughtering from inside. It was his mother, Xie Jiajia¡¯s voice. Of course, there was also his sister, Su Yu¡¯s echoing voice.

    Su Chen could not help but slow down his footsteps and approached slowly.

    The conversation inside became clearer¡ª

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how cute Su Chen was when he was little! There was another time, did you know? He was only two years old and already knew the difference between a man and a woman! He refused to sleep with me no matter what. He insisted on sleeping with his father. Moreover, he didn¡¯t allow me to be by his side. This made me so angry! During that period of time, he fought with me almost every day for the ownership of your father. Your father could only coax him to sleep every night before he went back to our room to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Also, he wouldn¡¯t let me give him a bath either, it was all...¡±

 Chapter 1731 - Good News (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1731: Good News (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was all about Su Chen when he was a child. Su Chen could not listen to it anymore. He took a step forward and knocked on the door, followed by a light cough.

    When the people in the ward heard the sound, they immediately turned to look at the door.

    As expected, they saw Su Chen walk in with his upright figure.

    ¡°You finally made it!¡±

    Xie Jiajia red at Su Chen and then looked at Ji Zitong tentatively.

    Ji Zitong did not say anything. She just lowered her head silently. Su Chen¡¯s gaze swept around and soon stopped on Ji Zitong.

    ¡°There was a traffic jam on the road, that¡¯s why I¡¯m littlete.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s deep voice was heard.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t had dinner yet, right?¡± Ji Zitong asked with concern.

    However, Su Chen had already stopped by the bed. Su Yu automatically gave up her seat. Ji Zitong felt a little ufortable with him looking at her with his deep gaze. She subconsciously shrank her body and looked away to Su Yu, ¡°Sis, since he¡¯s here, you should go home first. Mother should go back too, it¡¯s prettyte. I¡¯ll be discharged after another check-up tomorrow morning. You¡¯ve been busy all night and haven¡¯t even had the time for dinner!¡±

    ¡°Okay. Since Su Chen is here, we¡¯ll go back first, we¡¯ll be back tomorrow morning. Su Chen, I¡¯ll get them to bring you dinnerter,¡± Su Yu said knowingly.

    ¡°No need. I¡¯m not hungry. You two can go back first.¡±

    Su Chen quickly dismissed them.

    Seeing this, Su Yu and Xie Jiajia smiled at each other before leaving the ward.

    Hearing the sound of the door close, Su Chen narrowed his eyes and nced at the tightly shut door. After making sure that no one was there, he could not help but bend down and hug Ji Zitong in his arms. His deep voice was a little hoarse¡ª

    ¡°How do you feel? Are you feeling better? That¡¯s great, Zitong, you¡¯re finally pregnant with my child. I¡¯m going to be a father!¡±

    Ji Zitong was held tightly in his arms. She could feel the warmth of his body at this moment, revealing the happiness and joy that filled his heart.

    Feeling the joy in his heart, Ji Zitong¡¯s face lit up with a smile as she reached out to hug him, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to it for a long time too, it¡¯s finally here! Su Chen, we¡¯re having a child... I¡¯m a little afraid that this isn¡¯t true. We¡¯ve been looking forward to it for so long.¡±

    As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly.

    Su Chen¡¯srge hand followed the momentum and touched her belly. A rare bright smile appeared on his resolute handsome face, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve worked so hard, and you haven¡¯t fallen behind. I thought it was about time for it toe. It seems that my premonition was right. Zitong, we have to give birth to a daughter, Ah Chen¡¯s two sons, haha, they¡¯ll both be our sons-inwter. It has to be a daughter...¡±

    Su Chen could not help but start fantasizing about how amazing his daughter would be when she was born.

    ¡°With our looks, our daughter will definitely make Ah Chen¡¯s two sons fall head over heels for her.¡±

    ¡°What if it¡¯s a son?¡±

    Ji Zitong was stunned for a moment before she suddenly asked softly.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a daughter because I said so. A son is troublesome, let¡¯s not have a son.¡±

    ¡°The Su family has only one son. Su Chen, do you think that¡¯s possible?¡±

    Ji Zitong rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°Pedantic! If our daughter is capable and powerful enough, who says she won¡¯t be able to recruit one of Ah Chen¡¯s sons into the family? If it¡¯s a son, I don¡¯t believe that Qi Lei, Zimo, and the others would all have sons only. Let¡¯s keep the goodness within us, we¡¯ll let them develop their feelings since young, just like Lingshi and Ah Mo, wouldn¡¯t that be perfect then?¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu and Xiaye will just skin you alive,¡± Ji Zitong said unhappily.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Ah Chen¡¯s two sons are really good-looking. They¡¯re so handsome at such a young age, imagine them when they¡¯re all grown up? Besides, Xiao Rui is especially smart, and Mu Xiaocheng is too. The more I look at them, the more I like them. If they be members of the Su family...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it once our child is born. It¡¯s been barely any time and you¡¯re already thinking about these things.¡±

    ¡°You should rest well during this period of time. I¡¯m worried about you. Let¡¯s transfer a few servants from the Su residence over, and stop work for a while.¡±

    Su Chen began to make arrangements sternly.

    Ji Zitong thought for a while and knew that she had not been feeling very well recently. She nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you. However, I want my mother toe over and apany me. Otherwise, I...¡±

    ¡°Okay, do what you want and take good care of yourself. Mother and Sister will take care of you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely apany you well through this.¡±

    As Su Chen said this, he held her shoulders and pressed her against his chest.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay in the hospital. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Ji Zitong suddenly said this.

    ¡°Your body...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine now. I just fainted because I¡¯m a little weak and tired. I¡¯m really fine, don¡¯t I look okay? We can juste over early tomorrow for a check-up, I don¡¯t want to stay here, okay?¡±

    She did not like the hospital, all she could smell was the pungent smell of disinfectant.

    Su Chen was silent for a moment before he bent down and picked her up¡ª

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go home now. I don¡¯t like this damn ce anyway!¡±

    Ji Zitong wrapped her arms around his neck as she spoke. Su Chen, on the other hand, carried her out with ease.

    ...

    It was bustling outside as the car drove all the way home.

    Ji Zitong even gave her parents a call. The two of them had been looking forward to this for a long time, now that they finally had some news, it was only natural to inform them as soon as possible.

    ¡°Su Chen?¡±

    Ji Zitong hung up the phone and was silent for a while before turning to look at the man driving beside her.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Su Chen slowed down the car and turned to look at her.

    ¡°Do you like children very much?¡± Ji Zitong asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Of course. Can¡¯t you see how adorable Mu Xiaocheng and the others are?¡±

    Su Chen could not help but smile as he thought about it. After some thought, he turned around and patted her hands on herp. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our children will be very cute too!¡±

    ¡°Well, you acted like you didn¡¯t care about them and rarely talked about having children, I thought you didn¡¯t like children, so...¡±

    Ji Zitong lowered her voice and muttered.

    Only then did Su Chen chuckle and look deeply at her, ¡°I was just worried that you¡¯d be stressed out. Actually, it¡¯s not a big deal, as long as we work hard, there will definitely be news. Don¡¯t worry, I, Su Chen, will definitely be a qualified husband and a good father.¡±

 Chapter 1732 - As A Guest (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1732: As A Guest (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ji Zitong¡¯s heart warmed when she heard this, and she nodded gently.

    She took a deep breath and suddenly turned to look out the window. She looked out the window at the street that was constantly moving backward. The dim street lights shone in, and she felt a little dazed.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve changed a lot since I married you.¡±

    ¡°People change when their living environment changes. In my opinion, you¡¯re pretty great right now,¡± said Su Chen.

    ¡°Did you find that I was too unreasonable in the past? Sometimes, when I think about it, I suddenly feel like past me has been living in vain.¡±

    Ji Zitong said with somement.

    ¡°Why are you suddenly thinking of that?¡±

    Su Chen asked with some doubt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just feel that the changes in my state of mind and my life in the past two years is quite amazing. Before we met, I never really thought about getting married. Although I admit that I had my expectations, but...¡±

    ¡°That person wasn¡¯t good enough for you, don¡¯t think about him anymore. Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll be jealous!¡±

    Although Su Chen said this, his tone was very calm.

    He knew that Ji Zitong now had Su Chen in her heart. Moreover, she was now the mother of his child.

    ¡°There are many things that cannot be turned back after taking that one step. There was no fate between the two of you, and your fate is with me, Su Chen.¡±

    ¡°I know, if I had another chance to choose, I wouldn¡¯t have been willing to meet you earlier. I wouldn¡¯t know if we¡¯d have ended up like this then.¡±

    Ji Zitong suddenly turned to look at him.

    Hearing this, Su Chen smiled and looked at her meaningfully. ¡°If you had known me a few years ago, you wouldn¡¯t have fallen for anyone else.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite confident in your own charm.¡±

    Ji Zitong rolled her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Your man has always been confident in his own charm. Back then, I wasn¡¯t thinking about these so-called rtionships at all. Otherwise, there would have been quite a number of girls who gave me love letters when I was studying. However, it¡¯s strange that we didn¡¯t think about these things at all. Back then I spent all day and night hanging out with them.¡±

    Su Chen was not lying. With their decent looks, even if they did not have their strong family background, they were definitely influential people in school.

    ¡°Back then, I don¡¯t know how many girls¡¯ hearts were captured. If you had known me earlier, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape either,¡± Su Chen said rather confidently.

    However, Ji Zitong did not think much of it. ¡°How do you know that I¡¯d be interested in you and not your other two buddies? Chairman Mu is noble and elegant, while Zhou Zimo is witty and gentle. I think they¡¯re both pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Ah Chen is fit for Xiaye. He won¡¯t be interested in you, much less Zimo, he has the same standards as Qi Lei. Slender legs, big breasts, and beautiful looks are their standards. Your body is obviously not the type they want. You¡¯re just right for me. Don¡¯t you see that they all say we¡¯re very suitable for each other?¡±

    Su Chen nced at Ji Zitong and his gaze subconsciouslynded on Ji Zitong¡¯s chest.

    Ji Zitong rolled her eyes at him and subconsciously reached out to cover her chest. She looked at him warily. ¡°Not necessarily. I don¡¯t think Miss Dongfang is like what you¡¯ve just described.¡±

    Su Chen had told Ji Zitong about Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s marriage.

    Ji Zitong had some impression of Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°However, Miss Dongfang is indeed very beautiful. Even I can¡¯t take my eyes off her,¡± Ji Zitong added on.

    ¡°Mmm, Missus, you¡¯re not bad either! I¡¯ve already admitted that I took a liking to you back then because you¡¯re good-looking.¡±

    Su Chen spoke at the right time.

    Hearing this, Ji Zitong gave him a side nce. ¡°Judging a book by its cover.¡±

    ¡°A person¡¯s first impression is very important. If you don¡¯t believe me, just wait for Zimo¡¯s side. If he really manages to woo Qin Su, Qin Su¡¯s beauty must be one of the reasons.¡±

    ¡°Then I have to thank you for telling me about your men¡¯s preferences.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. Suitability,patibility is the most important thing. Otherwise, why do you think the three of us got married sote?¡±

    ¡°In your words, you¡¯ve had enough fun, so you wanted to get married.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just one aspect. In my opinion, marriage is also about luck.¡±

    ¡°So many reasons. You¡¯re already 34 and about to turn 35, and you¡¯re just preparing to be a father, how dare you talk about luck?¡±

    Ji Zitong looked at him with some disdain.

    Su Chen, on the other hand, let out a chuckle, ¡°Then I have to thank you, Missus. It doesn¡¯t matter if you came early orter, as long as you¡¯vee just right. Just like us, it doesn¡¯t matter if you came early orte, as long as the person you marry in the end is me. I just feel that it¡¯s a bit of a waste of time.¡±

    When he said this, Su Chen¡¯s gaze was gentle. Ji Zitong could also feel some warmth from it. After that, she nodded and could not help but lean over to rest on his shoulder.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look too good still, rest well. I¡¯ll wake you up when we reach home.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s gentle tone came through.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ...

    It waste at night in the Grand Lake Vi area.

    When Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were about to go back, it was already close to 10p.m..

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun personally sent them out.

    ¡°Liuyun is very lovely, Qi Lei, I believe that the two of you will live a happy life.¡±

    Xi Xiaye deliberately slowed down and whispered to Qi Lei, ¡°You must treat her well from now on. I¡¯ve already said that I¡¯ll protect her like an older sister.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows in surprise and nced at Xi Xiaye. ¡°When did you hook up with my Mrs. Qi? You and Mu Yuchen didn¡¯t make things too easy for me before. If the both of you conspire against me, I...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth. Liuyun is really great, even I admire her a little. In many aspects, I¡¯m inferior to her. However, I have Mu Yuchen now, so Qi Lei, it¡¯s your great fortune to have her.¡±

    ¡°I know that, don¡¯t worry. Since I¡¯ve married her, I¡¯ll definitely treat her well. Her happiness index won¡¯t be lower than yours.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were filled with determination as he said this.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can think like that. I¡¯ll always be watching over you two.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled happily, and Mu Yuchen stopped in front of her.

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to send us off. Let¡¯s go home, it¡¯s quitete already.¡±

    Xi Xiaye said as she looked gratefully at Dongfang Liuyun who had been silent all this while. ¡°Liuyun, thank you. I¡¯ll leave Qi Lei to you, may the two of you have happiness.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded calmly with a faint smile on her cold face...

 Chapter 1733 - As A Guest (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1733: As A Guest (2)</h4>

    The car slowly drove on until it disappeared into the bend in front of them. Only then did Qi Lei return home with Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°It¡¯s actually quite rare to see couples who are as harmonious and loving as them in the circle. This reminds me of the old Mu couple. I¡¯ve known them for many years, and they were also very much in love as a married couple. It¡¯s just that Grandma Mu left too soon. When I attended her funeral, I couldn¡¯t believe it.¡±

    On the way back, Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly.

    Qi Lei listened and turned to look at her. He saw that there was a hint of distance between her brows. After some thought, he replied, ¡°We¡¯ll be as harmonious and loving as them in the future.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and suddenly reached out to hold his arm, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible, but I admit that I¡¯m quite envious of them. I¡¯ve interacted with Xi Xiaye a few times, she¡¯s quite a kind person and she¡¯s soft-hearted. She and Mu Yuchen are a match made in heaven. There¡¯s aplementary side to their personalities as well as a simr side. Psychologically speaking, couples like these will find it easier to get along for a long time.¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡±

    Qi Lei asked, ¡°Is the probability of us getting along for a long time very high?¡±

    ¡°Us? The probability might not be higher than them.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible? It must be higher than them!¡±

    When Qi Lei heard this, he was a little unconvinced.

    ¡°We¡¯ll find out as time goes on.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun let go of his arm as she said this and casually walked in with her hands behind her back.

    ...

    When Qi Lei told Dongfang Liuyun about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, Xi Xiaye was also talking about Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡°Why are you so happy? You¡¯ve been so happy the whole night.¡±

    Mu Yuchen, who was driving, finally asked softly, ¡°Are you happy?¡±.

    Xi Xiaye then turned to look at him and coughed lightly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just think that the tacit understanding between Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun is very interesting to me. However, I¡¯m really quite surprised too. I didn¡¯t expect for Dongfang Liuyun to really be able to hold down Qi Lei. Didn¡¯t you see? Liuyun¡¯s one nce over, and Qi Lei could very tacitly know what she wants to do in the next second.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll naturally have this kind of tacit understanding once you get along with each other for a long time, just like us.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. If you don¡¯t put in the effort to understand each other, this kind of small detail isn¡¯t something any ordinary couple can do. Can¡¯t you see that Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was almost entirely on Dongfang Liuyun just now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled.

    ¡°They¡¯re quite suitable for each other, you can be rest assured now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and reached out to shake her hand gently before letting her go.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently. ¡°If the partner is Dongfang Liuyun, I¡¯m very relieved.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    After that, they were busy with work again. After Dongfang Gan left City Z, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s work became even busier, Lin Yuanyuan would not let go of the opportunity to torment her.

    Not long after the Mid-autumn Festival, it was National Day.

    After a week of vacation, Dongfang Liuyun finally had a chance to catch her breath.

    Initially, Qi Lei wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to go out, but Dongfang Liuyun said that going at this time would only mean that they would be caught up with a sea of people. It was better to stay at home to read books and y games.

    Qi Lei did not have any objections, so after that, the couple would asionally go to the library to kill time, or go to the fencing hall or the horse farm. The main circle of activity was in the city.

    When they saw Lan Xiu, it had been nearly half a month since thest time.

    In Lan Xiu¡¯s vi on the outskirts.

    Dongfang Liuyun parked the car steadily. Just as she got out of the car, she saw Ah Li waiting at the door.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, you¡¯re here! President Lan is in the backyard,¡± said Ah Li right away.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and walked straight inside. As she walked, she asked, ¡°When did hee back?¡±

    ¡°He returned at 11p.m.st night. I wanted to call you, but it was alreadyte, so...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a public holiday, I thought he would go out.¡±

    ¡°President Lan doesn¡¯t really like going out,¡± Ah Li said helplessly.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment, then nodded and continued walking forward.

    After passing through the winding corridor, Dongfang Liuyun soon arrived at the backyard. From afar, she could see Lan Xiu standing by the railing on the stairs in front of him¡ª

    He was dressed in navy blue casual clothes, no different from his usual attire. However, he seemed to have be thinner.

    ¡°You can go down first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said this and walked over.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Dongfang!¡±

    Ah Li quickly retreated.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked up the stairs and could smell the light and pleasant fragrance of tea from far away. When she got closer, she found that there was indeed tea brewing on the coffee table.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t discussions with Mr. Ge¡¯s end beenpleted? Wasn¡¯t the contract signed?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and asked. She sat down on the side and poured herself a cup of tea.

    Lan Xiu closed the document in his hand and turned around. He handed the document to Dongfang Liuyun as he said, ¡°The contract has already been negotiated and signed, but take a look for yourself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s frown deepened as she listened. She reached out to take the document and flipped through it.

    ¡°What¡¯s he worried about? Isn¡¯t Fujiwara not here yet? This project is so huge, if it really gets stuck here, I...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression darkened.

    ¡°This is also my fault. We didn¡¯t investigate properly back then. If Fujiwara is involved in this, it wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to us. But we¡¯ve already signed the contract, so we can¡¯t just withdraw like this.¡±

    ¡°Who can guarantee that Fujiwara didn¡¯t do this himself? He¡¯s used such despicable methods more than once, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent lips were suffused with a cold smile, but her voice sounded unusually cold.

    ¡°We still don¡¯t know if it was him, but Mr. Ge must have some misgivings when he did this. I think I should tell you something in advance.¡±

    Lan Xiu gazed deeply at Dongfang Liuyun and said in a low voice.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped what she was doing and narrowed her eyes at Lan Xiu.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes flickered. He thought for a moment before sitting down across from Dongfang Liuyun. He poured himself a cup of tea and drank it¡ª

    ¡°Fujiwara has recovered. He has booked a ne ticket to City Z for next Friday. Liuyun, his motive this time is very obvious.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said coldly, ¡°What¡¯s his motive?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯sing for you. The only condition he offered was to marry you. He¡¯s now a lunatic, Liuyun...¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at her deeply.

 Chapter 1734 - Incident

    <h4>Chapter 1734: Incident</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun fell silent. Lan Xiu could see that her fingers, which were holding onto the teacup, were tightening silently.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen him?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked quietly.

    Lan Xiu shook his head and lowered his eyes, ¡°No, but I¡¯m still clear on his situation. It¡¯s been many years. Other than work, he just thinks of you and misses you. Otherwise, how would he know exactly where you are, always? If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you suppressed the news about you and Qi Lei, I¡¯m afraid he would have heard about it by now.¡±

    ¡°This time, when hees over, you should put an end to it with him. After all...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about between us. We¡¯ve put an end to things a few years ago. If he dares to use this matter as an excuse, I won¡¯t let him off easily.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finished the tea in her cup in one gulp, her tone was cold.

    ¡°Mr. GE is only concerned about him. If he doesn¡¯t participate in this, there¡¯s still no problem for the partnership. Liuyun, don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself, we¡¯ll just terminate the contract at most, it won¡¯t affect things too much.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment andforted her.

    ¡°Why would we terminate the contract? Everyone has been working so hard on this n. I won¡¯t give up so easily even if you want to. I won¡¯t give in on this matter, much less surrender. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll call Mr. Ge personally and exin the situation to him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and said.

    ¡°Can you make Mr. Ge believe that you can make sure Fujiwara doesn¡¯t do anything to him? If this matter is based on Fujiwara¡¯s intentions, then Fujiwara¡¯s motive is very obvious.¡±

    It was not hard to hear some worry in Lan Xiu¡¯s tone.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression became more and more gloomy. She tossed the document in her hand to the side and eased herself for a moment before she soon calmed down.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll wait for him toe over first. Urge things on Mr. Ge¡¯s side. If he still doesn¡¯t make any moves, we can pursue him for breach of contract.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun! Mr. Ge is...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who he is. It¡¯s a different matter. Lan Xiu, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Do what you have to do. I still insist that my position will not change. I hope that you can hold on as well.¡±

    After saying these few words, Dongfang Liuyun put down the teacup in her hand and stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back now, just do as I say, no need to worry about me. Call me if there¡¯s anything else.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she walked over and quickly walked down the stairs.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you having lunch here?¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at the slender figure and asked.

    ¡°No thanks, Qi Lei invited me to the hot springs. If you like, you cane along,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

    Lan Xiu only smiled. He did not say anything else after that. He just watched her figure disappear into the distance. His dark eyes could not hide the faint sadness. Of course, there was also that worry.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure quickly disappeared in front of him. Lan Xiu could only look away. He took a breath and shook his head helplessly.

    ¡°President Lan, how was it?¡±

    Seeing that something was wrong with Lan Xiu¡¯s expression, Ah Li asked in a low voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just keep an eye on her. Don¡¯t worry about Mr. Ge for now, I¡¯ll handle it. Find out who Fujiwara will bring along this time, and find out his current situation. Pass me the results of the investigation next Monday,¡± Lan Xiu instructed.

    Ah Li nodded. ¡°Yes, President Lan. Oh, right. Before President Gan left City Z, he asked someone to leave a letter for you. Secretary Ding just sent it over.¡±

    As Ah Li spoke, he handed a letter to Lan Xiu.

    Lan Xiu quickly took it and opened it. He looked at it and saw Dongfang Gan¡¯s handwriting on it.

    The content was very simple.

    Lan Xiu read it a few times before taking out a lighter from his pocket. He lit it up and burned the letter to ashes.

    ¡°President Lan, this...¡±

    ¡°Elder Madam Dongfang¡¯s birthday ising up. How are you preparing the gift that I asked you to prepare?¡± Lan Xiu asked calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared it ording to your instructions,¡± replied Ah Li.

    ¡°Alright, although they don¡¯t n to hold a grand ceremony this time, they still have to follow the proper etiquette.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand, President Lan!¡±

    Ah Li replied, ¡°President Lan, Master Fujiwara wants you to call him back... Are we really not going to tell him that Miss Dongfang is married? I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll me us if he finds out...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so concerned about his feelings. There¡¯s no rule saying that Liuyun belongs to him, Fujiwara. Besides, he didn¡¯t cherish Liuyun first. It¡¯s probably very hard for Liuyun to get over the knot in her heart because of what happened to Older Brother. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have married Qi Lei just like that. Perhaps this is the best for her. She can start a new life and meet new people, and not be trapped in this dead city.¡±

    Lan Xiu said in a daze, his tone filled with endless disappointment¡ª

    ¡°I think Fujiwara might really lose her this time, and I won¡¯t have a chance either, much less Older Brother. We all know what we¡¯re thinking, but each of us loves her more than the other. But in the end, none of us were able to wait for her. We all lost to Qi Lei... I¡¯m quite unwilling...¡±

    But what else could he do?

    What else could he do if he was unwilling to ept this?

    Lan Xiu muttered the words that he did not say in his heart. Suddenly, he could not help but feel a bitterness in his throat. As he chewed, more of it could only be sour.

    He suddenly felt that to him, this was the greatest pain in the world. There was clearly a chance. If he had nodded back then, Dongfang Liuyun would have been his wife by now, but...

    That chance was no more.

    Every time he remembered this, Lan Xiu felt like he could hear the sound of his heart bleeding...

    ¡°President Lan? President Lan? Are you okay?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s instantly pale face made Ah Li worry. He quickly came over to support Lan Xiu.

    Lan Xiu raised his hand to stop him. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°But you look terrible, President Lan!¡±

    Ah Li knew that Lan Xiu had a sore spot his heart, and that it was Dongfang Liuyun.

    Every time he talked about Dongfang Liuyun, he would no longer be his usual self, and he would be very emotional.

    Ah Li¡¯s heart ached for Lan Xiu. He had also thought that Dongfang Liuyun would be the wife of their President Lan, but no one would have predicted this oue.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ah Li, you have to remember in the future that once you¡¯re certain about some things, you must act as soon as possible. At least, in the end, you wouldn¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and said a few words before turning around and walking down the stairs.

    ¡°President Lan...¡±

    Ah Li called out softly, but Lan Xiu¡¯s figure had already disappeared in the corridor ahead...

 Chapter 1735 - Siblings (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1735: Siblings (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The news of Ji Zitong¡¯s pregnancy quickly spread.

    Inside Su Chen¡¯s vi, there were gifts from Mu Yuchen, Zhou Zimo, and the others. Of course, even Qi Lei had sent quite a few things over.

    The trip that was supposed to happen obviously fell through. In the few days of his leave, Su Chen stayed at home to apany Ji Zitong, or he would go out for a walk with her. Ji Zitong was in a good mood.

    After some time recuperating, she began to recover much better. There was a healthy flush on her face.

    It was nearing dusk. The couple was sitting under a tree in the front yard to pass the time.

    Su Chen was leisurely sitting in the soft rattan chair and flipping through documents. Ji Zitong was lying on another rattan chair beside him. The refreshing wind blew continuously. In a short while, Ji Zitong had already fallen asleep peacefully.

    She was not reacting too badly just yet. After the examination revealed that she was pregnant, she could still eat and sleep. After a whole day, she would feel particrly tired. Sometimes, when the husband and wife sat on the sofa to watch TV, she would fall asleep involuntarily.

    Afterwards, it was always Su Chen who carried her back to bed.

    Like right now¡ª

    Noticing that there was no movement around him, Su Chen silently turned his head and looked over. Sure enough, he saw that she had fallen asleep again. He could only helplessly sigh, put down the documents in his hands, and stood up. He took a thin nket from the side and covered her with it.

    He stood and looked at her for a while before he sat back down.

    ¡°Master, Miss is here.¡±

    At this moment, a servant suddenly came to report.

    Su Chen frowned and replied, ¡°Tell her to wait for me here.¡±

    As he spoke, he got up and walked over again to carry Ji Zitong back to the room.

    When he came back down, Su Yu was already lying on the spot where Ji Zitong hadid earlier, leisurely eating the fruit on the te beside her.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Su Chen nced at Su Yu andid down leisurely too.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to see if you¡¯ve fulfilled your duties as a husband and a father-to-be. Grandfather asked me to supervise you properly!¡±

    As Su Yu spoke, she picked up another grape and stuffed it into her mouth.

    ¡°Alright, just mind your own business. Why did youe over to see me instead of watching after brother-inw ?¡±

    Su Chen frowned and looked at Su Yu.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to watch after your brother-inw. He¡¯s a piece of trash anyway. It would be the same whether I watch him or not.¡±

    Su Yu took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. She was not too willing to bring up her husband.

    However, Su Chen was sharp enough to sense that something was wrong from Su Yu¡¯s tone. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Su Yu with a sharp gaze as he said in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on? What did brother-inw do to you? I knew that you two had a fight before, but I thought that it was just an asional quarrel between the two of you.¡±

    ¡°I know that you care about me. Don¡¯t meddle in between me and your brother-inw, you can¡¯t do any good anyway. He¡¯s treating me quite well now. I just feel a little less passionate about him. It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Su Yu nced at Su Chen and raised her hand to rub the space between her brows as she said.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on between you and your brother-inw?¡±

    Su Chen did not intend to let Su Yu go just like that.

    He had always respected this sister of his. Su Yu usually doted on him very much. The few of them respected this one and only sister very much.

    ¡°Perhaps the seven-year itch has been dyed. Otherwise, it¡¯s because your sister¡¯s menopause hase early. Recently, I have nothing to say to your brother-inw. Sometimes, I¡¯m really worried that I won¡¯t be able to endure it and ask for a divorce in the end.¡±

    Su Yu ran her fingers through her ck hair and said helplessly, ¡°Xiao Chen, don¡¯t tell anyone at home about what I told you. Don¡¯t even tell Zitong.¡±

    ¡°What happened? Did brother-inw do something to let you down?¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s tone was full of affirmation.

    Su Yu had always been a beautiful and intelligent person. She was a very traditional woman. If her brother-inw had not done something to let her down, she definitely would not have felt this way.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just holding my breath and feeling ufortable. That¡¯s all in the past. There¡¯s no point in bringing it up now. Your brother-inw is very good to me.¡±

    Su Yu actually cared about what had happened before. Even if things calmed down, things would not go back to how they were before.

    Recently, that woman had started to contact him again. Of course, this time, he had told her everything without holding anything back. However with some things, even after you suppressed them, these first signs causes worries that things would be reignited again.

    ¡°If brother-inw doesn¡¯t treat you well, the first person who won¡¯t let him off would be me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. Sometimes I think that it¡¯s a good thing to have married someone of the same social status. However, there are still some things that couldn¡¯t be avoided. Xiao Chen, Zitong is going through a critical time right now, don¡¯t me me for not reminding you, this is also when men are also the most uncontroble. Especially with someone of your stature, I¡¯ll be frank today.¡±

    When Su Yu said this, her face tensed up and she said seriously.

    When Su Chen heard this, he frowned and looked at Su Yu with dissatisfaction, ¡°Sister, do I look like the kind of person who would be blinded by lust?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say! There aren¡¯t many people who¡¯s like Father. Anyway, you should mind your own business. Restrain yourself, if I see any negative news, I¡¯ll let Father cut you!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Su Chen red at her and replied.

    ¡°Has Father¡¯s matter been settled?¡± Su Yu asked.

    ¡°The internal news is basically confirmed. Uncle Mu reminded me a few days ago that Father has always been clean and honest. During his tenure, his performance has been good. There¡¯s no issue.¡±

    Su Yu nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good. Father will be at it for a few more years before it¡¯s about time for him to retire, and spend some quiet days with Mother, help you take care of your child.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still a long way off. If Father and Mother bes free, I would actually be a little worried...¡±

    Su Chen coughed lightly.

    Hearing this, Su Yu also lowered her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°With Mother¡¯s personality, I¡¯m really worried that they will be watching mushy idol dramas at home every day. Fortunately, Father doesn¡¯t mess around with her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m used to it. You can¡¯t always be like this with brother-inw. Did brother-inw cheat on you with another woman?¡±

    As Su Chen said this, his sharp eyes stopped on Su Yu¡¯s face.

    Su Yu¡¯s face froze for a moment. Then, she took a deep breath and replied, ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. Back then, I was worried that the matter would blow up, so I endured it. Now, your brother-inw feels that he has wronged me, so he treats me very well. But it feels like there¡¯s something between me and him that¡¯s missing.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s expression darkened as expected. He reached for a cigarette packet on the side, lit one on his own, and began to smoke leisurely.

    ¡°Don¡¯t smoke so much. It¡¯s not good for Zitong and the baby.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1736 - Siblings (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1736: Siblings (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Su Yu spoke, she reached out and snapped the cigarette between Su Chen¡¯s fingers.

    Su Chen had no choice but to put it away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t smoke when I was with her.¡±

    He was a heavy smoker, and it was not easy for him to hold back for a few days.

    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t smoke at home anymore. You must keep your mouth shut about me and your brother-inw. Don¡¯t let our parents hear about it. Anyway, it¡¯s over now, and we are good as new,¡± Su Yu reminded.

    ¡°Good as new? Then what were youining about just now?¡±

    Su Chen nced at her. ¡°I won¡¯t get involved in this matter. It¡¯s up to you. If brother-inw really does do that in the future, I won¡¯t let him have it easy. Wait a moment!¡±

    At this point, Su Chen suddenly got up and walked into the vi. He returned in a short while with an envelope in his hand.

    ¡°This is a gift from my friend¡¯s travelpany. I wanted to go with Zitong at first, but now it seems that I can¡¯t go for the time being. You can go with brother-inw. Your working hours are quite flexible anyway, you can go after the Golden Week.¡±

    Su Yu reached out and took it. After opening it, she was a little surprised

    ¡°Bali Ind...¡±

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Ji Zitong wanted to go to Qinghai, but it must be very cold there by now. She¡¯s been to the Maldives, so this time she wanted to go... you and brother-inw should go together.¡±

    ¡°A week¡¯s tour?¡±

    Su Yu looked at it carefully and smiled. ¡°The scenic spots look pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, someone will arrange it for you there. There will also be a private tour guide. You can just go there and rx. The children have school so don¡¯t bring them along, just the two of you can go,¡± said Su Chen.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like letting your brother-inw get away with such a good thing.¡±

    Su Yu raised her eyebrows and looked at Su Chen.

    ¡°You¡¯re not the one who is being taken advantage of. It¡¯s not easy to control a person like brother-inw, and you¡¯re a little too indifferent. If you don¡¯t take him to heart, he won¡¯t be able to hold on much longer.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m not good enough for your brother-inw?¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯re good enough for him?¡±

    Su Chen gave her a sideways nce, ¡°I¡¯m not making anyments about your rtionship right now. There¡¯s no such thing as being of equal status. You¡¯re the daughter of the Su family. You¡¯re more than enough for their family. Father was a little worried about your princess temper before. You¡¯ve never been wronged at home.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always siding with your brother-inw! You¡¯re a traitor! I can¡¯t be bothered to tell you! I¡¯ve done my part to advise you, everything else is up to you! Oh, right, Mother made soup for Zitong. I asked the servant to put it in the kitchen. Remember to let her drink it when she wakes up.¡±

    Su Yu slowly stood up as she spoke.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you staying for dinner?¡± Su Chen asked.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve already made an appointment with the beauty salon. I won¡¯t stay, maybe next time.¡±

    ...

    The evening sun was very beautiful. It dyed half of the sky red, and holy and soft golden light covered the ground.

    A military jeep drove across the t road like a hurricane. It was rapidly driving towards the military base in front.

    From afar, she could see the road sign in front. Qin Su, who was in the driver¡¯s seat, subconsciously slowed down a little. However, just as she was about to drive to the side of the road, she suddenly saw from the sign that she was about a hundred meters away, and someone waving at her car.

    Qin Su frowned and narrowed her eyes as she looked ahead. The person seemed familiar, but she could not remember who it was. She was holding a big bouquet of flowers in her arms.

    ¡°Officer Qin! Officer Qin!¡±

    The woman waved at her.

    Qin Su slowly stepped on the brakes, but she did not turn off the car¡¯s engine.

    The middle-aged woman smiled when she saw Qin Su. She quickly walked toward Qin Su¡ª

    ¡°Officer Qin!¡±

    ¡°Who are you? This is the military base. Don¡¯t you know that you can¡¯t get close as you like?¡±

    Qin Su slowly rolled down the car window. Her face was slightly tense, and her tone was unusually serious.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Officer Qin! I know, so I waited for you here! Officer Qin, Don¡¯t you remember me? It was during the Mid-autumn Festival. You went to my family¡¯s flower shop to buy flowers and then asked me to deliver them ording to the address. Do you still remember?¡±

    The middle-aged woman said rather enthusiastically.

    Qin Su searched her mind at this moment and finally had some impression. No wonder she found this woman somewhat familiar just now.

    ¡°It¡¯s you? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qin Su asked lightly.

    ¡°Hello, Officer Qin. These are the flowers that Mr. Zhou has gifted you, please sign for it, thank you!¡±

    At this moment, thedy boss handed the bouquet of blooming and beautiful champagne roses to Qin Su.

    ¡°Mr. Zhou? Which Mr. Zhou?¡± Qin Su frowned and asked.

    ¡°Officer Qin, please sign for it first. Mr. Zhou is that tall, handsome, and dashing Mr. Zhou. Oh, he even wrote a card!¡±

    Thedy boss said with a smile.

    Qin Su narrowed her eyes and nced at the champagne rose. After some thought, she reached out and took the card that was ced in the middle of the flowers.

    A line of vigorous and powerful words appeared in front of her eyes like floating clouds and flowing water¡ª

    <i>Just to express my gratitude¡ª</i>

    <i>Zhou Zimo.</i>

    Seeing this, Qin Su was startled. This font seemed to be his style. At the end, there was a secret symbol that they had used before. Only then did Qin Su dispel her doubts.

    Then she signed for the flowers.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She said this in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Officer Qin, you¡¯re wee. Goodbye! Goodbye...¡±

    Thedy boss said goodbye several times before she left.

    Qin Su lowered his head to look at therge bouquet of flowers in her arms. After flipping through it, she stuffed the card back into her pocket. Then, she casually tossed it to the passenger seat at the side. Very soon, she drove forward again.

    ...

    ¡°Master!¡±

    A low voice was heard. It startled Zhou Zimo, who was resting in the rattan chair under the umbre.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Zhou Zimo responded faintly.

    ¡°Officer Qin has already signed for the flowers. Oh, right, she might not leave thepany until Friday. I asked around for her routine, and we have her schedule that we got from Chief Su.¡±

    Lian Ziyao lowered his voice and said.

    As soon as Lian Ziyao said this, Zhou Zimo immediately opened his eyes and sat up slightly. He quickly reached out and took the paper from Lian Ziyao¡¯s hand. After taking a rough look, he stuffed it back into Lian Ziyao¡¯s hand after a while.

    ¡°Her schedule is quite full. She onlyes out a few times a month.¡± Zhou Zimo frowned and said.

    ¡°Master, Officer Qin is a very busy person. I heard that she is going to be transferred back to the headquarters as a Staff Officer.¡±

    ¡°You are really inquisitive. Keep your mouth tightly shut, if my parents hear about anything, I will cut you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo gave him a sideways nce.

 Chapter 1737 - Clouds of the Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1737: Clouds of the Past (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Zhou Zimo said this, Lian Ziyao¡¯s face immediately tensed up¡ª

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t! I¡¯ll definitely keep my mouth shut! I won¡¯t leak the news!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Only then did Zhou Zimo respond, slowly get up, and then toss the towel on him into the rattan chair. He then walked towards the side of the swimming pool.

    With a ¡®plop¡¯ sound, his vigorous figure was already submerged by the sshing water, and there was arge gleaming reflection of the waves in sunlight in the pool.

    Lian Ziyao subconsciously turned to look, and saw that Zhou Zimo was already swimming into the pool, causing countless sshes.

    After about 10 minutes, Zhou Zimo came ashore with a wet body. Lian Ziyao very tacitly took a towel over, and Zhou Zimo quickly took it, then walked towards the vi.

    ¡°Master, Madam called just now and asked you not to forget about meeting Miss Ying today.¡±

    Lian Ziyao braced himself to finish his words.

    As expected, Zhou Zimo immediately stopped walking and turned around. He nced at him coldly and said, ¡°Get rid of it!¡±

    ¡°But, Master, it¡¯s hard to exin to Madam...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what excuses you use, just get rid of them. I don¡¯t need to meet those infatuated fools. No need to tell me if this happens again, just get rid of the appointment right away.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said these words unhappily before he continued walking forward.

    Lian Ziyao could not help but feel a headache iing. He could only brace himself to be scolded by Liang Jing.

    Master, can you stop being so willful? It is quite hard to be your subordinate.

    Lian Ziyao had a mournful look on his face. He could only silently take out his phone from his pocket and cancel the appointment...

    Zhou Zimo took a shower and changed into a clean set of clothes. When he went downstairs, Lian Ziyao had already settled the matter with a gloomy face.

    ¡°Has it been settled yet? Your expression looks terrible. Just say that I suddenly have a stomachache, vomiting and diarrhea, and I can¡¯t go over. Wouldn¡¯t that be fine?¡±

    Zhou Zimo, on the other hand, calmly sat down on the sofa, leisurely smoking a cigarette.

    ¡°Master, that has been your excuse for nine out of 10 times,¡± Lian Ziyao said rather helplessly.

    ¡°It works every time. Isn¡¯t that good? At worst, you can add a sentence at the end, that this isn¡¯t a good sign. How concise and clear is that? It¡¯s so simple that it can be directly settled.¡±

    ¡°But, Master, on the Madam¡¯s end... we can¡¯t always be saying that, right?¡±

    Lian Ziyao coughed lightly.

    ¡°Otherwise feel free toe up with any other excuse if you can think of it. Whatever it is, I¡¯m not going.¡±

    Zhou Zimo shrugged and reached out to take a magazine from the side and started flipping through it.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯ll have to get through this sooner orter anyway. Why don¡¯t you just be straightforward? Evading it isn¡¯t a good way to settle this either. Miss Zhang might evene over this weekend, you...¡±

    ¡°Let them entertain the people they¡¯ve provoked. It¡¯s none of my business. I¡¯m not free this weekend.¡±

    At the mention of Zhang Yue, Zhou Zimo could not help but be impatient.

    ¡°Where are you going, Master?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve be a spy sent by the family! I¡¯m going out to sea, you can tell them.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he closed the magazine in his hand, grabbed the car keys and phone, and walked out of the door.

    ...

    Lian Ziyao¡¯s face fell innocently. He did not dare to ask any more questions.

    The car sped along the wide road.

    The sky outside had already fallen silent. Zhou Zimo nced at his phone. He wanted to call someone, but he did not know who he could call.

    Su Chen?

    Save it. Ji Zitong was pregnant. Of course, he had to apany her!

    Qi Lei?

    They were newlyweds in their honeymoon phase, so he had to stay home to apany his wife.

    Ah Mo?

    He was far away in City B!

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo felt an indescribable sense of mncholy and loneliness.

    ...

    When Mu Yuchen received Zhou Zimo¡¯s call, he had just finished dinner and was ying with his son. When his phone vibrated, Mu Xiaocheng quickly waved his little arms and legs and walked over to help Mu Yuchen get his phone¡ª

    ¡°Daddy... Phone call...¡±

    The words were pretty clear. He looked less than two years old, but his facial features were oddly simr to his father, Mu Yuchen. They looked like a version of each other. Even his stern expression looked very much like Mu Yuchen¡¯s.

    Mu Yuchen reached out and picked him up. He lowered his head and kissed his tender little face before taking the phone from his hand. However, the little guy¡¯s eyes were wide open. He did not move as he listened to his father talking on the phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen picked up the phone very quickly.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice came from the other end¡ª

    ¡°Chen,e out for a while, have two drinks with me. I don¡¯t have any money. Hurry over. I¡¯m at a bar near Mei Sha Wan, I¡¯ll send you the address.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice replied very quickly.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen frowned. ¡°Why are you there?¡±

    ¡°For peace and quiet. Come over quickly, I¡¯ll send you the address right away.¡±

    On the other end, Zhou Zimo said this before hanging up as well.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s frown deepened. He thought about it for a moment before putting away his phone.

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    When he called out for Xi Xiaye who was upstairs, Xi Xiaye quickly appeared.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye walked out of the room and stood by the railing on the second floor, looking at the father and son pair below.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen looked up. Of course, Mu Xiaocheng also did the same in his arms. When he saw Xi Xiaye upstairs, the little guy even revealed a very friendly smile.

    ¡°Watch the son, I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±

    ¡°Going out? It¡¯s sote. Where are you going?¡±

    Xi Xiaye asked curiously as she went downstairs as well.

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right with Zimo. I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡±

    Mu Yuchen carried Mu Xiaocheng over.

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye frowned slightly as she reached out to take Mu Xiaocheng. ¡°Quickly go over and take a look then. I keep feeling that he hasn¡¯t been in the right moodtely. Did something happen?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were filled with worry.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There are only a few things that he¡¯d worry about. Go to bed early with your son. No need to wait on me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked over to get the car keys as he spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little cold outside. Bring your coat.¡±

    Xi Xiaye carried her son out with Mu Yuchen¡¯s suit jacket in her hands.

    ¡°Daddy... Daddy...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng seemed to realize that his father was going out. At this moment, he reached out to Mu Yuchen for a hug.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and kissed the little guy¡ª

    ¡°Go upstairs with mommy to rest. Daddy will be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Daddy...¡±

    ¡°Daddy will be back soon.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his tall figure also disappeared outside the door. Not long after, the sound of the car starting could be heard.

 Chapter 1738 - Clouds of the Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1738: Clouds of the Past (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he found the address that Zhou Zimo had given him, it was already past 11 p.m.

    Zhou Zimo had booked a booth for himself. In a corner on the higher side, separated by a bamboo curtain.

    From this seat, he could see the brilliant lights of the city below and the performances on the stage in the bar.

    There was already an empty bottle on the table, and the other bottle was half-filled. The other two bottles had not been opened yet.

    He had ordered all high-quality alcohol like whiskey.

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    When he saw Mu Yuchen lift the bamboo curtain, Zhou Zimo quickly took the empty ss beside him and poured some for him.

    Mu Yuchen quietly sat down across him.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at home with the elder right now?¡±

    Elder Zhou¡¯s health has not been very good a while back, but he had recovered a little recently. It was because he was worried about Zhou Zimo.

    He was already quite old. Forget about any great-grandson, even his granddaughter-inw was nowhere to be seen. When the elder talked to others about these things, he got so angry that when he came back, he could not help but throw a tantrum again. Then his high blood pressure acted up.

    ¡°He¡¯s recovered a little. His health is much better now. How¡¯s Grandpa Mu?¡±

    Zhou Zimo raised his ss to toast Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°He¡¯s a little better.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his ss as well. The two buddies clinked their sses before drinking casually.

    ¡°I can¡¯t count on Su Chen or Qi Lei. I could only ask you toe over to hang with me.¡±

    Zhou Zimo put down his ss and lit a cigarette a little impatiently. He took a deep breath and amid the smoke, he said, ¡°I saw Qin Su.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was a little surprised when he heard Zhou Zimo suddenly mention this name. He quickly looked up at him.

    ¡°She¡¯s still the same as before. No, I should say she¡¯s more beautiful than before, but she¡¯s also more cold. I know you¡¯re all surprised about why I still remember her.¡±

    When Zhou Zimo said this, he suddenly stopped talking. Mu Yuchen waited for quite a while, but he did not hear him continue.

    ¡°Why then?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not help but askter on.

    Zhou Zimo blew out a puff of smoke and flicked the ash between his fingers. He was silent for a long time before he said, ¡°Apart from her saving me, I... I¡¯ve molested her...¡±

    ¡®Cough cough¡ª¡¯

    When Zhou Zimo said this, even the calm Mu Yuchen choked. He looked at Zhou Zimo in disbelief¡ª

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said that I molested Qin Su. On the night that we disappeared for a day and a night, she was drugged. When I found her, she was already delirious. After that, I...¡±

    When Zhou Zimo said this, he felt a little guilty, ¡°But at that time, I thought she was her... after that, it rained. I carried her through the forest for half the night. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep right after. When I woke up, Qin Su had already woken up. At that time, the people on the other side also noticed us, so that¡¯s how theter scene happened.¡±

    Zhou Zimo took a deep breath, ¡°She probably doesn¡¯t know about this. I know that this matter was especially unfair to her, especially at that time, I even treated her as someone else. From then on, I kept telling myself that the woman I slept with was Qin Su, so the name Qin Su was like a seed that grew in my mind, but I...¡±

    ¡°So, all these years, the person you¡¯ve been waiting for is her?¡±

    Mu Yuchen narrowed his eyes as he stared at him.

    Zhou Zimo shook his head and took another drag of his cigarette. Then, he put out the remaining half of his cigarette in the ashtray.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m waiting on her either. All these years, I¡¯ve often dreamed about her. subconsciously, I still want to be responsible for her. After all, I...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not sure of your own feelings, and you don¡¯t understand her thoughts either, so you¡¯ve been stuck?¡± Mu Yuchen frowned and asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons. I don¡¯t know if she really doesn¡¯t remember anything about that night, but judging from her attitude towards me, she probably doesn¡¯t know that it was me. Sometimes, when I¡¯ll think about whether she was married already. Besides, I can¡¯t really just find a woman to make do with.¡±

    This was the first time Zhou Zimo had revealed such a deep-hidden secret in front of another person.

    Honestly, even Mu Yuchen found this hard to believe!

    They had been worried about Zhou Zimo all this while, yet he had already done that with Qin Su...

    ¡°You¡¯re quite restless!¡±

    Mu Yuchen put down the wine ss in his hand and slowly leaned back. He squinted at Zhou Zimo with a meaningful gaze.

    Zhou Zimo looked back at him weakly and said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me. Now, tell me what to do. I think the contract marriage you mentioned before is pretty good, there would be some leeway for each of us. The main thing is to deal with the family, and then during this period of time...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. If you dare to go overboard with marriage, the elder will first cut off one of your legs.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°What do you think I can do now then? I¡¯m really unwilling to marry a random woman.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said a little irritably as he raised his head and drank another mouthful of wine.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you look for Qin Su? Anyway, you¡¯ve already touched her, and your impression of her is pretty good. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for it to be her?¡± Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    As soon as he said this, Zhou Zimo was instantly stunned. He was also thinking about it carefully.

    ¡°Do you think... She¡¯ll fall for someone like me? Also, if she finds out how I¡¯ve treated her before, wouldn¡¯t she want to kill me?¡±

    Zhou Zimo lowered his voice and said with some hesitation.

    Mu Yuchen could not help but frown. He thought about it, then nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s very possible. However, seeing your behavior, it¡¯s most likely impossible for you to get her.¡±

    ¡°F *ck off! I¡¯m a dignified Master Mo, handsome and confident. How could she not like me? What¡¯s wrong with my behavior? I¡¯m also very popr outside!¡±

    When Zhou Zimo heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s words, he instantly became a little unhappy.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve thought about it, then act early. Time waits for no one. Besides, do you really not have feelings for that person anymore?¡±

    Mu Yuchen straightened his back slightly and asked, his gaze naturally locked onto Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face.

    When he heard this, Zhou Zimo was in a daze for a moment. His mind pieced together for quite a while before he was able to piece together that distant face. For a moment, he did not say anything. It was only when he heard Mu Yuchen¡¯s knuckles lightly tapping on the table that he calmed down¡ª

 Chapter 1739 - Clouds of the Past (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1739: Clouds of the Past (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Mu Yuchen crossed his fingers and looked at him leisurely.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re still a little affected? If that¡¯s the case, then you¡¯d better clear out your mind and the things in your heart first.¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    This time, Zhou Zimo took a deep breath, ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. In fact, I haven¡¯t thought about her many times over the years. I haven¡¯t been paying attention to her anymore. Even if we meet again, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll react too much. How deep do you think our feelings were back then?¡±

    ¡°So, based on what you said, you can be as calm as still water to her now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen squinted and looked over.

    Zhou Zimo did not answer, but he looked at him rather disdainfully.

    Mu Yuchen nodded in understanding. He thought about it for a moment and then said, ¡°Then, let me tell you, she¡¯s returning to City Z next month. She¡¯s preparing to divorce her current husband. This time, she¡¯sing back as the executive manager of the branchpany. You¡¯ll see her again sooner orter. If you haven¡¯t thought it through, then don¡¯t provoke Qin Su. If you¡¯ve thought it through, then bury everything in your heart.¡±

    ¡°Also, I forgot to tell you that Qin Su is a very good woman. Uncle Zhou has wanted her to be your wife for a very long time. He once asked me to try my best to set you two up in private. I might not be able to do this matchmaker thing. It¡¯s up to you to decide how to handle it. Of course, if you need anything, tell Uncle Zhou, he¡¯ll definitely be very willing to help.¡±

    At this point, Mu Yuchen thought that it would be better toy out everything for him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done some research on Qin Su. She¡¯s always been alone. She doesn¡¯t really believe in marriage, much less rtionships. However, if you make her fall for you, she¡¯ll definitely never leave you. Just like Xiaye and I, you wouldn¡¯t be any less happier than us.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone contained a hint of blessing.

    When Zhou Zimo heard this, he was a little absent-minded¡ª

    Qin Su?

    Could he really woo Qin Su?

    Such a proud woman, if she knew how he treated her, then..

    When Zhou Zimo thought about this, he could not help but shudder. He seemed to be able to imagine Qin Su whipping him.

    This situation naturally made Mu Yuchen look at him with disdain¡ª

    Zhou Zimo could clear his throat, as he thought about it before he said, ¡°Everything I said today, let the secret die with you, I can¡¯t let anyone else know about it. Otherwise, I¡¯ll cut you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his brows disapprovingly. ¡°Only the media would be interested in your romantic affairs. It seems like you¡¯re the most dishonest among us brothers. You even dared to attack yourrade. Zhou Zimo, you¡¯re really quite capable.¡±

    ¡°It was an extraordinary phase. She was already like that, yet there¡¯s no way to wake her up. You might be able to tolerate it,but I couldn¡¯t! Who would want to be a saint of love? Women don¡¯t like their men inexperienced, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t understand this!¡±

    Zhou Zimo gritted his teeth as he subconsciously nced at Mu Yuchen. ¡°If I didn¡¯t see Mu Xiaocheng look so much like you, I really f*cking thought you couldn¡¯t do it... Ah!¡±

    Before Zhou Zimo could finish, Mu Yuchen had already rolled up a magazine and hit him on the head.

    ¡°You can never say anything good! My son is almost two years old, yet your woman is nowhere to be seen. If it¡¯s anyone who can¡¯t do it, it¡¯d be you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Zhou Zimo coldly.

    Zhou Zimo then coughed lightly and poured Mu Yuchen a ss of wine. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Come and drink!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him and quietly raised his ss as well.

    ...

    The two of them drank for most of the night until the bar was closed in the early morning. The two of them could not stand properly anymore, so the car naturally could not be driven. They werepletely drunk and dizzy.

    They could barely find the car that Mu Yuchen had driven over. The two of them fell asleep in the car for the rest of the night.

    Xi Xiaye had been worrying at home the whole night too. When she did not see any callsing back, she called over a dozen times but still did not pick up. After that, it was Xi Xiaye who called Li Si. ording to the GPS in her hand, she found the two of them...

    At this time, the sky was almost bright.

    ¡°Master? Master Mo?¡±

    Just as they got closer, a strong smell of alcohol assaulted their nostrils. Li Si could not help but fan him. ¡°Oh my God, how much did the two of them drink? The car reeks of alcohol!¡±

    ¡°Master, wake up! Master!¡±

    Li Si called Mu Yuchen, but Mu Yuchen was still sleeping soundly.

    Li Si had no choice but to turn to the bodyguard in ck behind him and say¡ª

    ¡°You two send Master Mo to the hotel to rest, I¡¯ll send Master back. Call me when you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Assistant Li!¡±

    ...

    When they returned to Maple Residence, the sky was already bright.

    Xi Xiaye had been worried the entire night. She followed Li Si to help him upstairs to sleep. She simply helped him take off his clothes and washed them. Xi Xiaye was already sweating from exhaustion.

    When she went downstairs, she saw that Li Si was still there.

    ¡°What happened? He¡¯s so drunk?¡±

    Xi Xiaye pointed at the sofa and gestured for Li Si to sit down as she asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. When we rushed over, Master and Master Mo were sleeping soundly in the car. The car reeked of alcohol, so they must have drunk too much. I asked them to arrange for Master Mo to sleep in the hotel,¡± Li Si replied.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, but she frowned slightly. ¡°He drank too much. This Zimo gets drunk every time he drinks. Get the kitchen to prepare some hangover soup and some light porridge for him.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Missus!¡± Li Si replied.

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, he won¡¯t be going to work today. Let¡¯s push this morning¡¯s meeting to tomorrow.¡±

    He had an early meeting this morning, but it seemed like he could not go.

    ¡°Okay, Missus. I¡¯ll make the arrangements right away!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Assistant Li!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Li Si replied before turning around to make the arrangements.

    Xi Xiaye sighed softly, then she had no choice but to go upstairs.

    ¡°Daddy... Daddiy...¡±

    ¡®Thud!¡¯

    She had just reached the bedroom door when she heard some movement from inside. Xi Xiaye noticed that the door was slightly ajar, so she quickly pushed the door open and walked in

    Sure enough, from afar, she saw her son¡¯s tiny body supporting himself on the bed. As he reached out to pull Mu Yuchen¡¯s nket, he called out ¡®daddy¡¯. He must have wanted to wake Mu Yuchen up.

    ¡°Xiaocheng!¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a few big steps over and carried him up. She lowered her head and kissed his tender little face. ¡°When did you wake up? Let Daddy sleep a little longer. Let¡¯s go out. Mommy will wash you up...¡±

 Chapter 1740 - Clouds of the Past (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1740: Clouds of the Past (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Xiaocheng tugged at Mu Yuchen and then turned to look at Xi Xiaye who was hugging him. He blinked as if he could ask Xi Xiaye why her father did not get up to y with him.

    Xi Xiaye was amused by his cute appearance. She quickly reached out to pinch his little face and said softly, ¡°Let Daddy sleep a little longer. When he wakes up, I¡¯ll let him y with you again, hmm?¡±

    ¡°Daddy... Daddy... Mommy... I want Daddy...¡±

    After being carried away by Xi Xiaye, Mu Xiaocheng still waved his hand and shouted at Mu Yuchen on the bed, but Mu Yuchen did not hear his son¡¯s call.

    Xi Xiaye did not go to work today and stayed home instead.

    Mu Yuchen slept until the afternoon. When it was lunchtime, Xi Xiaye saw that he was still sleeping soundly, so she did not wake him up.

    It was not until past one in the afternoon that Mu Yuchen woke up amid a strange itch. He subconsciously reached out to grab the thing that was messing around on his face. Instantly, his palm felt a soft, tenderness.

    He immediately opened his eyes and saw a cute little face¡ª

    It was Mu Xiaocheng who was sprawled on the side of the bed and was touching his face!

    When he saw his father open his eyes to look at him, Mu Xiaocheng even gave him a friendly smile. He squinted at Mu Yuchen and said childishly, ¡°Daddy...¡±

    When Mu Yuchen saw this, his heart softened like a puddle of water. He quickly reached out to pick up his son. ¡°Brat! Where¡¯s brother and sister?¡±

    ¡°They... studying...¡±

    In the end, he still did not fully understand what it meant. Mu Xiaocheng could only roughly remember these words.

    ¡°Why are you alone? Where¡¯s Aunt Fang?¡±

    ¡°Aunt Fang is on leave. Since I¡¯m home today anyway, I let her go. You¡¯re awake?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice sounded. The father and son subconsciously looked over, then they realized that Xi Xiaye had walked in unknowingly. She was standing by the bed and pulled open the curtains, the bedroom was instantly brightened.

    ¡°Mmm, why aren¡¯t you at work today?¡±

    Mu Yuchen sat up with his arms around Mu Xiaocheng.

    ¡°I¡¯m staying home to apany the little guy. You were quite drunk too, so I¡¯m worried. How do you feel now? Why did you drink so much? The moment you came back, you reeked of alcohol. Li Si could only arrange for Zimo to stay at the hotel. I¡¯m afraid he hasn¡¯t woken up yet. There¡¯s still some hangover soup in the kitchen. You should be hungry too. Hurry up and wash up before you eat.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she walked over to carry Mu Xiaocheng.

    ¡°Daddy...¡±

    When Mu Xiaocheng saw Xi Xiaye walking over, he immediately reached out to hug Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Let Daddy take a shower first. Come,e downstairs with Mommy. Mommy will y with you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, let¡¯s take a bath together!¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled faintly and carried him out of bed. ¡°Help us find some clothes. Come take a bath with Daddy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let him y in the water for too long. It¡¯s easy to catch a cold in this weather. Don¡¯t let the water be too cold!¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but nag a bit more, but before she could finish, the father and son had already disappeared at the bathroom door. Of course, Mu Xiaocheng, who was being carried, still reached out to push the door shut.

    Xi Xiaye could only shake her head helplessly. She took a deep breath and went to look for clothes for the father and son.

    About 20 minutester, the father and son came out of the bathroom in a refreshed manner. Xi Xiaye quickly brought Mu Xiaocheng to get him to take a nap while Mu Yuchen went downstairs to eat.

    The little guy woke up very early in the morning and yed for the whole morning, so he fell asleep soon after.

    When Xi Xiaye went downstairs, Mu Yuchen had just finished his meal and was sitting on the sofa in the living room, flipping through the newspaper.

    ¡°Is Zimo okay?¡± Xi Xiaye asked with concern.

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Yuchen immediately remembered the conversation he had with Zhou Zimo the night before. His handsome face could not help but smile¡ª

    He really did not expect Zhou Zimo to have such a past. To think that he and Su Chen had always thought that it was because he missed that person overseas that he was unwilling to open his heart and ept a new rtionship.

    Qin Su?

    She was a pretty good woman, but if she knew how Zhou Zimo treated her, would she let him off so easily? Also, perhaps she knew about this all along, but she did not know if that person was Zhou Zimo, or was she pretending not to know?

    However, for Zimo to actually dare to make a move on Qin Su, he must have eaten a bear¡¯s heart and a leopard¡¯s guts!

    Qin Su¡¯s background was not simple either. If the matter was exposed, it was hard to guarantee that Qin Yi would not juste over and take Zhou Zimo down.

    When he thought about this, Mu Yuchen could not help but get a headache for Zhou Zimo. No wonder this guy did not dare to act rashly. He wanted to know about Qin Su but was also a little...

    ¡°Mr. Mu!¡±

    She called out a few times, but the man did not answer, so she reached out to push him.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Mu Yuchen then came back to his senses.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question. What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you absent-minded?¡± Xi Xiaye frowned and asked.

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s still the same things. His family is pressing me, so I¡¯m feeling a lot of pressure. He asked me to go over and have a few drinks with him. I didn¡¯t pay attention to controlling my intake, so I drank a little too much. Li Si just called, he¡¯s still not awake, but he drank some hangover soup earlier and fell asleep quite soundly.¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied as he reached out to pour her a ss of water.

    ¡°Forced marriage? So stressful?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned and asked. She naturally knew how it feels because she had been troubled by this issue before, but then again, had she and Mu Yuchen not met on a blind date back then too?

    It was just that they were a little more fated¡ª

    They were even in the samepany, that of a superior and a subordinate.

    ¡°What do you think? Zimo has always been bothered by this matter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and drank a mouthful of water. His gaze was a little profound.

    ¡°But this isn¡¯t something that can be rushed. Zimo¡¯s conditions are pretty good. There¡¯s no reason that he can¡¯t meet a woman with good morals, right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen with some confusion.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that he can¡¯t meet her, but it¡¯s not his fate at all. Not everyone is like us,¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly.

    He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s been thinking about someone.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s he thinking about? From the looks of it, it doesn¡¯t seem like it. On Su Chen¡¯s side, Zi Tong is pregnant and Qi Lei is married. Actually, it¡¯s not surprising that he would be so stressed out, his family must be giving him a lot of pressure too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone sounded a little helpless. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what kind of woman would a person like him likes?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a standard once you meet the right person. Don¡¯t worry. I think it won¡¯t be too long before he ends his single life too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen said calmly.

 Chapter 1741 - Torment (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1741: Torment (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun rested at home for a few days in a row. They seemed to be in good spirits after their leave.

    Their work efficiency was also very high during the week.

    Dongfang Liuyun was still the same as usual. asionally, she would drop Qi Lei off at hispany before rushing to Dongfang Group. When she got off work at night, Qi Lei would be so busy that he would wait for her to rush over.

    Both husband and wife left early and returnedte.

    However, the two of them were getting more and more in sync. Be it in the game, in life, or at work.

    Sometimes, Dongfang Liuyun had to admit that Qi Lei seemed to be here to coordinate with her life and work.

    They had the same hobbies, yed the same games, and were now handling and participating in the same project.

    Before Dongfang Gan left, he had gotten Ah Fei to give Dongfang Liuyun all the information on the South River Project. This project was not small, and they were now working on a preliminary n. When Dongfang Gan returns to finalize the contract, they could start construction.

    Dongfang Liuyun was doing Dongfang Gan¡¯s work, so it was naturally not easy.

    At this moment, the sky had already turned dark, and it was time for the lights to turn on outside.

    In Qi Lei¡¯s office.

    Qi Lei was sitting in front of his desk, still busy with his work. Dongfang Liuyun was sitting on the sofa across him, she was also working away at theputer in front of her. The office was very quiet. All that could be heard was the sound of typing on the keyboard, the light that filled the room was also very warm.

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s faint feminine voice was suddenly heard¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent you one of the data, can you help me see what¡¯s wrong.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she did not even look up, though Qi Lei did raise his gaze and nce at her.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After replying, he pulled a chair over and looked at theputer screen at the side.

    Qi Lei was focused on the screen. He helped her make some changes. It took him about half an hour before he was done. He sent it back to her. ¡°Just verify it and it¡¯ll be done.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and subconsciously nced at the time on the screen. When she saw that the hour hand was already past nine, she realized that it was alreadyte.

    However, she did not feel hungry. Yang Sheng had brought food for the husband and wife just now. The two of them made do with it and ate. Dongfang Liuyun even drank some soup after that, and helped clean off Qi Lei¡¯s portion too, so she felt pretty good.

    However, she felt a little tired. After dealing with these things continuously for a few days, she was a little worn out.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time to pack up. Let¡¯s go soak in the hot spring. I think we¡¯ve been working too hard recently, let¡¯s go and rx, full body health care, your treat! It¡¯s our off day tomorrow anyway.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun closed the notebook in front of her with one hand and slowly stood up.

    ¡°The hot spring club?¡± Qi Lei looked up at her and asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already started to pack up the things in front of her.

    ¡°Sure. Hurry up and pack up!¡±

    Qi Lei then unhurriedly closed hisputer and packed up the documents. Dongfang Liuyun also came over to help him get his coat and held the car keys in one hand.

    The couple quickly left thepany and went straight to the hot spring club.

    This was a ce that the couple frequented.

    Before the couple got married, they had been regr customers here as they had good service. Now, the couple just used the VIP room that Qi Lei had reserved previously.

    However, Qi Lei definitely would not call a handsome young man for Dongfang Liuyun. He only called those skilled aunties for her while he drank tea and smoked while waiting for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Of course, the husband and wife would also be chatting, just like now.

    ¡°Are you really not going to call one? The new girls here are all pretty skilled. It¡¯s good for your cervical vertebrae if you massage it more. I massaged it for youst night. It¡¯s very congested.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyuny on her belly, allowing the technician to massage her. She looked up slightly at Qi Lei who was flipping through a magazine while smoking leisurely.

    Qi Lei flicked the ash from his cigarette and did not look at her. His gaze was still on the magazine in front of him, but his deep voice traveled over

    ¡°Enjoy yours.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and did not continue. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Go to the hospital tomorrow.¡±

    At this, Qi Lei paused. He silently raised his gaze and looked over¡ª

    ¡°Are you trying to be a good daughter-inw?¡±

    There was a hint of mockery in his voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows furrowed even deeper. After a while, he said calmly, ¡°You can think whatever you want. If it makes you feel superior, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly.

    Qi Lei smiled as well. He lowered his eyes and continued reading his magazine while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go over tomorrow morning. Coincidentally, the doctor is going to conduct a routine check-up on him.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was indifferent. There was no emotion in his voice. He was not sure how he felt about Qi Qiming anymore. Whether he woke up or not was not something he could decide. If Qi Qiming decided not to wake up, what could he do?

    ¡°He¡¯ll wake up.¡±

    Seeing that his brows were slightly furrowed, Dongfang Liuyun said so.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether he wakes up or not. It doesn¡¯t make much of a difference. No need to worry about him, the only person you married is me.¡±

    Qi Lei did not even lift his eyes as he said this coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t really like listening to reasons and exnations. You might not know much about the Qi family¡¯s matters, when I have some free time, I¡¯ll exin it all to you if you¡¯re interested.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment and did not say anything else. The couple fell silent.

    For some reason, he suddenly realized that they both had problematic childhoods. Thinking of this, Dongfang Liuyun felt a little ufortable.

    ¡°On many things, our beliefs and standpoints are different from theirs, so there are some things that we can¡¯t say are right or wrong. If we can¡¯t exin it clearly, we don¡¯t have to exin it deliberately. We have to distinguish between right and wrong. Moreover, not everything can be said to be right or wrong. I¡¯ve never believed that dialectics can be applied to the subjective world with standpoints,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun calmly.

    Qi Lei knew that she was probably referring to the problem between her and her mother, Song Siting. Thinking about it, was it not the same between him and Wang Qin back then? As for Qi Qiming right now, Qi Lei really could not say how he felt.

    After extinguishing the cigarette between his fingers, Qi Lei was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because of this that it¡¯s easy for conflicts to arise. If you insist on a different stance, you¡¯ll have different perspectives to consider the problem. Not everyone can understand each other. I¡¯m used to it. You won¡¯t be ying this kind of feelings card with me in the future, right?¡±

 Chapter 1742 - Torment (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1742: Torment (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer Qi Lei¡¯s question.

    She only responded with a profound gaze, Qi Lei did not understand what it meant.

    When they left the hot spring club, it was alreadyte at night. The couple rushed back. When they reached home, it was almost midnight. The couple washed up briefly and then went to bed to rest.

    However, Qi Lei suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.

    He did not eat anything in the club. After tossing and turning all night, he suddenly felt hungry and his stomach hurt. He could not take it anymore, so he turned on the light at the side, the bedroom suddenly lit up...

    He subconsciously turned his head and nced at the woman beside him. Seeing that she was sound asleep, he thought for a long time before reaching out to nudge her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was in deep sleep. She had been busy for the past few days, so of course, she was exhausted. When Qi Lei nudged her, she did not wake up immediately. It was not like the light sleep she had when she first got married, perhaps it was because she was used to him lying next to her and have adapted to his breathing.

    He nudged her but did not see any reactions. Qi Lei frowned and pushed harder without saying anything.

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled up the nket, turned around, and continued sleeping with her back facing him.

    Qi Lei did not stop what he was doing, but his frown deepened¡ª

    She slept like a pig!

    He wanted to wake her up and go out to find something to eat. There was nothing good at home. The fridge was filled with fruits and there was nothing ready-made. They had note home to eat for the past few days, so there was no leftovers.

    Qi Lei stopped what he was doing and looked at her for a while. Then, he got out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. He nned to make do with some noodles.

    However, when the door closed, Dongfang Liuyun woke up in a daze. Just now, she could vaguely feel someone shaking her, but she was too tired and could not wake up. Now, she could slowly will herself to wake up.

    Qi Lei carried arge bowl of noodles. As he walked out of the kitchen and ate a few, he was surprised to find Dongfang Liuyun sitting on the sofa in the living room!

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to wake up in the middle of the night to cook. The food tonight was indeed not good.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her head and drank a mouthful of warm water. She put the cup down and looked at Qi Lei¡¯s bowl. She paused for a moment and asked, ¡°Is there more in the pot?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her before passing the bowl in his hand to her.

    Dongfang took it without hesitation.

    Qi Lei returned to the kitchen. Not long after, he brought out another big bowl of noodles.

    The couple sat next to each other, eating while watching the NBA.

    ¡°When I was young, I actually admired those boys who were good at basketball, but those boys used their abilities to make those school belles their girlfriends.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed, ¡°Now that I think about it, so many years have passed.¡±

    ¡°Were you the school belle or the belle of your ss then?¡±

    Qi Lei asked as he picked up a fried egg from his bowl and gave it to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun epted it without hesitation, and then gave him the ham sausage that she did not like, and took a few strands of noodles from his bowl, ¡°I was neither. With my looks, I can¡¯t be considered the school belle or anything.¡±

    ¡°Those people don¡¯t know how to appreciate things, how did they even appreciate the women?¡±

    Qi Lei did not think much of it.

    ¡°I should be asking you boys. Our school is famous for its beautiful girls, in fact they were both talented and beautiful. I probably lost because of my temperament. Although I have a lot of friends at school, they¡¯re usually not very close to me. Most of them are the ones who take the initiative to approach me, I don¡¯t like to join in the fun, so maybe they find that I¡¯m a little cold and unreasonable,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun nonchntly.

    ¡°This is a good thing. It¡¯s easy for people to go astray if you¡¯re too popr. In the future, you don¡¯t have to get too close to those guys. It¡¯s most likely because they have bad intentions, especially those who seem eager for no reason,¡± said Qi Lei.

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged, nced at him, and continued eating her noodles.

    ¡°What kind of look is that? I¡¯m being serious with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being quite serious too,¡± replied Dongfang Liuyun.

    ...

    After tossing and turning for a long time, it was already past four in the morning when they fell asleep again. They had the next day off, so the couple was not too worried.

    ...

    Ufortable!

    A nauseating feeling welled up in her heart. Ji Zitong pulled the nket back and quickly got out of bed. She rushed into the bathroom and retched again!

    Su Chen, who had just fallen asleep, quickly turned on the lights and got out of bed as well.

    It had been an entire night!

    There had been no reaction before, but she had vomited like this the entire night.

    She had woken up several times in one night. There was nothing left in her stomach, and all she vomited was acid water.

    ¡°Are you okay? How are you feeling?¡±

    Su Chen quickly poured a cup of warm water over and held her frailness with one hand. He frowned and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just eat a piece of braised fishst night? How are you vomiting this much? Does it feel really awful?¡±

    Ji Zitong wiped her mouth and took the water from him. She drank two mouthfuls before she felt better.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±

    Ji Zitong could barely speak. She felt as if she was floating.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you fine a few days ago? You don¡¯t look too well, let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±

    As he spoke, he reached out for the cup in her hand and ced it aside. Then, without a second word, he picked her up and strode out of the bathroom.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, this reaction is normal.¡±

    Ji Zitong struggled for a moment before speaking.

    ¡°I can¡¯t rest easy. Let¡¯s see what the doctor has to say, we can¡¯t just let it be. There must be something we can do. Otherwise, when will it settle down?¡±

    As Su Chen spoke, his footsteps did not stop. When they reached the outside, he simply ced her on the sofa, grabbed a jacket, and put it on her. He then changed into a simple casual outfit, he took the car keys and continued to carry Ji Zitong downstairs in a hurry.

    Ji Zitong did not have any strength left. She had been fine for the past few days and was able to eat and sleep. However, these past two days, she started to feel odd and began to have serious reactions, especially since dinnerst night.

    However, she did not want to be tormented anymore. It was good to get checked too. She struggled for a while and said that she could walk on her own, but Su Chen pretended not to hear her. After a while, he carried her into the car, swiftly fastened his seatbelt, and started the car, they went straight to the hospital!

 Chapter 1743 - Torment (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1743: Torment (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon arriving at the hospital, they went straight to the emergency department. The doctor exined to Su Chen for a while and even said that this condition might continue for a while. This made Su Chen a little anxious.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a way to make her feel better? She should be given injections, and she should be given medicine. She can¡¯t keep vomiting like this, right? She¡¯s already like this, aren¡¯t you doctors going to take care of her?¡±

    Su Chen looked at Ji Zitong¡¯s pale and haggard face. His handsome eyebrows were furrowed as he asked the doctor in a deep voice.

    The doctor looked at Ji Zitong again and quickly shifted his gaze to Su Chen. He adjusted his slightly droopy eyes and spoke in a less courteous tone¡ª

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s easy for a woman to carry a child for ten months? If you take medicine and injections now, it will affect the baby. Have some folic acid or some biscuits for pregnant women to see if it helps. Be careful of foods that should be abstained from the diet. As long as she can still eat, it¡¯ll be fine. Boil some light soup and try some millet porridge...¡±

    The doctor then instructed seriously.

    Ji Zitong also felt dizzy and did not have much strength. The doctorter gave Ji Zitong a packet of salted soda biscuits and told her to try chewing on some.

    Ji Zitong did as he said and it stopped. She felt better after a while.

    ¡°It seems that she can still have this, you can buy some for her to try. The food at home should be less vorful and lighter. It¡¯s fine, after the first three months, she might not have such an intense reaction anymore.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, doctor, I feel better now.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s face was pale as she thanked the doctor weakly.

    ¡°Okay. When we get back, you can prepare the food I told you about, like grapes and apples, it¡¯s good for your health. Pay attention to your rest. Don¡¯t stay at home all day, go out for a walk and breathe in some fresh air. It¡¯s also very important to maintain a happy mood.¡±

    The doctor reminded her again.

    ¡°Okay, thank you!¡±

    At this moment, Su Chen helped Ji Zitong out of the clinic.

    It was almost five o¡¯clock when they left the hospital. The October morning was not like the previous months, the sky was bright so early. At this moment, the entire city was still very quiet and immersed in a dream.

    Ji Zitong was also a little sleepy now, but she still forced herself to open her eyes to look at the street outside the car window.

    There were already more and more cars. The people who woke up to get breakfast or groceries had already begun to move about.

    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, sleep for a while. I¡¯ll wake you up when we get home.¡±

    Su Chen was still quite energetic. When he subconsciously turned his head to look at Ji Zitong and saw her haggard appearance, his heart ached a little. He thought about it and said, ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you. If you really can¡¯t take it anymore then forget it, we can try again in another one or two years.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want our child?¡±

    Hearing his words, Ji Zitong immediately stroked her t belly and looked at Su Chen uneasily, ¡°Do you not want it?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you thinking? I¡¯m already so old, of course I want a child. I¡¯m just worried that your body can¡¯t take it. If it really continues like this for a few months, is that something that a person can take? I haven¡¯t seen sister like this before either, but your reactions are so intense? It¡¯s obvious that your body isn¡¯t strong enough. If you can¡¯t take it, then you can take these two years to recuperate first,¡± Su Chen took the time to exin.

    Hearing this, Ji Zitong heaved a sigh of relief. Her heart eased up a little. After a moment of silence, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can take it, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°You already look so pale and yet you say you¡¯re fine. I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯d have to endure such pain, otherwise, I would have...¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s handsome face was filled with silence, and his gaze seemed profound.

    ¡°Did you really think it was that easy? My mother was like this when she was pregnant with me. But after that, she was much better, don¡¯t worry,¡± exined Ji Zitong.

    ¡°You should rest well. I¡¯m not that busy at the moment, so I can apany you for a walk from time to time, we can stroll around nearby ces. It¡¯s autumn now, and the maple leaves in Maple Hill should be red by now. I¡¯ll bring you there to take a look when you feel better in a few days.¡±

    Su Chen thought for a moment and reached out with hisrge hand. He gently held her slightly cold little hand and held the steering wheel steadily with the other hand.

    The familiar warmth made Ji Zitong¡¯s heart feel snug. She quietly lowered her head and silently looked at therge hand that held her¡¯s. After some thought, she gently ced her other hand on it, and then ced his hand on her belly¡ª

    ¡°I will definitely give birth to them safely. I am... very much looking forward to its arrival. This way, we will have one more rtive. If It¡¯s a boy, we will raise him to be a man like you. If It¡¯s a girl, we will dress her up well and let her be a carefree and happy princess.¡±

    As Ji Zitong spoke, her bright eyes flickered with a faint light. It was easy to spot the anticipation in her eyes.

    Su Chen nced at her and naturally saw the excitement in her eyes. His handsome face instantly softened, and his tone became gentler, ¡°Of course, if it¡¯s a girl, she would definitely be as beautiful and heroic as you. My daughter would definitely be very outstanding.¡±

    Ji Zitong pursed her lips and chuckled. ¡°Are you going crazy thinking about your daughter? I remember Chairman Mu and Xiaye were also thinking about giving birth to a daughter, but...¡±

    ¡°He, Mu Yuchen, is only suitable to give birth to sons. He already has two sons. If he wants to have another one, it¡¯ll definitely be a son again. He¡¯s not fated to have a daugther,¡± said Su Chen seriously.

    However, even though he said that, he still hoped that his wish woulde true.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s health was severely affected when she gave birth to Mu Zicheng. The chances of her being pregnant again were not high. She had been busy recuperatingtely. If it was effective, giving birth to a daughter as she wished would naturally be best. Mu Yuchen liked daughters just like him. Zhou Zimo should be the same too. He wondered if there was any progress between him and Qin Su. It had been a few days since he made a sound, he did not know what he had been busy with recently.

    Because Ji Zitong¡¯s pregnancy had not been going welltely, Zhou Zimo did not bother Su Chen anymore. Instead, he went to look for Mu Yuchen.

    Ji Zitong pursed her lips and smiled when she heard him. ¡°If Chairman Mu and the others heard you, I wonder what would happen.¡±

    ¡°What can they do? Mu Yuchen can¡¯t beat me. When ites to fighting, Mu Yuchen, Zhou Zimo, and Qi Lei altogether would probably be able to fight me to a draw. Do you think my position as the big brother is for nothing?¡± Su Chen said coolly.

    Ji Zitong smiled without a word...

 Chapter 1744 - See You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1744: See You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The first glimmer of light in the morning dispelled the silence of the night. The curtain of the morning lifted, and an intoxicating golden soft light quietly appeared on the horizon. The soft light became more and more brilliant, quietly falling on the clean floor-to-ceiling window, the floor in front of the window was silent with arge softness.

    When Dongfang Liuyun woke up, the seat beside her was already empty.

    She got out of bed and washed up at a leisurely pace. When she finished cleaning up and went downstairs, the sofa in the living room was also empty. Usually, Qi Lei would sit on the sofa and read the newspaper while waiting for her to have breakfast.

    ¡°Good morning, Missus!¡±

    Mama Wang had just prepared breakfast. When she saw Dongfang Liuyuning down from upstairs, she greeted him warmly.

    ¡°Good morning. Where¡¯s your Master?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked with a frown as she walked down the stairs.

    ¡°Master drove out early in the morning. He said he would be back soon. He asked Missus to have breakfast first. There¡¯s no need to wait for him,¡± said Mama Wang.

    ¡°He went out? What¡¯s he up to?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked with some doubt as she walked over to the dining table. She silently pulled out a chair and sat down.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Master didn¡¯t say. There must be something urgent. But he should be back soon.¡±

    Mama Wang exined as she poured some milk for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself. You can go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Missus!¡±

    Only then did Mama Wang leave.

    However, when Dongfang Liuyun was halfway through, the sound of the car stopping could be heard from outside. Not long after, familiar footsteps could be heard as well as Mama Wang¡¯s greeting.

    ¡°You¡¯re up?¡±

    Qi Lei walked in with big strides. He took off his coat, unbuttoned his sleeves, and folded them slightly. He sat down across Dongfang Liuyun. He took a wet towel from the side and wiped his hands, his gaze naturally fell on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear and indifferent face.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not respond to him. Instead, she reached out and poured him a ss of milk as she said, ¡°Where did you go so early in the morning?¡±

    ¡°It was about work. I expected you to be awake soon, so I rushed back.¡± Qi Lei exined simply.

    ¡°I thought you were nning to let me go over by myself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not forget what they had agreed to yesterday.

    ¡°When have I ever ked? Besides, I have to go over every week. Even if you don¡¯t go, I have to go over.¡±

    Qi Lei said these words indifferently before lowering his head and quietly enjoying his breakfast. There was no expression on his handsome face.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at him and saw that he was eating elegantly. She thought about it and lowered her eyes while cutting the food on her te, she said, ¡°I know that the knot in your heart will stay for a while. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. If you really don¡¯t want to go, I don¡¯t have to go. I would hope that you¡¯ll be happier and more rxed.¡±

    When she finished speaking, Qi Lei paused for a moment before quickly turning to her, ¡°It¡¯s not because of this. Of course, I hope that you can go. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m worried that seeing the Qi family in such a state will only add a sense of destion to your heart. At least, every time I calm down and think about it, I would feel that way.¡±

    At this point, Qi Lei paused and thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°You haven¡¯t been to the Qi family¡¯s old mansion. When Grandfather and Grandmother were still around, the house was very lively, but now... it¡¯s no different from a dead manor. It¡¯s empty and quiet there, and even I feel a little oddly afraid when I walk in. I hope that you won¡¯t have to get involved with everything in the Qi family. After all, it¡¯s in the past, and it¡¯s all unpleasant things.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite thoughtful. I don¡¯t want to drag you into the depths of the Dongfang family too, but aren¡¯t you implicated now? And it seems that I feel quite at ease. When you finally have the same realization as me, that would make you a qualified husband.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, her hands reached across the table and passed the fried egg on her te to him. She had eaten twost night and was a little tired of them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about this. You¡¯re different from me.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her. He was not epting it as is.

    ¡°Do you really not like your father, and hate being part of the Qi Family?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a sip of milk and asked calmly. She did not look at him. Instead, she quietly looked at the food on her te.

    Qi Lei was silent for a while before he said quietly, ¡°Not really. I had high hopes for him in the past, butter, I became numb to it. To be honest, when I saw him lying in my arms covered in blood, I did feel some sadness. Qi Feng died in my arms too, and I even saw my mother die in front of me. After experiencing so many life and death situations, I should have been able to let it go a little.¡±

    Thinking about these unhappy past, Qi Lei could not help but feel a little ufortable. However, even though there was still a lump of bitterness in the depths of his throat that he could not swallow, he could calm himself down now. It was not like how he was in the past...

    ¡°Sometimes, you¡¯ll suddenly feel that the world is just so quiet. There¡¯s nothing to look forward to, and there¡¯s nothing to be nostalgic about. You¡¯ll be a lonely person, and you¡¯ll be alone.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was indifferent, and no emotions could be heard.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun could easily catch a hint of disappointment in his eyes, as if he had epted his fate. Of course, that eptance of fate was not the kind of decadent eptance of fate, but the kind of nonchnt relief. She just watched him, and for some reason, it made her feel a hint of sadness.

    ¡°Why a lonely person? I¡¯m not lonely, and neither will you be. Let¡¯s be partners. I¡¯ve given you my back. You don¡¯t have any expectations, but you can¡¯t make me not have any expectations too. I can¡¯t lose, and your responsibility is to not let me lose. Do you understand?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not try tofort him, but what she said was especially pleasing for Qi Lei to hear.

    Sometimes, it was not thatforting was more effective. Dongfang Liuyun seemed to always be able to find his weakness. Even he had to admit that perhaps, in this world, the only person who was in tune with him and who truly understood him was this woman called Dongfang Liuyun, his legitimate wife.

    At this thought, Qi Lei could not help but feel that he might be able to touch a sliver of luck. If she could always stay by his side and grow old together with him, it would definitely be the most beautiful thing that fate had given him.

 Chapter 1745 - See You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1745: See You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a moment of silence, Qi Lei smiled and said in a low voice¡ª

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about handing yourself over to me just like that?¡±

    What if he did not achieve the result she had expected?

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried and scared, but since it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll bet on it too. That¡¯s why I have to keep an eye on you. But of course, seeing your well intentions, that makes me happy too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not wait for him to finish his sentence and cut him off.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei had to admit that she made him feel a faint joy.

    ¡°Have breakfast, once you¡¯re done we¡¯ll rest for a bit and then go over.¡±

    Qi Lei did not say anything after that. After saying this, he lowered his head and continued to enjoy his breakfast. However, his handsome face revealed his happy mood.

    ...

    Not long after breakfast, the couple headed straight for the hospital.

    When they arrived at the hospital, it was already past nine in the morning. There were many people at the hospital. Since it was the weekend, they were naturally busier than usual.

    ¡°Master Qi, Missus, we¡¯ve arrived at the hospital!¡±

    The car had just stopped when Yang Sheng, who was in front, came over to help open the car door.

    Qi Lei got out of the car and very gentlemanly extended his hand towards Dongfang Liuyun in the car. Dongfang Liuyun put her hand into his and followed his lead as she slowly got out of the car.

    ¡°The doctor is still giving President Qi a checkup. Master Qi, Missus, shall we go up first?¡± Yang Sheng asked.

    Qi Lei nodded and let go of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand. He put one hand in his pocket and walked forward unhurriedly.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched his back as he walked past her and paused for a while before following him.

    ...

    After entering the elevator anding out, she turned around the winding corridor and followed Qi Lei all the way to the VIP ward. After a while, they arrived at a quiet ward door.

    The door to the ward was open.

    Standing at the door, she could still hear voices in the ward. Before she could regain her senses, the half-closed door was suddenly pulled open, and the doctor walked out.

    It was Liang Jing!

    ¡°Doctor Liang, how is our President Qi¡¯s condition?¡± Yang Sheng asked immediately.

    Liang Jing flipped open the medical record in her hand and looked at it. Then, she looked up at Qi Lei. Her gaze soon stopped on Dongfang Liuyun who was beside Qi Lei. Her eyes lit up and she asked subconsciously, ¡°Qi Lei, this is?¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, my wife. Liuyun, this is Chief Physician Liang, my father¡¯s attending physician and Zhou Zimo¡¯s mother.¡±

    Qi Lei gave a simple introduction.

    ¡°Hello, Aunty Liang.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly greeted Liang Jing.

    Liang Jing was stunned for a while before she regained her senses. Previously, she had heard Zhou Zimo mention the fact that Qi Lei was already married. She did not expect him to marry such a good woman!

    Liang Jing could not help but feel a little happy. She smiled and said, ¡°I see. Hello, Liuyun!¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s my father¡¯s condition?¡± Qi Lei looked into the ward and asked.

    ¡°Still the same. His body¡¯s condition has recovered, but he hasn¡¯t woken up yet. Today¡¯s routine check-up shows that his bodily functions have returned to normal. If you ask me when he¡¯ll wake up, I¡¯m afraid I still can¡¯t answer you.¡±

    Liang Jing answered very sincerely, ¡°The current situation is that his body has mostly recovered, but he hasn¡¯t woken up yet. We¡¯ve studied it in detail. It should be because he subconsciously doesn¡¯t want to wake up, or because he can¡¯t face the truth, so he hasn¡¯t regained consciousness yet.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei¡¯s expression froze, but he did not say anything after that.

    He paused for a moment before walking over to the ward. Dongfang Liuyun followed him in.

    In the ward, the nurse was helping Qi Qiming settle down. When she saw Qi Lei walk in, she bowed respectfully.

    Qi Lei nodded and said calmly, ¡°You may leave first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Qi.¡±

    The nurse acknowledged him before leaving.

    Qi Lei slowly walked to Qi Qiming¡¯s bedside and stopped. He looked down at Qi Qiming, who did not have any reaction on the bed. He was silent for a while before he spoke softly, ¡°All this while, that¡¯s the news I¡¯ve been hearing. So, I really didn¡¯t know if I should bring you here. Otherwise, this is the only thing you¡¯ll be seeing.¡±

    As he spoke, Qi Lei did not turn to look at Dongfang Liuyun. He continued to silently look at Qi Qiming on the hospital bed. There was a rare hint of mncholy on his handsome face, ¡°Maybe this is God¡¯s punishment for him. Many times, God is still fair.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood beside him and looked at Qi Qiming on the hospital bed for a while. She turned her gaze and quickly looked at him. After hesitating for a moment, she said, ¡°Do you really think that he¡¯s paying his debt like this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not think much of it. She nced at Qi Qiming and then looked away, ¡°How can you pay back the debt that you owe so easily? No matter what, he is the one who gave you life. Even if we don¡¯t ask him for anything, we have to do our part. Do you really think that everyone should treat you well from the moment you were born? If you can think about it from another perspective and know that you¡¯ll only get what you give, perhaps you¡¯ll feel better.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m not open-minded by nature?¡±

    Hearing Dongfang Liuyun say this, Qi Lei directly responded to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at him and did not reply. Instead, she silently looked at Qi Qiming who was lying on the hospital bed¡ª

    Qi Qiming was not a stranger. She had more or less heard of his name among the upper-ss circle. They seemed to have met him at some banquets, but they were not familiar with each other and did not have the chance to talk to each other.

    She did not expect to marry into the Qi family in this lifetime. The person in front of her who was already very thin and had been lying on the bed was Qi Lei¡¯s father.

    Seeing him like this, he did not seem to be a demanding person, but who would have thought...

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Dongfang Liuyun, Qi Lei¡¯s wife. If you really care about Qi Lei, then please wake up with a strong heart. At least at our wedding, we won¡¯t be denied the opportunity to serve you tea. If you think that you¡¯re still a father, you won¡¯t leave your child alone in this world. Right now, he¡¯s all alone.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun bent down slightly and whispered into Qi Qiming¡¯s ear.

    After a pause, she continued, ¡°Your son, Qi Lei, is a very outstanding person. I know that you actually care about him a lot. He¡¯s not a person who will protect himself. You¡¯re his father, and he has always needed you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her voice to the point that Qi Lei could not hear her...

 Chapter 1746 - See You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1746: See You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She whispered something into Qi Qiming¡¯s ear. Qi Lei did not hear her clearly, nor did he move closer to her. Instead, he stood silently and watched her.

    After for a while, Dongfang Liuyun straightened her back.

    ¡°The doctor said that he might not wake up. The previous incident had hit him too hard, and he might not be able to withstand it. That¡¯s why he might have subconsciously chosen not to wake up. Even I myself find that the hope of him waking up is slim, especially now that his body is recovering day by day.¡±

    ¡°There are some things that once you choose to evade it, you¡¯ll be addicted. The pressure you bear is too great, so naturally, it can drive one crazy. I think that he might...¡±

    ¡°He might not be as strong as you think. It¡¯s not some pity or excuse. I just feel a little sad for him. I¡¯ve heard from Wang Chun that he¡¯s been suffering ever since Mother left. He¡¯s been relying on sleeping pills to get through every night. When my mother was still alive, she also made things difficult for other women who tried to climb up the ranks, but he didn¡¯t stop her...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not wait for Qi Lei to finish his sentence. She cut him off and stared quietly at Qi Qiming who was lying on the bed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that even he himself couldn¡¯t understand such feelings. It must have been a most painful time for him, he didn¡¯t know how to cherish her while she was still alive. Only when she passed on did he understand his own feelings. He can¡¯t get it back now no matter what...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of that?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at Dongfang Liuyun and said disapprovingly, ¡°I just don¡¯t care about the person in front of me. The so-called expectations and hope are all things in the future. Nothing is more important than this moment.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and nodded. She silently looked at Qi Qiming on the hospital bed and did not say anything.

    They were all so insecure. Forget about the future, what they had was the present.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve met him. It¡¯s about time for us to go back.¡±

    Qi Lei eased up a little. He nced at Dongfang Liuyun and finally looked at the person lying on the hospital bed. Then, he walked out of the ward.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not follow him immediately. Instead, she turned to look at him. She realized that his lonely figure had disappeared outside the door, but she could not help but feel her heart sink.

    At this moment, Yang Sheng, who was waiting outside the ward, saw Qi Lei walk out. He immediately went up to him¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi, how is it? is President Qi¡¯s condition getting better? Doctor Liang said just now...¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei raised his hand to stop him. ¡°It¡¯s still the same. Remember to instruct the nurses on what they need to pay attention to.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng answered in a low voice and looked at Qi Lei. He wanted to say something, but Qi Lei had already walked over indifferently towards the long corridor in front of him. However, he did not see Dongfang Liuyun follow him out.

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a while. He looked at Qi Lei¡¯s receding figure. After a while, he retreated and carefully pushed open the half-closed door. Only then did he see Dongfang Liuyun walking towards the door at a leisurely pace.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    Yang Sheng took the initiative to go up and called out softly.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and turned her body to look at the corridor ahead. She did not see Qi lei, so she frowned and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your Master?¡±

    ¡°Master has probably gone straight to the car. Missus, you should go too. Master Qi looks like...¡±

    Yang Sheng said in a low voice. His eyes were filled with worry.

    ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun left this sentence and followed after him.

    In the hospital parking lot, Qi Lei stood silently by the car. He looked up slightly at the tall hospital building opposite him. His gaze was quite calm.

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked over, he quietly averted his gaze. He turned his gaze to look at her and reached out to open the car door. ¡°We¡¯ve seen him, let¡¯s go back now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and quickly sat inside.

    ¡®Bam!¡¯

    The car door closed and Qi Lei started the car.

    ¡°Let me bring you back to the old mansion for a walk.¡±

    As the car drove out of the parking lot, Qi Lei suddenly said this.

    Dongfang Liuyun fell silent and did not say anything.

    ¡°The information on your left is the background information of the Qi family after they have roughly cleaned up all these years. In the early years, the Qi family was also quiteplicated. My grandfather actually had a younger brother, but he diedter on. My grandfather was very decisive in handling matters. He was very sessful in the underworld. Back then, in order to avenge his dead younger brother, he also... Grandfather watched my mother grow up. It wasn¡¯t a matter of a day or two that he wanted my mother to marry old man Qi. Of course, he has good taste. It¡¯s just that old man Qi himself didn¡¯t know how to cherish it.¡±

    Qi Lei said simply as he steadied the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already taken the document from the side and was silently flipping through it.

    It did give a general introduction of the Qi family¡¯s situation. Of course, there was also some information about Qi Feng and Wang Qin¡¯s background.

    Dongfang Liuyun only had to go through it once before she understood the general situation. She could not help but turn her head to look at Dongfang Liuyun. Naturally, Dongfang Liuyun was focused on driving.

    ¡°I can see that your childhood may not have been very good, living in such a family. I am a little luckier than you. At least in terms of my parents¡¯ feelings and family, the influence they brought to me was positive. It¡¯s just that since I was young, I knew what I had to face. I always had to be outstanding in every aspect, which is why I felt worn out and stressed.¡±

    ¡°But you still maintained a good state of mind. I remember Father saying that life is like a pressure cooker, I was really afraid that I was going to cook myself.¡±

    Qi Lei recalled some of Dongfang Gan¡¯s words.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m talking about you. I¡¯ve always been in a good state of mind. My Father has never been too worried about me. On the other hand, Ms. Song often feels too stressed, making it hard for her to catch her breath. Last year, she had to rest at home for a long time because her stomach wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun exined silently.

    ¡°Mother¡¯s health doesn¡¯t seem to be very good. It¡¯s best if we find an opportunity to take her for aprehensive physical examination. How about this? I¡¯ll get Yang Sheng to make an appointment. You can go with Mother next weekend.¡±

    Qi Lei recalled song siting¡¯s condition from before. It did not seem to be very good.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun fell silent. She did not reply and instead turned to look out of the car window.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Sensing her silence, Qi Lei spoke softly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t persuade her. I advise you not to worry about this. She¡¯s not the kind of person who would appreciate our kind intentions.¡±

 Chapter 1747 - Injury (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1747: Injury (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing this, Qi Lei did not continue. He turned to look at her and saw that she was propping up her slender fingers against her forehead. She was closing her eyes silently.

    ¡°She has very different philosophies from us. There¡¯s no way tomunicate with her. You¡¯ll get used to it. All these years, only my father has been able to tolerate her. You don¡¯t have to worry too much about her when you¡¯re with me.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she brushed her long hair with her fingers and turned to look at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that kind of blindly filial person. If I think it¡¯s right, I¡¯ll support it.¡±

    ¡°Your mother is also my mother. I have to thank her for bringing you into this world. Liuyun, many times, don¡¯t let unnecessary conflicts exist. You can still cherish everything that you can now, unlike me, even if I wanted to cherish it, I don¡¯t have that chance anymore.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment before saying this.

    Dongfang Liuyun just chuckled, ¡°I know what you mean, but you only know one part of it. Madam Song has never dared to admit to people outside that I¡¯m her daughter, nor would she give me the halo of the Dongfang family¡¯s Fourth Lady. I know that she wants to train me. But when you have to face too many difficulties alone, you¡¯ll feel...¡±

    ¡°My mother had always wanted to protect me, but I know that I can¡¯t always hide under their protection. The halo of the Qi family¡¯s Second Master isn¡¯t necessarily good for me. You know my situation very well,¡± said Qi Lei.

    ¡°Ms. Song suffered a lot in the early years. She felt that I should have her spirit, so she hoped that I could experience what she did. This is not something I can endure. Everyone has their own path to walk, and they have their own ways of mature thinking. My father always said that she¡¯s actually very fragile. In my eyes, she¡¯s a superwoman who could never fall.¡±

    There was no meaning in that tone of voice.

    Qi Lei looked at her and did not say anything else. He just quietly sped up.

    The car sped forward like lightning. It was very quiet in the car. The couple did not say anything more. When they turned a traffic light, a series of phone ringtones broke the silence.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her gaze and saw that it was her mobile phone, so she picked it up slowly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Hello? Miss Liuyun, Hurry ande to Hospital T. Lawyer Song won the case, the other party¡¯s family was too emotional, so they went up to threaten Lawyer Song and pushed her down the stairs. Lawyer Song... is seriously injured. She suffered a fracture and was stabbed in the right chest...¡±

    As soon as the call was connected, the panicked voice came from the other side.

    Dongfang Liuyun heard it clearly, too!

    Something had happened to Song Siting!

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent face instantly tensed up, and her starry eyes narrowed¡ª

    ¡°What happened? How is she?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. She¡¯s still in the operating room. We can¡¯t get through to President Gan. We...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve failed in your duty! You can¡¯t even protect a single person! Seal the news immediately. This matter can¡¯t be released. Also, don¡¯t tell my father about this first. I¡¯ll rush over now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and suppressed the uneasiness in her heart as she instructed.

    ¡°Yes, Miss! I¡¯ll do it right away.¡±

    ...

    After hanging up the phone, Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at Qi Lei who was beside her¡ª

    ¡°Turn around and go to Hospital T immediately. My mother had an ident and is being treated in the emergency room.¡±

    It was not hard to tell that there was worry in her heavy tone. Her brows were furrowed.

    Qi Lei was stunned. ¡°What did you say? Something happened to mother? What happened?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact situation either. It was the bodyguard who called just now. It seems like she¡¯s offended someone again. This has happened too many times over the years!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone clearly carried a trace of worry, and her eyes were also filled with worry

    Song Siting was a winning general in the industry. As long as she was involved in a case, she would almost always be victorious. Therefore, she had offended many people in the past few years. Even at home she had already offended several people in her family!

    Lin Yuanyuan hated Song Siting to the bone because of simr matters.

    Song Siting had been subjected to a lot of retaliation before. In order to ensure her safety, Dongfang Gan had to arrange some bodyguards for her to ensure her safety.

    When Song Siting chose to ept the case, she had considered it thoroughly. Even though she was very cautious, something had still happened!

    Dongfang Liuyun had long advised her to think twice, and to let go of the things that she could. She really did not want to see her provoking others like this.

    In fact, at Song Siting¡¯s level, she would either not take the case or it would be a very big case, so...

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her furrowed brows andforted her in a lowered voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look now.¡±

    As he spoke, he slowed down and changednes.

    ¡°I feel a little uneasy. I kept feeling like something might happen soon. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt this way.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s bad premonition grew stronger at the thought of this. She felt like she could not breathe. When Qi Lei reached out to gently hold her hand, he realized that her palm was already slightly moist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Trust me that I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll rush over now, okay?¡±

    His sensitive voice was filled with gentlefort. Seeing how calm he was, Dongfang Liuyun felt a little better. She could only nod silently, ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s hurry over. Just now, they said that she was stabbed in the right chest. I think it¡¯s quite serious this time. Last time, she was almost sshed with acid. She¡¯s always so stubborn that she thinks she¡¯s omnipotent, but every time, she only makes her family worry.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want this either, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Qi Lei had already turned the car around and sped up.

    Dongfang Liuyun, on the other hand, held his outstretched hand tightly. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really like the word ¡®out of control¡¯. She rarely considers me and father¡¯s feelings. In my eyes, she¡¯s a very selfish woman, but she just said that she¡¯s doing this for our own good. She always thinks that she¡¯s right. She always thinks that we can follow the path that she wants. Every time, because of this matter, I...¡±

    At this point, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly stopped talking and did not continue. Instead, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a long while, she opened them again and turned to look out of the car window.

    The atmosphere in the car suddenly became a little gloomy...

 Chapter 1748 - Injury (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1748: Injury (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they arrived at the hospital¡¯s resuscitation room, the surgery was still ongoing. The bodyguards who were escorting them were anxiously waiting outside. When they saw Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei rushing over, they heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Miss, Sir!¡±

    One of the bodyguards in ck walked up to them.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun retracted her gaze from the tightly shut door of the operating theater in front of her. She looked at the bodyguard in ck and asked coldly, ¡°With your abilities, there shouldn¡¯t be such a big loophole.¡±

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m sorry! It was very crowded. Me and two bodyguards were trying our best to iste the crowd. Unexpectedly, a person suddenly rushed out from the crowd. He said that Lawyer Song won the case for the other party and destroyed his family. The party who lost the case that was just announced also rushed up to vent their anger on Lawyer Song. The situation was not under control for a moment, so...¡±

    The bodyguard lowered his voice and exined.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard this, she could not help but feel heavy in her heart. She lifted her hand to support her head. Suddenly, she felt a little exhausted and her eyes darkened.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, was quick-witted and immediately put his arm around her shoulders. He frowned and asked with concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand slightly to stop him. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a seat first.¡±

    Qi Lei helped her sit on the chair behind him. Then, he looked up at Yang Sheng and the others who followed behind him.

    ¡°Yang Sheng, go with him and get the information on the perpetrator as soon as possible. Also, check if there are any surveince cameras around. If possible, pull them up to see if there are any abnormalities. As for the rest, I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡±

    Qi Lei gave a simple order, his deep voice carrying a hint of silence. ¡°Understand the ins and outs of the matter. Also, keep a low profile.¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. I willplete the mission.¡±

    Yang Sheng said this and then nced at the ck-clothed bodyguard beside him. The ck-clothed bodyguard understood and bowed before leaving with Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother is somewhat skilled, so it shouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡±

    Qi Lei silently looked at Dongfang Liuyun who was silent.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and took a deep breath. Her eyes were a little dim as she slowly leaned against the back of the chair. She closed her starry eyes and was quiet for a while. After a long while, her indifferent lips moved slightly, and her calm voice traveled over¡ª

    ¡°My mother¡¯s living conditions were not great since she was young. I heard that my grandfather passed away very early. I¡¯m not too sure what the reason was. She was never willing to talk about the things that happened when she was young. In my impression, she has always been so strong and iparably strong. Wherever she went, she was like a hedgehog filled with fighting strength. It was very difficult for others to hurt her.¡±

    Sighing softly, Dongfang Liuyun did not open her eyes. After calming down for a moment, she continued, ¡°But Father always said that Mother is actually a very fragile person. She wants nothing more than to help Father and I ovee all problems and clear away all obstacles. Therefore, she is very harsh on us and even harsher on herself. I don¡¯t know what she is afraid of. Even if she¡¯s strong enough to shelter us father and daughter, she can¡¯t always be holding up like this, right?¡±

    ¡°She had offended many people over the years. She always thinks that she¡¯s all that, but she doesn¡¯t know how many times it was Father and I who had secretly helped her solve many problems. Especially those rivals who had lost, many people had be her enemies. She¡¯s known for being strong, unforgiving, and merciless. So, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s strange for this to happen. I¡¯ve heard a saying a long time ago that those whoe out to mingle will have to pay back sooner orter, and she...¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, Liuyun.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei suddenly spoke up to stop her. He stretched out hisrge hand and quickly grabbed the slightly cold hand on her knee, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for everyone to do all kinds of good things. War in the workce is not as simple as we think. I seem to understand why Mother demands so much of you. There are some things that can be justified from the other party¡¯s point of view.¡±

    ¡°Justified? You probably don¡¯t know that she¡¯s the one father whom father is always worried about. Why can¡¯t she just stay by Father¡¯s side and be a free chief legal advisor? Why does she have to...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rubbed the space between her brows and did not continue. However, Qi Lei understood what she meant.

    ¡°Qi Lei?¡±

    After a moment of silence, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly called out to him.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei turned his gaze and looked at her quietly.

    ¡°After this period of time, let¡¯s... work hard to have a child. Perhaps that would be better for us.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at Qi lei as she said this.

    When Qi Lei heard this, he was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he could not help but feel happy¡ª

    Previously, he had heard Mu Yuchen say that if a woman was really willing to give birth to children for him, that meant that she really wanted to spend her life with him.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After that, Qi Lei replied with one word.

    Of course, he knew very well that Dongfang Liuyun wanted to do this because she wanted Song Siting to step down, right?

    Qi Lei was all alone. Dongfang Gan had previously hinted to him that the couple only had one daughter, Dongfang Liuyun, so on many things, they would always do them with Dongfang Liuyun in mind, so...

    As she listened, she nodded silently, ¡°Actually, before I met you, I never thought about these things. There are so many things that as we go on, everything would seem to be a matter-of-fact. Of course I¡¯m hoping that we can all go on like this. What about you?¡±

    Her faint starry eyes looked at him.

    He nodded happily, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Then, she stretched out her hand and patted the back of his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be a qualified wife. I¡¯ll work hard to give you happiness.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one to say this to you?¡±

    Qi Lei could not help butugh.

    Sheughed quietly and wrapped her slender arm around his waist, ¡°Because I¡¯ve always been worried that being with me would make you suffer. Although I was born into a family like this, it¡¯s actually be a problem for me. Being with me may require you to give up too much, but I can¡¯t bear it. You¡¯re a pretty good husband. I often think about how I should cherish you...¡±

    Her tone was light and teasing, but Qi Lei could catch a hint of sincerity andment from it...

 Chapter 1749 - Injury (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1749: Injury (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He did not know why, but when he heard her words, his heart inexplicably softened, and a faint warmth flowed through his heart.

    For a moment, he felt that if that was the case, the rest of his life would be worth it. If she really wanted something, he would be willing to work hard to give it to her, to work hard to protect her...

    Perhaps she still did not love him. He did not know if he loved her too, but he knew very well how he felt¡ª

    He cared about her very much now. He cared so much that he thought she was more important than himself.

    He cleared his throat and suddenly turned his face. He felt that his face warming up, but he said seriously, ¡°If you give me a daughter, I¡¯ll stay with you wholeheartedly.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled, and the worry she had been suppressing earlier faded away. She stretched her neck out to look at him, one hand propping up her chin. She looked at him with interest, his face a little crimson, and smiled, ¡°Did I ever tell you that when you¡¯re shy, you look quite cute? You look like a pure, inexperienced man, but you¡¯re clearly an old man who¡¯s past your 30s.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei nced sideways at her and red at her. ¡°Mrs. Qi, I suddenly find that when you flirt with me, you¡¯re like a hooligan.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you quite like me like this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her beautiful eyebrows. She was not reserved at all.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly again and turned his gaze away. He could not be bothered to look at her.

    ...

    The stifling atmosphere faded a lot. Not long after, the door to the operating theater was opened and the doctor walked out.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Qi Lei supported Dongfang Liuyun and went up to him.

    ¡°Her right hand is fractured. There are many abrasions on her body. She has a mild concussion. The wound on her right chest is very deep and hurt her lungs. Fortunately, the direction of the tip of the knife was slightly off. Otherwise, the situation would be very serious. The injury is rtively severe. She¡¯s fine for now after the surgery, but she still needs to be monitored in the intensive care unit. In addition, she might have a fever at night. We will monitor her,¡± the doctor said tiredly.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows furrowed tightly. She did not expect her injuries to be so severe.

    ¡°Okay, we understand. Thank you.¡±

    Qi Lei thanked him humbly.

    The doctor nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. She was sent over in time. If she recovers well, she¡¯ll be able to recover after resting for a month or two. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Send the patient back to the intensive care unit first. Also, go and handle the hospitalization procedures.¡±

    Song Siting was soon wheeled out from behind.

    Her pale face was obviously very haggard. When Dongfang Liuyun looked at her, her eyes could not help but darken.

    She followed the nurses and doctors to send her to the ICU. Qi Lei also sent his bodyguards to handle the hospitalization procedures.

    Because her lungs were injured, Song Siting had to wear an oxygen mask. She looked extremely weak. Aspared to before when she was stronger and sharper, the way she was now seemed jarring.

    Dongfang Liuyun never thought that Song Siting would have a day like this, lying on the hospital bed, lifeless..

    Looking at her haggard appearance, she suddenly thought that she seemed to have aged a lot in an instant. She was no longer as high-spirited as before.

    She pulled a chair aside and sat down. Qi Lei was very considerate as he took off his coat and put it on her.

    ¡°The doctor said it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry, she needs to rest.¡±

    His low voice contained a faint warmth offort. Hisrge hand reached out to her shoulder.

    Dongfang Liuyun silently looked at Song Siting¡¯s pale face. After a while, she sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s only now that she can be less restless. I still can¡¯t bear to let Father know about this. Fortunately, it¡¯s not a big deal. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°When I was younger, my parents didn¡¯t want me to go to my mother¡¯sw firm. I know that they were worried about me. Several times when the family went out for dinner, she happened to be blocked by others.¡±

    ¡°I understand what you said before. She¡¯s my mother. I hope that she can live well of course, and I don¡¯t want our mother-daughter rtionship to be so stiff. But... you might not know what a stubborn person she is.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun felt a little worn out as she spoke, but she was also helpless.

    ¡°Help me deal with the ins and outs of this matter. I¡¯m a little tired. Thepany¡¯s matter has already given me a headache. Grandmother¡¯s birthday ising up soon. I think this time, we might not have such a good time.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked Qi Lei to help her share the burden. After all, it was hard for her to bear the burden. Since this man was her husband, it was normal for him to help her share these burden, right?

    Qi Lei naturally nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Yang Sheng will take care of it. It¡¯s fine if this matter is simple, but I think that something isn¡¯t right for something like this to happen at this time.¡±

    ¡°The situation isplicated now. Anything can happen, especially when Father is still far away in Myanmar. Let¡¯s see what the situation will be liketer before we make any ns.¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve been having a bad feeling recently. I didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Yang Sheng to investigate.¡±

    ¡°Okay, rest for a while. She needs to rest. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to stay here for another night tonight. You...¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    Qi Lei quickly replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun then nodded gently.

    ...

    ¡°President Lan, bad news. Lawyer Song was injured and is hospitalized. I heard that her injuries are very serious. Miss Dongfang has been with her the hospital.¡±

    In the evening, just as night fell, Ah Li suddenly rushed in and said to Lan Xiu, who was eating dinner, with a solemn expression.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    When Lan Xiu heard this, he immediately stopped what he was doing. His brows furrowed in an instant as he turned to look at Ah Li.

    ¡°It seems that the other party lost the case, so they attacked Lawyer Song. The news from the hospital seems to be quite serious. She suffered a cut to her lung. Fortunately, she was saved in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable,¡± Ah Li said simply.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes darkened. His handsome face was also very tense. His face was very gloomy. After a long silence, he put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hand and drank a few mouthfuls of water. He took a napkin to wipe his mouth and stood up silently.

    ¡°President Lan, are we going to the hospital now? I¡¯ll prepare the car right away...,¡± said Ah Li.

    Lan Xiu raised his hand to stop him. He took the phone from the side and quickly dialed a number. The phone did not ring for long before someone picked it up.

 Chapter 1750 - Injury (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1750: Injury (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was gettingte at night. Yang Sheng had specially prepared dinner for them. Qi Lei did not eat much, and Dongfang Liuyun did not have much of an appetite either. The couple stayed in the intensive care unit.

    When it was gettingte at night, Song Siting indeed had a high fever. The doctor was busy for a while before her condition stabilized. However, she still did not wake up.

    Towards the end, Dongfang Liuyun fell asleep by the bed. Qi Lei carried her to the sofa and settled her down. He even asked the nurse to cover her with a thin nket.

    ¡°Master Qi, the results you wanted are out. The perpetrator was the intiff in a case Lawyer Song epted three months ago. After that, he lost the case and it was a property war. When Lawyer Song won the case, the intiff had always held a grudge against Lawyer Song. Previously, he seemed to have sent some creepy voodoo dolls and some dead cats to Lawyer Song¡¯s office. But after that, Lawyer Song dealt with it in a low-key manner, unexpectedly it turned out to be much more this time. I think...¡±

    Qi Lei had just carefully walked out of the ward when Yang Sheng came up to him and said this.

    ¡°However, Master Qi, I think that this matter isn¡¯t so simple. Ah Fu said that he found out that the person whomitted the actst week had met with the Lin family. I think this matter might have something to do with Lin Yuanyuan. The matter of the August event was begun to show some developments, but unfortunately... Master Qi, I think that if you want Missus to have it easier in Dongfang Group, it¡¯s best to remove this nail, Lin Yuanyuan, otherwise...¡±

    As Yang Sheng finished, his tone was filled with a hint of probing. When he saw that Qi Lei¡¯s expression was calm as usual, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    Qi Lei was quiet. He stood by the window in the corridor indifferently. His hands were still in his pockets leisurely, and there was no expression on his face.

    ¡°On Wang Chun¡¯s side, has Lin Yonghua¡¯s matter not been settled yet?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and turned to look at Yang Sheng. He was obviously not satisfied with his ability.

    Yang Sheng took a deep breath and said in a low voice, ¡°Vice President Wang Chun has been busy with the partnership with the Dongfang Group for the past two days. Furthermore, Lin Yonghua has not been in City Z for the past few days, so he wants to put the matter aside for the time being. However, there is news that Lin Yonghua will be back in the next two days. When that timees, he will definitely...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when Wang Chun has gotten so inefficient, get him think of a way to arrange things perfectly for me. There¡¯s not much time left, especially when something like this happens. It would be fine if what happened tonight had nothing to do with them, but if it has something to do with them, our situation will not be good. We can¡¯t just let your Missus bear the pressure. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi must both go down, none of them can escape.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it carefully before he spoke slowly.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! I¡¯ll get Vice President Wang Chun to make the arrangements right away.¡±

    ¡°This matter must be kept secret, otherwise, it would only cause endless trouble for us. We¡¯ll let Wang Chunmand in secret and not let others discover his identity. I don¡¯t want Tai Yu Corporation to have any connection with the casino. The Qi family is clean now.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Master Qi! Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. We¡¯ll definitely do it to your satisfaction! Also, should we continue investigating Lawyer Song¡¯s matter?¡±

    Yang Sheng asked for instructions.

    ¡°Continue investigating. It¡¯ll be best if we can get evidence. It¡¯ll be easier for her if we can get rid of Lin Yuanyuan,¡± Qi Lei said inly.

    ¡°Alright, I understand, Master Qi. I¡¯ll do it right away!¡±

    Yang Sheng said this and then left.

    It was alreadyte at night. After Yang Sheng left, Qi Lei stood in the corridor for a while. He even used theptop that the bodyguard had brought over and roughly arranged the work for the next two days. When he was done and came back to his senses, it was already close to three in the morning.

    He quietly put away theptop and carefully pushed open the door to the ward to enter.

    Dongfang Liuyun was still sleeping soundly on the sofa.

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun for a while before walking towards Song Siting¡¯s bed. He raised his hand to feel the temperature on Song Siting¡¯s forehead. The scalding temperature had dropped and returned to normal.

    He heaved a sigh of relief and slowly retracted his hand. Just as he was about to turn around and walk towards the sofa, Song Siting suddenly moved. Qi Lei was stunned and quickly stopped moving. He leaned over slightly and looked at Song Siting.

    ¡°Mother, how are you feeling?¡±

    His concerned voice was lowered. At this moment, Song Siting slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were a little blurry and out of focus. She blinked a few times and calmed down for a long time before she saw Qi Lei¡¯s face in a daze.

    When he saw Song Siting open her eyes, Qi Lei also slowed down. ¡°Mother, you¡¯re awake. How do you feel?¡±

    Song Siting opened her eyes and looked at him for a while. Then, she wanted to prop herself up, but just as she moved her arm, she felt a piercing paining from all over her body, she could not help but cry out in pain.

    ¡°Be careful. The doctor said that you have multiple injuries on your body, so you can¡¯t move around carelessly.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her worriedly. He supported her slightly and helped her raise the pillow.

    Song Siting took a deep breath and calmed down. Then, she looked at Qi Lei. ¡°It¡¯s alright... Qi Lei... What time is it now?¡±

    Although Song Siting¡¯s face was pale and haggard, she still looked quite strong. Seeing that her dazed eyes had regained some light, she must have remembered what had happened before.

    ¡°It¡¯s already three in the morning. You should drink some water first. The doctor said that your injuries are quite serious, but your life isn¡¯t in danger. You just need to rest for a few days.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he poured half a cup of warm water for Song Siting and handed her a warm wet towel.

    Song Siting paused for a moment and nodded with some effort. She was naturally very weak. Her pale lips moved as she wanted to say something, but she did not hear any sound. Qi Lei simply helped her wipe her forehead, she also had sticky hands. She lowered her head and drank a few mouthfuls of the water Qi Lei handed her, her gaze searching the room.

    Finally, she found Dongfang Liuyun, who was sleeping soundly on the sofa opposite her bed. Her dazed eyes froze for a moment...

    ¡°I¡¯m fine... You don¡¯t have to specially guard me like this. You should bring her home to sleep... I¡¯m sure that you two have been tired from these past few days.¡±

    Song Siting took a deep breath. She sounded weak, and her face was frighteningly pale. The pain in her chest made it hard for her to breathe. Her throat itched, and she coughed lightly. The pain in her chest surged, she immediately gasped for air with difficulty.

    ¡°Mother, are you okay?¡±

    Qi Lei was shocked and quickly pressed the call button...

 Chapter 1751 - Not Interested? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1751: Not Interested? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The doctor quickly rushed over, and Qi Lei swiftly moved aside.

    He examined Song Siting again and increased the dosage of some pain relievers. Only then did the pain in Song Siting¡¯s chest subside slightly.

    ¡°She needs to rest. You guys need to keep an eye on her in the second half of the night. Try not to disturb her rest. If anything, call the doctor.¡±

    The doctor instructed respectfully.

    ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± Qi Lei replied before the doctor left.

    ¡°Mother, are you feeling better?¡±

    Qi Lei bent down and pulled the nket for Song Siting as he asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m much better.¡±

    Song Siting was a little more rxed. Although she was still in a daze when she looked at Qi Lei, she was a little clearer. ¡°It¡¯s already sote. I¡¯m fine. You and Liuyun should go back first. You guys have been quite tired these past few days.¡±

    Song Siting was rarely so concerned.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s asleep. You should rest well. I¡¯ll sit right beside.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he slowly sat down in the chair behind him. He reached out to turn off the lights by the bed. The light in the ward instantly dimmed. The weak light came from the smallmp by the curtains, and the entire ward instantly fell silent.

    When Song Siting heard Qi Lei¡¯s words, she paused for a moment. She was silent for a long while before she raised her head slightly to look at Dongfang Liuyun, who was still sleeping quietly on the sofa across from her. Then, she looked at Qi Lei, who was looking at the machines at the side.

    Her eyes shed for a moment, but she did not say anything after that. She only took a shallow breath before she closed her eyes silently as well...

    Qi Lei had been watching silently. Of course, he would asionally look back at the woman sleeping on the sofa.

    In fact, for a moment, Qi Lei suddenly felt satisfied with such a moment¡ª

    His wife was sleeping on the sofa not far away from him. His mother-inw was also resting on the side, while his father-inw was still busy outside. They were a family.

    It seemed that it was because of Dongfang Liuyun that he had a faint feeling of the so-called warmth of home.

    Wherever she was, could it be Qi Lei¡¯s home?

    As he thought about this, he propped his head up with one hand and closed his eyes. He could not resist the sleepiness and fell asleep.

    At this moment, Song Siting, who heard the sound of quiet and even breathing, closed her eyes and remained silent for a long time, suddenly opened her tightly shut eyes.

    What greeted her eyes was naturally Qi Lei¡¯s drowsy head as he fell asleep.

    Song Siting looked at Qi lei for quite a while before lifting her head to look at her daughter, Dongfang Liuyun, who was sleeping on the sofa with some difficulty. She was silent for a long time before she finally sighed softly.

    How could she not see that her daughter and son-inw were really...

    ¡®Ding!¡¯

    Just as Song Siting was thinking about something, there was a faint sounding from the sofa opposite her. She looked over and saw Dongfang Liuyun reaching out to touch something beside her. However, she did not find what she was reaching for for quite a while, her breathing became heavier and she seemed to wake up.

    Song Siting quickly closed her eyes.

    ¡°Qi Lei?¡±

    A low voice called out and Dongfang Liuyun woke up in an instant.

    She did not feelfortable sleeping on the sofa here.

    Dongfang Liuyun propped herself up and reacted immediately. She quickly got up and walked over to the hospital bed. She stretched out her hand to feel the temperature on Song Siting¡¯s forehead. When she realized that it had returned to normal, she heaved a sigh of relief.

    She turned to look at the man who was propping his head up as he fell asleep. Instead, she frowned¡ª

    The two of them had been quite busy for the past few days. He finally could not bear it anymore.

    However, she still had to thank him for his concern. At the very least, he could let her breathe a sigh of relief and rx a little.

    ¡°You look like quite a good-looking gentleman, why were you a yboy before? You¡¯ve been quite well-behaved since we got married.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said softly. After some thought, she reached out and nudged him.

    Qi Lei was also a light sleeper, when Dongfang Liuyun shook him a little, he quickly woke up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    He turned and subconsciously held her as Qi Lei asked in a lowered voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry. Quick, tell them to bring some food up.¡±

    They had not eaten much for dinner, and Dongfang Liuyun was feeling extremely hungry.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to eat more for dinner? What do you want to eat? They¡¯re probably already preparing breakfast at this hour.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her, but he took out his phone from his pocket and quickly made a call.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t wake up?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Song Siting on the bed and asked.

    ¡°She woke up just now. The doctor came over to take a look. She¡¯s fine. She just needs to rest, don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s fine,¡± said Qi Lei.

    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s good. I was just worried. It¡¯s almost dawn, do you want to rest? Your eyes are bloodshot.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun handed the nket in hand to him.

    ¡°No need, I¡¯m still fine. You can rest for a while. I¡¯ll call you when the supper is served.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice was naturally very soft.

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not sleepy anymore. It¡¯s already dawn. I¡¯m relieved that she¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll sort things outter and see what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ll let you worry about this, I¡¯m exhausted. Also, take care of the South River Project. You¡¯ll be able to handle it on your end anyway.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sat down at the side and said softly in a low voice.

    ¡°How do you know that I¡¯ll be able to handle it? You still need to look at the data yourself. You also need to review the proposal. I¡¯ll give you a simple exnationter, you just need to look at the changes and give your suggestions,¡± said Qi Lei.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have time in the next few days. So, help me improve the proposal, we¡¯ve pretty much discussed most of it anyway.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was actually toozy to look at the documents. If she did not have to, she would definitely not want to look at these annoying documents for the rest of her life. However, now that she thought about her position, she could not help it.

    ¡°Can there be a reward forpleting the mission?¡±

    Qi Lei asked softly as he stood up and reached out his hand to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at him knowingly. She obediently put her hand into his palm and allowed him to lead her out of the door.

    ¡°What reward do you want? It¡¯s not a simple thing to thank President Qi. If it¡¯s too cheap, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t want it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s cheap or not depends on who gave it to me.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled mysteriously. He nced at her and lowered his voice. ¡°If it¡¯s you, then I won¡¯t find it cheap.¡±

 Chapter 1752 - Not Interested? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1752: Not Interested? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled silently.

    Only then did the couple slowly leave the ward and walk out.

    At this moment, when she heard the soft sound of the door closing, Song Siting slowly opened her eyes¡ª

    She had obviously heard the conversation between her daughter and her son-inw. In fact, it seemed like the couple got along very well. In fact, their conversation was very natural, as if they were a couple who had gotten used to each other.

    Could it be that she was overthinking it?

    However, when she thought of the tough problems that Dongfang Liuyun will have to face, her heart tightened again. She did not say anything. The olddy was just like her, Song Siting, they had always wanted Fujiwara to be Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s husband, and..

    Because of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s insistence and Dongfang Gan¡¯s persuasion, she did not have much prejudice against Qi Lei. It was just that...

    What else could she say?

    What else could she do?

    ...

    ¡°Master, the flowers have been sent to Officer Qin.¡±

    A respectful voice broke the silence of the morning. It reverberated in the clear air and appeared exceptionally clear.

    Zhou Zimo held the railing in front of him with one hand and a cup of tea that had been brewed with the other. Looking at the various flowers that bloomed not far away from him, he appeared very rxed.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not even look at Lian Ziyao, but instead asked indifferently.

    ¡°Master, Officer Qin didn¡¯t say anything special. She just asked you not to send her flowers anymore. She said that she would have to give it to someone elseter. It¡¯s very troublesome. She doesn¡¯t seem to like these flowers.¡±

    Lian Ziyao naturally braced himself and answered very honestly.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes instantly darkened. His face immediately tensed up. He turned his head and narrowed his eyes at Lian Ziyao. His voice instantly turned cold. ¡°What else did she say?¡±

    Lian Ziyao coughed lightly and looked at Zhou Zimo uneasily. Then, he lowered his head, lowered his voice, and carefully continued, ¡°Officer Qin also said that if Master has the free time, you might as well practice your skills. Also, she said that you¡¯re being nice for no reason, which means that you¡¯re either evil or a thief. She doesn¡¯t like to y games, especially with people like Master. If you like to y games like this, she asks you to go to a street in the east of the city. There are all kinds of women there, and there must be one that suits Master¡¯s taste, for 300 yuan a night, all kinds of beauties...¡±

    After saying these words, even Ziyao¡¯s back was soaked with ayer of cold sweat. He raised his head nervously and carefully looked at Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face¡ª

    Sure enough, Zhou Zimo¡¯s face had already darkened. However, he was still able to suppress the emotions that surged in his heart. He took a deep breath and could still maintain his calm.

    ¡°It does sound like her, Qin Su. What if I insist on her?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s lips curled into a meaningful smile as he said indifferently.

    ¡°Master, why don¡¯t you ask Officer Qin out some other day? She seems to be quite busy recently. I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯s been slightly worn out...¡±

    Lian Ziyao suggested in a low voice.

    Zhou Zimo calmly raised his hand and drank two mouthfuls of tea. He leaned against the railing at the side. His deep eyes flickered a few times before he inexplicably smiled. He raised his hand and touched his tall nose as he said, ¡°Do the same as before. Send her arge bouquet of flowers every day. Monday, Wednesday, Friday is the flirtatious blue enchantress, while Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday the champagne rose. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Master!¡±

    Lian Ziyao naturally did not dare to disobey Zhou Zimo¡¯s orders. However, after some thought, he still did not understand. After thinking about it for a while, he finally summoned up his courage and asked, ¡°Master, but Officer Qin doesn¡¯t seem to like it...¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she likes it or not, whether I send it or not is the key. If not, I¡¯ll send one flower every day from the entire flower shop. There¡¯s no need to do anything else, I¡¯ll just send her arge bouquet of flowers every day.¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not wait for Lian Ziyao to finish his sentence and cut him off. His tone was naturally firm and could not be resisted.

    In fact, Lian Ziyao really did not understand. He really did not know what Master meant. Could it be that he had taken a liking to Officer Qin?

    He was looking for information and sending flowers. He had never seen him put so much effort into any girl before. Previously, Doctor Liang had been very worried about him. It seemed that Master had known Officer Qin for a long time.

    Could it be that the Master had always had her in his heart? That was why he did not take a liking to those women.

    However, speaking of which, Officer Qin was really good-looking. Moreover, her family background was not bad, and her character was even better. If she was really suitable for their Master, then it would be perfect!

    However, Officer Qin was like an iceberg. She would not melt at all, she was even stingy with a smile. With their Master¡¯s manner, would Officer Qin be interested in him?

    Lian Ziyao struggled for a while. After that, he was considering whether he should find an opportunity to report the situation to Chief Zhou and Doctor Liang. Perhaps, they could help?

    Was that Officer Qin not from Chief Zhou¡¯s Military District¡¯s subordinate jurisdiction?

    After making up his mind, Lian Ziyao was thinking about when he would find an opportunity to quickly report the situation.

    However, Zhou Zimo had already regained hisposure and sat down leisurely in the rattan chair behind him.

    It was already autumn, so the weather was naturally a little cold. Although the four seasons of City Z were not very distinct, there was still some autumn scenery now. A few yellowed leaves had already fallen under the corridor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. If this matter were to be spread out, I¡¯ll be the first to cut you open and chop you into pieces! Keep your mouth shut. I don¡¯t want to hear any unnecessary rumors. Do you understand?¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced sideways at Lian Ziyao. Of course he saw Lian Ziyao¡¯s fleeting gaze, so he warned him in a cold voice.

    Even Lian Ziyao was scared out of his wits and broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Yes! Master, please be rest assured. I will definitely not say anything. Master, you haven¡¯t done anything. As always, you are an instor to any woman. You arepletely innocent!¡±

    Hearing that, Zhou Zimo silently withdrew his gaze. He lowered his gaze and sipped his tea calmly. After a moment of silence, he continued, ¡°She is a very good woman. What do you think? What do you think of her?¡±

    Zhou Zimo rarelymented on women like this, but he still could not help but ask.

    Even Ziyao was stunned by Zhou Zimo¡¯s question and didn¡¯t react for a long time...

 Chapter 1753 - Not Interested? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1753: Not Interested? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a long while, Lian Ziyao finally reacted and quickly nodded.

    ¡°Yes, Master. Officer Qin is very good, she¡¯s not bad and she¡¯s very beautiful too. Shepletely fits your aesthetic standards.¡±

    Lian Ziyao lowered his voice and said.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo nced at him meaningfully and said disapprovingly, ¡°What do you think my standards are?¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Lian Ziyao did not dare to make a sound. He stuttered and looked at Zhou Zimo silently. He did not say anything after that, but he looked at Zhou Zimo cautiously.

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at him before he suddenly got up and walked into the corridor with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Master! Master!¡±

    Only then did Lian Ziyao react and chased after him..

    ...

    Qin Su did not expect to run into Mu Yuchen. He was at the temporary parking space next to New Era za.

    She was on leave today, so she just wanted to go out for a walk. She heard that this new za was quite lively and there were many shops on the street, so she came out to take a look. Unexpectedly, she ran into Mu Yuchen.

    In Ind Caf¨¨.

    It was just past lunch time, so there were not many people in the caf¨¨.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, what would you like to drink?¡±

    Qin Su casually flipped open the menu and nced at it. Then, she asked Mu Yuchen politely, her gaze quicklynding on the menu.

    ¡°Blue Mountain please, thank you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was not a coffee drinker. Usually, he would drink tea, and Qin Su was the same. However, she was a person who rarely drank tea and coffee, but she did order a mocha.

    ¡°We met in a hurry thest time. I didn¡¯t expect these few years to pass like this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen said calmly, his calm gaze quietlynding on Qin Su.

    Qin Su lowered her head and took a sip of coffee. Her expression was still indifferent, and there was no expression on her face. She thought about it for a moment before she said calmly, ¡°Time passes so quickly, but I didn¡¯t expect you guys to leave the army.¡±

    ¡°We already had this thought before we went on the mission. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed.¡±

    Mu Yuchen answered quietly as well. He thought about it and then continued, ¡°I¡¯m very d that you still remember us.¡±

    When she heard this, Qin Su paused for a moment. She lowered her brows and said calmly, ¡°The three of you were famous in the Military District. Although you¡¯re not ostentatious, you¡¯re the ones who¡¯ve been warned to watch out for, so of course I¡¯ll have a deeper impression of you guys.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite sincere. I thought that it was because of Zimo¡¯s matter that you could remember us all.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his deep eyes carried a hint of probing¡ª

    Of course, he did not forget the secret history that Zhou Zimo had told him before. However, judging by how he looked at Qin Su now, she did not seem to have much of a reaction. Presumably, she really did not know about that matter?

    Mu Yuchen narrowed his eyes and observed Qin Su for a while. He did not notice anything unusual on her face after that. It seemed like the words ¡®Zhou Zimo¡¯ were the mostmon thing.

    ¡°It was just a matter of duty. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    As Qin Su said this, she also remembered Zhou Zimo¡¯s actions these past few days. He had been sending her flowers intentionally or unintentionally. If it was just pure gratitude, there was no need to do this. However, if he wanted Qin Su to y games with Master Zhou, she really could not afford to do so, she did not have that kind of energy either.

    When she thought about this, Qin Su suddenly frowned.

    ¡°Officer Qin doesn¡¯t seem to have a good impression of Zimo.¡±

    Someone as sharp as Mu Yuchen could see the gloominess in Qin Su¡¯s eyes at a nce. She seemed to still have some doubts, so he thought about it and asked.

    Qin Su paused for a moment and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not it. I just think he¡¯s quite different from how he was before. Perhaps he¡¯s changed a little over the past few years.¡±

    ¡°Did you think you knew Zimo very well before?¡±

    Mu Yuchen asked meaningfully.

    ¡°Not really, but after all, we¡¯ve been through thick and thin together. I feel like there¡¯s a huge difference between him now and before. I saw him a few days ago, along with Chief Su. The few of you are still as eye-catching as before, but...¡±

    Qin Su did not continue.

    ¡°I should also thank you. Zimo is my good brother. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°Chairman Mu, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. I¡¯ve said it before, this is just part of my job. He already thanked me before, so there¡¯s no need to keep it in mind.¡±

    Qin Su said very politely.

    ¡°Your previous injuries... I heard that it was because of this that you weren¡¯t able to join the Special Forces.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Although the injury was severe, it¡¯s much better now. On days like that, you have to be prepared to sacrifice yourself at any time. Since it¡¯s my duty, it¡¯s my responsibility and responsibility. Didn¡¯t you guys sessfully take them downter on?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but Zimo has been thinking about you all these years. I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯s grateful to you to the extent that he¡¯s willing to give himself to you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s yful tone had a hint of probing, so Qin Su naturally heard it very clearly.

    She was actually a little surprised by Mu Yuchen¡¯s actions today. In Qin Su¡¯s impression, Mu Yuchen was a very quiet and low-key person. If it was for the so-called reminiscence, then there did not seem to be such a need.

    However, when she heard him mention Zhou Zimo now, she suddenly felt a little strange. She had an indescribable feeling in her heart.

    ¡°Chairman Mu, you must be joking. I only did what I was supposed to do.¡±

    ¡°You seem to have a bad opinion of Zimo?¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed to have noticed that Qin Su seemed to have a poor impression of Zhou Zimo.

    Actually, what Qin Su had in mind was not what Mu Yuchen had thought.

    However, with someone like Zhou Zimo, Qin Su usually did not like to get too involved, or he would not like to interact with such people either. It was not that she was worried about anything, but she did not really want to get involved in that circle.

    ¡°Chairman Mu worries too much. He¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to us always bringing up those things. If I hadn¡¯t met you guys this time, I would have almost forgotten what happened back then.¡±

    Qin Su paused at this point and was about to continue speaking when her phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated. She quickly stopped talking and took out her phone from her pocket. When she saw the caller ID, she frowned immediately.

    She thought about it for a moment before remembering the appointment she had made with her mother a few days ago. Her eyes could not help but show some impatience and even disgust.

    Mu Yuchen watched this scene very quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chairman Mu. I have something to do and have to leave now. This time, thank you for the coffee!¡±

    Qin Su put down the cup, thanked him, as she stood up.

 Chapter 1754 - Fujiwara (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1754: Fujiwara (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qin Su¡¯s figure quickly disappeared at the staircase, so Mu Yuchen did not try to stop her.

    However, for some reason, the more he looked at her, the more he felt that this Qin Su really suited Zhou Zimo, especially with her personality.

    Even Su Chen said that Zhou Zimo seemed to have masochist tendencies. In the past, he had always been magnanimous. If this Qin Su could make him suffer a little, it would be a good show to look forward to.

    When he thought about this, Mu Yuchen seemed to be looking forward to what would happen between Zhou Zimo and this Qin Su.

    Of course, Li Si had already told him about Zhou Zimo¡¯s recent movements

    He would send a bunch of roses to Qin Su every day. Even though she did not seem to appreciate it, but...

    ...

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Master Mo..¡±

    Mu Yuchen had just walked out of the cafe when Li Si came over with his mobile phone. ¡°He called you a few times, but your phone was turned off.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took out his phone from his pocket when he realized that his phone was turned off.

    ¡°Tell him toe straight to Maple Residence.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sat in the car after he said that.

    ¡°Okay, Master! Master, do you want to pick up Missus?¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll go pick her up tonight.¡±

    Xi Xiaye returned to the Shen Residence. The children were there too. Mu Yuchen found it rather boring to stay alone like this. Usually, on weekends, he would apany the children to the amusement park or help the children with their homework, otherwise, he would go out with Xi Xiaye for some spa day. His days were pretty carefree.

    ¡°Okay, Master.¡±

    ...

    Lan Xiu still rushed over.

    ¡°Aunty Song, how are you feeling?¡±

    When Lan Xiu came over, he did not see Qi Lei, but Dongfang Liuyun was still there, and the doctor had just finished examining Song Siting.

    ¡°I¡¯m much better. Actually, it¡¯s not too serious. It¡¯s not really a major injury. The doctor said that I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while. Sorry for troubling you toe over.¡±

    Song Siting was still unable to move as sheid there. She actually valued Lan Xiu very much.

    ¡°Aunty, are you still treating me like an outsider at this time? But it¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. I¡¯ve already asked Ah Li to help the police. I definitely won¡¯t let the person who did this escape so easily. Aunty has been in this line of work all year round. In the future, why don¡¯t you bring along a few more bodyguards? That way, Uncle Dongfang will be more at ease.¡± Lan Xiu advised.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. After so many years, I¡¯m already used to it. Sit down.¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s voice was naturally still a little weak.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lan Xiu replied and sat down.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. She had not rested for the entire night. At this moment, she was a little tired. She poured a ss of water for Lan Xiu and sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°Liuyun, you look tired. Why don¡¯t you go back and rest? I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at Dongfang Liuyun and felt his heart ache. His ck eyes were filled with concern. ¡°You look terrible.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just sleepter and I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun waved her hand indifferently.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Lei? Why isn¡¯t he by your side?¡±

    Lan Xiu had looked around for Qi Lei earlier. Should he not be staying here with her at such a time?

    ¡°He¡¯s stayed for the whole night too. I told him to go back first. He¡¯s got some data that hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet, he¡¯ll need it for the meeting tomorrow. It can¡¯t be dyed. Come out for a while.¡±

    Seeing that Song Siting had already closed her eyes to rest, Dongfang Liuyun got up and walked straight out of the door.

    Lan Xiu hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Song Siting before following her out.

    The corridor outside the ward was empty. There was no one there, and it was very quiet.

    The afternoon sun shone through the window, and the floor was also bathed in ayer of warm light.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked towards the window, her hands leisurely propping up the window frame. Her starry eyes looked indifferently at the sky outside. ¡°How¡¯s the matter with Mr. Ge? Has he relented?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still hesitating. You know why.¡±

    Lan Xiu said in a low voice and looked at her with aplicated expression. He wanted to say something but hesitated.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and could not help but raise her hand to rub the space between her brows. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have looked for Mr. Ge in the first ce. Otherwise, things wouldn¡¯t be so tense now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Liuyun... we didn¡¯t know that Mr. Ge would be like this. We can only say...¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression, and his heart silently ached. He could not bear to see her so helpless and self-reproachful, but...

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I really have no other choice, I¡¯ll go to him. Everyone has spent too much effort on this project. I can¡¯t let everyone¡¯s efforts go to waste. This matter is between him and me. Lan Xiu, I know about your rtionship with him too. Only we know about the enmity between us. I hope that no matter what happens, you won¡¯t interfere. Can you fulfill this request?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at Lan Xiu silently as she spoke. Lan Xiu did not know how to respond to such a sharp gaze.

    ¡°Liuyun, I...¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been in contact with him. Lan Xiu, let me tell you. My future is with Qi Lei. It has nothing to do with Fujiwara. I don¡¯t want to spend too much time on him. You¡¯re my good friend. We¡¯ve been intimate since we were young. Lan Xiu, I hope that you can respect me and Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°I know that Fujiwara¡¯s motive foring back this time might be because of me, but I¡¯m now Qi Lei¡¯s wife. I just want to live a simple life with him. Is that so hard to ask?¡±

    ¡°Liuyun... I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re actually running away by choosing Qi Lei, right?¡±

    Lan Xiu looked deeply at Dongfang Liuyun and asked in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer. She just turned her head to face the window and closed her eyes slightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to yourself. Do you know why I never dared to agree to you or express my feelings to you? Other than worrying that I can¡¯t give you happiness, it¡¯s also because I know that you can¡¯t let go...¡±

    ¡°Enough, Lan Xiu. You¡¯ve overestimated the extent of my devotion. I won¡¯t regret my choice. Love is one thing, but marriage and life is another. You may know the hardships I¡¯ve endured over the years, but the person who can empathize with me and understand me better is Qi Lei. I¡¯ve acknowledged him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said this and took a deep breath. She no longer looked at Lan Xiu and turned around to leave.

    Lan Xiu was stunned. He was about to chase after her when the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated...

 Chapter 1755 - Fujiwara (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1755: Fujiwara (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Only then did Lan Xiu stop. He reached out to take out his phone. When he saw the caller ID, he was stunned. He let his phone ring for a long time, but he did not pick it up.

    ¡°President Lan, it¡¯s Master Fujiwara¡¯s phone call... he has called you many times, but...¡±

    But you did not pick up...

    Ah Li did not dare to say anything else. He had just rushed over and yet saw Dongfang Liuyun leave. As for Lan Xiu, he stared nkly at the phone in his hand and did not seem to have any intention of picking it up.

    Seeing that the screen of the phone had darkened, Lan Xiu decided to mute it. Then, he stuffed the phone into his pocket and walked forward.

    ¡°President Lan!¡±

    Ah Li frowned. There was a hint of worry in his eyes. Then, he followed.

    ...

    Just as she walked out of the inpatient department, Dongfang Liuyun saw Wang Chun.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    Wang Chun greeted him warmly, ¡°How is Lawyer Song¡¯s injury? Is she better?¡±

    Wang Chun naturally knew about Song Siting.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Much better. Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Second Master asked me to bring you the information. If it¡¯s confirmed that there are no problems, please sign it. I¡¯ll get someone to send it over to Vice President Zhang at the Dongfang Group. Oh, right, Second Master will probably be workingte tonight. I¡¯ve already asked the hospital to arrange for two special nurses to take care of Lawyer Song. Second Master asked you to go home and rest first. He¡¯lle overter and tell you not to worry.¡±

    Wang Chun ryed Qi Lei¡¯s instructions directly. As he took out the documents from his briefcase, the two of them walked unhurriedly towards the garden path at the side.

    Dongfang Liuyun took the documents and flipped through them briefly. Soon, she looked up at Wang Chun. ¡°Your President Qi is at thepany right now?¡±

    Wang Chun nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a very important meeting in the afternoon. He can¡¯t even make it for lunch now, so he rushed out with the n.¡±

    ¡°I understand. There¡¯s nothing serious at the hospital. I¡¯ve already asked Secretary Ding to rush over. I¡¯ll go directly to Tai Yu Corporation to look for him. You do your thing.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. Then, she closed the document in hand and walked forward.

    ¡°Missus! Second Young Master said...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally pretended not to hear the rest of his sentence. She took out the car keys from his pocket and went to the parking lot.

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s been arranged, Master Qi.¡±

    In Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s President¡¯s office, Yang Sheng spoke in a low voice. He was afraid of disturbing Qi Lei, who was sitting in front of his desk and flipping through his documents.

    ¡°Yes, hurry up.¡±

    Qi Lei did not even lift his eyelids as he ordered. He did not stop what he was doing.

    ¡°Yes! Master Qi! Oh right, this weekend is the once-in-three-years king of gamblerspetition. Master Qi, do you want to...¡± Yang Sheng reminded him.

    ¡°Let Wang Chun handle it. Do what he did in the past. I remember that there are people in charge of these things. Other than thepany¡¯s matters, try not to disturb me with anything else.¡±

    Qi Lei instructed with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°But Master Qi, now President Qi is still...¡±

    ¡°Long ago, when grandfather decided to whitewash the industry, he already made many ns. I don¡¯t want Tai Yu Corporation to get involved in that circle again. You have to remember these words. In the future, try not to disturb me with these things.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, there was a hint of gloominess between his brows. ¡°Grandfather said it clearly in the past. Otherwise, if old man Qi had been more ruthless back then, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to stand here.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re probably thinking too much. I heard Wang Chun say that President Qi only wanted to hand Qi Kai over to the First Master to manage. He didn¡¯t involve anything else. In fact, I¡¯m afraid that even President Qi didn¡¯t trust the First Master. Otherwise, the First Master would have known more about the casino.¡±

    ¡°Would have known more? If I didn¡¯t know about it from my grandfather or my mother, would I have been able to touch these things?¡±

    Qi Lei could not help but take a deep breath when he said this. ¡°All these years, Qi Kai has taken both the dark and the light paths. It¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t any guards of honor along the way.¡±

    Qi Lei slowly propped himself up on the table and stood up. He held an empty cup in his hand and walked to the coffee table beside the sofa. He poured himself a cup of water and also poured a cup for Yang Sheng. He pointed at the sofa opposite him and gestured for him to sit down.

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a moment before sitting down behind him.

    Qi Lei leisurely drank a few mouthfuls of water before speaking unhurriedly, ¡°When the situation in Tai Yu Corporation is more stable, I n to consolidate these forces. After being stranded for so many years, there are many internal matters that need to be cleaned up. Wang Chun did show me some information previously. You know this matter well.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, President Qi should be the one to do this...¡±

    ¡°If you wish for him to wake up, you might as well count on yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei gave a simple reply before slowly getting up and walking towards the window. He left a cold dark view towards Yang Sheng, looking lonely and bleak.

    ¡°Master Qi, there¡¯s news from the other side. I also asked someone to pay attention to Fujiwara... I heard that he and Missus once...¡±

    ¡°Fujiwara? Did I ask you to investigate him?¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei had already cut him off. There was a hint of displeasure in his tone.

    Yang Sheng broke into cold sweat, but for the sake of Master Qi¡¯s future, he could only bite the bullet and say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Qi. I¡¯m just worried that they¡¯ll do you harm. That Fujiwara is determined to get Missus. If it weren¡¯t for...¡±

    ¡°Determined to get her? Don¡¯t tell me that I, Qi Lei, am afraid of Fujiwara? Dongfang Liuyun is now Madam Qi, my woman. Who is this Fujiwara?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s face immediately turned cold when he heard that. His tone could not help but be filled with a hint of sarcasm, ¡°I don¡¯t care what their rtionship was in the past. I only care about the facts now. Don¡¯t ever bring this up in front of your Missus.¡±

    It was not wise to create a rift between the husband and wife because of these past matters. However, Dongfang Liuyun had said before that she would tell him about these things in the future. He did not ask any more questions after that.

    They all have a past. For instance, Qi Lei was not very open and aboveboard. At the very least, he was a true yboy in the past.

    Dongfang Liuyun was so outstanding that it was normal for him to have an admirer. But now, he, Qi Lei, was the one who had her, was that not true?

    As he thought about this, the stifling feeling he felt earlier receded a little¡ª

    He knew that Dongfang Liuyun probably had profound feelings for Fujiwara, but he did not know how she felt about him?

 Chapter 1756 - Fujiwara (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1756: Fujiwara (3)</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Qi. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. It¡¯s just...¡±

    Noticing that Qi Lei¡¯s expression was not right, Yang Sheng quickly stood up and exined apologetically.

    Qi Lei raised his hand slightly and gestured for him to leave.

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave first then.¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Yang Sheng suppressed the panic in his heart. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and left silently.

    ...

    Qi Lei slowly closed his eyes when he heard the sound of the door closing. He calmed down for a long time. When he opened his eyes again, he had already regained his calm...

    When Dongfang Liuyun rushed over, Qi Lei was in a meeting. Yang Sheng had his secretary bring Dongfang Liuyun to Qi Lei¡¯s office. At the same time, the meeting was still ongoing in the meeting room.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression did not look good. The manager who was making the report was also very cautious, afraid that he would offend the boss above.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was fixed on the document in front of him. There was no expression on his face. When he looked at the people below, his entire body could not help but tense up as he carefully looked at Qi Lei above him.

    Qi Lei flipped through the document in his hand and frowned slightly. After a long while, he was about to say something in a deep voice when Yang Sheng suddenly walked over and whispered in his ear, ¡°Master Qi, Missus is here. She¡¯s waiting in your office.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned when he heard that. He paused for a moment before closing the document. His handsome face softened a little. He suddenly looked down and said faintly, ¡°I won¡¯tment on the proposal for the time being. I¡¯ll think of a solution to the problem that was raised just now when I get back. The same time on Friday afternoon, I¡¯ll still be waiting for you here. If you still hand in a proposal that looks like this, forget abouting to work anymore.¡±

    Qi Lei said this calmly before standing up and walking towards the door.

    He pushed open the office door and scanned the office with his elite gaze. Soon, he noticed Dongfang Liuyun, who was standing by the bookshelf and taking a book from it.

    She was so engrossed in reading that she did not notice him even though he had been standing in front of the door for a while.

    After a while, he walked over. In the blink of an eye, he was behind her. Following her line of sight, he looked at the open book in front of her. Only then did he realize that she was reading a book about Feng Shui.

    ¡°You¡¯re so engrossed in reading? Just take it hometer. Didn¡¯t I tell you to go home and rest first? How¡¯s Mother?¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he leaned over and sat in the chair on the side.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already reacted when he approached. She turned around calmly and looked at him with her starry eyes. She closed the book in hand and handed it to him, ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. I only came over after the doctor gave her a checkup. Secretary Ding is over there, so I¡¯m relieved. Wang Chun gave me the materials, I¡¯ve signed it and put it on your desk.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time to get off work. Let¡¯s pack up and go home.¡±

    ¡°You go back. I¡¯ll go to the hospitalter to take a look.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and said as he looked up at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged and said nonchntly, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You might not be able to take care of her better than those nurses. Besides, you haven¡¯t had a good rest in a while. Your eyes are bloodshot. Are you sure you can keep on like this?¡±

    As she spoke, she did not wait for his reply. She had already begun to help him pack up the things on the table. Qi Lei continued to sit quietly as he watched her busying herself. His gaze was gentle.

    At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Qi Lei responded indifferently. The door was quickly pushed open and Bai Xiaowei walked in with two cups of tea.

    ¡°President Qi...¡±

    Just now, she heard Assistant Yang ask her to bring two cups of hot tea that can warm bellies. She was curious as to what kind of guest could make Assistant Yang be so courteous. Naturally, she looked up and sized them up, soon, she saw the woman who was packing her things at the table and the man who was quietly watching the busy woman.

    The woman had her head lowered, her long hair reaching her waist. It was hanging down wantonly and intertwined in front of her chest like a dark cloud. She was dressed in a very simple andfortable outfit

    She wore a pair of slightly white low-waisted jeans and a rather thick light-colored shirt on her upper body. The hem of the shirt hung loosely and was very loose. When she wore it, she looked very slim. Her facial features were very exquisite and beautiful, however, she exuded a sense of extraordinary elegance.

    Bai Xiaowei had never seen a woman with such abination of beauty and temperament. She was indifferent and otherworldly, but she looked very harmonious.

    In the past, most of the women who came to look for their President Qi were dressed up in all kinds of beautiful and noble clothes. Their temperaments were also very deliberate. Especially with their President Qi¡¯s status and status, there were too many women who tried to move up the ranks. However, they had never seen their President Qi act in a special manner for any woman before.

    But now...

    Who was this woman?

    She could actually make their President Qi look at her quietly with such a warm gaze?

    Bai Xiaowei had never seen Dongfang Liuyun before, but she vaguely felt that she looked familiar. She did not know if she was a celebrity who was currently in the limelight, but what was the rtionship between this woman and their President Qi?

    From the way President Qi treated her, it seemed that he was very tolerant. Moreover, there was a hint of indulgence in his eyes?

    Could it be that she had seen wrongly?

    Bai Xiaowei was stunned for a while, but she did not bring the tea over. It was not until Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze and looked at her that Bai Xiaowei could not help but pause. Only then did she calm down.

    Qi Lei also noticed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction and followed her gaze to look at Bai Xiaowei.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    His deep voice sounded a little unhappy.

    ¡°President Qi...¡±

    Bai Xiaowei finally came back to her senses and quickly brought the tea over. ¡°Assistant Yang asked me to make two cups of flower tea and bring them in. Take a look.¡±

    ¡°Bring them down. We¡¯re going back anyway.¡±

    Qi Lei stood up and nced at Bai Xiaowei. He frowned and did not say anything else. He took the briefcase from Dongfang Liuyun and put his arm around her shoulder as they walked out of the door.

    ¡°President Qi...¡±

    Bai Xiaowei was stunned for a moment. She quickly turned her head to look at the two figures, but they had already disappeared outside the door.

    ¡°The woman just now was...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally noticed Qi Lei¡¯s abnormality and could not help but ask. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re secretly keeping a mistress? Something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±

 Chapter 1757 - Fujiwara (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1757: Fujiwara (4)</h4>

    Qi Lei nced at her but did not reply.

    Dongfang liuyun frowned and did not ask further.

    ¡°Father probably knows about the news too. He called me at noon just now. I¡¯ve already briefed Father on the matter, he might not be able to make it back in a few days. Yang Sheng found out that the Lin family had contact with the perpetrator before. It seems like the Lin family has a deep prejudice against Mother?¡±

    As Qi Lei walked, his deep voice was heard. The couple walked into the private elevator together.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but sigh. She raised her hand to tidy up her messy hair and said, ¡°It¡¯s not just a deep grudge. They¡¯re like fire and water with the Lin family.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun in surprise, waiting for her to continue.

    ¡°My mother and Lin Yuanyuan have known each other for a long time. Before my mother married my father, she was already a very goodwyer. She had never lost before, so she was very appreciated by my grandfather and became the youngest consultant in Dongfang Group. At that time, my father and Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi were fighting for their position in Dongfang Group. Lin Yuanyuan was a member of the Lin family. Her family background was not bad, and she was Dongfang Ren¡¯s mistress.¡±

    ¡°However, the younger generation of the Lin family did not live up to expectations. Lin Yuanyuan had two brothers before. One of them was called Lin Yonghua, and the other seemed to be called Lin Yongcheng. Lin Yongcheng used his identity and was suspected of raping a girl. That girltermitted suicide. The girl¡¯s family sued Lin Yongcheng to the court, and the one who epted the case was Madam Song. She became the defensewyer for the girl¡¯s family. At that time, she and Father were about to get married.¡±

    ¡°Lin Yuanyuan came over and begged Madam Song to let Lin Yongcheng go, but Madam Song didn¡¯t. Later on, Lin Yongcheng was sentenced to many years in prison. I heard that he couldn¡¯t endure it in prison andmitted suicide. He couldn¡¯t be saved. Therefore, the Lin family has always held a grudge against Mother. This is very normal. Also, when I was three or four or five years old, Lin Yuanyuan identally fell and had a miscarriage, she said that it was my fault, Madam Song...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not continue speaking. Instead, she took a deep breath and said helplessly, ¡°If you really want to hear about the bitter history of the Dongfang family, I¡¯ll probably have to tell you for a few days and nights. When Father gets back, let him tell you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally very repulsed by talking about the past.

    ¡°Your Dongfang family isn¡¯t any simpler than our Qi family. Without Father around in this period of time, I heard that you haven¡¯t been having it easy either,¡± Qi Lei said in a low voice.

    ¡°What do you think? Lin Yuanyuan naturally thought of all sorts of ways to torment me, but I¡¯m not stupid. I¡¯ll just deal with it. It would have been fine if Dongfang Rou¡¯er hadn¡¯t gotten engaged to Jin Sheng. Now that the two of them are engaged, and I heard that the wedding will be held at the end of the year, the Jin family still has some connections in Myanmar. Dongfang Ren values this point. That¡¯s why Father was so anxious to settle the matter. We can¡¯t let them get to it first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was indifferent. As she spoke, she could not help but feel helpless, ¡°If this matter really had something to do with the Lin family, I won¡¯t let it go so easily. If we can take advantage of this opportunity to resolve this threat from the Lin family, it¡¯s not a bad thing.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her in surprise. This stance was exactly what he had in mind.

    ¡°What do I think? Do I need to have any thoughts? Since you¡¯ve been so eagerly paying attention, you must have some understanding of the situation, right?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, her clear eyes flickered. Her gaze was naturally a little crafty.

    Qi Lei suddenly smiled. His arm suddenly fell and he held her slender hand. ¡°You¡¯re pretty sure of me.¡±

    ¡°This is called intelligence.¡±

    She smiled and nced at him.

    ...

    Japan, on the outskirts of XX City.

    It was already dusk. The twilight scattered all over the ground. The soft light filled the entire world. There were even gorgeous burning clouds in the sky. As the wind blew gently, one could faintly hear sounds of rustles. It reflected the fiery maple forest in front of them, it was as if one was in a dream.

    Hidden in the fiery red maple forest was a luxurious mansion with a strong modern aura. The mansion upied arge area, and the environment was very elegant. Almost the entire mansion was surrounded by the fiery red maple forest.

    ¡®Ding¡ª¡¯

    A sharp piercing sound was heard, along with the sound of metal colliding¡ª

    The sound came from the depths of the mansion, in arge private study room.

    It was a very private and secluded space. There was only one side of the study that was filled withrge bookshelves filled with books, and it had a very ancient atmosphere. The bookshelves were stacked up very tall, with a total of five levels. If one wanted to obtain the books in the bookshelves at the highest level, one needed to rely on thedder behind the curtains at the side.

    The other three sides were all empty walls, and they were all of the same dark color. In front of the bookshelves was arge ancient wooden desk, and a few withered branches were stuck in arge vase at the side. There were even paintings of the same artistic conception hanging on the walls, the entire study room gave off a sharply cold austere feeling, and there was also an indescribable sense of oppression.

    At this moment, the curtains at the side of the study room were still drawn. The setting sun shone in through the window, and the floor seemed to be covered with ayer of soft golden light, reducing the austere and dark atmosphere in the study room by a few degrees.

    ¡®Ding¡ª¡¯

    Another crisp sound rang out. Looking in the direction of the sound, he finally saw the man sitting at the side of the coffee table...

    He was dressed in a grayish-ck casual outfit. His facial features were very profound and his eyebrows were like swords. His deep eyes were like the ocean in the silent night. He had a high nose bridge, indifferent thin lips, and long hair. There was no expression on his handsome face, except for a hint of coldness.

    His entire body revealed a coldness and alienation that kept others at a distance of a thousand miles.

    His skin was a little fair, and his outline was very charming. Such a beauty was infuriating to both humans and gods!

    Fujiwara, the person holding power in the Fujiwara family. They were a famous family n in Japan. His status was noble, and his position was prominent.

    Just his charm alone was enough to make many women fall in love with him.

    However, he himself was quite low-key, and his whereabouts were somewhat unpredictable. He rarely appeared before the media in all these years, so very few people knew specific information on him.

    Of course, these were not things that Fujiwara cared about.

    At this moment, he was sitting quietly with a white handkerchief in his hand. He was carefully and attentively wiping the sharp katana in his hand.

    This was a very special katana. The de was sharp and the scabbard was very simple. It was pitch-ck all over, and there was only a blooming rose carved in the middle...

 Chapter 1758 - Fujiwara (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1758: Fujiwara (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was a sharp and understated knife. The handle of the knife was simply wrapped with a dark cloth.

    Fujiwara was currently looking down at the knife in his hand. He was carefully wiping it as if he was protecting a treasure that he loved the most.

    There was still freshly boiled water on the coffee table beside him. The rising steam made him look a little hazy.

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Then, the door was pulled open, and a thin and tall gray figure was quickly seen.

    It was a man who looked to be in his thirties. He looked like a personal assistant.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    The man quickly stopped in front of the coffee table and bowed respectfully to Fujiwara. Then, he knelt on the tatami beside him and skillfully took out tea leaves to make tea.

    After a while, the study room was filled with the fragrance of tea.

    ¡°Master, Master Lan Xiu hasn¡¯t picked up the phone yet. I think...¡±

    The man carefully looked at the silent Fujiwara and tentatively said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Master Lan Xiu...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s avoiding my call. Since he doesn¡¯t want to pick up, there¡¯s no need to call anymore. I¡¯ll find out what¡¯s going on over there when I get there.¡±

    A calm tone was heard, and the voice was a little deep and hoarse. That tone of voice seemed to make people feel a faint hint of depressed tone, or perhaps, stifled?

    Of course, both of them spoke very authentic Japanese.

    ¡°Master, your injuries haven¡¯t recovered yet. Why don¡¯t you rest for a while before going over? Master won¡¯t be at ease with you going over like this. Besides, Miss Riko is still here. Why don¡¯t we wait for the Inoue family members to return first? It Won¡¯t be toote for us to go over.¡±

    The man carefully sought Fujiwara¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°That¡¯s Father¡¯s own matter. The Inoue n¡¯s members were provoked by him.¡±

    Fujiwara said indifferently, throwing down the white handkerchief in his hand, and taking a sip of the tea that had been brewed at the side. He then stood up, tightly holding the knife that had just been wiped, he hacked at the wooden stake not far from the wall.

    A sharp ray of light shed past, and even though there was arge area of air between them, they could still feel the cold, sharp air from the knife that pressed towards them. A chilling feeling assaulted them, and the man could not help but be startled for a moment, subconsciously shrinking his body.

    ¡®Bam!¡¯

    ¡®Pa!¡¯

    A few sharp sounds of things split open rang out. In the blink of an eye, the row of wooden stakes that had been in perfect condition just a moment ago had already been turned into fragments in an instant, and the flecks of dust that rose into the air stained the corner of his clothes, it looked rather messy and somber.

    The man did not dare to say anything as he watched. He just quietly watched the scattered dust on the ground. It was only when the intertwined de shadows and cold light stopped that he took a deep breath and walked forward with a clean white handkerchief, he handed it to Fujiwara.

    Fujiwara took it and wiped the de briefly. Then, he strode towards the knife rack at the side and silently put away the sharp de.

    ¡°Master, Miss Riko¡¯s dance tonight...¡±

    ¡°Matsuda, I don¡¯t know when your awareness has be so low. What does her dance have to do with me? Why isn¡¯t there any news about what I asked you to do? Have you gone back to your ability to do things?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s hoarse voice carried a hint of displeasure and coldness.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master! I¡¯m Sorry!¡±

    Matsuda hurriedly bowed and apologized, ¡°We¡¯re far away in Japan, so the situation there isn¡¯t clear to begin with. Moreover, I noticed that the news about Miss Dongfang in City Z seemed to have been suppressed. Clearly, someone did it on purpose. I think it¡¯s to guard against us. Perhaps, it¡¯s because Miss Dongfang herself doesn¡¯t want us to know about her...¡±

    Matsuda¡¯s words caused Fujiwara¡¯s cold and handsome face to turn even gloomier. He tightened his grip on the knife. Matsuda could feel his hand, which was holding the knife tightly, trembling slightly. His eyes instantly turned dark and lifeless.

    He turned to look at the faint setting sun outside the window. He blinked his profound eyes and took a deep breath. Matsuda could also see that his face had turned somewhat pale. From afar, he could also feel the pain gathering on his body.

    ¡°She can only be mine. This time, I¡¯ll tie her to my side and even if it makes her hate me more, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes. It¡¯s better than making me suffer alone.¡±

    He had never seen a woman as heartless and cold as her, Dongfang Liuyun. He owed her, but they were destined to owe each other. She had to pay for it herself, and he would pay for it too.

    ¡°Master, but we can¡¯t do whatever we want with this matter. I¡¯m afraid that Miss Dongfang...¡±

    Matsuda also looked at Fujiwara worriedly, his heart filled with heartache¡ª

    After suffering for so many years, both of them were in so much pain, especially their Master. Ever since that incident, he had woken up from nightmares almost every day. Every time he had nightmares, he would wake up screaming Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s name.

    He knew very well that his Master must have dreamt that Miss Dongfang had left him.

    These past few years, Fujiwara did not have a good life at all. He had also lost a lot of weight. After a long period of time, he was almost dispirited. Every day, he would busy himself with work. Of course, his temper was much worse, his methods were extremely cruel. After his family mercilessly went through a huge purge, he had secured his position as the absolute sessor of the Fujiwara family.

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to her. I¡¯ve settled the family¡¯s matters. I¡¯d like to see who else dares to oppose me.¡±

    ¡°But, on Elder Master¡¯s side...,¡± Matsuda spoke hesitantly.

    Hearing this, a disdainful sneer appeared on Fujiwara¡¯s gloomy face, ¡°If he really likes Inoue Riko, he can marry her himself. Anyway, I don¡¯t mind him having another mistress. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to cripple a woman.¡±

    As he said this, a cold glint shed across Fujiwara¡¯s dark eyes. It was as if the ck cloth covering his chest had been torn off in an instant, revealing his hideous heart.

    Matsuda¡¯s heart froze when he heard this. He could not help but suck in a breath of cold air and hurriedly said, ¡°Master, don¡¯t be rash. Miss Riko is the precious jewel of the Inoue family. If anything happens to her here, the Inoue family will definitely not let this matter rest.¡±

    ¡°Then tell her to quickly scram back to her territory.¡±

    Fujiwara said this expressionlessly as he put down the knife in his hand and coldly turned around to walk towards the door.

    When Matsuda came back to his senses, he could only catch a glimpse of that cold back view...

 Chapter 1759 - Fujiwara (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1759: Fujiwara (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When thest ray of sunlight was swallowed up, the entire world fell into a silent gray fog. Soon, night arrived.

    It was very quiet in the Grand Lake Vi district.

    Mama Wang had prepared dinner, which was the couple¡¯s favorite food. However, the couple did not have much of an appetite, especially Qi Lei. He ate a few mouthfuls and went upstairs.

    When Dongfang Liuyun returned to the bedroom, the bathroom was already empty. However, he was considerate enough to help her get a bath. She called the hospital to find out about the situation. After knowing that it was nothing serious, she felt a little relieved, then found some clothes and went in to take a bath.

    About half an hourter, she finally walked out of the bathroom with a fresh look on her face.

    ...

    At this moment, outside the balcony of the study.

    Qi Lei was leaning against the railing, holding a half-lit cigarette between his fingers. He was smoking from time to time. The air was filled with the faint scent of tobo mixed with the faint fragrance of flowers.

    The lights on the balcony were not turned on. The dim light came from the row of street lights quietly lit in the front yard downstairs. Standing there and looking down at the front yard, he could only see the mottled shadows.

    The wind at night was a little cold, especially since it was already autumn. Just standing there in a robe would make him feel a little chilly.

    Qi Lei flicked the ashes between his fingers and took another puff. He narrowed his eyes in the smoke and took the phone that had been vibrating for a long time. He tapped the answer button.

    ¡°Second Master, the matter has been arranged. Lin Yonghua is now at the casino with Dongfang Yu.¡±

    Wang Chun¡¯s low voice came from the other end of the phone.

    Qi Lei raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows. His tone was calm as water. ¡°Okay, do as you¡¯re told.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Second Master!¡±

    Wang Chun replied while Qi Lei had already hung up the phone. He put the phone away and ced it by the railing. He then looked down quietly.

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked in, she looked around but did not see anyone. However, she could vaguely smell the faint smell of smoke in the air. She walked over and lifted the half-opened curtain. She saw the man leaning against the railing, he was silently exhaling smoke.

    ¡°From what I remember, you don¡¯t usually touch these things. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly walked over and stopped in front of him. She raised her head and stared at him with her clear eyes for a long time. Before he could react, she suddenly bent down slightly, reached out and took the remaining half of the cigarette between his fingers. He took a casual puff before putting it out in the flower pot.

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at her. Seeing that she seemed to be quite familiar with her actions, he paused.

    ¡°This thing is not good for your health. I won¡¯t force you to quit, but it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to ask for there to be fewer cigarettes, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun exhaled lightly and looked at him calmly. ¡°Are you going to let me finish what I have to say before you answer my question?¡±

    As she said this, Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and looked at him silently.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who kept going, were you letting me speak?¡±

    Qi Lei remained in the same position as before. There was a hint of gentleness in his dark eyespared to before. He looked at her quietly.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily. She crossed her hands and rested them on the railing in front of her as she looked away¡ª

    ¡°Does it make things difficult for you?¡±

    She asked faintly. She did not look at her now. Instead, she looked at the courtyard below. Qi Lei, on the other hand, kept his eyes on her...

    ¡°Why do you ask? I thought you should have felt that everything was as it should be.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment before saying this.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a breath and smiled faintly. However, she shook her head, ¡°Of course, I want to feel more at ease, but seeing how tired you are, my heart aches a little. You don¡¯t have to bear these things anyway. It¡¯s not a good feeling to jump out of one pit and into another.¡±

    ¡°Did you think it was easy to marry a wife?¡±

    Qi Lei said yfully, a hint of sincerity suddenly appearing in his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think too much. I¡¯m willing to do everything myself. At the end of the day, you can think that it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Your happiness will affect the quality of my lifeter on. On the thing with my mother, thank you for that. I might not have been able to handle it alone.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was telling the truth. Thepany¡¯s matter had already given her a headache.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei suddenly smiled. After thinking about it, he suddenly reached out to her and signaled for her to go over.

    Dongfang Liuyun did as she was told. She shifted her body slightly and leaned into his embrace as well.

    His slender fingers gentlybed her beautiful long hair, and his deep voice brushed past his ears, ¡°No way. Who asked you to be my Mrs. Qi? I don¡¯t have many things, and there¡¯s nothing I can lose. As long as I don¡¯t lose you, that would be enough.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s chest felt warm for some reason as she listened. After a moment of silence, she looked up and squinted at him. ¡°I¡¯m very expensive. You can¡¯t afford to lose to me.¡±

    The smile on Qi Lei¡¯s face widened slightly as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t afford to lose to you even if I go bankrupt.¡±

    As he said that, he pressed her against his chest. His arms silently hugged her tightly as he lowered his head to smell the faint fragrance that pervaded her ck hair. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be a good husband?¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly asked in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun was shocked when she heard this. She could not react in time. She looked up from his embrace and looked at him for a long time before she recovered¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you suddenly ask?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to ask.¡±

    Qi Lei answered calmly.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before looking up at him. ¡°You¡¯ve always been very good. Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. After all... In this world, I¡¯m not the only one who wants to have you. For example, Lan Xiu, the deceased Lan Qi you mentioned, or Fujiwara in Japan...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned when she heard Qi Lei¡¯s words. Her entire body froze as she looked at him...

    Qi Lei lowered his head and looked at her deeply. He saw her reaction as well.

    ¡°Lan Qi¡¯s gone. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. As for Lan Xiu, you know the situation very well. I don¡¯t need to exin much. Fujiwara, Fujiwara... where should I begin to tell you about him?¡±

 Chapter 1760 - Love Comes Unexpectedly (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1760: Love Comes Unexpectedly (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This matter was still a knot in her heart. Dongfang Liuyun actually did not want to hide anything, because it was only a matter of time before these things were found out. Although she did not want to mention it, she had never thought of hiding it.

    ¡°Tell me briefly?¡±

    Qi Lei asked tentatively, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, I don¡¯t need to hear it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to talk about it, I just don¡¯t know where to start.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened. Suddenly, she slowly withdrew from his embrace, her other hand still holding his, ¡°I¡¯ve known him for many years, just a few yearster than Lan Xiu and the others. Fujiwara¡¯s mother is from our country, and his father is a native Japanese. His mother was originally a noblewoman from this side, and he grew up here as well. We went to school together, from primary school to middle school. We were both schoolmates from the same school, but before middle school, I didn¡¯t have much contact with him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the same as me, and both of us are very fond of archaeological culture. We often go out to explore together, and we¡¯ve experienced many things. I don¡¯t want to lie to you. We used to be very in love, and we were willing to sacrifice ourselves for each other. But, you know, some things and feelings will disappear with time and change with the environment. Unfortunately, we had that problem between us. Of course, it was also because of Lan Qi.¡±

    ¡°Lan Qi?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun doubtfully. ¡°What does it have to do with him?¡±

    ¡°Although my rtionship with Fujiwara is unforgettable, I¡¯ve never thought of having a good future with him. His identity might not be suitable for me. Furthermore, there are too many misunderstandings and burdens between us. We¡¯re destined not to be together openly. I¡¯m not the kind of person who would give up everything just for love. It¡¯s because I want more than just love. That¡¯s why there was a crisis between us.¡±

    ¡°Lan Qi has always been very good to me. He¡¯s a very gentle and considerate person. I really admire the quietness from him. Sometimes, he¡¯s just like you. He has a very clean and peaceful temperament. This kind of feeling makes me inexplicably nostalgic. So, when he proposed to me, I didn¡¯t reject him immediately. Instead, I promised him that I would think about it carefully. Actually, the answer was that I¡¯ll agree to it, but he didn¡¯te to see that day.¡±

    At this point, the light in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes dimmed, and her face could not help but turn pale. He could see it clearly under the dim light.

    ¡°Lan Qi¡¯s death wasrgely because of me. Back then, the person who should have died would not have been him, but me...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was unusually gloomy. As she spoke, she could not help but close her eyes. She was afraid that if she continued, she would not be able to control the surging pain in her heart. She would not be able to hold it in...

    ¡°Now, do you understand why I felt the same way about what you went through back then? Because I¡¯ve also seen the scene of the person I care about dying right in front of my eyes. Moreover, such a life-and-death parting isn¡¯t just this once.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke in a low voice. Hermenting tone contained too much helplessness and enduring pain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care about Fujiwara. I¡¯ve said it before, what we had is in the past. Once we¡¯ve missed each other, it¡¯s gone. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have wasted so many years. I heard that he¡¯ll be back for the Yang Festival because he¡¯s going to pay respects to his grandfather and grandmother. So, I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°If he really can¡¯t let you go, he¡¯ll definitely look for you.¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish, Qi Lei cut her off. His tone was calm, but his deep eyes were still fixed on her.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and was in a daze for a moment before nodding. ¡°I know, but please believe me.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that narrow-minded. Many couples don¡¯t need to be enemies even if they can¡¯t be together in the end. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll need to worry about you more. But since you have your own ns, I can be rest assured.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, I don¡¯t really want to bother about your past and things you don¡¯t want to talk about. You¡¯re a very rational person, so I¡¯m willing to give you time to deal with these problems. Try not to let it affect our lives and our rtionship. I believe you can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Trust me? Qi Lei, where did you get this confidence from?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him in surprise.

    He smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice. He said very sensitively in her ear, ¡°Because I¡¯m the one who legally has you now. Besides, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone more suitable for you, and more worthy of you than me, Qi Lei.¡±

    As he said this, he seemed to be gathering a glimmer of determination in his dark eyes. Looking at it made Dongfang Liuyun feel a little warm in her heart.

    After some thought, she blinked. She was inexplicably touched and smiled faintly, ¡°I won¡¯t tell you that actually, I¡¯m quite worried that you¡¯ll let me go in the end because I¡¯m not that determined. In terms of feelings, I¡¯m actually a pessimist. If you let me go, I won¡¯t have the courage to pursue you again. In the end, I would only silently endure and watch you turn around and leave.¡±

    Hearing that, Qi Lei suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tightly and said softly, ¡°I won¡¯t. No matter how you turn around, I¡¯ll chase you back. I won¡¯t give you a chance to leave. I won¡¯t let go for even a moment.¡±

    He was really afraid that if he let go for even a moment, she would leave him to go far away.

    He did not tell her that she was just like her name, a moving cloud. If she did not stop intentionally, he would not have been able to catch her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment, but she quickly reached out and hugged his strong waist. She hugged him tightly. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Qi Lei hugged her even tighter.

    Actually, he wanted to ask her if he had a ce in her heart, but at this moment, he suddenly could not bring himself to ask.

    He did not know if this was the so-called feelings, the so-called liking. At least now, he realized that he cares more and more for her, day by day, and his desire for her was also deepening day by day.

    He thought this, and wanted to sort out the wild thoughts in his heart, but Dongfang Liuyun did not give him a chance. A soft and familiar touch suddenly came from his lips, and he could not help but lock onto her slender fingers tightly...

 Chapter 1761 - Love Comes Unexpectedly (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1761: Love Comes Unexpectedly (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Perhaps love was like this. Many things and feelings would subtly change with time. When he calmed his heart to explore, he realized that there were already some things in his heart that were taking root and sprouting.

    When he married her, he did not actually think of liking her or caring about her. He just felt that he did not really care about these things anymore. Moreover, they were allies, so he could not bear to see her being rejected and feeling disappointed, also...

    Hence, he spoke up in the end.

    At this stage, he had actually not expected it. However, he did not feel that he could reject such a feeling. At least, during this period of time, he had at least felt a little happy and filled with anticipation.

    This time, he did not take the initiative. He quietly enjoyed the faint warmth that came from her. He allowed the soft and entwined wandering to be stranded in his territory. His nose was filled with the light and exclusive fragrance of her body, there was also the faint fragrance of tobo from before.

    He could feel her slightly cold fingers opening and the touch of his ten fingers interlocking. He could also feel the soft and warm body temperature that she came over to. That was why he could not help but stretch out his hand to hug her slender waist, he also lowered his head slightly to capture her cold lips again. He pulled her tightly into his chest...

    After that, he suddenly picked her up and walked straight to the bedroom.

    All of his passion suddenly burned like fireworks under the starry night sky.

    When he saw that she was so tired that she had fallen asleep under him, Qi Lei lowered his head and looked at her silently for a long time. In his heart, he asked himself, are the two of them a little closer to that legendary thing called love?

    However, whether it was closer or not, he would feel satisfied at this moment because no one, be it Lan Qi, Lan Xiu, or Fujiwara, could have her like he did now.

    Thinking of this, Qi Lei suddenly thought that he should quickly put the wedding on the agenda. This way, everyone in City Z would know that Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were husband and wife?

    ¡°I will try to love you well, Dongfang Liuyun, my Mrs. Qi.¡±

    After looking at her for a long time, he suddenly said this in a low voice. His voice was naturally very low, as though he was the only one who could hear it.

    In the end, he, Second Master Qi, had never really loved someone with all his heart. In fact, he did not know if he still had love in his heart. However, if it were her, he was willing to try and pursue.

    After thinking for a long time, he finally could not resist the urge to fall asleep. He hugged her and fell into a deep sleep.

    However, Qi Lei naturally did not know that just as he fell asleep and the sound of even breathing rang out, Dongfang Liuyun, who had been lying next to him with her eyes closed, opened her eyes silently and turned to look at him unexpectedly, as she pulled up the nket that slid down with one hand as she propped up her head with the other. Her messy ck hair draped over her smooth shoulders.

    The lights in the bedroom were a little dim, but there was an inexplicable warmth and gentleness.

    After staring at his quiet sleeping expression for a while, she sighed softly and said calmly, ¡°Me too... in this world, I¡¯m afraid that only you have the right to let me try again. You¡¯re so good to me, what are you worried about?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun muttered softly, her heart felt a little soft, but of course, she was also a little helpless. In fact, she understood his feelings very well¡ª

    The two of them probably did not feel safe either. The more they gave, the more afraid they would be. It was not that they care about what they invest, it was the feeling of not getting what they loved that would be the most heart-wrenching.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you lose.¡±

    These words were very firm. In an instant, her misty eyes were filled with determination.

    After saying this, Qi Lei, who was beside her, seemed to suddenly feel something. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace. However, he did not wake up, so he naturally missed the rare words that someone said.

    ...

    The next morning, Zhou Zimo woke up early as usual. There was an early meeting in the office today, and he had not finished reading a lot of documents, so he went straight to the office after breakfast.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Madam¡¯s call.¡±

    He had just returned to the office from the morning meeting when Lian Ziyao picked up the call.

    Zhou Zimo frowned and ced his phone on the desk at the side. He unbuttoned his cufflinks leisurely and reached out to take the phone from Lian Ziyao.

    ¡°Mother, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Zimo asked directly.

    ¡°You finally picked up. I¡¯ve been calling you all morning. Why is your phone switched off?¡±

    Liang Jing¡¯s dissatisfied voice was heard immediately. Zhou Zimo¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter. After a while, he said, ¡°I was in a meeting just now. Why did you call so early? How is Grandfather?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was most likely concerned about Grandfather Zhou¡¯s health. When he returned home yesterday, the old man did not even speak to him. It was obvious that he was angry with him because of the matter with his granddaughter-inw.

    It would be fine if the old man did not make a scene. If he really made a scene like this, Zhou Zimo would really be helpless against him.

    ¡°How else can he be? His anger is through the roof over you. I just gave him a checkup, his high blood pressure is acting up. You know that he¡¯s not in a good mood right now, but you won¡¯t give in to him.¡±

    Liang Jing¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness and reproach.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother... I didn¡¯t mean it. Mother, you don¡¯t have to worry about me anymore.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was silent for a moment before he said this.

    ¡°How many times have I said this? If I stop worrying, can you find us a daughter-inw?¡±

    Liang Jing took a deep breath and could not help but feel a headache. ¡°Your father and I only have one son. Do you n to live like this for the rest of your life?¡±

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to cooperate with you. I have my own ideas. Give me till the end of this year. If I still haven¡¯t found a daughter-inw for you by the end of this year, I¡¯ll go with your arrangements and choose a good woman to marry. That¡¯ll be fine. Tell Grandfather that if I still can¡¯t fulfil his wish this year, I¡¯llpromise.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s gaze darkened. He was getting sick of it, and even tired of it.

    After Zhou Zimo said these, Liang Jing fell silent for a moment. It seemed like she was unable to regain her senses.

    ¡°Zimo, you...¡±

    Liang Jing said softly.

    ¡°As you wish, I won¡¯t make things too difficult for you. In that case, it should be alright, right?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was very calm. Then, he hung up the phone, however¡ª

 Chapter 1762 - Faint Fragrance Lingering (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1762: Faint Fragrance Lingering (1)</h4>

    ¡°Zimo, wait a minute!¡±

    Liang Jing¡¯s voice was heard, ¡°Your father will be home tonight. You shoulde back. Mother will make your favorite food for you.¡±

    Was his fathering back?

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment, but his tensed expression eased up a little. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go home after work.¡±

    After saying that, he hung up the phone and put it back. With one hand supporting the corner of the table, he rubbed his slightly swollen eyebrows tiredly. He took a deep breath and looked out of the window.

    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡±

    Lian Ziyao noticed that Zhou Zimo was not in a good condition, so he carefully asked with concern.

    Zhou Zimo waved his hand and slowly walked over the table to sit in an office chair at the side. He replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. How¡¯s the investigation going?¡±

    As he said that, he also took a sip of tea from the side.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got it. I was just about to give it to you!¡±

    As Lian Ziyao spoke, he quickly took out a folder from his briefcase and handed it to Zhou Zimo, ¡°Master, this is the general situation of Officer Qin su over the past few years, as well as her recent situation. Chief Qin has actually given her quite a bit of pressure. She seems to be nning to submit her application recently and wants to be transferred to the southwest border. I think she also wants to avoid these disturbances.¡±

    Lian Ziyao guessed.

    Zhou Zimo received it very quickly and flipped through it carefully.

    The concentrated gaze in his ck eyes was naturally very focused. He carefully looked through the documents. After a long while, he closed them. However, the expression in his eyes became somewhatplicated.

    ¡°Back then, Officer Qin had the opportunity to be promoted to the special training zone. The people who came out from there are usually people who have risen to great heights. I think that it¡¯s also because of the injuries on her hands that she missed this opportunity. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be at this level now.¡±

    As Lian Ziyao spoke, his tone was a little regretful. Zhou Zimo also did not feel good hearing that.

    ¡°Officer Qin has been working in the military camp for the past few years and rarely goes home. Also, two years ago, she dated arade in the same camp for a period of time. But in the end, because the other party felt that he was not worthy of Officer Qin, the rtionship ended without a hitch. Officer Qin¡¯s reaction was very calm and did not urge him to stay. However, the personter came back to look for Officer Qin, but Officer Qin did not see him. Instead, she followed the orders of her superior and transferred back to City Z.¡±

    Lian Ziyao said simply. As he spoke, he carefully nced at Zhou Zimo. Seeing that there was not much change in his expression, he then heaved a sigh of relief and continued, ¡°Oh right, there is also the information of that man attached at the back.¡±

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face was extremely indifferent. He flipped to thest page of the document and roughly nced at the information. After that, he said disdainfully, ¡°How unambitious, it¡¯s right that she doesn¡¯t care!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re someone who looks down on yourself to begin with, what qualifications do you have to have her? As expected, she has never disappointed me.¡±

    When Zhou Zimo said thest sentence, a rare look of joy appeared on his face. However, Lian Ziyao could actually catch a trace of faint anticipation in his eyes.

    However, Lian Ziyao did not quite understand why his Master was so happy. Could it be that his Master really liked Officer Qin?

    ...

    At apany base under the jurisdiction of the Military District A.

    Qin Su did not expect Zhou Zimo toe over personally. When the person came to report, she was watching the new recruits training in the training ground.

    ¡°Instructor Qin, there¡¯s a Mr. Zhou outside looking for you. He says he¡¯s your friend.¡±

    The soldier came to report.

    Qin Su frowned and turned to look at him. ¡°What Mr. Zhou?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tall, handsome, and handsome Mr. Zhou. He¡¯s in the family reception room right now. You should go over and take a look.¡±

    Qin Su could not help but feel puzzled. However, after giving a few instructions, she walked over unhurriedly.

    In the corridor outside the family reception room in Lian District, Zhou Zimo was standing in front of the billboard with his hands behind his back. He was leisurely looking at the posters posted on the billboard.

    At this moment, it was already close to noon. The autumn sun was faint, and the cool breeze was blowing. It did not seem as stuffy and hot as before. The weather was quite refreshing at this moment, and Zhou Zimo was only wearing a casual silver-gray suit.

    While he was engrossed in watching, he quickly heard the sound of resounding footsteps behind him.

    Very clear and crisp footsteps.

    Zhou Zimo returned to his senses and subconsciously turned around, looking towards the source of the sound. As expected, he saw a petite and slender figure striding towards him from the other end of the corridor.

    She was dressed in a military green camouge uniform, and her feet were covered in ck military boots. Her beautiful hair had beenpletely coiled up, and it was tied into a neat bun, revealing a cold and beautiful little face.

    Seeing her walk over, Zhou Zimo could clearly feel an unusual auraing from her.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±

    Qin Su frowned and stopped not far from him.

    Zhou Zimo narrowed his deep eyes and looked at her for a long time without changing his expression. There was a faint light in the depths of his eyes as he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Long time no see, how are you?¡±

    Master Zhou did not expect that he would use such ame opening one day.

    Qin Su listened and nced at him expressionlessly. ¡°Long time no see? Is your memory so bad?¡±

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and his slightly clenched fist was pressed down on his indifferent lips. He smiled and said, ¡°A day apart feels like three autumns apart. Hasn¡¯t Officer Qin heard of this? What is the meaning of your expression? You don¡¯t wee me?¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, his eyes were filled with a faint gentleness.

    Qin Su did not answer. She only looked at him indifferently. She leisurely crossed her chest and leaned against the pir at the side.

    ¡°What do you think my expression means now? Didn¡¯t thedy boss of the flower shop tell you that I don¡¯t like roses?¡±

    Officer Qin Su spoke in such a direct manner.

    ¡°What flowers do you like then? Should I send you other flowers tomorrow? Perfume lilies? Or Chinese bellflower? Or orchids?¡±

    Zhou Zimo asked tentatively.

    Qin Su nced at him and ignored him. He nced at the time on his wrist, then silently turned around and turned back.

    Zhou Zimo was silent for a moment. He touched his nose and followed her.

    It was already lunchtime. The two of them walked on the clean path one after the other. They could hear the sounds of the drill as well as the loud and clear singing of the military songs.

    This kind of atmosphere was something that he had not experienced for a long time. At this moment, Zhou Zimo suddenly felt nostalgic for the past as he followed Qin Su forward. The two of them did not say a word, it was not until they saw a clean and white restaurant in a small building...

 Chapter 1763 - Faint Fragrance Lingering (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1763: Faint Fragrance Lingering (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they walked into the dining hall, they could hear the soldiers greeting Qin Su from the side. Qin Su nodded in response one by one.

    The dining hall was a very neat two-story building. There were many seats on both floors. It was a ce for the sergeants to eat. At this time, there were also many sergeants sitting in the dining hall. Everyone ate in an orderly manner.

    Qin Su went straight to the second floor and to a window. Zhou Zimo followed her and stood behind Qin Su.

    ¡°The food in the Military District is simple. If you don¡¯t like it, leave quickly. If you¡¯re okay with it, find a seat and sit down,¡± said Qin Su indifferently.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged and looked into the ss window. He nodded and said, ¡°I want that, that, and this, this, and this...¡±

    Qin Su instantly frowned and could not help but nce at him. ¡°Are you a pig? Can you eat that much? It¡¯d be a shame to waste it.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten my fill for breakfast. Please, Officer Qin, treat me to this meal. I¡¯ll treat you to a sumptuous banquet for the next meal.¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her with a smile.

    Qin Su narrowed her eyes at him and said coldly, ¡°The face of a corrupt profligate son.¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not seem to mind at all. Seeing her slightly unhappy little face, he felt quite good instead. He then turned around and went to the dining area on the side to find a seat to sit down.

    Not long after, Qin Su ordered two dishes, brought them over, and sat down opposite Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo did not stand on ceremony and took the chopsticks. As he pulled apart the chopsticks, he raised his head to look at Qin Su, who was opposite him. Qin Su had already lowered her head silently and was eating quietly. Her movements were naturally the standard military posture. This posture was just like his father¡¯s.

    No wonder he had always said that he was born to be a soldier.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m full. President Zhou, hurry up and make do with it. After you¡¯re done eating, you can go back. If nothing else, please don¡¯te and disturb me. Also, I thank you for your flowers. I thank you for your kindness. It can be considered that I¡¯ve repaid my kindness. There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble in the future.¡±

    ¡°Who said that I¡¯m done repaying you? Isn¡¯t this just the beginning? Can¡¯t you see that I, Zhou Zimo, am now pestering you? You¡¯re my savior. This little repayment is nothing.¡±

    Zhou Zimo, on the other hand, was very calm.

    ¡°Such persistence will make me think that you have other motives. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re nning to give yourself to me?¡±

    Qin Su looked up at him indifferently and said disapprovingly.

    As soon as she said this, Zhou Zimo immediatelyughed in a low voice. He raised his handsome eyebrows, coughed lightly, and then said with a smile, ¡°You want to get your hands on me?¡±

    Hearing this, Qin Su looked at him coldly and indifferently. ¡°I have no interest in pampered heirs like you, I can¡¯t afford to worship someone like you.¡±

    As Qin Su said this, she calmly lowered her head and continued to eat her food.

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Then, in your eyes, what kind of pampered heir am I? I would like to hear it. Is your impression of me that bad?¡±

    When Zhou Zimo asked this question, his eyes were a little dim.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I have a bad impression, I just don¡¯t have the time to y games with you. I want to be a steady and quiet person. I don¡¯t want to pursue the meaning of your previous actions, but let me tell you, your actions have already caused me trouble.¡±

    Qin Su took the napkin, wiped her mouth briefly, and said.

    ¡°y games? Officer Qin Su, I, Zhou Zimo, have never yed such games in feelings. If I tell you that I¡¯m serious and really intend to give myself to you, what do you n to do? I know you¡¯re single now, do I not have even a chance to pursue you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was light, but his eyes were serious.

    When Zhou Zimo said this, Qin Su frowned. ¡°This joke isn¡¯t funny. We¡¯re definitely not suitable for each other.¡±

    Qin Su rejected without hesitation.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten to know each other, how do you know that we¡¯re not suitable? I think we¡¯re quite suitable, if we weren¡¯t, could we chat like this? A thousand cups of wine aren¡¯t too many when drinking with good friends, haven¡¯t you heard of this line? Moreover, I don¡¯t see any disgust or rejection in your eyes. This proves that you at least acknowledge me as your friend. This is a very good sign, don¡¯t you think? Officer Qin Su?¡±

    Zhou Zimo said with a calm expression. He did not feel any embarrassment or disappointment from being rejected. Instead, he appeared even more confident and resolute.

    However, Qin Su turned her head away and smiled disdainfully when she heard that, ¡°You¡¯re not the type that I like either. President Zhou, you and I are both mature adults. Such childish thoughts will only appear in idol dramas. You¡¯re not the almighty male lead, and I¡¯m also not the hypocritical Mary Sue. We can¡¯t y an idol drama that starts with a marriage proposal. Besides, I¡¯m a serious soldier. Although I don¡¯t have the time to deal with so-called feelings, at least my attitude is still strict, unlike you.¡±

    ¡°Like me, like what?? Qin Su, the more you say that, the more I want to win you over. I wasn¡¯t very sure at first, but now¡ª¡±

    As Zhou Zimo said this, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Qin Su¡¯s hand. He swiftly pulled up her sleeve, and a pure white wrist was immediately visible. However, there was a ferocious wound on that pure white wrist!

    It was the wound that she had suffered in order to save Zhou Zimo. Although it had already healed, the wound was very clear, very long, and very ferocious. No wonder she rarely wore short sleeves. Previously, when the weather was hot, she had also worn that army green long shirt.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±

    Qin Su was shocked by his sudden action. When she reacted, she reached out with a cold expression and grabbed his wrist. She squeezed it hard, and Zhou Zimo only released his hand after feeling a wave of pain.

    Qin Su retracted his hand at lightning speed and looked at Zhou Zimo with a cold expression. Her tone was unusually cold. ¡°If you¡¯re here to mock or dig out my scars, you have gotten what you wanted.¡±

    ¡°Qin Su... I don¡¯t have any other intentions. As for the wound on your shoulder, I...¡±

    Although Zhou Zimo was mentally prepared, he could not help but feel a pain in his heart when he saw the entire wound that was exposed. When he saw Qin Su swiftly rolled down her sleeves, he took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you. I was just carrying out my duties.¡±

    ¡°No, Qin Su. I think I should be responsible for you. If it wasn¡¯t for me...¡±

    Zhou Zimo appeared to be a little incoherent at this moment.

    However, Qin Su did not want to hear him say these things, much less see him. She suddenly stood up, turned around, and left...

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. These are all minor injuries. There are many wounds on my body, this is just one more, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. When you¡¯re done with your meal, you can go back. Don¡¯te anymore, if you really want to thank me, then let me live in peace.¡±

 Chapter 1764 - Faint Fragrance Lingering (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1764: Faint Fragrance Lingering (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Qin Su finished speaking, her thin figure quickly disappeared from the doorway.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment, and his idle hands could not help but clench tightly. He quietly looked in the direction Qin Su had left, and his eyes could not help but darken.

    ¡°Qin Su, Qin Su...¡±

    After a long while, he finally whispered her name. In his mind, her face suddenly became exceptionally clear, especially the wound on her hand that he had just seen.

    The light in his dark eyes suddenly became firm¡ª

    I will make you see me, Zhou Zimo, in the corner of your eyes.

    Zhou Zimo told himself this in his heart. He sat for a long time before he got up and left.

    ...

    After Qin Su left the cafeteria, she went back to the office and drank half a ss of water when her mother, Mei Xiaoyue, called her.

    Looking at the caller ID on his phone screen, Qin Su felt dizzy. She hesitated for a moment and did not want to answer it, but when the call was about to be hung up, she still answered it.

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s me.¡±

    A calm voice sounded.

    ¡°Qin Su, you finally answered the call. Come here quickly. I¡¯m at the square opposite the industrial building on Chaoyang Avenue. I think I brushed against someone when I was driving, I can¡¯t leave. I can¡¯t get through to your father¡¯s phone, I don¡¯t know what to do. The other party is relentless. It¡¯s an old man... I¡¯m a little scared... can youe here immediately?¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s panicked voice was soon heard, and her tone was a little shaky.

    Qin Su¡¯s face tensed up when she heard that, and she frowned¡ª

    ¡°What happened? Did you crash with someone else? Where are you hurt?¡±

    There was a hint of worry in her tone, but she could still maintain her calm.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hurt anywhere. It¡¯s the other party who¡¯s injured. He scratched his skin and said that he¡¯s not feeling well, I...¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s tone was full of panic. She had never encountered such a thing before, especially when she met those people who were threatening her. If she did not handle this matter well, she was afraid that she would get into trouble again. Qin Yi was also in a critical period right now, therefore, she had run out of any ideas.

    Hearing that she was fine, Qin Su heaved a sigh of relief, her heart was a little relieved. ¡°Did they send him to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, they... Don¡¯t be like this, I¡¯ll take care of it... Qin Su,e over quickly, I... I¡¯ll call your father.¡±

    There was amotion on the other end. No doubt, a dispute must have happened.

    Hearing the busy tone on the other end of the phone, Qin Su could not help but feel a headacheing on. Taking a deep breath, she could only turn around and leave the office. She quickly went back to change into casual clothes and walked towards the door.

    It was lunchtime right now. Qin Su wanted to go straight to the car. When she hurriedly turned around the corridor, she did not expect to almost bump into Zhou Zimo, who was about to leave.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Zhou Zimo reached out his hand to support her almost instantly. His dark eyes were very keen to catch the trace of anxiety between her brows.

    Qin Su quickly steadied her body. She raised her gaze and saw that it was Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo was naturally a little puzzled as well¡ª

    She had already changed out of the camouge uniform she was wearing earlier. At this moment, she was wearing casual clothes. The loose ck casual clothes she was wearing made her look even slimmer. However, she was very energetic and looked like she was in a hurry, it was obvious that she was in a hurry to leave.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡±

    Qin Su frowned and looked at Zhou Zimo in front of her.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment before he said, ¡°Can¡¯t wait to not see me? I was just about to leave. Where are you going? You¡¯re in such a hurry. Do you need a ride?¡±

    Zhou Zimo waved the car keys that he had just taken out from his pocket and asked.

    Qin Su was silent for a few seconds before she quickly reached out and took the car keys from his hand¡ª

    It would take a few more minutes to get the car from here, and she did not even know if the car was there. Thepanymander seemed to have said that he was going out for a while, so Qin Su did not want to waste too much time, so she made the swift decision.

    She quickly turned around and walked towards the door.

    Looking at the slender figure walking forward, Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face quickly softened with a faint smile. He casually put one hand into his trouser pocket, then unhurriedly followed after her.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s car was parked outside the door, and the two of them got into the car at the fastest speed.

    The driver was Qin Su, while Zhou Zimo satfortably in the front passenger seat.

    Qin Su¡¯s driving skills were very good to begin with. When she was undergoing special training, driving skills was one of the tests. However, she was not used to driving a luxury car like Zhou Zimo¡¯s.

    After driving for a distance, Qin Su suddenly stopped the car. She frowned and looked at the man beside her who was leaning sideways and leisurely looking out of the window.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    When he felt the car stop, Zhou Zimo, who was looking at the scenery outside the car, suddenly turned his head to look at her.

    ¡°You drive.¡±

    Qin Su said directly. Her tone was very cold and carried a hint of an order.

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment and looked at her silently. However, Qin Su had already gotten out of the car.

    ...

    ¡°What happened? Why are you so anxious?¡±

    In less than a minute, the car started up again. Zhou Zimo skillfully steered the steering wheel as he tilted his head and nced at her. He asked, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you in such a hurry.¡±

    ¡°Drive your car properly. Don¡¯t act like you know me all that well.¡±

    Qin Su did not even look at him, her gaze still fixed on her phone screen.

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly, feeling extremely aggrieved in his heart¡ª

    He had never met a woman who treated him like this. In the past, every woman would be all over him, or they would just pretend to be cold and aloof. But now, this Qin Su, Zhou Zimo knew her very well!

    With such an ice-cold face, all the tricks to pick up girls were useless to her. Forget a good attitude, if she would talk to him, that would already be considered quite friendly.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, how will I know where to drive the car?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her innocently and said in a low voice.

    Only then did Qin Su cast him a sidelong nce and put her phone to the side of the screen. The map had already been pulled up.

    ¡°Follow the directions. My mother has met with some trouble at the World Trade Center on Chaoyang Avenue. You just need to send me there.¡±

    At this moment, her tone had softened a little.

    ¡°Aunty? What trouble? Do you need my help?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was quite polite and concerned.

    ¡°Driving your car well is the greatest help.¡±

    Qin Su narrowed her eyes at him and said.

    Zhou Zimo was not angry when he heard that. He increased the speed of the car slightly, and the wind continuously blew in through the half-opened window. He could faintly smell the unique cold fragrance on her body that lingered for a long time...

 Chapter 1765 - Future Son-in-law? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1765: Future Son-inw? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they arrived at the scene of the ident, there were already a lot of people standing around and watching. Mei Xiaoyue was almostpletely surrounded.

    The old man¡¯s hand was scratched. Mei Xiaoyue told him to go to the hospital for a check-up, but the old man¡¯s family was trying their best to stop Mei Xiaoyue. They were talking aboutpensation. Mei Xiaoyue had never encountered such an incident before. Now that she was dealing with it, she was naturally a little flustered.

    ¡°What else is there to talk about? It¡¯s fine if you want to settle this privately. 10,000 Yuan, or else this won¡¯t be over.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t pay thepensation, but shouldn¡¯t we send him to the hospital for a look first? I¡¯ll pay every cent that should be paid.¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue was not stupid. At this juncture, it should be better to do this.

    However, as she said this, the eyes of the old man¡¯s son and daughter-inw shed. Even the old man moaned and said that he wanted to settle it privately.

    Mei Xiaoyue did not have any ideas for a moment. She even suspected that she had encountered the legendary scam. She was about to stabilize the car just now, but this old man suddenly appeared.

    ¡°What are you still hesitating for? Do you not want to take responsibility? Otherwise, we will call the police. Looking at the uniform you are wearing, you should be from the army, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, otherwise, we will call the police!¡±

    The threatening words made Mei Xiaoyue panic even more.

    The few of them had already stepped forward with fierce expressions. Mei Xiaoyue leaned against the car door.

    ¡°If you want to call the police, then call the police. I¡¯ll let the police check, you lot are already so familiar with the road, how many times has this happened?¡±

    At this moment, a low and yful voice came from the crowd.

    Everyone was stunned when they heard it. Mei Xiaoyue did not react and looked up to see that the crowd had automatically opened up a path.

    A silver-gray tall figure slowly appeared in front of them. Of course, there was also the ck figure who stepped forward faster.

    ¡°Mother, are you okay?¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s voice was heard. Mei Xiaoyue also felt her arm being held in an instant.

    After a long while, Mei Xiaoyue finally recovered and let out an ¡®oh¡¯. However, her eyes were already glued to Zhou Zimo who was standing behind Qin Su. She even pulled Qin Su to the side as she felt that Qin Su was blocking her eyes, her eyes were shining with a light as she stared at Zhou Zimo without blinking.

    Zhou Zimo was a little embarrassed by her stare. He lowered his head slightly and held his hand as a fist while he covered the corner of his mouth and coughed lightly. He took a step forward and bowed politely, ¡°Hello, Aunty!¡±

    ¡°Oh, hello! Hello!¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue took a long time to react. Her eyes were still staring at Zhou Zimo. However, Zhou Zimo nced at Qin Su from the side. Mei Xiaoyue immediately turned her head over and saw Qin Su frowning and looking back at Zhou Zimo. She was about to say something, when Qin Su spoke first.

    ¡°Let¡¯s solve the problem first. What¡¯s going on? Since you¡¯re injured, we have to send you to the hospital first. I¡¯ll call an ambnce right now.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s eyes had a sharp glint in them as he stared at the old man who had been grazed before him. She then looked at the middle-aged couple who had called to solve the matter privately, ¡°Your father is wounded, but you¡¯re in such a hurry to settle this matter privately and take the money, you¡¯re really something. I can¡¯t help but doubt your intentions.¡±

    ¡°nder! Come, everyone, take a look. Someone from the army hit into someone. They¡¯re using their power to bully others!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, everyonee and take a look! They hit someone!¡±

    ...

    Seeing this scene, Qin Su could not help but feel a wave of annoyance.

    She did not know how this world had be like this, a dog eat dog world. The ugly faces of humans were always so obvious. After some thought, she took out her phone from her pocket and was about to call the police.

    However, before she could dial the number, Zhou Zimo had already reached out to stop her.

    ¡°Calling the police won¡¯t do us any good. It¡¯s easy to solve the problem. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Zhou Zimo left this sentence and suddenly turned around to walk towards the couple.

    At this moment, Mei Xiaoyue also let out a low cry of pain. Only then did Qin Su turn around to support her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just got out of the car in a hurry and bumped into the car door. Your father¡¯s cell phone has been disconnected. He¡¯s driving me crazy. Oh right, who is this man? He¡¯s a good-looking man. Is he your boyfriend? Why didn¡¯t you tell me you had a boyfriend? What does he do? Judging from his looks and clothes, he should be pretty good. His temperament is also pretty good, very good...¡±

    Qin Su ignored Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s words and did not answer her. Instead, he looked indifferently at Zhou Zimo who was negotiating with the old man¡¯s family.

    ¡°Let me apany you to the hospital for a check-up first.¡±

    Qin Su interrupted Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s words.

    ¡°What check-up? I¡¯m fine. I just hit my waist. I¡¯m fine now. Quickly tell me about him.¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s eyes were glued to Zhou Zimo¡¯s body. It was not difficult to see a sense of appreciation and satisfaction in her eyes¡ª

    ¡°His looks are really better than those handsome male models. He¡¯s much more handsome than your father back then. Qin Su, you have better taste than me!¡±

    Qin Su was expressionless and pretended not to hear.

    It was not sure what Zhou Zimo had said to those people. He saw him take out a stack of bills from his pocket and pass it to the old man. The few of them left and the crowd gradually dispersed.

    ¡°Aunty, are you alright?¡±

    Zhou Zimo turned around and walked over to Mei Xiaoyue and Qin Su as he asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m pretty okay, thank you, you...¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue said with a smile. The way she looked at Zhou Zimo was like a mother-inw looking at her future son-inw.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s appearance was not inferior to Su Chen and Mu Yuchen¡¯s. He himself looked quite gentle and refined, so he had a sense of amiability. It was very easy to capture the other party¡¯s good impression. His poprity was no less than Mu Yuchen and Su Chen¡¯s, Mei Xiaoyue was instantly won over.

    ¡°Hello, Aunty. I¡¯m Zhou Zimo. You can call me Zimo.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said very modestly. As he said that, he gave Qin Su a meaningful nce. That gaze made Mei Xiaoyue feel that something was fishy.

    Qin Su, on the other hand, still had a cold and indifferent expression.

    ¡°Hello, Zimo!¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue smiled and said, ¡°Thank you so much this time!¡±

    ¡°Aunty, you¡¯re wee. After all that, I don¡¯t think Aunty has eaten lunch yet, right?¡±

    Zhou Zimo asked in a caring manner.

    ¡°Not yet. It¡¯s already been an hour. I was nning to find a ce to eat. I didn¡¯t expect to encounter such a thing. I¡¯m really sorry to have let you seen that.¡±

 Chapter 1766 - Future Son-in-law? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1766: Future Son-inw? (2)</h4>

    Inside the Grand Lake Vi district.

    Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei both woke up early the next day. Early in the morning, the couple went to the hospital to visit Song Siting. Her condition was quite stable, and the couple was finally relieved.

    After that, Dongfang Liuyun drove Qi Lei to Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s building before continuing on his way to the Dongfang Group.

    ...

    In Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s office at Dongfang Group.

    Lin Yuanyuan had just asked her secretary to deliver arge pile of documents to Dongfang Liuyun when Dongfang Rou¡¯er walked in. Her face was still stained with a hint of gentleness, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er called out to Lin Yuanyuan who was sitting at her desk.

    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan quickly looked up at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er quickly pulled out a chair and sat down in front of her desk.

    ¡°I just heard a piece of good news from Brother. Do you want to know what it is?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled probingly.

    ¡°What good news? Did Dongfang Liuyun do something stupid or what?¡± Lin Yuanyuan asked.

    ¡°The event really benefited her too much. I didn¡¯t expect that the shareholders would still look at her in a new light. Moreover, the South River Project this time didn¡¯t meet our expectations. Your father was so worried. What good news could there be?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan could not help but sigh when she talked about these things.

    ¡°I told you before that Fourth Sister isn¡¯t someone who is easy to fool. Moreover, it¡¯s hard to say if Second Uncle¡¯s people didn¡¯t do it this time. But Mother, was it really not you who did this? The people over there also said that it was our people who did it. Yesterday, when I got off work, I ran into Dongfang Yu. He was still probing me about these things. I don¡¯t know if he was faking it or not.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said with some doubt.

    Hearing this, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes flickered, but her tone was still calm, ¡°I said I didn¡¯t do it, which means I didn¡¯t. It must be your Second Uncle who wants to set us up, and he even wants to shift the evidence and charges to our side. He¡¯s too simple-minded!¡±

    Speaking of Dongfang Yi, Lin Yuanyuan was naturally extremely dissatisfied. Dongfang Yi was a sly old fox in thepany, and everything he did was done quietly. Only Dongfang Ren was at the forefront, so he did not learn the other party¡¯s strategy.

    Thinking of this, Lin Yuanyuan could not help but feel a little dissatisfied with Dongfang Ren.

    ¡°Forget it, Mother. This matter is over. Fourth Sister and Third Uncle did not pursue the matter. I had thought that Dongfang Liuyun had made it all up to pull us down, but now it seems that we can eliminate their suspicion. I don¡¯t know if the person who did this has a prejudice against the Dongfang Group, or if they have some sort of grudge against Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er lowered her eyes as she spoke, her gaze cold.

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s just forget about this matter. Dongfang Gan is currently far away in Myanmar, but there are many spies in thispany. Even if I wanted to kill Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s spirit, it would be exceptionally difficult. Oh, right, your grandmother¡¯s private ne will arrive in City Z at five o¡¯clock tomorrow evening. Tell Jin Sheng to prepare properly so that Song Siting, that witch won¡¯t steal the limelight again.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes were filled with disdain and hatred when she spoke of Song Siting. Her tone was exceptionally harsh.

    ¡°Mother, she won¡¯t be able to get away with it, don¡¯t worry! Song Siting was avenged a few days ago. who asked her to be so arrogant on a daily basis? She was always ruthless. When she left the court, she was stabbed by the family members who were driven to the brink of copse. She¡¯s still hospitalized right now. Brother just told me that she didn¡¯t go to thew firm for the past two days. Her injuries must be serious. Since the news hasn¡¯t spread, it means that Dongfang Liuyun must have suppressed it.¡±

    As Dongfang Rou¡¯er spoke, a gloating smile appeared on her beautiful face.

    ¡°What did you say? Song Siting was stabbed and is hospitalized?¡±

    Upon hearing this news, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes widened as he stared intently at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er nodded. ¡°This news can¡¯t be wrong. There¡¯s no smoke without fire! I specifically asked around and found out that Song Siting didn¡¯t go to thew firm for the past two days. Furthermore, someone saw her being stabbed that day with his own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s great! Song Siting, you witch, you have such a day too. It would be even better if you were stabbed to death!¡±

    ¡°Mother, keep your voice down. Don¡¯t say things like that. But this time, it¡¯s enough to make them suffer. Grandmother has never liked her, especially after getting into such trouble. Dongfang Liuyun wants to suppress this matter, so we have to let Grandma know.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er lowered her voice and said.

    ¡°Yes, your Grandma has always been prejudiced against that witch Song Siting. Dongfang Gan isn¡¯t around, so we can get them back. Also, you should have a good talk with your grandmother about your rtionship with Jin Sheng. Your grandmother¡¯s negotiations with the Jin family have been pretty good. It¡¯s also beneficial for us to win her favor.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I always feel that we can¡¯t take grandmother¡¯s attitude too seriously. After all, she and us...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said hesitantly.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t underestimate your grandmother. The olddy is very shrewd. Dongfang Gan¡¯s rtionship with her isn¡¯t necessarily very good. This is all thanks to Song Siting. Hmph, who knows what will happen after that. Dongfang Liuyun can¡¯t just bring along the entire Dongfang Group to marry someone else unless she had the same boldness as Dongfang Xue. Dongfang Xue still doesn¡¯t have a chance now, does she? Moreover, the Dongfang Group will not fall. They will only continue to move forward.¡±

    ¡°Rou¡¯er, you have to help your father and your brother. This will be beneficial to you. When the timees, you will also be the heiress of the Dongfang Group. With the Dongfang Group as a backing, the Jin family will be yours sooner orter. Right now, we are in an interdependent rtionship with Jin Sheng and the others. I don¡¯t know what kind of attitude and thoughts you have towards Ah Sheng, but I think you need to at least keep him on a tight leash. It¡¯s best if you can get married by the end of the year. That way, your grandmother will be very happy.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with anticipation.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was startled. She took a nce at Lin Yuanyuan before lowering her eyes to hide theplicated feelings that were surging up in the depths of her eyes...

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry about me. Aren¡¯t we already engaged? Getting married is something that will happen sooner orter. There are so many things to do now, so there¡¯s no need to rush this matter. The end of the year is only in a few months. It¡¯s too rushed. Ah Sheng¡¯s side...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er exined with a stiff face.

    ¡°There¡¯s naturally no problem with Ah Sheng¡¯s side. The problem now is on your side. Ah Sheng has been thinking about having the wedding, his parents also want you to be married into their household sooner thanter.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan frowned and said.

 Chapter 1767 - Future Son-in-law? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1767: Future Son-inw? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Lin Yuanyuan said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was stunned. For a moment, she did not seem to know how to answer. She just lowered her eyes and remained silent.

    ¡°Did you hear me?¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Rou¡¯er didn¡¯t say anything, Lin Yuanyuan immediately frowned and stared at Dongfang Rou¡¯er. After thinking for a moment, she asked, ¡°Did you have a fight with Ah Sheng? Or what happened? I see that you guys haven¡¯t been doing welltely. Why hasn¡¯t Ah Shenge over in the past few days?¡±

    ¡°No, Mother, you¡¯re overthinking it. Ah Sheng has been very busy with work recently. He¡¯s been wanting to take over the project at the east side of the city. After Grandmother¡¯s birthday, this project will be put on the agenda. Now, he has to make more ns. Besides, he can¡¯t always being over. The gifts have already been prepared.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er exined.

    Hearing this, Lin Yuanyuan nced at her, ¡°Rou¡¯er, Ah Sheng is really a good person. Once you marry him and be the First Mistress of the Jin family, you¡¯ll understand. That girl, Dongfang Liuyun, can¡¯t bepared to you. You¡¯ve been much more outstanding than her since you were young. It¡¯s her bad luck to have a mother like Song Siting. All these years, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Third Brother could still hold on, I wonder what kind of trouble she, Song Siting, would have caused.¡±

    When she said these, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes were filled with disdain.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun is just like that top-notch mother of hers. She¡¯s as tough as a rock. I don¡¯t know how Dongfang Gan can stand it. She seems to be almost thirty. I heard that Third Brother was still hoping for her to marry Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu is a pretty good person. He has a deep affection for her, Dongfang Liuyun. Hmph...¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know why she¡¯s so popr with men. From Fujiwara to Lan Qi and Lan Xiu, every one of them have a soft spot for her. Why are you so disappointing? You¡¯re clearly not any worse than her.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s words were unintentional. However, her words made Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression stiffen.

    After a moment of silence, she smiled bitterly. ¡°If I had the luck with men, I wouldn¡¯t have to be so...¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t take these words to heart. At least you are much better than her, Dongfang Liuyun. Ah Sheng is very good. Your father and I are very satisfied. He and your brother are good friends. We know each other very well. If you marry him, we don¡¯t have to worry about them bullying you. With our Dongfang Group backing you up, your status in the Jin family won¡¯t be low. Even though that Madam Jin is powerful, I think she¡¯s no match for you.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan could sense that Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression was not looking too good, so she took a deep breath and said this.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and nodded, ¡°I know, Mother. Ah Sheng is not bad. He wants to hold the wedding at the end of the year, but I... I just don¡¯t seem to be ready yet. When I think of the word ¡®marriage¡¯, I feel a little lost.¡±

    ¡°How lost can you be? You¡¯re just thinking too much. Look at your father and me. Isn¡¯t your father a yboy? All these years, I¡¯ve turned a blind eye. When ites to men, especially when they¡¯ve reached a certain status, you can¡¯t control them even if you want to. Because, when you really care about him, he will be your heaven and your earth. As long as you can protect your position and upy an important position in his heart., that¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was silent for a moment, and finally she said this. In fact, Dongfang Rou¡¯er could hear a hint of helplessness and hidden sadness in Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s words, but...

    Yes, she also knew that her father, Dongfang Ren, had more than one woman outside, right?

    ¡°I haven¡¯t really cared about these things over the years. Those vixens could never sway my position. However, Rou¡¯er, you¡¯re different from me. You¡¯re beautiful, capable, and you have the Dongfang Group behind you. Ah Sheng won¡¯t be like your father. It¡¯s not an easy thing to upy a man¡¯s heart forever. That¡¯s something I¡¯ve been trying to figure out my whole life, but I still don¡¯t know the answer...¡±

    ¡°No, Mother, you¡¯re too pessimistic. Look at how Third Uncle has been good to Third Aunt all his life?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said.

    ¡°Hmph, Song Siting¡¯s methods have always been formidable, and your Third Uncle is a rare affectionate person, they¡¯re a different breed. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about these things anymore. Right now, the most important thing is to live well.¡±

    At the mention of Song Siting, at this moment, other than resentment, Lin Yuanyuan actually felt a little envious¡ª

    That is right, Song Siting!

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s feelings for Song Siting were so good that they were envious. Every time they appeared together, they could only see a warm harmony and simple happiness from their actions, these were things that they could only hope for but could not get. How could they not be envious?

    ...

    Tai Yu Corporation, in the President¡¯s office.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s sudden visit in the morning naturally surprised Qi Lei.

    The two buddies sat down at the coffee table. Qi Lei did not make any tea. Instead, he let Yang Sheng bring in a bottle of aged red wine from the wine cab.

    He leisurely poured into the two empty wine sses in front of him and handed one of them to Mu Yuchen across from him. He raised his eyes slightly and nced at him. ¡°I thought you were so busy that you forgot about me, your good friend.¡±

    Then, he elegantly held the wine ss and took a sip.

    Mu Yuchen looked back at him and did not think much of it. ¡°I should be the one saying this. Right now, your entire body exudes an aura that¡¯s been well-nourished, but it¡¯s morefortable to look atpared to before.¡±

    Qi Lei did not expect Mu Yuchen to say such shocking words. He almost choked and coughed a few times. He subconsciously lowered his head to look at himself and could not help but ask, ¡°How do you see that I¡¯m well-nourished? When you say that word, it makes me feel weird. I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days, but you¡¯ve be more unrestrained? Does Xi Xiaye know?¡±

    ¡°In her eyes, no matter how unrestrained I am, I¡¯m still a cold and aloof Prince Charming.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and took a sip of wine. He nced sideways at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei shot him a disdainful look, ¡°I know that you used a trick to trick XI Xiaye back then. People like you are just in coquettish. I used to look down on you people who love to act, but you lot are nice to look at.¡±

    ¡°You have feelings for us, so naturally, you feel veryfortable watching us. How have you been recently? Xiaye¡¯s been concerned about your situation.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was actually just passing by today. Since he was quite close by, he decided toe up and sit.

 Chapter 1768 - Future Son-in-law? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1768: Future Son-inw? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei suddenly put down the ss in his hand and took a cigarette packet from the side. He took one out and lit it before handing the cigarette packet to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen nced at him, then took it as well. He took one out and lit it too.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. They¡¯re all doing pretty well. I finally understand what you said to me before. I¡¯ve been lonely for so many years, now that I suddenly have someone to apany me, always appearing in my world and upying my thoughts, this doesn¡¯t feel too bad.¡±

    Qi Lei puffed out his cigarette and said inly.

    Mu Yuchen could see something in his deep eyes. Then, he chuckled. ¡°I never thought that you, Qi Lei, would say something like this one day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a saint either, aren¡¯t you the same? Since you¡¯re here today, I just happen to have a question to ask you. You¡¯ve heard of the Fujiwara family in Japan, right?¡±

    Qi Lei flicked the cigarette ash between his fingers and asked casually.

    ¡°Fujiwara family n?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand paused for a moment. He frowned and looked at Qi Lei. ¡°You mean the Fujiwara family?¡±

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°The one with some background.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. He thought about it for a moment and then said, ¡°Did you offend them? Their background isn¡¯t simple. You¡¯d better not have too much contact with them.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and lowered his eyes calmly. His eyes were indifferent, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking about.

    ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about them?¡±

    Mu Yuchen asked when he saw that he did not speak.

    This time, Qi Lei suddenly put out the cigarette between his fingers in the ashtray beside him. Then, he picked up the wine and drank it all in one gulp before pouring another ss.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just asking around. I think we¡¯ll have some dealings in the future.¡±

    Qi Lei replied calmly.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s brows furrowed even more tightly as he stared at Qi Lei¡ª

    ¡°Since you know that their background isn¡¯t simple, I advise you not to provoke them. If It¡¯s business, why don¡¯t you tell me? Maybe I can help out a little. You¡¯re not someone who doesn¡¯t know how to be on guard. We have to be more careful whening in contact withplicated big family ns like these, like your wife, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s Dongfang family n too. All dealings should be done by keeping a close eye on them and nning well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had always been a conservative person. He was cautious in his actions. Usually, if he was not confident, he would not act rashly.

    ¡°I know, I know what to do.¡±

    Qi Lei was a little worried. When that time came, he would not be able to help himself.

    ¡°As long as you know what to do. I went to the hospital yesterday and went to see your father. His condition seems to be the same. Do you want to get him checked overseas?¡±

    ¡°No need. Those who don¡¯t want to wake up can¡¯t be woken up no matter what. If he wants to sleep, then let him. I know you¡¯re a wine collector. Coincidentally, a friend brought me a batch of good-tasting whiskey from France a while ago. I¡¯ve already gotten Yang Sheng to send it to your car. In a few days, when the weather cools down a little, I¡¯ll go over to your house for a barbecue. How¡¯s Wei¡¯er?¡±

    Qi Lei did not forget Qi Wei¡¯er of course.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. Xiaye¡¯s taking good care of her. She¡¯s about the same as those other children now, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to trouble you. If it¡¯s possible, I¡¯d like to bring her back. After all...¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it again and again. He felt that Qi Wei¡¯er might be more suitable being with him.

    ¡°I can still afford to raise this niece. She¡¯s very good with Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng. Xiaye treats her like her own daughter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very grateful to the both of you, but she¡¯s still a member of the Qi family.¡±

    ¡°Who said that we¡¯re just the Qi family and the Mu Family? If you have a daughter with Dongfang Liuyun, I¡¯ll definitely leave one of my two sons for your daughter.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he spoke meaningfully.

    When Qi Lei heard this, his eyes lit up. He thought about it and then said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be letting your son off too easily?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s the other way around. There¡¯s nothing wrong with cementing our close ties even more.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Xiaye¡¯s health?¡±

    Qi Lei knew about Xi Xiaye¡¯s condition from Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°She insisted. Up until now, I still don¡¯t know how her health is. I¡¯m going along with her.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s helpless tone contained a hint of gentleness.

    ¡°I wish that your wish can be realized soon and you can have a daughter then.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and raised his ss to toast Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and nodded. He put out the cigarette between his fingers and raised his ss as well. The two of them clinked sses and then finished the ss of wine in one gulp...

    ...

    ¡°Aunty, the snacks in this coffee shop are pretty good, especially this matcha pastry. You can try it.¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯ll try it then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, this is not bad too. If Aunty likes it, I¡¯ll ask them to pack one for you and bring it backter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try it. Mmm, the taste is not bad. The texture is very good.¡±

    ¡°This red bean cake is not bad too. Aunty, why don¡¯t you try it too?¡±

    ¡°Okay, Zimo, you¡¯re too polite.¡±

    ¡°No, I just feel that we hit it off quite well. I should have gotten Qin Su to introduce us before. It¡¯s such a pity that I didn¡¯t visit you and Uncle.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You cane to our home next week during the Yang Festival. Qin Su will be on vacation, and your uncle will be home too. I¡¯ll make you some delicious food. What do you like to eat?¡±

    In the elegant and high-end cafe, Qin Su leaned against the back of her chair and looked at Mei Xiaoyue and Zhou Zimo, who were discussing fervently on the side. There was no expression on her cold face.

    It had been more than half the afternoon.

    The three of them had finished their lunch and went shopping. They had gone through several high-end long streets, and now they were here for afternoon tea. Of course, it was all Zhou Zimo¡¯s suggestion. This mother, Mei Xiaoyue, was naturally on good terms with him, she did not care about Qin Su¡¯s opinion at all.

    Along the way, Zhou Zimo was talking to Mei Xiaoyue, while Qin Su did not say anything. She seemed to have be a bodyguard. However, Zhou Zimo did not ignore her. When he was talking to Mei Xiaoyue, his eyes subconsciously caught her figure, just like now.

    When he rmended snacks to Mei Xiaoyue, he naturally put two pieces on the te in front of Qin Su. ¡°Try it?¡±

    Qin Su nced at him and narrowed her eyes at the food on the te. ¡°I don¡¯t like desserts.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you eat some of the desserts at home? It¡¯s quite delicious. Since Zimo put it on your te, you should try it.¡±

    As soon as Qin Su said that, Mei Xiaoyue immediately exposed her. Qin Su immediately frowned and looked at Mei Xiaoyue¡ª

 Chapter 1769 - Future Son-in-law? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1769: Future Son-inw? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Why did she feel that Mei Xiaoyue was already on Zhou Zimo¡¯s side? She was basically a mother-inw looking at her future son-inw. What was all this?

    What had she been doing all afternoon?

    Shopping in high-end boutiques. As long as Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s gaze lingered on something for one more second, Zhou Zimo would not hesitate to buy it for her. The trunk of the car was already full.

    Qin Su could already imagine the scene of her card being maxed out.

    Of course, the money was paid by Zhou Zimo. However, a person like her could not take advantage of others for no reason. Therefore, she was thinking about how to return such arge sum of money to Zhou Zimo.

    Qin Su was a very frugal person. Usually, she did not need much money in the army. All her sry was on her card. To her, sry was just a figure. However, she had a lot of things in her hands, they were all left for her by the older generation. She had a few shops and a few plots ofnd that were not too big. The locations were all pretty good.

    Qin Su was also a smart person. She gave thend to someone else and turned it into a few storeys of shops. Renting it out brought her a very generous sum of money every month.

    However, she roughly counted the money in her sry card. She did not even know if it was enough to pay for Mei Xiaoyue today.

    After Mei Xiaoyue said this, Zhou Zimo also looked at Qin Su with a meaningful look.

    Qin Su was calm. She nced at him and picked up the cutlery. She simply picked up a piece and stuffed it into her mouth to try it.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her from the corner of his eyes and asked in a gentlemanly manner.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Qin Su replied and put down the cutlery in her hand. She lowered her head and took a sip of coffee. She looked at the time on her wrist and wiped her mouth with the napkin, ¡°Mother, since you¡¯re fine now, I¡¯ll go back first. You can drive yourself back. I¡¯ve already left a message for Father. I¡¯ll be back at thepany just in time for the training to end. I still have things to do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Why are you in such a hurry? Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d be transferred back to the military headquarters? It¡¯s not appropriate for a girl like you to be transferred to thepany.¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue said in a low voice.

    Qin Su nced at her, ¡°It¡¯s already three-twenty. It¡¯ll take at least an hour and a half to return to thepany from here, and it¡¯s even without the traffic jam. Father will probably be going back now, you should restrain yourself. He¡¯s been very critical recently. He¡¯s under a lot of pressure and has a very short temper.¡±

    ¡°When have I ever not tolerated him? Look at your father¡¯s temper. Why don¡¯t you talk about that?¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue looked at Qin Su with some grievance.

    However, Qin Su did not have much patience. She was used to this kind of situation and could not care less about it even if she wanted to, so she let them be. They have quarreled for most of their lives, if they broke down and got a divorce, it might be a relief for them instead. Qin Su even felt that there was no so-called love between her father, Qin Yi, and her mother, Mei Xiaoyue.

    ¡°Do as you see fit. I¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    Qin Su obviously did not want to say more. She stood up and looked at Zhou Zimo beside her. After thinking for a while, she stretched out her hand and knocked on the table beside him. She said calmly, ¡°Come out with me.¡±

    As she said that, her thin figure had already walked past his seat.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment. He nced at her, then smiled and looked at Mei Xiaoyue.

    ¡°Aunty, I¡¯ll send Qin Su back to thepany first then? I¡¯ll visit again in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you so much for today. Come and visit us when you¡¯re free. I¡¯ll give you my phone number. Remember!¡±

    Mei Xiaoyue was a little reluctant to part with him. The more she looked at Zhou Zimo, the more satisfied she became. She felt like she had fallen in love at first sight with her future son-inw. She felt that he was verypatible with her daughter, Qin Su.

    Look, even that back view looked so harmonious!

    At this moment, Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s still charming face was smiling like a flower as she watched the two of them slowly disappear into the stairwell.

    Qin Su and Zhou Zimo walked one after the other toward the parking spot. Qin Su walked in front with sonorous steps and was also quite fast. Zhou Zimo followed behind and walked with his long legs. Naturally, he was able to follow Qin Su¡¯s footsteps in a harmonious manner.

    It was already past noon. The autumn sun did not seem to be very hot. The autumn wind blew gently, making people feel a soft touch. The golden chrysanthemums on both sides of the sidewalk were already in full bloom, the air was filled with the faint fragrance of chrysanthemums.

    After walking for quite a long distance, Qin Su suddenly stopped when she saw a bus stop in front of her. She silently turned around and looked at Zhou Zimo who was following behind her. Her starry eyes were faintly suffused with a clear and cold light.

    When Zhou Zimo saw this, he instantly stopped walking. He also lowered his gaze slightly and silently looked at her. He did not say anything.

    Qin Su looked at him indifferently. After some thought, she spoke in a low voice. Her voice was naturally hoarse, but to Zhou Zimo¡¯s ears, it sounded very nice. It carried a special coldness that made him want to know more...

    ¡°Thank you for today¡¯s matter. My mother is inexperienced and has been in the military all her life. She is also very simple. I¡¯m sorry you had to see that today.¡±

    Qin Su reached into her pocket and quickly took out a ck wallet. She opened the wallet and swiftly took out a bank card from it. She handed it to Zhou Zimo and said, ¡°This is the money I¡¯m returning to you. The password is XXXXXX. Take a look for yourself. If it¡¯s not enough, my allowance at the end of the year and my sry for the next few months will add up to a lot. Just put it in the card and I¡¯ll cancel the card after the end of the year.¡±

    After Qin Su said this, Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face instantly stiffened. He lowered his gaze and looked at the card in front of him. He did not take it and did not say anything.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other intentions. This is just my personal principle. Not taking advantage is a form of upbringing. A rtionship is a form of upbringing. You should have heard this before. I¡¯m just paying for my mother.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s tone was sincere.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes dimmed as he listened.

    ¡°Take it. The password is XXXXXX. Remember it.¡±

    Qin Su saw that he did not move, so she pulled his hand and stuffed the card into it. ¡°I¡¯m going back now. Goodbye.¡±

    Afterpleting these actions, she turned around and walked straight towards the bus stop sign.

    ¡°Qin Su!¡±

    Seeing this, Zhou Zimo quickly took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. There was a hint of anxiety in his low voice. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back, don¡¯t refuse!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1770 - Do You Care About Me? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1770: Do You Care About Me? (1)</h4>

    The sudden touch on her wrist made Qin Su stop in her tracks in an instant. She turned her head to look at Zhou Zimo with her brows slightly furrowed. She looked at her wrist that was being held by arge hand before she looked up at Zhou Zimo. Her gaze was very cold.

    Zhou Zimo did not let go. Instead, he tightened hisrge hand slightly and took a step forward. He looked down at Qin Su from above.

    Feeling the pain in her wrist, Qin Su¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter. Her entire body subconsciously struggled for a moment, her gaze carrying a warning. It was obvious that she wanted him to let go as soon as possible.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was not as easy to negotiate as before. At this moment, there was a hint of dominance in his voice. After he finished speaking, he did not wait for Qin Su to reply and pulled Qin Su towards the car that was not far away from him.

    Qin Su¡¯s brows were tightly knitted. She was being pulled by him passively. She struggled a few times but could not break free. It was not until she reached the side of the car that Zhou Zimo opened the door of the passenger seat and was forced in that she regained her freedom.

    Zhou Zimo also quickly got into the car. Seeing that she did not move, he leaned over and helped her to fasten her seatbelt.

    Qin Su, on the other hand, was calm. Her expression did not change as she watched him do all of that. She could not be bothered to reject him, so she just leaned against the seat behind her and lowered the car window. With one hand leaning against the car window, she propped up her head and looked out of the window silently.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a bad person. You don¡¯t have to be so wary of me. I don¡¯t have any ill intentions.¡±

    Zhou Zimoughed and said.

    ¡°Under my nose, I don¡¯t think you dare to have any ill intentions. What my mother said today was also a joke, don¡¯t have to take it seriously. Just do what you need to do. She¡¯s a little delusional right now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal. Auntie and I really hit it off.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said as he gave her a side nce.

    ¡°Although my mother and my father don¡¯t get along very well, that doesn¡¯t mean you have a chance.¡±

    ¡°Qin Su, you know what I mean. Does saying that make you feel good?¡±

    Zhou Zimo furrowed his brows and started the car. He also nced at her unhappily.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if it makes you feel ufortable, I just don¡¯t want to owe you a favor. I¡¯ve already told you the reason just now.¡±

    ¡°In my eyes, you¡¯re very cultured and aplished. I¡¯ve just never seen a woman as unromantic as you.¡±

    She was like an ice mountain that was always within reach.

    Of course, Zhou Zimo did not say thest sentence.

    Qin Su did not continue her sentence and did not turn to look at him. Instead, she was silent for a while before she said unhurriedly, ¡°But then again, I¡¯m really grateful for you today.¡±

    ¡°When did you, Officer Qin Su, be so polite? You¡¯re still the same as you were in the past. You haven¡¯t changed much, and you¡¯re still very rigid. Haven¡¯t you considered leaving the army? It should be very easy for someone like you to find a leisurely job in the department. Women like you don¡¯t need to be so overworked.¡±

    Zhou Zimo sped up the car and said this very seriously.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see, I have no ns to move anywhere at the moment. I¡¯ll just go along with the arrangements.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s life was mostly in the military. She might not be used to life outside. Although she could choose to work elsewhere with her current circumstances, she had no ns to go anywhere else.

    ¡°You can¡¯t spend your entire life in the military camp. It¡¯s enough to have experienced it. There¡¯s no need to bury all your youth inside, especially a woman like you. The world outside is very exciting, you shoulde out and take a look.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t agree with your thoughts. Whether it¡¯s a wonderful life depends on whether that person likes it or not and whether it¡¯s suitable for that person¡¯s life. At least, for now, I think that life in the military camp is very good for me,¡± Qin Su replied indifferently.

    He almost forgot that this woman was sometimes so stubborn that it can be infuriating. However, her serious look made him..

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to change careers. I also want to pursue a job that I like. My thoughts are simple, so naturally, I can¡¯tpare to you guys. If I think too much about it, I¡¯ll feel tired.¡±

    ¡°What will you think about?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    He had never seen her care about anything.

    ¡°What do you mean by the action of thinking?¡±

    Qin Su was very direct.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo smiled cheerfully and coughed lightly, saying, ¡°Just take it that I have ulterior motives, if this makes you feel a little better.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. I¡¯ve asked around about you and knew that you went to the northwest. I also thought that you had already...¡±

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment when he said this. He suddenly nced at her from the corner of his eyes before continuing to ask, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. Why are you still on your own?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not feel that he was being rude, so he asked anyway.

    Upon hearing this, Qin Su quieted down and blinked. Her eyes were still focused on the street outside, and her voice was low¡ª

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same? Why aren¡¯t you married yet?¡±

    Qin Su asked back.

    Zhou Zimo looked at her deeply, then he quickly averted his gaze and focused on the traffic ahead. After a while, he replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t meet anyone who made me want to. Besides, there¡¯s a hurdle in my heart that I can¡¯t get over.¡±

    Of course, he would not tell her now that the hurdle in his heart was actually rted to her. If he had not told Mu Yuchen before, only he, Zhou Zimo, would know.

    When she heard this, Officer Qin Su was a little surprised. She looked at him suspiciously. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that a person like you would have a TV-like melodramatic past?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve said melodramatic, then they only happen in TV dramas, it won¡¯t happen to me. It¡¯s not what you think.¡± Zhou Zimo exined.

    Qin Su¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t guessing anything about you, because what you said really made me think of those drama scenes.¡±

    ¡°I answered, what about you? Why aren¡¯t you married? It¡¯s been so many years. I really thought that you...¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone contained a hint of probing.

    Qin Su¡¯s gaze was as indifferent as the wind. She leaned gently against the back of the chair and gave him a sideways nce. Then, she reached out to turn on the music yer in the car. Apanied by a very soft singing voice, her low voice sounded¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the mood to manage those things. Rtionships and marriage are an unreachable nightmare for me. President Zhou, you should be satisfied with such an answer, right?¡± Qin Su answered honestly.

    She admitted that she felt mentally and physically exhausted when it came to these things. It was more practical to spend more time on work.

 Chapter 1771 - Do You Care About Me? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1771: Do You Care About Me? (2)</h4>

    Hearing her tone, Zhou Zimo was not angry.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ill intentions, and you don¡¯t have to be so against me. No matter what, we are still considered friends.¡±

    ¡°The word ¡®friend¡¯ is actually very unfathomable. Perhaps it¡¯s more appropriate to say that we arerades.¡± Qin Su replied indifferently.

    ¡°Are you as afraid of marriage as I am?¡± Zhou Zimo suddenly asked.

    Qin Su then looked at him with a deep gaze. However, she did not say anything after that.

    Zhou Zimo increased the speed of the car slightly.

    The song in the car was still slowly ying. It was the very familiar ¡°Like You¡± song. At this moment, it did not seem to fit the situation. Qin Su wanted to reach out to change it, but Zhou Zimo reached out to stop her.

    Qin Su was forced to stop her movements. She looked at him with a fixed gaze and did not pull her hand back.

    After a long while, Qin Su leaned back and took her hand back. She closed her eyes silently. ¡°Are you a nostalgic person too?¡±

    ¡°Is it bad to be nostalgic?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not look at her at this moment and just asked.

    ¡°I heard that nostalgic people tend to sink into the past.¡±

    ¡°There has to be a past that can sunk into. Do you have any memorable incident from the past?¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he looked at Qin Su tentatively¡ª

    However, there was no change in Qin Su¡¯s expression. Her expression was still as indifferent as the wind.

    It seemed that she had not noticed anything about what had happened back then?

    Could it be that Zhou Zimo was the only one who remembered that matter so clearly, but she had not remembered it at all?

    Thinking of this, Zhou Zimo actually felt a slight sense of disappointment. He suddenly thought that if she could remember a little bit of it, it would be a good thing. At least...

    Qin Su did not answer, but from her gaze, Zhou Zimo already knew the answer¡ª

    Was she a person who did not even bother with memories? Was she an open-minded person who did not care?

    After that, the two of them did not say anything all the rest of the way.

    When the car stopped in front of the department, the sun was already setting.

    Qin Su unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at Zhou Zimo beside her. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s sote, I won¡¯t keep you for dinner. Let¡¯s get together some other time.¡±

    As Qin Su spoke, she reached out and pushed the car door open.

    Zhou Zimo turned to look at her. ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    As he said that, he reached out to grab a few paper bags from the backseat and stuffed them into Qin Su¡¯s arms¡ª

    ¡°Take these things back. You can do whatever you want with them.¡±

    Qin Su was stunned. She looked at him in a daze and then looked down at the things in her arms.

    ¡°Hurry up and get back, it¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and said in a low voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need these things.¡±

    Qin Su was naturally soft-hearted. She never liked taking advantage of others.

    ¡°Qin Su, if you dare not take it back, I¡¯ll get out of the car right now and take it to your office!¡±

    Zhou Zimo finally could not help but let out a low growl. He was so done with this unromantic woman. He reckoned that there would be more things that would make him jump in anger in the future!

    After being yelled at by him, Qin Su only furrowed her brows and looked at the thing in her hand again. Only then did she quietly get out of the car and m the car door. She tookrge strides towards thepany without a second look at Zhou Zimo.

    Seeing Qin Su¡¯s slender figure slowly disappear at the door, Zhou Zimo¡¯s tensed face rxed slightly. He took a deep breath and could not help but take out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one on his own, he was not in a hurry to start the car and return.

    ¡°Qin Su... no woman has ever been able to reject me, Zhou Zimo. You will be the same.¡±

    Zhou Zimo took a deep breath. Amidst the smoke, he looked at the empty door and said in a deep voice. Then, he started the car and drove away.

    ...

    A few days passed in the blink of an eye. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were naturally very busy. They left early and returnedte every day. Song Siting was still in the hospital, but she was already out of danger and had been transferred to the intensive care unit.

    Qi Lei hired two special nurses to take care of her. Her recovery was not too bad. Of course, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s people hade to the hospital during this period of time, but they were all blocked outside by the bodyguards. The news had not been leaked yet.

    Lan Xiu had asked Ah Li to go over to check on the situation in the past two days. Today, he even came over personally to visit.

    It was already the afternoon, close to evening. The autumn sun was hazy and the cool breeze was faint.

    Song Siting sat on a bench in the hospital¡¯s backyard. She watched the people walking across thewn in front of her, while Lan Xiu sat beside her.

    ¡°Auntie, you should drink some water.¡±

    Lan Xiu took the thermos cup that Ah Li handed over, opened the lid, and delivered it to Song Siting.

    Song Siting took it. ¡°Thank you. It must¡¯ve troubled you toe all the way here.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m relieved that Auntie is recovering well. Tomorrow is Grandma Dongfang¡¯s birthday, so I came over to take a look. Auntie hasn¡¯t recovered yet, so don¡¯t go over?¡±

    Lan Xiu was quite familiar with the Dongfang family¡¯s situation, which was why he came over today.

    When she said this, Song Siting could not help but sigh. ¡°Yes, tomorrow is the olddy¡¯s birthday. Your Uncle Dongfang isn¡¯t here, and I¡¯m in this situation. I don¡¯t know what Liuyun ns to do. Should she just bring Qi Lei over?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auntie. I believe Liuyun will arrange it...¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s tone was hesitant. He did not know if he should tell Song Siting the news, but he was worried about Liuyun..

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you, turns out you¡¯re here.¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could react, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice came from behind them. The two of them quickly turned around and saw Dongfang Liuyun walking towards them.

    ¡°You¡¯re off work?¡± Lan Xiu asked gently.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Have you been here for long?¡±

    ¡°Not long. I just happened to apany Auntie for a walk. Qi Lei didn¡¯te with you?¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at Liuyun who was alone and asked.

    ¡°He has to work overtime. I came over to take a look.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied and her gaze quicklynded on Song Siting. ¡°How are you feeling today? I just came from the doctor and they said that you need to be observed for a few more days. You can only be discharged if there are no problems.¡±

    ¡°Much better. Didn¡¯t I say that you don¡¯t need toe today? You should go back and prepare for your grandmother¡¯s birthday tomorrow.¡±

    Song Siting reminded her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of everything that needs to be prepared. Don¡¯t worry. The sun is about to set, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at the warm sun hanging in the sky and said.

    Song Siting was quiet for a moment. She also looked at the sky and then nodded.

    ¡°Let me help you, Auntie.¡±

    With that, he very quickly held Song Siting.

 Chapter 1772 - Do You Care About Me? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1772: Do You Care About Me? (3)</h4>

    After helping Song Siting back to the ward, the doctor came over to check on her.

    Later on, Dongfang Liuyun simply helped her wipe her body and served her something to eat. When Qi Lei called, he realized that the sky outside had already fallen silent.

    ¡°You can go back, I¡¯m good with a special nurse here to watch over me.¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun put her phone away, Song Siting said calmly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯ste, go to sleep. I¡¯ll go home when you¡¯re asleep.¡±

    Qi Lei had just went home too. He should be cooking at home now. Mama Wang was not feeling well these past two days, so she took leave. The couple¡¯s meals were simply settled.

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she pulled over a chair and sat down. She also turned off the light at the side. The room instantly darkened, and only the faint light from the window shone through.

    Song Siting paused for a moment. She did not insist. After thinking for a moment, she said in a rxed tone, ¡°Tomorrow is your grandmother¡¯s birthday. Do you and Qi Lei n to go together? Your father isn¡¯t home. I¡¯m worried that if you two go...¡±

    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t want to be taken advantage of, they can¡¯t do anything to me. You don¡¯t have to worry, just rest and recover. I can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Do you still me me? I¡¯m not objecting to you and Qi Lei now, am I?¡± Song Siting said.

    ¡°Even if you object, I¡¯m still sticking with him. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s living this life. I¡¯ll take responsibility for my own choices. Haven¡¯t you always thought the same way? I chose the path, I will be the only one who can decide what path to take. Don¡¯t talk about what you think is best for me anymore. I¡¯m tired of listening to you all these years.¡±

    ¡°The gap between us mother and daughter actually runs very deep. If it weren¡¯t for everyone¡¯s ideals of one family and prosperity, and the principle of not having internal conflicts, we might not have tolerated each other like this. You are a strong woman, and you can also be considered apetent mother. It¡¯s just that there are too many different ideals between us. You have your persistence, and I have mine. However, you shouldn¡¯t force me, just as how I have no way to demand of you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said in a low voice. At this moment, her tone was also filled with fatigue.

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say anymore. You should sleep early. I¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    Obviously, Dongfang Liuyun was not very happy about these things. She was also very impatient. As she spoke, she stood up and walked straight to the door.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Song Siting called out again. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s footsteps did not slow down even a bit. It was not until she heard the sound of the door closing that Song Siting felt a dull pain in her heart again.

    ...

    ¡°Are you unhappy with Auntie again?¡±

    Outside the corridor, Lan Xiu was still waiting silently. When he saw that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression did not look too good, he asked the same question.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Lan Xiu in surprise. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you home yet? It¡¯s already sote.¡±

    ¡°I was waiting for you. I just happen to have something to tell you.¡± Lan Xiu said calmly.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not even need to guess to know what it was. She was very calm and did not slow down. She walked forward unhurriedly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to eat first. I¡¯ll call Qi Lei and ask him to find a ce.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she took out her phone from her pocket and dialed Qi Lei¡¯s number.

    When he received Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s call, Qi Lei was about to rush home.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Qi Lei quickly picked up Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s call.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush home yet. Lan Xiu happened to be at the hospital and didn¡¯t have time to have dinner. Let¡¯s go straight to the three trees. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve been there. I took a taxi, you just drive over. We¡¯ll meet there directly.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said swiftly.

    Lan Xiu?

    Qi Lei paused for a moment. He had almost forgotten about this person!

    However, he was very devoted to Dongfang Liuyun and his family. After learning about Lan Xiu from Dongfang Liuyun, Qi Lei no longer felt dissatisfied and ostracized with him.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go over now.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°Drive carefully.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reminded him before hanging up.

    Lan Xiu followed behind her. The two of them walked one after the other.

    ...

    ¡°When will he arrive in City Z?¡±

    In the parking lot, Dongfang Liuyun asked when Lan Xiu started the car and slowly drove out of the dark underground parking lot.

    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t ask.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s gaze was fixed on the front, and the smile on his face looked a little sad.

    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t, you¡¯ll tell me in the end,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied. Her starry eyes were indifferent as she quietly looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel pressured. I told you before to stay out of this and not care about anything. This will be better for you.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s your business, how can I stay out of it?¡±

    As Lan Xiu said this, he nced at Dongfang Liuyun. The dim light in his eyes made Dongfang Liuyun feel a little...

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m worried about, Liuyun. Sometimes, your stubbornness makes people feel helpless. We can¡¯t follow in your footsteps, whether it¡¯s my brother Lan Qi, Fujiwara, or me. Now, I want to ask you, don¡¯t you feel anything at all towards Fujiwara?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve thought of him. Every time I remembered, it¡¯s because you guys mentioned him. I¡¯ve told you, Lan Xiu, don¡¯t overestimate the extent of my love. I may be a little colder and more selfish than you think. ¡°Some mistakes can be forgiven, but some things, once...¡±

    ¡°You should know that I, Dongfang Liuyun, am not a person who willpromise. I won¡¯t give up my beliefs and principles because of a man.¡±

    Lan Xiu could not help but sigh when he heard this, ¡°You must know that Fujiwara is equally persistent? He will arrive in City Z tomorrow evening. You have to be mentally prepared. He still doesn¡¯t know about your marriage with Qi Lei. If he finds out, I¡¯m afraid that he...¡±

    ¡°Afraid of him? Hasn¡¯t he always had strong willpower? What else in this world could make him lose control?¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, to him, you¡¯re his fatal point. I...¡±

    Lan Xiu did not dare to say it. When he thought about what happened between her and Fujiwara, he could not help but feel a pain in his heart. It was an indescribable pain that was in his chest.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that anymore... don¡¯t worry, Lan Xiu. If he¡¯s stood in front of me, I think I¡¯ll be able to deal with him calmly. If he¡¯s still asking you about me, tell him that I¡¯m married and that I¡¯m in love with Qi Lei...¡±

 Chapter 1773 - Do You Care About Me? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1773: Do You Care About Me? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they drove over, Qi Lei had already arrived. He ordered a table full of good dishes and naturally ordered some wine.

    Dongfang Liuyun poured wine for the three sses in front of her. She moved them one by one in front of Lan Xiu and Qi Lei. Then, she took her own ss and looked at the two of them indifferently¡ª

    ¡°Let¡¯s toast. From what I remember, this is the first time the three of us have gathered like this. Let¡¯s have a drink and have a meal together.¡±

    As soon as she finished, Qi Lei and Lan Xiu exchanged a look before raising their sses.

    The few of them toasted each other and drank up.

    ¡°I can tell that you guyse here often to rx.¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled. When the waiter served the dishes, he knew their tastes. They must be regr customers here.

    ¡°I¡¯ve beening here often in the past year or two. This ce isn¡¯t too far from De Bao House. I haven¡¯t been back to the shop for a long time. Uncle Ming is taking care of everything.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she poured wine for the two of them.

    ¡°Uncle Ming? Is he still healthy?¡±

    Lan Xiu naturally knew Uncle Ming. He was Elder Dongfang¡¯s right-hand man. After Elder Dongfang left, he retired. He treated Dongfang Liuyun very well.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s just alone and quite lonely. It¡¯s good that he likes these antiques too. It¡¯s best to let him take care of them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei did not say much. He just stayed by the side quietly. asionally, he would peel a few prawns from Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s bowl and add some dishes that she liked.

    Dongfang Liuyun and Lan Xiu did not avoid talking about business matters during dinner. Of course, there was also the matter of Dongfang Shuman¡¯s birthday tomorrow.

    ¡°You have to face the things that you have to face sooner orter. Lan Xiu, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. The Dongfang family¡¯s matters have got nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. It¡¯s time for you to think for yourself,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said indifferently.

    She took a deep breath and downed the wine in her ss in one gulp. Then, she lowered her eyes and said, ¡°Grandfather once told me that the Dongfang Group is a mess to begin with. It¡¯s not easy to take control of it. Now, I can be considered to have experienced it behind my back. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want all his hard work to be destroyed by our generation.¡±

    ¡°The Dongfang Group has gone through much for so many years, and there are many internal problems. Only now do I understand how my father was able to hold on with great difficulty back then. Grandmother¡¯s control is fine, but she ces too much importance on friendship. I know that she had an agreement with Grandfather and Grandfather¡¯s ex-wife back then. Now, she is also very passive. Grandmother has always been unwilling to talk about this matter, but Grandfather told me about it.¡±

    ¡°Now, do you know why Grandmother didn¡¯t dare to touch Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi? Even my father is now somewhat constrained by this matter. I¡¯m destined to be this bad guy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her body slightly and smiled a little sadly. She picked up the wine bottle and poured herself another ss. ¡°Actually, Grandmother and my parents know about my situation, so...¡±

    ¡°A few years ago, things were peaceful, but in the past one or two years, some people couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. Otherwise, my father wouldn¡¯t have been in trouble in Myanmar so often. I¡¯m still young. If anything happened to my father, with my understanding and ability of the Dongfang Group, I would be equivalent to a useless chess piece.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, don¡¯t think too much. Everything is developing quite well now. Uncle Dongfang knows about it.¡±

    Lan Xiu tried to console her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about these things for now, let¡¯s drink happily tonight.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was tired of talking about the rest.

    Naturally, Lan Xiu would not be so tactless, so he stopped talking.

    ...

    When they went back, it was already veryte. Dongfang Liuyun was not drunk, even though she drank the most. Qi Lei did not drink much because he was thinking about driving.

    Lan Xiu had a good tolerance for alcohol, but Ah Li was the one who sent him back.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you lose. The Dongfang Group will definitely be in your hands.¡±

    As the car sped towards the Grand Lake Vi district, Qi Lei suddenly said this. His sonorous and firm voice broke the silence in the car. It was exceptionally clear and naturally reached Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ears.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly pulled her gaze back from the street outside and looked at him silently. After a moment, she smiled calmly. ¡°Do you think I can do it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°Then I can definitely do it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and was a little puzzled.

    ¡°Since you have so much confidence in me, I naturally have to have confidence in myself.¡±

    ¡°Your ability to adjust is quite surprising.¡±

    ¡°How did you think I was a teacher then?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun epted his praise without any modesty.

    ...

    At the same time, when Lan Xiu returned home, it was alreadyte at night.

    Ah Li asked the servants to cook some sobering soup for him and served it to him on the second floor.

    At this moment, Lan Xiu had just finished showering and changed into a nightgown.

    ¡°President Lan, this is hangover soup. You drank quite a lot of wine tonight. You should drink some. You might be able to sleep betterter. You haven¡¯t had a good rest for a few days. Next week¡¯s work will be very intense. You need to pay more attention to your health.¡±

    Ah Li said with concern.

    Lan Xiu nced at him, then his tall body crossed over and sat on the sofa. He reached out and took the hangover soup Ah Li handed over. He quickly drank two mouthfuls and felt refreshed.

    ¡°You should go back soon, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    Lan Xiu raised his head slightly and looked at Ah Li.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. President Lan, your current state is quite worrying. Today at Miss Dongfang¡¯s ce... It seems that she¡¯s still a little avoidant of Master Fujiwara¡¯s matters. President Lan, why do you have to worry about this? Perhaps Miss Dongfang is just a passerby in your life. Even if we don¡¯t think about it now, the oue would still be obvious. I think that we might...¡±

    ¡°Liuyun is not a passerby, Ah Li. You know my situation all these years. From my point of view, I know that you¡¯re doing this for my own good. However, you might not know exactly what I experienced and how I persevered through all those years, but Liuyun is very clear. If it weren¡¯t for her, I¡¯m afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be here today.¡±

    Before Ah Li could finish his sentence, he was suddenly cut off by Lan Xiu. ¡°She won¡¯t be a passerby, she can¡¯t be.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought that there was probably no one in this world who could upy such an important position in his heart. Of course, even he himself could notpare to her.

    Unfortunately, between them...

 Chapter 1774 - Do You Care About Me? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1774: Do You Care About Me? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes darkened. He was silent for a long time before he took a deep breath. He lowered his head and drank all the hangover soup in his bowl.

    Ah Li naturally did not dare to say anything. He just quietly poured him a ss of water.

    ¡°In that case, don¡¯t say such things again in the future. You might not understand the feelings between us,¡± said Lan Xiu.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, President Lan. I misspoke.¡±

    Ah Li said in a low voice.

    Lan Xiu waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just remember it.¡±

    As soon as he said that, the phone beside him vibrated. Lan Xiu quickly looked away. When he saw the caller ID on the phone screen, he frowned.

    He thought for a while and finally picked up the call.

    That was right, it was Fujiwara from Japan.

    When the call was picked up, Fujiwara¡¯s deep voice was heard along with the monotonous tune of the shamisen.

    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t pick up this call either.¡±

    His cold and indifferent tone sounded a little cold¡ª

    It was Fujiwara¡¯s usual tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to pick up your call. If it¡¯s still because of Liuyun, do as you see fit. I have nothing to say.¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and slowly leaned back in his chair as he replied indifferently.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter whether you tell me or not. If I had the heart to know all about her, I would naturally know very quickly. Blocking out information is only for certain people, it doesn¡¯t work on me.¡±

    Fujiwara replied coldly.

    ¡°Let go. You and Liuyun are just not fated. She won¡¯t be the same as before. She¡¯ll never be able to return to your side. Isn¡¯t it good for us to just be friends like this...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean let go? Do you think I¡¯m as weak as you? It¡¯s up to me whether she¡¯s fated or not! I¡¯ll get her return to my side. She can only be mine. Do you think she¡¯ll choose you?¡±

    Fujiwara sneered. His deep voice was filled with determination.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu only smiled faintly, ¡°It¡¯s not me, and it¡¯s not you either. I¡¯m just advising you. I don¡¯t want you to sink deeper and deeper. You know Liuyun¡¯s character very well. It¡¯s useless for you to force her. It¡¯s good enough to be friends, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as noble as you. How is it love if I don¡¯t have it? This time, I¡¯ll get her to return to my side. You¡¯ve been by her side for so many years, but you couldn¡¯t get together with her. I know what you were considering, but I won¡¯t thank you. I admit that I¡¯m somewhat responsible for Lan Qi¡¯s death, but what he did to me wasn¡¯t necessarily very honorable, right?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t me my brother for what happened between you and Liuyun back then.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you actually don¡¯t agree with it in your heart, right? Liuyun is too emotional, she kept thinking that she¡¯s responsible for Lan Qi¡¯s death. If it makes her feel better, I¡¯d rather she think that it was me who went too far.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone softened a little at this moment. He was only like this when he talked about Dongfang Liuyun, Lan Xiu had always known that.

    ¡°Things shouldn¡¯t be like this between her and me. If it weren¡¯t for Lan Qi, we would be together by now. He clearly knew my feelings for Liuyun, but he came between us at every opening. Ah Xiu, you should be d that he was my friend and your older brother. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t have done anything to him.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone towards the end was a little cold. Hearing this, Lan Xiu felt a chill in his heart.

    ¡°Everyone pursues their own right to happiness. My brother¡¯s feelings for Liuyun are no less than yours, Fujiwara. Why should he have given in because of you? He died for Liuyun, could you do that?¡±

    ¡°No, because if I died, who will she be with for the rest of her life? I want her to spend the rest of her life with me!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s answer was crisp and clear.

    ¡°My private ne will arrive in City Z tomorrow. The weather has changed, so I¡¯ll set off early. I¡¯ll arrive in City Z at noon. I¡¯ll go straight back to Cloud Residence and wait for you there.¡±

    Finally, Fujiwara only said a few words before hanging up.

    Seeing the phone screen slowly darken, Lan Xiu took a deep breath and tossed the phone on the table in front of him. He could not help but feel a pang of pain in his head.

    ¡°President Lan, are you okay?¡±

    A Li asked with concern.

    Lan Xiu waved his hand and lowered his head to drink a few mouthfuls of water. Only then did his expression ease up a little.

    ¡°Was that Master Fujiwara¡¯s phone call?¡±

    A Li had been waiting by the side just now, so he could heard Lan Xiu¡¯s conversation.

    ¡°He will arrive in City Z at noon tomorrow. Go and make preparations, I will go over at noon. Also, take a look at Mr. Ge¡¯s materials. No matter what, we have to meet him.¡±

    Lan Xiu sighed softly, put down the cup in his hand, and stood up tiredly.

    ¡°You should go back early and rest too.¡±

    After saying this, Lan Xiu also walked into the bedroom.

    ...

    At this time, in a mansion in the depths of a maple forest on the outskirts of Japan.

    It was already veryte at night, and the clock on the wall pointed to one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Fujiwara quietly sat behind the simple desk with his back facing the closed door. He threw the phone in his hand on the desk behind him, his unfathomable gaze fell on the withered branches in the vase beside him.

    His expression was very calm. It was the kind of calm that made people inexplicably feel a sense of mncholy. His lowered eyes hid the mncholy that was inadvertently revealed in his eyes.

    Dongfang Liuyun, do you care about me?

    Or rather, do you still care about me?

    Before, we were still young and had suffered too much from each other. I will use my passion and life to tell you that I, Fujiwara, have no choice but to live for you.

    I will get you to return to my side!

    Fujiwara suddenly reached out and tightly gripped a withered branch by his side as he silently swore in his heart.

    ¡°This time, I won¡¯t let go, Liuyun...¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression darkened as he muttered this.

    Actually, he knew very well that Dongfang Liuyun would not forgive him so easily. Hence, he had to be mentally prepared. Of course, this was nothingpared to the pain and suffering she had suffered in the past, it was nothing at all.

    There were too many beautiful memories between them. He would not believe that she, Dongfang Liuyun, could easily forget the past.

    And now, very soon, they would meet again.

    At this moment, his heart was filled with anticipation. He could not wait to know what she, Dongfang Liuyun, had be. Or perhaps, nothing had changed?

    Sometimes, Dongfang Liuyun to him was like chasing after a fleeting meteor, going on an unknown journey. What would be waiting for him?

 Chapter 1775 - Emergency (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1775: Emergency (1)</h4>

    Fujiwara was silent for a long time. He did not move at all. Towards the end, he could only close his eyes and sit there silently.

    He did not know how long he had been sitting there. Suddenly, he keenly heard a series of footstepsing from outside. He did not open his eyes.

    In the blink of an eye, there were soundsing from outside the door, as well as noises¡ª

    ¡°Miss Riko, you can¡¯t go in! You can¡¯t go in without Master¡¯s permission! Please go back!¡±

    It was Matsuda who stopped him.

    ¡°Move out of the way!¡±

    A cold female voice came from outside with amanding tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Riko. I¡¯m just following Master¡¯s orders. Please go back!¡±

    ¡°I said I want to see Fujiwara. Get out of the way!¡±

    Riko Inoue¡¯s voice became colder and colder.

    ¡°Let her in.¡±

    At this moment, Fujiwara¡¯s cold and indifferent voice came from inside.

    Soon, the door was pulled open, and a beautiful figure shed in.

    It was a very beautiful woman. She wore a noble light-colored kimono, her hair was tied up in a bun, her eyebrows were like dark creases, and her beautiful eyes were as bright as gems. She had a small cherry mouth, and her skin was as white as jade. Her facial features were almost perfect, and she had a tall figure. She had a noble and dignified temperament¡ª

    This undoubtedly showed the beauty of the woman.

    Riko Inoue, the heiress of arge family like the Fujiwara¡¯s, was the most favored candidate for daughter-inw of the Fujiwara family.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to see me?¡±

    Riko Inoue stopped in front of the desk and looked down at Fujiwara, who was sitting with his back facing her. She did not hide the dissatisfaction in her voice.

    ¡°Why would I want to see you?¡±

    Fujiwara responded indifferently without even lifting his eyelids.

    ¡°Fujiwara-kun, I respect you very much. Apart from my status as your fianc¨¦e, I, Riko Inoue, havee from afar as a guest. You can¡¯t treat me like this.¡±

    Riko Inoue frowned and stared at Fujiwara.

    ¡°Fianc¨¦e? Whose fianc¨¦e? I¡¯ve never agreed to this marriage. If anyone has promised you, you should go find them. Why are you here?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone was filled with nonchnt disdain.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that you¡¯re not the type I like. I advise you not to waste your time. You¡¯re the one who insisted on moving up. Miss Riko, I¡¯m not a patient person, and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a person without brains and dignity.¡±

    Fujiwara slowly opened his eyes as he said this. He slowly turned around and looked at Riko Inoue indifferently.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t even gotten to know me. How do you know that I¡¯m not the type that you like?¡±

    Riko Inoue had always been very confident in her looks, abilities, and status. Over the years, countless men had fallen for her. However, she was also a woman who had strict demands of her partner.

    The Inoue family was very strict and was well-known in the upper-ss circles. Riko Inoue was a goddess-like woman that almost made people worship her. With her beauty and temperamentbined to match Fujiwara, everyone felt that she was the most suitable.

    However, who would have thought that Fujiwara would mercilessly reject her on her first day as a guest at the Fujiwara family? This made her extremely surprised. Of course, there were also some unspeakable feelings of disappointment or anger?

    ¡°Fujiwara-kun, if this is your way of attracting me, I ept it. You win,¡± said Riko Inoue.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never liked women who are too tall. Moreover, I¡¯m not satisfied with your appearance. Are you satisfied with such an answer? If we have topare, I feel that Miss Lingzi is more in line with my standards of beauty.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression was indifferent as he said this. His slender fingers also let go of the withered branch. His ten fingers crossed on the table. His ck eyes were filled with a cold repulsion.

    ¡°Lingzi?¡±

    Riko Inoue naturally recognized this Miss Riko. She had never liked her pretentious innocence. All these years, there had been countless men who had worshipped her. Could Fujiwara be one of her guests?

    Thinking of this, Riko Inoue¡¯s expression darkened for a moment. He probed Fujiwara, not afraid of his cold, disdainful gaze.

    However, ording to what she knew, Fujiwara had never been in contact with any woman. She had heard that he had fallen in love with a woman before, but they broke up in the end. After that, he remained pure of heart and had no desires, he had never been involved in any romantic affairs.

    This was one of the reasons why Riko Inoue admired Fujiwara.

    Of course, Fujiwara was also the most handsome man she had evere into contact with, not to mention his status. Such a man was the dream of all women.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t know her background, do you? I don¡¯t believe that a man like you would fall for such a shallow woman. What do you think?¡±

    Riko Inoue was quite confident in her judgment. Her beautiful eyes shone faintly as she caught Fujiwara¡¯s gaze without blinking.

    Fujihara¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile. He casually lowered his head and adjusted his cufflinks. ¡°I¡¯m a shallowyman to begin with. Have I disappointed you, Miss Riko?¡±

    ¡°What if I say I don¡¯t believe you?¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with me. I¡¯ve clearly said that I won¡¯t marry you. If you¡¯re worried that my rejection will affect your reputation, you can say that you don¡¯t like me, Fujiwara, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.¡±

    ¡°What if I say no?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like others disagreeing with me. You should have heard the rumors about me,¡± said Fujiwara.

    When Riko Inoue heard this, she immediately smiled. ¡°So you¡¯ve already nned on getting rid of me?¡±

    Fujiwara did not answer. His expression was as cold as ice.

    ¡°To tell you the truth, I know that you¡¯re about to fly to City Z, and Uncle Fujiwara has already informed me. He wants me to go with you. Coincidentally, I¡¯ve never been there either. You can be my guide. It would be quite nice to take me there.¡±

    ¡°You can ask him to take you on your honeymoon. Matsuda, send Miss Riko out!¡±

    At this moment, Fujiwara had already given the order to leave impatiently.

    Of course, Fujiwara¡¯s words also caused Riko Inoue¡¯s expression to freeze for a moment, and she could not quite respond.

    When Matsuda heard Fujiwara¡¯s voice outside, he immediately pulled open the door and walked in¡ª

    ¡°Miss Riko, Please!¡±

    Matsuda bowed respectfully and gestured for her to leave.

    Riko Inoue gave Matsuda a cold nce before turning her gaze to look at Fujiwara. Fujiwara did not even look at her as he quietly stood up and walked towards the inner room, leaving her with a cold back view.

    Riko Inoue¡¯s delicate brows furrowed even deeper as her gaze darkened. However, she managed to control her emotions and turned around to leave the study.

 Chapter 1776 - Emergency (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1776: Emergency (2)</h4>

    The next day arrived as promised. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun woke up a littleter than usual because today was Dongfang Shuman¡¯s birthday. As granddaughter, Dongfang Liuyun had to go back to visit.

    It was said that the birthday party was not as grand as usual. Instead, it was just a few family members and close friends who came to celebrate.

    When the sunlight shone through the railing into the corridor, Qi Lei got up.

    He was in a good mood as he made a nutritious breakfast. When the breakfast was ready, Dongfang Liuyun came downstairs slowly.

    ¡°You¡¯re in good spirits. You can still get up and make a table like this.¡±

    When Qi Lei helped Dongfang Liuyun pull out a chair, Dongfang Liuyun nced at him.

    ¡°When have I ever been in low spirits?¡± Qi Lei replied before sitting down across from her and pouring her a cup of fresh milk.

    Dongfang Liuyun elegantly picked up a knife and fork and began to eat the food on her te

    ¡°Tastes pretty good. Your culinary skills have improved very quickly. Let¡¯s go to the beach for a seafood feast tonight.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to celebrate Grandma¡¯s birthday?¡±

    Qi Lei did not even lift his eyes. Instead, he asked this question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the people over there will like me. We¡¯ll go early and leave early. Drive me there, there¡¯s no need to go in, Grandma won¡¯t be leaving City Z for a while. Let¡¯s go and see her when Father gets back.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not want Qi Lei to get involved in those messy circles at all. It was not good for them. After all, she and Qi Lei were the ones living their lives.

    ¡°Are you that worried that your grandmother will make things difficult for me?¡±

    Qi Lei felt a warmth in his heart when he heard that. He could naturally understand what she meant¡ª

    Dongfang Liuyun had always been unwilling to have too much contact with the Dongfang family. By doing so, she just wanted to have a few more days of peace and quiet.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard Qi Lei, she silently raised her eyes to look at him. She hesitated for a moment and did not deny it. Instead, she replied calmly, ¡°It¡¯s naturally for the best that you think that way. It¡¯s all thanks to you for this period of time. When we have some free time at the end of the year, let¡¯s hold our wedding.¡±

    ¡°Wedding?¡±

    Upon hearing her words, Qi Lei¡¯s hand froze. There was some joy that cannot be concealed in his dark eyes. ¡°You;re willing to let our rtionship develop to the above ground now?¡±

    ¡°Above ground? I¡¯m living with you openly now. There¡¯s an official seal on the marriage certificate. To be honest, I don¡¯t think this wedding is too important. However, I should look good in a wedding dress. By the way, since we¡¯re already at this point, do you still n to take this wedding photo with me?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she looked up at Qi Lei.

    ¡°If you¡¯re willing, we can do it anytime. I¡¯ve already asked them to prepare the wedding dress. I was just waiting for you to say something.¡±

    Qi Lei was very calm.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly. ¡°What if I didn¡¯t say anything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just kidnap you to the ceremony hall.¡±

    Qi Lei replied and gave her a sideways nce.

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged. ¡°Then you can worry about that. I¡¯m not familiar with weddings at all. I¡¯ve only attended a few weddings, I only know how to be a bride.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll give you a wedding that you¡¯ll never forget.¡±

    ...

    After breakfast, the couple did not rush over immediately. The birthday banquet was at night, so the couple thought about rushing over in the afternoon.

    When they returned to the study, it was rare for them to have a joyous game battle. By the time they finished the dungeon, it was almost noon. The couple did not eat at home, but went to Su Chen¡¯s ce instead, this was because Su Chen¡¯s ce was between the Grand Lake Vi district and the Dongfang old mansion. Qi Lei had not seen Su Chen and the others for quite a while, so he thought about it and went over.

    Su Chen was at home. Ji Zitong had not met Dongfang Liuyun before, it was a good opportunity for them to get to know each other.

    When Qi Lei arrived at the entrance of Su Chen¡¯s vi, Su Chen and Ji Zitong had already prepared lunch at home. The two of them went straight to their seats.

    The meal was rather harmonious. Su Chen and Qi Lei chatted happily. Dongfang Liuyun was rather quiet as she apanied him. Ji Zitong asionally poured wine for the two of them. Of course, she would also chat with Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°You¡¯re really beautiful, Miss Dongfang. I¡¯ve heard Su Chen talk about you before.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. Just call Me Liuyun. Since both of you are very close friends with Qi Lei, You¡¯re also my friend. Let me call you Zitong. You¡¯re also very elegant and beautiful.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied humbly.

    Ji Zitong was also a mother-to-be now. These days, she was a little different from before. Now, she could not hide the gentleness in her body. Perhaps it was because she was about to be a mother.

    ¡°Liuyun loves antiques. Haven¡¯t you been interested in those ancient cultures recently? If there¡¯s a chance, you can interact with her more.¡±

    Su Chen reminded her from the side.

    Ji Zitong smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen Zhou Zimo around recently? Where the hell is he?¡±

    Qi Lei toasted Su Chen and suddenly thought of Zhou Zimo.

    When he heard this, Su Chen exchanged a look with Ji Zitong and chuckled softly, ¡°He¡¯s pursuing his own goddess. He doesn¡¯t have the spare time to look for you to reminisce. I¡¯ve said it before, among me, Mu Yuchen, and Zhou Zimo, he is the one who forgets his friends the most. If it was during the war, he¡¯d be the easiest to be a traitor.¡±

    Ji Zitong could not help butugh when Su Chen said that, which surprised Qi Lei¡ª

    ¡°So, Bro Zimo is infatuated with some woman?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°The pressure from his family is too great. Even if he¡¯s not infatuated with anyone, he has nowhere to run this time.¡±

    Although Su Chen said that, he was still a little worried about Zhou Zimo.

    A woman like Qin Su was not someone Zhou Zimo could deal with easily. She was like an iceberg, an iceberg that could not be melted.

    ¡°I met Aunty Liang in the hospital a while ago, and the topic could not be separated from this.¡±

    ¡°Elder Zhou¡¯s health is not very good. He¡¯s been looking forward to Zimo¡¯s marriage. Especially since you and Liuyun are married now, he is the only one left. Therefore, I can understand Aunty Liang¡¯s feelings.¡±

    ¡°Understanding won¡¯t get you anywhere.¡±

    ¡°He, Zhou Zimo, is quite capable as well. However, if he can really take down Qin Su, I, Su Chen, will have to give in.¡±

    Qin Su?

    Was this the woman that Zhou Zimo had taken a fancy to?

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and became a little curious.

    ...

    Meanwhile, the few people who were happily eating naturally did not know that at the same time, in the outskirts of City Z, a few ck luxury cars were driving along the clean Fatong Avenue towards the suburban vi area ahead...

 Chapter 1777 - Emergency (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1777: Emergency (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a long drive on Fatong Avenue, the car finally stopped in front of an independent luxurious vi.

    The car in front stopped, and soon, the ck-clothed bodyguard who had been waiting in front of the door opened the back seat door.

    A ck figure unhurriedly got out of the car.

    It was a tall and slender man...

    He was so handsome, and his whole body was filled with a reserved and deep manner. However, it was impossible to ignore the aura on his body.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara, you¡¯re back!¡±

    The two bodyguards in ck stepped forward and said respectfully.

    Fujiwara stopped and steadied himself. He raised his eyes slightly, narrowed his silent eyes, and looked quietly at the vi in front of him that had not seen for a long time. Therge hand hidden under his sleeve tightened, and he nodded gently afterwards, before he tookrge strides and walked inside.

    This vi was called Cloud Residence. It was a vi that Fujiwara had acquired during his early years. That is right, the reason it was called Cloud Residence was because it was named after Dongfang Liuyun[1]. The title deed only had Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s name on it, it was a birthday present that Fujiwara had nned to give to Dongfang Liuyun. Unfortunately, before he could give it away, something had happened between them.

    The entire vi was decorated ording to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s favorite style, and the surrounding environment was great.

    Dongfang Liuyun had never been here before, but this ce was filled with the aura of Dongfang Liuyun.

    Fujiwara had an obsession in his heart, and that was to have Dongfang Liuyun in this lifetime. No matter how long it took, this obsession did not fade away. It would only grow stronger as time passed.

    Fujiwara¡¯s footsteps became heavy as he walked past the entrance and saw the artistic sculpture rockery standing in the middle of the fountain not far away.

    He seemed to have seen the passion and warmth they had when they were in high spirits. Back then, they were still very young and very free..

    But now...

    ¡°Master, shall we go in? The sunlight outside is very strong. The house has already been cleaned up. The servants have also prepared your favorite dishes and are waiting for your return.¡±

    Matsuda hurriedly took a step forward and advised when he sensed the disappointment on Fujiwara¡¯s face.

    Fujiwara then closed his eyes silently and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he had already returned to his usual coldness. He did not say anything else and continued walking forward.

    The vi was, of course, the same as before. It was just that when he walked in, it felt even emptier than before. There was not any familiar aura. Everything seemed to have changed.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re back!¡±

    The butler and the two servants quickly went forward to wee him.

    Fujiwara simply waved his hand and did not stop walking until he passed through the living room and came to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the side. Through the transparent ss windows, what he saw was arge stretch of pavilions and terraces. They were curved and curved, he could not see the end of it as if it was a beautiful painting.

    Matsuda did not go up to disturb him. Instead, he raised his hand to signal the butler to bring the prepared food over.

    The butler did as he was told. Not long after, a table full of delicious and tempting food was served.

    Fujiwara cleaned his hands and sat down silently. Just as he poured a ss of wine and drank it, there was a strange sounding from outside the door, as if the car had stopped again.

    Outside the door, it was indeed a white luxury car that was slowly stopping at the door.

    The car window was slowly lowered. In the driver¡¯s seat was Lan Xiu¡¯s assistant, Ah Li.

    When the bodyguard in front of the door saw the person in the driver¡¯s seat, he walked over too.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Open the door.¡±

    The car window in the back seat was lowered, and Lan Xiu¡¯s faint voice came from the back seat.

    ¡°Master Lan Xiu!¡±

    The bodyguard in ck naturally recognized Lan Xiu. He respectfully bowed and then let him pass.

    The car slowly drove into the vi and stopped at the side of the fountain.

    ¡°Wait for me here.¡±

    The car stopped. Lan Xiu left this sentence and then opened the door and got out of the car.

    ¡°Yes, President Lan!¡±

    A Li naturally did not dare to retort and silently agreed.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s tall and straight body bypassed the fountain and walked straight into the vi. When he reached the door, he saw Matsuda waiting by the side of the stairs.

    ¡°Master Lan Xiu, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Matsuda greeted him politely.

    Lan Xiu nodded slightly, ¡°Hello, is your Master inside?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s having his meal inside. President Lan, you¡¯re just in time. Pleasee in!¡±

    Matsuda said as he gestured for Lan Xiu toe in.

    Lan Xiu returned a polite smile, then walked up the stairs and followed him inside.

    Soon, Lan Xiu saw the slim figure sitting at the dining table in the vi. He was facing him and was pouring wine into the two wine sses in front of him.

    Fujiwara seemed to be able to sense Lan Xiu¡¯s approaching figure, so he stopped and slowly raised his head. When he saw Lan Xiu, there was no expression on his cold face, however, he seemed to be able to see the signs of the tense handsome face easing up.

    He pointed to the seat opposite him and slowly moved the wine ss in front of him to Lan Xiu¡¯s side. His low and hoarse voice rang out¡ª

    ¡°Sit down. Try the sake I brought over. It¡¯s a taste that you and Liuyun both like. It¡¯s something that has been sealed for many years. It tastes pretty good.¡±

    As he spoke, he picked up his own ss and elegantly drank another ss.

    Lan Xiu could almost instantly feel the loneliness and destion emanating from his body. He could clearly feel that Fujiwara seemed to have be much more haggard than before. He was also much more reserved than before, especially his deep eyes, which were filled with a lot of worries.

    Most of the worries were probably from Dongfang Liuyun, right?

    After thinking about it, Lan Xiu did not say anything. In the end, he pulled out the chair beside him and sat down quietly. He picked up the ss of wine that Fujiwara had just filled, lowered his eyes, and calmly took a sip.

    A clear stream flowed into him, and as he drank, it made one feel as if a clear spring had flowed into their hearts, but then...

    ¡°I only had a 50% confidence that you¡¯lle. It seems that I¡¯ve won now. Regardless of whether you¡¯re here for me, you, or Liuyun, I¡¯ll drink to you. Thank you foring.¡±

    Fujiwara poured another cup and held it leisurely. He raised his eyes and looked at Lan Xiu calmly and indifferently...

 Chapter 1778 - Emergency (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1778: Emergency (4)</h4>

    Lan Xiu did not say anything. He just looked silently at Fujiwara.

    Seeing that he did not move, Fujiwara paused for a moment. A momentter, a cold smile appeared on his face. He raised his hand and drank the wine.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t like this in the past. If you have something to say, just say it. Beforeing here, I was already prepared. You must have a lot to say to me.¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, he straightened his back slightly and took the wine bottle. He poured himself some wine before leaning back on the chair behind him. He raised his deep gaze and looked indifferently at Lan Xiu in front of him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you not want to answer my calls before because you knew that I woulde here sooner orter?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always known my determination.¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, the gaze in his eyes became even deeper. He lowered his eyes indifferently and reached out to pick up the wine ss again. He drank it indifferently.

    ¡°I had a lot to say to you, but now, I...¡±

    ¡°Then it proves that I was right. I¡¯m waiting for you to tell me.¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could finish, Fujiwara cut him off and gave him a sideways nce. ¡°I already knew that you would take advantage of the situation in the past few years. Your feelings for Liuyun are no less than Lan Qi¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun¡¯s heart is a locked door. No matter how hard I try, I couldn¡¯t open it. You know very well that all these years, even though she seems to be living peacefully, the suffering she¡¯s going through in her heart may not be something you can understand.¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and finished the wine in his ss.

    Hearing this, Fujiwara¡¯s movements froze for a moment. His frozen gaze became unfathomable as he calmly poured Lan Xiu some wine.

    ¡°Has she mentioned me before?¡±

    Fujiwara asked in a low voice. There seemed to be a hint of bitterness in his tone.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Lan Xiu asked in return.

    Fujiwara thenughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°I can¡¯t me her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said that she, Dongfang Liuyun, can only belong to me. This time, I¡¯vee to fulfill this wish. I can¡¯t let her leave me for too long. Ah Xiu, I need your help.¡±

    At this moment, Fujiwara did not conceal his intentions at all. Instead, he looked at Lan Xiu very sincerely. ¡°I know that you also love her deeply, but you know very well what happened between us.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, you won¡¯t have a chance either.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Xiu could not help but say in a somewhat agitated manner. A stifling aura surged in his chest, unable to be removed or released.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Fujiwara frowned and asked.

    Lan Xiu raised his head and downed the wine in his cup. His gloomy voice was tinged with bitterness. ¡°Because Liuyun is married... We don¡¯t have a chance anymore.¡±

    As soon as Lan Xiu said this, Fujiwara was stunned. A cold light shed across his deep eyes. He stared at Lan Xiu and said coldly, ¡°Impossible.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to lie to you now. I¡¯ve looked for her before and told her that you¡¯re going to be back in City Z. She... In fact, she was already married a few months ago.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that person? I don¡¯t believe that she would do that.¡±

    Fujiwara gripped his cup tightly. He did not know how much effort he had to put in to control his surging emotions.

    ¡°The Second Master of the Qi family is actually on par with your Fujiwara family in terms of family background. Moreover, I¡¯ve met him a few times. He¡¯s pretty nice. Liuyun cares about him a lot, and she¡¯s very protective...¡±

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    A sharp sound of shattering rang out, directly cutting off Lan Xiu¡¯s words.

    When he looked up, the wine ss in Fujiwara¡¯s hand had already shattered into pieces on the ground beside him. Fujiwara¡¯s expression was somewhat gloomy, and his ck eyes were filled with disbelief.

    ¡°You¡¯d better not make up a lie to deceive me.¡±

    There was a hint of coldness in his voice, and his sharp eyes were fixed on Lan Xiu.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the energy to deal with you. You can ask your people to ask around, and they¡¯ll have an answer soon. Now, do you know why I wasn¡¯t willing to answer your call?¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and calmed down. ¡°Perhaps, everything should have ended a long time ago. We all have new lives now, there¡¯s nothing wrong with starting from scratch.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by starting from scratch? If I go back to how it all was then Liuyun should be with me.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold tone traveled over, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a cold smile. ¡°You don¡¯t know how I¡¯ve persevered through all these years. Now, you¡¯re telling me to end it? Tell me how!¡±

    ¡°This is also Liuyun¡¯s intention. I have nothing more to say. Just do as you see fit. Don¡¯t underestimate Liuyun. I think that it¡¯s only a matter of time before she falls for Qi Lei. Qi Lei is a legendary figure. You can go and look up his information, the results might surprise you. Besides, he can afford to lose, but you, Fujiwara, might not afford to.¡±

    As he spoke, Lan Xiu slowly stood up and looked down at Fujiwara¡¯s unpredictable expression.

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t be rash. The current Liuyun has changed a lotpared to how she was before. I think that if you really love her, you¡¯ll want her to be happy too.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help you, and I won¡¯t help you either. Between the three of us, it might be more suitable for us to be good friends. With your status and background, Liuyun would also be worn down from being with you, she might not be able to live happily. I think this is one of the reasons why Liuyun didn¡¯t choose you back then. She¡¯s like this, when she bes rational, it always makes people feel dejected. At least, I feel that.¡±

    Lan Xiu sighed and said these words somewhat helplessly. His tall and straight body also crossed over and he turned around to walk towards the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back now. You¡¯d better organize your thoughts. There¡¯s really no more possibility between you and her. You need to recognize the truth.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, Lan Xiu¡¯s figure disappeared from outside the door. Behind him, even the sound of footsteps had disappeared.

    The vi instantly fell silent. The stillness in the air made one feel a little terrified.

    Fujiwara was still sitting quietly in his original position, not moving at all.

    A momentter, a series of banging sounds suddenly came from inside. When Matsuda rushed in to take a look, he realized that all the food on the table had been smashed to the ground. The floor was covered with broken porcin pieces, and the wine was overflowing all over the floor.

    Fujiwara was still sitting where he was. He stretched out his slender fingers and stroked his forehead. The pain in his head made him feel like he could not hold on any longer.

    ¡°Master, are you alright?¡±

    Matsuda¡¯s expression changed drastically. He quickly went forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Clean up.

    Fujiwara calmed down a little. He finally recovered. After giving some instructions, he suddenly stood up and walked upstairs.

 Chapter 1779 - Emergency (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1779: Emergency (5)</h4>

    When they left Su Chen¡¯s house, it was already past two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Qi Lei drove Dongfang Liuyun straight back to the Dongfang old mansion.

    Along the way, the couple did not say much. They just rushed to the Dongfang old mansion.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to go in with you? You should know what I¡¯m worried about.¡±

    Qi Lei slowed down slightly. He nced at Dongfang Liuyun and asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t avoid trouble, you¡¯d be a fool toe up with me. I¡¯ll be fine, you don¡¯t have to be a hero to save the damsel in distress. If I can¡¯t deal with it now, then I might as well just admit defeat. As for you, just stand behind me and support me. The two of us will pursue the best solution.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and replied calmly.

    ¡°What is the best solution?¡±

    Qi Lei retracted his gaze and asked.

    ¡°It means that you ept my suggestion. I will think of a way to make our lives easier. We¡¯ll avoid trouble that we can avoid as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°The Jin family has always wanted to do a project development in the east of the city. You should have heard of this.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and suddenly brought up this matter.

    When she heard this, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment before nodding. ¡°You seemed to have mentioned this before. Did the Jin family look for you?¡±

    ¡°Jin Sheng came to look for Wang Chun before. Mother bought two pieces ofnd in the east of the city. That¡¯s their target.¡± Qi Lei said simply.

    ¡°That project is so huge. If the Jin family wants to take it all alone, it won¡¯t be easy. They don¡¯t have the final say in Dongfang Group, so if you can¡¯t pass it, they¡¯ll think of other ways.¡±

    ¡°The South River Project proposal has been confirmed. In two days, Wang Chun will bring it over to your side to sign the contract. Father has spoken to Vice President Zhang before, you just have to tell your people when the timees.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the matter between Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi has already been settled. Father has already made arrangements before he left. I think they won¡¯t make any moves.¡±

    ¡°Will they make things difficult for you?¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and finally asked worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing but an old saying. I didn¡¯t have the confidence before, but now...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun waved her hand with the ring on it. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Why do I keep thinking you¡¯re acting recklessly because you¡¯ve been beaten down so many times before.¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a sideways nce, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

    ¡°You said it yourself. It¡¯s not my fault that you¡¯ve reduced your spirit.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Qi Lei wanted to say something, but his phone suddenly rang. He quickly looked away and saw the word ¡®Wang Chun¡¯ appear on the screen.

    Qi Lei frowned. He slowed down the car and picked up the phone

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    A brief voice sounded. There seemed to be a soft voiceing from the other end. Wang Chun¡¯s voice was also heard very quickly.

    ¡°Second Master, something bad has happened. Hurry ande to the hospital. President Qi suddenly had an emergency. The hospital is treating him. They¡¯ve already issued a critical notice.¡±

    Wang Chun¡¯s anxious tone was filled with worry. Qi Lei naturally heard it clearly.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? How could he suddenly be in critical condition?¡±

    Following the sound of the emergency brake, Qi Lei¡¯s brows furrowed.

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately turned to look. She instantly saw Qi Lei¡¯s expression¡ª

    Needless to say, she could guess what had happened to Qi Qiming at the hospital.

    ¡°The situation is still unclear. He¡¯s still in the operating theater. It seems like he suddenly couldn¡¯t breathe. The doctors are already treating him. The situation isn¡¯t good. Second Master, you and Missus shoulde over.¡±

    After Wang Chun said that, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. The car had already stopped by the roadside.

    ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll rush over. Wait for me there.¡±

    Qi Lei said that before hanging up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen at the hospital?¡±

    Seeing him put away his phone, Dongfang Liuyun asked softly.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. He could not help but raise his hand to massage the space between his brows. After calming down, he turned to look at her, ¡°Something happened. Old man Qi suddenly had an emergency and was sent to the operating room. The hospital even issued a critical notice. We¡¯re almost at the Dongfang Residence. I¡¯ll send you there first. I won¡¯t go in with you, okay?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was apologetic.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze froze for a moment. ¡°How did this happen?¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze flickered. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°Then let¡¯s turn around in front. We¡¯ll go to the hospital immediately.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei was immediately stunned. He silently turned to look at her and did not say anything.

    Seeing that he did not move, Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, what are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll send you over first then go to the hospital.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. Just as he was about to start the car, Dongfang Liuyun reached out to stop him¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. I¡¯ll just send over a giftter on, they won¡¯t miss me. Come over, I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    Seeing that he was not in great condition, Dongfang Liuyun was naturally worried.

    Qi Lei nced at her and wanted to say something, but Dongfang Liuyun had already reached out to open the car door and got out of the car. Before Qi Lei could react, he had already walked over and gently closed the car window.

    Qi Lei paused until Dongfang Liuyun opened the car door. Then, he slowly moved to the passenger seat.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly got into the car. She quickly fastened the seatbelt for him then for herself before starting the car.

    The car sped forward like the wind. At the intersection in front, it quickly turned around and headed straight for the hospital.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s driving skills were not bad, and she drove very quickly.

    At this moment, they did not coincide with after work hours, so there was no traffic jam. The road was smooth and unobstructed.

    The ce where they turned around was still quite far from the hospital. It would take them at least an hour to drive.

    As the car sped along, Dongfang Liuyun was focused on driving. Qi Lei, on the other hand, closed his eyes to rest. However, his furrowed brows showed the worry in his heart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, bad things won¡¯t always happen to us.¡±

    Seeing his gloomy expression, Dongfang Liuyun felt a little depressed andforted him.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei did not open his eyes. He replied calmly, ¡°What if it does? It¡¯s hard to say if it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing. At least to him, it might be a relief.¡±

    There was a hint of helplessness in his disappointed tone. Qi Lei did not want to admit how he felt.

 Chapter 1780 - Missing (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1780: Missing (1)</h4>

    When they arrived at the hospital¡¯s resuscitation room, Wang Chun was already waiting outside. The surgery inside was still going on intensely.

    ¡°Second Master, Missus, you¡¯re finally here!¡±

    Upon seeing Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun rush over, Wang Chun, who had been waiting for a long time, finally heaved a sigh of relief. He walked up to them.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation inside?¡±

    Qi Lei was rather calm as he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been in there for almost two hours, but there¡¯s still no news.¡±

    When Wang Chun said this, Qi Lei¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter. Dongfang Liuyun followed his gaze and looked at the operating theater in front of them. The door was tightly shut, and there was an inexplicable sense of gloominess in the air, there was a sense of stifledness.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Suddenly, he felt his palm tighten. Some warmth came from his palm, and her voice rang in his ear.

    Qi Lei nodded silently. He turned his gaze to the side and then pulled her to sit on the bench. He did not say anything and just waited quietly.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. She also apanied him silently.

    Time passed slowly. Qi Lei did not know how long he had been suffering. He seemed to be numb from waiting until Dongfang Liuyun picked up the phone. Only then did he react.

    The phone call was from Dongfang Gan, who was far away in Myanmar.

    ¡°Father.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun called out as she got up and walked to the window.

    ¡°Mmm, we haven¡¯t spoken for a few days. How are you guys? I called your mother and she said that she was busy. Seems like she didn¡¯t go back today.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s amiable voice sounded.

    ¡°We¡¯re all fine. When are youing back?¡±

    ¡°Not so fast. I heard from the old butler at home that you and Qi Lei haven¡¯t gone over yet. It should be gettingte. You guys should hurry over, lest...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be going back this time. There are some things that need to be dealt with urgently. Anyway, they won¡¯t be missing me at these banquets. The house is so lively, so no one will have noticed me. I¡¯ve already asked Secretary Ding to deliver the gifts for me.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Her daughter had always been a person who understood consideration for the bigger picture. It was impossible that she would miss such an asion for no reason.

    ¡°Qi Lei¡¯s father is in critical condition and is still in the operating room. I have to apany him. I¡¯ll go back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Qi Qiming¡¯s condition stable? How did this happen all of a sudden?¡±

    Dongfang Gan was naturally puzzled as well.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know the situation yet. Father, help me make a call to the other side. Call my aunt and let her deal with it.¡±

    ¡°You really know how to make me ask for favors. She¡¯s your aunt, so it¡¯s not wrong for you to get to know her more.¡±

    Dongfang Gan said helplessly.

    ¡°I need to get to know everyone, not just her. She owes you a lot, so it¡¯s not a big deal for her to return the favor. Unless, Father, you want to be a saint.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was quite direct.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give her a callter. By the way, did something happen to your mother? She hasn¡¯t been answering my calls recently. Every time she answers the phone, it¡¯s always quiet. Your mother isn¡¯t someone who can stay idle.¡±

    Dongfang Gan was an exceptionally perceptive person. He could vaguely guess that something was wrong with Song Siting these days.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not the first time she¡¯s skipped Grandma¡¯s birthday, but it¡¯s better than getting angry at each other. Mother has been busy with the cases these few days, even I can¡¯t disturb her. You know her temper. She¡¯s always worried about being disturbed by others.¡±

    ¡°Go home to see her soon, I¡¯m worried.¡±

    Dongfang Gan thought for a moment before saying this.

    ¡°Yes, I will. Don¡¯t worry, Father. Finish the things over there as soon as possible ande back as soon.¡±

    ...

    The father and daughter talked for a while before hanging up. When they returned, Qi Lei had already stood up. They heard a sound in front of them. The tightly shut door of the operating theater suddenly opened.

    The nurse slowly wheeled Qi Qiming out of the operating theater, and the doctor followed by the side.

    ¡°Doctor! Doctor! How¡¯s our President Qi?¡±

    Wang Chun reacted quickly and went forward. Qi Lei followed closely to the side of the hospital bed, and Dongfang Liuyun followed silently by Qi Lei¡¯s side.

    The doctor took off his mask and took a deep breath. His tensed expression seemed to have eased a little, ¡°He went into sudden shock. Fortunately, we managed to save him in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The patient¡¯s body is already very weak. I hope that you can take good care of him. The surgery is still considered a sess so far. Let¡¯s send him back to the ward first. I¡¯ll tell you more about his conditionter.¡±

    The doctor said verypetently.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s good that he¡¯s fine. Thank you for your hard work, doctor.¡±

    Wang Chun heaved a huge sigh of relief. He subconsciously turned to look at Qi Lei, who was also standing by the bedside quietly looking at Qi Qiming. He also took in Qi Lei¡¯s relieved expression.

    After sending Qi Qiming back to the ward and settling him down, the doctor finished giving his orders. The sky outside had long since fallen silent.

    Wang Chun brought dinner for the two of them, but the couple did not have much appetite.

    At around 8p.m., Liang Jing came over as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about this situation. The surgery was quite sessful. Perhaps your father will regain consciousness after a few days have passed. It¡¯s not like there haven¡¯t been cases like this before.¡± Liang Jingforted him.

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie Liang.¡± Qi Lei thanked her sincerely.

    Liang Jing only smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Auntie Liang, what are the chances of him recovering? Isn¡¯t there any way to wake him up? The traditional treatment only guarantees his physical condition. I feel that it won¡¯t work if he keeps going on like this.¡±

    The person who asked was Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°This is the only way at the moment, and as you can see now, the patient¡¯s condition is starting to be unstable. I¡¯m suspecting that he¡¯s starting to feel something in his heart, which is why he¡¯s acting like this. His condition was very stable previously. However, I suggest that you guyse over frequently to apany him, maybe he will feel something.¡±

    Liang Jing thought for a moment before replying.

    Dongfang Liuyun could only nod sadly as she listened. ¡°Thank you, Auntie Liang.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry too much, as long as he is fine. I¡¯ll go over to check on the ward first. You guys have hired a special nurse so you can let them watch over him. Seeing that the two of you are quite tired, you should rest well.¡±

    ¡°We will.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied before Liang Jing left the ward.

    ¡°You go home first. I¡¯ll take care of him, mmm?¡±

    Hearing the sound of the door closing, Qi Lei turned his gaze to Dongfang Liuyun and said softly.

 Chapter 1781 - Missing (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1781: Missing (2)</h4>

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll sit with you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head. She pulled over a stool beside her and sat down beside Qi Lei.

    ¡°Is it really okay that you didn¡¯t go over today?¡±

    Qi Lei asked with concern as he reached out to pour her a ss of water.

    Dongfang Liuyun took it very obediently. She took two sips lightly and replied, ¡°It¡¯d be a lie to say that it¡¯spletely fine. Whatever, I¡¯ll go over tomorrow when I have time. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just leave it.¡±

    ¡°Did I hold you up?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled helplessly.

    ¡°Right now, nothing is more important than what¡¯s happening here. Do you think that I¡¯m quite bias towards my lovers?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged and said with a smile.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei could not help butugh out loud. His depressed mood suddenly found an outlet to vent. It was immediately drowned by a warm current, and he felt a little more rxed.

    ¡°Turns out I¡¯m quite handsome, I believe in your taste, to be able to catch the eye of a person like you, that must mean I¡¯m simply the cream of the crop.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun heard this and immediately shot Qi Lei a sideways nce. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize that you¡¯re quite shameless?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows were the same as heughed quietly.

    The atmosphere in the ward immediately eased up, and the gloom from before was gone.

    ...

    In a blink of an eye, it was alreadyte at night.

    Hidden in the Cloud Residence on the outskirts of City Z.

    Matsuda was reporting the situation to Fujiwara.

    ¡°Master, the gift has been delivered. Elder Madam Dongfang is very happy and said that she hopes that you cane over as a guest. She actually misses you, Master.¡±

    Matsuda respectfully said to Fujiwara, who was lying on the sofa.

    Fujiwara was currently holding a book in his hand and flipping through it, acting like a true heir.

    When he heard Matsuda¡¯s words, his gaze did not move. Instead, a cold voice was heard¡ª

    ¡°Did you see her?¡±

    He was only concerned about news of Dongfang Liuyun. He was not interested in the others and naturally did not want to know any news.

    ¡°Master, Miss Dongfang did not go over today. I waited for an entire night, but I did not see Miss Dongfang, including her parents. They did not appear either. Therefore, Elder Madam Dongfang wasn¡¯t in a very good mood tonight.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t go over? How is that possible? Uncle Dongfang is far away in Myanmar, so naturally, there is no way for him to rush back. Is there any situation on Auntie Song¡¯s side?¡± Fujiwara asked.

    ¡°Master guessed correctly. Lawyer Song was injured by her opponent due to a dispute in the case and is still in the hospital. I¡¯ve already asked people to inquire about it, and the news is true. In fact, Lin Yuanyuan had told Elder Madam Dongfang about this tonight. Although Elder Madam Dongfang didn¡¯t explode on the spot, it can be seen that she must be extremely dissatisfied with Lawyer Song.¡±

    ¡°Find out Auntie Song¡¯s ward. I¡¯ll go over to visit her tomorrow.¡± Fujiwara instructed.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Matsuda responded.

    ¡°There¡¯s no news from Liuyun?¡± Fujiwara asked again quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people out to investigate, but there¡¯s still no news from her. However, Miss Dongfang has already returned to the Dongfang Group to work. If Master wants to see Miss Liuyun, perhaps you could go straight to thepany to look for her. Miss Dongfang¡¯s direct superior in the Dongfang Group is Lin Yuanyuan. She seems to have given Miss Dongfang a lot of trouble.¡±

    ¡°Immediately arrange for it. I want to know everything about her situation in City Z over the past two years. I want the most detailed information. You can dispatch the credit investigation team at any time. There¡¯s no need to report to me. I want the results by next Wednesday.¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, he closed the book in his hand and raised his hand to gently rub the space between his eyebrows

    Dongfang Liuyun, I do not care if what Lan Xiu said is true or not, I will not let go.

    There was no one in this world who could make him so worried. He cared for few things, so naturally he could not let her leave so easily after she hase into his life!

    Every time he thought of this, Fujiwara could not help but feel a dull pain in his chest. He gathered his thoughts that he did not dare to probe too deeply. He did not believe that there was no fate between them, and he also did not believe that he could not take back what he lost.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Matsuda replied.

    Only then did Fujiwara put down the book in his hand and slowly stood up. ¡°Go to the wine cab and bring me a bottle of wine.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Matsuda responded, then turned around and left the living room. A momentter, he returned with a bottle of wine. He poured the wine for Fujiwara very respectfully as he said, ¡°Master, if Miss Inoue knew that we rushed over like this, would shein to the Inoue family about the Fujiwara family?¡±

    Fujiwara took two sips nonchntly and said in a neutral tone, ¡°That¡¯s father¡¯s own problem. He¡¯s the one who provoked the Inoue family, not me.¡±

    When Fujiwara mentioned his father, his gaze was naturally very cold. There was not much emotion in his tone, but there was a trace of resentment.

    ¡°Master, Elder Master only chose the most outstanding wife for you. Miss Riko¡¯s character and appearance is all very outstanding.¡±

    Matsuda could not help but advise. He carefully stared at Fujiwara. Seeing that he did not have much of a reaction, he heaved a sigh of relief and continued, ¡°At the very least, Miss Riko¡¯s feelings for Master are very obvious. Forgive me for being too talkative. Master, Miss Dongfang is actually not suitable for you. Master Lan Xiu said that Miss Dongfang would be very tired being with you, and Master, aren¡¯t you the same...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to say anything about how things are between me and her! I can¡¯t respond to everyone who is interested and has feelings for me. The feeling that Liuyun gives me is unique, you might not understand.¡±

    Before Matsuda could finish speaking, Fujiwara¡¯s cold voice sounded. His tone, which did not have much warmth, it caused Matsuda to feel a wave of panic, and a chill suddenly swept through his heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. It¡¯s my mistake! Please forgive me!¡±

    Matsuda bowed ny degrees to apologize.

    Only then did Fujiwara wave his hand. ¡°Forget it, you can go out first. I want to be alone for a while.¡±

    ¡°But, Master, I...¡±

    ¡°Go out and close the door.¡±

    Fujiwara did not even look at him. He silently lowered his eyes and poured himself a cup of wine. He started drinking one cup after another.

    In the past few years, he seemed to have turned himself into a drunkard. However, unlike drunkards, Fujiwara did not get drunk even once in the past few years. No matter how much he drank, he could not get drunk. Instead, the more he drank, the clearer he became. It was just that when he was drunk, he would get a splitting headache the next day.

    It was quite sad. That was how he was. He could not even dream or recall a single memory...

 Chapter 1782 - Missing (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1782: Missing (3)</h4>

    The light of dawn tore through a corner of the sky. When the gray haze outside the window was dispelled by the rays of dawn, Qi Lei woke up.

    In fact, Qi Lei did not really fall asleep. Of course, he did not dare to sleep. It was not until dawn, when the doctor said that the situation had stabilized, that he finally rxed and took a nap.

    He raised his hand to rub his tired eyes. Suddenly, he felt something pressing down on his shoulder. He subconsciously turned his head to look and realized that Dongfang Liuyun was sleeping soundly on his shoulder.

    She was really exhausted. She had been busy for the past few days, and now...

    A faint fragrance assaulted him. Her beautiful long hair draped over her shoulders. She looked worn out.

    Qi Lei subconsciously reached out and touched her head. He turned to look out the window. A ray of dawn had already shone through the window, and the soft light scattered all over the floor in front of the window.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Qi Lei said this in a low voice. Then, he helped her steady herself and got up. He bent down slightly and easily carried her up. He strode toward the door.

    Outside the door, Qi Lei had juste out with Dongfang Liuyun in his arms when he caught up with Yang Sheng who had just rushed over.

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    The moment Yang Sheng spoke, Qi lei gave him a cold stare. Yang Sheng shuddered and immediately noticed Dongfang Liuyun in Qi Lei¡¯s arms. He immediately reached out to cover his mouth and sucked in a breath of cold air. Then, he said in a low voice, ¡°Master Qi, you...¡±

    ¡°Old man Qi¡¯s condition has stabilized. We¡¯ll be going back first. Make arrangements for the rest. Call me if anything happens. Ask the driver to drive the car to the deck by the roadside of the hospital.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice was a little tired and hoarse. He did not sound very energetic at the moment.

    It was no wonder. He had endured for so many days. It would be strange if he could hold on.

    Yang Sheng quickly replied in a low voice, ¡°Alright, Master Qi! I¡¯ll make the arrangements right away! You and Missus should rest at home for the next few days. Vice President Wang Chun and the others will take care of the matters in thepany.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Qi Lei replied tly and continued walking forward.

    Dongfang Liuyun slept very soundly. Even after Qi Lei ced her in the car, she did not wake up. She was still sleeping soundly on Qi Lei¡¯sp.

    Dongfang Liuyun slept soundly, but Qi Lei did not feel sleepy, even though his eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion.

    The atmosphere in the car was very warm. He was leisurely tending to her messy hair, so his movements were very light.

    The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He frowned and quickly picked it up.

    Of course, it was a very familiar number.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s indifferent voice was transmitted over.

    ¡°The matter has been settled. Lin Yonghua spent a lot of money at the casinost night. Dongfang Yu was the strategist. In one night, they lost 300 million. Lin Yonghua wrote an IOU and put down his fingerprint.¡±

    A low and hoarse voice came from the other end.

    Qi Lei¡¯s dark eyes darkened, and he said lightly, ¡°I feel rest assured with you on the job. Now, take the IOU and go to the Lin Corporation to collect the debt. If he can¡¯t pay the debt within three days, get them to use the Lin Corporation to pay the debt and prepare a few more astute appraisers. We don¡¯t have much time.¡±

    ¡°Understood. It¡¯s already prepared. Ah Lai has called for it. There won¡¯t be any changes.¡±

    The person on the other end continued.

    ¡°Mmm, find some time to arrange things and make a trip back to City Z. You handled the matter with Qi Feng wellst time.¡±

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment before saying.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re satisfied. By the way, Fujiwara¡¯s private jet has arrived in City Z. He¡¯s a madman. You have to be careful. Don¡¯t be attacked from both sides.¡±

    The person reminded him.

    Qi Lei paused for a moment before replying, ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Perfunctory! I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so good about this Dongfang Liuyun. There are plenty of beautiful women like her in Victoria. They¡¯re worth tens of thousands for a night of fun. Do you have any type you want? You¡¯re really going back to your old ways.¡±

    There was a hint of disdain in his low and hoarse voice, but it sounded even more helpless.

    ¡°Come and talk to me about this when you¡¯re married,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    The person on the other end snorted coldly and was very disdainful.

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for good news. I¡¯m a little tired, that¡¯s all for now.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he did not wait for the person on the other end to make a sound and just hung up the phone.

    ...

    ¡°Master, something¡¯s happened to Master Qi.¡±

    In Glory World Corporation¡¯s Chairman¡¯s office, Li Si¡¯s slightly heavy voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet space.

    Mu Yuchen, who was reading the documents, suddenly looked up and looked over¡ª

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned slightly and asked.

    ¡°Last night, President Qi was critically ill. I heard that he only recovered after staying up all night. I¡¯ve already called Yang Sheng to confirm it, but he¡¯s temporarily out of critical stage now.¡± Li Si replied.

    Mu Yuchen nodded when he heard that.

    ¡°But yesterday was the Elder Madam Dongfang Shuman¡¯s birthday, and Miss Dongfang stayed in the hospital with him all night. I heard that when Miss Dongfang asked her secretary, Miss Ding, to send the gift over, Dongfang Shuman rejected it...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Qi Lei has hit a brick wall this time. Everyone in the Dongfang family isn¡¯t easy to deal with, but he went ahead bravely.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Master. He¡¯s a true person who doesn¡¯t care about his own life for love. He knows that it¡¯s muddy water, yet he¡¯s still going forward. Who knows what will happen in this abyss of suffering?¡±

    Li Si could not help but say.

    ¡°Let Qi Lei and the others handle these matters themselves. Let me see what¡¯s going on with Zhou Zimo¡¯s side.¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew about Qi Lei¡¯s situation. Qi Lei had matured a lot now, unlike Zhou Zimo. With his random tricks, he would be lucky if Qin Su was not nning on getting back at him

    Especially since...

    When he thought about this, Mu Yuchen could not help but have another headache. However, before he could calm down, a call came in. When he looked at the caller ID, it was actually...

    Uncle Zhou!

    Zhou Zhenjun!

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s father!

    Mu Yuchen was a little surprised, but he quickly picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello? Ah Chen? It¡¯s me, your Uncle Zhou. Is Zimo at your ce?¡±

    ¡°Zimo? He hasn¡¯te to my ce for a few days. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Looking for Zhou Zimo?

    Mu Yuchen could not help but feel a little puzzled.

    ¡°This bastard. He can hide now, but he can¡¯t hide forever!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Zhou, are you fussing over Zimo¡¯s marriage again?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could already guess without even thinking.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I need to worry about apart from this. Once I¡¯ve caught him, I¡¯ll shoot him to save trouble! A good-for-nothing who can¡¯t even handle a woman!¡±

 Chapter 1783 - Missing (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1783: Missing (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Zhou Zhenjun¡¯sint came, Mu Yuchen immediately guessed the general situation.

    After thinking about it for a moment, Mu Yuchen said, ¡°Uncle Zhou, are you free now?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you really know where that child is?¡± Zhou Zhenjun replied.

    ¡°If Uncle Zhou is free, I¡¯d like to invite you over for a few games of golf.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll see you in an hour at the western suburbs¡¯ golf course.¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun did not hesitate to agree.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you in an hour.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Mu Yuchen replied before Zhou Zhenjun hung up.

    ...

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Chief Zhou...¡±

    Li Si, who was waiting by the side, naturally heard what Mu Yuchen said just now.

    Mu Yuchen quietly put away his phone. He could not help but raise his hand to rub the space between his brows as his deep voice rang out. ¡°Get Ah Quan to go over to Zhou Zimo¡¯s ce and see what¡¯s going on. Ask him to give me a call when he¡¯s found him.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master,¡± replied Li Si.

    Mu Yuchen slowly got up and was about to walk into the lounge when the door to it was suddenly pulled open, and a small figure appeared before him.

    Mu Xiaocheng was holding on to the heavy door with both hands. The door swayed and it was hard for him to push it open.

    As if he noticed that his father was looking at him, Mu Xiaocheng opened his bright ck eyes and looked at Mu Yuchen. When he looked at his father, he immediately gave him a friendly smile, then, he walked over with his short legs¡ª

    ¡°Father!¡±

    As he walked, he reached out to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face could not help but sh a warm smile. He took two steps forward and bent down to pick Mu Xiaocheng up. ¡°Why are you awake? How did you get out of bed?¡±

    As he said this, he subconsciously went forward and pushed open the door to the lounge. Only then did he realize that the pillows on the bed had been thrown onto the floor by Mu Xiaocheng.

    Needless to say, the little guy must have used the pillows as a mat and slid off the bed directly. Even the thin nket had been rolled up and thrown onto the floor.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty smart.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. There was the pride of being a father on his face.

    Mu Xiaocheng seemed to be able to understand that his father was praising him. Immediately, a pair of fair and tender hands touched Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face. A tenderughter rang out, and Li Si could not help butugh out loud as well.

    ¡°Master, Little Master looks more and more like you now, and he¡¯s so smart too. Master Xiao Rui as well, yesterday, when I went to pick him up from school, the teacher said that he was amazing. The whole ss almost unanimously approved him to be the ss monitor, but Master Xiao Rui rejected it.¡±

    Li Si smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that he can resist the temptation. He doesn¡¯t have to be the ss monitor anymore. On the other hand, Weier needs some experience.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Miss Weier be the ss¡¯ cultural recreationmittee? I heard that Master Xiao Rui usually takes care of Miss Weier. They don¡¯t dare to bully Weier anymore, especially when the Missus went to the parent-teacher conferencest time, the teacher said that Miss Weier has made great progress.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were also very worried about the children¡¯s matters now. Fortunately, things had been going quite smoothly for the twopanies recently. After the new year, they had promoted quite a number of outstanding management staff, only then did the couple feel much more at ease.

    ¡°Mmm, the siblings have been quite reassuringtely. It¡¯s this little one.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Mu Xiaocheng helplessly in his arms.

    This little thing was a little mischievous, but he was very quiet when it was quiet. Two days ago, when they went back to the Mu Residence, he even broke Mu Tangchuan¡¯s snuff bottle, causing Mu Tangchuan¡¯s heart to ache for a very long time, not to mention that he went to Mu Yinan¡¯s study room to cause trouble.

    It seemed like the little thing could only be quieter when he followed Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye wanted to bring him back to the Shen residence today, but there was an urgent matter at thepany, so she left Mu Xiaocheng for Mu Yuchen to take care of.

    ¡°Boys always have to be a little naughty before they can be sessful, right, Little Master?¡±

    Li Si reached out and pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little face as he asked.

    Mu Xiaocheng gave him a sidelong nce before smiling again. He looked very friendly as his sparkling eyes sparkled with a faint glow as he looked straight at the tie clip on Li Si¡¯s tie.

    Li Si followed the little guy¡¯s gaze and looked over. He smiled and generously took the tie clip off and gave it to Mu Xiaocheng.

    Mu Xiaochengughed happily and quickly reached out to take it.

    Mu Yuchen smiled helplessly and reached out to pat the little guy¡¯s head. ¡°Did you say thank you?¡±

    ¡°Thank you... Uncle...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng obediently thanked him. Although the little guy was young, he was very smart and could understand some of the things he said. In two to three months, the little guy would be two years old. Time always passed too quickly.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,. I¡¯ll bring another one for you next time,¡± Li Si said temptingly.

    Mu Xiaocheng looked at him silently. After a while, he returned a mysterious smile. Of course, Li Si could not understand it.

    ¡°Prepare the car. I¡¯m going out for a bit.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then instructed.

    ¡°Okay, Master!¡±

    Li Si shook Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little hand and then left the office. Mu Yuchen carried Mu Xiaocheng in one hand and took the coat beside him with the other before leaving as well.

    ...

    An hourter, at the golf course in the western suburbs.

    Zhou Zhenjun arrived on time as well.

    Mu Yuchen let Li Si lead Mu Xiaocheng and then apanied Zhou Zhenjun to y a few rounds.

    Zhou Zhenjun was actually not good at golf. He and Mu Tangchuan and Su Zhengxun were the three brothers. Mu Tangchuan and Su Zhengxun were the ones who were better at it. In Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s words, he was a boorish person who spent a lot of time in the army, naturally, he could not y anything more elegant than the two of them in the political arena.

    Therefore, after ying a few rounds, Zhou Zhenjun was a little dispirited.

    ¡°Uncle Zhou, you don¡¯t have to worry about Zimo. I went to see Qin Su before. I think Uncle Zhou should know about Zimo and Qin Su recently.¡±

    ¡°This brat didn¡¯t tell me either. Let me tell you. Based on my observations, I think that this brat really wants to be with Qin Su. Qin Su¡¯s personality is straightforward and her methods and abilities are very good. Moreover, the military has decided to transfer her out of the military district. She should be in the authorities and the orders should be issued next month. If she is not in contact with the core, she will be a little more free.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful, and her abilities are obvious. We know her background, they¡¯re ofpatible social ss, and they¡¯re old acquaintances, how can there be a more suitable girl to match Zimo? Look at him, he¡¯s so picky, just thinking about it makes me angry!¡±

    When Zhou Zhenjun started cursing, he did not care whether it was his son or not, he was really going at it.

    Mu Yuchen could not help butugh.

 Chapter 1784 - Missing (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1784: Missing (5)</h4>

    ¡°Uncle Zhou, maybe you don¡¯t have to worry. That¡¯s what I meant too. I heard that Qin Su is transferring out of thepany. A woman like her might not be suitable for that position, it¡¯s better to have a less stressful position.¡±

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and took a sip of tea before continuing, ¡°Now that Uncle Zhou has such a n, it¡¯s naturally for the best. It¡¯s actually not impossible for Uncle Zhou to try his best to matchmake Zimo and Qin Su.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What other ideas do you have?¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun narrowed his eyes and gave Mu Yuchen a sidelong nce as he lowered his head to take a sip of tea.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and casually leaned back in his chair, ¡°Zimo and Qin Su aren¡¯t the kind of people who take initiatives, especially Qin Su. I heard that Uncle Zhou and Chief Qin Yi used to be goodrades. Why don¡¯t Uncle Zhou bring this up with him so that the two families can work together?¡±

    Mu Yuchen said with a faint smile.

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Zhou Zhenjun was stunned for a moment before he stared at Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°The pressure on Qin Su isn¡¯t any less than Zimo¡¯s. Uncle Zhou, why don¡¯t you give it a try? There¡¯s no rush to get married. We cane up with a dying tactic. We all believe that Zimo and Qin Su will be attracted to each other, so...¡±

    ¡°I understand what you mean! Ah Chen! You youngsters are indeed amazing. The strategies youe up with are one after another! We didn¡¯t have the fancy tricks of you youngsters back then!¡±

    A light shed in Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s eyes. He already knew what Mu Yuchen meant.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll call your Uncle Qin Yi right now. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had a drink with him. This old fox isn¡¯t easy to deal with either. If I want him to give his precious daughter to me as my daughter-inw, this old man might not be that willing. I have to think about how to deal with him. This brat, I¡¯ve really given him everything in this life. I still have to deal with his future father-inw for him!¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun cursed Zhou Zimo as he said this, as if Qin Su bing his daughter-inw was a certainty.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen could onlyugh quietly. Meanwhile, Zhou Zhenjun had already gotten up and strode forward as he said in a hurry, ¡°Ah Chen, I¡¯m going back now!¡± We¡¯ll talk another day. Oh, tell your father that I¡¯m going for a fishing trip with your Uncle Su in Xiangshan this weekend morning, we decided on this thest time, tell him not to forget about it!¡±

    When he finished speaking, Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s figure had already disappeared in front of him.

    ...

    It was already past 10 in the morning. The sunlight was very warm, and there was no summer heat. The autumn air was refreshing, and therge patch of grass in front of them had already turned a little yellow.

    Mu Yuchen was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, heid down leisurely, took his phone, and dialed a number.

    The number was Qi Lei¡¯s.

    When he received Mu Yuchen¡¯s call, Qi lei had just finished bathing. The moment Dongfang Liuyun returned, Qi Lei immediately carried her back to the bedroom to sleep. At this moment, the house was very quiet.

    ¡°We¡¯re telepathic, I was just about to call you.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice soon came from the other end.

    ¡°But it was still me who called you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s softughter traveled over.

    Qi Lei smiled as well. He raised his hand to his half-dried dark hair, then carefully closed the door and walked to the rooftop.

    ¡°I like talking to someone with high awareness like you, there¡¯s no need to waste time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take yourpliment. Li Si told me about you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really well-informed. Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t die. I just came back from the hospital.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and leaned against the cold railing. He held his forehead and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t have much hope for him, so I¡¯m not feeling too much either.¡±

    ¡°I just called to ask about Aunty Liang¡¯s situation. Aren¡¯t you being too pessimistic? How can you guarantee that this time, it won¡¯t be a new beginning? If Qi Qiming wakes up, can you ept him?¡± Mu Yuchen asked nonchntly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if he really does, there isn¡¯t anything that I can¡¯t let go of. At least, when I resent him, things aren¡¯t any easier, perhaps it would be good for me to try feeling something new.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, a bitter smile hung on his lips, ¡°Ah Chen, you don¡¯t know how much I envy you. Growing up in a warm and harmonious family, you don¡¯t have to face all these scheming and scheming. Although Lingtian has resentment in his heart, I know that he still respects you as his older brother. A person¡¯s good character is rted to his family¡¯s education. As for me...¡±

    At this point, Qi Lei suddenly took a deep breath andughed bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m just like Liuyun. It¡¯s all because of my bad luck. You don¡¯t even have a choice when you¡¯re born into such a family. If we had the chance to choose, we might not have been willing to choose such a family. It would have been good if we were like those ordinary families, as long as we don¡¯t have to worry about food and clothing, all¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that? If you¡¯re unlucky, would you be the Second Master of the Qi Family? Would you run into Xiaye, get to know me, and have Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    Mu Yuchen asked in a low voice.

    Qi Lei sighed and could not help but take out his cigarette packet. He lit a cigarette and took a puff before frowning. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m not contented. When I spoke to Liuyun, I told her that I did feel satisfied and lucky.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in love with Dongfang Liuyun, Qi Lei.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was filled with certainty.

    Qi Lei suddenly smiled and did not refute. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. Who asked me to marry her? I can only like her now. After all, she¡¯s someone who¡¯ll be with me for the rest of my life. It¡¯s natural for me to like her. Aren¡¯t you and Xiaye the same?¡±

    ¡°Forgive me for being honest. The road ahead of you is still very long. In fact, it¡¯s probably much harder than me and Xiaye. Although I believe in rtionships, in my heart...¡±

    ¡°You have a rather pessimistic attitude towards Liuyun and me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Qi Lei puffed out his cigarette and calmly took over Mu Yuchen¡¯s words.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Yuchen answered without hiding anything.

    ¡°You answered so bluntly, it¡¯d be nice if you said some encouraging words to me. You know about the Fujiwara incident, right?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Mmm, besides that, I also know some things about the Dongfang family. It¡¯s not great for the two of you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen retracted his actions and replied quietly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do. About the South River Project...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll put in some effort. You stay busy with your things. If you need anything, just let me know. It¡¯s the same with Su Chen and Zimo. They¡¯re very concerned about you too.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I know. Let¡¯s get together soon. Things have been too busy recently, it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve gathered.¡±

    Even though Qi Lei¡¯s tone was calm, there was a hint of gratitude in his dark eyes.

 Chapter 1785 - Missing (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1785: Missing (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s call undoubtedly made Qi Lei feel an inexplicable warmth in his heart.

    Especially when Mu Yuchen had been caring for him for such a long time, as well as for Zhou Zimo.

    Sometimes, he had to admit that the mature Mu Yuchen might be more like the older brother between the few of them. Perhaps this was because of the way he had grown up.

    Mu Lingtian, Mu Lingshi, and Ah Mo...

    ¡°Qi Lei, life is like this. When it¡¯s time, just get over it. The current you is different from the past. What you need to shoulder is your future. The past has already been marked as the end. Every day is a new beginning, and luck will be on your side.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was silent for a long time before he said this in a low voice. He sounded very emotional, and it was apanied by a caring warmth.

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart warmed up as he smiled. ¡°Xiaye isn¡¯t by your side right now, is she? If she hears that you¡¯re so concerned about me, she¡¯ll be jealous. Besides, I¡¯m a married man.¡±

    Mu Yuchen snorted in disdain. ¡°Even if I have an abnormal orientation, my taste wouldn¡¯t be the likes of you.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention, I¡¯m also a well-known Prince Charming in City Z. You looking down on me only means that there¡¯s something wrong with your taste. It doesn¡¯t conform to the public¡¯s aesthetic standards. You¡¯re a weirdo.¡±

    ¡°Weirdo is a good word for me.¡±

    ¡°No wonder Xiaye said that you¡¯re a narcissist...¡±

    ...

    The afternoon sun was a little dazzling. The wind from the window swayed the curtains, and the air became a little cooler.

    Song Siting leaned slightly against the headboard of the bed. There was a document on herp that she had flipped open. There was an IV tube on her left wrist, and she was getting an IV drip.

    She was someone who would not let herself be idle. She had been resting well these few days, so she had recovered a lot. She could not let go of the case she was working on now, so she began to get busy while her body was slightly better.

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun would take turnsing over these few days, especially Qi Lei. He would spend some time to take care of her almost every day. For anything, he would go to the doctor and ask the doctor and nurse to take special care of her, that was why she recovered so quickly.

    Although Song Siting was a little unwilling, her heart softened a lot because of Qi Lei¡¯s attitude.

    No matter how much she objected to the person her daughter wanted to protect, it probably would not affect her. Her rtionship with Dongfang Liuyun was already very bad to begin with, if they were to fight over this matter, the estrangement between them may never be resolved in this lifetime.

    After thinking about it, Song Siting could onlypromise.

    ¡°Lawyer Song, you¡¯ve already looked at it for quite a while. Rest for a while and drink some water. The autumn weather is a little dry, so drink more water. Come, I¡¯ll help you put down the documents.¡±

    The person who spoke was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s assistant, Secretary Ding.

    As she spoke, she reached out to help Song Siting put away the documents on herp.

    Song Siting did not refute her and quietly let her take them.

    Secretary Ding quickly poured a ss of water for Song Siting. Song Siting took it and had a sip or two.

    ¡°Xiao Ding, call the doctor for me. I have to ask how many days till I get discharged. Qi Lei and Liuyun did note today. We still don¡¯t know what happened yesterday.¡±

    Song Siting was naturally thinking about this matter. After thinking about it, she could not help but speak.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lawyer Song. The doctor said before that your wound is too deep and won¡¯t recover so easily. You still need to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation so that your wound doesn¡¯t get inmed. When your condition is better, they will inform you of your discharge,¡± said Secretary Ding.

    ¡°I feel much better. I don¡¯t have to stay in the hospital all the time, or else I¡¯ll get sick from boredom. The matters in thew firm areplicated. I¡¯ve rested for so many days, I think they won¡¯t be able to cope, I have to go back and take charge of the work.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Song, Manager Yun has told your son-inw that if you haven¡¯t fully recovered, they won¡¯t let you leave the hospital. There are still bodyguards standing outside. Manager Lin and the others also came, but they were stopped outside. I¡¯m just worried that your health will be disturbed. I can¡¯t brush off their good intentions.¡± Secretary Ding advised.

    Hearing this, Song Siting lowered her head again and drank a mouthful of water. Her eyes were a little dazed. In the end, she did not say anything more.

    Seeing this, Secretary Ding heaved a sigh of relief. She silently retreated and left the ward.

    Meanwhile, at the west gate of the inpatient department of the hospital.

    Two ck luxury cars slowly stopped at the parking space beside the west gate.

    Just as the car stabilized, Matsuda, who was in the car behind, immediately got out of the car. He strode towards the car in front and opened the car door.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve arrived at the hospital. We¡¯ve already asked around. Lawyer Song¡¯s ward is here.¡±

    Matsuda spoke in Chinese that was not very fluent.

    Fujiwara unhurriedly got out of the car¡ª

    He was dressed in a straight silver-gray slim suit and had a tall and straight figure. His handsome features naturally made him look extremely handsome. Many people were already looking at him in amazement.

    Matsuda quickly passed the note in his hand to him.

    Fujiwara reached out and took it. He gave it a quick nce before continuing to walk forward.

    ¡°You follow me up. The rest of you stay where you are.¡±

    He coldly said this and walked out with big strides.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Matsuda responded and gestured to the bodyguards behind him. At this moment, two of the bodyguards in ck retreated while the other two followed.

    At this moment, the hospital was not as crowded and bustling as it was in the morning. It was rather quiet, especially when they passed through the long corridor. There was not a single sound. The only sound they could hear was of footsteps. It was quite messy.

    Fujiwara kept walking along the corridor. After turning a corner, he finally found Song Siting¡¯s ward. However, to his surprise, they saw a few bodyguards in ck guarding the door from afar.

    Was it Liuyun or Dongfang Gan who ordered for this?

    Fujiwara stopped walking slightly. He thought for a moment before continuing forward.

    At this moment, a ¡®kacha¡¯ sound was heard. The tightly shut door was suddenly opened and a ck figure appeared in front of him. It was...

    ¡°Secretary Ding!¡±

    ¡°Master Fujiwara?¡±

    The two voices sounded almost at the same time.

    Yes, it was the voices of Matsuda and Secretary Ding.

    They were very surprised!

    ¡°Secretary Ding, Lawyer Song should be inside, right?¡± Matsuda asked.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara, Mr. Matsuda, Hello!¡±

    Secretary Ding quickly greeted them.

    Fujiwara nodded. His tall and straight figure was about to walk over when...

 Chapter 1786 - Missing (7)

    <h4>Chapter 1786: Missing (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Wait a minute, Master Fujiwara!¡±

    Secretary Ding stopped him. ¡°Are you going to see Lawyer Song? She¡¯s just resting...¡±

    Secretary Ding¡¯s words were met with a cold stare from Fujiwara. Secretary Ding was stunned for a moment and quickly said, ¡°Master Fujiwara, Please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll go in and inform her immediately.¡±

    As she spoke, she quickly turned around and walked into the room.

    In the ward, Song Siting was leaning against the headboard of the bed and looking out the window

    It was already autumn. Although the autumn in City Z was not very prominent, at this time, when the autumn wind blew, the leaves on the trees began to sway and start to fall.

    Time passed too quickly. Just like that, half of a year has passed.

    Song Siting did not have the time to feel emotional. Secretary Ding, who had returned, had reached her bedside¡ª

    ¡°Lawyer Song...¡±

    Secretary Ding¡¯s tone was hesitant and troubled.

    As sharp as Song Siting was, she could naturally tell at a nce. She immediately lowered her eyes and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Her tone was also sonorous and full of seriousness.

    Secretary Ding took a deep breath and said, ¡°Lawyer Song, outside... Master Fujiwara is here. He wants to see you...¡±

    Master Fujiwara?

    Fujiwara?

    Song Siting was stunned. She looked up in a daze and stared at Secretary Ding

    ¡°Who did you say is outside?¡±

    ¡°Fujiwara... Master Fujiwara. It looks like he just arrived in City Z. Lawyer Song, should we call him in?¡± Secretary Ding asked.

    Song Siting fell silent. Her deep eyes were filled withplicated emotions. After thinking for a moment, she could only take a deep breath and shake her head¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him, just say that I¡¯m not feeling well. I don¡¯t want to see anyone. We¡¯ll talk after I¡¯m discharged from the hospital.¡±

    As Song Siting spoke, she slowly closed her eyes.

    What else could she do?

    Of course, she knew what Fujiwara was thinking. However, Liuyun was already married to Qi Lei. Furthermore, with Liuyun¡¯s care and protection for Qi Lei, Fujiwara probably did not stand a chance, she did not wish for any romantic entanglements between the few of them. It was already a foregone conclusion. It was useless to say anything more.

    It was better not to meet.

    That was what she thought.

    Secretary Ding heaved a sigh of relief. However, when she thought of Fujiwara outside, she could not help but furrow her brows again. However, she replied, ¡°Alright, Lawyer Song, I¡¯ll pass the message on now.¡±

    As she spoke, she left.

    Not far from the door, Fujiwara stopped by the window. He stood there and silently looked out the window.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara, Lawyer Song is already resting. She said that she will meet with Master Fujiwara after she is discharged from the hospital. She has been busy with work these past few days and is very tired. She is also a little drowsy right now. Look...¡±

    Secretary Ding exined in a low voice as she silently looked at Fujiwara.

    Upon hearing this, Fujiwara instantly turned his head around. His ck eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Secretary Ding without batting an eyelid. That kind of imposing manner naturally caused Secretary Ding to involuntarily suck in a breath of cold air from the bottom of her heart¡ª

    This Fujiwara¡¯s imposing manner was not inferior to that of the Missus and the other Master. Especially that ice-cold face of his. Looking at it, she could not help but feel a chill run down her spine. She did not dare to say anything more and could only secretly controlled herself, she remained silent.

    ¡°Did she really say that?¡±

    The one who asked was Matsuda. His face was also filled with disbelief.

    Secretary Ding nodded silently.

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze was already turning cold. He looked up slightly and looked at the tightly shut door in front of him. After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, ¡°After she¡¯s discharged from the hospital, I¡¯ll personally pay her a visit.¡±

    After saying this, he abruptly turned around and strode forward.

    What was different from before was that at this moment, his footsteps seemed to be much heavier.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Seeing this, Matsuda also bowed to Secretary Ding and then quickly chased after him.

    ...

    In the parking space at the west gate, Fujiwara also directly got into the car.

    ¡°Return to Cloud Residence.¡±

    Fujiwara coldly sat in the car. He could not help but support his aching head with one hand as he leaned against the back of the chair and said in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The driver in front responded and quickly started the car.

    Just as Fujiwara left, Secretary Ding called Dongfang Liuyun.

    Meanwhile, Dongfang Liuyun was sound asleep in the Grand Lake Vi district. When she heard the phone vibrate, she woke up from her sleep. She subconsciously propped herself up and rubbed her blurry eyes. After a while, she saw the vibrating phone, then, she reached out and took it.

    ¡°Hello? Manager Yun?¡±

    Secretary Ding¡¯s anxious voice was soon heard.

    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also caught the uneasiness in Secretary Ding¡¯s tone.

    ¡°Manager Yun, just now... Master Fujiwara came over... He wanted to meet Lawyer Song, but... Lawyer Song didn¡¯t meet him, but Master Fujiwara didn¡¯t force his way in either. He just left silently. Manager Yun, now...¡±

    After Secretary Ding said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side suddenly quieted down.

    In the end, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes could not help but freeze for a moment. After thinking for a long time, a lukewarm ripple appeared at the corner of her mouth. Her tone was a little cold. ¡°I got it.¡±

    After saying these few words, she hung up the phone.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a long while. Her eyes were also a little gloomy. She subconsciously raised her gaze and looked around. Only then did she realize that she was at home now. After some thought, she knew that Qi Lei probably sent her back, however¡ª

    She looked around but did not see him?

    She took a deep breath, lifted the nket, and slowly got out of bed.

    She took a simple shower and changed into a clean set of clothes before leaving the bedroom.

    She walked around the study but did not see Qi Lei. Dongfang Liuyun then went downstairs. It was empty downstairs and there was no one. There was a simple lunch prepared on the dining table.

    ¡°Where did he go?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun muttered in confusion. She did not eat and walked out of the vi. She walked along the corridor to the backyard.

    As expected, he was sitting beside the stone table by the railing of the stairs in the backyard. He was quietly readingics.

    He was reading very seriously. When Dongfang Liuyun walked over with light steps, he did not notice it. However, when she got closer, he could smell a faint cold fragrance. He reacted and quickly looked up.

    As expected, he saw Dongfang Liuyun stopping not far away from him.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake? There¡¯s some lunch prepared on the dining table...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun waved her hand and took two more steps forward. She stopped beside him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not very hungry, aren¡¯t you going to rest?¡±

 Chapter 1787 - Dongfang Shuman (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1787: Dongfang Shuman (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei closed the book in his hand and ced it aside as he reached out to her.

    She walked over obediently until Qi Lei reached out to hold her.

    ¡°I wanted to sleep.¡±

    ¡°But you couldn¡¯t sleep?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not wait for him to finish speaking before she finished his sentence.

    ¡°Things have already stabilized on the hospital¡¯s end, you can rx a little.¡±

    ¡°I know. There¡¯s too much stuff in my head. Need to take a break.¡±

    Qi Lei rubbed his forehead and replied indifferently.

    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s enough. You should rest at home for the next two days. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems at the hospital. I might have to return to the Dongfang mansion in the afternoon.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun walked over and poured herself a cup of tea. She drank it nonchntly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Qi Lei said without hesitation.

    ¡°Just rest well at home. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not bear to see Qi Lei suffer. She knew her grandmother¡¯s personality too well. There were some people he did not need to interact with. In her mind, he only needed to y the role of her husband, and the son-inw of the Dongfang couple.

    Qi Lei listened and looked at her deeply. He did not say anything after that.

    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m not capable of protecting you?¡±

    After a moment of silence, Qi Lei suddenly said this. He reached out to take the teacup in her hand and drank the tea in one gulp. He lit a cigarette slowly and took a puff. He lowered his eyes slightly and did not look at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment when she heard this. Then, she shook her head. ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s just that sometimes, I have to dote on you...¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei immediately looked up and watched her silently. There was aplicated look in his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I owe you too much... I¡¯m actually not a good person. Qi Lei, at least to me, you¡¯re a special existence that I admire...¡±

    ¡°Then do you understand your current identity? Who you are to me, Qi Lei?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and asked.

    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t want to ept a feeling of guilt. All these years, I¡¯ve wanted to walk out of the obsession more than anyone else. I also want to be with you with all my heart, but I...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was also a proud woman. Back then, she could not protect Lan Qi. Now, she naturally wanted to do her best to protect Qi Lei.

    ¡°I really wish that I didn¡¯t have to struggle in these disputes. That way, I can at least live a more carefree life.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed, ¡°But, it¡¯s because I know my situation too well that I have to fight for it. I know that you¡¯re doing this for my own good, but we don¡¯t need to take unnecessary responsibilities. I¡¯ve been wandering for so many years. I won¡¯t be like those ignorant women waiting for the so-called scene of a hero saving the damsel in distress. There are some things that I need to resolve myself.¡±

    ¡°Your pride makes me speechless, Liuyun.¡±

    Qi Lei said as he clenched the cup in his hand.

    ¡°No, this is stubbornness. I think this is very important.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you can handle it yourself?¡±

    Qi Lei confirmed again.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded.

    Only then did Qi Lei take a deep breath and stand up slowly. He held her slender waist with one hand and set aside his cup with the other. Then, he caressed her head leisurely before letting go of her. He walked unhurriedly towards the corridor ahead.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly turned to look at him. After some thought, she finally chased after him.

    ...

    After a simple meal, Dongfang Liuyun left the house and went straight to the old Dongfang mansion. Qi Lei insisted on going to work.

    Dongfang Liuyun rarely returned to the old Dongfang mansion. The Dongfang couple had moved out of the old mansion and lived in the Tanshan Vi area. Therefore, unless it was a special asion, Dongfang Liuyun usually did not go back.

    Thus, sometimes, when she came back, she would find the house very unfamiliar.

    The car stopped steadily in front of the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun got out of the car swiftly. Just as she walked to the door, the guard opened the door and greeted respectfully¡ª

    ¡°Fourth Lady is back!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and continued to walk inside.

    ¡°Fourth Lady is back!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had just reached the steps in front of the door when she ran into the butler.

    ¡°Mmm, is Grandmother at home?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked directly.

    ¡°The Elder Madam has been waiting for you in the study for a long time. Fourth Lady,st night, the Elder Madam was very unhappy, you...¡±

    The butler still kindly reminded her.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and walked over with sonorous steps, heading straight for Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study.

    ¡°Fourth Sister you really took your own sweet time. Were you so busy yesterday that you forgot grandmother¡¯s birthday? Last night, everyone waited for you and Third Aunt for an entire hour without eating. Fourth Sister, don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had just walked to the stairs when Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s slightly mocking voice came from the side.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly stopped in her tracks and subconsciously looked towards the source of the voice. As expected, she saw Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er sitting on the sofa drinking tea. The two of them seemed to be flipping through wedding photo albums. In the past few days, due to the pressure from the two families, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had to agree and take wedding photos first. If the time was right, the wedding would be held at the end of the year.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun shrugged nonchntly, ¡°I remember that I had someone call back. I can understand that you are always prepared to be aggressive, but please be clear about the situation. Taiyu Corporation is already urging for the proposal, but you guys seem quite free. If you don¡¯t have the ability to ept it, tell me earlier.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. The proposal has just been finished and is about to be sent to Taiyu Corporation. As for you, you haven¡¯t given me the data yet. Even if you want to me it on someone, it should be you first.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something that our Marketing Department should be doing. We are already magnanimous enough to agree to help. If you¡¯re so good, why don¡¯t you take it back and do it yourself?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er only said this when a loud sound suddenly came from the entrance. The few of them subconsciously looked over and eximed¡ª

    ¡°Madam, are you alright? What happened to you?¡±

    It was the servant¡¯s anxious voice.

    Following the voice, they realized that Lin Yuanyuan had fainted on the ground and her phone had fallen to the side.

    ¡°Mother! What¡¯s wrong? Mother!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also shocked. She quickly rushed over and helped Lin Yuanyuan up with the servant.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s face was pale and she was in a daze. It was the butler who came over and pinched her human center, before Lin Yuanyuan regained her senses.

    ¡°Mother, are you okay? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

 Chapter 1788 - Dongfang Shuman (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1788: Dongfang Shuman (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s anxious cries could be heard. Jin Sheng also frowned and asked for help to help her up.

    ¡°Your uncle, your uncle... something happened to the Lin family! I have to go back, I have to go back!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was in a daze as she said this. She staggered away from Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s support and struggled to walk out.

    ¡°Mother! What happened to the Lin family? What happened?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt uneasy and hurriedly chased after her.

    Dongfang Liuyun just looked on indifferently. There was no expression on her face. Before Jin Sheng chased after her, he turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun. However, Dongfang Liuyun indifferently retracted her gaze, she walked up the stairs without a care in the world.

    In front of the main hall on the second floor, there was arge and simple room with simple decorations.

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously stopped in front of the door.

    Therge room in front of him was Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study. No, to be precise, it should be Grandfather Dongfang¡¯s study. After Elder Dongfang passed away, it also became Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study.

    Dongfang Liuyun had a deep impression of this study. When Grandfather was still around, this was the ce where the grandfather and granddaughter explored and interacted. Now that everything had changed, thinking about it still made her feel a little sad.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath. After a long time, she finally calmed down. She took a step forward and gently knocked on the door.

    ¡°The door isn¡¯t locked.¡±

    An old and cold voice soon came from inside.

    It was Dongfang Shuman¡¯s voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly pushed the door open and walked in.

    It was not as good as the room just now. Soon, he saw Dongfang Shuman sitting behind arge desk with her back to him.

    Dongfang Shuman was also a rather legendary iron hand. Elder Dongfang valued her very much. The old couple had gotten married when they both had reached middle age, but the Dongfang Group had truly risen in the hands of the two of them.

    Dongfang Shuman was definitely a very ambitious and very unyielding woman. Dongfang Xue¡¯s personality was very much like hers. At least in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes, she thought so.

    Dongfang Liuyun and Dongfang Shuman could not be considered very close. Although she, Dongfang Liuyun, was Dongfang Shuman¡¯s biological granddaughter, Dongfang Shuman had never cared much about kinship. She lived very objectively and very rationally.

    In her heart, this was how Dongfang Liuyun evaluated her.

    ¡°Grandmother.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not think too much. She came to the desk, stopped her footsteps, and called out softly.

    ¡°I thought you wanted me to personally invite you over. I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time. Your unruly character has not changed at all. You will definitely suffer in the future because of your character.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s hoarse and old voice was very clear in the quiet study. Her calm tone made it impossible to tell the emotions in her words, but the olddy¡¯s aura was imposing.

    ¡°Something happened on my side and I couldn¡¯te. You should know about my mother¡¯s situation. My mother also expressed her regret, but she had meticulously prepared a birthday gift for you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was t as she replied.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak up for her. I know what kind of person she is. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know anything about what happened in City Z. Why are you here alone today?¡±

    The old Madam¡¯s voice carried a trace of questioning. As she spoke, she turned her chair around. Her tensed face appeared unusually serious, especially her pair of sharp and threatening eyes.

    Dongfang Shuman was actually very thin. Over the past few years, she had been enduring the pain of illness all year round. That was why she had temporarily handed over the management of the Dongfang Group to Dongfang Gan while she had gone overseas to recuperate.

    Even so, she was very clear about the situation of the Dongfang Group.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer because she knew that it was best for her to remain silent for now.

    ¡°You¡¯re too bold. You handled your marriage so hastily without telling everyone in the family. What are you trying to do to the Dongfang family? Do you still have a grandmother in your eyes?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was filled with a hint of anger, but she did not explodepletely.

    Dongfang Shuman had always been very skilled at controlling her emotions. Although she was very angry about this incident, she could still control herself now.

    Dongfang Liuyun was not surprised. Dongfang Shuman had always been well-informed. It was only a matter of time before she found out about her rtionship with Qi Lei. It was normal, so she did not panic, instead, her reaction was calm.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already visited my parents. The betrothal gifts have been given. They¡¯ll have to acknowledge this son-inw even if they don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun decided to go all out.

    ¡°Are you threatening me to ept? You¡¯ve grown so capable. After being away for so many years, you¡¯ve learned how to go against me and how to talk back to me?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile as she looked at Dongfang Liuyun without blinking.

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you a fact.¡±

    ¡°A fact? What if I don¡¯t ept?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s aura did not decrease as she looked at Dongfang Liuyun indifferently, ¡°While the news is still unclear, I hope that you can settle this rtionship. You and Fujiwara are a good couple. I want you to marry into the Fujiwara family. You should know that this is your best choice. Besides, didn¡¯t you have a very happy past with Fujiwara?¡±

    ¡°Settle the rtionship? How? Divorce Qi Lei and marry Fujiwara?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. My marriage can only be decided by myself. Since I¡¯ve married, then I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really arrogant. I know you don¡¯t care about anything. Your parents have been holding on very hard. Can¡¯t you think about them? Don¡¯t you care about the entire Dongfang Group? Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was almost angered by Dongfang Liuyun to the point that she could not catch her breath.

    ¡°What do you think everyone¡¯s hard work is for? Your grandfather allowed you to do whatever you want. Think about the Dongfang family. It¡¯s necessary to make some sacrifices. I¡¯m afraid that you still don¡¯t understand the situation of the entire family. Do you think that your father¡¯s encounter in Myanmar was a coincidence?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was unusually cold and sharp.

    ¡°You know, I may not care about the Dongfang Group. If it wasn¡¯t for grandfather¡¯sst words, I wouldn¡¯t have been so passive to be dragged into such a whirlpool. I don¡¯t think that my choice and persistence are wrong. I have already taken on the responsibility that I should take on. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going too far to want to interfere in my marriage and life too?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also said coldly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t evade the question, you know what happened to your father.¡±

 Chapter 1789 - Liuyunâ€™s Toughness (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1789: Liuyun¡¯s Toughness (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer. She only looked coldly at Dongfang Shuman.

    However, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s reaction at this moment was surprisingly calm. She took a ss of water from the side and drank a few sips before her aged voice sounded again

    ¡°I know that you must be dissatisfied. In fact, you also know in your heart that choosing Fujiwara is much better than choosing Qi Lei. It¡¯s not that Qi Lei¡¯s ability isn¡¯t up to par, but that he¡¯s from a different world from us. You¡¯re very muddle-headed. From what I remember, your choice and persistence have always been very satisfactory to me, but I didn¡¯t expect you to make such a stupid mistake this time.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman had always been like this. She would never show mercy in her criticism to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°You¡¯re a very smart person, I think you should know the math. The Fujiwara family is very powerful in Myanmar. If you marry him, it¡¯s equivalent to having a strong backing. Your father wouldn¡¯t have to endure so much. How much advantage do you think you and your father have now? If we don¡¯t take precautions, the person in power at the next shareholders¡¯ meeting might not be your father, Dongfang Gan.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, her gaze turned cold as she nced at Dongfang Liuyun, ¡°All these years, you have only lived your life outside. Have you considered the Dongfang family? You don¡¯t know how much your parents have given up for your freedom. You are the most legitimate sessor, but if you really don¡¯t have the qualifications to take on the role, I can change at any time. Do you understand?¡±

    When Dongfang Shuman said these words, she sounded earnest with an extremely cold tone.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer. Her expression was also somewhat tense.

    ¡°It is not the first or second time that the shareholders¡¯ meeting proposed to change your position as the sessor. Almost every year, the shareholders¡¯ meeting will face such a problem. Your father didn¡¯t tell you this, right? Your personality is just like that of your mother. Selfish, stubborn, caring about your own feelings only. What is family? What is righteousness? I¡¯m afraid that you don¡¯t understand these, do you?¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile that carried a trace of mockery.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I have no way to manage your stubborn mother, but you, Dongfang Liuyun, have the blood of my Dongfang Shuman and the Dongfang family on you. You know very well what you are carrying on your shoulders. I don¡¯t want to see the Dongfang Group destroyed in the hands of you people. With your current strength? What do you have to fight with them? With the shares in your hands?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s simply wishful thinking. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi have long been restless. If your father were to remove the word ¡®agent¡¯, they might be able to establish their own faction. The entire Dongfang Group would fall apart just like the Qi family that you were very familiar with. Do you really need me to teach you this rationale?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words did not leave any face.

    Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything, Dongfang Shuman retracted her gaze, ¡°You really disappoint me. It was not easy for me to convince the Fujiwara family this time. I intend to help you and Fujiwara. Everyone knows how much Fujiwara cares for you. He is a very powerful helper. If the Fujiwara family can help your father stabilize the situation in Myanmar, you¡¯ll be able to hold on to your position. Otherwise, the situation will only be bad for you.¡±

    ...

    ¡°You want me to sacrifice myself with these things? Grandmother, you¡¯re really good at nning things. The Fujiwara family doesn¡¯t seem to be very enthusiastic about my marriage with Fujiwara. Furthermore, Fujiwara and I don¡¯t have any feelings for each other. What makes you think that the Fujiwara family will lend a hand? Do you think that the Fujiwara family really wants to have a simple marriage with the Dongfang family?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about whether or not they have a motive for the time being, but what advantages do you think you have now? Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t dare to bring Qi Lei here. It¡¯s not good for you to protect him to this extent.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said coldly.

    ¡°That¡¯s my business. No matter what kind of situation I face in the future, I hope that grandmother will not target him. I believe in him. It wasn¡¯t my intention to drag him into this whirlpool, but since things have alreadye to this, it¡¯s impossible for us to be separated. He¡¯s already sent betrothal gifts to my parents. Moreover, we n to get married at the end of the year or early next year. I¡¯ve made up my mind. I came here today because I want to tell you everything clearly. I hope you can fulfill my wish, Grandmother.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was naturally firm, and her gaze was unusually determined.

    ¡°What if I say no?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said coldly.

    ¡°Then I can only let you down, Grandmother. I¡¯m very sure that Qi Lei is the only one in my life. I¡¯ll use everything I have to protect thest piece of sacredness in my heart.¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, Dongfang Shuman immediately cursed. The light in her eyes suddenly became much sharper¡ª

    ¡°What is thest piece of sacredness? In your eyes, the Dongfang family is dirty? You dare to say such things to your dead grandfather? No matter how bad this family is, it is also the ce that gave birth to you and raised you. You have no right toment on it.¡±

    ¡°You know very well in your heart whether I am right or not. You and grandfather could be together for a long time and live a harmonious and loving life. Why should I sacrifice my own marriage and feelings? So you have been dissatisfied with my parents¡¯ marriage, causing our family to live such a life out of sight, but aren¡¯t they still living a good life now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said disapprovingly.

    ¡°Hmph, living a good life? Would your father be injured if he was living in peace? Would Song Siting have ended up in the hospital?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s aura did not diminish. Neither of them was convinced by the other.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue with you about this. Even without the Fujiwara family, I¡¯ll still be able to control the entire Dongfang Group in the end. Also, my husband, Qi Lei, isn¡¯t what you think he is. He definitely has the ability to protect me. Compared to Fujiwara, he¡¯s much better. I married him willingly.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun bluntly expressed her feelings.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s expression was naturally a little gloomy. She took a deep breath. ¡°I can¡¯t agree with you. I hope that you can think about it when you go back. If you insist on doing this, I don¡¯t mind changing the position of the heir.¡±

    ¡°Then you can change it. You don¡¯t have the final say in the entire Dongfang Group. Don¡¯t forget that I also control the shares in my hands. I¡¯m one of the shareholders of Dongfang Group. It was the will of my grandfather. Also, I hope that you can sign it quickly, I want to take back what belongs to me. Of course, if Grandmother is not satisfied, I will ask awyer toe forward.¡±

 Chapter 1790 - Liuyunâ€™s Toughness (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1790: Liuyun¡¯s Toughness (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was also very cold. Her eyes were filled with determination as she stared fixedly at Dongfang Shuman

    ¡°I, Dongfang Liuyun, do not only live for the Dongfang family and the Dongfang Group. I have sacrificed my freedom to fulfill them. Now, you want me to sacrifice everything else too. My future life would be meaningless then, how does that make me different from a walking corpse?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not care about Dongfang Shuman¡¯s cold gaze. When she looked down, she only saw that Dongfang Shuman¡¯s shriveled hands were tightly sped on the table. She must be suppressing the anger in her heart.

    ¡°Not everyone can have the same dedication as you, Grandmother. Not everyone has the same pursuit as you. I have always been very clear about the difference between friends and enemies. I only recognize my own people. I cannot be as loving as you, Grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Are you ming me for not working hard to help you and your father?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s sharp eyes shed, and she firmly caught Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s unpredictable gaze. Her slightly aged eyes focused on a pitch-ck vortex, and Dongfang Liuyun could not see through it at all.

    In Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart, she had always known that Dongfang Shuman was a very scheming person. Moreover, she was meticulous and unfathomable. Even her dead grandfather had said so.

    Hence, Dongfang Liuyun had never wanted to interact with Dongfang Shuman, much less guess her thoughts.

    Furthermore, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s prejudice towards Song Siting had always been very deep. The two of them did not have a good rtionship. Dongfang Liuyun was sandwiched in the middle, so she might not be able to mediate between them. Dongfang Shuman had mostly educated Dongfang Liuyun, the rtionship between the grandmother and granddaughter was not deep. Speaking of which, it might not be as harmonious as Dongfang Shuman and Dongfang Rou¡¯er. However, Dongfang Shuman was an extremely authoritative person at home. When Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the rest faced her, they would most likely deal with her carefully, they acted like they were running with tails between their legs.

    ¡°I did not say that.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently. However, the corner of her mouth curled into a cold smile, ¡°However, since you are so sensitive to such a question, I believe that you already know it in your heart. Whether that is the case or not, only you would know.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman finallyughed coldly at this moment. It seemed that she was no longer angry. Her tightly clenched hand was slowly released. After which, she rxed a little before leaning back into the chair behind her.

    ¡°Your grandfather and I had two children, your father and your aunt. Why do you think your grandfather dared to hand the entire Dongfang family over to me? How did you think I propped up the entire family in the past? Liuyun, you are still too young. One day, when you¡¯ve truly sat in my position, you¡¯ll do the same as I did.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was very calm. There was no emotion to be heard at all, ¡°Your mother used to resent me like this. She was just an outsider and didn¡¯t understand the situation at all. She had no right toment on anything. Your father is my biological son. Because of your mother¡¯s rtionship, it caused a lot of trouble between us mother and son. This is not what I wanted either.¡±

    ¡°I am just the person in charge of the family. At any time, you just need to remember this point.¡±

    Hearing this, the smile on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face became more and more obvious.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always remembered that. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t have any extravagant hopes and expectations. Even if I don¡¯t rely on you and don¡¯t sell myself out, I can still fulfill my grandfather¡¯sst wish.¡±

    ¡°What an arrogant tone.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman sneered and nced at Dongfang Liuyun, ¡°What do you have topete with them? Rou¡¯er marrying the eldest Master of the Jin family will give them a lot of help. Your Second Uncle and the others are also quite powerful. What about you? What do you have? If it weren¡¯t for your father trying his best to keep the shares in his hands, who could guarantee that those shareholders wouldn¡¯t fall at the first sign of trouble? To be honest, you don¡¯t have much of an advantage. If anything happens to the mines in Myanmar, the situation will be very bad for you. When that happens, even if you have more shares than them, you will still have to be controlled by them.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever thought about such a situation? Of course you don¡¯t understand. What else does your headstrong mother, who only knows how to cause trouble, know other than to bring trouble for your father? She is simple-minded and only wants to stand higher. What does she want to prove?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not what you think. I admit that she¡¯s a little strong-willed, but she¡¯s a person who knows her limits. Haven¡¯t she helped the Dongfang Group aplish many things over the years? Grandmother can¡¯t just deny her hard work so easily.¡±

    ¡°Those who shoulder heavy responsibilities and achieve great things must have a meticulous mind. You¡¯re the heir by default. I hope you can carefully consider it. If you insist on doing whatever you want, Don¡¯t me me for being ruthless. I can¡¯t let the Dongfang Group fall in my hands.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words were very clear.

    ¡°Then, it¡¯s up to you. Anyway, I just want to follow my heart. I¡¯m already married to Qi Lei. He¡¯s my husband now. I hope that Grandmother can respect him. My parents have already acknowledged his identity. If Grandmother can ept it, I¡¯ll bring him back to meet you. If you can¡¯t, then it¡¯s not that important to us. Of course, I¡¯m also set on the Dongfang Group.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was also very persistent. After saying this, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s expression immediately tensed up.

    ¡°To give up your identity for a man, Dongfang Liuyun, you¡¯re really something! You¡¯re too bold!¡±

    ¡®Pa!¡¯

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s cold and stern voice sounded, followed by a loud bang¡ª

    It was the sound of the teacup in her hand fiercely knocking on the table. The water in the teacup sshed all over the table.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not for him, I¡¯d still do the same today. I won¡¯t marry Fujiwara, nor will I beg him, and sacrifice myself to be a transaction. I won¡¯t do such a thing. Grandfather has promised me before that I¡¯ll make the decision myself. You can¡¯t force me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze was calm as she said this calmly.

    ¡°Are you trying to challenge me now?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just trying to protect what I care about. I can¡¯t just lose everything.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m just following my heart. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going back. I know that you don¡¯t want to see me right now. My mother is injured, and it hasn¡¯t been easy for her these past few years. No matter what, I know that she would sacrifice herself for my father and me. I hope that you won¡¯t criticize her too much, Grandmother. My father said that she doesn¡¯t need to understand any righteousness. She just needs to protect the three of us. No, we¡¯re a family of four now. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, she sighed and did not look at Dongfang Shuman anymore. She turned around and left the study.

 Chapter 1791 - Iâ€™m Worried About You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1791: I¡¯m Worried About You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Shuman watched as Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s slender figure disappeared out the door. She was not angry, nor did she stop her. Instead, she watched indifferently until the sound of footsteps faded away and could no longer be heard. Only then did she let out a soft sigh, she silently closed her old and tired eyes.

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said faintly.

    This time, a figure slowly walked out from behind the bookshelf.

    A short-haired woman wearing a ck professional dress with a straight and capable body. The woman looked to be in her thirties or forties. From the looks of it, she looked like a personal bodyguard.

    That was right, this person was Dongfang Shuman¡¯s right-hand person and bodyguard, Ah Cai. Her skills were quite outstanding, and her entire body was filled with an imposing aura. She had been by Dongfang Shuman¡¯s side for more than twenty years, and this year, she was only forty years old.

    ¡°You saw it. After all, she¡¯s just like her father, reckless and unruly. I remember that Ah Gan spoke to me like this back then and insisted on marrying Song Siting. Like father, like daughter.¡±

    When Dongfang Shuman said this, her eyes were closed and did not open. Her tone was much older and weaker than before.

    ¡°President Shu, you don¡¯t have to think too much. Perhaps, President Gan¡¯s side will...¡±

    Ah Cai¡¯s eyes darkened as she said in a low voice.

    ¡°I know my own son the best. His heart isn¡¯t ruthless enough, so he can¡¯t stand firm. Ah Xue¡¯s heart is ruthless enough, but... I don¡¯t have much time left. I don¡¯t know if I can survive this year. But the current situation of the Dongfang Group is still the same. Even if I die, I may not be able to go at ease. I owe the old man my entire life. I want to return this favor to him.¡±

    There was a hint of bitterness in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old voice, but now, it seemed like there was nothing she could do.

    ¡°President Shu...¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not think too much. Go and check on Qi Lei¡¯s information again. Send it to me as soon as possible. Fujiwara should be in City Z by now, right?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman waved her hand before opening her eyes and asking.

    ¡°Yes, Master Fujiwara is staying at Cloud Residence. Last night he had someone send a gift over, I even replied to him, it should be all good now. Oh, that¡¯s right, President Shu, I just received news. On the Lin Corporation¡¯s side, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s younger brother, Lin Yonghua, lost a few hundred million in one night at Emperor casino the day before yesterday. The people from the casino went directly to the Lin Corporation to collect the debt. Lin Yonghua is still being controlled in the casino.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman frowned. Her ck eyes flickered a few times. She had a feeling that...

    ¡°Go and ask around. What exactly is going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people to ask around. The news must have already reached the Madam by now,¡± replied Ah Cai.

    ¡°Gambling debts of several hundred million, this isn¡¯t something that can be easily gambled. Lin Yonghua doesn¡¯t seem to be someone who doesn¡¯t know his limits. This matter is a little strange.¡± Dongfang Shuman analyzed.

    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll go and check it out, we should know soon. Oh right, President Shu, do we really have to disqualify the Fourth Lady as the sessor?¡±

    Ah Cai asked uneasily, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it will...¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s so stubborn, that¡¯s the only way. However, as long as Ah Gan can stabilize thepany, it won¡¯t affect her too much.¡±

    ¡°But President Shu, now that the marriage between the Fifth Lady and the eldest Master of the Jin family has been decided, I¡¯m worried...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. I don¡¯t care what method you use. I want you to be able to dy their wedding date or break the marriage alliance. It¡¯s best if you can make the two families go against each other.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said coldly.

    ¡°Yes, President Shu! I understand.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you can go down first. Don¡¯t tell anyone about what happened today.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she pulled open a drawer at the side and took out a jade bracelet. After taking a look, she threw it at the corner of the wall. A crisp sound could be heard, immediately after, the cup on the side was swept to the ground by her hand and instantly shattered into pieces.

    She supported herself with the table and slowly stood up.

    ¡°Alright, let theme up to clean while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    After leaving this sentence, she also took heavy steps and walked to the inner room at the side.

    ¡°Alright, President Shu!¡±

    Ah Cai acknowledged and also retreated.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun went downstairs at a leisurely pace. When she passed through the living room, there was no longer any sign of Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the others. ording to the situation just now, it seemed that something had happened on the Lin family¡¯s side, causing Lin Yuanyuan to panic.

    However, this was not something that Dongfang Liuyun was concerned about. She passed through the living room calmly and did not n to stop. She just walked out of the door.

    ¡°Fourth Lady, you... aren¡¯t you going to finish your dinner at home before going back? I just instructed the kitchen to cook the dishes that you like.¡±

    The butler asked enthusiastically.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun simply replied. Her footsteps did not stop as she walked out of the door.

    A momentter, the sound of the car starting rang out. In the blink of an eye, the car drove away.

    ...

    The car sped forward at high speed, but it was making its way towards the hospital.

    She wanted to see what was going on with Song Siting. When Secretary Ding called her this morning, she knew that Song Siting did not immediately see Fujiwara, which she naturally thought was a little strange.

    She did not sh with after work hours, so her journey was quite smooth.

    About an hourter, Dongfang Liuyun arrived at the hospital.

    She parked her car in the temporary parking space next to the west gate of the hospital and went upstairs.

    It was already close to evening. The autumn sun was hazy, and the evening wind was very soft.

    Passing through the long corridor, she saw the two bodyguards in ck guarding outside Song Siting¡¯s door from afar.

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously slowed down her movements and walked over. The two bodyguards in ck also bowed respectfully to her.

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re here! Master Qi is inside.¡±

    One of the bodyguards in ck reminded her.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and asked in puzzlement, ¡°Why is he here?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi just went to thepany to get some documents. He went to see President Qi in the hospital then came over.¡±

    ¡°Has he been here for long?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. Then, she raised her gaze and looked through the window¡ª

    In the ward, Qi Lei was sitting by Song Siting¡¯s bed. He was peeling an apple in his hand. Song Siting was leaning against the headboard. She looked at Qi Lei silently as if she was saying something.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression was very calm. The way he looked right now, he could be considered a quiet and handsome man.

    Dongfang Liuyun stood at the door and watched him for a while before shaking her head and walking in...

 Chapter 1792 - Iâ€™m Worried About You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1792: I¡¯m Worried About You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing the footsteps, the two of them stopped and subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound.

    Seeing the figure of Dongfang Liuyun walking in, Song Siting took a deep breath and looked Dongfang Liuyun up and down. She did not see anything unusual on her and was finally relieved.

    ¡°What did your grandmother say?¡±

    Song Siting did not catch the emotion on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face, so she asked curiously.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped beside Qi Lei and looked down at Song Siting. She reached out to take the apple that Qi Lei had just peeled and took a bite. She ate it slowly and replied, ¡°What do you think she said?¡±

    ¡°If I could guess it, I wouldn¡¯t ask you,¡± said Song Siting.

    ¡°When you recover and finish the case at hand, you can stay by Father¡¯s side with peace of mind. You can be a private consultant or a private secretary. Grandmother is right, there are too many idents, and you won¡¯t be so lucky every time. As long as dad cares about you, you don¡¯t have to prove anything. Your status is already admirable, why do you still need to be so strong at a time like this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said calmly.

    ¡°Is that what your grandmother told you?¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s eyes darkened.

    ¡°There were too many things talked about, it¡¯s useless even if I tell you. Take care of your health. We¡¯ll go back first. Grandmother will probably send someone over tonight. If you can¡¯t handle it, give me a call.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun put the apple in her hand on the table dispiritedly. She reached out and pulled Qi Lei, who had been silent all this while.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. He subconsciously nced at her. He could clearly feel that something was wrong with her expression. She must have been wronged at the old Dongfang residence?

    Song Siting did not say anything when she saw this. She just watched as her daughter pulled Qi Lei out tightly.

    Qi Lei said a simple sentence to let her rest well. In an instant, the ward was empty.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Qi Lei let her pull him all the way to the car parked by the hospital door. He frowned and asked.

    ¡°Does it look like something happened to me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun slowly let go of him. Seeing the worry in his eyes, she thought for a moment and suddenly reached out to hold his handsome face. She leaned forward and kissed his slightly cold lips wantonly...

    Before Qi Lei could react, her lingering scent had already entangled him. He did not care about anything and just wrapped one hand around her slender waist and the other hand to hold her head. He silently responded.

    After a moment of warmth, Dongfang Liuyun slowly retreated and threw herself into his warm embrace. Her voice was grave and somewhat hoarse, but her starry eyes were silently looking at him. At this moment, Qi Lei could also catch a hint of weakness in her eyes.

    ¡°Would you sacrifice yourself for me?¡± She asked.

    Qi Lei paused for a moment, then suddenly hugged her tightly. ¡°Of course, only you have the right.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother may disqualify me as the sessor. I may...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Dongfang Group will definitely be yours. Trust me.¡±

    Qi Lei patted her head and took a deep breath. ¡°Give me some time.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t lose it. I promised Grandfather. Also, Grandfather and Father have put in too much effort into it. Naturally, I don¡¯t want to see the Dongfang family fall apart. I don¡¯t know when I started worrying about the Dongfang family too.¡±

    ¡°Because, in the end, we still can¡¯t get past ourselves. We can¡¯t be truly ruthless.¡±

    Qi Lei recalled how he and Qi Feng were just like this back then?

    ¡°Can we persevere together?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked again.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun eased up a little. She took a deep breath and subconsciously wrapped her arms around him tightly, ¡°Remember what we said today. In the future, if you have a hard time holding on, don¡¯t give up easily. I¡¯ve decided to hold your hand and grow old together with you. Do you understand?¡±

    When she said this, Qi Lei felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart. Of course, he did not doubt the authenticity of her words. He nodded solemnly and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. There will be a way. Go home. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    After a while, he pulled her out of his arms. His deep voice sounded emotional, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. As long as we have enough strength, we don¡¯t have to worry that we¡¯ll lose. I know that you might be worried about Fujiwara. If you can¡¯t face him, I¡¯ll do what I can and work harder.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and patted her head.

    ¡°You know about Fujiwara?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun heard this and quickly looked up at him. Her starry eyes were filled with doubt.

    Qi Lei did not answer. Hisrge hand slid down and held her shoulders. He reached out to open the car door and signaled for her to sit in.

    Dongfang Liuyun saw this and naturally took it as his tacit agreement. She obediently sat in the passenger seat.

    Qi Lei quickly got into the car and started the engine.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not ask any more questions. The couple was just so silent. After a while, Dongfang Liuyun closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder.

    ¡°Have you ever thought of marrying another woman?¡±

    After a while, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Marrying?¡±

    Qi Lei paused for a moment. He subconsciously turned around and nced at her. Seeing that her eyes were still closed, he thought for a moment before replying, ¡°My family mentioned it before, but as long as I didn¡¯t want to, they couldn¡¯t force me. At that time, I was still very willful and did as I pleased, no one could do anything about me. Plus, I didn¡¯t necessarily care about the family business, so there was no threat.¡±

    ¡°So sometimes, I envy those who can do whatever they want. They don¡¯t have to be like us. Most of the time, they can¡¯t help themselves.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but sigh. ¡°Over the years, I¡¯ve long gotten used to it. Even if it¡¯s hard to persevere, I still have to continue.¡±

    ¡°Life isn¡¯t just for us to enjoy. You used to be more open-minded than me, but now you still have such feelings?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and nced at her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to either.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently. She paused and said helplessly, ¡°But the problem is there. What do you want me to do? Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. How¡¯s Father? I asked them just now. They said that you went there to take a look. He should be stable now, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked with concern.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. His expression was indifferent. ¡°He¡¯s stable for now. The situation after that is still unclear.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Sometimes, thinking about it, the two of us don¡¯t seem to have very good luck...¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1793 - Iâ€™m Worried About You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1793: I¡¯m Worried About You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly as well. She raised her hand to rub the space between her brows as she continued, ¡°The more I don¡¯t want something, the more it¡¯s going to happen. It just happens to be a huge challenge for us.¡±

    He could hear a hint of helplessness in her tone, but it was not the kind of cheerless helplessness. When Qi Lei turned to look at her, he could still see the bright and persistent look in her eyes, or the stubbornness.

    This was the Dongfang Liuyun he was very familiar with. He admired the Dongfang Liuyun he liked very much.

    He liked her stubbornness and stubbornness. He liked the way she was full of positive energy.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get better soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it andforted her in the end.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and did not say anything. She just closed her eyes silently.

    ...

    When they returned home, the sky had already fallen silent. The night breeze was a little deste. When they walked past the clean cement path in the front yard, they could still vaguely hear the sounds of the flowers and nts swaying in the autumn breeze. The streetmps on both sides of the street were already lit up.

    The couple had also bought some vegetables from the nearby supermarket. They were nning to cook a simple dinner at home.

    ¡°Go up and rest first. I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s done.¡±

    Qi Lei took off his coat and handed it to her as he said.

    ¡°Forget it. You¡¯re pretty tired too. I¡¯ll do it. You rest for a while and help me charge my phone.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to take the coat. Seeing the exhaustion in his eyes, she felt a slight heartache. She looked up at him and after a while, she ced his coat on the sofa and went to the kitchen without a word.

    Qi Lei stood where he was and silently watched her beautiful little figure disappear at the kitchen door. After a while, a rare smile appeared on his lips.

    He thought about it and decided not to persist. He was really tired. He moved and sat down on the sofa. He turned on the television as he boiled some water.

    A few minutes after he sat down, the doorbell rang. Qi Lei stood up and went to look at the door. The person he saw on the screen was Yang Sheng. He quickly opened the door.

    Yang Sheng strode in. When he saw Qi Lei sitting on the sofa in front of him, he quickly went forward.

    ¡°Master Qi! You¡¯re finally back. Your phone didn¡¯t get through. I even came over once just now. Is Missus making dinner?¡±

    Yang Sheng said carefully as he looked in the direction of the kitchen tentatively. He could vaguely see a busy figure in the kitchen. He coughed lightly and moved a little, ¡°Master Qi, can you ask Missus to cook more good dishes? I¡¯m having dinner here...¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s voice became soft towards the end.

    Qi Lei only raised his gaze and nced at him. He did not say anything. He took another empty cup from the side and poured half a cup of chrysanthemum tea for him.

    Only then did Yang Sheng sit down with a smile.

    ¡°Master Qi, I just came from the hospital. The doctor said that President Qi¡¯s condition is stable, you...¡±

    ¡°Someone will worry about him. You just focus on your own things.¡± Qi Lei replied indifferently. He lowered his head and drank two mouthfuls of tea before continuing, ¡°After dinner, send a set of information to Wang Chun for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°Oh right, Master Qi, Vice President Wang Chun called just now and said that Lin Yonghua has been controlled. The Lin family has asked the casino to give them a few more days. However, I reckon that they can only buy the shares of the Lin Corporation in the future because the Lin Corporation has suffered a severe loss in the past few years. It¡¯s not that simple to take out three hundred million in one go.¡±

    As Yang Sheng spoke, a victorious smile appeared on his face. ¡°However, Master Qi, it¡¯s hard to guarantee that they won¡¯t seek help from the Dongfang Group. It¡¯s not easy to fork out such a sum of money. This...¡±

    ¡°The Dongfang Group is in the midst of a lot of trouble right now. A little bit of evidence will change the situation. They won¡¯t be so stupid. If I¡¯m not wrong, they can only quietly sell their shares as coteral for this debt. The estimated market value of the Lin Corporation isn¡¯t as valuable as it appears on the surface. We only need to have absolute say in the Lin Corporation. Once news of the Lin Corporation selling its shares gets out, those creditors will quicklye knocking. The Lin Corporation will be finished very soon.¡±

    Qi Lei said nonchntly. After thinking for a moment, he instructed, ¡°Remember to get them to sign the confidentiality agreement. Dongfang Yu¡¯s side won¡¯t let this news be kept too secret.¡±

    Getting someone else to do the dirty worl.

    Yang Sheng naturally understood what Qi Lei meant. On one hand, he could control the Lin family¡¯s side, and he could also use that force to make Dongfang Yu¡¯s side be targeted. This was a good idea, but when he thought about it, it was actually quite despicable.

    Moreover, previously, Master Qi was very unwilling to interfere with the Qi family¡¯s shady businesses. Now, he actually used these forces. It was all because of Missus. It was likely that Missus¡¯ side was in big trouble.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi. I understand.¡±

    Yang Sheng took a deep breath and replied.

    ¡°Right now, Lin Yuanyuan is still at the Lin family¡¯s side. If she can take out the money, perhaps she won¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t be able to stir up any big waves. Although the Lin Corporation is her backing, the shares that truly belong to her aren¡¯t much. She doesn¡¯t have much money on hand. Dongfang Ren keeps a close watch on her and she has no way of taking out this money. Moreover, given the current situation of the Lin Corporation, after considering it, Dongfang Ren should value the money even more.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. He still needs to worry about the South River Project. Furthermore, Dongfang Yi is keeping an eye on him. Naturally, he doesn¡¯t dare to act rashly. This Lin Corporation...¡±

    ¡°Leave these matters to Wang Chun. Let him be more alert.¡±

    Qi Lei was a little dispirited and did not wish to continue this topic.

    This time, Yang Sheng was naturally very observant and stopped speaking in a timely manner.

    ¡°Alright, Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing, Master Qi. This is... This is Fujiwara¡¯s information. I¡¯ve arranged it. I know that Fujiwara has already arrived in City Z, but I¡¯m worried...¡±

    ¡°Also, there are some things that happened between him and Missus. He and Missus... Master Qi, take a look for yourself. This is the information...¡±

    Yang Sheng could not help but pass a thick stack of papers to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei frowned. He raised his gaze and stared at him for a long time. He did not reach out to take the papers.

    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t mean any harm. I just hope that you can understand some things. This will be good for your rtionship with Missus in the future. Of course, Missus is a very good person.¡±

    Yang Sheng saw the displeasure on Qi Lei¡¯s face and quickly exined.

 Chapter 1794 - Iâ€™m Worried About You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1794: I¡¯m Worried About You (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment before reaching out to take the papers. His expression was cold and indifferent.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s heart tightened, and his gaze becameplicated. He thought about it for a moment before continuing, ¡°I don¡¯t doubt the rtionship between Master Qi and Missus Qi, but I just want you to know that Missus and Fujiwara had a very memorable past, they even...¡±

    ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to say anymore...¡±

    Qi Lei took a cold breath, picked up the lighter from the table, lit the stack of paper, and threw it into the potted nt at the side.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t listen to me, Assistant Yang.¡±

    A cold voice sounded, and it made Yang Sheng¡¯s face tense up.

    ¡°I told you before that you don¡¯t have to get involved in this. If you¡¯re too free, I don¡¯t mind transferring you to City B to be Vice President Yue¡¯s helper.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was stern, and Yang Sheng broke out in cold sweat.

    Master Qi was used to getting to know a person¡¯s background first, especially for someone so close. It was the same even for Miss Xi Xiaye back then, but now, Master Qi did not want to know about Missus¡¯ past. Could it be that he...

    Yang Sheng looked at Qi Lei carefully. At this moment, he seemed to be able to catch a hint ofplicated emotions in his eyes even more clearly...

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already married her, I¡¯ve never thought about what I should mind. Those things weren¡¯t what she was willing to do. If everyone clings onto the past, how can one have a new life?¡±

    Qi Lei said calmly. In the blink of an eye, the stack of papers had been burned to ashes.

    ¡°I¡¯m not all that honorable either, I¡¯m considered infamous in the circle. She didn¡¯t care about that, did she?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. She¡¯ll be the only mistress of the Qi family. You just have to remember this.¡±

    Yang Sheng was a little absent-minded at these words. He did not understand what he meant. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly understood something. He smiled softly. ¡°Master Qi, you have deep feelings for Missus. It¡¯s because I¡¯m too petty, I...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a good woman.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this inly, he suddenly remembered that Dongfang Liuyun had asked him to charge his phone. Then, he got up and went upstairs with his phone.

    ...

    Yang Sheng had been sitting on the sofa the whole time. He silently watched Qi Lei¡¯s figure gradually disappear at the stairs. After thinking for a moment, he finally could not help but sigh¡ª

    In the past, when Master Qi was not married, he was worried that he would be lonely alone. But now that he was married to Missus, he was also worried that Master Qi would fall too deeply in the future...

    Yang Sheng actually understood that it was not necessarily a good thing if he fell too deeply in love. Because now, everything was still unknown.

    He naturally hoped that Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun could both obtain love and stay together for a long time. However, there were many difficult problems in front of them now. Even he, Yang Sheng, felt his head ache just looking at them, not to mention...

    While Yang Sheng was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice calling out to Qi Lei from the kitchen¡ª

    ¡°Qi Lei, where did you put the ginger?¡±

    Yang Sheng only came to his senses when he heard this.

    After some thought, he stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little surprised when she saw Yang Sheng walk in.

    ¡°Missus...¡±

    Yang Sheng asked very humbly.

    ¡°Why are you still here sote? Thank you for your hard work. You can have dinner here tonight.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also spoke in a friendly manner.

    ¡°Thank you, Missus. Master Qi has gone upstairs. The ginger seems to be in the cab below.¡±

    As he spoke, he squatted down and helped look for the ginger.

    Yang Sheng had oftene over to cook for Qi Lei, so he was very familiar with the kitchen. He could roughly remember the location of the ingredients.

    ¡°Missus, do you know what Master Qi generally likes to eat?¡±

    Yang Sheng looked at the stir-fried dishes in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s pot and suddenly asked softly.

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment and silently turned to look at Yang Sheng.

    However, Yang Sheng only smiled. His gaze was still fixed on the stir-fried dishes in the pot.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t what he¡¯s cooking now what he likes? His tastes are simr to mine, and he¡¯s more picky than I am. He doesn¡¯t like to eat many things, but he doesn¡¯t like to eat a lot of things either.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said somewhat helplessly, ¡°Has there been a lot of things going on in thepany recently? Why is he working overtime in the study every night until midnight?¡±

    ¡°Things in City B have just recovered, and it¡¯s still a critical period. Many things still require Master Qi to handle personally. Plus, the South River Project is also the most important thing. The first half of this year¡¯s performance is developing quite well, and a few new films are about to start shooting, so Master Qi will be a little busier.¡± Yang Sheng exined.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, Master Qi also needs to take care of Chenye Movies and Television asionally. This is the busiest time of the year. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get through these few months. After the new films are released at the end of the year, we¡¯ll have more free time.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that these few months will be quite busy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the next few months will be very busy. In another two or three months, it¡¯ll be the new year, so...¡±

    ¡°Did he tell you about the appointment for the wedding photos?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not forget about this matter. They thought that if they could manage work well at the end of the year, they might as well hold a wedding to celebrate the new year. However, with so many things happening recently, this matter seemed to be dyed again.

    ¡°Wedding photos?¡±

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, ¡°I remember now. I have already custom-made a wedding dress for Missus. It should still be in the process of designing. Master Qi also consulted the wedding nner. It seems that he wants to give Missus a wedding that you will never forget.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it is unforgettable or not. It¡¯s just a ceremony. It doesn¡¯t make much difference. It¡¯s just like taking a few wedding photos or something. It can be considered as having somememorative significance.¡±

    There was only andscape oil painting hanging on the wall by the bed. Dongfang Liuyun wanted to see if it would feel better if it was a wedding photo of the couple.

    No matter what, she, Dongfang Liuyun, had already decided to try entering Qi Lei¡¯s world. This world was still so big, and she was a little tired from all the trials and tribtions. She seemed to have found an unprecedented peace and tranquility with Qi Lei.

    This kind of peace and tranquility made her inexplicably nostalgic. Subconsciously, she also felt that she had to do something to protect this feeling. To only rely on the other party¡¯s efforts was definitely not Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s style either.

    Right now, her only hope was that they could smoothly continue on. Of course, it might be good if they could have a child. The two of them might not be so lonely then...

 Chapter 1795 - Iâ€™m Worried About You (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1795: I¡¯m Worried About You (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was already an hourter when dinner was ready.

    Dongfang Liuyun had just begun serving, and Yang Sheng was also very diligent in helping to prepare the bowls and chopsticks.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go up and ask him toe down for dinner. Let¡¯s have some wine, it¡¯s in the wine cab, bring a bottle of red wine over,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Yes, Missus.¡±

    Yang Sheng replied. Dongfang Liuyun then went upstairs.

    The bedroom was empty. Dongfang Liuyun turned around and walked towards the study. Just as she pushed the door open, she could smell a faint smell of smoke. She looked around and soon found the figure in the rattan chair under the floor-to-ceiling curtains by the window.

    The phone on the low table beside him was still on. There was a calling in, but Qi Lei had turned it off.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked over quietly and realized that the man in the rattan chair had fallen asleep. His breathing was heavy, and he was obviously tired. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he did not sleep well.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a while, and her heart tightened for some reason. After thinking for a while, she decided not to wake him up. Instead, she took a nket from the sofa and quietly covered him with it.

    Perhaps she had moved too brashly, when she pulled her hand back, it woke him up. Her slender wrist was immediately held in his hand. When she looked at him, she met his pitch-ck and slightly dazed gaze.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I wake you up?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not struggle and let him hold it.

    Qi Lei raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows. His voice was a little hoarse and filled with a hint of fatigue. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I fell asleep as soon as my head felt heavy. What time is it?¡±

    ¡°I just made dinner. Yang Sheng is waiting downstairs. Wash your face ande down quickly. Are you okay? You look a little pale.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I haven¡¯t rested well in the past few days, so that¡¯s just how it is. I just need to rest earlier tonight.¡±

    Qi Lei propped himself up on the chair and slowly stood up.

    ¡°Mm, let¡¯s go down and eat first.¡±

    She helped him pull on his slightly wrinkled shirt and followed closely behind him.

    Downstairs, Yang Sheng had prepared the bowls and chopsticks. When the couple came down, they began eating.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s appetite was very good. Qi Lei did not eat much, but he drank two or three sses of wine.

    ¡°Finish the rice in the bowl. Don¡¯t drink so much.¡±

    Just as he was about to pour the fourth cup, Dongfang Liuyun had already moved the half-filled bowl of rice in front of him to rece his empty bowl.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei nced at her from the side. He did not say anything before silently picking up his chopsticks.

    ¡°Has my culinary skills deteriorated?¡±

    She asked softly as she served herself another half-filled bowl of rice.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Missus¡¯ culinary skills are not bad. At least, it¡¯s much better than mine. Master Qi, you have to eat more.¡±

    Yang Sheng spoke just in time.

    ¡°Go back quickly after you finish eating. It¡¯s the Yang Festival soon. Rest well for a few days.¡±

    Qi Lei instructed.

    ¡°I know, Master Qi!¡±

    ¡°Get Wang Chun toe over tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    After dinner, Qi lei called Yang Sheng upstairs. Not long after, Yang Sheng went back too.

    Dongfang Liuyun was done tidying up. When she returned to the bedroom, Qi Lei had already finished bathing andid down on the bed. The lights in the bedroom were a little dim. It was just a wallmp by the French window.

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously lowered her movements. Without turning on the lights, she went to the bathroom.

    Qi Lei was also in a deep sleep. After an unknown period of time, he felt the nket beside him being pulled up. Someone had crawled in. He subconsciously reached out and pulled the woman into his arms.

    ¡°Do you want me to help you rx your shoulders?¡±

    Under the dim light, Dongfang Liuyun propped herself up slightly. Her bright eyes were like stars as she looked at him calmly.

    Only then did he open his eyes slightly and narrowed his eyes at her. He saw that she had just finished bathing and the cor on her chest was wide open. The clear and cold fragrance inexplicably stirred the bestial nature in his blood. He immediately smiled and said wickedly, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I have a better way.¡±

    After he finished, Dongfang Liuyun was already under him.

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel tired?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind being a little more tired when ites to you.¡±

    He smiled mysteriously and did not stop moving his hands. He quickly moved to her waist. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, she felt a chill on her shoulders and a cold kiss fell on her...

    Only then did she look at him helplessly and cooperated with him very well. A pair of small hands also reached for his waist...

    After two rounds of fierce fighting, the husband and wife both fell into a deep sleep.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know how much time had passed, but her intuition told her that she seemed to have slept for a long time. Suddenly, she was awakened by an uneasy burning sensation. She opened her eyes in a daze, and his entire body felt like it was engulfed by a hot stove.

    There was also the sound of heavy breathing in her ears. Dongfang Liuyun suddenly seemed to have sensed something and hurriedly struggled to get up. She reached out to turn on the bedsidemp and turned to look at the man behind him.

    She saw that the man was frowning and curled up, as if...

    Dongfang Liuyun had a vague feeling that something was wrong. She quickly reached out to touch his forehead. As expected, the temperature on his forehead was frighteningly hot. He must be feeling very ufortable.

    ¡°You¡¯re down with a fever!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so weak? It¡¯s either a cold or a fever?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said somewhat helplessly.

    After some thought, she could only get out of bed helplessly. She rummaged through all the drawers in the house, but she could not find any fever medicine. It seemed like she had used up all the fever medicine thest time. As for the rest, she tossed them out because too much time had passed, and she had not have the time to buy more after that.

    ...

    It was not easy for Dongfang Liuyun to help a tall and straight person like Qi Lei down the stairs. When she ced him in the car, he was already sweating profusely. Even in this cold autumn season, the temperature at night was very low, and she was panting from exhaustion.

    When she arrived at the hospital, she was in the emergency department.

    After the doctor gave Qi Lei a checkup, he immediately gave him an infusion.

    Dongfang Liuyun also quietly stood by the side. Of course, at this moment, Qi Lei had regained some consciousness. He could naturally sense such a huge movement.

    Qi Lei also woke up from his daze. He felt that his shoulder was a little heavy, so he subconsciously turned his gaze over. With his hazy gaze, he saw Dongfang Liuyun leaning against his shoulder and taking a nap.

    The memories in his head quickly rushed over. Suddenly, he thought of something and smiled inexplicably. His idle hand reached out and grabbed her thin shoulder...

 Chapter 1796 - Iâ€™m Worried About You (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1796: I¡¯m Worried About You (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun was also a light sleeper. The moment he moved, she was awakened.

    She subconsciously rubbed his eyes and reached out to Qi Lei. Only then did she realize that Qi Lei was staring at her.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake? How do you feel? Why did you suddenly get a fever?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked as she reached out to touch his forehead. When she felt that his temperature was normal, she heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal, did you need to send me to this damned ce overnight?¡±

    It was a reprimand, but there was not a trace of reproach in his tone. There was a rare gentleness in his dark eyes.

    ¡°You had such a high fever, I was worried about you. Do you feel better?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked with concern. He did not care about her messy hair that was draped over her shoulders. Without care for her image at all, she even scratched her head as she leaned over.

    ¡°I¡¯m much better now, I¡¯m fine. When I¡¯m too tired and am in the cold a little, I¡¯d end up like this, I¡¯m already used to it. Get the doctor to bandage me up, and we can go home.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice was a little hoarse. Hisrge hands helped herb her disheveled hair.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at his IV liquid, it was almost done.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call the nurse then.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun then got up and went to look for the nurse.

    After an entire night, it was almost dawn when the husband and wife finally left the hospital.

    The sky had just turned gray, and it was not bright yet. However, the cleaners outside had already started to get busy. They looked out of the car window. It was a long distance away, they could see the diligent cleaners sweeping ayer of fallen leaves on the ground with a long broom.

    ¡°Rest a while if you¡¯re tired. You won¡¯t be able to go to work today anyway.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was driving steadily, suddenly nced at Qi Lei beside her. Seeing that he was looking out of the window without moving, she said this.

    ¡°Autumn came quietly this year. If I didn¡¯t see the morning scene and the fallen leaves, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s natural. It¡¯s the Yang Festival soon. Three-quarters of the year is over. Sometimes, when I think about these, I¡¯ll understand what it means when they say time and tide waits for no man.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m almost thirty.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it still early? You look like a twenty-year-old.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her and said quietly.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. ¡°I¡¯m old.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not young either.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and replied.

    The smile on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips widened. ¡°I¡¯m not worried that I¡¯ll age, but I¡¯m worried that your potential value is too high.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled when he heard that. ¡°No matter how it may be, it can¡¯t bepared to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. You¡¯re mine now. If your potential value is higher, I¡¯ll benefit as well. Do you agree?¡±

    She teased with a smile.

    Qi Lei nodded without hesitation and replied quietly, ¡°I agree very much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyunughed and could not help but pat the back of his hand. ¡°Want to have a private chat?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re a one-woman woman?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am.¡±

    Qi Lei immediately replied with an honest look in his eyes. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked back.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    ¡°Some sacrifices need to depend on the person. Whether it¡¯s worth it or not, at least you¡¯re willing to do it. It¡¯s very easy to make such an oath, but in the end, there are only a few people who can keep it. Between us, let¡¯s not talk about these things. To be able to live in peace until old age is already considered lucky.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had already retracted her gaze and was silently looking forward. As she spoke, she paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Grandmother already knows about us. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen after that either. Based on my understanding of her, it¡¯s very likely that she¡¯ll be staying here for a period of time. Our rtionship is also a very polite, grandmother and granddaughter rtionship. She¡¯s a very serious and powerful person. She values the interests of her family above everything else.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun told Qi Lei about Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°Grandmother is Grandfather¡¯s second wife. She¡¯s very capable and very methodological. On this point, even Grandfather praised her a lot. In terms of scheming, even I¡¯m not her match. She¡¯s always opposed to my parents being together. Back then, because of this matter, she broke off her rtionship with Father. It was Grandfather who dealt with it, and it took him a lot of effort to ease things up.¡±

    ¡°She still doesn¡¯t like Mother because she thinks that Mother will only be a burden to Father. Also, you know that Mother¡¯s personality is indeed quite unlikable. The way she does things is also hard to ept, so it¡¯s not strange for her to see it that way.¡±

    Hearing Dongfang Liuyun say this, Qi Lei could roughly guess what she was thinking.

    Song Siting¡¯s personality, and this Dongfang Shuman..

    ¡°Are you worried that she¡¯ll oppose us as well?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m a little worried. It¡¯s slightly troublesome to get involved in the matter of inheritance rights, but now that we¡¯re already here, it¡¯s useless no matter how much she objects. She just wants to put some effort into me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally would not be worried about this. It was not something she insisted on. No matter how much she asked, she would not be moved.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need to feel too pressured. Rest well for the next two days. Don¡¯t worry, everything will be mine. The Dongfang Group will definitely be yours.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, his gaze was a littleplicated. He had an unfathomable look on his face.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him, but he had already closed his eyes. He leaned back in his chair tiredly.

    In the end, Dongfang Liuyun did not ask any more questions. She just increased the speed of the car.

    ...

    It was daybreak. For someone who was used to waking up early, such a bright day was a good time for morning training.

    In a quiet corner of the backyard of the Cloud Residence.

    Fujiwara was as usual, holding a sharp sword and disying his moves smoothly.

    His swordsmanship was excellent.

    Dongfang Liuyun once said that Fujiwara¡¯s blood seemed to have a warrior¡¯s spirit. Apart from his passion for sword and knife martial arts, his personality was also extremely cold and reserved. If it was in the ancient times, Fujiwara would have been a top swordsman.

    However, top swordsmen were often lonely, and it seemed that they were destined to be lonely.

    Fujiwara never believed what Dongfang Liuyun said. In the years that he lost her, he continued to do this every day, rain or shine. Because only at this time could he, Fujiwara, think of her in a quieter manner.

    Fujiwara did not know how he had survived all these years. Sometimes, he almost thought that he was dead. However, Dongfang Liuyun did not seem to be the same...

 Chapter 1797 - Love Is Hard To Take Back (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1797: Love Is Hard To Take Back (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Thinking of this, the sword in his hand became even swifter. The leaves on the trees at the side all fell down one after another. They were pierced by the sharp de and fell to the ground in a mess.

    ¡®Bang¡ª¡¯

    A sharp collision sound was heard. In the blink of an eye, Fujiwara had already put away his sword.

    Matsuda, who had been waiting by the side for a long time, also heaved a sigh of relief and quickly rushed forward.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    The servant who was waiting by the side promptly handed a warm towel to Fujiwara. Fujiwara handed over the sword in his hand before taking it. He simply wiped the sweat off his face while wiping his hands. His gaze was cold and indifferent, there was no emotion to be seen.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Fujiwara took the coat that Matsuda handed over and simply draped it over his shoulders. He asked indifferently as he walked towards the perg at the side.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already checked it out. I¡¯ve confirmed that Master Lan Xiu is right. Miss Dongfang is indeed married. I¡¯ve confirmed it again and again. Furthermore, there¡¯s information that proves that Miss Dongfang and Qi Lei have known each other for a long time. They even had dinner together many times. When Qi Lei was free, he often goes to Miss Dongfang¡¯s De Bao House. Miss Dongfang was very friendly to him. This is the information from the investigation.¡±

    Matsuda was sweating profusely in his heart. He barely managed to finish his sentence in a low voice.

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression had already darkened. He clenched his fists silently and looked coldly at the information Matsuda handed to him. He did not take it.

    ¡°Also, Master, our people took these photos early this morning. They happened to be at the hospital. Take a look.¡±

    Seeing Fujiwara¡¯s expressionless face, Matsuda took a deep breath and passed a few more photos to Fujiwara, cing them on the table in front of him.

    Fujiwara lowered his head to take a look and quickly recognized the woman in the photos

    It was Dongfang Liuyun. The person she was supporting should be Qi Lei, right?

    As it was night, the image was not very clear, but he could still recognize Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s appearance.

    There was no way he, Fujiwara, could have mistaken her appearance.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Fujiwara lowered his eyes. He did not know how much strength he had used to suppress the surging emotions in his heart, so he asked calmly.

    ¡°Qi Lei had a fever in the middle of the night. It was Miss Dongfang who sent him to the hospital. They only left the hospital at dawn. Oh, right, Miss Dongfang went back to the Dongfang mansion yesterday. She had a long conversation with Elder Madam Dongfang and left without having dinner.¡±

    ¡°Elder Madam Dongfang? I remember that she had some secret dealings with the Fujiwara family. It was all thanks to her that she was able to leave Japan and return to City Z so smoothly.¡±

    Fujiwara replied indifferently. His tone was also a little cold, and one could not tell his emotions from it.

    ¡°The Dongfang family has been thinking of forming a marriage alliance with our Fujiwara family for quite some time. Elder Madam Dongfang quite likes you Master. It¡¯s just a pity. If things had gone smoothly back then, Master and Miss Dongfang would have long been husband and wife.¡±

    Matsuda¡¯s tone was filled with a hint of regret when he said this. When he turned to look at Fujiwara, he saw that he had already raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows, ¡°You know the situation of the Fujiwara family the best. Even if they¡¯re enthusiastic and don¡¯t have the capabilities, it¡¯s not up to me to decide.¡±

    ¡°Master, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. The main thing is that we have the initiative, so we¡¯ll definitely be able to do it.¡±

    Matsuda could not bear to see the gloominess in Fujiwara¡¯s eyes. He thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°Master, a person like Miss Dongfang isn¡¯t someone that can be easily conquered. I believe that Master and Miss Dongfang will definitely be able to achieve a positive oue in the end.¡±

    Positive oue in the end?

    Once these words were said, Fujiwara could not help but feel a wave of powerlessness. After calming down for a while, he said, ¡°Right now, everything is unknown. Let¡¯s take one step at a time. What¡¯s the situation over in Japan?¡±

    ¡°Master, the news just came over. In two days, Miss Riko will being over as well. Elder Master specially instructed you to take good care of Miss Riko. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Otherwise what?¡±

    A cold glint shed across Fujiwara¡¯s eyes. His eyes were filled with disdain as well. ¡°If he wants to take advantage of his seniority, he¡¯ll have to see if I agree.¡±

    ¡°Master, Elder Master he...¡±

    Fujiwara sneered. A momentter, his entire body returned to normal. However, there was a hint of coldness in his eyes, ¡°Riko Inoue, I¡¯ve already given her a chance. If she insists on doing this, I have no choice but to help her be a member of the Fujiwara family. Go and make arrangements right away. Think of a way to send that woman to the old man¡¯s bed. I¡¯ll fulfill their wish.¡±

    ¡°No, Master... you absolutely can¡¯t do that! Elder Master chose Miss Riko to be your wife. If you do this, once the people from the Fujiwara family finds out, the two families will fight endlessly. Moreover, we don¡¯t look too far ahead. If Miss Riko continues to fight with you for the Fujiwara family business, what should we do?¡±

    Matsuda was so frightened by Fujiwara¡¯s words that his face turned ashen as he hurriedly spoke.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t offend Miss Riko. Although we¡¯re not afraid of the Inoue family, it¡¯s still an eventful period now. It¡¯s better to leave things as they are. We can only treat Miss Riko with respect. This way, she won¡¯t be able to find any evidence against us. We can send someone to follow her around 24 hours a day. Then we won¡¯t have to worry about her doing anything bad.¡±

    Matsuda was naturally very meticulous in his consideration.

    Fujiwara was silent. He took a cup of tea from the side and narrowed his eyes coldly. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be difficult for you to make sure that Riko Inoue can¡¯te over sessfully, right? Don¡¯t let me see that woman.¡±

    Matsuda was stunned for a moment. He took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Oh right, Mr. Ge is still waiting for Master Lan Xiu¡¯s instructions. That n had always been handled by Miss Dongfang. After Miss Dongfang returned to Dongfang Group, Master Lan Xiu took over personally. Do you think we should give Mr. Ge a call now?¡±

    Matsuda naturally didn¡¯t forget the call from Lan Xiu¡¯s assistant, Ah Li.

    ¡°Mr. Ge?¡±

    Fujiwara frowned. He searched his mind for a long time before he remembered this person.

    Indeed, he heard that they were stuck and that Lan Xiu was thinking of a way to solve it.

    But Mr. Ge was also Fujiwara¡¯s people. Usually, Mr. Ge would directly report information about Lan Xiu and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Yes, Master, don¡¯t you remember? Just the person who challenged you at the banquet thest time, he¡¯s now almost submissive to Master. Master, it was you who told him to do it. He¡¯s now waiting for a reply...¡±

    Matsuda spoke with a hint of unconceble pride in his tone.

 Chapter 1798 - Love Is Hard To Take Back (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1798: Love Is Hard To Take Back (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Fujiwara fell silent for a moment. He naturally knew what was going on.

    ¡°Has Liuyun rarely asked about Lan Xiu¡¯s matters recently?¡±

    He thought about it and asked.

    ¡°Yes. After Miss Dongfang returned to the Dongfang Group, she basically didn¡¯t ask about Master Lan Xiu¡¯s matters anymore. The Dongfang Group¡¯s matters have already made it difficult for her, so...¡± Matsuda replied softly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the Dongfang Group now? I remember that she was never willing to touch those matters before.¡±

    Fujiwara lowered his eyes and quietly drank his tea. However, his gaze was unusuallyplicated.

    ¡°Previously, President Gan had an ident in Myanmar. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t seriously injured, otherwise... The internal conflict within the Dongfang Group is already very intense now. As a qualified sessor, Miss Dongfang should return to thepany. However, Master, you also know about the Dongfang Group¡¯s situation. Right now, on Dongfang Ren¡¯s side, Dongfang Rou¡¯er is in a marriage alliance with Jin Sheng, the eldest Master of the Jin family. Dongfang Ren¡¯s strength has greatly increased. They still n to...¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fujiwara¡¯s gaze darkened.

    ¡°Master, should we go and see Miss Dongfang now? She...¡±

    Before Matsuda could finish his words, Fujiwara stopped what he was doing and raised his hand slightly to stop him¡ª

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll handle this matter myself. You just need to take care of what you need to do.¡±

    After Fujiwara finished his sentence, he slowly stood up and silently turned around to leave.

    Of course he wanted to see her, but he did not know what they would say to each other if he really saw her. He had imagined many scenes of them meeting, but every scene was...

    <i>Dongfang Liuyun¡ª</i>

    <i>Only you can stir up my emotions like this. Every time I think about it, I can¡¯t help but feel a silent pain in my chest.</i>

    ¡®Thump, thump...¡¯

    His heavy footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. The long corridor seemed to have no end in an instant. The air was filled with that stifling aura.

    Fujiwara felt as if he had spent a century walking through that stifling corridor. When he returned to the front hall, the butler had already prepared some morning tea for him and the magazine that he usually liked to read.

    Fujiwara was a person with strong self-control. After walking through such a long corridor, he returned to his usual indifference. He silently sat down on the sofa and took the magazine. Just as he was about to flip through it, the butler beside him suddenly spoke¡ª

    ¡°Master, are you going to thepany today? Mr. Nozawa from the newpany just called and asked if you wanted to go over. When is the meeting scheduled?¡±

    Fujiwara came over this time to deal with thepany¡¯s matters. Over the past few days, he had not gone over to take a look at thepany yet.

    ¡°Have them arrange for it to be Wednesday at 3 p.m.,¡± Fujiwara simply replied. His gaze did not shift away from the magazine in his hand.

    Only then did the butler nod.

    ...

    Things went as smoothly as he had expected. Even Wang Chun could not help but admire Qi Lei¡¯s divine n. He did not expect Qi Lei to be so urate in estimating the Lin Corporation¡¯s situation.

    When Father Lin helplessly revealed that he was willing to sell off the Lin Corporation¡¯s shares, Wang Chun already knew that Qi Lei¡¯s method was definitely effective.

    However, he was temporarily stopped by Lin Yuanyuan. They should be thinking of ways to prepare this sum of money now. Such arge sum of money was not something that could be easily gathered.

    Although this might not be much to the huge Dongfang Group, it was very taxing for apany like the Lin Corporation.

    Of course, at this moment, Lin Yuanyuan should be having a headache.

    ¡°Manager Lin, Manager Rou is here. She¡¯s outside.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was holding her head in frustration as she kept contacting some old friends to prepare the money. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The door was opened and the secretary quickly opened the door and rushed in.

    ¡°Let her in,¡± Lin Yuanyuan replied before hanging up the phone angrily.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also walked in anxiously.

    ¡°Mother, how is Grandpa? Why did I hear that Uncle is being controlled by them now? Let¡¯s call the police! Those people in the casino have always been ruthless. We don¡¯t know what they will do to Grandpa and the others. With Grandma¡¯s health like that, she can¡¯t bear anymore blows!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also said with some worry.

    ¡°Are you stupid? If we call the police about this, it would have a huge impact. Moreover, your uncle signed it. It¡¯s hard to exin it to the police! You don¡¯t know who is behind the casino. It has been safe and sound all these years. The business is so good. Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something fishy about this?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er coldly. ¡°I called your father to see if he could help me transfer some, but he switched off his phone! Your brother is even more...¡±

    ¡°Mother, you can¡¯t me Father and Brother for this. Don¡¯t you see what kind of person Uncle is? He¡¯s just a gambler and a scoundrel. Grandpa has helped him clean up after all these years? And you¡¯ve been troubled many times by him too! The reason Second Aunt and the others look down on us is all because of this good-for-nothing uncle! Last time, he even dared to set his sights on Second Aunt¡¯s niece. Isn¡¯t he courting death?¡±

    Speaking of this uncle, Lin Yonghua, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had a look of despise and disdain. ¡°He¡¯s just worthless and can¡¯t be helped. I think he¡¯ll bring disaster to the entire Lin family sooner orter!¡±

    ¡°Enough! Rou¡¯er!¡±

    Before Dongfang Rou¡¯er could finish her sentence, Lin Yuanyuan had already cut her off. At this moment, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes were filled with a stream of disapproval¡ª

    ¡°No matter what, he¡¯s still your uncle. You can¡¯t say things like that, especially to your grandparents! They¡¯ve already lost one son. They can¡¯t lose another. Do you understand?¡±

    When Lin Yuanyuan said these words, she actually felt a little helpless in her heart.

    ¡°But what else can we do now? It¡¯s impossible for Father to take out this money. Mother, you have to know that the South River Project is about to start, and Second Uncle is watching Father¡¯s movements closely. Unless you want Father to get into trouble, and Father isn¡¯t a fool, how can he be willing to take out such arge sum of money to fill this bottomless pit?¡±

    ¡°Then Rou¡¯er, can you think of a way to move some money from the Jin family?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was at her wit¡¯s end. The time given by the casino was too short, and she could not recover at all. Where could she find such arge amount of money?

    Misappropriating public funds?

    That was not something that she could do just because she wanted to.

    She had racked her brains toe up with 100 million. If it was purely to pay off the debt, she could still help it. But the hateful thing was, she did not know why thepany¡¯s creditors had showed up at their doors to chase them for the money!

 Chapter 1799 - Love Is Hard To Take Back (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1799: Love Is Hard To Take Back (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Father Lin¡¯s office was probably still surrounded by arge group of people who came to ask for money!

    Lin Yuanyuan could not help but feel a headache just thinking about it.

    ¡°Mother, no matter what, I feel that we should let uncle learn a lesson this time. He has caused a lot of trouble over the years. If this continues, he will drag us down sooner orter! He clearly knows that these are troubled times, but he has never thought of the bigger picture for us! Every time something happens, he always asks us to help him deal with it. Even Jin Sheng is extremely dissatisfied with him! He always puts on airs as an uncle. There are a few times when he meets Jin Sheng and ys with his seniority. To be honest, I am really ashamed of having such an uncle!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er finally could not control herself and let it out.

    ¡°Your uncle is actually still alright on a normal day. Sometimes, he knows his limits. I just don¡¯t know why it was like he lost control this time. How did he lose so much in one night! To fill in this loophole, your grandpa might have to sell off the shares of the Lin Corporation. This is thest thing I want to see.¡±

    ¡°The Lin Corporation has been going downhill for the past few years. If we sell the shares now, we will lose a lot of money!¡±

    ¡°I know, but if we can¡¯t help, your grandpa can only do this. I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t know this yet. In the past two months, the Lin Corporation has lost a huge sum of money. All of your grandpa¡¯s money has been lost, including mine. Your father seems to be disappointed with the Lin Corporation.¡±

    ¡°In the past few crises, Father helped out. This time, it was uncle who caused the trouble. I feel that Father has done his best! Mother, is there no other way?¡±

    ¡°There is no other way. We can only dere bankruptcy otherwise.¡±

    In fact, the Lin Corporation¡¯s situation was already bad a few years ago. It was only a matter of time before such a day arrived. However, everyone still did not give up. The management was not great, causing the deficit to be more and more serious, there were a few times when the cash flow was disrupted. Every time, it was Lin Yuanyuan who helped make up for it.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er also frowned. ¡°Losing so much money in one night, I keep thinking that something is fishy. Mother, should we get someone to investigate what exactly happened that night?¡±

    ¡°Your brother has already received your father¡¯s instructions and has already sent people to investigate. They should be able to find out about the situation soon. At this juncture, I hope they won¡¯t make a big deal out of this matter!¡±

    ¡°Therefore, we can only resolve this matter as soon as possible. At the stage that the Lin Corporation is in, even if we escape this time, with such a debt on our shoulders, it will still be difficult for us to keep on. Mother, then we...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking of a way. If we¡¯re out of ideas, then we can only go with your grandpa¡¯s n.¡±

    At this moment, Lin Yuanyuan was very helpless.

    Actually, it was not that the Lin Corporation did not have the possibility of continuing. After this off-season passed and Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng¡¯s good deed was done, they would immediately have arge number of orders.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s voice had just sounded when the phone on the table vibrated.

    The mother and daughter subconsciously looked at the phone screen. It was a call from Dongfang Xin!

    ¡°Your brother¡¯s call should be the result of the investigation!¡±

    As Lin Yuanyuan spoke, she hurriedly picked up the phone.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er thought for a moment, then silently pulled out a chair at the side and sat down, listening to Lin Yuanyuan pick up the phone.

    Lin Yuanyuan also quickly picked up the phone.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er walked over and poured herself a cup of tea. Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s voice continuously entered her ears. When she returned, she discovered that Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression was as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    After hanging up, Lin Yuanyuan threw her phone onto the table.

    ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also shocked. She stood up subconsciously and looked at her.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s face was tense and gloomy, and her eyes were filled with a faint cold light!

    ¡°I told you that your uncle wouldn¡¯t be so reckless no matter what. Now it seems that Dongfang Yu is really scheming! Just like his father, he¡¯s a sanctimonious viin!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan gritted his teeth and scolded, ¡°It must be that old fox Dongfang Yi¡¯s trick. If he can¡¯t do it openly, he¡¯ll do it secretly! How despicable!¡±

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er heard this, her expression changed slightly¡ª

    ¡°Dongfang Yu might not look too old, but he¡¯s quite good! I want to see what he¡¯s up to!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan could not take it anymore and stood up.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er had already guessed what she was up to. She quickly pulled Lin Yuanyuan back and said, ¡°Mother! Calm down! Think before you act. If you go and look for him now, things might not go well. You don¡¯t want everyone to know about uncle¡¯s matter!¡±

    After being pulled back by Dongfang Rou¡¯er, Lin Yuanyuan suppressed her emotions and took a few deep breaths, ¡°I can¡¯t take this lying down! It must be that despicable Dongfang Yu! It won¡¯t be a matter of a day or two before they destroy the Lin Corporation. Dongfang Yi can¡¯t escape the responsibility of what happened to your uncle! Song Siting, that witch, I will never let this matter rest!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Mother! Let¡¯s not talk about the past for now. What¡¯s going on? Why is Brother Yu involved in uncle¡¯s matter?¡±

    Although Dongfang Rou¡¯er had a bad feeling in her heart, she still wanted to rify the matter.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it instigated by Dongfang Yu? Why would your uncle bump into Dongfang Yu? He clearly knows that we are enemies with Dongfang Yi and his family. He¡¯s really pissing me off!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan only felt a surge of anger rising, and she almost could not suppress it anymore. However, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had been holding her down, ¡°Mother, the situation is still unclear. Don¡¯t act rashly for now. Let¡¯s go to Father¡¯s office to take a look. I should go over and see what Father¡¯s n is. In case it¡¯s likest time, it¡¯ll backfire. No matter what, Uncle didn¡¯t do the right thing this time!¡±

    ¡°Your father really dislikes your uncle now. Even if I tell him, he¡¯ll probably just leave him to die. What can I do?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was extremely worried. She raised her gaze to look at Dongfang Rou¡¯er and suddenly clenched her hand, ¡°Rou¡¯er, your father and brother still listen to your opinion. Can you ask your father to think of a way to help our Lin family get through this crisis? Your grandparents are old. They can¡¯t stand being shakened anymore. I¡¯m really worried that this matter will make them...¡±

    ¡°Mother, every time, you say it¡¯s thest time. I think Father is getting impatient. Besides, where are you going to get Father to move such arge sum of money for you? If Father can take out this money, I think Second Uncle¡¯s side will make a big fuss again. It¡¯s a bottomless pit on uncle¡¯s end. The Lin Corporation can only be uncle¡¯s in the future, we won¡¯t benefit much.¡±

 Chapter 1800 - Love Is Hard To Take Back (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1800: Love Is Hard To Take Back (4)</h4>

    Lin Yuanyuan could not help but frown at Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s words and fell silent. For a moment, she did not know how to answer her.

    Seeing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er could only hold onto her arm¡ª

    ¡°Mother, I know you have your own considerations. This is not a small matter. You can¡¯t just do whatever you want. At this point, it¡¯s time to see what Father and the others have to say. They have a deep understanding and tend to see the problem moreprehensively. Let¡¯s go up and see what Father has to say first.¡±

    This time, Lin Yuanyuan nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll listen to you. Let¡¯s go up and see what your Father has to say first.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan actually felt that things were not looking good, but she could not deny that what her daughter said made sense. If she had to choose between the Lin family and her husband, Lin Yuanyuan would of course choose her husband.

    ...

    At noon, the warm autumn sun was very gentle. People walking under the sun would not find it very hot. It felt veryfortable with the light autumn wind.

    The south of City Z was silent in a secluded corner outside the bustling city.

    Hidden in a restaurant amidst arge area of blooming autumn chrysanthemums.

    Zhou Zimo was still in a straight suit. He was standing in front of the French window on the second floor of the restaurant. His deep gaze was looking through the transparent window at therge area of blooming autumn chrysanthemums below, the air seemed to be filled with the fresh fragrance of chrysanthemums.

    Lian Ziyao was standing behind him.

    Zhou Zimo was currently keeping one hand in his trouser pocket and the other hand was holding his phone.

    In the middle of the sea of chrysanthemums below him, a clean cement road was extending into the distance. Standing there and looking at it, everything seemed calm and peaceful.

    After standing there for a while, a ck car slowly appeared at the intersection ahead. It was slowly approaching the restaurant, and the sound of the car passing by became clearer and clearer.

    Lian Ziyao, who was behind Zhou Zimo, also looked over. When he saw the car approaching, a smile immediately appeared on his handsome face. He hurriedly went up to meet Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Miss Qin Su¡¯s car!¡±

    Zhou Zimo also narrowed his eyes leisurely, and his gaze followed the car below. Unexpectedly, a mysterious smile suddenly appeared on his handsome face.

    ¡°Go down and let here up directly.¡± Zhou Zimo said indifferently.

    Lian Ziyao smiled knowingly and hurriedly nodded in response, ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    With that, he quickly left.

    In the parking space in front of the restaurant, Qin Su quickly parked the car. She opened the door and got out of the car quickly.

    Today, she was wearing the military green spring and autumn uniform. She looked very capable and energetic.

    ¡°Miss Qin Su!¡±

    Lian Ziyao quickly came down to wee her and smiled respectfully.

    Qin Su naturally took off the hat on her head politely and nodded as she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Zhou Zimo?¡±

    ¡°Master is waiting for Miss Qin Su upstairs. Pleasee in!¡± Lian Ziyao said.

    Qin Su frowned and hugged the hat with one hand. She subconsciously turned around and scanned her surroundings. She felt that the scenery here was not bad.

    After thinking for a moment, she also followed in.

    Following Lian Ziyao¡¯s instructions, Qin Su went straight to the second floor. Just as she reached the staircase on the second floor, she saw a man standing with his hands behind his back facing the French window in front of him.

    The entire second floor, no, it should be said that the entire restaurant was very quiet. There were no customers. Other than the person in front of him, there was a very soothing light music flowing in the air.

    Qin Su was naturally very familiar with the tune. It was a song thatpanymandeer Elder Xiong liked very much¡ª

    Right here waiting.

    Qin Su stopped walking and did not walk over for a long time. After a long while, Zhou Zimo finally turned around and looked at her. Seeing that she did not move, he frowned and said¡ª

    ¡°Come over!¡±

    Qin Su lowered her eyes and hesitated for a moment before walking over.

    Her sonorous footsteps sounded very rhythmic. At least, Zhou Zimo felt that even listening to her walk was a kind of inexplicable enjoyment, not to mention smelling the faint cold fragrance on her body.

    Qin Su stopped beside Zhou Zimo and also looked out of the window in front of her.

    However, Zhou Zimo¡¯s gaze was still fixed on her. His dark eyes were flowing with a faint warmth that even he himself could not sense.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Qin Su spoke indifferently.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I look for you for no reason? Are you worried that I¡¯ll sell you off?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her quietly and smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re really good. You called my superior directly. Zhou Zimo, what do you want?¡±

    Qin Su ced the hat in her hand into the chair beside her and asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous. After making so many calls, I saw that you didn¡¯t reply. I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I called your superior. I wanted to see you, to see if you¡¯re safe and sound.¡±

    Zhou Zimo spoke very calmly. As he spoke, he turned around and walked towards the dining table at the side. He helped her pull out the chair in a gentlemanly manner and sat down opposite her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be suspicious, I just suddenly missed you. Asking you out for a meal with me shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you, right? You¡¯ve been resting for the past few days. I also know that you¡¯re about to be transferred out of thispany¡¯s district.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s words were impable.

    Qin Su¡¯s starry eyes flickered. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Zhou Zimo for a long time before sitting down.

    Zhou Zimo elegantly undid his cufflinks and leisurely poured red wine into their cups. The waiter quickly served the steak and snacks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯ve said before that I have improper thoughts towards you. You can¡¯t stop me from working for it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve also said that we¡¯re not suitable for each other.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s answer was very straightforward. After she finished, she unceremoniously picked up the wine and took a simple sip.

    ¡°Why? Tell me the reason? Why aren¡¯t we suitable? Is there any so-calledpatibility in this rtionship? Isn¡¯t it something that you and I are willing to do?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was not angry either. His hands crossed the table and helped her cut the steak in a gentlemanly and elegant manner.

    ¡°Of course, it depends on thepatibility. Those who can fall in love may not necessarily be suitable for marriage. Those who are suitable for marriage may not necessarily have feelings for each other. Of course, there is another type that is even more tragic, that is, those who are not suitable for each other get married. After that, they have no feelings for each other.¡±

    Qin Su said indifferently. She lowered his eyes and silently looked at Zhou Zimo¡¯s skilled knife skills.

    ¡°A lifetime is so long. You can¡¯t imagine that kind of pain, including me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even willing to ept me. How can you be so sure that we¡¯re not suitable for each other? Qin Su, there¡¯s always something that needs to be tried, isn¡¯t there? I don¡¯t believe that your instructor taught you that back then? You didn¡¯t think so much when you saved me. You didn¡¯t even care about your life. Why are you so worried now?¡±

 Chapter 1801 - Love Is Hard To Take Back (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1801: Love Is Hard To Take Back (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo spoke out of the blue, his gaze locked onto Qin Su¡¯s face.

    Qin Su lowered her eyes, fell silent, and took a sip of wine, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, that was just a mission, and it might not be the same as now. We¡¯ve all been through thick and thin, so we should be more rational when looking at things, shouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    Qin Su was a very rational person at all times. Whether it was looking at life or at rtionships, it was the same.

    Actually, speaking of which, she was also not a very lucky person. Over the years, she had seen too much reunion and separation. She was a person who walked on the edge of optimism and pessimism. She said that she should live for her beliefs. However, Zhou Zimo did not know at the moment, what was the so-called faith in her heart.

    ¡°Qin Su, you¡¯re actually good at everything, but you¡¯re too defensive and too old-fashioned. We¡¯ve known each other for quite a long time, almost 10 years. I¡¯ve heard of you since you were specially recruited into the military academy. Until I really got to know you and came into contact with you, I couldn¡¯t feel the vitality that a young person should have. You¡¯re only in your twenties!¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome brows were tightly knitted together. He felt a little angry because of Qin Su¡¯s words¡ª

    It was because he wondered what kind of beautiful memories could she have with her way of living?

    A woman like her, in such a good period of life, she should be enjoying the care and love that a woman should have? Instead, she had buried all of this in the military camp.

    Look at her slender body, the thick calluses on her palms, her voice, the wounds on her hands, and the number of scars on her body...

    ¡°Can¡¯t you leave that damned ce? This upation isn¡¯t suitable for you at all.¡±

    Zhou Zimo took a deep breath and silently stared at Qin Su.

    Qin Su did not move, and Zhou Zimo also stopped what he was doing.

    ¡°If I leave the military camp, I¡¯d have nowhere to go. Ever since I was born, I¡¯ve been in contact with that ce. How do you want me to continue living?¡±

    Qin Su was silent for a moment before speaking in an indifferent manner.

    ¡°I¡¯ll support you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo immediately blurted out.

    Qin Su immediately frowned as she looked at him with a somewhat cold gaze.

    Zhou Zimo seemed to have realized something as he hurriedly exined, ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. What I mean is that if you marry me and be my Missus Zhou, you don¡¯t have to do anything. You¡¯re free to do whatever you want.¡±

    Qin Su froze for a moment when she heard that. Her hand clenched the wine ss in her hand slightly, ¡°I know your intentions. There¡¯s no need for you to give yourself to me. I don¡¯t have any intentions of getting married right now. Moreover, there¡¯s a ss conflict between us. I personally feel pessimistic about our rtionship.¡±

    Hearing that, Zhou Zimo felt a stifling feeling in his chest. Feeling somewhat annoyed, he picked up the steak on her te and stuffed it into her mouth. He did not want to hear these hurtful words from her anymore.

    The sudden action naturally made Qin Su stunned for a moment. However, she quickly reacted and silently epted his kindness.

    ¡°Am I not handsome enough?¡±

    Zhou Zimo took a sip of wine and stared at her with some annoyance as he asked.

    Qin Su was quietly chewing the food in her mouth. Seeing him ask this, she carefully observed him for a while and then shook her head.

    Zhou Zimo was also recognized as a handsome man by the entire City Z.

    ¡°Do I look poor? Do I not meet the standards of a Prince Charming?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. You are recognized as a Prince Charming.¡±

    Qin Su answered straightforwardly.

    ¡°Then why do you reject me? I think that I¡¯m not bad. The two of us are a match made in heaven. How can you tell that we are not suitable? Do you believe that if we just walked out and ask a hundred people, there will definitely be ny-nine people who say that we¡¯re suitable?¡±

    This time, Qin Su did not answer. She just lowered her head and started eating.

    Zhou Zimo was helpless against Qin Su¡¯s silence. After thinking for a while, he said, ¡°I went to your house yesterday. Uncle and Auntie met me.¡±

    ¡®Ding!¡¯

    As soon as Zhou Zimo said this, the knife and fork in Qin Su¡¯s hand slipped. Zhou Zimo quickly reached out and grabbed it for her.

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    He said this in a low voice and handed the fork to Qin Su. Qin Su quickly took it.

    ¡°Why did you go over?¡±

    Qin Su naturally could control her emotions very quickly and asked indifferently.

    ¡°You should know my motive, it¡¯s exactly what you think it is. I am toozy to hide it. I am interested in you. You should do as you see fit.¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her cold and indifferent attitude and could not help but feel a burst of anger in his heart. He revealed his motive as though he had given up on himself. After all, everyone was well aware of this. It was not necessarily bad to say it out loud.

    Qin Su¡¯s movements paused, and this time, she looked at him with a frown¡ª

    ¡°There are thousands of women in City Z who are better than me, why do you have to pick on me and not let go? It¡¯s better for you to randomly find a female celebrity or a famous model than to provoke me.¡±

    ¡°If I could convince myself, do you think I would still be able to persist until today? I admit that I have always thought of being with you. If you want to me, then me it on the bond we had back then that can¡¯t be broken.¡±

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    ¡°Only ghosts would have an unbreakable bond with you! I¡¯ve said it before, that was only a mission, a mission! I didn¡¯t ask you to give yourself to me!¡±

    Qin Su was so angered by Zhou Zimo¡¯s nonsense that she mmed the table. Looking at his appearance, it was obvious that he was the type of person¡ª

    <i>You saved me, so you have to be responsible for me to the end. I have to give myself to you and follow you!</i>

    Qin Su felt that her heart was filled with anger, how clingy was he?

    ¡°Then you must be that ghost! Come, don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry. The steak here is pretty good. Try it. I¡¯m really a good man. After getting married, I¡¯ll definitely be a filial husband. You have to believe me. I definitely won¡¯t be like your parents, and I won¡¯t do the same thing as yourrades. Don¡¯t you see that my father is also a dignified militarymander? He and my mother are very loving...¡±

    Zhou Zimo saw the slight anger on her beautiful face and quickly coughed. He smiled and poured her some wine, indicating for her to ease up a little.

    ¡°Have you always been this thick-skinned?¡±

    Qin Su frowned and looked at him.

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m usually very cold and aloof. I always pay attention to maintaining the image of a cold and aloof Prince Charming.¡±

    Zhou Zimo gave it some thought before replying in a serious manner.

    Qin Su was so cornered by him that she just wanted to clench her fists¡ª

    She had never seen such a shameless person in her entire life!

    ¡°Don¡¯te to my house anymore.¡±

    Qin Su finally said so.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Zhou Zimo said disapprovingly.

 Chapter 1802 - I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1802: I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (1)</h4>

    Qin Su did not answer and only gave him an indifferent nce.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes flickered and he did not force her anymore. He just silently raised his wine ss and calmly toasted her, ¡°If it has caused you trouble, then I can only say that I¡¯m sorry. However, I will not give up.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so persistent? I¡¯m not a very amorous person and I¡¯m not suitable to get along with.¡±

    Qin Su knew herself very well, and her gaze was filled with sincerity. ¡°I appreciate your kindness, but I don¡¯t have any confidence in being your femalepanion.¡±

    ¡°Not a femalepanion, but a wife. I think you can do it. Compared to you, those women arepletely iparable. You should give me a chance.¡±

    Zhou Zimo quickly corrected her. ¡°I¡¯m not married, and you¡¯re not married either. You don¡¯t have a partner either, and we know each other. Based on this, I think you should give us a chance.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t force you. Don¡¯t be in a hurry to reject me. Go back and think about it. Let¡¯s start as friends and lovers. I have plenty of time and patience for you to ept willingly.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was very confident in his charm, especially after his conversation with Mu Yuchen earlier. It made him feel that if Zhou Zimo was willing to put in the effort to pursue her, Qin Su would definitely be his woman.

    When Zhou Zimo said this, hisrge hand reached out and grabbed Qin Su¡¯s wrist, staring at her. The force was so strong that Qin Su could not break free. She struggled a few times but to no avail, so she gave up struggling.

    ¡°Promise me.¡±

    When he saw that she did not say anything, Zhou Zimo said directly.

    ¡°Let go!¡±

    ¡°I have to hear an answer from you today. Are you afraid of me?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was very calm, but his aura was enough to suppress the other party.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you agree? I¡¯m not a threatening beast, I¡¯m not that scary!¡±

    Zhou Zimo tightened hisrge hands and said in a deep voice.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t get past yourself, then let¡¯s make a bet. If I lose, then I¡¯ll go along with you. If you lose, you¡¯ll have to be my girlfriend. What do you think?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was actually furious. Against someone like Qin Su, he thought that he could only use the simplest method to deal with such a stupid student.

    He thought that Qin Su¡¯s EQ must be very low!

    Definitely!

    Qin Su did not respond, but looked at him silently with a face full of disapproval.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, you can only agree. Eat first, I¡¯ll bring you to a ceter.¡±

    Zhou Zimo took a deep breath and took the initiative to pour her a drink.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to gamble, I¡¯ll give you an answer in three days.¡±

    Qin Su only responded in an indifferent manner. Then, she picked up her knife and fork again and continued to enjoy her lunch.

    This time, Zhou Zimo paused and looked at her with some surprise. A momentter, a smile shed across his handsome face. ¡°This is the officer I¡¯m familiar with, Qin Su. You¡¯ve always been known for being frank and straightforward.¡±

    ¡°I can hear the sarcasm in your words.¡±

    Qin Su nced at him.

    Zhou Zimo shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I don¡¯t have the slightest bit of sarcasm.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going to be transferred back?¡±

    Zhou Zimo naturally knew that Qin Su was going to be transferred back. Of course, because of this matter, as someone who had never begged his father, Zhou Zhenjun, he had especially made a trip there for this matter. Naturally, Qin Su did not know about this.

    ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for the news. We¡¯ll know the results in the next two days.¡±

    Qin Su did not pay much attention to this work matter. In her current situation, her superiors would also give her special care. Moreover, she was a person with a strong ability to adapt. She would be able to adapt quickly wherever she went, so it would be the same no matter where she went.

    Zhou Zimo saw her indifferent look, but he felt a lot of emotions in his heart

    Naturally, he could not bear to let her endure so much. He had to let her rx a little. Of course, it was also for his own convenience!

    ...

    After lunch, the sun was not very bright outside. Zhou Zimo suggested to go down to the flower field for a walk, and Qin Su agreed.

    Qin Su rarely had the time to go out like this. At this moment, wandering around the flower fields felt pretty good.

    She walked in front, and Zhou Zimo followed behind her.

    ¡°The scenery here is pretty nice.¡±

    Qin Su, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and said this lightly.

    ¡°Yeah, when I came here before, this ce was still a wastnd, but there were still a lot of chrysanthemums nted nearby. Later, when I found out that the entire city was going to develop the south, I thought that this ce was also a good ce. My friend nned to set up a restaurant here. I¡¯m also very interested in the catering industry, so I also joined in.¡±

    No wonder the waiter called him Mr. Zhou so politely when he came up. He must have known Zhou Zimo¡¯s identity.

    ¡°You returned to City Z after leaving the army?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t think of staying in the army at that time. Coincidentally, Chen wasing back to take over Glory World. My parents and their professions meant they wouldn¡¯t take over the Zhou family¡¯s business. At that time, thepany was also in the midst of turmoil. My grandmother passed away suddenly as well. I could only take over this mess after that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Chen and the others¡¯ help. Otherwise, the crisis wouldn¡¯t have passed so quickly. The development of thepany has been smooth over the past few years. I¡¯m less tired now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not help but feel a little absent-minded when he recalled that period of time.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the rtionship between the three of you. It¡¯s very enviable.¡±

    Qin Su also responded simply.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that you¡¯re quite close to that staff officer called Zhang Nuannuan. Why didn¡¯t she transfer back?¡±

    Zhou Zimo pondered for a moment before asking.

    Hearing this, Qin Su¡¯s entire body stiffened for a moment. After a while, she turned her head away and looked at therge field of blooming autumn chrysanthemums in front of her. Her hoarse voice was as indifferent as the wind¡ª

    ¡°She¡¯s dead...¡±

    She was dead?

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment. He looked at Qin Su with some surprise. His sharp senses could detect a trace of hidden pain in the depths of her eyes..

    ¡°How...¡±

    Zhou Zimo asked softly.

    ¡°She passed away during a mission. She didn¡¯t need to die, her husband betrayed her. When she received the news, she happened to be on a mission. During that period of time, her mental state was very poor. When we were retreating, she startled her opponents. You know, the drug lords at the border are all ruthless. When the bullet went through her chest, I was by her side. In the end, she fell in my arms.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her sleep so peacefully. At that time, I thought that it might have been a relief for her.¡±

 Chapter 1803 - I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1803: I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she said these, Qin Su¡¯s tone was very calm.

    She had heard that time could calm many things, even memories. Now as she spoke about it, it did not feel as ghastly as before.

    ¡°She was an orphan. After I dealt with her funeral, I went to look for that man, but he was already with another woman, and that woman was already pregnant.¡±

    ¡°I found the doctor and got the time certificate of that woman¡¯s pregnancy. After that, I sued the man to the military court. Even that woman was not spared. She should still be in prison now.¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not help but be stunned when he heard these words!

    He did not expect her to have such an experience.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m quite ruthless?¡±

    Seeing that Zhou Zimo did not answer, Qin Su asked with a faint smile.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a while before shaking his head silently. ¡°No, if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t let them off so easily either.¡±

    ¡°Nuannuan is a very simple person. Before she decided to marry that man, I had already reminded her that different values will lead to conflict. She was the one who did not listen. She always thought that having feelings meant having it all. The rest of it could be fought for and managed together. You will never understand someone who won¡¯t reveal their heart to you. At this point, you can only me yourself more.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s hoarse voice could not help but be tinged with a hint of disappointment.

    ¡°So you...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not targetting anyone, but when ites to love and marriage, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being a little more rational and cautious. There are many things that require looking into. I¡¯m not one of those erudite philosophers or schrs, so I won¡¯tment too much.¡±

    ¡°I admit that I¡¯m not a person who knows how to manage love and marriage, so...¡±

    Qin Su wanted to exin something, but at this point, she suddenly did not know how to continue, so she gave up in the end.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s dark eyes flickered.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand everything before you do it. You underestimate your own EQ, Qin Su.¡±

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo could only say this helplessly.

    ¡°I will consider your words carefully. Isn¡¯t it good to be just friends?¡±

    Qin Su nced at him and asked.

    Zhou Zimo hurriedly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m a very clear-cut person. I don¡¯t think that just friendship can truly exist between a man and a woman. At least, that¡¯s the case for me. I don¡¯t have that much stamina and energy, other than...¡±

    ¡°In that case, do I still need to thank you for thinking highly of me?¡±

    Qin Su narrowed her eyes and said.

    Zhou Zimo smiled mysteriously and did not answer.

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi, Vice President Wang Chun is outside and would like to see you!¡±

    In Taiyu Corporation¡¯s president¡¯s office, a sudden announcement broke the silence in the office.

    Qi Lei, who was standing by the bookshelf and flipping through a book, heard this and slowly turned around in the next moment. He looked over. It was his assistant, Yang Sheng.

    Qi Lei nodded and took a bookmark from the bookshelf at the side. He put it into the book and slowly closed it before putting it away on the bookshelf. Then, he said unhurriedly, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly left. A momentter, Wang Chun walked in with a heavy briefcase.

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    Wang Chun came to the desk and greeted respectfully.

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Qi Lei pointed at the chair opposite him.

    Wang Chun nodded and sat down silently. He took out a document from his briefcase

    ¡°Second Master, this is a portion of the shares sold by the Lin Corporation. I¡¯ve already asked the actuary to estimate the value. It¡¯s worth 200 million. This is only 40% of the shares of the Lin Corporation. Together with the 20% that we controlled previously, it¡¯s enough to hold down the Lin Corporation.¡±

    Qi Lei reached out and took it. He roughly flipped through it and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s done well. You can decide what to do next.¡±

    He tossed the document back and said dispiritedly, ¡°Is there still no reaction between Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi?¡±

    ¡°No. Even if Dongfang Ren knew that it was Dongfang Yu¡¯s idea, he wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to Dongfang Yu¡¯s side. Dongfang Shuman is still in City Z, they can¡¯t make a fuss. However, they can¡¯t guarantee that they won¡¯t do it in the dark.¡±

    ¡°Also, Master Qi, I heard that Dongfang Yu is very close to Mayor Huang¡¯s daughter. Miss Huang¡¯s background isn¡¯t simple. If I¡¯m not wrong, they might...¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good? Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the Master of the Jin family, Dongfang Yi¡¯s side can¡¯t be at a disadvantage.¡±

    A cold smile appeared on Qi Lei¡¯s lips, but his eyes were unusually gloomy¡ª

    It was no wonder that Dongfang Liuyun was having a hard time dealing with them. Looking at Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi, one could feel suppressed at every moment. Qi Lei could not imagine what would happen if she were to bear all this on her own.

    ¡°There¡¯s another piece of news, Master Qi. Recently, Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er are taking wedding photos. I heard that they¡¯re nning to have their wedding at the end of the year.¡±

    Wang Chun did not forget this news.

    ¡°The end of the year?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned. He thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Think of a way, I want their wedding to not go through. It¡¯s best if Dongfang Ren turns against the Jin family.¡±

    ¡°Second Master, this matter...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hesitate, just do as I say. Also, keep an eye on Dongfang Yu, let his matter fail as well.¡±

    With Qi Lei¡¯s words, Wang Chun naturally understood what Qi Lei meant.

    ¡°Yes, Second Master!¡±

    Wang Chun replied swiftly and quickly put away the information.

    ¡°Make the arrangements. Contact Elder Madam Dongfang and arrange a time. I think I should meet her.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Qi Lei suddenly stood up with his hands pressed on the table. He spoke with a calm expression.

    ¡°What? Elder Madam Dongfang? Second Master, do you want to meet Dongfang Shuman?¡±

    Wang Chun was shocked as well. He looked at Qi Lei in a daze.

    Qi Lei was calm as usual¡ª

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to meet sooner orter. There¡¯s nothing wrong with taking the initiative to meet her. I heard that she¡¯s very satisfied with Fujiwara. I¡¯d like to see how she rates me.¡±

    ¡°Fujiwara? Second Master, that person isn¡¯t someone to mess with. If we don¡¯t have to, we¡¯d better not interact with these people. The Fujiwara family has a good rtionship with the Dongfang family to begin with, so it¡¯s normal for Elder Madam Dongfang to have a good first impression of him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about Fujiwara, but if I want less trouble, I have to meet with Elder Madam Dongfang.¡±

    Qi Lei replied calmly.

    Wang Chun paused and thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Alright, since Second Master insists on it, I¡¯ll make some arrangements. I¡¯ll get someone to send you Elder Madam Dongfang¡¯s informationter...¡±

 Chapter 1804 - I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1804: I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (3)</h4>

    Qi Lei nodded and did not reply. Only then did Wang Chun leave.

    The office immediately fell silent. There was no sound at all.

    Qi Lei sat back down again with a gloomy look in his eyes. After he fell silent, he slowly reached out to open the drawer at the side. Just as he was about to take out the cigarette packet from inside, he was caught off guard. A photo frame that was flipped inside came into view.

    He paused for a while before he took it out. In the photo frame was a photo of a family.

    He thought about it, it seemed to be a family photo from a holiday.

    In the photo were Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha, and of course, Wang Qin, Qi Qiming, and the others...

    But now, many of the people in the photo were already...

    Qi Lei stared at the photo for a long time. He did not look away until there was a knock on the door. Then, he took a deep breath and turned his chair around. He raised his head slightly and blinked as he looked out the window.

    ¡°Come in.¡± He replied calmly.

    The door was soon opened. Secretary Bai Xiaowei walked in carefully and bowed very respectfully. ¡°President Qi, President Xi from Fuhua Real Estate is here...¡±

    Xiaye?

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment before he quickly said, ¡°Let her in!¡±

    Xi Xiaye actually came over to take a look around the area today. To Qi Lei¡¯s surprise, she even brought Qi Weier over.

    Qi Weier actually came over asionally. Every time, Wang Chun would pick her up, so Qi Lei and Qi Weier were not considered estranged. Dongfang Liuyun did not seem to have had much formal contact with Qi Weier. Qi Lei was thinking about whether he should find a time to let the two of them meet properly.

    Initially, Qi Feng had asked him to take care of Weier, but because of Weier¡¯s illness, he had no choice but to ask Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye to help take care of herter on.

    ¡°Xiaye, Weier!¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Qi Weier¡¯s silhouettes had just appeared in front of them when Qi Lei stood up to wee them.

    Xi Xiaye was still the same as before. She was dressed in a light-colored dress. She looked beautiful and elegant, and she had the same low-key and peaceful aura that her husband, Mu Yuchen had on him.

    He heard that after being together for a long time, the two of them would even have a simr aura. They were probably referring to couples like them.

    Qi Weier was dressed in a very soft casual outfit. She looked very energetic, unlike before, when she was like a porcin doll that would shatter at a touch.

    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t here. Weier, address your uncle.¡±

    They were very familiar old friends, so Xi Xiaye was not so reserved. As she answered Qi Lei, she also sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°Uncle...¡±

    Qi Weier greeted Qi Lei with a smile. She looked a little shy, but she was much better than before. At least, she dared to chat with others. Sometimes, she would evene over and stick to Qi Lei.

    ¡°Mmm, I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days. You¡¯ve grown a lot taller. Have you been goodtely?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯srge hand quickly reached out and patted her little head as he asked.

    ¡°Yes, Mother said that she¡¯ll take us to the amusement park this weekend. Father wille too. Uncle, will youe with us?¡± Qi Weier asked.

    ¡°Uncle will y with you next weekend. Will you go home with Uncle tonight?¡± Qi Lei probed.

    When Qi Weier heard this, her face instantly turned a little timid as she turned to look at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye then smiled calmly. ¡°Let¡¯s find another opportunity next time. Tonight, I¡¯m going back to the Mu Residence to visit Grandfather. Mr. Mu will go straight to thepany to pick us upter. Today, I¡¯ve speciallye to visit you. How is it? Recently?¡±

    Qi Lei let Yang Sheng bring Qi Weier in to have something to eat while he leisurely made Xi Xiaye some good tea.

    ¡°He¡¯s still the same, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°I heard about your father from Mu Yuchen some time ago. Yesterday morning, Mu Yuchen and I went to the hospital to visit a friend who was in the hospital. Aunty Liang said that his condition has stabilized and he¡¯s still recovering, but his physical condition seems to have deteriorated a lot. He might need more restter on.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Qi Lei as she spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same. I know that you and Mu Yuchen have been helping me look for experts overseas these past few days. I¡¯ve also invited quite a few experts over to see how he¡¯s doing, but everyone gave the same result, so I don¡¯t have much hope.¡±

    Qi Lei seemed very calm at this moment. As he said this, he took a sip of his tea and paused before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ve mentioned to Mu Yuchen before that I want to bring Weier back to the Qi family...¡±

    ¡°Bring her back to the Qi family?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand froze. She nced at Qi Lei in surprise. ¡°Why? Do you think we¡¯re not good enough to Weier?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. She¡¯s still a member of the Qi family. The things that Qi Feng should have will still belong to her in the future, so...¡± Qi Lei exined.

    Xi Xiaye smiled, ¡°I thought you were worried about something? Don¡¯t worry. When she grows up, I won¡¯t stop her from going anywhere. It¡¯s just that her condition has just recovered. I think it¡¯s better to let her have a more stable environment first. Moreover, I have two sons myself. My family is like a children¡¯s paradise to begin with. Now, I won¡¯t mind having one more. They¡¯ll just be goodpany.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned when he heard this. He did not know how to reply.

    Xi Xiaye was very understanding. She smiled and poured more tea into his cup, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. We¡¯re such close friends. Mu Yuchen treats you as a brother too. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll treat us as outsiders, right? The matter between you and Dongfang Liuyun isn¡¯t that simple either. I¡¯ve heard some of those rumors.¡±

    ¡°You still have a tough battle to fight. Naturally, you don¡¯t have the energy to take care of Weier. Why don¡¯t you just leave it to us? I can¡¯t help you with anything else. I can only do my part.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I want her to meet Liuyun properly too.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun is a very friendly person. Weier won¡¯t reject her. Let¡¯s wait for a while. Grandfather hasn¡¯t been feeling very well recently, and we often need to go back to visit.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandfather Mu feel much better before?¡±

    Qi Lei could not help but frown when he heard that.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. It looks like he¡¯s better, but he¡¯s been doing worse mentally. After Grandmother left, Grandfather¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t been very good. Everyone knows that.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother Mu and Grandfather Mu have a deep rtionship. They¡¯ve been together for so many years. Grandfather Mu left so suddenly, and Grandfather Mu couldn¡¯t help but... do you still hate Gu Qiwu?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in a low voice.

 Chapter 1805 - I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1805: I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (4)</h4>

    She had almost forgotten about this.

    Hatred?

    What hatred was there to talk about now?

    Ah Mo, Lingshi, and their children were still living over there. I heard that they had been living quite harmoniously recently. When she went over with Mu Yuchen some time ago, she saw that they were also living quite peacefully.

    This was probably what Grandmother wanted to see the most, right?

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a long time before she shook her head. ¡°Those things are all in the past. As long as everyone is doing well, nothing else matters anymore. Now, it¡¯s you. It keeps feeling like you¡¯re always just two steps away from happiness.¡±

    ¡°Me? I don¡¯t mind. Things are pretty good now, I¡¯m content.¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°How¡¯s Xi Xinyi doing in America? I haven¡¯t heard from her for quite some time. Recently, Father has been busy, so I haven¡¯t spoken to her.¡±

    This time, Xi Xiaye took the initiative to ask about Xi Xinyi.

    Ever since that time she left, she had never returned. She did not know how she was doing with Han Yifeng and the child.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi?¡±

    Qi Lei mumbled softly. He was stunned for a moment before he smiled. ¡°If you didn¡¯t ask me, I would¡¯ve forgotten. I wanted to tell you about her before.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s doing very well over there. She¡¯s already the CEO there now. Thepany has already increased the funding for the project with Han Yifeng. Although the two of them have not let bygones be bygones, I heard that they can work on the project together very harmoniously. Oh right, Han Yifeng didn¡¯t stop her from visiting their son every month. This should be considered good news.¡±

    Qi Lei knew more about Xi Xinyi¡¯s situation. After all, Xi Xinyi was still the executive manager sent out by Taiyu Corporation. As the boss, he knew quite a bit about the situation.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye nodded gently. ¡°Mmm, if that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m relieved. Regarding her matter, I¡¯ll let you...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still being polite with me? Her abilities are actually not bad. It¡¯s just that she was too narrow-minded before. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have fallen to such a state. However, fortunately, she met you and Mu Yuchen.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he suddenly thought of something, and his eyes darkened a little. He thought about it and sighed. ¡°Sometimes, I can¡¯t help but envy her. If only I could be as lucky as her...¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯tpare, Qi Lei. You have your own fate and your own path. We just want to live a peaceful andfortable life. That¡¯s all that matters. Now, it seems like victory is within our grasp.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes darkened as she quietly looked at Qi Lei, ¡°Do you know that every time I see you, I¡¯d find that you¡¯ve changed a little more thanst time? I think Liuyun must be someone that you really care about. Every time I talk about her, your emotions seem to change a little.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already married her, how can I not care?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled faintly as if he was thinking about something. His dark eyes became a little absent-minded, ¡°She¡¯s very good. It¡¯s just that sometimes, it feels a little unreal. The feelings that I never knew before have all been tasted by her. Xiaye, do you think Liuyun and I can truly love each other and be together for a lifetime?¡±

    When Qi Lei asked this, he also silently looked at Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She slowly raised her gaze to look at Qi Lei. Unexpectedly, it was very easy for her to catch that faint emotion that could not be concealed in his eyes. She was finally shocked¡ª

    It was very obvious that he had already fallen in love with... Dongfang Liuyun?

    Love was such a wondrous thing. It could be subtly influenced and umted more and more as they interacted with each other.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and then nodded. She looked at him calmly and replied, ¡°Of course, since the two of you are sopatible, you¡¯ll definitely be able to truly love each other and be together for a lifetime.¡±

    When he heard this, Qi Lei suddenly smiled and said happily, ¡°Is that so? Do you think so too? Can we truly love each other and be together for a lifetime?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded vigorously, but her eyes started to heat up for some reason. Even she herself did not know why. Perhaps it was because when she saw him at this moment, he inadvertently revealed a unique loneliness?

    The smile on Qi Lei¡¯s face widened as he said softly, ¡°I think so too. Thank you, Xiaye...¡±

    Tears welled up in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. She could only turn her head away and take a few breaths before she managed to calm down...

    ...

    When she left Qi Lei¡¯s office, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes were still a little red. Fortunately, she wore sunsses, so no one could tell.

    But Qi Weier, who was holding her hand, was unusually sensitive. When she walked into Qi Lei¡¯s private elevator, Qi Weier suddenly asked¡ª

    ¡°Mother, why are you crying?¡±

    ¡°Is Mother crying?¡± Xi Xiaye asked in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Father said that you¡¯ve been crying a lottely, Mother...,¡± said Qi Weier.

    Xi Xiaye then sniffed and smiled bitterly, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your father¡¯s nonsense. Mother¡¯s just has sand in my eyes. Wei¡¯er, your Uncle Qi Lei is a very good person. When you grow up, you have to protect him like how you protect Father and Mother, understand?¡±

    ¡°Uncle is an adult. He doesn¡¯t need Weier to protect him...¡±

    ¡°No, Weier. He¡¯s your family. He¡¯s your father¡¯s younger brother, just like you and Xiaocheng¡¯s younger brother. You definitely won¡¯t let others bully your younger brother, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t let others bully my younger brother. But, Mother, they all said that my parents used to be bad people...¡±

    ¡°How can that be? They¡¯re your biological parents. They still love Weier very much. When you grow up in the future, you can search for the answers yourself. Now, you¡¯re in charge of growing up, okay?¡±

    When she heard this, Qi Weier nodded as if she did not understand. She looked up at Xi Xiaye seriously, ¡°Mother, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Xiao Rui. I¡¯ll do my best to protect you and Father. Oh, and Uncle. I won¡¯t let the bad people bully you guys.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded. She reached out to pat her head. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you to protect me.¡±

    ...

    Persistent!

    She almost forgot that Zhou Zimo was such a persistent person.

    After a few days, he actually did not feel tormented because he knew very well that no matter what Qin Su¡¯s final answer was, it would not stop him.

    At this moment, in afortable and luxurious office.

    Zhou Zimo was sitting in a chair in front of his desk, holding a photo in his hand and looking at it...

    In the photo, it was a woman standing in the sea of chrysanthemums, looking up into the distance. The woman was wearing a straight military-green autumn uniform, and there was a rare hint of warmth on her ice-cold face. She was surrounded by a sea of blooming flowers...

 Chapter 1806 - I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1806: I Will Marry You In My Lifetime (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    With that kind of appearance and beauty, who else could it be other than Officer Qin Su?

    The photo was taken secretly by Lian Ziyao. The angle of the photo was very good, and one could clearly appreciate her charm.

    It was taken when Zhou Zimo had an appointment with Qin Su that day.

    Holding the photo and staring at it for a long time, Zhou Zimo finally nodded his head in satisfaction. He retracted his gaze and looked at Lian Ziyao in front of him¡ª

    ¡°Not bad. You have the potential to be a photographer.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was not stingy with his praise.

    Lian Ziyao coughed a few times and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s good that Master likes it! However, Miss Qin Su is indeed beautiful and moving, we...¡±

    ¡°Put away that cheap smile on your face. In the future, when you see her, you have to be more serious.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at Lian Ziyao¡¯s meaningful smile and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the investigation going?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I just received news that Officer Qin Su has been transferred to the government. I think she¡¯s transferred to the prosecutor¡¯s office.¡±

    ¡°Prosecutor¡¯s office? She¡¯s transferred to the prosecutor¡¯s office?¡±

    Zhou Zimo frowned slightly

    He did not say that she would be transferred to the prosecutor¡¯s office, but now..

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s not difficult. Officer Qin Su¡¯s physical condition has always been... Moreover, she has the conditions to be transferred to the prosecutor¡¯s office, she just needs to smooth things over a little,¡± said Lian Ziyao.

    ¡°I thought she was only transferred back to the military headquarters. My father previously looked as if he didn¡¯t like me for being meddlesome.¡±

    Zhou Zimo rubbed his nose in puzzlement. He was a little puzzled by the old man¡¯s sudden decision...

    He, Zhou Zimo, probably would not have expected that his old man, Zhou Zhenjun, had already gone to look for Qin Su¡¯s father, Qin Yi. The two of them had already reached an agreement to do their best to bring these two children together, right?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a good thing? Leaving the army would free up Miss Qin Su much more than staying inside. Moreover, it seemed that after the new year, Miss Qin Su would be 29 years old, her family is also very anxious. That¡¯s why Chief Qin and Officer Mei were so anxious that day...¡±

    ¡°Also, Master, you¡¯re turning 34 years old too, the family remembers!¡± Lian Ziyao lowered his voice and said.

    Hearing that, Zhou Zimo immediately gave him a cold nce and said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me!¡±

    Lian Ziyao was so scared that he didn¡¯t dare to breathe loudly. He could only smile apologetically, but he felt extremely wronged in his heart¡ª

    Master, I am telling the truth. The family is already so anxious about your matter!

    34, without noticing it, you would soon be forty-three. How many more years would be left in this life?

    ¡°When does she officially start work?¡±

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment before lowering his eyes and looking at the photo in his hand.

    ¡°There should be a handover of work in the next two days. It should be Thursday at the earliest,¡± replied Lian Ziyao.

    Only then did Zhou Zimo nod. ¡°I got it. You can leave first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    At this moment, Lian Ziyao heaved a sigh of relief and silently left.

    When he heard the sound of the door closing, Zhou Zimo also calmed down. His deep gaze was focused on Qin Su¡¯s face in the photo, and his eyes darkened for a moment

    ¡°Qin Su, Qin Su... I will definitely marry you. Let¡¯s see what else you have to say.¡±

    Speaking of which, Zhou Zimo himself felt quite angry. He and Qin Su had long been one, but he could not say it...

    ..

    A day passed very quickly. At dusk, in the parking lot downstairs of the Dongfang Group.

    A ck luxury car slowly drove into an empty parking space in front of them. The car had just stopped when the driver¡¯s window quickly rolled down. Fujiwara was sitting in the car, and he was alone.

    It was his first timeing to City Z since he had been here for so long. He just wanted to see her. God knows how much courage he had needed.

    It was also time to get off work. Many people were walking out of the Dongfang Group. After a while, the entrance was finally slightly emptied. However, Fujiwara did not see the familiar figure either...

    Matsuda clearly said that she hade to work today.

    Fujiwara frowned, and his cold face subconsciously tensed up.

    ...

    ¡°Manager Rou, we¡¯re off work!¡±

    ¡°Good day, Manager Rou!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, Manager Rou!¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er slowly walked out of thepany. Her expression was not too good...

    The Lin family¡¯s matters had been worrying her for the past few days. After weighing the pros and cons, she could only sell her shares at a very low price. After the shares were sold, the customers who had received news from god-knows-where came to collect their debts, right now, the Lin Corporation was in a mess, and there was no way for them to operate normally. Moreover, she heard that the new major shareholders would being soon. At that time, it was hard to say if the Lin Corporation would still be theirs. After all, they did not have too many shares in their hands...

    Even Lin Yuanyuan had been sick from holding it in for the past few days. She had been lying at home to rest for the past two days, or returning to the Lin family. She was not doing good mentally.

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also on the phone with Lin Yuanyuan.

    ¡°Mother, I understand. I¡¯ll go over now to take a look. Now that things have developed to such a state, there¡¯s no use in being anxious. Who asked you to be greedy back then? You can¡¯t bite off more than you can chew. Right now, there are holes everywhere. Even if we wanted to fill them up, we wouldn¡¯t be able to fill them up. What can I do?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was a little harsh at this moment!

    ¡°No, Rou¡¯er, I just want you to ask the Jin family. Ah Sheng likes you so much, he will definitely be willing to help you. If you ask him, he definitely won¡¯t reject you. I¡¯m begging you, please? Otherwise, those people will sue your grandfather in court. Your grandfather is so old, he can¡¯t take it anymore...¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s anxious tone sounded, causing Dongfang Rou¡¯er to look troubled.

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to help, but I really don¡¯t know how to say it! Jin Sheng and I aren¡¯t married yet, right? Even if we were married, I wouldn¡¯t ask him for money. Mother, why can¡¯t you think for me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already given all my money to you to fill in the loopholes, but those losses are a bottomless pit. Do you really have the heart to watch it drag us down?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other choice, do I? It¡¯s all Dongfang Yu¡¯s fault! If it weren¡¯t for him, our Lin family wouldn¡¯t be in such a difficult situation. If this continues, Rou¡¯er, our Lin family... I¡¯m afraid we can only dere bankruptcy. When that timees, what will the Dongfang family think of us? With just your father, how could he possibly be able to hold on?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan said worriedly.

    ¡°No matter what, Rou¡¯er, the most important thing right now is that you and Jin Sheng are going to fix the wedding date soon. Only by getting married as soon as possible can we stabilize our position. I know very well of Dongfang Yi¡¯s ns.¡±

 Chapter 1807 - Out of ReaC.(1)

    <h4>Chapter 1807: Out of Reach (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s considerations were very normal, especially at this critical moment. Many things were unavoidable. The original intention of marrying the Jin family was to get the Jin family¡¯s help.

    However, if the marriage between Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng had not been settled for a long time, the Jin family would not be able to talk about it, so Lin Yuanyuan was also worried.

    ¡°Mother, I know what you¡¯re thinking, but Ah Sheng and I are quite stable now. Haven¡¯t we already taken our wedding photos? You don¡¯t have to worry about us. If there¡¯s anything, just wait for me to go over first.¡±

    Speaking of the matter between her and Jin Sheng, Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt a little frustrated¡ª

    Jin Sheng himself was an extremely profound person. He might have some feelings for her, but it did not mean that she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, could really control him. Furthermore, Jin Sheng had many female partners before, even now, he might not be able to behave himself.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was naturally not stupid enough to interfere with Jin Sheng¡¯s matters. She was a person with a high EQ, especially when dealing with these men.

    Over the years, there were many outstanding men who were crazy about her. They were even willing to offer her a sky-high betrothal gift, but she did not ept it. If she had note this far, she might not have really been willing to get engaged to Jin Sheng.

    Only the heavens knew that there was always someone hidden in her heart. And all of her perseverance, pain, and sorrow was because she was silently watching over that person...

    Putting away her phone, Dongfang Rou¡¯er walked out of Dongfang Group¡¯s front door. Her car was parked in the parking lot in front of her.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s actions were naturally very quick. She walked swiftly to her parking spot. Next to her parking spot was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s Acura.

    Dongfang Liuyun had taken the car directly from Qi Lei. There were many cars in the garage at home. Qi Lei was also a person who loved cars, so he had quite a number of cars in his collection. He would switch up the cars to drive when he was free, Dongfang Liuyun naturally coveted those cars, but she did not have many opportunities to use them.

    When she walked to the car, Dongfang Rou¡¯er nced at the car indifferently. Her eyes were unnaturally cold. Just as she was about to open the car door and get in, she was surprised to find that beyond Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car, there seemed to be a luxury car that looked a little unfamiliar...

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not help but feel a little surprised. She subconsciously moved her feet and looked into the car...

    She saw a man in a silver-ck slim-fit suit sitting in the car. He was wearing sunsses, so she could not see his appearance clearly. However, his outline was very familiar.

    She was stunned for a moment. Just as she was about to walk over, the car suddenly started and slowly drove out. When the car passed by her, Dongfang Rou¡¯er could vaguely see the appearance of the man in the driver¡¯s seat. She immediately stiffened up!

    ¡°Fujiwara!¡±

    Deep in her heart, she could not help but call out that person¡¯s name!

    However, the man in the car might not be able to recognize her. Even though she was standing so close to him, the car whizzed past her. By the time Dongfang Rou¡¯er recovered from her daze, the car in front of her had already disappeared, there was nothing left behind. It was as if the scene just now was just an illusion.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er firmly believed that she definitely did not recognize him wrongly!

    It must be him!

    Fujiwara!

    Why did hee back? When did hee back?

    He...

    Could it be that he came back to look for Dongfang Liuyun again?

    This thought emerged from the depths of her heart, causing her chest to involuntarily tighten. Suddenly, she felt as if she could not breathe, but...

    After thinking for a moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er boarded the car at the fastest speed possible and directly chased after him...

    Fujiwara¡¯s car was not moving very fast ahead. When Dongfang Rou¡¯er wanted to chase after him, she could still see his car and followed him.

    Fujiwara stopped in front of a nearby flower shop. He got out of the car swiftly and walked into the flower shop.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er naturally stopped the car at the side and watched Fujiwara walk into the flower shop.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not need to doubt that the flowers were definitely bought for Dongfang Liuyun!

    For a man like Fujiwara who was as cold as ice, he would not put in any effort to please anyone, except for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Only she could make Fujiwara, who was so cold, behave like this.

    ...

    There were naturally many flowers in the flower shop. They were fresh and beautiful, and they had just been delivered in the evening.

    When Fujiwara walked in, thedy boss had already warmly weed him. She asked with a smile, ¡°Sir, do you want to buy flowers?¡±

    Fujiwara was standing at the side. His deep gaze swept through the flower shop one by one. His gaze soon stopped on therge bouquet of dark red roses in front of him.

    ¡°Hello, I want to buy flowers.¡±

    Fujiwara shifted his gaze away from the flower shop and spoke very politely.

    ¡°Yes, sir. What kind of flowers do you want? Do you want to give them to your girlfriend or...¡±

    Thedy boss looked at Fujiwara a few more times and could not help but reveal an expression of infatuation. Fujiwara subconsciously frowned and cut her off¡ª

    ¡°Just one bouquet of those roses.¡±

    ¡°Do you need to pair them with other colors?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Fujiwara simply replied.

    ¡°Alright, sir. Please wait for a moment.¡±

    Only then did thedy boss start to get busy.

    About 10 minutester, the flowers were finally wrapped up. Therge bouquet of blooming roses was very beautiful.

    Fujiwara had always liked these flowers because she also liked them...

    When Fujiwara came out of the flower shop with the bouquet, more than 10 minutes had already passed. Dongfang Rou¡¯er was still quietly waiting behind him. Seeing him get into the car and start the engine, she quickly followed him.

    Fujiwara was a person with terrifying observational skills. He had long noticed the car behind him. After thinking for a moment, he increased the speed of the car. Dongfang Rou¡¯er, who was behind him, naturally chased after him relentlessly.

    Looking at Dongfang Rou¡¯er from the front mirror, Fujiwara¡¯s cold face unconsciously shed with a sneer. He simply drove into the auxiliary road ahead, crossed the busy street, and entered the underground parking lot in front.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er wanted to follow him, but the pedestrians in front of her were crossing the road...

    By the time she chased after him, Fujiwara¡¯s car was long gone. She could not help but feel frustrated. She searched in the parking lot for a long time, but she still could not find any trace of Fujiwara.

    After thinking about it for a long time, she could only leave resentfully.

    However, it was good to know that he was back. There would be a chance to meet him in the future, right?

    Did he have an appointment with Dongfang Liuyun?

 Chapter 1808 - Out of ReaC.(2)

    <h4>Chapter 1808: Out of Reach (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Dongfang Liuyun left the Dongfang Group, it was already quitete.

    She quickly got into the car and told Qi Lei that she was going to pick him up. The couple had arranged to have dinner outside. There was a new blockbustering up, and Dongfang Liuyun also wanted to watch the movie.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know that when her car drove out, Fujiwara¡¯s car was also by the roadside. When Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car passed by, she was also calling Qi Lei on her phone¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m driving over. Are you done?¡±

    Her voice was naturally very calm.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just nice. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs. Do you want flowers?¡±

    In Qi Lei¡¯s office, Qi Lei had just closed the documents in his hand as he answered the phone.

    ¡°Do you want me to give them to you or do you want to give them to me? If you give them to me, I want the golden rose.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just give you one two days ago? That thing needs to be custom-made.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and said.

    ¡°Then, should I gift you one?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it!¡±

    Qi Lei answered with a frown as he took his coat and slowly stood up.

    ¡°Alright, pack up ande down. I¡¯ll be there in about 10 minutes. What time did you book the movie tickets?¡±

    ¡°10 o¡¯clock. We¡¯ll get home just nice after watching it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s half past six now. After dinner, it¡¯ll be around eight o¡¯clock. Let¡¯s go to the nearby shopping mall and look for some clothes for you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and said so.

    ¡°Don¡¯t I still have a lot of clothes at home with the tags not even removed yet?¡±

    Qi Lei did not seem very understanding at this moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to buy it. Why are you still talking so much nonsense after getting the benefits? Bring me some hot water, the weather is dry, and my throat isn¡¯t feeling well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said this and hung up the phone without waiting for Qi Lei to reply.

    Qi Lei watched the phone in his hand go dark and could only shake his head helplessly. He then walked over and made arge cup of chrysanthemum tea...

    At that moment, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car slowly drove over. She did not notice the ck sedan parked by the side, much less Fujiwara in the car.

    Fujiwara heard everything she said...

    The shadow of the car brushed past his shoulders. By the time he came back to his senses and wanted to chase after her, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car had already blended into the crowd of cars ahead and could no longer be found.

    Fujiwara clenched his fists silently. The corner of his eyes was filled with a hidden destion. He wanted to chase after her, but he realized that he had nowhere to go. Just like back then, when he saw her turn around resolutely, he did not even have the courage to say anything to stop her.

    Just like her name, Liuyun, the flowing cloud...

    Something that he could not hold onto, someone he could not have, only if she was willing to stop he could...

    Of course, this was what Fujiwara had felt before. Now, he understood that no matter what, he would be happy as long as he could have her. This time, even if he had to tie her up, he wanted her to return to his side.

    ...

    When they arrived at Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s building, Qi Lei was already waiting at the door.

    The car had just stopped when Qi Lei walked around and opened the car door. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, the fragrance of orchids filled the air. Dongfang Liuyun was subconsciously stunned, then, arge bouquet of flowers was brought to her.

    ¡°Take it. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and silently reached out to take it. She lowered her head and took a whiff. A refreshing fragrance assailed her nostrils, making her feel refreshed. She quickly reacted and got out of the car.

    Qi Lei put the thermos sk in as well. He got into the car and casually threw her a box of malva nuts.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not stand on ceremony and directly took it. ¡°You¡¯re quite fast.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it as apliment for my efficiency.¡±

    Qi Lei said this and helped her buckle her seatbelt before starting the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun could not be bothered to answer him. She took the thermos sk and drank some water.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    Qi Lei asked as he steadied the car.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do Chinese food, I don¡¯t really like the cooking. Let¡¯s find one near the mall.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Qi Lei obeyed her.

    ¡°The wedding photo is scheduled for the end of the month. Can you arrange it?¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly thought of this matter.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a sample of the dress. I want to wear a red wedding dress. It¡¯ll be more festive. Anyway, you wear ck. ck and red would go well together.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and replied.

    ¡°Whatever you like. It¡¯ll look good anyway. I¡¯ve ordered a few sets for you so that you can make it in time for the wedding photo,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and smiled, ¡°If we¡¯re not busy with thepany, we can rest a few days in advance. As for the location, let¡¯s not choose somewhere so far away. It¡¯ll be fine as long as it¡¯s in China. I think the seaside cottage is pretty good. The scenic spots there are pretty good. When we have time to go next time, we can use it for an artistic photo shoot. Do you agree?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to bring you to Greece.¡±

    ¡°Europe? Can it be a honeymoon trip?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and nced at him indifferently.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her unhappily. ¡°I promised Father that I would let him hold your hand and hand it to me. I have to keep my word.¡±

    ¡°You and Father are pretty close. He called you a few times, but he doesn¡¯t call me. Dont¡¯ you say anything bad about me in front of Father. I know you¡¯ve fawned on him a lot in private.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes and said.

    ¡°I worked so hard to build a good rtionship with my father-inw, so you should be supporting me, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes at him.

    ¡°Let me tell you something. Find a time to meet Wei¡¯er.¡±

    Wei¡¯er?

    Qi Wei¡¯er?

    The daughter of Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha?

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally had some impression of her. She was a very delicate little girl. He had met her before, but Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s condition was not very good at that time, so she did not have much contact with her.

    ¡°Does she know about her parents?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°Of course, she knows. When they were in trouble, Wei¡¯er probably had some memories too. She¡¯s quite sensible. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye have been taking care of her during this period of time. At the end of the day, she¡¯s still a member of the Qi family. She has the right to inherit the property left behind by her father.¡±

    Qi Lei said very calmly.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Mmm, you make the arrangements. I¡¯ll cooperate.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel troubled?¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and finally could not help but ask.

    ¡°Why would you ask that? Well, it can be considered your responsibility. I can¡¯t judge how others do it, but I must handle my own things well, this is our principle. What did you think?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

 Chapter 1809 - Out of ReaC.(3)

    <h4>Chapter 1809: Out of Reach (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The couple rarely had the time to hang out like this.

    After a simple dinner, Dongfang Liuyun dragged Qi Lei around the shopping mall. After a while, their hands were filled with bags. When they brought them back to the car, it was almost time, so they drove to the cinema.

    It was when a new blockbuster was showing, so the cinema was full.

    The couple sat at the back.

    When they sat down, the movie began.

    In fact, it was a wonderful feeling. Qi Lei rarely came to the cinema with women. From what he recalls, it was only Dongfang Liuyun who had dragged him here a few times.

    Dongfang Liuyun was someone who knew how to have fun. Ever since Qi Lei got together with her, his life became much richer than before. At least, he did not need to think about what he would do when he was free every day.

    Dongfang Liuyun would usually arrange everything.

    Although they were husband and wife, when the passionate sex scenes came up, Qi Lei still felt a little...

    He subconsciously turned to look at her.

    She looked calmly at the screen in front of her. A few young couples beside her were a little embarrassed...

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have noticed Qi Lei¡¯s gaze. She slowly turned to look at him. When she met his deep gaze, she smiled softly. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly stretched out her slender arm and hugged his shoulders, moving closer¡ª

    ¡°At that time, we were still young. When the ss went to the movies, every time such scenes appeared, our ss monitor would shout ¡®not suitable for children¡¯, then everyone would raise their hands to cover their eyes, but when I observed them, the gaps between their fingers were all open. Especially for boys, so...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not embarrassed.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment before he quickly exined.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying that you¡¯re embarrassed?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him with amusement. The smile on her face was dazzling. Qi Lei nced at her and knew that she was digging a hole for him again. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt a softness on his slightly cold lips, before he could enjoy it, she had already retreated.

    He looked at her for a long time before he suddenly smiled.

    It was good that he was happy. Dongfang Liuyun took in his smile and felt a strange softness in her heart.

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t heard about your romantic affairs before, I would have really thought that you were a pure angel at this moment. You¡¯re clearly a quiet and beautiful man, but why did you live so foolishly before this? Have you never met a goddess of salvation like me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her voice and said.

    ¡°I am a quiet and beautiful man, but are you a goddess of salvation?¡± He replied seriously.

    Dongfang liuyunughed softly, ¡°If not?¡±

    ¡°A goddess of salvation is not like you.¡±

    ¡°Then, what do you think the goddess of salvation should look like?¡±

    ¡°An angel-like face and a devil-like figure. Definitely not like you... Tsk¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, he felt an intense pain in his thigh. He did not doubt her power of the mighty finger at all!

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally spoken your mind. No wonder I find that you haven¡¯t been very interested in me recently. Could it be that this is the reason?¡±

    ¡°Am I? Am I not interested in you?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her in surprise, his dark eyes dancing with a meaningful spark.

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him.

    ¡°No...¡±

    ¡°Every time when we¡¯re almost done, you¡¯ll ask me if I want to be a queen, but these few days, you... mmm¡ª¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish, Qi Lei had already reached out to cover her mouth. He looked around and only heaved a sigh of relief when he did not see anyone noticing them.

    Inparison, Dongfang Liuyun was much calmer. She had a calm look on her face.

    On the other hand, Qi Lei¡¯s shy look made Dongfang Liuyunugh unkindly¡ª

    ¡°You know what? I like it when you¡¯re like this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite good at acting. I didn¡¯t see you being so bold back then. I didn¡¯t see you sessfully counterattack even when you yed the queen.¡±

    Qi Lei had a look of disdain on his face. Then, he turned away and could not help butugh.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. She could not be bothered to look at him. She might as well watch the movie...

    ...

    The night was very cold. Under the clear night sky, a crescent moon hung high up in the sky.

    Xi Xiaye pressed the button to open the thick ss door. When it opened, a refreshing night breeze sneaked in. She leisurely walked towards the rooftop, and sure enough, she saw the man leaning against the railing.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    A faint voice rang out, and then Mu Yuchen felt a faint warmth on his shoulder. When he looked over, he realized that there was an extra coat on his shoulder.

    ¡°Are the children asleep?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s low voice rang out as he pulled her into his embrace.

    Xi Xiaye obediently leaned against his chest and nodded gently. She looked up at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem to have something on your mind. Is it because of grandfather¡¯s matter?¡±

    ¡°Grandfather isn¡¯t doing very well. I thought he¡¯d be better a few days ago, but you saw it when I went back tonight. He¡¯s in low spirits. I was wondering if I should ask Ah Mo and Lingshi to make a trip home.¡±

    Mu Yuchen said softly. The hand around her waist tightened slightly, almost squeezing her entire body into his chest.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she reached out to hug him too, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad. How about this? I¡¯ll make arrangements for thepany tomorrow and bring Xiao Cheng back to the old residence to apany Grandfather. I know you¡¯ve been busy with thepany recently. Just go back to the old residence tonight. As for Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er, they have to go to school. I¡¯ll get my parents to pick them up and let them stay at the Shen residence for a while, okay?¡±

    Mu Yuchen patted her head and nodded. ¡°You always have such a tacit understanding that it makes my heart ache. I¡¯m... I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t give you enough...¡±

    Xi Xiaye sniffled and shook her head. She blinked her clear eyes and looked up at him quietly. ¡°No, you¡¯ve already given me everything. Right now, I just want to protect you properly.¡±

    ¡°I should be the one saying this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not think much of it.

    ¡°Mr. Mu?¡±

    She called out to him softly.

    ¡°Mmm?¡±

    He answered as well.

    ¡°Qi Lei seems to want to take Wei¡¯er back, but I didn¡¯t agree. I don¡¯t know if I did the right or wrong thing.¡±

    ¡°I know how you feel. Letting him face Wei¡¯er all day isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. There are some things that Qi Lei isn¡¯t that open to. It won¡¯t be easy for him and Dongfang Liuyun toe to fruition.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, she could not help but sigh in her heart...

 Chapter 1810 - Out of ReaC.(4)

    <h4>Chapter 1810: Out of Reach (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Dongfang Liuyun found out about the Lin Corporation¡¯s incident, it had already been a few days since the news had spread. When she saw the newspaper report that the Lin Corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy, Dongfang Liuyun was also a little surprised.

    No wonder Lin Yuanyuan and Dongfang Rou¡¯er did note to find trouble with her these few days.

    It just so happened that the preparatory work for the South River project was almost done.

    ¡°Manager Yun, it seems that someone has already bought most of the shares of the Lin Corporation. It might not be long before the ownership of the Lin Corporation changes.¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun frown as she read the newspaper in her hand, Secretary Ding smiled and said.

    ¡°How did the Lin Corporatione to this point? Although I know that the Lin Corporation¡¯s business had been declining in the past few years, with Lin Yuanyuan keeping an eye on it, it might note to this point. Moreover, with such a huge incident, why did Dongfang Xin and the others not do anything and just let the Lin Corporation decline like this?¡±

    Of course, Dongfang Liuyun did not know that all of this was Qi Lei¡¯s doing. Furthermore, it was all for her.

    ¡°If it was just a simple operation, it wouldn¡¯t be like this. It¡¯s because of that useless son of the Lin Corporation, Lin Yonghua! Lin Yonghua owed more than 300 million in gambling debts in the underground casino. It was impossible for the Lin family to take out this sum of money all at once. The Lin Corporation already has a serious deficit. Now that there¡¯s such an astronomical figure, they naturally can¡¯t handle it.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, on Manager Lin¡¯s side, even if they want to help, they can¡¯t do anything. Old President Shu is here right now. It¡¯s not like they haven¡¯t considered making a move for arge amount of gambling debts. If it causes a shortage of funds, it wouldn¡¯t be good if they had something against them. Oh right, Manager Yun, I heard that Dongfang Yu encouraged Lin Yonghua to ce such a big bet. I don¡¯t know how Manager Lin wants to settle the score with him!¡±

    Secretary Ding subconsciously lowered her voice when she said thest part.

    ¡°Dongfang Yu?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was shocked and said with some doubt, ¡°How is that possible? Isn¡¯t Dongfang Yu rarely involved in these things? That hypocrite is just like Second Uncle.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details, but I¡¯ve asked someone to investigate. That night, Dongfang Yu was indeed with Lin Yonghua, and he seemed to be Lin Yonghua¡¯s strategist. Oh, right, Lin Yonghua seems to have been quite close to Dongfang Yu in the past year. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything fishy going on.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a knowing smile, ¡°It¡¯s just a cat-and-mouse game. It¡¯s just that Lin Yuanyuan seems to have overestimated their own strength. Now, the roles are reversed. Since things havee to this, let¡¯s just sit and wait for it to develop.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Manager Yun!¡±

    ¡°Go and make some arrangements. There¡¯s a message from Tai Yu Corporation. At 9:30 tomorrow morning, they¡¯ll hold their first business negotiation on the South River Project. Let¡¯s see how Vice President Zhang will arrange it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun recalled what Qi Lei had reminded her of this morning.

    ¡°Tomorrow morning at 9:30 am?¡±

    ¡°Yes, go to vice-president Zhang¡¯s ce personally. See what he has to say and how he¡¯ll arrange it.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said.

    Secretary Ding nodded. ¡°Okay, manager Yun.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, she left. Dongfang Liuyun put away the newspaper in her hands and continued with her work.

    However, she had just read two documents when there was a knock on the door.

    ¡®Dong dong¡ª¡±

    ¡°Come in!¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered simply.

    ¡°Manager Yun, President Lan Is Here!¡±

    The door was opened and someone came to report.

    Lan Xiu?

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised and quickly looked up. When she saw Lan Xiu standing behind the secretary, her expression could not help but be a littleplicated. However, her reaction was very quick. She put down the documents in her hands and suddenly stood up¡ª

    ¡°Come in, you can go out first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Manager Yun!¡±

    The secretary replied and then left, closing the door behind her.

    ¡°So free toe over today?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun went over the table and sat down on the sofa at the side. She boiled water¡ª

    ¡°Tea or coffee?¡±

    ¡°Tea.¡±

    Lan Xiu nced at the flower tea in her hand and replied as well. Then, he sat opposite her in silence.

    ¡°Have you been very busy recently?¡±

    Lan Xiu lowered his head to see that she was busy as he asked faintly.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. There are a lot of things to do at thepany. How about you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also answered very naturally. However, she felt that there was something more between thempared to before. In the past, they would not be so polite, but...

    ¡°I¡¯m fine too. I went to see Auntie Song this morning. Her recovery is quite good. The doctor said that she will be under observation for another two days. If there¡¯s nothing else, she¡¯ll be discharged soon. When will Uncle Dongfang be back?¡±

    Lan Xiu reached out to get her a tissue and stared at her with his deep eyes.

    ¡°There¡¯s no news yet. The matter over there won¡¯t be resolved anytime soon. Qi Lei just went over this morning too and the doctor said that she¡¯ll be discharged next week. Has Mr. Ge not agreed to the project yet?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked as she poured him a cup of flower tea.

    ¡°This matter has been temporarily put on hold.¡±

    Lan Xiu was not very concerned about this, but was worried...

    ¡°Did Fujiwara not agree to it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes at him indifferently, her tone firm. As she spoke, she picked up the cup of tea and took a sip indifferently¡ª

    ¡°I know that Fujiwara has arrived in City Z, but I won¡¯t go looking for him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun directly stated her position.

    ¡°I know. He still lives in Cloud Residence. You know, that¡¯s the gift he always wanted to leave you. It¡¯s just... forget it, let¡¯s not talk about him.¡±

    Lan Xiu could also sense Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s silent expression, so he did not continue.

    ¡°Regarding the project, I¡¯ll think of a way myself. You don¡¯t have to feel pressured. I also don¡¯t want him to use this matter to suppress you. You should be free.¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu, I know you¡¯re worried about me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. At least, I¡¯m satisfied with my life right now. We¡¯re used to confining ourselves. It¡¯s also time for us to find a new life. You can¡¯t go on like this forever.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was quiet. She lowered her eyes and was silent for a while before saying, ¡°I¡¯m worried about you too. I¡¯ve always treated you like my big brother. You have to live up to yourself, Lan Xiu.¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound more and more like Uncle Dongfang? Sometimes, I can see older brother¡¯s shadow in you too.¡±

    Lan Xiu sighed and silently lowered his head to take a sip of tea. ¡°It¡¯s just that he¡¯s gone now.¡±

    ¡°Lan Qi¡¯s misfortune... the responsibility is mine. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t take good care of him. I owe him too much, and I owe you too much...¡± Dongfang Liuyun said softly.

 Chapter 1811 - Out of ReaC.(5)

    <h4>Chapter 1811: Out of Reach (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lan Xiu did not say anything. He just looked at her silently, hisrge hand unconsciously clenching the teacup in his hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her head slightly and slowly leaned back¡ª

    ¡°Sometimes, I really wish things were simpler. It¡¯s good that this mind can selectively forget some things, but we¡¯re not that lucky.¡±

    ¡°I know. Fujiwara probably went looking for you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze towards Lan Xiu was as indifferent as the wind.

    ¡°Yes, I went to see him on the first day he arrived in City Z. He didn¡¯t seem to be doing well either. All these years...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to know that he¡¯s not doing well.¡±

    Without waiting for Lan Xiu to finish, Dongfang Liuyun cut him off, ¡°Everyone is living a muddle-headed life. How can he live a good life? I don¡¯t want to know anything about him. Lan Xiu, you don¡¯t have to speak up for him. I know your rtionship with him, but I don¡¯t care what you think. Lan Qi is your big brother after all. I have to bear a lot of responsibility for his death. It¡¯s the same for Fujiwara. There¡¯s a bottomless abyss between us. We can¡¯t go back to the past.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, I think your obsession with this is too...¡±

    There was a hint of pity in Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes, but Dongfang Liuyun had already stood up slowly. She turned around and looked at the floor-to-ceiling curtains behind her¡ª

    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t obsession, Lan Xiu... This is a debt, a debt of love. You might not understand the hardest thing to repay in the world, but I still insist on my thought. If you yed games, you might understand that feeling. In my eyes, your older brother wasn¡¯t just an older brother. We wererades and good friends.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, what exactly happened back then? Fujiwara has always been unwilling to talk about this matter. When he returned back then, he was also injured...¡±

    ¡°The injuries on his body were most likely caused by me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes. Although she did not want to recall this heavy and unbearable period, since she had brought it up, she might as well say it, even if her face had instantly turned somewhat pale.

    ¡°You attacked him?¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at her in surprise.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction was very cold, and there was not the slightest fluctuation in her emotions. ¡°Yes, when Lan Qi was dying, I almost killed him. If he fought back, we might have both been injured.¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t attack you, Liuyun!¡±

    When Lan Xiu thought of this, he could not help but feel a dull pain in his heart.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rify that matter at all. Liuyun, have you ever thought that the reason why things ended up like this between the two of you might not be because of the two of you, but perhaps it¡¯s also because of some external factors?¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu, you don¡¯t have to try to exin anything. It¡¯s already toote to say anything now. He and I know the situation the best. We¡¯re both too proud, and we can¡¯t trust each other. If he doesn¡¯t trust me, I don¡¯t necessarily trust him either. Even if someone takes advantage of a loophole, it¡¯s normal. There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. I¡¯m used to it too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke with deep understanding.

    ¡°What about you and Qi Lei? Do you trust him? Or will you trust him?¡±

    Lan Xiu frowned slightly and asked.

    ¡°Why must he be involved in the matter between the few of us? He¡¯s got nothing to do with what¡¯s between us. You don¡¯t have to always target him!¡±

    Once Lan Xiu said this, Dongfang Liuyun immediately flew into a rage out of reflex. She was a little dissatisfied.

    Lan Xiu paused for a moment. Seeing that her back was a little cold, he sighed helplessly. ¡°No, Liuyun. Since you¡¯re already with him, then this will also concern him. You know this better than anyone.¡±

    ¡°At least, he¡¯s cleaner than us. I¡¯m willing to believe him. Besides, I have nothing to lose to him. In the end, you all know my past and my unhappiness, but you don¡¯t really understand what I want. Lan Xiu, your doubts make me very unhappy!¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, I don¡¯t have any intention of ming Qi Lei, nor do I have any prejudice against him. I just want to know,pared to Qi Lei, where did Fujiwara and I lose?¡±

    Lan Xiu suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, he could not help but ask silently.

    ¡°Because he¡¯s Qi Lei. If it makes you feel better, just think of it as fate.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun held her forehead with one hand, and she could not help but feel a little dizzy.

    She had always been against falling into such a whirlpool of emotions, but now, she could not escape this fate.

    Lan Xiu was rendered speechless by her words, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the teacup.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not in a good mood, and my tone is a little harsh. Just pretend that you didn¡¯t hear me. We¡¯ll settle our own matters, and don¡¯t implicate others. I just don¡¯t want to bring the haze of the past into my life. You and Fujiwara are great, but you don¡¯t belong to me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have noticed that her temper had gone too far. Only then did she slow down and exin.

    Only then did Lan Xiu¡¯s tensed expression ease up.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault for not knowing my limits. Don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Lan Xiu spoke up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s calm down, Lan Xiu. This matter is already set in stone. You said that you would sincerely ept Qi Lei. I hope that you can keep your promise. As for Fujiwara, I don¡¯t want to care about that anymore. We¡¯ll probably meet, and I won¡¯t run away from what I should face. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at Lan Xiu as she said this, ¡°I hope that what I said today won¡¯t burden you. If Qi Lei had said the same thing, I¡¯d have defended you in the same way. You¡¯re you, you don¡¯t need topare yourself to anyone. You know how I am, it¡¯s always been like this.¡±

    After saying this, Lan Xiu paused for a moment and could only nod his head. ¡°Consider it a slip of the tongue. Thank you, Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°We will always be friends, the best of friends. What do you say, Lan Xiu?¡±

    At this moment, the flowing light in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes became somewhat unfathomable.

    Lan Xiu was quiet for a moment before he finally smiled. ¡°Of course. Alright, I¡¯m just here to see you. If you have time, go over to visit. You haven¡¯t been there for a long time. I¡¯ll make a move first.¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment, then turned around and followed him out¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Lan Xiu said indifferently.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was the first to walk out. Seeing this, Lan Xiu could only silently follow after.

 Chapter 1812 - Out of ReaC.(6)

    <h4>Chapter 1812: Out of Reach (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun sent Lan Xiu to the car. After seeing him get into the car, she silently turned around and returned.

    This should be how they are. If they were to interact peacefully, it should not be awkward, right?

    Lan Xiu silently watched Dongfang Liuyun slowly walk up the stairs and sighed in his heart.

    <i>¡®There¡¯s an insurmountable abyss between me and Fujiwara.¡¯</i>

    And between him and her? Was it not the same?

    Sometimes, even though they felt very close to each other, they felt that it was so far away. This was probably the case for him. Even if you told yourself in your heart to let go, you might not be able to rationally control your emotions. Otherwise, there would not be so many tragedies in the world.

    Lan Xiu took a long breath. Seeing her figure disappear behind the door, he started the car...

    ..

    When she saw Fujiwara again, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also surprised.

    It was right beside the square in front of the Dongfang Group.

    It was already evening when they got off work. The setting sun was lovely, the afterglow covered the entire city in ayer of soft golden light. It was so holy and beautiful that it seemed quite ethereal.

    Fujiwara was standing by the side, and behind him was that ck luxury car. It was just him alone.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er hade to pick up the car after work, and when she saw the man standing by the car, she could not help but be stunned...

    The familiar face was still the same as before. There were not much changes, but the aura that was condensed on him had be more and more cold and distant.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at him quietly for a long time. She did not know what kind of strength she used to control her legs that were about to rush over. She did not doubt that she would rush forward in the next moment.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara, you... Why are you here?¡±

    Her gentle voice trembled uncontrobly. As the night wind entered her ears, Fujiwara, who had been deep in thought with his head lowered, suddenly raised his gaze. His sharp and cold gaze made Dongfang Rou¡¯er tremble subconsciously.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was currently standing not far away from Fujiwara. Her beautiful face had a gentle smile on it, and it did not seem like her usual capable self at all. There was even a glimmer of light in her eyes. If one were to observe, you could even catch a trace of eagerness from her gaze?

    However, Fujiwara did not seem to be able to understand what she meant. His unfathomable ck eyes nced at her indifferently. His reaction was very cold, and he did not respond.

    ¡°If you want to wait for Fourth Sister, then I can tell you that Fourth Sister already left work earlier this afternoon.¡±

    Seeing that Fujiwara did not respond, Dong Fang Rou¡¯er could not help but feel a deep pain in her heart. She thought about it and responded as such.

    Hearing this, Fujiwara took out his phone from his pocket and nced at it. Then, he turned around and was about to open the car door to get into the car when Dongfang Rou¡¯er went up to him..

    ¡°Wait, Fujiwara!¡±

    The voice that stopped him was naturally a little anxious.

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold voice sounded.

    ¡°You... how have you been all these years?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked softly.

    ¡°That has nothing to do with you.¡±

    Fujiwara replied coldly and opened the car door.

    ¡°No, wait, Fujiwara! I¡¯m sorry... about that thing, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose... I just...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er exined in a daze.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should be apologizing to. We¡¯re not familiar with each other to begin with.¡±

    Fujiwara did not appreciate her kindness and replied in this manner.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face instantly turned pale, but there was still a smile on her face. Seeing Fujiwara get into the car, she did not stop him. Instead, she silently watched the silhouette of his car gradually fade away until the silhouette of the car disappeared into the sea of cars in front of them, only then did she somewhat absentmindedly retract her gaze.

    She could not help but feel a deep pain in her heart. She felt her chest tighten and her breath became short. It felt as if she could not breathe.

    In this world, it was a great pain to not be able to get what you want. She had been enduring this kind of torment all this time. Perhaps no one felt it more deeply than her.

    She thought that if she suppressed these matters in the bottom of her heart, no one would know and she would be able to forget them. However, some feelings were like grass roots hidden in the soil. As long as the spring breeze blew, they would be revived so quickly.

    She took a few deep breaths and used all her strength to suppress the pain in her heart. Her whole body recovered because the phone in her handbag had been vibrating for a long time. She took it out and saw that it was indeed from Jin Sheng.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er struggled for a long time before she finally picked up the phone.

    ¡°Hello? Rou¡¯er, I¡¯m already here. Where are you?¡±

    They had agreed to have dinner together. Jin Sheng had specially left work early today to make reservations. After that, he had to attend a friend¡¯s birthday dinner. Dongfang Rou¡¯er still frequented such asions.

    ¡°Okay, I just walked out, I¡¯ll rush over immediately.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and calmed down before replying.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t sound right? Are you not feeling well?¡±

    When Jin Sheng heard Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone, he quickly noticed that there was something wrong with Dongfang Rou¡¯er, so he asked with concern.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er sighed softly and turned to walk towards her car. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m probably too tired. I¡¯ve been a little worn out these past few days. I¡¯ll rush over now. Wait for me over there.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve already informed the gown shop. You can go and change into your gown first. I¡¯ll apany you to pick out some essoriester. Coincidentally, I need to take wedding photos as well. I¡¯ll be taking wedding photos next week. You should rest well for the next few days. As for the Lin family...¡±

    Jin Sheng was quite generous and considerate towards Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Of course, Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt that she should feel satisfied as well...

    With someone as gentle and considerate as Jin Sheng, and bing the first young mistress of the Jin family upon marriage, she should be satisfied with her status.

    However, why was it that every time she thought about marrying Jin Sheng, she felt an indescribable feeling in her heart?

    There was some joy, but after the joy, there was also a faint sense of disappointment. At this moment, she suddenly thought that if the person who was going to marry her happened to be the person she was thinking about, how good would that be?

    Unfortunately...

    Could it be that this was¡ª

    Everything was fated?

    A hint of sadness appeared in Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes. She smiled bitterly, and her tone returned to normal. ¡°Yes, I know. Let¡¯s talk when we get there. I¡¯ll go over first to change into my gown. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to wait a little longer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Drive safe.¡± Jin Sheng said with concern.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er acknowledged him before hanging up the phone.

 Chapter 1813 - The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1813: The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (1)</h4>

    1

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Fujiwara did not expect that Lan Xiu toe. When the car entered the Cloud Residence, Fujiwara was a little surprised when he saw the car parked next to the door.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re back! Master Lan Xiu has been waiting in the living room for a long time!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s car had just stopped when Matsuda came up to wee him.

    Fujiwara got out of the car without saying a word and threw the car keys in his hand at Matsuda. Matsuda caught them very quickly, and Fujiwara also walked towards the Cloud Residence swiftly.

    In the living room, Lan Xiu was sitting on the sofa, and a servant had brewed tea for him.

    At this moment, Lan Xiu was also flipping through a magazine in his hand while waiting for Fujiwara.

    Thest rays of the setting sun had already disappeared into the horizon. The world was immersed in a vast expanse of gray, and everything was silent. It was as if the entire Cloud Residence had been frozen at this moment.

    When Fujiwara walked in, Lan Xiu did not notice it either. It was not until he walked to the sofa that the servant noticed him. Just as she was about to greet him, Fujiwara waved his hand and motioned for her to leave.

    The servant bowed very respectfully and then quietly left.

    Lan Xiu was very engrossed in reading. Those magazines were all about antique paintings. Dongfang Liuyun had always liked to read magazines. Of course, Fujiwara was the same.

    Although Fujiwara himself was Japanese, he had Chinese blood in him. He was very interested in Chinese culture, especially cultural heritage, this was one of the reasons why he had such a tacit understanding with Dongfang Liuyun back then.

    Fujiwara never changed this habit.

    On a certain level, one could say that many of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s habits and interests were also because of Fujiwara.

    For example, his superb swordsmanship, billiards, and his research and love for antique paintings. There were too manymon interests that had merged into his life. Many times, when he saw Fujiwara, Lan Xiu would also realize that on him, he saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shadow.

    It was precisely because he understood everything between the two of them that Lan Xiu understood even more deeply that Dongfang Liuyun was not someone who could easily walk out, even if she thought that she did not care that much, however, Lan Xiu still believed in his own intuition.

    Fujiwara was her destiny, or Qi Lei was her destiny. He could not exin it clearly now, but when Dongfang Liuyun and Fujiwara separated back then, he did not pursue Dongfang Liuyun. Instead, he quietly stayed by her side. One of the reasons was also because...

    A familiar and wild scent assaulted him. Lan Xiu finally noticed the person who stopped beside him. He did not immediately turn to look at him. Instead, he silently flipped a page of the magazine in his hand, and his low voice traveled over¡ª

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you would still like these things. Liuyun is the same. Even after being separated for so many years, I still feel that the two of you are inextricably linked, makes me...¡±

    Lan Xiu did not continue. He just took a deep breath and slowly closed the magazine in his hand.

    Fujiwara¡¯s pitch-ck eyes flickered for a moment, and there were some faint ripples. However, after a moment, they darkened and returned to their usual calm and indifferent state.

    ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    Fujiwara replied indifferently. His tall and straight body crossed over and sat down opposite Lan Xiu. He poured himself a cup of tea and took two sips. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Lan Xiu put down the magazine in his hand and turned to look at him. He quickly caught the gloominess in his eyes.

    ¡°Have you seen Liuyun?¡±

    Lan Xiu asked in a low voice.

    Fujiwara listened and lowered his eyes. ¡°It would be great if I could see her.¡±

    He had been there twice, but he had not met her once. She would not pick up his call either. He knew her too well.

    ¡°She knows that she¡¯d need to meet you sooner orter. Perhaps she doesn¡¯t feel prepared yet. Ah Ye, every misfortune is a test from the heavens, and you won¡¯t be so lucky every time.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought about it and said so.

    ¡°Are you trying to persuade me to give up?¡±

    As soon as Lan Xiu said this, Fujiwara shot him a cold look. ¡°You know very well why I came back to City Z this time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your background. Can you guarantee that the Fujiwara family will ept her calmly? She¡¯s already Qi Lei¡¯s woman now.¡±

    Lan Xiu calmly stated this fact.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about them! The Fujiwara family isn¡¯t in charge right now. I don¡¯t think they can stop me from doing anything.¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    At this moment, Fujiwara surprised Lan Xiu¡ª

    Compared to a few years ago, Fujiwara had changed too much.

    In the past, even if he was cold, he would not be as gloomy as he was now. Compared to before, he seemed more unfathomable and ruthless.

    Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment. He seemed to understand his feelings. After some thought, he said, ¡°Liuyun said that she¡¯s very satisfied with her current life. At least, she¡¯s happier than before.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be happier with me.¡±

    Fujiwara did not even think about it before he responded. His hand that was holding onto the cup tightened as well¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s fated between her and me, Lan Xiu.¡±

    When he said that, Lan Xiu paused for a moment. He silently raised his gaze to look at Fujiwara. Finally, he could only nod, ¡°I have deep feelings for her, I know. However, I hope that you won¡¯t hurt her. Can you agree to this request of mine? No matter what, don¡¯t hurt her. Don¡¯t hurt her, including your people, don¡¯t hurt her! This is my bottom line.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who cares about her.¡±

    Fujiwara replied and finished the tea in his cup in one gulp, ¡°Over the past few years, I¡¯ve cleared almost all the obstacles. My father and I are like fire and water. In front of the Fujiwara family¡¯s interests, he¡¯s naturally willing to sacrifice me, his son. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose in the past, but now he¡¯s willing to lose everything.¡±

    ¡°Losing everything doesn¡¯t necessarily mean anything to her. I know about the agreement between you and Elder Madam Dongfang, but Liuyun¡¯s matters are now up to her. Qi Lei has long made a betrothal with Uncle Dongfang and the others. No matter what point you¡¯re starting from, your appearance now has caused her trouble.¡±

    Fujiwara listened and did not answer. Only an indifferent sneer appeared on his lips.

    ¡°Alright, I know you don¡¯t want to hear this, so I won¡¯t continue. You decide for yourself.¡±

    Lan Xiu did not want to continue, lest he hurt their friendship.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time for dinner. Have dinner with me.¡±

    Fujiwara also tacitly eased up and said in a low voice.

    Lan Xiu hesitated for a moment and finally nodded.

 Chapter 1814 - The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1814: The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night arrived quietly. It was the beginning of the night in City Z again.

    Tai Yu Corporation, in the president¡¯s office.

    Qi Lei was still at his desk reading up on the South River Project that Dongfang Group wasing over to discuss tomorrow. There were a lot of things going on in thepany recently, and it was dark when he was busy.

    At this moment, the sky had already turned dark, and he had not noticed it.

    Dongfang Liuyun had also said that she woulde over to pick him up from work. In fact, most of the time, this was how the couple worked. Dongfang Liuyun had to pass by the Tai Yu Corporation when she went to work anyway.

    ¡®Knock, knock¡ª¡¯

    Just as Qi Lei was busy and focused, there was suddenly a knock on the door.

    The sudden knock naturally interrupted Qi Lei¡¯s thoughts. He subconsciously frowned and said without even lifting his eyelids, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door was opened. The person who walked in was Vice President Wang Chun.

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    Wang Chun soon arrived in front of Qi Lei¡¯s desk.

    ¡°Vice President Wang? Why are you here?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Wang Chun, who had suddenly appeared. He pointed at the chair in front of him and gestured for Wang Chun to sit.

    Wang Chun coughed with a smile and sat down. He put the ck briefcase aside and said, ¡°I guessed that Second Master should still be here, so I came straight up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sote. Did you juste from there?¡± Qi Lei asked calmly.

    ¡°No, I just came from the hospital. I¡¯m relieved to know that President Qi¡¯s condition is stable. President Qi is blessed by the heavens and will be fine. The doctor said that his current condition is just a little weaker than before.¡±

    Wang Chun worked hard with Qi Qiming. Qi Lei saw how loyal he was to Qi Qiming. He was d that although Qi Qiming was a failure as a father, he was at least a good boss.

    ¡°Yes, thank you for your concern, Vice President Wang.¡±

    ¡°Second Master, you¡¯re wee. I¡¯m just doing my job. Oh, I came here today with important news.¡±

    Wang Chun went straight to the point. As he spoke, he opened his briefcase and took out a document. He handed it to Qi Lei and continued¡ª

    ¡°Second Master, this is the information on the shares of the Lin Corporation. He sent someone to deliver it to me. Everything has been done. This document is for you, Second Master.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows. As he listened to Wang Chun, he lit a cigarette and took his time to take the document. He flipped through it leisurely and began to browse through it.

    ¡°How¡¯s the confidentiality agreement going?¡± Qi Lei asked faintly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Second Master. It¡¯s absolutely foolproof. No one will know that it¡¯s our doing. As long as we don¡¯t make it public, only a few of us will know about this matter. The Lin Corporation changed hands and became under the Missus¡¯ name. Also, this is an investigation into the embezzlement of funds by Lin Yuanyuan over the past few years.¡±

    As Wang Chun spoke, he took out another document from his briefcase and handed it to Qi Lei.

    ¡°This time, apart from taking down the shares of the Lin Corporation, we have also conducted a general survey of the Lin Corporation. Second Master, you are also very clear about the situation of the Lin Corporation previously. It has been on the verge of crisis several times. If Lin Yuanyuan didn¡¯t transfer the money from her project to use as a turnover, the Lin Corporation would definitely be in a tight spot.¡±

    Qi Lei received it without a change in expression and skimmed through it. ¡°Very good. Take it. I want these documents to appear at the Dongfang Group¡¯s regr meeting next week.¡±

    ¡°Second Master, what do you mean?¡±

    Wang Chun looked at Qi Lei fixedly and lowered his voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you think. Do it cleanly. If you get into any trouble, do as you see fit.¡±

    Since Lin Yuanyuan had been brought down, the person in charge should be Dongfang Liuyun. With the South River Project being such a huge project, he, Qi Lei, had paved a broad path for her. He wanted to help her enter the core of Dongfang Group.

    As Qi Lei said this, Wang Chun immediately understood. He quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, Second Master! I understand! Right, should we tell Missus...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too nosy. Just do what you have to do. There¡¯s no need for her to know so much, so as to avoid trouble.¡±

    Qi Lei did not want Dongfang Liuyun to know about this. Even though he knew that she would only feel grateful, he did not want to see the gratitude in her eyes.

    ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll do it well.¡±

    Wang Chun could not understand Qi Lei¡¯s thoughts, but he did not probe too much¡ª

    He could not keep up with the pace of the times in the world of young people, especially when they did not know the feelings of young people like them.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Okay, you must keep these things a secret.¡±

    ¡°I will, Second Master. Then I¡¯ll go back first. Second Master, you should go back earlier too.¡±

    Only then did Wang Chun pack his briefcase and stand up.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll wait for her. You can go back.¡± Qi Lei replied indifferently.

    Wang Chun seemed to want to say something, but seeing that Qi Lei had already lowered his head, he did not say anything in the end. He just silently left the office. When he went out, he did not forget to close the door.

    The sound of the door closing was heard. Qi Lei then shifted his gaze away and unhurriedly packed the documents. As he got up, he walked to the bookshelf behind him. He took a document folder from it and put the documents inside...

    About 10 minutester, when he was almost done flipping through the documents for the meeting the next day, Dongfang Liuyun finally arrived slowly¡ª

    ¡°I waste preparing the materials for tomorrow, and I forgot to tell you to go back first. What are you still looking at?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun walked in with big strides. She only stopped when he reached Qi Lei¡¯s side. She took Qi Lei¡¯s cup and drank all the water in it. Her starry eyes were also looking at Qi Lei¡¯sptop screen.

    ¡°The data fromst month.¡±

    Qi Lei responded and subconsciously shifted his body. He wanted to pour another cup for her, but Dongfang Liuyun waved her hand, indicating that there was no need. She lowered her body and stared at the huge string of data and towards the end, she could not help but widen his eyes. Then, she quietly narrowed her eyes at him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s reaction was calm. He wrapped his arm around her slender waist and asked her to sit on hisp. Dongfang Liuyun did not refuse. It was a free mattress, It would be a waste not to sit.

    ¡°The revenue is quite good. I think that you can actually take down the South River Project yourself. Why are you still...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked tentatively.

    ¡°This project isn¡¯t Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s forte. Besides, I have more than one project on hand. It would be more valuable for you to do it.¡± Qi Lei exined in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze was fixed on his handsome face. There was aplicated look in her eyes...

 Chapter 1815 - The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1815: The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him for a long time. Qi Lei felt a little ufortable under her gaze. He could only cough lightly and turn his head away as he quietly closed his notebook.

    This man always made her feel warm for some reason. Her silent heart seemed to be waking up. Even Dongfang Liuyun did not know if she was feeling grateful.

    Actually, she was also afraid of this feeling. Perhaps she also hoped that there would be something more than gratitude.

    After a long while, a smile suddenly bloomed on her beautiful face. It was as beautiful as the blooming of a water lotus. A pair of slender arms also wrapped around his shoulders, silently watching him. Her clear voice was also very emotional¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m a little afraid that you¡¯re too good to me. Don¡¯t put too much effort into it. Unless you¡¯re prepared to be exploited by me for the rest of your life.¡±

    Hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes suddenly shed with a ray of light. He looked at her silently. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled when she heard that. She closed her eyes gently and nodded.

    ¡°Then why are you saying such things?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned.

    ¡°Because I want to confirm if it¡¯s true. Why are you looking at me like that? Shouldn¡¯t you be proud of me praising you in such a low-key manner?¡± Dongfang Liuyun chuckled.

    Qi Lei looked at her and smiled quietly. There was a faint gentleness gathered in the corner of his eyes.

    Dongfang Liuyun took in his reaction. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly tilted her head and leaned over to him. She pecked his slightly cold thin lips and said in a slightly hoarse voice, ¡°In the past, I¡¯ve never thought of the word ¡®loyal¡¯, but now, I¡¯ll asionally think of you. I hope you¡¯re ¡®loyal.¡¯ From now on, you won¡¯t treat other women like this.¡±

    ¡°You want me tobel you?¡±

    Qi Lei quickly hugged her tightly and forcefully pulled her into his embrace. His voice was deep and emotional, especially his eyes, which were obscure. Dongfang Liuyun felt as if the whirlpool inside could swallow her whole.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked back.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei chuckled softly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always felt that we work very well together. Sometimes, I even forget about the alliance we talked about before. Do you feel that way?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°Which pair of allies have you seen like us? Our rtionship has long been extraordinary. If you don¡¯t want to admit it, you¡¯re just lying to yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei was very open-minded. As long as she stayed by his side, everything else was not important. After all, they were still getting along happily together, right?

    ¡°I also find it amazing that we get along so well, but I think it¡¯s probably because we¡¯re just the same kind of people.¡±

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment, then he nodded in agreement. He felt the faint warmth from her body and the cold fragrance that was as clear as orchids. It made him lose control. However, he kissed her forehead gently, and now he could regain a trace of rationality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    He took a deep breath and stood up with her in his arms.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and helped to pack up.

    ¡°Is the meeting hosted by Vice President Wang Chun tomorrow?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly asked, ¡°I still have some questions that I need to inform him in advance.¡±

    ¡°What questions?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er will being over together with Dongfang Yi¡¯s people tomorrow, so...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯ll be arranged.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he grabbed the coat on the shelf with one hand and put his arm around her shoulder with the other as they walked out.

    Dongfang Liuyun heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this and quietly followed his footsteps.

    ...

    Compared to the harmonious rapport between Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun, Zhou Zimo¡¯s side was not as smooth as before.

    Qin Su was really a woman who was cold to the bone. Zhou Zimo even suspected that she was a huge iceberg!

    She had already been transferred to the prosecutor¡¯s office. In the past few days, she had to hand over the work, so she would leave early and returnte. However, every night, Zhou Zimo would drive over and wait for her. When she got off work, it was the same as now.

    Qin Su dragged her tired body out of the prosecutor¡¯s strict and solemn gatehouse. From afar, she saw the car waiting on the roadside in front, the familiar license te number, and the man leaning against the car waiting¡ª

    Who else could it be but Zhou Zimo?

    Qin Su could not help but feel dizzy. She wanted to move away, but Zhou Zimo had already waved at her.

    Helpless, Qin Su could only walk over.

    ¡°Have you waited long?¡± Qin Su asked indifferently.

    ¡°Why are you asking so far-fetched questions? After waiting for half an hour, I know you get off workte, so I didn¡¯te over so early either. Get in the car.¡±

    Zhou Zimo stretched out his hand to open the door of the passenger seat and gave her a sideways nce.

    ¡°I¡¯m pressed for time tonight.¡± Qin Su frowned and said.

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re pressed for time, you have to eat. What¡¯s the matter? Why are you frowning?¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not be bothered to wait for her to agree. He directly stuffed her into the car and asked.

    ¡°Work transfer, leaving the military district. I have to find a ce to stay.¡±

    Qin Su raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows. There was a hint of exhaustion in her hoarse voice.

    It was not that she did not want to go home, but the house was too noisy. There would be a small quarrel every three days and a big quarrel every five days. No one could stand it. Qin Su was a person who liked quiet, so she naturally did not want to stay at home.

    ¡°You want to move out?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at Qin Su in surprise and pointed at the seatbelt. Qin Su quickly pulled it over and fastened it.

    ¡°My home is quite far from my workce. It would take me more than an hour to get here in time for the traffic jam. It¡¯s more convenient to go to work from a nearby ce.¡±

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you can move to my ce. It¡¯s only half an hour¡¯s drive from here to my ce. Moreover, the highway around the new development zone rarely gets stuck in traffic. The environment there is pretty good.¡± Zhou Zimo said very generously.

    However, Qin Su gave him a cold stare.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment. A momentter, he realized that his consideration was inappropriate and hurriedly said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any other intentions. In any case, the vi is very big. I live alone. Recently, I¡¯ve often returned to the old house. The house is mostly empty. There are also servants at home. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t have any ulterior motives. It¡¯s not easy to find a house with a good environment now. Besides, I know you don¡¯t like to use things that have been used by others. It¡¯s not safe to rent a house...¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth and drive!¡±

    Qin Su was really annoyed by Zhou Zimo¡¯s bunch of excuses. The most hateful thing was that she was really thinking the same thing in her heart¡ª

    It was hard to find a suitable house, especially one in the vicinity!

 Chapter 1816 - The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1816: The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo nced at her thoughtfully and coughed lightly. He also increased the speed of the car slightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this because we¡¯re good friends. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to gauge the heart of a gentleman with one¡¯s own mean measure?¡±

    After some thought, Zhou Zimo asked again.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re a gentleman?¡±

    Qin Su frowned and nced at him. There was actually a hint of sarcasm in her eyes, which made Zhou Zimo unhappy. He hurriedly said, ¡°Officer Qin Su, I think you have a prejudice against me. What did I do to offend you? Why do you always dislike me? I¡¯m not a lecher. I¡¯m still a gentleman, right?¡±

    ¡°The word ¡®unruly¡¯ is in your bones. Do you know what it means to be a gentleman?¡±

    Qin Su frowned even more. ¡°Besides, I won¡¯t target anyone. I appreciate your kindness. Thank you, but not taking advantage of others is a form of upbringing. I don¡¯t have the habit of reciprocating others.¡±

    ¡°A person like you isn¡¯t suitable to be an official, do you know? Not taking advantage of others when reciprocating?¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at her helplessly, ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything by that. It¡¯s good to live an open and honest life, but it¡¯s not good if you don¡¯t understand some of the ways of the world. Now that you¡¯vee out to mingle, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re in the army anymore. How about youe over and be my assistant secretary, I promise to give you ten times your current sry, or even higher. With me protecting you, you can do whatever you want. How about that?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s low voice was filled with temptation, but the ck eyes that looked over were filled with sincerity.

    Hearing this, Qin Su also looked over. However, her expression was a little cold, and his gaze carried a cold and sharp aura. Zhou Zimo could not help but tremble slightly as she looked at him.

    ¡°I just feel exhausted on your behalf. There¡¯s nothing good about the prosecutor¡¯s office. There¡¯s no freedom, and you¡¯ll be working tillte.¡± Zhou Zimo exined.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the habit of depending on others. Thank you for your kind intentions.¡±

    With these words, Zhou Zimo¡¯s words were once again refuted.

    Zhou Zimo felt a little helpless. This woman did not know anything about the sly ways of the world, she seemed very aloof and antisocial, but her thoughts were very pure. If it was not for her astonishing persistence, it would be very easy for such a person to suffer losses if she went out.

    She was so stubborn and like an iceberg. He was already starting to worry about her getting along with others at work in the future.

    A person like her should not be suppressed and controlled by others. Working in an establishment was not as rigid as working in the army. She would be at a disadvantage if she did not know a little about the ways of the world.

    ¡°Qin Su, I don¡¯t have any other intentions. I¡¯m just a little worried about you. You can think that I have ulterior motives, but I really don¡¯t have any other intentions. We¡¯ve known each other for so long, have I ever schemed against you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo thought for a while before speaking in a low voice.

    Hearing this, Qin Su quieted down. After thinking for a moment, she said faintly, ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything by it. I just want to rely on myself. I don¡¯t want to owe others too much. I want to live a more carefree life.¡±

    ¡°Who said that? You don¡¯t owe anyone anything. Right now, I owe you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said as he looked at her with aplicated gaze¡ª

    If she knew about what happened back then, would she..

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think too much. After being alone for a long time, you¡¯ll feel that it doesn¡¯t matter. You should change the way you live. You haven¡¯t answered me about that matter. Since you didn¡¯t say anything after that, I¡¯ll take it as your acquiescence. From now on, you¡¯re my girlfriend.¡±

    Zhou Zimo thought for a moment and suddenly felt that perhaps he should not wait passively for her decision. After all, he had done enough shameless things because of her. He did not care about this one time. After all, as long as he could get her, everything else did not matter anymore.

    It had been so many years, and only she could make him do this willingly. He could not tell if it was because he felt guilty for getting her so shamelessly back then and wanted to make it up to her, or if it was because he was deeply attracted to her that he could not let go of her and had fallen in love with her.

    However, in Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes, all of this was not important. What was important was that he wanted to marry her.

    Sometimes, just thinking about how she would marry another man in the future and be owned by another man, he could not quite take it!

    Therefore, he did not intend to let go of her.

    When Zhou Zimo said this, Qin Su was stunned for a moment. Her beautiful eyebrows subconsciously tightened as if she did not know how to reject or answer..

    ¡°I¡¯m very sincere. If you don¡¯t hate me, I think it¡¯s good to give each other a chance. We¡¯re not young anymore, Qin Su.¡±

    When Zhou Zimo said this, his tone was very low.

    ¡°What if we¡¯re really not suitable? I personally don¡¯t think highly of us, it¡¯s a waste of time and energy.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll fall in love with me?¡± Zhou Zimo asked directly.

    Qin Su paused and said coldly, ¡°The chances are very little.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough then. How would you know if you don¡¯t try? If you really don¡¯t want to continueter on, you won¡¯t have any losses. At most, it¡¯ll be me who¡¯s sad. No matter what, I won¡¯t let you be taken advantage of.¡± Zhou Zimo said decisively.

    Qin Su remained silent. For a moment, she could not answer. She could only turn her head and look out of the car window.

    The street lights outside had long been lit up, and there were quite a number of pedestrians walking by. The dim street lights continued to prate into the car, and mottled afterimages constantly shed across her face. Suddenly, she felt a little dazed.

    Seeing this, Zhou Zimo did not say anything to disturb her. Instead, he quietly drove the car.

    The atmosphere in the car suddenly became a little oppressive, and there was an indescribable faint gloominess in the air.

    Qin Su took a deep breath and quietly leaned back into the chair behind her. She quietly closed her eyes, and her expression seemed to be a littleplicated. She did not know how long she took to calm down, but her hoarse voice came over¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to y the love game. I can¡¯t afford to waste time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Otherwise, if you¡¯re willing to marry me immediately, I¡¯d be willing to marry you. I know you can¡¯t ept it, so I hope that we can go with the order. Qin Su, you know very well how I am.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said it very bluntly.

    ¡°There are three conditions.¡±

    Qin Su thought for a long time and then said this.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo¡¯s ck eyes instantly lit up, and he looked at her with some joy¡ª

    ¡°Say it, I¡¯ll agree to anything you say!¡±

    He replied very generously.

    Qin Su lowered her eyes and sorted out her thoughts before continuing, ¡°First, the time limit for our rtionship is half a year. After half a year, if there¡¯s still no feelings between us, then we break up and stop wasting each other¡¯s time.¡±

    Half a year?

    Zhou Zimo immediately frowned and thought for a moment before replying, ¡°One year!¡±

    ¡°If I say half a year, then it means half a year.¡±

 Chapter 1817 - The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1817: The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qin Su¡¯s tone was very determined. She had always been like this and would never go back on her word.

    Zhou Zimo gave her a sideways nce and suddenly felt a little aggrieved. He still did not want to agree so easily. He hurriedly said, ¡°Eight months. At least eight months.¡±

    Qin Su thought for a moment and lowered her eyes. It was considered a tacit agreement.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face lit up. ¡°What about the second one?¡±

    ¡°Secondly, throughout our rtionship, we must respect each other and cooperate with each other.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying this as if I would really take advantage of you. Well of course, I will definitely respect you, Officer Qin Su. Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Zhou Zimo gave her a meaningful nce and generously agreed.

    Qin Su took a moment to calm down and continued, ¡°Third, I don¡¯t ept your gossip. I¡¯m someone who values reputation very much. Even if we can¡¯t be together in the end, I don¡¯t want others to know that I¡¯ve had contact with a someone in a scandal.¡±

    When Qin Su said this, Zhou Zimo was a little unhappy. He immediately said, ¡°What do you mean someone in a scandal? I¡¯ve been pure-hearted all these years and have never had any female partners.¡±

    Qin Su gave him a sideways nce and tossed the newspaper to him. Zhou Zimo frowned and subconsciously looked at it as well¡ª

    It was indeed some entertainment weekly newspaper. The headlines on it were very big. It was a photo of him with a female celebrity at a banquet previously. It seemed to be quite ambiguous.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t what you think. Can¡¯t you see that my expression is so stiff?¡± Zhou Zimo exined with some annoyance.

    ¡°I¡¯m only giving my opinion. It¡¯s fine as long as you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    Qin Su replied indifferently. After pausing for a moment, she looked at him. ¡°What about you? You can give me whatever conditions you have.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s ck eyes flickered. He looked at her deeply and said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll agree to all your conditions. I only have one condition.¡±

    ¡°Say it,¡± replied Qin Su.

    ¡°I want you to move to my ce. This is my condition.¡± Zhou Zimo said firmly.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Qin Su rejected him directly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. My house is quiterge, and it¡¯s not far from where you work. It¡¯ll be more convenient for you. Also, you can choose any room you want. Since we¡¯re going to get along, you can save the trouble of cooking yourself. Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± Zhou Zimo said seductively.

    Hmm?

    Eating was indeed a problem!

    Qin Su herself admitted that she was a little...

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll go to your house tomorrow to visit your parents. I¡¯ll also help you carry your luggage and help you move.¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not wait for Qin Su to answer and directly said shamelessly.

    ¡°Keep our rtionship a secret. It¡¯s not good for us to be too conspicuous.¡±

    ¡°You mean, we¡¯re going to have a secret rtionship?¡± Zhou Zimo frowned.

    ¡°If you want to take it that way, sure.¡±

    ¡°Qin Su, you...¡±

    ¡°Whether you agree or not depends on yourself. Find a ce to eat. I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±

    Qin Su did not want to say anything more. Since she had already made the decision, she could only deal with the rest as she saw fit.

    This time, Zhou Zimo sighed in his heart. He was a little happy, but at the same time, he felt aggrieved!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    After thinking for a while, Zhou Zimo could only answer like this.

    Qin Su heard his tone and immediately turned to look at him. Seeing that he looked a little unhappy, she said, ¡°You¡¯re not happy?¡±

    ¡°No, I am. Of course I am!¡± Zhou Zimo hurriedly replied.

    Qin Su¡¯s tensed face looked a little better. ¡°If you have any opinions, you¡¯d better say it directly. I¡¯ve never guessed what you men are thinking.¡±

    ¡°Even if I say it, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll agree.¡±

    Zhou Zimo replied and then increased the speed of the car. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you for French cuisine.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ...

    The night gradually turned dark, and the surroundings fell silent. The evening breeze was very cold, and it was only at this time that one could feel the autumn.

    Dongfang Liuyun stood in front of the ss window in the study and looked down at the quiet courtyard. She held her aching waist with one hand. After sitting for so long, her back was aching.

    Qi Lei suddenly received a call after dinner, so he went out. He had not returned yet.

    It was already past twelve.

    Dongfang Liuyun had been waiting. When he was not home, it seemed very quiet. She was not used to this silence. She felt like something was missing.

    After some thought, she finally could not help but turn around. She walked to the table and was about to give him a call. She vaguely heard a sound downstairs. Then, the light from the car shed past the floor-to-ceiling window. She turned around and went over, she saw the car slowly drive in. It was Qi Lei¡¯s car.

    She then heaved a sigh of relief.

    A few minutester, the sound of the door opening came from outside. When Dongfang Liuyun walked out of the study, she just happened to see the man turn around and close the door.

    ¡°Why are you still awake? Didn¡¯t I tell you to sleep first?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned. As he asked, he unhurriedly took off his coat and threw it into the sofa. He untied his tie tiredly.

    ¡°Wait for you. Why do you smell like alcohol?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could smell the alcohol on him from afar.

    ¡°A friend just returned from Ennd, we went out to wee him. Rest early, you have to wake up early tomorrow. I¡¯m going to wash up.¡±

    Qi Lei unbuttoned his shirt unhurriedly. He nced at her and walked towards the bedroom.

    Dongfang Liuyun could only help him pack up the clothes he had casually left behind.

    About half an hourter, Qi Lei came out of the bathroom. Dongfang Liuyun was already lying down, leaning against the headboard as she flipped through the documents for the meeting the next day.

    ¡°Don¡¯t read anymore. It¡¯s almost 1 a.m.¡±

    The documents in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands were suddenly taken by the man. He threw them onto the chair on the side while tossing the towel in his hand over too.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and stood up to help him wipe his half-dried ink hair.

    ¡°I heard that there was a problem with the Lin Corporation these past few days. Did you hear anything about it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly thought of this matter.

    ¡°The Lin Corporation? On Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s end?¡±

    Qi Lei turned his gaze to look at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°I think it¡¯s a little strange.¡±

    ¡°How do you still have the time to bother about them. It¡¯s better to deal with the South River Project first.¡±

    Qi Lei naturally did not want to talk about this. He knew what had happened the best. Of course, he did not want her to know that this was his doing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the South River Project. I think there¡¯s no problem on my side. Our method is a good one. They¡¯re all watching each other right now, trying to find excuses and ws. Besides, I¡¯m watching over them, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

 Chapter 1818 - The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1818: The Mistress of Tai Yu Corporation (6)</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the project. I¡¯m worried about you. Your Dongfang Group is too deep in the water, and you¡¯re attracting too much attention. Be careful. What happened to Mother and Father wasn¡¯t an ident. You know very well what the situation is like.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and could not help but exhort.

    ¡°You¡¯re so worried about me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily and did not stop what she was doing.

    Qi Lei gave her a sideways nce. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m a youngdy who¡¯s been around for a long time, I won¡¯t be taken advantage of.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said with a smile on her face and the light in her eyes was very gentle.

    ¡°You should call yourself my wife.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and corrected her.

    ¡°In two days, I¡¯m going to City B. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be away for long. I¡¯ll be back in a week at most. You stay at home and be careful. I¡¯ll bring Yang Sheng over. If you need anything, just look for Wang Chun. He¡¯s very good at handling things, and he¡¯s also the one who knows the most about Dongfang Group¡¯s matters...¡±

    Qi Lei ced his hands on his knees. When he said this, he sounded a little reluctant.

    ¡°Are things over there very troublesome? Do you need to go personally?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned as well.

    ¡°Not really. Mu Yuchen can¡¯t get away from there. Grandfather Mu hasn¡¯t been doing very well recently. If you have time, go over to visit. I know that you were quite familiar with him and Grandmother Mu before. This time I¡¯ll have to go over.¡±

    Qi Lei could not help but worry when he mentioned this. He had heard from Yang Sheng that Mu Yinan¡¯s situation was not looking too good. It seemed like Xi Xiaye had gone straight back to the old residence, Mu Yuchen was also staying there. They were a little worried.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Okay, I got it. I haven¡¯t seen Mr. Mu for a long time. We agreed to have some time to discuss things. I didn¡¯t expect that after what happened, things have changed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave these things to you to worry about. I have to take a look at Mu Yuchen¡¯s side. Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi will be back tomorrow, so I think the situation won¡¯t be great. Let¡¯s go to the Mu Residence after work.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and decided they should go over and take a look.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not object, but she suddenly felt a little sad as they spoke.

    ...

    It was a dreamless night. The next morning, the couple woke up on time. After a simple breakfast, they went straight to thepany.

    The couple still drove the same car.

    Dongfang Liuyun sent Qi Lei to thepany first before going to Dongfang Group.

    In the manager¡¯s office of Dongfang Group.

    When Dongfang Liuyun arrived, Secretary Ding had already prepared the materials.

    ¡°Manager Yun, Manager Rou and the others are already waiting in the lobby downstairs. Are we going over now? It¡¯s about time.¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun still busy with herputer, Secretary Ding could not help but remind her.

    Dongfang Liuyun then closed herptop, packed her things, and left with her briefcase.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Manager Yun!¡±

    The two of them quickly went down the stairs. When they arrived at the hall on the first floor, they saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the rest who were sitting on the sofa waiting.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression did not seem too good. It seemed to be different from before. Perhaps it was because of the matter with the Lin Corporation, but at least Dongfang Liuyun was keenly aware that when she was standing in front of her, she was looking at her in a daze, that gaze was also somewhat erratic, carrying a hint of contemtion. As for the specifics, she could not tell what it was.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally would not know. Dongfang Rou¡¯er already knew that Fujiwara had returned, and she knew that Fujiwara hade to look for Dongfang Liuyun.

    However, Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not know about the subsequent developments.

    Fujiwara definitely was one of the reasons for Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s dissatisfaction and prejudice towards Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, the people over there are already waiting.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at her indifferently and pretended not to see her gaze. After saying this, she took the lead and walked out.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s gaze fell silent for a moment before she finally followed.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er actually really wanted to know if Fujiwara and Dongfang Liuyun had rekindled their rtionship.

    But, she...

    Dongfang Liuyun would not know what Dongfang Rou¡¯er was thinking. When she passed by her, she saw that Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s gaze was cold and stern. She was a little puzzled, but she did not say anything.

    The Dongfang Group was not too far from Qi Lei¡¯s Tai Yu Corporation. They arrived very quickly.

    When Dongfang Liuyun and the rest arrived, Yang Sheng was already waiting downstairs. When he saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s familiar car driving over, he immediately went up to wee it.

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re finally here!¡± Yang Sheng said enthusiastically. Secretary Ding also carried her briefcase and followed Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. The time is just right. Are you like Master Qi? Do you like being on the dot too?¡± Yang Sheng teased.

    As he spoke, he looked behind Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the others also followed.

    After they greeted each other, Yang Sheng led the way and followed behind Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Rou¡¯er was a little surprised by his cordial attitude.

    She did not know what was going on with Dongfang Liuyun. It seemed that she had a pretty good rtionship with Tai Yu Corporation. Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not forget that at the Mid-autumn Festival, the President of Tai Yu Corporation, Qi Lei, had helped Dongfang Liuyun out of a predicament, she did not know if Dongfang Liuyun had gotten lucky or not!

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes darkened. When she thought of the rejection she faced thest time she came over, her heart sank. She still did not know what Qi Lei was thinking, furthermore, she did not hear anything about the situation on Bai Xiaowei¡¯s side.

    ¡°Manager Rou, Miss Bai just called and said that she¡¯s not feeling well today, so she won¡¯t being over. However, she said that Tai Yu Corporation already has a mistress, she¡¯s asked you to be careful.¡±

    The secretary suddenly came forward and whispered into Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s ear.

    What?

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was momentarily stunned. She subconsciously stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the secretary beside her¡ª

    ¡°What did you say? What do you mean by Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s mistress? Do you mean that Qi Lei is married?¡±

    ¡°That should be what she meant.¡±

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard about it before? I thought...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er mumbled.

    She had originally wanted to be friends with someone like Qi Lei. After wandering around the business world for so many years, she believed in her own abilities. If they could be friends, it would be very beneficial to them. However, if this was the case, then...

 Chapter 1819 - Unspoken Rules? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1819: Unspoken Rules? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s president¡¯s office.

    Qi Lei was standing by the sofa watering a potted nt when Yang Sheng suddenly knocked on the door and walked in¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi, the Dongfang Group delegation is here. We¡¯ve already brought them to the conference room. Shall we go over for the meeting now?¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei stopped his actions unhurriedly and ced the water bottle in his hand to the side. As he reached out, Yang Sheng quickly understood and handed him a warm wet towel.

    Qi Lei casually wiped his hands and walked towards the office desk.

    ¡°They¡¯re quite punctual,¡± said Qi Lei tly.

    ¡°Missus seems to be the same as you, Master Qi. You both like being on the dot.¡± Yang Sheng smiled.

    ¡°How to be on the dot is a knowledge too. What kind of look is that? Why aren¡¯t you packing your things?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at Yang Sheng, and Yang Sheng smiled foolishly. He quickly picked up the folder on the table and left the office with Qi Lei.

    In the spacious and luxurious meeting room, representatives from both sides of thepany sat down in their seats, waiting for the people in the main seat to arrive.

    However, it was said that this project was being handled by Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s Vice President, Wang Chun. However, he did note to thepany today, and no one knew who was following up. Now, it seemed like it was their President Qi who was personally receiving them.

    This was because President Qi¡¯s assistant had personallye down to wee the delegation from the Dongfang Group. Many of the management members sitting below were still surprised. The Dongfang Group really had a lot of face, the person who came was not the president of the Dongfang Group, Dongfang Gan himself, but to think that their President Qi was personally receiving them.

    They had just seen the Chief Assistant, Yang Sheng, enthusiastically bringing the delegation over, especially to the other party¡¯s manager, Dongfang Liuyun.

    At this moment, the meeting room was very quiet. Everyone was waiting for the person sitting at the seat of honor.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s seat was arranged to be the second seat on the left of the seat of honor. The person sitting next to Dongfang Liuyun was a department director, followed by Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun was still flipping through the information in her hands. From time to time, she would discuss with the department director next to him the things he should pay attention to. Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s gaze was a little absent-minded. asionally, she would look at Dongfang Liuyun, she seemed to be a little unsettled.

    At this moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Everyone subconsciously followed the sound and looked over. They saw that the door of the conference room had already been opened. Qi Lei walked in coldly¡ª

    He was dressed in a dark-colored slim-fit suit. His handsome and exquisite facial features were not evil-looking like before. Now, he looked a little serious. He exuded a deep and reserved aura all over.

    He strode past the door and walked straight up. When he stopped, his gaze subconsciously fell on Dongfang Liuyun, who was reading a document on his left.

    Dongfang Liuyun quietly raised her head and looked over. When she met his gaze, she slowly stood up. The group of people also stood up.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, President Qi!¡±

    The group of people already greeted him respectfully. Qi Lei raised his hand to signal for them to sit down. He sat down as well, but his gaze fell directly on Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Vice President Wang Chun is out on an errand today. I¡¯ll be hosting the meeting. I¡¯ve seen the initial proposal for the South River Project. Not bad, you guys have worked hard.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he took the document that Yang Sheng handed over.

    ¡°Manager Yun, can you briefly exin the general situation to everyone?¡±

    Although Qi Lei¡¯s tone was the same as usual, everyone could feel that their President Qi seemed to be quite polite to Manager Yun.

    Looking at Manager Yun¡¯s reaction¡ª

    ¡°Yes, alright.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave a simple reply before standing up slowly.

    Dongfang Liuyun understood this project very well. It was just like giving lectures in university. She could give a speech without a script.

    He had to admit, Qi Lei admired the way the woman looked at this moment. It was a pleasure for Qi Lei to see her exin in such an orderly manner.

    After listening to the end, Qi Lei changed to afortable position and listened quietly. Of course, he would asionally ask a few questions, but their conversation felt inexplicablyfortable and harmonious, it did not seem like the way the twopanies negotiated.

    For example, right now, when Dongfang Liuyun was talking about decorations, Qi Lei suddenly said in a low voice¡ª

    ¡°Why did you choose a clear and tidy footline? Most people and designers suggest a dark brown color. This color looks better and is more harmonious with the overall look. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Actually, a dark brown color doesn¡¯t necessarily look better than a ck pattern. Moreover, the pattern we chose has a veryyered feeling. The contrast will be very distinct and it will also look cleaner and more imposing. I think a ck pattern is more suitable.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was sonorous, and she was very firm in her opinion.

    Qi Lei looked at her serious look and leaned over leisurely. He crossed his fingers and casually sped them together. The corners of his mouth curled up as he said in a low voice, ¡°Then let¡¯s go with the ck color. As long as you like it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun actually nodded and replied indifferently, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Then, they continued with the next question.

    The meeting went smoothly and the exchange of views between both sides was resolved in a harmonious manner. Dongfang Liuyun and the rest were naturally focused on the project, but today, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was a little abnormal, it was also rare to see her so quiet during the meeting. If it was in the past, she would most likely not let go of the opportunity to show off.

    This surprised Dongfang Liuyun.

    When the meeting ended, it was already lunchtime. The Dongfang Group delegation was also arranged to have lunch.

    The people who attended the meeting left the meeting room one after another. Dongfang Rou¡¯er quietly packed her things and left slowly with her secretary. At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun was still organizing the meeting notes. Qi Lei had not left either, he was still sitting and flipping through the documents in his hands.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    At this moment, Qi Lei finally closed the documents in his hands and looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly put away her pen and handed the documents to Secretary Ding behind her as she looked at him¡ª

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d have the chance to try the food in yourpany¡¯s canteen.¡±

    ¡°How many times have you tried it? I¡¯ll bring you to eat something delicious today. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Qi Lei stood up leisurely.

    ¡°Are you rewarding me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily as the couple walked side by side towards the door.

 Chapter 1820 - Unspoken Rules? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1820: Unspoken Rules? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, just as the couple walked out of the meeting room and turned the corner, they saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er, who was putting away her phone.

    At this moment, the smile on the couple¡¯s faces had not faded. They were discussing something very pleasant. Dongfang Rou¡¯er could see the harmonious scene. What surprised her even more was that Qi Lei had his arm around Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shoulders, the two of them were about to walk to the private elevator.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not help but be surprised. She was stunned on the spot!

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun, how...

    They looked like a couple?

    ¡°Manager Rou, let¡¯s go. The people in front are waiting for us!¡±

    The secretary reminded her at the right time. Only then did Dongfang Rou¡¯er pull her thoughts back. She left with the secretary in a daze, but her gaze kept on the two who were walking over.

    As they watched the two people in front of them disappear into the corridor, Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun exchanged nces.

    ¡°Will there be any problems?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in a low voice. He subconsciously let go of the arm around her shoulder.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a matter of time anyway. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m really hungry.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said indifferently. The current situation was not as bad as before. She did not have to worry about Dongfang Rou¡¯er doing anything.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun did not know that she had underestimated Dongfang Rou¡¯er this time!

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even eat much for breakfast.¡±

    ¡°I think your cooking is better than Mama Wang¡¯s. How about you cover breakfast from now on?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and followed him into the private elevator.

    ¡°Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, me. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, you do it,¡± said Qi Lei.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and nced at him disapprovingly.

    ¡°Okay then, you¡¯ll have to guarantee that I¡¯ll be in a good mood every day.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he gave her a meaningful look, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s frown deepened.

    ...

    After the South River Project was finalized, Qi Lei left City Z the next morning and rushed straight to City B. Dongfang Liuyun also began to work on the project step by step.

    ¡°Hey, do you know? I heard that ourpany got the South River Project because our Manager Yun used honey trap!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! The people who attended the meeting yesterday came back and said that President Qi from Tai Yu Corporation was very close to our Manager Yun!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no wonder President Qi came out to help Manager Yun during thest Mid-autumn Festival. I didn¡¯t expect that Manager Yun would be so good at it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an unspoken rule, it¡¯s too normal! If she get into President Qi¡¯s bed, would he have given us the project without any reason? The capabilities of the twopanies thatpeted with us are right there!¡±

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect Manager Yun to be that kind of person. She seems to be quite high and mighty. To get to the top, she really went all out!¡±

    ...

    At some point in time, such small talk had started to appear in thepany!

    When Secretary Ding came out of the washroom, her face was already covered with dark clouds!

    ¡°Where did you hear this news from? You don¡¯t understand the situation yet you just spout nonsense. When did thepany allow you to casually talk about your boss?¡±

    A cold and harsh rebuke was heard. The few employees who were gathered in front were all shocked and hurriedly left.

    Secretary Ding frowned.

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was busy in the office, naturally did not know about these things. Secretary Ding wanted to say something, but she hesitated. She wanted to tell her about this, but she held it back in the end. She did not say anything. She thought that as long as she did not pay attention to this matter, the rest would naturally fall silent.

    However, it was obvious that she had underestimated the viciousness of these rumors.

    Qi Lei was the focus of the media¡¯s attention. After all, he was a big shot in the movie industry. Qi Kai¡¯s background was very deep, so the Qi family naturally received a lot of attention, not to mention the news about a legendary figure like Qi Lei.

    Although Qi Lei had been keeping a low profile for the past two years, the more that was the case, the more attention the media paid to him. Especially when it was revealed that the female lead of the unspoken rules was the daughter of Dongfang Group, Dongfang Gan¡¯s precious daughter, and the genius of the archaeology world, Dongfang Liuyun!

    When Dongfang Liuyun got off work the next night, she was already surrounded by arge group of reporters downstairs. They were all asking about her and Qi Lei. The sharpness of the questions made Dongfang Liuyun frown.

    What was even more worrying was that when the market opened on Monday, the Dongfang Group¡¯s stock market started to fall. After a few days, the situation did not improve. Some shareholders were already starting to feel uneasy and asked Dongfang Liuyun toe forward to resolve the matter.

    At this moment, in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study in the Dongfang family¡¯s old residence.

    A burst of intense, heart-wrenching coughing could be hearding from the study. In front of the study table, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old face waspletely pale. Her assistant, Ah Cai, passed the medicine to her. She also took it with a trembling hand and swallowed it, it took a while for her to recover.

    ¡°President Shu, your health... why don¡¯t we go back? It¡¯s not suitable for you to recuperate here. Your health is getting worse. The doctor said that you need to rest more and recuperate.¡±

    Ah Cai was naturally very worried about Dongfang Shuman¡¯s health, especially since she had just returned. Her condition had been very bad, and Dongfang Shuman could not stay idle. She had been understanding the affairs of the Dongfang Group for the past few days.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My health has always been like this. How¡¯s the investigation going? Also, what does this mean?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman looked very upset. After taking a deep breath, she threw the newspaper in her hand in front of Ah Cai.

    Ah Cai¡¯s heart tightened. She quickly picked it up to take a look. The front page was about Dongfang Liuyun and her use of unspoken rules. Dongfang Shuman had been through a lot, she was not too anxious about the decline of Dongfang Group¡¯s stock market because she was also very confident. She was now concerned about Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°President Shu, this is actually very obvious. It¡¯s just someone wanting to use the pressure of public opinion to reduce Fourth Miss¡¯s spirit, but the way things have developed seems to be a little beyond our imagination. Should we...¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s her own carelessness that caused it, then let her solve it herself. How¡¯s the investigation going?¡±

    A sharp glint shed across Dongfang Shuman¡¯s eyes as she said coldly.

    ¡°It¡¯s already been investigated. This is Qi Lei¡¯s information. Also, my intuition tells me that the defeat of the Lin Corporation might be rted to Qi Lei. I sent people to the casino to investigate in secret and found that Qi Lei¡¯s right-hand man, Wang Chun, had appeared near the casino. Of course, I didn¡¯t find any evidence to prove it.¡±

 Chapter 1821 - Unspoken Rules? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1821: Unspoken Rules? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Shuman was silent for a moment. After a while, she took the document from Ah Cai. She flipped it open and skimmed through it. Her old eyes froze for a moment before they quickly returned to normal.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to investigate this Qi Lei anymore. He asked me to meet him over the weekend, and I agreed. I¡¯m looking forward to what kind of person could get Liuyun to challenge me. All the signs indicate that he¡¯s not that simple,¡± said Dongfang Shuman.

    Ah Cai nodded. ¡°What about thepany now? The situation isn¡¯t very optimistic. I don¡¯t know what Fourth Lady can do. Tomorrow is the shareholders¡¯ meeting. President Gan isn¡¯t around. I don¡¯t know...¡±

    ¡°Inform them that I¡¯ll personally host thepany¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow. Also, give Liuyun a call immediately. Don¡¯t let me see this situation continue to worsen at the meeting tomorrow. Otherwise, she¡¯ll have to immediately be removed from her current position and be reced with someone else. Dongfang Shuman said coldly.

    Hearing that, Ah Cai hesitated for a moment and said worriedly, ¡°President Shu, this isn¡¯t good, is it? The Fourth Lady, she... It¡¯s not easy to exin to President Gan. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Some people just deliberately spread rumors about her. They probably don¡¯t know that Qi Lei is married to the Fourth Lady, but if President Shu wants to... If they announce their rtionship, I¡¯m afraid it would affect the future...¡±

    ¡°If she can¡¯t even handle such a small matter, then she doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to take charge of the Dongfang Group. I know very well whose idea this was. Although I interfered with their internal conflicts, I would be the first to disagree with using the interests of the Dongfang Group to change minds. Call Dongfang Ren, Dongfang Yi, and the others back. Tell them that I want them toe back and have afternoon tea with me.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s aura did not decrease as she directly gave the order.

    Ah Cai hurriedly nodded. ¡°Alright, President Shu. I¡¯ll inform them right away.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s Song Siting doing?¡± Dongfang Shuman recalled this matter.

    ¡°She¡¯s still in the hospital. It seems that she can be discharged tomorrow. However, it¡¯s still not very convenient for her to move around. She still needs to recuperate for a period of time. Oh right, Master Fujiwara went to visit her previously, but she did not meet him. Perhaps it¡¯s because...¡±

    Ah Cai¡¯s tone gradually lowered, and she did not dare to make too many guesses.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s expression was not too good either. She coughed a few times, and her tone became a little weak, ¡°I wanted Ah Gan to marry a good wife, a person who could really help him share the burden, and not someone who would only cause trouble. You¡¯ve seen the situation in thepany now. What can she, Song Siting, do? I feel annoyed whenever I see her!¡±

    ¡°President Shu, I think Lawyer Song herself is also trying hard to protect President Gan. After all, President Gan and her are in love with each other sincerely. At this point, perhaps you can only ept it calmly so that the rtionship between them can be more harmonious. After all, she is also a person who works very hard. All these years, I can see that President Gan and the Fourth Lady are also quite tired.¡±

    ¡°Ah Cai, you still don¡¯t understand. There are some things that you can¡¯tpromise. Once youpromise, the other party will think that she is right. Song Siting is such a proud person. I don¡¯t deny that she is upright, kind, and capable. However, these things are useless to us. Moreover, you have to understand that a lot of unnecessary and avoidable resentment is caused by her. Originally, these things cannot be med on her, but her attitude in handling things is very uneptable to me.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was unusually heavy, and she became quite gloomy.

    Seeing this, Ah Cai did not dare to say anything more to avoid provoking her, that would be bad. After some thought, she could only reply, ¡°I understand, President Shu!¡±

    ¡°Pick a time to go over and take a look, tomorrow.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman added after that.

    ¡°Okay, President Shu!¡±

    ...

    Trouble came one after another. Dongfang Liuyun was also a little tired from being annoyed.

    Especially when she received a call from Ah Cai to pass on Dongfang Shuman¡¯s message.

    ¡°I understand. There¡¯s no need for her to worry. Let¡¯s leave it at that for now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun silently hung up the phone. Her cold face had a hint of coldness.

    ¡°Was that a call from your grandmother?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had just put away his phone when Song Siting, who was lying on the hospital bed, asked directly.

    Her eyes darkened. Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand to rub the space between her brows tiredly and did not reply.

    Song Siting¡¯s eyes darkened when she saw this. She thought for a moment and suddenly reached out to pick up a newspaper from the bedside and tossed it in front of Dongfang Liuyun. Her tone was a little gloomy¡ª

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to exin this matter? I¡¯ve seen the situation of thepany¡¯s stock market. It¡¯s caused quite an impact because of this. What do you n to do? What about Qi Lei? Why didn¡¯t hee over? You¡¯ve messed up, shouldn¡¯t he stand up and say something?¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s impression of Qi Lei had changed, but after waiting for two days without seeing any action from Qi Lei, she could not stay calm.

    ¡°Do you think he shoulde out and say something? He¡¯s not in City Z right now.¡±

    ¡°He went out to hide from the limelight? Hah!¡± Song Siting sneered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that everyone is as bad as you. I have my own ns for this matter. If someone wants to use this to take me down, of course I won¡¯t let it go so easily. Next time please don¡¯t throw around the me if you don¡¯t know the truth.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little disgusted by her mother¡¯s sharp and mean face.

    Song Siting¡¯s expression immediately turned ugly.

    ¡°What do you think we can do now? Liuyun, you have to understand your current situation. Now you...¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t talk to me about your current situation. If you had really considered this point, you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation. You should take care of yourself first. The doctor said that you can be discharged tomorrow. I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow morning. You should rest early. I¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not want to get into bad terms with Song Siting. At the moment, it was better to just endure and not say anything.

    As for this matter, she was not very worried. She just left it to Qi Lei.

    She had an inexplicable sense of trust in him. Her intuition told her that he would handle the matter very well. However, it was a little hard to bear now, especially at the shareholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow.

    What a headache!

    Thinking about this made her feel like she was suffocating.

    It seemed like they had to bring forward the announcement of their marriage. However, Qi Lei was not in City Z, so she could not just call Qi Lei and ask him toe back immediately.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath. Just as she walked out of the ward, the phone in her pocket vibrated.

 Chapter 1822 - Canâ€™t Let Her Lose (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1822: Can¡¯t Let Her Lose (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She quickly took out her phone and looked at it. It was Qi Lei who had called.

    They had not contacted each other for two days, and it felt like they were separated by a few years. Dongfang Liuyun looked at the caller ID on the screen, and the hidden bitterness in her heart started to spread for no reason.

    After a long silence, she picked up the phone and walked forward.

    ¡°Hello...¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly.

    At this moment, on the quiet streets City B, Qi Lei was walking slowly under the dim street lights while talking to her on the phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote. Aren¡¯t you home yet?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s sensitive voice of concern came through. It touched the silent longing in her heart. She had wanted toin, but at this moment, it finally seemed to dissipate.

    ¡°Not yet. I came to visit Mother at the hospital. She¡¯ll be discharged tomorrow.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied. Her thin figure turned the corner and walked towards the elevator.

    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you. I¡¯ll get Wang Chun to help. Liuyun... Don¡¯t worry about the scandal. Don¡¯t bother about it. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s low voice was apologetic.

    ¡°Mm, you don¡¯t have to feel pressured. I didn¡¯t take it to heart. Juste back as soon as you¡¯ve settled the matter. I¡¯ve been feeling quite tired these past few days. If this matter really gets out of hand, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have a hard time handling it. I can¡¯t handle it. Father seems to have met with some trouble in Myanmar. Vice President Zhang needs to go over and help. The matters in thepany...¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun spoke about these things, her tone was also filled with helplessness, but it was also more of exhaustion¡ª

    It was not that she was not capable, but it was because of her current position in thepany. Many things were not something that she could decide. Moreover, Dongfang Shuman would be attending the shareholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow. The meeting would be held in the afternoon, so she did not have any excuses to decline, she could already imagine the scene where those people would denounce her.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, trust me. Go to thepany boldly tomorrow. I¡¯m here for everything. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Previously, I kept saying that I¡¯ll give you a gift. If nothing goes wrong, you¡¯ll see it tomorrow.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep and emotional voice carried a hint offort at this moment. It eased the pressure in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart.

    No matter what, she should feel satisfied to beforted like this. She, Dongfang Liuyun, was not afraid to take on the pressure. She was only worried that she would drag Dongfang Gan and the rest down.

    She had always been like this. She was much more ruthless to herself than others.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about this, but...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun wanted to say something, but she did not know what else she could say. She finally remained silent.

    The two of them remained silent. After a while, Qi Lei said, ¡°I know you¡¯ve been working hard these past few days. When Ie back, I¡¯ll reward you well. I¡¯ll make you live the life of a queen.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°If I were a queen, I wouldn¡¯t make you work like a cow. Remember to bring me some gifts.¡±

    ¡°How can I not get you some gifts? I¡¯ve even gotten gifts for father and mother.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and stopped walking. He sat down on a bench under the streetlights.

    Dongfang Liuyun felt a warmth in her heart¡ª

    She knew that apart from being good to her, he was also good to her family. Although Song Siting did not usually like him, he still silently cared for them most of the time. Every time he saw something good, or when he went on a business trip, he would always think about bringing gifts for them.

    However, now that she thought about Song Siting¡¯s attitude just now, she could not help but feel a pain in her heart for him. After some thought, she said, ¡°Just bring it for me. Why do you care so much about them? They will get what they like on their own.¡±

    It was not that she was unfilial, but this might make her feel better.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t sound too happy? Did something unhappy happen with Mother again?¡±

    Qi Lei was also keenly aware that there was something wrong with her mood.

    ¡°No, you know that we see things differently. I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm. It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t think too much. Actually, my parents are very good to me. I didn¡¯t feel any harmony and warmth from my family when I was young. At least when I went to Tanshan, my parents were very good to me. If it¡¯s because of me, you don¡¯t have to do that. Time can change many things. I believe that they will slowly ept me in the future.¡±

    Qi Lei was a very sensitive person. Many times, he could guess that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s rtionship with Song Siting was a little tense because of him. He would never expose it. He was just worried that she would let her imagination run wild.

    When Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes suddenly heated up. She sniffed and took a deep breath. In a hoarse voice, she said, ¡°Is it tiring being with me?¡±

    ¡°Tiring? Am I?¡±

    Qi Lei mumbled and thought about it seriously before replying, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. From the moment we signed, we were husband and wife. I¡¯m your Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s husband. You have the right to rely on me. Of course, I should also do my best for you.¡±

    ¡°How many women have you told such sentimental words to?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel a little touched, but she replied to him like that.

    A smile appeared on Qi Lei¡¯s face as he said disapprovingly¡ª

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun is unique. Other than you, who else has the ability to make me so reckless? There¡¯s only one Dongfang Liuyun in this world. For someone like me who doesn¡¯t have much grace and doesn¡¯t know what to treasure, it¡¯s only for this once that I can lose my mind. You have to watch me closely.¡±

    When he said this, a rxed and evil smile shed across Qi Lei¡¯s face. It looked rather pleasing to the eye.

    ¡°Am I that great?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips also contained a faint smile as she asked softly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you¡¯re that great. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re right for me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve said that I¡¯m great before.¡± Dongfang Liuyun chuckled.

    ¡°Did I say that before? I don¡¯t remember. Let¡¯s use what I said now.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment before replying.

    Dongfang Liuyun snorted coldly.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. Get back early and remember what I said. Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, then you should rest early ande back soon... I do miss you a little. There¡¯s no one to warm the bed...¡±

    Qi Lei...

 Chapter 1823 - Canâ€™t Let Her Lose (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1823: Can¡¯t Let Her Lose (2)</h4>

    The streets at night were very quiet, especially in the middle of the night.

    It was not the middle of the month, nor was the full moon hanging in the sky. Tonight was not as bright as a few days ago, so the moonlight was a little dim. The lonely streetmps engulfed the people sitting on the bench, and the ground was filled with mottled shadows.

    When Yang Sheng rushed over with his briefcase, he saw Qi Lei slowly putting away the phone in his hand.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng walked over, slightly panting.

    Qi Lei raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows. He nced at him and nodded. He pointed to the seat next to him. ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    Yang Sheng took a deep breath and sat down.

    ¡°Master Qi, about Missus...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already made an appointment with President Li. We¡¯ll meet at eight tomorrow morning. We¡¯ll be done by around 10. Make arrangements immediately, we must be able to rush back to City Z by one o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon. Also, contact a few authoritative media outlets and arrange for them to be in thepany¡¯s reception hall. I want to hold a press conference.¡±

    As Qi Lei instructed, his dark eyes were filled with determination and wisdom.

    When Qi Lei said this, Yang Sheng was stunned. He thought for a moment before his eyes widened. ¡°Master Qi, do you want to personally announce your marriage to Missus? It¡¯s quite rushed, and your health hasn¡¯t been great these past two days, your sleep has been very poor too, this...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Things have alreadye to this. What else can we do? It¡¯s an established fact anyway. There¡¯s no harm in knowing.¡±

    Although he knew that doing this would bring unnecessary trouble in the future, Qi Lei also felt that this was the best solution.

    Yang Sheng paused for a moment before taking a deep breath. ¡°Alright, it seems like we can only do this.¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see any mistakes in tomorrow¡¯s matter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. Vice President Wang Chun has always done things wlessly. He will arrange everything. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Yang Sheng replied, ¡°Also, Dongfang Yi and the others will not let go of this opportunity. Dongfang Ren will not be able to take it lying down either.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just ce our hopes on them. Otherwise, we will be easily shaken.¡±

    Qi Lei recalled what Dongfang Liuyun had told him previously. Dongfang Shuman was also a little unfathomable. He had to meet her personally to know her attitude.

    To be able to sit in that position, it must not be simple.

    There was also Dongfang Gan. He was now the acting president of the Dongfang Group. Although he looked gentle and calm on the surface, Qi Lei understood that he was actually an old fox who was scheming in secret. This, he could feel when he yed chess with him.

    ¡°Yes, but, Master Qi, if President Gan doesn¡¯te back, Missus will be very easily shaken in thepany, we...¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that he will be held back forever?¡±

    At this point, Qi Lei nced sideways at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Otherwise, what does Master Qi think?¡± Yang Sheng was puzzled.

    ¡°If he stays in thepany, their father-daughter goal will be infinitely magnified. These matters are not for him to solve, but for their shareholders¡¯ meeting. Sometimes, it¡¯s best to remain silent.¡±

    Qi Lei exined simply.

    Yang Sheng was confused. He did not seem to understand what he meant. However, seeing that Qi Lei had already stood up and did not seem to have any intention of continuing, he took a deep breath and did not continue asking.

    ...

    ¡°Master, Master Fujiwara is here!¡±

    The next morning, when Lan Xiu had just finished his breakfast and was taking a walk in the backyard, Ah Li suddenly came to report.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Lan Xiu was also a little surprised. He stopped and thought for a moment before saying calmly, ¡°Let hime over.¡±

    After saying this, Lan Xiu leisurely sat down on a stool at the side and began to leisurely boil water and make tea.

    It was alreadyte autumn, and the chrysanthemums in the yard were blooming very thickly, especially in the cold weather these few days. This made the flowers bloom even more brilliantly, and the fragrance of the flowers was very strong.

    When the water had just boiled, Fujiwara came over. He wore a ck windbreaker, and as usual, he wore the same serious expression.

    Matsuda and Ah Li subconsciously stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waited by the side.

    Fujiwara walked over and unceremoniously sat down across from Lan Xiu.

    ¡°You¡¯re up early. It looks like you haven¡¯t slept all night?¡±

    Lan Xiu moved the chrysanthemum tea he had brewed over and said.

    ¡°Your ce is still the same as before. There aren¡¯t too many changes.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold expression eased up a little. He looked around before saying in a low voice.

    ¡°You know that I¡¯ve always been a person who¡¯s easy to follow. Every flower and grass here, since it¡¯s in its designated position, I don¡¯t want to change anything.¡±

    Lan Xiu replied indifferently.

    Knowing what Lan Xiu meant, Fujiwara fell silent for a moment and did not continue the topic.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any thoughts on the Liuyun matter now?¡±

    The matter of Dongfang Liuyun over the past few days was not considered a secret. Fujiwara and Lan Xiu naturally knew about it. Lan Xiu had gone to look for Dongfang Liuyun, but Dongfang Liuyun did not see him.

    This was because the most important thing at this time was to protect himself. There was no need to drag Lan Xiu in. Although the matter had caused Dongfang Liuyun a headache, Dongfang Liuyun was still a very rational person. She was still able to maintain a clear mind.

    When Lan Xiu said this, Fujiwara¡¯s eyes darkened. He silently lowered his head and sipped his tea. He did not reply.

    Lan Xiu quietly looked at him for a while before taking a deep breath. ¡°I went to look for her before, but she didn¡¯t see me. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for you. She won¡¯t see you now.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t give up.¡±

    Fujiwara clenched his fists.

    ¡°Qi Lei isn¡¯t in City Z these few days. Liuyun is under a lot of pressure. This is a good opportunity. However, I hope that you won¡¯t hurt her and respect her wishes. Perhaps you should also have a good talk with her and put an end to everything between the two of you.¡±

    ¡°She said that to you?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze turned cold again when Lan Xiu said that.

    ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t want to see you. You should know that very well. If you really love her, then help her get through this difficult situation first. I know that you have the ability. Elder Madam Dongfang will give you some face. Also, you should have some idea of the situation this time.¡±

    Lan Xiu sighed and paused before continuing, ¡°You know Liuyun¡¯s character. Ah Ye, I don¡¯t want to see that you¡¯re the one who is in pain in the end.¡±

    ¡°How can any pain bepared to what I felt in past? It¡¯s good to be closer. You should also understand this feeling.¡±

    Fujiwara replied indifferently.

    Lan Xiu could onlyugh bitterly when he heard this...

 Chapter 1824 - Canâ€™t Let Her Lose (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1824: Can¡¯t Let Her Lose (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    That morning, Dongfang Liuyun naturally got up very early. She took leave for the morning and did not go to thepany because he had to go to the hospital to pick up Song Siting who was getting discharged.

    She got up just before dawn and made some general preparations for the afternoon meeting. She knew that she probably had a tough battle to fight today, so she made more preparations.

    After a simple breakfast, Dongfang Liuyun went straight to the hospital. However, to her surprise, when she arrived at the hospital, the people that Wang Chun had arranged for her had almost finished the discharge procedures for Song Siting, they even brought Song Siting for a checkup.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally knew that this was Qi Lei¡¯s arrangement.

    In the ward, the procedures were almost done. When Dongfang Liuyun walked in, Song Siting had just finished her breakfast. Perhaps she knew that she could be discharged, so Song Siting¡¯splexion was much better than before. Her face was a little pale, there was a rare trace of redness.

    The conversation between the mother and daughterst night ended unhappily, so the atmosphere between the mother and daughter today was a little stiff.

    Dongfang Liuyun simply put a coat over Song Siting¡¯s shoulders as she said, ¡°It¡¯s a little cold outside. It¡¯s alreadyte autumn. The temperature in City Z has dropped sharply these few days. It¡¯s not very convenient for you to move around, so I¡¯ve asked the butler to make some arrangements. You should stay at the Grand Lake Vi area for the next few days. Anyway, the house is quite big, it¡¯ll be more convenient for us to look after you.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Song Siting paused for a moment. She lifted her gaze slightly to look at her daughter, who had a slightly cold expression. It was as if she did not take yesterday¡¯s matter to heart. She thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s nothing serious with my health. I just need to recuperate. You and Qi Lei can have some peace, so I won¡¯t disturb the both of you. What happened yesterday was a slip of the tongue, but I¡¯m also worried about you. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll suffer and that you won¡¯t be able to handle it. Liuyun, don¡¯t you know why I¡¯m so worried?¡±

    Song Siting could not help but say the words that were stuck in her heart.

    ¡°If worrying helps, you can worry. Since you can¡¯t even solve your own problems, you might as well worry about yourself. Aunt Ah Cai called me in the morning and said that she¡¯lle to see youter. You should understand who¡¯s intention that is.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said indifferently.

    ¡°Your grandmother...¡±

    ¡°Grandmother will personally host the shareholders¡¯ meeting in the afternoon. If you want me to be less worried, you should behave yourself. Father isn¡¯t around, and I¡¯m also tired from holding this up alone.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said expressionlessly, and there was a hint of fatigue between her brows¡ª

    She did not have a good restst night, so her spirit was not much better.

    Song Siting was silent for a moment before she insisted, ¡°Send me back to the Tanshan Vi area. I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a moment, but she did not refuse.

    Because she knew her mother¡¯s character very well and had always been a person of her word. Since she insisted, she could only let her be.

    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange two nurses for you. During this period of time, you should stay at home and recuperate. Father isn¡¯t here, so I hope you can take care of yourself and not let everyone worry about you. Let¡¯s put the matters of your firm aside for now,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to dy that case. The court is going to be held in the middle of next month, so I have to finish what I started. After this case, I¡¯ll discuss the rest with your father, so...¡±

    ¡°I know you have your persistence, but it¡¯s a good thing for us that you to ensure your own safety. At least, Father won¡¯t have to work so hard to worry about you. You know that Grandmother¡¯s bad impression of you is mostly because of your way of doing things. You¡¯re not a person who willpromise. You¡¯re such a serious person, you¡¯re not suited to stay in the Dongfang family. I think you should have a deep understanding of this.¡±

    Although Dongfang Liuyun did not want to talk about these things anymore, she still felt a little ufortable when she thought of Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words. Even though Song Siting had a million bad things to say, she was still the mother who gave birth to her and raised her, although the mother and daughter did not have the same opinion on many things, the rtionship that was deep in their bones was not something that she could easily deny.

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, Song Siting stopped talking. Her expression became a littleplicated. Later on, she finally did not continue this topic. Instead, she softened her tone

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about these unhappy things today. Let¡¯s go back early. I¡¯ve been in the hospital for so long, and I¡¯ve wanted to leave the hospital for a long time. It¡¯s been a long while since the two of us had dinner together. Call the house and ask them to prepare some good dishes. Let¡¯s have lunch there, and Qi Lei...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not back yet. Let¡¯s talk once we¡¯ve settled you in.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied before helping her out of the door.

    Song Siting¡¯s eyes darkened, and she followed behind.

    ...

    The group left the hospital quietly and rushed back to the Tanshan Vi area. To Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s surprise, when they returned home, they bumped into Dongfang Shuman¡¯s special assistant, Ah Cai.

    Ah Cai was Dongfang Shuman¡¯s right-hand woman. She came here to represent Dongfang Shuman.

    When Song Siting saw her, her face subconsciously tensed up.

    Dongfang Liuyun was still expressionless.

    ¡°Lawyer Song, Fourth Lady!¡±

    When she saw Song Siting and Dongfang Liuyun, Ah Cai quickly went forward and greeted them respectfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s you...¡± Song Siting replied coldly and looked at Ah Cai with some vignce.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me, Lawyer Song! President Shu knows about your matter and is not very assured. She asked me toe and see you.¡±

    Ah Cai said very calmly. She did not take Song Siting¡¯s cold attitude to heart.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in first. It¡¯s a little cold outside.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke at the right time and helped Song Siting into the room.

    Ah Cai nodded and followed them in.

    The few of them sat down on the sofa in the living room. The maid quickly served hot tea.

    Dongfang Liuyun instructed the special nurse and the butler on some matters that needed attention. Only Song Siting and Ah Cai were left in the living room.

    ¡°Does the Elder Madam have something to say to me?¡±

    Song Siting took the flower tea and took a sip. She turned her head to look at Ah Cai, who had been silent the whole time.

    ¡°President Shu has said everything that needs to be said. Lawyer Song, please understand that it is not easy to be the person in charge of the family. Also, please understand her difficulties as a mother.¡±

    Ah Cai thought for a moment and said so.

    Hearing this, Song Siting¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile. ¡°Ah Cai, you know very well that she has never been able to ept me. No matter how hard I try, she still hasn¡¯t affirmed me, right?¡±

 Chapter 1825 - Canâ€™t Let Her Lose (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1825: Can¡¯t Let Her Lose (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Song Siting herself was a very legendary figure. It was not easy for her to get to where she was today step by step. She was also a person who had gone through a lot of hardships, so her self-esteem was much higher than many people.

    Dongfang Shuman had never liked her as a daughter-inw. She was too ambitious and too self-righteous, and she was not tactful in handling matters. Her son Dongfang Gan would definitely find it tiring to be with her, and she also did not have the ability to be the mistress of the Dongfang Group. By the looks of the current situation, it would be considered good if she did not fall out with her family.

    ¡°Lawyer Song, actually, President Shu has always been right about things and not about people. You and President Gan have been together for so many years. If she is really determined to oppose you, there are countless ways to make it impossible for the two of you to be together. President Shu also took into ount the rtionship between you and President Gan, as well as the rtionship between her and President Gan¡¯s mother, thus making a concession.¡±

    Ah Cai also exined in a low voice.

    ¡°Actually, Lawyer Song, you know very well that if we didn¡¯t stand in other people¡¯s shoes and consider the other party¡¯s situation, it would be impossible toe up with a way to achieve the best of both worlds. Lawyer Song, you are very independent and strong. I also admire you on this point. But ask yourself, what have you done for President Gan all these years? ¡°What have you done for the Fourth Lady? Or, what have you done for the Dongfang family?¡±

    Ah Cai¡¯s gaze was very calm, and Song Siting understood very well that what she meant was also what Dongfang Shuman meant.

    ¡°Lawyer Song, you should be very clear about what is ced in front of President Gan. Forgive me for being blunt, Lawyer Song, in name, you do care about the father and daughter pair, but you really live very selfishly. This is also President Shu¡¯s evaluation of you.¡±

    ¡°Did she really say that?¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s face turned cold as she listened and asked.

    Ah Cai took a light breath and nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, President Shu said that. She said that if you never recognize this fact and don¡¯t make a change, she will never recognize you as her daughter-inw.¡±

    Such tough words without any discussion were indeed the usual style of Dongfang Shuman. Song Siting had always been very clear about it.

    When Ah Cai said this, Song Siting¡¯s face naturally tensed up a little. After thinking for a moment, she did not say anything else.

    When Ah Cai saw this, she naturally stopped and slowly stood up¡ª

    ¡°I have brought President Shu¡¯s words to you. If I have crossed any unnecessary lines, please forgive me, Lawyer Song. I am only responsible for conveying President Shu¡¯s thoughts. President Shu also hopes that you can live a good life, but she hopes that Lawyer Song can also stand in their shoes and consider more. Alright, I¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    After Ah Cai said this, she slightly bowed and then turned around.

    ¡°Fourth Lady, I¡¯ll go back first!¡±

    When she saw Dongfang Liuyun walking over, Ah Cai also spoke very respectfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have lunch together? I¡¯m going over in the afternoon anyway,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°No need. President Shu is still waiting for me at home. There are some documents that need to be sorted out,¡± replied Ah Cai.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and naturally did not try to persuade her to stay. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the afternoon then.¡±

    ¡°See you in the afternoon.¡± Ah Cai replied and then left.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched Ah Cai¡¯s figure disappear outside the door. After a while, she turned around to look at Song Siting who was sitting on the sofa.

    Song Siting was sitting quietly on the sofa and did not speak. She looked a little lonely. Dongfang Liuyun could not describe the feeling.

    ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it and asked. Of course, she would not ask if something had happened to her.

    Hearing this, Song Siting finally collected her thoughts. After a while, she said calmly, ¡°Anything is fine.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened. Finally, she did not say anything more. She turned around and walked to the kitchen.

    About an hourter, a few fresh home-cooked dishes were served. They were all appetizing dishes.

    In this family, Dongfang Liuyun rarely cooked. Most of them were cooked by her father, Dongfang Gan. It was extremely rare for Dongfang Liuyun to be personally cooking,

    The mother and daughter sat down face to face.

    Dongfang Liuyun respectfully served a bowl of soup for Song Siting. She moved it slowly in front of her and then served a bowl for herself.

    ¡°Your grandmother¡¯s prejudice against me has never lessened. As you can see, I have worked hard over the years. Liuyun, do you really think that I am a selfish and irresponsible mother?¡±

    Song Siting stopped what she was doing and quietly raised her head to look at her daughter who was quietly drinking the soup with her head lowered.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. She quietly raised her gaze to look at her. After a moment of silence, she said faintly, ¡°I will not participate in the discussion between the both of you. I have already said my opinion of you. There is a difference of opinions between us, our philosophies are different and there is no need to discuss it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very indifferent. She had nothing to say to Song Siting since a long time ago.

    Song Siting¡¯s tensed face subconsciously stiffened. It was a long whileter before she quietly lowered her head and drank the soup. Indeed, she did not know the taste of the food and her eyes were a little absent-minded.

    ¡°It¡¯s very difficult for you to ept the opinions of others, and you never take into ount the opinions of others. You always think that what you insist on is right, and that the path you have taken should be the same for others. You just need to manage yourself, don¡¯t expect to be able to control others. The thoughts and actions of others have nothing to do with you,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°If you weren¡¯t my daughter, I naturally wouldn¡¯t want to care about you. I admit that I¡¯m too tough when ites to things, but more often than not, it¡¯s easier to be tough. What Dongfang family? Do you really think that I care about the Dongfang family? If your father wasn¡¯t worried about the Dongfang family, would he be so tired? Why do you think you have to bear all these things? Is the Dongfang family a great honor to you?¡±

    As Song Siting spoke, a cold look of disdain appeared on her face, ¡°The Dongfang family shouldn¡¯t always use this as an excuse to think that they are superior. Thirty years ago, your father and I weren¡¯t blessed by them in our marriage. They all thought that I was the one who climbed up thedder and was ostracized after I entered the family. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your father, do you really think that I care about the status of these prestigious families?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand, Liuyun! ¡°Only we know what I have endured and all the difficulties that we have experienced. Why have your father and I always been on the same side all these years? It¡¯s because we both understand the things that we need to protect. It¡¯s not that there¡¯s no such thing aspromise in your mother¡¯s life, we just don¡¯t want to make any unnecessarypromise!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1826 - Canâ€™t Let Her Lose (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1826: Can¡¯t Let Her Lose (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the end, the meal ended on bad terms.

    After lunch, Dongfang Liuyun instructed the servants to take note of things, and then left the Tanshan Vi area, rushing straight for the Dongfang Group.

    The afternoon autumn sun was still somewhat warm, and the cold air in the morning had calmed down.

    The ne passed through the thick clouds and steadilynded on the runway.

    ¡°Master Qi, do you want to take a break? Your cold has be worse, you can barely speak, and you¡¯re still...¡±

    When they walked out of the airport, Yang Sheng followed behind Qi Lei with a worried expression.

    Qi Lei was currently wearing a ck windbreaker and a pair ofrge sunsses. He looked quite thin, and his steps were not very steady. He looked travel-worn.

    He had notpletely recovered from his cold, and he had been working day and night for the past few days. His body could not take it anymore, especially in this season. It was easy for him to catch a cold.

    Thus, Qi Lei was affected.

    His physique seemed to be much worse than before!

    He frowned with some difficulty and coughed a few times. Qi Lei took a deep breath and calmed down for a while. Then, he continued walking forward¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let¡¯s rush to thepany immediately.¡±

    His voice was naturally very hoarse, and it sounded sickly weak.

    He had been busy the night before. Initially, it was just a small cold. Unexpectedly, it became much more serious this morning. However, he could not put it on hold. He quickly finished what he was doing and rushed back.

    ¡°Master Qi, you¡¯re already like this. Why don¡¯t you rest for a while?¡±

    Yang Sheng naturally ced Qi Lei¡¯s health first.

    ¡°Have you arranged for the press conference?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and endured the difort all over his body. However, he was still concerned about the matter.

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    ¡°Hurry to thepany. I can¡¯t let her lose!¡± Qi Lei got into the car and ordered.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes fell silent for a moment. He looked at Qi Lei worriedly in the back seat. Then, he could only sit in the car and nod at the driver beside him. The driver started the car silently.

    Qi Lei could not help but fall asleep in the seat behind him as soon as he got into the car. Fatigue and exhaustion constantly troubled him. Of course, there was also the worry and longing he had for the past few days.

    He was also worried that he would not be able to make it back in time. How was she going to deal with the trouble on her side?

    Therefore, along the way, he experienced a feeling of anxiety.

    The sound of breathing became heavier and apanied by the sound of light coughs. Even Yang Sheng, who was in front of him, could feel the stifling air that made one sweat.

    He could faintly hear the heavy and ufortable breathing. Yang Sheng turned around to look at Qi Lei worriedly, only to see that Qi Lei had already fallen asleep. His forehead was covered in hot sweat, his handsome face was also slightly sickly red.

    ¡°Drive slowly and steadily.¡±

    Yang Sheng took a deep breath, blinked, and said to the driver beside him.

    The driver nodded silently and slowed down the car.

    Naturally, he wanted Qi Lei to rest more. He had been working overtime the entire night, but he just wanted to return faster.

    ¡°Sigh, Master Qi, you¡¯re so diligent. I wonder about the Missus¡¯s side...¡± Yang Sheng muttered softly.

    He wanted to say something, but he did not.

    Qi Lei was also in a deep sleep. After an unknown amount of time, the car finally drove slowly into Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s building. Yang Sheng got out of the car and walked over carefully¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi? Master Qi? We¡¯re here!¡±

    The call was heard, Qi Lei opened his heavy eyelids with some difficulty. He was in a daze for a moment before he slowly got out of the car.

    ¡°The reporters have been arranged in the guest lounge. Ten minutes has also just passed. The people from the public rtions department are already managing them. Master Qi, are we going over now?¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly followed Qi Lei¡¯s footsteps as he asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the office first and give Vice President Wang Chun a call.¡±

    Qi Lei entered the elevator neatly. Yang Sheng followed in a hurry and handed him a warm towel.

    Qi Lei took it and simply wiped his sweat. Only then did he feel much better.

    Qi Lei had rushed to this point, while Dongfang Liuyun was not doing much better.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not really take Qi Lei¡¯s words fromst night to heart. He told her not to worry, but she naturally could not feel rest assured and had poor sleep.

    She tossed and turned all night just trying to think of a way to deal with today¡¯s situation.

    The shareholders¡¯ meeting was going on as usual.

    At the top of the table sat the true ruler of the Dongfang Group, Dongfang Shuman.

    Although Dongfang Shuman was in her twilight years, her position in the Dongfang Group was very high. Most of these management people were her personal confidants, so her prestige in thepany was unquestionable.

    Even Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi had to admit defeat.

    At this moment, the meeting room was already full. Dongfang Shuman, Dongfang Ren, Dongfang Yi, and thepany¡¯s vice presidents were seated on both sides of the table.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s seat was just below Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s seat, and on the opposite side was Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Therge meeting room could amodate dozens ofpany shareholders and some of thepany¡¯s higher-ups.

    Lin Yuanyuan did not look too good. She looked a little haggard and a little absent-minded. Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression was also a little strange.

    It could be seen that the Lin Corporation¡¯s matter had dealt quite a blow to them, especially Lin Yuanyuan. It was said that she had a big argument with Dongfang Ren because of this. However, the way she looked at Dongfang Yi now was unusually fierce, filled with... hatred?

    Could it be that the Lin family¡¯s matter really had something to do with Dongfang Yi¡¯s side?

    Dongfang Liuyun was also in the mood to watch the show. Of course, she did not forget the trouble she had gotten herself into.

    Dongfang Ren, who was at the top, had already briefed Dongfang Shuman on the projects he was in charge of. Following that, there were a few reports from the other people in charge.

    Dongfang Liuyun had noticed that Dongfang Rou¡¯er had been looking at her with a meaningful gaze.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun was toozy to guess. She lowered his head silently. She was a little tired. She had not rested well yesterday.

    ¡°The project is almost done. President Shu, I think it¡¯s time to talk about the recent decline in thepany¡¯s stock market. As the head of thepany¡¯s Public Rtions Department, we need to pay attention to thepany¡¯s reputation and image at all times. I think Manager Yun should give everyone a reasonable exnation for this matter.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun held her head and felt a little dizzy. Then, she heard a voice. She was stunned for a moment, but she also became clear-headed...

 Chapter 1827 - Desolation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1827: Destion (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    That¡¯s right, the one who spoke was Dongfang Rou¡¯er from the Public Rtions Department. Right now, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also looking at Dongfang Liuyun with an innocent look on her face.

    As soon as Dongfang Rou¡¯er finished speaking, someone immediately agreed with her.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, President Shu. The rumors are getting more and more intense outside. Even the previouspany is making some usations. This has a certain impact on ourpany¡¯s reputation. As for the stock market...¡±

    ¡°I also think that Manager Yun should give a reasonable exnation for this matter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Shu, I also think that the stock market decline this time has caused a certain amount of losses to thepany. I also hope that Manager Yun can give an exnation. Even if we want to meet the requirements of the assessment, it shouldn¡¯t be like this. With ourpany¡¯s strength, we simply don¡¯t need such underhanded methods.¡±

    ...

    For a moment, a few voices of condemnation were heard. The more they spoke, the more unbearable it became.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old face also sank. She coldly looked at the expressionless Dongfang Liuyun below. Her eyes naturally contained some displeasure.

    ¡°Such a brazen action. I feel that she is simply not qualified for this position. The reason why I agreed to ce her in this position back then was also because I trust President Gan. Now, President Shu, I suggest that you remove Manager Yun¡¯s position as the Marketing Manager.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean too, President Shu!¡±

    As thepeting demands were made, the voices grew stronger and stronger. When Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze slightly, she saw that Dongfang Rou¡¯er was looking at her with amusement¡ª

    Dongfang Liuyun, we shall see what you have to fight with me?

    I have already said that the Dongfang Group is not a ce where you can stand easily. Last time, you were lucky enough to escape a cmity, but this time, you would not be that lucky anymore?

    I did not expect for you, Dongfang Liuyun, to use this kind of opportunistic method?

    Are you not proud and arrogant?

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was secretly delighted. She even thought that if this news spread to Fujiwara, would Fujiwara still think highly of Dongfang Liuyun?

    However, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was obviously too proud too early!

    When she first found out that Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were having an affair, she did not really investigate it. She thought that the reason why Qi Lei helped Dongfang Liuyun was because Dongfang Liuyun used him to get to the top, she did not know that the two of them were husband and wife!

    Otherwise, with Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun not deliberately hiding the news, it would not be difficult for Dongfang Rou¡¯er to find out about their rtionship. Unfortunately, this Dongfang Rou¡¯er...

    ¡°When you won the South River Project, why didn¡¯t I hear about your image? Now that you¡¯ve won it, are you nning to turn the tables? I wonder what the people from Tai Yu Corporation will think of you. After all, they are the ones who are funding the cooperation.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sneered and said disapprovingly.

    ¡°Besides, which eye of yours saw me using underhanded methods? Even if I really did, it still means that I have the strength and good looks! Your Manager Rou seemed to have gone to Tai Yu Corporation no less than five times before and didn¡¯t manage to negotiate the South River Project. Is it because you don¡¯t have the looks or is there something wrong with your ability?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone suddenly became stern¡ª

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t someone like you who¡¯s not pretty and has no ability take the me and resign? If the Public Rtions Department is filled with talents like you, I¡¯d be really worried about the future of thepany. If it¡¯s not possible, wouldn¡¯t it be better to give the opportunity to someone else?¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, you... no matter what, I won¡¯t shamelessly tarnish thepany¡¯s reputation and cause the stock market to fall. This is the most direct thing. Manager Yun, don¡¯t try to change the topic and shift the me to someone else.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also argued with reason.

    ¡°Moreover, thepany¡¯s losses are not something you can bear alone. You are not suitable for this position, Manager Yun!¡±

    The one who spoke was Lin Yuanyuan, who was beside Dongfang Liuyun. She naturally would not let go of the opportunity to make things difficult for Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Not suitable for this position?¡±

    The corner of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth curled into a sneer. ¡°I am more qualified than anyone else for this position. At the very least, I am still a shareholder of the Dongfang Group!¡±

    ¡°President Shu, look at Manager Yun¡¯s attitude. How can we trust her with thepany?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, President Shu. The Dongfang Group is everyone¡¯s hard work. We cannot tolerate such a person.¡±

    ...

    Compared to the tension on Dongfang Group¡¯s end, Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s side was much quieter. However, this silence brought a sense of anticipation

    In therge and luxurious guest lounge.

    There were already a few authoritative media reporters seated at the seats below.

    The podium in front was still empty. Everyone was anxiously waiting for the main character to arrive.

    The reporters were very excited about this press conference.

    As the President of Tai Yu Corporation and a tycoon in the industry, Qi Lei had been keeping a low profile for the past few years. Now, there were very few people who could capture him. Furthermore, they were trying their best to get an interview but were unable to get it.

    This was a rare explosive scandal, so everyone was naturally shocked. Now that they had received news that they were going to hold a press conference, many of the reporters were so excited that they could not sleep.

    However, almost half an hour had passed since the agreed time, and the main character was still nowhere to be seen. At this moment, everyone was starting to get a little anxious. From time to time, they would look for the staff at the scene to ask for urate news.

    For a moment, the lounge became noisy again.

    After an unknown period of time, a sound suddenly came from the front. The sound of the door opening was heard, and someone shouted¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s President Qi! President Qi is here!¡±

    At this moment, everyone hurriedly turned their heads in the direction of the sound and looked over.

    They saw a thin and tall figure walking in unhurriedly.

    He was dressed in a straight dark slim suit and a ck mid-length windbreaker. His handsome face was slightly sickly pale with a hint of crimson. He looked a little tired, but it did not affect his handsomeness at all, he had a reserved and deep temperament, which was quite different from the Qi Lei they knew before.

    Under everyone¡¯s shocked gazes, Qi Lei had already turned the corridor and walked towards the tform in front of him. His personal assistant, Yang Sheng, followed closely behind him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s footsteps stopped in the center of the tform. He did not sit down. Instead, he stood still. The spotlight was already focused on him, and the shing cameras continued to shoot. The reporters could not help but ask questions.

    However, Qi Lei did not look at them. He only turned to nce at Yang Sheng, who was beside him. He coughed in difort a few times, and his handsome eyebrows furrowed. Yang Sheng, on the other hand, very knowingly handed him the microphone¡ª

 Chapter 1828 - Desolation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1828: Destion (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei reached out to take it unhurriedly.

    Yang Sheng immediately gestured for everyone to be quiet as he stood by Qi Lei¡¯s side.

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. After a while, he propped himself up on the tform in front of him in a daze. His expression was a little different from his usual indifferent and deep look.

    The reporters below also subconsciously quieted down. The entire venue fell silent.

    ¡°Master Qi... have a ss of water.¡±

    Yang Sheng handed over a ss of water, but Qi Lei raised his hand to stop him. He coughed a few times in difort before looking up at the reporters with his silent eyes. His deep voice was very hoarse¡ª

    ¡°Today, I¡¯ve asked everyone toe over. I just want to exin one thing to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Recently, there have been rumors about me and Dongfang Liuyun, the heiress of the Dongfang Group. These are all nned by someone with intentions. I will hold the person who nned this ountable ording to thew. In addition, I, Qi Lei, and Miss Dongfang Liuyun have already registered our marriage a few months ago. She is my, Qi Lei¡¯s,wful and legitimate wife. She has the power to make me do anything for her, and she has the power to make Tai Yu Corporation work for her. She is also one of the major shareholders of Tai Yu Corporation, and she owns 40% of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s shares.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the news about her using unspoken rules to get to the top means. She is more aboveboard than anyone else.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s words were undoubtedly like a deep-water bomb thrown into the water, creating tens of thousands of stormy waves!

    Qi Lei¡¯s words directly revealed two pieces of information to the reporters¡ª

    First, he and Dongfang Liuyun have already been married for a few months!

    Second, Dongfang Liuyun was now a major shareholder of Tai Yu Corporation. She already owns 40% of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s shares!

    All those so-called rumors about unspoken rules sound like a joke now?

    Would it not be silly to not let your ownpany work for anotherpany that you own too?

    However, that was not what everyone was paying attention to. Instead, it was wondering when Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s shares had shifted?

    Since when did Dongfang Liuyun have 40% of the shares?

    They had never heard of this news. Furthermore, such arge share was almost equal to Qi Lei. Needless to say, Qi Lei probably transferred it directly to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Yang Sheng, who was standing at the side, was also shocked by Qi Lei¡¯s words. He stared at Qi Lei with his eyes wide open. He could not react in time!

    As expected of Second Master Qi!

    Even getting a wife was so thrilling. How many people in the entire City Z could throw out such a sky-high price without even blinking?

    It was a ssic case of wanting a beauty over a kingdom!

    What a prodigal man!

    ¡°President Qi, when did you and Miss Dongfang get to know each other?¡±

    ¡°President Qi, may I ask if you and Miss Dongfang were in such a hurry to get married because Miss Dongfang is already pregnant?¡±

    ¡°President Qi...¡±

    After a moment of silence, the venue began to stir again, and arge wave of questions followed.

    However, Qi Lei was not in the mood to answer these boring questions. He coughed lightly, and his handsome face turned even paler. He nced at Yang Sheng, who nodded in understanding.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath before turning to leave.

    ¡°President Qi! President Qi, tell us about you and Miss Dongfang!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Qi, are you showing your deep love for Miss Dongfang by giving up so much capital? What do you think of this matter, Mr. Qi...¡±

    Seeing Qi Lei¡¯s figure leave, the reporters quickly chased after him, but they were all stopped by the bodyguards.

    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be agitated. Don¡¯t be agitated. If you have any questions, just ask me!¡± Yang Sheng said from the side.

    Qi Lei¡¯s figure slowly disappeared at the door in front of them. Only then did everyone helplessly look away.

    When Qi Lei returned to his office, he was already covered in sweat. He coughed violently a few times, and he appeared to be sick and weak. The bodyguards swiftly poured him water and also brought the medicine over

    ¡°President Qi, take the medicine first.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded silently. He did not refuse. He leaned against the sofa and sat down. As he took the medicine, he looked up at the bodyguard. ¡°Ask Yang Sheng to settle the matter with the reporters as soon as possible and announce the news of the marriage.¡±

    ¡°Alright, President Qi!¡±

    The bodyguard replied before leaving.

    Qi Lei took the medicine and felt a little tired. He could not help but fall into a deep sleep.

    He just needed to rest for a while. He would go and look for herter.

    That was what he told himself before he fell asleep.

    ...

    At the same time, the atmosphere in the Dongfang Group¡¯s high-level meeting room was extremely tensed. The guns were pointed at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°President Shu, I think it¡¯s best to let Manager Yun stop what she¡¯s doing for now and wait for the news to pass.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, I agree with that too.¡±

    ...

    The people below were already looking at Dongfang Shuman, who had been silent all this while.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s expression did not change. Her old face was still tense, and her deep eyes were filled with a sharp light. No one could guess what she was thinking.

    She did not make a sound and just sat there. However, the aura on her body was very strong, and there was an invisible sense of an imposing manner.

    At this moment, everyone was waiting for her decision.

    ¡®Bam¡ª¡¯

    Just as Dongfang Shuman straightened her back slightly and was about to say something, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from the side. Her assistant, Ah Cai, was walking in slowly and walked directly to Dongfang Shuman¡¯s side. She bent down and whispered something into Dongfang Shuman¡¯s ear.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tensed old face eased a little. As she listened, she looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression was cold. She thought to herself that Dongfang Shuman would not go too far. After all, she was very clear about her rtionship with Qi Lei.

    After Ah Cai finished speaking, Dongfang Shuman nodded gently. Her old eyes were still bright.

    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this matterter. This little disturbance is already so chaotic, it makes me doubt your ability. Manager Yun, after the meeting is over, write a detailed report and hand it over to me. I want to see it in detail.¡±

    Anyone could hear that this was Dongfang Shuman¡¯s dying tactic. However, Dongfang Shuman had always been straightforward in handling matters. Today, she actually used such a dying tactic, which made everyone somewhat puzzled.

    However, when everyone heard this, they could not find any reason to refute.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er nced at Dongfang Liuyun with some resentment. She almost could not hold back the anger in her chest.

 Chapter 1829 - Desolation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1829: Destion (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, due to Dongfang Shuman¡¯s aura, Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not dare to say anything.

    Dongfang Liu Yun was also a little surprised by Dongfang Shuman¡¯s decision. However, she did not think that Dongfang Shuman would really side with her. It should be because Ah Cai had said something just now. Otherwise, based on Dongfang Shuman¡¯s uncertain expression just now, she did not think that she, Dongfang Liuyun, would be able to escape death so easily.

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, let¡¯s end the meeting here.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said this and was about to stand up when Dongfang Yi, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke up¡ª

    ¡°Wait a moment, President Shu. I have a document here that everyone can take a look at.¡±

    Dongfang Yi was also a rather reserved person. He had a scheming look on his face and was somewhat simr to Dongfang Ren. They were indeed worthy of being brothers.

    As Dongfang Yi spoke, he passed a document to Dongfang Shuman at the side. He also passed a few copies to the higher-ups below. Everyone received them and began to silently flip through them.

    Dongfang Liuyun also took a copy.

    She flipped through it casually. When she saw the data, records, and names on it, her starry eyes instantly widened and she was a little surprised¡ª

    On it were all the evidence that Lin Yuanyuan had embezzled project funds to support the Lin Corporation over the past few years. There was also strong evidence that she had taken advantage of his position tomit favoritism and malpractice. There was a huge list of all kinds of crimes!

    Where did Dongfang Yi get all this evidence?

    Even if he could get the data from the Dongfang Group, the information from the Lin Corporation should be confidential. How did he get the information?

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes and subconsciously looked at Dongfang Yi. Looking at his confident look, it seemed that he was quite confident in this matter.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    As expected, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old face darkened when he saw the information. Her sharp eyes swept over Lin Yuanyuan¡ª

    ¡°Manager Lin, exin what all this means? When I was still in charge of thepany a few years ago, I told you that you had better do your job well. Are you using Dongfang Group as a stepping stone for your Lin Corporation? Take the documents from three months ago as an example. Were you asking Dongfang Group to pay for your Lin Corporation?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s cold and stern tone carried a strong questioning tone, instantly causing Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s face to turn pale!

    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard about what happened to the Lin Corporation during this period of time. Manager Lin, you are in your position and have done this kind of thing many times. You have disappointed me. President Ren, you can do as you see fit with your people. I hope that you can give the shareholders a reasonable exnation for this news.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman tossed the information in her hands in front of Dongfang Ren and directly threw the difficult problem to Dongfang Ren!

    As expected of an old fox!

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but nce at her.

    ¡°No, President Shu, listen to my exnation. It¡¯s because...¡±

    ¡°Manager Lin, these things are all based on evidence. How else can you exin it? Everyone has seen the recent situation of the Lin Corporation. A few days ago, President Lin came over and asked our finance department to send over the batch of materials first. Why don¡¯t you take a look at the current situation of the Lin Corporation? I heard that the majority shareholder of the Lin Corporation has changed, right?¡±

    Dongfang Yi said unhurriedly as he looked at Lin Yuanyuan with interest.

    This old woman had often made things difficult for him during the regr meetings. It was also a rare opportunity for him to choke her!

    ¡°You yourself are still the most clear about what¡¯s going on! Aren¡¯t they all your underhanded methods?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan looked at the smile on Dongfang Yi¡¯s face and the anger that had been suppressed in her chest for a long time finally could not help but be vented out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t nder me. What does it have to do with me if there¡¯s trash in your Lin family! If you can¡¯t do it, then don¡¯t copy others. You still want to dream of making a fortune overnight! And now, all these evidence have been brought out. which part of it is maligning you? Manager Lin, what everyone is focusing on now is evidence!¡±

    Dongfang Yi was also angered by Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hypocritical. Isn¡¯t using underhanded tricks your usual trick? If it wasn¡¯t for Dongfang Yu, Yonghua wouldn¡¯t have lost so much! Now...¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was gnashing her teeth in hatred!

    Since Dongfang Yi was able to take out these things today, it was enough to prove that he must have nned it beforehand. He had been thinking of taking her down from her position for a while now.

    ¡°You¡¯re really despicable!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you make yourself sound so noble. You don¡¯t even know when you¡¯ve hollowed out thepany! Brother, you¡¯d better control your people. I think sister-inw has gone too far. She has suffered so much recently. I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t take it anymore.¡±

    Dongfang Yi coldly swept his gaze over Dongfang Ren, who had remained silent with a solemn expression.

    ¡°Dongfang Yi, you despicable person. I know that you¡¯ve long wanted to take me out. I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re any cleaner than me! You¡¯ve been keeping a mistress outside...¡±

    ¡°Enough! Shut up!¡±

    Before Lin Yuanyuan could finish speaking, Dongfang Ren had already red at her and coldly shouted.

    ¡°President Shu, since things have turned out this way, I have nothing to say. Recently, her condition hasn¡¯t been very good. In my opinion, we should temporarily let her retire and rest for a period of time. Coincidentally, the Lin family is also worried. She needs to go over and take care of the two elders.¡±

    Dongfang Ren took a deep breath and said this in a gloomy manner.

    ¡°Father! How could you...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was extremely anxious. It was obvious that he wanted Lin Yuanyuan to step down.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it. I¡¯ve worked hard for the past few decades, I don¡¯t want it to be like this...¡±

    ¡°Enough! Don¡¯t embarrass yourself here! We¡¯ll talk about it when we get back! Right now, your mood is unstable and the project is about to start. No mistakes are allowed! President Shu, I respect everyone¡¯s decision.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, my mother didn¡¯t do it on purpose, she did it to...¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it ording to President Ren¡¯s wishes. Manager Lin, I see that you¡¯re not in a good condition either. You should stay home and rest well for the time being. I hope that you can give everyone a reasonable exnation for these things. Do what you have to do. In addition, we can¡¯t dy the South River Project. Everyone can rmend a capable candidate to temporarily rece Manager Lin. This way, it¡¯ll be easier to arrange things.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said in a deep voice.

    ¡°Vice Presidents,e to our house tomorrow morning to confirm the candidates. Alright, let¡¯s call it a day for today¡¯s meeting. If there are any matters or suggestions, report them to your superiors. I have already said what I should pay attention to. I don¡¯t want the Dongfang Group to take out arge sum of money to feed a bunch of trash every year.¡±

    Some of them stood up dispiritedly, and Dongfang Shuman left the meeting room right away.

 Chapter 1830 - Desolation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1830: Destion (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    An extremely depressing meeting had finally ended. Dongfang Liuyun have heaved a sigh of relief. Although she had not been trying to curry favor before, the tables had turned, and it was Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s turn to be in the limelight.

    Seeing Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s ashened expression, Dongfang Liuyun felt a sense of relief in her heart.

    At this moment, Lin Yuanyuan was only filled with anger and grievance from Dongfang Yi. Even Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s gaze towards Dongfang Yi was very cold.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun was not in the mood to watch them fight.

    This matter was a little strange. She did not believe that Dongfang Yi would be able to get a hold of the secrets of the Lin Corporation so easily.

    If it was just Dongfang Yu¡¯s scheming that caused Lin Yonghua to suffer a loss, she might have believed a little. However, it was too much of a coincidence that he could even bring out such information. Unless, Dongfang Yi was the one who bought the shares of the Lin Corporation.

    ording to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s knowledge, the person who bought the Lin Corporation, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, was actually a mystery person. They seemed to be the leader of the underground casino or a mysterious person with a very high status because she had secretly tried to pay attention to this previously, but she did not find any information on them.

    However, her intuition told her that it should not be Dongfang Yi¡¯s person. Dongfang Yi would not dare to cooperate with the people of the underground casino. This was also prohibited by the family.

    Later on, Dongfang Liuyun did not think too deeply about it. After leaving the meeting room, she returned straight to her office.

    Right now, it was already close to the end of the day. It waste autumn and the sky had darkened much earlier than before. At this moment, the sky outside had already begun to fall silent. The sky was slightly gloomy. It had been a good day for a few days, today, she saw some autumn colors.

    Ayer of autumn rain and ayer of cool...

    ...

    When Dongfang Liuyun returned to the office, she still obediently wrote the report. She still had to fulfill Dongfang Shuman¡¯s request.

    Of course, she did not know that the news outside had already boiled over.

    The sky outside had already turned dark. Dongfang Liuyun was still sitting at his desk busying herself. Just as she was busying herself, she suddenly heard a rustling sounding from outside. There was also a faint chill spreading from outside.

    Dongfang Liuyun woke up in shock. She subconsciously raised his head and looked at the French window. Only then did she realize that the sky outside had already darkened. It was the time when the lights were shining brightly. Moreover, it seemed like it was raining outside?

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. After a while, she straightened her back slightly and leaned against the back of his chair. She took her phone and was about to see if he should call Qi Lei. However, his phone began to vibrate.

    It was Secretary Ding.

    Dongfang Liuyun picked up quickly.

    ¡°Hello? Manager Yun? Are you still in the office? I¡¯m in the parking lot now. I saw that your car is still there, so I knew you should still be in the office.¡±

    Just as the call went through, Secretary Ding¡¯s excited voice came through.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m still busy. Why haven¡¯t you gone back yet?¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly.

    ¡°Manager Yun, when will President Qi be back? Didn¡¯t he call you?¡±

    Secretary Ding¡¯sst two sentences were probing.

    ¡°Him? It¡¯ll probably be another day or two. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised that Secretary Ding suddenly asked about Qi Lei. She also felt that something was strange.

    ¡°Manager Yun, then turn on yourputer right now and look for the industry news or entertainment news column. Hurry up and take a look. The entire City Z is going crazy. This news is too exciting. I didn¡¯t expect President Qi to be so bold! Miss Liuyun, it¡¯s really worth it. With President Qi¡¯s boldness! Really!¡±

    Secretary Ding started to ramble in the end!

    However, Dongfang Liuyun was confused¡ª

    ¡°What did you say? What happened to Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°Manager Yun, don¡¯t ask anymore. Hurry up and read the news. Read it!¡± Secretary Ding urged.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes shed and she shrugged. Then, she turned around and faced theputer that was being turned on. She opened a browser and quickly found what Secretary Ding was referring to¡ª

    It was the speech that Qi Lei had given at Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s press conference earlier that afternoon.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun did not regain her senses until she saw him leave after he finished speaking...

    She did not know how much time had passed. Seeing the chaotic scene continue, she finally snapped out of her daze and stared nkly at theptop screen in front of her. After a long while, a smile appeared on her beautiful face, her eyes were also slightly hot¡ª

    ¡°This fool...¡±

    A choking voice came from the depths of her throat. It had been a long time since Dongfang Liuyun had such a feeling¡ª

    There was a tinge of sourness in the depths of her throat, but she had the urge to cry out of joy.

    She did not know when she had tossed the phone in her hand to the side. At this moment, she suddenly felt that she really wanted to see him and missed him very much.

    ¡°Marrying me is still a loss on your end. I didn¡¯t know that I was really all that great...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said these words in a low voice. Finally, she could not help but sniff. As she raised her head, she blinked her eyes hard. She could not control herself and buried her face in the palms of her hands, her long ck hair draped over her body.

    What could she say? At this moment, she was touched. She felt a faint joy of being cared for and cared for by others. Of course, what made her even happier was that the person was Qi Lei...

    Her husband..

    Since it was a press conference held in Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s guest lounge, he should be back by now, right?

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly realized this as well!

    No wonder he assured her before and even said that he was going to give her a gift. It must be a surprise like today, right?

    Thinking of this, Dongfang Liuyun finally recovered. She hurriedly put away the things on the table, closed herptop, and thought about leaving thepany to rush back.

    At this moment, the wind outside was a little cold. Dongfang Liuyun had just walked into the hall downstairs when she felt a chill. She could not help but tremble a little. She quickly pulled her windbreaker and rubbed her hands, then, she continued to walk down the stairs at the door.

    It was still drizzling outside. It did not look like it was raining very heavily. However, she could still vaguely feel a hint of wetness as she walked inside. The streetlights that were shrouded in the wind and rain seemed to be a little dim.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly walked towards her car. When she came to the side of the car and was about to open the car door to get in, she was caught off guard¡ª

 Chapter 1831 - Desolation (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1831: Destion (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A deep voice suddenly came from behind her. The mottled ck shadow on the ground slowly approached her. Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. She subconsciously turned around and looked in the direction of the voice

    She saw a man in a ck suit standing behind her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally very familiar with the appearance of the man.

    He had a tall and straight body, and his entire body exuded an unapproachable coldness. His cold and perfect facial features, as well as his most noble and extraordinary temperament, were reserved and deep. Other than the cold and indifferent aura on his body, the rest did not seem to have changed much from a few years ago.

    When he saw Liuyun turn around, he also halted his footsteps in the next moment and silently stood under the streetlights at the side, quietly looking at Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were a little dull. She also looked at him for a long time. Her eyes gradually became absent-minded. After a long while, she blinked and her eyes gradually became clear again.

    She took a deep breath and finally withdrew her gaze. She wanted to get into the car.

    ¡°It has been so long since west met. I don¡¯t believe that you won¡¯t even greet me, Liuyun.¡±

    A deep voice sounded from behind her. There was a faint gloominess in his voice. Dongfang Liuyun could naturally catch it.

    Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold face. She suddenly turned around and looked up at him¡ª

    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fujiwara.¡±

    As soon as he said this, a bitter smile appeared on Fujiwara¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Are we that much of strangers to each other?¡±

    ¡°How close do you think we are anymore? What are you doing here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her gaze and asked this question in a neutral tone. If one looked closely, one could vaguely see her slightly clenched fists hidden under her sleeves.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been struggling for so many years. Why are you asking me now?¡±

    Fujiwara frowned slightly and took two steps forward. In an instant, he was standing behind Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also said that there¡¯s nothing to talk about between us. I¡¯ve already said everything that I can. You don¡¯t have to be so stubborn. It¡¯s not good for everyone.¡±

    ¡°Would you return to my side if I wasn¡¯t stubborn? Dongfang Liuyun, do you think that I¡¯ve been going through all sorts of obstacles along the way? I¡¯ve been struggling through all sorts of difficulties, but I¡¯ve never changed my mind. What¡¯s the point of all of this? What about you? We shouldn¡¯t have brought Lan Qi into this rtionship. If it weren¡¯t for him, we would¡¯ve been a good couple.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone was very low, but it sounded a little cold.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to talk about Lan Qi. Even without him, we wouldn¡¯t have made it to the end. You know that very well.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Look at who else dares to oppose us now. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to protect you back then, but I asked you to give me time. You gave me time. Lan Qi didn¡¯t deserve my trust in him!¡±

    Fujiwara said coldly, his dark eyes locked onto Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face that he had not seen for a long time.

    ¡°Back then, why did you do that?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze, fixed on him, and asked faintly.

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze fell silent. Although his heart was filled with anger, he still could not resist her gaze. He could not control himself as he grabbed her hand, tightly holding onto her wrist, and fixed his gaze on her...

    ¡°Is that right? You know that if I extend my hand, I would¡¯ve died too, but you still want me to do it? You would¡¯ve wanted me to save him even if I¡¯d have to die?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun struggled ufortably, wanting him to let go. However, he was very strong. His ck eyes were filled with repression as he held her tightly.

    ¡°Answer me!¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not answer, Fujiwara¡¯s tall and straight body came over to stop her. Hisrge hand suddenly increased its strength as he looked down at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Let go!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful eyebrows were knitted together as he struggled. ¡°No matter what, Lan Qi is dead! He¡¯s dead. You know why he died. When you chose to let go back then, you shouldn¡¯t have turned back.¡±

    ¡°I never thought of letting go! Liuyun! I just wanted to fight for a better way for us to be together. Really, all these years, you know that I wasn¡¯t doing well. Now, all the obstacles have been removed by me. No one can stop me anymore. You can return to my side and we can start over. Didn¡¯t Lan Qi bless us in the end? Return to my side!¡±

    As he said this, Fujihara could not help but stretch out his hand and pull Dongfang Liuyun into his embrace.

    How long had he been looking forward to seeing her again? As he held her like this, Fujiwara subconsciously tightened his grip. He wished that he could squeeze her into his chest and merge her with his blood. That way, he would not have to worry that she would leave again.

    Only God knew how much pain he had suffered over the past few years. He was on the verge of breaking down. If it was not for his deep love, why would he bother?

    He, Fujiwara, should be free and unrestrained. However, he had fallen for Dongfang Liuyun...

    Dongfang Liuyun could not move at all. The more he struggled, the tighter he was in his embrace.

    ¡°Let go, Fujiwara! Don¡¯t make me repeat myself for the third time!¡±

    ¡°I taught you all your punches and kicks. Liuyun, you can¡¯t beat me. As long as you can return to my side, I¡¯ll promise you anything. How can I get you to forgive me?¡±

    Fujiwara stared deeply at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gloomy face, but he was not angry. At least now that he could get close to her, he could feel a sense of reality. His empty soul seemed to have been suddenly filled up, it actually made him feel somewhat nostalgic for this feeling.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath. She struggled so hard that his tightly clenched hands already felt a little warm¡ª

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to die an ugly death, I suggest that you let go. There are surveince cameras everywhere. Moreover, you should know that I¡¯m already married. We can¡¯t go back to the past.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear eyes were still as clear as water. Her rationality suppressed the waves in her heart. She could still remain this clear-headed at any time...

    ...

    At this time, at the intersection not far ahead, a ck luxury car was quietly parked in the rain.

    Qi Lei was holding arge, ck umbre. He held a lit cigarette between his fingers and smoked casually. His gaze was very calm, and he saw everything in front of him.

    He did not rush forward. He thought about it. Perhaps it would be better if he did not participate.

    Half of the cigarette was lit. He took a deep breath and threw the cigarette butt to the ground. He put away the umbre in his hand and sat in the car. The car started very quickly.

    The ck car was covered in coldness and loneliness as it shuttled through the misty rain ahead.

 Chapter 1832 - Deepening Feelings (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1832: Deepening Feelings (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they returned to the Grand Lake Vi area, it was alreadyte at night. The world was dark, and the rain seemed to be getting heavier. Dense raindrops sttered on the floor-to-ceiling windows in front of them, the refracted light also seemed somewhat lost and lost.

    Mama Wang had returned to the countryside for the past two days. There were no servants at home, so the entire house seemed very quiet.

    There was also a faint fragrance in the air. Along with the deste wind, such a night seemed to be infinitely peaceful. However, one could asionally hear suppressed coughs.

    Qi Lei took off his windbreaker and stood in front of the French window to look for a while before turning around and walking into the kitchen.

    He skillfully washed the rice, cooked the rice, then washed and cut the vegetables.

    Actually, Qi Lei had always known that Dongfang Liuyun and Fujiwara had a memorable past. Yang Sheng had been telling him about it, but he did not want to care about these things. A woman who could make him willingly give and treat her like this, could only be her, Dongfang Liuyun.

    He suddenly did not dare to gamble. How could his little rtionship with Dongfang Liuyunpare to a rtionship that hadsted for more than ten to twenty years?

    Moreover, Fujiwara was said to be an extremely outstanding person!

    At this moment, Qi Lei felt a little frustrated. He suddenly felt that since he was involved in this matter, he had lost a bit of his usual calmness. However, this was probably because...

    He did not pursue the rest of the answer. He took a deep breath, recollected his thoughts, and began to get busy again.

    However, not long after, just as the soup in the pot was emitting an alluring fragrance, bright car lights shed in the courtyard outside the door and drove directly into the garage.

    When Dongfang Liuyun carried her briefcase into the living room, she also found that the lights in the living room were on. His windbreaker and coat were thrown on the sofa at the side, and the lights in the kitchen were also on.

    After cing the briefcase on the sofa, Dongfang Liuyun began to slowly tidy up the clothes he had tossed aside. After some thought, the scene that she saw in the office earlier was immediately reflected in her eyes.

    After taking a deep breath, she finally could not control herself and walked towards the kitchen.

    As expected, she could see him busy cooking dinner at the door.

    She did not go forward. She just stood at the door and looked at him silently. After a long time, she did note back to her senses.

    She only lowered her eyes slightly when Qi Lei turned around to look at her.

    ¡°Prepare the bowls and chopsticks. It¡¯s about time to eat.¡± Qi Lei said calmly. His tone was gentle as usual.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded as she listened. Then, she moved to prepare the bowls and chopsticks.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about everything that happened today. I didn¡¯t think... I¡¯m a little afraid that you¡¯re too good to me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned around to look at him and suddenly said this in a low voice.

    Qi Lei did not react too much when he heard this. He continued to skillfully stir-fry the dishes in the pot.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to make things difficult for you. Besides, that¡¯s what I want. If you can live a better life, I¡¯m willing to bear all of it. As long as you stay by my side and do well as Mrs. Qi, everything else is not important.¡±

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment before replying.

    Actually, when he said this, Qi Lei was a little uncertain. He was not sure if the things he had done and the feelings he had given her during this period of time would give her a reason not to leave.

    As the hoarse voice fell, a suppressed cough followed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately asked with concern. With her sharp eyes, she noticed that his ck shirt seemed to be soaked in sweat.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a small cold,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    ¡°Alright, stop working. I¡¯ll do it. You go and rest.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly reached out to take the spat in his hand. Standing next to him, he could feel that he was feeling extremely unwell.

    ¡°Do you have a fever? Let me take a look.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun saw that his face was a little pale. She frowned and subconsciously reached out to touch his forehead. She did not feel a boiling temperature, only then did she heave a sigh of relief.

    In the next moment, she had already fallen into a warm embrace.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s hoarse voice rang in her ears.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment before she sighed, ¡°What can I say? Just like what you said, can I ept it with a peace of mind? We still have a long way ahead of us. I know that you treat me very well, but I hope that you can treat yourself a little better. When I can¡¯t take it, I¡¯ll look for you. You seem to be at a disadvantage marrying me.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei¡¯s silent face softened a little. He silently held her hand that was hanging down. ¡°Whether I¡¯m at a disadvantage or not, is up to me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes, but she turned her head away and smiled faintly. She quickly put her arm around his strong waist and quietly leaned against his chest. She tiptoed and moved closer to his slightly cold thin lips, and gave him an earnest kiss¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I can do other than this... Mmm!¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Qi Lei had already sealed her lips with a kiss and blocked her mouth.

    Dongfang Liuyun could naturally feel the passion that came from his forbearance. She did not care about being reserved as she leaned over and silently responded. With one hand, he took the thing in his hand and ced it on the cab before swiftly switching off the lights.

    After the passionate warmth, her breathing became unstable. Her disheveled hair fell over her shoulders, and her neckline was slightly messy. There was a misty glow in her starry eyes. Looking at her like this, she looked quite seductive.

    Qi Lei looked down at her. His heart was racing. At this moment, if he did not do something, he would really be letting himself down!

    Before he could do anything, his shirt was already wide open. The woman nced at him and said seductively, ¡°What do you think, Mr. Qi? Do you want to y a game where you rule the world?¡±

    Hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s body tensed up. He did not know how much effort he had to put in to restrain his intention to ravage her on the spot. He nced at her fiercely and chuckled. ¡°You said it! It¡¯s toote to regret it!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m very sincere. I¡¯ll listen to you tonight.¡±

    ¡°Have you thought about me? These few days?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in a low voice. His hoarse voice sounded very emotional.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes also shed with a faint light as she smiled evilly.

    This smile had always been Qi Lei¡¯s usual move. When did she learn it?

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon!¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled and raised his eyebrows. He would not let go of such a good opportunity. He picked her up by the waist and rushed upstairs.

 Chapter 1833 - Deepening Feelings (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1833: Deepening Feelings (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night was getting colder and colder. Outside, it was the cold autumn rain. The swaying wind and rain continued to beat against the French windows, but the room was warm and cozy.

    The light in the room was a little dim. Warm light of different shades was refracted from the wallmps at the side.

    The thick curtains were already hanging down. No matter how hard the cold wind blew, it could only lift a small corner.

    The room was very quiet.

    After a few rounds of intense battle, Dongfang Liuyun was so tired that she fell asleep. Qi Lei was also sleepy as he hugged her and closed his eyes to rest.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    After an unknown period of time, the woman in his arms suddenly asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Hmm? What?¡±

    Qi Lei did not even lift his eyelids. For a moment, he did not understand what she meant.

    Dongfang Liuyun pulled up the nket and moved closer. Her hair was disheveled, and she pressed herself against his chest¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s what you said at the press conference this afternoon. Why did you say that? As long as you personally nod your head and admit our marriage, those rumors will fall apart. There¡¯s no need to give me such a huge advantage.¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    Qi Lei opened his eyes slightly and nced at her. He did not think much of it, ¡°By doing this, you might be more confident in the Dongfang Group. Just worldly things, it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re happy. The personal betrothal gift I gave you when I married you back then is fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that expensive.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled softly and held his handsome face with one hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re a priceless treasure.¡±

    After he said that, he quickly reached out and hugged her. He sighed and said, ¡°I was thoughtless in this matter. I let them take advantage of the loophole. If I find out whose little trick it was, I definitely won¡¯t let them off easy.¡±

    ¡°Alright, forget it as long as everything¡¯s fine. We¡¯d be acting on hearsay, even if we want to investigate it, it won¡¯t be easy. We don¡¯t need to waste this time. Oh right, at the regr shareholders¡¯ meeting today, grandmother¡¯s attitude toward me suddenly changed. I think it¡¯s because of your sudden press conference, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mind quickly shed back to the meeting that day.

    ¡°Yes, it was Yang Sheng who called Grandmother¡¯s assistant, Ah Cai. They know very well that once this news is spread, and with this kind of strength, the stock markets of our twopanies will definitely turn around. So if this matter is traced back to you, it¡¯s just a joke. Moreover, Grandmother already knows about our rtionship.¡±

    Qi Lei was naturally very thorough in his analysis. He had long considered these issues. Transferring 40% of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s shares to Dongfang Liuyun would not only give Dongfang Liuyun absolute confidence in Dongfang Group, it would also show Qi Lei¡¯s determination and halt Dongfang Shuman¡¯s thoughts.

    In any case, Qi Lei did not care about these things anymore. After so many years, he did not care too much about these worldly things. If he could help her, he would not hesitate.

    Seeing the care and concern in his eyes, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart suddenly felt warm. Her clear eyes started to heat up slightly. She quickly held his face and nted a kiss on his lips¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you like this and stay by your side. We¡¯re destined to be together, so I won¡¯t thank you now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Qi Lei responded briefly and suddenly hugged her tightly.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. She propped herself up with the nket and slowly sat up.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry. I used up a lot of energy. Hurry up and eat something. I¡¯ll rub some essential oil on youter. Your cold will heal faster and you¡¯ll feel better. I¡¯ll heat up the dishes. You can wash up beforeing down to eat. Hurry up and get up!¡±

    After saying this, she got out of bed and simply picked up his ck shirt by the bed and put it on...

    Not long after, she saw her slender figure slowly disappear outside the door.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. At this moment, he rested his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling leisurely.

    The knot in his heart had long disappeared without a trace. His heart was filled with her face, her figure, and her voice...

    Some things seemed to be like this. They would subtly be more and more. When he would go looking, he realized that those things had long been deeply rooted in his bones. They had fused with his blood and were fiercely branded in his heart.

    And, it seemed like he could also catch a hint of emotion in her eyes just now. Did it mean that he had a certain weight in her heart?

    Otherwise, why would she say that she would protect him?

    When he thought of this, Qi Lei¡¯s heart felt slightly warm. Suddenly, he felt much morefortable. His handsome face could not help but soften. His dark eyes were filled with joy.

    After a long while, he slowly got up, got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom.

    About 20 minutester, he finally went downstairs in a refreshed manner. In the dining room downstairs, Dongfang Liuyun had already heated up the dishes and cooked some light porridge.

    ¡°Just in time. Come and have some.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said as she rolled up her sleeves slightly.

    She was very thin, and his ck shirt made her look even thinner. However, it also gave off an exquisite feeling. Without thinking, Qi Lei reached out to grab his windbreaker and threw it over.

    ¡°Put it on. Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±

    As he said this, he pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him, but she did not listen to him. She ced the windbreaker aside and served him a bowl of porridge.

    ¡°The incident this time has passed. Oh right, during the meeting in the afternoon, Dongfang Yi suddenly brought out a huge pile of evidence to prove that Lin Yuanyuan had frequently misappropriated thepany¡¯s funds during his tenure. Furthermore, the benefits were linked to the Lin Corporation. I think that this matter isn¡¯t that simple. Now Lin Yuanyuan has been suspended.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not hide anything from Qi Lei about this matter. She did not hide anything from Qi Lei about the Dongfang Group because she knew very well that with Qi Lei¡¯s abilities, she did not need to hide anything.

    However, when Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei did not have much of a reaction. He only had a few mouthfuls of porridge before he said unhurriedly...

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that perfect? She¡¯s suspended, so you can definitely go up thedder. I remember you telling me that she¡¯s your direct superior, right?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was very calm as he nced at her as he spoke.

    ¡°How did you know that I could be promoted?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes at him as well...

 Chapter 1834 - Deepening Feelings (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1834: Deepening Feelings (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and unhurriedly ced some good dishes into her bowl. After looking at her for a while, he lowered his eyes¡ª

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re not a fool, you can tell that someone deliberately made a fuss about our matter this time. You¡¯ve won such a huge project, and you¡¯re now a prominent person. Lin Yuanyuan is your direct superior, and you¡¯re an insider. The person who made things difficult for you before will definitely take this opportunity to do you a favor.¡±

    Qi Lei analyzed, his dark eyes flowing with an unfathomable light. The corners of his mouth curled up into an evil smile¡ª

    ¡°On this point, I admire Grandmother¡¯s wisdom. She didn¡¯t let everyone name their candidate during the meeting, so she left room for everyone to ease up. If she immediately let you take the position during the meeting, that would have pushed you to the teeth of the storm. Whether she did it intentionally or not, it can be considered to have solved a big problem for you.¡±

    Qi Lei had calcted this before. He had wanted to figure out Dongfang Shuman¡¯s attitude towards Dongfang Liuyun. Of course, he also wanted to test Dongfang Shuman¡¯s depth. He had no doubt that after this incident, the person who would take over the position of the Lin Yuanyuan would definitely be Dongfang Liuyun.

    However, how could Dongfang Liuyun take over the position inconspicuously and not be a thorn in the eyes of the Lin Yuanyuan and Dongfang Rou¡¯er? That was the key!

    That was why he had Wang Chun arrange it this way. Dongfang Yi had unintentionally obtained the evidence that Lin Yuanyuan had exposed. After waiting for so long, he had finally gotten this good opportunity. Everything was just as he had predicted. He was really lucky.

    When Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Liuyun was also stunned. Previously, she had also felt that Dongfang Shuman¡¯s attitude made her feel a little incredulous. She had never seen her like this before.

    ...

    Of course, she did not know that Qi Lei had nned all of this behind her for a long time just to pave a path for her and help her ascend to the position that should belong to her. This was also an unspoken agreement between him and Dongfang Gan of course.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I need to reconsider my rtionship with Grandmother.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it for a moment before saying calmly.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s attitude towards her and Qi Lei was also very subtle. She did not say whether she would ept or oppose it. Dongfang Shuman was always like this. Many things were left open for others to guess, even Dongfang Liuyun sometimes found it difficult to understand what Dongfang Shuman was thinking.

    However, when it came to scheming, she admired Dongfang Shuman. Back when her grandfather, Elder Dongfang, was still alive, he was also full of admiration for Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Qi Lei did not understand what Dongfang Liuyun meant and looked at her in confusion.

    Dongfang Liuyun swallowed the food in her mouth. She tugged at her loose cor and said, ¡°Thest time I went back, I told Grandmother about you, but her attitude was quite strange.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay attention to their attitude. It¡¯s us who¡¯ll have to live our lives.¡±

    Qi Lei reached out and grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun epted it tacitly. She wiped her mouth and took a deep breath, ¡°I know, it¡¯s good that we agree on that, but we can¡¯t avoid some uncertain factors, especially what we carry on our backs.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly stopped. She looked up and looked at him silently. ¡°Sometimes, I really think that if we had met 10 years earlier, we might not have had such a hard time.¡±

    ¡°Met 10 years earlier?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and could not help butugh. ¡°I was probably still studying abroad then. Moreover, even if we met at that time, you might not have liked me. I was indeed quite a jerk back then.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. She rested her chin on one hand and looked at him with interest. ¡°How bad? Tell me about it. How many girlfriends have you had? Have you ever done anything that made women sad?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun asked this question, even she herself found it unbelievable!

    She never cared about anyone¡¯s past, especially things that might affect their rtionship to a certain extent. However, at this moment, subconsciously, she wanted to know about his rtionship history.

    Qi Lei was stunned by this question. After a moment, he looked at Dongfang liuyun with a deep gaze. His hoarse voice was very emotional¡ª

    ¡°Do you mind my rtionship history?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun leisurely stretched out her chopsticks and ced a dish into his bowl. She said nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. At our age, who doesn¡¯t have some rtionship history? Isn¡¯t it the same for me too? Tell me, I¡¯ve never heard you talk about it before. You know me pretty well.¡±

    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s nothing much to talk about. I had a few girlfriends back then, and we broke up because of different ideals. There were some that left a deep impression, but after I returned to China, a lot has faded away, we don¡¯t keep in touch anymore, and the past left with the wind. Don¡¯t worry, although I¡¯m not some good person, I¡¯ve never mistreated women. I broke up with them amicably.¡±

    Qi Lei did not seem to be in the mood to talk about these things. It had been a long time, and there was nothing he could recall.

    However, when he talked about this, the scene he saw downstairs at Dongfang Group suddenly shed past his mind...

    He thought about it for a moment. He wanted to ask her directly, but after thinking about it, there did not seem to be a need to ask. After all, they...

    There was nothing wrong with giving her some privacy. She was a very rational and reassuring woman. He thought that he should be able to trust her with his back, just like in the game.

    ¡°Liuyun?¡±

    Thinking of this, he suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at her silently.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun met his gaze. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Are we a couple who trusts and protects each other?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s hoarse voice sounded, and his eyes were abnormally bright. He looked at her without blinking.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Hearing that, Qi Lei smiled. Then, he retracted his gaze and quietly lowered his head to continue eating.

    Dongfang Liuyun, on the other hand, was still looking at him. The faint smile on his face fell into her eyes, and for some reason, she felt a warmth in her heart¡ª

    This man seemed to be getting more and more attractive the more she looked at him. In the past, she had never realized that he looked so good when he lowered his head and ate quietly...

    Later on, she could not help butugh out loud.

    He hurriedly raised his head to look at her and asked, ¡°Why are youughing instead of eating?¡±

 Chapter 1835 - Deepening Feelings (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1835: Deepening Feelings (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He asked in a serious manner.

    Dongfang Liuyun, on the other hand,ughed out loud. There was still a faint glint in her eyes. She raised her hand and touched her chin before saying with amusement¡ª

    ¡°I think that you¡¯ve be much more handsome recently.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Did I lose weight and be more handsome? I¡¯ve lost weight recently.¡±

    Anyone would like getting praised for their good looks by the person they liked, Second Master Qi was no exception.

    ¡°For men, I¡¯d feel safer when you have more meat, eat more.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun felt warm in her heart when she saw the curvature of his mouth increase. For a moment, he felt the same way. As long as he was happy, she would do anything for him.

    ...

    Qi Lei was right. The next morning, after the Dongfang Group¡¯s Vice Presidents went to see Dongfang Shuman at home, everyone agreed to let Dongfang Liuyun take over the position of Lin Yuanyuan.

    Of course, before that, Dongfang Shuman had prepared a few candidates. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s name was not on the list either. After that, one of the Vice Presidents suggested it. Unexpectedly, everyone agreed to it.

    On this point, Dongfang Shuman seemed to be very surprised.

    In the huge study room, Dongfang Shuman sat in front of the desk. The Vice Presidents, including Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi, stood in a row in front of the desk and looked at Dongfang Shuman, who was sitting in a chair and flipping through the documents in his hands.

    ¡°Instruct the HR department to let Dongfang Liuyun take over Manager Lin¡¯s position. Vice President Ren, remember to ask Manager Lin toplete the handover. Do you understand?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took her pen slowly and signed the document. Then, she closed the folder and handed it to Dongfang Yi as she spoke.

    Dongfang Ren hurriedly nodded and swept his gaze over Dongfang Yi who had stepped forward to receive the document. His gaze was naturally a little cold. Dongfang Yi, on the other hand, looked at him for no reason. The tension between the two brothers was very strong.

    Dongfang Shuman naturally saw this scene. Her eyes flickered with some sharp light, and an old voice was heard¡ª

    ¡°I hope that all of you will remember the family¡¯s objective at all times. Currently, there are quite a number of people who are eyeing the Dongfang Group covetously. I do not wish for the Dongfang Group¡¯s future problems toe from within. All of you should know what the family¡¯s greatest taboo is. Alright, there¡¯s no point in talking anymore, just pay more attention, or I will have to y by the rules.¡± Dongfang Shuman said indifferently.

    ¡°Yes, President Shu, we understand!¡±

    ¡°All of you can leave.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman waved her hand dispiritedly.

    ¡°Yes, President Shu!¡±

    It was as if they had received an order. Only then did they heave a sigh of relief and leave.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    The sound of the door closing could be heard. Ah Cai also turned her head to look at Dongfang Shuman. She saw that Dongfang Shuman was leaning against the chair. She raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows. There was a sickly fatigue on his aged face.

    ¡°President Shu, do you want to take a rest? You look terrible, is it...¡± Ah Cai said with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took a deep breath and reached out to take the tea on the table. She took two sips.

    ¡°President Shu, I feel that this matter is a little...¡±

    ¡°You also think that this matter is a little too logical, right?¡±

    Before Ah Cai finished her sentence, Dongfang Shuman nced at her and continued.

    Ah Cai nodded, ¡°President Shu, actually, I don¡¯t know. I just think that something isn¡¯t right. But after thinking carefully, it doesn¡¯t seem to be anything. How did President Yi have evidence on Manager Lin? Also, on the Lin Corporation¡¯s side, I heard that someone has indeed bought most of the shares from the Lin Corporation, in order to fill in the debt for Lin Yonghua. We still don¡¯t know anything about the situation on the casino¡¯s side. Dongfang Yu¡¯s side did indeed encourage Lin Yonghua back then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m now suspecting whether President Yi has some kind of deal with the casino. Otherwise, why would President Yi...¡±

    ¡°Have you found out who bought the shares of the Lin Corporation?¡± Dongfang Shuman asked.

    ¡°Not yet. What we¡¯ve found are all unfamiliar names. We can¡¯t find the person behind this, and we can¡¯t find any connection between that person and the casino. All the information is very clean.¡± Ah Cai said with a frown.

    ¡°The cleaner it is, the deeper the skill. We still don¡¯t know who the other party is. My intuition tells me that they aren¡¯t targeting the Dongfang Group. Let¡¯s put this matter aside for now and see what happens next.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman thought for a moment and said this.

    ¡°Yes, President Shu! Oh right, about Mr. Qi Lei and the Fourth Lady, should we...¡± Ah Cai asked tentatively.

    ¡°I¡¯ll meet with Qi Lei in the next two days. I said that all of this will be discussed after I meet with him. Also, we must keep this matter a secret. The matter between the two of them is no longer a secret and will attract a lot of attention. Moreover, our attitude towards this matter is also very important.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, but President Gan and Lawyer Song seem to have epted it. Also, with the Fourth Lady¡¯s attitude, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have topromise on this matter. What should we do about the Fujiwara family?¡± Ah Cai asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Qi Lei¡¯s move really caught me off guard. In addition, he directly gave Liuyun those things. If we have any dissatisfaction now, public opinion will definitely point to our side. We have to consider this matter carefully.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman also took a breath and said with a frown.

    ¡°Then, President Shu, if we just let the Fourth Lady take over Manager Lin¡¯s position, will it...¡±

    ¡°Lin Yuanyuan isn¡¯t a smart person. In terms of strategy, she¡¯s far worse than Dongfang Yi. Right now, her anger is directed at Dongfang Yi, so she can¡¯t care too much. Ah Gan owes me a favor this time. After all these years, I still want to see if he still has a mother in his eyes!¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, her eyes darkened.

    ¡°President Shu, you and President Gan will get better. hasn¡¯t President Gan respected you all these years? In the early years, he didn¡¯t want everyone to quarrel. All these years, your rtionship with Lawyer Song has been very tense. President Gan didn¡¯t defend anyone. This shows that President Gan still cares about you. And now, although the Fourth Lady is not very close to you, her rtionship with Lawyer Song is just like that. Instead, President Gan does have a good rtionship with his daughter. I think this is also because of President Gan¡¯s good guidance...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to cherry pick the nice things to tell me. I know my own son better than anyone else. As long as the matter between Song Siting and I stays at a stalemate, the bnce in his heart would not tip towards my side. He is a ssic case of forgetting his mother when he has a wife. I don¡¯t me him, I understand, after all, the person who will apany him to the end would not be a terminally ill me.¡±

 Chapter 1836 - Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1836: Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Shuman spoke faintly, her old face was alsopletely silent. She did not seem to show any emotion, but Ah Cai could feel the aura that had suddenly cooled down.

    ¡°President Shu, President Gan will understand. He is now in that position.¡± Ah Cai advised.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he understands or not. I don¡¯t have much time to live. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to see the day when my wish is fulfilled. You have also seen the internal situation of thepany. I have nothing to regret in my life. I have no guilt. But as a mother, I still failed a little.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman said this, she took a deep breath and turned around silently. She looked out of the window¡ª

    It was still bleak outside the window.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s probably because I¡¯m too stubborn and can¡¯t let go. They¡¯re young, and they have their own world. The thoughts of the older generation can¡¯tpare to their younger generation. From our point of view, most of the time, we view their feelings from the interests of the family. Whether it¡¯s Ah Gan and Song Siting, or Qi Lei and Liuyun right now.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tired voice sounded.

    ¡°President Shu, you mean...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything, let¡¯s just wait and see. I don¡¯t think I can control too much about it, I¡¯m not as strong as one would wish to be. I just want to take advantage of the little time I have left to settle some matters,¡± said Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°President Shu, right now, what you¡¯re most worried about is President Gan and Miss Xue, right?¡±

    Ah Cai had been by Dongfang Shuman¡¯s side for many years. She could more or less understand Dongfang Shuman¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°All these years, I¡¯ve been putting my heart into the family business. I cared very little about the siblings. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t see the resentment in their hearts toward me. Ah Xue is already a few decades old, but she still hasn¡¯t settled down. Then there¡¯s Ah Gan in his situation.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, they are still quite close with each other. You don¡¯t have to worry that the same thing with Vice President Ren and Vice President Yi would happen to them,¡± said Ah Cai.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the reason. You also know about the Dongfang Group, their father has always appointed Liuyun. Of course, I can¡¯t go against his wishes. Otherwise, he will still me me when we reach the other end. We had decades of a revolutionary rtionship, I will keep my word to him. He also feels that he owes me and wanted to make it up to me, I understand all of this.¡±

    In fact, it was rare for Dongfang Shuman to take the initiative to talk about these things. In Ah Cai¡¯s impression, it seemed that a strong woman like Dongfang Shuman would never share her thoughts with others. This time, it was also the first time she heard Dongfang Shuman take the initiative to talk about these things.

    At this point, Dongfang Shuman slowly leaned back into her chair¡ª

    When she thought of Elder Dongfang, she still could not suppress the emotions in her heart. Every time she thought about it, she would also have such a vulnerable moment.

    ¡°President Shu, your deep love with the Elder President is enviable. The Elder President will always remember you.¡± Ah Cai lowered her voice and said.

    Dongfang Shuman took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Then, she suddenly stood up and opened a drawer at the side. She took out a photo frame. In the photo frame was a photo of her and Elder Dongfang with white hair. It was also thest photo of them in their lives.

    It was thest photo of them under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. It was also the ce where they met for the first time.

    She carefully wiped it. The photo frame was polished until it was shiny. It could be seen that she must have taken it out often to look at it.

    ¡°The term ¡®deep love¡¯ may not be suitable for us. In the beginning, he and I just purely admired each other. The marriage between our families made us feel helpless. We agreed to be strategic partners and cooperate with each other. We didn¡¯t have any deep feelings in the first ce. Unexpectedly, as we walked, most of our lives passed just like that.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, the Elder President was very good to you.¡±

    ¡°Of course, he was very good to me. He was a very polite and magnanimous gentleman. He gave me everything that a man can give a woman, including feelings.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said faintly, her expression somewhat absent-minded.

    ¡°I am also d to have met such a person. I originally thought that my entire life was also for the sake of benefits. It¡¯s said that you can¡¯t have it both ways, but I got both. When it came to Ah Gan, I understood this point, so I didn¡¯t really oppose him and Song Siting. On the one hand, I hoped that Song Siting could really be Ah Gan¡¯s assistant, but she disappointed me.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, it¡¯s inevitable for a person like Lawyer Song to have some pride.¡±

    ¡°Other than being arrogant, his bearing isn¡¯t good enough. I¡¯m d Liuyun¡¯s personality is more like Ah Gan¡¯s, otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Shu. Actually, the Fourth Lady is doing quite well. When you said you wanted to remove the position of the Fourth Lady as sessor, I was also shocked. I thought you really wanted to...¡±

    Ah Cai finally heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°If she does not satisfy me, I will still remove her. I am very clear about her character. The more I suppress her, the more she will not ept it. Moreover, based on her rtionship with her grandfather, she will not give up. I am very assured about this.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman had a good grasp of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s character.

    ¡°President Shu, you understand the Fourth Lady.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about these things. We still have to investigate the things that need to be investigated. You have to keep an eye on Lin Yuanyuan. In addition, Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng, arrange for them to pick a suitable time toe over. It¡¯s almost time for the wedding. As a grandmother, I have to be concerned.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman had already returned to normal. She put the things in her hands back and instructed.

    ¡°Yes, President Shu!¡±

    ...

    The next day, Dongfang Liuyun woke up very early to rush to thepany.

    When she woke up, Qi Lei was still asleep. She knew that he was tired, so she did not wake him up. After all, he was the boss, so it did not matter whether he waste or not.

    Around nine o¡¯clock, Qi lei woke up. After tidying up, he went downstairs to have a simple breakfast. Yang Sheng came over with a smile on his face. He walked over to Qi Lei¡¯s side and said, ¡°Master Qi, look at our stock market. It¡¯s such a pleasant surprise!¡±

    Qi Lei nced at him. He did not even need to look to see the oue.

    The news of him and Dongfang Liuyun had just been announced yesterday afternoon. Mu Yuchen had tacitly expressed his blessings through the media, and Zhou Zimo and somepanies that were on good terms with Tai Yu Corporation. With such a huge lineup, he would find it strange if there was no good oue!

    ¡°How¡¯s Mu Yuchen? Is he at thepany now?¡±

    Qi Lei leisurely poured a ss of water as he asked.

    ¡°Chairman Mu didn¡¯t go to thepany today. He¡¯s still at the old residence. It seems like Elder Chairman Mu is quite ill...¡±

 Chapter 1837 - Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1837: Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei frowned when Yang Sheng said this.

    ¡°Elder Chairman Mu¡¯s health hasn¡¯t been good since autumn. Even Ah Mo and Miss Lingshi have returned. I¡¯m really worried about whether Elder Chairman Mu will be able to survive this time.¡± Yang Sheng sighed.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath before saying, ¡°Prepare a car for me. I want to go over and take a look.¡±

    Yang Sheng nodded immediately. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go now!¡±

    Then, he quickly left as well.

    ...

    It was almost noon. The autumn sun was hazy, and the cool breeze was light.

    Inside the Mu residence.

    ¡°Master, the Old Master has already fallen asleep.¡±

    Doctor Zhong carefully exited the room and saw Mu Yuchen leaning against the railing as he waited.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. His tired eyes were slightly bloodshot as a dim light gathered in them. Xi Xiaye looked haggard as she stood beside him, her hands holding onto him nervously.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk downstairs.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a look inside the room and took a deep breath. He turned around and walked towards the staircase as he patted Xi Xiaye¡¯s thin shoulder lightly.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes suddenly felt a little hot. Looking at Doctor Zhong¡¯s gloomy expression, she could also guess that the situation was not looking good. Even Mu Yuchen...

    Doctor Zhong nodded and followed Mu Yuchen downstairs while Xi Xiaye followed behind.

    When they reached the sofa, Mu Yuchen pointed at the seat opposite him, and Doctor Zhong sat down as well.

    Xi Xiaye poured water for the two of them and then sat down next to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Tell me about the situation. He hasn¡¯t rested for the past few days and couldn¡¯t eat anything. This morning, Lingshi fed him two mouthfuls of millet congee, but he didn¡¯t eat anything after that.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned as he asked while taking out a cigarette from his cigarette pack and lighting it up. His tone was depressed and deep.

    Doctor Zhong let out a long sigh and looked at Mu Yuchen with some gloominess. His tone was filled with a solemnness that could not hide, ¡°Master, the elder¡¯s situation isn¡¯t very objective. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to make it. You guys have to be mentally prepared. His will to live isn¡¯t strong anymore. Ever since the Elder Madam passed away, his mental health hasn¡¯t gotten better. It¡¯s not easy for him to be able to hold on until now. Especially this year, every time I give him a routine check-up, I realize that his body is much worse than before.¡±

    When Doctor Zhong said this, Xi Xiaye could not bear to hear it anymore. She could not help but cover her face with both hands, trembling slightly, and silently shed tears¡ª

    ¡°Is there no other way? Can¡¯t we just give him a nutrient solution if he¡¯s weak? Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng are still so young... They haven¡¯t even remembered him deeply yet...¡±

    The sound of sobs could be heard, Xi Xiaye was choking on her tears already.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at her. He blinked and pulled her into his embrace. Xi Xiaye sniffed sadly and hugged him tightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same no matter where you go. Master, Missus, you have to be mentally prepared. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able tost much longer. Let¡¯s see if the elder still has any unfulfilled wishes. Do your best to satisfy him.¡±

    Doctor Zhong replied solemnly.

    Mu Yuchen was silent for a moment before he let out a puff of smoke. He put out most of the cigarette before saying, ¡°I understand. Thank you, Doctor Zhong.¡±

    ¡°Master, Missus, you don¡¯t have to be too sad. It¡¯s inevitable that you¡¯ll be born, grow old, fall ill, and die. The elder has lived a wonderful life. In fact, a few months ago, the elder already realized that his body doesn¡¯t have much time left. He told me that he doesn¡¯t have any regrets in this life,¡± said Doctor Zhong.

    ¡°Grandfather has indeed lived a wonderful life. I hope that he can live a few more years and live a long life. Isn¡¯t that pretty good? Maybe he misses Grandmother too much, but he couldn¡¯t keep her around longer.¡±

    Mu Yuchen raised his hand to rub the space between his brows as he said this with some disappointment.

    ¡°Alright, thank you Doctor Zhong. Go back and rest first. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    Mu Yuchen consoled with his hand and said with a heavy tone.

    Doctor Zhong nodded and then left quietly.

    All of a sudden, only Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were left in the living room.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t cry anymore. You¡¯ve been too tired these past few days. Go back and rest first, hmm?¡±

    His deep voice was a little hoarse. As Mu Yuchen spoke, he pulled Xi Xiaye out of his embrace and looked at her with concern.

    Xi Xiaye sniffled and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She shook her head and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Ah Shi and Ah Mo, on the other hand, they¡¯ve been guarding for the whole night. Go up and get them toe down and eat something. Then, get some rest. Father and Mother have been quite tired these past few days, and you. I can still hold on.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t try to be brave. If this goes on, everyone will fall. Go up and let Lingshi and Ah Mo rest first. Then, you go rest too. Keep watch over them. It¡¯ll be fine, be good and go up.¡±

    Mu Yuchen himself was a little exhausted. Over the past week, Mu Yinan¡¯s situation had deteriorated rapidly. He could only run between thepany and the old residence. The projects in City B were very tight, so he could only leave it to Qi Lei.

    Xi Xiaye eased up a little and could only nod. ¡°You rest too then. We¡¯re all a little distracted, I don¡¯t know what to do. Father, mother, and the others...¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve already applied for leave. They¡¯ll be staying with us for the next few days. I¡¯ll call Father and the otherster to send the children over. After applying for leave, stay home for the next few days. Grandfather was still looking for our son earlier.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you call mother then. I¡¯ll go upstairs first. I think Ah Shi is too tired to hold on anymore.¡±

    Xi Xiaye stood up as she spoke.

    Mu Yuchen very considerately took a tissue and handed it over. ¡°Wipe your tears, don¡¯t let them see it. Otherwise, they¡¯ll all be sad.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nodded silently and took it. She wiped the corner of her eyes and calmed down for a while before walking towards the stairway.

    When he saw Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender figure disappear at the stairway, Mu Yuchen slowly averted his gaze. He rubbed his slightly aching forehead as he called Xi Mushan.

    The phone rang a few times before Xi Mushan picked up¡ª

    ¡°Hello? Ah Chen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Father...¡±

    ¡°How is it? Is your grandfather alright?¡± Xi Mushan asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s still the same. Father, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to pick up the children. Take a leave of absence for the next few days. Doctor Zhong said that Grandfather will only have a few days left. Bring Xiao Cheng back too, Grandfather was asking for them earlier.¡± Mu Yuchen said gloomily.

    Xi Mushan was silent for a moment. After a while, he sighed¡ª

    ¡°Sigh, alright. You have to be strong too, understand?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry, Father.¡±

 Chapter 1838 - Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1838: Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After hanging up the phone, Mu Yuchen fell silent again. He sat alone on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.

    After who knew how long, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

    ¡°Master, Master Qi Is Here!¡±

    The butler came to report.

    Mu Yuchen then opened his heavy eyelids with some difficulty. He took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    He replied as he bent down to pick up the cold water in front of him and drank a few mouthfuls. The cold sensation spread through his throat to every part of his body before he felt much more awake.

    Not long after, the sound of footsteps could be heard. He turned his head to look and saw Qi Lei walking in.

    ¡°From the looks of you, Grandfather Mu doesn¡¯t seem to be doing very well. How is he? Is he alright?¡±

    Qi Lei sat down opposite Mu Yuchen and looked at him worriedly.

    ¡°He¡¯s the same as always. Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Yuchen poured Qi Lei a ss of water as he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried, so I came over to take a look. Looking at your haggard appearance... Where¡¯s Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°She went upstairs. Ah Mo and Lingshi are up there too. It¡¯s been a little rough these past few days. I saw what happened yesterday too. You shouldn¡¯t have any worries now, right?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You, on the other hand, just worry about your own matters. We¡¯ll worry about our own matters. You don¡¯t have to think too much. Grandfather Mu is blessed by the heavens. You¡¯ll definitely be able to get through this.¡±

    Qi Lei did not know how to console him, so he could only say that.

    ¡°It was fine before. This time, we might really not get through it. The doctor already told us to be mentally prepared.¡±

    Mu Yuchen let out a long sigh and lowered his eyes. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve already predicted that this day wouldn¡¯t be too long. After Grandmother passed away, Grandfather¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t been very good.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather Mu and Grandmother Mu¡¯s rtionship was very deep. It¡¯s very enviable, but...¡±

    Qi Lei paused. He did not finish what he wanted to say.

    ¡°Some people who may not feel that important when they¡¯re always by your side. Suddenly, one day, she left just like that. Suddenly, you¡¯d feel empty in your heart. Perhaps this is how Grandfather feels. Xiaye has been very worried these past few days, so she hasn¡¯t been to thepany for a long time. She brought the children to guard, hoping to make grandfather feel more spirited.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps life is like this. Some things, some people, when it¡¯s time to return, no matter how hard we try, we still can¡¯t keep them. You don¡¯t have to be too sad. If this day reallyes, I believe Grandfather Mu won¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he turned to look at the gloomy Mu Yuchen and patted him on the shoulder.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he patted the back of his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take care of the matters in City B and the South River Project. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to spare so much energy to deal with these matters in this period of time. Vice President Liu said that the matters in City B had been resolved very well, and President Li had called to inform me. Thank you for your hard work...¡±

    Qi Lei waved his hand when Mu Yuchen said this. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s save these pleasantries for someone else. Who asked us to be buddies? I¡¯ll take care of business matters. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, with you taking care of it, I¡¯ll naturally be at ease.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he suddenly stood up and looked at Qi Lei¡ª

    ¡°Apany me to the backyard for a walk.¡±

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment. When he saw that he had already turned around, he stood up and followed him out.

    The grass in the backyard was also a little yellow. Although City Z was not as distinct as the four seasons in the north, it waste autumn now, so the weather was a little cold. The moment they turned around the corridor, a cold wind blew over.

    Qi Lei subconsciously tightened his windbreaker and quietly walked beside Mu Yuchen. The two of them walked side by side.

    The chrysanthemums in the courtyard bloomed just right. Arge area of chrysanthemums had been nted by Wang Hui when she was still alive. Now that the flowers bloomed just right, she was no longer around.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re feeling depressed too, but I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t change these things. Just ept it.¡±

    After walking for a long distance, Qi Lei suddenly stopped. He turned around and leaned against the railing beside him as he looked at Mu Yuchen.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen also stopped walking and turned to look at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about these things. I called you out because I wanted to talk to you about your matters.¡± Mu Yuchen said solemnly.

    ¡°About my matters?¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes and looked at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen nodded calmly, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you announced the matter between you and Dongfang Liuyun yesterday. I¡¯ve already gotten Li Si to respond at the first possible moment, and Zhou Zimo¡¯s side should have supported you as well. Also, I know about some dramatic inside information that happened at Dongfang Group¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting yesterday. Don¡¯t you want to exin it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was meaningful when he asked this.

    Qi Lei raised his brows and looked at him wickedly. ¡°What do I have to exin?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anything was wrong after the Lin Corporation incident, but there were too many logical follow ups. The one who benefited the most was Dongfang Liuyun, so I had to be suspicious. You and I are both very sensitive to these things, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was very sharp, so he could naturally smell something unusual.

    Qi Lei listened but did not say anything. He just looked at Mu Yuchen calmly as a smile shed across his handsome face.

    ¡°You¡¯re very familiar with the people from the underground casino.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words were very certain.

    ¡°I know what you mean. Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing. Didn¡¯t you always let Ah Mo work in the underground before? How can we all be innocent? I¡¯m not that naive.¡±

    ¡°Alright, since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t say anymore. Just be careful. Also, I¡¯ve helped you find out about the Fujiwara family. I¡¯ll send the findings to your email tonight. Find some time to take a look. In order for you and Dongfang Liuyun to have less trouble in the future, you need to get to know his background. Bro, I¡¯m afraid this battle of yours is going to be very difficult.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his tired eyes were filled with worry.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s difficult, I¡¯ll have to fight. I know that. I can¡¯t let her leave me, otherwise...¡±

    Qi Lei said sadly, but he did not continue.

    Mu Yuchen looked at him for a long time before he asked, ¡°You care about her a lot.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about Xiaye a lot too? I feel like I can¡¯t control myself anymore, Ah Chen...¡±

    ¡°You love her.¡±

 Chapter 1839 - Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1839: Who Asked Us To Be Buddies? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was unusually affirmative, and the dark light in his eyes became exceptionally deep.

    Qi Lei¡¯s five fingers ran through his ink-ck hair. He took a slight breath in annoyance and turned to look at the scenery outside the corridor. He did not answer Mu Yuchen¡¯s question either.

    ¡°I knew it. I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I didn¡¯t mean it that way. After being together for a long time, I¡¯ve gotten used to it. I can¡¯t leave her. Do you and Xiaye feel the same way?¡±

    At this moment, Qi Lei was a little lost. He looked at Mu Yuchen in a daze as if he was looking forward to getting an answer.

    ¡°Exactly that,¡± replied Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment before he replied, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°But she and Fujiwara were very in love. They even metst night. I know she feels like she owes me more. Even though we¡¯re together, I still feel like there¡¯s something missing. My heart feels a little empty...¡±

    It was hard to imagine that Second Master Qi, who was known as a yer in love would have such feelings now. Moreover, he was like a childish little brother, asking for advice from his own brother.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes fell silent for a moment. After a moment, he looked at Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face and could not help but sigh in his heart¡ª

    How rare for you, Qi Lei to have such a day?

    What else could this be other than falling?

    Just like Mu Yuchen back then, he always thought that he could stay the same, but in the end, he still could not. Love always came quietly, making it hard for people to guard against it. It happened quietly.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun... She¡¯s a very smart and intelligent woman. I believe that she¡¯ll always be by your side.¡±

    Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei looked at him and smiled. Then, he picked up his pace and walked forward. His voice traveled along with the wind¡ª

    ¡°She said the same thing, but I want more.¡±

    ¡°I think I might have to personally meet Fujiwara and tell him that Dongfang Liuyun is now my wife.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s faint voice drifted in the wind. It sounded a little absent-minded, but it was very clear when it entered his ears.

    ¡°You might not know, but there are times when I don¡¯t want to see the rationality in her eyes, especially when she¡¯s facing me, but I can¡¯t do anything about it. Actually, she doesn¡¯t know either. I don¡¯t feel like she owes me anything at all.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. That¡¯s how rtionships are. If you want to gain something, then you have to gamble with your heart.¡±

    Mu Yuchen sighed and could only agree.

    The scariest thing was actually people like Qi Lei. He was originally a yboy, but if he really falls for someone, he could instantly be a saint of love.

    Dongfang Liuyun was quite scary. To be able to make a person like Qi Lei fall so deeply in love...

    ...

    Later on, Qi Lei even went upstairs to visit Mu Yinan.

    When he went to take a look, Mu Yinan had just woken up.

    He was already very weak, and it was difficult for him to even say a word. Seeing Qi Leie to visit him, he was quite happy.

    Qi Lei did not have lunch at the Mu family¡¯s old residence, even though lunch was already prepared when he left.

    After he left the Mu family¡¯s old residence, he went straight to the hospital to see Qi Qiming. When he heard the doctor say that his condition was fine, he was relieved. After leaving the hospital, he went to Tanshan Vi area. It was Song Siting who called him there.

    When he arrived at Tanshan Vi area, it was already afternoon. Song Siting had already prepared hot tea and snacks in the backyard and was waiting for Qi Lei.

    ¡°Mother.¡±

    When he saw the figure in the pavilion in front of him, Qi Lei stopped walking slightly.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t recovered yet. The weather is so cold. Why are you out here?¡±

    He sounded very concerned.

    When she heard this, Song Siting raised her head and looked towards the direction of the sound.

    ¡°You¡¯re here! Come and sit!¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s slightly pale face seemed to have eased up a little. She beckoned Qi Lei over.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He walked over from behind and sat down silently.

    Song Siting wanted to raise her hand to pour tea for Qi Lei, but Qi Lei stopped her¡ª

    ¡°Let me do it. It¡¯s not convenient for you to move.¡±

    As he said that, he took the teapot and poured tea for the two empty cups in front of him. He brought one of the cups to Song Siting.

    Song Siting nodded, picked it up, and took a sip.

    ¡°I specially asked you toe back today. Actually, there¡¯s nothing else. I saw what happened at the press conference yesterday. Previously because of you... I had a bit of a falling out with Liuyun. Please understand how a mother feels. Maybe I really didn¡¯t consider both your feelings well.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun¡¯s like that. Mother you don¡¯t have to be so serious with her. She actually cares about you a lot,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    ¡°I understand my own daughter. She probably hates me.¡±

    ¡°A mother and daughter don¡¯t hate each other overnight. Mother, Liuyun isn¡¯t that kind of person. We just stand on different sides, so we view the problem from different angles, and the results will be different.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, maybe it¡¯s really like what she said. The conflict between us is a ss conflict, and our worldviews are also different. Oh right, I just received news from thepany that Liuyun has taken over the position of Lin Yuanyuan. I¡¯m afraid that your assistance this time has been of great help.¡±

    Song Siting no longer had any hostility toward Qi Lei. At least, she believed that not many people in City Z would be able to do what he did yesterday, right?

    Therefore, she guessed that Qi Lei probably cared a lot about Dongfang Liuyun. If that was the case, then...

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. Mother, you don¡¯t have to say that.¡±

    ¡°No, I can still see some things clearly. I admit that I don¡¯t really want Liuyun to marry you, but since things have alreadye to this, my opinion doesn¡¯t mean anything. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you. Just let it be.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mother, for your help.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face softened as he said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say thank you, I can¡¯t change anything anyway. Since your matter has been announced, have you thought about when to hold the wedding?¡±

    ¡°Depends on Liuyun, my original intention was to have it at the beginning of next year when everyone would be more free.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, how about this, since you¡¯re here now, why don¡¯t you give Liuyun a call and have here back for dinner tonight? I¡¯ll get the servants to prepare some of your favorite dishes. We haven¡¯t had a family meal for quite some time, and your father hasn¡¯t been back for a long time. I feel a little uneasy.¡±

    Song Siting suddenly said this.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei was a little puzzled

    Was his mother-inw really in a stalemate with Dongfang Liuyun? At this moment, it seemed like she was looking for a way out...

 Chapter 1840 - Late-night Visit (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1840: Late-night Visit (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, he did not think too deeply into it. Seeing that Song Siting had already started to give in, he naturally would not reject her good intentions!

    After thinking for a while, he replied¡ª

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry too much. Father often goes on business trips, so he definitely knows how to take care of himself. Liuyun has been troubled by many things these past few days and is also a little tired. She hasn¡¯t been able to rest well these past few days. I also hope that she can rest well for a day or two. She¡¯s been busy these past few days, she didn¡¯te to visit Mother but actually she misses you.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s words were very polite. As Song Siting listened, she naturally knew. She was afraid that Qi Lei knew that she was not very satisfied with him back then. After thinking about it for a while, he sighed softly, ¡°Qi Lei, I didn¡¯t mean to make things difficult for you. I know that you treat Liuyun very well. As a mother, everyone wants their child to live a better life. Previously, I might not have understood you very well. Plus, the news of your marriage was so sudden. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy. I was also worried about Liuyun...¡±

    Song Siting saw what Qi Lei had done during this period of time. Even though she felt a knot in her heart, she did not harbor too much dissatisfaction toward Qi Lei.

    ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have to exin this to me. I understand the hearts of all parents.¡±

    Qi Lei cut off Song Siting¡¯s words. He lowered his head and took a sip of tea as if he wasmenting, ¡°I understand very well. My mother treated me the same before. Actually, mother is doing all of this for Liuyun for her sake. When my mother was still around, she treated me the same, but I always went against her wishes and refused to listen to her. She always felt that there was no way for us to reach a consensus on many things, so I always did as I pleased. I knew that she was doing them for my own good, but also...

    ¡°It was only after she left that I realized some things. I regret not being close to her at that time, or else...¡±

    Qi Lei did not continue.

    Song Siting sighed slightly

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your mother, Wang Qin. We¡¯ve met before. Back then, your father had some dealings with the Wang family. If it weren¡¯t for theplicated things that happenedter, our families would probably be on good terms now. It¡¯s a pity... your mother is also a very smart person. I¡¯ve always respected her. Now that she¡¯s gone, you don¡¯t have to be too sad. We¡¯ll treat you like our child.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then thank you, Mother.¡±

    Qi Lei thanked her.

    Song Siting smiled, but there was a hint of worry and disappointment in her smile. However, if she did not want to say anything, Qi Lei would not ask.

    ¡°It¡¯ste autumn, and the cool breeze is chilly. It¡¯s cold outside, and Mother is recovering, it¡¯s not appropriate for you to be too tired. It¡¯s better to go back in and sit down. I¡¯ll call Liuyun again and ask her toe home sooner.¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go back. This year¡¯s autumn doesn¡¯t seem as cold as it used to be, the feeling of autumn in this courtyard doesn¡¯t seem as dense as it used to be, but it looks pretty bleak.¡±

    As Song Siting said this, she let Qi Lei help her up.

    ¡°Wait for the weather to be better in a few days. I¡¯ll ask them to nt fewer plum blossoms. Although it¡¯s quite cold now, looking at the weather, they should be able to survive with good food. They¡¯re all plum trees that have been transnted for a few years. They¡¯ll bloom in winter.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at the courtyard in front of him as he said this.

    Hearing this, Song Siting paused for a moment before nodding. She did not refuse¡ª

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have to trouble you then.¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little surprised when she received Qi Lei¡¯s call. However, it was just about time to get off work at that time. Dongfang Liuyun packed up briefly before rushing straight to the Tanshan Vi area.

    When she arrived at the Tanshan Vi area, the sky had already fallen silent. The sky was still very dark. It looked like it was going to rain.

    It was the rainy season right now. Autumn rains fell one after another, and the weather became colder and colder. As they bathed in the cold autumn rain, the entire world seemed to have an additional sense of destion.

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked into the house, she could feel that her shoulders were a little wet.

    ¡°Miss is back!¡±

    The butler soon noticed Dongfang Liuyun walking in.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and walked in as well.

    In the living room, Song Siting was reading some newspapers. When she heard footsteps, she turned to look.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took off her coat and looked around. She did not see anyone familiar, so she asked directly, ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you worried that I¡¯ll make things difficult for him? Aren¡¯t you going to tell me what happened at thepany today?¡±

    Song Siting looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold expression and felt ufortable. She took a deep breath and spoke.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly and nced at her calmly. ¡°If you¡¯re really making things difficult for him, what¡¯s the point of me worrying? You don¡¯t participate much in thepany¡¯s matters, do you? Also, I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean by asking this.¡±

    The moment Dongfang Liuyun said this, Song Siting¡¯s expression immediately changed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to quarrel with you today. The reason I¡¯m asking is because I care about you! Lin Yuanyuan fell, and you went up. This is something to be happy about. She has been unconvinced for so many years. She even resents me for not caring about our kinship and epting that case, letting her brothermit suicide. I know that I have a clear conscience about this matter, but she¡¯s been targeting me all these years, even your grandmother...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear about your old matters. That¡¯s your business and has nothing to do with me. I only hope that Mother can think more about me and Father when you¡¯re doing things! You could have handed the case to someone else back then, but you just had to take it on. Are you trying to use this matter to show off your power as the great Lawyer Song?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, a cold smile shed across her lips.

    ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t want to bring these things up, but Mother, you always wanted to win. Then, yes, you did the right thing! You are the honest and upright Lawyer Song, I admire you very much. You did the right thing, and very well! Are you satisfied with this?¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°Mother, Grandmother is right. You¡¯re good at everything, but you¡¯re too self-righteous. You think that you¡¯re the great Lawyer Song, so you¡¯re right to do many things ording to your wishes, right?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. Why do you always misinterpret my intentions and insist oning to a dead end?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s leading us to a dead end, it¡¯s you!¡±

 Chapter 1841 - Late-night Visit (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1841: Late-night Visit (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words were followed by an abnormally unhappy tone. Her cold voice shocked even Song Siting!

    She had long known that her daughter¡¯s aura was not inferior to hers. Now that she looked at her, she really had some traces of Dongfang Shuman. No wonder Dongfang Gan had said that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s aura was simr to her grandmother, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s.

    ¡°Forget it, I don¡¯t want to argue with you. Every time Ie back, it always ends up like this. We simply can¡¯tmunicate with each other. In the future, it¡¯s better to talk less about these things, so as to avoid ruining the mood of eating.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and did not want to say anything more. She turned to look at the servant at the side and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the Master?¡±

    ¡°The Master is upstairs, in your room, Miss.¡±

    After receiving the news, Dongfang Liuyun walked straight up the stairs.

    Meanwhile, on the second floor, outside Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s room¡¯s balcony¡ª

    Qi Lei stood quietly by the railing, silently looking at the scenery below. The cold wind blew continuously against his windbreaker, and as he looked at his back, he felt a little lonely.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood there for quite a while before walking over. Seeing that his expression was still, she asked as well.

    ¡°Nothing much. I came back quite early today. I heard some good news at noon. Do you want to celebrate tonight?¡±

    Qi Lei did not do anything. He just averted his gaze and nced sideways at her.

    ¡°How do you want to celebrate? Why are you here all of a sudden?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to help him fix his messy windbreaker as she said.

    ¡°Mother called me toe over. I thought it was something important, but she only asked me toe over to say a few words. In fact, her motive is you. You haven¡¯t beening over these past few days, so she doesn¡¯t seem to feel at ease.¡±

    Qi Lei said softly.

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun smiled coldly, ¡°Why did youe over? Every time there¡¯s an argument or a disagreement, should Ie back to make things difficult for the both of us? She was a person who always argued about right and wrong, and she would always strive to be the winner. If Father is home, she could restrain herself a little. If Father isn¡¯t home, she would have insisted on winning. I¡¯ve been sick of it all these years.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness. She raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows in annoyance. Forget it. Let¡¯s not argue too much with her. It¡¯s fine as long as we don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°There are some things that can be reconciled.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to reconcile. That¡¯s her temperament. Can you expect her to change? Fortunately, I have formed my own opinions all these years. Otherwise, I would have to listened to her arrangements and died even faster. She¡¯s my mother. I didn¡¯t want to criticize her too much, so I avoided her as much as I could. Naturally, I didn¡¯t want to hurt the harmony between mother and daughter. If not, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said helplessly.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this for now. How was your day at work? Did it go well?¡±

    Qi Lei saw a hint of fatigue between her brows and did not want to ask too much. These things still needed to be resolved slowly.

    ¡°Fortunately, the Vice Presidents did not have any objections to me taking over Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s position. And now, only I am more suitable to take over this position, so they naturally understand. So, they did not do anything to stop me. In addition, the end of the year is approaching, so there are many things that can not be dyed. Lin Yuanyuan was in a bad state due to the incident with the Lin family a while ago, and many things have piled up. Of course, Grandmother will not sit idly by,¡± replied Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Because of this incident, Grandmother even reprimanded Uncle Dongfang Ren once. I think she must be very angry now.¡±

    ¡°Angry about what? Angry at Dongfang Yu¡¯s instigation or angry at Dongfang Yi¡¯s exposure?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled disapprovingly, his eyes filled with disdain, ¡°They say that they are not afraid of a godly opponent, but of a pig-like teammate. The Lin Corporation hasn¡¯t been doing well in the past few years. Lin Yuanyuan should have reminded him more. He already suffered once, but he still hasn¡¯t learned his lesson. It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault if Dongfang Yi catches him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but Dongfang Yi¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Dongfang Ren won¡¯t just watch Dongfang Yi grow, and he won¡¯t be satisfied either. Just wait and see. Take good care of the South River Project. You don¡¯t have to worry too much about the rest.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulders.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t worry, would you worry about it for me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him.

    Qi Lei looked back at her, and a mysterious smile appeared on his lips.

    ¡°Did Mother make things difficult for you just now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun still asked with some worry.

    Qi Lei squinted at her and chuckled. ¡°How do you think Mother can make things difficult for me?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°I wanted to continue just now, but seeing that you don¡¯t look too good, I didn¡¯t continue this topic. I know that this matter is a knot in your heart. We¡¯re not in a hurry. We¡¯ll slowly resolve it. One day, we¡¯ll resolve it.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he pulled her into his embrace and hugged her from behind. A faint warmth came through his chest. Dongfang Liuyun, who was cold all over, could feel the warmth of a man¡¯s body.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    Qi Lei gently held her hands that were slightly cold and asked softly.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s onlyte autumn, so it¡¯s not as cold as winter. City Z isn¡¯t a city that snows. At this time in the northwest, the temperature is also below zero.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was enjoying the rare moment of warmth. She leaned gently against him and looked at the dim street lights below, ¡°Do you know, I¡¯m actually quite afraid of the cold. But someone once said that those who are afraid of the cold must have a cold heart. I think it sounds ridiculous. At least I feel that my heart is warm. and the more afraid I am of the cold, the colder it is. So whenever I feel cold, I grit my teeth and carry it.¡±

    ¡°What does cold have to do with the heart? Do people always like to randomly use metaphors to figure things out in order to show off their knowledge? Let¡¯s not be that kind of person who moans and moans. I only know that if you¡¯re cold, you¡¯ll catch a cold easily. When that happens, you¡¯ll have to bear it yourself. As for whether your heart is cold or not, it has nothing to do with this.¡±

    Qi Lei said disapprovingly and hugged her even tighter. Their hands, which were originally cold to each other, were gently sped together. At this moment, they could actually feel a sense of warmth.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I haven¡¯t spent much time in City Z these past few years. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve truly experienced autumn in City Z. I remember when I was young, we used to love to go to Yunshan to look at the maple trees during this season... the maple trees all over the mountains and ins are beautiful. From afar, they look like burning clouds...¡±

 Chapter 1842 - Late-night Visit (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1842: Late-night Visit (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Dongfang Liuyun spoke of this, her eyes revealed a hint of mncholy and confusion. It was rare to see a hint of loneliness that could not be hidden on her cold face, and her beautiful brows were slightly furrowed.

    Seeing this scene in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes, his heart sank slightly. He could not bear to see her having such a mncholic moment.

    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I¡¯ll apany you to see the most beautiful maple forest in City Z during the weekend break. Otherwise, we can nt arge maple forest in our backyard and watch it next fall.¡±

    Qi Lei said solemnly.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Some scenery should just be kept in your heart. I don¡¯t n to be like those pce dramas on TV, to be a favored concubine of the crowned harem and have tantrums if I wanted anything.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with being the favored concubine of the crown and harem. At least I¡¯ll be able to see the person I¡¯m looking forward to often.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her and said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. If I want to see the emperor often, I might as well be the emperor¡¯s personal eunuch. Or rather, the Empress¡¯s personal eunuch?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she narrowed her eyes meaningfully at him.

    Qi Lei frowned and replied, ¡°If I were a eunuch, you¡¯d have to be a resentful wife.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. He thought for a moment and asked, ¡°If this were in ancient times, do you know what kind of person I want to be the most?¡±

    ¡°A top swordswoman traversing the world.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s answer was very straightforward. ¡°You said before that in the game, you¡¯re a lone wolf too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head lightly, ¡°That¡¯s only half of it. It¡¯s good to be a top-notch swordswoman, but I¡¯d still need an outstanding strategist. Although I said that I don¡¯t care about worldly things, I understand very well that if you want to protect the things and people you want to protect, you have to have great power in your hands.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei also paused for a moment¡ª

    Yes, he did not doubt the authenticity of these words at all. That was because he had experienced it and understood that feeling too well.

    ¡°Although this is an era of peace and there is no such arduous mission like in the ancient times or in the game, the sea ofmerce is fluctuating, who dares to say that this water is lear?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to work so hard. I can protect you.¡±

    Qi Lei pulled her into his embrace tightly. His hoarse voice was naturally a little emotional.

    ¡°Then I have to make sure that I¡¯m not someone who will hold you back.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not holding me back. Look, Father has been able to protect Mother so well all these years. You¡¯ll do it too, won¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, Qi Lei. I¡¯m different from her. How can that be? If she could be more reserved and tactful, Father wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard. All these years, Father actually advised her to put aside her career as awyer and enter Dongfang Group to assist him, but she wasn¡¯t willing. She said she had her own ambitions and dreams.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed helplessly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t me her too much, just like how I like antiques too. It¡¯s just that... Grandmother is also very dissatisfied because of this, and she often causes trouble...¡±

    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s fine if we don¡¯t talk about these things. It gives me a headache when I talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s quite cold. Let¡¯s go inside. The food should be ready downstairs. Let¡¯s go down.¡±

    ...

    The atmosphere at dinner was very depressing. Even Qi lei could feel the tension between mother and daughter, but the two of them seemed to be able to keep their cool, especially Dongfang Liuyun.

    They did not say much during the dinner. Song Siting, on the other hand, spoke to Qi Lei from time to time. Dongfang Liuyun was not in the mood to listen to her.

    After dinner, Qi Lei was called to the study by Song Siting. As soon as he came out, Dongfang Liuyun urged Qi Lei to go back. When Song Siting stood up to send them out, her expression did not look too good.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. Liuyun has always been like this. I¡¯ll have a good chat with her. She didn¡¯t mean what she said just now, don¡¯t take it to heart. She usually respects you very much.¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun drive the car over, Qi Lei lowered his voice and said to Song Siting.

    A stiff smile appeared on Song Siting¡¯s gloomy face. ¡°Forget it. I know her best. It¡¯s already veryte. Drive carefully on the road.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mother should go back in too. There¡¯s no need to send us off.¡±

    ...

    Not long after, the car disappeared into the vast darkness in front of them.

    Song Siting stood there and watched for a long time before turning around to go back.

    When she returned to the living room, Song Siting also felt a little tired. Just as she was about to go upstairs to rest, the housekeeper outside suddenly reported¡ª

    ¡°Madam, Master Fujiwara came to visitte at night. He is waiting outside with a gift!¡±

    Fujiwara?

    Song Siting¡¯s eyes lit up. She was stunned for a while and didn¡¯t seem to recover. Fortunately, the butler reminded her again before she said, ¡°Let him in. Someone, go make two cups of good pu¡¯er.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam!¡±

    Song Siting sat down on the sofa and her gaze stopped at the door.

    A momentter, a tall figure slowly walked in from outside. As soon as he entered, his gaze fell on Song Siting who was on the sofa.

    He had an extraordinary and cold appearance. His handsome features were like that of gods, and his eyes were as deep as the calm sea in the dark night¡ª

    Who else could it be if not Fujiwara?

    He was still as handsome and imposing as ever. Unlike Qi Lei, who was deep and modest, Fujiwara had an undoubtedly a sharp edge that even indifference could not hide.

    Song Siting was once most fond of this man to be the husband of her daughter, Dongfang Liuyun. He was Song Siting¡¯s ideal son-inw, unfortunately...¡±

    ¡°Auntie Song, I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you sote at night.¡±

    Fujiwara strode in and soon arrived in front of Song Siting. He bowed politely and greeted her.

    Song Siting hesitated for a while before she reacted. She quickly looked up at Fujiwara. After a while, she said, ¡°It¡¯s been so long. Ye, you¡¯ve lost a lot of weight. Haven¡¯t you been well all these years?¡±

    Hearing this, Fujiwara¡¯s expression softened. He did not say anything. He just looked at the three empty cups of tea on the coffee table in front of him.

    After a while, he replied, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Auntie Song. I¡¯ve been well, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Enough of such pleasantries, hurry up and sit. It¡¯s quite cold outside. Have a cup of hot tea to warm your body. Why are you here today?¡±

    Song Siting pointed to the seat beside her and said with care.

 Chapter 1843 - Late-night Visit (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1843: Late-night Visit (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Fujiwara nced at Song Siting and sat down as well.

    ¡°Come, have some hot tea. It¡¯s sote, and it seems like it¡¯s still raining outside. Can¡¯t youe back tomorrow? Why don¡¯t you give Auntie a call in advance so that I can make you some delicious food?¡±

    Song Siting looked at Fujiwara, who was obviously much thinner, and naturally felt some pity for him.

    Song Siting knew everything about the rtionship between Fujiwara and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I went to the hospital to visit Auntie before, and I was worried that I wasn¡¯ting at the right time now either. I know that you don¡¯t like to sleep early, so I decided toe over. I¡¯ve been back in City Z for quite some time, so I thought I¡¯de and visit. I hope I didn¡¯t disturb your rest.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone was no longer as cold as before. Now as he spoke, he sounded much calmer.

    ¡°What nonsense. The hospital wasn¡¯t a good ce to meet, it¡¯s best that that you don¡¯t go there if you can avoid it. It¡¯s good toe to my home now, your Uncle Dongfang isn¡¯t home either. If you have time in the future, you cane home often with Lan Xiu. Although my chess skills aren¡¯t as good as your Uncle Dongfang¡¯s and Liuyun¡¯s, I could still past time with you.¡±

    Song Siting did not know what to say to Fujiwara. She had not expected things to turn out this way. She had always thought that no matter how much Dongfang Liuyun vented her anger, she would marry Fujiwara in the end. However, she had not expected that things would turn out this way.

    ¡°If Auntie doesn¡¯t mind, I¡¯d obviously be honored as well. I¡¯ve been away from City Z all these years. Every year, Auntie will remember my birthday, thank you. Today, I just wanted to visit Auntie. I¡¯m relieved to know that you¡¯re recovering well. I¡¯ve heard about the matter as well. I hope Auntie will be more careful and take care of yourself in the future.¡±

    Fujiwara said calmly. Seeing that Song Siting¡¯splexion was recovering well, his heart eased a little.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern. It was just an ident this time. It¡¯s not a big deal. As for you... you¡¯ve been back for so long. Liuyun, she...¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s tone was trying to probe. She was not sure what was going on between the two of them. However, looking at Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s interaction just now, she felt a little worried for Fujiwara¡¯s situation.

    She knew her daughter¡¯s character. Since she had made such a choice, it would be very difficult for her to turn back. Therefore, at this moment, seeing Fujiwara¡¯s eyes darken instantly, she did not know why, her heart ached slightly.

    Fujiwara actually did not like to talk much. Previously, he was rather quiet, but he was really good to Dongfang Liuyun. He was so good that even Song Siting felt touched, but...

    Back then, the two of them must have loved each other very much. Now that they could not be together, Song Siting also felt that it was a pity, and...

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auntie. I¡¯ve seen Liuyun, and I know about her marriage to Qi Lei.¡±

    Seeing that Song Siting wanted to say something but hesitated, Fujiwara said the rest for her.

    ¡°Liuyun has always been decisive in doing things. Your Uncle Dongfang and I only found out about her and Qi Leiter. I thought that the two of you would end up together, I didn¡¯t expect fate to y tricks on us. Ah Ye, perhaps our Liuyun isn¡¯t so lucky...¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s tone was a little stifled, and her eyes darkened, ¡°This time, I¡¯m worried that it¡¯ll be the same as before. It¡¯s hard to change the decisions she make. I don¡¯t know what else to say. Liuyun and Qi Lei came home for dinner just now, and I was a little unhappy with Liuyun. It¡¯s been the same all these years, I...¡±

    ¡°Auntie, there¡¯s no need to exin anything to me. These things have nothing to do with Auntie. Emotionally, neither of us can control the other. It¡¯s my fault for not being good enough and not working hard enough. There¡¯s nothing to me.¡±

    Fujiwara spoke in a low voice. He lowered his gaze and took a sip of tea. A wry smile appeared on his lips. ¡°Auntie, it¡¯s already very fortunate for me to be able toe in and have some tea.¡±

    ¡°Ah Ye... please don¡¯t say that. Auntie feels terrible when you say that. This will always be home to you and Lan Xiu. You cane over whenever you want. There¡¯s no need to be so formal, we weren¡¯t such strangers in the past?¡±

    <i>That was right, I was not so formal in the past. It was just that it was no longer the past now. Everything was already...</i>

    Fujiwara suddenly felt a dull pain in his heart. He raised his head slightly and looked around. It was almost the same as when he hade over. The only difference was that the oil painting at the entrance had been reced with andscape painting.

    ¡°Has she been doing well all these years?¡±

    Fujiwara asked after thinking for a moment.

    Song Siting naturally knew that this ¡®she¡¯ was referring to Liuyun.

    ¡°She¡¯s still the same as before, rtionship with the family is quite indifferent. Things have been better since she got married to Qi Lei. At the very least, she would asionallye home to visit. For the past few years, she was always out and it was hard to see her all year round. Fortunately, she¡¯s been learning up in thepany recently, so she doesn¡¯t have time to go outside anymore. She¡¯ll probably be settled in the future.¡±

    ¡°How about you? Have you been well these past few years?¡±

    Song Siting asked with concern.

    ¡°Other than being very busy, everything is fine.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too stingy with yourself, take care of your health. Look at how thin you¡¯ve be... Sigh, I know how you feel about Liuyun, but now, it¡¯s toote... you¡¯re also an excellent child, but Liuyun doesn¡¯t have that blessing. Even if I looked forward to the two of you being together, we can¡¯t go against fate. You don¡¯t have to wait for her anymore. Hurry up and find a good girl and start a family.¡±

    Other than this, Song Siting did not know what else to say. She felt a little sad.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Auntie. If it wasn¡¯t for her, those two words wouldn¡¯t have appeared in my life.¡±

    Fujiwara said faintly. He seemed to have returned to his usual cold and indifferent self. His dark eyes also seemed very calm.

    ¡°Ah Ye, what are you...¡±

    Song Siting frowned worriedly.

    ¡°Auntie, there¡¯s no need to think too much. You¡¯re still recovering, and the weather will get colder and colder these days. You have to take care of your health. It¡¯s already sote, and I¡¯ve disturbed you for a long time. Auntie, it¡¯s better for you to rest early. I should go back as well.¡±

    Fujiwara quietly put down the teacup in his hand and slowly stood up.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

    Song Siting also stood up.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, Auntie. I¡¯lle back in a few days. You¡¯re not feeling well, so you should rest early. I¡¯ll go back now.¡±

    Fujiwara said in a deep voice. As he spoke, he turned around and walked out of the door.

 Chapter 1844 - Impure Motives? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1844: Impure Motives? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he walked out, it was already drizzling outside. The air was filled with a damp and cold vapor.

    ¡°Master, Hurry up and get in the car. The weather is very cold!¡±

    Matsuda, who had been waiting outside, saw Fujiwara¡¯s figure and hurriedly went up to greet him.

    Fujiwara walked forward step by step. Suddenly, he stopped and put one hand into his pocket. As he turned around, he looked at the house bathed in the dim light in front of him. He did not move for a long time.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Matsuda did not dare to say anything. He called out and took a coat from the car for Fujiwara to put on.

    Fujiwara also lifted his cor and looked at the dim light inside. After a while, he said in a lowered voice...

    ¡°Although I might not be able to go back, I still...¡±

    I still do not want to give up...

    He had been suffering for so many years, and he had persisted. He did not want anything, he only wanted her...

    ¡°Master?¡±

    After waiting for a long time and not hearing what he was going to say next, Matsuda called out in a lowered voice.

    Meanwhile, Fujiwara just took a deep breath, suddenly turned around, and sat in the car beside him...

    ...

    It rained the whole night, and it did not stop the next morning. It was the autumn rainy season, so the rainy season would be longer, and the weather was getting colder day by day.

    When Zhou Zimo walked out of the house after breakfast, he felt that he could not resist the cold.

    He drove straight to the high-speed railway station, and arrived at the right time.

    Zhou Zimo was waiting at the entrance. When he saw that familiar figure, his pair of ck eyes hidden under his sunsses suddenly shed with a flowing light as he waved at that beautiful figure.

    Qin Su had just walked to the entrance when she saw Zhou Zimo waving at her from the side. Her beautiful brows immediately furrowed¡ª

    How did he know that she wasing back today?

    Due to the issue with the files, she had returned to the Northwest Military District for a few days and stayed there for a few days. When she came back, she did not tell him what time it was. She did not expect for him toe pick her up?

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Qin Su walked over withrge strides and looked at Zhou Zimo with some confusion.

    Zhou Zimo very considerately bent down and took the backpack from her hand. He held it in his hand and nced at her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯ve only been away for a few days and you¡¯ve already forgotten my identity? Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls? You even switched off your phone. You¡¯re quite capable. Get in the car first. This damn weather is too cold and it¡¯s raining.¡±

    As he said this, he reached out and grabbed Qin Su¡¯s hand as they walked out.

    Qin Su was stunned for a moment. Before she could react, she was pulled over by Zhou Zimo.

    The two of them got into the car, and Zhou Zimo quickly started the engine.

    ¡°Your room has been redecorated. We¡¯ll see if you¡¯re satisfiedter. If you¡¯re not satisfied, you can change it. I went to see Uncle and Auntie yesterday. They told me that when you¡¯d be back today, Uncle asked me toe over to pick you up.¡±

    Zhou Zimo saw that she was looking at him with a face full of doubt, so he helped her resolve her doubts too.

    Hearing that, Qin Su looked at him with an expressionless face¡ª

    She was already used to it. She had never seen someone as thick-skinned as Zhou Zimo. He went to her house as if it was his. In fact, her parents were very satisfied with him!

    At this moment, she could be considered to have been forced to ept the fact that Zhou Zimo had be her boyfriend.

    After taking a deep breath, Qin Su could only close her eyes and rest. She really did not want to say anything else.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t want to see me?¡±

    Seeing that she did not have any expression, Zhou Zimo also asked. His tone was a little gloomy.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired.¡±

    Qin Su replied indifferently without opening her eyes. However, looking at her expression, she was indeed a little tired. However, her cold and indifferent attitude made Zhou Zimo feel a little ufortable.

    ¡°Have you not rested for a few days? You seem so tired? Are you hungry?¡±

    After thinking for a while, Zhou Zimo asked with concern.

    At this moment, Qin Su opened his eyes and looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I ate something in the car and I¡¯m not very hungry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost lunchtime. I¡¯ll bring you to eat something.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s just go back. I¡¯ll pack up. I still have to return to the prosecutor¡¯s office in the afternoon.¡±

    As Qin Su spoke, she raised her hand and rubbed the space between her brows, feeling a little tired.

    ¡°You have work but it¡¯s not to the point of not even having time to eat. Let¡¯s go to the ce we went tost time, it¡¯s pretty close to home anyway.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, we¡¯ll cook something simple.¡± Qin Su insisted.

    Zhou Zimo turned his head and gave her a deep look. After that, he silently increased the speed of the car and did not say anything else.

    When the car drove into the vi area under the cold rain, it was almost noon.

    Zhou Zimo was also used to living alone, so there were no servants at home. There was only an aunt who cooked and woulde over to cook when it was time. Of course, this was only if Zhou Zimo had informed her.

    The two of them parked the car at the entrance. Looking in from the outside, it was a bungalow with a pretty good environment. It was European-style, elegant and chic. There was also a white fence around it, and there were some unique sceneries all around, with some unknown flowers in the flowerbed too.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her and took the lead to walk in.

    Qin Su frowned, but after thinking for a while, she saw that Zhou Zimo had already swiped his card to open the door in front of the door and followed him.

    After passing through the clean walkway, the two of them quickly entered the room.

    It was cold outside, but the room was very warm. These few days, Zhou Zimo had gotten someone to clean up the house, adding some warm-colored decorations. This house was a little more unique.

    ¡°Your room is on the second floor. This ce isn¡¯t considered very huge. There are three rooms on the second floor. Other than one of my suites, the other two are guest rooms. The one I¡¯ve arranged for you, I¡¯ve made some simple modifications for you. It can be divided into a simple study room. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll bring you up to take a look.¡±

    Qin Su looked at Zhou Zimo¡¯s back and took a deep breath before following him.

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    Zhou Zimo opened the door, and a faint fragrance of orchids wafted into the air. Qin Su followed him in, and what greeted her eyes was a bedroom that was decorated in an elegant and unique style. It was arge European-style carved bed, and a wardrobe of the same color, the French window at the side could also be opened, and there was a small balcony outside. At this moment, the door to the small balcony was not closed, and a cool breeze blew in through the half-opened door, lifting the curtains from the floor.

    There were not many decorative items, but they did look simple and elegant. Qin Su was a little surprised, but she was quite satisfied with the first sight.

 Chapter 1845 - Impure Motives? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1845: Impure Motives? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The faint fragrance of orchids filled the air. It came from the magnolia flower next to the bookshelf in the simple study room.

    It was indeed rare to see flowers in this season. Zhou Zimo had asked someone to bring it back from abroad.

    Although it was a simple study room, the space was not very small. It was also convenient for Qin Su to read and write on a daily basis.

    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m very satisfied.¡±

    Qin Su roughly browsed through the room before replying.

    ¡°Your luggage has already been ced in the wardrobe. I¡¯ve also asked them to prepare some clothes for you, as well as some daily necessities. If you have any other needs, feel free to let me know.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said generously and ced her bag on a chair at the side.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty much all there. You¡¯ve put in a lot of effort to make it look like this. Are you free tonight? I¡¯ll treat you to dinner.¡±

    Qin Su took off her mid-length windbreaker and threw it on a chair at the side. She said as she walked towards the small balcony in front of her.

    ¡°Officer Qin Su is treating. I¡¯ll definitely be free.¡±

    Zhou Zimo chuckled and replied.

    Qin Su nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s meet at seven in the evening at the Jiangnan restaurant that¡¯s located at the south entrance of New Era za. What time do you get off work? Can you make it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It gets dark very early in this season. I get off work at six, so I can make it.¡±

    Zhou Zimo replied and walked over as well, intending to pour her a cup of hot water.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Qin Su pushed open the half-opened door and a cool breeze blew in. Naturally, there was a hint of moisture in the wind. Of course, it was also so cold that it was bone-piercing.

    Zhou Zimo quickly poured a cup of hot water and walked over¡ª

    ¡°Warm your hands. It¡¯s like snow, there¡¯s no warmth at all.¡±

    Zhou Zimo handed the water over.

    Qin Su received it very quickly.

    ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯m a little hungry. There are still some dishes in the fridge. I¡¯ll personally cook for you today to show off and wee you to your new home.¡±

    Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°Just make something simple. Not many peoplee over here, right?¡±

    Qin Su raised her eyes and looked at Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Before Su Chen and the others got married, they often came over to my ce. Just now, the bar next to the living room downstairs was where they often gathered. Now that they have their own homes, they have a lot of things to do and rarelye over. As for other people, they basically won¡¯te over. The ce I live in is rtively private.¡±

    Zhou Zimo exined.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. In the future, if anyonees over, you can tell me in advance. I will stay out of the way...¡±

    ¡°Officer Qin Su! I find that there¡¯s something wrong with your words. What do you mean by telling you in advance and you will stay out of the way? You are now Zhou Zimo¡¯s real girlfriend. Shouldn¡¯t you try to enter my circle of life?¡±

    ¡°You know, I have always hated dealing with those messy people.¡±

    Qin Su frowned and gave him a sideways nce. He did not think that there was anything wrong with her saying that.

    ¡°Since when did I ask you to interact with those messy people? Don¡¯t worry, the people who cane to my ce are definitely people that I am certain of, like good friends like Ah Chen, I naturally can¡¯t be bothered with other people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, I didn¡¯t mean anything else.¡±

    Qin Su calmly lowered her eyes and lowered her head to drink a mouthful of water. ¡°If you have any objections, remember to mention it to me in advance. I¡¯m new here, so I might not know your rules.¡±

    ¡°You can stay here feeling rest assured. You don¡¯t have to abide by any of the rules here. Alright, I¡¯ll go down and get some food. You rest for a while. When the food is ready, I¡¯ll call you again.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±

    Qin Su replied before Zhou Zimo left the room.

    Qin Su also gave her father Qin Yi a call. After that, she took advantage of the time to take a shower. After changing into her clean and neat uniform, she looked much more energetic.

    In fact, she had always been a person with a strong ability to adapt. Although it was a little inappropriate for her to be with Zhou Zimo, since it was already like this, she did not want to think too much about it. Since she hade, she would just settle down.

    The environment here was pretty good, and Zhou Zimo did not charge her rent. She was a soldier, and she had a keen sense of judgment. Now that it was obvious that she had the advantage, she did not mind epting it.

    As for the deeper meaning behind it, she was toozy to investigate it. In any case, both of them left early for work and returnedte every day, and there would not be many opportunities for them to meet. It was not like she, Qin Su, had not experienced it before.

    It only took half an hour for the cleaning up. When Qin Su went downstairs, she saw Zhou Zimoing out of the kitchen with a few side dishes.

    ¡°Come over and eat.¡±

    It was a few simple dishes. Judging from the dishes, it was not bad. There was also fried rice with egg.

    ¡°After dinner, I¡¯ll give you the keys to the house. You can wander around the house. The garden behind is quite big. It¡¯ste autumn now, and there are a few chrysanthemums nted in the corner. They¡¯re blooming well. If you¡¯re in the mood, you can go and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Qin Su took the rice bowl and ate it slowly.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Qin Su had just taken her first bite when Zhou Zimo looked at her expectantly and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good.¡±

    Qin Su gave a simple evaluation.

    ¡°It¡¯s that bad? Although I admit that my cooking skills are not as good as Ah Chen¡¯s, I admit that I¡¯m not bad either.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was naturally a little taken aback.

    ¡°Some things require talent. Do you have that kind of talent? However, to be able to do it to this extent, it¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s still better than those who don¡¯t know how to cook at all.¡±

    Sensing the dullness in his tone, Qin Su thought for a moment and said this. She did not know if it was consideredforting.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve brought a woman home, and it¡¯s also the first time I¡¯ve cooked for a woman. No matter what, you, Officer Qin Su, should at least give me a few words of praise to satisfy my vanity and pride.¡±

    Zhou Zimo poured a ss of fruit juice for Qin Su as he said this.

    Qin Su unceremoniously picked up the second dish and said, ¡°Zhou Zimo, if you were less pretentious, your charm index will definitely increase by arge margin. Among you and your friends, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re the most unusual one.¡±

    After saying this, Qin Su continued to lower her head and eat her meal.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment when he heard that. After a long while, he narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°How can that be? My charm index is already very high. However, how many charm points do I need to reach to attract you? I¡¯m more interested in this question.¡±

    Qin Su paused for a moment when she heard that. She raised her eyes and looked at him silently. After a moment, she smiled indifferently. ¡°You think that you¡¯re a very patient person, aren¡¯t you? Just hold on for a while more and you might find out.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was stunned¡ª

    As expected, this woman was really heartless. She would not even give him a perfunctory reply!

 Chapter 1846 - Impure Motives? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1846: Impure Motives? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, these words...

    On second thought, was she not telling him¡ª

    ¡°You mean you agree to my pursuit of you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo narrowed his eyes at her and asked in a low voice.

    Qin Su lowered her eyes and silently picked up the bowl. She elegantly picked up the food with her chopsticks as she said, ¡°At my age, I¡¯ll be 29 years old next year and be the super leftover woman that you guys mentioned. I¡¯m still not not married yet, there are only a few reasons for this.¡±

    As Qin Su said this, he suddenly stopped and didn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°Which ones?¡± Zhou Zimo quickly asked.

    Qin Su calmly ate a mouthful of food and slowly swallowed it before replying, ¡°First, standards are too high, but my own conditions aren¡¯t great. Second, not interested in marriage. Third, pessimistic attitude towards married life, and I¡¯m probably the third type.¡±

    ¡°Why? You haven¡¯t even tried marriage before. Why would you be pessimistic about it?¡± Zhou Zimo frowned and asked.

    Qin Su raised her gaze and looked at him. A rare smile appeared on her ice-cold face. The smile was exceptionally gorgeous, causing Zhou Zimo could not look away.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in the army longer than you, and I¡¯ve seen more things than you. I¡¯ve seen the lives of some ordinary people. You¡¯re a rich Master, and you¡¯re well-off. You have a lot of women that you like, so you might not understand those experiences. It¡¯s really hard to be with people with different ideals, especially in our line of work.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s tone was indifferent, and the smile on her lips was also indifferent. ¡°And, actually, I also know that my job transfer this time isn¡¯t that simple. Although I don¡¯t like this kind of secret operation, but...¡±

    ¡°I admit that I¡¯ve put in a lot of effort, but Qin Su, do you know why...¡±

    Do you know why I have been single until now?

    Zhou Zimo did not ask the rest. Only he knew about the knot in his heart, and even Mu Yuchen and the others might not understand it. Moreover, right now... deep in his heart, he could not let go of her at all. Long ago, after he had gotten her under those circumstances back then, the fate between them was destined to be inextricably linked. No matter how hard he tried, he could not erase it.

    He did not dare to tell her because he was afraid that she would...

    He did not know if this was obsession. He did not want to admit it either. When he fantasized about other men being able to have her, he felt ufortable all over. Should Qin Su not belong to him, Zhou Zimo?

    Zhou Zimo did not continue with the rest of his words, and Qin Su would not ask.

    ¡°You have many choices. You really don¡¯t have to waste your time on me. I don¡¯t think I can be a good wife and daughter-inw.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s words were very clear. It was also because she knew herself too well. She was dull and uninteresting, and she did not want to interact with others too much. In her world, everything had to be organized and strict. As a result, she had offended many people...

    ¡°Who asked you to be a good wife and daughter-inw? As long as you marry me, I promise that I will definitely be a good husband and son-inw. As for you, you will still be you, Qin Su.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s tone was unusually firm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Qin Su only said a few words after listening.

    ¡°Based on the reasons I mentioned above and the situation today, I think that I should give us a chance. Moreover, you agreed to my three conditionsst time, so I can¡¯t go too far. My parents also like you. It¡¯s really too difficult to get them to agree. I don¡¯t know if this is a good start.¡±

    There was a helpless calmness in her hoarse voice, Zhou Zimo heard it very clearly.

    Hearing this, a smile appeared on Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll send you overter. It¡¯s on the way to thepany anyway.¡±

    Qin Su was stunned for a moment. She raised her eyes to look at him. Seeing the anticipation in his eyes, she did not reject him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about dinner tonight. Come and pick me up. My car is still at my house. I¡¯ll go back tomorrow to pick it up.¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of cars in the garage, the keys are in the drawer next to the coffee table in the living room, you can take any of them to drive...¡± Zhou Zimo quickly said, but Qin Su did not seem to hear him. She had already averted her gaze, lowered her head, and continued eating her meal.

    Zhou Zimo did not say anything else and just continued to eat in silence.

    After that, the two of them did not say anything else. They quietly finished their meal. Qin Su was not restrained either. Her appetite was not any smaller than Zhou Zimo¡¯s, and she had eaten most of the dishes out of respect.

    ¡°Leave the dishes. I¡¯ll go wash them.¡±

    Qin Su was not used to eating for free. Since Zhou Zimo was kind enough to cook, she felt that she needed to wash the dishes.

    ¡°Women age easily when they enter the kitchen. Let me do it.¡±

    In any case, when he used to have special sessions with Mu Yuchen and the rest, Zhou Zimo would mostly do the dishes, so he did not mind anymore.

    Qin Su nced at him in surprise. ¡°If you¡¯re too eager, won¡¯t it seem like your motives are impure?¡±

    ¡°My motives are impure to begin with. I admit it.¡±

    Zhou Zimo admitted it generously.

    ¡°I seem to have underestimated the thickness of your skin.¡±

    ...

    Zhou Zimo quickly cleaned up the dishes. Qin Su sat on the sofa and boiled some chrysanthemum tea to make it hot.

    A while ago, it waste autumn and it was a little dry. It was good to drink some chrysanthemum tea to make it hot.

    She took the opportunity to look around at theyout of the house. She wasrgely satisfied and it was in line with her aesthetic standards. However, Zhou Zimo seemed to be a person who liked wine very much. She looked at the wine rack beside the bar counter, it was filled with all kinds of wine. Moreover, they were all expensive and aged. There were at least a hundred of them, not to mention the capacity of the storage room.

    ¡°A while ago, Chief Zhou asked me to go over for a talk. It should be the result of you dealing with him, right?¡±

    Seeing Zhou Zimo walk over while wiping his hands, Qin Su also moved a cup of tea over to him.

    ¡°My father has always admired you, and your ability is obvious to everyone. However, at this point, there¡¯s no need for you to work so hard. What¡¯s wrong with changing to a stable position? Isn¡¯t your father thinking the same thing?¡±

    Zhou Zimo took the cup of tea and took a few sips before replying unhurriedly.

    ¡°I hope that you can keep our matter a secret for the time being. I¡¯ve just been transferred to the prosecutor¡¯s office, and I don¡¯t want others to look at me differently, saying that I¡¯m...¡±

    ¡°Saying that you¡¯re dependent on nepotism?¡±

    Zhou Zimo naturally understood what she meant, and he chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad thing. Only a naive person like you would find it troublesome if you didn¡¯t use such good conditions.¡±

    ¡°A tall tree attracts the wind. You understand this logic. Keep a low profile so that you won¡¯t be targeted.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. In the entire City Z, I¡¯ve yet to discover anyone who dares to provoke me .¡±

 Chapter 1847 - Anger

    <h4>Chapter 1847: Anger</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The news of Qi Lei¡¯s marriage to Dongfang Liuyun had already spread throughout the city. Now, even the Dongfang Group was discussing this matter everywhere. Some were happy while others were angry.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already taken over the position of Lin Yuanyuan, but the office had not changed. It was still in its original ce.

    At this moment, in the quiet office, Dongfang Liuyun was reviewing the proposal for the South River Project. Suddenly, an anxious voice came from outside

    ¡°Manager Rou, without Manager Yun¡¯s permission, you can¡¯t go in! Manager Rou!¡±

    It was Secretary Ding¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Get out of my way!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s cold voice sounded.

    ¡°Manager Rou, you can¡¯t go in, Manager Rou!¡±

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Secretary Ding was finally unable to stop Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s aggressive approach. The office door was directly knocked open.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised his head casually. The first thing she saw was Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s gloomy little face. It was not difficult to see the anger in her eyes.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er instantly arrived in front of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s office desk. Secretary Ding also chased after her¡ª

    ¡°Manager Yun, Manager Rou is...¡±

    ¡°You go out first and close the door.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun leisurely leaned back in her chair and looked up with interest at the furious Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun!¡±

    Secretary Ding nced at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with some worry. She took a deep breath and could only leave and close the door.

    ¡°You came aggressively. Are you here to challenge me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold and indifferent voice was transmitted over.

    ¡°The South River Project was your idea, wasn¡¯t it? You clearly discussed it with Qi Lei and made us anxious. We were fooled by you!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression was extremely ugly when she heard his questioning tone.

    ¡°I already said that thepany would handle the South River Project. It was you who were anxious for quick sess and wanted to swallow it. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that.¡±

    ¡°You want to see me make a fool of myself! Dongfang Liuyun! You¡¯re really despicable!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not forget what happened at the Mid-autumn Festival event. She had gone to look for Qi Lei several times before, but it was embarrassing. Qi Lei must have been instructed by this Dongfang Liuyun, and this time...

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er really could not take this lying down!

    ¡°Despicable? I don¡¯t know what conflict of interest there is between me marrying Qi Lei and thepany sessfully winning the South River Project? I also don¡¯t remember what I did to let you down, unless you have evil intentions and wanted to scheme against me. Dongfang Rou¡¯er, save some face for yourself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with disdain.

    ¡°You came back prepared!¡±

    ¡°I said that I would fight for something that belongs to me. The person you should be looking for isn¡¯t me, and the person who caused this situation isn¡¯t me either.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ve always thought that you¡¯re very noble yet you¡¯ve hooked up with a man for benefits too? Qi Lei, you¡¯ve indeed chosen a good one! But I wonder if he would still ept you this way if he knew about your past?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s gaze was cold, and her tone was filled with disdain.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun smiled indifferently

    ¡°My past? What about my past? When I was young, I pushed your mother down the stairs, causing her to have a miscarriage, or was I almost raped? What else can you dig up?¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Dongfang Liuyun paused and looked at her meaningfully, ¡°The truth of these things is actually worth investigating. Back then, because grandfather cared about his feelings, many things were suppressed. Now, I¡¯m wondering if I should properly rify the truth of these things, so that you won¡¯t always use these things as a bargaining chip to suppress me. You can tell anyone. I¡¯m worried that the consequences will be hard for you to ept.¡±

    ¡°You want to y psychological tactics with me?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled disdainfully, ¡°I think you must think that just because my father and Second Uncle are fighting, you can sit back and reap the benefits, right? Do you really think I¡¯m stupid and can¡¯t see it at all? Tai Yu Corporation has confirmed that you¡¯re one of the project managers. You dragged my father and Second Uncle into this because you wanted my father and Second Uncle to restrain each other, right?¡±

    At this point, if Dongfang Rou¡¯er still could not see through it, then she would really be an idiot.

    ¡°You¡¯re very smart. You still managed to detect this little trick of mine, but so what? The mission has already been arranged, and it was arranged ording to the most suitable n. Moreover, Grandmother also said that she hates internal strife within thepany the most. I think you¡¯re not a brainless person. Even if the previous decision wasn¡¯t like this, you might not be able to clinch such a big project on your own.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not intend to hide it. This matter had already achieved the expected goal. Even if they knew the goal, what could they do about it?

    The conflict between Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi hadpletely intensified. At the very least, the copse of the Lin Corporation and Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s downfall were directly rted to Dongfang Yi¡¯s side. The truth could not be erased. She did not believe that they could still shake hands and make peace.

    Even now, she still did not understand where Dongfang Yi had gotten this news from.

    ¡°You are really scheming! Dongfang Liuyun! Aren¡¯t you afraid that I will tell Grandmother about this!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er gritted her teeth as she said this, because she felt aggrieved and even angry at her current situation!

    She always felt that these things were not simple. Perhaps it was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s doing again. Otherwise, why would she be the one to take all the benefits?

    However, she could not find any concrete evidence to prove it!

    She really did not know what kind of luck she had to be able totch onto Qi Lei!

    However, after thinking about it, she heaved a sigh of relief¡ª

    Since she was already married to Qi Lei, did that mean that there would never be a possibility between her and Fujiwara?

    ¡°You can go ahead. If I was afraid of her, I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here today.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile. She only respected her, but she had never allowed herself to lower herself in front of her.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for temporarily taking over the position of aunt. When you get back, tell her that I willplete the matter very well and she can rest well. She¡¯s old now, and this world is still the world of the young. After all, the Dongfang Group is still the property of the Dongfang family. At such an age, how is she still so unclear of priorities?¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    ¡°You know best whether it¡¯s nonsense or not. I know you¡¯re not convinced, but you can only endure it. Unless you can think of a way to bring me down, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too proud! Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

 Chapter 1848 - Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1848: Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    The sound of the door being mmed could be heard. Even the office seemed to feel a tremor!

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes as he looked at the tightly shut door. A sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth¡ª

    This Dongfang Rou¡¯er was quite smart. Now, she could tell that the thing with South River Project was done on purpose. However, it did not seem to be as calm as she had imagined.

    ¡°Manager Yun...¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Rou¡¯er leave with a gloomy face, Secretary Ding walked in worriedly and asked with concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. She won¡¯t be able to stir up much trouble.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not care about Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Now, she was looking forward to what Dongfang Ren would do next. Her two uncles were masters at scheming and hiding their abilities. Looking at Dongfang Ren, he was able to hold back his anger, this was enough to prove that he was a person who could keep his cool. Of course, she did not know if Lin Yuanyuan would do something stupid.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Oh right, Manager Yun, Vice President Yi wants you to go to his office and talk about the South River Project. There are some problems that he needs to report to you.¡±

    Dongfang Yi?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened. After a moment, she replied, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go up immediately.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Manager Yun!¡±

    ...

    It was evening. It was still windy and rainy outside.

    In Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s president¡¯s office.

    Qi Lei was standing in front of a few huge screens and looking at the situation of the stock market on the screen. He was holding his phone and talking. From his tone, he sounded very gentle. There was a rare hint of gentleness on his handsome face¡ª

    ¡°The recovery is very good. Don¡¯t worry, Father.¡±

    That¡¯s right, the person on the other end of the phone was Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°Have you met your grandmother?¡± Dongfang Gan asked kindly.

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, this child, thinks too much. It¡¯s fine. Although your grandmother is quite strict, she¡¯s not an unreasonable person. Your mother and your grandmother¡¯s rtionship is a little tense. Liuyun and I are also quite sensitive to this topic, so don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±

    During this period of time, Dongfang Gan had been in contact with Qi Lei. He had even spent more time with Qi Lei than with his own daughter, Dongfang Liuyun. Of course, the things they were discussing were all rted to Dongfang Group, which means it was also rted to Liuyun.

    ¡°Yes, Father, don¡¯t worry about this. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m exactly worried about what you mean when you say you know what you¡¯re doing. I¡¯ve called your mother. Although she¡¯s quite stubborn, she¡¯s also a very rational person. I think you probably know that she didn¡¯t have a great attitude towards you before this. I hope you won¡¯t take it to heart. The Fujiwara family has a deep rtionship with her. Fujiwara¡¯s grandmother is her mentor and an old friend of your grandmother. Your mother is also on good terms with Fujiwara¡¯s mother. She has watched Fujiwara grow up and has long treated him as her own son, just like Lan Xiu.¡±

    Although Dongfang Gan was far away in Myanmar, he was very clear about the situation in City Z.

    Fujiwara...

    Upon hearing this name, Qi Lei felt a little ufortable, but there was no change in his expression

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m not thinking too much about it, don¡¯t worry Father.¡±

    ¡°I think you should have some thoughts!¡± After Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Gan smiled. ¡°No matter what, since you and Liuyun are already married, you are now the son-inw of the Dongfang family.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Father.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°Your openness and wisdom make me feel lucky.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯re also very good. Liuyun is considered lucky to marry you. You two should have a child as soon as possible. That way, your Qi family can be more lively. Forget about the agreement we made before. As long as you two do well, I¡¯ll be satisfied.¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s slightly disappointed voice suddenly came from the other end, ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from you two either. I didn¡¯t approve of it back then because I didn¡¯t understand your situation. But from what I see now, Liuyun and you will be happier. As her father, I understand what she wants.¡±

    ¡°Father...¡±

    Qi Lei did not quite understand Dongfang Gan¡¯s words.

    ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied with what you¡¯ve done. Qi Lei, I believe that you¡¯ll be a good husband and a good son-inw. Alright, I won¡¯t say anymore. That¡¯s all for now.¡±

    Dongfang Gan said a few more words, and before Qi Lei could react, he hung up the phone.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, was a little puzzled. He stared at the darkened phone screen in his hand. After thinking for a moment, he vaguely felt that something was not right

    Could it be that his father-inw had noticed something?

    It was very possible!

    Dongfang Gan was definitely a person who hid himself well. Just his actions in the Dongfang Group over the past few years were enough to exin everything!

    ¡°Master Qi, Chief Su is here!¡±

    Just as Qi Lei was deep in thought, Yang Sheng¡¯s voice was suddenly heard from behind him.

    Only then did Qi Leie back to his senses. He quickly turned his and was a little surprised. ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Chief Su. Chief Su is here!¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    Su Chen?

    He had been busy with his matters and spending time with his wife, Ji Zitong. Even Zhou Zimo hadined to him several times. Why did he have time toe over?

    ¡°Let him in!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Not long after, Su Chen walked in with big strides. When he saw Qi Lei sitting on the sofa, he walked over directly¡ª

    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t call beforeing over, you might really miss out on me next time.¡±

    Qi Lei quickly poured him a cup of hot water.

    ¡°I saw that your car was still downstairs, so I made a bet.¡±

    Su Chen also sat down opposite him.

    ¡°I just came to see you. I didn¡¯t have anything else to do. I heard about what happened between you and Dongfang Liuyun recently, so I was worried. I just happened to be in the vicinity for a meeting. After that, I came over to take a look.¡±

    Su Chen also directly exined his purpose ofing.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. How have you been these past few days? Ji Zitong¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°Sigh, I can only say that this pregnancy is really not something that a person can endure. It¡¯s quite torturous. When the child is born, I¡¯ll definitely take care of it!¡±

    When he mentioned this matter, Su Chen felt a little helpless, but his dark eyes were shing with the anticipation of a father-to-be.

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°When the timees, you won¡¯t be willing to be too harsh on the child. Alright, since we¡¯re already here, it¡¯s also time to get off work. Let¡¯s go out and have a good meal.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re treating?¡±

    ¡°When have you ever treated me to a meal with me?¡±

    Qi Lei gave him a sideways nce and stood up unhurriedly. He took a jacket from the side and draped it over his shoulders.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling, but you guys never gave me a chance.¡±

    ¡°Are you treating this time then?¡±

    ¡°No way! We can settle everything at Imperial Sky Entertainment City!¡±

    ¡°How did Mu Yuchen fall for a bad friend like you?¡±

 Chapter 1849 - Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1849: Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (2)</h4>

    The sky gradually darkened. The autumn rain that hadsted for a few days had stopped slightly, but the ground was still very wet.

    It was Su Chen who drove. Qi Lei sat in his car, and the two friends went straight to Emperor Entertainment City.

    Qi Lei and Su Chen had been frequent visitors here before. After Glory World Corporation¡¯s Imperial Sky Entertainment City opened for business, their base of operations shifted to that side, but they were still esteemed guests here today.

    When they arrived at Emperor, the sky had already turned dark. The entire city was once again enveloped by arge expanse of dazzling lights. This was also the beginning of sleepless city.

    The two friends did not look for a private room. Instead, they found a corner to sit down and ordered some good wine and food.

    There was a band ying on the small stage in front of them. It was not ear-splitting music, but a very soothing song.

    Qi Lei took the wine and poured a ss for Su Chen before pouring it for himself. His deep voice rang out, ¡°What has Zimo been doing recently? I haven¡¯t seen hime out for a long time.¡±

    He did not forget to show his concern for Zhou Zimo. After his rtionship with Dongfang Liuyun was announced, Zhou Zimo quickly expressed his blessings publicly. It was obvious that he was pointing out the rtionship between the two buddies, it was obvious that he was on Qi Lei¡¯s side.

    Qi Lei was naturally grateful for this.

    ¡°He¡¯s busy chasing women. Let¡¯s call him out another day. I just called him. He¡¯s having dinner with his girlfriend tonight.¡±

    When Su Chen mentioned this, he felt that it was a little strange.

    ¡°Girlfriend?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his brows as he held his wine and looked at Su Chen. ¡°He really has one?¡±

    ¡°He really does!¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s tone was unusually certain.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Qi Lei was a little puzzled. For someone like Zhou Zimo, what type of woman would he fancy?

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know her even if I told you. She¡¯s a female officer who went on missions with me in the army. She¡¯s very skilled and she¡¯s saved Zimo once. I think it¡¯s precisely because of this that Zimo¡¯s been thinking about her. Now, he¡¯s nning to give himself to her.¡±

    Su Chen smiled. Of course, he did not know the truth that Zhou Zimo had revealed to Mu Yuchen before. Otherwise, he would have been even more shocked.

    ¡°Give himself to her?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled calmly and took a sip of his wine. Then, he smiled. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like something he would do. Hearing you say that, I¡¯m a little curious about this woman.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a powerful character. She¡¯s probably simr to your family¡¯s character, but I¡¯m afraid that Qin Su...¡±

    When Su Chen said this, he nced meaningfully at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei raised his brows and drank the wine in his ss in one gulp. ¡°Let¡¯s gossip again the next time we meet.¡±

    ¡°From what I remember, you¡¯re not that fond of gossip. Oh, I went to the Mu family¡¯s old residence this morning. Ah Chen said that you went there before too?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I heard that Grandfather Mu isn¡¯t doing good, so I went over to take a look. is he feeling better?¡±

    When Qi Lei mentioned this, his eyes could not help but darken¡ª

    When he went over before, he knew that Mu Yinan¡¯s condition was not great. Even when Mu Yuchen mentioned it, he could not hide his sadness.

    ¡°He¡¯s still the same. Ah Chen said that he probably won¡¯t be able to hold on much longer.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s dark eyes were gloomy, and his tone was much heavier. ¡°Grandfather Mu practically watched us grow up. Back then, Grandfather Mu spent a lot of effort to discipline us. When I heard this news, I felt a little...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a very amiable person and also a wise man, but unfortunately...¡±

    ¡°Grandfather Mu¡¯s life experience is also very legendary. His feelings for Grandmother Mu are very deep. You also know that ever since Grandmother Mu left, his heart has also be empty. My grandfather also often said that Grandfather Mu has not being doing well emotionally.¡±

    ¡°Alright, take some time to go over and take a look. Do your best. If there¡¯s nothing you can do,e and drink!¡±

    At this point, Su Chen did not want to continue. He could only sigh to himself.

    Qi Lei had already poured him some wine.

    ¡°I see that you¡¯ve lost a lot of weight these days.¡±

    ¡°Zitong¡¯s reaction is quite big. The doctor said that the first few months are a little tougn. You¡¯ll go through the same thing in the future. Oh right, you¡¯ve been married to Dongfang Liuyun for a while now, no ns to have a child yet?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll let nature take its course. What, are you worried about others now that you¡¯re a father-to-be?¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at Su Chen and teased.

    ¡°I wanted to remind you that it¡¯s about time.¡±

    ¡°You should keep this for Zimo. I¡¯m not in a hurry. The two of us haven¡¯t had enough of each other yet.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled.

    Su Chen nced sideways at him as if he suddenly realized something. He turned his gaze and looked in the direction of Qi Lei¡¯s gaze. Only then did he realize that there were two handsome men sitting beside their cubicle. From the looks of it, they seemed to have extraordinary looks as well.

    ¡°Do you know them?¡±

    Su Chen asked Qi Lei in a low voice.

    Qi Lei reacted quickly and lowered his eyes. ¡°I know one of them. He¡¯s Lan Xiu, Liuyun¡¯s good friend.¡±

    Yes, the two people next to him were Lan Xiu and Fujiwara.

    He really did not expect to meet them here. Qi Lei immediately knew the identity of the man sitting next to Lan Xiu¡ª

    He had handsome and exquisite facial features, a reserved and deep temperament, and a noble and extraordinary aura. With one look, one could tell that he was not just any mediocre person.

    As Qi Lei was sizing up Fujiwara, Fujiwara stared at Qi Lei without blinking. Lan Xiu was also silently observing the two of them.

    Qi Lei?

    Why was he here?

    Lan Xiu was naturally a little surprised.

    ¡°Is he Qi Lei?¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could react, Fujiwara¡¯s quiet voice came from the side.

    When he heard this, Lan Xiu abruptly retracted his gaze and looked at Fujiwara. Only then did he realize that Fujiwara had already retracted his gaze and was casually drinking his wine.

    ¡°Yes, Qi Lei. Previously, he was the Second Master of the Qi family. Now, he¡¯s the young CEO of Tai Yu Corporation. His status in City Z is very high. The person beside him should be Su Chen, the Master of the Su family. He¡¯s also the Vice Chief of the Traffic Control Bureau. He¡¯s famous in City Z and has got quite an influence in City Z. You should have seen the news a few days ago. Otherwise, those things wouldn¡¯t have caused such a big stir.¡±

    Lan Xiu exined simply.

    ¡°Liuyun hasn¡¯t been willing to pick up the phone these few days. I think it¡¯s mainly because of this matter to avoid suspicion. Actually, I don¡¯t know much about her and Qi lei, but she¡¯s very protective of Qi Lei. Based on the previous situation, Qi Lei treats Liuyun pretty well. At first I thought that he was just...¡±

    Lan Xiu did not continue, because he noticed that Fujiwara¡¯s handsome face was a little tense, and his eyes were...

 Chapter 1850 - Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1850: Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the incident happened, Fujiwara could not hold it in any longer. However, he was stopped by Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu¡¯s goal was actually very simple. He wanted to see how Qi Lei would solve this matter.

    What Qi Lei didter on shocked him.

    40% of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s shares was quite a sum, it would probably be shocking if one calcted it.

    Especially since Tai Yu Corporation was thriving, the price of his shares would be immeasurable.

    ¡°He should be respected.¡±

    Fujiwara said this calmly. He did not raise his head. He just silently picked up the wine in front of him and drank it in a few gulps.

    ...

    Outside the cloister of the clubhouse, the wind was very chilly, it was so cold that it was bone-piercing. The air began to be filled with moisture again. When Qi Lei pushed the door open and walked out, the cold wind immediately woke him up quite a bit.

    The lights outside were very gorgeous, especially the colorful lights that shrouded the hazy scene. The bleak wind and rain quietly brushed past his ears. The sound of the wind and rain seemed to make the world even quieter.

    Su Chen had just met a familiar friend who said that he wanted to go over and greet him. Qi Lei sat alone and drank a few cups. He also felt a little dizzy, so he came out to get some air.

    His hands crossed over the railing in front of him. A cold temperature began to invade wantonly

    He subconsciously clenched his fists. Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps behind him. He subconsciously turned his head to look. In the blink of an eye, a tall figure appeared beside him...

    The rustling of the wind and rain continued. The lights outside the corridor were a little dim. The figures of the two people on the ground swayed with the cold wind. They looked a little mottled.

    Under the faint light, Qi Lei¡¯s ck windbreaker swayed in the wind. Fujiwara looked at his handsome face, but he saw that his expression was very calm. There was an indescribable calmness all over his body. That kind of calmness, it seemed to make people feel a slight chill. It was hard to describe that feeling.

    Qi Lei did not look at him. He only looked up at the gloomy night sky outside. The two of them did not seem to have any intention of speaking.

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold face seemed to stiffen in the night wind. The gaze that he used to look at Qi Lei from the corner of his eyes was actually cold.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Second Master Qi.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s slender fingers curled slightly as he lightly knocked on the cold railing in front of him. A deep and cold voice entered his ears along with the night wind.

    Qi Lei did not reply. He only lightly shook his slightly cold hands. He looked at the cold rain outside and was silent for a moment. He did not turn his head to look at him

    ¡°Fujiwara, the number one person in the Fujiwara family is indeed extraordinary.¡±

    Hearing this, a cold smile appeared on Fujiwara¡¯s cold face. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for us to meet under such circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Did you think that I would send you an invitation, or maybe you¡¯d send me one?¡± Qi Lei replied indifferently.

    Fujiwara chuckled softly, but his smile was as cold as ice. ¡°If I were to send an invitation to Second Master Qi, would Second Master Qie to meet me?¡±

    Qi Lei paused for a moment

    He had expected that he would meet Fujiwara sooner orter. Either he, Qi Lei would look for Fujiwara or vice versa.

    ¡°I¡¯m naturally very happy with Master Fujiwara¡¯s invitation. I was wondering when we should meet.¡±

    Qi Lei said indifferently.

    Fujiwara knocked on the cold railing lightly, and the curve of his lips widened slightly. ¡°It seems that Second Master Qi is also looking forward to our meeting.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do if I don¡¯t look forward to it. You¡¯ve also investigated me thoroughly. I feel a little overwhelmed by your favor.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at him meaningfully.

    ¡°Your experience has surprised me. It¡¯s not something to be underestimated. Lan Xiu has a high opinion of you as well.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone was very calm at this moment. He did not sound as hostile as he had imagined.

    He was very surprised!

    However, the more he was like this, the more Qi Lei admired Fujiwara¡¯s endurance¡ª

    Previously, Yang Sheng had mentioned this Fujiwara to him. He vaguely remembered that this Fujiwara was not simple either. In addition to Mu Yuchen¡¯s reminder earlier, he was mentally prepared.

    Reality proved that this Fujiwara was really a formidable opponent. At least, it showed that the person Dongfang Liuyun loved before was really not bad. No wonder she had such a request when she told him about the person she wanted to marry.

    ¡°Liuyun has a very high opinion of you too. She told me that you¡¯re a very outstanding person. Initially, I was a little unconvinced and didn¡¯t think much of it, but now that I¡¯ve seen you in person, I¡¯m starting to believe you.¡±

    Qi Lei said casually. He thought the name would be a taboo to bring up and yet he did so easily, and it did not seem inappropriate. However, he looked at Fujiwara with a deep gaze.

    Liuyun...

    These two words naturally entered Fujiwara¡¯s ears. Fujiwara could almost see his own bleeding heart. He could hear the sound of blood dripping from it.

    His eyes darkened. There was an unusually gloomy light in his ck eyes. He could not suppress his emotions. His slightly curled fingers were already clenched into fists. His tone was heavy. ¡°Is that so? She mentioned me to you...¡±

    He chuckled again and looked up silently at the cold rain in the sky. ¡°In my impression, she is someone who has a lot on her mind. Second Master Qi, do you think you know her very well?¡±

    When he asked this, Fujiwara turned his head and locked his gaze on Qi Lei¡¯s indifferent handsome face. His eyes were gloomy.

    ¡°I have a lot on my mind too. We have a lifetime to get to know each other, so there¡¯s no need to rush at this moment. Master Fujiwara is a talented and intelligent person, I think that I should take this opportunity to make friends with you and learn from your strengths. It would be my good fortune.¡±

    Fujiwara turned his head and narrowed his eyes. He stared at him for a long time, but he did not answer Qi Lei¡¯s question. Instead, he asked coldly, ¡°Does Second Master Qi know about Liuyun¡¯s past?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the past. Does Fujiwara-san think it¡¯s important?¡±

    Qi Lei asked back.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s answer was firm.

    Qi Lei listened and onlyughed coldly. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s important to you, but to me, as long as it¡¯s the same now and in the future, I don¡¯t think the past is important anymore.¡±

    The two of them fell silent. Fujiwara¡¯s expression was tense and his eyes were dark, while Qi Lei¡¯s expression was indifferent. He could not capture any emotions at all¡ª

 Chapter 1851 - Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1851: Qi Lei VS Fujiwara (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Do you think one can leave their past behind?¡±

    After a long while, Fujiwara finally asked this question as he fixed his gaze on Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment before a smile appeared on his handsome face. He turned around and faced Fujiwara with a faint glow in his deep eyes¡ª

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave the past behind, but I feel that the past is more for me to learn from. It¡¯s so the present and the future would be a smoother path. It¡¯s to open up my mind and not to reminisce. After all, for a person like me, there¡¯s nothing worth reminiscing about. While Master Fujiwara, I¡¯m afraid you have a different opinion, right?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s calm voice traveled into Fujiwara¡¯s ears. His words made Fujiwara shudder. He lowered his eyes as if he was thinking about something. After a long while, he said softly, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re the same as her. You¡¯re always so sharp and direct when ites to problems. Alright, I¡¯m honored to have met you today. Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s see what our fates will be.¡±

    At this point, Fujiwara¡¯s dark eyes suddenly became unusually sharp and bright. Qi Lei could sense a hint of pain and determination from within¡ª

    Without a doubt, he knew that the man in front of him probably loved Dongfang Liuyun deeply, especially when he saw the uncontroble feelings deep within his eyes.

    It was hard to imagine that a person like Fujiwara would also be troubled by love.

    The first impression he gave Qi Lei was that he was cold, deep, and indifferent. However, had all his feelings been given to Dongfang Liuyun?

    Perhaps he was an opponent worthy of respect, for him to be able to suppress his emotions and converse with Qi Lei in such a calm manner.

    ¡°You should know that she has already be Mrs. Qi. Even if there are countless unforgettable experiences between the two of you, that is still the past. Time will only move forward, not backwards. You can¡¯t return to the past, and I won¡¯t let her leave me! I, Qi Lei, dare to bet everything that she will fall in love with me. You have no chance!¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice suddenly became stern, startling Fujiwara. Fujiwara turned his head and saw Qi Lei¡¯s eyes filled with determination and determination. That kind of boldness made him feel a little apprehensive!

    ¡°Furthermore, I believe that Liuyun will be the same as me.¡±

    Qi Lei said this and suddenly turned around and walked inside¡ª

    ¡°Master Fujiwara, I respect you very much, so I hope that even if you¡¯re unwilling, we can still be fair opponents. The person who proposed to her is me. My attitude is very firm, and she can¡¯t refuse. So, if you have any dissatisfaction, juste at me. Don¡¯t bother her. If you really care about her as much as you think you do...¡±

    Qi Lei walked through the door and left these few words in the wind. By the time Fujiwara came back to his senses, he was no longer at the door.

    Fujiwara carefully considered the conversation between the two of them. Towards the end, there was only a sneer on his cold face. He looked up at the silent sky outside and closed his eyes silently. For a very, very long time, he did not open them...

    ...

    In the Dongfang Group¡¯s Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s office.

    The lights were still very bright. The wind and rain outside were ceaseless. Dongfang Liuyun, who was sitting quietly in front of her desk, seemed to be able to feel the coldness gathering in the air outside.

    Finally, she finished reading thest document and sent it to the Commerce Department. She then stretched a little tiredly. She looked at the time and realized that it was already veryte. It was almost midnight.

    She quickly got up and packed her things. Tomorrow was the weekend, so it was a littlete for her to work overtime tonight. She was almost done with everything. In the next two days, she would take a good look at the gown. In the afternoon, Qi Lei had called to say that the gown was almost done, it would be delivered tomorrow.

    At the thought of this, Dongfang Liuyun took out her phone and gave Qi Lei a call. At the same time, she walked out of the office.

    When the phone rang, Qi Lei and Su Chen had already left Emperor. Dongfang Group was not far from Qi Lei¡¯s current location, Dongfang Liuyun would need to drive past it anyway.

    ¡°I¡¯m going over now. Come down immediately. I forgot the time. It¡¯s a littlete. Why don¡¯t we have some pumpkin porridge as supper tonight?¡±

    Just as Qi Lei¡¯s call was picked up, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s faint voice was heard.

    ¡°I¡¯m off work now. I¡¯m at the entrance of Emperor Entertainment City,e over directly. I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°Why are you at Emperor Entertainment? Are you behaving?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. She swiftly took out her car keys from her pocket and walked towards the elevator.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to drink with Su Chen, I¡¯m behaving.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled helplessly, but his tone was gentle as he replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun snorted coldly. ¡°Is drinking with him any more interesting than drinking with me? I¡¯ve entered the elevator, and the signal is bad. I¡¯ll go over right away, wait for me there.¡±

    As she spoke, she did not wait for Qi lei to reply and hung up the phone.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows. He looked at the phone that had been hung up. After a moment, he shook his head.

    ¡°Is that a call from the woman at home?¡±

    Su Chen, who had been walking beside him, saw Qi Lei hang up and asked.

    ¡°She just got off work. Your woman is the one at home.¡±

    Qi Lei gave him a sideways nce.

    ¡°You look sour. If you have the ability, make a baby with your wife. Who knows, we could even be inws in the future.¡± Su Chen smiled.

    Qi Lei did not think much of it. ¡°You¡¯re nning your wishful thinking well. Who wants to be inws with you? If I have a daughter, I definitely won¡¯t let her marry your son. She won¡¯t marry anyone, unless your sones to visit.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t even think about it. I¡¯ll definitely give birth to a daughter this time!¡±

    ¡°With your genes, I think it¡¯ll be very difficult for your wish toe true... Ah!¡±

    Before Qi Lei could finish, Su Chen had already pped him on the back¡ª

    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯ll have a son. All you¡¯ll have are sons!¡±

    Su Chen said through gritted teeth.

    He had to have a daughter. Otherwise, who would reap the two cabbages from Mu Yuchen¡¯s family?

    You got to keep the good stuff to your own people!

    Qi Lei was surprised. He turned to re at Su Chen.

    Su Chen, on the other hand,ughed out loud. After a while, he said, ¡°I¡¯m being serious too. You and Liuyun should hurry up and tie her up with a child as soon as possible. Look at Fujiwara and Lan Xiu tonight. They¡¯re both good-looking people. It¡¯s easy for any woman to be taken over by them. You¡¯ll have to n ahead.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun is different. Do you think Ji Zitong would be taken over by them?¡±

    ¡°My situation is different from yours. How can you use me asparison? Hey! Wait for me¡ª¡±

 Chapter 1852 - Bearing (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1852: Bearing (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night was getting darker. The car slowly stopped in front of Emperor Entertainment through the cold wind and rain.

    The car had just stopped when the window on the passenger seat rolled down. When Dongfang Liuyun looked outside and saw Su Chen standing beside Qi Lei, her eyes were filled with surprise. However, she quickly got out of the car.

    ¡°Hello, Chief Su.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, you¡¯re too polite. Just call me Su Chen.¡±

    Su Chen also smiled and greeted her.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded humbly. ¡°You¡¯re not drunk, right? Get in the car. We¡¯ll send you back first.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve already asked my secretary toe over. He should be here soon. You two can go back first, we had quite a good time tonight.¡±

    Su Chen smiled.

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously turned to look at Qi Lei beside him. Qi Lei smiled back at her. ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    ¡°Bye!¡±

    Then, the couple got into the car.

    ¡°Are you close with Su Chen?¡±

    On the way back, Dongfang Liuyun, who had been quietly driving, suddenly asked.

    ¡°Fortunately, he¡¯s close friends with Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo. I¡¯ve been spending a lot of time with them these past few years, so I¡¯m very close with them. Everyone gets along like brothers,¡± Qi Lei said simply.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily. ¡°I know a little about you and Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and the others. They¡¯re both very good people and are good to be close to. As for you, you¡¯re very lucky to have met them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy for them either, Xiaye... She¡¯s a very kind person. After my mother left, she and Mu Yuchen have always been very concerned about me, including Wei¡¯er right now. Sometimes, I really feel like I owe them a lot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to say something like that, but there aren¡¯t many people like them in the industry anymore. Just cherish your rtionship with them.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly.

    Qi Lei smiled as he listened. He did not tell her about what happened just now.

    ...

    He did not drink too much, nor did he be decadent. Lan Xiu even admired Fujiwara¡¯s rationality.

    The entire night was spent in Cloud Residence.

    Fujiwara yed chess with Lan Xiu for the entire night. Other than winning a game at the beginning, he lost the rest of the game.

    The two of them only fell asleep on the sofa when the sky was bright in the morning. It was already afternoon, and the rain outside had subsided a little. However, the sky was still gloomy, and it looked like it was about to rain.

    When Lan Xiu woke up, Fujiwara had also woken up. The air was still filled with the faint fragrance of tea.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake! Wash up and have a cup of tea.¡±

    Just as Lan Xiu sat up, Fujiwara¡¯s voice came from the side. Lan Xiu hurriedly looked up and found Fujiwara sitting on the sofa. He was drinking tea while reading the information sent over from the subsidiarypany.

    As soon as he finished speaking, his assistant Matsuda had already handed him a cup of tea. The maid beside him also very considerately handed him a warm towel.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Lan Xiu stood up, wiped his hands with the towel, and then walked to the bathroom.

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t you want to rest? You didn¡¯t restst night, and you look terrible.¡±

    Matsuda said with concern.

    Fujiwara did not even lift his eyelids, nor did he respond. He just flipped a page of the document in his hand and continued to read¡ª

    Matsuda did not dare to say anything when he saw this. He could only wait silently by the side. Fujiwara waved his hand before he left.

    Not long after, Lan Xiu came back clean. He picked up his tea and took two sips. Then, he raised his head to look at the meticulous Fujiwara opposite him. After thinking for a long time, he spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say about what happenedst night? What did Qi Lei say to you? You don¡¯t look too good, but...¡±

    ¡°What do you think he can say to me?¡±

    Fujiwara asked in return. He lifted his head from the document and looked at Lan Xiu indifferently. After a pause, he continued, ¡°I remember that you seem to have a pretty good judgement of him. There aren¡¯t many people that you admire, and it¡¯s such a person. I¡¯m a little surprised.¡±

    ¡°Why? Do you think that he¡¯s not enough to be your opponent?¡±

    Lan Xiu frowned in surprise as he looked at him.

    Fujiwara lowered his eyes, sipped his tea, and replied indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised by him. He seems like someone Liuyun would protect. He¡¯s also very outstanding, and his aura is very strong. At least for now, I still quite admire him. If it wasn¡¯t for Liuyun, perhaps we could have be friends after we met.¡±

    ¡°But, I can¡¯t let go.¡±

    Fujiwara took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said this in a deep voice, ¡°You know what she means to me. I¡¯ve worked so hard for so many years just so that one day, we could return to each other¡¯s arms. However, that day seems a little difficult to reach now.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t forget Liuyun, but you can¡¯t start over. Ah Ye, it¡¯s toote. Isn¡¯t it good to watch her be happy?¡±

    ¡°You want me to give up? I¡¯ve persevered until now, and I¡¯m about to realize my wish. You want me to give up? I¡¯m unwilling to just give up like this. I¡¯m gambling with my position in her heart. As long as I¡¯m still in her heart, I can redeem myself. It¡¯s better to work harder than not fight for it.¡±

    Fujiwara had a disapproving look on his face.

    ¡°No one has ever denied your rtionship. It¡¯s just that Liuyun might not be better off with you than with him. Liuyun said that we underestimated her.¡±

    ¡°I know that she still mes me for Lan Qi. I don¡¯t have anything to exin. Even if I have to do it all over again, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll still make the same choice.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here for a long time. We have plenty of time in the future.¡±

    Fujiwara finished his tea in one gulp. ¡°Qi Lei is a very powerful opponent. I admire him too, but I won¡¯t let him go so easily. You know what it means to me once I let him go.¡±

    ¡°But, I heard that your father has always wanted Riko Inoue of the Inoue family to be the Fujiwara family¡¯s daughter-inw. Back then, your family was under a lot of pressure from Liuyun. Are you sure you can make thempromise this time? Also, I heard that Miss Riko likes you very much and that she¡¯s quite talented and pretty. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to give it a try? Perhaps you can forget about Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°So what? They don¡¯t have any conditions to object now. As for that woman, who knows what kind of person she is!¡±

    Speaking of this, Fujiwara¡¯s expression instantly turned cold. His eyes flickered with a faint cold light. He took a deep breath and his tone became calm. ¡°Who else do you think I want besides Liuyun?¡±

    Lan Xiu could not answer...

 Chapter 1853 - Bearing (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1853: Bearing (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the western suburbs of City Z, in a teahouse hidden in the depths of the bamboo forest.

    Qi Lei came early and ordered a pot of good tea and some delicious snacks. The entire teahouse had been booked, and Yang Sheng was waiting by the side.

    There was a professional zither yer in the teahouse. His attainments were very high, and he yed the zither very well.

    This was where Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s grandfather, Elder Dongfang often came. After so many years, he did not expect this ce to still be so quiet, and there were many customers every day.

    Elder Dongfang was a very gentle person. He liked antiques and ancient cultures. Dongfang Liuyun was the one who told him all this.

    That was why he chose this ce to meet with Dongfang Shuman.

    The clear and peaceful notes poured out one after another. Qi Lei also felt a moment of silence, especially when it was apanied by the sound of the cold wind blowing through the bamboo forest. It made the world seem even quieter.

    The window at the side was not closed. On the other hand, the stove that was boiling water was burning brightly. The wind was still rather cold when it blew in. Qi Lei just sat there quietly, with a windbreaker draped over his shoulders.

    At this moment, he was sitting quietly.

    ¡°Master Qi, Elder Madam Dongfang is here!¡±

    At this moment, Yang Sheng¡¯s low voice suddenly rang in his ears.

    Qi Lei slowly raised his gaze and nced at Yang Sheng. Then, he looked out of the window¡ª

    He saw a ck luxury car driving slowly in the cold wind. It stopped steadily at the parking spot.

    Just as the car stopped, a capable woman got out from the front passenger seat. She came to the back seat and quickly opened the door¡ª

    An elderly madam was walking out of the car with a cane.

    The elder madam was dressed in a ck coat and looked very thin. However, looking at her footsteps and posture, she looked quite imposing.

    She stood where she was and looked around. She seemed to have thought of something and did not move for a long time. After a long time, she quietly withdrew her gaze and looked through the open window.

    Qi Lei smiled and nodded at her when he noticed her gaze.

    Dongfang Shuman paused for a moment and did not walk over immediately.

    ¡°How did he find this ce?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old voice sounded. She looked at Ah Cai beside her, but Ah Cai also shook her head, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either. This ce doesn¡¯t seem to have changed at all. It¡¯s still the same as before. I think he might have found out through investigation, or it¡¯d be the Fourth Lady who told him.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s eyes fell silent for a moment. A dark light shed across her old eyes. She nced at Qi Lei without batting an eyelid before saying¡ª

    ¡°That means he¡¯s quite thoughtful!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said this before walking forward. ¡°You all don¡¯t have to go in, just wait here.¡±

    ¡°Okay, President Shu!¡±

    Ah Cai did not dare to have any doubts and stopped walking. Dongfang Shuman had already walked in.

    When she entered, Qi Lei saw her walk over and stood up.

    ¡°Hello, President Shu! Please take a seat, President Shu!¡±

    Yang Sheng, who was standing at the side, greeted her swiftly. He quickly bent down to pour tea for Dongfang Shuman, but Qi Lei raised his hand to stop him. ¡°Wait for me outside too. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Hearing this, Yang Sheng was shocked. He quickly reacted and quickly bowed to the two of them before retreating.

    ¡°Grandmother, please sit here.¡±

    ncing at Yang Sheng¡¯s retreating figure, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face softened when he retracted his gaze. He extended his hand and gestured to Dongfang Shuman.

    Dongfang Shuman looked Qi Lei up and down seriously before sitting down. She ced her cane aside and her old voice sounded, ¡°Don¡¯t act all familiar. I haven¡¯t admitted that you¡¯re the grandson-inw of the Dongfang family. Liuyun hasn¡¯t brought you to see me either.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was cold and indifferent. There was no joy or anticipation in her tone.

    ¡°You know very well why she¡¯s doing this. Otherwise, Grandmother wouldn¡¯t have agreed to meet her today, right?¡±

    Qi Lei did not find it strange either. He calmly sat down and poured a cup of tea for Dongfang Shuman. ¡°Kuding tea, I heard that Grandmother likes this tea too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen quite likef this tea. He did not expect Dongfang Shuman to like it too.

    When Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Shuman fell silent as well. She narrowed her sharp eyes and looked at him without blinking

    ¡°Did Liuyun tell you?¡±

    A momentter, Dongfang Shuman asked in a hoarse voice.

    Qi Lei nodded quietly and smiled. ¡°She mentioned it to me, but she didn¡¯t know that I had an appointment with Grandmother today.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s eyes darkened. After thinking for a moment, she did not show any expression on her face. She was still very cold.

    She picked up the tea and took a sip silently. She allowed the bitter taste to spread to the depths of her throat, but she did not even frown¡ª

    ¡°She¡¯s a person of her word. I don¡¯t approve of your marriage.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was also a straightforward person. She did not beat around the bush.

    ¡°I know that Grandmother doesn¡¯t approve, which is why I¡¯m meeting you today.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression did not change. His handsome face still had a faint smile.

    ¡°Even so, that doesn¡¯t change anything. Although your previous actions surprised me, Liuyun¡¯s husband shouldn¡¯t be you. It¡¯s not a question of whether you¡¯re worthy or not, but...¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m already married to her now. Legally, in life, we¡¯re a real couple. This is the truth. I didn¡¯t meet Grandmother today because of this. It¡¯s best if you can admit it. Otherwise, we can only stay in this awkward position.¡±

    Qi Lei said calmly. His tone was very modest, but he did not have any intention of lowering his voice.

    Dongfang Shuman observed him for a while before her old face softened slightly. She lowered her eyes and took another sip of tea, ¡°There aren¡¯t many arrogant young people like you. I¡¯ve seen many men who are interested in Liuyun. At least, they¡¯re very polite and respectful to me.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, are you saying that I don¡¯t respect you enough?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and asked.

    Dongfang Shuman narrowed her eyes at him and did not say anything. She just watched him quietly pour her tea.

    ¡°Grandmother is highly respected, so I naturally have respect for you. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have done what I did today. We¡¯re both businessmen. The key to solving the problem is to find out where the problem is, analyze the problem, and then solve the problem. This is the business model of us businessmen. What does Grandmother think?¡±

 Chapter 1854 - Bearing (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1854: Bearing (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Shuman was stunned when she heard Qi Lei¡¯s words. She thought for a moment before taking a cup of tea. Her sharp gaze rested on Qi Lei¡¯s face for a long time. Qi Lei allowed her to size him up as he drank his tea leisurely.

    Dongfang Shuman lowered her eyes and thought to herself¡ª

    Qi Lei was indeed not a simple character. At this moment, she was a little impressed by her granddaughter. Even though she had given up on an outstanding Fujiwara, she was still able to find someone like Qi Lei.

    Ah Cai had already checked Qi Lei¡¯s information for her. She had a rough understanding of him. He was also someone who was suitable for Liuyun.

    ¡°It¡¯s undeniable that you¡¯re also a very smart person. However, to be honest, you¡¯re not the most suitable person for Liuyun,¡± said Dongfang Shuman.

    Qi Lei smiled when he heard this. ¡°Then, what kind of person does Grandmother think is the most suitable person for Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°How well do you know Liuyun? How much do you know about the Dongfang family?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman narrowed her eyes and asked.

    ¡°Know her? Grandmother, I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean. What does her marriage to me have to do with whether I understand the Dongfang family or not? Even though she has the mission of the family on her shoulders, marriage is ultimately a matter between two people. The other factors are just considerations. I married her for nothing but feelings.¡±

    Yes, it was because of feelings. Previously, they were consideredrades-in-arms, allies, and the feelings between friends. But now, there seemed to be more than just these. Compared to these, there seemed to be something more. What exactly was it, Qi Lei did not want to delve too deeply into it

    Because it was always happening. Whether he wanted to investigate it or not, it was there, growing.

    ¡°Because of feelings?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman instantly caught the crux of Qi Lei¡¯s words and repeated it in a low voice.

    Qi Lei put down the teacup in his hand, and his tone became a little serious, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s the only one who made me think of getting married. Our matter is now settled. In fact, Grandmother¡¯s attitude may not be that important now. The reason why I want to win your support is because I want things to be the best it could be. You¡¯re her biological grandmother, I don¡¯t believe that you really have the heart to sacrifice her. You must also want her to live a better life and want her to ept this responsibility without any resistance.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, it would be great if she really thinks like you do. My considerations are all based on the interests of the family. Even if she¡¯s my biological granddaughter, I won¡¯t be too biased towards her. If she really can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll remove her without hesitation. Dongfang Group cannot decline in front of my eyes. This is my bottom line.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was calm, but it was also unusually firm. Qi Lei did not doubt the resolve in her words at all.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve already married her, you must have some understanding of Dongfang Group. Also, you should have heard of this person, Fujiwara.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman did not hide it, so she had something to say.

    Fujiwara?

    Upon hearing this name, Qi Lei¡¯s ck eyes narrowed. He nced at Dongfang Shuman without batting an eyelid. Dongfang Shuman was also staring at him.

    ¡°I know. The Fujiwara family is also a huge family in Japan. They¡¯re a well-known family.¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°Yes, his conditions are not inferior to yours. The Fujiwara family and Dongfang Group are long-term strategic partners and very important allies. The Dongfang Group has many industries that are in cooperation with their family. Moreover, his feelings for Liuyun are no less than yours. Compared to you, I think he¡¯s more suitable for Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that he¡¯s more suitable for Liuyun? Liuyun has a better idea of whether he¡¯s suitable or not. For anything that he can do for Liuyun, I, Qi Lei, would not lose to him at all.¡±

    Qi Lei said nonchntly. He did not feel ufortable at all because of Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words.

    However, as soon as he said this, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old eyes narrowed slightly. She stared quietly at Qi Lei and caught a sh of dark light in his eyes. Her old voice traveled over¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re the one behind the Lin family¡¯s matter, right?¡±

    The sudden question made Qi Lei stunned. He could not help but nce at her in surprise¡ª

    He really did not expect Dongfang Shuman to ask this. Could it be that Wang Chun had left something behind? This did not seem like a loophole that Wang Chun would make!

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so surprised. You have your ways of doing things, and I have my information. Although I¡¯m not 100% sure it¡¯s you, I think it must be rted to you. My people have seen your people go to the casino, and I¡¯m the kind of person who doesn¡¯t believe in coincidences. That¡¯s why I had this thought.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman said this, Qi Lei paused. He took a few sips and drank, but he did not answer.

    ¡°Liuyun isn¡¯t close to me. I don¡¯t have the mood to care about many things about her. Her grandfather said that she can make her own decisions about her marriage, but it¡¯s not easy to be the son-inw of the Dongfang family. You¡¯re a smart person. I don¡¯t think you want to see the entire Dongfang family unhappy because of you two.¡±

    ¡°After all, Grandmother just wants Fujiwara to be the son-inw of your Dongfang Family?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m quite satisfied with Fujiwara.¡±

    ¡°However, it¡¯s already a fact that Liuyun and I are husband and wife. What do you think I should do now?¡±

    Qi Lei cut to the chase. He just wanted to make things clear.

    ¡°Will you let go on your own ord? If we can make it up to you?¡± Dongfang Shuman asked.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei smiled calmly. ¡°What if I don¡¯t let go? What if I want to have Liuyun be my wife for the rest of my life?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman looked at Qi Lei silently. Seeing the coldness in his smile, a smile appeared on her old face¡ª

    ¡°I hope that when the timees, you can still say this to me with such determination. Of course, there are many things that need to be faced with such determination. Even though I don¡¯t agree with the two of you, my attitude can not change the fact that things have already happened between the two of you.¡±

    ¡°However, I will not acquiesce to your rtionship. It won¡¯t be easy being the son-inw of the Dongfang family. I will not stop the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother is someone who does things with reservations. This result is already the most satisfactory result I want.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face broke into a smile when he heard this.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. You¡¯ll see that the person most suitable for Liuyun is not Fujiwara, but me, Qi Lei. I can give her whatever Fujiwara can give, and I can give her whatever Fujiwara can¡¯t.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was unusually sharp as he stared fixedly at Dongfang Shuman.

    ...

    ¡°Shuman, don¡¯t worry. What he can help you with seeding, I won¡¯t fall behind either. In fact, I can satisfy you, only a lot more and not less!¡±

 Chapter 1855 - Bearing (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1855: Bearing (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s withered hand suddenly tightened. This sentence could not help but appear in her mind. Elder Dongfang¡¯s familiar and distant face suddenly became clear in front of her eyes.

    Back then, Elder Dongfang seemed to have said something simr to her. And it was precisely because he said it so firmly that she married him without any hesitation.

    Only more and not less?

    Who wanted more and not less? Oftentimes, they only wanted a true love. When some feelings get put into reality, the many things that need to be considered make it allplicated.

    She had no qualms about it back then, andter on, Elder Dongfang had spent his entire life to prove the promise he had made to her back then. All these years had been ups and downs. She had forgotten the promise he had made back then, but he never forgot his original intentions.

    And now, Qi Lei had said the same thing to her, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s granddaughter...

    What surprised her even more was that when he talked about Fujiwara, he could remain so calm.

    ¡°You know, right now, I can see her grandfather¡¯s shadow in you. Back then, he said the same thing as you too. He used his entire life to prove this to me. I might not be able to see it through if you, Qi Lei, can do it too.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman lowered her eyes and quietly drank the tea in her cup.

    ¡°Grandmother will live a long and healthy life and be able to witness our rtionship.¡±

    Qi Lei noticed the gloominess in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s eyes. He thought about it and consoled her like that.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an unenlightened person. Now that things havee to this, you can be considered sensible to havee here in person. I thought Liuyun would bring you to me.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t me her. She¡¯s always been protective of me, but she doesn¡¯t want me to face these awkward times. I know what she¡¯s thinking.¡±

    ¡°You two are really in sync. I¡¯ve seen her defend someone like this before.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took a deep breath. As she said this, she slowly stood up and took the cane with one hand¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re a good person. It¡¯s good that you can protect her. I know that Song Siting won¡¯t let you off either. She¡¯s always been like that. Ah Gan is more sensible.¡±

    After Dongfang Shuman said this, her thin figure walked towards the door.

    Qi Lei watched Dongfang Shuman¡¯s figure gradually disappear at the door. Then, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips¡ª

    Father-inw is more sensible?

    Is she reminding me of something?

    Previously, he had heard Dongfang Liuyun say that Dongfang Shuman and Song Siting did not have a good rtionship. He did not want it to be so obvious now. Song Siting¡¯s rtionship with Dongfang Shuman was really a quite...

    ¡°Master Qi, how was it?¡±

    Before Qi Lei could think of anything, Yang Sheng¡¯s voice had already reached him.

    Only then did Qi Lei retract his thoughts. He raised his eyes to look at Yang Sheng. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°The gifts that I prepared can be sent over.¡±

    ¡°Gifts? A gift for Elder Madam Dongfang? Will she ept it? From the look on her face when she walked out just now, she seemed very...¡± Yang Sheng said hesitantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just send it over. She won¡¯t reject it.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was very certain, and his eyes were flowing with a faint light. He seemed to be in a good mood.

    ¡°Won¡¯t reject it? Master Qi, do you mean that Elder Madam Dongfang has epted you and Missus?¡±

    A look of joy shed across Yang Sheng¡¯s face.

    ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t object, it¡¯s a good thing for me that she won¡¯t interfere. Alright, let¡¯s go back to thepany.¡±

    After Qi Lei said these two words, he slowly stood up.

    ¡°Ah? Master Qi, do you mean that Elder Madam Dongfang hasn¡¯t agreed to the matter between you and Missus?¡±

    Yang Sheng eximed.

    Qi Lei nced at him.

    Yang Sheng subconsciously covered his mouth and looked at Qi Lei in confusion. Seeing him stride past him, he followed¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi, how could she ept that gift? I heard that Elder Madam Dongfang is a very strict person. No one in the entire Dongfang Group disagrees with her. She¡¯s the real iron hand. Even Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi respect her very much. It¡¯s really too difficult to do this. Do you know that Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi are...¡±

    As Qi Lei walked ahead, Yang Sheng¡¯s voice came from behind him.

    ...

    When Qi Lei walked out, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s car was long gone. The surroundings were also quiet. The driver drove the car over, and he got straight into the car. Yang Sheng followed closely behind.

    ¡°Master Qi, the hospital called just now. They said that President Qi seems to be waking up. There¡¯s been new developments with the brain examination.¡±

    Yang Sheng suddenly thought of this matter.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei, who had just closed his eyes to rest, was stunned. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Yang Sheng¡ª

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Yang Sheng coughed lightly and said, ¡°Missus went to see President Qi this morning. She asked the doctor to do another examination of President Qi¡¯s brain. Only then did she discover something. If his condition is stable, there¡¯s hope for President Qi to wake up!¡±

    Yang Sheng smiled, but his eyes were cautious¡ª

    He was not sure what kind of attitude Qi Lei had towards Qi Qiming. Missus was rather calm. Although she knew what Qi Qiming had done to Qi Lei, she did not seem to me him, she also considered Qi Lei¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°What did the doctor say?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in a deep voice. It was not difficult to catch the urgency in his tone.

    ¡°Doctor Liang said that the situation is pretty good. Sje called just now. The Missus should still be at the hospital.¡±

    Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°Go straight to the hospital.¡±

    Qi Lei gave the order as well.

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi!¡±

    The car started very quickly.

    ...

    In Qi Qiming¡¯s ward at the hospital.

    Dongfang Liuyun was dressed in a crimson windbreaker. She stood silently beside Qi Qiming¡¯s bed. The nurse beside him was helping Qi Qiming with the injection.

    ¡°Missus, don¡¯t worry. Recently, President Qi¡¯s recovery has been good. This checkup was done on time. If there are any changes, Doctor Liang will record it.¡±

    The special nurse at the side saw that Dongfang Liuyun had been frowning, so sheforted him.

    ¡°Mmm, I understand. I¡¯ll let you guys worry over here then. Your Master Qi won¡¯t mistreat you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun also replied.

    ¡°Alright, Missus, don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine. Master Qi alsoes to visit often. I think President Qi won¡¯t have the heart to continue sleeping like this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can. For the rest, I can only leave it to fate. Alright, I¡¯ll go back first. If anythinges up, call me again.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said indifferently.

    ¡°Alright, Missus!¡±

    As the nurse¡¯s voice fell, Dongfang Liuyun also walked towards the door of the ward.

 Chapter 1856 - Bearing (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1856: Bearing (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun walked out of the door and bumped into a wall. She subconsciously steadied herself and a pair of strong arms instantly supported her¡ª

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    A caring and emotional voice was heard and Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze.

    It was Qi Lei. He was slightly wet and clearly had just rushed over from outside. At this moment, it was still very misty outside.

    ¡°Why are you here too?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at her husband who had suddenly appeared with some surprise.

    ¡°The hospital called. They said that his situation improved. I came to take a look. I just spoke to the doctor to understand the situation. How is it now?¡±

    Qi Lei held her shoulders with one hand and said in a low voice. His gaze moved away from her face andnded on the hospital bed inside.

    ¡°He just had a checkup and was given a nutrient solution. He¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t disturb him. The nurse will take care of him,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    Qi Lei nodded and let go of her. He walked in and stood by the bed to watch for a while. He gave a few instructions to the nurse before walking out.

    Dongfang Liuyun waited outside the corridor for quite a while.

    ¡°I went to buy some things nearby. I just happened toe over to take a look. Where did you run off to? I was looking for you at home for quite a while just now. Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were going out?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun handed him a tissue. Qi Lei epted it tacitly and wiped the drizzle off his face.

    ¡°I saw that you were sleepingfortably, so I didn¡¯t want to rm you. Have they sent the gown over?¡±

    Qi Lei did not forget about the gown either.

    ¡°The designer is waiting for you to go back and give it a try. Mine shouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore. There¡¯s no problem with the size. I like the style. Have you settled everything now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Qi Lei hugged her and walked forward.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m looking forward to how we¡¯ll look in our outfits. Yang Sheng said that the designer has put in a lot of effort.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him as she spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. Tell me when you¡¯reing over next time. You don¡¯t have toe over to see him. It¡¯s meaningless. Even if he wakes up, I¡¯m not hoping for him to make any changes.¡±

    Qi Lei was naturally disheartened by Qi Qiming. It made sense. He had always liked Qi Feng as his son. If he woke up and found out that Qi Feng had died in Qi Lei¡¯s arms, his hatred for him might deepen.

    He had had enough of such a life.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Just let nature take its course. Perhaps the situation isn¡¯t as bad as you think. I believe in a parents¡¯ nature.¡±

    Compared to Qi Lei¡¯s pessimism, Dongfang Liuyun had a much better mentality.

    Later on, Qi Lei only nced at her and did not say anything else.

    The husband and wife walked forward hand in hand.

    ...

    It was close to evening. The sky was gloomy and the autumn rain was falling.

    Hidden in a ce secluded from the mortal world was the Cloud Residence .

    ¡°Master, Mr. Ge is calling. Do you want to pick up?¡±

    In Fujiwara¡¯s study, Fujiwara was sitting by the coffee table, quietly observing an exquisite teacup in his hand. Suddenly, Matsuda¡¯s voice came from the side.

    Hearing this, Fujiwara quickly stopped what he was doing. He raised his head slightly and looked over¡ª

    ¡°It should be about a coboration project with Master Lan Xiu,¡± said Matsuda.

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold face froze for a moment. After a moment, he put down the teacup in his hand and reached out to Matsuda.

    Matsuda quickly handed the phone to him, and Fujiwara took it¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    A low and cold voice came over.

    ¡°Mr. Fujiwara, it¡¯s really not easy to get you on the phone.¡±

    A lowugh soon came from the other end. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since west met. You haven¡¯t forgotten me, right? I¡¯ve always been thinking about Mr. Fujiwara.¡±

    Listening to this, Fujiwara also frowned slightly. Naturally, he also remembered who Mr. Ge was.

    ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t forgotten.¡±

    Fujiwara replied very calmly.

    ¡°My honor! It¡¯s good that you haven¡¯t forgotten. I¡¯m going to City Z in two days. I know that Mr. Fujiwara, you¡¯re also in City Z. Coincidentally, there are some things that I think we might need to discuss.¡±

    The person on the other endughed.

    ¡°What do we need to discuss?¡±

    Fujiwara frowned even more and asked coldly.

    Mr. Geughed out loud on the other end. ¡°Mr. Fujiwara, don¡¯t be nervous. After all, we¡¯re pretty good friends. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely handle this matter properly. Lan Xiu should have looked for you, right?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to make things difficult for them. You¡¯re making me very dissatisfied, Mr. Ge.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold voice traveled over.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t make things difficult for them. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Fujiwara. My ne will arrive in City Z at 5 p.m. in three days. Let¡¯s meet up. I think there are some things that we still need to talk about, especially this time. This project isn¡¯t that simple. Aren¡¯t you interested in understanding it, Mr. Fujiwara?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s face tensed up for a moment. He thought for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Matsuda to pick you up at the airport on that day.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I was waiting for you to say that.¡±

    Mr. Ge replied with satisfaction.

    Fujiwara had already hung up the phone, and he did not look too good.

    ¡°Master, did Mr. Ge say something?¡± Matsuda asked tentatively.

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze darkened for a moment as he replied indifferently, ¡°This person has always been crafty. Even if Lan Xiu wants to cooperate with him, he needs to at least have some of his trump cards. Otherwise, the ones at a disadvantage will naturally be Lan Xiu and the others. All these years, he has been using the Fujiwara family¡¯s name to amass wealth. His methods are also not something that ordinary people canpare to. How did Lan Xiu find a partner like him?¡±

    Fujiwara was somewhat puzzled.

    ¡°The project that Lan Xiu is working on is actually a better coboration with Mr. Ge. Not everyone can take down such a big project.¡± Matsuda exined.

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze was somewhat deep. After a moment of silence, he threw the phone on the table, picked up the antique teacup from before, and scrutinized it carefully as he spoke, ¡°Go and find out what this Mr. Ge has been up to recently. Find out who he¡¯s been dealing with. I want detailed information.¡±

    He ordered coldly.

    Matsuda was a little surprised, but he did not dare say anything else. He quickly replied, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Oh right, Master, Elder Master wants you to call home when you¡¯re free. There might be a situation there.¡±

    Matsuda reminded him.

    ¡°Everything is going smoothly here, can¡¯t he oversee thepany himself?¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    ¡°No, Master. You know that Elder Master hasn¡¯t been feeling well recently. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s a little out of his depth with regards to thepany¡¯s matters.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been using the same excuses over the past few years. Tell him to get a new one.¡±

    ¡°Master...¡±

 Chapter 1857 - Content With This Life (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1857: Content With This Life (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Afterte autumn, it was the beginning of winter. Following the continuous autumn rain, the weather became colder and colder. The cold wind also became a little chilly. When he woke up in the morning, he could still see a thinyer of frost on the steps in the backyard.

    City Z was not a city that would snow. It was very rare for it to snow in such a cold season. At least for Mu Yuchen, he had lived for more than 30 years and had not seen many snowfalls.

    He woke up early this morning and did not expect to see some traces of it.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Mu Yuchen had just hung up the phone when his son, Mu Zirui, suddenly called out from behind him.

    Mu Yuchen put his phone away and turned around subconsciously. He saw his eldest son, Mu Zirui standing behind him¡ª

    He had already changed into a neat white suit and looked like a polite little gentleman.

    ¡°Why are you up so early? You don¡¯t have school, you can sleep for an hour or two more.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice had the warmth of a loving father. As he spoke, he reached out his hand to Mu Zirui. Mu Zirui walked over as well, and Mu Yuchen patted his head lovingly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep anymore, father. Will Great Grandfather get better? Xiao Rui went to see him just now. He¡¯s so thin... Xiao Rui poured him some water to drink. Aunty said Great Grandfather¡¯s hands don¡¯t have the strength...¡±

    Mu Zirui blinked as he looked at his father. The gloom in his eyes was clear.

    ¡°Mmm, he¡¯ll get better. Where¡¯s Wei¡¯er?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he replied.

    ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping... Father... I saw Aunty crying just now...¡±

    Mu Zirui said softly.

    ¡°She¡¯s just worried about Great Grandfather. It¡¯s fine. Take good care of your sister, Wei¡¯er, and brother. Father and Mother will be a little busy in the next few days, okay?¡±

    Mu Yuchen said in a deep voice.

    Mu Zirui looked at Mu Yuchen for a while, then nodded obediently. ¡°I understand, Father. Father, you look very sad... Mother said that when you¡¯re unhappy, you¡¯ll be alone and not speak.¡±

    ¡°Father¡¯s fine. Since you¡¯re up early, hurry up and have breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Father?¡±

    Mu Zirui still looked at Mu Yuchen hesitantly.

    ¡°Be good. Go have breakfast first. After breakfast,e to Father¡¯s study room. Didn¡¯t you say you like to dismantle firearms and equipmentst time? Father got someone to bring you a handbook with diagrams.¡± Mu Yuchen said softly.

    When he heard this, Mu Zirui¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately grabbed Mu Yuchen¡¯s sleeve and said in surprise. ¡°Really? Father! Is it the same model we sawst time?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded calmly. ¡°Of course, if you like it, I¡¯ll get someone to bring it for you. Alright, let¡¯s go eat breakfast.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he gently patted his head again. This time, Mu Zirui left the rooftop happily.

    The surroundings quieted down again. Only the rustling of the wind and rain could be heard. Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and stood silently as he looked gloomily at the swaying wind and rain outside¡ª

    ¡°Bro, why don¡¯t we go down and have breakfast together? Where¡¯s sis-inw?¡±Ah Mo asked.

    A momentter, Ah Mo¡¯s voice came over. When Mu Yuchen came back to his senses, Ah Mo had alreadye to his side and stopped walking.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. She¡¯s been a little tired these past two days. Let her sleep a little more. What¡¯s wrong? Can she take it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen sized up Ah Mo as well. It was not difficult to see a hint of exhaustion on his face.

    They had been taking turns guarding Mu Yinan for the past few days, yet Mu Yinan¡¯s condition was getting worse and worse. Mu Lingshi felt guilty because of this, so Ah Mo naturally felt bad too.

    ¡°Is Lingshi alright?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Bro. Everything¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just...¡±

    Ah Mo paused. As a father now, he was much more mature than a few years ago. Not only was he Mu Lingshi¡¯s strong arm, he was also Mu Yuchen¡¯s hidden sharp sword.

    ¡°I understand Lingshi¡¯s thoughts too. Grandfather and Grandmother¡¯s matter has always been a thorn in her heart. These things originally didn¡¯t concern us, but the ones involved are the people we care about.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s low voice rang out as his deep gaze quietly fell on Ah Mo¡¯s face, ¡°Be more tenacious and enlighten her more. You can¡¯t me her for these things, and don¡¯t me Uncle Gu anymore. Some things follow fate. Even if the things that happened were not pleasant, we can only ept it now. Remember, you two living a good life is a constion to them.¡±

    ¡°Big Brother, we... Yesterday, Ah Shi and Gu Qihao talked on the phone. The father and daughter had a very unpleasant conversation. It was not easy for the father and daughter rtionship to ease up, and now...¡±

    As Ah Mo spoke, his eyes darkened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. It looks like Grandfather won¡¯t be able to survive this time. You have to be mentally prepared. As for Doctor Zhong...¡±

    ¡°Brother...¡±

    Ah Mo¡¯s throat was filled with bitterness. He suddenly did not know what to say.

    ¡°Alright,e to my study room. Even so, we can¡¯t let things fall behind. Qi Lei has been handling the projects in City B recently. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to handle it either. If things get better in the next two days, I might have to make a trip to thepany. There¡¯s something I need to discuss with you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and did not let the gloomy atmospherest for too long. As he spoke, he turned around and walked into the room with his hands behind his back.

    After a pause, Ah Mo followed.

    ...

    Mu Yinan¡¯s situation was quite bad, Mu Lingshi wanted to feed him some porridge in the morning, but he could not bring himself to eat. In the afternoon, he only ate two mouthfuls of porridge, it was Mu Tangchuan who fed him.

    The old man¡¯s breathing was very weak, and he spoke with great difficulty. His voice was very soft.

    Mu Tangchuan was also a proud person, but when he saw his old father like this, he could not help but tear up.

    At that moment, Mu Tangchuan was sitting by the bed and guarding it. The room was very warm. Mu Tangchuan held Mu Yinan¡¯s hand and looked at Mu Yinan who was breathing weakly on the bed.

    Mu Yinan woke up at some point. Looking at his son, he said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should rest too. You must be tired from all this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Father. You should rest well. You¡¯ll be better in a few days. The children are looking forward to your recovery.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan tried his best to force a smile.

    ¡°I can¡¯t get better... I know... I won¡¯t be able to get through this. You¡¯re already so old now. After I leave, you have to take care of your child well... actually, I¡¯ve been very proud of my life. I had you two with your mother... my grandsons are all good and I even witnessed the birth of my great-grandsons...¡±

 Chapter 1858 - Content With This Life (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1858: Content With This Life (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s heart ached when he heard this. He could not stand to see his old father struggling to say these words.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing... There¡¯s nothing to be dissatisfied with. I¡¯m content with my life, and I¡¯ve lived enough...¡±

    Mu Yinan¡¯s voice was weak, but it was calm.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t say that. Our son still needs you, and our children still need you. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be at peace. Father, don¡¯t think too much. You still have to watch Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng grow up.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan said in a hoarse voice, the heat in his eyes burning.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that your mother has been waiting for me for too long down there... I haven¡¯t had enough of her... actually, after your mother left, I felt like there was something missing in my body, and I¡¯m not in a good state... I want to see her. I¡¯ve seen Ah Shi¡¯s state these days. Tell her to live well and not to feel guilty because of what happened between your mother and me. I¡¯ve never really med Gu Qihao.¡±

    Mu Yinan coughed lightly and took a few deep breaths. Mu Tangchuan quickly held him up and pulled the nket for him.

    ¡°Father, I know, I know. You just don¡¯t want us to have a bad life. I¡¯m the Big Brother who didn¡¯t look after Zixi and couldn¡¯t protect her.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, how can I me you? I¡¯m not an unreasonable person. I can¡¯t interfere with your rtionship. It¡¯s probably because your mother and I have given you too little concern... you¡¯re just like Ah Chen, you rarely made me worry. Ah Rong has been married to the Mu family for decades. Both your mother and I are very satisfied. You have to treat her well.¡±

    ¡°Father, of course I will even if you didn¡¯t tell me to.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s almost evening. It¡¯s still raining outside, right?¡±

    Mu Yinan turned to look out the window and asked.

    ¡°Yes, Father! It¡¯s been raining outside for a few days.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan pulled the nket over him as he replied.

    ¡°Oh... It¡¯s been raining for a few days... you guys have been busy for many days too. It must be tiring for you. Ah Chen and Xiaye haven¡¯t been to thepany these few days, right?¡±

    ¡°They said that they¡¯ll apany you well and hope that you¡¯ll recover soon. Father, rest well. We¡¯re all here. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal... let them do what they need to do. Tangchuan, I¡¯m not feeling too well. Go get some water. I want to wash up. Oh, get the ck suit in the closet. Your mother prepared it for me before... I haven¡¯t even worn it yet... It won¡¯t be a pity if I wear it...¡±

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan suddenly teared up. He struggled to swallow the pain in his throat and quickly stood up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go now. Wait for me. I¡¯ll help you wash up!¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you for your hard work!¡±

    Mu Yinan¡¯s breathing was weak as he slowly closed his eyes again.

    ...

    ¡°Master, Minister Mu wants you to go over quickly. Elder... I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t take it anymore!¡±

    Just as Mu Yuchen was smoking outside the corridor of the study room, the butler suddenly rushed in in panic.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Just as the butler finished speaking, the cup in Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand had already fallen to the ground, shattering all over the floor...

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Mu Yuchen asked in a daze.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Elder isn¡¯t going to make it. Master, quickly go over and take a look.¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Mu Yuchen had already walked over and strode outside.

    Outside Mu Yinan¡¯s door, Zhuang Shurong and Xi Xiaye were just standing there, while Mu Tangchuan was alone in the room.

    ¡°Ah Chen!¡±

    When she saw Mu Yuchen walking over, Zhuang Shurong suddenly tugged at his sleeve and said anxiously, ¡°Tell your grandfather not to worry and take good care of his body. Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng are still...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong could not finish her sentence.

    Xi Xiaye reached out to support her, looking a little absent-minded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied and nced at Xi Xiaye. He patted her shoulder before walking in.

    In the room, Mu Tangchuan had already helped Mu Yinan wash up and change into clean clothes. Mu Yinan blinked his eyes in exhaustion before opening them again as if he was trying his best to resist the dark clouds that were getting darker and darker,

    ¡°Ah Chen...¡±

    ¡°Grandfather!¡±

    Mu Yuchen walked over and reached out to hold Mu Yinan¡¯s withered hand.

    ¡°Remember what Grandfather told you before... take care of the Mu family, take care of Lingshi, Ah Mo, and the rest... Bury Grandfather closer to your grandmother...¡±

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t say things like that...¡±

    Before Mu Yinan could finish, Mu Tangchuan said hoarsely from the side.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to get through this. We can¡¯t let your mother wait for too long. You two, father and son, must... must...¡±

    He could not finish his sentence. Mu Yinan¡¯s hand dropped and his entire being...

    ¡°Father! Father! Wake up!¡±

    ¡°Grandfather!¡±

    Two voices suddenly sounded and the people outside rushed in as well.

    Mu Lingshi was the first to rush to the bedside. She looked at Mu Yinan who was already gone on the bed and cried out loud. Her entire body went limp. Fortunately, Ah Mo was smart enough to hold her up.

    Zhuang Shurong and Xi Xiaye, who were following behind her, also had tears in their eyes.

    ...

    The entire room was silent. Mu Tangchuan was the first to recover. His eyes were red as he settled Mu Yinan down. He said hoarsely, ¡°Alright, stop crying. Let your grandfather leave quietly.¡±

    ¡°Father, help Mother back to rest first. I¡¯ll handle grandfather¡¯s funeral.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and blinked before he slowly stood up.

    Mu Tangchuan nced at him and then looked at Mu Yinan who was no longer breathing on the bed. He could only suppress the pain in his heart and nodded¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and turned to look at Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi. ¡°Ah Mo, take Lingshi back to rest first.¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    ¡°No, Brother. I want to apany grandfather for a while more. I want to apany him. Grandfather... grandfather...¡±

    Mu Lingshi was in tears. She pushed Ah Mo away like she had gone mad and grabbed Mu Yinan¡¯s hand tightly. She was in a daze as well.

    Mu Yuchen gave Ah Mo a look, and Ah Mo nodded knowingly as well. He bent down and carried Mu Lingshi up.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡±

    Mu Lingshi fainted as well.

    In the end, only Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were left in the room.

    Xi Xiaye sniffled. Her eyes were also misty as she stopped beside him. ¡°You... Don¡¯t be too sad. Grandfather passed away peacefully.¡±

    A low voice was heard. Mu Yuchen turned around and looked at her. After a while, he suddenly reached out to wrap his arms around her waist and buried his face into her arms.

    Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. Her eyes were wet as she hugged him. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a little sad too, even though I know that this day wasing sooner orter.¡±

 Chapter 1859 - Goodbye Forever (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1859: Goodbye Forever (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she hugged him even tighter. Her voice could not help but be choked with sobs and hoarse.

    Actually, Xi Xiaye respected Mu Yinan very much and she was quite close to him, even closer than she was with Wang Hui. After all, when she was working at Glory World, he had always taken care of her.

    After she married Mu Yuchen and entered the Mu family, the two elders treated her very well. She was grateful to them from the bottom of her heart. If it were not for them, she and Mu Yuchen might not have the love they had today. She might not have even met Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°If you¡¯re very sad, you can...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a while. I¡¯m just a little out of breath.¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Mu Yuchen¡¯s lowered and hoarse voice cut her off.

    ¡°Goodbye, Grandfather. May your soul in heaven ascend to paradise with Grandmother. There won¡¯t be any worries or sadness over there. If you don¡¯t have enough after this life, there will be more than one life over there. You and Grandmother will be together forever.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could only look at the old man who had passed away on the hospital bed through her misty eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been worried about this day for the past few days. I didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon. I thought I could at least hold on for a few more days. When the rainy days would be over and the sunes out, I was going to let him go out and bask in the sun. Perhaps it would¡¯ve made him feel better and he¡¯d havested for a few more days.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s low and hoarse voice rang out. Xi Xiaye felt his hand holding hers tightly. She could even feel some pain, but she did not say anything and just let him hold her.

    She knew that he must be very sad.

    He had always respected and cared for his grandparents. He had cultivated very deep feelings for them since they were young. Now that they had left, this kind of pain was not something that ordinary people could understand.

    Xi Xiaye felt the same way. When her grandfather had left back then, did she not feel this kind of heart-wrenching pain too?

    If she could make him feel better, she would be willing to take on everything that she could share.

    However, Mu Yuchen did not ask her to do anything. He just looked at the person on the bed.

    ¡°He¡¯s too anxious to see Grandmother. Time flies, in the blink of an eye, so much time has passed. Many times, no matter how rational we try to be, we can¡¯t resist the raging waves of longing. Grandfather is mentally unwell, without Grandmother, there¡¯s no cure for him. Although I¡¯m very sad, I¡¯m still touched by their pure feelings. It made me...¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. In the blink of an eye, bean-sized tears rolled down her cheeks.

    She sniffed and quickly turned away to raise the back of her hand to wipe her tears. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be sad for too long. There¡¯s still a lot of things to do next. I¡¯ll get the butler to exin things to you. You...¡±

    ¡°I need to be alone for a while. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine. Call the butler over first. I¡¯ll be down right away,¡± said Mu Yuchen.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded and quietly left the room to give him some space.

    ...

    Outside the window was the sound of the wind and rain, and the coldness poured in one after another. In the cold wind, there were even scattered petals and fallen leaves. The curtains by the window swayed with the wind, and the floor under the windowsill was already slightly stained with ayer of moisture.

    Qi Lei stood in front of the window. There was an easel in front of him, and he was leisurely drawing a pavilion in the corner outside the window.

    The scene on the drawing block was already more than halfpleted. It was already evening, and the sky was very gloomy. Qi Lei¡¯s drawing also had an indescribable gloomy feeling.

    ¡°Master Qi, there¡¯s news from the Mu family¡¯s old residence. Elder Master Mu has gone. He just passed.¡±

    Just as Qi Lei was focused on his work, Yang Sheng¡¯s gloomy voice suddenly came from behind him.

    When Qi Lei heard it, he paused. With a bang, the paintbrush in his hand fell to the ground.

    He was gone?

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment, and his body froze for a moment. However, he quickly came back to his senses. He did not look back at Yang Sheng. Instead, he bent down and silently picked up the paintbrush that had fallen to the ground.

    ¡°The Mu family has decided to organize a simple funeral. The elder doesn¡¯t like crowds either. The news of the funeral hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet. It should be held in the first hall of the funeral parlor. Master Qi, should we...¡±

    Yang Sheng had a hint of respect for someone as famous as Mu Yinan in the past. In addition to Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship with Mu Yuchen and the rest, Yang Sheng naturally felt heartache and regret at the news of Mu Yinan¡¯s passing.

    Qi Lei listened but did not say anything for a long time. He did not know how much time had passed before he raised his eyes slightly and looked out of the window. He blinked and said in a low voice, ¡°Even though we knew that this day woulde sooner orter, it¡¯s still too soon... we can¡¯t keep those who really want to leave in the end.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, Master Mu and Miss Xiaye must be very sad. They¡¯ve always respected and loved Elder Mu. They must be very sad over Elder Mu¡¯s passing.¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s voice was a little helpless and bitter. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that Elder Mu, who was so strong before, would leave just like that.¡±

    ¡°Birth, old age, illness, and death are the most helpless things in the world. Because there¡¯s affection, that¡¯s why they¡¯re sad. Go over and take a look. See if there¡¯s anything they need help with. Let me know as soon as the news of the funeral is out. Also, when you see Mu Yuchen, help me give this painting to him¡ª¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he took the painting that was almost done from the easel and handed it to Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng took it and looked at the painting on the paper. He realized that Qi Lei had drawn the gazebo outside the window, but in the painting, there were a few morning glory flowers blooming at the bottom of the gazebo steps. They were blue, pink, and many different colors, although the entire drawing was a little gloomy, these few morning glory flowers suddenly brought life to the entire drawing.

    Yang Sheng did not seem to be able to see anything. When he wanted to ask, Qi Lei had already opened his mouth

    ¡°Give the drawing to him. He¡¯ll know what it means.¡±

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a moment before he slowly put it away. He replied, ¡°Alright, Master Qi! I¡¯ll hand it to Master Mu personally.¡±

    ¡°Let him rest for a while. There won¡¯t be any problems with business matters with me watching over it. Besides, I¡¯m not interested in taking advantage of him anymore. I hope that he can recover as soon as possible,¡± said Qi Lei.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Yes, Young Master Qi. I¡¯ll bring the message too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can go. You don¡¯t have toe to work for the next few days, just help out over there.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. He put down the pen in his hand, turned around with a little disinterest, and walked towards the corridor on the side¡ª

 Chapter 1860 - Goodbye Forever (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1860: Goodbye Forever (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sky gradually darkened, and the streetmps in the courtyard in front of them also lit up. The wallmps in the corridor were a little dim, and the air was faintly filled with ayer of moisture.

    In the Grand Lake Vi area, when Dongfang Liuyun walked through the hazy rain into the living room, the lights in the quiet living room were not turned on, and it was quite dark.

    Was he not here?

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned in confusion. She quickly reached out to turn on the lights on the side, and the house immediately lit up.

    Dongfang Liuyun took the opportunity to look around the house. She only found that the house was very quiet. It seemed that no one was home?

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡±

    After some thought, Dongfang Liuyun closed the door and walked to the stairs to call his name a few times. She waited for a long time, but she did not hear any response from above.

    He must have gone out?

    Dongfang Liuyun did not think too much. She took off her coat and walked to the kitchen.

    An hourter, the meal was ready. The house was colder than before. Dongfang Liuyun prepared the food on the table, but Qi Lei was still nowhere to be seen. She went upstairs to look for him, but she could not find him, when she called his phone, she saw that it was on the desk in the study.

    Dongfang Liuyun had no choice but to find a book from the bookshelf. She sat in front of the desk and flipped through it while waiting.

    After an unknown period of time, the night was getting darker. Many of the lights in the vi area had fallen silent, and the world was getting quieter. Dongfang Liuyun eventually fell asleep on the table tiredly as she read.

    When Qi Lei walked into the study, he saw her sleeping on the table.

    He stood by the table and watched her for a long time. There was a hint of gentleness in his eyes. He thought about it and decided to carry her back to the bedroom. However, Dongfang Liuyun was a light sleeper. Qi Lei¡¯s fingertips had just touched her shoulder when she was woken up.

    She opened her blurry eyes and looked at Qi Lei for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief¡ª

    ¡°Where did you go? You didn¡¯t even take your phone!¡±

    There was a hint of reproach and dissatisfaction in her tone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go out for a walk. The food on the dining table... haven¡¯t you had your dinner yet?¡±

    Qi Lei retracted his hands. He put one hand in his pocket leisurely while the other held the corner of the table and looked down at her sitting in the chair.

    ¡°I was waiting for you. What¡¯s wrong? Something on your mind?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly noticed the sadness in his eyes. She could also feel the solemnity gathering on his body.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. On Mu Yuchen¡¯s side, Elder Mu is gone. He¡¯s just feeling a little heavy right now. Go down and heat up the dishes. Have a drink with me?¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he suddenly turned around and walked towards the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. Then, she closed the books in front of her and put them back on the bookshelf before following him out.

    The husband and wife simply heated up the dishes before sitting down.

    ¡°When I went to see him a while ago, I knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for long. I didn¡¯t expect this day toe so quickly. I was a little caught off guard.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun poured some wine and took a sip. Then, she frowned.

    ¡°The world is unpredictable. Elder Mu is a very good person. To suddenly leave like this, I can¡¯t help but sigh. I¡¯m sure Mu Yuchen isn¡¯t feeling great either.¡± Qi Lei replied, then he took a sip of wine. ¡°I hope that we can learn to cherish it more because of this.¡±

    Qi Lei had already witnessed several deaths. Although he felt a little ufortable hearing such news, he could still maintain a bit of calmness in his heart. He had just received a call from Su Chen, so Su Chen was naturally very upset, Qi Lei could still hear a hint ofment in his voice, as if he was choking up.

    Qi Lei consoled him for a while before he calmed down a little.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re in a bad state too. It must be because of this, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun poured him some wine as she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a little disappointed.¡±

    ¡°Are you thinking of your mother?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was such a sharp person. She immediately guessed what Qi Lei was thinking. When she asked that, Qi Lei immediately raised his gaze and looked at her silently.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun did not look at him. She continued to lower his gaze and ced a few dishes in his bowl. Her tone was indifferent. ¡°Your thoughts are written in your eyes. Moreover, you only act like this when you think about those things.¡±

    ¡°Missus Qi, you do have a pair of sharp eyes. I can¡¯t hide my thoughts from you now?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled and raised his ss to toast her. However, there was a hint of loneliness in his smile. As he looked at her, he felt an indescribable sense of loneliness.

    ¡°However, you shouldn¡¯t be such a person. We should be the warriors who are charging forward. Other than reminiscing and drawing lessons from the past, there¡¯s actually no use for it. Like me, I¡¯ve never wanted to reminisce.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said softly.

    ¡°Just now, Grandmother called me over and asked me about thepany. I handed Dongfang Yu and his lover¡¯s affairs over to Grandmother. I said, if Grandmother doesn¡¯t want the Dongfang family to have a sex scandal, then I believe she should know what to do.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei was stunned and looked at Dongfang Liuyun in surprise!

    Unexpectedly, this woman usually did not make a move, but on first move she would be so bold!

    She caught on to Dongfang Yu¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel. As long as those things were left in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands, Dongfang Yu did not seem like he could be the person in charge of the Dongfang Group, this was because the Dongfang Group could not ept such a person whose reputation had been destroyed bing the person in charge of the Dongfang Group.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. In fact, the one who really got these things was Dongfang Ren¡¯s people. I only snatched these things from her hands one step ahead. Dongfang Yi and Dongfang Yu even have to thank me. If I hadn¡¯t given those things to Grandmother, once those photos were spread, the matter would have been irreparable. I want them to be respectful to me and behave themselves.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, a smile appeared on her face. She casually drank up the wine in her ss. Her eyes were filled with a wise and cold light. Qi Lei saw it, suddenly, he felt as if he was embraced by the beautiful starlight.

    ¡°I admire your wisdom and intelligence, Missus. If you were in ancient times, you would definitely be a top-notch general. You have courage and wisdom, but it¡¯s a pity that you were born in modern times.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled faintly.

    ¡°If President Qi were to hire me with a high sry, I might as well give it a try and be your strategist.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied with a smile.

 Chapter 1861 - Goodbye Forever (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1861: Goodbye Forever (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing this, Qi Lei let out a lowugh¡ª

    ¡°I can¡¯t bear to let you work too hard. When ites to fighting in the wind and rain, I have to be in front of you. No matter how bad I am, I have to protect you.¡±

    The low voice was naturally very emotional, and it was especially pleasing to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ears.

    She heard that women were auditory animals. She was actually touched by his words. It could not be denied that she was also such a person.

    ¡°Who needs your protection? Give me some time, and I¡¯ll be able to deal with them. Now with the Missus Qi title, it¡¯s indeed much easier to get things done. I¡¯ll take this opportunity to make their morale plummet.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she raised her ss to toast Qi Lei. ¡°It¡¯s just that Father isn¡¯t around. Many things are handled passively. Although I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy to climb up this way in the past, I didn¡¯t expect it to be so difficult. It¡¯s better for you to be smarter.¡±

    ¡°Have you thought about how to thank me?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I already expressed your gratitude?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows.

    ¡°With a little interest?¡±

    Qi Lei asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun responded with cold gaze.

    ...

    Mu Yinan¡¯s memorial was held three dayster in the morning. Although the Mu family wanted it to be simple, Mu Yinan was still a highly respected figure in the circle, so there were still many people who came to pay their respects.

    Even if he had a glorious life before he died, in the end, he was just a wisp of smoke and a speck of dust. That was all.

    Mu Yinan was buried next to Wang Hui. Mu Yuchen followed the old man¡¯s instructions before he left.

    These few days, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had been handling the funeral while holding back the grief in their hearts. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were not in a good state, not to mention Mu Lingshi. She had a fever and a cold, and she had been suffering for a few days. When she attended the funeral, she was still in a daze. Her high fever had not subsided, but she still insisted oning over and saying that she wanted to send Mu Yinan off.

    When they buried him, the sky was very gloomy. The people who came to send him off were people who were closer to the Mu family, like the Su family and the Zhou family.

    Mu Tangchuan was also very depressed. Su Zhengxun and Zhou Zhenjunforted him for a long time. After they paid their respects, the crowd gradually dispersed.

    ¡°Bro, don¡¯t be sad for too long. Grandfather Mu passed away peacefully. He¡¯ll always live in our hearts.¡±

    Su Chen exchanged a look with Zhou Zimo, then reached out to pat Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder and consoled him.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and did not look at them. Instead, he said quietly, ¡°You guys go back first. Su Chen, you shouldn¡¯t havee. But grandfather will be very happy that all of you cane and send him off. I want to be alone for a while. You guys should go back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll go back first. We¡¯ll wait for you downstairs. Hurry up and get down too.¡±

    Su Chen pulled Zhou Zimo as he said this.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied and turned to look at his wife, Xi Xiaye, beside him. His soft and gentle voice entered Xi Xiaye¡¯s ears. ¡°Xiaye, it¡¯s cold here. You should go back to the car first. You¡¯ve been quite tired these past few days. Be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡±

    Xi Xiaye replied and nced at Dongfang Liuyun who was holding an umbre for her. Dongfang Liuyun gave Qi Lei a look, and Qi Lei went up to take therge ck umbre from Yang Sheng¡¯s hand and held it over Mu Yuchen¡¯s head.

    As the few of them walked further and further away, the surroundings suddenly quieted down. The only ones left in front of the tombstone were Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei.

    Mu Yuchen quietly looked at the photo of Mu Yinan on the tombstone. He was silent for a moment before he walked to the tombstone next to him. It was Wang Hui¡¯s tombstone, and the photo on the tombstone was very clear.

    ¡°When I was younger, my parents didn¡¯t really care about me because Lingtian and Lingshi were Aunty¡¯s children. Father had always favored Aunty. He felt that Aunty¡¯s early death had a lot to do with him as an older brother. It was because he didn¡¯t protect his sister well. That¡¯s why he doted on Lingtian and Lingshi even more.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s low and hoarse voice drifted over¡ª

    ¡°So, naturally, he didn¡¯t care about me as much. I understand their feelings very well, so I never med them. ¡°My grandparents seemed to treat me better because of this. In my impression, they were the people who doted on me the most. I never thought that they would leave. In the end, they all left. It¡¯s all too sudden.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss. I understand how you feel. When my mother died, it was also very sudden. After she left, I always felt that there was a lot less in my heart. There were a lot of things that I wanted to grab onto, but I couldn¡¯t grab onto anything.¡±

    Qi Lei replied in a hoarse voice as well.

    ¡°Mmm, President Wang is also a good mother. We might all be blessed people. There are many things that we can¡¯t hold onto. We can only watch as it leaves. Our fate seems to be drifting with the current.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face was filled with a hint of bitterness. He took a deep breath and averted his gaze. He looked up at the gray sky above, ¡°Look, the weather has been gloomy for many days, until now it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to get any sunnier. Qi Lei, I feel like my condition isn¡¯t very good...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Mu Yuchen worriedly. His dark eyes were filled with concern.

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. My body is just a little tired. It¡¯s probably because my heart is heavy. These days, whenever I think about these things, I feel like I can¡¯t breathe. I didn¡¯t tell Xiaye because I didn¡¯t want her to worry.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Qi Lei frowned, ¡°You¡¯re heavy in the heart. Grandfather Mu and Grandmother Mu¡¯s matter has left a shadow in your heart. Recently, the South River Project and City B¡¯s matters have been quite stable. Why don¡¯t you and Xiaye give yourselves a holiday? Just the two of you, go away for a trip. By the time youe back, it¡¯ll be almost the end of the year. You¡¯ll have lots of things to do then.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking. Xiaye¡¯s health hasn¡¯t been very good. After giving birth to Xiao Cheng, her health has deterioriated. She has a lot of things to worry about, and I¡¯m a little mentally and physically exhausted too.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the pressureing from? Don¡¯t trap yourself. Leave it to me. Don¡¯t worry. Take a good break. I¡¯m not at ease with your condition either.¡±

    Qi Lei was concerned.

    Mu Yuchen turned around and looked at Qi Lei. ¡°Then, you¡¯ll have to work hard for a month?¡±

    ¡°A month? In your dreams. A week at most!¡±

    Qi Lei protested.

    ¡°20 days. Unless you don¡¯t want to have enough time for your honeymoon at your wedding with Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied in a low voice.

    ¡°How despicable! 20 days it is!¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and shot Mu Yuchen a side nce!

 Chapter 1862 - Goodbye Forever (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1862: Goodbye Forever (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was not the end of the year yet. When the time came, you would be busy while we were on vacation. This was not a bad deal at all!

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and smiled in his heart. His face was tense. He thought for a moment before looking at the tombstone in front of him and said, ¡°The past is gone. You should be more open-minded. I think Ah Mo and Lingshi are not in a good state either. It should be because...¡±

    ¡°Grandmother¡¯s sudden death was a heavy blow to Lingshi. After Grandmother left, Grandfather couldn¡¯t resist the longing, so he left early. Of course, she didn¡¯t feel good about it. She never forgave Gu Qiwu in her heart. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to ease up recently. With grandfather gone, I¡¯m worried that the previous ease will be in vain.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he could not help but sigh, ¡°The Mu family has been through a lot. I¡¯ve been pretty tired these past few years too. Aunt¡¯s matter is a thorn in everyone¡¯s heart. Even though it¡¯s been so long, everyone still can¡¯t forget it. All the karma that¡¯s been nted makes us feel sad. Grandmother passed away so suddenly, and now Grandfather...¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s mostly because of Aunt. He¡¯s been troubled for a long time and he¡¯s never let it go. Today¡¯s results aren¡¯t surprising.¡±

    Qi Lei did not say anything as he listened. He just put away his umbre and took out a cigarette packet from his pocket. He took one out and lit it up before cing it on Mu Yinan¡¯s tombstone. He took one out himself before throwing the cigarette packet to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen took one as well. Qi Lei lit the fire for him tacitly. He took a puff and looked at the lit cigarette on the tombstone, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, perhaps, such a goodbye, is forever. Although we say goodbye[1], we know that we will never see them again .¡±

    ¡°That is a very profound realization.¡±

    Mu Yuchen puffed out a cigarette and said in a low voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid no one¡¯s would understand it as deeply as us? When my mother had just left me, the whole world felt unreal. I felt like I was just a person who didn¡¯t fit in with this world. I lived without any attachments. I didn¡¯t seem to care about what I did anymore.¡±

    Qi Lei flicked the cigarette ash between his fingers andughed bitterly. ¡°Even when I proposed to Liuyun back then, it was just... who knows? I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°Actually, even though I know that the Dongfang family¡¯s matters areplicated, it¡¯s not strange that you like Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it myself. Even if she doesn¡¯t do anything staying by her side made me feel full with anticipation too. I think Grandfather Mu was probably like this too, so after Grandmother Mu left, he had nothing to live for. All he wanted was to be with Grandmother Mu.¡±

    Qi Lei could empathize with him.

    ¡°Is that so? I remember that you had someone you liked before. I didn¡¯t expect your feelings to be so pure.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled softly.

    Qi Lei nced at him and said nonchntly, ¡°I admit that my past life wasn¡¯t that pure, but I¡¯ve never talked about love in a rtionship. All these years, I¡¯ve dated women. I admit that I respect the Gu Lingsha from before. And Xiaye, I know that this matter was a knot in your heart too. I¡¯ve doted on her a little or even liked her a little, but...¡±

    When he said this, Qi Lei paused for a moment. His gaze suddenly became gentler. Mu Yuchen knew very well the kind of feelings that were contained within. Was he not the same with Xi Xiaye?

    ¡°But Liuyun is different... Gu Lingsha was an unreachable childhood dream. Xiaye was not fated and in sight but unattainable. Only Liuyun feels most real. We y games together, drink together. She cheers me on and cares for me. When I¡¯m with her, I feel... an unprecedented peace of mind. I don¡¯t know if my love for her is engraved in my bones or not, but if I don¡¯t see her and hear her voice one day, I¡¯ll feel inexplicably anxious and uneasy.¡±

    Mu Yuchen listened quietly as Qi Lei spoke. He could even clearly see the humble feelings of a man in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes.

    He remembered that some time ago, they had also talked about Dongfang Liuyun like this. Every time they talked about Dongfang Liuyun, Qi Lei¡¯s emotions would be very different. If this was not love, then what was love?

    ¡°Su Chen told me that you¡¯ve already met Fujiwara before. Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡±

    After some thought, Mu Yuchen asked.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei frowned and exhaled a puff of smoke. His tone was very calm¡ª

    ¡°Fujiwara... he¡¯s indeed a very powerful opponent. His feelings for Liuyun aren¡¯t any less than mine. I¡¯ve seen his file. He¡¯s a decisive person and very strong. He has a very unforgettable past with Liuyun. They were once deeply in love. To be honest, in thispetition for love, I¡¯m actually at a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that? I think that Dongfang Liuyun is at least very determined about your marriage. Moreover, she¡¯s a very intelligent person. To arge extent, she¡¯s even more resolute and decisive than Xiaye before. Xiaye and I really admire her on that.¡±

    Mu Yuchen recalled the information Xi Xiaye had gotten someone to look up before. When she returned, she even told him about it.

    ¡°When I didn¡¯t give up on Xiaye back then, I don¡¯t believe that you didn¡¯t feel uneasy. and Han Yifeng before that, didn¡¯t you worry about these things? You were married to Xiaye back then too.¡±

    Qi Lei asked directly.

    When he asked this, Mu Yuchen fell silent. After a long while, he replied, ¡°Okay, I understand. But I have faith in you. You and Dongfang Liuyun can definitely be together for life.¡±

    ¡°Xiaye said the same thing.¡±

    Qi Lei replied and squinted at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°Alright, the sky is dark. It looks like the rain will continue. Since Grandfather Mu has left, let him go in peace. What we can do is to miss them. We still have to live the life we should live and do the things we should do.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep drag on his cigarette before tossing the cigarette butt to the still burning brazier. He said softly, ¡°That¡¯s what you advised me to do back then. Now, I¡¯m returning these words to you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was stunned when he heard that. Then, he smiled. ¡°When did you be so smart? You know how to use my words against me now?¡±

 Chapter 1863 - Shy? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1863: Shy? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes shed with surprise, but Qi Lei threw him a disdainful look¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m just toozy to bother with you. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Then, he took the umbre and turned around quietly.

    Mu Yuchen took onest look at Mu Yinan and Wang Hui¡¯s tombstones. Finally, he nodded and walked forward.

    The sky started to drizzle again. Qi Lei raised the umbre directly above Mu Yuchen¡¯s head, and the two of them left unhurriedly.

    ...

    The sky turned dark very quickly, especially on such a rainy day. It was already gloomy at just past 5 p.m., and now at past 6 p.m. the sky waspletely dark.

    On the cement road leading to a luxurious vi in the suburbs, the streetmps on both sides were already lit up.

    Zhou Zimo drove alone through the misty rain and soon arrived at the door. After swiping his card, he steadily drove in.

    The lights in the vi were on, and she saw her newly bought Volvo in the garage. She should be home now.

    Zhou Zimo turned off the car, got out, and walked straight home.

    The lights in the living room were naturally very bright. Just as he walked in, a faint fragrance of orchids wafted towards him. Zhou Zimo subconsciously looked towards the vase rack in the living room. As expected, there was already arge bouquet of fresh orchids in the vase.

    Zhou Zimo subconsciously looked around and soon discovered Qin Su, who was ying cards at the table by the French window. The table in front of her was filled with cards and she was holding a notebook in her hand, she was recording something.

    She looked very focused. Even when Zhou Zimo walked over, she did not even look up.

    Zhou Zimo was used to it. She was always meticulous and serious. When she was busy, even if he talked to her, she would not respond even if he called out to her ten times.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote, why are you still busy with these things? Have you eaten dinner?¡±

    Zhou Zimo stopped in front of her and looked at her for a long time before he asked in a low voice.

    Qin Su did not have much of a reaction when she heard that. The pen in her hand was still moving, and she would look at the cards arranged on the table from time to time.

    Zhou Zimo frowned. He was about to reach out and pick up a card to see what was so attractive about it that she wouldn¡¯t even bother to look at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch them!¡±

    Just as Zhou Zimo¡¯s fingertip touched the card, a hand swiftly grabbed his wrist. He raised his head and saw Qin Su¡¯s dissatisfied eyes. There was naturally some reproach in them.

    Her hand was quite strong, hurting his wrist a little. As he stared at her emotionless eyes, he suddenly felt a dull pain in his heart. He felt very ufortable, the persistence and feeling of being left out all these days immediately surged into his heart!

    He should know that she was a person with a heart of stone. No matter how hard he tried to move her, he could not see her softening towards him at all!

    Zhou Zimo felt a wave of frustration and anger in his heart. He did not care about anything else and immediately went up to her. He grabbed her wrist with a backhand and forcefully pulled her into his embrace. His strong body pressed forward, instantly locking Qin Su tightly in his embrace!

    The sudden attack naturally caught Qin Su off guard. Although her reaction was fast enough, Zhou Zimo¡¯s actions were one step faster than hers. She only felt a chill on her back as Zhou Zimo had already pressed her against the wall, in front of her was his long and restrained body. Qin Su subconsciously struggled. However, Zhou Zimo¡¯s kiss had alreadynded urately on her...

    It was that kind of punishing kiss. The stifled Zhou Zimo did not show any mercy at this moment. He held her head with one hand, and the stranded softness quickly invaded her territory, bringing with it an overwhelming aura, in an instant, he captured her and made it impossible for her to escape.

    In an instant, Qin Su almost forgot to struggle. Her beautiful eyes widened slightly, and her beautiful brows subconsciously furrowed, allowing Zhou Zimo to invade her wantonly. A momentter, her clear eyes regained their rity, and she hurriedly struggled.

    ¡°Qin Su, you better not go too far. No one can reject me. You are the first. I will not let you off¡ª¡±

    Zhou Zimo was forced to step back and whispered into her ear. Before she could get a clear look, hisrge hand lifted her chin and kissed her again.

    This time, Zhou Zimo would not be able to get his way so easily. Qin Su closed her mouth in resistance and her sharp eyes swept over her with anger!

    ¡°Hmm¡ª¡±

    A muffled groan sounded. Qin Su felt a pain on her lips, but she was forced to open her mouth, and a salty and fishy smell spread from her mouth!

    Naturally, the blood was hers!

    Zhou Zimo bit her!

    This bastard!

    Qin Su was furious. Without thinking, she clenched her fist and punched at Zhou Zimo!

    Zhou Zimo was enjoying this. He did not expect Qin Su to attack him out of the blue. Even though he was at a disadvantage, he let out a muffled groan and was forced to take a step back before he could steady himself.

    He took a deep breath, and a slightly hot breath assaulted him. Zhou Zimo felt a little ufortable. The scene of their love affair from before seemed to be quickly reying in his mind!

    It was the same taste as before, and it made him...

    He sucked in a breath of cold air and tried his best to control the raging waves in his heart. He silently raised his gaze and looked at her without blinking.

    Qin Su¡¯s beautiful face was already covered in ayer of frost. Her star-like eyes were as sharp as cold des as she stared coldly at Zhou Zimo. She raised her hand and unhurriedly wiped off the dark red stains on her lips.

    ¡°Are you trying to die?¡±

    Her hoarse voice was as cold as frost. Zhou Zimo did not doubt that she would pounce on him in the next moment and give him a beating!

    ¡°Die on you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo also silently met her gaze and said with a faint smile.

    ¡°Since when did you, Zhou Zimo, be willing to use such methods on a woman?¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s expression was as gloomy as the sky before a storm. The anger in her tone was obvious, ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want just because you got my parents¡¯ acquiescence. I just don¡¯t want to cause so much trouble. I¡¯m not giving you the chance to take advantage of me.¡±

    ¡°Since when? From the moment I met you, I¡¯ve wanted to do this a million times. I don¡¯t mind being a little more despicable and shameless!¡±

    Zhou Zimo was able to keep hisposure. He stared at her and said in a calm tone..

    ¡°Officer Qin Su, don¡¯t be surprised. I, Zhou Zimo, am determined to marry you. Since I¡¯ve chosen you personally, you can only marry me. In the entire City Z, as long as I don¡¯t allow it, I¡¯ll see who dares to marry you!¡±

    ¡°As long as I¡¯m not willing, no one can force me. It¡¯s the same for you.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s face was as cold as frost. Her eyes were unusually sharp and her whole body was filled with pride.

 Chapter 1864 - Shy? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1864: Shy? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes darkened, and his gaze changed unpredictably in an instant¡ª

    He should have known that she, Qin Su, had always been like this. He could only me himself for not being able to control his emotions. Now, even his rationality to control his emotions hadpletely vanished.

    However, perhaps some words and some things would be better if they were said openly.

    He had never thought of hiding the feelings in his heart for her.

    ¡°I won¡¯t force you to marry me. I will make you marry me willingly.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was silent for a long time before he said this.

    Qin Su nced at him coldly. The pain on her lips was very clear. She lowered her gaze to look at the blood stains on her fingertips. Her starry eyes darkened for a moment. When she raised her eyes again, she saw Zhou Zimo staring at her with narrowed eyes as if he had not finished yet.

    A cold smile shed across her heart. A dangerous glint shed across her beautiful eyes. Her petite and nimble body suddenly stepped forward, her posture as agile as a swallow!

    Zhou Zimo only felt a faint fragrance assaulting him. Before he could even feel it, the tie on his chest had already been grabbed by her hand. She pulled him forward abruptly. He staggered and almost fell. However, a soft body also bumped into him, he could feel a slender arm urately wrapping around his waist, preventing him from falling in a sorry state.

    At this moment, Qin Su seemed to be looking down on him from above. The flowing light in her starry eyes, as her cold and beautiful face became infinitely clear in front of his eyes.

    Zhou Zimo was being held by her hand just like that, the tie on his chest held in her hand.

    Such a posture...

    It actually made Zhou Zimo feel...

    A little inexplicably thirsty, and he wondered if she would do something to him?

    She should do something to him?

    He was a little expectant, and his long arms subconsciously wrapped around her slender waist, wanting to pull her into his embrace. However, at this moment, a cold and indifferent voice suddenly sounded...

    ¡°Are you looking forward to me doing something to you?¡±

    Her throat had been hurt by the smoke during the mission. Her voice was actually not pleasant to hear, and her words always carried a bit of a hoarse tone. However, when Zhou Zimo heard this voice, he thought that it was extremely sexy!

    She was clearly teasing him!

    Zhou Zimo cursed himself in his heart for not being calm enough. His dark eyes could not help but burn with sparks. However, Qin Su¡¯s next sentence was enough to make him fall from the clouds back to hell¡ª

    ¡°I really don¡¯t like such a self-righteous Master like you.¡±

    ¡°However, I am a person who will seek revenge. I also don¡¯t like people who are more imposing than me, so...¡±

    As Qin Su said this, she suddenly bent down and urately kissed Zhou Zimo¡¯s thin lips. With one hand, she let go of the tie on his chest, and with the other hand, she gently held his chin and kissed him without holding back.

    Zhou Zimo suddenly felt that the entire world was unreal, and he did not dare to believe that she would actually do this. However, thinking about it, this seemed to be more like her, Qin Su!

    She wandered slowly on him. Although she was not familiar with it, it was enough to make him go crazy. He subconsciously hugged her tightly. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, a pain suddenly came from his lips, followed by a sweet fishy taste in his mouth!

    This time, the blood was his!

    He frowned and was stunned for a moment. However, Qin Su had already retreated and stood silently in front of him, staring at him!

    He was the great Master Zhou. When had the famous Master Mo ever been treated like this? At this moment, he felt that it was not anger, but...

    He raised his head in a daze and looked at Qin Su. He realized that Qin Su was looking at him with a calm expression. Suddenly...

    Whoosh¡ª

    Instantly, he felt his face heat up, especially when he saw Qin Su¡¯s interested but cold gaze.

    He looked at her silently and raised his hand to wipe away the slight pain on his lips. Only then did he suddenly turn his head away. His tone was no longer as arrogant as before. It sounded quitefortable¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and cook.¡±

    As he said this, he quickly ran away with his slightly crimson handsome face, and just strode towards the kitchen.

    ...

    Seeing this, Qin Su was a little puzzled. She simply crossed her chest and leisurely watched his fleeing figure. A momentter, she withdrew her gaze, turned around, picked up the record book again, and continued to read.

    Her expression was still as cold and indifferent as before. It seemed that nothing could shock her.

    She had just taken over the work at the prosecutor¡¯s office and entered the supervisory authority. Although the work was not very difficult, it was not easy either. She had already spent quite a long time before she could be considered to have adapted to the current working environment.

    Actually, she did not really like working in such a bureaucracy. If she could be transferred back to the military headquarters, she might be even more willing. Otherwise, going to the public security bureau would not be too bad either. However, since things had alreadye to this, she could only persevere for a while,ter on, she would see if there was a chance to be transferred back to the military headquarters or to the military procuratorate, that was eptable too.

    ...

    In fact, Qin Su rarely thought about Zhou Zimo. In her eyes, being in a rtionship was a waste of time, not to mention marriage. Instead of getting married and being like her parents, leading a life of endless arguments, it would be better not to get married.

    She really did not think that she had the ability to be a good wife. Moreover, she was more focused on her work.

    Therefore...

    She had never thought of bing a partner with someone like Zhou Zimo. Although she, Qin Su, was the daughter of a high ranking official, she had always kept a low profile. She did not like to hang around in official business, and she also did not like to interact with those aristocratic families.

    Otherwise, many Masters had pursued her over the years. If she had nodded her head, she would not have waited until now.

    And now, this Zhou Zimo seemed to have exceeded her expectations...

    After thinking for a moment, Qin Su could not help but let out a soft sigh. She quietly closed the notebook in her hand and ced it on the table. With a turn of her toes, she walked towards the kitchen.

    At this moment, in the kitchen.

    Zhou Zimo had already taken off his coat. He was only wearing a shirt. The cuff links had been opened and his sleeves were rolled up. He was standing in front of the chopping board cutting vegetables.

    Qin Su did not walk in. Instead, she leaned against the door frame and looked at Zhou Zimo who was busy with cooking.

    Zhou Zimo did not know that Qin Su was standing behind him and was still busy away.

    After an unknown amount of time, Qin Su¡¯s voice suddenly rang out¡ª

    ¡°Prepare the sweet and sour fish. The taste of steamed fish is light.¡±

    After Qin Su said this, Zhou Zimo was stunned. He quickly turned and looked towards the source of the voice. Only then did he realize that Qin Su was standing at the door.

 Chapter 1865 - Shy? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1865: Shy? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The dinner was not very sumptuous, but it was still a decent meal.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s cooking was not very good, but it was better than Qin Su¡¯s.

    Qin Su¡¯s appetite was not small either. After a meal, Zhou Zimo did not eat much. More than half of the food was taken care of by Qin Su, he only drank some wine and ate a few bites of the side dishes.

    He was not in the mood right now, but watching her eat like this was pretty good.

    Perhaps sensing his gaze, Qin Su stopped what she was doing. She raised her gaze and looked over as well, taking in his expression. Zhou Zimo did not expect her to suddenly raise her head, at this moment, the smile on her face froze momentarily. A momentter, she coughed lightly and lowered her head silently. If one paid attention, they could see Zhou Zimo¡¯s slightly flushed handsome face.

    Qin Su gave him a side nce and finally opened her mouth to break the silence between the two of them. ¡°Do you feel hot?¡±

    Zhou Zimo paused after being asked by her. He nced at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m...¡±

    ¡°Shy?¡±

    Qin Su cut him off immediately. She raised her wine ss and slightly toasted him. ¡°I had a bad attitude earlier. We live under the same roof and I have such a personality, I hope you can forgive me. Of course, I also hope that we can understand each other.¡±

    ¡°Qin Su, do you know what our rtionship is now?¡±

    After Qin Su said this, Zhou Zimo suddenly asked this question.

    When Qin Su heard this, she raised her beautiful eyebrows slightly and looked quietly at him, waiting for his reply.

    ¡°You had previously promised to be my girlfriend, my future marriage partner, and even my fianc¨¦e and future wife. But now, you don¡¯t have the awareness to be with me at all. I feel that we need to have a good talk.¡±

    Zhou Zimo finished the wine in his ss in one gulp and suddenly said that.

    Hearing that, a strange light shed across Qin Su¡¯s eyes, as if he was trying hard to think of something. After a moment, he said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve agreed to stay with you, and that¡¯s already the best I can do. I can¡¯t ept someone so rashly. If two people are together, it will be more tiring. It¡¯s better to be alone. Actually, I don¡¯t believe that you, Zhou Zimo, would really look forward to a marriage if it wasn¡¯t for the pressure from your family.¡±

    Qin Su had hit the nail on the head. Although Zhou Zimo felt ufortable, he did not deny it. What she said made sense, and he did not refute her.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually very clear about my feelings, my life, and my attitude towards work. You know that I am a rigid person too. In the military region, the most important thing is to obey orders. There are rules to everything, and I have always been the same. I can ept all the arrangements in the organization, even if they are far-fetched. However, feelings are different. You were once a soldier, so you should understand this more than I do.¡±

    Qin Su thought for a moment and exined.

    ¡°Besides, I might not stay here forever. I want to return to the Northwest Military Region. That ce is more suitable for me...¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Before Qin Su could finish her words, Zhou Zimo interrupted her coldly. A trace of coldness could not help but appear in his deep eyes¡ª

    ¡°I will definitely not let you return to the Northwest. Qin Su, what¡¯s wrong with staying here? Am I a monster? To make you avoid me like I¡¯m dangerous or threatening?¡±

    Although Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice was calm, it suddenly filled the air with a hint of coldness.

    ¡°It¡¯s not because of you, it¡¯s because of me. I don¡¯t like this city very much. Without my familiarrades, the smoke of war makes me feel tired every time. When I get there, I can be more free.¡±

    As Qin Su spoke, she raised her head and drank up the wine in her cup. Her beautiful eyebrows were knitted together, and there was actually a hint of sadness in her eyes.

    In fact, Zhou Zimo had never seen Qin Su like this before.

    Perhaps it was because her world was too peaceful and uneventful, so she was a little tired of such days.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go back. Can¡¯t you stay here? Your home is right here. Where else do you want to go?¡±

    Zhou Zimo stared at her and asked in a low voice.

    Qin Su did not answer. She only raised her eyes to look at him before reaching out to pour some wine for him and then poured some for herself.

    ¡°Uncle and Auntie won¡¯t let you go back either.¡±

    Zhou Zimo added on.

    Qin Su¡¯s eyes fell silent for a moment before she shook her head disapprovingly. ¡°No, if I insist, they won¡¯t be able to force me. The reason I chose topromise this time was because I was worried about my mother¡¯s health. But now, it seems that I was worrying too much.¡±

    ¡°What about you? Don¡¯t you think about yourself?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter. ¡°And, you promised me.¡±

    ¡°I know, I won¡¯t go back on my words. But, I hope that we can let nature take its course. At least, even if we can¡¯t be together in the future, there¡¯s no need for everyone to feel awkward. Moreover, your father and my father are people who often interact with each other. Although I¡¯m not a kind person, I can¡¯t bear to see them put in a difficult position.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want them to make things difficult for you, then just stay by my side. We will definitely get married in the end.¡±

    Zhou Zimo had never doubted this point. To be honest, he, Zhou Zimo, had been fantasizing about their married life these past few days. Furthermore, he was very certain that if his partner was Qin Su, he would be willing to step into the wedding hall.

    ¡°Why are you so certain?¡±

    Qin Su would not think that Zhou Zimo had fallen in love with her. The way he was right now seemed to make her feel that something was off. Even if she had saved Zhou Zimo¡¯s life previously, it did not seem like Zhou Zimo would be willing to return the favor with marriage, this was not Zhou Zimo¡¯s style.

    Therefore, Qin Su kept feeling like something was strange. However, she could not pinpoint the exact reason.

    Zhou Zimo smiled but did not answer. He just stared at her quietly.

    The doubt in Qin Su¡¯s heart deepened, and she roughly sorted out the recent events. Suddenly, Zhou Zimo¡¯s feelings came too suddenly, making her...

    ¡°You¡¯ll know in the future.¡±

    The corner of Zhou Zimo¡¯s mouth curled up into a warm smile¡ª

    He could not tell her directly about what they had done with each other. Otherwise, with her character, she would probably...

    ¡°This time, don¡¯t leave. If you don¡¯t like your current job, just change it. If you really like that ce, I¡¯ll apany you back when I¡¯m free in the future. I miss that ce a little too.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice softened. As he spoke, he even picked up some vegetables from Qin Su¡¯s empty bowl. ¡°No matter what, don¡¯t let down our previous resolve and our agreement.¡±

    Qin Su was quiet for a moment. Then, she picked up her wine and drank it. Her expression was a little different from before.

 Chapter 1866 - Jealous (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1866: Jealous (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was also at this time of the night when the wind and rain were bleak, hidden in the waning lights of the Grand Lake Vi district.

    When Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun returned home, it was already dark.

    The couple made a trip to Tanshan Vi district. Song Siting was recovering very well, so the couple was relieved. They only returned after having dinner there.

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little tired from the torment. After taking a shower, sheid on the sofa in the side hall and watched TV while Qi Lei was still busy in the study room.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye really needed to go out to rx, so Qi Lei¡¯s work had not been easy recently. Fortunately, everything was on the right track and there were not too many problems like before.

    At this moment, in the quiet study room, Qi Lei was focused on typing on the keyboard in front of him and dealing with the urgent documents in his email inbox.

    When he was in a state, his work efficiency was very high. After about half an hour, he had already finished responding to the other parties.

    Just as he was about to turn off theputer, his phone suddenly started vibrating. He quickly picked it up and the call was from Wang Chun

    ¡°Hello? Second Master?¡±

    Wang Chun¡¯s voice came through.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Qi Lei replied. He moved his mouse and slowly closed theptop. ¡°I¡¯ve sent the documents back. Remind him to check them.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi.¡±

    Wang Chun responded and paused before continuing, ¡°The Lin Corporation has been reorganized. We are now the biggest shareholder of the Lin Corporation. Should we directly move thepany under Tai Yu Corporation?¡±

    Wang Chun asked for instructions.

    ¡°No need. We are not involved in their industry. We must let Tai Yu Corporation stay out of this matter. You can carry out this matter ording to the original method.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! Oh right, Master Jin, Jin Sheng came to look for me again today. He hopes that our side can loosen up and increase the price appropriately. They are somewhat anxious to get this piece ofnd.¡±

    ¡°Thend is in my hands. It¡¯s up to me whether to sell it or not. We can be considered to be involved in this field now. Although it¡¯s an old city area, it¡¯s still lively. It looks like the Lin family and Lin Yuanyuan incident has dealt them a huge blow this time.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a huge blow. Previously, when the Lin family was going well, they were a great help to Dongfang Ren. Otherwise, Dongfang Ren wouldn¡¯t have been able to climb up to this position. However, when the Lin family fell, he threw them aside. He was only interested in profit. He didn¡¯t even give Lin Yuanyuan face. He¡¯s quite bold.¡±

    Wang Chun¡¯s voice was filled with disdain.

    ¡°We can use the bidding method on Jin Sheng¡¯s side. Of course, tell them that if anyone hasnd on South River, I¡¯ll give them priority. I don¡¯t mind tradingnd fornd. The difference in price can be made up for.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, Wang Chun¡¯s side immediately heard a burst of pleasant surprise

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t I talk about this! Land fornd! The Jin family seems to have a piece ofnd in South River. Previously, it was behind the South River No. 1 Project engineering base. Master Mu seemed to have had intentions of taking over that piece ofnd, but perhaps because of the dy, he hasn¡¯t made any moves. If we can make the Jin family relent this time, it will definitely be of great benefit to us. But if it¡¯s in the hands of the Jin family, it might not be the case.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. I¡¯m just giving you a reminder. You can do whatever you want with it.¡±

    Qi Lei replied nonchntly before hanging up the phone.

    ...

    ¡°Who were you talking to? It¡¯s sote. Why don¡¯t you rest early?¡±

    Qi Lei put his phone away. Just as he closed the documents at the side, a clear voice came from the door. He quickly looked over and realized that Dongfang Liuyun was already standing at the door in a thin robe, staring at him.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping? Didn¡¯t I tell you to sleep first?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and reached out his hand at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun obediently walked over with a cup of warm milk in her hand and handed it to him

    ¡°Mama Wang specially called to remind me to have a drink before going to bed. You must be tired recently. You should rest early in the next few days.¡±

    Although Dongfang Liuyun was not the kind of person who cared about others, her concern for Qi Lei was very natural.

    Qi Lei nced at her and took it silently. Without saying a word, he drank it all.

    ¡°Just now at the Tanshan Vi district, what did Mother call you to the study room to tell you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked curiously, ¡°I saw that when you came back, your mood was not quite right.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun asked this, Qi Lei looked at her meaningfully. ¡°Are you worried that Mother will make things difficult for me?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied. She thought for a moment, then turned around and sat down at the corner of the table. She lowered her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯te over with me in the future. I¡¯ve said that Ms. Song isn¡¯t easy tomunicate with.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much this time. Actually, she¡¯s just talking to me about you. I¡¯m trying to suggest that she leave the legal world and focus on being a legal consultant for the Dongfang Group. That way, she can better protect you and Father.¡±

    ¡°What did she say?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at Qi Lei in surprise¡ª

    He did not expect that he would actually talk about this with Song Siting. Was he not worried that Song Siting would reject him even more?

    Song Siting had always disliked others interfering with her work and her choices. Dongfang Liuyun was really worried that Qi Lei would step on this minefield.

    ¡°She did not answer me. I think she still has her persistence in her heart. Father also told me before that he would not force Mother to do anything as long as she was happy.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyunughed bitterly. ¡°It seems like I have never understood the feelings between them. To be honest, I really feel that they are not a good match, but they still lived together in harmony for most of their lives.¡±

    ¡°My father is a very refined gentleman, a man who¡¯s almost perfect. Sometimes, I really don¡¯t understand why he would fall for someone like my mother. He¡¯s so selfish, stubborn, and unreasonable. He even went to ask him about this matter. He told me that at the beginning, he didn¡¯t realize that Ms. Song had so many ws, but he got used to it.

    ¡°I remember you asking me what kind of person I want to be with. Then, I thought about it and suddenly felt that the person I want to be with is someone like my father. Someone who can protect me so surely at all times.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was not a dreamer, but when she said this, her face suddenly turned hot because she realized that Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation!

 Chapter 1867 - Jealous (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1867: Jealous (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, a hint of surprise appeared in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes. He said¡ª

    ¡°What about me? I didn¡¯t know that you had a fatherplex too?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded without denying it, ¡°Father is actually very protective of me. He¡¯s probably the person who cares about me the most in this world, so I naturally care about him too. ¡°You might not know much about the Dongfang family up until now. Father is the son of Grandfather and Grandmother, but he hasn¡¯t received much care since he was young.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rarely talked about Dongfang Gan¡¯s matters. When she talked about it now, his eyes were filled with emotion¡ª

    ¡°Father was born abroad. After that, Grandmother and Grandfather returned to China to manage the family business, and Father was left abroad. You know about thepany, once things get busy they get busy. Father only saw them a few times a year, so he had a lonely childhood. When he grew up and studied abroad, he didn¡¯t necessarily be cheerful. He didn¡¯t have many friends, but he was very smart. Grandfather said that Father was most like him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were a little dazed. Qi Lei very considerately handed her a ss of water. She silently took it and lowered her head to take a sip, ¡°Grandfather only let him return to City Z when he grew up and became sessful in his studies. I don¡¯t know how Father spent those years either. When ites to loneliness, his experience is more profound. He told me that no matter how unfortunate an experience is, it can¡¯t be an excuse for you to stop moving forward.¡±

    ¡°Yes, humans are always making unreasonable requests and rarely thinking about what they would given up.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s lips curled into a helpless smile as he went along with her words. ¡°You think it¡¯s only right and proper, that¡¯s why with Mother you¡¯re always so...¡±

    ¡°I guess you guessed it. That¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t done anything for her. Although I¡¯m a little annoyed by her actions, she¡¯s still my mother. Besides, I¡¯ve always felt that we¡¯re on the same side after all. We can¡¯t easily erase the same thing in our bones. The reason why I¡¯m indifferent is because the feelings hidden deep in my heart haven¡¯t been awakened. I won¡¯t use pessimistic eyes to see the world, that would make us feel better.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly and nced at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei paused for a moment and suddenly looked up at her. After thinking for a moment, he said¡ª

    ¡°Did Wang Chun and Yang Sheng say something to you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before speaking, ¡°The hospital said that Father¡¯s bodily functions have stabilized. The results of the examination over the past few days showed that his brain waves have slowly returned to normal. If nothing unexpected happens, he will wake up soon... have you thought about how to face him?¡±

    This matter...

    The moment Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice fell, Qi Lei¡¯s movements froze. He lowered his eyes and did not say anything for a long time. Finally, he stood up quietly.

    ¡°It¡¯ste. Rest early.¡±

    With that, his tall figure moved toward the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun could only watch as his figure disappeared outside the door.

    Then...

    Two dayster, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went overseas. Of course, this time, it was just the two of them. Mu Xiaocheng and the others were left in City Z with Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan taking care of them.

    Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi also returned to City B.

    They went to a reunion filled with sorrow. When they returned to City B, Mu Lingshi fell ill. In just 10 days, she lost a lot of weight. Zhuang Shurong was extremely worried. She wanted to go over to take a look, but when she was about to leave, she caught a cold because of the sudden drop in weather, so Mu Tangchuan was naturally worried about her going over.

    Qi Lei happened to be rushing over to City B to inspect the progress of the project. When he found out that Mu Lingshi was in the hospital, he also came over to take a look.

    Mu Lingshi did not have much contact with Qi Lei. Most of her memories were from when Mu Lingtian was still around. Second Master Qi was just a friend of Mu Lingtian. However, she now knew that Qi Lei and her big brother, Mu Yuchen, her sister-inw, Xi Xiaye, were pretty good friends. Even Su Chen and Zhou Zimo had a very close rtionship with him.

    Naturally, she was very surprised that he came to visit her.

    On the hospital bed, Mu Lingshi propped herself up and sat up. She looked at Qi Lei who was standing by the bed and quickly said, ¡°Sit down, Second Master Qi...¡±

    Qi Lei ced the flower in his hand on the table beside him. His handsome face was very calm, ¡°Just call me Qi Lei. I can see that you¡¯re very surprised by my arrival. Actually, Ah Mo and I are very good friends. There¡¯s no need to be so polite between us.¡±

    As he said this, Qi Lei pulled a chair to sit down.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a little surprised. After all, this is City B.¡±

    Mu Lingshi had lost a lot of weight. Her chin was sharp and her face was pale. She was in a very bad state.

    Qi Lei did not have to doubt that Mu Yinan¡¯s departure was a huge blow to her.

    ¡°I just happened toe here to inspect the progress of the project. I saw that Ah Mo was not in a good condition, so I asked him. I knew about you, so I came to take a look.¡±

    Qi Lei poured her a cup of warm water and handed it to her. Mu Lingshi epted it obediently.

    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a few days. I really...¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen and I are considered brothers, so you don¡¯t have to stand on ceremony with me. No matter what, it¡¯s only right for me toe over and take a look. Mu Yuchen told me about you before. That day at Grandfather Mu¡¯s tombstone, he even mentioned you by chance. He¡¯s very worried about you too.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s calm voice rang out as he quietly watched Mu Lingshi.

    ¡°I was too disappointing. I¡¯m let Big Brother down, but I¡¯m really sad. I want to cheer up too, but I...¡±

    As Mu Lingshi said this, she felt a bitter taste rise in her throat again, and her eyes started to heat up again.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much. You didn¡¯t expect these things either. Just take it as Grandfather Mu and Grandmother Mu just reuniting over there. You should feel happy for their reunion after such a long time. Sometimes, it¡¯s not a bad thing to leave. Grandfather Mu said that he¡¯s very content with his life, so why are you so sad?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps this is fate. I can¡¯t help but think that I¡¯ll never see them again...¡±

    Mu Lingshi sniffled and said in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Life and death are determined by fate. Those who are alive should live a happier life. This is the best constion for the deceased. Your son is very cute, and Uncle Gu is also a little haggard.¡±

 Chapter 1868 - Jealous (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1868: Jealous (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°If we hold on too tightly, we¡¯d be the only ones trapped.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, a bitter smile appeared on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know about me too. Some time ago, Liuyun asked me if my father woke up, would I forgive him?¡±

    When she heard this, Mu Lingshi suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked at Qi Lei in surprise¡ª

    She knew about Qi Lei¡¯s matter. His matter was a mess previously, especially Qi Qiming, who seemed to be...

    ¡°These years of experience are enough for us toe to a realization. Why is there such a tragedy? What can we do to prevent the tragedy from continuing? Now, the people who exist should be the people we care about.¡±

    Qi Lei sighed softly, and a sense of loneliness appeared in his eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t want to endure such an experience anymore. These years, the number of people guarding us has been decreasing. After thinking about it for a long time, I suddenly felt that perhaps I should have a reason to forgive him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate him?¡± Mu Lingshi asked.

    ¡°Of course I did, but when I think about itter, hating someone takes more effort than forgiving someone. I also want to live a lighter life. Your brother was hurt by Lingtian before, but didn¡¯t he also not me Lingtian?¡±

    ¡°Enlightenment is a very difficult thing, especially when you have to let go what you had previously held onto and ept another answer and result. Other than living for yourself, you have to live for Ah Mo and your son.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and said.

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s eyes shed. A small crack suddenly appeared in her heart, and the dark undercurrent in her heart felt like it had rushed out.

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say anything else. I hope that you¡¯ll recover soon. There are still many things that we need to do. We still have to live. We¡¯re not lucky enough. Fate doesn¡¯t give us the chance to be pretentious, Hmm?¡±

    After Qi Lei said thest few words, a relieved smile suddenly appeared on his handsome face. He reached out and patted Mu Lingshi¡¯s shoulder affectionately before turning around and slowly leaving the ward.

    Mu Lingshi was stunned for a long time. By the time she came back to her senses, Qi Lei¡¯s figure had already disappeared outside the door.

    ...

    After Qi Lei left, Mu Lingshi sat on the bed alone and pondered for a long time. She only came back to her senses when the water in the cup in her hand had turned cold.

    When Ah Mo went to the hospital to take care of her at night, she insisted on being discharged. Ah Mo naturally could not win against her, so he gave in to her and was discharged that night.

    However, what made Ah Mo feel strange was that after she was discharged this time, Mu Lingshi seemed to have be much more energetic. She seemed to have a sense of relief.

    Moreover, the morning after she was discharged, Mu Lingshi went straight back to Hui Gu Corporation to work. Her attitude towards Gu Qiwu was not as obvious as her resentment from before...

    ...

    By the railings next to the film and television base in City B.

    Qi Lei was standing at the sightseeing corridor. He had one hand in his pocket and the other hand was leisurely carrying his phone with the railing in front of him.

    Yang Sheng was standing behind him with a heavy briefcase in his hand. He took a step forward with the phone in his hand and whispered behind Qi Lei¡ª

    ¡°Master Qi, Ms. Mu Lingshi has gone back to work. She called just now to thank you. You must remember to tell her about your wedding with Missus.¡±

    ...

    When Yang Sheng said this, Qi Lei¡¯s gaze froze for a moment. Then, he said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s good. Mu Yuchen, you owe me a favor this time.¡±

    Then, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face softened a little as he walked along the corridor in front of him. Yang Sheng followed quietly behind him.

    ¡°Master Qi, actually, Miss Lingshi is quite innocent. Those things shouldn¡¯t have been shouldered by her, but now she¡¯s the one shouldering it. Emotional matters aren¡¯t something that can be dealt with quickly. After all, we are people with feelings.¡±

    Yang Sheng could not help but sigh as he spoke.

    ¡°You have such an epiphany. It¡¯s not impossible to cut through the weeds with your feelings. It just depends on whether you have the willpower and determination.¡±

    Qi Lei replied indifferently and put his hand into his pocket as he continued, ¡°For the same matter, the way individuals handle it may not be the same. It can only be said that Mu Lingshi is also a person who values feelings. Such a person is often easily hurt even more.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi. Just like you, you¡¯re also a person who values kinships, so...¡±

    Yang Sheng suddenly did not continue, because he had already noticed that Qi Lei¡¯s gaze was filled with coldness. He immediately swallowed the rest of his words¡ª

    He really did not dare to continue!

    ¡°My matter is different from her¡¯s. Don¡¯t bring these things up anymore.¡±

    Yang Sheng knew that Qi Lei did not like to talk about Wang Qin and Qi Feng¡¯s past.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s expression changed slightly when he heard this. He quickly said, ¡°Sorry, Master Qi, I just...¡±

    ¡°Alright, be smarter in the future. This isn¡¯t the first time. It¡¯s not good to focus on feelings too much sometimes. I don¡¯t want to be that kind of person,¡± replied Qi Lei.

    ¡°Yes! Master Qi! It¡¯s my fault for being too talkative. I¡¯ll definitely remember this in the future! It¡¯s gettingte. Master Qi, President Li is probably waiting for us. Shall we go over? The wind here is quite cold. Be careful not to catch a cold again. Missus had specifically reminded.¡±

    Yang Sheng also secretly broke out in cold sweat and quickly said.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go over directly.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng heaved a huge sigh of relief!

    ...

    ¡°Master, Mr. Ge has arrived. He¡¯ll be waiting in the living room.¡±

    In Fujiwara¡¯s study room in the cloud residence, Matsuda¡¯s low voice sounded as he carefully reported.

    Fujiwara was standing in front of the window with a bamboo slip in his hand. He was studying it. When he heard Matsuda¡¯s report, he did not even lift his eyelids. He said coldly, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Matsuda responded before walking out.

    Mr. Ge was a middle-aged man who had spent most of his time in the business world. He was not tall and was about 1.7 meters tall, but he looked quite rich. He looked very reserved, especially his eyes, which were filled with a quiet light, his words and actions were very polite, and he spoke very pure Japanese.

    ¡°Mr. Ge, our Master invites you in!¡±

    Matsuda spoke Japanese, and Mr. Ge immediately bowed and thanked him. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Matsuda! Is Fujiwara-kun doing well recently?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ge. Master has always been very good. This way please¡ª¡±

 Chapter 1869 - Jealous (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1869: Jealous (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mr. Ge followed Matsuda¡¯s instructions and came to the door of Fujiwara¡¯s study. Matsuda knocked on the door and only dared to let Mr. Ge in when he heard a e in¡± from inside.

    In the study, Fujiwara had already put away the bamboo slip in his hand and ced it on the bookshelf at the side when he heard footsteps. He turned around leisurely and looked at the person who was slowly walking over.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara, long time no see. Is everything alright?¡±

    When Mr. Ge saw Fujiwara¡¯s handsome face, a smile immediately appeared on his face as he politely greeted him.

    Fujiwara narrowed his eyes slightly and sized up Mr. Ge from head to toe. He quickly retracted his gaze and began to tidy up the somewhat messy bookshelf in front of him¡ª

    ¡°I heard that you wanted to see me?¡±

    Fujiwara did not look at him but asked indifferently.

    Hearing this, Mr. Ge smiled and did not try to hide it. ¡°Yes, Master Fujiwara should know that I¡¯ve admired you for a long time. Moreover, your father and I are pretty good friends.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re his very good friend, you seem to have met the wrong person.¡± Fujiwara replied coldly.

    Mr. Geughed out loud. ¡°Master Fujiwara is as forthright as ever, I never get tired of talking to you. I¡¯vee specially to see you this time, not because of your father, Fujiwara-kun.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What can I do for you, Mr. Ge, toe and see me personally?¡±

    Fujiwara put away the two books in his hands and asked unhurriedly.

    Mr. Ge coughed lightly and said with a smile, ¡°Master Fujiwara, you won¡¯t let me just stand here and finish the story, right? This isn¡¯t something that can be finished in three to five minutes.¡±

    Only then did Fujiwara stop his actions. He turned his head coldly and nced at Mr. Ge. Only then did he realize that Mr. Ge had a smile on his face, the kind that seemed to make people a little ufortable. Even Matsuda, who was on the side, saw it, he felt ufortable too.

    Fujiwara paused for a moment before walking over and sitting down on the sofa in front of him. He gave Matsuda, who was at the side, a meaningful look. Matsuda quickly understood and went to make tea. Mr. Ge also sat down opposite Fujiwara.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember when I had such a close rtionship with you, Mr. Ge.¡± Fujiwara said indifferently.

    ¡°I really admire Master Fujiwara. You have the image of your father in you. You¡¯re very simr to the Young Fujiwara-kun.¡± Mr. Geughed.

    Hearing this, the corner of Fujiwara¡¯s mouth curled up into a disdainful sneer. ¡°Mr. Ge, my time is very precious.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Sorry, Master Fujiwara! Actually, you should be able to guess what I have to say this time. It¡¯s about Lan Xiu.¡±

    Mr. Ge Stared at Fujiwara as soon as he said this. He tried his best to catch something from Fujiwara¡¯s face, but it was obvious that he was still disappointed!

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression was calm and emotionless¡ª

    ¡°Oh? About Lan Xiu? You know that Lan Xiu and I are good friends, but we don¡¯t talk about business. Mr. Ge, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Fujiwara replied coldly.

    However, when he heard this, Mr. Ge suddenlyughed and shook his head. ¡°Master Fujiwara, it seems that you only know one thing about Mr. Lan Xiu¡¯s matter. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be able to sit still like this.¡±

    Mr. Ge¡¯s voice was filled with certainty. Fujiwara felt very ufortable when he heard his tone. He no longer felt that Mr. Ge¡¯s purpose foring over was that simple.

    ¡°What else? Mr. Ge, tell me, what reason can I have that I can¡¯t sit still?¡±

    At this moment, Matsuda had already served the tea that he had brewed. Fujiwara took it directly, took a sip leisurely, and looked up at Mr. Ge.

    Mr. Ge nodded politely at Matsuda, and then smiled at Fujiwara¡ª

    ¡°Master Fujiwara probably doesn¡¯t know that the main person in charge of this project is Miss Dongfang Liuyun, right? Miss Dongfang has put in a lot of effort and invested a lot of money and energy because of this project. She is the secondrgest shareholder behind the Lan Group.¡±

    ¡°So? You¡¯ve been stuck at this level for several months without loosening up. Do you want their energy to be wasted, or do you have other ns?¡±

    When Fujiwara said this, his eyes flickered, and his tone was very indifferent. He put the teacup in his hand down on the table in front of him, reached out and slowly took the simple and unadorned samurai sword on the rack at the side, and leisurely pulled it out, holding a clean handkerchief, he gently wiped it.

    His appearance was rather indifferent, and Mr. Ge could not help but have some doubts in his heart¡ª

    Could it be that the news was fake? This Fujiwara actually did not care much about Dongfang Liuyun?

    Otherwise, if this happened, if Dongfang Liuyun vited the contract because of his rtionship, then all of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hard work would go down the drain, and it would also be very difficult for Lan Xiu¡¯s side.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara should know that this matter is a big problem for Mr. Lan Xiu and Miss Dongfang. I¡¯m not the only one in charge of thepany,¡± said Mr. Ge.

    ¡°So? You¡¯re here to negotiate with me?¡±

    Fujiwara narrowed his cold eyes and nced at Mr. Ge. Mr. Ge immediately felt a faint chill. He could not stand Fujiwara¡¯s aura, especially when he saw his indifferent look, it made him feel uneasy.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara should know that I¡¯ve always wanted to expand my business, especially in Japan, where the Fujiwara family¡¯s territory is. If Master Fujiwara is willing to help me out here, it¡¯d be more convenient for everyone. What do you think?¡± Mr. Ge asked.

    Hearing this, a sarcastic sneer appeared on the corner of Fujiwara¡¯s mouth. He looked at Mr. Ge as if he was looking at a clown making trouble¡ª

    ¡°Others say that you, Mr. Ge, are a very shrewd person, but looking at it now, I¡¯m afraid that this word has a derogatory meaning. This has nothing to do with me and the Fujiwara family. Only a fool would do such a thing. Moreover, the business you want to do is not something that we can afford. You¡¯ve set your intentions on my territory, your courage is indeedmendable.¡±

    Mr. Ge¡¯s expression turned ugly at his rich sarcasm made. However, he held back the unhappiness in his heart and said, ¡°Master Fujiwara, don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯re willing to help, the benefits will naturally not be short of you. We can split it 20-80. You¡¯ll be in charge of the business while the Fujiwara family will be in charge of security. How about it?¡±

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve already looked for my father. Since he didn¡¯t agree, you¡¯vee to me? Using this matter to ckmail me. Mr. Ge, shouldn¡¯t I admire your courage?¡±

    As his voice fell, Mr. Ge felt a cold light sh in front of his eyes, and his neck suddenly felt cold!

 Chapter 1870 - Jealous (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1870: Jealous (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A sharp chill came from his neck. Mr. Ge trembled slightly and did not dare to move. He was afraid that if he made even the slightest move, the sharp de that Fujiwara pointed at his throat would cut his skin without hesitation.

    Cold sweat broke out on Mr. Ge¡¯s back. His face instantly turned pale, but he still managed to remain calm. He silently raised his head to look at Fujiwara across from him. Only then did he realize that Fujiwara¡¯s eyes were extremely gloomy.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a person who will ept threats. You¡¯re quite brave. Do you know who you¡¯re negotiating with right now?¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    Mr. Ge nced at the cold and shiny sharp sword. Soon, his gaze stopped on Fujiwara¡¯s cold and stern face, ¡°Master Fujiwara, I came here with great sincerity. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for such a gesture, right? Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be very good if this were to spread. Bullying others with power isn¡¯t something that you, Master Fujiwara, would do.¡±

    ¡°Bullying others with your power? Before you wanted to make this deal with me, didn¡¯t you investigate who I, Fujiwara, am? I¡¯ve always bullied others with my power, especially with someone like you who doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate favors. No one can threaten me, and it¡¯s the same for you. If you want to make your ns against me, I can¡¯t guarantee that you won¡¯t have idents that shouldn¡¯t happen in the future.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s voice was as cold as frost, and his ck eyes were iparably sharp.

    ¡°Master Fujiwara, you¡¯re exaggerating. I just want to make a deal with you. Since Master Fujiwara has no intention of doing business, then I can¡¯t force you. I understand what you mean.¡±

    Mr. Ge took a deep breath and reached out to pinch the tip of the sword. He slowly moved it away as he spoke.

    ¡°There are rules in the underworld. Mr. Ge, you¡¯d better think it through before you do anything. Otherwise, something unpleasant will happen. Lan Xiu is my friend, and I won¡¯t allow you to touch them. You might not be able to bear the consequences if not.¡±

    Fujiwara said these few words, then suddenly put away the sword and put it back into its scabbard. Only a ¡®ka¡¯ sound was heard, and Mr. Ge was also subconsciously startled.

    ¡°Matsuda, send the guest out.¡±

    After giving the order to leave without any courtesy, boss Ge¡¯s expression naturally turned a little unhappy.

    ¡°Mr. Ge, please!¡±

    Naturally, Matsuda did not dare to disobey Fujiwara¡¯s order. Moreover, this Mr. Ge really did not know the gravity of the situation. He actually used Dongfang Liuyun to threaten their Master. Could it be that they did not know that this name, this person, in their Master¡¯s heart was an existence not to be poked?

    Only God knew how their Master had been enduring all this while?

    No matter how strong Fujiwara was, no matter how proud he was, in front of the words ¡®Dongfang Liuyun¡¯, he loved her so lowly that he did not even dare to look for her so easily. He was afraid that she would ostracize and loathe him because of this, this was the most unbearable thing for Fujiwara. He always hoped that Dongfang Liuyun would ept him again.

    Mr. Ge could only stand up and give Fujiwara a somber look before leaving with a cold face.

    ...

    The study room instantly fell silent. When the footsteps disappeared outside the door, Fujiwara put the sword back and flipped the coffee table in front of him. There was only a series of banging sounds, and the ground was a mess.

    When Matsuda returned, Fujiwara was standing in front of the window, holding the window frame with both hands. His back looked a little lonely.

    It was not the first time Matsuda had seen Fujiwara like this, but...

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you organize the information on that project for me to take a look?¡±

    When he heard the footsteps behind him stop, Fujiwara¡¯s deep voice could be heard.

    ¡°The information is ready. I wanted to give it to Master before, but...¡±

    As Matsuda spoke, he handed over a document in his hand.

    Fujiwara frowned and turned to look at Matsuda.

    After a moment of silence, he received the document and flipped through it. The more he read, the heavier his cold face became¡ª

    ¡°No wonder he dared toe and negotiate with me.¡±

    The sarcasm in his voice was very strong.

    ¡°This project is indeed not bad. If it really gets stuck here, it would be too unfair. Master Lan Xiu and Miss Dongfang have put in a lot of effort, so...¡± Matsuda said softly.

    Fujiwara put away the document and threw it on the table at the side. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°Go and handle this. Don¡¯t make things difficult for them.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Matsuda quickly replied.

    ¡°You can go out. I want to be alone for a while.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone also became quiet. Listening to him, he could always catch a hint of destion.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ...

    When Qi Lei returned to City Z, it was already close to evening. It was almost time to get off work, but the group still made a trip back to thepany.

    The sky had already darkened, and the streetmps were lit up. The ck car passed through the vast twilight and steadily drove towards Tai Yu Corporation.

    In front of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s entrance, Bai Xiaowei and the others had already arranged everything the moment they received the call from the higher-ups. They were waiting at the entrance.

    The ck luxury car finally slowly appeared in sight and stopped steadily in front of the door. Yang Sheng, who was in front, quickly got down from the front passenger seat and opened the door for the people in the back seat

    ¡°Master Qi, we¡¯ve arrived at thepany!¡±

    Qi Lei, who was resting with his eyes closed, also opened his eyes. He stroked his somewhat tired head and quickly got out of the car.

    ¡°President Qi!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei and the others quickly went up to greet him. They very considerately took Qi Lei¡¯s windbreaker from Qi Lei¡¯s hand and followed Qi Lei forward

    ¡°President Qi, the vice presidents are already waiting in the conference room. I¡¯ve already booked a private room in the big hotel next door. President Qi and the vice presidents can go over to have a meal and discuss matters. Otherwise, if we miss the meal, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be bad for our health.¡±

    Bai Xiaowei said very enthusiastically. She looked at Qi Lei with a sparkled gaze that could not be controlled.

    When he heard this, Qi Lei suddenly stopped in his tracks. He frowned and turned his head. Just as he was about to say something, he was caught off guard. Bai Xiaowei did not stop in her tracks and pounced directly into Qi Lei¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei also cried out in surprise. She bumped into Qi Lei¡¯s embrace. However, in the next moment, she was pushed away by a pair of arms. His actions were cold and repulsive¡ª

    ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    ¡°President Qi!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei cried out aggrievedly. She staggered a few steps before she managed to steady herself.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng also rushed over and nced coldly at Bai Xiaowei¡ª

    He had also been watching this Bai Xiaowei. If he did not think that it was useful to keep her, he would have fired her long ago. This woman had bad intentions towards their Master Qi. He did not dare to arrange for her to stay in Qi Lei¡¯s office. He did not know which one of them fools had actually let her arrange things today.

 Chapter 1871 - Jealous (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1871: Jealous (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei coldly retracted his gaze, reached out for his coat, and strode forward.

    ¡°Tell everyone to get off work early and prepare for the meeting. The meeting will start at 3 p.m. sharp tomorrow.¡±

    With that, Qi Lei¡¯s tall and straight figure disappeared into the elevator ahead.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng secretly wiped his cold sweat and nced at Bai Xiaowei, ¡°Secretary Bai, do your job. Don¡¯t y any tricks. Some things are not things you can think of. Master Qi doesn¡¯t like people who are scheming. If you do it again, pack up and leave.¡±

    As soon as he said that, Bai Xiaowei¡¯s face instantly stiffened. She could onlyugh awkwardly¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Assistant Yang means. I just...¡±

    ¡°Whether or not you know what I mean, you should know best. Alright, you don¡¯t have to work anymore, leave now.¡±

    ¡°Assistant Yang!¡±

    Bai Xiaowei called out, but Yang Sheng also took a step forward.

    When they returned to the office, Qi Lei directly sat down at his desk. Yang Sheng quickly made a cup of hot tea and said, ¡°Master Qi, everything is going well in City B. Tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°Give Vice President Zhang Lan of Glory World a call and ask her toe over tomorrow morning. There are some things that need to be reported to them,¡± said Qi Lei.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now!¡±

    Yang Sheng replied and turned to walk out of the door. Just as he opened the door, a bright red color entered his eyes. Yang Sheng immediately stopped and looked up. When he saw that familiar face, heughed in surprise and lowered his voice¡ª

    ¡°Missus! You¡¯re here!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded slightly and nced inside. He subconsciously whispered, ¡°Where¡¯s your Master Qi?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi is inside. Missus, quickly go in!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly moved aside and said with a smile.

    Dongfang Liuyun then walked in. Yang Sheng also closed the door.

    In the office, Qi Lei was sitting at his desk, flipping through documents. He was carefully reading through them, so naturally, he did not notice the woman who was slowly walking in. It was only when he vaguely felt a familiar fragrance enter his nose that he became a little dazed, he subconsciously raised his gaze and looked to the side. Only then did he realize that Dongfang Liuyun had unknowinglye to his side. She was standing under the bookshelf at the side, taking a book from it and flipping through it.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at his wife who had suddenly appeared in surprise.

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun closed the book in his hand and put it back. She looked away and looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while. If you just realized, I should praise you for being too focused, or wondering if my charm index has decreased?¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Your charm has always been enough to instantly kill any woman. How did you know that I¡¯d be back at thepany?¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he reached out his hand at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly and walked over slowly. ¡°I asked Assistant Yang before, you...¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned and stared at Qi Lei¡¯s chest. Her gaze became a little unpredictable.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei could naturally sense her aura that had suddenly fallen silent.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to exin?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was someone who spoke directly. As he spoke, he nced at Qi Lei¡¯s chest. Qi Lei¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter. Only then did he follow his gaze and look at his own chest. Only then did he realize that the shirt on his chest had a faint lipstick mark on it.

    His dark eyes immediately froze. He silently recalled the scene when the female secretary bumped into his chest when he returned to thepany. His gaze immediately turned cold as he hurriedly said, ¡°There was a small ident when I went upstairs just now.¡±

    ¡°To be able to leave such a mark on you, your market price is pretty good. Was it the pretty female secretary who was recently promoted?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her beautiful brows. Her eyes were filled with interest. Although She sounded very calm, if one listened carefully, they would be able to catch a trace of something unusual.

    Qi Lei listened and paused for a moment. He quietly stared at her. Seeing that she was also unperturbed, he thought for a moment and asked, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°When I came up, I saw her standing by the elevator with a blushing face. She looked shy, and when she saw me, she looked guilty, ssic look of a young girl who¡¯s met with a domineering President. Your flirting skills aren¡¯tcking at all. Should I have be worried? I remember you telling me before that you don¡¯t like female secretaries, what¡¯s going on now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s intuition was very urate. When he came up earlier, she saw the female secretary. When she saw here in, her aura was not quite right. She had seen her outside Qi Lei¡¯s office before, so it was not difficult for her to connect the dots.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m an overbearing President, but that young girl character should be you! Besides, I don¡¯t like little girls. I like the queen¡¯s aura. Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll fire her tomorrow. I guarantee that in the future, other than you, everyone around me will be men.¡±

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and narrowed his brows at Dongfang liuyun. For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of sweetness in his heart and hurriedly expressed his loyalty.

    ¡°Forget it. I didn¡¯t say anything. Being in such a hurry to express your loyalty makes people think that you have a guilty conscience. However, this is indeed too much. Hurry up and change your clothes. Do you really think that I¡¯m praising you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her voice slightly at the end of her sentence. Even Qi Lei was shocked.

    Only then did he stand up unhurriedly.

    ¡°You should arrange for that female secretary to go to another department.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Qi, are you worried about me or are you really jealous?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tall and straight body leaned over. He lifted her chin with one hand and smiled meaningfully.

    ¡°Jealousy is only for those who don¡¯t have confidence in themselves. I, Dongfang Liuyun, have never known what it feels like to be jealous. All my love rivals are weak in my eyes. I have ways to deal with them.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. It gave Qi Lei an inexplicable chill, but upon closer inspection, he found it rather cute.

    ¡°In that case, those women should be d that I¡¯ve turned over a new leaf. Otherwise, just based on my reputation, how many women would suffer in your hands?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the ones who would suffer wouldn¡¯t be them, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Qi Lei¡¯s cries of pain were heard!

 Chapter 1872 - Indignant (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1872: Indignant (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was alreadyte at night, and the Dongfang old residence, shrouded in a dim light, was exceptionally quiet. Especially when the cold wind blew past, the shadow of themp swayed, and the figure that fell to the ground looked somewhat deste.

    A series of knocks came from outside Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study room, breaking the silence inside.

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    Soon, an old voice was heard.

    Dongfang Yi pushed the door open and walked in. He looked up and soon saw the old figure sitting behind the desk in front of him, with her back facing him.

    ¡°Mother, you were looking for me?¡±

    Dongfang Yi walked forward and said respectfully.

    ¡°Yes, sit down!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman quickly turned the chair around and pointed to the seat in front of him. She put an envelope on the desk and adjusted her sses.

    Dongfang Yi paused for a moment. For some reason, he had a bad premonition. However, he sat down uneasily.

    ¡°I called you here sote at night, so obviously there is something. Have the children gone to bed?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said calmly as she raised her hand to pour tea for Dongfang Yi. Dongfang Yi quickly took the teapot and said, ¡°Mother is not feeling well. Let me do it.¡±

    As he spoke, he poured tea into the two teacups at the side and moved one of them in front of Dongfang Shuman. Dongfang Shuman also took a sip and said, ¡°Have you gone back to see your mother these days?¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, her elite gaze swept over Dongfang Yi. That gaze was naturally very oppressive.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy recently and don¡¯t have the time to go back. Mother, you know my mother. Even if we go over, we might not be able to see her...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what she does. Etiquette can not be abandoned. After all, she is your biological mother. I, Shuman, have only picked up two cheapskate sons. I¡¯ve already asked Ah Cai to prepare some generous gifts. You two brothers should find some time to go back and visit her in the next two days. It¡¯s also to prevent me from hearing any gossip.¡±

    Before Dongfang Yi could finish his words, Dongfang Shuman had already interrupted him.

    ¡°Mother, she isn¡¯t that polite to you. You don¡¯t have to be like that. As a son, I understand you very well.¡±

    Dongfang Yi actually did not have a good impression of his biological mother. After his mother remarried, she gave birth to a boy and a girl. To her, that pair of children was a treasure. In their mother¡¯s eyes, he and Dongfang Ren were probably nothing, they were just being polite on the surface. Other people thought that their mother and son had a good rtionship. If Dongfang Shuman had not asked them to visit frequently, he would not have been willing to go.

    ¡°That¡¯s my business. I still have to do my part. As long as you do your part, it¡¯s fine. After all, you¡¯re her sons. The Dongfang family is strict. We still have to do what we should do. However, I hope that you can be mindful of the things that we shouldn¡¯t do. Whoever nders the Dongfang family and brings shame to the family will be making things difficult for our Dongfang family.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s voice suddenly turned cold as she spoke.

    ¡°Mother, what are you saying...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman threw the envelope in front of Dongfang Yi.

    ¡°Take a look for yourself. I thought that you were a decent person and that you would be moreposed when doing things. However, look at the good son that you have raised! I also warned all of you back then that I wouldn¡¯t care about your affairs outside. However, you have to handle your own affairs properly and don¡¯t let others find any evidence against you. Now, it seems that all of you have turned a deaf ear to my words!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was very angry, and her cold and stern voice made Dongfang Yi feel a wave of panic!

    He hurriedly took the envelope, poured out the things inside, and began to read¡ª

    He saw that the things inside were all pieces of...

    They were all erotic photos of his son, Dongfang Yu, with those women. There was no need to describe the extent of those photos, they were practically naked. There were endless types of moves and women, and even he felt embarrassed when he saw them, however, he waspletely dumbfounded!

    ¡°Mother, this...¡±

    Dongfang Yi naturally knew about the things that his son had hidden under his elegant appearance. There were many things that he, as a father, had helped solve. But now, how did these things end up in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s hands?

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯tin to me about being wronged. When I first got these things, I didn¡¯t dare to believe it either. But the news from Ah Cai¡¯s investigation proved these facts. If these things were to leak out, you know what the consequences would be.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was unusually sharp. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t directly call Xiao Yu over is because I believe you can handle this matter well.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I... Xiao Yu, he¡¯s still young and insensible... so... how did Mother get these photos?¡±

    Dongfang Yi¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and put the photos back. After calming down for a moment, he forced himself to remain rational and asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about how I got these things. I can only say that you and your son are considered lucky. If these things fell into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, things wouldn¡¯t be so simple. The situation would be out of our control. You better give me a satisfactory answer to this matter.¡± Dongfang Shuman said coldly.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Yi could not help but break out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly said, ¡°Fortunately, Mother is smart. Don¡¯t worry, I will definitely take care of this matter. Mother is everything here?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, the negative has been deleted. This should be it. Of course, I can¡¯t guarantee that. You can handle this matter yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Mother, I will handle it well. Xiao Yu isn¡¯t sensible. Mother, don¡¯t me him. I will definitely discipline him in the future!¡± Dongfang Yi said in a heavy tone.

    ¡°Mmm, I hope this won¡¯t happen again. Otherwise, he won¡¯t need to stay in thepany anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Mother, don¡¯t worry. I promise that there won¡¯t be a second time. I will definitely handle it properly.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman nodded and waved at him. This time, Dongfang Yi took the envelope and left the study with a gloomy face.

    ...

    ¡°President Shu, if you let President Yi take the thing and leave just like that, wouldn¡¯t that be...¡±

    Dongfang Yi¡¯s figure had just disappeared outside the door when Ah Cai, who was behind the bookshelf, also walked out and asked Dongfang Shuman with some doubts.

    ¡°What do you know? No matter how I handle this matter, it will cause them to be dissatisfied. It¡¯s better to let Dongfang Yi solve it himself. Other than owing me this favor, he will also make this undercurrent even more ferocious. This is a good thing.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman smiled coldly¡ª

 Chapter 1873 - Indignant (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1873: Indignant (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing this, Ah Cai was stunned. She thought for a moment and suddenly seemed to have noticed something. She quickly asked¡ª

    ¡°Then, President Shu, the Fourth Lady had given these things to you. If Vice President Yi finds out that they are hers...¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Dongfang Yi is naturally suspicious. The more Liuyun gives these documents to me without any scruples, the more he will be grateful to Liuyun. As long as they investigate this matter, they will definitely find out that it is Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s masterpiece. Moreover, Lin Yuanyuan has been keeping an eye on them for a long time. He will definitely be d that Liuyun obtained this information by ident. Otherwise, they would be even more affected.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old eyes were filled with an elite light as she said with certainty.

    Ah Cai listened and pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°After President Shu said this, it seems that I can understand some of it. Theoretically speaking, it is indeed more appropriate for the Fourth Lady to directly hand these things over to you. After all, if this matter is exposed, the impact will be very bad. If it is not good, the reputation of Master Yu might even be directly ruined. Although these matters are not a big deal in the circle, if they surfaced, it would be the Dongfang family that loses face.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took a deep breath and lowered her head to take a sip of tea, ¡°You¡¯re onto something. Liuyun saw through this point and wanted to borrow my hand. Her motive is very clear. Firstly, she wants to see my reaction. Secondly, she wants to make this matter not so simple. Do you think she didn¡¯t have a backup n for herself? As long as Dongfang Yi goes to investigate, he will definitely follow the clues to Lin Yuanyuan. If we¡¯re wrong, Dongfang Yi¡¯s next step will definitely be to have Dongfang Yu temporarily hide from the limelight.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she could not help but sigh, ¡°She¡¯s always been smart, like her grandfather. Just wait and see. After the South River Project, she wouldn¡¯t just be wanting Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s position. Previously, when Qi Lei agreed to this project so easily, I didn¡¯t think it was that simple. This person is also somewhat unfathomable. After this matter, Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi will definitely fight. Dongfang Yu might be transferred out. This bnce is going to be broken.¡±

    ¡°Fourth Lady is very smart. Even the Elder President thought highly of her. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have taught her the fate of thepany and the family. It¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s not a man. After all, these are the family¡¯s many years of glory and heritage.¡±

    Ah Cai also said with some disappointment. Although she herself also admired Dongfang Liuyun, as the Dongfang family¡¯s assistant for more than 20 years, she had also witnessed the development of the Dongfang Group, naturally, she hoped that this ¡®Dongfang¡¯ would continue forever.

    ¡°That will depend on what kind of sacrifices Qi Lei can make. Although I¡¯m not the kind of person who values bloodlines, I still hope that the Dongfang family can continue forever. But now you can see that the rtionship within the family is fragmented, and everyone is looking after their own interests. Even if we can hold on for a while, we might not be able to walk down this path with dignity.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said gloomily, ¡°This situation reminds me of the tests I went through when I was with her grandfather. The Dongfang Group was gued by internal and external problems. I always felt that they had more courage back then, especially when I went to negotiate with the other party alone. The other party held a gun to my head and told me to finish my words.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, your boldness is not something that ordinary people canpare to. Other than theck of overall ability, young people nowadays do not have the same courage as you. I think this is also the reason why the Elder President took a fancy to the Fourth Lady.¡±

    ¡°Her personality is more like her grandfather and her father¡¯s. This is a good thing. As long as she does not follow her insensible mother, I will be relieved. How is Song Siting these days?¡±

    At the mention of Song Siting, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s eyes showed some repulsion. It had been decades, but she still could not ept this Song Siting. She could not understand what her son had taken a fancy to that woman!

    ¡°Lawyer Song, everything is still normal. She met Master Fujiwara not long ago, and she still disapproves of Fourth Lady marrying Second Master Qi. Because of this matter, the mother and daughter are also unhappy, just like you before...¡±

    When Ah Cai said this, her voice suddenly lowered, but when Dongfang Shuman heard this, she sneered disdainfully¡ª

    ¡°She¡¯s so shameless! Why doesn¡¯t she see what kind of person she is? No matter what, Qi Lei can be considered to be able to protect Liuyun well. What ability does she, Song Siting, have? Other than that disgusting arrogance, what does she, Song Siting, have? To have such a daughter-inw is considered a misfortune for the family.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s prejudice towards Song Siting had never diminished. At this moment, even her words had be harsh.

    ¡°If she coulde to her senses, Ah Gan and Liuyun wouldn¡¯t have had to work so hard. If it wasn¡¯t for Ah Gan being vignt, she wouldn¡¯t have been so calm after that son of the Lin familymitted suicide. Ah Gan is someone who has never been willing to give in. It¡¯s because of her that he had given in to me several times. I¡¯m afraid that she, Song Siting, doesn¡¯t understand these things. How can such a selfish woman have the nerve to talk about love?¡±

    ¡°President Shu, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s been decades. I think that she and President Gan should have gotten used to each other by now. They are both destined to spend their lives together. Moreover, the Fourth Lady is already all grown up. Don¡¯t worry about these things anymore.¡±

    Ah Cai looked at Dongfang Shuman, who could not help but get angry, worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I know that they are people who will spend their lives together. That¡¯s why I have to take advantage of this time to properly resolve these things. Ah Gan is my son. Although there is a barrier between us, mother and son are still mother and son. He values rtionships too much. This is not a good thing. So I have to help him.¡±

    ¡°President Shu wants to...¡±

    Ah Cai asked tentatively.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s ck eyes flickered for a moment. She lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea. Then, she said indifferently, ¡°Didn¡¯t she say that she wanted to see me a few days ago?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Lawyer Song called several times before and said that she wanted to see you, but you refused,¡± replied Ah Cai.

    Dongfang Shuman took a deep breath. Although she did not want to see Song Siting, she would have to see her now. Taking advantage of Dongfang Gan¡¯s absence, she had to thwart Song Siting¡¯s arrogance and let her understand her position.

    ¡°Okay, call Tanshan Vi area now. I¡¯ll go over there tonight.¡± Dongfang Shuman said.

    Ah Cai quickly nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call Lawyer Song now.¡±

    As she said that, Ah Cai left.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s eyes darkened as well. She leaned back in her chair somewhat tiredly.

 Chapter 1874 - Indignant (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1874: Indignant (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s recent situation was not very good either. Not to mention that she was very worried about the Lin Yuanyuan, just the wedding alone made her somewhat frustrated.

    The time for her and Jin Sheng¡¯s wedding had already been set. Just a few days before the end of the year and New Year¡¯s Eve, the wedding photos had already been taken. Now, there was not much time left before the wedding, and they had more than a month to prepare for the wedding.

    The Jin family naturally attached great importance to this wedding. On the side of the Dongfang family, Dongfang Shuman had also specially arranged for people to help Lin Yuanyuan prepare. She also told Lin Yuanyuan that she could take advantage of this period of time to properly prepare for Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding.

    For the next two days and weekends, she did not have to go to work. Dongfang Rou¡¯er also stayed at home.

    Lin Yuanyuan was originally a little unhappy because of the suspension. However, because Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding date was approaching, she put away her emotions and started to prepare for Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    Lin Yuanyuan could be considered a person with good nning skills. Since Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding was handed over to her, Dongfang Ren and the others naturally felt at ease.

    At this moment, Lin Yuanyuan was sitting on the sofa in the living room, preparing to draw up the guest list. When she saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er leaning against the sofa and looking out the window, she frowned¡ª

    ¡°If you are very free,e and help me take a look at these guest lists. There are too many things, and I am a little confused now. The Jin family will be giving the betrothal gifts in two days. Why do you look like you are so absent-minded? Did something happen at work? What did Dongfang Liuyun do to you?¡± Lin Yuanyuan asked.

    As soon as she finished speaking, Dongfang Rou¡¯er pulled her gaze back from the outside. Looking at Lin Yuanyuan, who still had a hint of joy on her face, she replied absent-mindedly, ¡°You can decide on these matters. I don¡¯t know much about the guests of our Dongfang family. Why don¡¯t we just ask the butler toe over and help us decide?¡±

    ¡°Rou¡¯er, you haven¡¯t been in a good state recently. What¡¯s wrong with you? I feel that something isn¡¯t right!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan stared fixedly at Dongfang Rou¡¯er, his eyes filled with doubt.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t I agree to the wedding? What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°Did you and Ah Sheng have a fight?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan suddenly felt uneasy. She felt that her daughter¡¯s attitude had been a little strangetely, especially with regards to the wedding. She seemed to be a little conflicted. Moreover, Jin Sheng seemed to have rarelye home recently. Initially, she thought that because he was busy with the wedding, he did not have the time. But now, it seemed like something had gone wrong between them?

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. We¡¯re still good and are still the same. Didn¡¯t we have dinner togetherst night?¡±

    At the mention of Jin Sheng, Dongfang Rou¡¯er suddenly felt a little irritated. When she thought of the word ¡®wedding,¡¯ for some reason, she felt a little ufortable. If the person she married was the one Dongfang Rou¡¯er cared about, how good would that be?

    ¡°I can hear that your tone is not quite right! Tell me honestly, did the two of you have a fight? It¡¯s almost time for the wedding. What kind of attitude is this? If the Jin family finds out about this, what will they think?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s face instantly darkened as she stared intently at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°What did I say to you? If I say it¡¯s fine, then it¡¯s fine! Just pretend that I have a pre-wedding phobia.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at the passionate expression on Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s face and could not help but feel depressed. She suddenly did not understand...

    Why did she have to sacrifice her own feelings to help her father and brother? Why did she have to ept such a marriage proposal?

    She did not love Jin Sheng at all, and Jin Sheng might not love her either. Other than using each other, they only felt some pity for each other.

    Why was it that after Dongfang Liuyun left Fujiwara, she was still able to meet such an outstanding man like Qi Lei?

    As for her?

    After marrying Jin Sheng, apart from having to bear the pressure brought about by the Dongfang family, she also had to participate in the Jin family¡¯s battle with Jin Sheng. Moreover, the oue was hard to say.

    How did she, Dongfang Liuyun, get so lucky? No matter how hard she tried, she could not make up for her weakness?

    God is really unfair!

    Very unfair!

    ¡°I¡¯m going out to get some fresh air!¡±

    After saying that, she did not care about Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression and left the living room inrge strides.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan shouted at her.

    However, Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not slow down at all. In the blink of an eye, her figure had already disappeared outside the door.

    ...

    It was a cloudy day that approached evening. The weather was just like this in winter. There was not much sunlight and the cold wind was biting cold. Dongfang Rou¡¯er drove around alone and went straight to Emperor.

    The bar had already opened for business. Dongfang Rou¡¯er found a quiet corner and sat down. She ordered a few bottles of wine and started drinking alone.

    Her alcohol tolerance was not very good. After half a bottle, she was in a daze. However, she felt that her mind was abnormally clear!

    Otherwise, the face that she was trying so hard to forget would not be clearer and clearer like this!

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er drank one cup after another. When she reached the back, she saw that there were more and more people in the bar. Only then did she leave. However, at that time, she was already unable to stand steadily. When she walked, she was also a little wobbly. When she walked through the corridor, she realized that the sky outside had already darkened and the lights were on.

    She leaned against the wall as she walked through the corridor. Unexpectedly, she really bumped into him when she turned the corner!

    She knew that during this period of time, she had gone to check on his tracks and knew that he would oftene to this bar to have fun. Most of the time, he would onlye over to drink like this. She was not sure if she should look for him, but she was very clear about her own position!

    She was about to marry Jin Sheng, to marry someone she did not love.

    Moreover, no one might know about the feelings she had hidden in her heart.

    ¡°Fujiwara!¡±

    This was the first time that Dongfang Rou¡¯er had called out his name so clearly in front of him.

    The smell of alcohol assaulted his nostrils. Fujiwara, who was walking towards him, also frowned. He naturally recognized the drunk woman in front of him.

    ¡°Why is it you?¡±

    Fujiwara nced coldly at Dongfang Rou¡¯er, only to see that Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes were already blurred.

    ¡°I have something to say to you! I have something to say to you!¡±

    Seeing the person in front of her, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up with joy. She hurriedly reached out to pull on Fujiwara¡¯s sleeve and said anxiously.

    ¡°What do I have to say to you?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze was very cold. He silently retracted his gaze and was about to continue walking forward when he was unexpectedly grabbed tightly by Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡ª

 Chapter 1875 - Indignant (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1875: Indignant (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Let go!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold brows furrowed even more tightly as he subconsciously shook off Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°If it¡¯s about Dongfang Liuyun, aren¡¯t you interested too?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er shouted out. Looking at her hands that had been shaken off, there was a hurt in her beautiful eyes that could not be concealed. Her hands clenched slightly in the next moment.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang Rou¡¯er, please have some self-respect!¡±

    Lan Xiu, who had followed behind, naturally witnessed all of this. He hurriedly stepped forward and separated the two of them.

    Dongfang Liuyun!

    When these words entered Fujiwara¡¯s ears, they were undoubtedly like a cluster of mes. Instantly, the silent candle in his heart was ignited. His ck eyes turned and immediately stared intently at Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡ª

    ¡°What do you want to say?¡±

    A low and hoarse voice sounded without any warmth.

    ¡°I know about what happened between you and Dongfang Liuyun that year. In the old Dongfang residence, Grandfather thought that he had suppressed everything. However, I know about this matter. Don¡¯t you want to know what happened?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er leaned against the wall steadily. Her misty eyes revealed a cold light.

    Upon hearing this, Fujiwara¡¯s expression suddenly darkened. His ck eyes flickered with a sharp glint as he stared at Dongfang Rou¡¯er. A momentter, he spoke coldly¡ª

    ¡°Matsuda, bring her over here!¡±

    His icy cold tone was as cold as the cold wind, and even his ears felt a bone-piercing pain.

    After saying this, his tall and straight figure walked forward.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Matsuda, who was behind, responded and immediately helped Dongfang Rou¡¯er up with one hand¡ª

    ¡°Miss Dongfang Rou¡¯er, please!¡±

    After saying this, he led her forward.

    Lan Xiu frowned. After thinking for a moment, he followed after them.

    ...

    The wind on the balcony was particrly cold. A bleak chill swept over, and Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt herself be more and more awake.

    Fujiwara stood by the railing in front of her. He did not even look at her. He just looked at the shing neon lights of the building across from him.

    ¡°Tell me, what exactly happened?¡±

    Fujiwara asked coldly, ¡°How did you know about this?¡±

    Back then, Elder Dongfang had suppressed the matter, so not many people knew about it.

    ¡°Do you believe that the medicine was actually given by Dongfang Liuyun? Didn¡¯t she love you very much after that... mmm!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and said this. However, before she could finish her sentence, she felt a gust of cold wind blowing against her face. The next moment, her neck was tightly gripped by arge hand, and she could not breathe, her eyes suddenly filled with shock!

    ¡°I think you¡¯re trying to make fun of me! I¡¯d be happy if she drugged me! Do you think you can sow discord between my feelings for her with just a few words? You¡¯re overestimating yourself too much! Foolish woman!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold voice rang out, and Dongfang Rou¡¯er began to struggle in pain.

    ¡°Let... Let go... I...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face was slightly pale as she continuously hit Fujiwara.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Rou¡¯er slowly turning red and about to stop breathing, Fujiwara retracted his hand coldly. Dongfang Rou¡¯er took inrge mouthfuls of air, her beautiful eyes filled with terror.

    ¡°You¡¯d better tell me what I want to hear.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re so confident in her, why isn¡¯t her current husband you? Why didn¡¯t she wait for you? Why isn¡¯t she willing to forgive you now?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also raised her gaze and stubbornly stared at Fujiwara. Her tone carried a hint of questioning.

    When Fujiwara heard this, his expression darkened. A sharp and cold light shot out from his cold eyes as he stared coldly at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re very angry, angry, and even sorrowful and desperate! In the end, Dongfang Liuyun isn¡¯t worthy of your attention! I know that you love her very much, but it doesn¡¯t mean that she loves you the same! She¡¯s already happily be Missus Qi, so why are you still so persistent!¡±

    ¡°This is my business, you don¡¯t have to be a busybody!¡±

    Fujiwara gnashed his teeth as he spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m a busybody, because I really can¡¯t take it anymore. You¡¯ll never know that while you were silently giving your feelings to Dongfang Liuyun, someone else was also slowly falling for you!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er had used up all her strength to finish her sentence!

    Upon hearing this, Fujiwara paused for a moment. He immediately turned his gaze away and locked his gaze on Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face. His lips were tightly pursed, and there was still no expression on his cold face.

    ¡°If it were me who was lying on the bed back then, and not her, Dongfang Liuyun? Would you have fallen in love with me in the end?¡±

    Seeing Fujiwara¡¯s indifferent expression, Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt a tingling sensation spread from the depths of her throat. The dull pain in her chest that had been quiet for a long time was instantly awakened.

    ¡°So, you were the one who did that?¡±

    Fujiwara asked in a cold voice.

    ¡°Is it really that important? In the end, the woman who appeared by your side was Dongfang Liuyun! Shouldn¡¯t Dongfang Liuyun be grateful for that ident, allowing her to send herself to your side as she wished?¡±

    ¡°Was it you!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze became colder and colder.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. Dongfang Liuyun set this up herself. Do you think she¡¯s a kind person? When ites to ying tricks, who¡¯s more despicable and shameless than her? ! She¡¯s not a kind person at all. The only reason she was with you is because she wanted to use you. Even now, after she married Qi Lei, that Song Siting hasn¡¯t given up on you at all. She still wants to use Dongfang Liuyun to catch a big fish like you! Fujiwara, wake up! She¡¯s not worth your effort, she¡¯s not worth your love, and she doesn¡¯t love you either! She¡¯s already married to Qi Lei now. They¡¯re a legitimate pair of husband and wife!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s heart-wrenching voice cut through the cold night wind and clearly entered Fujiwara¡¯s ears.

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression turned even uglier¡ª

    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m a fool? If you hadn¡¯t participated in this matter, you might not have known so clearly! Everything between me and Dongfang Liuyun is up to us to handle. What does it have to do with you? Whether it¡¯s worth it or not isn¡¯t important at all. What¡¯s important is that I¡¯m willing to do it. She¡¯s been away for too long these past few years. I don¡¯t care what she¡¯s done. I¡¯m not sure if I can do it well either. As long as she can return to my side, everything doesn¡¯t matter! It doesn¡¯t matter! Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t! She¡¯s so heartless, yet you¡¯re still so persistent! You¡¯ve always been her backup n. You¡¯re just a backup n that can be changed at any time! No, you¡¯re not even her backup n! She was willing to betray you for Lan Qi, and now it¡¯s happening all over again. She¡¯s betrayed you for Qi Lei. You, Fujiwara, treat such a woman like a treasure...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Before Dongfang Rou¡¯er could finish her sentence, Fujiwara cut her off angrily!

 Chapter 1876 - Swift and Decisive (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1876: Swift and Decisive (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The low rebuke caused Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s entire body to tremble. She subconsciously raised her gaze to look at Fujiwara. Only now did she realize that Fujiwara¡¯s expression was terrifyingly gloomy. His dark eyes were also filled with obvious anger and grief. His fists were tightly clenched as well, Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not doubt that if she continued to speak, Fujiwara¡¯s fists would definitely not show any mercy to her.

    She had long expected that Dongfang Rou¡¯er would not be able to control the pain in her heart. Since she had already said everything, she did not want to suppress the feelings in her heart anymore, when she thought of the pain she had suffered from her crush for so many years, her eyes could not help but heat up, and tears welled up in her eyes.

    However, she did not want to cry in front of Fujiwara. Who told her to be unable to control her heart and fall in love with such a cold and heartless man?

    She could never hope that he would reciprocate herfort. Moreover, she was the proud Dongfang Rou¡¯er, the heiress of the Dongfang family. She could never allow herself to be so lowly in love. She repeatedly resisted such feelings, but the more she struggled, the deeper she sank, the more she finally could not take it anymore.

    ¡°You just can¡¯t ept this reality. Fujiwara, do you know that the more persistent we are, the more injured we will be? Dongfang Liuyun doesn¡¯t care anymore. She doesn¡¯t care if you¡¯re in pain or if you¡¯re having a hard time. Wake up! Just like how you treated me!¡±

    ¡°I like you. I¡¯ve liked you longer than she did before. More than 20 years ago, when I first saw you appear in the Dongfang family, I already liked you. And didn¡¯t you and Dongfang Liuyun only start after that?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath, forcing back the heat in her eyes. She was extremely heartbroken, and her voice became very bitter.

    ¡°That¡¯s your business. I can¡¯t ept any woman who says she has feelings for me. Since you already know, you should also know that there¡¯s only one thing I want forever.¡±

    Fujiwara did not seem to be moved by her words. He gave Dongfang Rou¡¯er a lukewarm nce, then strode over and was about to leave.

    ¡°No! Fujiwara, wait! Dongfang Liuyun has already be Missus Qi, are you still not snapping back to reality? She¡¯s not worth it for you to do that for her! She¡¯s not worth it, do you understand!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er tugged at Fujiwara¡¯s sleeve and cried out involuntarily.

    Fujiwara pulled her away in disgust. ¡°This has nothing to do with you. I¡¯ll pretend that I didn¡¯t hear anything tonight.¡±

    ¡°Fujiwara!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er wanted to chase after him, but Fujiwara called out to Matsuda, and Matsuda walked over.

    ¡°Send her out.¡±

    Fujiwara coldly said this, and Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also sadly invited out. When she left the private room, she was in a daze. Her eyes were moist, but her mind was abnormally clear.

    She staggered back to her car. After holding it in for a long time, she finally cried...

    Meanwhile, in the private room, Fujiwara was also sitting on the sofa. Lan Xiu was pouring wine for him. Seeing that he did not look well, he asked, ¡°What happened? What did that woman say to you? It¡¯s rare for you to react like this, I thought only Liuyun had the power to make you look like this.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a stupid woman who thinks she¡¯s right.¡±

    The corners of Fujiwara¡¯s mouth curled into a disdainful smile. He did not want to mention this woman¡¯s matter, so he took the wine and started drinking.

    Seeing this, Lan Xiu hesitated for a moment. Finally, he did not say anything and quietly drank with him.

    ...

    Gradually, night fell. The cold wind was a little chilly. The ck luxury car drove into Tanshan Vi area like a hurricane and slowly stopped at the entrance of vi number nine.

    The car had just stopped when Ah Cai quickly got down from the front passenger seat and opened the door for Dongfang Shuman in the back seat.

    Dongfang Shuman was wearing a dark coat and holding a cane in her hand. She slowly got down from the car and stood by the side of the car, looking up at the luxury house in front of her. The lights in the front yard were still on, and the vi was also brightly lit.

    ¡°President Shu, Lawyer Song should still be waiting. The lights are still on inside.¡±

    Ah Cai lowered her voice and walked over.

    ¡°Go and ask them to open the door.¡±

    Although Dongfang Shuman¡¯s body was a little weak, her aura did not decrease at all. If it were not for her thin body, she would not look like she was ill.

    ¡°Yes! President Shu!¡±

    Ah Cai quickly responded and walked over.

    The guard at the front immediately showed respect when he saw Dongfang Shuman. He quickly opened the door and greeted¡ª

    ¡°President Shu! You¡¯re here!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman nced at him and then strode into the vi.

    In therge living room of the vi, Song Siting was sitting on the sofa, flipping through documents while waiting for Dongfang Shuman.

    The news that Dongfang Shuman wasing over had actually made her feel a little pressured. Dongfang Shuman had always disliked her. She had been married to the Dongfang family for decades, and Dongfang Shuman had never been kind to her. Every time they met, it was neither warm nor cold, Song Siting could naturally see that Dongfang Shuman was very dissatisfied with her. If it were not for Dongfang Gan¡¯s insistence, she would have doubted whether she and Dongfang Gan would be able to stay together until now.

    Therefore, Song Siting also harbored resentment towards Dongfang Shuman. However, she did not want to put Dongfang Gan in a difficult position. She could endure as much as she could these few years. If she could not endure, she would just hide.

    ¡°Madam, President Shu is here!¡±

    The servant suddenly came to report.

    Song Siting paused at this moment. She hurriedly stopped what she was doing. She only turned her head when she heard the greetings and footsteps from the door. Dongfang Shuman¡¯s cold and oppressive figure had already appeared at the door.

    She quickly closed the document in her hand and put it aside. Then, she stood up and called out¡ª

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s footsteps crossed the sofa and directly walked over. She gave her a deep look and her gaze quickly stopped on the document that Song Siting had ced on the side. Her eyes darkened for a moment before she sat down on the sofa across Song Siting.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    After saying these words coldly, Song Siting slowly sat back down as she busied herself with making tea for Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°Mother, why are you here sote? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    No matter how domineering Song Siting was usually, she had no choice but to endure her temper in front of Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what I¡¯m here for? I think you should have recovered by now.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took the tea, sipped it indifferently and said in a deep voice.

 Chapter 1877 - Swift and Decisive (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1877: Swift and Decisive (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Song Siting raised her gaze to look at Dongfang Shuman before replying softly¡ª

    ¡°Much better. Thank you for your concern, Mother. It¡¯s just that I really don¡¯t know what Mother means.¡±

    When Song Siting said this, her eyes darkened slightly. She thought to herself, this Dongfang Shuman is probably here to scold me as well, right?

    Now that Dongfang Gan was not home, it was time for them to have a good chat.

    ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing. There¡¯s no need to hide it. You, Song Siting, have been married to our Dongfang family for decades. You should know my character. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯vebeled me as an ¡®evil mother-inw¡¯ in your books, right?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman nced at Song Siting disdainfully, her tone somewhat cold.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think of it that way.¡± Song Siting replied.

    After thinking for a moment, she continued, ¡°I know that Mother has never been satisfied with me. I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t do well enough, that¡¯s why...¡±

    ¡°You also have this self-awareness. I¡¯m just afraid that this self-awareness of yours is just a formality. I don¡¯t deny that you do make me very dissatisfied. You don¡¯t have the qualifications to be the daughter-inw of the Dongfang family and the wife of Ah Gan. I know that you will be very dissatisfied and unhappy after hearing these words, but this is the truth.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said coldly. She put down the teacup in her hand, and her elite gaze quietly locked onto Song Siting¡¯s somewhat gloomy face.

    ¡°Mother¡¯s prejudice against me is too deep, and I have nothing to say. Since you think so of me, there¡¯s no point in me defending myself.¡±

    Song Siting was naturally not convinced. She had worked hard step by step until now, and was also a famous figure in the legal world. She was not necessarily inferior to Dongfang Gan. She did not understand why the olddy was fixated on her background? Had she not put in a lot of effort all these years?

    How could she, Song Siting, let the Dongfang family be humiliated because of her? As the chief legal advisor of the Dongfang Group, she had also done a lot for the Dongfang Group. Even if she had not contributed much, she had put in a lot of hard work. However, it seemed that no matter how hard she, Song Siting, worked, Dongfang Shuman was biased against her.

    As soon as Song Siting¡¯s words fell, Dongfang Shuman merely nced at her indifferently before saying, ¡°Do you feel that you have been wronged? Do you feel that you have already worked very hard? Do you also feel that your brilliance is enough to match up to Ah Gan?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was an extremely intelligent person. Naturally, she was able to capture the thoughts in Song Siting¡¯s heart with a single nce. When she spoke at this moment, there was a deep glint in her eyes, causing Song Siting¡¯s heart to feel uneasy.

    Song Siting was silent. She did not respond to Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°I do not deny your personal sess. However, you keep saying that you care about Ah Gan and Liuyun. I will ask you what you have done for them all these years? Other thanpeting in your career, I don¡¯t see you doing anything for them either. Not only did you not be their powerful assistant, you even caused endless trouble for them to handle for you and take the me for you. Take this incident as an example, isn¡¯t that the case?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was a person who spoke very straightforwardly and was used to directly hitting the nail on the head. This was because she knew very well that for a prideful person like Song Siting, she might not be able to listen even if you beat around the bush with her. She just needed to put the matter in the open.

    As expected, Song Siting¡¯s expression did not look too good after Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words fell.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a sense ofmunity at all. You only think about yourself. Do you think that the Dongfang family needs a daughter-inw with a halo to glorify the family? You¡¯re wrong! You¡¯ve never realized this. What we need is a good wife, a daughter-inw who can help support the family. We won¡¯t mind her background for such a daughter-inw. As for you, you only think about yourself! You think you¡¯re so high and mighty, but in my eyes, you¡¯re not even as good as the daughter-inw of the Eldest Brother and Second Brother. You¡¯re not even as good as a finger!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone became colder and harsher, ¡°I, Dongfang Shuman, don¡¯t like people like you who think they¡¯re so high and mighty but don¡¯t do anything practical. I don¡¯t care what happened to the Lin family back then. As the daughter-inw of the Dongfang family, you shouldn¡¯t have done that. On the surface, everyone is still on the same side, but you took the initiative to help the other party win thiswsuit. Later on, they treated Ah Gan and Liuyun the same way. Don¡¯t you understand? Also, how many people who have a deep rtionship with the Dongfang family have cut off all ties with the Dongfang family because of you?¡±

    Whenever Dongfang Shuman talked about these things, she would feel a wave of frustration in her heart. She was even more disappointed and disgusted with Song Siting. If it was not for the fact that she was still her daughter-inw, she would never have allowed her to continue being so arrogant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that for the sake of some family, there¡¯s no need to talk about right and wrong? I absolutely can¡¯t do this!¡±

    On this point, Song Siting disapproved of Dongfang Shuman very much.

    ¡°So you personally went into battle to talk about right and wrong? Talk about right and wrong, so you used the name of the Dongfang family to spread rumors everywhere? Song Siting, based on your thoughts, it¡¯s impossible for you to be a qualified mistress of the Dongfang family in your lifetime! With someone like you, my Dongfang family, the Dongfang Group is not far from being destroyed! You think it¡¯s straightforward? Have you thought about Ah Gan and Liuyun? How many enemies have you made because of these stupid things all these years? How can our Dongfang family have such a foolish daughter-inw like you? Eldest Brother and Second Brother¡¯s daughter-inw both know how to protect the family and the interests of the family. Only you would abandon the family and abandon your husband and daughter!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman could not control her anger with Song Siting¡¯s attitude, ¡°You probably don¡¯t know who caused Ah Gan¡¯s injury in Myanmar, right? Unfortunately, it was one of the sons of the defendant who was defeated by you. The Dongfang family is famous. It¡¯s already not easy for us to be standing like this. It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t offend others. Liuyun can¡¯t stand your way of doing things either. Shouldn¡¯t you reflect on yourself?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s cold and stern voice refuted Song Siting¡¯s expression. Although she was a little unconvinced, she did not dare to say anything. Dongfang Shuman¡¯s face was now dark with anger.

    ¡°There are many ways to uphold justice, but it shouldn¡¯t be based on such a sacrifice. I, Dongfang Shuman, am doing this for the sake of the entire Dongfang family. You can think that I am not a good person, but I will tell you very clearly, whoever dares to touch the Dongfang Group, whoever dares to touch my child, will be making things difficult for me! I will definitely not let them off.¡±

    ¡°Think about it carefully. I have nothing more to say. There is no point in saying more. You are not a qualified wife, nor are you a qualified mother. You¡¯re not qualified enough for me to ept you.¡±

 Chapter 1878 - Swift and Decisive (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1878: Swift and Decisive (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Shuman said thesest words coldly. She looked at Song Siting with dissatisfaction and did not want to stay any longer. She slowly stood up.

    Ah Cai, who was at the side, quickly went forward to support her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. It¡¯s better to do something else than to waste time with such an unenlightened person.¡±

    When the olddy said thesest words, there was actually some helplessness in her tone. However, she did not want to say anything anymore.

    They had different principles, and it was really too difficult tomunicate with each other. She, song siting, wanted to be a good person who protected justice, but she, Dongfang Shuman, only wanted to properly protect Dongfang Group, and...

    Perhaps she was the selfish one. She was old, so old that she only wanted to protect what she could still see.

    ¡°Yes! President Shu!¡±

    Ah Cai also looked at Song Siting with some disappointment, and silently helped Dongfang Shuman leave.

    The sound of footsteps gradually faded away. Song Siting¡¯s body stiffened. Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words were like needles piercing into her ears. Of course, she felt a burst of pain in her head.

    The olddy had always been swift and decisive. Now that they spoke about her, she was merciless.

    She was still unwilling to ept her because of this difference in principles.

    ¡°Also, I¡¯ve met Liuyun¡¯s husband, Qi Lei. The young man is pretty good. I hope that you have a sense of propriety. Not everyone can tolerate you like my son. If you want to be a saint and strive for a new heights, I won¡¯t stop you. But if you harm the interests of the Dongfang family, I won¡¯t tolerate you!¡±

    When she reached the door, Dongfang Shuman suddenly stopped and said a few more words coldly. Her voice drifted in the night wind, and her figure disappeared out the door.

    Song Siting¡¯s entire body seemed to stiffen up. She stopped in her original spot and did not move. Her eyes flickered, and her flowing light was obscure. No one knew what she was thinking about.

    ...

    ¡°Cough, cough! Cough, cough...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman returned to the car with all her difort. Once she got into the car, she began to cough violently. Ah Cai was worried and quickly followed suit. She patted her shoulder to calm her down as she advised¡ª

    ¡°President Shu, don¡¯t be angry. Don¡¯t be angry. Your body can¡¯t take the anger. You¡¯re already like this! You only know how to think for them. who can understand your hard work and your good intentions?¡±

    A haggard look appeared on Dongfang Shuman¡¯s old face. She raised her hand slightly to stop Ah Cai. She took a few deep breaths and said weakly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. These things still need to be straightened out.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, you¡¯re already so exhausted. President Gan and Miss Ah Xue are also...¡±

    As Ah Cai spoke, her eyes could not help but heat up.

    ¡°This is my fate in this life. I¡¯m destined to worry to death. I have promised her grandfather, but I still have to do it. Ah Cai, tell me, did I do something wrong?¡± Dongfang Shuman asked.

    Ah Cai¡¯s eyes sparkled. She sniffed and shook her head. ¡°President Shu, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You did it for the Dongfang family, President Gan, and the Fourth Lady.¡±

    ¡°But they might not understand. This chair is not easy to sit on.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman sighed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Shu.¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun knew immediately that Dongfang Shuman had gone to the Tanshan Vi area to look for Song Siting. It was a call from the butler.

    Dongfang Liuyun was currently dressed in a clean nightgown. She stood in front of the French window in the study room with her phone in hand.

    ¡°Alright, I understand. Ask them to take good care of my mother. I will pick a time tomorrow to go back and take a look. Also, don¡¯t let them know that you sent me a message.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss, I know. Do you need to tell the Madam that you will be back tomorrow?¡±

    The butler on the other end asked for instructions.

    ¡°No need. I can¡¯t say when I will be back. Let¡¯s do it this way. You should rest early.¡±

    ¡°Miss, you too!¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun put the phone on the high stool at the side. Her beautiful eyebrows subconsciously twisted into a ball...

    Grandmother Dongfang Shuman¡¯s rtionship with her mother, Song Siting, was very tense. Dongfang Shuman had been displeased with Song Siting for decades. Today, when she went to look for Song Siting, she must have wanted to negotiate, right?

    However, from the butler¡¯s description, it seemed that the conversation this time was very unpleasant, so Dongfang Liuyun was a little worried.

    No matter what, she did not want Dongfang Shuman to fall out with Song Siting. Otherwise, the impact would definitely be very bad. Moreover, it was hard to tell if someone would add fuel to the fire. One was her grandmother, and the other was her mother, she, Dongfang Liuyun, did not know how to deal with it.

    The conflict between these two was the same as the conflict between her, Dongfang Liuyun, and Song Siting. Their philosophies were not quite the same. Dongfang Shuman especially loathed Song Siting¡¯s self-righteous appearance.

    But what could she do?

    At this thought, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows furrowed even more tightly, but more than that, she felt helpless.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I can hear you sighing when I reached the door. Don¡¯t you rarely sigh?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s soft voice suddenly came from behind. When Dongfang Liuyun turned back to look, Qi Lei had alreadye to the coffee table. He poured a ss of water and brought it to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun took it and drank a few mouthfuls gloomily, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. The butler said that Grandmother went to look for Ms. Song just now. There¡¯s almost no need to think about it. The two of them must have very different opinions. Father has thought of many ways to ease the rtionship between them, but every time, it ends on bad terms.

    ¡°They¡¯re both very stubborn people. They each insist on their own positions and principles, and they can¡¯t say clearly whether who¡¯s right or wrong. You don¡¯t have to care too much. I believe they¡¯ll handle it well.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment andforted her.

    ¡°I just feel a little worn out. I think Father must feel the same too.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spread her hands and said helplessly.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s difficult being caught between the two. You¡¯re the same, right?¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a sideways nce.

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a cold person. I don¡¯t care about it. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±

    Qi Lei only raised his brows when she said that. Dongfang Liuyun wanted to exin something when her phone suddenly vibrated.

    She quickly turned her head and saw that the caller ID showed the name of ¡®Lan Xiu¡¯...

    ¡°Lan Xiu? It¡¯s sote, wonder why he¡¯s calling?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun muttered with some doubt before she answered the call¡ª

 Chapter 1879 - Warming Up (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1879: Warming Up (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There was a moment of silence on the other side. Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be able to hear the sound of water being poured. A momentter, Lan Xiu¡¯s voice came from the other end¡ª

    ¡°Is tomorrow convenient? Come to thepany. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work with Mr. Ge.¡±

    You could hear that there was a heaviness in Lan Xiu¡¯s tone. Dongfang Liuyun heard it and immediately frowned. He said coldly, ¡°It won¡¯t work? How can that be? Didn¡¯t you say that you were almost done? Mr. Ge seems to be arriving in City Z in the next few days. Can we talk to him? This matter has already been decided. Why did he suddenly change his mind?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little confused. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Is it because of Fujiwara¡¯s end? Mr. Ge has some rtionship with the Fujiwara family. If Fujiwara wants to...¡±

    ¡°Liuyun! It has nothing to do with Ah Ye. In fact, he wasn¡¯t very familiar with Mr. Ge. Don¡¯t make any guesses yet. The details aren¡¯t clear yet. If you¡¯re free,e to thepany tomorrow. I¡¯ll be here for the whole day tomorrow, you cane to my office directly. Remember to bring the materials from before. Besides this Mr. Ge, we might need to make other ns.¡±

    Lan Xiu said helplessly.

    ¡°What are we going to do? Because of Mr. Ge¡¯s project, you, me, and everyone have put in a lot of effort. If it wasn¡¯t for some reason, why would Mr. Ge suddenly change his mind? Besides, we were the best partners at that time. There must be a reason for him to do this. I don¡¯t want to give up just like that.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, he couldn¡¯t help but hold his forehead and take a deep breath. ¡°How about this? Go and check on Mr. Ge, see if anything happened. This matter still needs to be resolved. I¡¯ll go over tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry to disturb you.¡±

    There was some apology in Lan Xiu¡¯s voice on the other end.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not appropriate for me to just let you do this. Alright, don¡¯t worry too much. Everything will be fine when it¡¯s time. It¡¯s quitete. You should rest early.¡±

    ¡°Okay, good night.¡±

    As Lan Xiu said this, Dongfang Liuyun hung up as well.

    ¡°What trouble did you run into?¡±

    Hearing the voice suddenly quieten down, Qi Lei asked indifferently. Dongfang Liuyun quickly snapped back to her senses and looked towards the source of the voice. Only then did she realize that Qi Lei was standing by the bookshelf at the side, leisurely tending to the orchids in the flower pot.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Previously, I did a rtivelyrge project with Lan Xiu. I¡¯ve been the secondrgest shareholder in Lan Xiu¡¯spany all these years. This project was highly rmended by me, and I¡¯ve always been in charge of it. Now that I¡¯ve returned to Dongfang Group, I¡¯ve handed the project over to Lan Xiu. Originally, the matter had already been discussed, but the partner changed their mind at thest minute. Previously, everyone invested so much effort to not be stuck here.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little puzzled.

    ¡°Stuck? Whichpany? Didn¡¯t you investigate the credibility of the other party before working together?¡±

    Qi Lei took a wet towel to wipe his hands as he asked.

    ¡°The profit of this project is huge. Many people are rushing to do it. It¡¯s my fault for not considering it thoroughly back then. I should have investigated all the potential problems first. That way, it wouldn¡¯t be so strenuous. I can¡¯t let Lan Xiu suffer such a huge loss. I don¡¯t mind it myself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun felt a headacheing on and sighed.

    Qi Lei heard her tone being a little disappointed, so he turned to look at her silently. Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he advised, ¡°This is how business matters are. Don¡¯t be anxious. Find the problem and solve it.¡±

    ¡°I know, but many things are harder when ites to execution. I didn¡¯t think too much about it before, and I just thought that this project was pretty good. So... I didn¡¯t think too much about it. Just treat it as giving myself some experience. Being at a disadvantage now means that I can make sure I don¡¯t fall in the same ce in the future. I won¡¯t allow myself to feel lucky anymore.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could only console herself this way.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always admired your optimistic attitude.¡±

    Qi Lei was not stingy with his praise.

    Dongfang Liuyun, on the other hand, smiled cheerfully, ¡°When you¡¯re frustrated, forcing yourself to think this way will make you feel much better. Sometimes, people need to hypnotize themselves and brainwash themselves. The attitude is very important during this journey, and I haven¡¯t always been like this.¡±

    ¡°I still remember the song we heard when you brought me to that small za. In fact, I¡¯ve been there many times myself since then. Every time I feel bad, I¡¯ll feel much better afterwards.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled faintly.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him when she heard this. ¡°I thought people like you wouldn¡¯t care. After all, you didn¡¯t give people the impression that you were that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. I, Qi Lei, am also a quiet and beautiful man.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her with disapproval. Dongfang Liuyun chuckled when he heard her exnation. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Let me see. Which part of you has the aura of a quiet and beautiful man?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all over you.¡±

    He nced at her and said.

    Dongfang Liuyunughed even louder. She raised her hand and touched Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face. ¡°You¡¯re quite good like this. Being a quiet and beautiful man doesn¡¯t necessarily make you attractive and charming.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you think I¡¯m more outstanding or Lan Xiu? You¡¯re quite nice towards Lan Xiu.¡±

    After thinking about it, Qi Lei still asked this question.

    ¡°Lan Xiu?¡±

    At the mention of Lan Xiu, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but raise her hand to rub the space between his brows, ¡°Lan Xiu is naturally very outstanding, but his mentality isn¡¯t that good either. In fact, he¡¯s a somewhat pessimistic person. I¡¯ve told you about his experience before. Even if you are you, you don¡¯t have topare yourself to anyone. You, Qi Lei, have your strengths, and so does Lan Xiu. To be honest, I really hope that you can be friends with him too.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled when he heard this, but he did not say anything else¡ª

    Lan Xiu¡¯s rtionship with Fujiwara was extraordinary, so he did not necessarily want to get involved. Moreover, he did not know if he and Lan Xiu were close friends. After all, not every one of them was like him and Mu Yuchen before.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you unhappy?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun noticed that his gaze was a little serious, so she asked.

    This time, Qi Lei eased up a little and looked at her calmly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ste. Go to bed early.¡±

    Then, he put down the towel in his hand and turned to walk towards the door.

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and called out to him as she watched his back. He did not answer and his figure quickly disappeared out the door.

 Chapter 1880 - Warming Up (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1880: Warming Up (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The cold wind blew through the night. When she woke up the next morning, a thickyer of leaves had fallen from the ground outside the courtyard and were piled under the steps in front of the door.

    Qin Su had a rare rest, but she was used to waking up early. So early in the morning, when the sun had just risen, she had already woken up. After tidying up, she cooked porridge in the kitchen, simmered it over a small fire, and then went out for a run.

    When she was free, she was also someone who valued sports. Zhou Zimo had his own private tennis court in the backyard, and the two of them had even sparred over the past two days.

    The sky gradually brightened up. When Zhou Zimo got up and finished tidying up and was about to go downstairs to make breakfast, he found that the porridge had already been cooked in the pot, and some simple dishes were also ced in the pot to heat up.

    He raised his eyebrows subconsciously and quickly went out to look for Qin Su. He found officer Qin Su cleaning up the fallen leaves and early-blooming plum blossom petals in the corridor of the backyard.

    Qin Su was wearing a loose knitted long gown today. Her hair was casually made into a bun, revealing her delicate and indifferent facial features. Wearing the knitted long gown, she looked very petite, and her sleeves were slightly rolled up, her fair arms were exposed.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a cold day, who told you to be so proactive?¡±

    Seeing this, Zhou Zimo walked over with big strides. He reached out to grab the broom in her hand and grabbed her arm with one hand. ¡°There are regr maids at home whoe to clean, so I don¡¯t need you to do this. Are you cold? Are you cold?¡±

    As he said this, hisrge hand slid down and held her hand tightly. A heart-chilling feeling immediately spread from his palm to his body.

    ¡°I¡¯m just looking for something to do. It¡¯s not that cold, and I¡¯m not that afraid of the cold.¡±

    Qin Su nced at him from the side. Her gaze fell quietly on the hand that he was holding tightly, and she subconsciously struggled.

    ¡°Nonsense! I know that you¡¯ve always been afraid of the cold.¡±

    Zhou Zimo scolded her in a low voice and ced the broom to the side. ¡°There¡¯s no need for servants here. Leave these things to the servants.¡±

    Qin Su also took the opportunity to struggle out. She nced at the broom that was thrown to the side and paused for a moment before taking a step forward. She held onto the railing in front of her and looked at the few plum blossoms that were blooming in front of her

    ¡°The plum blossoms bloomed quite early this year.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s around the same time as the previous years. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to see such plum blossoms in the northwest, right?¡±

    Zhou Zimo also stood beside her and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°The northwest is a poor ce. Thend is wide and sparsely popted. It¡¯s not like we could grow such flowers and trees at home. Over there, the flowers and leaves will all wither in winter. The only thing that left a deep impression was the rows and rows of por trees. The hillside behind the base is nted with such nts. Deep in the base is arge desert. The trees block the wind and sand. They are the mostmon trees in the northwest.¡±

    As Qin Su spoke, a nostalgic look appeared in her eyes. However, now that she had returned to this ce, she could not help but feel a little emotional every time she thought about everything that had happened over there.

    As he listened, Zhou Zimo slowly turned his gaze away and quietly sized her up. He saw that her long eyshes were fluttering, and her expression was a little serene and distant. He was somewhat attracted and could not regain his senses.

    As if she could sense Zhou Zimo¡¯s gaze, Qin Su also turned her head to look at him. She caught his gaze in her eyes. After pausing for a moment, she finally turned her gaze away indifferently and looked at the plum blossom petals that were fluttering in the wind in front of her.

    ¡°Looks like you still like the northwest more than your home. Is there nothing here for you to miss?¡±

    Zhou Zimo suddenly looked at her and asked.

    Qin Su paused for a moment and did not say anything.

    ¡°Qin Su, stay here peacefully. Consider me shamelessly begging you to stay, you said that you would give us a chance. Tell me that you won¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he could not help but reach out and pull her in. He held her shoulders and asked her to look at him.

    Qin Su frowned and wanted to break free, but Zhou Zimo held onto her tightly. She could only give up and let him look at her.

    ¡°I have no intention of changing my mind. You¡¯re thinking too much. I¡¯ve always been a person of my words. Since I¡¯ve said it out loud, I have to do it well.¡±

    Qin Su exined calmly.

    Zhou Zimo listened and heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly pulled her into his embrace and whispered into her ear, ¡°That¡¯s good! As long as you¡¯re willing... As long as you¡¯re willing, everything is fine.¡±

    He was most afraid that she would think about leaving this ce and leave him like before, with no way to find her. It was not easy for him to get news of her, and it was not easy for him to get to this point. Of course, he would not give up.

    He initially thought that it was just some guilt, but unexpectedly, the more he came into contact with her, the more he seemed to be attracted to her. She basically did not have to do anything, and his gaze could not help but fall on her body, he was deeply attracted to her.

    Hearing this, Qin Su quietly raised her head and looked at him for a long time. Then, she said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s already winter. It must be very cold over there.¡±

    ¡°It should be snowing over there at this time.¡±

    ¡°Yes. The snow usually falls very heavily. Some of the soldiers also can¡¯t endure it, especially those new recruits who have just passed. Most likely, they can¡¯t endure the cold weather. Then, every time at this time, their thoughts would be especially strict.¡± Qin Su said in a low voice.

    ¡°Do you sometimes find it very hard too?¡±

    Zhou Zimo asked as he looked at her with a faint look of concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I wasn¡¯t used to it at the beginning, but I got used to it after that.¡±

    Qin Su replied without much emotion on her face. ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t want to leave without saying goodbye. It¡¯s just that the mission I received at that time was more urgent, so I had to return to the team and return to the military hospital to recuperate.¡±

    This was the first time Qin Su had exined these things to Zhou Zimo, and she had always been the type of person who would not exin too much.

    ¡°After I woke up, I sent someone to look for you, but the news I received back then was that you had already left.¡±

    Zhou Zimo sighed. ¡°Later on, I even looked for you, but I couldn¡¯t find you even after looking for a long time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told Mu Yuchen and Su Chen. I got someone to leave them a message.¡±

    ¡°I know. They told me when I woke upter on. They also wanted me to properly thank you for saving my life.¡±

    Zhou Zimo replied quietly.

    ¡°I was just doing my job. At that time, I would¡¯ve saved anyone. I think you would¡¯ve done the same.¡±

    As Qin Su spoke, he turned to look at him. There was a rare smile at the corner of his mouth.

    Zhou Zimo seemed to be able to read her eyes. He smiled but did not say anything.

 Chapter 1881 - Warming Up (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1881: Warming Up (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The two of them walked side by side through the winding corridor and returned to their room to eat breakfast.

    In fact, Qin Su¡¯s cooking skills were really not that good. As she was used to eatingmunally, she did not have many opportunities to cook for herself, so naturally, she could not be expected to be great at cooking.

    However, Zhou Zimo ate with relish and gave Qin Su a lot of face. When she saw that the breakfast on his te was almost finished by him, Qin Su was a little surprised. She suspected that her culinary skills had improved?

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the eggs are a little salty?¡±

    Qin Su asked in a low voice.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo raised his eyes and nced at her. ¡°Is it?¡±

    Qin Su frowned even more, but she did not say anything after that.

    Zhou Zimo drank all the water in his cup, took the napkin and wiped his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s a new blockbuster screening tonight. Let¡¯s have dinner together and then go over to take a look?¡±

    His tone was very inquisitive.

    Qin Su paused for a moment and subconsciously looked up at him. When she saw the hope and sincerity in his eyes, she initially wanted to reject him, but after some thought, she nodded. ¡°When the timees, give me a call and tell me the location.¡±

    ¡°Come to thepany directly in the evening. You should know the address.¡±

    Zhou Zimo narrowed his eyes at her and said in a low voice.

    ¡°Go to yourpany?¡±

    Qin Su frowned and did not quite agree. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only femalepanion that I, Zhou Zimo, acknowledge as my real girlfriend. Why isn¡¯t it a good idea?¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s words naturally made Zhou Zimo very unhappy. He had tried every means to let her know that he, Zhou Zimo, had decided on her. He did not think it was wrong to let her be involved in his circle, familiarize herself with his life, and follow his footsteps.

    Since she was neither cold nor warm, then he would take the initiative. After all, he had persisted for so many years. As long as he got the result that he wanted, he did not mind wasting time with her.

    Qin Su was quiet for a moment. She lowered her head and took a sip of water, then said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the object of attention. I know what you mean. Don¡¯t worry, I will let nature take its course.¡±

    ¡°Let nature take its course? Other than that, I naturally hope that you¡¯ll be more attentive to me. You see, my future parents-inw have both epted me.¡±

    Zhou Zimo had no clue about the word ¡®shameless¡¯. Qin Yi and Mei Xiaoyue had a very good impression of him. He had already treated them as his future parents-inw. Every three to five days, he would bring a huge pile of gifts to their house, he did not care whether Qin Su cared about him or not. He was so happy doing so that even Qin Su was helpless.

    Just like now, when she heard Zhou Zimo¡¯s shameless words, she pretended not to hear it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nice to them.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not nice to them, would you notice me? They think highly of us. I¡¯m a really good man, it¡¯s hard to meet someone like me. You¡¯ve met me though so you should hold on tight.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re bragging?¡±

    Qin Su nced at him and drank all the water in her cup. Then, she simply cleaned up the dishes.

    Zhou Zimo quickly stood up to help. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it! When are you going to make preparations? I want to bring you back to meet my grandfather.¡±

    Meet his grandfather?

    Qin Su frowned. For a moment, she was a little confused and did not know how to respond.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. My grandfather is easy to talk to. If you go to see him, I guarantee that he will be very happy. Although he is very strict with me, he will definitely be very protective of you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo naturally knew the old man¡¯s personality.

    A while ago, because of Mu Yinan¡¯s death, the old man was a little gloomy. He had not recovered from it for a while, so Zhou Zimo wanted to bring Qin Su back to make the old man happy. More importantly, he wanted to bring Qin Su home to take a look.

    ¡°The family doesn¡¯t know about us yet. If you¡¯re not willing, I won¡¯t force you. We can go backter.¡±

    Seeing that Qin Su did not answer for a long time, Zhou Zimo lowered his eyes sadly and said this.

    ¡°I¡¯m not unwilling. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not appropriate to go over rashly.¡±

    Seeing that he was a little depressed, Qin Su replied.

    ¡°You mean that you¡¯re willing as well then?¡±

    At this moment, a faint smile appeared on Zhou Zimo¡¯s face.

    Qin Su nodded. ¡°Make the arrangements. See what you need to prepare... does your grandfather have any special hobbies?¡±

    Hearing Qin Su say this, Zhou Zimo thought for a moment. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any special hobbies. He just likes fishing and practicing calligraphy.¡±

    ¡°Fishing and calligraphy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, grandfather has always valued the quintessence of the nation and his calligraphy is very good. I remember that your calligraphy is very good. Just based on this, he will definitely treat you like a treasure.¡± Zhou Zimo smiled.

    This time, Qin Su finally understood. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    Later on, Zhou Zimo cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. After he was done, he went to thepany.

    Qin Su went back to the study to read.

    She did not like to socialize. When she was free, she mostly wanted some privacy to herself.

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi, this is the information you asked for on Mr. Ge.¡±

    In the afternoon, the cold wind was still very chilly. When Qi Lei was inspecting the South River, Yang Sheng suddenly walked over and said.

    Qi Lei paused for a moment and shifted his gaze away from the construction site in front of him. He turned to look at Yang Sheng and saw that Yang Sheng had already handed over a document to Qi Lei.

    ¡°This Mr. Ge is not simple. He has a close rtionship with the Fujiwara family, so...¡±

    Qi Lei silently lowered his eyes and casually flipped through the document. He roughly understood Mr. Ge¡¯s background. Furthermore, the project that Dongfang Liuyun had mentioned was written very clearly.

    After reading for a while, Qi Lei handed the information back. He thought for a while before saying in a low voice, ¡°He went to look for Fujiwara?¡±

    ¡°Yes. When he got off the ne, Fujiwara¡¯s people went to pick him up. But I heard that the two of them didn¡¯t get along very well after that. As for the specific reason, I don¡¯t know about that.¡±

    Yang Sheng replied as he took the information back.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a huge project, she really had the guts huh.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and sighed helplessly.

    ¡°Yes, this project involves a lot of money. If it¡¯s not done well, Mr. Lan¡¯spany might be in a tight spot. In the past two years, they¡¯ve already shifted their target overseas. If they¡¯re hindered by this project, then overseas business might be affected too.¡±

    Yang Sheng could roughly foresee these results.

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. Then, he slowly turned around and walked along the river path at his feet.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s heart tightened when he saw that Qi Lei did not say anything. He quickly put away the documents in his hands and followed him.

 Chapter 1882 - Warming Up (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1882: Warming Up (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He walked ahead for quite a distance, Qi Lei did not speak. His expression was as calm as water.

    Yang Sheng saw that he was also deep in thought, so he naturally did not dare to disturb him.

    After a long while, Qi Lei, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and turned to look at Yang Sheng. Yang Sheng also stopped almost instantly and looked up at Qi Lei.

    ¡°I remember that two years ago, my mother had some friendship with the Elder Mr. Ge from before?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in a low voice.

    Hearing this, Yang Sheng paused and recalled carefully. Sure enough, after a moment, he nodded, ¡°Yes, Master Qi. Vice President Wang seemed to have saved Elder Mr. Ge¡¯s life when he was on a business trip in City C. At that time, Elder Mr. Ge thanked her profusely and said that he would definitely remember Vice President Wang¡¯s favor.¡±

    Qi Lei listened and nodded in understanding. ¡°Alright then, organize these documents and send them to Mr. Ge. Tell him that it¡¯s time for him to fulfill the favor.¡±

    Yang Sheng was stunned when Qi Lei said this. He quickly said, ¡°Fulfill the favor? Master Qi, this... This isn¡¯t very good, right? On Missus¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°If Mr. Ge is someone who keeps his promise, he will know what to do. It¡¯s better than asking her to find that Fujiwara person.¡±

    Qi Lei closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a long while, he opened his eyes and continued walking forward.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng did note back to his senses for a moment. He was in a daze for a while before he roughly understood what Qi Lei meant.

    ¡°I understand, Master Qi. I¡¯ll contact Mr. Ge right away.¡±

    ¡°No, you have to go over personally. You have to settle this matter.¡± Qi Lei said.

    Yang Sheng nodded as well. ¡°Yes, I got it. I¡¯ll make some preparations right away. I¡¯ll book a flight ticket and leave immediately.¡±

    ...

    While Qi Lei was worrying about this matter, Dongfang Liuyun was not having it easy either. It was precisely because of this matter that she was worried.

    At this moment, in Lan Xiu¡¯s office, when Dongfang Liuyun arrived, Lan Xiu had already brewed tea and was waiting.

    The two of them sat facing each other. Lan Xiu handed over the project information to Dongfang Liuyun, ¡°I tried to contact Mr. Ge before, but his cell phone couldn¡¯t get through. I think he intentionally avoided us. The hotel he¡¯s staying in is Emperor. However, he hasn¡¯t returned to the hotel in the past two days, so we couldn¡¯t find him.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t find him? How is that possible?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked you to send someone to follow him. Didn¡¯t we do that?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s intentionally avoiding us, naturally our people won¡¯t be able to find him.¡±

    Lan Xiu picked up the tea and took a simple sip. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Ah Li to increase his efforts and make sure to track him down. So, we can only wait for news now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression darkened as she listened. She then rubbed the space between her brows, ¡°If he¡¯s deliberately avoiding the project, does that mean that the project will not continue? We can¡¯t be so passive. This project is not something that he alone can make an absolute decision on.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the one in charge of this project. It won¡¯t be easy for him to find another shortcut.¡±

    ¡°I know. What else do you think he can do now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Lan Xiu quietly, her brows knitted together.

    Lan Xiu was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°Do you really have to insist on this project?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? We¡¯vee this far, and you¡¯ve seen everyone¡¯s hard work. If this project is ruined, many of our previous ns will be disrupted. I don¡¯t want to see this result.¡±

    ¡°Did Mr. Ge go to Fujiwara after he got off the ne?¡±

    Seeing that Lan Xiu was silent, Dongfang Liuyun asked directly from behind.

    At this moment, Lan Xiu took a deep breath and said with a bitter smile, ¡°This matter has nothing to do with Ah Ye. Don¡¯t always target him. Actually, Mr. Ge and Ah Ye aren¡¯t very close. Mr. Ge is only close to Elder Fujiwara...¡±

    It seemed as if Lan Xiu could not stand Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s misunderstanding of Fujiwara, so he exined.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and smiled indifferently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak for him. I know that he¡¯s been spending a lot of time with you recently, and you¡¯re also clear about the situation on his side. If it weren¡¯t for him, this project wouldn¡¯t have been dyed so much. I know that he¡¯s waiting for me to find him.¡±

    ¡°There are many things between the two of you that need to be discussed. You should know that he¡¯s been through a lot these years. I¡¯ve thought about Lan Qi¡¯s matter. Actually, I can¡¯t me Ah Ye. If he had saved him at that time, Ah Ye might not have made it back. He¡¯s willing to be a hero for you. However, with Lan Qi...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention Lan Qi to me. No one understands what happened more than me. We¡¯ve already be a thing of the past. Once something bes a thing of the past, there¡¯s no way ofing back from it. Lan Xiu, I only have so many feelings for him. After I squander it away, it¡¯s gone. Some things aren¡¯t going to work out just with one¡¯s own wishful thinking.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s had a hard time these past few years. Every day, he¡¯s been thinking of you. I know that it¡¯s not right to say these things now. Qi Lei is a good person, but Liuyun, if this problem isn¡¯t resolved, you won¡¯t be able to truly live a peaceful life. Fujiwara is in this city right now. He¡¯s here for you. Can you guarantee that Qi Lei doesn¡¯t care about him at all? If he really cares about you and truly loves you, he wouldn¡¯t not care.¡±

    Lan Xiu said in a low voice.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression darkened. After a long silence, she replied, ¡°Even so, I can only choose to trust him. Fujiwara, I¡¯ve already met him before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long since west met. I feel much calmer now. It¡¯s really not a big deal. Tell him not to persist any longer. It¡¯s meaningless. The person I have to protect in this life can¡¯t possibly be him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said with some disappointment.

    ¡°But he feels that the person you should guard is him. I¡¯ve tried to persuade him, but you know his determination better than anyone else.¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath. ¡°Liuyun, there¡¯s something I think I should tell you.¡±

    Suddenly, as if he had recalled something, Lan Xiu¡¯s tone sounded a little grave.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze and quietly watched him.

    ¡°Back then, when Ah Ye returned, he was served by the Fujiwara family¡¯s familyw and was locked up in the detention room for two months. This was the reason why he didn¡¯t return after so long. Actually, when Elder Brother Lan Qi proposed to you, I didn¡¯t quite agree. I know that you didn¡¯t have any feelings for him at all. You almost...¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop talking! Stop!¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could finish, he was interrupted by Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡°I only care about the results. I only want to care about the result. The process isn¡¯t that important anymore...¡±

 Chapter 1883 - Warming Up (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1883: Warming Up (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lan Xiu was not surprised to be interrupted by Dongfang Liuyun. He understood that Dongfang Liuyun had never liked to hear exnations in this regard. Perhaps it was as she had said, it had already happened and turned out like this, the process or the reason was not that important, especially now that it was so difficult to change such a situation.

    After thinking for a while, Lan Xiu looked at Dongfang liuyun and said, ¡°I know that you don¡¯t want to know about these things and don¡¯t want to talk about them, but I think that perhaps after you know the truth of everything and the reason for what happened, you can make a more urate judgment. The person I knew would always get ahold of the overall situation and understand the whole story before you made your judgment.¡±

    Lan Xiu actually did not want to say these, but looking at the ongoing stalemate, he naturally did not want it to be like this. He thought that even if Fujiwara and Dongfang Liuyun could not be together, at least they could return to how they were before and still be friends.

    Fujiwara was actually the same as him, a very lonely person. Every time he was with him, he could really rte with him.

    ¡°And then? So what if I made another judgment? You know very well what kind of situation I¡¯m in right now. I definitely can¡¯t put aside my current peaceful life and ept the impact of the waves.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    Lan Xiu muttered in a low voice.

    ¡°You know my situation very well. You don¡¯t have to persuade me. I know what I¡¯m doing and have my own ns. I¡¯ll think of a way to solve this matter. I won¡¯t let everyone¡¯s efforts go to waste.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun put the document in his briefcase and took a sip of tea.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think of a way to find Mr. Ge.¡± Lan Xiu said.

    ¡°No need. I think someone will be able to find him faster. This matter has been quite difficult for you. It¡¯s also my fault for not handling the matter satisfactorily. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll solve it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood up and said.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s deep eyes fell silent for a moment, as if he could also catch something from her words. Suddenly, he asked, ¡°Are you going to look for Ah Ye?¡±

    ¡°Since this matter has got to do with him, I¡¯ll have to look for him. Didn¡¯t you say that we needed to meet too?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent voice fell, before Lan Xiu could react, his slender body went over¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m going back. Let¡¯s contact each other if there¡¯s anything else. I know you want to be his lobbyist, but Lan Xiu, remember our previous agreement. I hope you can remain silent. This will be good for the three of us.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened. His lips moved, wanting to say something. However, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure had already disappeared outside the door!

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    Lan Xiu could not help but call out to Dongfang Liuyun. However, Dongfang Liuyun did not seem to hear him and left.

    ...

    ¡°President Lan...¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure leave, Ah Li, who had just returned, frowned. He walked in and saw Lan Xiu sitting quietly on the sofa. He could not help but call out to him.

    Hearing Ah Li¡¯s voice, Lan Xiu, who had his eyes lowered, slowly raised his gaze and looked at Ah Li.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, she... President Lan, she...¡±

    Ah Li said in a daze. Looking at Lan Xiu¡¯s somewhat disappointed expression, he did not continue his sentence.

    ¡°She left.¡± Lan Xiu said faintly.

    ¡°President Lan, actually, if you ask for this project, Miss Dongfang will definitely go and look for Master Fujiwara. As long as Master Fujiwara asks, this project shouldn¡¯t have any problems. I think this is also the reason why Master Fujiwara rejected Mr. Ge previously. Although I don¡¯t know the whole story, I believe that Master Fujiwara will definitely have a way to make Mr. Ge relent.¡± Ah Li analyzed.

    As he listened, Lan Xiu only smiled indifferently. His smile clearly contained a hint of self-mockery¡ª

    ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t speak to her, she would still go over, I know her. In fact, when I looked for her, she should have known about it. It¡¯s just that she didn¡¯t expose me.¡±

    After saying this, Lan Xiu smiled bitterly helplessly, ¡°Ah Li, with some things between us, no matter how hard I try, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to hold on to them. Even if I be more careful and cautious, in the end, it can¡¯t bepared to the passing of time. I once thought that the few of us should be best friends forever. Between me and her, we are also the kind of friends who can confide in each other and talk about everything.¡±

    ¡°President Lan...¡±

    Ah Li looked at Lan Xiu and felt a wave of difort in his heart. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Miss Dongfang still cares about you very much. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have rushed over at the appointed time the moment she received your call. She is very concerned about your matters. This project is also of great importance, so she...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand Liuyun. Concern is another thing, but we¡¯ll never be able to feel that sincere and pure feeling between us again.¡±

    Lan Xiu was actually a person who loved humbly and timidly. On one hand, he longed for the so-called love between him and Dongfang Liuyun. However, he was also afraid in his heart. If he were to pierce through thisyer of paper, between them, they would feel ufortable even just being friends.

    In fact, what Lan Xiu was facing now was the situation that followed.

    Dongfang Liuyun was the same as before. It was just that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s enthusiasm now had a hint of estrangement. Perhaps Dongfang Liuyun herself did not notice it, but Lan Xiu could feel it very clearly.

    ¡°President Lan, Miss Dongfang may not have meant anything. It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve been under too much pressure recently, so...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid even you won¡¯t believe this reason. Do you think I¡¯ll convince myself like this?¡±

    Lan Xiu lowered his head and took a sip of tea. Then, he put down the teacup and walked toward the office desk gloomily. ¡°Still haven¡¯t found any traces of Mr. Ge?¡±

    Hearing this, Ah Li¡¯s face changed. He quickly lowered his head and said, ¡°Sorry, President Lan! Our people still haven¡¯t found Mr. Ge¡¯s whereabouts. We only heard that he appeared in the underground casino. When we went to investigate, we couldn¡¯t find him. I think this may be rted to the casino. Maybe they are in cahoots. Mr. Ge escaped through the casino. Or the casino people might have caught him and wanted to know something from him.¡±

 Chapter 1884 - Warming Up (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1884: Warming Up (6)</h4>

    Lan Xiu only had reservations about Ah Li¡¯s guess. He nodded¡ª

    ¡°You must increase your efforts and find him. I¡¯ll personally go and look for him to ask for his opinion.¡±

    ¡°President Lan, we know very well what kind of person Mr. Ge is. He didn¡¯t look for us, but went directly to Master Fujiwara. This means that he¡¯s after Master Fujiwara.¡± Ah Li replied.

    ¡°Yes, I know. Alright, you can go down first and arrange for more people.¡±

    ¡°Okay, President Lan!¡±

    ...

    After Dongfang Liuyun left Lan Xiu¡¯spany, he drove around casually and went directly to Tai Yu Corporation.

    It was only close to evening now. The sky was a little quiet. There was no such warm sunset, only the biting cold wind.

    Dongfang Liuyun parked the car steadily in the parking lot in front of the square. She wrapped herself in a windbreaker and got out of the car, walking towards Tai Yu Corporation.

    In the president¡¯s office of Tai Yu Corporation.

    Dongfang Liuyun pushed the door open and walked in. He looked around, but he did not find Qi Lei. However, theptop in front of his desk was open, and the documents in front of him were also open.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and walked over. He sat down in the chair in front of his desk and casually flipped through the documents in front of him. Of course, there was also the data disyed on theptop¡ª

    They were all important confidential data for the project, but they were not unfamiliar to her. Qi Lei had never deliberately hidden these data in front of her. Every time, he would open them in front of her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally moved by this.

    He had to know that as long as she sold any of the data to her opponent, he might suffer a huge loss.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at them for a while before leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes to rest.

    After a busy day, she was a little tired.

    She narrowed her eyes and fell asleep. She vaguely smelled a familiar fragrance. Before she could recover, she suddenly felt a pair of big hands moving toward her forehead, the fingers were massaging her forehead and temples, instantly making her head feel much better.

    She did not expect this man to have such skills?

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised, but she did not refuse and did not say anything. She just reached out to grab the corner of his clothes and continued to enjoy it with her eyes closed.

    ¡°I think that when we are old, we can open a health center. With your looks and your skills, I guarantee that our shop will be full of customers. When that timees, we will find a few young girls. Of course, we can¡¯t find anyone too eye-catching to help us.¡±

    Her clear voice suddenly sounded.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t they be too eye-catching?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in surprise, ¡°With a shop like this, no one would dislike a woman¡¯s good looks.¡±

    ¡°Just take it that I¡¯m wary of you. I¡¯ll most likely be old and weak then. Although I¡¯m not afraid of aging, I¡¯m also worried that some things won¡¯t be able to withstand the reality. The more you care about something, the less it can withstand the test sometimes.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. I¡¯m not going to let you do such a thing. You¡¯re still Missus Qi, the mistress of Tai Yu Corporation, and Mr. Qi Lei¡¯s most noble and beautiful wife forever.¡±

    Qi Lei replied in a serious manner.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly opened her eyes. She turned to look at him and caught the determination in his eyes. Her starry eyes suddenly shed, and a warm feeling seemed to flow through her heart.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m really lucky. This weekend, let¡¯s move things around and go back to visit Grandmother. Since I returned from that day, I thought for a long time and suddenly felt that there was no need for things to turn out like that. It¡¯s best to think of apromise. We¡¯re already married. In the end, you¡¯re still the son-inw of the Dongfang family...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve met with Grandmother, Liuyun.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, his hands did not stop. However, Dongfang Liuyun was stunned and looked at Qi Lei in surprise.

    ¡°I took the initiative to contact her. It was a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°You and Grandmother...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun muttered, ¡°What did you say to her?¡±

    ¡°What else do you think we could talk about? Isn¡¯t the topic still about you and me?¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled softly.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t make things difficult for you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised

    Dongfang Liuyun knew Dongfang Shuman¡¯s personality very well. She had never acknowledged Qi Lei¡¯s identity before. Furthermore, because of this matter, the grandmother and granddaughter had a very bad rtionship and were very unhappy!

    ¡°Why would she make things difficult for me?¡±

    Qi Leiughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in suspense. I know Grandmother¡¯s personality very well.¡±

    ¡°Actually, Grandmother is also quite a kind person. Liuyun, if possible, I hope that you can get to know her properly.¡±

    Thinking back to his meeting with Dongfang Shuman, Qi Lei thought about it carefullyter. He could always vaguely catch something.

    ¡°I know what you mean. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and suddenly sighed¡ª

    ¡°She has her own standpoint. I¡¯m very clear on this point. I also feel that she has her reasons. She¡¯s a very demanding person, but I still hope that you can get her acknowledgement.¡±

    ¡°Is her acknowledgement that important?¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly asked.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important because I also hope that we can stay by each other¡¯s side with a very reasonable identity. It¡¯s better and saves some trouble. Did you know that Grandfather and Grandmother had this rtionship back then too.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re now a married couple. Legally, we¡¯re already a legal couple. isn¡¯t this identity reasonable enough?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her deeply.

    ¡°That being said, if it was really that easy to resolve, would I still be angry with Grandmother?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said calmly.

    At this moment, Qi lei chuckled softly

    ¡°In the end, you just wanted to take credit from me and meet the parents at the same time. Tell me, what reward do you want?¡±

    ¡°Can I really take it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him mockingly.

    ¡°When have you ever seen me lie to you?¡±

    Qi Lei did not think much of it.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled and quickly broke free from his hands. She quickly took out a document from her briefcase¡ª

    It was the information she had just gotten from Lan Xiu.

    ¡°I know that you have a lot of connections in City Z. I hope that you can help me find this person. The information I roughly know so far is on this document.¡±

    ...

    Sure enough, if she wanted him to do something, she could take a big detour and get him to take the detour..

 Chapter 1885 - I Like You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1885: I Like You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei stared at her for a long time before taking it slowly. He flipped through it silently while Dongfang Liuyun moved the cup of water in front of him.

    ¡°Is this the Mr. Ge you were talking about?¡±

    Qi Lei closed the document in his hand and asked calmly.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him. I told you about him before. Things aren¡¯t going well right now, there¡¯s nothing Lan Xiu can do about it. I¡¯m the one in charge of this matter. In theory, I should be responsible to the end. I can¡¯t let their hard work go to waste like this.¡±

    At this point, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly tightened her grip on the corner of his shirt and looked at him silently. ¡°So, no matter what, you have to help me solve this matter.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s solved, how are you going to thank me?¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes meaningfully and asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°How do you want me to thank you then?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked back?

    ¡°Mrs. Qi will be cooking tonight, and she will also be doing the dishes. How about it?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and smiled.

    ¡°Are you secretly protesting that you¡¯ve been cooking too much recently, and that you don¡¯t want to wash the dishes?¡±

    How smart was Dongfang Liuyun? She immediately guessed the hidden meaning behind Qi Lei¡¯s words.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and put down the documents in his hand. He pulled Dongfang Liuyun up, and Dongfang Liuyun naturally got up with tacit understanding. Qi Lei sat down on the chair, and she sat down on hisp as well. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, she looked at him silently.

    Qi Lei naturally could not bear to look at her with such clear and clear eyes. He said, ¡°Why would I do that? Well then, satisfy me tonight. Anything goes after that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all you think about in this head of yours.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said helplessly.

    ¡°Because I feel that other than this reward, there¡¯s nothing else I want.¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a meaningful nce, and the corners of his lips curled up.

    Dongfang Liuyun also turned her head away. She pursed her lips into a smile and stood up unhurriedly. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll talk about it when the timees. It¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯ll get off work early today, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Qi Lei responded and also simply packed the documents on his desk. Not long after, the couple also left the office.

    However, the couple did not go straight home. Instead, they went to the hospital to see Qi Qiming. The doctor told them that Qi Qiming was recovering very well. The signs of his recovery were bing more and more obvious, and his heartbeat had returned to normal.

    After returning from the hospital, the couple went straight home. Qi Lei cooked dinner. It was a very simple home-cooked meal. The couple had some hot porridge with some dishes.

    However, the work of washing the dishes was done by the couple together.

    ¡°You should visit the hospital more often. From what the doctor said just now, I think he might really wake up. When I stood beside him and spoke to him tonight, I seemed to feel his hand moving, but it wasn¡¯t a huge movement. I don¡¯t know if I was too sensitive.¡±

    In the kitchen, Dongfang Liuyun, who was cleaning the dishes, suddenly stopped what she was doing. She turned to look at Qi Lei and said in a low voice, ¡°Qi Lei, are you alright?¡±.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei was stunned. He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. Seeing the concern in her eyes, his heart softened. After a moment of silence, he replied, ¡°I know. Let me worry about these things. I know what I should do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. If you can¡¯t get over the pain in your heart, even if he wakes up, you won¡¯t be able to let go either. Some things are indeed man-made. Many things are just that we can¡¯t let go of, that¡¯s why we¡¯re having such a hard time. Take me for example. You¡¯re also clear about my family¡¯s situation. But, at least, I think I¡¯m considered Llucky.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly, ¡°What I can¡¯t let go of is Lan Qi¡¯s matter. Even though I¡¯ve been trying my best to convince myself and even want to live a brand new life. You may not know this, but in the past, whenever I brought up Lan Qi, I¡¯d be resistant. But now, I can at least face this.¡±

    ¡°I know that you really want to know about the matter between me, Fujiwara, and Lan Qi. I¡¯ve also told you briefly before. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you. It¡¯s just that right now, I don¡¯t know how to talk about it. Today, Lan Xiu also brought it up. This matter is a heavy burden in everyone¡¯s hearts. It¡¯s also the reason why I broke up with Fujiwara.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait until you want to tell me.¡±

    Qi Lei replied indifferently. He washed the dishes and put them away.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re Missus Qi now, everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°My request is that simple. As long as you¡¯re by my side, I¡¯ll feel satisfied. I¡¯ve been used to living alone all these years. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to break this peace. Naturally, I don¡¯t want to go back. Liuyun, I really hope that one day, you¡¯ll have a trace of affection for me. I don¡¯t expect it to be as rich as wine, but...¡±

    After Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Liuyun stopped what she was doing. She looked up and turned to look at him

    ¡°You¡¯re not expecting too much. I know that you¡¯re very good to me, and I¡¯ve been working hard. I naturally hope that our long marriage is also about love. You don¡¯t seem to have that much confidence in me.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, the corner of her mouth was filled with warmth. She looked at Qi Lei with a gentle gaze.

    As Qi Lei listened, the bitterness in his heart that he had suppressed for a long time suddenly showed signs of recovering. After thinking for a long time, he slowly spoke in a low voice¡ª

    ¡°What do you mean by confidence?¡±

    ¡°You obviously don¡¯t have confidence in me now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubt my past. I¡¯m not a person who will turn back. Besides, you¡¯re very important to me now. Other than my parents, it¡¯s you. Don¡¯t always underestimate your own worth.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had always understood that Qi Lei was very careful with his feelings. She did not want to read too much into it. She thought so too. It was good that he treated her sincerely. At least, she was satisfied with what she had now, was she not?

    She could feel some warmth as she got closer.

    The two of them warmed each other, and some things happened silently.

    ¡°What do I mean to you then?¡±

    Qi Lei asked as his gaze stopped on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯ve been married for so long, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve told you that I care about you. In fact, I...¡±

    ¡°In fact, what?¡±

    Seeing that Qi Lei did not continue, Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°In fact, what...¡±

    As Qi Lei muttered, he only smiled faintly at the end...

 Chapter 1886 - I Like You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1886: I Like You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Of course, Qi Lei did not say it out loud. Dongfang Liuyun waited silently. However, Qi Lei put away the dishes and left the kitchen.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows. She suddenly felt a sense of anticipation. She just wanted to hear him say something or admit something. Even she was surprised that she was so obsessed with an answer.

    After some thought, she chased after him.

    Qi Lei had already gone upstairs. When Dongfang Liuyun rushed back to his bedroom, the sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. It should be him taking a shower.

    Dongfang Liuyun silently looked at the closed bathroom door for a moment. Suddenly, she walked over and quietly stood guard at the door.

    The sound of running watersted for a long time before it finally stopped. There was a gentle rustling sound from inside. Dongfang Liuyun had been standing in front of the door the whole time.

    A momentter, the bathroom door was suddenly opened. Qi Lei walked out from inside wearing a night robe. However, just as he took a step forward, he bumped into a soft wall. He seemed to have realized something and instantly reached out to hold that body.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    A concerned voice came.

    Dongfang Liuyun held the door frame with one hand and stopped him. There was a faint light in her starry eyes as he looked at him quietly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at the woman in front of him in confusion. Hisrge hand was still around her waist.

    ¡°Finish what you just said.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not beat around the bush. He was toozy to beat around the bush. ¡°Just now, when you were washing the dishes in the kitchen, what were you going to say after that? Finish what you said.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun asked this, Qi Lei was instantly stunned. Therge hand around her waist stiffened, and the gaze he gave her was inexplicably deep.

    ¡°I forgot what I wanted to say.¡±

    After pondering for a moment, he suddenly said this.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze darkened. The hand on the door increased its strength as well. Her gaze was fixed on him. It was as if she would continue to stop him if he did not say anything.

    ¡°I remember that we agreed that we would be allies andrades-in-arms. But do you still think so now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°Do you think something has changed between us?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered his eyes silently and thought for a moment. Then, he looked up at him again. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his head and looked at her beautiful face. After a long while, he lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked up again, his eyes were filled with a faint emotion that was difficult to hide¡ª

    ¡°I thought you could feel that I like you.¡±

    It was a very low tone, but now that Dongfang Liuyun heard it, she suddenly felt a sense of happiness that could topple mountains and overturn seas. Her heart suddenly felt inexplicably sour.

    Facing his deep gaze, she also stared at him for a long time. Suddenly, she could not control her limbs and leaned into his arms. Her arms gently hugged him, and her voice became a little hoarse..

    ¡°Actually, I probably like you too. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m afraid that too many impurities are mixed into this rtionship. It¡¯s a little unfair to you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know what you¡¯re thinking, and I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m too bright myself. Everyone has their own secrets and space. I¡¯ve said before that as long as you¡¯re by my side, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his head and stared at her. Hisrge hand brushed through her beautiful long hair. He bent down slightly and pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    She only responded, but her heart was filled with waves.

    She did not think that this kind of married life was very important in the past. It was only now that she suddenly understood that some things had already been subtly influenced.

    That night, in the dead of the night, Qi Lei was out of his usual self regarding that matter. He was not as gentle and gentlemanly as before. Instead, he was a little passionate, as though Dongfang Liuyun was about to fuse into his blood. The battlested until the second half of the night, Dongfang Liuyun was so tired that She fell asleep.

    At this moment, looking at the woman who fell asleep in his arms, Qi Lei subconsciously pulled the nket and hugged her tightly. He stared at her deeply for a long time before saying in a low voice...

    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as liking you. I¡¯ll always love you. I¡¯ve fallen for you. If you turn back, I¡¯ll fall into hell forever. Give me a child. We need to have an unbreakable connection between us. It can also give me a sense of security.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not hear these words. She probably did not know what kind of rare things her husband said while she was sleeping.

    ...

    When he saw Dongfang Liuyun appear at the door of the Cloud Residence, Matsuda¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief!

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, it¡¯s you...¡±

    Matsuda said in surprise.

    Dongfang Liuyun kept her hands in her pockets, and the cold wind blew at the corner of her clothes. Her long ck hair was a bit messy, as if she had been standing there for quite a while, with a few plum blossom petals on her shoulder.

    ¡°Go in and tell him. I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said calmly, standing still and waiting.

    ¡°Yes, okay!¡±

    Matsuda responded, quickly turning around and rushing inside.

    At this moment, in Fujiwara¡¯s study, Fujiwara was standing outside the balcony of the study, looking at the scenery in the courtyard below. Suddenly, urgent footsteps came from outside, interrupting his thoughts, causing him to instantly frown. Just as he was about to turn around and look, Matsuda¡¯s excited voice came over...

    ¡°Master, Miss Dongfang is here. She¡¯s outside the door and wants to talk to you.¡±

    As soon as he said this, Fujiwara tightened his grip on the cold railing and turned to look at him. ¡°What did you say? Who¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Miss Dongfang Liuyun. She¡¯s right outside the door!¡±

    ¡°Let her in immediately!¡±

    A sh of joy appeared in Fujiwara¡¯s eyes, and his cold face seemed to soften.

    ...

    Under Matsuda¡¯s guidance, Dongfang Liuyun went straight to Fujiwara¡¯s study. Inside the study, Fujiwara had already returned to his study. When Dongfang Liuyun walked in, he was cing the book in his hand on the bookshelf.

    ¡°I¡¯ve imagined the scene of youing over, thinking that there would always be some joy of reunion, but I didn¡¯t expect that we would be this calm.¡±

    Fujiwara pointed at the sofa in front of him and poured a cup of hot water for Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°Warm your hands. It¡¯s still the same as before. When it¡¯s winter, your hands...¡±

 Chapter 1887 - Make Your Move! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1887: Make Your Move! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Fujiwara did not continue with the rest of the sentence. Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not take the cup, his eyes darkened, and he had no choice but to put it on the table in front of her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Fujiwara, who had already sat down across from him, and responded in a low voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re here because of Mr. Ge¡¯s matter, right?¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold and indifferent expression, Fujiwara¡¯s heart was naturally a little gloomy. However, he did not want to make things unpleasant during this rare reunion. Deep down, he knew Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s purpose foring over.

    ¡°You know about this matter?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him coldly. The ridicule in her eyes was very obvious, causing Fujiwara¡¯s heart to suddenly ache.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±

    Fujiwara lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it. I already know that Mr. Ge came to look for you. Mr. Ge suddenly changed his mind. If he said that it had nothing to do with you, I definitely wouldn¡¯t believe it. I don¡¯t want to implicate others in what happened between us. If you want to go against me, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡±

    After hearing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, Fujiwara¡¯s expression changed. He looked at her deeply and said in a deep voice, ¡°This matter has nothing to do with me. Whether you believe it or not, I, Fujiwara, am not that despicable.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re far more despicable than that. You know better than anyone else whether it¡¯s you or not. You don¡¯t have to implicate Lan Xiu in this matter between us. He¡¯s innocent. Lan Qi is already dead. Do you still want to drag him down with you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not behind this thing with Mr. Ge. Whether you believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you. As for Lan Xiu, he just wants us to live well. I ept his good intentions. I don¡¯t know when it began that you only have such thoughts about me. When did my credibility be so low in your heart? Has our rtionship faded so quickly in the past few years?¡±

    Fujiwara clenched his fists and stared fixedly at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Lan Qi is already dead! Why do you always do everything you can to hurt the people who cherish you because of other men? Whether it¡¯s me or Lan Xiu, Lan Qi is a hypocrite who took advantage of the situation. He clearly knew about our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°You have no right to me him. From the moment you let go, you have no right to me anyone. Do you still remember what I told you at the beginning? From the moment you turned around, everything that happened before had already started to change.¡±

    ¡°I said, I woulde back, I would be back! I don¡¯t believe that our rtionship doesn¡¯t even have the courage to persevere! Liuyun, I know that I was wrong about that, but I never thought of giving up on you. How do you think I¡¯ve been through all these years?¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, he could no longer suppress the wild waves of longing in his heart. His ck eyes were filled with dense emotions, as well as the hidden surging emotions that he had endured for many years. He hurriedly reached out and grabbed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s wrist as he spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Liuyun,e back to Japan with me. We¡¯ll start over. I¡¯ll give you whatever you want, including the Dongfang Group and the entire Fujiwara family. As long as you return to my side, you can do whatever you want.¡±

    As he spoke, Dongfang Liuyun felt a wave of paining from her wrist. Her beautiful brows immediately knitted together as she struggled, ¡°Let go.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Once I let go, you¡¯ll leave. I don¡¯t want to suffer this again. I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯ll fall in love with Qi Lei again. After so many years, I understand what you¡¯re thinking. Regarding Lan Qi¡¯s matter, I¡¯m willing to admit that it¡¯s my fault, if this makes you feel better. I¡¯m sure Lan Qi wouldn¡¯t want to see you living like this now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m doing very well now. I don¡¯t want to talk about those things anymore. It¡¯s all in the past. Our rtionship has long be a story that hase to an end. Why do you need to be so persistent? I¡¯m not someone who would turn back.¡±

    The corners of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth curled into a self-deprecating smile as she turned her gaze to look at Fujiwara

    A familiar face, a familiar aura. She admitted that she once loved him, but that was only the past.

    ¡°There are some things that once you miss, you can¡¯t turn back. Fujiwara, let¡¯s ept fate¡¯s arrangement. I won¡¯t deny the past between us, but now is the present. I¡¯m looking forward to the future. My future is with Qi Lei. Moreover, there¡¯s a Lan Qi between us.¡±

    ¡°What if I say that your future is with me?¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Liuyun finished, Fujiwara¡¯s calm voice suddenly rang out.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she felt the strength on her wrist suddenly withdraw. She narrowed her starry eyes and looked coldly at Fujiwara. Fujiwara had already sat back down. His handsome face had returned to its usual cold and stern expression. His deep eyes were filled with deep emotions that he was trying his best to suppress.

    ¡°No one can force me. You should understand this. I hope that you won¡¯t make things difficult for Lan Xiu and the others regarding Mr. Ge¡¯s matter. I can try my best to satisfy any conditions you want aspensation.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was also unusually sonorous and powerful. She was the Dongfang Liuyun that Fujiwara had known all along.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Fujiwara nced at Dongfang Liuyun indifferently. His reply seemed to be the same tone as the transaction

    ¡°I¡¯ll trade you for it. If you divorce Qi Lei and return to my side, I guarantee that this project can be smoothly carried out. Furthermore, I can also take down the Dongfang Group and give it to you as a wedding gift.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say. I have nothing to say to you. I didn¡¯t want toe today, but I felt that there are some things that I can rify with you to avoid unnecessary trouble. My husband is very good to me. I hope that these things will end here. I don¡¯t want to talk about Lan Qi anymore. I don¡¯t want to see you again. Isn¡¯t it good for everyone to have peaceful days?¡±

    ¡°What peaceful days do you think I can have?¡±

    Fujiwara said in a deep voice, ¡°I came here with determination. If I can¡¯t have you, I won¡¯t go back. No one can stop me, and Qi Lei is the same. This time, I won¡¯t watch you leave.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun swept him a cold nce. Her starry eyes were filled withplicated emotions. Some were cold, some were resentful, but most of them were hidden.

    She stood up dispiritedly and was about to turn around and leave. However, at this moment, Fujiwara could no longer suppress the surging emotions in his heart. He stood up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his embrace...

    However, before he could stop, he heard a clear whistle. A white light shed in front of his eyes. In an instant, he felt a chilling from his throat!

 Chapter 1888 - Make Your Move! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1888: Make Your Move! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sharp tip of the knife was pointed at Fujiwara¡¯s throat. The sharp cold light forced Fujiwara to subconsciously narrow his eyes. However, there was no fear on his cold face. He was still as calm as ever.

    When he looked up, he saw that Dongfang Liuyun was holding the sharp knife against his throat. She was looking at him coldly.

    Fujiwara¡¯s face fell into silence, and he looked at Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°If you can do it, then do it. With one strike, not only can you avenge Lan Qi, you can also end everything between us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in being buried with you, and you don¡¯t have to provoke me. Let go!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun tilted her wrist, and the tip of the knife in her hand was close to Fujiwara¡¯s throat. The sharp knife had already left a red mark on Fujiwara¡¯s neck, and a bright red spread along the tip of the knife.

    Not only did Fujiwara not let go, he even tightened his grip¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re not my match, Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to try and find out!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes coldly, and the sharp knife in her hand stabbed forward without the slightest hesitation. Fujiwara, on the other hand, took a step faster and mped the sharp de between his two fingers. His figure shed past like lightning!

    With a clear whistle, another sharp knife on the knife rack was pulled out.

    ¡®Ding!¡¯

    The sound of metal colliding could be heard. In the dimly lit study room, a faint white light suddenly interweaved and flickered.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not show any mercy when she attacked, because no one knew Fujiwara¡¯s sword and knife skills better than her!

    ¡®Bang¡ª¡¯

    The cold light swept past, and the vase and coffee table by the side were shattered into pieces in the blink of an eye. The ground was instantly in a mess...

    ...

    At the same time, by the South River, Qi Lei was discussing the progress of the project with Vice President Zhang Lan of Glory World Corporation. Suddenly, Yang Sheng walked over with an uncertain expression.

    ¡°Master Qi, Missus went to Cloud Residence!¡±

    Yang Sheng lowered his voice and whispered into Qi Lei¡¯s ear.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. Aplicated emotion shed across his ck eyes. After a moment, he returned to normal. His gaze did not move away from the blueprint in front of him. Instead, he calmly replied, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°When I just came from Dongfang Group, Dongfang Rou¡¯er said that she seemed to have sent people to keep an eye on Missus recently. Oh right, when we were investigating that Mr. Ge, our people even took a photo of her having afternoon tea with Mr. Ge. Take a look at this.¡±

    As Yang Sheng spoke, he handed a photo to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei then looked up from the document unhurriedly and reached out to take the photo that Yang Sheng handed over. After taking a quick nce, it was indeed Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Mr. Ge¡¯s figure in the photo.

    ¡°How did Dongfang Rou¡¯er get in contact with this person?¡±

    Qi Lei asked in confusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either. I¡¯ve never heard of them knowing each other before. However, I feel that it¡¯s a little unusual for Dongfang Rou¡¯er to be in contact with Mr. Ge at this time.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded as he listened. ¡°Keep a close eye on them and see what they¡¯re up to.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi! Then, about the Missus...¡± Yang Sheng asked tentatively.

    ¡°I know about this. She told me this morning that Driver Wang sent her over.¡±

    Qi Lei answered nonchntly, then looked down at the blueprint in his hand.

    Seeing this, Yang Sheng naturally did not dare to say anything more and retreated carefully.

    Suddenly, only Qi Lei and the silent Vice President Zhang Lan were left by the riverside.

    ¡°President Qi¡¯s feelings for Missus Qi is really enviable sometimes.¡± Zhang Lan smiled.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be envious about? Aren¡¯t your Chairman Mu and Xi Xiaye even more enviable? They¡¯ve been out for quite some time now, yet they haven¡¯t called back. They¡¯re really willing to leave these heavy responsibilities to us.¡±

    Qi Lei did not even lift his eyelids. He took a pen and made a note on the blueprint as he said this.

    ¡°Chairman Mu knows that with President Qi around, he¡¯s at ease. Naturally, he¡¯ll be at ease on vacation with Missus. Oh right, President Qi, I heard that Dongfang Yu from the Dongfang Group left City Z and his staff suddenly moved out. Should they send someone over to discuss the materials? Dongfang Yu was in charge of this matter before.¡±

    Zhang Lan suddenly remembered this matter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Liuyun wille over to discuss this matter with you two in person the day after tomorrow.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was indeed a veteran. After he found Dongfang Yi the other day, Dongfang Yi had indeed transferred Dongfang Yu out and temporarily hid from the limelight. Right now, Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi were in a fierce battle, especially on this South River Project. Dongfang Yi was keeping a close eye on Dongfang Ren to catch any ws. This made Dongfang Ren very tired, and the resentment in his heart grew day by day!

    In the past few days of the regr meetings, the two of them could not hold back their anger and directly opened fire on the meeting table, making the shareholders present very dissatisfied. However, they could only hold it in for now, but they were secretly thinking in their hearts, the fight between the two could push thepany¡¯s interests out. If thepany fell into their hands, how would that be?

    It was also because of this that everyone suddenly missed Dongfang Gan, who was far away in Myanmar. They would only be at ease if he personally took charge!

    Dongfang Shuman adopted a nonchnt attitude as she watched the fight between the two of them coldly. As long as it did not substantially harm the interests of Dongfang Group, she did not mind standing by and watching.

    ¡°So President Qi has already made ns. Forgive me for being presumptuous.¡± Zhang Lan said apologetically.

    Qi Lei put away the blueprint and waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I admire Vice President Zhang¡¯s dedication. I¡¯ll need you to take care of Liuyun for the South River Project in the future. She¡¯s new to this new project, so she¡¯s not familiar with many ces.¡±

    Zhang Lan smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, President Qi. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you say something like that. It seems like you¡¯re very attentive to Missus Qi.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled but did not answer. He just handed the blueprints to Zhang Lan and turned to walk along the railing by the river. Zhang Lan followed him.

    ¡°Chairman Mu told us before he left. Don¡¯t worry, President Qi. We believe in Miss Dongfang¡¯s ability. We¡¯ve done some research on the Dongfang Group. It¡¯s quiteplicated internally, and we¡¯ve heard that President Gan isn¡¯t in the city. It must be very difficult for Miss Dongfang to hold on by herself.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always been strong...¡±

    ¡°But from what I see, President Qi, you seem to be a little uneasy. Is it because you¡¯re worried about Miss Dongfang?¡± Zhang Lan asked.

    Qi Lei did not answer. He only slowed down.

    ¡°President Qi, no matter how strong a woman is, she still needs to be cherished and protected. I¡¯ll be fine here. You should go over. You haven¡¯t been in good condition all morning...¡±

 Chapter 1889 - Make Your Move! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1889: Make Your Move! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Zhang Lan said this, Qi Lei paused as well. He suddenly turned to look at her and said in a low voice...

    ¡°Not in a good state? Is it obvious?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s voice was naturally very low. Moreover, that gaze of his had a faint sense of mncholy in Zhang Lan¡¯s eyes. In fact, Zhang Lan had been working with Qi Lei for a long time. They had been in close contact for the past one to two years, she actually knew Qi Lei quite well. She had never seen Qi Lei in such a state before. Thinking about it, it must be that Miss Dongfang Liuyun really caught his attention.

    Just like...

    The Master and the Missus.

    That kind of rtionship was naturally very enviable, but now, it seemed like they needed to endure some hadships for a period of time. Perhaps in the future, it would get better and better.

    ¡°President Qi, actually, I also think that Miss Dongfang is a good person. There are some things that you can¡¯t force too much. The fate that belongs to you can not be taken away by others. I believe that you and Miss Dongfang will be able tost forever.¡± Zhang Lan smiled.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei only tightened his hands slightly and looked at Zhang Lan with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Vice President Zhang.¡±

    Zhang Lan only nodded and smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that I¡¯m here. You don¡¯t have to be so polite, President Qi.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave this side to you. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll get Yang Sheng to go to your side to get the information. If there are any problems, you can also report them to me.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and finally said so.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry,¡± replied Zhang Lan.

    Qi Lei also returned a smile, then turned around and left.

    ...

    Cloud Residence, in Fujiwara¡¯s study room.

    ¡®Bam¡ª¡¯

    The sharp de brought out a white light. A bleak chill swept past, and the de¡¯s light approached her throat. Dongfang Liuyun was forced to take a few steps back, and his expression changed slightly.

    ¡®Ding¡ª¡¯

    The sound of metal colliding rang out, and Dongfang Liuyun felt a wave of coldness wash over her. In the blink of an eye, the sharp de stopped at her throat. However, at that moment, the sharp de in her hand also stopped at the side of Fujiwara¡¯s neck. With just a little bit of force, it would be able to cut off the major artery on the side of his neck.

    The two of them immediately fell silent. Fujiwara just stared straight at Dongfang Liuyun. His ck eyes were filled with deep feelings and the longing that he had hidden for many years.

    Dongfang Liuyun increased the strength of the de in his hand, and another bloody scar appeared on the side of Fujiwara¡¯s neck¡ª

    ¡°Make a move then, I consider us even then. As you said, we need to end things between us. If this knife can cut off the connection between us, you¡¯d better make your move quickly.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were as sharp as the tip of a knife, staring at him.

    Fujiwara¡¯s pupils contracted slightly, and his arm trembled. Looking at the familiar face in front of him, the figure that he missed in his heart became clearer and clearer.

    ¡°Make your move!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone suddenly became a little fierce, and there was some uncontroble heat in her eyes, and faint tears reflected in the depths of her eyes¡ª

    She knew that she was not like what she thought she was. She was not truly free and unrestrained and could not care less.

    Fujiwara naturally took in all of this. He just quietly put away the knife that was pointed at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s throat. There was actually a faint glow in his ck eyes as he smiled, ¡°You know that I can¡¯t do anything to you. If you can bear to do it then just stab me. This way, I¡¯ll be able to rx a little. All these years, we¡¯ve been through so much. I also want to be free.¡±

    ¡°I want you to do it!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold voice rang out, and the strength in her hand increased by a notch. Fujiwara¡¯s neck was already starting to bleed.

    Fujiwara had already sheathed the knife in his hand and was staring at her.

    ¡°My feelings for you have never changed. I¡¯ve waited for so many years, and I only want one result. I¡¯ll give you double what Qi Lei can give you. Liuyun, admit it. No matter what, we still have a ce in each other¡¯s hearts.¡± Fujiwara said in a low voice.

    ¡°I know you can give me money, power, and even the entire Dongfang Group, but Qi lei can give me happiness. Can you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him silently, her starry eyes glimmering.

    ¡°Happiness? Have we not been happy before?¡±

    ¡°But can we go back to the past now? You know this answer the best. You don¡¯t even have anything for yourself, and I have nothing. You can¡¯t give it to me, and I can¡¯t give it to you. We have to ept our fate. You should go back and find someone who loves you to marry. I hope that you will fall in love with her in the future. Maybe you can touch the taste of so-called happiness in the future.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, her hand dropped slowly and she put down the knife in her hand to throw it on the table at the side¡ª

    ¡°I hope that you can live a better life too. Don¡¯t think about those things anymore. Those who are still alive can let go and live a better life. From the moment Qi Lei and I signed the marriage papers, I¡¯ve decided to be with him for the rest of my life. He¡¯s very good to me and very amodating to me. He¡¯s always careful with me. When he knew about us, he didn¡¯t feel safe, but he endured it and didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and calmed down before continuing, ¡°I feel a little... sorry for him. I don¡¯t want him to worry about gains and losses because of these things. After all, he¡¯s my husband and I¡¯m still his Missus Qi.¡±

    ¡°What about me? After so many years, have you never felt sorry for me?¡±

    Fujiwara pushed away the sharp knife by the side and reached out to grab her shoulder. He did not care about the blood left on his neck. He held her shoulders tightly and forced her to look up at him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end it here, Fujiwara. We can¡¯t go back to the past. After so many things, there¡¯s only one thing that can prove that we¡¯re not fated to be together. If you¡¯re still going to be stubborn then don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±

    Fujiwara was stunned when he heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words. He looked at her in silence.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned around with a slightly dispirited expression, ¡°Thank you for letting me go. I¡¯m not your match. The matters between us have nothing to do with anyone else. If you¡¯re unhappy, just deal with me. At least I¡¯ll think highly of you. I¡¯ll be leaving now. I hope that we won¡¯t meet again in the future.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, the thin figure walked towards the door.

    Fujiwara looked at his empty hands. A wave of pain surged uncontrobly from the depths of his ck eyes. His face instantly turned iparably pale. However, he did not chase after her in the end, he only silently watched her figure disappear out the door.

    ...

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure disappeared out the door, Matsuda, who was waiting outside, immediately rushed in to check on the situation!

 Chapter 1890 - Coax Him (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1890: Coax Him (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The sound of fighting that came from inside just now made Matsuda feel a little worried and afraid. However, without Fujiwara¡¯s orders, he did not dare to enter. He could only wait anxiously outside.

    When he finally heard the sounds of fighting inside stop, Dongfang Liuyun unexpectedly left with a cold expression. Now that he rushed in, he saw that the study room was already in a mess!

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re injured!¡±

    Matsuda looked up and saw the wound on Fujiwara¡¯s neck. His entire body froze and he hurriedly went up to greet him.

    Fujiwara raised his hand slightly. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already bleeding, how could it be fine!¡±

    Matsuda frowned and quickly took a towel to wet it. He handed it over to Fujiwara. ¡°Master, how could this be? Miss Dongfang... is it Miss Dongfang... I¡¯ll go stop her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Matsuda, let her go. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Fujiwara held the towel in his hand and covered the wound on his neck. His face was frighteningly pale.

    ¡°But, Master, your wound, and you don¡¯t look good. Should we get the doctor toe over?¡± Matsuda asked worriedly.

    Fujiwara took a deep breath and sat down on the sofa behind him tiredly. He lowered his eyes and looked at the cup of water that was still emitting steam. He was silent.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    Seeing that Fujiwara did not reply, Matsuda asked again.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s just a small wound.¡±

    Fujiwara held his forehead with one hand and spoke with a faint sense of disappointment. Matsuda looked at him and seemed to have guessed something. He quickly said¡ª

    ¡°Master, why don¡¯t I go and call Miss Dongfang back now? If there¡¯s any misunderstanding, it¡¯s best to rify it. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°No need. Let her go. Let the others in to clean this ce up.¡±

    Fujiwara closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned his head to look out the window and blinked. A momentter, he stood up and left the study, feeling lonely.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Matsuda looked at Fujiwara¡¯s back and could not help but call out.

    ¡°Send a copy of Mr. Ge¡¯s information to Lan Xiu. Don¡¯t let them know that I asked you to do it.¡±

    Fujiwara only left these words behind as his tall and straight figure slowly disappeared outside the door.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Matsuda could only respond in this way.

    ...

    When Dongfang Liuyun came out of Cloud Residence, the sky was a little gloomy and the wind was whizzing past. The air was filled with an icy chill as the car stopped under a tree by the roadside not far ahead.

    Dongfang Liuyun put her hands into her pockets and walked forward with aplicated expression on her face.

    ¡°Missus.¡±

    When the driver saw Dongfang Liuyun, he got out of the car and came up to her.

    Hearing the driver¡¯s voice, Dongfang Liuyun came back to her senses. She looked at the driver and nodded.

    ¡°Missus, shall we head straight for home?¡±

    The driver asked as he opened the car door for her.

    Dongfang Liuyun sat inside.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go straight home.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun closed her eyes as she said this.

    ¡°Yes, Missus.¡±

    The driver in front replied and started the car.

    Soon, the car left Cloud Residence.

    The car sped all the way to the Grand Lake Vi area.

    After driving for a long distance and approaching the Grand Lake Vi area, Dongfang Liuyun opened her eyes and turned to look out of the car window.

    ¡°Stop for a while, the parking space in front.¡±

    Suddenly, Dongfang Liuyun said in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, Missus.¡±

    The driver naturally did not dare to ask further. He slowed down the car and stopped at the parking space.

    Without waiting for the driver to open the door, Dongfang Liuyun got out of the car and said, ¡°Wait for me in the car.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun left this sentence and walked to the shop next door.

    She walked into a flower shop. The flower shop looked quite big. Just as she reached the door, the fragrance of flowers filled the air. All kinds of flowers were in full bloom.

    ¡°Miss, do you want to buy flowers?¡± Thedy boss quickly went up and asked enthusiastically.

    ¡°Yes, do you have Petunia here?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked directly.

    ¡°Petunia?¡±

    Thedy boss muttered, but she could not react in time. Dongfang Liuyun looked around, and soon her eyes stopped on a pot of Petunia that was in full bloom on the shelf at the side.

    It was a light purple flower with very green leaves. It was blooming very vigorously.

    ¡°This pot.¡±

    Before thedy boss could say anything, Dongfang Liuyun had already spoken.

    Thedy boss then came up to her with a smile. ¡°Okay, Miss, please wait a moment!¡±

    In a short while, the flowers were already packed. Dongfang Liuyun paid, and then carefully took the flowers from thedy boss...

    ...

    When Dongfang Liuyun returned home, she did not expect to see Qi Lei¡¯s car in the garage. She guessed that Qi lei had already returned. Looking at the sky, it was just only time to get off work. He rarely got off work so early.

    With the pot of brilliant petunias in hand, Dongfang Liuyun walked home.

    Just as she entered the house, a warm feeling dispelled the cold all over her body. It was naturally very warm at home.

    She removed her coat. Dongfang Liuyun was only wearing a tights. She searched around but did not see Qi Lei. However, there was still soup on the stove in the kitchen.

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised.

    Just as she was hesitating whether she should go out to look for him, she suddenly heard a sound from outside. She quickly followed the sound and forgot about it. As expected, she saw a man walking in from outside with a shopping bag in his hand. He must have gone out to buy something.

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun, Qi Lei seemed to be a little surprised, but he quickly calmed down.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± He said these words in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, where did you go?¡±

    ¡°I ran out of cooking wine at home. I went out for a while. I thought you would be having dinner there.¡±

    After he said this, he did not look at her. He walked past her and went straight to the kitchen.

    It was obvious that there was something wrong with his mood, so when he walked past her, Dongfang Liuyun grabbed his arm without a second thought and leaned forward¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re angry.¡±

    It was a very definite tone. She was holding his arm tightly and was very strong.

    Qi Lei only nced at her then stopped walking and remained silent.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    Seeing that he did not reply, Dongfang Liuyun tugged at him, her brows knitted together.

 Chapter 1891 - Coax Him (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1891: Coax Him (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°The soup is almost done.¡±

    Qi Lei said this as he lowered his head and looked at her silently.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly sighed helplessly and lowered his eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of having dinner with him.¡±

    ¡°When you said that you were going to Cloud Residence, I knew that you were going to meet him. I didn¡¯t care too much about it. Based on your previous rtionship, it¡¯s naturally good to rify some things in person,¡± said Qi Lei.

    ¡°Then why... Are you now...¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made things clear. Don¡¯t see him in the future. I wanted to go over to pick you up, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be happy, so I came home early.¡±

    ¡°How would you know that I wouldn¡¯t be happy about it if you didn¡¯te?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked back.

    Qi Lei was silent. He did not seem to know how to answer.

    Behind him, Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath. Suddenly, she stood on her tiptoes and nted a kiss on his lips. Before he could react, she had already retreated and reached for the bag in his hand.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll take care of dinner and the dishes tonight, okay?¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned for a moment. He could not react in time, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s slender figure had already disappeared at the kitchen door.

    At this moment, Qi Lei was in a daze. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his lightly pursed lips. His handsome face softened, but he did not chase after her. Instead, he turned around and returned to the living room.

    However, just as he sat down on the sofa in the living room, he noticed the pot of blooming petunias on the table. He quickly brought it over to take a closer look.

    ...

    The dinner was not too sumptuous, but they were all good dishes that Qi Lei liked to eat.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s culinary skills were not bad to begin with. Furthermore, Qi Lei usually gave her face when she personally cooked.

    ¡°The pot of petunias on the table in the living room...¡±

    When he finished a bowl of rice, Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun, who was holding the bowl for him. Finally, he could not help but ask.

    ¡°I bought it for you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve given you any gifts before.¡±

    Before he could finish, Dongfang Liuyun answered directly.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± As she said this, Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyes and looked at him quietly.

    ¡°Of course I like it, but why did you suddenly think of giving me flowers?¡± Qi Lei took the rice from her and asked.

    ¡°Because I was feeling guilty. When you heard that I was going to Cloud Residence this morning, your gaze wasn¡¯t quite right.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not hide his thoughts. ¡°In order to make my life better in the future, I have to think of a way to coax you.¡±

    ¡°Your honesty really makes me want to...¡± Qi Lei gnashed his teeth as he muttered. He red at her, but he could not say a word of reprimand. Furthermore, Dongfang Liuyun had picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into his slightly opened mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just trying to rify things so that we won¡¯t end up in trouble in the future. Since I¡¯m already married to you, I won¡¯t look back. There¡¯s no need for you to be so jealous over these things. You, Qi Lei, are unique. So many women want to be with you? I¡¯m one of them.¡±

    ¡°At least you know your limits.¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at her. His tensed heart finally calmed down.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled when she heard that. She suddenly looked at him with interest. ¡°Why? Are you that nervous about Fujiwara?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my number one love rival. If I don¡¯t guard against him, do I have to support him?¡±

    Qi Lei did not hide his dissatisfaction with Fujiwara at all¡ª

    ¡°Yang Sheng has mentioned him to me before, and I¡¯ve seen him before. I admit that he¡¯s very handsome. He¡¯s just a little less handsome than me, and his family background is about the same as mine. But to be honest, his personality and charm are definitely not on par to me. He often has a cold expression on his face, and it¡¯s not like he¡¯s trying to be cool!¡±

    The more Qi Lei spoke, the angrier he got. He was so angry that his hand that was holding onto his chopsticks was trembling. ¡°When ites to talking, he doesn¡¯t have my grace. When ites to being magnanimous, he doesn¡¯t seem to be more magnanimous than me. I really don¡¯t know how you fell for him in the past.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun was stunned. She looked up in surprise at the man who was scolding him with some sarcasm. This was the first time Dongfang Liuyun had seen him lose hisposure like this

    From her impression, Qi Lei had always paid attention to maintaining his image, but now...

    However, seeing him like this, she found him a little cute.

    ¡°You¡¯re also a fool for liking a person like him.¡±

    As he said this, Qi Lei saw that she did not respond and was quietly drinking her soup, so he could only say this in a muffled voice.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun raised her head to look at him and said quietly, ¡°Since you know that I¡¯m quite stupid, why are you still so angry? President Qi, do you have to be angry with a fool?¡±

    This sentence made Qi Lei speechless. When he met her interested gaze, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Because I¡¯m also the second dumbest after you.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone sounded helpless and disappointed when he said that. After he said that, he looked away.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, dumbass!¡±

    Qi Lei looked up and red at her, ignoring her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely ask for your permission next time. I¡¯ll act after you approve it.¡± Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and said.

    ¡°This condition isn¡¯t good. If I approve it then, I¡¯ll be unhappy. If I don¡¯t approve it, you¡¯ll be unhappy too. If you leave such a difficult problem to me, I¡¯ll think you¡¯re just giving me a hard time.¡±

    Qi Lei was not stupid. After being with this woman for a long time, he could gradually understand her unusual thought process.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and raised her eyebrows. ¡°What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°You should think about it yourself. I can¡¯t restrict you. You¡¯re free. Alright, let¡¯s eat. The food is already cold. I¡¯m making a big deal out of this. You don¡¯t have to take it to heart. I know about what happened between the two of you. I...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just a matter of the past. That¡¯s a memory that I never wanted to awaken. I told him that my future is with you.¡±

    ¡°With me?¡±

    Qi Lei muttered in a low voice as she stared at him quietly.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that we had an unforgettable rtionship, but the rest of my life is about you, so you don¡¯t have to mind it. I hope that you can have faith in me.¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    Qi Lei mumbled softly and did not say anything else.

    ¡°Please believe in my loyalty. I¡¯ve already decided that you¡¯ll be the one for the rest of my life.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly reached out to pull him back and said firmly.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case... then I¡¯ll... give it a try.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll live in peace and happiness.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

 Chapter 1892 - Coax Him (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1892: Coax Him (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The unhappiness that had gathered in each other¡¯s hearts finally dissipated. After dinner, it was indeed Dongfang Liuyun who washed the dishes.

    By the time Dongfang Liuyun was done with her work, Qi Lei had already showered and was sitting in the living room of the suite watching television. Of course, after packing up, he did not forget to put the water in for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun also took afortable bath. When she changed into a clean nightgown and walked out of the bedroom, she noticed that Qi Lei was on the phone.

    It should be Mu Yuchen who was on vacation overseas.

    At this moment, he was at a seaside cottage on a holiday ind on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

    Mu Yuchen was standing in the corridor of the cottage. He was holding his phone and calling Qi Lei while Xi Xiaye was lying on the rattan chair reading a book.

    The sunlight outside was just right. The courtyard in front of them was filled with colorful flowers.

    ¡°Vice President Zhang Lan told me that the project is going well. Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice traveled over, and Qi Lei¡¯s voice soon came back from the other end¡ª

    ¡°Juste back and treat me to a meal. You¡¯ve been living quitefortably these past few days, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°A second honeymoon. What do you think?¡± Mu Yuchen chuckled softly.

    ¡°You and Xiaye are like a celestial couple. We¡¯re very envious of you too, but fortunately, now everyone doesn¡¯t have to be envious of anyone anymore. I heard about what happened with Zhou Zimo. He even drank with Su Chen a while ago. He brought it up.¡±

    Naturally, he knew what Qi Lei meant.

    Mu Yuchen did not know how Zhou Zimo and Qin Su were doing. When he thought about it, Mu Yuchen decided to give Zhou Zimo a call. Zhou Zimo had called him once in the past few days. He did not seem to be in a good mood then either. It was obvious that it had something to do with Officer Qin.

    ¡°Wait for me to get back. The few of us should get together.¡± Mu Yuchen suggested.

    ¡°Mmm, make the arrangements. It¡¯ste on my end, so that¡¯s it for now. Oh, right, we have to do what we agreed before.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Mu Xiaocheng has to marry my daughter from now on,¡± said Qi Lei.

    ¡°That depends on whether your daughter is charming enough to charm Mu Xiaocheng.¡± Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that your son won¡¯t be able to take my daughter.¡±

    Qi Lei said this before hanging up.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the darkened phone screen and instantly smiled. He subconsciously turned to look at Xi Xiaye who was reading a book.

    As if she noticed his gaze, Xi Xiaye slowly looked up as well

    ¡°I noticed that you seem to care a lot about Qi Lei. Usually, when you¡¯re out on business, you don¡¯t talk to me for so long on the phone.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s clear voice sounded.

    ¡°I¡¯m just asking him to look after the project.¡± Mu Yuchen replied and slowly walked over as well. He reached out to take the book in her hand.

    ¡°Qi Lei has changed a lot in the past few years. Now, it¡¯s more like the life he should be living. I¡¯ve talked to Dongfang Liuyun before. I can see that she¡¯s quite a big influence on Qi Lei. Mr. Mu, if it¡¯s possible, let¡¯s pay a little attention to the Dongfang Group¡¯s matter. This way, we might be able to make their lives a little more peaceful as soon as possible.¡±

    Xi Xiaye naturally knew about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s problem.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen nced at her, ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? Do you think Qi Lei can¡¯t handle these things? Don¡¯t forget what the Qi family started from in the past. They have a lot of resources, and it¡¯s not as simple as it looks. Wang Chun is a very profound person. He¡¯s Qi Qiming¡¯s confidant, and he¡¯s by Qi Lei¡¯s side now. If we¡¯re not wrong, the Lin family¡¯s matter should be his doing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the current boss behind the Lin Corporation is Qi Lei?¡± Xi Xiaye raised her brows and asked in surprise.

    ¡°What else do you think? Do you think that the South River Project was given to the Dongfang Group just because of the Dongfang Group¡¯s ability?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at Xi Xiaye and said in a low voice, ¡°Qi Lei is paving the way for Dongfang Liuyun. Just you wait and see. After the South River Project, Dongfang Liuyun might very well be the executor of the city east¡¯s n. Su Chen had told me a few days ago that Qi Lei had been working quite hard with the government. With his connections, it would not be difficult for him to take down this project.¡±

    ¡°City east? Is it the project that the Jin family wants to develop?¡±

    Xi Xiaye vaguely remembered that she had heard the two of them mention this topic before.

    ¡°Mmm, I estimate that the film base will bepleted in another year or two. The South River Project will probablyst for a few more years. The city east project won¡¯t be approved so quickly. I¡¯ve asked father about it before, and that project hasn¡¯t been put on the agenda yet, but it¡¯s imperative that it¡¯s implemented. It¡¯s naturally best to make sufficient preparations beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei can¡¯t handle such a big project by himself. Grandfather mentioned it to me before and told me to pay more attention.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I still have the South River Project and a few other big projects on hand. Even I can¡¯t handle them alone.¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She thought about it for a moment before saying, ¡°Then, when I go back, I¡¯ll go look for Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll help you guys clear up the government¡¯s affairs. Father has been quite critical these past few years. It¡¯d be best if you can help him out.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a little surprised. A gentle person like father actually...¡±

    ¡°He can actually rise to such a high position?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Mu Yuchen had already cut her off.

    ¡°Mmm...¡±

    ¡°Who could truly be simple innocent people in politics? Didn¡¯t father used to be the mayor of our city too?¡±

    Speaking of these things, Mu Yuchen did not shy away from it¡ª

    ¡°Father is an honest and upright official. He¡¯s also a person with principles. He¡¯s just like mother. He rarely talks about favors. In the past, when he fought for some projects, he wanted them to help, but in the end, he did not ask them to. I know you¡¯re trying to find a way to break through from them. Don¡¯t worry. Even if I don¡¯t get their help, I can still find a way.¡±

    When it came to Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong, Mu Yuchen was very calm. He understood his parents¡¯ bottom line very well, so he was never willing to cross that bottom line. Because some things would actually hurt their feelings once he opened his mouth to ask.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. Father and Mother are in high positions, so they have to pay more attention to their words and actions. We can¡¯t drag them down and be a burden. I understand that. It¡¯s just that some time ago, I heard Mother say that she wanted to step down, especially when Grandfather and Grandmother left like this. The children also...¡±

 Chapter 1893 - Visit (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1893: Visit (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Step down?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Xi Xiaye in surprise. ¡°When did she tell you that?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was a person who valued her career very much. It was not easy for her to reach this position. Theoretically, she could still keep on for a few more years, but now...

    ¡°The night before we set off for our vacation.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took a sip of the tea beside her and sighed softly, ¡°To be honest, I really admire Mother. When she told me that back then, I still could not believe it. She said that with the situation back home, she did not want the house to be so empty. Moreover, Xiao Rui, Wei¡¯er, and Xiao Cheng are still so young. We¡¯re usually busy, we can¡¯t just leave our children with Aunt Fang and the others. Mother wants to personally take care of the children. They are gradually growing up and bing more sensible, their education is very important.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, by stepping down like this, she could take better care of Father and have Father worry less about the matters at home, as well as us.¡±

    When he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s words, Mu Yuchen suddenly fell silent. A momentter, he took the tea from Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand and drank it in two gulps, ¡°It¡¯s naturally for the best if she thinks that way. It looks like the death of Grandfather and Grandmother has dealt a huge blow to Father and Mother. Mother isn¡¯t the kind of person who would give up her career so easily. I think that apart from us, she¡¯s doing this mainly because of Father.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I think so too. Father and mother¡¯s rtionship had always been like this where they raised a case and treated each other with respect, but from the way they looked at each other, one could always catch those deep feelings. I think they¡¯re probably the ones who understand love the most. Sacrifice and fulfillment.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, her eyes suddenly lit up and she took a deep breath¡ª

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I really hope that when we¡¯re old, we can be like them.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ...

    In fact, when Xi Xiaye mentioned this to Mu Yuchen, Zhuang Shurong had already submitted her resignation. For the past few days, Zhuang Shurong had been staying at home with Mu Xiao Cheng, every day, she would send Qi Wei¡¯er and Mu Zirui to and from school.

    Zhuang Shurong was usually a strong woman who did not smile. She was very uptight and serious, but now that she had spent so much time with her grandson, she suddenly felt that this kind of life was something she had been looking forward to for a long time.

    Just like this moment.

    After coaxing Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er to sleep, Zhuang Shurong carried Mu Xiao Cheng to take a shower.

    Mu Xiaocheng had been sleeping with Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan for the past few days.

    The little fe was a smart person. Because of him, the haze of Mu Yinan¡¯s departure had dissipated a lot.

    ¡°Come, Xiao Cheng,e to Grandfather!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan had already showered and was lying on the bed reading a book. Mu Xiao Cheng was ying with Zhuang Shurong¡¯s sses with a focused look on his face.

    When he heard his grandfather calling him, the little guy turned to look at Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Call me Grandfather,e!¡±

    ¡°Grandfather... hug...¡±

    Mu Xiao Cheng climbed over in a friendly manner, but his little eyes stopped on the pair of sses on the bridge of Mu Tangchuan¡¯s nose.

    Mu Tangchuan was not that good at ying with babies. Looking at this little guy who resembled his father, Mu Yuchen, and hearing such a tender call of ¡®grandfather¡¯, Mu Tangchuan felt his entire heart go soft!

    ¡°Give me a hug! Come here, let Grandfather give you a hug.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan pulled Mu Xiao Cheng into his arms. He was extremely precious.

    ¡°Grandfather... I want ride a big horse...¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll ride a big horse!¡±

    ...

    Zhuang Shurong came out of the bathroom and heard the old and the young ying happily on the bed. Mu Xiao Cheng was riding on Mu Tangchuan¡¯s neck while Mu Tangchuan was...

    ¡°Don¡¯t spoil him too much! Your neck isn¡¯t good anymore, don¡¯t torture it too much.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong walked over in a few steps and carried Mu Xiao Cheng down. However, Mu Xiaocheng held onto Mu Tangchuan tightly and looked at Zhuang Shurong unhappily. ¡°Grandmother is bad!¡±

    ¡°Oh, my little devil, Grandmother is bad now? The way you look when you¡¯re angry is so much like your father when he was young. When your father was angry, he behaved like you too.¡±

    ¡°Daddy, Mommy...¡±

    Now that Mu Yuchen was mentioned, the little guy immediately thought of Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye when he mentioned ¡®Daddy¡¯. He looked around and was obviously looking for Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. When he did not see them, he immediately rolled over and slid off the bed. Then, he walked towards the door with his little arms and short legs

    ¡°Daddy... Daddy... Mummy...¡±

    As she walked forward, she was still thinking about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    When the little guy missed his parents, he would go straight for Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s room. His memory was very good, and he was very smart too. He could even recognize his parents¡¯ rooms.

    He found the room a few times and went in to look for a long time. When he did not find Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, the little guy started crying. Zhuang Shurong coaxed him for a long time before she stopped him.

    ¡°What did you suddenly bring up his father?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nced at his wife and quickly got up to follow her out.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was annoyed and quickly chased after him.

    ...

    It was not easy to coax Mu Xiaocheng to sleep. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were a little tired, but when they looked at Mu Xiaocheng who was sleeping soundly on the bed, their eyes were filled with gentleness.

    ¡°Tangchuan, I¡¯ve already submitted my resignation report. In just two days, the results came out. I can finally take good care of the children at home and apany you along the way. I¡¯ve been married to you for so many years, but I¡¯ve never fulfilled my responsibilities as a wife. All these years, it¡¯s all thanks to your parents. Now...¡±

    Hearing this, Mu Tangchuan reached out and put his arm around her shoulders, patting her gently, ¡°We¡¯re an old married couple. There¡¯s no need to say these words. You¡¯ve always done well, but I feel like I owe you too much. You¡¯ve given birth to such a good son for me. It¡¯s also been very hard on Ah Mo and the others. It¡¯s really hard on you to step down now.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve been wanting to step down. I¡¯ve been in politics for more than 30 years. I should be used to it. It¡¯s naturally best for me to step down now. It¡¯s time for me to fulfill my obligations. The children have been working hard, so we have to be considerate of them.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled. ¡°Actually, things are pretty good now. You don¡¯t have to worry about work. It¡¯s really nice to apany the children and you.¡±

    ¡°When we have some free timeter, shall we go on vacation too? Let¡¯s go to the surrounding cities. I¡¯ve been too busy these years, I haven¡¯t been taking you out for holidays.¡±

    ¡°You, if you¡¯re on vacation, just stay at home and take care of your health. You¡¯ve lost a lot of weightpared to before. The waters in the circle are too deep, and both you and I have had such a hard time walking through it. I¡¯m really worried about you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? In a few years, I¡¯ll retire too. I¡¯ll also be home to apany you, the children, and enjoy life.¡±

 Chapter 1894 - Visit (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1894: Visit (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The husband and wife chatted until the middle of the night before finally falling asleep.

    Two dayster, Zhuang Shurong¡¯s application was finally approved. Su Chen received the news and specially came to visit. Of course, Ji Zitong also came along.

    Ji Zitong¡¯s pregnancy is a few months in now and she was showing. Su Chen was very nervous and waited on her carefully. Zhuang Shurong could not help but tease him¡ª

    ¡°Su Chen, you¡¯re quite a warm-hearted father-to-be. You¡¯re doing a better job than Ah Chen.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just making a mountain out of a molehill. Aunty Zhuang, please don¡¯tugh at him.¡±

    Ji Zitong was also a little shy. She rolled her eyes at Su Chen and sat down opposite Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°She¡¯s a treasure now. The old man gave a strict order to take care of her. I don¡¯t dare to neglect her.¡±

    Su Chen sat down next to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s naturally best to take care of your wife. Your father treated your mother the same way, so you should be like him. This is a good thing. Just drink some flower tea. Xiaye asked them to bring it back. The weather is a little cold, so this one is warming.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong poured tea for Su Chen, Ji Zitong, and the others as she spoke.

    ¡°Thank you, Aunty Zhuang.¡±

    ¡°Why did Aunty Zhuang think of retiring? I heard from my father that Aunty Zhuang is very likely to be promoted another level up, especially now that Uncle Mu is also...¡±

    Su Chen asked with some doubt.

    Hearing this, Zhuang Shurong sighed softly, ¡°I¡¯m not someone who views politics as a lifelong pursuit. After decades of ups and downs in politics, it should be enough. I¡¯m didn¡¯t let myself down in this life of mine. Now, it¡¯s time for me to stop and live a new life. All these years, I haven¡¯t taken good care of my family. I¡¯m not like your mother, who can take good care of her family and take good care of your father.¡±

    ¡°No, Aunty Zhuang and Uncle Mu have always been a model couple. We often envy you. My parents, they don¡¯t have such a tacit understanding with each other. It¡¯s just that Aunty Zhuang¡¯s decision is admirable. Not everyone can think like you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. With Grandfather Mu and Grandmother Mu gone, the family will need someone to take care of them. The children are still so young. I can¡¯t be at ease if I don¡¯t look after them. Ah Chen and Xiaye are also so busy.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s good for you to retire earlier. You¡¯ve worked hard for so many years. You should get some rest. My mother is the same. If it weren¡¯t for Zitong being pregnant, she would probably need to take over my mother¡¯spany now.¡±

    ¡°Aunty Zhuang, you don¡¯t have to worry. Xiaye and Chairman Mu will understand, even if you insisted.¡± Ji Zitong thought about it and replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m good right now. I¡¯m quite happy to be with the children. Also, your Uncle Mu needs someone to take care of him. He¡¯s been working too hard these past few years, and his health isn¡¯t very good. I have to give him some guidance.¡±

    ¡°Su Chen, you and Ah Chen are so close. I¡¯m very grateful to you both for taking care of him all these years. I¡¯m afraid your Uncle Mu and I aren¡¯t qualified parents either...¡±

    ¡°Aunty Zhuang, please don¡¯t say that. Ah Chen has always been very grateful to you both.¡±

    ¡°We can all feel the distance between him and us. But it¡¯s still okay. His father and I are also proud of him to have turned out the way that he is today.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong still felt a little guilty towards her son. Su Chen and Ji Zitong also felt a little heavy when they talked about this topic. The couple exchanged a look before Ji Zitong asked¡ª

    ¡°Aunty Zhuang, where are Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong quickly calmed down when her grandson was mentioned.

    ¡°Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er are already in school, but Xiao Cheng is still asleep...¡±

    ¡°Grandmother...¡±

    Just as Zhuang Shurong finished speaking, a tender voice suddenly entered their ears. They quickly looked towards the source of the voice and realized that the little guy was climbing down the stairs.

    ¡°Oh my, my little devil!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong cried out in surprise and quickly stood up to rush over¡ª

    Su Chen also exchanged nces with Ji Zitong and they smiled at each other.

    ...

    Knowing that Dongfang Liuyun was going to bring Qi Lei back today, Dongfang Shurong got Ah Cai to give Song Siting a call early in the morning, asking her to make a trip back to the old mansion.

    Since Dongfang Shurong had given the order, Song Siting naturally did not dare to disobey and rushed back quite early.

    Before Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun returned to the Dongfang old mansion, Song Siting had already rushed back. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room watching TV while Dongfang Shurong was reading the newspaper at the side.

    Dongfang Shuman instructed the kitchen to prepare some of Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei¡¯s favorite dishes.

    ¡°I heard that Fujiwara went to look for you?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman asked faintly.

    ¡°Other than that one time, we haven¡¯t contacted each other since then,¡± Song Siting replied.

    ¡°Do you know why I called you over?¡±

    Song Siting naturally did not know that Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei would be back today. Now that she hade over to see Dongfang Shuman¡¯s serious expression, she thought that it was because they did not have a good conversation thest time and had asked her toe over again.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to repeat the same old things to you. I¡¯ve already said what I should say. What you want to think and do are your own matters. It¡¯s your own choice. I asked you toe back today because of Liuyun and Qi lei. They¡¯ll be backter. Since being married for so long, this is their first time visiting.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she looked up from the newspaper to look at Song Siting.

    At this moment, Song Siting looked at Dongfang Shuman in surprise

    ¡°Liuyun and Qi Lei? They¡¯reing back?¡± Song Siting was naturally surprised.

    ¡°What do you think? They¡¯ve been married for so long. I thought that as a mother, you should understand some basic etiquette.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was very impolite.

    ¡°Mother, I...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I, Dongfang Shuman, want to make things difficult for you. You have to be a good and holy person, but you¡¯d better not forget your duty. They¡¯ve been married for so long. Even if they¡¯re not sensible, shouldn¡¯t you know better?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was filled with reproach.

    ¡°Have you ever thought about what kind of impact this matter will have if it gets out? If Qi Lei didn¡¯te forward to admit it, do you n to keep it a secret?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t mean that. Her father had already decided to bring them back, but something unexpected happened at thest minute, so...¡±

    Song Siting exined, ¡°Besides, hasn¡¯t Mother always been loyal to Fujiwara...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite good at reading my thoughts.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare.¡± Song Siting replied softly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause any trouble in this matter. It¡¯s best for you to fix your attitude.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what Mother means.¡±

    Song Siting raised her eyes and looked at Dongfang Shuman.

 Chapter 1895 - Visit (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1895: Visit (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Song Siting said this, Dongfang Shuman nced over.

    ¡°What do I mean?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman muttered, ¡°You, Song Siting, are a smart person too. There are some things that you shouldn¡¯t overdo. I¡¯ve seen Qi Lei before, and Liuyun has resolutely chosen him. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten involved in the matters of young people, but Liuyun is a member of the Dongfang family after all. Her marriage will naturally attract attention.¡±

    ¡°You and I are not on the same page, it¡¯s an issue with history, but you still need to consider the matter in principle. Liuyun is your daughter, and with your rtionship with her in this state, don¡¯t you think you should self reflect?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was still as direct as ever. Without a doubt, her words pierced Song Siting¡¯s heart and hit the nail on the head.

    Song Siting¡¯s face instantly turned pale. The hand that was holding the cup instantly tightened. She suddenly did not know how to answer.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a young person anymore. It¡¯s useless even if I object to the matter between you and Ah Gan. You¡¯re still a wife and a mother. When will you be able to truly y your role? From now on, the person in charge of the Dongfang Group will be Liuyun. If you keep doing this, do you think she¡¯ll be able to rise to the top smoothly? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t understand the internal situation of the Dongfang Group. When have you ever truly thought about the father and daughter pair?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was not someone who liked to reason with others. She had always been extremely domineering. If her employees were so stubborn, she would have long told them to pack up their things and leave. However, sitting in front of her was her daughter-inw, what could she, Dongfang Shuman, do about the woman her son loved?

    ¡°I¡¯m old and I¡¯m pestered with illness. I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t have much time left to live. I don¡¯t object to you protecting your justice. You¡¯re a big shot. I¡¯m afraid that ordinary people like us are nothing to you. However, this is a family. I can¡¯t change it myself. You¡¯re always asking Ah Gan and Liuyun to make sacrifices, someone like you who shines alone is really not suitable to marry into our Dongfang family.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman coughed a few times. There was a hint of disappointment in her old eyes, ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s useless to talk about these things. Qi Lei has done a thousand times better than you in this aspect. Now that it¡¯s in a precarious situation, I¡¯ll ept this matter. I¡¯ll arrange a wedding for them after the New Year. You should put away your thoughts too. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Mother... But...¡±

    Song Siting struggled internally for a while. She seemed to have understood something, but...

    ¡°No buts. This matter is settled. Pay attention to your boundaries. You¡¯d better take what I said to heart and reflect on it. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s expression changed. She wanted to say something, but Ah Cai¡¯s voice suddenly came from the door

    ¡°Fourth Lady, Master, you¡¯re back! Come in quickly, it¡¯s cold outside!¡±

    As soon as Ah Cai said this, Dongfang Shuman and Song Siting stopped their thoughts and looked towards the door.

    They saw Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei walking in in pain, followed by a ck-shirted bodyguard carrying a bunch of things.

    ¡°Grandmother, Mother!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun greeted first, and Qi Lei also bowed modestly.

    Dongfang Shuman nodded and put away the newspaper in her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a while. Come and sit. Ah Cai, get the servants to prepare a few hot towels.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re ready.¡±

    As Ah Cai spoke, the servants had already sent the hot towels over. The two of them took them and wiped their hands. The coldness on their bodies finally eased a little.

    ¡°Today¡¯s weather is even colder than yesterday¡¯s. The end of the year ising soon, so it¡¯s getting colder every day. Right now, it¡¯s snowing heavily in the north.¡±

    Ah Cai was rather friendly to Qi Lei and Liuyun. She naturally knew that Dongfang Shuman had already tacitly acknowledged their rtionship to a certain extent.

    However, speaking of which, even if she did not acknowledge it, what could she do?

    Master Gan did not listen to her back then either, did he?

    So now, Dongfang Shuman was very open-minded. Now that she saw how protective and considerate Qi Lei was to Dongfang Liuyun, she was a little moved.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little colder than usual this year. When I came here, I didn¡¯t see anyone go out for a run. Usually, there are many people on the track who get up to do morning exercises. How¡¯s Grandmother¡¯s health these few days?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she sat down.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. I asked your mother toe back. This is the first time the both of you areing back together. Later, your First Uncle and Second Uncle will be back too. We have to meet up as a family. Qi Lei, if you have time, you have toe home often. You have a project to work on with thepany. Liuyun has just taken over these matters. Since you¡¯re her husband, you have to watch over her.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s attitude towards Qi Lei was rather amiable and calm. This surprised Dongfang Liuyun. Before she came, she had been wondering if Dongfang Shuman would make things difficult for Qi lei. She did not think that now, it seemed like the two of them were quite calm.

    Now that she thought about it, it was probably that the two of them have met earlier that eased the pressure now.

    However, when she looked at her mother, Song Siting, who had been sitting silently by the side, Dongfang Liuyun could clearly see that her expression was not quite right. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as well. Presumably, it must have been because she had been unhappy with her grandmother, Dongfang Shuman.

    Qi Lei nodded modestly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. I will.¡±

    ¡°I can handle thepany¡¯s matters. Grandmother, you don¡¯t need to put so much pressure on him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun knew too well about the undercurrents within Dongfang Group, so she had been unwilling to push Qi Lei to the center of the undercurrents. At this moment, she said this in a protective manner.

    ¡°For some things, even if you want to stay out of it, others can¡¯t control you. I hope that you¡¯ll be on your guard and support each other. Don¡¯t be like some people who not only can¡¯t help but cause trouble instead.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words naturally had a hint of reprimand. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun could naturally hear it, and Song Siting¡¯s expression did not look too happy.

    ¡°We know. Grandmother, don¡¯t worry. Mother, are you better? You have a checkup in another two days, I¡¯ve already made an appointment with the hospital. I¡¯ll go over tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll go pick you up with Liuyun.¡±

    Qi Lei exchanged a look with Dongfang Liuyun before saying calmly.

    Song Siting took a deep breath before her expression eased up a little. ¡°Okay.¡±

    After replying, she quietly lowered her head and drank her tea. She looked a little absent-minded.

    ¡°Did your father call home?¡± Dongfang Shuman asked.

    ¡°No. I just gave him a call yesterday morning. If things go smoothly, he¡¯ll be back by the end of the year.¡±

 Chapter 1896 - Visit (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1896: Visit (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

    When Dongfang Shuman heard this, her heart also became somewhat solemn¡ª

    ¡°Regarding the mine, you should also pay more attention to it. The current situation is not like a few years ago. You should be making more ns. These resources will eventually dry up. Moreover, it will also be very passive. A transformation is something that will happen sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°However, a transformation is not an easy thing, especially for a family business like ours. You should have such an awareness now.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman said this, she lowered her gaze and took a sip of tea.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s elegant face was also stained with some solemnity. After thinking for a moment, she replied, ¡°I¡¯ve discussed this with Father before, but this is not something that can happen overnight.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. It¡¯s not easy to transform apany, especially a family business with many problems. I¡¯ve been trying to slowly transform thepany over the years. I¡¯ve been busy for most of my life, and I¡¯m a little exhausted now. It¡¯s up to you guys to carry out this task.¡±

    ¡°This is a big project. Grandmother doesn¡¯t need to worry too much. We¡¯ll take it to heart. Recently, Vice President Zhang and Father have been working hard too. Grandmother should be very clear about this matter.¡±

    ¡°You still need to get used to thepany¡¯s matters. It¡¯s not easy to get to this point, and I don¡¯t want anything to go wrong. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be biased. After lunch, the two of youe to my study.¡± Dongfang Shuman thought for a moment and said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Dongfang Liuyun responded and exchanged a look with Qi Lei. Qi lei nodded at her.

    ...

    The wind was very strong outside. When Dongfang Liuyun pushed the door open, a strong cold wind blew against her face and rolled up the curtains on the floor.

    Outside her room¡¯s balcony was the backyard of the Dongfang old mansion. Standing in front of the railing, she could see half of the backyard below.

    Dongfang Liuyun stood in the cold wind and silently looked at everything below. The pavilion at the side and the winding corridor...

    When Grandfather Dongfang was still alive, he always liked to fiddle with some flowers and nts in the corridor, or he would personally put new iron wires on the fence at the side to fix it.

    Now, those by the small fence beside the pavilion was all nted by Elder Dongfang himself, but now it looked a little pale.

    Hearing the footsteps behind her, she slowly turned her head and saw the man standing behind her.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? This ce is a little cold.¡±

    As he said that, a coat draped over her shoulders.

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to pull the coat and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I haven¡¯t seen this ce for a long time. I just feel a little nostalgic.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t like memories?¡±

    ¡°Not liking them doesn¡¯t mean that they won¡¯te back to me. In this house, the only person who could leave a deep impression on me was my grandfather. It¡¯s a pity that he left quite early. Otherwise, if he were still here, he would definitely like you very much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was calm. Listening to her, one could hear a hint of disappointment.

    ¡°How do you know that he would like me? Maybe he¡¯s like Grandmother and has some tests for me as well?¡± Qi Lei chuckled and asked in return.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sidelong nce, ¡°Grandfather isn¡¯t like Grandmother. He¡¯s like Father. He¡¯s a very easygoing person. He never really forced me to ept anything. As long as it¡¯s something that I like, he¡¯ll always agree to it. In my eyes, he¡¯s always been a gentle and refined old gentleman. He¡¯s a true aristocrat. He dotes on and tolerates Grandmother. He also treats Father and Aunt with both gentleness and firmness. He¡¯s the most humble and courteous elder I¡¯ve ever met. He¡¯s the best father.¡±

    Elder Dongfang had a deep impact on Dongfang Liuyun. Now that she recalled it, Qi Lei could feel the heartfelt respect from her. He could not help but feel a little surprised at this Elder Dongfang who he would never meet, but even more, he felt a respect for him.

    To be able to make someone like him feel respect, they must be an extraordinary person.

    ¡°May he rest in peace. Don¡¯t think too much. As long as that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid all we can do is remember them.¡±

    Qi Lei seemed to sympathize with her on this point.

    ¡°Yes, sometimes, it seems to be the case. The things and people we care about are not something that we can truly protect. When Grandfather was still alive, he often asked me toe back. I didn¡¯t think too deeply about it back then. When he left, I realized what I had missed.¡±

    ¡°My grandfather passed away when I was very young. From what I remember, he doted on me very much. Even then, I wasn¡¯t sensible and didn¡¯t put much effort into remembering him. Now that I think about it, my memory is a little blurry.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, Qi Lei said faintly.

    ¡°I am a little luckier than you. I admit that.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly and allowed him to hold her shoulders. She subconsciously reached out to grab his hand and said, ¡°But now, we seem to be equally lucky.¡±

    Qi Lei paused for a moment before smiling. She let him hold her and looked down at the pavilion.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Grandmother to ept you like this. What did you say to her that day? And Father, how did he stand on your side? He was...¡± Dongfang Liuyun probed.

    ¡°That¡¯s is our agreement. You just need to know that we can handle them,¡± Qi Lei replied with a mysterious smile without revealing anything.

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Where¡¯s your sincerity?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡± Qi Lei replied with a chuckle.

    ¡°When you meet themter, there will inevitably be some gossip. You...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought of the meetingter and was worried that Qi Lei would...

    ¡°Do as you see fit. Don¡¯t betray me just because you hear something. I¡¯m a person who holds grudges. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have ways to deal with you when I get home.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone became a little serious. As she spoke, her face was stern. It was the first time Qi Lei had seen her like this.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows and quickly expressed his loyalty. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Qi. I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you wouldn¡¯t dare. We¡¯ll soon enter a state of deep suffering. You haven¡¯t fought those people head-on, so you won¡¯t know how powerful they are. I hope they can behave themselves.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally used to such a life, so she did not feel anything at the moment, but Qi Lei...

    ¡°Fourth Lady, Master, President Shu wants you to go take a seat downstairs!¡±

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, the voice of a servant came from outside.

 Chapter 1897 - Trying To Take Advantage? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1897: Trying To Take Advantage? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the couple went downstairs, there were a few more people in the living room. They were Dongfang Ren, Dongfang Yi, and Lin Yuanyuan.

    Ever since Qi Lei announced his rtionship with Dongfang Liuyun to the media, everyone had been wary of Dongfang Liuyun. After all, Qi Lei¡¯s identity was there.

    However, they did not hear about Qi Lei¡¯s visitter on. Everyone had doubts in their hearts. Unexpectedly, the Elder Madam suddenly informed everyone toe back. When they saw Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun appear together, everyone was a little stunned.

    Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er had rushed back just before lunch. When they saw Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun, they were naturally a little surprised. Dongfang Rou¡¯er even tried to get close to Qi Lei. Qi lei only nodded politely in response, his attitude was a little distant.

    Lin Yuanyuan did not know her ce and brought up the matters in the city east, which caused Dongfang Shuman to be dissatisfied¡ª

    Dongfang Shuman was not a person who liked to discuss business at a wine table, and it was during a time like this too, so she was naturally a little unhappy.

    After lunch, Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi went to Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study. Jin Sheng, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, and the rest sat on the sofa in the living room, drinking tea. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were also there.

    ¡°I heard that Third Aunt was hospitalized a while ago. Because I was busy with work, I couldn¡¯t visit often. I wonder if Third Aunt¡¯s health is better now?¡±

    The one who spoke was Dongfang Rou¡¯er. As she spoke, she looked at Song Siting and exchanged nces with Lin Yuanyuan.

    ¡°Much better. Thank you for your concern.¡± Song Siting replied coldly.

    In her heart, she naturally knew that the mother and daughter definitely did not have any good intentions.

    ¡°Lawyer Song has seen all kinds of storms and waves. Isn¡¯t it just someone seeking revenge? Laywer Song¡¯s spirit of upholding justice will naturally protect the safety of a good person¡¯s life. So, there definitely won¡¯t be any major problems. Don¡¯t you think so, Lawyer song?¡±

    As soon as Song Siting finished speaking, Lin Yuanyuan could not help but speak up. It was not difficult to catch a trace of hatred in her sharp and mean tone.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er nced at Jin Sheng and Qi Lei who were already frowning. She nced at Lin Yuanyuan with some dissatisfaction.

    Lin Yuanyuan would definitely not be able to remain calm whenever she met Song Siting. After all, the Lin family¡¯s hatred towards Song Siting was very deep and there was no way to reduce it.

    ¡°What kind of look is that? Don¡¯t tell me what I¡¯m saying is unreasonable?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan returned Dongfang Rou¡¯er a disapproving look, and her gaze instantlynded on Song Siting.

    Song Siting did not seem to have much of a reaction to Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s provocation. She had long treated Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s provocation as amon urrence. Keeping silent was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s way of making Song Siting persevere.

    ¡°I heard that the Lin family¡¯s situation is not great. Since First Aunt has the time to care about us, I assume that the situation is much better now?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked indifferently and threw a concerned look at Lin Yuanyuan.

    These words undoubtedly hurt Lin Yuanyuan. Everyone knew that the Lin family had been in a terrible state recently. Lin Yuanyuan had quarreled with Dongfang Ren several times because of it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always known that First Aunt is warm-hearted and loving. She¡¯s a good person, and I¡¯ve always respected her.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, she looked at Qi Lei, who looked at her tacitly. He nodded happily. ¡°When you¡¯re freeter, First Aunt cane over to visit our ce.¡±

    After this friendly remark, Lin Yuanyuan coughed and did not continue. Instead, she nced at Qi Lei with a gloomy look. Her gaze shifted to Dongfang Liuyun, who was leisurely pouring tea, her gaze could not help but turn gloomy again.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll go over when I have time. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be busy with Ah Sheng and Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding. I don¡¯t know when President Qi and Liuyun¡¯s wedding will be. I¡¯ve never heard of the two of you before. This surprise is really quite big.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was putting on a fake smile. Up until now, she still could not believe that Qi Lei was married to Dongfang Liuyun. Based on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s personality, she could not have married Qi Lei just like that, she had a feeling that something was wrong.

    She had even asked someone to check at the Civil Affairs Bureau. After confirming that Qi Lei had given Dongfang Liuyun information about his marriage, she had no choice but to ept this fact. However, she had a feeling that things were not that simple.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be too long. The wedding will be held at the beginning of spring. When that timees, I might need your help.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s good too. Lawyer Song hasn¡¯t taken care of these matters much. Besides her work, she hasn¡¯t paid much attention to these matters in the past few years. Naturally, she doesn¡¯t have much experience. If there¡¯s anything you need, just let me know.¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan still could not change its insinuation. There was always a thorn in Song Siting¡¯s heart when she heard these words.

    ¡°Of course I care about my daughter¡¯s marriage. Besides, I only need to care about these things once. I don¡¯t want to worry about it so many times and make a fool of myself every time. What do you think, sister-inw?¡±

    On the Lin family¡¯s side, Lin Yonghua had gotten married and divorced a few times before. He was also a marvel in the circle. Song Siting had always been very disgusted with the Lin family. They had all been scum. She was naturally very satisfied with the downfall of the Lin family, especially Lin Yuanyuan. They had always made things difficult for her and would not let go of her.

    Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression changed drastically.

    Dongfang Liuyun was not in the mood to watch the show. She nced at the few of them and slowly stood up. She patted Qi Lei on the shoulder and walked out.

    Qi Lei followed suit.

    The cold wind was still blowing outside. Dongfang Liuyun had just walked down the stairs when her mother, Song Siting¡¯s voice came from behind him

    ¡°Liuyun,e to my study for a while.¡±

    As soon as she said that, Dongfang Liuyun turned around and saw that Song Siting had already walked into the corridor ahead.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and subconsciously turned to look at Qi Lei. Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Go. I¡¯ll wait for you in your roomter.¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun took a shallow breath, ¡°Alright then. You can walk around too. The scenery in the garden is not bad either. It¡¯s not inferior to the Qi family¡¯s old residence. When Grandmother was young, she liked flowers too. Grandfather had the servants nt many plum trees and some flowers to keep out the cold, so you can still see many flowers in full bloom in winter here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll go back earlierter, I think you look quite tired too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sideways nce, then turned and walked to the corridor ahead.

 Chapter 1898 - Trying To Take Advantage? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1898: Trying To Take Advantage? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei stood in the corridor and watched her disappear around the corner. He then retracted his gaze and walked down the stairs.

    After turning through the winding corridor, Qi Lei arrived at the pavilion he saw outside Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s bedroom balcony.

    The pavilion was clean and tidy. The stone tables and chairs were covered with a thick nket. There were also some petals and fallen leaves at the bottom of the stairs in front of the pavilion. It looked very quiet.

    ¡°This pavilion was designed by Grandfather personally. Also, the fence here was built by Grandfather himself. Doesn¡¯t it look good?¡±

    Qi Lei had just walked up the stairs when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

    Qi Lei turned his head and saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er standing elegantly on the cement path not far below. Her soft white wool gown made her skin look even fairer and more alluring. At this moment, there was a smile on her face.

    When she saw Qi Lei looking over, she continued walking forward. In the blink of an eye, she arrived at the stairs in front of Qi Lei. She raised her head slightly to look at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei sized her up before saying calmly, ¡°Fortunately, Liuyun mentioned it to me before.¡±

    After saying that, he retracted his gaze and walked into the pavilion.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er thought for a moment before following him. She only stopped when she reached Qi Lei¡¯s side.

    ¡°I never knew that President Qi had such a rtionship with Fourth Sister.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said softly as she turned to look at the cold-looking Qi Lei. ¡°Can you tell me how you got together with my Fourth Sister?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was filled with sincerity. If Qi Lei had not known that Dongfang Liuyun did not have a good rtionship with this woman, he would have been moved when he heard that.

    ¡°Has Fifth Lady always liked sharing the process of her feelings with others?¡± Qi Lei asked back without looking at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no need to report this to Fifth Lady, is there?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was very calm, but it sounded bleak and harsh to Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s ears. Naturally, she could hear that Qi Lei seemed to have some hostility toward her.

    Initially, she wanted to ask about the situation at the city east, but from the looks of it, Qi Lei did not have a good impression of them. She was afraid that it would not be beneficial. Of course, Dongfang Rou¡¯er quickly med Dongfang Liuyun for this matter.

    If it was not for Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s pillow talk, Qi Lei would not be like this.

    ¡°President Qi, you¡¯re overthinking. I¡¯m just concerned about Fourth Sister.¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled faintly.

    ¡°Fourth Sister is actually not having it easy. Although there are some misunderstandings between us sisters, as Grandmother said, family is still family. Of course, I also hope that she can live well. Especially these years, she really haven¡¯t had it easy.¡±

    Speaking of these things, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes dimmed.

    In fact, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s feelings towards Dongfang Liuyun wereplicated. Other than the hatred that she could not avoid, there was also some admiration and some jealousy.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er admired Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ability and personality, but...

    ¡°From what Fifth Lady said, she seems to understand my wife very well.¡±

    Only then did Qi Lei turn his head and nce at her.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled¡ª

    ¡°We can be considered sisters who grew up together. She¡¯s fourth in the family, and I¡¯m fifth. We¡¯re cousins. How can we not be familiar with each other?¡±

    ¡°Fourth Sister has been doing very well since she was young. She¡¯s also very beautiful. She¡¯s a very outstanding person. I¡¯ve been following in her footsteps all along. When she was young, she had a strong personality, but she didn¡¯t like to talk much. She was a quiet girl. In fact, many of the female students in the ss don¡¯t really like her.¡±

    As Dongfang Rou¡¯er spoke, she chuckled and took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°You know, that¡¯s just a girl¡¯s jealousy.¡±

    ¡°Fourth sister and I aren¡¯t that close. She¡¯s a bright pearl, and many people are fascinated by her. She¡¯s had many suitors since she was young. I think you¡¯ve heard of Lan Xiu and Fujiwara, right?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at Qi Lei, but she did not see any change in his expression. She took a deep breath and lowered her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re very good friends, and they¡¯ve all been in love with Fourth Sister for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Fifth Lady seems to be quite concerned about Liuyun¡¯s feelings. But what do you mean by what you¡¯re saying now?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows. He looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a meaningful gaze.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any intentions. I¡¯m just happy to see that President Qi and Fourth Sister are doing well. Of course, I hope that you can treat her better. After all, when I think of what Fourth Sister went through, it makes me feel a little ufortable.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er sighed softly. ¡°President Qi should be very clear about the Dongfang family¡¯s situation by now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m not interested in understanding or getting involved in the Dongfang family¡¯s matters. The only person I married was Dongfang Liuyun. She¡¯s now my wife, Mrs. Qi. It has nothing to do with the so-called Dongfang family or the Dongfang Group.¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Rou¡¯er finished speaking, Qi Lei cut her off.

    ¡°If Fifth Lady is here to chat with me because of what happened in the city, then I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint Fifth Lady. The research project is now under the jurisdiction of Vice President Wang Chun of thepany. If you really want to do this project, you can go directly to Vice President Wang Chun to understand the situation. ¡°The evaluation team will evaluate the project. If all the indicators are feasible, then the project can be discussed. Otherwise, I can¡¯t do a loss-making business, what do you think? Fifth Lady?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was indifferent as he looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er calmly.

    ¡°The feasibility of the project is certain. However, I hope that there are some things that you can take care of. Now that we¡¯re still a family, we naturally won¡¯t let our own people do a loss-making business. Otherwise, Grandmother won¡¯t agree. You heard what Grandmother said at the dinner table just now, didn¡¯t you?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er said.

    ¡°Fifth Lady is also considered half a merchant. Don¡¯t you understand the rules of the sea ofmerce? Don¡¯t think so highly of me. I¡¯m a very traditional merchant. I only seek profit. The more spacious the road to riches, the better. No one is willing to seal the road.¡±

    ¡°President Qi doesn¡¯t trust me, or does he not trust the Dongfang Group?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t trust you? May I ask, why should I trust you?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in surprise.

 Chapter 1899 - Trying To Take Advantage? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1899: Trying To Take Advantage? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not expect Qi Lei to ask this. She was stunned and could not answer. She could only frown at Qi Lei. Her eyes were still filled with awkwardness, and her beautiful face was slightly red.

    ¡°It seems that President Qi doesn¡¯t treat us as his own people. We¡¯ve been to Vice President Wang Chun¡¯s ce before, but it seems that he... is probably under Fourth Sister¡¯s special care, right?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled bitterly and took a deep breath. ¡°She¡¯s always been like this. I should have guessed it long ago. Fujiwara was the same before. Other than relying on these things, can¡¯t she show off her true abilities?¡±

    As she finished speaking, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s voice seemed to contain some resentment. She unconsciously clenched her fists, and her entire being seemed to be in a tense state.

    ¡°Relying on these? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with a woman relying on her own man. Fifth Lady, with your personality, you¡¯re not very likable in front of men. Your words insinuate other things. I¡¯ve seen many women like you. A humble smile and a reserved manner, and doing things realistically will make your temperament better. Don¡¯t treat people as dolls with low IQ. At least, I don¡¯t think highly of you on this point.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep tone was filled with coldness.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression became even uglier. She pursed her lips. Even though she wanted to say something, looking at Qi Lei¡¯s calm expression, she understood that Dongfang Liuyun was probably not ordinary in Qi Lei¡¯s heart.

    Moreover, just based on the fact that Qi Lei dared to announce their marriage to the media and even gave arge portion of Qi Kai¡¯s shares to Dongfang Liuyun as a dowry, just based on this, she was envious of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s charm and ability!

    Was Fujiwara not the same?

    That lunatic would probably fall out with the Fujiwara family for Dongfang Liuyun and give up everything!

    Thinking of this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er suddenly felt an imbnce in her heart.

    She was also the pearl of the Dongfang family, but her grandfather cared about her more than anyone else. Many people favored her, but she...

    Even though Jin Sheng was already engaged to her and was about to get married, he still had his guard up against her. Furthermore, the two of them could not be considered to be in love. With such a transactional marriage, would she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, really be happy?

    ¡°Consider me misspoken. However, since President Qi is already married to Fourth Sister, please treat her well. You¡¯re not the only one who has such deep feelings for Fourth Sister. It¡¯s really hard to exin things like feelings. The person who once had deeper feelings and loved her may not be the one she ends up with. Fourth Sister let go quite frankly, how would she know the pain and suffering of others?¡±

    As she said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er sighed softly. She turned her gaze to look at Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face, which was still as calm as water. Finally, she smiled, ¡°It seems like President Qi is confident in the rtionship between the two of you. In that case, I wish you both happiness and good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Qi Lei replied with thisst sentence. He gave her a sideways nce and suddenly walked down the stairs with some disinterest, ¡°I appreciate Fifth Lady¡¯s kind intentions. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re thinking too much. My marriage to Liuyun has nothing to do with anything else. It¡¯s only about the rtionship, some things aren¡¯t as self-righteous as you thinkthey are. The Fifth Lady will soon be a member of the Jin family. I hope you can be a good Mrs. Jin.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er paused for a moment. She had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she could not pinpoint what it was.

    By the time she snapped out of her daze, Qi Lei had already walked down the stairs. His tall and straight body slowly passed through the plum blossom forest in front of him. After a while, he disappeared in front of her.

    ...

    At this moment, in Song Siting¡¯s study.

    Song siting¡¯s expression was not looking too good. Dongfang Liuyun was sitting on the sofa opposite her. Song Siting wanted to get up to make tea, but Dongfang Liuyun was one step ahead of her. She reached out to stop her

    ¡°Let me do it. You¡¯re recovering from your wound. Don¡¯t drink these things for now. Just drink some hot water.¡±

    As she spoke, she poured some water for Song Siting. Song Siting raised her eyes and nced at her before quietly reaching out to take it.

    ¡°What did Grandmother say to you earlier? You don¡¯t look too well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun leaned back on the sofa behind her. She looked at Song Siting and asked in a low voice.

    Song Siting¡¯s dark eyes flickered when she heard this. She calmed down too. She lowered her eyes and looked at the steaming cup in her hand. A long whileter, she finally said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just repeating the old saying. I¡¯m used to it. You know that my rtionship with your grandmother is so tense. There¡¯s no way to improve it.¡±

    ¡°No way to improve it? It¡¯s something that you don¡¯t want to improve, right? There are many things that you insist on if you think that you are right. I admire that about you. However, one must always consider one¡¯s stance when considering any matter. I don¡¯t want toment on the so-called right and wrong. You can be as happy as you like. You can do whatever you want.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun spoke about these things, her tone was filled with weariness and annoyance. Song Siting was not a fool, so of course, she could tell.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve always disliked our Dongfang family¡¯s profane style. It¡¯s not as noble and righteous as what you insist on in your heart. But this is my life, my father¡¯s life, and the life of the entire Dongfang family. Our life is a big dye vat. I¡¯m not afraid of letting you know too that as long as I still want that position, I won¡¯t be able to stay too honorable in time.¡±

    ¡°So, is it true? If one day, I¡¯m also targeted, as a mother, will you personally send me to prison?¡±

    As she said this, Dongfang Liuyun stared intently at Song Siting¡¯s eyes. Her pitch-ck eyes had a hint of destion in them¡ª

    ¡°That¡¯s actually what grandmother meant. She hoped that you could consider father and me first before thinking about anything else. After so many years, can¡¯t you see what she means? She has always hated the bad effects caused by internal strife.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke word by word, and when she heard it, it was like a gust of cold wind that gradually blew away the haze in Song Siting¡¯s heart.

    ¡°So, you and your father have been dissatisfied with me all these years, but you just endured it and didn¡¯t say anything?¡± Song Siting asked in a daze.

    ¡°You know my attitude very well. As for father, he just cares about you and doesn¡¯t want you to feel wronged.¡±

 Chapter 1900 - Care (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1900: Care (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they left the Dongfang mansion, it was already past three in the afternoon. Before they went back, Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were called to the study by Dongfang Shuman.

    However, they did not talk much. Most of the time, they only talked about the background of the two families.

    Although their attitude was still cold, it was obvious that they did not have any hostility toward Qi Lei. It could be considered a tacit agreement.

    Dongfang Liuyun already felt that it was rare for her to be in such a state. Before she came, she had already imagined all sorts of awkward and helpless situations. She thought that if it really did not work out, she would drag Qi Lei away. She did not expect things to be so smooth right now, her mood had eased up a lot.

    Song Siting also left with them.

    At this moment, the person driving in front was Qi Lei. Dongfang Liuyun and Song Siting sat in the back.

    ¡°If those words made you feel bad, just pretend that you didn¡¯t hear it. After all, it¡¯s been like this all these years. When Father and I talked on the phone, he didn¡¯t forget to ask us to take care of you. Mother, Father is really good to you. After so many years, no one knows how he persevered better than you do.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, Dongfang Gan¡¯s loving face could not help but appear in her mind. She could not help but feel sorry for her father, ¡°Some time ago, Father told me that he was getting older and would often feel very tired these days. I think that he was tired not just physically, but mentally too. The situation I¡¯ve been in all these years has caused him to worry so much. I admit that I¡¯m very unfilial. That¡¯s why when he asked me to take over the Dongfang Group, I didn¡¯t resist at all. I knew of my fate, I would have to act sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean. I¡¯ve been thinking a lottely... as a wife and mother, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve neglected my duties. I thought I should persevere... forget it, now that things havee to this, it¡¯s meaningless to say anything else.¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness. She could not tell what exactly she was feeling.

    ¡°Should I be proud and happy to have a mother who is full of justice and responsibility then?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finally retracted her gaze from the street scene outside and silently looked at the gloomy-looking Song Siting, ¡°You can¡¯t even protect yourself, and now you¡¯re a public figure that attracts criticisms easily, what sense of justice and responsibility do you have to talk about? To put it bluntly, it¡¯s a burden. If I said it like this, would you listen?¡±

    ¡°A burden?¡±

    Song Siting was stunned. She looked at Dongfang Liuyun in disbelief. ¡°Who are you calling a burden?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubt your own ears. I¡¯m talking about you. You¡¯re right, a burden. You probably don¡¯t know how Father has been helping you deal with these things after all these years, right? Because of these matters, the kind of difficult problems Father had to face. Have you thought about all of these?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she coldly took out a document from her briefcase and handed it to Song Siting, ¡°Father doesn¡¯t want you to know about these things, but I think that only you can know. Perhaps you will understand what Father has been through all these years. Why would Grandmother reject you so much? If it were me, I think I would also be very dissatisfied with such a daughter-inw.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Song Siting¡¯s heart hard.

    Song Siting looked at her in a daze. After a long while, she took the document and started flipping through it

    However, the more she flipped through it, the paler Song Siting¡¯s face became. Towards the end, she was more and more in disbelief, until the end, she who had always been as strong as a rock suddenly started to tear up.

    Dongfang Liuyun quietly observed her expression. It was only when she saw the redness in her eyes that she took a deep breath and looked out of the car window.

    Song Siting took a deep breath and calmed down for a long time before she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Your father... is really thoughtful... I¡¯m the one who let him down... I¡¯m the one who let him down. All these years...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to me you. I just hope that you and my father can enjoy your old age in peace. You¡¯ve been through a lot for so many years, and you should have had enough of the chaotic world outside. In the future, you should apany Father and take good care of him. This request shouldn¡¯t be too much, right?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked in a low voice.

    ¡°I thought about it a lot too. Under such pressure, I¡¯ll finish the case in hand. When you two have a child, I¡¯ll hand thew firm to the people under me. I¡¯ll fade out of this circle and take care of your children. But now...¡±

    Song Siting sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. After a long while, she said, ¡°When are you and Qi Lei going to have a child? It¡¯ll be good for me...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just let nature take its course. I know you don¡¯t want to stay at home like this. You¡¯ve worked with Father before, so I¡¯ve already mentioned to Vice President Zhang that I¡¯ll prepare an office beside Father¡¯s office for you. You can help Father with some matters. I think he will be very happy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally knew her father very well. Dongfang Gan¡¯s entire heart had been tied to Song Siting all his life. All these years, he had never seen him take a second look at any other women.

    Perhaps this was inherited from his grandfather, Dongfang. His grandfather also had a deep affection for her grandmother.

    Emotional self-discipline had always been Dongfang Gan¡¯s rule. Dongfang Liuyun suddenly remembered that all these years, whenever there was a social event, if it was not her mother, Song Siting, or her, Dongfang Liuyun, Dongfang Gan would always attend it alone.

    It seemed that he had always been like this, a person who only knew how to give quietly.

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, Song Siting fell silent. She thought for a moment and finally nodded. ¡°You make the arrangements. I¡¯ll make the arrangements for the matters of thew firm for the time being. From now on, I¡¯ll guard you well.¡±

    There was no dissatisfaction in her low and slow voice. Instead, there was a sense of relief.

    At this moment, as Song Siting spoke, she kept the document in her hands into her bosom and pressed it tightly against her chest.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and looked at her fingers that were lightly interlocked. After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry. If this arrangement makes you unhappy, please forgive me. I¡¯m a little tired. Just consider me selfish. I hope that you and Father will be fine and stand on our side and support us unconditionally. This way, I can feel at ease.¡±

    ¡°What can I say? In my heart, you guys are the most important. I thought everything I¡¯ve done all these years was...¡±

    Qi Lei, who was driving in front, did not speak. At this moment, it was best for him to remain silent.

 Chapter 1901 - Care (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1901: Care (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After sending Song Siting back to Tanshan Vi area, the couple did not stop and went straight back to Grand Lake Vi area.

    At this time, the sky had already fallen silent. The winter solstice had already passed, and the sky was getting colder and colder. The sky was getting dark very quickly. It was only around five o¡¯clock, and the sky was already a little gray. The cold wind was still blowing.

    When Qi Lei called Zhou Zimo and asked him toe over as a guest at night, Zhou Zimo was rushing back to the Zhou family¡¯s old residence with Qin Su.

    The driver was Zhou Zimo, and Qin Su was sitting in the passenger seat at the side. She was ying with her phone in her hand, but her gaze was on the street scenery on both sides of the car window.

    ¡°Go to your ce? Why the sudden invite?¡±

    Zhou Zimo picked up the call. He was naturally surprised by Qi Lei¡¯s sudden invitation.

    ¡°How then? Are youing? I¡¯m cooking personally and I¡¯m in a hurry to rest. Let¡¯s have a few drinks at home. Su Chen will being over, and two more friends.¡±

    Qi Lei was busy in the kitchen as he called Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°You guys sure know how to pick the time. I have something to do, so I won¡¯t go over. I¡¯ll look for you in two days.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Aren¡¯t you always the most active at this time?¡± Qi Lei asked with some doubt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for nonsense with you. Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. I really have something to do. Let¡¯s talk about itter. I¡¯m driving.¡± Zhou Zimo replied and then hung up the phone.

    After hearing the silence in the car, Qin Su retracted her gaze and turned to look at Zhou Zimo. After some thought, she said inly, ¡°If you¡¯re busy, we can do this tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Qin Su, this is all you¡¯ve got. It seems like you¡¯ve found at least three reasons to avoid it today.¡±

    As soon as Qin Su said this, Zhou Zimo immediately shot her a look. His handsome face also had some displeasure. ¡°I¡¯m not selling you off, what are you worried about? My family isn¡¯t a man-eating tiger. Even if they¡¯re man-eating tigers, you¡¯re not afraid, right?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize that you were quite talkative in the past? Just one sentence from me, and you can respond with ten sentences.¡±

    Qin Su also frowned and looked at Zhou Zimo as she said indifferently.

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and blinked. ¡°If you asked me to talk so much to others, I¡¯d bezy. Officer Qin Su, you¡¯re not romantic at all.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by romantic?¡± Qin Su asked in return.

    ¡°You¡¯re only this angry at me. You treat others much better than you treat me. I¡¯m your real boyfriend now. I¡¯m going to be your fianc¨¦ soon.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at her aggrievedly and increased the speed of the car.

    Hearing this, Qin Su frowned and immediately narrowed her eyes at Zhou Zimo¡ª

    ¡°Fianc¨¦? When did I agree to be with you?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? We¡¯re already in a rtionship, in fact we live together. When I went to your housest night, your parents were very happy to talk about our future with me. Didn¡¯t you see that after we got together, the rtionship between your parents became much better? You have the heart! If you don¡¯t want to marry me, who else can I marry? Everyone knows that we¡¯re living together now. In the entire City Z, as long as I, Zhou Zimo, don¡¯t say anything, I don¡¯t believe that anyone would dare to marry you, a woman with mybel on.¡±

    When Zhou Zimo said this, he even gave Qin Su a very innocent and cheap smile. He even looked shy, and his handsome face was slightly red.

    Qin Su immediately wanted to p him!

    She felt that agreeing to move to his ce back then was definitely a huge mistake. She had underestimated Zhou Zimo¡¯s ulterior motives!

    ¡°You¡¯re really scheming.¡±

    Qin Su gritted her teeth at this moment.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you call me despicable or shameless. I don¡¯t want to watch you get married before I regret it. You know what I¡¯m thinking about you. It¡¯s not just a matter of a day or two. You can spend the rest of your life with me.¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not be bothered to be pretentious. If he liked her, he liked her. Now, he wanted to bring her under his wing and do his best to have her. Since he could not be moved by other women, he had to ept it.

    ¡°Your ability to give yourself to me is useless.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s face was cold. Although she knew that he had deep feelings for her, this method made her feel a little helpless.

    ¡°Whether it works or not, we¡¯ll only know after we try. Haven¡¯t we been fine these past few days? Can¡¯t you treat me a little better? Look, just looking at you act like this, I can see my heart bleeding.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s glib tongue was not something Qin Su could withstand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck, have I not treated you well enough, did you go cold and hungry this morning? Haven¡¯t I been making breakfast these past few days? When I see the way you act like a good-for-nothing, I feel ufortable all over.¡±

    Qin Su definitely did not like Zhou Zimo. If it were not for the fact that he treated her quite well, Qin Su thought that she might not have been able to persist until now. She was a very passive person to begin with.

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as being a good-for-nothing. I¡¯ve always been a gentleman, okay?¡±

    Zhou Zimo naturally did not admit it and argued, ¡°When I go out, don¡¯t I disy my gentlemanly demeanor to the best of my ability?¡±

    Qin Su could only ignore this guy¡¯s narcissistic ability.

    ¡°When we¡¯re still together, I know that you¡¯ve been amodating me. As long as it¡¯s not a matter of principle, I¡¯m fine with it. Just be yourself. There¡¯s no need to change anything.¡± Qin Su thought for a moment and suddenly said this.

    That¡¯s right, Zhou Zimo seemed to be amodating her these days. For example, the dishes he cooked were all to her taste. He knew that she liked those simplendscape paintings, and he even specially changed the paintings in the living room into those simple and elegantndscape paintings, he changed the fresh magnolia flowers in her study, and even his study...

    Many things were still going on. Qin Su was a very observant person. She could naturally see and feel such changes.

    His intentions moved her a little. Otherwise, she would not have agreed to visit the Zhou family¡¯s old residence. Qin Su was very clear about what this meant.

    ¡°Who¡¯s amodating you now? I suddenly find that I like the things you like. Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m not the kind of person who wouldpromise himself. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have refused to give up on you.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he gave Qin Su a very pure smile.

    Qin Su heard this and shot him a lukewarm nce. She said coldly¡ª

    ¡°Can¡¯t youe up with some other metaphor?¡±

    ¡°Count it as a slip of the tongue. I¡¯ll reflect on it.¡±

    Seeing that her expression had eased up, Zhou Zimo heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. His handsome face also showed some gentleness¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Don¡¯t feel pressured. Grandfather and the others are very easygoing.¡±

 Chapter 1902 - Care (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1902: Care (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Zhou Zimo said this, Qin Su cast him a disapproving look, followed by a faint tone¡ª

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel that nervous at first, it was you who insisted on saying that I was under pressure.¡±

    After saying this, Zhou Zimo raised his eyebrows and supported his forehead with his hand. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll take it as me worrying over nothing. I¡¯ve underestimated your courage and boldness, Officer Qin Su.¡±

    Qin Su could not be bothered with him. Seeing that the car was too quiet, she reached out to turn on the car¡¯s yer and switched to the broadcast channel. The song on demand was a very old song¡ª

    ¡®I really love you¡¯

    Qin Su suddenly remembered when she was a student. In the school¡¯s broadcast, this song was often yed by the uncle in the broadcast room. In the past, there were many people who liked or liked this song, but they did not know that this song was actually a tribute song for their mother.

    Zhou Zimo nced at her and saw that her expression was calm. He wanted to switch to another song, but Qin Su suddenly reached out to stop him...

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop it.¡±

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment and then stopped what he was doing.

    ¡°Why? Do you like this song?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    Qin Su took a deep breath and said, ¡°It sounds interesting, doesn¡¯t it? Although my parents didn¡¯t get married because of love, they were actually very good to me. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t quite understand how they got along with each other.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me the story of Uncle and Aunty?¡± Zhou Zimo thought for a moment and asked this question.

    He knew that the reason she was like this wasrgely because of Qin Yi and Mei Xiaoyue¡¯s marriage and love life. In fact, Zhou Zimo felt sorry for her. Compared to her, he was much luckier.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about their rtionship either. I think I heard my mother say that her marriage with my father was decided very hastily. She used to have a lover too. My father probably snatched her away. Their marriage was mostly because of my father¡¯s dominance and the arrangements at home. You know, back then, most of the times things were like that. They didn¡¯t have any feelings at all. It was almost like they were forced to ept a stranger into their lives.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. What¡¯s the point of living like this? Whether it¡¯s happiness or not, they had to gamble their entire lives.¡±

    Qin Su seemed to have a very negative and pessimistic view on the topic of marriage.

    ¡°Marriage is a gamble to begin with. You wouldn¡¯t have only found out today. Besides, we¡¯re different from them. Qin Su, we¡¯ve known each other for many years. Unlike Chen and Xiaye, and unlike your parents, I¡¯ve been looking for you all these years. You know this better than anyone. No matter what, in my heart, you¡¯re still an insurmountable hurdle.¡±

    Zhou Zimo steadily controlled the speed of the car as he spoke.

    ¡°Insurmountable hurdle? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the kind of person who would repay kindness with gratitude. Why are you still willing to give yourself to me?¡± Qin Su nced at him and said indifferently.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I previously...¡± Zhou Zimo hurriedly exined. However, he had just spat out these few words when he held back¡ª

    He almost could not control himself and said it out loud!

    If she knew that he had already slept with her previously, his life would probably be over soon. This matter had to be controlled. It would not be toote to talk about it after he married her, or it might never be brought up.

    ¡°Because of what?¡±

    After waiting for a long time and not hearing Zhou Zimo continue, Qin Su asked out loud.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, because I didn¡¯t have the chance before. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to wait for you toe back. Of course, I won¡¯t put myself through trouble.¡±

    Zhou Zimo dealt with her in this way.

    Someone as sharp as Qin Su could naturally hear something was odd, but she did not ask much.

    ...

    When they arrived at the Zhou family¡¯s old residence, they saw someone standing at the door to wee them from afar.

    It was Zhou Zhenjun, Liang Jing and her husband, as well as the housekeeper and servant.

    When they saw Zhou Zimo¡¯s car approaching, the couple¡¯s faces were filled with joy.

    ¡°Old Zhou, do you think Miss Qin is really not bad? I¡¯m a little nervous. Look at how I¡¯m dressed, I don¡¯t look like a wicked mother-inw, right? Also, I should look quite amiable today, right?¡±

    This was the first time Liang Jing was meeting Qin Su, so she was naturally a little excited. Zhou Zimo was already thirty-four, and this was the first time he had brought his girlfriend home. She had been looking forward to this for countless years!

    Now, it had finallye true. She had gotten up so early in the morning, and she had even taken a leave of absence to personally go out to buy ingredients. She had even asked Zhou Zimo about Qin Su¡¯s tastes and prepared the dishes that Qin Su liked.

    Listening to his wife¡¯s muttering, Zhou Zhenjun also turned his head to look at her. He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, ¡°You don¡¯t have to act too much. Just be normal. Such enthusiasm, be careful not to scare Qin Su. She¡¯s usually very quiet and doesn¡¯t like to talk much. You better be smartter. Also, Qin Su is very beautiful, don¡¯t get all infatuatedter. It¡¯s hard to say with your behavior. You might keep staring at her.¡±

    Chief Zhou¡¯s voice sounded like a warning, which made Liang Jing unhappy¡ª

    ¡°What do you mean infatuated? I¡¯d only be infatuated with those young guys, right? What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know you? Isn¡¯t that just how you are? Both you and your son are like this. You judge people by their appearance and ignore those who aren¡¯t pretty. Back then, I knew that our kid was 100% in love with Qin Su.¡± Zhou Zhenjun nced at Liang Jing and said.

    ¡°ording to what you said, this Qin Su is really as beautiful as a fairy? Sigh, if you ask me, it seems that those handsome and beautiful young men were all handed over to the country. Look, you were also quite handsome before.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m handsome anymore now?¡±

    Chief Zhou seemed to be very dissatisfied with his wife¡¯s words. As he spoke, he even red at Liang Jing.

    ¡°You¡¯re just a big and boorish man now. How can you be as handsome and unrestrained as you were back then? The more mature one is, the more profound and elegant they are, who¡¯d be like you?¡±

    Liang Jing mercilessly poked Chief Zhou¡¯s sore spot.

    ¡°How am I not refined and elegant? When I¡¯m usually stern, everyone says that I¡¯m profound and dignified. Unlike you? After so many years, your vision is still as short-sighted as it was in the past. You can only see an inch in front of you. It¡¯s thanks to a person like me who has a bearing that I won¡¯t despise you and even treat you preciously.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel very aggrieved?¡± Liang Jing nced at Zhou Zhenjun with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare! The sofa in the living room is notfortable to sleep on!¡± Zhou Zhenjun took a breath and replied sullenly.

 Chapter 1903 - Care (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1903: Care (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Good that you know! Yet you were thinking of doing the opposite! How dare you!¡±

    Liang Jing red at him, while Chief Zhou coughed lightly.

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo¡¯s car had already slowed down and stopped steadily in the parking space at the side.

    The car door was opened, and Zhou Zimo was the first to get out of the car. Qin Su followed closely behind and pushed the car door open.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun crossed his hands behind his back and nced at his wife beside him. He gestured to her and the servant beside him went forward to help carry the things.

    ¡°My God! She really is beautiful!¡±

    Liang Jing watched as Zhou Zimo and Qin Su walked towards them. When her gaze caught sight of Qin Su¡¯s cold and otherworldly face, her eyes werepletely nk.

    ¡°Father, Mother.¡±

    Zhou Zimo pulled Qin Su over and only stopped when they were in front of the two of them.

    ¡°Father, Mother, this is Qin Su. Qin Su, this is my father. You should be very familiar with him. This is my mother.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face was filled with a faint smile as he introduced them.

    ¡°Hello, Chief. Hello, Aunty.¡± Qin Su also greeted them very politely.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t need to be strangers here, we¡¯re amongst our own.¡± Zhou Zhenjun replied very kindly as he reached out his hand to nudge his absent-minded wife.

    Only then did Liang Jinge back to her senses. Her admiring gaze still fell on Qin Su¡¯s face as an extremely satisfied smile appeared on her face¡ª

    ¡°Hello, Qin Su! You¡¯re really beautiful. This is the first time Aunty has seen such a real and beautiful person. Our Zimo is really blessed!¡±

    As she spoke, Liang Jing swept a nce at Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly.

    ¡°Aunty, you tter me,¡± Qin Su replied.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s cold outside. Come in first.¡± Zhou Zhenjun nced at Zhou Zimo, who still had a slight smile on his face, and said.

    ¡°Yeah,e in first. It¡¯s so cold outside! The weather is so cold, and you¡¯re still wearing so little clothes. Are you cold?¡±

    Liang Jing said as she went up to hold Qin Su¡¯s arm. She was not unfamiliar at all.

    Qin Su, on the other hand, was a little embarrassed.

    The group of people quickly walked home.

    ...

    Inside the Zhou residence, Elder Master Zhou was sitting on the sofa, full of energy, waiting for Zhou Zimo and the others.

    The old man was almost 80 years old. His figure was a little thin, but his eyes looked very sharp and energetic.

    ¡°Grandfather!¡±

    Zhou Zimo walked in with Qin Su.

    ¡°Grandfather, this is Qin Su. Qin Su, this is my grandfather.¡± Zhou Zimo introduced calmly.

    ¡°Hello Grandfather, I¡¯m Qin Su.¡±

    Knowing that Grandfather Zhou was also a person who retired from the top, Qin Su casually bowed to him out of habit, which made Grandfather Zhou instantly happy. He kept smiling and said, ¡°Good! Good! This child has a highprehension ability and is upright. I like her very much! Come and sit,e and sit!¡±

    Elder Master Zhou smiled very warmly. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with Qin Su.

    Originally, Qin Su was the same as him in his previous identity. Elder Master Zhou was originally very happy. Looking at Qin Su in person, she was quite good-looking and her personality seemed to be very calm and courteous, Elder Master Zhou was almost instantly satisfied with this granddaughter-inw. In his heart, he immediately treated Qin Su as Zhou Zimo¡¯s wife.

    Old Master Zhou was quite particr about traditional ideas. Previously, Zhou Zimo had never brought any femalepanions back to see them. Moreover, he heard that Zhou Zimo had already gone to the girl¡¯s family¡¯s ce many times, old Master Zhou had already taken this matter as a sure thing.

    ¡°Thank you, Grandfather!¡± Qin Su thanked him very politely. She subconsciously turned her gaze to Zhou Zimo beside her. Zhou Zimo also smiled and nodded at her. He pulled her to sit down and made tea leisurely. Zhou Zhenjun and Liang Jing also sat down.

    ¡°I know about your father. I didn¡¯t expect Qin Yi to have such a good daughter. Zhenjun, I remember that Qin Yi is also yourrade-in-arms, right?¡±

    ¡°We used to work together in the past. We are in the same circle and he is quite famous. Naturally, I know about him.¡± Zhou Zhenjun smiled and said.

    He looked at Qin Su who was beside him. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Qin Su and Zimo to berades-in-arms. No matter how I look at it, it can¡¯t be said that fate is wonderful.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I was wondering why Zimo had persisted for so many years. Now, everyone is happy.¡±

    Liang Jing held Qin Su¡¯s hand intimately and said with a smile, ¡°Qin Su,e home often when you have time in the future. Aunty will cook delicious food for you. You don¡¯t have to be so restrained as a family. ¡°It seems that you guys are almost done. When you marry into our Zhou family and be a member of our Zhou family, we are also looking forward to it.¡±

    No matter how mentally prepared Qin Su was, she could not withstand Liang Jing¡¯s direct words. She could only turn to look at Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s ck eyes flickered as he continued, ¡°There are too many things to do at this time. It¡¯s not easy for us to stop for a moment. Let¡¯s wait until next year to talk about marriage.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. We have to hurry up with the wedding. Don¡¯t worry, once you get married, you can live as you want, we won¡¯t disturb you. You should just live in your world of two. Qin Su did not have that much free time in the military district before. Now that she has changed careers, his situation was much better. You guys should just enjoy the two of you. If you guys can¡¯t handle the wedding, we¡¯re here!¡±

    Speaking of this matter, Liang Jing was naturally very positive. All these years, she had been looking forward to the day Zhou Zimo got married. She had fantasized about it countless times.

    If she was asked to handle this matter now, she was sure that she would be 100 times more energetic.

    ¡°Since you know that we need to spend time together, let us enjoy this period of time again. Otherwise, after we get married, your requests will continue to emerge. Don¡¯t worry, we know our limits when ites to marriage. Qin Su just took over the job of the procuratorate, so it¡¯s not suitable for her to be so high-profile. A tall tree attracts the wind, and it might not be good for her if the rumors follow too closely.¡±

    Zhou Zimo found a very good excuse.

    After listening to what he said, the few of them thought for a while and felt that it made sense. After some thought, Liang Jing said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys get your marriage certificate first? It Won¡¯t be too public. We¡¯ll arrange the wedding banquetter.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Aunty. We¡¯re not in a hurry to get married right now. I want to settle down first. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll definitely get along well. When everything is ready, we won¡¯t disappoint everyone¡¯s expectations.¡± Qin Su said generously and did not push the me onto Zhou Zimo.

    After all, Zhou Zimo was supposed to take care of her in this matter.

    She did not have the courage to marry Zhou Zimo now. After all, marriage was a matter of a lifetime. A person¡¯s life was actually quite long. She did not want to be so indifferent anymore.

    Time was too long, and she needed to live up to herself.

 Chapter 1904 - Care (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1904: Care (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Zhou residence was more of a Chinese architectural style, and the backyard was almost the same kind of garden style with five steps, one floor, and ten steps, one pavilion.

    Although Elder Master Zhou had a military background, he was also from a schrly family, so he still paid attention to elegance in his bones. This Zhou residence was originally designed by Zhou Zimo¡¯s grandmother, it was based on the style that the old couple liked.

    After the old woman left, Elder Master Zhou quietly guarded this residence. Fortunately, Zhou Zhenjun and Liang Jing also lived at home, which made the residence more lively.

    It was Elder Master Zhou¡¯s wish for many years to have more children¡¯sughter in this residence. However, Zhou Zimo was not anxious at all. Instead, he made them anxious.

    ¡°This part was originally arge patch of Persian chrysanthemums. Grandmother quite liked these flowers. After Grandmother passed away, Grandfather said that these Persian chrysanthemums reproduced too quickly and were not very good for the other flowers in the courtyard, so he had people dispose of them. After recing it with thisrge patch ofwn, actually, everyone understood that Grandfather was probably afraid of how the sight of some things would make him miss a certain someone, so they just let him be.¡±

    Under the balcony of the backyard, Zhou Zimo brought Qin Su around therge backyard of the Zhou residence.

    The two of them passed through the winding corridors and walked into the depths of the courtyard. Zhou Zimo exined the flowers and nts in the courtyard to Qin Su.

    ¡°The old chief has a deep affection for the old madam. That¡¯s quite nice,¡± Qin Su replied indifferently.

    ¡°It¡¯s not really a deep affection. If it¡¯s really a deep affection, then only Grandfather Mu and Grandmother Mu are more appropriate. Grandfather¡¯s feelings for Grandmother is just very ordinary. They treat each other with respect of a husband and wife, their rtionship was a very conventional one.¡±

    Zhou Zimo exined with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, ¡°The rtionships of that era were not asplicated as ours are now. I heard that Grandfather and Grandmother were also on blind dates. They were of the same social ss, and then had a good look of each other before they got together.¡±

    ¡°At that time, the environment was more traditional. I was looking forward to that kind of rtionship, but I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. What if...¡±

    ¡°You are just a little pessimistic. Many things actually seem to be quite perfect. Don¡¯t think too much about it. It¡¯s better to let nature take its course than anything else. You never dare to take the first step, so how can you obtain joy and happiness? Do you really think happiness will knock on the door by itself?¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he looked at Qin Su meaningfully.

    Qin Su paused for a moment, but did not reply. She turned to look out of the corridor and realized that it was already quitete. The sky had already darkened. After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark very quickly now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time for dinner. Come with me, I¡¯ll bring you to my room for a walk.¡±

    As soon as Zhou Zimo finished speaking, he did not wait for Qin Su to react before he reached out to grab Qin Su and turned around to walk into the house behind him.

    ...

    Dinner was quickly prepared. The whole family was naturally very cordial, which made Qin Su feel a little shy.

    Qin Su also prepared a gift for Elder Master Zhou. It was a treasured scroll of calligraphy. Elder Master Zhou was naturally very happy and praised Qin Su for being sensible. Of course, she also brought some health products for Zhou Zhenjun and Liang Jing. The husband and wife were also extremely satisfied.

    After dinner, Elder Master Zhou let Qin Su y a few games of military chess with him. Both of them were equally matched, but they seemed to be having a good time ying chess.

    While Zhou Zimo was packing up some things upstairs, he could hear Elder Master Zhou¡¯s joyousughter downstairs.

    Elder Master Zhou had not been so happy for a long time. It seemed that bringing Qin Su back today was the right decision. The whole family liked her, so Zhou Zimo was even more motivated now.

    He did not expect that the old man, who was usually long-winded, would like a granddaughter-inw with a personality like Qin Su¡¯s. Perhaps it was because Qin Su had the temperament of a soldier in her bones, which made the old man find amiable.

    When they were about to leave, it was already past nine o¡¯clock in the evening. The old man even got up to personally send the two of them out.

    ¡°Grandfather, Father, Mother, you can all go back. It¡¯s quite cold outside.¡±

    When they walked down the stairs in front of the door, Zhou Zimo suddenly turned around and looked at the few people who stood up to send them off. He said this in a low voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a small breeze. How cold can it be? No matter how cold the weather is, I¡¯ve seen a lot of it. Now that my body is strong, I can still withstand it.¡±

    The person who replied was Elder Master Zhou.

    As Elder Master Zhou spoke, his old eyes fell on Qin Su¡ª

    ¡°Qin Su, today is the happiest day Grandfather has had in the past few days. If you have time,e over and y chess with Grandfather. Grandfather will tell you the story of our revolution. You must be very interested, right? Also, take this bracelet. Zimo¡¯s grandmother told me to leave it for my granddaughter-inw. After so many years, I can finally give it away without worry. Don¡¯t mind it. Come, Zimo, put it on Qin Su.¡±

    The old man had gotten a bracelet from God knows where. When everyone looked over, they saw that the bracelet looked very crystal clear. One look and they could tell that it was a valuable item.

    Elder Master Zhou passed the bracelet to Zhou Zimo and kept signalling with his eyes for Zhou Zimo to put it on Qin Su.

    Qin Su did not even have time to react before Zhou Zimo took it. He quickly pulled Qin Su¡¯s hand and swiftly put the bracelet on her fair wrist.

    Qin Su only reacted when a faint warmth hit her. She quickly lowered her gaze to look at her wrist and saw that there was an exquisite and beautiful bracelet on her wrist. It had simple and elegant patterns. She looked at it and admired it, but...

    ¡°Elder Chief, this gift is too expensive. I can¡¯t ept it. Zimo and I are just...¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s given to you, you should ept it.¡±

    Zhou Zimo interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. As he spoke, he grabbed her wrist and replied, ¡°We¡¯ll be going back first. Grandfather, Mother and Father, you should go back and rest early. We¡¯lle back when we have time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, be careful on the way. Oh right, you guys are usually busy and probably don¡¯t have time to cook. I¡¯ve prepared quite a lot of ingredients and dishes just now. It¡¯s half-finished. I¡¯ve asked Aunt Wei to pack it up for you guys and put it in the car. You two can bring it back to cook and eat it.¡± Liang Jing said very amiably.

    ¡°Qin Su, remember toe back home when you have time. Auntie will cook delicious food for you. If Zimo bullies you, just tell me. Your Uncle Zhou and I will definitely teach him a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie Liang. I got it. He treats me well and won¡¯t bully me. We¡¯ll get back first. You guys should go back in too. It¡¯s pretty cold outside. Goodbye!¡±

 Chapter 1905 - Care (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1905: Care (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was alreadyte at night, and the car slowly drove past the bustling streets. There was a constant flow of pedestrians, and most of them were couples on dates, walking past hand in hand.

    The streetlights of different shades fell into the car, and Qin Su¡¯s face was as indifferent as water.

    ¡°Grandfather and the others are really happy today. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen them have such a good time. Thank you, Qin Su.¡±

    Zhou Zimo continued to drive steadily. It seemed like a long, long time had passed before he turned his head to nce at Qin Su, who was leaning against the back of the seat and leisurely looking out of the car window.

    Upon hearing this, Qin Su, who had been silent all this while, finally recovered. She returned his calm gaze and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s rare for President Zhou to say thank you to me. I¡¯m just ying my part. Aren¡¯t you also trying to please my parents?¡±

    ¡°ying your part?¡±

    Zhou Zimo quickly caught the key word. After deliberating for a moment, he smiled, ¡°It really makes me happy that Officer Qin Su has such an awareness. It¡¯s naturally best to be ying your part. They will also be your family in the future, and they like you so much. When you marry me in the future, you will definitely be very happy. There won¡¯t be any pressure from the family.¡± Zhou Zimo said shamelessly.

    Qin Su frowned. Only then did she realize that she seemed to have taken a detour. She took a breath and replied, ¡°Marriage is not a small matter. We still need to give each other time to buffer.¡±

    As she said that, she lowered her head to look at the bracelet on her wrist. Just as she was about to reach out to remove it, she was stopped by Zhou Zimo, ¡°Take it. It¡¯s Grandfather¡¯s will. They want you and acknowledge you. You should be happy too. Do you really not like me? You really don¡¯t?¡±

    When Zhou Zimo asked this, his eyes could not help but look a little dejected.

    Qin Su seemed to have heard his somewhat dejected tone. Suddenly, she turned her head to look at him. All she could see was his gloomy side profile. After thinking for a moment, she said softly, ¡°No, you¡¯re very good to me. I know. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t ept this marriage life so quickly. Isn¡¯t it good to let nature take its course?¡±

    ¡°Qin Su, as long as you don¡¯t nod your head, as long as you don¡¯t remember me in your heart, I won¡¯t have any sense of security. I¡¯m not afraid for you to know that I, Zhou Zimo, will only marry you in this lifetime. When will you at least care a little about me? How can I enter your heart? Tell me, I¡¯m willing to do it.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he suddenly could not take it anymore. He pulled the car to the side and stopped.

    ¡®Screench¡ª¡¯

    The sound of the brakes cut through the quiet night sky, Qin Su instantly frowned. She suddenly turned her head to look at Zhou Zimo. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Zhou Zimo looking at her with some resentment. His dark eyes were filled with anxiety and unease, there was also a faint mncholy that he was trying to suppress.

    Qin Su was instantly stunned. Her indifferent pink lips moved. Just as she was about to say something, Zhou Zimo suddenly unfastened his seatbelt and leaned over to her. Without waiting for her to react, hisrge hand had already grabbed her head, his hand swiftly unfastened her seatbelt and pulled her into his embrace. Qin Su instinctively resisted. In the next second, a passionate kissnded on her lips. The slightly cold line of his lips urately sealed her slightly opened red lips...

    The passionate kiss naturally carried a burning temperature, causing her to be unable to withstand it. Both of her hands were firmly controlled by Zhou Zimo. He was invading her territory like a hot knife through butter, but she...

    ¡°If I really go crazy one day, it will definitely be because of you! Your ability to torture people is too strong, yet I, Zhou Zimo, really have no choice but to have you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo whispered in her ear through gritted teeth, and he could not help but gasp for breath.

    Qin Su raised her eyes, but what greeted her was his eyes that were as deep as the sea. Her pale pink lips moved, and her hoarse voice traveled over¡ª

    ¡°You... Ugh!¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Zhou Zimo¡¯s second round of attacks had alreadye in an overwhelming manner, almost pulling her into his embrace. The densely packed kisses alsonded on her, bringing with them an overbearing sense of conquest, and the force was so great.., Qin Su could not withstand it.

    Qin Su only felt that all her breathing was about to be snatched away by him, and a wild wave of passion directly pressed down on her. She was also somewhat in a daze, and before she had the time to think, her hands could not help but wrap around him...

    Feeling the pair of arms behind him, Zhou Zimo¡¯s heart suddenly felt a faint warmth. A look of joy shed across his eyes, and he unceremoniously deepened the kiss.

    The temperature in the car immediately soared. In this narrow space, both of them could feel each other¡¯s rapid breathing.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯srge hand brushed past her long hair. The faint fragrance of her hair drifted over and he finally could not control himself. Hisrge slender hand also reached into her clothes.

    Qin Su did not react in time. It was only when she felt a chill on her shoulder that she snapped back to her senses and subconsciously reached out to push him away.

    Being pushed away suddenly, Zhou Zimo was also in a daze for a moment. He looked at Qin su across from him and realized that she was lowering her eyes. The dim light had concealed her expression, but her actions had allowed him to see her panic.

    The jacket and skirt on her had already slid down by more than half. The zipper on her back had also been unzipped unconsciously, revealing her pure white shoulders. At this moment, she was awkward and flustered as she tugged at the clothes on her body, and her breathing was somewhat unsteady.

    She red at him in a sorry state, obviously feeling a little angry from embarrassment.

    Zhou Zimo naturally took in all of this. He let out a lowugh and hurriedly reached out to help her put on her clothes, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t control myself. I definitely didn¡¯t mean to take advantage of you, I swear!¡±

    ¡°Mind your own body.¡±

    Qin Su red at him in embarrassment, and could not help but clench her fists and punch him in the stomach.

    Zhou Zimo did not even let out a grunt. He only smiled dotingly and suddenly reached out to pull her into his embrace. He whispered her name, ¡°Qin Su, Qin Su...¡±

    Qin Su could feel his emotions. She suddenly stopped moving and allowed him to hug her.

    ¡°I really hope that we can be like this in the future. In this life, only I, Zhou Zimo, can treat you like this.¡±

    Zhou Zimo said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait too long. I don¡¯t want to waste my remaining time. We¡¯re many years toote, I should have married you back then. I¡¯m sorry, Qin Su... in my remaining time, I only want to pay attention to you. Do you hear me? Qin Su...¡±

    It was not the first time she had heard Zhou Zimo¡¯s affectionate confession, but this time, it seemed to have moved her.

    Hearing him say this, she suddenly did not want to deny that she felt a little happy in her heart.

    Perhaps she also cared about him a little? A little more than that?

 Chapter 1906 - Leaving in a Huff (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1906: Leaving in a Huff (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After meeting Dongfang Shuman, the rtionship between Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have be a little more harmonious. Perhaps it was because this knot in their hearts had been opened, and the two of them got along more naturally than before.

    Song Siting was the same. Ever since Dongfang Liuyun showed her those documents that night, she could clearly feel that she seemed to have be much more reserved and calm, over the past few days, she had already gotten her assistant to arrange the matters of the firm. She could be considered to have left the industry and did not personally handle many important cases.

    Dongfang Liuyun returned to Tanshan Vi area to check on Song Siting. The results of the reexamination were out. Dongfang Liuyun heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that she had recovered well.

    She had stayed at Tanshan Vi area for the past two days. Qi Lei was very busy and had gone to City C on a business trip. It was very boring for Dongfang Liuyun to stay home alone, so she simply returned to Tanshan Vi area.

    On this day, Dongfang Liuyun got off workte as usual. She wanted to buy some supper and rush back to Tanshan Vi area. Unexpectedly, when she had just left thepany to find her car, she met Lan Xiu who had been waiting for a long time.

    Lan Xiu sat in the driver¡¯s seat, rolled down the car window, and waved at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned, thought for a moment, and then walked over.

    ¡°Get in the car, have a few drinks with me,¡± Lan Xiu said in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun did as she was told, and sat in the front passenger seat.

    The two did not go to any high-end restaurant. Instead, they went to the food stall next to Debao House, which Dongfang Liuyun often went to, where there were three trees.

    They ordered two dozen cold beers and some side dishes to go with the wine.

    The two of them poured themselves a ss of wine and downed it.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve gathered together like this. You¡¯ve been looking good recently, so you must be doing pretty well. I heard that Grandmother has met Qi Lei. She must be very satisfied, right?¡± Lan Xiu spoke with concern as he poured Dongfang Liuyun a ss of wine.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do if she¡¯s not satisfied. After all, things are already like this. You, on the other hand, don¡¯t seem to be in a good state. Don¡¯t worry too much about Mr. Ge¡¯s matter. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and took a sip of wine as she said calmly.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been worrying yourself over Mr. Ge¡¯s matter recently. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve decided to give up on this n. If we withdraw now, even though we¡¯ll suffer some losses, it¡¯s still better than getting stuckter.¡±

    As Lan Xiu said this, he took a deep breath and paused. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. Even if we withdraw now, we won¡¯t lose too much in the end. We can look for other partners that we¡¯ve talked about better before.¡±

    ¡°But if we withdraw now, those partners will take the opportunity to suppress us. We¡¯ve made too many preparations and poured too much effort into the cooperation between our twopanies. I don¡¯t want to give up.¡±

    ¡°This happens all the time when ites to doing business, it¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    Lan Xiu was rather at ease about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m really not convinced for us to have been stuck here. Let¡¯s think of a way first. At the same time, we¡¯ll also see if there are any other suitablepanies. It¡¯s good to make some preparations in advance.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand and rubbed the space between her brows, ¡°Qi Lei did find Mr. Ge¡¯s information and address for me before. I¡¯ve also called him, but he didn¡¯t pick up. This matter is clearly meant to be left unattended. This project is being dyed. It¡¯s not good for our reputation either. We¡¯ll also the main party taking responsibility.¡±

    ¡°You went to look for Ah Ye?¡±

    Speaking of this, Lan Xiu suddenly could not help but ask.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment and did not try to hide it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that sooner orter, we¡¯d have to meet?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s much more haggard than before. Every time I look at him, I can¡¯t bear to see him. Lan Qi¡¯s matter has long passed. I know Ah Ye very well. If he wasn¡¯t faced with a tough problem back then, I believe that he wouldn¡¯t have given up on Lan Qi. You have the same character as him. When you encounter things, you¡¯re probably not the kind of person who would try to exin it. But usually, people like that suffer themselves. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Even if there was a problem, it still so close yet so far apart. I¡¯m a little resigned to my fate. I¡¯ve been wandering around these past few years. I¡¯m very clear about my own path and the life I¡¯ve been looking forward to. I¡¯ve never dared to think about it. But now, at least I¡¯m satisfied with the current situation. If all of you really want to hear that answer, then I have to admit that I¡¯ve fallen in love with him.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment, but he did not find it strange at all. It was as if he also knew that it was only a matter of time.

    ¡°When you told me that such a day woulde, I never doubted it. I also told you that I always thought that you would choose between me, Fujiwara, or Lan Qi in the future. But I never thought that it would be beyond us.¡±

    When Lan Xiu said this, his tone naturally carried somement.

    ¡°I used to think that I understood you. I also felt that Qi lei might not have the qualifications to match you with any of us. After all, Qi Lei¡¯s name was just for show. To be honest, I was really unconvinced at that time. However, after seeing your change, I have to admit that Qi Lei is indeed stronger than us. At least he can make you happy and take on everything for you.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Xiu did not have any prejudice against Qi Lei. From the looks of it, Dongfang Liuyun would never belong to him, Lan Xiu. As long as she was happy, he was willing to fulfill her wish.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Thank you, Lan Xiu. All these years, if it weren¡¯t for you, I would have been very lonely. I cherish our friendship. No matter what, I hope that we can find a ce in each other¡¯s hearts to hold our friendship. In my eyes, love is not the only thing that is so important. At any time, I would also go through fire and water for you, my good friend.¡±

    ¡°With those words of yours, I¡¯m satisfied. Come, let¡¯s have a drink.¡±

    Lan Xiu raised his ss to her, and Dongfang Liuyun nodded with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for more than twenty years, and it¡¯s impossible for me to forget my friends. You¡¯re the most colorful stroke of my life.¡±

    Her relieved smile was apologetic, and it was reflected in his eyes. Lan Xiu suddenly understood that perhaps all of these decisions were worth it.

    Why had he been thinking about her all these years? Why had he been so careful all these years, afraid that he would disturb her? Every night, in the dead of night, he would be heartbroken by the feeling of missing her...

    That was because he had loved her so deeply...

 Chapter 1907 - Leaving in a Huff (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1907: Leaving in a Huff (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He had never obtained it, and perhaps he did not have to endure the pain of losing it. However, it was not an easy thing to silently endure so many years of suffering.

    You in green clothes, softly in my heart, for the sake of you, I have been pondering until now...

    Lan Xiu raised his head and drank up the wine in his ss. He even swallowed the sour and bitter pain in his throat. In the distance, he did not know which corner, but he could vaguely hear such a familiar melody¡ª

    ¡°If this chandelier falls down, perhaps I will no longer exist. Even if you don¡¯t love me, you don¡¯t need to be separated. If at this moment I have a serious dementia, I don¡¯t need to be loved at all. I will always dream in bed and never be sad for the rest of my life...¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes suddenly heated up.

    He was most afraid of this moment. The person he loved was right in front of him, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. He couldn¡¯t have it, and the regret wouldst for a long time.

    Lan Xiu could not guarantee that he would be able to forget this unspeakable feeling in the years toe. However, at this moment, he was really sad, even though this was not just a one-time thing for him.

    ¡°Your words are nofort to me. Liuyun, every time I hear something like this, I feel even worse. However, as long as you live well, it¡¯s fine. ¡°Initially, I couldn¡¯t bear to see Ah Ye like that, but seeing that you¡¯re living well, I suddenly wanted to be a little selfish. Perhaps letting you stay by Qi Lei¡¯s side forever was the best choice. At least, you¡¯ve cried andughed for Fujiwara, and you¡¯ve been in pain, but Qi lei can bring you satisfaction and happiness. Qi Lei can make you happier than Ah Ye. I didn¡¯t really believe in this in the past, but now, I believe in it.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s low voice came through, and a faint light shed in his slightly warm eyes, ¡°So, for the project with Mr. Ge, let¡¯s not do this anymore. I hope that you can live the life you want without any pressure. Don¡¯t feel that you owe anything. You¡¯ve already done very well. You¡¯ve made a lot of contributions to thepany over the years. Without you, I, Lan Xiu, would probably have failed miserably a long time ago. Others might not understand my experience, but you understand it the best. Back then, when thepany was caught up in the economic crisis and the internal betrayal of Manager Chen, I was already mentally and physically exhausted. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have copsed a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate yourself. You¡¯ve always been very strong. At least, in my eyes, you¡¯re a good partner. These years, even without me, you¡¯ve done well. Perhaps, if you didn¡¯t consider me, you could have done even better.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied in a low voice.

    ¡°Liuyun, you overestimate me. In fact, many people overestimate me. To be honest, with the situation back then, if it wasn¡¯t for you and Uncle Dongfang¡¯s encouragement, my brother and I might not have been able to go on like this. Even if older brother met with misfortune now, I think that he must be very grateful to you in his heart.¡±

    ¡°So, seeing that you¡¯ve trapped yourself for so many years because of him, he wouldn¡¯t bear it.¡±

    ¡°The biggest mistake I made in my life was probably implicating Lan Qi back then. He didn¡¯t have to bear all this in the first ce. I used him. If I hadn¡¯t asked him to apany me back then, I think I wouldn¡¯t have suffered all this. It¡¯s also my fault for not thinking properly. I knew that I was in a mess with Fujiwara back then, but I still messed things up. I harmed Lan Qi for nothing.¡±

    ¡°I me Fujiwara for letting go too quickly. If he had held on a little longer to pull Lan Qi, Lan Qi wouldn¡¯t have fallen like that. She would definitely have been saved. But then I thought about it. At that time, it wasn¡¯t up to me to decide whether or not to let go. Everyone was exhausted. When I think about that, I no longer hate Fujiwara. I should hate myself even more.¡±

    This was the first time Dongfang Liuyun had mentioned that incident. Fujiwara and Dongfang Liuyun did not want to talk about it either.

    Lan Xiu only remembered that when he saw Dongfang Liuyun hugging the bloodied Lan Qi and kneeling in the rubble, his heart was also bleeding.

    ¡°I spent so many years to let these things settle. Every time I think of that incident, I feel more guilty towards Lan Qi. As long as I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m fine. If I¡¯m dead, there¡¯d be nothing left.¡±

    ¡°Life and death are determined by fate. Older brother has long entered the cycle of reincarnation. Ah Ye was also heartbroken over this matter. I think that if he could turn back time, he would rather be the one who fell than hope that it was Lan Qi. Now, what else could he do? Everyone¡¯s been suffering and enduring.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already made it clear to him that between him and I, it¡¯s fated that we¡¯re not meant to be together. It¡¯s impossible for us to go back to how we were. I heard that there¡¯s a Miss Inoue over there who has always been very fond of him. I think that someone that the Fujiwara family has taken a liking to should be pretty good as well. Let him finish his business here as soon as possible and go back. I don¡¯t know how many years he has left. I keep feeling that a person¡¯s life is very short. It¡¯s time for us to treat our feelings fairly, including you, Lan Xiu.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she poured herself another ss of wine.

    ¡°How did it get to me again? Weren¡¯t we talking about you? You know that I¡¯m anti-marriage too, I¡¯ve said it before.¡± Lan Xiu smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you to not get married for the rest of your life, right? I remember that there was a university teacher who was quite good-looking and very kind. Didn¡¯t she have a crush on you for a long time? Why didn¡¯t you consider her?¡± Dongfang Liuyun looked up at Lan Xiu and asked calmly.

    ¡°She just got married to a male teacher in her schoolst month. How do you want me to consider it?¡± Lan Xiu smiled helplessly.

    ¡°That¡¯s because she waited on you for too long, so she gave up. Waiting is a very torturous thing. Not everyone can be consistent. Take me for example. No matter how much I had hoped for Fujiwara, I still let him go and married Qi Lei.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun drank a ss of wine and took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s all my feelings were. This was as far as I could go.¡±

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t want to just stop here with you, Dongfang Liuyun. You know best what you took from me, I definitely won¡¯t let this go.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, a deep and firm voice sounded. A wild and cold fragrance assaulted them. Without even looking, Dongfang Liuyun could already guess who it was.

    Lan Xiu subconsciously turned his head to look. Only then did he realize that Fujiwara was standing upright under the tree beside them. The cold wind constantly blew against the corner of his clothes, but he was like a stone statue, standing motionlessly, he did not know how long he had stayed there...

 Chapter 1908 - Leaving in a Huff (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1908: Leaving in a Huff (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Ah Ye...¡±

    After a long while, Lan Xiu finally called out in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze was still fixed on Fujiwara¡¯s cold and stern face. There was no expression on his in and otherworldly face, but there was clearly a hint of depression in the depths of his starry eyes.

    Fujiwara also silently watched her for a long time, until the cold night wind had chilled thest bit of warmth in his body. Only then did he pick up his pace and walk forward. Under their two gazes, he pulled out a seat at the side and sat down.

    He took the wine and poured himself a ss. He frowned slightly and downed it in a few gulps. He then raised his eyes to look at the two of them. His voice was a little hoarse. ¡°What do you mean that¡¯s all there is to your feelings? What do you mean that¡¯s as far as you can go?¡±

    As he asked, he quietly looked at Dongfang Liuyun. Deep in his eyes, there was clearly a wave of pain that was tightly suppressed by him. He thought that he could control it, but when he saw her now, he realized that he had overestimated his own self-control.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a woman as ruthless as you. What am I? Dongfang Liuyun... What kind of hatred do you have for me to make you so determined?¡±

    Under the dim light, one could vaguely see the mncholic expression on Fujiwara¡¯s face. After he finished speaking, he tightened his grip on the wine ss and looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Lan Xiu looked at the two of them silently. Dongfang Liuyun lowered his head in silence. His gaze fell on the ss in his hand. He did not look at Fujiwara, but Fujiwara¡¯s gaze was a little pained...

    ¡°You have bad gastric, don¡¯t drink this. I¡¯ll order some porridge for you.¡±

    Lan Xiu had no choice but to break the depressing silence. He reached out and took the wine ss from Fujiwara¡¯s hand, but Fujiwara suddenly moved away. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m not that weak.¡±

    With that, he raised his head and drank up the wine in the ss.

    Lan Xiu still beckoned the boss over and served Fujiwara a bowl of hot porridge.

    ¡°How did you know we were here?¡±

    The one who asked was Dongfang Liuyun. She had already returned to her usual calm. She reached out and took an empty bowl from the side and served both Fujiwara and Lan Xiu porridge. She also served herself half a bowl.

    Fujiwara watched her actions. He did not know why, but he felt a wave of sadness in his heart. She knew that he was most afraid of her acting like this, indifferently doing these things without the slightest ripple on her face...

    The way she was right now made him feel even more heartbroken than the intense argument.

    ¡°Matsuda went to look for Lan Xiu.¡± Fujiwara still answered in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded slightly and moved the porridge in front of him. ¡°Eat some. The porridge here is pretty good. If you didn¡¯te here to argue with me, then let¡¯s talk while we eat. I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction was surprisingly calm, and her tone was even more indifferent. As she spoke, she lowered her head and quietly ate her porridge.

    ¡°Eat some. It¡¯s been a long time since the three of us sat down to chat like this. Today is a good opportunity to talk about some happy things. Ah Ye, you should drink less. Among the few of us, you have the worst alcohol tolerance. In the past, you were the first to fall, and Liuyun was always thest to stay awake.¡±

    In a daze, Lan Xiu thought of their previous times. Those were the times he missed the most. Perhaps only these times could make him feel a sense offort when he missed them.

    ¡°Among the four of us, Lan Qi actually has the best alcohol tolerance. Even I can¡¯t drink better than him. He always drinks until it shows on his face. After just one or two drinks, his face would turnpletely red. However, it¡¯s usually people like him with the best alcohol tolerance. The year I just graduated, he came to visit me at school. I drank with him for an entire night. In the end, I lost to him and lost the Qinghua porcin set.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also remembered that period of time.

    As soon as he finished speaking, Lan Xiu nodded. ¡°I remember that the Qinghua porcin set was bought by you and Ah Ye when you went to Jiangnan to participate in the auction. I¡¯ve always liked it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he won a lot of things from me, but every time he won them, he would send them back to me after some time. That Qinghua porcin set is still in Debao House.¡±

    ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll get someone to find ten more sets for you.¡±

    Seeing her slightly rxed expression, Fujiwara spoke up directly. He took the porridge that she had nudged to him and tasted it.

    ¡°One set is enough. For many things, it¡¯s not because you have more that it¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Your personality is still the same as before, easily satisfied.¡±

    Fujiwara chuckled softly. Only then did his tensed handsome face show some signs of easing up¡ª

    Actually, that was all. No matter how ufortable he felt, every time he saw her, he felt much better, especially when he could talk to her like this.

    He always knew that all the pain and gloominess would instantly disappear when he was with her. However, he was afraid that he would no longer have that right.

    Who could understand that he, Fujiwara, was currently stuck in this city like he was holding onto thest straw because he was afraid that he would cut off thest bit of connection between him and her?

    ¡°I¡¯m not that easy to be satisfied, I¡¯m just forcing myself to be easily satisfied. I¡¯ve heard that only those who are easily satisfied can touch happiness. After all, these things aren¡¯t things that others can give you. Didn¡¯t I ask you before, if you could give me this thing? And what did you say back then? You said that you don¡¯t even have it, so how could you give it to me?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, the corner of his mouth curled up into a faint smile, ¡°We are all people holding on strongly to things, it is usually harder for such people to live life aspared to others. I¡¯ve already epted a new kind of life. Thinking about it, the person I thought I was waiting for might not be the one who would truly protect me to the end. I hope that you won¡¯t reject the fate that belongs to you. I also hope that you can live a better life.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she raised her wine ss and toasted the two of them, ¡°Just like me, muster up the courage to ept another kind of life. You¡¯ll realize that if it¡¯s for the sake of everything that¡¯s beautiful now, then all the unhappiness and grievances that you¡¯ve endured before are worth it for this moment.¡±

    Lan Xiu agreed with Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, but Fujiwara¡¯s handsome face, which had just calmed down, suddenly fell silent again¡ª

    Worth it?

    Then, what if he was not confident that he could ept any other women besides her?

    There was no need for ifs. Fujiwara did not think that he could ept any other woman apart from Dongfang Liuyun. How else had he been able to endure through all these years?

 Chapter 1909 - Leaving in a Huff (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1909: Leaving in a Huff (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Thinking about the future, if things were to continue as they did before, Fujiwara¡¯s heart would be as dead as ash, and there seemed to be no hope of recovery. What could he do now?

    He picked up the wine and drank it in a few gulps. He took a deep breath. ¡°Whether it¡¯s worth it or not, only I know in my heart. I can¡¯t deny the past, and I don¡¯t want to deny it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep my promise. Whether you, Dongfang Liuyun, ept it or not is also your business. I can¡¯t just watch and do nothing. I only have so many feelings, and since I can¡¯t get them back...¡±

    At least, if it was not so painful.

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone was unusually determined, and his determined gaze made Lan Xiu feel a little apprehensive. Lan Xiu subconsciously turned his head to look at Dongfang Liuyun, trying to capture any changes in her expression. However, he saw that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression was still indifferent, other than the gloomy look in her eyes, there did not seem to be any other emotions.

    After waiting for quite a while, Fujiwara did not finish his sentence. After thinking for a while, Lan Xiu reached out to stop Fujiwara, who was about to pour the wine, ¡°Drink less.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s such a cold day, a little drink warms me up. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t get drunk with this amount of alcohol.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes darkened. Looking at the two of them who seem so repressed, he naturally did not feel good. He watched as Fujiwara watched Dongfang Liuyun drink one ss after another. He felt very ufortable.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not stop him. She also drank quietly. The few of them did not say much, so the atmosphere was naturally a little stifled. Lan Xiu thought for a moment and was about to ask Fujiwara to leave with him. Unexpectedly, Ah Li called.

    It was a matter with thepany. An important client had just arrived in City Z due to the dy of the snowy flight. Lan Xiu needed to go over and wee him.

    ¡°You can go back first. Just send me a message when you¡¯re done. Ask Ah Li toe pick you up,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said.

    Lan Xiu looked at Dongfang Liuyun and Fujiwara with aplicated expression. He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Ah Ye, I¡¯ll ask Ah Li to send you backter, right? Matsuda isn¡¯t here either...¡±

    ¡°No need. Go ahead and do your thing. I¡¯m not that drunk yet.¡± Fujiwara replied indifferently.

    Lan Xiu could only nod his head behind him. He gave Dongfang Liuyun a meaningful nce. Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun nodded his head, he left unhurriedly.

    ...

    By the wine table, only Dongfang Liuyun and Fujiwara were left. The atmosphere was even more depressing than before.

    ¡°I can¡¯t send a drunken you home. Since you can¡¯t handle alcohol, you should drink less. You shouldn¡¯t havee anyway.¡±

    Seeing Fujiwara drinking ss after ss, Dongfang Liuyun finally said indifferently.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to send me home. I know you hate me.¡± Fujiwara was stunned for a moment before he replied. He lowered his eyes to hide the darkness in his eyes. ¡°Do you still believe in fate? Liuyun?¡±

    This question made Dongfang Liuyun pause. She suddenly stopped moving and stared at him. She thought for a while...

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve always felt that people make their own path, but some things are hard to exin. Let¡¯s be straightforward and let go. We can¡¯t go back to how we were, it¡¯s good to leave a beautiful memory for each other.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t try, how do we know we can¡¯t go back to how things were? Don¡¯t you know why I rushed over from Japan so anxiously? If I say that I, Fujiwara, have to have you, what will you do?¡±

    When Fujiwara asked this, he stared at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened, but a faint smile appeared on her face. ¡°I¡¯m now Qi Lei¡¯s wife. What do you think I¡¯ll do?¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t love him at all!¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    ¡°How do you know that I don¡¯t love him? At least I care about him a lot right now. There¡¯s no rule that only two people who love each other can get married and live their lives. I¡¯m looking forward to every day of my future more and more now.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied swiftly as well.

    Fujiwara gave her a deep look. There was endless silence after that.

    ...

    The night was getting darker and darker. It was destined that some people would feel uneasy tonight. Of course, Dongfang Liuyun was not in a good mood either. The two dozen beers were quickly finished. Fujiwara did not feel satisfied either, so he ordered some more high-quality beers.

    The two of them sat facing each other in silence as they drank.

    It was a rare night when there was a bright crescent moon hanging in the sky. The clear and cold moonlight drank the cold weather, making people feel empty and lonely.

    Fujiwara did not know how many sses he had drunk, but he finally felt a little dazed afterwards¡ª

    If getting drunk could lessen the pain in his heart, he would rather stay drunk like this forever than wake up again.

    However, the person he deeply loved was right across him. He was so close that he could touch her as long as he stretched out his hand. However, he felt as if there were thousands of mountains and rivers between them. No matter how hard he tried, he could not reach her side.

    Fujiwara was a quiet person who was not good at expressing himself. Now that he was in this situation, he finally did not know how he could exin and clear up the misunderstanding, so...

    ¡°Liuyun, I was wrong... countless times, I wished that I was the one who died... at least I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much from your determination. At least at this moment, the person you should cherish in your memories is me... What can I do to have you return to my side? What do you want... I¡¯ll give you everything... I¡¯ll give you everything, including myself. I only want you to return to my side...¡±

    As he finished drinking, Fujiwara was also drunk. His expression was no longer as cold as before. What was left was the dejection of a disappointed person. He could not help but reach out to grab Dongfang Liuyun and ask in a low voice, ¡°What do you want from me?¡± There was clearly a hint of a choking sob in his voice.

    This was the first time Dongfang Liuyun had seen Fujiwara like this. In the past, he always had a cold and deep look on his face. The way he was right now made her feel a little at a loss...

    Seeing him like this, the scenes from the past suddenly came to her mind. She could not help but feel her eyes redden. She took a deep breath, turned her head away, blinked, and picked up a ss full of wine, she drank it in one gulp¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Fujiwara... Your health...¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You won¡¯t be sad even if I die. I¡¯m a little tired from holding on. Liuyun, I don¡¯t know how much longer I can love... and how long I can hold on. I¡¯m afraid that if I don¡¯t hold on, we¡¯ll be strangers. That won¡¯t be any better than death...¡±

 Chapter 1910 - Leaving in a Huff (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1910: Leaving in a Huff (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Fujiwara said these words in a hoarse voice, Dongfang Liuyun felt a sudden pain in her chest¡ª

    That was the case, but no matter what, they could not go back in time...

    After remaining silent for a while, Dongfang Liuyun tried her best to suppress the surging emotions in her heart. It was not because of anything, but because she could not bear the sudden attack of that memory.

    ¡°If we could all sit down and calmly discuss and analyze things like this before Lan Qi, things might not be like this now. I¡¯m not a good person, I got everyone involved in this conflict. Even though I¡¯ve been working hard and don¡¯t want these feelings to be a problem between us, no matter how hard I try, it doesn¡¯t seem like I can achieve the best of both worlds.¡±

    There was a hint of helplessness in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice. It made Fujiwara¡¯s heart clench¡ª

    He had always been like this. He could not stand to see her scold herself like this.

    ¡°You¡¯re very good. You¡¯ve made us unable to help ourselves. Whether it¡¯s Lan Qi, Lan Xiu, me, or now Qi Lei... You know how you feel. You know very well what happened between us over the years.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s ck eyes were a little blurry, but Dongfang Liuyun could still easily catch a hint of pain from them¡ª

    They seemed to be in the same situation. They had been living terribly all these years, and none of them could truly live well...

    ¡°We¡¯ve been living too tiring lives all these years. Sometimes, it¡¯s not a bad thing to let go of those obsessions and try a new life... we did have an unforgettable past, but I haven¡¯t told you. Actually, it¡¯s really tiring for the two of us to be together.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly and reached out to snatch the wine ss from Fujiwara¡¯s hand. ¡°Such a scene isn¡¯t suitable for you.¡±

    ¡°If we can¡¯t go back to how things were, I¡¯ll feel even more heartbroken and hopeless...¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯srge hand that was holding her wrist rxed slightly, and his silent eyes suddenly shed with a hint of warmth¡ª

    Yeah, he has never felt more hopeless than he did right now.

    Every time he thought about the long years ahead, if he did not have her by his side and imagined that she would be with another man, he would feel so much pain that he felt suffocated...

    After uttering those words in pain, Fujiwara started to feel dizzy as well. He quietly left go of Dongfang Liuyun and took a few gulps from the bottle beside him. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone... more ruthless than you...¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally very awake. She silently looked at Fujiwara, who had already fallen asleep, and her eyes were still somewhat hot. However, she could do nothing about it. What else could she do?

    The night breeze gradually grew stronger, and the sound of the curtains swaying could be heard. Dongfang Liuyun turned her head to look at the night sky outside, only to discover that there was also a waning moon hanging in the sky.

    The clear and cold moonlight and the frost all over the ground made people feel a chill in their hearts, just like at this moment.

    She blinked and took a deep breath before raising her hand to shake Fujiwara. Fujiwara did not react¡ª

    ¡°Wake up, how do I contact your chauffeur?¡±

    ...

    Fujiwara had already fallen asleep, he did not react at all, and he was lying on the cold table.

    After some thought, Dongfang Liuyun raised her wrist to look at the time. The hour hand on his wrist was already pointing to eleven o¡¯clock. It was already veryte, and the roadside was a little deste. After all, it was such a cold winter night...

    ¡°Boss Wei¡ª¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun waved her hand to call the boss over.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang?¡±

    Boss Wei walked over.

    ¡°Can I trouble one of your men to send him back? Make sure he gets there safely. I¡¯ll give you the address.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry, Miss Dongfang.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a regr customer here. Boss Wei was also very familiar with her. Boss Wei would be happy to help out..

    ¡°Okay, thank you. I¡¯ll give you the address.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly took out a pen and paper and wrote down an address for Boss Wei. ¡°Thank you for your trouble. Please send him home safely.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Miss Dongfang, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ...

    After that, Boss Wei quickly found an assistant.

    The assistant helped Fujiwara up, wanting to carry him on his back.

    Fujiwara was very drunk. When the assistant helped him up, he was still mumbling softly. If you listened carefully, you could tell that he was calling Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s name.

    ¡°Mr. Fujiwara, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun helped the assistant stabilize Fujiwara, but Fujiwara subconsciously reached out to grab her¡±

    ¡°Liuyun... Don¡¯t leave...e back to me...¡±

    ¡°What will it take for you toe back...¡±

    ¡°Let go...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun struggled for a moment, but Fujiwara suddenly tightened his grip.

    ¡°No... Once I let go, you¡¯ll nevere back...¡±

    ...

    ¡°Miss Dongfang?¡±

    The waiter also looked at Dongfang Liuyun troubled.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression darkened for a moment, then she said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll send him to the car with you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t... I won¡¯t let go...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re drunk, go home.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a moment to calm down before helping him up. She gave a look to the waiter beside her, the waiter understood and went forward to help.

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    This scene was naturally seen by Qi Lei and Yang Sheng who were not far away.

    Seeing Qi Lei¡¯s slightly clenched fist, Yang Sheng finally called out softly.

    However, there was no expression on Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face. He was as calm as usual.

    ¡°Master Qi... Missus, she...¡±

    Seeing that Qi Lei did not respond, Yang Sheng could not help but speak again.

    Qi Lei just stood there silently, silently watching the people walking towards him.

    Seeing the shadow under her feet, Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously raised her gaze¡ª

    Qi Lei¡¯s calm face came into view, and her clear gaze met his deep gaze...

    What kind ofplicated gaze was that?

    There was a struggle, a faint emotion, and of course, a faint sense of disappointment...

    Seeing his gaze, Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. She suddenly stopped and looked at him silently¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    There was a hint of gentleness in her clear voice.

    But...

    Qi Lei only nced at her from the corner of his eyes. His gaze swept past Fujiwara, who she was holding in her arms. His expression darkened for a moment, but he did not say anything in the end. He turned around and left!

    The tall and slim figure walked away bit by bit, catching Dongfang Liuyun off guard. She did not know what to do...

 Chapter 1911 - Be With You Till The End of Time (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1911: Be With You Till The End of Time (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yang Sheng was also stunned as he watched Qi Lei¡¯s figure gradually disappear into the distance. His chest suddenly felt a little panic as he hurriedly turned his head to look at Dongfang Liuyun, who was still in a daze¡ª

    ¡°Missus, hurry up and chase after him! In order to return earlier, Master Qi had been rushing to work today. He did not even have lunch or dinner. He just hoped toe back earlier. When he came back earlier, he just happened to see Master Lan Xiu¡¯s assistant. He knew that you were here, so he rushed over, we didn¡¯t think...¡±

    Yang Sheng also looked at Dongfang Liuyun anxiously. His gaze was as if he wanted to throw the drunken Fujiwara onto the road outside.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened when she heard this. She hurriedly pulled away from Fujiwara¡¯srge hand. He used so much strength that she felt a burning pain on her wrist. Some moisture also spread to her palm.

    However, she could not care about this and followed after him with a frown.

    ¡°Qi Lei!¡±

    He heard her voice from behind, but Qi Lei did not slow down at all.

    Dongfang Liuyun sped up a few steps before catching up to him. She reached out to grab his hand, but Qi Lei pulled it back. His footsteps subconsciously sped up as well.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    When his hand was flung away once again, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but halt her footsteps and shouted coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare take another step forward!¡±

    Qi Lei only stopped after this shout. He did not turn around and remained with his back facing her, he did not say anything.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng caught up and said¡ª

    ¡°Mr. Fujiwara is drunk! Missus is just sending him home!¡±

    Yang Sheng was afraid that Qi Lei would misunderstand and be unhappy, so he quickly exined.

    Qi Lei remained silent. Dongfang Liuyun, who was standing behind him, looked at him without moving.

    There was an additional sense of stifledness in the cold air, and the surroundings were extremely quiet.

    After a while, Qi Lei loosened his grip. He turned around slowly and looked at Dongfang Liuyun beside him.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him calmly.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath before turning his head away.

    ¡®Ding!¡¯

    A clear sound was heard. He saw a faint silver light sh before his eyes. Yang Sheng subconsciously reached out to catch it. He looked down and realized that it was the car key.

    ¡°Send Mr. Fujiwara home.¡±

    After saying this, he nced at Dongfang Liuyun and continued walking forward.

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng held the car key in his hand tightly and heaved a sigh of relief. He nced at Dongfang Liuyun with a meaningful gaze. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, he had already turned around with the car key and walked behind him, he helped Fujiwara into the car from the waiter¡¯s hands.

    The streets were very quiet in the middle of the night. On such a cold winter night, there were very few pedestrians on the streets. The night breeze was very strong, they passed through the trees on both sides in a deste manner. The shadows on the ground moved forward bit by bit, it looked somewhat lonely and deste.

    Dongfang Liuyun followed behind Qi Lei without making a sound.

    The couple walked forward for a long distance. Even Qi Lei, who was in front of them, subconsciously slowed down his footsteps. However, Dongfang Liuyun did not follow. Instead, she followed behind at a leisurely pace.

    After a while, Qi Lei, who was walking in front, finally stopped. He slowly turned his head and looked at her. Under the dim streetmps, the expression in his ck eyes could not be clearly seen, however, Dongfang Liuyun could feel the unhappiness that he was trying his best to control.

    Seeing him stop, Dongfang Liuyun, who was following behind him, also stopped. She raised her gaze and quietly looked at him, who was also looking down at her from above. She did not say anything.

    Qi Lei also stood there and looked at her for a long time. He then lowered his gaze and turned around to continue walking forward.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly caught up to him. As she reached out to grab hisrge hand, Qi Lei was forced to stop. He could only look down at her as if he was waiting for her to say something.

    ¡°Are you still angry?¡±

    A calm voice sounded with a hint of guilt. ¡°I was just asking one of the staff to send him home... Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°You two had a good chat.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep and slightly hoarse voice finally came through.

    ¡°Lan Xiu and I didn¡¯t expect him toe either, but we were talking about the past.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was not good at exining things, so now, she could only say it as it was. As she spoke, her starry eyes naturally looked at him generously.

    ¡°If not, would you want to talk about the future then?¡± Qi Lei replied and looked at her. She subconsciously remained silent. A momentter, Qi Lei¡¯s tensed handsome face rxed. He lifted hisrge hand and ran through her long ck hair. Suddenly, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her passionately, that kind of eagerness caught Dongfang Liuyun off guard.

    However, being held in his embrace made her feel warm...

    He wanted to pass on all the emotions that he had suppressed to her like he had gone mad, the chase and entanglement recklessly upying her territory. Dongfang Liuyun seemed to feel that he wanted to knead her into his chest, he quickly reached out to hug him and responded happily.

    A few minutes passed before he slowly let go of her. He stared at her and said, ¡°Sometimes, I really want to break your wings so that you can¡¯t go anywhere. It¡¯s better to just stay by my side like this. It¡¯s better than enduring this feeling all the time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I know that you¡¯re not always at ease. Because of my experience, I¡¯ve always wanted to give you a sense of security, but I don¡¯t know what else I can do to make you feel more assured.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said bitterly.

    Qi Lei pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to feel at ease for the rest of my life. Liuyun, I want more. I know you¡¯re tired, and I just want to take advantage of the time when you still have some strength left in you to give me some affection. At least I don¡¯t have to persist like this, it¡¯s too lonely... As long as you¡¯ve not fallen in love with mepletely, I won¡¯t be able to truly feel at ease.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    Hearing these emotional words, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes suddenly turned hot. The emotions that she had suppressed for a long time were about to be released¡ª

    ¡°I admit that I¡¯m a mess when ites to emotions, but I can also feel that these past are gradually drifting away. Being with you makes me feel satisfied...¡±

    ¡°You never have to say sorry to me. We¡¯ve already agreed that I¡¯m willing. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty. I just want you to make us both happy.¡±

 Chapter 1912 - Be With You Till The End of Time (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1912: Be With You Till The End of Time (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep and emotional voice sounded. Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel her eyes heat up. Suddenly, she felt her eyes tear up as she hugged him tightly with both hands.

    ¡°But other than that, I don¡¯t know what else to say. It seems that many times, the situations that people try their best to change mostly turn out like this. Some things go against their wishes. I...¡±

    ¡°Will you return to his side?¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish speaking, Qi Lei looked deeply at her.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Will you always stay by my side?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s answer was naturally very certain.

    Qi Lei nodded and silently let go of her, ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    He took a deep breath and calmed down for a while before continuing to walk forward.

    Dongfang Liuyun stood rooted to the ground for a long time. By the time she came back to her senses, Qi Lei had already walked quite a distance away. She quickly chased after him and subconsciously reached out to pull him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you till the end of time. Don¡¯t be angry, just consider that I wasn¡¯t being sensible, okay?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun admitted that she did not feel good seeing him unhappy. It was her first time speaking to him in such a gentle and careful tone.

    ¡°Consider you insensible? You¡¯re almost 30 now,¡± Qi Lei said in a low voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m only 28.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him.

    ¡°That Fujiwara has feelings for you that are no less than Lan Xiu¡¯s. You¡¯re quite something, you¡¯ve provoked so many love rivals for me. You¡¯re quite popr in the market huh.¡± Qi Lei said inly.

    ¡°You¡¯re no less popr than me. Didn¡¯t you have a small scandal with a famous model a few days ago?¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied as well.

    ¡°No one knows better than you where I was that night and what good things I was doing with you!¡±

    When Qi Lei heard this, he immediately red at her and said.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face instantly turned hot. Seeing that his gaze was somewhat meaningful, she immediately clenched his fist and punched him!

    Qi Lei moved away agilely and held her wrist with one hand. ¡°I don¡¯t n to let you off so easily this time.¡±

    ¡°What more do you want?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°It depends on your performance tonight.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s lips suddenly curled up into a warm smile as he looked at her with a faint smile.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful brows immediately furrowed. ¡°You look gentle on the outside, but you¡¯re actually a beast.¡±

    Qi Lei did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and did not refute. Instead, he admitted, ¡°If I¡¯m not a beast, how can I take you down?¡±

    ¡°Are you not shameless?¡±

    ...

    The couple talked as they walked along the street in front of them. The shadow on the ground moved forward, one long and one short. It looked rather harmonious.

    Dongfang Liuyun was gently being held by the shoulders...

    In fact, he thought that she would not run after him. If that happened...

    ¡°You said that you would be with me till the end of time, is that true?¡±

    After walking for a long time, Qi Lei suddenly realized something and asked Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Did I say something like that?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and looked at Qi Lei innocently as if she had never heard those words before.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Just you wait!¡±

    ...

    It turned out that Qi Lei was not joking¡ª

    That night, he was fiercer than any night before. He was like a wild beast that only knew how to plunder. He could not control his bestiality. Later on, Dongfang Liuyun begged for mercy, but he did not immediately let her go.

    Later on, when Dongfang Liuyun fell asleep, the person on her was still abnormally excited...

    Dongfang Liuyun swore that she would not easily provoke him in the future. Otherwise, she would not be able to bear it...

    ...

    When everything quieted down, it was already close to midnight.

    Qi Lei turned to look at the woman who had fallen asleep beside him. His gaze was somewhat gentle. After a moment, he retracted his gaze, got out of bed, picked up the sleeping robe on the chair beside him, put it on, and quietly left the room.

    The small side hall outside was not air-conditioned, so it was a little cold.

    Qi Lei walked over and turned on the wallmp and air-conditioning. Only then did the room gradually warm up.

    He came to the sofa and slowly sat down. He even poured himself a ss of water. After drinking two mouthfuls, he took his phone and looked through it. There were more than a dozen missed calls.

    Qi Lei only picked up Yang Sheng¡¯s number and dialed back.

    The phone rang a few times before Yang Sheng answered.

    ¡°Hello? Master Qi? I called you for a long time but no one picked up! Where did you go? How are you and Missus doing? Are you okay?¡±

    As soon as the call was connected, Yang Sheng¡¯s anxious and concerned voice came through.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. has he been sent home?¡± Qi Lei answered simply.

    ¡°He arrived a long time ago. The staff and I sent him to some cloud residence. It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. Are you still outside with Missus? What did you do just now? I didn¡¯t see you when I drove back. It was very...¡±

    ¡°I was in the middle of something earlier, do you need to hear the specific details? We took a taxi back.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and answered Yang Sheng¡¯s question.

    In the middle of something?

    Yang Sheng was stunned for a moment before he reacted. He coughed lightly and quickly exined, ¡°Master Qi, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I was just worried about you and Missus. I know the details of what probably happened. There¡¯s no need to describe it!¡±

    ¡°Oh right, Master Qi, that Fujiwara seems to be deeply in love with Missus. Although he was drunk on the way back, he kept calling out Missus¡¯ name. I¡¯m a little worried...¡±

    Yang Sheng was also very careful with the rest of his words.

    ¡°What are you worried about? When the soldierse, the general will block them. When the wateres, the soil will cover it. Don¡¯t tell me that I, Qi Lei, am afraid of Fujiwara?¡± Qi Lei said coldly.

    Dongfang Liuyun would always belong to Qi Lei from now on!

    As Qi Lei said this, his hand that was holding the cup suddenly tightened!

    Yang Sheng paused for a moment. After a long while, he asked, ¡°Master Qi, do you want to look into it again? I have a feeling that this Mr. Ge and Fujiwara are not simple.¡± Yang Sheng asked for instructions.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s dark eyes fell silent for a moment. Then, he said, ¡°Yes, be moreprehensive this time, including the experiences of Fujiwara in the past few years, what happened in the past and the rtionships around him, I want the most detailed information.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Master Qi! I¡¯ll get someone to do it right away!¡± Yang Sheng quickly replied.

    ¡°Also, this matter can only be carried out in secret. Don¡¯t let your Missus know about it. Do you understand?¡± Qi Lei instructed cautiously.

    ¡°I understand, Master Qi. Don¡¯t worry, this matter naturally cannot be known by the Missus,¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to be cautious. Try to get to the bottom of Mr. Ge¡¯s situation as soon as possible. Find a way to get to the bottom of things in Japan too.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1913 - Something Happened (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1913: Something Happened (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Yang Sheng answered, Qi Lei hung up. He took theptop and started flipping through it.

    He had been handling things in City C these past few days, so he had left a lot of things behind in thepany. There were more than a dozen missed calls. Other than Yang Sheng, there were Vice President Wang Chun and the other two managers. Of course, Mu Yuchen had also called twice.

    As Qi Lei skillfully found the information, he took his phone and called Mu Yuchen.

    The ringtone rang a few times, and the person on the other end picked up. However, it was Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice¡ª

    ¡°Hello? Qi Lei?¡±

    When he heard Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice, Qi Lei was naturally a little surprised, but he quickly reacted.

    ¡°Xiaye? Why Is it you? Where¡¯s Mu Yuchen?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s making tea and getting some snacks. What¡¯s wrong? Shouldn¡¯t you be resting at home at this time?¡±

    On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Xi Xiaye was sitting on the rattan chair outside the balcony, looking at the beach outside. When she saw the sparkling sea surface on the other side, she could not help but be a little puzzled.

    ¡°You guys seem to be at ease. I still have to look at the project¡¯s data. How have you been these few days?¡± Qi Lei asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite fun. It¡¯s been hard on you. It¡¯ste now, you should rest early. The body is the capital of the revolution.¡±

    Xi Xiaye said with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s too much stuff piled up. I can¡¯t sleep either. I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen mentioned it to me before. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to work harder during this period of time. How¡¯s your rtionship with Liuyun? is everything going well?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat up slightly and took the tea from the man. She took a sip and asked.

    Mu Yuchen sat down beside her.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter. Everything¡¯s fine. Enjoy your time together. It¡¯s almost time, your tasks won¡¯t be easy when the two of youe back. You¡¯ll have a lot to handle at the end of the year too.¡±

    Qi Lei said as he browsed through the data in hisptop.

    ¡°Listening to yourself, I feel like you¡¯ve nned this before. Aren¡¯t you worry that we won¡¯t be able to handle the things at the end of the year?¡± Xi Xiaye smiled helplessly.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to guarantee if it were someone else, but if it¡¯s Mu Yuchen, I won¡¯t have any worries.¡±

    Qi Lei was not stingy at all with his words.

    At this moment, Xi Xiaye chuckled as she looked up at the man who was serving tea.

    When he noticed her gaze, Mu Yuchen instantly looked up and met her smiling gaze. Then, he put down the teacup in his hand and reached out.

    Xi Xiaye very quickly understood and handed him the phone.

    Mu Yuchen took it¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°I just looked at my phone. A few missed calls. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei got straight to the point.

    ¡°Vice President Zhang Lan called, she hasn¡¯t seen you in a few days. There¡¯s a problem with the budget data for the second phase. She¡¯s already sent the data directly to your email and sent me a copy. I¡¯ve taken a look at it and madements on the areas where I have questions. Work hard these two days. Find some time to go take a look at the construction materials market and see if you can verify the price. This price is too high. I don¡¯t have a deep understanding with the people over there, so it should be more suitable for you to go over.¡±

    Mu Yuchen leaned back into the rattan chair behind him as he exined.

    ¡°I went to City C these past two days and didn¡¯t manage to make it. Send the annotated copy directly to my email. I¡¯ll take a look.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent it to you. See if you agree with me. What¡¯s wrong with City C? Didn¡¯t your project in City C finish already?¡± Mu Yuchen asked curiously.

    Qi Lei could not help but rub the space between his brows, ¡°It¡¯s not going as smoothly as you have here. The project in City C has indeed beenpleted, but theter stages of the project still need to be inspected personally. The evaluation team is prudent. In addition, the other party hasn¡¯t given me the final payment. This time, I¡¯m going over to get evidence.¡±

    Qi Lei did not have any qualms talking to Mu Yuchen about business matters.

    ¡°Get evidence? Do you need to personally collect the debt?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was a little surprised. He, Qi Lei, had a lot of people he could use.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that things are that simple. This partner has some connections with Qi Kai before. This debt has been owed for a long time. I¡¯ve told you before that he should still have some trump cards, but he doesn¡¯t dare to reveal them easily. I¡¯m going over now to get evidence of a recording, and I also have the intention to get him to speak.¡±

    ¡°Now his loan notes, recording, and the materials for the debt are in my hands. I¡¯ve already handed them over to thewyer to handle. If it doesn¡¯t work, I can only let him use the house and car as coteral to pay off the debt.¡±

    ¡°The ount hasn¡¯t been frozen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s frozen. There¡¯s no money in it. This old man is sly. He had already transferred his savings, house, and car to his son¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, didn¡¯t he have a piece ofnd near the east of your city?¡± Mu Yuchen thought about it and suddenly asked.

    ¡°Mmm, the Jin family couldn¡¯t get any ideas from me before, so they¡¯re keeping a close eye on this piece ofnd now. I¡¯ve checked, and that piece ofnd is still under his name. I¡¯ll get Wang Chun to submit the materials tomorrow and see if he can get that piece ofnd.¡±

    Qi Lei opened his email as he read through the email Mu Yuchen sent him.

    ¡°You¡¯re not nning to do a new project over there. What are you doing here?¡± Mu Yuchen asked with a meaningful look in his eyes.

    ¡°I can tell what you¡¯re thinking from your tone.¡± Qi Lei replied unhappily.

    Mu Yuchen just smiled and did not say anything.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that the Jin family is very interested in the project over there, and you didn¡¯t seem to have any conflict of interest with the Jin family before this. Moreover, the Jin family seems to be the son-inw of the Dongfang family now, and they¡¯re rted to you. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re doing this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone carried a hint of ridicule.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be rted to them. I just want to take back the rest of my money. It¡¯s not a small amount! I¡¯ve always just done things where necessary, it¡¯s not asplicated as you say.¡± Qi Lei exined.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you at all.¡±

    ¡°Then, what¡¯s more like me?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with you being like this. At least, you¡¯re living a more realistic life than before.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was silent for a moment before replying.

    Qi Lei smiled disdainfully.

    ¡°Xiaye and I will only be back next week. The weather these two days has been pretty good, we¡¯ll stay for a day or two more,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    ¡°You¡¯re really like a capitalist now. You¡¯re only squeezing me. Alright, go ahead. I¡¯ll take a look at the information.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1914 - Something Happened (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1914: Something Happened (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After he hung up, Mu Yuchen quickly threw his phone aside and took a sip of tea.

    ¡°What are you smiling about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw the meaningful smile on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face, so she could not help but ask.

    Mu Yuchen then looked at her and smiled. ¡°Nothing much. I just find that the Qi Lei now is apletely different person from before.¡±

    ¡°Of course, before this, he was the Second Master Qi, but now, he¡¯s a rather affectionate person. When I saw what he did for Liuyun before this, at least, I felt a little moved. Mr. Mu, you weren¡¯t that nice to me before! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯re doing pretty well now, I think I¡¯d be very envious of Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not hide her surprise at all.

    When she heard this, Mu Yuchen nced at her disapprovingly. ¡°Which part of me didn¡¯t satisfy you? Ungrateful woman.¡±

    Xi Xiaye lowered her brows and smiled. When she looked up, her beautiful face was calm. ¡°Are you sick of me?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned and nced at her.

    Xi Xiaye then coughed a few times and lowered her eyes. ¡°Then, why haven¡¯t you hugged me like you usually do when we were sleeping these past few nights?¡±

    When she said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face instantly froze¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ve had a little cold these past few days. I was worried that I¡¯d infect you. You¡¯re a little petty, Missus.¡±

    Mu Yuchen criticized her bluntly.

    Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and leaned back. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all better?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you care about me either.¡±

    ¡°Who said that? Who¡¯s the one who brought you the medicine this morning?¡±

    ...

    The next morning, when Dongfang Liuyun woke up from his sleep, Qi Lei was no longer there. When she packed up and went downstairs to eat breakfast, she did not see Qi Lei either, but the breakfast was still hot in the kitchen pot.

    There was a note on the dining table saying that he had gone out and would not be back for lunch.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. Then, he ate breakfast alone and went to work.

    Then...

    At this moment, by the South River.

    Qi Lei rushed over early in the morning to inspect the construction site. Vice President Zhang Lan also came over. They were discussing the data that Mu Yuchen had mentioned earlier.

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t worry, President Qi. Since you¡¯ve checked with Chairman Mu, there won¡¯t be any problems. I¡¯ll get them to do it ording to the revised data.¡±

    Vice President Zhang Lan closed the document in her hand as she said this.

    ¡°I¡¯m very relieved that you¡¯re doing things. You¡¯ll have to put in some effort on the matters here. If you have any problems, feel free to look for me.¡± Qi Lei also said with concern.

    ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll go back first and give them the data,¡± Zhang Lan replied.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    At this moment, Yang Sheng¡¯s anxious voice came from the side as soon as Zhang Lan finished speaking.

    Qi Lei turned his head and nced at Yang Sheng. There was some reproach in his eyes, which scared Yang Sheng so much that he did not dare to speak. Qi Lei turned his head and looked at Zhang Lan apologetically.

    Zhang Lan nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. President Qi, you can go back to work. I¡¯ll go back first. If there¡¯s anything, I¡¯ll contact you again.¡±

    After that, she left as well.

    Seeing Zhang Lan leave, Yang Sheng came up to him and looked at Qi Lei carefully. He wanted to say something but hesitated.

    ¡°What happened? Why are you so flustered?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at him with a frown.

    Yang Sheng took a deep breath and said softly, ¡°Master Qi, something happened!¡±

    Qi Lei frowned even more when he heard that. He looked at Yang Sheng and waited for him to continue.

    Yang Sheng then handed the newspaper to Qi Lei¡ª

    ¡°Take a look. The entire page of this morning¡¯s paper is filled with Missus and...¡±

    Yang Sheng did not dare to finish his sentence. He only looked at Qi Lei carefully.

    Missus?

    Qi Lei was naturally very sensitive about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s matter. Upon hearing Yang Sheng¡¯s words, he immediately snatched the newspaper from his hand and opened it to read.

    He saw that on the front page of the newspaper, Dongfang Liuyun and Fujiwara were drinking together. The picture of them walking together filled the entire page. It seemed to be very intimate.

    It was a picture-and-text news. Naturally, it was about Fujiwara and Dongfang Liuyun. It was even reported that Fujiwara and Dongfang Liuyun were lovers.

    ¡°Master Qi, now, even Weibo is reporting about this matter. Many people are scolding Missus on Weibo. They said that Missus is cheating on you...¡± Yang Sheng said helplessly.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression naturally turned gloomy¡ª

    Those photos were naturally from yesterday. Qi Lei was clear about what happened yesterday too!

    It was very obvious that someone had taken these photos on purpose and made these one-sided reports. They wanted to shine a negative light on Dongfang Liuyun and put pressure on her through public opinion!

    Just like thest time!

    The more Qi Lei read, the darker his expression became. The aura that had gathered on his body also instantly turned cold, and even Yang Sheng could not help but feel a stifling chill.

    A momentter, Qi Lei suddenly crumpled the newspaper into a ball. A hint of cold sharpness shot out from his ck eyes, and his deep voice was as cold as steel...

    ¡°Go and find out whose work this was. Also, this newspaperpany, give them a bit of a warning. Let them know what it means to know their limits.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression was very calm, and he did not seem to be much different from before. However, the chill that emanated from his entire body made people tremble slightly, and even Yang Sheng felt the same.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡± Yang Sheng replied in a low voice.

    ¡°Deal with what needs to be dealt with. I don¡¯t want to see this news appear in the newspapers. Restore everything that happenedst night. Find the person who took the photo and deal with it.¡± Qi Lei ordered coldly.

    ¡°Understood!¡± Yang Sheng replied, then turned around and left.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and tossed the newspaper in his hand to the side. He raised his hand to rub the space between his brows. His handsome face showed a hint of fatigue.

    The cold wind blew on his face, causing it to hurt. Qi Lei also felt a dull pain in his heart. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly took out his phone from his pocket and made a call to Wang Chun.

    Wang Chun quickly picked up!

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    Wang Chun¡¯s voice came through. ¡°About the Missus...¡±

    It was obvious that Wang Chun already knew about this and was thinking about what to do.

    ¡°I already know. Make the arrangements immediately. Tomorrow, I¡¯m going to shoot a photobook of every day marriage life with your Missus. Also, she and I will personally be the male and female lead for the ¡®precious¡¯ ring advertisement.¡±

    Before Wang Chun could finish his sentence, Qi Lei had already told him this.

    At this moment, Wang Chun already understood Qi Lei¡¯s intention¡ª

    He also wanted to use this kind of exposure to use actual actions to destroy such rumors...

 Chapter 1915 - Unruly! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1915: Unruly! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun only found out about this when she arrived at the office.

    She did not know if the paparazzi had unintentionally captured those photos, but such negative news was obviously very unfavorable to her!

    The reports in the newspapers about her and Fujiwara being in love in the past were also true, but...

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel a headache.

    ¡°Manager Yun, this matter...¡±

    Secretary Ding, who was waiting in front of her, saw that Dongfang Liuyun did not respond, so she called out softly.

    ¡°You can go out first. I want to be alone.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly, took a deep breath, and said this.

    ¡°Manager Yun, but this matter...¡±

    ¡°Get out.¡±

    Even though Secretary Ding wanted to say something else, Dongfang Liuyun interrupted her.

    Secretary Ding immediately stopped speaking. Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face was gloomy, she did not dare to say anything else and quietly left.

    Dongfang Liuyun just looked at the newspaper on the table. Her intimate appearance with Fujiwara made them look like a loving couple, but...

    After looking at it for a long time, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile.

    Finally, she could not help but take out her phone from her pocket and call Qi Lei. However, the voice that came from the other end indicated that his phone was turned off.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows instantly furrowed.

    She called a few times in a row, but the result was the same!

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun put away her phone in frustration and threw it on the table.

    However, at this moment, the screen of the phone lit up. Dongfang Liuyun quickly took it over and saw that it was a notification of a speeding ticket on the highway!

    Speeding ticket?

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment¡ª

    It seemed that the car that Qi Lei drove these days was the car that he had bought recently. It was a ck Mercedes-benz sports car. The car was under her name, and what was recorded was her phone number!

    The car that Qi Lei was driving today was the ck Mercedes-benz.

    He was probably still on the highway. He had not even gotten off the highway yet, and the tickets had already been sent to her!

    Although Qi Lei¡¯s driving skills were good, he was reckless when it came to the highway. He pursued speed! Furthermore, he would often m on the brakes and drive fiercely. He would often exceed the speed limit. Every time he got on the highway, the tickets would already be issued before he even got off the highway!

    Because of this matter, Dongfang Liuyun had also criticized him a lot, but it waspletely useless.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally had a headache.

    She took a deep breath and was about to put her phone away when suddenly, her phone vibrated. It was an unfamiliar number.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before she picked up¡ª

    ¡°Hello? Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hello! Is this Miss Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    The other party seemed to be a middle-aged man¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Dongfang Liuyun. May I know who you are...¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked with some confusion.

    ¡°This is the Traffic Control Bureau at XX. Your husband, Mr. Qi Lei, has gotten into a serious speeding ident due to drunk driving. His driver¡¯s license has been revoked. You need toe here to go through the formalities and pay the fine...¡±

    ...

    When he said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows were knitted together. Her head could not help but ache!

    Drunk driving, speeding, and having his driver¡¯s license revoked!

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but want to vomit blood!

    ¡°Is he alright? I¡¯ll rush over right now.¡±

    After hanging up, she did not care about anything else. Se grabbed his handbag and left the office in a hurry.

    Almost at the fastest speed, she rushed to the Traffic Control Bureau that the policeman mentioned.

    She saw his familiar car in the parking lot. She walked in and saw her man sitting on a bench from afar, the traffic police officer in front of him was holding a booklet as if he was talking to Qi Lei. He was probably talking about traffic rules.

    Qi Lei sat there quietly. He did not move at all. He lowered his head slightly. Looking from afar, one could feel a sense of loneliness from him.

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel her heart tighten as she rushed over.

    ¡°How are you?¡±

    There was anxiety in her concerned voice. ¡°Are you not feeling well? Why were you drinking in broad daylight? Are you trying to die?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could smell the alcohol on him the moment she got closer. She could not help but scold him.

    A familiar voice sounded. Qi Lei, who had his head lowered in silence, slowly raised his gaze. When he saw that his woman was also standing against the light, his slightly disheveled face softened. He quickly averted his gaze and nced at the traffic policeman, as he slowly got up, a deep and hoarse voice sounded¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re here... My driver¡¯s license has been revoked. From now on, you can send me to and from work on time every day. Pay the fine and let¡¯s go home. I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±

    After saying this, before Dongfang Liuyun could react, he had already told the traffic policeman, ¡°She¡¯s my wife. I¡¯m not very clear-headed right now. If you need anything, just look for her.¡±

    After saying these few words, he took the car key in her hand with one hand and rubbed the space between his brows. He walked forward a little tiredly. ¡°Hurry up and deal with it. I¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡±

    Even though Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction was fast enough, her brain was clearly not quick enough!

    She suddenly turned to look at Qi Lei, but Qi lei only left her with a deste back view.

    This...

    What was going on?

    Dongfang Liuyun could not react in time!

    However, she did not say anything. She quickly followed the traffic police¡¯s reminder andpleted all the necessary procedures. When she left, it was already more than 10 minutester.

    When she returned to the car, she saw Qi Lei already sitting in the passenger seat and waiting for her.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun pulled on her seatbelt and fastened it. She looked at him and said, ¡°How did this happen?¡±

    Qi Lei opened his eyes and nced at her. ¡°Anyone who can see can tell that I¡¯m in a bad mood. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t tell.¡±

    Qi Lei spoke rather justifiably.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and was stunned again. She stared at Qi Lei as if she had seen a ghost

    She never seemed to realize that her husband had such a side to him!

    ¡°I <i>can </i>see and know that you¡¯re in a bad mood, but what do you mean?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and closed his eyes silently, ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, I¡¯ve thought about it. Since things have turned out this way, you¡¯re making things difficult for me, so don¡¯t think of having things easy for you too. You can¡¯t just make me feel bad, you have to bear some of it too. Otherwise, you¡¯ll think that I¡¯ve been living toofortably. From now on, whenever I¡¯m upset, you¡¯ll have to suffer with me too. I want to let them all know who you really belong to!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1916 - Unruly! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1916: Unruly! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally unable to react to Qi Lei¡¯s words. She did not fasten her seatbelt until Qi Lei turned to look out of the car window. Only then did she calm down.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun helped him fasten his seatbelt as she asked, ¡°Is it because of what happened with the newspaper?¡±

    ¡°You know what happened, and I don¡¯t know how to exin it. Do you want me to hold a press conference?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said with a headache.

    ¡°As long as we¡¯re fine, the rumors will fall apart. Where would we find the time to care about what other people think?¡± Qi Lei answered disapprovingly.

    ¡°If it¡¯s really that simple, what¡¯s with you today?¡±

    Hearing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and started the car, ¡°We¡¯re not considered young couples anymore. It¡¯s better not to y games like this in the future. Getting your driver¡¯s license revoked isn¡¯t nothing. If something really happens, you¡¯ll be the one who loses out.¡±

    ¡°You can be my free driver anymore, why not?¡± Qi Lei replied in a deep voice. He did not take this matter to heart at all. ¡°No matter how bad it is, Yang Sheng and the others will handle it.¡±

    ¡°Being your subordinate is really troublesome. You don¡¯t have to test me like this. You know what happened. Weren¡¯t you finest night?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not handle this man¡¯s fickleness. Although she did not care about the rumors, she still cared about Qi Lei¡¯s attitude.

    ¡°Do you mean that I should smile and encourage you?¡± Qi Lei was naturally unhappy when he heard this.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, but I just hope that we don¡¯t have to exin too much and that we can eliminate unnecessary misunderstandings to the greatest extent. Right now, we should be working together.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you first show me your sincerity when you say this?¡±

    ¡°What do you want me to show you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun red at him and handed him a bottle of water. ¡°You reek of alcohol, drink some water.¡±

    Qi Lei returned her nce and reached out to take it. His tone was a little gentler¡ª

    ¡°This matter isn¡¯t simple. I know that your side will be affected, so just listen to my arrangements. Tomorrow, someone wille to our house to take a photo of our daily life. Make some preparations. I¡¯ve already asked Yang Sheng to help you apply for leave. You can stay home for the next two days.¡±

    ¡°What arrangements did you make? I thought you were going to fall out with me because of this.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to be my chauffeur for the next few days and swear to the entire City Z that I, Qi Lei, am your husband?¡±

    Qi Lei then nced at her with a deep gaze. His deep tone had a hint of something that she could not fathom.

    Dongfang Liuyun ignored him and gave him a sidelong nce. ¡°You can¡¯t me me for this. I went for a checkup a while ago. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me, but I¡¯ve been married for so long, and there¡¯s still no news.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned. ¡°Are you saying that there¡¯s something wrong with me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the doctor suggested that we should go for another checkup.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I know better than anyone that there¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with my body!¡±

    Qi Lei practically frowned as he red at Dongfang Liuyun, ¡°The results of the annual checkup show that my various indicators are normal, but your physique isn¡¯t very good. Don¡¯t be too nervous. Go back and replenish your body. It might have already taken root and sprouted. Based onst night¡¯s situation.¡±

    Qi Lei said it without any shame, but Dongfang Liuyun felt a little embarrassed.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not my fault that there¡¯s no news. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me.¡±

    ¡°I can hear that you¡¯re implying that I¡¯m not working hard enough. I¡¯ll definitely do my best to satisfy you.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her wickedly and smiled. ¡°Do you really want to have my child that much?¡±

    ¡°My parents have always wanted to want to have a grandchild. Do you think I would have the leisure to think about these things otherwise? Can¡¯t we just let nature take its course?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun increased the speed of the car as she replied.

    At this moment, Qi Lei coughed lightly and his silent ck eyes immediately eased up¡ª

    He seemed to have heard someone say before that if a woman really wanted to have your child, it meant that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with you.

    If Dongfang Liuyun was thinking the same way now, did that mean that Fujiwara had long be a thing of the past, and Qi Lei was the real future of Dongfang Liuyun?

    Thinking of this, thest bit of depression in Qi Lei¡¯s heart finally dissipated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you really like the idea of our child, it will be here soon.¡± Qi Lei hesitated for a while before saying meaningfully.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly.

    ¡°Of course. Just having one for fun is enough. It¡¯s not a simple thing. I can¡¯t bear to see you suffer too much.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just having a child?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not think much of it. She probably did not understand the hardships of being a parent just yet.

    ...

    The afternoon sky was a little gloomy. The faint hint of winter in the sky had also disappeared. It was a cloudy day, and the wind was very cold.

    In City Z¡¯s XX airport.

    At the airport entrance, a woman wearing a dark coat was slowly walking towards the airport entrance under the escort of a few bodyguards.

    The woman had a tall and exquisite figure. Her beautiful face wore a pair of sunsses. She had an imposing air of nobility, and the formation around her was not small.

    ¡°Miss Inoue, the car is parked outside. Please follow me.¡±

    Riko Inoue had just walked out of the airport when the people waiting at the side quickly came forward to wee her. They spoke very respectfully in pure Japanese, they were Japanese.

    Riko Inoue nodded and strode forward.

    The car naturally stopped outside the door. Riko Inoue quickly got into the car. The attendant, Yoshimoto, was her trusted aide and had a close rtionship with the Fujiwara family. She sat in the front passenger seat.

    ¡°Miss, Master Fujiwara lives in the Cloud Residence. Mr. Fujiwara has already informed Master Fujiwara that you will head directly to the Cloud Residence.¡±

    ¡°Fujiwara-kun didn¡¯t receive the news?¡±

    Riko Inoue turned her head to look out of the car window and asked coldly.

    ¡°Of course Fujiwara-kun knows. It¡¯s just that, Miss, you¡¯ll understand everything after looking at the newspaper that was handed to you just now,¡± Yoshimoto said.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    A look of surprise shed across Riko Inoue¡¯s face. She quickly flipped open the newspaper that was handed to her by Yoshimoto. When she saw the photo of Fujiwara being so intimate with an unfamiliar woman, Riko Inoue instantly frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rtionship between Fujiwara-kun and this woman? From what I remember, Fujiwara-kun doesn¡¯t seem to have such a rtionship with any woman?¡±

 Chapter 1917 - Unruly! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1917: Unruly! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Riko Inoue asked doubtfully. As she spoke, she pulled down her sunsses slightly and carefully read the contents of the newspaper.

    ¡°Miss, you might not know. I believe you must have heard of the reason why Master Fujiwara fell out with his family all these years.¡±

    Yoshimoto lowered his voice and reminded her.

    ¡°This... I think I heard some rumors before. It seems that his family was against his feelings for someone?¡±

    Riko Inoue was a very proud person. All these years, she had never taken any woman seriously. In terms of background and looks, she was very confident.

    ¡°Yes, and the reason why Master Fujiwara didn¡¯t fall in love with any woman before was precisely because of this woman. Her name is Dongfang Liuyun, and she¡¯s the woman that Master Fujiwara had always been worried about. The reason why Master Fujiwara rushed back to City Z this time was because of her. She¡¯s not someone to be trifled with.¡±

    Yoshimoto had a rough understanding of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s situation.

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun? Qi Lei? The second son of the Qi Family? I¡¯ve heard father mention this person before. Since they¡¯re already married, they don¡¯t pose any threat to me.¡±

    Riko Inoue was not stupid. Apart from rxing, her main purpose foring to City Z was to get close to Fujiwara. Her family was looking forward to her marriage with Fujiwara. Moreover, she was very satisfied with Fujiwara. A man like him had all the advantages that Riko Inoue hoped for.

    She naturally looked forward to Fujiwara bing her husband.

    ¡°If he could really let go of his feelings after so many years, we wouldn¡¯t have such a stalemate today. Miss, Master Fujiwara might not be suitable for you. In my opinion, Master Lohr is more suitable for you.¡± Yoshimoto thought for a moment and suggested.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. I won¡¯t take Lohr¡¯s character to heart. Go and look up this Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s information. If she knows what¡¯s good for her, we can be friends. If she still doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her after getting married like this, then don¡¯t me me.¡±

    Riko Inoue suddenly crumpled the newspaper in her hand into a ball. Her gaze was cold.

    ¡°Yes, Miss. Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Yoshimoto noticed that Riko Inoue¡¯s tone was not too happy, so he nodded knowingly.

    ¡°Also, call Father and ask about Qi Lei¡¯s situation. I remember that the Qi family¡¯s influence made grandfather and the others a little suspicious. Although they haven¡¯t heard much about it over the years, it¡¯s hard to guarantee that the family¡¯s foundation isn¡¯t there. It¡¯s always good to be cautious.¡±

    Riko Inoue thought about it for a moment, then gave the order as well. She tossed the newspaper in her hand away.

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ...

    Inside the Cloud Residence, Fujiwara woke up in a daze. When he woke up, his head was in a lot of pain. Fortunately, Matsuda gave him a few painkillers to take and he felt much better.

    It was already afternoon. Fujiwara knew about what happened in the newspaper in the morning.

    ¡°Master, what do we need to do? I didn¡¯t expect the paparazzi in City Z to be everywhere. They even took pictures like this. They¡¯re clearly trying to use this one-sided news to gain attention. How despicable.¡±

    Matsuda was also extremely disgusted by the media¡¯s actions. He had dealt with simr matters many times over the years.

    ¡°Rumors stop at wise men. Just sit back and do nothing.¡±

    Fujiwara was sitting on the sofa with a yellowed book in his hand. He was flipping through it without even lifting his eyelids. His entire face was cold and stern. That kind of aura always made people feel dejected and absent-minded. Sometimes, it was as if you could not feel his existence.

    ¡°But... Oh, right, Master, Mr. Fujiwara called just now. He said that Miss Inoue will arrive at City Z at one o¡¯clock this afternoon and mighte directly to our Cloud Residence. Mr. Fujiwara wants you to treat Miss Inoue well. Miss Inoue should have arrived at the airport by now. Should we send someone to pick her up?¡±

    Without Fujiwara¡¯s instructions, Matsuda naturally did not dare to make his own ns. He knew Fujiwara¡¯s temper very well.

    As expected, when this matter was brought up, Fujiwara¡¯s cold face instantly seemed to be covered with ayer of frost. His hand immediately stopped. He raised his gaze and looked coldly at Matsuda.

    Matsuda was immediately startled into breaking out in ayer of cold sweat.

    ¡°Tell her to scram back to Japan. This isn¡¯t her territory, nor is it a ce where she cane.¡±

    With that, Fujiwara closed the book in his hand coldly and threw it on the low table in front of him, causing arge ssh in the teacup.

    ¡°Master...¡±

    Matsuda called out carefully, ¡°It¡¯s better not to disobey Mr. Fujiwara¡¯s wishes. Let the butler arrange for the outer room to temporarily amodate Miss Inoue. The Fujiwara family and the Inoue family are currently at a critical and sensitive time. We can¡¯t let the Fujiwara family and the Inoue family get into a conflict over this matter and give others a chance. Please reconsider, Master!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression became even more unsightly.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy to ease the rtionship between the two families. To mess up this matter at this time, Master, it¡¯s a little... Moreover, I feel that Miss Inoueing over at this time would actually be beneficial. At the very least, we don¡¯t need to put too much pressure on Miss Dongfang¡¯s side because of that negative news. After all, to the circle, Miss Inoue can be considered half of Master¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡±

    To be honest, Matsuda did not have the heart to see Fujiwara suffering so much because of Dongfang Liuyun. Last night, when he was drunk, all he called out was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s name. Seeing Fujiwara like this, Matsuda felt extremely pained too, even heartbroken.

    However, as subordinates, they could not help with these matters of love. EvenMaster Lan Xiu could not do anything about it, what more them?

    This was probably the one thing his Master would hold on to stubbornly.

    ¡°Fianc¨¦e? When have I ever acknowledged her identity? That person wants to pull us into the Inoue family, that¡¯s his own business. He can marry her himself. I don¡¯t mind having another stepmother anyway.¡± Fujiwaraughed coldly. Matsuda seemed to be able to catch a hint of ruthlessness in that cold smile.

    ¡°Madam will be sad, Master...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very easy for her to deal with a woman. How do you think those women by Father¡¯s side disappeared?¡±

    ¡°But, this time it¡¯s the precious pearl of the Inoue family. Madam, she...¡± Matsuda could not help but sigh.

    ¡°Mother understands the situation better than anyone else. The Fujiwara family is not under their control right now.¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    ¡°But Madam is very concerned about the Fujiwara family¡¯s future and about you, Master. Madam won¡¯t approve of you doing this.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like Father. In this life, I only want to be loyal to the person I love.¡±

 Chapter 1918 - Just That Despicable! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1918: Just That Despicable! (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Fujiwara said this, Matsuda started to worry. He could not help but think of Mr. Fujiwara Saji and Miss Yoon who were far away in Japan.

    Matsuda knew about Fujiwara Kenji and Yoon. In his early years, they were also an extremely enviable couple. Yoon had left her hometown and married far away in Japan for Fujiwara, but it just so happened that a man like Fujiwara Kenji was destined to never have only one woman like Yoon in his life.

    Although he had always respected Yoon all these years, there were many women out there. He heard that Miss Yoon had even thought of divorcing Fujiwara Kenji and even threatened him with her life. However, Fujiwara Kenji had ced her under house arrest, until she gave birth to Fujiwara...

    Fujiwara rarely saw his father in his childhood. Because of Yoon, Fujiwara Kenji had arranged for Yoon to live in a huge mansion alone. Fujiwara Ye and Yoon lived in that mansion...

    Yoon was a very cold and indifferent woman. She was very concerned about Fujiwara Ye, her biological son. However, her attitude to her child was not as kind as other parents. In Fujiwara¡¯s eyes, Fujiwara was worthless. There were several times he even saw Fujiwara Kenji make a move on his mother, Yoon.

    They all said that Fujiwara Kenji loved Yoon very much, but in Fujiwara Ye¡¯s eyes, that kind of rtionship was just a joke. His mother, Yoon, had always been indifferent to Fujiwara Kenji. She often went on long trips, it was best not to see each other.

    ¡°Master, Mr. Fujiwara and Madam...¡±

    Matsuda wanted to exin something, but Fujiwara had already thrown away the towel in his hand and reached out to grab the katana beside him. With a ¡®whoosh¡¯, he pulled it out, and a cold chill immediately rushed over, the bright light from the katana caused Matsuda to subconsciously turn his body away.

    ¡°What is more permanent and unchanging than the light on the tip of the katana? There are some things that you can not possess just because you cherish them. No matter how hard I, Fujiwara, try, I cannot force her. Just like how no matter how hard my father tries, he cannot hide his misdeeds or melt my mother¡¯s cold heart.¡±

    When Fujiwara said this, he felt a little helpless.

    At this moment, perhaps only he himself knew how he felt. When he calmed down, he could feel the pain in the depths of his heart even more clearly. Even thinking about her made his breathing difficult.

    ¡°Go and investigate the matter with the newspaper. If someone did it on purpose, then settle it. Don¡¯t let these scandals affect her.¡±

    Fujiwara naturally did not want Dongfang Liuyun to be hurt.

    ¡°But on Miss Inoue¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°Arrange for her to be in a side room. I don¡¯t want to see her.¡±

    Fujiwara put away the knife in his hand and ced it on the shelf. ¡°Also, prepare a gift for Qi Lei from Taiyu Huabang. Tell him that I thank him for what happenedst night.¡±

    Matsuda was stunned when he heard that

    He was already like this, and he was still thanking Qi Lei?

    Fujiwara seemed to be able to read Matsuda¡¯s thoughts. He said calmly, ¡°I can¡¯t lose in terms of bearing. Besides, he really helped me. I¡¯m not socking in manners.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Only then did Matsuda reply.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. If I don¡¯te back tonight, there¡¯s no need to look for me.¡±

    Fujiwara took the car keys and went out as well.

    ...

    The evening sky was even more depressing than before. The sky was very dark, and it seemed like it was going to rain.

    In Zhou Zimo¡¯s office, when Su Chen pushed the door open and walked in, Zhou Zimo was sitting on the sofa at the side making tea.

    ¡°Why are you suddenly here? I didn¡¯t see you have such thoughts in the past. Yesterday, when I saw sister Su Yu, I even talked to her about you.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he poured tea for Su Chen. Su Chen took off the hat on his head and sat down leisurely. He took a sip of the steaming tea.

    ¡°I went to the nearby branch office for an inspection, so I came over to take a look too. I haven¡¯t heard from you in a few days. When I don¡¯te over, you don¡¯te to my station either so, I came over. We can go out for dinner togetherter. Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t even have this little bit of time?¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s low voice sounded as he nced at Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo paused for a moment before replying, ¡°Are you treating?¡±

    ¡°Do we need to treat ourselves if we go to Imperial Sky?¡± Su Chen smiled and said.

    ¡°Chen has been cheated by you countless times throughout the year.¡±

    ¡°I always run errands for you guys. You really don¡¯t have a conscience.¡± Su Chen said indifferently.

    Zhou Zimo rolled his eyes. ¡°Then we¡¯ll pray that you¡¯ll rise step by step and cover us more.¡±

    ¡°How are things with you and Qin Su? You haven¡¯t contacted us in a while. It¡¯s a ssic case of valuing a woman over a friend. I think things should be going pretty well, right?¡± Su Chen asked.

    Hearing that, Zhou Zimo took a long breath and rubbed the space between his eyebrows tiredly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look like that? Did you get troubled by the Ice Beauty?¡±

    Su Chen sipped his tea and asked leisurely. A faint smile appeared on his lips, which made Zhou Zimo feel inexplicably annoyed¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t gloat over there!¡±

    ¡°I told you before that Qin Su isn¡¯t easy to woo, especially with her personality.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that she¡¯s not easy to woo, but she doesn¡¯t take me seriously. Were you like this with Ji Zitong before? I keep feeling like she¡¯s got me by the balls. She¡¯s the kind of woman who doesn¡¯t know how to be flexible. I brought her back to see my grandfather and parents a few days ago, but even now, things between us are still calm. Why doesn¡¯t she feel any emotions in her heart?¡±

    ¡°Could it be that she doesn¡¯t know that what I¡¯m doing is actually hinting at her...¡±

    The more Zhou Zimo spoke, the more depressed he became. He had always been proud of himself. Why was he at a loss when it came to Qin Su?

    ¡°Hinting at what? Do you think that just because you brought her to meet her parents, it means that she knows that you want to marry her? To be honest, brother, have you ever thought that you might as well do something practical first. In any case, the two of you live together and you¡¯re acting like you won¡¯t marry anyone other than her, it¡¯s really only a matter of time.

    As Su Chen spoke, he shot a meaningful nce at Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s expression stiffened for a moment before he coughed lightly...

    Of course, he did not dare to tell Su Chen that he, Zhou Zimo, had already slept with Qin Su. Otherwise, this fellow would definitely...

    However, this idea of his seemed to be not bad. If he really did it again, with Qin Su¡¯s personality, would she be biased towards him?

    Or, would the heavens pity him, Zhou Zimo, and make some sort of connection between the two of them?

 Chapter 1919 - Just That Despicable! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1919: Just That Despicable! (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he saw that Zhou Zimo did not say anything, Su Chen nced at him as well and said earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to fall for it.¡±

    ¡°A man can¡¯t be so passive. Chasing a woman is also about strategy. Of course, you can¡¯t be too indulgent. Look at Ah Chen. Even though he¡¯s cold and indifferent, he¡¯s got better skills in picking up girls than us. We can¡¯t deny this point.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s called being coquettish, but after so many years, the only person who can make him so flirtatious is Xi Xiaye. Of course, I hope that I can be that loyal too.¡± Zhou Zimo sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty loyal. All these years, haven¡¯t you been waiting for Qin Su?¡± Su Chen said nonchntly, his eyes filled with mockery. ¡°If you really wanted to take her down, I don¡¯t believe that you, Zhou Zimo, can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s really nothing I can do. I just don¡¯t want to...¡±

    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re thinking from her point of view now, it shows that you care about her very much. This isn¡¯t a bad thing, but it¡¯s also not a good thing. Thinking about how you, Zhou Zimo, will fall deeply in love with a womanter on, I find it hard to imagine such a scene. Do you feel like you¡¯re trapped by a woman?¡±

    When Su Chen said this, his tone became a little deep.

    ¡°What do you mean by trapped? How do you know that Qin Su and I can¡¯t be like Chen and Xiaye? Or like you and Ji Zitong?¡± Zhou Zimo retorted.

    His dark eyes were filled with emotions that surprised Su Chen. After pondering for a moment, Zhou Zimo continued, ¡°Regardless of whether you believe it or not, she is the only one in my life. If she doesn¡¯t marry, I won¡¯t marry either. In any case, I can¡¯t love another woman. I can¡¯t imagine what life would be like if I woke up every morning with a woman that I loathe lying beside me. All these years, after searching for so long, I too...¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen and I always thought that you couldn¡¯t let go of your previous rtionship. I didn¡¯t expect that it was because of Qin Su. That woman is in City Z, didn¡¯t you two bump into each other before? After so many years...¡± Su Chen said in a low voice.

    At the mention of this matter, Zhou Zimo instantly furrowed his brows, ¡°I¡¯ve long forgotten those things. Her name doesn¡¯t have the right to appear with Qin Su¡¯s name. I¡¯ve also forgotten what she looks like. I only remember Qin Su.¡±

    ¡°I know that you don¡¯t care for ordinary things. Everyone appreciates Qin Su¡¯s beauty. She has a good personality and is a great girl who¡¯s quite rare, you have to cherish her.¡±

    ¡°You can say that I¡¯m shallow. I admit that I also took a liking to her beauty back then. Now, I can¡¯t deny that other than that, there¡¯s also something else in my heart.¡±

    Zhou Zimo brushed his ink-ck hair with his fingers. He was very frustrated when it came to this matter. He did not know when Qin Su would be able to truly ept him. In his heart, he was even more anxious. He spent every day with the woman he loved, however, he could not cross the line. This was not a great feeling!

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about me anymore. How is Ji Zitong?¡±

    ¡°Everything is fine. She has been taking care of the baby at home recently. Her health is doing pretty well and she rarely makes me worry now.¡±

    ¡°In a few months, you will be a father. Are you very excited?¡±

    Zhou Zimo also looked at Su Chen with some envy.

    Speaking of this, Su Chen¡¯s dark eyes could not help but be filled with anticipation as he said with some joy, ¡°Yes, of course. ¡°Now, every night, Zitong is used to pulling me to give her child some kind of prenatal education. At the beginning, it was quite annoying, but when you feel that the child in your stomach can really understand your words and you can even feel its movements, you¡¯d turn all soft like cotton.¡±

    Zhou Zimo silently looked at Su Chen. When he saw a faint warmth gather on his firm and handsome face, his face also softened a little¡ª

    ¡°I think you¡¯re enjoying your current life very much. Previously, the two of us were clearly talking about whether we would still be single when we grow old. I didn¡¯t expect that in the blink of an eye, you would be like Chen and leave Qi Lei and I to be alone. After Qi Lei got married, things are even worse...,¡± Zhou Zimo said with a heavy tone.

    ¡°So, you should get married to Qin Su as soon as possible. Since you¡¯ve always been sure of your own feelings, then you should just persevere. Since you¡¯re already halfway there, you should know how to seize the opportunity.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s words had a hint to them.

    ¡°I wish things were as simple as you think they are. We¡¯re not like you and Ji Zitong. You know Qin Su¡¯s personality. Do you think I, Zhou Zimo, am that bad? Why does it seem like she doesn¡¯t even like me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Zhou Zimo. You¡¯re well-off, not to mention your abilities and looks. Don¡¯t you have the confidence?¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with confidence. There are many issues to consider at times. I didn¡¯t know that matters of the heart were soplicated.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he raised his head and drank the tea in his cup. He suddenly stood up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s take this opportunity to invite Qi Lei as well. I have something to tell him. It¡¯s not easy on his side either. Ask him out for a drink, I¡¯m troubled right now.¡±

    He grabbed the coat on the shelf and draped it over his shoulder as he turned to look at Su Chen.

    ¡°Qi Lei, yes, I was just about to call him. There was a call from the city south just now. His driver¡¯s license has been revoked. Yang Sheng is handling it over there right now. Let¡¯s see if he can deal with it quickly.¡±

    Su Chen quickly recalled Secretary He¡¯s call just now.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the newspaper this morning?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°What newspaper?¡±

    Su Chen naturally could not react in time.

    ¡°It¡¯s just those matters of rtionships again. As expected, things aren¡¯t easy on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side. If Dongfang Liuyun doesn¡¯t handle it well, it would be unfair to Qi Lei. Although we shouldn¡¯tment on the matters between brothers, sometimes we have to pay attention.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s ask him out first. You make the call.¡±

    Su Chen also finished his cup of tea and stood up.

    Zhou Zimo nodded and took the phone on the table. He dialed the number while Su Chen followed behind.

    ...

    Qi Lei was surprised to receive Zhou Zimo¡¯s call.

    At this moment, he was at home, sitting on the sofa in the living room and watching TV. Dongfang Liuyun had specially gotten Secretary Ding to bring some documents over from the office. She was working at home while apanying him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you at Imperial Sky, our usual spot. We won¡¯t leave until we see you. Hurry up ande over.¡±

    After Zhou Zimo said that, he hung up the phone without giving Qi Lei a chance to reject.

 Chapter 1920 - Just That Despicable! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1920: Just That Despicable! (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Two hourster, the car slowly drove into the entrance of the Cloud Residence with a gust of cold wind.

    Riko Inoue had been resting with her eyes closed the whole time. Yoshimoto who sat in front did not disturb her either. Instead, he silently pointed the way for the driver.

    When they were near the entrance of the Cloud Residence, Riko Inoue¡¯s phone suddenly vibrated. Riko Inoue also recovered and quietly opened her beautiful eyes. She picked up the phone¡ª

    ¡°Hello? Uncle Fujiwara?¡±

    That¡¯s right, the phone call was from Fujiwara Kenji, Fujiwara Ye¡¯s father!

    ¡°Riko, have you arrived in City Z?¡±

    Fujiwara Kenji¡¯s voice soon came from the other end. His tone was naturally filled with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already arrived. Uncle Fujiwara, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve arrived safely!¡± Riko Inoue also replied with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Enjoy yourself in the next few days. Then, Fujiwara Ye will apany you, get to know each other better. You¡¯re a very outstanding girl. I believe that he¡¯ll like you.¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Fujiwara Kenji seemed to have a lot of confidence in Riko Inoue.

    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Fujiwara. I understand. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Has Fujiwara received you?¡± Fujiwara asked.

    ¡°Uncle Fujiwara, I didn¡¯t call Fujiwara Ye. I wanted to give him a surprise. Besides, I know where he lives, so there¡¯s no need to trouble him toe and pick me up. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be arriving at Cloud Residence soon.¡±

    Riko Inoue did not report to Fujiwara Kenji about Fujiwara Ye. Even if she wanted to subdue a man, she would not use such a stupid method.

    Actually, Fujiwara Kenji knew very well that Fujiwara Ye did not send anyone to pick him up. However, he was naturally very satisfied with Riko Inoue¡¯s actions¡ª

    Riko Inoue was the most suitable woman for Fujiwara Ye for the Fujiwara family. Only a woman like her and her background could subdue the entire Fujiwara family and be Fujiwara Ye¡¯s assistant.

    That was why he had been trying his best to bring Fujiwara and Riko Inoue together. He had put in a lot of effort.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. If there¡¯s anything, just tell me. Fujiwara is reckless and unruly. I hope that Riko can be more tolerant. He¡¯s also a pretty good kid.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Fujiwara. I trust Fujiwara-kun too.¡±

    With that, the two people hung up. At that moment, the driver in front slowly stopped the car¡ª

    ¡°Miss, we¡¯ve arrived at Cloud Residence!¡±

    Yoshimoto quickly got down from the car and opened the door.

    Riko Inoue nodded and got out of the car unhurriedly. When she raised her eyes, she could see the quiet courtyard in front of him. The environment was elegant and the style was quite good. It was just like his character, Fujiwara.

    Riko Inoue just stood there and did not move for a long time. It was not until Yoshimoto came up to her and asked, ¡°Miss, shall we go in? Shall I go and call the door?¡±

    At this moment, Riko Inoue finally reacted. She stretched out her hand to pull on her coat and nodded, ¡°Go.¡±

    At this moment, Yoshimoto went over to ring the doorbell. Soon, someone came over to wee them.

    It was Matsuda!

    ¡°Hello, Miss Inoue!¡± Matsuda greeted her quite respectfully.

    Riko Inoue nced at him and frowned. She asked in a deep voice, ¡°Where¡¯s Fujiwara-kun?¡±

    A smile appeared on Matsuda¡¯s face, and he hurriedly replied, ¡°Master had some urgent matters to attend to, so he left first. He said to let Miss Inoue rest for the time being. I¡¯ve already gotten the housekeeper to arrange your room. Pleasee in!¡±

    After Matsuda said this, Riko Inoue¡¯s expression naturally did not look too good. She hesitated for a moment, then walked in with her footsteps, her aura somewhat cold.

    Matsuda¡¯s expression darkened for a moment before hurriedly following her in.

    ¡°Where did he go?¡± Riko Inoue, who was walking in front, asked.

    ¡°Master didn¡¯t say. He probably went to thepany. Thepany has been very busy recently, and Master almost always leaves early and returnste. However, he specifically instructed us to take good care of Miss Inoue!¡±

    When Matsuda said this, his back was drenched in cold sweat. This Riko Inoue was not some simple character. He was also worried that if he did not handle it well, it would backfire. After all, the Fujiwara family¡¯s rtionship with the Inoue family was at stake!

    Fujiwara¡¯s attitude towards Riko Inoue was clearly put. There was nothing he could do about it.

    It was not easy for them to be subordinates. Master could be stubborn, but as subordinates, they needed to help them solve these difficult problems. Otherwise...

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    After Matsuda said this, Riko Inoue, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Matsuda. The look in her eyes actually made Matsuda feel a little uneasy and pressured!

    ¡°Mr. Matsuda, aren¡¯t you Fujiwara-kun¡¯s personal secretary? Don¡¯t you know where Fujiwara-kun is? Is this how you take care of Fujiwara-kun?¡±

    ¡°Miss Inoue, please calm down. Master specifically asked me to wait for Miss Inoue at home. I¡¯m worried that he might not be able to treat you well at thest minute. Please forgive me, Miss Inoue!¡±

    Matsuda practically bowed and greeted her with a smile. With that look, Riko Inoue could not make things difficult for Matsuda anymore. She could only keep her voice down and continue walking forward.

    ...

    At this moment, in the spacious andfortable study room of Lan Xiu¡¯s residence...

    Lan Xiu poured a cup of hot tea for Fujiwara and slowly moved the teacup in front of him. He silently looked at Fujiwara, who had his head lowered in silence. After hesitating for a moment, he said, ¡°You seem to be in a bad state. Have a cup of tea.¡±

    Fujiwara took a deep breath and slowly raised his gaze to look at him. After a long while, he picked up the teacup and took a simple sip. ¡°I came to your ce to have some peace and quiet. Otherwise, I won¡¯t have anywhere to go.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu was also in a daze for a moment. He quietly looked at Fujiwara. Seeing his deste appearance, he felt a little ufortable. He thought about it and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened after that either. How did you...?¡±

    Run into Qi Lei? He seems to have been out of town for the past few days. Also, how could it be such a coincidence that a reporter captured this scene?

    Speaking of this, Fujiwara could not help but feel a wave of headache¡ª

    He was not willing to see such a situation either. If this news were to spread back to Japan, it would not be beneficial to him or Dongfang Liuyun. Previously, he did not have the ability to protect her. Now, although he had grown up a lot, he did not want her to bear it anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Matsuda to investigate. This matter better be a coincidence, or else...¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s face was gloomy. He sipped his tea and continued, ¡°Riko Inoue has arrived in City Z today. She should be at Cloud Residence by now.¡±

    ¡°Riko Inoue? Is she the daughter-inw that your father has always wanted?¡± Lan Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t resolved this matter yet, have you?¡±

    ¡°I know my current situation. If I hadn¡¯t insisted before, with my father¡¯s strength, I would have...¡±

 Chapter 1921 - Just That Despicable! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1921: Just That Despicable! (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Fujiwara said this, Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes darkened. He gripped the teacup in his hand tightly¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Liuyun¡¯s feelings for Qi Lei... You should know her attitude very well. You should also understand those conversations...¡±

    Lan Xiu tried to say something, but before he could finish, Fujiwara interrupted him, ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say. Your feelings for her aren¡¯t any less than mine, but there are some things that once you let go, you¡¯ll lose forever. I can¡¯t just watch this happen.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu¡¯s face suddenly froze. He could not help but smile bitterly. ¡°I know that I¡¯m very different from you. You¡¯ve always known that if you want something, you have to fight for it and work hard, but I...¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, I really wish that I could be like you, to have the courage to fight for it...¡±

    Fujiwara also silently looked at Lan Xiu. He noticed the disappointment on his face, and his gaze softened¡ª

    ¡°You have deep feelings for Liuyun and don¡¯t ask for anything in return. I admire you. However, I don¡¯t wish for you to continue like this. One me is enough.¡±

    ¡°I know. No matter how hard I try, I¡¯ll always...¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s drink tea. Today, we won¡¯t talk about anything else... We¡¯ll only drink tea and y chess.¡±

    Fujiwara did not want to talk about these unpleasant things. He had escaped today because he wanted to temporarily relieve his tensed emotions.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu nodded. ¡°Alright. What do you want to y?¡±

    ¡°Five pieces. That¡¯s all I know.¡± Fujiwara said as he set up the game.

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi?¡±

    Qi Lei had just changed into a new set of clothes and was about to go on the date when Yang Sheng suddenly called.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to Dongfang Liuyun and gave her a meaningful nce before handing her the car keys.

    ¡°Fujiwara¡¯s assistant, Mr. Matsuda, sent a gift. He said that he wanted to thank you for yesterday. Also, he said that he¡¯s very grateful to Master Qi.¡±

    Yang Sheng¡¯s cautious voice came through.

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze darkened when he heard that. He fell silent for a moment before turning his gaze to Dongfang Liuyun. He asked her to stand up and take the car keys. His gaze softened. ¡°Okay, ept it.¡±

    He hung up after that.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun saw that his expression was a little strange, so she asked.

    Qi Lei turned to look at her. After a moment, he replied, ¡°Fujiwara got someone to give me a thank-you gift forst night. What do you think I should do?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paused when he heard that. ¡°Since he¡¯s gifting it, just ept it. If It¡¯s an antique, I¡¯d love for him to give a few more.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel so at ease epting his gift?¡±

    Qi Lei was naturally unhappy when he heard this. He frowned sensitively.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he giving it to you now? You¡¯d be a fool to not ept a gift. Do you think that if you don¡¯t ept his gift, he¡¯ll treat you differently? You know how he treats you now. If he dares to give you a gift, just ept it generously. Can¡¯t you see that he¡¯s challenging you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him disapprovingly and did not avoid it. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t think of giving him a gift back, would you?¡±

    Qi Lei was stunned by Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words. He looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent face and chuckled a momentter, ¡°It seems like you¡¯re worried that I¡¯ll be at a disadvantage if I fight Fujiwara. However, I like how you don¡¯t want to be at a disadvantage. You¡¯re very simr to me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him. ¡°I¡¯m just stating the facts. I don¡¯t want anyplications. I just want to live a peaceful life now.¡±

    ¡°Fujiwara has never given up on you. Do you think he¡¯ll just watch us live like this?¡±

    Qi Lei asked as he held her hand that was reaching out to take the car keys.

    Dongfang Liuyun froze for a moment. In the next moment, her idle hand reached out and gently patted the back of his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that after so long, your faith in us is still so weak. What can make you feel more at ease?¡±

    ¡°I still hope to see that you have some feelings for me. Can you give me that?¡± Qi Lei asked meaningfully.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before smiling. ¡°We have a long way ahead of us. Don¡¯t you have confidence in yourself?¡±

    As she said that, she reached out and took the coat from the side and handed it to him. ¡°Put it on. It¡¯s very cold outside. Your physique is worse than mine.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and red at her. He reached out to take it and put it on his shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re not any better than me.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring me along? Do I not have the right to let you bring me out now?¡± Dongfang Liuyun took her handbag and asked.

    Qi Lei gave her a sideways nce. ¡°What are you thinking about? You didn¡¯t go with me when I asked you to thest time, I just didn¡¯t want to be turned down. You cane along if you want, they want to meet you anyway.¡±

    ¡°Meet me? Do you guys like to criticize women when you¡¯re together?¡± Dongfang Liuyun teased.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered to talk about other women. They¡¯re talking about their own women and their wives. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he helped her grab her phone and followed.

    ¡°Then how many points do you guys give me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and asked curiously.

    ¡°You¡¯re only 59 points at most. You¡¯re just a little short of passing.¡±

    Qi Lei did not hide it at all.

    Hearing that, Dongfang Liuyun was a little unconvinced¡ª

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Why am I not a good wife? Did I not do any of theundry, cooking, and cleaning?¡±

    She already felt that she was quite considerate. In the past, she definitely did not know how to care for others.

    However, ever since she married Qi Lei, she vaguely felt that she had changed a lot. At the very least, she would care about Qi Lei¡¯s feelings. For example, when she cooked, the taste would lean towards what Qi Lei liked to eat. Of course, Qi Lei would do the same.

    Was this not a tacit understanding?

    Dongfang Liuyun did not understand...

    ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯m not qualified?¡±

    Seeing that Qi Lei was silent, Dongfang Liuyun asked again. There was actually a hint of unease in her eyes¡ª

    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei did not answer. He just looked at her quietly.

    ¡°Are you a puppet? Say something!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little flustered.

    ¡°Do you really only give me a score of 59 in your heart? Sigh, I¡¯m talking to you! If you won¡¯t say anything then you can drive yourself there!¡±

    She red at him, seeing that his expression was still indifferent, Dongfang Liuyun tossed the keys over!

 Chapter 1922 - Father and Daughter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1922: Father and Daughter (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After being transferred to the prosecutor¡¯s office, Qin Su was very busy with work, and she often left work veryte.

    Just like today, the sky had long fallen silent. In the blink of an eye, it was early evening again. Most of the colleagues in the office had already left work. Qin Su was still tidying up the preliminary ns, and the documents were quite urgent. They needed to be tidied up and handed in in the next two days, then she would send them to the Discipline Inspection Commission for approval.

    She silently closed the documents in her hands and subconsciously nced at the watch on her wrist. Only then did she realize that it was almost eight o¡¯clock in the evening. She hurriedly pulled open a drawer at the side, took out her phone, and opened it to take a look, only then did she realize that there were already quite a few phone calls and text messages inside.

    They were from Zhou Zimo, as well as her own friends. Her father, Qin Yi, also made two phone calls.

    The text message that Zhou Zimo sent was to tell her that he would not be home for dinner tonight. Qin Su nced at it and only replied with the word ¡®mmm¡¯. Then, she quickly gave Qin Yi a call.

    The phone had just rung twice when the person on the other end picked up.

    ¡°Hello? Why didn¡¯t you pick up after I called twice? What are you busy with? Haven¡¯t you finished work yet? I will be at the entrance of your procuratorate soon. Hurry up and pack up. Come to the entrance. I will be there in about five minutes.¡±

    Qin Yi¡¯s voice was heard.

    ¡°The entrance of the procuratorate?¡±

    Qin Su was a little surprised.

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s friend came over. The house is very lively and she wants me to go back early. When I didn¡¯t remember it before, she always gave me a hard time. I really don¡¯t understand how I put up with her all these years. I just happened toe out to have some peace and quiet. Come have a drink with me. Alright, hurry up and pack up and wait at the entrance.¡±

    Qin Yi gave a simple exnation before hanging up.

    Qin Su was stunned for a moment, and then she felt helpless. It was clear that the couple must have quarrelled again. Almost every time they quarrelled, Qin Yi or Mei Xiaoyue woulde over to look for her.

    It was nothing more than Qin Yi looking for her to drink, and Mei Xiaoyue looking for her toin.

    Putting away the phone, Qin Su could only get up and quietly pack up her things. She took the coat by the side and put it over her shoulders before leaving the office.

    The streetlights in front of the entrance of the procuratorate had already been lit up. Qin Su stood facing the biting cold wind with a briefcase in her hand. Not long after, the faint sound of a car approaching could be heard not far away. It was gradually approaching¡ª

    It was a ck jaguar with a military license te. It was Qin Yi¡¯s car. It slowly came to her side and stopped. The door of the driver¡¯s seat quickly lowered and Qin Yi¡¯s handsome face appeared in front of Qin Su.

    ¡°Get in the car!¡±

    After those two simple words, Qin Su walked around and opened the car door to get in. Qin Yi also quickly started the car.

    ¡°What do you want to eat? Treat me to a meal today. I left my wallet at home.¡± Qin Yi nced at his daughter and coughed lightly as he said.

    Qin Su was stunned for a moment and immediately reacted. She nced at Qin Yi in surprise and asked, ¡°Father, could it be that you specifically called me because you didn¡¯t have the money to eat?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I left my wallet at home! I don¡¯t want to go back and get it. What¡¯s wrong with treating me to a meal? Where did all this nonsensee from? Don¡¯t I pay for your meals all the time?¡±

    Qin Yi immediately became unhappy when Qin Su asked this question. He could not hide his anger and retorted.

    Qin Su frowned slightly. She carefully observed him and lowered her voice, ¡°Father, have you given your sry card to Mother? I remember that Mother controlled your spending. You¡¯re not safe at this level. Have you forgotten Auntie Zhu from a few years ago? Mother still has a knot in her heart because of this matter, so she will naturally watch over you more. You...¡±

    ¡°Do you think your Father is that kind of unreliable person?Nonsense! Rules are rules. Your Mother is paranoid. She doesn¡¯t have any confidence in me. My sry card is with her, and I only have a thousand dors in my wallet every month from what she gives me. She doesn¡¯t even give me enough for cigarettes, do you see me taking it up with her?¡±

    As Qin Yi said this, he was naturally a little unhappy.

    ¡°Mother is doing this for your own good. It¡¯s been so many years. Think about it, actually, every time you quarrelled, she wasn¡¯t happy either. You and Mother are always the kind who fight to win. In the end, no one wins. Also, both of you are already so old. Sometimes, I really don¡¯t understand. Father, is there really love between you and Mother? When the two of you first got married and decided to be together, was it really because you liked each other?¡±

    When Qin Su asked this, she also turned her head and silently looked at Qin Yi.

    When he heard Qin Su, Qin Yi also paused for a moment. A stiff expression shed across his face before he said, ¡°Why is there no love left? When your mother was young, she was as beautiful as she is now. She was a famous beauty in the military district. There were many who liked her and wanted to marry her. It was fortunate that I acted quickly at that time. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have you.¡±

    ¡°Your mother is too self-centered and doesn¡¯t understand me well enough. Our thoughts are not on the same wavelength at all. She always despises me here and there. I am an old cadre. No matter what, I still have some dignity. How can I let her look down on me so much? What a joke! Your mother is spoiled. It¡¯s my fault for not being calctive with her all these years. That¡¯s why she¡¯s getting worse! You can¡¯t beat her or scold her, and you can¡¯t expect her to bow down to you.¡±

    When Qin Yi talked about this, he was filled with bitterness and anger.

    ¡°Do you really want Mother to bow down to you before you think this matter can be settled? Father, why did you marry Mother back then? Was it just to get married and have children? In all the years you¡¯ve had, how many of them were peaceful? Sometimes, I really wish that you¡¯d get a divorce. At least, the both of you will have a chance to live a better life.¡± Qin Su said with a bitter smile.

    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you saying? Divorce, divorce! You young people are too superficial in this aspect. You¡¯re always thinking about divorce. Do you really think that a divorce can solve all your problems? Who can guarantee that the next one you find won¡¯t be worse than this? Although your mother is very unfavorable to me, it doesn¡¯t have to go to that extent. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not easy for your mother to remarry. No, no, she can¡¯t remarry either. She¡¯s already so old. How can I let her remarry? What would others think of me?¡±

    At the mention of the word ¡®divorce¡¯, Qin Yi immediately reacted badly. He could not ept this possibility at all.

    ¡°Let me tell you, stop feeding us with such thoughts. This marriage is for a lifetime. The reason why I don¡¯t interfere with your rtionship is precisely because of this. You do what¡¯s best for yourself, and once you¡¯ve made a clear choice, there¡¯s no messing around anymore.¡±

 Chapter 1923 - Father and Daughter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1923: Father and Daughter (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qin Su did not know how to answer Qin Yi¡¯s question.

    ¡°I have to answer your question. From your father¡¯s point of view as a man, Zhou Zimo is quite a nice person. If you think he¡¯s suitable, you can think about it. After all, he¡¯s not young anymore. I¡¯m worried about you too.¡±

    Qin Yi took a deep breath and said as he steadied the speed of the car.

    ¡°I got it. You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Father.¡± Qin Su said in a low voice.

    Speaking of Zhou Zimo, she actually had some strange feelings in her heart, especially since she had been interacting with Zhou Zimo day and night.

    Zhou Zimo was very good to her, and he was very proactive. She was a very passive person when it came to rtionships. She had always been rather cold, but Zhou Zimo sometimes gave her the feeling of a ball of fire, it was so hot that it could burn her up.

    ¡°You¡¯re my daughter, my only daughter. How can I not be worried? Your mother also said that your matter is the most important in the family. When you really get married, we will prepare a generous dowry for you.¡±

    ¡°Dowry? There¡¯s no need to worry about me. I know what to do. I also know that you and Mother are doing this for my own good. You should take care of yourselves first.¡±

    ¡°What problems do we have to take care of? It¡¯s just the same old thing, we¡¯ve had these problems for decades. We don¡¯t need you to remind us to take care of them. On the other hand, your matters are of priority. Tonight, I wanted to talk to you about this too,¡± said Qin Yi.

    As Qin Su listened, she felt a weight in her heart for no reason, but she did not say anything after that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go have some winter melon soup. The weather has been a little hot these past two days. Drink some wine to warm your stomach, okay?¡±

    Qin Su nodded. Only then did Qin Yi increase the speed of the car...

    ...

    Imperial Sky Entertainment Club, 808 VIP room.

    When Qi Lei rushed over, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo had already ordered the dishes. The two of them wereying in chairs, drinking wine while having their feet massaged. They were quite good at enjoying themselves.

    ¡°Do you want one too?¡±

    Seeing Qi Lei sitting at the side and drinking alone, Zhou Zimo narrowed his eyes and nced at him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s reaction was indifferent. He casually nced back at him and said in a t tone, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Only someone like you would need to clear internal heat. It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re not satisfied with your desires.¡±

    Qi Leiughed evilly and took another sip of wine.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me cut you! You¡¯re not that strong either.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he took the newspaper by the side and flipped it open, ¡°Your exposure rate has been quite high recently. Who¡¯s keeping a close eye on you? I¡¯ve heard of this Fujiwara before. He¡¯s not someone to be trifled with. Your wife is pretty amazing too. She actually had a rtionship with Fujiwara. No wonder you, Qi Lei, would be interested.¡±

    ¡°That incident has nothing to do with her. Who wouldn¡¯t have a past? Didn¡¯t I say that I liked Gu Lingsha or Xiaye before? She¡¯s got nothing to do with Fujiwara now. You don¡¯t have to put the focus on her, she more than anyone else didn¡¯t want something like this to happen.¡±

    Qi Lei was a little irritated when he mentioned this, though he could not help but protect Dongfang Liuyun. He did not want her to be misunderstood by his own buddies.

    They had never seen the yboy Second Master Qi protecting a woman like this. When they heard this, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo could not help but be a little surprised. The two exchanged a look before Su Chen said in a deep voice, ¡°It¡¯s really surprising that you, Qi Lei, are also encouraged to be a saint of love?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me. I¡¯m not in the mood to quibble with you. Help me suppress it a little, I¡¯m also troubled.¡±

    Qi Lei red at the two of them and handed them the wine he poured

    ¡°Zimo, I remember that you have good connections in Myanmar. It¡¯s not convenient for me here, help me find out what¡¯s going on in the jade market there. I want to see the Dongfang family¡¯s connections there.¡±

    Dongfang Gan had been gone for so long and had not returned. Qi Lei was a little worried, especially since the situation there was a little unstable. He had to be more cautious.

    ¡°Myanmar?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was stunned. He thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll get Lian Ziyao to arrange itter.¡±

    Qi lei nodded as well. ¡°Sorry to trouble you. Your people will be more useful there.¡±

    ¡°The situation there is unstable. Why are you paying attention to that side? Anyway, you¡¯re not in the jade business. The jewelry business is not as easy as you think it is.¡±

    Although Su Chen did not know about business matters, he had been in the political arena for many years, so he was naturally sensitive to these issues. At this moment, he looked at Qi Lei with some doubt.

    ¡°The Dongfang family has got a huge market over there, he¡¯s just caring for the one at home.¡±

    As soon as Su Chen finished, Zhou Zimo replied.

    As he said this, the two of them looked at each other and smiled. Then, they raised their sses slightly and drank the wine together. They exchanged a look and looked at Qi Lei. However, they saw that he was just sitting there quietly. He seemed to be a little absent-minded.

    After pondering for a moment, Zhou Zimo suddenly said, ¡°Are you worried about the newspaper thing?¡±

    When he said this, Qi Lei came back to his senses from his daze. He quietly nced at Zhou Zimo before shaking his head, ¡°Not really. It¡¯s not difficult to resolve this matter. I just think that such things can¡¯t keep happening. The stormst time hasn¡¯t subsided yet, and then this happened today. I¡¯m naturally worried too.¡±

    ¡°Since when did you worry so much? Seeing you like this now, I suddenly remembered that Ah Chen was like you back then. He wasn¡¯t always a happy person, but when it came to matters of the heart, he was also like this.¡± Su Chen sighed and said in a deep voice.

    ¡°Enough. Don¡¯t just be pointing fingers at others, aren¡¯t you the same? Fortunately, I was used to the sight of you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at Su Chen¡ª

    Everyone knew that when his rtionship with Ji Zitong was a little tense, he looked like he was on the verge of death.

    In his opinion, out of the four buddies, he, Zhou Zimo, was the calmest and most patient. Of course, he also had the best method to deal with women...

    That was not true either, if he really had a way, why could he not take down a single Qin Su?

    Qin Su, Qin Su...

    That cold and beautiful face was reflected in his mind. It was as if it had taken root and sprouted in his mind. No matter how hard he tried to remove it, he could not do so. Instead, it grew stronger and stronger!

    What could he do to make that woman care about him a little?

    At the thought of this, Zhou Zimo could not help but feel a trace of sadness in his heart. His dark eyes darkened, and his expression became quiet. He took the wine bottle by the side with one hand and poured himself another ss. Then, he drank it in one gulp!

 Chapter 1924 - Qin Dynastyâ€™s Qin, Awakened Su (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1924: Qin Dynasty¡¯s Qin, Awakened Su (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Inside the private room of the winter melon soup restaurant, the environment was quite elegant and had a vintage aesthetic.

    Qin Yi ordered two bottles of soju wine and ced them in the hot water on the side to warm them up a little. It was quite nice to drink some of this in this weather, it makes one feelfortable. Qin Yi could be considered a wine lover, usually when he was free, he would drink some wine with a few old cadres.

    Although Qin Su did not often go home for dinner and the rtionship at home was not harmonious, the rtionship between them was still okay. Just like now, Qin Yi often asked his daughter out to drink with him.

    After ordering a few good dishes that the father and daughter liked, the waiter came over to help put the dishes into the pot and went out. Suddenly, only the father and daughter were left in the private room.

    Qin Su took the wine and poured a ss for Qin Yi. Then, she poured half a ss for herself. She moved the ss to Qin Yi and said, ¡°I¡¯ll driveter, I¡¯ll drink less. You should drink less too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You know your father¡¯s alcohol tolerance best. I won¡¯t get drunk on just a few sses. Just ask Xiao Meng toe over and fetch meter. Let¡¯s eat what we should eat and drink what we should drink. Come, drink some too. Let¡¯s order some red wine. Didn¡¯t your mother say that drinking wine is good for your appearance?¡±

    As Qin Yi said this, he was about to call the waiter in, but Qin Su stopped him. ¡°No need, Father. Just drink this. If you want to drink, just drink. I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    At this moment, Qin Yi nodded and said with some relief, ¡°It¡¯s at this time that my daughter is the kindest. Come, drink some!¡±

    Qin Yi raised his ss, and Qin Su also raised her ss obediently to toast him. The father and daughter both took a simple sip and then picked up some side dishes to eat.

    ¡°Father, you have been arguing with Mother for so many years. When will you stop? Don¡¯t you feel tired?¡±

    After drinking a ss of wine, Qin Su suddenly asked her father.

    Qin Yi¡¯s hand stopped moving. He squinted at Qin Su from the corner of his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he retracted his gaze and took a sip of wine, ¡°Between you and your mother, that is a difference in wavelength of thoughts. I¡¯m afraid there is no way to reverse it in this lifetime. She has some issues, she has no expectations for herself but have such high expectations for me. Sheins about me for not being good here or there. Sometimes, I really don¡¯t want to go home, even the office or the dormitory would feel more peaceful.¡±

    As Qin Yi said this, he naturally felt a little helpless. However, at the moment, he did not seem to be able to do anything about it. After all, Mei Xiaoyue was his wife, but...

    ¡°I feel that there¡¯s ack ofmunication between you and Mother. It¡¯s obviously a very simple matter. It¡¯s fine as long as you exin it clearly to each other. However, the two of you are suspicious of each other and neither of you are willing to exin. That¡¯s why the misunderstanding between the two of you is getting worse and harsher.¡±

    Qin Su could not help but sigh when she said this. She frowned slightly, drank up the wine in her ss, and sighed, ¡°At home, since I was young, you¡¯ve always had fights every other day. Aren¡¯t you guys tired of it? Even I¡¯m sick of hearing it. If you two really feel ipatible, it¡¯s better to let go of each other.¡±

    ¡°This thought of yours isn¡¯t good, you¡¯re always bringing up divorce. What do you mean by ipatible? Not every marriage has to bepatible. Do you all treat marriage as child¡¯s y? If it¡¯s not a matter of principle, you can¡¯t have such thoughts. Once such a decision is made, it will determine your whole life. Your mother isn¡¯t that bad. It¡¯s our fault for not truly understanding each other back then.¡±

    Qin Yi also let out a long sigh. He frowned and drank up the wine in his ss, ¡°I don¡¯t regret marrying your mother. The reason why we have such a rtionship today is because I have a problem too. Back then, I swore to your grandfather that I would protect your mother and let her live a good life.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong Mother. Other than theck ofmunication between the two of you emotionally... I often wonder if there was ever love between the two of you, but it seems that...¡±

    ¡°Howe there was no love at all? Your Mother was very beautiful back then. Men would stare at her with their eyes wide open. I liked to see your Mother back then too. Every time I led the team past their arts and crafts group, I always had to stay a little longer. It was fine if I saw her, but if I didn¡¯t see her, I would feel regretful for the whole day.¡±

    When Qin Yi spoke about this, he seemed to reminisce those moments. Now that he mentioned it, he could not help but feel emotional.

    ¡°I was worried that you two were just acting on impulse. You and Mother were both unusually lucky back then, and the two of you became tied to each other forever, Father, you¡¯re only in your fifties. There are still many decades ahead of you. Your days with Mother are only half over. You still have a long life ahead...¡±

    As Qin Su spoke, she stopped what she was doing.

    Qin Yi paused and looked at Qin Su. ¡°Does the matter between your mother and I trouble you?¡± Qin Yi asked.

    Qin Su also paused and could not calm down. After a long while, she replied, ¡°No...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it from me. I can feel it. You¡¯re also worried that if you don¡¯t have any feelings, you¡¯ll have the same unhappiness as your mother and I, right?¡±

    Qin Yi said it himself. Seeing that Qin Su did not reply, he continued, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to worry about your mother and I. Whether it¡¯s marriage or feelings, they all need to be managed. The quality of a marriage, to arge extent, depends on you. You¡¯ve seen the unhappy situations of manyrades in the military district. However, you can¡¯t deny that somerades¡¯ rtionships are very enviable. There are always two sides to everything. You don¡¯t have to think too much about it. Letting nature take its course is the best way.¡±

    As Qin Yi spoke, he poured Qin Su a ss of wine, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve thought about it for a while. Zhou Zimo is pretty good. It¡¯s mainly because he¡¯s attentive to you and is quite amodating to you. It¡¯s really not easy for him to be able to do this at his level. As for you, don¡¯t be too stingy. You should give him a little response and also express a little at him. Otherwise, many beautiful marriages are ruined exactly by such cold and indifferent attitudes.¡±

    Qin Yi¡¯s words made Qin Su fall into a trance. After thinking for a while, Qin Su took a deep breath, frowned, and drank up the wine in her ss, ¡°I know he¡¯s very good, but I¡¯m worried that I don¡¯t like him that much. And once I make do with him, I¡¯ll... Father, you know, when ites to rtionships, I¡¯m more afraid of investing than anything else. In the past, I didn¡¯t get pets because I was afraid that when they left, I would be too sad... So, I always feel that it¡¯s better for some things not to happen. That way, I can control my emotions...¡±

    Qin Su was like that, she never had any sense of security, and did not expect to get the so-called sense of security from others either.

 Chapter 1925 - Qin Dynastyâ€™s Qin, Awakened Su (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1925: Qin Dynasty¡¯s Qin, Awakened Su (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Zhou Zimo rushed over from Imperial Sky Entertainment City, it was alreadyte at night.

    He had left early. Qi Lei and Su Chen still had even cursed him to no end, but his future father-inw called, so he did not dare to be negligent. He immediately put down his wine ss, washed his face, and rushed over with a clear head.

    When he arrived at the designated location, Qin Yi happened to help Qin Su out of the restaurant. At the bottom of the stairs, he saw Zhou Zimo rushing over.

    ¡°Uncle Qin!¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at Qin Yi in surprise, and his gaze quickly fell on Qin Su, who he was supporting.

    Qin Su was drunk, instead it was Qin Yi who did not drink much. The father and daughter chatted, and more than half of the wine was drunk by Qin Su. When Qin Yi noticedter on, Qin Su was already a little dazed and drunk.

    Zhou Zimo had just approached when he smelled a strong smell of alcohol. Qin Su was also stumbling on her own footsteps. Zhou Zimo quickly went forward to support her. ¡°Why did you drink so much?¡±

    ¡°She drank a little too much. I wanted her to have a meal with me, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be me drinking with herter on. There¡¯s something on her mind, she¡¯s probably not feeling too good. Hold her, hold her!¡±

    Qin Yi was also a little annoyed.

    Zhou Zimo quickly helped Qin Su steady herself and looked at Qin Su worriedly. ¡°Her stomach isn¡¯t very good. Uncle, don¡¯t let her drink too much in the future. It¡¯s very bad for a girl¡¯s health to drink like this.¡±

    ¡°I forgot about it as we were drinking. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. I¡¯ll leave my daughter to you, no problem, right?¡±

    Qin Yi looked at Zhou Zimo firmly. In his heart, he had long decided that Zhou Zimo was his son-inw, so he did not care about this now. Anyway, his daughter also said that Zhou Zimo was not bad, she just could not let go of the knot in her heart, now, as long as Zhou Zimo could open the knot in her heart, Qin Yi was willing to believe that Zhou Zimo would definitely make his daughter happy.

    Was Zhou Zhenjun not a good man?

    Like father, like son. He believed that Zhou Zimo would definitely not be too bad!

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Uncle Qin, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll bring her back. Let Lian Ziyaoe and send Uncle Home,¡± said Zhou Zimo.

    Qin Yi shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already asked Xiao Meng to drive. Are you sure it¡¯s okay? Go back and cook some hangover soup for her to drink. Also, don¡¯t steal from your own house, Understand?¡±

    Qin Yi said thest sentence very seriously. His gaze was also very deep as he looked at Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s reaction was stunned for a moment. Onlyter did he realize what Qin Yi meant. He hurriedly nodded and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Qin. You personally handed her over to me. Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±

    After he said that, Qin Yi finally nodded his head in satisfaction, ¡°Alright, I have to test you properly. You have to work harder. I have high hopes for you. Qin Su, this child, has been spoiled by us since she was young. You have to tolerate her more. She is a very simple girl. She has never been in a rtionship or gotten close to any man.¡±

    ¡°Her mother and I were very strict with her. When she was still in school, we were determined to prevent her from falling in love because we thought that, especially as a soldier, there were too many variables. Without a stable environment, it would be difficult to maintain a rtionship. Furthermore, she was born and raised in City Z. Her mother and I were both here, so naturally, we wouldn¡¯t allow her to marry far away.¡±

    This was the first time Qin Yi had spoken to someone like this. He really thought highly of Zhou Zimo.

    The two families were of equal status. He and Zhou Zhenjun were oldrades-in-arms. Mei Xiaoyue and Liang Jing also knew each other. Moreover, they had been able to get along quite well before. They could be considered a family that knew each other well. If Qin Su married over, he believed that his daughter would not suffer any losses.

    ¡°That¡¯s why, you, Zhou Zimo, I think highly of you. Don¡¯t let me down. I know my own daughter. give her some time, and she¡¯ll see you in a new light. She¡¯s the kind of person who¡¯s hard to change once she¡¯s determined, just like me and her mother. Don¡¯t think that we¡¯ve been so noisy all these years, but we¡¯ve never mentioned those two words lightly. I don¡¯t think that I can leave your Aunt Mei, and your Aunt Mei might not be able to leave me either. Life is like this, otherwise, it would be a lot less fun and very boring,¡± said Qin Yi.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo was silent for a while before replying, ¡°I will definitely not disappoint Uncle¡¯s expectations. I will treat her well for sure.¡±

    Qin Yi nodded in relief and waved his hand. ¡°With your words, I can be at ease! Alright, it¡¯s already veryte. You guys should hurry back and give me a call or a text when you get home. Hurry up and go back!¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded respectfully and then carried Qin Su by the waist. ¡°Thank you for your trust, Uncle. You should go back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go back!¡±

    ...

    To be honest, Zhou Zimo was a little touched at this moment.

    As a father, Qin Yi could have brought Qin Su home directly, he did not expect him to call him over in the end. No matter how stupid he was, he could see what Qin Yi meant. He was creating an opportunity for him, Zhou Zimo..

    A daughter needed careful care. With Qin Su¡¯s personality, it was actually very difficult to move her. However, it seemed very easy to...

    Miss Qin Su, who waspletely drunk, probably did not know that at this moment, she had been sold to Zhou Zimo by her biological father!

    Zhou Zimo carried Qin Su and walked towards the parking lot.

    After passing through the dim silhouette of the streetmps, the figure in front of them was also pulled very long. The surroundings were quiet and only the sound of the wind could be heard.

    Zhou Zimo carried Qin Su on his back and only then did he heave a sigh of relief. At this moment, Qin Su, who was being carried on his back, was already in a daze as she muttered softly..

    ¡°Qin dynasty¡¯s Qin... Awakened¡¯s Su[1]... my name is Qin Su...¡±

    Upon hearing this, Zhou Zimo paused for a moment. After a long while, he replied in a low voice, ¡°I know that your name is Qin Su, Qin dynasty¡¯s Qin, awakened¡¯s Su. The first time you introduced yourself to us, it was like this too. I remember.¡±

    Feeling the faint warmthing from behind him, Zhou Zimo suddenly hugged her tightly. The scene from when they first met suddenly surfaced in his mind. She was cold, indifferent, and did not smile...

    ¡°Qin Su, what do you think of me? Do you like me a little? Qin Su?¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Zhou Zimo decided to ask her properly. He stopped and asked.

    ¡°Qin dynasty¡¯s Qin... awakened¡¯s Su...¡±

    Qin Su was still muttering softly.

    ¡°Qin Su... do you like Zhou Zimo? Even if just a little?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was a little anxious at this time, he could not help but ask.

 Chapter 1926 - Qin Dynastyâ€™s Qin, Awakened Su (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1926: Qin Dynasty¡¯s Qin, Awakened Su (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The drunk Qin Su naturally did not realize who was talking to her, but she did hear Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo...¡± She whispered.

    ¡°Yes, Zhou Zimo, what do you think of him? Is he qualified to be your husband? Do you like him a little? Is the qualified husband in your heart like him?¡± Zhou Zimo carefully and seductively asked.

    Qin Su¡¯s head was dizzy and she could not digest too much information in a short period of time. She could only capture the first question¡ª

    How was Zhou Zimo?

    ¡°Zhou Zimo... he¡¯s pretty good...¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s eyes were hazy. She thought for a long time before saying this.

    ¡°Pretty good? Other than these? Other than these, is there anything else? How is he good? Do you like him a little?¡±

    Zhou Zimo saw that Qin Su had fallen asleep again, so of course, he shook her a little unyieldingly. He wanted her to exin things clearly. He was eager to know what kind of existence he had in her heart.

    Qin Su, who had been shaken awake, was naturally in a bad mood. She struggled for a while before continuing, ¡°What else? Not gentle enough. Sometimes... He¡¯s quite a bully... he clearly has a girlfriend, yet he stilles to harass me... he¡¯s so coquettish, I don¡¯t like him... a few days ago, he even had dinner with some famous model... people like him... I hate the most... not loyal!¡±

    As Qin Su finished, it suddenly seemed as if she wanted to use Zhou Zimo of his crimes, and her tone was also very displeased. ¡°I hate the most... yboys like him, unreliable, just like those people...¡±

    As expected, Qin Su¡¯s impression of Zhou Zimo was definitely not good. Moreover, it seemed that her impression of him did not change much.

    He did not expect that despite working so hard, to her, he still seemed like that kind of person.

    Zhou Zimo suddenly felt a little disappointed. He felt disheartened, and he felt a dull pain in his chest. An unspeakable difort was gathering in his chest, and even his breathing felt a little stifled.

    ¡°But... He¡¯s also quite a good person, I guess, other than being a little overbearing...¡±

    When Qin Su said this, she burped ungracefully and breathed in ufortably.

    ¡°Other than being overbearing, so what? Tell me, Qin Su, other than being overbearing, does he have any other ws?¡± Zhou Zimo quickly asked.

    He had to ask clearly to see what she was dissatisfied with him about. Perhaps he could change himself into the way she liked him.

    After being shaken, Qin Su felt a wave of pain in her head. She struggled for a while and seemed to be a little irritated. Then, she continued to speak intermittently, ¡°Other than being a little overbearing, he can some gentlemen. At least... He didn¡¯t ask me to cook. He respected me and brought me to meet his family...¡±

    ¡°Then, do you think you will marry Zhou Zimo?¡±

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo¡¯s dark eyes suddenly lit up with a faint light as he hurriedly asked.

    ¡°No... I don¡¯t know...¡±

    Qin Su could only reply with these few words. When Zhou Zimo wanted to ask more, Qin Su had already fallen asleep. No matter how anxious Zhou Zimo was to ask her to answer him, there was only the faint sound of Qin Su¡¯s breathing.

    At this moment, listening to the sound of the woman on his back who had already fallen asleep, Zhou Zimo suddenly felt a little dazed.

    In the end, Qin Su¡¯s feelings for him, Zhou Zimo, were quite indifferent¡ª

    What could he do to make her care about him even a little bit?

    She did not love him at all, so how could she be willing to be with him, Zhou Zimo, or even marry him?

    ¡°Qin Su, my feelings for you are increasing day by day. You heartless woman, is your heart made of stone? I just want to be with you forever, why is it so difficult?¡±

    Zhou Zimo pondered for a long time before he finally smiled bitterly.

    He carefully turned to look over his shoulder. Qin Su¡¯s quiet and cold face was leaning on his shoulder, sleeping soundly...

    He was clearly someone close to him, but at this moment, he felt that the person in front of him was like the stars in the sky, so far away...

    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you. When will you stop to look at me?¡±

    After a long while, Zhou Zimo let out a long sigh. ¡°Forget it, I can only me myself. Who asked me to owe you?¡±

    After he said that, he walked forward again.

    ...

    When they came out of Imperial Sky Entertainment City, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car stopped by the side. Qi Lei said goodbye to Su Chen and got into the car.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave Qi Lei a cold and indifferent nce. The narrow space suddenly became a little depressed because of the smell of alcohol on him. Dongfang Liuyun simply rolled down the car window and spoke with an unfriendly tone¡ª

    ¡°Have you ever seen such a good wife who would send you to and fro like this? Yet, you¡¯re still not satisfied. Even my biological parents don¡¯t get such treatment. If this goes on, you¡¯re going to be a little brat.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you my brat now? When you sent for me previously, I was always at your beck and call. I didn¡¯t embarrass you at all. Even your colleagues and friends are so envious of you. Aren¡¯t you satisfied?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her disapprovingly. He reached out to take the thermos cup that she handed over and unhurriedly opened it. He leisurely poured out half a cup and drank it leisurely.

    ¡°You mean you think you¡¯re giving me face now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sideways nce.

    Qi Lei smiled but did not say anything.

    ¡°And you think I¡¯m not giving you enough face? Did you give me a chance?¡± Dongfang Liuyun argued with reason. After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Actually, your idea is quite good, let¡¯s shoot some scenes of our life for a while. Moreover, it¡¯s near the end of the year. Many charity receptions and annual gatherings are going to be held. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to escape this year either. Since our matters have been announced to the media, I don¡¯t care about those misceneous matters anymore.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning to push our rtionship forward now? I thought I would always be wronged and be your husband like an underground lover.¡± Qi Lei teased.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t nning on keeping a low profile either, were you?¡± Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes at him without a care in the world.

    ¡°You really know me well.¡±

    Qi Lei did not try to hide it.

    ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯m an unqualified wife?¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun was still a little hung up on this question.

    ¡°Do you really want to know the answer?¡± Qi Lei smiled helplessly.

    ¡°Of course. I strive for excellence and perfection in everything I do. This is the first time I¡¯ve received such a bad evaluation. Do you think I¡¯m willing to ept it?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said.

    Hearing this, Qi lei chuckled softly

    ¡°That¡¯s true, this is just like your character, Dongfang Liuyun! Naturally, you¡¯re not willing to ept such an evaluation.¡±

 Chapter 1927 - Qin Dynastyâ€™s Qin, Awakened Su (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1927: Qin Dynasty¡¯s Qin, Awakened Su (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression did not change. Instead, she responded softly.

    ¡°No matter how you are, I ept it. I thought you didn¡¯t care for other people¡¯s opinions?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°But I do care about your opinions. Are you satisfied with this answer?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she nced at him nonchntly.

    When she said this, Qi Lei naturally...

    After a moment of silence, Qi Lei coughed a few times before saying calmly, ¡°Luckily, I¡¯m quite satisfied.¡±

    He answered without any hesitation.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly and increased the speed of the car...

    ...

    The next day, Qin Su woke up in a daze. She felt very dizzy, as if thousands of soldiers and horses were galloping in her head.

    She opened her eyes with some difficulty and struggled to move her body while enduring the soreness all over her body. Suddenly, she realized that this did not seem to be her room. It was very unfamiliar...

    She quickly regained her consciousness and endured the pain in her head. She quickly sat up and looked around. Only then did she vaguely realize that this seemed to be Zhou Zimo¡¯s room.

    How did she get here?

    Qin Su could not help but be surprised. She only remembered that she seemed to have drunk with her fatherst night, and then she drank too much. After that, she thought that it was very noisy. Then, it was a bumpy journey. She was so tired that she could not open her eyes. What happened after that, she could not remember anything at all.

    How did she get back home?

    Furthermore, she was in Zhou Zimo¡¯s room. What was even more depressing was that she was sleeping on his bed too.

    Thinking of this, Qin Su hurriedly lifted the nket and looked at herself. She saw that the clothes on her were the same clothes that she wore yesterday. It was just a jacket that had been removed.

    Only then did she let out a sigh of relief. She rubbed her aching head and unhurriedly climbed out of the bed.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡±

    Qin Su got out of the bed with her messy hair. Suddenly, she heard a gentle voice beside her ear.

    Qin Su quickly raised her gaze and looked in the direction of the voice. Only then did she realize that Zhou Zimo was already standing at the door and was quietly looking at her.

    She subconsciously reached out to fix her messy long hair and nodded.

    ¡°Go and freshen up. I have already made breakfast.¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her for a long time. After confirming that she was fine, he turned around and left.

    Qin Su quickly got up and endured the pain in her head as she walked into her room. Only then did she realize that her door was locked. The key seemed to be in the pocket of her coat...

    She quickly rummaged around and found her handbag, briefcase, and coat from the sofa in the living room downstairs. After she went back and freshened up, she went downstairs. Zhou Zimo had already set up the bowls and chopsticks.

    Qin Su did not stand on ceremony and sat down. Zhou Zimo also handed her a bowl of porridge.

    Qin Su took it and lowered her head to take a sip. Only then did she raise her head tentatively. She looked at Zhou Zimo and saw that he was also silently lowering his head to eat the porridge. After thinking for a moment, she finally could not help but ask, ¡°Yesterday... how did I get back?¡±

    These words were softly asked by Qin Su. It sounded like shecked in confidence!

    This was because Qin Su did not know what she would do if she was drunk. Moreover, she knew nothing about the situation after that. It was the first time she had gotten so drunk...

    Yesterday, Qin Yi had originally advised her not to drink. Drinking was harmful to a girl¡¯s body. However, Qin Su did not pay attention to him after that. Instead, she started to drink on her own. Later on, Qin Yi was also extremely annoyed. The father and daughter drank together. After that, reality proved that Qin Su¡¯s alcohol tolerance was not great. Compared to an old drunkard like Qin Yi, her fighting strength was still a little weaker.

    After that, she passed out. Now, how did she...

    Zhou Zimo continued to look at Qin Su, taking in the changes in her expression.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember what happened yesterday?¡±

    Zhou Zimo narrowed his eyes at her and probed in a low voice.

    As soon as he said this, Qin Su frowned. Her clear eyes were filled with vignce, and she stopped moving. She thought about it seriously, but she still could not recall anything that happenedst night.

    ¡°What did I do?¡± Qin Su asked in a low voice.

    She had never been so drunk before, and she was worried that she might have done something out of line.

    Zhou Zimo admired her repressed uneasiness, and the smile on his face widened as he put some food on the te in front of her. ¡°Have some. You were so drunk yesterday, so I¡¯m sure you must be hungry too. I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±

    ¡°It seems that the matter is quite serious?¡±

    Qin Su looked at Zhou Zimo¡¯s mysterious expression, and her brows furrowed even tighter. Her gaze was locked on Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face.

    ¡°How serious can it be? I¡¯m the only one who saw it.¡±

    Zhou Zimo smiled and lowered his head to continue eating his porridge. However, the smile on his face was an eyesore to Qin Su.

    ¡°Exin everything clearly!¡± Qin Su said in a cold voice, ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in suspense!¡±

    ¡°Are you that worried that you went overboard?¡± Zhou Zimoughed.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Qin Su took the te impolitely.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one saw it. I was the only one anyway. Since you¡¯re so nervous, then... I¡¯ll give you a simple reminder.¡±

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly, then leaned over slightly and whispered a few words into her ear.

    Qin Su was also frowning as she listened. When she heard thest part, her brows knitted together as she said coldly, ¡°Impossible! How could I have done such a thing?¡±

    Dancing striptease and forcefully kissing him, Zhou Zimo?

    How was that possible!

    Qin Su did not believe it at all. She looked at Zhou Zimo with a face full of doubt, and her beautiful eyes were filled with a cold light.

    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t believe it yourself, so forget it. It¡¯s nothing anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe it or not.¡± Zhou Zimo calmly shrugged his shoulders and replied.

    ¡°Did I really do that?¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s heart sank when she saw Zhou Zimo¡¯s indifferent expression. In the end, she still asked doubtfully.

    Zhou Zimo smiled but did not say anything. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to drink his porridge.

    Only at this moment did Qin Su feel a little conflicted. The expression on his cold and indifferent face also changed unpredictably. After some thought, she finally asked in a low voice, ¡°Were you really the only one who saw it?¡±

    Zhou Zimo nodded gently and said with certainty, ¡°I was. It was Uncle Qin who called me and asked me to pick you up. After that, I went over. You were very drunk and unconscious. Fortunately, I went over in time. You were quite well-behaved along the way and only caused a ruckus when we reached home. You even said something like ¡®Qin dynasty¡¯s Qin, awakened¡¯s Su¡¯. The way you introduced yourself seemed to be the same as you did many years ago.¡±

    Only then did Qin Su sigh with relief...

 Chapter 1928 - Like? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1928: Like? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What did you see?¡± Qin Su finally asked Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°I saw what I should and shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Zhou Zimo smiled.

    ¡°No matter what you saw, keep your mouth shut. Pretend like you didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Qin Su said in a low voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t see or hear anything. Is that okay? Eat your breakfast. You must be hungry too.¡±

    Zhou Zimo finally stopped teasing her and said so.

    Qin Su nced at him before lowering her gaze and continuing to eat her breakfast.

    ¡°Why did my Father ask you to pick me up?¡±

    Qin Su naturally had some doubts about Zhou Zimo¡¯s words.

    ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s because my future father-inw believes in my character and thinks highly of me. Why else do you think?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not hide his words as he spoke, his ck eyes filled with pride.

    ¡°Have you always been this thick-skinned?¡±

    Qin Su gently furrowed her brows as she swept a nce at Zhou Zimo before handing over her empty bowl. Naturally, Zhou Zimo tacitly took it and scooped half a bowl for her.

    ¡°If I weren¡¯t thick-skinned, your parents probably wouldn¡¯t even know of me now. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that. If you won¡¯t take the initiative, then I¡¯ll have to. This shouldn¡¯t cause you any problems, right?¡± Zhou Zimo replied leisurely.

    Qin Su paused and took the porridge. In the end, she did not say anything.

    ...

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve asked around. Last night, Master Fujiwara didn¡¯t return home, and no one knows where he went. I¡¯ve asked Matsuda, but he didn¡¯t tell me. He only said that Master Fujiwara went out and drove the car by himself.¡±

    It was early in the morning, and Riko Inoue had already gotten up. She had waited for an entire night, but there was still no news from Fujiwara. Naturally, she was a little displeased, but there did not seem to be anything she could do. There was still no news from Fujiwara.

    ¡°Did you check where he is?¡±

    Riko Inoue¡¯s hand paused with her knife and fork held for a moment before asking.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to investigate, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll go anywhere. Things are very busy at thepany, so Master Fujiwara probably won¡¯t be able to find the time to do anything. There¡¯s no news from Dongfang Liuyun either. Last night, she was seen leaving Imperial Sky Entertainment City with Qi Lei. The two of them don¡¯t look like they¡¯re trapped by a scandal. Perhaps there¡¯s something else going on,¡± said Yoshimoto.

    When she heard this, Riko Inoue fell silent for a moment. She thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to investigate the people around Fujiwara-kun? Why haven¡¯t we found anything yet? Who¡¯s gotten close to him these past few days? Who¡¯s been looking for him?¡±

    Riko Inoue was a very intelligent woman. At this moment, she could still maintain her calm.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t found out the details yet. However, it seems that Fujiwara-san hasn¡¯t reconciled with Dongfang Liuyun. Furthermore, I¡¯ve checked the previous news. After spring, Qi Lei is going to hold a wedding with Dongfang Liuyun. So, I feel that there might be something fishy about this scandal. This is because the matter between Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun is already set in stone. They¡¯ve already registered it long ago.¡± Yoshimoto analyzed.

    Riko Inoue nodded as well, ¡°What you said makes sense. Perhaps someone wants to target them. You should ask around about this first. If Dongfang Liuyun isn¡¯t hindering me, then being a friend is a good choice. If she¡¯s hindering me, then don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±

    Riko Inoue was also a person who was very open-minded about benefits. She was also a person who pursued benefits above all else. She would not go so far as to rashly provoke Dongfang Liuyun just because of Fujiwara, in her opinion, such a thing wasn¡¯t very wise.

    ¡°Go investigate this Dongfang Liuyun and see if there¡¯s a need for me to meet her.¡±

    Riko Inoue thought for a long time before giving this order.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Yoshimoto responded.

    ¡°Then, Master Fujiwara...¡±

    Before Yoshimoto could finish his sentence, he suddenly heard the sound of a car driving in from downstairs. He subconsciously raised his head to look downstairs and saw Fujiwara¡¯s car slowly driving in. His eyes instantly lit up, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s Fujiwara-san!¡±

    Riko Inoue followed Yoshimoto¡¯s gaze and saw that the car had indeed stopped. Fujiwara was unhurriedly getting out of the car.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    A wave of respectful greetings came from below.

    Fujiwara nodded indifferently and strode forward.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re finally back. Miss Inoue is here. She¡¯s upstairs having breakfast right now. She waited for you the entire night. When she woke up in the morning, she even asked Yoshimoto to speciallye over to ask about you. I was worried that something would go wrong, so I said that I didn¡¯t know where you went. I wonder if she¡¯ll report this to her family.¡±

    Matsuda was drenched in cold sweat as he spoke. Riko Inoue hade over this time because of Fujiwara Kenji¡¯s intentions, so he naturally did not dare to be careless.

    ¡°What could go wrong? Can¡¯t you just settle her down?¡± Fujiwara said disapprovingly.

    As if sensing the gaze from above, Fujiwara instantly raised his head warily. As expected, the image of Riko Inoue sitting by the ss window on the rooftop while having her meal was already visible.

    Riko Inoue was also silently looking at Fujimoto at this moment, her cold eyes gathering theseplicated flowing light. After quite a while, Fujiwara had already retracted his gaze and walked into the house.

    Riko Inoue¡¯s expression darkened for a moment, but she also silently retracted her gaze and continued to lower her head to eat her breakfast.

    ¡°Miss, do you still want to investigate the whereabouts of Master Fujiwarast night?¡± Yoshimoto asked.

    ¡°No need. Since he¡¯s already back, he doesn¡¯t like others to investigate him. You go and do your things first. I¡¯ll do the rest myself.¡± Riko Inoue said indifferently. After she finished, she put down the knife and fork in her hand and took a sip of milk¡ª

    She was naturally waiting for Fujiwara-san.

    ...

    ¡°Master, Miss Inoue is upstairs having breakfast right now. She should be waiting for you. Should we go up?¡± Matsuda asked for instructions.

    ¡°Just make the arrangements for where she wants to go. There¡¯s no need to nother me. Prepare the documents in the study for me. I need to go to thepany right away.¡± Fujiwara said expressionlessly.

    ¡°But Master, she¡¯s a guest. I¡¯m worried that we won¡¯t be able to exin ourselves.¡±

    Matsuda still reminded him carefully. Although he knew that Fujiwara would not be happy to hear such words, he had no choice.

    Hearing this, Fujiwara stopped in his tracks and nced coldly at Matsuda¡ª

    ¡°Are you questioning my decision now?¡±

    Matsuda trembled slightly when he heard that cold voice. He quickly lowered his head and exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. Matsuda wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±

 Chapter 1929 - Like? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1929: Like? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t dare, why don¡¯t you hurry up and execute it?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold voice rang out, giving Matsuda a a fright.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Matsuda responded and also retreated, not daring to say another word.

    Fujiwara coldly sent Matsuda¡¯s back into the distance. Then, with a cold expression, he retracted his gaze and walked upstairs. After a short while, he changed into a clean set of clothes and went downstairs.

    In the living room, the servant had already made him tea while Matsuda had already packed his briefcase and was waiting by the side.

    Fujiwara strode over and sat down on the sofa. He picked up the tea with one hand and took a simple sip. Then, he picked up the newspaper and started reading.

    The scandal between him and Dongfang Liuyun was naturally still being reported in the newspaper.

    However, it seemed that none of the parties involved had made any moves.

    Fujiwara thought for a moment, then hurriedly reached for the remote control and turned on the television in front of him. He changed several channels in a row and saw that some of the programs were also breaking news about them.

    Fujiwara furrowed his brows deeply and silently turned off the television. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he heard rhythmic footstepsing from upstairs

    ¡®Thud thud thud¡¯

    It was the sound of high heels against the floor.

    Fujiwara looked towards the source of the sound and saw Riko Inoue in a gorgeous dark purple dress walking down from upstairs. She was wearing a luxurious outfit.

    The gaze in her beautiful eyes was also looking at him calmly.

    Fujiwara¡¯s gaze instantly darkened and his entire body turned cold. However, he lowered his gaze after just one nce.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you even when I came here. You didn¡¯te home for a whole night. Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll tell Uncle Fujiwara?¡±

    Seeing that Fujiwara didn¡¯t say anything, Riko Inoue finally spoke first.

    The coldness in Fujiwara¡¯s eyes intensified after he said this. He could not help but sneer, ¡°Are you here to spy on me on Father¡¯s behalf?¡±

    Riko Inoue also knew that the rtionship between Fujiwara and Kenji Fujiwara was a bit stiff. Both father and son seemed to have the same strong temper, so they were in conflict. No one could say for sure. Everyone in the family also knew about the rtionship between the father and son, so...

    ¡°Mr. Fujiwara is very worried about you, Fujiwara-kun. You shouldn¡¯t betray his good intentions and be biased against him. Even if you¡¯re dissatisfied with him, he¡¯s still your father, the person who gave you life.¡±

    Riko Inoue slowly walked down the stairs as she spoke calmly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your ce to interfere in our matters. Since you¡¯re already here, it¡¯s best for you to behave yourself. Don¡¯t interfere in matters that you shouldn¡¯t interfere in. Otherwise, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to send you back to Japan.¡± Fujiwara spoke coldly.

    Hearing this, Riko Inoue¡¯s gaze instantly turned cold. She looked calm as she said, ¡°What matters should I not interfere in? Fujiwara-kun doesn¡¯t seem to understand my purpose foring here. Uncle Fujiwara isn¡¯t the only one who supported meing here!¡±

    ¡°Whoever supported you toe here, let them make the arrangements for you. Why did youe to my Cloud Residence?¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that your surname is Fujiwara, and you are a descendant of the Fujiwara family. The mission on your shoulders doesn¡¯t allow you to be so impudent. Do you think that I¡¯m willing to interfere in your matters again? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t understand the situation between the two families. Right now, the Fujiwara family and my Inoue family have finally reached an agreement, and we need our marriage to improve the rtionship between the two families. The current situation isn¡¯t much better for your Fujiwara family either. Why do you think Uncle Fujiwara is in such a hurry?¡± Riko Inoue said bluntly.

    As soon as she said this, Fujiwara¡¯s expression changed rapidly

    Even though he had already legally refined the industry and stabilized the Fujiwara family¡¯s economic status, from a long-term perspective, Riko Inoue¡¯s words were indeed correct.

    This was the trend of the future, and it was not something that he, Fujiwara, could change by himself. Therefore, the current situation was really...

    His father, Kenji Fujiwara, valued the family¡¯s business the most. That was why he did not hesitate to try his best to facilitate his marriage with Riko Inoue.

    Thinking of this, Fujiwara was actually a little dejected. However, there were many things that he needed to fight for himself. He had already missed out once, and he did not want to miss out a second time. Otherwise, he would never have another chance.

    And if she was not by his side, what was he living for?

    He had been lonely for so many years!

    ¡°What does this have to do with me? Do you think that the Fujiwara family¡¯s descendants will inherit the family business? When have I ever cared about the family business?¡±

    Fujiwaraughed coldly and said nonchntly. His cold appearance made him seem like an unruly wild horse. The Fujiwara family could not control him at all.

    When Fujiwara said this, Riko Inoue¡¯s expression darkened slightly. His eyes were naturally filled with disbelief!

    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying, Fujiwara-kun?¡±

    Riko Inoue widened her beautiful eyes slightly and stared fixedly at Fujiwara.

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m saying. If Father wants to sacrifice my personal feelings and marriage to achieve the Fujiwara family¡¯s glory, I don¡¯t mind leaving the Fujiwara family with nothing.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone was sonorous and resolute. His stern and serious appearance gave even Matsuda a a fright!

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t be rash!¡± Matsuda cried out in surprise, wanting to stop Fujiwara.

    ¡°You¡¯re simply crazy! Crazy!¡±

    Riko Inoue¡¯s face was naturally filled with disbelief. Her beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Fujiwara without blinking.

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. This idea isn¡¯t something that can happen in a day or two. If you really want to tell my father, feel free to tell him. I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care anyway.¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, he raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows in exhaustion. He took a cup of tea and took a sip as well.

    ¡°Uncle Fujiwara only has one son. Could it be that you have the heart to disappoint them? You have to know how much effort the Fujiwara family put in to get to where they are today.¡±

    Riko Inoue took a deep breath as well. The strings in her heart instantly tightened¡ª

    That was because she knew very well what Fujiwara¡¯s words meant.

    ¡°Who said that the Fujiwara family¡¯s descendants are born with the responsibility of inheriting the family business? If I, Fujiwara, am just an ordinary person with nothing to do today, do you think father would treat me differently? Would the Fujiwara family treat me differently?¡±

    Fujiwara was actually not too concerned about the Fujiwara family¡¯s situation. His heart had never been there.

    Especially because of the incident with Dongfang Liuyun, Fujiwara was extremely disgusted with the situation at home, not to mention the matter between his mother, Yoon, and his father.

    His sarcastic voice caused Riko Inoue¡¯s heart to sink. She could not quite react to this¡ª

    ¡°You... how can you say that...¡±

 Chapter 1930 - Like? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1930: Like? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Fujiwara did not say anything. He merely gave Riko Inoue a cold and indifferent nce as he walked past her.

    ¡°Do you like Dongfang Liuyun so much? You can even disregard the Fujiwara family¡¯s family business for her? Are you crazy?¡± Riko Inoue chased after him and asked coldly.

    Fujiwara stopped walking and gave Riko Inoue a sidelong nce. He was silent for a long time before he said, ¡°Like her?¡±

    After muttering this sentence in a low voice, he sneered sarcastically, ¡°What do you mean like her? My rtionship with her isn¡¯t a secret. You, Riko Inoue, aren¡¯t that much of a fool.¡±

    Riko Inoue naturally understood the meaning behind Fujiwara¡¯s words, and the expression in her eyes changed unpredictably. ¡°You¡¯re worried that I¡¯ll go against Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    Riko Inoue sneered disapprovingly. ¡°If I really go against her, will you fall in love with me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s reply was very straightforward.

    Hearing this, Riko Inoue immediately smiled, ¡°So, do you think I¡¯m stupid enough to make you hate me? Moreover, Dongfang Liuyun is Qi Lei¡¯s Missus Qi. I¡¯m afraid that your chances are slim. What I need to do is to convince you to marry me. This is what we should do. It¡¯s the best thing we can do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said that I won¡¯t marry you.¡± Fujiwara furrowed his handsome brows and said coldly.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the past, it doesn¡¯t represent the future. No one can say for sure what will happen in the future, so I¡¯m very confident. You can only marry me in time toe. This is the best choice between us. And Fujiwara-kun, I won¡¯t hide my admiration, satisfaction, and even love for you at all. I won¡¯t give up.¡±

    Riko Inoue had already made things clear, and her tone was exceptionally resolute.

    Fujiwara paused for a moment, but he did not say anything in the end. He turned around and strode away.

    Like?

    What was there to like about something that was based on benefits?

    Other than Dongfang Liuyun, he did not want anyone else.

    Fujiwaraughed coldly in his heart. He pretended not to hear anything after that.

    ...

    The sun was already up high. After breakfast, the better media and photography team came over. They took some videos of Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun interacting. The couple cooperated very well.

    The video and interview went very smoothly and naturally. When the photographer and staff left, it was already afternoon.

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun had gone to the kitchen to have lunch together, but after a whole morning, they were a little tired now.

    ¡°Have a cup of tea.¡±

    On the sofa in the living room, Qi Lei was reviewing the documents in his hands when Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice suddenly came from the side. Before he could react, the faint fragrance of tea filled the air.

    Qi Lei suddenly raised his head. Dongfang Liuyun had already handed him a cup of hot tea. Then, she picked up a wet towel and continued to work.

    Qi Lei frowned. He took a sip of the tea and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you just get the part-time worker to clean it up?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s good to clean it up asionally.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun responded, but her hands did not stop moving. ¡°Go do what you need to do. I¡¯ll clean it up. It¡¯s a little messy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a methodical person. asionally, she would tidy up her own home and did not like to hire hourly workers.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the office in the afternoon?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll apany you at home.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei was a little surprised. He raised his handsome eyebrows. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very normal. I¡¯ll apany you at home today.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened to Qi Lei¡¯s surprised tone and replied kindly.

    ¡°That¡¯s rare. Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Qi Lei thought about it and asked. He did not think that Dongfang Liuyun was just simply apanying him at home. Thepany was very busy.

    ¡°Yes, I hope you can put away your petty heart.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied without any courtesy, ¡°Vice President Zhang just came back this morning. I shouldn¡¯t be as busy as before, so I have more time to stay at home. You¡¯ve been quite busy recently. I don¡¯t see you at home. Is there anything that I can help you with?¡±

    Although he did not have much business contact with hispany, they had been married for so long, and Qi Lei had never been able to avoid her at work. On the contrary, he would sometimes discuss with her and exchange views appropriately, the husband and wife often talked about work. They knew a little about each other¡¯spany situation, especially for a certain hot project, they could help each other out where needed.

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows. After thinking for a while, he handed her another document, ¡°Since you¡¯re so enthusiastic, I won¡¯t let you down. This is the proposal submitted by the Jin family. What do you think of the execution? The Jin family ns to give me a share.¡±

    Qi Lei did not hide it at all.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned. Looking at the document Qi Lei handed over, she was a little surprised¡ª

    This matter...

    ¡°You have the final say on this matter. Do you think it¡¯s good for me to agree or not?¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t get thend, so they n to make you a shareholder?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked. She had some admiration for the methods of the Jin family and Dongfang Ren. They could actually think of such a move.

    ¡°Missus is smart!¡± Qi Lei praised generously, ¡°They n to give me 5% of the shares.¡±

    ¡°Are there such good deals?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised.

    ¡°They don¡¯t have a better way either. However, this proposal seems to be done well. Vice President Wang Chun is somewhat interested.¡± Qi Lei said simply.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. The current situation doesn¡¯t affect them very well. After Lin Yuanyuan left thepany, it¡¯s inconvenient for Dongfang Ren to handle many things. It¡¯s the same for Dongfang Yi. Both parties suffered heavy losses. They need a project to stabilize their position in thepany. Now that Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er are getting married at the end of the year, we can take advantage of this time to improve our performance.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before saying this. She took the document in Qi Lei¡¯s hand and sat down next to him. She flipped through it and started reading.

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯ve already discussed this with another developer. If it¡¯s possible, I would like to invite your Dongfang Group to conspire together for a big n. However, I hope that you¡¯ll be in charge of this project.¡±

    Qi Lei looked up at her with interest as he spoke.

 Chapter 1931 - Liuyun In the Light of the Setting Sun (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1931: Liuyun In the Light of the Setting Sun (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Why me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked with a smile.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei smiled and looked at her calmly, ¡°Why do you think?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finished reading the document before taking a deep breath. Seeing that he had lowered his head, she could not help but feel a faint warmth in her heart.

    After thinking for a while, she said calmly, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to do so much for me. This proposal is very beneficial to your Tai Yu Corporation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Tai Yu Corporation is also half yours. Moreover, you¡¯re my greatest benefit, more than anything else...¡±

    You are more important...

    Qi Lei did not say thest few words, but Dongfang Liuyun could tell that he cared. Moreover, it seemed like she did not doubt the authenticity of his words at all.

    ¡°You...¡± Dongfang Liuyun muttered and took a deep breath. She could not hide the feeling of being touched, ¡°Sometimes, I wish that you weren¡¯t so good to me. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll feel too guilty towards you, especially since I didn¡¯t do anything for you.¡±

    When she said this, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened. For some reason, the smile on his lips seemed to have a hint of destion. ¡°I thought that you would feel entitled to all of this.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. It¡¯s just...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun wanted to exin, but she did not know how to do so. ¡°I just can¡¯t bear it. It¡¯s hard on you alone. After all, we...¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, what do you think I could do? Let you do it alone? What should I be doing then?¡± Qi Lei said disapprovingly.

    ¡°One day, when you find that everything I do is matter-of-fact, I¡¯ll at least feel at ease.¡±

    Qi Lei was a little tired now. He could not help but raise his hand to rub the space between his brows. ¡°Liuyun, I think that in your heart, if you encounter a problem and need someone to help you solve it, who would be the first person toe to mind?¡± Qi Lei asked in a deep voice.

    The first person that came to mind?

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. She thought about it seriously before suddenly looking at him and saying quietly, ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Qi Lei narrowed his ck eyes and muttered softly. He looked at her silently as well.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and did not nod. Instead, she said inly, ¡°You... In fact, I have never liked to trouble others. Ever since I was young, my father told me to solve things on my own. So, I have always been used to carrying it on my own. I didn¡¯t have a deep understanding of the concept of helping, until I got together with you...¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I feel that I can get too much from you, so sometimes, I really do rely on you. It¡¯s not a good thing.¡±

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it a good thing? Isn¡¯t it a good thing to have someone to rely on?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to have the courage to take charge on your own? Do you want me to be your burden?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be a burden.¡± Qi Lei replied with certainty.

    ¡°Qi Lei, actually, I¡¯ve always felt that we¡¯re not on the same level. You¡¯re one of those people who live a more carefree life. The things you¡¯ve experienced have made you more profound. Time has settled you down. It should be for you to enjoy life more blissfully in the future. ¡°As for me...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had a lot of emotions in her heart at this moment. ¡°I want to work hard to chase after your footsteps, but it seems that every time, it¡¯s because of the things on my side that bring you endless trouble.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say the rest.¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish her sentence, Qi Lei had already cut her off.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when you, Dongfang Liuyun, have started having such a guilty conscience.¡± Qi Lei frowned.

    ¡°Hear me out.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also frowned and nced at him. Only then did Qi Lei slightly stop speaking.

    ¡°I already know that the thing with Lin Yuanyuan was all thanks to you. Now that things havee to this, I don¡¯t know what to say. I just want to say that no matter what happens in the future, I hope that we can trust each other. And I, I think that I really care about you. At the very least, during the days when you weren¡¯t around, I thought that our home felt empty. After work, I didn¡¯t really want toe home...¡±

    This was the first time Dongfang Liuyun had said something like this to Qi Lei, and she had always been someone who did not easily reveal her feelings, even when she was with Fujiwara, she might not have said such things. Yet when it came to Qi Lei, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart always softened.

    She always subconsciously wanted to give him a response or something, but she felt somewhat helpless.

    ¡°You missed me?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up when he heard this. He stared at Dongfang Liuyun and asked in a low voice, ¡°When I asked you if you missed me on the phone before, you didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re young and have just started dating,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied as she closed the document in her hand. After a moment¡¯s thought, she suddenly said, ¡°If you want to experience this feeling, I might be able to satisfy you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words surprised Qi Lei. He looked at her in confusion.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her beautiful eyebrows and said coolly, ¡°Do you want to enjoy the feeling of being chased by me? Let me give you the feeling of being in a fresh new rtionship?¡±

    ¡°Chased by you? You courting me?¡±

    Qi Lei could not react in time.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve never chased anyone before, and I want to experience this feeling. However, President Qi, are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Of course I am. Being courted by you is definitely my greatest fortune.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled cooperatively. He was looking forward to her performance.

    Hearing this, the smile on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face became more obvious. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you enjoy this feeling then.¡±

    ¡°Well, what do you n to do now?¡± Qi Lei asked with interest.

    The game between the husband and wife quickly entered its prelude.

    ¡°Well...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun threw the document in her hand onto the table at the side. After thinking for a moment, she nced at him and said softly, ¡°Follow me!¡±

    As she said that, he reached out and grabbed Qi Lei¡¯srge hand.

    Qi Lei followed her lead and stood up as well. Dongfang Liuyun pulled him directly to the backyard.

    ¡°What for?¡± Qi Lei asked in confusion.

    ¡°You¡¯ll knowter.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled mysteriously and pulled him tightly as he sped up.

    ¡°So mysterious? What could there be in the backyard?¡± Qi Lei said softly.

 Chapter 1932 - Liuyun In the Light of the Setting Sun (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1932: Liuyun In the Light of the Setting Sun (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Be patient.¡±

    That was all Dongfang Liuyun said to him. The two of them walked unhurriedly to the backyard.

    The scenery in the backyard was great. Previously, Qi Lei knew that Dongfang Liuyun would asionally y some music, so he specially arranged a room in the backyard with a few musical instruments for Dongfang Liuyun to y.

    Qi Lei did not expect that Dongfang Liuyun would bring him to this room.

    ¡°Why are we here?¡±

    Standing at the door, the doubt in Qi Lei¡¯s eyes became even stronger. He fixed his gaze on Dongfang Liuyun and asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and smiled at him indifferently. Then, she slowly let go of him and pushed the door open to enter.

    Qi Lei paused. He watched as her figure disappeared through the door, but he did not follow her in until he heard the elegant sound of a piano ying...

    Qi Lei could not help but be stunned.

    He did not remember Dongfang Liuyun ying the piano before, and it was obvious that this familiar tune must have been yed by her.

    Qi Lei was in a daze for a moment. He quickly walked forward and looked over to the sound of the music. Indeed, he saw Dongfang Liuyun sitting quietly in front of the piano by the window. Her ten fingers were skillfully ying the ck and white piano keys.

    The winter sun outside the window had already shone in diagonally. Itnded on her without any deviation. In the light of the setting sun, she was as elegant and indifferent as when he first met her¡ª

    She wore a long white blouse, and her long hair hung down. Her eyes were as clear as water.

    The tune was an oldie, but it was very pleasant to listen to.

    ¡°Valderfields.¡±

    Hher soft singing voice too¡ª

    Previously, he had heard it yed in her car.

    Her singing was very pleasant. Although he always heard her say that she could not sing well, now it seemed that he did not think that those professional singers were any better than her. At the very least, he was very moved by her as he looked at her.

    The smile on Qi Lei¡¯s lips slowly widened. He simply leaned against the door frame and looked at her calmly while listening.

    Dongfang Liuyun yed and sang as she subconsciously looked up at him. The smile on her beautiful face was very brilliant.

    At this moment, Qi Lei had to admit that her appearance made his soul tremble.

    When the song was finished, Qi Lei did not calm down for a long time. After an unknown period of time, he slowly opened his eyes. When he lowered his gaze to look at her, he realized that she was also sitting there, quietly looking at him.

    Heughed softly and suddenly walked over. He reached out to touch her head and sat down beside her. He stretched out his slender fingers and ced them on the ck and white piano keys in front of him. A string of beautiful music was heard again¡ª

    It was the song that Dongfang Liuyun had just yed.

    He did not y any worse than her. Dongfang Liuyun enjoyed listening to it. She lowered her eyes and smiled. When the music stopped, she looked up and turned her head to look at him. Seeing his calm expression, she suddenly turned her head, kissed the corner of his mouth gently, like a dragonfly skimming the water. She quickly moved away and smiled, ¡°Your reward.¡±

    ¡°So precious?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled. Clearly, he was very satisfied with her reward.

    ¡°Mr. Qi Lei, are you willing to date me? To be my boyfriend?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun blinked her clear eyes and looked at him without blinking. She asked very seriously.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows were raised high. He could not react to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words. After a long while, he held her hand and smiled, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my honor. However, I¡¯m not too satisfied with this rtionship. Why not husband? Aren¡¯t we already married?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to enjoy the feeling of being chased by me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    Qi Lei smiled in surprise before nodding. ¡°Of course. However, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll directly agree to it if you just ask.¡±

    ¡°Then can¡¯t you be a little more pretentious?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said with a slight frown.

    ¡°It depends on your performance, Ms. Dongfang.¡± Qi Lei answered very cooperatively.

    ¡°Well, do I have the honor to have dinner with you tonight? I¡¯ll take you to the beach and bring you to eat something delicious.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said seductively.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Mr. Qi Lei¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. He smiled cooperatively and said, ¡°If it¡¯s not expensive or high-end, I won¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°Would I make you suffer?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and reached out to fix his slightly wrinkled jacket. ¡°Finish the documents first. We¡¯ll go outter and see if there are any good movies that have recently been released.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded happily. ¡°I¡¯ll go with your arrangements then.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. She slowly stood up and reached out to him.

    Qi Lei very straightforwardly handed his hand to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun then pulled him up and returned to the living room. Qi Lei was very obedient all the way as he let her hold his hand.

    ¡°Master, Missus, President Shu is Here!¡±

    The couple held hands. They had just turned the corridor and were about to walk into the room when the butler¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind them. The couple paused and immediately exchanged a look. Then, they turned their gaze and looked down the stairs, as expected, they saw Dongfang Shuman slowly walking towards them with Ah Cai apanying her.

    Those sharp eyes subconsciously sized up Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s two hands that were entangled together. The light in her eyes shed.

    ¡°Greetings, Grandmother!¡±

    Qi Lei was the first to react. He gently knocked on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s arm. Dongfang Liuyun recovered from her daze and said calmly, ¡°Grandmother.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman secretly sized them up and nodded.

    ¡°Fourth Lady, Fourth Son-inw!¡±

    Ah Cai also greeted them respectfully.

    Qi Lei nodded modestly and said, ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Grandmother, Auntie Cai,e in and sit.¡±

    The group then walked into the house.

    Dongfang Shuman briefly sized up the Grand Lake Vi area. She was quite satisfied with this ce. When she saw the couple holding hands just now, she felt much more at ease.

    ¡°Grandmother, Auntie Cai, have some tea.¡±

    Qi Lei made tea politely. Dongfang Liuyun sat across from Dongfang Shuman. She was secretly guessing Dongfang Shuman¡¯s intentions foring over today.

    ¡°You can sit too.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took the tea and took a simple sip. Her old voice could be heard.

    Qi Lei nodded and sat down next to Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°How¡¯s Grandmother¡¯s health these days?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s aged face softened a little when she heard the concerned greetings. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. I¡¯ll be fine as long as I get some rest. I haven¡¯t seen you twoe back for a visit these past few days, so I came to visit you.¡±

 Chapter 1933 - Not For Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1933: Not For Love (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun exchanged a look as soon as Dongfang Shuman said this. Dongfang Liuyun then replied softly, ¡°Grandmother, take care of yourself. We¡¯ll go back when we¡¯re free.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman nced at her and asked calmly, ¡°Has your mothere to look for you? I heard that she¡¯s very busy recently?¡±

    ¡°Mother has decided to leave the legal world. She¡¯s been busy with the handover of work these days. ¡°My father may be back in a few days. Mother has decided to stay by his side and focus on being thepany¡¯s legal consultant. Staying by Father¡¯s side would also reduce the pressure on Father.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun recalled what Song Siting had said before and was filled with emotions. For Song Siting to have rity in thought ande to such apromise was not an easy thing. Perhaps it was also because she had a very deep rtionship with Dongfang Gan, when it came to Dongfang Gan, Song Siting could not remain calm.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tensed old face eased up a little. ¡°She still has some conscience. Your father has done many things for her. If she only knows how to ask for things, then she is not worthy of being your mother. She is even less worthy of being the daughter-inw of our Dongfang family.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother has a deep prejudice against Mother. I have always known this, but Mother has also hoped that you can sincerely ept her all these years.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and could not help but speak up for Song Siting.

    ¡°Some people forgive her too easily, and she will never realize her mistake. You know what kind of person your Mother is best. She is the kind of person that even your father wants to control. The things she has experienced make her self-esteem stronger and more sensitive than the average person. She is so rude to me. Do you think I can be magnanimous enough to tolerate her?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said disapprovingly, ¡°I have to kill her spirit. You have to think about this kind of person. There must not be such an employee in thepany. Otherwise, it will be very detrimental to the management of thepany. If you want to control it, it will be very difficult. What thepany needs is a harmonious group and not a person who stands out from the crowd. It¡¯s the same for the Dongfang family.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t me me for saying it so harshly. If you don¡¯t ept it, you can only me yourself for being born into a family like the Dongfang family.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was naturally very sharp, causing Dongfang Liuyun to feel that it was very piercing to the ear. However, she could not deny that her words were indeed very reasonable. Was she, Dongfang Liuyun also unable to control herself?

    Unless, she, Dongfang Liuyun, was willing to go out on her own and admit that she was no longer a descendant of the Dongfang family. However, this was impossible because her roots were here. Moreover, if herte grandfather knew about this, he would definitely not forgive her.

    ¡°Mother is actually quite good to Father. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not an easy thing to make her amodate in such a short period of time. She has always liked her job, so...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t ept any excuses. Your Father is just too indulgent with her. All these years, because of your Father, I haven¡¯t really made things difficult for her. I just hope that one day, she can think clearly and stand on her own side. Otherwise, do you think that with my methods, it would be difficult for me to get her to get out of the Dongfang family?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s aged tone was very sonorous. Dongfang Liuyun was also stunned when she heard it¡ª

    She naturally knew that what Dongfang Shuman said was true. She was very clear about her grandmother¡¯s iron hand!

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe that she was still too self-righteous. Not only did she not think it through clearly, she even became even worse. Back when your father married her, I had hoped that she could join the Dongfang Group, but she insisted on going out and starting her ownw firm. Hmph, this kind of person is too selfish.¡±

    Speaking of Song Siting, Dongfang Shuman was still extremely dissatisfied. If it were not for her son liking her, she would not have been able to tolerate Song Siting.

    ¡°Grandmother, it¡¯s been so many years. Mother and Father are used to each other. Moreover, women always want to have their own careers. Just like now, when I married Qi Lei, I didn¡¯t enter Tai Yu Corporation but stayed in Dongfang Group, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not say anything. From another perspective, it seemed to make sense. However, some of Song Siting¡¯s actions did disgust her.

    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything about the responsibility she should be taking on. If your mother still won¡¯t consider the two of you, then she really needs to reflect on herself.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, have some snacks.¡±

    Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, Qi Lei quickly broke the deadlock and spoke in a timely manner. As he spoke, he moved the snacks in front of him over. ¡°Liuyun doesn¡¯t really like food that¡¯s too sweet, not sure if Grandmother is used to it.¡±

    At this moment, the two of them stopped talking. Dongfang Shuman averted her gaze and nced at Qi Lei before speaking, ¡°You know about these things anyway. If her mother feels that she¡¯s not easy to get along with, you don¡¯t have to bother with her. Since you¡¯ve be my Dongfang family¡¯s grandson-inw, you have to think about Liuyun more. Sit with your father often. It¡¯s always good to talk about some business matters.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman did not reject Qi Lei anymore. In fact, she had originallye to ask about the matters in the newspapers, but looking at the couple now, nothing seemed to have happened. When she came over, she even heard from Ah Cai that the two of them had even filmed a daily life music video this morning. It was probably to rify this matter. Dongfang Shuman heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Got it. Thank you for your concern, Grandmother.¡± Qi Lei replied humbly.

    ¡°He has a good rtionship with my father. He¡¯s even better than my daughter. Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother.¡±

    When she mentioned Qi Lei and Dongfang Gan, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel a little jealous. Sometimes, Dongfang Gan would call Qi Lei directly when he came back. There was no need for him to call her.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Shuman was also a little surprised. She looked at Qi Lei very seriously¡ª

    She did not expect Qi Lei and Dongfang Gan to get along so well?

    That was good too. At least, she, Dongfang Shuman, thought well of Qi Lei. This way, Dongfang Gan would not have to work so hard.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m relieved. In addition, Rou¡¯er is going to have her wedding with Jin Sheng soon. You should make proper preparations. Your wedding will need to be heldter. You should also appear with your father during your wedding. After all, the Dongfang Corporation will still be in your hands.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman felt her energy decreasing. She had too many things to worry about. She had to hurry up with these things. Otherwise, she did not know how long she could hold on.

    ¡°Hmm, is Auntying back?¡±

    Dongfang Xue, the daughter of Dongfang Shuman and Elder Dongfang, had always been doted on by Dongfang Shuman.

 Chapter 1934 - Not For Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1934: Not For Love (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Aunty?

    When Dongfang Liuyun mentioned this, Qi Lei was a little surprised. Only then did he remember that he had not met this legendary aunt, Dongfang Xue.

    He had heard of Dongfang Xue from Dongfang Liuyun before, but he could not tell if she was a good person or a bad person. He only knew that Dongfang Xue seemed to be quite ambitious. Most of the time, she was not in thepany, but outside, her business ability was very strong, but there were many people in thepany who trusted her. In addition, Dongfang Shuman had doted on her all these years. Many people were secretly wondering if Dongfang Xue would be a dark horse in the future?

    ¡°Her? She will be back in a few days. Naturally, she will ne back to attend Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng¡¯s wedding. In addition, the end of the year is approaching. We haven¡¯t celebrated the new year together for so many years. I told them toe back for the new year no matter what.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman said this because she was looking forward to the new year. Her physical condition was getting worse and worse. After surviving this year, it would be difficult to see the next year. She was just taking advantage of this new year to leave some memories behind.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s expression was very calm when she said this. There was no emotion in her old eyes. However, Ah Cai¡¯s expression had dimmed. Her eyes could not hide the pain in them

    No one knew more about Dongfang Shuman¡¯s condition than she did. Previously, Dongfang Shuman was very weak. It was fine if she had to continue living. However, she could not feel rest assured about the Dongfang family. Hence, she asked the doctor to administer medicine, it was as if she had exhausted her body to maintain her current condition.

    Everyone in the Dongfang family had been kept in the dark about this matter. Even Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue did not know about it.

    ¡°She has been wandering around the world for the past few years. She is a woman of a great age and has yet to form a family. Sigh, you have to take care of her more in the future. In a few days, ask your father to arrange a position for her in thepany. You have to interact with her more often. Her abilities are quite good. It is not easy for an olderdy. All her hard work has been handed over to the Dongfang Group. This is the fate of the Dongfang family¡¯s women.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman lowered her head and took a sip of tea. She could not help but cough a few times. Ah Cai quickly came over and patted her back to help her breathe.

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t worry. Aunty is our elder. We will naturally respect and take care of her,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    ¡°The road ahead will be very difficult. I can¡¯t do much. You can only rely on yourselves. All these years, I believe that you will still me me. Your father is the biological son of your grandfather and I. You are also my biological granddaughter. Logically speaking, I should be on your side, right?¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Dongfang Shuman suddenly asked.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment before replying, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. You are the ruler of the entire Dongfang n. I understand what you are carrying on your shoulders. If I were to stand on your side, I would understand. Furthermore, who says that one can demand that the other party do something for you just because they have a blood rtionship? In this world, no one is born to owe anyone. Everyone has their own standpoint.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you can understand. You know the current situation very well. In the future, when you reach my position, you will understand my position and my considerations. There are some benefits that you can only understand after youe into contact with them and reach a certain level. Only then will you understand the situation and those considerations,¡± Dongfang Shuman said faintly.

    Her gaze shifted to Qi Lei who was beside her, ¡°And Qi Lei, it¡¯s not easy to be the son-inw of the Dongfang family. You have to take care of her in the future. Now that you two are married, I won¡¯t say anything else. The most important thing is for the family to be harmonious and united. Since Ah Gan is very satisfied with you, I¡¯m relieved. You don¡¯t have to mind too much about her mother. She has always been short-sighted. She might not know about business matters. It¡¯s good that you guys know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we all know what to do in our hearts. Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother,¡± Qi Lei agreed.

    ¡°I came here today because of the scandals over the past few days. I was worried that there would be any unhappiness between the two of you, but now it seems like I worried too much. Qi Lei, Liuyun, listen up. Since you¡¯re willing to choose this marriage, you must be loyal to it and work together to stabilize thepany. I don¡¯t want any clues to appear. I don¡¯t care what kind of past you have. Since you¡¯ve chosen to start over, don¡¯t look back. Just look forward, understand?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words were rather sincere. Listen up, Dongfang Liuyun could also catch a hint of concern from her words. She was not as cold and indifferent as before, at this moment, Dongfang Shuman appeared to be indifferent and human. This was the most cordial Dongfang Liuyun had ever seen Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°I know about those things. Grandmother, don¡¯t worry. Liuyun has told me about them. I have also met Mr. Fujiwara. He is a very outstanding person. I hope that we can be good friends too. Those things were exaggerated by the media with ulterior motives. There is no need to take it seriously. I have already sent people to investigate this matter. When the timees, the truth will definitely be rified. This matter won¡¯t affect us too much.¡±

    ¡°At this time, it¡¯s not surprising that there¡¯s some news. We know how to deal with it. Grandmother, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    As Qi Lei finished speaking, Dongfang Liuyun followed up. The husband and wife exchanged a look. Their eyes were filled with trust, which made Dongfang Shuman feelforted in her heart. However, there was no expression on her face, she only turned to look at Ah Cai, who nodded at her with a smile.

    At this moment, Dongfang Shuman took a deep breath. She slowly put down the teacup in her hand and slowly stood up, ¡°Since you guys are fine, that¡¯s good. be more careful in the future. It¡¯s a rainy season now. It¡¯s always good to have a heart, especially in thepany. You should find out for yourself who should be closer to. Manager Xu from the HR department is about to take maternity leave. I don¡¯t have to remind you what to do, right?¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, her elite eyes were also looking at Dongfang Liuyun with an unfathomable gaze.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and thought for a moment before replying, ¡°I have already mentioned this matter to my father. Father¡¯s intention was to arrange for Aunty to go over. is Grandmother¡¯s opinion the same?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words seemed to have a probing meaning. As she asked, she quietly looked at Dongfang Shuman.

 Chapter 1935 - Not For Love (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1935: Not For Love (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing this, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s gaze fell silent for a moment, as if she was considering something. After a moment, her old eyes regained their calmness¡ª

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I want to hear Grandmother¡¯s opinion.¡± Dongfang Liuyun also said so.

    Dongfang Shuman stared at Dongfang Liuyun for a long while before she said, ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s not so easy to nurture your own people into confidants. The key chess piece is ced in the key position. This chess piece requires you to be able to fully control it. You¡¯re not one of those unwise people. You should know in your heart how to arrange these chess pieces.¡±

    ¡°Your father ced too much importance on rtionships. Apart from being calm, he also ced some importance on kinship. Hence, it was fated that there were some things that he could not part with and could onlypromise. It was not easy for your Aunty either. For the sake of this family, inheriting the family business is not something that can be messed around with. Of course, if you can¡¯t do it, I don¡¯t mind helping her ascend the throne. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Dongfang Shuman said without hiding anything.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze changed before she replied, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. I won¡¯t forcefully defy your grandfather¡¯s wishes, but I can¡¯t watch the Dongfang family decline in your hands either. Everyone has paid too much for it. This is no longer the will of one person. Once the Dongfang Group declines, how many people will face beingid off? You know how many families will be affected by this. Also, have you paid attention to how many out-of-school children are supported by the charity work of the Dongfang Group in the northwest border?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman spoke earnestly, took a breath, and blinked, ¡°Your grandfather often said before he died that one always wants to live a colorful life. When he was alive, he was dedicated to charity, and I was in charge of the Dongfang Group. That was his wish. You need to continue his spirit. Although I know that I, Dongfang Shuman, am not a good person myself. However, there are some things that I think should be done.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked someone to follow up on this matter. Grandmother, don¡¯t worry,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you guys are more attentive. I¡¯m going back.¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Shuman slowly walked towards the door.

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun also stood up and followed, sending Dongfang Shuman out the door.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back. I¡¯m not old enough for you to send me off. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    When they reached the door, Dongfang Shuman said the same thing. Then, without turning back, she walked towards the car.

    The husband and wife stopped and watched the car gradually disappear into the distance.

    ...

    The car drove smoothly on the road. Dongfang Shuman sat quietly with a piece of tissue in her hand, covering her mouth and coughing gently. Ah Cai, who was sitting at the side, kept helping her with her back as she said worriedly, ¡°President Shu, you have to go back to Canada to recuperate properly. Otherwise, your condition will get worse and worse. I¡¯m very worried. The doctor has called more than once. I¡¯ll make arrangements right away. Let¡¯s go back. We¡¯lle back when the Fourth Miss¡¯ wedding happens. You really can¡¯t work hard anymore.¡±

    Ah Cai¡¯s eyes were full of worry, but she was also helpless because she knew Dongfang Shuman¡¯s character very well.

    Dongfang Shuman coughed violently before saying weakly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have much time left. Let¡¯s hurry up and get down to business. We don¡¯t want to leave behind any regrets. We won¡¯t be able to exin things to him even if we go there. I¡¯ve been too busy all my life. Sometimes, I really want to stop and experience life. I want to get close to the children, so that we¡¯re not like this.¡±

    If she could do it all over again, she might not want to be as strong and tired as she was now.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that I have left a lot of regrets in my life. I might be a qualified manager, but I¡¯m not a qualified mother or a qualified wife. In the past, when your Elder President was still around, I didn¡¯t match him well either. After we got married, all of our energy was focused on our careers. Now, we have to work harder so that our children won¡¯t have to worry so much in the future. We won¡¯t leave them with such a mess, just like when your Elder President took over the family business,¡± Dongfang Shuman said. Now that she recalled those past events, she could only sigh with emotion.

    ¡°President Shu, President Gan will understand your good intentions. Therefore, over the years, President Gan has also respected you,¡± Ah Cai replied.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand or not. After you get over it, you will realize that some feelings are not as important as you thought. The most important thing is to live well in the present and leave something for them in the future. After all, there are many things that you do. It¡¯s not necessarily to let them understand you or to be grateful to you.¡±

    As she said this, Ah Cai might not be able to understand it even if she heard it now. It was not until many yearster that she understood the meaning of what Dongfang Shuman said at this moment¡ª

    It was a kind of sublimation of the realm of life. When you give, you do not care about the so-called response, do what you should do, and do not think about the future.

    ¡°President Shu...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to hold on for too long. Right now, I have to race against time to live. After living for so long, I¡¯m satisfied. Of course there are regrets. If I could see Ah Xue get married and Liuyun and Qi Lei have a child, it would naturally be the best. But now, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to see it. My health doesn¡¯t live up to expectations.¡±

    ¡°No, President Shu. As long as you pay attention to rest and don¡¯t work too hard, you¡¯ll definitely be able to see that day.¡±

    Ah Cai could not help but feel a little sad. She took a breath and said, ¡°You have to think about yourself, President Shu.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back there. It¡¯s pretty good here. I¡¯ll let you clean up the manor in the next two days. Have you given the order?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve given the order, they¡¯re preparing the things. President Shu can move there in two days,¡± Ah Cai replied.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. That ce was where I used to live with your Elder President. I left a lot of memories there. Now that I¡¯m old, I keep thinking about the past. I want to go back and take a look.¡±

    ¡°President Shu, don¡¯t worry. The things inside haven¡¯t been moved. Let the servants clean it up. Manager Ah Xue has been doing well recently. She seems to be dating someone. Maybe...¡±

    ¡°She has been dating quite a few people these years. I haven¡¯t seen her satisfied with anyone. Let¡¯s wait until she has settled down. In addition, you have to watch out. I don¡¯t want anyone to target the Dongfang family. I won¡¯t forgive her so soon after that painful lesson. He has to take it as a warning. These aren¡¯t child¡¯s y.¡±

 Chapter 1936 - Not For Love (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1936: Not For Love (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words made Ah Cai start to worry. She also remembered the things that happened before, and her expression became a little heavy. Those memories were really not a good thing.

    ¡°President Shu don¡¯t need to worry too much about Manager Ah Xue¡¯s matters. After a lesson, she will definitely understand a lot more. Moreover, she is already at this age. She should be able to handle emotional matters better. We can¡¯t worry about it,¡± said Ah Cai.

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to you, especially at this time. This child is still my child after all. You can¡¯t really not worry about it. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t talk about it. Let¡¯s take it one step at a time.¡±

    ¡°Yes. President Shu, you still have to take care of your health first. For other matters, do your best.¡±

    ¡°All these years, it¡¯s all thanks to you. In the future, when I¡¯m not around anymore, you should also stop and rest. You¡¯ve been tired after following me all these years. It¡¯s good to return to a small town in the countryside and live a peaceful life,¡± said Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°President Shu, please don¡¯t say that. I can still serve you for many years. After so many years, I don¡¯t know where else I can go besides being by your side. So, President Shu, don¡¯t say these things anymore.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Dongfang Shuman nced at her and finally did not say anything else.

    ...

    When they returned to the house, the tea had already cooled down. Dongfang Liuyun brewed a new pot of chrysanthemum tea. It was made by the fire without sugar, and it tasted a little bitter. She poured Qi Lei a cup and made him drink it. Then, she poured a second cup, ¡°Drink more. The weather has been dry these past two days. You even had hotpot. Drink more to lower the heat.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I drink tworge cupsst night? I¡¯ve be a water bucket.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned as well. As he spoke, he took the tea from her hand and drank it all in one gulp.

    ¡°Being a water bucket is better than enduring the painter on. Don¡¯t you care about your health?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she took the cup from his hand and poured it for herself. After drinking two cups, she sat down and continued to work on the documents.

    ...

    Night fell quietly. By the time the couple came back to their senses, the sky had already fallen silent. They hurriedly packed the documents and left.

    They did not go anywhere else. Dongfang Liuyun brought Qi Lei to Debao House to check on the recent business situation. Later on, the couple went to a university¡¯s cafeteria for dinner.

    The night was already very dark. When they walked out of the cafeteria, it was already night time. The campus was quite quiet for a while. When they walked past the sports field, they even saw the students who were not in ss ying ball in the stadium.

    ¡°Do you know how to y ball?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was walking beside him, suddenly stopped and asked the man beside her.

    Qi Lei was stunned. He turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun. After some thought, he asked, ¡°You want to watch?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes lit up. She looked at him expectantly. ¡°With someone performing, I¡¯ll definitely be a good audience. But this time, I want you to watch me charge. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll hurt yourself.¡± Qi Lei thought about it and replied.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun had already taken off her windbreaker and handed it to Qi Lei. She tied up her long hair and worebat boots, that was convenient. She was only wearing a loose shirt.

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t yed for a long time. It¡¯s rare for me to be interested. I used to spar with Lan Xiu and the others.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled at him as she spoke. ¡°Now, let me show you a few moves. Although my skills might not be very good, I¡¯ll show you some.¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly smiled when he heard this. Seeing that she was in such a good mood, he nodded in acquiescence. ¡°I¡¯ll wait and see. However, you have to be careful. The weather is cold, and it¡¯ll hurt when the ball touches your hand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that delicate. Sit aside, I¡¯ll consider it a warm up too.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she pointed at the stone bench behind Qi Lei and walked towards the basketball court.

    On the basketball court, the game was ongoing. However, they happened to be students from Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s elective ss. The students recognized Dongfang Liuyun at a nce.

    Dongfang Liuyun was the most beautiful teacher in the school back then, and she was very outstanding. Many students had a deep impression of her. So, when Dongfang Liuyun walked over, the students had already gone up to greet her.

    Dongfang Liuyun briefly exined her purpose foring over, then she quickly joined the game.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s basketball skills were indeed not that great, but they were still passable. With this kind of ability, she could still y as the main force in the women¡¯s team of the previous school.

    Of course, this was only in front of a basketball expert like Qi Lei. Qi Lei himself was simr to Mu Yuchen, who loved basketball. Previously, he would asionally spar with Zhou Zimo, Mu Yuchen, and the others.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s movements were very smooth. It could be seen that she was having a good time.

    Qi Lei sat like this and used the bright light to see the smile on her face. The corner of his heart suddenly became exceptionally soft as he looked at her with enjoyment.

    It was as if he had suddenly returned to his student days. At that time, he was the one running wildly on the basketball court. Now, it was the other way around. He had be the audience, and she was the main character. In his heart, or perhaps in his life, the only main character.

    If he had met her at that time, it would have been such a wonderful thing. He would have been like those young couples on campus, having a little rtionship and adding a bright color to his youth.

    However, there was nothing wrong with meeting herter. After all, she was the one who was by his side now.

    Every day, he would take another look at her, and the feelings in his heart grew with each passing day. Qi Lei could feel that she was holding more and more weight in his heart. Now, he did not dare to explore the answer.

    There was no way to exin how deep the feelings were.

    Just as Qi Lei was quietly looking at her, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. A call came in.

    Qi Lei quickly took it and saw that it was from Vice President Wang Chun.

    ¡°Hello? It¡¯s me.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice was heard.

    Just as Qi Lei finished speaking, Wang Chun¡¯s excited voice came from the other end

    ¡°Second Master, hurry ande to the hospital. The doctor said that President Qi has woken up. The doctor is examining him now.¡±

    Qi Qiming has woken up?

    As soon as Wang Chun finished, this information still took a long time to reach Qi Lei¡¯s mind...

    ¡°Second Master, I told you that President Qi would definitely wake up!¡±

    Seeing that Qi Lei did not speak, Wang Chun said excitedly on the other end.

 Chapter 1937 - Not For Love (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1937: Not For Love (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun rushed directly to the hospital. When they arrived at Qi Qiming¡¯s ward, the doctor was still examining him. The attending physician was also Zhou Zimo¡¯s mother, Liang Jing.

    At this moment, Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes were still tightly shut. However, when Liang Jing instructed the nurse to examine him, his hands were moving. He was not as unconscious as usual.

    ¡°Auntie Liang, how is he?¡±

    Seeing Liang Jing put away the medical records and asked the nurse to leave, Dongfang Liuyun also went up to her.

    Liang Jing frowned and said with a heavy tone, ¡°He was awake just now, but he must have lost his memory. When he woke up just now, he didn¡¯t even know who he was. The situation is not very optimistic.¡±

    ¡°Lost his memory? How can this be? It can¡¯t be that serious, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned and could not help but ask.

    Liang Jing took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I was also very surprised that this happened. When I examined him, all his indicators were normal. Perhaps, it¡¯s just temporary amnesia because he had been unconscious for too long.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you find out the reason? Is there a blood clot in his head, or...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure yet. Perhaps it¡¯s because he¡¯s been through too much pain, and his subconscious mind has chosen to forget it. It¡¯s not impossible. However, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll try to understand the situation with the expert group as soon as possible and see if there¡¯s anything we can do. In addition, there¡¯s nothing serious with his body. You can be rest assured. He still needs to stay in the hospital for observation during this period of time. I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s any news,¡± said Liang Jing.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°When will he wake up?¡±

    ¡°In another hour. The nurse wille back for a check-upter.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie Liang.¡±

    ...

    The entire process was Dongfang Liuyun and Liang Jing¡¯s conversing. Qi Lei, who stood at the side, did not say a word. He only looked at Qi Qiming, who was on the bed across from him.

    Liang Jing told them about the things that they needed to pay attention to before she left.

    The ward instantly fell silent. Other than Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei, there was also Wang Chun, who had just called. Wang Chun was also looking at Qi Qiming, who was on the bed nervously.

    He had always been on good terms with Qi Qiming. They were not brothers, though more often than not, they were like brothers. Qi Qiming had helped him in the past, so he was loyal to Qi Qiming.

    Now that Qi Qiming had finally regained consciousness, he was naturally very happy. However, Qi Qiming actually lost his memory...

    Was it because he was afraid of facing the pain that he had to endure?

    Wang Chun could not help but sigh in his heart. He turned to look at Qi Lei behind him. Seeing Qi Lei¡¯s calm expression, his pitch-ck eyes seemed to capture a hint of emotion. He thought about it and said, ¡°Second Master, you don¡¯t have to worry. Since President Qi can wake up, it¡¯s a good thing. The doctor also said that all of his physical indicators are normal. This means that this memory loss should be temporary. In the future, President Qi might be able to remember everything.¡±

    ¡°Is it important whether he remembers or not? Some things are better forgotten,¡± Qi Lei said calmly. It was hard to tell what he meant by his tone. However, it sounded cold and distant. Wang Chun did not feel good about it¡ª

    The Second Master must still be brooding over Qi Qiming¡¯s previous actions, right? It was only because he could not change his background and Qi Qiming¡¯s identity as his father that he was willing to give up on himself. He did not want to expose himself too much in front of them

    Thinking back to what had happened before, Qi Qiming was really unfair to Qi Lei and Wang Qin. However, considering that Qi Lei was also his son, Qi Qiming did not make things difficult for him. Otherwise, with Qi Lei¡¯s personality, it was hard to guarantee that he would not be kicked out.

    ¡°Second Master, President Qi...¡±

    Wang Chun wanted to say something, but Qi Lei interrupted him¡ª

    ¡°You can go back first, Vice President Wang. I¡¯ll take care of things here. You mustplete the tasks that are assigned to you as soon as possible. With other unnecessary matters, leave them be.¡±

    ¡°Second Master, but...¡±

    ¡°Go back.¡± Qi Lei coldly said these two words. He moved his feet and sat on the sofa at the side as he raised his hand to rub the aching part between his brows.

    Seeing this, Wang Chun did not insist anymore, ¡°Alright then! But, Master Qi, why don¡¯t you let the past go? This time, President Qi chose to forget everything, maybe he wants to start afresh? Why don¡¯t you give President Qi a chance? You said before that if President Qi wakes up, you can forgive him, right?¡±

    Wang Chun fought for Qi Qiming in the end.

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that. He did not say anything after that. He just remained silent.

    Wang Chun finally left the ward helplessly.

    The ward was even quieter. All that could be heard was the sound of the equipment beeping.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked towards the bed instead.

    Qi Qiming had actually lost a lot of weight. His face was very pale, and his eyes were still tightly shut. However, the hand that was ced at the side moved gently from time to time. It was obvious that he was not sleeping well.

    Dongfang Liuyun had naturally heard about the matter between Qi Qiming and Qi Lei. Qi Lei was not too willing to talk about the matter between the father and son. Dongfang Liuyun knew that the death of his mother, Wang Qin, had dealt a great blow to Qi Lei. What followed after was that Qi Qiming had been in a car ident, and Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha both passed away...

    No matter how strong a person was, after experiencing such a blow, they might not be able to withstand it.

    After taking a deep breath, Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at Qi Lei. Only then did he realize that Qi Lei was looking at the teacup in front of him silently with his head lowered. He looked like he had a lot on his mind.

    After hesitating for a moment, Dongfang Liuyun walked over.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? He¡¯s already awake. This is a good thing.¡±

    There was somefort in her calm voice. It was quite pleasing to Qi Lei¡¯s ears.

    Only then did Qi Lei raise his gaze slightly and look at Qi Qiming on the opposite bed. He did not look at her and said in a deep voice, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just a little surprised.¡±

    ¡°I know that you must be feeling conflicted right now. There are some things that the more you struggle with, the more ufortable you feel. Just let nature take its course. If he really lost his memory, just treat him as a brand-new person. Actually, losing one¡¯s memory may not be such a bad thing. At least he doesn¡¯t have to bear...¡±

    ¡°No, I think he should just bear the truth and not avoid it. Isn¡¯t that how I¡¯m facing it too?¡±

 Chapter 1938 - Not For Love (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1938: Not For Love (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei lowered his gaze after Dongfang Liuyun said that. He thought about it and did not say anything. He suddenly got up and walked out of the ward.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned as she watched his figure disappear outside the door. After thinking for a long time, she finally could not help but get up and follow him out.

    She had just walked out of the door to look around. When she turned around the corner of the lounge, she could smell the faint smell of smoke in the air. She subconsciously looked up and saw Qi Lei standing in front of the window in the lounge across from her, he had a lit cigarette between his fingers and was smoking it intermittently.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a while before walking over.

    ¡°Smoking is bad for your health.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped beside him, turned to look up at him indifferently, then reached out to take the half of the cigarette between his fingers and brought it to her mouth. She took a light puff before putting it out in the ashtray with a frown.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly. He turned his head and looked at her silently. Seeing her frown, he asked in a low voice, ¡°How does it taste?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite bitter.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied directly.

    Qi Lei chuckled softly. He extended his long arm and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°It¡¯s bad indeed.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you wish for him to regain consciousness?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked calmly.

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°You¡¯re right. No matter what, he¡¯s still my father. Naturally, I wish for him to wake up. However, there are many things that I have to faceter on. I already thought that I was left with nothing.¡±

    ¡°You... sometimes, you¡¯re quite pessimistic. I can understand that. That¡¯s just the past. Am I not still here? As long as you don¡¯t lose me, you can slowly manage the rest.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be able to capture Qi Lei¡¯s mood. He must be worried that if he were to put in the effort to manage this kinship again, when the time came...

    Some people, if they were constantly being attacked by the storm, would be braver the more they fought and endure it as if it was nothing. However, once they had a sense of warmth and a certain expectation in their hearts, they would not be able to endure it when they returned to how it was before.

    Qi Lei was clearly like this.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I hope that you can respect or love your father. In life, other than feelings, there are often obligations and responsibilities that need to be taken on. If you are like this, then it¡¯s the same for me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed and reached out to grab his arm. Her eyes were as bright as the stars. ¡°So, don¡¯t think too much. Just let nature take its course.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re more optimistic than I am.¡±

    There was a faint light in his deep eyes. He felt a little helpless, ¡°It would be best if he wakes up. When his condition is stable, let him be discharged from the hospital. My mother used to have a vi in the west side of the city. When my mother was still around, she often lived alone there. My father wanted to go there before, but my mother didn¡¯t agree. The environment there is pretty good. Let him rest there.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, his tone was a little relieved. His voice sounded quite calm.

    ¡°Mm, make the arrangements. As long as you¡¯re happy, it¡¯ll be fine. I haven¡¯t seen you rx at all recently.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she reached out to tap on his tightly furrowed brows.

    Qi Lei only smiled at this moment.

    ¡°You¡¯re really forcing this smile. It¡¯s my fault for making you so unhappy. Tell me, how do I make you smile?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone had a teasing hint. As she spoke, she reached out to gently lift his chin.

    Qi Lei then nced at her and said nonchntly, ¡°Save it. You¡¯re no match for me when ites to acting like an overbearing president.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun shrugged.

    ¡°Otherwise, let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll pursue me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that someone like you won¡¯t be moved by my beauty.¡± Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and said inly.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t dare to refute what you said.¡±

    Qi Lei could not help butugh.

    Because once he refuted, he would probably have to suffer when he went back at night. So, it was better to just let her be.

    ...

    The night was gettingte. The stars in the distant night sky were a little lonely. The cold wind kept pping the curtains by the window.

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er dragged her exhausted body back to her room, she had just turned on the lights when she unexpectedly saw Lin Yuanyuan, who was waiting on the sofa at the side.

    ¡°Mother? Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet? You scared me!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at her mother who had suddenly appeared and asked in surprise.

    Lin Yuanyuan then raised his eyes to look at Dongfang Rou¡¯er who had just walked in. ¡°You¡¯re back sote. Where have you been? Ah Sheng called you a few times but you didn¡¯t pick up. He just left not too long ago. What¡¯s up with you?¡±

    Her questioning tone naturally made Dongfang Rou¡¯er feel a trace of disgust in her heart. She frowned and put the bag in her hand into the cab at the side before saying, ¡°There was an event at thepany. Do you think I¡¯m very free? What did hee over for? Didn¡¯t I tell him that I would be very busy in the next two days? The wedding photos have been taken and sent over. The wedding date is right in front of me. I have to try my best to arrange things. It¡¯s the end of the year and the New Year ising soon

    ¡°You know that your wedding date ising soon. Have you taken some time to visit the Jin family in theing days? Why don¡¯t you care about your own wedding? Ah Sheng is still amodating you, but you can¡¯t do this!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s tone was full of dissatisfaction.

    ¡°What about me? I already said that I¡¯m very busy! Did Jin Sheng tell you about me? All of you know better than me what this marriage is all about. I sacrificed myself to fulfill my brother¡¯s wish and fulfill my father¡¯s wish. What did I get? All of you knew long ago that the reason I agreed to Jin Sheng¡¯s proposal was not for love!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was unusually cold and hard. As the wedding date approached, she felt more and more indignant. She did not love Jin Sheng at all, but because of their interests, she had to marry Jin Sheng?

    On what basis?

    On what basis could she, Dongfang Liuyun, control her own marriage and marry an outstanding person like Qi Lei, while she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, had to marry someone she did not love?

    Moreover, after marrying him, she had to fight still. The whirlpool of the Jin family was not necessarily simpler than the Dongfang family¡¯s.

    ¡°What are you saying? You¡¯re crazy! Your wedding with Ah Sheng is happening soon, and you¡¯re still saying such things! Did I force you? Didn¡¯t you say you were willing to ept this marriage? I didn¡¯t see you unhappy back then. What¡¯s wrong with you? Why do I find that you¡¯ve be a little strangetely, you¡¯re not like the usual you!¡±

 Chapter 1939 - Awaken (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1939: Awaken (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lin Yuanyuan angrily rebuked, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and closed her eyes to calm herself down for a long time. Then, she opened her eyes and walked towards the sofa. She sat down and unhurriedly poured a ss of water.

    ¡°Mother, when you married Father, was it because you loved him deeply?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked.

    Lin Yuanyuan nodded. ¡°Of course it was. Your Father and I were truly in love at that time. Because we married into the Dongfang family, we suffered a lot.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You and Father married because you were in love, but what about me? Now that I think about my future life, I feel scared and uneasy. Why can¡¯t I marry the person I like?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er said bitterly, ¡°Life is so long. Mother, I really can¡¯t ept it.¡±

    ¡°Ah Sheng is very good to you. Listen to me and don¡¯t worry anymore. Not everyone has the good luck of that witch Dongfang Liuyun. If you miss this, there might not be another one. You¡¯re not young anymore, so it¡¯s hard to find such a suitable match. Don¡¯t think too much about it. Look at your father and me now. No matter how sweet our rtionship is, it¡¯s all gone.¡±

    As Lin Yuanyuan spoke, she fixed her gaze on Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your father still flirting with other women behind my back? Love? Rou¡¯er, this is how it is after marriage. The passion will be diluted very quickly. Do you think that the so-called love will continue so easily? Ah Sheng is really suitable for you. At a time like this, you should stop letting your imagination run wild.¡±

    At a time like this, Lin Yuanyuan naturally could not allow Dongfang Rou¡¯er to have such thoughts. Otherwise...

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting my imagination run wild. I¡¯m thinking, what exactly am I doing this for? Mother, are you and Father sacrificing me to help my brother?¡±

    ¡°Why would you think such nonsense! What do you mean to help your brother?Isn¡¯t your father your parent too? If it weren¡¯t for him, you wouldn¡¯t be able to live a life of luxury. Rou¡¯er, our family can¡¯t have such thoughts like yours. We have to be united, understand?¡±

    When Lin Yuanyuan heard Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s words, she was so scared that her heart almost slowed down.

    ¡°Think such nonsense? You know what you¡¯re thinking. All these years, I¡¯ve been busy working in thepany. When something went wrong with my brother, it was always me and Father who helped him settle it. What about me? Every time I face a difficult problem, I don¡¯t see Father being so enthusiastic. I finally understand what Dongfang Liuyun said before. I¡¯m indeed a fool!¡±

    ¡°Rou¡¯er! You¡¯re crazy! Nonsense! How could you have such thoughts!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in disbelief. Suddenly, she felt that her daughter was very unfamiliar.

    ¡°You two didn¡¯t consider me at all. What you said before about being my strong backing was just you two painting me an illusion!¡±

    As Dongfang Rou¡¯er spoke, she raised her head and drank up the water in her cup. She took a deep breath and continued, ¡°I want to see the real thing. Even if I were to marry into the family, seeing these things would be of value to them. That¡¯s why they would give me some face, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er spoke without any trace of politeness. She had thought a lot during this period of time. She also felt that she should fight for something?

    The reason why she lost to Dongfang Liu Yun was because she did not fight for these things like she did. If she could really upy a position in the Dongfang Group, she believed that her own worth would definitely rise. It would not go as far as feeling like she was like a flower vase that was being manipted at will, and her ability was clearly not inferior to Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s!

    ¡°What do you want then?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in shock. The daughter in front of him made her feel very unfamiliar.

    ¡°What I want is very simple. If you really want me to continue to serve you, then I must get what I should get. I want half of the shares in Father¡¯s hands!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s words were very straightforward.

    However, upon hearing this, Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes widened¡ª

    ¡°Impossible! Get half? Your father will never agree to it! You¡¯ll be a member of the Jin family when you marry over, what would happen once those shares are handed to you?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan naturally would not agree.

    ¡°You can¡¯t? Are you nning to leave all these things to that trash, my brother? What has he done for thepany all these years? What right does a hardworking person have to protect a trash like him? Other than ying office romances with those mboyant little secretaries, or flirting with those famous models, what else did he do? All these years, wasn¡¯t it father who protected him? Otherwise, Grandmother would have long sent him away! Just like Dongfang Yu!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s heart was filled with grievance and dissatisfaction!

    ¡°You only have eyes for brother! Mother, why? Even you two are like this, why am I much better than him, yet you won¡¯t support me?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes were filled with iprehension, ¡°I¡¯m just amodity for you guys to weigh the benefits. Mother, look at Dongfang Liuyun, how did Third Uncle and Third Aunt treat her? Whether it¡¯s marriage or work, they let her make her own decisions. They won¡¯t let her marry someone she doesn¡¯t love. Mother, we¡¯re both daughters of the Dongfang family. Why should <i>I</i> have to bear all of this? Have you all thought about me?¡±

    As Dongfang Rou¡¯er spoke, tears welled up in her eyes uncontrobly. The grievance and pain that she had suppressed for a long time was suddenly released.

    Only she herself knew how unwilling and wronged she was to marry Jin Sheng. The person she loved was Fujiwara, Fujiwara...

    When she thought of this, she could not help but feel a dull pain in her chest.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er... you know the situation in our family the best. Dongfang Liuyun is just a Dongfang Liuyun. Your father¡¯s side isn¡¯t good to begin with. It¡¯s not good for you to say this now... Your father...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask my father to give me those shares right now. I just hope that after he retires, he can take care of me a little. I can¡¯t have nothing! I didn¡¯t get anything from the Jin family! Do you think that Jin Sheng didn¡¯t marry me with ulterior motives?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at Lin Yuanyuan with some sarcasm.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s eyes darkened, and she was actually a little speechless.

    ¡°So, do you still think that I can really live the good life of the Eldest Mistress just because I married over? Mother, I¡¯m not a fool. How can I not understand living in such a big family? Why does Second Aunt have a higher status in thepany and even in the family than you and Third Aunt? Isn¡¯t it because she has all the shares of the Li family¡¯spany in her hands? Although Second Uncle is fooling around outside, at home, it is not Second Uncle¡¯s decision.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1940 - Awakened (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1940: Awakened (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s words caused Lin Yuanyuan to fall silent.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression changed several times before she raised her head to look at Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Seeing the unusually cold expression on her face, she knew that she had probably thought about this for a long time.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er, did someone say something to you? You have to know that the rumors outside are terrifying. You must not listen to the instigation of those viins. Father and Mother are doing this for your own good. With just you and your brother, who else can we love if not you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that people are saying terrible things and I don¡¯t care about other people¡¯s affairs. However, even if you think that way, it¡¯s still very reasonable. Why isn¡¯t Dongfang Liuyun able to rise to the top smoothly now? Isn¡¯t it because she¡¯s a woman? Why can¡¯t I fight for what she¡¯s fighting for too?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er said disapprovingly.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er, this...¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s veryte. I¡¯m very tired too. Go back and rest. If there¡¯s anything else, we¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also a little tired as she gave the order to leave.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression darkened for a moment, but when she saw her daughter¡¯s cold expression, she suddenly did not know what to say. Only then did she quietly leave.

    ...

    In Qi Qiming¡¯s ward at the hospital.

    When Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun returned, Qi Qiming was still in a deep sleep. The nurse gave him a simple check-up. Qi Lei was about to pull Dongfang Liuyun to sit down when Dongfang Liuyun, who was beside him, said in surprise...

    ¡°He seems to be waking up!¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei turned his gaze to look at the hospital bed. Indeed, he saw Qi Qiming, who was lying on the hospital bed, frowning slightly. His skinny hands moved as well. He gently grabbed the bedsheet and it looked like he was indeed about to wake up.

    The husband and wife exchanged a look and quickly went over.

    Qi Qiming felt a lightness in his entire body and he was a little dizzy. He had used all his strength to open his heavy eyes...

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    Seeing that Qi Qiming opened his eyes, Dongfang Liuyun nced at Qi Lei. Seeing that he did not have any reaction, she could only go forward and ask.

    The sudden voice naturally stunned Qi Qiming. His eyes were a little dazed as he looked around in realization. His gaze swept past Qi Lei and finallynded on Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Who are you...¡±

    The hoarse voice was very dry. Qi Qiming silently looked at Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun in front of him. His eyes were filled with doubt. As he asked, he looked left and right before continuing to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s Wang Chun? Where¡¯s my wife?¡±

    You still remember Wang Chun and Wang Qin?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise. She subconsciously turned his head to look at Qi Lei, but she saw that Qi Lei¡¯s eyes seemed to be filled with a hint of mockery?

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Who are you? Why are you here?¡±

    Qi Qiming looked at the two of them with some alert and vignce. He tried his best to remember something, but he felt that a corner of his mind seemed to be empty, it was just a vast expanse of whiteness. He had a strange feeling in his heart. He felt as if he had missed something.

    ¡°Hello, may I ask if you still remember who you are?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    Qi Qiming frowned and looked at Dongfang Liuyun silently. Then, he looked at Qi Lei. He vaguely felt that Qi Lei looked familiar.

    ¡°Nonsense. Why wouldn¡¯t I remember who I am? Who are you? Where is this ce? Where is my wife?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s expression was a little ugly.

    ¡°I¡¯m Dongfang Liuyun. The person next to me is Qi Lei. Don¡¯t you remember him? Take a good look. Do you have some impression of him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know you.¡±

    Qi Qiming stared at the two of them for a long time before replying coldly.

    ¡°Vice President Wang Chun has went back. He¡¯s Qi Lei, the son of you and Vice President Wang. Don¡¯t you remember him?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked very patiently.

    ¡°My son?¡±

    Qi Qiming was in a daze for a moment. He thought for a moment before staring at Qi Lei. ¡°Impossible! How can I have a son? How can I have a son with Wang Qin? Impossible! She didn¡¯t let me touch her. How can I have a son?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s memory was a little iplete. It seemed to be stuck in the past, and he could vaguely remember some of theter events. There were many iplete fragments interweaving in his head. He had a headache, and his heart was in a daze.

    ¡°He¡¯s your son. You just woke up. Let the doctor examine you first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Qi Lei, who had been silent the entire time. She frowned and could only reach out to pull on his sleeve.

    Qi Lei then nced at her and said in a deep voice, ¡°You just woke up. Wang Chun wille overter. Let the doctor take a look at you first.¡±

    After that, he took two steps forward and pressed the call button on the bedside.

    Qi Qiming was in a daze. He stared at Qi Lei quietly for a long time and said unconfidently, ¡°Are you really my son?¡±

    There were some fragments of Qi Lei in his mind, but he could not remember the specifics.

    Qi Lei nced at him but did not say anything. The person who replied was Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s your son.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Qi Qiming looked at Dongfang Liuyun and asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s my wife, your daughter-inw.¡±

    A deep voice sounded. When Dongfang Liuyun looked away, she realized that Qi lei had already poured a ss of water and handed it to Qi Qiming.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s movements were slow for a moment. It took him some effort to hold the ss firmly.

    The doctor quickly came over and examined Qi Qiming again.

    ¡°The patient has just woken up. We still need to do some specific examinations, but based on the current situation, he should be in good condition. He still needs to rest and recuperate. We shouldn¡¯t overwork him.¡±

    The doctor gave a simple order.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The doctor gave a simple order of things to take note of before he left.

    In the ward, only Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were left. There was also Qi Qiming, who was lying on the bed, looking a little tired.

    Qi Qiming was still sizing up Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun. He seemed to be a little curious about his son and daughter-inw.

    ¡°Rest first. You can¡¯t eat for now. Wang Chun will send breakfast over in the morning.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he bent down slightly and pulled the nket for him.

    Qi Qiming paused for a moment and did not say anything else. He looked at the two of them for a while before quietly lying down and falling asleep again.

    ¡°Go to the sofa and sleep first. I¡¯ll watch. Otherwise, Yang Sheng can send you back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just stay here with you.¡±

 Chapter 1941 - Proposal (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1941: Proposal (1)</h4>

    The ward quickly quieted down, and the bedsidemp had already dimmed.

    Qi Lei sat by Qi Qiming¡¯s bed, and Dongfang Liuyun apanied him.

    Not long after, a faint sound of breathing could be heard. Qi Qiming, who was on the bed, had fallen asleep again.

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun did not speak either. It was not until a long timeter that Qi Lei suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. When he turned to look, he realized that Dongfang Liuyun had already fallen asleep on his shoulder.

    He looked at her for a moment before taking a deep breath. He picked her up and walked outside.

    ¡°Master...¡±

    Qi Lei had just walked out when the bodyguard guarding the door immediately went up to greet him.

    ¡°Take good care of inside. Call me if anything.¡±

    Qi Lei instructed in a low voice before walking forward.

    ...

    It waste at night, and Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were not the only ones who were busy untilte at night.

    When Qin Su dragged her exhausted body back home, she saw that the lights in the vi were very bright from afar. Zhou Zimo should be at home.

    She called him at night and said that she had an engagement at night and would be home veryte, so he did not have to make her dinner.

    It was almost midnight, so the entire vi was naturally very quiet.

    Qin Su closed the door and looked around the living room, but she did not find Zhou Zimo. After thinking for a moment, she turned off the lights and went upstairs.

    When she went upstairs and passed through the quiet corridor, she could faintly smell the faint fragrance of wine in the air. Qin Su frowned and thought for a moment, then followed the smell of wine.

    As expected, when she arrived in front of Zhou Zimo¡¯s room, she saw that the door was wide open and the fragrance of alcohol was getting stronger.

    After struggling for a moment, Qin Su finally walked in. On the sofa at the side, she indeed saw Zhou Zimo who had already fallen asleep. There was still a wine bottle and a wine ss on the coffee table beside him. There was also alcohol in the wine ss. It seemed to be a rather strong whiskey. The moment she walked closer, there was a strong smell of alcohol.

    The room was a little cold. The door of the rooftop opposite was not closed, leaving a crack open. The biting cold wind continued to pour in, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

    After calming down, she took a nket from the side and covered him.

    ¡°Qin Su¡ª¡±

    Before she could cover him, Zhou Zimo muttered in a low voice, his handsome brows tightly knitted together.

    Qin Su paused for a moment. She was stunned for a long time before she continued with her earlier actions.

    Zhou Zimo was also in a trance. He could vaguely smell the unique cold fragrance on her body. He quickly reached out his hand and grabbed Qin Su¡¯s slender wrist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go, Qin Su!¡±

    An exmation was heard. Zhou Zimo opened his eyes in the next moment. What greeted his eyes was Qin Su¡¯s beautiful and cold face. He was stunned for a moment. When he sensed that Qin Su was struggling, he increased the strength of hisrge hand.

    ¡°Why are you sote? I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time...¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s hoarse voice sounded with a hint of emotional warmth.

    Qin Su nced at the wrist that he had grabbed and froze for a moment. She gave up struggling and replied indifferently, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I would be back veryte? Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±

    ¡°How can I sleep without you?¡± Zhou Zimo naturally replied quickly.

    As he spoke, he pulled her into his embrace, ¡°Qin Su, will you marry me? I will use my entire life to prove that I am worthy of your love. I can¡¯t wait any longer. You can quit your job at the prosecutor¡¯s office and choose your position in thepany. As long as you are closer to me, it will be fine. You haven¡¯t answered my calls for an entire night. I have been feeling uneasy for an entire night... that ce isn¡¯t suitable for you to stay in. I can protect you and hold up the sky for you, Qin Su...¡±

    As Zhou Zimo finished speaking, he increased the strength of his embrace on Qin Su. Through his burning chest, Qin Su suddenly felt a little out of breath. However, she was still shocked by his sudden proposal.

    Her beautiful eyes widened slightly as she looked at Zhou Zimo. Naturally, she was unable to react in time.

    ¡°How did you...¡±

    ¡°I know that it might be very rushed for you, but this is something that I have been thinking about for a long time. I have been waiting for a suitable opportunity to make preparations for you. However, with your character, I don¡¯t know how much longer I will have to wait. I can¡¯t wait any longer. The message that¡¯s swirling in my mind right now is that I want to marry you! I, Zhou Zimo, want to marry you, Qin Su! So, marry me, Qin Su!¡±

    Zhou Zimo spoke with some urgency. As he spoke, he also took out a brocade box from his pocket. Opening it, a dazzling diamond ring appeared before his eyes. The sparkling light forced him to be unable to open his eyes.

    Zhou Zimo had long prepared a marriage proposal ring. He had gotten a famous designer to create a unique ring for Qin Su. The more he thought about it, the more he wished that he could bring the entire world to her. As long as she was willing...

    He did not know why he had such a feeling. Moreover, this feeling was increasing day by day.

    Perhaps this was the so-called feeling of not knowing where it came from and going deeper.

    There was a predestined fate that belonged to Zhou Zimo. It started many years ago because of a woman named Qin Su. He suddenly felt lucky that he could not control himself and touched her back then. Otherwise, he did not know if he, Zhou Zimo, would be able to hold on until today.

    The ring¡¯s shing spark also stunned Qin Su. For a moment, she reacted and could only look at Zhou Zimo in a daze. Then, she looked at the ring in his hand and could not say a word for a long time.

    ¡°Qin Su, don¡¯t reject me... I¡¯ve waited for this day for too long.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s dark eyes were filled with anticipation. He did not know what else he could say, so he could only hold her wrist tightly.

    Qin Su was silent the whole time. She lowered her eyes and thought for a long time. She took a deep breath and then looked up at him quietly

    ¡°You... This is too sudden. I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate anymore, Qin Su. My feelings for you are not something that happened in a day or two. I have been thinking about you all these years. Give us a chance. I will give you happiness.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s words were filled with determination.

    ¡°I am not confident that I can...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. As long as you stay by my side, it will be fine.¡±

    Before Qin Su could finish her sentence, Zhou Zimo had already cut her off.

    As such, Qin Su did not know what to do.

    This...

    It was too sudden for her...

    ¡°Marry me, Qin Su...¡±

    Zhou Zimo held her hand and knelt down on one knee, staring at her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, get up first.¡±

    Qin Su quickly tried to pull him up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get up if you say yes.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1942 - Proposal (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1942: Proposal (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s dark eyes were as deep as the sea, and the flowing light in his eyes was also full of Qin Su¡¯s figure.

    Qin Su did not know what to do. Her hands that were holding the nket tightened silently¡ª

    She had to admit that at this moment, when she heard these words, she suddenly felt a faint joy in her heart. Because of his words, she also felt her heart be a little soft.

    However, she did not know if she should agree to it?

    ¡°Qin Su, believe me. I can give you happiness. Don¡¯t hesitate anymore.¡±

    The longer Qin Su remained silent, the more uneasy Zhou Zimo felt, the more anxious he became, as he hurriedly said.

    After an unknown amount of time, Qin Su felt as if she had struggled for a century. However, she was not in a hurry to agree to Zhou Zimo. Instead, she looked at him steadily. When she heard his calm tone, there was an additional sense of heaviness in it, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. I¡¯m not prepared to get married. I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After we get married, nothing will change. It¡¯s just that we¡¯ll be together in a more legitimate manner. It will still only be the two of us here.¡±

    Zhou Zimo also understood the meaning behind Qin Su¡¯s words and quickly settled it for her.

    Qin Su also let out a long sigh after that. She looked at Zhou Zimo in front of her. His sincerity and deep feelings were reflected in her eyes without any concealment, she could not find any reason to reject him.

    Hence, there was not anything that she was unwilling to ept. She calmly nodded her head, and her hoarse voice rang out¡ª

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s get married.¡±

    The moment these words were said, Zhou Zimo, who was tensed up all over, suddenly rxed. His eyes could not help but heat up. Only he knew in his heart how long he had waited for this day!

    Trembling, he put the diamond ring on her slender fingers and could not help but pull her into his embrace. ¡°That¡¯s great, Qin Su, you¡¯ve finally agreed! You¡¯ve finally agreed!¡±

    Through his chest, she could also feel his beating heart. His chest that was as warm as fire had dispelled thest trace of coldness on her body. She sighed softly in her heart and let go of the thing in her hand. She also reached out to hug him.

    ¡°I... I will do my best to be a good wife.¡±

    Qin Su could only reply with this sentence.

    ¡°Just be yourself, Qin Su. As long as it¡¯s you, you will be the best wife for me, Zhou Zimo. The wedding date will be decided on as soon as possible. I have already nned a few dates based on our birthday. The earliest is the 15th of next month. Let¡¯s choose that day. I can¡¯t wait any longer. I have almost prepared everything that needs to be prepared. All I need is for you to nod your head.¡±

    Zhou Zimo had already nned to hold the wedding as soon as possible to save time.

    In fact, he had already quietly prepared everything for the past few days. For example, for the wedding, he had also secretly asked Lian Ziyao to prepare it. He had also made an appointment for the wedding photos. Thetest n would not beter than this year, only God knew what kind of pressure he, Zhou Zimo, was under.

    When Zhou Zimo said this, Qin Su was also stunned. ¡°So soon?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I want to marry you as soon as possible. Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have to worry about the wedding. I¡¯ve already arranged it. You can still use your time freely. I don¡¯t n to take the wedding photos abroad. They¡¯ll be taken at the training camp in the western suburbs of our city and by the seaside. Chen and Xiaye have been there before, it¡¯s pretty good. Also, your household registration booklet should be with you, right?¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not hesitate at all when it came to this matter. The moment Qin Su agreed, he could not wait to do everything right away. Qin Su could not get used to it at all.

    ¡°It¡¯s... here...,¡± Qin Su replied in a daze.

    ¡°Okay, then hurry up and give it to meter. Also, give me your identity card. We¡¯ll register immediately.¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not give Qin Su the slightest chance to go back on her words. In his heart, he had already nned to get Director Chen to get their marriage certificates overnight. Everything would be settled just like that.

    At this moment, Qin Su could suddenly feel the nervousness and uneasiness of this man. He looked as if he could not wait to get everything down. At this moment, a rare ripple appeared on his cold face as he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since I¡¯ve already promised you, I naturally won¡¯t go back on my word. It¡¯s already sote, and the Civil Affairs Bureau has already gotten off work. No matter how anxious I am, I can only wait till tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll say another thing tomorrow. Qin Su, you¡¯re not teasing me again, right? I¡¯m old, if you don¡¯t marry me, I...¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he also had an aggrieved look on his face.

    Qin Su thought for a moment, blinked her indifferent eyes, and could not help but let out a long sigh, ¡°You¡¯ve included my circle into your world, and even my parents agree with you so much. I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll get married sooner orter. You¡¯re quite good to me, and I never thought of really rejecting you. I¡¯m also willing to marry you.¡±

    ¡°So, you also like me a little, right?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s ck eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly stared at her as he asked.

    Qin Su, on the other hand, smiled indifferently. At this moment, a rare blush appeared on her beautiful and pure white face. ¡°Just pretend that I do. I¡¯m going down to find something to eat. Do you want to join me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I haven¡¯t eaten dinner yet.¡±

    Zhou Zimo finally said this. He lowered his head and lightly pecked her lips. He immediately got up and walked downstairs with her in his arms.

    Half an hourter, Qin Su prepared two bowls of hot porridge. Zhou Zimo finished it very quickly. When he went back to rest, it was already close to one in the morning.

    Qin Su had just showered and was about to fall asleep when Zhou Zimo suddenly came knocking on the door.

    ¡°Give me your identity card and household registration booklet.¡±

    Zhou Zimo opened the door and before he could say anything, Zhou Zimo, who was leaning against the door, had already spoke up.

    Qin Su raised her eyebrows. ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Go quickly!¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not be bothered to listen to what she had to say anymore. He quickly pointed inside and asked her to quickly bring the things to him.

    Seeing his determined look, Qin Su finally felt a little helpless. She could only turn around and return. A momentter, she brought the things to him.

    Zhou Zimo quickly received it and opened it to take a look. After confirming that the information on it was not wrong, he said in satisfaction, ¡°Alright, this matter will be settled tomorrow. Goodnight, future Missus Zhou!¡±

    As he said this, he gave a meaningful smile. He could not help but reach out and touch her head. He allowed his fingertips tob through her soft and beautiful long hair. He looked at this face that he had been been yearning for, and the corner of his heart became softer too.

    Future Missus Zhou?

    Qin Su was stunned for a moment. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly felt a heat on her forehead. His aura suddenly attacked her, but it also disappeared in an instant.

    ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    Qin Su also responded with this, gave him a deep look before turning around and walking into the room.

 Chapter 1943 - Marriage (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1943: Marriage (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo only retracted his gaze when he heard the sound of the door closing. He lowered his head to look at her identity card and household registration booklet in his hands. A smile could not help but appear on his handsome face. He raised his head to look at the tightly shut door in front of him. A while after, he left unhurriedly.

    The night was gettingte. When she returned to her room, Qin Su did not go to sleep immediately. Instead, she looked through the documents that she needed for the meeting the next day and made some modifications. After that, she tidied up and returned to her bedroom to lie down.

    She was not a person who went to bed early. It wasmon for her to work until one or two o¡¯clock at night. It was the same in the military district in the past and it was the same now.

    She still did not like the work of the prosecutor¡¯s office. If she had a choice, she would actually rather go back to the military district. It did not seem asplicated as the prosecutor¡¯s office. Fortunately, she had been transferred to assist the Anti-corruption Bureau recently, these things did not seem to be as meaningless as before.

    She was quite familiar with the rtionship with the Disciplinary Inspection Department. Her uncle was there, so it was very convenient for her to do things. That was why Secretary Huang of the Municipal Party Committee had hinted to promote her. It was just that he wanted to with her help try his best to maintain a clean flow in the political arena.

    The intention was good, so Qin Su was naturally willing to cooperate. So now, she was also trying hard to adapt to this job, unlike when she had just taken over the job. Now, she also wanted to take advantage of her position to do some good for the people.

    Lying in bed, Qin Su was still not sleepy. She flipped through the notebook that she had brought with her. When she saw a few suspicious points on the notebook, she struggled for a long time. In the end, she could not help but take the phone from the side, she called her father, Qin Yi.

    The phone rang twice, and the person on the other end picked up.

    It was her father, Qin Yi¡¯s voice¡ª

    ¡°Hello? Who is this?¡±

    Qin Yi seemed to be busy on the other end as well, and his reply was a little casual.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s me, Qin Su.¡±

    When Chief Qin heard his daughter¡¯s voice, he immediately became a little puzzled. ¡°Qin Su? It¡¯s sote, why aren¡¯t you asleep? How did you know that I was still in the office?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the habit of going to bed early either. The veterans retired and the new recruits joined the army. This matter has finally stabilized. In theory, it¡¯s almost time for training. Of course, you can¡¯t be idle. I guessed that you should still be in the office, so I called you directly,¡± Qin Su calmly exined.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare that you still remember your father. How is it? You haven¡¯t been home for a few days. Two days ago, I heard from an old colleague of the prosecutor¡¯s office that you¡¯re quite busy.¡±

    ¡°The higher-ups are nning to let me cooperate with the anti-corruption side. Recently, the Disciplinary Inspection Department received an anonymous letter. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about this, father. The Municipal Party Committee has decided to set up an investigation team to investigate this matter thoroughly.¡± Qin Su gave a simple exnation.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard about this matter. I heard that Secretary Huang of the Municipal Party Committee rmended you with all his might.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Uncle Huang is doing this on ount of you, father. Father, I¡¯ll send you the names of a few people in our secret wayter. Can you tell me about their situation? Those people are your formerrades, so...¡± Qin Su lowered her voice as she spoke.

    Qin Yi, who was on the other end of the line, was also silent for a moment before saying solemnly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best to cooperate with you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Father!¡±

    Qin Su only heaved a sigh of relief when she heard this.

    ¡°Qin Su, you¡¯re still young. You¡¯ll experience a lot of temptations and pressures in the future. Promise me that you¡¯ll be a person who is worthy of the people, worthy of yourself, and have a clear conscience. Remember all of that?¡± Qin Yi said in a serious tone.

    Hearing this, Qin Su could not help but chuckle and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father! I don¡¯t care about those things. I have the same opinion as you. I think that evil can not prevail over good. We don¡¯t live for those vanity things. Just be ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I have instilled such thoughts in you since you were young. As for me, I also hope that you can...¡±

    ¡°I understand, Father. I¡¯m very grateful for your awe-inspiring righteousness, allowing me to live a strong and righteous life. Oh right, I know that you and Mother have been very satisfied with Zhou Zimo. He¡¯s also very good to me, and I quite like him. He proposed to me tonight, and I¡¯ve already agreed...¡±

    Qin Su recalled the scene of Zhou Zimo proposing to her. After thinking about it, she felt quite happy, so she was willing to share this joy with Qin Yi.

    As expected, Qin Yi, who was on the other end of the line, was also delighted when he heard that!

    ¡°What? Zimo, that child, proposed to you? You agreed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agreed. I¡¯ll be going back to register our marriage tomorrow,¡± Qin Su replied.

    Qin Yi, who was on the other end of the line, paused for a moment before he couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud, ¡°Good! Good! Daughter, don¡¯t worry. From your father¡¯s point of view as a man, Zhou Zimo can¡¯t be wrong. Look at his speech, his social circle, and his usual behavior. He¡¯s definitely a good husband with few faults. You will definitely not suffer a loss by marrying him.¡±

    ¡°Father, you can¡¯t judge everything too early. It¡¯s not like any good man can be suitable for your daughter. Don¡¯t you also think that you¡¯re a good person? But don¡¯t you and my mother argue every few days?¡±

    Qin Su smiled helplessly.

    Qin Yi was stunned for a moment before replying, ¡°I¡¯m different from your mother. We have very different views of the world. There¡¯s a big difference. She¡¯s always unreasonable. She despises me and hasn¡¯t paid attention to me for the past few days. When we go out at night, she¡¯s always walking ahead of me. When I saw her dancing in the square and smiling with those old guys, I was almost angered to death by her! Yesterday, I wanted to talk to her properly, so I went to the mall to buy her a coat. When I brought it back, she said that my taste was bad! Tell me, what does she mean by this? How do I have low taste now?¡±

    When he mentioned this, Qin Yi could not help but feel a burst of anger in his heart.

    Qin Su also frowned when she heard this. She thought for a moment and then asked, ¡°What color coat did you buy?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the best pink color. That color makes people look young, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    As soon as Qin Yi said this, Qin Su could not help but have a headache. She quickly raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows, saying helplessly¡ª

    ¡°As expected... Father, look at you. You really don¡¯t care about Mother. Mother is already so old, and you bought her a pink coat? Are you my Father? Don¡¯t you know that Mother¡¯s favorite color is beige? That color looks more suitable for Mother. Also, of all things you had to go shop for clothes? Couldn¡¯t you have picked out a pair of earrings for her instead?¡±

    Qin Su was out of her wits.

    Hearing this, Qin Yi on the other end of the line was a little gloomy, and he replied, ¡°Really? I thought that women liked pink, and those salespeople also said that pink is the best color, so I bought it...¡±

    Qin Su...

 Chapter 1944 - Marriage (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1944: Marriage (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She had overestimated her father¡¯s ability to please women, especially her mother, Mei Xiaoyue!

    Taking a deep breath, Qin Su said helplessly, ¡°Father, to be honest, you really don¡¯t care about Mother. I don¡¯t know how Mother put up with you all these years. Mother has always been a very delicate person. You, actually, can¡¯t me her for constantly harping about you.¡±

    Qin Yi was also stunned when he heard Qin Su. After some thought, he asked, ¡°Do I really treat your Mother that poorly?¡±

    With this question, it seemed that he was already giving in. Qin Su naturally would not stop there and replied, ¡°Father, it¡¯s not that you treat Mother poorly. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re not very intentional when ites to Mother and you don¡¯t really care about her. I know you¡¯ve never wronged my mother, but I think what Mother wants more is your concern and affection. If you share some of your passion for work with my mother, I think maybe she will...¡±

    Qin Su stopped short at this moment.

    Qin Yi was silent for a long time before he replied, ¡°Your mother and I are an old married couple, what¡¯s the point of caring about affection? Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re you young people, right?¡±

    ¡°Father, rtionships don¡¯t care about age. Look at the many middle-aged and elderly people holding hands to watch the sunrise and sunset, going on trips together.¡±

    ¡°But your father is a soldier. He has to maintain his image at all times. How can he...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just thinking too much. I think Zhou Zimo¡¯s parents have a very good rtionship with each other. Anyway, I¡¯ve already brought this up to you. You, think about it yourself. It¡¯s already sote. Go back and rest early. I¡¯ll send you the thingster.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I got it. You should rest early too.¡±

    Qin Yi, who was on the other end of the line, answered rather sullenly before hanging up the phone.

    ...

    This night seemed to be destined to be a sleepless night, especially on such a cold and bleak night.

    Fujiwara had just felt his heart calm down on the sofa when he suddenly heard a cold swish sound. He suddenly felt even colder. His entire body shrunk tightly as he could not help but open his eyes.

    He suddenly heard the clear sound of water dripping, followed by a rustling sound. He turned around and looked in the direction of the dim light in the study. Only then did he realize that the curtain next to the window was swaying

    It was raining outside...

    It was cold, a winter rain that had been brewing for a long time...

    It was very cold, just like his heart. It was so cold that he could feel a bone-piercing pain even when he breathed.

    He quietly looked at the window for a long time before he got up and walked over.

    The floor in front of the window was already a little wet. He could feel a wave of wetness spreading as he walked closer. He coughed a few times and reached out to pull the fluttering curtains aside to open the half-open window.

    ¡°Master, can¡¯t sleep?¡±

    There was a light knock on the door behind him, followed by Matsuda¡¯s voice.

    Fujiwara subconsciously turned his head and saw Matsuda standing at the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Fujiwara said these words and closed the window. He closed the curtains and went back inside.

    ¡°Why are you still up sote?¡± Fujiwara asked. He took a sip of the tea beside him and realized that the tea in the cup was already cold.

    Matsuda quickly boiled water for him.

    ¡°It¡¯s raining. I got up to check. I saw that the light in Master¡¯s study was still on, so I came over to take a look. Drink some hot water. Don¡¯t drink the tea, in case you can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    Matsuda poured a cup of hot water for Fujiwara as he advised him.

    Fujiwara lowered his eyes and took the cup. Holding the cup in his hand, the hot temperature made him feel much warmer.

    ¡°Matsuda-kun, you¡¯ve been with me in City Z for quite a long time. Now that thepany¡¯s matters have gradually stabilized, have you thought about returning to Japan?¡± Fujiwara asked as he tilted his body and looked at Matsuda indifferently.

    ¡°Matsuda will go wherever Master is. Master doesn¡¯t like returning to Japan, so don¡¯t force yourself,¡± Matsuda replied.

    Fujiwara gave him a sidelong nce andughed in a deep voice. ¡°Matsuda-kun, you¡¯re not telling the truth. Your home is in Tokyo, so you should go back.¡±

    When Fujiwara said this, he sighed softly to himself. ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t persist like this, to the point of having arge group of people apany me.¡±

    ¡°Master... Matsuda is willing to serve Master forever. Master, please believe in my sincerity!¡±

    As Matsuda spoke, he hurriedly bowed his head.

    However, Fujiwara raised his hand slightly to stop him, ¡°Sit down, there¡¯s no need to be so polite. I¡¯m just stating my point of view. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for quite some time now. In the evening, Mother called me. She mentioned some things to me and made an agreement with me.¡±

    ¡°As you know, I¡¯ve always respected Mother. She was originally someone who had left the mortal world to cultivate in seclusion. This is the first time in so many years that she¡¯s asked me to do this. I should take it to heart.¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, his eyes dimmed. They were as silent as ashes.

    ¡°Some people are destined to be alone. I should have seen through it.¡±

    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t me you. Since it¡¯s fated... perhaps it¡¯s because you and Miss Dongfang are destined to be separated. I can see that Mr. Qi Lei loves Miss Dongfang very much. Moreover, Miss Dongfang cares about Mr. Qi Lei very much. They were able to pass this matter smoothly and didn¡¯t have the same misunderstanding as others. Isn¡¯t that enough to exin the problem?¡±

    Matsuda only dared to say these words when he heard Fujiwara¡¯s words.

    Fujiwaraughed bitterly when he heard this. He said bitterly, ¡°You said the same thing as Mother, she said this too.¡±

    ¡°Master, the fate between you and Miss Dongfang is shallow, let go... You can still be friends. Isn¡¯t Master Lan Xiu like this too? Moreover, Miss Dongfang¡¯s matter has already been settled. Even if you give up everything, she will never let go of the Dongfang family to be with you. There are many difficulties in front of you that you cannot return to.¡±

    As Matsuda spoke, he sighed helplessly in his heart.

    Actually, Fujiwara understood this in his heart. However, he was really unwilling to give up just like that. As long as he thought about how she would have nothing to do with him in the future, he felt a suffocating pain in his heart. It was as if his entire body had been hollowed out.

    Fujiwara lowered his gaze and silently clenched the warm cup in his hand.

    ¡°Even we can¡¯t go back to how we were, I should at least leave something behind. I owe her too much, so I should at least return something to her.¡±

    They could not go back in time anymore.

    He had always understood this in his heart, but...

    Once something was missed, there would be no more chances. One wrong step, one wrong step...

    How deep and painful was this realization?

 Chapter 1945 - Marriage (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1945: Marriage (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, Qin Su woke up early as usual. After tidying up, she was about to go downstairs to prepare breakfast. Unexpectedly, someone came earlier than her¡ª

    When she walked to the staircase, she saw Zhou Zimo sitting at the dining table, deep in thought. When he heard footstepsing from upstairs, he silently raised his head.

    A beautiful figure appeared in his vision, and his eyes immediately lit up. ¡°You¡¯re up. Come and have breakfast. After breakfast, we¡¯ll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau.¡±

    Zhou Zimo had not slept for almost the entire night. He was waiting for the day to arrive, he wanted them to quickly get it done.

    However, he was very energetic now. Even though he had not slept for the entire night, he did not look tired. He was probably in a good mood.

    Qin Su thought for a moment and nodded. As she walked down the stairs, she said, ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up. I still have to rush to a meeting after I¡¯m done. We should be done by the morning, right? I have a meeting scheduled for the afternoon. It¡¯s quite important.¡±

    Qin Su was also a person who was very passionate about work. Zhou Zimo¡¯s decision was too sudden, so she was not quite used to it.

    ¡°I can finish it in the morning.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he poured her a cup of hot milk.

    Qin Su put her briefcase aside and sat down quietly. ¡°The meeting should be over by four in the afternoon, you...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go pick you up and return to the old residence at night. Tomorrow is the weekend, so there¡¯s no need to rush.¡±

    Zhou Zimo quickly arranged everything, he did not want her to worry too much.

    ¡°Mm, you can arrange it. I might be a little busy these days. You can worry more about the wedding. I will do my best to cooperate.¡±

    Qin Su did not have much experience in this matter and did not know how to help.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will be there for you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes were filled with gentleness. As he replied, he moved the snacks in front of her. ¡°Hurry up and eat. Don¡¯t let it get cold.¡±

    Qin Su nodded and lowered her head to quietly enjoy it.

    After breakfast, the two of them set off and headed straight for the Civil Affairs Bureau.

    The two of them arrived quite early and had already made an appointment with Director Chen. They were only missing a signature and a photo. When they arrived, he was already waiting for them.

    The entire process went smoothly. They arrived around nine o¡¯clock and received their marriage certificate around eleven o¡¯clock.

    However, as she held the fiery red marriage certificate, Qin Su felt that it was a little surreal for a moment. She actually felt that it was a little hot.

    ¡°Have you read it well? Take a few more nces!¡±

    Just as Qin Su was flipping through it, Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice sounded from the side.

    Qin Su was in a daze for a moment before she turned her head and looked up at him.

    Seeing this, Zhou Zimo had already reached out to take the marriage certificate from her hand and kept it in his pocket. ¡°If you¡¯re done reading it then let me keep it for you. This thing won¡¯t have the chance to be needed in the future.¡±

    Qin Su frowned and was about to say something, but Zhou Zimo continued, ¡°You¡¯re finally married to me. From now on, you, Qin Su, will be my wife.¡±

    As he said this, Zhou Zimo quietly looked at Qin Su. His deep voice was a little hoarse as he tried his best to suppress it. He reached out to pull her over. ¡°Qin Su, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you suffer in the time toe.¡±

    ¡°The time toe will be a long one. Whether you can do it or not, I¡¯ll be watching.¡±

    Qin Su nced at him and took a deep breath. ¡°Now, it¡¯s all done. It looks like it¡¯s almost time for lunch. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal as a celebration for our newly wed status.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my honor!¡±

    Zhou Zimo smiled and extended his long arm. He quickly held her hand. ¡°However, the first meal of the partnership should be my treat no matter what. Your husband is a very elegant gentleman. You can¡¯t ruin his image.¡±

    Hearing this, Qin Su raised her eyebrows. ¡°Elegant gentleman?¡±

    ¡°Yes, an elegant gentleman. Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhou Zimo replied and pulled Qin Su forward.

    Qin Su did not expect her marriage to happen so easily. Thinking about it, it did not seem as hard to ept as she had imagined. Moreover, she seemed to be curious about her future life.

    What would her life with Zhou Zimo be like?

    As she thought about it, she suddenly turned her gaze away and looked at the man beside her indifferently. What she saw was Zhou Zimo¡¯s side profile, which was focused on driving. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly spoke, ¡°We¡¯re married now, but I¡¯ve always had a question in my heart, I want to ask you about it.¡±

    ¡°What question? Tell me.¡± Zhou Zimo replied magnanimously.

    ¡°Why are you so insistent on marrying me? If it was only because of your so-called life-saving grace, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d really take it to heart. The act of marrying someone to repay another doesn¡¯t quite fit with us. You don¡¯t have to fool me.¡±

    Qin Su still could not help but ask.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo suddenly smiled. He nced at her from the side and said with a smile, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re still quite persistent on this question, just like how I¡¯ve always been persistent in my heart towards you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the answer then?¡±

    Qin Su wanted to see what kind of answer Zhou Zimo would give. After all these years there were definitely countless women around him who were more outstanding than her. In her eyes, Zhou Zimo¡¯s persistence was a little strange.

    Naturally, Zhou Zimo still did not dare to talk about that matter, ¡°I¡¯ve taken a liking to your stunning looks and your talent. I like everything about you, Qin Su. From the first time I saw you, you were destined to be extraordinary in my heart. At first, those feelings may not be love, but those feelings grew day by day. All these years, I¡¯ve never forgotten you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was speaking the truth.

    ¡°Are you just answering me half-heartedly? But, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to say it. It¡¯s not that important. We¡¯re married anyway. From now on, we¡¯ll be living together for a very long time. I only have two requests. First, I won¡¯t be a housewife and can still maintain my own career. Second, I hope that you can be single-minded, loyal to your marriage, and loyal to your family. Can you agree to these two requests?¡±

    Qin Su was still very rational. Even at this moment, she was still able to voice out the considerations in her heart.

    As these words fell, Zhou Zimo paused for a moment, and the speed of the car also slowed down. He turned his head and quietly nced at Qin Su, taking in the seriousness on her face.

    Two conditions?

    What kind of conditions were these? Even if she did not say it, he would still treat her well and be loyal to her.

    He had been in the business world for so many years, so there was nothing that he had not seen before. He was already tired, and he only wanted to be with her and live a good life. This was what he had hoped for.

    Of course, he would not stop her from developing her own career. As long as she was happy, he would support her.

 Chapter 1946 - Marriage (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1946: Marriage (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Just these two?¡± Zhou Zimo asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°These two are in principle. These are also my bottom line. Some things are better if they are said out loud. They can also be used as norms for future behavior. What about you? Do you have any requests?¡± Qin Su asked generously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any requests. As long as you stay with me, all is well.¡± Zhou Zimo said in a deep voice.

    Qin Su took a deep breath and nodded silently.

    The two of them did not say anything else after that, and the car instantly fell silent.

    ...

    Zhou Zimo and Qin Su¡¯s marriage was not a very secret matter, so Su Chen heard about it immediately.

    At this moment, it was alreadyte at night. Su Chen had just applied olive oil on Ji Zitong¡¯s protruding belly when the phone on the side started vibrating. Su Chen quickly pulled down Ji Zitong¡¯s clothes and picked it up.

    ¡°Hello? Ah Chen, why are you calling me now?¡±

    That¡¯s right, the call was from Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t be asleep. I¡¯m flying tomorrow evening. I didn¡¯t ask Li Si to arrange for someone to pick me up. Come over, I¡¯m arriving in City Z at 5 p.m. It¡¯s the weekend, so you don¡¯t have to go to work.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice came through.

    ¡°5 p.m. tomorrow?¡±

    Su Chen paused for a moment. ¡°I thought you two didn¡¯t want toe back anymore! It¡¯s been so long and I haven¡¯t heard from you.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a vacation oterwise. Do you know about Zimo and Qin Su registering their marriage today?¡±

    On the other end, Mu Yuchen asked straightforwardly.

    ¡°What? Zimo and Qin Su registered their marriage today?¡±

    Sure enough, Su Chen was a little surprised when he heard this, but he calmed down after a while. After all, he suddenly felt that this should be expected.

    ¡°Director Chen sent a message over. It happened this morning. So, I predict that the wedding won¡¯t be too far away. It won¡¯t be a matter of a day or two since he wants to marry Qin Su. I¡¯ve already arranged for him to gather at Maple Residence tomorrow night. Remember to bring Ji Zitong. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun will be here too.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I got it. Oh right, Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t experienced these things before. We should stay out of their matters and just pay attention to them. Is Ji Zitong alright?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. I can finally understand how a father-to-be feels now. I went to visit the Mu family¡¯s old residence two days ago. Aunty Zhuang is taking good care of the children.¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s eyes lit up when he thought about Mu Yuchen¡¯s two sons, especially Mu Xiaocheng. He wished even more that his child was a daughter. It would be great if he could get Mu Yuchen¡¯s son!

    ¡°Xiaye also said that she misses the children. Otherwise, we could have been on vacation for a few more days.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about how Xi Xiaye missed her son so much while they spoke on the phone this morning, and he felt a little helpless¡ª

    He realized that the time and energy she spent on him was getting lesser and lesser. Most of it was on the children, which made him feel a little unhappy sometimes.

    ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t wait for Xiaye to only have eyes for you, it¡¯s like you¡¯re jealous of your own children. Mu Yuchen, look at you.¡±

    Su Chen smiled disapprovingly.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be like me sooner orter. Let¡¯s leave it at that for now. Over at Zimo¡¯s, you can just give her a call to say hello,¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°Alright, I know. I¡¯ll leave it at that!¡±

    Then, Su Chen hung up the phone and reached out to massage Ji Zitong¡¯s stomach. It was as if the baby suddenly felt Su Chen¡¯s call from in the belly, and the little guy inside started to do something. Su Chen could not help but be delighted.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo and Qin Su are married?¡±

    Ji Zitong, who had been silent all this while, looked at her husband, who was ying with the baby, in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, they are. It was only a matter of time. That Zhou Zimo, he would do whatever it takes if he wanted to do something. It was only a matter of time before he took down Qin Su. However, with Qin Su¡¯s character, I think it¡¯s most likely that she was coaxed by Zimo to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau. But let¡¯s not care about this, after all, he¡¯s married and not left behind. I was quite worried about him, afraid that no one will want him in this lifetime.¡±

    Although Su Chen said this, his deep tone clearly carried some relief.

    Hearing this, Ji Zitong¡¯s face also revealed a smile. ¡°He¡¯s really married to Qin Su. I¡¯ve seen Officer Qin Su before. She¡¯s quite a good woman and very beautiful. It¡¯s no wonder Zhou Zimo was moved.¡±

    ¡°That guy really cares about looks, but he doesn¡¯t seem to have a preference. I guess he likes Qin Su¡¯s looks.¡±

    ¡°Qin Su is very outstanding to begin with, and Zhou Zimo isn¡¯t bad either. The two of them are actually quitepatible. If it wasn¡¯t for the discord that you were worried about before, I think they would definitely be a very happy couple in the future.¡±

    Ji Zitong was quite confident in the two of them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. Do you want to eat some fruit? You ate half a bowl less than yesterday. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll be hungry?¡±

    Su Chen raised his gaze to look at her as he asked.

    ¡°No need. I¡¯m not very hungry. My weight has been soaring recently. Look at my legs. They¡¯re as thick as an elephant¡¯s legs.¡±

    Speaking of this, Ji Zitong was a little troubled.

    She had a strong reaction a while ago and vomited so much that she looked like something. Now, her reaction was weak and her appetite was surprisingly good. Xie Jiajia and the others had changed their ways to nourish her. In a short amount of time, her entire body had be much rounder. She looked at her pants legs, which were already a little tight, Ji Zitong was actually very anxious.

    ¡°Let me see? No way! Aren¡¯t you the same as before? You were too thin before. Isn¡¯t it good to gain some weight now? Look at you. You look so good. You look much more elegant than before.¡±

    Su Chen looked at Ji Zitong. He was satisfied with however his wife looked right now.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that in another half a month, I¡¯ll have double chins. Why don¡¯t you go and tell Mother that she doesn¡¯t have to cook that soup for me every day...¡±

    Ji Zitong pleaded helplessly. She looked at Su Chen with a pitiful look in her eyes. She was not sure if it was because she was pregnant, but other than being a little moody, she seemed much gentler.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. She¡¯s just concerned about you. You won¡¯t have a double chin, your face is sharp and not that fat. Anyway, I like you. What are you worried about? Besides, the goods will be discharged in a few months. You¡¯ll have to work harder in these few months. I¡¯ll apany you, okay?¡±

    Su Chen naturally understood his wife¡¯s worries. Xie Jiajia had been nagging him in the past. It was indeed not easy for a woman. Otherwise, he would have wanted to help her handle this matter. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

    Ji Zitong could only lower her eyes in grievance...

 Chapter 1947 - Iâ€™m Courting You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1947: I¡¯m Courting You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the hospital, Qi Qiming¡¯s ward.

    Qi Qiming was lying on the hospital bed, silently looking at Qi Lei who was busy at the side.

    At this moment, Qi Lei was wringing a warm towel to help him wipe his body. His expression was as calm as ever. Qi Qiming looked at him for a long time, but he could not tell what emotions were on his face.

    Qi Lei wrung the towel dry and handed it directly to him.

    Qi Qiming was stunned. He stared at Qi Lei for a long while before he slowly reached out to take it. He silently wiped his hands and asked in confusion, ¡°Are you really my son, Qi Lei?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember having such an old son with Wang Qin, but you look very familiar? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±

    As Qi Qiming spoke and thought about it, he could not help but feel a headache. He immediately raised his hand to rub his temples as if he was trying to remember something, but he could not remember anything.

    Qi Lei looked down at Qi Qiming who was struggling on the hospital bed. He did not miss the fact that his hair was already white. His face was still very pale, and his whole body exuded a sickly weakness.

    In fact, Qi Lei himself did not say how he felt towards Qi Qiming at that moment.

    Other than some resentment that he endured, he also felt a little deste and sad. Of course, he did not forget that when the incident happened, he still protected him in the end.

    Dongfang Liuyun was right.

    Some things, no matter how hard you tried to hide them, could not erase the truth that had already happened.

    He and Qi Qiming had a father-son rtionship. Qi Lei could not change this. Even if he was unhappy, he...

    ¡°I hope I wasn¡¯t your son either, but things are not what we want it to be.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and pulled a chair to the side. He slowly sat down and spoke in a low voice

    ¡°You had an ident. You were in aa for a long time. The doctor said that your brain was severely injured, which caused your memory to be messed up and even partially lost. However, your body has recovered, so you¡¯re mostly okay.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Qiming also looked at Qi Lei silently. Qi Lei had already taken out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Bring the supper in.¡±

    It was a call to Vice President Wang Chun.

    Not long after the call ended, there was a knock on the door. Soon, the door was opened. Wang Chun pushed the door open and walked in with a thermos sk in his hand.

    ¡°President Qi! Second Master!¡±

    Wang Chun looked respectfully at Qi Qiming who was lying on the bed and greeted him. Then, he turned around and closed the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re Wang Chun? How did you be so old in just a few days? Where¡¯s your wife? Why hasn¡¯t shee to see me? I¡¯m already injured!¡±

    Qi Qiming frowned, and there was a hint ofint in his tone.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, gave him a cold nce and said, ¡°You should rest well. She¡¯s gone far away. Even if you want to see her, she might not want to see you.¡±

    Then, without waiting for Qi Qiming to react, he stood up silently and turned to look at Wang Chun who was walking forward. ¡°Vice President Wang, he only knows you now. You should work harder. Arrange your work for the next few days and apany him for a few days to adapt.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Second Master. I¡¯ve already arranged my work.¡± Wang Chun replied and brought the thermos sk over. He swiftly poured out some warm porridge. It was a very light meat porridge. When he opened it, he could already smell a fragrant aroma.

    ¡°President Qi, how do you feel? The doctor said that it¡¯s not suitable for you to eat those greasy foods for the time being, so I made some porridge for you. have some.¡±

    Only then did Qi Qiminge back to his senses. He looked at Wang Chun, who had appeared in front of him, and could not quite react. He was silent for a long while before he took it over in a daze. Then, he turned to look at the silent Qi Lei and asked, ¡°That day, that woman was called Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned but did not answer. The one who answered was Wang Chun¡ª

    ¡°Yes, President Qi! Miss Dongfang is the Second Master¡¯s wife and also your daughter-inw. You¡¯ve been asleep for too long. During this period of time, the Second Master has already gotten married! However, the wedding hasn¡¯t been held yet. Fortunately, you woke up in time. After you¡¯ve rested, you can officiate the wedding for the Second Master and Missus.¡±

    As Wang Chun spoke, he could not help but feel some anticipation in his heart.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t shee today?¡±

    Daughter-inw?

    Qi Qiming was actually very unfamiliar with this term, but after chewing on it for a while, he felt a little expectant.

    ¡°Missus is busy. She¡¯lle over in a day or two or tomorrow.¡±

    Wang Chun could only exin like this. As he spoke, he nced at Qi Lei.

    ¡°After you eat and rest, you can sleep for a bit. I¡¯ve already arranged for the special care unit. You still need to be hospitalized for a few more days for observation. If there are no problems, you can be discharged in two days.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he turned to look at Wang Chun. ¡°You can go back after you¡¯re done. There¡¯s someone here to take care of him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Second Master. I¡¯ll go back after President Qi rests.¡±

    Qi Lei nodded and then turned to leave the ward.

    Qi Qiming was stunned for a moment. He looked at Qi Lei¡¯s back as he left. There was a voice calling out to him in his heart, but it was as if he had lost his hearing. He could not hear it. He wanted to call out to him, but he could not.

    Qi Qiming only recovered when he heard the sound of the door closing.

    ¡°President Qi, eat some.¡±

    Wang Chun reminded him, ¡°It won¡¯t taste good if it¡¯s cold.¡±

    Qi Qiming was in a daze for a moment. He lowered his gaze to look at the porridge in his hand. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked, ¡°Wang Chun, is my rtionship with my son very bad? I saw that he was very cold to me. is there any unhappiness between us? Why can¡¯t I remember anything? I don¡¯t remember that Wang Qin and I having a son at all? And he¡¯s already so old? He¡¯s already married?¡±

    Qi Qiming was very confused. As he spoke, he tried his best to think about it. However, as he thought about it, he felt a pain in his head. His face instantly turned even paler, and ayer of sweat appeared on his head.

    ¡°President Qi, are you alright?¡±

    Wang Chun quickly held the bowl in his hand and said with concern, ¡°I¡¯ll call the doctor!¡±

    Qi Qiming reached out to pull him back. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I just can¡¯t remember anything. I often feel a headache. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡±

    Qi Qiming raised his head to wipe the thinyer of sweat off his forehead and said weakly.

    Qi Qiming seemed to only remember the events before and after his marriage to Wang Qin. He did not even remember Qi Feng, and he seemed to know nothing about the subsequent events.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t think too much, President Qi. The Second Master still cares about you. Come, have some porridge.¡±

 Chapter 1948 - Iâ€™m Courting You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1948: I¡¯m Courting You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was a bleak time outside. Walking along the long walkway, the empty walkway was filled with the sound of cold footsteps. It sounded very deste.

    The temperature had dropped sharply these few days. It was unusually cold. When he went out just now, Dongfang Liuyun had reminded him to bring his coat. He ended up rushing out, so he had forgotten about itter. It was so cold that he could not help but pull tighter onto the thin coat on him.

    He came alone and asked his chauffeur to drive him over. His suspended driver¡¯s license was not ready yet, so it might take some time. Anyway, Dongfang Liuyun had personally sent him to and from work these days, so he was happy to be free.

    When he walked out of the hospital, a bone-piercing chill hit him. Qi Lei wanted to take a taxi back, so he rushed to the road in the cold rain. However, he had only taken a few steps when he saw a small figure in front of him

    Dongfang Liuyun was wearing a ck coat and holding a big ck umbre. There was a ck coat hanging on her arm. It was obviously his. The cold wind blew her hair into a mess.

    Seeing his figure, Dongfang Liuyun, who had been standing in the cold rain for a long time, immediately let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed him

    ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to call you. I was worried that I would disturb the rare time that you and your father get along. The rain is quite heavy. I asked you to bring your coat when we went out. Why didn¡¯t you bring it? Put it on!¡±

    As he spoke, she passed the coat in her hand over, and therge ck umbre moved to the top of his head.

    Qi Lei was momentarily stunned. He did not immediately take the coat. Instead, he stared deeply at her for a long while. There was some warmth in his dark eyes that could not be suppressed. His silent heart suddenly felt a little gentle, only then did he take the coat and drape it over his shoulders. As he reached out to take the umbre in her hand, he held her shoulders with one hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s entire body was practically wrapped under hisrge coat

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    His deep voice was somewhat calm and carried some warmth as it entered Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ears.

    Dongfang Liuyun was also extremely cold. She subconsciously reached out to wrap her arm around his waist and responded, ¡°When I returned home and saw that you weren¡¯t around, Driver Wang also drove his car back. Your coat was on the sofa in the living room and it was still raining outside, so I didn¡¯t feel at ease. I came over to take a look after I finished cooking the soup. I didn¡¯t go up because I thought you and your son needed some time alone,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied naturally.

    ¡°You know, you¡¯re the first person to bring me an umbre and coat to wait for me on a rainy night.¡±

    The couple walked forward for some distance before Qi Lei suddenly said that. Of course, he did not turn his head to look at her when he said that, but Dongfang Liuyun could feel that hisrge hand on her shoulders tightened.

    That strength made her feel a little pain, but she did not struggle.

    ¡°You¡¯re the first person to ask me to do this.¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Dongfang Liuyun answered.

    ¡°I¡¯m even more d that I asked back then. Otherwise, now... I¡¯m afraid that the person by your side might not be me.¡± Qi Lei said faintly. His tone wasced with a helpless sigh, and most of all, he was also d. Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at him. For some reason, under the dim streetlights, she could suddenly see the loneliness and loneliness on his face.

    Qi Lei would never show this side of himself in front of anyone. This Qi Lei was actually a little fragile.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s slightly cold lips moved. She wanted to say something, but she suddenly did not know what else she could say, so...

    ¡°All these years, I¡¯ve been quite lonely fighting alone. Especially when I was abroad... other than my mother. After so many years, no one has treated me as well as you. Apart from being myrade-in-arms and wife, you¡¯re also a valuable person to me.¡±

    Qi Lei sincerely expressed his feelings. While he was d, he was also very touched. ¡°I really hope that these feelings can be like this forever.¡±

    ¡°I can understand. Are you a little touched now?¡±

    For some reason, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart felt inexplicably sour when she heard what he said. Her heart ached a little¡ª

    That is right, she felt a heartache for him.

    What kind of pain and twists did this man have to endure to be able to be so indifferent and unperturbed like this.

    In fact, he was probably the kind of person who could truly see through the world, right?

    Hearing this, Qi Lei suddenlyughed softly. He looked sideways at her and swept his gaze across her face like a feather. His footsteps did not slow down.

    ¡°Not just... not just a little, not just a little... it¡¯s more than a little...¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he was silent for a moment. As if he had thought of something, he continued, ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been working very hard to think about it. The person who truly apanied me through those dark times was actually you. Your conviction gave me positive energy. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to walk out of those clouds so quickly

    ¡°Before I met you, I didn¡¯t think about getting married. I also didn¡¯t really fantasize about the life of two people. More often than not, I realized that I¡¯m actually a moth too. I¡¯m not as strong as I look, and I just want to go wherever there¡¯s a me. Since meeting you, I realized that I¡¯m actually a firefly. I¡¯m not a moth to a me, but I can also shine...¡±

    Qi Leiughed softly. Suddenly, there seemed to be a hint of raspiness in his voice. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know how grateful and happy I was after I realized this.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop talking¡ª¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly could not listen anymore. She quickly reached out and pulled him. Without hesitation, she hugged him tightly against his warm chest, ¡°You¡¯ve never been a moth, and you¡¯re not just a firefly. You¡¯re a scorching sun shrouded in boundless light. As proud as we are, we must not belittle ourselves.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we belittle ourselves. In fact, it¡¯s true. In the past, other than the title of the Qi family¡¯s Second Master, I was really nothing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still you, Qi Lei. The Eastern Gust who¡¯s the center of attention in the game, is the real you. What I admire about your strength is your tolerance. In this aspect, I admire and appreciate you very much. I¡¯m not as good as you. There are too many things about you that I can look up to.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hugged him tightly and said softly.

    Qi Lei just stood there, allowing her to hug him. His warm hands gently wrapped around her shoulders, blocking out all the cold wind and rain. This small world actually became infinitely warm at this moment.

 Chapter 1949 - Iâ€™m Courting You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1949: I¡¯m Courting You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Every woman looks forward to having the person she liked, her husband to be someone they can look up to, a true hero.

    Dongfang Liuyun was the same.

    After spending so much time with Qi Lei, she was not like many women who always picked at her husband¡¯s shorings. Thus, these shorings umted over time, and when they exploded, they could cover up all of his previous strengths and all of his kindness to her.

    The longer she spent with Qi Lei, the more she discovered his kindness.

    ¡°I heard from Grandfather that the best thing for two people who live together is to discover the strengths and virtues of the other. Only people who respect and admire each other are more clingy. He and Grandmother were like this. Unfortunately, he left too early. Otherwise, if you sat down with him and had a good chat, you would definitely have benefited a lot.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, her eyes could not help but heat up. She took a deep breath and calmed down.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you had such a high opinion of me.¡±

    Qi Lei said happily at this moment.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily, ¡°Of course. Humans are emotional animals. They also have preconceived notions. The image you gave me before was indeed not great. After interacting with you, I realized that you¡¯re actually a dazzling pearl. However, it¡¯s a pity that I ate this pearl.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you use an elegant word? What¡¯s a pity? What do you mean eaten by you?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been ayman! Hey, President Qi, do you feel like you¡¯re being chased by me now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked as her slender fingers grabbed his five fingers. With their hands sped together, she looked up at him.

    Qi Lei was stunned when he saw this. It took him quite a while to realize what this woman meant. He also remembered that she had said that she wanted to court him back.

    He chuckled. ¡°This isn¡¯t how you pursue a man, Missus Qi.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t how I pursue a man? This is a trick, doesn¡¯t it work with you?¡± Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful eyes widened as she asked doubtfully.

    ¡°There¡¯s a way that will work better. Do you want to give it a try?¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and looked at her meaningfully.

    ¡°Hmm? Tell me about it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was also a little curious.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and bent down slightly. He whispered into her ear, ¡°Do you want to feel the power of the domineering female President?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment when Qi Lei said this, but she quickly reacted. She immediately grabbed his shoulders and pressed down. Qi Lei immediately lowered his body.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s slender arm quickly wrapped around his back and supported him. Before he could react, his cold and indifferent lips also fell down urately...

    The agile slithering carelessly lingered on his thin lips.

    Qi Lei was in a daze¡ª

    That was not what he meant, alright?

    However, it was obvious that he enjoyed this method more. Although it had damaged his manly prestige slightly, who cares? His woman was fine!

    ¡°I saw the look of enjoyment on your face and wondered if my kissing skills have improved a lot recently.¡±

    When the two of them were breathing rapidly, Dongfang Liuyun let go of him unwillingly. She took a few breaths and said while panting.

    Qi Lei initially thought that it was wonderful, but in the next moment, her words ruined the scene.

    He coughed a few times and nced at her. He steadied himself and put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re being a little presumptuous. You didn¡¯t learn my skills of being flirtatious yet not obscene. Hitting on me is definitely a skill, continue to endure it.¡±

    As he said that, he continued to walk forward with her in his arm.

    ¡°Flirtatious but not obscene? I really don¡¯t believe it. Are you that hard to hit on?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said disapprovingly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. Let¡¯s go back quickly. I¡¯m starving. You wash the dishes tonight!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you said you wanted to court me. I¡¯m precious!¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    The couple¡¯s voice gradually drifted into the deste rainy night. After a while, they were no longer heard.

    However, they could still see their little shadows gradually moving further and further away.

    The rain, one road, countlessmps...

    An umbre, two people, and one reflection...

    ...

    This journey was quite long, but it was also very short.

    The ne slowlynded. Xi Xiaye turned to look at the man beside her. The sunshade by the side had already been pulled up. The warm afterglow was quietly falling on him, yet he was still leisurely closing his eyes to rest.

    Although he had been traveling with her these past few days, it was not very rxing either. Fortunately, the gloom between his brows had finally dissipated a little.

    Mu Yinan¡¯s departure was a wound that was difficult to heal for everyone. This wound still needed time to slowly heal itself. Xi Xiaye understood, and Mu Yuchen understood as well.

    During this period of time, the husband and wife had tacitly not mentioned Mu Yinan. They just wanted the old man to rest in heaven.

    The people who had left had already left, and those who were still alive still needed to continue living. Hence, after returning this time, Xi Xiaye understood that the husband and wife still had a lot of things to face.

    So, today was still the beginning¡ª

    She reached out and gently nudged the man beside her.

    ¡°Wake up, Mr. Mu. We¡¯ve arrived at City Z.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye¡¯s calm voice fell, Mu Yuchen slowly opened his eyes and squinted outside the window. The ne had already stopped.

    He quickly turned to look at her beside him and asked with concern, ¡°Are you okay? It wasn¡¯t too long of a flight.¡±

    The husband and wife did not take a direct flight, the had holidayed on their journey back. The flight was only about three hours, so it was not too long.

    ¡°Not too bad. I see that you¡¯re quite tired. Have you slept well? Drink some water.¡±

    Xi Xiaye poured half a ss of water from the thermos sk and handed it to him.

    Mu Yuchen took it and finished it in a few gulps before returning the ss, ¡°I¡¯m okay. I slepttest night. We need to prepare things in advance for thepany meeting the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll spend the whole day with our son and the others. We¡¯ll go back to Grandpa¡¯s ce for lunch at noon and the Mu residence at night, Hmm?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was just like that. He always had a n when he did things. Xi Xiaye rarely had to worry about these things when she was by his side. He would always help her arrange things very well.

    She had been with him for a few years now, so she did not have much to worry about. Instead, he had taken her in. Moreover, he seemed to be treating her better and better. He was practically spoiling her to the heavens.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you. Anyway, my decisions revolve around you,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    ¡°Then, asionally, you can rotate on your own too. I¡¯m not here to tell you how to spin around my orbit.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her and said very seriously.

    ¡°Ever since meeting you, I almost forgot how to rotate on my own. It¡¯s your fault¡ª¡±

 Chapter 1950 - A Relationship That Goes With The Flow (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1950: A Rtionship That Goes With The Flow (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye shrugged helplessly. She thought about it and continued, ¡°I was thinking about making a strategy too. Initially, when I said I wanted to go to Rome, it was you who didn¡¯t want to go. You can¡¯t me me.¡±

    ¡°You said you liked this ce before?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned and nced at her. ¡°Can your strategy be asprehensive as mine? Of course, you¡¯ll listen to me?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye could only raise her hand to support her forehead. ¡°Whatever you say. I¡¯m not really good at this anyway. Get up, the door is open!¡±

    At this moment, the couple got up.

    There was not much luggage. The couple only had one suitcase each, so it was quite convenient.

    ¡°Is Su Chen here?¡±

    The couple walked down the esctor as Xi Xiaye asked.

    Mu Yuchen quickly took out his phone from his pocket and turned it on. He found Su Chen¡¯s number...

    When they came out of the airport, Su Chen¡¯s car was parked by the side. When he saw Mu Yuchen and the others, he immediately rolled down the car window.

    Xi Xiaye tacitly got into the backseat while Mu Yuchen went straight to the passenger seat.

    ¡°The weather in City Z is much colder than over there. It¡¯s been raining these few days and the temperature has dropped drastically. This year¡¯s winter will be especially cold.¡±

    Su Chen raised the temperature in the car as he spoke.

    ¡°Which year¡¯s winter isn¡¯t cold? Didn¡¯t they say it was pretty coldst year when winter started? Didn¡¯t Ji Zitonge over too?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice sounded.

    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for her now. It¡¯s better for her to stay at home. Mother-inw rushed over to see her early in the morning. The mother-daughter pair were chatting happily, so I didn¡¯t call her over. But Zimo and Qin Su seem to have bought some good food and went straight to Maple Residence. Your butler is there anyway. They¡¯re probably rushing to prepare the ingredients right now, so let¡¯s just make do with the hotpot tonight.¡± Su Chen replied.

    ¡°He¡¯s be quite diligent. It used to always be the two of us who had to go through all the trouble before.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Qi Lei and Liuyun go over?¡±

    Xi Xiaye asked as she dialed Zhuang Shurong¡¯s number. She really missed the children. Now, she just wanted to hear her son¡¯s voice.

    ¡°They¡¯re not too far away. Just give them a call. Don¡¯t you guys need to get over the jetg?¡±

    ¡°We holidayed out way back, so there¡¯s not much jetg to get over.¡± Mu Yuchen replied instead.

    ¡°I see that you two are quite happy. It¡¯s already your second honeymoon. Now, I finally know that it¡¯s not easy being a father-to-be.¡±

    Su Chen had been suffering with Ji Zitong for a while now. Ji Zitong was suffering, but it did not seem to be easy for him either. His heart was also suffering.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t believe that these words came out of your mouth, Chief Su. Haven¡¯t you always been very disapproving?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him, yet the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. ¡°Among us buddies, you were the one who didn¡¯t take marriage and family seriously the most.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I haven¡¯t experienced it back then? There are some things that one wouldn¡¯t understand without experiencing them personally. Now I truly get it.¡±

    ¡°After the child is born, your feelings will be even more profound.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen spoke, he nced at Xi Xiaye in the back seat through the car mirror. When he saw that she was flipping through her phone, he immediately reached out to turn on the lights in the car.

    Recently, she had said that her vision seemed to have worsened. It was probably because her nearsightedness had worsened, so he naturally took this matter to heart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so scary. I¡¯m still looking forward to the future. Go scare Zimo.¡±

    Su Chen scoffed at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled quietly.

    ...

    When they returned to Maple Residence, the sky had already darkened. It was cold and rainy. From afar, they could see the bright lights in the vi.

    Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and the others got out of the car and were about to walk in when they suddenly heard the sound of a caring from behind them. They quickly turned around to look.

    They saw a ck Acura slowly approaching them. The car stopped behind Su Chen¡¯s car.

    The car door opened, and Qi Lei got out from the passenger seat. Dongfang Liuyun also got out from the driver¡¯s seat.

    Qi Lei was still carrying a few bags full of things.

    ¡°Have you guys just arrived too?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at the people in front of him in surprise as he reached out to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and patted his palm. Then, he went up to take two bags of things from him.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite a coincidence. Let¡¯s go in first. It¡¯s very cold outside.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled at Dongfang Liuyun and nodded as a greeting. Dongfang Liuyun smiled back.

    ¡°I rushed over just to get a free meal, but you¡¯ve just got home. When can we eat?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged and coughed lightly. Before they could react, he walked in.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at his back and could only shake his head helplessly. He looked apologetically at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye and said apologetically, ¡°Sorry for making a fool of myself. He¡¯s...¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish, Xi Xiaye chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re already used to it. Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Then, she exchanged a look with the man beside her. Mu Yuchen naturally looked meaningfully at Dongfang Liuyun before looking at Qi Lei.

    Then, he pulled her forward.

    Inside Maple Residence, Zhou Zimo had already prepared the ingredients. The dining table was already filled with food.

    After Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had tidied up, everyone sat down.

    This was the first time Qin Su had seen Zhou Zimo¡¯s group of friends. She knew about Mu Yuchen and Su Chen, but she was rather unfamiliar with Xi Xiaye and Dongfang Liuyun.

    Fortunately, the three women were all very outstanding women. They had some tacit understanding and could find topics that they were interested in, such as chess and calligraphy.

    ¡°I heard about your marriage from Ah Chen when I was there. Qin Su, you¡¯re very beautiful and outstanding. You¡¯re a good match for Zimo. Here, we wish you all a happy marriage and eternal happiness.¡±

    The ss of wine was full. Xi Xiaye smiled as she raised her ss. Her starry eyes were filled with a faint warmth as she sincerely wished them well.

    ¡°Her words are also mine. The two of you were a couple that we expected to happen sooner orter. I wish you both happiness.¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally agreed with his wife¡¯s opening speech. He raised his ss as well.

    ¡°We wish you both happiness too.¡±

    Qi Lei exchanged a look with Dongfang Liuyun, and the couple raised their sses as well.

 Chapter 1951 - A Relationship That Goes With The Flow (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1951: A Rtionship That Goes With The Flow (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Alright, they¡¯ve said all the nice things, so there¡¯s no need to say any more polite words. Getting married is a beautiful and peaceful thing anyway, so the two of you will definitely be happy.¡±

    Su Chen alsoughed loudly.

    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ve heard about you guys from Zimo before. I know that you guys are his best friends, and I can be considered as half acquaintances with Chairman Mu and Chief Su. I hope that everyone can take care of us in the future. I wish us all happiness.¡±

    Qin Su replied politely. As she spoke, she looked at Zhou Zimo, who was on the side. However, she noticed that Zhou Zimo had his head lowered and was smiling with his mouth slightly covered¡ª

    In fact, he had been like this for the past two days. He seemed to be in a good mood.

    Qin Su naturally did not understand how Zhou Zimo felt. Zhou Zimo had been in a state of disbelief for the past two days. He always thought that he was dreaming.

    If it was a dream, he hoped that he would never be woken up from such a dream .

    Seeing that he lowered his head and smiled inexplicably, Qin Su immediately frowned. He raised his arm and touched him, and only then did he react.

    Seeing this, Su Chen coughed lightly and could not help butugh, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be shy. Everyone here knows that you, Zhou Zimo, are the most flirtatious. Qin Su, don¡¯t take it to heart. We brothers always talk like this. I hope you won¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Only you, Su Chen, are the most decent!¡±

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo red at Su Chen and turned to exin to Qin Su, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to them. Some people like to nder my image to raise their status. I¡¯ve always hated people like this. Stay away from such people in the future. Qi Lei, what do you think?¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he asked for Qi Lei¡¯s opinion.

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and gave him a meaningful smile. He did not answer.

    ¡°Alright, anyway, everyone¡¯s best wishes are in this ss of wine. Let¡¯s be happy together.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear voice sounded. The people at the table clinked their sses and drank.

    ¡°I bumped into Aunty Liang at the hospital a while ago. She even mentioned Zimo to us. I can tell that she¡¯s very anxious and worried. Now that you guys have fulfilled this good deed, it¡¯s really something to be happy about.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed. Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something. She turned to look at Mu Yuchen, only to find that the man was adding her favorite food into the bowl in front of her.

    ¡°I remember that when I first met him, everyone was still single. In just a few short years, we each found our own other half. This is really something that everyone is happy about. For this moment, I...¡±

    ¡°Alright, you guys have some juice.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was about to pour some wine, but Mu Yuchen stopped her. He took the juice and poured it for her. He also poured it for the two women as he said, ¡°This Mongolian King liquour isn¡¯t suitable for you guys, it¡¯s has quite a strong effect.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your period going to be in the next two days? You wereining earlier that you weren¡¯t feeling well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen reminded Xi Xiaye in a low voice, ¡°So, enough is enough. Otherwise, you¡¯ll reap what you sow.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s outstretched hand froze for a moment. After a while, she took it back and smiled stiffly. ¡°Sorry, you guys still need to driveter. The chauffeurs at home are all on vacation.¡±

    Even though she said that, she still red at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen pretended not to see anything¡ª

    This woman was getting more and more unscrupulous while he doted on her. She was getting more and morewless!

    However, he was used to it. was he not the one who spoiled her?

    ...

    After dinner, a few men made tea in the living room and chatted as they drank.

    After Xi Xiaye, Dongfang Liuyun and Qin Su cleaned up the dishes, they went to the pantry to talk about things.

    Qin Su had seen Xi Xiaye before, but she had never really met Dongfang Liuyun before. She had only seen her once when he was with Zhou Zimo. However, she had heard a little about Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Have some tea. It¡¯s good to drink some flower tea at this time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye poured flower tea for the two of them as she said, ¡°Qin Su, you¡¯re really pretty. You have a lot of charisma too. No wonder Zimo has been thinking about you all these years. He even said that he wanted to marry you and that¡¯s why he stayed single for so many years. If it were me, I think I¡¯d be interested in you too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye really admired Qin Su. It was rare to see a woman like her.

    When she heard this, Qin Su¡¯s face turned a little red as she replied, ¡°No matter how beautiful you are, you can¡¯t resist the day you grow old. Actually, I¡¯d rather he be with me not because of my looks.¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye froze for a moment and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean that. I just wanted to say that Zimo really cares about you. We¡¯re truly happy that the two of you had a fruitful oue.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m not refuting you, it was just a sentiment. You and Ms. Dongfang are very outstanding as well. You¡¯re both worthy of my respect.¡±

    ¡°Call me Liuyun. You don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun, who had been silent all this while, stopped what she was doing and spoke calmly.

    Qin Su nodded, ¡°Mmm, Xiaye, Liuyun... It¡¯s my honor to know the both of you. I¡¯ve stayed in the military region for too long and practically lost contact with the outside world. I keep feeling that the outside world doesn¡¯t fit in with the world I imagined, so... However, after interacting with you tonight, I realized that I was just overthinking it.¡±

    ¡°This world is quiteplicated, but as long as you simplify it, it can be simpler too.¡± Xi Xiaye replied, her twinkling eyes glimmering as she quietly looked at the two beautiful and outstanding women opposite her. ¡°I really hope that by your man¡¯s side, the two of you can be simpler too.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone can be like you and Chairman Mu. Moreover, everyone has their own way of being in a rtionship.¡±

    Qin Su took a deep breath and lowered her eyes as he quietly sipped his tea. There was a sense of great change in her hoarse voice, ¡°Actually, there are many things and principles that we understand, unfortunately, sometimes, we just can¡¯t convince ourselves.¡±

    ¡°You and Zimo...¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned...

    Qin Su smiled, ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about me and him. He¡¯s very nice to me, and I quite like him too. That¡¯s why we got married, there was no coercion. On the contrary, we actually went with the flow. Actually, from the moment he went to my house to meet my parents, I had a feeling that it was probably him for the rest of my life. Sometimes, I can¡¯t help butment, a woman¡¯s intuition is really that urate.¡±

 Chapter 1952 - A Relationship That Goes With The Flow (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1952: A Rtionship That Goes With The Flow (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye and Dongfang Liuyun heard her calm tone, the two of them were stunned for a moment. They exchanged a look and then looked at Qin Su.

    ¡°I know that you guys have always taken care of me and him. Thank you. We¡¯re doing quite well now.¡± Qin Su said very humbly.

    ¡°Zimo, Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Qi Lei are all very good friends. Especially after Qi Lei got married, we¡¯ve be more worried about him. I hope you don¡¯t mind, Qin Su.¡± Xi Xiaye exined.

    Qin Su shook his head gently and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Why would I mind? In fact, I¡¯m very envious of him. At least, you guys care about him.¡±

    ¡°Will we be friends in the future?¡±

    This time, the one who asked was Dongfang Liuyun. She also quite admired Qin Su. This Qin Su seemed to have more of a tenacious and cold temperament than her. The tenacious aura in her bone marrow was probably something that she was born with, perhaps it was rted to her identity as a soldier.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m very honored to have met you.¡± Qin Su replied graciously.

    ...

    In the living room, four men were sitting on the sofa.

    ¡°When¡¯s the wedding?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up at Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll be soon. It¡¯s on the 15th of next month. My mother and the others are already preparing for the wedding. Although it¡¯s a little rushed, we can still make it in time.¡±

    Speaking of marriage, Zhou Zimo¡¯s heart was filled with anticipation.

    ¡°Oh right, I¡¯m going to Qin Su¡¯s house on the 1st of next month to send the betrothal gifts. Qi Lei,e with me.¡±

    After a pause, Zhou Zimo added on.

    ¡°Why me?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and nced at Mu Yuchen and Su Chen. ¡°Between the two of them, either one of them is more suitable than me, right? I haven¡¯t even had a wedding yet!¡±

    Qi Lei was a little anxious. His wedding with Dongfang Liuyun had to be moved to after the new year because it would be very busy before the new year, and Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er were also getting married. The Dongfang family was saying that it would not be suitable for the two sisters to have it in the same year, thus, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s wedding with him could only be moved back a little. Fortunately, it should be soon, and they would soon have something to look forward to.

    ¡°I told you to apany me, so why are you talking so much nonsense! Don¡¯t you want the news from Myanmar?¡±

    Zhou Zimo threatened shamelessly.

    Qi Lei nced at him and coughed lightly. ¡°When I sent the betrothal gifts to Liuyun, I did it alone. Give it to me!¡±

    As he said that, he reached out his hand to Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send an email directly when I get back. Things over there are really not simple. Also unfortunately I have to tell you that Fujiwara seems to have been appearing there frequently recently. You should know who Fujiwara Kenji is, right? He¡¯s Fujiwara¡¯s father.¡±

    Zhou Zimo briefly mentioned it. He was also a little puzzled about this matter. After thinking about it, he asked, ¡°I heard that the Fujiwara family has a close rtionship with the Inoue family. You have to be careful. The Inoue family¡¯s influence over there is veryplicated.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard this. He quietly withdrew his hand. ¡°I know.¡±

    Dongfang Gan had not returned for a long time. Every time he called, he could faintly hear a hint of exhaustion in his voice. He was a little worried too.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Su Chen exchanged a look with Mu Yuchen and asked with some confusion.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the Dongfang family. It¡¯s something we can¡¯t touch. We know that Myanmar and the Golden Triangle are a little chaotic. All these years, we haven¡¯t extended our family business over there either. There are some things that we really can¡¯t help with. But I remember that the Qi family has quite an influence over there so maybe...¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not finish his sentence. The Qi family¡¯s influence was quite deep. Forget about what was far away, and talk about what was close. Currently, the few ace underground casinos and some of the forces in the underworld were all rted to the Qi family.

    After the Qi family¡¯s business was cleaned up, they did not let go of this big piece of cake. Otherwise, who would have the ability to keep the underworld quiet for so many years? Even when Ah Mo was in the underworld, he was still extremely cautious when dealing with these forces.

    ¡°My father had already withdrawn his forces. Now, he doesn¡¯t know much about them. He can only rely on the remaining connections.¡±

    Qi Lei was telling the truth.

    Although he did not pay attention to these things, he still knew some of Qi Qiming¡¯s actions. Wang Chun had also roughly told him about it before.

    After Wang Qin passed away, Qi Qiming began to ignore his rtionship with the underworld. He even withdrew many investment projects from overseas.

    Actually, Qi Lei realized that he really did not know Qi Qiming very well. Be it in terms of personality or business, especially after Dongfang Liuyun reminded him, he realized that Qi Qiming did many things, all of them made him feel a little puzzled.

    When he said this, Mu Yuchen nced at him and asked, ¡°I heard that your father has already woken up? How¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s already awake. He¡¯s still in the hospital and has amnesia. He remembers what happened before, but not what happened after that. He does remember Wang Chun and my mother, but he doesn¡¯t remember Qi Feng either.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was calm, there did not seem to be any emotions.

    ¡°Amnesia?¡±

    Su Chen was a little surprised. ¡°That can¡¯t be. Didn¡¯t you say that all of his bodily functions are recovering very well?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the blood clot in his headpressed his nerves and left some residual effects. Maybe it won¡¯t be like this,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    The few of them exchanged a look, and then Zhou Zimo asked, ¡°Then what do you n to do here? Take him over to live with you guys? Is it convenient to take care of him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a saint. So many things have happened, and I don¡¯t want to force everyone to live with such stifling conditions. He will be better in a few days and then can be discharged from the hospital, I¡¯ll let him live in my mother¡¯s private vi.¡±

    At this point, Qi Lei suddenly sighed. ¡°Perhaps this is fate.¡±

    ¡°When did you start thinking about these things? Fate? It¡¯s too early to say these things now. Everything is in your own hands, okay?¡± Zhou Zimo replied disapprovingly, ¡°However, I also feel quite worried about the matter between you and your old man. My father and I, although we have disagreements sometimes, I have been doing quite well at home. Especially now that I¡¯ve married Qin Su, he has taken a liking to me as his son.¡±

    ¡°This is also what I admire the most about you two. However, I¡¯m satisfied now. If one hopes for too much, it will only invite more pain. As humans, it¡¯s better to let go.¡±

 Chapter 1953 - A Relationship That Goes With The Flow (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1953: A Rtionship That Goes With The Flow (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night was gettingte. Su Chen was worried about Ji Zitong at home, so he had to get up and go home early.

    When he saw Su Chen get up, Mu Yuchen slowly got up as well¡ª

    ¡°Wait a moment. You drank quite a lot. It¡¯s not safe to drive on a rainy day. I¡¯ll get Xiaye to send you home.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not wait for Su Chen¡¯s reply as he walked towards the pantry.

    ¡®Knock, knock¡¯

    Mu Yuchen still knocked on the door politely before opening the pantry door. As expected, the three women inside seemed to be chatting happily.

    ¡°Excuse me, sorry!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at her husband who had suddenly appeared.

    ¡°Send Su Chen back. It¡¯s not safe to drive at this time. He even drank quite a lot of wine. Remember to put on your coat. It¡¯s very cold outside.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Xi Xiaye as he instructed her.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded and quickly got up. She turned around to tell Dongfang Liuyun and Qin Su, ¡°Well I¡¯ll send Su Chen home. You guys chat for a bit first. The expressway on the southeast main road has opened. It¡¯s less than an hour to and fro, I¡¯ll be quick.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun and Qin Su nodded happily.

    Xi Xiaye then got up and walked out.

    Mu Yuchen had drunk quite a lot tonight, so it was not convenient for him to drive, so he could only let Xi Xiaye do it for him.

    ¡°Be careful too, it¡¯s raining heavily. Your phone is out of battery. Take my phone with you. Don¡¯t call your son sote. You¡¯ll see them tomorrow morning.¡±

    Mu Yuchen followed Xi Xiaye out as he handed her the car keys. He even gave her hisrge windbreaker.

    Xi Xiaye quickly took it. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry. I promise to send him to Ji Zitong¡¯s ce safely. You can go back now. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    She realized that this man seemed to be getting more and more naggy. Every time she went out, she would hear him nag for a while. It was very different from his usual reserved manner in thepany, those employees probably could not believe that their Chairman Mu was such a person at home!

    Xi Xiaye suddenly smiled, then she walked towards the door.

    ...

    After Su Chen left, Zhou Zimo chatted with Qi Lei for a while, then he got up to go back. Qin Su still had to go back to the Qin residence tonight, so Zhou Zimo still had to send her back.

    Qi Lei and the others¡¯ Grand Lake Vi area was very close to Maple Residence, so it did not matter if they werete. However, when they saw Zhou Zimo leave, they did not want Mu Yuchen to send them off one by one, so they left too.

    Mu Yuchen sent Zhou Zimo and Qin Su out of the door.

    It was still chilly outside, so Qin Su felt extremely cold.

    ¡°Zimo is a person worth cherishing. Qin Su, I hope you two can be happy.¡±

    While Zhou Zimo walked over to talk to Qi Lei, Mu Yuchen said to Qin Su in a low voice, ¡°I admit that I wanted to set the two of you up back then.¡±

    Qin Su was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°I know. Thank you. Now that I¡¯m married to him, of course I¡¯ll treat him well. I hope that I can be like all of you and have a rtionship that goes with the flow. Do you think he¡¯ll give me such a rtionship?¡±

    Qin Su smiled calmly. Even though she asked, she did not seem to care too much about the answer. Before Mu Yuchen could answer, she had already taken two steps forward, opened the driver¡¯s seat door, and sat in the car.

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Zhou Zimo. There was a smile on his handsome face, and that smile was naturally meaningful.

    The two cars drove forward one after the other in the storm.

    There were not many cars on the road, especially on such a cold rainy night.

    ¡°They¡¯re my good friends, you got along with them just fine, right?¡±

    Zhou Zimo suddenly asked as he looked at Qin Su who was focused on driving.

    ¡°Fortunately, Xiaye and Liuyun¡¯s personalities are pretty straightforward and they aren¡¯t petty. In time, we¡¯ll get to know each other more and we¡¯ll naturally be good friends.¡±

    Qin Su admired Xi Xiaye and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I was worried that you won¡¯t have many friends here. They¡¯re all pretty good people. I won¡¯t worry if you¡¯re with them. You cane visit them often in the future.¡±

    Qin Su rarely stayed in City Z, so she did not have many friends here. Zhou Zimo naturally wanted to help her find a few more friends to talk to. Xi Xiaye and Dongfang Liuyun were pretty good.

    Qin Su turned on the music yer. The deep and low singing voice sounded very clear and natural in this narrow space.

    ¡°I understand how you feel about me. Actually, you don¡¯t have to be so amodating with me. You are Zhou Zimo, you are you. Since we¡¯re married now, I don¡¯t think too much about it. I just know that you¡¯re going to be with me, Qin Su, for the rest of your life. I¡¯m an indifferent and uninteresting person. I¡¯m not as gentle as you expect me to be. I have a lot of ws as well. The further I go, the more ws I¡¯ll expose...¡±

    ¡°I have a lot of ws as well. Before I found you, my mother kept whispering in my ear that marriage is mostly about two people getting used to each other and transitioning into family. Do you think...¡±

    ¡°I know, I think so too. When I agreed to your proposal, I actually knew the inevitability of my answer. It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t had a chance to step into marriage after all these years. It¡¯s just that every time I struggle, there¡¯s a little more unwillingness. My ideal marriage is a union that¡¯s because of love.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t our current marriage because of love? There¡¯s no entanglement of interests, and there¡¯s no farsightedness ofpromise. My feelings for you aren¡¯t something that happened in a day or two. Your feelings for me...¡±

    ¡°I admire you too. I know that you might not be satisfied with this answer, but since you¡¯ve be my husband, of course I¡¯ll treat you wholeheartedly.¡± Qin Su said.

    ¡°From your tone, it sounds like you¡¯re carrying out a mission. Do you feel wronged marrying me?¡± Zhou Zimo said somewhat helplessly.

    Qin Su gave him a sideways nce. ¡°Do you feel wronged marrying me then?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Zhou Zimo replied.

    ¡°I won¡¯t marry someone I don¡¯t like, Zhou Zimo.¡±

    Qin Su thought for a moment before saying this. Then, she increased the speed of the car¡ª

    ¡°I hope that we can have a rtionship that goes with the flow. There won¡¯t be any sudden feelings of burden, guilt, and self-me. There will only be a subtle dy of feelings deepening. Can you give me that?¡±

    Zhou Zimo thought for a long time before he finally understood what she meant. He could not help but be stunned for a moment before he narrowed his eyes and looked at her¡ª

    ¡°You mean, you do like me a little too?¡±

    ¡°You are a very outstanding person to begin with. It¡¯s not very strange for me to like you.¡±

    Qin Su could not be bothered to be pretentious.

 Chapter 1954 - Drunk Together (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1954: Drunk Together (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The winter rain did not seem to stop. It had been raining for several days, and the weather was unusually cold.

    Song Siting was also a very efficient person. The matters of thew firm were quickly arranged. She also handed over the case in hand to others and officially retired from the legal world.

    After Dongfang Liuyun obtained Dongfang Shuman¡¯s permission, she also arranged an office for Song Siting.

    Song Siting was the chief legal adviser of thepany to begin with. It was very normal for her to be on duty now.

    Song Siting¡¯s health had almost recovered. She was also a person who could not stay idle, so after the matters were arranged and the office was ready, she went straight to work.

    Dongfang Liuyun personally brought her to the office.

    The style of the office was also simple and in, as Song Siting had always liked. Standing at the door and looking inside, Song Siting was already very satisfied.

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun walked in, turned around to look at Song Siting, and exined, ¡°This was arranged by Secretary Ding ording to my requirements. The general style is simr to your previous office. See if you¡¯re satisfied. If you¡¯re not satisfied, we can change it.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she passed the item in her hand to Song Siting.

    Song Siting took it from her. ¡°No, it¡¯s pretty good. I¡¯m quite satisfied.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯re roughly aware of the situation in thepany. Although Grandmother said that she didn¡¯t really interfere in thepany¡¯s matters, she¡¯s still aware of thepany¡¯s operations. Mother, perhaps you feel that I¡¯ve wronged you by letting you do this, causing you to give up your life¡¯s work and dreams. Maybe I¡¯m selfish. I hope that we can...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it. I understand. I don¡¯t feel wronged either. I¡¯ve thought a lot these days. You have your reasons for your opinions of me. I really haven¡¯t thought about it from your standpoint. I was a bit subjective and arbitrary.¡±

    It was almost impossible for someone like Song Siting to admit her mistakes. She had made a lot of changes andpromises recently.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say this. Father has always been tolerant.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly as she walked to the window and pulled open the tightly shut curtains. What she saw was the gloomy cold rain outside.

    ¡°Yes, your father is very good to me. He has always taken care of me and amodated me. Instead it¡¯s me who sometimes felt like he doesn¡¯t understand me enough and hasn¡¯t given me enough.¡±

    As Song Siting spoke, the smile on her face was filled with an indescribable guilt, but it was also filled with a faint happiness.

    ¡°Sometimes, I quite envy your rtionship with Father. I¡¯m even more envious that you could get a rtionship with a person like my father.¡±

    There was a faint smile in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone. As she spoke, she turned to look at Song Siting. ¡°Mother, some feelings don¡¯te easily. You should cherish them. It¡¯s not easy for Father to only have you in his heart all these years.¡±

    Song Siting naturally agreed with her daughter¡¯s words. She was the only one who could understand how deep Dongfang Gan¡¯s feelings for her were.

    ¡°Qi Lei will treat you the same.¡± Song Siting replied.

    ¡°I promised him that we would be together for the rest of our lives. It should be said that I will continue to treat him well, just like how Father treated you. I know that Fujiwara went to look for you, but everything is already set in stone. If this is fate, I¡¯m really resigned to it. I¡¯m willing.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very calm.

    Hearing this, Song Siting was stunned¡ª

    Fujiwara had gone to look for her for the past two days, but...

    ¡°He just came to visit me, we didn¡¯t talk about you much. I just felt that it was a pity. After all, the two of you were so in love before, and our... However, Qi Lei is pretty good now.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I just wanted to remind you to take care of yourself. There have been quite a few rumors about me recently. I don¡¯t really care about it. It¡¯s just that if this kind of thing is spread too much, others will take it seriously. It will also cause trouble for Qi Lei. It will even affect our rtionship. I think, Mother, you should know this better than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you get used to this space first. The documents on the table are all rted materials. I¡¯ll go back to my office first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything else. She took a deep breath and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Song Siting called out to her subconsciously. However, all Dongfang Liuyun left for her was that cold and indifferent view of her back...

    ...

    Qi Lei had been very busy these few days. For the past few days, he had been leaving early and returningte.

    When she woke up in the morning, he was most likely already gone, but downstairs, he had prepared breakfast meticulously, and dinner was mostly for socializing.

    These past two days, he had even gone to City B with Mu Yuchen. It seemed to be the second phase of the project there, but things went very smoothly. He would go there one day and be back the next day.

    He had not rested well for the past few days, and he was still shuttling through the cold wind and rain. In the end, he could not withstand the cold. When he returned home in the afternoon, he copsed on the sofa. He was in a daze as he grabbed his phone in a blurriness, he called Dongfang Liuyun directly.

    When she received the call, Dongfang Liuyun was in her office reading documents. When she saw that it was her man calling, she quickly picked up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re back?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was heard.

    Soon, there was a cough from the other side, followed by a certain person¡¯s hoarse and nasally voice¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m back... I¡¯m at home. I feel terrible all over, I¡¯ve caught a cold from Mu Yuchen. Hurry up ande back.¡±

    There was a hint of dominance in his weak voice. ¡°I want to eat the dumplings you make. Also, I want to drink chicken soup. Remember to buy me medicine...¡±

    Then, without waiting for Dongfang Liuyun to answer, he hung up.

    ¡°Cough, cough¡ª¡±

    Another series of coughs sounded. Qi Lei raised his hand to touch his forehead. He did not seem to have a fever, but why did he feel cold all over?

    As he thought about it, he could not help but shiver again. He shrunk his body and quickly tightened the nket on his body.

    ...

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s situation was not much better. After returning from City B, he had caught a cold too. He probably caught a cold when he went to inspect the ce yesterday.

    ¡°Daddy... water... water...¡±

    In the bedroom, while Mu Yuchen was sleeping soundly under the nket, he suddenly heard his son Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s voice. He quickly opened his heavy eyes and realized that Mu Xiaocheng was standing by the bed with one small hand supporting himself with the bed, the other hand was holding a small cup with some steaming water in it...

 Chapter 1955 - Drunk Together (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1955: Drunk Together (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, because he was still young, his walk was still a little uneven. Half of the water in the cup had already been spilled.

    ¡°Son?¡±

    When he saw the cute little one in front of him, Mu Yuchen quickly got up and took the cup from him. He ced it on the bedside table and carried him up.

    Mu Xiaocheng reached out to touch his father¡¯s face and blinked his starry eyes at him. ¡°Daddy... Are you afraid of getting an injection? It hurts...¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and pinched Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cute little face. ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t need needles. He¡¯ll be fine soon. Where¡¯s Mommy?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng looked at the door and thought for a while before he looked at Mu Yuchen and shook his head.

    Mu Yuchen held his little fists with both hands. ¡°Come, let Daddy see if you¡¯ve grown. Did Grandmother teach you how to count?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng could now easily understand the meaning of many words. He was about to turn two years old. He inherited Mu Yuchen¡¯s wisdom and intelligence, and even his personality was a little simr.

    Zhuang Shurong often smiled and said that Mu Xiaocheng was exactly the same as Mu Yuchen when he was young!

    ¡°Did Grandmother teach you that? Tell Daddy.¡±

    Mu Yuchen hugged him and his handsome face was filled with the pride of being a father¡ª

    Mu Zirui and Mu Zicheng both made him feel at ease. Mu Zirui¡¯s grades were very good in school. He was always first in the school in all the national exams and Wei¡¯er¡¯s grades were also improving. The siblings were very good at ying together, they were also very sensible.

    After Mu Zirui finishes his homework after school, he would wholeheartedly tutor Qi Wei¡¯er. asionally, when he was free, the father and son would y chess together and talk about matters of the heart.

    This was the kind of life he had always been hoping for, so he treasured it especially and enjoyed it especially.

    As expected, Mu Xiaocheng began to count with his fingers...

    He got up and changed. When he carried Mu Xiaocheng downstairs, he saw Zhuang Shurong tidying up in the living room.

    After Zhuang Shurong retired, she spent most of her time taking care of the children. Otherwise, she would spend time with Mu Tangchuan, practicing calligraphy at home, and learning how to arrange flowers. Of course, she was also a visiting professor at a university. asionally, she would give the students somew elective sses, there were only a few sses per week.

    This kind of life felt very fulfilling and meaningful for Zhuang Shurong. When she was free, she would asionally go back to Glory World or Fuhua Real Estate to visit Mu Yuchen or Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Mother, just let the servants do these things. Why do you need to do it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice rang out.

    Zhuang Shurong then turned to look over. Mu Xiaocheng quickly called out, ¡°Grandmother...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was ted by his call. She put down the magazine in her hands and reached out to hug Mu Xiaocheng. However, Mu Xiaocheng struggled to get down and began to y with his own.

    The floor was covered with a thick carpet. The house was very warm. Mu Yuchen was not worried that the little guy would get cold ying on the floor, so he let him y by himself.

    ¡°Xiaye said that you¡¯re not feeling well, so she asked me toe over when I had time. I saw that you were still asleep earlier, so I didn¡¯t wake you up. How are you feeling now? You don¡¯t have a fever, right?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was concerned. As she spoke, she poured a ss of water for Mu Yuchen and handed it over.

    Mu Yuchen took it and drank a few mouthfuls. ¡°I¡¯m much better. It¡¯s not a big deal. I just caught a little wind yesterday. With this cold rain and cold current, not many people can withstand it.¡±

    ¡°You have to take care of your body. Go out and exercise when you have time. I often force your father to go out for a walk with me. Your father¡¯s physical examination results made me worried too. The doctor said that his physique is a little weak, and he was fatigued for a long period of time. At your father¡¯s height today, I¡¯m afraid not many people know how hard he has worked. Sigh...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s eyes were filled with worry as she spoke. Of course, there was also her feelings for Mu Tangchuan.

    Mu Yuchen knew that his parents¡¯ feelings were the simplest kind of feelings. At work, they could be teachers to each other or friends. In life, they were a harmonious couple.

    After Mu Yinan passed away, if Zhuang Shurong had not retired at home, the entire Mu residence would have been very empty. Sometimes, Mu Yuchen did not want to go back, but now...

    ¡°Mother, thank you for your understanding and sacrifice.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment before he suddenly said this.

    Zhuang Shurong paused for a moment before she smiled, ¡°What did you say? What do you mean by sacrifice? Actually, I know that both you and Xiaye feel a little regretful that I¡¯ve retired like this. But I¡¯ve thought about it very clearly. After decades of ups and downs in the political arena, it¡¯s time for me to have a calm life. It should have been time for me to retire a long time ago. More than half of my life has passed. I still think that the remaining one-third of my time belongs to my family, my children, and my husband.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when Mother had such thoughts. Didn¡¯t Father say that you¡¯re not suitable to be a good wife and mother?¡±

    Mu Yuchen was touched when he heard Zhuang Shurong¡¯s words.

    ¡°Why not? This has nothing to do with being a good wife and mother. I¡¯m just doing what I think I should do as a wife, as well as a mother and grandmother.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled very calmly and very rxed, ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling quite happy and content recently. Without the worries of work, I feel much more rxed. Your father even told me that he has never enjoyed the feeling of taking care of me in his life. Was I especially strong headed in the past?¡±

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes and smiled. ¡°No. In my eyes, Mother has always been a very dignified, noble, and elegant mother.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s rtionship with his parents was actually a little cold. Over the past few years, things had gotten much better. Everyone knew that all of this was actually thanks to XI Xiaye.

    ¡°Your father and I were indeed quite harsh to you in the past. Fortunately, you didn¡¯t me us.¡±

    ¡°I understand, especially now that I¡¯m a father.¡±

    Mu Yuchen tightened his grip on the cup as he looked at Mu Xiaocheng who was ying beside him. ¡°I hope that the children¡¯s path of growth won¡¯t be as bumpy as mine.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Xiaocheng and the others won¡¯t have it the same. Your father said that when he retires in a few years, he¡¯ll personally take care of Xiaocheng and Xiao Rui. As for Wei¡¯er, let her learn some practical things from me.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you keep an eye on Xiaocheng first. It¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯m going to go buy some vegetables. It¡¯ll be perfect when Xiayees backter. Your father wille over for dinner tonight. I couldn¡¯t drive with Xiaocheng, so he¡¯s bring me back with him.¡±

    As Zhuang Shurong said this, she suddenly stood up...

 Chapter 1956 - Drunk Together (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1956: Drunk Together (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the evening, Xi Xiaye came back quite early. Her grandpa said that he missed the children, so today, Mu Zirui and Wei¡¯er went straight to the Shen residence.

    When Xi Xiaye drove into Maple Residence, the sky had already darkened. The entire residence was brightly lit.

    She got out of the car and walked into the residence in the cold rain. Just as she entered the door, she saw Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong sitting in the living room. Mu Xiaocheng was sitting quietly on the sofa between the two of them, watching cartoons.

    The little guy could not understand what was being said on the television at all. However, seeing the little guy¡¯s expression, he was really focused. Compared to when his father was serious, he looked really serious and did not make any noise at all.

    Meanwhile, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were chatting about something.

    Mu Yuchen was nowhere to be seen. Could he still be upstairs?

    When they went to pick him up, they knew that they were not feeling too well. They were a little worried, so they asked Zhuang Shurong toe over to take a look. They did not know if they were feeling better now.

    ¡°Father, Mother!¡±

    Xi Xiaye changed her shoes and then called out.

    ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re back?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan looked over at the same time and smiled.

    Xi Xiaye nodded happily and walked over to them. Meanwhile, Mu Xiaocheng, who was focused on watching television, turned around. When he saw his mother, his starry eyes instantly lit up, his cute little face instantly gave a smile as he said, ¡°Xiaye, you¡¯re back...¡±

    When they heard this, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong paused and quickly hugged Mu Xiaocheng. ¡°Hey, my precious, you cannot be the one saying Xiaye, you have to call Mommy, understand?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t call by the first name, you have to call her Mommy. Look at him, the moment he sees you, he¡¯s not stingy with his smile. He was just sulking at me just now.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong looked at Mu Xiaocheng helplessly.

    Mu Xiaocheng had already slid down the sofa. He walked over to Xi Xiaye with his little arms and legs as he reached out. ¡°Mother...¡±

    Xi Xiaye had no choice but to put down the things in her hands. She reached out to pick him up and kissed his little face affectionately. ¡°Did you listen to Grandmother and be good?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng quickly answered. As he answered, he reached out to touch Xi Xiaye¡¯s face.

    ¡°I can tell just by looking at you, you were naughty. Where¡¯s Daddy?¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her hand to pat his little head.

    ¡°Daddy¡¯s sleeping.¡±

    The little guy pointed upstairs as he spoke.

    ¡°Father, Mother, please take him first then. I¡¯ll go make dinner,¡± said Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Don¡¯t busy yourself now. Your mother has already made soup and was waiting for you toe back. It should be almost done, just need to cook a few more dishes. Ah Chen is still upstairs. He¡¯s slept for the whole afternoon. You should go up and take a look. Come, Xiao Cheng,e with Grandfather.¡±

    It was Mu Tangchuan who spoke.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already prepared the dishes. The fish has been steamed too. I¡¯ll just cook a few more side dishes. I¡¯ll go and cook now. Go up and see Ah Chen. I saw that he was sleeping soundly, so I didn¡¯t disturb him. It¡¯s easy to catch a cold when the days are chilly, you guys have to be careful.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong then went into the kitchen.

    Mu Tangchuan hugged Mu Xiaocheng too. At this moment, Xi Xiaye went upstairs.

    The bedroom was pitch-ck. Even the wallmp by the window was not turned on. The flickering light was from the streetmps that were refracted from outside.

    Xi Xiaye reached out to turn on the light by the door. The room instantly lit up. She subconsciously looked at the bed and saw that the person on the bed had already curled up. Xi Xiaye quickly walked over.

    Sure enough, she saw that a certain someone¡¯s handsome face was covered in ayer of sweat. His face was slightly red and his forehead was covered in sweat. His brows were tightly knitted together. It was obvious that he was not sleeping well either.

    However, when Xi Xiaye walked closer, he woke up too.

    ¡°How are you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a little worried as she prepared a warm wet towel for him and handed it to him.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was already a little hoarse as he took the towel and wiped his face. Then, he lifted the nket and got out of bed. Only then did he realize that his robe was already drenched in sweat.

    ¡°Mmm, I just came back. Father and Mother are still preparing dinner downstairs. How do you feel? Your clothes are all wet. Go and change first.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she also found a clean set of home clothes for him from the wardrobe.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m much better now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took the clothes from her and hisrge hand patted her head as well. He lowered his head and lightly touched her lips. Then, he took the clothes and walked into the bathroom while Xi Xiaye busied herself changing out of the sheets and nkets.

    When the couple went downstairs, dinner was already prepared.

    The few of them sat around the table while Mu Xiaocheng sat on his custom-made chair. Zhuang Shurong was feeding him. When the little guy saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, he immediately took the spoon from Zhuang Shurong, he started eating, but because his movements were not very steady, the food spilled onto a napkin and rice grains were all over his face.

    Xi Xiaye did not know whether tough or cry as she watched. Mu Yuchen patiently taught him how to steady his movements and how to distinguish between the various types of food in the bowl, what they were called, and what they were used for.

    Mu Yuchen was very dignified in Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s eyes. The father and son pair also yed very well. Every time she watched the father and son interact, it seemed to be a great enjoyment for Xi Xiaye.

    Not long after dinner, Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan went back. Of course, Mu Xiaocheng also went back with them.

    When they were done with their work, it was already past ten in the evening.

    When Xi Xiaye came out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, Mu Yuchen was sitting on the sofa beside the French window, talking on the phone. He was probably calling Li Si. Xi Xiaye could only vaguely hear the words ¡®Myanmar¡¯, she did not take it to heart. It must be a business matter.

    ¡°You¡¯ve slept for so long during the day. You shouldn¡¯t be sleepy now, right?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had just put his phone away when a faint fragrance wafted over. Her voice suddenly came over. Mu Yuchen turned his head and realized that she was holding a tray with two cups of hot milk in it.

    ¡°Drink some. I¡¯ll chat with you.¡±

    Seeing that he did not move, Xi Xiaye simply put the milk on the table beside him. She also took a cup and sat down opposite him.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? I¡¯ve said quite a few, but why haven¡¯t you answered me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at him in surprise.

    Then, Mu Yuchen leaned back on the sofa and took a sip of the milk. ¡°Do I look like I have something on my mind? What did Mother say to you just now? She¡¯s so mysterious. Did she make up something bad about me?¡±

 Chapter 1957 - Drunk Together (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1957: Drunk Together (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye red at him and said disapprovingly, ¡°Can¡¯t you say something nice? She said that Xiaocheng is so cute. Now that the three children are quite big, there¡¯s no need to take care of them like this. Xiaocheng might be able to attend kindergarten in the next year or two.¡±

    ¡°However, now that she¡¯s retired at home, she has a lot of free time too. She wants us to make use of this time and take advantage of this gap. Thepany¡¯s matters are stable, so she wants us to quickly give birth to another child... if it¡¯s a daughter, that¡¯s naturally the best...¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned as she said this. She thought about it for a long time before she continued, ¡°Do you think that I really can¡¯t anymore? After consuming so much medicinal food, the doctor still said that it¡¯s because of my poor physique...¡±

    ¡°Your physique wasn¡¯t good to begin with. Alright, don¡¯t think about these things anymore. What¡¯s meant to be will be, just let nature take its course. Anyway, we have a son and Wei¡¯er. Can you endure another troublemaker?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked up at her and put the cup in his hand aside. When he saw her gloomy expression, he reached out to pull her over. His warm hand instantly warmed her cold hands.

    ¡°But I. ..¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no buts. Don¡¯t worry about this matter anymore in the future. Don¡¯t deliberately drink those medicinal things. It¡¯s good enough that you¡¯re healthy. Have youpletely forgotten the hardships you endured when you were pregnant with Xiaocheng? If you bear it one more time and really be a thing of the past, do you think I¡¯ll still want you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen grumbled. As he said this, hisrge hand subconsciously patted her head.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned and looked at him.

    ¡°I just can¡¯t bear to see you go through all this. Every time you consume those medicinal cuisines, when have you ever one of them isn¡¯t stiff?¡±

    ¡°Is there?¡± Xi Xiaye asked softly.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯srge hand wrapped around her back, ¡°I think this is just a process of life. Now that our son is so old enough, we can be considered to have experienced it once. The time in the future is left for you and me, for the children, and for the so-called yearning.¡±

    ¡°I just want to have more ties with you that I can¡¯t part with. I¡¯m getting older day by day, yet you¡¯re bing more and more profound and charming because of the passage of time. God knows how much courage I need to keep you in my sights so that other women won¡¯t dare to covet you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye naturally said this with a blush on her face.

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, he immediately shot her a meaningful look and chuckled. ¡°What? The possessiveness of a little jealous bucket can¡¯t allow for anything else now?¡±

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him and did not say anything. At this moment, he was smiling very happily as he said hoarsely, ¡°In this big, big world, apart from Xi Xiaye, who else is worthy of my attention? We¡¯ve even had a child together. Can¡¯t you think about something else?¡±

    ¡°I want to too, but I can¡¯t help it. Every time I see other women get close to you, I feel ufortable, even though I know you¡¯ve never taken them seriously. Like those pretty women we met on this trip...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she lowered her voice a little. Although she felt ufortable, she was a little worried that her husband would say that she was making a big fuss out of nothing and that she was narrow-minded.

    ¡°Since you know that these things don¡¯t feel good, why didn¡¯t you understand my feelings when I told you earlier that the Master of the Meng family was too attentive to you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen then gave her a sly look as the smile on his face grew wider.

    Xi Xiaye paused for a moment before she realized what this man meant. She could not help but clench her fists and re at him¡ª

    ¡°You mean that by acting like this, you¡¯re just taking revenge in disguise?¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled and shrugged. He coughed lightly. ¡°One pregnancy does make one silly three years, sure enough... If this was in the past, you would¡¯ve reacted long ago. You¡¯ve be a little slow, huh, Mrs. Mu?¡±

    ¡°How are you like this!?¡± Xi Xiayeined, her brows knitted together.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t like you now?¡±

    ¡°But <i>I </i>don¡¯t like you!¡±

    ¡°Have your guts grown?¡±

    ¡°Not just my guts, even my arms, legs, and waist have grown. Anything wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°Really? Let me check it out?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ...

    When he received Qin Su, it was already past nine. By now, it was already 10:30 when she got home.

    They had dinner at the Qin residence. Qin Su had stayed there for a few days the moment she returned. Today, she had just finished packing her things and officially started her husband-and-wife life with Zhou Zimo.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s actions were very quick. He redecorated the entire vi and even changed a lot of new furniture. He also changed the style of his room to the half-warm color system that Qin Su liked.

    When Qin Su returned to the vi, she saw that the entire vi was brand new. She was a little puzzled and went upstairs to check. Her previous room had beenpletely opened up by Zhou Zimo and made into a very leisurely resting room. Her things...

    Needless to say, it had already been moved to Zhou Zimo¡¯s room. There were also a lot of new clothes and dresses in the wardrobe of the cloakroom. They were all her size and those shoes and socks. They were very well prepared.

    When they went downstairs again, Zhou Zimo had already prepared supper.

    ¡°The weather is cold. Let¡¯s have some red wine.¡±

    Zhou Zimo also poured a ss of wine for Qin Su.

    Qin Su did not refuse and took it. Without even looking at him, she raised her head and drank it all in one go. Then, she handed the ss over and said indifferently, ¡°Why did you renovate everything in the house?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the beginning of a new life. What¡¯s wrong with a change of environment? I¡¯ve gotten people to prepare several collections of clothes and all the supplies for you. They¡¯re in the cloakroom. See if they¡¯re suitable. If they¡¯re not, I¡¯ll get the designer to directly customize them for you.¡± Zhou Zimo said as he reached out to cut the steak for Qin Su in a gentlemanly manner.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. It looks pretty good. It¡¯s a simple dark color series that I like. It¡¯s tailor-made by the designer. That¡¯s what public figures pay attention to. I¡¯m just an ordinary person.¡±

    Qin Su had always been low-key and reserved. That kind of princess-like life was definitely not suitable for her.

    ¡°But I want to give you the best. Otherwise, what¡¯s the use of me working so hard?¡±

    Zhou Zimo poured her a ss of wine.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the kind of person who wants to rely on others. I feel that a woman¡¯s value should not only be reflected in her family, but also in her social value and her career. ¡°You won¡¯t ask me, Qin Su, to stay at home in peace and be a good wife and mother to you, right?¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s tone was very calm. As she spoke, she drank another ss before pouring it again. She raised the ss and toasted Zhou Zimo. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to wait for your answer. I¡¯d better call for mercy first.¡±

 Chapter 1958 - Drunk Together (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1958: Drunk Together (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Qin Su said this, Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment before heughed out loud

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that even an honorable officer like you would have an unpresentable moment too. I¡¯ve told you before that after marriage, many things will not change. You¡¯re still free to do whatever you want. No one will force you to do anything you don¡¯t want to do. The Zhou family isn¡¯tcking in servants. Why do you have to be a good wife and mother?¡±

    After Zhou Zimo said this, Qin Su raised her eyes to look at him. ¡°Are you sure? If I keep doing this, will your mother and the others say that I¡¯m too...¡±

    ¡°What can they say? They have to be grateful that you¡¯re willing to marry me. Don¡¯t think too much. Just be yourself.¡±

    Zhou Zimo returned the favor.

    ¡°Remember what you said, we won¡¯t have to worry about these things in the future. Let me toast you. Thank you for your tolerance and perseverance during this period of time, which has made our fatee true. In terms of rtionships, I admit that I really don¡¯t have your perseverance. Zhou Zimo, please advise me in the long future!¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s words were very sincere. It could be seen that she seemed to be slowly epting this marriage. Most of the time, she was willing to cooperate with him, just like when she went to Mu Yuchen¡¯s house a few days ago. ording to her personality, she would most likely reject him too, however, she only thought about it for a moment that day, and then she was willing to go with himter on.

    Zhou Zimo nodded as he listened. He poured some wine as well and leisurely toasted her. He also said very sincerely¡ª

    ¡°Missus, don¡¯t worry. Your Mr. Zhou will definitely be able to withstand the test. You have a lifetime to test him.¡±

    Qin Su gave him a sidelong nce and then drank the wine in one gulp. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re self-disciplined. Why do you need me to test you? You¡¯re also someone who came out of the military camp. In theory, your self-discipline should be stronger than others.¡±

    ¡°I think my self-discipline is very good. How else could I have been thinking about you all these years?¡±

    Zhou Zimo immediately replied when he heard that.

    Qin Su was as calm as the wind. Just like how she was before, she was as calm as the waves. This was also one of the reasons why Zhou Zimo had been thinking about her until now.

    ¡°You made yourself quite infatuated. Let¡¯s encourage each other. Drink a few more sses, this wine isn¡¯t strong.¡±

    ¡°Although it¡¯s not strong, it¡¯s not good to drink too much. Drink less.¡± Zhou Zimo reminded her.

    However, Qin Su gently shook her head and quietly poured him some wine. She looked at Zhou Zimo and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s rare to have this kind of mood tonight. It¡¯s good to get drunk. It seems that we¡¯ve never sat down and drank in such a calm manner before.¡±

    ¡°Have you always been prejudiced against me?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    Qin Su took a deep breath and downed a ss of wine before replying, ¡°It¡¯s not prejudice, because I¡¯ve never imagined that my partner would be someone like you. I¡¯m more willing to believe that he should be a great soldier, just like my parents.¡±

    ¡°Do I seem like one of those Masters to you?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I just feel like we¡¯re from two different worlds. To me, you¡¯re a parallel line that I thought would never cross.¡± Qin Su answered very earnestly.

    ¡°Once a rtionship happens, there¡¯s no parallel line to speak of. I firmly believe that we will definitely cross paths. Reality has proven that I have foresight.¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he looked at her quietly while she was busy pouring wine.

    ¡°I heard that you were sent to the Military Academy?¡±

    Qin Su was very low-key, but her sharpness was not weak.

    ¡°Yes, my father has been very strict with me since I was young. When I just started school, they had already set a path for me to go to the Military Academy and join the army. Coincidentally, this is also a career that I like, so I didn¡¯t refute them.¡±

    ¡°Is your life so monotonous?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said. You know, I¡¯ve been working undercover for many years. If it wasn¡¯t for my injuries, I¡¯m afraid that I wouldn¡¯t have retired from the front line so quickly. Of course, this is also because of my father.¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Qin Su could not help but sigh, ¡°Walking on the edge of a knife, I¡¯ve seen quite a few things. To be honest, I actually feel quite tired. I often feel tired and even a little powerless. I¡¯m looking forward to living that kind of peaceful life. You don¡¯t have to constantly worry about your identity being seen through by the other party, and you don¡¯t have to worry about those drug lords suspecting your identity, or even pointing a gun at your head.¡±

    As she recalled those memories, Qin Su¡¯s expression became even more solemn, ¡°Sometimes, even in your dreams, your identity is exposed. When you wake up, you¡¯re covered in cold sweat. It took me a very long time to put my life and death aside. I feel like my life is in my hands. I don¡¯t even know when I¡¯ve lost it.¡±

    As she said this, Qin Su¡¯s tone also became calm. However, Zhou Zimo took in her expression and his heart began to ache silently¡ª

    It was not like he had never experienced something like that before. Even now, he still felt a lingering fear when he thought about it. However, his experience was not even one-tenth of hers.

    To have such boldness and courage, he should at least admire her.

    ¡°Your strength and courage make my heart ache. Qin Su, in the future, you don¡¯t have to endure those things anymore. You will live a happy life. Believe me! I can give it to you! I will work hard to give you whatever you want!¡±

    Zhou Zimo finished the wine in his ss in one gulp. He could not help but reach out and grab her cold hand tightly, ¡°All of this is in the past. In the future, we...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other intentions when I¡¯m telling you this. It¡¯s just that when I drink too much, I talk too much. Zhou Zimo, can you give me the so-called peace and Tranquility?¡±

    Qin Su downed another ss of wine. Suddenly, she felt a surge of heat. Her pair of clear eyes became a little blurry. She held the wine bottle with one hand and looked at Zhou Zimo.

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s reply was very affirmative.

    As she listened, a faint smile finally blossomed on Qin Su¡¯s cold and beautiful face. This was already very rare for her, who did not like to smile. She was like a rose blooming in full bloom on a rainy night, causing Zhou Zimo to be deeply intoxicated and unable to shift his eyes away.

    However, it was only a short-lived flower.

    ¡°Mmm, then, I thank you. Thank you for waiting for me and giving me happiness. I¡¯m a little touched. Really, at this moment.¡±

    Qin Su took a deep breath and raised her misty eyes to meet his pitch-ck eyes.

    Zhou Zimo held her hand tightly and smiled gently. He said softly, ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Qin Su...¡±

    Qin Su shook her head and did not think much of it. She endured the absent-mindedness in her head and replied, ¡°No... It¡¯s very difficult for me to get drunk. You can drink a few cups with me...¡±

    Then she filled up the cup in front of her...

 Chapter 1959 - Drunk Together (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1959: Drunk Together (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhou Zimo finally did not stop her. He just watched her drink and thought to himself that she must have needed a lot of determination to agree to his proposal so easily.

    His grip on her hand tightened.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be like them, will we?¡±

    Qin Su asked absentmindedly, ¡°We won¡¯t let each other down, will we?¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t. We¡¯ll be together forever.¡± Zhou Zimo replied and drank a ss with her.

    ¡°What do you mean by being together forever? They all say that handsome men are unreliable and not suitable to be husbands. You make me feel threatened and difficult to control...¡±

    See, she said that she was not drunk. If she was not, would she dare say such things?

    But, what did she mean by handsome men being unreliable?

    Did she mean that he, Zhou Zimo, was handsome? He liked hearing these words, but what did she mean by unreliable?

    Did he, Zhou Zimo, look like someone who was unreliable?

    He wanted to rip his heart out and show it to her. She made him feel wronged so easily. However, what could he do?

    Who asked him to care for her?

    ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Qin Su.¡±

    ¡°How could I be drunk with such a little alcohol? Stop talking nonsense. Drink it. It¡¯s meaningless to watch me drink. I¡¯ll pour it for you. Come!¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not refuse, so he could only let her drink it.

    One ss after another, Qin Su went to the wine cab and brought two more bottles of whiskey over. The husband and wife drank it like this. In a short while, the few bottles of alcohol had already bottomed out.

    Qin Su also lost consciousness after drinking. Zhou Zimo had also drunk quite a lot. When he saw Qin Su lying on the table and falling asleep, he was still somewhat awake. He looked at the woman who had already fallen asleep in front of him helplessly. The corners of his mouth could not help but curl into a smile, that smile contained a faint gentleness. He stood up and walked over, silently carrying her.

    Qin Su struggled for a while, but she was still somewhat vignt. She opened her starry eyes and vaguely saw that it was Zhou Zimo. Only then did she settle down.

    ¡°Go back and sleep. You¡¯re quite drunk.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk!¡±

    Like many people who were drunk, she tried her best to exin that she was not drunk.

    ¡°Okay, okay. If you say you¡¯re not drunk, then you¡¯re not. Let me carry you upstairs to rest. Drinking some hot water will make you feel better. There¡¯s also some hangover medicine, so that you won¡¯t have a headache when you wake up.¡±

    Zhou Zimo also coaxed her with a good temper. He carried her and walked upstairs with ease.

    Although she had a strong posture, she was also quite light. Zhou Zimo carried her upstairs without even taking a breath.

    The room on the second floor was already brand new. Of course, Qin Su¡¯s bedroom had already been arranged by him to his room...

    Qin Su only felt as if she was thrown into a cloud. When her body fell, she subconsciously reached out to grab something.

    Being grabbed by thepel of his shirt, Zhou Zimo naturally fell to the ground, caught off guard. When his lips were pressed with a touch of softness, he was stunned for a moment. When he looked down, he realized that Qin Su was staring at him with a pair of misty eyes. Her eyes were also not focused, her slightly opened pink lips were also very alluring in his eyes.

    He took a deep breath. When the fragrance of her hair assaulted him, he could not control it anymore. His breathing immediately became hurried, and his entire body subconsciously tensed up.

    ¡°Qin Su...¡±

    Zhou Zimo sucked in a breath of cold air with some difficulty. He could not help but pull Qin Su under him as his tall body covered herpletely.

    ¡°Qin Su... I might not be able to wait any longer. Don¡¯t me me, Qin Su...¡±

    All of Zhou Zimo¡¯s self-control instantly copsed like a sea that had broken through a dam. He could no longer bear it as he grabbed her wrist tightly. ¡°Do you... Do you know who I am? Qin Su... Who I am? Have you seen clearly?¡±

    Qin Su was in great pain from his grip. She opened her blurry eyes and her gaze was a little absent-minded. Her slightly opened red lips moved. After a long while, she finally saw the person in front of her clearly and replied in a low voice...

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I know you... aren¡¯t you... aren¡¯t you Zhou Zimo?¡±

    Her stato voice entered his ears, and his tensed heart also eased a little...

    At least she still knew that it was him, Zhou Zimo. In that case, he did not want to continue waiting, and he could not wait any longer.

    In reality, from the day he got close to her again, he had slowly been poisoned by her poison. Up until today, he had already fallen into a deep hole that he could not extricate himself from. He had to have her!

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me! It¡¯s me, Qin Su, it¡¯s me, Zhou Zimo. You have to remember clearly that the person who has you now is me, and in the future, it will only be me. Do you understand?¡±

    Zhou Zimo held her wrist, forcing her to see his appearance clearly.

    Qin Su also frowned, but he had already lowered his head and kissed her slightly cold lips.

    Qin Su was stunned for a moment and did not react for a moment. It was only when she felt that he had brazenly invaded her territory that she opened her eyes in a daze. When she saw Zhou Zimo¡¯s face in a daze, she was a little surprised and called out in a low voice..

    ¡°Zhou Zimo? Why is it you... What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Shh... Call Me Zimo...¡±

    Zhou Zimo bewitched her as his restless hand reached into her clothes. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, leave it to me...¡±

    ¡°Zimo...¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s reaction was a little awkward. After being teased by Zhou Zimo, she started to feel a little ufortable. She followed his voice and said in a low voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, call me a few more times... Qin Su...¡±

    This stance waspletely taking advantage of the fact that Qin Su was drunk and treating her like a little rabbit that was at the mercy of others. Zhou Zimo suddenly felt a little fortunate. Otherwise, who knew when they would be able to break through this step.

    ...

    Qin Su was bewitched until she was in a daze. She also called out, and then...

    Everything that happened next was very logical and natural.

    That night, Zhou Zimo once again experienced the deep-rooted love that he had for her all those years ago. Only when he had everything did he realize that he really had feelings for her all these years.

    As for the other women, it was not that he was too stubborn, but that he really did not have any feelings for them at all.

    He ravaged Qin Su endlessly, over and over again, and he could not control himself anymore. If he did not see the furrowed brows between her brows and worry that she would not be able to take it, he probably would not have stopped.

    After being indifferent for so many years, he naturally did not want to let her off just like that. However, there was still time in the future, and there would be plenty of opportunities to get it back from her in the future!

    If Qin Su knew what Zhou Zimo was thinking at this moment, she would probably be so scared that she would scream for mercy. In just a few years...

    How could she easily make it up to him?

    However, she still did not know about that matter, and Zhou Zimo did not n on letting her know about it, otherwise...

 Chapter 1960 - What Else Can I Do? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1960: What Else Can I Do? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When everything returned to silence, it was almost dawn.

    Even though the cold wind outside was chilly, this was the first night in so many years that Zhou Zimo felt at ease.

    He had waited for this moment for far too long.

    ¡°Sleep... Qin Su... I¡¯ve always loved you to this day and will continue to do so forever...¡±

    He looked at her sleeping face under the dim light. After taking a deep breath, he suddenly pulled her into his embrace and said in a low voice.

    Qin Su, who had fallen asleep, naturally did not know that Zhou Zimo had said these rare words to her.

    ...

    The next morning, Zhou Zimo woke up very early. For the entire night, he did not have much rest, but he was in good spirits.

    After packing up, he went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Seeing that it was almost time, he decided to go upstairs to wake Qin Su up. However, before he could go upstairs, he heard footstepsing from upstairs.

    He suddenly raised his head and saw that Qin Su had already walked down.

    She was still wearing the capable uniform of a prosecutor. Her hair was tied up, and she was holding a hat and a briefcase in her hand. Her cold beauty made Zhou Zimo¡¯s breathing tighten again.

    He carefully observed her expression, but he found that she was still as calm as ever. Her expression was as if nothing had happened.

    When she saw Zhou Zimo, she paused for a moment. She looked at him for a moment, then lowered her eyes and slowly went downstairs.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    The first to speak was Qin Su. Her tone was also very calm, not much different from before.

    Zhou Zimo listened and turned to look at her. Seeing that she was already sitting at the dining table, silently taking her breakfast, he followed her and sat down.

    ¡°I might bete tonight. I¡¯ll be going back to the militarypound to get some information from my Father.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll apply for leave then. The weather should be fine for the next two days. Let¡¯s take the wedding photos first. The wedding is approaching, we won¡¯t be able to make it in time if it¡¯ster.¡±

    Zhou Zimo heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. He was worried that she might be unhappy because of what happenedst night.

    But now, it seemed that she had silently epted this fact.

    Qin Su raised her head and looked at him. After some thought, she nodded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any requirements for the wedding?¡±

    Zhou Zimo thought for a moment before asking again.

    ¡°Make the arrangements. I don¡¯t know anything about this. My parents will take care of the guest list. I¡¯ll just invite a fewrades over. Try to keep it simple. It¡¯s quite busy towards the end of the year.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s answer was rather straightforward.

    ¡°You can¡¯t have no requirements at all? The more you say that, the more uncertain I feel.¡±

    Zhou Zimo poured her some milk as he said this.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anythingst night, yet you put in a lot of effort, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Qin Su gave him a disapproving nce. In Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes, there were only a few words that appeared in Zhou Zimo¡¯s mind¡ª

    A wolf in sheep¡¯s skin?

    However, it was true that he was a little unrestrained.

    Thinking of this, he coughed lightly. His handsome face was slightly red as he hurriedly said, ¡°I drank a little too much. I¡¯m usually very courteous, you know that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the word ¡®courteous¡¯ in you. Don¡¯t think that I know nothing about your actions. I¡¯m just toozy to investigate.¡±

    Qin Su did not give him any face and exposed his words. She gave him a cold nce.

    As she spoke, she lowered her head and continued to enjoy her breakfast.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment and narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°In your eyes, is my image so unsightly?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Since you¡¯ve said so yourself, I <i>can</i> make one request.¡±

    Qin Su thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°I hope that you can give me a wedding instead of the media or the business circle. There¡¯s no need for a big banquet in the hotel.¡±

    With Qin Su bringing this up, Zhou Zimo finally thought of her identity. Recently, their circle had been quite interested in this area.

    After thinking for a while, he replied, ¡°Okay, I got it. Don¡¯t worry, of course I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    ...

    Zhou Zimo was very concerned about Qin Su¡¯s matter. He quickly settled everything in a hurry. Of course, he did not hesitate either. He pulled Qi Lei to help the Qin family with the betrothal, and then the wedding preparations began.

    Meanwhile, Dongfang Liuyun was not idle either. After Song Siting joined Dongfang Group, the undercurrents within thepany became more and more intense, especially because of a recent acquisition. The various shareholders were quarrelling with each other.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s side had alreadypletely given up on Mr. Ge¡¯s n. They were currently reformting the n, and it was a huge loss for them. Fortunately, Lan Xiu had already found a new business partner, but...

    ¡°Manager Yun, this is the information from the Lan Group. Take a look!¡±

    Secretary Ding walked into Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s office with a solemn expression, holding a document. She startled Dongfang Liuyun who was deep in her work.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and looked up as well. She took the document from Secretary Ding and flipped through it.

    The more she read, the more she frowned¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t this the proposal that Lan Xiu just came up with? How did Mr. Ge get this proposal? Lan Xiu has to discuss the coboration with the new partner in the next two days!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s small face darkened.

    ¡°I¡¯m also surprised because of this. This document was sent by assistant Ah Li. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s a mole on boss Lan¡¯s side. There¡¯s one more thing. Manager Yun, the opponent of the Ponzi acquisition that you asked me to investigate previously seems to be Mr. Ge¡¯s masterpiece.¡±

    Secretary Ding said with some doubt, ¡°I don¡¯t remember when Mr. Ge got involved in the jewelry business. Manager Yun, should we...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood up slowly. After thinking for a long time, she replied, ¡°Continue to investigate and see who Mr. Ge has been in contact with recently. Find out as soon as possible. I need to go to the Lan Group.¡±

    After saying that, Dongfang Liuyun had already grabbed a coat and put it on. She grabbed the car keys and left the office, heading straight for Lan Xiu¡¯s office.

    ...

    The situation on Lan Xiu¡¯s side was quite bad.

    When Ah Li pushed the door open, Lan Xiu¡¯s back was facing him. He stood in front of the French window, his thin back looking a little lonely...

    The repeated blows caused this man to lose a lot of weight. At this moment, when Ah Li saw that there was a cigarette burning between his fingers, he could not help but feel a little heartache.

    He had rarely smoked before, so why did he light up more frequently these days.

    ¡°President Lan!¡±

    Ah Li walked over and cautiously called out.

    ¡°You¡¯re taking matters into your own hands too much, Ah Li.¡±

    As soon as Ah Li finished speaking, Lan Xiu¡¯s cold voice was heard...

 Chapter 1961 - What Else Can I Do? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1961: What Else Can I Do? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing the reproach in Lan Xiu¡¯s words, Ah Li paused for a moment and did not dare to make a sound.

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and put out half of his cigarette in the ashtray at the side. He held the handrail in front of him with both hands and looked down at the traffic below. After a long while, he said calmly, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to tell her about these things.¡±

    ¡°President Lan, Miss Dongfang is also one of the shareholders of thepany. She has invested a lot of effort in this project. Theoretically, she should be informed, even if...¡± Ah Li exined.

    ¡°I understand what your intentions are.¡±

    Only then did Lan Xiu turn to look at Ah Li with a gloomy expression. ¡°We can only be friends. She had nothing to do with this matter anyway. She has too many things to worry about. I can still bear this small setback.¡±

    ¡°But, President Lan, seeing that the partner¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°I have my own countermeasures.¡±

    Lan Xiu raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows. Things had not been going well recently, and he was even considering whether he should go up the mountain to have some peace, and burn some fragrant incense to get rid of his bad luck.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang said that if there is any situation here, we need to inform her. President Lan, it¡¯s very tiring for you to bear it alone. I can¡¯t bear it either.¡± Ah Li said worriedly.

    ¡°If this matter was in the past, it would be fine. But now, it¡¯s not suitable.¡±

    Lan Xiu blinked and retracted his gaze, ¡°By doing this, I can feel a little better in my heart. It¡¯s also good for everyone. I¡¯ve already nned to move my business overseas. This time, the partner chose Singapore because they have such a n in mind.¡±

    ¡°President Lan! How did you...¡±

    Ah Li looked at Lan Xiu in disbelief. ¡°Our roots are all here, President Lan, if we move there, how are we...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten someone to try out a new subsidiary over there. Over there, my elder brother Lan Qi left behind arge manor. I quite like it there. If the operations of the new subsidiary is good, the headquarters can move over directly. Over here, it can be run as a subsidiary. If you like it here, you can stay here and be the regional manager. After all, your family is over here.¡±

    Lan Xiu had been struggling with this n for a long time.

    It was not that he was fixated on anything. It was just that it was better to be not too far yet not too close to her. At the very least, seeing her once in a long while would give him the joy of reunion after a long separation. It was better than the current stalemate.

    He had long understood that he, Lan Xiu, could only let go of her, Dongfang Liuyun.

    She was like the stars in the sky, unreachable to him, an ordinary Lan Xiu.

    It was not that he, Lan Xiu, did not have the courage to pursue her, but it was because he was afraid that he, Lan Xiu, did not qualify to pursue something that was too beautiful.

    Perhaps Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s happiness had never been something that he, Lan Xiu, could give.

    ¡°No, President Lan, wherever you are, Ah Li will be there. I just want to be by President Lan¡¯s side.¡±

    Ah Li hurriedly replied anxiously, ¡°You¡¯ll be sad being so far away. President Lan... if you really can¡¯t let go of Miss Dongfang, why don¡¯t you exin it to her clearly and try your best to fight for her? When Master Lan Qi passed away, he asked Miss Dongfang to take good care of you. If it¡¯s because of Master Lan Qi, I think Miss Dongfang might agree...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t have such thoughts. I love her more than anything. Her happiness is not something I can give. Keeping such a distance, perhaps I can retain those beautiful memories. Those are enough for me to reminisce about for a lifetime.¡±

    Lan Xiu said calmly and took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve already told you the purpose. I can only seed in this partnership, I cannot fail. Go and pass a message to the Leng family. Tell them that I¡¯m free on Saturday afternoon.¡±

    ¡°President Lan, are you really willing to marry that Miss Leng? Her life is very tough. Of the two fianc¨¦s, one died in a car ident and the other almost... then she hurriedly broke off the engagement. President Lan, you can¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean tough? Who has a tougher life than me? I don¡¯t have parents anymore. Even myst rtive, my brother has left me. Compared to her, am I not tougher?¡± Lan Xiu said disapprovingly.

    ¡°But, President Lan, Miss Leng Xinran... is an undertaker... this... this is not very good. She has a lot of negative energy. President Lan, I¡¯m worried...¡±

    ¡°Besides being an amateur undertaker, she is also a tomb keeper. You don¡¯t have to tell me this, I understand.¡± Lan Xiu continued.

    ¡°I went to investigate before. Leng Xinran, the eldest daughter of the Leng family. She is 28 years old and indifferent. She doesn¡¯t speak much andes and goes like a ghost. Her mother divorced her father a long time ago. Her father¡¯s current wife is his former secretary, a typical mistress. The mistress married into the Leng family and gave birth to a son. However, he died prematurely 15 years ago. Now, Leng Xinran is the only daughter in the Leng family...¡±

    Ah Li naturally investigated all the information about Leng Xinran and chose the key points to exin to Lan Xiu.

    ¡°Leng Xinran is very withdrawn. By the way, I heard that she had a younger sister who suffered from leukemia and couldn¡¯t be saved. She was only 16 years old when she died... Fortune-tellers say that this Miss Leng is too stubborn. She is a jinx to her parents and siblings. She is a very unlucky person...¡±

    ¡°However, Elder Master Leng loves this Miss Leng very much. He has already made a will and named her as the sessor of the Leng family. Although the Leng family is not as good as the Lan family on the surface, we are still on par with them. Especially when ites to the informationwork industry, I¡¯m afraid that the Lan family is not as good as them.¡±

    ¡°President Lan, I don¡¯t think Miss Leng is suitable for you, especially with her personality. She¡¯s too withdrawn. She also owns a winery on Nanshan. I heard that it¡¯s her only hobby, brewing wine, making wine...¡±

    ...

    ¡°Stop talking. I¡¯ve already decided to meet Leng Xinran. You can make the arrangements for Saturday afternoon.¡±

    Lan Xiu interrupted Ah Li before he could finish.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun swore that she did not mean to eavesdrop.

    Just as she walked to the door, she vaguely heard someone talking about her from inside, so she stopped walking. Unexpectedly, she heard most of their conversation.

    After it was quiet for a while, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

    Hearing the knocking, Lan Xiu and Ah Li stopped and looked at the door.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang!¡±

    Ah Li cried out in surprise.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and walked in.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    A gentle smile appeared on Lan Xiu¡¯s handsome face as he walked towards her.

    ¡°You probably know why I¡¯m here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and sat down on the sofa.

 Chapter 1962 - What Else Can I Do? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1962: What Else Can I Do? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lan Xiu paused for a moment before ncing at Ah Li. Ah Li understood and went forward to make a cup of tea for the two of them before leaving.

    ¡°Did youe over personally?¡±

    Lan Xiu also sat down opposite her.

    ¡°Secretary Ding showed me the information. I thought that the matter wasn¡¯t simple, so I rushed over to take a look. Why? Don¡¯t you want to talk about it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun handed over the document in her hand and said.

    Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment, but his tensed handsome face eased up a little

    ¡°I didn¡¯t n to tell you. These are just small matters. I can solve them. You don¡¯t need to make a special trip. I won¡¯t do things that I¡¯m not sure of.¡± Lan Xiu said in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a disapproving look. ¡°You¡¯re sure? You want to leave City Z and move to Singapore? Lan Xiu, did you make this decision because of our rtionship?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always respected you like an elder brother. If you really insist on doing this, then I¡¯ve really sinned. Are you nning to die of old age without us interacting with each other?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked as her brows furrowed.

    ¡°Liuyun, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    Lan Xiu exined and moved the tea in front of her towards her. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Have a cup of tea to warm your body. Look at how cold you are.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic. I just want to know if you insist on doing this. Just because Qi Lei and I are married? The friendship between us for more than 20 years is actually so weak to this extent? It makes you want to get rid of this ce at all costs?¡±

    ¡°I just want to find a quiet environment to give myself some peace and quiet. I haven¡¯t thought about anything, Liuyun. Perhaps this is a very good chance for me to be free.¡±

    ¡°It seems that you have always been like this. After so many years, you haven¡¯t changed at all. Whenever you encounter a something that you can¡¯t resolve, you will think of escaping and then be free.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled, and her tone was a little disappointed, ¡°Escaping will never solve the problem. We still have a long way to go, and it¡¯s not like we can start over just by changing locations. What can truly let you be at peace is your heart. In the future, sooner orter, you will also encounter the fate and feelings that belong to you. If you don¡¯t be braver and be more decisive in cherishing things, you will only lose more.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t have the right to say this to you now, but I also can¡¯t bear it. I hope you can stay sincerely. Everything you have is here. Why do you want to leave?¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, Lan Xiu also froze.

    ¡°There is a solution. Mr. Ge¡¯s situation makes me think that there might be a mole in thepany. You¡¯d better investigate who is so bold.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Ah Li to investigate. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already prepared two ns, and there¡¯s another n, but it¡¯ll take some time.¡±

    ¡°When does the other party want toe up with a n? This partner has a solid foundation, and there are many people who want to work with them. Mr. Ge is doing this to cut off our escape route. If we can¡¯t take down this partnership, the impact might be very bad.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s brows were tightly knitted together.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve thought about this too.¡±

    Lan Xiu sighed softly. ¡°So, this time, we can only seed and not fail. We have to hand it over by the morning of the day after tomorrow at thetest.¡±

    ¡°Show me the proposal.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun didn¡¯t have the mood to say anything more. The priority of the matter was still very clear. The most important thing at the moment was to solve thepany¡¯s matter first.

    Speaking up to this point, Lan Xiu stopped his thoughts and stood up to walk over to his desk, ¡°I¡¯ll send it directly to your email. The data is out, but the curve analysis hasn¡¯t been done yet. The other party is a hundred-year-old family business, so the limitations are quite a lot. Some conservative ideas are deeply ingrained. If there isn¡¯t enough content to attract them, they probably won¡¯t think much about it. The reason why we want to work together this time is because we¡¯ve done business with the other party before.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily care about overseas business these few years, so we don¡¯t have much relevant experience. Moreover, it¡¯s very easy to get stuck on the government¡¯s side. This is also the main point of the other party¡¯s consideration.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly walked over and stood in front of the table. She turned Lan Xiu¡¯sptop over and stared at the screen for a long time before saying this.

    ¡°If we can solve this hurdle, will the sess rate be higher?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun read the proposal very seriously and her expression became somewhat solemn.

    ¡°Mmm, if it¡¯s in City Z, it won¡¯t be a problem. Over there, our market is very empty. Taking advantage of this opportunity to open up that market is also a good opportunity. This is also an idea that I had a long time ago.¡±

    Lan Xiu leaned back in his chair.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a moment. After a moment, she returned theputer to him, ¡°Leave the data and analysis to me. I¡¯ll give it to you tomorrow morning at thetest. You take care of the rest. I¡¯ll think of a way to deal with Singapore. Alright, don¡¯t think too much. Let¡¯s get through this first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun straightened her back as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. Wait for my news tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    Lan Xiu called out to her, but her figure had already walked towards the door.

    ¡°Oh right, I hope that our friendship will not change. I can be calm, so you should be able to do it too. There are many ways to start a new life. For example, if I¡¯ve encountered many misfortunes before because of waiting for the so-called bitter and sweet times in the future, then everything is worth it. The past is more to be used as a reference, not to reminisce.¡±

    After saying this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure also disappeared outside the door.

    Lan Xiu suddenly stood up and wanted to chase after her. However, he had just taken a step when he could not take another step...

    ...

    In Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s president¡¯s office.

    When Dongfang Liuyun knocked on the door, Qi Lei was discussing the development case in the city east with a few Vice Presidents. When he saw Dongfang Liuyun standing at the door, he quickly pointed to the sofa at the side and gestured for her to go over and sit down.

    Then, he continued to exin everything.

    When the Vice Presidents left, they respectfully greeted Dongfang Liuyun.

    The Vice Presidents were no strangers to Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun was Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s secondrgest shareholder after all. Whether she was willing to ept it or not, arge portion of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s shares had been transferred to her by Qi Lei, in theory, Dongfang Liuyun could still hold the position of Vice President in Tai Yu Corporation.

    That was because they always knew that their President¡¯s wife¡¯s ability was not inferior to theirs.

 Chapter 1963 - What Else Can I Do? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1963: What Else Can I Do? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Furthermore, they knew about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s background, so everyone was full of respect for her.

    The door closed, and soon, only Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were left in the office.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call before you came?¡±

    Qi Lei poured her a cup of warm water and brought it to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly looked up from theputer and nced at him. He took the cup and said, ¡°Have you ever seen a wife call before visiting?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows and took theptop from herp. He sat down next to her and stared at the documents on it as he replied, ¡°Are you satisfied with what you¡¯re seeing?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took two sips of water. ¡°I¡¯ve always been very satisfied with you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see you show it. Your emotions are never written on your face. I can¡¯t figure you out.¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at her and quickly continued browsing through the documents in front of him.

    ¡°If you can figure it out, then there won¡¯t be any mystery. I¡¯m afraid that if you figure me out too thoroughly, you¡¯ll...¡± Dongfang Liuyun said in a daze.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with figuring it out? I was waiting for you to figure me out, but you don¡¯t really care about me. I¡¯m quite sad.¡±

    Qi Lei did not look at her as he said this. His gaze was still on the document in front of him.

    ¡°What do you mean by figuring you out, it¡¯s not like I have neglected you recently.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun followed his gaze. Seeing his grave expression, he knew that he had almost finished reading the documents, so she went straight to the point, ¡°I know that you have a good rtionship in Singapore and have a good foundation. Can you help me solve a problem? Lan Xiu is stuck at this step. I¡¯ll rush out these data analysis problems when I go back tonight.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun asked this, Qi Lei frowned, ¡°Who exactly is Mr. Ge? I have a feeling that he wants to create a stumbling block for you. I remember that he¡¯s also behind the acquisition of yourpany. How did you offend such a person?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and could not help but raise his hand to rub the space between his brows. ¡°Mr. Ge has a good rtionship with Fujiwara¡¯s father, Fujiwara. It¡¯s possible that these things are because of thoseplicated rtionships.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened a little. He did not ask any more questions. Instead, he reached for his phone and dialed a number.

    It was Wang Chun¡¯s number.

    ¡°Hello? Second Master?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me...¡±

    After giving a simple exnation, Wang Chun responded well. After a while, Qi Lei put his phone away. He had already given the order.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You guys finish the n and hand it over to the other party. They can handle it.¡±

    Qi Lei ced his phone on the table and turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun as he consoled her.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Qi Lei suspiciously. Although she knew that he had a lot of connections over there, she did not dare to believe that he could handle it with just a phone call.

    ¡°What else?¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a mysterious look. ¡°Consider it luck. If it were any other ce, I might not be able to do it.¡±

    ¡°Why did you agree to help without asking more? It¡¯s Lan Xiu¡¯s side after all...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun originally thought that he would hesitate. After all, Lan Xiu...

    However, Qi lei suddenlyughed softly¡ª

    ¡°What else can I do? For you toe to me immediately to settle this, I should be happy that you trust me. I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I believe in you.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt a faint warmth in her heart, and she felt a little sweetness in her heart.

    Qi Lei had already opened the data table for her, ¡°Handling these matters requires a bit of skill. It¡¯s not only because you have a strong foundation that you can be appreciated by others, and you can¡¯t make the proposal so detailed, you have to leave a little mystery for the other party, and it has to have the desire to capture the other party¡¯s understanding. Lan Xiu is too well-behaved and gentlemanly. Although this is good, when he meets a shameless merchant like me, he will suffer a loss.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, he made a few changes to the analysis of the data table. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw this. She could not help but look at Qi Lei in surprise.

    ¡°Especially when ites to doing data analysis and doing a background check. You can¡¯t make your conclusions too rigid. Only by making changes like this can you give the other party a desire to understand. When making ns, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being a hooligan appropriately. Being too modest will make it easier for others to see the depths.¡±

    Hearing Qi Lei¡¯s words, Dongfang Liuyun fell silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°That makes sense. Lan Xiu is quite bold in his business, and he¡¯s also a decisive person. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s too much to worry about. It¡¯s also good to be cautious.¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°Today, I identally interrupted his conversation with Ah Li. He ns to shift the focus of his business to Singapore. I know he¡¯s doing this because of us.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said helplessly.

    Qi Lei frowned when he heard this. He turned to look at her. ¡°Did our rtionship affect him?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes and took another sip of water. She did not answer.

    ¡°His feelings for you aren¡¯t shallow either. If he had agreed to you back then, I¡¯m afraid that the person who would be by your side now wouldn¡¯t be me, Qi Lei, right?¡±

    Qi Lei sighed.

    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t deny this assumption, but now... Qi Lei, actually, I think that we should all be friends. Lan Xiu has suffered too much, and he has a lot on his mind.¡±

    ¡°He and I can be considered rivals in love. Where did you get your confidence from?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun in surprise. ¡°Besides, doesn¡¯t he have a really good rtionship with Fujiwara?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you express your thoughts to me by helping us resolve this matter so straightforwardly? You can¡¯t bear to see Lan Group in trouble, right? Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have asked so much about the situation with Mr. Ge.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a smile as she spoke.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and scoffed¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the mood to care about him. I¡¯m just worried that my wife will be at a disadvantage. It doesn¡¯t matter if others are at a disadvantage, but not if you are at a disadvantage.¡±

    Of course, Qi Lei would not admit that he had the temperament to care about the life and death of a love rival.

    Dongfang Liuyun obviously would not believe his exnation. The curve of her lips became wider, and her starry eyes were filled with a faint light. She looked at him for a while, then leaned her body and suddenly kissed the corner of his slightly raised lips, she said in a low voice¡ª

    ¡°I like the way you protect me. Every time you do this, I feel very aplished and high-spirited. Get off work early in the evening, and I¡¯ll personally cook to reward you.¡±

    ¡°Then, if I can guarantee to help you get this partnership , will you...¡±

 Chapter 1964 - Fight For Herself (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1964: Fight For Herself (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei lowered his voice slightly and probed softly.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and raised her beautiful brows. She looked at him fixedly. After a moment, she smiled happily. ¡°Are you really that capable?¡±

    Qi Lei replied with a mysterious smile. His gaze fell on the information in front of him again. ¡°If I say that I do, would you believe it?¡±

    ¡°Of course I believe you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes lit up. She looked at him with some anticipation. ¡°Are you really that confident?¡±

    ¡°How would I know if I don¡¯t try?¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he lowered his head and continued to get busy. ¡°Is the n very rushed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have to give it to Lan Xiu tomorrow morning because he still needs some time to deal with it.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment. He saved the document, then closed hisptop and looked at her, ¡°Then hurry up and pack up. I know you¡¯ve been very tired these two days, so I¡¯ll take you out for a walk while it¡¯s still early today. The beach is quite quiet at this time. The weather has been pretty good these two days, so you can bask in the sun. I¡¯ll help you deal with it at night.¡±

    Seeing the fatigue hidden between her brows, he naturally could not bear it.

    ¡°Go to the beach? Over at the resort?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him in surprise, a little surprised by his sudden suggestion.

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go over there. Previously, I had a partnership with the developer over there, and there was a small house left over at the resort. It¡¯s quite quiet, and the environment is quite good. I think that ce should be very suitable for you now. Just treat it as a quiet environment. It¡¯ll be quiet for a while and we can finish it.¡±

    Qi Lei closed theptop in his hand and handed it to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before nodding and taking it. ¡°Alright then. Go back and get our clothes?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Didn¡¯t the lounge prepare a few sets for you? Just bring them over. Wait here, I¡¯ll go in and tidy up.¡±

    As soon as Qi Lei finished speaking, he stood up and walked towards the lounge in front of him.

    Dongfang Liuyun quietly put away the documents. Not long after, the couple left the office.

    On the way to the seaside resort, Dongfang Liuyun was driving. Yang Sheng had prepared Qi Lei¡¯s driver¡¯s license, but it has not been returned to him yet. Moreover, it was near the end of the year, and the traffic police were very strict. To be on the safe side, Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not dare to let him drive.

    ¡°Your driver¡¯s license may only be back in a few days. Don¡¯t be so rash next time. This matter is not a joke. I just called the hospital and asked about it, they said that Father¡¯s current condition is recovering well and there aren¡¯t too many problems. If there¡¯s no other problems, I¡¯ll bring him home in a few days. What do you think?¡±

    From Wang Chun, Dongfang Liuyun knew that Qi Lei had not been to the hospital in the past two days. Qi Qiming had been asking about him several times. It seemed that ever since Qi Qiming woke up and found out that he had such a son, he was a little surprised, however, he was very attentive to him.

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, she did not hear Qi Lei reply. When she turned to look at him, she realized that he was resting with his eyes closed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dongfang Liuyun slowed down slightly and asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite focused on this matter.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s low and slow voice sounded.

    ¡°He¡¯s your father.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun silently stated this fact.

    ¡°I know the rtionship between him and me better than anyone else. Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯ve already sent the original butler over. He¡¯ll be discharged from the hospital in two days,¡± Qi Lei replied unhurriedly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been quite troubledtely. I think I¡¯m not the only one who needs to rx.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him worriedly, ¡°Isn¡¯t everything going well now? Why do you have to think too much? I know that you might not feel good about what happened to me, but if we trust each other, these problems won¡¯t be a problem anymore.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone is as open-minded as you. I¡¯ve never denied that I¡¯m actually a pessimist.¡±

    ¡°Open-minded? Mr. Qi Lei, if you think this way, even if you¡¯re pessimistic, it won¡¯t change the truth. I remember that you told me before that no matter how difficult and painful the reason is, it can¡¯t be an excuse for you to stop moving forward. You know, I¡¯ve actually always admired you. Even though you¡¯re a little pessimistic, you¡¯ve never stopped. That¡¯s the way to rise above others. People always need positive energy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked ahead silently and said softly.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei just smiled and did not deny what she said. ¡°It looks like you still have a high opinion of me.¡±

    ¡°Of course. My man, can¡¯t be that bad.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mocking tone came through, and there was a smile at the corner of his mouth.

    Hearing her teasingughter, Qi Lei turned to look at her. Seeing her smiling little face reflected in his eyes, he felt a slight warmth in his heart. He coughed lightly. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t dare to make you lose face, Mrs. Qi. It would be unfair for you to marry me.¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember the first time we met?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly asked.

    Qi Lei thought about it for a moment, and soon, the scene appeared in his mind

    ¡°Of course I remember. It was in your Debao House. At that time, you were like an angel who had fallen into the mortal world. No matter how I looked, you felt so out of reach.¡±

    Now that Qi Lei thought of that scene, he still found it slightly surreal.

    ¡°But, didn¡¯t I still marry you in the end?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°No one knows what will happen tomorrow. I think what we should do more is to cherish this moment. Cherish everything we have now.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I also admired you back then.¡±

    ¡°Really? What did you admire about me?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s dark eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her.

    ¡°You¡¯re not bad looking, and your temperament isn¡¯t bad either.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. ¡°To be honest, the ruffian aura on you makes you quite cute.¡±

    ¡°Cute is used to describe women like you.¡±

    Qi Lei frowned. He was dissatisfied with Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s choice of words.

    ¡°I rarely praise people. Even if you¡¯re not happy about it, you should pretend to be.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily. ¡°Also, apany me back to Dongfang old residence this weekend. I heard from Auntie Cai that Grandmother¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t been great recently. She didn¡¯t get the doctor to take a look at her either. I¡¯m a little worried.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother has a lot of things to worry about. Maybe if Father solves the problem smoothly, she¡¯ll feel a little more at ease when shees back.¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly frowned when he said this

    Dongfang Gan had not called him in the past few days. He had called him before and seemed to be quite busy. He hung up after a few words.

 Chapter 1965 - Fight For Herself (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1965: Fight For Herself (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they arrived at the seaside resort, it was almost noon. The couple found a restaurant nearby and had a simple lunch before going to the seaside cottage.

    The wind at the seaside was not very strong. The weather, which had been cloudy for many days, had cleared up in the past two days. The winter sun was very warm.

    The heater was turned on in the cottage. It was not cold either. The sunlight was shining on the French windows at the side.

    ¡°You should rest first. I¡¯ll help you finish this chart.¡±

    Qi Lei took theptop from her hand and opened it. He handed her a clean nket. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold. Be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took it and spread the nket over her shoulders, ¡°Your physique is much worse than mine, and you¡¯ve just recovered from your cold. You should put it on yourself. There¡¯s still some in the bedroom. I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa to apany you, wake me up at three.¡±

    Without waiting for Qi Lei¡¯s reply, she went to the bedroom and brought a nket over. She fell asleep on the sofa behind him. Seeing that he was busy and focused, she thought for a moment before moving over and resting her head on his thigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his head and nced at her. His gaze quickly returned to theptop screen in front of him.

    ¡°Thank you for being so attentive to my matters,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said softly.

    ¡°Of course. Who told you to be my Mrs. Qi?¡±

    Qi Lei responded as well. His fingers that were tapping on the keyboard did not slow down at all.

    ¡°Are you only attentive because I¡¯m your wife?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Otherwise, who else would have the privilege, especially with someone aszy as me?¡±

    ¡°I think you have the potential to be a good husband.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Missus Qi for thinking so highly of me.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Miss, Master Fujiwara has been staying in thepany for the past few days to deal with official business. He hasn¡¯t seen Dongfang Liuyun or any other women. Instead, he asionally goes to Lan Xiu¡¯s ce for a short visit.¡±

    In the backyard of cloud residence.

    Yoshimoto reported Fujiwara¡¯s recent whereabouts to Riko Inoue.

    ¡°By the way, Miss, I noticed that Dongfang Rou¡¯er seems to have tried to look for Master Fujiwara several times. However, Master Fujiwara didn¡¯t meet her. I wonder if it¡¯s because of business matters.¡±

    Yoshimoto was puzzled for a moment before he directly brought it up.

    ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er?¡±

    Riko Inoue furrowed her brows and thought for a long time. She did not seem to recall the background of this person, so he looked at Yoshimoto in puzzlement.

    ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er is the Fifth Miss of the Dongfang family. After Dongfang Liuyun, she has always been at odds with Dongfang Liuyun. It won¡¯t be a matter of a day or two before she wants to rece Dongfang Liuyun. The two of them are also fighting openly and secretly. I think that if we want to suppress Dongfang Liuyun, we might need to meet this Dongfang Rou¡¯er personally,¡± Yoshimoto lowered his voice and said.

    When she heard this, Riko Inoue¡¯s expression changed for a while. ¡°Suppress Dongfang Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°Why should I suppress her? She¡¯s very well-behaved now. If I make such a fuss, it wouldn¡¯t be worth it. As for this Dongfang Rou¡¯er, find out what her motive is. I remember that when Dongfang Liuyun and Fujiwara-kun got into an ident, she was also involved in this matter. Who knows if she might have wanted to use someone else¡¯s hand to eradicate Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Ren¡¯s daughter isn¡¯t that simple.¡±

    Riko Inoue also analyzed the pros and cons of this matter very incisively.

    ¡°Even though I, Riko Inoue, am not a good person, I can¡¯t just rashly disturb the peace of others. I think the rtionship between Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun is fine now. Moreover, the Qi family has quite an influence in the underworld. Although they have declined over the years, it¡¯s always right to be cautious.¡±

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re right. It was Yoshimoto who was thoughtless.¡±

    Yoshimoto wiped off his sweat and felt a little ashamed.

    Riko Inoue raised her hand slightly to stop him, ¡°I came here mainly because of Fujiwara-kun. Father is very satisfied with him being our Inoue family¡¯s son-inw. Moreover, he is much better than those people in person. If I can¡¯t take him down, won¡¯t I be a joke? Therefore, anything that threatens the rtionship between us needs to be carefully considered.¡±

    Riko Inoue had nock of suitors by her side all these years. Since she was young, she could be considered to have seen all kinds of things in this circle. She also had her own thought and opinions regarding feelings.

    ¡°I understand, Miss...¡±

    Yoshimoto had also taken Riko Inoue¡¯s considerations into ount during this period of time.

    ¡°Miss... Why don¡¯t we return to Japan first? Master Fujiwara seems to be...¡± Yoshimoto said with some hesitation.

    ¡°Seems to be what?¡±

    Riko Inoue lowered her head and sipped her tea as she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss! Forgive me for being blunt, but Master Fujiwara doesn¡¯t seem to care about you at all. These days, he hasn¡¯t really cared about you. He¡¯s just providing us with a ce to stay. We can¡¯t always be passive like this.¡±

    Yoshimoto said with some concern, ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m worried about Miss¡¯ situation. If Master Fujiwara continues to be like this, I¡¯m afraid that the old master won¡¯t be able to exin himself. We don¡¯t have to me the Fujiwara family. Miss, I don¡¯t think that we should lower our status by ourselves.¡±

    Yoshimoto had also endured for a very long time. He said these words in one breath and looked at Riko Inoue with some apprehension in his heart.

    Hearing this, Riko Inoue was stunned for a moment. After thinking for a moment, she could not help but sigh, ¡°It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t thought about all of this. No matter what, father will never give up on the idea of using my marriage to support the family. Rather than being pushed around like this, it¡¯s better to pick someone that I like. Although Fujiwara-kun resists me, he¡¯s very outstanding. He¡¯s enough to make people look up to him and respect him. If this marriage can be fulfilled, it¡¯ll be very good for everyone.¡±

    ¡°But Miss, this subordinate cannot bear to see you suffer like this. If Master knew, he would most likely not agree.¡±

    Yoshimoto¡¯s tone was filled with worry.

    Riko Inoue drank the tea in her cup in one gulp. Her frown eased for a long time before he finally spoke, ¡°You can¡¯t just shrink back from a difficult problem. You have to think of a way to solve it. If Dongfang Liuyun still has designs on Fujiwara-kun, it might be a little more difficult for me to intervene. But now, things aren¡¯t that bad.¡±

    Riko Inoue was still full of confidence in her charm and ability.

    ¡°Instead I¡¯m increasingly sure that Fujiwara-kun and I are the same type of people.¡±

    When Riko Inoue said this, she smiled mysteriously, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Father about these things. I can handle it. It¡¯s the same with Uncle Fujiwara. They don¡¯t need to know about these things. I don¡¯t want the stalemate between me and Fujiwara-kun to be even more rigid because of this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss, I understand!¡±

    Yoshimoto was silent for a moment when he heard Riko Inoue¡¯s reply.

 Chapter 1966 - Fight For Herself (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1966: Fight For Herself (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Riko Inoue¡¯s beautiful eyes were as still as the rainy night sky. Not only were her current emotions gathered within, she was also at a loss about the future

    Naturally, she was aware of Fujiwara¡¯s attitude towards her. However, despite knowing that, if one wanted it, one had to fight for oneself. Therefore, if it was Fujiwara, then Riko Inoue was willing to fight for it for herself.

    Fujiwara was the one whom she admired the most out of all the men she had ever met. Furthermore, she felt that the two of them might be very suitable for each other. At this point, time and circumstance would not allow her to think too much about it, rather than getting married to someone whom she had no feelings for, it would be better to find someone who was pleasing to her eyes, even if she could not escape this fate.

    When Yoshimoto saw that Riko Inoue had fallen silent, he did not say anything to disturb her. Instead, he quietly retreated.

    She only regained her senses when she faintly heard the sound of footsteps disappearing into the distance. When she turned her head to look, Yoshimoto¡¯s figure had already disappeared at the corner in front of him. Only then did she take a deep breath, cover her face with both hands, and bend down...

    The curtain of the night was pulled open very quickly. When Dongfang Liuyun woke upfortably, it was already dark outside.

    She propped herself up and slowly sat up. Her consciousness returned very quickly. She subconsciously looked around her surroundings and realized that it was already pitch-ck outside the French windows, the faint flickering lights came from the lighthouse and street lights outside. The room was very quiet. The only sound she could hear was the howling of the night wind outside.

    Where was Qi Lei?

    She frowned and removed the nket from her body. She nced at the wall clock on the wall. It was already past nine. She did not expect that she would sleep for the entire afternoon. Qi Lei did not wake her up either, however, she felt much better after sleeping for such a long time.

    She looked around and found that herptop was still open on the long table beside her. It seemed like there were many scattered documents and papers on the side, but she did not see him.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly got up and walked towards the table.

    When she walked over, she realized that the scattered papers were scattered drafts. There were all sorts of forms and calctions written on them. The rough data n on theputer was already out.

    A look of surprise shed across Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes. She quickly pulled a chair and sat down. She swiftly began to look through the documents

    Sure enough, Qi Lei had already done most of her work. His efficiency was clearly higher than hers. Initially, she had thought that she would have to work overtime tonight and work through the night. She did not expect him to solve all her problems for her.

    Looking at the densely written papers scattered across the table, Dongfang Liuyun was stunned. She could not help but feel warm in her heart. She quickly tidied up the table and began to look for Qi Lei.

    After a round of searching, she found Qi Lei in the corridor outside.

    When Dongfang Liuyun looked for him, Qi Lei was sitting on the stairs at the side. He had a lit cigarette between his fingers and was smoking it intermittently.

    The night breeze was very chilly. He did not wear many clothes and a simple windbreaker was draped over his shoulders.

    Dongfang Liuyun stood from afar and watched him for a while. For some reason, amid the faint smoke, she suddenly felt that his back seemed so cold that it made her heart freeze. She thought about it and did not care about anything else, she walked over.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite cold here. Why don¡¯t you go back to your room?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s clear voice traveled over. Qi Lei, who was deep in thought, also came back to his senses. He turned his head and saw that Dongfang Liuyun had already arrived behind him.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    As he spoke, he put out the cigarette between his fingers. He reached out to her and ced the book on the ground beside him.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked over and sat down next to him.

    ¡°Mm, I didn¡¯t expect to sleep for an entire afternoon. Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun tidied her messy hair with her five fingers.

    ¡°I saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I didn¡¯t have the heart to wake you up. Are you hungry?¡±

    He helped her fix her hair as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. You¡¯re quite efficient. You helped me finish it all in one go. Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she turned to look at him. Naturally, she could see the tiredness between his brows. ¡°I suddenly realized that ever since I¡¯ve been with you, I don¡¯t have so many things to worry about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s natural. It¡¯s best to have someone to share worries with.¡± Qi Lei responded. He extended his long arm and slid it towards her shoulder, holding it.

    ¡°Do you often feel tired when you¡¯re with me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it for a long time and finally could not help but ask.

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at her. After a moment, he replied, ¡°I am a little tired, but I¡¯m happy to do it.¡±

    ¡°I can also tell that you¡¯re quite tired. Sometimes, I really want to make things simpler. At least, we don¡¯t have to be so worn out.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly and leaned against his shoulder, looking at the deep starry sky opposite him, ¡°You know, before I met you, I had never thought of who I could rely on, especially onpany matters. Now, the fact that I was able to stand firm in thepany so smoothly isrgely thanks to you. I already know about the incident with Lin Yuanyuan and Dongfang Yu¡¯s transfer. They¡¯re all your masterpieces...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke calmly, but Qi Lei looked at her in surprise.

    Dongfang Liuyun returned his mysterious smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be confused as to how I know. I guessed it. I think that after going all the way around, the person who benefited the most is actually me. I¡¯m afraid that no one in this world would be racking their brains to give me all the good things, other than you...¡±

    ¡°I thought about it for a bit and figured it out. It must¡¯ve been you.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, her starry eyes suddenly shed with a faint light. She looked at him in a daze. Seeing that he was silent with his eyes lowered, she suddenly could not help but pull his idle hand and hold it gently.

    A faint warmth came from his palm. Qi Lei¡¯s big hand around her shoulder suddenly tightened.

    ¡°Will you always treat me like this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know why he was being so pretentious. He just wanted to hear an answer from him.

    Qi Lei paused for a moment, then chuckled¡ª

    ¡°Of course I want to. I¡¯m just worried that you won¡¯t give me a chance.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t give you a chance?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun muttered softly, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t treat you well enough.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s words were sounded slightly defeated. How should he put this? From the moment he met her, he felt less and less superior...

 Chapter 1967 - Lucky (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1967: Lucky (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands stiffened. After a long while, she turned her head to look at him.

    What greeted her eyes was¡ª

    His handsome side profile.

    ¡°You... why do you always worry about gains and losses? Didn¡¯t I say that I won¡¯t leave?¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun could actually catch a hint of bewilderment from this man¡¯s words... helplessness?

    ¡°In this world, there is no true eternity. Other than death... not every couple who wants to be together can live to the end and be together forever, just like you and Fujiwara did before.¡±

    ¡°My rtionship with him has long be a thing of the past. How are you still...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about the past. I know you¡¯ve always cared about my feelings.¡±

    Qi Lei cut her off.

    ¡°Then why are you...¡±

    ¡°I just want more from you,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been by your side. I haven¡¯t stopped you from what you want, have I?¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied, but Qi Lei did not.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him quietly for a long time. After thinking for a long time, she suddenly reached out to hold his face, turn his head, and forced him to look at her until Qi Lei¡¯s deep gaze met her clear eyes¡ª

    ¡°Qi Lei, do you think I¡¯ll fall in love with you?¡± She asked.

    When he heard her question, Qi Lei was stunned. He did not know how to answer her question.

    He thought about it seriously for a moment before he slowly shook his head¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever liked other women? Really liked them. I heard that you liked Xi Xiaye before, right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye?

    When she mentioned this name, Qi Lei was a little dazed and could not react in time.

    It was a long time ago. At that time, he really admired and liked Xi Xiaye, but at first, he also knew that she was Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman. He did not think about anything else.

    ¡°That¡¯s Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman. She¡¯s suitable for Mu Yuchen, but not for me.¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a side nce and replied, ¡°You¡¯re not going to use this old thing to stop me, are you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it. Anyway, I¡¯m the one with you now. As for your past interests, I don¡¯t think much of them.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was quite confident in this aspect.

    Qi Lei chuckled softly and patted her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s all in the past, I was young and insensible. If I¡¯d known you earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have been so presumptuous.¡±

    ¡°Are you insinuating that I¡¯m keeping a tight rein on you?¡±

    ¡°How dare you! I wish you were keeping a tight rein on me, but you give me too little time. Alright, let¡¯s go back. There¡¯s soup in the pot, and it¡¯s still warm. I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood up as well. ¡°What delicious food did you make?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s what you like to eat.¡±

    ...

    That night, the couple rested veryte. After they finished their work, it was already midnight. Qi Lei was very tired. By the time Dongfang Liuyun was done packing, Qi Lei had already fallen asleep.

    The next morning, the couple woke up very early. Dongfang Liuyun first sent Qi Lei to Tai Yu Corporation before taking the documents to the Lan Group.

    Lan Xiu did not rest well the entire night. To Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s surprise, Fujiwara was also in Lan Xiu¡¯s office.

    When she pushed the door open and walked in, Lan Xiu and Fujiwara were sitting on the sofa talking about something. When they saw her, both of them froze for a moment.

    ¡°Sit down. It¡¯s quite cold outside.¡±

    Lan Xiu motioned for Dongfang Liuyun to sit down. Fujiwara quickly poured her a cup of hot water.

    ¡°Am I disturbing you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at the two of them and took out the documents from his briefcase. He handed them to Lan Xiu. ¡°I rushed it out. Don¡¯t worry, as long as you get the proposal out, the other side will consider it.¡±

    Qi Lei had already cleared the government¡¯s checkpoint. Dongfang Liuyun believed that the problem this time would be solved easily.

    Lan Xiu froze for a moment. He looked at the documents Dongfang Liuyun handed over and was in a daze.

    Seeing that he did not ept it, Dongfang Liuyun had no choice but to put it in front of him. She calmly took the water from Fujiwara and took a sip.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She looked at Fujiwara and said this. Her tone was a little distant and calm, but Fujiwara did not feel good hearing it. His eyes could not help but darken.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember when you¡¯ve begun being so polite to me.¡±

    Fujiwara looked at her steadily and picked up his water unhurriedly to take a sip.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered her eyes. In the end, she did not reply. She only turned his head to look at Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu was flipping through the document Dongfang Liuyun had left behind. When he read till the end, his tensed expression eased up a little, he seemed to be relieved...

    ¡°That¡¯s great. This data n is done very well. Liuyun, you¡¯re getting more and more amazing. I truly admire you from the bottom of my heart! Why didn¡¯t I think of this? I was still having a headache at first, but with your data n and Ah Ye¡¯s efforts, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have much of a problem this time.¡±

    Lan Xiujun smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged for them to discuss this tomorrow night. Liuyun, you¡¯re the biggest contributor to the sess of this coboration.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t praise me. You¡¯ve put in a lot more effort than me. Besides, this was done by Qi Lei. I don¡¯t have that much ability. When the matter is settled, you¡¯ll owe us a meal.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    The smile on Lan Xiu¡¯s face froze when he heard this. He subconsciously turned his head to look at Fujiwara. Only then did he realize that Fujiwara¡¯s hand holding the teacup had suddenly tightened. His fingertips were slightly white.

    Qi Lei suddenly became a little depressed. For a moment, Lan Xiu did not know what to say. Fujiwara¡¯s gloomy gaze waspletely hidden behind his lowered eyes.

    Dongfang Liuyun also sensed that something was wrong. After thinking for a moment, she could not help but feel heavy in her heart. She took a deep breath. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I thought we could return to how we were in the beginning.¡±

    ¡°You know that it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Fujiwara nced at her. ¡°Do you have a way to return everything to how it was before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied coldly. She met Fujiwara¡¯s gloomy eyes and said, ¡°I only know that if I don¡¯t take that step forward, I will never be able to start a new life.¡±

    ¡°Your future is only on you and not with someone else. Why don¡¯t you understand this until now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun fixed her gaze on Fujiwara, her cold voice already carrying a hint of sternness.

    ¡°But mine is with you.¡±

    Fujiwara also met Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze and replied word by word.

 Chapter 1968 - Lucky (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1968: Lucky (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression darkened for a moment. After a moment, she lowered her eyes, put down the cup in her hand, and slowly stood up¡ª

    ¡°You can think whatever you want. I¡¯ve said everything I need to say.¡±

    As she said this, she was about to turn around and leave when Fujiwara suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. He tightened his grip so hard that Dongfang Liuyun felt a wave of paining from her wrist.

    ¡°There are too many things that we haven¡¯t talked about. Dongfang Liuyun, since we¡¯ve been entangled with each other like this, do you think you can escape unscathed? In your dreams!¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, he also stood up swiftly.

    ¡°Let go!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful brows were knitted together as she struggled for a moment. However, Fujiwara had already pulled her out of the door. Even though Lan Xiu recovered from his shock and wanted to stop them, it was already toote. The two figures had already disappeared outside the door.

    ¡°Fujiwara, if you don¡¯t let go now, don¡¯t me me for being impolite!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was somewhat flustered as she held the document in her hand. One of her hands was grabbed by Fujiwara as he dragged her forward.

    Fujiwara only let go of her after dragging her to a secluded walkway. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, his tall body came over and quickly grabbed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands and pressed them against the cold wall behind him, he instantly restrained Dongfang Liuyun and she could not move.

    The documents and briefcase in her hands fell to the ground.

    ¡°What do you want? Let go of me. I want you to let go.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally no match for Fujiwara. Furthermore, there was a huge difference in physical strength. Even if she wanted to kick him with her knees, Fujiwara knew Dongfang Liuyun well, many times, he could see through what she wanted to do next.

    ¡°Will youe back to me if I let go? Liuyun, if I ever go crazy, it will definitely be because of you. Look at me. I want you to tell me yourself that you don¡¯t have anymore feelings for me, Fujiwara. Otherwise, I will not let you off so easily. Look at me!¡±

    Fujiwara grabbed her wrist and forced Dongfang Liuyun to look straight at him. Dongfang Liuyun turned her head away. ¡°Please have some self-respect, Mr. Fujiwara.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by self-respect? Do you forget everything so quickly in your heart? If that¡¯s the case, why were you so fixated on Lan Qi¡¯s matter? You clearly know that we have feelings for each other, but you still have the ability to hurt me at all costs over someone else! Why is it so hard for us to be together? Tell me, what else do you want me to do?¡±

    Fujiwara thought that he could control himself, but he did not expect that upon seeing her, the longing in his heart would be even more intense.

    ¡°Lan Qi isn¡¯t the only problem between us. I really don¡¯t want to hear his name from you. You¡¯re still as selfish as ever. Do you think that just because you¡¯re determined, others will have to obey to you?¡± Dongfang Liuyun could not help but say coldly.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, can I be dissatisfied with your determination too? Why don¡¯t you dare to look at me? Do you dare to say that you don¡¯t have me in your heart at all? So what if you married Qi Lei? You won¡¯t be able to get rid of this fact in your heart, just like I¡¯ll never be able to get out of this whirlpool!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold tone was filled with suppressed anger.

    ¡°Let go of me! Don¡¯t make me look down on you!¡±

    ¡°If you looked up to me, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten to this point today. I¡¯m just too indulgent with you. Liuyun, if I really can¡¯t take it anymore, I don¡¯t mind tying you up and bringing you back to Japan!¡±

    Fujiwara gritted his teeth as he spoke.

    ¡°No one can force anyone to do anything. It¡¯s the same for you, Fujiwara! Let go of me!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun struggled with all her might.

    ¡°How would I know if I didn¡¯t try?¡± Fujiwara responded coldly. A hint of sadness shed across his silent and injured eyes. He could no longer control himself as he reached out to support her head. His tall and straight body pressed down on her like andslide.

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, a faint coolness came from her lips. Immediately after, a faint warmth filled her nostrils. It was that familiar scent that she had not felt in a long time.

    His domineering body restricted Dongfang Liuyun so much that she could not move.

    ¡°Mmm¡ª¡±

    Soon, a muffled sound was heard. Fujiwara could also feel the sweet and bloody smell in his mouth¡ª

    The blood was naturally his.

    He was then forced to let go of Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡®Pa¡ª¡¯

    Before he could regain his senses, he felt a burning pain on his face. He narrowed his ck eyes and raised his gaze to lock onto Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s small face. His deep gaze seemed as if it wanted to devour Dongfang Liuyunpletely.

    A very clear palm print was quickly reflected on his handsome face. The corner of his cold mouth was slightly bloodshot. It was enough to tell that Dongfang Liuyun had used quite a lot of strength. His handsome face was also visibly red and swollen.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not expect that she would p him too, and immediately stopped his action.

    Fujiwara¡¯s thin lips were already stained with some fresh blood, and he looked exceptionally seductive.

    ¡°Are you awake now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cold voice sounded, and there was a hint of coldness in her star-like eyes. She slowly clenched her aching hand, ¡°We can¡¯t go back to how we were, why don¡¯t you understand that still? Yes! I admit that I did love you. I loved you so much that I thought I could do anything for you. But in the end?¡±

    ¡°Since meeting you, I once thought that love was the most hypocritical and boring thing in the world. I didn¡¯t want to humiliate myself anymore. You don¡¯t have to do this too, from now on, we¡¯ll go back to the way we came. You go your way and I¡¯ll go mine. What¡¯s wrong with that! Speak! Tell me, what¡¯s wrong with that! Do I owe you anything? How do I owe you?¡±

    As she spoke, Dongfang Liuyun finally could not help but shout out loud. The sadness and pain in her eyes that she had been holding back for a long time suddenly copsed like a broken sea, causing a pain in her heart that she could not help but feel. Her throat was suddenly filled with bitterness, it was difficult for her to breathe.

    ¡°You owe me too much. From the moment you took my heart away from me, I¡¯ve already decided on you! Our matter has nothing to do with anyone else. The person I love has always been you. What do you want me to do to make you return to my side? Tell me, as long as you say it, I¡¯m willing to do anything!¡±

    Fujiwara lost control and grabbed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shoulders, shaking her non-stop. Dongfang Liuyun felt a little dizzy.

    ¡°But I¡¯ve already removed you from my side. A lifetime is so long, the person who will be with me will never be you. I don¡¯t want that person to be you either!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was as cold as iron.

 Chapter 1969 - Lucky (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1969: Lucky (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As Fujiwara listened, he felt a sharp pain in his chest¡ª

    Was it not enough?

    Now, he felt like he was trampling on himself?

    But, what else could he do?

    In such a situation, the moment he turned away, it would be forever. He would lose her forever!

    So, how could he dare to turn away just like that?

    ¡°Are you in love with Qi Lei?¡±

    Fujiwara was stunned for a long time before he looked at her and asked silently.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was already pale. She leaned against the cold wall behind her and closed her eyes without saying a word. After calming down for a long time, she opened her eyes again and took a deep breath¡ª

    ¡°There¡¯s only so much we can do for each other. It¡¯s up to you whether we¡¯re fated or just passerbys in each other¡¯s lives. I don¡¯t want to be with you, so you don¡¯t have to be stubborn. You don¡¯t have to worry about everything that I, Dongfang Liuyun, have. Right now, I only want to be with one person for the rest of my life. That person...¡±

    As she spoke, she suddenly raised her gaze and stared at him. Fujiwara had never seen such a resolute gaze from her before!

    ¡°It¡¯s not you, but Qi Lei! He¡¯s my husband, the person I should love. And you will meet the person who loves you and spend the rest of your life with her. That person won¡¯t be me either.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a fairy tale, Fujiwara... an oath of eternal love only happens in stories. Only by recognizing this can we be free. Let us go, let Lan Qi go, let everyone go.¡±

    Fujiwara was stunned...

    ¡°Let¡¯s just, do our best and be good on our separate ways.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said this then pushed him away and squatted down. She quietly picked up the documents and briefcase that had fallen to the ground and left.

    She did not even look back...

    When she walked past Lan Xiu, Lan Xiu could still see a faint glimmer in her eyes...

    She must have been very sad and heartbroken, but he knew that it was not only for Fujiwara, but also for that lost youth.

    When all the lost time had settled down, reminiscing it would always make one have the urge to cry.

    Lan Xiu did not chase after her. He just turned his head to look at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s disappearing figure, his eyes flickering with a faint light¡ª

    He knew that none of them needed to chase after her because there was someone waiting for her downstairs. That was the person she should be with.

    That is right, it was Qi lei.

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked out of the Lan Group, she saw Qi Lei standing by her car from afar. He was standing against the light.

    The warm sunlight poured on his body, covering him with a holy radiance. At this moment, she suddenly felt his figure and his appearance bing clearer and clearer in her mind.

    The sunlight stretched out his shadow so much that it reached her feet. She just had to take a step forward and she would be able to touch him.

    She was in a daze for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes could not help but heat up. She, who had always felt strong, realized that she still had such a weak side. Her eyes reddened slightly as she walked over silently.

    Qi Lei leaned slightly against the car door. When he saw her walk over, he looked at her silently. When he saw her slightly reddened eyes, his handsome face immediately tensed up as he narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    His deep voice carried a hint of danger.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. The sand got into my eyes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun blinked and reached out to pull at the corner of his shirt that was messed up by the cold wind.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even lie properly. Did Lan Xiu upset you?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was filled with dissatisfaction. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for him. I¡¯ll go up and teach him a lesson for you!¡±

    Qi Lei naturally could not bear to see Dongfang Liuyun suffer like this. He was extremely angry!

    It was not easy for Qi Lei to settle this damn document¡¯s data. Not only did this Lan Xiu not know how to be grateful, he even dared to bully his woman. This was absolutely not allowed to happen.

    As he spoke, he stood up and was about to rush to the door.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go up! It¡¯s not him!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hurriedly pulled him back and exined.

    Being pulled back by her like this, Qi Lei¡¯s expression became more and more tense. He turned his head and lowered his gaze to nce at her. He was stunned for a moment before asking, ¡°Is Fujiwara up there?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s movements also paused for a moment when she heard this. She did not reply, but that gaze had already answered his question.

    Qi Lei felt an inexplicable anger rise in his heart. He clenched his fists slightly and nced at her. He said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll teach him a good lesson for you!¡±

    ¡°No need. He didn¡¯t say much anway. Let¡¯s get in the car first.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and took out the car keys from her pocket.

    ¡°You can¡¯t bear for me to beat him up?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows furrowed.

    ¡°You¡¯re no match to him, don¡¯t take this loss.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun held hisrge hand. Her slender and petite body could not help but lean into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°Hold me tight.¡±

    A low voice sounded. The faint warmth from her chest made Qi Lei absent-minded for a moment. However, he could not help but raise his arms. He hugged her tightly and patted her gently¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you suddenly so sentimental? This isn¡¯t like the you I know...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sniffed, and her hoarse voice sounded a little raspy.

    ¡°I just feel that I¡¯m quite lucky. From now on, I¡¯ll love you wholeheartedly, trust you, and grow old with you.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei immediately stiffened. A momentter, he looked down at her with some joy and said happily,

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve rified what¡¯s in your heart?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun blinked and nodded silently.

    Qi Lei was in a daze for a moment, and therge hand around her waist also froze for a moment.

    What could he say? At this moment, the vortex of fear in his heart was shrinking bit by bit?

    ¡°Then, who do you think is more important, between me and Fujiwara, who is more...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re more important. You always will be.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not wait for Qi Lei to finish before she answered him directly, ¡°Dongfang Liuyun can¡¯t be a saint. Forgive her selfishness. She always thought that her husband was more important because... standing behind you makes me want to be an ordinary little woman. I don¡¯t have to wear myself out so much and don¡¯t have to be so strong-willed.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were unusually sincere and gentle at that moment. The relief in her heart made her eyes suddenly be clear. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let go of this luck again, and you are this luck.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart suddenly warmed when he heard that. He could not help but press her tightly into his chest and said in a low voice...

    ¡°If you like me, just tell me. Did you have to take a roundabout way to express that you want to be with me forever? However, seeing that you¡¯re so sincere, I¡¯ll reluctantly ept it.¡±

 Chapter 1970 - Relief (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1970: Relief (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Hearing Qi Lei¡¯s words, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and hugged him too¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯re so reluctant?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I act too happy, you¡¯ll get arrogant.¡±

    Qi Lei responded.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and slowly retreated from his embrace as she opened the car door. ¡°Only when you don¡¯t have enough confidence in the other party will you worry about not being too full of love. Mr. Qi Lei, you won¡¯t be holding back on me too, right?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she pointed at the passenger seat beside her and gestured for him to get into the car.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and got into the car as well.

    ¡°Why did you follow me here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun started the car and asked.

    ¡°I left the documents in the car. The morning meeting can only be dyed until the afternoon.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows. He turned his head and sure enough, a ck foldernded beside the seat¡ª

    It was the document he needed for the meeting.

    ¡°Shall I send you back to thepany first?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked for his opinion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first. Why is Fujiwara upstairs?¡±

    Qi Lei took the document and flipped through it.

    ¡°He and Lan Xiu are good friends to begin with. It¡¯s not strange for him toe over.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and sped up slightly. ¡°Get some water for me.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her and quickly put down the document in his hand. He helped her get the thermos sk, opened it, and handed it over.

    Dongfang Liuyun received it tacitly after a while and drank a few mouthfuls.

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problems at the hospital, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked as she handed the cup back.

    ¡°I called him this morning to ask about it. There¡¯s basically no problem. He doesn¡¯t want to stay in the hospital and insists on being discharged. We¡¯ll do another check-up today. If there are no issues, he¡¯ll be discharged tomorrow,¡± Qi Lei replied nonchntly.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let him go back to the old mansion? He seems to have been living there before. Maybe it¡¯ll be better for his recovery?¡±

    ¡°There are too many memories left there. It¡¯s a good choice to start over.¡±

    Qi Lei naturally did not want to think about those things in the past. He rarely went back to the Qi family¡¯s old mansion. Recently, he was still considering whether to sell it, but it did not matter if he kept it too.

    ¡°You still feel a little estranged from him. Those things are long in the past now.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same?¡± Qi Lei asked back.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally understood what Qi Lei meant. He was referring to Lan Qi.

    ¡°As outsiders, we can always see clearly, but as insiders, we can¡¯t struggle out no matter what. I was indeed brooding over Lan Qi¡¯s matter before, and I didn¡¯t want to bring it up. But now that I think about it, it doesn¡¯t seem as painful as before. I know that I should be full of relief.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said calmly, a faint smile on her lips, ¡°I can¡¯t return to the past. The consequences of being too stubborn won¡¯t only hurt myself, but also implicate the people around me. I don¡¯t hope to be a good person, but at least, I won¡¯t implicate people who care about me like this.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯re worried that I¡¯ll be wronged?¡± Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded, ¡°It can be considered one of the reasons. In fact, you were the one who suffered the loss in the beginning of our marriage and our rtionship. No matter how conceited or indifferent I, Dongfang Liuyun, am, I still feel that you shouldn¡¯t be wronged to help me. I¡¯ve always thought that whether in a marriage or in a rtionship, the status and weight of two people should be equal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never cared about who gave how much,¡± Qi Lei said.

    ¡°But I care because I¡¯ve never thought about what the other party can give me. My father instilled in me since I was young that I should strive for my own things. Only by giving something should I receive something. As for you, it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯ve put in much. I¡¯ve always felt that I¡¯ve treated you unfairly. I¡¯ve always thought the same until¡ª¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly paused at this point. She thought for a while but did not continue.

    ¡°Until what?¡±

    Qi Lei asked the same question before she could say anything.

    ¡°It was only when I saw you leave in anger because of the incident with Fujiwara that I realized that I was still worried that you would get angry and misunderstand. So, I was still restless because of this. I was really worried that you would be like everyone else. Once you left in anger, you wouldn¡¯t look back. Fortunately, you¡¯re different from those people.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke frankly and without any pretense. It was better to say some things out loud.

    When she said that, Qi Lei remembered what happened earlier. It was when she met Fujiwara at the food stall not long ago. At that time...

    ¡°So, from that moment on, you realized that you do care about me?¡±

    Qi Lei widened his eyes and could not help but ask.

    Dongfang Liuyun returned his disdainful gaze and said nonchntly, ¡°You¡¯re my husband. Who would I care about if not for you?¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled when he heard that. Because of what she said, he could not help but feel a faint joy in his heart.

    This was the her that he knew. She was bold, intelligent, and straightforward. She would just say that she liked him if she did¡ª

    He liked her just like that!

    ...

    When they arrived at the hospital, Qi Qiming was undergoing a checkup. The couple waited for a while before Qi Qiming was carried back to the ward by the special nurse.

    ¡°Let go of me. I can walk on my own.¡±

    When he reached the door, he saw his son and daughter-inw waiting inside. Qi Qiming immediately broke free from the special nurse¡¯s support. The ck-shirted bodyguard by the door carefully protected him, afraid that he would fall.

    ¡°President Qi...¡±

    The ck-shirted bodyguard looked at him hesitantly. When he heard this voice, Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun also looked towards the door.

    The husband and wife exchanged a look, and Dongfang Liuyun also came forward to wee them.

    ¡°Father, do you feel better?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun asked and went forward to support him.

    Qi Qiming was stunned for a moment. He looked up at Qi lei. His gaze shifted and soonnded on Qi Lei, who did not speak.

    ¡°Much better. Aren¡¯t you busy today? Why are you here?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was calm and his pale face looked weak.

    ¡°Qi Lei was worried, so we came over to take a look,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied calmly as she tugged at Qi Lei¡¯s sleeve. Qi Lei then took a step forward.

    Qi Qiming eased up a little and nodded. He turned to look out the window. Seeing that the sun was shining, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s go out for a walk. The weather is pretty good today.¡±

 Chapter 1971 - Relief (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1971: Relief (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Qi Qiming finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Qi Lei, and Qi Lei followed suit.

    The few of them walked towards the hospital¡¯s backyard.

    Qi Qiming walked in front unhurriedly, while Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun followed behind in silence.

    The weather today was quite warm. It was almost noon, and there were quite a number of people who came out to take a walk and bask in the sun. Qi Qiming walked along the cement path in front of him.

    ¡°Things at thepany are going well, right?¡±

    After walking for a long distance, Qi Qiming, who had been walking in front with his hands behind his back, suddenly stopped. He turned his head to look at his son who was following behind him and asked in a deep voice.

    The sudden question made Qi Lei pause for a moment, then he said, ¡°It¡¯s going well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Wang Chun has already roughly told me what happened. I didn¡¯t expect so many things to have happened recently. There are so many things that I can¡¯t remember. Your mother, she...¡±

    Qi Qiming suddenly stopped speaking. His pale face froze for a moment, and he did not continue speaking.

    He already knew about Wang Qin from Wang Chun. Of course, there was also the matter with Qi Feng. Although he could not recall what happened, the information that he had found and the things that Wang Chun had told him personally should not be lies.

    ¡°I have already done the examination several times, and there are basically no problems. I want to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. Since Qi Kai has already been taken over by you, I don¡¯t need to worry about it anymore. You should take good care of it.¡±

    Qi Qiming did not continue to talk about Wang Qin. However, Dongfang Liuyun could see the bleak and dejected look in his eyes when he looked away. Faintly, there seemed to be a hidden... pain?

    Was it because of Wang Qin?

    Dongfang Liuyun could not tell.

    Qi Qiming retracted his gaze and continued to walk forward, ¡°I¡¯m old, and there are many times when my strength isn¡¯t up to my expectations. Moreover, the situation is like this now. The burden of the Qi family is still on your shoulders. Don¡¯t think about the past anymore.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that you can just pretend like nothing happened and that others could do the same as you?¡± Qi Lei replied indifferently after Qi Qiming¡¯s words. Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly and tugged at his sleeve.

    Qi Qiming suddenly turned to look at Qi Lei. Facing Qi Lei¡¯s silent gaze, Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes were as clear as water.

    ¡°Since I can, why can¡¯t you?¡±

    A momentter, Qi Qiming averted his gaze and replied.

    ¡°As people we have to always look ahead. Now that you have a wife, you still have a long way to go, no need to focus on those things in the past. I know you¡¯re not satisfied with me as a father, but a father is a father, and a son is a son. This fact cannot be changed.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s tone was very calm. Although his words sounded a little ufortable, Dongfang Liuyun did not notice any excessive emotions.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve arranged other amodations for me. I want to return to the Qi family¡¯s old mansion,¡± said Qi Qiming.

    ¡°After all, that is the Qi family¡¯s hundred-year-old mansion. It has the efforts of several generations of the Qi family. Just let them renovate it. It¡¯s not good to have the house too quiet, rear a few Huskies. I remember that you¡¯ve always liked this dog. Previously, when you wanted to rear them, I objected because your mother didn¡¯t like these pets very much, and it was too noisy.¡±

    Qi Qiming also vaguely remembered these things. He could not be too sure about the iplete fragments, but he would not be so lonely if he kept a few pets like this.

    When he said this, Qi Lei¡¯s expression became gloomy and uncertain.

    ¡°Huskies are quite cute, it¡¯s good to have a few. Why didn¡¯t I know you liked Huskies before? I didn¡¯t see you having them either.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s calm voice broke the deadlock. As she spoke, she nced at Qi Lei with some confusion. She had a feeling that he would not like Huskies.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never asked me either?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her with annoyance. He could sense that Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be quite protective of Qi Qiming. He knew that she seemed to be trying to ease the rtionship between the father and son, however, Dongfang Liuyun was also not good at managing rtionships. She did not know what she could do apart from saying someforting words.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you speak properly? There¡¯s no point to being dissatisfied right now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun leaned over and whispered into his ear.

    Qi Lei slowed down and nced at her.

    ¡°Speak properly.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned slightly.

    Qi Lei cleared his throat, and his expression eased up a little.

    Qi Qiming turned and saw the couple whispering to each other. His dark eyes froze for a moment, and his pale face rxed a lot.

    ¡°Let Qi Lei arrange this. He¡¯s worried that the old mansion is too big. He and I also live in the Grand Lake Vi area. It¡¯ll be a little lonely for you to stay there alone. Mother¡¯s vi area is a little livelier, and it¡¯s quite close to us. It¡¯s easier for us to take care of you.¡± Dongfang Liuyun exined in a neither servile nor overbearing manner.

    Qi Qiming nced deeply at Dongfang Liuyun. His gaze shifted and he sized up Qi Lei. Seeing that his gaze had been fixed on Dongfang Liuyun, he began to have some thoughts in his heart.

    When he woke up, he saw Dongfang Liuyun. Everyone said that she was Qi Qiming¡¯s daughter-inw. She seemed to have a pretty good personality. Moreover, it looked like his son liked her very much. From the way he looked at her, he could tell.

    He really did not expect that so many things had happened while he was unconscious.

    He had asked his people to investigate and sort out all the missing information. He also asked Wang Chun to briefly tell him about the things that had happened during this period of time. It was roughly the same as the information he had sorted out.

    There were also some fragments that asionally appeared in his mind. It made him realize that too many things had happened during this period of time that he could not control.

    Moreover, Qi Kai had already been taken over by Qi lei.

    In that case, Qi Qiming seemed to be able to breathe a sigh of relief. He could slow down his pace and live a few peaceful days.

    ¡°It¡¯s quieter over at the old residence. It¡¯s better. You young people should have your lives too. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Qi Qiming refused.

    After some thought, he added, ¡°I can take care of myself. I¡¯m more used to the environment over there. You¡¯re Dongfang Liuyun, so Song Siting, Lawyer Song, should be your mother, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my mother has also mentioned you.¡±

    The reason why Qi Qiming had a slight impression of Song Siting was because Song Siting was Gu Qihao¡¯swyer during the dispute between Gu Qihao and Doris.

 Chapter 1972 - Relief (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1972: Relief (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After Qi Qiming woke up, he had also sent people to investigate Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s background. It seemed that they were all old acquaintances in the circle.

    Qi Qiming naturally knew about Dongfang Gan and Song Siting, as well as the Dongfang family.

    However, it took him a lot of time to digest this news. He felt that a lot of things had happened too quickly, and he found it hard to believe.

    ¡°Father, there¡¯s a bench in front. Take a seat.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun pointed to the bench in front of her and pulled Qi Qiming back to reality.

    Qi Qiming followed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze and looked over. He nodded and walked over.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see such good weather today. You guys can sit too. Sit!¡±

    Qi Qiming sat on the bench. He looked up and saw that Qi lei and Dongfang Liuyun were still standing. He quickly pointed to the seat next to him and gestured for them to sit.

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Qi Lei and saw that he had already quietly walked over to sit down. Only then did she sit down on the other side.

    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on both of you during this period of time. I only found outter that so many things had happened. Fortunately, everything is peaceful now. Your wedding seems to be after the new year. Take advantage of this time to recuperate. I can help take care of it, so you guys can continue to work.¡±

    When Qi Qiming mentioned his son¡¯s wedding, he seemed excited.

    ¡°Father, you should take good care of yourself. We¡¯ll worry about these things. You can¡¯t work too hard.¡±

    There was some gratitude in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s a very fortunate thing for us that you¡¯ve woken up. There¡¯s still a long way to go. You have to take care of your health.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Qiming was taken aback as well. He seemed to be thinking about something as he turned to look at Qi Lei. Seeing that he was silent, his gaze darkened as he slowly leaned back in his chair.

    ¡°My health is pretty much alright, I can hold on. I¡¯ll probably have a lot of free time when I get back, there¡¯s nothing wrong with finding something to do. Qi Kai left behind a lot of problems. Those old guys from before were all pretty good, you need to learn how to use their abilities...¡±

    Qi Qiming could not help but remind Qi Lei. Even though he did not remember many things, he was still very clear about Qi Kai¡¯s situation.

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He just listened quietly.

    ¡°Wang Chun has been by my side for many years. He has always been loyal. You have tomunicate with him more. He has more experience in handling many things. Also, I believe that you know what to do with some of the Qi family¡¯s business matters. You have to be more attentive.¡±

    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to worry about work matters. He will take care of it. You just focus on recuperating.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s voice fell for a long time. When Qi Lei did not respond, it was Dongfang Liuyun who spoke up to break the awkwardness.

    Qi Qiming was stunned for a moment. He turned to look at Qi Lei, who had been silent. He sighed in his heart and finally said nothing more...

    ...

    When they left the hospital, it was already noon. The couple found a restaurant nearby and had a simple lunch. Then Dongfang Liuyun sent Qi Lei straight back to Tai Yu Corporation.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye did not expect to see Xi Xinyi again. She thought that the two sisters would never see each other again in this lifetime.

    When Secretary Ding brought her in, Xi Xiaye was stunned.

    ¡°Sis, long time no see. How are you?¡±

    There was a hint of grace in her gentle voice. Her long hair had been cut off, and her simpleyered hair made her look very energetic. She also looked very capable.

    She was currently wearing a camel-colored woolen coat. She looked travel-worn, so she must have just rushed back.

    ¡°Xi Xinyi? How is it you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at the woman who suddenly appeared in front of her in surprise.

    Xi Xinyi put her handbag aside and looked at Xi Xiaye. There was a faint smile on her beautiful face¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s me. The head office here is holding an annual concluding meeting. I¡¯m back to report on the work situation over the next few days. I wanted to take advantage of these few days toe over and see you, Brother-inw, Father, and the rest. Have you guys been doing okay?¡±

    Xi Xinyi was more modest now. She no longer had the arrogance and fierceness from before. It could be seen that she had settled down a lot over the past few days, and she seemed like apletely different person.

    ¡°We¡¯re all fine. Why didn¡¯t you tell me you wereing back? I could¡¯ve arranged for someone to pick you up.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then came back to her senses. She slowly stood up from the chair and pointed at the sofa beside her. Have a seat. Secretary Ding, please make a cup of hot tea.¡±

    ¡°Okay, President Xi!¡±

    Secretary Ding quickly went over to make tea while Xi Xinyi followed Xi Xiaye to sit on the sofa.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Anyway, I¡¯m quite familiar with City Z. I just wanted toe over to see you, Sis, and Father.¡±

    ¡°Are you getting used to living there? About you and Han Yifeng...¡±

    Xi Xiaye had actually almost forgotten the words ¡®Han Yifeng¡¯. It had been a long time since she hadst thought of this name. She had once thought that she could not forget it, but now, it was just that.

    When Xi Xiaye asked this, Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes immediately darkened, but she quickly returned to normal with a faint smile on her face¡ª

    ¡°Sis, you shouldn¡¯t worry about this. I can go see Xiao Zhe anytime now. I¡¯m already very satisfied with that. I¡¯m quite satisfied with this situation, but I need to thank you for all of this. Of course, there¡¯s also Brother-inw. Thank him for helping me back then. Every time I think about those things in the past, the person I feel most guilty about is you. I...¡±

    When she reached the end, Xi Xinyi could not continue.

    ¡°Forget about those things. As long as everyone¡¯s doing well, it¡¯s fine. How many days do you n to stay this time?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Xi Xinyi calmly. Seeing that her expression was a little stiff, she could only persuade her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. The report might take about three days. After I¡¯m done, I n to go back. Things over there are also very busy, so I definitely can¡¯t stay here,¡± Xi Xinyi replied.

    ¡°What do you n to do today then? Have you arranged the hotel you¡¯re staying at?¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the tea from Secretary Ding and brought it to Xi Xinyi. Have a cup of hot tea.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Xi Xinyi took it and said softly, ¡°It¡¯s already arranged. I¡¯m staying at Emperor Hotel.¡±

 Chapter 1973 - Relief (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1973: Relief (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye nodded.

    ¡°What other arrangements do you have today? For a work report, at this time, you¡¯d probably have to wait for tomorrow, right?¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked at the time on her wrist and replied, ¡°It was quitete when we get off the ne. The meeting will only start tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. Since you¡¯re back, let¡¯s get together. I¡¯ll call your Brother-inw now, let¡¯s have dinner at University A tonight. They probably don¡¯t have sses tonight,¡± Xi Xiaye suggested.

    Xi Xinyi thought about it and then nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll pack up. Let¡¯s go to the mall to buy groceries together and pick up your Brother-inw at the same time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye got up slowly and went over to pack up the things on the table.

    ¡°Sure. I even prepared some small gifts for Xiao Cheng and Xiao Rui in the car downstairs. I left them inside because they were too heavy. Xiao Cheng should have grown quite big, right?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s eyes were filled with care.

    ¡°Mmm, he¡¯s already walking steadily. He can speak clearly too, but sometimes he¡¯s too naughty. Your brother-inw and I weren¡¯t like him when we were younger. I wonder whose personality he followed,¡± Xi Xiaye said helplessly.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s good for boys to be naughty. However, I think Xiao Cheng should be more like Brother-inw. When he grows up, he¡¯ll definitely be very handsome.¡±

    Xi Xinyi looked at the family photo on XI Xiaye¡¯s table and smiled.

    Xi Xiaye followed her gaze and smiled calmly. ¡°Mmm, he is more like your brother-inw in terms of silhouette. If he were like your brother-inw in terms of temperament, then we can worry less.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she swiftly packed her things.

    ¡°Brother-inw is really good to you, Sis. I often envy you for meeting someone like Brother-inw. However, everyone has their own fate. Now that I¡¯m at this point, I should be satisfied too,¡± Xi Xinyi sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be content. I<i> should</i> feel lucky. Alright, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s chat while we walk.¡±

    Xi Xiaye carried her briefcase and walked out of the door.

    Xi Xinyi took a sip of tea, then put it down and followed.

    Then...

    The ck Cayenne quickly drove towards Glory World Corporation. Xi Xinyi sat in the back seat while Xi Xiaye drove. The car had just started when Xi Xiaye picked up her phone and dialed Mu Yuchen¡¯s number.

    After the ringtone rang a few times, the man on the other end picked up too

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    There was some concern in his low and gentle voice. ¡°Calling at this time?¡±

    When the familiar voice entered her ears, Xi Xiaye¡¯s beautiful face quickly showed a sense of warmth. ¡°What are you doing? At this time, it seems like it¡¯s almost time to get off work.¡±

    ¡°I just finished a meeting. Are you going to treat me tonight, Missus? Usually, you¡¯ll only call me at this time for that? Or do you want me to take you somewhere to rx?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s teasing voice traveled over as he leaned back in his chair, looking very satisfied.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye could not help but roll her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can guess it. But it <i>is</i> about dinner, Xinyi¡¯s back and she¡¯s in my car right now. I¡¯ve nned to go to my parents¡¯ ce for dinner together. I¡¯m driving over to pick you up now so you don¡¯t have to drive and go to the supermarket to buy groceries. My parents probably don¡¯t have any sses tonight,¡± said Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xinyi?

    When he heard this name, Mu Yuchen was stunned too. He could not react in time!

    It had been such a long time. He had almost forgotten about this person.

    He wondered how she was getting along with Han Yifeng and if they had gotten back together.

    ¡°Also, bring down our son¡¯s bag of toys. I¡¯ve already packed them and put them in the second closet in your lounge room.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not forget about this either.

    ¡°Mmm, got it.¡±

    ¡°Then,e downstairs in 20 minutes. I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance.¡±

    Xi Xiaye said thisst sentence before hanging up the phone.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen had been married for quite a few years. Not only did the rtionship between the husband and wife not fade, it even became stronger. Xi Xinyi had always been paying attention to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xinyi was very envious of such a rtionship. Of course, at the same time, she felt a little bitter.

    Her days over there were not considered short. In such a long time, she had not been able to get Han Yifeng¡¯s heart back. The only thing that made her happy was that her rtionship with her son had deepened a little.

    Han Yifeng had another woman by his side. There were often rumors about him having dinner with a certain socialite or attending some charity dinner together.

    In the beginning, Xi Xinyi was really heartbroken when she heard such news, but as time passed and she heard it more, she seemed to have be a little numb. Now, her thoughts were all on her son. With regards to Han Yifeng, she did not expect too much anymore.

    ¡°Sis, has Brother-inw always been like this with you? Look at the two of you. You¡¯ve been married for so long, yet your rtionship is still the same as before. It makes me envious.¡±

    Xi Xinyi watched Xi Xiaye put away her phone and asked softly.

    Xi Xiaye paused for a moment. She nced at Xi Xinyi through the car mirror in front and seemed to be able to catch the darkness on her face.

    ¡°He¡¯s always been pretty good to me.¡±

    ¡°Brother-inw is a good person. He¡¯s worthy of you cherishing him, sis.¡±

    ¡°I know. What about you and Han Yifeng?¡±

    Xi Xiaye asked the same question.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that that is all to us. No matter how hard I try, I still can¡¯t get back into his heart. Sister, he¡¯s alreadypletely removed all the memories about me.¡±

    As Xi Xinyi said this, her lips curled into a bitter smile. ¡°I don¡¯t dare to expect too much anymore. After all, I¡¯m such a sinful person.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about yourself like that. You¡¯re very goo,d, there are many things that we can¡¯t hold on to. We¡¯re not saints.¡±

    ¡°But now that things have be like this, even if I want to make up for it, there¡¯s nothing I can do. Han Yifeng isn¡¯t willing to ept me back at all. I don¡¯t want to lower my self-esteem and humiliate myself. Sis, actually, I¡¯m really doing pretty well now. I¡¯ve seen through many things, things are just that to me.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice sounded even more bitter and helpless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. This time, just spend some time with Father. He sometimes think of you, and he hopes that you can live well too,¡± Xi Xiaye said with some concern.

    ¡°Mmm, I dide back to see him anyway.¡±

    Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and then eased up a little.

    ¡°Is everything going well over there?¡±

    ¡°Everything¡¯s pretty good. President Qi¡¯s decision-making is very prescient. When I took over, my performance went up very quickly as well. Everything is going very smoothly.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1974 - Harmony (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1974: Harmony (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the car arrived at Glory World Corporation, it was already time to get off work. Many employees walked out of thepany as Xi Xiaye parked the car in front of the entrance.

    Not long after, a man walked out with Li Si beside him. He walked over with a document in his hand and was exining something to Li Si while Li Si nodded.

    When they reached the car, Mu Yuchen closed the document in his hand and handed it to Li Si. Li Si took it and waved at Xi Xiaye respectfully before sending the big bag of Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s toys to the trunk.

    Xi Xiaye smiled and nodded in response.

    The car door was opened very quickly. Mu Yuchen sat in the passenger seat as he put on his seatbelt. He turned to look at the woman in the driver¡¯s seat and asked, ¡°Have you been waiting for long?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived. Has everything been arranged?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye spoke, she started the car as well. She nced at Mu Yuchen and gestured to him. He quickly turned to look at the back seat as well. Sure enough, he saw Xi Xinyi sitting quietly.

    ¡°Brother-inw!¡± Xi Xinyi quickly greeted him.

    Mu Yuchen nodded. ¡°When did youe back? Have you arranged for a ce to stay?¡±

    There was some care in his polite words, just like what Xi Xiaye had asked earlier. Although it was not a very thoughtful question, when Xi Xinyi heard it, she did not know why, but she suddenly felt like crying.

    She took a deep breath and then nodded. In a slightly hoarse voice, she said, ¡°I just arrived today. Thepany has arranged a hotel over at Emperor. Thank you for your concern, Brother-inw.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, since you¡¯re back, stay for a few more days. While your sister isn¡¯t very busy these few days, she can take you out. Also, go visit Grandfather and Grandmother along the way, as well as West Park.¡± Mu Yuchen thought about it and said this.

    ¡°I know, but...¡±

    Xi Xinyi was about to say something when Xi Xiaye spoke up from the side, ¡°It¡¯s the weekend these two days. Now, the students are studying for their final exams. There should be no more sses for our parents. Later on, go back and see if Father is free. Let¡¯s go to Grandfather and Grandmother¡¯s graves and burn some incense together. You haven¡¯t been back for a long time.¡±

    Xi Xinyi naturally could not reject this. Her eyes were filled with warmth as she nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see what you can do. I¡¯ll arrange the time and report to President Qi.¡±

    ...

    The car quickly quieted down after a few words.

    Xi Xiaye was still focused on driving while Mu Yuchen leisurely closed his eyes to rest. Xi Xiaye turned on the music yer in the car when she saw how rxed he looked.

    ¡°Qi Lei called me just now. He said that Qi Qiming is recovering well and has been discharged from the hospital. He¡¯s staying in sunny new city, which is near the Grand Lake Vi area. It¡¯s the vi that Wang Qin bought previously. Take advantage of these two weekends to see if you can arrange for Wei¡¯er to go back and visit him. Wei¡¯er is already cheerful now. She can y with Xiao Rui and the other children too. You can ask Xiao Rui to go along too.¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly remembered about this.

    ¡°Qi Qiming?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned and almost forgot about this.

    She was stunned for a moment before she said absentmindedly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he has amnesia? Can he remember Wei¡¯er? Will Wei¡¯er...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even though he has amnesia, he already has a rough understanding of what happened these past few days. Qi Lei didn¡¯t intend to hide it from him. Even though Wei¡¯er is living with us, the Qi family is still her home. Although Qi Lei feels passive, he hopes that Qi Qiming and Wei¡¯er can get along well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded slightly.

    Xi Xiaye immediately understood. She quickly nced at him and said, ¡°You mean that Qi Lei hopes that Wei¡¯er can still go back to apany Qi Qiming in the future?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, of course, everything is based on Wei¡¯er¡¯s wishes. After Qi Qiming retires, he¡¯ll be like Grandfather. He¡¯ll be able to understand if he¡¯s in a grandfather¡¯s shoes So, when you have time in the future, try to let Wei¡¯er get familiar with that ce. We also need to think about her future.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s words made Xi Xiaye have no reason to refute. She thought about it and sighed, ¡°I know, but I feel a little selfish. I don¡¯t really want Wei¡¯er to get involved in our circle anymore. A few days ago, I asked Wei¡¯er. She seems to be like Xiao Rui. She¡¯s a military fan. Haven¡¯t you noticed that she¡¯s been asking for those camouge clothes recently? She hasn¡¯t been wearing her princess dresses.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a girl, why is she ying with those? How tiring.¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s tiring, but I think we shouldn¡¯t interfere too much with the children¡¯s interests. I think Wei¡¯er might be able to fulfill my dream that I¡¯ve never realized.¡± Xi Xiaye smiled as she said this.

    ¡°Are you nning to fulfill your own regrets on your daughter?¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave her a side nce.

    ¡°As long as she likes it, of course, I¡¯ll support her! There¡¯s also Xiao Rui. He¡¯s so self-motivated and says he wants to be a mighty General, so why don¡¯t I respond positively?¡±

    Xi Xiaye spoke confidently. Regarding the child¡¯s education and development, the husband and wife were very concerned about it now. They probably did not realize that the topic between them now was more about business, or about the children and family matters.

    ¡°If you push them all to that side, who will take over the family business in the future? With your response method, be careful that the little brat follows too. I don¡¯t want to be fighting on the front lines while dragging my old bones.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Father not take over the family business too? There will be grandchildren in the future!¡± Xi Xiaye red at him and said disapprovingly.

    When the man heard this, his handsome brows raised and he could not help but chuckle, ¡°Missus, you¡¯re really thinking far ahead. If our sons are like us and only get married when they¡¯re in their thirties, then we¡¯ll have to be in our sixties before we can have grandchildren. ording to you, won¡¯t you have tost until you¡¯re in your seventies or eighties before you can rest? I know that you¡¯re wholeheartedly thinking of being with me until you¡¯re old.¡±

    ¡°My skills are still not as good as yours. I don¡¯t think too far ahead. You win, Mr. Mu!¡±

    When XI Xiaye heard this, she naturally looked a little unhappy.

    Xi Xinyi, who had not spoken all this while in the backseat, could not help but chuckle. At this moment, the husband and wife realized that there was someone else in the car too.

    Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and nced at him before speeding up.

 Chapter 1975 - Harmony (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1975: Harmony (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In a sunny new city, in a certain independent vi district.

    This was Wang Qin¡¯s former residence. In fact, Wang Qin had several vis under her name. After Wang Qin passed away, Qi Lei did not manage them. He had Yang Sheng sell a few of them. The only reason why this one was kept was because of its name.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s insistence was not approved by Qi Lei. After he was discharged from the hospital, Qi Lei arranged for him to stay here.

    It was not that he did not want Qi Qiming to return to the Qi family¡¯s old mansion. He just felt that the negative energy in the old mansion was a little too heavy, and it made one feel very depressed. There were too many memories there, and it was very far from Grand Lake Vi district, so it was also convenient to take care of him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s decisiveness left Qi Qiming no room to refute, so he could only follow Qi Lei.

    However, there seemed to be a lot of Wang Qin¡¯s memories here. The style and decorations that Wang Qin liked, as well as some things that she liked. As Qi Qiming looked at them, he was surprised to find it feeling warm and familiar.

    When night fell, Qi Qiming sat on the sofa and watched TV. Wang Chun was beside him. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. From Qi Qiming¡¯s perspective, he looked in the direction of the kitchen, he could vaguely see the busy figures of the young couple.

    ¡°President Qi, Second Master still cares about you very much. You should take good care of yourself. Look at how well he and Missus are getting along. Those things are all in the past. Everything is fine now.¡±

    Wang Chun also followed Qi Qiming¡¯s gaze and looked over. When he saw the two faint shadows reflected on the door, Wang Chun also smiled and said.

    ¡°This ce is more suitable for you to rest and recuperate. Over at the old residence, the Second Master is also worried that you¡¯d be too lonely, and it¡¯s not convenient to take care of you. I think the environment here is quite good, and it¡¯s quite lively asionally. Staying here will make you feel morefortable.¡± Wang Chun continued.

    After a moment of silence, Qi Qiming took a deep breath and lowered his head to take a sip of hot tea, ¡°I can¡¯t say anything more. Let him make the arrangements. I¡¯m a little tired, and I can¡¯t even muster the strength in my heart. My body and mind are exhausted. I¡¯ve worked hard for my entire life, and I¡¯m afraid that this is the end.¡±

    Speaking of which, Qi Qiming¡¯s heart was also a little dejected. He did not expect that Wang Qin would actually leave just like that...

    During the time he woke up, the person he thought about the most was Wang Qin. He always had a vague feeling that Wang Qin woulde to visit him. Only when he woke up would he remember that Wang Qin was gone.

    He could not describe what he felt in his heart. There was some heartache and some regret. Every time he thought about it, there was an invisible pain in his chest. Just like now, he felt like he had lost something very important.

    ¡°This is my life. I¡¯ve been too harsh on people all my life, especially my wife and Qi Lei. Sometimes I think about how no matter what, they¡¯re still my woman and my son. As long as they are capable, why should I care too much? Why should I be wary of them? After all, they are my people.¡±

    When Qi Qiming said this, his pale face suddenly looked as if he had aged by many years. Wang Chun could not bear to look at him.

    ¡°I am a person who is too suspicious and narrow-minded.¡±

    Qi Qiming calmly pointed out his ws. ¡°From now on, you should follow him well and assist him. He is much stronger than a father like me. be it his wisdom or his bearing, I should be proud of him.¡±

    ¡°President Qi, you don¡¯t have to think too much. No matter what, I still believe that the Second Master is protecting you. The blood rtionship in your bones can not be erased. You have to pull yourself together for the future of the Qi family, Miss Wei¡¯er, and even the Young Masters and Miss in the future,¡± Wang Chun said with a smile.

    Hearing this, a look of anticipation appeared in Qi Qiming¡¯s eyes

    ¡°Wei¡¯er? Oh, I remember. She¡¯s Qi Feng¡¯s daughter, my granddaughter, right?¡±

    A little girl¡¯s figure faintly shed in Qi Qiming¡¯s mind. He thought seriously, but he could not recall anything.

    ¡°Yes, President Qi! and the Second Master and Missus are still so young. In the future, the Qi family will definitely have many children and grandchildren.¡±

    ¡°Is that so! Many children and grandchildren... they¡¯re already married, I¡¯ve probably have grandsons soon, soon, right...¡±

    Later on, Qi Qiming muttered to himself in a daze. Seeing that his expression had eased up a little, Wang Chun also rxed.

    ...

    The dinner was not very sumptuous, but they were all some of Qi Qiming¡¯s favorite dishes.

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun personally cooked. Wang Chun, the butler, Yang Sheng, and the other two old servants also sat down to eat.

    Qi Lei took the bowl, filled half a bowl of soup, and personally delivered it to Qi Qiming. His handsome face was no longer as cold as before. It was a little more peaceful now.

    ¡°Drink some. Liuyun specially stewed it for you.¡±

    A low voice was heard. Qi Qiming also raised his gaze and locked onto Qi Lei¡¯s face.

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes and moved the bowl over. He did not care about the look in his eyes as he took Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s bowl and served it to her.

    ¡°Second Master, Missus¡¯s culinary skills are amazing. Just looking at and smelling it makes one feel a little out of control. I¡¯m sure it smells, looks and tastes great.¡±

    Wang Chun smiled and said at the right time.

    ¡°He¡¯s the one who did it. I¡¯m just a helper. If you like it, eat more. Father, I heard that you like this. I¡¯ve asked the doctor, you can eat all these dishes, eat more. You¡¯ve been staying in the hospital for a while now, it isn¡¯t as good as staying at home.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun picked up her chopsticks and added some good dishes to Qi Qiming¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Qi Qiming responded softly and picked up his bowl as well.

    The family then began to eat in silence.

    Qi Lei took the wine bottle by the side and poured wine for everyone present. Then, he held a full wine ss and said to everyone in a deep voice with a calm expression...

    ¡°Many things have happened recently. Up until now, it hasn¡¯t been easy for me to have...¡±

    ¡°I, Qi Lei, have been unruly and unruly since I was young, causing everyone to put in a lot of effort. My mother used to hate me for not living up to my expectations. I always disapproved of it. Now that so many changes have happened, I... I think I will always remember these lessons. From now on, I will no longer care about the past. I will only strive for the present and the future.¡±

    At this point, there was no one who did not understand.

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out and gently held his hand under the table. She put it on therge hand on his knee and gave silentfort as she also raised his wine ss in response.

    Qi Lei suddenly turned his head to look at her. Seeing that her eyes were filled with encouragement and gentleness, his ck eyes immediately lit up with warmth.

    ¡°Alright, then there¡¯s no need to say anything. After this ss of wine, everything will begin anew.¡±

    As Qi Qiming said this, his eyes began to heat up.

    ¡°Cheers!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1976 - Crisis (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1976: Crisis (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After drinking a ss of wine, all the past was melted into it, and it waspletely wiped out.

    Wang Chunughed out loud first¡ª

    ¡°This feels really great. I haven¡¯t felt thisfortable for a long time. President Qi, Master, Missus, I look forward to our future lives. Now that Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s business is thriving, the supply chain is bing more and more stable and bigger. It¡¯s the end of the year, and I have already received some news from that department. The data is very gratifying. For this year¡¯s annual meeting, I suggest that we, Tai Yu Corporation hold a grand banquet!¡±

    As Wang Chun spoke, there was a hint of excitement in his voice.

    ¡°President Qi, Master Qi, I¡¯m happy too. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been so happy. Seeing all of us sit down in harmony and have a meal together, such an opportunity is really rare. I¡¯ve forgotten thest time we had this.¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly chimed in. He was sincerely happy for this moment.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re so happy, there¡¯s no need for more words. Hurry up and pick up your chopsticks. This meal is all about your Master¡¯s cooking. He always tells me that he¡¯s good at cooking, today you can all be the judge, you have to tell the truth, understand?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had a faint smile on her lips, but she was looking at Qi Lei beside her as she said this.

    Qi Lei gave her a disapproving nce and said rather confidently, ¡°Even if they were telling the truth, it would definitely be an extremely high evaluation.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try then!¡±

    ...

    The dinner was rather harmonious. After Qi Lei instructed the butler and the servants on some things to be aware of, he left with Dongfang Liuyun. Qi Qiming, who had been waiting in the living room, also sent them out.

    This time, Qi Lei took the initiative to take the car keys. Dongfang Liuyun walked behind him with Qi Qiming by her side.

    ¡°Liuyun, I¡¯ll leave Xiao Lei to you to take care of him. Come and visit often when you have time. Don¡¯t worry about the wedding, I¡¯ll help you get it sorted. You two can just focus on your work.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s low voice traveled over. Dongfang Liuyun stopped in her tracks in an instant and turned to look at him. She could see a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and nodded gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitelye back to visit often. You don¡¯t think too much either, rest well. Qi Lei said that he¡¯ll bring Wei¡¯er back to visit you soon once you¡¯ve stabilized. She¡¯s a very cute little girl, you¡¯ll definitely like her very much. Besides, I think you might even remember her,¡± Dongfang Liuyun consoled him.

    ¡°Alright, call ahead when youe back so that I can prepare. What does Wei¡¯er like? I¡¯ll see if I need to prepare any toys or things that little girls like.¡±

    A rare smile appeared on Qi Qiming¡¯s silent face.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to prepare. Wei¡¯er is very obedient. If you have to prepare anything, why don¡¯t you prepare some seven-colored candies that aren¡¯t too sweet for her? Thest time I bought them for her, she seemed to like them.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was worried that Qi Qiming would be disappointed, so she thought about it and answered that.

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll prepare this seven-colored candy for her.¡±

    As soon as Qi Qiming said that, the sound of a car horn could be heard not far away. Dongfang Liuyun looked over and realized that Qi Lei had already driven the car over.

    ¡°Father, rest well then. Rest early. We¡¯ll leave now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly said goodbye.

    Qi Qiming nodded. ¡°Be careful on the road.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun then walked towards the car.

    Just as she fastened her seatbelt, the phone in her handbag immediately vibrated. Dongfang Liuyun quickly took out her phone...

    Qi Lei also tacitly turned down the volume of the radio.

    Dongfang Liuyun answered the phone, and Qi Lei drove out.

    ¡°What did you say? There¡¯s a fire at De Bao House? What about Uncle Ming? How¡¯s Uncle Ming? He¡¯s not in the shop, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shocked voice wasced with nervousness.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll be there right away!¡±

    Before Qi Lei could say anything and react, Dongfang Liuyun had already hung up the phone. She said hurriedly, ¡°Hurry, go to De Bao House, something might have happened!¡±

    ¡°De Bao House? Fire?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned and his expression turned serious.

    ¡°The police called, we¡¯ll only know when we go over. It¡¯s the weekend. Uncle Ming usually stays in the shop to rest. I¡¯m worried...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Let¡¯s go and take a look first.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression tensed up as he sped up.

    On the way, Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little uneasy. She kept calling Uncle Ming, but the person on the other end did not answer. The phone in the shop could not be reached.

    Qi Lei rushed over as fast as he could.

    He had just arrived near the main street. From afar, he could already see the mes in front of him. Two fire engines and a few police cars had already set up the road in front of them. The noise was incessant.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not even need to identify it to know that it was definitely her De Bao House!

    Just as the car stopped on the side of the road, Dongfang Liuyun rushed out of the car anxiously and quickly squeezed into the crowd in front. Qi Lei also quickly followed behind.

    ¡°Excuse me, please excuse me¡ª¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun squeezed in. Looking at the raging sea of fire in front of her, her body trembled. She wanted to get closer, but she was stopped by the police ahead.

    ¡°Uncle Ming! Uncle Ming! Is He still inside? Uncle Ming!¡±

    ¡°Liuyun! Calm down! Let¡¯s see what the police say. Maybe he¡¯s not inside.¡±

    Qi Lei, who caught up from behind, quickly pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Let go of me! Uncle Ming is still inside!¡±

    ¡°Are you the owners of this shop?¡±

    The police quickly went forward to ask.

    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s going on? Why is there a sudden fire? Is there someone inside?¡± Qi Lei held Dongfang Liuyun as he asked.

    ¡°Our preliminary judgment is that it might have been a natural gas explosion. The source of the explosion is in the backyard of this shop, there should be someone operating inside. Right now, our firefighters are searching for any survivors...¡±

    ¡°Impossible... this is impossible...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could no longer listen to the rest of the sentence¡ª

    If that was the case, then Uncle Ming...

    Uncle Ming should still be inside. Then, where is he now? Where is he?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s body tensed up. She was stunned for a moment before she hurriedly squeezed forward. ¡°I¡¯m going to save him! He¡¯s still inside!¡±

    ¡°Liuyun! Calm down!¡±

    Qi Lei quickly pulled her back.

    Just as he was about to say something, there was amotion ahead. Before they could react, a white stretcher had already rushed forward, and yet...

 Chapter 1977 - Crisis (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1977: Crisis (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The person who was carried out was Uncle Ming. Of course, there was no need to resuscitate him, because he was no longer breathing.

    The person on the stretcher had lost consciousness. Many parts of his body were charred, and one could barely recognize his old face. When Dongfang Liuyun saw him clearly, his entire body went limp.

    It was Uncle Ming.

    He had been by Elder Dongfang¡¯s side for many years and was alone. After Elder Dongfang passed away, he retired. All these years, he had been working for the Dongfang family and treated Dongfang Liuyun very well.

    Uncle Ming was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s most respected elder apart from Elder Dongfang, so she could hand De Bao House over to him with ease. She did not expect such a thing to happen...

    A few days ago, when she came over, this amiable elder had said that he would definitely attend her and Qi Lei¡¯s wedding, but now...

    ...

    This disaster came very suddenly, and the losses were huge. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s De Bao House was almost destroyed, and even the other shop next to it was affected.

    The fire spread from around 10 p.m. until it was almost midnight before it was extinguished.

    Dongfang Liuyun felt like she was in a daze and stood there the whole time.

    Qi Lei was very worried. If Yang Sheng rushed over to deal with the funeral, there would be a lot of disputes. Of course, the main reason was the ident.

    Qi Lei himself knew very well that the maintenance workers had personallye to check on the natural gas pipeline a few days ago. Uncle Ming was also such a careful person. He would not have made such a big mistake.

    ¡°Master Qi, why don¡¯t you send Missus back to rest first? Leave this to me. I¡¯ll take care of Uncle Ming¡¯s funeral matters. Also, don¡¯t worry about the matters here.¡±

    Yang Sheng saw that Dongfang Liuyun looked very pale, and his eyes were naturally filled with worry.

    ¡°Mmm, call us if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    Qi Lei left this sentence and helped Dongfang Liuyun to the car.

    ...

    Everything happened so suddenly that Dongfang Liuyun was caught off guard.

    In the car, Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. She was in a state of deep thought. Qi Lei did not disturb her.

    There was no expression on her face. He could only see a hint of pain between her brows.

    ¡°Drink some water. Don¡¯t be too sad. The police will investigate thoroughly. I¡¯ll draw you a bath. Take a good bath and rest early, okay?¡±

    In the Grand Lake Vi area, Dongfang Liuyun was sitting on therge sofa in the living room. Qi Lei thoughtfully poured her a ss of water.

    Dongfang Liuyun weakly reached out to prop up her slightly drowsy head. She took a few deep breaths before speaking in a hoarse voice, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that this is real. Uncle Ming is a very cautious person. How could he...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about anything. I can see that you¡¯re not in great condition, go upstairs and rest for a while. Let me arrange the details.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I just keep feeling like I can¡¯t breathe. Don¡¯t let Grandmother know about this for now. I was nning on going back to visit her tomorrow.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it and gave the order. She took the water and drank a mouthful.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep first. Uncle Ming... I¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I find this too sudden. I¡¯ll have to trouble you, help me find out what happened. Recently, these ominous feelings have been getting more and more intense. I have a feeling that this matter isn¡¯t simple. Uncle Ming... I¡¯m a little... sad...¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, her voice could not help but contain some bitterness. She could not continue speaking.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what happened first. If anything, we¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow. Go up and rest for now.¡±

    ...

    The dazed Dongfang Liuyun finally went upstairs under Qi Lei¡¯s urging.

    Such a huge matter naturally could not escape the media. Even though Yang Sheng had tried his best to suppress the news, the incident had already been reported the next morning.

    Yang Sheng had not slept the entire night and rushed over early in the morning.

    Yang Sheng had already arrived at Grand Lake Vi area when the sun had just risen.

    Qi Lei also woke up very early. When Yang Sheng came over, he had already prepared breakfast.

    ¡°Sit down and have breakfast together. Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Qi Lei ced the te in his hand on the table in front of him. He pointed to the seat opposite him and gestured for Yang Sheng to sit down.

    Yang Sheng naturally did not stand on ceremony and sat down as well. Qi Lei poured warm milk for him.

    ¡°Thank you, Master Qi.¡±

    Yang Sheng took the milk.

    ¡°How did it go?¡±

    Qi Lei picked up his knife and fork and began to enjoy his breakfast elegantly as he asked.

    Yang Sheng took a sip of milk before he spoke, ¡°The police are already investigating the cause of the ident. I got someone to investigate the surveince cameras in the vicinity overnight. A few hours before the ident, they did not find anything unusual. De Bao House had its door open as usual. There were also a lot of customersing and going, especially now that it¡¯s near the end of the year. Arge antique auction will be held at the International Art Exhibition Hall in a few days, so that street is livelier than usual.¡±

    ¡°Also, the police are going to send Uncle Ming¡¯s body for an autopsy, so...¡± Yang Sheng said with some hesitation.

    ¡°Then try to cooperate with the police. We must get to the bottom of the matter. Go and check if there are any unusual people who have entered De Bao House recently. Also, go and find out about the natural gaspany. Make sure to appease the family members involved, don¡¯t let the matter get into a conflict.¡± Qi Lei instructed him very quickly.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. I¡¯ve already made the arrangements. The police are quite efficient. We¡¯ll just have to pay more attention. The person investigating this matter this time is Captain Wang from before.¡±

    ¡°Captain Wang, who was in charge of my mother¡¯s investigation?¡±

    Qi Lei listened and raised his eyes to look at Yang Sheng indifferently.

    Yang Sheng nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him! The reason we were able to get to the bottom of things back then, apart from everyone¡¯s hard work, was also thanks to his hard work.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t thanked him properly yet,¡± Qi Lei said in a low voice. He looked down thoughtfully. After thinking for a moment, he continued, ¡°Filter through the recent matters of the Dongfang family and see if anyone has been acting oddly.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, are you suspecting that someone is targeting Missus again?¡± Yang Sheng frowned.

    ¡°Too many things have happened around her recently. We can¡¯t help but be suspicious. Even if it¡¯s not, it¡¯s still good to be careful. Go ahead and do it.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. When he thought of Dongfang Liuyun, he naturally felt uneasy.

 Chapter 1978 - Indifference (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1978: Indifference (1)</h4>

    After receiving Qi Lei¡¯s instructions, Yang Sheng also nodded.

    ¡°How¡¯s the Missus?¡± Yang Sheng asked with concern.

    ¡°Let her rest a little more. If there¡¯s anything, just tell me directly.¡±

    ¡°Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding ising soon. Master Qi, I¡¯ve already prepared the gift.¡±

    Yang Sheng, on the other hand, thought of this matter.

    ¡°You can decide,¡± Qi Lei agreed and continued to enjoy his breakfast. Yang Sheng knew that he was not in a good mood, so he did not say anything else.

    After breakfast, Yang Sheng left. After Qi Lei finished packing, Dongfang Liuyun came downstairs in a neat outfit. She looked a little disappointed. With such an incident, it would be impossible to say that she was doing just fine.

    ¡°I called Grandmother this morning and told her that we¡¯ll only be back in the afternoon. We¡¯ll have dinner there tonight. Come with me to thepany today. Don¡¯t go over to the Dongfang Group for now. I¡¯ve already applied for leave for you. At the same time, take it as an opportunity to understand some of Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s affairs.¡±

    There was a meeting in the morning. Xi Xinyi still had to do work reports, so she was naturally a little busy.

    As Qi Lei said this, he pulled out a chair for her and gestured for her to have breakfast.

    Dongfang Liuyun thought about it for a while before sitting down quietly. She took the milk he handed over and took a sip before asking, ¡°What¡¯s the situation at De Bao House?¡±

    ¡°The losses are huge. The police are already investigating Uncle Ming¡¯s matter. I¡¯ve already asked them to speed things up. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    ¡°Even if I want to worry, I don¡¯t know where to start,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said helplessly.

    ¡°Then, don¡¯t think about anything. Rest well and finish your breakfast first.¡± Qi Lei said very considerately.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun also attended the morning meeting.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s appearance naturally surprised everyone. After all, their President¡¯s wife and thepany¡¯s secondrgest shareholder rarely attended their meetings. However, today was the year-end summary, so it was not surprising that she was present.

    Xi Xinyi was also a little surprised by Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s appearance, but she had already known that their young President Qi got married when she was overseas, so she was not too shocked.

    After the meeting, Xi Xinyi went straight to Qi Lei¡¯s office to report on her work for the past year.

    ¡°Your performance this year has been pretty good, and your aplishments have been great too. You can stay here for a few more days this time. Xiaye probably hopes for that too.¡±

    After he finished browsing through the documents, Qi Lei slowly closed the documents in his hands as he looked up at Xi Xinyi.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ve already seen my sister, brother-inw, and the others yesterday. However, it¡¯s enough that I¡¯ve seen them once. I should go back to see Grandfather and Grandmotherter before I leave. President Qi, I know that you gave me and my uncle a chance back then on ount of brother-inw and sister. Thank you... I¡¯ll definitely cherish this opportunity.¡±

    Xi Xinyi was very confident about what happened back then. Now, apart from gratitude, there were more emotions in her heart. Fortunately, she had met people like Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen, so she had a chance at a new life.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. If you want to thank someone, then thank your brother-inw, Mu Yuchen, and your sister, Xi Xiaye. The reason I agreed to arrange for you to go over there was just to fulfill the agreement I made with Mu Yuchen. It has nothing to do with you personally. However, your abilities are sufficient for this job. I¡¯m relieved to hand it over to you.¡±

    Qi Lei leaned back slightly and looked at Xi Xinyi calmly. ¡°You should be thankful that you have a generous and kind sister, thankful that you¡¯re not blinded by the fog of hatred, so you need to thank yourself too.¡±

    Xi Xinyi nodded and smiled, ¡°Yes, after experiencing so many things, I¡¯vee to understand a lot of things. If I was like my sister back then, to be more open-minded and magnanimous, perhaps we¡¯d all be fine now. At least, we can all live together in harmony as a family. It¡¯s a pity that one only cherishes the value of something after losing it. Otherwise, even if she knew this principle, it would be hard for her to understand until she experienced it. By the time she came to her senses, it was already toote...¡±

    Xi Xinyi did not know why she had said these things to Qi Lei. Perhaps the pain in her heart was too repressed and she wanted to find someone to confide in.

    ¡°It¡¯s never toote toe to realization. I¡¯ll use your sister¡¯s words to encourage you.¡±

    Qi Lei could see XI Xinyi¡¯s sincere repentance. He also caught the disappointment in her eyes, so he said that...

    ¡°Memories, or the past, are more often used for reference. It can help us reflect on how we can walk the path of the present and the future. A lifetime is very long, our footsteps wouldn¡¯t stop here forever, don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, Xi Xinyi was suddenly stunned, and her eyes could not help but be teary.

    Who knew that after such a long period of time, she had been silently enduring the pain and regret and was unwilling to tell anyone. Now that she had returned and said this out loud, she felt much better.

    Yes, our footsteps would not stop in the past forever, or stop in the present. There is a very long way to go, and she was still young. How could she deny herself everything because of these things?

    Love was only a part of life. She still had many things that she could have and cherish.

    ¡°I understand. Thank you, President Qi! I feel much better after hearing what you said. Actually, I admire you more because...¡±

    ¡°Because I went from a hedonistic and unruly scum to the way I am now?¡±

    Before Xi Xinyi could finish, Qi Lei had already taken over her words, and a rare smile appeared on his handsome face.

    Xi Xinyi did not expect Qi Lei to be so direct. She was stunned and her expression froze instantly.

    Qi Lei, on the other hand, did not think much of it.

    He spread his hands casually and took a deep breath before replying, ¡°Since you know this, then you should understand it very clearly. Look, even a person like me can even make it through, so why can¡¯t you?¡±

    This was the first time Qi Lei had been so patient in persuading someone. For some reason, he did not have this kind of patience in the past. Perhaps it was because he had experienced a lot in the past few years that he had calmed down, naturally, he hoped that everyone would do well too.

    Xi Xinyi then nodded gently. ¡°Thank you, President Qi. I understand.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s good. Arrange your work well. I¡¯ll give you a few days off to walk around the city.¡±

 Chapter 1979 - Indifference (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1979: Indifference (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xinyi carefully left Qi Lei¡¯s office. When he heard the door close, Qi Lei leaned back in his chair. At this moment, the door to the lounge suddenly opened and Dongfang Liuyun slowly walked out.

    ¡°She¡¯s Xi Xiaye¡¯s sister, Xi Xinyi, right?¡±

    Those things that happened were in the past now. Even though Dongfang Liuyun was not close to them, she seemed to have heard about some of those things that happened. When Wang Hui passed away, she had gone to attend the funeral. She more or less heard some rumors from some people.

    Qi Lei turned around when he heard this. When he saw her walking over, he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°She looks quite disappointed, but listening to her speak, I can tell that she¡¯s quite strong now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened to most of their conversation from the lounge.

    ¡°What she did to Xi Xiaye back then was unspeakable, but Xi Xiaye never thought of taking revenge on her. Mu Yuchen even thought of ways to give her a chance. Back then, after Han Yifeng left City Z, he made a deal with me. That was how things ended up like today. Actually, Mu Yuchen was only thinking about Xi Xiaye¡¯s feelings back then. Xiaye is a very kind person, and Mu Yuchen is the same. They can¡¯t bring themselves to be ruthless with their own people.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve learned a lot from them.¡±

    ¡°Then, I should be d that you met them before me. You should be grateful that they influenced you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun came to the table and propped her hands on the table as she looked down at him.

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m pretty good. I just haven¡¯t met anyone who can make me be obedient. If only you had married me earlier.¡±

    As he said that, he could not help but stand up straight. He could not help but reach out to touch her cold face. The gaze in his ck eyes was as soft as the warm sun, and his voice was emotional and soft¡ª

    ¡°You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Even though I have seen countless women, only you can amaze me. I admit that I am a little shallow, but I do not want to hide it from you. Afte getting to know you, I realized that you are too good. You are so good that I am not sure if I have the qualifications to have you. Fortunately, I had the courage to take the first step.¡±

    ¡°Am I really that outstanding to you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips curled into a smile.

    ¡°Of course, no matter how much I doubt it, I wouldn¡¯t doubt my own judgment.¡± Qi Lei answered with certainty, looking at her with an unusually frank gaze.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled softly, and the gloom on her face faded slightly. She sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m not that good. It¡¯s impossible for a person to only have good points. I have quite a lot of shorings.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m so magnanimous. I¡¯ll definitely be tolerant.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say now,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see then. I¡¯ll use my entire life to prove this to you.¡±

    Qi Lei was full of confidence in the future of the two of them. He was filled with hope and anticipation.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled quietly. After a while, she reached out to grab his hand that was gently touching her cheek. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll trust you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your trust, Mrs. Qi. Alright, it¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s take you out for a meal. Then, we¡¯ll go shopping to see if there¡¯s anything you like. It¡¯s been so long since we went shopping.¡±

    Qi Lei raised his hand to pat her shoulder and slowly stood up.

    Dongfang Liuyun stood up as well. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go for hotpot. I feel like eating something warm right now.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Qi Lei said this, then took the coat on the shelf and handed it to her. He also took his own coat and put it on, before the couple left the office unhurriedly.

    ...

    In the afternoon, in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study.

    A violent cough was heard. Ah Cai was shocked when she walked in. She quickly quickened her pace and walked in. Before she got close, she saw Dongfang Shuman struggling to hold the table and gasp for breath.

    ¡°President Shu!¡±

    Ah Cai rushed forward in a panic and supported her.

    Dongfang Shuman took a few deep breaths in a row before she calmed down slightly. There was still a sickly weakness on her old face.

    ¡°President Shu, let me help you back to the bed. You shouldn¡¯t be wearing yourself out.¡±

    Ah Cai was very worried, especially since the weather was getting colder and colder these days. Dongfang Shuman¡¯s health was also getting worse and worse. Doctor Zhong hade over several times in the past few days.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t feelfortableying in bed for too long. Help me sit on the sofa,¡± Dongfang Shuman said with some difficulty.

    Ah Cai nodded and quickly helped her to sit on the sofa. She even poured her a cup of warm water.

    ¡°President Shu, drink some water.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took it and took a sip.

    ¡°Ah Cai, I feel that my days areing to an end, especially recently. I can¡¯t even concentrate. Your old President has been away for a long time, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t have the patience to wait for me for too long.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman held the armrest of the sofa with one hand and sighed.

    ¡°No, President Shu! You have to live a long life. You haven¡¯t seen Miss Liuyun have her wedding and have a cute great-grandson with her husband! You won¡¯t go so fast. As long as you take good care of your health, you will definitely get better and hold on...¡±

    A Cai naturally could not stand hearing such words. Now that she said this, her throat was filled with bitterness.

    ¡°I¡¯m still clear about my health. Now that even Uncle Ming has left, I feel lonely holding on by myself.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman said this, her gaze fell on the newspaper on the low table in front of her.

    Ah Cai was stunned!

    She had forgotten about the newspaper?

    She had also found out about the fire at De Bao Housest night, and it was the first time she had heard about it. The reason why she did not dare to tell Dongfang Shuman so quickly was because she was worried about how she would react emotionally...

    ¡°President Shu, this...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything else. I have already inquired about the general situation. That old fellow, he¡¯s served our Dongfang family for many years. We can¡¯t treat him unfairly. Help me take care of his funeral. He was very respectful to Elder Dongfang when he was alive, so let¡¯s bury him next to our Dongfang family¡¯s cemetery.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.

    Ah Cai was in a trance for a moment. She felt like crying, she had suppressed her emotions for a long time, and now she could finally vent them. She sniffed and could not help but say in a hoarse voice, ¡°Yes, President Shu. I understand. I¡¯ll go arrange it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t be too sad. There will always be such a day. He¡¯s lived for so long, sometimes, it¡¯s also a kind of relief.¡±

 Chapter 1980 - Indifference (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1980: Indifference (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The words of Dongfang Shuman made Ah Cai very sad, but she did not know how tofort her.

    She felt a sniffle and her eyes were very hot. She did not even dare to raise her head to look at Dongfang Shuman. She was very afraid that if she looked up, the tears in her eyes would not be able to be controlled.

    In fact, even if she did not look up, she could barely control it.

    With a ¡®Pa¡¯ sound, the burning tears fell on the back of her hand. She didn¡¯t dare to make a sound. She was afraid that if Dongfang Shuman saw it, the master and servant would feel even worse.

    Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps outside saved her.

    There was a knock on the door and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice came in¡ª

    ¡°Grandmother? Are you in there?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman immediately looked up at the door. Her old eyes were filled with joy. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    Ah Cai quickly wiped her tears and took a deep breath¡ª

    ¡°The Fourth Miss and Master are back, I¡¯ll go get the door!¡± Ah Cai replied and quickly went up to greet them.

    Meanwhile, Dongfang Liuyun had already pushed open the door and walked in. Qi Lei followed behind him.

    ¡°Grandmother, Auntie Cai!¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, Auntie Cai!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei greeted them one after another.

    ¡°You¡¯re back,e and sit.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s face was a little amiable. She patted the seat beside her. Ah Cai hurriedly poured them water and then left.

    ¡°I heard that you haven¡¯t been feeling very well recently. How are you feeling now?¡± Qi Lei asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big problem. It¡¯s just that my immunity has decreased as I get older. It¡¯s easy to catch a cold when the weather turns cold. It¡¯s not easy to get well either. You guys have to be careful to guard against the cold.¡± Dongfang Shuman coughed a few times and said weakly.

    ¡°Grandmother, you should take care of your health. Liuyun has been worried about you for a while. A few days ago, she was thinking ofing back to see you. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°You guys just keep busy with your matters, especially since your mother has just entered thepany. Although you guys can convince her, it¡¯s not easy to get her recognition from everyone. Didn¡¯t Liuyun take quite a long time to get to this point too?¡±

    Speaking of Song Siting, although Dongfang Shuman still felt a little ufortable, since Song Siting had made some concessions, she naturally would not be stubborn too. She was a very wise person, she definitely would not make things difficult for those who sincerely wanted to repent.

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t worry, Mother is very diligent. She is very familiar with some of the Dongfang Group¡¯s affairs. We can feel rest assured that she will handle the matters rted to legal consultants.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was very clear about her mother¡¯s ability, so she naturally trusted her.

    Dongfang Shuman nodded lightly, lowered her head and drank two mouthfuls of water. She let out a long sigh. ¡°You also have to pay more attention to yourself and be wary of the people around you. I also know about your Uncle Ming¡¯s matter. I know that you all want to hide it from me.¡±

    When Dongfang Shuman said this, Dongfang Liuyun was momentarily stunned. She raised her gaze and looked quietly at Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°You all need to pay more attention to this matter. I haven¡¯t been feeling very well recently. Your father isn¡¯t around either. Your mother has just entered thepany and you have already received a lot of attention. You should still be smart when ites to it.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman did not say anything else after that. She did not say anything more.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally understood what she meant. She nodded happily. ¡°I understand. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have to take care of your own matters. Don¡¯t think too much about the De Bao House matter. Let the police investigate what needs to be investigated. This matter can not be blown up. Qi Lei has already gotten someone to calm things down for now, I¡¯m relieved.¡±

    At this point, Dongfang Shuman coughed again. Dongfang Liuyun quickly patted her back to help her breathe.

    After a while, Dongfang Shuman raised her hand to stop her, ¡°I know that you and Uncle Ming had a good rtionship. Since this has already happened, you don¡¯t have to be too sad. I can tell from your face that you¡¯re just putting up a strong front. Just take it that he¡¯s going to apany your grandfather. I¡¯ve already asked Ah Cai to handle it. He will be buried right next to the Dongfang family cemetery. He¡¯s been with your grandfather for so many years. It¡¯s not bad for him to apany him there.¡±

    ¡°A few days ago, he even told me that he wanted to be there for my wedding with Qi Lei, unexpectedly, life is unpredictable. He left just like that. It was so fast that no one had time to react. Furthermore, he left in such a way.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun talked about this, she could not help but feel a little bitter in her throat. She said with some difficulty, ¡°I have to investigate this matter clearly. I have a feeling that it¡¯s not that simple. Grandmother, you know that Uncle Ming is such a cautious person. He wouldn¡¯t have identally caused this disaster. Moreover, the natural gas pipeline was just repaired a few days ago, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s nothing wrong with it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not sit still when this matter is brought up.

    Qi Lei reached out and held her down, signaling for her to calm down.

    ¡°You should handle this matter yourself. There are some things that you have to bear on your own. You can¡¯t be like your mother. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to truly sit in that position and take charge on your own.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman sounded very serious.

    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze was a little dark, but she could only tell herself in her heart that she had to be strong.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng¡¯s wedding ising up soon. Your aunt will be back in a few days. After shees back this time, I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯t be able to leave City Z for a short period of time. You guys should consider what position you should ce in thepany.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say before that it¡¯s all up to Grandmother?¡±

    ¡°The person in power in thepany now is your father, and the person in power in the future will be you. Although I¡¯m more partial to your aunt, I¡¯m not a person who can¡¯t distinguish between right and wrong. She can only be arranged in a suitable position for her. You¡¯d better think it over carefully. You might not be able to make an appearance on this matter. You two father and daughter should arrange a position for her. I¡¯ll arrange for her to take up the position.¡±

    When Dongfang Shuman said this, her old eyes were filled with the radiance of an elite.

    The Elder Madam¡¯s wisdom, breadth of mind, and foresight made even Qi Lei, who was sitting at the side, very impressed.

    Even though the Elder Madam had previously appeared to be very distant from Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Liuyun, in the end, she still sided with the father and daughter in her heart. However, the old man had never revealed himself. It was not easy for him to maintain his bnce in such aplicated whirlpool.

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally shocked by Dongfang Shuman¡¯s words. She looked at Dongfang Shuman in surprise...

    ¡°I know what kind of person your aunt is. However, no matter what, you must remember that she is after all your aunt and your father¡¯s sister.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was also a little solemn after that.

 Chapter 1981 - Indifference (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1981: Indifference (4)</h4>

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun was also startled. After some thought, she replied¡ª

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Even though Dongfang Shuman knew about the interests of the Dongfang family, as the person in charge, she still did not wish for the family to fall apart. She and Elder Dongfang had also experienced such suffering before, naturally, she did not want Dongfang Gan or Dongfang Liuyun to follow in their footsteps.

    ¡°Grandmother, you don¡¯t have to worry too much about these things. You should take good care of your health.¡±

    Qi Lei could also vaguely tell that although Dongfang Shuman still looked energetic, her aged face was much thinner than before. He could tell that she had been seriously ill recently, especially in such weather. Once she fell ill, it is difficult for her to recover.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My body is quite strong. Liuyun, you have to pay more attention to thepany¡¯s matters. Don¡¯t put off what you can do.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s health was deteriorating day by day. She was naturally worried that if she left like this, the Dongfang Group would be in trouble, so she had to make more ns.

    ...

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun left after having dinner.

    Ah Cai sent the couple out of the door.

    ¡°Fourth Miss, Master, if you have time,e back and visit President Shu more often. She¡¯s lonely by herself. Recently, she¡¯s been cooped up in the study. She sits there for the whole day. Furthermore, her health has been quite poor recently, so she needs ourpany.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was strict about keeping her illness a secret, so Ah Cai naturally did not dare to say too much. She could only remind her.

    ¡°We will, Auntie Cai, thank you for apanying Grandmother,¡± Dongfang Liuyun thanked her.

    ¡°Fourth Miss, you¡¯re too polite, this is just our duty. Right now, I only hope that President Shu can live a more rxed life. President Shu has been too worn out these past few years. I.... also feel extremely sorry for her...¡± Ah Cai said with some disappointment. By the looks of her expression, it could be seen that she was not very calm. Qi Lei sized her up for a long time. Even though he wanted to ask something, he did not say it in the end.

    ¡°Liuyun and I wille back often to visit. We¡¯ll have to trouble Auntie Cai to take good care of Grandmother for now.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop here then. I still have to go back and get President Shu¡¯s medication for her. Fourth Miss, Master, drive carefully on the road.¡±

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun nodded gently. The couple then got into the car one after the other.

    When the car returned to Grand Lake Vi area, it was alreadyte at night.

    The car slowly stopped at the entrance of the vi with the night breeze. From afar, they could see the familiar car waiting by the door, as well as the familiar license te number. The familiar figure leaning against the door.

    ¡°Lan Xiu?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at the figure in front with some surprise. She subconsciously turned his head to look at Qi Lei in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°He just came over like this?¡±

    Qi Lei shrugged. ¡°Of course he¡¯s concerned about you, get out of the car.¡±

    The car came to a stop. Dongfang Liuyun got out of the car swiftly and walked towards the figure in front. Lan Xiu waved at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote. Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was heard.

    Lan Xiu looked down at her and took a deep breath, ¡°Seeing how you look, it¡¯s indeed a little worrisome. I only found out about the situation at De Bao House at noon. Uncle Ming... He left too suddenly. I called you but your phone was switched off the whole time. I was a little worried, so I came over to take a look. Are you guys okay?¡±

    As Lan Xiu spoke, he looked up at Qi Lei who was following behind her.

    Qi Lei extended his hand very gentlemanly. Lan Xiu tacitly raised his hand and pped his palm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside. It¡¯s pretty cold outside.¡±

    After Qi Lei said this, he took out his key card, walked to the door, swiped it, and opened the door.

    Lan Xiu and Dongfang Liuyun followed behind him and entered.

    The house was naturally much warmer. Dongfang Liuyun and Lan Xiu sat down on the sofa. Qi Lei made a few cups of hot tea and brought some fruit snacks.

    ¡°How did this happen all of a sudden?¡±

    Lan Xiu frowned as he looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I want to know more than anyone else, but no one can tell me the answer. Uncle Ming¡¯s death has made me feel terrible. It¡¯s all because of me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened again.

    ¡°Since things have alreadye to this, don¡¯t me yourself too much. I don¡¯t think Uncle Ming will me you.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he mes me or not, he¡¯s not here anymore,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said dejectedly. ¡°It¡¯s also my fault for being too careless. I said that I was going to hire another person, but because I¡¯ve been busy recently, this matter was put on hold. Now that it¡¯se to this, I...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you can¡¯t escape fate. I know you¡¯re sad, so I didn¡¯t feel at ease and came over to take a look. I hope you can take it easy. How¡¯s the funeral preparations for Uncle Ming? Is there anything I can help you with?¡±

    Lan Xiu was concerned.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Qi Lei has already told me that the forensics still has to do the post-mortem. There¡¯s nothing much to worry about after that. You should still be busy with thepany¡¯s matters. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with that project, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun almost forgot about this matter as she was busy all this time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve already done the n so perfectly. If we still don¡¯t get it, even I¡¯ll start doubting my own abilities. I¡¯ve already signed a contract with the other party, and thepany can finally breathe a sigh of relief.¡±

    Lan Xiu nced at Dongfang Liuyun gratefully. His gaze quickly turned to Qi Lei, who had been silently tidying up the magazine on the sofa. ¡°Liuyun told me about it. Qi Lei, I¡¯m very grateful to you this time.¡±

    ¡°Grateful to me for what? I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Qi Lei replied indifferently. ¡°However, I heard from Liuyun that the internal structure of yourpany is a littleplicated. This will have a great impact on your future developments.¡±

    Qi Lei did not go too far, and Lan Xiu understood what he meant.

    After thinking for a moment, Lan Xiu smiled. ¡°As expected, you reached the crux of the problem at a single point. This is also what I¡¯m worried about. Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to change this rtionship.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something that happens overnight. You have to be more careful. This incident can¡¯t happen again. Have you found that person?¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned.

    ¡°Mmm, I know what to do. I¡¯ve already asked Ah Li to handle this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°You guys chat. I¡¯ll go up and send Mu Yuchen an email.¡±

    Qi Lei tacitly left the space for the two of them, then he got up and walked upstairs.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched as his figure gradually disappeared at the stairs. After a long while, she retracted her gaze.

 Chapter 1982 - Warm (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1982: Warm (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°He¡¯s very good to you.¡±

    Watching Qi Lei¡¯s figure disappear at the staircase, Lan Xiu finally spoke softly.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun nodded slightly, and a gentle look appeared on her beautiful face, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s very good to me, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me. Lan Xiu, you should also think about yourself. After all, a lifetime is long. Being alone would make you feel more and more lonelyter on. Right now, we¡¯re still of suitable age. It¡¯s not forced, just a matter of putting in some effort. If it¡¯s suitable, then don¡¯t be stingy with your feelings.¡±

    ¡°This is the thing you¡¯ve been telling me the most recently. Looks like your marriage with Qi Lei has changed some of your views. I remember that you didn¡¯t seem to have any expectations for things like marriage before.¡±

    Lan Xiu clenched his cup slightly and looked at Dongfang Liuyun quietly.

    ¡°After experiencing some things, it¡¯s inevitable for people to change their view of things. I think you¡¯ll feel the as I do in the future. Lan Xiu, stubbornness is the shackle that binds us. I hope that you can treat yourself better.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was filled with sincerity and blessings. ¡°In the years toe, I hope that you can find a kind and beautiful woman to apany you for life and be my sister-inw.¡±

    When Lan Xiu heard this, his eyes darkened. Then, he smiled. ¡°Sister-inw? I wonder how long we¡¯ll have to wait.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be too long. When fate arrives, you won¡¯t be able to resist it even if you wanted to, like me.¡±

    Lan Xiu chuckled and did not answer...

    ...

    In the study room upstairs, Qi Lei sent the revised report to Mu Yuchen¡¯s email. Not long after, Mu Yuchen quickly called him back.

    Mu Yuchen was also appropriately concerned about some things at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s De Bao House.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can handle it.¡±

    Qi Lei replied to Mu Yuchen with a low voice, ¡°Right, about Xi Xinyi¡¯s return...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s changed quite a lot. Xiaye asked me to thank you on her behalf.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. It¡¯s just a deal with you. Just let her thank you properly. Zimo has been busy preparing for the wedding recently. If you can spare some time, you can help me and Su Chen to go over and take care of it. I¡¯m a little busy these days.¡±

    Qi Lei recalled the matter of going to the Qin family with Zhou Zimo a few days ago.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The wedding will be held at the Zhou family¡¯s old residence. When the timees, just ask someone from Imperial Sky to go over and help. Zhou Zimo is smarter than you in such matters. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t let Qin Su Down.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that I¡¯ve let Liuyun down?¡±

    Qi Lei raised his eyebrows.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. Xiaye asked me when you n to give Liuyun a wedding?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s faintughter came over. Qi Lei then coughed lightly¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me to decide. I want to do it as soon as possible. The date has already been set. It¡¯ll be on the ninth day of the first lunar month after the New Year. The wedding will be held directly in the seaside town. The cathedral there and the scenery are all pretty good.¡±

    Speaking of the wedding, Qi Lei was actually looking forward to it. He himself had been nning it for a long time!

    He had decided!

    He, Qi Lei, wanted to give her Dongfang Liuyun an unforgettable wedding!

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d take her overseas.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled. As he spoke, he leaned against the desk behind him and looked at the French window in front of him. He could not help but think of his and Xi Xiaye¡¯s wedding back then...

    ¡°I don¡¯t want her to be too tired out. When the timees, you and Su Chen will have toe up with ns for me.¡±

    ¡°Will there be a reward?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a drink.¡±

    ...

    When Dongfang Liuyun pushed the door open and walked in, Qi Lei had just hung up. When he heard the sound of the door opening, he slowly turned around. When he saw the woman walk in, he asked, ¡°Has she gone back?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had already finished bathing. She had changed into a clean nightgown, and her beautiful hair was draped over her shoulders. She was holding a cup of warm milk in her hand.

    ¡°She went back a long time ago. She just came to see me. Who did you call?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun handed the milk in his hand over. Qi Lei took it without hesitation and drank a few mouthfuls. ¡°Mu Yuchen, he knows about De Bao House too.¡±

    When he said this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes went silent for a moment, and a look of disappointment appeared between her brows again.

    ¡°This matter can¡¯t be hidden anyway. I still have to go over to the police tomorrow.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was also a little disappointed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he finished the milk in his ss in a few sips. He put the ss aside and reached out to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun also reached out to his palm. Qi Lei quickly pulled her into his embrace and hugged her. His soft voice rang in her ears. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    The emotionalforting voice made Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart ache for some reason. The emotions that she had been holding back for a long time started to crumble. She quickly reached out to wrap her arms around his waist, ¡°Mmm... I¡¯m really a little... I still find it a little hard to believe. I even think of Lan Qi...¡±

    ¡°You just can¡¯t let go of it. There are many things that you just have to let go of. After going through so much, haven¡¯t you calmed down a little?¡±

    Qi Lei reached out and touched her head.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up at him. The light in her twinkling eyes looked a little weak. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m as strong as I look?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Is it because of me?¡±

    Qi Lei lowered his head and looked at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze froze for a moment. After a moment, she finally understood the meaning behind his words...

    It seemed like it was indeed a little like this. In the past, it did not seem so difficult for her to shoulder all of this. At least, she would not imagine that now, after hearing his caring andforting words, she would feel so heartbroken that she wanted to cry.

    Taking a deep breath, Dongfang Liuyun said in a slightly hoarse voice, ¡°Do you... think that I¡¯m a burden?¡±

    ¡°A burden?¡±

    When Qi Lei heard her words, his handsome brows immediately raised. He lowered his head to look at her for a long time before pressing her tightly against his chest. He said emotionally, ¡°What burden? If it wasn¡¯t for you, my life would also be a burden. Why would I think that you¡¯re a burden?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled when she heard him. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about yourself like that. But if you didn¡¯t say it, I wouldn¡¯t have known that I was so great.¡±

    ¡°Good! Of course you¡¯re great. The woman that I, Qi Lei, fancy is naturally the best woman in the world.¡± Qi Lei smiled and agreed. He hugged her even tighter and rubbed her head with hisrge hand.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart felt warm. She struggled slightly and put her arms around his shoulders as she met his dark eyes.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qi Lei said softly...

 Chapter 1983 - Warm (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1983: Warm (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face, and her beautiful eyes were filled with a faint gentleness. After a moment of silence, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and nted a kiss on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually very afraid that your answer is yes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun knew very well how she felt at that moment. No matter how proud she was, she was nothing in front of him now. The more he cared about her, the more vulnerable she became.

    And she, Dongfang Liuyun, would never allow herself to be vulnerable in front of others.

    Qi Lei was stunned. He could still feel the residual warmth on his face. He lowered his head and stared at her for a long time. Finally, he did not say anything. He quickly bent down and lifted her up.

    He wanted to show her how he felt about her.

    ...

    It was alreadyte at night. When Qin Su drove into the vi, she saw that the vi was still brightly lit from afar.

    It was near the end of the year and she was very busy with work. Zhou Zimo was also the one who had to worry about the wedding. She acted as if nothing had happened and continued to go to work on her own.

    Zhou Zimo was very good to her. He was extremely caring towards her. In her heart, she slowly dispelled some of the fear of marriage.

    When she walked into the living room, she did not see Zhou Zimo in the living room. However, the lights in the kitchen were still on.

    ¡°You¡¯re back. You didn¡¯t pick up my phone call, so I guessed that you were driving. Eat something.¡±

    Qin Su had just taken off her coat when Zhou Zimo¡¯s voice was heard. She looked towards the source of the voice and realized that he was walking out of the kitchen with arge tray.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wereing back so early for a social gathering?¡±

    Zhou Zimo had informed Qin su that he wasing back for a social gathering tonight and that he would not being back for dinner. Therefore, Qin Su decided not toe back so early as it would be useless for her to have dinner now.

    ¡°I was worried about you, and I left when it was about time. You didn¡¯t have dinner, did you?¡±

    Zhou Zimo made two servings of cooked noodles. Qin Su could already smell a tempting aroma when she walked closer, which triggered the hunger in her stomach.

    ¡°You have the ability to predict the future.¡±

    Qin Su walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down as she stretched out her hand toward him.

    Zhou Zimo quickly put down the noodles, handed her a wet towel, and then chopsticks.

    Qin Su took it and ate it without hesitation.

    ¡°The taste is not bad. Your ability to cook noodles is growing. I didn¡¯t really like to eat this thing before, but you brought it out recently, and I¡¯m gradually getting used to the taste.¡±

    Qin Su praised him while eating.

    Hearing this, Zhou Zimo¡¯s handsome face quickly turned gentle. He poured her a cup of fruit juice and moved it over. He replied, ¡°Then I have to thank you for giving me the honor.¡±

    As he said that, he sat down opposite her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sincerely praising you. You can treat it as a record of praise.¡±

    It was rare for Qin Su to exin like this.

    Zhou Zimo smiled. ¡°We¡¯re not superior and subordinate. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you used something substantial to prove it? It would also promote our rtionship.¡±

    As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks and picked up the eggs in his bowl for her. He even gave her some noodles.

    Qin Su naturally followed suit¡ª

    She was really hungry. She had only eaten half a bowl of porridge for lunch.

    ¡°Alright, you can sit down and eat too.¡±

    ¡°Is it enough?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was still worried that she would not be full.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a big bowl, you can even feed the pigs.¡±

    Qin Su took the fruit juice and took a sip.

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment. A smile immediately appeared on his handsome face. He coughed lightly. Qin Su only realized what she had just said after a while, and her face turned a little red.

    The husband and wife quietly finished their food, and Qin Su swiftly cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. When she returned to the bedroom, Zhou Zimo had already bathed andid down on the bed, and he had even filled up the bath water for her.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    When he heard the sound of the door closing, Zhou Zimo shifted his gaze away from the book in front of him and stared at the tightly shut bathroom door for a long time. Then, he simply threw the book aside and ced his hands behind his head, leisurely closing his eyes to rest.

    After an unknown period of time, he vaguely heard the sound of the door opening. He did not open his eyes until he vaguely felt someone walking towards him. Immediately after, the position beside him caved in before he slowly opened his eyes. What greeted his eyes was Qin Su¡¯s slender little figure.

    Her beautiful hair fell over her shoulders. She was only wearing a simple light-colored sleeping robe. As shey there, he could smell the faint fragrance that pervaded her body. He could not help but reach out and gently pinch a strand of her beautiful hair.

    Qin Su seemed to have noticed his actions and slowly turned her head to look at him silently.

    Zhou Zimo simply propped his head with one hand. His deep eyes were filled with enjoyment and appreciation as he looked at her without blinking.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s beautiful brows furrowed. Zhou Zimo¡¯s gaze was a little ufortable, and his expression was no longer as cold as before.

    ¡°Do you realize that you¡¯ve be more and more beautiful recently?¡± Zhou Zimo said very seriously.

    Qin Su also paused for a moment when she heard this. She replied disapprovingly, ¡°Is there a problem with your vision? I seem to be in myte 20s and 30s this year. I can¡¯t help but sigh at the unforgiving passage of time.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? You¡¯re already married to me anyway. You¡¯re no longer some old leftover woman. Instead, you¡¯re the upright Mrs. Zhou.¡±

    Zhou Zimo yed with her hair as he spoke.

    Qin Su nced at him and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she bent down and pulled open the bedside table. Very quickly, she took out a red brocade box. Zhou Zimo looked at it and felt a little puzzled. When she opened the brocade box, a silver stream of light approached, he was almost blinded.

    In the brocade box, there was a ring. It was a man¡¯s ring.

    Qin Su lowered her gaze and looked at the ring for a long time. Then, she said in a light voice, ¡°Give me your hand.¡±

    As she said that, she reached out her hand towards him.

    ¡°You bought it for me?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s eyes widened. He was a little unable to react.

    ¡°I went out this afternoon. I wanted to buy one for you anyway. Take care of it. If you drop it, I won¡¯t have the money to buy you a second one.¡±

    As Qin Su spoke, she pulled his hand and took the ring off his hand, recing it with the one she had bought.

    ¡°I should be the one to order this one for you.¡±

    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to put your ring on me?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s mouth was filled with a faint smile as he silently admired the halo lingering between his fingers. He actually felt extremely satisfied in his heart. As he looked at her, his deep gaze also stopped on her face.

 Chapter 1984 - Warm (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1984: Warm (3)</h4>

    Qin Su did not deny his words. Instead, she held his wrist and looked at it with admiration as if she was looking at a perfect piece of art.

    ¡°Looks like I have pretty good taste. It suits you very well,¡± Qin Su said calmly.

    ¡°What do you mean by that? You are my husband now. What¡¯s wrong with me trapping you? Weren¡¯t you determined to marry me previously? Why are you not used to it now?¡±

    What kind of person was Qin Su?

    She was a person with a strong ability to adapt. When she did things in a variety of ways, she still maintained the boldness and straightforwardness of a soldier.

    At first, she was a little hesitant about marrying Zhou Zimo, but now that the rice had been cooked and the marriage was done, it was a foregone conclusion for the two of them to live together, therefore, she naturally forced herself to ept and adapt to this reality as soon as possible. Since she was going to do this, she had to do what she had to do, and she had to do it well.

    Zhou Zimo naturally did not expect her to say such a thing. Therefore, after Qin Su¡¯s voice fell for a long time, he did not manage to react. Instead, he just stared at her in a daze and did not move for a long time.

    Qin Su quietly allowed him to size her up. When she saw his dull expression, a rare ripple-like smile appeared on her cold and otherworldly face. She raised her hand and patted the back of his hand. ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡±

    ¡°Qin Su... you are always so surprising, always bringing me surprises.¡±

    Zhou Zimo only said this after a long while. He pulled her hand and lowered his head to kiss the back of her hand. He could not help but pull her into his embrace as he said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s great, Qin Su... It¡¯s great that you¡¯re willing to put me in your heart. I¡¯m still a little worried that you might reject me and not be willing to ept me. After all, I was the one who forced you into this marriage.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been a rather passive person. The days ahead are still very long. If you¡¯re with me, you might be very tired. Please bear with me.¡±

    Qin Su did not refuse and leaned into his chest. Her arms gently wrapped around his shoulders.

    ¡°How can that be? You staying by my side is the greatest gift God has given me.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was very happy in his heart. He hugged her tightly without any hesitation. His handsome face gently caressed her hair. His entire mind was filled with her appearance and her scent...

    ¡°I have a question that I¡¯ve been wanting to ask you,¡± Qin Su paused for a moment and suddenly said.

    ¡°What question? Feel free to ask.¡±

    Zhou Zimo pulled her out of his embrace and stared at her.

    Qin Su lowered her eyes calmly and seemed to have thought for a long time. Then, she raised her gaze and met his ck eyes calmly. ¡°If I don¡¯te back and stay at the northwest border, you will...¡±

    ¡°I have been looking for you all these years. Although I¡¯m not sure if I can marry you, at least, I have to make sure that you are doing well. Only then will I be at ease. Now, fortunately, we are married.¡±

    Before Qin Su could finish his question, Zhou Zimo had already said the rest. Of course, what he said was also his truest thoughts.

    Qin Su was silent for a moment before she nodded her head happily and smiled faintly. ¡°Speaking of which, it seems like I didn¡¯t save you for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll only give myself to you. You won¡¯t abandon me, right?¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he quickly pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Call me Zimo...¡±

    Before Qin Su could continue, Zhou Zimo requested. He could not help but bury his entire face into her neck as he silently felt her aura.

    ¡°After the new year, there will be a batch of celebrities who want to undergo special training. I still have a file in the army. During this period of time, the higher-ups hope that I can deal with them and be their instructor for a period of two months. I have already agreed to it.¡±

    ¡°Special training?¡±

    Zhou Zimo naturally had an impression of this kind of special training. Back then, did he and Qin Su not get to know each other because of simr teamwork?

    However, since she liked it, he naturally wouldn¡¯t stop her.

    ¡°Mmm, you decide your own matters. I Won¡¯t interfere with you,¡± Zhou Zimo said magnanimously.

    At this moment, Qin Su nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just informing you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Our family members are all very open-minded people and would not randomly interfere with each other. We¡¯ll let them busy with our wedding. You just need to focus on your own matters.¡±

    ¡°The wedding... doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s going to be much longer. Time flies.¡±

    Only then did Qin Su remember about their wedding.

    ¡°How much time do you think we have? The days are getting closer by the day. We¡¯re also rushing to hold our wedding for the New Year. Qi Lei¡¯s side is after the new year. It seems like it¡¯s the ninth day of the Lunar New Year or something. Only then can the four of us be considered to beplete.¡±

    ¡°Are you guys very close with Qi Lei? I know that you and Mu Yuchen and Su Chen have a pretty good rtionship,¡± said Qin Su.

    ¡°Qi Lei only got close to us in the past few years. It¡¯d be good if we got to know each other earlier. He¡¯s a pretty good person too.¡±

    ¡°Birds of a feather flock together. The fact that the few of you can get together shows that you guys have something inmon. Oh, right, I want to invite someone to be our bridesmaid for our wedding.¡±

    Qin Su suddenly thought of her old friend who had been silent for many years.

    ¡°Bridesmaid?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at Qin Su in surprise. He had not heard much about her good friends in the city.

    Qin Su nodded. ¡°She¡¯s my friend. We met during a mission. You guys will meet in the future.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then you can arrange the matter of the bridesmaid yourself. We originally nned for seven bridesmaids booked.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for so many. I only want one. I don¡¯t have many friends here, and most of them arerades. Even if I send them an invitation, they might not be able toe. So, it¡¯s better to make it simple.¡±

    As Qin Su said this, she also sighed softly, ¡°We¡¯re obviously not as free as you guys are.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you still running towards those work? Why don¡¯t youe with me? You can choose any position in thepany, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    As Zhou Zimo spoke, he could not control himself anymore as he smelled the cool fragrance on her body. His heart started to race. Without waiting for Qin Su to say anything, hisrge hand had already reached for her waist, and his tall body also fell down, he lost control and lowered his head to catch her cold and indifferent lips...

    Qin Su wanted to say something, but this guy could not control himself anymore. She could only frown and as she thought about it, she could only tell him afterwards...

 Chapter 1985 - Anticipation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1985: Anticipation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Uncle Ming¡¯s funeral was on the morning of the fourth day after the incident.

    Very few people came. Qi Lei, Dongfang Liuyun, Lan Xiu, a few friends, and a few bodyguards apanied them. Ah Cai also came. Dongfang Shuman¡¯s health was not very good, so she did note.

    He was buried beside the Dongfang family cemetery.

    The people who came had already left. They were worried that Dongfang Liuyun would be too ufortable, so Qi Lei pulled her away.

    The cold wind kept blowing up the ck windbreaker. The couple quietly walked on the stairs leading to the parking lot below.

    ¡°Every time at this time, I feel like I can touch a lot of things deeper in my heart. Do you think there¡¯s anything more important in this world besides birth, old age, illness, and death?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

    ¡°This depends on one¡¯s state of mind.¡± Qi Lei thought about it seriously and replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and smiled. ¡°Indeed. For example, some people are willing to risk their lives for the sake of their feelings.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei...¡±

    At this point, she suddenly paused and turned to look at him.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Qi Lei quickly responded and met her gaze.

    ¡°Tell me, if there¡¯s a day when I¡¯m in danger, will you sacrifice yourself for me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked softly.

    When this question was asked, Qi Lei¡¯s handsome brows remained the same. He looked at her with a meaningful look, and there was clearly some gentleness in his eyes¡ª

    He seemed to have noticed that this woman seemed to be starting to care about his opinions and thoughts. This was definitely a good sign. Did this mean that Qi Lei¡¯s weight in her heart was increasing day by day?

    Qi Lei did not answer this question. He only smiled at her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you be in danger. I¡¯ll always protect you.¡±

    Qi Lei did not seem to like such a topic. How could he bear to let her be in danger?

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun smiled and allowed him to put his arm around her shoulders. He sighed softly. ¡°I won¡¯t ask such a stupid question in the future. A lifetime is a long time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. After the incident, the police concluded that it was an idental fire. They didn¡¯t find any clues. I¡¯ve asked Yang Sheng to investigate in private, and once there¡¯s any news, to let us know immediately.¡±

    Qi Lei was very considerate as he helped her tidy her messy hair.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all we can do now. The damage has been calcted. It¡¯s a pity that so many things were lost. Fortunately, Uncle Ming kept away some valuable things, and Uncle Ming, he¡¯s left just like that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Just think of it as him going over to look for Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ...

    Xi Xinyi did not stay for long. After she was done with her work, she had to go back.

    Xi Xiaye personally drove her to the airport.

    ¡°Sis, there¡¯s no need to send me off. Let¡¯s stop here. I¡¯ll go in alone. You can go back. I hope that you and Brother-inw can live happily ever after.¡±

    In front of the VIP lounge, Xi Xinyi stopped walking and turned around to look at Xi Xiaye who was sending her off.

    Xi Xiaye then stopped and looked at Xi Xinyi calmly, ¡°Mmm, you have to take care too. Han Yifeng, if you can¡¯t wait, then don¡¯t wait anymore. You have to live for yourself too. Sometimes, it¡¯s not good to hold onto something. You¡¯re still very young. Perhaps, the fate that belongs to you might not be him.¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye suddenly thought of her and Mu Yuchen. Were they not like this?

    She had once thought that Han Yifeng was the person that she, Xi Xiaye, should be waiting for her entire life, but who would have thought that she would marry Mu Yuchen and even fall deeply in love with him?

    ¡°Sis, I just don¡¯t have that kind of luck. I¡¯ve used up all my luck before, and now that I¡¯vee this far, I can¡¯t me anyone but myself. I was just too insensible, I¡¯ve always liked Yifeng, and I can¡¯t let go of our child, so...¡±

    Xi Xinyi choked as her eyes turned slightly red.

    Xi Xiaye sighed helplessly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else. I just wanted to remind you that life is neither long nor short. If you can¡¯t wait around for some people, then don¡¯t. Waiting is the most useless thing. When your fatees, I hope you can ept it calmly. That way, father will be relieved too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could see the tiredness hidden in XI Xinyi¡¯s eyes.

    Even though there had been too much unhappiness between the two sisters, Family Love was just like that. Xi Xiaye admitted that she still could not bear to hope that Xi Xinyi was living a terrible life. On the contrary, she sincerely hoped that XI Xinyi was living a good life.

    Xi Xinyi was silent for a moment before she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take sister¡¯s words to heart. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll take good care of myself.¡±

    ¡°MMM, take these things. They¡¯re gifts for the child. There¡¯s also a letter for Han Yifeng inside. Please pass it to him as well. Remember to call him back when you¡¯re back there. Take care of yourself.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then passed the paper bag to Xi Xinyi.

    Xi Xinyi looked at the concern in Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes. Her slightly warm eyes finally could not hold it in anymore. In the end, she could not help but cry.

    ¡°Sis...¡± Xi Xinyi cried hoarsely. She could not help but reach out to hug Xi Xiaye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry... I was afraid that you¡¯d be so good to me. This makes me feel even more guilty, sis...¡±

    As Xi Xinyi threw herself into her arms and cried bitterly, Xi Xiaye just took a deep breath and raised her hand to gently pat her back to express herfort.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about those things anymore. It¡¯s meaningless now, so why can¡¯t you let it go. I¡¯m doing very well now. Your brother-inw is very good to me and I¡¯m very happy. It¡¯s a blessing in disguise. Sometimes, I have to thank you. If it weren¡¯t for what happened back then, I wouldn¡¯t have met him. Just think of it as fate. So, don¡¯t think too much about it. Treat yourself and your life well, and we¡¯ll live well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had a deep understanding now. It was easier for her to be satisfied and happy if she did not care about it. The grievances in the world came from the heart.

    Xi Xinyi was sobbing. She sniffed and nodded after calming herself down. ¡°I¡¯ll remember your words forever.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, alright, Don¡¯t cry anymore. It¡¯s time to board the ne. Hurry up. Take the things too!¡±

    Xi Xiaye took out a tissue and handed it to her.

    Xi Xinyi took it and wiped her tears before taking the things. ¡°Mmm, take care, Sis.¡±

    ¡°You take care too!¡±

 Chapter 1986 - Anticipation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1986: Anticipation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they came out of the airport, it was already close to evening.

    Just as they walked out of the airport, they saw the ck Phaeton parked by the side. It was a familiar license te number. They did not even need to think to know who it was.

    Xi Xiaye walked over. Just as she got closer, the door of the passenger seat had already been opened, and Xi Xiaye sat inside.

    The person in the driver¡¯s seat was Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. I promised Xiao Rui to pick them up from school. Coincidentally, let¡¯s go out for dinner tonight. It¡¯s been a long time since our family went out for dinner. Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er have been thinking about the dim sum at the restaurant downtown. I¡¯ve already asked Driver Wang to go back. Mother will send it over tomorrow morning.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave a simple exnation.

    ¡°They¡¯re having the final exams. Are you trying to encourage the children and prepare them for war? Isn¡¯t it fine to have hotpot at home too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye fastened her seatbelt before Mu Yuchen started the car.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with going out asionally for a new taste. Don¡¯t the children like the snacks there?¡± Mu Yuchen replied.

    ¡°I keep feeling like you care more about the children than you do about me.¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking about? Don¡¯t I spend more time with you than the children? I said before that you care more about the children, yet you didn¡¯t admit it. Why are youining about this to me now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her disapprovingly.

    ¡°I was infected by you, wasn¡¯t I?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was very confident.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°Your temper has been growingtely. You¡¯ve been pushing everything onto me. I wonder who spoiled you.¡±

    ¡°You spoiled me,¡± Xi Xiaye quickly replied.

    Mu Yuchen paused for a moment. He did not quite react. He squinted at her in surprise before he chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re just jumping onto what I said.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk about this with you anymore. I hope that when she goes back this time, the situation over there will get better. It¡¯s been so long, yet Han Yifeng still won¡¯t let go. You can tell that what happened back then hurt him quite deeply.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered how Xi Xinyi looked like she was in a daze just now.

    ¡°You¡¯re not still worried about that person, are you?¡± Mu Yuchen squinted at her and asked.

    Naturally, she knew what he meant. Although they were quite loving, every time they brought up Han Yifeng, Xi Xiaye could vaguely sense some hostility from him.

    In this way, she would probably never be able to get rid of it. After all, those things in the past were indeed...

    Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

    The smile on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face widened slightly.

    ¡°What kind of life they want is not something we can decide. Just let them be.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to change so much when she came back this time.¡±

    ¡°If she still can¡¯te to her senses, then all our previous efforts will be in vain,¡± Mu Yuchen said in a deep voice, ¡°Besides, that¡¯s all we can do. wasn¡¯t Ah Mo and Lingshi the same back then? We just have to do our best.¡±

    ¡°Is Lingshi feeling better? She got sick after she went back. When we called a few days ago, she sounded a little weak.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was concerned.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s already happened. There¡¯s no use being sad. Just live well.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened as he said this.

    Xi Xiaye nodded and took a deep breath. She did not say anything else after that.

    ...

    When the car arrived near the school, Mu Yuchen did not expect to bump into Qi Lei!

    When she saw Qi Lei leisurely leaning against the car and smoking a cigarette between his fingers, Xi Xiaye was a little surprised, but then, she thought about it, she remembered that Qi Lei had mentioned that he wanted to bring Qi Wei¡¯er and Mu Zirui back home to stay for two days. Qi Qiming seemed to want to see his granddaughter.

    When their car stopped, Qi Lei noticed them and quickly waved at them.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Yuchen got out of the car and went up to greet them. Xi Xiaye followed closely behind him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s handsome face showed a rare gentleness as he nced at the couple, ¡°I said before that I wanted to bring them home to stay for two days. It just so happens that it¡¯s Friday today. I thought that you and Xiaye would probablye over to pick them up too, so I just came over directly.¡±

    ¡°Go home to stay for two days?¡± Mu Yuchen muttered softly and quickly understood what Qi Lei meant.

    ¡°Did you need toe over personally?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already taken a lot advantage of you. Since I¡¯m Wei¡¯er¡¯s uncle, I should at least do my part as an uncle. After such a long time, thank you for guiding and taking care of Wei¡¯er.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, his tone was naturally filled with gratitude.

    Now, other than Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s slightly weaker body, she had already recovered like a normal child. She was no longer closed off and afraid like before. Now, she could simply interact with some people and not feel afraid anymore, she couldmunicate with Xi Xiaye, Mu Yuchen, and the others without any obstacles.

    When Qi Lei said this, Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Wei¡¯er is a pretty good child. I quite like her too.¡±

    ¡°I know you like girls. If there¡¯s a chance, have one with Ah Chen. Anyway, Mu Xiaocheng has grown up a little, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with having a little sister. Ah Chen said before that I¡¯ve already reserved your daughter and son. Anyway, we¡¯re going to be inws anyway.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s teasingughter came through. When he looked at his face, he felt that his smile was very clear.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye exchanged a look. The husband and wife understood each other.

    ¡°Okay, the problem now is that you have to quickly have a daughter. In the future, you can be Xiao Rui¡¯s or Xiao Cheng¡¯s wife.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help butugh.

    ¡°That¡¯s not something that will happen soon!¡±

    Qi Lei was also very confident in himself and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Father, Mother! Uncle Qi Lei!¡±

    Just as they were chatting happily, two crisp childlike voices suddenly came from ahead. They quickly looked up and realized that school had already ended. The children were rushing out of the school gate happily, the school bus and private car that came to pick up the children had filled both sides of the road.

    Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er were rushing towards them one after the other. With their huge school bags on their backs, they were so tired that they were sweating profusely.

    ¡°Xiao Rui, Wei¡¯er,e!¡±

    The moment Xi Xiaye saw the children, her pretty little face quickly lit up with a smile, and her gaze became gentle.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Qi Wei¡¯er rushed over and threw her head into Xi Xiaye¡¯s embrace. Xi Xiaye happily reached out to hug her too...

 Chapter 1987 - Anticipation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1987: Anticipation (3)</h4>

    Qi Wei¡¯er was not shy. When she saw Qi Lei, she still felt quite familiar with him.

    ¡°Wei¡¯er, I told you before that you¡¯ll be going to stay with Uncle Qi Lei for two days, you said that you were willing? Don¡¯t worry, Xiao Rui will go back with you, hmm?¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached out to pat her little head as she helped her tidy up her school uniform.

    When Qi Wei¡¯er heard this, she looked up at Mu Yuchen. When she saw Mu Yuchen nod, she looked at Qi Lei beside her. When she saw Qi Lei smiling and looking at her with anticipation, she then turned to look at Mu Zirui.

    Mu Zirui quietly looked at her as well. He looked up at Mu Yuchen. When he saw Mu Yuchen nod in acquiescence, he then nodded at Qi Wei¡¯er.

    This time, Qi Wei¡¯er nodded like a chick pecking at rice. ¡°Alright then...¡±

    As Qi Wei¡¯er said this, she reached out to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei smiled and quickly reached out to hold her hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Uncle and Aunt will take you to y for the next two days. I¡¯ll send you back the day after tomorrow, Alright?¡± Qi Lei said in a deep voice.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    The two children nodded in unison.

    ¡°Alright, you two go back and y with Uncle Qi Lei for two days. Father and Mother are quite busy these next two days too. I¡¯ll bring you two to see the underwater world next week. Be obedient, okay?¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a step forward and patted the two children¡¯s heads.

    ¡°Mmm, we got it, Father.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the butler to send their clothes over when we get back.¡± Mu Yuchen said as he looked to Qi Lei.

    ¡°No need. Liuyun has already prepared their rooms at the Grand Lake Vi area. They¡¯re all arranged ording to the style of Maple Residence.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, did you prepare any toys for us? I want that new model of the high-powered cannon. It¡¯s the model we saw on TV thest time. It¡¯s new. I¡¯ve checked it out. Uncle Qi Lei, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to give me one?¡±

    Mu Zirui looked at Qi Lei with anticipation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you if you meet the final exam standards. Remember our agreement.¡±

    Qi Lei reached out and tapped his forehead.

    Mu Zirui nced at him and said disapprovingly, ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time. It¡¯s better to give it to me earlier thanter.¡±

    Mu Zirui¡¯s tone immediately made Qi Leiugh. He quickly rubbed his head and smiled. ¡°Your arrogant and unmodest look really resembles your father. It really is true, like father like son.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be a little confident, but you have to be humble and introverted. You can¡¯t be arrogant. Remember everything, hmm?¡±

    Mu Yuchen tapped Mu Zirui¡¯s head helplessly. He smiled and nced at Xi Xiaye. Xi Xiaye reached out to pinch Mu Zirui¡¯s little face, ¡°You¡¯re just like your brother. You like to be smug. Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s pretty cold. Hurry up and leave. Call Mother and Father if anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay, bye, Mother and Father!¡±

    The two children then said goodbye to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°We¡¯ll head back first then. We¡¯ll send them back the day after tomorrow.¡±

    Qi Lei also said goodbye.

    ¡°Mmm, head back then.¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei brought the two children into the car. In the blink of an eye, the car quickly drove away from Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s sight.

    ¡°I feel that Qi Lei seems to have be more human these past two years, especially after he got married. Do you think so too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked in the direction where Qi Lei¡¯s car had disappeared and suddenly said.

    ¡°People change. The more things he experiences, the different his state of mind will be.¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed to have some sympathy for this. Was he not like this back then?

    Before they got married, he was just cold and indifferent. He was indifferent to everything, but after they got married and fell in love with her, he slowly became more attentive and wanted more and more things.

    This was not a bad phenomenon. At least, this way, he could live more realistically, right?

    ¡°People always need time to settle down. How many people will start thinking of the past when they¡¯ve lived to a certain age? They always fantasize about the past if...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not continue. Mu Yuchen obviously understood what she did not say after that. He thought about it andforted her, ¡°I hope that our memories in the future will be all the good times we have now.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I want that too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at him and smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want it, it¡¯s for sure. Alright, get in the car. We won¡¯t be going home tonight. We¡¯re going to watch a movie. I haven¡¯t taken you out for a long time, we have to bring the rascals along every time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips turned gentle as he said this.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes lit up. Her eyes were filled with anticipation as she teased, ¡°What? Mr. Mu is nning to invite me to apany you for a night? A candlelit dinner?¡±

    ¡°Well, would you be willing to do me the honor, Missus?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her in amusement and was quite cooperative.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re so sincere, I have to do you a favor.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then opened the car door and got in.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and got in the car as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been quite busy these past few days. Rest well for the next two days. President Chen¡¯s son is having a party tomorrow and he¡¯s on the boat. He might be going out to sea. Do you want to go over and rx?¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Xi Xiaye asked.

    ¡°I have to socialize for a while. President Li ising to City Z tomorrow night to apany him for a two-day inspection.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going, there¡¯s no point for me to go alone,¡± Xi Xiaye said dispiritedly. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the Shen residence to take a look then. Then I¡¯ll apany Mother, it¡¯s been quite hard on her these past few days with the children.¡±

    Xi Xiaye respected and liked her mother-inw, Zhuang Shurong very much. She was generous and decent, and she was very understanding and elegant. Her aura was very attractive to Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°You seem to care a lot about mother.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°Of course. Mother is my goddess in my heart. She¡¯s already in her fifties or sixties, yet she¡¯s still so beautiful and noble. Don¡¯t you know that of the many times I¡¯ve gone out with her, everyone thinks that she¡¯s my sister and says that we don¡¯t seem like mother-inw and daughter-inw. Also, didn¡¯t you see that I¡¯ve changed the style of my clothes recently? It¡¯s all mother¡¯s doing for me.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Yuchen turned his gaze away and nced at her. When he saw that her clothes were more gentle and luxurious than before, he raised his handsome brows and praised her generously, ¡°It¡¯s a grade higher than before.¡±

    ¡°You mean my taste was bad before?¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned.

    Mu Yuchen paused and coughed lightly. He felt a little wronged. ¡°Then, Mrs. Mu, how do you think I should respond to you and make you happy? If I say no, you won¡¯t be happy, if I say yes, you¡¯ll put on a straight face?¡±

 Chapter 1988 - Anticipation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1988: Anticipation (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Sometimes, Master Mu really felt like he did not understand her thoughts.

    When Xi Xiaye saw his helpless look, she could not help butugh. She turned away and did not look at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. I still can¡¯t act in front of you. When I act like this, even I can¡¯t stand it. Mother said that she was the same in front of Father before. Every time she wanted to act girly, Father would always tell her off until she was totally refuted.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about the small talk she had with Zhuang Shurong and could not help but smile.

    ¡°Mother told you all this?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her in surprise. In his impression, his mother, Zhuang Shurong, was such a noble and strict person. Moreover, she was a cold person. She would not normally say such things, right?

    Moreover, the matter between her and Mu Tangchuan seemed to be very ordinary. There was nothing much to say except that Mu Tangchuan usually respected her and would ask for her opinion on many things.

    It was the kind of husband and wife that others said were respectful to each other.

    ¡°Of course, why else would I tell you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at him proudly.

    ¡°To be honest, I feel that it¡¯s really quite a pity for mother. She clearly liked her previous career so much, yet now she¡¯s making such a sacrifice for us and for this family. If it were up to me, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have such courage.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed. ¡°I think that mother is the most intelligent and elegant woman in this world. She knows what she wants more than anyone else. I really admire her views on love, family, and even her career.¡±

    ¡°Is she really as good as you say?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not expect Xi Xiaye to have such a high opinion of Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°Of course, everyone¡¯s way of life is different. I can¡¯t ask for anything in Mother¡¯s way.¡±

    ¡°I was worried that you and Mother wouldn¡¯t get along. After all, your personalities...¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt that his worries wereughable now.

    ¡°In the future, if you can be like mother, the children will definitely be at ease.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t be a bad mother-inw.¡±

    Xi Xiaye squinted at him.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled softly and finally did not say anything more.

    ...

    Sunshine New City, Qi Qiming¡¯s residence.

    Dongfang Liuyun rushed over after work. When Qi Lei brought the two children over, Dongfang Liuyun was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

    When he saw the two children, Qi Qiming could not hide the excitement in his eyes. His tensed face showed a rare hint of relief.

    The two children were very sensible. Mu Zirui had been by Shen Yue¡¯s side for a long time, and his chess skills had improved a lot. Hence, he decided to y chess with Qi Qiming. Qi Wei¡¯er was watching from the side.

    Qi Lei poured warm water for the two children. Seeing that they were ying so intently, a hint of gentleness appeared in his dark eyes. He decided not to disturb them and turned to the kitchen to help Dongfang Liuyun with the housework.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you apanying them?¡±

    In the kitchen, Dongfang Liuyun, who was busy, asked in surprise when she saw Qi Lei walk in.

    ¡°They¡¯re ying chess with the old man. Xiao Rui isn¡¯t used to strangers either. I was worried that they wouldn¡¯t be used to it, but I didn¡¯t expect them to be get along so well with the old man Qi in just a few words.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment when she heard this. After a while, she smiled. ¡°Xiao Rui is quite a smart child. Mu Yuchen and Xiaye have taught them very well, especially Wei¡¯er.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun knew about Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s situation before. For her to be able to get this far, this brave little girl must have suffered a lot.

    ¡°Does she have some memories of her parents?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked worriedly when she thought about this.

    ¡°At that time, Wei¡¯er was already sensible and knew a little. We mustn¡¯t let this matter be a shadow in the child¡¯s heart. I¡¯m also very responsible for Qi Feng and Lingsha¡¯s deaths.¡±

    Speaking of these things, Qi Lei felt an indescribable pressure in his heart, ¡°I only hope that she can live a simple and happy life. We also need to give her some proper guidance. I believe that she will not be like her parents.¡±

    ¡°Qi Feng is...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was a little probing.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and calmed down for a long time before continuing with his actions, ¡°He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape that disaster, so he took poison tomit suicideter on and died in my arms. At first, I thought that after seeing this, I would¡¯ve felt numb, but...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really hard to let go of certain things. People always be stronger or weaker because of their emotions. Since they can¡¯t resist it, they can only let nature take its course.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly. Then, she continued to stir-fry the dishes in the pot.

    ¡°When I went to pick up the children just now, I bumped into Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye who were also going to pick them up.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call them over for dinner?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°Instead of inviting them over for dinner, I think Mu Yuchen would definitely be more willing for me to let them have a candlelit dinner together.¡± Qi Lei teased.

    ¡°You say that like you can read other people¡¯s minds.¡±

    ¡°Want to express your admiration? My mind-reading is pretty good?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Hurry up and wash the dishes!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    ...

    After nearly half an hour, the dinner was finally ready. The sky outside had long since fallen silent.

    When Qi Lei came out of the kitchen with the food, he could hear Mu Zirui¡¯s hesitant and dissatisfied voiceing from the living room¡ª

    ¡°Grandfather Qi, what you¡¯re doing is wrong. yers can¡¯t go back on their words. You have to have the courage to spend a lot of money. My father said that unless the person sitting in front of you is a little woman, you can only give in to her. I treat you as a very powerful opponent. Isn¡¯t that right, Wei¡¯er?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rui, can¡¯t you just let Grandfather take these two pieces?¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s low voice was heard as well. There was actually a hint of ttery in his tone!

    That¡¯s right, it was that ttery tone!

    ¡°Xiao Rui, just let Grandfather have two pieces. Mother even said that we have to respect the elderly and love the young. When we¡¯re on the subway, we have to give up our seats for the elderly...¡±

    Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s low voice was heard as well.

    Then, when they heard the silence, Mu Zirui said helplessly, ¡°Well, since you¡¯re Grandfather, I¡¯ll just give it up. Grandfather Qi, it won¡¯t happen again, you¡¯ve got poor chess character...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiao Rui. Even if you let him have two pieces, he won¡¯t win! Grandfather, you¡¯d better get ready to let us ride the horse!¡±

 Chapter 1989 - Father and Son United (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1989: Father and Son United (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After all the dishes were served on the table, Qi Lei walked towards the living room. Only then did he realize that Qi Wei¡¯er was riding on Qi Qiming¡¯s back while Qi Qiming was lying on the sofa with Mu Zirui tugging at the corner of Qi Qiming¡¯s shirt, the few of themughed happily together!

    Qi Lei was stunned as he watched this scene in front of him in a daze. He could not believe it!

    How could the arrogant and cold Qi Qiming do all of this?

    Be a horse for the children to ride?

    It was unbelievable!

    ¡°What...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun saw that Qi Lei did not respond for a long time, so she followed him. When she saw this scene, her eyes widened!

    What was going on?

    Qi Qiming was a horse for the children?

    ¡°How could Father...¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. ¡°He still has a childish heart. So, he likes children this much too? They seem to be having a good time.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was heard. Only then did Qi Lei recover from his daze and take a deep breath, ¡°Since he woke up, he changed a lotpared to before. If this was in the past, I wouldn¡¯t even dare to think about it. After this, would his personality change too?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will change. I just look at him now. He seems to be very happy, maybe not as depressed as before. Maybe he was forced to do a lot of things in the past. As long as he is well, there is no need to think too much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and walked in.

    ¡°Okay, stop it, Father. Your body has just recovered. You can¡¯t y such games with the children. Xiao Rui, Wei¡¯er, Grandfather¡¯s body has not fully recovered. Stop it. Hurry up and clean up. Wash your hands and have dinner.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun carried Qi Wei¡¯er down.

    Only then did the grandfather and grandson behave themselves.

    ¡°Aunt Liuyun, what delicious food have you made for us?¡±

    Mu Zirui blinked his bright eyes and looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡ª

    He felt that this aunt was really beautiful, on par with Xiaye at home, Uncle Qi Lei was handsome. A gentleman would be able to marry a very good-looking wife, so he had to be like his father and Uncle Qi Lei in the future. He had to be handsome too, he had to be elegant too. Then, he would be liked by beautiful and gentle girls like his mother or Aunt Liuyun.

    Perhaps if his mother liked his father less, or Aunt Liuyun liked Uncle Qi Lei less, they would like him?

    The more Mu Zirui thought about it, the more he felt that he felt like he was in a good mood.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s all what you like to eat. Go wash your hands with the servant beforeing over for dinner, hmm?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out and patted the two of them on the head.

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    Only then did the two children follow the servant downstairs to wash their hands.

    A few minutester, the whole family finally sat down to eat.

    During the meal, Qi Qiming frequently brought the children¡¯s favorite dishes to them and even let them eat more.

    Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er were not strangers at all. Qi Wei¡¯er knew Qi Qiming before and was not considered a stranger. It was not difficult to get along with him.

    After dinner, Dongfang Liuyun went to the second floor with the children to y games. Qi Qiming and Qi Lei were drinking flower tea in the living room downstairs.

    ¡°I heard that Wei¡¯er had a tendency to be reserved before. It seems that she¡¯s fine now?¡±

    Qi Qiming looked at Qi Lei, who was watching the show, and suddenly asked in a deep voice.

    Qi Lei lowered his eyes. A momentter, he nced at him. Although his attitude was still a little cold, his tone had softened a lot.

    ¡°After the ident, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye brought Wei¡¯er to Maple Residence. Wei¡¯er really liked Xiaye to begin with, and coincidentally, she had Xiao Rui as herpanion. They gave Wei¡¯er very considerate care and took care of her very carefully. Under their careful care, Wei¡¯er¡¯s condition improved and she slowly recovered. She¡¯s recovered like a normal child now, but her body is still a little weak,¡± Qi Lei answered calmly.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen... the Master of the Mu family, right? Xi Xiaye...¡±

    Qi Qiming did not seem to remember Xi Xiaye, but when he recalled the documents he had collected before, he remembered a little.

    ¡°I see... I heard that you and Mu Yuchen are very good friends now?¡±

    Qi Qiming had some dealings with the Mu family before this. The Qi family and the Mu family had some history before this. The rtionship between the two families had broken up after the incident with Mu Zixi.

    Now that he thought about it, Qi Qiming could not help but feel a little dazed.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re buddies now.¡± Qi Lei admitted it without hiding anything.

    Qi Qiming did not question anything. Instead, he took a deep breath, ¡°It¡¯s good that you have your own thoughts. I can¡¯t interfere in your matters. You can make your own decisions. It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t show up at the casino. The waters are very deep. Fortunately, Wang Chun did not involve you too deeply.¡±

    Qi Qiming could not help but sound tired when he brought this up.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandfather ask you to whitewash all of this when he was still alive? Why now...¡± Qi Lei asked with some doubt.

    Qi Qiming listened and gave him a deep look, ¡°Many things aren¡¯t as simple as they sound? It¡¯s not easy to whitewash just because we want to? How much blood did the Qi family have on their hands previously? It would be fine if it was just a simple whitewash, but how many enemies have we provoked over the years? Even if you want to live a peaceful life, those people might not let you off. So, you must still have a trump card in your hand.¡±

    Qi Qiming raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. He said helplessly, ¡°These years, many problems that can¡¯t be solved are solved by these forces. Did you really think the circle s so clean? In your dreams!¡±

    Qi Lei naturally understood Qi Qiming¡¯s words because he had used these forces many times.

    ¡°I know this, but...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®but¡¯. It¡¯s better to have a trump card than no trump card. You don¡¯t have to care about this matter. I¡¯ll take care of it. Anyway, I¡¯m idle at home now. I¡¯ve cked off a little during this period of time. The casino¡¯s business and the auction house¡¯s business are falling behind. I know you¡¯re not focused on these things, but I¡¯ve checked your wife Liuyun¡¯s information. Her background isn¡¯t simple. I¡¯m afraid the De Bao House incident this time isn¡¯t simple either, right?¡±

    Qi Qiming had heard everything. He had also heard about the incident with Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°The police said that it was an ident.¡±

    ¡°What can the police find out? Hmph, I¡¯ve talked to the police before. Isn¡¯t your mother an example? I¡¯ve asked Wang Chun to ask a detective to investigate this matter.¡±

    Qi Qiming¡¯s dark eyes suddenly turned cold when he said this¡ª

 Chapter 1990 - Father and Son United (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1990: Father and Son United (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression tensed up, but his gaze softened a little.

    ¡°Your body has just recovered. Don¡¯t worry about these things. I¡¯ll naturally take care of it.¡±

    Qi Lei still showed some concern for Qi Qiming.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already recovered. Other than some fragments that I can¡¯t remember, there¡¯s basically no huge problems. I can handle these things with ease.¡±

    Qi Qiming did not take these things to heart. He knew his own body best.

    ¡°The doctor said that you¡¯ll need some time to stabilize. It¡¯s better for you to work less during this period of time. I can handle those things. Wei¡¯er and Xiao Rui aren¡¯t strangers to you either. I¡¯ll talk to Mu Yuchen and have theme over often.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay...¡± Qi Qiming replied, but Qi Lei had already put down the teacup in his hand. He stood up slowly and walked towards the staircase. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, we¡¯ll go back first. We still have to bring them to the amusement park tomorrow morning.¡±

    When Qi Lei finished speaking, he walked up the stairs steadily.

    Not long after, the couple held Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s hands as they went downstairs.

    ¡°Father, you should rest early. Don¡¯t stay up toote. We¡¯lle back to see you next week.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Qi Qiming who was standing by the side with his hands behind his back. Seeing the slight disappointment on his face, he thought about it and said, ¡°Maybe Father can go to holy water when he¡¯s free. The two families are quite close anyway. It¡¯s convenient to walk around. Just send it to Driver Wang.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took into ount the father-son rtionship between Qi Qiming and Qi Lei. The family banquet tonight looked pretty good. At least, the father-son rtionship had eased up a lot over the past few days, Qi Lei no longer held such prejudice against Qi Qiming. Although they were still distant, she believed that as long as they were given some time, they would definitely have a close father-son rtionship in the future.

    Naturally, Qi Qiming could see that Dongfang Liuyun was intentionally easing up. He could not help but feel a little grateful.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s gettingte. You guys should go back early,¡± Qi Qiming said gently.

    ¡°Okay. Xiao Rui, Wei¡¯er, say goodbye to Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, Grandfather!¡±

    The two children quickly waved goodbye to Qi Qiming.

    ¡°Bye,e back and visit Grandfather when you¡¯re free!¡±

    Qi Qiming was also sad to see them leave.

    ...

    The distance between the two vis was not too far, but perhaps it was because they were tired from ying. After getting into the car, the children leaned back in their seats and fell asleep. Dongfang Liuyun was also sitting in the back, watching the children sleep soundly, worried that they would catch a cold, he said to the man who was driving in front...

    ¡°Turn the temperature up a little. It¡¯s a little cold.¡±

    As he said that, he took a nket and covered the children.

    ¡°Are you all asleep?¡±

    Qi Lei looked behind him through the car mirror in front and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, I guess you¡¯re tired from ying.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out and touched Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s little head, which was resting on herp.

    ¡°Aunt Liuyun...¡±

    At this moment, Mu Zirui¡¯s tender voice suddenly came from the side.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly turned her head and only then did she realize that Mu Zirui was looking at her with his sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun helped him to fix his clothes. ¡°Did I wake you up?¡±

    Mu Zirui shook his head and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t fall asleep. Aunt Liuyun, Grandfather Qi looks so lonely. Father said that lonely old people would be especially serious when they y with us, just like Great Grandfather...¡±

    ¡°Does Xiao Rui think that Grandfather is very lonely?¡± Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and asked.

    Mu Zirui nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, he doesn¡¯t seem to like talking. He¡¯s not as lively and cheerful as Great Grandfather...¡±

    Mu Zirui thought for a long time before finding such an adjective.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°Lively and cheerful? Can this word be used to describe Grandfather Qi?¡±

    Mu Zirui paused and thought carefully for a long time before replying, ¡°It can be used. Many words can be used regardless of age.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled softly and patted his little head, ¡°Alright then. From now on, Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er will oftene and visit Grandfather Qi, okay? As long as you want toe and y, you can call your Aunt or your Uncle Qi Lei. We wille and pick you up. How about it?¡±

    Mu Zirui nodded, then suddenly lowered his voice and said softly, ¡°Aunty Liuyun, I¡¯ll tell you secretly that Grandfather Qi knows a lot about guns. He¡¯s just like Great Grandfather before. He knows a lot. I want to be with him.¡±

    ¡°Does Xiao Rui really like guns?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Mu Zirui in surprise. He was so young, yet he had an iparable love for military weapons. Could it be that when he grew up, he would really be like what Xi Xiaye had said, enter the army?

    ¡°Of course, when I grow up, I want to be a general! That way, I can protect my parents, my grandparents, and Wei¡¯er and little brother. Of course, there¡¯s also Uncle Qi Lei, Aunt Liuyun, and so many people...¡±

    As Mu Zirui talked about his dream, his eyes lit up with anticipation.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and patted his little head lovingly. Then, he looked at Qi Lei and smiled. ¡°Are all children so mature this early nowadays? When I was Xiao Rui¡¯s age, we were still ying with mud.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rui, if you be a general in the future, I¡¯ll marry my daughter to you, okay?¡±

    Qi Lei smiled too.

    This little guy really had Mu Yuchen¡¯s aura sometimes. He was a good seedling.

    ¡°Mother won¡¯t allow me to date, Uncle Qi Lei. Unless your daughter is very beautiful, I won¡¯t take a fancy to her. My father said that we men should have some sort of pursuit when ites to women!¡±

    Mu Zirui thought for a long time before replying.

    When he said this, Dongfang Liuyun paused. Qi Lei, who was in front of him,ughed softly, ¡°Little brat, you¡¯re talking about pursuit? Let me tell you, your Father only knows your Mother. What pursuit is he talking about? Your Uncle Qi Lei is the true killer when ites to rtionships. Besides, your uncle is so handsome, and your Aunt Liuyun is one of the most beautiful women in the city. Our daughter must be quite outstanding too.¡±

    ¡°That might not be the case.¡±

    ¡°That might be the case. It¡¯s right to be negative, but positive will always be positive.¡±

    Qi Lei smiled.

    ¡°Enough. He¡¯s so young, yet you¡¯re instilling such thoughts in him? A killer of rtionships? You sound so proud.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned and red at the man in front of him.

    Moreover, they did not even have a daughter yet and he was already thinking of marrying her off!

    What if it was a son?

    This time, Qi Lei coughed lightly and said innocently, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. Even if I¡¯m a killer in rtionships, didn¡¯t I fall into your hands now?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qi Lei, were you the one who chased Aunt Liuyun?¡± Mu Zirui asked in a gossipy manner.

 Chapter 1991 - On Ex-girlfriends (1)

    <h4><strong>Chapter 1991</strong>: On Ex-girlfriends (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Of course he chased me.¡±

    Without waiting for Qi Lei to speak, Dongfang Liuyun spoke.

    ¡°Who said that? Back then, you were the one who went straight to talks of marriage, didn¡¯t I agree to it?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice was heard.

    ¡°Is that really the case?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at Qi Lei. This time, Qi lei coughed lightly and did not reply.

    Mu Zirui shrugged. It was obvious that he already knew the answer.

    ...

    When they returned to Grand Lake Vi district, it was already a littlete. Dongfang Liuyun quickly brought Qi Wei¡¯er upstairs to take a shower. Mu Zirui also found his room under Qi Lei¡¯s guidance.

    When he was done with his work, he coaxed the two children to sleep. It was already 11 o¡¯clock in the night. When Qi Lei came out of the bathroom in a refreshed state, Dongfang Liuyun was no longer in the bedroom. It was obvious that she was in the study.

    Qi Lei dried his jet-ck hair and walked towards the study.

    As expected, he saw Dongfang Liuyun, who was focused on her work at the desk.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote. You should rest early. I have to apany the children for a day tomorrow.¡±

    Qi Lei walked over silently and stopped beside her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s settle these matters first. It¡¯s about time. If Father doesn¡¯te back soon, the situation here might be out of control. Aunt wants toe back too. Grandmother asked me to find a position for her in thepany, I haven¡¯t decided where to ce her yet. I can¡¯t have no real power, and I can¡¯t let her have too much power. Also, I can¡¯t let her have any dissatisfaction in her heart.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had a headache over these things.

    ¡°Aunt?¡± Qi Lei muttered softly, and the words ¡®Dongfang Xue¡¯ shed through his mind.

    Dongfang Shuman and Elder Dongfang¡¯s other daughter after their son, Dongfang Gan, was also Elder Dongfang¡¯s youngest daughter. Dongfang Liuyun had roughly described her situation, and she seemed to be quite ambitious.

    ¡°I wanted to arrange for her to be in the Administrative Department. I wanted to consult my father¡¯s opinion, but my father¡¯s phone has been switched off for the past two days, which makes me feel a little uneasy. Usually, when he¡¯s out on business, my father often turns off his phone, but this time, I find that things are a little strange because he has been away for too long.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she could not help but hold her forehead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If anything happens, we¡¯ll definitely know in time. He¡¯s probably in the mountains investigating the situation at the mine. Didn¡¯t he say a few days ago that he would be back in a few days? He¡¯ll rush back to attend our wedding.¡±

    Qi Lei walked over and poured her a cup of warm water as heforted her.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes flickered as she took a deep breath. ¡°This is the only way tofort myself. After Uncle Ming¡¯s ident, I feel more and more uneasy, like I feel stifled.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just putting too much pressure on yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei reprimanded her in a low voice. ¡°Give yourself a good vacation to rx. If the strings in your heart are too tight, you¡¯ll naturally feel ufortable and repressed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just an indescribable feeling. You know, it¡¯s sometimes difficult to exin a woman¡¯s sixth sense.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun eased up a little and began typing again.

    Qi Lei moved the water over and slowly stood behind her. He followed her gaze and looked at theptop screen in front of him. He saw that it was the feasibility analysis for the implementation of the City East¡¯s n.

    ¡°Wang Chun seems to have received many copies of this n before. Theirmon problems are all here. Theter maintenance problems, as well as here, the environmental problems, and the consumers¡¯ receptors. The analysis isn¡¯tprehensive enough.¡±

    Qi Lei pointed at the few contents on the screen.

    ¡°These few? I also have some opinions that I don¡¯t quite agree with about the consumers¡¯ receptors. There¡¯s also this, the environmental problems, and that¡¯s the old city area, so...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can change the way it¡¯s done, look here.¡±

    Qi Lei bent down slightly and typed a few lines on the cursor. Dongfang Liuyun quietly stared at the screen. Seeing that he was busy, she began to be slightly absent-minded. She quietly raised her eyes to look at him, it was his focused handsome face.

    A light and pleasant smell filled the air. Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt a little ufortable and her face began to heat up.

    ¡°Stay away from me.¡±

    Behind him, Dongfang Liuyun could not bear it any longer and frowned. Looking at his appearance...

    He was wearing a dark blue nightgown. The cor was wide open and she could see his chest clearly. He had just finished bathing and there was a fresh and soothing fragrance on his body. As she smelled it, she felt that she could not remain calm.

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Qi Lei was surprised. He retracted his gaze and looked down at her slightly. Only then did he realize that she was leaning against the back of the chair and looking at him with a slightly red face.

    Qi Lei was stunned for a long time before he reacted. He immediately teased, ¡°Why? Does Missus Qi think that I look very appetizing now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to wear such revealing clothes in the future. It¡¯ll affect the appearance of the city.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun simply reached out to tuck his slightly open chest away and shot him a nce.

    Hearing that, Qi Lei immediatelyughed out loud and reached out to grab her hand.

    ¡°We¡¯re at home now, and in the room. I¡¯m not even in my birthday suit, already so reserved. Why is your face so red?¡±

    Qi Lei held the table with one hand and looked down at her. His gaze actually made her feel a little pressured.

    ¡°Who told you to dress like that? You¡¯re up to no good! You¡¯re not one who¡¯s reserved, when <i>someone </i>imed to be a romantic in the car just now. Someone¡¯s quite good at pretending,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said with a slightly sullen face.

    Qi Lei chuckled. ¡°I can tell that you can¡¯t resist my charm. Why can¡¯t I be reserved and introverted? Although I used to be flirtatious, I never acted rashly. I¡¯m not greedy. My standards are very high.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her disapprovingly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve had a few girlfriends before. In the true sense of the word, which woman do you like the most?¡±

    After hesitating for a moment, Dongfang Liuyun finally could not help but ask.

    When she asked this question, even Dongfang Liuyun herself felt surprised¡ª

    She did not expect that she would ask such a question!

    She was a little curious about his previous rtionships.

    If it had been asked in the past, she would never have dared to think that she would ask this question.

    This question of hers...

    Qi Lei looked at her meaningfully and did not answer for a moment.

    He heard that a lot of rtionships would be ruined ex-girlfriends, she probably was not such a woman, right?

    It was not a big deal. He had almost forgotten what those exes even looked like!

 Chapter 1992 - On Ex-girlfriends (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1992: On Ex-girlfriends (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Can¡¯t say?¡±

    Seeing that Qi Lei did not answer for a long time, Dongfang Liuyun frowned and looked at him quietly.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and looked back at her. ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t say, I just don¡¯t know how to say it. Of course, I¡¯ve had girlfriends before. When I was abroad, I had one. Later on, we broke up peacefully because we had different ideals.¡±

    ¡°Blonde beauties? Did you dump her or did she dump you? Also, I believe there was more than one, right?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked curiously.

    ¡°How many do you think there are? All those years were just for show. Plus, I was against marriage. If they get too close to me, I¡¯d feel pressured,¡± Qi Lei replied. As he spoke, he could not help but sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how I was in the past. I was quite a jerk.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you willing to marry me now? Are you still an anti-marriage activist?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked in surprise.

    ¡°Times have changed. Dongfang Liuyun is the only one in the world who has the ability to do so.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was rather deep, and his dark eyes were also silent. ¡°Did you think of marrying Fujiwara in the past?¡±

    Marrying Fujiwara?

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment and did not reply.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s pack up and do it tomorrow.¡±

    Seeing that she did not reply, Qi Lei did not continue. He helped her save the documents and turned off theputer.

    Dongfang Liuyun brought some water and took a few sips.

    ¡°Mmm, I feel a little tired too.¡±

    As he said that, he slowly got up.

    ...

    The next morning arrived as scheduled. The weather was exceptionally good, and they could see the warm morning light in the early morning.

    ¡°Master, let¡¯s have breakfast first.¡±

    Before dawn, Fujiwara had already gotten up. He was rushing to finish the work that he hadn¡¯t finished yesterday. He had been suffering for several hours until dawn, and he had slept verytest night.

    Matsuda also stood in front of his desk and reminded him in a low voice.

    Fujiwara slowly raised his head when he heard the voice. He hesitated for a moment before putting down the document in his hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Fujiwara simply said these two words as he walked out.

    ¡°Master, Miss Inoue personally made breakfast. It¡¯s all food you like, but she was worried that you wouldn¡¯t be used to it, so the housekeeper asked the kitchen to make the breakfast that you¡¯re used to.¡±

    Matsuda knew that Fujiwara did not like Riko Inoue, so he did not dare to ask Riko Inoue to make breakfast. Otherwise, when Fujiwara got angry, they would be the ones to suffer.

    Sure enough, Fujiwara¡¯s expression turned cold at first, then it returned to its usual coldness. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell her to scram back to Japan? Why hasn¡¯t this matter been settled yet?¡±

    Fujiwara naturally loathed Riko Inoue, a woman who thought herself smart!

    ¡°Master, Miss Inoue is Master¡¯s honored guest, we also...¡±

    Fujiwara had personally asked Riko Inoue toe over, and he had even sent two bodyguards to follow her. This was enough to exin the problem, so Matsuda naturally did not dare to disobey Fujiwara like this.

    ¡°The Cloud Residence is my private residence. If she doesn¡¯t want to return to Japan, you can arrange for her to stay in another hotel,¡± Fujiwara said with a cold face.

    Matsuda could not help but feel helpless when he heard this, and he secretlyined in his heart!

    It seemed that all these years, the Master had only been interested in Dongfang Liuyun. In front of Dongfang Liuyun, he wanted nothing more than to stay close to her. However, if it were any other woman, they would want nothing more than to make all of them disappear. Only then would there be peace and quiet!

    ¡°Master, this... this... There¡¯s no way to exin this to that side. This is an emergency period. In any case, Master rarely sees Miss Inoue. Let¡¯s not make our rtionship so tense. If we want to reveal our cards, we have to do it in the future,¡± Matsuda said worriedly.

    Matsuda¡¯s words caused Fujiwara¡¯s expression to darken. He did not say anything else and continued walking forward.

    When he went downstairs, he indeed saw Riko Inoue, who was sitting at the table waiting for him to have his breakfast, as well as a servant waiting by the side.

    ¡°Good morning, Fujiwara-kun!¡± Riko Inoue greeted him with a smile. She was speaking their nativenguage, Japanese.

    Fujiwara shot her a lukewarm nce, then pulled out a chair and sat down. He waved his hand, and everyone quickly retreated, leaving only him and Riko Inoue in the dining room.

    The breakfast on the table was a typical Japanese breakfast. Fujiwara knew immediately that it was probably Riko Inoue¡¯s masterpiece, so he pushed it aside and reached for the bowl and chopsticks at the side. He scooped up half a bowl of porridge and some side dishes.

    Seeing this, Riko Inoue¡¯s expression darkened, and she furrowed her brows. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±

    Fujiwara did not even lift his eyelids as he replied coldly, ¡°Why do you have to be like this? It turns out that you don¡¯t take what I said to heart.¡±

    ¡°You have your persistence, and I have mine. Fujiwara-kun, I believe that with will, one can achieve anything. What I do has nothing to do with you. Even if you treat me like this, you can treat it as if I brought this upon myself. So, there¡¯s no need for you to feel pressured.¡±

    Riko Inoue had been thinking a lot recently. She could not be like those foolish women who would try their best to stick to someone in such a situation. That would only make that person feel even more disgusted.

    She changed her strategy and she did not believe that she would not be able to take down Fujiwara just based on Riko¡¯s seriousness and persistence!

    If Fujiwara really loved Dongfang Liuyun, that was fine too. After all, Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei were currently in love and did not pose any threat to Riko Inoue. That was why she was not foolish enough to make things difficult for Dongfang Liuyun!

    She still hoped that Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei would be happy together forever. Then, Fujiwara would never have a chance. Since he did not have a chance, then she would have a great chance to make him fall in love with her. Even if she couldn¡¯t make Fujiwara fall in love with her, as long as she could be his wife, why would she not be happy?

    Moreover, could people like them ever hope for true love?

    Was it not just that those who were in love could not be together, and those who were not in love would get married just like that?

    Riko Inoue thought about it a lot. Rather than being arranged to marry someone else, she might as well marry Fujiwara. At the very least, there was still something about this man that she admired and even looked up to.

    When Riko Inoue said this, Fujiwara was stunned for a moment. His movements also paused for a moment. After a while, he finally calmed down and raised his gaze to look at Riko Inoue.

    ¡°I will never like you. It¡¯s a waste for you to spend so much effort on me. I will never fall in love with anyone in my life, nor will I marry anyone else. Do you think I¡¯ll be happy with someone I don¡¯t have feelings for?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s ck eyes were as cold as ice and snow. His cold face was also filled with a disdainful sneer. In Riko Inoue¡¯s eyes, it was naturally particrly eye-catching.

 Chapter 1993 - On Ex-girlfriends (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1993: On Ex-girlfriends (3)</h4>

    ¡°I, Fujiwara, will not ept myself as a sacrifice for my own interests.¡±

    His cold voice was filled with determination.

    ¡°Instead of wasting your time here, why don¡¯t you go back and think about how to be the ruler of the Inoue family. If you want to get rid of the shackles of fate, you must first dare to change it. I know that you might not necessarily like being sacrificed like amodity.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s words were like cold needles piercing into Riko Inoue¡¯s ears¡ª

    She heard every word he said clearly and felt pain in her ears.

    However, there was no denying that what he said made sense.

    ¡°What about you, Fujiwara-kun? Can you guarantee that you¡¯re indifferent right now? I¡¯ve heard about what happened between you and Dongfang Liuyun, but the two of you have already separated. She has be Qi Lei¡¯s woman, and you... you won¡¯t have another chance with her. In the end, you still didn¡¯t get anything.¡±

    When she said this, Fujiwara¡¯s cold face instantly froze!

    It seemed like that was really the case. Even if he no longer had to worry about him having to bear the pressure from his family, he still lost Dongfang Liuyun.

    If this was really the case, then that is all to him too.

    Apart from her, would he be able to ept other women in his heart?

    He knew the answer in his heart.

    ¡°If you insist, I have nothing to say.¡±

    After that, Fujiwara coldly said this, then lowered his head and quietly had his breakfast.

    Riko Inoue also silently looked at him for a long time, but she did not say anything else.

    After breakfast, Riko Inoue went back to her room. He heard that she was going to call her mother back home, so Fujiwara went back to his study.

    ¡°Master, Dongfang Rou¡¯er is outside. She said she has something to ask you.¡±

    Fujiwara had just made a cup of tea and sat down when Matsuda suddenly came to report.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er?

    Fujiwara narrowed his ck eyes and thought for a moment before Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face appeared in his mind. A trace of disgust appeared in his eyes for no reason. He did not forget what had happened in the bar.

    ¡°What did shee here for?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s voice was extremely cold. Even Matsuda could feel a slight chill in his heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wanted to send her away, but she insisted on meeting you. She even said that she had something important to tell you. It¡¯s about Miss Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    Matsuda hesitated for a moment before replying.

    Liuyun?

    Fujiwara quickly recalled what had happened at De Bao House!

    It took him almost all his strength to suppress the urge to visit her. He could only get information about her from Lan Xiu!

    ¡°Let her in.¡±

    A momentter, Fujiwara said this indifferently.

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Matsuda let out a sigh of relief and then left.

    Right now, other than the matter regarding Dongfang Liuyun, nothing else could pique Fujiwara¡¯s interest. Looking at his Master like this, Matsuda felt his heart ache.

    ...

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er was brought in by Matsuda, her entire body was trembling. The weather outside was a little cold in the early morning, and she was not wearing a coat. She was only wearing a pure white formal dress.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, this way please. Wait a moment, our Master will be down soon.¡±

    Matsuda politely invited Dongfang Rou¡¯er to the sofa in the living room and sat down. He poured her a cup of hot water and brought it over. Dongfang Rou¡¯er also received it and warmed her slightly frozen hands.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Not long after she finished speaking, she heard the sound of steady footstepsing from upstairs. Dongfang Rou¡¯er hurriedly raised her gaze and looked in the direction of the sound¡ª

    She saw Fujiwara slowly walking down the stairs.

    ¡°Mr. Fujiwara!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er quickly stood up. She could not hide the emotions in her beautiful eyes.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Fujiwara sat down on the sofa. He was so cold that he did not even want to look at her.

    Seeing Fujiwara¡¯s reaction, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression darkened again.

    ¡°I happened to be in the vicinity on business, so I took this opportunity to take a look. I hope Mr. Fujiwara doesn¡¯t mind. My wedding with Jin Sheng is in a few days. Will Mr. Fujiwara attend?¡±

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er said this, her throat was filled with bitterness, and her heart was filled with waves of pain.

    She wanted to see him, desperately wanted to see him. She was clearly so unwilling, and she did not want to marry Jin Sheng. She had been struggling in pain these past few days. As the wedding date approached, she began to reject this marriage that was about to begin. However, since she rejected this marriage, she began to think about Fujiwara.

    Who knew that she had been silently loving Fujiwara all these years?

    She thought that she could hide this love in the bottom of her heart and never let anyone discover it. However, she could no longer hide it now that it hade to this. She could not even lie to herself!

    This was probably how it was at this point. She could not get it even if she wanted it. No matter how much she loved him, she could not force Fujiwara to like her!

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re that close yet,¡± Fujiwara responded coldly.

    ¡°However, since you¡¯ve already spoken, I should prepare a gift for the Dongfang family. After all, the Dongfang family sent me an invitation card.¡±

    ¡°For Mr. Fujiwara to be able toe... that would be the most precious gift to me!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said with a smile. Looking at that smile, there was a faint deste feeling.

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression did not change. Instead, he looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er coldly and did not say anything. However, his intentions were obvious, he was waiting for her to exin to him about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s matters.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could naturally feel it.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, she... she and brother-inw will be attending too.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not endure his cold and threatening gaze. She took a deep breath before saying this.

    ¡°Mr. Fujiwara, I know that you and Fourth Sister have too many unforgettable pasts, but...¡±

    ¡°Matsuda, send the guest out!¡±

    Before Dongfang Rou¡¯er could finish speaking, Fujiwara had already stood up and walked upstairs with a cold expression.

    ¡°Mr. Fujiwara, Listen to me. I really want to talk to you about Fourth Sister, Mr. Fujiwara!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er stood up in panic and shouted.

    Seeing that Fujiwara had no reaction, she felt a wave of bitterness in her heart. She could not care less and cried out, ¡°In your eyes, is there no one else besides Dongfang Liuyun?!¡±

    The more Fujiwara treated her with indifference and disdain, the more unbearable the pain in Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s heart became, and the more she hated Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°You¡¯ve crossed the line, Dongfang Rou¡¯er. I warned you thest time.¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Rou¡¯er finished speaking, Fujiwara turned around with a cold expression and stared at her indifferently.

    His cold voice made Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s entire body tremble. However, it was not as unbearable as the pain in her heart.

 Chapter 1994 - May You Shine Like the Stars (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1994: May You Shine Like the Stars (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Fujiwara did not hesitate to send her away. He did not even bother to say another word. Dongfang Rou¡¯er was sent away by Matsuda.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, please!¡± Matsuda said to Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes turned hot.

    She knew thating here like this was asking for humiliation, but she still wanted toe and take a look. This kind of thing was probably the stupidest thing she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, had ever done.

    When they said that the person who falls in love with first would always be more likely to get hurt, they were probably talking about her, while Fujiwara clearly did not care about her at all.

    After taking a deep breath, Dongfang Rou¡¯er slowly stood up. She was just about to turn around and leave when, unexpectedly, just as she turned around, she saw a bright and beautiful figure appear before her eyes.

    With outstanding looks and dressed in a noble and luxurious outfit, she looked very elegant.

    She had always heard that Fujiwara had an ideal fianc¨¦e, a woman whom the Fujiwara family was very satisfied with. It seemed like this was the one they had mentioned before.

    What was her name? Riko Inoue?

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could roughly guess the identity of this woman in an instant. However, looking at her, Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt an unexinable pressure.

    ¡°Miss Inoue!¡±

    Before Dongfang Rou¡¯er could react, Matsuda, who was behind her, had already greeted her.

    Riko Inoue nodded, but her gazended on Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    Riko Inoue¡¯s indifferent voice was heard as he swept a nce at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°This is Miss Dong Fang Rou¡¯er, the Fifth Miss of the Dongfang family. She¡¯s here to invite Master to her wedding with the Eldest Master of the Jin family, happening in a few days,¡± Matsuda hurriedly exined.

    ¡°Wedding?¡± Riko Inoue muttered softly, looking at Dongfang Rou¡¯er as if she was scrutinizing her.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Dongfang has personallye to invite Master,¡± replied Matsuda.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Miss Inoue.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er finally calmed down and greeted her in the same manner.

    ¡°Mm. Hello, Miss Dongfang.¡± Riko Inoue responded indifferently, ¡°Since Miss Dong Fang has personallye to invite him, I believe that Fujiwara-kun will definitely be interested in your wedding, since Miss Dongfang was so thoughtful.¡±

    Riko Inoue¡¯s words seemed to carry a hint of coldness.

    How could a woman as sharp as Riko Inoue not notice the strange look in Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes?

    ¡°Miss Inoue...¡± Matsuda called out in a low voice.

    ¡°Send Miss Dongfang back.¡± Riko Inoue finished her sentence and walked into the living room.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Matsuda replied before looking at Dongfang Rou¡¯er and saying, ¡°This way, Miss Dongfang!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er followed him out in a daze.

    ¡°Mr. Matsuda, that Miss Inoue just now...¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not help but ask in a low voice.

    ¡°Miss Inoue is the future Missus of our Fujiwara family,¡± Matsuda replied in this manner. His eyes swept over Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a deep gaze.

    As expected, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression immediately stiffened a little. Matsuda did not miss the disappointment in her eyes.

    ¡°Oh... is that so?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er muttered, ¡°She¡¯s not bad. I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Fujiwara to also... I thought that he had always been fond of Fourth Sister. Too many things have happened, now that I look at it again, everything has changed. I had thought that Mr. Fujiwara would be my brother-inw, but unexpectedly, my brother-inw has now be the President Qi of Tai Yu Corporation.¡±

    ¡°Those are all things of the past. Who wouldn¡¯t have history? Miss Dongfang, you shouldn¡¯t use such words in the future. After all, Miss Liuyun is already married. Moreover, our Master is nowpletely focused on his work.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other intentions. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®just¡¯. Miss Dongfang, I¡¯ll send you off until here, please!¡±

    Matsuda also stopped in front of the door.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was stunned for a moment. She turned around and looked at the mansion in front of her. Her eyes were very dim. In the end, she nodded and turned around to leave as well.

    ...

    Inside the Cloud Residence, Fujiwara stood outside the balcony of the study on the second floor. There was a half-lit cigarette between his fingers. He looked coldly at Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s departing appearance. His expression was as still as water.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    A momentter, Matsuda¡¯s voice came from behind him.

    Fujiwara took a puff of his cigarette. ¡°Keep an eye on her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master! When she left the house just now, she bumped into Miss Inoue. She seemed to be a little hostile towards her.¡±

    ¡°Hostile?¡± Fujiwara muttered in a low voice before sneering. ¡°Let them do their own thing. How¡¯s it going with Lan Xiu?¡±

    ¡°The contract has been sessfully signed. I¡¯ve sent someone to investigate. It was Qi Lei who pulled some strings over there. He¡¯s actually quite powerful, especially now that Qi Qiming has woken up. The Qi family¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t clear before, so...¡±

    Matsuda lowered his voice as he spoke.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to keep an eye on them. The Qi family has never interfered with us. Just keep an eye on the Inoue family.¡±

    Fujiwara sounded a little tired. He had held on until now, and his heart was empty. Although he was unwilling, he did not want to hurt her. He did not want to know anything about Qi Lei.

    Matsuda noticed Fujiwara¡¯s mood fluctuating, so he could only say in a low voice, ¡°Yes, I understand, Master.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk. You don¡¯t have to follow me.¡±

    Fujiwara took a deep breath and put out his cigarette in the flower pot beside him. He then turned around and walked into his room.

    ...

    Today was a day of rest. Although the sun had risen high, there was still a hint of coldness in the air.

    Fujiwara kept his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker and walked past the long walkway of the amusement park.

    There were not many people in the amusement park. The sounds of people ying around made Fujiwara¡¯s gloomy mood rx for a moment.

    He liked to walk around these ces filled with innocence andughter when he was depressed. In the past, when Dongfang Liuyun was still with him, she was also influenced by him. But now, she probably would not insist on this habit anymore.

    After walking for a long distance, he found a bench and sat down. Across him were the wilted willows and therge lotus pond that had withered.

    He had never dared to look for Dongfang Liuyun, even though his longing was rampant.

    He heard that love was restraint.

    He did not know if this was true or not. He did not want to cause trouble for her, so he could only persevere. However, he did not know how long he could keep on like this.

    Other than Dongfang Liuyun, he did not know who else he could love and talk about. Who else would he like?

    Lan Xiu said that he could actually feel at ease to have missed it. If he did not force himself to ept someone, everything would be natural. He did not want to make things too difficult for himself. It was better to live a peaceful life.

    With her or without her, he will have to let it go...

 Chapter 1995 - May You Shine Like the Stars (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1995: May You Shine Like the Stars (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This was the attitude of Lan Xiu, but he also did not know that his so-called go with the flow nature could in fact not escape fate. Who said that one would continue to suffer for not getting their loved one?

    If you opened your heart, and tried to ept a new beginning, you will find that you would not find yourself always only loving that one person.

    When you meet the right person, the stubbornness in your heart will be put aside.

    The first time he met Leng Xinran was in a simple and quiet restaurant in the north of the city.

    She looked very quiet and did not like to talk.

    She had a delicate and fair face, and her ck hair fell behind her head like a waterfall. She was dressed in gray casual clothes. She looked very thin, but in fact, she was a rare beauty. However, she looked like a very low-key and thrifty person, she did not essories too much.

    From Ah Li, he knew that Leng Xinran was a bit of a loner. She did not like to talk and always kept to herself. Her parents were divorced, and the only child of the Leng family was a gravekeeper. At the same time, she would asionally do some things that an undertaker should do.

    From her appearance, he knew that she was a very indifferent person. However, seeing her like this, he could not imagine that she would actually do these things.

    When Lan Xiu first saw her, he immediately thought of eight words¡ª

    Indifferent like the wind, quiet like deep currents.

    From her, one could feel that she was independent from the mortal world in her purity and indifference, he was not sure if it was because of her upation.

    She sat down and only said one word from the start to end¡ª

    Mmm.

    More than 10 minutes had passed. She only nced at Lan Xiu indifferently. She seemed a little numb.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Leng. I¡¯m Lan Xiu.¡±

    Lan Xiu stopped sizing her up and started to introduce himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you, let¡¯s order first,¡± Leng Xinran finally said this. She handed a menu to Lan Xiu.

    Lan Xiu nced at her and quickly took the menu. Leng Xinran had already ordered, and Lan Xiu also ordered a steak.

    ¡°Mr. Lan, you should know about my situation.¡±

    Leng Xinran looked down at the ss of water in her hand. Her cold voice was emotional and pleasant to listen to.

    Lan Xiu looked at her quietly. There was no emotion on her elegant face, but her voice was calm.

    ¡°President Leng said that we are very suitable. I decided toe and take a look.¡±

    Lan Xiu did not hide anything.

    Hearing this, a cold light appeared in Leng Xinran¡¯s eyes, but it was fleeting.

    ¡°What benefits did you give him?¡± Leng Xinran asked indifferently and lowered her head to take a sip of water.

    ¡°Regarding the partnership project, Mr. Leng and I are old friends. He hopes that we can have a deeper rtionship, and it will be very beneficial for the partnership.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he tell you that I¡¯m against marriage?¡±

    When Leng Xinran said this, she raised her eyes and looked at Lan Xiu. Her eyes were as cold as the cold stars and as silent as the ocean in the silent night.

    ¡°Mr. Leng didn¡¯t say,¡± Lan Xiu replied honestly.

    ¡°I¡¯m a mortician. I specialize in putting makeup on the dead. I¡¯m also a grave keeper. I have a strong <i>yin</i> energy. I have a tough fate. In the eyes of others, I¡¯m a very ominous person, aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Leng Xinran asked.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s pupils shrank slightly as he looked at her indifferently. ¡°Is this the reason why you¡¯re single to this day?¡±

    Leng Xinran was silent for a moment. ¡°Marriage is a burden to many people. I¡¯m one of them.¡±

    ¡°Some people say that those who are afraid of marriage are mostly afraid of having to bear the responsibility, or that the person they¡¯re with wouldn¡¯t meet their requirements, or that they¡¯re afraid of losing their freedom. Which one are you, Miss Leng?¡± Lan Xiu asked.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Leng Xinran asked back, her eyes as bright as the stars.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu paused for a moment, and his eyes fell silent.

    Leng Xinran saw his reaction and seemed to understand it, but she did not continue to ask.

    The two of them remained silent until the waiter brought the food over. They also ate their food at a leisurely pace.

    Halfway through the meal, Leng Xinran¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked it up¡ª

    ¡°Okay, you cane to the cemetery directlyter. I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    After saying that, she hung up the phone.

    Leng Xinran looked up at Lan Xiu. For some reason, she could faintly sense a faint sense of mncholy surrounding this man.

    ¡°I know that you didn¡¯te here today out of your own intentions, and neither did I. If you can ept a contract marriage, I don¡¯t mind. Otherwise, I¡¯ll pretend that I never said anything.¡±

    As Leng Xinran spoke, she slowly stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first. After thinking it through, you can look for me at Jing An Cemetery.¡±

    After saying this, Leng Xinran left.

    Lan Xiu did not stop her. He only silently felt her figure pass by him.

    ¡°Why?¡± Lan Xiu asked.

    Leng Xinran stopped in her tracks. She did not look back at him. After thinking for a moment, she replied, ¡°The reasons you listed are all my answers. Moreover, I¡¯m not a good woman. Not only am I selfish, but I¡¯m also materialistic. These are all reasons. Take a look and pick one that you¡¯re satisfied with.¡±

    Lan Xiu had never expected Leng Xin to answer in such a way.

    Selfish?

    How could a person who was willing to give up her identity as the eldest daughter of the Leng family to be a grave keeper and dress casually low-key be a materialistic and selfish person?

    Interesting!

    Lan Xiu narrowed his eyes as he watched Leng Xinran¡¯s figure slowly disappear at the door. However, there was some doubt in his eyes.

    It had to be said that this Miss Leng¡¯s life did not seem to fit in with his. He did not sense any worldly aura from her. Even the indifferent Liuyun could not avoid it.

    Strange, indifferent!

    Lan Xiu gave Leng Xnran such an evaluation from the bottom of his heart.

    She was definitely not someone to please. No wonder Mr. Leng¡¯s eyes were filled with helplessness when he mentioned her back then.

    It was said that Leng Xinran¡¯s mother was a very authoritative female medical examiner. She was also an extremely cold and unreasonable person. Leng Xinran¡¯s father could not warm her up even after more than 10 years. During the divorce, Leng Xinran¡¯s mother left the family with nothing. She did not even shed a single tear. She left very frankly.

    Ah Li did his best to gather all the information for him to hear. Therefore, he had a clearer understanding of Leng Xinran¡¯s background.

    ¡°President Lan, how is it? Is Miss Leng okay?¡±

    As soon as Lan Xiu walked out of the restaurant, Ah Li, who had been waiting by the car for a long time, immediately went forward and asked with concern.

    Lan Xiu looked up thoughtfully at the empty road in front of him. He did not answer and quietly sat in the car.

 Chapter 1996 - May You Shine Like the Stars (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1996: May You Shine Like the Stars (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Along the way, Lan Xiu did not say much. Ah Li sat in front of him and did not dare to ask any more questions.

    However, seeing President Lan¡¯s expression, it seemed that things did not go too well?

    ¡°President Lan, should we go home directly?¡±

    After thinking for a while, Ah Li finally asked.

    Lan Xiu looked up at the sky outside the car window and noticed that the sky was just right. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the flower and tree farm in the west of the city and take a look. The flowers and nts in the courtyard have failed to bloom. Let¡¯s change a new batch.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we change to the plum blossoms that you like, President Lan?¡± Ah Li asked.

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment. After a long while, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go over and take a look first. Let¡¯s nt a few plum blossoms or orchids. The kind that can bloom after the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Ah Li replied and gestured to the driver beside him. The driver quickly increased the speed of the car.

    ...

    It was almost evening. The family that had went out for the whole day was a little tired. However, Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er were also having a good time. When they left, they could not bear to go back, but not long after they got into the car, the two children fell asleep. Dongfang Liuyun carefully covered them with nkets.

    The driver was naturally Qi Lei.

    Dongfang Liuyun was looking at the children¡¯s sleeping faces in a daze.

    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Qi Lei suddenly asked in a low voice in front of them. His tone was very gentle.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, you were the one who brought them around to y mostly. You should be the one who¡¯s tired.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she bent down and took the thermos sk in front of her. She poured some hot water and drank it.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve yed so many games. When I was younger, I didn¡¯t like toe to the amusement park to y.¡± Qi Lei thought about it and said.

    ¡°Is it because Mother and Father didn¡¯te with you?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s that reason. When I was younger, I wasn¡¯t that active. Qi Feng and the others liked toe and y, but there weren¡¯t as many rides as there are now. Their favorite ones were the merry-go-round and ferris wheel,¡± Qi Lei stated calmly. Listening to his tone, there was not much emotion.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to fit in. You look like a yboy,¡± Dongfang Liuyunmented helplessly.

    ¡°When I was young, I yed with Lingtian and the rest. Some of my buddies even went overseas when they grew up. It¡¯s rare for us to meet them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it is. My friends whom I was close to in the past are also overseas.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had a faint sense of helplessness when he mentioned this.

    ¡°Alright, you look tired, you should rest too. I¡¯ll wake you up when we get home. The butler has already arranged for someone to cook dinner for us. It¡¯s all the good dishes that you and the children like.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her through the car mirror in front. He did not miss the fatigue in her eyes, so he spoke as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just talk to you. I saw that you had a lot of fun with the children today. I couldn¡¯t tell that you still had a child¡¯s heart. Did I misjudge you all along?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and looked at him with her calm gaze. He looked very serious as he drove. She felt that he was bing more and more pleasing to her eyes

    She seemed to find him more and more pleasing to the eye. In fact, she often felt that he was very handsome and cool. In fact, he could be considered a pretty perfect Prince Charming.

    Thinking of this, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel a little lucky.

    ¡°Do you now feel that I¡¯mparable to the National Good Husband?¡± Qi Lei teased with a smile.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say that we¡¯re the Bo Le who met with a thousand mile horse? I¡¯m Bo Le, and you¡¯re the thousand mile horse? There are many thousand mile horses, but not many Bo Le¡¯s. I have a sharp eye for heroes, and I like you,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said bluntly.

    Qi Lei smiled. ¡°The narcissistic little universe is about to explode.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun cast a sidelong nce at him.

    ...

    When they returned to the Grand Lake Vi area, the sky had already fallen silent. The cars had just stopped, and the children had woken up. The food at home was also ready, and the family had a rather sumptuous dinner, then, Dongfang Liuyun apanied the two children upstairs to watch television.

    Qi Lei entered the tea hall at the side. During the meal, Wang Chun had called and said that he would being overter. It was an urgent matter.

    Qi Lei had just brewed a pot of tea when Wang Chun came over. Yang Sheng was also there.

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    The two of them greeted at the same time.

    Qi Lei elegantly poured tea for the two of them as he pointed to the two seats opposite them. ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Wang Chun and Yang Sheng exchanged a look before sitting down.

    Qi Lei moved the tea that he poured over to the two of them. The two of them also picked it up symbolically and took a sip.

    ¡°Snow mountain tea. It¡¯s a little bitter, but it seems alright to drink at this time.¡±

    When he saw the two of them frowning uncontrobly, Qi Lei exined in a deep voice as he drank the tea in his cup.

    ¡°No wonder it¡¯s so bitter. Master Qi, where did you get all this tea? Didn¡¯t you drink flower tea a while ago?¡±

    Yang Sheng frowned. However, after the tea entered his throat, there was a mild freshness in his mouth. It was not the kind of freshness that had a sweet taste, but a refreshing freshness that made people feel like they were suddenly enlightened.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen asked Li Si to send over some new tea. Consider yourself lucky. I¡¯ll let you try it too. I think it¡¯s pretty good too.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi, you and Master Mu are both weirdos. I also found it hard to swallow the bitter tea that I drank at Master Mu¡¯s cest time. I didn¡¯t expect Master Mu to like such a bitter taste. Also, Master Qi, you used to like those things that had a bitter taste too. It¡¯s not like you can taste the bitterness of life just by eating bitter things.¡±

    ¡°Assistant Yang, you¡¯re wrong. From what I know, many people who like drinking bitter tea don¡¯t like bitter things. You have to know that bitter tastes can sometimes train one¡¯s willpower. The meaning behind it is not something that ordinary people can understand. Actually, it¡¯s just like how a man feels when he smokes.¡±

    Before Qi Lei could reply, Wang Chun had already answered Yang Sheng.

    Yang Sheng¡¯s face turned slightly red at Wang Chun¡¯s words. He said awkwardly, ¡°Forgive my ignorance.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get down to business. What¡¯s so urgent?¡±

    Qi Lei poured himself another cup and drank it calmly as he asked.

    As soon as he said this, Wang Chun nced at Yang Sheng. Yang Sheng nodded and tacitly stood up to close the tea hall¡¯s door. His expression also became somewhat solemn.

    Seeing this, Qi Lei¡¯s ck eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the two of them without batting an eyelid.

    ¡°You tell it, Vice President Wang!¡± Yang Sheng said.

    Wang Chun nodded and slowly put down the teacup in his hand. He looked up with a serious expression.

    ¡°Master, it might be bad news. It¡¯s rted Missus,¡± Wang Chun said in a low voice.

 Chapter 1997 - May You Shine Like the Stars (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1997: May You Shine Like the Stars (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lei¡¯s gaze darkened. His hand paused as he looked at Wang Chun.

    Wang Chun took a deep breath. He did not look too good and he lowered his voice¡ª

    ¡°Master, something happened in Myanmar. There was a riot at the border. During that time, President Gan of the Dongfang Group was at the border. Our people paid attention to news on President Gan ording to Master¡¯s orders, but we never found any trace of him. Moreover, he lost contact with his subordinates. Everyone has been looking for him these past few days. His assistant, Ah Fei, did not dare to let the news spread back to City Z in case it would cause chaos...¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Before Wang Chun could finish his sentence, Qi Lei had already tightened his grip on the teacup in his hand and ced it on the table. His handsome face immediately turned solemn!

    Dongfang Gan had gone missing?

    He had not been able to get through to Dongfang Gan¡¯s phone in the past few days. Initially, he thought that he was busy with work. Although he felt a little uneasy in his heart, he just wanted the people there to pay more attention to him. He did not expect Dongfang Gan to go missing?

    Qi Lei¡¯s dark eyes were immediately filled with worry

    If Liuyun knew about this, she would be worried!

    These few days, her mind had been restless. She would have nightmares at night. All sorts of signs made him worried!

    ¡°Master, this is the information that just came from the other side, and some information on the investigation. I think that something might have happened this time. I heard that when the riot happened, someone fired a gun. It was a huge incident. Many troublemakers went deep into the mountains.¡±

    As Wang Chun said this, he took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei frowned as he took it and flipped through it.

    The more he read, the more serious his expression became. Towards the end, he had gripped the document in his hand tightly.

    ¡°Are you saying that those bandits might have taken President Gan as a hostage?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t rule out this possibility because many people have gone missing over there. This news is still sealed. Otherwise, if the news were to leak out, the situation would be very unstable!¡± Wang Chun said worriedly.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi. I¡¯m also worried about this.¡± Yang Sheng also said with some worry.

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Is there any progress over there?¡±

    ¡°No, because such things happen very frequently. Furthermore, the situation over there has been unstable recently, and the government doesn¡¯t seem to have much energy to care about this. Besides, that ce is near the border. It¡¯s also a Golden Triangle area, and the control is particrly chaotic.¡±

    Hearing this, Qi Lei could not help but feel a headacheing on. He could not help but raise his hand and rub the space between his brows, ¡°Ask the people over there to buck up and send a few more people over. Yang Sheng, book a ne ticket for me to rush over tomorrow. The two of you will stay here to take charge of the situation. Yang Sheng, be careful of any changes in the Dongfang Group. Vice President Wang Chun, thepany will be temporarily handed over to you. I hope that you can help take care of Yang Sheng¡¯s side as well.¡±

    ¡°Also, don¡¯t let your Missus know about this for now. And don¡¯t leak the news. Otherwise, you know what the consequences will be.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. We¡¯ll definitely keep the news secret. We¡¯ll be fine with Missus¡¯ side.¡±

    If he wanted to make those people over there take the matter seriously, Qi Lei had to go over personally. Otherwise...

    ¡°A lot of things have been piling up recently. Such a coincidence makes me feel that something isn¡¯t quite right. Vice President Wang Chun, when you get back, tell Old Man Qi to get someone to investigate the connections around the Dongfang family as well. This includes Riko and Fujiwara¡¯s end. I want a detailed investigation. List all of your Missus¡¯ possible opponents and eliminate them one by one.¡±

    That was all Qi Lei could do now.

    ¡°Understood, Master!¡±

    ¡°Right, Master Qi, Dongfang Rou¡¯er went to Cloud Residence this morning. She should be looking for Fujiwara. I have a feeling that this Dongfang Rou¡¯er has got something up her sleeves. As far as I know, Dongfang Rou¡¯er has never interacted with Fujiwara. She doesn¡¯t even know Riko Inoue.¡±

    The person who spoke was Yang Sheng. Qi Lei had asked him to pay attention to Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s movements, so he naturally did not dare to be negligent. He had people keeping a close watch on Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s 24-hour whereabouts.

    ¡°Why did she go looking for Fujiwara?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she didn¡¯t look too good when she left.¡± Yang Sheng added.

    Qi Lei was silent for a moment. After thinking for a long time, he said, ¡°It¡¯s going to be her wedding with Jin Sheng soon. It looks like I won¡¯t be able to apany your Missus. Vice President Wang Chun, you have to personally apany your Missus that day. Report to me if anything happens here.¡±

    Wang Chun nodded. ¡°I understand, Master. Don¡¯t worry about leaving the Missus to us.¡±

    As they spoke, the two of them nodded solemnly.

    ¡°You can go back first. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath. He took a lighter from the side and lit up the documents in his hand.

    ¡°Make arrangements for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Yang Sheng and Wang Chun replied before turning to leave the tea hall.

    Their footsteps faded into the distance. Qi Lei did not move for a long time. He watched as the paper burned into ashes in the ashtray. Amidst the water vapor, his ck eyes became a little dazed. Then, they became bright again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice came faintly from behind him. Qi Lei came back to his senses. He turned his head and looked up. Only then did he realize that Dongfang Liuyun hade to his side, seeing that he was looking at the half-cup of tea in his hand in deep thought, Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. She reached out to take it and drank up the tea in the cup.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed? I called you a few times, but you didn¡¯t respond. Have Wang Chun and Yang Sheng gone back?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked softly. Qi Lei had already picked up the teapot and poured her another cup.

    ¡°They left. Don¡¯t drink such bitter tea?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s good for lowering the heat.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and nced at the ashtray beside him. She did not miss the ashes in the ashtray. There was a faint burning smell in the air.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with the strong burning smell?¡±

    It was obvious that he did not look too good. His dark eyes were a little reserved. It was obvious that he had something on his mind.

    Qi Lei suddenly reached out to pull her over and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just some unnecessary documents, they came to discuss some work matters. I have to be busy for a while. It¡¯s almost New Year, and our wedding is being prepared, so there are many things that need to be arranged.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and decided not to tell her about Dongfang Gan for the time being, otherwise...

 Chapter 1998 - May You Shine Like the Stars (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1998: May You Shine Like the Stars (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to prepare much. It¡¯s not a grand wedding anyway. Besides, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s a need for us to be lively anymore.¡± Dongfang Liuyun smiled and said.

    ¡°Even if we¡¯re doing it simple, there must be ns.¡±

    Qi Lei did not talk too much about the wedding. He had already nned to give her the most memorable wedding of her life.

    ¡°You decide. Don¡¯t be toote. I¡¯ve already prepared the bath water for you, clothes are on the shelf. Hurry up and wash up then rest early.¡±

    Understanding that he had been through a lot today, Dongfang Liuyun said that as she helped to pack up the tea set.

    Qi Lei looked at her deeply but did not say anything. He just watched her quietly pack up her things.

    ¡°Hurry up and take a shower. Why are you looking at me?¡±

    Seeing that he did not move, Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned.

    Only then did Qi Lei quietly get up and leave the tea room. He did not take his phone and coat, so Dongfang Liuyun could only help him take them up.

    When Qi Lei came out of the bathroomfortably, Dongfang Liuyun was already lying on the bed. She was flipping through a photo album on antiques in her hand. When she heard movement, she looked up as well.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Qi Lei sat down by the bed and turned his head to look at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s a new album. Just now, Secretary Ding called me. Thepensation for De Bao House has been settled. The insurancepany will also bear most of the responsibility. I want to open a new shop. Although the losses in the shop are quite serious, many valuable items have not been affected, so...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to help you deal with it tomorrow. Renovate De Bao House and buy the two shops next to it to expand the scale, hmm?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no need to cover such arge area. Just renovate it. Anyway, you¡¯re quite familiar with people in this area. I¡¯ll leave it to you. Once the renovation is done, I¡¯ll thank you properly.¡±

    ¡°Then how are you going to thank me?¡±

    Qi Lei narrowed his eyes at her. His gaze swept across her fair face unexpectedly, and sparks could not be suppressed in his dark eyes. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, he had already reached out to take the book in her hand.

    ¡°You... Oh!¡±

    A warm aura came onto her. She could not say a word, and then she was imprisoned under him. ¡°Pay me somepensation first.¡±

    ...

    After tossing and turning until midnight, themotion in the room finally stopped.

    ¡°I¡¯m going abroad tomorrow, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll be gone for. I¡¯ve already arranged things here. You¡¯re alone. Be careful. If there¡¯s anything, tell Wang Chun and Yang Sheng. They¡¯ll help.¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun was about to fall asleep from exhaustion, Qi Lei pulled the nket for her and said softly.

    ¡°Hmm? Going abroad? Where to?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately woke up slightly when she heard the news. She hurriedly propped herself up and looked at her doubtfully.

    ¡°There are some matters in Southeast Asia that need to be dealt with. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible. You have to take good care of yourself while I¡¯m away. You have to be on your guard against the Dongfang Group¡¯s matters,¡± Qi Lei reminded her worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you...¡± Dongfang Liuyun said.

    ¡°You¡¯re in a critical period now. It¡¯s better for you to stay here. This way, I can be at ease.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get up and help you pack your things.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun struggled to get up, but Qi Lei pressed down on her shoulders. ¡°There¡¯s no need, Liuyun. The arrangements have been made. There¡¯s no need to prepare anything here.¡±

    ¡°Then,e back soon...¡±

    ¡°Yes, go to sleep.¡±

    ...

    The next morning, Qi Lei woke up when the sun had just risen. To be more precise, he did not sleep much. He spent the entire night feeling her presence.

    At dawn, Yang Sheng came to pick her up. Breakfast was prepared downstairs. The children and Dongfang Liuyun did not wake up either. It was probably because they were too tired from ying yesterday.

    The weather outside was naturally very cold, but inside, it was as warm as spring.

    After Qi Lei finished tidying up, he turned to look at therge bed in front of him. He saw that Dongfang Liuyun was sleeping soundly. He thought for a moment before walking over.

    He stopped beside her and looked down at her. After a long while, he bent down slightly and nted a light kiss on her forehead. His slender fingersbed her messy long hair, and his tone was as soft as water

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun, I, Qi Lei, am willing to use my eternal time in exchange for you to shine like a star. When I return, we will hold a wedding...¡±

    After saying that, he got up reluctantly and pulled up the nket for her before turning around to leave.

    Dongfang Liuyun was in a daze. She could only vaguely sense that someone was whispering in her ear. The familiar aura made her feel at ease, so she did not open her eyes.

    ...

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Qi Lei had just walked down the stairs when Yang Sheng came up to him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Qi Lei walked straight to the door, and Yang Sheng followed behind him silently.

    ¡°Master Qi, why don¡¯t I apany you? I¡¯m worried about you going alone. Also, I¡¯m worried about President Qi...¡±

    Yang Sheng was worried as he watched Qi Lei go alone. He felt that this matter was a little tricky.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have bodyguards with you? If you go over, who will watch over this ce? You must ensure the safety of this ce. After I go over, I¡¯ll depend on you to watch over your Missus and the Old Man Qi. Also, don¡¯t tell Old Man Qi about my things.¡±

    Qi Lei naturally did not want to create unnecessaryplications. Qi Qiming was currently in the recuperation stage, so it was best to let him recuperate in peace.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi. We¡¯ll remember it,¡± Yang Sheng replied silently.

    ¡°When youe backter, send Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er back to Maple Residence with your Missus. Wang Chun will personally apany Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi. We will definitely take good care of Missus.¡±

    Yang Sheng naturally had some petty concerns in his heart. Who knew if Fujiwara woulde looking for them again? It was not easy for Master Qi to find someone he liked. Of course, they had the obligation to help them keep an eye on her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to keep an eye on her, just protect her. I don¡¯t want any idents to happen during this period of time. Also, you have to pay more attention to the renovation of De Bao House.¡±

    Qi Lei did not forget the promise he made to Dongfang Liuyun yesterday.

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi!¡±

    The two of them walked out of their house one after the other. It was a chilly wind outside. Qi Lei only felt a chill. He tightened his coat and strode towards the car in front.

    Yang Sheng also got into the car and sent him to the airport.

 Chapter 1999 - My Name is Mu Zicheng

    <h4>Chapter 1999: My Name is Mu Zicheng</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t your Master Qie over?¡±

    When Yang Sheng and Dongfang Liuyun sent Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er to Maple Residence, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were at home too.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Mu Yuchen asked as he poured a ss of water for Yang Sheng while Dongfang Liuyun followed Xi Xiaye to bring the children upstairs to pack up.

    ¡°Master Qi went overseas. He had some urgent matters to deal with, so he left in a hurry. He asked Missus and I to send Master Xiao Rui and Miss Wei¡¯er back.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yang Sheng replied.

    ¡°Overseas?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s silent eyes narrowed slightly. He thought about it for a moment before asking, ¡°Myanmar?¡±

    Mu Yuchen had naturally heard some news about that ce from Zhou Zimo these past few days. Qi Lei had asked Zhou Zimo to provide some information before, so something that could make him so anxious must be quite urgent.

    Yang Sheng just smiled and did not answer¡ª

    Qi Lei had previously told him not to leak the news. However, he did not know how to answer Mu Yuchen¡¯s question.

    However, the wise Mu Yuchen could naturally see the answer in Yang Sheng¡¯s eyes, so he did not continue asking.

    ¡°Is he going alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he only brought a few bodyguards with him. They¡¯ve already arranged for people over there, so don¡¯t worry. Master Qi also flew over this morning,¡± Yang Sheng said simply.

    Mu Yuchen lowered his head and looked at the cup in his hand carelessly. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt someone tugging at his pants. He subconsciously looked over and realized his son, Mu Xiaocheng, had unknowingly arrived by his side. He was hugging his leg and looking at him with his twinkling eyes. Then, he looked at Yang Sheng who was beside Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°Daddy...¡±

    ¡°Mmm? Why did youe here by yourself? Where¡¯s Mommy?¡±

    Mu Yuchen quickly put down the cup in his hand and bent down to carry him up.

    ¡°Little Master Zicheng is really getting cuter. What a beautiful little angel. Master Mu, Little Master looks especially like you!¡±

    Yang Sheng could not help but feel happy when he saw the cute Mu Xiaocheng. He stared at him silently as well.

    ¡°Thank you, Uncle...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng obviously understood Yang Sheng¡¯spliment. Before Mu Yuchen could say anything, the little guy had already turned around and shed a very friendly smile at Yang Sheng. He even thanked him.

    ¡°Haha, You don¡¯t have to thank me, Little Master. Remember your Uncle Yang!¡±

    Yang Shengughed out loud. As he watched, he could not help but sigh. ¡°If only our Master Qi had a child as cute as you, Master!¡±

    As Yang Sheng said this, his eyes could not help but be filled with anticipation.

    Mu Yuchen smiled and did not answer. At this moment, Xi Xiaye and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voices came from upstairs. The few of them turned around and saw the two women walking down the stairs.

    ¡°Brat, why are you here?! Mommy has been looking for you for a long time!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye saw Mu Xiaocheng being held in Mu Yuchen¡¯sp, she could not help but have a headache.

    Mu Xiaocheng seemed to be one of those more hyperactive ones, yet he did not really like to y with everyone. At home, he would often y alone, you might see him in a corner of the study room flipping through those sketchbooks that you did not know if you could understand, or you might see this little guy ying with a small teacup under the tea table in his father¡¯s tea Room, or you might have seen him pluck the blooming flowers in the flower pot at the corner of the flower pot outside the corridor of the vi...

    Sometimes, he would even despise XI Xiaye for being stupid, like now...

    When Mu Xiaocheng heard his mother¡¯s voice, he immediately pulled a long face. Looking at the stairs behind Xi Xiaye, he said crisply, ¡°I climbed down the stairs... Mother is silly...¡±

    ¡°Well would you be Little Silly then?¡±

    Xi Xiaye red at him unhappily, but she vented her unhappiness on Mu Yuchen. ¡°I¡¯m learning from you! When I grow stronger in the future, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll bully me.¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare even if I gave him ten guts,¡± Mu Yuchen replied nonchntly and ced Mu Xiaocheng on the sofa beside him. ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re doing their homework! Liuyun, sit here.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Xi Xiaye greeted Dongfang Liuyun who had not spoken all this while.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little courteous.

    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you guys these past two days. Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er just said that they had a lot of fun yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei yed with them all day. When they came back, they fell asleep in the car.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. Her eyes were gentle, but her gaze fell on Mu Xiaocheng. Looking at Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s cute appearance, she could not help but imagine if her and Qi Lei¡¯s children would be as cute in the future, would they also be as smart.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng quickly noticed Dongfang Liuyun staring at him. He opened his eyes and looked back at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled when she heard that. She could not help but reach out to him. ¡°Because you¡¯re very cute and very pretty. I¡¯m Dongfang Liuyun. Can you tell me your name?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng quickly put on a friendly smile. ¡°My name is Mu Zicheng... you¡¯re very pretty too...¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s smile instantly made Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart flutter. She could not help but hug him. She could not hide her excitement as she looked up at Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen, ¡°He¡¯s so cute. No wonder Qi Lei is always saying that he hopes to have a daughter who can bring your Xiao Cheng into our Qi family.¡±

    When they heard this, Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen looked at each other and smiled.

    ¡°He¡¯s very naughty. I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t be able to control himself in the future.¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt a little helpless.

    ¡°Well for boys it¡¯s better to be naughty. With you and your wife taking care of him, I think he¡¯ll definitely be an outstanding person like Chairman Mu in the future.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    ¡°I hope that he can be more ordinary and happy. He doesn¡¯t have to be so outstanding. People like us in this generation had to endure too much. It¡¯s best to be happy and at ease. Just like Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er. I never wanted them to always have time to study some curriculum. The children nowadays always feel that their lives are much harder than ours in the past, even though their living conditions are much better than before.¡±

    Xi Xiaye seemed to feel this very deeply when she talked about these things.

    Every time she went to pick up the children, she would always find a lot of parents talking about how they had to get a tutor at night to teach the children how to y the piano or go to ss.

    Xi Xiaye had always thought that the children did not need to bear too many skills yet. Right now, what they needed the most was a positive influence from their parents and family. The children¡¯s psychological education and literacy education were what they needed to cultivate the earliest.

 Chapter 2000 - You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2000: You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun sat there for quite a while before he left. Xi Xiaye personally sent them to the door.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to send us off, go back. We¡¯re quite close anyway.¡±

    When they walked out of the door, Dongfang Liuyun stopped and turned around to look at Xi Xiaye gratefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Qi Lei isn¡¯t around, you have to take care of yourself. If you need anything, just say the word. We¡¯re all on the same side, so there¡¯s no need to be so polite. We¡¯re quite familiar with each other. Mu Yuchen and I have always treated Qi Lei like a younger brother,¡± Xi Xiaye said very gently, her starry eyes flowing with a faint warmth.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded in gratitude, ¡°I know. When I really need something, I won¡¯t be stingy with asking. Thank you, Xiaye. Qi Lei told me about you before. You¡¯re a very kind and warm-hearted person. Chairman Mu is the same. With your care, I feel lucky and touched for him.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. It¡¯s Mu Yuchen and I¡¯s honor to have a friend like him at our age. Mr. Mu even sympathized with him before, so I naturally hope that the two of us can get close to each other too. This way, there¡¯s no need for them to leave us aside every time the two of them get together.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled cheerfully. Her beautiful eyes were filled with faint anticipation, ¡°Actually, I hope that the harmonious rtionship between us can be maintained forever. In the future, we can move around often. When we¡¯re old, we can even travel together in pairs. It¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°As long as we have this hope in our hearts, it can naturally be realized.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ll have to trouble you guys with Wei¡¯er.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. Be careful on the road.¡±

    ...

    As she watched the car slowly disappear into the path ahead, Xi Xiaye stood there for quite a while before turning around to go back.

    When she returned to the living room, her son had already been carried back by Aunt Fang to take a nap, while Mu Yuchen was still sitting on the sofa drinking tea and watching television.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun seem to be getting along more and more harmoniously? Isn¡¯t it very simr to the feeling we had back then?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sat down next to him as she moved closer to him.

    Mu Yuchen quickly reached out to wrap his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°How did we feel back then?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it yourself?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him.

    ¡°Are you telling me that you actually enjoyed the feeling of us chasing each other back then?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled and patted her head with his big hand. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t have the romantic cells like Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°But, I like your type.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not hold back at all.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen smiled calmly and coughed lightly. ¡°Is beauty in the eyes of a lover?¡±

    ¡°Do you have the beauty of a beauty that can topple countries and cities?¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not help but reply.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing for me to say to you. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to eat a specially made steak? I¡¯ll fulfill your wish tonight.¡±

    ¡°Mmm? Bake some of the cake fromst time. The children like it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, put on a coat, let¡¯s go out to buy groceries.¡±

    Mu Yuchen patted her head and said in a soft voice.

    ¡°Huh? You still want me to go with you to buy groceries? Can¡¯t you go alone? l want to apany my son...¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at him in a daze as if she was not too happy.

    ¡°No! Quickly go up and put on another coat. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    Mu Yuchen got up without saying anything and did not allow her to reject him

    How long had it been since she went out with him? Every time the children were at home, she would only care about the children. It was a rare opportunity to go out for a walk, so they naturally could not waste a good time like this.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could say anything, someone had already taken the car keys and went over to get the car.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged helplessly and had no choice but to go upstairs to get a coat. Of course, she did not forget to bring a windbreaker for him too.

    The afternoon weather was a little chilly. The brilliant sun just now had already dimmed, and now the air was a little chilly.

    As the New Year approached, the entire City Z was very lively. Many shops were also disying New Year goods.

    Mu Yuchen and XI Xiaye did not expect to run into Zhou Zimo and Qin Su.

    They were at the entrance of a bookstore on the pedestrian street of New Era za.

    Zhou Zimo was standing by the door while Qin Su was flipping through the books on the bookshelf. She was probably choosing the books that she liked.

    ¡°Chen, Xiaye!¡±

    Zhou Zimo was the first to notice them.

    ¡°Why are you guys here too?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at Zhou Zimo and Qin Su in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m apanying Qin Su for a stroll. She said she wanted to buy a few books, so why are you guys here? It¡¯s almost evening.¡±

    ¡°Come over for a walk and prepare the ingredients for dinner. Qin Su!¡±

    It was Xi Xiaye who replied. When she saw Qin Su walking over, she greeted her warmly.

    Qin Su smiled and nodded politely. ¡°Are you guys here for a walk too?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, just in time for a walk.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a coffee shop up ahead. Since we¡¯ve bumped into each other, let¡¯s go over and have a cup of hot coffee and rest.¡± Zhou Zimo suggested.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye exchanged a look, but they did not object.

    There were not many people in the coffee shop. The four of them found a quiet corner and sat down. They ordered some coffee and some snacks. The service staff was very efficient, so they quickly served the food.

    ¡°Are the preparations for the wedding almost done?¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally added sugar into Xi Xiaye¡¯s coffee as he looked at Zhou Zimo and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost done. When the timees, I¡¯ll borrow the chef from your Imperial Sky Hotel.¡±

    Zhou Zimo replied, ¡°In addition, I¡¯ve already sent the invitation cards to Ah Mo, Lingshi, and the others. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll be able toe back for it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s near the end of the year. They shoulde back to take a look. It¡¯s New Year soon. I heard a few days ago that they wanted toe back to visit father and mother,¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly.

    He had heard that Mu Lingshi¡¯s health had not been very good recently. Zhuang Shurong had even gone over to visit them. When she knew that she had recovered a little, she felt a little relieved.

    ¡°She¡¯s putting too much pressure on herself. Thankfully, she still has Ah Mo with her.¡±

    Actually, it was only at times like this that they truly felt the importance of their loved ones. All these years, they had been living like this, so Zhou Zimo felt a little nostalgic for Ah Mo and Lingshi, however, this was their life and fate. It was destined that they would not be able to live happily and carefree like when they were young.

    ¡°She will have to endure some things before she can truly grow up. Everyone needs to experience such a life-and-death parting.¡±

 Chapter 2001 - You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2001: You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was very calm when he said this.

    After experiencing so many things, Mu Yuchen¡¯s heart was much calmer now. Wang Hui and Mu Yinan¡¯s departure had made him extremely sad, but this hurdle would eventually be ovee.

    ¡°That¡¯s what they say. It¡¯s really not easy to walk through such a dark period.¡± Zhou Zimo took a sip of his coffee and said helplessly.

    ¡°Trust them. They should being back this time,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    ¡°Ah Mo and Lingshi are our good friends. Lingshi is Chen¡¯s cousin. She and Ah Mo are a couple. We grew up together.¡±

    When he saw Qin Su¡¯s puzzled look, Zhou Zimo exined simply.

    Qin Su nodded and did not say anything. After all, she could not get a word in.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get to know them then. They¡¯re quite a considerate couple.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled as well.

    ¡°Your good friends are also my friends.¡± Qin Su then replied.

    ¡°Oh, right,e to my house for dinner this Thursday. Help me check if there¡¯s anything missing from the house. I¡¯ve never been married before, so I don¡¯t have much experience. Can you invite Qi Lei?¡± Zhou Zimo asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if we go over, but I¡¯m afraid Qi Lei won¡¯t be able toe. He went abroad.¡±

    Mu Yuchen took a sip of coffee.

    ¡°Abroad? He went abroad just like that?¡±

    Zhou Zimo was stunned for a moment. He thought about it for a while and suddenly remembered what Lian Ziyao had said to him a few days ago. However, he had some guesses in his heart.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been idle recently. Don¡¯t count him in. You need to pay more attention to Myanmar and see if you can help a little,¡± Mu Yuchen said simply.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯ve put a lot of effort into his previous matters as well. I¡¯ll get them to be more alertter on.¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s dark eyes darkened a little as well. He seemed to have a bad premonition, but he could not tell exactly what it was.

    ...

    When the few of them left, it was already close to evening.

    Zhou Zimo and Qin Su went straight to the Zhou family¡¯s old residence. Liang Jing had already called and told them that the family had prepared their favorite dishes. She told them to be sure to go home for dinner and check the status of the guest list at the same time, Zhou Zimo had only personally invited a few close friends, and there were still a few important invitations that had yet to be sent out.

    On the road, the driver was Zhou Zimo. Qin Su sat in the front passenger seat and closed her eyes to rest.

    The couple did not say much after they got into the car. However, they did not seem to feel awkward sitting there.

    ¡°Are you tired?¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not help but ask with concern when he saw that she had been closing her hands.

    Qin Su suddenly opened her eyes when she heard this. She turned her gaze to look at him unexpectedly. When she saw that he was still focused on driving, she said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I need to think about something.¡±

    ¡°About the training?¡±

    Zhou Zimo knew that there were only a few things that could make her worry. She only cared about these things.

    Qin Su nodded. ¡°I initially thought that it was going well, but...¡±

    ¡°Did they not loosen up?¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at her in understanding and then smiled, ¡°Actually, you can tell Father that this matter is only a matter of a word from him. Moreover, he has always been very satisfied with you as his daughter-inw. With such a background, even if you are unwilling to use these connections, they will not trust you so easily. Moreover, for someone with your personality, if they don¡¯t know your background, it will be very easy for others to get their hands on you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo naturally hit the nail on the head. Qin Su¡¯s expression darkened slightly when she heard this, but she did not reply.

    ¡°Go back and probe Father, he¡¯ll understand and help you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo reminded her.

    ¡°I can¡¯t ask my family to help me with everything. Moreover, the military is a ce with strict discipline. If word gets out, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be good either.¡±

    Qin Su had her own considerations. Now that she looked at it, it was not hard to imagine that herpetitors were quite strong.

    ¡°Not being able to handle such a small matter isn¡¯t like Father¡¯s style. This isn¡¯t a problem of style. You, Qin Su, haven¡¯t lost to anyone in terms of strength. Moreover, in terms of strategic guidance, you naturally need someone with richbat experience to be responsible for it. On this point, shouldn¡¯t you be confident?¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at her disapprovingly.

    Qin Su, on the other hand, had a slight headache as she held her forehead and could not help but say tiredly, ¡°Zhou Zimo, do you think that I¡¯ve gotten old in these two years? That I can¡¯t keep up with those young and energetic newrades?¡±

    ¡°How can that be? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you to personally carry outbat training, so you don¡¯t have to worry. However, the collective training is very hard work, and you actually had the heart to bear such great pressure.¡±

    Although Zhou Zimo also supported her decision, regarding the collective training, he still felt a little heartache for her.

    ¡°I feel that I should still belong to the army. I¡¯ve already nned to continue studying for my master¡¯s degree and take this opportunity to return to the army after the collective training ends. In the future, I might even be able to transfer to the military academy to be a teaching teacher. I like the atmosphere in the military camp. ¡°You... You¡¯re willing to support my mother?¡±

    Actually, Qin Su had been thinking about this idea for a long time. She had always felt that she should pursue the life she wanted. Although her current job was not bad and was much easier than in the military camp, it was not the kind of working environment that she wanted, she still liked to watch the soldiers train. That kind of aura and spirit made her feel veryfortable. It was not like the gloomy atmosphere in the political world.

    ¡°Do you want to be a soldier for the rest of your life?¡±

    Zhou Zimo frowned slightly.

    ¡°You should know what that means. Qin Su, I don¡¯t want you to be so worn out.¡±

    ¡°No, only by letting me do work that I don¡¯t like and live a life that I don¡¯t want will I feel worn out. Being mentally worn out is far more torturous than being physically worn out.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s gaze was filled with hope.

    Zhou Zimo did not answer, but there was a faint sense of disappointment in his dark eyes.

    ¡°Do you feel torturous being with me? Our current life?¡±

    After a long while, Zhou Zimo finally asked.

    Qin Su was stunned for a moment. When she turned her head, she also captured the disappointment in his eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he sighed softly, ¡°I just feel...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go back... Qin Su... I hope that you can stay by my side. Isn¡¯t it good for us to go to work like this every day? Don¡¯t go back anymore. If you really don¡¯t like the days in the political arena, then quit your job ande to thepany. I¡¯ll arrange a good position for you, hmm?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s words were filled with anticipation¡ª

    He did not want to separate from her. He only hoped to see her before him every day.

 Chapter 2002 - You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2002: You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (3)</h4>

    Silence fell upon the car. Qin Su did not reply, and neither did Zhou Zimo. The only sound in the car was the low-pitched singing from the radio.

    After an unknown period of time, Qin Su, who had been silent with her head lowered, suddenly turned to look out of the car window. The streetlights outside had already lit up quietly. On the sidewalk, there was an endless stream of pedestrians. Most of them were couples.

    Qin Su admitted that sometimes, she also admired such scenes. However, she did not dare to think about whether she could have such a wonderful time.

    ¡°Qin Su, apart from work, we have many other meaningful things to do. If you return to the army, what about us? You have already contributed enough. You have to think for yourself in the future.¡±

    Zhou Zimo did not wish for her to go back.

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts. Qin Su, listen to me this time. Actually, the current unit is pretty good. It¡¯s quite an easy department. I know the reason why you don¡¯t want to stay is because you see things that you don¡¯t want to see. However, you will understand that this cannot be avoided,¡± Zhou Zimo exined simply.

    ¡°You seem to know everything.¡±

    Qin Su put her hand on her forehead. For some reason, she felt dizzy. ¡°It¡¯s not that I dislike the current unit. I just feel that I need to worry too much and I don¡¯t have enough brain cells.¡±

    ¡°Why do you need to put so much pressure on yourself? With someone protecting you, who can bully you? There¡¯s no need to work so hard.¡±

    Zhou Zimo saw that her expression had eased up, and the tension in his heart eased a little.

    ¡°Since you said that, I¡¯ll think about it again. Don¡¯t take it to heart, I¡¯m just saying.¡±

    Qin Su also noticed the gloomy aura on his body, and after thinking for a while, she replied in the same way.

    Zhou Zimo gave her a sideways nce. Actually, he was not afraid that she would really go back, because in a few months, when there would be news about a pregnancy, she would not be like right now, so eager to go back.

    ¡°You¡¯re so stupid. There are so many people who want to get out of there and transfer to a good work unit. Living in the military is only suitable for training and isn¡¯t suitable for staying there often. Having that experience is already very good. There¡¯s no need to spend your entire life in it. Moreover, you¡¯re still a woman. It¡¯s better for us men to take on this kind of responsibility,¡± Zhou Zimo said in a low voice.

    Qin Su took a deep breath. ¡°Who even differentiates work between men and women nowadays? Are you also a patriarchal person.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to look down on you goddesses, I¡¯m just protective over you.¡±

    ¡°That term is quite suitable for you.¡±

    Qin Su gave him a sideways nce with a faint smile.

    ¡°You¡¯ve wronged me, wife. I¡¯m only protective over you. Are you still fussing about what happened two days ago?¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked at her sharply.

    ¡°Who cares if you¡¯re courting death with that female model,¡± Qin Su replied coldly.

    Zhou Zimo coughed lightly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I exin it to you? I¡¯ve really got nothing to do with that woman, she fell on her own.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence that she fell into your arms. Or was it just a coincidence that you happened to pass by?¡±

    Qin Su rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°Look at her face. She¡¯s not on the same level as you. If I fell in love with that kind of woman, that would be called a pig twiddling off with a good cabbage like me[1]. Qin Su, I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen. Call me shallow or not, I almost lost my soul when I first saw you.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was speaking the truth. Over the years, only Qin Su¡¯s face appeared in his mind from time to time. Moreover, he, Zhou Zimo, allowed her to be in his world. Other than her, there was no one else.

    ¡°No matter how beautiful one may be, it will grow old and be a thing of yesterday, I will no longer be young. What else would you like about me?¡±

    Qin Su looked at Zhou Zimo and said in a low voice.

    Actually, Zhou Zimo was not the only one who said that all these years. She was also very clear about her appearance. Back then, it was because of her outstanding appearance that she sessfully became a sleeper. Otherwise..

    ¡°Qin Su, you know what I mean. The reason why I have persevered to this day is not just because of your beauty.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal to say that. We¡¯re already married. Actually, I still have some expectations for my future life. It¡¯s not like before. Whenever I look at the scene at sunset, I always feel a little lost. Maybe this is what they said. After we get married, we¡¯ll have a sense of belonging.¡±

    Qin Su sighed softly and retracted her arm that was leaning against the car window, ¡°I hope that you can stay away from those women in the future. I don¡¯t have the ability to deal with those women. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to hold on for long in this matter and will give up easily.¡±

    As she said this, a faint light shed across Zhou Zimo¡¯s ck eyes. He swept a meaningful nce at her and said with a smile, ¡°Now you finally know how to be slightly worried? Are you worried that other women will touch me?¡±

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s lowughter rang out, causing Qin Su¡¯s heart to pause for a moment for no reason. She did not look at him. She lowered her head slightly and hesitated for a moment, ¡°Since you¡¯ve made your choice, you have to treat me sincerely. I don¡¯t want to be unfair to you, and of course, I don¡¯t wish for myself to be wronged. There are some words that are useless to say. It¡¯s fine as long as you know what you¡¯re talking about. Let¡¯s stop here.¡±

    Zhou Zimo smiled and nodded. His eyes were filled with a doting light, ¡°It¡¯s up to you. If you really want to keep a close watch on me, you cane directly to thepany. I¡¯ll let you be my chief personal secretary and be with me 24 hours a day. How about it?¡±

    ¡°If you really had that intention, I won¡¯t be able to keep watch even if I let ten dogs watch over you. Moreover, if you really don¡¯t know your ce, then I won¡¯t have any reason to cherish it.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s feelings had always been very indifferent. If not for Zhou Zimo¡¯s determination and courage, Qin Su thought that she probably would not have married Zhou Zimo now. However, ever since she was with him, she felt pretty good. At least, she was not as tired as before, it was also much more fulfilling than before, and the feeling of loneliness was much lighter.

    ¡°Your rationality makes me feel uneasy,¡± Zhou Zimo said indifferently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I can do to move you. Later on, I thought that perhaps there¡¯s no need to do anything on purpose, it¡¯s quite nice to always be like this.¡±

    ¡°I also don¡¯t wish for you to make yourself feel wronged. You have to know that in a rtionship, there¡¯s no difference between strong and weak. I hope that we¡¯re all equal. At least that way, we can live more naturally. You also know that I have always been like this. I¡¯m not very attractive and am indifferent and boring.¡±

    ¡°Who even says that about themselves? Whether or not you are attractive depends on the person who appreciates them.¡±

    Zhou Zimo naturally did not want her to be mocking herself.

 Chapter 2003 - You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2003: You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A few days passed in the blink of an eye. The weather during this period of time was pretty good. It was not as cold as before, but the winter sun was brilliant and warm.

    The wedding of Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er was tomorrow, and the venue was the luxurious Imperial Hotel.

    ?

    The day before the wedding, the Dongfang family¡¯s house was already very lively. Many people who came from other ces to attend the wedding also came to visit in person.

    Dongfang Liuyun had already been called back by Dongfang Shuman at noon. However, she still only rushed back after finishing her work.

    When she returned to the Dongfang old residence, the sky had already fallen silent. The setting sun was also much dimmer. Standing at the door from afar, she could already hear the congrattory voicesing from inside.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked in with big strides.

    ¡°Fourth Miss, you¡¯re back! President Shu wants you to go straight to the study.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had just entered the hall when the butler came up to greet her.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Who¡¯s up there?¡±

    ¡°President Shu just sent a few distinguished guests down. Now, President Shu should be the only one up there. Oh, right, Miss Xue has also returned. She should be resting up there too. I wonder if she¡¯s in President Shu¡¯s study. Miss Xue asked about you earlier. She probably misses you. She brought a lot of good things back for Fourth Miss this time. eh? Where¡¯s the Master? Didn¡¯t hee back with you?¡± The butler said enthusiastically.

    ¡°He¡¯s busy. Is my mother back?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and asked again.

    ¡°Lawyer Song has already gone back to her room. Oh, she said she¡¯ll go back when you¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it. You can go ahead.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she walked up the stairs.

    At this moment, in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s study room.

    Dongfang Shuman was sitting on the sofa, reading a document in her hand. Ah Cai was standing beside her.

    ¡°Ah Cai, take a look at this document. I am more and more appreciative of Ah Xue¡¯s abilities. She has the image of my iron fist from back then. I should be proud of having such a daughter.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman coughed a few times and handed the document to Ah Cai. ¡°Sit down and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Shu!¡± Ah Cai replied and then reached out to take it. She slowly flipped through it.

    After a while, Ah Cai¡¯s face was filled with admiration.

    ¡°President Shu, Miss Xue¡¯s ability is really admirable. No matter what she does, she will always do her best. This area had just been developed in the past. Now, only a few years have passed, and she is already able to do this. The quarterly turnover is also the highest in this area under her jurisdiction. I think that if this report is handed over, those shareholders will definitely p their hands in praise.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman nodded, ¡°Yes, her ability is impable, but the more she acts like this, the more I feel the pressure, especially on Liuyun¡¯s side.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she could not help but sigh again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Shu. Miss Liuyun is also quite capable, haven¡¯t you noticed? Miss Liuyun is actually very good at utilizing people. She has just joined thepany not long ago, and with the help of President Gan, she has reced quite a few people. Moreover, the people she rmended are all very capable, and their character can be trusted.¡±

    ¡°Well, you are right on that point. In our position, we don¡¯t just look at individual ability. In the matter of employing people, we will try our best to use anyone who has a skill that we need. Arrange them in a suitable position, and they will disy an ability that we didn¡¯t expect. On this point, I personally admire Ah Gan very much.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she coughed a few more times. Ah Cai hurriedly put away the documents in her hands and poured half a cup of warm water for her. Dongfang Shuman drank a few mouthfuls before she calmed down quite a bit.

    ¡°President Gan is indeed admirable when ites to employing people. His judgment of people is very urate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Actually, when Ah Xue was transferred away, I myself also had a skeptical attitude. But at that time, it was Ah Gan who took charge of the Dongfang Group, so I could not refute his decision,¡± said Dongfang Shuman.

    ¡°Then, President Shu, what position does Miss Liuyun n to ce Miss Xue in now?¡± Ah Cai asked.

    ¡°The Deputy Director of the Administrative Department, Huang Xia, was fired a few days ago. Liuyun¡¯s intention is to arrange for Ah Xue to rece her.¡±

    ¡°Deputy Director of the Administrative Department?¡±

    Ah Cai hesitated for a moment. ¡°This position is a good ce to go.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun is quite thoughtful. Actually, I was inclined to arrange this position for her too. Her desire to perform is too strong. This is not a good thing. This daughter ispetitive and has some of my looks in the past. However, I secretly do not want her to fight for it. In the end, this position should belong to Liuyun. It is also what your Elder President had hoped for.¡±

    When Dongfang Shuman said this, she could not help but feel her head ache.

    ¡°President Shu, if it weren¡¯t for the Elder President¡¯s dying wish, would you have preferred Miss Xue to be your sessor?¡± Ah Cai asked in a low voice.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Shuman had already raised her hand slightly to stop Ah Cai. Her aged face appeared a little serious, ¡°No, even if it wasn¡¯t your Elder President¡¯s intentions, I wouldn¡¯t have let Ah Xue sit in this position. Her ability is not bad, but she alsocks a tolerance. She is only suitable to be a pioneer, not a person who ns and controls the overall situation. Her ability is very one-sided. If this were ancient times, she would only be suitable as an outstanding valiant general, not a military advisor, nor a marshal.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was very urate in positioning people. After so many years, had she not seen in all?

    ¡°President Shu... What about Miss Liuyun?¡± A Cai asked with some doubt.

    ¡°She still needs experience. Her personality is quite simr to her father¡¯s. Haven¡¯t you noticed? Ah Gan and Ah Xue are actually a perfectbination. Ah Xue is an unsheathed sharp de. Ah Gan is the person who unsheathed the sharp de. Only with this kind of cooperation can they truly be indestructible.¡±

    Ah Cai finally understood, ¡°But, Miss Xue¡¯s ambitions, I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯m afraid this is also thest thing that a dying person like me can do for Liuyun.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman smiled helplessly. These words made Ah Cai somewhat puzzled. Just as she wanted to ask something, there was already a knock on the door¡ª

    ¡°Grandmother?¡±

    It was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Liuyun is back!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman quickly regained her senses. She turned her gaze to look at her tightly shut door and replied, ¡°The door isn¡¯t locked. Come in!¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened and a dark-gray figure entered her sight...

 Chapter 2004 - You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2004: You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Grandmother.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun walked in and soon found Dongfang Shuman and Ah Cai sitting on the sofa.

    ?

    ¡°Aunt Cai.¡±

    ¡°Miss Liuyun is back!¡±

    Ah Cai quicklyughed and stood up. ¡°What do you want to drink? I¡¯ll pour some for you.¡±

    ¡°Just a cup of hot water will do,¡± replied Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Come and sit.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s voice was heard. Dongfang Liuyun walked over and sat down.

    ¡°Grandmother, have you been feeling better these two days?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze stopped on Dongfang Shuman¡¯s aged face. After not seeing her for some time, she thought that she seemed to have be more haggard. She had always known that her health was not very good. Her father, Dongfang Gan, had called a few times before, he hoped that she could return to Canada to recuperate, but she was still here. She must be worried about thepany.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Shuman coughed lightly and said in a hoarse and weak voice, ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. The weather has been warmer these few days. I feel much better than the past few days. Where¡¯s Qi Lei? Why didn¡¯t hee back with you?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman nced at Dongfang Liuyun and asked doubtfully.

    ¡°He went abroad to attend to some urgent matters, so he won¡¯t be able to make it back in time. Wang Chun wille over on his behalf tomorrow.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied, and at this moment, Ah Cai brought a cup of hot water over.

    ¡°Ah Cai, go and settle the matters first. Help me take care of the guests. I¡¯ll go downter.¡±

    ¡°Okay, President Shu,¡± Ah Cai replied and then quietly left the room.

    Hearing the sound of the door closing, Dongfang Liuyun slightly clenched the cup in her hands. The warm temperature instantly dispelled some of the coldness in her hands.

    ¡°Tomorrow will be very lively. Later, you¡¯ll go down with me to meet those old regrs. You still need to manage some of your connections. It¡¯s not easy to maintain thework of connections that the Dongfang family has built up over the past few hundred years. You have to be more careful in the future. Although these people usually don¡¯t seem to have much contact with us, when they really encounter a problem, they will still take us into consideration. In this circle, you should understand that birds of a feather flock together.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was naturally a little serious. Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have caught a hint of expectation from her tone. After a moment of silence, she replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you also me me as a grandmother in your heart?¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not have much of a change in emotions, Dongfang Shuman asked the same question. Her old eyes also locked tightly onto Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s pretty little face.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment and shook his head, ¡°No. Actually, no one should be protected by anyone since they were born. All those who give to you and treat you well are because of the existence of feelings. I have always been very clear about this principle. I can also understand your position, so there is no so-called resentment.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, your temperament is very simr to your grandfather¡¯s. If everyone thinks like you, it would be a good thing.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman sighed, and her eyes also became somewhat silent.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze flickered, as if she could also sense something, but she still remained silent and did not expose it.

    As a younger person, it was not suitable for her to discuss such matters.

    ¡°Where is Aunt?¡±

    After a while, Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°She just returned to her room. She hasn¡¯t stopped by home since she¡¯s returned in the past two days. She asked about you just now. You should find a chance to catch up with her. You haven¡¯t seen her in years, right?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t seen her in a long time.¡±

    ¡°What do you think of your aunt?¡± Dongfang Shuman asked without any reason. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun could not react to Dongfang Shuman¡¯s question.

    In her impression, Dongfang Shuman doted on her daughter and took good care of her. As a son, Dongfang Gan received little care. Perhaps it was because he was trained consciously.

    ¡°Aunt is very capable. She is capable and steady. I respect her very much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hesitated for a moment before saying this.

    Dongfang Shuman listened and smiled, ¡°Not really. I am very clear about what kind of person she is. She has been by my side since she was young. Her character has more or less been influenced by me. Over the years, she has contributed a lot to the Dongfang family. Rtively speaking, she is the hero of the Dongfang family. Everyone has witnessed her abilities.¡±

    ¡°If she was a son, I think that she should be in charge of the Dongfang Group, and not your father. Of course, this was what I thought at the time. However, after experiencing so many things, I have to admit that your grandfather¡¯s initial thought was correct.¡±

    ¡°Then, why is grandmother still willing to support me?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little doubtful. Indeed, based on Dongfang Shuman¡¯s attitude towards Dongfang Xue, Dongfang Liuyun did not doubt such a decision at all.

    ¡°Because of your grandfather¡¯sst wish. Also, after so many years, I have seen some things more clearly.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother you¡¯re saying...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything. You just need to figure it out yourself. Learn more from your father and familiarize yourself with thepany¡¯s affairs as soon as possible. You don¡¯t have much time left. Once Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er are married, the situation of thepany will definitely change. When that happens, you could be easily shakened.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Alright, go and see your aunt first. She should be in her room.¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she could not help but cough a few more times. She leaned back in her chair tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ll get Ah Cai to call youter. You go ahead. I¡¯ll rest for a while. I¡¯m a little tired.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze and looked at her quietly. She did not miss the pale and tired look on her face. Her heart suddenly sank and she said, ¡°Let me help you back to your room to rest for a while.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine after I stay here for a while, you go ahead.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman waved her away¡ª

    She had always been like this. She never allowed herself to show any signs of weakness in front of these children. Even at this time, she still needed to hold on.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face darkened. She could only take a nket from the sofa and help cover Dongfang Shuman. Dongfang Shuman slowly closed her eyes before Dongfang Liuyun left.

    Sometimes, it was hard to see through Dongfang Shuman clearly. Dongfang Liuyun had never been very close to her since she was young. In Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s impression, Dongfang Shuman had always been a very serious and reserved person. Every time she saw her, she would say very little. However, Dongfang Shuman was someone who was loyal to her husband and to the entire Dongfang family.

 Chapter 2005 - You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (6)

    <h4>Chapter 2005: You Want To Break Off the Engagement? (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The curtain of the night had already been lifted. The entire Dongfang old residence was very lively.

    In the luxurious princess room.

    ?

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was sitting by the bed. Lin Yuanyuan was showing her the wedding dress. Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face did not have any expression at the moment, and there was no trace of any joy.

    Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s face was filled with joy and anticipation as she looked at the wedding dress.

    ¡°Hurry up and try it on, Rou¡¯er. Jin Sheng specially asked a famous French designer to design this wedding dress for you. Look at the fabric and the workmanship. Ah Sheng treats you really well. There¡¯s also this crown. I heard that just this wedding dress and jewelry alone cost almost 10 million, and he¡¯s really willing to part with it!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan smiled happily. As she spoke, she fiddled with the white wedding dress, ¡°As a mother, I always hoped that one day I could see my daughter put on a wedding dress and be the most beautiful bride in the world, that you will marry a man who will treat you well for the rest of her life. Rou¡¯er, Ah Sheng treats you really well. After you marry him, you must know how to cherish him. Do you understand?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan was very satisfied with Jin Sheng, and Jin Sheng was also very generous. He often gave her, his mother-inw many gifts. He was not stingy at all and hadpletely conquered her, his mother-inw. Lin Yuanyuan was very satisfied with Jin Sheng, this son-inw, from every angle.

    On the other hand, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had recently be much colder towards Jin Sheng. Previously, she often saw the husband and wifeing back in pairs. Recently, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had been leaving early and returningte every day. A few days ago, they had agreed to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a marriage certificate, Dongfang Rou¡¯er was still struggling about going. Fortunately, Jin Sheng was considerate and understanding, so she simply proposed to hold the wedding first and then sign the marriage certificateter.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said so much, say something! What¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯re absent-minded. What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Come, let me take a look. Why do you look a little pale?¡±

    After Lin Yuanyuan said a lot of things, she saw that Dongfang Rou¡¯er had no reaction, so she raised her head to look at Dongfang Rou¡¯er. She found that Dongfang Rou¡¯er had been silent the whole time, and her face was a little pale, so she put down the wedding dress in her hands worriedly, he stretched his hand towards Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s forehead, wanting to test her body temperature.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t touch me. I¡¯m fine. Can¡¯t you let me have some peace and quiet!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er pped Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s hand away. There was a hint of impatience in her tone, and it was not difficult to catch her agitated emotions.

    Lin Yuanyuan was shocked by Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s reaction. She stared at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with her eyes wide open. ¡°What kind of attitude is this? What¡¯s going on with you? I¡¯m concerned about you right now, why are you acting like this?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, concerned about me? You¡¯re concerned about whether the marriage alliance with the Jin family will seed, right? Father and brother haven¡¯t fulfilled their previous promise, yet you¡¯re concerned about me? You¡¯re just trying to use me as a bargaining chip to negotiate the marriage alliance.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er sneered and suddenly stood up. She stared coldly at Lin Yuanyuan. ¡°Mother, do you think you would be willing to do this if it were you?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying! How could you still be saying such things at this juncture. Your wedding is tomorrow and you¡¯re still arguing about this. Are you thinking of breaking off the engagement?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan stared at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with widened eyes, ¡°You can¡¯t joke about this. Do you know how many people are waiting for this wedding? You and Ah Sheng have long be the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. Do you want to let your father and brother lose face and bring shame to the entire Dongfang family? What will the Jin family think when that happens? Will they let this matter go so easily? Rou¡¯er, you must never think of such a foolish thing, understand?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan felt her heart tremble as she thought about it.

    The smile on Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face became colder and colder, ¡°Even now, you¡¯re still thinking about them and the Dongfang family? Are you afraid that if I were to really break off the engagement, you would lose all face and your strength in the Dongfang family would be greatly reduced? Mother, I¡¯m still your daughter. Why Can¡¯t you think of my happiness? Look at Dongfang Liuyun. Why doesn¡¯t she have to sacrifice her own marriage to fulfill her position? In the end, it¡¯s all because you¡¯re useless and can only sacrifice me!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s voice was naturally very sharp, piercing into Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s ears like ice needles. Lin Yuanyuan only felt some pain and coldness, bone-piercing coldness!

    She simply could not believe that her daughter would actually think that way!

    ¡°Rou¡¯er... You¡¯re crazy! Why would you think that way! You should know that you¡¯re not getting any younger, and you should also find someone to dote on you. Look at how Jin Sheng treats you so well, and the Jin family is great, don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s not worthy of you? I just don¡¯t want to see you work so hard. I hope that you can have a happy ending! Do you understand?¡±

    As Lin Yuanyuan spoke, her eyes could not help but sh with faint tears, ¡°As parents, no matter how bad we are, we¡¯re still the ones who gave birth to you and raised you. Moreover, who do you think we¡¯re working so hard for? Isn¡¯t It all for you and your brother?¡±

    ¡°Just that trash, my brother! He was simply a useless person who couldn¡¯t be helped up. If it weren¡¯t for me and Father, would he have been able to stay in thepany peacefully all these years? You guys would rather help someone like him, so you sacrificed me, even my suggestions, are you guys nning to fool me like this? Do you guys really think that I will continue to be so foolish all the way?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was very cold, and her slightly pale face was tainted with a hint of sarcasm, ¡°This time, my attitude is very firm. If you really care about me, your daughter, then go and exin it to Father. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens tomorrow, don¡¯t me me!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone was very firm.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er, you...¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in a daze, so shocked that she was speechless.

    ¡°You... are you threatening us?¡±

    ¡°If you insist on thinking that way, I have no choice! All these years, I have given a lot, but I haven¡¯t gained anything. I am only thinking of myself now, leaving a path for me in the future. Is this wrong? I am only fighting for what I deserve, Mother! If you think that this is wrong, then I have nothing to say.¡±

    As Dongfang Rou¡¯er spoke, she took a deep breath. She looked exhausted.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t think for you. How can a daughter make such a request to her parents? Rou¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong with you recently? Why have you suddenly be like this? Why do you feel like such a stranger?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m a stranger, or that I¡¯ve changed in any way. It¡¯s just that I¡¯vee to my senses now!¡±

 Chapter 2006 - Wedding (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2006: Wedding (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw Dongfang Xue, she was in the backyard of the Dongfang old residence.

    When Dongfang Liuyun had just turned the corner of the corridor, she saw a white figure in front of her from afar.

    ?

    Dongfang Xue was just like her name. She loved white. She was in her forties, but she looked very well maintained. She looked like she was only in her thirties. She looked very energetic, as if she had matured over the years, her appearance was quite simr to Dongfang Shuman¡¯s when she was young. She was a capable beauty.

    At this moment, she was wearing a white professional dress with a beige coat over it. Her chestnut-colored hair had just reached her shoulders, and she looked very clean and neat.

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked over, she was half-squatting in a dark corner, fiddling with a few hanging orchids. When she heard footsteps behind her, she did not stop what she was doing. Instead, a mellow and gentle voice was heard¡ª

    ¡°Have you gone to see your grandmother?¡±

    It was obvious that she already knew who the person behind her was, as Dongfang Xue asked.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped walking and stood quietly. He replied calmly, ¡°Yes, she said that we should catch up, so she chased me here.¡±

    When she heard that, Dongfang Xue straightened her back slightly. She turned her gaze and nced at Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re married. Where¡¯s your man? Aren¡¯t you going to bring him back for me to meet?¡±

    ¡°He has some business to attend to. There will be plenty of time in the future. When hees back, I will naturally bring him back to serve tea to aunt,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied straightforwardly.

    Dongfang Xue smiled indifferently and retracted her gaze unhurriedly. From the corner of her eyes, she shot Dongfang Liuyun a meaningful nce, ¡°I can tell that you have been living quitefortably these days. You look much better than before. You don¡¯t look as lifeless as you did.¡±

    ¡°Aunt is also living quite well. You looks much younger than before, I¡¯m sure you handled things quite easily over there,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied nonchntly.

    Dongfang Xue chuckled, ¡°Even your words are much more vivid than before. However, I don¡¯t have such a good life. I¡¯ve always been so busy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun casually smiled, ¡°However, I¡¯ve always admired aunt¡¯s free and easy attitude. Even grandfather has said that you live morefortably than the other uncles and my father. If the daughter of the Dongfang family is said to have a good life, then it¡¯s also a good life. If it¡¯s not good, then it¡¯s not good, is it?¡±

    ¡°I heard that your grandmother wants me to stay in the headquarters in the future. What kind of position do you and your father n to arrange for me?¡±

    Dongfang Xue was also a person who hit the nail on the head. She had long known about these rumors, ¡°Is it because your father doesn¡¯t trust me to stay outside, so he ns to transfer me back? He might feel more at ease with me right under his nose. Or, does he want me toe back and help you shoulder some pressure. After all, your current situation isn¡¯t great either?¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened, but there was no change in her expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me to decide whether aunt stays or goes. Grandmother did mention this to me before, but Aunt is after all a pir of thepany. Of course, it¡¯s not up to me to decide. I think Grandmother will be more wise and farsighted. Aunt can ask Grandmother. We will ept her arrangements.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had received Dongfang Shuman¡¯s hint before. Her words startled Dongfang Xue. She looked at Dongfang Liuyun with a deep gaze that seemed to be scrutinizing her, ¡°Is that so? I thought your grandmother would ask you for advice on which position to ce me in.¡±

    ¡°The one who controls thepany is not me or my father, but Grandmother and the entire group of shareholders. I think aunt should be the most clear on this point, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally could not let Dongfang Xue get a hold of anything. She did not really understand Dongfang Xue¡¯s attitude. Sometimes, she felt that she was very ambitious, but sometimes, she was very sincere in fighting for the best interests of Dongfang Gan.

    Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue had a good rtionship. Sometimes, they were very harmonious, but sometimes, Dongfang Xue was...

    ¡°If it were you, which department would you ce me in?¡±

    Dongfang Xue seemed to be very insistent on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°What position does aunt want thepany to ce you in then?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked back.

    She did not expect Dongfang Liuyun to ask so boldly. Dongfang Xue paused for a moment and thought about it seriously, ¡°What if I wish to be like your First Uncle and Second Uncle?¡±

    ¡°There are only so many positions in thepany. If Aunt thinks that First Uncle and Second Uncle would voluntarily give up their positions, I think that Grandmother and the others will definitely not hesitate to fulfill Aunt¡¯s request.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said these words, Dongfang Xueughed lightly. She then straightened her body and looked at Dongfang Liuyun quietly, ¡°This kind of trick of kicking the ball around was something that only your father would do. I did not expect that you would receive some of his true teachings not long after following him around. The Dongfang n¡¯s matters were originally a pool of muddy water. Since you yearned for freedom, why did you get involved? Could it be that after being outside for a long time, you¡¯ve also been tainted by these secr auras?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never said that I¡¯m not a secr person.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? How do you perceive me?¡± Dongfang Xue asked.

    ¡°Aunt is family, and we¡¯re on the same side. Does Aunt feel that way?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very certain when she said this. Her starry eyes were also staring intently at Dongfang Xue.

    At this moment, Dongfang Xue finally chuckled and nodded. ¡°The rtionship between the Dongfang family is veryplicated. Since you have chosen to walk on this path, you should be more careful and take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Aunt,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied very politely.

    Dongfang Xue waved her hand and walked towards the corridor ahead. Dongfang Liuyun followed behind her silently.

    ¡°What would you choose in the face of family ties and benefits?¡±

    As Dongfang Xue walked, her voice quietly brushed past Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Before answering this question, I would like to ask aunt a question,¡± said Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Dongfang Xue answered with her hands behind her back.

    ¡°Is Aunt satisfied with the current situation?¡±

    ¡°Oh? With the current situation? I¡¯m very satisfied. Why wouldn¡¯t I be satisfied?¡±

    Dongfang Xue nced at Dongfang Liuyun in surprise. Seeing the deep look in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes, she smiled. ¡°Are you using my question to brush me off?¡±

    ¡°No, I just want to know if Aunt is like me and feels that family ties are more important. There are some things that cannot be brought along, so I will always choose family ties. It¡¯s just that there are some responsibilities that one must bear,¡± Dongfang Liuyunmented.

    ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Dongfang Xue asked.

 Chapter 2007 - Wedding (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2007: Wedding (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded solemnly.

    ?

    ¡°Your father has protected both you and your mother very well. Liuyun, you should be grateful that you have such a father.¡±

    Dongfang Xue seemed to be hinting at something. When Dongfang Liuyun turned around to look at her, she saw that her gaze was a little deep. She wanted to ask something, but Dongfang Xue¡¯s voice had already continued¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s naturally for the best that you can think this way. The depths of our n¡¯s undercurrents are not as simple as you think. I hope that you will have to pay attention and experience many times. There are some things that are not as you see them on the surface. All these years, everyone has been working hard.¡±

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s tone became a little calm. As she spoke, her footsteps became a lot heavier.

    ¡°I heard thatfort is reserved for those who are in eternal rest.¡±

    ¡°Your words do make some sense.¡±

    Dongfang Xue did not refute and continued along with Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, ¡°After your grandfather passed away, your grandmother¡¯s strength has been somewhatcking. You and your father should show more concern for her. All these years, the rtionship between the two of you has been very indifferent. Don¡¯t wait until the future to regret it. Your grandmother¡¯s situation is far worse than you can imagine.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard these words, her face sank for no reason. She narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Dongfang Xue.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me with such a surprised expression. I naturally have my own way of getting information. I didn¡¯t mean anything by telling you this. I just hope that you can spend more time with her. This is also the reason why I¡¯m willing to return to the headquarters.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, in the end...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just sick from hard work. Her life is very fragile, just like Uncle Ming. You don¡¯t know when she¡¯lle and when she¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Dongfang Xue took a deep breath as she spoke.

    ¡°I bear a huge responsibility for what happened to Uncle Ming.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no real meaning in pursuing responsibility. If someone dies, they die. Even if you died too, you can¡¯t change the truth. You¡¯re not an extremely vicious person.¡±

    Dongfang Xue interrupted Dongfang Liuyun, ¡°After Rou¡¯er¡¯s marriage with the Jin family, your life may not be easy. You¡¯ll experience the feeling of living in a crevice very deeply.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. When will your father return?¡±

    Dongfang Xue stopped talking about these things.

    ¡°Father hasn¡¯t answered the phone for a few days. I¡¯m also a little uneasy about the situation in Myanmar. I keep feeling that Father¡¯s trip this time is a little abnormal.¡±

    ¡°The dispute over there can not be resolved in two or three days. I¡¯ve been there before and there are many things that need to be dealt with. It¡¯s easy to have conflicts of interest in the mines that are jointly developed. Moreover, a strong dragon can not suppress a local snake. It¡¯s very likely that your father will return empty-handed this time. If this is the result, your father won¡¯t have much confidence in the shareholders¡¯ meeting after the New Year. So, your father must gain something from this trip.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you have a big bargaining chip on you. Since you¡¯re married to Qi Lei now, he should have some trump cards to back you up.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t involve us. Aunty, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned.

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Do you think your grandmother is really willing to ept you two just because you¡¯re in love with Qi Lei? You¡¯re wrong. Her foresight is beyond your imagination. If Qi Lei didn¡¯t have a trump card and could withstand the storms that might happen in the future, your grandmother definitely wouldn¡¯t have taken the risk!¡±

    Dongfang Xueughed.

    ¡°Moreover, Fujiwara has always been your grandmother¡¯s favorite grandson-inw. You also know that your grandmother has never been a person who changes her mind easily, no matter how determined you appear to be. I think she must have told you about the possibility of crippling you?¡±

    ¡°How did Aunt know about this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Xue warily.

    ¡°I said that I have my ways.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you mean by telling me this now?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked indifferently.

    ¡°Then what do you think? Do you think Aunt will harm You?¡±

    Dongfang Xue took a deep breath and turned her head to look at Dongfang Liuyun. There was a faint sense of destion in her eyes¡ª

    Dongfang Liuyun had never seen such a Dongfang Xue before.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. In this family, I have no idea who I can trust.¡±

    ¡°Do you trust your father?¡±

    ¡°My father, of course I do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You were right to listen to him.¡±

    ¡°Aunt, why are you telling me these things?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not understand Dongfang Xue¡¯s intentions.

    Dongfang Xue smiled calmly, ¡°You will understand in the future. I also have my own goals. You are right. Other than those few people whom you feel that you can trust, you must not trust anyone else, including me and your grandmother. Otherwise, you will regret it. Really.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little puzzled by these words, but Dongfang Xue was not willing to exin too much.

    ...

    That night was very lively. There were many guests who came to congratte them. Dongfang Liuyun was introduced by Dongfang Shuman and became familiar with many families that had deep ties with the Dongfang family. Of course, Dongfang Xue also apanied her throughout the entire journey.

    That night, Dongfang Liuyun stayed over at the old residence and did not return to the Grand Lake Vi area.

    The next morning, when the sky had just turned gray, the old mansion was already very lively. The servants who were tidying up were already busy. The guests first came to visit, and then some people sent Dongfang Rou¡¯er out, some people rushed to the hotel with Dongfang Shuman in the afternoon.

    In Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s room, after breakfast, the makeup artist had alreadye over to help her put on her makeup and wedding dress.

    However, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s mood was a little off. Her face was gloomy the entire time. The makeup artist looked at her and felt a little awkward. Lin Yuanyuan, who was at the side, was even more nervous.

    ¡°Rou¡¯er, can¡¯t you be a little happier? It¡¯s such an auspicious day. What do you want Ah Sheng to do? What do the Jin family and the guests think?¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan lowered his voice and whispered into Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s ear, ¡°Besides, your father has already agreed and you¡¯ve signed the letter. What else do you want?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes were very dark.

    ¡®Knock knowck¡ª¡¯

    As Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s voice fell, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Who is it? It¡¯s so annoying!¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan shouted, his voice filled with irritation.

    ¡®Ka¡ª¡¯

    The sound of the door opening could be heard.

    The mother and daughter followed the sound and looked over. They saw Dongfang Xue standing silently in front of the door.

    ¡°Aunt...¡±

    ¡°Ah Xue!¡±

    Two voices sounded at the same time.

    ¡°Are you not ready yet? It seems that the wedding procession is about to depart from the Jin family,¡± Dongfang Xue asked with concern.

    ¡°So fast, aiya, this...¡±

    Lin Yuanyuan could not help but be slightly anxious, while casting a nce at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

 Chapter 2008 - Wedding (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2008: Wedding (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression was cold and there was no joy to be seen. Lin Yuanyuan¡¯s expression was even more unsightly. Just as she was about to reprimand her, Dongfang Xue had already opened her mouth, ¡°Sister-inw, can I speak to Rou¡¯er alone for a moment?¡±

    When Dongfang Xue said this, Lin Yuanyuan was stunned for a moment. She looked at Dongfang Xue and only reacted after a moment. She hurriedly nodded, ¡°Oh, alright then!¡±

    As she said this, she carefully nced at Dongfang Rou¡¯er and frowned deeply, ¡°Ah Xue, you have to persuade her properly. Today is such a good day, why are you acting like this? Sigh!¡±

    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Dongfang Xue turned her head and gave her a reassuring look. Only then did Lin Yuanyuan leave.

    Dongfang Xue was quite popr in this family because Dongfang Xue and Dongfang Shuman were very simr. They basically maintained a neutral attitude. Although they also had some ambitions, towards Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi¡¯s family, they were all actually quite good. Dongfang Rou¡¯er was usually quite close to her. In fact, they seemed even closer than Dongfang Xue and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    The sound of the door closing rang out. Dongfang Xue retracted her gaze and looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er, who was sitting motionlessly in front of the mirror. After thinking for a moment, she walked over and stopped behind Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°Aunt, you don¡¯t have to persuade me anymore. I know the importance of this marriage. I just can¡¯t control my emotions.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er said bitterly at this moment. Looking at her beautiful face in the mirror, Dongfang Rou¡¯er thought it was a little ironic¡ª

    She was about to get married, but the groom was not the person she loved deeply. She did not know what the meaning of such a marriage was.

    She also thought that she did not care at all. Before Fujiwara came to City Z, at least she didn¡¯t think about revealing her feelings. But knowing that Fujiwara was in this city, right beside her, she could not control herself anymore, she was afraid that if she did not say anything, she would not even have the chance to say anything in the future. After revealing her feelings, at least she would have an exnation for her own feelings.

    In the long years toe, she might be in a lot of pain, but she did not regret revealing her feelings to Fujiwara at all. That was because if she did not say anything, it would be the expression of a weakling.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to control your emotions and follow your heart. Since you¡¯ve made a choice in your heart, then you must use your best attitude to face the consequences of this decision. If you¡¯re unwilling, it¡¯s not toote for you to regret it now.¡± Dongfang Xue looked at her and said indifferently.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Aunt, can you ept marrying someone you don¡¯t love?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask? I thought you were considering marrying Jin Sheng for the sake of benefits. Moreover, you don¡¯t really dislike him. This is enough,¡± Dongfang Xue replied.

    ¡°Then why has Aunt remained single until now?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked.

    Actually, she admired a woman like Dongfang Xue. She felt that she lived a carefree life and was very capable. After so many years, there had been countless suitors chasing after her, but she had never seen her fall in love with anyone, she had heard that she had once liked a man, but for some reason, they could not be together after that. After that, she had never heard of anything rted to her feelings.

    ¡°You must not learn from me and follow my example. People like me often say that I am an iplete woman. You should just live your normal life. There is always a price to pay for everything. You must remember this. Although I have been livingfortably all these years, I have also missed my marriage. In myter years, I am more likely to endure the so-called loneliness of others. What you have chosen now, you know the gains and losses yourself the best. At this moment, why do you have to make things difficult for yourself?¡±

    Dongfang Xue hit the nail on the head. ¡°If you use the words of young people like you, then it would be pretentious. Do you have someone in your heart? Otherwise, why do you look so unwilling?¡±

    Hearing Dongfang Xue¡¯s question, Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not answer. She did not want anyone to know about her rtionship with Fujiwara.

    ¡°I understand, Aunt!¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Rou¡¯er took a deep breath and replied. Although her tone was a little gloomy, she tried her best to force a smile on her face. ¡°I should ept my fate. Since I¡¯ve made such a choice.¡±

    Once she took this step, it would not be easy for her to turn back in the future. However, what else could she do?

    She could only use this opportunity to work hard to climb up. In the future, she might still have the ability to contend with Dongfang Liuyun. She could not be so timid.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m just here to take a look. Liuyun has just apanied your grandmother to receive guests. She will be arriving soon after your wedding. Seeing that you have both found a belonging of your own, I¡¯m happy for you.¡±

    ¡°Fourth Sister... are Fourth Sister and Fourth Nrother-inw going to hold their wedding as well?¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er asked.

    ¡°After the New Year. I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t be able to handle it now. The end of the New Year ising soon after you. There are many things that you need to do. There¡¯s also thepany¡¯s annual meeting.¡±

    ¡°Has Aunt met Fourth Brother-inw? What do you think of him?¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei? I¡¯ve heard of him, but I¡¯ve never met him in person. However, I can still hear your grandmother¡¯s evaluation of him. Your fourth sister had always been indifferent and unruly. It was already a rare thing for her to find someone like Qi Lei who was willing to get married. Moreover...¡±

    Dongfang Xue did not point out the rest, but Dongfang Rou¡¯er already understood what she meant.

    ¡°Aunt, do you think Fourth Sister really likes Fourth Brother-inw?¡±

    It was not that Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not know about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s rtionship with Fujiwara, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s quiet marriage to Qi Lei had also surprised her previously, she did not believe that Dongfang Liuyun really had any feelings for Qi Lei.

    ¡°Whether she likes him or not, Qi Lei is someone who will be spending the rest of his life with her. And I think she¡¯s doing pretty well now, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s eyes were bright as she looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a hint of concern. ¡°Actually, you know very well the kind of life that you could live. Now it just looks like you¡¯re fussing over nothing.¡±

    ¡°Aunt...¡±

    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to say anything. Hurry up and pack up. The wedding procession will arrive soon. You¡¯ve still got a long way to go. Who knows what will happen in the future?¡±

    Dongfang Xue reached out and patted Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let me help you with your veil.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er finally agreed and allowed Dongfang Xue to help her.

 Chapter 2009 - Wedding (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2009: Wedding (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The wedding was naturally very lively. Both families were influential families in City Z. With such a marriage, it was done quite grand, with many tables for the banquet at the hotel.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not follow the fleet of cards to the church. Instead, she apanied Dongfang Shuman at the Dongfang old resident.

    The banquet was to startat seven in the evening. Dongfang Liuyun only rushed over at six in the evening from the Dongfang old residence to apany Dongfang Shuman and Song Siting.

    Song Siting was also dressed in a festive wine-red suit today. She looked quite energetic. After a period of rest, her body had recovered, and she looked much better than before.

    Since Song Siting left thew firm, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s attitude toward her had improved a lot. At least, she did not treat her with disdain and lectures whenever they met. Now, the mother-inw and daughter-inw could actually have conversations with each other.

    ¡°After Rou¡¯er and Ah Sheng¡¯s wedding, Qi Lei and Liuyun¡¯s wedding will be soon. You should be more attentive as a mother. Qi Lei doesn¡¯t have a mother, and his father¡¯s health isn¡¯t good. Naturally, you should be more attentive. He¡¯s your son-inw. Don¡¯t be so sullen when you see him every day.¡±

    When they walked out of the house, Dongfang Shuman saw Song Siting and did not forget to remind her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want me, as the grandmother, to help you with these things? Qi Lei¡¯s father has been discharged from the hospital for a long time. As his mother-inw, don¡¯t you know to contact him and find an opportunity to meet him?¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, this was Qi Lei and my mistake. We should have made the arrangements. We wanted to wait for my father to return before we met up,¡± Dongfang Liuyun hurriedly exined.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you. You need to understand etiquette. You can¡¯t let others gossip about you. You¡¯re just children. What can you understand? We elders need tomunicate with you. Don¡¯t be upset that grandmother is nagging, your every move will affect your reputation and family¡¯s reputation in the future. These things may not seem important to you now, but when you¡¯re older, you¡¯ll know how to pursue these things. Your grandfather valued this before he died.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman could not help but cough a few more times as she spoke. Dongfang Liuyun quickly went forward to support her and help her breathe easy. Seeing that she looked very pale, she thought of what her aunt, Dongfang Xue saidst night and could not help but feel worried¡ª

    ¡°We understand all of this. Grandmother, you don¡¯t have to worry about this. How is your health? You seem to be quite weak recently. After Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding, let the doctor give you a proper check-up.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman coughed for a long time before she finally calmed down. She waved her hand. ¡°The checkups all just say the same thing. I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ve just been a little tired recently. Plus, I¡¯ve caught a cold, it¡¯s getting slightly severe now, I am old after all.¡±

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of the children. I¡¯ll send an invitation to the inw soon. I¡¯ll invite him to meet up and discuss the children¡¯s wedding. Qi Lei¡¯s betrothal gifts have been given long ago. This matter has dragged on for too long. It¡¯s also because of Ah Gan¡¯s unpredictable nature of work, Qi Lei was considerate of us, so...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you think like that. Anyway, you have to be careful, now it¡¯s not like before. With Ah Gan not around, you have to let him finish his work over there in peace.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman took a deep breath and nced at her.

    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s tone was still quite humble.

    ¡°Missus! Elder Madam Dongfang, Lawyer Song!¡±

    The few of them had just walked out of the door when Wang Chun and a few bodyguards in ck who had been waiting in front of the door for a while came up to wee them¡ª

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little surprised.

    ¡°Master specially asked me toe and pick all of you up.¡±

    It was naturally Qi Lei who had specially instructed them. How could Qi Lei be at ease letting Dongfang Liuyun attend the banquet alone.

    ¡°Qi Lei?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman paused in surprise and turned her gaze to look at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Yes, Elder Madam. Master is worried about Missus, so he specially instructed us. Please get in the car!¡±

    Wang Chun took a step forward.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to make a trip!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was straightforward. She sat in the car and Song Siting followed.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was about to walk to the car when Wang Chun suddenly called out to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked with some doubt.

    ¡°Master has already asked us to bring the gift over. Missus, do you want to take a look?¡± Wang Chun asked for instructions.

    Dongfang Liuyun waved her hand. Qi Lei was much more experienced in this aspect than she was. She did not have to worry about the things he prepared.

    ¡°No need, you guys just watch over it. Did he call you just now? I just called him and he did not pick up.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned. She was unhappy that Qi lei did not pick up the phone in time.

    ¡°He¡¯s probably busy. Master has already told us. Missus, please get in the car. It¡¯s getting dark!¡±

    As soon as Wang Chun finished speaking, Dongfang Liuyun took a look at the sky. Only then did she realize that the sky had already started to fall silent. The streetlights on both sides had already lit up. It should be starting soon over at the hotel!

    ¡°Okay, get in!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun then got in the car.

    However, she still felt a little uneasy. This was the first time Qi Lei did not answer her call in time. In fact, it had been a few hours already. Usually, he would reply very quickly.

    ...

    Inside Glory World Corporation¡¯s chairman¡¯s office.

    ¡°Master, Little Master is asleep. Why don¡¯t we carry him back to the lounge to sleep first?¡±

    Li Si could not help but suggest when he saw Mu Yuchen carrying the sleeping Mu Xiaocheng with one hand and flipping through the documents with the other hand.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen stopped what he was doing and looked down at his son who was already sleeping soundly in his arms. His handsome face quickly softened. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your Missus will be hereter. It¡¯s already sote. You should go back first.¡±

    Xi Xiaye had gone over to attend Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng¡¯s wedding. She had sent Mu Yuchen an invitation letter. Because of Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun, the fewpanies had an indirect partnership, so Mu Yuchen had no intentions of going over, Xi Xiaye could do it on his behalf. Of course, Mu Yuchen would have to watch their son then.

    ¡°I¡¯d better wait for Missus toe back first. Oh, right, Master, I¡¯ve already gotten them to prepare some supper. They¡¯ll send it over directly in a while to prevent the Little Master from getting hungry when he wakes up. He didn¡¯t eat much just now.¡±

    Li Si was very concerned.

    ¡°Alright, go ahead and do your thing. He slept quite well. The little guy has a light sleep too. He¡¯ll wake up with just a little movement,¡± Mu Yuchen said helplessly as he took his coat and put it on Mu Xiaocheng.

 Chapter 2010 - Wedding (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2010: Wedding (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Li Si looked at the father and son quietly before he left with a smile.

    The Master was bing more and more humane. Not only was he a good husband, he was also a good father. Especially with Mu Zirui and Mu Xiaocheng around, Mu Yuchen seemed to be more mature, and he was even a little friendly and peaceful.

    Although this Mu Yuchen did not seem as perfect in an unattainable way as before, he was actually even more perfect now.

    After Li Si left, Mu Yuchen continued being busy with his work.

    Mu Xiaocheng flipped over in his arms and fell asleep again.

    After some time, when Mu Yuchen finished reading the documents on hand, Li Si returned with supper.

    ¡°Master, Little Master is sleeping so soundly.¡±

    Li Si chuckled when he saw Mu Yuchen carefully put his son on the sofa and carefully cover him with a nket.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t sleep during the day. Your Missus has been busy all day, and he¡¯s been ying over there all day.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were filled with a hint of love.

    ¡°Sometimes, the Little Master is quite like you, Master. He seems to be very sensible. When the adults are busy, he would also not disturb you and just y by himself.¡±

    Li Si smiled and said as well.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°He¡¯s more or less inherited his parents¡¯ genes. Some parts of him are like Xiaye¡¯s personality. Now, it looks like he¡¯s more like me.¡±

    ¡°The Little Master willpletelybine the strengths of you and Missus. He¡¯s a super heir.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as he doesn¡¯t let us worry about him. We don¡¯t expect him to be a super heir. and Xiao Rui, his results are pretty good, but he¡¯s a little unruly. Ordinary people can¡¯t control him.¡±

    ¡°Is Young Master Xiao Rui unruly?¡± Li Si chuckled and ced the supper in his hand on the table as he continued, ¡°But Young Master Xiao Rui and Little Master are quite close, they will definitely be good brothers in the future.¡±

    ¡°Even if they aren¡¯t close, they only have each other, they will need to appreciate each other.¡±

    As he said this, Mu Yuchen suddenly thought of something. The light in his eyes suddenly dimmed as he looked at Mu Xiaocheng and did not move for a long time.

    Li Si was stunned too. Looking at Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression, he already knew that he was probably thinking about Mu Lingtian again, right?

    Li Si did not say anything. After a while, he wanted to say something, but Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone suddenly started ringing.

    Mu Yuchen came back to his senses and reached out to pick it up. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Master!¡±

    It was Ah Quan¡¯s voice.

    Ah Quan was transferred back to Mu Yuchen¡¯s side after Mu Lingshi¡¯s end had settled down. After Ah Mo followed Mu Lingshi to City B, Mu Yuchen did not have anyone strong by his side. Of course, Ah Mo was worried, so he transferred Ah Quan back.

    ¡°Master, I just received news from Myanmar. I¡¯m afraid something happened to Master Qi.¡±

    When Ah Quan said this, Mu Yuchen¡¯s pupils constricted. He immediately stopped what he was doing. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Master Qi lost contact at noon. He went to the border delta with a few of his bodyguards. In the afternoon, there was news of a riot there, but we haven¡¯t been in contact since then. There¡¯s even a news lockdown there. It seems like a lot of people died. I¡¯m afraid something happened.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    Before Ah Quan could finish, Mu Yuchen frowned and stood up immediately. Hisrge hand held the handrail beside him tightly.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know the situation there yet. From what I can see, the situation isn¡¯t too optimistic. Master Mo should know about it too. I just confirmed with Master Mo¡¯s people. Master Qi¡¯s people just came back from the government. It¡¯s most likely because of this...¡±

    Ah Quan¡¯s tone was naturally heavy.

    ¡°Think of a way to know the most detailed situation over there. Also, make arrangements right away. Go over personally and try to block the news as much as possible.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was silent for a moment before giving the order.

    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll make the arrangements right away.¡±

    After hanging up, Mu Yuchen immediately called Zhou Zimo. At this moment, Zhou Zimo was busy in his study room. His expression was unusually heavy. When he saw that it was Mu Yuchen calling, he quickly picked up.

    ¡°Chen! I just called you and the line was busy. I was worried sick! Qi Lei might have met with an ident in Myanmar. Where are you now? Why don¡¯t youe over to my ce? We can meet and talk.¡±

    Before Mu Yuchen could say anything, Zhou Zimo¡¯s anxious voice had already reached him.

    ¡°Ah Quan just called to tell me about this. I¡¯m still at the office. Come over. Xiaocheng is asleep. Xiaye¡¯s going to attend the wedding banquet, so it¡¯s inconvenient for me to go over.¡±

    ¡°Sure. See you in half an hour.¡±

    Zhou Zimo quickly hung up after saying that. He picked up his jacket and strode out of the door.

    Qin Su had just finished showering. When she saw Zhou Zimo rushing out, she frowned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so pale? It¡¯s sote. Where are you going?¡±

    Zhou Zimo immediately stopped and looked up at her. Seeing the worry between her brows, he reached out and hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I have to rush over to Chen¡¯s ce and will be back soon. Don¡¯t worry, you can sleep first. I¡¯m leaving!¡±

    As he said that, he quickly let go of Qin Su. Without waiting for Qin Su to respond, he hurriedly left the room and went downstairs.

    Qin Su was surprised. Before she could recover, the sound of a car starting could be heard from downstairs.

    Meanwhile, in Mu Yuchen¡¯s office.

    Li Si could roughly guess that something had happened from Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression just now. He quickly asked, ¡°Master, did something happen?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put the phone in his hand on the table beside him and held his forehead in exhaustion.

    ¡°There¡¯s a situation in Myanmar. Qi Lei can¡¯t be contacted. His whereabouts are unknown.¡±

    ¡°How could this be?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, Li Si¡¯s expression immediately darkened.

    ¡°The situation over there is unstable to begin with. I heard Qi Lei say that Dongfang Gan couldn¡¯t be reached. It¡¯s most likely because of this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally knew of Qi Lei¡¯s situation.

    ¡°But Master Qi didn¡¯t need to go personally, right? Besides, President Gan¡¯s side should...¡±

    Li Si was puzzled.

    However, before Li Si could finish, Mu Yuchen had already interrupted him

    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know Qi Lei¡¯s situation over there. The Qi family might have some influence over Myanmar, but it¡¯s someone else¡¯s territory after all. Moreover, with such a situation.¡±

    ¡°Then...¡±

    ¡°We need him to handle it personally. You should remember the Wang family in the past, right?¡±

    ¡°The Wang Family? Wang Qin¡¯s people?¡±

    Li Si suddenly understood and was stunned!

    ¡°I remember now. The Wang family has an adopted son who is also Qi Lei¡¯s uncle!¡±

 Chapter 2011 - Anxious (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2011: Anxious (1)</h4>

    Mu Yuchen nodded calmly.

    ¡°It¡¯s him. Previously, we did bring up the Wang family with Qi Lei. After the Wang family moved out of City Z, they went overseas. Their business was in the entire Southeast Asian market. After the Wang couple passed away, this adopted son changed his name to Wang Xun. He¡¯s been managing the Wang family¡¯s business and is not married until now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen only knew a little about Qi Lei¡¯s uncle. He had heard Qi Lei mention it before, but because of Wang Qin¡¯s rtionship with the Wang family, Qi Lei did not really want to talk about it.

    This uncle, Wang Xun, did not usually contact Qi Lei. Mu Yuchen also roughly learned from Qi Lei that this Wang Xun seemed to have been very fond of Wang Qin back then. Back then, when the Wang family was in crisis, Wang Qin had no choice but to marry Qi Qiming. After that...

    Speaking of this, Li Si¡¯s mind lit up. Back then, before he was with Mu Yuchen, he had also been by Mu Yinan¡¯s side for many years, so he knew a little about these things.

    ¡°Yes, it seems like there is such a person. I heard that back then, he was very affectionate towards Wang Qin, but unfortunately, Wang Qin married Qi Qiming. Moreover, it seems like Wang Qin¡¯s lover might not be him, right?¡±

    Li Si was puzzled.

    ¡°These are all in their past, we can forget about it. I think that the reason Qi Lei went over this time was most likely to contact this uncle to look for Dongfang Gan¡¯s whereabouts.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible, and Master Qi definitely doesn¡¯t want Qi Qiming to know about this. After all... but up until now, we still haven¡¯t learned of President Gan¡¯s whereabouts. Could something unexpected have happened as well?¡±

    Mu Yuchen frowned even more when Li Si said that. He did not answer after that.

    ¡°Master, have some supper first. You didn¡¯t eat much.¡±

    Li Si was concerned.

    Mu Yuchen waved his hand and got up to carry Mu Xiaocheng into the lounge. He only came out after a while¡ª

    How could he have any appetite now? He was still waiting for news from Ah Quan and Zhou Zimo.

    Li Si saw that Mu Yuchen had a lot on his mind, so he did not dare to say anything. He could only make him a cup of flower tea while Mu Yuchen took it.

    After half a cup of tea, Zhou Zimo finally rushed over. He looked travel-worn.

    He strode in and took off his coat. His voice had a faint coldness. ¡°It¡¯s freezing outside. The wind from the car almost froze me into a popsicle.¡±

    ¡°Master Mo, have a cup of hot tea first.¡±

    Li Si quickly made him a cup of hot tea as well.

    Zhou Zimo quickly held it in his hand and sat down opposite Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°My people only found out that Qi Lei seemed to have found some news about Dongfang Gan over the past few days, so he went to the delta personally. However, you know the situation there too. I think something must have happened to Dongfang Gan. Otherwise, Qi Lei would not have gone there personally. There¡¯s no news of either of them now. From what I see, they must have met with some trouble this time. They might have even been injured by the rioters or been taken hostage. The drug lords there are also quite rampant. It¡¯s hard to say if there won¡¯t be any idents.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Ah Quan to rush over to see what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, if it really can¡¯t be done, I¡¯ll arrange for things to be done in the next two days and go take a look personally.¡±

    Zhou Zimo was naturally quite worried. Qi Lei had been ying well with them for the past few years, and the few of thempletely treated him as their own brother. Now that there was such a sudden news, they naturally could not sit still.

    ¡°Your wedding ising up, so don¡¯t worry about it. Look at the news from Ah Quan. I¡¯ll arrange things properly. Get your people to send me a copy of the information they¡¯ve gathered. We¡¯ll consolidate the information and then see what¡¯s next.¡±

    Mu Yuchen calmed down. Then, he turned to look at Li Si. ¡°Li Si, give Wang Chun a call and tell him toe to my office tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the call right away!¡±

    Li Si then left quietly.

    Then...

    Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were not the only ones who knew about this. Wang Chun also found out about the situation almost immediately.

    Meanwhile, at the Imperial Hotel, Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng¡¯s wedding banquet.

    ¡°Missus, are you alright?¡±

    Wang Chun helped the pale Dongfang Liuyun to sit down in the rest area.

    Dongfang Liuyun had been feeling uneasy the entire day. Just now, her heart suddenly tightened and she could not breathe. If Wang Chun had not held her up in time, she might have fallen right down.

    Dongfang Liuyun slowly sat down and calmed down for a long time. Then, she took the water that Wang Chun had poured over and drank a few mouthfuls.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied and held the handrail by the side with one hand. ¡°It¡¯s probably because I¡¯ve been too tired these two days. Let¡¯s go back earlierter.¡±

    Wang Chun nodded, but his eyes looked solemn¡ª

    He had received the news from Myanmar just now, and the situation was not looking good.

    ¡°Has your Master still not been contacted? It¡¯s already been an entire day, how can there be no news at all?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s intuition had always been very urate, and now she felt unusually uneasy. She raised her gaze and kept staring at Wang Chun. ¡°Where exactly did he go?¡±

    ¡°Missus, Master went for business matters... There¡¯s something that happened in the overseas branch that he needs to be handled personally.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about hiding it. I should have known long ago. These past few days, he¡¯s been troubled and he¡¯s been talking to me about my father, but after losing contact with my father a few days ago, he rarely talked about it. I should have known then! Did he go to Myanmar? Tell me!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s insight was astonishing. It was her fault for being too busy and tired. She did not have the heart to think too much. Now that she thought about it carefully, it was probably the only thing that made Qi Lei rush over so anxiously.

    Wang Chun did not expect Dongfang Liuyun to ask this directly. He did not know how to answer.

    Before Qi Lei left, he had warned not to let Dongfang Liuyun know about this.

    But now...

    However, Wang Chun did not need to answer this question anymore because Dongfang Liuyun had already gotten the answer from his silence.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go back right away, tell me everything you know!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun made a prompt decision. Her calm tone was filled with determination that could not be rejected.

    ¡°Missus, this...,¡± Wang Chun said hesitantly.

    ¡°Vice President Wang Chun, there¡¯s no news of my father and my husband has lost contact too. Do you think that I should be kept in the dark and not have the right to know?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°But Master had warned me before he left...¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei is an idiot! The dumbest in the world! He even has the habit of thinking highly of himself. Does he think that he¡¯s an invincible knight?¡±

    Before Wang Chun could finish his sentence, Dongfang Liuyun could no longer maintain her calm and started cursing!

 Chapter 2012 - Anxious (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2012: Anxious (2)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction naturally shocked Wang Chun!

    In his impression, Dongfang Liuyun had always been such an indifferent person. This kind of attitude was something he had never seen before.

    ¡°Missus...¡±

    Wang Chun looked at Dongfang Liuyun and muttered softly, ¡°I...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and only calmed down after a long while. She quickly calmed herself down and said, ¡°I will have a way to find out what I want to know. If you don¡¯t want to tell me, I won¡¯t force you. At most, I can just investigate myself.¡±

    ¡°No, Missus, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    Wang Chun looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s upset expression and quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±

    ¡°How about this? I think it¡¯s about time. I¡¯ll tell Grandmother that we¡¯re going back now. I¡¯m really worried. You can arrange for someone to send Grandmother and my mother backter.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand and rubbed the space between her brows. She felt a little dizzy and a huge rock was pressing down on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go make the arrangements now.¡±

    Wang Chun could only respond in this way.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and propped up her exhausted body as she slowly stood up. ¡°Go, I¡¯ll go find Grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Missus!¡±

    Before Wang Chun¡¯s voice could fade away, Dongfang Liuyun had already walked into the crowd.

    ...

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun walked into the crowd, a familiar voice was heard. Without even looking, Dongfang Liuyun could already guess the owner of the voice.

    She subconsciously turned his head and saw Lan Xiu standing behind her, holding a ss of wine in his hand.

    ¡°Lan Xiu.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun squeezed out a smile. ¡°You¡¯re here too.¡±

    ¡°I came to take a look. I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while. What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so pale?¡± Lan Xiu asked with concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m probably a little tired from the past few days.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Lei? Why isn¡¯t he here? How could you be this tired?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes were filled with concern.

    ¡°He¡¯s not back yet. He¡¯s a little busy. Don¡¯t drink too much. Go back and rest early, you look tired too. I still have some things to do. I¡¯ll go over first. Let¡¯s talkter.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was burning with anxiety, so she was naturally not in the mood to chat. She had to find out about Qi Lei¡¯s situation from Wang Chun as soon as possible, because the unease in her heart was growing stronger.

    ¡°Liuyun... did something happen?¡±

    It was rare for her to be so anxious. Lan Xiu and Dongfang Liuyun had been good friends for many years, so he could obviously see that something was wrong with Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just a little tired. I want to go back first. I¡¯ll contact youter.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun left this sentence and did not say anything else. She continued to walk forward.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Lan Xiu subconsciously called out, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure was quickly drowned in the crowd ahead.

    Lan Xiu immediately frowned. There are not many things that could make Dongfang Liuyun this anxious, there was basically nothing else. Could it be because of Dongfang Gan?

    Lan Xiu guessed to himself¡ª

    At the moment, Qi Lei did note over either, while Dongfang Liuyun was in this state.

    If it was not something on Dongfang Gan¡¯s end, it was probably something on Qi Lei¡¯s end then?

    After some thought, he was still a little worried, so he followed after her.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun went straight to the main seat in the middle. Dongfang Shuman sat on the main seat in front. Beside him was Ah Cai. Dongfang Ren, Dongfang Xue, and the others were all busy entertaining the guests.

    The marriage between the Dongfang family and the Jin family was an eye-catching event. The wedding banquet was very grand, and the entire Imperial Hotel was booked. There were many guests who came to congratte them, and there were more than a hundred tables set up for the banquet, most of the guests were people from the business world, so Dongfang Ren and the others naturally could not stay idle.

    At this moment, Dongfang Shuman had just finished talking to an old friend.

    ¡°Grandmother.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun went over, Dongfang Shuman was drinking a cup of tea.

    ¡°Liuyun? Come and sit!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s tone was very calm, but when her old eyes looked at Dongfang Liuyun, there was a faint sense of pleasantness.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not sit down, but directly said, ¡°No, Grandmother, I have something urgent so I¡¯ll be going back first. I¡¯ve already asked Wang Chun to arrange everything,ter someone will send you and my mother home.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman had always known that Dongfang Liuyun was a person who knew the big picture. At this time, she should not be in such a hurry to leave. Moreover, she still had some very important guests that she had not introduced to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you look so pale? Are you not feeling well?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman stared at Dongfang Liuyun and soon noticed that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression was out of the ordinary.

    ¡°Have a ss of water, Miss Liuyun!¡±

    Ah Cai quickly poured a ss of water for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand slightly to stop her, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just a little tired. There¡¯s an urgent matter at Tai Yu Corporation that needs to be taken care of immediately. Qi Lei isn¡¯t around, so I¡¯m worried that the client is getting anxious. Now that the wedding banquet is almost over, there should be nothing else for us to do from now on, so I¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    The anxiety in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes could not be concealed. Usually, no matter how anxious she was at work, she was never this worried.

    Dongfang Shuman also vaguely felt that something was wrong. Although she did not want her to leave just like that, seeing her like this, she was also a little worried.

    ¡°Alright then. You can go back first. Seeing that you don¡¯t look well, go back and rest early. As for your mother¡¯s side, I¡¯ll get Ah Cai to go over and tell herter,¡± Dongfang Shuman said.

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Grandmother!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not care about anything else. At this moment, she was extremely anxious. She quickly turned around and left as well.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, why are you in such a hurry?¡±

    Unexpectedly, just as she turned around and walked a few steps, she met Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er who had just finished toasting the table beside her.

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously stopped her footsteps and slowed down. She raised her gaze and looked at the two people in front of her¡ª

    A perfect match.

    At this moment, Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er were also staring at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze flickered for a moment. Then, she took a cup of wine from the waiter beside her and toasted to the two people in front of her, ¡°It¡¯s been a night. I finally have the chance to meet the bride and groom. May you live a long and happy life together, for eternity.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled. ¡°Fourth Sister, you¡¯re too polite. I wish you and Fourth Brother-inw happiness too. But, why don¡¯t I see Brother-inw? Didn¡¯t hee?¡±

    As she said this, she subconsciously looked around. Indeed, she did not see Qi Lei, ¡°Brother-inw really is too much. He didn¡¯t even apany Fourth Sister back for this asion. Could it be that he thinks my wedding is too shabby for someone like him? Or is Brother-inw too busy, so busy that he doesn¡¯t even have the time to apany Fourth Sister back?¡±

 Chapter 2013 - Anxious (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2013: Anxious (3)</h4>

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s heart was already very repressed today. This wedding was not what she had expected. Most of the anger in her heart came from Dongfang Liuyun. Hence, now that she had caught Dongfang Liuyun, she would naturally not let her off so easily.

    A few words of sarcasm and ridicule could be considered as letting her vent the anger and dissatisfaction in her heart.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised by Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s harsh words. Of course, Jin Sheng, who was beside her, had a dark glint in his eyes as he subconsciously nced at Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    That look in his eyes seemed to indicate that he was not satisfied!

    It was no wonder. Such harsh words did not seem like Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s usual style. It looked like she had been provoked.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction was very calm. Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun was not backing down, she did not have the mood to deal with her. She only thought about Qi Lei¡¯s matter.

    ¡°He couldn¡¯te because of something urgent. He asked me to bring a generous gift to congratte you two on his behalf. I think Fifth Sister is not such a petty person. Most of the time you¡¯re quite understanding, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun pushed the cart before answering with a smile, ¡°Take this cup of wine as me wishing you both happiness on his behalf.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, she smiled indifferently and downed the ss of wine in a carefree manner.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, one cup is definitely not enough. With President Qi¡¯s tolerance, he should at least have threerge sses, right? Come on, fill Miss Liuyun¡¯s ss!¡±

    Jin Sheng, who was speaking, was looking at Dongfang Liuyun with a meaningful gaze. Dongfang Liuyun could easily see a trace of hatred in his eyes?

    That¡¯s right, it was hatred!

    Still angry about what had happened earlier?

    Dongfang Liuyun felt that she was very innocent. In fact, she and Jin Sheng did not have much interactions.

    Looking at the full ss of wine that Jin Sheng handed to her, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened

    Although her alcohol tolerance was not bad, after drinking a whole round with Dongfang Shuman, she was already a little dizzy. If she continued to drink like this, she would definitely not be able to hold on.

    ¡°What? Miss Liuyun is not willing to give me face? Or do you think that I, Jin Sheng, am not qualified enough to drink the amount that you have on behalf of President Qi?¡±

    Jin Sheng looked at Dongfang Liuyun with a cold smile.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze became colder and colder.

    ¡°Why do you have to make things difficult, I¡¯ll drink on her behalf.¡±

    Just as the few of them were silent, a clear voice suddenly sounded. Before everyone could react, a hand had already caught the full ss of wine in front of Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. She followed the hand and looked up. Only then did she realize that it was actually Xi Xiaye who hade to rescue her!

    ¡°Xiaye, how is it you?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked in surprise.

    Xi Xiaye looked at her and smiled. ¡°Mu Yuchen told me toe over to take a look when I knew you were here. I thought it would be a good idea to chat with you. Are you alright? You don¡¯t look too well. Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had been consciously looking for Dongfang Liuyun earlier, so when she saw that Dongfang Liuyun was in a difficult position, she naturally quickly came over to help.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I just drank a little too much just now. It¡¯s a little...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Xi Xiaye gratefully.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Since you¡¯re not feeling well, then go back and rest early. Your health is more important. I think Master Jin and Miss Rou¡¯er won¡¯t me you, right?¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, her clear eyes quickly swept over Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er as she smiled and raised the ss in her hand in front of them. ¡°I¡¯ll drink this ss of wine on behalf of Liuyun. I wish the two of you a long and happy married life!¡±

    Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er knew about Xi Xiaye. She was the President of Fuhua Real Estate, Mu Yuchen¡¯s woman, and Glory World Corporation¡¯s noblest Missus!

    This woman was very popr in the business world. She was one of the most legendary women in City Z in the past two years. Her poprity was definitely on par with Dongfang Liuyun. Moreover, Dongfang Liuyun was not considered to be the person in charge of the Dongfang Corporation yet, Xi Xiaye was the actual President of Fuhua Real Estate!

    Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er naturally did not dare to make a peep. who did not know about Glory World Corporation¡¯s Mu Yuchen¡¯s status in the entire City Z?

    They really did not expect Dongfang Liuyun to be so capable and even link up with Xi Xiaye like that.

    However, when they thought about it, it was actually not impossible because of Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship!

    Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen were very good friends with Xi Xiaye. She heard that Qi Lei was also very good with Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and the others. There was also the Qi family behind them. Dongfang Liuyun had married over, so they naturally...

    When she thought about this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt even more indignant!

    She really did not know why Dongfang Liuyun was so lucky to always be able to befriend such important people. Previously, it was Fujiwara, Lan Xiu, and now it was Qi Lei, Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and the others!

    ¡°So, it¡¯s President Xi. It¡¯s really a pleasure to meet you. You¡¯re too kind, President Xi!¡±

    Jin Sheng quickly reacted and smiled apologetically.

    ¡°I was too busy before. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve definitely found an opportunity to make friends with Miss Liuyun¡¯s family. Chairman Mu and I have always admired Miss Liuyun. This time, Qi Lei had some urgent matters to discuss with Chairman Mu about some business matters. Chairman Mu was worried that Miss Liuyun would be bored by herself, so he specially asked me toe over to take a look. I think Master Jin and Miss Rou¡¯er would definitely understand, right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a smart person as well. She could tell that the two of them were trying to make things difficult for Dongfang Liuyun. She already knew that Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s rtionship with Dongfang Liuyun was a littleplicated, so...

    ¡°How can that be? I¡¯m naturally very happy that President Xi coulde. Thank you foring.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er obviously did not dare to make things difficult for Xi Xiaye. She calmed down a little and subconsciously nced at Dongfang Liuyun. However, Dongfang Liuyun just looked back at her with an indifferent expression. Her gaze was like looking at a clown.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Miss Liuyun and I are very good friends to begin with. Since you¡¯re her family, you¡¯re naturally my friend too. Does she still need to finish these three sses of wine?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled very politely.

    ¡°President Xi, you¡¯re too kind. I didn¡¯t know that Fourth Sister was feeling unwell. I¡¯m really sorry for making a fool of myself.¡±

    ¡°No, you guys are quite busy today. We¡¯ll drink just enough, okay?¡±

    ¡°President Xi is right.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er could only grit her teeth and feel the hate in her heart. However, she could not say anything more, but she felt even more determined!

    She definitely could not lose to Dongfang Liuyun!

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. When she saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er and Jin Sheng leave with gloomy expressions, her bleak eyes softened a little.

    ¡°Thank you, Xiaye.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, you¡¯re too polite,¡± Xi Xiaye smiled and said.

 Chapter 2014 - Anxious (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2014: Anxious (4)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe over.¡±

    ¡°A certain someone asked me to take care of you. Mu Yuchen happened to be free tonight to take care of his children, so I came over to take a look. You don¡¯t look too well either. Are you feeling unwell? You seem to have drunk quite a lot tonight.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I drank a few too many sses, so I feel a little weak from drinking. I¡¯m quite surprised that you came over.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun really liked Xi Xiaye. In her impression, Xi Xiaye had always been such a modest and friendly person. When she remembered that Qi Lei had mentioned Xi Xiaye¡¯s good qualities to her before, her starry eyes were filled with gratitude

    ¡°Thank you for your concern. Also, Qi Lei told me that you and your wife treats him well.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye suddenly smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too polite. Sometimes, I really feel that you¡¯re a little...¡±

    ¡°A little unreasonable and distant?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Dongfang Liuyun had already finished his sentence.

    Xi Xiaye just smiled and did not say anything.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I¡¯ve just been alone all these years. I¡¯m not really used to others being too nice to me because...¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re afraid that you¡¯ll be dependent. Once others are no longer willing to bear it, you¡¯ll be even more vulnerable.¡±

    Xi Xiaye finished what Dongfang Liuyun did not continue to say because no one felt it more deeply than her. Was she not the same before?

    ¡°Do you feel this way too?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not expect Xi Xiaye to say that. Instead, she was a little gratified by her resonance.

    Xi Xiaye nodded gently as her beautiful eyes lit up. She smiled and said, ¡°I was like you before too. I just have this feeling. Sometimes, I feel very helpless, but I also know that I need to work hard.¡±

    ¡°Of course, no matter how helpless or troubled you are, you still need to solve it because you can only move forward and not back down. I was also afraid that I¡¯ll be weak if I asked for help from others. Even though I¡¯m still vulnerable, I still need to have a strong heart.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was calm. Looking at her now, Xi Xiaye really felt that she was quite far away from them.

    ¡°But you can still rely on Qi Lei now, right? He loves you very much, do you know that?¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it and said softly.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned when she heard that. She turned around and walked to the balcony. Xi Xiaye thought about it and followed her.

    ¡°Did he tell you that he loves me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked softly, yet she did not seem to care too much about the answer. Without waiting for Xi Xiaye¡¯s answer, she continued, ¡°I owe him too much... actually, it¡¯s exhausting for him to be with me. He¡¯s really good to me.¡±

    ¡°I know. You must¡¯ve heard about what happened between Mu Yuchen and me, right?¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled softly, ¡°Actually, back then, he and I treated each other very well. He was also very good to me, making me feel like I owe him too much. I¡¯ve always thought that only those who give love can truly be loved. He¡¯s just been silently giving. Later on, just like that, I slowly developed a sense of trust and dependence. Later on, I epted everything that he gave me. It felt very natural.¡±

    ¡°Because I know that I¡¯m going to live with him for the rest of my life. He¡¯s my husband and the person who will be by my side for the rest of my life. Why should I worry too much? I just have to focus on love him. Why should I think too much? No matter how big the storm is, he¡¯ll be there to protect me, I just have to follow after him. What do you think?¡±

    Xi Xiaye had settled down a lot in the past two years, and she had be more mature.

    ¡°I really hope that I can have a mature and ideal life or rtionship like you,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied softly, a rare gentle smile appearing on her indifferent face, ¡°I just can¡¯t stand to see someone I care about have such an exhausting life because of me. Even if I try my best to change some things, it¡¯s useless. You have to hate yourself for being powerless.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to live like a female chauvinist? Qi Lei clearly has the ability to protect you.¡± Xi Xiaye teased.

    Dongfang Liuyun just smiled and shook her head, ¡°No, he has the ability to protect me, but I hope that I could protect him even more. All these years, I¡¯ve been very passive. I hope that I don¡¯t have to be so passive anymore in the future. Since I returned to Dongfang Group, I became affected psychologically. If it wasn¡¯t for his constant guidance, I¡¯m worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand that kind of pressure.¡±

    ¡°In my heart, Qi Lei isn¡¯t just my Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s husband. He¡¯s also my teacher and friend. Sometimes, others find him very unbearable, like a yboy, but he¡¯s someone who can bring me positive energy. Between us, it¡¯s more like we findfort in each other.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, her eyes were a little absent-minded, but there was a faint warm light in the depths of her eyes. Xi Xiaye did not even need to doubt it as she already understood

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun definitely had feelings for Qi Lei.

    ¡°Mmm, Qi Lei is a very good person.¡±

    Xi Xiaye agreed very much. ¡°Just now... Why did you...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun understood what Xi Xiaye meant and immediately smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t be the center of attention at this time.¡±

    Xi Xiaye paused for a moment. She understood Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words as well, then she smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think it through.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I really have to thank you for what happened today. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have dismissed it so easily. Alright, I want to go back first. There¡¯s still no news from Qi Lei today. I can¡¯t get through to him. I¡¯m a little worried.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not hide anything from Xi Xiaye, so he said the same thing.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye immediately frowned. ¡°Qi Lei? There¡¯s no news. Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little uneasy right now, so I¡¯ll go back first to check on the situation.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then you go back first. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s probably just a dead phone.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could naturally see the worry in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes. No wonder she looked so pale just now.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Dongfang Liuyun acknowledged and then left.

    Just as they walked out of Imperial Hotel, Wang Chun was already waiting at the door. Dongfang Liuyun quickly walked to the side of the car. Just as she was about to get into the car, a strong headlight suddenly shed behind her and the horn sounded.

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously turned around and realized that a ck luxury car was slowly driving over behind him.

    The car slowly came to a stop. Dongfang Liuyun frowned and narrowed his eyes. She saw the door to the backseat open and a tall figure got out of the car¡ª

 Chapter 2015 - Anxious (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2015: Anxious (5)</h4>

    Fujiwara!

    Dongfang Liuyun saw who it was almost immediately.

    How could it be him?

    He came over just like that?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze darkened, but there was not much emotion on her face. She quickly withdrew her gaze and sat in the car.

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had just sat down in the car when Fujiwara¡¯s low and hoarse voice came from behind him. There was even a faint cough in his voice.

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, he had alreadye to the side of the car.

    ¡°You¡¯re going back already?¡±

    Fujiwara raised his hand and gently knocked on the car window. Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment before lowering the car window in the end. There was no emotion on her beautiful and otherworldly face as she nodded lightly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Fujiwara could tell from the light in front of the door that Dongfang Liuyun did not look too good.

    ¡°I drank too much. I¡¯ll go back first. Lan Xiu is inside. Let¡¯s talk another day.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. The car window slowly rose.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    The car drove off as soon as she finished speaking.

    Fujiwara did not chase after them. He just looked at the car that was gradually moving away in a daze.

    ¡°Master...¡±

    After a long while, Matsuda¡¯s voice came from behind.

    Fujiwara then retracted his gaze and turned his gaze to the hotel lobby¡ª

    Jin Sheng and Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s wedding posters were everywhere. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Go and check if something happened to Liuyun just now. Send the gifts up. I¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡±

    After saying that, Fujiwara turned around and returned to the car. ¡°I¡¯ll sit at the corner in front.¡±

    Without waiting for Matsuda to reply, he closed the car door.

    ...

    ¡°Manager Yun, are you alright?¡±

    Secretary Ding, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, looked at Dongfang Liuyun worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Send me home and you can go back. You still have work tomorrow.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and tried her best to suppress the uneasiness in her heart. She replied very calmly. She rubbed the space between her brows with a headache. After thinking for a while, she finally could not help but take out her phone and dial a number.

    The person on the other end picked up very quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. How¡¯s the task I asked you to doing along?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was very low.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send the information I¡¯ve collected to your email in a bit. It¡¯s quite simr to what you expected. I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression changed, and her heart tightened for no reason. ¡°I want all the recent reports of my father¡¯s whereabouts. Also, I want the most detailed information on who he¡¯s been in contact with.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand, Miss Liuyun. It¡¯s not peaceful here recently. It¡¯s best for you to stay in City Z. Qi Lei took such a huge risk to rush here at this time. Your father must be in a bad situation.¡±

    ¡°You said Qi Lei is in Myanmar now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice turned cold instantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know about this.¡±

    The person on the other end of the line sounded surprised.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face turned pale instantly¡ª

    Reality proved that her premonition was right after all.

    ¡°I understand. Thank you. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. Once there¡¯s any news, inform me immediately.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Mm, thank you for your hard work,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied before hanging up.

    ...

    When they returned to the Grand Lake Vi area, it was already past 10p.m. Wang Chun had also sorted out the news and sent it to Dongfang Liuyun. Of course, there was also news from Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s own channel.

    At this moment, in the study, the table in front of Dongfang Liuyun was already filled with information. Theptop at the side was also open.

    She was looking through and analyzing all the information on the documents.

    Without a doubt, Qi Lei must have known about Dongfang Gan¡¯s disappearance. He was also very clear about the situation there, which was why he rushed over.

    But...

    Dongfang Liuyun had a headache. Although she knew very well that Qi Lei did this because he did not want her to worry, she did not agree with his consideration at all.

    Now that something had happened over there and there was no news of the two of them, she was extremely anxious and in a daze.

    ¡°Manager Yun, eat something. You didn¡¯t eat much tonight.¡±

    Secretary Ding brought some snacks and milk over. She should have gone back earlier, but seeing that Dongfang Liuyun was not in good shape, she was still worried, so she stayed behind.

    When Secretary Ding¡¯s voice was heard, Dongfang Liuyun stopped thinking. When he looked up, Secretary Ding had already brought the snacks to the table.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not hungry. It¡¯s already sote, you should go back first,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied, but her eyes fell on the information in front of him.

    The information recorded Dongfang Gan¡¯s trip to Myanmar during this period of time.

    ¡°Your health is more important, Manager Yun!¡±

    Secretary Ding did not dare to ask Dongfang Liuyun anything, but only said this silently with concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun waved her hand. She did not even want to say anything. Secretary Ding had no choice but to put down her things and leave.

    After a night, Dongfang Liuyun finally fell asleep with her head on the table. In the middle of the night, she was woken up several times. The first thing she did when he woke up was to call Qi Lei and Dongfang Gan¡¯s cell phone. However, the results were unsurprising, they all indicated that his cell phone could not be connected for the time being.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not manage to hold on to her drowsiness and fell asleep.

    The next morning, Dongfang Liuyun woke up in the cold. When she was in a daze, she could hear the faint sound of water. She could not help but shiver. Only then did she realize that it was raining outside, furthermore, the window of the study was not closed. The floor in front of the window was already a little wet.

    She rubbed her aching head, took her phone, and dialed Qi Lei¡¯s number. The result was the same as before...

    Dongfang Liuyun had no choice but to hang up the phone. Her face was very pale. She rxed for a moment before blinking her dry eyes. She did not dare to reveal too much emotion. She took a deep breath, got up, and washed up before tidying herself up.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    When she went downstairs, Dongfang Liuyun had just reached the staircase when she saw Yang Sheng waiting below.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. He must have gotten the news from Wang Chun, so Yang Sheng was naturally worried. He rushed over early in the morning and even made breakfast.

    ¡°Missus, have breakfast first. About Master Qi...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk while we eat,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said this tiredly as she pointed at the seat across her.

    Yang Sheng also sat down.

 Chapter 2016 - Longing and Sorrow (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2016: Longing and Sorrow (1)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun prepared a bowl of porridge for herself and a bowl for Yang Sheng. She then moved it in front of him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Missus, we...¡±

    Yang Sheng looked at Dongfang Liuyun apologetically. His eyes were filled with worry.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything other than the specific situation over there. This is not the time to pursue the responsibility. The important thing is on finding them.¡±

    Dongfang liuyun had calmed down a lot. After suffering through the entire night, she looked a little haggard.

    ¡°Yes, I know. The people over there have already sent more people. President Qi¡¯s side still doesn¡¯t know about this news, Master Qi is also worried that it will affect his recuperation, and he didn¡¯t want Missus to worry. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t mention it to Missus and personally went over to arrange it. I didn¡¯t expect that such a thing would happen.¡±

    As Yang Sheng spoke, his tone sounded even more helpless, ¡°Master Qi received news of President Gan¡¯s disappearance, but he didn¡¯t dare to alert this side because he understood Missus¡¯s situation very well, so he wanted to resolve this matter as quietly as possible. He also wanted to think of a way to suppress this news as much as possible, in order to...¡±

    ¡°I understand his intentions, but he didn¡¯t think about how things could turn out this way. No matter what the Dongfang Group is like, there are many things that are more important than it. He should have told me right away,¡± Dongfang Liuyun frowned and said.

    She thought for a moment and said helplessly, ¡°This matter should be my fault. I sensed that something was wrong with my father¡¯s side, but when I got busy, I didn¡¯t think too deeply about it.¡±

    ¡°Missus, then...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer. She just ate a mouthful of porridge in a daze. After a long while, she raised her eyes to look at Yang Sheng. ¡°Let¡¯s find him first. We can¡¯t care about that anymore.¡±

    ¡°Our people have already increased the intensity of the search.¡±

    ¡°My father has a few trusted aides. I have already transferred them out. As long as there¡¯s any news, they will inform me immediately.¡±

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun was in bad shape. Even if she could force herself to calm down, the worry in her heart made it impossible for her to pretend that nothing had happened.

    As it turned out, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s premonition was still very urate.

    In the afternoon, Dongfang Liuyun was still trying her best to prop up her tired body as she sat in the office to process the documents on the cooperation case with the city¡¯s east.

    As the South River Project¡¯s progress was getting smoother and smoother, the city east¡¯s n would be a rtively important project in Tai Yu Corporation next year. Dongfang Liuyun had put a lot of effort into it.

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun was focused, her phone suddenly vibrated.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly came back to her senses and picked up the phone¡ª

    ¡°How is it? Any news?¡±

    The phone call was from Myanmar.

    ¡°Something happened, Liuyun.¡±

    The person on the other end said.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart tightened as she quickly asked.

    ¡°The situation is a littleplicated. Let me just tell you what it is. Qi Lei¡¯s people seem to have found your father. He¡¯s in a serious injury and unconscious. Qi Lei¡¯s whereabouts are unknown. Ah Fei found out that your father was with Qi Lei when the ident happened. They escaped from those people. After Ah Fei received the message from Qi Lei¡¯s people, he immediately rushed over. However, when they arrived, they only found your severely injured father on the shore of the pier...¡±

    ¡°Your father has been shot and is still in aa. His life is in danger. There¡¯s still no news from Qi Lei. ording to my estimation, all the signs are not showing positively. You have to be mentally prepared...¡±

    Before the person on the other end could finish his sentence, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face immediately turned pale. Her starry eyes instantly became dull. She did not react for a long time, and the phone in her hand fell to the ground in a swoop.

    Dongfang Liuyun only felt a wave of violent waves surging toward her heart. A dark mass of waves surged toward her, making it difficult for her to breathe instantly. She almost could not breathe, and her entire body suddenly became limp, she subconsciously reached out to hold the table in front of her and stopped herself from falling into the chair behind her...

    How could it be..

    What did this mean?

    Father was seriously injured and unconscious. Qi Lei¡¯s whereabouts were unknown?

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know how much effort it took to suppress the panic in her heart. She quickly grabbed her phone and was about to dial Wang Chun¡¯s number when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun subconsciously looked up. Secretary Ding pushed the door open and walked in

    ¡°Manager Yun, Vice President Wang Chun is here!¡±

    As soon as she finished, Wang Chun¡¯s figure was already reflected in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    Without waiting for Dongfang Liuyun to speak, Wang Chun¡¯s gloomy voice was heard. Secretary Ding also sensed that the atmosphere was not right and immediately retreated.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not miss the solemn expression on Wang Chun¡¯s face. Her heart tightened for no reason. She seemed to be able to feel a faint ache in her heart.

    ¡°Master, he... He might be in trouble...¡±

    Wang Chun lowered his voice and looked at Dongfang Liuyun as he said.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face turned more and more pale as she subconsciously clenched her fists.

    ¡°Exin the matter clearly.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hoarse voice sounded.

    ¡°When Master arrived in Myanmar a few days ago, he had received the news and roughly knew President Gan¡¯s location. Because of the riot, all the intersections were closed and many people were taken hostage by the thugs. President Gan was separated from his bodyguards because of the sudden attack of the thugs at that time... Master spent a lot of effort to find President Gan¡¯s location, so he rushed over to rescue him. Who would have thought that those people...¡±

    ¡°At that time, there was a conflict between the thugs and there was internal strife. Master wanted to wait for an opportunity to save President Gan, but an ident happened. President Gan was seriously injured and Master¡¯s whereabouts were unknown...¡±

    What he said was roughly the same as what was said on the phone just now. Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet of white paper without a trace of blood.

    ¡°How is my father now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent lips moved. It took a while before she said this.

    ¡°President Gan is still in aa due to his serious injuries. He was shot in the abdomen. Fortunately, Ah Fei and the others found someone to send him to the hospital in time. President Gan is still in a critical period. The situation there is unstable and the conditions are not very good...,¡± Wang Chun said in a low voice.

    ¡°I will contact the hospital here immediately. The private ne will be ready immediately. You can confirm the specific address over there. If my father¡¯s condition stabilizes a little, send him back immediately. There will be a doctor on the ne. Also, your Master, you must send more people to not miss any information. Once there is any news, inform me immediately. I want to go right away!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and immediately suppressed the pain in her heart. She tried her best to maintain her calm and quickly gave the order.

 Chapter 2017 - Longing and Sorrow (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2017: Longing and Sorrow (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Wang Chun was stunned!

    ¡°Missus, this...¡±

    ¡°Other than doing this, what else do you think can be done?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was very pale. Wang Chun did not know how she suppressed the pain in her heart and did not let it show on her face. However, he could see that there was a faint light in her eyes.

    ¡°If news of President Gan¡¯s injury spreads, I¡¯m worried...¡±

    Wang Chun was still worried about this.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t let them know. Send him back secretly. You might have to work harder on the matter of Tai Yu Corporation. I have to go to Myanmar personally.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, her entire body could not help but tremble.

    She did not dare to think further. Dongfang Gan was injured, and Qi Lei¡¯s whereabouts were unknown!

    Who knew Dongfang Gan¡¯s current situation? Was Qi Lei also suffering? Dongfang Liuyun had heard of the savagery of those people before. If Qi Lei fell into their hands, with their methods, who knew what they would do to him?

    ¡°No! Missus! You can¡¯t go over! The situation there is tooplicated! The Master specially instructed that you must not go over. He will be back soon. Furthermore, if you leave City Z, it will be the same as telling others that something has happened to Master and President Gan! The situation at the Dongfang Group will be very disadvantageous to you. Also, if you go over, will you be in charge of Tai Yu Corporation? This is all the Master¡¯s hard work, Missus. Now is definitely not the time to be impulsive. We have to think long-term!¡±

    When Wang Chun heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, his expression immediately changed, and the anxiety and worry in his eyes intensified.

    ¡°Otherwise, what else do you think I can do now?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s strained voice was filled with panic that could not be concealed.

    She did not want to admit that the anxiety and fear in her heart...

    ¡°Missus, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Master is blessed by the heavens and will definitely be fine. You have to calm down now,¡± Wang Chun advised.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s head felt dizzy. She raised her hand to the table with some difficulty and supported her head. ¡°I want to go and take a look personally.¡±

    ¡°But you know that it¡¯s useless.¡± Wang Chun answered without hesitation.

    ¡°I know... But what can I do?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun felt pain in her heart again.

    ¡°There are many things you can do...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand slightly to stop Wang Chun before he could finish his words. Her eyes were filled with a faint gloominess, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Father about this for the time being. Let him rest well. Go and make some arrangements. I¡¯ll rush over immediately. Draw up the situation there and the contact person for me. You stay here to oversee thepany. As for Dongfang Group, with Grandmother around, they shouldn¡¯t be able to cause any big waves now.¡±

    How could Dongfang Liuyun be at ease with Dongfang Gan and the missing Qi Lei? Therefore, she was burning with anxiety at this moment. She wished she could grow wings and rush over immediately.

    ¡°Missus...¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and make the arrangements. I have to go and take a look. My Father...¡±

    ¡°Missus, don¡¯t be sad. I think President Gan will be fine. Otherwise, Ah Fei will send us the news too.¡±

    Wang Chun naturally did not want Dongfang Liuyun to take the risk personally.

    ¡°I can only be at ease if I rush over. Grandmother has not been well recently. I can¡¯t let her know that my father is injured. I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t take it. My Mother...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not continue. She looked up at Wang Chun. ¡°I hope that you can understand.¡±

    In fact, ever since Qi Lei left, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart had not been at ease. These few days, she would wake up calling his name in her sleep. She was really afraid that something would happen to him, and Dongfang Gan was also like that...

    Wang Chun could not hold on to Dongfang Liuyun, so he could only ept it.

    Dongfang Liuyun had no other choice. After arranging the matters of thepany, she asked for a leave of absence from thepany. She said that she was not feeling well and asked for a few days of leave.

    ...

    When Dongfang Liuyun rushed to the airport overnight, it was raining heavily.

    Wang Chun personally sent her to the airport. Yang Sheng and two ck-clothed bodyguards were apanying her. Dongfang Liuyun was very vignt, so she separated from them along the way.

    ¡°Missus, the private ne will return tomorrow. If President Gan¡¯s condition stabilizes in the next two days, you muste back with President Gan. Otherwise, Master will be very worried when he knows that you¡¯re going. It¡¯s very unsafe there. You must pay attention to your safety.¡±

    Wang Chun, who was driving in front, could not help but exhort her.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression was a little absent-minded. She kept looking at the car window that was being crazily hit by the rain. The flickering light of different depths shone in, and her eyes were very dim.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    ¡°Missus, actually, Master... Master...¡±

    Wang Chun carefully looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face through the car mirror in front. He wanted to say something, but when he saw that she had already closed her eyes and was leaning against the back of the chair silently, he still did not finish his sentence, and Dongfang Liuyun did not ask.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun rushed over overnight, and when Mu Yuchen found out about this, it was already two dayster in the morning.

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Inside Glory World Corporation¡¯s chairman¡¯s office, Mu Yuchen narrowed his eyes as he looked at Li Si in front of him.

    ¡°The news is absolutely true, Master! Dongfang Gan was injured and was still in the hospital¡¯s intensive care unit. He was still in danger, and Miss Dongfang had rushed over overnight two days ago. There is still no news from Master Qi. However, Miss Dongfang has increased the intensity of her search over the past few days. Hopefully, there will be news soon.¡±

    Li Si sighed softly as he spoke. ¡°This time, Miss Dongfang is in big trouble! If someone from the Dongfang Group were to do something, Miss Dongfang would have no time to care about anything else.¡±

    At to this point, Li Si could not help but feel a little helpless, ¡°Moreover, the longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for her. Moreover, she hasn¡¯t officially taken over the Dongfang Group at all. Oh right, Master, Elder Madam Shu¡¯s health isn¡¯t as optimistic as it appears on the surface. Previously, Master Qi had inquired about it in private. The doctor¡¯s conclusion was that if the Elder Madam were to continue worrying, it would be difficult for her to persist for a year. Even Miss Dongfang might not know about this.¡±

    Li Si¡¯s tone was heavy. When he said this, his eyes were filled with worry and regret.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. He thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°Go and arrange for an appointment with Dongfang Ren in the next two days. Tell him that Glory World is very interested in the n he presented before.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2018 - Longing and Sorrow (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2018: Longing and Sorrow (3)</h4>

    ¡°Master... That coboration case, isn¡¯t it...¡± Li Si probed in a low voice.

    ¡°Stalling for some time will be beneficial to Qi Lei¡¯s side for a while. You should get Ah Quan to go over and help, Qi Lei needs to be found as soon as possible. The situation there is unstable, no one knows what will happen if they stayed for another day. Tell them to protect Dongfang Liuyun.¡±

    If he did not do that, he would not be able to exin to Qi Lei if anything happened. Before Qi Lei left, he had asked him to take good care of Dongfang Liuyun.

    Li Si naturally understood Mu Yuchen¡¯s considerations, so he nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯ll make it clear. Once there¡¯s news, I¡¯ll report to you immediately.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and waved his hand before Li Si left.

    Suddenly, only Mu Yuchen was left in the office.

    Qi Lei¡¯s unruly appearance suddenly appeared in his mind. After interacting with him for the past few years, Mu Yuchen had already treated Qi Lei as a good brother. Back then, when he had promised Xi Xiaye that he would take care of him, it was also because he wanted to make up for the regret in his heart. He hoped that Qi Lei could lead a better life. At least, he would not be like Lingtian.

    He thought about it for a while before taking a deep breath. He slowly turned the back of his chair and looked out the window¡ª

    It was a gloomy, overcast day outside. The clouds were gloomy.

    ¡®Ding¡ª¡¯

    At this moment, his phone suddenly rang. He turned around and picked it up to take a look. It was an unfamiliar number.

    However, the message inside was from Qi Lei.

    It was a video clip of Qi Lei himself. Looking at it, it should have been recorded when he arrived in Myanmar a few days ago.

    ¡®Brother, please do me a favor. If anything happens to me this time, take good care of Liuyun for me. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to wait for her, I don¡¯t want to lose her, I¡¯ll definitely return safely.¡¯

    No wonder Qi Lei had asked him if he had received any messages a few days ago. The signal over there must be unstable.

    Mu Yuchen put away his phone and massaged the space between his brows solemnly. He fell into silence.

    After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly smelled a faint fragrance. He calmed down while a pair of delicate hands had already pressed on his temples.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look like you have a lot on your mind.¡±

    Mu Yuchen closed his eyes in enjoyment when he heard her gentle voice. His long arms urately wrapped around her slender waist. ¡°You¡¯ve really trained your fiery eyes. I don¡¯t see my emotions written all over my face.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye chuckled softly. ¡°I can feel it.¡±

    She tightened her grip and continued, ¡°I saw you workingtest night. I thought it was because of thepany. Now that I look at it, it shouldn¡¯t be either. Is it because of Qi Lei or Lingshi?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Mu Yuchen asked.

    Xi Xiaye frowned and thought about it, ¡°I called Ah Mo this morning. Lingshi just finished her surgery this morning. It¡¯s appendicitis. She¡¯s fine now. Mother will take care of her. Don¡¯t worry. Father had made some arrangements for the next two days. He would also make a trip to City B. The children have been handed over to their parents for the next two days. It¡¯s going to be the final exams soon. They don¡¯t have to go to ss during the revision phase.¡±

    Mu Lingshi¡¯s condition had not been very good recently. She had a sudden stomachache yesterday morning and was sent to the hospital. The doctor had diagnosed it as acute appendicitis, so the doctor suggested immediate surgery. Yesterday afternoon, Zhuang Shurong had rushed over worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s fine. Ah Mo and Mother aren¡¯t in any trouble over there.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had also received news that Mu Lingshi¡¯s surgery had gone very smoothly, so he was a little relieved. Now, it was Qi Lei.

    Dongfang Liuyun going off to Myanmar like this caught him a little caught off guard. The things that he had promised Qi Lei before were probably...

    ¡°Where¡¯s your son?¡± Mu Yuchen grabbed her wrist and asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s with Grandpa. He¡¯s a little busy these two days. Isn¡¯t Zhou Zimo preparing for his wedding these few days? He said that he wants Wei¡¯er and Xiao Rui to be flower girl and boy, so the two old men were chatting together. Just now, they even said that they¡¯re ying golf and drinking tea outside.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he wants his son to learn golf? The little brat can¡¯t even differentiate between chess pieces,¡± Mu Yuchen smiled and said helplessly.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the little guy just chase after the ball when he gets there? Grandfather said that it¡¯ll be good to let him apany him for the next few days, so that he won¡¯t get rusty from doing nothing.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about Shen Yue¡¯s words and could not help but smile again.

    ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve made an appointment for a checkup tomorrow morning. I¡¯ve had so much tonic food that I think it¡¯s more or less the same, but...¡±

    Xi Xiaye stopped moving and sat on hisp, her brows furrowing even deeper.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to check? Aren¡¯t the results the same? No matter how persistent you are, I should just stop thinking about it.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put hisrge hand on her shoulder and lowered his head to kiss her slightly cold lips. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve already had children. If we¡¯re that good, Qi Lei and Zimo won¡¯t be able to keep up with us. We have to wait for them.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed out loud. ¡°Do you guys have to wait on each other for such things too?¡±

    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t let others get away with it. Su Chen once said that fortunately, Zhou Zimo is a man. Otherwise, if he were a different gender, he would have be Su Chen¡¯s wife.¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed even louder. ¡°Does that mean that Mother Su and the others thought the same as you?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I always felt that it was good for everyone to know the truth. I didn¡¯t think so in the past either, but now that I look at it, other than the friends by my side who make me feelfortable, I actually don¡¯t think much of anyone else.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not hide his feelings at all.

    ¡°Do you feel that way too? I feel the same way too. I always feel that my own people are the most excellent and the best,¡± Xi Xiaye agreed.

    ¡°Of course. For example, you don¡¯t like anyone right now. No matter how you look at it, you think I¡¯m the best, right, Missus?¡±

    Master Mu¡¯s narcissism index had never decreased. Instead, it was increasing. Xi Xiaye did not know where his confidence came from.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Let me tell you, Fuhua has been looking for quite a number of young people who have put in a lot of effort. They¡¯re very energetic. I feel veryfortable chatting with them.¡±

    Xi Xiaye squinted at him. As expected, his expression darkened for a moment. Then, she nced at him disapprovingly¡ª

    ¡°You said that you like mature, steady, and elegant men.¡±

    ¡°Did I say that? But now, I prefer cute and energetic men, like...¡±

    ¡°Like who?¡± Mu Yuchen continued to ask.

    ¡°Like Mu Xiaocheng and Xiao Rui.¡±

    When he heard her, Mu Yuchen calmed down a little. His expression was still a little abnormal as he red at her.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart also calmed down¡ª

    She could finally see that his expression looked a little better!

 Chapter 2019 - Longing and Sorrow (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2019: Longing and Sorrow (4)</h4>

    When thest glimmer of the setting sun disappeared into the western horizon, night arrived quietly. In the vast horizon, it was all dark with an unknown confusion. The entire world fell silent.

    In the dim corridor of the hospital, Dongfang Liuyun looked tired. She stood in the corridor and looked through the ss window at Dongfang Gan, who was lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Her beautiful eyebrows were also deeply furrowed.

    ¡°Missus, don¡¯t worry too much. The doctor said that if there are no abnormalities after tonight, President Gan will be able to stabilize his condition. His wound is also very stable and there is no inmmation. Let¡¯s see if he can wake up during the night.¡±

    Yang Sheng also followed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze and looked at Dongfang Gan, who was lying on the hospital bed. His eyes were also filled with worry.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was very pale. The past few days of suffering had made her very tired and exhausted.

    Ever since she came from City Z that day, she had been guarding the hospital. At that time, Dongfang Gan was still undergoing his second surgery. Dongfang Liuyun had been waiting outside the operating theater until the middle of the night before the surgery ended.

    Dongfang Liuyun had seen Qi Lei¡¯s people and understood the situation here. After she had given many instructions, she had been by Dongfang Gan¡¯s side. Up until now, she had not slept so well for a few days and nights, when she was tired, she only took a nap on the sofa and passed away.

    Now, she looked very haggard and listless.

    Dongfang Liuyun was in a daze for a while before he replied dryly, ¡°Yes, the doctor said that he might not wake up until thetter half of the night. Has there been any news from your Master?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and filled with anxiety.

    ¡°There¡¯s no news for the time being. As for the specific situation, we¡¯ll only know when President Gan wakes up. Ah Fei and the others have already gone to look for it. Once there¡¯s news, they¡¯ll inform us immediately.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too slow. There¡¯s still no news. Is there a map over there?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not wait any longer. Right now, only she knew that she was burning with anxiety. Her mind was filled with Qi Lei¡¯s face, and she was worried that he would encounter some danger. As she thought about it, her heart suddenly ached, she felt like she could not even breathe.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s here!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly took out the map of the delta. The markings on it were very clear. He had gotten it from his subordinates.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly took it and turned around to sit on a bench at the side. She opened it and began to examine it.

    She looked very focused. After a moment, she pointed at a spot on the map and said, ¡°My father was found here, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus. President Gan was found next to this dock. ording to my guess, Master and President Gan were together at that time.¡± Yang Sheng also replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the upstream government has set up a checkpoint here. Below here is the swamp area. They can only retreat this way. There are two forked waterways. This way out is the shallow bay area, which is a blind spot. There is no way out. This way leads to the mountains, which leads to the mountains. So, if your Master is still in their hands, they must have gone this way,¡± Dongfang Liuyun analyzed.

    Yang Sheng nodded, ¡°Missus¡¯ analysis is not bad. Ah Fei and the others also feel that it should be this way. It¡¯s deep in the mountains, so it¡¯s easier to hide. Moreover, there might be their stronghold inside. In this way, it won¡¯t be easy for us to find Master Qi.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, even if we send all our people into the mountains to search, it will undoubtedly be like looking for a needle in a haystack.¡±

    ¡°Take a look at all the intersections near the mountains and all the markets nearby. Pay attention to whether there are people buyingrge amounts of anti-inmmatory drugs, and also pay attention to whether there arerge amounts of ingredients or other things. Or whether they have done so before. Check them carefully. Maybe we will find something.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said that, Yang Sheng immediately reacted. His eyes immediately lit up. ¡°That¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t we think of that?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was not someone who was used to waiting or waiting for death. Rather than waiting for news like this, she might as well take the initiative. That way, at least she could have some hope.

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin it to them now!¡±

    As Yang Sheng spoke, he quickly took out his phone from his pocket and quickly dialed a number with his subordinate to exin this matter.

    Dongfang Liuyun stared at the map for a long while before she slowly put it away.

    ¡°Missus, why don¡¯t you take a rest first? I see that you haven¡¯t rested well for a few days. If Master Qi knew that you were like this, he would definitely...¡±

    Yang Sheng reminded her in a low voice. Seeing how Dongfang Liuyun was holding on, his heart ached a little.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised his hands and rubbed his sore and swollen eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can still hold on. Oh right, is it all good in City Z? Father¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°President Qi doesn¡¯t know about this for the time being. Don¡¯t worry, Missus. Vice President Wang Chun is in charge of thepany. As long as this news doesn¡¯t leak out, nothing will happen for the time being. Oh right, Missus, Vice President Wang Chun still wants you to go back as soon as possible. Otherwise, the situation here will be unstable, and there will be many dangers. If you get into trouble and can¡¯t deal with it in time, it won¡¯t be good!¡±

    Yang Sheng was still a little worried about Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Missus, the situation is still the same here. It¡¯s better to stabilize the situation over there first. This way, when Master Qi returns, he won¡¯t have to endure so much,¡± Yang Sheng advised.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened. After thinking for a long time, she finally nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do.¡±

    Just wait a little longer. Right now, she only wanted to hear news about him.

    Taking a deep breath, Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze again and looked at Dongfang Gan who was lying on the hospital bed¡ª

    It seemed that everything was terrible!

    ¡°You should go down and rest first. You haven¡¯t slept for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Missus, I...¡±

    ¡°Go and rest!¡±

    Before Yang Sheng could finish his sentence, Dongfang Liuyun cut him off. Yang Sheng looked at her and could only nod and leave.

    Dongfang Liuyun was the only one left in the corridor. Her slender figure was bathed in the light, and she looked a little deste.

    Dongfang Liuyun was very tired as she supported her knees. Qi Lei¡¯s face appeared in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she could not breathe. She could not hold on any longer, so she could only cover her face with her hands and breatheboriously...

    She almost lost consciousness. Fortunately, the sudden ringing of her phone in her pocket pulled her back to reality.

    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s dry and hoarse voice was heard¡ª

 Chapter 2020 - Longing and Sorrow (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2020: Longing and Sorrow (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as she finished speaking, a deep voice came from the other end.

    ¡°I found something interesting, but the situation seems to be quite interesting.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned, her face tensed up¡ª

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    At this moment, the uneasiness in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart grew stronger, and the string in her heart tightened.

    ¡°ording to your instructions, I have checked your father¡¯s recent schedule and the people he hase into contact with. I identally discovered that an old friend of yours has also appeared in Myanmar. Can you guess who?¡± The person on the other end sneered.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression sank. The flowing light in her eyes immediately turned cold¡ª

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Your old friend, Mr. Ge.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression immediately turned cold, and her eyes were filled with astonishment!

    ¡°How is this possible! My father and Mr. Ge don¡¯t have any interactions at all. Do you mean that he has been looking for my father recently?¡± Dongfang Liuyun suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and asked.

    ¡°Initially, Mr. Ge didn¡¯te to see your father, but he met the seller. You know very well that your father wanted to get the western mine from the Burmese people for a long time. Mr. Ge is putting a finger into this pie, do you think this whole thing is simple?¡± The man on the other end of the line said coldly.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression immediately turned cold. ¡°So, Mr. Ge is involved in this matter?¡±

    ¡°You only want me to investigate these connections. You haven¡¯t told me the specifics.¡±

    ¡°What if I want to know more detailed information?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a reply in three days. I sympathize with your father¡¯s matter. However, Myanmar is also a troubled ce. If there¡¯s any news from Qi Lei, I¡¯ll inform you. You¡¯d better leave this ce as soon as possible. Otherwise, there¡¯s no use for you to stay here. It¡¯ll only make your people more worried.¡±

    The person on the other end thought about it and reminded them worriedly.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze was dim. ¡°I naturally understand. When my father¡¯s condition stabilizes tomorrow, I¡¯ll return to City Z. As for Qi Lei, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Please find him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best of course, who told me to owe you my life?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to repay me like this, but I really have to thank you this time. Oh right, did you discover anything about what happened earlier?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not forget about this matter either.

    ¡°Mr. Ge went to look for Fujiwara, but you should know Fujiwara¡¯s personality very well. Although you guys havee this far, he definitely won¡¯t hurt you and Lan Xiu. That¡¯s why their conversation seemed to be very unpleasant. After that, Mr. Ge never went to look for Fujiwara.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Ge is closer to Fujiwara. They¡¯re pretty good friends. Fujiwara has always been like that. He rarely buys anyone¡¯s debt.¡±

    A faint light shed in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes. She naturally knew Fujiwara very well, but...

    ¡°But, no matter what, there¡¯s someone he¡¯ll always pay for.¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Liuyun finished speaking, the man on the other end added, ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re very stubborn? Sometimes, being too responsible isn¡¯t a good thing.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun obviously knew who the other party was referring to, but who could have predicted such an ending?

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about those things anymore. Perhaps, I don¡¯t like her as much as I thought. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be so anxious and worried about Qi Lei now. Have you fallen in love with him?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer this question.

    After a moment of silence, she said calmly, ¡°Mr. Ge¡¯s matter is an important discovery. If it¡¯s because of me... I definitely won¡¯t let him off!¡±

    ¡°Judging from what you said, you think that he must have something to do with this.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei had already vaguely found some clues. The previous scandals might have been rted to Mr. Ge to arge extent, but there was no evidence.¡±

    ¡°What do you n to do if something happens to Qi Lei?¡±

    The person on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before he asked.

    ¡°Nothing will happen to him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was very determined, but there was clearly some unknown fear and unease in his voice. ¡°That¡¯s all for now. Let me know if there¡¯s any news.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hung up the phone weakly and his entire body went limp...

    ...

    In the wee hours of the morning, when Yang Sheng returned with his supper, he saw from afar that Dongfang Liuyun had already fallen asleep on the bench behind him.

    Dongfang Liuyun had not had a good rest for many days. She looked a little haggard, especially because she was worried about Dongfang Gan and Qi Lei. Furthermore, she did not dare to rx about the matters in City Z either. As a result, all her energy was almost drained.

    Yang Sheng was actually very worried. After such a thing happened, he suddenly felt as if all his support had copsed. It was difficult for the Missus to hold on.

    Although Dongfang Liuyun was very tired, she was still a person who slept lightly. As soon as Yang Sheng approached her, she woke up.

    ¡°Missus, eat something first. You didn¡¯t eat anything for dinner. Don¡¯t burn yourself out,¡± Yang Sheng said with concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him and did not reject him. ¡°Thank you, Assistant Yang.¡±

    ¡°Missus, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Eat it while it¡¯s hot. I specially asked the kitchen to make some hot porridge so that it will be easier to digest.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded, opened the food box, and began to eat silently.

    ¡°Something may have happened in City Z. The news of President Gan¡¯s injury has been sent back, and Master Qi¡¯s whereabouts are also unknown... Tomorrow, Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s stock market will definitely plunge... I¡¯m afraid that Dongfang Group will also...¡±

    Yang Sheng only said this when Dongfang Liuyun was halfway through his drink.

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately stopped what he was doing and suddenly looked at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°Vice President Wang Chun has just arrived. Thepany has already held an emergency meeting, and President Qi knows about it. He didn¡¯t say anything for an entire night, so everyone is very worried. Now, all the newspapers in City Z are probably rushing for this news, and Weibo is also full of these reports.¡±

    ¡°His actions are really fast.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression turned cold. Her voice was like the cold wind in December. It was very cold. ¡°Can you find out who leaked the news?¡±

    ¡°Vice President Wang Chun is already investigating. The Dongfang Group is also in an uproar. I¡¯m worried...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun put down the food box in her hand. She rubbed the space between her brows with a headache. She took a deep breath and could only give orders, ¡°Go and arrange a special ne immediately. We will rush back to City Z overnight and contact the doctors in the hospital at the same time. Ask them to arrange for the best doctors to apany us.¡±

 Chapter 2021 - She Cried (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2021: She Cried (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun did not bother to rest at all. After instructing him on the things to take note of, she left everyone here, including Yang Sheng and the bodyguards that apanied her.

    The only ones who apanied Dongfang Gan back were the doctors that apanied her.

    In a certain private airport.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched as the doctors and nurses carefully sent Dongfang Qian onto the private ne. She turned her head to look at Yang Sheng.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave your Master to you. Please help me find him. Don¡¯t worry about City Z. I¡¯m here. I won¡¯t let anything happen to him. When you find him, tell him toe back as soon as possible. If anything happens to him, Tai Yu Corporation and Dongfang Group will be buried with him. Also, I will hate him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said these words coldly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she suddenly turned around and walked towards the ne ahead.

    Dongfang Liuyun rushed back to City Z overnight. When the ne arrived in City Z, it was already dawn.

    Wang Chun and the others had already arranged for the hospital to be in the senior ward of Hospital T. When he returned, Dongfang Gan¡¯s condition was still stable on the way back, but he was still unconscious.

    After the doctor gave him a checkup and told Dongfang Liuyun that his life was no longer in danger, Dongfang Liuyun finally heaved a sigh of relief.

    However, the situation here was worse than expected. The stock markets of the twopanies had plummeted. Dongfang Shuman was mentally and physically exhausted and fell ill in an instant. Dongfang Group immediately held a shareholders¡¯ meeting because there had been no news of Dongfang Gan for a while, the entire shareholders¡¯ meeting suggested that someone had to temporarily take over Dongfang Gan¡¯s position.

    The meeting went on for two days. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi both wished they could immediately rece Dongfang Gan as the acting president of the Dongfang Group. Of course, many shareholders of thepany also supported Dongfang Xue.

    For a time, thepetition in the Dongfang Group was very fierce.

    Because Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi werepeting for this position, they dug out each other¡¯s dirt and stepped on each other¡¯s sore spots. After two days, the shareholders¡¯ meeting still could not find a suitable recement.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun did not show up at Dongfang Group these two days. Instead, he participated in the decision-making meeting of Tai Yu Corporation as the secondrgest shareholder of Tai Yu Corporation.

    During the meeting, Dongfang Liuyun became the acting president of Tai Yu Corporation without any objections. At the same time, he invited Qi Qiming, the former president of Qi Kai, as the special director to supervise the operation of thepany at all times. Only then did Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s stock market temporarily stabilize.

    At the same time, Glory World Corporation publicly held a groundbreaking ceremony with Tai Yu Corporation after the South River No. 1 and South River No. 2 projects. The severe situation of Tai Yu Corporation was alleviated.

    And this was a weekter.

    There was still no news from Myanmar about Qi Lei. Dongfang Gan was not fully awake either. Because his injuries were too serious, he had a high fever for a few days. Song Siting had been taking care of him day and night for the past few days until this morning, only then did the situation stabilize.

    At this moment, in the office of the President of Tai Yu Corporation.

    Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in Qi Lei¡¯s office chair. There was a sharp glint in her silent eyes. She was staring at the data disyed on the screen in front of her without blinking. She saw that the curve was extending upwards and was quietly warming up, only then did her tensed face rx a lot.

    ¡®Knock knock¡ª¡¯

    At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up subconsciously and saw Secretary Ding walking in anxiously.

    ¡°Manager Yun, you should hurry back to thepany. I¡¯m afraid that they can¡¯t hold on any longer! The stock market has plunged to the bottom. The shareholders¡¯ meeting is discussing who will be in charge of the overall situation every day. President Shu... The entirepany is in chaos again! If President Shu finds out about this, he will definitely be very disappointed. Moreover, Dongfang Group is also President Gan¡¯s hard work, Manager Yun!¡±

    Secretary Ding had no other choice. She could only watch as thepany¡¯s situation worsened day by day. She was also extremely anxious. Dongfang Gan was seriously injured. The mines in Myanmar would definitely be lost. The lost supply, everyone knew what this meant for Dongfang Group.

    The current situation was naturally very disadvantageous to Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun was not a fool who would bump into things whenever he encountered trouble. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi had quarreled so much, so what about Dongfang Xue?

    Hearing Secretary Ding¡¯s words, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled. ¡°Then, what about Aunt? With her qualifications, she should bepetent enough, right?¡±

    ¡°Manager Yun, don¡¯t you know?¡±? Miss Xue hasn¡¯t gone to thepany these past few days. President Shu¡¯s condition is very bad. Miss Xue has been taking care of President Shu at home these few days. Moreover, Miss Xue seems to be in poor health recently. I even saw her go to the hospital for a checkup two days ago. Only after asking the doctor did I know that her stomach is bleeding.¡±

    ¡°But, Manager Yun, What¡¯s strange now is that manager Rou seems to be very concerned about this. The Jin family¡¯s enthusiasm for the Dongfang Group has also soared to an unprecedented level. Even under such circumstances, they still have the reason to discuss the development of the city east with ourpany. Oh, that¡¯s right. Previously, Glory World Corporation¡¯s people went to look for Manager Rou. Many shareholders took a liking to her and supported her. I¡¯m worried...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. Her starry eyes darkened. After thinking for a long time, a cold smile appeared on her lips.

    ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er? If she wants to take advantage of this opportunity to rise to the top, it won¡¯t be that easy, unless...¡±

    However, before Dongfang Liuyun could finish speaking, the phone on the table started vibrating. Dongfang Liuyun nced at it and saw that it was a call from the Dongfang old residence.

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello? Fourth Miss?¡±

    It was Ah Cai¡¯s voice. Listening to it, one could vaguely hear her anxiety and trembling.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered with a frown.

    ¡°Fourth Miss... you shoulde back quickly. President Shu... President Shu is probably not going to make it. She said she wants to see you!¡±

    As soon as Ah Cai finished, Dongfang Liuyun was stunned. She did not know how much effort it took for her to pull back her thoughts of the attack. She suddenly stood up and rushed crazily out of the door!

    ¡°Manager Yun!¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction, Secretary Ding was also shocked. She was stunned for a while before she hurriedly chased after him.

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s body was already at the end of its life. She had been holding on for the past few days. She thought that she would be able to hold on until she saw Dongfang Liuyun sessfully take over the Dongfang Group. But now when she heard about Dongfang Gan¡¯s matter and the internal and external problems of the Dongfang Group, she could not take it anymore and copsed.

    She had worked hard and put in her blood and sweat all her life. She had suffered too much, and she had been tired all her life. She owed her children too much. Who said that she did not care about her son?

 Chapter 2022 - She Cried (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2022: She Cried (2)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun rushed back to the Dongfang old mansion.

    At this moment, in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s room, the doctor was waiting at the side. There were only Ah Cai and Dongfang Xue in the room.

    Dongfang Shuman was lying on the bed with a pale face, while Dongfang Xue was standing guard at the side.

    The olddy looked very weak at this moment. Ah Cai¡¯s eyes were a little red as she looked at her.

    Dongfang Shuman was still able to maintain her consciousness. Her old eyes were filled with calmness, and there was no fear of death. There was only an additional trace of worry.

    Ah Cai, who was at the side, could not help but sob softly¡ª

    Even though she had always known about Dongfang Shuman¡¯s health and knew that Dongfang Shuman had long been determined to die, but now that she had really caught up, she still felt very ufortable, especially when she saw Dongfang Shuman enduring like this, no matter how hard it was, she did not want the children to know about these things.

    ¡°Liuyun... Liuyun... is she still not back?¡± Dongfang Shuman asked in a low voice, her tone very weak.

    ¡°President Shu, I have already called her. Miss Liuyun will be back very soon. Don¡¯t worry, take a good rest. She will be back very soon.¡± Ah Cai took a deep breath and replied softly.

    ¡°Oh... She¡¯ll be back soon...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman struggled to sit up, but she could not muster any strength. She could only gasp for breath. Seeing this, Ah Cai hurriedly took the oxygen mask from the side, but Dongfang Shuman waved her hand weakly.

    ¡°No need... Ah Cai, you go out first and stand guard outside the door... I¡¯ll have a few words with Ah Xue.¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was naturally still thinking about that unfinished matter in his heart.

    Ah Cai sniffed and nodded. She nced at Dongfang Xue at the side before leaving.

    Bang¡ª

    Hearing the sound of the door closing, Dongfang Xue turned her gaze to look at the door. Her gaze fell silent for a while before she retracted her gaze to look at Dongfang Shuman on the bed.

    ¡°How is your brother?¡± Dongfang Shuman coughed lightly and asked with difficulty.

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s expression darkened for a moment. She pulled up the nket for her and replied indifferently, ¡°His condition is stable. He won¡¯t die for the time being.¡±

    ¡°I know you have resentment in your heart. After so many years, you¡¯ve shared a lot of pressure for your brother... It¡¯s been hard on you. I also know about your ambitions. You also want the Dongfang Group, right?¡±

    A clear light shed in Dongfang Shuman¡¯s eyes as she fixed her gaze on Dongfang Xue.

    Dongfang Xue listened, but a cold smile appeared on her face, ¡°Since you know, why do you have to ask? You clearly know that my brother was never willing to bear all of this. It was you and father who forced him to bear all of this. And my ability is not inferior to my brother¡¯s. If you could do it, why can¡¯t I do it? Mother, aren¡¯t you a woman too? Isn¡¯t Liuyun the same? Why can you guys do it, but I can¡¯t?¡±

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s tone was extremely cold, but the flowing light in her eyes was very calm. Dongfang Shuman looked at her eyes for a long time. She could see disappointment, grievance, and pain, but there was no so-called greed.

    Dongfang Shuman did not answer. She just looked at her deeply, and that gaze was somewhat meaningful.

    ¡°Why do you insist on Dongfang Group? My own daughter... I know... you may not really care about these things... you have a lot of resentment in your heart... I don¡¯t expect you to think from the standpoint of your father and me... We¡¯re both old-timers. We just hope that the hundred-year-old foundation of the Dongfang family will not decline and end in our hands... You¡¯re a woman, why do you have to get involved in these things?¡±

    As Dongfang Shuman spoke, she coughed a few more times. Her expression became even worse, and she could barely breathe. Dongfang Xue saw this and quickly helped her to lean against the bed.

    ¡°You¡¯re also a woman...,¡± Dongfang Xue said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even take care of yourself, so how can you manage such arge corporation? Cough cough... Cough cough...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s low voice sounded very stern. ¡°It was extremely difficult for your brother to get to the top... What if it was you? Do you really have to get the Dongfang Group?¡±

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s face immediately turned pale.

    ¡°To be honest, how have I treated you all these years? Compared to your brother and the others?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s gaze still carried a trace of sternness. Only she herself understood that she was also doing her best to help Dongfang Liuyun resolve thisst matter.

    ¡°Mother, I...¡±

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s tone softened, ¡°I know, but I...¡±

    ¡°Everyone must have a clear idea of their own position in their hearts... if something doesn¡¯t belong to you, don¡¯t fight for it, otherwise...¡±

    ¡°When my father passed away, he said the same thing to me.¡±

    Before Dongfang Shuman could finish her words, Dongfang Xue had already cut her off somewhat bitterly.

    ¡°Actually, have you ever thought that you and father are both quite selfish. In my impression, you seem to have been forcing us to ept things that we don¡¯t like to do, whether it¡¯s my brother, Liuyun, or me. You¡¯ve never asked our wishes. My brother wanted to be a schr since he was young and live a peaceful life, but you and father had already forced everything on him before he graduated.¡±

    ¡°Alright, what you¡¯re talking about is already in the past... you can express your dissatisfaction with these things, but... this is fate, who asked you to be born in the Dongfang family?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman coughed a few times, but her eyes were very calm. ¡°If I had to choose again now, I would still do it...¡±

    ¡°So, my brother is now lying in the hospital half-alive, and you think that he should bear that too? The reason why he¡¯s live such a hard life is mostly because of you two!¡±

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s eyes shed with a cold smile, ¡°Who cares about identity? You want to protect the Dongfang family¡¯s business, but you¡¯re doing everything you can to hurt your children. I¡¯ve been made a cripple, and so has my brother. I¡¯m actually looking forward to what misfortune Liuyun will encounter next. I heard that Qi Lei has already disappeared. Wasn¡¯t Zhu Ziwen gone just like that back then? You might not know this, but I¡¯ve never really thought of obtaining the Dongfang Group from Liuyun!¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s expression changed slightly when she heard Dongfang Xue¡¯s words.

    ¡°After Zhu Ziwen died and I aborted our child, I... I had my uterus removed as well. It¡¯s impossible for me to have another child ever again... It¡¯s been so many years. Why do you think I¡¯ve never wanted to think about marriage? Do you think there¡¯s still anyone willing to marry your daughter?¡±

    Before Dongfang Xue could finish her sentence, Dongfang Shuman started coughing violently and could not breathe. Dongfang Xue quickly pulled an oxygen mask over her and put it on her...

 Chapter 2023 - She Cried (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2023: She Cried (3)</h4>

    Dongfang Shuman calmed down for a long time before she finally recovered.

    She opened her eyes and looked at Dongfang Xue helplessly¡ª

    ¡°I know I owe you too much... but this is all fate... Please forgive me and your father... Now that your brother has be like this, and Qi Lei... It¡¯s not easy for Liuyun to hold on. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi... are ambitious. Dongfang Group... must, must... not fall into their hands. I¡¯ve never begged you before. If you still acknowledge me as your mother... I hope that you can promise me that you won¡¯t fight with Liuyun. Just like now, you¡¯ll do your best to assist her and let her smoothly take over the Dongfang Group...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman struggled to say these words as her skinny hand tightly held onto Dongfang Xue¡¯s. Looking at her, Dongfang Xue thought that she was grasping at thest straw.

    ¡°Liuyun... she is a good child... Promise me, treat her as your daughter... She will definitely be grateful to you...¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Xue¡¯s eyes were filled with tears¡ª

    What else could she say?

    All her life, she had lived for the word ¡®filial¡¯, but even so, if she was given another choice, she would probably still do it, right?

    What should she say? In fact, what she cared about the most were her parents and her brother?

    When Zhu Ziwen died, she was only sad. She did not have time to be sad because her child was gone. The Dongfang Group¡¯s internal affairs had changed, so she could only help them. But now, she could no longer control her emotions.

    Even someone as strong as her could not bear such pain.

    ¡°Can you... Promise me, Ah Xue...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s voice was very weak..

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s tears fell like rain. She turned her head away and kept blinking her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not control the boiling tears.

    ¡°Can you promise me... can you promise... ?¡±

    Dongfang Xue was the answer that Dongfang Shuman wanted.

    ¡°I promise you.¡±

    After a long time, Dongfang Xue raised her hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes and silently replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good... that¡¯s good...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman let out a sigh of relief. She raised her eyes with difficulty and looked at the tightly shut door. ¡°Liuyun... why, why... why isn¡¯t she back yet?¡±

    ...

    When Dongfang Liuyun rushed back to the Dongfang old residence, nearly two hours had already passed.

    She rushed straight to Dongfang Shuman¡¯s bedroom. However, Dongfang Shuman was already very weak. When she pushed the door open and walked in, she was wearing an oxygen mask and breathing weakly. Dongfang Xue, who was beside her, also had slightly red eyes.

    Her breathing was very shallow...

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, President Shu is waiting for you. If there¡¯s anything, hurry and let her know. We¡¯ve done our best.¡±

    The doctor stood at the door and said to Dongfang Liuyun in a low voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart suddenly stopped and she almost could not breathe. The dull pain in her chest surged. Her entire body trembled and she almost fell. Fortunately, she moved fast enough to hold the door handle by the side.

    ¡°Grandmother!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun rushed in and stopped by her bed.

    Hearing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice, Dongfang Shuman slowly opened her eyes. After seeing Dongfang Liuyun clearly, she stretched out her hand with difficulty to take off the oxygen mask on her nose.

    Dongfang Liuyun helped and fixed the nket for her.

    ¡°You... are back... Qi Lei, haven¡¯t you found Qi Lei yet? How... How is your father?¡±

    Dongfang Shuman was so weak that she could not even speak clearly. Dongfang Liuyun practically leaned over close to her so that he could hear her clearly.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine, Grandmother. Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re all fine. Take care of yourself. You¡¯ll see them soon.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she held Dongfang Shuman¡¯s cold hands tightly.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be fine... I can¡¯t pass this test... It¡¯s been so many years. I should go meet your Grandfather too... It¡¯s just that leaving such a mess behind... It¡¯s not good for me to report to your grandfather. I¡¯ve wronged you too... You¡¯re a very good child. You¡¯ll be safe for the rest of your life... Take care of your father, mother, Qi Lei, and your aunt...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s absent-minded voice sounded, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart was inexplicably sour.

    Pain came one after another. She did not know that she should bear it herself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the Dongfang Group to you... That¡¯s the Dongfang family¡¯s hundred-year foundation. It¡¯s the life¡¯s work of your grandfather and I... It¡¯s also the testimony of generations of our Dongfang family... you must protect it well... after I leave... thewyer will transfer my portion of shares to your name...¡±

    When Dongfang Shuman said this, she used herst bit of strength to hold Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands tightly.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were slightly hot, but she also quietly closed her eyes and nodded, ¡°Yes, I will protect it well. Grandmother, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I will remember your words. When we reach the other side... I will also tell... Tell your... Your grandfather...¡±

    Dongfang Shuman only managed to say this in the end.

    When Dongfang Liuyun wanted to reply, she was already gone. The pair of skinny hands that held her tightly suddenly lost all strength and suddenly drooped down. When Dongfang Liuyun raised her gaze to look at her face, she had already closed her eyes forever.

    She did not leave in peace!

    Dongfang Liuyun thought that she must have left with a lot of regrets.

    Her heart felt sour, and her eyes were dry and hot. Dongfang Xue¡¯s suppressed crying came into her ears. Ah Cai also rushed in. When she saw Dongfang Shuman, who was not breathing on the bed, she could not help but burst into tears.

    ¡°President Shu! President Shu... Why did you leave just like that? President Shu... What do you want us to do? President Shu... Ah...¡±

    A heart-wrenching cry was heard. Along with the rustling of the wind and rain outside, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt her entire body turn deste. She felt as if he was floating in a trance.

    Perhaps that was the case. Life and death were ced together. It was so distinct. This suffocating feeling really made one feel heartbroken.

    Dongfang Liuyun silently walked out of the bedroom. She did not seem to feel anything. She could only vaguely feel that Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the others had rushed into the bedroom as well. Then, the cries that sounded like they were fighting for the heavens and the earth could be heard endlessly.

    In the face of life and death, anyone would be at a loss, right?

    Whether it was Lan Qi, Grandfather, Uncle Ming, or the current Dongfang Shuman...

    She had even forgotten to feel sad. It was as if her whole body had been hollowed out, especially when she heard the news from Yang Sheng at this time¡ª

 Chapter 2024 - She Cried (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2024: She Cried (4)</h4>

    ¡°Missus, Ah Fei found information about Master Qi. He was also shot in the chest and fell into the river. Our people searched for a long time, but we still couldn¡¯t find Master Qi and the others... Ah Fei said that Master Qi was probably doomed. Ah Quan, who was sent by Master Mu, also said that he was pessimistic about the situation...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun felt as if warm blood was gushing into her chest. She felt something turn in her throat for a while, and her mouth began to fill with a bloody taste.

    With a whoosh, she hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth, and a bloody and hot breath fell into the tissue in her palm. The bright red color was especially shocking.

    ¡°Missus, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    When he heard an abnormality on the other side, Yang Sheng on the other end was also worried to the extreme, he hurriedly voice out of concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun violently coughed a few times,boriously forced himself to swallow the bloody taste in her mouth, eased herself for a long time, then weakly replied, ¡°It¡¯s all right... keep looking. If he¡¯s alive, I want to see him. If he¡¯s dead, I want to see his body... Increase the manpower. Find him. You must find him...¡±

    ¡°Yes, Missus...¡±

    ...

    After hanging up the phone, Dongfang Liuyun lost all his strength, her whole body was trembling, and she kept panting...

    ¡°Manager Yun!¡±

    Secretary Ding also rushed over with a choked sob, supporting her to sit down by the railing at the side.

    ¡°Are you okay? Manager Yun, oh my God, you... You vomited blood!¡±

    Secretary Ding looked at the trace of blood at the corner of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth in shock. She did not miss the bright red tissue in her hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion. Of course, most of them were filled with hidden pain and confusion...

    Her face was very pale, and there was not a trace of blood on her indifferent lips.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer Secretary Ding. She only closed her eyes and quietly calmed down. A momentter, she opened her eyes again. At this time, her starry eyes had already regained their calmness. However, in that calmness, there was already a trace of deathly stillness that was as cold as autumn water. Secretary Ding looked at it and felt even more pained and ufortable.

    ¡°Go and help Aunt Cai deal with Grandmother¡¯s funeral. There are quite a lot of things going on these days, and things in thepany aren¡¯t peaceful either. Everyone can¡¯t be distracted.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s faint and weak voice sounded. He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Grandmother liked to be quiet when she was alive. A simpler funeral would have been fine. She and Grandfather are close, so let¡¯s bury them together.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, he coughed twice and turned his head to look at the sky outside. Secretary Ding handed her a piece of tissue. She slowly took it and wiped away the remaining blood at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Manager Yun, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±

    Secretary Ding could only say so.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°Tell me, how powerful can a person be?¡±

    Secretary Ding...

    She did not seem to care about Secretary Ding¡¯s answer. As she said that, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly turned around and walked into the corridor in a daze.

    A cool breeze apanied by a faint cold rain blew over. It blew her hair behind her and the corners of her clothes fluttered. All of this looked bleak and deste.

    ...

    In the President¡¯s Office of Fuhua Real Estate.

    Xi Xiaye sat at her desk and read the documents in her hands. On the sofa opposite her, Mu Yuchen was hugging Mu Xiaocheng who had fallen asleep. He carefully ced him on the soft sofa and carefully covered him with a thin nket, Mu Xiaocheng also fell asleep quietly.

    The little guy yed for the whole morning. He had a full lunch and yed with Mu Yuchen for a while before he finally fell asleep.

    ¡°Are you asleep?¡±

    When she saw Mu Yuchen get up, Xi Xiaye looked over as well.

    Mu Yuchen walked over and poured her a ss of water.

    ¡°Mmm, after ying for the whole morning, the little guy is quite energetic.¡±

    ¡°Little kid, I feel tired even after ying with him. I didn¡¯t think he could be so tiring, but fortunately, if you ignore him, he won¡¯t bother you. Mother said that his personality is like when you were young.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze was filled with gentleness as she looked at her son who had already fallen asleep on the sofa, ¡°Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er are having their final exams this Friday. If you have time tonight, help them prepare. See if there are any questions that they can¡¯t understand. Help them take a look.¡±

    ¡°When do you need to worry about Xiao Rui¡¯s homework? It¡¯s not like he has to do well every time. Just try your best. Being first or second isn¡¯t that important.¡±

    Mu Yuchen said nonchntly, ¡°Sometimes, I even hope that he¡¯ll fail a few times. That way, I can remind him to be cautious and modest.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye frowned and nced at Mu Yuchen. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to use your methods to undermine your son¡¯s self-confidence. Those things can be slowly epted by him.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree before that the children¡¯s education is under my control? Xi Xiaye, with your attitude, it¡¯s most likely that a loving mother will cause more harm than good. In the future, when ites to educating children, you only have the right to remain silent.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was very serious.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s face darkened. Just as she was about to refute him, the phone in Mu Yuchen¡¯s pocket started ringing. Mu Yuchen quickly picked it up

    It was a call from Li Si.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s not good. Ms. Dongfang¡¯s side is really full of misfortunes. President Shu from the Dongfang Group just left... Also, there¡¯s news from Myanmar. ording to reliable sources, Master Qi was also shot and fell into the river. Our people followed along and fished in the river to secretly investigate nearby, but we didn¡¯t find any traces of Master Qi. Ah Quan said that it¡¯s most likely going to be a disaster...¡±

    Li Si¡¯s voice was grave.

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, his handsome face changed several times, and his dark eyes were soon filled with a hint of worry

    ¡°We haven¡¯t found him yet. Don¡¯te to a conclusion yet. Increase the intensity of the search. No matter what, we must find him.¡±

    Qi Lei...

    He definitely cannot encounter any misfortune, or else...

    Mu Yuchen did not think further. He only felt a sudden sense of depression in his heart.

    ¡°Yes, Master! Then, what about Miss Dongfang¡¯s side? Once the news of President Shu¡¯s death is released, the Dongfang Group will undoubtedly suffer even more.¡±

    Even Li Si felt extremely anxious.

    Mu Yuchen held the corner of the table and was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°What¡¯s the situation on Dongfang Gan¡¯s end?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still unconscious. His fever just subsided this morning. His condition has stabilized for a while now.¡±

    ¡°Find the best doctor. Make sure Dongfang Gan gets through this safely. Take care of the Dongfang family at the right time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Si answered, and Mu Yuchen hung up as well.

    ¡°Did something happen on Qi Lei¡¯s end?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was unusually sensitive about this matter as well, so she asked directly.

 Chapter 2025 - She Cried (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2025: She Cried (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen was silent for a moment. Then, he put his phone away and ced it on the table beside him. With one hand supporting the corner of the table, he turned around and silently looked outside the French window. He took a deep breath.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Xi Xiaye saw his reaction and was clearly a little anxious as well, so she quickly asked.

    ¡°Dongfang Shuman went over. Qi Lei was shot and his whereabouts are unknown.¡±

    His voice was a little hoarse. ¡°Before he left, he told me that he thinks that his future is with Dongfang Liuyun. Only when she¡¯s better will he be better. I never thought that Qi Lei would have such a day too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s expression froze for a moment, and her heart tightened¡ª

    Dongfang Shuman is gone?

    Qi Lei was shot and his whereabouts were unknown?

    Was this the result they had been waiting for so many days for?

    Furthermore, there was still Dongfang Ganying in the hospital. Dongfang Group was like a lone leaf swaying in the wind and rain. Tai Yu Corporation had just stabilized as well. Why was it like this?

    ¡°How could it be...¡±

    Xi Xiaye could not recover from her shock as she said in a daze, ¡°How could it be like this...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the truth. I think Qi Lei must have found something. Apart from wanting to find Dongfang Gan, he also wanted to rify the matter, so he went over.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was filled with certainty.

    ¡°If it¡¯s because of Liuyun, he would definitely do that.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was surprised that Qi Lei was so devoted to Dongfang Liuyun.

    However, how could Dongfang Liuyun withstand such a situation?

    ¡°What can we do for them?¡±

    After some thought, Xi Xiaye could only sigh and ask.

    ¡°If I knew what I could do for them, I wouldn¡¯t be so distressed,¡± Mu Yuchen said helplessly, his expression a little lonely.

    ¡°Go and see Liuyun. Spend more time with her these two days. Between women, you might know how tofort her. I¡¯ll go look for Su Chen and Zimo.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then turned around and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Mmm, that son...¡±

    ¡°Just get someone to send him to Grandfather.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tall and straight figure quickly disappeared outside the door after he said that...

    ...

    Dongfang Shuman¡¯s funeral was handled in a rtively low-profile manner. However, during the memorial service, there were still many people who came to pay their respects.

    Dongfang Shuman was a celebrity in the circle and was also a person of high social standing. There were quite a number of people who interacted with her. Even Xi Mushan hade to pay his respects.

    Over the past few days, Dongfang Liuyun had lost a lot of weight. The energy that she had taken so long to recover had beenpletely squandered, especially when she wore that solemn ck dress, it made her look even more pale and haggard.

    ...

    It was alreadyte at night, and more and more people came to attend Dongfang Shuman¡¯s memorial service.

    Dongfang Liuyun, however, could not bear to see such an asion.

    Under threerge trees.

    ¡°Boss, give me a dozen cold beers.¡±

    Seeing the boss serve the dishes, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly said.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Dongfang!¡±

    The boss quickly brought a dozen beers over.

    Dongfang Liuyun was the only one sitting at such a big table. She remembered that almost every time she came over, Qi Lei would sit across from her. Every time he came over, it would be at this table. At this moment, at the table across from her.

    But now, the seat opposite her was empty.

    She could not remember when was thest time they came over to drink like this.

    A while ago, she felt that he would always be there, and there was no need to hold onto him with anything. This was because she had long taken it for granted that he would always be there no matter what.

    The news from Myanmar was that he was still nowhere to be found.

    This morning, Dongfang Gan woke up for a while in the hospital. The first thing he said was to save Qi Lei, but before he could ask for any news, he had already fallen into aa again.

    Today was still Dongfang Shuman¡¯s memorial service. She seemed to have been like this for the past few days. She had been muddleheaded.

    Dongfang Liuyun opened a bottle of wine and poured a ss in front of her. She filled it up, picked it up, and drank it in a few gulps.

    After a few sses, she took a deep breath. Just as she was about to continue, she heard the sound of a car stopping behind her. She turned around subconsciously and realized that the car door had already been opened.

    Fujiwara walked out of the car coldly.

    It was naturally very cold in such a cold night. Fujiwara wore a windbreaker on his shoulder and arrived beside Dongfang Liuyun in a fewrge strides.

    He looked down at Dongfang Liuyun from above. Dongfang Liuyun was also holding a ss of wine in her hand. She also raised her gaze and looked at him without blinking. A momentter, she lowered her eyes and finished the wine in her ss.

    Fujiwara watched with an uncontroble pain shing across his dark eyes. He took a deep breath, took off his windbreaker, and draped it over her shoulders.

    ¡°If you want to torture yourself, I have a knife that can kill you in one strike.¡±

    Seeing that she was struggling to refuse, Fujiwara simply reached out and pressed down on her shoulders. The force was so strong that even Dongfang Liuyun felt a piercing pain. He gave up struggling after that.

    Fujiwara nced at her. Seeing that she was silent, he sat down across her. He took the empty ss beside him and poured himself a ss of wine.

    ¡°I heard about what happened. I know you¡¯re upset.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone softened.

    ¡°Your grandmother is dead, your husband¡¯s whereabouts are unknown along with where he¡¯s alive. Your father is still lying in the hospital. If it were anyone else, they wouldn¡¯t be having a good time, would they?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said coldly. Her starry eyes clearly contained some sadness, but most of it was also forbearing.

    She poured herself another ss and silently picked it up. She poured more than half of the ss on the ground before finishing the wine in one gulp.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Her tone was naturally very distant.

    ¡°When I went over to pay my respects, I saw that you weren¡¯t around, so I guessed that you might be here, so I came to take a look. Grandmother was a good person. She will reunite with Grandfatjer in paradise.¡±

    Fujiwara did not know how to console her, so he could only say so.

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sneered when he heard this. ¡°No one believes that there¡¯s actually a paradise. After death, at most, it will turn into ashes.¡±

    ¡°Since you can get over it so easily, why are you still so sad?¡± Fujiwara asked.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not sad? If I wasn¡¯t sad, could it resurrect her, could Qi Lei be found?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she looked at him. Her eyes were filled with bitterness¡ª

 Chapter 2026 - She Cried (6)

    <h4>Chapter 2026: She Cried (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I can¡¯t...,¡± Fujiwara replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was filled with bitterness. ¡°Then, you don¡¯t have to persuade me. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°No matter how difficult the situation is, it can¡¯t be an excuse to stop moving forward. Qi Lei once told me that, so don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t give up on myself,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly.

    ¡°Sometimes, humans are like that, when someone¡¯s still around, you don¡¯t cherish every moment you have together. When they¡¯re gone, or like now, when there¡¯s no news of them, you¡¯d feel like you weren¡¯t sensible before, and you didn¡¯t get it. With no news of him, my heart feels empty, as if something is missing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a while now. Without him around, my life has been pretty boring. I was guarding that empty room by myself every night, but suddenly I felt afraid. I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯d been doing on my own all this while before this.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she drank another ss. Her eyes were a little blurry, but Fujiwara¡¯s eyes dimmed.

    ¡°Liuyun, you don¡¯t have to be too sad. No matter what, you have me, you just need to turn around...e back to Japan with me. I don¡¯t care about all of this. If you want the Dongfang Group, I¡¯ll do my best to fight for it for you...¡±

    Fujiwara looked at Dongfang Liuyun and felt extremely pained. Even her frowning would make his heart ache, not to mention the way she was in a daze right now...

    When he heard her mention Qi Lei, he did not even dare to probe further because he was afraid that if he thought any further, the conclusion he woulde up with would break his heart.

    Dongfang Liuyun still liked him and loved Fujiwara deeply. Her emotions had nothing to do with Qi Lei...

    In his heart, he still lied to himself like that, but...

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go anywhere, I¡¯m staying right here. If he returns, I will be his Missus Qi. If he doesn¡¯t return, I¡¯ll still be his Missus Qi. However, I believe that the fate between us won¡¯t be so shallow. I want to be with him for the rest of my life.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were a little blurry as she spoke. She raised her wine ss and looked at Fujiwara in a daze, ¡°I¡¯ve left all my remaining feelings with him. I haven¡¯t had the time to clean them up yet... This is the greatest sorrow in the world. I have to wait for him to return.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun, you...¡±

    Fujiwara felt a pain in his heart. He could not help but reach out and grab her arm. ¡°What about me? What about me? You¡¯re waiting on him, but what about me who¡¯s been waiting on you?¡±

    ¡°What you want to do has nothing to do with me. That¡¯s your freedom... But I don¡¯t want you to interfere with me. We could have been good friends. I know that Mr. Ge has a good rtionship with your father. So many things have happened, too many coincidences, and too many problems that I have to suspect...¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, her eyes suddenly turned cold. Her gaze was unusually sharp.

    ¡°You suspect that Qi Lei and your father¡¯s matter is because of me?¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s face darkened, and he immediately asked in a cold voice. His ck eyes were filled with a trace of disbelief.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not you, it¡¯s rted to you. My people have found traces of Mr. Ge¡¯s appearance in Myanmar. Furthermore, Mr. Ge seems to have been in close contact with your father, Fujiwara Kenji recently. Don¡¯t you, Master Fujiwara, know about this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice was unusually cold.

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t know!¡± Fujiwara said coldly. ¡°Are you suspecting me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was you. If you insist on taking it personally, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she picked up her wine and downed a ss in one gulp. She put the ss back and propped herself up on the table¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this matter. It¡¯s best for you to stay out of it. We won¡¯t be enemies. If you want me to die faster, you can give it a try.¡±

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun! You... how could you say that!¡±

    Fujiwara gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re certain that I¡¯m soft-hearted towards you and that I can¡¯t let you go, so you¡¯re capable of hurting me with all your might because of another man, aren¡¯t you?!¡±

    His deep voice sounded like he was suffocating. Dongfang Liuyun probably did not know the kind of pain that Fujiwara felt from such an usation!

    She was actually betting her life on him?

    She was threatening him!

    ¡°It used to be Lan Qi, but now it¡¯s Qi Lei! Just how much do you hate me? Tell me!¡±

    Fujiwara looked at Dongfang Liuyun with bloodshot eyes as if he was going crazy. He pressed his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her.

    ¡°You¡¯re suffering, aren¡¯t you? Since you¡¯re suffering, why don¡¯t you just let go? You know that everything that happened between us was just fate that shouldn¡¯t have happened. A misced fate. Do you understand? If it weren¡¯t for us, Lan Qi wouldn¡¯t have died and Mr. Ge wouldn¡¯t have caused so much trouble, things would¡¯ve gone smoothly for Lan Xiu, Qi Lei and my father wouldn¡¯t have met with misfortunes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hit his hands away, her beautiful eyes filled with anger.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re certain that this matter is rted to me. Why do I always have to bear these groundless usations? What makes you think that this matter is rted to Mr. Ge and me!¡±

    ¡°When too many coincidences are intertwined together, it¡¯s not a coincidence! It¡¯s a deliberate arrangement!¡±

    Fujiwara was stunned. He actually could not answer.

    ...

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Dongfang Liuyun finally could not take it anymore. She threw the wine ss in her hand and suddenly turned around.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a woman more ruthless than you, Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s forbearing voice sounded. At this moment, perhaps only he himself could understand the pain in his heart...

    She had a way to hurt him over and over because of others. All she could see was only the plight of others, she had never seen the pain that he had to endure.

    Yet, he just could not control his deep feelings for her..

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been such a selfish person. I¡¯ve never been willing to care about the lives of others,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said indifferently, turning his head to look at him, ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you, but it¡¯s not just us. Just like how I¡¯m still a member of the Dongfang family, and you¡¯re also the Master of the Fujiwara family. With these things on your back, there¡¯s no way for you to be your true self.¡±

    After saying this, Fujiwara¡¯s expression stiffened as he said in a deep voice, ¡°You¡¯ve always underestimated our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but rtionships are only a part of life. I can¡¯t just live for my rtionships.¡±

 Chapter 2027 - She Cried (7)

    <h4>Chapter 2027: She Cried (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Missus, are you alright?¡±

    Wang Chun received the notice from Secretary Ding and rushed over from the Dongfang old residence.

    The people who came to mourn for Dongfang Shuman had not dispersed. Wang Chun had searched for a long time before he found out about the news of Dongfang Liuyun from Song Siting. After asking Secretary Ding, he found out that Dongfang Liuyun was here.

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s terrible expression, Wang Chun also frowned and quickly went forward to support her. He could also faintly smell the smell of alcohol.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally a little surprised to see Wang Chun. Her tone was also a little quiet.

    ¡°President Qi has already found out about Master Qi and the Dongfang family. He is very worried about you, so he asked me toe over to take a look. I hope that you are okay. Missus, you look really haggard and pale. Why don¡¯t you go back and rest first? President Shu¡¯s funeral is tomorrow, and you¡¯ll probably still be busy. If you don¡¯t rest now, you won¡¯t be able to hold on. I¡¯ll get Dr. Wang toe and take a look at you and give you some sedatives.¡±

    Wang Chun looked at Dongfang Liuyun and was naturally extremely worried. Especially when he saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s silent appearance, he was afraid that she would not be able to hold on.

    ¡°Father?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was in a trance for a moment before she remembered Qi Qiming. A bitter expression quickly appeared on her face. ¡°Is he alright?¡±

    ¡°President Qi is far stronger than everyone imagined. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s fine. He¡¯s just worried about you. Go back and rest well tonight. President Qi will also go over to take a look tomorrow.¡±

    As Wang Chun spoke, he went forward and opened the car door for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun was in a daze for a moment. In the end, she got into the car.

    Wang Chun quickly got into the car and asked the driver to drive.

    Wang Chun asked the driver to send Dongfang Liuyun back to the Grand Lake Vi area. He only left when he saw the lights on in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s room on the second floor.

    Not long after, Doctor Wang, who was notified by Wang Chun, rushed over.

    ¡°Missus, Doctor Wang is waiting downstairs.¡±

    Sis Wang brought a ss of milk to Dongfang Liuyun. When she saw that Dongfang Liuyun was sitting on the sofa in the side hall, flipping through the documents in her hands with a pale face, she could not help but feel worried.

    ¡°Let hime up,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently. She put away the documents in her hands quietly, leaned back on the sofa behind her, and closed her eyes silently.

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡± Sis Wang replied, and then carefully put down the milk. ¡°Drink the milk while it¡¯s hot. Master specially instructed that no matter what, you have to take care of yourself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not answer. She just waved her hand weakly. Sis Wang felt helpless and could only leave carefully.

    Soon, Doctor Wang went upstairs to check on Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not know what was wrong with her. Perhaps it was because she had been too busy recently, and she was worried about one thing after another. She also felt as if all her energy had been drained, and she looked unusually tired, up until today, she had only gritted her teeth and endured it.

    That was because she knew very well that she could not fall. Otherwise, what would Dongfang Gan, Song Siting, and the others do? What about Qi Lei?

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not miss the surprised look on Doctor Wang¡¯s face. She thought that it was a little strange.

    ¡°I might have been overworked recently, and I can¡¯t sleep at night. Can you prescribe some calming pills for me? I want to have a good sleep.¡±

    Since things hade to this, Dongfang Liuyun did not have the mood to think too much. Misfortunes came one after another. The only thing she could do was to have enough energy to face these difficulties.

    ¡°Missus, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t casually take medications. You... you¡¯re already more than a month pregnant. Could it be that... you don¡¯t feel anything?¡±

    Doctor Wang¡¯s tone carried some joy as he looked at Dongfang Liuyun with some excitement, ¡°This is really great, Missus! You¡¯re pregnant with Master¡¯s child... It¡¯s been a long time since the Qi family has heard such good news! Missus, this is really great news!¡±

    Pregnant for more than a month?

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned when she heard the news. She looked at Doctor Wang in a daze. ¡°What did you say? I¡¯m more than a month pregnant?¡±

    How did she not feel anything?

    Previously, her period did note. She only thought that it was because she had been too tired recently, and it wasmon for her period to be dyed!

    She did not have the same reaction as what they had said!

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes. She subconsciously reached out and ced her hand on her t stomach. She did not dare to believe this, even though this oue was something that she and Qi Lei had been looking forward to for a long time.

    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true, Missus! I¡¯ve already checked you again and again. It¡¯s only been a month, but because you¡¯ve been too tired recently, your fetal position isn¡¯t very stable. You have to worry less about getting well in the future. I¡¯ll prescribe some medication for youter. Rest well, and there are some things you can¡¯t eat...¡±

    Doctor Wang could not help but feel a little excited¡ª

    If Master Qi and President Qi knew about this news, they would definitely be very happy!

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a long time, and she still could not react.

    After a long time, she nodded. ¡°I understand. You can tell Sis Wang directly. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t remember them.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Missus. I¡¯ll go down and tell Sis Wang what to pay attention to. Also, I have to report the situation on President Qi¡¯s end in time.¡±

    As Doctor Wang said this, he packed his things and hurried downstairs.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s pale face suddenly showed a hint of bitterness. She felt that her stomach, which had not reacted at all, suddenly became hot. Tears that had been gathering in her eyes for a long time slid down, burning the back of her hands.

    She sniffed and could not help but bend over to bury her small face in her palms.

    This was the first time she felt so helpless and at a loss.

    Everything was so terrible, but this child hade...

    Was this the hope that God had given her?

    She was pregnant with Qi Lei¡¯s child, their child...

    She initially thought that she could still endure it, but now that she knew that this child wasing, she finally could not hold it in anymore. All of her forbearance and heartache instantly copsed and poured out¡ª

    In the end, she still cried...

    Her father, Dongfang Gan, was still in the hospital, and her grandmother was gone. Family matters were like this, and she was pregnant. But, where was he?

    Dongfang Liuyun could no longer remember thest time she cried. Since she became sensible, she did not want to cry anymore. She always felt that it was a sign of weakness. However, now, she had overestimated her own strength.

    She did not know how long thissted. She only felt that her palms werepletely wet. The temperature of her tears turned cold and dried in the air. She could not control it. When she recovered, her eyes were dry and reddened...

 Chapter 2028

    <h4>Chapter 2028: Happy and Worried? (1)</h4>

    The funeral of Dongfang Shuman was quite simple.

    Dongfang Liuyun got up very early. After Sis Wang brewed a bowl of medicine for her to drink, she returned to the Dongfang old residence.

    After the cremation of Dongfang Shuman¡¯s body, she was sent directly to the cemetery of the Dongfang family.

    That cemetery was where many of the deceased members of the Dongfang family were buried. This was also where Elder Dongfang was buried.

    Dongfang Liuyun, dressed in ck, was supported by Secretary Ding as she followed beside Song Siting. She looked at the tombstone in front of her and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Grandmother¡¯s health was already very poor. She must havepletely copsed after hearing the news about Father. I thought about it for a long time and suddenly felt that she wasn¡¯t prejudiced against us. It¡¯s just that her way of expressing her feelings was different.¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s eyes darkened as she listened. She could not help but sigh and blinked her slightly reddened eyes. ¡°I was too stubborn. I was never willing to understand her.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t me you. She must have known that she didn¡¯t have much time left, so she wanted to make all these arrangements. She just didn¡¯t expect that something would happen to Father.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and looked up at the gray sky. ¡°But since everyone understands, it¡¯s a good thing. I think she, more than anyone else, would want us to live a good life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve let you all down...¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s eyes started to tear up again. ¡°I¡¯m really worried now. Your father¡¯s like this, your grandmother is gone, and Qi Lei... Qi Lei is missing too. What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Just do what we have to do. We¡¯ll take it one step at a time. No matter what, we have to continue on. With me around, thepany won¡¯t copse. Just take good care of my father for the time being.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was calm as she spoke.

    ¡°Can... Can you handle it? And with Qi Lei, I¡¯m worried about you...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about these things. How¡¯s my father?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun adjusted her sunsses and asked hoarsely.

    Song Siting was stunned for a moment before she replied dejectedly, ¡°The doctor only said that his condition has stabilized. He didn¡¯t say when he would wake up. If he knew about your grandmother...¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t let him know yet. Let him rest well. Grandmother left in a hurry. Everyone thought it was very sudden, but we can¡¯t change what happened. There are still many things we need to do.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun... Then Qi Lei...¡±

    There was some concern in Song Siting¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. In a few days... He might return. Don¡¯t worry. Alright, go back. I¡¯ll go over to visit in the afternoon.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took onest look at Dongfang Shuman on the tombstone. She took a breath and did not turn back. She suddenly turned around and walked towards the stairs ahead.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Song Siting wanted to stop her, but Dongfang Liuyun did not slow down at all.

    ...

    After Dongfang Liuyun left, she did not go straight home. Instead, she went to Tai Yu Corporation.

    At this moment, in Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s President¡¯s office.

    Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in Qi Lei¡¯s office chair. Her back was facing the door as she looked at the world outside the French window in a daze.

    Her phone suddenly vibrated. Dongfang Liuyun quickly picked it up.

    It was a message from Myanmar.

    ¡°Hello? It¡¯s me... I found traces of Mr. Ge. He did appear in Myanmar. He left Myanmar for Japan three days ago.¡±

    The person on the other end sent this message.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes instantly darkened. Her hand on the armrest suddenly tightened. A chill quickly swept across her eyes¡ª

    ¡°He went to see Fujiwara Kenji?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s more than that. I think you know what it is.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun released the armrest and rubbed her the space between her brows tiredly, ¡°Fujiwara Kenji has never had a good rtionship with my father, even though on the surface they were polite and respectful towards each other. Back then, I parted ways with Fujiwarargely because of this. Besides, he¡¯s been eyeing for the mine in my father¡¯s hands for quite a while now. Not to mention, he wants that marriage with the Inoue family. The Inoue family has a grudge against the Dongfang family to begin with. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if this matter really has something to do with them.¡±

    ¡°Your analysis is very reasonable. I think Qi Lei must have realized this and rushed over. Otherwise, with just the Dongfang family¡¯s ability, it would be very difficult for your father to get his hands on the mines. You know very well the background of the Fujiwara family. Now, with the addition of the Inoue family... Why don¡¯t you look for Fujiwara? He probably can¡¯t bear to see you suffer so much.¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve went to him long ago if it was of any use. Mr. Ge did look for him before. He¡¯s worried about Lan Xiu, so...¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not interested in your bitter secret history. You know who he¡¯s worried about. Your current situation at Dongfang Group is worrying. The stock market has almost hit rock bottom. When do you n to make a move?¡±

    The person on the other end asked and paused for a moment. Without waiting for Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reply, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s quite difficult for you to shoulder such argepany, especially now that the internal situation is so chaotic.¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. It¡¯s not wise to go against the gun at this time. I¡¯m already prepared.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not care too much about the internal conflict within the Dongfang Group. On the contrary, this might be an opportunity. She was just waiting for the right time.

    This time, there might be a predestined oue. Fortunately, Qi Lei had put in a lot of effort before this, and got Mu Yuchen¡¯s help to stabilize Tai Yu Corporation, which was equivalent to arranging for help in the future.

    When they heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, the person on the other endughed. ¡°Alright then, do as you see fit. I¡¯ll continue to look for Qi Lei. Don¡¯t worry, cheer up. At this moment, you can only rely on yourself more.¡±

    ¡°Continue to monitor Mr. Ge. He¡¯s got a strong motive against you lot, I keep thinking that things aren¡¯t that simple.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    With that, the other party hung up the phone.

    ¡®Dong dong!¡¯

    Dongfang Liuyun had just put it away when there was a knock on the door. Dongfang Liuyun turned her head and saw the secretary who had stopped at the door.

    ¡°Vice President, the Elder President is here!¡±

    The Elder President?

    Qi Qiming?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes lit up. At this moment, a tall and straight figure came into Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sight¡ª

    It was Qi Qiming!

    ¡°Father! Why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Qi Qiming in surprise.

    Qi Qiming was dressed in a straight ck suit. He looked the same as before, but he looked much calmer than before.

    ¡°I know everything. You... Your body ispromised, don¡¯t work too hard.¡±

    When Qi Qiming said this, he nced at Dongfang Liuyun expectantly and walked in.

 Chapter 2029 - Happy and Worried? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2029: Happy and Worried? (2)</h4>

    Qi Qiming sat down on the sofa. Dongfang Liuyun walked over and poured him a cup of hot water.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. You haven¡¯t recovered yet. Why are you out already? Drink some hot water.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was naturally filled with concern.

    In fact, Qi Qiming and Qi Lei¡¯s father-son rtionship had been improving recently. Previously, the father-son rtionship had been very peaceful and harmonious. This was all thanks to Dongfang Liuyun.

    After spending some time together, Dongfang Liuyun felt that Qi Qiming was actually quite concerned about Qi Lei. Perhaps it was because of their previous experiences, which was why they cherished each other even more now.

    Qi Qiming took it and looked at Dongfang Liuyun. He did not miss the pain and forbearance between her brows. After thinking for a while, his ck eyes showed some gentleness. He looked at her with a hint of love¡ª

    ¡°Liuyun, it¡¯s been hard on you. After such a thing happened, you still have to hold on.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun was stunned. Then, she smiled bitterly. ¡°Father, you¡¯re being too polite. Since I¡¯m Qi Lei¡¯s wife, I¡¯m naturally a member of the Qi family. Of course, I have to do my part.¡±

    Qi Qiming was very pleased. ¡°I¡¯m very pleased with your persistence. Qi Lei¡¯s whereabouts are unknown now. I¡¯m also worried that he will encounter some misfortune. Now that you have good news, I¡¯m torn between being happy and worried.¡±

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m actually worried too. I¡¯m worried that something will happen to him, and I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Heaven has a n. If being sad solves problems, we won¡¯t be stingy with being sad. Take care of yourself. If something really happens to Qi Lei, I hope that you can give birth to this child... Can you promise me?¡±

    When Qi Qiming said this, Dongfang Liuyun paused and looked at Qi Qiming in shock.

    Qi Qiming¡¯s gaze was a little lonely

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I naturally believe that my son will return safely. It¡¯s just that with this child, you¡¯ll miss him more...¡±

    ¡°Father! What are you thinking!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hurriedly cut off Qi Qiming¡¯s words, ¡°No matter what, this child will definitely be born. Furthermore, I¡¯ll be by Qi Lei¡¯s side for the rest of my life. Right now, what we need to do is to find him. We can¡¯t give up now and abandon him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll suffer too much. Since that¡¯s the case, just pretend that I didn¡¯t say anything. Actually, it¡¯s not necessarily bad news if there¡¯s no news. I also asked someone to investigate. Qi Lei must have gone to look for his uncle.¡± Qi Qiming thought for a moment and said.

    ¡°Uncle?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned and looked at Qi Qiming in surprise.

    Qi Qiming nodded. ¡°Yes. His uncle, Wang Xun.¡±

    ¡°I believe Qi Lei has told you about your mother¡¯s situation before. Your mother¡¯s side of the Wang family used to be a prominent family in City Z. Your mother and I are rted by marriage. Wang Xun is the adopted son of the Wang family and has a good rtionship with your mother. After your mother married me, she had some conflicts with the Wang family. Later on, the Wang family moved away from City Z, and your mother almost stopped contacting the Wang family. However, Qi Lei¡¯s grandparents and this uncle still love Qi Lei very much. Wang Xun was in love with your mother, and he hasn¡¯t gotten married in his entire life...¡±

    Hearing Qi Qiming¡¯s words, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but freeze¡ª

    He did not expect that there would be such a story?

    ¡°Your uncle has quite a lot of influence over there. When your mother was still alive, he asked your mother to divorce me and follow him. Your mother thought I didn¡¯t know about these things. I just didn¡¯t want to investigate further, and because of that, I did a lot of things to let your mother down.¡±

    Qi Qiming could still remember these fragments of memories. He could remember a lot of things rted to Wang Qin.

    ¡°So, Father is saying that Qi Lei might be with uncle?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked with a frown. His heart was also in turmoil.

    ¡°Before the ident, Wang Xun and his people were near the ce where the ident happened. I sent people to check the records of the hotel he stayed in in that city. As for your father¡¯s matter, it would be difficult for us to save your father with just our men. Qi Lei must have borrowed his uncle¡¯s power.¡±

    As Qi Qiming spoke, a sharp light shed in his ck eyes. It was as if he had returned to the high-spirited Qi Qiming from before. The difference was that Qi Qiming was much more reserved and quiet now.

    ¡°So, Father, do you want to go personally?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun already understood Qi Qiming¡¯s intentions.

    Qi Qiming nodded. ¡°I¡¯m only afraid that you can¡¯t bear it alone.¡±

    ¡°No, Father, don¡¯t worry. All the things and matters added together aren¡¯t as important as him. I can bear it. As for you, your health hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet, so...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just going to be little difficult for you. You have to take care of yourself...¡±

    Qi Qiming sounded a little guilty, but there was more gratitude in his heart!

    He was grateful that fate allowed Qi Lei to meet such a good wife. He, Qi Qiming, had done a lot of scoundrels in his life. Now, all of them were retribution on his son. In his heart...

    ...

    After Qi Qiming exined to Dongfang Liuyun, he rushed to Singapore the next morning. In the entire City Z, Dongfang Liuyun was the only person in charge of such arge family business.

    Tai Yu Corporation was still progressing very smoothly, but the Dongfang Group was in a bad situation. The stock market was constantly falling, and thepany suffered huge losses. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi were still busy fighting over the control of thepany, Dongfang Xue was also mostly watching coldly. Dongfang Rou¡¯er and some shareholders were thinking about what kind of courage they had to split thepany into another group.

    The internal conflicts within Dongfang Group became more and more acute, and Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have evaporated by half from Dongfang Group. After knowing that Dongfang Gan had met with an ident, she had never appeared in Dongfang Group.

    ...

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, this is President Shu¡¯s will. All the shares of the Dongfang Group under her name will be inherited by you. All of President Shu¡¯s shares will be transferred to your name. This is the contract of President Gan as acting president. Take a look and sign it if there are no problems. After it is notarized, the formalities will bepleted.¡±

    In the Grand Lake Vi area, Ah Cai personally handed over the documents that Dongfang Shuman had handed over to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°In addition, this is President Shu¡¯s personal property. It¡¯s divided into three parts. You, President Gan, and Miss Xue will each have one. Miss Xue has already signed it. These two parts belong to you and President Gan. Oh right, President Shu¡¯s personal shares only ount for 20% of Dongfang Group¡¯s shares. Miss Liuyun, if you want to rise to the top smoothly, you must also take out the will that Elder President Dongfang gave you back then...¡±

 Chapter 2030 - Demonstration (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2030: Demonstration (1)</h4>

    Grandfather¡¯s will?

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned. Back then, Elder Dongfang gave it to her in front of everyone, but he never came out again. Elder Dongfang only gave it to her when he left, but she never took it seriously, because the person in power was her father, but now...

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s situation was unknown, and Dongfang Shuman had left so suddenly. With her current qualifications, it would not be easy for her to inherit the Dongfang Group. Of course, she had to take out the will that Elder Dongfang had given her back then.

    However, that will...

    ¡°Miss Liuyun?¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not react for a moment, Ah Cai called out softly.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun came back to his senses and turned to look at Ah Cai. Ah Cai had already handed over the few documents, ¡°Take a look. If there are no problems, sign it and take it to the notary. The current situation of the Dongfang Group... Sigh, if President Shu saw this, she will definitely be extremely sad.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally understood the current situation of the Dongfang Group. However, now was not the best time for her to appear. She still needed to suppress her emotions and continue waiting.

    She took a deep breath and reached out for another document. After flipping through it briefly, her expression calmed down.

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, as for President Gan...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he will be fine, and you don¡¯t need to panic. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Dongfang Group is in such a situation, it won¡¯t be over so quickly. Just do what you need to do and watch from behind. I know what to do. You have been by Grandmother¡¯s side for many years, so you should be very clear about thepany¡¯s matters. Since Grandmother is already gone, you...¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she reached out for a pen and quickly signed her name on it. She immediately stopped speaking and suddenly raised his gaze to look at Ah Cai.

    Ah Cai also looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s starry eyes. Other than the repressed pain, there was a hint of brightness in them. What kind of optimism and determination was gathered there?

    It was not as decadent and negative as Ah Cai had thought.

    Ah Cai was a little surprised.

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, what... Do you want to say?¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not continue, Ah Cai waited for a while and finally could not help but ask.

    Dongfang Liuyun calmly withdrew her gaze. She lowered her eyebrows and looked at the document in her hand. After thinking for a moment, she continued, I want you to stay in thepany and stay by my side. Aunt Cai...¡±

    The sincere tone made Ah Cai¡¯s heart ache.

    ¡°You¡¯ve stayed by Grandmother¡¯s side for many years. You should be enjoying your life at this time. It¡¯s not appropriate for me to speak like this.¡±

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, please don¡¯t say that. I didn¡¯t do anything. I¡¯ve only done my duty these years. I¡¯ve always treated President Shu as my own senior and even my respected mother. Without President Shu¡¯s appreciation, I wouldn¡¯t be where I am today. Back then, I also followed her from the Shu family, I...¡±

    ¡°The Dongfang family owes you too much, and also Aunt. Alright, Aunt Cai, now that Grandmother is gone, you should take a break. Just pretend that I did not bring that up.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at the silver strands of hair on Ah Cai¡¯s temples and suddenly took a deep breath. She could not bear to do so, so she took back her words and handed the signed document to Ah Cai¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯ve signed it. After you¡¯re done with these things, you¡¯ll be free. Have a good rest. You¡¯ve been tired these past few years. Thank you for your contributions to the Dongfang family.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, Ah Cai¡¯s heart suddenly tightened. She was stunned for a while before reaching out to receive the document from Dongfang Liuyun.

    A smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent face. Suddenly, she bent down slightly and pulled open the drawer under the coffee table. She took out a check and handed it to Ah Cai.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to give you. Take this. I think Grandmother would want me to do the same. Find a quiet and leisurely ce to do some small business and live the rest of your life well. You are alone, and your family is not by your side. You must need this.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes were full of concern.

    ¡°No, Miss Liuyun, I can¡¯t take it. I have enough savings. All these years, President Shu has not been harsh on me. Thank you.¡± Ah Cai quickly refused.

    Dongfang Liuyun just stuffed the check into her hand. Her arms supported his knees, and she looked at her sideways. ¡°Consider it my thanks to Aunt Cai for taking care of us all these years.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Missus, your medicine is ready. Drink it while it¡¯s hot.¡±

    At this moment, Ah Cai was about to say something when Sis Wang¡¯s voice sounded. Ah Cai looked over and saw Sis Wang walking towards Dongfang Liuyun with a bowl of ck medicine.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at it and frowned slightly. ¡°Is it necessary to drink this every day?¡±

    The taste was very strong. Dongfang Liuyun drank it a few times and felt a little afraid.

    ¡°Missus, just bear with it. For the Little Master in your belly, your body is a little weak. Doctor Wang said that you need to take good care of yourself for the first three months. You can¡¯t be too worn out! Otherwise, when Masteres back and sees that you lost weight, his heart will ache.¡±

    Sis Wang smiled and handed the medicine over.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her hand to rub the space between her brows. She felt a little helpless, but she did not refuse and reached out to take it. She frowned and drank it in a few mouthfuls. Sis Wang quickly passed her a cup of warm water.

    Dongfang Liuyun also drank a few mouthfuls before she could suppress the bitterness in her mouth.

    She was very clear about her current situation. Qi Lei was not around, and it was the same situation. If she did not cherish it, she would copse.

    ¡°Miss Liuyun... You... You¡¯re pregnant?¡±

    At this moment, Ah Cai looked at Dongfang Liuyun in shock.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment, then nodded. She reached out and touched her t stomach in a daze, ¡°It came at the wrong time, but I think it¡¯s the best gift God has given me. I want it to grow up without any worries, so it sympolises hope. What do you think?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt that the situation was not that bad¡ª

    Because, she was not alone now. At least, she had his child, and he would definitelye back!

    Ah Cai was stunned and looked at Dongfang Liuyun in a daze. After a moment, a smile suddenly appeared on her face. ¡°That¡¯s great! Miss Liuyun, if President Shu knew about this news, she would definitely have been very happy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also smiled indifferently.

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, don¡¯t worry. I will continue to stay in the Dongfang Group. I think President Shu would have definitely wanted me to do the same. I will do my best to tide over this difficult situation with you. Take care!¡±

 Chapter 2031 - Demonstration (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2031: Demonstration (2)</h4>

    In the end, Ah Cai decided to stay.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Ah Cai in surprise, but she did not say anything. She only softly said ¡®thank you¡¯.

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, thepany is in such a situation now. Miss Rou¡¯er¡¯s performance is very satisfactory. If Vice President Ren¡¯s momentum falls, it¡¯s not impossible for him to switch to supporting Miss Rou¡¯er. Moreover, the odds are very high. After all, the Jin family has provided a lot of help in this crisis. On this point, Vice President Yi can¡¯tpare.¡±

    Ah Cai analyzed the situation of thepany to Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°In addition, Miss Xue has always maintained a neutral attitude and did not express any opinions during the meeting. I think she should have some considerations in her heart. You have to be careful about this matter. If Miss Rou¡¯er takes the opportunity, your side will be very passive... even if you hold the shares of thepany, at such a critical juncture, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to hold on. Not to mention, the situation on brother-inw¡¯s side is like this...¡±

    During this period of time, Ah Cai was naturally very clear about the situation of the Dongfang Group. She was also secretly worried for Dongfang Liuyun because she could not think of how Dongfang Liuyun woulde forward to solve this problem. Inparison, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side was definitely at a disadvantage.

    ¡°So, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s victory is now in her hands?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes slightly, and her tone was naturally still a little light.

    Ah Cai¡¯s expression, however, was very solemn.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. I keep feeling that she has a n in mind this time. A while ago, I heard that Vice President Ren and President Yi are very concerned about the issue of the mineral vein. Moreover, they have also put in a lot of effort in private. If any one of them can solve this problem, then the chances of victory will be very high. This is also the reason why President Gan ced so much importance on this issue previously. He even went to Myanmar personally. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t expect...¡±

    At the end of her sentence, a worried look appeared on Ah Cai¡¯s face. President Gan is in a bad situation right now. Miss Liuyun, you still need to make more ns.¡±

    ¡°Has Aunt been going to thepany for the past few days?¡±

    Instead of answering Ah Cai¡¯s question, Dongfang Liuyun asked this question.

    ¡°Miss Xue has been going to thepany a few days back, but she hasn¡¯t been there for the past two days. She asked for leave from the human resources department and said that she was not feeling well. She asked for leave for two days.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun heard this and frowned. She turned her head to look at Ah Cai. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to be staying at the Dongfang old mansion either, right?¡±

    ¡°No, Miss Xue¡¯s previous private vi has been renovated. Other than staying at the Dongfang old mansion for the past few days, Miss Xue spent the rest of her time in her private vi. After all, she will stay in City Z for the rest of her life. It was also President Shu who hired someone to decorate it ording to Miss Xue¡¯s style.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and lowered her head thoughtfully. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°I got it. Alright, you go ahead and do what you need to do. I need to go to the hospital.¡±

    They did not know when Dongfang Gan would wake up. She had been worried all this while. They finally heard that his condition was stable, so she felt slightly relieved.

    ...

    After Ah Cai left, Dongfang Liuyun drove to the hospital.

    In a high-ss ward of Hospital T.

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked into the ward, she saw Song Siting who was guarding Dongfang Gan¡¯s bed.

    After a few days, Dongfang Shuman¡¯s funeral had been arranged in the middle. Song Siting looked a little tired now. She had lost a lot of weight, and her brows were full of anxiety and worry.

    ¡°Mother, you should go back and rest. I¡¯ll be fine as long as I¡¯m here.¡±

    Seeing the haggard look on Song Siting¡¯s face, she could not bear to say this.

    ¡°Why are you here? You¡¯re still pregnant, you can¡¯t be too exhausted. Also, you shoulde to the hospital less often.¡±

    Song Siting looked at Dongfang Liuyun, and her eyes showed some gentleness.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Didn¡¯t Father wake up?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at the bed and saw that Dongfang Gan still had no reaction. He seemed to be a little weak.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up sincest time. The doctor said he¡¯s fine, but he needs to rest and his condition is stable. He should be able to wake up in two days.¡±

    As Song Siting spoke, she reached out to help pull up Dongfang Gan¡¯s nket, ¡°Your father has never suffered like this. I... Sometimes, I really hope that he doesn¡¯t have to suffer so much. All these years, I have never seen him rx. He has worked day and night, yet he still has to be schemed against like this.¡±

    As Song Siting spoke, a hint of anxiety appeared on her face.

    ¡°They all have responsibilities that they need to take on. They can¡¯t be saints. You don¡¯t have to think too much. I¡¯ve already arranged for two special guards. You¡¯ve been tired enough these few days. Rest well. There are a lot of things to do at thepany. I can¡¯t take care of too many things at once. You have to take care of yourself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun said this, but she did not know if it was meant as concern.

    Song Siting nodded, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Leave your father¡¯s side to me. You can go do your own things. As for Qi Lei¡¯s matter, I¡¯ve also instructed some of the detectives I know to help look for him. You¡¯re not alone now, so you have to take care of yourself. At this time, we can¡¯t think too much. We can only take things one step at a time. Your Father is fine. You and Qi Lei are fine. I¡¯m satisfied.¡±

    Song Siting had changed a lot. At this time, Dongfang Liuyun could see some concern in her.

    After a moment of silence, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly reached out and grabbed Song Siting¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. Everything will be fine. Go back and rest first. I¡¯ll apany dad today. Come back tomorrow. I¡¯ve already asked Secretary Ding to wait outside.¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Go back and wash up properly. Sleep well ande back early tomorrow.¡± Dongfang Liuyun insisted.

    At this moment, Song Siting could only nod and give a few instructions before going back.

    The ward instantly fell silent. Dongfang Liuyun walked to the window and pulled the curtains aside. The weak light also prated in and the room instantly became much brighter.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun did not expect that she would run into Su Chen and Ji Zitong. They were in the corridor of Hospital T.

    ¡°You seem to have lost a lot of weight. Even in such a situation, you have to take care of yourself. Ah Chen has already sent Ah Quan over. Qi Lei is a good person. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    Su Chen looked at Dongfang Liuyun with concern at the bottom of the corridor.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern. I also believe that he will return safely.¡±

    Dongfang liuyun replied, ¡°Zhou Zimo¡¯s wedding is soon, right? I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s nothing I can do to help.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been busy sending invitations these past two days. It should be sent to you soon. There¡¯s no need to be polite. Qi Lei is our brother. If there¡¯s anything you need, just let us know. We¡¯ll do our best.¡±

 Chapter 2032 - Demonstration (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2032: Demonstration (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and nodded gratefully¡ª

    ¡°Yes, I know. I won¡¯t be stingy with asking. It¡¯s his fortune to have known you guys. However, he¡¯s always had a hard life. I can¡¯t do anything for him when I want to share something with him. It¡¯s my fault...¡±

    Hearing that, Su Chen smiled. ¡°Qi Lei didn¡¯t marry you to do anything for him. You can be rest assured. Qi Lei has changed a lot in the past two years. He¡¯s a good husband.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know what to say.

    ¡°Is your father better?¡±

    Su Chen did not forget to care about Dongfang Gan¡¯s condition.

    ¡°His condition has stabilized and he should be able to wake up soon. I was just asking the doctor about his condition and then I met you guys,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Zitong has been running a fever for the past two days and the weather has turned cold. She can¡¯t take any medicine or injections so she¡¯s a little worried, so I apanied her to take a look.¡±

    At this moment, Su Chen¡¯s sharp eyes were filled with worry.

    ¡°The temperature has changed a lot recently, and the weather¡¯s been so gloomy. You have to be more careful. Alright, I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯m worried that my dad will wake upter. Let¡¯s talk again in a few days.¡±

    Su Chen nodded. ¡°Okay, you have to take care of yourself.¡±

    He still expressed his concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun thanked him and walked forward.

    ...

    ¡°Where¡¯s Liuyun?¡±

    When Ji Zitong came out of the consultation room, she saw Su Chen sitting on the bench and asked in surprise.

    Su Chen quickly stood up and went forward to support her.

    ¡°She¡¯s gone back. Her father needs to be looked after. What did the doctor say? What should we pay attention to?¡±

    Su Chen looked at Ji Zitong nervously.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Actually, we¡¯re almost there. You¡¯re the only one who insisted oning over to take a look.¡±

    Ji Zitong gave him a sideways nce.

    As her belly slowly grew, he became nervous. He usually workedte or had a lot of social engagements, but he had been going to and from work on time these past few months. He pushed off social engagements whenever he could and spent most of his time at home with her. He was worried that she would be bored alone and even thought of ways to get her to go out for a walk. Ji Zitong had been living a happy life these days.

    She did not expect Su Chen, who looked serious and decent, to be so attentive when it came to taking care of others.

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of health. You can¡¯t ck off.¡± Su Chen responded as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and walked forward.

    ¡°Do you like boys or girls? I was just about to ask the doctor about the gender of the baby.¡±

    Ji Zitong thought for a moment and suddenly turned to look at him.

    ¡°No need to ask. It¡¯ll be a surprise when we find out. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a boy or a girl. As long as it¡¯s ours, it¡¯ll definitely be a good baby.¡±

    Su Chen did like girls, but a boy did not seem too bad. Anyway, she gave birth to it, so he would definitely like it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be able to see it next year.¡±

    Ji Zitong¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation.

    Before this, her rtionship with Su Chen had always been so calm. However, ever since she got pregnant, Su Chen had be more considerate and took good care of her. Furthermore, the two of them got along better, although it was not as passionate as before, she was still very satisfied with the time they had spent together.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Chen replied. Seeing the look of anticipation in her eyes, he continued, ¡°Your health has been poor for the past two days, so I¡¯ll bring you to Meishan when you feel better after a few days of rest. I heard that the plum blossoms there are blooming quite well. City Z is not like the cities in the north, but it can still catch up to the time when the cold plum blossoms are blooming.¡±

    Su Chen was not too romantic. The only thing he could think of was to bring her out to rx.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy these days? It¡¯s the end of the year.¡± Ji Zitong asked.

    Su Chen tightened his grip on her shoulder and nced at her, ¡°I¡¯m making time. I¡¯ll have to work overtime in a few days. I have a lot of things to deal with at the end of the year. I might have to make a trip to City C next week. I¡¯ll be busy for a day or two. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll feel stifled at home, so I¡¯ll let you have some fun.¡±

    ¡°Zimo¡¯s wedding ising up soon. You...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can make it back in time. If you¡¯re bored, you can go find Xiaye. As for Liuyun, there¡¯s nothing we can do, but it¡¯s good to check in on them once in a while.¡±

    Su Chen suddenly thought of Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s right. It hasn¡¯t been easy for the two of them.¡±

    Ji Zitong naturally knew about Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s situation.

    ¡°What would easy look like? Qi Lei didn¡¯t receive much favor from the heavens.¡±

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make wild guesses!¡±

    Before Ji Zitong could finish her sentence, Su Chen had already seriously interrupted her. His sharp gaze swept across her, and Ji Zitong could see a hint of worry in it.

    She felt a little wronged, but Ji Zitong also knew that she had said something that she shouldn¡¯t have said.

    ¡°I... I just...¡±

    ¡°Okay, forget it, it¡¯s my bad attitude! I¡¯ll send you back first. I have a meeting at the headquarterster.¡±

    Su Chen eased up a little and felt a little apologetic.

    ¡°Oh, okay. Everyone will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, President Gan is awake!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had just returned to the door of the ward when he saw the special nurse with a happy expression.

    ¡°The doctor hase over to check on him and said that he is fine. However, his body is still very weak and he needs to rest for a long time.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tensed little face eased up a little when she heard this. She quickly quickened her pace and walked into the ward.

    In the ward, Dongfang Gan was lying against the headboard of the bed. He looked very weak and very quiet. A special nurse was pouring water for him, but he did not react.

    ¡°Father... you¡¯re awake!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun hurriedly went over, and her heart suddenly felt a little sour.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Hearing his daughter¡¯s voice, Dongfang Gan finally recovered from his silence. He raised his gaze and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw the exhausted Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re awake. We were all worried! How are you feeling now? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun held Dongfang Gan¡¯srge hands and asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Where¡¯s Qi Lei? Is there any news about Qi Lei?¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes were filled with anxiety as he asked immediately.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment before she recovered. She took the water from the nurse and gestured for her to leave. Then, she sat down on a chair at the side.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Father, don¡¯t worry. Take care of your health first and drink some water,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said this, but was Dongfang Gan not a sharp person too?

    He could immediately see the gloomy look on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face¡ª

 Chapter 2033 - Demonstration (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2033: Demonstration (4)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s silence revealed a lot of information.

    Dongfang Gan naturally knew his own daughter best.

    Thest time he woke up, Dongfang Gan only had time to ask Dongfang Liuyun to save Qi Lei. He did not have time to exin the specific situation either. Looking at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction now, it was likely that the news was not great.

    ¡°Did you not find him?¡± Dongfang Gan asked in a deep voice.

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and handed the water in her hand over. Dongfang Gan epted it, but his gaze was still on her face.

    ¡°I sent many people to look for him, but there¡¯s still no news from him. Father, what happened to you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s uneasiness in his eyes made Dongfang Gan¡¯s heart ache.

    ¡°Liuyun, I¡¯ve let you down. Qi Lei was there because of me... when the riot happened, I was indeed nearby. I didn¡¯t expect it to happen so suddenly. I originally nned to discuss the signing of the contract with the client, but the other party reneged on it that night. The signing of the contract wasn¡¯tpleted. Then, the middleman introduced another new mine. I nned to take a look personally and inspect it. Then, I ran into this whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Actually, in the past, I already felt that there was something fishy going on. I vaguely sensed that someone had set me up, so I asked Ah Fei to stay behind and bring a few people over myself. Later, when the riot happened, I was also taken hostage by those people, but I...¡±

    ¡°The whole thing was premeditated from the beginning. It was just that someone seized the opportunity in time and utilised the riot!¡±

    Before Dongfang Gan could finish his sentence, Dongfang Liuyun had already added on.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I wanted to escape, but there were quite a number of them. They were all fugitives. A few of them who were caught with me were killed on the spot because they escaped. If it wasn¡¯t for my identity, I think it would be difficult for them to escape this fate.¡±

    Dongfang Gan still had lingering fear when he mentioned this.

    ¡°How did Qi Lei find you then?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. I remember that someone said that it wasn¡¯t safe to stay there because the information had been leaked. We had to move ces, so that night, we were chased onto a ship and moved overnight. I didn¡¯t want to run into the patrol police when we were moving past Sancha Bay. The thugs were in chaos and immediately opened fire on the police. Qi Lei should have been nearby at the time. I think he must havee with the police. The dozen or so patrol officers were no match for the thugs. It didn¡¯t take long for them to be taken care of. The boat changed direction and headed northwest. Then, we ran into Qi Lei on the narrow road ahead... he should have been waiting there...¡±

    At this point, Dongfang Gan¡¯s expression suddenly turned silent. His ck eyes were filled with pain...

    ¡°When the two boats collided, I finally saw the person who suddenly pulled me into the water. I was already shot. When we jumped into the water, we were discovered by those people and shot at us. It¡¯s my fault for not moving fast enough. Qi Lei was shot then, in the chest. When he fell, the surrounding water was dyed red. I wanted to pull him back, but I had no strength. I just watched him sink to the bottom of the river...¡±

    Before Dongfang Gan could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a burning sensation on the back of his hand. It was so hot that it felt like it was about to burn. He focused his eyes on it and realized that Dongfang Liuyun...

    ¡°Father, do you think he¡¯ll make it out alive?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could no longer listen to him. Her hoarse voice was heard and she did not raise her head to look at Dongfang Gan.

    Dongfang Gan was silent...

    Dongfang Liuyun finally covered her face with her hands as if she was on the verge of breaking down...

    Dongfang Gan watched silently. There was guilt, pain, and sadness on his face...

    However, he did not know what he could say now.

    ¡°He won¡¯t leave just like that. I can feel that he¡¯s still here. He must still be here. Father... since someone saved you, someone must have saved him too. There were so many people there at that time. Someone must have seen him fall into the water. He knows how to swim. Perhaps he swam to the shore by himself? It¡¯s possible that the fishermen nearby would have gone back. Father, say something, could that be the case?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun tried hard to think of all kinds of possibilities, but seeing Dongfang Gan¡¯s silent face, she felt the temperature in her heart cool down bit by bit.

    ¡°Calm down, Liuyun! I don¡¯t know what possibilities exist. As long as he¡¯s not found yet, it means that there¡¯s still hope.¡±

    Dongfang Gan took a deep breath, and his eyes turned slightly red.

    Dongfang Liuyun clenched her fists. After a while, she raised her hand to wipe away the remaining tears in the corner of her eyes. ¡°Father, do you have any guesses who did this?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°If anything happens to Qi Lei, I¡¯ll definitely send him to hell!¡±

    ¡°Calm down. The situation isn¡¯t clear yet, and I can only guess some possibilities. He knows my whereabouts and purpose like the back of his hand. He must be an insider. How are your mother and your grandmother?¡±

    Dongfang Gan changed the topic.

    ¡°Grandmother...¡±

    Hearing Dongfang Gan ask about Dongfang Shuman, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart suddenly tightened.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Before I left, I know that your grandmother was not in great health. A few days ago, I called her and she didn¡¯t want to pick up. She must still be ming me and your mother.¡±

    Dongfang Gan did not know that Dongfang Shuman had passed away. Now that he brought this up, there was clearly a hint of helplessness in his tone.

    However, the truth at this moment made one feel extremely pained.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s indifferent lips moved, but she could not say a word for a long time.

    ¡°Is she doing very poorly?¡±

    Dongfang Gan saw Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s reaction and felt anxious. He coughed a few times and affected his wound. His face immediately turned pale.

    ¡°Father, how are you feeling?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not care about anything and quickly helped him up.

    Dongfang Gan raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What happened to your grandmother?¡±

    ¡°Grandmother¡¯s passed away, the funeral has just ended.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said in a daze. Her voice was inevitably tinged with sobs.

    ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    Dongfang Qian widened his eyes in disbelief and stared at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Too many things happened while you were unconscious. Father, if you didn¡¯t wake up, Mother and I might not be able to hold on any longer... Grandmother passed away, she had been very weak to begin with. The doctor had already said that she might not be able tost through this year. It¡¯s just that Grandmother didn¡¯t tell us...¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said these words, Dongfang Gan fell into silence again. He looked a little absent-minded. He did not hear what Dongfang Liuyun said after that. Even after Dongfang Liuyun called out a few times, he did not feel anything...

    Dongfang Liuyun did not disturb him any further and quietly left the ward. She only asked the special nurse to take care of him at all times.

 Chapter 2034 - Demonstration (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2034: Demonstration (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Gan woke up, and Dongfang Liuyun heaved a sigh of relief.

    Originally, she had nned to stay at the hospital to apany Dongfang Gan tonight, but Song Siting was still worried when she returned home. She simply changed her clothes, ate some food, and rested for a while before rushing over again.

    Dongfang Liuyun was too embarrassed to disturb the couple. After giving some instructions, she also left the hospital.

    When she came out of the hospital, it was a lively night.

    Dongfang Liuyun drove through the bustling streets and rushed back to the Grand Lake Vi area. Unexpectedly, she met an uninvited guest at the entrance of the Vi area.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er?

    Why was she here?

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned as she looked at the figure parked beside the car. Dongfang Rou¡¯er slowly turned her head and looked at Dongfang Liuyun in the car...

    Dongfang Liuyun slowed down behind and parked the car by the side of the road.

    Such a night was naturally very cold. The moment Dongfang Liuyun got out of the car, she felt a bone-chilling chill in the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not easy to wait for you. Aren¡¯t you going to invite me to your home?¡±

    Seeing Dongfang Liuyun get out of the car, Dongfang Rou¡¯er smiled.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s calm gaze scanned her from head to toe. When she saw that the teahouse was still open, she walked over.

    ¡°There¡¯s no one at home to make dinner. I¡¯m just hungry. Do you want toe along?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure had already walked past her.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s brows sank. As she looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s back, the corners of her mouth curled into a cold smile. However, she followed after her.

    There were not many guests in the teahouse, but the decorations were simple and elegant.

    At this moment, there were naturally peopleing over to drink tea. City Z was in the south, and many people here liked to drink tea. After meals, they also liked to invite some friends over for tea, gathering, and some snacks.

    Dongfang Liuyun found a quiet corner and sat down. She ordered some snacks, side dishes, and a pot of chrysanthemum tea.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also sat down across her.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. Dongfang Rou¡¯er was constantly sizing up Dongfang Liuyun. She did not miss the tiredness and sleepiness between her brows. Furthermore, in a short period of time, she looked a lot more haggard. Of course, she had also lost a lot of weight.

    However, she could feel that the aura that she exuded still made her feel a little stifled.

    The situation in thepany these few days was very serious, but Dongfang Liuyun never showed up in thepany. Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not know what was going on with Dongfang Liuyun, but since Dongfang Gan and Qi Lei were like that, she was probably not in a good state either.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. She just tilted her head and silently looked at the street outside. Only when the waiter served tea and snacks did she turn around and thank him.

    ¡°Fourth Sister looks very haggard. It seems that Third Uncle and Brother-inw¡¯s misfortune has made Fourth Sister very sad. However, this is fate. Fourth Sister should take care of yourself.¡±

    Seeing that Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything, Dongfang Rou¡¯er fell silent for a moment and said this.

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was drinking tea, stopped what she was doing. She raised her gaze and looked at her calmly. ¡°Third Uncle and Brother-inw¡¯s misfortune? How do you know about their misfortune?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze was very cold, causing Dongfang Rou¡¯er to tremble slightly.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression froze. Looking at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze, she was still a littlecking in confidence, but thinking about her current situation...

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er felt a wave of ridicule in her heart.

    At this time, what was the point of pretending!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it reported in the newspapers? Third Uncle is unconscious, and Brother-inw is missing. I saw the situation in Myanmar, and it¡¯s most likely a disaster. Fourth Sister hasn¡¯t even been going to office for a while now, isn¡¯t that enough to exin the problem?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s tone carried a hint of a smile, ¡°Fourth Sister is a member of our Dongfang family, after all. Third Uncle had such an incident, and Grandmother left abruptly. You know the impact of this on thepany, but you turned a blind eye and didn¡¯t even take thepany¡¯s situation to heart. This is really chilling. The shareholders are really not satisfied with Fourth Sister¡¯s performance.¡±

    ¡°And Fourth Sister, you also know that thepany doesn¡¯t support useless people. Now that Third Uncle is in such a situation and Grandmother is no longer around, thepany needs someone to support it, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun finally understood the purpose of Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s visit today. It was no other than to show off to her, right?

    ¡°You mean, you can turn thepany from danger to safety?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a faint smile.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also picked up her tea and took a sip. She smiled and said, ¡°Turning thepany from danger to safety will take some time, but under such circumstances, Ah Sheng and I can at least try our best to stabilize thepany. Otherwise, what can Fourth Sister do?¡±

    ¡°Even so, what can we do? You are also a part of thepany, a part of the Dongfang family. Isn¡¯t this what you should do? I think it¡¯s more appropriate for you to talk to your father about this. At the very least, you can let him know that his daughter has married into a powerful husband¡¯s family. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes and looked at her indifferently.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes flickered. She lowered her eyes and smiled, ¡°Fourth Sister, it¡¯s really not very good to fool me like this. With the Dongfang Group in such a state, do you think the Jin family would be a fool to lend a helping hand for no reason? In business, there are always profits and benefits. Fourth Sister should understand this, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment, but she already understood something. However, she only looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in silence.

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er also continued, ¡°You should be very clear about the current situation of the Dongfang Group. The stock market has plunged. If we don¡¯t rescue them in time, I¡¯m afraid... Fourth Sister is a smart person. There aren¡¯t many people who can truly help us. After all, the situation is so terrible.¡±

    The corners of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth curled into a cold smile. ¡°So that¡¯s the case. So? What conditions do you all want to offer before you are willing to help?¡±

    Once Dongfang Liuyun said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er immediatelyughed softly. ¡°I already said that Fourth Sister is a smart person, immediately seeing the crux of the problem. It¡¯s not tiring at all to talk to you.¡±

    The smile on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s lips became colder and colder.

    ¡°The Jin family has expressed their stance. It¡¯s fine to ask them to help, but I hope that Third Uncle and Fourth Sister can show some sincerity.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What kind of sincerity do they want?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was interested.

    ¡°Five percent of Third Uncle¡¯s shares...¡±

 Chapter 2035 - Provocation

    <h4>Chapter 2035: Provocation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er indifferently.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er also looked at her calmly.

    A momentter, a smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face. She put down the teacup in her hand and slowly leaned back against the chair behind her. Her tone was very calm.

    ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er, do you think I look like a fool?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression froze for a moment before she replied, ¡°No, I think Fourth Sister is a smart person.¡±

    As soon as she said that, Dongfang Liuyun immediatelyughed out loud¡ª

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, do you think that I would agree to a question that even a fool would not agree to? Don¡¯t forget, the Dongfang Group is not just apany under me and my father. Your father is also involved. If you want toe over to negotiate terms, you should be looking for your father. You¡¯re thinking too much of yourself if you want to fight for the shares in my father¡¯s hands like this.¡±

    Hearing this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er immediately sank and then sneered, ¡°Fourth Sister, why do you have to struggle like this? I¡¯m afraid that Third Uncle can¡¯t even protect himself now. I¡¯m just concerned about you so that you won¡¯t get nothingter! Third Uncle couldn¡¯t even solve the issue of the mine in Myanmar. The shareholders are very dissatisfied with him now! With Grandmother gone, thepany¡¯s shares will have to be redistributed, right?¡±

    ¡°Thepany¡¯s shares need to be redistributed? Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Fourth Sister, Grandmother didn¡¯t make a will. Moreover, Grandmother was very dissatisfied with you before. Now that Grandmother has passed away, shouldn¡¯t the shares in her hands be distributed equally? To tell you the truth, thepany¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting has already decided to elect a new President. Do you really think that you can sit safely in the position of the person in charge? Stop dreaming!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at Dongfang Liuyun with a look that said they were happy about their misfortunes. ¡°Moreover, what qualifications and abilities do you have to inherit the entirepany now?¡±

    ¡°You sound so certain? Even if my father is injured and cannot continue to take over thepany, it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s up to any of you, right? Didn¡¯t your father and the others all read Grandfather¡¯s will? All the shares under his name belong to me. Wouldn¡¯t it be an easy matter for me to take over thepany?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er suddenly smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of any will. Third Uncle took over thepany because Grandmother was unwell and allowed Third Uncle to temporarily act as thepany¡¯s president. Furthermore, didn¡¯t Grandmothere out to take over thepanyter on? What will? I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Rou¡¯er said this, a sh of inspiration shed through Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mind.

    Such a matter of denying the will was not that simple, right?

    Dongfang Liuyun remembered that it was precisely because of that will that Dongfang Gan was able to smoothly take over thepany. Now...

    Unless, they really thought that the will no longer existed?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s starry eyes froze. She could not help but stare intently at Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Looking at how confident she was, her gaze gradually turned cold.

    ¡°Alright! I won¡¯t say anymore. You should weigh it properly yourself. Don¡¯t me me for not reminding you. We are sisters. Fourth Sister, you should do what is best for you.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at Dongfang Liuyun with a sneer¡ª

    Dongfang Liuyun, I want to see how you can turn the tables this time!

    Without waiting for Dongfang Liuyun to reply, Dongfang Rou¡¯er had already left.

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her gaze away and looked outside. Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s figure was gradually moving further and further away.

    She sat quietly for a long time until the tea in the teacup in her hand became cold. Then, she slowly retracted her gaze and lowered her head, silently eating her snacks.

    After a long time, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

    The person on the other end quickly picked up.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s me. I want to talk to you.¡±

    The phone call was to Dongfang Xue.

    Dongfang Xue was silent for a moment before she replied, ¡°Come to my ce tomorrow morning and have breakfast with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    ¡°How is your father?¡±

    Dongfang Xue was still quite concerned about Dongfang Gan. Over the years, she had helped him a lot.

    ¡°He has already woken up. He is a little dispirited after hearing the news of Grandmother¡¯s death. Give him some time to ept it. Too many things have happened recently and even I can¡¯t bear it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that he¡¯s awake. Your Grandmother has already passed away, so he has to ept this fact.¡±

    Dongfang Xue had actually known about Dongfang Shuman¡¯s physical condition a long time ago, so she was not too surprised to see Dongfang Shuman suddenly pass away.

    That was because she also knew that such a day woulde sooner orter.

    ¡°Mmm, my mother has been apanying him. Let him calm down. His body is still very weak, and the doctor said that he needs to rest for a period of time.¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was also tinged with fatigue.

    As for Dongfang Xue, Dongfang Liuyun did not have any prejudice against her.

    Perhaps it was because of the words that Dongfang Shuman said before she died, and Dongfang Xue had also promised it. Dongfang Xue could not tell the kind of feelings she had in her heart at this moment, these few days had been cold and quiet.

    These few days, when the cold wave came, she could not withstand the cold weather. She caught a cold and had a high fever for the past two days. This morning, it finally managed to subside.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll get better if all is fine.¡± Dongfang Xue said this, but she did not know if it was a constion.

    ¡°Thank you, Aunt.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun wanted to trust this auntpletely because she wanted to bet on Dongfang Xue¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Alright, see you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Dongfang Liuyun heaved a sigh of relief.

    From what Dongfang Rou¡¯er had just said, it was likely that thepany would hold a shareholders¡¯ meeting in the next few days. After all, the current situation of the Dongfang Group looked terrible to outsiders.

    If it was as she had expected, then Dongfang Ren should side with Dongfang Rou¡¯er tomorrow. Moreover, the Jin family would do their best to help at this time, so it was very likely that Dongfang Rou¡¯er would be the person sitting in that position. Furthermore, since Dongfang Rou¡¯er dared to be so sure, she must have a trump card.

    After thinking for a long time, she finally gave Wang Chun a call.

    ¡°Missus?¡±

    Wang Chun picked up quickly.

    ¡°Hello, Vice President Wang Chun. I¡¯m sorry to trouble you sote at night,¡± Dongfang Liuyun apologized.

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re too courteous! Did something happen?¡± Wang Chun asked.

    ¡°I want to prove my guess about the fire at De Bao House. Please help me thoroughly investigate whether Dongfang Rou¡¯er has anything to do with Mr. Ge. Also, investigate Mr. Ge, Fujiwara, and Inoue¡¯s home...¡± Dongfang Liuyun instructed calmly.

    Wang Chun was stunned for a moment, but he did not ask anything after that. He said immediately, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Missus. I¡¯m already investigating Mr. Ge. I¡¯ll send someone to investigate Dongfang Rou¡¯er right now.¡±

 Chapter 2036 - A Pain That Can Breath (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2036: A Pain That Can Breath (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next morning, Dongfang Liuyun got up very early and went straight to Tai Yu Corporation. After observing Tai Yu Corporation and the Dongfang Group¡¯s stock market, she arranged everything and drove to Dongfang Xue¡¯s ce.

    When she arrived, Dongfang Xue was already up. She was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine while waiting for Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you all morning. Have you had breakfast?¡±

    Dongfang Xue poured her a cup of hot water and her gazended on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s stomach.

    Actually, she had already heard from Ah Cai that Dongfang Liuyun was pregnant. Furthermore, Ah Cai had called her to plead for her help to tide over this crisis.

    To be honest, Dongfang Xue¡¯s rtionship with this niece was not that deep. From what she remembered, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s personality was also rather withdrawn. She was very quiet, but she was very capable and outstanding, he was somewhat simr to the Elder Dongfang who had already passed away.

    When her father, Elder Dongfang, was still alive, he had doted on this granddaughter of his. That was why he ignored everyone¡¯s objections and let Dongfang Liuyun take over the Dongfang Group in the future.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally had to bear a lot of responsibility. In fact, she also felt a little sympathy for this niece. She was so young, yet she had to bear such a big responsibility, just like her father, Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°I got up early and went to thepany, so I¡¯ve had breakfast,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Xue retracted her gaze and continued to read the magazine in her hand. ¡°You came over because you wanted to talk to me about thepany, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not conceal her answer.

    ¡°Internal and external problems. Dongfang Group is currently in a precarious situation. I can¡¯t do anything about it. You¡¯re probably looking to the wrong person by looking for me. Perhaps it¡¯s better if you go look for them,¡± Dongfang Xue said indifferently.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to look for them. I¡¯ve always been hiding behind the scenes, but it doesn¡¯t mean that they¡¯ll really let me go.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun recalled the scene where Dongfang Rou¡¯er came looking for her yesterday, and the corners of her mouth could not help but curl into a self-mocking smile.

    Dongfang Xue turned her head to nce at her, taking in the expression on her face. ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked for you?¡±

    Dongfang Xue was also a very smart person, so she immediately guessed it.

    A smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face¡ª

    ¡°As expected, nothing can be hidden from Aunt.¡±

    ¡°Why did she look for you?¡±

    Dongfang Xue narrowed her eyes and gave Dongfang Liuyun a sideways nce.

    Dongfang Liuyun lowered his head and drank a mouthful of water. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, ¡°She dug a hole for me to jump into and asked the Jin family to help, but she asked me to pay the bill.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, they really have their own ns.¡±

    Dongfang xue sneered, ¡°Rou¡¯er is trying to climb up on her own.¡±

    ¡°Her ambitions have always been big. She¡¯s been thinking of how to to trample me under her feet for a while now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled indifferently, ¡°Sometimes, I really don¡¯t want to get involved with these things.¡±

    ¡°If she wants to climb up to that position just based on these things, it would be too wishful thinking. Your uncle¡¯s attitude is very important, but I think if he is more open-minded and takes a step back, it would be hard to say about your Second Uncle¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this is the benefit of a marriage alliance with the Jin family.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not speak, her eyes were a little silent.

    ¡°I came over because there is only one thing I want to ask Aunt for help, I wonder if Aunt...¡±

    ¡°What is it, you can say it.¡±

    Dongfang Xue was very straightforward.

    ¡°I hope Aunt can always maintain this stance and not waver. If Aunt wants the Dongfang Group, I can also...¡±

    ¡°I understand!¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish his sentence, Dongfang Xue had already cut her off. Her beautiful eyes shone faintly as she looked at Dongfang liuyun, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promised your grandmother that I would do my best to help you take control of Dongfang Group. I know what I should do.¡±

    ¡°Now that Elder Brother is injured, Qi Lei... And your health is also at stake. For the time being, don¡¯t stand out and let them fight amongst themselves. Although Dongfang Rou¡¯er isn¡¯t weak, don¡¯t forget what kind of person Dongfang Xin is. Your Second Uncle isn¡¯t an ordinary person either. I¡¯m very gratified that you can think of avoiding him. At least, it proves that you¡¯re a very intelligent and farsighted person.¡±

    Dongfang Xue did not want to make any more guesses. Saying it all aloud might be better.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not expect Dongfang Xue to say this. Instead, she stared at her in a daze for a long time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital to see your father in the afternoon. Your body is different from before, take care of yourself. You have a lot of things to worry about. You¡¯ll have to let others help you share some of the burden.¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not describe this feeling. At this moment, facing Dongfang Xue, she felt that she could trust her. As for the previous estrangement, it did not seem to have such a deep impact.

    ...

    The facts proved that Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s guess was right. The internal conflicts within Dongfang Group were getting more and more intense. Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s voice was loud as she became the acting president. With the Jin family¡¯s help, Dongfang Group¡¯s stock market had eased up a little.

    However, Dongfang Yi¡¯s side did not fall behind. It was said that he had already found a new mine in Africa. Although the cost was a little higher, it was undoubtedly a timely help for the current situation of the Dongfang Group .

    Dongfang Xin naturally was not satisfied with Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s voice. The brother and sister argued, and Dongfang Rou¡¯er identally pushed Dongfang Xin down the stairs. Fortunately, Dongfang Xin¡¯s reaction was quick enough to grab the handrail in time, but he still sprained his ankle.

    This farce continued for a long time...

    ..

    The storm in City Z was unstable, and Dongfang Liuyun was suffering from undercurrents. Others might not be able to feel it, but someone far overseas could feel it.

    Overseas, in a vi on a private ind.

    ¡°President Wang, Qi Qiming sent someone to deliver a letter of visit!¡±

    In the luxurious and Grand Hall, a man in ck respectfully delivered the letter of visit to the sofa. On the sofa, a man was leisurely closing his eyes to rest.

    The man looked to be in his forties at first nce. He had a handsome face as smooth as jade, a tall figure, and a refined and refined temperament.

    He was Wang Xun, who had moved here from City Z more than 20 years ago.

    ¡°Tell him to get lost.¡±

    Wang Xun did not even lift his eyelids when he heard this. He coldly uttered this word.

    ¡°Yes, President Wang!¡± The man in ck respectfully replied and quickly left.

    ¡°President Wang, the tea you asked for is ready!¡±

    At this moment, a friendly voice was heard.

    Only then did Wang Xun open his silent eyes. He slowly straightened his body and looked up at the middle-aged woman in front of him. ¡°How is Xiao Lei?¡±

    ¡°President Wang, Master Lei is still not awake. The doctor said...¡±

    ¡°A bunch of trash! Can¡¯t even save a single person!¡±

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    As the furious voice fell, the sound of porcin breaking followed.

 Chapter 2037 - A Pain That Can Breath (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2037: A Pain That Can Breath (2)</h4>

    The servant was so frightened that she did not even dare to breathe. Her body trembled slightly as she retreated to the side and looked uneasily at the man who was in a rage.

    ¡°Where are the doctors? Where did those doctors go? Are they all useless?¡±

    Wang Xun was usually very gentle, and it was rare to see him lose his temper like this. Moreover, Aunt Shun had never seen their President Wang like this. In the past few days, since Master Qi Lei was rescued with injuries all over his body, his temper became more and more irritable.

    ¡°President Wang, the doctor said that Master Qi Lei¡¯s injuries were too serious and that he had a fever just now. I¡¯m worried...¡± Aunt Shun said uneasily.

    Wang Xun¡¯s elegant face became more and more furious. Before Aunt Shun could finish her words, he had already stood up and strode toward the stairs.

    Upstairs, in the luxurious and exquisite bedroom.

    In the retro-styled bed, Qi Lei was lying quietly. His face was thin and pale, and there was a thinyer of sweat on his forehead. A servant was holding a warm towel to help him wipe his sweat. His hands and body were filled with all kinds of instruments and tubes, his face was still covered with an oxygen mask, and his breathing was very weak. If he had not gone up to take a closer look, he would have suspected that he had already lost his breath when he saw that his brows were tightly knitted and his entire body was in a state of panic.

    The doctor had not left him for a while. It had been almost a month, and he had been like this.

    The high fever subsided for a day or two before it continued. The wound was close to the heart, and even the heart was damaged. If the doctor had not tried his best to save him, he would have died long ago.

    Wang Xun hurried in. The servants at the side quickly pushed him aside, and the doctor who was standing guard at the side also stepped forward with a solemn expression.

    ¡°How is he? Didn¡¯t his fever just go down yesterday? Why is he burning up again? Didn¡¯t you say that his injuries are stable? Why is his breath still so weak?¡±

    Wang Xun¡¯s eyes were already bloodshot. His hands behind his back were slightly clenched into fists, and his brows were furrowed tightly. All of this showed his unease and worry.

    ¡°President Wang, Master Qi Lei was already severely injured. It¡¯s already not easy for him to be saved. The wound is too deep, and his heart was injured. He¡¯s also in great pain. If it wasn¡¯t for his strong will to survive, I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear these words. I want you to save him now! Save him at all costs, do you hear me?!¡±

    Before the doctor could finish, Wang Xun interrupted him. There was a hint of coldness in his dark eyes. ¡°I tried my best to save him. I don¡¯t want to see him be a dead man.¡±

    ¡°Yes! President Wang! We... We will do our best!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any nonsense about doing our best. I want you to save him at all costs. All of you im to be skilled in medicine. Don¡¯t ruin your reputation!¡±

    Wang Xun¡¯s tone was filled with shock and anxiety. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and walked toward Qi Lei¡¯s bedside. At that moment, he seemed to be able to see Qi Lei¡¯s pale and indifferent lips mumbling something...

    He could not help but feel his heart clench. He hurriedly went over, wanting to hear what he said clearly.

    However, Qi Lei¡¯s tone was very weak. Wang Xun listened for quite a while before he could faintly hear him mutter the words ¡®Liuyun...¡¯.

    Wang Xun¡¯s brows furrowed even more tightly.

    Liuyun?

    He naturally knew who he was referring to.

    Dongfang Liuyun, the woman who still had the title of Qi Lei¡¯s wife, was also one of the reasons for this matter.

    When he found out that Qi Lei had married Dongfang Liuyun, he had thoroughly investigated Dongfang Liuyun. When he found out about the situation, he was the first to be dissatisfied.

    The Dongfang family had aplicated rtionship. Furthermore, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s background was not simple. She had offended too many people, and Qi Lei was someone who had just gone through a life-and-death experience. How could he fall into such a trap?

    Therefore, Wang Xun had strongly opposed it in his heart. However, he had been overseas all these years and did not have any contact with City Z. Qi Lei was not very close to him either. He did not want to get on his wrong side and make their rtionship worse.

    Qi Lei¡¯s personality was too simr to Wang Qin¡¯s back then. The advice of others was useless when it came to matters that were decided by him. Otherwise, the Wang family would not have moved overseas like this. From then on, they had almost no contact with City Z.

    When Wang Qin passed away, he also...

    He took a deep breath and waved his hand. The servants and doctors quickly understood and left. Soon, only he and the unconscious Qi Lei were left in the room.

    ¡°Like mother, like son. Ah Qin, your son is just like you. You left so quickly, but you had the heart to leave your son like this. What¡¯s so good about Qi Qiming? You can¡¯t protect your own woman, and you can¡¯t even protect your son...¡±

    Wang Xun looked at Qi Lei in a daze on the bed. In the end, Qi Lei was quite simr to Wang Qin.

    ¡°And you useless thing. You only know how to think about one woman. There are so many women in the world, and of all people, you had to choose a woman with such a background? Are you out of your mind?!¡±

    Wang Xun raised his hand to rub the space between his brows, his expression bing more and more serious.

    He sat quietly. After a while, he stood up and walked out of the door.

    ¡°President Wang!¡±

    Upon seeing Wang Xun, Aunt Shun and the doctor quickly came up to him.

    ¡°Take good care of him. Think of a way to bring down his fever. If anything, let me know immediately.¡±

    Wang Xun left this sentence and left the room with a heavy heart.

    There were many things that needed to be done. Previously, when Qi Lei came to look for him, he had also asked him to do some things. Although he was very unwilling to refuse at that time, in the end, it was...

    ...

    A day passed by quickly. When Dongfang Liuyun dragged her exhausted body back to the Grand Lake Viplex, it was already past 11 a.m.

    After she got off work, she went to the hospital. Dongfang Gan¡¯s condition was slightly better. Although he was haggard, he could at least maintain a few hours of consciousness every day.

    When she went over just now, she heard that he was making arrangements for work. Song Siting stopped him before he stopped.

    ¡°Missus, have a cup of hot milk. I¡¯ve also prepared some snacks. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll be hungry.¡±

    Mama Wang brought supper for Dongfang Liuyun.

    They all took good care of Dongfang Liuyun, especially after they found out that Dongfang Liuyun was pregnant.

    They had been by Qi Lei¡¯s side for so many years. These servants were loyal to Qi Lei. After they found out about Qi Lei¡¯s matter, they did not know what they could do, so they could only take good care of Dongfang Liuyun. They hoped that when their Master Qi returned, they could see a healthy Missus and looked forward to the birth of their Little Master.

    ¡°Thank you, Mama Wang!¡± Dongfang Liuyun thanked her gratefully.

    ¡°Missus, you¡¯re too courteous! You have to take care of yourself. The weather is so cold, and the Master isn¡¯t around. You should rest early. Oh right, I¡¯ve made an appointment for tomorrow¡¯s check-up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. You should go back and rest. It¡¯ste already.¡±

 Chapter 2038 - A Pain That Can Breath (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2038: A Pain That Can Breath (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Hearing the sound of the door closing, Dongfang Liuyun leaned back against the sofa tiredly. She took out the folder in her briefcase with one hand, opened it, and started flipping through it.

    After being busy for a while, she finally managed to temporarily stabilize Tai Yu Corporation. The entirepany could be considered to have returned to normal. Wang Chun had also helped out a lot during this period of time.

    Looking at the data on the document, she felt slightly relieved.

    She did not think too much about it. With Qi Lei¡¯s current situation, she did not know what she could do. She could not just wait for news. She always wanted to do something for him.

    So, recently, she had put almost all her energy into Tai Yu Corporation because she thought that the only thing she could do was to protect his hard work.

    As for the Dongfang Group, she did not ask too much because she needed to wait for the right time.

    However, the situation over there seemed to be very bad now. Aunt Dongfang Xue had called just now.

    Dongfang Ren really supported Dongfang Rou¡¯er and the Jin family fully supported her. Although Dongfang Yi¡¯s voice was not small, he could not solve this urgent matter. Dongfang Rou¡¯er is soon to be the acting president, Lin Yuanyuan also took up an important position in thepany.

    Now, they were only waiting for the shareholders¡¯ meeting after the New Year. At that time, all the major shareholders¡¯ executives would return to the headquarters for a meeting. Only when the resolution is passed at the meeting could they truly determine who was in charge.

    Dongfang Liuyun was actually also waiting for this day.

    Just as she flipped through a few pages of the document, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated. Dongfang Liuyun looked up and saw¡ª

    It was a call from Lan Xiu.

    ¡°Hello, Lan Xiu?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly picked up the call.

    ¡°I¡¯m at your door right now. Is it convenient for you toe in and have a seat?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s gentle voice was soon heard.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment, but she quickly recovered. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get Mama Wang to open the door for you.¡±

    ...

    A momentter, Dongfang Liuyun went downstairs and saw Lan Xiu walking in wearing a cold outfit.

    ¡°Take a seat! Mama Wang, get President Lan a cup of hot water.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Lan Xiu and pointed to the sofa beside her as she instructed.

    ¡°Yes, Missus!¡±

    Not long after, Mama Wang brought a cup of hot water over.

    Lan Xiu also sat down on the sofa beside Dongfang Liuyun.

    His eyes were filled with worry. He sized up Dongfang Liuyun before saying, ¡°You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight.¡±

    ¡°How can one not lose weight when encountered with something like this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled nonchntly. ¡°It¡¯s sote. Why did youe over?¡±

    ¡°I was worried about you, so I came over to take a look. I went to see Uncle Dongfang this morning. I know that his condition is quite stable. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Qi Lei will be fine.¡±

    Lan Xiu also knew how he couldfort her.

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that weak. I¡¯ve been too busy recently, so I couldn¡¯t care about much.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wear yourself out. Otherwise, even Qi Lei will be worried if he finds out. I also know about Ye looking for you. Don¡¯t me him. It¡¯s not a good thing for him to be too stubborn I hope it won¡¯t cause you any trouble. In fact, from the moment you agreed to Qi Lei, him and i have already lost. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re still unwilling to believe the truth. We still have hope in our hearts.¡±

    As Lan Xiu said this, he fixed his gaze on Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun just quietly lowered her eyes.

    ¡°If only he could think like you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun forced a smile. She had rarely thought about Fujiwara these past few days.

    She had fallen deeply in love before, but perhaps not as deeply as she had imagined. So, after some time, all her passion had settled down, and she had gotten used to it. Then, she realized that she could still fall in love with someone else.

    ¡°No matter how deep your rtionship is, it won¡¯t be a dead end. Just because you can¡¯t get the person in front of you doesn¡¯t mean that you won¡¯t meet another in the future. You have to keep going like this. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself, and you¡¯ll realize that your capacity for feelings could be expanded.¡±

    Dongfang liuyun said faintly, ¡°We¡¯re all smart people, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled and looked at her for a long time before taking a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t make things too difficult for yourself... Everyone wants to do this, but it¡¯s very difficult to do it.¡±

    Saying this, Lan Xiu suddenly reached into his briefcase and took out a few documents and a ck card. He handed it to Dongfang Liuyun

    ¡°I know about the Dongfang Group¡¯s situation, but I don¡¯t know what I can do. These are my savings from all these years. You can take them. The Dongfang Group is the blood and sweat of Grandfather and Grandmother, and also Uncle Dongfang¡¯s hard work. You can¡¯t let it fall. Oh right, I just came back from Ah Ye¡¯s side. He¡¯s investigating your doubts. If it really has something to do with him, he¡¯ll give you a satisfactory answer.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little stunned when she heard this.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You should keep it for yourself. I can still handle it. If there¡¯s a need, I won¡¯t be stingy with my words. I¡¯m already ashamed of being a Vice President and not doing anything. I can¡¯t take your things anymore.¡± Dongfang Liuyun immediately refused.

    ¡°Money is just a worldly possession. It¡¯s more important that I can help you get through this difficult time.¡±

    Lan Xiu just put the things down. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be polite with me. I¡¯m also helping you as your elder brother. If you sessfully get through this difficult time, when Qi Lei returns, just let him reward me properly.¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled in relief.

    His warm smile entered Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes, and her heart suddenly felt warm

    Actually, they had always been like this. Every time they were in a critical moment, he would always help without hesitation.

    ¡°Thank you, Lan Xiu! But there¡¯s really no need. I¡¯m not in a rush for funds. I can still handle things on Qi Lei¡¯s end...¡±

    ¡°Take it first. Maybe he¡¯ll need it in time. We¡¯ll talk about it after things calm down. Oh right, Zhou Zimo¡¯s wedding seems to be happening soon. I know he has a good rtionship with Qi Lei. You...¡±

    ¡°I know. He¡¯s Qi Lei¡¯s good friend. Since Qi Lei isn¡¯t around, I naturally have to go over on his behalf.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not forget about this matter of course. She had already asked Secretary Ding to prepare a generous gift a few days ago.

    ¡°Mmm, do you need me toe and pick you up?¡±

    Lan Xiu could be considered from the industry too. Zhou Zimo had also given him an invitation card.

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll go with Xi Xiaye and the others. Xi Xiaye called this morning and said she¡¯de and pick me up.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye?

    When he knew about this, Lan Xiu was relieved. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye had a good reputation in the industry. They were also Qi Lei¡¯s good friends. It seemed like this was most suitable too.

 Chapter 2039 - A Pain That Can Breath (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2039: A Pain That Can Breath (4)</h4>

    Lan Xiu sat for a while. Seeing that it was alreadyte at night and that Dongfang Liuyun looked exhausted, he got up and bade farewell. Dongfang Liuyun personally walked him to the door.

    ¡°Go back, you know the way. It¡¯s too cold, you have to take care of yourself.¡±

    When he reached the door, Lan Xiu stopped and turned around to look at her with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a few steps. Drive carefully on the road,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    Lan Xiu nodded and got into the car. Soon, he drove away.

    Dongfang Liuyun watched the car disappear into the night before he turned around and went back.

    In the end, Lan Xiu left the things and the card.

    Dongfang Liuyun held it in her hand and watched silently. Her heart was filled with gratitud¡ª

    Lan Xiu had always been like this. She probably owed him too much in this life.

    After being in a trance for a long time, Dongfang Liuyun put away her things and took them upstairs.

    She returned to the study and walked unhurriedly to the bookshelf that was filled to the brim. She thought that she should find a ce to put it away and return it after it had stabilized for a while. In this way, Lan Xiu would not be able to say anything.

    However, just as she put the document folder away, she suddenly noticed another thick document folder beside her.

    Was it one of Qi Lei¡¯s documents?

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned in confusion and took it down. As she opened it, she walked towards the sofa. She sat down and pulled out the document inside¡ª

    There were pieces of drawing blocks inside. On the drawing blocks, there were actually...

    All of them were portraits of her. There were side portraits, back portraits, and front portraits.

    There were even dates on them. It had started when she was in ss at University A.

    She had long known that he had great drawing skills, but she did not expect it to be so good. He had captured every single expression of hers clearly. There were a total of thirty to forty of them, and every single one of them was different...

    Dongfang Liuyun paused. She flipped through the pages one by one, and her heart began to ache.

    However, when she flipped to the back, she suddenly found a document. When she opened it and looked at it, it was actually...

    A transfer of ownership of the property..

    All the assets were transferred to her name!

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned, and she was in a daze!

    Why did he do this?

    Was it a betrothal gift for her?

    Did he not already give it to her?

    When she looked down again, it was actually a contract to sell one¡¯s body. His contract was written in a refined manner, making Dongfang Liuyunugh out loud!

    No wonder he told her that he would give her a wedding that she would never forget. Thinking about it...

    He was such a childish and cute man!

    Dongfang Liuyun watched silently, but she could not control his tears. A dull pain gathered in her chest, and even his breathing felt a little painful.

    He loved her more deeply than she did, but he never said anything. He silently gave her everything that he had.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly understood that this man had always loved her in his way. She suddenly med herself for not being as attentive to him as he was to her!

    She should have responded to all the warmth he had given her with 200% enthusiasm.

    ¡°Being with you makes me feel like we¡¯re two idiots in love, but I really like this feeling. When you return, I¡¯ve decided to love you well. Will you return?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sniffed and blinked. She suppressed the hot tears in her eyes and muttered these words in a low voice.

    Her hand subconsciously touched her t lower abdomen.

    She thought that she might not be able to find a second person who treated her better in this world.

    ¡°Baby, please give mommy more strength. You also believe that your father wille back safely, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally did not receive any answer. However, at this moment, she suddenly felt that her entire body was filled with strength!

    ...

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s wedding was in three days. It was already the end of the year, and New Year¡¯s Eve was only a few days away.

    The end of the year was already very lively. With such a joyous asion, there were naturally many people who came to congratte him.

    At this moment, the Qin family in the militarypound was also disying theirnterns and decorations.

    In Qin Su¡¯s room.

    The makeup artist hade over early in the morning to help Qin Su get dressed.

    Qin Su was even more stunning in her wedding dress. Her beauty had always been astonishing. Even the equally stunning Leng Xinran was shocked by Qin Su¡¯s beauty at that moment.

    Qin Su only invited one bridesmaid, and that person was Leng Xinran.

    The two of them had been friends for many years. They had known each other for more than twenty years, and they were even closer friends.

    At that moment, Leng Xinran was also wearing a bridesmaid¡¯s dress made of fairy crane powder. Her beautiful hair was tied up elegantly, revealing her exquisite and beautiful face. She was undoubtedly a pair of peerless beauties together with her bride, Qin Su.

    ¡°Xinran, actually, I never thought that I would have such a day. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed. We are both old. Now, we have to rush to get married. When will you be more attentive to your own marriage?¡±

    Qin Su looked at herself in the mirror, and her gaze quickly stopped on Leng Xinran, who was helping her tidy up her veil.

    Leng Xinran listened. She did not even lift her eyelids, but her indifferent voice traveled over, ¡°Worry about yourself. It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t know that I¡¯m anti-marriage.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I also anti-marriage before this? Aren¡¯t I getting married now anyway?¡± Qin Su frowned slightly and replied.

    Leng Xinran paused for a moment, and then replied, ¡°I¡¯ll let nature take its course. When fatees, I won¡¯t resist it. If it doesn¡¯te, I won¡¯t force it. I can see that the man who married you isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s rare that you, Qin Su, are going to be a woman who takes care of a husband and brings up children. You can be considered to havepleted your merits.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how you are. You¡¯re always so lifeless. You have to free yourself... Xinran, I¡¯m serious. You can¡¯t always deal with those people, right? Also... guarding the tomb isn¡¯t something a person like you should do.¡±

    Qin Su felt the most heartache for Leng Xinran.

    Leng Xinran stopped what she was doing and nced at her with a half-smile. ¡°What? If you feel sorry for me, don¡¯t getting married and stay with me?¡±

    ¡°Xinran!¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s voice was cold.

    Leng Xinran raised her eyes and met her gaze in the mirror.

    ¡°Sometimes, dealing with the dead is better than dealing with the living. There¡¯s nothing bad about guarding the tomb. There are many things that <i>someone</i> has to do. I¡¯ll just take it as a way to gather merit. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that my life has been tough.¡±

    When Leng Xinran said this, her eyes were full of sarcasm, but Qin Su could always catch a hint of helplessness.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that. You don¡¯t believe it either!¡±

    Qin Su rolled her eyes at Leng Xinran.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s cold face softened, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I want some peace and quiet too. In a few days, I might have to go back.¡±

    ¡°Mm, you should go back too.¡±

    Qin Su sighed softly and reached out to hold her hand. ¡°You will meet that person eventually.¡±

 Chapter 2040 - A Pain That Can Breath (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2040: A Pain That Can Breath (5)</h4>

    Leng Xinran lowered her eyes indifferently and did not say anything. When Qin Su looked up, she could only see her lowered eyes. No emotions could be seen from her.

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t like to hear these words?¡±

    Seeing that she did not say anything, a slight smile appeared on Qin Su¡¯s cold face.

    Leng Xinran was quiet for a moment before she replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear a lot before? Are you sick of It?¡±

    As she said this, she raised her eyes and looked back at Qin Su silently.

    Qin Su then retracted the smile on her face.

    ¡°Let me help you put on the jewelry.¡±

    Leng Xinran did not want to talk about this issue too much, so she changed the topic. Qin Su knew what Leng Xinran was thinking, so she did not ask further. Instead, she quietly let her put on the ne for her.

    Then...

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye came from Maple Residence.

    Mu Yuchen was driving while Xi Xiaye was sitting in the passenger seat.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Zhou Zimo is about to pick up Qin Su now. It¡¯s just right for us to go there directly.¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at the time on her wrist and said.

    Zhou Zimo and Qin Su¡¯s wedding was going ording to Qin Su¡¯s idea. It would be a warm and harmonious manor-style wedding. The location would be directly at the Zhou family¡¯s old residence. It was very spacious anyway, so a manor-style wedding there would be perfect.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early. There¡¯s no need to go to the church or the hotel. There¡¯s no need to rush.¡± Mu Yuchen nced at her and replied indifferently.

    ¡°I just wanted to go over early to take a look. How¡¯s the bride and groom? When I called Qin Su yesterday, I asked her if she was nervous, and she said that she was quite. I¡¯m quite curious about how Qin Su would look when he gets nervous.¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled softly.

    ¡°Well, when we got married back then, were you nervous? I seem to remember someone telling me that they were quite nervous back then. I evenforted them for quite a while.¡±

    Mu Yuchen recalled when they got married back then, and he could not help but have a little softness in his eyes¡ª

    Fortunately, at that time, they had many beautiful memories. Now that he reminisced, he could always taste some of them. It was probably because she was the one who was by his side back then.

    ¡°You still remember things that happened so long ago? Do I have to praise you for your amazing memory?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him unhappily. He did not remember her highlights, but he remembered the embarrassing incident clearly.

    Mu Yuchen turned to look at her. When he saw her slightly red and embarrassed look, he could not help but chuckle. ¡°What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? Isn¡¯t it just me who knows? And it¡¯s already been so long.¡±

    ¡°If I remember your embarrassing things and dug them up, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be happy either,¡± Xi Xiaye replied unhappily.

    At this moment, Mu Yuchen chuckled softly and admitted, ¡°Alright, you win. It¡¯s my fault. Don¡¯t keep a straight face, lest Dongfang Liuyun sees itter and thinks that I¡¯m bullying you.¡±

    ¡°At least, you¡¯re sensible. However, was there still no news from Qi Lei? When I saw that Dongfang Liuyun was holding on so tiredly, I was really worried. Oh right, Xiao Mei told me a while ago that when she went to visit her sick friend in Hospital T, she bumped into Liuyun. She specifically asked the doctor, and the doctor said that Liuyun is pregnant. I¡¯ve already confirmed it with Liuyun, but I¡¯ve been forgetting to tell you.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then remembered about this.

    Actually, there was no need for Xi Xiaye to say anything. Mu Yuchen had already gotten the news long ago.

    Speaking of Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun, the couple¡¯s tone suddenly became a little gloomy. The previously rxed atmosphere instantly vanished. Xi Xiaye could not help but frown.

    ¡°Ah Quan is still over there. This morning, he just sent back news that Qi Qiming had left Myanmar for Singapore. He must have found something. He found some clues. Don¡¯t worry too much. I think Qi Lei was most likely saved by someone.¡±

    ¡°Finding someone is like finding a needle in a haystack. It¡¯s not that easy... I just hope that Qi Lei is fine now. Otherwise, Liuyun...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not finish her sentence. Her starry eyes were filled with worry and uneasiness.

    As she spoke, the car had already reached the entrance of the Grand Lake Vi area. From afar, she could see the familiar license te number of Dongfang Liuyun who was waiting by the roadside.

    Beside the car, Dongfang Liuyun was wrapped in a wine-red coat. She waited in the cool breeze for a while. Coincidentally, the weather was very warm today. If the wind was a little lighter, it would not be so cold. It seemed like it was not bad to bask in the sun.

    Secretary Ding stayed by her side as well.

    When she saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s caring over, Secretary Ding quickly waved her hand.

    ¡°Manager Yun, it¡¯s Chairman Mu and the others!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun followed Secretary Ding¡¯s gaze and saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s car slowing down and finally stopping not far away from her.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    Xi Xiaye quickly pushed open the car door and got out.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face squeezed out a smile.

    ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time? Sorry, I¡¯ve rushed him a long time. Mu Yuchen was rushing for a document, so we camete. Are you alright? Why do you look so pale? Did you let the doctor take a look?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye saw the haggard and pale Dongfang Liuyun, the worry in her heart became even more intense.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve just been a little tired recently. I¡¯m just too busy. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be going to Zimo and Qin Su¡¯s wedding. It¡¯s not too good to appear at this time. There¡¯ll be a lot of people from the media, so...¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, she turned her head and reached out to Secretary Ding. Secretary Ding quickly handed a gift box and a big red packet to Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun took it and looked at it before looking up at Xi Xiaye and continued, ¡°This is a gift for them. Can you pass it to them for me?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going over?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned.

    Dongfang Liuyun shook her head and said helplessly, ¡°Although I really want to go over and personally congratte them, it¡¯s not convenient for me toe out now. Please apologize to them on my behalf.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was quiet for a moment. She thought about it and suddenly understood what Dongfang Liuyun meant

    Indeed, it was really not suitable for her toe out now. If she went over, she would definitely be surrounded by the reporters and media. After all, such a huge incident had happened.

    She thought about it and then reached out to take the gift. ¡°Alright, then take care of yourself. Qi Lei will be fine. You have to pull yourself together and wait for him toe back.¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not know what to say tofort him, but right now, she could probably only say these polite words.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded gently. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. There are still a lot of things that need to be done. There¡¯s no reason for me not to take care of myself. Also, help me say thank you to Chairman Mu.¡±

 Chapter 2041 - Late Night Wind and Rain (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2041: Late Night Wind and Rain (1)</h4>

    Xi Xiaye watched silently as the Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car disappeared on the road ahead. Her beautiful eyes could not help but feel a little apin for her. She watched for a long time until the car in frontpletely disappeared. Then, she slowly got into the car.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    As he watched Xi Xiaye put the things in the back seat, he tacitly helped her to fasten her seatbelt as he asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s not going anymore. She asked me to help take the gift over. She¡¯s worried about those reporters. Besides, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s not in the mood now. If she goes over, she might...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was slightly gloomy. She took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her and did not say anything. He just quietly started the car.

    ...

    Although Zhou Zimo and Qin Su¡¯s wedding had been simplified a lot, it was still very lively.

    The Zhou family¡¯s old residence was currently filled with guests. The backyard of the Zhou residence was very big, and it was surrounded by a jade-coloredke. The wedding venue was right beside theke, and there were even some fountains around it.

    At this moment, the backyard bathed in the warm sun was already filled with dozens of tables. They were all guests who were close to the Zhou family.

    When Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye came over, Mu Tangchuan had already arrived. He was chatting happily with his buddies Zhou Zhenjun and Su Zhengxun.

    Zhuang Shurong did note over, and Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi did note back either. Mu Lingshi had just finished her surgery not long ago, so she naturally could not go. She could only ask Mu Tangchuan to bring the gifts over.

    Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, Su Chen, and Ji Zitong just happened to be at the same table, leaning against Mu Tangchuan and the others in the middle.

    ¡°The bride and groom have arrived!¡±

    They had just sat down and chatted for a while when the emcee in front announced loudly that the bride and groom had entered the venue.

    A very ssic and sacred wedding march yed as well.

    Everyone instantly quieted down as they all looked towards the flower door at the end of the long red carpet.

    As expected, Zhou Zimo, who was dressed in a ck bridegroom¡¯s gown, was holding the bride Qin Su, who was dressed in a pure white wedding gown, as he walked towards the emcee in front.

    Behind him was the bridesmaid, Leng Xinran, and the best man.

    Zhou Zimo¡¯s face was filled with joy!

    He had been thinking of Qin Su for so long. Today, he could finally truly marry her. How could he not be happy? As he thought about it, he could not help but turn his gaze to look at Qin Su by the side.

    Under the veil, Qin Su¡¯s cold and moving face was also stained with a rare smile. Her beautiful eyes were as bright as the stars.

    Even if it was just this expression, Zhou Zimo felt very satisfied¡ª

    As long as she was willing to marry him, then everything was worth it.

    As he thought about it, he could not help but raise his other hand, which was leisurely andrge, to tightly cover the hand that was holding his arm. He turned his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Qin Su. I will definitely treat you well for the rest of my life. From now on, I would never bully you. I will definitely be motivated to be a filial and good husband!¡±

    As Zhou Zimo said this, he was very moved in his heart. As long as he could obtain it, no matter how much he had to give, he felt that it was worth it.

    Hearing this, Qin Su was stunned for a moment. Her calm gaze swept past him and met his deep gaze. She wanted to say something, but when the words reached the tip of her tongue, she was unable to say it. After taking a few steps together, she took a deep breath and said in a low voice, ¡°If you dare to treat me badly, I will definitely divorce you.¡±

    When Zhou Zimo heard this, he immediatelyughed out loud. His handsome face was filled with ostentatious happiness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you definitely won¡¯t have such an opportunity in your lifetime. My Missus Zhou!¡±

    Qin Su gave him a sideways nce, but her heart was filled with a slight warmth.

    Up until now, it might not have been what she had expected. However, this man had pushed her step by step, and in the end, he had sessfully lured her into this marriage hall. From now on, Zhou Zimo would be the most intense stroke in her life!

    She did not feel any rejection. Instead, she felt some anticipation. Of course, with him holding her hand like this, she felt some peace in her heart.

    This kind of feeling was something that Qin Su had never felt before. At this moment, she truly felt it...

    Fresh flowers, fireworks, apuse, congrattory speeches, exchanging keepsakes, a kiss...

    Everything had gone smoothly!

    Only when the temperature on her lips cooled down did Qin Su realize that she was really married to Zhou Zimo. It was real.

    ...

    It was quite a difficult task for the newlyweds to toast.

    After a round of drinking, Leng Xinran was already in a daze. Qin Su did not need to say anything. She was already a little intoxicated as she was embraced by Zhou Zimo.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s alcohol tolerance was actually quite good. However, she could not take it anymore if she continued to drink with all kinds of red and white wine. It was not easy for her to find an excuse to leave the banquet temporarily. She went to the corridor to take a breather.

    However, just as she stopped, she sharply saw a figure standing under the light in front of her.

    As if he could sense who it was, the man standing with his hands behind his back quietly turned his head and looked over. When he met Leng Xinran¡¯s elegant face, the man¡¯s eyes also froze!

    He was a little surprised!

    When Leng Xinran saw the man in front of her clearly, she was also a little surprised¡ª

    How could it be him?

    Lan Xiu?

    The man she metst time?

    ¡°How is it you?¡±

    Leng Xinran looked at the man standing under the light in surprise, but her expression was still very calm.

    ¡°What a coincidence, Miss Leng.¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at Leng Xinran, who was as light as frost, and greeted her politely. Then, he sized her up from top to bottom¡ª

    Wearing a bridesmaid¡¯s dress that was red-crowned crane pink, she actually exuded a cold immortal aura, making her look even colder and more moving.

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran did not immediately respond. Instead, she nced at him as if she was examining him.

    After the two of them partedst time, they did not contact each other again. Perhaps they were both unable to ept that proposal.

    Leng Xinran had never thought about him again. Even if her father had told her many times over the phone, she still did not take it to heart.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Miss Leng since thest time we parted. I¡¯ve visited Mr. Leng, but I haven¡¯t seen Miss Leng either.¡±

    Seeing that she did not speak, Lan Xiu knew that she was not a talkative person, so he spoke up.

    Leng Xinran lowered her eyes and her expression turned cold. Lan Xiu was surprised and wanted to say something, but Leng Xinran¡¯s indifferent voice was heard along with the night wind

    ¡°I rarely go there.¡±

    Rarely go there?

    Lan Xiu quickly caught her use of words!

    Go?

    Should she not mean return?

    Oh, he seemed to remember now. Her parents had divorced and her father married another woman long ago, and it seemed that after that woman entered the house, Leng Xinran had always been very conflicted?

    Sure enough, every family had its own difficulties?

 Chapter 2042 - Late Night Wind and Rain (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2042: Late Night Wind and Rain (2)</h4>

    The night breeze was a little cold, and the red gauze ribbons that were decorated on the side were dancing in the wind. The corner of Leng Xinran¡¯s skirt was slowly drifting in the night wind.

    She did not pay too much attention to Lan Xiu. She turned around slowly, put her hands on the railing in front of her, and looked at the sky outside.

    The night sky was naturally vast and boundless. It was rare that there were so many stars tonight. It was a clear night, and the stars were shining.

    She had not nned toe tonight, but she still had toe to Qin Su¡¯s wedding. Usually, she would not attend such asions.

    She had never liked lively assions, and she was also very withdrawn. There were only a few people whom she was close to. Qin Su was one of them, and she was Leng Xinran¡¯s only best friend.

    Lan Xiu always felt that Leng Xinran was not a simple person. To have such a state of mind, she must be someone with a story, right?

    Her calmness was not like Liuyun¡¯s indifference after a period of silence. Instead, it was a kind of coldness that seeped from her bones. Apathy?

    Was it because she had seen too many life-and-death farewells?

    Lan Xiu had not forgotten her upation. That was not something that normal people would do.

    The information that Ah Li had found also said that Leng Xinran was a person with a lot of negative energy. Perhaps it was because she had been dealing with those things all year round that people would listen to her and be affected by it?

    However, before he could say anything, Leng Xinran had already turned around and walked forward without saying anything.

    ¡°Miss Leng!¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and finally called out.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, but she did not turn back.

    Lan Xiu did not move. He just looked at her figure silently. Seeing that she was wearing thin clothes, he said with concern, ¡°The night wind is biting. Take care of yourself. Don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m not that afraid of the cold,¡± Leng Xinran replied. Just as she was about to walk forward, Lan Xiu¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°Your father was optimistic about us when we visited the Leng residencest time.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s tone was very calm. There was really no meaning to it. Leng Xinran stopped in her tracks and suddenly turned to look at him. Her cold eyes were calm¡ª

    ¡°As long as I can leave the Leng family, any man will appear to bepatible with me.¡±

    It was such a sarcastic remark, but there was no hint of sarcasm in her tone. It seemed that she had long been the kind of person who could erase all her emotions.

    Lan Xiu was quiet. He met her bright eyes, but he could not see anything from them.

    However, from the looks of it, her rtionship with her father seemed to be very poor.

    ¡°...¡±

    Leng Xinran did not say anything more. Lan Xiu watched her figure disappear into the light before him. After a while, he retracted his gaze and remembered what he wanted to do just now. Then, he quickly took out his phone from his pocket, he gave Dongfang Liuyun a call.

    He had not seen Dongfang Liuyun today, so Lan Xiu was a little worried. Previously, he had said that he was going to pick her up, but she had said that she was going with Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, so he could only give up.

    With Qi Lei in such a dire situation, he naturally could not let go of her now.

    However, the call on the other end did not go through. The voice message indicated that the call could not go through for the time being

    At this moment, at the intersection of De Feng Street, the ck Acura turned the traffic lights and slowly drove over. Soon, it stopped under the tree in front of De Bao House.

    The surroundings were very quiet. There was no one around. After the fire, the ce had be a little more deste. Although Qi Lei had people renovate the ce, it had been raining recently, so it was dyed. Therefore, the ce was still in ruins, sitting in the car, one could feel that it was a little cold inside. In fact...

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was in the driver¡¯s seat, watched silently for a long time. After a moment, she took a breath and leaned against the back of the chair to close her eyes. After calming down, she pushed the door open and got out of the car.

    She walked straight into the shop.

    When she opened the door, the smell of the burn was still very strong, and it immediately assailed her nostrils.

    She did not turn on the lights. Instead, she turned on the shlight in her hand.

    Most of the debris inside had been cleaned up. Qi Lei wanted to help her restore it to its original state, so many things here were simr to the previous ones.

    Dongfang Liuyun directly passed through the hall and walked in the direction of the storage room at the back.

    Uncle Ming had lived in a room next to the kitchen when he was alive. The window of the room was open to the river behind.

    The fire had also burned down most of the room. The originalyout of the room was very messy. This was an inner room, so there was no time to tidy it up. When Dongfang Liuyun walked in, she saw the paper scattered all over the floor by the light of the shlight.

    Uncle Ming had the habit of practicing calligraphy. He liked to practice calligraphy when he was free, so the words scattered on the floor were the ones he had practiced before.

    Thinking of that kind and amiable old man, Dongfang Liuyun felt a dull pain in her heart. She bent down to pick up the papers that had fallen on the ground. After looking at them for a long time, her eyes could not help but burn.

    After calming down for a long time, she ced the papers that she had collected on the broken table at the side and began to look around the entire room.

    After looking at it for a while, she walked to the row of copsed beds in the corner. She touched the windowsill by the bed and flipped over the tatami that had burned more than half of the tatami on the windowsill. Soon, she found the gstone below. She removed the gstone, there was a small secretpartment stuffed underneath. Inside was an iron box.

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally very familiar with this iron box!

    She quickly opened the iron box. There was a document lying inside. When she flipped open the document and looked at it, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s body trembled...

    As expected, she knew that Uncle Ming¡¯s death was definitely not an ident!

    ¡°Uncle Ming... I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    She was always so indifferent and did not think that this thing was important, so she threw it in the store and casually ced it in the safe next to the outer hall. Uncle Ming also had the key.

    When the ident happened, the safe had been squashed and the things inside had also been burned to the ground.

    Moreover, Uncle Ming was a very neat person, so it was impossible for him to make his room so messy. Every time he finished practicing his calligraphy, he would put it away and put it neatly on the bookshelf at the side!

    So, this was definitely not a normal fire. It was intentional!

    With the document in her hand, Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a long time. Then, she sniffed and turned to leave.

    ...

    Zhou Zimo and Qin Su¡¯s wedding was sessfullypleted.

    The guests dispersed veryte at night. When Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence, it was already midnight.

    Mu Yuchen had been quite drunk as well, and Xi Xiaye had driven him all the way back.

    As soon as he came back, he went upstairs to wash up and then went to bed to rest.

    Xi Xiaye was worried about her son, so she called Shen Wenna. She was only relieved when she knew that the children were resting well.

    They had been a holiday recently, and Shen Wenna had more time on her side, so she helped to take care of a few children. Xi Xiaye felt much more at ease, and she and Mu Yuchen could feel more relieved.

 Chapter 2043 - Late Night Wind and Rain (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2043: Late Night Wind and Rain (3)</h4>

    When Xi Xiaye brought a ss of water and an anti-hangover medicine to the bed, Mu Yuchen was frowning as he fell asleep. It was obvious that he was not sleeping well either.

    On the way back, he had already said that he was a little dizzy and did not let Xi Xiaye open the car window to prevent the wind from making him feel even worse.

    Xi Xiaye looked at him helplessly for quite a while before she sat down on the bed. She put the ss of water on the bedside table as she reached out to shake him

    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep yet. Get up and take the hangover medicine so that you don¡¯t have a headache tomorrow!¡±

    Mu Yuchen woke up very quickly after being shaken by her.

    ¡°Here!¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed the pill to him and held the water.

    He ate it very cooperatively. He raised his hand to rub the space between his brows as his voice was a little hoarse. ¡°I drank a bit much with Zimo. Today is his good day. He and Qin Su can be considered to have had a sessful conclusion.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s Zimo who¡¯s getting married. I think you¡¯re even happier than when we got married.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? How can Zimopare to you? I¡¯m someone who prioritizes a woman over a friend.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her, but his lips curled into a smile. With one hand behind his head, his dark eyes became clearer. He looked at her silently while he held her hand with the other.

    ¡°I realized that you¡¯ve really be more and more pleasing to women these past few years. With a little more practice, you¡¯ll be a dangerous object.¡±

    Although Xi Xiaye said this, she was not worried of gains and losses like before because this man gave her a sufficient sense of security. She did not need to worry about things like cheating or mistresses.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t please you, I¡¯ll be pushed by the waves of the Yangtze River and die on the beach. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know that Uncle Lan is nning to retire, so he¡¯s been grooming a male assistant for you. I heard that that person was your former senior?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen asked this, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and stared at her.

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye was a little surprised. She had not decided on this yet. Uncle Lan said that because he admired that senior¡¯s talent and felt that his future was limitless, he wanted to recruit him into Fuhua, unexpectedly, this man was quite well-informed. Could he have nted many spies by her side?

    ¡°Uncle Lan only mentioned it briefly. He said that the senior¡¯s talent is limitless and he¡¯s a very nice person. He hopes to keep him in Fuhua. Uncle Lan spent a lot of effort to poach him over. I think what he said makes sense. After all...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Fire him tomorrow. I¡¯ll pay the penalty for breaching the contract.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave her a side nce.

    Xi Xiaye frowned. She was a little confused by his request. ¡°He¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°When I went to pick you up the other day, he and Uncle Lan followed behind. He took a few more looks at you. That look was clearly...¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not continue. He did not n to tell her at first, but he just happened to drink a little tonight, so he was really unhappy. Of course, he could not let such a dangerous person stay by his woman¡¯s side, what if something unexpected happened?

    It was not that he did not trust Xi Xiaye, but he was worried that even she would get into trouble.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was stunned.

    In the past two years, he had used all sorts of excuses to get rid of all the young and handsome male employees around her. In exchange, he had gotten middle-aged men or women who looked ordinary but were capable.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be so unreasonable. He doesn¡¯t have that kind of interest in me!¡±

    ¡°Either transfer him out, and I¡¯ll be in charge of this matter. It¡¯s going to be the holidays soon. After the New Year, I¡¯ll go over to attend the Fuhua New Year meeting. When the timees, I¡¯ll help you advise on the deployment of personnel.¡±

    The man did not pay any attention to her dissatisfied expression as he said it himself.

    ¡°How can you do this...¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye would not know that as she grew older and her experience settled down, she had gained a mature and elegant charm that made Mu Yuchen unable to stop!

    There were many who took the opportunity to get close to her tonight. Did they all think that he, Mu Yuchen, was dead?

    Although he knew that his charm was not inferior, Xi Xiaye made him even more worried. Those women who took the opportunity to get close to him were only doing it for money or lust?

    These two things were within Xi Xiaye¡¯s grasp. She did not have to worry at all. Should he not feel more threatened?

    He had to secure her a little tighter.

    Xi Xiaye knew what he was thinking. At this moment, he was worried about his own gains and losses. Just as she wanted to exin something, his phone started ringing.

    Mu Yuchen quickly picked it up¡ª

    It was Ah Quan from Myanmar calling.

    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve found out about Master Qi. We just met with President Qi. He said that he¡¯s 90% sure that Master Qi is in the hands of his uncle, Wang Xun, but Wang Xun has always been secretive. We don¡¯t know his whereabouts yet. President Qi can only send invitations to hispany every day, but Wang Xun hasn¡¯t seen him once.¡± Ah Quan briefly exined the situation to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes darkened. His eyes flickered as he asked, ¡°Does Miss Dongfang know about this news?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. President Qi is busy looking for him right now,¡± Ah Quan replied.

    Mu Yuchen fell silent for a moment before replying, ¡°I got it. Do your best to cooperate and get to the bottom of the matter.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Mu Yuchen then hung up.

    Xi Xiaye was looking at him nervously. Since it was Ah Quan¡¯s call, it must be news from Qi Lei!

    ¡°How are things?¡± Xi Xiaye asked. ¡°Is there news on Qi Lei?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put his phone back and replied, ¡°Mmm, he should still be around. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Then, how is he? Where is he? Does Liuyun not know yet? Give Liuyun a call and tell her the news so that she won¡¯t be so worried...¡±

    ¡°Xiaye!¡±

    Mu Yuchen stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Let¡¯s wait until we understand the situation and know where he is. That way, she won¡¯t worry.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, she paused for a moment. She thought about it and felt that it made sense. Now that Dongfang Liuyun was still pregnant, if she knew about Qi Lei¡¯s news, she might run over again. It would be too much on her.

    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t think this through.¡±

    Xi Xiaye frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s considered good news.¡± Mu Yuchen consoled her.

    Xi Xiaye then nodded.

    ...

    When they returned to the Grand Lake Vi area, it was already past one in the morning. Dongfang Liuyun had just put away the documents she had just received, showered, and was about to handle some urgent documents from thepany when her phone rang. When Dongfang Liuyun saw the caller ID, she immediately picked up the call!

    ¡°Hello¡ª¡±

 Chapter 2044 - Late Night Wind and Rain (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2044: Late Night Wind and Rain (4)</h4>

    After hanging up the phone, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gloomy face finally eased up a little.

    The call meant that Qi Lei had been rescued by his uncle, Wang Xun. However, it was still unknown whether he was alive or dead.

    Even so, this news was already very good news for Dongfang Liuyun. As long as she knew that he had been rescued, it meant that there was still hope. This was also good news. Previously, when she found out about Qi Lei¡¯s rtionship with his uncle Wang Xun from Qi Qiming, she thought, since he was his uncle, he would definitely do his best to save him, right?

    Dongfang Liuyun was also praying silently in her heart, praying that he was fine and would be okay.

    This was good too. It was windy and rainy here, and he was injured. It was better to recuperate in a quiet ce than toe back and suffer here. This meant that she could be eased and do whatever she wanted now!

    The next morning, Dongfang Liuyun woke up very early. It was the end of the year holiday and New Year¡¯s Eve was the day after tomorrow. She had a lot of work to do. Fortunately, thepany¡¯s Vice President Zhong, whom Qi Lei had brought up, was very capable, after arranging the things for the annual party well, Dongfang Liuyun was relieved.

    After all, she still had a lot of work to do during the New Year break. She had been leaving early and returningte these few days, so she did not have time to rest at all. Wang Chun felt his heart ache when he saw this.

    Dongfang Group had already reached the incandescent stage. If nothing unexpected happened, Dongfang Rou¡¯er would very likely be the acting president of Dongfang Group after the New Year.

    The news of Dongfang Gan waking up had not spread yet. In fact, although Dongfang Gan had already woken up, he was still very weak. The moment he woke up, he would think about handling thepany¡¯s matters and look for traces of Qi Lei. With all this work, he who was already very weak could not endure it anymore. In the past two days, he had fallen into aa from time to time.

    Dongfang Liuyun was very worried. After hearing from the doctor that he was just overworked, she felt slightly relieved.

    After a busy day, she rushed over to see Dongfang Gan in the evening. Dongfang Gan was still in aa.

    Song Siting looked very haggard. Dongfang Liuyun sat with her for a while. Thepany¡¯s phone kept calling to urge her. Today was thepany¡¯s annual meeting.

    Song Siting knew that she was very busy, so she urged her to go.

    Song Siting had been very understanding recently. She was not as unreasonable as before. Her husband and son-inw had met with idents one after another. She did not feel good either. She even felt a little worried and afraid. Seeing that her daughter was so tired and was not alone now, she wanted to help, but she did not know what she could do at the moment. Dongfang Liuyun and Dongfang Gan had said to leave things at Dongfang Group alone for now and watch the fire from the other side. Therefore, she could only take good care of Dongfang Gan for now.

    ¡°Liuyun, you have to rest well when you go back. It¡¯s going to be the New Year soon. Look at you, you look much more haggard. You have to take care of yourself. Don¡¯t forget about the child in your stomach.¡±

    Song Siting sent Dongfang Liuyun out of the ward and said worriedly.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will naturally take care of myself. Father is fine, he just needs enough time to rest. It¡¯s been hard on you to take care of him. When he wakes up, don¡¯t let him worry about thepany¡¯s matters. I will take care of it.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reminded her worriedly.

    ¡°I know. The doctor has told me many times. Your father is just worried. If thepany is going to worry him to this extent, he should just forget about it so he doesn¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡±

    Song Siting sighed and turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun, ¡°Your aunt came over a while ago and talked to your father for a while. I couldn¡¯t find out what they said. I saw your aunt¡¯s expression when she came out, she didn¡¯t look too good. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because of thepany? Sigh, your father¡¯s heart has already suffered a big blow after your grandmother left. We mustn¡¯t let your father and your aunt be separated again. Now... He and your aunt have a pretty good rtionship, so...¡±

    Song Siting looked at Dongfang Liuyun hesitantly. She did not continue what she wanted to say.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened. She recalled the things Dongfang Shuman had told her before, asking her to treat her Aunt Dongfang Xue Well. Moreover, Dongfang Xue had expressed her stance before.

    After thinking for a moment, she replied, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. Aunt has always been on father¡¯s side. It won¡¯t be a transactional rtionship between them. I think that perhaps they were talking about grandmother¡¯s matter. Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild.¡±

    When she heard that and thought about it, it made sense. Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue¡¯s rtionship with Dongfang Shuman was very delicate. If she said that she did not care about it at all, it would definitely be a lie, especially the concern that Dongfang Shuman had shown recently, she clearly cared about Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue. Perhaps she had done that previously to protect them.

    The olddy was a very intelligent person. She had her own ways of doing things.

    Later on, the mother and daughter did not say anything more. Dongfang Liuyun also rushed over to attend thepany¡¯s annual meeting. Dongfang Xue also went over to attend thepany¡¯s annual meeting on the same day.

    That night, Dongfang Liuyun did not stay too long. After a simple speech and exchange, she left.

    On the morning of New Year¡¯s Eve, Dongfang Liuyun went to pay respects to Wang Qin and brought Ah Cai along. Secretary Ding went home for the New Year.

    She asked Ah Cai to wait by the car below. Dongfang Liuyun went up on her own.

    She knew her husband¡¯s feelings for his mother-inw, Wang Qin. She also knew that it was not easy for Wang Qin. Therefore, Dongfang Liuyun still respected Wang Qin. Since Qi Lei could note over to pay respects, she had toplete this filial duty on their behalf.¡±

    ¡°Mother, you must bless Qi Lei and let him return safely. There are still many things at home that still needs his support.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she ced therge bouquet of daisies in her arms in front of Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone. She quietly stared at the photo of Wang Qin on the tombstone and suddenly realized that Qi Lei actually looked more like Wang Qin.

    She had always felt rather regretful that she had not been able to interact with Wang Qin in person. Hearing about her, she must have been a pretty good person and a great mother, right?

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and was about to say something when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She slowly turned around and realized that Xi Xiaye was walking over with arge bouquet of carnations.

    ¡°Liuyun!¡±

    When XI Xiaye saw Dongfang Liuyun, her beautiful face lit up with a smile. In just a few steps, she arrived beside Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Xiaye, why are you here?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun straightened up slightly as her expression softened.

    ¡°It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today. I came to take a look. I didn¡¯t expect you to be here too,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

 Chapter 2045 - Late Night Wind and Rain (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2045: Late Night Wind and Rain (5)</h4>

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Xi Xiaye gratefully.

    Xi Xiaye looked at Dongfang Liuyun with a gentle expression¡ª

    She was wearing a ck coat with a grayish-ck winter dress underneath. It was her usual outfit. Her long hair was tied up and tied behind her head with a simple wooden hairpin. As she looked at it, she seemed a little otherworldly.

    However, her face looked a little haggard and pale, and it was hard to hide the fatigue between her brows.

    ¡°I used to have some friendship with Vice President Wang. When she passed away, I was by her side. I promised her that I would take care of Qi Lei as if he was my brother. Time passed by so quickly. In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed as she quietly bent down and ced the bouquet of carnations in front of Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone.

    ¡°Qi Lei said before that it¡¯s been hard on you, and Chairman Mu. The reason why Qi Lei was able to walk out of the haze today is because you and him have put in a lot of effort.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s starry eyes were filled with gratitude as she turned to look at Xi Xiaye who was quietly getting up.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already thanked me thest time, so you don¡¯t have to be so courteous. I¡¯ve always treated Qi Lei as one of us. This time, when Qi Lei got into trouble, I couldn¡¯t help much, I feel very bad. However, I believe that the heavens will bring good fortune to him. He¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Xi Xiaye replied, then she turned to meet Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze. ¡°So, you have to pull yourself together. For the baby in you, who knows, he might even be my daughter-inw or son-inw in the future?¡±

    Xi Xiaye recalled what she had teased Qi Lei previously.

    When she heard this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression softened a little. She quietly lowered her gaze and looked at her still t belly. ¡°We¡¯ll still have to wait for a long time.¡±

    It was only two months now, and she was going to be pregnant for ten months. There were still eight months left. Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt that it was a very long time. God knows, she had been looking forward to it for a long time. If their father knew that they wasing, would he be very excited and happy?

    ¡°If you¡¯re looking forward to it, it won¡¯t be too long. You have to take care of yourself now and don¡¯t work too hard. Recently, you¡¯ve been looking very tired.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was concerned.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can handle it,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    ¡°Regarding the Dongfang Group, just let me know if you need any help. It¡¯s such a bigpany, you...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not know how to say it. She just felt that Dongfang Liuyun was amazing!

    She herself had Mu Yuchen¡¯s help before, and she had taken over Fuhua with ease. She did not have such aplicated rtionship as she did with the Dongfang group, and Dongfang Liuyun was different from her. Looking at it this way, it must be much more difficult than Xi Xiaye had it. With her parents like that, and Qi Lei in trouble too. For some reason, she really felt sorry for Dongfang Liuyun, but looking at Liuyun now, she did not seem to care too much about these things. Instead, she came to see Wang Qin.

    This was a woman who valued rtionships!

    Xi Xiaye silently gave Dongfang Liuyun this evaluation in her heart.

    If she had encountered such a situation, she would most likely have broken down already. How could she still be so strong?

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re used to it. No matter how big the hurdle is, it¡¯ll eventually pass. I don¡¯t want to think too much. It¡¯s good that I¡¯ve tried my best.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun replied then quietly nced at Wang Qin before continuing, ¡°If it¡¯s not a life-and-death parting, what could be worse? I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly turned around slowly and looked at the bleak scene below. She sighed quietly and did not say anything else as her beautiful figure walked past.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. I still have to go to the hospital for a visit. Goodbye, Xiaye!¡±

    ¡°Goodbye!¡± Xi Xiaye replied as Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure walked towards the stairs ahead.

    Very soon, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure slowly disappeared at the end of the path ahead.

    Xi Xiaye looked away after a long while and sighed softly. She looked down at the photo of Wang Qin and the bouquet of daisies that Dongfang Liuyun had brought over. Suddenly, she felt that it was such a strong and beautiful flower, it was a little like Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s personality...

    ¡°Auntie Wang, may the spirits in heaven bless Qi Lei and Liuyun to be safe and sound for the rest of their lives. They¡¯ve both experienced too much pain and hardship. It¡¯s not easy. Xiaye can empathize with what they¡¯ve gone through, but she doesn¡¯t know how to help either. The years can be peaceful, I only hope that you¡¯ll bless them to be safe and sound for the rest of their lives...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly put her hands together and prayed silently at Wang Qin¡¯s tombstone. She hoped that Wang Qin¡¯s spirits in heaven could hear her prayers. What else could she do?

    ...

    Today is New Year¡¯s Eve, night time, everywhere is a lively.

    There were fireworks andnterns on disy,rge, festive rednterns also hung high. In the clear sky, countless fireworks constantly bloomed.

    Dongfang Gan could not be discharged yet, Song Siting apanied him at the hospital, Dongfang Liuyun also apanied Dongfang Gan and Song Siting in the hospital untilte at night. Later on it was Song Siting who chased her home.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not drive that night either. She asked Driver Wang to send her to the vicinity of the Grand Lake Vi area and let him go back. He should be spending the New Year¡¯s Eve with his family tonight.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked silently through the quiet and dark street. The streetlights were a little dim, dragging her shadow on the ground a little longer.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked quietly. Suddenly, she heard a series of soundsing from above her head. Following that, a sh of light suddenly bloomed in front of her eyes.

    She quickly looked up and saw that the night sky above her was blooming with brilliant fireworks.

    She immediately stopped and looked into the distance. As she watched, she suddenly missed Qi Lei very much. She did not know that she could miss someone to the point of heartbreak. As she looked at the cluster of fireworks in front of her, she could vaguely see Qi Lei¡¯s appearance, she suddenly felt like crying.

    However, she knew that she could not!

    She thought to herself, that she had probably really fallen in love with Qi Lei. Otherwise, she would not be this sad and suffering so much...

    Often, loss was the catalyst for emotions. If you did not experience it once, you would not know how to cherish it!

    She probably deserved it. She was always one step toote. However, could she still make it this time around with Qi Lei?

    Could she?

    She did not know the answer, and the only response she got was the deste night breeze.

    He would be fine. She consoled herself that he had promised to spend the rest of his life with her and promised her his life.

    She believed him and was willing to grow old with him...

    After a long time, she finally averted her gaze and was about to head home. Unexpectedly, just as she took a step forward, she met a pair of eyes as deep as the sea...

 Chapter 2046 - Late Night Wind and Rain (6)

    <h4>Chapter 2046: Late Night Wind and Rain (6)</h4>

    Dressed in a ck overcoat with his hands in his pockets, he stood silently under the flowering tree in front of him. The cold wind blew past, constantly blowing the corner of his clothes.

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised. Since she saw him, she could not just leave without saying anything.

    After a long silence, Dongfang Liuyun finally withdrew her gaze.

    His expression did not change much. Seeing Dongfang Liuyun, he was quite calm.

    Needless to say, Dongfang Liuyun knew that he was probably waiting for her here, and he had been waiting for a long time.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t havee here at this time.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, her footsteps did not stop. From here to the Grand Lake Vi area, there was still quite a distance to walk.

    Seeing that she did not stop, Fujiwara turned around and followed her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you. It¡¯s just that I was worried about you on a New Year¡¯s Eve like this, so I came over.¡±

    Fujiwara exined in a calm tone. It was different from thest time they met.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know what he was thinking, and she did not have the energy to think about it now.

    Hearing his words, Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything. She just coldly walked along the sidewalk.

    ¡°I remember that thest time we walked under the starry night like this was in Tokyo. At that time, you rushed back to find me. It was much colder then than now. When I saw you, you were almost frozen into a snowman.¡±

    As Fujiwara spoke, his handsome face also showed some gentleness. His ck eyes were suddenly filled with the gentleness of memories. He turned his head and looked down at her quietly.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not have any reactions on her face. She just listened quietly.

    ¡°From the moment I held you, who was frozen, in my arms, I told myself that you were the only person in my life. However, we were still young and frivolous. We met at the wrong time. When I was at my weakest, I met you that I wanted to cherish... The nightmare that will haunt me for the rest of my life is you...¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s tone was rather calm when he said these words. However, only he himself knew how much pain and bitterness he was suppressing in his heart?

    ¡°I cut through all the obstacles and risked everything to break out of that cage and obtain my freedom. I was filled with joy when I found you, but I didn¡¯t expect... Liuyun, tell me. Tell me seriously one more time. Is there really no going back between us?¡± Fujiwara asked.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned her head and looked up at him. That gaze was resolute and bright!

    After a moment of silence, he heard her voice¡ª

    ¡°There¡¯s no going back because I¡¯m already Qi Lei¡¯s wife. Furthermore, I can¡¯t control myself from falling in love with him...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Fujiwara saw that his heart was bleeding. His heart started to hurt so much that it felt like he was suffocating.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t regret it. We can only ept that our fate is shallow. It¡¯s easy to get to know each other, but it¡¯s difficult to stay together. Time passes quickly. Fujiwara, don¡¯t be so stubborn. There won¡¯t be an oue. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard the voice in my heart telling me that I¡¯m determined.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she continued walking ahead.

    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant, it¡¯s Qi Lei¡¯s child. I¡¯m very happy to be able to have such a permanent connection with him. No matter what happens, I¡¯m not looking for anything else other than him.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke very clearly, and the pain in Fujiwara¡¯s heart intensified.

    ¡°Go back. Go back to Japan. That¡¯s where you belong. ¡°Actually, Miss Inoue might not be unsuitable for you. She came to look for me and didn¡¯t make things difficult for me. I didn¡¯t see her in person, but she left me a note. She said that she didn¡¯t like me, but she also thanked me. She hopes that her hard work will be able to move you.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile.

    ¡°You believe that woman¡¯s words as well! If it wasn¡¯t for her, the Inoue family and the Fujiwara family wouldn¡¯t have gotten together!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s cold voice rang out.

    He was already investigating the matter regarding Dongfang Gan, and it was highly likely that it was rted to them. He was also afraid that it was their true mastermind who had harmed Dongfang Liuyun, and he was thest person who wanted to see Liuyun get hurt.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled and did not continue this topic.

    The two of them walked for quite a long distance before Dongfang Liuyun suddenly said, ¡°You should go back. Don¡¯t go any further. If you think that we can still be friends, leave us something to reminisce.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s expression froze as a hint of pain shed through his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak. Just stop here. Thank you for your care. I will remember you. I only want him to apany me for the rest of the journey.¡±

    Fujiwara stopped in his tracks. She walked past him without a trace of reluctance. He could only watch as she continued to walk away...

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart was very calm, and she did not cry.

    Fujiwara did not follow after her either. She understood that after this, they would be friends.

    She should thank Fujiwara for his help and his understanding.

    ...

    And at the same time,pared to the clear night in City Z, on a private ind overseas.

    ¡®Ssh¡ª¡¯

    A cold rain covered the entire ind. The raindrops gently hit the floor-to-ceiling windows at the side, making clear sounds.

    In the brightly lit luxurious bedroom.

    Wang Xun was sitting by the bed, staring at Qi Lei with his eyes tightly shut. His dark eyes were still filled with worry.

    Over the past few days, Qi Lei¡¯s condition had finally stabilized. His high fever had subsided, and he seemed to have regained some consciousness. However, he was still unconscious.

    A week ago, Qi Lei was still in danger because his condition was unstable. The doctors had practically given him an ultimatum saying that the situation was not good. They hinted to Wang Xun to prepare for his funeral. Wang Xun flew into a rage and ordered the doctors to do their best to save him, after a day and night of hard work, Qi Lei was finally saved. This had practically pulled Qi Lei back from the brink of death.

    The situation at that time was very critical. Qi Lei¡¯s breathing was very weak and almost non-existent. Wang Xun was extremely anxious. He could vaguely see his pale lips moving. At this moment, Wang Xun had an idea. He suddenly whispered in his ear

    ¡°Xiao Lei, you have to hold on for me. Do you hear me?! Dongfang Liuyun is pregnant. The child is yours! Dongfang Liuyun is pregnant. The child is yours...¡±

    Wang Xun repeated this sentence countless times in Qi Lei¡¯s ears. Qi Lei seemed to have heard it, he managed to hold on. His condition stabilized slightly afterwards.

    In the next few days, Wang Xun would talk about Dongfang Liuyun by his ears every day. Qi Lei¡¯s condition finally stabilized day by day...

 Chapter 2047 - Awakened (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2047: Awakened (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Outside was the sound of rustling wind and rain. The fluttering raindrops stained the bright and clean ss windows. The light in the room shone with a pale light. The heavy curtain at the side also hung down. Everything seemed so quiet.

    After sitting for a while, Wang Xun stopped looking and called out lightly¡ª

    ¡°Someone!¡±

    The door opened very quickly. Aunt Shun walked in cautiously and said respectfully, ¡°President Wang?¡±

    As she spoke, her gazended on Qi Lei who was on the bed.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Wang Xun asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost 11 o¡¯clock. It¡¯s almost New Year,¡± Aunt Shun replied.

    Wang Xun was quiet for a moment. He raised his hand to prop up his forehead. ¡°Even if it¡¯s New Year, there aren¡¯t any fireworks outside. weren¡¯t the previous years quite lively?¡±

    The previous years were quite lively. Although Wang Xun was not the type of person who liked lively assions, he did not stop the servants from being so. At this time of the previous year, the courtyard below was very lively, and the rain outside was not very heavy, it was still alright to set off fireworks.

    When Wang Xun said this, Aunt Shun was stunned for a moment. She subconsciously nced at Wang Xun, then looked at Qi Lei who was still unconscious on the bed. She could not help but worry. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that everyone is not in the mood now. Master Qi Lei is not awake yet...¡±

    When he heard this, Wang Xun also paused. He nced at Qi Lei before continuing, ¡°He¡¯s not dead. What should be happy and lively should still be happy and lively. Why are we so lifeless for?¡±

    Wang Xun suddenly felt a little angry. He really wanted to break away from this gloomy feeling.

    ¡°President Wang...¡± Aunt Shun called out hesitantly.

    ¡°We should live the way it should be. Go, it¡¯s rare for us to celebrate the New Year, so let everyone have some fun. At this time, it¡¯s good to set off some fireworks too. You guys go ahead and have fun. There¡¯s no need to worry about it.¡±

    Wang Xun waved his hand.

    Aunt Shun did not dare to say anything when she saw Wang Xun like this. President Wang did not like people questioning his decision. She thought about it and replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go right away!¡±

    Not long after Aunt Shun left, she vaguely heard a noiseing from the front yard below. Then, there were some sounds. Colorful fireworks bloomed in the air.

    Only then did Wang Xun stand up slowly and walk to the window. He looked at the fireworks in the night sky and the servants having a good time below.

    Wang Xun stood there and watched for a long time. He did not know how long had passed, but he still had not recovered.

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he heard a faint and weak voice. Wang Xun immediately recovered and turned his head to look at the bed in surprise!

    Qi Lei felt as if he had been asleep for a very, very long time. It was so long that it felt as if he had lived through one cold and dark century after another. Even though he tried his best to struggle out, he could not do anything whenever the darkness attacked.

    The pain in his chest made it difficult for him to breathe. He only heard the clear sound of water dripping and the sound of fireworks. He finally used all his strength to open his tightly shut eyes, what greeted him was a gentle and warm light.

    ¡°Xiao Lei? You¡¯re awake!¡±

    Before he could get used to the light in the room, a pair of warm hands had alreadyforted him.

    Qi Lei endured the pain in his head and looked in the direction of the sound. Wang Xun¡¯s slightly tired face came into view.

    ¡°Uncle...¡±

    A dry and weak voice sounded. Qi Lei wanted to struggle to get up, but he was suppressed by Wang Xun. ¡°You just woke up. Don¡¯t move around. Do you feel ufortable? How do you feel? Drink some water first. I¡¯ll get someone to pour you some water!¡±

    As he spoke, Wang Xun shouted at the door, ¡°Someone! Get me a cup of warm water! Hurry!¡±

    Not long after he said that, Aunt Shun poured a cup of warm water and rushed in.

    ¡°Come, drink some water!¡±

    Wang Xun took the water and helped him sit up slightly.

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes finally adapted to the light in the room. He looked around and knew that he should be on Wang Xun¡¯s side. Why was he here?

    He thought for a moment. The scene from before was also reflected in his mind. His head was in pain and his face turned pale.

    Wang Xun brought the water over. Qi Lei lowered his head and drank two mouthfuls before he felt better.

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Wang Xun asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m much better. Thank you, Uncle.¡± Qi Lei answered tly.

    He lowered his eyelids to hide the confusion in his eyes. His long eyshes fluttered slightly, but his voice was still hoarse. ¡°Have I been asleep for a long time? What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today. How long do you think you were in aa for?¡±

    Wang Xun¡¯s low reprimanding tone came with some exasperation and worry, ¡°How can you neglect yourself and go over despite knowing how dangerous it is! If something really happened to you, how am I going to exin it to your mother? How am I going to exin to your grandparents like this! You¡¯re really too careless! I told you before that even if you want to save someone, you have to think long-term. Why won¡¯t you listen!¡±

    Qi Lei fell silent. He did not answer the worried Wang Xun. Instead, he turned his head and looked out the window. He looked at the fireworks that were blooming in the rain outside.

    So, it was New Year¡¯s Eve today...

    How was Liuyun doing over there?

    When he thought of Dongfang Liuyun, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes narrowed¡ª

    ¡°Uncle, does Liuyun know that I¡¯m here?¡±

    When Wang Xun heard this, he immediately frowned. ¡°Is the woman the only person left in your eyes? Am I dead to you?¡±

    Qi Lei coughed a few times. He did not look too good. Wang Xun quickly patted his back as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already spread the news that you¡¯re here. She probably got it too. Just focus on recovering. Your injuries are very serious. You¡¯ll need to rest for a few months before you can recover. The bullet injured your heart. If you didn¡¯t wake up any sooner, you might not have woken up at all.¡±

    Wang Xun recalled the time when he was resuscitated. He still had lingering fear in his heart.

    Qi Lei vaguely remembered what he said. The situation seemed to be very critical at that time. He could only feel the emergency treatment over and over again. He also thought that he would not be able to hold on any longer. Later on, someone kept whispering Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s name in his ear, he kept repeating Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s name...

    Only then did he realize that the only person that he remembered so deeply was probably her...

    ¡°Stay calm and recover. The signal on the ind is bad, so we won¡¯t be able to return to City Z. Let¡¯s wait until you¡¯ve recovered. She¡¯s fine, she¡¯s pretty strong, it¡¯s just that...¡±

    ¡°You... you said she was pregnant before... didn¡¯t you?¡± Qi Lei weakly asked for confirmation. The pain in his head and chest made him think of only this sentence.

    Wang Xun nced at him. He did not miss the anticipation and joy in his eyes, so he nodded...

 Chapter 2048 - Awakened (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2048: Awakened (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He was also afraid that his connection with her would break. When he almost could not hold on any longer, he vaguely realized something¡ª

    If he died, she might still be able to hold on. Fujiwara and Lan Xiu were both decent people, but if she was pregnant with his child, then with her character, she would probably be persisting all the way.

    He could not bear that for her, so he did not dare to die.

    After hearing this news, his heart calmed down a lot.

    He turned his head and looked at the fireworks that were still blooming outside. He suddenly missed her very much...

    ...

    Wang Xun did not allow him to get out of bed. For a few days, he had been letting him rest in bed. Only after the doctor came to check and said that he could exercise properly, did he allow the bodyguards to asionally help him out for a walk.

    Wang Xun did not allow him to contact City Z either. Moreover, Qi Lei knew that Qi Qiming and Yang Sheng were waiting for news of him in Singapore, but Wang Xun did not let him.

    He knew that this was also because Wang Xun wanted him to rest well.

    The rtionship between him and his uncle was not that deep, but Wang Xun was very good to him. Perhaps it was because he loved Wang Qin. Qi Lei had always been very clear about Wang Xun¡¯s feelings for Wang Qin.

    Qi Lei had once thought that perhaps it was better for Wang Qin to have been with Wang Xun than to suffer with Qi Qiming for the rest of her life.

    After the rain a few days ago, the air was much better. The weather was very warm now.

    It was considered a tropical area. He could not feel the cold in City Z, and he did not know how she was doing!

    He had been trying to contact Dongfang Liuyun for the past few days, but...

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Under the flower rack in the backyard of the vi, Qi Lei was deep in thought when a deep voice suddenly came from behind him.

    Qi Lei quickly turned his head and saw Wang Xun standing silently with his hands behind his back, looking at him.

    Qi Lei had not fully recovered. If someone had not helped him, he would not have been able to walk. His leg had been hit when he fell into the river, and he had not recovered yet. Fortunately, his muscles and bones were not injured, or else...

    His face was still pale. He had lost too much blood before he was saved. Naturally, he had not fully recovered yet.

    ¡°How is Liuyun?¡±

    Wang Xun had suddenly be very busy these few days. It was probably because there were too many things piling up in thepany. He was in a rush to deal with them.

    Every time he came over, Qi Lei would ask about Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°How are you? Are you feeling better today?¡±

    Wang Xun did not answer his question. Instead, he greeted him with concern. He was more concerned about his recovery.

    Qi Lei retracted his gaze and lowered his eyes. He replied faintly, ¡°I¡¯m much better. I want to return to City Z in two days. I¡¯m really worried about her being alone there.¡±

    He had roughly heard about Dongfang Liuyun over the past few days. He did not dare to imagine how much pressure she was under.

    ¡°You can only leave after a month. I won¡¯t let you make a joke of your health. Those things are just worldly possessions. If she really cares about you and loves you, she will definitely choose to do so.¡±

    Wang Xun walked over and sat down beside him.

    ¡°She can¡¯t handle it alone.¡±

    ¡°So what if you go back? Are you worried about those things? You should take care of yourself first. It¡¯s been quite stable for a while, she only went to work after a few days, there hasn¡¯t been many changes,¡± said Wang Xun.

    ¡°When is the shareholders¡¯ meeting scheduled for Dongfang Group?¡±

    Qi Lei ignored Wang Xun and asked himself.

    Wang Xun, on the other hand, gave him a deep look. He not only felt a wave of emotion in his heart, but he sighed. ¡°You¡¯re just like your mother, Xiao Lei! What¡¯s so good about that Qi Kai! You might as well stay here and have less trouble!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, Uncle. I like it there,¡± Qi Lei replied indifferently.

    Wang Xun took a deep breath and looked at Qi Lei with a gentle gaze. His tone was very low¡ª

    ¡°Xiao Lei, you know that I don¡¯t have a son or a daughter. I have always treated you as my child, and you should have been my child too. Back then, your mother was worried that you would be wronged and wanted to send you back to the Wang family. She wanted to put you under my name and make you my son.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. Don¡¯t worry, Uncle. Liuyun and I will take care of you.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he said, ¡°You haven¡¯t told me about Liuyun¡¯s situation.¡±

    ¡°You... She¡¯s very good. Recently, she¡¯s been holding up Tai Yu Corporation for you. There aren¡¯t any major problems on your side, but it might not be the case on Dongfang Group¡¯s side. The shareholders¡¯ meeting has already been confirmed to be rescheduled to the 15th of the first lunar month. Dongfang Yi strongly requested it.¡±

    Wang Xun finally could not hold on any longer, so he still exined to Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei listened and only paused for a moment. There was no expression on his face. Instead, he took out something that looked like an amulet from his pocket. He tore open the packaging on the outside and took out a USB sh drive from inside, throwing it to Wang Xun.

    Wang Xun quickly reached out to take it. He nced at the USB sh drive and then turned to look at Qi Lei. His eyes were filled with doubt.

    Qi Lei exined quietly, ¡°This is the internal information of the Dongfang Group. It contains evidence that Dongfang Ren bribed officials to keep women. Dongfang Yi established apany in his own name to evade taxes. There is also evidence of Dongfang Rou¡¯er meeting Mr. Ge in private.¡±

    Qi Lei paused when he said this. Wang Xun¡¯s face was immediately filled with surprise¡ª

    ¡°You actually have these things!¡±

    ¡°I had people investigate for a long time. I didn¡¯t have enough evidence before, so I didn¡¯t want to alert them. After I came to Myanmar, I met Mr. Ge and got some evidence. That was the only way to be consideredplete,¡± Qi Lei replied, his dark eyes shing with coldness.

    ¡°You must help me deliver it to Liuyun as quickly as possible. With it, none of them will be able to escape from Dongfang Group¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting. I want Liuyun to sessfully take over Dongfang Group.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s calm tone was filled with determination.

    Wang Xun was stunned for a moment. He looked at him deeply and suddenly seemed to understand something. He smiled and held the USB in his hand, ¡°I was wondering why you needed toe personally? Apart from me, it¡¯s more because of this, right? Or is it because of your father-inw?¡±

    Qi Lei did not answer. He only nced back at him.

    Wang Xun shook his head helplessly. His expression was a little deste.

    Qi Lei knew that he was most likely thinking of Wang Qin again!

    Only when he thought of Wang Qin would his uncle have such an expression.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll deliver this safely to Dongfang Liuyun. Qi Qiming is in Singapore right now. He¡¯s certain that you¡¯re here with me. It seems like he¡¯s quite anxious to see you, his son.¡±

 Chapter 2049 - Conspire (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2049: Conspire (1)</h4>

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression fell silent when he heard this.

    He could not really say that he had that kind of harmonious father-son rtionship with Qi Qiming, but ever since Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hard work and the fact that he spoke to him after, their rtionship had eased up a little.

    There were some facts that Qi Lei could not erase in the end. Perhaps this was the so-called kinship by blood.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make things too difficult for him. Since he knows that I¡¯m here, he must have put in some effort. I¡¯m a little tired. I don¡¯t want to struggle in the so-called family war anymore.¡± Qi Lei thought about it and replied.

    Hearing this, Wang Xun¡¯s face immediately darkened. He looked coldly at Qi Lei. ¡°So, you¡¯re nning to forgive him?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten how your mother died? If it weren¡¯t for him, would Qi Feng have been so heartless toy his hands on your mother? Qi Lei, do you know that you¡¯re just too naive? I often think that if I had insisted on letting you stay by my side, there wouldn¡¯t have been anything wrong. At least, your mother wouldn¡¯t have died so suddenly.¡±

    Speaking of Wang Qin, Wang Xun¡¯s expression turned a little malicious. Qi Lei also knew that Wang Xun had a deep affection for Wang Qin. He had been silently watching her from afar for the rest of his life. Every time Wang Qin was mentioned, Wang Xun could not keep his cool.

    However, Wang Xun was also a person with strong self-control. After he promised Wang Qin that he would not pester her anymore, he was actually able to stop stepping into City Z.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote to say anything now. He¡¯s still my father in the end. I don¡¯t want to pursue too much. Isn¡¯t it good to maintain the current situation? I know that you hate him and wish him death, but uncle, death can¡¯t solve any problems. Otherwise, with Qi Feng and Ling Sha dead, why do I still feel unhappy and even more ufortable than before?¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he met Wang Xun¡¯s eyes. His dark eyes were filled with gloom and calmness that Wang Xun could not see through. Wang Xun was at a loss.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and lowered his eyes. His long eyshes fluttered. He saw a few light-colored petals on the corner of his clothes, so he raised his hand and brushed them away, ¡°I¡¯ve seen too many life and death farewells. I¡¯m sick of it. Old man Qi still has some feelings for my mother. When my mother passed on, he wasn¡¯t the same as before. I¡¯m afraid they just loved each other and wanted to kill each other all the same.¡±

    ¡°Your mother wouldn¡¯t fall in love with that kind of scum. Is Qi Qiming worthy?¡±

    Wang Xun gritted his teeth as he listened. His eyes shed coldly. ¡°If I didn¡¯t promise your mother, I would have killed him long ago.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression was very calm. He lowered his head and looked at the lc flowers that bloomed beside the steps in front of him. Suddenly, his gaze became a little lonely. When Wang Xun saw that Qi Lei had suddenly fallen silent, he turned his head to look at him. He looked at Qi Lei¡¯s back and felt a little deste, only then did he ease up. He reached out and gently patted Qi Lei¡¯s shoulders¡ª

    ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t me you. You¡¯re already a father. You shouldn¡¯t be too stubborn with these things. I¡¯ve been here all these years... and I can¡¯t let it go. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±

    Wang Xun doted on Qi Lei, but he still could not forgive Qi Qiming.

    After saying these few words, Qi Lei suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders recede, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away. When he turned to look, Wang Xun¡¯s figure had already disappeared at the corner of the corridor ahead...

    After a long while, Qi Lei retracted his gaze. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said¡ª

    ¡°Someone! Bring me a pen and paper.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Qi Lei!¡±

    ...

    Late at night, in City Z¡¯s Hospital T.

    ¡°Father, rest for a while. The doctor said that you can¡¯t work too hard. Mother has been worried for so long. We¡¯ll only feel rest assured once you¡¯ve recovered as soon as possible.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun walked into the ward, Dongfang Gan had just put away his phone. He was still holding a document in his hand. Dongfang Liuyun looked at it and immediately frowned. She quickly walked over and put away the document without any exnation.

    Dongfang Gan raised his head and looked at his daughter who was frowning. A gentle expression immediately appeared on his gentle face, ¡°I¡¯m almost recovered. I¡¯ll be fine soon. Don¡¯t worry. This is the mineral mine that I just found. At that time, as a precaution, I released a fake news.¡±

    ¡°So you put yourself in danger because of this fake news?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Gan with disapproval, her expression naturally ugly.

    ¡°Father, I just want you and Mother to be safe and sound. The rest are just worldly possessions. Even if it¡¯s because of responsibility, if you don¡¯t even have your life, then everything will be in vain. Leave these things to me to worry about.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to handle it alone. I know the internal situation of the Dongfang Group better than you do. While I can still deal with it in the past few years, I have to help you clear those obstacles first. Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up in the same mess as I did in the past. Now, it¡¯s almost cleaned up. At the shareholders¡¯ meeting on the 15th...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun understood Dongfang Gan¡¯s meaning very well. Over the past two years, Dongfang Gan had secretly transferred Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi¡¯s trusted aides out. Doing this kind of thing actually required a lot of skill, he made them fight each other, it was not easy for him to stay out of it.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing. The New Year is about to start. There are still a few days before the shareholders¡¯ meeting. I n to release the news that you have gradually recovered in a few days. I also n to make a fuss about your injury. This way, I can use the pressure of public opinion to deal with them. On the one hand, I can temporarily stabilize thepany¡¯s stock market.¡±

    ¡°Also, I received news that Qi Lei was saved by his uncle. I don¡¯t n to look for him for the time being. I¡¯m relieved to know that he¡¯s fine. Things in City Z might change soon. Father, you have to be mentally prepared.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Gan hesitantly as she spoke.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Just do what you have to do. I¡¯ve already asked Vice President Zhang to prepare a few skilled bodyguards for you. After the shareholders¡¯ meeting is sessfully concluded, you must ensure your own safety. This is also something that I can do.¡±

    As Dongfang Gan spoke, he pointed at the document in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand, ¡°Take a look at this document. I¡¯ve already negotiated with the other party and personally inspected it. It¡¯s even more exciting than the mine from before. Furthermore, this friend of mine is my good friend. He¡¯s someone I can trust. I¡¯ve already informed him. If he has no objections, he will secretly fly to City C the day after tomorrow. I have to personally rush over to sign the contract. Over here...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun flipped through the documents in her hands. After a long while, she nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make the arrangements. It¡¯s just that your body...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My wound has already recovered. I¡¯ll be fine after a few more days of rest. The news is getting out, and I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t hide the fact that I¡¯m gradually recovering. I have to make more ns.¡±

 Chapter 2050 - Conspire (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2050: Conspire (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master, the information you want to check is all here. Master, he...¡±

    In the warm study room of cloud residence, Matsuda handed over apleted document to Fujiwara, who was wiping the samurai sword with a handkerchief on the sofa.

    Fujiwara¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment. He put the sword away unhurriedly and ced it on the sword rack at the side. Then, he reached out to take it.

    ¡°Mr. Ge has indeed seen Yuo Inoue before. Elder Master also knows about this, but he is tacitly agreeing. He must know about the situation in Myanmar, because Mr. Ge has also met with Elder Master before he met Yuo Inoue.¡±

    Matsuda watched Fujiwara flip through the information and exined as well. The more Fujiwara read, the more serious his expression became.

    ¡°Mr. Ge and Dongfang Rou¡¯er must havee to some sort of agreement. Furthermore, Master didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with him because of Miss Liuyun, so it¡¯s normal for him to take revenge. Mr. Ge has always been narrow-minded and ruthless,¡± Matsuda exined.

    However, Fujiwara¡¯s eyes turned cold as he said icily, ¡°Their goal isn¡¯t that simple. I think Inoue-san wants to force me to submit! Father really surprised me!¡±

    There was a hint of hatred in his voice as he gnashed his teeth.

    ¡°Master, what you mean is...¡±

    ¡°My rtionship with Liuyun isn¡¯t a secret. It¡¯s not an ident that you managed to find out all this information so quickly. They¡¯re currently waiting for me to beg them, and my marriage with Riko Inoue will be confirmed.¡±

    Fujiwara took a deep breath as a bitter smile appeared on his cold face. ¡°He really is my good father!¡±

    ¡°Master, could there be some misunderstanding? Although Elder Master doesn¡¯t like Miss Liuyun, it¡¯s not to the extent of...¡±

    Matsuda could not quite believe it.

    ¡°If you think so, then you¡¯ve underestimated the methods of my good father. Go and call Riko Inoue over!¡± Fujiwara said coldly.

    ¡°Master...¡±

    ¡°Go!¡± Fujiwara shouted coldly. With a ¡®pa¡¯ sound, the document in his hand was thrown onto the table in front of him, causing the tea in the teacup to ssh out and wet more than half of the table!

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll go right away!¡±

    Matsuda naturally did not dare to say anything else. He hurriedly left without even closing the door.

    Fujihara clenched his fists tightly. The cold aura all over his body revealed the anger that he was holding back at this moment. He coldly reached for the sharp sword by his side...

    ¡°Fujiwara-kun...¡±

    Riko Inoue had just walked to Fujiwara¡¯s side and called out to him when she felt a white light sh by. Following that, a wave of icy coldness rushed over. She was startled by the icy coldness and immediately stopped moving.

    The icy coldness that was pressed against her throat made Riko Inoue feel frightened. Her whole body trembled slightly. It was difficult for her to hide the fear in her eyes. She raised her gaze and saw Fujiwara¡¯s bone-chilling gaze.

    A trace of pain spread from her throat. Riko Inoue could smell the faint smell of blood on the de.

    He was really ruthless. He could do it!

    Riko Inoue¡¯s face darkened, but she did not dare move. She was also worried that the sharp de would cut her throat without hesitation!

    ¡°Riko Inoue, I really underestimated you!¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s voice was as cold as iron. He looked at Riko Inoue with an extremely cold and ruthless gaze. ¡°Was it your idea to deal with Mr. Ge?¡±

    Riko Inoue¡¯s gaze darkened. She looked at the furious Fujiwara and calmed down slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can deny it? You¡¯ve repeatedly challenged my bottom line. Do you really think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯ve met Dongfang Rou¡¯er? The Inoue family has always had sinister intentions. You won¡¯t be an exception. Let me tell you, I, Fujiwara, will never marry you in this lifetime.¡±

    Fujiwara spoke resolutely, his eyes filled with disgust and viciousness as he looked at Riko Inoue.

    Riko Inoue froze, her hands suddenly clenching tightly by her side.

    ¡°You think you can force me to submit like this? Then you¡¯re underestimating me. Since Yuo Inoue dares to use this to threaten me, I won¡¯t let him off either.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    A sense of panic suddenly rose in Riko Inoue¡¯s heart.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough. We could all have been fine at first, and I didn¡¯t want to see both sides suffer. Since all of you won¡¯t let me off, don¡¯t expect me to show any mercy! Scram!¡±

    Fujiwara suddenly withdrew the sword in his hand and hacked at the coffee table at the side. A shattering sound was heard, and an exquisite coffee table was dered useless.

    Riko Inoue was caught off guard and fell to the side. There was a bloody scar on her neck, and the dark red color was somewhat shocking.

    ¡°Matsuda!¡± Fujiwara shouted coldly.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Matsutani immediately rushed in. When he saw the disheveled Riko Inoue lying on the side, his heart also paused. He knew how angry Fujiwara was this time!

    ¡°Immediately arrange for a ne back to Japan. The things that were previously arranged, take action immediately.¡±

    Fujiwara threw away the sword in his hand and strode out of the door.

    ¡°What? Master... Master, you want to go back to Japan? Do you really want to do that?¡±

    Matsuda stared at Fujiwara with his eyes wide open. His eyes were filled with fear.

    ¡°They forced me to keep an eye on her. After returning to the country, she will be a bargaining chip in my hands. I want to see whether it¡¯s Yuo Inoue or I, Fujiwara, who is poisonous! Restrain all of her people!¡±

    After Fujiwara coldly instructed, his tall figure had already disappeared from outside the door.

    Riko Inoue¡¯s entire body trembled. It took her quite a while to react to Fujiwara¡¯s intentions!

    He... he wanted to take her as a hostage!

    ¡°Fujiwara-kun, you can¡¯t do this!¡± Riko Inoue immediately cried out in rm. However, Matsuda had already taken a step forward and chopped at her neck. Riko Inoue immediately fainted!

    All of this had happened too quickly!

    Fujiwara had always been the most unconventional person. She had been too careless!

    ...

    That night, Fujiwara returned directly to Tokyo.

    The time for the shareholders¡¯ meeting was getting closer and closer. When Dongfang Gan sent the contract signed by the new mine to Dongfang Liuyun, it was already the 14th of the first month. It was the shareholders¡¯ meeting the next day.

    That night, Dongfang Liuyun was preparing the materials needed for tomorrow¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting and making the final preparations.

    She had not appeared in thepany for a while. However, she was very clear about the situation of thepany. Of course, it was also because Dongfang Xue was in charge, so she could be at ease.

    The news that Dongfang Gan was gradually recovering had also been released. The rumors outside had lessened a little, so Dongfang Liuyun could finally heave a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Miss, there¡¯s news from Japan!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun received the document from Ah Fei. Ah Fei also lowered his voice as he said.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her beautiful brows and nced at Ah Fei, waiting for his next words.

 Chapter 2051 - Conspire (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2051: Conspire (3)</h4>

    Ah Fei coughed lightly and nced at Dongfang Liuyun. Only then did he realize that her expression was as calm as water and that she did not reveal any emotions. Only then did he take a deep breath.

    ¡°After Fujiwara suddenly returned to Japan, he immediately ced Kenji Fujiwara under house arrest. Kenji Fujiwara was caught off guard and is still being controlled by Fujiwara. Riko Inoue is also in Fujiwara¡¯s hands. He wants to force...¡±

    ¡°He wants Mr. Ge to speak up?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had already finished his sentence.

    Ah Fei nodded. ¡°That should be his intentions.¡±

    ¡°I got it. You can leave now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was sitting on the sofa, could not help but feel a little tired. She waved her hand and gestured for Ah Fei to leave.

    ¡°Yes! Oh, that¡¯s right, Miss! Someone specially sent this to me this morning. He said it¡¯s a very important gift. He wants you to check it yourself immediately!¡±

    Ah Fei suddenly remembered the thing he received this morning, so he quickly took it out from his pocket. It was a very well-wrapped box.

    ¡°Who gave it to you?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. They just said it was a friend from Singapore,¡± Ah Fei replied.

    Singapore?

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment. A ray of light shed across her eyes. She immediately reached out to take it and quickly opened it!

    There was a USB drive and a note inside. When she opened the note, she saw Qi Lei¡¯s familiar handwriting¡ª

    ¡®All is well. Take care of yourself, don¡¯t worry!¡¯!

    It was just a simple line of words, but Dongfang Liuyun...

    Her eyes were a little hot. Ah Fei could clearly see that her hands, which were holding onto the note, were trembling.

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun turned her head away. She blinked her eyes and gestured to Ah Fei before Ah Fei left.

    The study room fell silent. Dongfang Liuyun lowered her head to look at the note for a long time. She could not help but raise her hand to cover her nose and mouth. After calming down for a long time, she forced the heat in her eyes back.

    Holding the note in her hand tightly, she looked at the USB in her hand with some doubt. After a long while, she stood up and walked to the desk. She turned on theputer and connected the USB. Dongfang Liuyun had a tacit understanding of the password. She directly entered her birthday, the documents were immediately unlocked.

    Looking at the documents, Dongfang Liuyun was instantly stunned. She was shocked when she saw the rest!

    She did not expect for Qi Lei to have done so much in silence!

    With these things, it was not difficult for her to take down Dongfang Group, not to mention that she had evidence of Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s crime!

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at it for a long time before leaning back in her chair.

    At this moment, the phone on the side vibrated. Dongfang Liuyun nced at it indifferently. When she saw the caller ID on the screen, she picked it up.

    ¡°The information has been sent to your email. The matter you ordered has beenpleted. I¡¯m sure you already know about the matter with Fujiwara. Don¡¯t worry. As long as he can suppress it and nothing happens to Mr. Ge, the Jin family might not be able to withstand it. Dongfang Rou¡¯er will no longer have any backing. It all depends on how you deal with Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi. If you can¡¯t resolve the conflict between them properly, they might join forces and bite you instead!¡± The person on the other end of the line said with concern.

    ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡±

    The person on the other end of the line was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s trusted private detective. He was also Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s close friend. Although they did not contact each other often, they had a good rtionship. For many of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s archeological expeditions, she had gotten the information from him. The friendship between the two of them was not ordinary.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± the person on the other end replied. Dongfang Liuyun then hung up the phone.

    She opened her email and soon saw a bunch of data.

    A smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face. She slowly dialed Dongfang Yi¡¯s number.

    The phone rang a few times before Dongfang Yi picked up¡ª

    ¡°Hello? Liuyun?¡±

    Dongfang Yi had just finished showering. He was drying his hair with a towel in one hand and picking up the phone with the other. Looking at the caller ID, he naturally knew that it was Dongfang Liuyun calling.

    ¡°Second Uncle, it¡¯s quitete, not resting yet? Are you preparing for tomorrow¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice sounded very indifferent.

    ¡°You¡¯ve disappeared for so many days. Could it be that you¡¯re here to question or guard against me? I¡¯m sure you know the current situation of thepany. You basically don¡¯t have any hope. If you can support me, I¡¯ll give you some benefits. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid your Uncle won¡¯t let you take the benefits so easily.¡±

    Dongfang Yi also spoke openly and the door and simply tossed out the bait for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Upon hearing this, the corner of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s mouth curled into a sneer, ¡°Is that so? What benefits does Second Uncle want to give me? What a coincidence, I also want to have a good talk with Second Uncle about this matter. I didn¡¯t know that Second Uncle was so capable to actually have his own privatepany in City C with quite a generous profit in a year, but it seems that this isn¡¯t too well-behaved. If I hand over this evidence to the police, what do you think you will do?¡±

    Dongfang Yi¡¯s face was instantly filled with shock when he heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, followed by a wave of gloominess¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Alright, I¡¯ll send you some information to your email. You can take a look and then decide whether you want to have a good talk with me.¡±

    Dongfang Yi¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard the notification sounding from his notebook at the side. He immediately walked over. As expected, he saw that Dongfang Liuyun had sent an email. He hurriedly opened it and his expression instantly turned terrible!

    ¡°Tell me! Where did you get these things?!¡±

    Dongfang Yi¡¯s fierce tone was heard, but Dongfang Liuyun smiled coldly, ¡°It seems that these things have given Second Uncle quite a shock. You don¡¯t have to worry about where I came from. Since I was able to find these things, it means that the things in my hands are beyond your expectations. Second Uncle, what do you think we should talk about now?¡±

    ¡°Did your First Uncle receive the same threat?¡±

    ¡°How can this be considered a threat? The Dongfang Group should have been mine to inherit. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect for First Uncle and Second Uncle¡¯s ambitions to be so great. You haven¡¯t been well-behaved all these years.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyunughed coldly.

    Dongfang Yi¡¯s expression was iparably gloomy. He had already done enough to conceal his identity!

    These fewpanies had been operating for many years and had almost always been peaceful. He had already been extremely careful, he did not expect for Dongfang Liuyun to still have been able to catch him!

    He really did not know how she had obtained those things!

    There must be a mole in thepany!

    Moreover, there was almost no doubt that Dongfang Liuyun wanted to use these things to ckmail him!

    Thinking of the position he was about to obtain, Dongfang Yi hated it very much!

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Dongfang Yi asked coldly!

 Chapter 2052 - Win or Loss? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2052: Win or Loss? (1)</h4>

    For this day, Dongfang Yi had made a lot of preparations. Previously, the matter of Dongfang Yu being transferred out had caused him to lose some of his support. Otherwise, if Dongfang Yu were to enter into a marriage alliance with Dongfang Rou¡¯er, how could he, Dongfang Yi, be so passive today?

    There was no other way. This path was not feasible, so he could only find another shortcut. He knew that Dongfang Gan¡¯s side could not take down the new mine for a long time, so he tried to work hard in this aspect.

    It was not easy to obtain this trump card, but he did not expect Dongfang Liuyun to actually control this evidence and force him to submit!

    No wonder Dongfang Liuyun and Dongfang Gan had not appeared recently. Dongfang Yi had long known that Dongfang Gan had woken up!

    Thinking about it, he has probably been secretly preparing these things!

    This father and daughter duo had really prepared such a good show.

    ¡°Second Uncle is a smart person. What do you think I would want from you if I brought out these things to talk to you today?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun gently leaned against the back of the chair behind her and stretched out her fingertips to support her slightly drowsy head as she asked indifferently.

    ¡°You want to make a fuss at the shareholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow?¡± Dongfang Yi gritted his teeth and asked coldly.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face immediately turned into a smile, ¡°I told you Second Uncle was a smart man. The ownership of the Dongfang Group had long been known. To harp over something that doesn¡¯t belong to you in the first ce requires you to pay the price. Second Uncle is a veteran yourself, couldn¡¯t you see this clearly? This way of rising to the top doesn¡¯t necessarily benefit you. How much price would you have to pay to stabilize it? Moreover, First Uncle won¡¯t let you up so easily, right?¡± Dongfang Liuyun calmly analyzed the situation to Dongfang Yi.

    ¡°Actually, Second Uncle, you know best. Compared to First Uncle, Dongang Rou¡¯er, and the others, your chances of winning aren¡¯t very high. Even if you win, you might not be able to sit firmly. I thought that someone like Second Uncle wouldn¡¯t choose such a risky and unstable thing to do.¡±

    ¡°Since you know this, aren¡¯t you still wanting to sit in that position yourself?¡±

    Dongfang Yi¡¯s tone was a little sarcastic.

    ¡°Second Uncle knows what kind of situation I¡¯m in. I won¡¯t steal other people¡¯s things, but other people shouldn¡¯t think of stealing my things either. Second Uncle has never done anything without confidence. If your performance at the shareholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow is satisfactory, I will consider giving you an additional reward. It is the wisest choice for you to guard your position well. It is also the best decision for Second Brother. I don¡¯t think you want Second Brother to stay outside all the time, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun threw out the bait.

    ¡°You mean, you can get Ah Yu to transfer back?¡± Dongfang Yi¡¯s eyes froze and he quickly asked.

    ¡°That will depend on Second Uncle¡¯s sincerity. As long as I am not willing, Dongfang Rou¡¯er wouldn¡¯t definitely not rise up. Isn¡¯t her trump card the Jin family?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled disdainfully. She did not want to go all out like this at first, but since Dongfang Rou¡¯er had taken such a step, she had nothing to worry about.

    ¡°Qi Lei is back?¡±

    Hearing Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words, Dongfang Yi¡¯s eyes flickered¡ª

    Since the Jin family was not a trump card, then Dongfang Liuyun must be very confident. She was probably relying on Qi lei. The Qi family was rich and powerful before, not to mention their connections. Dongfang Yi admitted this point.

    Previously, the Dongfang family was not very willing to interact with these families. The Mu family also wanted to maintain an attitude of not interfering with each other¡¯s business. Furthermore, they were not involved in rted businesses, so they naturally maintained this rtionship.

    However, it was different now. Since Dongfang Liuyun was married to Qi Lei, as her husband, Qi Lei could not ignore this matter.

    Dongfang Yi suddenly realized that it was not only beneficial to have a marriage alliance within his line of work. As long as the other party¡¯s background was strong enough, it was not a problem at all. After all, with such a background, how simple could it be?

    As expected, they were not as farsighted as one little woman.

    At this moment, Dongfang Yi felt very unconvinced, but there was more that he could do nothing about.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve said what should be said, and I¡¯ve analyzed it all for Second Uncle. I think Second Uncle knows what to do. ¡°Tomorrow is the shareholders¡¯ meeting. I¡¯m looking forward to Second Uncle¡¯s performance at that time. At the same time, let Second Uncle know that I¡¯ve already won over the shares under Vice President Kang. With the shares that Grandmother gave me, even if not for Grandfather¡¯s, I can stillpete with you two, not to mention that I still have Grandfather¡¯s will in my hands.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly and hung up the phone before Dongfang Yi could react.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun slowly put away her phone and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes after a long while. One of her hands was still rubbing her temples.

    Perhaps it was because she was pregnant, but recently, she felt very tired and her energy was not as strong as before. Fortunately, she was still young and did not have such a strong reaction like the others, she could feel that the child was growing safely in her stomach. She would go to the hospital for a good check-up in a few days. What she needed the most now was to resolve these matters before she could let the child grow up safely.

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to cover her belly. Her gaze softened a little as her starry eyes swept across the table. Unexpectedly, she saw Qi Lei¡¯s wedding photo of the two of them.

    She could not help but reach out to take the photo. She stared at it for a long time¡ª

    ¡°You seem quite confident that I can hold on by myself...¡±

    After muttering these words softly, Mama Wang suddenly knocked on the door. Dongfang Liuyun responded before she pushed the door open and walked in.

    ¡°Missus, have a cup of hot milk and some snacks. I was worried that you¡¯d be hungry, so I specially made them.¡±

    She had been serving her so carefully during this period of time. This made Dongfang Liuyun very touched.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping at this time of night?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to take the milk and started eating the pastries as well.

    If she did not bring it up, she would not have felt it but she did feel a little hungry at this moment. Mama Wang¡¯s cooking had always been very good, especially the pastries. Dongfang Liuyun quite liked them.

    ¡°I was worried that it would rain, the weather has been rather gloomy these past two days. I got up to check if the doors and windows were closed properly. I saw that Missus¡¯ room was still lit up, so... Missus needs to take care of her body. Carrying young master will be a little tiring. When Master returns, he will definitely be very happy. It¡¯s also a good opportunity for Missus to have a good rest.¡±

    Mama Wang also saw the tiredness on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face. Although her heart was anxious and distressed, she did not know what else she could do.

    ¡°He... I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be back...¡±

    At the mention of Qi Lei, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt lonely and sad.

    She had never experienced such emotions before.

 Chapter 2053 - Win or Loss? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2053: Win or Loss? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mama Wang also took in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s expression. She sighed inwardly and said somewhat helplessly¡ª

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If only Master were here at this time! Even the wedding will have to be postponed. Missus, but don¡¯t worry, the wedding can be carried out immediately when Master returns. President Qi has been meticulously preparing before, and now it¡¯s almost done.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s put this matter aside forter. It doesn¡¯t matter whether the wedding is held or not.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not care about this. She already had a child and had received the marriage certificate. She did not think that this wedding could be anything much. She felt that it would be good if it could not be held, so as to avoid tiring herself out. In any case, she did not feel that there was anything to look forward to, now that they had been married for so long, she felt even more indifferent.

    ¡°Missus, you have to be more attentive. Master has been looking forward to it for a long time. He just wants to give you a perfect wedding.¡±

    Mama Wang smiled.

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled and did not say anything. She quietly ate a few pieces of snacks and drank the milk in the cup. Then, she felt much better.

    ¡°Alright, you should go back and rest early.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not say anything else.

    Mama Wang nodded and then left the room with the tray.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally could not rest yet. On such a crucial night, she still needed to handle a lot of documents. She had not contacted Dongfang Xue either. Tomorrow was very crucial, so she had to be fully prepared. She had to hit the target in one hit, by taking care of Dongfang Rou¡¯er and also taking care of the hidden dangers of the Dongfang Group, she and Dongfang Gan would have a much easier timeter on.

    ...

    It waste, in the wee hours of the morning.

    When Mu Yuchen returned to Maple Residence, he saw that the light in the study room was still on. He knew that Xi Xiaye must still be awake.

    Mu Yuchen frowned and walked upstairs quickly.

    As expected, the moment he returned to his room, he saw a woman who was reading a book attentively.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet? Didn¡¯t I tell you to sleep first?¡± Mu Yuchen said in a low voice as he took off his jacket.

    The sudden sound startled Xi Xiaye who was reading. She quickly looked up and saw the man standing by the door. Her expression softened a little as she took the bookmark on the side and put it into the book. Then, she closed the book.

    ¡°Wait, how much did you drink? Why does it smell so strong?¡±

    She could smell the alcohol on him from far away.

    Xi Xiaye walked over as she said this and reached out to take the windbreaker from him.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face was a little red. Qi Lei was not around, and the project in City B was crucial. This time, President Li came over, so he had to be the host.

    When he saw hering over, he reached out and pulled her over. He could not help but feel a little restless¡ª

    Could he be med?

    Xi Xiaye was only wearing a ck nightgown with the cor slightly open. The exquisiteness inside was clearly seen, and he just happened to drink. In the private room of the banquet, President Zhang, who was with President Li, called out to a few young women.

    They had quite a lot of fun, but he could not. It had to be Xi Xiaye for him before he could do it. He was used to her delicate fragrance, the scent of other women always felt unclean to him, and he would get goosebumps all over the moment they came close.

    He knew very well that he just had to have her.

    ¡°What...¡±

    Xi Xiaye just frowned and wanted to say something when he had already lowered his head to kiss her without hesitation. Hisrge hand swiftly reached for her waist.

    ¡°Mmm, you smell like alcohol. Go wash up first...¡±

    Xi Xiaye avoided him with some disdain.

    ¡°Be good! How long has it been since New Year¡¯s Eve?!¡±

    Mu Yuchen immediately grabbed her wrist and red at her without any exnation.

    When he said this, Xi Xiaye was instantly stunned.

    After New Year¡¯s Eve, because it was new year¡¯s, they had been very busy. She even stayed at the Shen residence for a few days and left him alone at home. Then, she visited him on his period. It had been half a month. Looking at his dissatisfied expression, xi Xiaye could only cough a few times¡ª

    ¡°Before we got been married, you weren¡¯t like this. Aren¡¯t you the noble and aloof abstinence type?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about being all noble and aloof abstinent. I¡¯m ayman.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her a little angrily.

    This woman was getting more and more impudent recently. It was obvious that he was not going to let her go?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you follow people¡¯s example and get a mistress then?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Yuchen immediately red at her coldly. The punishing kiss also came over and sealed her up for a moment. When Xi Xiaye was gasping for breath, he gritted his teeth and said in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! With me around, why are you still so restless?¡±

    Xi Xiayeughed softly when she heard his sour tone. She quickly said, ¡°Mr. Mu, you seem to be drunk!¡±

    ¡°Can I still do this to you when I¡¯m drunk?¡± Mu Yuchen replied snappily as his sexyughter reached her ears.

    Xi Xiaye could feel his cold aura mixed with the smell of alcohol. When she wanted to struggle, he moved even faster. He lifted her up by her waist and walked towards the bedroom inrge strides.

    Xi Xiaye was a little scared now. This man¡¯s words meant that he did not intend to let her off so quickly. She understood him very well.

    ...

    The facts proved that Xi Xiaye¡¯s guess was right.

    When she fell asleep, it was almost dawn.

    Mu Yuchen himself was also in a deep sleep.

    When he woke up, the sky was already bright. XI Xiaye still woke up with a slight rustling sound.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    When he saw her hugging the nket and getting up, the man who was standing by the bed wearing a tie also looked over. He seemed to be in good spirits.

    ¡°What time is it? I¡¯m so tired...¡±

    Xi Xiaye scratched her messy hair as she felt a little sleepy.

    ¡°It¡¯s 7:30 a.m. You can still take a half-hour nap.¡±

    Mu Yuchen picked up his coat swiftly and answered in a serious tone. You could not tell that the person who was full of bestialityst night was this guy.

    Xi Xiaye red at him and did not go back to sleep anymore. She got out of the bed, picked up the sleeping robe on the ground, and put it on as she walked towards the bathroom.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Lantern Festival today. I have to finish my work as soon as possible. I have to go back to the Shen residence for dinner tonight. Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er have been going to school for the past two days. I have to pick them up from school in the afternoon,¡± said Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°You go pick them up. I have to go to the airport,¡± Mu Yuchen replied calmly.

    ¡°Who would bother Chairman Mu to pick them up personally? Is Mother back?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a little surprised as she turned to look at him.

    ¡°Mother would have Father to pick her up. It¡¯s Qi Lei.¡±

    Mu Yuchen recalled the call that Qi Lei had madest night.

    ¡°Qi Lei¡¯sing back?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen with some joy.

 Chapter 2054 - Win or Loss? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2054: Win or Loss? (3)</h4>

    It was a cloudy day, and the wind was very cold.

    Dongfang Liuyun pulled open the curtains and looked outside. She saw that it was bleak outside, and the cold wind blew the trees in the courtyard until they bent over.

    ¡°Missus, it¡¯s cold outside. Remember to bring your coat with youter. I¡¯ll leave it here for you.¡±

    After breakfast, Mama Wang continued to make preparations.

    ¡°Mmm, go and rest after you¡¯re done. I want to be alone.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun turned her head and looked at Mama Wang with a smile.

    ¡°Okay, Missus!¡±

    Mama Wang understood and left.

    Dongfang Liuyun also withdrew her gaze. Her gaze looked through the ss window and leisurely looked at the scenery outside. After a while, she vaguely heard the sound of a car stopping.

    ¡°Missus!¡±

    A momentter, Wang Chun¡¯s voice came from behind.

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun responded indifferently. The hand behind her was still holding a document. Wang Chun looked at her and felt that her expression was very calm. There was not the slightest fluctuation in her emotions.

    ¡°Mmm, Missus did not seem to have a good restst night. Are you a little nervous today?¡±

    Wang Chun looked at the exhaustion in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes and asked with concern.

    Dongfang Liuyun was indeed not looking too good. She stayed uptest night and woke up early today in order to prepare the materials for today.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun also took a deep breath. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m nervous. I¡¯ve already done what needs to be done. Next, it¡¯s up to our luck. I hope that after today, the Dongfang Group will usher in a new era.¡±

    ¡°We will, Missus! As long as they were cleaned up, leaving behind those who were useful and obedient, that was the key. Master had said before that the Dongfang Group was filled with talented people. The key was to be able to arrange them into suitable positions. Vice President Zhang had already drawn up a list of vacancies. Once it was arranged, they would definitely actively resolve the current difficulties. A new broom sweeps clean, Missus has used this principle very well and very cleverly.¡±

    As Wang Chun spoke, his eyes were filled with admiration. ¡°Even the elders of Tai Yu Corporation are full of praise for Missus.¡±

    Wang Chun¡¯s words gave Dongfang Liuyun full recognition.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun did not feel proud or satisfied because she knew that Qi Lei had reminded her of these words before.

    In terms of skills, Qi Lei might not be as good as her, but in terms of personnel, Qi Lei¡¯s judgment was far more urate than hers. Perhaps it was because he hade into contact with too many people. His judgment and ability to evaluate people left her in the dust.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can get through this difficulty. I¡¯m afraid today will be a tough battle, but Dongfang Ren who has lost his support is just a toothless tiger. This time, I must get rid of all those hidden dangers.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun said this, determination appeared in her eyes. As she finished speaking, she took a deep breath and handed the document in her hand to Wang Chun.

    ¡°Go to the police station and pass these to Captain Wang.¡±

    Wang Chun was stunned for a moment. He took the documents in puzzlement and flipped them open. After taking a quick look, shock appeared in his eyes

    ¡°Missus, how could it be her?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either. It¡¯s my fault for being too careless and letting Uncle Ming died in the sea of fire. When the De Bao House was set on fire, I already sensed that something was wrong. I didn¡¯t expect that they would find out that the items were hid in the shop, that¡¯s quite skillful of them. Fortunately, Uncle Ming is a cautious person. I should have thought of it earlier.¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, there was a hint of bitterness in her tone.

    ¡°Missus, you don¡¯t have to be too sad. A dead person can not be revived. Uncle Ming will understand.¡±

    Wang Chun could not help butfort her and also tightened the document in his hand.

    ¡°No matter what, this tragedy has already been caused. I must let him die in peace. If I hand this thing to Captain Wang, I think he will know what to do.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun blinked, and her tone contained a hint of sadness, ¡°Too many things have happened recently. Vice President Wang Chun, thank you. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to bear it by myself otherwise. When the matter of the Dongfang Group is settled, I will definitely thank you properly.¡±

    ¡°Missus, don¡¯t say such courteous words. I am President Qi¡¯s person to begin with. It is only right for me to serve the Qi family and Master and Missus. I also admire Missus for being able to hold on so firmly,¡± Wang Chun replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly. ¡°Fortunately, everything seems to being to light soon.¡±

    There was some anticipation in her voice.

    ¡°After the matter is over, Missus should take care of the fetus. Master should be back. I heard that Wang Xun met President Qi yesterday. I think Master should be better. It¡¯s just that Wang Xun and...¡±

    Wang Chun did not finish his sentence.

    Dongfang Liuyun roughly knew what he was going to say. She thought about it and smiled. ¡°These things are their grudges. We can¡¯t meddle in them. Let¡¯s just watch. As long as Qi Lei is safe and sound, it will be a great gift from God.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that makes sense. I...¡±

    Wang Chun wanted to say something, but at that moment, the sound of a car stopping came from outside. The two of them subconsciously turned their heads to look. Only then did they realize that Ah Cai and Secretary Ding were walking in through the door.

    ¡°They¡¯re here. It¡¯s time for me to go to thepany. Vice President Wang Chun, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. I hope to see the end of her going against me today.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, her eyes were cold and sharp as a knife.

    Wang Chun nodded. ¡°Missus, please be rest assured. I promise toplete the task.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun responded and turned around as well. She walked towards the sofa and picked up her coat and briefcase.

    ¡°Manager Yun!¡±

    ¡°Miss Liuyun!¡±

    Ah Cai and Secretary Ding¡¯s voices were heard at the same time.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After Dongfang Liuyun said this, her thin figure quickly disappeared at the door.

    After the few of them got into the car, they immediately rushed towards the Dongfang Group. Behind them were the bodyguards assigned by Dongfang Gan.

    These bodyguards were very useful. It must be known that Dongfang Liuyun had also encountered some idents recently. For example, when she was walking on the road, a madman suddenly rushed out, or when she passed by a shop, something suddenly fell from the top, but every time, she was promptly protected by the bodyguards, so Dongfang Liuyun did not dare to be careless.

    At the headquarters of the Dongfang Group, below the group building that towered into the clouds.

    Knowing the importance of today, it had long been surrounded by reporters downstairs. They probably wanted to get first-hand information.

    Moreover, all the important figures of the Dongfang Group would be attending today, including Dongfang Gan. It could be seen how important this shareholders¡¯ meeting was.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s car passed through the crowd and stopped at thepany entrance. Just as Secretary Ding got out of the car and opened the door for Dongfang Liuyun, a group of reporters swarmed over¡ª

 Chapter 2055 - Win or Loss? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2055: Win or Loss? (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The bodyguards following behind quickly blocked the group of people.

    ¡°Miss Liuyun, quickly go in. The meeting seems like it¡¯s about to start!¡±

    Ah Cai held the briefcase in her hand while protecting Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Go in, Manager Yun!¡±

    Secretary Ding also stopped the person who stretched out his hand and said.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and did not pay attention to the crowd of reporters behind her. She walked in.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er, Dongfang Ren, and the others had already arrived in the high-level meeting room of the Dongfang Group. The entire meeting room was almost full. Other than the shareholders who participated in the meeting, there were also some capable executive assistants.

    At this moment, in the meeting room, the seats for Dongfang Gan, Dongfang Liuyun, Dongfang Xue and Dongfang Yi were still empty. Everyone else had already arrived.

    It was almost time to leave the meeting. Looking at the few empty seats in front of them, some people were also whispering to each other. They must have made some guesses and discussions because of today¡¯s meeting.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also sitting upright, quietly flipping through the documents in her hands. However, her mind was not on the documents. Her gaze was also a little erratic, and she could not see clearly what kind of emotions were contained within.

    Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Xin were sitting beside her. Dongfang Ren looked very calm, but Dongfang Xin¡¯s expression was a little gloomy. It was obvious that he was enduring something.

    ¡°Father, do you think Uncle and the others wille?¡± Dongfang Xin lowered his voice and nced at Dongfang Rou¡¯er as he asked.

    They were well aware of Dongfang Gan¡¯s matter. Before thepany was in such a mess, Dongfang Gan, Dongfang Liuyun, and the others had not appeared. Now that the shareholders¡¯ meeting was held, he felt a little uneasy. He had a feeling that something was going to happen. Although Dongfang Rou¡¯er said that everything was well prepared, he still felt a little uneasy.

    He did not know when his sister, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, had be so ambitious. He was also clear about the matter of her asking for the shares. She no longer supported her father, Dongfang Ren, with all her might, instead she had asked for Dongfang Ren to support her.

    He had always known that Dongfang Rou¡¯er was bold. Initially, he thought that after she married into the Jin family, she would be able to convince the Jin family to support him, Dongfang Xin. He did not expect her to be so smart as to take in that power for her own use. Furthermore, she was so shrewd in obtaining the shares, only then was she qualified to fight for this position. Furthermore, with the support of the Jin family, she had great reputation. The Jin family could also help with the matter of the mines. Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s trump card was not small!

    This younger sister of his was really amazing. Even he could not see through her now. She waspletely different from the docile and obedient person from before.

    ¡°At this time, they won¡¯t note. However, even if theye, they won¡¯t be able to aplish anything.¡±

    Dongfang Ren was full of confidence in today¡¯s meeting. As long as Dongfang Rou¡¯er could rise up, as her father, he would have a lot of benefits. In any case, he could not let this position fall into the hands of Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Yi.

    ¡°Father, I think it¡¯s better for us not to let our guard down. I know Dongfang Liuyun a little, she has been thinking of taking over the Dongfang Group for a long time. She wouldn¡¯t let it go so easily, I¡¯m worried that there will be trouble.¡±

    Dongfang Xin had suffered many losses at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands before, so he was always faintly worried about Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Elder Brother, why are you trying to undermine your own prestige!¡±

    When Dongfang Rou¡¯er heard this, she snorted coldly. Dongfang Rou¡¯er had always looked down on this older brother of hers. He was timid and had no manliness at all. He was just an idiot! He waspletely useless!

    In fact, Dongfang Xin was not that bad. He was just a little more cautious in handling matters. He was not that courageous and did not act so decisively.

    However, ever since Dongfang Rou¡¯er obtained a portion of the shares, she looked down on Dongfang Xin even more. She was even very dissatisfied with Dongfang Ren¡¯s previous efforts to nurture Dongfang Xin.

    After being reprimanded by Dongfang Rou¡¯er, Dongfang Xin¡¯s expression became even gloomier. The Dongfang person beside him also red at him with a sullen face. Dongfang Xin had no choice but to stop what he was about to say and remain silent.

    ¡°Vice President Yi is here!¡±

    At this moment, a voice came from the side. Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Rou¡¯er exchanged a look. The father and daughter both looked towards the door and indeed saw Dongfang Yi and his assistant walking into the office apanied by the bodyguards.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s so early too?¡±

    Dongfang Yi swept his gaze across the surroundings and his gaze stopped on Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Rou¡¯er. A meaningful glint shed across his eyes, but it was not difficult to catch a hint of gloominess on his face¡ª

    He did not look happy, and there was a hint of fatigue between his brows. It was obvious that he had not had a good rest yesterday.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Vice President Yi!¡±

    Hearing his greeting, everyone could only reply. Dongfang Yi silently withdrew his gaze and sat down on his seat.

    Just as he sat down, Dongfang Xue walked in indifferently. Her gaze swept past Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi, and she quickly found her seat and sat down.

    With the arrival of a few key figures, the entire meeting room suddenly fell silent. Her gaze quickly stopped on a few key major shareholders in front of her.

    The Dongfang family was a veryrge family. The family¡¯s shares were divided into many parts. Elder Dongfang¡¯s branch only controlled the majority of the shares of the entire group. There were also some who controlled the hands of the other brothers in the family.

    Currently, only one of the main seats and the seats that had jumped down were still empty. It was the seats for Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Could it be that they are noting today?¡±

    After waiting for a while, they did not see the father and daughter appear. Someone started to whisper to each other.

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. I think I saw President Gan¡¯s car in the parking lot just now.¡±

    ¡°Is President Gan ready?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. President Gan didn¡¯t make a good start in Myanmar this time, and President Shu has already... sigh, I¡¯m worried...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have a feeling that things are going to change for the Dongfang Group this time... Look at the way manager Rou looked at Vice President Yi and Manager Xue just now. It¡¯s obvious that she wants to be neutral. It¡¯s obvious that she has no hope with President Gan.¡±

    ¡°Who said that? Manager Xue doesn¡¯t have much qualifications to begin with. I heard that all the shares in President Shu¡¯s hands have been given to Manager Yun. I don¡¯t know what Manager Xue is thinking.¡±

    ¡°Manager Yun is actually quite capable. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    Just as the people below were still whispering, a low voice suddenly came from outside the door¡ª

    ¡°President Gan, Miss Liuyun, you¡¯re here!¡±

    As the voice fell, everyone turned their heads and looked over¡ª

 Chapter 2056 - Win or Loss? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2056: Win or Loss? (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Indeed it was Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Liuyun!

    The father and daughter walked side by side. Their steps were not fast, but they looked steady. Dongfang Gan¡¯s face was still sickly pale, and he looked much thinner than before. At a nce, it was as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was beside him, was also wearing a cold outfit. She wore a ck business suit and a ck coat. She looked very cautious and serious, but everyone also noticed that she had changed into a pair of ts.

    A few days ago, the media reported that Dongfang Liuyun had appeared at the gynaecology department of Hospital T. They also vaguely guessed that Dongfang Liuyun was pregnant. Now, it seemed that the media was not making wild guesses.

    When he thought of this, Dongfang Yi¡¯s eyes flickered. He recalled the phone call Dongfang Liuyun had made yesterday. He vaguely guessed that Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Liuyun must have a very big trump card.

    Especially Dongfang Liuyun. Even if something happened to her husband, Qi Lei, with her current situation, it was entirely possible for her to inherit Tai Yu Corporation. When that timees, it was still uncertain who would have a stronger backer!

    ¡°President Gan, Nanager Yun!¡±

    At this moment, everyone hurriedly greeted him. Pairs of eyes were staring at Dongfang Gan.

    Dongfang Gan waved his hand and gestured for everyone to sit down.

    Ah Fei also quickly went over and pulled out a chair for him. Dongfang Liuyun also sat down in his seat with Ah Cai following behind him.

    Seeing Ah Cai¡¯s appear, everyone was naturally a little surprised. Ah Cai had always been by Dongfang Shuman¡¯s side. She could be considered a person of prestige in the Dongfang Group. Initially, they thought that after Dongfang Shuman passed away, she would no longer be able to continue, they did not expect her to actually join Dongfang Liuyun?

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er swept a nce at Dongfang Liuyun, her gaze very gloomy!

    Of course, she hated him very much. The people she had previously sent back told her that Fujiwara had met Dongfang Liuyun on New Year¡¯s Eve. Moreover, they seemed very intimate. Right now, Fujiwara was still unwilling to meet her. He treated her as if she did not exist and went to look for her several times, no one came out to open the door. Only the guard at the door said that Fujiwara did not meet anyone!

    It must be because of Dongfang Liuyun!

    Fujiwara, Dongfang Liuyun!

    Just you wait and see. I want to see whether she, Dongfang Liuyun, is better or I, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, am smarter!

    Why am I always being trampled under the feet of that slut Dongfang Liuyun? We are clearly all the daughters of the Dongfang Group, why did Grandfather favor her so much? Why should she be the so-called genius, and her Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s talent was not inferior to her Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s, yet she had to be trampled under her feet?

    She had to be high and mighty, to prove that she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, was not inferior to Dongfang Liuyun at all. Let this group of blind people see that she, Dongfang Rou¡¯er, was the woman who should be the center of attention.

    Just as she was thinking about this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er looked at Dongfang Liuyun across her and a spark shot out from her eyes. Even Dongfang Liuyun, who was far away, could smell the smell of gunpowder.

    She raised her head and looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with an indifferent expression. Naturally, she could see the provocation and anger in her eyes. She smiled disdainfully and returned Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s mocking and disdainful gaze, Dongfang Rou¡¯er almost could not control herself as she clenched the document in her hand tightly.

    Dongfang Gan could naturally feel the undercurrent in the air. He nced at the people below before lowering his gaze and said in a low voice, ¡°The timing is just right. Let¡¯s start the meeting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone knows what has happened to the Dongfang Group recently. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve also been in the hospital for quite some time. So many things have happened in thepany and I wasn¡¯t able toe out in time to deal with them. It¡¯s my fault, and...¡±

    ¡°Third Uncle, before we talk about the problems in thepany, I think we should first talk about the distribution of thepany. Since Third Uncle also understands that you¡¯ve been derelict in your duties, and the operation of the entire Dongfang Group is so important, all the shareholders are also considering this issue. Based on thepany¡¯s performance this year, Third Uncle, do you think that you still have the ability to manage such a hugepany? We are all worried about the future of thepany.¡±

    Before Dongfang Gan could finish his sentence, one of the younger shareholders had already opened his mouth. Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sideways nce and knew that he was on Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s side!

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s face immediately darkened when he heard this. He frowned at the young man across from him and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°You have such courage at such a young age. Not bad. You just joined thepany not long ago, right? Since when could you interrupt President Gan¡¯s speech? Ah Kai! Do you still have any respect for your elders?¡±

    At this time, Dongfang Ren also came out to say a few words at the right time and red at the young man.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave a dark smile with a faint sneer at the corner of his mouth. He intended to watch silently. Dongfang Xue, who was beside her, did not even raise her head and quietly flipped through the documents in her hand.

    After being reprimanded by Dongfang Ren, the man called Ah Kai¡¯s expression froze for a moment. After a while, he calmed his thoughts and hurriedly distributed the documents in his hands as he continued, ¡°I¡¯m not making trouble for no reason. I¡¯m just very concerned about the future development of thepany. These are some of the reports and data analysis that I¡¯ve done over the past few days. These data and reports are enough to exin the situation of the Dongfang Group this year. In addition to the recent events, I can¡¯t help but suspect that if this continues, thispany will be destroyed just like that.¡±

    As he spoke, data after data were handed out.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s expression darkened, but he was still very calm. He had long known that this would only cause a big fuss over these matters. There was already a small crisis in the middle of this year, it was already very good that their Dongfang Group was able to stabilize their position and obtain some profits. If it were any otherpany, they would have already suffered heavy losses. He did not expect that these people would actually grasp onto such a matter.

    After the documents were distributed and read, everyone began to whisper.

    ¡°As one of the shareholders of thepany, I feel that it is very necessary to reconsider the matter of the person in charge of thepany. Moreover, President Shu has already passed away. In theory, we should first rify the matter of these shares so that we can better manage thepanyter.¡±

    Ah Kai¡¯s tone was very firm.

    As his voice fell, many people began to nod in agreement.

    ¡°Thepany has such a rule, and President Shu has always been the person who truly runs thepany. President Gan is only the acting president. Now that President Shu is no longer here, this matter should be discussed!¡±

 Chapter 2057 - Win or Loss? (6)

    <h4>Chapter 2057: Win or Loss? (6)</h4>

    After hearing the approval tone from many people, Ah Kai¡¯s confidence slowly returned, and his tone became a little cold and hard.

    ¡°Since everyone agrees with what I said, then President Gan wouldn¡¯t mind, right? After all, the future development of the Dongfang Group is of great importance to all of us, and there are still difficult problems waiting for us to solveter! Now that the data has been shown to everyone, I believe that everyone has a good idea of thepany¡¯s performancest year. Everyone, please give us your opinions!¡±

    The people from Ah Kai¡¯s group were not very satisfied with Dongfang Gan¡¯s management of the Dongfang Group. Furthermore, they were very close to Dongfang Ren¡¯s group. The Jin family had also given them many benefits, now, it was not strange for him to directly stand out and light this fire!

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have long been prepared, so she was generally very calm about the current situation. She only coldly nced at Ah Kai, the corners of her mouth curling into a sneer, but did not say anything, she wanted to see who would be so enthusiastic to stand out. In the future, she would also have to clean up properly.

    ¡°This, I also feel that Manager Kai is right. Especially during this time of crisis in thepany, Manager Rou has helped a lot. Moreover, Vice President Ren is also a senior member of thepany. Now that thepany¡¯s problems have not been solved, we still need the help of the Jin family. The Jin family is also in charge of several mineral veins. If they give Manager Rou face, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to help. Therefore, I think that in this critical moment, Manager Rou should temporarily act as the president of the Dongfang Group. What do you all think?¡±

    When Ah Kai said this, someone immediately agreed.

    ¡°I also think this can work. Right now, the most important thing is how to get thepany through this difficult time. From the looks of it, this is also a proposal to achieve the best of both worlds. I also agree.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I think Vice President Yi is more suitable! Yi is also a senior figure, Manager Rou is too young to take on such an important task. Didn¡¯t Vice President Yi also find a very good mine in Africa? Vice President Yi has also contributed a lot in this crisis and has handled the matter well. I propose that Vice President Yi be the acting president.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Vice President Yi too!¡±

    ...

    For a moment, the meeting room started to bustling. Dongfang Ren¡¯s gloomy gaze swept across Dongfang Yi. His gaze was filled with provocation. Dongfang Rou¡¯er was also a little nervous at this moment, even though she felt that she had made a lot of preparations, at this moment, she still could not help but tremble slightly. It was not for anything else, but for the position of president that she was about to obtain.

    In her eyes, this position was already hers because...

    ¡°Thank you everyone for your kind words and kindness, as well as your affirmation of me. I will definitely try my best to not disappoint everyone¡¯s expectations. The Dongfang Group belongs to everyone, so...¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even decided to let you be the president yet. Why are you so impatient? You look like you¡¯re about to give your award eptance speech now?¡±

    Before Dongfang Rou¡¯er could finish her sentence, a clear voice cut her off. That cold tone was clearly filled with disdain. When Dongfang Rou¡¯er raised her gaze, she met Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s gaze that was filled with sarcasm, that gaze was as if she was looking down on a clown!

    This understanding made Dongfang Rou¡¯er extremely angry!

    ¡°Otherwise, does Fourth Sister think that you can sit in this position? Putting aside the fact that I haven¡¯t seen you appear when thepany was in crisis, I don¡¯t think that you have the qualifications to be the sessor at all. Everyone present here has clearly seen the situation, right? Also, I don¡¯t seem to have seen Third Uncle show up. I think that the question of whether he can be the president and whether he¡¯s suitable to sit in this position should depend on his ability and performance?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s words were very sharp. She did not care about Dongfang Gan¡¯s face in the slightest and immediately med Dongfang Gan for his negligence.

    ¡°Have the qualifications?¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Rou¡¯er finished speaking, a faint voice entered. She raised her head and saw that the person who spoke was actually Dongfang Xue.

    ¡°What is more qualified than a share certificate?¡±

    Dongfang Xue paused for a moment before she smiled indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t care who is stronger or weaker. I only recognize share certificates now. I will recognize whoever has the most shares. Isn¡¯t this a principle that has never changed since ancient times? You can¡¯t be thinking of swallowing the entire empire just because of some merit, right? This is not how the ancient emperors fought for the empire. Otherwise, they would just rely on their merit to dominate the empire. Do you think that the Emperor is dead?¡±

    As expected, when Dongfang Xue said this, there were people who immediately agreed.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face immediately stiffened and she turned pale for a moment. However, she quickly controlled her emotions and coughed lightly before replying, ¡°Aunt is right. However, since you have said so, I also want to talk about the shares.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt. Before President Shu passed away, she made a will that all 20% of her shares would be inherited by Miss Liuyun. This is a notarized document and the legality of the document has been confirmed.¡±

    Ah Cai quickly stood up and took out a document from her briefcase and handed it to Dongfang Xue.

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s beautiful eyes narrowed. She took it and flipped through it a few times before passing it to the next one casually.

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Rou¡¯er clearly did not believe it. Dongfang Shuman treated Dongfang Xue so well. Even if she passed away, she should have divided these shares into three, right? How could all of them be in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hands?

    Moreover, was Dongfang Shuman not very dissatisfied with Dongfang Liuyun?

    Dongfang Ren had a faint feeling that things were not looking good. He suddenly realized that it seemed that they had been yed by Dongfang Shuman for so many years?

    Did Dongfang Shuman really care about Dongfang Liuyun?

    Yes, she was her biological granddaughter after all. How could they be so foolish as to think that Dongfang Shuman could really be selfless? She were just doing it for the old man to see!

    ¡°Ren, you can take a closer look!¡±

    ¡°Even if all of them are in Liuyun¡¯s hands, she still isn¡¯t qualified, right? It¡¯s only 20%!¡±

    Dongfang Ren took a deep breath, but he was still able to remain calm.

    ¡°Not only 20% , when Father passed away, he also made a will. His shares were inherited by Liuyun. Elder Brother didn¡¯t forget about this, right? I personally expressed my support for Third Brother to continue taking charge of thepany. Liuyun¡¯s health is very inconvenient now, and Tai Yu Corporation has already agreed to cooperate with our Dongfang Group to jointly develop the project in the east of the city. This morning, Vice President Wang Chun of Tai Yu Corporation informed me that their Master Qi will personallye over to discuss this project with us next week.¡±

    The person who spoke was actually Dongfang Yi!

 Chapter 2058 - Win or Loss? (7)

    <h4>Chapter 2058: Win or Loss? (7)</h4>

    Was Dongfang Yi not also dreaming of that position?

    At least in the previous exchange, he had also expressed his desire for that position, but now? What was all this?

    Moreover, Dongfang Yi¡¯s words revealed many meanings.

    First, Elder Dongfang had left a will for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Second, he supported Dongfang Gan to continue to control the Dongfang Group.

    Third, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s health was inconvenient, so did that not mean...

    Fourth, Dongfang Group and Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s cooperation in the city east had some progress.

    Fifth, Master Qi had personallye to discuss this project. Did that not mean that Qi Lei was fine?

    When Dongfang Yi said this, the meeting room seemed to explode with discussion.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression instantly darkened!

    She had prepared for so long. It was impossible for her to be destroyed by this news!

    How could Qi Leie back safely? Did Mr. Ge not say that Dongfang Gan was seriously injured and Qi Lei was shot in the chest?

    How could he still be alive?

    Mr. Ge was a person who only cared about profit. When they reached an agreement, as long as she could take down Dongfang Group, she did not mind letting him take some shares of Dongfang Group. Furthermore, they could work together, taking down the project that Dongfang Liuyun and Lan Xiu had prepared before, and even giving Fujiwara a blow.

    Mr. Ge was a very narrow-minded person. Moreover, his entire heart was twisted. Fujiwara had repeatedly not given him any respect. He had evene forward to warn him, causing him to lose his reputation in front of thepany. He would definitely take revenge for this.

    But Dongfang Rou¡¯er did not care about any of this. The most important thing was how she could take down the Dongfang Group.

    She could not lose to Dongfang Liuyun!

    But the current situation clearly made her a little panicked, and she could still calm down as soon as possible¡ª

    ¡°Grandfather¡¯s will? I¡¯ve never heard of any will. Have you heard of it?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er seemed to have known that Dongfang Liuyun would do something like this. She smiled coldly and nced at Dongfang Yi. Her gaze quicklynded on Dongfang Liuyun.

    Although she did not know what method she used to force Dongfang Yi to submit, it seemed that the father and daughter pair hade prepared.

    ¡°Ah Yi, I¡¯ve never heard of any will that father left behind. Speaking of which, Mother has passed away. Shouldn¡¯t the shares under father¡¯s name be equally distributed?¡±

    Dongfang Ren received his daughter¡¯s gaze and immediately spoke up.

    ¡°Big Brother, why are you lying through your teeth? When the will was taken out, you, me, Ah Gan, Ah Xue, Liuyun and Uncle Ming had all seen it before. Why are you lying to yourself?¡± Dongfang Yi sneered.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I remember this? Ah Yi, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on on your side, but you¡¯ve got stakes in thepany too. You wouldn¡¯t want thepany to be handed over and messed up by someone else , right?¡±

    Dongfang Ren was implying something.

    Dongfang Gan, who had been silent the whole time, had a cold smile on his lips. There was still no emotion on his pale face.

    ¡°If you can, why don¡¯t you just take out the will and let everyone see it?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er sneered and leaned back on the chair behind her, staring at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to say something, Dongfang Liuyun said disdainfully¡ª

    ¡°If I had known earlier that this was your n, I¡¯m sure you must have put in a lot of effort to investigate the will back then, right?¡±

    When Dongfang Liuyun said this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s expression froze for a moment. The hands on her legs suddenly tightened as she stared coldly at Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m just asking you to take out the will now. Why do you have to put on an act?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not control the surging waves in her heart. She did not dare to admit that at this moment. Looking at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes, she felt more and more uneasy.

    Everything was clearly done wlessly, but why did she feel a strong pressure in front of Dongfang Liuyun and meet her gaze?

    Dongfang Liuyun took in her reaction as well. Her clear eyes suddenly dimmed¡ª

    ¡°Uncle Ming died for this, right? Dongfang Rou¡¯er, you really had the heart to do it. You searched every corner of De Bao House, but couldn¡¯t find the will, so you set it on fire. Do you think you can destroy the will just like that?¡±

    As soon as she said this, the meeting room immediately fell silent!

    Everyone stared at Dongfang Liuyun with their eyes wide open. They turned their gazes and stared at Dongfang Rou¡¯er again!

    What did Dongfang Liuyun mean by this?

    Was the fire at De Bao House caused by Dongfang Rou¡¯er?

    Was the fire not an ident?

    Even Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue had looks of disbelief on their faces. The siblings exchanged a look and their expressions suddenly turned heavy. Dongfang Ren was also shocked as he stared at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in a daze.

    How could his daughter do such a thing? She was clearly such an eager and obedient daughter, even though recently she had be a little...

    ¡°Dongfang Liuyun! Don¡¯t you dare nder me! It¡¯s none of my business! I¡¯m just asking you to take out your will, and you¡¯re actually pushing this onto me! Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t take it out and want to bite me back?¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly.

    Dongfang Liuyun straightened her body slightly and crossed his fingers on the table. She looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a faint smile, ¡°Uncle Ming has always liked cleanliness. Every time he finishes his calligraphy practice, he would pick up the words he had practiced and ce them on the bookshelf at the side. However, when I went over, I discovered that the paper in the room was all over the floor. The arrangement was also very irregr. Although the other things were very neat, I could still see that someone had gone through his things.¡±

    ¡°What you were looking for, I think this should be it, right?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun extended her hand towards Ah Cai who was beside her. Ah Cai very quickly passed a document to Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun received it and looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a cold and stern gaze. ¡°If you insist on dying, I will grant you your wish. Dongfang Rou¡¯er, I really don¡¯t understand. What can you use to defeat me? Just based on your IQ?¡±

    ¡®Bam!¡¯

    The document in her hand was thrown onto the table. Dongfang Xue¡¯s eyes shed as she took the document and started flipping through it.

    ¡°It¡¯s Father¡¯s will. It has Father¡¯s signature and Father¡¯s personal letter. The notary at that time was Lawyer Kang,¡± Dongfang Xue said calmly as she closed the document and handed it to Dongfang Yi.

    Lawyer Kang?

    He was previously the chief consultant of the Dongfang Group, a legend in the world ofwyers, an invincible legend, and someone who even song siting had to admire. His credibility was enough to prove the authenticity of this document!

    ...

    ¡°This is impossible! How could you still have this document in your hands!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er opened the document and looked at it. Her expression changed drastically, and she could not help but scream out loud!

 Chapter 2059 - I Missed You So Muchâ€¦ (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2059: I Missed You So Much... (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°How did you know that I don¡¯t have it anymore!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at her meaningfully, taking in her panic.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to struggle anymore. I know everything about you. You must still be pinning your hopes on Mr. Ge or the Jin family, right?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! Dongfang Liuyun, you¡¯re ndering me. I didn¡¯t do anything! Ah Sheng is my husband to begin with. Dongfang Group is in a crisis, naturally he would step up and help us get through it! Who do you think you are? Where were you when thepany was in a crisis? Dongfang Liuyun! You¡¯re the least qualified person to inherit thepany! Grandfather and Grandmother are blind! But we¡¯re not!¡± Dongfang Rou¡¯er said sinisterly.

    Her eyes were cold and sharp. You could see that she was forced into a desperate situation.

    Dongfang Liuyun gave her a nonchnt nce. At this moment, the phone on the side suddenly vibrated. Dongfang Liuyun nced at the caller ID and a smile quickly appeared on her cold face, she ignored everyone¡¯s doubtful eyes and picked up the phone on the spot.

    Soon, a deep voice came from the other end of the phone¡ª

    ¡°Miss Dongfang, Mr. Ge has been arrested by the police at the airport after sneaking back to China.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied simply and turned to look at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a faint smile. She only saw that Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s face was as pale as a ghost as she stared nkly at the phone in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I know that you sent people to look for Fujiwara, but no one from the Cloud Residence received you, right? In fact, Fujiwara returned to Japan a long time ago. It¡¯s all thanks to Fujiwara that Mr. Ge ended up like this so quickly.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s side had probably been in a bloody mess previously. Yuo Fujiwara was caught off guard and was ced under house arrest by Fujiwara. Needless to say, Riko Inoue had be a hostage, the heavy losses suffered by the Inoue family¡¯s families were due to Fujiwara¡¯s swift actions.

    Everything happened too quickly. Before the Inoue family could react, they were caught off guard by Fujiwara. Their vitality was greatly damaged, so there was no time to care about Mr. Ge!

    After the matter was settled, it was time to take down Mr. Ge. Mr. Ge knew that it was dangerous, so he fled back to the country in a hurry. However, he probably did not expect that a group of policemen were waiting for him at the airport!

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe it! How could Fujiwara-kun do this? Doesn¡¯t he love you very much? Taking this opportunity, he...¡±

    ¡°Do you think that everyone is as despicable and shameless as you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled coldly. ¡°Also, I forgot to tell you that you probably can¡¯t count on the Jin family. Severalrge orders have been canceled in a row. They should still be worried about this year¡¯s yield. I¡¯m afraid they have no time to care about you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying! Dongfang Liuyun, this is impossible! This is impossible! It¡¯s impossible for me to lose. How can I lose? Clearly, everything should be mine. How can I lose!¡±

    Faced with such a situation, Dongfang Rou¡¯er immediately lost control. She propped herself up on the table and suddenly stood up. She stared coldly at Dongfang Liuyun and threw the document in her hand at Dongfang Liuyun!

    ¡°Stop! Dongfang Rou¡¯er! You¡¯re too impudent!¡±

    Dongfang Gan saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s actions and immediately flew into a rage. The pen in his hand also flew out and smashed the document that flew over!

    ¡°Someone, take her away!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to take me away! I¡¯m one of the shareholders of thepany and I have the right to speak! Scram!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s imposing manner was not small. She also swept a fierce nce at Dongfang Gan. Her gaze turned and red at Dongfang Liu Yun. Her beautiful face actually forced out a ferocious expression.

    ¡°Stop, you can¡¯t go in!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a meeting going on inside. Police officers, you can¡¯t go in!¡±

    At this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps and noises could be heard from outside. Before anyone could react, the door of the meeting room had already been pushed open. Captain Wang, who was dressed in a righteous police uniform, walked in with a few policemen.

    Captain Wang looked around and his gaze stopped on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face for a moment. Soon, his gazended on Dongfang Rou¡¯er.

    ¡°Miss Dongfang Rou¡¯er, the police suspect that you are rted to the fire case at De Bao House. Please follow us back to the police station to assist in the investigation!¡± Captain Wang said directly.

    At that moment, everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock!

    ¡°Could she really be rted to the fire at De Bao House?¡±

    ¡°Was Uncle Ming really killed by her?¡±

    ¡°Could it be that she wanted to destroy the will?¡±

    ¡°My God, this woman is really amazing. She almost fooled us!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s too vicious. I heard that Uncle Ming was burned to death!¡±

    ...

    After the cold handcuffs were ced on Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s wrist, Dongfang Rou¡¯er finally reacted¡ª

    ¡°No! No! You can¡¯t arrest me! It¡¯s not me! You can¡¯t arrest me! I¡¯m the Eldest Mistress of the Jin family, you can¡¯t arrest me!¡±

    ¡°Rou¡¯er!¡±

    Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Xin could not react at all!

    They were too shocked!

    No matter how much they racked their brains, they still could not believe that Dongfang Rou¡¯er would do such a thing!

    How was this possible? How was this possible?

    However, they could not think too much. Captain Wang had already ordered his team members to bring them out.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me who did it! Father, Father, save me!¡±

    At this moment, Dongfang Rou¡¯er waspletely flustered. There were too many things that had happened today that had exceeded her expectations. She simply could not withstand such a series of blows. Furthermore, this time, she was afraid that...

    ¡°Rou¡¯er! Rou¡¯er!¡±

    Dongfang Ren and his son turned pale with fright and immediately chased after her.

    The meeting room instantly fell silent. It was so quiet that one could only hear the miserable cries and hurried footsteps outside.

    Dongfang Liu Yun looked at the door that had been closed once again without batting an eyelid. A cold smile shed across the corner of her mouth. She raised her gaze and looked at Dongfang Gan who was above him. She said indifferently, ¡°President, let¡¯s continue the meeting.¡±

    It was as if everything that had just happened had never happened.

    ¡°Since there is no doubt about this matter regarding the shares, let¡¯s continue with the meeting now.¡±

    Dongfang Gan returned his daughter¡¯s appreciative gaze, and a loving expression could not help but appear on his face¡ª

    He knew that his daughter was a very smart person. She was cautious and resourceful, knowing when to hold back and strike back. Most importantly, she was calm and collected in such a situation, and she only waited for an opportunity to counterattack. Such a tenacious character was even more admirable than him as a father. This position, if she was not qualified, who else could be qualified?

    Although the oppressive aura in the meeting room had dissipated a little, Dongfang Yi really had a feeling that he had been reborn after a cmity!

    This Dongfang Liuyun was indeed an expert in methods and strategies. Either she did not make a move, or she would cut off all their escape routes and sink thempletely!

 Chapter 2060 - I Missed You So Muchâ€¦ (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2060: I Missed You So Much... (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    One had to know that he, Dongfang Yi, still had a weakness in her hands!

    Next, he could only quietly do what he was supposed to do, or else...

    Presumably, Dongfang Ren would not be spared from her, right?

    This woman was too powerful!

    Dongfang Gan still cared about the kinship with all his brothers, but she did not care at all. Her attacks were merciless and decisive.

    Even Dongfang Xue publicly expressed her support for her.

    ¡°Second Brother, we¡¯re old, so we have to admit that our best choice is to support the Dongfang Group together. It¡¯s best that we don¡¯t dream about things that don¡¯t belong to us.¡±

    ¡°But, Liuyun is clearly a woman...¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Mother a woman too? I think that thepany has been getting more and more brilliant under her control. As long as the name of the Dongfang Group doesn¡¯t change, the interests of the entire family will not change. This is what we need to do. Dongfang Rou¡¯er is overestimating herself. I hope that we will not see such a thing in the future.¡±

    Dongfang Xue¡¯s tone was very calm. Her eyes were filled with calmness as she looked at Dongfang Yi.

    Dongfang Yi was stunned. He could not say anything after that.

    After that, everyone naturally did not dare to say anything more. Dongfang Gan announced the new mine at the meeting. There was also a series of instructions. Of course, there were also the tasks assigned to him. There was also an analysis and summary of the performance of the previous year.

    The meeting went on for a long time, and the lunch was only a short hour of break. Then, they continued to busy themselves with the meeting.

    By the time the meeting ended, it was already past four in the afternoon.

    Dongfang Liuyun also dragged herself back to her office, exhausted. She did not pay attention to what the media and reporters were doing outside. She only heard Secretary Ding say that when Dongfang Rou¡¯er was taken away, she was surrounded by those reporters, now, the televisionwork was also reporting this news.

    ¡°Have a cup of flower tea, Miss Liuyun!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood by the French window and looked at the disy screen. When Dongfang Rou¡¯er was brought into the police car, Ah Cai also brought a cup of hot flower tea over.

    ¡°Aunt Cai.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly retracted his gaze and looked over as she took the flower tea from Ah Cai¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Miss Liuyun doesn¡¯t seem to be too happy?¡±

    Ah Cai looked Dongfang Liuyun up and down and asked in a low voice, ¡°Now that everything is calm, Miss Liuyun should be able to breathe a sigh of relief. President Gan has also transferred the names on the list. In the future, thepany will be much more peaceful. Miss Liuyun won¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled when she heard that. As she looked at the smile, she looked a little deste. She clenched the cup in her hand slightly and slowly turned around to look at the gloomy sky outside.

    ¡°This bloody storm seems to have paid a huge price. Grandmother passed away suddenly, my father¡¯s injuries have yet to recover, and Qi Lei has yet to return from his serious injuries. The Dongfang Group has also suffered heavy losses. Just for the position of President, tell me, why is the human heart so vicious? It forced me to be ruthless.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone had a hint of a bitter smile. Even though she had won a great victory, when she thought of this, she could not help but feel pain in her heart!

    Until now, Qi Lei had not returned!

    ¡°Human desires are endless. It¡¯s good that Miss Liuyun has not forgotten her original intentions, but not everyone can resist the temptation. Who doesn¡¯t want to be high up and not be bullied by others? Miss Liuyun is still kind-hearted in the end, even after experiencing so many things.¡±

    Ah Cai was also deeply moved now. She looked at Dongfang Liuyun with appreciation and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Liuyun probably doesn¡¯t know. Just a month ago, President Shu was talking to me about you, Miss Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What did Grandmother say about me?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked nonchntly. She lowered her head and took a sip of the flower tea. She knew that Dongfang Liuyun did not like sweet food, so Ah Cai did not put any sugar in it. It tasted a little bitter now.

    ¡°President Shu said that, among all the children, she admires you the most. The Elder President had good taste. The one who is most like President Shu herself is actually not Miss Xue, but you. You know how to endure humiliation better than Miss Xue, and you can be calmer and quieter. Even in such a situation, you can still maintain the clearest mind. This is a very rare thing.¡±

    Ah Caiughed.

    When Dongfang Liuyun heard this, a hint of surprise appeared on her face¡ª

    She did not expect that Dongfang Shuman to have had such a high evaluation of her.

    ¡°Grandmother was very unfortunate. When she passed, she kept wanting to see my father, but the situation at that time... Grandmother was mentally and physically exhausted because of these things. Otherwise, she would not have left so quickly. I was too careless in this matter...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sigh-like tone carried a hint of self-me. It was only now that she dared to be sad over Dongfang Shuman¡¯s death...

    ¡°How can that be your fault? President Shu¡¯s health copsed a long time ago. She had been holding on these days. She knew that she didn¡¯t have much time left, so she wanted to seize the time to do a lot of things, such as Lawyer Song¡¯s matter, and persuading Miss Xue to let her wholeheartedly support Miss Liuyun... Unfortunately, President Shu didn¡¯t manage to hold on until the day of your wedding with Master, and the day of the birth of the young master.¡±

    Ah Cai recalled Dongfang Shuman, and her eyes could not help but contain faint tears.

    ¡°Grandmother... I will never forget the hope you had for me... Forever.¡±

    After a long time, Dongfang Liuyun finally said this. As her voice fell, she took a deep breath and lowered her head to take another sip of the flower tea. Then, she raised her eyes and looked at the sky outside...

    Seeing that she was deep in thought, Ah Cai did not disturb her any further and carefully left.

    ...

    The gloomy sky seemed like it was about to rain. It was just like this in the early spring. It was probably the first rain since the new year.

    When Mu Yuchen¡¯s car stopped at the airport entrance, the soft drizzle started to fall. Looking at the people passing by, he did not even have time to open his umbre, he left in a hurry with his luggage in his hands.

    Mu Yuchen took a cigarette packet from the side and lit it up. He lowered the car window and waited.

    Half of the cigarette was lit. When he turned to look at the door, he suddenly saw amotioning from the front

    At the VIP entrance, a dozen bodyguards in ck blocked a path and stood on both sides to protect someone.

    And the person they were protecting was Qi Lei!

    He was dressed in a ck trench coat with sunsses on his face. Two bodyguards in ck followed closely by his side.

    His footsteps were very slow and he looked very thin. It was as if a gust of wind could blow him away. He appeared to be sick and haggard.

    But even so, it could not hide the dignity in his actions.

 Chapter 2061 - I Missed You So Muchâ€¦ (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2061: I Missed You So Much... (3)</h4>

    He was so thin that he looked like a lone leaf swaying in the wind.

    Mu Yuchen looked at the figure who slowly walked out and felt some sympathy for Qi Lei. It was not pure sympathy, but empathy and understanding.

    Had he not been crazy about Xi Xiaye before?

    His love for Xi Xiaye was deep in his bones, so Qi Lei¡¯s feelings for Dongfang Liuyun might not be any less than Mu Yuchen¡¯s feelings for Xi Xiaye, right?

    Qi Lei was actually a very fragile person. Mu Yuchen could roughly guess Qi Lei¡¯s thoughts deep in his heart¡ª

    Thinking about it, it was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s feelings for him made him feel grateful. After that, love came quietly like that. When he noticed it, it had long been branded deep in his bones.

    It was the same for him, and it was the same for Qi Lei...

    Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and put out half of his cigarette.

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Master Qi!¡±

    Li Si, the assistant in the front passenger seat, reminded him softly because he saw his master¡¯s expression change several times from the car mirror in front as if he was thinking about something very profound.

    Mu Yuchen replied calmly, then he reached out to open the car door.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    Li Si held an umbre to cover the sky above Mu Yuchen¡¯s head as he waved at Qi Lei.

    Qi Lei was a little surprised to see Mu Yuchen personallye over to pick him up. His footsteps paused for a moment, but he quickly reacted.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out to greet him, and Qi Lei tacitly reached out to greet him as well. His tworge hands gently sped together.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s deep voice sounded a little weak. Now that he was standing closer, he could see his pale face even more clearly.

    Mu Yuchen could imagine one word¡ª

    Rebirth after disaster!

    There was nothing more fitting than this. Qi Lei¡¯s aura right now was exactly that.

    ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll send you to Dongfang Group.¡±

    Mu Yuchen let go of his hand as he said this.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d immediately treat me to a wee home meal.¡±

    Qi Lei took off his sunsses and revealed a pale and weak handsome face. There was still a faint smile on his handsome face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a rain check. When you¡¯re better, I¡¯ll treat you as many times as you want. It¡¯s the Lantern Festival today. Aren¡¯t you rushing back just for that one person?¡±

    When he saw that he was fine, Mu Yuchen felt a little relieved. He thought about sending Xi Xiaye a message after he got into the car so that she would not worry.

    Qi Lei smiled. His pale face actually blushed a little. With Mu Yuchen¡¯s help, he carefully sat in the car while Mu Yuchen sat in as well.

    ¡°I feel like I haven¡¯t seen anyone for centuries. I do miss her a little.¡±

    At this moment, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation. He wondered how the woman was doing now?

    Did she eat on time? Did she lose weight? Did she look haggard? Was she tired?

    Did the child in her stomach make trouble for her?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything is fine now. Even I have to admire your woman¡¯s abilities. This matter has been resolved satisfactorily.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I know that you helped stabilize the stock market, and made things easier with Captain Wang. I owe you too much.¡±

    Qi Lei said gratefully, ¡°I don¡¯t wish for her to be so strong.¡±

    During this period of recuperation, he thought about the things she had to take on. His chest was aching. He med himself for not protecting her properly.

    ¡°The opponent is strong andplicated. You didn¡¯t want things to be that way either. As long as everything is fine.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s it going in Japan?¡± Qi Lei asked.

    ¡°Fujiwara probably got over it. After he went back, he put Yuo Fujiwara under house arrest and made a big move. The Inoue family¡¯s strength was greatly damaged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He left some evidence for the police. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be very difficult for the Inoue family to get back up. I didn¡¯t expect Fujiwara to be able to do this.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was a little surprised.

    ¡°He¡¯s always been a ruthless character, but he¡¯s also deeply in love with Liuyun. I don¡¯t know how Liuyun managed to convince him. That man¡¯s obsession isn¡¯t any lesser than mine.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he coughed a few times, causing his chest and entire body to ache. His face turned even paler.

    ¡°Are you alright? Should we go to the hospital first?¡± Mu Yuchen asked with concern.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and eased up a little before stopping him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s no need.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to care. No matter what, Dongfang Liuyun is your woman now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve lost to you before in my life. Otherwise, Xi Xiaye might not be with you now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still thinking about this?¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°Of course, but I¡¯m also lucky that you managed to snatch XI Xiaye back then. Otherwise, Liuyun wouldn¡¯t be mine.¡±

    ¡°So, you still have to thank me?¡±

    ¡°What did you say just now?¡±

    ...

    As a delicate spring rain fell, the entire world quickly darkened. The streetmps were already turned on, and the world was hazy. The big rednterns were hung high up, making people feel a little dazed and unreal.

    Today was the Lantern Festival!

    In fact, the rain was not heavy. It only drizzled from time to time, and one could only feel a little wetness after a while.

    It was already past six o¡¯clock in the evening, and the sky was already dark. It was already time to get off work.

    Dongfang Gan went to the hospital after the meeting ended. Because he was tired, he felt a little ufortable. It was Dongfang Xue who apanied him to the hospital. When Dongfang Xue called to say that Dongfang Gan was fine, Dongfang Liuyun felt a little relieved.

    Now, she needed to finish the pile of work. Since she was not in the office for a while, there was already a pile of thick documents on her desk, so she could only work overtime.

    ¡®Knock knock!¡¯

    In the office, just as Dongfang Liuyun was busy and focused, there was suddenly a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Dongfang Liuyun answered without even lifting her eyelids.

    ¡°Manager Yun, get off work early. It¡¯s the Lantern Festival today, don¡¯t work toote!¡±

    It was Secretary Ding who spoke!

    Lantern Festival!

    She had almost forgotten about it!

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned for a moment before she remembered. She was so busy that she lost her mind.

    ¡°Okay, I got it. You can go back first. I¡¯ll be back soon!¡±

    After a long while, Dongfang Liuyun replied.

    ¡°Alright, Happy Lantern Festival, Manager Yun! This is a small gift from me, representing my blessings. I wish Manager Yun and her family a happy reunion and eternal peace!¡±

    As Secretary Ding spoke, she quickly walked over and ced a gift bag in front of Dongfang Liuyun.

    Secretary Ding was a very considerate and attentive person. Whenever there was a festival, she would prepare a small gift for Dongfang Liuyun. It was not very expensive, but it was very thoughtful.

    Dongfang Liuyun was naturally very happy and immediately epted it.

    ¡°Thank you, Secretary Ding!¡±

    As she said that, she got up and packed her things to get off work.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Manager Yun! See you tomorrow!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2062 - I Missed You So Muchâ€¦ (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2062: I Missed You So Much... (4)</h4>

    The entirepany fell silent. Today was the festival, the reunion festival, so rarely anyone would choose to work overtime. The threat was withdrawn, and Dongfang Liuyun did not want to bring arge group of bodyguards with her. She was the only one at the moment.

    She was used to being alone, so how could she be used to having people follow her?

    She thought that the only person she could get used to was probably Qi Lei.

    The wind outside was very cold, and the air was slightly humid. Dongfang Liuyun did not like this spring rain season.

    ¡°Goodbye, Manager Yun!¡±

    The doorman at the entrance recognized Dongfang Liuyun and knew what had happened today, so he looked at Dongfang Liuyun with respect.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded in response. Seeing that the rain was not heavy, she did not bother to open her umbre and walked straight out of the door. Her car was parked at the opposite side of the square not far away, and it was less than a minute¡¯s walk.

    Dongfang Liuyun walked at a leisurely pace with nothing in her hands. She did not n to do anything tonight and had a good rest. She had not rested for a long time and was worried that she would tire the baby in her stomach. When he returns, she wants to appear before him with a strong stance.

    However, it was clear that Dongfang Liuyun had made a mistake this time...

    Before she reached the car, she could faintly see the long shadow that was on the ground in front of her. That uniquely fresh and clean aura came faintly from the air. She seemed to have realized something and quickly stopped walking, she suddenly raised her head¡ª

    What greeted her eyes was Qi Lei¡¯s thin figure.

    His handsome and deep facial features, and fine ck hair made him look much thinner than before. His face was also very pale, but his deep eyes were filled with an unfathomable emotion.

    He stood there very calmly. His hands were still in the pockets of hisrge ck trench coat. He looked at her quietly as if he could only capture her figure in heaven and earth. As for the rest, it was not important...

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s entire body was a little stiff as she stared at the man in front of her without blinking. The next second, her eyes were already filled with tears. She realized that she could not hold back the burning tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and lowered her head to blink her eyes,rge teardrops could not help but fall...

    In fact, she would not have been like this before. No matter how difficult it was, she would just have to endure it. She would not be so weak to the point of crying. However, ever since she married him and fell in love with him, she realized that she had be very weak.

    She no longer felt that she was strong and fearless. Instead, she felt sad, wronged, and afraid of losing him.

    Ever since Dongfang Liuyun met Qi Lei, he was no longer Liuyun.

    She raised a hand to wipe away her hot tears. Only then did she realize that she could not control her emotions.

    She thought to herself, she must love him very much. Otherwise, she would not be like this.

    Qi Lei¡¯s face was even paler, and the wound on his chest was aching slightly. He felt that he was a strong person, but now, he was defeated by her tears. He wanted to go up and hug her, but Dongfang Liuyun moved even faster, she had already taken a few big steps forward. She reached out and hugged his waist, leaning into his embrace¡ª

    ¡°I missed you, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you so much... Qi Lei, I missed you so much...¡±

    She buried herself in his chest, and Qi Lei quickly felt the heating from his chest. Then, he heard his own pained voice. He did not care about anything else, but with some difficulty, he lifted his arm and hugged her.

    He felt like he had regained what he had lost. Qi Lei gently stroked her head, and his deep voice was a little hoarse and emotional. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Liuyun...¡±

    ¡°I missed you too. You were all in my dreams.¡±

    ¡°I was afraid that I would die because I would never see you again...¡±

    ...

    Hearing his words, she felt sour and sad. She could not control her tears. ¡°When I heard about you at the delta pier, I thought that I should just jump in too.¡±

    She sniffled before Dongfang Liuyun continued in a hoarse voice, ¡°But I know I can¡¯t because I¡¯m still hoping that you¡¯ll be safe ande back, and we still have a lot to do...¡±

    Hearing that, Qi Lei¡¯s face turned gentle. He hugged her tightly and said emotionally, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to die for love.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die for you either. I¡¯m also afraid of death...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun wiped the hot tears on her face with the hem of her shirt. She sniffed and looked up at him. Her eyes were still full of tears

    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant. Our child...¡±

    Qi Lei paused for a moment. He lowered his head and looked at her deeply. After a long while, he pulled her into his embrace again. He suppressed his excitement and joy. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you. How... How old are they?¡±

    His voice trembled slightly. As he asked, hisrge hand touched her lower abdomen.

    ¡°Only... Only two months... They¡¯re very obedient and growing well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also reached out to hold hisrge hand. Even though both of their hands were so cold, when they held each other, they could feel a warm warmth spreading into each other¡¯s bodies.

    Qi Lei pulled her out of his arms and looked down at her for a while. His gaze seemed to be imprinting her deeply into his mind. A momentter, he raised his hand to help her wipe away the remaining tears in front of her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I came back toote, which is why I made you suffer so much. You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight, and the chubbiness that took you so long to recover is gone again.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone became soft and gentle.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you yourself? You¡¯ve lost a lot of weightpared to before you left, and yourplexion is terrible. Do you feel ufortable somewhere? I can smell it... How¡¯s your chest... ?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could faintly smell the scent of medicine. She hurriedly checked his entire body and quickly felt the abnormality in his chest, as well as the wounds on his wrist and waist...

    She knew that his injuries were very serious, so she did not dare to disturb him previously. She was afraid that she would hear bad news about him.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. I¡¯m fine now. When I came back, I still felt pain in my heart. After seeing you, all the pain¡¯s gone...¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to grab her wrist. Although he could not use force, his fingers were still tightly sped together.

    Dongfang Liuyun also reached out to help him fix the messy corner of his shirt. He lowered his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Let¡¯s go back, you¡¯re still weak.¡±

    He looked like he was still sick and weak. Her heart ached for him to have waited so long, he must have waited for quite a while. He did not have an umbre and his shoulders were all wet.

    Qi Lei nodded and pulled her to the car in front.

 Chapter 2063 - Reunion (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2063: Reunion (1)</h4>

    Mama Wang had received a call earlier, so she had prepared dinner at home early. She had even cooked glutinous rice balls, waiting for Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun to return so they could have dinner.

    When the couple returned to the Grand Lake Vi, it was already close to eight o¡¯clock at night. Outside the suburbs, they could see many beautiful fireworks blooming in the dark night sky, especially in the Grand Lake Vi area. They had just entered the vi area¡¯s entrance when they saw that the entire night sky in this area was lit up by the gorgeous fireworks.

    Dongfang Liuyun seemed to be very tired. She had not rested well for a few days. She had also slept verytest night. Now that he had returned to her side, she felt slightly more at ease. After getting into the car, it did not take long for her to be unable to resist the sleepiness, she also leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep.

    The car slowly stopped at the entrance of the vi. The driver in front nced at the car mirror and saw that the husband and wife were resting quietly behind them

    Dongfang Liuyun had fallen asleep while Qi Lei was also resting with his eyes closed. He thought about it and said carefully, ¡°Master, we¡¯re home.¡±

    As he said that, Qi Lei slowly opened his eyes. He subconsciously turned his head and looked to the side. Indeed, he saw Dongfang Liuyun who had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

    She slept peacefully and her face was pale. She had really lost a lot of weightpared to before. It must have been tiring for her during this period of time. At this moment, Qi Lei felt a little guilty.

    ¡°Okay, open the car door for me.¡±

    As Qi Lei said that, the driver in front had already gotten down and opened the car door. Qi Lei moved a little and wanted to carry her directly back. Even though he was still very weak and could not use much strength, seeing her like this, he still...

    Dongfang Liuyun had been sleeping very lightly recently. The moment he moved, she would sense it. Thus, just as Qi Lei turned his body, she immediately opened her eyes. There was a faint misty look in her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake? I wanted to carry you back...¡±

    Qi Lei was a little annoyed at this moment. He med himself for moving too much.

    ¡°Did I fall asleep? You could¡¯ve just woken me up.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun got out of the car with the help of his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    At home, when they saw Qi Lei return, Mama Wang and the butler were a little excited. They quickly brought the prepared food over. They knew that Qi Lei¡¯s injuries had not healed yet, so they prepared some dishes with a lighter taste.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Fathere back with you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun thought of Qi Qiming.

    ¡°He stayed there to arrange some things. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be back in a few days.¡±

    Qi Lei served Dongfang Liuyun the soup as he replied. His movements were actually not very convenient at the moment. His right wrist was injured, especially his left arm. The moment he moved, it would affect the wound on his chest. It was still a little painful, hence, his face was slightly pale.

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally took in all of this. She did not care about anything else and simply picked up a dish that he liked and brought it to his mouth.

    An increasingly rich fragrance assaulted him. Qi Lei could not react in time as he looked at the dish that she had picked up. In the next moment, a smile appeared on his face. ¡°I can still do it myself.¡±

    ¡°What are you being shy about? I¡¯ve seen you in even more embarrassing situations.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun chuckled. She wanted to tease him even more, especially when she saw the blush of embarrassment on his face¡ª

    When did he be so shy and bashful?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. What kind of look is that?¡±

    Qi Lei saw the light in her eyes and felt his face heat up even more.

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re weak now. We feel like a queen and a boy toy.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    Qi Lei immediately retorted and red at her. Then, he sat down and ate the food without hesitation.

    ¡°Eat your food.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not continue to argue with him. Instead, she served him with care.

    ¡°As for the Dongfang Group...¡±

    ¡°With the evidence you gave me, I could suppress First Uncle and Second Uncle. Aunt is now wholeheartedly supporting Father. Father¡¯s health is recovering and he will be able to return to thepany soon. Everything is calm and peaceful. I n to work for a few more months. After thepany gradually stabilizes and develops, it is about time for me to stay home and prepare forbor.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun always had a n. She thought that after this child was born and she rested for half a year, she would be able to go back to work. She believed that by then, Dongfang Group would have progressed very well.

    Qi Lei nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you another assistant and two bodyguards.¡±

    His tone was one that could not be resisted.

    Dongfang Liuyun stopped and looked at him. She had no choice but to listen to him, ¡°There¡¯s no problem with Tai Yu Corportation. Vice President Wang Chun and your management team are very capable. The damage caused by this incident isn¡¯t too big. Your injuries haven¡¯t recovered yet. Rest well first. Oh, right, Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and the others have been helping out quite a bit recently. When we get back, it¡¯s only right to invite them over as guests or to pay them a visit to thank them. We¡¯ll arrange this once you¡¯ve recovered.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, how are things with Father and Mother?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re fine. Mother has been taking care of Father when he was in the hospital. They¡¯ve always been very close. Previously, thanks to Grandmother¡¯s advice, Mother¡¯s mind has been much more rxed. Now, she¡¯spletely focused on Father and me. She doesn¡¯t n on doing anything anymore, when Father recovers and goes back to work, she¡¯ll probably leave early and returnte with Father. Don¡¯t worry about them.¡±

    Speaking of Dongfang Gan and Song Siting, Dongfang Liuyun could finally heave a sigh of relief. It was naturally best for the husband and wife to take care of each other. Song Siting had also put in a lot of effort this time.

    ¡°Qi Lei, this time, I really thank...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Qi Lei had already covered her mouth with a frown. There was a trace of reproach in his ck eyes

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear those two words.¡±

    Naturally, he knew where she was going with this, but he was willing to do it. After all, she was his wife, his woman?

    Dongfang Liuyun saw that his face suddenly turned pale again, so he quickly reached out and pulled his hand. He said anxiously, ¡°We¡¯ll just speak, can you not do anything else? Does it hurt?¡±

    She looked nervously at his wrist that was wrapped in gauze and carefully put it back.

    Qi Lei gave her a sideways nce but did not say anything.

    ¡°Father said that if it weren¡¯t for you, he might not have been able toe back alive.¡±

    She had asked him about the situation in the car a few times earlier, but he only briefly skimmed the surface. He still looked very rxed, but looking at his injuries, Dongfang Liuyun knew that the situation must have been very rming, with a terrible scene.

    Otherwise, he would not have been injured so badly. Dongfang Gan was still weak, and so was he.

 Chapter 2064 - Reunion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2064: Reunion (2)</h4>

    Qi Lei did not say anything. He just silently signaled for her to eat.

    After the couple had their meal, they each ate a few glutinous rice balls. Dongfang Liuyun also felt a little bloated from eating, so she went back to the study to tidy up a little so that she could digest her food.

    When Dongfang Liuyun returned to her room, she coincidentally bumped into Qi Lei, who was about to take a shower. His movements were inconvenient, and he had wounds on his body. Dongfang Liuyun decided to be a considerate servant for him.

    When the husband and wife were done packing, it was already past 10 p.m. The fireworks outside had not stopped yet. Instead, it was a lively scene of evil.

    At this moment, Qi Lei was sitting on the sofa in the living room watching television. Dongfang Liuyun suddenly sat down next to him. Qi Lei subconsciously turned to look at her, but she handed him a document.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at the document bag in front of him in surprise and then at her.

    ¡°I found it in the study. I don¡¯t want it. Take it back and manage it well. Do what we should do well and give our child a perfect future.¡±

    The light in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes was light and gentle. ¡°I know your intentions, but I don¡¯t want you to make such a sacrifice. I¡¯m marrying you for nothing else but for you to treat me well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was not a shy person. Since she thought that, she just said it. The two of them were the same. If they liked each other, they would say it. If they loved each other, they would express it. They were not like others who were always suspicious and probing each other over this matter.

    Qi Lei¡¯s long eyshes fluttered. After looking at her for a long time, he took the document and slowly opened it¡ª

    It was exactly what he was going to give her.

    ¡°Qi Lei, I hope that you can always love me proudly.¡±

    Seeing his hesitation, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly smiled.

    Qi Lei cleared his throat and red at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I loved you.¡±

    ¡°But even a fool knows that you love me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not try to argue with him.

    Qi Lei¡¯s head buzzed. From what he remembered, his wife was not that thick-skinned, right?

    However, when he saw the faint gentleness in her ck eyes, his heart softened

    Alright!

    As long as she was happy, he would not refute her. After all, he did love her, very much.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just admit it reluctantly.¡±

    Qi Lei thought for a moment and agreed.

    ¡°Admit what?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and watched him put the document back into the bag.

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    He paused for a moment and answered seriously. As he spoke, he looked up at her.

    Dongfang Liuyun was stunned. As she listened, she suddenly did not know what to do...

    He sighed in amusement. Suddenly, he slowly reached out and hugged her. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, a gentle kiss had alreadynded.

    In fact, he had wanted to do this just now, but unfortunately...

    He was afraid that he would not be able to control himself and hurt his wound. He was also worried...

    After a long time, Qi Lei let go of her. Dongfang Liuyun was panting and did not forget about his wound. She quickly checked and saw that he was fine. Only then did she heave a sigh of relief.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for so long. Don¡¯t you miss me?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun as he fixed his clothes that had fallen to his waist.

    ¡°I need you to be able to move even if I miss you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and looked at him meaningfully. ¡°Besides...¡±

    She touched her belly and continued with a smile. ¡°Just wait patiently for them to be born.¡±

    Qi Lei could not help but sigh in his heart. For his welfare, he felt that it was enough for him to have one child. He could not have any more, to avoid having so many things to worry about.

    ¡°Go back to Mother and Father¡¯s ce tomorrow. Aunty will be there too. She hasn¡¯t met you yet.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun recalled what she had promised Dongfang Xue. It just so happened that Dongfang Gan had also been discharged from the hospital. It would be good to go back and have a meal together.

    ¡°Aunty?¡±

    Qi Lei had heard of Dongfang Xue before, and he did not reject now. ¡°At the same time, we can also make ns for our wedding.¡±

    Now that Dongfang Liuyun was pregnant, and they missed the previous wedding date, they would have to choose another auspicious date. However, he could not let her marry him with a pregnant belly, so he had to settle this matter as soon as possible.

    ¡°The wedding... Long ago...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun only remembered this matter at this moment. She had been so busy recently that she did not take this matter to heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything that needs to be prepared has been prepared. We¡¯ll just change the date.¡±

    Qi Lei was not too worried about this. After all, he had already prepared everything.

    ¡°As you wish. Oh, right, I didn¡¯t go to Zhou Zimo and Qin Su¡¯s wedding. I just told someone to bring the gifts over. You can congratte them another day.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not forget about this. It was indeed inappropriate for her to go over previously.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Now, we just have to wait and see what¡¯s going on with Dongfang Rou¡¯er. Uncle Ming died unjustly. After all, because of this will...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but feel sad when she mentioned Uncle Ming.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I think he won¡¯t me you.¡±

    Qi Leiforted her.

    ¡°Also, Grandmother, Grandmother¡¯s gone... I... It¡¯s all because of recent things. Aunt Cai said that her health hasn¡¯t been too good. This time, she¡¯s...¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, tears could not help but glisten in her starry eyes. She looked at him with a weak expression. He could empathize with her as he pulled her into his arms...

    ¡°I know, I know. Don¡¯t be sad. The best way to remember her is to live a good life for us, hmm?¡±

    He did not care about the paining from his body. He quickly hugged her tightly, hoping that he could ease the pain in her heart.

    Both of them were the same now. They were riddled with scars. Fortunately, they could still be together. He could still have her, but she...

    She should be like him, loving him deeply, right?

    He no longer felt the need to ask this question. Fujiwara had returned to Japan, and she was personally overseeing Tai Yu Corporation. That was enough to exin it all.

    She was the same, using actions to express her own feelings.

    Who cares, they already had a child!

    When Qi Lei thought of this, he hugged her even tighter.

    Dongfang Liuyun also allowed him to hug her.

    ¡°Mmm... just live well now.¡±

    ...

    Early the next morning, Yang Sheng was called over by Qi Lei.

    ¡°Master Qi!¡±

    In the study, Yang Sheng looked at Qi Lei, who was sitting in front of the desk, and called out respectfully.

    Qi Lei looked up at him calmly. ¡°Find someone to pick an auspicious day immediately and see when the wedding can be held. Do it as soon as possible.¡±

    Oh!

    So he was still thinking about the wedding!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Qi! I¡¯ll do it right away. Oh right, President Qi might only be back next week. President Wang met with him, and the two almost got into a fight...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s their business,¡± Qi Lei replied nonchntly.

 Chapter 2065 - Reunion (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2065: Reunion (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Wang Xun and Qi Qiming had always been at loggerheads because of Wang Qin¡¯s matter. From the bottom of his heart, he looked down on Qi Qiming.

    Qi Lei had never cared about these grudges. He thought that this matter was a matter of their previous generation, and it was such a matter of conflict over rtionships. As a younger person, he had no right to speak.

    Moreover, Wang Xun was very good to him. If it was not for him, he might not have been able toe back. Therefore, he could only pretend that he did not know.

    ¡°But, Master Qi... President Qi has just recovered... I¡¯m worried...¡± Yang Sheng lowered his voice and reminded him.

    ¡°Uncle is not a person who doesn¡¯t know his limits. You don¡¯t have to worry about him. Arrange the recent documents of thepany and send them to my home.¡±

    Qi Lei was still unable to go to work. His injuries were not stable yet, so he could only rest at home. However, he had to deal with thepany¡¯s matters. Dongfang Liuyun was pregnant, so he naturally could not bear to see her work too hard.

    ¡°Master Qi, you should rest well first. You can work on thepany¡¯s matters after you recover. Although it¡¯s piled up, your body is important. You¡¯re still...¡±

    Yang Sheng was naturally a little worried.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just bring it over.¡±

    ¡°Master Qi...¡±

    ¡°Since your injuries have yet to recover, you should behave yourself and recuperate first.¡±

    While Yang Sheng was hesitating, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice suddenly came from above. He hurriedly raised his head and saw Dongfang Liuyuning down from above in an orderly fashion.

    ¡°Missus, good morning!¡±

    Yang Sheng quickly greeted her.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded happily. ¡°Good morning!¡±

    Walking down the stairs, she walked over to Qi Lei and nced at him, who was reading the newspaper. ¡°You¡¯re not even too mobile now, when did you be so stubborn?¡±

    It was a slightly reprimanding voice.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and endured the faint ache in his body. He moved his body slightly and gestured for her to sit next to him.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not stand on ceremony and sat down.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back to my work first. Missus, please advise Master Qi!¡±

    Yang Sheng tactfully did not disturb the couple¡¯s private time and quickly left.

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked Mama Wang. I¡¯ll go to the hospital with you tomorrow for a checkup. Let¡¯s see what the doctor says. You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight recently.¡±

    As Qi Lei spoke, his gaze swept past her t belly. Finally, his gaze stopped on her beautiful face.

    A smile appeared on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face. You could see the cautious and expectant look in his eyes. Just as she was about to say something, he suddenly spoke again, ¡°They all say that I should stay close to the child at this time so that the child can recognize me in the future. Also, I can¡¯t bear for you to be the only one who¡¯s so tired out...¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re determined to be a good husband and a qualified father-to-be?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him with amusement. He did look a little embarrassed

    How could such an expression appear on the Second Master Qi?

    At that moment, Dongfang Liuyun thought that she was mistaken, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed the case!

    He suddenly felt that he had changed a lot recently. He did not know why.

    Actually, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s intuition was not wrong. Qi Lei had opened all the doors in his heart recently. Now, he only wanted to spend his life with her and love her without reservation. But even so, he was a little worried about gains and losses.

    ...

    ¡°What else do you think?¡± Qi Lei replied to her.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenlyughed softly. She turned her head and slowly kissed the corner of his mouth, ¡°You¡¯re already very qualified. You don¡¯t have to do anything else. Furthermore, they¡¯re still so young, only two months old. The doctor said that four to five months of prenatal education would be fine. Take advantage of this period of time to recuperate and make arrangements for work. In the next few months, you can apany me well.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally had a n in her heart. She would stabilize the child in the next few months, so she did not have to worry about anything. After seven to eight months, when she bes heavier, she ns to rest at home.

    Qi Lei thought that it made sense, so he nodded and agreed.

    ...

    Tanshan Vi area.

    When Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun arrived, it was already close to lunchtime. Dongfang Xue had also rushed back. When they went in, she was ying chess with Dongfang Gan while Song Siting was preparing lunch in the kitchen.

    ¡°Father, Aunty!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun walked in, followed by Qi Lei and a few bodyguards carrying a bunch of gifts.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    When Dongfang Gan heard this voice, his eyes immediately lit up with joy. He quickly turned his head and nced at Dongfang Liuyun. His gaze quickly stopped on Qi Lei who was behind her.

    ¡°Qi Lei? Are you alright now? Have you recovered?¡±

    Dongfang Gan was a little concerned. He knew very well that Qi Lei¡¯s misfortune was because of him.

    Qi Lei smiled. Although his face was pale, his mental state was not bad. ¡°I¡¯m alright, Father. Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    ¡°Come,e, sit down! This is your Aunty. You haven¡¯t met her, right?¡± Dongfang Gan introduced enthusiastically.

    Qi Lei stopped beside Dongfang Liuyun and looked in the direction that Dongfang Gan was pointing at. It was Dongfang Xue, a very charming woman. She looked a little like Dongfang Liuyun. When she looked at him, her eyes were full of scrutiny.

    ¡°Hello, Aunty. I¡¯m Qi Lei.¡±

    Dongfang Xue nced at Dongfang Liuyun. Looking at the two of them like this, they seemed to be a good couple. He made a good first impression, so she nodded. ¡°Hello!¡±

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s my mother?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took off her coat and handed her handbag to Qi Lei as he asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s preparing lunch in the kitchen. She made a lot of good dishes that you like,¡± replied Dongfang Gan.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help. Remember to take your medicine.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not forget to remind Qi Lei as she spoke.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Qi Lei responded softly and reached out to take the thing that she handed over.

    ...

    Dongfang Xue could not help but smile as she watched Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure disappear at the door. ¡°I keep feeling that Liuyun has changed a lot since I returned this time. She¡¯s no longer as quiet as before. Now, she¡¯s more like a person who lives life.¡±

    Dongfang Gan nodded when he heard Dongfang Xue say this. ¡°That¡¯s right. This child... This is all thanks to Qi Lei. She¡¯s been happier since getting married and doing life with the right person.¡±

    As he spoke, he looked at Qi Lei with satisfaction.

    Qi Lei smiled as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you, to have taken on my daughter.¡±

    ¡°No, Father, she¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Everything¡¯s fine. By the way, about the wedding...¡±

    Dongfang Xue was looking forward to it.

 Chapter 2066 - Reunion (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2066: Reunion (4)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s ready, they¡¯re calcting for an auspicious day.¡±

    Qi Lei looked forward to their wedding more than anyone else. He did not want to let Dongfang Liuyun down.

    Dongfang Xue nodded. ¡°Liuyun is the best daughter of our Dongfang family. You mustn¡¯t let her down.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ...

    A sumptuous lunch was quickly prepared. To Qi Lei¡¯s surprise, Lan Xiu came over as well.

    The whole family sat around the table and had a harmonious lunch.

    Lan Xiu seemed to have be different from before. Seeing him this time, he seemed to have calmed down a lot.

    Qi Lei had a feeling that many things had happened while he was away. For example, Fujiwara, who had returned to Japan, and Dongfang Xue.

    However, he did not think too much about it. As long as everyone was doing well, there was no need to ask too much.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    After dinner, Qi Lei was watching television on the sofa in the living room. Lan Xiu, who was sitting beside him, suddenly asked with concern.

    Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue went to the study to discuss some matters. Dongfang Liuyun went upstairs with Song Siting. Now, only the two of them were left in the living room.

    ¡°I¡¯ve almost recovered,¡± Qi Lei replied indifferently.

    He lowered his head to take a sip of tea and continued, ¡°Liuyun told me about you. Thank you for your help in this crisis.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone was very humble. Now, there was no need for him to be calctive. After all, Dongfang Liuyun was his person, both physically and mentally. He was also the mother of his child. There was nothing that he could not let go of, at this moment, he actually admired this Lan Xiu.

    At least, he was the one who had been by Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s side all these years. He never left her. Otherwise, she must have had it tough all these years. Thinking about it, he was a little regretful that he did not meet her earlier!

    ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job. You¡¯re not the only one who cares about her.¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at Qi Lei meaningfully. Although there was a threat in his tone, there was no hostility, ¡°So, you have to treat her well from now on. Otherwise, Fujiwara and I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    ¡°Do I even need you to say that? Of course I¡¯ll treat my woman well. Fujiwara...¡±

    ¡°I know what you want to ask.¡±

    Before Qi Lei could finish, Lan Xiu interrupted him, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened between them. I only know that Fujiwara went to Liuyun on New Year¡¯s Eve. After returning to Cloud Residence, he returned to Japan. It should be rted to the situation at home. I think you have some idea. By the way, he asked me to give you a message.¡±

    Lan Xiu remembered Fujiwara¡¯s phone call.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Qi Lei was a little surprised. He had little contact with Fujiwara and did not like to be with him. When he thought of his past rtionship with Dongfang Liuyun, he could not help but feel jealous.

    ¡°He will be watching you guys for the next few decades.¡±

    Lan Xiu directly conveyed Fujiwara¡¯s words.

    Qi Lei was startled when he heard this. Thinking about it, it was true that these words do sound like it was said by someone like Fujiwara.

    After some thought, Qi Lei replied. His tone sounded nonchnt. ¡°A few decades is too long. Tell him find a woman to apany him and watch over us slowly.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu immediately smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll bring your words to him.¡±

    ¡°Since you could even take down the Dongfang Group this time, it¡¯ll be a huge blow to their strength. Liuyun is different from before. You...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll naturally protect her,¡± Qi Lei replied inly.

    Lan Xiu nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to mind about what happened between us. Liuyun and I can only be like siblings.¡±

    Qi Lei looked up in surprise when he heard this. He gave him a meaningful nce. He was surprised that Lan Xiu would say this to him. He thought...

    ¡°I¡¯ll respect you as much as Liuyun does,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    A smile appeared on Lan Xiu¡¯s gentle face, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Liuyun to choose you in the end. It¡¯s not me or Fujiwara. I think this is fate. It¡¯s been arranged long ago. No matter how hard we try, we can¡¯t change it. I can¡¯t deny that she¡¯s much happier with you than she is with us. The two of you are verypatible...¡±

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s making you so happy?¡±

    On the way back to the Grand Lake Vi area, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but ask Qi Lei. He kept a smile on his face and seemed to be in a good mood.

    Hearing her question, Qi Lei put away the smile on his face. He coughed lightly and turned his head to look at her. ¡°I was thinking about the conversation with Lan Xiu just now.¡±

    ¡°What did you two talk about? It made you so happy?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun furrowed her brows in confusion. She thought that the two of them would disagree with each other and be at odds with each other. Yet now they seemed to be doing well, could they have done something behind his back?

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s suspicious gaze and immediately reached out to take her hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. I just remembered that he said that we were a good match. It¡¯s hard to imagine that he, Lan Xiu, would say something like that.¡±

    They were a good match?

    Lan Xiu said that?

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes shed with surprise.

    ¡°Lan Xiu is a very good person. Actually, I¡¯ve always hoped that the two of you could be friends.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not hide her thoughts.

    ¡°Sometimes, being friends requires some fate.¡±

    Qi Lei held her slightly cold hand. He paused and continued, ¡°Yang Sheng just called to say that the wedding date has been fixed. It¡¯s on the sixth of next month. There¡¯s still more than half a month.¡±

    ¡°In such a hurry? Can it work? Your Injuries?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s first reaction was his injuries. As she spoke, she sized up her injuries.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m recovering quickly. Zhou Zimo is ahead of us. I¡¯m worried!¡±

    Qi Lei did not hide it at all.

    Originally, he and Dongfang Liuyun had a good n beforehand. Zhou Zimo was ahead of them. Fortunately, Dongfang Liuyun was pregnant and there was still no news from Qin Su. Otherwise, he would be one step ahead of him!

    Dongfang Liuyun gave him a side nce and said unhappily, ¡°This marriage is not apetition. Why are you watching other people?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m watching. No one wants to be thest.¡±

    ¡°Would you still care about this when you can find someone that you can spend your life with? However, I feel that Zhou Zimo is quite fond of Qin Su. I think he treats Qin Au extremely well. On the other hand, Qin Su¡¯s personality is a little calmer. Their wedding is very perfect.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not personally attend the wedding, but she heard that the wedding was perfect.

    ¡°Our wedding will be even more perfect.¡±

    He gave her a mysterious sidelong nce.

 Chapter 2067 - How Vicious of You! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2067: How Vicious of You! (1)</h4>

    The storm finally died down.

    Thanks to the efforts of Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue, the crisis of the Dongfang Group was slowly resolved and gradually recovering.

    Dongfang Liuyun had something on Dongfang Ren and Dongfang Yi, so they did not dare to act rashly. They could only go with Dongfang Gan¡¯s arrangements obediently. Dongfang Ren was transferred to take over Dongfang Xue¡¯s previous position, and Dongfang Yu was transferred back, he was arranged to work in the Marketing Department.

    Half a month had passed, and Qi Lei¡¯s injuries were recovering well. Qi Qiming had also returned to City Z a few days ago, but his face was covered in injuries. Qi Lei did not need to think to know that it was his uncle, Wang Xun, who had beaten him up.

    The wedding was getting closer and closer, and Qi Lei was a little busy. He would start working at Tai Yu Corporation this week, and it took him a lot of effort to settle all the matters in thepany.

    Dongfang Liuyun felt a little more rxed. She did not have to worry too much about Dongfang Group. Now that Qi Lei was back, she did not have to worry too much about Tai Yu Corporation. She had a lot of free time these few days.

    It was the rare weekend today, and Dongfang Liuyun did not wake up early like before. This week, she suddenly felt more inclined to sleep. It must be because of the little guy in her stomach.

    When she woke up, it was already past ten. Qi Lei went to Qi Qiming¡¯s ce. She was the only one at home, but after breakfast, the police station called.

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er wanted to see her!

    Dongfang Liuyun thought for a moment and went over too. He asked Driver Wang to drive her there.

    In the reception room, Dongfang Liuyun saw Dongfang Rou¡¯er through the iron fence¡ª

    She looked haggard and pale, as if she had aged 10 years in an instant. She looked very dispirited.

    Dongfang Liuyun sat down across her. She also raised her head to look at Dongfang Liuyun with a defeated look in her eyes.

    Dongfang Liuyun was very clear about her situation. After she was imprisoned, the Jin family wanted Jin Sheng to divorce her. Furthermore, after being imprisoned for so long, only Jin Sheng hade to visit her twice.

    Even if Dongfang Ren tried hard, with Captain Wang¡¯s evidence, there was no way he could save her. Dongfang Rou¡¯er would probably not be able to escape.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    Upon seeing Dongfang Liuyun, Dongfang Rou¡¯er said coldly, ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te.¡±

    ¡°Since you invited me so sincerely, I naturally wouldn¡¯t reject giving you face,¡± Dongfang Liuyun replied indifferently.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I would actually lose to you like this. Dongfang Liuyun, you still won in the end!¡±

    As Dongfang Rou¡¯er spoke, a cold smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face turned slightly cold. ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er, I¡¯ve never treated you as an enemy before. I don¡¯t know why you keep treating me like a thorn in your side. It¡¯s fine if your mother plotted against us, but you did the same.¡±

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t act like a saint. If you weren¡¯t going against us, would I be here today? Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know about my uncle! It was Qi Lei who did it! Hmph, now you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t treat me as an enemy! I¡¯ve been defeated to such an extent today. Dongfang Liuyun, are you happy?! You vicious woman!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not help but feel hatred in her eyes when she mentioned this. She looked at her with an angry expression, which made Dongfang Liuyun find the expression a little sinister.

    ¡°You think I caused you to lose your life? You think you¡¯re innocent? Isn¡¯t Uncle Ming innocent? Isn¡¯t Grandmother innocent? Didn¡¯t you think about Uncle Ming¡¯s death at that time? Before you let those people do it! And my father, and Qi Lei. Do you dare to say that Mr. Ge¡¯s attack this time has nothing to do with you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s tone was unusually heavy, and her eyes were filled with gloom, ¡°A person like you who will do anything to achieve her goal, you even didn¡¯t care for someone of Uncle Ming¡¯s age andid hands on him! He was the one who cared for you when you were young! How could you do it!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice of reprimand traveled over.

    Yet Dongfang Rou¡¯er merely smiled coldly!

    ¡°Enough! You can¡¯t do this? That old man thinks highly of you, but not me! Since young, in this family, be it Grandmother or Grandfather, didn¡¯t they all think highly of you? Why do you have the right to inherit the Dongfang Group, but I don¡¯t? My results are also very outstanding, and the amount of effort I put into the Dongfang Group far surpasses yours. Just what right do you have!¡±

    ¡°Also, Fujiwara! I was the one who knew about him first. I love him far more than you do. Why does he look at you in a different light? Dongfang Liuyun, you shouldn¡¯t have appeared. Why wasn¡¯t you the one who died when the ancient tomb copsed? Instead, you made Lan Qi the scapegoat? Fujiwara has been hated by you for so many years because of this. Dongfang Liuyun, have you always been such a cheap person? You just have to hurt the people you care about!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s lips curled into a disdainful smile, and the light in her eyes was unusually cold. ¡°You still think that you¡¯re a noble person, but you¡¯re actually a hypocritical holy mother scum!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er in surprise. She did not expect for this woman¡¯s ability to be so good at cursing people. It was far from the beautiful image that she had maintained previously.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun would not listen to her. She had always been like this. As long as she had a clear conscience, she did not care what others thought of her. Hence, she did not care about what Dongfang Rou¡¯er said.

    ¡°So you like Fujiwara?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised by this news. But thinking about it, it made sense. Fujiwara was an outstanding person. Did she not love him before?

    However, there was nothing she could do about it. After all, they were not suitable for each other, so they could only give up.

    Thinking about it now, Dongfang Liuyun did actually notice Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s feelings. When Fujiwara came to the house previously, was she not quite attentive?

    But since that was the case, the incident between her and Fujiwara back then should have been done by this Dongfang Rou¡¯er!

    It was a pity that she did not notice that this woman liked Fujiwara at that time?

    ¡°Hmph, if you can like him, can¡¯t I like him? Dongfang Liuyun, I¡¯ve loved him deeply for many years. I originally thought that I...¡±

    ¡°Back then, when Jin Sheng came to discuss the marriage with my family, nothing happened between me and Fujiwara. But why did you set me up?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked.

    ¡°It was because Fujiwara already looked at you differently back then! But I didn¡¯t expect that this mistake would help you and Fujiwara get closer!¡±

    As Dongfang Rou¡¯er said this, her tone was filled with anger and hatred.

    ¡°You tried to go for wool ande back shorn, huh?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Dongfang Rou¡¯er with a faint smile. Seeing her stiff and pale face, a sarcastic look appeared in her eyes¡ª

    ¡°Dongfang Rou¡¯er, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so stupid!¡±

 Chapter 2068 - How Vicious of You! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2068: How Vicious of You! (2)</h4>

    The sarcasm on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face was reflected in Dongfang Rou¡¯er¡¯s eyes. Dongfang Rou¡¯er could not help but feel a burst of anger all over her body. She wished that she could tear that face of Dongfang Liuyun into shreds so that she would never be able tough again!

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel very happy to add insult to injury like this? You should be very happy to see me in such dire straits, slut! The winner will be the king, and the loser will be the bandit. I admit it! But, didn¡¯t you still not get Fujiwara? You loved him so much before, and yet you didn¡¯t get together with him?¡±

    Thinking of this, Dongfang Rou¡¯er suddenly felt a sense of bnce in her heart. What she could not get, Dongfang Liuyun did not get either. She thought that she could take down the Dongfang Group and get closer to Fujiwara. Although she was married to Jin Sheng, she did not like him at all. The two of them were together mostly because of the negotiation of benefits, and now...

    No one could understand the ups and downs of it, much less understand how it felt.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes darkened, but her tone remained calm, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to think this way, and you have the chance to fight for it. Why use such a method? I have to correct one thing. Fujiwara and I broke up peacefully because we had different ideals, not because I couldn¡¯t get him. I¡¯m spending the rest of my life with Qi Lei, Fujiwara is just a passerby to me.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, so, are you unting your high market price to me? Dongfang Liuyun, I hate it the most when you act like you don¡¯t care even if you get it.¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er clenched her fists slightly, her words carrying a hint of gnashing teeth.

    Dongfang Liuyun leisurely leaned against the back of the chair behind her, indifferently giving her a side look, ¡°It seems that you are still unconvinced, but it looks likeyou don¡¯t have the chance to turn the tables. The Jin family has abandoned you, and First Uncle¡¯s side seems like they are unable to help as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you! Dongfang Liuyun!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er suddenly shouted hatefully.

    ¡°Because of me? If you didn¡¯t insist on going against me, would I have made a move? Now you¡¯ve killed Uncle Ming, and hurt my father and Qi Lei, How would you settle the score? Dongfang Rou¡¯er, your biggest mistake is overestimating yourself. You think that you¡¯re the noble one, other people¡¯s lives are cheap, so you can do whatever you want with them.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reprimanded her in a cold voice, ¡°Such thoughts, this is truly vicious! Don¡¯t even think about who wille and save you. You might be locked up in there for the rest of your life. I will definitely not let you have a good life.¡±

    After saying these few words coldly, Dongfang Liuyun stood up coldly and looked at her onest time, ¡°I really feel sorry for you. Even now, your mind is still filled with jealousy and hatred. Your thoughts are so narrow-minded and your methods are so despicable. What do you have topare to me, Dongfang Liuyun? In terms of talent and appearance, you are inferior to me. In terms of character, you arepletely unpresentable. It¡¯s time for you to wake up, Dongfang Rou¡¯er!¡±

    ¡°You... Slut! How dare you insult me like this!¡±

    Dongfang Rou¡¯er cursed loudly, but Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure had already disappeared outside the door.

    ...

    When she left the police station, it was already afternoon. Dongfang Liuyun stood on the stairs and turned her head to look at the solemn and dignified gatehouse above her head. The colorful gs were fluttering above, and the national emblem was solemn. She did not know why, the haze that had been settling in her heart gradually dissipated.

    Uncle Ming, I think you can finally rest in peace now!

    She silently said this in her heart. After a moment, she retracted her gaze and walked down the stairs. She did not have any lingering feelings.

    ¡°Missus, where am I going now? Am I going straight home?¡± the driver asked.

    ¡°Go to Sunshine New City. Your Master is there.¡±

    Qi Lei went over in the morning. It seemed like he was checking the guest list again. The guest list for the wedding had already been sent out. Time passed too quickly.

    ¡°Okay,¡± the driver responded and started the car.

    On Sunshine New City¡¯s side, when Dongfang Liuyun walked into the living room, the house was quiet. In the luxuriousrge sofa, Qi Qiming was looking at the casino¡¯s earnings fromst year.

    ¡°Father!¡± Dongfang Liuyun called out in a low voice.

    The sudden voice startled Qi Qiming. He quickly turned his head and saw Dongfang Liuyun, his expression was loving. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡±

    There were still some visible bruises on Qi Qiming¡¯s face. It seemed that Wang Xun did not go easy on him, but he seemed to be in a good mental state.

    ¡°Well, where¡¯s Qi Lei? Didn¡¯t he say he wasing to visit?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sat down and poured two sses of water. She handed one to Qi Qiming.

    Qi Qiming put away the folder in his hand, put it aside, and took it, ¡°He¡¯s in the backyard. The weather has been warmer these few days. He said he wants to see the soil in the backyard and see if it¡¯s suitable to grow some precious morning glory flowers. I didn¡¯t know when he started to like doing these things.¡±

    In Qi Qiming¡¯s impression, his second son was a carefree young master. He had never heard of him being interested in these flowers and nts.

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and paused for a moment. After a moment of silence, she smiled and said, ¡°Let him busy himself. He might want to do some things to cultivate his character. Has Father recovered? Did the hospital inform you when to go for a re-examination?¡±

    ¡°I just went for a check-up yesterday, they said I¡¯m fine. Now, I¡¯m looking forward to your wedding and my grandson. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m looking forward to it. It¡¯s been hard on you, Liuyun! Especially since you¡¯ve been taking care of so many things during this period of time.¡±

    Qi Qiming was naturally very satisfied with Dongfang Liuyun as his daughter-inw. However, as long as Qi Lei agreed, he would ept it in his heart.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re too polite. This matter was originally about me, otherwise...¡±

    ¡°A man has to take on the responsibilities that a man has to do. This is what he should do. Don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± Qi Qiming replied calmly.

    His tone was very calm, ¡°You¡¯re very good. It¡¯s his fortune to be able to marry you. In the past, I let him down too much. I couldn¡¯t even make up to your mother. Now, I only hope that he can live a better life. Now, the rtionship between us father and son has been eased. I know that it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°No, Father. Qi Lei was worried about you too.¡±

    ¡°I know what kind of character my own son has. He¡¯s still a kind-hearted child, he didn¡¯t learn from his big brother. On this point, I feel that the heavens have really blessed me.¡±

    Qi Qiming sighed. At least in the first half of his life, he had done too many preposterous things. Even now, the fact that he could still enjoy such a time, he felt that this was a favor from the heavens, and he needed to cherish it.

 Chapter 2069 - Wedding (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2069: Wedding (1)</h4>

    Qi Lei was squatting on the steps of the winding corridor in the backyard of the vi, looking at the spring scenery in front of him.

    The sun was warm these days, and the peach blossoms in the backyard were blooming brilliantly. The ground was covered in pink petals, and the air was faintly filled with the fragrance of peach blossoms. When the wind blew, the petals that danced in the yard fell like rain.

    He did not move, and his expression looked a little distant and peaceful.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly realized that if this man became quiet, just the sight of his side profile was very pleasing to the eye.

    After standing for a while, he walked over and put the coat on his shoulder. ¡°The wind here is chilly.¡±

    Feeling the sudden touch on his shoulder, Qi Lei turned around. When he saw her, he was surprised. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Only you cane over?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and carefully tugged at the corner of his shirt. Qi Lei, on the other hand, continued to squat as he tilted his head to look at her.

    ¡°Mama Wang said that you went to see Dongfang Rou¡¯er? How was it? She didn¡¯t make you angry, did she? But you don¡¯t look too good either.¡±

    Qi Lei keenly sensed the sadness between her brows, so he asked the same question.

    ¡°She¡¯s still quite arrogant, but that¡¯s all we can do. For a crime like hers, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to sentence her to life imprisonment.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, a cold smile appeared on her face. ¡°I just feel that Uncle Ming¡¯s death was too unjust. Previously, when I closed my eyes, all I could think about was the scene of him being killed. I was often so scared that I woke up from my dreams, and my whole body was covered in sweat...¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that. He quickly stood up and put his arm around her shoulders. Heforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s all in the past. It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°I know that everything is in the past, but Uncle Ming and Grandmother won¡¯t be able toe back to live.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Perhaps this is the fickleness of human affairs.¡±

    She asionally felt a little sad, especially when she saw the spring scene that was about to fade away.

    Qi Lei wrapped his arms around her from behind and rubbed her belly with hisrge hand, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. This new life is just about to start. We¡¯ve got a long way ahead. We¡¯ll go on living their share of life, that would be the best constion for them.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to hold his hand as well and nodded. ¡°I suddenly feel that the path before me is still very far away. Qi Lei, do you think that you¡¯ll continue to treat me like this?¡±

    She could not help but ask.

    ¡°I won¡¯t answer your question. For the rest of the time, you¡¯ll have to verify it yourself.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at her, his dark eyes filled with her figure.

    Dongfang Liuyun pursed her lips and smiled.

    ¡°We¡¯re evenly matched now. To be honest, I¡¯ve always felt that this is our best selves. Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Qi Lei.¡±

    Qi Lei rolled his eyes at her, disapproving. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been much weaker recently. I¡¯m worried that it¡¯s not going to be guidance for the rest of our lives, but that we¡¯ll be torturing each other for the rest of our lives.¡±

    ¡°Is marrying me so unfair to you?¡±

    ¡°How could it be? Marrying <i>me</i> is really unfair to you!¡±

    ...

    In the next few days, they were preparing for the specific wedding details. The emcee rehearsed for a long time, and Qi Lei often went over to check on the situation. The venue for the banquet was also chosen at the International Exhibition Center.

    The banquet was naturally very grand and majestic. It was no different from Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye back then because the Dongfang family and the Qi family were both influential families. At the same time, they needed this wedding to shake up their reputation.

    The entire banquet was actually personally organized by Qi Qiming and Song Siting. As for Qi Lei, he wanted to give Dongfang Liuyun an unforgettable wedding. After all, it was only this one time.

    However, as the wedding approached, Qi Lei became busier and busier. Dongfang Liuyun had some reactions these few days, just like this morning.

    She had only eaten two mouthfuls of breakfast before she rushed to the bathroom. She vomited so much that he almost vomited out the acid in her stomach. Qi Lei was so anxious that he quickly called Xi Xiaye.

    Mu Yuchen had previously said that Xi Xiaye¡¯s reaction was also very strong, so he hoped that Xi Xiaye could instil some experience into her.

    Thus, that evening, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye came directly to the Grand Lake Vi area.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s culinary skills had improved over the past two years. Qi Lei simply helped him out. The two men just busied themselves in the kitchen while Xi Xiaye and Dongfang Liuyun sat on the sofa in the living room and chatted.

    ¡°You should still eat some. You can eat whatever you want now. Back when I was pregnant with Xiao Cheng, my temper was really bad. I was really bad-tempered and often lost my temper at Mu Yuchen. Fortunately, he tolerated it. I¡¯d lose my temper with him, and he would just pretend that he didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled.

    Dongfang Liuyun coughed lightly, and her cold face turned a rare shade of crimson as she said calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to do. I couldn¡¯t control myself back then and I told him to get out, don¡¯t be an eyesore to me. I keep thinking that he won¡¯t be of any help even if he stands by the side. I really feel annoyed when I see him. I was quite d that I didn¡¯t have much of a reaction, but I didn¡¯t expect it toe now. I wasn¡¯t like this before. I¡¯m really good at holding it in. My temper is pretty good,¡± Dongfang Liuyun exined.

    ¡°Some people have bigger emotional reactions when they¡¯re pregnant. I¡¯m one of them. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll be better after the baby is born. Do you often go for prenatal checkups?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was concerned.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go tomorrow. The wedding is the day after tomorrow. We can rx a little if we look at the situation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good too.¡±

    ¡°I really hope that this child will be a daughter.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly touched her lower abdomen, which had a slight movement.

    ¡°Why? Do you want a daughter too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s eyes shed with a faint light. She had been thinking about this for two years. Ever since Mu Xiaocheng was born, she felt like giving birth to another daughter. Unfortunately, her health was damaged, so it would probably be very difficult for her to realize this wish.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Qi Lei wants a daughter. He said that a daughter should be closer to her father.¡±

    ¡°Mu Yuchen said the same thing, but he doesn¡¯t feel any regrets with the few children we have now.¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about the children at home. Her expression could not help but turn gentle. ¡°Has the wedding been prepared?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve left it all to Qi Lei to arrange. I can¡¯t be bothered to worry about these things. Let them men worry about their own thing.¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she lowered her head and took a sip of his flower tea. ¡°Let Wei¡¯er and Xiao Rui be flower children. I haven¡¯t seen them for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Qi Lei has brought this up before. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely make them dress beautifully that day.¡±

 Chapter 2070 - Wedding (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2070: Wedding (2)</h4>

    Time flew by like that. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, it was time for the wedding.

    Taking into ount Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s condition, Qi Lei did not arrange the wedding early. Instead, he mainly arranged it in the afternoon. The wedding invitations he sent out were also for arge-scale dinner at the International Exhibition Center in the evening.

    Dongfang Liuyun slept until nine in the morning as usual. The night before the wedding, she went back to Tanshan Vi area. Dongfang Gan and Song Siting still hoped that she could be married off from home, hence, Dongfang Liuyun went along with it.

    The makeup artist came early. After Dongfang Liuyun had breakfast, she let the makeup artist apply makeup on her.

    Xi Xiaye came over too. Mu Yuchen said that they were familiar with each other so they could chat. Dongfang Xue came over too. The bridesmaids were Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s cousins and some friends who had a good conversation, Ji Zitong was already quite heavily pregnant, so it was not convenient for her to go over. Su Chen would bring her straight to the wedding venue.

    The child in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s belly was only three months old, and her lower abdomen was not showing, so she wore the custom-made wedding dress with her usual figure. However, when she put on this gorgeous wedding dress and put on some light makeup, she was devastating beautiful, even Xi Xiaye could not quite catch her breath at that sight.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s hand that was helping her fix up her veil paused for a long time as well. She looked at her for a long time before she lost control and pursed her lips into a smile¡ª

    ¡°I was saying that Qi Lei was finally loyal after so long. Now, I remember what he said before. He seemed to only be attracted to someone as beautiful and elegant as you. Now that I think about it, he really did follow his own standards.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to tell you that I chose him back then because of his handsomeness. I didn¡¯t expect myself to judge others based on their looks.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled self-deprecatingly, yet her gaze was a little gentle, ¡°But I admit it now. I¡¯ve judge others based on their looks, if I won¡¯t even be able to stand them at first nce, I might not persist. Xiaye, do you think I¡¯m a shallow person?¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye instantlyughed out loud. She thought about it carefully and said, ¡°Actually, in the beginning, you do need some affinity, but after you¡¯ve fallen in love with him, you don¡¯t feel anything anymore. He would tolerate all of your shorings, and you wouldn¡¯t mind his shorings. Perhaps, this is because of the rtionship between the two of you. Rtionships are very wondrous like that.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she naturally felt the same way. was she not the same before?

    She had spent quite a long time before falling in love with Mu Yuchen. Perhaps he had fallen in love before her, and he had given more than her. She was touched by his tolerance and persistence.

    ¡°Your rtionship with Mu Yuchen is admirable.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Qi Lei love you very much too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly before helping her to fix up her veil. ¡°You¡¯re very special in his heart, Liuyun. I sincerely wish the both of you happiness.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, you too. As long as I live, seeing everyone live happily is my greatest wish.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled happily as well.

    ¡®Knock, knock¡ª¡¯

    At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Song Siting, who was dressed in a wine-red suit, walked in with a rare smile on her face.

    ¡°Liuyun, is everything ready? The parade of cars are here, it¡¯s past two. Qi Lei had been waiting for a long time, so they should hurry over! Your aunt is down there, your father is leading you over. Do you remember the etiquette that you should remember? Do you remember the matter of throwing a few coins every time you cross the bridge...¡±

    Song Siting exined nervously as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it, Mother. Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at XI Xiaye in amusement. Xi Xiaye smiled. ¡°Aunty Song, you¡¯re a little nervous and excited too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time marrying a daughter, so I¡¯m a little...¡±

    Song Siting was a little embarrassed.

    ¡°Hurry up and put down your veil. Let¡¯s go out. The weather is just right outside. It¡¯s not as cold as a few days ago. It¡¯s quite warm. Your father said that today is a good sign.¡±

    ...

    A long parade of cars filled the road in the vi area. Dongfang Liuyun, apanied by the bridesmaids and Xi Xiaye, rushed straight to the cathedral by the sea.

    There was a cathedral that was hundreds of years old over there. Qi Lei was waiting there, saying that he wanted to give Dongfang Liuyun a mysterious surprise. When he said it that night, Dongfang Liuyun even nced at him and did not think much of it.

    The car slowly drove into the auxiliary road of the seaside town. In front of them was arge stretch of soft and beautiful beach. The sea was sparkling, and Dongfang Liuyun, who was sitting in the car, could hear the sound of the waves.

    It was almost dusk, and there was a gorgeous red sun hanging on the sea. The windmill in the flower field was still spinning slowly, and the streetmps on both sides were decorated with festive and beautiful rose ribbons, winding past, there was also a pink gauze.

    From afar, they could see a huge arch made of fresh flowers. The red carpet was winding all the way to the high stairs in front, and then the tall and magnificent cathedral was in front of them.

    The car stopped, and the bodyguard in ck came over to help Dongfang Liuyun open the car door. Dongfang Liuyun also held the wedding dress in one hand and carefully got out of the car.

    ¡°Liuyun.¡±

    Dongfang Gan stood in front of her. He smiled as he looked at his daughter who was so devastatingly beautiful. His eyes were filled with blessings and gratification, but more than that, he was reluctant to part with her.

    ¡°Father...¡± Dongfang Liuyun also called out to him softly.

    Dongfang Gan lowered his gaze and looked at her for quite a while. After that, he took a deep breath and nodded. His voice was a little hoarse as he asked very kindly, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and met Dongfang Gan¡¯s gentle eyes. For some reason, her eyes could not help but burn.

    ¡°Father, I... I can¡¯t bear to leave you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help herself.

    ¡°Silly child, what do you mean by not leaving? You¡¯ll always be my daughter even after you get married. When you miss your Mother and me, you can alwayse home to visit. No matter what, this will always be your home,e back whenever you want to. You¡¯re our only daughter...¡±

    Dongfang Gan consoled her and patted Dongfang Liuyun on the shoulder. ¡°You have to be a good wife in the future. Qi Lei is a good husband. I believe that he treats you well. You have to treat him well too. It¡¯s not easy for him either, understand?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sniffed and quickly nodded. She blinked and forced the burning in her eyes back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I¡¯ll definitely treat him well and lead a good life.¡±

 Chapter 2071 - Wedding (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2071: Wedding (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Dongfang Gan nodded his head in relief when he heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s words.

    ¡°I can¡¯t bear to part with you, but we¡¯ve been waiting for you to grow up. We¡¯ve been waiting for this day to personally hand you over to someone worthy of your life. We¡¯ll watch you get married and have children. To me, this means that you¡¯ve aplished all your merits and have no regrets.¡±

    Dongfang Gan rarely said such things, but now that his daughter was about to get married, he could not help it.

    He had loved his daughter for so many years, and this precious thing was now going to belong to another man.

    ¡°Father, I won¡¯t forget the kindness of you and Mother raising me. Qi Lei and I will properly repay you and Mother.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not know what else to say.

    Dongfang Gan looked at her dotingly and nodded. ¡°Okay!¡±

    Then, he put on the white gloves in his hand and bent his arm towards Dongfang Liuyun. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to see Qi Lei.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Father!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s nose turned sour. She sniffed and then slowly reached out to link with his arm. The father and daughter walked forward unhurriedly along the red carpet.

    After walking through the red carpet, the father and daughter walked up the stairs one step at a time.

    The soft light of the setting sun bathed the entire world. Dongfang Liuyun had just walked up the sixth step when she saw a ray of golden light shining from the stairs above. It was like the dawn breaking through the darkness and a warm feeling arose.

    What kind of surprise did he want to give her?

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly became nervous and subconsciously pulled Dongfang Gan¡¯s arm tightly.

    Dongfang Gan turned to look at her and smiled as he patted her hand, indicating that she should not be nervous.

    After walking up the stairs, the ancient cathedral came into view. Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and heard the ancient bell ring. Then, Dongfang Gan let go of her hand.

    ¡°You and Qi Lei will continue the journey together now. Liuyun, promise me that you will be happy, understand?¡±

    Dongfang Gan¡¯s eyes were reddened and gentle.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Yes, we will, Father!¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she quickly gave Dongfang Gan a hug.

    ¡°Then, go over. Qi Lei is waiting for you.¡±

    Dongfang Gan encouraged her.

    Dongfang Liuyun grunted a reply before walking forward.

    After walking for quite some distance, they suddenly heard a light-hearted tuneing from behind them!

    The light-hearted beat was joyful and familiar. It was the tune they used to y when they were ying games. It was also a very old video game song¡ª

    ¡°Faraway From Home¡±

    Before she could react, the piano music started ying. It was the main melody of the song.

    Dongfang Liuyun was a little surprised. She quickly turned and looked to the music. She realized that on the opposite steps, bathed in the gentle sunset, a piano was ced there. The person sitting in front of the piano was ying. It was Qi Lei, who was dressed in an iron gray bridegroom¡¯s gown.

    He was ying very attentively. What Dongfang Liuyun could see was his distinct side profile. His long eyshes and slender hands were still ying the ck and white piano keys nimbly.

    Every note that was emitted could be deeply transmitted into Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s bones.

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly remembered the time when they yed games together.

    Speaking of which, they had started from a game. She had never thought that such a fate would be so inconceivable. However, perhaps this was the arrangement of the heavens. They were destined to meet and fated to be together.

    Thinking of this, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s starry eyes suddenly became a little blurry and absent-minded. She stared nkly at him, who was quietly ying under the golden light.

    After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly felt a soft touch on her face. A faint fragrance drifted in the warm air. subconsciously, she felt a softness at the tip of her finger, only then did she slowly withdraw her gaze and look. Only then did she realize that what stopped at the tip of her finger was a pink peach petal...

    She was stunned. Without thinking, more and more pink petals flew past her eyes. When she looked up, she saw the petals flying in the sky...

    They flew past the ancient church, past the swaying branches, and across her face.

    This scene made her feel exceptionally familiar. She thought about it for a moment before she remembered something. A warmth suddenly appeared in her heart, and she turned her head to look at him.

    At this moment, Qi Lei had already stopped what he was doing, but this happy rhythm did not stop.

    He slowly stood up, holding arge bouquet of beautiful red roses in his hand as he walked towards her. He did not stop until he was in front of her.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not move at all. She looked at him in a daze. At this moment, her eyes could not help but turn red. He also lowered his head and quietly looked at her.

    ¡°You...¡± Dongfang Liuyun spoke faintly, but she did not know how to continue.

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and handed the flowers in his hand to her. Dongfang Liuyun naturally epted it.

    ¡°I still remember the joy of witnessing the victory when we triumphed over the dark base. You said that you also wanted to experience the joy of a peach blossom. Today, on our wedding day, I will personally fulfill this wish for you. It is this scene, this song, and when the sun is setting, it is this same old cathedral.¡±

    ¡°In thispetition for love, we are all winners and heroes. We will continue to fight for the long days ahead. Dongfang Liuyun, if I tell you that I love you, will you be willing to be with me forever?¡±

    His deep voice was filled with emotional gentleness. In her ears, it was naturally very pleasing. She suddenly felt that at this moment, her eyes were even hotter, and the heart in her chest was beating intensely.

    If her journey alone from before was just to wait for his arrival, she thought that even if she had to wait a few more years, she would not care and would not feel wronged. It would be fine as long as the person she waited for in the end was him.

    She took a deep breath, blinked, and raised her head. Her clear and moving gaze looked through the gauze in front of her as she looked at the petals flying in the sky. She thought of that spirited youth, that joy, how could itpare to the feeling and shock he gave her at this moment?

    Suddenly, she could not control her limbs as she leaned into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nodded hard¡ª

    ¡°Thank you... I love you too, I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life.¡±

 Chapter 2072

    <h4>Chapter 2072: Wedding (4)</h4>

    In those flourishing years, the multitude of life that one could not understand, the sorrows of separation and reunion that one could not control, every cold and lonely street with sadness where the damage was done, was all of that not for a hope to have a moment like this?

    Who cares about the cold of the world, who cares about the human feelings cold and warm, forget those who have abandoned me, give me love, also should cherish.

    For the rest of her life, she only wanted to worry about him!

    As she said this, she quickly hugged him tightly and leaned into his chest.

    If this was a dream, she really hoped that she would never wake up.

    However, the warmth of his warm male body clearly told her that everything was real, she was not dreaming...

    Qi Lei also hugged her tightly. His voice was hoarse with joy. ¡°Thank you for loving me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes turned hot. She felt as if something was flickering in the corner of her eyes. She sniffled and tightened her arm around his waist.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in. They¡¯re all waiting to witness our wedding.¡±

    Qi Lei pulled her out of his embrace and helped her fix her wedding dress gently. Dongfang Liuyun nodded silently as well. The couple turned around with each other. At that moment, the tightly shut ancient door of the church suddenly opened slowly from the inside.

    With a heavy creak, the church suddenly lit up.

    A couple walked along the red carpet towards the church.

    The lively music continued. When they heard the sound of the door opening, the people who had been waiting for a long time turned around and saw a couple slowly walking towards the priest.

    ¡°Look at howpatible they are!¡±

    Xi Xiaye moved closer to Mu Yuchen and said softly, ¡°I think Liuyun was so touched that she almost cried. It¡¯s hard to imagine that a strong person like her would be so touched.¡±

    ¡°Once someone is moved, it¡¯s very easy to be touched by the other party. I remember you were the same back then, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her with a very gentle gaze.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a moment and then smiled calmly. Suddenly, she lowered her voice and said beside his ear, ¡°I think Qi Lei is more romantic than you. Why don¡¯t you think of a way to make it up to me properly? Let me...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re already an old married couple. Why are you still thinking about all these wonderful things? No matter how unromantic I am, I¡¯ll still be able to get him. Who told you to be so easy to get him?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips curved into a half-smile. His gaze was meaningful too.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, I¡¯ll get a fitness card tomorrow, for the one right outside our vi area.¡±

    Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows and smiled.

    ¡°Why would you get a gym card all of a sudden? Didn¡¯t you get a few before?¡± Mu Yuchen asked curiously.

    ¡°The coach at that ce is quite handsome. Yesterday, I brought our son to the supermarket and bumped into their shop owner. Our son even called him handsome uncle...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, the man¡¯s eyes turned cold as a dark light shed past his eyes.

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    This girl was getting more and more impudent. He did not know who spoiled her. She was simplywless. He did not even want to hear such jokes anymore, to think that she always tried to make him angry.

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare¡ª¡±

    Xi Xiaye had long learned how to read people¡¯s expressions. When she saw that he was unhappy, she immediately saved him in time as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare! You¡¯re so handsome that people and gods are angry. How can I tolerate those muscr men? My son even saidter on, ¡®not as handsome as father!¡¯ So, you have nothing to be angry about.¡±

    ¡°As expected of my good son!¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression eased up a lot. Then, he nced at her. ¡°Finish your words in one go from now on.¡±

    Xi Xiaye...

    ¡°Look at them. The ceremony has begun!¡±

    Flowers, wedding dress, ring, ceremony...

    Everything went smoothly.

    Qi Lei reached out to lift the veil that Dongfang Liuyun covered. When he looked at this stunning face, he was momentarily absent-minded. He was stunned for quite a while before he pulled his thoughts back and quickly kissed her.

    There was immediately a round of joyous apuse and congrattions from below.

    After the ceremony, Qi Lei suddenly bent down and carried Dongfang Liuyun. Dongfang Liuyun was caught off guard and was shocked by him. Her face was slightly red, but she did not dare to struggle. She kept thinking about his wound, even though he always said that he was fine, she still needed to be more careful.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, Liuyun. You¡¯re finally truly married to me!¡±

    Qi Lei was overjoyed. He knew that he had waited too long for this day.

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled quietly.

    ¡°Qi Lei, Liuyun, I wish you both the best!¡±

    At the church entrance, everyone was shouting for a photo session. Su Chen and Ji Zitong stood over. Ji Zitong was already quite pregnant, and she would be giving birth in a few more months. At this moment, she had a feminine look on her face. It was clear that Su Chen took good care of her. After their marriage, the couple had a very harmonious life.

    ¡°Thank you! Let¡¯s take a photo together! Photographer!¡±

    Qi Lei stood over and hugged Dongfang Liuyun with one hand and held Su Chen¡¯s shoulder with the other. The four of them left behind a few precious photos in two pairs.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a photo with the bride and groom too!¡±

    Su Chen and Ji Zitong had just finished taking their photos when Zhou Zimo dragged Qin Su over and insisted on taking a photo with Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun exchanged a look and then followed Zhou Zimo.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye took a few photos with Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun as well as the four of them. Many precious memories were frozen here and stopped at this moment.

    When the sky gradually darkened and there was only a faint light left in the vast world, the photo shoot finally came to an end.

    Qi Lei hugged Dongfang Liuyun. When he saw that she looked peaceful, he asked with concern, ¡°Are you tired?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her head slightly and looked at the birds flying past in the night sky, as well as thest wisp of golden clouds in the sky. A momentter, she shook her head, ¡°I look forward to such a wonderful time. I can¡¯t wait to have more time to experience nostalgia. How can I be tired?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be too tired. You haven¡¯t been resting well these past few days.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s tone had a hint of tenderness.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same? To give me such a big surprise, I really like it. I think I¡¯ll remember this day forever.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed.

    ¡°I saw Lan Xiu just now. He said he wished us well. They needed help at the wedding banquet, so he went over to give instructions. His parents are here.¡±

    Qi Lei suddenly remembered Lan Xiu¡¯s sincere blessing.

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Father¡¯s godson now. As the older brother, he needs to pay attention to our marriage,¡± Dongfang Liuyun also replied.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go back. There¡¯s still one more to go at the International Convention and Exhibition Center! Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±

 Chapter 2073 - Childrenâ€™s Problems (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2073: Children¡¯s Problems (1)</h4>

    The wedding banquet was naturally very lively. When everyone rushed over, the banquet began.

    Because she was pregnant, Dongfang Liuyun did not have a single drop of alcohol. Qi Lei, on the other hand, drank quite a lot. After a round, he was in a daze.

    Dongfang Liuyun was worried about his wound, so she stopped himter.

    Then, she cleverly used her body as an excuse to avoid it. She left the wedding banquet with Qi lei early. Since Dongfang Gan and the rest were here, it was not a big deal.

    Fortunately, the best men and bridesmaids were strong. Otherwise, after a round of drinking, Qi Lei would have copsed. However, the current situation was not much better.

    In the Grand Lake Vi area.

    Dongfang Liuyun frowned as she looked at the unconscious man lying on the bed. After a long while, she could only shake her head helplessly. She helped him remove his coat. Then, she went to the bathroom and brought a warm wet towel over. She gave him a simple wipe down, after covering him with the nket, he fell into a deep sleep.

    She took a shower. When she came out of the bathroomfortably, it was already 11:30 p.m. She tidied up a little and was about to call Dongfang Gan. Unexpectedly, before she could pick up her phone, her phone vibrated.

    She nced at the phone screen and felt that the number was familiar. It was from Japan, so she knew who it was. After some thought, she picked it up.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    A faint voice was heard.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s low voice soon came from the other end. ¡°I know that it¡¯s your wedding day with him, so I called to say hello and wish you well on your marriage.¡±

    Fujiwara almost used all his strength to say these words of blessing. Perhaps he should be unwilling and work hard to win her over, but he was afraid that they would never be able to go back to the past and do that. With Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s personality, she would only hate him more. He did not want that the most.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment before replying calmly, ¡°Thank you. Lan Xiu passed your words to Qi lei. Qi Lei also told me about this matter. No matter what, I should thank you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite with me, Liuyun.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s voice carried a hint of a sigh. ¡°I thought that we were still true friends.¡±

    ¡°I do treat you as a friend. Let¡¯s not talk about those things anymore. Let¡¯s just live peacefully. Qi Lei is very good to me. Being able to marry him is the luckiest thing to happen to me. I don¡¯t regret liking you in the past, nor do I regret loving him now.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun slowly walked to the French window and sat down on the soft sofa.

    Fujiwara fell silent for a moment before he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I think I should be satisfied to be able to receive such a sentence from you, ¡®I don¡¯t regret liking you in the past.¡¯¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot of recently. I¡¯ve been thinking about us. Perhaps it¡¯s because it¡¯s difficult for a person like me who doesn¡¯t have a sense of responsibility to catch up to you. It¡¯s not because of our shorings, but because of the conflict in our personalities. I love you very much, Liuyun... you should know that.¡± Fujiwara said softly.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°But, after much thought, aspared to my feelings for you and Qi Lei¡¯s feelings for you, I have to admit that he¡¯s more suitable for you. His feelings for you are no less than mine. At least, you¡¯re happy to be by his side. I¡¯m not as good for you as I¡¯d imagined. This realization makes me feel so much pain...¡±

    ¡°And, the truth is the truth. I finally can¡¯t get involved between the two of you anymore. Seeing the harmonious and warm rtionship between the two of you, I also realize that I should let the both of you be.¡±

    Fujiwara used all his strength to say these painful words. He just wanted tofort her so that the raging waves in his heart would subside.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find your destiny... I wish you the same.¡±

    That was all Dongfang Liuyun could say.

    ¡°Other than you, I¡¯m afraid that there will be no one else in this lifetime. You know that my feelings have always been cold, why should I harm other women? Alright, you don¡¯t have to feel any pressure. I¡¯m calling you to sincerely wish you the best. It¡¯ste, rest early. Goodbye.¡±

    Fujiwara¡¯s voice sounded a little gloomy. He did not wait for Dongfang Liuyun to say anything else and hung up the phone.

    He was afraid that if he continued, he would not be able to control himself.

    He leaned against the sofa in a daze and curled his body slightly. He raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. The pain on his face was obvious.

    When Matsuda walked in, he saw Fujiwara like this.

    Dongfang Liuyun was like the Master¡¯s soul. After she left, the Master¡¯s soul was also gone.

    His heart ached for a moment. He quickly walked over and handed the medicine and water in his hand to Fujiwara. ¡°Master, take the medicine first. You drank quite a lot of wine. Be careful that you won¡¯t have a headache tomorrow. The weather is still very cold. You have to take care of yourself.¡±

    Hearing this, Fujiwara raised his head and nced at Matsuda. He numbly took the medicine from Matsuda and swallowed it.

    ¡°Master, on the Elder Master¡¯s side... Should we stop? He¡¯s...¡±

    Fujiwara was still under house arrest. Even Matsuda was surprised by Fujiwara¡¯s swift and decisive methods. When he became ruthless, he did not even care about his own father, much less the others. This time, anyone who disobeyed him was ruthlessly dealt with by him. Now, no one in the Fujiwara family dared not support him.

    Perhaps, such a cold and ruthless person was destined to be lonely...

    Speaking of Fujiwara Kenji, a disdainful sneer appeared on Fujiwara Ye¡¯s cold face. ¡°He came to ask you to be his lobbyist?¡±

    Matsuda¡¯s face instantly paled when he heard this. He hurriedly said, ¡°Master, please forgive me!¡±

    Fujiwara snorted coldly at him. ¡°Tell him to obediently sign the transfer of the property and then go back to apany Mother. Then, I can let him out. Otherwise, he should know how vicious I am.¡±

    Fujiwara no longer cared about anything else. He did not care how others cursed him.

    ¡°Master, this...¡±

    ¡°This is the only condition. If Fujiwara Kenji doesn¡¯t agree, then he can stay in there for a few more days. Tell him that he¡¯s old. This world is already the world of young people. It¡¯s not a good thing to be too strong-willed.¡±

    Fujiwara spoke in a neutral tone.

    Matsuda¡¯s expression tensed up for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Understood, Master! I¡¯ll go and exin it to Elder Master right away!¡±

 Chapter 2074 - Childrenâ€™s Problems (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2074: Children¡¯s Problems (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, as expected, Fujiwara Kenji was willing to sign the transfer agreement.

    Fujiwara Ye also adhered to his promise and released Fujiwara Kenji. Fujiwara Kenji was also willing to go back and spend the rest of his life with Fujiwara¡¯s mother. The Inoue family was greatly weakened, and Riko went back dejectedly. She did not dare to provoke Fujiwara anymore!

    Because he was too terrifying!

    This trip, the entire Fujiwara family was controlled by Fujiwara Ye, and Fujiwara Ye¡¯s status was also rising.

    A few days after the wedding, Qi Lei apanied Dongfang Liuyun for a checkup. Dongfang Liuyun had originally agreed toe for a checkup the day before the wedding, but she did not expect Dr. Huang, who had an appointment, to go out at thest minute. There was nothing she could do, Dongfang Liuyun could only wait for another two days. She woulde over for a checkup after the wedding.

    She felt that she could do it. The baby should be fine as well. She just had to be careful.

    ¡°What did you say? Twins?¡±

    In the doctor¡¯s Office, Qi Lei¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared at the doctor. His face was filled with shock and an unconceble surprise.

    Dongfang Liuyun was also stunned. She could not react in time. She looked at her husband and then at the doctor. Her beautiful eyes were filled with anticipation.

    Doctor Huang also saw the joy in their eyes and immediately smiled, ¡°It can¡¯t be wrong. It¡¯s twins. It can¡¯t be detected in the early stages. You two didn¡¯te for a check-up for quite a while now. In the future, you have toe for a check-up on time ording to the doctor¡¯s instructions. Currently, the baby is very healthy, but you¡¯ll need more nutrition to keep up. I¡¯ll write down some recipes for your dietter. Just pay attention to it.¡±

    ¡°Also, don¡¯t work too hard. You need to rest now.¡±

    Doctor Huang reminded them.

    The couple came back to their senses. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun exchanged a look before nodding. They suppressed the joy in their hearts and replied, ¡°We know. We¡¯ll pay attention. Thank you, doctor!¡±

    Doctor Huang nodded.

    It was almost noon when they left the hospital.

    Qi Lei was driving while Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in the passenger seat. The couple¡¯s faces were still filled with joy.

    ¡°Do you think that both of them are daughters?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun with hope in his eyes. Then, his gaze stopped on her lower abdomen. She was wearing very loose clothes, and one could not tell for the time being. The doctor said that she would grow big very quickly in the next few months.

    Now, he was automatically imagining the scene of his twin daughters.

    They would be like her, very beautiful and cute too. One of them would be married to Mu Yuchen¡¯s family, and the other might even be married to Su Chen¡¯s family or Zhou Zimo¡¯s family.

    ¡°How do you know it won¡¯t be two boys?¡±

    ¡°No! It can¡¯t be two sons!¡±

    Qi Lei immediately shook his head when Dongfang Liuyun said this. ¡°Liuyun, work harder and give us two daughters. Sons are too worrisome!¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him. ¡°Do you think I can decide this now? The disdain you¡¯re showing towards your sons makes me feel that your thoughts are very dangerous.¡±

    Qi Lei was speechless. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Two sons is fine too. Forget it, I¡¯d like them either way. Don¡¯t be angry. As long as it¡¯s yours, you¡¯ll definitely like it.¡±

    ¡°I just want to keep them to our circle, don¡¯t I? Xiao Rui and Xiaocheng are both so cute, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°The children¡¯s matters are not up to you. In the future, we¡¯ve agreed that we can¡¯t interfere with their feelings.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun reached out to touch her belly. Naturally, she was looking forward to the arrival of the children.

    If that was the case, they would have two more rtives!

    The Qi family had very few children. She also hoped to give Qi Lei two children so that the house would be livelier. Now, two of them hade at once. That was great!

    Dongfang Liuyun naturally had a very leisurely life in the following days. Dongfang Gan and Dongfang Xue were the backbone of Dongfang Group, and Qi Lei was on Tai Yu Corporation¡¯s side. She did not have to worry about anything at all.

    After this period of time, her stomach began to grow like a balloon. Because they were twins, her stomach grew bigger than most people¡¯s. She went to the hospital regrly for prenatal check-ups.

    Even so, Dongfang Liuyun did not grow fat. Instead, her face was so thin that her chin was sharp. Her stomach grew. Seeing that her face was getting thinner, Qi Lei was a little anxious. He had no choice but to have Song Sitinge over to apany her from time to time. Song Siting, on the other hand, would think of ways to make delicious food for Dongfang Liuyun every day.

    A few monthster, the weather was a little warmer. Ji Zitong gave birth to a daughter for Su Chen. She was very healthy and cute, and Su Chen was overjoyed. She named her daughter Su Jingling, and her nickname was Jingjing.

    After the full moon, they even arranged a full moon wine at the Su residence.

    Mu Yuchen brought Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er to the banquet, but he did not expect Mu Zirui to stare straight into Su Jingling¡¯s pretty eyes the moment he saw her!

    ¡°Mommy, look! She¡¯s spitting bubbles! She looks like little brother when he was young!¡±

    Mu Zirui looked at Su Jingling in the cradle with joy. He could not help but pull Xi Xiaye¡¯s sleeve as he said in surprise.

    Xi Xiaye followed his gaze and saw that the baby was spitting bubbles. He was looking at them with his starry eyes.

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t you think she¡¯s especially cute?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled.

    Mu Zirui quickly nodded. ¡°Cute! Aunty Ji, can I carry her?¡±

    Mu Zirui looked at Ji Zitong who was smiling at them.

    Ji Zitong smiled and bent down to carry the baby out of the cradle. She handed it to Mu Zirui. ¡°Of course, you can. Just be careful.¡±

    Mu Zirui nodded and carefully reached out to hold Su Jingling. His movements were clumsy, but he was very careful.

    However, the little baby in his arms only nced at him once before yawning. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

    ¡°Why is she sleeping again? Mother?¡±

    Mu Zirui looked at the little baby in his arms in surprise. ¡°Just like when little brother was young...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still young. She needs to sleep a little more before she¡¯ll grow up. Keep your voice down and don¡¯t wake her up,¡± Xi Xiaye said softly.

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    ...

    In Su Chen¡¯s study room, Mu Yuchen, Zhou Zimo, and Qi Lei were sitting on the sofa ying cards.

    ¡°I think you should leave one of your two sons for me. The few of you haven¡¯t had a daughter like me.¡±

    Su Chen said with a smug smile on his face.

    Mu Yuchen, who was sitting opposite him, nced at him and did not think much of it. ¡°That¡¯s only if your daughter has the ability to make them marry her willingly.¡±

    ¡°My daughter¡¯s looks won¡¯t be too bad. Just wait and see.¡±

    Su Chen was full of confidence in his daughter.

    ¡°A viin gets what he wants. My two daughters can¡¯t even speak yet.¡±

    Qi Lei also said this coldly.

 Chapter 2075 - Interact (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2075: Interact (1)</h4>

    It was almost dusk, and the quiet cemetery, which was buried with thousands of peaceful creatures, was exceptionally quiet.

    On the edge of the quiet path, Leng Xinran was quietly tidying up the flowers and nts on the side.

    The weather was already a little warm, and she was only wearing ck clothes and ck pants. Her silent and thin appearance made her look very thin. The gentle sunset slowly shone on her body, and at that moment, she actually looked a little absent-minded.

    It was said that she had guarded this tranquil cemetery for many years and had taken good care of it, allowing the dead creatures in this purend to rest in peace.

    Leng Xinran had guarded the entire nightst night, and she had also reced a person during the day, so she had been busy until now. She looked exhausted, but she was still in good spirits.

    After spring, the flowers, nts, and trees here began to grow crazily, so their work began to get busy. The tranquil cemetery was veryrge, and it was almost one of thergest cemeteries in the city. It buried thousands of creatures, which took up more than half of the hill.

    After tidying up thest pot of flowers, Leng Xinran took a towel to wipe her hands. She straightened her back and nced at the gentle man standing at the bottom of the stairs

    Lan Xiu.

    She frowned and walked over.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s thin body walked over, and her faint voice reached Lan Xiu¡¯s ears.

    Lan Xiu followed her.

    ¡°Where else do you think I should go?¡±

    Lan Xiu asked back.

    Leng Xinran paused for a moment, turned her gaze away, and nced at him. ¡°You could¡¯ve given me a call.¡±

    Even her father was unwilling toe to this ce. Every time he went back, he would say that the negative energy on her was too strong.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡±

    After interacting with her for so many months, he could roughly understand the meaning behind her words.

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran lowered her eyes and did not say anything. She continued walking down the stairs.

    ¡°Here, every tombstone represents a story. They will asionally tell these stories. Although you have not experienced it personally, there are many ces where you can always experience a different feeling.¡±

    Leng Xinran turned her head and nced at the tombstone in front of her. After a long while, she sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve been guarding this ce for many years. When I thought about leaving, I actually felt a little reluctant.¡±

    Other than her, the Leng family did not have any children. Her father had not been well recently, so she was afraid that she would not be able to stay here for long. Sooner orter, she would have to return to the Leng family.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to keep some things in your heart?¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and replied.

    At this time, Leng Xinran had returned to her usual indifference. She did not continue the topic. ¡°Did youe from the hospital?¡±

    Lan Xiu nodded. His eyes were a little solemn. He looked at Leng Xinran and said, ¡°President Leng¡¯s test report is out. It¡¯s confirmed to be uremia. The hospital has arranged time for his dialysis...¡±

    Leng Xinran listened and paused for a moment. A dim light shed in her eyes and disappeared in an instant. She did not say anything but continued to walk down the stairs.

    After washing her hands and changing into her usual casual clothes, Leng Xinran got into the car. Lan Xiu, who was in the driver¡¯s seat, watched her fasten her seatbelt before he started the car slowly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first. If you¡¯re not very hungry, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight.¡±

    After driving for a long distance, Leng Xinran suddenly spoke in a low voice. As she spoke, her gaze was still lingering on the street outside.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said so, if I refute you, it would seem that I have no grace.¡±

    Lan Xiu said this calmly and sped up slightly. When he looked at her, he saw that although she was expressionless, there was a gloomy expression between her brows. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Although President Leng is like this, the doctor said that there is still hope for a cure.¡±

    Lan Xiu did not know how tofort the woman beside him.

    ¡°I know how the situation is. You don¡¯t have tofort me.¡±

    Leng Xinran said these few words indifferently. She turned her head and looked out of the window quietly. The sky outside had already fallen silent. There was only a faint golden light on the horizon.

    When Leng Xinling died in her arms, her tears had dried up and she was numb.

    Back then, did the doctor not say that it would be fine too?

    Did the doctor not also say that she could do a bone marrow transnt?

    But what happened after that? In the end, she still could not stay. Sometimes, she thought that she still wanted to believe in fate. Otherwise, why did the people who were with her seem to be cursed and get into misfortunes one after another?

    When she arrived at the hospital, the sky had already darkened. Leng Xinran quietly got out of the car and walked straight into the hospital. Her father, Leng Mingyi¡¯s ward was on the 17th floor.

    She also took the elevator and went straight up. Lan Xiu quietly followed behind her.

    The corridor of the hospital was very spacious. The rhythmic footsteps echoed in the long corridor. Lan Xiu, who was following behind her, could hear the heaviness in them.

    ¡®Knock knock¡ª¡¯

    Outside the ward, Leng Xin gently knocked on the door and opened it. However, before she could react, she felt a cold winding from the west. A piercing pain brushed past her face. Leng Xinran subconsciously closed her eyes, then, a shattering sound was heard.

    ¡°You jinx, what are you doing here! You are neither human nor ghost. It¡¯s all your fault! Your fate is so tough. No one will end will when they are with you. Why don¡¯t you die! Why isn¡¯t you the one who¡¯s unfortunate? Why!¡±

    Following the sound of the broken porcin, a woman¡¯s heart-wrenching crying and curses followed.

    Leng Xinran ignored the pain on her face. She lowered her head to look at the broken teacup beside her, then raised her head to look at the ward

    On the bed, Leng Mingyi had yet to wake up. The woman guarding the side was the woman Leng Mingyi had remarried. Her stepmother, Ye Xiaolian, was originally a secretary by her father¡¯s side.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you me yourself? Before you married my father, the Leng family had a smooth ride. After you married into the family, this family fell apart.¡±

    Leng Xinran nced at her indifferently and walked in with big strides.

    ¡°Leng Xinran, how dare you talk to me like that! I¡¯m your mother!¡±

    ¡°How dare you call yourself my mother? Does a mistress who rose to power through despicable means have the right to be my mother? Are you kidding me?¡±

    Leng Xinran had a disdainful look on her face. She sneered sarcastically and stopped at Leng Mingyi¡¯s bed. Ignoring Ye Xiaolian¡¯s provocation, she pressed the call button.

 Chapter 2076 - Interact (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2076: Interact (2)</h4>

    Lan Xiu stayed by her side. Ye Xiaolian wanted to say something, but when she saw the look in Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes, she held it in.

    The doctor quickly rushed over. Leng Xinran calmly asked the doctor about the situation. After listening to the doctor¡¯s exnation of the follow-up treatment n, she raised a few more questions before asking the doctor to leave.

    ¡°Leng Xinran, you¡¯d better get out of here quickly. I don¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    Every time Ye Xiaolian saw Leng Xinran, she would feel a surge of anger in her chest. She had been married into the Leng family for twenty years, but Leng Xinran had never respected her at all. She had never even called her ¡®Aunt¡¯, let alone ¡®Mother¡¯, she looked at her like she was looking at a clown.

    And what happened to her son might have been because of her!

    ¡°Shut up! Someone, send her home!¡±

    Leng Xinran ignored Ye Xiaolian and said to the door. Soon, the bodyguards guarding the door came in and quickly escorted Ye Xiaolian out. No matter how unwilling she was, she could not beat Leng Xinran.

    Although Leng Xinran rarely went home and did not want to get involved in the Leng family¡¯s affairs, she was the only young heiress of the Leng family. Everyone knew what was more important.

    After Leng Mingyi divorced his ex-wife, Liu Yuewei, Leng Xinran was sentenced to Leng Mingyi while the younger daughter, Leng Xinling, followed Liu Yuewei. Leng Xinling¡¯s health was poor since she was young, so Leng Xinran loved her sister very much, she tried her best to protect her and hope that she could grow up safely, but this wish could not be fulfilled in the end. When Leng Xinling was 16, she was diagnosed with malignant leukemia. She passed away before she could celebrate her 16th birthday...

    Leng Mingyi was still quite neutral towards Leng Xinran. However, businessmen always put their interests first. They had always been thinking of using Leng Xinran for a marriage that can bring the Leng family to the next level.

    Leng Xinran had three fianc¨¦s before. The first two had died in an ident, and the third had heard about the first two and the Leng family before he was injured in a car ident. From then on, he regarded Leng Xinran as a ferocious beast, stayed away from them, and canceled the marriage.

    Leng Xinran felt that she did not have much feelings for this weak father in front of her. She had always been cold and distant. In addition, after moving out, she rarely returned to the Leng residence, so the rtionship between the father and daughter had be colder and colder since.

    Leng Mingyi was a very outstanding businessman, but he was not a good husband and a good father.

    When he was younger, he had done a lot of phndering. Back then, when her mother, Liu Yuewei, fell and gave birth prematurely while carrying Leng Xinling, she called Leng Mingyi, but Leng Mingyi was lying on Ye Xiaolian¡¯s bed.

    She was still very young at that time, and she could not find her father, so she could only call 110. Later, the police called an ambnce, and because it took too long and she gave birth prematurely, Leng Xinling¡¯s health was very poor after birth, her mother, Liu Yuewei, was also severely injured.

    From then on, Leng Xinran would only look at her father with one kind of gaze, and that was one of indifference, a kind of coldness that seeped into her bones.

    However, even so, as a child, she still had to fulfill her obligations. She did not ask for anything, only a clear conscience.

    Humans were suchplicated and contradictory animals.

    Leng Xinran looked at Leng Mingyi on the hospital bed, but the corners of her mouth curled into a sarcastic smile. After a long time, she called her men in.

    ¡°Miss!¡±

    The bodyguard in ck looked at Leng Xinran respectfully.

    ¡°When he wakes up, give me a call. No one is allowed toe in and disturb him, especially Ye Xiaolian. Do you hear me?¡±

    Leng Xinran gave the order coldly.

    ¡°Yes! Miss, please don¡¯t worry! Director Lan has already arranged for two special nurses.¡±

    Lan Xiu?

    At this moment, Leng Xinran subconsciously looked in the direction where Lan Xiu was standing. Only then did she realize that Lan Xiu was no longer there. She did not even know when he left the ward.

    ¡°Also, call me if anything.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡±

    ...

    When Leng Xinran walked out of the ward, she retracted her gaze and saw Lan Xiu sitting on a bench not far away, flipping through a newspaper.

    He seemed very quiet at this moment.

    Leng Xinran did not know how to describe her rtionship with Lan Xiu now. They were closer as friends, but they also felt like they were still lovers.

    Two months ago, they decided to start with friends. Lan Xiu would often contact her and ask her out for dinner. asionally, he would tell her about the cooperation between the Leng Group and the Lan Group, as well as the transformation of some projects.

    Leng Xinran listened and got used to it.

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    Seeing a shadow in front of him and the familiar cold fragrance, Lan Xiu immediately knew who it was.

    Leng Xinran nodded and looked down at him. ¡°Thank you for your arrangement. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Let¡¯s go and eat.¡±

    Lan Xiu looked up at her and found that her clear eyes were still heavy.

    Without saying anything, Lan Xiu closed the newspaper in his hand and stood up.

    ...

    In fact, Lan Xiu knew very well that he did not like Leng Xinran at all, and Leng Xinran did not like him either. The two of them were sticking to the rules now, and even the way they usually dated did not change much.

    Leng Xinran was a very cold person. After interacting with her for so long, he had almost never seen her interested in anything. The only thing that could be considered interesting was that she was an expert in manga, she would asionally help arge-scale gamepany design the character image for a game. She was a very experienced expert.

    Lan Xiu could not say how he felt in his heart. He did not have much hope of hanging out with her, but he did not reject her either. Presumably, she must be feeling the same?

    Would two people who have no feelings for each other be happy together?

    Could they do what the television always show, to have mutual respect in a marriage as husband and wife?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened today.¡±

    After a long time, Leng Xinran finally exined.

    Lan Xiu knew what she meant. Ye Xiaolian was indeed wrong. He could understand this feeling. Did the family not amodate him and Lan Qi?

    Until now, he was still in a state of severed rtions with the Lan family.

    ¡°She was indeed a little too much,¡± Lan Xiu said.

    Leng Xinran eased up a little and continued, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine once you get used to it. It will happen a lot in the future.¡±

    As Leng Xinran said this, the smile on her face became colder and colder. Finally, she did not say anything more. She just closed her eyes silently and leaned back against the chair behind her.

 Chapter 2077 - Interact (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2077: Interact (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because it was dinner time, by the time they arrived, Qingfeng Restaurant was almost full.

    The two of them chose a seat by the window and sat down.

    Sitting there, they could see the beautiful night view of the riverside.

    However, Lan Xiu did not expect that just as they sat down, a surprised voice came from behind them

    ¡°Lan Xiu, is that you?¡±

    This voice...

    Who else could it be but Dongfang Liuyun?

    Lan Xiu quickly turned his head and saw Qi Lei holding Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s hand as they walked over.

    Dongfang Liuyun was already quite heavily pregnant. Because they were twins, her belly looked huge, but she was thin. In addition, she was wearing arge ck shirt, so it was not obvious even if she pulled it a little, her long hair was already tied up. Qi Lei seemed to be watching over her very cautiously.

    ¡°Liuyun! Qi Lei! You guys are here?¡±

    Lan Xiu was a little surprised and quickly greeted them.

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s beautiful face shed a warmness, especially when she saw the stunning Leng Xinran across from Lan Xiu.

    ¡°I got off work a littlete, and the weather has been pretty good these few days, so I asked him to apany me out for a walk. He also came over for dinner. Do you mind if we sit together? This is...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun exchanged a look with Qi Lei, who was beside him. The couple smiled knowingly.

    Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment before he got up and moved to sit on Leng Xinran¡¯s side. He left the seat opposite to Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun.

    ¡°Take a seat! This is Leng Xinran. Xinran, this is President Qi Lei from Tai Yu Corporation, and Dongfang Liuyun. We¡¯re very good friends.¡±

    Lan Xiu gave a simple exnation. The emotions in his eyes were a littleplicated. Leng Xinran turned her gaze and nced at him. After a moment of silence, she seemed to be able to catch something. She did not mind greeting them.

    ¡°Hello, I am Leng Xinran, President Qi, and Miss Dongfang. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s Miss Leng. You don¡¯t have to be so polite. Call him Q Lei and call me Liuyun. We are very close friends with Lan Xiu. There¡¯s no need to be too distant.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun spoke sincerely at this moment. She seemed to have vaguely sensed the faint coldness on Leng Xinran.

    When did Lan Xiu make such a friend?

    Was she his girlfriend?

    All these years, she had never seen Lan Xiu specially bring a woman over for a meal like this. Today¡¯s situation made her feel a little incredulous.

    However, a woman like Leng Xinran seemed very cold and polite. Even when Lan Xiu helped her serve the soup, she only nodded politely to express her gratitude.

    Dongfang Liuyun also quietly observed Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu seemed to find it very normal and did not feel too awkward.

    Leng Xinran picked up the meat in the soup and quietly put it into Lan Xiu¡¯s bowl. Everything seemed very normal and there was nothing unnatural about it.

    At the table, Qi Lei was chatting happily with Dongfang Liuyun and Lan Xiu. Even Leng Xinran did not say much from the beginning to the end, only when Dongfang Liuyun asked her a question, did she answer. She did not interrupt their conversationter on.

    After dinner, Lan Xiu was going to send Leng Xinran back. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun nned to take a walk on the nearby pedestrian street.

    ¡°Hey, Qi Lei, what do you think is going on between Lan Xiu and this Leng Xinran? Howe I¡¯ve never heard of this Leng Xinran before?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not help but ask after holding it in for the whole night.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows and put his arm around her shoulder as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯ve heard of this Miss Leng.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun became even more curious.

    ¡°If this Leng Xinran is really the Miss Leng of the Leng family, then if I remember correctly, she seems to be an undertaker and a grave keeper. It¡¯s said that her fate isn¡¯t very good. Many people keep a respectful distance from her. I wonder how she and Lan Xiu met?¡±

    Qi Lei was also puzzled.

    Dongfang Liuyun was silent for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he replied, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a business rtionship. You should pay attention to itter. I find that he¡¯s be more open recently.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a rhythm to their rtionship.¡±

    Qi Lei did not hide it at all.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with showing some concern.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun took a deep breath and said this calmly.

    Only then did Qi Lei nod and hug her shoulders. ¡°Missus is right. I will do as you say!¡±

    He was now doing everything ording to her wishes, afraid that she would be wronged in some way. Even Zhou Zimo said that he, Qi Lei, had be a loyal dog of a husband.

    However, Qi Lei felt that there was nothing wrong with this. In any case, he was happy to dote on her and pamper her. What was wrong with that?

    ...

    The night was very charming. What was even more rare was that there was a faint crescent moon in the night sky today. The moonlight was very cold, but the falling frost made people feel that it was quiet and beautiful.

    The cold-hearted apartment was in the old city district. When they returned, the car could not enter. They had to park in the alley outside and then walk through a very, very long bluestone road.

    Lan Xiu had sent her back on this road several nights ago. Although the lights in the alley were very bright, the figure on the ground looked a little cold.

    He took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Leng Xinran struggled unhappily and wanted to refuse, but Lan Xiu¡¯s gentle voice was heard. ¡°Drape it over your shoulders. It¡¯s still a little cold at night. It¡¯s easy to catch a cold.¡±

    Leng Xinran slowed down her footsteps, but she was startled for a moment. She pulled the jacket on her shoulder and nced at him, ¡°Thank you. Actually, you don¡¯t have to send me off. I¡¯ve walked this road countless times.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. This is the old city district. Although the city district is quite mature, these houses are quite old, so it¡¯s easy for others to sneak in. That row of houses is rented by foreigners. Aren¡¯t you worried about yourself by yourself?¡±

    Lan Xiu looked around. He had wanted to open his mouth several times, but he swallowed his words back. Now, he finally said it with great difficulty.

    ¡°I¡¯m a level nine ck belt in taekwondo. Even Qin Su can¡¯t beat me. What kind of danger do you think I¡¯d be in?¡± Leng Xin said indifferently, but there was not much expression on her face.

    Level nice ck belt?

    Qin Su!

    Lan Xiu naturally had some impression of her. Zhou Zimo¡¯s wife, who had been in the army before, was a very good friend of Leng Xinran!

    So she was actually like this...

    No wonder she had the guts to not only be a mortician, but also be a grave keeper in the middle of the night, apanying the dead and cold gravestones...

 Chapter 2078 - Cold Rainy Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2078: Cold Rainy Night (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The two of them walked one after the other. She walked in front while he guarded the back.

    The alley was very long, but it seemed to have suddenly be shorter. The two of them did not have time to say a few words before they arrived at the apartment building in the blink of an eye.

    Leng Xinran slowly stopped walking and turned her head to look at Lan Xiu behind her.

    Lan Xiu also stopped walking and looked up at her.

    Under the dim street lights, she looked very thin. Her fluttering clothes fluttered in the night wind. For a moment, she looked unreal.

    Lan Xiu looked at her and his heart inexplicably froze. Then, he calmed down.

    ¡°I¡¯m here. Thank you.¡± Leng Xin said indifferently.

    Lan Xiu nodded, his gentle face still showing some gentleness. ¡°Go back and take a good shower. Rest early.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you too. A lot happened in these past two days, I¡¯m a little tired. Drive carefully on the road.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s reply was very polite. As she spoke, she turned around and walked straight ahead.

    However, when she took two steps forward, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. She subconsciously turned her head and saw that Lan Xiu was still standing there watching her go upstairs.

    He was a gentleman, or at least that was what Leng Xinran thought. Moreover, he was a person who was very particr about details.

    How could Leng Xinran not know that Lan Xiu actually did not have any feelings for her? He probably liked the woman called Dongfang Liuyun whom he had dinner with tonight. From the way he looked at Dongfang Liuyun, she could tell that he liked her.

    However, over the past few months, he had treated her with great respect. He had always been very amodating to her. Every time he sent her back, he would only turn around and leave after he saw her turn on the lights upstairs. Every time he went out to eat, he would order the dishes that she liked. Her taste was very unique, and she did not eat much meat dishes. She did not like to talk, and he would not disturb her too much. Most of the time, he would just apany her in silence.

    ¡°Do you want toe up and take a seat? It¡¯s still quite early.¡±

    After some thought, Leng Xinran finally asked.

    Lan Xiu paused and was silent for a long time. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Alright.¡±

    With that, he followed her.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s apartment was on the ninth floor, and they arrived directly by the elevator.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Leng Xinran picked up the key, turned on the lights in the room, and beckoned Lan Xiu toe in.

    After spending a few months together, this was the first time Lan Xiu hade here.

    The entire apartment was not very big. It looked to be about a hundred square meters. The style of the decoration was somewhat graceful and elegant. It looked like some old mahogany furniture. The light style, like ink, had a unique charm.

    It was quite simr to her temperament. It was not difficult for Lan Xiu to imagine what kind of cold-hearted person she was, who liked this style.

    ¡°Have a seat. Tea or coffee?¡±

    Leng Xinran closed the door and ced the key on the cab at the side as she asked.

    ¡°A ss of water will do.¡±

    Lan Xiu did not stand on ceremony and sat down on the sofa as he sized up the entire house. After a while, his gaze was quickly attracted by a photo beside themp on the coffee table.

    In the photo frame was a photo of two women. One of them was Leng Xinran, who was dressed in a long ck dress and pants. The other one looked younger and looked like she was in her teens. She was dressed in a light blue one-piece dress and had a bright smile on her face, her facial features were simr to Leng Xinran¡¯s.

    ¡°She is Xinling, my younger sister. This photo was taken on the eve of her sixteenth birthday. At that time, she just found out that she had blood cancer and was afraid that she would disappear, so she asked me to take a few more photos with her.¡±

    A cold and indifferent tone was heard. Before Lan Xiu could react, she had already sent a cup of hot water to the table in front of him.

    Lan Xiu was stunned. He had previously heard from Ah Li that she had a younger sister who had passed away.

    ¡°She looks a little simr to you.¡±

    Lan Xiu raised his gaze and looked at her.

    Her eyes could not help but darken as she nodded her head, ¡°She is very understanding. When she was tortured by her illness in theter stages, she did not cry out in pain. I know that she was afraid that I would worry, but the more she did so, the more I felt the pain. She was still so young. The heavens should not have been so cruel as to deprive her of her right to life.¡±

    ¡°The deceased is already gone. Don¡¯t be too sad. She¡¯s free of illnesses in the other world, she will do just fine.¡±

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran put on an indifferent smile. She reached out and took the photo frame. She lowered her eyes and sized up the person in the photo frame for a long time, ¡°There¡¯s no such world. It¡¯s just to let people rest in peace. Even now, we grave keepers are just trying to do what we can for that little belief in our hearts.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re still very young. There are still many things you need to do, aren¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily, not necessarily. There are some things that need to be done. For example, someone has to die every day.¡±

    Leng Xinran waved her hand and cut off Lan Xiu.

    Lan Xiu paused for a moment, picked up the water in front of him, and took a sip indifferently.

    ¡°What are your ns next?¡±

    Leng Mingyi¡¯s body was not in good health, and the Leng Group was probably...

    ¡°Look at the treatment n from the hospital. If it can be treated, then we¡¯ll do our best. If it can¡¯t be treated, then we¡¯ll leave it to fate.¡±

    Leng Xinran was very open-minded. In fact, she could only be open-minded. Because, was it not the same for Leng Xinling back then?

    When she said this, she quietly lowered her eyes to hide the disappointment that shed across her eyes. Lan Xiu could clearly see it. At this moment, he felt a little heartache for the pressure she had to bear. She seemed indifferent, but it was just a strong front she had put up. Lan Xiu could very well understand that kind of pain.

    Was he not the same when Lan Qi died?

    He hadpletely be a loner, just like she was right now.

    Could it be that they were both people with tough fates?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic. There¡¯s always a way. Isn¡¯t the hospital still looking for a suitable kidney?¡±

    Lan Xiu wanted tofort her.

    Leng Xin smiled. ¡°Don¡¯tfort me like that. I¡¯m fine. Perhaps everything has a cause and effect. For him to end up like this today, it¡¯s actually... Don¡¯t worry. Even if I take over the Leng Group in the future, I¡¯ll still treat you as my most loyal partner.¡±

    ¡°Partner?¡±

    Lan Xiu muttered these words in a low voice. When he looked up at her, he found that her eyes had returned to their usual calmness.

    Suddenly, he recalled the agreement that she had mentioned half a year ago...

    ¡°What if, I want us to be more than just partners?¡±

    After some thought, Lan Xiu¡¯s fingertips slightly clenched the cup in his hand. He looked at her and asked calmly.

 Chapter 2079 - Cold Rainy Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2079: Cold Rainy Night (2)</h4>

    After saying this, Leng Xinran paused and looked up at him in surprise. Her gaze was meaningful.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like me.¡±

    Leng Xinran calmly stated this fact and leaned back in her chair.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like me either, do you?¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled, ¡°In fact, in the past few months, I feel that apart from not having any feelings for each other, we are verypatible with each other in other aspects. If our marriage can bring ourpanies to a higher level, I think it¡¯s not uneptable.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Leng Xinran said calmly.

    ¡°Are you going back on your words now?¡± Lan Xiu asked in surprise.

    ¡°You are not a person who is suitable to sacrifice marriage for the sake of benefits. In fact, even if we don¡¯t form a marriage alliance, we can still achieve a win-win situation. A cold marriage is not suitable for you. Lan Xiu, you are a good person. I actually admire you, but...¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid that I will be the fourth?¡±

    Lan Xiu saw the darkness in her eyes and immediately cut her off.

    Leng Xinran paused, raised her eyebrows and looked at him indifferently.

    ¡°Do you really believe in those?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe it, but the facts have made me unable to defend myself. I can¡¯t even convince myself.¡±

    ¡°You are also very clear about my situation. ording to what you said, Am I not the same?¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled.

    Leng Xinran was silent...

    ¡°Let¡¯s get engaged, Xinran. It¡¯s been half a year. I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time. This decision is the best for both of us. The Leng family isn¡¯t that peaceful either. Otherwise, your father wouldn¡¯t have made this request to me in the first ce. After getting engaged, many things will be much easier to handle. In theing time, we can spend more time getting to know each other. After one or two years, if we really don¡¯t have any feelings for each other, then our engagement will be canceled. If we... then we¡¯ll get married.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and gave her a very decisive suggestion.

    ¡°Two years is enough for our respectivepanies to stabilize. Don¡¯t worry, I will do my part.¡±

    ...

    Leng Xinran did not immediately agree to Lan Xiu¡¯s suggestion. Instead, she changed the topic.

    Lan Xiu could see her worries and did not force her. He chatted with her about thepany before leaving. Leng Xinran sent him out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. It¡¯s a bit cold outside.¡±

    When they walked out of the door, Lan Xiu had already stopped her.

    ¡°Be careful on the road.¡±

    ¡°Think about my suggestion. We shouldn¡¯t be people who believe in fate. Now, there¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t afford to lose.¡±

    A smile appeared on Lan Xiu¡¯s face, but there was a hint of destion and loneliness in that smile. As he spoke, he looked at her again. ¡°It¡¯s just an engagement. I¡¯m not afraid. What are you afraid of?¡±

    A meaningful smile appeared on his face, and Leng Xinran could vaguely feel a hint of warmth from that smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you some time. Believe me, you need help too. If I feel tired, you¡¯ll feel the same way.¡±

    ...

    Leng Mingyi¡¯s illness was under control, and his condition was very stable. Leng Xinran would visit him at the hospital every day. Of course, recently, Leng Mingyi¡¯s assistant had gradually helped him to familiarize himself with the Leng Group¡¯s business.

    The Leng Group had been having problems with the cash flow for the past few years. The reason why Leng Mingyi wanted to work with Lan Xiu this time wasrgely because of this, of course, the most important point was that thepany needed to rely on the Lan Group¡¯s financial assistance to make a reasonable transformation. Lan Xiu did notck funds butcked technology. It would be best if the two of them could work together.

    The weather in the middle of summer was already a little stuffy, and the sky was not dark that quickly.

    Leng Xinran gave her instructions, and then began to quietly burn the books she had been reading all these years.

    The mes in the bonfire made her face slightly red. She sat by the side and tore off the other notebook in her hand, one by one, and let the fire close in. She watched as the mes engulfed the papers.

    Qin Su stood beside her. Seeing her calm face, he thought for a moment and asked, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to burn them, then don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Cleaning it up can be considered to be a relief. I stayed here for many years. Originally, I just wanted some peace. Now that I really have to leave, I feel like something is missing,¡± Leng Xinran replied nonchntly.

    Qin Su naturally understood how she felt. Was this not how she felt when she first left the army and transferred to the procuratorate?

    Now that she had endured it, she was used to it. There was nothing bad about staying in the office.

    ¡°You¡¯re just like me. Sometimes you¡¯re a little stubborn. That makes us feel like it¡¯s tough. You don¡¯t have a better life than me. I had a smooth journey, but you have a hard life.¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s heart ached as she spoke, ¡°Are you really nning to go back?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m in the mood to joke with you now?¡±

    Leng Xinran nced at her leisurely, ¡°Don¡¯t you need to go to work today?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Saturday. You¡¯re so busy that you¡¯ve lost track of time.¡±

    Qin Su also nced at her, ¡°I came here to ask you out. Fortunately, I came at the right time. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find you if I came tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You can look for me at thepany. I¡¯ll be going to work in a few days.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been taking sses recently?¡±

    ¡°Regarding management, besides needing experience, systematic learning is still necessary. You know my previous major very well. If I want to learn it as soon as possible, I¡¯ll have to make time to umte it.¡±

    After Leng Xinran said this, Qin Su¡¯s eyes were filled with joy, ¡°You are still as pragmatic as before. I naturally don¡¯t understand these things in the business world, so I can¡¯t give you any advice.¡±

    ¡°You just have to be your prosecutor. How can you worry about my matters? Let¡¯s go and have dinner together.¡±

    After throwing thest few pages into the fire, Leng Xinran slowly stood up.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Qin Su responded and the two of them left together.

    Qin Su went straight to the restaurant they booked with Zhou Zimo¡¯s diamond card. However, to their surprise, when they found the reserved seats, Zhou Zimo was waiting for them.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Qin Su looked at Zhou Zimo in surprise.

    Zhou Zimo nodded and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m here to pay the bill. Have a seat, have a seat!¡±

    Zhou Zimo stood up like a gentleman and pulled out the chairs for the two of them.

 Chapter 2080 - Cold Rainy Night (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2080: Cold Rainy Night (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qin Su gave him a sideways nce. This guy seemed to be a little clingy recently, and his gaze was a little strange. He kept staring at her stomach from time to time. Without thinking, Qin Su knew what this guy was thinking about.

    ¡°Have a seat, Xinran.¡±

    Qin Su then said.

    Leng Xinran nodded and sat down. Qin Su also sat directly next to her. Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and sat down opposite her.

    He knew that Qin Su was still angry. He drank a littlest night and came back to torture her a little. He even identally called out, ¡°I want to be a father too.¡± In the end, Qin Su heard him clearly, after that, he felt sick and vomited all over the bed. Qin Su could not take it anymore, so she kicked him out of the bed. After cleaning up the whole night, she did not even want to talk to him this morning.

    At this moment, Zhou Zimo looked at Qin Su with some resentment. He could not be med. It was all Su Chen and Qi Lei¡¯s fault for provoking him, not to mention Mu Yuchen. He had long been numbed by his provocation.

    Qin Su pretended that he did not see Zhou Zimo¡¯s gaze. He took the menu and ordered a few dishes that she and Leng Xinran liked to eat. Then, he called the waiter to serve the dishes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the two of you?¡±

    Leng Xinran, who had been silent all this time, naturally noticed that something was wrong and immediately asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore. Let him reflect on himself.¡±

    Qin Su raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows as she said indifferently.

    ¡°It¡¯s already been a day. I¡¯ve reflected on everything that needs to be reflected on.¡±

    Zhou Zimo replied in this way.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite capable. Do you feel unjustified?¡±

    Qin Su¡¯s tone was indifferent, but Zhou Zimo knew that this was a sign of her anger. He hurriedly leaned over and said in a low voice, ¡°Enough is enough, Missus. I¡¯ve really realized my mistake. Please forgive me for once. Go back and do whatever you want.¡±

    Hearing this, Qin Su gave her a side nce and eased up a little. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ...

    ¡°How¡¯s your father¡¯s situation?¡±

    Qin Su naturally knew about Leng Mingyi¡¯s hospitalization.

    ¡°His condition is stable recently. We¡¯ll observe him for a few more days. If there are no problems, he¡¯ll go home temporarily. He¡¯ll be fine as long as he goes for dialysis regrly.¡± Leng Xinran replied indifferently.

    ¡°Qin Su has already told me about President Leng. I¡¯ve already asked someone to keep an eye on his kidney donations. I¡¯ll let you know as soon as there¡¯s any news.¡±

    It was Zhou Zimo who spoke. He knew that Leng Xinran was Qin Su¡¯s best friend. Although the two of them did not talk often, they both knew how important they were to each other.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Leng Xinran thanked him.

    ¡°Ah Chen and Xiaye are going to have a barbecue at Maple Residence tomorrow night. Qi Lei and Liuyun will be there too. Why don¡¯t the two of youe too?¡±

    Zhou Zimo suddenly remembered Mu Yuchen¡¯s call earlier.

    ¡°Barbecue?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Xiao Rui and the others just had a holiday. They want to get together. They¡¯re going on a vacation in a few days.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye¡¯s life was very nd and happy. When they were free, they liked to take the children on a vacation too.

    ¡°Mmm, then let¡¯s go. Xinran, why don¡¯t youe with us?¡±

    Qin Su asked, her eyes filled with anticipation. Leng Xinran had a cold personality and did not like to talk much. She did not have many friends either. Hence, she naturally wanted her to join their circle.

    Leng Xinran calmly raised her head. After pondering for a moment, she shook her head. ¡°No, I have something to do tomorrow night.¡±

    Furthermore, she had just heard the name ¡®Dongfang Liuyun¡¯. The image of Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s pretty face appeared in her mind. She did not forget that she seemed to be very special to Lan Xiu.

    She was not jealous. She just felt that after interacting with such a woman, she also thought that she was very outstanding. However, it did not seem like someone like her could fit into the circle. She was very grateful to Qin Su in her heart.

    ¡°I have to find a time to rest well.¡±

    Qin Su sighed softly, ¡°I feel that you work harder than me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me.¡±

    After Leng Xinran said that, the waiter also brought the food over. She was also silent and did not say anything as she quietly enjoyed her dinner.

    Qin Su and Zhou Zimo exchanged a look. They also secretly calmed down before picking up their chopsticks...

    When they came out of the restaurant, it was alreadyte at night. The sky was dark and there were asional shes of lightning and thunder. It looked like it was going to rain. When Leng Xinran came over, she did not drive, so she stood at the door with her brows tightly furrowed, after some thought, she could only brace herself and walk to the side of the road, intending to hail a taxi.

    Zhou Zimo and Qin Su went directly to the underground garage to get a car. Naturally, Leng Xnran would not let them send her back.

    Leng Xinran had just taken a few steps when bean-sized raindrops fell from the sky. She quickened her pace and walked to the side of the road, wanting to hail a cab. However, the cab that passed by in a hurry was carrying people. She frowned and was about to find a ce to hide from the rain, suddenly, the phone in her pocket vibrated.

    Leng Xinran quickly took out her phone and bent down slightly. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Xinran, it¡¯s me.¡±

    It was Lan Xiu¡¯s voice. ¡°Where are you now? Didn¡¯t see you at thepany, and the teacher in the tutoring ss said that you didn¡¯t go to ss today. Are you sick?¡±

    Lan Xiu immediately realized that Leng Xinran¡¯s voice did not sound right.

    Leng Xinran sucked in a breath of cold air. She had left in a hurry just now, and now her stomach hurt a little.

    ¡°I was eating outside. It¡¯s raining, I didn¡¯t drive here, I¡¯ll find a ce to hide from the rain first.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have an umbre? Tell me where you are, I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡±

    Lan Xiu, who was in the office, also frowned and hurriedly said.

    Hearing this, Qin Su thought for a moment, then turned his head and nced at the stop sign behind him. He then said, ¡°Wan Feng Commercial Building on Wan Feng Avenue. I¡¯ll send you the location.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±

    As Lan Xiu said this, he got up, grabbed the coat on the shelf with one hand, took the car keys, and left the office in a hurry.

    The storm suddenly came, and Leng Xinran secretly med herself for not looking at the weather when she went out. Otherwise, she would not have been so wet and in such a sorry state. She did not know if the windows in the house were closed properly.

    She had heard from a few people who had passed by that a typhoon had struck in the past few days. Previously, she had also watched the television forecast, but when she was busy, she would forget these things.

    The wind was particrly strong, and her ears were filled with the sound of lightning and thunder. There was also the sound of something swaying in the strong wind. For a moment, Leng Xinran had no choice but to retreat back to the entrance of the restaurant. At this time, her clothes were already soaked through, she felt extremely cold.

    About 20 minutester, when Leng Xinran was shivering from the cold, a ck sports car finally stopped in front of her slowly.

 Chapter 2081 - Care (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2081: Care (1)</h4>

    The car stopped steadily. Before Leng Xinran could react, Lan Xiu had already stepped over and opened the car door for her¡ª

    ¡°Hurry up and get in the car.¡±

    Leng Xinran shivered, and she quickly got into the car.

    ¡°Why are you all drenched? Don¡¯t you know to hide from the rain immediately?¡±

    When Lan Xiu saw Leng Xinran shivering from all the cold and drenched, he immediately frowned. He quickly turned up the temperature in the car and handed her his jacket.

    Leng Xinran took it and put it on her shoulders. ¡°I forgot about how the weather¡¯s been like these few days. The weather in the afternoon was pretty good, but in the blink of an eye, it was raining cats and dogs.¡±

    ¡°The weather changes so easily at this time. You have to be careful. You are soaked. It will be very congested if you go back to your ce now. We¡¯re not far from where I live, should we just go there?¡±

    Lan Xiu nced at her and asked.

    Leng Xinran was silent for a moment. She raised her hand to look at the time on her hand. She knew that the old city district was definitely congested at this time. The city nning there was done earlier, the roads there were narrower. Moreover, the houses were more densely packed. If there was a traffic jam, it was likely that the traffic jam wouldst for one to two hours. Therefore, Leng Xinran usually took the subway directly instead of rushing to the traffic jam.

    Moreover, the rain was so heavy, with lightning and thunder.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Leng Xin then replied indifferently.

    After getting her permission, Lan Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s also very quiet over there.¡±

    As he said that, he also increased the speed of the car.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s vi was not very far from here. They did not get caught up with the traffic jam. It was only a 20-minute drive from here.

    There were not many people in the vi, and Lan Xiu preferred the quiet, so the house only hired a part-time worker. There was also an aunt who usually cooked for them. The housekeeper was probably asleep by now.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Lan Xiu turned on the light at the door, and the house suddenly lit up.

    Leng Xinran also walked in.

    ¡°Go upstairs and take a shower first. Change your clothes so you don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±

    As Lan Xiu spoke, he gestured for her to follow him upstairs.

    ¡°Is it just you alone here?¡±

    The entire vi was very big and looked very quiet. However, as soon as she asked this question, Leng Xinran felt that she had asked too many unnecessary questions. She knew that he seemed to be alone.

    As Lan Xiu listened, he turned to look at her and then replied, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just me. When my older brother Lan Qi was still around, we lived at Da Ming Bay. He had always liked the environment there and said that it was quite lively. Once he was gone and I was alone, I naturally...¡±

    Lan Xiu did not continue. He stopped what he was about to say and continued walking up.

    Leng Xinran was silent for a moment. She had heard some basic information about Lan Xiu from her father, Leng Mingyi, so she knew of his older brother Lan Qi.

    After that, she did not ask any more questions and followed him upstairs.

    Lan Xiu brought her directly to the guest room.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked my secretary to prepare some clothes for you. It might take some time. You¡¯re drenched. Take a shower and change your clothes first. These are my clothes, you... you can make do with them.¡±

    Leng Xinran was still wearing a grayish-ck long dress and trousers. She removed her coat and the clothes that were wet from the rain stuck tightly to her skin. At this moment, she could clearly see the exquisite and graceful figure on her body. As Lan Xiu spoke, he looked away a little embarrassedly and handed the ck shirt in his hand to her.

    Leng Xinran also subconsciously tugged at the clothes on her body and reached out to take it.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, everything is prepared in the bathroom. If you need anything, call for me. I¡¯ll be right next door.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s tone was very gentle.

    Leng Xinran nodded. ¡°Okay, thank you. You should go back and wash up too. It¡¯s gettingte. Rest early. The rain is still very heavy outside. I reckon it won¡¯t stop until tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Lan Xiu replied and then turned around to leave.

    After returning to his room, Lan Xiu took a shower too. When he came out of the bathroom, he realized that he was a little hungry. The servants should have prepared dinner or supper in the kitchen downstairs, so he decided to go downstairs and take a look, he also cooked a bowl of ginger soup for Leng Xinran.

    Before he could think too much, the Deputy Managing Editor of thepany called. It was an emergency n, and there were some problems with the data.

    ¡°President Lan, I feel that the data is a little strange, but I have checked it several times and still haven¡¯t found the problem. I want you to take a look for yourself.¡±

    The man on the other end of the line said with confusion.

    ¡°Send the document to me now. I¡¯ll take a look. I¡¯ll give it to youter. It won¡¯t affect the signing of the contract tomorrow,¡± Lan Xiu replied and walked to his study.

    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll send them to you right away. Thank you for your hard work, President Lan!¡±

    ¡°Also, ask the Commerce Department to send me the original data immediately,¡± Lan Xiu replied and then hung up the phone. He sat in the chair in front of his desk, put the towel in his hand to the side, and turned on theputer on the desk.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Leng Xinran in the next room endured the cold all over her body. After taking a hot bath, she felt a little better. She washed her clothes and used a hair dryer to dry her hair and the clothes inside. The wet clothes outside, she could only put them aside for now.

    After washing her clothes, she felt a little tired and her head was dizzy. Thinking that she was too tired these few days, she did not care about anything and went straight to bed to rest.

    She was originally a person who slept light and was particr about her bed, but for some reason, she felt very sleepy as soon as she fell otno the bed today. After struggling for a while, she fell asleep too.

    He did not know how much time had passed. When Lan Xiu sent the documents to Vice President Xu, it was already a long time ago. He subconsciously looked at the lower right corner of the screen and realized that it was almost one in the morning.

    Only then did Lan Xiu hurriedly turn off theputer and get up.

    When he went downstairs, there was indeed a prepared supper in the kitchen. Lan Xiu also made a bowl of ginger soup and sent it to Leng Xinran upstairs.

    When he came to the door, Lan Xiu raised his hand and knocked on the door. Just now, he could see that the light in her room was still on. He thought that she should not be asleep, but after knocking on the door for a long time, Leng Xinran did not answer.

    He frowned, thought for a moment, and then opened the door.

    As expected, the door was not locked. He twisted the handle, and the door was opened.

    The room was very quiet.

    ¡°Xinran?¡±

    Lan Xiu called out her name.

    After calling her a few times and seeing that she did not respond, he walked in.

 Chapter 2082 - Care (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2082: Care (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His worried eyes scanned the room. Sure enough, he saw the quilt on therge bed inside. When he got closer, he could faintly hear the slightly heavy and ufortable breathing.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s brows subconsciously tightened. He quickly put down the tray in his hand and walked to the bedside.

    Sure enough, Leng Xinran, who was wrapped in the quilt, was trembling all over. She tightly clutched the thin quilt on her body. There was pain between her brows, as if she was having a nightmare, and...

    Lan Xiu was shocked. He quickly reached his hand out to her forehead. The scalding temperature immediately made his expression heavy.

    ¡°Is her fever that serious?¡±

    However, the rain outside was still very heavy. It would be even worse if she were to go out and gotten cold.

    It was difficult to hide the worry in his eyes. After some thought, he could only help her tighten the nket. Then, he took out another thin nket from the wardrobe and covered her with it. He also took out the medical kit and took out some fever medicine to help her take it.

    She had changed the wet towel on her forehead countless times. After more than two hours, the temperature on her forehead did not drop. Moreover, Leng Xinran could not bear it anymore and muttered softly,

    ¡°Don¡¯t hit... Mother... Mother...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t die... Xinling... don¡¯t... Don¡¯t leave...¡±

    The sentences were intermittent. Lan Xiu pieced them together and could roughly make out only a few sentences.

    He looked startled at Leng Xinran who was in pain and shivering all over in bed. She was struggling violently, her hands clenched tightly, and the wide sleeves of the arm that had broken free also slid down. Lan Xiu subconsciously nced at it, when he saw that fair arm, his dark eyes immediately froze!

    He saw a few deep scars on the arm on her wrist. It looked like a very severe scar from a knife cut, or was it from a whip?

    The cuts were old and new, but they were a little shocking!

    Lan Xiu was stunned. He stared at her for a long time and suddenly seemed to realize something. He quickly grabbed Leng Xinran¡¯s other arm and pulled up her sleeve!

    Just like her other arm, there were a few ferocious cuts on her fair arm!

    No wonder she always wore long clothes and long pants. Even if she was wearing a skirt, she always wore a long-sleeved skirt!

    How could there be so many scars on her body?

    Lan Xiu lifted the nket and subconsciously wanted to examine her. Only then did he realize that Leng Xinran was only wearing the ck shirt that he had given her.

    As if she had realized something, Leng Xinran also grabbed the nket and pulled it into her embrace. Ayer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

    ¡°Xinran, Xinran, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll call a doctor for you right now!¡±

    A look of pity shed across Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes. He hurriedly tucked the nket tighter and did not care about anything else. He quickly took his phone and called Ah Li.

    Ah Li was sleeping soundly at this moment. He was awakened by the urgent call and quickly sat up.

    ¡°Hello? President Lan?¡±

    ¡°Immediately arrange for a doctor toe to the house. Right away! And youe over too.¡±

    Lan Xiu quickly gave the order.

    ¡°President Lan, did something happen? Hello? President Lan? President Lan?¡±

    Before Ah Li could finish speaking, Lan Xiu had already hung up the phone.

    Ah Li had no choice but to quickly get up and call the doctor.

    ...

    The doctor also rushed over very quickly. Leng Xinran¡¯s fever was very bad. After giving her a check-up, he gave her an IV drip.

    In fact, Leng Xinran rarely got sick. She had the habit of exercising. She did not expect her fever to be so serious this time.

    ¡°President Lan, Miss Leng is fine. After taking these two bottles of IV drip, her fever will go down. Remember to get her to take the medicine on timeter.¡±

    The doctor reminded him.

    Lan Xiu nodded and turned to look at Ah Li who was waiting outside the door. ¡°Ah Li, go and get the medicine from Doctor Zhang.¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Lan!¡±

    After a long night, the sky had brightened up a little, but the rain outside did not stop.

    After half a bottle of medicine was consumed, Leng Xinran¡¯s condition stabilized a little. Lan Xiu looked at her for a while, then he had no choice but to pull over the dressing chair at the side and sit next to her bed.

    ...

    Leng Xinran only felt groggy. She could also feel someone constantly touching her forehead. She wanted to open her eyes to take a look, but she could not muster any strength in her body. After that, she fell asleep again.

    When she was fully awake, she could still hear the sound of the wind and rain.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake!¡±

    Leng Xinran had just taken her eyes away from the window when she heard the familiar and gentle voice.

    Leng Xinran was stunned for a moment. The scene fromst night shed through her mind. She looked around and knew that she should still be at his house.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±

    Leng Xinran raised her hand and rubbed her head, which was still feeling a little painful.

    ¡°You were caught in the rainst night. Unfortunately, you had a high fever in the middle of the night. I asked the doctor to give you an IV drip. Take the medicine first.¡±

    Lan Xiu exined simply as he handed the medicine in his hand to her. He also handed her a ss of water.

    Leng Xinran paused for a moment and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her forehead. ¡°Did I have a fever? No wonder I felt dizzy. It hurts just to move. What time is it? Has it been raining all night?¡±

    Leng Xinran turned her head and looked out of the window. Then, she took the pill from Lan Xiu and asked.

    ¡°One night? It¡¯s not just one night. It¡¯s already the evening of the second day. Mama Zhang is preparing dinner downstairs. You¡¯ve slept for so long, so you must be hungry. You¡¯re sweating all over. Wash up and change your clothes, then you can have dinner.¡±

    Lan Xiu handed her the water and said.

    The evening of the second day?

    No wonder the sky was so dark outside. She thought it was just dawn, how had she slept for so long?

    Leng Xinran lowered her head and drank the water while sighing softly to herself.

    ¡°You¡¯ve overexerted yourself. The doctor said that it might be because you¡¯ve been losing sleep for a long time, although you exercise regrly, all the functions of your body are in a state of exhaustion for an extended amount of time. Therefore, you fell sick so suddenly and severely this time, you need to rest more.¡± Lan Xiu said with concern.

    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t go to work today because I¡¯m woke upte for the day?¡± Leng Xinran asked apologetically.

    Lan Xiu smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just some documents that need to be approved. It¡¯s the same to do it from home. How are you feeling now? Are you better? Do you need to get the doctor toe over?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m feeling much better!¡±

    Leng Xinran waved her hand and felt a chill on her hand. Only then did she realize that the wound on her arm was exposed. She quickly pulled on her sleeve and pressed on the slightly open cor on her chest with one hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs. Wash up and change your clothes beforeing down. The clothes are in the bag next to you.¡±

    After Lan Xiu said this, his face turned slightly red. He turned around and left the room.

 Chapter 2083 - Care (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2083: Care (3)</h4>

    When Leng Xinran changed into a clean set of clothes and went downstairs, Lan Xiu was sitting on the sofa in the living room, looking at the documents that Ah Li had just sent over. When he heard footstepsing from upstairs, he raised his head.

    Leng Xinran had already changed into a clean and tidy gray casual outfit for women. She habitually tied her hair into a bun, revealing her beautiful little face. However, she still looked a little pale and weak.

    Seeing hering over, Lan Xiu pointed to the sofa at the side and gestured for her to sit down. He closed the document in his hand and poured her a ss of water.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Leng Xinran sat down and took it as well. She took a sip symbolically.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already applied for leave from the teacher for your ss. You¡¯re not feeling well these two days, so you should stay at home and rest. No matter how important your work is, it¡¯s not as important as your health. While there is life, there is hope,¡± Lan Xiu said slowly.

    She did not refute him. Instead, she nodded obediently and held the warm cup of water with both hands. ¡°Have you been taking care of me for the entire day and night?¡± Leng Xinran asked, her starry eyes looking at him leisurely.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu also raised his gaze and did not say anything. However, the exhaustion between his brows reced all his answers.

    Leng Xinran lowered her eyes, and her voice was a little dry. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m sorry to bother you.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re so grateful, why don¡¯t you consider my suggestion? It¡¯s not bad to have someone to take care of you. I may not be able to give you love, but I¡¯ll do my best to satisfy everything else you want.¡±

    Lan Xiu spoke very seriously.

    He was very calm. The reason why he said that was because he thought that he might never be able to love again. He knew very well how deep his feelings for Dongfang Liuyun were.

    Love?

    Leng Xinran listened, and a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth.

    This thing was probably the thing that she did not need the most. The thing that she cared about had long been lost. Perhaps it was the best way to describe her as a walking corpse.

    She was a person who had no hope for the future.

    She lowered her head and took a sip of water. ¡°I can¡¯t give you this thing either. As long as you can let me live a peaceful life, I don¡¯t care even if I had to give you the Leng Group.¡±

    As soon as she said this, Lan Xiu immediately frowned. He hurriedly raised his head to look at her. He could actually see a trace of deathly stillness in her eyes!

    ¡°I can agree to your proposal, but I also don¡¯t want to ept a worthless marriage alliance.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Lan Xiu narrowed his eyes and looked at her with some surprise.

    ¡°First, I want you to assist me in pushing out all of Ye Xiaolian¡¯s people and rtionships from the Leng Group within three months. Second, help me set up a foundation. Every year, 20% of the profits of the Leng Group will be invested into this foundation. It will be used to help the children in society who have leukemia and don¡¯t have the money to treat them. Third, you must ensure that my status is above any of your women.¡±

    Leng Xinran clearly stated her requirements, her bright eyes as bright as the stars.

    Lan Xiu listened and carefully thought about it

    They had been dating her for nearly half a year, so he naturally knew that she would not go back on her word.

    Moreover, the conditions she proposed seemed to be rted to the people she cared about, right?

    Pushing Ye Xiaolian out of the Leng Group, the leukemia foundation, and ensuring her status?

    Which one of these did not have something to do with her mother and sister?

    Leng Mingyi letting Ye Xiaolian rise to the top must have vited a big taboo in her heart. It seemed that Ye Xiaolian had already...

    ¡°You have to think it through. It doesn¡¯t seem very good for me to interfere in the Leng Group¡¯s affairs as an outsider.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought about it carefully for a moment and then made it clear.

    Leng Xinran was silent for a moment. Then, she suddenly raised her eyes and looked at him. ¡°Can I trust you?¡±

    Hearing her question, Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes also darkened. After thinking for a moment, he looked at her and said in a deep voice, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve negotiated quite a number of shares during this period of time. I¡¯ll buy them in secret and put them under your name. This way, you can participate in the management of thepany as one of the shareholders.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu was also a little surprised. He did not expect Leng Xinran, who was usually cold and indifferent, to be so quick and ruthless when it came to handling the management of thesepanies!

    Previously, Leng Mingyi wanted to take back the scattered shares of thepany, but the shareholders did not seem to agree either. He did not expect Leng Xinran to be able to take them down?

    ¡°Moreover, with the identity of the future son-inw of the Leng family, you can do whatever you want,¡± Leng Xin said with determination in her eyes.

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and felt that this arrangement was not bad. ¡°This idea is not bad. If that¡¯s the case, we need to form a strong fortress.¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a matter of principle, I won¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°But what I¡¯m most worried about is that you won¡¯t mind. You won¡¯t pursue anything, and you won¡¯t know where to start. If we have amon goal, you¡¯ll be able to better determine the direction.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s low voice sounded, and his gaze softened a little. ¡°We¡¯re still very young. We¡¯re not like those people who live to 70 or 80 ears old, how could you say that we don¡¯t have any desires?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know what I can pursue. In the past, I would have been satisfied if I could pursue a life of peace and worry-free by my side. But now, I haven¡¯t seen anything that can be achieved. Now, it¡¯s better to take one step at a time.¡±

    Leng Xinran was very open-minded. She did not hope for much. As long as she could live a peaceful life, she would be satisfied.

    Thus, Lan Xiu smiled and looked at her. ¡°I will try my best. Don¡¯t be too pessimistic. Our life shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡±

    Leng Xinran sighed softly at this moment. ¡°I hope that in the future, we can develop ording to our predetermined direction. I know that as long as I¡¯m still alive, I¡¯ll need to do something.¡±

    ¡°Yes, who can guarantee that our future life won¡¯t bring us some surprises?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s smile was tinged with some gentleness, it looked moving to Leng Xinran, so she agreed, ¡°You are a little more open-minded than I am, that¡¯s pretty good too. I am worried that the negative energy from me will affect you. I also seem to carry such an ominousbel on me, aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    ¡°If you were really like that, you wouldn¡¯t have such an open-minded state of mind. Xinran, you are actually suitable to be a calm sage,¡± Lan Xiu said with great admiration.

    When Leng Xinran heard this, a trace of a smile immediately appeared on her beautiful face. The clear and cold smile was somewhat refreshing.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She still replied in such a polite manner.

    Lan Xiu smiled...

 Chapter 2084 - Engaged (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2084: Engaged (1)</h4>

    The typhoon had passed. After a few days of torrential rain, the weather became better in the next few days. It was a rare cloudy day, and the water on the ground had dried up.

    After reaching an agreement with Lan Xiu that day, Leng Xinran and Lan Xiu became closer. The two of them got along well and peacefully.

    Lan Xiu went to Leng Xinran¡¯s side more frequently. Leng Xinran had been resting at home for the past few days. After she recovered a little, she went back to ss and returned to the Leng Group in her previous position, as Vice President of the Leng Group and temporarily taking over thepany¡¯s business.

    Leng Mingyi was still in the hospital for observation. Leng Xinran would also visit him every few days, but the rtionship between father and daughter was still very cold.

    These days passed peacefully for a month. Leng Xinran had more or less grasped the situation of the Leng Group. Next, it should be the matter of the engagement. In the future, she would need Lan Xiu¡¯s help. With her strength alone, it was not easy for her to control Ye Xiaolian. Leng Mingyi still had some feelings for this woman. Otherwise, he would not have let her be so presumptuous.

    ¡°Vice President Ran, President Lan Is Here!¡±

    In therge and quiet office, Leng Xinran was giving orders to her subordinates when Secretary Xiao Yang suddenly knocked on the door and reminded her.

    Leng Xinran then raised her gaze and nced at Xiao Yang. She nodded and said, ¡°Got it. Let him in.¡±

    ¡°You guys go back and finish the task book first. Hand it to me before 10 a.m. tomorrow.¡±

    After instructing the subordinates in front of her, she waved her hand and signaled them to leave.

    ¡°Yes, Vice President Ran.¡±

    The few of them responded and quietly left. Lan Xiu also walked in at this time. When the few of them saw him, their eyes lit up. After greeting him, they did not dare to say anything more¡ª

    This newly appointed Vice President Ran had a very strong aura. She was a cold person, but her skills were very powerful. She had just taken office not long ago and had already fired the two managers of the business department and the nning department. The people in thepany were still quite afraid of her.

    Lan Xiu also nodded back to the few of them in a gentle manner. Only then did he walk in. Secretary Xiao Yang also quietly closed the door.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Leng Xinran looked at Lan Xiu in surprise. She also stood up and went over to pour him a ss of water. Lan Xiu then sat down in front of her desk.

    ¡°The date of the engagement will be set on the 8th of next month. What do you think?¡±

    Lan Xiu took the water, took a sip, and looked up at her.

    The 8th of next month?

    Leng Xinran thought for a moment, then nodded and said simply, ¡°Okay, I will arrange for someone to go over and arrange the engagement with you.¡±

    Lan Xiu did not object. He thought for a moment and asked again, ¡°You can ask for anything.¡±

    ¡°What can I ask for? I should be the one asking you. After all, I seem to have the upper hand in this marriage,¡± Leng Xinran replied.

    Lan Xiu then gave her a deep look. ¡°Since you put it that way, I don¡¯t know what else to say. Then let¡¯s follow the normal procedure. However, we¡¯ve been together for so long, shouldn¡¯t you take me to meet your mother?¡±

    Mother?

    As soon as Lan Xiu said this, Leng Xinran¡¯s eyes darkened.

    Yes, they had been together for more than half a year, but Lan Xiu had never met her mother. He had known that her mother, Mo Shan, had been in poor health ever since her divorce with Leng Mingyi. A few years after the divorce, she had married to a university professor and had Leng Xinling with her. Later, that university professor had a heart attack and died suddenly. After that, Mo Shan had been on her own. It seemed that she had not heard any news about her over the years.

    Even when Leng Mingyi wanted to know news about her, he did not get his way. After Leng Xinling¡¯s sudden death, they rarely heard of Mo Shan. However, Lan Xiu knew that Leng Xinran must know about her mother.

    In theory, he should still go meet her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for her. You don¡¯t have to meet her.¡±

    After a long time, Leng Xinran lowered her eyes and replied indifferently.

    Lan Xiu was stunned. He wanted to say something, but Leng Xinran¡¯s phone on the table vibrated. Leng Xinran picked it up.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hello, is this Miss Leng? I¡¯m Li Huali...¡±

    An anxious female voice came from the other end.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. What happened? Why is Director Li so flustered?¡±

    Leng Xinran frowned subconsciously, and her eyes were quickly filled with unease.

    ¡°Miss Leng, pleasee over quickly. Your mother sudden fell ill. She has just recovered from a cold these few days, and she¡¯s a little weak. Her condition is not good now. The doctor gave her a tranquilizer to calm her down a little. But now, it seems that she¡¯s still not doing great. You¡¯d bettere over andfort her. She will recognize you.¡±

    Director Li sounded very anxious on the other end.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±

    After that, she hung up the phone, grabbed the car keys with one hand, and got up.

    ¡°You wanted to see my mother, right? Let¡¯s go over together.¡±

    When they passed the office desk, Leng Xinran also nced at Lan Xiu, her voice somewhat gloomy.

    Lan Xiu paused for a moment and followed her.

    ...

    He followed Leng Xinran into the car and drove straight to the suburbs.

    After following Leng Xinran for a while, Lan Xiu finally understood why no one knew about Mo Shan¡¯s news¡ª

    It was because Leng Xinran had ced her in a nursing home in a very quiet town in the countryside. It was nearly four hours away from City Z even with the fastne.

    It was very quiet here. It was a very peaceful and quiet town. The air was very good.

    Leng Xinran parked her car at the entrance of the nursing home. She opened the door and got out of the car quickly. Lan Xiu followed behind her unhurriedly.

    ¡°Miss Leng, you¡¯re finally here!¡±

    Just as she approached the door, she saw a very amiable-looking middle-aged woman looking around anxiously from dozens of meters away. When she saw Leng Xinran, she immediately went up to greet her. Her face was full of anxiety and worry.

    ¡°How is she now?¡±

    Leng Xinran did not slow down. She asked directly, went up the stairs, turned left, and walked forward.

    ¡°Her condition is a little better than before. Her reaction just now was very intense, and she even scratched a few volunteers. Her condition was much more stable before. I don¡¯t know what happened to her today, but she suddenly became ill. She must have thought of something bad.¡±

    Director Li followed behind and said. Lan Xiu did not say anything, but quietly stood behind her.

    ¡°Something bad?¡±

    Leng Xinran frowned. She thought for a moment, and then she was startled. She stopped walking¡ª

    Right, was it not Xinling¡¯s death anniversary soon?

    ¡°Yes, Miss Leng. She was very quiet before.¡±

 Chapter 2085 - Engaged (2)

    Chapter 2085 : Engaged (2)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As she listened, Leng Xinran picked up her pace again.

    After a while, Leng Xinran finally stopped at the door of a room. There were two caretakers standing outside the door. When they saw Leng Xinraning over, they spoke very respectfully¡ª

    ¡°Miss Leng!¡±

    It could be seen that the people here were very familiar with Leng Xinran.

    Leng Xinran nodded lightly and walked in.

    Inside was a separate room. The room was quite big and the decorations were quite quiet and elegant.

    ¡°Mother, how are you?¡±

    Leng Xinran soon saw Mo Shan crouching under the curtain and hugging her shivering body.

    Lan Xiu also followed Leng Xinran¡¯s figure and saw that Mo Shan was a very thin woman. Her face was pale and her eyes were lifeless. When she saw them, she seemed to be afraid of something, and her whole body trembled violently, her eyes were also filled with fear.

    When she saw Leng Xinran walking over, Mo Shan¡¯s eyes shed and she suddenly struggled. ¡°Don¡¯te over! You¡¯re the devil, the devil... It¡¯s you who harmed Xinling, it¡¯s you! It must be you... No, no, of course not. You¡¯re the jinx! You¡¯re the jinx!¡±

    ¡°Mother, how are you?¡±

    Mo Shan screamed. Her eyes suddenly widened. Leng Xinran did not have time to react. She only saw a cool breeze brush past her face, followed by a sharp pain in her shoulder!

    ¡®Pa!¡¯

    A heavy beating sound was heard.

    ¡°Xinran, be careful!¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s ck pupils shrank as he cried out in rm.

    ¡°Be careful, Miss Leng! She has a stick in her hand!¡±

    Director Li¡¯s panicked voice could be heard, but it was already toote!

    Leng Xinran could not help but grunt. She did not care about anything else and quickly reached out to grab Mo Shan. ¡°Mother, it¡¯s me! Calm down, calm down!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me... It¡¯s you who killed Xinling... you¡¯re the devil... Don¡¯te near me... My Xinling is dead... dead... Ran Ran, Xinling is dead, isn¡¯t she... They all said Xinling is dead, how could Xinling be dead? Look at her, she¡¯s still asleep...¡±

    Mo Shan was not in her right mind, but she was very strong. The hand she was waving scratched Leng Xinran¡¯s wrist, and the leg of the table in her hand fell on Leng Xinran¡¯s shoulder again.

    ¡°Xinran! Be careful!¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at her, and his expression changed slightly. The next moment, he reached out and grabbed her, and the sticknded on the back of Lan Xiu¡¯s hand. Leng Xinran also reached out and pulled Mo Shan into her arms without caring about anything else.

    ¡°Mother! Don¡¯t be afraid. Xinling isn¡¯t dead. She¡¯s fine. When you¡¯re better, she¡¯lle back to see you. She¡¯ll bring your favorite peach blossom crisps to see you. Take good care of yourself. Don¡¯t be agitated! Don¡¯t be agitated...¡±

    ¡°Be good. Stop messing around. Xinling likes quiet. Be good and she¡¯lle to see you...¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s tone was very gentle at the moment, as if she was coaxing a child. However, Lan Xiu could always hear some bitterness and sadness in her tone. He ignored the pain in his hand and turned to look at her. Only then did he realize that there was a hint of pain in her cold eyes.

    Only after Leng Xinranforted her did Mo Shan finally calm down. Her entire body seemed to have been drained of energy. Leng Xinran hugged her andforted her for a long time. After she calmed down slightly, she then carried her to the side of the bed and ced her on the bed before covering Mo Shan with the nket. Meanwhile, Mo Shan seemed to be a little exhausted. She opened her eyes and looked at Leng Xinran. After a while, she also fell asleep quietly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. She will appear in your dreams. Don¡¯t be sad. Have a good sleep, it will all be fine when you wake up. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Leng Xinran whispered in her ear. She watched her slowly rxed face. After a long while, she finally lost her breath. She was stunned for a while before she stood up and quietly left the room.

    Director Li and the doctor were still waiting outside. Lan Xiu was also trying to understand the situation with them. He had also inquired about Mo Shan¡¯s situation.

    It turned out that Mo Shan had stayed in this sanatorium for quite a few years. At first, her condition was not very serious, but after her youngest daughter, Leng Xinling passed away, shepletely copsed.

    When her rtionship with Leng Mingyi deteriorated, her condition was already not very good. Later on, one after another, she was defeated. Her nerves became deranged and she often fell ill. Later on, Leng Xinran often came over tofort her, she had specially hired two nurses to take good care of her. They would chat with her every day and walk around with her. Only then did her condition improve.

    But now, it seemed that her condition had worsened again.

    No one could recognize her every time she fell ill. Most of the injuries on Leng Xinran¡¯s body were because of her.

    ¡°Miss Leng.¡±

    As soon as Leng Xinran came out, Director Li also came forward to greet her.

    ¡°No one has been here recently, right?¡± Leng Xinran asked.

    Director Li shook her head. ¡°No, we have protected Madam very well. In fact, she was in a good condition before. She tried to call you several times, but she held back, afraid that she would disturb you.¡±

    ¡°Protect her well. No matter who it is, as long as I don¡¯t agree to it, don¡¯t let them meet my mother. She hasn¡¯t fallen sick recently, which means that she is slowly stabilizing.¡±

    ¡°We know, Miss Leng.¡±

    ¡°She should be fine now. When she wakes up, don¡¯t tell her that I came by. I¡¯ll go back first. Call me if anything happens.¡±

    Leng Xinran rubbed the space between her eyebrows tiredly. She nced at Lan Xiu and walked forward.

    Lan Xiu nced at Mo Shan who was lying on the bed inside. He nodded to Director Li and the others, greeted them, and then followed Leng Xinran.

    At this moment, he finally understood why Leng Xinran had been unwilling to talk about her mother. Moreover, she was as cold as ice to Leng Mingyi and extremely against Ye Xiaolian.

    ¡°How long has she been like this?¡±

    On the way back, Leng Xinran did not speak. Her expression was very gloomy. It could be seen that she was not in a good mood and had been driving silently.

    Lan Xiu thought about it and asked the same question.

    Leng Xinran blinked and took a deep breath. Her eyes were still looking ahead. ¡°I can¡¯t remember clearly. It¡¯s been many years. She¡¯s a person who can not withstand pressure. She had deep feelings for Leng Mingyi. Leng Mingyi betrayed her. Naturally, she couldn¡¯t stand it.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s tone was cold and calm. ¡°She¡¯s very simr to Xinling. She¡¯s the kind of person who should be protected since birth. However, Xinling is at least stronger than her, she dared to face death directly.¡±

    ¡°In my eyes, other than life and death separation being the most helpless and painful thing in the world, there is nothing that can make people break down like this. However, she can¡¯t. She is narrow-minded and stubborn. She is very vengeful and thought that finding herself another man would make Leng Mingyi turn back after the divorce. Unfortunately, she has lost toopletely.¡±

 Chapter 2086 - Engaged (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2086: Engaged (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Leng Xinran said this, Lan Xiu actually did not know how to reply.

    Although that was true, once a rtionship happened, who could control it? On this point, he could empathize with her.

    After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°All these years, have you been living like this?¡±

    His words puzzled Leng Xinran and she looked at him confusedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the wound on your arm. It wasn¡¯t a light hit. How¡¯s your shoulder?¡±

    He did not miss the slight frown on her face when she pulled her shoulder.

    Leng Xinran paused for a moment and did not answer. She just increased the speed of the car silently.

    Later, the two did not speak much along the way. Lan Xiu did not ask any more questions. He simply talked to her about work and she became engrossed in the conversation.

    When they returned to City Z, it was almost midnight. Leng Xinran went straight back to her apartment.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote, and you didn¡¯t have dinner. Stay here for the night. Tomorrow is the weekend, so you don¡¯t have to go to work. Ah Li left two sets of your clothes in the car.¡±

    When they got out of the car, Leng Xinran also turned to look at Lan Xiu.

    Lan Xiu thought about it and agreed.

    The two of them took the clothes and went upstairs at a leisurely pace. When they got home, Leng Xinran went to the kitchen to cook some simple congee that was easy to digest and some side dishes to go with the congee.

    Lan Xiu went to shower. When he came out, Leng Xinran had already prepared supper.

    The two of them sat down silently and ate some.

    ...

    After finishing their work, Leng Xinran took a shower and changed into soft home clothes. Lan Xiu was sitting on the sofa in the living room watching TV.

    Leng Xinran looked at him and was silent for a while. Then, she suddenly turned around and walked to the storage cab. She opened it and took out a medical box.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lan Xiu looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°Give me your hand.¡±

    Leng Xinran took out a bottle of wine from the medical box and said.

    Lan Xiu finally understood that she was going to help him treat his wounds.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡±

    ¡°I know better than you how strong she is. It¡¯s better to treat her.¡±

    Leng Xinran was a person of action. When she said that, she also took out some cotton and dipped it in alcohol. Her movements were very practiced, as if it was something she had done every day.

    It made sense. She had treated so many wounds on her body, did she not?

    Lan Xiu obediently put his hand over.

    Leng Xinran pulled his hand over to take a look. The back of his hand was indeed swollen and there was arge bruise.

    ¡°The injury is not light. Bear with it. I¡¯ll use some strength to dredge the wound and let the medicine soak in. It will heal quickly.¡±

    She said indifferently and raised her eyes to look at him.

    Lan Xiu met her eyes that were as bright as the stars and smiled immediately. He did not say anything. He just quietly watched her continue to move her hand.

    Very soon, a burning pain was felt, and Lan Xiu sucked in a breath of cold air. The strength in her hands was not small either.

    He could vaguely hear his breathing. Leng Xinran looked up at him. Seeing that his expression was somewhat forbearing, she smiled faintly, ¡°Bear with it for a while. This is a special medicinal wine for falling punches. I spent a lot of money to get this recipe from an old doctor in the northern part of the country. I added my own wine to soak it. It¡¯s very useful for injuries. In the past, I suffered quite a lot of injuries from practicing taekwondo. With it, I can recover very quickly.¡±

    As Leng Xinran said this, her hands did not slow down.

    Lan Xiu had been watching her busy. Seeing her skilled and indifferent appearance, he did not know why, but he actually felt a little pity in his heart

    What a strong was she?

    The things she had endured were probably not something an ordinary person could endure, right?

    He thought that he was calm andposed enough, but now that hepared to her, he had to admit that his state of mind was probably not as good as hers.

    Leng Xinran helped him rub his hands for a while. When he felt the back of his hands heat up and the dull pain slowly dissipated, the back of his hands seemed to be smooth again. Only then did she unhurriedly put away the medical kit.

    ¡°I¡¯ll rub it for you again tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll bring you someter and rub it on yourself.¡±

    Leng Xinran put away the medical kit and washed her hands. Only then did she sit down next to him.

    ¡°Your shoulder...¡±

    Lan Xiu still asked worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve applied the medicine too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact a doctor in this area. They should be able to get her back to normal.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought about it and did not have the heart to let her bear this burden alone. When he saw her frail body hugging Mo Shan, he felt a little ufortable. He could not tell what kind of feelings he felt, he just wanted to be able to help share some of the burden.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Leng Xinran did not reject him hypocritically. Because, indeed, one more person would be able to contribute more. Over the years, she had sent many people to see Mo Shan, but there was still no way to cure her. Therefore, she could not help but feel a little disheartened.

    That was a very pitiful woman. Although there were some hateful aspects to her, no matter what, she was Leng Xinran¡¯s mother. As her daughter, she was also Mo Shan¡¯s only family. She had no one else to rely on. If she did not care, no one would.

    Blood ties were sometimes so frustrating. Although Leng Xinran was very cold and indifferent towards her parents, she did not neglect her responsibilities and obligations, even though she hated Leng Mingyi, she still knew that she was his daughter.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot, Xinran.¡±

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and suddenly turned his head to look at her uncontrobly. Seeing that she was suddenly in a daze, he thought for a moment and slowly hugged her thin shoulders from behind.

    Leng Xinran was stunned for a moment and took a deep breath, ¡°If you always ce yourself in the mindset that you are having a hard time, the harder it will be for you. I used to be like this too. When I put my mother there and Xinling passed away, I also felt very painful. I stayed in the tranquil cemetery for a few months and finally understood that I was being too hard on myself.¡±

    ¡°Hearing you say that, I feel like...¡±

    ¡°It feels like an epiphany, doesn¡¯t it? I wanted to be a monk, but I knew that I couldn¡¯t because I felt that there were many things that I hadn¡¯t done properly. I¡¯ve never done anything properly even at this age. The mortal world is not over yet...¡±

    The smile on Leng Xinran¡¯s face was somewhat self-deprecating. She knew that Lan Xiu wanted tofort her, so she raised her hand and patted his back, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve already prepared the guest room. You should rest early. You¡¯ve been very busy today. Also, thank you. Don¡¯t tell anyone about this, okay?¡±

    This was almost a scar that she did not want to open in her heart. Exposing it in front of him made Leng Xinran feel a little helpless...

 Chapter 2087 - Engaged (4)

    <h4><i>Chapter 2087</i>: Engaged (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the news of Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran¡¯s engagement spread, Dongfang Liuyun was also somewhat shocked.

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun was sitting in a chair in the office. Looking at the invitation card that Ah Li handed over, her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief. ¡°Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran are engaged?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Liuyun. President Lan told me to make sure to send the invitation card to you. He invited you and President Qi to attend together in three days,¡± Ah Li exined.

    ¡°He¡¯s good. He managed to get Miss Leng so quickly?¡±

    Although Dongfang Liuyun was surprised, she was also happy!

    Lan Xiu had finally found someone to spend the rest of his life with. He did not have to live alone anymore. This was definitely a good thing.

    Ah Li understood. He could not help but smile bitterly in his heart. He hoped that President Lan and Miss Leng would be happy.

    After Ah Li left, Dongfang Liuyun thought for a while. In the end, she picked up her phone and gave Lan Xiu a call. Lan Xiu quickly picked up.

    ¡°Liuyun?¡±

    A familiar and gentle voice sounded.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. I received the invitation from Ah Li. The matter between you and Leng Xinran, so sudden?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun flipped through the red invitation in her hand and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that sudden. I¡¯ve known her for a long time. Seven to eight months isn¡¯t a short period of time,¡± Lan Xiu said inly.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you and Qi Leie over tonight? The four of us can get together.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a while and decided to introduce Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei to Leng Xinran.

    ¡°Qi Lei is on a business trip these few days. He might not be back until tomorrow. I¡¯ll go over to your ce now and pass you some materials too.¡± Dongfang Liuyun said this and hung up.

    An hourter, Dongfang Liuyun arrived at Lan Xiu¡¯s office. At this time, Lan Xiu was resting in his chair with his eyes closed. When he heard the door open, he turned his chair and saw Dongfang Liuyun walking in.

    She was already heavily pregnant. She had been resting at home for the past few days. Qi Lei was on a business trip and she had nothing to do at home, so she went to the office for a bit.

    She was wearing arge ck shirt, which could conceal a little, but if one looked closely, you could easily tell.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    Lan Xiu quickly got up and let her sit on the sofa. Dongfang Liuyun did not stand on ceremony with him. He handed the document bag in his hand to him and asked, ¡°Have you really decided to get married with Leng Xinran? I was wondering why you¡¯ve been quite mysterious recently, turns out you were off being in a rtionship?¡±

    As Dongfang Liuyun spoke, she poured herself a ss of water.

    Lan Xiu looked at her indifferently. He averted his gaze and said quietly, ¡°I¡¯ve decided. She¡¯s a pretty good woman. I admire her very much.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun listened and looked at him deeply. After a moment, she said in a lowered voice, ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided, I won¡¯t say anything. However, since you¡¯ve decided to be with her, you must treat her well. However, do you really think that you and Miss Leng are suitable?¡±

    ¡°Xinran just doesn¡¯t like talking to people she doesn¡¯t know very well. She¡¯s just a little cold. She¡¯s quite simr to me, so she¡¯s suitable,¡± Lan Xiu replied.

    Dongfang Liuyun pondered for a moment and nodded. ¡°You must have thought about it for a long time to make such a decision. Naturally, I¡¯ll support your decision unconditionally.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Liuyun.¡±

    At thest sentence, you could hear that his tone was inevitably filled with bitterness. Lan Xiu knew that he might becking in love with Leng Xinran and it was unfair to her. However, since things hade to this, he could only try his best to make up for it in the future.

    With Leng Xinran¡¯s personality, she probably would not have any feelings for him, Lan Xiu. This was probably for the best. They were just two people who were on the verge of breaking down and holding each other for warmth.

    ¡°Can you tell me, why her?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun also received a lot of detailed information about Leng Xinran from Qi lei.

    When Dongfang Liuyun asked this, Lan Xiu did not know how to answer.

    At first he thought that the marriage between him and Leng Xinran was only because of benefits. However, after thinking about it, he realized that it was not the case. Besides the Leng Group, he had other choices. However, he chose the Leng Group in the end. In fact, he knew very well that the final reason was still because of Leng Xinran.

    ¡°Liuyun, do you know? Xinran has nothing... you still had us, Uncle Dongfang, and then Qi Lei... But Xinran... she has nothing. The moment I thought about how she has nothing, the pain in my heart was quietly felt. I have to admit that I do feel a little sorry for her.¡±

    After such a long period of interaction, as he became more familiar with Leng Xinran, he felt that he wanted to protect her more and more. Even if Leng Xinran might not need it.

    Dongfang Liuyun had been staring at Lan Xiu as he spoke. When she saw theplicated emotions in his eyes, she finally sighed softly, ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t ask any more questions. It¡¯s naturally the best that you can resonate with her. She is indeed admirable. I hope that both of you can give each other happiness.¡±

    Xinran had nothing...

    Lan Xiu, oh, Lan Xiu, when have you ever had such tender feelings for a woman?

    I am afraid that you might know even as you be slowly attracted to her, bit by bit, right?

    Thinking of this, Dongfang Liuyun suddenly felt lucky. If the two of them could love each other, how wonderful would that be?

    ¡°She¡¯s a very nice person. You can alwayse over and ask her out in the future. She doesn¡¯t have many friends...¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and said.

    Dongfang Liuyunughed. ¡°You haven¡¯t married her yet, and already you¡¯re thinking of letting her get familiar with your circle?¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu was startled. He coughed lightly and replied, ¡°It¡¯s good for her to get familiar, after all, we¡¯re all going to be friends in the future.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve always liked her. It¡¯s just that she really doesn¡¯t like to talk much.¡±

    ¡°No, she¡¯s willing to chat a little more. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s not very good at finding topics to talk about.¡±

    Lan Xiu also subconsciously defended Leng Xinran. Seeing this, Dongfang Liuyun could not help but smile.

    ¡°Alright, I got it. Okay, you don¡¯t have to remind me about these things! Don¡¯t worry, Qi Lei and I will definitely be there on the engagement day. Now, let¡¯s go back and prepare a generous gift for you guys. Hey, why don¡¯t you guys just get married? Don¡¯t tell me you want to earn our generous gifts?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun stood up and pursed his lips into a smile.

    Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s figure had already disappeared outside the door...

 Chapter 2088 - Engaged (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2088: Engaged (5)</h4>

    Very quickly, a few days passed in the blink of an eye.

    The engagement ceremony between Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran was held at arge hotel near Lan Xiu¡¯s vi area.

    The time was set for the morning. Early in the morning, Lan Xiu had Ah Li deliver the gown to Leng Xinran. It was tailor-made for Leng Xinran by the designer. It was a one-shouldered dress of red-crowned crane pink color.

    Although it looked simple, it seemed more elegant on Leng Xinran. Her beautiful hair was tied up in a beautiful bun with some simple beading. It looked very beautiful.

    Qin Su had been by her side the whole time.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that it would be your turn soon after I got married. I¡¯m relieved that you have someone to take care of you. Xinran, I think Lan Xiu should be a good husband. I wish you both happiness.¡±

    After the makeup artist finished her task, Qin Su walked over to Leng Xinran. She pulled a chair and sat down beside her.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Leng Xinran answered calmly.

    ¡°Is your mothering today?¡±

    After thinking for a while, Qin Su still asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s not doing well recently. I didn¡¯t ask her toe. Two days ago, I went to see her with Lan Xiu. When she was clear-headed, she was quite satisfied with Lan Xiu.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re also worried that your father¡¯s side will disturb her, right? I also found out about your father¡¯s matter, he...¡±

    ¡°Life and death are up to fate. What shoulde, can¡¯t be stopped. Maybe it¡¯s because of the saying, ¡®sooner orter, you¡¯ll have to pay for what you¡¯ve done¡¯. You also know that Leng Mingyi has never been a good person. He lives too selfishly and is too extreme. I¡¯ve long known that a person like him wouldn¡¯t end well. Speaking of which, people like him are actually the same type as my mother. They are both extreme,¡± Leng Xinran said calmly, her eyes were indifferent.

    ¡°Xinran, I have actually admired you all these years, but most of all, I feel sorry for you.¡±

    Qin Su was silent for a moment, and then replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the so-called sense of responsibility like you. How tired can I be? At most, when it¡¯s difficult, you don¡¯t think about who you can count on. Once you get used to it, you won¡¯t feel resentful or pain.¡±

    Leng Xinran raised her hand and tidied her cor. Her tone was very calm, ¡°My mother also said before that I¡¯m a person without any feelings. Thinking about it, it¡¯s not unreasonable. Now, I feel like I¡¯m living for some responsibilities and obligations. For example, I can¡¯t leave her behind. Otherwise, after so many years, I wouldn¡¯t have stayed in this city.¡±

    Hearing this, Qin Su was stunned for a moment. ¡°But, you still stayed. Moreover, you¡¯re engaged to Lan Xiu today. Xinran, you have to admit that this is fate.¡±

    These words, indeed...

    At this moment, something rippled across Leng Xinran¡¯s indifferent face and she did not say anything.

    ¡°I can see that you don¡¯t have any feelings for Lan Xiu. Are you really sure that you want to spend the rest of your life with him?¡±

    Qin Su did not think that she should ask these questions, but she still could not help herself.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s smile widened slightly, ¡°I¡¯m about to turn 30. Qin Su, do you think I still have a chance to obtain the so-called love? As I get older, there will be more things in my heart. Love will be further away from me. I don¡¯t have time to think too much. I think it¡¯s about time to find a suitable person to live with. There are so many couples in the world. Do you think that every couple is in love?¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s words caused Qin Su¡¯s heart to be slightly stifled.

    ¡°So, I have to admit that I might also want to be one of those couples. I don¡¯t love Lan Xiu, but I want to try and see if I can really live with him. It¡¯s just that simple. There aren¡¯t too many restrictions, and there aren¡¯t any grudges. I actually feel a little old, Qin Su, especially in the past year...¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just 30? How can you say that you¡¯re dld? Many people still have so-called twilight love. Don¡¯t be too pessimistic.¡±

    Qin Su was never someone who wouldfort others.

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to have too much hope. In fact, if someone is willing to ept my conditions and tolerate my temper, I should give it a try. I¡¯m afraid that my fate is really not good... If one day, those tragedies from before will happen again, I hope to take everything I have and return it to him in peace. That way, I don¡¯t have to owe anyone anything.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Xinran, let¡¯s not talk about this on a happy day.¡±

    Qin Su could not bear to hear any more.

    Leng Xinran smiled faintly and raised her hand to pat the back of Qin Su¡¯s hand. She did not say anything else.

    At this moment, there was a knock on the door. The two of them subconsciously looked towards the door¡ª

    They saw Lan Xiu, dressed in an iron gray slim suit, push the door open and walk in. When he raised his gaze and saw Leng Xinran sitting in front of the mirror, his eyes immediately lit up. His eyes could not help but be filled with amazement.

    ¡°Are you ready? The hall downstairs is almost ready. Just wait for us.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes were filled with gentleness. Today was a special day, so he looked very energetic. Compared to his usual calmness, he looked more peaceful and gentle.

    Qin Su looked between the two of them and then stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go down to take a look first. You can go down now.¡±

    Without waiting for Leng Xinran¡¯s reply, he turned around and left the room.

    ¡°This outfit is very nice today. It suits you very well.¡±

    Lan Xiu rarely praised him.

    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re very handsome too,¡± Leng Xinran replied and pointed at the water that she had just poured. ¡°Do you want some water? You seem to have been busy all morning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Didn¡¯t you rest wellst night?¡±

    Seeing the fatigue in her eyes, Lan Xiu asked with concern.

    Leng Xinran put her index finger between her eyebrows, rubbed it, and said slowly, ¡°Your method worked. Ye Xiaolian is starting to panic. She wants to get data from the finance department. I want to take this opportunity to ask for some interest from her and at the same time, transfer her to the publicity department as an assistant manager.¡±

    Leng Xinran had always been ruthless towards Ye Xiaolian. Now, she was using the shortest time to drag Ye Xiaolian down, so that she had no chance to turn things around. Of course, before that, she had to first cut off Ye Xiaolian¡¯s wings.

    It did not matter if she was extreme or ruthless. After all, Ye Xiaolian had interfered in their family. Leng Xinran could not bear to see Ye Xiaolian live well. Her mother, Mo Shan, was still in the sanatorium!

    ¡°But, I don¡¯t see much joy on your face now. Isn¡¯t everything going well?¡±

 Chapter 2089 - Engaged (6)

    <h4>Chapter 2089: Engaged (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes were like stars. When he looked at Leng Xinran, his gaze was a little deep.

    ¡°I could have foreseen the oue long ago, so I don¡¯t feel much joy anymore,¡± Leng Xinran replied in a casual manner. Only then did she stand up slowly. She fixed her dress slightly and pulled on her sleeves. The scars on her arm werepletely hidden.

    ¡°I¡¯ve consulted the doctor. He said that the wound on your arm will fade. You don¡¯t have to... Let¡¯s make an appointment and go take a look, okay?¡± Lan Xiu asked.

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran nced at him. Her clear eyes softened a little. She did not reject his good intentions. ¡°Yes, the wound is a little deep. I didn¡¯t take it seriously before, and it has been like this ever since it got better. It¡¯s still the same after a long time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like you care about much either.¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled and helped her pull on her slightly wrinkled skirt.

    ¡°My father and the others are already here?¡± Leng Xinran asked.

    ¡°Yes, I was just asking when you can go down. Now, you can greet the guests downstairs.¡±

    This time, Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran did not invite many people to their engagement ceremony, but they only invited some people who were close to them, and some were also important guests.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    With that, Lan Xiu took her hand and walked out.

    When the two of them arrived at the banquet hall, the master of ceremonies in front of them reported, and the hall instantly became quiet.

    They were a matching couple!

    Dongfang Liuyun, who was sitting at the side, fixed her gaze on the two people who were walking over. Her eyes were filled with faint blessings. After looking at them for a while, she finally could not help but turn and say to the man beside her, ¡°This Leng Xinran is indeed cold and elegant, and Lan Xiu is such a gentle and gentle person. I now think that they¡¯re really not bad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that they take care of each other and love each other.¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to help her pull her coat over her shoulders as he replied.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m relieved that Lan Xiu can find himself a good ending. I went to look for him before. After all, it was quite sudden. After thinking about it, they¡¯ve known each other for almost a year and have been getting along for more than half a year. This result is actually not bad.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Next, you should take good care of the two little guys in your stomach. Look, they¡¯re being naughty again. I wonder if they¡¯re a boy or girl?¡±

    When Qi Lei reached out to touch her belly under the table, the little thing in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s stomach seemed to have sensed something. It moved. Qi Lei felt it and his handsome face was full of smiles.

    Dongfang Liuyun then lowered her gaze and looked at it. ¡°I hope it¡¯s as you think, that they¡¯ll be twin sisters.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just this one pregnancy anyway. Two at once. The heavens are really looking out for us.¡±

    ...

    Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran came to the stage in front and said a few words of gratitude. Then, the dance floor below began to continue.

    Naturally, Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran had a perfect opening dance. Then, the guests continued...

    When the engagement ceremony ended, it was already afternoon.

    Leng Xinran looked a little tired, so Lan Xiu personally drove her home.

    ¡°Xinran, why don¡¯t you move in with me? Now that we¡¯re engaged and are fianc¨¨s, we don¡¯t have to worry about gossip. I¡¯m a little worried about you living here alone. I¡¯ve already asked them to redecorate your room over there. They¡¯re all in the style that you like. Also, it¡¯s more convenient for us tomunicate and get to know each other. What do you think?¡±

    Seeing Leng Xinran leaning against the back of the chair with her eyes closed to rest, Lan Xiu thought for a moment and suggested the same thing.

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran paused. She opened her eyes and looked at Lan Xiu. ¡°Do you mean to live together?¡±

    ¡°Sort of, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and continued, ¡°I know that we agreed to the engagement because we gave each other a chance. At the same time, we also left some leeway. But now that I think about it, this step isn¡¯t really necessary. It¡¯s been quite some time, and I know it in my heart that I¡¯mpletely sincere to you. It¡¯s up to you, Xinran.¡±

    After Lan Xiu said this, Leng Xinran did not reply for a long time.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not happy with it, just pretend like I didn¡¯t mention it.¡±

    Seeing that she was frowning slightly, Lan Xiu could only smile.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After he said this, Leng Xinran suddenly responded.

    However, at this moment, Lan Xiu could not react in time, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said yes,¡± Leng Xinran replied straightforwardly. ¡°Your ce is quite nice. It¡¯s much better than mine. There¡¯s no reason for me not to ept it. This weekend then, I can rest for the next two days too. I don¡¯t have much stuff, I¡¯ll just bring some books and clothes over.¡±

    Leng Xinran was a practical person. Once the matter was decided, she would immediately make corresponding arrangements.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you on Saturday.¡±

    A gentle smile shed across Lan Xiu¡¯s face as he smiled.

    ...

    However, Leng Xinran obviously did not pick the right time. When she woke up on Saturday morning, it was raining heavily outside.

    It was such a hot summer day. The weather was unpredictable, the sun was clearly so bright yesterday.

    Leng Xinran rushed to pack up everything that needed to be packed the night before. There was arge number of books that Lan Xiu had asked Ah Li and the others to bring over yesterday. Today, it was just some clothes and some personal belongings.

    Looking at the wind and rain crazily pounding on the ss windows outside, Leng Xinran thought that Lan Xiu would probably note so early. Just as she was about to go to the study to process some data, she heard a knock on the door.

    Leng Xinran hurriedly went to open the door.

    Lan Xiu walked in. His clothes were already a little wet.

    ¡°Why did you rush here in such a heavy rain? It¡¯s okay toe tomorrow if the weather was a little better.¡±

    Leng Xinran frowned and sized him up. Her tone was a little reprimanding. ¡°It¡¯s easy to catch a cold in this weather. Dry yourself.¡±

    As she spoke, she handed him a clean towel.

    Lan Xiu took it and simply wiped the moisture on his face. He replied, ¡°When I left the house, it wasn¡¯t raining so heavily and I forgot to bring my umbre. Do you still have breakfast?¡±

    He had been busy until midnightst night. He did not have time to prepare supper and woke up a littlete in the morning. He did not even have time to eat breakfast before rushing over, so he was very hungry now.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Leng Xinran took a deep breath and nodded. Her tone was very calm. ¡°Then you should go and change your clothes first. You left a set of sweatshirts here in the cab on the top left of my closet. I¡¯ll cook some noodles for you.¡±

    After saying that, she walked towards the kitchen.

    Lan Xiu saw her figure disappear from the kitchen door. He stood there for a while before he walked towards the cloakroom and changed out of his clothes.

 Chapter 2090 - Son or Daughter? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2090: Son or Daughter? (1)</h4>

    When he came out after changing his clothes, Leng Xinran had already prepared the noodles and brought them over to him.

    ¡°Fried egg with preserved vegetables. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re used to it, but I¡¯m used to cooking with one pot, it goes a with fried egg and lemon water.¡±

    Leng Xinran ced the tray on the table in front of her and beckoned him over to eat.

    Lan Xiu had smelled the aroma from afar, so he walked over unceremoniously and sat down.

    The appearance of the noodles was very good. An alluring aroma assaulted him, causing his stomach to feel hungry.

    ¡°Eat, I¡¯ll go pack a few more books.¡±

    Leng Xinran handed the chopsticks in her hand to him.

    Lan Xiu paused and looked at the chopsticks in front of him for a moment. Then, he suddenly reached out and held her hand that was holding the chopsticks. He tightened his grip and could vaguely feel the warmth in her palm. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly raised his head to look at her. ¡°Thank you, Xinran.¡±

    When Leng Xinran heard this, she immediately gave him a side nce and said in a calm tone, ¡°When I said thank you, you either answer me bluntly or grunt. Do you think I should ept your gratitude as a matter of course?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sincerely saying these two words to you, Xinran.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and exined.

    Leng Xinran smiled faintly, pulled out her hand, and gently patted his shoulder, ¡°The word ¡®thank you¡¯ is not really useful to me. Let¡¯s not say it in the future. If we really want to thank each other, we should cook a few more good meals to show our gratitude to each other in the future.¡±

    As she said this, Lan Xiu quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. He slowly raised his long arm and held her slender waist. He raised his gaze and looked at her. ¡°Why did you agree to it? When you hesitated, I thought you were unwilling.¡±

    Leng Xin naturally understood what Lan Xiu meant.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be too pretentious. After all, we are now engaged as husband and wife. If I only want to hide in my shell, it would be too disloyal. If I don¡¯t take a step forward, you will never know what will happen next. Moreover, all of my beautiful years have been squandered by me. If you really want an answer, then just take it that I want you to remember my young and beautiful appearance.¡±

    Leng Xinran smiled and looked out of the window. The storm outside was still ongoing.

    ¡°What kind of weird answer is this?¡±

    Lan Xiu raised his eyebrows and smiled.

    ¡°The noodles are getting cold. Hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, wash the dishes, dry them, and put them away. We won¡¯t being back much in the future.¡±

    Leng Xinran quickly came back to her senses and instructed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯lle back either. Sell itter. If you really care about the surroundings, we can visit other vis another day. I¡¯ll buy one for you and we can move thereter.¡±

    Lan Xiu would not tell her that her name was already on the property certificate of his vi. Just because she was willing to be engaged to him, he felt that he should treat her well.

    He had already understood the kind of person Leng Xinran was recently. When she was determined to be engaged to him, it had already indicated that she was willing to follow him. It was just that both of them needed some time to pace themselves.

    ¡°No need. The ce I¡¯m staying at now is very good. I quite like the environment there, so there¡¯s no need to change it.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡±

    Hearing Leng Xinran¡¯s answer, Lan Xiu changed the topic.

    ¡°Secret lemon sauce duck.¡±

    Leng Xinran quickly caught up with the rhythm.

    This dish was Lan Xiu¡¯s specialty. After showing off her skills twice, Leng Xinran began to think about it. She never liked meat dishes, so this dish was a little special.

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t have any requests?¡±

    Seeing her figure move forward, Lan Xiu chuckled and said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a saint.¡±

    Her gentle voice drifted over.

    The smile on Lan Xiu¡¯s lips widened slightly...

    ...

    Without caring about the heavy rain, the two moved all their luggage back to the vi. When they were done packing, it was already dark. Lan Xiu also made her lemon duck and some side dishes to go with the wine.

    Leng Xinran was a regr drinker, but unlike Dongfang Liuyun, she did not drink beer and only drank some alcohol. However, she did not drink too much, and her face began to turn red after drinking one cup.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drink so much. This wine is a little strong, and you are not the kind of person who can drink.¡±

    Seeing that she wanted to pour another ss, Lan Xiu reached out to stop her. His gaze was very gentle. ¡°We¡¯ll drink it in moderation.¡±

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran¡¯s eyes were also filled with a hint of gentleness. She gave him a side nce, then lowered her eyes and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to get drunk. Moreover, we should remember a time like this. In the future, we¡¯ll take care of each other. Please treat me kindly.¡±

    Leng Xinran picked up the ss and toasted Lan Xiu. ¡°I hope that we¡¯ll get along well in the future.¡±

    Seeing this, Lan Xiu did not know what to say. He thought for a while and raised his ss to return the toast. ¡°You¡¯re too polite. I hope we can end things well. In the future, we can still be together like this until we¡¯re in our 70s.¡±

    When Lan Xiu said this, there was a hint of hope in his eyes¡ª

    Really, if they could really end things well, it would be a very happy thing. However, could they really?

    They were engaged and were only one step away from getting married. When would they be truly happy?

    Lan Xiu¡¯s words seemed to be especially useful in Leng Xinran¡¯s ears. She thought for a moment and suddenlyughed softly. Her smile looked a little brilliant.

    ¡°If we can continue to be rational like this, I think we can definitely do it. Without the so-called pettiness, it could be pure.¡±

    Lan Xiu listened and after a moment, he nodded his head gently. ¡°What you said is very reasonable. If we were too petty, then our hearts will not be able to let go. Sometimes, I don¡¯t have such an open-minded state of mind like you.¡±

    ¡°No, actually, it also depends on who you are talking to.¡±

    When Leng Xinran said this, she nced at Lan Xiu meaningfully, ¡°Just like the fate between us. If you weren¡¯t open-minded enough, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to facilitate this whole thing. I have also met Dongfang Liuyun, she is a very good woman.¡±

    Leng Xinran was not a fool. She could naturally see how special Dongfang Liuyun was to Lan Xiu. However, she did not care because she did not fall in love with Lan Xiu either?

    In fact, this was pretty good. They were evenly matched in terms of love and their backgrounds were of equal status. To maintain a long marriage in such a state, she expressed that she personally had a positive attitude.

    However, after Leng Xinran said this, Lan Xiu was a little stunned. He raised his wine ss slightly and paused for a moment. He actually could not quite swallow the wine in his mouth...

 Chapter 2091 - Son or Daughter? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2091: Son or Daughter? (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After hesitating for a long time, Lan Xiu finally looked up at her.

    His eyes were filled withplicated emotions, and in an instant, his eyes returned to their usual silence.

    He took a deep breath and swallowed the wine in his mouth. He drank it quickly and coughed twice. He lowered his eyes, not knowing what he could say to her.

    He had always known how intelligent the woman in front of him was. For so long, she had also known about Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s existence, but she had never taken the initiative to mention it. However, he had mentioned it several times before, Leng Xinran did not ask any further.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. After all, everyone has a past, and you know my past clearly. I don¡¯t want to interfere with your feelings too much, so don¡¯t feel unhappy.¡±

    Seeing that he did not respond for a long time, Leng Xinran smiled without saying anything else.

    ¡°No, Xinran. I don¡¯t mean to me you. I don¡¯t want to exin too much about Liuyun, but she and I didn¡¯t have a beginning, so there¡¯s no past. Our rtionship is very simple. We¡¯re friends who can speak their minds, and she treats me as her elder brother. The reason why I, Lan Xiu, am where I am today isrgely because of her. Otherwise, many years ago, I would have been utterly defeated...¡±

    That was how Lan Xiu exined it. He was the only one who knew how he felt about Dongfang Liuyun. However, that was all in the past. She was living a very happy life now, and only Qi Lei could truly make her happy. Thus, he was satisfied.

    In this world, not everyone who liked someone could have it. It was also not that people who did not like each other could not be happy. He, Lan Xiu, was one of these people. He did not feel sad or sad. After all, the heavens did not grant you such a fate, did they?

    He quietly looked at the woman in front of him with a calm expression. ¡°So, please don¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°I said, I didn¡¯t mean anything else. You don¡¯t have to exin. I believe in your friendship.¡±

    Leng Xinran interrupted him at the right time and toasted him. ¡°I think that she should be a good person too. Qin Su told me about her.¡±

    Qin Su?

    She almost forgot that Qin Su was Zhou Zimo¡¯s wife. Qi Lei and Zhou Zimo were also very familiar with each other, so Qin Su should be in frequent contact with Dongfang Liuyun, so she naturally knew some things.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat first.¡±

    Leng Xinran did not want to continue this topic. After saying this, she lowered her head and went to eat.

    Seeing this, Lan Xiu did not say anything more. He nced at her and silently lowered his head as well.

    ...

    Leng Xinran¡¯s room was next to Lan Xiu¡¯s. It was the same room that she had stayed in before. Lan Xiu had already renovated it ording to the style that she liked. Naturally, Leng Xinran was very satisfied with Lan Xiu¡¯s attentiveness.

    Days passed quickly. Leng Xinran was rather used to staying here. She had already given up on the previous two jobs. Now, she was focused on taking over the Leng Group.

    Leng Mingyi¡¯s condition was sometimes good and sometimes bad. Leng Xinran had even more reason to send Ye Xiaolian to take care of Leng Mingyi.

    Leng Mingyi naturally knew what Leng Xinran was thinking. Ye Xiaolian alsoined about Leng Xinran¡¯s ruthlessness in Leng Mingyi¡¯s ears, but Leng Mingyi did not pay any attention to her.

    Because Leng Mingyi was very clear about his daughter¡¯s indifference. After so many years, she probably still hated him to the bone, right?

    She did not even want to talk to him anymore. Other than those necessary business matters, she did not want to say anything more to him, like right now.

    ¡°The proposal that you discussed with Leia Company is already out. I have some doubts about the data. In the next two days, I will hold a high-level meeting of thepany to specifically discuss the problems of this proposal and the potential for cooperation.¡±

    On the sofa in the hall of the Leng residence, Leng Xinran said to Leng Mingyi meticulously.

    ¡°We agreed to this proposal before. How can we change it just like that? Where is the credibility of this enterprise?¡±

    Before Leng Mingyi could say anything, Ye Xiaolian¡¯s voice was heard. It was not difficult to hear the anger in her tone.

    Leia Company was a distant rtive of Ye Xiaolian. In order to achieve this cooperation, they had put in a lot of effort to Ye Xiaolian. Of course, they had also given Ye Xiaolian a lot of benefits. She had also swayed Leng Mingyi a lot with pillow talk, only then did Leng Mingyi decide to take a look at the proposal.

    ¡°When did we agree? At that time, we only said to take a look at Leia¡¯s proposal. You seem so nervous, does that mean that you have a guilty conscience?¡±

    Leng Xinran nced at Ye Xiaolian coldly and did not hold back.

    ¡°What kind of attitude is this?! I¡¯m also thinking about thepany¡¯s reputation. Back then, your father also said that we can cooperate! Isn¡¯t that right?!¡±

    Ye Xiaolian was naturally very nervous in her heart. Leng Xinran had always been at odds with her, and recently, she had been suppressing Ye Xiaolian¡¯s power in thepany. Now, Ye Xiaolian¡¯sckeys in the Leng Group were almost all cut off by her.

    ¡°What are you nervous about? Didn¡¯t I say that I couldn¡¯t? Now, I¡¯m going to let the higher-ups carefully review the proposal and see how it can be implemented. If the proposal made by Leia can really pass the test, I won¡¯t forget to consider the matter of cooperation,¡± Leng Xinran said indifferently.

    Her face was expressionless, but her gaze fell on Leng Mingyi indifferently. Obviously, she was looking at Leng Mingyi¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°You... you... Leia is also a veteranpany, so there is naturally no problem with the proposal! You¡¯re doing this just to target me. Who doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been displeased with me all these years?¡±

    As Ye Xiaolian spoke, her face turned a little green.

    ¡°Whatever you say. For the sake of prudence, I feel that there is a need to re-examine it, this is to be responsible to thepany. Do you think that I shouldn¡¯t do this? Or is it because you think that because Leia has a rtionship with you, you can be special?¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s expression was abnormally indifferent. As she spoke, she did not wish to continue arguing with Ye Xiaolian. After thinking for a moment, she stood up coldly, ¡°You should carefully consider what I said. Thepany has been operating like this for so many years, and there¡¯s been many malpractice left behind. It must be rectified. Leia Company¡¯s proposal must be re-examined.¡±

    ¡°You make the decision. Thepany is now under your management. I don¡¯t have so many thoughts. I¡¯m relieved to leave it to you.¡±

    Leng Mingyi, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke in a low voice.

    ¡°Mingyi! How can you do this! Didn¡¯t you say that there was no problem with Leia before? How can you go back on your words now?¡±

    When Leng Ming Yi said this, Ye Xiaolian started to panic!

 Chapter 2092 - Son or Daughter? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2092: Son or Daughter? (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As soon as Ye Xiaolian finished speaking, Leng Xinran swept an indifferent gaze over. Ye Xiaolian¡¯s face turned even more ashen.

    ¡°I¡¯m also thinking for thepany. We can¡¯t ignore thepany¡¯s reputation, right? Besides, I¡¯ve already promised them! Mingyi, do you want me to exin this to them?¡±

    Ye Xiaolian reached out and nudged Leng Mingyi.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile.

    ¡°Enough. Before the coboration with Leia, I already said that we¡¯ll put it on hold for now and discuss itter. I¡¯ve never promised that we¡¯ll really cooperate. If Leia is capable, we don¡¯t have to worry about discussing it again. This is also a responsibility to thepany. How you¡¯ve agreed to them is your own business.¡±

    Leng Mingyi was very wise when it came to work. He strongly agreed with Leng Xinran¡¯s decision.

    ¡°Mingyi!¡± Ye Xiaolian called out, her voice full of dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Alright, Ran Ran, we¡¯ll do as you say. I¡¯m very relieved that you¡¯re in charge of thepany.¡±

    Leng Mingyi hadpletely handed this matter over to Leng Xinran. He was also very confident in Leng Xinran¡¯s control over thepany. Moreover, now that Ye Xiaolian¡¯s influence in thepany was being suppressed, Leng Mingyi turned a blind eye to it, in any case, the Leng Group could only be handed over to Leng Xinran.

    ¡°Mingyi, look at her attitude. I¡¯ve been bullied by her everywhere in this family to such an extent. How can you still protect her like this!¡±

    Ye Xiaolian¡¯s heart was also filled with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°That¡¯s all because you asked for it. What doesn¡¯t belong to you can¡¯t be defended no matter what. Do you still think you have much ability?¡± Leng Xinran replied impolitely.

    ¡°Ming Yi, look at her attitude!¡±

    Leng Xinran ignored Ye Xiaolian¡¯sints. She took the documents on the table and said, ¡°Since you have no objections, I¡¯ll n it next Monday. I¡¯ll go back to thepany first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not toote to stay for dinner,¡± said Leng Mingyi.

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Leng Xinran nced at Ye Xiaolian, turned around, and left.

    Leng Mingyi was at a loss for words. He wanted to call out to her, but when the words reached his mouth, he could not. Moreover, it seemed that the father and daughter had always been like this.

    Initially, he wanted to ask about her and Lan Xiu, but now it seemed that there was no need to ask. Even if he did, she might not say anything.

    Seeing Leng Xinran¡¯s figure disappear at the door, Leng Mingyi retracted his gaze and fell silent. Beside him, Ye Xiaolian looked at him with some grievance. Leng Mingyi pretended not to see her and slowly closed his eyes to rest.

    Ye Xiaolian was also a person who knew Leng Mingyi¡¯s bottom line. Now that she knew that Leng Mingyi was already angry, she did not dare to say anything more. She could only express her dissatisfaction with a pitiful expression.

    ¡°She¡¯s the only child of the Leng family. No matter what, she¡¯s still my daughter. I won¡¯t hold it against you for what you¡¯ve done before, but you¡¯d better know your limits. Don¡¯t be arrogant because you¡¯re spoiled. Your trump card is also there. Don¡¯t make things worse.¡±

    Leng Mingyi naturally knew the dissatisfaction in Ye Xiaolian¡¯s heart at this moment.

    Leng Mingyi had never fallen in love with any woman. As long as the woman did not vite his bottom line and was obedient, he would not make things difficult for her. Of course, he felt that he did not need anyone to love him, so when Mo Shan had ced her feelings for him, it was destined to be a tragedy.

    Leng Mingyi was a truly cold and uncaring person.

    He was wondering if this daughter, Leng Xinran, had most likely inherited his temperament. Since young, he had treated this daughter with some special treatment. But to be honest, he, Leng Mingyi, was very satisfied with this daughter and let her be the sessor of the Leng family, it was also something that he had thought of from the start. Even if he had a son with Ye Xiaolian, he, Leng Mingyi, had never thought of changing Leng Xinran¡¯s identity.

    When he divorced Mo Shan, he had fought hard for Leng Xinran¡¯s custody. It was also for this reason. However, Leng Xinran¡¯s personality was still too cold, she was so cold that even he, her father, could be treated as a stranger. If it were not for the blood ties that made it impossible for her to shirk her responsibilities, Leng Mingyi believed that Leng Xinran would never look at him again.

    Leng Xinran was the only child he had wanted to get close to all these years. However, he did not know how he could change this rtionship. Thus, this was the same situation between the father and daughter.

    Now, his health was getting worse. Although the hospital said that his condition was still good and he was still looking for a kidney, the situation was still optimistic. However, Leng Mingyi was a pessimistic person. He felt that he might not be able to survive this, he did not know if this thought would be hisst wish.

    ...

    It was said that July was a hot month, but the weather was getting hotter and hotter. The scorching sun was roasting the entirend. The airless air had a faint air that made people anxious.

    This kind of weather was very torturous for Dongfang Liuyun.

    Because she was pregnant with twins, it has been much harder on her than the average person during this period. Now that the child was almost eight or nine months old, her belly was unusually big, especially in the next few months, her stomach was asrge as a balloon.

    She was no longer working, and Qi Lei did not let her do anything. He watched her closely every day, caring for her meticulously. He was afraid that she would feel ufortable because it was said that pregnant women were in a critical period at this time, Dongfang Liuyun would asionally suffer from leg cramps at night. He listened to the doctor¡¯s advice and did what he needed to do. After that, when he did not see any improvement in her condition, it made Qi Lei anxious.

    He might have looked like a yboy before, but now he was simply uining. No matter what Dongfang Liuyun said about him, he was not angry. He just acted as if he did not see or hear what she said.

    However, no matter how carefully he took care of her, Dongfang Liuyun still had a fever.

    The weather was unpredictable, and Dongfang Liuyun could not guard against it. She had a fever for a few days, but she could not easily take injections or medicine. She could only reduce the temperature physically, which made Qi Lei anxious. He did not even go to thepany these few days and stayed at home to apany Dongfang Liuyun, only when her fever subsided and she recovered did he heave a sigh of relief.

    ¡°This pregnancy is pretty good at torturing people. Luckily, it¡¯ll only be this one pregnancy.¡±

    In the Grand Lake vi area, Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun who was lying on the sofa. There was a hint of heartache in his dark eyes, but he was also helpless. He reached out and gently tapped Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s protruding lower abdomen.

 Chapter 2093 - Son or Daughter? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2093: Son or Daughter? (4)</h4>

    Dongfang Liuyun had actually lost weight. Her chin was sharp, and only her belly was growing.

    The doctor said that she was too light in weight, but no matter how Dongfang Liuyun tried to make up for it, she did not grow heavier. Fortunately, she still looked energetic.

    ¡°What if we get both a daughter or a son?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked up and nced at Qi Leizily.

    They did not specifically check the gender of the child because they wanted to have some anticipations for the future. In any case, it was the same in their eyes. Although a daughter was more perfect, a son would not be bad.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be two sons, right?¡±

    Qi Lei was actually a little uncertain. He stared silently at Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s belly, and he did not sound very confident.

    Hearing this, Dongfang Liuyun smiled. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. A lot of times, things go against your wishes. The doctor said that the baby is developing very well, and you¡¯re usually so tormented, it might be two sons.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a son and a daughter?¡±

    Qi Lei did not give up as he stroked Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s belly and said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Oh, right, Fujiwara called this morning. He said that you must call him when it¡¯s the child¡¯s full moon banquet, he¡¯ll rush over.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun suddenly recalled this matter.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome brows and said disapprovingly, ¡°Is he still not giving up on you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he sounded quite calm. He¡¯s the head of the Fujiwara family now, so it¡¯s not good for us to reject his good intentions. He seems to be dating a Miss Nakajima recently.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun would asionally hear about Fujiwara¡¯s news from Lan Xiu. Fujiwara had never contacted her after her wedding with Qi Lei, and she had almost forgotten about their rtionship, she did not expect him to call this morning.

    ¡°He wants to develop his business here. He¡¯s been discussing a coboration with apany recently, but the government hasn¡¯t approved it. I¡¯m thinking that he mighte back soon.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes darkened as he said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Did he look for you?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun quickly caught the key words in his words. She was naturally a little surprised.

    ¡°No, I met Lan Xiu at the government buildingst time. I heard him mention it.¡±

    ¡°Lan Xiu? Why did he go to the government building?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun paid less attention to thepany¡¯s matters. She had already nned to slowly reduce her shares at the Lan Group. That way, it would be better for Lan Xiu.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Your confidante Lan Xiu is very interested in that Miss Leng. The Leng Group has already been taken over by the two of them. Leng Xinran will take over as the President of the Leng Group in a few days, and Lan Xiu will be the Vice President,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°Leng Xinran?¡± Dongfang Liuyun muttered softly.

    The cold and indifferent face of Leng Xinran quickly shed across her mind. After thinking for a moment, she nodded, ¡°I remember now. Lan Xiu had mentioned this matter to me once in a while. Leng Xinran is quite capable, and she¡¯s also Lan Xiu¡¯s fianc¨¦e. It¡¯s not strange for things to end up like this.¡±

    ¡°But, why didn¡¯t Lan Xiu tell me about this matter? Perhaps I could help?¡± Dongfang Liuyun said doubtfully.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see that Lan Xiu has returned to the right track? Theck of contact with you recently proves that he¡¯s interested in Leng Xinran. This is a good thing.¡± Qi Lei said with a faint smile.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun raised her eyebrows and looked at him in a daze.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and helped her fix her slightly wrinkled skirt, ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. It¡¯s just a simple guess. It¡¯s going to be the Mid-autumn Festival soon, and the weather is still too hot. You shouldn¡¯t go out for a while. I¡¯ve already arranged thepany¡¯s affairs. I¡¯ll stay at home with you until the child is born.¡±

    ¡°Mid-autumn Festival? So soon?¡±

    ¡°You thought? The due date is after the Mid-autumn Festival, so I don¡¯t n to hold a big celebration this holiday. You can recuperatein peace. Father said he wanted to send a few experienced servants and bodyguards over, and I agreed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you. Anyway, I also think that you and Father need tomunicate more. Haven¡¯t you noticed that Father seems to have be a little more clear-headed recently? The vegetables he takes care of in the backyard are growing quite well. Yesterday, he even sent some tomatoes and beans over. Don¡¯t always treat him with a cold expression. It¡¯s inevitable that it¡¯ll make one¡¯s heart turn cold.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to be a virtuous daughter-inw?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Sure...¡±

    ...

    However, it seemed that the child in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s belly could not wait until after the Mid-autumn Festival!

    It was another year¡¯s Mid-autumn Festival.

    When Dongfang Liuyun woke up from her sleep, it was already past nine in the morning.

    She struggled to get up and rubbed her eyes. She subconsciously looked around the bedroom. Qi Lei had already disappeared. He must have woken up early to work in the study.

    Qi Lei had been waking up early recently, but she was used to waking upte.

    When she woke up, Qi Lei had also packed up his work. After that, he would focus on apanying her. asionally, he would take her out for a walk or go to the beach to relieve the depression in her heart. The doctor said that women were prone to depression at this time, it scared him. was Lingtian¡¯s mother, Mu Zixi not like this?

    Therefore, he tried his best to arrange his work well. When she was awake, he would never leave her side. On this point, Dongfang Liuyun was touched.

    He was more nervous than she was!

    After easing herself, Dongfang Liuyun pulled away her nket and carefully got out of bed. He had already prepared a very loose set of home clothes for her out of habit.

    Dongfang Liuyun took it over and put it on slowly. She tied up her messy long hair and walked to the bathroom.

    In the bathroom, Qi Lei had even prepared the toiletries for her in an orderly manner. He was afraid that it would be inconvenient for her, and the floor was covered with a thick anti-slippery floor.

    However, even so, idents could not be avoided!

    Dongfang Liuyun took a hair band from the drawer to fix up her hair. When she closed the drawer, she identally clipped the corner of her clothes. When she turned around, she only heard a ¡®Ka¡¯ sound. Her clothes were torn, and she was caught off guard as she fell to the ground...

    A sharp pain came from her body. Dongfang Liuyun sucked in a breath of cold air. She wanted to get up, but she did not expect that something strange had happened under her.

    Her eyes widened slightly as she pressed on her belly. She seemed to have realized something and a look of horror shed across her eyes. She did not care about anything else and quickly shouted outside with difficulty¡ª

    ¡°Qi Lei! Qi Lei! Our child, save them, Qi Lei!¡±

    She almost used all her strength to shout Qi Lei¡¯s name.

    Qi Lei was in the study next door. When he heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s shout, he immediately rushed in!

 Chapter 2094 - Son or Daughter? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2094: Son or Daughter? (5)</h4>

    When he saw Dongfang Liuyun lying on the ground, Qi Lei felt that his heart was about to stop beating. He could not care about anything else and quickly went forward to carry her.

    ¡°How are you feeling? Liuyun?¡±

    Qi Lei hugged Dongfang Liuyun tightly in panic.

    ¡°Quickly send me to the hospital. The child may not be able to wait that long. We must save our child. Qi Lei, do you understand? We must make sure they¡¯re safe, Qi Lei...¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun endured the pain and grabbed Qi Lei¡¯s sleeve tightly. She sucked in a few breaths of cold air.

    ¡°Both you and the child will be safe. We¡¯ll go to the hospital immediately!¡±

    After Qi Lei said that, he immediately carried Dongfang Liuyun and rushed outside, heading straight for Hospital T.

    Outside the operating theater of Hospital T.

    Qi Lei had waited for a long time. It was already noon. The sun was still zing outside, even during a reunion festival like this.

    Dongfang Gan and Song Siting rushed over as soon as they received the news. They had been waiting with Qi Lei for a long time, and they were extremely anxious.

    They did not know how much time had passed. When it was close to evening, they suddenly heard the cry of a babying from inside. Qi Lei¡¯s eyes lit up after waiting for a long time. Dongfang Gan and Song Siting quickly stood up and rushed to the door of the operating theater.

    ¡°They¡¯re born! They must be born!¡±

    ¡°How is Liuyun?¡±

    ...

    However, the door of the operating theater was not opened yet. A few minutester, the sound of a baby crying could be heard.

    The people outside the operating theater looked at each other and smiled. Their eyes were still filled with worry.

    ¡°They will definitely be safe. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Dongfang Gan looked at Qi Lei, whose handsome face was tense and nervous. He smiled and patted his shoulder.

    ¡°Father... I still don¡¯t know how Liuyun is...¡± Qi Lei said nervously.

    ¡°Just wait, it¡¯s fine!¡±

    They waited for a long time until the sun was about to set. When the sun was gentle outside, the door of the operating theater finally opened slowly. The doctor wheeled Dongfang Liuyun out, the nurses on both sides were carrying the newborn baby in their arms.

    ¡°Doctor, how is my wife?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s first ncended on Dongfang Liuyun, who was still unconscious on the hospital bed. He was very clear about the situation when he sent her over just now. He was afraid that something had happened to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. Your wife gave birth to a pair of twins for you. The mother is safe, the brother and sister are safe too. She¡¯s just tired now. She¡¯ll wake up in a few hours. Let her rest first. She¡¯s really a great mother.¡±

    The doctor looked at the sweat on Qi Lei¡¯s forehead and smiled.

    Hearing the doctor¡¯s words, Qi Lei heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good!¡±

    ¡°Take a look at your child, Qi Lei!¡±

    Song Siting¡¯s voice came through.

    Only then did Qi Lei shift his gaze away from Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s pale face. He looked at the baby in the nurse¡¯s arms

    It was wrinkled and ugly!

    Who said that a newborn baby was beautiful? It did not look like him at all. It was impossible to tell if it looked like him or Liuyun. It was so torturous!

    Perhaps realizing that his father was looking down on them, before Qi Lei could move his eyes away, the little brother and sister suddenly opened their eyes, blinked, and closed them again...

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun woke up at around 8 p.m.

    ¡°Liuyun? How do you feel?¡±

    Qi Lei, who had been watching by the side for a while, quickly got up and asked with concern when he saw that Dongfang Liuyun had woken up.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Where¡¯s the child? Is it a son or a daughter?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun could not care less about her messy hair. She propped her body and tried to sit up, but Qi Lei stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t move yet. Be careful of your wounds. They¡¯re fine. They¡¯re still not full term. The doctor said they need to stay in an incubator for a while. Now we have both a son and a daughter. The older one is the boy.¡±

    ¡°Can I see them?¡± Dongfang Liuyun asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

    ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Eat something first. The nurse will bring them overter. Mother made some soup, have some.¡±

    Qi Lei poured some soup for her.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not refuse.

    ¡°By the way, have you thought of the child¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°The son¡¯s name is Dongfang Ye, and the daughter¡¯s name is Qi Lan,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°Dongfang Ye? Qi Lan? Ye Lan?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun pondered for a moment and looked at him in confusion. ¡°Why Dongfang Ye? You don¡¯t need to...¡±

    ¡°This is good for you and the Dongfang family. They¡¯re both our children anyway, and also the blood of your Dongfang family. Besides, we have a daughter, and both of them are our children. This is the truth.¡±

    Before Dongfang Liuyun could finish, Qi Lei cut her off with a smile.

    ¡°Did Father ask you to do this?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun narrowed her eyes and asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Why would Father ask me of this? I offered it myself. Alright, isn¡¯t it just a name? Don¡¯t think too much. As long as you¡¯re fine, it¡¯s my greatest fortune that the children can grow up healthy and happy.¡±

    Qi Lei did not want to continue this topic. He reached out to help her fix up her hair as he fed her soup.

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at him deeply and did not say anything else.

    ¡°The doctor said that you need to stay in the hospital for a period of time. The children will continue to be under observation. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be here to apany you. You¡¯ve worked hard, Liuyun.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s eyes were filled with deep emotions. Up until now, he had not been able to digest this news.

    He did not expect Dongfang Liuyun to give birth to twins for him. Qi Lei, who was alone, suddenly had two blood-rted rtives.

    At first, he did not feel anything. When he went to look at the two little fellows, Qi Lei realized that his heart was as soft as cotton.

    However, the children who were just born seemed to be very sleepy. They did not open their eyes to look at him. He had stood there for a long time, but the siblings only opened their eyes once.

    ¡°Have you settled your matters? It seems like it¡¯s almost time for the quarterly nning and summing-up meeting. Haven¡¯t you been busy with this matter recently? I¡¯m not a delicate little girl, it¡¯s just a month of confinement. The children will apany me.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and said.

    ¡°Can the children rece me? It¡¯s only normal for me to apany you at this time. The children will be taken care of by someone else. You¡¯ll be responsible for resting well and taking care of yourself in this period of time so that you don¡¯t fall illter.¡±

    Qi Lei would never admit that he did this because he did not want to see Dongfang Liuyun focus on the children in the future. He wanted to fully y his role as a good husband at this special time, only then could his figure be fiercely imprinted in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart. Moreover, only by doing so could he prevent postpartum depression.

 Chapter 2095 - Full Moon Banquet (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2095: Full Moon Banquet (1)</h4>

    Under Qi Lei¡¯s meticulous care, Dongfang Liuyun recovered very quickly.

    However, she still needed to stay in the hospital for more than 20 days before she could be discharged.

    A few days after she was discharged, it was the children¡¯s full moon banquet, Qi Lei nned to have a small affair at home.

    Although it was said to be a small affair, everyone knew the kind of status Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun had. The Qi family and Dongfang family held a very high position in the entire City Z, especially in the upper-ss society, so there were quite a number of people visiting at this time.

    They could not let these things disturb Dongfang Liuyun and the children¡¯s rest.

    After some consideration, Qi Lei booked the entire luxurious hotel near the Grand Lake Vi area to hold this full moon banquet.

    Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and her husband rushed over with the children and their entire family. Su Chen and Ji Zitong also brought their daughter over, while Zhou Zimo and Qin Su came very early.

    Leng Xinran did not n toe, but because of Lan Xiu¡¯s insistence, she had no choice but to go along with him.

    In any case, the fianc¨¦s often went to various asions like this, so she was used to it.

    Leng Xinran drank a few sses of wine and then went to the bathroom. Unexpectedly, when she washed her hands, she ran into Qin Su who was puking in front of the sink.

    There was no smell of alcohol on her body. Zhou Zimo had also warned her not to eat the food on the table just now. Leng Xinran did not need to think to know that Qin Su had good news.

    ¡°How do you feel now? Rinse your mouth.¡±

    Leng Xinran passed a ss of warm water and said with concern.

    Qin Su spat out another mouthful, before she calmed herself down, then took the water and rinsed her mouth a few times. She felt a little limp. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know that it would be so tough being pregnant. It feels more tiring than fighting,¡± Qin Su said weakly.

    ¡°How many months has it been? I didn¡¯t hear you mention it before.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s face was filled with a faint gentleness as she asked.

    ¡°More than two months. I didn¡¯t notice it before. You know that my period is uncertain too, especially when I¡¯m tired, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t remember it. Only in these past few days, I went for a check-up when there was a reaction. It was true that I was indeed pregnant. Zhou Zimo, that bastard, he said that he would wait for next year.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not too far away from next year now. I can tell that he treats you quite well. Moreover, this will happen sooner orter. Your child won¡¯t be like you and me, don¡¯t need to worry too much.¡±

    Leng Xinran naturally knew Qin Su¡¯s thoughts. She was also a little afraid of children because of the trauma from her childhood. Naturally, she did not wish for such a thing to happen to her child.

    ¡°Moreover, you have been married for almost a year.¡±

    ¡°Almost a year? Has it been that quick?¡±

    When Leng Xinran said this, Qin Su was a little surprised. After thinking about it carefully, it was indeed so. It had been almost a year. Liang Jing, Zhou Zhenjun, and the old man had been waiting for her eagerly. Liang Jing had also prepared a lot of nourishing meals for her.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Leng Xinran smiled calmly.

    ¡°What about you? You and Lan Xiu have been engaged for a while. When do you n to get married? Now that you¡¯re living together, you might not be so safe every time. Look at me. Zhou Zimo and I...¡±

    Qin Su looked at Leng Xinran meaningfully.

    Leng Xinran nced at her and said unhappily, ¡°Can Lan Xiu and I be the same as you and Zhou Zimo? Everyone knows how Zhou Zimo feels about you, but Lan Xiu and I... I¡¯m just staying at his ce to make it more convenient. We don¡¯t have the rtionship you think we have.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just too rational. I was the same as you before, but I got used to it after interacting with him for a long time. Xinran, I actually can¡¯t imagine what it would be like if you, Leng Xinran, really fell in love with a man. I¡¯m a little worried now, would I be able to witness this scene in my lifetime?¡±

    Qin Su knew Leng Xinran¡¯s personality too well. He also knew that Leng Xinran was not with Lan Xiu because of love. However, Qin Su still hoped that Leng Xinran would be able to obtain love, because this might be the only thing that could make Leng Xinran happy.

    When Leng Xinran heard this, she smiled disapprovingly, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said so, then don¡¯t hold any hope in your heart. I feel that my current life is pretty good. There aren¡¯t too many waves. Ye Xiaolian¡¯sckeys have also been wiped out by Lan Xiu and me. The Leng family is very peaceful. Lan Xiu and I also take care of each other and let nature take its course.¡±

    ¡°I know that Lan Xiu loved Dongfang Liuyun very much, but now you¡¯ve seen it too. Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei are so in love and have even given birth to a pair of cute twins. You can¡¯t be hung up over this, right?¡±

    Hearing this, Leng Xinran¡¯s smile widened slightly. She shook her head gently, ¡°It¡¯s not that I mind. He has his past, and I have my past too. To pursue this would be unfair treatment towards each other. Besides, Dongfang Liuyun is indeed a pretty good woman. There¡¯s no chance for them to be together, but that doesn¡¯t mean Lan Xiu and I will fall in love with each other. Don¡¯t doubt it Qin Su, this is our current situation, we treat each other with mutual respect and interact with ease.¡±

    ¡°You guys...¡±

    Qin Su was a little surprised by Leng Xinran¡¯s words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. We should be able to continue our rtionship, he thinks the same way. We¡¯re already so old. I don¡¯t have that much time to pursue too many things. Although those things have nothing to do with age, my heart is getting old.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only 30, Xinran!¡±

    Qin Su reprimanded her in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s worn yourself out.¡±

    ¡°On your father¡¯s side...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. After Ye Xiaolian lost her power, she¡¯s been quite well-behaved. Now that there¡¯s news about a kidney, he¡¯s waiting for the hospital to do a further check.¡±

    Regarding Leng Mingyi¡¯s matter, even though Leng Xinran was cold to him, she still put in a lot of effort on this matter. Lan Xiu also helped out quite a bit.

    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve gone to visit Auntie. I¡¯ll go with Zhou Zimo this weekend to take a look. You should be going this weekend too, right? It¡¯s Auntie¡¯s birthday.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re even more concerned about this than I am. She¡¯s been much more sober recently, so she¡¯s also asking about you. Since that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s go together this weekend. Are you sure your body is okay?¡±

    Leng Xinran nced at Qin Su¡¯s t stomach, still a little worried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m in great health. I just have some reactions, it¡¯ll be fine as long as I¡¯m careful and I¡¯ll let Zhou Zimo drive over. I¡¯ll even bring some osmanthus cakes that Auntie likes.¡±

    ¡°Mm, what about Uncle and Auntie? Have they reconciled recently?¡± Leng Xinran asked as she helped Qin Su out of the bathroom.

    ¡°They¡¯re still the same. It¡¯s just that the frequency of their quarrels has been a little lower recently. They¡¯ve changed it to mocking each other. I rarely go back, but Zhou Zimo often acts as a peacemaker.¡±

    Speaking of this matter, Qin Su also felt a headacheing on. That old couple had quarreled for decades. How could they change all of a sudden?

 Chapter 2096 - Full Moon Banquet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2096: Full Moon Banquet (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Therefore, Qin Su was very open-minded. As long as they did not go overboard, she could not be bothered to care. After all, this was their way of getting along, and their way of life. Others might not be able to get involved, so she might as well let them be.

    ¡°Uncle and Auntie are still the same. Actually, maybe this is because they are used to it. Some people just spend their lives arguing, if there is no one at home to argue with, they might find life meaningless instead. You just have to watch them.¡±

    Leng Xinran had always been more open-minded than Qin Su, and she had helped with a lot of Qin Su¡¯s thought process.

    ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to be envious of me. Every family has their own difficulties. Sometimes, I really hope that they will leave each other and find a true home for each other. There is nothing wrong with that.¡±

    ¡°You are not them. Perhaps you won¡¯t know what they are thinking. Perhaps they have long been used to each other¡¯s existence. If it were someone else, they would not be used to it. For example, you have already started to slowly get used to Zhou Zimo. If it were someone else, you might not be happy.¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re saying does make sense. Now, I¡¯ll let them do whatever they want.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t think too much. Let¡¯s go back and get you a cup of hot water.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ...

    At this moment, on the sofa in the corner of the banquet hall, Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, Qi Lei, Zhou Zimo, and Qi Lei were drinking and chatting while Qi Qiming and the rest received the guests.

    Mu Zicheng sat next to Mu Yuchen, ying with Mu Yuchen¡¯s phone in his hand. Of course, the little guy do not really know how to use the phone. He just casually yed with it, not caring about what the adults were talking about.

    Mu Xiaocheng was almost three years old. He could walk quite steadily, and his speech was basically very clear. Although he was active, he liked to be alone. He yed by himself and was very quiet. The little guy was also very smart and learned very quickly.

    As Mu Yuchen and the others were talking, the little guy¡¯s phone suddenly vibrated. Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s eyes widened as he swiped the answer button. His young voice rang too¡ª

    ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s a phone call!¡±

    As he spoke, he handed the phone to Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen reached out to take it as he patted his little head. The little guy immediately pushed Mu Yuchen¡¯s big hands away. He did not like people touching his head!

    The phone call was from Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°Mother?¡±

    ¡°Ah Chen? It¡¯s me. I¡¯m going to Lingshi¡¯s ce these two days. Your father will be going home to rest for a few days. You and Xiaye can bring the children back to take a look.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong had been running around City B quite frequently recently because Mu Lingshi was pregnant with another child. It had been a few months. Zhuang Shurong was worried that Mu Lingshi would not have anyone to take care of her, so she often went over to take a look. The first few months were more important.

    ¡°Got it. Stay there for a few more days. Xiao Cheng¡¯s parents will help take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Oh right, Ah Mo is quite busy with work. You...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong hesitated for a moment before saying again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already arranged for a person-in-charge to assist him. He¡¯s in charge of Hui Gu now. I didn¡¯t arrange anything else for him.¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew what Zhuang Shurong was worried about. Ah Mo was indeed very busy, especially now that Mu Lingshi was not feeling well. Almost everything over there was on him.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. You guys are usually too busy. You have to know how to rest properly. Your father is the same too. He had a stomach perforation a while ago, and it wasn¡¯t easy for him to get better. Now, he¡¯s working hard on his work. You and Xiaye should try to persuade him more often. Everything I say goes in one ear and out the other. He doesn¡¯t have much authority anymore.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong sounded a little worried. Mu Tangchuan¡¯s health had always been poor, especially his stomach. Fortunately, after she retired, she took good care of him. Now, it was much better.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Father listen to you the most? As long as you ask dad strictly about these things, he should listen too. I will remind him, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    After Zhuang Shurong retired, she no longer had the aura of a strong woman like before. Instead, she was much gentler. Now, she was mostly concerned about the children¡¯s health and some daily matters. With Zhuang Shurong around, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were much more at ease. At least, they did not have to worry about anything at home. Even now, the children¡¯s homework was personally supervised by Zhuang Shurong.

    Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er were being taken care of by Zhuang Shurong after school. Zhuang Shurong sent them back to Maple Residence first and then urged them to finish their homework before they went back to the Mu residence.

    ¡°If he really listens to me, he won¡¯t have a stomachache. Alright, I won¡¯t say anymore. I¡¯m getting in the car.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong said a few more words before hanging up.

    ¡°Grandmother, are you going to visit Aunty?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s ears were really sharp. He had been listening to Mu Yuchen and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s conversation.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m going to visit Aunty.¡±

    ¡°Then, who¡¯s going to apany Grandfather?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s eyes blinked as he stared fixedly at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen raised his handsome brows in surprise.

    He had heard from Zhuang Shurong that this son of his liked to stay by Mu Tangchuan¡¯s side.

    ¡°I want to go visit Grandfather.¡±

    When the little thing saw that Mu Yuchen did not answer, it seemed like he had made some difficult decision. As he spoke, he looked at the phone in Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand. His intentions were clear.

    Mu Yuchen smiled yfully. ¡°Alright, let Grandfathere and pick you upter?¡±

    ¡°Mmm!¡±

    The little guy then nodded. At this moment, Su Chen, who had been watching from the side, had already reached out to gently pinch Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s fair and tender little face. He smiled and said, ¡°Xiaocheng, how about Uncle Su marry Sister Jingling to you? Let her y with you, okay?¡±

    Marry?

    Of course, Mu Xiaocheng did not understand what he meant, so he immediately turned to look at his father.

    ¡°Marrying means letting her follow you by your side like Mother apanying Father.¡±

    Mu Yuchen carried him up and let him sit on hisp as he exined.

    The little guy thought about it as if he understood, then he shook his head, ¡°She likes to cry too much... It¡¯s not fun. Little sister Qi Lan is more fun... She¡¯ll open and close her eyes. Daddy, why doesn¡¯t she say anything? Little brother Dongfang Ye is the same... Their eyes are so small, and their hands are so small...¡±

    ¡°Haha, Su Chen, your precious daughter is being despised. She¡¯s a crybaby. It seems like Mu Xiaocheng cares more about Qi Lan!¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not hold it in any longer and burst intoughter. Su Chen¡¯s face was ashen as he red at Zhou Zimo.

    Qi Lei, who was silent at the side, had a smile on his face!

    Do not doubt it. At this moment, as a father, he was too proud!

    He was indeed the son-inw that he had set his eyes on. In the future, he would definitely let his precious daughter take down Mu Xiaocheng!

 Chapter 2097 - Full Moon Banquet (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2097: Full Moon Banquet (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Naturally, Mu Xiaocheng did not know that the adults were already thinking about him. At this moment, he was holding Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand and taking his phone away.

    Mu Yuchen let him be. He hugged him dotingly and helped him tidy up his clothes.

    ¡°Xiaocheng, you have to protect sister Qi Lan from now on, understand? You can¡¯t let anyone bully her, hmm?¡±

    Qi Lei then smiled at Mu Xiaocheng.

    When he heard someone call him, Mu Xiaocheng turned around too. When he saw Qi Lei¡¯s serious expression, he thought about it quietly. Then, his little head nodded slightly, seeming to understand something.

    The smile on Qi Lei¡¯s face became even wider. He reached out to pet Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s little head. ¡°What a good child! Look at you. You¡¯re probably going to be the boss of these brats in the future.¡±

    ¡°Chen, Mu Xiaocheng looks more and more like you. Look at his features. I can vaguely see Xi Xiaye¡¯s silhouette, but now by his looks, it¡¯s obvious to other people that you¡¯re father and son at a nce.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? How can biological father and son not look alike? Would they be looking like you?¡±

    Before Zhou Zimo could finish his sentence, Su Chen had already begun to retort unhappily.

    ¡°Personal attacks? Your daughter¡¯s market is also very high! Doesn¡¯t Qi Lei and Chen have a son?¡±

    Zhou Zimo nced at the displeased Su Chen and could only console him.

    As expected, Su Chen¡¯s expression looked much better when he heard that!

    That was right!

    Mu Zirui, Mu Zirui that brat was pretty good too!

    ¡°It¡¯s better to wait for the children to grow up before making their own decisions. Our parents didn¡¯t treat us like this before either.¡±

    Qi Lei thought about it and nced at Mu Yuchen.

    Mu Yuchen smiled. ¡°I agree.¡±

    ¡°The project in City B is about to enter the final phase. It took almost five years, so we¡¯ll be able to enter the trial phase in a few months. I was worried about Liuyun, so I was dyed a while ago. I¡¯ll personally go over there to prepare for the final phase in a few days. The first phase of the South River Project is waiting for eptance. The second phase is still ongoing, so I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    Qi Lei did not forget about his work. He had been busy taking care of Liuyun recently, so things were dyed a little. Fortunately, Mu Yuchen had put in some effort, so the progress of the project was not left behind.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just take it as making up for the honeymoon trip that you guys couldn¡¯t achieve.¡±

    Mu Yuchen was very magnanimous.

    On the other hand, when Qi Lei mentioned this honeymoon trip, he felt very regretful.

    Initially, he wanted to go on a honeymoon with Dongfang Liuyun after they got married. Unexpectedly, he was injured and then the wedding was dyed. Then there was the child, so his wish had yet toe true.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while, our child is still so young, there¡¯s no way we can just go.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There are still plenty of opportunities. Let¡¯s wait till the children are a little older. Didn¡¯t Qin Su and I not go on our honeymoon too? However, time passed too quickly. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed just like that, I¡¯m already 35 this year? Yesterday when Qin Su asked me, I could not quite react.¡±

    Among the few of them, Su Chen was one year older than Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo. He was almost 36 this year, and it was not easy for him to have such a daughter. Qi Lei was a little younger, but he was already over 30 years old. He was not young anymore.

    ¡°In the blink of an eye, we¡¯re already old. We¡¯ll work hard for another 20 years, and then we can retire and let the children do it.¡±

    Su Chen smiled. Before he had his daughter, Su Jingling, he sometimes felt quite stressed. Now that they had a child, he and Ji Zitong felt relieved. At least, they did not have to worry about the nagging of the elders at home anymore.

    However, Elder Su¡¯s health seemed to be not too good recently. Elder Su was already in his eighties, it was tough for people his age. Especially after Mu Yinan passed away, Elder Su and Elder Zhou¡¯s spirits were also a little low, when the elders were still around, everyone was in good spirits.

    ¡°How¡¯s Grandfather Su now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen asked about it as well. Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were very concerned about Grandfather Su¡¯s health. Some time ago, the buddies and Qi Lei had even gone to the Su family¡¯s old residence to visit Grandfather Su.

    ¡°Sigh, what can he do? He¡¯s almost 90 years old. He was with us a few days ago and he¡¯s been feeling a little tired recently. He told us to try not to go too far, I keep feeling like there¡¯s more to the old man¡¯s words. My father, on the other hand, is very open-minded. He said that there would be such a day sooner orter. My father doesn¡¯t go out to socialize anymore. When he¡¯s free, he¡¯ll run home. You know, my father is very respectful and concerned about the old man.¡±

    Speaking of this matter, Su Chen¡¯s heart also felt heavy.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry. Grandfather Su is still in good health. He should be able tost for a few more years,¡± Qi Lei replied.

    ¡°I hope so. This is unavoidable. I¡¯ve already discussed it with Zitong. After a few days, I¡¯ll move back to the old residence. I¡¯ll let the old man see the children more so that he can feel happier. My mother ns to leave thepany to Zitong. She¡¯ll take care of the children at home and take care of Grandfather.¡±

    Su Chen lowered his head and took a sip of the wine in his ss. His expression was a little quiet.

    ¡°Grandfather has experienced many storms in his life. He¡¯s more open-minded than us. Let¡¯s just see how it goes and not think too much about it,¡± Mu Yuchen replied in a low voice.

    ¡°I know. We can empathize with each other too. Grandfather Mu... sigh, today¡¯s a good day. Let¡¯s not talk about these depressing things. Come, drink, drink!¡±

    Su Chen did not want to say anymore, so he raised the wine ss in his hand.

    The brothers nodded and clinked their sses as well.

    ¡°I heard from my father a few days ago that the documents from the provincial department have been sent over. The Disciplinary Inspection Department has also reviewed it. Director Huang and the higher-ups of the provincial department think highly of you. Are you hopeful of taking over the position at the city bureau headquarters next year?¡±

    Mu Yuchen recalled Mu Tangchuan¡¯s praise for Su Chen a few days ago. Su Chen had also been a deputy director in the north of the city for nearly five years, and his background was so strong. It was only a matter of time before he was promoted.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure yet. Now, I actually think that this position isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s more important and has more responsibility. Moreover, that peacock in the south of the city has never given up. I don¡¯t like him very much. It would be good if I could be promoted. At least, I won¡¯t have to be ostracized by him anymore,¡± Su Chen said sullenly.

    ¡°Ostracized by him? I don¡¯t know when you, Su Chen, became so well-behaved?¡± Zhou Zimo said with some surprise.

    ¡°What do you know? His background is not inferior to ours. This time, many people from the provincial office are speaking up for him. So, this matter has not been decided yet. Let¡¯s just see.¡±

    Su Chen did not really care about this matter.

 Chapter 2098 - Full Moon Banquet (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2098: Full Moon Banquet (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Chen did not seem to be interested in getting promoted and getting rich. He was not cut out to be a businessman, so he could only live like this for now.

    Compared to the political arena, Su Chen¡¯s original intentions had not changed. He still preferred to stay in the army. If it were not for his family¡¯s reasons, he would not want toe back. Now that he had a family, his heart had finally settled down for the past year or two.

    ¡°Man struggles upwards, water flows downwards. There are rules in the industry too. Don¡¯t let down their good intentions.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice was heard as he looked at Su Chen with an unusually deep gaze.

    Su Chen naturally knew what Mu Yuchen meant. He thought about it and nodded. ¡°I understand, don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    Mu Yuchen then lowered his eyes and took a sip of wine thoughtfully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much of a problem with you. Uncle Su just got promoted two years ago. Even though we don¡¯t want to bask in the old man¡¯s glory, who wouldn¡¯t think about that when the timees?¡± Zhou Zimo said.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. It¡¯ll be good if I really get promoted, I could cover you lot too.¡±

    As they spoke, the buddies looked at each other and smiled.

    ...

    Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s health had slowly recovered, almost the same as she was before her pregnancy. Apart from herplexion looking a little ruddier than before, she looked more charming than before.

    Today, she was wearing a ck floral dress. She looked somewhat gentle, and there was an unconceble joy and happiness between her brows.

    At this moment, she was also busy greeting the guests.

    Lan Xiu just watched from the side and did not walk up.

    Fujiwara had said that he woulde today, but he still had not seen him. In fact, Lan Xiu was very clear that he would most likely note either. Lan Xiu could slowly hide his intentions, but Fujiwara might not be able to. From the recent conversation, he could tell that Fujiwara was only forcing himself to not disturb Dongfang Liuyun.

    His feelings for Dongfang Liuyun did not decrease, they were only temporarily stranded.

    However, the fate between them was shallow. With such a a stubbornness, it was destined that there would not be a happy ending, so why should he persist?

    The twins were very cute. Lan Xiu had just gone over to take a look. Seeing the joy and happiness on Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s face, Lan Xiu¡¯s tensed heart seemed to ease up.

    This was really the best ending for them.

    It did not necessarily have to be two people who understood each other the best that give each other happiness. For example, he and Dongfang Liuyun had known each other for more than 20 years, but was it not still inferior to Qi Lei¡¯s?

    Therefore, there was not really anything to take for granted in this world. It was just fate.

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath. Suddenly, there was a slight bitterness in his throat. He raised his hand in a daze, wanting to take a sip of wine. However, at this moment, a familiar and cold fragrance assaulted him. He was stunned for a moment, and before he could react, suddenly, he heard the sound of wine sses clinking. He looked in the direction of the sound and realized that Leng Xinran was pouring some wine into his empty wine ss.

    ¡°Where did you go just now? I¡¯ve been looking for you for quite a while.¡±

    Seeing Leng Xinran, Lan Xiu¡¯s expression eased up a little, and he asked with concern.

    ¡°I was talking to Qin Su for a while. How much did you drink? You don¡¯t look too great.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s alcohol tolerance was not great. At this moment, his face was slightly red and he did not look very good.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t drink much,¡± Lan Xiu replied.

    ¡°Go and sit down.¡±

    Leng Xinran pointed to the sofa at the side and walked over as well. Lan Xiu followed behind her.

    ¡°Your stomach hasn¡¯t been very good recently. Be careful. Your body is yours, you don¡¯t even cherish it. You¡¯ll regret it when you¡¯re suffering.¡±

    Lan Xiu lowered his head and took a sip. Only then did he realize that what Leng Xinran poured was warm lemonade, not wine.

    ¡°Drink some. It¡¯ll relieve some of the alcohol.¡±

    Leng Xinran simply handed the cup in her hand over.

    Lan Xiu was stunned. After a while, he reached out to take it. He did not refuse and drank the entire cup. The light taste suppressed it, and he felt his body warm up slightly. His entire body slowly eased up.

    ¡°They¡¯re a good match.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s calm voice was heard. Lan Xiu slowly raised his gaze and followed her gaze. He saw Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun standing side by side in front of him. At this moment, the couple¡¯s faces were filled with a faint smile, there was happiness between their brows.

    As he looked, Lan Xiu suddenlyughed softly. ¡°Mm, I didn¡¯t think much of it before. However, after seeing them recently, I realized that they¡¯re the most suitable couple.¡±

    ¡°Actually, there is no such thing as whether they are truly suitable or not. There is no such thing as being truly suitable. It¡¯s just that they can tolerate each other, be humble, and cherish each other.¡±

    As soon as Lan Xiu finished speaking, Leng Xinran said the same thing. After thinking for a moment, she continued, ¡°You¡¯d only feel unsuitable if the person you met isn¡¯t enough for the other party to tolerate and care for them. I think this is the so-called cause and effect rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s also a good thing that feelings happen during this process.¡±

    ...

    Lan Xiu was silent for a moment. Thinking about it, it seemed like what she said made sense.

    In the end, he, Lan Xiu, was not someone who could change Dongfang Liuyun and give her a sense of security.

    ¡°I hope that she can continue like this forever. After suffering so much in the past, at this moment, I hope that she can have it forever.¡±

    As Lan Xiu said this, he suddenly thought of Lan Qi. If he was still around, could he also make Dongfang Liuyun so happy?

    Lan Qi¡¯s feelings for Dongfang Liuyun were also very deep. It was so deep that he could give up everything, including his life, for her.

    Perhaps this was the reason why Dongfang Liuyun could never forget Lan Qi. Whenever she talked about him, she would feel heartbroken?

    ¡°It¡¯s also a kind of happiness for her that you¡¯re doing well. I believe in your friendship.¡±

    At this point, Leng Xinran suddenly looked at Lan Xiu thoughtfully. Lan Xiu listened and was stunned for a moment. He could not react in time and looked at Leng Xinran in confusion.

    However, Leng Xinran had already gently pulled the coat on her shoulder and nced at him. Her thin figure walked past him, ¡°Dongfang Liuyun is your good friend. I also hope that she can always be happy, but don¡¯t forget that she and Qi Lei are husband and wife. You and I are fianc¨¦s. There are quite a few people from the media here today. You¡¯re a smart person, Lan Xiu.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Xiu finally understood what Leng Xinran meant. He scanned his surroundings and realized that there were people from the media aiming their cameras at them.

    He took a deep breath and quickly followed her. He held Leng Xinran¡¯s hand with one hand...

 Chapter 2099 - Temperature (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2099: Temperature (1)</h4>

    With their fingers interlocked, a faint temperature was transmitted from their palms.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back. I see that the fun is still going on, and we¡¯re almost done.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s low voice was heard.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Lan Xiu agreed immediately.

    Thus, the two of them left quietly together.

    On the way back, the driver was Leng Xinran¡ª

    She did not drink much just now, but Lan Xiu drank quite a lot, so she had to be the driver.

    Lan Xiu sat in the passenger seat at the side, looking very quiet. The air conditioner was not turned on in the car, but the windows were slightly open. The night breeze was very cool, and the music yer in the car was also open.

    Seeing that he was resting with his eyes closed, Leng Xinran quietly turned down the music and slightly raised the window.

    ¡°Is it very cold?¡±

    Lan Xiu, who had his eyes closed, noticed that the window next to him was raised, so he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Those who drink too much tend to get drunk more easily with the cold. When we get back I¡¯ll get the servants to cook you a bowl of hangover soup.¡±

    Leng Xinran steadily increased the speed of the car and simply closed the window.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. How can it be that easy to get drunk?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s tone was very gentle. He opened his eyes and looked at her silently. However, he saw that her eyes were calm and her expression seemed particrly distant. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said, ¡°I know that you don¡¯t like this kind of events. If you don¡¯t like it next time, don¡¯t force yourself.¡±

    ¡°Did I make it very obvious?¡±

    Hearing his words, Leng Xinran gave a low smile. There was no emotion in her tone.

    Lan Xiu paused for a moment. He looked at her thoughtfully and replied, ¡°A little.¡±

    Only then did Leng Xinran let out a softugh and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with them either. It¡¯s very difficult to blend in. However, since it¡¯s your circle, I will naturally work hard to blend in. Don¡¯t worry. I can¡¯t avoid what needs to be met. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. As long as things can develop in a positive way, I¡¯ll be willing to try to cooperate.¡±

    Leng Xinran made her position and thoughts very clear. Naturally, she did not want the two of them to feel estranged because of this. That was not what they wanted.

    Lan Xiu was very satisfied with her rationality andprehension. However, he felt a little sorry for her, especially since he lost hisposure a little tonight. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I understand. There¡¯s no need to mind Liuyun¡¯s existence. I¡¯m dealing with my past rtionships. I know that the life we have to face in the future is great. Liuyun is great, but it doesn¡¯t belong to me. As for us, even if we don¡¯t have any feelings for each other, we have to live together for the rest of our lives. I can clearly differentiate between us, so...¡±

    ¡°I can hear that you¡¯re under a lot of pressure. I¡¯m actually very satisfied with your honesty. Actually, you don¡¯t have to worry about these things. Who doesn¡¯t have a past? Besides, we¡¯ve lived for dozens of years. Who doesn¡¯t have some experience? It¡¯s normal to have an unforgettable rtionship. I¡¯m not that kind of stupid and narrow-minded woman, but I don¡¯t have the right to ask about your feelings in our current rtionship. Didn¡¯t you also not care about my past?¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s tone was calm. Lan Xiu looked at her for a long time, but he could not detect any change in her expression. It was as if she had always been like this. Indifferent as the wind, she seemed to have seen through everything.

    Thinking about it, it made sense. Someone like her had experienced too many things, even more than Lan Xiu and Dongfang Liuyun. What could she not see through?

    At least, he, Lan Xiu, could not be in the same state of mind as Leng Xinran.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, the two of us are still evenly matched. It¡¯s good that we¡¯re evenly matched. I think our current state is what I want the most.¡±

    Leng Xinran did not hide her thoughts.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Lan Xiu gave her a meaningful nce. ¡°What if... What if I want us to have a deeper rtionship and to develop it?¡±

    Leng Xinran was stunned for a moment when Lan Xiu said this. She subconsciously slowed down the car and nced at him. After a long while, her indifferent red lips said, ¡°You want to marry me?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    Lan Xiu immediately agreed. He thought for a moment, ¡°We¡¯ve been engaged for a long time. Isn¡¯t everything going well now?¡±

    Lan Xiu had imagined that they would get married. He did not reject the idea at all. Moreover, he vaguely looked forward to this kind of life.

    It was probably because he was tired of living that lonely life. Now that he had someone to apany him, he wanted to change his lifestyle.

    Lan Xiu also convinced himself in his heart.

    However, Leng Xinran listened but did not answer. She just silently increased the speed of the car.

    After that, the two of them did not say anything more. When they drove into the vi area, Leng Xinran suddenly remembered what she had said to Qin Su and said, ¡°It¡¯s my mother¡¯s birthday in a few days. I will go there personally. Qin Su and Zhou Zimo said that they wille too. You...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good too. It¡¯ll be more lively with more people. Didn¡¯t your mother miss Qin Su before? She¡¯s a good friend of yours. It¡¯s good that the two of you meet often.¡±

    Lan Xiu naturally supported Leng Xinran since he knew that she valued Qin Su as a good friend.

    Leng Xinran nodded when she heard this. ¡°Let¡¯s set off early that day. Let¡¯s see if her condition is stable recently and take a look at the situation here. If it¡¯s possible, let¡¯s see if she wants to return to City Z after some time.¡±

    asionally, Leng Xinran would be a little worried if Mo Shan was left alone there, so she came up with the same idea.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡±

    Lan Xiu also agreed with Leng Xinran¡¯s idea.

    While they were talking, the car had already driven into Lan Xiu¡¯s vi. The car steadily stopped at the parking lot at the side.

    The two of them got out of the car unhurriedly. As soon as they reached home, Leng Xinran asked the servant to prepare the hangover soup for Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu went upstairs and said that he wanted to take a shower.

    Leng Xinran sat on the sofa in the living room for a while and watched the finance channel.

    ¡°Miss Leng, the hangover soup is ready. Do you want me to send it up to Pesident Lan first?¡±

    The servant carried the freshly prepared hangover soup and asked Leng Xinran for instructions.

    Leng Xinran turned her head and thought for a moment before turning off the TV. ¡°I¡¯ll take it up. It¡¯s quitete. You should rest early.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Miss Leng.¡±

    The servant said respectfully.

    Leng Xinran walked over, took the tray from the servant, and went upstairs at a leisurely pace.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s door was open. Leng Xinran knocked on the door, but no one answered. After thinking for a moment, she pushed the door open and walked in.

    At this time, Lan Xiu had just walked out of his bedroom. He had just finished bathing and was only wearing a dark blue nightgown. He was casually tying the sash around his waist...

 Chapter 2100 - Temperature (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2100: Temperature (2)</h4>

    Hearing the noise at the door, Lan Xiu subconsciously turned his gaze away.

    Leng Xinran¡¯s beautiful face came into view¡ª

    She was holding a bowl of slightly steaming hangover soup on the tray in her hand. The faint smell of the soup could be smelled in the air.

    ¡°You¡¯re still thinking about this?¡±

    Lan Xiu knew that the bowl was hangover soup.

    Leng Xinran walked over and ced the tray on the low table beside the sofa. She said, ¡°I asked the servant to cook it. It¡¯s quitete, I let her rest so I brought it up for you. Have some, you don¡¯t look too good.¡±

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Lan Xiu also walked over the sofa and sat down. He pointed to the seat beside him.

    Leng Xinran did not stand on ceremony. She sat down and handed him the hangover soup.

    Lan Xiu took it slowly and drank it in a few mouthfuls. Leng Xinran poured him another ss of water.

    ¡°In the past few years, because my stomach hasn¡¯t been very good, I¡¯ve controlled my alcohol intake. I feel that my alcohol tolerance has decreased. I used to be fine even if I drank a few more sses. Now, I feel a little dizzy. Could it be that I¡¯m getting old?¡±

    Lan Xiu raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows as he said helplessly.

    ¡°Alcohol tolerance can only be increased through practice. Moreover, you¡¯re too busy and worn out, it would naturally affect the state of your health. When I was a mortician in the past, I also understood some medical knowledge. I quite cherish my own life, so no matter how busy I am, I still know that I have my limits.¡±

    Leng Xinran leaned back on the sofa behind her. She did not look at him. Instead, she looked at the few photos on the shelf. Leng Xinran naturally knew the person in the photos. Other than Lan Xiu himself, there was also Dongfang Liuyun and a man who looked somewhat simr to Lan Xiu. He should be the legendary Lan Qi who had passed away.

    The two brothers¡¯ silhouettes were quite simr.

    However, Lan Qi looked more gentle and bright, while Lan Xiu was a gentle and elegant person. Looking at him gave Leng Xinran a very quiet feeling.

    Lan Xiu was a quiet person. Leng Xinran had always known about this. Moreover, the two of them were not people who liked to amuse themselves. Usually, if the two of them had a day off, they would mostly stay at home or read books, or they would go fishing, watch TV, or exercise. There was a private gym in the inner courtyard of Lan Xiu¡¯s vi, and Leng Xinran would asionally visit Jing An Cemetery.

    ¡°You say that, but you were so busy before that you couldn¡¯t bear to take a break.¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled.

    ¡°I was trying to increase my work efficiency. I know my limits. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Leng Xinran replied indifferently. She thought for a moment and looked at Lan Xiu hesitantly. ¡°I have something to ask you. I don¡¯t know if you...¡±

    ¡°Just tell me what it is.¡±

    Lan Xiu rarely saw her like this.

    Leng Xinran nodded. Suddenly, she took out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Lan Xiu, ¡°I found it when I was sorting out the mailbox today. It¡¯s a letter for you. I asked the butler to bring it to you, but the butler said that you never read letters from this address and this handwriting. I don¡¯t quite understand what he meant. He also said that there¡¯s probably a thick pile of letters from this address already, but you¡¯ve never opened them and read them...¡±

    As Leng Xinran spoke, her eyes were filled with doubt.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu¡¯s expression darkened. He coldly nced at the envelope in Leng Xinran¡¯s hand but did not take it. Leng Xinran frowned and wanted to say something. However, Lan Xiu suddenly became a little irritated, subconsciously, he reached for the cigarette packet on the table and took one out. He lit it up, blew out a mouthful of smoke, and said calmly¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. Just ignore it in the future.¡±

    From his tone, she could naturally sense that he did not seem too happy. Then, he felt a little frustrated. After some thought, Leng Xinran finally stopped asking. She only looked at the letter for a while before cing it on the table in front of her, she did not ask anything else.

    Since he did not want to say anything, she naturally would not ask too much. People like her did not like to meddle in other people¡¯s business. She was only asking Lan Xiu out of concern for him as a friend.

    Amidst the faint smoke, Lan Xiu frowned slightly. He narrowed his eyes coldly at the letter that was left on the table. After thinking for a moment, he exined calmly, ¡°It¡¯s a letter from the Lan family. When Lan Qi and I left, we had already severed all ties with them. The fact that they¡¯re getting in touch right now probably isn¡¯t a good thing. Ignoring it will be easier.¡±

    Lan Xiu had never been willing to mention the Lan family all these years. Previously, they had dealt with the Lan family¡¯s identity and background. Therefore, very few people knew about Lan Xiu¡¯s true background. Dongfang Liuyun was very clear about it though.

    Lan Xiu did not have a good impression of the Lan family either. He loathed certain people to the extreme. Therefore, when he mentioned the Lan family now, he felt even more conflicted and disgusted.

    ¡°My past isn¡¯t that glorious. Xinran, I¡¯m alone now, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much. The Lan family has had nothing to do with me since a long time ago,¡± Lan Xiu said indifferently.

    Naturally, Leng Xin could see a trace of coldness and repulsion in Lan Xiu¡¯s deep eyes. Although she had some doubts in her heart, she did not ask anything further and just nodded, ¡°You can handle your own matters, I believe you can handle it well. However, from what I see, even if you ignore them, they might stille looking for you.¡±

    After writing so many letters, they must have been very determined. Lan Xiu must have been unwilling to answer their calls, so they could only use this tactic. She could either probe or...

    Leng Xin did not make any further guesses. She looked up at Lan Xiu beside her and found that his expression was even gloomier than before. She took a breath andforted him, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much. Since you don¡¯t really care about it, let¡¯s take it one step at a time.¡±

    Lan Xiu puffed out his cigarette and put out the remaining half of his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. ¡°Okay.¡±

    He simply replied and looked at the time. It was gettingte, so he slowly got up. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s rest early, I still have to go to work tomorrow.¡±

    As she said that, she picked up the empty tray. ¡°Good night.¡±

    After saying that, her thin body walked over. Just as she took a step out, the corner of her clothes suddenly tightened. Before she could react, her movements were blocked and she fell forward¡ª

 Chapter 2101 - Temperature (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2101: Temperature (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    A hurried voice was heard. Before she fell down, an arm quickly pulled her arm and pulled her up!

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    The sound of the broken porcin was heard. Leng Xinran only felt a sharp pain in her left palm, followed by his concerned voice, ¡°Are you okay? Where are you hurt? Let me see!¡±

    A faint smell of blood came. Leng Xinran already felt a sticky feeling in her palm. She quickly looked down and found that her palm was already red.

    Her palm was identally cut by the broken ceramic.

    Lan Xiu pulled her injured hand and looked at the wound on her palm and the blood on her palm. His brows were tightly knitted, and his heart was tense for no reason. His eyes were filled with pity and anxiety, ¡°Does it hurt? I¡¯ll treat your wound right away.¡±

    He quickly got up and went to get the first aid kit.

    Leng Xinran took a deep breath. The pain from her palm made her clear-headed. Lan Xiu quickly took the first aid kit and sat down.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you more careful? Just wear normal home clothes at home.¡±

    Lan Xiu spoke with concern as he helped Leng Xinran clean up her wound.

    The broken ceramic pieces cut a very deep wound. you could see that the palm had fallen quite hard on the ceramic. As Lan Xiu watched, he could not help but feel a little sorry for her. He hurriedly raised his head and looked at her, ¡°Does it hurt? The disinfectant is a little strong. Bear with it. You¡¯ll feel much better after a while.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not that delicate.¡±

    Leng Xinran did not even frown, indicating that he did not need to worry.

    This time, Lan Xiu took a breath and continued to lower his head, silently cleaning the wound.

    ¡°The wound is a little deep. You probably can¡¯t let it touch water for a long time. Fortunately, there are no remnants of the broken porcin pieces. Otherwise, you might have to ask the doctor toe over and take them out for you.¡±

    Lan Xiu carefully cleaned the wound, applied some medicine, and then wrapped it with gauze.

    Leng Xinran, on the other hand, remained silent and watched him work quietly.

    ¡°Do you often do this kind of thing? You seem very familiar with it,¡± Leng Xinran asked tentatively.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment. After a moment, he replied, ¡°In the past, I used to bandage my own injuries asionally. Elder Brother liked to y basketball, so it was not unusual to get injured.¡±

    In fact, Lan Xiu did not finish his words. The reason why he was so skilled was actually because he often got injured when he was younger. Every time that happened, he would also bandage his own injuries.

    However, there was no need to mention these things. He had already said it before, he did not want to think about these things in the past.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s slightly changed expression was naturally captured by Leng Xinran. His expression was somewhatplicated. Leng Xinran did not need to think too much to know that it was probably something that he did not want to talk about, she did not continue asking either.

    ¡°Alright, remember not to let it touch water. Change the medication tomorrow morning. It should be fine in a few days. It will be a little painful now.¡±

    Lan Xiu said as he packed up the medical kit.

    Leng Xinran lowered her gaze to look at the wound that had already been bandaged. Her expression became a little absent-minded. After a long while, she said indifferently, ¡°Thank you!¡±

    As she said this, she gently lifted her hand. A rare smile appeared on her cold face. That smile was naturally as brilliant as a blooming rose. It carried her unique cold aura. In that instant, Lan Xiu was unable to shift his gaze away.

    ¡°This should be what I¡¯m doing?¡±

    A momentter, Lan Xiu suddenly gently held her injured hand and smiled faintly.

    Leng Xinran thought seriously for a moment before she nodded gently. ¡°If you think so, then...¡±

    Leng Xinran did not continue with the rest of her sentence. Lan Xiu naturally understood. He smiled and quieted down. He extended his slender fingers and gently sped her five fingers.

    ¡°Thank you, Xinran...¡±

    Leng Xinran smiled. She naturally knew what he meant. She thought for a moment and did not say anything. She just raised her hand to pat his shoulder. However, at this moment, Lan Xiu had already pulled her into his embrace.

    The sudden warmth made Leng Xinran pause. She was stunned for a moment. Then, she also raised her hand and gently hugged his shoulder. She patted him as if she wasforting him, ¡°It¡¯s good that we are calm. There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Don¡¯t think too much about those things. Our new life has just begun.¡±

    Hearing this, the Lan Xiu used even more strength to hug her tightly. His low voice was heard, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ve been alone for too long. Sometimes, the more you hope, the more you¡¯re afraid that you won¡¯t be able to achieve it.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t your usual style.¡±

    Leng Xin smiled calmly. ¡°No one can predict their own future, right? So, don¡¯t think too much. I believe that we can also live very well.¡±

    Lan Xiu was silent for a long time before he let go of her. However, they could still feel each other¡¯s body temperature very clearly.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It¡¯s already veryte. Rest early. You¡¯ve drunk quite a lot. Let them get up tomorrow to clean up these things.¡±

    Leng Xinran slowly stood up.

    ¡°Mm, you rest early too.¡±

    Lan Xiu also stood up and walked her out of the door. He was still holding her hand.

    Leng Xinran did not struggle. Lan Xiu walked her all the way to her door. He reached out to help her open the door and turned on the lights. Then, he turned his head and looked down at her. ¡°Alright, remember not to let your wound touch water. Take a shower and rest early.¡±

    Leng Xinran nodded and wanted to say something. However, she did not know what else to say. After hesitating for a moment, she finally walked towards the door.

    Lan Xiu slowly let go of her hand and smiled.

    At this moment, he felt that they were a little like those pretentious young couples. They clearly wanted to...

    Forget it, he will think about itter.

    Lan Xiu took a deep breath and watched her figure disappear into the door.

    ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    Her light voice sounded.

    ¡°Mm, goodnight.¡±

    Lan Xiu also smiled and replied.

    The sound of the door closing rang out, but Lan Xiu did not leave immediately. Instead, he leaned against the wall behind him and quietly looked at the closed door in front of him. The cold and indifferent little face that had just smiled faintly echoed in his mind again...

    Perhaps, she would be very different, even more different than Dongfang Liuyun. If she was different, he would also be very patient in getting along with her, would he not?

    Lan Xiu asked this in his heart.

    However, even he did not know what kind of answer he could give himself, because he had already realized that Leng Xinran¡¯s influence on him was gradually deepening...

 Chapter 2102 - Temperature (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2102: Temperature (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the full moon banquet, Dongfang Liuyun did not officially go to work. Instead, she was asked by Qi Lei to stay home and rest for a period of time.

    Song Siting came over to help take care of her. Qi Lei even found a few experienced women to help with post-childbirth care. Furthermore, the two babies were very obedient. As long as they were full, they rarely cried. They were quite easy to take care of, so Dongfang Liuyun did not have to worry so much.

    However, Qi Lei felt ufortable. Ever since the baby was born, his position in Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s eyes had deteriorated day by day. Dongfang Liuyun only saw the baby, but he...

    It made him wonder if he had a role in apanying her to give birth to the baby. For example, right now...

    ¡°Qi Lei! I left my son¡¯s milk bottle in the car. Hurry up and go get it. Hurry up, or else he¡¯ll look for it when he wakes up!¡±

    It waste at night. Qi Lei had just taken a shower andid down on the bed when Dongfang Liuyun, who was sleeping beside him, suddenly kicked him.

    Qi Lei had no choice but to get up. He turned his head to look out the window. It was raining outside, there was lightning and thunder. His son and daughter were sleeping in the crib beside their bed.

    Naturally, there was a nursery for them. However, Song Siting had returned to Tanshan Vi that night. Dongfang Liuyun was worried, so she decided to take care of them personally.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they still asleep?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at his son and daughter who were sleeping soundly in their crib. He subconsciously lowered his voice.

    ¡°My son sleeps very light. He wakes up very easily at night.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not have enough nutrition. Naturally, she could not cope with two children. Usually, the children could only drink some milk powder to replenish themselves.

    ¡°Go quickly. You¡¯ll wake up soon. Go quickly!¡± Dongfang Liuyun urged.

    Qi Lei hurriedly got up.

    ¡°The umbre is in the hallway cab in the living room. Remember to take it. The rain outside is quite heavy.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun did not forget to remind him.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Qi Lei left the room in a hurry.

    Qi Lei¡¯s actions were naturally very fast. In about five minutes, he took the milk bottle back. He even skillfully prepared the milk powder and ced it in the incubator to keep it warm.

    After doing all this, when he returned to the bedroom, he saw Dongfang Liuyun holding his son Dongfang Ye and coaxing him. The little guy seemed to be hungry. When he woke up, he looked at Dongfang Liuyun with his eyes wide open. He did not cry or make a fuss. His gaze was actually simr to their father¡¯s, Qi Lei had anguid feeling. Dongfang Liuyun did not know if he was seeing things. In the next moment, he closed his eyes again and grabbed Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s sleeve with his little hand.

    Dongfang Liuyun hugged him and patted him gently. Qi Lei, who was at the side, also brought over the bottle of milk he had prepared. When he saw that the little guy was looking at him with his bright eyes, he could not help but reach out and pinch his little face gently.

    ¡°His eyes are quite like yours.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he gently pulled his son¡¯s hand and teased him.

    His son naturally did not care about them. He only cared about filling his stomach.

    ¡°I think he¡¯s more like you. It¡¯s easy to raise a son. After eating and drinking, he doesn¡¯t cry much. His younger sister is a little mischievous. It took a lot of effort just now to coax her to sleep.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked down at his son in his arms as he spoke.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with a daughter being a little spoiled. Anyway, we all love her. Father also likes her a little more. In the future, he¡¯ll raise her to be a little princess.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t agree with that. Don¡¯t have such thoughts. Men and women are the same. You have to raise your daughter the same way you raise your son.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to raise your daughter to be a strong woman?¡±

    Qi Lei frowned.

    ¡°Anyway, we have to let them have the ability to take care of themselves. It¡¯s not good to be a little princess. I want her to be a daughter who has her own opinions and knowledge. Of course, it¡¯s important for a son to be stronger so that he can protect her in the future.¡±

    The couple had never discussed their position of having a child before. Now that the child was born, it was natural for them to talk about these things.

    ¡°The child is still young. We¡¯ll talk about it when they¡¯re a little older.¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Dongfang Liuyun. It seemed like she was going to be a strict mother. Judging by her character, she could only be a strict mother.

    At this moment, he could not help but sigh for his son and daughter. The days ahead were still long. He hoped that the children would be able to adapt. However, he was looking forward to the so-called future...

    After his son, Dongfang Ye, drank his fill, he fell asleep again.

    The husband and wife, who had been busy for the whole day, finallyid down on the bed.

    Just as Dongfang Liuyun lifted the nket and fell asleep, the man beside her had already embraced her. Before she could react, a cold kissnded urately on her lips.

    Dongfang Liuyun paused for a moment. She immediately reacted and happily responded.

    It had been a long, long time since the couple had cohabited. It had been almost a year. It would be a lie to say that they did not want to.

    However, Qi Lei was still able to control himself. When Dongfang Liuyun was panting and her pajamas slipped off her shoulders, he immediately stopped moving and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Did the doctor say when it¡¯s okay?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s slightly hoarse voice was heard by her ear, apanied by his abstinence-based forbearance. Hisrge hands were already sped tightly around her fingers, and his body was like a huge heater, covering Dongfang Liuyunpletely.

    Dongfang Liuyun was also panting slightly and nced at him. ¡°Who would I ask the doctor about these things?¡±

    Qi Lei red at her and said helplessly, ¡°Then can¡¯t you ask the next time you go for a checkup?¡±

    ¡°If you want to ask, you can ask yourself.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun felt a burning heat on her face. She pushed him, but he hugged her even tighter and sucked in a breath of cold air. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±

    ¡°Ask next time? Hmm?¡± Qi Lei said seductively.

    Dongfang Liuyun rolled her eyes at him.

    Qi Lei felt annoyed. He thought about it and said, ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t ask. I¡¯ll ask someone else!¡±

    As he said that, he reached for his phone on the bedside table. Before Dongfang Liuyun could react, Qi Lei had already made a call.

    When the phone vibrated, Su Chen was still in his office processing documents.

    ¡°Hello? Qi Lei? It¡¯s sote at night. Why are you calling me instead of hanging out with your wife? Are you asking me out for a drink?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s drink another day. It¡¯s sote at night and it¡¯s raining. Do you have the leisure to do that? Are you still in the office?¡±

    Qi Lei heard the sound of the pages turning, so he asked the same question.

    ¡°Do you think I can be as carefree as the two of you?¡±

    Su Chen raised his hand and rubbed the space between his brows as he replied. Then, he quickly signed his name on the document, ¡°It¡¯s not even 10 o¡¯clock yet. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t rest that early. Why don¡¯t youe out and have a few drinks? It¡¯s my treat. It¡¯s just the two of us. Our usual ce, the old room at Spring River Night. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

 Chapter 2103 - Slightly Drunk (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2103: Slightly Drunk (1)</h4>

    ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t go to those ces. You¡¯re in a critical period now. Those reporters are everywhere. Just drive over to my ce. Coincidentally, I got someone to bring back a batch of good wine from France. I¡¯ll get the servants to prepare a few dishes. It won¡¯t take long. Come over now.¡±

    Qi Lei hung up after saying a few words.

    Su Chen looked at his phone screen that had gone dark. He thought about it and got up. He packed up the documents and left the office with his briefcase.

    It was the weekend the next day. It was not a big deal to have a few drinks. It was safer and more convenient to drink at home. He was still driving.

    Qi Lei naturally remembered Mu Yuchen mentioning that it was a very critical time for Su Chen right now. It was rare for him to be able to sit in that position before he turned 40. Su Chen¡¯s ability was not weak, and he had a strong background. It should not be difficult to take him down, but it was better to be careful at this time. Qi Lei had suffered too much in the media, so naturally, he did not want Su Chen to suffer like him.

    Su Chen knew Qi Lei¡¯s intentions, so he could not help but feel a little warm in his heart¡ª

    His buddy was still very considerate of him after all, he was even more concerned about this matter than he was. It could be seen that such a person was someone worth befriending deeply.

    In fact, Su Chen liked to drink and chat with Qi Lei. When he was with him, he always felt that the conversation was more natural. Perhaps it was because of Qi Lei¡¯s casual personality.

    ¡°Go to sleep first. Su Chen wille overter. This guy probably hasn¡¯t had time to eat dinner yet. I¡¯ll get the servants to prepare some food and wine.¡±

    As Qi Lei said this, he lowered his head and kissed Dongfang Liuyun. Then, he let go of her and got out of bed.

    Dongfang Liuyun obviously did not expect Qi Lei to ask Su Chen about that. She kicked him in disgust. ¡°Watch your image! Don¡¯t drink too much, or else you¡¯ll sleep in the study tonight.¡±

    The children were still young. Of course, they would not be able to stand the strong smell of alcohol.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Of course, I¡¯d want to sleep here.¡±

    Qi Lei nced at her. He took a coat and draped it over his shoulder. Then, he went downstairs unhurriedly.

    When the food and wine were ready, Su Chen just happened to rush over.

    The two brothers were sitting on the rooftop outside, drinking wine and watching the rain outside as they chatted.

    ¡°How has Grandpa Su been these past two days?¡±

    Seeing that Su Chen¡¯s expression was not too good, Qi Lei asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s still the same. Zitong moved back with the children, and now my mother is at home with them. The house is lively now, and his mood seems to be better, so he¡¯s been in a good mood these few days.¡±

    Su Chen replied indifferently and drank the wine in his ss. Then, he reached for a cigarette packet by the side and frowned. He took one out, lit it, and handed it to Qi Lei. Qi Lei waved his hand. ¡°You have to smoke less recently. She and the children can¡¯t take it.¡±

    Hearing this, Su Chen smiled. ¡°You seem to care.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about Ji Zitong and your daughter too?¡±

    Qi Lei nced at him. He knew that this guy had been trying to quit smoking recently. Ji Zitong would check if he had any cigarettes on him before he left or after he returned home. Did she not ask Qi Lei for the cigarettes when she came over just now?

    Su Chen coughed lightly and leaned back in his chair leisurely. ¡°You¡¯re quite self-aware. Dongfang Liuyun treats you well. It¡¯s not wrong for you to dote on her.¡±

    ¡°Ji Zitong treats you badly?¡±

    Qi Lei seemed to have caught the crux of Su Chen¡¯s words.

    When Su Chen heard this, he puffed out a mouthful of smoke and said somewhat irritably, ¡°It¡¯s not that she¡¯s not good. I just feel like I¡¯m being a little stubborn. Especially after my daughter was born, she became more and more displeased with me. Do you think I¡¯m really a little old? Two days ago, I went to her office and fired her male assistant. She¡¯s been unhappy ever since.¡±

    ¡°Fired the male assistant?¡±

    Qi Lei looked at Su Chen in surprise.

    Su Chen took a sip of his wine before he spoke, ¡°He dresses so coquettishly and look like a gigolo. He¡¯s always trying to curry favor with Zitong for no reason. I¡¯ve seen a lot of people like that. I fired him right away, but Zitong is angry with me over something like that. Am I being unreasonable?¡±

    Su Chen was still unconvinced as he said this. He felt that he had to keep a close eye on him. After all, he and Ji Zitong hadpletely different jobs now. He could not help with Ji Zitong¡¯s matters, would those men not be growing with her through thick and thin?

    He heard that it was very easy to get into trouble like this. He had to get rid of all these hidden safety risks.

    He was probably used to doing things this way and was used to taking precautions, so he fired her at that time. Without waiting for Ji Zitong¡¯s permission, Ji Zitong reprimanded him unhappily after the incident, and the couple became so awkward afterwards.

    He had not been in Ji Zitong¡¯s bed for a few days, not even a kiss. Su Chen would not be like those stupid men. Most of the time, he would just go out to have fun.

    Ever since he had Ji Zitong, he had not touched other women. It was not that he had conscious restraint, but it was as if there was something wrong with his heart. He had to have Ji Zitong. He would find it disgusting to touch even a finger of any other women.

    For a person like him, there were countless temptations. However, he only wanted Ji Zitong. Could it be that he was used to it? Could it be that he did not like other tastes?

    Qi Lei had been staring at Su Chen the entire time. When he saw his handsome face turn green and white, he could tell that his expression was veryplicated. However, heughed in his heart!

    He did not expect Su Chen to have such a day!

    ¡°What kind of gaze is that? Be careful of those eyeballs!¡±

    Su Chen nced at Qi Lei gloomily. When he saw his gloating gaze, he could not help but feel a wave of anger in his heart. He immediately growled.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else, brother. I understand you very well.¡±

    Was it not just that he was afraid that his wife had a wolf by her side?

    If Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s assistant was a handsome young man, Qi Lei would most likely think of a way to send him away.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that there¡¯s something wrong with your method. Can¡¯t you use your brain to think of a good excuse?¡±

    Qi Leiughed.

    ¡°Could I have thought so much back then? Forget it, I won¡¯t talk about this anymore. It¡¯s annoying. Drink!¡±

    Su Chen did not want to think about these annoying things anymore. Seeing Qi Lei pour him a ss of wine, he did not stand on ceremony and raised his ss.

    Qi Lei also raised his ss and clinked it with his. He drank it. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine after I go back and coax her. All women be pretentious once they¡¯re pampered, and if it really can¡¯t be done, I¡¯ll do it the rough way. You know what Zimo said before.¡±

    ¡°Him? What good advice can he give with that IQ of his? He¡¯spletely taken advantage of by Qin Su and worships her!¡±

    Su Chen¡¯s face was filled with disdain!

 Chapter 2104 - Slightly Drunk (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2104: Slightly Drunk (2)</h4>

    A week passed by quickly.

    Saturday happened to be Leng Xinran¡¯s mother, Mo Shan¡¯s birthday.

    Leng Xinran thought about it and decided to go with Lan Xiu. Qin Su had caught a cold due to the cold weather a few days ago. Furthermore, she was pregnant, so Leng Xinran did not ask her to go with her. However, Qin Su still asked Zhou Zimo to deliver the gift.

    Zhou Zimo personally delivered the gift to the entrance of the vi. It was very early, and the sky was just beginning to brighten.

    Because she had to leave early, Leng Xinran had nned to leave at six o¡¯clock. She did not expect to see a ck sedan parked in front of the door when the car had just driven out.

    Beep beep¡ª

    The horn sounded and Lan Xiu stopped the car. The door of the ck car was opened. Zhou Zimo got out of the car with a few gift boxes in his hands.

    ¡°Zhou Zimo?¡±

    Lan Xiu was a little confused when he saw that figure.

    ¡°Qin Su asked him to bring my mother a birthday present. Qin Su is thoughtful. It¡¯s so early in the morning.¡±

    Leng Xinran said a few words, then unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

    ¡°Good morning!¡± Leng Xinran walked over and greeted.

    ¡°Good morning!¡± Zhou Zimo also replied.

    ¡°Sorry, have you been waiting for a long time?¡± Leng Xinran asked apologetically.

    ¡°Not too bad, this is the present Qin Su prepared for your mother. I¡¯m very sorry. We were supposed to go together, but she caught a cold and she¡¯s is not in great health. Otherwise...¡±

    Zhou Zimo looked apologetic.

    Leng Xinran smiled calmly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not convenient for her to go to the countryside, and it¡¯s a long journey. It¡¯s tiring. It¡¯s better not to go. My mother will understand. Please thank her on my behalf.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s tone was full of sincerity and gratitude. Only Qin Su would have such considerate thoughts. All these years, it was thanks to her that she could feel a trace of warmth.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to stand on ceremony. She said that you are her most important friend.¡±

    Zhou Zimo smiled. In fact, other than Leng Xinran, the proud Qin Su did not have many friends. Qin Su was always very attentive to Leng Xinran¡¯s matters. Sometimes, she was even more attentive to her than his husband.

    ¡°Yeah, me too. We are both lucky,¡± Leng Xinran replied.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. You guys should leave early. I have to go back too. She¡¯s bored at home these few days. If you have time, you can visit her too,¡± said Zhou Zimo.

    Leng Xinran nodded. ¡°Okay, tell her to take care of herself. I¡¯ll visit her in two days.¡±

    ¡°Okay, have a safe trip. Also, I wish Auntie a happy birthday!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Zhou Zimo quickly got back into the car, and the car quickly left.

    Seeing the car in front disappear, Lan Xiu started the car.

    ¡°I went to visit your father at home yesterday. He seems to remember that it¡¯s your mother¡¯s birthday today. He asked me if I knew your mother¡¯s whereabouts. In fact, I think he should know about your mother¡¯s whereabouts now. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t do anything because of you.¡±

    Lan Xiu recalled the conversation he had with Leng Mingyi when he went to the Leng residence yesterday.

    ¡°My mother¡¯s life and death has nothing to do with him. You don¡¯t have to mention my mother to him. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be like listening to a joke,¡± Leng Xin said coldly.

    She was very clear about Leng Mingyi¡¯s thoughts. In fact, she did not care about the divorce between Leng Mingyi and Mo Shan. After all, everyone had the freedom to pursue happiness. It was just that she resented Leng Mingyi¡¯s indifference and heartlessness, and his cruel betrayal towards Mo Shan.

    Lan Xiu¡¯s expression darkened slightly when he heard this. He then replied, ¡°The Leng family has now stabilized. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m speaking up for your father. I just feel that he hasn¡¯t mistreated you. Now that things have reached this stage, perhaps you can ease the rtionship between you and him?¡± Lan Xiu asked tentatively.

    ¡°Ease the rtionship? How?¡±

    Leng Xin smiled coldly, ¡°If you had endured for so many years like me, you might understand that feeling better. In fact, I don¡¯t hate him much. Isn¡¯t he in a good state? No matter what, I can¡¯t hope for him and my mother to get back together. No matter what, Xinling will nevere back. He may be a qualified heir to the family, but he¡¯s not a qualified father. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t believe me if I tell you this. From the day Xinling was born until the day she passed away...¡±

    ¡°Leng Mingyi has never hugged her... can you understand that feeling? I¡¯ve also never seen such a cold and heartless person. As for me, I seem to have been influenced by him. After Xinling passed away, I felt that my mind waspletely empty. If it wasn¡¯t for my mother, I don¡¯t think I would still be in this city.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of mentality I should have to face him with now. I just feel that the bit of familial affection I had with him all these years has been exhausted. Now whenever I see him, it¡¯s more like calm water. Don¡¯t doubt it Lan Xiu, this is the best state.¡±

    Leng Xinran took a deep breath and replied.

    ¡°On Ye Xiaolian¡¯s side, your father actually don¡¯t treat her that well.¡±

    Lan Xiu did not quite understand why Leng Mingyi and Mo Shan hade to this point back then.

    ¡°My mother couldn¡¯t stand to see betrayal. At that time, it was my mother who brought up the divorce. However, cheating is also a fact. No matter what the reason is, under the circumstances that my mother didn¡¯t do anything wrong, this matter of his is wrong.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s tone was very calm.

    ¡°Being born into such a family means it¡¯s destined to not be peaceful. Don¡¯t think too much about it. Since things have alreadye to this, it¡¯s fine as long as both of us are happy.¡±

    Lan Xiu let out a long sigh. This kind of feeling seemed to be something that he could empathize with.

    ¡°Yes, so you don¡¯t have to work so hard to change anything. The situation in the Leng family is the best. Right now, I only hope that my mother can live a peaceful life. I can live a more rxed life. That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Ye Xiaolian seems to be...¡±

    ¡°Her wings in the Leng family have been clipped clean. She will stay by Leng Mingyi¡¯s side and take good care of him. I don¡¯t mind leaving a ce for her in the Leng family. Otherwise, the Leng family wouldn¡¯t be able to amodate her.¡±

    Leng Xinran¡¯s tone was very cold. She had never been soft-hearted towards these people.

    Lan Xiu nced at her and did not say anything else. He just increased the speed of the car.

    When they arrived at the sanatorium, it was noon, just in time for lunch. The two of them switched cars along the way, so they didn¡¯t waste much time. They drove at high speed, which was faster than thest time they came.

 Chapter 2105 - Slightly Drunk (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2105: Slightly Drunk (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mo Shan had been in a pretty good state recently, and her mind had be much clearer.

    She seemed to be quite satisfied with Lan Xiu, but her rtionship with Leng Xinran was very indifferent. Lan Xiu also knew that she still had some thorn in Leng Xinran¡¯s heart.

    Perhaps it was because of the rumors that Leng Xinran had a tough life.

    However, Leng Xinran seemed to have gotten used to it. Even if Mo Shan was so cold, she could still treat it calmly. The mother and daughter did not talk much, and they only talked about Qin Su¡¯s intention toe over asionally.

    After lunch, the mother and daughter probably talked less than 10 times. Mo Shan chatted a lot with Lan Xiu beside her, and many of them were also about Leng Xinling.

    Leng Xinling, Leng Xinran¡¯s younger sister. Lan Xiu knew this person.

    Mo Shan had a deep affection for Leng Xinling. When she talked about Leng Xinling, her eyes seemed to redden uncontrobly. She looked at Leng Xinran with a look of hidden dissatisfaction, but also a little conflicted. Towards the end, Lan Xiu could also tell what kind of emotions were contained in those eyes.

    However, Lan Xiu also roughly knew that Mo Shan did not like Leng Xinran very much. In fact, she was a little cold towards Leng Xinran and also a little resentful?

    This was Lan Xiu¡¯s understanding of Mo Shan after these few encounters.

    However, it seemed that Leng Xinran did not take it to heart. She allowed her to be cold, but she still returned the favor. Could it be that this was just because of the responsibilities and obligations between blood ties?

    At that moment, Lan Xiu seemed to be a little uncertain.

    However, he did not dare to ask further.

    With Lan Xiu around, Mo Shan¡¯s birthday seemed to be going pretty well.

    When she was sent back to the nursing home, it was already close to evening. Leng Xinran went to find Director Li to understand the situation and exin things while Lan Xiu sent Mo Shan back to her room.

    ¡°Lan Xiu, you can sit too. She won¡¯t be back so soon.¡±

    Mo Shan sat down on the sofa at the side and pointed at the sofa next to her eagerly.

    Lan Xiu sat down too.

    ¡°I know that you and Xinran have been engaged for a long time. Do you have any ns to get married? She doesn¡¯t seem to be young anymore. She¡¯ll be 30 years old after this year. A woman¡¯s good years have passed. It¡¯s really hard for you to ept her.¡±

    Mo Shan¡¯s tone seemed to be gentle, but when Lan Xiu looked into her eyes, he could clearly see a trace ofplexity.

    ¡°Aunty, you¡¯re too kind. Xinran is very good. It¡¯s my fortune to be able to marry her. We¡¯ll discuss the marriage. It¡¯s almost the end of the year now, so there are a lot of things to do.¡±

    Lan Xiu actually wanted to hold a wedding, but he did not know what Leng Xinran thought of it.

    They did not get along very well. It could not be said that they were getting along better, but they were getting along more and more harmoniously. There was also some tacit understanding between them. On this point, Lan Xiu was quite satisfied. In reality, he rarely found people who werepatible with him, especially with such tacit understanding, it was not tiring to get along with each other.

    Mo Shan also fixed her gaze on Lan Xiu. She did not miss the gentleness in his eyes. She smiled and said, ¡°Xinran and I aren¡¯t actually very close, but she¡¯s a good daughter. She¡¯s also very tired.¡±

    Mo Shan¡¯s expression became even moreplicated. She could not tell how she felt about Leng Xinran. She was also angry with Leng Xinran and med her for her misfortune.

    ¡°I know, Aunty. Don¡¯t worry. I will treat her well.¡±

    Lan Xiu said slowly, ¡°Xinran is very good. I feel sorry for her. Aunty, I think you are the same, right?¡±

    When Lan Xiu said this, his gaze was also fixed on Mo Shan.

    That gaze naturally caused Mo Shan to be startled.

    ¡°Xinran told me before that right now, she is more concerned about Aunty. I think Aunty should also feel sorry for her, right?¡±

    There seemed to be a hidden meaning in Lan Xiu¡¯s words. Mo Shan was not stupid and could also hear it. Hence, her expression immediately became a little grave. Just as she was about to say something, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from the door. The two of them looked towards the door.

    Leng Xinran walked in coldly. When she raised her gaze and saw that the two of them were looking at her, a hint of doubt appeared in her twinkling eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    A faint voice came over.

    ¡°Nothing much. Have you settled everything?¡±

    Lan Xiu very considerately poured her a ss of water.

    Leng Xinran did not stand on ceremony. She took it and drank a few mouthfuls, ¡°It¡¯s about time, Mother. Director Li said that your condition is recovering well. In a few days, I¡¯ll bring you back to City Z. It¡¯ll be more convenient to take care of you from a closer distance. When the timees, I¡¯ll bring you to take a look at the house. We¡¯ll buy whatever environment you like. As long as you¡¯re having a good time, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Now that Ye Xiaolian¡¯s side was not in any danger, and the Leng Group waspletely under her control, she did not have to worry that Mo Shan would cause trouble for them when she returned. Moreover, after taking over the Leng Group, her work would be very busy, she was worried that she would not be able to take good care of her, so she directly wanted to bring her back to stay. Perhaps it would be more convenient.

    However, after Leng Xinran said this for a long time, Mo Shan did not respond. Instead, she frowned, thought for a moment, and then shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m fine here, so I won¡¯t go back. I¡¯ve lived here for many years, and many of mypanions are here. Director Li and the special nurse have taken good care of me. The environment here is also good, so I might as well stay here. I haven¡¯t returned to City Z for so many years, so my impression of that ce has be somewhat cold. It¡¯s better to stay here.¡±

    Even though Mo Shan said so, Leng Xinran knew that she probably did not want to return to this city filled with unpleasant memories.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m doing fine here. You and Lan Xiu cane visit me whenever you have time. You guys are busy with work and it¡¯s not up to you. I understand.¡±

    Mo Shan also understood very well.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feelfortable leaving you here alone. The matters over there have been settled. It¡¯s not a big deal for you to go back.¡±

    ¡°When I left, I didn¡¯t think about going back either. It¡¯s pretty good like this.¡±

    Mo Shan¡¯s attitude seemed to be quite firm. She looked at her coldly for a while and finally didn¡¯t say anything more.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. You guys have apanied me for a whole day. I had a pretty good time today. You guys have worked hard too. Go back early. It¡¯s alreadyte at night when we rush back to the city. Be careful on the road. I won¡¯t keep you guys any longer,¡± Mo Shan said. She looked a little tired.

    ¡°Alright, then you should rest well. I¡¯ve already told the special care team. If there¡¯s anything, give me a call.¡±

    Leng Xinran saw Mo Shan holding her head and closing her eyes. She thought for a moment and got up.

 Chapter 2106 - Slightly Drunk (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2106: Slightly Drunk (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they left the sanatorium, the setting sun was just right outside. The soft golden light filled the ground, and the whole world was filled with warmth.

    The weather was in October during the lunar calendar, so autumn was refreshing. In such a quiet town, it was more distinct than in the city, although the four seasons were not distinct in this area to the south, one could feel a little bit of autumn on this side.

    The car drove on the quiet country road, and on both sides were empty fields. The rice in the fields had long been harvested in this season, and now all that was left was arge patch of withered straw roots. The car window was not closed, the cool breeze that poured in from outside brought with it the bleak and deste evening breeze.

    ¡°Your mother is in much better spirits than thest time we came over.¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s voice broke the silence in the car.

    ¡°Her condition has stabilized a little. Perhaps it¡¯s because she knows about my father¡¯s situation. She hates my father to the bone, you know this. Moreover, she¡¯s also a person with a strong desire for revenge. Seeing that they¡¯re not doing well, she...¡±

    As Leng Xinran said this, a cold smile shed across her face. She did not need to continue the rest of her sentence.

    However, Lan Xiu could understand the rest of her words.

    ¡°Do you also think that I¡¯m very vicious? Towards Ye Xiaolian and the others?¡± Leng Xinran suddenly asked.

    ¡°Everything has a cause and effect. You¡¯ve only done what you should have done. be it kindness or wickedness, we¡¯re not born to be saints who want to cross themon people.¡±

    Lan Xiu was very open-minded.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Many men like to ask that when their marriage or rtionships break up, asking, have you changed? Be vicious and scheming?¡±

    When Leng Xinran said this, the corner of her mouth curled up in disdain.

    Lan Xiu was stunned for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°That¡¯s true. Either they¡¯re tired of it or they¡¯re finding excuses. But on why they changed? In essence, a lot of times, it¡¯s because of men.¡±

    ¡°So, if I tell you that I¡¯m not a good woman, that I don¡¯t have a good heart, that I don¡¯t have the innocence and kindness of others, I might even be cruel and merciless, or I might even resort to unscrupulous means in the future, would you still treat me so calmly?¡± Leng Xinran said as her eyes quietly captured Lan Xiu¡¯s dark eyes.

    Lan Xiu nced at her. After thinking for a moment, he replied, ¡°Leave the unscrupulous things to me. You have to believe in me, I can protect you.¡±

    Leng Xinran paused for a moment after he said this. She turned her gaze to look at him. A momentter, she smiled faintly. ¡°Thank you. Although it¡¯s good to be protected, it¡¯s still better to be able to deal with it on our own. In the end, we¡¯re still pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t women born to be weak? Shouldn¡¯t they enjoy protection?¡± Lan Xiu smiled and said.

    Leng Xinran shook her head, ¡°Who would be born to enjoy protection? If one didn¡¯t think so, one wouldn¡¯t have so much resentment in one¡¯s heart. I¡¯ve always thought that God let youe alone so that you can create your own value and then enjoy it.¡±

    ¡°Are you good at philosophy?¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled and asked her this question.

    Leng Xinran paused for a moment, then quickly reacted. She pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m alright, I always get an excellent in every exam.¡±

    ¡°I can see that,¡± Lan Xiu replied.

    When he was with her, although she was not a person who liked to chat, every time they talked, it would feel very natural and friendly. He had to admit that he liked being with her. At least, many of the things she said would make him feel like he had benefited a lot and enjoyed it.

    ¡°It¡¯s Sunday tomorrow, we don¡¯t have to go to work. Let¡¯s go back and prepare some good dishes. Let¡¯s have a few drinks too,¡± Leng Xinran suggested.

    ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood today. Why are you in such a good mood?¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled and did not refuse. Seeing the faint joy on her face, his mood inexplicably eased up.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for my mother to have such a happy birthday. Last year, we parted on bad terms. I can tell that she likes you very much. Today is a happy day. This is all thanks to you. In fact, I can¡¯t even remember thest time I saw her smile.¡±

    Leng Xinran let out a long sigh.

    ¡°She just asked me when we n to get married.¡±

    Lan Xiu thought for a moment and said so.

    ¡°Get married?¡±

    Leng Xinran muttered softly and turned to look at him. ¡°What did you say then?¡±

    ¡°I said that we¡¯re very busy at the end of the year and that the wedding is something that needs to be discussed between the two of us. It¡¯s mainly up to you.¡±

    Lan Xiu expressed his feelings and looked at her with a deep gaze.

    Leng Xinran remained silent. She did not reply and turned to look out of the car window.

    Lan Xiu looked and could only smile. She did not know why she suddenly felt a little lonely.

    It had been almost a year!

    Between them...

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until after the year. If you insist, we can talk about this.¡±

    After a long while, Leng Xin suddenly said.

    Hearing this, Lan Xiu nodded. ¡°Okay, as you wish.¡±

    ...

    When they returned to the vi area, it was alreadyte at night. The servants had also prepared dinner. After serving it to them, they also left.

    Leng Xinran was in a good mood tonight. After drinking a few sses in a row, her face blushed a little. As she poured wine for him, she said, ¡°This is the medicinal wine that I brought back from my trip to the southwest a few years ago. After soaking it for a few years, the taste is enough. Drinking a little is good for your body, but the alcohol is a little stronger. If you are used to drinking red wine and foreign wine, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be used to it.¡±

    What they were drinking now were medicinal wine soaked in some medicinal herbs and animals. Leng Xinran had a cold body, so she would often drink some of this medicinal wine. Just like now, if she drank it, her whole body would feel much warmer, and now it was autumn, the weather was a little cold, it was just right to drink a little.

    ¡°Drink it slowly. Even if it¡¯s medicinal wine, it¡¯s not good to drink too much.¡±

    When Lan Xiu saw her drink another cup, he stopped her somewhat worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for me to be in a good mood, so don¡¯t let me down. Even if I¡¯m drunk, this is my home. I don¡¯t have to go to work tomorrow. Just treat it as a sleeping pill and sleep well.¡±

    Leng Xinran felt a little tired. It was rare for her to have such an opportunity, so she wanted to rx.

    Seeing this, Lan Xiu also felt a little helpless. He quickly scooped some rice for her. ¡°Then eat something to fill your stomach.¡±

    Leng Xinran did not refuse. She brought it over, lowered her head, and quietly ate.

    ...

    The two also ate and chatted. In the end, Leng Xinran did not know how much she had drunk. She only felt that her consciousness was starting to blur. As she looked at Lan Xiu opposite her, she felt like she was having an illusion, and her sight was out of focus...

 Chapter 2107 - Slightly Drunk (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2107: Slightly Drunk (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This was how Lan Xiu had been quietly watching her. His eyes, which were as bright as the stars, became misty under the gentle light. He watched her gradually fall asleep in a daze.

    Lan Xiu also felt that he had drunk a little too much. Otherwise, when he looked at her, there would always be a lingering warmth in his heart. His mind could not help but think of her faint little shadow.

    She was a little drunk...

    ¡°Xinran?¡±

    Realizing that it was already veryte, Lan Xiu called out to her, wanting her to go back and rest earlier.

    Seeing that she was drinking like this tonight, she must have something on her mind, right?

    She did not tell him, but he did not know where to begin asking, so he could only quietly apany her. After drinking so many sses, his head was probably not that clear.

    However, in the end, his alcohol tolerance was still better than hers, and she was trying to put on a brave front.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    She seemed to be able to feel that Lan Xiu was calling her, so Leng Xinran responded.

    ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Go back and rest early,¡± Lan Xiu said.

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Leng Xinran propped up her head and stood up in a daze. However, her whole body was swaying, and she felt dizzy. She was on the verge of copse.

    Lan Xiu felt helpless and had no choice but to walk over. He bent down and carried her up, walking towards the stairs inrge strides.

    She was not heavy and felt quite petite in his arms.

    Lan Xiu carried her back to the bedroom and settled her down. He wanted to free his hands to pull the nket for her, but he did not expect that she would unconsciously grab his arm and not let go. He lowered his head to look at her elegant little face and suddenly felt heavy,

    Especially when he saw her lightly pursed red lips, her small face with a faint luster, and her long hair that interweaved into a dark cloud that was draped over the pillow. Her pure white neck, coupled with the soft light at the bedside, inexplicably reflected a charming look.

    She did not like jewelry, and she only had a pair of sapphire-blue gemstone earrings on her ears. It looked elegant and mysterious, just like her.

    ¡°Thank you... Lan Xiu...¡±

    No one knew what she was thinking, but she suddenly hugged his arm, closed her eyes, and murmured a tone filled with gratitude.

    In a trance, Lan Xiu¡¯s heart suddenly stopped, and he suddenly felt the ice wall in his heart copse.

    He knew that she was very grateful to him, but for a moment, he suddenly did not think, other than this gratitude, should he want something more?

    ¡°Xinran?¡±

    His slightly hoarse voice called out to her in a low voice.

    She moaned and turned her head away with some difficulty.

    Finally, Lan Xiu could not help but lower his head and nt a kiss on her forehead. The cool line of his lips brushed past her cold face and moved towards her red lips. His five fingers brushed past her long hair and became a warm kiss that brushed past her ear, his pure white neck and delicate corbone...

    He could no longer control the sparks in his heart. He reached out for the remote control on the bedside table and dimmed it. The heavy curtains by the window also slowly lowered and the bright lights dimmed.

    Leng Xinran, who was in a deep sleep, also felt something. She opened her eyes in a daze. She was so drunk that her eyes were blurred. She asked in confusion, ¡°Lan Xiu? What... What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know who I am... Can you recognize me? Xinran?¡±

    Lan Xiu¡¯s hand reached into her clothes, circled around her slender waist, and slowly pulled her clothes down. The temperature of his caress gradually increased a little. Leng Xinran felt a little ufortable and trembled slightly.

    She was in a trance. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were unusually heavy. She could only feel his familiar dark fragrance permeating her nose.

    ¡°Lan Xiu... don¡¯t...¡±

    She seemed to want to resist, but the man on her body could not control himself. He suddenly wanted to have her.

    The warm kiss was still quietly giving her a faint warmth. It was a little cautious, but her actions seemed a little urgent.

    Leng Xinran was a little confused. She felt her entire body hot and ufortable. She wanted to grab something, but she felt inexplicably ufortable.

    The narrow space was surrounded by his aura. As if she had expected something, she was a little helpless, but also a little resigned to her fate. In her trance, she could not control her hands and legs, she reached out to wrap around the person who was covering her body.

    Then, she felt him crashing into her.

    When she felt the pain, she immediately woke up. She could not help but tear up. She opened her eyes and looked at him in shock. There was a sense of grievance and forbearance in her eyes. She retracted her ten fingers and swept them across his back.

    He hugged her tightly and caught the glimmer in her eyes. His heart immediately softened. He stopped moving and freed his hands to help her wipe away the flickering tears. ¡°Don¡¯t cry... I¡¯ll treat you well. We¡¯ll get married...¡±

    Lan Xiu seemed to have made a very firm promise. He only felt a little heartache for the woman under him, especially when he saw her tear up appearance. This was not the usual Leng Xinran he knew. However, such a fragile demeanour made him feel endless pity for her.

    Leng Xinran did not say anything, but her starry eyes seemed to have be clearer than before. She took a deep breath, then quietly closed her eyes. The hands that were wrapped around his back suddenly tightened.

    Lan Xiu suddenly smiled. He used a bit of strength behind him, as if he sincerely wanted her to clearly feel his existence.

    It had been almost a year, and he had only touched her now. Did she think that he would feel good?

    He was not a saint monk of the abstinence faculty. It was not that he had not thought about it before, but he was afraid that she would not be able to ept it, so he had been ying the role of a modest young master. At this moment, he could not help but break his cultivation.

    Lan Xiu had long understood that he and Dongfang Liuyun could only be a small interlude in the end. The person he needed should be Leng Xinran, and the person he was waiting for should also be Leng Xinran. Therefore, he slowly put it down, he would treat Leng Xinran well with all his heart.

    How could he think too much?

    As long as everyone was happy, everything else would not matter, right?

    Persistence was sometimes not a good thing. If it was not done properly, it would turn out to be a rejection of happiness.

    He did not know if he really liked Leng Xinran, but when he met her, he suddenly wanted to ept his fate.

    These years had been hard. Others did not expect them to understand, but Leng Xinran could empathize with them. Perhaps there was still no real feelings between them, but this seemed pretty good.

    Pretty good...

    Lan Xiu looked deeply at the unconscious Leng Xinran below him. After a long while, he lowered his head and nted a kiss on her lips. The line of his lips slid across her pure white neck, but he could not control himself and brought her down again...

    Xinran, we have a long day ahead of us. We can give each other more than this...

 Chapter 2108 - Happiness In Oneâ€™s Lifetime (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2108: Happiness In One¡¯s Lifetime (1)</h4>

    The next morning, Lan Xiu woke up from his trance. He subconsciously reached out towards the side for her but did not feel Leng Xinran, so he woke up immediately. He quickly turned his head and saw that beside him it had long been empty, there was still her warmth under the nket, and her fragrance filled the entire room.

    The scenes from yesterday flooded into his mind. Even now, he still could not believe that it was real. That bone-piercing feeling made him inexplicably tense up.

    Heid his hands behind his head leisurely, thinking about how she had fallen asleep with an aggrieved look on her face. He did not let her go either¡ª

    He had to admit that everything seemed to be very beautiful.

    He eased up a little and quickly got up. He took a sleeping robe from the side and put it on, trying to find Leng Xinran¡¯s figure.

    Behind him, he finally found Leng Xinran at the bay window of the bedroom balcony.

    Leng Xinran was sitting at the bay window, looking at the scenery outside. She was only wearing arge shirt of Lan Xiu¡¯s. The thick curtain on the side covered her. If one did not look carefully, it would not be easy to find her figure.

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    Lan Xiu walked over and handed over one of the cups of tea in his hand.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Leng Xinran turned her head and nced at him. She obediently took the tea from his hand, lowered her head, and took two sips. Her five fingers simplybed her messy hair.

    Lan Xiu looked at her for a long time, but he did not ignore the marks on her neck. His gaze darkened for a moment, and Leng Xinran seemed to have realized something. Seeing his deep gaze, she turned away with a blush and looked out of the window.

    Seeing this, Lan Xiu knew that she was a little embarrassed. He chuckled and sat down beside her. ¡°How are you?¡±

    Seeing that her face was a little red, Lan Xiu could not help but smile.

    Leng Xinran nced at him indifferently and did not answer.

    Lan Xiu could only take a deep breath. Suddenly, he reached out and gently held her hand. Looking at the back of her thin hand, he suddenly tightened his grip and looked up at her. ¡°Xinran, let¡¯s get married, okay?¡±

    At this point, he also felt that they should get married. Previously, he did not know how to break through this gap. Now that everything was so natural, it seemed that there was no reason not to think about this matter.

    As soon as Lan Xiu said that, Leng Xinran paused for a moment. She drank the tea in her cup carelessly. After a long while, she replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you. Let¡¯s just register, and forget about the rest.¡±

    Leng Xinran did not have any expectations for marriage, so she did not care about the wedding. She had never been interested in these things, so it was better to do something practical.

    Lan Xiu understood what she meant. He thought for a while and said, ¡°A wedding...¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether there¡¯s a wedding or not. After registering, aren¡¯t we a real couple? I don¡¯t think you care about that. I¡¯ve been busy with work recently, and I don¡¯t want to spend too much time dealing with these things.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s register our marriage tomorrow,¡± Lan Xiu said quickly, afraid that she would change her mind. Because she was calm and indifferent, he felt a little scared and uneasy, so it was better to get things done as soon as possible.

    Leng Xinran seemed to be able to catch Lan Xiu¡¯s anxious tone. She looked at him deeply, ¡°It¡¯s because of what happenedst night, so...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to marry you, but you never agreed to it. Now that... things havee to this, it¡¯s good.¡±

    He did not want to drag this on any longer. This matter had to be done as soon as possible so that it would not be toote. After thinking about it, it was best to be more decisive. After all, he was sure that it was her.

    ¡°I keep feeling like we should be together anyway. So, at least we¡¯re excited for our future life. We...¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Before Lan Xiu could finish his sentence, Leng Xinran suddenly agreed.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    Leng Xinran was not such a pretentious woman. Now that they had reached this stage, they should be able to fulfill their wish, right?

    At this moment, she did not feel too much. Perhaps, when she wanted to get along with him, she had already made all the preparations.

    Seeing that she had agreed, Lan Xiu heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°The weather is still cold in the morning. Take a shower and change your clothes. I¡¯ll go get your clothes for you.¡±

    Of course, he did not dare to look at her white and fair pair of legs. Otherwise, the scenes fromst night would flood into his mind, causing him to be unable to hold back the excitement in his heart. At this moment, he also felt like he was running away.

    Lan Xiu was also a person who acted quickly. He was a man of his word. The next morning, after breakfast, Leng Xinran, who was preparing to go to the office, was stopped by him just as she walked to the door.

    At that time, Leng Xinran was naturally a little strange. He reminded her in annoyance. Later on, Leng Xinran only remembered that they had previously agreed to register.

    Therefore, the two of them spent some time and went straight to the civil affairs bureau.

    Because they came early, the procedures werepleted smoothly and quickly. Before 10 o¡¯clock, the two of them had finished all the procedures and walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

    ¡°Get off work early in the evening. We¡¯ll celebrate and then go back to the Leng family to visit.¡±

    Lan Xiu walked her to the car and reminded her.

    Leng Xinran nodded and turned to look at the rising sun. ¡°I see. You should go back to thepany too. I remember you have a meeting in the morning. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to make it in time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already moved to the afternoon,¡± Lan Xiu answered and opened the car door for her. Leng Xinran did not stand on ceremony and sat in the car. She fastened her seatbelt, then turned her head and said to him outside the car window, ¡°Then you can take care of yourself. I¡¯m going back to thepany. I have to go to the factoryter, time is a little tight.¡±

    Lan Xiu nodded and watched her leave with a smile.

    Leng Xinran did not think too much about it. She started the car and left.

    Lan Xiu stood in the same spot silently and watched her car disappear into the crowd of cars in front of him. He did not know how to react for a long time.

    He did not know how much time had passed until he felt a warm sensation on his body. He finally came back to his senses. He lowered his head and looked at the document bag in his hand, it felt heavy¡ª

    Inside it was the information of the two of them, their marriage certificate...

    That was a certificate that meant they had be a couple.

    For some reason, when Lan Xiu held the document bag, he could not help but feel a surge of emotions...

 Chapter 2109 - Happiness In Oneâ€™s Lifetime (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2109: Happiness In One¡¯s Lifetime (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the news of Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran¡¯s marriage spread, Dongfang Liuyun was not surprised.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun was flipping through documents in front of Qi Lei¡¯s office desk. When Yang Sheng came over to tell them about this matter, the couple¡¯s reaction was also very calm.

    Dongfang Liuyun did not think this ending was strange. Moreover, she had long thought that the two of them should have gotten to where they were today.

    ¡°Looks like I can give away the gifts that I¡¯ve prepared.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun had a faint smile on her face as she slowly closed the documents in her hands. She reached out to open a drawer at the side and took out a document bag.

    It was Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s firm shares of the Lan Group. She had already nned to hand over the entire Lan Group to Lan Xiu because now, she should.

    Hearing this, Qi Lei, who was flipping through a magazine on the sofa, also looked up at her. ¡°As a wedding gift?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve thought of this from the start.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly. ¡°It¡¯s not easy for Lan Xiu to get to this stage. After Lan Qi left, he was all alone, and I...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s naturally a good thing that he found a suitable person. This way, you don¡¯t have to worry about him so much. Don¡¯t you realize that apart from me, you care about everyone else very much too?¡±

    Qi Lei was naturally a little displeased at this moment.

    ¡°You¡¯re almost an old man now, so why are you still fussing about all this? Alright, I don¡¯t have time to y with you. Give Lan Xiu a call. We¡¯ll go to his house tonight as guests.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun closed the document and put it back as she said.

    ¡°Together?¡±

    Qi Lei gave her a sidelong nce.

    ¡°Should I go alone then?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun immediately frowned and looked at him with displeasure in his eyes.

    Qi Lei coughed lightly and replied, ¡°Of course not. Bring the children too, right?¡±

    ¡°The children are with Mother. What are you worried about? Hurry up and make the call.¡±

    Only then did Qi Lei pick up the phone...

    Because they had agreed to the party that night, Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran got off work earlier than usual. When the couple returned home, they started preparing dinner. When Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun came over, the couple was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

    When Dongfang Liuyun saw this, she went over to help and let Lan Xiu and Qi Lei talk on their own.

    Lan Xiu smiled and went out as well. Instantly, there were only two women in the kitchen preparing dinner.

    In the living room, Qi Lei was sitting on the sofa. He was drinking tea and watching TV. When he saw Lan Xiue over, he politely nodded and greeted him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you guys toe. I could have prepared more if you had informed earlier.¡±

    Lan Xiu reached out and took the tea Qi Lei handed over. He took a sip and said.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Liuyun say that we¡¯re all our people? Don¡¯t tell me you want to give her face?¡± Qi Lei smiled and replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s great that you guys cane over. Liuyun hasn¡¯te over for a long time.¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re a married man now, and she¡¯s a married woman. Do you think it¡¯s really asfortable as before? Even if there¡¯s nothing on my side, don¡¯t forget your new wife.¡±

    Qi Lei gave him a sideways nce that was not a smile. He knew that after Lan Xiu got married, he inexplicably felt a little rxed, as if a hidden danger had finally been solved.

    Lan Xiu also stared at him. Naturally, he could catch Qi Lei¡¯s gaze. He smiled. ¡°Still unhappy with me?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Qi Lei asked back.

    ¡°I thought you were very open-minded. Didn¡¯t I make things clear with Liuyun?¡±

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s better for you to find someone like that and get married like this. It makes me feel more at ease.¡±

    Qi Lei gave him a half-smile.

    Lan Xiu could not help but cast him a sidelong nce. He could not help but lower his voice. ¡°Why do I feel like your heart is like a needle¡¯s eye? It¡¯s so small.¡±

    Qi Lei was not angry when he heard that. Instead, he rolled his eyes at him as if it was a matter of course. ¡°It¡¯s easy to lose sight of a woman if I wasn¡¯t small-minded. I don¡¯t believe that if it were you, you would be able to sit still all the time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been rational when ites to problems.¡±

    Lan Xiu had a look of disdain that said, ¡°I¡¯m definitely not the same type of narrow-minded person as you.¡±

    Qi Lei did not care about him. He still leisurely sipped his tea and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s Liuyun¡¯s wish for you to have a good home. She¡¯s very happy to see that you and Leng Xinran have seeded.¡±

    ¡°I know. I originally nned to bring Xinran back to Tanshan Viter and tell everyone about this. I didn¡¯t expect you guys to be so well-informed.¡±

    Lan Xiu smiled helplessly. ¡°But since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll bring Xinran back this weekend. Don¡¯t worry, treat Liuyun well, I¡¯ll y the role of a brother. Of course, Xinran will be your sister-inw.¡±

    Now, there was only relief and blessings in Lan Xiu¡¯s eyes.

    Qi Lei did not say anything as he listened. He only looked at Lan Xiu meaningfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. It gives me goosebumps.¡±

    Lan Xiu gave him a sideways nce and turned his head away.

    At this moment, Qi Leiughed softly.

    ¡°Do you really want to be a eolder brother?¡±

    ¡°I should have always taken on this identity in the first ce.¡±

    That was how Lan Xiu responded.

    Qi Lei raised his handsome eyebrows. Then, he picked up his tea and nced at Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu happily picked up his cup as well.

    At this moment, the two men finally knew that they could truly be friends.

    ¡°Oh right, I heard that your father-inw, Leng Mingyi, isn¡¯t doing too well?¡±

    Qi Lei had always been well-informed, so he naturally knew about this.

    ¡°He¡¯s stabilized a little during this period of time. He¡¯s already found a suitable kidney source and is currently preparing for surgery.¡±

    ¡°The sess rate of this type of surgery isn¡¯t very low. It¡¯ll be fine, I hope he can get through this.¡± Qi Lei consoled him.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Lan Xiu.

    ...

    Dinner was quickly prepared. After a meal, the few of them used it harmoniously.

    After the meal, Leng Xinran went to clean up the dishes.

    At this moment, Dongfang Liuyun handed the prepared documents to Lan Xiu.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    Lan Xiu, who was on the sofa, was a little puzzled.

    ¡°Right now, you are the only one in charge of the Lan Group. Moreover, I have the Dongfang Group in my hands. I don¡¯t think I have the mind to care too much about it. Therefore, this Lan Group should be handed over to you. I have already signed the share certificate. It nowpletely belongs to you.¡±

    ¡°Liuyun...¡±

    As soon as Dongfang Liuyun finished, Lan Xiu was startled for a moment and his brows were tightly furrowed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t reject it, Lan Xiu. Just think of it as when I was in a difficult situation and you helped me with your heart. I know that this is the best oue for thepany. Lan Qi would also have wanted me to do this. Therefore, you must sign this document.¡±

 Chapter 2110 - Happiness In Oneâ€™s Lifetime (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2110: Happiness In One¡¯s Lifetime (3)</h4>

    In the end, Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran did not n to hold a wedding.

    Originally, Lan Xiu did not want to make things difficult for her, but Leng Xinran had asked for this, so he could only follow her instructions. After the two of them took a set of wedding photos, that was it.

    The days passed day by day. Near the end of the year, Leng Mingyi had a kidney transnt. The hospital said that he was recovering well, and Leng Mingyi¡¯s mental state had also slowly recovered.

    Ye Xiaolian became very well-behaved, afraid that Leng Mingyi would divorce her. After all, she had done so many things that she should not have done. Now, Leng Mingyi¡¯s attitude towards her was not as before, so she was also very fearful, afraid that something would go wrong.

    On New Year¡¯s Eve, it was Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s third birthday, so Zhuang Shurong and the others had prepared a birthday dinner since early in the morning, together with the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.

    The so-called dinner was just for the whole family. The Mu family and the Shen family, it was quite lively.

    Mu Lingshi naturally could note back because she was not feeling well, but she did get someone to bring gifts. Qi Lei and Zhou Zimo were the same.

    Mu Xiaocheng grew another year. The little guy looked more and more like his father, Mu Yuchen. He was very sensible too. His brothers and sisters at home were also protecting him, so Mu Tangchuan treated him like a gem.

    At this moment, inside Maple Residence, under the attack of the biting cold wind, the family had a warm and pleasant dinner before going back to wait for the New Year.

    Shen Yue, Mu Tangchuan, and the others also left Maple Residence together.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye personally sent them out of the door.

    ¡°Grandfather, Father, and Mother, why don¡¯t everyone rest here? Maple Residence has a lot of rooms, you don¡¯t have to go back at this time. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to celebrate the new year together?¡±

    Xi Xiaye handed some snacks to Zhuang Shurong as she said this.

    ¡°You guys have a good time with the children. It¡¯s the new year, so there must be someone at home to watch over. The New Year¡¯s Eve dinner and Xiaocheng¡¯s birthday tonight was fun, you guys are really thoughtful.¡±

    Shen Yue smiled.

    ¡°Grandfather cane over often,¡± Mu Yuchen said humbly as well.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Go back, it¡¯s pretty cold outside. You don¡¯t have to send me off.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, be careful on the way. Call me when you get home.¡±

    Xi Xiaye sent Shen Yue, Shen Wenna, and Xi Mushan to the car, then Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong left too.

    When they returned to the room, the children were sitting quietly on the sofa watching cartoons.

    ¡°Father.¡±

    When they saw Mu Yuchen sit over, Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er turned to look over as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ve eaten so much heaty food, drink some herbal tea.¡±

    Before Mu Yuchen could reply, Xi Xiaye had already brought some herbal tea over for the children to drink.

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    The children obediently brought it over.

    ¡°Mother, when can we set off the fireworks?¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng suddenly turned around. His bright eyes twinkled like stars as he looked at Xi Xiaye without blinking.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye exchanged a look with Mu Yuchen. Mu Yuchen then nced at the children and saw that their eyes were filled with anticipation as well. Outside the window, colorful fireworks were also blooming.

    ¡°Go, get the butler and Grandfather to help. Don¡¯t y alone. Be careful and don¡¯t get too close. Also, drink up the water in the cup,¡± Mu Yuchen quickly said.

    It was as if the children had gotten freedom. They immediately picked up the cup and gulped down the water in one gulp before rushing out of the door excitedly.

    In the courtyard outside, the butler and servants had already prepared the fireworks.

    Mu Yuchen had just poured Xi Xiaye a ss of water when the sound of fireworks could be heard from outside. The brilliant flowers bloomed in the night sky, densely packed together, illuminating the entire night sky. It was really beautiful to look at.

    Xi Xiaye just stood quietly on the steps of the door and looked at the children ying in front of her. Theughter joined together, and XI Xiaye¡¯s clear eyes started to be a little absent-minded.

    At this moment, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder, and then a slight warmth came over. She subconsciously turned her head and saw the man who was already standing beside her.

    ¡°Mr. Mu, look at how happy they are.¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly said softly.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Mu Yuchen responded with this. He very considerately helped her put on her coat, then reached out to hold her shoulder, ¡°In a blink of an eye, so many years have passed. I remember when we first got married, you were holding fireworks like that at the Mu residence. We went back to the Mu residence on New Year¡¯s Eve, right?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes were filled with nostalgia as he said this.

    Xi Xiaye nodded silently. ¡°Yes, at the Mu residence. At that time, Grandfather and Grandmother were still around. Ah Mo and Ah Shi were also home. It was really lively back then.¡±

    When she said this, Xi Xiaye paused for a while before continuing, ¡°I know that some things can not be avoided in the end, so now that the children are living happily and everyone is doing well, I feel very satisfied. You know, Mr. Mu, I really like that Pushkin poem you wrote for me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What poem?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not quite remember, so he was naturally a little confused.

    Xi Xiaye smiled calmly. Her starry eyes contained a faint emotion as she quietly watched him. Her red lips gently opened as she recited¡ª

    ¡°If life deceives you, don¡¯t be sad and don¡¯t be anxious. You need to be calm in the days of depression. Believe it, happy days wille...¡±

    ¡°I told Ah Shi back then that pain and hardship will always be magnified when you¡¯re facing them, but once you persevere through it, you¡¯ll realize that¡¯s all there is to it. I¡¯ve learned my lesson, Mr. Mu.¡±

    When he heard her, Mu Yuchen¡¯s arms around her shoulders suddenly tightened. He leaned over and lowered his head to kiss her forehead while hisrge hand caressed her head.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve understood long ago, the children have grown so much now, your self-awareness can¡¯t be too low.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re going to despise me?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him with a hint of warning in her eyes.

    Mu Yuchen chuckled softly. ¡°Mrs. Mu, you¡¯re unparalleled in the world. How would I dare?¡±

    Xi Xiaye chuckled softly. Her eyes were filled with gentleness, ¡°Of course! However, watching the children grow up day by day, I feel like I¡¯m old. I¡¯m over 30, Mr. Mu! After next spring, Xiaocheng should start kindergarten.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s only slightly over three. Let¡¯s send him to a smaller ss first.¡±

    Mu Yuchen agreed as well.

    ¡°But the little guy said that he doesn¡¯t have to go to a smaller ss. He¡¯ll go straight to a middle ss or arger ss. He¡¯s a little mischievous. These days, he¡¯s with his Father and Mother, and my parents. They¡¯re teaching him how to write and count, the little guy can understand a little too.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2111 - Happiness In Oneâ€™s Lifetime (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2111: Happiness In One¡¯s Lifetime (4)</h4>

    Mu Xiaocheng was very smart and he had a nimble mind. Although he became quieter and less noisy as he grew up, Mu Tangchuan, Zhuang Shurong, and Shen Wenna would often teach him some things when Xi Mushan took care of him, the little guy did learn quite well.

    On the other hand, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were busy with work, so they sometimes did not have time to care about these educational issues. When they thought about Mu Zirui and Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s homework, most of the time, it was Zhuang Shurong and Shen Wenna who supervised them, the husband and wife could only apany the children when they had some free time.

    However, the children were very sensible. For example, before the new year, they were busy with work. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were also busy leaving early and returningte. Many times, when they came back from work, it was already veryte. The children had also gone to bed. They woke up early the next day and did not make any noise.

    ¡°We can take a look at what the school said. If it¡¯s really good, it¡¯s not impossible.¡±

    Mu Yuchen would not deliberately arrange the children¡¯s future and let them develop on their own. However, he was nning to let the children receive a military education, especially Mu Zirui and Mu Zicheng. Wei¡¯er was a girl, he could rx a little.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s cold outside, let¡¯s go back in. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯ve been quite tired these past few days? Let the children y by themselves.¡±

    Mu Yuchen saw that the temperature outside was very low, so he naturally could not bear to let her stand in the cold wind like this. Although her condition had improved quite a lot recently, her health was still affected. It would not be a quick recovery even if she said that she did not mind. However, Xi Xiaye might not be able to let it go. She always knew that she would not give up on recuperating in this period of time.

    Mu Xiaocheng was already three years old. Even now, Xi Xiaye was still very weak. She had consulted a lot of doctors and they all rmended dietary supplements. However, after three years, there was still no effect. On the other hand, her hands and feet were not as cold as before, which was a good thing.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too cold. I want to see them...¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not move her feet. Her calm gaze fell on the children ying in front of her, and the curve of her lips widened slightly.

    When Mu Yuchen saw this, he could only let her go and hug her shoulders tightly.

    It was getting closer and closer to midnight. The new year was about to arrive, and the fireworks in the night sky were even more dazzling and charming.

    Inside the Grand Lake Vi area.

    Dongfang Liuyun had just put the children to bed. Qi Qiming had juste over for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner and then left. Just like Mu Yuchen, Dongfang Gan, Song Siting, and Dongfang Xue had alsoe over.

    They left quitete, so the two children went to bed quitete as well.

    Now, they finally went to bed.

    When she came out of the bedroom, she saw Qi Lei standing by the French window and watching the fireworks outside

    He was dressed in a ck robe and leaned against the wall beside him. The swaying curtains would asionally conceal his tall figure.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    When the light voice entered his ears, Qi Lei could feel a pair of soft arms wrapping around his waist. A wave of softness also pressed against his back.

    Qi Lei looked down and saw that her white hands were already crossed around his waist. The ring on her finger seemed unusually eye-catching under the dim light.

    He was stunned for a moment. He slowly raised his hand and gently held her hands. His voice was very low and slow. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I think that tonight¡¯s fireworks are especially beautiful. It¡¯s far more beautiful than every single time I¡¯ve seen it in the past.¡±

    As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and pulled her into his embrace. He hugged her.

    Dongfang Liuyun leaned into his chest rather enjoyably. She felt the warmth of his manly body. Her gently held hands were slightly clenched, and her gaze fell on the fireworks that were constantly blooming in the night sky outside.

    ¡°Mmm, I also think that such a scene should be remembered. Actually, every year is the same scene. The only difference is the people who apany you for the scenery. We have missed so many years, and we have regretted it for so many years. Fortunately, it¡¯s not toote now. We still have many years, and there are many opportunities like this.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun sighed softly.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. There are still many years.¡±

    Qi Lei chuckled beside her ear and hugged her tightly. ¡°Thank you. Because of you, I¡¯ve rekindled hope in my life and future. I even gave birth to a son and daughter for me. Ye¡¯er and Lan ¡®er, I...¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. They¡¯re my children too, and you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to spend the rest of my life with me. We¡¯re the same.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at him and chuckled.

    Hearing her words, he felt warmed all over. The arm around her waist grew tighter. ¡°Only you have this kind of ability.¡±

    ¡°You too. Actually, our rtionship is just right. As long as we can have this moment, everything is worth it. I actually feel that the burden on our shoulders has be heavier. Previously, we felt that many things were just a pile of loose sand. But now, I feel that many things have gathered together. We need to raise our children and take care of our parents. I feel that this is the life that we should be living.¡±

    ¡°In the past, I actually envied Mu Yuchen¡¯s life, but I could understand his happiness as well. It wasn¡¯t easy either. Later on, I figured it out. All these years, even though I¡¯ve never thought about getting happiness from anyone, I¡¯ve never taken the initiative to give. I¡¯ve only been indifferent and silent. This isn¡¯t necessarily wise. People have to know how to give love before they have the right to hope to be loved. The two of them aren¡¯t equal in the first ce.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath and his tone was very calm.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been affected quite a bit by Mu Yuchen.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    ¡°Mmm, there are many things that I still need to look up to him. I¡¯m always enlightened by him on many things, including Xiaye. Do you have the feeling that if there¡¯s someone around you who¡¯s as positive as Mu Yuchen, you¡¯ll be influenced by some of his thoughts if you interact with him for a long time?¡±

    ¡°Of course, for example, I¡¯m often influenced by you. In fact, I¡¯ve admired your personality before, but I¡¯ve been trapped in my own nightmare.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled in relief and paused before continuing, ¡°Now, I¡¯ve understood. Everything in the past is just an episode in the past. You, the child, and Mother and Father are my all.¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s heart suddenly felt warm

    All...

    How could she not be his all?

    As he thought about it, he suddenly could not hide how moved he felt. Then, he suddenly bent down and carried her. He turned around and strode towards the bedroom.

    ¡°What...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll always love you like this in my lifetime...¡±

    ¡°Me too, Qi Lei...¡±

 Chapter 2112 - Five Years (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2112: Five Years (1)</h4>

    1

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Five years. Five years passed in a sh.

    Not long after the spring festival five years ago, when Xi Xiaye went to the hospital for a check-up because she was feeling unwell, the doctor told her that she was pregnant for more than two months. Xi Xiaye was ecstatic and quickly told Mu Yuchen about this news.

    Mu Yuchen immediately rushed over to confirm that it was as she said.

    After that, she carried the child for ten months. After the Mid-autumn Festival, Xi Xiaye¡¯s wish finally came true and she gave birth to a daughter for Mu Yuchen. Mu Yuchen named his daughter Mu Zishu, and she was the youngest child that he doted on the most.

    Because this daughter was not easy toe by, to give birth to her, Xi Xiaye suffered a lot. When she gave birth to her, it was a difficult process. She went through a whole night of torment before giving birth the next morning.

    The daughter was very sensible. Just like her brother, Mu Zicheng, she did not cry much and was very easy to take care of. Moreover, the older she grew, the more she looked like Xi Xiaye, especially her brows, eyes, and mouth. Her entire silouhette looked like a miniature version of Xi Xiaye.

    Among the four children, Mu Zishu was undoubtedly the most doted on, but she was also the quietest. Ever since she was born, she would mostly just eat and sleep and rarely cry.

    When Mu Zishu was born, Mu Zicheng was already almost four years old. The little guy grew very fast. He was taller than most people his age, and he was very strong. When Mu Zishu was just one month old, the little guy was already moring to hug his sister, and so was Mu Zirui, the two children seemed to be very protective of their own.

    In these five years, time passed very quickly. Qin Su gave birth to a son for Zhou Zimo. Zhou Zimo named him Zhou Mingyu, while Ji Zitong gave birth to another son for Su Chen. He was named Su Jingchuan, and he was almost four years old now, he was a little younger than Zhou Mingyu.

    Mu Zirui was already in his teens. When he was eight years old, Mu Yuchen had already sent him to study at a military school. He would only go home at the end of every month.

    Mu Zirui adapted very quickly. Even though it was rare for him to live with Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, he was not estranged from them at all.

    Mu Zicheng was already eight years old. Because the little guy was smart, he would be entering the sixth grade after this holiday. Qi Wei¡¯er would be in the first year of junior high, and the siblings would be in the same school. Mu Zirui would also be in the first year of senior high after this summer holiday.

    The teaching model in the school was flexible and very practical. If you could pass the test, it would not be a problem for you to skip a grade. In the past few years, the education department had slowly changed from exam-oriented education to focusing more on promoting talents, therefore, these were all trivial matters.

    Dongfang Ye and Qi Lan were in the same ss as Su Jingling. They were in the second grade and were in the same school as Mu Zicheng.

    In addition, in the third year after Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran got married, Leng Xinran also gave birth to her daughter, Lan Lingjin. She was now over two years old.

    The child¡¯s name was given by Leng Xinran. Lan Xiu knew that Leng Xinran was still thinking about her unfortunate younger sister, Leng Xinling.

    Another year of summer vacation had passed. In the blink of an eye, school was about to start again.

    It was early in the morning, and the sun was shining brightly, inside Maple Residence.

    Xi Xiaye woke up earlier than usual, even though it was the weekend.

    Because Mu Zirui had to report back to school today, the school was in the outskirts of City Z. It was close to 200 kilometers away from home, and it would take more than three hours to drive there.

    Xi Xiaye had told Mu Yuchenst night that she would send him there together.

    Because she was thinking about this, Xi Xiaye could not rest well. The child had to leave her side and only came back once in a long time. Of course, she was a little reluctant, even though such days had been going on for a few years.

    Mu Zicheng and Mu Zishu had returned to the Mu residence. Qi Wei¡¯er had spent most of the summer holidays at Qi Lei¡¯s ce. Dongfang Liuyun and Qi Lei treated her very well and treated her like their own daughter, so over the past few years, Qi Wei¡¯er did not seem estranged from them. On this point, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye felt very gratified.

    Xi Xiaye woke up early this morning and specially prepared breakfast for the child personally. She helped him pack his luggage. At this moment, Mu Zirui had also woken up. He had washed up and changed into a grayish-ck casual outfit. He looked resolute and handsome.

    The child grew up very quickly. He had already surpassed Xi Xiaye¡¯s height.

    ¡°Mother, why did you wake up so early?¡±

    Mu Zirui stood by the bed and watched Xi Xiaye pack her luggage while he took Xi Xiaye¡¯s socks and put them on.

    ¡°You slept quite earlyst night. You have to report back to school today. School is starting now, so I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be a break at the end of this month. The next time youe back will be at the end of next month. It¡¯s more than 40 days, so you need to be more mindful of what you need.¡±

    Xi Xiaye was just worried that he would miss something, so she got up early to prepare.

    ¡°The school has everything, Mother, you should rest for a while. Everything that needs to be packed is pretty muh there.¡±

    Mu Zirui saw that Xi Xiaye was so busy that her forehead was covered in ayer of sweat, so he quickly went over to help carry the luggage bag.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a military academy. Howfortable can it be? If you need anything, just call home. I¡¯ve already gotten to know your form teacher and Dean Sang, you can¡¯t use your phone inside either. If you need anything, just tell them. They¡¯ll pass on your messages to me. Don¡¯t let your father know. He¡¯s simply unable tomunicate right now. He¡¯s always asking the same of you guys with his old ways.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, she lowered her voice, as if she was afraid that she would be heard if she raised her voice.

    When she heard this, Mu Zirui smiled. ¡°Mother, Father is doing this for our own good. A few days ago, Xiaocheng said that he wanted to enter this school with me too. He said that it¡¯s meaningless to stay in the school now. It¡¯s not challenging at all.¡±

    ¡°Him? He¡¯s still so young. It¡¯ll take at least two years. I¡¯m only relieved when he¡¯s a little more responsible. Xiao Rui, school isn¡¯t like home. It¡¯s a little tougher. Don¡¯t put yourself through too much, understand?¡±

    Xi Xiaye felt a little sorry for Mu Zirui. When he first went in, Xi Xiaye noticed that he had lost some weight every time he returned home. When Mu Yuchen said that he wanted to send him to that school, she was not very happy. Seeing Mu Zirui like this, her heart ached even more, and she ignored Mu Yuchen for quite a few days. After that, Mu Yuchen tried his best to calm her down.

    ¡°Mother, yesterday, Father asked me to go to the study room for a lecture. My father said that you¡¯re too harsh on him and that you¡¯re a little arrogant and spoiled...¡±

    Mu Zirui touched his nose and looked at Xi Xiaye with some interest. He did not forget what Mu Yuchen had told him.

    ¡°Arrogant because I¡¯m spoiled? Do you think he has the right? Don¡¯t you feel that your father seems to be going through menopause this past year?¡±

    ¡°Menopause? No. Isn¡¯t he just in his forties? Uncle Qi Lei said that this is when a man is experienced and more mature with male charisma. Previously, he told you to be careful not to let other women think of moring onto my father!¡±

 Chapter 2113 - Five Years (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2113: Five Years (2)</h4>

    Mu Zirui did not agree on this point.

    Actually, in these five years, Mu Yuchen¡¯s feelings for Xi Xiaye did not decrease at all. Instead, they were like a jar of old wine, brewing stronger and stronger. His feelings for her only increased with each passing day.

    They passed the seven-year itch very ndly and blissfully. Compared to Su Chen and Ji Zitong, who were always at odds with each other, they were the same as Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun. There were very few instances of quarreling.

    ¡°Which woman still dares to think about him, do they not want to live anymore?¡±

    Xi Xiaye did not think much of it.

    In the past few years, she knew Glory World Corporation like the back of her hand. Besides the men around Mu Yuchen, there were also middle-aged women. It was not like there were no young women who wanted to get ahead. They were all taken care of by Xi Xiaye one by one. Of course, such situations were moremon on Qi Lei¡¯s side, but the Qi Lei¡¯s family¡¯s methods were not any less than Xi Xiaye¡¯s.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m reminding you to be careful. Look, the film festival ising soon. When that timees, Father will definitely be there to be the guest presenter. You have to be careful of those female celebrities. In the past, I¡¯ve seen quite a few of those women meeting father by chance. You and Aunty Liuyun have to keep your eyes peeled.¡±

    ¡°Brat, why are watching these things for?¡±

    Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Zirui in amusement. All these years, they had resisted the women around Mu Yuchen and Qi Lei. Even Dongfang Ye and Qi Lan had been corrupted by them.

    ¡°We¡¯re preparing for a rainy day. Since I won¡¯t be around, Xiaocheng would have to keep an eye on things.¡±

    Speaking of Mu Zirui, he was actually the devil among these children.

    At such a young age, this child hadpletely inherited his father Mu Yuchen¡¯s personality. He was mature and deep, mysterious and treacherous. Unlike his father, this child seemed to be more silent and decisive. Perhaps it was because he had often stayed by Mu Tangchuan¡¯s side before, Mu Tangchuan instead handed over all the official stuff to him.

    Dongfang Ye was the second devil. His smile was as warm as the wind, but many of the bad ideas came from him. The ones who carried out the n were the little rascals like Zhou Mingyu.

    ¡°You lot are too busybody. Alright, your things are packed. Hurry up and ask your father to go downstairs and have breakfast. It¡¯s almost eight, yet he¡¯s still not up! Leave earlierter, it¡¯ll take more than three hours to get there, and there¡¯s traffic in the city too,¡± said Xi Xiaye.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Mu Zirui replied before leaving the room.

    When he reached the bedroom door, Mu Zirui knocked on the door very politely

    ¡°Father, Mother wants you to get up for breakfast. Aren¡¯t you up yet?¡±

    When Mu Zirui finished speaking, the door opened from the inside. Mu Yuchen had already appeared in front of him neatly.

    Time did not leave any marks on Mu Yuchen¡¯s face. Although he was already a man in his 40s, his charm did not diminish at all. Instead, he was even more reserved. His mature and noble charm became even stronger, it was no wonder that Mu Zirui and the others were worried that their mother, Xi Xiaye, would...

    ¡°Good morning, Father!¡±

    Mu Zirui squinted at Mu Yuchen and smiled.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? is breakfast ready?¡±

    Mu Yuchen could naturally catch the meaningful look in his son¡¯s eyes.

    Mu Zirui chuckled and said softly, ¡°Father, when I¡¯m not at home, you must keep a close eye on my mother. A few days ago, when you were shopping with mother, you even noticed that one of mother¡¯s juniors was very friendly and asked for mother¡¯s contact details.¡±

    ¡°Juniors? What juniors? What does he look like?¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, he immediately frowned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. His surname seems to be Yu. Mother asked me to call him Uncle Yu. Uncle Yu wanted to ask mother to meet him again, but mother didn¡¯t have the time to reject him, so he stuffed his business card into mother¡¯s hands. Oh, right, that uncle seems to have just returned from abroad. He looks very fair and bright. I think he¡¯s younger than mother by a few years. You know, mother takes very good care of her old friends...¡±

    Mu Zirui whispered as he squinted at Mu Yuchen tentatively.

    Mu Yuchen gave him a sidelong nce as he patted his head and rubbed it. ¡°Not bad. Didn¡¯t you tell that man that your mother and I have a great rtionship??¡±

    ¡°Father, the love between you and mother isn¡¯t meant to disy like that, is it?¡±

    Mu Zirui shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been disying it all these years, but you didn¡¯t die sooner, did you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not think much of it. His tall figure walked past him. Mu Zirui touched his nose and followed behind him.

    In the dining room downstairs, Xi Xiaye had already prepared breakfast and bowls and chopsticks.

    Mu Yuchen and Mu Zirui came over and sat down too.

    ¡°Eat more. Mother even prepared some snacks that you like. They¡¯re all wrapped up. Bring them to the carter.¡±

    Xi Xiaye scooped a bowl of pumpkin porridge for Mu Zirui as she said this.

    ¡°Got it, Mother.¡±

    ¡°Sit down and eat. You¡¯ll be able to see people again next month. You¡¯ll have to leave for even longer in the future. You¡¯ll be attending the Military Academy¡¯s special recruitmentter on. Xiao Rui, if you¡¯re really interested, you can get to know them properly.¡±

    Mu Zirui seemed to be determined to enter the military academy. She had been training hard in school these past few years just to fulfill her dream of being in the military camp.

    ¡°Grandfather told me that there will be peopleing to the school for the selectionter on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. You have to take care of yourself. Mother will take care of it then.¡±

    Xi Xiaye wanted to cheer her son up when she saw his hopeful expression, but...

    The man and her son immediately shot her a disapproving look. Xi Xiaye was stunned. She could only pick up the bowl and lower her head as if she had not said anything just now.

    At this moment, Mu Zirui smiled instead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I know what I¡¯m doing. It¡¯s a sure thing to be chosen based on my own abilities. Don¡¯t worry. I want to be like father back then, relying on my own true abilities.¡±

    ¡°What true abilities does he have? As long as you hand in your information, wouldn¡¯t it be...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re ambitious. Father and Mother can¡¯t protect you forever. You only have the right to talk about protecting others when you¡¯ve mastered your true abilities.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice sounded.

    Mu Zirui nodded. ¡°I got it, Father!¡±

    Not long after breakfast, the family of three set off for school.

    The driver was Mu Yuchen. Xi Xiaye and her son, Mu Zirui, sat in the backseat. Along the way, Xi Xiaye kept nagging Mu Zirui with all sorts of questions, but Mu Zirui did not feel impatient at all. He just kept arriving at the school gate, Xi Xiaye finally stopped talking.

    The child carried his luggage and got out of the car. The husband and wife personally sent him to the school gate.

    ¡°Father, Mother, you guys go back. I¡¯m going in now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye nodded and waved. The child then walked towards the school. After a few steps, he did not forget to turn back to look at them...

 Chapter 2114 - Five Years (3)

    Chapter 2114: Five Years (3)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As she watched her son¡¯s figure slowly disappear into the school gate, Xi Xiaye did not move for a long time.

    Until the man beside her reached out to pull her

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back. Everyone¡¯s inside.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice sounded a little sigh. He naturally knew what she was thinking.

    Sure enough, at this moment, Xi Xiaye sighed softly as well, ¡°When they were still young and followed by my side, I always hoped that they would grow up quickly. But now that they¡¯ve grown up and going to leave home, leave us, I suddenly wish that they won¡¯t grow up so quickly. Now, it¡¯s Xiao Rui. In the future, there¡¯ll be Xiao Cheng, Xiao Shu, and Wei¡¯er. They¡¯ll all leave home one by one like this. I¡¯m afraid that only the two of us will be left at home. Time passes too quickly. Sometimes, it¡¯s really hard to know what to do...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s voice was a little worried.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that children can go their own way for their own future. They¡¯ll always have their own future. Alright, let¡¯s go back. Don¡¯t you still have me?¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her as they walked towards the car.

    On the way back, it was Xi Xiaye who drove.

    ¡°Are we going straight home? Mother should be bringing Xiaocheng and the others back this afternoon.¡±

    Xi Xiaye asked.

    The man beside her said slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll apany you to New Era. Didn¡¯t you say that you haven¡¯t gone shopping for a long time?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not forget about this.

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s fine too. I¡¯ll get some clothes for the children. A few days ago, Wei¡¯er said that the new servant prepared clothes for her that didn¡¯t look good. It¡¯s not asfortable as before.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who bought it for her before? Then, let¡¯s see what style she likes. Buy some for Xiaocheng and Xiao Shu too. I¡¯ll get Li Si and the others toe over,¡± Mu Yuchen said.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go over and take a look.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a flower show at Fragrant Hill tomorrow. Anyway, you...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not wait for her to finish speaking and just agreed. Anyway, things in thepany were very stable now. Over the years, many capable people had been promoted and assigned tasks. As the boss himself, it was a lot easier now. He could spend more time with her now, so he would do whatever XI Xiaye asked.

    When she heard this, Xi Xiaye chuckled. ¡°I realize that you¡¯re getting closer to perfection. Do you really want to be a 24-year-old dutiful husband?¡±

    ¡°I thought I¡¯ve always been a 24-year-old dutiful husband in your heart?¡±

    Mu Yuchen squinted at her without any modesty.

    Xi Xiaye chuckled. ¡°No, I can¡¯t give you full marks. I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll be proud. I¡¯m very worried now. Just now, my son even told me to watch out for you. Your market price is too high.¡±

    ¡°Just listen to his nonsense. Even Xiaocheng is targeting me. My sons are protecting you. We¡¯re an old married couple now. We¡¯re not used to changes. Why do you care about that?¡±

    Mu Yuchen said calmly.

    ¡°I know, but they say that you have to live in sorrow and die in peace.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand the meaning of this? Nonsense.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her, but he was smiling inwardly

    She definitely thought that way. She was very wary of those women, yet she pretended not to care in front of him.

    However, even in this state, he still loved her deeply and did not care what she did. In any case, those women had nothing to do with him as long as she was happy.

    In this lifetime, he was only responsible for her emotions. He was not interested in other women at all.

    This was a type of illness that only she could treat, but he was willing to endure it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that makes sense?¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled.

    ¡°Do I cause you that much worry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about those women. Look at me, I¡¯m already in my 30s. When I woke up this morning, I could clearly see the wrinkles at the corner of my eyes.¡±

    Xi Xiaye pouted and said helplessly.

    ¡°Otherwise, do you really think that you¡¯ll stay young forever and be 18 forever? You¡¯re already a mother of a few children. You should be getting wrinkles by now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked at her helplessly.

    Perhaps women were just like that. They were afraid of their own age and could not withstand the baptism of time, while men were still fine.

    Women were born weak. No matter what, he should protect her well.

    ¡°Time is a butcher¡¯s knife, Mr. Mu.¡±

    ¡°The children are still young. Otherwise, we can retire a few years earlier. Then, I can travel with you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better not think about the children first. Xiao Rui is about 10 years old. It will be difficult for him to take over thepany. The child is determined to be a general. As for our son, he is only eight years old. He will need to be in his 20s before he can think about this problem. We have to persist for another 20 years. By then, you will be 60 years old, and I will also be in my 50s.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Mu, when that timees, will you be like those people? With a big belly, you¡¯ll look like you¡¯ve put on weight?¡±

    In Xi Xiaye¡¯s heart, she imagined how Mu Yuchen¡¯s figure would go out of shape.

    ¡°This can¡¯t happen to me either. I¡¯m someone who pays a lot of attention to my image. I pay attention to training to maintain my figure.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯ve maintained a pretty good figure now. Then, continue to maintain it. Look at my figure after I gave birth to Xiao Shu. It¡¯s not out of shape either. Shouldn¡¯t you praise me?¡±

    When he heard this, the man turned around and looked at Xi Xiaye up and down with a meaningful gaze. He was rather amused. ¡°By discussing this with me at this time, are you hinting that I should work harder when I go back tonight?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was stunned when she heard this. Then, her face could not help but turn red as she nced at him. ¡°That¡¯s all you can think about. Hey, Mr. Mu, do you feel that the older you get, the more you¡¯re like that?¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    Mu Yuchen pretended that he did not understand. He raised his handsome brows and looked at her with a faint smile.

    Really, it felt pretty good to tease this little woman like this.

    ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re acting all serious,¡± Xi Xiaye scolded him softly.

    ¡°If I¡¯m serious with you, you¡¯ll have to worry. Xi Xiaye is one of a kind in this world. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that I¡¯m in love with only you?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    The redness on Xi Xiaye¡¯s face became more obvious.

    At this moment, he chuckled softly. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t tease you anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so annoying?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then said gloomily. As he listened, the smile on his face became more obvious.

 Chapter 2115 - Five Years (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2115: Five Years (4)</h4>

    It was already evening, and the soft golden light filled the ground. The setting sun was naturally very beautiful.

    In a small living room on the first floor of Maple Residence.

    The passionate sound of games was heard, along with the sound of smashing of the keyboard.

    In the living room, on the huge screen on the wall beside the floor-to-ceiling window, the intense battle scene was continuing. At the bottom of the screen, two children were sitting upright, their fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard.

    The two children were a boy and a girl. The boy was a very fair and handsome young one. He wore a ck and wine-red school uniform. The boy was quite tall and looked like he was eight or nine years old.

    The girl beside him looked a little younger. She was also wearing a ck and wine-red school dress. Her long hair was tied into a bun, revealing a delicate and delicate little face. She was very focused and her face was a little tense, her brows were slightly furrowed.

    That face looked like Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s!

    That¡¯s right, this girl was Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s most precious daughter, Qi Lan.

    Beside her was a boy named Gu Liufeng. He was almost nine years old and was in the same ss as one of the Mu family¡¯s precious children. He could be considered a good friend. His background was not simple in City Z, and he could be considered a family friend of the Mu family, therefore, he got along well with Mu Zicheng and the rest. He could be considered one of the three devil kings in their group.

    On the sofa behind them, a youth who was also wearing a school uniform was also lying down leisurely. His straight and slender legs were crossed leisurely. He had fine ink-ck hair and a handsome and calm face, it was rare for a young person to have a profound and sophisticated personality that did not belong to his age. He seemed very quiet, as if he did not participate in their world. At this moment, he was holding a piece of paper in his hand, there was an extremelyplicated drawing on the paper, and there were words attached to it.

    It looked like school work. At this moment, his quiet eyes were looking at the school work in his hand thoughtfully. After thinking for a moment, a faint light shed across his eyes. He took a pen and quickly wrote a long string of forms on it, he began to calcte...

    This young man was Mu Zicheng, the precious child of the Mu family.

    A slightly younger young man sat beside him. He was also wearing a school uniform. His handsome face was calm and he looked very peaceful and harmless. However, those who knew him well knew that this fellow was a naughty one, many sinister ideas came from this one¡¯s head. However, he looked so gentle and harmless.

    This young man was Dongfang Ye, the son of Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun, Qi Lan¡¯s twin brother. The siblings looked alike.

    Dongfang Ye was ying with a sharp hidden knife. The hidden knife looked very small, but it was exquisite and simple. One look and one could tell that it was from a previous era¡ª

    He took it from his mother, Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s De Bao House. This guy inherited Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s personality and liked antiques. Now, hepletely treated the De Bao House as his private stash. He would often take those treasures, he gave them away whenever he was happy and Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s heart would ache for them.

    They hung out together and were familiar with each other. They were from the same school, so they naturally yed well together.

    Mu Zicheng and Dongfang Ye were both top students in the school, but Qi Lan¡¯s grades were average. She only passed every exam.

    Of course, Qi Lei did not expect her to be top-notch. He did not ask his precious daughter to be a top student anyway. In the future, when she came out to work, she would be by his side. She would learn to manage thepany, so there was no need for her to study so hard.

    However, Dongfang Liuyun did not think so. She felt that even girls should master some necessary skills, so she would often encourage her daughter to learn. Of course, in view of the suffering she had suffered before, she would not push Qi Lan too hard, instead, she would consciously guide her.

    ¡°Go to Hell, why am I stuck here again!¡±

    A wave of depressedints was heard, followed by a ¡®Pa¡¯ sound. The sound of keyboard smashing stopped, and the screen in front of them showed the notification of failure.

    Gu Liufeng was also somewhat unable to keep hisposure at this moment. This round had already been yed several times in a row. In the past, when he and Qi Lan worked together, they were practically unbreakable. However, it seemed that they had really encountered a difficult problem now.

    Qi Lan, who was at the side, also furrowed her brows tightly. After hesitating for a moment, she turned her head to look at Gu Liufeng. Gu Liufeng also had an unconvinced look on his face.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t pass this round. Again!¡±

    Gu Liufeng also turned his head to look at Qi Lan and said.

    ¡°Rest for a while. You¡¯ve already been here for an hour.¡±

    Qi Lan pulled open the keyboard and leaned back into the chair behind her. However, her brows were tightly knitted. It was obvious that she was also unconvinced. However, she had also been fighting this round for so long and still could not pass it. Her heart was naturally a little tensed up, and her expression did not look good.

    Just as she was thinking about how to break through, a fresh aura suddenly came from behind her. Before she could regain her senses, a pair of slender hands had reached out and a faint voice was heard. ¡°Get up.¡±

    Qi Lan turned his head and saw Mu Zicheng standing beside her. He was staring intently at the screen and Gu Liufeng had already pressed the start button.

    Qi Lan nced at Mu Zicheng again and stood up silently. He retreated to the side.

    Mu Zicheng quickly sat down and his slender fingers moved quickly on the keyboard.

    ¡°You take the left side, I¡¯ll take the right side. The main task is to cover me.¡±

    Gu Liufeng agreed with Mu Zicheng¡¯s words and cooperated with him tacitly.

    ¡°ying games isn¡¯t just about having fierce firepower. To be reckless all the way is something that a person with all guts and strategy would do. Haven¡¯t you noticed that the attacks on this side are a little weaker? Since you want to break through, you should start from this side. Liufeng will act as a cover and feint the attacks. If you change your direction and suddenly attack this side, you will definitely catch them off guard.¡±

    Mu Zicheng quickly typed on his keyboard as he exined to Qi Lan who was at the side with ease.

    As expected, when they attacked in such a coordinated manner, the fortress in front of them was torn open. Mu Zicheng immediately attacked and Gu Liufeng hurriedly followed behind to cover Mu Zicheng¡¯s back.

    Qi Lan also frowned slightly as she watched. Her attention was focused on the screen in front of her.

    Mu Zicheng was a hardcore yer in the game, so his skills were naturally not inferior to hers. This game was originally taught by him. She was still very young, so naturally, she could not beat the yers in it.

    ¡°You gave me that mortar equipment of yours?¡±

    Qi Lan¡¯s starry eyes lit up as she tilted her small head and looked at Mu Zicheng.

 Chapter 2116 - Five Years (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2116: Five Years (5)</h4>

    Mu Zicheng nced sideways at her after Qi Lan said this. He did not say anything and turned his gaze over again.

    Qi Lan frowned and shot him a casual nce. She stood up and said, ¡°Who cares about your thing? I¡¯ll fight on my own!¡±

    With that, she turned around and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Bro, go home and y with me?¡±

    Qi Lan walked to the sofa and saw Dongfang Ye looking rxed. He immediately spoke up as well.

    Dongfang Ye squinted at her and quickly retracted her gaze. ¡°Isn¡¯t Mu Zicheng ying for you? After this round, you¡¯ll have a mortar equipment. It¡¯s not as big as his, but it¡¯s more than enough for you.¡±

    Dongfang Ye¡¯s slightly immature voice had azy tone to it.

    Qi Lan was displeased when she heard it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t take it down myself!¡±

    Since Qi Lan could not rely on her brother to help her, she was stubborn enough to walk out of the door with her small steps.

    Qi Lan had just walked out of the door when she saw Qi Wei¡¯er walking towards her.

    Qi Wei¡¯er was dressed in a pure white muslin dress. She was already in her teens. She was older than Mu Zirui and was growing. She looked like a little beauty.

    She was currently holding a tray with some snacks, fruits, and drinks.

    ¡°Ah Lan? What¡¯s wrong? Your eyebrows are almost knotted.¡±

    When Qi Wei¡¯er saw Qi Lan, she was a little surprised.

    Only then did Qi Lan stop and look up at Qi Wei¡¯er in front of him. Her expression softened a little. ¡°Sister Wei¡¯er.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did they bully you?¡± Qi Wei¡¯er also frowned and said with concern.

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t finished my homework. I¡¯ll go back first. Come back for dinner this weekend! I¡¯ll tell my parents! I¡¯m leaving!¡±

    Qi Lan put away the emotions on her face and reached out to take a small snack. She smiled and walked over.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you off!¡±

    Qi Wei¡¯er turned her head to look at Qi Lan who had already passed by.

    Qi Lan did not even turn her head back. Instead, she waved and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I rode my bicycle here.¡±

    Naturally, children were not allowed to drive. Maple Residence was not too far from Grand Lake vi district, so they could always rely on their bicycles.

    ¡°Then be careful on the road. Where¡¯s your brother?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re still inside!¡± Qi Lan said this, and her figure quickly disappeared from the door.

    Qi Wei¡¯er could onlyugh, then carried the tray and continued walking forward.

    At this moment, in the small living room.

    Mu Zicheng and Gu Liufeng had already broken through the blockade with their powerful strength.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, Zicheng. You¡¯re still the best. I¡¯ll leave the task of breaking through the barrier to you in the future.¡±

    Gu Liufeng could not hide his excitement as he smashed the keyboard in front of him.

    Mu Zicheng squinted at the screen and moved the keyboard away as well. He leaned back in his chair.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the arcade tonight?¡±

    Gu Liufeng turned around and looked at Mu Zicheng expectantly.

    Mu Zicheng¡¯s long eyshes fluttered as he replied calmly, ¡°Not today.¡±

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye would definitely be back a little earlier after sending Mu Zicheng to school today. If they knew that they were going to the arcade, they would definitely be punished.

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s only close to evening now, so it¡¯ll be quite some time before we leave for dinner. My parents aren¡¯t home, so I¡¯m bored to death by myself. Let¡¯s go, I was tortured to death by that Gao Qiust time. Zicheng, aren¡¯t you a good friend? Go and avenge me!¡± Gu Liufeng said.

    Mu Zicheng simply crossed his chest and closed his eyes to rest.

    He had no time to deal with a brainless guy like Gu Liufeng, so he helped him a lot.

    ¡°Dongfang Ye, can you say something?¡±

    Seeing that Mu Zicheng had no reaction, Gu Liufeng turned to look at Dongfang Ye behind him.

    Dongfang Ye was focused on his research at the moment. When he heard Gu Liufeng¡¯sint, he nced at him and put away the hidden knife in his hand. He stood up and took two school bags from the side with one hand. One of them was Qi Lan¡¯s.

    ¡°My father is checking my homework today, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, a bunch of cowards! I won¡¯t y with you guys anymore!¡± Gu Liufeng said unhappily.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid, then go ahead!¡±

    Dongfang Ye shrugged nonchntly and brought his school bag to Mu Zicheng¡¯s ear. He leaned over and said in a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know where this guy got a pair of gold carved dominoes. It seems to be a birthday gift from his grandfather, the gambling king. It¡¯s too wasteful to give such a good thing to him. Whether you want to y with it or not, it¡¯s up to you. Also, when you¡¯re done ying, I¡¯m willing to exchange it with you.¡±

    As Dongfang Ye spoke, he waved the hidden knife in his hand in front of Mu Zicheng. ¡°Including this one.¡±

    At this moment, Mu Zicheng suddenly opened his eyes and stared coldly at Dongfang Ye.

    ¡°Please believe in my sincerity.¡±

    Dongfang Ye smiled and put the hidden knife into the bag.

    ¡°Plus the jade pendant that you showed mest time.¡±

    Mu Zicheng¡¯s voice was heard.

    ¡°Jade pendant? No, my mother took it back.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s drop it.¡±

    Mu Zicheng¡¯s tone had always been like this. Once he made a decision, there would be no discussion.

    ¡°Then you still have to give me that ancient book of yours to study,¡± said Dongfang Ye.

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    The two of them exchanged words and reached an agreement just like that,pletely ignoring Gu Liufeng¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°Hey, what are you plotting? You look like you have bad intentions.¡± Gu Liufeng frowned and said.

    ¡°What can I plot? I¡¯ll let him apany you, and I¡¯ll treat you to a few more sundaes!¡±

    Dongfang Ye walked over and patted him on the shoulder. He whispered into his ear, ¡°Remember, you owe me a favor. This guy is hard to get.¡±

    Hearing this, Gu Liufeng smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll Remember!¡±

    Dongfang Ye walked out satisfied.

    However, before he reached the door, something flew over and hit his head.

    He quickly turned around and saw Mu Zicheng looking at him with his arms crossed. ¡°Kid, remember that you owe your brother a favor.¡±

    Damn it!

    Dongfang Ye rubbed his aching head and cursed in his heart.

    Mu Zicheng had never been willing to suffer a loss. He had never forgotten his own welfare.

    ¡°What a stingy fellow!¡±

    ¡°A brat who likes to act smart!¡±

    Mu Zicheng also cursed Dongfang Ye in his heart. If you want to take advantage of him, dream on!

    Dongfang Ye rubbed his head and coughed lightly before continuing on his way.

    It was gettingte. If his parents did not see him when they came back, he would definitely be scolded again, especially his mother. She looked just like an evil stepmother.

    ¡°Shall we go over now?¡± Gu Liufeng probed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll meet at the entrance of the arcade after school tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    Mu Zicheng waved and lost interest. Xiao Shu should be back by now, right?

    At this moment, Gu Liufeng grinned. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you at the arcade entrance after school tomorrow!¡±

 Chapter 2117 - You Are My Son (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2117: You Are My Son (1)</h4>

    The next day, in the evening.

    Inside the office of Glory World Corporation¡¯s chairman.

    Mu Yuchen had just finished a day of work and was about to call his wife, Xi Xiaye, to remind her to go home early when his phone on the table rang.

    He picked it up. It was an unfamiliar number, and this was his private number. Not many people knew about it, so after some thought, he picked it up.

    Soon, the call went through, and a woman¡¯s voice came through.

    ¡°Hello, are you Mu Zicheng¡¯s parent?¡±

    Mu Zicheng?

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m his father. What happened?¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally felt a little uneasy.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Mu. This is Hospital T¡¯s second emergency room. Your son had an ident and his arm was injured. He¡¯s getting stitches right now. You¡¯d bettere over.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s expression changed when he heard that. He quickly hung up the phone, grabbed his coat from the shelf, and left the office in a hurry.

    When he arrived at the hospital, the sky had already fallen silent. The entire City Z was lit up.

    When Mu Yuchen found the second emergency room, he had just stood at the door when he saw the doctor stitching up Mu Zicheng¡¯s wound on the seat beside him. Mu Yuchen felt that it was a little merciless as he watched this scene, especially for a child who was about 10 years old.

    However, when he saw Mu Xiaocheng¡¯s small face, he felt that he was quite calm. Even though the needle had already pierced his arm, he only frowned.

    Mu Yuchen stood at the door and watched for a while before he walked in.

    ¡°Father? Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Zicheng was stunned when he saw his father.

    ¡°If wasn¡¯t here, how would I know what you¡¯ve done?¡±

    Mu Yuchen red at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a small injury. Don¡¯t tell Mother when we get back, she¡¯s very naggy, Father.¡±

    The doctor had already finished treating his wound. He gave some instructions on what to take note of as he pulled down his sleeves.

    ¡°You know that she¡¯ll worry, be careful from now on!¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out and touched Mu Zicheng¡¯s head

    Mu Zicheng had already grown quite tall. He now reached Mu Yuchen¡¯s shoulder. He was just over eight years old.

    ¡°Be careful when you go back. Go to the pharmacy to get some medicine. Remember to change the medicine on time. It¡¯s easy for wounds to fester in this weather, so be careful.¡±

    The doctor was verypetent as he advised.

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Doctor.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thanked him, then the father and son left the emergency room.

    After getting the medicine, the father and son left the hospital unhurriedly.

    The night was already very thick. The night breeze was naturally a little cold, and the streetmps were very dim.

    The father and son walked forward one after the other.

    As Mu Zicheng walked forward, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. A warm feeling came from behind him. He quickly looked over to his shoulder and realized that arge coat had appeared on his shoulder.

    ¡°Father! I¡¯m not cold!¡±

    Mu Zicheng turned to look at his loving father and suddenly felt a little lost.

    ¡°The night breeze is cold. Put It on.¡±

    Mu Yuchen put his hand on his shoulder. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I thought you really wouldn¡¯t ask,¡± Mu Zicheng replied.

    ¡°Mu Xiaocheng, I¡¯m your father.¡±

    Mu Yuchen gave him a side kick.

    ¡°I know, I¡¯m your son.¡± Mu Zicheng replied as well. When he saw that his father¡¯s gaze was a little deep, he immediately continued, ¡°Someone wasn¡¯t happy that I¡¯d defeated him, so he got someone to teach me a lesson. I was afraid that things would get out of hand, so I gave him a warning. I identally got cut and nothing serious happened. Don¡¯t worry, Father.¡±

    ¡°You still think you¡¯ve done me a favor, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen pped his head and nced at his legs. The pants on his knees were a little worn. Judging by the way he walked, he must have hurt his knees as well.

    ¡°Do I need to carry you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen suddenly realized that he had not carried Mu Xiaocheng for quite a few years.

    When he was young, he often carried him. After his daughter was born, his son did not seem to be so favored anymore.

    ¡°Father, I hurt my arm, not my foot.¡±

    Mu Xiaocheng said, ¡°Even Xiao Shu doesn¡¯t like to stick to you. I can¡¯t stick to you either.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my son. It¡¯s not wrong for you to stick to me and your mother. Father doesn¡¯t want the both of you to mature so early.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he bent down and suddenly reached out to knock on Mu Zicheng¡¯s knee. This time, Mu Zicheng could not help but suck in a breath of cold air as he looked up at his father.

    Mu Yuchen squinted at him, then squatted down and gave an order directly. ¡°Come up, if you don¡¯t want your two legs to be crippled.¡±

    Mu Zicheng was stunned. His knees were really hurting. Every step he took hurt badly. He tugged on his coat and climbed onto his father¡¯s back.

    Mu Yuchen carried him up very easily and walked forward step by step.

    ¡°Father, I want to go to the same school as Elder Brother. I¡¯m almost nine years old. Didn¡¯t my brother go in when he was eight too?¡±

    Mu Zicheng hugged Mu Yuchen¡¯s neck tightly as he spoke.

    ¡°You want to join the army too? Your Elder Brother wants to be a soldier and a general. If you go in too, who will help your mother and me take over the family business in the future?¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not hide his intentions.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you still have Xiao Shu? You said she¡¯s better than mother.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a girl. Girls shouldn¡¯t be too overworked. Otherwise, why do you think your mother and I gave birth to you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you n to protect your sister and us?¡±

    ¡°When you grow up, your mother and I n to send you overseas. It¡¯s also a military school. You can interact with your Elder Brother often and learn a lot. It¡¯s good for you to have a broader view.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had always had such a n in his heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m going overseas? Why not Elder Brother or Xiao Shu?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re Xiao Shu¡¯s brother, son of your mother and I. When I was your age, your grandfather wanted to send me overseas too, but your grandmother couldn¡¯t bear to leave, so she stayed in the country. I hope my son can see further than me, your mother left before that.¡±

    Mu Zicheng suddenly fell silent when Mu Yuchen said this.

    After a long while, Mu Yuchen noticed that he did not say anything, so he asked, ¡°Are you unwilling?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m very willing, but since you say so, father, I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    ¡°Are you that big of a brat? You still want to consider it!¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled and turned to look at his son on his back.

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s my human right.¡±

    Mu Zicheng hugged Mu Yuchen tightly and said this.

 Chapter 2118 - You Are My Son (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2118: You Are My Son (2)</h4>

    After walking for a long distance, the father and son got into the car.

    Mu Yuchen drove smoothly while Mu Zicheng sat in the passenger seat.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t tell Mother about this when we get back, right? You know how my mother likes to let her imagination run wild.¡±

    Mu Zicheng rubbed his knees as he said this.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote to worry now?¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him. ¡°Don¡¯t go to the arcade anymore. That ce is so messy. You didn¡¯t bring anyone with you, if anything happens, I can¡¯t protect you either. The martial arts teacher that we hired before said that your homework is fine. Could it be that he¡¯s just brushing me off?¡±

    ¡°No, Father, it¡¯s not about the teacher. If I hadn¡¯t trained with him for a few years, your son wouldn¡¯t just have an injured arm. He would¡¯ve really have broken his arm and leg.¡±

    ¡°Do you still think you¡¯re lucky now?¡± Mu Yuchen reprimanded him softly.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve learned my lesson this time.¡±

    Mu Zicheng was rather modest.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want us to worry, then behave yourself.¡±

    ...

    When they returned home, Xi Xiaye had already prepared dinner. Qi Weier had gone to school as well, so it was only Xi Xiaye and Mu Zishu at home.

    Mu Zishu was over four years old this year. She looked very much like Xi Xiaye. Her body looked a little thin and weak, but she was very strong. She was also the youngest in the family, so she was usually doted on by Mu Yuchen.

    However, Mu Zishu was not arrogant because she was doted on. Instead, she was more calm. Perhaps it was because she had been influenced by people like grandmothe, Zhuang Shurong.

    After dinner, Mu Zicheng went back to his room, and Mu Zishu followed behind him.

    She stood at the door and saw her brother through the crack of the door sitting on the sofa with his sleeves rolled up as he looked at the wound. The little one¡¯s eyes widened as well, then she walked over carefully with her short legs.

    ¡°Xiao Shu? Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Zicheng was naturally a little surprised when he saw his sister. He quickly wanted to roll down his sleeves.

    However, Mu Zishu¡¯s sparkling eyes darted back and forth between his arms and his handsome face. She simply leaned over and asked, ¡°Brother, why are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small wound. I identally cut myself. Don¡¯t tell Mother.¡±

    As Mu Zishu listened, her eyes flickered. ¡°Does it hurt? Let me blow on it for you...¡±

    As she spoke, her small mouth moved over and started blowing very carefully.

    However, Mu Zicheng nced at her. He did not believe that Mu Zishu would be so solicitous for no reason. However, after looking at her for a long time, he saw that she was blowing very carefully.

    ¡°Xiao Shu, did youe to me for something?¡±

    Mu Zicheng looked at her suspiciously.

    Upon hearing this, Mu Zishu immediately raised her eyes. Her starry eyes flickered for a moment before she shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Mu Zicheng asked again.

    Mu Zishu shook her head again.

    After a long while, Mu Zishu finally stopped. Mu Zicheng also felt that the pain was no longer as great.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine now, you can go back. I still have to do my homework.¡±

    Mu Zicheng still did not believe that this girl could be so obedient and apany him. In the past, this little girl was very smart. She would not say anything even if she wanted to. She would only say it through others.

    As expected, Mu Zishu still did not move after she finished speaking. She nced at Mu Zicheng and said, ¡°Where are the rose hairpins you said you bought for me?¡±

    Mu Zicheng only remembered this matter when Mu Zishu mentioned it¡ª

    A few days ago, when the siblings passed by the square, Mu Zicheng agreed. Of course, when he passed by the square today, he specially went to buy them.

    When he saw the hopeful look in her eyes, he smiled. He raised his hand like an adult and patted Mu Zishu¡¯s little head. He slowly reached into his pocket and took out a small brocade box and handed it to Mu Zishu¡ª

    ¡°Your brother is the best brother in the world, would I forget?¡±

    Mu Zishu took it and opened it to take a look. It was the rose hairpin that she wanted. It was exquisitely made and was something that a little girl should like.

    Mu Zishu immediately hugged Mu Zicheng happily. ¡°How wonderful, brother!¡±

    ¡°Did you say thank you?¡±

    Mu Zicheng narrowed his eyes at her and raised his hand to pat her back.

    ¡°Thank you, Brother!¡±

    Mu Zishu thanked him and got out of Mu Zicheng¡¯s arms. ¡°That¡¯s great! I can finally exchange my hair clip for Sister Lan¡¯s picture album! I need to call Sister Lan!¡±

    Mu Zishu said this and walked towards the door.

    Mu Zicheng finally understood what this little girl had just said!

    What did she mean by exchanging her hair clip for Sister Lan¡¯s picture album?

    Using this hairpin to exchange for a picture album with Qi Lan?

    ...

    To think that this little girl could think of such a thing!

    She had caused him to spend almost all of his pocket money for this month just for this hairpin, yet she actually wanted to give it to Qi Lan and betray him!

    When Mu Zicheng thought of this, he immediately became displeased. He shouted towards the door¡ª

    ¡°Mu Zishu, stop right there! Return the thing!¡±

    Mu Zishu did not care about Mu Zicheng. She quickly left the room and went downstairs to call Qi Lan from Grand Lake Vi district.

    Qi Lei was the one who answered the phone at Grand Lake Vi district.

    ¡°Hello? Xiao Shu?¡±

    Qi Lei¡¯s sensitive and gentle voice was heard. He had just finished showering and the two children had been urged by him to go to the small study room to do their homework.

    Qi Lei treated the children of the Mu family as his own children. Mu Zicheng and the others were also very close to the couple. They were practically another pair of parents.

    ¡°Uncle Qi, it¡¯s me... Have you eaten?¡±

    Mu Zishu¡¯s tender voice soon came from the other end.

    ¡°Yes, I have. Why haven¡¯t youe to uncle¡¯s ce to y for so long? Uncle just got someone to send over a batch of custom-made Barbie dolls. Come back for dinner with your Sister Wei¡¯er this weekend. Tell your parents that Uncle will pick you up when the timees, okay?¡±

    Qi Lei was famous for spoiling his children. Every time he brought a gift, he would prepare a full set.

    ¡°Oh, I know. Uncle Qi, can I bring my brother over?¡±

    Mu Zishu did not forget her brother either.

    ¡°Of course. Come over together. Uncle has already prepared a gift for you guys. Stay here for two days this weekend. Let Xiao Ye and Ah Lan y with you guys. You guys can go have a pic at the back of the vi with Auntie Liuyun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! Then can we call Brother Feng and Brother Mingyu as well?¡±

    ...

    Qi Lei naturally did his best to fulfill Mu Zishu¡¯s request.

    He had a n in mind. He would either turn Mu Zicheng into his son-inw or Mu Zishu into his daughter-inw. Of course, he would not interfere with the children¡¯s matters. All he could do was he would let the children interact with each other more. The children were still young and there were too many variables. There was not much they could do.

    ¡°Uncle, I want to look for Sister Lan.¡±

    After reaching an agreement with Qi Lei, Mu Zishu spoke directly.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let her answer the phone now.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2119 - Youâ€™re My Son (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2119: You¡¯re My Son (3)</h4>

    When Mu Yuchen pushed the door open and walked in, Mu Zicheng was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine.

    ¡°Father?¡±

    When he saw Mu Yuchen walk in, Mu Zicheng was naturally a little surprised.

    Mu Yuchen nodded and sat down next to him. The medicinal wine in his hand was ced on the table in front of him as he turned his head to look at him. Then, he lowered his gaze to look at his legs that were hidden under his pajamas. Suddenly, he raised his hand to knock, Mu Zicheng immediately sucked in a breath of cold air¡ª

    ¡°It hurts, Father!¡±

    As he cried out in pain, he subconsciously reached out to gently rub it.

    ¡°Do you still know how to feel pain? If you continue to act like this in the future, I won¡¯t bother with you even if you¡¯re crippled.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at him unhappily. ¡°What are you still standing there for? Roll up your pants legs. Let me take a look.¡±

    Only then did Mu Zicheng throw down the magazine in his hand. He bent down and carefully rolled up his pants legs.

    He saw that both of his knees were slightly bruised.

    Mu Yuchen frowned, then reached out to take the medicinal wine in front of him. He poured a little and dipped it in. ¡°It¡¯ll hurt a little. Bear with it.¡±

    Mu Zicheng nodded and gritted his teeth.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s movements were not light, he rubbed it until it was hot. Mu Zicheng had been holding it in as well. In addition to the pain on his arm, he almost could not hold it in anymore. His eyes were glistening.

    Mu Yuchen looked up at him. He sniffled again and exined, ¡°I¡¯m not crying. It¡¯s just a reflex.¡±

    ¡°Alright, even if you¡¯re crying, I won¡¯tugh at you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m not crying.¡±

    Mu Zicheng emphasized.

    Mu Yuchen looked at him and the smile on his face widened slightly.

    ¡°Alright, rest early. It¡¯s almost 10p.m.. You still have school tomorrow. What¡¯s this?¡±

    Mu Yuchen put away the medicinal wine and unexpectedly found Mu Zicheng¡¯s little box that seemed quite expensive. He immediately took it over and opened it to take a look¡ª

    Inside was a set of carved gold dominoes...

    ¡°This thing... Where did you get it?¡±

    Mu Yuchen knew how expensive this thing was. One look and he could tell that it was custom-made.

    ¡°Father, this is mine!¡±

    Mu Zicheng immediately reached out and wanted to take it back.

    However, Mu Yuchen raised his long arm and avoided him. His dark eyes stared at him and his tone was a little serious. ¡°Where did you get it from?¡±

    This time, Mu Zicheng finally told him about the matter with Gu Liufeng.

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome brows furrowed even deeper. He could not help but reach out and knock Mu Zicheng¡¯s head. ¡°If you do this again in the future, I¡¯ll punish you to kneel and face the wall to reflect on your mistakes!¡±

    ¡°Father!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know why you¡¯re wrong?¡±

    Mu Yuchen reprimanded him sternly, ¡°Mu Zicheng, do you think that you¡¯rewless because I usually don¡¯t discipline you?¡±

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m not...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not what? If you¡¯re wrong, then you¡¯re wrong. Why are you making excuses? Is this how I¡¯ve taught you? People who make excuses are afraid of taking responsibility. Are you such a person?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s dark eyes locked onto Mu Zicheng¡¯s little face that resembled him.

    Mu Zicheng was stunned. Although he was still a little unconvinced, when he thought about it, it seemed to be the case. He then lowered his head and kept silent.

    ¡°Alright, reflect on this properly. I¡¯ll confiscate these things!¡± Mu Yuchen said without any hesitation. He closed the box and stood up.

    ¡°Father! Don¡¯t! It wasn¡¯t easy for me to get it. I¡¯m still counting on it...¡±

    Mu Zicheng stood up nervously and pulled on his father¡¯s sleeve.

    Mu Yuchen turned to look at him. ¡°What are you counting on it for? Do you still want to bargain? Go wash up and go to bed.¡±

    Mu Zicheng then let go of his hand and put his hand on his forehead gloomily. He looked defeated. ¡°Got it. Goodnight, Father!¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Mu Yuchen responded and then left his son¡¯s room.

    ...

    Xi Xiaye coaxed her daughter to sleep and tidied up. When she went back to her room to take a shower, it was already past 10p.m.

    The bedroom was still empty. The man should still be in the study room.

    After some thought, she poured a cup of warm water and carried it into the study room.

    Just as she pushed the door open, she saw the man sitting in front of the desk from afar. He was currently holding something in his hand and looking at it.

    Xi Xiaye walked over and when she got closer, she realized it was carved gold domino. This was a good item, it seemed like Mu Yuchen had one before, but he had given it away. This one was a little smaller than the previous one, but the design on it was definitely worth examining.

    ¡°Where did thise from?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was naturally a little surprised.

    When he heard his wife¡¯s voice, Mu Yuchen suddenly smiled and handed the domino over. ¡°That, you¡¯ll have to ask our son.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Cheng? This is his?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was startled. She put down the cup in her hand and reached out to take it.

    Mu Yuchen nodded, ¡°It¡¯s indeed a good item, but one look and you can tell that it¡¯s a gift from the newly promoted king of gamblers to his grandson. This item is very precious. The king of gamblers spent a huge sum of money to create this special birthday gift. If he knew that our son had gotten his hands on this through tricks, it wouldn¡¯t be good.¡±

    ¡°Why is this child bing more and more ridiculous? Can this thing be taken casually?¡±

    Xi Xiaye knew how serious the matter was, so she frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already talked to him, he¡¯ll be more careful in the future. But we can¡¯t keep this, arrange for someone to return it to the Gu family tomorrow. Remember to prepare some generous gifts. The king of gamblers seems to be at the Gu family¡¯s these few days. Be careful, don¡¯t let them leak the news. Otherwise, you¡¯ll make a mountain out of a molehill again.¡±

    Mu Yuchen thought about it and instructed her.

    Xi Xiaye thought about it and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll call Xiao Mei now and ask her to prepare the gifts tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let Li Si handle it.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he took his phone from the table and gave Li Si a call. After giving a few simple instructions, he put the phone away.

    ¡°I¡¯m going over to Su Chen¡¯s ce tomorrow. I¡¯ll probably be backter tonight. Aren¡¯t you going back to the Shen residence? You can let the children to go straight back to the Shen residence.¡±

    Mu Yuchen seemed to have remembered something and suddenly instructed.

    ¡°Su Chen? Is something happening over there?¡±

    Xi Xiaye was a little puzzled.

    ¡°Have you forgotten? Tomorrow is the anniversary of Grandfather Su¡¯s death.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice had somement with it.

    Over the past five years, a lot of things had happened. Grandfather Su and Grandfather Zhou had passed away one after another. Of the few elders, only Shen Yue was left now.

    It was precisely because of this that Xi Xiaye knew that Grandpa Shen Yue was lonely, so she tried her best to spend time with him.

    The old man was also in his twilight years now, and his mental state these past two years was not as good as before. He always told Xi Xiaye that he had lived enough and would let nature take its course.

    When Xi Xiaye heard these words, she naturally felt extremely sad.

    ¡°I got it. You go over then.¡±

    After a long while, Xi Xiaye said this.

 Chapter 2120 - The Love of Chuan Rong (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2120: The Love of Chuan Rong (1)</h4>

    Zhuang Shurong said that she and Mu Tangchuan had only met a few times before they confirmed their marriage.

    Actually, thinking about it, they had not only met a few times. They had only those few times of close contact before they got married. They had not actually ¡®met¡¯ before that.

    Both of them were influential people in a university. Zhuang Shurong was an outstanding student in the Law Department of a university at that time. Mu Tangchuan not only had excellent grades, but he was also the top student at that time. His legend was not inferior to Xi Mushan¡¯s at that time.

    However, Mu Tangchuan himself was a more elegant and low-key person. Most of his time was spent on his studies and work.

    The Mu family¡¯s style was very strict, especially for someone in a high position like Wang Hui. They paid more attention to the education and quality of their own children.

    Mu Tangchuan had high expectations set on him since he was young. Even though his father, Mu Yinan, was a businessman and had been extremely promiscuous in the past, since he married Wang Hui, he underwent aplete change and was now obedient to his wife.

    The society of that era was not like the current one. Communications was not yet developed, and people¡¯s attitudes were more conservative.

    Mobile phones were not widely used. The way young peoplemunicated with each other was mostly by writing love letters and passing notes.

    Zhuang Shurong was quite famous in a university at that time. She was the only precious granddaughter of the head of the military, Chief Zhuang. Her father was the President of argepany. Her mother was also the Minister of Education in the province. Her grandmother was a university professor. She could be considered to be from a schrly family, with such a powerful family background, her beautiful appearance, elegant temperament, and excellent grades, there were countless people going after her.

    However, Zhuang Shurong was also someone who was passionate about her studies and work. She had never taken these affairs to heart. Ever since she was young, she had rejected countless people who admired her, causing those young boys¡¯ hearts to be shattered.

    Mu Tangchuan thought for a moment. The first time he heard the name Zhuang Shurong was when he was about to graduate in his senior year.

    The summer of that year came earlier than usual.

    After the long May 17 holiday, the weather was extremely hot and there was not a hint of wind in the air.

    At that time, most of the senior students had alreadypleted their graduation thesis and were busy looking for jobs, looking for internships, or following the school¡¯s arrangements and being assigned to work units.

    At that time, the policy for university students was still very good. Universities did not expand their enrolment, and it was not like now, where the requirements for university entrance were so low. At that time, university students were all assigned jobs, and those who studied at a university were all top students, therefore, the treatment was generally very good.

    Of course, it was only May, and it was not yet time for them to receive their graduation certificate. There was still a crucial step before they could receive their graduation certificate.

    That was the thesis defense.

    Mu Tangchuan had a clear idea of his job assignment.

    He should stay in the city. Wang Hui had paved the way for him, he would joining the government directly.

    He did not reject such an arrangement because he had already made his position clear in his heart when he chose the school.

    He did not like to go into business, so he could not take over his father, Mu Yinan¡¯s Glory World. He was also afraid of the hardships of joining the military, so his only choice was to go into politics.

    After taking his leave, Mu Tangchuan stayed in school to prepare for his thesis defense. Of course, at that time, he was also working part-time as a waiter in a big bar in the city. At that time, the bar was not called that, it was called a nightclub, and the singing was not called KTV, it was called karaoke.

    Mu Tangchuan usually went to ces like this. Of course, it was not his original intention. Zhou Zhenjun and the others always dragged him over. Su Zhengxun was also a sanctimonious person. Although he looked tense and serious, when he went there, they would have lots of fun. He was the only one who was more well-behaved. This was because he was really a little afraid of going home and getting beaten up.

    Ever since he was young, he always suffered beatings from Wang Hui. Wang Hui only restrained herself a little when he grew older.

    There was no need to mention things on Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s end. His father was a person who could not control his temper. Moreover, he came from the battlefield. If Zhou Zhenjun was disobedient, he would often be beaten up. He would be beaten up once every three days and once every five days. These were allmon urrences.

    When he was young, Zhou Zhenjun could be heard wailing and crying almost every day in the militarypound. Su Zhengxun would asionally go over. When he saw Zhou Zhenjun lying on the bench and asking if it hurt, Zhou Zhenjun would spit at him and scold him for not being loyal enough, he would run away when something happened!

    Only when he grew older did these corporal punishments reduce over time.

    ...

    ¡°Tangchuan, it¡¯s time to eat. Let¡¯s go get some food together!¡±

    In front of the study table in the dormitory, Mu Tangchuan was sorting out the framework for his thesis defense when his roommate, Meng Xi, who was sitting next to him, suddenly reminded him.

    Meng Xi was Mu Tangchuan¡¯s upper bunk roommate, so he had quite a good rtionship with Mu Tangchuan.

    Mu Tangchuan raised his head and nced at the rm clock in front of him. It was already 11:35 a.m., and the dining hall in University A starts at 11:00 a.m.

    ¡°Hurry up, school is about to end. There will be a lot of people after the first year, second year, and third year sses.¡±

    Like all the students, they did not like to line up for meals, so Meng Xi urged them.

    There were a lot of people in University A. There were several campuses, and they were from the eastern campus. There were more than 20,000 people in the entire eastern campus, with only three cafeterias, including the teachers¡¯ cafeteria, so most of the time was crowded.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan quickly put down his pen, went to get the lunch box, and followed Meng Xi out of the door.

    When they arrived at the canteen and finished taking away their meals, he suddenly remembered that Shen Wenna seemed to have caught a cold these few days and did not have much appetite. Mu Tangchuan asked Meng Xi to bring his meals to the dormitory, he bought a strawberry ice cream and some fruits for Shen Wenna and wanted to send them over to her.

    Shen Wenna was Uncle Shen¡¯s daughter. This Uncle Shen and his mother wererades-in-arms, so they usually interacted. Mu Tangchuan only had one younger sister, Mu Zixi. Mu Zixi was a little rebellious and was not that close to her older brother. However, he liked this Shen Wenna quite a lot. She was quiet and he admitted that he liked her a little now.

    His mother had even told him before that she hoped that he could woo Shen Wenna and marry her into the Mu family to be his daughter-inw.

    However, when he heard that Shen Wenna was a couple with the most handsome boy at school, Xi Mushan, he felt quite regretful. Later on, he put away all these thoughts and protected Shen Wenna as if she was his own sister.

    ¡°Look! Someone¡¯s confessing to Zhuang Shurong again!¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s even a banner. There¡¯s even a rose!¡±

    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t that Xu Rumeng from the Mechanics Department?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s really persistent. This is the third time this semester, right?¡±

    ¡°Only he dares to do that. He¡¯s really a yboy. I heard that his father is a big businessman in our city. His family is very rich. He¡¯s liked Zhuang Shurong for a few years. He fell in love with Zhuang Shurong at first sight since his first year. After chasing her for four years, he still hasn¡¯t gotten her. This Zhuang Shurong is so hard to get!¡±

 Chapter 2121 - The Love of Chuan Rong (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2121: The Love of Chuan Rong (2)</h4>

    ¡°Pfft! He thinks highly of himself! Zhuang Shurong is a goddess, alright! How could a yboy like Xu Rumeng be worthy of her? No matter what, she has to be with someone at the school¡¯s most handsome student level like Xi Mushan. Look at Xu Rumeng, he¡¯s so ugly! Isn¡¯t he going after someone he¡¯s not worthy of?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Zhuang Shurong is thinking. Kang Ming, who was one the most handsome at school, has a good family background and is talented had also confessed to her a few days ago. Didn¡¯t she ignore him too?¡±

    ...

    When Mu Tangchuan walked past the sidewalk under the tree, his ears were filled with the discussion about the woman named Zhuang Shurong. He was also a little curious, so he turned around and looked in the direction of everyone¡¯s gaze.

    He saw that there were several banners on the female dormitory building in front of him. On them were written¡ª

    ¡®Shurong, I love you for life.¡¯

    ¡®Shurong, I will love you until the end of time.¡¯

    The horizontal scroll was the English version of ¡°I love you.¡±.

    On the empty space below the banner, a tall man was holding arge bouquet of roses. He looked up at the female dormitory building in front of him and shouted¡ª

    ¡°Shurong, it¡¯s been four years. My original intention hasn¡¯t changed. I like you, I love you, please be my girlfriend!¡±

    As the confession fell, a series of shouts, whistles, and screams came from the side!

    The scene was very sensational.

    However, there was no movement upstairs.

    After a long while, a basin of water was poured down from upstairs. Itnded on Xu Rumeng without any deviation. Immediately, he was drenched like a drowned rat.

    At this moment, everyone also cried out in surprise. They looked upstairs and realized that there were two women standing by the railing on the fourth floor, looking at the people below.

    One of them was holding a basin. The water just now should have been sshed by her. The other was holding a book and looking down at the man with a frown. She was wearing a navy blue knee-length gauze skirt. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and her appearance was very beautiful and moving.

    She should be the legendary Zhuang Shurong, right?

    ¡°Xu Rumeng, how many times have I told you not toe and harass our Shurong again? Why are you so stubborn?¡±

    The woman holding the basin shouted coldly.

    ¡°Rong Rong! Give me a chance. I will treat you well!¡±

    Xu Rumeng looked at Zhuang Shurong, who was still expressionless, and said anxiously.

    ¡°I am not interested in a useless young master. If I have time, I might as well do my best in my studies. Otherwise, I won¡¯t even be able to get my degree.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong coldly said this and turned to enter the dormitory.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and shook his head. Then, he did not continue to watch the show. He turned around and walked towards the girls¡¯ building 8...

    ...

    Mu Tangchuan did not really meet Zhuang Shurong after that. Other than asionally going to the cafeteria to get a meal or meeting her a few times on the road, until...

    After graduation, the next time he saw Zhuang Shurong was at the nightclub where Mu Tangchuan worked part-time.

    However, that was already a few yearster. At that time, Mu Tangchuan had already established a firm foothold in the government and had also sessfully obtained his Master¡¯s degree.

    Today, he went up another level. Zhou Zhenjun just happened to be back from the army. The few brothers gathered together, so they chose the private room of this Hai Tian Nightclub.

    Mu Tangchuan only rushed to the Hai Tian Nightclub after he finished his work. During this time, Su Zhengxun and Zhou Zhenjun had called several times to urge him to hurry up.

    When he arrived at the Hai Tian Nightclub, it was already early in the evening. It was summer now and the weather was still a little hot during the day, but it was chilly at night.

    In the private room, Su Zhengxun and Zhou Zhenjun naturally ordered a lot of wine. When Mu Tangchuan went over, they also drank quite a lot. Other than Su Zhengxun and Zhou Zhenjun, there was also Gu Ting and Wang Xuyang, the usual gang of good friends. Of course since it was such a ce, there were naturally a few young and beautiful escorts drinking with them.

    ¡°You¡¯re here! We¡¯ve been waiting for a long time! Punish yourself with a few drinks first!¡±

    When Su Zhengxun saw Mu Tangchuan walk in, he immediately shifted his seat and gave the woman beside him a look. The woman quickly got up and poured a ss of wine for Mu Tangchuan. She smiled and handed it over. The few of them naturally jeered, they did not let Mu Tangchuan off.

    Mu Tangchuan nced at the few of them and sat down very calmly. Although he was unwilling, he took it and drank it in one gulp. The woman poured another ss for him and sat next to him.

    ¡°Have you been exaggerating these past few years?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked at Zhou Zhenjun, who was leisurely squinting his eyes and tapping his knees to the rhythm of the music. His eyes were a little puzzled and his hand was still on the fair thighs of the woman beside him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about me, aren¡¯t you the same. I¡¯ve only done it a few times in a year, I¡¯m not as carefree as you and Zhengxun. If I had known earlier, I would have gone into politics too,¡± Zhou Zhenjun replied with a calm face.

    ¡°You were also quite flirtatious back then.¡±

    As soon as Zhou Zhenjun finished speaking, Su Zhengxun immediately interrupted him. Everyone immediately pursed their lips andughed.

    ¡°Every time I see you, you¡¯re always mocking me. You know that you¡¯re the most carefree among us brothers. Oh right, when do you n to marry your childhood sweetheart? What kind of look is that, acting all cool. The first time you kissed Xie Jiajia, you made her cry, how hasty were you? Ah!¡±

    Before Zhou Zhenjun could finish his sentence, Su Zhengxun had already grabbed an empty wine bottle on the table and threw it at Zhou Zhenjun. Zhou Zhenjun was caught off guard and couldn¡¯t dodge in time. He was hit in the face and couldn¡¯t help but cry out in pain.

    ¡°Eating won¡¯t stop your mouth!¡±

    Su Zhengxun was a little flustered and exasperated.

    When he thought of Xie Jiajia, that little girl, he was feeling frustrated in his heart!

    Xie Jiajia was said to have been fixed since she was young, that she were to be Su Zhengxun¡¯s future wife. She was always like a little girl who never grew up. She loved to stick to him since he was young. Sometimes, he was really annoyed by that little girl.

    What fianc¨¦e?

    Even if he, Su Zhengxun, wanted to marry, he had to marry a woman he liked. In his heart, he thought that it would not be a matter of a day or two for him to reject this marriage. However, during this period of time, Xie Jiajia had to return to thepany to familiarize herself with the business, so she rarely came to look for him, he felt as if something was missing in his heart.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m here to drink today, and to wee Ah Jun back. Don¡¯t bring up the wrong topic. Drink, drink!¡±

    It was only now that Gu Ting said some polite words to smooth things over.

    Zhou Zhenjun rubbed his head and rolled up his light green sleeves. He coughed lightly, ¡°I misspoke. I¡¯ll punish myself with a cup. Don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    ¡°Look at your temper!¡±

    Su Zhengxun gave him a side nce and then picked up his wine. The two brothers clinked their sses and drank.

    ¡°Tangchuan, you drink too.¡±

    A smile appeared on Mu Tangchuan¡¯s face. He raised his wine ss and asked, ¡°How long will you be back this time?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be transferred back to City Z soon, so the few of us buddies can finally be together again. God knows how much effort I put in to get transferred back.¡±

 Chapter 2122 - The Love of Chuan Rong (3)

    Chapter 2122: The Love of Chuan Rong (3)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though they were talking about this matter, they became a little cautious. Mu Tangchuan waved his hand¡ª

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go to my house tomorrow. It¡¯s the weekend and we¡¯re all free. Let¡¯s have a simple drink to catch up on old times tonight.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s low and slow voice sounded, and the few of them nodded in agreement.

    They had ordered quite a number of good dishes, and everyone was eating and drinking happily.

    After three rounds of drinks, Mu Tangchuan also felt that he was almost done drinking. The atmosphere in the private room was still very high. After thinking for a moment, he left the room and nned to go out for a smoke to get some fresh air.

    Just as he left the private room, he could hear some noisy music in the corridor ahead.

    Mu Tangchuan walked towards the washroom.

    Music from that time were not like what they are now. Back then songs from Deng Lijun¡¯s generation were popr. Mu Tangchuan clearly remembered that Zhuang Shurong at that time also had the heart of a young girl and chased after celebrities too. Moreover, she had a great singing voice, especially when she sang Deng Lijun¡¯s songs.

    At least, he felt that she was the best singer he had ever heard.

    The corridor was very spacious and long. Mu Tangchuan walked forward slowly with a cigarette in his hand. He was inhaling and exhaling carelessly.

    Suddenly, as he walked, he heard a familiar melody and a sweet and clear voice

    The popr song, ¡®I Only Care About You¡¯ by Deng Lijun was a very lyrical song. It sounded different when it was sung lightly, and it was very pleasant to listen to.

    Mu Tangchuan was also attracted by it. He turned his head and subconsciously looked at a private room next to him. The sound came from inside.

    The door of the private room was notpletely closed. From this position, he could see what was going on inside.

    A woman wearing ck pants and a light blue shirt was singing on the screen in front of her with a microphone.

    The woman had a beautiful and moving face and looked very refreshing and elegant. However, when Mu Tangchuan looked at the woman, he vaguely felt that she looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before...

    He frowned and thought for a moment before he stopped walking. He leaned his back against the wall behind him and smoked leisurely while listening to the woman¡¯s singing. His expression was rather rxed.

    After an unknown period of time, the singing stopped. Only then did Mu Tangchuan recollect his thoughts. He smiled and continued walking forward.

    At that time, it was not that Mu Tangchuan did not have a girlfriend. He had been with a partner in university. After graduation, the girl went abroad to study and asked Mu Tangchuan to apany her. However, Mu Tangchuan stayed in the city. Originally, Mu Tangchuan had nned to propose to the girl two years after graduation when everyone¡¯s jobs were settled. He even bought a ring for the proposal.

    However, the girl was more ambitious. She said that Mu Tangchuan had no ambition and was willing to be a government official in an ordinary unit. What she pursued was a different life.

    The girl did not know Mu Tangchuan¡¯s background. Of course, this was also Wang Hui¡¯s idea. She did not allow the children to mingle in the school with their family background. Firstly, it was for training and secondly, it was to protect them.

    This was also the reason why Shen Yue tried to restrain Shen Wenna.

    In the end, the two of them broke up. Even though for her, Mu Tangchuan had tried to make her stay.

    Hence, after she left the country, she married a local second-generation wealthy man less than a year ago. Mu Tangchuan was a little sad at the time, but he was not the kind of person who would be depressed without love. After this incident, he focused all his attention on his work.

    Because of his outstanding work ability and his powerful family background, he was promoted very quickly. After a few years, he became a division leader and his future was limitless, many people had already predicted that Mu Tangchuan would shine in the future.

    Of course, Wang Hui was also rushing him. At that time, they did not get married toote like now. After he graduated, Wang Hui had already begun to urge him to get married. After a few years, those words were heard from the left ear in and then right ear out, Mu Tangchuan was actually a little annoyed.

    After washing his face, Mu Tangchuan felt a little more awake. Only then did he turn around and leave the washroom.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Just as he walked down the stairs of the washroom, he was greeted by a slender figure. Mu Tangchuan subconsciously turned his body sideways. Unexpectedly, that figure nted. The high heels on her feet must have slipped and she immediately crashed forward.

    Mu Tangchuan was quick-witted and reached out to grab her arm. The woman also used her hand to support herself against the wall to prevent her from falling.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    The woman turned her head and thanked Mu Tangchuan gratefully.

    When he saw the woman¡¯s face clearly, Mu Tangchuan was also stunned¡ª

    It was the woman who was singing in the private room earlier.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan quickly came back to his senses and slowly let go of his arm.

    Zhuang Shurong also felt that the man in front of her was somewhat familiar, but she could not recall if they had met before.

    Mu Tangchuan quickly walked forward without stopping for a moment. Zhuang Shurong felt a little surprised, but she was a little muddled after drinking a few more mouthfuls, so she did not mind. She turned around and walked into the bathroom.

    ...

    After being promoted, he naturally had a lot of things to be busy with. By the time Mu Tangchuan waspletely used to it, a few months had already passed. He did not rest for a moment during this period of time. He spent all his time on work.

    Su Zhengxun and Zhou Zhenjun woulde to his office to drink tea whenever they had time. Their days were just like this, and they were very busy.

    It was already autumn, and the stuffy weather was over. Now, it was autumn and the air was crisp.

    On this day, when Mu Tangchuan finally had some free time, he was just about to invite Su Zhengxun and the others to go to the mountains to hunt some game when the phone on his desk rang.

    Mu Tangchuan picked it up, and his father Mu Yinan¡¯s voice soon came from the other end.

    ¡°Tangchuan, it¡¯s the weekend. Your mother just came back from the military base and made a table full of delicious dishes. Come back for a while. You haven¡¯t been back for a few days. I¡¯ve told your leader that I¡¯m going to let you move back home. After all, your home is not far from your unit.¡±

    ¡°Father? Isn¡¯t it enough for you to stay with Mother, I...¡±

    ¡°Stop making excuses. This matter is settled. There will be guestsing over today, so I¡¯ll introduce you to them. Come back quickly. You have to be home in an hour. Your mother said this is an order.¡±

    Mu Yinan¡¯s tone was non-negotiable. Before Mu Tangchuan could reply, he had already hung up.

    Mu Tangchuan could only hold his forehead.

 Chapter 2123 - The Love of Chuan Rong (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2123: The Love of Chuan Rong (4)</h4>

    He put down the phone and nced at the clock on the opposite wall. The clock was already pointing to 11 o¡¯clock.

    After thinking for a while, Mu Tangchuan could only get up. He took the coat beside him with one hand, took the car keys, and left the office.

    When the Jeep drove into the Mu family¡¯s old residence, it was already an hourter.

    ¡°Master Chuan is back!¡±

    The butler smiled when he saw Mu Tangchuan¡¯s figure.

    ¡°Uncle Xu!¡±

    Uncle Xu was very old and had watched Mu Yinan grow up. He used to serve the Mu family¡¯s old master and was a very loyal servant. Mu Tangchuan respected him very much.

    ¡°Hurry up and go in. We¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡±

    Uncle Xu smiled.

    Mu Tangchuan nodded and walked in as well.

    Just as he reached the door, he heard a burst ofughter.

    When he walked in, he realized that his parents were sitting on the sofa in the living room. Mu Yinan and Wang Hui were sitting on the sofa beside them. A couple of the same age was sitting on the sofa beside them. This was not the most surprising thing, what surprised him the most was the woman in a light blue dress who was sitting next to the couple.

    She looked very familiar to him.

    Mu Tangchuan thought for a moment and realized that this woman was the woman he had met at the Hai Tian Nightclub a few months ago.

    The woman¡¯s face seemed to be a little tense. Mu Tangchuan stared at her for a moment. He could actually see a hint of shame and anger in her eyes. Of course, there was also helplessness!

    Mu Tangchuan immediately understood. She should also be a little against this kind of matchmaking, right?

    Yes, it was a matchmaking session!

    Mu Tangchuan understood as soon as he walked in.

    ¡°Tangchuan is back!¡±

    Upon hearing the footsteps, Mu Yinan and Wang Hui turned around and looked at Mu Tangchuan. The couple¡¯s faces were filled with smiles.

    ¡°Tangchuan,e, let me introduce you. This is your Uncle Zhuang, Father¡¯s business partner. This is your Aunt, and this is their daughter, Zhuang Shurong. Come and greet her.¡±

    Was this a marriage alliance?

    Mu Tangchuan immediately frowned.

    ¡°Uncle, Aunt, Miss Zhuang, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Mu Tangchuan.¡±

    After a while, Mu Tangchuan removed his coat from his shoulders and went forward to greet him.

    ¡°Good, good! Brother Yinan, your son is indeed a good-looking man. He¡¯s handsome and capable. I heard that he¡¯s amazing now, not to mention in the future. He¡¯s indeed a dragon among men.¡±

    Father Zhuang was obviously very satisfied with Mu Tangchuan.

    Mrs. Zhuang nodded in satisfaction as she looked at her husband. The smiles on their faces were very friendly.

    Mu Tangchuan cleared his throat and the couple finally looked away. They smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Tangchuan, Uncle can call you that, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Uncle Zhuang!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan naturally could not bear such a sudden change. Under Wang Hui¡¯s stern gaze, he could only bite the bullet and sit down. As though he was going to the execution ground, his entire body tensed up ufortably.

    Zhuang Shurong also looked at him at this moment. Seeing Mu Tangchuan¡¯s stance, the corners of her mouth unexpectedly pursed into a gentle smile.

    And Mu Tangchuan seemed to be able to vaguely recall something.

    Zhuang Shurong!

    Was she not someone that he had heard about when he was studying at University A?

    He had often heard about her from Meng Xi before. Meng Xi had a crush on Zhuang Shurong back then.

    He heard that she was also admitted as a graduate student. After graduating from university, she was assigned to work in the city court. This year, she could be considered to have participated in the work for quite a few years and her performance was very outstanding.

    It was no wonder that she seemed to be more mature than before. She was straightforward and decisive. The aura on her moved him a little.

    ¡°Tangchuan, you young people are not interested in what we are talking about. The chrysanthemums in the backyard are blooming nicely now. You should bring Ah Rong over to admire the flowers.¡±

    Even a fool could tell that the parents of both parties wanted to set them up. Naturally, they would find such an excuse.

    Mu Tangchuan was also well aware of this. After thinking for a moment, he stood up silently and walked towards the backyard with his long legs.

    ¡°Ah Rong, you should go take a walk with Tangchuan. You don¡¯t want to be bored. After the meal is ready, we¡¯ll get the servants to call for you,¡± Wang Hui said very cordially.

    Zhuang Shurong frowned. Naturally, she felt a little helpless and embarrassed. She wished that she could escape immediately.

    She had heard of Mu Tangchuan. He was a famous person in City A back then, but he kept a low profile. She heard that he did not interact much with others, but it did not affect his charm at all. There were quite a few people in her dormitory who were infatuated with him.

    He was especially good at basketball. Back then, his teacher had strongly rmended him to be the president of the Student Union. In the end, he did not care at all, so naturally he ignored that. This matter was an open secret within the student union.

    Moreover, the head of the Student Union¡¯s publicity department, Fang Xiaoxiao, and the President of the Dance Association, Tan Li, had been in love with him for a long time. For the sake of him, Fang Xiaoxiao had locked Tan Li up in theboratory for a day and a night. Tan Li had even fainted when she was discovered, Fang Xiaoxiao had been punished at that time.

    This matter had caused a sensation in the school at that time. In the end, when the other party thought that Mu Tangchuan woulde out and say something, they found out that he had epted the school¡¯s invitation to teach in the countryside and was not at school at all.

    Zhuang Shurong had a deep impression of this matter because Tan Li was a friend of her good friend at that time and they had met before.

    Another reason was that at that time, the matter between Mu Tangchuan and Shen Wenna had also been spread in the school.

    Everyone knew that Mu Tangchuan treated Shen Wenna very well. They often saw him carrying things and personally delivered them to Shen Wenna at the entrance of the dormitory. At that time, everyone thought that Mu Tangchuan was also chasing after Shen Wenna, butter on, they heard that Mu Tangchuan had a girlfriend.

    The chrysanthemums in the backyard were blooming very well. Just as they walked into the backyard, a faint fragrance of flowers wafted from their noses.

    Mu Tangchuan walked in front unhurriedly, while Zhuang Shurong followed behind.

    The two of them did not speak much either.

    Mu Tangchuan did not speak much to begin with. Zhuang Shurong was quiet and somewhat arrogant, so naturally, she would not take the initiative to speak.

    ¡°Do you also dislike this feeling?¡±

    As Mu Tangchuan walked, he suddenly stopped walking and turned his head to look at Zhuang Shurong who was following behind him.

    ¡°I have to cooperate even if I don¡¯t like it, as long as I¡¯m not married.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s tone was a little helpless. Although she was a little embarrassed and angry, there was nothing she could do. She really should consider the important matters of her life.

    Upon hearing this, Mu Tangchuan smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect it to be you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be you either. You¡¯re a big shot in University A, and the teachers have a very high opinion of you.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and leaned against the railing behind him while looking at Zhuang Shurong.

 Chapter 2124 - The Love of Chuan Rong (5)

    <h4><i>Chapter 2124</i>: The Love of Chuan Rong (5)</h4>

    Hearing this, Zhuang Shurong also smiled and stopped moving. She turned her head to look at him¡ª

    ¡°But now it seems that things are a little absurd beyond imagination,¡± Zhuang Shurong said very calmly.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and looked at her with a meaningful gaze. ¡°Absurd? Why do you say that? I always feel that perhaps another word might be more appropriate.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What word?¡±

    After Mu Tangchuan said that, Zhuang Shurong raised her eyebrows and looked at him in surprise.

    The smile on Mu Tangchuan¡¯s face disappeared. He turned around slowly and walked forward. Zhuang Shurong followed behind him.

    Mu Tangchuan did not answer Zhuang Shurong¡¯s question. He just walked silently. In front of him was arge area of blooming chrysanthemums. The fragrance of the flowers in the air was especially strong.

    Zhuang Shurong actually did not like chrysanthemums that much. It was just that Wang Hui liked them quite a lot.

    Chrysanthemums represented strength and purity, but in Zhuang Shurong¡¯s heart, it also carried a kind of gloominess and sadness.

    Zhuang Shurong was the kind of person who did not like things that carried negative energy. In real life, she already felt depressed and tired, so she definitely did not want to be affected by these things.

    She was a person who did not know how tofort others. As a fair judge, she seemed to have less sympathy than others. As long as one broke thew, no matter how big of a reason they had and how worthy they were of everyone¡¯s sympathy. However, she could not do anything. The punishment that should be given to them would not be spared in the end.

    Mu Tangchuan stood at the side. He saw her calm face and her uncertain gaze. It was not difficult to capture a trace of determination and seriousness from her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s y a game of Go.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan turned his head to look at the gazebo in front of him and said softly.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong seemed to be in a daze. She only calmed down when she heard Mu Tangchuan¡¯s voice.

    Mu Tangchuan had already walked into the gazebo. There was a chessboard on the stone table in the gazebo.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to y Go.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong followed him in.

    Mu Tangchuan had already sat down and pointed to the opposite side of him. ¡°Sit down. You don¡¯t know how to y Go, but you know how to y Go Bang, right?¡±

    As he spoke, he had already ced the chessboard on the table.

    Zhuang Shurong felt a little helpless. After thinking about it, she could only sit down.

    Perhaps it was because she was quite smart, in the beginning, Zhuang Shurong had lost several rounds in a row, she could notst more than a few moves under Mu Tangchuan¡¯s hands. However, after the next few rounds, Zhuang Shurong slowly began to y better, at least, she did not lose easily.

    ¡°You sing very well.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan had never praised a woman like this. Seeing her calm and focused manner, Mu Tangchuan did not ce the chess piece in his hand. Instead, he ced it into the chessboard at the side.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was clearly unable to react.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled. ¡°A few months ago, at the Hai Tian Nightclub.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned for a moment. She tilted her head as if she was recalling something. After a while, her beautiful eyes shed. She seemed to have realized something. ¡°You¡¯re the gentleman who helped me?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan chuckled without saying a word.

    At this moment, the servants suddenly came over to call them back for dinner. The two of them got up and walked back.

    After dinner, everyone chatted for a while.

    Mu Yinan and Wang Hui were obviously very satisfied with Zhuang Shurong. The Zhuang couple also had high hopes for Mu Tangchuan. After a meal, they almost called each other inws.

    ¡°I heard that the maple leaves in Fragrant Hill are pretty now. Why don¡¯t we go take a look?¡±

    Wang Hui swept a nce at her husband, Mu Yinan, and her gaze quickly stopped on the Zhuang couple opposite them.

    The Zhuang couple naturally understood and smiled. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s go and take a look. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve gone out for a walk. Ah Rong, since you said that you have something on, then...¡±

    ¡°Then let Tangchuan send you back. He¡¯s not working today anyway.¡±

    Before Mrs. Zhuang could finish her sentence, Wang Hui, who was at the side, spoke up.

    It was obvious that she wanted to set them up.

    He subconsciously nced at Zhuang Shurong. Seeing that her reaction was calm, as if she was used to it, Mu Tangchuan thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Uncle, Auntie, don¡¯t worry. I will send Miss Zhuang back safely.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal. Just call her Shurong. We don¡¯t have to be all formal.¡±

    Father Zhuang smiled.

    Mu Tangchuan could only lower his eyes and nod.

    Then, the two couples set off immediately. Mu Tangchuan had no choice but to send Zhuang Shurong home.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the court first. There are some documents that O need to be take home.¡±

    When they just got into the car, Zhuang Shurong seemed to have thought of something. Coincidentally, the court was in the middle of the two homes. It would be good to go over and take it.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied. Since he could not go out to have a gathering with Su Zhengxun and the rest today, he was no longer in a hurry.

    ¡°I can see that my parents like you very much.¡±

    After thinking for a while, Mu Tangchuan suddenly sighed and said.

    ¡°My parents have a good impression of you too,¡± Zhuang Shurong replied faintly.

    ¡°In my impression, you¡¯re a very outstanding woman. Why...¡±

    Mu Tangchuan knew that it was a little presumptuous of him to ask this, but he did not think too much about it and still asked this question.

    Upon hearing this, Zhuang Shurong was stunned. She gave him a sidelong nce and smiled. ¡°Then, what about you? Aren¡¯t you the same?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan frowned and wanted to say something, but Zhuang Shurong had already continued. ¡°How should I say this?¡±

    She took a shallow breath, ¡°It¡¯s not for any reason, and there¡¯s nothing to hide. I just don¡¯t have much time to focus on these matters of love. I feel that it¡¯s a little too much of a waste of time. I hope that I can walk further down this path and stand higher.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s answer was actually very honest. Mu Tangchuan originally thought that she could say things like for the mothend and the people, but she did not say that.

    ¡°In the face of work, humans are insignificant. If my life is a piece of white paper, then I feel that only work can enrich the color of this piece of white paper. As for other emotions, they are probably just decorations.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s tone was very calm.

    ¡°Do you have a great desire for power?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked meaningfully.

    Hearing this, Zhuang Shurong paused. ¡°How should I answer your question?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to give others the chance to be impudent, first you have to control yourself.¡±

    After a long time, she said this. Suddenly, she turned her head and looked at him. ¡°I may not be a good person who can help all living things, but I will definitely not be a bad person.¡±

    Her voice was filled with calmness and determination.

 Chapter 2125 - The Love of Chuan Rong (6)

    Chapter 2125: The Love of Chuan Rong (6)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Tangchuan smiled but did not reply.

    He was also a politician, so he knew these thoughts very well.

    Not forgetting their original intention was a very difficult proposition for them, and they needed to spend a lifetime to solve it.

    It was precisely because it was not easy, and they were both the same, that after going through so many trials and tribtions in this political arena, it seemed that they could empathize with each other a little.

    ¡°The revolution has yet to seed,rades still need to work hard. There¡¯s still a long way to go.¡±

    After a long while, Mu Tangchuan said this as he increased the speed of the car.

    Hearing his words, Zhuang Shurong turned her head with some interest and looked at him silently..

    It was undeniable that when she saw him today, Zhuang Shurong was very surprised.

    Although she had heard of the legend of this man in school, she did not know that his family background was like this. Previously, she seemed to have heard that he also had a few part-time jobs. It was like the Hai Tian Nightclub, he had worked there before.

    Tan Li had wanted to meet him by chance several times, but even if they had met, he had quickly moved past them, forget about brushing past each other.

    She had also seen him from afar without any interactions. He did not seem to have changed much from before. Even though he had graduated a few years ago, his appearance was still as elegant and noble as before, handsome and peaceful, he did not have the air of a scion of an official family or a rich young master.

    Zhuang Shurong admired him on this point.

    When they reached the entrance of the court, Mu Tangchuan stopped the car. Zhuang Shurong also opened the door and got out of the car.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back first? I¡¯ll catch the buster. I don¡¯t want to dy you for too long.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong turned her head and looked at him in the car.

    Mu Tangchuan raised his hand to look at the time on his wrist. It was almost five o¡¯clock. After some thought, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can go in and do your thing.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled faintly and turned around to walk into the solemn gatehouse.

    Seeing Zhuang Shurong¡¯s figure disappear into the gatehouse, Mu Tangchuan got out of the car.

    He was not a person who was used to waiting. He had never waited for anyone before. However, he did not expect that this long wait would be for Zhuang Shurong.

    More than two hours passed.

    When the sun set in the horizon, the entire world darkened and the streetmps on the streets began to light up.

    Zhuang Shurong was a person who easily lost track of time when she was busy. By the time she regained her senses, it was already dark outside. She thought that Mu Tangchuan had probably gone back as well.

    At this moment, she had also packed her things and left the office in a hurry.

    However, she had just walked out of the building when she saw the car still parked under the tree from afar.

    Mu Tangchuan was leaning against the car door. He was smoking leisurely with a cigarette in his mouth.

    ¡°You... Why are you still here? I thought you had gone back!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong looked at Mu Tangchuan, who was leaning against the door, in surprise. Her beautiful eyes widened, showing her surprise.

    Only then did Mu Tangchuan put out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can. He said in a low voice, ¡°I was just thinking, how long more do I have to wait?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you were still waiting. I lost track of time when I got busy. It¡¯ste now. How about this, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner as an apology, okay?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s beautiful face was naturally a little embarrassed. She could only say that now.

    Mu Tangchuan also received Zhuang Shurong¡¯s apology and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. Since it¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯ll take you to dinner first.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll treat you...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong felt embarrassed.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the dignity of a man. I¡¯ll never let a woman treat me to dinner when I¡¯m with a woman.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan gave her a sidelong nce with a smile on his face. He walked around the car and got into the car.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was still a little confused. After a while, she got into the car.

    ¡°What do you want to eat? Western food or Japanese cuisine?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked as he drove out.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you. I¡¯m not picky,¡± Zhuang Shurong replied as well.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s have grilled meat.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan had always liked grilled meat. Just like Su Zhengxun and Zhou Zhenjun, they were all meat lovers. When the brothers gathered together, they would most likely grill meat.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong would not tell him that she also liked grilled meat.

    Soon, the two of them arrived at a rtively famous grill restaurant in the city center.

    They each ordered some dishes that they liked. Soon, the dishes were served as well.

    Mu Tangchuan naturally flipped the meat slices skillfully and put them into Zhuang Shurong¡¯s bowl in a gentlemanly manner.

    Zhuang Shurong thanked him first and did not stand on ceremony after that.

    The two of them also ordered some fruit wine. The alcohol content was not high, so it was okay to drink a few sses. It would not affect their driving.

    ¡°Have you been staying in City Z ever since you graduated?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong asked a question.

    ¡°I was transferred to the county district for a period of time two years ago. Later, I was transferred back to City Z. The outside world is not as good as here. No matter what, I still think this ce is better,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied calmly. As he spoke, he did not forget to put the grilled beef on the te in front of her.

    ¡°Yes, of course. We are familiar with everything here. Our home is also here.¡±

    Zhuang shurong smiled and said, ¡°You should eat some too. The food here is pretty good. Do youe here often? It seems like the waiters know you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ie here often with my friends.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan replied as such.

    ...

    The two of them ate and chatted. By the time they left, it was already close to nine o¡¯clock at night.

    Seeing that it was about time, Mu Tangchuan wanted to send Zhuang Shurong home. They had made an appointment that night to go to Su Zhengxun¡¯s ce to y a few rounds of billiards.

    The car stopped in front of the Zhuang family¡¯s grand and luxurious gate. Mu Tangchuan reached over and opened the car door for her.

    Zhuang Shurong got out of the car swiftly. She nodded her head gratefully and said, ¡°Thank you for today.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Alright, hurry up and go in.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan pointed at the open gate and reminded her.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Alright, then you should go back earlier. Drive carefully on the road. I¡¯ll thank you properly when I have time another day.¡±

    As she said that, she waved and turned around to walk in.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and watched her figure slowly disappear into the door before he started the car and left.

    Zhuang Shurong stood outside the balcony on the second floor and watched as the car slowly disappeared into the fog in front of her. After a long while, she took a deep breath.

    ¡°How was it? I told you Tangchuan was not bad, right?¡±

    Before Zhuang Shurong could react, her mother¡¯s voice came from behind her, giving her a fright.

    ¡°Mother! Why didn¡¯t you knock beforeing in?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong frowned.

 Chapter 2126 - The Love of Chuan Rong (7)

    Chapter 2126: The Love of Chuan Rong (7)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There was a faint smile on Mrs. Zhuang¡¯s charming face, and she looked at her daughter with an increasingly amused gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this happen before, who else could have sent you home? How was your day?¡± Madam Zhuang lowered her voice and asked.

    Only then did Zhuang Shurong walk over and sit down on the short sofa at the side. ¡°Nothing much. I was busy for a long time back at the courthouse, and then we just ate together.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I know that you and Father are very concerned about my marriage, but I really don¡¯t have the heart for it. I...¡±

    ¡°Silly! How can you think like that? If you don¡¯t be intentional with marriage, then when Mother and Father get old, who will support you and watch over you? Your father and I have you as our only daughter. If you don¡¯t live well, your father and I won¡¯t be at ease either. I¡¯ve taught you since you were young, you can¡¯t be so selfish, don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    Madam Zhuang reprimanded her in a low voice.

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s expression changed as well. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t even like them. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s very painful to live with someone you don¡¯t even like?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t get along with them, how do you know that you won¡¯t like them? It¡¯s all your father and I¡¯s fault. We¡¯ve been spoiling you since you were young, look how we¡¯ve spoilt you to be? Let me tell you, your father and I have studied the Mu family many times, Mu Tangchuan too. We¡¯ve been observing them in secret for a long time and we really found out that the two of you are just right. Your family background isn¡¯t too different and you can be considered a match for each other. Also, Tangchuan is a handsome and talented person. What else are you not satisfied with?¡±

    ¡°Mother! I understand all of this, but I...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®but¡¯. You¡¯re a judge after all, so you should be more straightforward in whatever you do. When will your high awareness in work be ced on your feelings and your marriage? If not, you can go back to the political party school and study for a few more days.¡±

    Mrs. Zhuang was clearly getting anxious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Do you and Father really want to marry me off so badly?¡±

    ¡°Yes! We just don¡¯t want to see you be an old aunt, a girl who is too strong-willed. If that happens, it will be even harder to find you a partner in the future. Mu Tangchuan is someone with great qualities, don¡¯t let go, that¡¯s all we can do. I hope that you can think about it yourself. You may be annoyed with us now, but after a few years, you will understand.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong felt exhausted as she listened.

    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll think about it. Even if I want to, I don¡¯t think people would be happy toply, so I advise you not to have too many fantasies. I¡¯ll say it again, if suitable then I¡¯ll get married, if not, I won¡¯t force myself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be satisfied with Tangchuan. Of course, I also believe in my daughter¡¯s charm.¡±

    Madam Zhuang had always been very confident in her daughter¡¯s charm. They had investigated Mu Tangchuan and knew that he did not have a girlfriend now. He seemed to have been single ever since he graduated. Moreover, his personal qualities were great too, there was really nothing to pick on.

    He had a good family background, good character, and good ability. There were not many people like that nowadays.

    Zhuang Shurong was finally defeated by her mother. She nodded her head helplessly. ¡°Mother, you and Father should stop worrying about it. I will take your words to heart.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you can take heart, don¡¯t let us worry too much. You¡¯re very good at your job, I believe that you¡¯ll be very satisfied with your rtionship. This rtionship is just that. You have to be calm and rational when looking at anything. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. I know what you¡¯re thinking. I struggled the same way when I married your father back then, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal once it was done.¡±

    Madam Zhuang sighed softly, as if she was recalling something. ¡°The ambition that should be realized, the dream that should be fulfilled, must still be fulfilled. This is the reflection of your vision and your value to society. You must remember it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother! I will remember it.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong did not know what else she could say, so she could only respond in this way.

    Undeniably, what her mother said made sense.

    She should be d that she had a mother who was deep in righteousness, rational, and calm. Since she was young, she was not like those people. Her mother had focused on raising her to be a woman who could take care of herself.

    Her mother always said that women should have their own social values. Apart from being able to take care of their husbands and raise their children, they should also have the ability to take care of their own lives. They should be unwavering, and they should also be gentle and understanding.

    Her mother was a rtively advanced intellectual at that time. She had been to the countryside and had experienced turmoil and war.

    It was said that her mother¡¯s family had been a schrly family for several generations. Her grandfather had stayed overseas in his early years. Later, he returned to his mothend and founded a school. In that generation of City Z, he was somewhat famous. In the end, he seemed to have died from an assassination.

    At that time, her mother was already 18 years old. Not long after that, her grandmother passed away after her grandfather too. Her mother became a real loner. However, at that time, her mother had already been engaged to her father. After that, she married into the Zhuang family and struggled to this day, now, she could be considered to have a foothold in the political world.

    ¡°Alright, since you are clear about it, I won¡¯t say anything more. If you are satisfied, look at Tangchuan¡¯s side. If he doesn¡¯t object, after getting along with him for a while, we will settle the marriage. This year, you can get engaged. Next year, get married. In that case, you shouldn¡¯t object, right?¡±

    Madam Zhuang¡¯s ns were very good. She had just spoken to Mu Yinan and Wang Hui, and they had the same intentions.

    Mu Yinan and Wang Hui were naturally extremely satisfied. Previously, they had also thought that Shen Wenna could be their daughter-inw. They had not expected that Shen Wenna and their son would not have the same chemistry, so they could only give up. Although they felt a little regretful, they still had to put in effort in their son¡¯s marriage. Now that they had met Zhuang Shurong from the Zhuang family, they were even more satisfied!

    She was also in the political arena like their son, so there would be plenty of opportunities for them to take care of each other in the future. Moreover, Zhuang Shurong¡¯s personality was more gentle and sensible than Shen Wenna¡¯s. She was very capable, was very beautiful, and had a good family background. She was the perfect match for their son!

    They had already decided that they would definitely make Zhuang Shurong their daughter-inw!

    Especially Wang Hui, she waspletely satisfied with Zhuang Shurong.

    She was also someone who had met countless people and knew what kind of girl was suitable.

    Therefore, she was very closely monitoring this matter. She had even thought very carefully about how her son would take down Zhuang Shurong. Mu Tangchuan was not sure whether tough or cry right now.

    ¡°Here, two tickets for the concert. Tomorrow is the weekend. I called and asked. Ah Rong is not working overtime today, and she has time tonight. You should get off work early tonight and invite her out for dinner. Then, bring her to a concert. She likes concerts like this.. Also, this, when you meet a girl, you must not be empty-handed. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 2127 - The Love of Chuan Rong (8)

    Chapter 2127: The Love of Chuan Rong (8)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Tangchuan was still wearing a sleeping gown. When he came out of the bedroom after washing up, he saw his mother rushing to him with two music tickets.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan could not take it anymore. Was this a joke?

    Did he need these old fogeys to teach him how to go after girls?

    However, Zhuang Shurong...

    If they did not mention her, he really would have forgotten about her. Although that woman was not bad, he was not the kind of person who would want to get close to a beautiful woman. Therefore, he did not give it much thought. He could only say that he did not have much chemistry with her?

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you, Ah Rong is the daughter-inw that I have my eyes on. It¡¯s up to you now, you have to marry her for me!¡±

    Wang Hui took Mu Tangchuan¡¯s hand and shoved the ticket into his hand.

    ¡°Ah Rong is such a good girl. If you miss this vige, you¡¯ll lose that shop. Su Zhengxun has Xie Jiajia, and I heard that Zhenjun has been busy with this matter recently. If you don¡¯t hurry up, you¡¯ll be a bachelor. I¡¯ll feel embarrassed if word gets out! Hurry up. As long as she¡¯s our daughter-inw, it doesn¡¯t matter what you do. Your father and I are very open-minded and can ept anything. If you don¡¯te back tonight, I won¡¯t have any objections...¡±

    Look, what nonsense was she spouting!

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s brows were knitted tightly together. How obvious were her intentions? He had not even made a move yet and she was already thinking of asking him to take down Zhuang Shurong. At the thought of this, Mu Tangchuan felt a little...

    ¡°Mother, are you really sure that it was Father who got his hands on you back then and not you who forced my father?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan narrowed his eyes and looked at Wang Hui.

    ¡°Nonsense, of course it was your father who forced himself on me and made me pregnant with you. Otherwise, would I have married someone like your father? What a joke! I was chased by a lot of people back then, and our Military District...¡±

    Wang Hui could not help but talk about her charm back then.

    Mu Tangchuan could not take it anymore. He clenched the ticket in his hand and quickly said, ¡°I got it, Mom. You can go out first. I have to change my clothes. I¡¯m going to bete for work!¡±

    Only then did Wang Hui stop her thoughts. When she saw her son¡¯s impatient look, she frowned. ¡°Alright then. You must remember to pick up Ah Rong in the evening. Tomorrow is the weekend, you can ask her toe over to visit.¡±

    ¡°I have an appointment with Zhengxun and the rest to go to the mountains to hunt wild animals tomorrow. Mother, don¡¯t act on your own. I won¡¯t say anything about this, but don¡¯t let this happen again.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan waved the ticket in his hand. His helpless tone was followed by a warning.

    ¡°Hunt for wild game? That would be perfect! Bring Ah Rong along! Bring her along and let her familiarize herself with your circle, your good friends. Alright, it¡¯s settled, it¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll go and greet the inws... Oh, I mean, the Zhuang family.¡±

    Wang Hui did not care about Mu Tangchuan¡¯s already tense handsome face. As she spoke, she turned around and left the room.

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression darkened. He wanted to say something, but Wang Hui¡¯s figure had already disappeared at the door.

    This matter seemed to have been settled. When Mu Tangchuan changed his clothes and went out, he passed through the living room and heard Wang Hui talking to Madam Zhuang.

    Without a doubt, she was talking about the situation just now.

    Mu Tangchuan felt a little helpless. After thinking for a while, he could only walk out of the door.

    Just as he reached the office, the phone on the desk rang. It was from Su Zhengxun¡¯s office.

    ¡°Hello? Tangchuan? Remember to bring your hunting rifle with you tomorrow. I only have two guns here. Uncle Zhou confiscated Zhenjun¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°I got it. By the way, will you bring Xie Jiajia there?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan thought for a moment and asked.

    ¡°The men are out for y, why would I bring her?¡± Su Zhengxun said without thinking.

    Hearing this, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s eyes darkened. He then said, ¡°I saw her at the za department store yesterday.¡±

    ¡°The za department store? What was she doing there?¡± Su Zhengxun asked doubtfully.

    He remembered that he had asked Xie Jiajia if she was free yesterday, but Xie Jiajia had rejected him at that time.

    ¡°You might as well ask Xie Jiajia directly,¡± Mu Tangchuan said this in a deep voice.

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s bring her along tomorrow. give her a call and ask her toe over.¡±

    Su Zhengxun thought for a moment and finally said this.

    ¡°Your woman, why don¡¯t you tell her yourself?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan was interested.

    ¡°I just want you to tell her. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know my current situation. Ever since I scolded her a little loudly, she has been upset with me. Don¡¯t tell Zhenjun about this, lest he makes fun of me again.¡±

    Su Zhengxun frowned.

    ¡°Since you care about her, you should just get married. You¡¯re not young anymore anyway. It¡¯s better to prevent her from falling into the hands of others. She¡¯s already learned to be smart and her eyes are not only on you, Su Zhengxun.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and said, ¡°Also, if you really don¡¯t like her, then let her go. The earlier you exin the matter, the easier it will be.¡±

    ¡°Stop trying to test me. From the moment I was sensible, I knew I had such a fianc¨¦e. If I really could not marry her, would I have waited until now for you to say it?¡± Su Zhengxun said coldly.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said it, then I can¡¯t say anything more. You might as well marry her as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°My parents are already preparing for the wedding. If nothing goes wrong, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be next month. There will be a notice in the next few days. Just wait.¡±

    Su Zhengxun thought for a moment and said directly.

    ¡°So soon?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan was also a little surprised.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you all wishing for us to hurry up?¡±

    Su Zhengxunughed softly. ¡°Moreover, the wedding has already been decided. There¡¯s no way to reject it. Come to think of it, she¡¯s also the woman I know best. If I don¡¯t marry her, I have no interest in marrying another woman.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried that your previous rtionship with that female colleague will be made a big deal out of?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked in a deep voice.

    Su Zhengxun was silent for a moment. After a while, he said, ¡°I won¡¯t deny this reason.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯m stillcking a female secretary in my department. I¡¯ll get someone to arrange for her to be transferred here.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll get a bad reputation?¡± Su Zhengxun asked.

    ¡°That woman is useful. She¡¯s Division Chief Wang¡¯s old friend. He put in a lot of effort to transfer her to your side. Now, asking him to take her back is asking him to be dumb. Not many people know about this, if I didn¡¯t see them have dinner together before, I wouldn¡¯t have known either.. Just pretend you don¡¯t know about this, I¡¯ll handle it.¡±

 Chapter 2128 - The Love of Chuan Rong (9)

    Chapter 2128: The Love of Chuan Rong (9)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°How did you know that there was such a thing between them?¡± Su Zhengxun asked in puzzlement.

    Only then did Mu Tangchuan lean slightly against the back of the chair behind him and smile, ¡°After I saw them appear together, I sent someone to investigate. Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win a hundred battles. Coincidentally, Chief Wang¡¯s female secretary applied for maternity leave. That woman had a past with Chief Wang in school. I was worried that I wouldn¡¯t have a chance to catch him.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, now I¡¯ve fulfilled your wish.¡±

    Su Zhengxun¡¯s low voice contained a hint of a smile.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to the provincial office for a meeting at the beginning of the month. Don¡¯t you have someone on your side? When the timees, just make some arrangements and help cover your ears and eyes. You don¡¯t have to worry about other things. Alright, we¡¯ll talk about the rest when we meet. I¡¯ll arrange for someone to invite Xie Jiajia over for you, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan also said thesest few words before hanging up.

    The day¡¯s work was naturally very busy. After hanging up the phone, Mu Tangchuan began to deal with government affairs. Once he got busy, another entire day would pass.

    Simrly, Mu Tangchuan was not the only one who was busy.

    Zhuang Shurong was also not at ease. Recently, she had a new boss. As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean. This boss of hers was no exception. Once she came over, she worked overtime. She flipped through many cases that had been piled up previously and familiarized herself with work. These days, she was also busy from morning to night.

    It was not easy to look forward to the weekend. She could finally rest. Right now, she only wanted to go home and take a good bath before sleepingfortably.

    However, she did not expect to see a Jeep parked at the side from afar just as she walked out of the courthouse with her briefcase.

    The person in the car seemed to have noticed her too, and quickly opened the door and got out of the car.

    ¡°Mu Tangchuan? Why is it you?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was naturally a little surprised.

    Mu Tangchuan put his coat in the car and waved at her as he went forward.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked as she stopped in her tracks.

    ¡°Can¡¯t Ie?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked back.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just a little surprised by your appearance.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled faintly as she replied.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then get in the car and I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone was filled with humility.

    Zhuang Shurong tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Then, what if I raise my dignity this time? Will you give me this opportunity?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan raised his eyebrows. He did not expect this little girl to still be concerned about this matter?

    He fixed his gaze on Zhuang Shurong, only to see that she had a serious expression on her face. Behind her, she smiled and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re so sincere, then I¡¯ll thank Miss Zhuang for this meal first. Aspensation, you won¡¯t reject this concert, right, Miss Zhuang?¡±

    As Mu Tangchuan spoke, he held two concert tickets between his slender fingers and handed them to Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°What are these?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was a little curious and reached out to take them. When she saw them, her face lit up with surprise¡ª

    ¡°Concert tickets! How did you get them? My friend queued for a long time but couldn¡¯t get them!¡±

    ¡°I have my ways. Get in the car first, it¡¯s gettingte, we can go there after dinner.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan said in a low voice as he opened the door of the passenger seat. He walked around and sat in the car.

    Zhuang Shurong kept the tickets, then turned around and sat in the car.

    However, before she could sit down in the car, she could smell a faint orchid fragrance. She subconsciously looked at the seat in front of her, only then did she realize that there was a bouquet of fresh and elegant magnolia flowers on the seat, decorated with some small flowers. It looked very beautiful.

    ¡°This...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned.

    ¡°I bought it on the way. It¡¯s for you.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan picked up the bouquet and handed it to her. He reached out his long arm to take the briefcase in her hand and put it in the back seat.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong quickly reacted. She took the bouquet and sat down. She sniffed it and smiled. ¡°Do you like orchids too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I just think that it suits you.¡±

    After she fastened her seatbelt, she started the car.

    ¡°I like its color and fragrance,¡± Zhuang Shurong said straightforwardly.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. The owner of the flower shop said that if I didn¡¯t know what someone liked, the orchid would be best. There¡¯s nothing special about it, at least it has a pleasant fragrance.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan rarely gave flowers to girls. His ex-girlfriend likedrge red roses, so he always gave her roses. However, he himself did not necessarily like roses that were in full bloom, instead, this fresh and elegant white magnolia caught his eye.

    ¡°The owner of the flower shop must be experienced. I like it very much. Thank you.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled happily.

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go to his ce to buy flowers again next time,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied with the same sentence.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been busy recently?¡±

    He knew that she had been working overtime a lot recently.

    ¡°A new boss came in. He has stricter requirements, so he¡¯s a little busy.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong also said helplessly.

    ¡°Yeah, I went to the Discipline Inspection Commission before. I heard that the people who were transferred directly from the provincial department probably won¡¯t be that easy to adapt to.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan was rtively well-informed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad. Because I was used to being more casual in the past, there¡¯s nothing wrong with having such a strict boss now. Being strict and serious in doing things has absolute benefits. It¡¯s good as long as you get used to it. After this period of time, the rest of the work will be easier. You need to maintain your mental state.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

    ¡°Are you free tomorrow?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan thought about it and asked.

    ¡°I n to rest at home.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go hunting in the wilderness. The air in the suburbs is very good. You can also rx a little, hmm?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan invited her sincerely.

    ¡°You¡¯re in high spirits?¡± Zhuang Shurong said softly.

    ¡°As humans we have to know how to bnce work and rest. If one is too tense, we¡¯d break easily,¡± said Mu Tangchuan.

    Hearing that, Zhuang Shurong smiled calmly. ¡°Since you say so, if I don¡¯t go, it¡¯ll seem like I¡¯m being too harsh on myself. Then let¡¯s go.¡±

    This time, Mu Tangchuan smiled cheerfully and turned to look at her. ¡°Then tomorrow morning at eight o¡¯clock, I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance of your residential area.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhuang Shurong agreed.

    Actually, she was a very straightforward person. Since she wanted to go, she would just agree to it. She knew Mu Tangchuan¡¯s intentions, moreover she had promised her mother to get along well with Mu Tangchuan. Therefore, she should not be all pretentious now.

    ¡°Have you gone hunting before?¡±

    There was a moment of silence in the car when Mu Tangchuan suddenly asked.

 Chapter 2129 - The Love of Chuan Rong (10)

    <h4>Chapter 2129: The Love of Chuan Rong (10)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong shook her head.

    ¡°I rarely go out for recreation. Usually, even when I have a break, I mostly go to the library or the welfare institute.¡±

    Her life was not monotonous. On the contrary, she felt that she was very busy. Sometimes, she wished that a day could be used across a few days, so she naturally did not have the time to enjoy herself.

    ¡°In that case, inparison, I seem to be neglecting my work.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled helplessly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. It¡¯s just that everyone has their own way of entertainment. As long as it doesn¡¯t harm society or others, it doesn¡¯t matter. As you said, not everyone will be a saint, as long as one doesn¡¯t create trouble for others, I think they would be good citizens.¡±

    ¡°Is your awareness too high? Or is this the personality of a judge?¡±

    Seeing the smile on Mu Tangchuan¡¯s face, Zhuang Shurong¡¯s beautiful face softened a little. She quietly nced at him and chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m only representing myself. I can¡¯t represent their real judges. Your question always makes me suspect that you have some prejudice against us.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s answer was very direct.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not thinking about it.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong sighed softly. ¡°Actually, sometimes I wish I could do that. At least, at that time, I don¡¯t have to worry about making a choice.¡±

    ¡°But, your gavel represents fairness and justice. You guys are the ones who need to make the right choice most often because your judgment will affect the situation of the parties involved, and even the future.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone was a little low as he spoke.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why it¡¯s not easy for us.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong said inly, ¡°Do you know why I chose the court in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan yed along and asked.

    ¡°Because I have always believed that there is the light of justice in this world. Under the situation where thew is constantly improving, some people will still take advantage of the loopholes in thew.¡±

    ¡°But, with just you alone...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, and live in good conscience,¡± Zhuang Shurong answered without hesitation.

    When Mu Tangchuan turned to look at her, what he saw was her determined gaze and the slightly clenched fist hidden under the bouquet.

    Later, Mu Tangchuan spent a long time to recall, so he realized that perhaps from this moment on, he could feel that Zhuang Shurong was different from the rest. Facing such a Zhuang Shurong, how could he hold on to his heart?

    ¡°Good judge of the people.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan narrowed his eyes at her and smiled.

    ¡°Are you going to mock me too or what?¡±

    Zhuang Shurongughed softly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t find amusement in that,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied with a serious expression.

    ¡°That¡¯s my petty heart measuring the stomach of a gentleman.¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious?¡±

    Mu Tangchuanughed softly.

    Zhuang Shurong alsoughed quietly at this moment.

    ...

    The two of them arrived at the restaurant and had a harmonious dinner. After resting for a while, they went straight to the concert venue.

    The so-called concert was actually a rtivelyrge-scale piano concert for international piano masters.

    Zhuang Shurong still had some pursuits towards music. She liked to listen to some more soothing piano music, so she did not want to miss such a concert.

    Reality proved that the two of them hade to the right ce today.

    It was the first time Mu Tangchuan was listening to such a concert. He had always thought that it would be boring, but now it sounded pretty good. Perhaps he had been infected by the woman beside him.

    Thinking of this, Mu Tangchuan turned his head and quietly looked at Zhuang Shurong beside him. Only then did he realize that she was gently closing her eyes. Her expression was very peaceful and she was in a trance.

    At this moment, the night breeze was a little cold. Seeing that her clothes were thin, Mu Tangchuan also very gentlemanly took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

    The sudden faint warmth caused Zhuang Shurong to be startled. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him very quietly. She then looked at the ck coat on her shoulders. A momentter, she smiled at him.

    ¡°The night is still a little chilly, be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan lowered his voice and reminded her.

    ¡°Thank you, Gentleman.¡± Zhuang Shurong thanked him politely.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied as well.

    He realized now that after interacting with her a few times, he felt that he was not so restrained when talking to her. He was not like other women who were impatient when talking to them. He was not even willing to pay attention to them.

    The concert was undoubtedly very sessful. Zhuang Shurong was clearly in a good mood. When she walked out of the venue, her face was still slightly beaming.

    ¡°Thank you so much for today. I¡¯ve actually been looking forward to this concert for a long time. I was too busy recently, so I shelved it. I thought it would be a regret, but I didn¡¯t expect you to help me make up for this regret.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression was calm. He pointed at the coat on her shoulder. Zhuang Shurong subconsciously looked at the direction of his fingertips. Only then did she realize that the coat on her shoulder had slipped quite a bit. She quickly reached out to pull it.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re happy. It¡¯s gettingte. Let me send you back.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan took out the car keys from his pocket and walked to the car parked on the side of the road.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    She got into the car as well.

    It was already a littlete at night. Mu Tangchuan looked at the time on his wrist. It was already past 10 p.m. When he looked at Zhuang Shurong beside him, he realized that she was leaning back in her chair and looking out of the car window quietly. Her expression was very quiet.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    After a while, Mu Tangchuan asked in a low voice.

    Zhuang Shurong slowly turned her head to look at him. After a moment of silence, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about us.¡±

    ¡°Us?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan was a little surprised by her directness. At this moment, he looked at her meaningfully. ¡°What are you thinking about us for?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell either. I feel that you¡¯re spending so much time with me. Do you have some ulterior motive?¡± Zhuang Shurong replied.

    Upon hearing this, Mu Tangchuanughed softly. There was a warmth in his smile. ¡°I think that Miss Zhuang¡¯s EQ and IQ are very high, and the strength in your words is shocking.¡±

    ¡°It feels like you¡¯re critiquing me?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong raised her eyebrows.

    However, Mu Tangchuanughed even louder and did not answer her question. Instead, he went along with what she just said. ¡°I have ulterior motives to begin with. Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know what it means for us now.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong looked at him deeply from behind. She lowered her eyes after a long while...

    ¡°Go back and rest early. I¡¯ll pick you up at eight tomorrow morning.¡±

    In front of the vi, Mu Tangchuan stopped the car steadily and turned to look at Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°Okay, drive carefully.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong got out of the car after saying that.

 Chapter 2130 - The Love of Chuan Rong (11)

    <h4>Chapter 2130: The Love of Chuan Rong (11)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Tangchuan watched Zhuang Shurong¡¯s figure disappear into the door before he drove away.

    When he returned home, it was alreadyte at night.

    However, the lights were still on in Wang Hui¡¯s study.

    As expected, he saw Wang Hui walking out of the study as soon as he reached the staircase.

    ¡°Mother? Why aren¡¯t you sleeping at this time of night?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked at Wang Hui and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for your news. How was it? Did you get along well with Ah Rong today? Bring her home in a few days. I¡¯ve told the Zhuang couple and they have high hopes for you. Next weekend, you can visit them and familiarize yourself with the Zhuang family. In my opinion, if the two of you can get along well, then let¡¯s settle the marriage and wait until next year to get married.¡±

    Wang Hui already felt that this matter was a firm one. She felt that her son should be able to take a fancy to an outstanding girl like Zhuang Shurong. Moreover, her son was not bad either. He would definitely be able to catch Zhuang Shurong¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Mother, let¡¯s wait and see about this matter. At this stage, there¡¯s no need to rush this. Zixi hasn¡¯t been back for a long time. Give her a call tomorrow and tell her toe home for a visit. Father was thinking of her yesterday.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan had no choice but to change the topic.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about you. Don¡¯t bring Zixi into this.¡±

    Wang Hui frowned. She felt a headache whenever Mu Zixi was mentioned.

    ¡°Zixi needs your concern. After all these years, do you really n to continue this stalemate, Mother?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone was a little heavy.

    ¡°What else do you think we can do? Can we tie her up? She was already estranged from your Father and I. When Qiming came over, we could only learn about her situation from him. Otherwise, where else can we find her?¡±

    Wang Hui¡¯s tone was a little stern, ¡°I can¡¯t control her anymore. Every time shees back we end up having an argument. If she can obediently leave that circle and return to Glory World to help your father run thepany, that would be good. However, you know your sister¡¯s character the best. No one can force her to make her decisions. Sigh, forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about it. It¡¯s alreadyte. You should go back and rest early.¡±

    At this point, Wang Hui was unwilling to continue. She could only sigh and turn around to head back to her room.

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s handsome brows were also furrowed. He had no choice but to return to his room.

    The next day, he woke up early as usual. After breakfast, Su Zhengxun had already called to urge him.

    Mu Tangchuan then called Xie Jiajia and told her to set off early. He then drove to pick up Zhuang Shurong.

    When they arrived at the entrance of the manor, the guards greeted him politely the moment they saw him. Zhuang Shurong was also prepared. The two of them got into the car and headed straight to the outskirts.

    When they arrived at their destination, Su Zhengxun, Zhou Zhenjun, Xie Jiajia, Gu Ting, and the rest had already arrived.

    When they saw Mu Tangchuan bring an unfamiliar beauty over, they were naturally very surprised.

    Mu Tangchuan introduced them to each other. Su Zhengxun and the rest quickly understood that this Zhuang Shurong was probably the person that the Mu couple introduced to Mu Tangchuan?

    They seemed to have heard Wang Hui mention it before.

    ¡°Not bad, Tangchuan. She¡¯s actually so pretty. Hurry up and tell us, is something good about to happen?¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun looked meaningfully at Zhuang Shurong who was packing up with Xie Jiajia and the rest. After a while, his gaze fell on Mu Tangchuan who was beside him.

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression did not change. He nced at him and said, ¡°Yes or no, I can¡¯t answer you now.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I thought you were really going to be an ascetic monk. You don¡¯t get close to women. Ever since Mai Zi left, I haven¡¯t seen you with any girl. A while ago, your mother evenined to me.¡±

    As Zhou Zhenjun said that, he took the shotgun from Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Sigh, I just heard that Zhengxun has agreed to get married. I think they¡¯ll be getting married next month. Also, let me tell you, it seems that Xie Jiajia was taken care of by him. Two days ago, my mother bumped into Xie Jiajia at the hospital. She was in the obstetrics and gynecology department.¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun lowered his voice and said to Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan raised his eyebrows.

    ¡°Alright, stop pretending. Do you still need to think about it? Zhengxun is going to be a father. His speed has always left us in the dust. That¡¯s why Uncle Su and the others wanted to hold a wedding for them so quickly.¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun coughed lightly andughed.

    At this moment, Mu Tangchuan chuckled softly.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. He and Xie Jiajia should have been married a long time ago. Jiajia has been guarding him for many years.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan recalled the incident between Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia. At this moment, he did not know whether tough or cry.

    ¡°Do you know why Xie Jiajia has been angry with him recently? It¡¯s because of this matter. Zhengxun is not the kind of person who can¡¯t control himself. Tell me...¡±

    ¡°It was during the middle ofst month when he asked me to drink with him. He drank a little too much. That day was his birthday. I asked Xie Jiajia toe over to apany him.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun touched his eyebrows and could not help butugh. ¡°No wonder! But it¡¯s just right!¡±

    ¡°We can prepare red packets when we go back. Alright, let¡¯s go over too!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan said after that and followed Su Zhengxun with a shotgun in his hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s split into a few groups. We¡¯ll gather here in two hours!¡±

    After Su Zhengxun said that, he nced at Xie Jiajia and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be in a group with me!¡±

    ¡°I want to be in a group with Tangchuan!¡±

    Xie Jiajia red at her.

    ¡°Tangchuan and Shurong, you and I, hurry up.¡±

    Su Zhengxun strode forward swiftly, and everyone split up as well.

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s gaze moved back and forth between Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia, and there was a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°They are arguing with each other. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    At this moment, Mu Tangchuan walked over and whispered into her ear.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded and followed Mu Tangchuan to the dense forest ahead.

    ¡°They seem to be an interesting couple.¡±

    After walking for a long distance, Zhuang Shurong suddenly spoke.

    ¡°Mmm, Jiajia grew up together with us. She has always been the decided wife for Zhengxun.¡±

    At this moment, Mu Tangchuan stopped in his tracks. He raised the shotgun in his hand and aimed at a certain corner in front of him. At the same time, he made a silent gesture to Zhuang Shurong behind him.

    Zhuang Shurong also quickly stopped in her tracks and carefully followed behind him.

    Mu Tangchuan was aiming at her when he caught sight of the woman beside him. He smiled and slowed down his movements. He turned to look at her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong shook her head awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ve never touched a gun before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Come here, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    ....

 Chapter 2131 - The Love of Chuan Rong (12)

    <h4>Chapter 2131: The Love of Chuan Rong (12)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned for a moment, but she was straightforward. She smiled leisurely and nodded.

    There was a big difference between a traditional hunting rifle and a gun used in the army. After a normal hunting rifle shot out, the aftershock would be very strong. If one did not control it well, the shock would cause one¡¯s hand to go numb.

    Although Zhuang Shurong was a judge, she naturally had not touched such a hunting rifle.

    At that time, most young people from the government favored the sport of hunting, and Mu Tangchuan and Su Zhengxun were no exception.

    Among the buddies, needless to say, Zhou Zhenjun was naturally more knowledgeable in this aspect. However, Mu Tangchuan and Su Zhengxun were also more interested, so when they had not much else to do, this would be the most important pastime for the brothers.

    ¡°Hold the gun like this. Don¡¯t be nervous. Hold it firmly and aim again. Three points, one line. Be careful. The bullet will be slightly affected by the force. In this aspect, you¡¯ll need more practice to master it.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan stood beside Zhuang Shurong. He helped her hold the gun with one hand and pointed at the target in front of her. It was a pine cone on a tree.

    Zhuang Shurong took a deep breath. It took her some effort to stabilize her heartbeat. She steadied herself and aimed at the target in front of her as he said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Turn on the safety. Yes, that¡¯s it. Fire steadily.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong nodded and held her breath¡ª

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    Following the sound of a gunshot, Zhuang Shurong felt her hands go numb from the shock.

    However, she could not care less. She quickly looked ahead to see if she had hit the target.

    The bullet only grazed the bottom of the pine cone and did not fall. Zhuang Shurong¡¯s heart sank. She could not help but turn her head to look at Mu Tangchuan with some regret.

    ¡°This is already not bad. This traditional hunting rifle is not that easy to control. If you are interested, I will bring you to fight in the fortress next time. That way, the feeling will be more profound.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go again?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong had an unyielding spirit in her bones. The gaze she looked at him contained some anticipation.

    Mu Tangchuan nced at her and nodded. ¡°Hold it steady, aim,e¡ª¡±

    Zhuang Shurong did as she was told.

    The two of them tried a few rounds on the spot before walking into the depths of the dense forest.

    Time passed quite quickly. After Zhuang Shurong tried a few rounds, she returned the gun to Mu Tangchuan. She did not forget the purpose ofing here today.

    At that time, there were still a lot of wild game on the mountain. Wild game such as pheasants and rabbits weremon. In a short while, Mu Tangchuan also harvested a pheasant and two rabbits.

    About two hours passed. When they returned to their original location with the spoils of war, Zhou Zhenjun and the rest were already there. They were also handling the pheasant in their hands while Gu Ting was setting up the grill.

    Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia had not returned yet.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying, I think that the family your person is from is not bad. Aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun casually lit a cigarette and took a puff. He passed the cigarette packet to Mu Tangchuan while looking at Zhuang Shurong, who was helping not far away, and said in a low voice.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case? What do you think you can say?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan waved his hand and did not take it.

    ¡°The Zhuang family¡¯s status in City Z is not low either. You and her, I feel that... I¡¯ve never heard you mention it before. Why did you suddenly...¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s words were full of meaning.

    Mu Tangchuan nced at him and suddenly felt a little annoyed. He rested his head on his hands andy on the grass behind him. ¡°It¡¯s what you think.¡±

    ¡°Really? A marriage alliance? Have you ever thought that if Mai Zies back...¡±

    ¡°Zhenjun, Mai Zi is already married. Do you think I¡¯m such a stubborn person?¡±

    When Mai Zi was mentioned, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression also changed. He narrowed his eyes at Zhou Zhenjun unhappily.

    Zhou Zhenjun was stunned. He exhaled a puff of smoke and sighed to himself. ¡°You¡¯re right. At that time, I always felt that you and Mai Zi were a good match. I didn¡¯t expect Mai Zi to be that kind of woman.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun nced at Zhuang Shurong in front of him and coughed lightly. He reached out and patted Mu Tangchuan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I think this one is much better than Mai Zi. You¡¯re so lucky, why don¡¯t I have such good luck? Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°If you want to have such luck, I¡¯ll ask my mother to find you a few more tomorrow?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan red at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t! I haven¡¯t had enough fun yet!¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun coughed dryly and raised his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. It¡¯s easy for you to say that. Not everyone can ept such a marriage alliance. Zhengxun and Jiajia still have feelings for each other, but I...¡±

    Mu Tangchuan stopped talking at this point.

    But Zhou Zhenjun naturally understood what he meant.

    ¡°I can imagine how difficult it must be for you, but I understand. Anyway...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t take any chances. My mother wants me to settle down with her as soon as possible. I haven¡¯t made up my mind yet.¡±

    Mu Tangchuanughed bitterly and looked up at Zhuang Shurong quietly. ¡°But she¡¯s a pretty outstanding girl. She¡¯s not quite the same as those women.¡±

    ¡°How can she be the same? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never heard of the Zhuang family. Why don¡¯t you help me ask if she has a younger sister?¡±

    ¡°Screw off. I¡¯m serious.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nced at Zhou Zhenjun coldly. Only then did Zhou Zhenjun shrug his shoulders.

    While they were talking, Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia had also returned. However, both of their faces did not look too good. They were probably still angry at each other.

    Xie Jiajia was still a little girl. She had been well-protected by her family since she was young. It was inevitable that she would have a little temper. However, she was actually very easy to get along with. She also acted as if she was very close to Zhuang Shurong, the enthusiasm made Zhuang Shurong feel a little overwhelmed.

    ¡°Sister Shurong, let¡¯s watch a movie together another day. Tell me about you and Tangchuan while you¡¯re at it. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Tangchuan bring a girl to hang out with us. Did something good happen between you two?¡±

    While Zhuang Shurong was busy, Xie Jiajia came over and whispered into Zhuang Shurong¡¯s ear with a smile.

    ¡°You can watch the movie, but I don¡¯t know what you want to hear. However, I can be your audience. You can tell me about you and Su Zhengxun.¡±

    ¡°Who wants to talk about that annoying person? He¡¯s overbearing and dictatorial. He doesn¡¯t have any gentlemanly bearing. He¡¯s the worst man I¡¯ve ever met!¡±

    Xie Jiajia¡¯s expression turned sour at the mention of Su Zhengxun.

    Zhuang Shurong narrowed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. ¡°I think he¡¯s pretty good.¡±

    ¡°I also think Tangchuan is pretty good, but, do you think the same?¡±

    Xie Jiajia pursed her lips and looked at Zhuang Shurong faintly.

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned.. She did not seem to know what to say next.

 Chapter 2132 - The Love of Chuan Rong (13)

    <h4>Chapter 2132: The Love of Chuan Rong (13)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, the group of people still had a good time.

    When they went home, it was already a littlete. When they returned to the city, the sky had also darkened. When thenterns were lit, the group of people had a sumptuous dinner at the food stall before Mu Tangchuan sent Zhuang Shurong home.

    It was alreadyte at night.

    Mu Tangchuan still sent Zhuang Shurong to the Zhuang residence¡¯s gate like the previous few times.

    This time, after Zhuang Shurong got out of the car, she did not immediately head home. Instead, she turned her head to look at Mu Tangchuan in the car. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly spoke, ¡°Do you want to go up and take a seat? My parents are working overtime tonight and won¡¯t be back so early. They should be only on the way back right now.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan thought for a while and then replied, ¡°Next time, you¡¯re quite tired today. Go back and take a shower, and then rest early, okay?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong paused, then nodded. ¡°Okay, next time then. You should go back too, and rest early.¡±

    ¡°Oh right... Tangchuan...¡±

    At this moment, Zhuang Shurong seemed to suddenly remember something and suddenly called out to Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan quickly looked at her.

    ¡°My parents said that they want you toe over when you¡¯re free. This weekend has already passed. Next weekend... Are you free?¡±

    When Zhuang Shurong asked this question, she suddenly felt that it was inappropriate. However, before she could think too much about it, Mu Tangchuan who was in the car smiled. ¡°What about you? Do you wee me?¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have asked today.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was rather calm.

    Mu Tangchuan was silent for a moment before he replied, ¡°The weekend after next then. I have to go to the provincial office next weekend. There are some matters that need to be dealt with.¡±

    ¡°Go to the provincial office?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was a little puzzled.

    ¡°Yes, there are some matters that need to be dealt with on Zhengxun¡¯s end. He will leave on Friday and will only return on Sunday.¡±

    ¡°Okay then. Next week?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I will inform them,¡± Zhuang Shurong said. Her emotions were a littleplicated because she knew very well that once things got to this stage, their matter would most likely be settled. Then, they would naturally be engaged.

    Perhaps both of them understood this meaning, so at this moment, the two of them fell silent again.

    After a long while, Mu Tangchuan said, ¡°Go back in, it¡¯s a little cold.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong nodded and waved at him before walking in.

    ...

    The news of Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia¡¯s marriage spread a few dayster. It was happening soon, in half a monthter.

    Because she knew them, Zhuang Shurong also received the invitation. Naturally, Zhuang Shurong also prepared a gift.

    In this half a month¡¯s time, since they knew that Mu Tangchuan would visit them in half a month, the Mu family and the Zhuang family had already decided on this matter.

    However, during this time, Mu Tangchuan seemed to have be busier. He left early and returnedte. He had to squeeze in time to visit Zhuang Shurong.

    Mu Tangchuan also often sent Zhuang Shurong some small things, such as flowers, watches, or some exquisite jewelry.

    He was a rtively calm andposed person. Even when it came to wooing women, he seemed to be doing it step by step.

    However, Zhuang Shurong just had to fall for his tricks. She felt that he did not look like those pompous rich kids at all. She really admired him now.

    Half a monthter, Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia got married. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong attended the wedding together.

    The wedding was naturally very lively, and everyone dispersed veryte.

    When Mu Tangchuan sent Zhuang Shurong home, it was alreadyte at night. The next morning, Mu Tangchuan would personally visit her. Zhuang Shurong, on the other hand, felt a little uneasy.

    She did not know why, but that night, she could not sleep. When she woke up in the morning to freshen up, she also noticed that her dark circles were a little obvious in the mirror. She had to put on some makeup to barely cover them up.

    The Zhuang family was well prepared. Mu Tangchuan hade with his assistant and two bodyguards. As soon as they entered, the Zhuang couple greeted them warmly. They were obviously very satisfied with Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Tangchuan, I¡¯m really happy that you¡¯re here. It¡¯s been a long time since the Zhuang family has been so lively. I have Shurong as my only daughter. I¡¯m really relieved to leave her in your hands. Your parents¡¯ intentions are our intentions. Now, it¡¯s up to the two of you. After all, you¡¯re the ones getting married.¡±

    After dinner, Father Zhuang called Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong to the study room.

    Father Zhuang was a very open-minded person. He had been friends with Mu Yinan for many years. His business dealings made him very clear about Mu Yinan¡¯s character. Of course, he was also very clear about the affairs of the Mu family.

    He did not want his daughter to miss out on such an opportunity.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Seeing her father speak so bluntly, Zhuang Shurong was a little nervous.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you!¡±

    Father Zhuang nced at her and his gaze quickly fell on Mu Tangchuan.

    Mu Tangchuan was silent for a long time. His lowered eyes were filled withplicated emotions. Father Zhuang¡¯s gaze was also a little heavy. At this moment, Mu Tangchuan turned his head and looked at Zhuang Shurong beside him.

    Zhuang Shurong only crossed her hands slightly. Her usually calm and elegant face was a little tense at this moment. She was probably worried...

    ¡°If Shurong is willing, I don¡¯t have any objections.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked at Zhuang Shurong and suddenly said so.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong looked at Mu Tangchuan gloomily. How could this person throw the question to her just like that!

    ¡°Ah Rong, what do you think?¡±

    After getting Mu Tangchuan¡¯s answer, Father Zhuang was naturally very satisfied. He turned to look at his daughter.

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned for a long time. She looked at Father Zhuang and then looked at Mu Tangchuan.

    Father Zhuang¡¯s gaze was naturally very serious. Zhuang Shurong felt her scalp go numb. if she dared to say that she had any opinions, then...

    After thinking about it, she could only nod. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll discuss it with Yinan and Wang Hui right away and finalize the marriage as soon as possible. Get engaged this year, get married next year, get married in the spring. That¡¯s that!¡±

    As soon as Zhuang Shurong finished speaking, Father Zhuang pped his thigh and said excitedly. He sounded so organized. He must have nned it out with Wang Hui and the rest long ago!

    As he said that, he did not bother about the two of them anymore. He stood up and walked over. He picked up the phone on the table and quickly made a call to Mu Yinan. Mu Yinan was naturally overjoyed...

    Looking at her father in front of her, Zhuang Shurong furrowed her brows. The way she looked at Mu Tangchuan was also a little awkward.

    Meanwhile, Mu Tangchuan only smiled and slowly reached out to gently cover her slightly cold little hand....

 Chapter 2133 - The Love of Chuan Rong (14)

    <h4>Chapter 2133: The Love of Chuan Rong (14)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong was a little unustomed to it and was stunned for a moment. However, she did not reject it in the end and sat quietly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t bully you anyway.¡±

    Seeing that Zhuang Shurong¡¯s expression was a little strange, it was probably because she was uneasy about the unknown future. Mu Tangchuan thought for a moment andforted her.

    Upon hearing this, Zhuang Shurong stiffened for a moment. After a moment, she tried her best to squeeze out a smile and did not say anything. She turned her head to look at him and then lowered her eyes.

    ....

    Hence, the matter of the engagement between the two of them was thus confirmed.

    Mu Yinan, Wang Hui, and the Zhuang couple were both action-oriented. Once this matter was finalized, they could not wait to do it immediately. Hence, the date they chose was the nearest one. They would be engaged at the end of the month in 10 days.

    Zhuang Shurong felt that those days seemed to be very chaotic for her. However, time passed very quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the engagement.

    Zhuang Shurong recalled that during those days, she would only go to and from work almost every day. Mu Tangchuan woulde over to visit almost every day. However, he was also very busy at that time. When he often came over, he would have the time to have a cup of tea in the office, then, he had to go back.

    When he returned home, he tried on the engagement dress one after another. He had also gotten it tailored several times.

    The engagement ceremony was at a hotel near the Mu family¡¯s old residence.

    Early in the morning, Zhuang Shurong was pulled out of bed by her mother and good friends. After washing up and having breakfast, she began to put on makeup and dress up.

    Zhuang Shurong was already a beauty. She was one of those rare, clean, and modern beauties. What more once she put on this gorgeous gown and makeup.

    Even Mu Tangchuan, who was used to seeing beautiful women, could not help but be stunned for a long time.

    The engagement ceremony was simple but luxurious. Most of the guests invited were familiar friends.

    When the banquet ended, it was already night time.

    Mu Tangchuan was a step ahead of Zhuang Shurong and sent her back to the Zhuang residence. He apanied Zhuang Shurong inside.

    There were only the two of them at home. Mu Tangchuan boiled water to brew two cups of flower tea and handed Zhuang Shurong a cup. ¡°Rest for a while. You¡¯re very beautiful today, Ah Rong!¡±

    This was the first time Mu Tangchuan had praised a girl¡¯s beauty. At this moment, he also felt that it was a little strange. However, at this moment, he did not know why he could speak so naturally.

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned when she heard his words. After a while, she suddenly felt a slight heat on her face

    She had been with Mu Tangchuan for a long time, but he had never said such things. He had always acted like a reserved gentleman. Now that she heard his words, she naturally could not react in time.

    ¡°Thank you, you did well today.¡±

    After a long time, Zhuang Shurong replied.

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and lowered his head to drink some water, ¡°Alright, today will be over soon. We will have many more opportunities to get to know each otherter. If you are still worried about the uing wedding, from now on, you will still have many opportunities to get to know me, so you don¡¯t have to be nervous.¡±

    ¡°Which eye of yours saw that I was nervous?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong nced at him unhappily. Deep down, she was actually a little unhappy that he had seen through her.

    ¡°My pair of eyes of can see,¡± Mu Tangchuan said in a serious manner.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong frowned and stopped what she was doing. She looked at him steadily. ¡°I¡¯m not nervous.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and looked at Zhuang Shurong, who had a serious expression on her face. After interacting with her for so long, he knew Zhuang Shurong¡¯s personality. She was a person who was used to exining things clearly. For example, if you were wrong, she wanted you to realize that you were wrong. Of course, if she thought about it carefully and realized that she was in the wrong, she would also admit her mistake humbly.

    Perhaps it was because of her career that she was used to making things clear.

    ¡°I¡¯m really not nervous. You don¡¯t have a good eye.¡±

    ¡°You win.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan was famous for his temper. Moreover, he had almost never been calctive with women. He was also the calmest among the brothers.

    Hearing this, Zhuang Shurong finally let him go, ¡°I¡¯m trying to exin to you, you have to listen, you have to give people a chance to exin. This is a major w in human nature. Many things can actually be rified through exnation, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble and tragedy.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was used to seeing through life, so no one had a deeper understanding of this aspect than her. At this time, she could not help but remind him.

    Mu Tangchuan was also used to Zhuang Shurong¡¯s asional lecture. He knew that she was prone to upational hazards.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson, Miss Zhuang.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled humbly.

    ¡°Did you really listen to me?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

    ¡°Of course. If I think it makes sense, I¡¯ll remember it here.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan pointed at his head.

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s slightly furrowed brows eased up a little.

    ¡°I know that you guys will have a job adjustment after the New Year. The list of outward transfers will be out very soon. Do you want to stay in City Z?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan suddenly thought of this matter.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m on the list either. In the past few years, the higher-ups have been very focused on the development of the cities below. Usually, they would select some people to assist the local officials in handling official affairs. Previously, a very good colleague of mine went to XX Countyst year and could only be back after three years.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was also a little uneasy about this matter. She naturally did not want to leave City Z because her parents and family were all here. She did not know if she could ept it if she left and went to an unfamiliar city.

    She had almost never really left City Z to live in another city. Other than the necessary studies, she rarely left this city. Even when she applied for university, she applied for this city.

    ¡°It¡¯s great to be able to stay in City Z, but if it¡¯s arranged by the higher-ups, you can¡¯t throw a fit.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong said this helplessly. She had hinted to her mother about this matter before, but her mother¡¯s answer was to let her do as she saw fit and obey the organization¡¯s arrangements.

    What did she mean by obeying the organization¡¯s arrangements?

    Would that not be asking her to surrender to fate?

    Mu Tangchuan caught a glimpse of her uncertain little face and knew what to do. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if your name is really there, it doesn¡¯t have to be you.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. If I can get used to it, I won¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve never gone away somewhere to live before...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong had to admit that she did not know how to take care of herself. She did not even have to worry about her family. She was now half an idiot of life. She did not know how to cook at all!

 Chapter 2134 - The Love of Chuan Rong (15)

    <h4>Chapter 2134: The Love of Chuan Rong (15)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At the thought of this, Zhuang Shurong felt a little awkward.

    She remembered that her mother had asked her to learn how to cook a few dishes, but she did not take it to heart and did not think that cooking was important. But now...

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, then don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t think too much.¡±

    Seeing that her expression was a little gloomy, Mu Tangchuanforted her.

    Zhuang Shurong then looked up at him. Seeing that his gaze was a little deep, she quickly retracted her gaze and lowered her eyes...

    ¡°Oh right, I didn¡¯t see your sister today, Zixi? Speaking of which, we¡¯re already engaged, but I haven¡¯t even met her yet.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong naturally knew that Mu Tangchuan had a sister called Mu Zixi. She seemed to be a rather famous celebrity, but it¡¯s been quite a while and she had not met Mu Zixi yet.

    ¡°She went overseas to perform.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan frowned when Mu Zixi was mentioned. His handsome face could not help but turn gloomy.

    Mu Zixi¡¯s rtionship with the family was a little strained. Even if he wanted to fix this hole, it did not seem to solve anything.

    Wang Hui was firmly against Mu Zixi taking this path, but Mu Zixi was determined to take this path.

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity. A few of my friends wanted her autograph.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re so well-informed? They knew that Zixi¡¯s my younger sister?¡±

    Mu Tangchuanughed bitterly. Actually, he did not know how to exin this problem to Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°After the news of our engagement spread, the limelight did not diminish. Do you think they¡¯re all out of touch? To be honest, I¡¯m also very surprised that Mu Zi is actually your younger sister.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled.

    ¡°Zixi was a little rebellious when she was young, but she¡¯s very good at heart. In fact, she¡¯s also a very easy person to get along with. It¡¯s just that she prefers to pursue the arts. She¡¯s liked singing and performing since she was young.¡±

    ¡°I always feel that such a profession is actually a talent.¡±

    ¡°When shees back, I¡¯ll introduce her to you properly.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled calmly. Suddenly, he heard some noises from outside and the sound of cars driving in. After thinking for a moment, he put down the cup in his hand and stood up.

    ¡°They should be back. It¡¯s gettingte, I have to go back. You¡¯re quite tired today. Go back to your room to take a shower and then rest early, hmm?¡±

    He did not forget to care for Zhuang Shurong.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Okay, be careful on the road. I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

    She stood up as she spoke.

    ¡°Sit down. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know the way. I¡¯m going back.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nced at her before striding towards the door.

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned for a moment. By the time she reacted, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s figure had already disappeared at the door.

    ¡°Tangchuan, wait a moment! Bring your coat!¡±

    At this moment, Zhuang Shurong realized that the ck suit coat was still draped over her shoulders.

    The weather was already quite cold, and Mu Tangchuan did not hear her. After some thought, she could only take the coat and chase after him

    She only managed to catch up with Mu Tangchuan¡¯s footsteps after she chased all the way to the door.

    ¡°Your coat!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong chased after him in a hurry. She was also panting as she followed him to the side of the car.

    Mu Tangchuan did not have the time to open the car door. He turned around when he heard her shout. He saw her standing in front of him with his jacket in her hand. She was looking up at him with her beautiful eyes...

    He did not know why, but he suddenly felt that she was extremely beautiful in this moment!

    He did not seem to have time to think too much, and he already could not help but reach out to wrap his arms around her waist. His tall and straight body bent, and a warm and gentle kissnded on Zhuang Shurong¡¯s forehead.

    A warm touch was felt. Zhuang Shurong was in a daze for a moment, and her hands stiffened. She felt that he was holding her in his arms, but she was stunned for a long time before reaching out to wrap her arms around him as well.

    ¡°Help me wash it. I¡¯ll get it from you the day after tomorrow at work, hmm¡±

    Mu Tangchuan lowered his voice and whispered into her ear. There was an irresistible charm in his voice.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was unable to react in time. She looked at him in a daze and then looked at the coat in her hand.

    ¡°Help me wash it.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan repeated this calmly,pletely unconcerned about the big question mark on Zhuang Shurong¡¯s face.

    ¡°Why... why...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong could not help but ask in a low voice.

    ¡°Just help me wash it. I¡¯m going back.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan did not exin further. Instead, he gave her a meaningful nce, slowly let go of her, opened the car door, and quietly got into the car.

    ¡°Hey, you...¡±

    ¡°Just give me a very good reason to look for you.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled deeply, started the car, and slowly drove away..

    ¡°When have you ever had an excuse to look for me? Every time youe here, you just drink tea and read the newspaper. You¡¯re so neurotic, your logic is unbelievable! Hey! Did you hear what I said...¡±

    Of course, Mu Tangchuan could not hear because the car had already driven away. In the car mirror at the side, he saw Zhuang Shurong waving the coat in her hand in exasperation, but the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously. Her mood was naturally very good.

    It seemed that after the engagement, he did not feel any negative emotions. On the contrary, he seemed to be looking forward to living with this woman.

    If that was the case, he must be filled with anticipation, right?

    ...

    When he returned to the Mu residence, it was already close to midnight.

    Wang Hui and Mu Yinan had not rested yet. When Mu Tangchuan walked into the living room, he found the couple sitting on the sofa in the living room chatting with each other. He could hear theirughter from time to time, and he could tell that they were in a good mood.

    When he got closer, he could faintly smell the faint aroma of wine. When he took a closer look, he realized that the couple were each holding a ss of wine in their hands. In the ss was the red wine.

    ¡°Father, Mother! I¡¯m back. It¡¯s sote, yet you¡¯re still drinking together. You guys seem to be in a good mood.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan reached out to remove his tie from his cor and sat down on the sofa as he spoke.

    ¡°Tangchuan is back! Come, let¡¯s drink together?¡±

    Mu Yinan was about to pour a ss of wine for Mu Tangchuan, but Mu Tangchuan raised his hand slightly to stop him. ¡°I won¡¯t drink anymore. I¡¯ve drunk enough today and haven¡¯t recovered yet. Both of you have drunk a lot, so let¡¯s drink a little less.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Your mother and I can hold our liquor well, we won¡¯t get drunk from this little bit of alcohol. We¡¯re really happy today. Your matter is finally settled. You should know that your mother and I are the ones who are most worried about you and Zixi.¡±

    Mu Yinan stopped what he was doing and said.

    ¡°Father, take care of yourself and drink less.¡±

    ¡°Let him be if he¡¯s happy. Today is a good day. From now on, you have to treat Ah Rong well. She¡¯s the daughter-inw that I¡¯m most satisfied with. I won¡¯t allow you to bully her!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2135 - The Love of Chuan Rong (16)

    Chapter 2135: The Love of Chuan Rong (16)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the engagement, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s rtionship took a leap forward.

    The two of them got along with each other more harmoniously.

    In the blink of an eye, it was near the end of the year again. During this period of time, everyone was very busy. Xie Jiajia¡¯s belly had also started to grow in the past few months. Su Zhengxun had even thought of the child¡¯s name. If it was a girl, he would be called Su Yu, and if it was a boy, he would be called Su Chen.

    At that time, there were still some traditional ideas in the family. Therefore, the Su family naturally hoped that this child would be a boy. However, it was not to the extent of not being open-minded, so they would not reject a girl.

    During this period of time, Xie Jiajia was free and became more and more familiar with Zhuang Shurong.. Whenever she had nothing to do, she would run over to Zhuang Shurong. She even chatted happily with Zhuang Shurong. A lot of the things she talked about were about her, Su Zhengxun, and Mu Tangchuan, she also talked about her dream of bing a policewoman when she was young. She even made a lot of jokes because of this matter.

    Zhuang Shurong liked Xie Jiajia¡¯s straightforward and unscheming look. When they chatted, she would not feel depressed or awkward.

    At noon, Zhuang Shurong had just sent Xie Jiajia off when Mu Tangchuan walked in with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

    ¡°So soon? I wanted to ask Jiajia to wait for dinner, but she rushed back when she heard that you were here.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong nced at him and took the flowers from him.

    Mu Tangchuan nced at her and casually took the cup in front of her table. He drank the water in the cup in a few gulps. ¡°She¡¯s also a very sensible person.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said she¡¯s very smart. Pack up and go out for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong ced the bouquet in a vase at the side and sprinkled some water on it before she was satisfied. ¡°The flowers today are pretty good.¡±

    ¡°I asked the boss to specially leave the best ones. Doesn¡¯t it look good this way?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan gave a rare exnation.

    ¡°Are you addicted to sending flowers? You send them in a different way every day.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you like it when I send you flowers?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan asked as if it was a matter of course.

    Zhuang Shurong smiled happily. She picked up her handbag and the two of them left the office.

    The two of them agreed to have their meal near Zhuang Shurong¡¯s office. They did not need to drive. It would only take them about ten minutes to walk.

    ¡°By the way, did you get the list of assignments?¡±

    It was almost the new year, and Mu Tangchuan thought of this matter.

    ¡°Yes, I got them. I¡¯m not listed. This time, it¡¯s all thanks to you. Otherwise, my name might have been on it.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s gaze was filled with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Tangchuan.¡±

    ¡°Consider our rtionship, do you think there¡¯s a need for us to be so courteous? We¡¯ve been engaged for quite a long time. It¡¯s almost the end of the year, and after that, it¡¯s a new year. They¡¯re all nning to arrange our wedding for after the New Year.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan poured some lemonade for Zhuang Shurong as he said this.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯d better arrange the dateter. I have an exam after the new year, and I need to prepare for the war for a few months. If we have to get married next year, then let¡¯s make it eleven, okay?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong thought about it seriously and replied.

    ¡°You have the final say on this matter. I don¡¯t have any objections. I¡¯ll listen to you,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded. ¡°Then tell them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your opinion. Why don¡¯t you tell them yourself?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan raised his handsome eyebrows and looked at her meaningfully.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. Otherwise, why would I need you here?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong spoke with confidence. Mu Tangchuan lowered his eyes and smiled. He felt a little helpless. ¡°I always feel that you, Miss Zhuang, are a little suspicious of climbing up thedder just because you give me something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right to think that way. I¡¯m such a person.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong said without hiding anything, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m someone who has something to give.¡±

    The corner of Mu Tangchuan¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. Suddenly, he reached out to pull a napkin from the side and handed it to Zhuang Shurong¡¯s mouth. Zhuang Shurong was stunned for a moment before she could react, he had already stuffed the napkin with some sauce into her hand.

    Zhuang Shurong looked at it and was actually a little embarrassed. ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°This weekend is my Master¡¯s 70th birthday. He ns to hold a party at his home. I want you to go with me, okay?¡±

    Before Zhuang Shurong could finish her sentence, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s voice was heard. Zhuang Shurong paused again and looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Your Master?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he can be considered a noble person for me and Zhengxun. Back then, the reason why we got involved in politics wasrgely because of his influence. Every time there was a hurdle that we could not ovee, we would look for him to talk about it. He is a wise man. Knowing him, you won¡¯t be at a disadvantage. Moreover, I think it¡¯s time for me to bring you to meet him.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan seemed to have made a decision. His tone was filled with determination. Zhuang Shurong did not have the heart to reject him. She thought about it and nodded. ¡°Then... Then I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    After getting a satisfactory answer, Mu Tangchuan smiled in satisfaction. Suddenly, he reached over and poured her a ss of water.

    ...

    Actually, Zhuang Shurong also had some doubts in her heart. What kind of person could make such a noble and honorable mu Tangchuan treat him as his teacher? Moreover, he was so respectful and even prepared a gift out of the ordinary.

    Zhuang Shurong soon met the teacher that Mu Tangchuan mentioned¡ª

    It was a very kind-looking old man. He was Mu Tangchuan¡¯s form teacher for three years in high school. Although the old man was skinny, he was in good spirits. He looked at Zhuang Shurong with a very kind gaze.

    ¡°You... You must be Mai Zi?¡±

    The old man patted Zhuang Shurong¡¯s hand affectionately and smiled.

    ¡°Mai Zi?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned. She did not know who maze was. However, she realized that the old man had mistaken her for someone else. She was not Mai Zi. She was Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Mai Zi? I heard Zhengxun mention that you and Tangchuan have been together for many years. Do you n to get married? Tangchuan has hidden himself well. This is the first time he brought his girlfriend to see me...¡±

    The old man continued to talk to himself. However, Zhuang Shurong frowned slightly.

    It seemed that the Mai Zi that the old man was talking about was Mu Tangchuan¡¯s ex-girlfriend?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Teacher Feng. I¡¯m not Mai Zi. I¡¯m Zhuang Shurong. Is Mai Zi Tangchuan¡¯s ex-girlfriend?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong finally lowered her voice and asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Mai Zi?¡±

    The old man was clearly surprised as well. Previously, when Mu Tangchuan was engaged, he was still out of town and did not rush back. Naturally, he did not know of Zhuang Shurong¡¯s existence.

 Chapter 2136 - The Love of Chuan Rong (17)

    Chapter 2136: The Love of Chuan Rong (17)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because of this small episode, Zhuang Shurong had some guesses about the conversation just now.

    Just now, Teacher Feng said that they had been together for a few years. Presumably, Mu Tangchuan and that girl had a very good past. Those long years were naturally very beautiful memories.

    However, she had never heard that Mu Tangchuan had a partner back then, right?

    Could she have remembered wrongly?

    Tan Li was very infatuated with Mu Tangchuan previously. Tan Li had inquired about Mu Tangchuan¡¯s situation very clearly. She had never heard about Mu Tangchuan¡¯s ex-girlfriend from Tan Li. Could it be that they were not in the same school, or was it something that happened after graduation?

    Zhuang Shurong did not have time to think too much. Mu Tangchuan had already walked over and brought her over to introduce her to his friends.

    .

    Of course, when he introduced her, he would also introduce her like this¡ª

    ¡°This is my fianc¨¦e, Zhuang Shurong. Ah Rong, this is...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong maintained a graceful and decent smile throughout the entire night. She also often attended such asions with her father, so she had already dealt with it naturally.

    However, after a night, Mu Tangchuan also knew that she was very good. Basically, she just stayed by his side and listened to him chatting with his friends.

    However, considering that Zhuang Shurong had been busy with the documents for the past few days, Mu Tangchuan left very early and told Teacher Feng that he would be leaving early at around eight o¡¯clock.

    Teacher Feng also understood very well. The old man even personally sent Mu Tangchuan to the door.

    ¡°Tangchuan, wait!¡±

    Just as Mu Tangchuan was about to get into the car, the old man suddenly called out to Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Teacher?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked at Teacher Feng who had caught up to him with some confusion.

    The old man was still slightly panting. As he looked at Mu Tangchuan, he reached into the pocket of his Chinese tunic suit and took out two small, slender red gift boxes. He slowly handed them to Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Teacher...¡±

    Mu Tangchuan said in a low voice.

    ¡°Take it. This is a small gift from teacher. ¡°It¡¯s not a valuable gift. I prepared it long ago and wanted to give it to you and Zhengxun. Zhengxun couldn¡¯te today. I know you two buddies are close, so help Teacher give it to him.¡±

    The old man sounded sincere.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°I encouraged you to enter politics because I think highly of the two of you. However, being an official is also a skill. The reason why Teacher gave you this pen is to tell you that you should never forget your original intention. Everyone has a saying in their hearts, always talking about wanting to be heroes, but this scale must be bnced. Only by doing so can itst for a long time. Do you remember?¡±

    When the old man spoke, his eyes were a little serious. When Mu Tangchuan heard this, he could not help but straighten up. He reached out to receive the gift from the old man and opened it¡ª

    He saw a ck pen lying inside. There were a few small words engraved on the ck pen.

    Never forget your original intentions.

    ¡°I know. I will definitely remember it. Don¡¯t worry, Teacher.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan finally replied in a deep voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you remember it. When you go back, tell Zhengxun what I said. The temptation is too great. Teacher is also worried about you. Fortunately, you are all different from them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Teacher.¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. You guys are still busy, so you should go back. Oh right, Ah Rong, I¡¯m very sorry about tonight, but please believe in Tangchuan. He is a rare and good son-inw. If you marry him, you will definitely be happy. Teacher wishes you all the best!¡±

    The old man thought of what happened just now and could not help but look at Zhuang Shurong apologetically.

    ¡°Teacher, you¡¯re worrying too much. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m already Tangchuan¡¯s fianc¨¦e. In the future, I¡¯ll oftene with him to listen to Teacher¡¯s teachings.¡±

    ¡°Good child, don¡¯t be too modest. It¡¯s already very rare for a girl like you to have your sess!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Teacher. We¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    After the three of them said their goodbyes, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong also got into the car.

    Mu Tangchuan naturally drove the car skillfully towards the road ahead.

    After driving for a long distance, the car was still very quiet. Only the sound of the wind outside and the sound of the car speeding past could be heard. Zhuang Shurong did not speak either. She leaned back in her chair to rest and her eyes were closed.

    ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡±

    Seeing that she was so silent and her beautiful brows were slightly furrowed, Mu Tangchuan asked with concern, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to drink? The alcohol tonight is quite strong.¡±

    Thinking that Zhuang Shurong was feeling unwell from drinking too much, Mu Tangchuan slowed down the car and looked at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just focus on driving.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong quickly opened her eyes and returned his gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t drink.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what are you thinking about?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan asked again.

    ¡°If I had a question for you, would you answer it?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong narrowed her eyes at him and asked.

    ¡°What question?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nced at her in confusion.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Mai Zi?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was not so shy and asked directly.

    Upon hearing these two words, Mu Tangchuan furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. ¡°How did you know about Mai Zi?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong kept staring at Mu Tangchuan. When she saw that Mu Tangchuan¡¯s expression did not change much, she continued, ¡°Just now, Teacher Feng mistook me for Mai Zi. He said that you and Mai Zi have been together for many years but did not bring her to meet him. I think that girl called Mai Zi is your first girlfriend or ex-girlfriend, right?¡±

    After Zhuang Shurong finished her sentence, Mu Tangchuan did not reply for quite a while.

    ¡°Is it a difficult question to answer? You don¡¯t have to trouble yourself, I¡¯m just asking casually. I¡¯m not that stupid to make trouble with those things that happened in the past. After all, I¡¯m your fianc¨¦e now.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was telling the truth. She was indeed not the kind of person who liked to be jealous. It was just that there were some questions that she felt the need to rify.

    ¡°It¡¯s not hard to answer. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know where to start. Mai Zi and I have known each other for many years. She¡¯s my ex-girlfriend. We¡¯ve been together for many years, but after graduation...¡±

    Mu Tangchuan really did not know how to begin.

    ¡°She went abroadter and is now married. She feels that I can¡¯t give her the life she wants. We broke up peacefully and there¡¯s no so-called rekindling, you can be rest assured on this point.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone did not have any sense of disappointment. It was just a little emotional.

    ¡°Then you... are you still in contact with her now?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong asked tentatively.

    ¡°After she went abroad, we stopped contacting each other. I only heard about her from my friends by chance. I¡¯m not the kind of person who would use the past to punish myself. It¡¯s probably because our feelings aren¡¯t deep enough, so...¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re the same in the future...¡±

    ¡°There are no ifs for us. I¡¯ll marry you, and you¡¯ll marry me. This is certain.¡±

    Before Zhuang Shurong could finish her sentence, Mu Tangchuan cut her off domineeringly!

 Chapter 2137 - The Love of Chuan Rong (18)

    Chapter 2137: The Love of Chuan Rong (18)

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Shurong was stunned for a moment. When she saw the seriousness and determination in his eyes, she immediately smiled¡ª

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided whether I want to marry you or not.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to marry me, then I¡¯ll force you to marry me. I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t kidnap you to the church, what else can you do once it¡¯s a done deal?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nced at her in annoyance. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to be my wife, wife of a bandit.¡±

    ¡°Who wants to be your wife? You¡¯re like a gangster. I want to get the police to arrest you.¡±

    ¡°You have to be able to escape,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied and sped up.

    ¡°I have a gift for you..¡±

    Mu Tangchuan suddenly remembered the gift he brought back from his business trip a few days ago.

    ¡°Hmm? What did you buy for me?¡±

    It was always some jewelry, and she rarely wore jewelry. Later, when Mu Tangchuan found out that she had a habit of collecting ancient books, he began to give her many books or some precious manuscripts from the seniors.

    ¡°Open it and take a look.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan casually took out a brocade box from his pocket and handed it to her.

    Zhuang Shurong was puzzled and quickly opened the gift box. She saw that there was a very simple and simpledy¡¯s watch inside. It was very generous and elegant, and it looked expensive.

    ¡°It¡¯s very beautiful. Why are you...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s beautiful eyes lit up. She turned her head to look at him. ¡°Do you like gifting these to girls?¡±

    ¡°That depends on who it is. I don¡¯t lose out by giving it to you, I lose out by giving it to others. So, other than you, I haven¡¯t given it to anyone else. I¡¯m actually a very stingy person,¡± Mu Tangchuan said indifferently.

    Hearing this, Zhuang Shurongughed lightly. ¡°Would someone say that about themselves?¡±

    ¡°The truth.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ept the gift. It¡¯s very nice and I like it very much. You don¡¯t have to give me such an expensive gift next time. I¡¯m not returning the favor.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you already the best gift?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan nced at her, and the smile on his face became more obvious.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong did not speak modestly at this moment.

    ¡°The exams are after the New Year. I n to go to the library to recharge my batteries in the next two months, so I can only use the time at night. Do you want to go with me? There are fewer people there at night, so you probably can¡¯t bear to see mee and go alone, right?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s tone was no longer one of discussion. ¡°Moreover, you can also go there to handle official business. I know that you often work overtime at night. How about this, I¡¯ll even take care of your supper and be your chauffeur. How about it?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said so, if I don¡¯t agree I¡¯d appear ungentlemanly,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied cheerfully.

    ¡°So, you agree?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be the chauffeur and in charge of supper. I¡¯ll go straight to your office to pick you up after work every day.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan thought for a moment and agreed.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a deal then.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was naturally very happy.

    ...

    Such an agreement was also a good thing. The two of them were already engaged and were fianc¨¨es. It was normal for them to get along at that time. This also gave them more opportunities to get to know each other.

    After the agreement, Mu Tangchuan went to pick Zhuang Shurong up two dayster as promised.

    After the two of them had a simple snack, they went straight to the library.

    The library in City Z was in the city center in the earlier days, not very far from the government offices, it was only a 20-minute drive.

    The library would close after 10:30 p.m. However, since it was night, there were not many peopleing to the library. It was very quiet, so Zhuang Shurong also picked such a ce to revise.

    To arge extent, revising required a learning atmosphere. Otherwise, if one could not calm down, the efficiency would be very low.

    Zhuang Shurong opened the book, quickly found the problem set, and began to revise.

    Beside her, Mu Tangchuan also took out a document and continued to work on it.

    In fact, speaking of which, Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were definitely a couple who liked to work hard together. In this library, they often appeared. Mu Tangchuan rose in rank, while Zhuang Shurong had a meteoric rise in career, it was all rted to the hard work between the two of them.

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s official position at this moment was not very high. When the husband and wife reached the end, recalling this period of time, they felt that it was worth reminiscing about.

    Zhuang Shurong also did not expect that in the long period of time toe, the man beside her would actually be able to apany her in this life so calmly and indifferently. Although it was not as intense as the fireworks, but in such ordinary days, she had tasted the joys and sorrows, her life was not in vain.

    Afterpleting a set of exercises, she realized that there was a cup of hot tea beside her. Zhuang Shurong turned her head to take a look and saw that Mu Tangchuan had already retracted his hand and continued to look at his documents. However, at this moment, there was an additional cup of hot tea beside her hand.

    Zhuang Shurong was in a daze for a moment. As she smelled the faint fragrance of tea in the air, her heart inexplicably softened. After thinking for a moment, she brought it over and took a few sips. When she looked at him, he was focused on reading the documents.

    He was good at writing. He had a very rigid and flowing script. It was vigorous and powerful. There was an aura in the tip of the brush, but it was also reserved and gentle. It was simr to his personality.

    At this moment, Zhuang Shurong felt a little admiration and enjoyment as she looked at him.

    No wonder there were so many people who were infatuated with him in school. Indeed, this man was very charming.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    Sensing Zhuang Shurong¡¯s gaze, Mu Tangchuan also raised his head from the document and looked over.

    Zhuang Shurong was supporting her chin at this moment, staring at him with her starry eyes. ¡°I think that you¡¯re actually quite pleasing to the eye. It¡¯s no wonder that so many girls in school were infatuated with you back then.¡±

    ¡°So? Do you feel that you¡¯ve gotten lucky now?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan raised his eyebrows and asked without any modesty.

    Zhuang Shurong smiled calmly. ¡°To be honest, I feel a little proud. In the future, if we really get married and word gets out, I don¡¯t know how many people will be envious of us. I hope that such a marriage can be consummated.¡±

    ¡°Of course it can be consummated. Don¡¯t you see that things are developing in a positive direction now?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan actually admitted that he had changed a little recently. In the past, he did not have much patience when it came to dealing with women. However, the strange thing was that he could treat Zhuang Shurong so calmly now.

    So, this was how he looked at people.

    ¡°The New Year holiday ising up in a few days. I might have to make a trip back to my hometown. My hometown is in the countryside. Every New Year, I have the habit of paying respects to my ancestors. My grandfather used to be in the army. My grandmother is a university teacher. I¡¯ve told you this before. When we got engaged, you met them too.¡±

 Chapter 2138 - The Love of Chuan Rong (19)

    <h4>Chapter 2138: The Love of Chuan Rong (19)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Yes, two very amiable elderly.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan recalled for a moment and could roughly recall the appearance of the two elderly.

    Zhuang Shurong nodded, ¡°Yes, my hometown was in the countryside before. When Grandfather was young, he was also considered to have grown up in the countryside. Later on, he joined the army. Grandfather is a person who never forgets his roots. Every year during the spring festival, if he could find the time, he would definitely return to the countryside to pay respects to his ancestors. After he and Grandmother retired, he went straight back to the countryside. He said that the air in the countryside was good and the atmosphere was harmonious, so...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for Grandfather to have such a mentality..¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my parents are too busy this year, so they won¡¯t go back. I¡¯m also worried about Grandfather and Grandmother, so I have to go back for a few days.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong sighed softly. ¡°I really hope that time can go slower. Don¡¯t let Grandfather¡¯s hair turn white too quickly. Every time I see him, I always feel that he¡¯s much older than thest time.¡±

    ¡°Who can withstand the baptism and scrutiny of time? Just apany them well.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan sighed. His grandparents had been very good to him before. It was just that his grandparents had left a little earlier, so he did not even have the chance to show filial piety.

    ¡°Mmm, so, in the next few days, I need to prepare well and bring some new year gifts to Grandfather and Grandmother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you for a walk when you¡¯re on vacation. Do you want to drive back alone?¡±

    ¡°My father arranged for a chauffeur and bodyguard for me. He said that the road isn¡¯t too peaceful now, so it¡¯s better to be careful,¡± Zhuang Shurong replied.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better to be careful.¡±

    ...

    When they left the library, it was already 10.30 p.m.

    The night sky was beautiful today, and the night wind was not very strong. Although there was no bright moon, the sky was full of twinkling stars. With arge string of street lights, it looked very beautiful.

    Zhuang Shurong held a document bag in her arms, and Mu Tangchuan walked beside her. One of his hands was around her thin shoulders, and the other was holding his briefcase. Zhuang Shurong was wearing his jacket on her shoulders.

    The two of them walked slowly and quietly on the sidewalk. When they passed by the intersection, they heard someone selling candied haws. Zhuang Shurong said on a whim that she wanted to eat it, so Mu Tangchuan immediately bought her a bunch of strawberry candied haws.

    Zhuang Shurong ate with relish as she passed it to Mu Tangchuan¡¯s mouth. ¡°You can have one too. The taste is not bad.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan stopped walking and turned his gaze to look at her. She was looking up at him with her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation. That faint smile filled with joy actually made him feel a little better for some reason.

    Without thinking, he immediately bent down and a warm breath filled the air. Zhuang Shurong did not have time to react before she was captured by him.

    The lingering softness was stranded in her mouth for a moment. When she came back to her senses, he had already retreated. His eyes were filled with a deep look as he looked at her and said happily, ¡°The taste is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong was instantly teased by him until her entire face was hot. She thought that her face must be very red now!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan saw the shyness on her face and teased her in a good mood.

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to ambush me like this in the future. How many times have you done it this time?¡±

    ¡°If I ask you if it¡¯s okay, you might refuse. It¡¯s better not to ask. You¡¯re underestimating my male pride.¡±

    ¡°Screw your male pride! What are you talking about?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong red at him, lowered her head, took a bite of the strawberry, and walked forward.

    Mu Tangchuan was in a good mood as he looked at her back. He chuckled softly, coughed a few times, and followed her.

    ...

    Time passed very quickly, especially on such a busy day. Time passed by, day by day.

    The end of the year was holiday time. Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan had also prepared gifts.

    Zhuang Shurong rushed back to her hometown the day before New Year¡¯s Eve. Her hometown was a few hundred miles away from City Z, and it would take eight to nine hours to drive. The road was not very good at that time, and it was very tiring to travel by car, she was worried that her body would not be able to take it, so Zhuang Shurong chose to set off early in the morning.

    The night before she set off, Mu Tangchuan came over and gave Zhuang Shurong a lot of things.

    Because they were going to visit the new year and pay respects to the ancestors, Mu Tangchuan could not make it in time to go back with Zhuang Shurong, so he had toe early to send her off.

    Zhuang Shurong nned to return on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, so the two of them would not be seeing each other for more than a week.

    In the beginning, Zhuang Shurong did not think much of it. In any case, the rtionship between them might not be deep. Although they got along very well and were very harmonious, but now...

    At that time, it was not very convenient to talk on the phone in the countryside. Zhuang Shurong remembered that there was one phone in the entire vige, which was at the cooperative. Moreover, their home was a distance away. It would be difficult for them to contact each other.

    When the car was on the road, Zhuang Shurong felt ufortable from the jolt and vomited a few times. At that time, she felt a little ufortable. Mu Tangchuan had prepared car sickness medicine for her and forgot to bring it with him. Now that she felt ufortable, she suddenly wanted to talk to him, but...

    Of course, Mu Tangchuan was not used to Zhuang Shurong¡¯s sudden departure.

    Usually, the two of them would stay up veryte. He was somewhat used to her staying by his side.

    Now that she was suddenly absent from his side, he felt that something was missing in his heart.

    Su Zhengxun was busy apanying the pregnant Xie Jiajia. She was expected to give birth in early summer. At this moment, he was practically inseparable from Xie Jiajia. It was not because Su Zhengxun, the father-to-be, had such a high awareness, but Xie Jiajia was coquettishly clinging to Su Zhengxun, he could not leave at all. He had long been ustomed to Xie Jiajia¡¯s character.

    They heard that Zhou Zhenjun had been busy getting along with the girls that his family had introduced to him. He did not know if there was good news.

    Anyway, the buddies had not contacted each other for a long time. Needless to say, Gu Ting, that guy, was a typical case of neglecting his friends when he gets a girl. He was currently having a hot rtionship with a model and did not have the time to pay attention to the buddies.

    Mu Tangchuan was also a little bored tonight. He made a series of calls, and everyone was busy with their own things.

    Thinking about it, it made sense. Tomorrow was New Year¡¯s Eve. Everyone was busy, but he was very free.

    He had rejected all the invitations to the banquet, and he did not have to worry about the New Year at home. Wang Hui and Mu Yinan would arrange everything very well, so he was happy to be free.

    After some thought, Mu Tangchuan gave up on the idea of asking them out. After taking a bath, he picked up a ss of red wine and watched TV while drinking.

    However, just as he sat down on the sofa, the phone beside him suddenly rang.

    He was stunned for a moment. He thought that Zhou Zhenjun and the others had changed their minds at thest minute, so he reached out to pick up the phone

    ¡°Hello? Zhenjun?¡±

    A low voice was heard.

    However, there was silence on the other end. There was no sound for a long time...

 Chapter 2139 - The Love of Chuan Rong (20)

    <h4>Chapter 2139: The Love of Chuan Rong (20)</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After quite a while, he faintly heard a rustling sound. The signal on the other end seemed to be unstable.

    A momentter, Mu Tangchuan heard the sound of wind and rain from the phone. Soon after, an anxious voice was heard¡ª

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s bad. There¡¯s wind and rain here. Miss Zhuang¡¯s car identally hit the guardrail. She¡¯s injured and has been sent to the hospital. The exact situation is still unclear.¡±

    It was the bodyguard that Mu Tangchuan had brought gifts along with. Mu Tangchuan was worried that the road would not be safe, so he specially arranged for such a bodyguard. He was very skilled and apanied Zhuang Shurong¡¯s other two bodyguards.

    .

    ¡°What did you say!¡±

    When Mu Tangchuan heard this, he immediately stood up.

    ¡°How is she now? Is she severely injured?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone naturally carried some anxiety.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Miss Zhuang was already feeling a little ufortable sitting there. She also vomited a few times on the road and was not in a good state. When we rescued her, she was already unconscious. The road was too slippery and it was not easy to walk. We walked for more than 10 miles before we found a hospital.¡±

    ¡°Immediately get your current location and take good care of her. Make sure that the hospital uses the best doctor and the best medicine. I¡¯ll rush over immediately.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan frowned.

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    The person on the other end of the line replied, followed by a rustling sound. After that, Mu Tangchuan finally got the address. He did not care about anything else and set off overnight, he only brought two bodyguards in ck with him.

    After leaving City Z, they walked a long way towards the vige. About a few hourster, they encountered a violent storm.

    ¡°Master, the storm is very heavy. It¡¯s almost dawn. Do you want to find a ce to rest?¡±

    The driver in front carefully looked at Mu Tangchuan¡¯s handsome face in the car mirror. Seeing that he was resting with his eyes closed, he said softly.

    Hearing the driver¡¯s voice, Mu Tangchuan slowly opened his eyes. He turned his gaze to look out of the car window. The storm outside was still frantically patting the car window.

    ¡°How much longer will it take?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan did not answer but instead asked this question.

    ¡°About three hours more, until dawn,¡± the driver replied.

    ¡°Pull over at the side in front. I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan spoke, considering that the driver might also be a little tired.

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    The driver did not dare to speak further and hurriedly slowed down the car.

    The moment the car stopped, the bodyguards immediately got out of the car and opened an umbre for Mu Tangchuan.

    It was extremely cold outside due to the wind and rain. Mu Tangchuan quickly got into the car and immediately continued to rush forward.

    There were quite a lot of cars along the way. Perhaps it was because it was the new year, but it was New Year¡¯s Eve today. Everyone was busy rushing home.

    Mu Tangchuan was also a little anxious on the way. At this moment, he was indeed a little worried about Zhuang Shurong. Perhaps it was because after their rtionship was confirmed, he had developed a sense of responsibility towards her.

    Perhaps it was because of this reason that he was even more worried about her.

    Mu Tangchuan was also a person who had a strong sense of family values. Naturally, he had to protect his own people. Therefore, when he heard that Zhuang Shurong was in trouble, he was very worried. At this moment, he was anxious and rushed to the hospital.

    The so-called hospital in town was actually a rtivelyrge hospital.

    When Mu Tangchuan and his group arrived, it was already past eight in the morning. The few of them had rushed here without any hindrance. The road was not very good, and the originally brand new and clean car was already dirty.

    However, Mu Tangchuan did not care about anything else. After getting off the car, he immediately rushed to the nurses¡¯ station and inquired about Zhuang Shurong¡¯s ward.

    At this moment, in Zhuang Shurong¡¯s ward, Zhuang Shurong had already woken up and washed up.

    Her injuries were not very severe, but she was a little weak. She had knocked her head and fainted. After the doctor treated her, she felt much better after the infusion.

    ¡°Miss, why don¡¯t you rest for a while? We can still make it in the afternoon. It¡¯s less than an hour¡¯s drive from here to the vige.¡±

    The bodyguard asked for instructions.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine now. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t tell Grandfather in advance when we would go back. Otherwise, they would definitely be worried. This matter is no longer a big deal. You don¡¯t have to tell anyone.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong waved her hand, propped herself up, and got off the bed. She wanted to put on her shoes and leave.

    ¡°But Miss Zhuang, we...¡±

    ¡®Bang¡ª¡¯

    Before the bodyguard could finish his sentence, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the door, followed by the sound of the door being pushed open.

    The people in the ward could not react in time. They subconsciously looked towards the door and saw Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tall and straight figure suddenly appear in front of them!

    ¡°Tangchuan? Why Is it you? Why are you here?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s sudden appearance naturally shocked Zhuang Shurong.

    Mu Tangchuan walked up to her with big strides. He furrowed his handsome eyebrows and held her shoulders with both hands. His silent eyes sized her up from top to bottom several times before he slowly let go of her. Seeing that she was fine, his heart eased up a little.

    ¡°Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell? Hmm?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked with concern.

    ¡°I... I¡¯m fine. You... Why are you here?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s movements were heavy, and her heart wavered slightly. She stared nkly at Mu Tangchuan, who had suddenly appeared.

    Mu Tangchuan slowly let go of her, and his tensed expression became a little better. ¡°Ah Wen gave me a call. He said that something happened to you.¡±

    ¡°Ah Wen was too worry, I¡¯m fine now, I just didn¡¯t rest well. Did youe all the way here?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked.

    ¡°Otherwise, do you think I would identally pass by this godforsaken ce? The wind and rain are so heavy. It¡¯ll be fine if I dy a little. There¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry. You understand how difficult it is to walk on the road at this time. You really don¡¯t take your own safety seriously.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan¡¯s tone was filled with reproach at this moment.

    Zhuang Shurong paused for a moment. She raised her head and saw that his expression was not very good, so she reached out to pull him back. ¡°I¡¯m fine, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t happen again. I just wanted to rush home as soon as possible because of the wind and rain. Luckily, it¡¯s not a big deal. Just don¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong also felt like she had been reborn. The situationst night was very dangerous. When the car crashed into her, she was also very scared.

    ¡°How does the driver drive? Tell him not toe next time,¡± Mu Tangchuan said unhappily.

    ¡°The road was too slippery, it wasn¡¯t easy to drive on it. It¡¯s not his fault. I¡¯ve found a few car idents on the way back. It¡¯s like this every year at this time. I can only be more vignt next time.¡± Zhuang Shurong advised.

    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t youe back with me to visit Grandfather and Grandmother? It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today. Even if you rush back, you won¡¯t be able to make it for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner. I¡¯m already fine. It¡¯s only an hour¡¯s drive from home...¡±

    #

 Chapter 2140 - The Love of Chuan Rong (21)

    <h4>Chapter 2140: The Love of Chuan Rong (21)</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Zhuang Shurong said this, her eyes were filled with anticipation as she looked at Mu Tangchuan in a daze.

    Mu Tangchuan lowered his eyes and stared at her for a moment. He did not miss the glimmer of hope in her eyes. After thinking about it, he could only say helplessly, ¡°As you wish. However, I will only allow you to leave the hospital after I personally hear from the doctor that you are fine.¡±

    The tone she had was one that could not be rejected.

    Zhuang Shurong could only nod her head.

    The bodyguard called the doctor over again. The doctor examined Zhuang Shurong and confirmed that she was in a good condition. Only then did Mu Tangchuan feel at ease and let the bodyguard, Ah Wen, go and handle the procedure for discharge.

    .

    When the two of them finished the procedures and left the hospital, the storm outside was still ongoing.

    The bodyguards had already washed the car. Zhuang Shurong instructed the bodyguards to move all the things in the car to Mu Tangchuan¡¯s car and then got into the car. It was already afternoon, so the two of them did not have time to eat and rushed straight to the vige.

    The atmosphere of the new year in the countryside seemed to be even denser than in the city. Thisrge area was a densely popted area of the viges. On the way here, there were viges on both sides of the road. There were burning firecrackers and the continuous sound of firecrackers everywhere.

    At this time of the year, the vigers would be paying respects to their ancestors. It was always the same at every New Year, so it was quite lively when it came to the holidays.

    When the car arrived at the vige entrance, they could see the vigers who were bringing in the new year all over the ce from afar. There were Spring Festival couplets posted outside the doors of each household.

    In such stormy weather, the sky would get dark earlier and it would be a little cold, so everyone prepared early so that the whole family could have a reunion dinner together and watch the spring festival g on the small television.

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s hometown was in the middle of the vige. The vige was not very big, but there were also quite a number of people. When Zhuang Shurong and her group drove the car in, there were quite a lot of people who came to watch until the car drove into the Zhuang family¡¯s courtyard.

    The Zhuang family¡¯s courtyard was nothing more than a two-and-a-half-story house. The empty space in front was surrounded by a wall. The interior was paved and could be used as arge parking lot.

    Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan had just gotten out of the car when the Zhuang couple came out to wee them.

    The old couple¡¯s hair had already turned white and they were already past their 70s. However, they looked quite energetic, especially with Elder master Zhuang¡¯s tall body. His walking posture was still straight and he looked full of energy, it was not difficult to capture a hint of the demeanor of a soldier from his body.

    ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong quickly released Mu Tangchuan when she saw the two old elderly and walked up to them.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back! Just now, I called to ask when your parents would arrive. They said that you left yesterday and did not see them. We were worried that your grandfather was going to send people out to look for you.¡±

    Elder Madam Zhuang weed them warmly. When she saw the two children, her heart was finally relieved and the smile on her face was very kind.

    ¡°I was dyed on the way, so I came backte,¡± Zhuang Shurong replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back safely. Tangchuan, this is your first time in the countryside, right? The people in the countryside are simple and crude, don¡¯t mind them. It¡¯s cold outside in the wind and rain. Come in and sit down and warm yourself.¡±

    Elder Zhuang¡¯s eyes were filled with satisfaction as he looked at Mu Tangchuan. As he spoke, he invited them inside.

    ¡°I used to stay in the countryside when I went out. I¡¯m not too unfamiliar,¡± Mu Tangchuan said humbly. He still respected Elder Zhuang a lot, Elder Zhuang was a very upright person. He had a good reputation in the military, even Zhou Zhenjun had praised him.

    ¡°Good, I¡¯ve always respected the way your Mu family teaches your children. However, our Ah Rong has been spoiled by me. She¡¯s beenwless andes back to visit her grandmother and me once a year, this ungrateful little thing.¡±

    Elder Zhuang red at Zhuang Shurong and walked in with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Grandfather, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just too busy with work, I have to work overtime almost every weekend. If I didn¡¯t have a few more days off for the New Year, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t have been able toe back.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong shrugged innocently and said.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since west met, but you¡¯re much more eloquent now. You¡¯re the same as your father, and you rarelye back. Your grandmother misses you so much that she has called so many times.¡±

    The Zhuang family¡¯s old master did not intend to let Zhuang Shurong off so quickly. He went to the living room and sat down on the sofa. After scolding Zhuang Shurong again, he turned to look at Mu Tangchuan beside him and said, ¡°Tangchuan, when you and Ah Rong were engaged thest time, Grandfather was very satisfied to see you. Ah Rong is lucky to have found a husband like you. She¡¯s more serious, so you have to bear with her more in the future, understand?¡±

    As the Zhuang family¡¯s old master spoke, he poured tea for the two of them while Elder Madam Zhuang went down to prepare dinner.

    The room was very warm, especially since there was a brazier by the side. It was filled with burning charcoal. Zhuang Shurong sat beside the brazier and started a fire. She felt much warmer.

    ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t worry, I will.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan lowered his head and sipped his tea before replying.

    ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t talk about me as if I¡¯m unbearable. It¡¯s his fortune to be able to marry me.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong nced at the Zhuang family¡¯s old master unhappily and protested.

    ¡°How can I not understand your missy¡¯s temper? She¡¯s already spoiled, her parents spoiled her. They should have let you sign up for the Military Academy in the first ce. How good would it be to be a soldier, right? Her spirit and appearance would be much more upright. Look at you now, you¡¯re neither standing nor sitting.¡±

    The old man was very straightforward. He said this because he wanted Zhuang Shurong to reflect on herself. Only then would she know where her shorings were and correct them.

    ¡°Grandfather...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong looked at her grandfather helplessly. Every time she went home, he would do the same. He would give her a lecture first.

    However, she also knew the old man¡¯s good intentions, so she still had to listen.

    ¡°Alright, you two have some tea to warm yourselves. I¡¯ll go check on your grandmother¡¯s cooking.¡±

    Elder Zhuang did not know how to cook at all, but it was one thing if he did not know how to cook. He just liked to stand at the side and point at others, teaching them how to cook. Because of this, Elder Madam Zhuang had always despised him.

    ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t bother Grandmother. Don¡¯t you remember thest time Grandmother chased you out of the kitchen with a spat?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Her culinary skills are terrible. If it weren¡¯t for my guidance, would she have the skills she has today?¡±

    Elder Master Zhuang was unconvinced. He nced at Zhuang Shurong unhappily and strode toward the kitchen without caring about Zhuang Shurong rolling her eyes.

    Zhuang Shurong shrugged and looked at Mu Tangchuan helplessly. ¡°Grandfather and Grandmother are a couple introduced to each other by the organization. Their way of getting along is a little unique, don¡¯t take offenseter...¡±

    #

 Chapter 2141 - The Love of Chuan Rong (22)

    <h4>Chapter 2141: The Love of Chuan Rong (22)</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Tangchuan turned his head to look at her and quickly retracted his gaze.

    ¡°I think they¡¯re a pair of jokers. They seem to be in a good state of mind, and they don¡¯t look like they¡¯re at their age.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because their minds are in such a state of mind. Moreover, my grandparents often go to the mountains for a walk. The air in the countryside is good, and people live in a rtivelyfortable environment. So, this is a good way to maintain a state of mind.¡±

    Although Zhuang Shurong did not often live in the countryside, she asionally envied the short life in the countryside. It was just that it was not as convenient as living in the city.

    Being aloof from worldly affairs was actually more suitable for the description of the Zhuang couple¡¯s life.

    .

    ¡°That¡¯s true. In fact, when Grandfather and Grandmother were not willing to live in the city, I did not quite understand. But now that I see their life like this, I understand. Grandmother said that she prefers to live alone with Grandfather. When I was younger, she still wanted to take care of me. Now that I¡¯m sensible and Grandfather has retired, she decided to stay in the countryside with Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother seems to have a special liking for the life in the countryside?¡±

    ¡°Grandmother is a person who has been to the countryside and came from the countryside. She said that she has feelings for the mountains.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong smiled helplessly. ¡°She often told Grandfather about such a yearning, so Grandfather probably wanted to make up for the grievances she had suffered over the years, so he gave in to her.¡±

    As the two of them spoke, the sound of an old couple arguing could be heard from the kitchen.

    ¡°I told you that you put too much salt in it, and you still need to add soy sauceter, it¡¯ll be salty! Why don¡¯t you believe me!¡±

    Elder Zhuang¡¯s voice was filled with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just add a little water if it¡¯s salty? I don¡¯t need yourments and lecture on how to cook. If you¡¯re so capable, you can do it!¡±

    Elder Madam Zhuang¡¯s voice was not one to be outdone. ¡°I despise people like you the most, you just like to criticize others without knowing how to do it yourself, as if you¡¯re the only person in the world who knows how to cook. I can do whatever I like, get out and don¡¯t be in my way.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by being in your way? Without my guidance, your culinary skills can be outstanding, but practice also depends on the guidance of theory. Don¡¯t you understand this principle?¡±

    Elder Master Zhuang was unconvinced. ¡°You¡¯re good at everything, but you¡¯re hot-tempered and not modest. If others point out your shorings, you should be humble and ept it. To be a worthy teacher...¡±

    ¡°To be a worthy teacher! I don¡¯t need you to teach me on how to be a worthy teacher, get out!¡±

    Elder Madam Zhuang¡¯s impatient voice was heard, followed by a series of ps. Before Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong could react, Elder Zhuang had been pushed out of the kitchen by his old wife.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    The sound of the door closing could be heard. Elder Zhuang turned his head and saw that the two children were looking at him. His aged face seemed to be a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Well, your grandmother is not modest. She¡¯s still angry with me for not giving her a chance to y mahjongst night. Ignore her, let¡¯s continue drinking tea, let¡¯s.¡±

    Hearing Elder Master Zhuang¡¯s exnation, Zhuang Shurong, who knew what was going on, pursed her lips and wanted tough. However, she could only suppress herughter when Elder Master Zhuang gave her a cold nce.

    Mu Tangchuan, on the other hand, calmly poured tea for Elder Zhuang.

    ¡°Grandfather, you¡¯ve been with Grandmother for so many years, but you still haven¡¯t changed. You¡¯ve been ying around like a child. It¡¯s quite amazing that you¡¯ve both lived your whole life like this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, not everyone has the same magnanimity as your grandfather. I don¡¯t bicker with your grandmother, or else I wouldn¡¯t have been able to live on. She¡¯s not modest and unreasonable, even the worst soldiers I¡¯ve ever led weren¡¯t as unreasonable as her. If she wasn¡¯t my own wife, I would have changed long ago.¡±

    Elder Master Zhuang was not polite at all.

    However, Zhuang Shurong knew very well in her heart that it was not as if Elder Master Zhuang did not have any feelings for her grandmother.

    A few years ago, when she went back to the countryside for a holiday, Grandmother suffered from a high fever in the middle of the night. Grandfather must have carried her on his back for several kilometers on the mountain road and sent her to the health center anxiously. He evenforted Grandmother along the way. That tone, it was as if he was coaxing a little girl.

    At that time, Zhuang Shurong realized that her grandfather had deep feelings for her grandmother. It was just that he had a harsh mouth and liked to say harsh words that were mean. Zhuang Shurong was quite helpless, but since they were used to it, as long as they were happy it was good enough.

    ¡°Good, good! Grandfather, Grandmother is willful and insensible, you just have to bear with her. You¡¯re a Chief Officer, so you definitely won¡¯t hold a grudge against her, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I won¡¯t argue with her, I¡¯ll just bear with it.¡±

    Then, Elder Master Zhuang finally eased up.

    Perhaps it was because he was used to giving orders before, but Elder Master Zhuang insisted that he was right. He had toe up with a reason and make it clear before he would let it go.

    In this regard, Zhuang Shurong was actually quite simr to him.

    Dinner was quickly prepared. It was a very authentic home-cooked dish,plete with color, aroma, and taste. When it was brought to the table, Zhuang Shurong looked at it and felt hungry. She unceremoniously ate two bowls of rice. She usually had a small appetite, at this moment, Mu Tangchuan was a little surprised.

    But to be honest, Elder Madam Zhuang¡¯s cooking skills were amazing.

    After dinner, the few of them surrounded the stove for a while. From time to time, the sound of firecrackers could be heard outside, and the air was filled with the smell of the New Year.

    The few of them were in a good mood as they chatted about the new year. Of course, apanying them were the bodyguards, Ah Wen, and the others.

    The house was actually quite big. There were about eight or nine rooms of different sizes. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s rooms were next to each other. Once they stepped out of the balcony, they could see the balcony next door.

    Mu Tangchuan took afortable shower. When he heard the sound of fireworks outside, he responded and walked towards the balcony.

    Sure enough, in the night sky outside the balcony, fireworks were piercing through the cold air and blooming in the wind and rain.

    ¡°The vigers are used to weing the new year in time after midnight on New Year¡¯s Eve, so it¡¯s almost time now. It will be very lively outside. There will be a continuous show in town tomorrow morning,it¡¯s their favorite show. Also, they¡¯ll be rushing the red packets for tomorrow morning¡¯s visits. Right now, the children are all so excited that they can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan had just stood by the guardrail when Zhuang Shurong¡¯s voice came from behind him. Mu Tangchuan quickly turned his head and only then did he realize that Zhuang Shurong was already standing behind him with a bunch of red packets in her hands.

    ¡°Not asleep yet?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked when he saw that she had already changed into a soft, homely outfit.

    ¡°Not so soon, we have to do New Year visitster too. Here, these are sealed red packets. There will be peopleing over for new year¡¯s visits early in the morning tomorrow. When you see the children, give one to each of them, understand?¡±

    As Zhuang Shurong spoke, she handed the thick stack of red packets in her hand to Mu Tangchuan.

    #

 Chapter 2142 - The Love of Chuan Rong (23)

    <h4>Chapter 2142: The Love of Chuan Rong (23)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Tangchuan was stunned for a moment. He leaned against the railing behind him and looked at her silently for a long while before he reached out to take it. After looking at it for a while, he smiled¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that doing this is embarrassing for me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. When we go back, you¡¯ll have to pay me back, and you¡¯ll also have to ask for interest. I won¡¯t admit that I like to see you embarrassed.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong also walked over and stopped beside him.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little disappointed that you didn¡¯t see it now?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled and nced at her. ¡°Even if you¡¯ve lost your face, What¡¯s hanging now is the title of your husband.¡±

    ¡°Your refined manner is all an act, Mu Tangchuan..¡±

    Zhuang Shurong raised her beautiful eyebrows and said in a low voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never said I¡¯m refined, Miss Zhuang.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked at her with a hint of mischievousness in his eyes. He changed into a casual posture, crossed his chest, and smiled.

    ¡°In terms of words, I naturally can¡¯t beat you.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong looked up into the sky and looked at the fireworks that were blooming in the wind and rain. Her eyes were a little lost, ¡°Time passes so quickly. A year has passed just like that. After graduation, I obviously felt that I was aging too quickly and didn¡¯t have time to react. A few years passed just like that, so I simply went to school early. Moreover, my parents didn¡¯t stop me, so for people my age now, I can be considered younger.¡±

    ¡°As long as one isn¡¯t old in mentality.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s impossible to maintain such a state all the time. If I could be like my grandparents, I would be quite satisfied.¡±

    ¡°How old are you? You already have such thoughts?¡±

    ¡°Just consider me overthinking it. Alright, I¡¯ll go out first. You should pack up ande down too.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong retracted her gaze, turned around slowly, and walked towards the door.

    Mu Tangchuan silently watched Zhuang Shurong¡¯s back as she left. He slightly clenched the red packet in his hand and put it aside. After that, he leisurely took out a cigarette packet from his pocket...

    That night, he rested a littlete. The next morning, before dawn, there was the sound of firecrackers outside, so they all got up very early.

    Elder Madam Zhuang had already prepared breakfast, waiting for them to get up so they could use it.

    Not long after breakfast, someone came to pay a new year call. However, Zhuang Shurong dragged Mu Tangchuan to the town for a walk. Mu Tangchuan was naturally willing to apany her.

    The town was very lively and had a strong new year feeling. Zhuang Shurong pulled Mu Tangchuan along the way and squeezed into the streets. There were tug-of-war games and basketball games in the small square. There were many spectators and the square was filled with people.

    The basketball games in the town were also organized in the vige. After taking turns, they would only catch the finals in the afternoon. Naturally, the two of them would only rush home in the evening.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back tomorrow.¡±

    On the way home, Zhuang Shurong suddenly said this to him.

    She knew that he was usually very busy, and it was the new year now. He was too busy, otherwise, she would still want to stay for a few more days.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stay for a few more days?¡± Mu Tangchuan asked.

    ¡°I have a lot of things to do when I get back. I¡¯ll spend the New Year with my grandparents, and they¡¯ll be quite happy. After the New Year, they¡¯ll be visiting rtives and friends, so they won¡¯t be able to take care of us.¡±

    ¡°Make the arrangements.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan seemed to be able to sense what she meant, so he did not object. He did have a lot of things to do in City Z, but he did not want to spoil her mood.

    ¡°Although your injury is not serious, you still need to be examined. The bruise on your arm has not disappeared. Go back and immediately arrange for someone to do a full body examination for you. That way, you can feel more at ease.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s arm was in so much pain that it was difficult for her to raise her hand. Fortunately, Mu Tangchuan had prepared some medicinal wine in the car. She only felt better after rubbing some on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine now. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not worried about myself. It¡¯s just a little painful, why are you so worried for?¡±

    She could not help but tease him when she saw his tensed face.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy that someone is worried about you?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan gave her a sideways nce.

    Zhuang Shurong smiled happily and quickly reached out to wrap her arm around his arm. As she walked home, she said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. Actually, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m a little happier this year. I¡¯ve alwayse back on my own in the past.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you back in the future.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ...

    The next morning, the group returned to City Z.

    Before they left, Elder Madam Zhuang prepared a lot of things for them to take back.

    Of course, she did not forget to remind the two of them to get married as soon as possible so that they could hold their great-grandchild as soon as possible.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong also smiled in response. However, it was also at this time that Zhuang Shurong received calls from the old couple urging them to get married and have children almost every half a month.

    Zhuang Shurong was busy with her exams and had to muddle through every time. It was only after the exams were over a few monthster that the two families finally booked their wedding, which was on New Year¡¯s Day.

    In early summer, Xie Jiajia gave birth to a daughter for Su Zhengxun. She named her Su Yu and invited Mu Tangchuan and the others to the full moon banquet. The child was very cute and was the first child among the brothers, naturally, she was doted on by everyone.

    After Su Yu was born, the pressure on Zhou Zhenjun increased. Because he had been in the army all year round, it was even more difficult to find a suitable one. The rich and powerful families introduced each other to those pampered youngdies, Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s personality was a little rough. He did not like those youngdies. In his heart, he just wanted to find someone who waspatible with him. It would be best if she was a soldier too.

    The arrangements that his family made one after another overwhelmed Zhou Zhenjun a little. As soon as he caught up with the military exercises, he immediately rushed over. If he had known earlier, he would not have transferred back.

    After the 11th day, the Mu family and the Zhuang family began to prepare for Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s wedding. The two families had originally nned to buy a small vi for the two children as an independent wedding house for the children, but after considering the recent political turmoil, they gave up on the n.

    Mu Yinan had personally invited the designer to arrange it. The clothes in Zhuang Shurong and Mu Tangchuan¡¯s closets were prepared in dozens. The entire Mu residence had been redecorated. It was a very warm Chinese-Western style, it was based on the style that Zhuang Shurong was satisfied with.

    Mu Yinan and Wang Hui valued Zhuang Shurong very much. The two of them only had two children, Mu Tangchuan and Mu Zixi. Mu Zixi was out all year round and was not very close to them as parents. When Mu Tangchuan was engaged, she did note back either, she only called home.

    The Mu couple was used to it, they only asked her to be there on their wedding day.

    The wedding photos were also prepared on November 11. They took a few sets, and of course, they were all arranged by Wang Hui. The main people were usually busy with work, and the rest of the matters were left to Wang Hui and the others to worry about.

 Chapter 2143 - The Love of Chuan Rong (24)

    <h4>Chapter 2143: The Love of Chuan Rong (24)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After November 11 day, the weather slowly turned cold, especially with the lingering autumn rain. The coolness in the air became even more intense.

    After taking his leave, Mu Tangchuan rushed to the political party school to study. He went for half a month.

    Because they had been used to the days when she was by his side, Zhuang Shurong was not used to Mu Tangchuan¡¯s sudden leave for such a long time.

    Especially when the wedding was approaching.

    Communication was not very convenient at that time, so it was difficult for the two of them tomunicate. It was difficult tomunicate in a public ce like the office, so they could only rush home every night, and the two of them spoke a few words over the phone.

    Mu Tangchuan was not the kind of person who would sweet-talk. Every time he called, he would mostly say a few words of greetings.. He wanted to say something but did not know what else he could say. He just wanted to hear her say a few words.

    Just like right now¡ª

    ¡°When will you be back?¡±

    Zhuang Shurong slowly sat down on the sofa behind her and asked.

    ¡°Not so soon. The political party school¡¯s curriculum has been adjusted temporarily. There¡¯s another course, so I¡¯ll be back a few dayster. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be too long,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied.

    ¡°Yes, try to pass the exam ande back as soon as possible. Father and Mother have already made the guest list. They¡¯re just waiting for us to confirm. I¡¯m afraid that you still need to invite a lot of friends over there. It¡¯s better to confirm as soon as possible,¡± Zhuang Shurong reminded.

    ¡°Yes, I got it. I can make it in time. I¡¯ll be back in two days.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you. It¡¯s quitete. I know that the lights are about to go out over there. Hurry up and take a shower and rest. It¡¯s quite cold outside. There¡¯s no need toe out like this to make a call, rest early.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong turned her gaze to look out of the window. Seeing the shadow swaying on the window outside, she could not help but feel a little worried, so she reminded him.

    ¡°Mm,, you should rest early too. Remember to put on more clothes since the weather¡¯s getting colder. I¡¯ve gotten Ah Wen to bring you some snacks that you like. The vor is pretty good. I think you should like it. He should be able to bring it to you tomorrow.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan did not forget to bring her some delicious food.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about these when you¡¯re out. It¡¯ll be fine if youe back early. Alright, that¡¯s all for now. Rest early.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After the two of them said good night, Zhuang Shurong slowly hung up the phone.

    It was already a littlete at night. It was already very quiet outside, but Zhuang Shurong was not sleepy. It was rare that she did not have to work overtime today, so she was a little more rxed.

    The moonlight was beautiful outside. Zhuang Shurong walked down the steps in front of the door, and a deste coldness attacked her face. She could not help but tremble slightly.

    ¡°Ah Rong? Why are you still out in this cold?¡±

    Father Zhuang¡¯s affectionate voice suddenly came from behind her. Zhuang Shurong turned her head and saw her father standing behind her.

    ¡°Father? Why aren¡¯t you sleeping at this time of night?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked.

    ¡°I just finished dealing with official business. I saw that the lights downstairs were still on, so I came down to take a look.¡±

    Father Zhuang walked over and stood side by side with Zhuang Shurong.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something on your mind?¡±

    Seeing that Zhuang Shurong looked a little distracted, Father Zhuang asked.

    Zhuang Shurong shook her head. ¡°No, I just wanted to go out for a walk. I¡¯ve been too busy recently, and it wasn¡¯t easy for me to be free tonight. Now I want to calm down properly.¡±

    ¡°Calm down for what? You ¡®re going to marry Tangchuan soon. This is a happy thing for everyone. When Tangchuanes back from the party school, let him bring you to the Civil Affairs Bureau to settle the matter. After that, it¡¯ll be the wedding. The timeline is quite rushed too, but everyone has arranged things very well. You, just be in charge of being the bride.¡±

    Father Zhuang looked at Zhuang Shurong with a gentle gaze, ¡°Are you a little nervous? I see that you and Tangchuan are getting along well. Although the marriage was a little hasty back then, the facts have proven that all of us have good taste.¡±

    Father Zhuang was very satisfied with Mu Tangchuan.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s not up to me to say if it¡¯s good now. It still depends on whether it will be the same in the future. However, even if he treats me badly, I can only surrender. After all, I was the one who decided on this path in the end.¡±

    As Zhuang Shurong said this, a smile appeared on her face as she looked at her father.

    ¡°How could it be bad? I think Tangchuan won¡¯t let us down. As long as it¡¯s you, you also need to work hard to maintain your rtionship. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be difficult to maintain it on your own.¡±

    ¡°I know, Father! I¡¯m not worried about my future life now. I¡¯m just afraid that after I get married, my current lifestyle will change. After I get married, I¡¯ll have to have children to take care of my family. I¡¯m really worried that I¡¯ll be like those aunties. I...¡±

    ¡°How can you think like that? Everyone has to go through such a step before they can be consideredplete. Moreover, it¡¯s not asplicated as you think. This actually doesn¡¯t conflict with your career. Look at your mother. Isn¡¯t she still busy with her career?¡±

    Father Zhuang advised.

    ¡°But, Father...¡±

    ¡°This is a premarital phobia! Don¡¯t worry. If the Mu family dares to make my precious daughter be such a person, I definitely won¡¯t let them off!¡±

    Father Zhuang patted Zhuang Shurong¡¯s shoulder as he spoke, ¡°No matter what, your parents will always be there for you. Don¡¯t think too much. After you get married, immediately give birth to a grandson for us. When that timees, your mother will have almost retired. We will take care of your children for you, and you will still be working at your job. No one will be able to stop you from realizing your dreams.¡±

    Hearing this, Zhuang Shurong smiled softly. ¡°Thank you, Father!¡±

    ...

    The wedding was getting closer and closer as they waited day by day.

    When Mu Tangchuan returned from his studies at the party school, it was less than a month away from the wedding. The preparations for theter stages were even busier. Moreover, Mu Tangchuan had received new work orders and was about to be transferred to the government office.

    Knowing that Mu Tangchuan wasing back, Zhuang Shurong specially got off work earlier today and rushed to the train station to pick him up.

    When she arrived at the train station, the entrance was naturally filled with people. Zhuang Shurong could not squeeze in and could only wait by the side.

    The train could still arrive at the station on time. The moment the train doors opened, the people on the train rushed out as well. The train station was instantly crowded with people. Zhuang Shurong also stretched her neck to look inside anxiously, however, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s figure was still nowhere to be seen.

    It was not until more than half of the people who picked up the train had dispersed that the tall and tall gray figure faintly appeared in front of them.

    ¡°Tangchuan! Over Here!¡±

    A look of surprise shed across Zhuang Shurong¡¯s face. She quickly stood on her tiptoes and waved at Mu Tangchuan while shouting his name¡ª

    ¡°Over here! Tangchuan!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2144 - The Love of Chuan Rong (25)

    <h4>Chapter 2144: The Love of Chuan Rong (25)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he pulled her into his embrace, Zhuang Shurong was a little stunned. She quickly reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

    Mu Tangchuan tightened his arms slightly and hugged her for a while before patting her back. A deep voice was slowly heard¡ª

    ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time? Why aren¡¯t you waiting in the car? It¡¯s too cold outside.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s get in the car. Mother and Father have already prepared the food at home.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong took the briefcase from his hands and pulled him along.

    Mu Tangchuan looked at her anxious expression and could only smile. He also let her to pull him forward..

    Zhuang Shurong¡¯s address of Mu Yinan and Wang Hui had be Mother and Father at Wang Hui¡¯s request. She was going to change her address soon anyway. The betrothal gifts had also been given to the Zhuang family, so it was not strange for her to change the way she addressed them now.

    ¡°Was the training quite boring?¡±

    The driver was Zhuang Shurong. When the car drove out of the station, she also nced at Mu Tangchuan and asked.

    ¡°Naturally, it can¡¯tpare to the freedom outside.¡±

    ¡°When I went to the training in the past, I always felt that it was very boring, and the instructors were very annoying, so every time it was torture.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong shrugged helplessly. ¡°After the exam, this kind of honor seems to fall on me.¡±

    ¡°Formalism is still necessary. Just get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re a superior, if you can avoid this kind of thing a little less, then...¡±

    ¡°You might as well stand higher yourself.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong pursed her lips into a smile and silently sped up the car.

    When they returned to the Mu residence, it was already evening. The sky was a little quiet and it seemed like it was going to rain. Dinner was almost ready at home.

    Zhuang Shurong helped Mu Tangchuan carry the things upstairs, and Mu Tangchuan followed behind.

    ¡®Rustle¡ª¡¯

    Just as she pushed the door open, a gust of cold wind blew over. Zhuang Shurong could not help but shiver, and she heard a faint sound. Listening carefully, she realized that it was already raining outside. The wind and rain swayed, and the curtains across from them were wet, the ground in front of the curtains was also wet.

    ¡°It¡¯s raining!¡±

    Zhuang Shurong put down the briefcase in her hand and walked to the window. She said, ¡°It¡¯s quite big.¡±

    ¡°Close the window. It¡¯s a little cold. Otherwise, don¡¯t go back at night. The road at the south end of the bridge is under construction. It¡¯s not safe to take a detour.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan also put down his luggage and walked up in a few steps.

    Zhuang Shurong had just reached out to pull the curtains when her waist suddenly tightened. Immediately after, a faint warmth came from behind her. She looked down and saw that there was an extra hand on her waist.

    With a swoosh, the window in front of her was closed, but the curtain was pulled to the side by him.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Zhuang Shurong uttered these words in a low voice.

    Mu Tangchuan had already put his arm around her shoulder. His gaze stopped on the ss window in front of him. ¡°You¡¯ll have to get used to this ce sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you can¡¯t wait for me to marry you?¡±

    As Zhuang Shurong said this, the corners of her mouth were filled with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, of course, that will happen sooner orter. It won¡¯t be too long.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan did not deny it and smiled.

    ¡°Will we always treat each other respectfully?¡±

    As Zhuang Shurong spoke, she suddenly turned her head and looked up at his handsome face. Her eyes were filled with an inquisitive seriousness.

    Mu Tangchuanughed softly. ¡°A few days ago, Father-inw called me and said that you don¡¯t have much confidence in me, but I made a promise in front of him.¡±

    ¡°What promise?¡± Zhuang Shurong asked doubtfully.

    ¡°If I treat you badly, he can do whatever he wants to me,¡± Mu Tangchuan said inly.

    Zhuang Shurong was silent for a moment when she heard this. Then, sheughed softly and said, ¡°But I told him that no matter what you do, I will surrender to it. After all, this path was chosen by me. You are also the choice of my life.¡±

    Her tone was naturally very calm.

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t bully you.¡±

    Mu Tangchuanughed softly when he heard her words. He hugged her even tighter with his long arms and quietly pulled her into his embrace. He whispered into her ear, ¡°We will definitely live a good life.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m looking forward to it too.¡±

    ...

    Following that was the busy preparations for theter stages of the wedding. Everyone was even busier than before. The guests, the banquet, and all the other details that needed attention needed to be taken care of.

    Very soon, the days passed. After a cold winter rain, the weather became better, and the time for the wedding approached day by day.

    Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong¡¯s wedding was scheduled to be on New Year¡¯s Day. The first day of the New Year, a new life, a new beginning¡ª

    On the eve of the wedding, Mu Tangchuan¡¯s good brothers, Su Zhengxun, Zhou Zhenjun, and Gu Ting came over. Zhou Zhenjun was the best man, while Gu Ting was with the best man team.

    The brothers came over to apany Mu Tangchuan in the middle of the night. The Mu residence was also decorated with festive decorations. The living room and the handrail of the stairs were decorated with ribbons and flowers.

    It had been a long time since there was such a joyous asion in the Mu residence.

    It was alreadyte at night and everyone had almost finished decorating the house. The brothers sat on the sofa to rest while Wang Hui ordered the kitchen to bring them supper.

    ¡°Tangchuan, I really didn¡¯t expect you to get married. Sigh, Gu Ting has a partner too and now I¡¯m the only one left.¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun poured a ss of wine for Mu Tangchuan andmented, ¡°Time passes too quickly. I clearly remembered us ying truant to go hunting in the suburbs yesterday. Now, in the blink of an eye, you¡¯re getting married. Zhengxun¡¯s daughter can walk soon and I¡¯m getting old. Time is really a butcher¡¯s knife!¡±

    Mu Tangchuan gave him a sideways nce and casually clinked sses with him. ¡°You know the cruelty of time, so you should hold on tight.¡±

    ¡°Hold on tight? Do you think you can hold on tight? I¡¯ve been really annoyed recently. If it weren¡¯t for your wedding, I would have gone out with them for special training.¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun¡¯s tone was a little gloomy. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not really in love with Zhuang Shurong, are you? In my opinion, she doesn¡¯t seem to fit your aesthetic standards very well. I thought you¡¯d only be interested in women like Mai Zi.¡±

    ¡°Zhenjun, what happened between me and Mai Zi was a long time ago. In the future, in front of me, I hope you¡¯ll only mention Ah Rong¡¯s name.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan thought for a moment and responded.

    ¡°Tangchuan, I didn¡¯t mean that. It¡¯s just...¡±

    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m very clear about what I want now. I¡¯m also very clear about who will be by my side in the future. Ah Rong is someone I chose. I need to be responsible for her.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan let out a long sigh. Up until now, although he did not understand what kind of feelings he had for Zhuang Shurong, he knew very well the responsibility he bore...

 Chapter 2145 - The Love of Chuan Rong (26)

    <h4>Chapter 2145: The Love of Chuan Rong (26)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Perhaps at that time, the marriage between them was not thatplicated.

    He thought that maintaining such a marriage was because of feelings and responsibilities. For Mu Tangchuan, he might have more responsibilities than feelings at this time, but he did not feel that there was anything wrong with this, because many times, the belief that he had been holding on to in his heart was the best teacher and friend to restrain and supervise him.

    Therefore, Zhou Zhenjun could understand what Mu Tangchuan had said.

    Love in that era was actually very pure. Once it was determined, it wouldst for almost a lifetime. Just like a very traditional marriage, it was like marrying a chicken to marry a dog to follow a dog. It was also different from modern times many yearster. At that time, especially in the countryside, divorce would be seen as a very unusual thing.

    That kind of love and marriage was a little purer than it was now. Although there were pros and cons, the feelings disyed in each era mostly reflected the problems of the current era.. The attitude toward love could reflect human nature and even personality.

    ¡°What you said makes sense. Look at how old we¡¯ve be in the blink of an eye. Sigh, otherwise, my family wouldn¡¯t be in such a state. Especially after Zhengxun¡¯s precious daughter, Su Yu, was born, that child can almost walk now. At their speed, perhaps another son wille next year!¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun was also having a headache as he spoke.

    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid that they¡¯ll be too fast, you might as well hurry up yourself. Women, if you¡¯re really not sure what kind of feelings you can give them, as long as they have good character and good looks, there¡¯s nothing to dislike. It would be good to just treat them well. They don¡¯t have many demands. We¡¯re just living our lives, so we can¡¯t have too many immature fantasies from before.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan seemed to be able to empathize with her, especially since he had seen the feelings between his parents. After the fantasy, all that was left was reality.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been pped by the fantasy and now you want to return to reality. But to be honest, Zhuang Shurong is much more outstanding than Mai Zi from before. Shees from a family background and has both beauty and talent. She¡¯s practically a phoenix among everyone, she¡¯s perfect for you.¡±

    ¡°You can still tell if she¡¯s worthy or not. It depends on the quality of our lives in the future,¡± Mu Tangchuan replied very calmly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so smug. I won¡¯t be too far behind either!¡±

    Zhou Zhenjun looked at Mu Tangchuan¡¯s incredulous gaze and could not help but say.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just wait and see.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan smiled.

    ...

    The next morning, when Mu Tangchuan woke up, the people below were already busy.

    Zhou Zhenjun also got up to help, and the bridesmaids were also dressed up.

    Mu Tangchuan also changed into a brand new ck suit. Mu Yinan and Wang Hui were also busy supervising the arrangements.

    Zhuang Shurong also got up early to freshen up, and the bridesmaids came early as well.

    However, it was already past 10 o¡¯clock when she finished putting on her makeup. Mu Tangchuan¡¯s party arrived just as she finished up.

    In Zhuang Shurong¡¯s room, Madam Zhuang was still helping Zhuang Shurong fix her gown. Her eyes were naturally filled with reluctance. ¡°Ah Rong, you¡¯re finally going to get married, but this will always be your home.¡±

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯lle back to visit you and Father often.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you cane back anytime.¡±

    ¡°The groom¡¯s float has arrived!¡±

    Before she could say anything else, the excited voice of the servant came from outside the door.

    At this moment, Madam Zhuang had no choice but to stop talking. ¡°Tangchuan is here to pick you up. Make your preparations. Hurry up and go out. Don¡¯t miss the time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go out first. Your Father is still downstairs.¡±

    Madam Zhuang patted Zhuang Shurong¡¯s shoulder before leaving the room.

    Mu Tangchuan was quick. After greeting his inws, he brought the bridesmaids upstairs to look for the bride. The bridesmaids naturally would not let him pass so easily. Other than stuffing him with red packets, he also had to sing a song for Zhuang Shurong outside the door¡ª

    <i>¡®The garden is quiet in the middle of the night, and the leaves are no longer rustling. The night is so beautiful that it makes my heart yearn for it. On this charming night...¡¯</i>

    Although Mu Tangchuan rarely sang, his voice was deep and pleasant to the ears. Moreover, he controlled the rhythm very well. The bridesmaids in the room only wanted to scream as they looked at Zhuang Shurong with envy.

    ¡°Ah Rong, I¡¯m so envious of you. Your lover has status, background, and looks so handsome. He treats you so well. I¡¯m so jealous of your good luck!¡±

    ¡°Our Ah Rong is not bad too, okay? A goddess like Ah Rong deserves a noble master like Mu Tangchuan.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m so envious of you, Shurong! I hope you two can be happy forever.¡±

    Listening to their words and the song that was still going on outside, Zhuang Shurong also felt her cheeks burning slightly. Before she could think about it, Mu Tangchuan finally came in...

    After going through the formalities, the two of them finally gave the Zhuang couple some tea before leaving the Zhuang family and heading straight for the Mu family¡¯s old residence.

    Zhuang Shurong was wearing a beautiful, elegant, and graceful gown today. The bright red color matched the golden color, making her look very noble. Coupled with her outstanding looks and slightly slim figure, the bride¡¯s gown on her was very stunning.

    Even Mu Tangchuan was stunned by her beauty.

    The wedding went very smoothly. After the ceremony, there was a banquet. From morning to night, it was a busy day. By the time the guests dispersed, it was alreadyte at night.

    Zhuang Shurong was exhausted. When she returned to the bedroom, she took off the high heels on her feet. Mu Tangchuan followed behind her. Seeing her like this, he could not help but chuckle. He could only pass her a pair of slippers.

    ¡°Put them on. Don¡¯t walk barefoot. The floor is very cold. Be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    As he spoke, he walked over and poured her a cup of warm water.

    Zhuang Shurong took it very quickly. After drinking a few mouthfuls, she took a deep breath and returned the cup, ¡°It¡¯s not easy to get married. When I saw you drinking so many cups, I thought you wouldn¡¯t be able to make it. Are you alright? Do you want the kitchen to make some hangover soup for you?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I look like someone who drank too much right now?¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked at her with a deep gaze as he took off his coat and tie. ¡°You¡¯re the most beautiful bride I¡¯ve ever seen, Ah Rong.¡±

    Mu Tangchuan looked at Zhuang Shurong, who was wearing a red wedding dress under the phoenix cor. His silent chest was already had sparks that could not be suppressed.

    He had been waiting for this day for a long time. The two of them had been engaged for more than a year, and he had always been a gentleman. Even though the two of them had their moments of intimacy, when it came to the critical moment, the two of them could tacitly restrain themselves.

    Now that they were finally married, he could not help but feel a surge of emotions in his heart...

 Chapter 2146 - Growing Old Together (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2146: Growing Old Together (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mr. Mu, will you always be good to me?

    Mmm¡ª

    One summer afternoon, Xi Xiaye opened a book that had been shelved for a long time. A conversation suddenly appeared on the page. She thought about it and suddenly remembered that she had asked him about it a long, long time ago, not long after they had just gotten married.

    Unexpectedly, 10 years had passed in a sh. The children had grown up. Mu Xiaocheng was more than eight years old. Xiao Rui and Wei¡¯er had also grown up. Their daughter, Mu Zishu, had also grown up. The children rarely made her and Mu Yuchen worry about them. The two of them were busy with their careers, of course, they did not forget to be close to the children. The family was very harmonious..

    Mu Tangchuan had already retired. Other than the children returning to maple residence on weekends, most of the children would go directly to the Mu residence or go to Qi Lei¡¯s Grand Lake Vi to y.

    Their business had been growing in the past few years. The husband and wife preferred to diversify and invest in many industries. There was also Qi Lei¡¯s side. The entiremercial industry was practically connected, and they were trying to win steadily.

    As their businesses became more and more stable, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye spent more time with their children and family. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun were the same.

    ¡°Mother, Aunt Xinyi called.¡±

    As Xi Xiaye was sitting at the desk in the study room flipping through a book, her daughter, Mu Zishu¡¯s tender voice suddenly came from behind her.

    Mu Zishu looked like her. She was beautiful and cute. Mu Yuchen doted on her the most and protected her like a gem. However, this child¡¯s personality was like her brother¡¯s. Mu Zicheng was also a quieter person.

    As Mu Zishu said this, she handed Xi Xiaye¡¯s phone over.

    ¡°Okay, go back to your room and change. Father wille back to pick us upter.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took the phone and reached out to touch Mu Zishu¡¯s little head as she said this.

    Mu Zishu nodded and very obediently turned around to leave the study room.

    ¡°Hello? Xinyi?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then spoke into the phone.

    That¡¯s right, it was Xi Xinyi who called. Xi Xinyi was now the Chief Executive Officer of Tai Yu Corporation in the United States. She had done a great job in the United States.

    The only regret was that she and Han Yifeng could not return to the beginning.

    Han Yifeng did not marry another woman, but he did not stop Xi Xinyi from meeting her son either, so Xi Xinyi¡¯s rtionship with her son was not bad.

    Perhaps he had underestimated Han Yifeng¡¯s determination. He really could not go back to how things were with Xi Xinyi. Actually, Xi Xinyi understood that Han Yifeng had changed his heart a long time ago. Moreover, his heart was already frozen¡ª

    He had fallen in love with Xi Xiaye even though he knew that there was no possibility in this life, and this might make him feel better.

    All these years, Han Yifeng had hardly contacted Xi Xiaye. It was only on her birthday that he would asionally give her gifts anonymously. At first, Xi Xiaye did not know either, so she got Mu Yuchen to investigate, only then did she know that the owner of the gifts was Han Yifeng.

    ¡°Sis, it¡¯s me. How have you been recently?¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s voice soon came from the other end.

    ¡°Pretty good. How about you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye replied inly, ¡°The children are going to be on vacation soon. Do you want to bring the child back home for a visit? Father¡¯s getting old. Sometimes, when I look at Xiao Rui and the others, I¡¯ll think of you and Xiao Zhe.¡±

    When she heard this, Xi Xinyi let out a helpless and bitter smile. ¡°Xiao Zhe still has to go to school. Yifeng has arranged a closed-off school for him. Let¡¯s wait until the new year to take a look. Sis, my mother is gone...¡±

    Gone?

    Yue Lingsi?

    Xi Xiaye was stunned.

    Back then, Yue Lingsi had gone to the United States with Xi Xinyi and arranged for her to be in a nursing home. In a sh, so many years had passed, and Yue Lingsi had actually...

    ¡°My condolences!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was silent for quite a while before she softly said this.

    She did not really feel much for Yue Lingsi. When she heard the news of her death, she was only surprised and did not feel sad.

    ¡°Thank you. Her body has already been cremated. I wanted to send her back to China to be buried, but thinking about it, that ce doesn¡¯t have any good memories after all, so I decided to leave her in America and let her start over in this ce,¡± Xi Xinyi said softly.

    ¡°Mmm, make the arrangements. Do you need me to tell Father about this?¡±

    Xi Xiaye seemed to have guessed Xi Xinyi¡¯s motive.

    Sure enough, when she said this, Xi Xinyi immediately said, ¡°Mmm, Sis, please, because I really don¡¯t want to...¡±

    Was she afraid of Xi Mushan¡¯s attitude?

    Xi Xiaye understood very well.

    ¡°She¡¯s already dead. What grudges can¡¯t be resolved? Father actually let go of this matter a long time ago. He¡¯s doing very well now. Don¡¯t worry, those things have left a shadow in our hearts, but the fact that we¡¯re sisters can never change that. Blood is such a magical thing, so don¡¯t think too much about it. This ce will always be your other home.¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s tone was very gentle and calm. When she heard this, Xi Xinyi felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart. She forced a smile on her face, but her eyes were slightly moist. ¡°Thank you, Sis! Han Yifeng came over on the day of my mother¡¯s funeral. I...¡±

    ¡°If you think that it¡¯s no longer possible between you and him, then I think it¡¯s not bad for you to choose another one. Your life is not even halfway through, and the future is still very long. If you can¡¯t wait, then don¡¯t wait anymore. You¡¯re just a woman. You can¡¯t be alone forever.¡±

    Xi Xiaye understood what Xi Xinyi wanted to say.

    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to let go of him and ept others.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as letting go or not letting go. Sometimes, love is like a piece of frozen ice. The tighter you hold on to it, the faster it melts. In the end, it¡¯ll still turn into a puddle of water and disappear into your palm. If you don¡¯t walk out, you¡¯ll be trapped forever.¡±

    Xi Xiaye could empathize with her.

    ¡°I know... I¡¯ll do my best. I don¡¯t want to live alone like this either.¡±

    Xi Xinyi¡¯s bitter voice came through.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much. Let¡¯s do this first. I¡¯ll go back to the Shen residence tonight. I¡¯ll tell Father about your mother.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sis!¡±

    ...

    Xi Xiaye slowly hung up the phone and quietly closed her eyes. She leaned against the back of the chair and raised her hand to rub the space between her brows. Unexpectedly, a familiar yet faint fragrance suddenly came from under her nose, a pair of long and slender hands nimbly pressed down on her temples with gentle force.

    Xi Xiaye feltfortable. She did not open her eyes, but her tone was a little gentle. ¡°When did youe back? Didn¡¯t hear any sound of your footsteps at all.¡±

    ¡°Are you scared? I saw that you were speaking seriously and didn¡¯t want to disturb you. Was it a call from Xi Xinyi?¡±

    The man¡¯s deep and gentle voice was heard from behind her.

 Chapter 2147 - Growing Old Together (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2147: Growing Old Together (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xi Xiaye leaned back slightly and changed into afortable position as she replied calmly¡ª

    ¡°Mmm, she called me and told me that Yue Lingsi had gone. She wanted to bring her back to City Z, but when she thought about how the memories here were not that good, she decided to just leave her in America. That way, she might have a new start over there. I think she¡¯s thinking about Father and Mother too.¡±

    When XI Xiaye said this, her eyes were very calm, but her tone was clearly a little gloomy.

    ¡°Does she want you to pass on this news to Father?¡±

    Although Mu Yuchen asked this question, his tone was filled with certainty.

    Xi Xiaye nodded, ¡°Xi Xinyi has already gotten used to leaving these things to me when ites to our parents so... actually, I¡¯ve already passed on this matter a long time ago.. It¡¯s been decades. I¡¯m almost 40 years old, and I¡¯ve already passed on half of my life. What¡¯s there to be unhappy about now?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, sheughed bitterly. She took a deep breath, tilted her head, and leaned gently against his side, ¡°You know, maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m old now, so I care about some rtionships especially at this time. For example, my parents. They¡¯re gradually getting older, the children are slowly growing up, and you and I are slowly getting older. Right now, I¡¯ll care more about them. and Xinyi, no matter what, she¡¯s still my sister. I just hope that everyone can live peacefully now.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to spend more time with them... Mr. Mu...¡±

    Xi Xiaye suddenly opened her eyes as she turned around to look at him¡ª

    ¡°I finally understand what you said to me back then. My state of mind always seems to mature toote. Fortunately, I¡¯m still in time. I think that¡¯s the best state of life. The children grew up healthy and safe, and our parents are still around. We¡¯ve helped each other... Mmm...¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Mu Yuchen had already bent down and gently kissed her light-colored lips. He then gently pushed her away and pulled her up to sit in Xi Xiaye¡¯s chair earlier, Xi Xiaye tacitly sat down on hisp.

    Mu Yuchen gently held her hands from behind and held them in his palms. His deep voice had a seductive prating power¡ª

    ¡°A person¡¯s growth is a process of self-precipitation. Don¡¯t be too pessimistic at any time. You must have hope. In this world, other than life and death, what kind of hardships can there be that you can¡¯t walk out of? Your current state is much better than when I first met you.¡±

    Mu Yuchen chuckled and squinted at her before continuing, ¡°You don¡¯t know. When I first met you, I didn¡¯t really think much of you. I just thought that you were like those willful little girls. The only difference is that when I saw you lose your soul, I really couldn¡¯t bear it.¡±

    ¡°Is it that bad? Didn¡¯t you say that the reason you fell for me was because I was good-looking?¡±

    Xi Xiaye still had some confidence in her own appearance.

    When he heard this, Mu Yuchen chuckled and held her hands tightly. ¡°This can be considered a reason. The main reason is that I liked you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fated to bow down to my charm.¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, she could not help but look at him proudly. She slowly moved closer to his ear and lowered her voice as she said softly, ¡°You don¡¯t know that the greatest sense of aplishment in my life is to woo you and marry you. Many people envy me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s eyes shed when he heard this. He chuckled softly. ¡°Since you know how good I am, why don¡¯t you cherish me even more?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. When have I not cherished you?¡±

    ¡°Missus, I realize that you like topete with your eyes to lie. When the children are at home, I practically don¡¯t exist in your eyes. The people you love the most are Xiao Rui and Xiao Cheng.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you doting on Xiao Shu too?¡±

    Xi Xiaye nced at him. ¡°I told you, you have to be fair. Xiao Cheng evenined to me that you¡¯re too strict with him.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Shu is the youngest daughter. She deserves everyone¡¯s love. Our son is a boy, I have to take care of his future growth.¡±

    Mu Yuchen also admitted that out of the four children, he was the most strict with Mu Zicheng and his brothers. He understood what Mu Tangchuan had thought back then. Now, he was following the same old path.

    He hoped that when he and Xi Xiaye got old, these two children would be able to protect Wei¡¯er and Xiao Shu and support the entire Mu family.

    ¡°Actually, it would be great if we had another child. It¡¯s all your fault...¡±

    When XI Xiaye said this, she shot him a resentful nce.

    Not long after Mu Yuchen gave birth to Mu Zishu, he secretly went to the hospital to have a vasectomy.

    He could not bear to let Xi Xiaye do it. Moreover, her body was not suitable for another child. He did not want to have another child. He was already very satisfied with having Mu Xiaocheng.

    Initially, Xi Xiaye did not know about this either. It was only when she was organizing the documentster that she identally saw his medical records and found out about this matter.

    ¡°Why are you giving birth so much? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re forming a basketball team. Haven¡¯t you noticed that your figure has been a little deformed recently?¡±

    Mu Yuchen narrowed his eyes and nced at Xi Xiaye¡¯s slender waist.

    ¡°Deformed? How¡¯s that possible? I do yoga every day. The teacher says that my figure has been maintained very well!¡±

    When Xi Xiaye heard this, she instantly became worried. She quickly reached out to touch her waist as she frowned.

    ¡°There¡¯s no one in this world who understands your figure better than me.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s lips curled up into a smile as he said inly.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s brows furrowed as she reached out to touch his stomach. She gently patted it and rubbed it. ¡°You seem to have put on a little weight too.¡±

    ¡°So be it, I should be putting on some weight too. Anyway, I¡¯ve got a wife and my children are all grown up. I¡¯m on the way to bing an old man. This is a normal phenomenon. It¡¯s better for a man to be portly, didn¡¯t you say a while ago that that little old man looked quite cute?¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice was full of ridicule. Xi Xiaye could not help butugh when she heard him

    ¡°Don¡¯t, if you really be fat, my idol¡¯s image will copse. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to ept this blow.¡±

    ¡°Little girl, you¡¯ve learned to judge people by their appearance?¡±

    Mu Yuchen reached out and pinched her cheek.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always judged people by their appearance. If it wasn¡¯t for your good looks and how you treat me, I would¡¯ve...¡±

    ¡°What would¡¯ve happened?¡±

    Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Mu Yuchen narrowed his eyes...

 Chapter 2148 - Growing Old Together (3)

    <h4>Chapter 2148: Growing Old Together (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Naturally, Xi Xiaye did not dare to continue the rest of her sentence. She just shrugged.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    Seeing that he did not look good, Xi Xiaye could only lower her voice and ask.

    Mu Yuchen nced at her and ignored her.

    ¡°I misspoke, Mr. Mu. Please forgive me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye coughed lightly and said this. She lowered her head and looked up at him. She reached out to lift his chin as she said, ¡°Let me see if you¡¯re really angry..¡±

    ¡°Xi Xiaye! You¡¯re really getting more and more...¡±

    Mu Yuchen felt helpless. He quickly reached out to grab her little hand that was causing trouble as he said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve been too easy on you recently?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. You¡¯ve always been very harsh to me,¡± Xi Xiaye replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense with a straight face. Everyone in this family knows that you have the highest status. Even I have to obey your every word.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll always remember to protect your dignity, Mr. Mu. I was wrong, Prince Charming. Please forgive me.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held back herughter as she sped her hands together and confessed to him.

    ¡°Hypocrite,¡± Mu Yuchen answered her snappily.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    Xi Xiaye was about to say something when her daughter Mu Zishu¡¯s voice suddenly came from outside the door. Xi Xiaye was so frightened that she quickly slid down from Mu Yuchen¡¯sp. She quickly stood up and fixed her slightly wrinkled clothes.

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her and could not help but berate her softly, ¡°We¡¯ve done so many inappropriate things. What are you worried about?¡±

    Xi Xiaye red at him. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to show off my love to you in front of the child.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like she hasn¡¯t seen it before.¡±

    Mu Yuchen could not help but chuckle when he saw that her face was a little red.

    He was not lying. When Mu Zishu was just over a year old, she still slept with them. The little girl¡¯s ears were very sharp. At night, when the couple wanted to get it going, the little girl would immediately wake up, even though they were already very careful, they were still caught by the child a few times. Fortunately, the little girl was still young and they did not know what they were doing. Otherwise...

    Xi Xiaye felt embarrassed just thinking about it. When Mu Zishu was one and a half years old, Mu Yuchen had let her sleep in the baby¡¯s room and let sister-inw take care of her. After that, he could be considered to have be more impudent.

    Of course, he did not care whether Xi Xiaye was willing or not. In the first few nights, Xi Xiaye was still worried about going to the baby¡¯s room to sleep with Mu Zishu every night. However, every morning when she woke up, she would always find herself sleeping on therge bed in her bedroom!

    She did not even need to think to know what was going on!

    Before XI Xiaye could say anything, her daughter had already pushed the door open and walked in.

    ¡°Father, Mother, we can set off now!¡±

    Mu Zishu was dressed in a small, grayish-ck casual outfit. Her long hair was tied into a simple ponytail.

    The little one was not like Qi Wei¡¯er who liked girls¡¯ attire. Mu Zishu seemed to be following her brother¡¯s style. She was influenced by Mu Zicheng, and even her attire was a little like Mu Zicheng¡¯s. However, this little appearance was just, it gave off a faint heroic feeling.

    ¡°Come over, let Mother tie your hair up, it¡¯s too long. Why don¡¯t I get Teacher Yang toe over tomorrow and trim it for you?¡±

    Xi Xiaye reached out to her daughter as she said this.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like my hair is malnourished.¡±

    Mu Zishu replied, then she turned to look at Mu Yuchen. ¡°Father, I¡¯m not cutting it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too long. Cut a little. Unless you learn how to tidy your hair yourself.¡±

    Mu Yuchen also agreed with Xi Xiaye¡¯s point of view. Every morning, when his daughter woke up, he and Xi Xiaye would help herb her hair.

    Mu Zishu pouted. ¡°Then, just a little?¡±

    ¡°Listen to the stylist. Sometimes, you have to try to ept other people¡¯s opinions. You¡¯ll get unexpected results.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he raised his hand to pat his daughter¡¯s head.

    Mu Zishu then shrugged and turned her little head to look at Xi Xiaye. Xi Xiaye nodded in agreement as well. This time, she replied, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll let Teacher Yang decide what to do tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took her handbag too. Mu Yuchen tacitly got up and handed her the phone. Xi Xiaye took it and put it into her handbag, then the whole family went downstairs.

    It was already a little cold outside. Today was Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day, so Mu Yuchen and his buddies agreed to go over to Qi Lei¡¯s ce for a gathering. Mu Zicheng and the others had to catch up on their lessons, so they naturally could note back. Qi Wei¡¯er had already gone back, so Su Chen and Ji Zitong should be there too, there were also Zhou Zimo, Qin Su, and the others. Dongfang Liuyun even called Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran over.

    Qi Lei nned to hold a small banquet at home to celebrate Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day.

    The children gradually grew up. Mu Zicheng and the others stayed in school, but Dongfang Ye and Qi Lan were still on vacation, so the siblings were having a good time with Mu Zishu.

    When Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went over, everyone had already arrived. The backyard of the Grand Lake Vi area had already set up a barbecue. Mu Zishu had just walked to the backyard entrance when she saw a bunch of people already busy working.

    ¡°Xiao Shu, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Qi Lan quickly saw Mu Zishu poking her head in.

    ¡°Ah Lan!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! Let¡¯s go and torture my brother and Gu Liufeng! When will those two scumbags be able to outy us? Oh right, your brother shouldn¡¯t being over today, right?¡±

    As Qi Lan said this, he looked around and did not see Mu Zicheng¡¯s figure, only then did he feel slightly relieved.

    As long as Mu Zicheng was around, those who yed games like them would instantly be reduced to ashes by him. Qi Lan did not like ying with Mu Zicheng at all, that little cunning one who pretended to be profound!

    ¡°My brother is still tutoring in school. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll teach Gu Liufeng a lesson today and let him trick me into hatching eggsst time. This witch even tricked my brother into giving him a set of equipment. My brother did not even give it to me. I want to kill him!¡±

    ¡°Yes, witch, kill him! Sigh, no, today¡¯s dungeon is a team battle. We¡¯ll die quickly even if we kill him.¡±

    Qi Lan suddenly thought of something and said regretfully.

    ¡°Ah Lan, why don¡¯t you help me ask Brother Ye to give me that set of flowing light dance that can be armour?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself?¡±

    Qi Lan curled his lips.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My brother will look down on me if he finds out. I¡¯ve been fighting for a long time, but I still can¡¯t get that set of equipment.¡±

    ¡°Your brother also told you not to y games, but you did.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s not here right now. When Brother Ruies back, I¡¯ll ask him to take us riding horses, okay?¡±

    Mu Zishu said with her brows furrowed.

    ¡°If Mother and Father find out...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m the one behind everything. I was the one who dragged you there. It has nothing to do with you. Uncle Qi Lei won¡¯t do anything to me.¡±

    Mu Zishu immediately patted her chest to make sure.

 Chapter 2149 - Growing Old Together (4)

    <h4>Chapter 2149: Growing Old Together (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qi Lan frowned as he thought about it before replying¡ª

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go look for my brother and the others first.¡±

    Dongfang Ye and the others were engrossed in ying games.

    The children were ying at night while Xi Xiaye helped wash the vegetables in the backyard. Mu Yuchen and the others were putting on airs as they chatted.

    ¡°Xiao Cheng and the others aren¡¯t on vacation yet? Why don¡¯t theye over together?¡±

    Qi Lei did not see Mu Zicheng and the rest earlier, so he asked while he handed the tea he had brewed over to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°The school is in a hurry to catch up on lessons, so he naturally can¡¯t be idle. I n to send him overseas after the semester ends so that he can receive an education abroad. At his age, it¡¯s good to learn more.¡±

    .

    Mu Yuchen took it and lowered his head to take a sip of tea as he replied.

    ¡°Send him abroad? You¡¯re really generous. The child is still so young. Aren¡¯t you worried that Xiaye will fight you to the death?¡±

    The one who spoke was Zhou Zimo. In any case, he, Zhou Zimo, could not bear to part with his children.

    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t bear to, you have to carry it out. Back then, it wasn¡¯t easy for us either. It¡¯s not bad to let him have this realization earlier. I¡¯ve already told him before that if it wasn¡¯t for Xiao Rui¡¯s insistence back then, he would probably be facing the same choice as Xiao Cheng now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s tone was calm. He wanted to keep him by his side, but Mu Zicheng was the same as him back then. He was shouldering too many responsibilities. This responsibility was not something he could think too much about.

    Fortunately, the child could understand him. Otherwise../

    ¡°I agree with Ah Chen¡¯s point of view.¡±

    Everyone fell silent when Qi Lei¡¯s voice suddenly sounded.

    Everyone looked up at him and realized that he was leisurely taking a sip of tea.

    ¡°A few days ago, my uncle called and asked me to send Ah Lan over. He wanted me to apany him there so that he could have somepany. I agreed. Last night, I told Liuyun about the matter and Liuyun agreed with my decision.¡±

    ¡°Your uncle, Wang Xun?¡±

    Su Chen had always known that Qi Lei had an uncle in Singapore. When Qi Lei had that ident, it was thanks to his uncle¡¯s help. Although Wang Xun and Qi Qiming still had a bad rtionship, as the children grew up, this kind of grudge could be considered to be on hold. At the very least, the conflict was no longer as sharp.

    ¡°Yes, Uncle¡¯s health hasn¡¯t been good this year. I just went to see him some time ago.¡±

    Qi Lei had gone to Singapore to see Wang Xun some time ago. Wang Xun¡¯s health had not been too good in the past year or two. In fact, Qi Lei understood that the knot in Wang Xun¡¯s heart had not been opened, especially after his old age. It was...

    ¡°Your uncle really has deep feelings for your mother.¡±

    Zhou Zimo could not help but say this.

    ¡°Even so, it doesn¡¯t change anything. I hope that he can look past it as soon as possible. My mother has been gone for so many years.¡±

    Qi Lei took a deep breath, but there was a hint of helplessness in his tone.

    ¡°I often envy you guys. You all have aplete childhood. Until now, your families are happy and happy. Those who want to be filial are still there. Unlike me, by the time I realize it, it¡¯s already toote. There are many things in life that you can not turn back.¡±

    When Qi Lei said this, he was deeply moved.

    Now, he was already 40 years old, and half of his life had passed. At this time, his state of mind had actually changed greatly.

    The one who had changed the most and endured the most among his brothers was Qi Lei.

    From a cynical yboy to a mature and stable powerhouse who could take care of himself, he had experienced joys and sorrows, no one would understand a life-and-death parting.

    Wang Qin had passed away in front of him, and Qi Feng had died in his arms...

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think about that anymore. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re doing well now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen patted Qi Lei¡¯s shoulder. His gaze was deep and filled with encouragement, ¡°A true brave person dares to face a bleak life. How to find the light of life is what we should be doing. How can we have the heart to think about these useless things?¡±

    ¡°I agree with Ah Chen. If it¡¯s useful to grieve over the passing of spring and autumn, then this world wouldn¡¯t have so much pain. Come, have some tea!¡±

    Su Chen smiled and picked up his tea.

    The buddies smiled at each other and picked up their tea as well.

    ¡°There seems to be an early autumn fashion show next week at Su Nan¡¯s. The invitation was sent to my table. You should go over, right, Xiaye?¡±

    Just as Xi Xiaye was focused on her work, she suddenly heard Dongfang Liuyun¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Su Nan¡¯s fashion show?¡±

    Xi Xiaye then remembered that she still had the invitation from Su Nan in her office.

    ¡°Mmm, she¡¯s already a top-notch master now. She has her own unique views on the fashion industry. A few days ago, Qi Lei told me that thepany is going to design and shoot a blockbuster soon. He wants Su Nan to be his guide on the fashion industry. I n to have a good talk with her in the next two days.¡±

    Su Nan and Ruan Heng had a good time over the years. Su Nan opened her own studio, and every year, she would publish top-notch works in magazines. Her name was very well known in the fashion industry.

    As for Ruan Heng, he was now a Vice President in Zhou Zimo¡¯spany. Zhou Zimo appreciated him very much, and the couple lived a very happy life.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not wrong to look for her for this matter. I¡¯ll be going to the fashion show too.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go together that day. Qi Lei has a business trip tomorrow, so I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t have time to apany me over the next few days.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun looked at Xi Xiaye helplessly.

    ¡°Mu Yuchen has been busy with the new project recently, so we won¡¯t look for them anymore. The press conference that day should be in the afternoon. Let¡¯s go do a full-body rxation first in the morning. I¡¯ve been working too hard recently, so I feel exhausted all over.¡±

    Xi Xiaye and Dongfang Liuyun were very close. The two of them would often go out together to do some maintenance and rxation.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun smiled.

    ¡°I feel that you¡¯re getting closer and closer with Qi Lei and his wife. Some time ago, when you went back to Maple Residence with Mu Yuchen to get information, you told him not to stay any longer and said that you¡¯d wait at home. Liuyun, I think that in this world, only you can subdue him.¡±

    Xi Xiaye recalled the scene when Qi Lei came to visit not long ago.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Mu Yuchen treat you the same?¡±

    Dongfang Liuyun nced at XI Xiaye, then the two women looked at each other and smiled. Theirughter was filled with joy.

    Qin Su and Ji Zitong, who had been listening quietly, exchanged nces and pursed their lips as they smiled.

    The few men who were chatting up ahead heard their voices and looked over as well. Only then did they realize that the few women were chatting happily as well...

 Chapter 2150 - Growing Old Together (5)

    <h4>Chapter 2150: Growing Old Together (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Xi Xiaye and the others were done with their work, Mu Yuchen and the others began to grill.

    All of a sudden, the air was filled with the alluring aroma of grilled meat. Soon, theughter of the children joined in.

    The children were currently surrounding Mu Yuchen and the others and ying around. Apart from Mu Zishu, there were also Su Jingling and the others, Qi Lei¡¯s children...

    It had been a long time since Xi Xiaye had such a lively time. Now, she seemed to be a little moved and happy.

    ¡°I see that they¡¯re having fun. When I see them, I think of myself when I was young.. I just hope that they can have a happy childhood.¡±

    It was Qin Su who spoke.

    Qin Su had be a little gentler these few years. She was no longer as cold and hard as before. Zhou Zimo loved her very much and was determined to warm her up. Although Qin Su was passive, she saw how well Zhou Zimo treated her.

    ¡°The children nowadays are happier than those of our generation. I¡¯m just letting them do as they wish now. I¡¯m not forcing them to grasp many things. I just hope that they can learn and y to their heart¡¯s content. Let them walk their own path,¡± Dongfang Liuyun said calmly, her eyes filled with gentleness.

    ¡°It seems like our views are the same as well.¡±

    Xi Xiaye smiled happily.

    ¡°Mother, Aunt Liuyun, Father and Uncle Qi Lei want you guys to go over for a barbecue.¡±

    At this moment, Mu Zishu came over to urge them.

    ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll go over now.¡±

    ...

    The group of people gathered together and formed a long table. The table was already filled with food.

    Mu Yuchen was sitting in front of the barbecue grill, while Qi Lei, Zhou Zimo, and the others were yingndlords. They ate while drinking. It was really rxing.

    ¡°Let me do it. Why don¡¯t you go talk to them?¡±

    When she saw that Mu Yuchen was busy alone, Xi Xiaye sat over as well.

    ¡°Let them y on their own. Sit over here.¡±

    Mu Yuchen moved his seat slightly as he pointed at the seat beside him.

    Xi Xiaye obediently sat down as well. She took the raw ingredients from the side and handed them to him.

    He reached out and handed Xi Xiaye a skewer of freshly roasted chicken shoulders. It even emitted a sweet and alluring fragrance. ¡°Try it. You didn¡¯t eat anything just now.¡±

    Mu Yuchen naturally noticed what she had just said. Xi Xiaye was actually not very enthusiastic about barbecuing, but Zhou Zimo and Su Chen really liked this bite.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Xi Xiaye took it and took a careful bite. She nodded. ¡°It tastes pretty good. Your skills haven¡¯t regressed. Why don¡¯t you try it too?¡±

    As she said this, she handed the chicken shoulder in her hand to his mouth. ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s a little hot.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nced at her, then smiled and took a bite as well. He pulled a tissue over to wipe his mouth. ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Xi Xiaye then continued to eat alone as she watched him busy with his work.

    ¡°Do you want more?¡± Mu Yuchen asked when he saw her throw down the bamboo stick.

    Xi Xiaye shook her head. She had even brought a te over for them just now. She was a little full.

    ¡°With this little appetite, eat more.¡±

    Mu Yuchen handed her another roasted wing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want more. A few days ago, you even said that I was rounder.¡±

    ¡°No one would say that. Eat this again, you¡¯ll grow a little better. In life you should experience being fat and skinny before, otherwise you¡¯d have lived in vain.¡±

    When she heard him, Xi Xiaye could not help butugh. Many times, listening to his serious nonsense seemed to be a form of enjoyment.

    ¡°I¡¯m really starting to look down on you. You said it so resolutely that day, but now you¡¯ve changed your mind. Only people like you are like that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember saying that. Just treat it as if I¡¯m going through menopause.¡±

    Mu Yuchen did not argue with her and just handed the chicken wing to her. Xi Xiaye was helpless and could only take it.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that you won¡¯t be full. Aren¡¯t you happy? I often wish that you would miss me too.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Mu, why do I feel like you¡¯re being a little unreasonable?¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯ve always noticed that I¡¯m like this.¡±

    A certain someone did not refute and just admitted it openly.

    ¡°You...¡±

    After being together with him for ten years, Xi Xiaye realized that she had never been able to take advantage of him with her words.

    ...

    The group of people yed until night before leaving. Lan Xiu and Leng Xinran left first, followed by Su Chen and Zhou Zimo. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye leftter because they were closer to the Grand Lake Vi area.

    At this moment, Qi Lei had just brewed a pot of good chrysanthemum tea when Mu Yuchen sat by the side.

    Dongfang Liuyun pulled Xi Xiaye to look at a few sets of embroidery gowns. Dongfang Liuyun had been very interested in embroidery recently, and Xi Xiaye happened to be a little interested as well, so the two of them could often chat together.

    ¡°I went to look at the movie base a few days ago and bumped into Ah Mo. He seems to have managed Hui Gu very well. You letting him leave Glory World a few years ago seems to have been a very correct decision.¡±

    Qi Lei poured Mu Yuchen a cup of flower tea as he spoke.

    ¡°After he married Lingshi, he was supposed to return to the Gu family with Lingshi. Back then, he was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get used to it all at once, so it wouldn¡¯t be good if there was a gap between them. That was why he used an excuse to transfer him to City B so that he could slowly get used to it. He has never let me down.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen said this, his eyes shed with a faint sense of relief.

    ¡°Ah Mo has always been very good. With him around, Lingshi will definitely be doing very well.¡±

    After they went to City B thest time, Ah Mo and Lingshi treated him to a meal. It could be seen that they were doing very well too.

    ¡°The film and television base has been operating pretty well these past few years, so we made the right decision back then.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, now that the projects we¡¯re working on are on tracks, I don¡¯t feel as pressured anymore.¡±

    Mu Yuchen nodded and patted Qi Lei on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to live a peaceful life. Cherish it.¡±

    Qi Lei reached out to shake Mu Yuchen¡¯s hand as well. Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face lit up with a slight smile. He took a sip of tea and then put down his teacup. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. Xiaye and I should go back now.¡±

    Then, he stood up as well.

    Qi Lei stood up as well.

    ...

    Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun sent Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye out the door just like before.

    ¡°Go back, it¡¯s still a little cold at night. Wei¡¯er when you want toe home, just give us a call and we¡¯ll get the chauffeur to pick you up, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mother!¡± Qi Wei¡¯er replied.

    Soon, the ck shadow of the car slowly disappeared into the twilight ahead.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back too.¡±

    After a while, Qi Lei turned to look at Dongfang Liuyun.

    Dongfang Liuyun nodded and turned around with Qi Lei. With one hand holding Qi Wei¡¯er¡¯s, they walked into the vi ahead.

    ¡°Uncle, I want to go to Grandfather¡¯s ce tomorrow to visit him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let your aunt drive you there.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2151 - Growing Old Together (6)

    <h4>Chapter 2151: Growing Old Together (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The hot summer quickly passed. During thest few days of summer vacation, Mu Zirui and Mu Zicheng finally returned home.

    Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went to pick them up personally.

    The car had just driven into the school district¡¯s entrance when they saw Mu Zirui and Mu Zicheng standing under a tree by the roadside from afar. Mu Zirui was already very tall. He was dressed in military green and held a camouge backpack in his hand, Mu Zicheng was dressed in a grayish-ck casual outfit. He held the ck backpack on his right shoulder with one hand and kept it leisurely in his pocket with the other hand.

    Mu Zirui was bing more and more resolute and handsome. He was in his teens, but he had a different kind of maturity. He was very close to Mu Yuchen, Xi Xiaye, and Mu Zicheng. Mu Zicheng also respected him as a big brother, although everyone in the Mu family knew Mu Zirui¡¯s identity, the strange thing was that no one treated him differently, just like Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo back then.

    .

    ¡°Father, Mother!¡±

    Mu Zirui saw Mu Yuchen¡¯s car from afar. He could clearly see the people in the car

    The driver was Mu Yuchen, while Xi Xiaye was in the passenger seat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Mu Zirui nced at Mu Zicheng before the two brothers stepped forward.

    Mu Yuchen quickly parked the car at the roadside in front. The two brothers opened the car door at the back and got into the car.

    Mu Yuchen got out of the car and went to the trunk to get a few bottles of water.

    ¡°Have you been waiting for long? Are you hungry? It¡¯s your father¡¯s fault that he went out to drinkst night and only came back in the middle of the night. He couldn¡¯t get up this morning like a dead pig.¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned around to look at her two sons behind her. A rare look of joy appeared on her face.

    Mu Yuchen passed the water in his hand over as well. ¡°He¡¯s only half an hourte. He¡¯s been racing all the way and he¡¯s not a few minuteste. Drink some water. What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Xiao Shu here?¡±

    The two brothers quickly noticed that there was no sign of the little rascal. They looked at each other and Mu Zirui asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s back at the old residence. Your grandmother is going to your aunt¡¯s ce. Xiao Shu will be following her over the next few days.¡±

    Xi Xiaye replied, ¡°It¡¯s already noon. Let¡¯s find a ce to eat first.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I want to go home and eat. Father, make us a delicious meal. I haven¡¯t eaten your dishes for a long time. Let¡¯s just have dinner.¡±

    Mu Zicheng never liked eating out. It was no wonder since he had a master-chef father at home. Naturally, he did not care much about normal food. It was better to just go home.

    ¡°It¡¯s just in time for dinner. Why don¡¯t we go straight to the supermarket and see if they have anything to buy?¡±

    Xi Xiaye thought about it and agreed.

    Mu Yuchen nced at her. This little girl and the children had already treated him like a cook!

    However, Mu Yuchen still did not have any objections.

    In the evening, Maple Residence was brightly lit.

    In the kitchen, Mu Yuchen was preparing dinner while Mu Zicheng acted as his assistant.

    ¡°Father, Older Brother said that he wants to take the military academy exam. You¡¯re not really going to let him take the exam, are you?¡±

    Mu Zicheng passed the washed ginger to Mu Yuchen.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t stop you guys from developing wherever you want, but Xiao Cheng, you¡¯re different from them. Father hopes that you can think further in terms of awareness.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Father. I¡¯ll be like you. I¡¯ll be someone who can protect my family.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s handsome face showed a rare hint of relief when he heard that. He turned his head and looked at his son quietly. In his daze, he suddenly realized that his son seemed to have a shadow of himself from back then, but he understood, his son¡¯s personality should have more than him. He could not tell what it was exactly. Perhaps it was because he followed his mother, Xiaye.

    ¡°Even though you¡¯re still young, you still need to ept the things in your bones as soon as possible. Do you me Father for being too strict with you?¡±

    Mu Yuchen looked deeply at his son as he said this.

    Mu Zicheng shook his head. ¡°I know what Father is thinking. If you didn¡¯t have hope for me, you wouldn¡¯t want me to walk the same path as you. Grandfather said that there are some things that need someone to do. There are some responsibilities that need someone to take responsibility for.¡±

    ¡°Your grandfather is right. He taught me the same way back then.¡±

    When Mu Yuchen heard this, the smile on his face grew wider.

    ...

    The dinner was sumptuous. Mu Tangchuan came over too. Only Zhuang Shurong and Mu Zishu were not around, and Qi Wei¡¯er was still at Qi Lei¡¯s ce, so the five of them were sitting around.

    During the dinner, Mu Tangchuan was very concerned about the two children¡¯s studies. Mu Tangchuan had already retired some time ago, but he was in good spirits. Perhaps it was because there was no pressure anymore, and he had his wife by his side, he felt unprecedentedlyfortable.

    ¡°The children will start school soon. I¡¯ve discussed it with your mother. I want to go to the Maldives. As you know, I haven¡¯t spent much time with her all these years. I owe her too much.¡±

    After dinner, when Xi Xiaye was cleaning up the dishes, Mu Tangchuan said to Mu Yuchen who was on the sofa.

    Mu Yuchen paused for a moment. He was a little surprised by Mu Tangchuan¡¯s words, but then, he thought about it and smiled, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll get Li Si to arrange it for you. After you¡¯re done, go to Europe. France, Italy, Germany. After a round, you can y for three to two months or more than half a year. Now, you guys can have a more rxed life. Xiao Rui and the others are staying in school while Xiao Shu is quite easy to take care of by herself. She has her parents.¡±

    ¡°What your mother means is to ask your parents toe along too. Just the four of us can be a goodpanion,¡± said Mu Tangchuan.

    Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment before replying, ¡°Alright, since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll make some arrangements. Xiaye and I won¡¯t be at ease if the few of you go out. Let¡¯s arrange for a few bodyguards and tour guides for you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, you make the arrangements. We n to y for a few months this time ande back at the end of the year. We¡¯re not so busy now, so we can be a little more at ease.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father.¡±

    ...

    Mu Tangchuan did not stay the night either, so he insisted on going back. However, it was already veryte when he went back. Mu Yuchen originally wanted to personally send him back, but Mu Tangchuan asked the driver toe over, so he refused.

    Mu Tangchuan went back to his room just in time for Xi Xiaye toe out of the children¡¯s room.

    ¡°Are the children asleep?¡± Mu Yuchen asked softly.

    ¡°Mmm, I yed games for quite a while. Oh right, I even found this in Xiao Cheng¡¯s backpack. I asked him, and he actually told me to throw it away. This...¡±

    As Xi Xiaye said this, she handed Mu Yuchen a few pretty pink envelopes. With one look, he could tell that they were for girls¡ª

    There were dancing butterflies and flowers on the envelopes...

 Chapter 2152 - Growing Old Together (7)

    <h4>Chapter 2152: Growing Old Together (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as he looked at Xi Xiaye thoughtfully.

    Xi Xiaye shrugged and pulled him into the room as she closed the door.

    ¡°Come, let me see!¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, he sat down on the sofa and reached out to Xi Xiaye.

    Xi Xiaye handed it over and sat down next to him. Mu Yuchen quickly opened the envelope and took a look at the letter inside¡ª

    As expected!

    It was the love letters that the girls had written to their sons. Moreover, the literary talent of these little girls really surprised him. Xi Xiaye was also very shocked. She could not help but take the letter over and read it one by one next to Mu Yuchen, she even said this as she read.

    .

    ¡°This fellow¡¯s really charming. There are so many letters, and they¡¯re only for this week. Counting them, there are already more than 10. Hey, Mr. Mu, do you think he¡¯s dating in school? Although I¡¯m not really against puppy love, isn¡¯t this not too good?¡±

    When Xi Xiaye said this, she could not help but be a little worried.

    Mu Yuchen nced at her disapprovingly. ¡°Don¡¯t make wild guesses. If you really want to know, you might as well ask your son directly.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t tell you even if I ask him about this, right?¡±

    ¡°My son doesn¡¯t have such impetuous thoughts. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Mu Yuchen had a lot more confidence in his son. Was he not the same back then?

    ¡°Looking at you, you still look like you¡¯re enjoying it. I think you must have...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only person I¡¯ve ever chased after.¡±

    Before she could finish, Mu Yuchen had already cut her off. Xi Xiaye was speechless. She thought about it and was about to say something when Mu Yuchen suddenly threw away the letter in his hand and leaned over, before she could react, he had already kissed her soft lips...

    ¡°We... We haven¡¯t showered yet...¡±

    He caressed her, and their clothes were in a mess. Xi Xiaye struggled for a moment before she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    When the man heard this, he chuckled softly and immediately got up to carry her by her waist¡ª

    ¡°We¡¯re going to shower againter anyway...¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s protest was invalid. More than 10 years had passed, and she still did not have any say in this matter. A man could do whatever he wanted. Moreover, he would definitely not mistreat himself. The older he got, the more insidious he became!

    Xi Xiaye thought about it sadly.

    ...

    A weekter, the new semester began. The children returned to school one after another.

    Mu Tangchuan, Zhuang Shurong, Xi Mushan, and Shen Wenna¡¯s overseas trip had also been arranged.

    Their flight was at nine in the morning on Monday. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye hade over personally to send them off.

    ¡°Mother, have fun when you get there. You don¡¯t have to worry about things here. The news from XI Xinyi earlier must have made things a little awkward between you and Father. Take this opportunity to calm down properly. You know what Father is thinking. Don¡¯t mind too much. She¡¯s already gone. There are some things that you should let go of.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held Shen Wenna¡¯s arm as she lowered her voice.

    Shen Wenna was dressed in an elegant blue and white?<i>qipao</i>?today. Her charm was still there. Time did not leave too many traces on her body. Even though she was quite old now, she still took good care of herself.

    When she heard Xi Xiaye say this, Shen Wenna smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t care anymore. No matter what, your father is by my side now. I¡¯ve thought it through. This is the most important thing. Your father is actually reflecting on himself, so...¡±

    When she heard Shen Wenna¡¯s words, Xi Xiaye felt much more at ease.

    ¡°You and Ah Chen have to look out for each other and understand each other. I think that the two of you won¡¯t be in the same situation as me and your father. Xiaye, to me, your happiness is the most important.¡±

    Shen Wenna was actually very gratified because she had such a daughter.

    Xi Xiaye smiled happily and nodded gently.

    ¡°Alright, quickly board the ne. It¡¯s about time.¡±

    Mu Yuchen¡¯s deep voice suddenly came from beside her.

    ¡°Alright, you guys should hurry back too. You still have to go to work. When we get there, we¡¯ll call you. Take care of the children. If anything, give us a call.¡±

    Zhuang Shurong said as well.

    ¡°Mmm, you guys can board the ne.¡±

    ...

    The group of them got on the ne unhurriedly.

    The ne quickly rushed out of the runway and headed towards the blue sky.

    Xi Xiaye did not leave immediately. Instead, she watched the ne take off.

    After a while, Mu Yuchen¡¯s voice came from behind

    ¡°Don¡¯t look anymore. We can¡¯t see them anymore. Let¡¯s go, we still have to hurry to work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to them going out carefree for a long time. I didn¡¯t expect that this wish would only be realized now. However, in the blink of an eye, they¡¯re all older, and we¡¯re old too,¡± Xi Xiaye said calmly.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear that? Before you think about doing something, isn¡¯t it toote? Actually, it¡¯s still early. It¡¯s just the beginning.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, it makes sense. I hope they can have some fun this time.¡±

    ¡°They will,¡± Mu Yuchen said slowly as he put his arm around Xi Xiaye¡¯s shoulder.

    Xi Xiaye¡¯s gaze was still fixed on the blue sky in front of her. After a while, she sighed softly. ¡°Will it be like this when we¡¯re old?¡±

    ¡°Of course. When the children are older and can take over our careers, we¡¯ll travel around the world.¡±

    ¡°Then, how much longer do we have to wait?¡±

    Xi Xiaye sighed softly. ¡°The children are still very young.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s endure for another 10 years or so.¡±

    As Mu Yuchen said this, therge hand on her shoulder tightened slightly as he lowered his head to kiss her hair. ¡°We¡¯ve still got a very long way to go. Are you still worried about not having a chance? When the timees, wherever you want to go, I¡¯ll be with you.¡±

    ¡°Ever since I married you, you¡¯ve never wronged me. Mr. Mu, do you sometimes think that I¡¯m a burden?¡±

    Xi Xiaye turned to look at him as she said this. Her eyes were filled with faint emotions.

    Mu Yuchen looked down at her as well. He smiled and hugged her tightly as he turned around. Xi Xiaye had no choice but to follow him.

    His deep and gentle voice was filled with doting affection. ¡°Xi Xiaye is unique in this world. Mu Yuchen¡¯s wife and the mother of my child. No one can mistreat you. How could you be a burden?¡±

    His tone was filled with unquestionable determination. When Xi Xiaye heard this, her heart felt inexplicably soft.

    She was probably getting old, and she liked hearing him say that he cared about her more and more.

    ¡°I... I often think that if all the suffering back then was to wait for you, then all of that was nothing. As long as you¡¯re the one who¡¯ll be by my side in the end, that would be great.¡±

    Xi Xiaye held his hand tightly.

    Mu Yuchen was stunned for a moment, then he hugged her tightly. ¡°Do you want to be fated to be with me for three lifetimes, Xi Xiaye?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°What about forever?¡±

    ¡°This, I have to think about it...¡±

    ¡°Say yes. Marry me, and I won¡¯t let you suffer...¡±

    It seemed like many years ago, when she decided to marry him, he had said the same thing¡ª

    He would not let her suffer.

    He did it.

    And she...

    At this moment, she finally thought of the word forever...

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!